Category: Gamespot

Ubisoft has updated its Rainbow Six Siege website with detailed information on the game’s Dust Line expansion, discussing the new weapon skins, features, charms, and more.

As previously announced, the main components of the Operation Dust Line DLC are a free new map (Border) and two US Navy SEAL operators. The first, Valkyrie, is able to deploy sticky cameras that her and her teammates can access. Blackbeard, meanwhile, has a rifle-mounted shield that lets him push into areas more safely.

The map is free for everyone starting on May 11 (today), and season pass owners also gain instant access to both characters. Those who haven’t purchased the season pass have to wait until May 18 to unlock them, which can be done using Renown (the currency earned by playing the game) or R6 Credits (which cost real-world money).

Highlights from the Dust Line update can be found below. Take a look at the game’s website for the full list of changes and new additions.

Content

• Dustline: In Operation Dust Line, two Navy SEAL Operators join Team Rainbow to secure the “Border,” our new free map. This second major content update also introduces new weapon skins, advanced customization options, the ability to change your loadouts between rounds and lots more.
• Operators: With Operation Dust Line, Team Rainbow recruits two of the Navy SEAL’s finest: Blackbeard and Valkyrie. The new Operators are immediately unlocked for Season Pass owners, with a 7 day exclusive access. All players can then unlock the Operators with Renown or R6 Credits after the exclusive period ends.
• Border: Team Rainbow has been called in to assist the local law enforcement and regain control of the border. Two Navy SEALs stationed in the area have been enlisted to provide their expertise of the region to Team Rainbow. A mix of old and new buildings with open air pathways make this the most destructible and open planned map to date. The new Border map is available for free for all players.
• Weapon Skins: With Operation Dust Line, get the USA desert Camo, the Dust Line signature skin, the Navy SEAL skin and more.
• Headgear: Swap out your operator’s headgear from basic camo upgrades to high quality traditional military and fantasy gear. Unlock new gear using Renown, R6 Credits, or a combination of the two.
• Charms: Charms are now available for weapons. Whether you want to equip your favorite operator, a six medal or a unicorn, you can now equip your weapon with a lucky charm before going into battle.

New Features

• Winning Team Showcase: We are also introducing a new winner’s showcase to the end of multiplayer matches. After the final round, the winning team’s operators are displayed in all their glory to both the winning and losing teams, and an MVP for the match is crowned, for ultimate bragging rights.
• Loadout Customisation Between Rounds: You can now customize your operator’s loadout between each round. Simply select your operator and go to their loadout to select weapon, attachments, charms and headgear.

