[UPDATE] The 3.3 update has been delayed due to an issue. No new release date has been announced.
The original story is below.
A new update is on the way very soon for Fortnite. On the game’s official Twitter account, developer Epic announced it will deploy patch 3.3 tomorrow, March 14, which will introduce new content for both the free-to-play Battle Royale and the paid early access Save the World modes.
Epic hasn’t detailed exactly what will be available in the new update, but the developer did tease that players will be able to come across a Supply Llama in Battle Royale, which will aid them by dropping helpful items when found. The update may also include remote explosives, a newly revealed item that players will be able to detonate from a distance.
Find a Supply Llama in BR or explore a new quest line in StW! Try these new things tomorrow, March 14, when v3.3 releases. Expect an exact time soon.
One thing we likely won’t see in update 3.3, however, are jetpacks. The items were originally slated to arrive in Battle Royale last month; however, Epic ultimately delayed them due to a “last minute design issue” that the developer discovered when playtesting the jetpacks internally. There is still no word as of yet about when the jetpack will be added to Battle Royale, but Epic has introduced other items in the meantime, such as the hunting rifle.
Epic says it will reveal exact timing details for the new Fortnite patch “soon.” Until then, players still have a little more time to take part in Battle Royale’s latest limited-time mode, Teams of 20. Like a typical match, the mode features 100 players, except this time they’re divided up into five teams of 20.
Epic recently announced it is bringing Fortnite: Battle Royale to mobile. Those with iOS devices can now sign up for a chance to take part in an exclusive invite event. If you’re curious to see how the game runs on mobile, you can check out the first gameplay footage of Fortnite on iOS here.
While Capcom’s Devil May Cry series has gone a through a number changes over the years, the focus has always been on offering fast-paced combat with a side of self-aware humor and style. With the re-release of the Devil May Cry HD Collection out now, featuring the original Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition–and the much-maligned Devil May Cry 2–the HD collection should be a solid entry point for anyone looking to check out the series’ PlayStation 2 roots. While the original games still hold up, the recent HD port unfortunately retains many of the same issues that plagued the previous release.
As a port of the 2012 HD Collection, the “new” collection for PS4, PC, and Xbox One is largely left intact. In addition to each game receiving a 1080p resolution bump (an increase from the original’s 720p resolution), which includes some slightly sharper textures and characters models, the HD Collection also features a suite of side-content aimed at fans–including an in-game compendium full of concept art, soundtracks for each game, and fan art from the DMC fanbase curated by Capcom US.
While there have been some slight changes introduced for this release, including the addition of a handy return to main menu option for when you want to switch over to another game, it’s largely the same package on new hardware. While it’s great you can play these games on new platforms, many of the older issues from the port linger. After playing with the PS4, and then revisiting the PS3 version, we pulled together a quick rundown of each game, and how their particular HD upgrade has fared.
Devil May Cry (2001)
Released in 2001, this fast-paced and challenging romp through the dark corridors of a demonic mansion would set the tone for what the series was all about. Balancing macabre humor with the cheap-thrills of a 90s-style action game, the original DMC features a strong focus on creating a slightly dreadful atmosphere, while simultaneously injecting pulse-pounding action throughout. Moreover, DMC1 features an adjusted control-scheme to make it more in-line with how DMC2 and 3 play–particularly swapping the jump and attack buttons. While the combat and in-game graphics have held up well–maintaining a solid 60 frames-per-second throughout–Devil May Cry 1 tends to benefit the least with the upgraded resolution and visuals when compared to the other games.
These issues include strange audio quirks and bad ambient sound looping, slightly warped visual visual effects for attacks and special moves, and some occasional instances where some aspects of the environment and characters to disappear entirely for brief moments. This was a rare occurrence, when exploring some of the more active environments, and other during a combat encounter–which was rather annoying. What’s disappointing about the re-release is that these original issues haven’t been addressed, and many of these problems occur often in DMC1. In addition to the hiccups with the in-game action, many of the stylistic choices from the original game designed around the traditional 4:3 format–including the animated menus text–look incredibly blown out and otherwise weathered.
Despite this, Devil May Cry is still a lot of fun to play. While it’s disappointing to see that the upres hasn’t been kind to some of the game’s already dated qualities, resulting in some muddy looking visuals, the original Devil May Cry is still a strong game with an incredible atmosphere.
