The PC release of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will include exclusive features designed to enhance and personalize the game according to our system. These encompass specialized PC benchmark utilities, expanded graphics preferences, and backing for AMD FSR 2 and DLSS. All of these will help in optimizing our gaming experience. The game will launch on 7 December 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Amazon Luna.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora incorporates ray-traced reflections and shadows in its design. As anticipated, on the PC version, you’ll have the ability to fine-tune its visuals through an array of expanded graphical settings. This will include options for spot shadows, diffuse reflection quality, and sun-contact shadows.

While AMD FSR2 is supported, the compatibility outlook for the newly revealed FSR 3 remains uncertain. Users with compatible Nvidia hardware can access DLSS; but, they have not disclosed the exact version. The game will also have its own benchmark tools to show the details regarding performance and visual quality.

According to Ubisoft, the game will support a wide range of resolutions and aspect ratios. This includes ultrawide monitors as well as high-resolution, multi-monitor configurations. The game also aims to harness the capabilities of processors with high-core counts. Yet, it has undergone fine-tuning to suit a wide range of computer setups.

Ubisoft asserts that the game is engineered to deliver seamless performance with minimal delay and consistent frame rates across a range of configurations. However, the company has not yet unveiled specific technical demonstrations and system prerequisites.

The game’s PS5 version will enjoy complimentary DLC, while Xbox and PC players will need to purchase it separately. Check out the official PC features trailer below.

SOURCE

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A couple of years ago we got our first look at Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Since then it’s been delayed a couple of times. During today’s Ubisoft Forward they showcased its wicked gameplay and dropped a new release date! The best part? It’s this year!

Quite a bit of what has been shown over the last couple of days has either had no release date or has been forecasted to come out next year. But not Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. It’s set to release on December 7th, 2023! And to prove that this wasn’t just a date Ubisoft had thrown out they also gave us a heaping serving of gameplay. Given that it’s an open-world shooter the gameplay definitely has a similar feel to Far Cry. You can check the gameplay and another trailer released today below.

Here’s a snippet from the game’s website, “Abducted by the human militaristic corporation known as the RDA, you, a Na’vi, were trained and molded to serve their purpose. Fifteen years later, you are free, but find yourself a stranger in your birthplace. Reconnect with your lost heritage, discover what it truly means to be Na’vi, and join other clans to protect Pandora from the RDA.”

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will drop on December 7th, 2023 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Amazon Luna. Are you excited to jump into the game? What do you think about the gameplay? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter!

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Six years since the game’s release, Fortnite has become a phenomenon. Gamers would be hard-pressed to name another game that has seen fundamental success and has the reach in the industry as Epic’s battle royale. Now, the game arrives to another system. Today, Amazon and Epic Games are happy to announce that Fortnite is now available on the Amazon Luna. Having just expanded the countries the system is available in, the Amazon Luna is bringing Fortnite to a whole new audience. Of course, a press release goes into more detail on the arrival of the game.

Amazon Luna provides gamers with a way to play games through devices they already own. For instance, gamers who have Fire TV will have easy access to Luna. Importantly, the system already has a wide selection of games players can choose from. For instance, casual arcade games, retro classics, and AAA titles, there is something for everyone. Of course, now, Amazon and Epic have brought their most requested game, Fortnite, to the system. 

Fortnite, on the Amazon Luna, is bringing everything players would expect from the game. Players will be able to jump into any game mode like Battle Royale and Creative as well as being able to participate in seasonal events and Unreal editor. Players will be able to access Fortnite with a Prime Membership. However, users without a Prime Membership can still access Amazon Luna games by signing up for Luna+. 

Additionally, Fortnite isn’t heading to the Luna alone. Amazon added even more games to the system. For instance, players can now enjoy games like Wizard Fire and Tormented Souls. For more information head over to the Luna info page. 

SOURCE: PRESS RELEASE

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Nearly a year after its general release into the U.S, the Amazon Luna is making a big announcement about expansion. Today, Amazon Luna announced that they have now brought the platform to multiple new countries. Releasing today in Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom, the platform is ready to bring accessible gaming to more people. A blog post provides more details on the service’s expansion. Of course, the post goes into detail about all aspects of the service from the games collection to the Luna controller. 

Amazon Luna provides gamers with a way to play games through devices they already own. For instance, gamers who have Fire TV will have easy access to Luna. The service, arriving to three new countries today, a large selection of high-quality games for gamers to enjoy. From casual arcade games, to retro classics, and AAA titles, there is something for everyone.  

