Author: dpugh007

Before the holiday shopping craze really begins, Target has launched a new Buy 2, Get 1 promotion on all video games and board games. Now through November 5, you can get three games for the price of two.

You will see the discount when you add all three items to your cart. As usual, the lowest-priced game will be free.

It looks like you can’t mix and match between video games and board games, as the discount didn’t show up when I added Battlefield 1, Skyrim Special Edition, and Settlers of Catan to my cart. Oh well. This promotion is good now through November 5 at 11:59 PM PT.

Go to Target’s website to start shopping.

It’s almost November, which means Black Friday is coming up. Keep checking back with GameSpot in the coming days and weeks, as Black Friday deals usually leak or are posted early.

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Following the launch of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim‘s remastered version on Friday, Digital Foundry has published a report that details how the game runs on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The Special Edition, as it’s called, runs at a native 1080p on both consoles, the site said, adding that it’s believed to use the same temporal anti-aliasing that was featured in Fallout 4.

As for frame rate, both console versions target 30fps. Digital Foundry said the Xbox One version easily reaches 1080p with “some degree of overhead left over,” but not enough to get up to 60fps.

If you’re thinking about which platform–PS4 or Xbox One–to buy the Special Edition for, it looks like you can’t go wrong with either, based on specs. “So far, both consoles appear remarkably like-for-like in terms of their presentation,” the site said.

One thing to bear in mind, too, is that the Special Edition will get a PS4 Pro patch to support 4K. The console launches on November 10, priced at $400.

“Thus far, Skyrim Special Edition looks pretty solid–it can be viewed as an enhanced PC port for the current-gen platforms and in comparison to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, there’s a night and day improvement in terms of performance and stability, not to mention resolution, art quality and overall levels of detail.”

Read Digital Foundry’s full report to learn a lot more about Skyrim Special Edition’s various visual upgrades.

Something else to consider, if it matters to you, is that Skyrim Special Edition mods are limited on PS4 to those that use in-game assets. This means there are quite a few more mods available on Xbox One than PS4. Additionally, Bethesda has said it is working on a fix for the game’s audio issues.

For more on the Skyrim Special Edition, check out GameSpot’s recent coverage below:

• Should You Buy Skyrim Special Edition?
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Remastered Character Creation Guide
• Skyrim’s Macho Man Dragon Mod Coming to Xbox One, But Not PS4

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If you’re looking to pick up Battlefield 1 on console but not sure which platform to go with, Digital Foundry has now posted its analysis of the game’s performance on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Starting with resolution, the site reports that both PS4 and Xbox One use a “dynamic framebuffer” that adjusts the resolution depending on the intensity of what’s happening on screen. Under normal load, the PS4 version outputs at around 1000p, falling to 900p during heavy load. The Xbox One version, meanwhile, has a baseline resolution of 900p that dips to 720p during certain scenes.

“This leads to a consistently sharper image on PS4, where intricate texture details resolve more cleanly. In fact, at 1000p the presentation often looks very similar to a native 1080p image,” Digital Foundry said.

However, the Xbox One version of Battlefield 1 can in some cases reach 1000p, which puts it right next to the PS4 version. This is something of a rare occurrence, however, and only happens during scenes with short draw distances and lower levels of detail.

As for frame rate, Battlefield 1’s campaign targets 60fps, but falls on both platforms during heavy load. “It’s not a major problem, though it does mean that the action doesn’t always appear silky smooth,” Digital Foundry said. The Xbox One has the edge in terms of campaign frame rate, with the PS4 edition lagging around 14fps behind in some cases. This isn’t a deal-breaker, however. “The PS4 version doesn’t feel overly compromised during the campaign, and the game remains very playable throughout,” the site said.

In terms of multiplayer, Digital Foundry found that the PS4 version lags behind here as well in terms of frame rate. It comes in at around 40-45fps most of the time, dropping into the 30fps range when a lot is going on. By comparison, though performance can vary on Xbox One as well, the frame rate dips are less significant. “As a result the experience when playing online is definitely smoother [on Xbox One],” the site said.