Devil May Cry 2 (2003)
Coming shortly after the release of the original game, Devil May Cry 2 ultimately ended up being a poor follow-up to the original, and still stands as the weakest game of the series. With some rather clunky and sluggish combat, mostly barren environments that lacked a sense of atmosphere, and along with an uncharacteristically somber tone–DMC2 lacks the same sort of edge that the series was founded on. On top of the game’s already drab and unoriginal style, visual and design aspects of the sequel have aged rather poorly–making it the most aesthetically unappealing games in the package.
Having said that, the resolution bump does give much of the textures for the characters a sharper look, giving the game’s quasi cell-shaded style a much more pronounced look–making for some interesting-looking characters during cutscenes. Unfortunately, Devil May Cry 2’s issues are far more than skin deep, which no HD port could fix. With that said, the sequel does feature Dante’s best outfit of the series, the black and red leather–which also made an appearance in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. So there’s that.
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (2006)
As the crown jewel of the DMC HD Collection, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition is the most content rich game in the package–and is arguably the best game in the DMC series. As the prequel, the game is more of a return to form, focusing on fast and challenging combat, and ditching the weirdly earnest story of DMC2 for a narrative that revelled in over-the-top action-movie machismo. The HD port keeps much of its luster. But like the other games, there are still some blemishes to be aware of.
One area the Special Edition falters in is with its presentation. The game features many cutscenes and story beats throughout, using both pre-rendered and in-game rendered cutscenes. While the resolution bump shows off cleaner and more visually pleasing upgrades to the graphics, which shine during combat and in-game cinematics, pre-rendered cinematics are cropped from the original 4:3 scenes, making for some rather unsightly and stretched out looking visuals during some key scenes. This is made worse when watching multiple cutscenes back to back, jumping between cropped and in-game rendered cutscenes. Despite these issues, DMC3 still manages to impress throughout thanks to its irreverent tone and excellent gameplay. Gameplay performs at a rock-solid 60 frames-per-second, and the upgraded resolution makes combat much more clear to follow, making DMC3–and all its combat rich mechanics–a total blast to play.
While the DMC HD Collection features a number of unsightly inconsistencies issues with its re-release, ultimately showing how much the series has aged since its debut, the trilogy of games still retains the feel and fast-paced action of the series. I still have fond memories of experiencing the games on the PS2, and playing through this trilogy again brought back all those feelings of excitement and frustration during the challenging combat encounters. The HD Collection is a solid way to experience the original games for those that haven’t already. And for those returning to the action, you’ll find that Devil May Cry’s patented action hasn’t quite lost its edge yet.
Update: The new PUBG update is now live, along with the full patch notes. Original story follows.
A new update is on the way to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Starting tonight, March 12, at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET (3 AM CET on March 13), developer PUBG Corp. will take the PC servers down for roughly three hours as it performs maintenance and moves the current test build over to the live game.
This marks the seventh major update PUBG has received since leaving early access back in December, and it introduces a number of new features to the game, such as the previously announced emote system. Following the update, players will be able to use 12 different emotes; PUBG Corp. says it will further expand the system with more emotes in the future.
Additionally, the developer has added 37 new Achievements on Steam. PUBG Corp. has also introduced a friends list; this is independent from your Steam friends list and allows you to add up to 50 other players as friends. You also now have the ability to voice chat with your teammates while in the main menu.
Beyond those new features, the update fixes a number of bugs, including one that would cause players to instantly die when vaulting or climbing. PUBG Corp. has also made further optimization changes to ensure the game runs more smoothly.
“With this patch, we are bringing various optimizations to our server and client,” PUBG Corp. wrote in a post on Steam. “We have mitigated lag and stutter instances and alleviated frame drop and lag occurrences happening when players are pushed together, starting from the second half of a match, or in dynamic situations, like intense firefights. This has allowed for a smoother environment to play in, than before.”
You can find the full patch notes for the update on Steam. PUBG creator Brendan Greene recently shared the development roadmap for the game, outlining some of the new features coming in the next few months. These include a new, smaller island map and improved animations.
Twelve different emotes have been introduced to the PC edition of the game, with more coming in the future. To activate an emote, press the ~ key and then left-click on the move you want to display. Additionally, PUBG now has 37 Achievements on Steam, as well as an in-game friends list. This is independent from your Steam friends list and allows you to add up to 50 other players as PUBG pals. You also now have the ability to voice chat with your teammates while in the main menu.
Beyond those new features, the update fixes a number of bugs, including one that would cause players to instantly die when vaulting or climbing. Developer PUBG Corp. has also made further optimization changes to ensure the game runs more smoothly. Take a look at the full patch notes below, via PUBG Corp.