Importantly, there are several subscriptions users can partake in with Luna. Firstly, Luna+ allows players to play a massive selection of games, with the ability to connect a Ubisoft account to play a select few Ubisoft PC games. Secondly, a Ubisoft+Multi-Access subscription allows Luna gamers to enjoy a wide selection of Ubisoft games. Finally, The Jackbox Games subscription, only available on Luna, gives players access to popular Jackbox games like Quiplash. Of course, Amazon Luna allows Amazon Prime members an even greater selection of games for no extra cost.  

Additionally, Amazon Luna is introducing features like the phone-controller, and the Luna Couch distance options. These features will make playing with your friends easier, and allow players to connect over longer distances. More information is available on the service’s Twitter. 

SOURCE

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New games are always an exciting addition to any service or console. Especially when six of them arrive at once. Today, Amazon Luna announced that they will be bringing six new games to the service in February. Six titles will be arriving in total, yet four of them will be joining the service, for free, as part of the Prime Gaming offer. Of course, players using Amazon Luna can look forward to experiencing a variety of games across genres. From grand adventures, to intense fighting games, even racing and an RPG Sim. A press release provides info about each game and what players can expect. 

The first of two games coming to Luna+ in February is Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider. Players take on the role of a super soldier ninja warrior known as Moonrider. As Moonrider players will take on a totalitarian state in retro style action. 

The second game arriving to Luna+ is Sail Forth. Become a sailor with no memory and explore a vast ocean with distinct biomes. Scavenge for upgrades, treasure, and more. Additionally, they can meet and befriend sailors, expand your crew take on side quests, do battle, and more. 

Of course, four more free games are arriving to the Amazon Luna as a part of the Prime Gaming offer. Importantly these games include the classic, and highly lauded, fighting game Yakuza Kiwami. Additionally, games like Skatebird, WRC Generations, and Potion Permit will all be making their appearance on the Luna. Importantly, players can read more about this in the blog post from team Luna. 

Amazon Luna is also excited to share that now through March 18, anyone can try Luna+ for free for two months. So, which games are you most excited to get your hands on? 

SOURCE: PRESS RELEASE

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Welcome back, cosplay fans! It’s time for the weekly COGconnected cosplay feature. This week, we’re taking a look at Monika Lee, a classic cosplayer of fandoms past. Lee began cosplaying all the way back in 2006, where she slipped into the skin of a variety of gorgeous anime, manga, and video game girls. She competed in a number of craftsmanship contests and won several awards, including numerous Best In Shows. And she also appeared as a featured cast member on SyFy’s Heroes of Cosplay reality TV show in 2013.

Although Monika Lee is currently better known for her work as a Product Manager on Battle.net, she hasn’t given up cosplay. In other words, having a real job doesn’t stop her from bringing out the costume wardrobe from time to time. Her intricate outfits and game-accurate makeup make her a legend in cosplay circles. Just look at her Yuna, for instance.

Scroll on through to see some of the amazing work she’s put together in almost two decades of cosplay.

Yuna – Final Fantasy X/Final Fantasy X-2

Elizabeth Comstock – BioShock Infinite

Check out page 2 for more amazing Monika Lee cosplay.

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Deep Silver is a video game publisher that has worked on many titles. Some of its video games include Saints Row, Dead Island and Timesplitters. Fishlabs is the company’s development team that joined in 2013. Since then, Fishlabs has worked on various mobile titles and high-end 3D games. This combo has officially launched its latest title, Chorus. Players will enter a dark universe filled with mysterious, grand locations as they undergo an epic space adventure. Chorus has launched on the Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and PlayStation Platforms. Chorus is also available on the Stadia and Amazon Luna.

The developers released Chorus’ launch trailer which gives fans an insight into the graphics, visuals and gameplay. It is clear that the combat and battles in space are fast-paced and hectic. Are you ready to bring down The Circle?

In Chorus, players will follow the story of Nara on her ship, the Forsaken, as she fights to free the galaxy from a mysterious cult, The Circle. The Circle is led by the Great Prophet, who along with Nara, conquered many galaxies and reigned with terror. However, Nara has now become The Circle’s biggest fugitive.

Additionally, Players can look forward to navigating Nara’s Forsaken through the galaxy, using its weapons, powers and acrobatic abilities.