“Overall, from a console perspective, the experience is certainly smoother on the Xbox One, though this does come at the expense of image sharpness due to the game running at a lower resolution much of the time,” Digital Foundry said. “In this case, it’s a worthy trade off as online matches ideally require high frame rates for consistent competitive gameplay, although the situation isn’t ideal on either platform. It’s a different story in the impressive campaign though–performance is much more consistent here and Xbox One’s frame-rate advantage isn’t as pronounced as PS4’s persistently higher resolution.”

Of course, the PC version of Battlefield 1 is likely the best-looking and best-performing of all, provided your computer is strong enough.

Battlefield 1 came out on October 21 behind strong reviews, including a 9/10 from GameSpot.

“With Battlefield 1, EA and DICE have proven the viability of World War I as a time period worth revisiting in first-person shooters,” reviewer Miguel Concepcion said. “It brings into focus countries and nationalities that do not exist today while also shedding light on how the outcome of that war has shaped our lives. As World War II shooters proved many years ago, no game can truly capture the entirety of a global conflict. This is why the focused structure of the War Stories anthology works well. Moreover, Operations succeeds as an effective educational primer on the battles that this gripping adversarial mode are based on. Battlefield 1 is just an introduction to one of the deadliest world events in history, but it is an outstanding, feature-rich package in both its emotional stories and strong multiplayer.”

For more on the critical reception of Battlefield 1, check out what other critics are saying.

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One of the most interesting elements of the Nintendo Switch–at least based on what we know so far–is that it’s a console/mobile hybrid that you can play at home or on the go.

Nintendo already has an on-the-go device in the form of the Nintendo 3DS, so you might think that business could be negatively impacted by the Switch. Not so, according to Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima.

Asked directly by Bloomberg, “Will you discontinue the 3DS?” Kimishima pointed out that 3DS hardware sales are still improving. The launch of the Switch, though it could have some impact on 3DS sales, won’t kill the 3DS, Kimishima said.

“Thanks to our software, the 3DS hardware is still growing,” he said. “So that business still has momentum. And certainly rather than being cannibalized by the Switch, we think the 3DS can continue in its own form.”

Indeed, Nintendo reported just this week that it sold 2.7 million 3DS units during the last quarter, an increase compared to the same period last year. Additionally, Nintendo said Pokemon Sun and Moon are the “best pre-selling games in Nintendo history.”

About the Switch in general, Kimishima said, “We didn’t just want a successor to the Wii U or the 3DS. So our original concept was, ‘What kind of new experience can we create?’ And what we showed this time was an object that’s both stationary and one you can take outside to play with anyone you want.”

Also in the interview, Kimishima was asked if the Switch will have VR capabilities. It sounds like it won’t at launch in March 2017, though Kimishima said nothing is ruled out for the future.

“If you asked as if this might be possible in the future, certainly we can’t say no,” he said. “In terms of how it can be used for gaming, it’s something we must consider. It depends on the system specifications. I can’t say that we have no interest in VR because VR offers new ways of playing, but that depends on what kind of software can be played. But what kind of software works, that’s only something you only know once you actually experience it. And our games are ones that are usually played for a long time.”

Read the full Bloomberg interview here.

For lots more on the Nintendo Switch, check out GameSpot’s recent coverage in the links below.

News:

• Nintendo Switch: Reveal Trailer and All the New Details
• New Mario Game Teased for Nintendo Switch
• Nintendo Switch Development Partners Include Skyrim, Resident Evil, Dark Souls Devs, and More
• Xbox Boss Reacts to Nintendo Switch Announcement
• Nintendo Switch’s Amiibo Support Confirmed
• Skyrim Not Confirmed for Nintendo Switch, Despite Appearing in Video Reveal
• Nintendo Switch Could “Redefine” Gaming, Ubisoft Says
• The Nintendo Switch Dock Is “Not the Main Console”
• Nintendo Switch Price, Hardware Specs May Not be Revealed This Year
• Nintendo Stock Value Drops 6.5 Percent After Switch Reveal, Some Analysts Doubt Its Appeal
• Nintendo Switch Trailer Becomes Most Popular Video on NoA’s YouTube Account
• Nintendo Switch Is Not Backwards Compatible With Physical 3DS or Wii U Games
• Nintendo Switch Price, System Specs, and Launch Lineup Coming in January
• Nintendo President Teases Switch Add-Ons and Further Reveals
• New Nintendo Switch Report Talks Resolution and Touchscreen