Game Balancing

Operator Balancing

• IQ’s gadget now has enhanced visual feedback: We have changed the way IQ’s device displays the environment and electronic devices. You can now see through the screen, and there will now be an outline of the detected devices. The effective detection distance is now 20 meters.
• Tachanka’s LMG is now easier to place and easier to use: We have modified the placement zone so it is easier to deploy Tachanka’s Mounted LMG in tighter spaces, and while closer to walls or other objects. You will also be able to interact with the Mounted LMG much quicker than before (faster entry and exit time). This is a first step for Tachanka tweaks as we will continue to monitor and improve him.
• Montagne’s shield adds side protection: We are introducing added protection to Montagne’s shield to cover his sides. We believe this will make him a more interesting option, by pushing even further his defensive capabilities. This will allow him to enter rooms more safely and provide even more cover to his teammates.
• Frost no longer has a Nitro Cell: Building on the tweaks to Frost’s Super 90 shotgun introduced with Patch 2.3, we have decided to replace her Nitro Cell with Barbed Wire. We saw that the reduction in range to the shotgun did not really affect her selection rate nor her win rate. Since she has a very good and useful unique gadget, we believe that this change will fit her role as a trapper better.
• Buck gets grenades & reduced recoil, but his shotgun loses range: We are removing Buck’s Breach Charges due to the increase of Buck’s shotgun destruction radius. Instead, we are giving him frag grenades which we think will make him a more aggressive offensive Operator.
• We are reducing the horizontal variation on the recoil for one of his primary weapons, the C8 rifle. That means that when you hold fully automatic fire, the gun will move a little less in the left/right direction.
• We have slightly reduced underslung shotgun’s effective range by 2 meters, so it fits more as a tool than a clear-cut offensive weapon.
• Thatcher’s EMP grenade gets a range reduction: We’ve reduced his unique gadget’s effective range from 7m to 5.2m. The intention is to keep him from clearing a whole room of gadgets, from the top, bottom, or even sides. We want to encourage players into thinking where the best spot is to throw the EMP. Additionally, Thatcher’s EMP now disables enemies’ sights completely for 10 seconds.
• Sledge swaps Breach Charges for Stun Grenades: We have replaced his Breach Charges for Stun Grenades making his loadout options more versatile. We believe this change is for the best as Sledge has the equivalent of a better, reusable Breach Charge with him. He is also statistically almost never played with Breach Charges, which makes sense.
• Thermite swaps Frag Grenades for Stun Grenades: We are swapping Thermite’s Frag Grenades for Stun Grenades. There are two reasons behind this change. The first reason is that Thermite has a very important unique gadget, making him one of the most pivotal Operators in an attacking team. The second reason is to limit the number of concurrent Operators that can bring Frag Grenades on the field. To us, two Operators with frag grenades is more than enough for an attacking team, and more than two would make it a lot harder for the Defenders to protect their objective. This will make Thermite slightly less offensive, while giving him more utility.
• The FBI SWAT Recruit Shield loadout will now have heavy armor: The FBI SWAT recruit equipped with a shield is now bearing heavy armor, making him a 3 armor and 1 movement speed instead of 2 armor and 2 speed. We made that change for shield-wielding Operators to be consistent in speed. We saw what kind of aggression the Recruit Shield could bring and a skilled player taking full advantage of his loadout was too strong. This change should help making him on par with other shield-wielding Operators and effectively allow the newer Rainbow Six Siege players to get accustomed to the movement speed that shield-wielders have.

Gadget and Attachments

• Introducing gadget placement cancellation controls: We have introduced a new flow for placing gadgets. Instead of holding a key or button and letting it go when you are ready to place the gadget, you can now press it to take out the gadget in your hands and then hold it to place the gadget. You can also cancel the placement at any time. This feature will need to be turned ON in the Options menu.
• Red Dot & Reflex Triangle sights now more precise: The green triangle in the Reflex Sight and the red dot in the Red Dot sight are now much smaller for better precision.
• Flash Hider & Compensator adjustments: We have reworked how the Flash Hider and Compensator function. We want them to have more significant roles, like the Silencer. The intention is to have each attachment reward a specific weapon wielding style.
• Flash Hider: Besides still partially hiding the flash, we have opted to reduce the time it takes for the weapon to center back and reduce the first shot recoil. This attachment will now reward single-shot and short burst firing.
• Compensator: We have added a cap on the maximum recoil this attachment allows for, making fully-automatic fire more potent.
• Stun Grenades now detonate faster after contact: Stun Grenades now detonate 1 second after making contact with a surface instead of having a 3 second fuse. We wanted to make that change because we think it will add a surprise effect and will make them more effective.

Weapon Balancing

• Pump-Action Shotgun rebalance: We have improved the pump-action shotguns by giving them more effective range for their maximum damage. This means that their full damage will begin falling off at a further distance than previously.
• SDASS Compact: 53 damage up to 3 meters -> 53 damage up to 5 meters
• 591A1: 48 damage up to 5 meters -> 48 damage up to 6.5 meters
• M870: 60 damage up to 2 meters -> 55 damage up to 3.5 meters
• This change was primarily due to feedback we received from the community and from workshops with Pro League players. Please note that the line is very fine between underpowered and overpowered for shotguns. We will be monitoring the change to these weapons closely.

Siege was released in December 2015 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. GameSpot’s Siege review scored the game an 8/10.