Furthermore, Chorus will offer a ton of other features including a compelling storyline, gorgeous 4K visuals in space and great use of next-gen consoles that allow for graphical enhancements. These graphical enhancements highlight ship destruction, environmental effects and more.

What are your thoughts on Chorus? Are you interested in it? Do you enjoy space adventure games? Have you ever played Deep Silver games before? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE: Press Release

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Far Cry 6 fans were sent into a frenzy after the crossover mission with Danny Trejo, more popularly known as Machete, was released too early. Trejo’s tie-in with the game was supposedly part of three free crossover missions—the other two are Stranger Things and Rambo—that were scheduled to launch in December.

“The Dani and Danny vs Everybody mission is a work-in-progress and was accidentally released early,” Ubisoft announced on social media. “We are working to remove it and look forward to when players can check out the final version.”

The devs have quickly removed all traces of Trejo and his mission within Far Cry 6, with a promise that it will be released once fully ready. The console patch ay have already gone live, but there is still no confirmed date for when the update is rolling out to PCs. What fans know at this point in time is that it is going to be a pretty beefy patch, considering that its patch notes suggest it will be a 54GB download.

The Far Cry 6 update did more than remove Trejo’s tie-in, too. There were some quality of life improvements, such as making the game’s title sequence skippable, and updating its colorblind mode. There were also some bug fixes within the patch that fixed issues with looping deaths. New daily and weekly challenges have also been added, including a new special operation named Los Tres Santos—which, in turn, will be available to Far Cry 6 players starting November 9th.

Before the Far Cry 6 crossover with Trejo was removed, however, some players were quick to share that they were already able to finish the mission. “I did it though,” said one player, sharing some screenshots of the experience.

The recent Far Cry 6 patch was already launched for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S consoles, while PC, Luna, and Stadia will be getting it at a later time.

Were you able to see Danny Trejo in Far Cry 6 before the mission was removed? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE

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Ghost Recon Frontline’s Closed Test has just been delayed indefinitely. Ubisoft made the official announcement regarding this matter on social media, but they did not provide any explanation on what pushed them to make this decision.

“We have decided it is best to postpone the Closed Test for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Frontline,” wrote Ubisoft. “The development team is dedicated to creating the best experience possible.”

Ubisoft also did not say when the new launch would be—Ghost Recon Frontline’s Closed Test was originally scheduled for October 14th—but they promised that fans will know more soon. “We will share details on the new date for the Closed Test as soon as we can,” they added. “Thank you for your ongoing support.”

When Ghost Recon Frontline was first announced to the gaming public, it received a lot of negative feedback from the franchise’s fans. Frontline is going to be a 100-player free-to-play shooter which will take inspiration from  the battle royale genre. With that said, it is safe to say that Ghost Recon Frontline is very much not like its predecessors, which are slow-paced, squad-based, and tactical—features that the whole series is quite known for.

Many fans of the Ghost Recon franchise expressed their dissatisfaction with this new direction that Ubisoft has decided to take for Frontline. However, despite this outcry, there has been no indication if Ubisoft is going to shift directions for the game. 

The game’s official reveal trailer has more dislikes than likes, with comments being a combination of disappointment and confusion regarding this new type of gameplay. Some fans even commented that Ubisoft is seemingly ignoring feedback from the Ghost Recon fanbase.

Now that Ghost Recon Frontline’s Closed Test has officially been delayed, fans are hopeful that Ubisoft decided to delay it in order to bring some of the franchise’s more traditional aspects for its very first playable airing—especially after that initially cold reception from the Ghost Recon community.

SOURCE

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Far Cry 6 players are not new to games that have relatively bad endings. However, it has been recently revealed that the franchise’s sixth installment has an alternative ending.

Unlike its predecessors, Far Cry 6’s alternative ending will require players to first complete Libertad Rises—one of the game’s first Operations—before they can see it form themselves. After wrapping up the mission and sitting through some cut scenes, Far Cry 6 players will then be given the choice to either stay with the resistance or to run off to America and live a leisurely life.

Naturally, Far Cry 6 will be pointing players towards the fight via a waypoint, but maneuvering a boat towards the opposite direction for an amount of time will trigger a quick fading of the screen to black. The game will then show the game’s protagonist Dani lounging on a beach after three months, with a radio host announcing that Anton Castillo, the game’s antagonist, has defeated the rebellion.

