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Category: Gamespot

Gears of War 4 Update Makes It Easier to Get Credits

Gears of War 4 developer The Coalition has released an update for the game that makes it easier to acquire Credits, the currency used to purchase booster cards that impact your skills and performance.

In a blog post, The Coalition said the adjustments were made based on monitoring player data and feedback. The cost of the Elite Pack Credit has been reduced from 4000 to 3500 and the match completion bonus credits in Versus Multiplayer has been increased.

As noted in the blog post, match bonuses are awarded regardless of whether you win or lose, though victory yields more XP and credit bonuses.

“This should provide a higher and more consistent Credit earn rate across our modes, with the levelling milestone drops of 500 Credits and Credit bounties also helping you on your road to your next pack,” The Coalition said.

It also said “there is now a known bug that may display you earned 0 Credits from your match bonus,” but assured players the match bonus credits and XP are still allocated.

“You should see your true gain reflected in your Credit Wallet in the main menu. We are fixing this bug in a future title update,” it explained.

In GameSpot’s Gears of War 4 review the fourth entry in the mainline series earned an 7/10.

“This is a shooter teetering on the edge of something greater, but despite the improvements it makes to the storied franchise, its missteps hold it back,” said Mike Mahardy.

“There is inspiration here, and creativity in the way Gears of War 4 rethinks its multiplayer modes. But the lackluster campaign and technical issues are blights on an otherwise exhilarating shooter. The result is a whole that doesn’t reflect the quality of its often stellar parts.”

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October 11, 2016
New Battlefield 1 Teaser Features Heavy-Duty Firepower

EA has released another short teaser for Battlefield 1‘s campaign, providing a brief look at the Avanti Savoia mission. As previously detailed, in this mission players take control of a soldier in the Italian mountaineer regiment.

As you can see in the video, this soldier is wearing the Arditi armor and serves as a shock trooper, breaking through enemy defences. In the case of the character featured in teaser, that means using a heavy-duty machine gun and a flamethrower.

Italian and Austrian forces clash over a strategic fort in the Alps in “Avanti Savoia.” Learn more: https://t.co/D8utx9Pt0L pic.twitter.com/CJnSj9iWRa

— Battlefield (@Battlefield) October 10, 2016

The previous Battlefield 1 campaign teaser was for Nothing is Written, which involves playing as a Bedouin warrior and fighting alongside the legendary Lawrence of Arabia.

Battlefield 1’s campaign is made up of five “war stories.” Along with Avanti Savoia and Nothing is Written, the remaining chapters are called Friends in High Places, Through Mud and Blood, and The Runner. You can read about each of these missions here.

Developer DICE has said the goal of these missions is to spotlight lesser-known elements of World War I.

“When we set out on this game, we wanted to depict not just the common view of what the war was like,” said lead designer Daniel Berlin. “We wanted to challenge some preconceptions. We want to delve into some of the unknowns of WW1. Maybe people don’t know that this person fought or that person fought, that this army was involved. We’re stretching out and bringing all those stories into the game.”

Battlefield 1 comes out on October 21 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. EA/Origin Access members can start playing on October 13, while people who buy the Early Enlister edition can get in on October 18.

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October 11, 2016
Spider-Man Spinoff Films Still Being Worked on, Sony Boss Says

When Sony’s Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed to meet box office expectations in 2014, the studio made a deal with Marvel Studios to allow the iconic wall-crawler to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Spider-Man: Homecoming is set for release next year, but a question remains about the Spider-Man spinoff films that were in development before the Marvel deal was made. Now Sony boss Tom Rothman has hinted that we might still see them.

During an interview with Collider, Rothman was asked about the status of the spinoffs. “We are working on a lot of that stuff,” he said. “There’s a concerted effort, so I think there will be real news as opposed to speculated news before too long.”

The two main projects that were in development at Sony prior to the Marvel deal were Sinister Six and Venom films. Earlier this year, THR reported that Venom was in active development at the studio, with a writer hired to work on a script. The site stated that it was being seen as part of “a franchise apart from and unrelated to the upcoming Spider-Man movie with actor Tom Holland.”

The Sinister Six was originally intended to follow Amazing Spider-Man 2, with Daredevil and The Martian writer Drew Goddard both writing and directing. Last year, Goddard spoke to IO9 about the project, and explained that his idea for it would still work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“We take Peter, put him on an adventure, we put him back in his life,” he said. “I intentionally wanted a movie that didn’t have to worry about mythology and continuity. It was important to me to make a movie that could stand on its own.”

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October 11, 2016
VR Is "Coasting on Novelty," Says John Carmack

John Carmack, chief technology officer at Oculus, has said VR is currently “coasting on novelty.” Speaking during the Oculus Connect event, Carmack urged developers to “be harder” on themselves and create experiences on par with non-VR applications and games.