Features:

• Nintendo New Switch Console: Our Biggest Unanswered Questions
• How Accurate Were the Rumors About Nintendo Switch
• How Much Should Nintendo Switch Cost? — GameSpot Q&A
• Analyzing the Nintendo Switch’s Tegra Processor

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Sony’s new God of War game for PlayStation 4 won’t show up at the PlayStation Experience event in November. This is according to game director Cory Barlog, who said on Twitter that he “won’t be showing anything of the game at PSX.” He will be at the event, but only to “hang out with PlayStation fans and play games.”

In another tweet, Barlog said the wait will be worth it. “I promise we will be showing something really awesome when it is ready,” he said.

PlayStation Experience 2016 takes place December 3 and 4 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Sony has not yet announced a full lineup of games that will be at the show or offered any details on what might be announced.

The new God of War game was announced at E3 2016 in June. Later that month, Barlog talked about how the game was influenced by a canceled Star Wars TV show and will offer a “more diverse emotional palette.”

Barlog previously spoke to GameSpot about the challenge of making people take Kratos seriously. He also talked about reinventing Kratos and the series’ perspective, in addition to why the angry Spartan can find himself in the middle of Norse mythology.

The new God of War is set after the events of third game, and it won’t feature an open world–though Barlog did say it was “open.” It also won’t feature the original Kratos voice actor, T.C. Carson. The role has instead been taken over by Stargate SG-1 actor Christopher Judge.

Additionally, the new God of War will not feature any multiplayer, while fans discovered that the game’s E3 announcement trailer contained some secrets.

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Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare developer Infinity Ward has outlined the changes it’s making to the game following the game’s two multiplayer betas earlier this month.

In a lengthy post on Reddit titled “What We Learned from the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Beta,” Infinity Ward talked about changes to weapons, modes, and more. In terms of weapons, the consistency of shotgun damage has been increased, while shotgun damage at longer range has also been increased.

Snipers are changed as well, as the game has been updated to have “more flinch” when snipers are shot. Additionally, sniper weapons no longer have aim assist until the optic “fully reaches the player’s eye.”

Outside of weapons changes, health regeneration time has been reduced. As for matchmaking tweaks, Infinity Ward said its “potential player evaluation” was “too strict,” leading to longer waits for matches. The developer already addressed this in the beta, “leading to shorter matching times.”

Additionally, the developer has fixed a geolocation problem that caused some players to be categorized as being in a region where they weren’t. Another thing that got fixed in the beta was a problem where queueing into a join-in-progress match was taking too long.

You can see all the Infinite Warfare beta changes below.

Infinite Warfare launches on November 4 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. A remastered version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare also launches that day, but the only way to get it is to buy one of the premium versions of Infinite Warfare, which start at $80.

Infinite Warfare Multiplayer Changes:

Via DualShockers

WEAPONS

We received a ton of great data from the Beta, allowing us to take a hard look at all of the guns and we will make changes as needed. Here are some of the immediate tweaks we will be implementing.

• Shotguns

o Increased the consistency of shotgun damage

o Shotgun damage at longer range has been increased

o Slightly increased the one shot kill range.

o Both the Reaver and Banshee have received a slight bonus to their 1 trigger pull kill range

• Snipers

o Bullet spread at the hip no longer gets smaller as the player ADS’s. Once the scope reaches the player’s eye, the bullet spread goes instantly to zero.

o Sniper aim assist was reduced slightly for the KBS Longbow and the other bolt action snipers. Our turn rate while Aimed Down Sights is still slowed to help with precision aiming.

o Sniper-class weapons no longer have any Aim Assist until the optic fully reaches the player’s eye.

o For the ELO and Scout optics on snipers, the idle sway while ADS has been increased along with the player’s view bounce when moving. Because these optics are less zoomed in, the view bounce and the sway are felt less. These changes are to promote more stationary aiming and firing with these optics.

o The Tracking Chip optic’s visuals have been improved

o Reduced bonus of the Quickdraw attachment on snipers

o Updated snipers to have more flinch when getting shot.