This particular alternative ending for Far Cry 6 is not as fast to come by as the ones that fans have grown accustomed to with the franchise’s earlier titles. However, it is expected that go-getters in the Far Cry community will most likely plow through it in order to obtain every achievement that the game offers.

Some Far Cry 6 fans also discovered a secret in-game trailer that teases something that involves armor-wearing tigers, which they believe are in reference to certain villains of the series. They found QR codes on the sides of a certain pair of crates within the game, and scanning them will take players to a brief trailer that seems to tease new upcoming series content.

Many Far Cry 6 players believe that the secret in-game trailer is connected to the game’s villain-focused DLC—which, in turn, has been previously teased by Ubisoft in the game’s Season Pass trailer. The DLC will allow players to take on the role of Vaas, Joseph Seed, and Pagan Min, in a rogue-like mission structure that blends with what fans already know about each villain’s backstory.

SOURCE

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Ghost Recon Frontline has just been officially announced by Ubisoft. The title has been in development for three years at Ubisoft Bucharest, and it will be playable on the PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Luna and PC—all with the cross-play feature enabled.

Ubisoft made the announcement about Ghost Recon Frontline at The Anniversary Showcase, which is the event that celebrated the 20th anniversary of the entire Ghost Recon franchise. At the said event, there were special guests who shared their anecdotes about the series.

“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Frontline is a free-to-play, tactical action, massive PvP shooter grounded in the renowned Ghost Recon universe,” said Ubisoft’s description of the game. “Ghost Recon Frontline features an advanced class system and large set of tactical support tools allowing for complete freedom in strategic gameplay, with multiple ways to outsmart enemy teams and win every fight.”

The upcoming Ghost Recon Frontline installment is a bit different from the other titles in the series, as it will be first-person shooter game that is primarily focused on player-versus-player combat, along with support for more than 100 players. Although it is going to have multiple game modes, Ubisoft placed the spotlight on Expedition, which allow 100-plus players to fight in teams of three as they work together to complete certain dynamic objectives within a massive open world map of Drakemoor island.

Ghost Recon Frontline offers “a new take on the battle royale genre,” as players will not just be tasked to eliminate each other, but will also have to collect and protect intel. They will be given the opportunity to interrogate defeated enemies in order to know more about the location of enemy team mates. Once the mission has been accomplished, they will have to survive while waiting for the extraction team that will help take them off the island with the intel they have gathered.

Ghost Recon Frontline will reportedly be entering its testing phase next week in select territories.

SOURCE

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be getting its Viking Age Discovery Tour expansion on October 19th. This DLC is an educational experience for Assassin’s Creed players, allowing them to explore, as well as interact, with the franchise’s Viking Age world. The good news for its fans is that the DLC will be absolutely free for those who already own the game.

The upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Viking Age Discovery Tour expansion was designed with input from both archaeologists and historians. According to Ubisoft, the DLC “will transform the game’s world into a non-violent, educational experience that players can freely explore to learn more about the places, people, and cultures of ninth century England and Norway.”

A standalone version of the expansion will also be made available for PC gamers from both Ubisoft Connect and the Epic Games Store at only £16.99 on its launch date. Moreover, it will become available for other consoles, namely, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Luna, and Stadia sometime in early 2022.

As opposed to the guided tours that were featured in previous Discover Tour expansions that walked players all over Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, the Viking Age DLC will allow players to actually assume the roles of a variety of characters, following their stories and completing certain missions. This narrative-led Assassin’s Creed Valhalla expansion will also allow players to examine the historical objects and locations in order to learn more about them and their origins in the real world.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Viking Age Discovery Tour players will get the opportunity to interact with various discovery sites that showcase images of items from collections displayed at different renowned museums, such as York Archaeological Trust, The British Library, Preston Park Museum & Grounds, France’s Reunion des Musees Nationaux, Denmark’s National Museum, and UK’s Hampshire Cultural Trust.

SOURCE

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Rainbow Six: Extraction is a spin-off of Rainbow Six: Siege that was originally announced by Ubisoft at E3. Since then, operators for the game have been announced along with unfortunately delays to the release date. Yesterday, at the PlayStation Showcase, Ubisoft released an official gameplay trailer for Rainbow Six: Extraction, to give players a sneak peek at some of the combat, mechanics and abilities.