The developer has also stated that PUBG’s new limb and vehicle penetration system–which was due to be introduced this month–has been delayed. “There’s been an alteration in our plans, but we will be sure to give an update on this at a later time,” the company said. There’s also no news on the recently removed anti-cheat measures. PUBG Corp. took the measures out of PUBG recently after their update caused “compatibility issues.”
PUBG on Xbox One received a separate update recently that added Game DVR support and introduced additional starting areas for all players. Other gameplay changes include lower damage taken from objects such as rocks, trees, and uneven terrain. On top of that, squad member colours should now be more visible, and you can now use the right stick to rotate your character in the customisation menu. There’s also a new PUBG map on the way, which you can try on the PC version’s Experimental Test Server next month.
Mitigated the frame drop issue caused by the map loading process
Reduced burden on GPU by optimizing buildings in Erangel
Optimized the beginning and the end of effects
Optimized vehicle physics when driving under a certain speed
Server Optimization
Optimized server network performance
Optimized vehicle physics when driving under a certain speed
Lobby
Added PUBG friends list
Up to 50 people can be added as PUBG friends
Players with PUBG accounts can search and add friends freely regardless of the platform they are using (including Steam, Mail.ru and DMM)
Friend list is a one-way follower concept, not a mutual acceptance between players
PUBG friends list is independent of the Steam friends list. You don’t have to be friends on Steam to be friends in PUBG
Up to 30 players you were recently in a team with will be shown on RECENT
Added main menu voice chat
You can chat with the players in your team while still in the main menu
When using the voice chat, a speaker icon will be displayed on the right of the player’s name
*Removed the function of being able to invite a player from their career screen due to a technical issue
World
Made holes in the ceiling and floor of some high buildings, so that it is easier to move between different levels, to improve the gameplay experience on Miramar
Gameplay
Added 37 achievements on Steam
Added emote system
12 default emotes will be provided now, and more emotes will be added in the future
While holding the emote menu key (default is ~), emote can be activated by left-clicking the emote or hot key of emote you want to use
Fixed the blue blood effect being more visible than the red blood effect when player gets shot
Added material for crops, rubber, cloth, paper and cactus
When shooting or attacking with a melee weapon, the right effect for each material will be displayed
Changed the gun scope view to be more realistic
Expanded the field of view through the scope
Added a parallax effect when moving weapons fast
Added color, vignetting (darker edges), chromatic aberration (color difference caused by light refraction) and distortion effect on the edge of scopes
*Player can no longer lean while jumping
*Increased the radius of explosion effect considering the actual effective radius
UX/UI
Redesigned the 9 vehicle status icons to work better with 4K resolution
Replaced the red cross icon with a red tire icon for a broken tire
Sound
Added a hit sound effect for crops, rubber, cloth, paper and cactus material
*Removed ambient noise and lowered the overall volume
*Implemented the Doppler effect for the airplane engine sound – the pitch of the airplane engine sound is now different depending on the distance and the direction of movement of the airplane
Bug Fixes
Fixed a square-shaped border on the sea that could be seen when flying in the airplane
Fixed an issue where a player could die instantly when vaulting and climbing
Improved problems where characters would get stuck or die during vaulting, and be able to look through walls.
Fixed some incorrect UI and in-game text
Improved problematic character animation where the character would move abnormally if multiple actions were performed in sequence
Fixed abnormal appearance of some clothes, such as costumes overlapping or missing
Adjusted the locations of items that would spawn in places that players cannot reach
Fixed an issue where the mouse sensitivity option could not be set to 59
Fixed an issue that allowed a character to crawl quickly through a certain combination of controls
Fixed the issue of overlapping footstep sounds in FPP mode
Improved an issue where three-wheeled motorbikes would suddenly flip whenever the server performance deteriorated
Fixed an issue where a player would have a slower falling speed when switching seats on a three-wheeled motorcycle mid-air
Fixed an issue where underwater bullet penetration effect was not being applied sometimes
Fixed an issue where a player was unable to cancel fueling up a vehicle, even though cancel was clicked
Fixed an issue where throwables that had already exploded mid-air would still make a popping sounds on the ground
Fixed an issue where sometimes a downed player was able to drive a vehicle
Fixed an issue where after reconnecting a vehicle was intermittently invisible or the character and camera were misaligned
Fixed an issue where the character of a player with a new account would not show up in the main menu when forming a team
Fixed an issue where the shadow of a character was too sharp regardless of the distance
Fixed an issue where when jumping out of the airplane, the character fell to a fixed position, no matter the flying direction
Fixed an issue where when player tried to ADS with scope attached weapon, some of the scope exterior parts were shown late
Fixed an issue where the adjusted zoom level in 8x scope reset after swapping to your other weapon(s)
Fixed an issue where the item quantity adjustment popup window displays automatically when picking up/discarding items from the Inventory screen
Fixed an issue where sometimes the lung capacity gauge was not in sync between being in the water and out of water
*Mitigated an issue where when exiting the parachute mode, player could take excessive fall damage
*Fixed an issue where the relaxed state gun animation was not shown properly
While Capcom’s Devil May Cry series has gone a through a number changes over the years, the focus has always been on offering fast-paced combat with a side of self-aware humor and style. With the re-release of the Devil May Cry HD Collection out now, featuring the original Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition–and the much-maligned Devil May Cry 2–the HD collection should be a solid entry point for anyone looking to check out the series’ PlayStation 2 roots. While the original games still hold up, the recent HD port unfortunately retains many of the same issues that plagued the previous release.