“My experiences weren’t always perfect, but when Siege works, there’s nothing else like it,” editor Scott Butterworth said.

“It’s not designed to appeal to all players, and that’s exactly what allows it to be something special. With so much strategic depth, those periods between firefights actually become some of the most rewarding, while firefights themselves are made all the more intense by the knowledge that you’re fighting for your life, not just your kill/death ratio.”

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EA Access members on Xbox One can now download a new free game. Right on schedule, EA Sports’ 2015 golf game Rory McIlroy PGA Tour was added to “The Vault” today, becoming the 18th freebie.

You can grab Rory McIlroy PGA Tour right now from the EA Access hub. It weighs in at 35.8 GB.

It won’t be long until the next game comes to EA Access, as NBA Live 16 is due to arrive on May 25. You can see a list of all the EA Access Vault games at the bottom of this post.

EA Access is currently available only on Xbox One, though a PC version called Origin Access arrived earlier this year. You can sign up for $5/month or $30/year.

In addition to the free games, other subscription benefits include a 10-percent discount on all EA digital content and access to upcoming EA titles five days before they are released publicly.

Current EA Access Free Game Lineup

• Battlefield 4
• Battlefield Hardline
• Dead Space
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• EA Sports UFC
• FIFA 14
• FIFA 15
• FIFA 16
• Madden NFL 15
• Madden NFL 25
• Madden NFL 16
• NBA Live 15
• Need for Speed: Rivals
• NHL 15
• Peggle 2
• Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
• Titanfall
• Rory McIlroy PGA Tour
• NBA Live 16 (May 25)

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After backing away from the struggling Wii U, an Electronic Arts executive has spoken up to say the company could support Nintendo’s new NX console, but only “if it makes sense.” Asked by the BBC if the newly announced Battlefield 1 could come to NX, Soderlund said nothing has been decided.

“I personally and the company are huge fans of Nintendo; they’re the reason why I started making games,” Soderlund explained (via VideoGamer.com). “We’re in constant communication with them and when they come to market [with] something…and if it makes sense for us, we’ll be there.”

It appears Soderlund is speaking in broad strokes about EA’s intentions for the NX, and not necessarily specifically about Battlefield 1. The last core Battlefield game, 2013’s Battlefield 4, did not come to Wii U.

During the Wii U unveiling at Nintendo’s 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo briefing, then-Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello said the publisher was exploring ways to bring the Battlefield series to Wii U, though no projects ever came to light.

You can read the full BBC interview here.

EA launched several titles for the Wii U early during the platform’s life cycle, including Mass Effect 3, Need for Speed Most Wanted, and new installments in the Madden and FIFA franchises. In 2013, EA said that these offerings were indicative of the company making good on its E3 2011 partnership.

The original Wii saw steady support from EA, as the publisher launched 78 total titles for the platform, according to the company’s website. EA has released just four games for the Wii U.

In May 2013, EA confirmed that it had no games in development for Wii U.

Nintendo’s NX, or whatever it ends up being called, is scheduled to go on sale in March 2017. E3 2016 is right around the corner, but Nintendo has said it has no plans to show off the system at the event.

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Steam’s global gameplay stats for Dark Souls 3 allow for an interesting set of statistics to be extrapolated about its players.

The game’s achievements mark when a player lights a bonfire, joins covenants, and, most importantly, defeat bosses. It reveals that over 13 percent of players have not defeated the game’s first boss, Ludex Gundyr, who appears after around 15 minutes of play.

It’ll come as no surprise that the number of players that defeat further bosses decreases steadily as the game goes on. Just one percent of players have managed to acquire all the rings, miracles, and gestures in the game.

0.9 percent of players have managed to complete all the achievements in the game. Take a look at the stats below or see it here. It’s worth bearing in mind these will likely change over time, as more players continue to play the game.

Of course, a few players have emerged as a cut above the rest. Among these are one that beat the final boss without rolling or blocking, and another that completed Dark Souls 3 in under two hours.