• Launchers

o The Howitzer Grenade launcher can now be fired from the hip instead of requiring full ADS

* • SMGs*

o The RPR Evo epic variant (Ripper) has had a tuning pass to increase recoil given its bonus fire rate

PERKS & RIG TRAITS

• Marksman – We fixed a bug where, in addition to reducing flinch, it was also reducing recoil. This would then stack with Gun Perks and the Foregrip Attachment. This bonus reduction has been removed.

• Momentum – Fixed issues with speed not being retained

• Marked Target – The temporary red marker on the victim has been toned down

HEALTH REGEN AND SPAWNING

• Health Regen time has been reduced

• Infusion bonus reduced

• Continuing to refine spawn system on beta maps, will assess remaining launch maps in live environment

ECONOMY

• Increased salvage gain in mission teams.

• Changed currency value in supply drops.

• Increased drop rate of keys in round-based modes.

SCORESTREAKS AND RIGS

• AP-3X

o Increased health, bullet damage, and weapon accuracy up close to help with target acquisition

• RC-8

o Increased health, increased weapon accuracy to help with target acquisition, slight increase in fire rate, and slight damage increase on splash damage

• T.H.O.R

o Increased speed of tracking rockets

o Increase damage of both tracking and straight fire rockets

• Bombardment

o Slight decrease in both time to the initial drop and the time between each subsequent drop

o Updated area damage to be consistent inner to outer

• Rigs

o Refining payload balance

o Slight tweaks to gameplay balance across rigs

MODES

• Defender: When carrying the Drone, the score-per-second bonus has been bumped from 5 score per second to 10 score per second. Scorestreak carrier bonus is unaffected.

• Gun Game: Now features all classic weapons. In future updates, weapons with alternate functions will retain their state upon spawn.

• Domination: When you step off a flag, the current capture bar progress starts to decay. The rate of this decay has been halved from the Beta. This allows players to hop off a flag to defend it and then get back on the flag with less progress loss

MATCHMAKING

• Potential player evaluation was too strict. We were doing some very thorough testing of your connection to other players before placing you in a lobby with those players. This turned out to be a bit too thorough, and eventually was relaxed, leading to shorter matching times.

• Incorrect geographic categorization. There was an issue in our geolocation system which was causing some players to be incorrectly categorized. This was also resolved during the beta, improving matchmaking times.

• Dead lobby cleanup. The process which cleans up unused or dead lobby information from our back end was taking too long. This was causing a number of slowdowns when searching for a match.

• The matchmaker was always quite good at generating new lobbies, but one thing we noticed was that queueing into a join in progress situation was taking much longer. This was due to some issues in the way we track information about the lobbies that are currently playing a match. These issues were also addressed during the beta, and sped up the join in progress case immensely.

TTK (TIME TO KILL / ENGAGEMENT)

• We know a lot of you had different experiences with TTK during the Beta. With the above adjustments to dedicated servers, matchmaking, and weapon tuning, we think you’ll find that the TTK will be more balanced at launch, both on the attacking and receiving end. We’ll continue to monitor and balance throughout the year as need and would love your feedback in the process.

• We’re always looking at TTK and will continue to balance and monitor

DEDICATED SERVERS

• One of the major infrastructure changes we made this project was how dedicated server allocations work. We’re using a new load balancing system on the servers themselves, as well as pretty heavily changed how the game chooses a datacenter to use, and requests a dedicated server from that datacenter.

• At the start of the Beta, you may have noticed some host migrations and some poorer quality matches. We discovered some issues where the new system was dropping our dedicated server utilization numbers way below target. After some tweaks and fixes we were able dramatically improve our dedicated server utilization for the second weekend and beyond.

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