As a port of the 2012 HD Collection, the “new” collection for PS4, PC, and Xbox One is largely left intact. In addition to each game receiving a 1080p resolution bump (an increase from the original’s 720p resolution), which includes some slightly sharper textures and characters models, the HD Collection also features a suite of side-content aimed at fans–including an in-game compendium full of concept art, soundtracks for each game, and fan art from the DMC fanbase curated by Capcom US.
While there have been some slight changes introduced for this release, including the addition of a handy return to main menu option for when you want to switch over to another game, it’s largely the same package on new hardware. While it’s great you can play these games on new platforms, many of the older issues from the port linger. After playing with the PS4, and then revisiting the PS3 version, we pulled together a quick rundown of each game, and how their particular HD upgrade has fared.
Devil May Cry (2001)
Released in 2001, this fast-paced and challenging romp through the dark corridors of a demonic mansion would set the tone for what the series was all about. Balancing macabre humor with the cheap-thrills of a 90s-style action game, the original DMC features a strong focus on creating a slightly dreadful atmosphere, while simultaneously injecting pulse-pounding action throughout. Moreover, DMC1 features an adjusted control-scheme to make it more in-line with how DMC2 and 3 play–particularly swapping the jump and attack buttons. While the combat and in-game graphics have held up well–maintaining a solid 60 frames-per-second throughout–Devil May Cry 1 tends to benefit the least with the upgraded resolution and visuals when compared to the other games.
These issues include strange audio quirks and bad ambient sound looping, slightly warped visual visual effects for attacks and special moves, and some occasional instances where some aspects of the environment and characters to disappear entirely for brief moments. This was a rare occurrence, when exploring some of the more active environments, and other during a combat encounter–which was rather annoying. What’s disappointing about the re-release is that these original issues haven’t been addressed, and many of these problems occur often in DMC1. In addition to the hiccups with the in-game action, many of the stylistic choices from the original game designed around the traditional 4:3 format–including the animated menus text–look incredibly blown out and otherwise weathered.
Despite this, Devil May Cry is still a lot of fun to play. While it’s disappointing to see that the upres hasn’t been kind to some of the game’s already dated qualities, resulting in some muddy looking visuals, the original Devil May Cry is still a strong game with an incredible atmosphere.
Devil May Cry 2 (2003)
Coming shortly after the release of the original game, Devil May Cry 2 ultimately ended up being a poor follow-up to the original, and still stands as the weakest game of the series. With some rather clunky and sluggish combat, mostly barren environments that lacked a sense of atmosphere, and along with an uncharacteristically somber tone–DMC2 lacks the same sort of edge that the series was founded on. On top of the game’s already drab and unoriginal style, visual and design aspects of the sequel have aged rather poorly–making it the most aesthetically unappealing games in the package.
Having said that, the resolution bump does give much of the textures for the characters a sharper look, giving the game’s quasi cell-shaded style a much more pronounced look–making for some interesting-looking characters during cutscenes. Unfortunately, Devil May Cry 2’s issues are far more than skin deep, which no HD port could fix. With that said, the sequel does feature Dante’s best outfit of the series, the black and red leather–which also made an appearance in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. So there’s that.
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (2006)
As the crown jewel of the DMC HD Collection, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition is the most content rich game in the package–and is arguably the best game in the DMC series. As the prequel, the game is more of a return to form, focusing on fast and challenging combat, and ditching the weirdly earnest story of DMC2 for a narrative that revelled in over-the-top action-movie machismo. The HD port keeps much of its luster. But like the other games, there are still some blemishes to be aware of.