Dark Souls 3 received a score of 8 in GameSpot’s review, in which critic Mike Mahardy said, “This is the essence of Dark Souls 3: periods of doubt, followed by great reward. The journey may be rocky, but there’s a throne waiting at the end.”

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Capcom is planning to launch three unannounced “major” games by April 2017, the Resident Evil company has announced. One of these is a Monster Hunter game, while the other two are completely mysterious. We do know, however, how many copies these are expected to sell.

As you can see in the chart below (via VideoGamer.com), Major Title 1 is pegged to sell around 4 million units, while the Monster Hunter game and Major Title 2 are expected to move around 2 million units each. This information was shared in a new slide presentation that was published today on Capcom’s investor website [PDF].

The 4 million unit number for Major Title 1 suggests it may be a game from an established series rather than something completely new. Just yesterday, Capcom said it was planning a “full-scale offensive” for the Resident Evil brand this year, which could be a reference to a new entry in the series.

Capcom did not share any specific release dates for the projects. The company only said that they are all expected to arrive before Capcom’s current financial year ends on March 31, 2017.

If one of these games is to be announced soon, a reveal could happen at E3 in June. Unlike publishers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Bethesda, Capcom does not typically have an event of its own at the show.

However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any Capcom-related announcements. At E3 2014, Capcom announced new Dead Rising 3 DLC during Microsoft’s briefing. A year later, new information about Street Fighter V characters and the fighting game’s beta test was shared during Sony’s event.

We will report back with new information about Capcom’s unannounced games as it becomes available.

What are you hoping the unannounced games turn out to be? Let us know in the comments below.

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The first trailer for the Assassin’s Creed movie will debut tomorrow, May 11, according to a new report from The Los Angeles Times. While you have to wait another day to see that video, some new images from the video game movie have come online, showcasing Michael Fassbender in both his modern-day role (Callum Lynch) and as his 15th Century Spanish Assassin ancestor character, Aguillar. You can see these at IGN.

This is the second wave of new images for Assassin’s Creed released this week. You can see more here.

Assassin’s Creed was directed by Justin Kurzel. Prior to this, he directed Macbeth, which also starred Assassin’s Creed‘s Fassbender and Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard.

He told The LA Times that, if Assassin’s Creed is a success, there are “endless” possibilities for where a sequel could be set. “When we’ve been discussing where you could take it, you’re not sitting around twiddling your thumbs,” he said.

The Assassin’s Creed games have traveled to moments in time such as the American Colonial era and the French Revolution, among others, while also retaining a modern-day component. This is made possible by way of the Animus, a fictional technology that allows the character–in the games and in the movie–to access their ancestor’s memories.

In March, it was reported a sequel was already in development, and that Fassbender was on board. However, a sequel has yet to be formally announced, and likely wouldn’t be until the first comes out.

Assassin’s Creed also stars Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and Michael Kenneth Williams. The movie opens on December 21, one week after the premiere of Star Wars spinoff Rogue One.

There is no new mainline Assassin’s Creed game coming this year, which may benefit the movie. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained earlier this year that no new game gives the movie’s marketing team more space and opportunity to promote the film.

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Square Enix will be launching a PC version of its Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on May 12, a listing on Valve’s Steam platform has revealed.

According to the product page it will feature “auto-save and five game boosters including high speed and no encounter mode,” as other recent Final Fantasy re-releases on PC have done.

The minimum and recommended system requirements have also been detailed. Take a look below to see if your setup can run it.

Minimum

• OS: Windows Vista or later
• Processor: 2GHz Dual Core CPU
• Memory: 1 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce 9600GT VRAM 512MB or later / ATI Radeon HD 2600XT VRAM 512MB or later
• Storage: 37 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card

Recommended

• OS: Windows Vista or later
• Processor: 2.4GHz quad-core CPU
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 450 / AMD Radeon HD 5750 with 512MB
• Storage: 40 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is also available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita. GameSpot’s review praised it for its wealth of additional content and ageless story, but criticised it for the inclusion of some low-resolution textures.