The trailer commences with a female giving us some information about how the world has ended up in this dire state. Biological warfare, threat of nuclear war and more are minor inconveniences in the face of the greatest terror that humanity must conquer. The game then hops into some gameplay elements and a drone, familiar to Rainbow Six: Siege players can be seen skating around the area.

Gunfights, claymores, fortifying and protecting the areas and some pretty scary enemies can also be seen in the trailer.

Rainbow Six: Extraction is a co-operative experience that throws players into the fight against an alien invasion. They must use all the tools, skills and abilities to fight for the sake of humanity. The game provides eighteen operators to choose from, all of which are familiar to Rainbow Six: Siege players as they have been brought across. These operators have now formed team REACT. Can you make up a team versatile enough to stop the enemy?

Rainbow Six: Extraction launches in January 2022 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia and Luna. The game, with a Standard and Deluxe Edition, can be pre-ordered here. The Deluxe Edition includes three exclusive packs for players to use.

What are your thoughts on Rainbow Six: Extraction? Are you interested in its release? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE

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Rainbow Six Siege Operation Crystal Guard starts today. This title is the franchise’s newest season, which is the third season of Year Six. The update will reportedly be available after one hour of downtime. Thankfully for Rainbow Six Siege’s fans, Ubisoft came up with an outline that highlights when each platform will be experiencing the downtime and when the update is going to be available per platform.

Rainbow Six Siege Operation Crystal Guard will launch across PC-based platforms later today before it makes its way to different consoles. The downtimes for Ubisoft Connect, Steam, Luna, and Stadia will be at 6am PT, 7am PT for Xbox consoles, and 8am PT for PlayStation consoles. 

Patch sizes for each platform were also revealed. The patch will reportedly take up 24GB for Ubisoft Connect, 20GB for PS4, 16GB for PS5, 20GB on Xbox consoles, and 12GB on Steam. Luna and Stadia are said to update instantly. According to Ubisoft, the patch for this season is going to be larger than normal since a lot of the files has been consolidated into a single download. “We are consolidating data files, meaning this patch is larger than usual,” the devs wrote on social media. “Though this will not impact overall install sizes.”

The final install sizes for Rainbow Six Siege Operation Crystal Guard at launch will be at 50.4GB for Ubisoft Connect—which will go up to 85.5GB with the HD texture pack and all languages. For Steam, it will be 51.8GB and will be 78.2GB for the same aforementioned reasons. It will be 50.8GB fo Xbox consoles, 55.6GB for PS5, and 56GB for PS4.

At launch, Rainbow Six Siege Operation Crystal Guard will be bringing a new operator, reworks to Coastline, Bank, and Clubhouse, as well as an extended free play weekend that begins on September 9th and ends on September 12th.

SOURCE

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Ubisoft has released a new story trailer for Far Cry 6. After watching the trailer, I can confirm that it looks like Far Cry.

The trailer was revealed at Gamescom and heavily featured this entry’s villain President Antón Castillo. Castillo is the “president” who is eager to restore Yara to its former glory. Alongside being a brutal dictator to a country, he is busy grooming his son to be a powerful successor to his legacy. As you might guess, a brutal dictator doesn’t exactly make for a great father.

Stop me if you heard this before; the story is that you are a reporter doing an interview, but the brutal dictator doesn’t like you so your story, so he tries to have you killed, but you survive and now have to team up with the guerrilla fighters trying to take back control of their country.

To simplify things a bit, you are a person trapped on a tropical island which is helped by the residents who don’t like the current leader. Yep, it is indeed Far Cry.

Yeah, I’m just not sold on Far Cry 6 based on a story trailer. Far Cry is a series that is sold on gameplay. I need the island to be fun to explore, and I need a bunch of wacky side characters. I’m kind of at the point where Far Cry trying so desperately to recreate the magic of Vaas is actively hurting the franchise. Eventually, every dictator in the world will be overthrown, and Ubisoft will have to find a new setup for these games.

Far Cry 6 is set to release October 7, 2021, on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Amazon Luna, and PC.

I enjoyed Far Cry 5 quite a bit, and it will be hard to top it. I don’t want another game where I’m essentially doing the same stuff I already did in Far Cry 5. And Far Cry 4. And Far Cry 3. Far Cry 6 might be great, but I need to see a lot more before I’m convinced.