“We are coasting on novelty, and the initial wonder of being something people have never seen before,” he said, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. “But we need to start judging ourselves. Not on a curve, but in an absolute sense. Can you do something in VR that has the same value, or more value, than what these other [non-VR] things have done?”

During his speech, Carmack highlighted loading times as a key area in need of improvement, saying that making users sit through 30-seconds of loading is too long, given the brevity of most currently available VR experiences.

“That’s acceptable if you’re going to sit down and play for an hour … but [in VR] initial startup time really is poisonous. An analogy I like to say is, imagine if your phone took 30 seconds to unlock every time you wanted to use it. You’d use it a lot less.”

He continued: “There are apps that I wanted to play, that I thought looked great, that I stopped playing because they had too long of a load time. I would say 20 seconds should be an absolute limit on load times, and even then I’m pushing people to get it much, much lower.”

Oculus is set to launch its Touch controller on December 6. Each of the two controllers has a traditional analog stick, two buttons, and an analog trigger, as well as haptic feedback and what Oculus calls the “hand trigger.” Touch is also capable of tracking “a set of finger poses” that work to “recognize natural hand poses like pointing, waving, or giving a thumbs-up.”

Preorders for the Touch opened on October 10 at 12 PM PT. Those interested have to purchase yours before the end of October 27 to keep your priority status. People who preorder get two free games: VR Sports Challenge and The Unspoken.

During Oculus Connect, GameSpot spoke to Oculus’ head of content Jason Rubin, about Touch pricing concerns, potential controller fragmentation issues, and PlayStation VR. He also defended game exclusives and explained how they’ll push the VR industry forward.

Carmack, meanwhile, is one of the people named in Fallout publisher ZeniMax’s lawsuit against Oculus VR. ZeniMax is alleging that Oculus founder Palmer Luckey used stolen virtual reality technology to create the Rift VR headset. It also alleges that Carmack, who used to work for id Software, a ZeniMax-owned studio, knowingly took VR technology and information from it before he left for Oculus.

An Oculus spokesperson told GameSpot ZeniMax’s complaint “is one-sided and conveys only ZeniMax’s interpretation of the story.”

It added: “We continue to believe this case has no merit, and we will address all of ZeniMax’s allegations in court.”

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October 11, 2016
John Wick: Chapter 2 Director is Already Planning a Third Movie

John Wick: Chapter 2 is the sequel to the highly acclaimed 2014 action movie starring Keanu Reeves, and is set to hit theaters in February next year. It has now been reported that a third movie is already in the works.

Director Chad Stahelski, who made both movies, spoke to Collider at New York Comic-Con last weekend and revealed that producers have asked him to develop ideas for John Wick 3.

“The studio has asked us to put our heads together and see if we can come up with something,” he said. “Winston [the character played by Ian McShane] is a big part of the next one, so is Lance Reddick. We’ve got some ideas.”

The first trailer for John Wick: Chapter 2 was revealed at NYCC. As well as the expected amount of high-octane gun action, it also provided a brief taste of a scene between Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne, bringing together two of the main characters from The Matrix.

John Wick: Chapter 2 opens on February 10, 2017. It also stars John Leguizamo (Chef), Ruby Rose (Orange Is the New Black), Common (Selma), and Peter Stormare (The Big Lebowski).

Reeves has been training hard for John Wick: Chapter 2, including extensive firearm practice. You can check out a video of the actor shooting a bunch of guns here.

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October 11, 2016
Aladdin Live-Action Movie Planned, Snatch Director Could Be Attached

Following the massive success of The Jungle Book this year, and with Beauty & The Beast due soon, Disney continue to schedule more live-action fairy tale movies. It has been announced that Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie is being lined up to make Aladdin.

As reported by Deadline, Ritchie is in talks to adapt the classic story, which Disney released as an animated movie in 1992. The new film has a script from John August, who has plenty of experience penning successful fantasy adaptations, having written the likes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.

Ritchie is best known for the two Robert Downey Jr-starring Sherlock Holmes movies, as well as crime thrillers such as Snatch and Revolver. His next film is the big budget King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which is set to hit theaters in March.

Aladdin is the latest in a series of live-action fairy tale developed by Disney. The Jungle Book has made an immense $966 million at the worldwide box office, and a sequel already in the works. Beauty & The Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, is due for release on March 17, 2017.

Last month it was announced that Jungle Book director Jon Favreau would be tackling a live-action version of The Lion King, while a live-action adaptation of Mulan has also been set for a 2018 release.

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October 11, 2016
EA Streaming Battlefield 1 Every Day Until Release

EA has announced it will host daily livestreams of Battlefield 1 gameplay in the lead up to its launch on October 21. In a post on the official Battlefield 1 website, the company said it will be showing off “a whole lot” of the game.

“We’ll have every map on display, from Sinai Desert to Suez and Ballroom Blitz. Each mode will be played as well, including new entries Operations and War Pigeons. They’ll be played by members of the Battlefield community team, as well as a bunch of special guests.”