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Konami has detailed the May 2016 update for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain‘s online multiplayer mode, which introduces new equipment and weapons that can be used in the FOB missions and should be available May 10.

Among these is a Sneaking Suit, which can be given to guards and activates for a brief period as soon as intruders are spotted. This bolsters FOB defense by giving soldiers the element of surprise. Also included is the Tornado-6 Revolver, which is Ocelot’s weapon of choice and is capable of ricochet shots.

As previously detailed, the update will also balanced teams, make changes to sprinting and diving, and display rank changes on the end-of-mission results screen.

Take a look at all the new content below.

• Sneaking Security Guard Stealth Camo [★9～★11]: This security feature is added to sneaking suit and battle dress uniforms of Grades 9, 10, or 11. When your security guards spot an intruder, they will activate temporary stealth camouflage and vanish from sight! Add a stealthy surprise to the defenses of your FOB.
• UA-Drome Battery Vaporizer-Equipped UAV [★9～★11]: This security feature is added to UAVs of Grades 9, 10, or 11. The UAV carries a compact microwave emitter that disables batteries in the surrounding area. Knock out the electronics of intruders into your FOB!
• OM Decoy Dummy Field of Movement Emitter [★5～]: Jams the search capabilities of an FOB defender’s Intel Team, showing a false FOM prediction where the emitter is thrown.
• FB MR R-L FLTN Falkenberg Multi-Role Recoilless Rifle (Fulton Warheads) [★5～]: A recoilless rifle designed to Fulton extract targets struck by its specially-developed warhead.
• TORNADO-6 Revolver [★3～]: Ocelot’s revolver of choice. Firing at solid surfaces such as walls causes a ricochet that may hit nearby enemies.
• UN-AAM-NL Non-Lethal Machine Gun: A general-purpose 5.56mm machine gun of European manufacture, specially modified to fire rubber bullets.
• Dispatch your forces to assault FOBs and aid your infiltration: This new feature allows you to dispatch a strike force to an FOB ahead of your infiltration, to knock out security devices or eliminate guards.
• Added information on Short Leagues to PF Rating screen: In addition to the virtual league battles held on a weekly basis, you can now participate in special short leagues that last just one day. Also, the PF Rating screen will now show your PF’s stats in greater detail, so be sure to check it and see how your day-to-day actions are strengthening your force!
• New soldiers arrive with unique new skills: The new skills in this update are perfect for getting a major boost to your PF Rating. Find and extract soldiers with these skills to make your force stronger than ever!
• Special online-only tasks added to the Challenge Task list: “Challenge Tasks,” the special achievements that offer rewards for each one completed, now include online-only tasks! There are all kinds of tasks to try, from simple feats that can be completed with ease, to massive undertakings that will keep you trying for hours. Online Challenge Tasks will be added/changed as time progresses, so be sure to check out the latest challenges and try those you think you can achieve!
• Other update details: In addition to the above, a number of small refinements and bug fixes have been applied.

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Konami has detailed its financial results for the 12 month period spanning April 2015 to March 2016, reporting an increase in both sales and profit, which it attributed to the success of its mobile titles.

The Tokyo-headquartered company reported sales of $2.2 billion, an increase of 14 percent over the previous year. Operating profit, meanwhile, was cited as $226 million, which is 61 percent rise over the previous year.

Konami’s sports-oriented mobile titles were highlighted as a key successes. Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu surpassed 22 million downloads during the period and became the top selling app in March, while Professional Baseball Spirits A (Ace), World Soccer Collection, CrowsxWorst, and Professional Baseball Dream Nine were said to be enjoying “strong performance.”

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was said to have received “high acclaim,” but its sales or revenue contribution were not disclosed. In January, Konami confirmed the game had sold 6 million units in four months. It helped raise the revenue of its Digital Entertainment’s division by 37.5 percent.

Looking ahead, Konami said it expects growth of mobile titles to “increase steadily” and will further focus on the development “of content that we believe will become major hits … especially in the native application market.”

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