Source: Press Release

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Ubisoft has released a new gameplay trailer to show off more of Rainbow Six Extraction. While it does look interesting, I’m forced to hate it as it is another game in the trend of getting rid of the fourth person and only allowing 3 player co-op. I got used to four players; stop taking it away from me.

What is Rainbow Six Extraction? It is the next Rainbow Six title that plays nothing like none of the other games. Now it is a co-op shooter that involves going through levels killing aliens. It looks fun, but I feel like this is similar to XDefiant in abusing the Tom Clancy name. I’ve read a lot of books, and I don’t remember any aliens.

Rainbow Six Extraction will take players through 4 different regions in the US, including New York and San Fransisco, through 12 different maps with certain variables that make them different each time you play. Players will have to go through a number of the 13 different objectives, including one called the Gateway Objective, in which players must face off against a Protean, a deadly Archæan variant that has adopted the form of REACT operators and mimics their behavior.

Along with the 12 maps, players will choose from 18 different operators that come from Rainbow Six Siege but now get to fight aliens. Each operator will have different customization options to play around with so you can hone them to your play style.

Players will have to face 13 different enemy variants as they go deeper with a unique twist as players will have to option to extract after an objective or go deeper and face more difficult enemies for greater reward.

If you get Extraction and decide you want to try Siege, you will instantly unlock Extraction’s entire roster of 18 operators in Rainbow Six Siege and will receive the elite United Front cosmetic bundles in both games.

Source: Press Release

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“Shipping games is hard.” Truer words have never been spoken. The adorable game SkateBird was expected to come out on August 12th, but those hopes have flown the coop. They bailed. It didn’t land. Their wings are clipped. [Other bird/skate turns of phrase]

SkateBird has been in development for at least 3 years, so a bit of a delay shouldn’t make take big a difference, right? Yesterday, Glass Bottom Games announced that the release date has been pushed back to September 16th, but in the most adorable way possible.

In an apology video, we see SkateBird getting ready with a progress bar about to reach August 12th, but our little bird-skater accidentally falls on the nearby keyboard, slowing its progress. As the bird flops around, trying to get up, everything goes wrong. Everything catches on fire.

I don’t know if any of you are bird owners, but they are an incredible detriment to work. They are distracting, loud, cuddly, and oh my god, I want to play this game. Though games like Skate and SkaterXL have taken a more realistic approach to skateboarding games, SkateBird is more of a return to arcade-style gameplay, a lot like the Tony Hawk games.

Even though the developers are sorry for the delay, who could be mad at a little bird just trying his best. I think that fans have become a lot more forgiving of delays in the past year anyway. SkateBird’s new release date is set for September 16th for PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Swtich.

Are you going to check out SkateBird? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE

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Ubisoft has been teasing a new game as of late, using the Tom Clancy logo with a mohawk on it. Today, they revealed Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, a free-to-play co-operative shooter. It looks like a bunch of different things like Overwatch and Call of Duty, mixed with familiar Ubisoft titles.

At it’s core, XDefiant is a shooter. Ubisoft promises a ton of different weapons to choose from, as well as different abilities and super-moves to customize your player experience with. From the look of the reveal, there are a bunch of objective-based multiplayer game-types. In these ways, XDefiant seems a lot like Overwatch and Call of Duty.

XDefiant will have players make use of Factions that offer unique abilities and weapons. These Factions are based on groups you may recognize within the Tom Clancy and other Ubisoft games, such as Splinter Cell and Watchdogs. Players will be able to change loadouts mid-game to adapt to the other players’ playstyles.

Ubisoft is setting up the game options like weapons and Factions to be ever-expanding, a lot like how they have built up the roster and arsenal of Rainbow Six Siege.

There is no solid release date yet for XDefiant, but Ubisoft is opening up registration for a closed beta starting on August 5th for PC players. After that more tests will open up for other platforms. XDefiant will be coming out for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Stadia, and Amazon Luna.

Does XDefiant look interesting to you? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE

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There are a few minigames sprinkled throughout the Assassin’s Creed series, some of which are actual board games in real life that we don’t play. In the most recent entry, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, we are introduced to a new board game called Orlog.

Orlog was not a real game that Norse or Saxons played back in the day, but that does not mean it’s not real. Ubisoft has officially licensed an Orlog board game, which is being made by Pure Arts. They are holding a Kickstarter campaign right now and it has already reached its goal six times over.

The board game will come with all the pieces that you would have in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, as well as two sets of God Favor Cards, which you would have to collect in the game. There are also a bunch of stretch goals that have all been reached already.