The streams will begin on October 12 and run every day until October 21. They will take place for two hours a day on the Battlefield Twitch page, starting at 1PM PT and finishing at 3PM PT. A full schedule of the Battlefield 1 livestreams can be found here.

Although Battlefield 1 comes out on October 21 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, EA/Origin Access members can start playing on October 13. Those that buy the Early Enlister edition can get in on October 18.

EA has released a trailer for its single-player campaign that offers a brief look at the stories of five different characters. Another short clip was recently released that teased a battle against the Ottoman Empire.

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October 11, 2016
James Bond Star Daniel Craig Says He Still Wants to Play 007

Despite the speculation that Daniel Craig might have starred in his last Bond movie, until now the actor had not commented on his future as 007. Craig has now hinted that he would still be up for more Bond films.

As reported by Vulture, the star was asked about Bond while attending the New Yorker Festival this weekend. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve got the best job in the world,” he said. “I’ll keep doing it as long as I still get a kick out of it.”

Craig also addressed the comments he made last year while promoting Spectre, when he said that he would rather “slash my wrists” than play 007 again. “They say that s**t sticks, and that definitely stuck,” he said. “It was the day after filming [stopped on Spectre]. I’d been away from home for a year.”

“It’s a good gig. I enjoy it. If I were to stop doing it, I would miss it terribly.”

Last month it was rumoured that the star had been offered $150 million to play the iconic secret agent for another two films, which would be shot back-to-back.

A number of names have been rumoured as possible replacements for Craig over the past few months, including Idris Elba, Michael Fassbender, and Tom Hiddleston.

Director Sam Mendes quit the franchise earlier this year having helmed Spectre and its predecessor Skyfall.

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October 10, 2016
WWE No Mercy Results
Smackdown’s first brand-exclusive PPV was one of the most entertaining events of the year. Can their follow-up, No Mercy, live up to Backlash? With every belt–and one career–on the the line, a lot hangs in the balance.

Below, you’ll find all the results for No Mercy. All the winners and losers are here along with the pre-show as well. Seven matches are featured in this PPV, including John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship and Ziggler’s career, and Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss for the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

In case you’re not caught up, don’t worry; we put the final results in spoiler blocks.

Want to see what we thought was going to happen? Here are our No Mercy Predictions. The matches appear in the order they aired during the event.

Early notes:
- The Hype Bros & American Alpha vs The Ascension & The Vaudevillians was added to the Kickoff Show for an 8-man tag team match.
- There is a rumor spreading that Becky Lynch will not be defending the Smackdown Women’s Championship because she suffered a neck injury. As of earlier today, WWE was still promoting the match.
- A backstage promo revealed Lynch will not be fighting because of an injury. The match was rescheduled for November 8 on Smackdown Live. Bliss will still be facing a mystery opponent during the PPV. As of right now, Lynch is still champion and has not vacated the belt.
- AJ Styles (c) vs Dean Ambrose vs John Cena has been moved to be the opening match of No Mercy, after the Kickoff Show.
Kickoff Show

8-Man Tag Team Match: The Hype Bros & American Alpha vs The Ascension & The Vaudevillians

Jason Jordan pins Aiden English at 9:11

Main Event

John Cena vs. AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose

(For the WWE World Championship)

AJ Styles win via pinfall on John Cena at 21:16

Undercard

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella

Nikki Bella wins via pinfall at 8:05

Heath Slater & Rhyno vs The Usos

(For the Smackdown Tag Team Championship)

Heath Slater & Rhyno win via pinfall at 10:04

Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin wins via pinfall at 7:26

The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler

(For the Intercontinental Championship/Ziggler’s Career)

Ziggler wins by pinfall at 19:30

Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi

Naomi wins via pinfall at 5:24

Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt wins via pinfall after Luke Harper distraction at 15:40

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October 10, 2016
Beware: Yet Another Galaxy Note 7 Replacement Catches on Fire

If you own a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, you should strongly consider returning it–even if it’s one of the replacements distributed after phones began catching fire and exploding, prompting a recall.

The Verge reports that a Virginia man woke up to find the phone, which he received as a replacement after returning his original Note 7 in September, had caught fire on his nightstand, filling his bedroom with smoke. It’s at least the fourth case of an incident with a replacement Note 7 in the United States alone, with one starting a fire onboard a flight prior to takeoff this past week.

All major mobile carriers in the US are offering exchanges for Note 7s. However, in light of what’s happened even with replacements, AT&T is no longer offering exchanging Note 7s, GameSpot sister site CNET reports. Instead, customers can hand over their Note 7 for another device.

The exact scope of the issues with the Note 7 remains unclear, as Samsung has not been especially forthcoming. But it is clear that you should be extremely cautious if you have one that’s powered on.

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October 10, 2016