With the stretch goals achieved, the dice will be glow in the dark, the player coin will be metal, the life stones will be actual stones instead of cardboard, plastic game piece bags will be replaced with linen pouches, and each set will come with an Orlog champion coin and tournament bracket cards.

There are a couple of different editions that backers can buy as well. The regular edition comes with all the necessary pieces in the game box. The Tavern Edition comes with everything, plus a linen game mat and a wooden drinking horn replica with a stand. It is unclear if you could actually drink mead out of it, but it looks cool.

The regular edition costs $39 and the Tavern Edition costs $199, which can be bought by contributing to the Kickstarter. Pledges can be made until sometime in November and the board game will hopefully ship in December. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, and Stadia.

Will you back this Kickstarter for a game of Orlog? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE

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At Ubisoft Forward during E3, Ubisoft announced Rainbow Six Extraction, a game that uses the mechanics and engine of Rainbow Six: Siege, but allows players to team together to fight against parasite aliens that are quite infectious. Thus far, the game has announced different operators that may be used, in much the same vein as Rainbow Six Siege. In its most recent trailer, the cross-play and cross-progression mechanics of the upcoming release has been unveiled along with bonus content in Rainbow Six Siege. Rainbow Six Extraction is set to launch on 16th September 2021 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia and Luna.

In the trailer, it is confirmed that as of Day One, Rainbow Six Extraction will be unified across all platforms with cross-play features. Furthermore, players can share their game progress across any account on all platforms and can even cross-save on PC, Cloud, Ubisoft Connect and next-gen and current-gen consoles.

Besides the announcement pertaining to Rainbow Six Extraction, players of Rainbow Six Siege who jump into the co-op action will receive benefits such as the United Front Bundle. Anyone who plays both games will also unlock all eighteen extraction operators permanently in Rainbow Six Siege. If fans decide to pre-order the game, they will receive the Orbital Decay Bundle, which features operators in futuristic space suits.

Rainbow Six Extraction is a 1-3 player co-op tactical shooter wherein players must use their operators to risk it all in highly contagious dangerous containment zones. Tactics, skills and abilities must be deployed to ensure survival. The cross-play addition to the game is interesting, as companies have begun to break down the barrier between consoles and PC.

What are your thoughts on Rainbow Six Extraction? Are you interested in the spin-off release? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook.

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Very recently, and quietly, Ubisoft has added DualSense support to one of their major titles. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s PC version can now benefit from the DualSense functions of a PlayStation 5 controller. The PlayStation 5 version of the game added support back in December 2020, but only minimally, as many non-exclusives do. Like the native PS5 version of Valhalla, playing the PC version with a PS5 controller now uses the adaptive triggers to fire arrows. Pull the right trigger to draw and arrow, “click” again to release, just like on PS5.

On one hand, yay! On the other hand, it is a small change to the game. If anything, adjusting might be a minor inconvenience. If you play AC Valhalla on the PC AND have a PS5 controller, might as well check it out. A little caveat though, the DualSense functionality only works when your PS5 controller is plugged into your PC; it will not work wirelessly, but you can hope for another update.

Again, DualSense in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a small step, as this is only the second major PC title, after Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition, to include DualSense support. Hopefully, with PlayStation’s plans to bring more exclusives to PC, we will find DualSense making more appearances in PC games. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available for PC, Stadia, Amazon Luna, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

What PC titles do you think would benefit most from DualSense? Let us know in the comments below.

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Netflix have come a long way since their foundation changed the face of media streaming and rental forever. Despite previously denying any intention to move into game streaming, the movie and TV streaming giant has reportedly been in talks with senior game industry executives and developers in order to establish a brand new gaming branch.

This wouldn’t be Netflix’s first foray into the gaming industry – they’ve previously licensed out a number of their IPs such as Stranger Things and The Dark Crystal to smaller developers, and they’ve begun to experiment with their own basic in-app games. It began with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, an interactive drama based around old-school Choose Your Own Adventure gamebooks, way back in 2018. Following the interactive experience’s success, a wide range of new Choose Your Own Adventure projects have been released on Netflix, including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs The Reverend and even a version of the Telltale Games title Minecraft: Story Mode.

A spokesperson for Netflix explained the interest in adding a gaming division: “Members also enjoy engaging more directly with stories they love, through interactive shows like Bandersnatch and You vs Wild, or games based on Stranger Things, La Casa de Papel [Money Heist] and To All the Boys. So we’re excited to do more with interactive entertainment.”.

One important distinction that’s yet to be made is whether or not Netflix’s journey into gaming will involve the development of original games for their service, or if they’ll focus on more familiar ground – game streaming. Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple have all experimented with cloud streaming games, allowing subscribers to pay a monthly subscription for access to a wide library of games rather than purchasing individual titles. However, this method of gaming hasn’t quite taken off yet – Google Stadia in particular has seen several issues over its life.

Although the project still seems to be in early stages for now, it’s certainly one to keep an eye on. With Netflix’s experience and brand recognition, maybe they’ll be the ones to finally bring video game streaming into the mainstream.

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Earth Day is coming up, but how are you supposed to celebrate when we’re all supposed to stay indoors? The pandemic means that large gatherings outside are frowned upon, if not outright banned, and that means the big tree-planting efforts are hard to participate in. Though let’s be honest, most of us gamers were just going to donate money from the safety of our own homes anyway. Whatever the case, Shaw chose the perfect time to unveil a new Earth Day initiative: the Tree Spree Challenge. All you have to do is plant a tree in a game of your choice, screenshot it, and post the pic on social media with #ShawTreeSpree, and the internet giant will match it with a real tree.

Gamers, this is our moment! If you’ve ever wanted to give back to the planet, prove that you’re better at planting trees than anyone else, or just an excuse to decorate your Animal Crossing island, Minecraft homes, or Stardew Valley farmsteads, now is the time to do it. Flood Twitter with the evidence. Let’s get as many trees out there as possible. Last time, the challenge ended with a total of 4,000 trees, but we think you guys can leave that number in the dust.

The event’s call to action states that: “People can post a screenshot of their in-game tree on social using the hashtag #ShawTreeSpree, and Shaw will plant a tree in real life for them, too. The initiative will run until the end of Earth Month(April 30th) and is open to any game where you can plant a tree.”

How many games can you plant trees in, we wonder? Now is an excellent time to find out.

The Shaw Tree Spree Challenge will run from April 22nd (Earth Day) to April 30th, 2021.

How many trees did you plant? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.

SOURCE: Press Release

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Pour one out for the brave souls over at Amazon Game Studios. It appears that their planned Lord of The Rings MMO has been cancelled due to a complex set of contract negotiation woes. The development studio was acquired by a separate corporate behemoth, you see.

Yes, it looks like Tencent and Amazon locked horns, with all of us losing in the end. The Lord of The Rings MMO was set to be developed by Amazon and Leyou Technologies Holding. Then Tencent went and bought LTH late last year. Contract discussions followed, which were a bust. Somehow, Amazon and Tencent couldn’t find common ground. The result is that the MMO in development is no more.

While Amazon Game Studios is no stranger to setbacks, it’s honestly a bit shocking that this project fell through. Amazon is kind of a behemoth in their own right. Yet somehow they were stopped in their tracks by Tencent! It seems insane until you start digging through that company’s roster of acquisitions and holdings. It turns out they own… videogames? Like, any major game publisher you name probably has the Tencent brand on a percentage of their stock. Blizzard/Activision, Riot Games. Epic, Grinding Gear Games, and several others all rock to the Tencent beat to some degree. Amazon Game Studios just can’t compete, it seems.

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Amazon, in a burst of unstoppable optimism, has opened a brand new game development studio in Montreal. The studio is getting its start with several key members of the Rainbow Six Siege development team, including Alexandre Remy, Romain Rimokh, and Xavier Marquis. Montreal will be the fourth Amazon studio to commence operations in North America.

The studio apparently has a AAA title already in the works! This is excellent news, as Amazon’s game department could really use a win. Normally allergic to failure of any sort, Amazon has had a tiny hiccup or two. Nova, Breakaway, Intensity, and Crucible all got cancelled before reaching full release. One of them even launched, was kicked back to closed beta, and then cancelled!

To be fair, Amazon Game Studios does have a long chain of mobile releases under its belt. It’s only been the big ticket AAA releases that have had all the problems. Hopefully wrangling in some experienced talent will help them break their recent streak of bad luck. If nothing else, everyone quoted in the press release ‘couldn’t be more excited‘ about the new studio’s future. Hopefully we hear more about this mysterious AAA game very soon.

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