One area the Special Edition falters in is with its presentation. The game features many cutscenes and story beats throughout, using both pre-rendered and in-game rendered cutscenes. While the resolution bump shows off cleaner and more visually pleasing upgrades to the graphics, which shine during combat and in-game cinematics, pre-rendered cinematics are cropped from the original 4:3 scenes, making for some rather unsightly and stretched out looking visuals during some key scenes. This is made worse when watching multiple cutscenes back to back, jumping between cropped and in-game rendered cutscenes. Despite these issues, DMC3 still manages to impress throughout thanks to its irreverent tone and excellent gameplay. Gameplay performs at a rock-solid 60 frames-per-second, and the upgraded resolution makes combat much more clear to follow, making DMC3–and all its combat rich mechanics–a total blast to play.
While the DMC HD Collection features a number of unsightly inconsistencies issues with its re-release, ultimately showing how much the series has aged since its debut, the trilogy of games still retains the feel and fast-paced action of the series. I still have fond memories of experiencing the games on the PS2, and playing through this trilogy again brought back all those feelings of excitement and frustration during the challenging combat encounters. The HD Collection is a solid way to experience the original games for those that haven’t already. And for those returning to the action, you’ll find that Devil May Cry’s patented action hasn’t quite lost its edge yet.
PUBG might be losing some ground to Fortnite, but the game remains a juggernaut. According to Valve boss Gabe Newell, the battle royale game is Steam’s third highest-selling game of all time. He revealed the detail during a presentation this weekend, according to IGN.
“You can have a relatively new game like PUBG, and […] they can capitalize on all the other multiplayer games, and all of the technology, [and] the fact that China is now a huge market for anybody who does PC game development,” Newell apparently said. “So PUBG can come out of pretty much nowhere and become the third largest selling game on Steam’s history. Their gross revenue over all-time is already number three in fairly short order.”
It is not immediately clear what the No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling games on Steam are, and Valve may never say.
Indeed, PUBG was only released on Steam through Early Access in March 2017. The game left Early Access in December with the launch of the 1.0 edition. Though the game is officially released, developer PUBG Corp. continues to support the title with regular updates as part of its games-as-a-service approach. Just recently, the studio laid out its development roadmap for 2018, and this includes a new map, emotes, and lots more.
The last figure we heard for PUBG sales was 30 million, which is remarkable. Though player figures have dropped, the game remains popular on a level that the video game industry has almost never seen. On Steam, the game had an unthinkable 2.46 million peak concurrent players today, which is significantly ahead of the No. 2 game, DOTA 2, which had a peak concurrent player figure of 573,511 on Steam today. Notably, DOTA 2 is a free-to-play game, while PUBG costs $30.
For more on PUBG, check out GameSpot’s video above in which editors talk about how the game may need to evolve in the wake of pressure from Fortnite and other similar games.
It’s a new week, and that means Microsoft has rolled out a fresh set of deals on Xbox Live. The lineup of deals this week is not all that extensive, though there are some solid offers to be had across Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Moving to Xbox 360, some of the deals include Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ($20) and Call of Duty: Ghosts ($16), as well as Farming Simulator 15 ($15). A bunch of Farming Simulator 15 DLC is also on sale this week on Xbox Live.
Go to Major Nelson’s blog to see a full rundown of this week’s Xbox One and Xbox 360 deals, some of which require an Xbox Live Gold membership. The offers expire on March 19.
Mobile game developer Halfbrick, the Australian studio behind the popular smartphone game Fruit Ninja, has made as many as 30 staffers redundant. That comes out to around half of the Brisbane-based studio’s total workforce. This is all according to a report today from GameSpot sister site CNET, which heard the news from multiple sources. These sources told CNET that Halfbrick now has a total staff of fewer than 30 people.
Fruit Ninja, a free-to-play game that was originally released in 2010, has been downloaded more than 1 billion times. The game supports itself with microtransactions, as many free-to-play games do.
It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Halfbrick of late. In 2015, the company reportedly laid off all of its design developers as part of a major shakeup that saw the company shifting from creating new games to supporting its existing ones. In addition to Fruit Ninja, Halfbrick created Jetpack Joy Ride, which also proved to be immensely popular.
More redundancies are reportedly coming at Halfbrick later this week. We’ll report back with more details as they come to light. Go to CNET to get the full story.
Fruit Ninja came to console in the form of Fruit Ninja Kinect, and later Fruit Ninja Kinect 2. A VR version of the game was released for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR.
A movie based on Fruit Ninja is currently in the works at film giant New Line, though we have not heard much about it recently.
In addition to Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, Halfbrick developed games like Fish Out of Water, Age of Zombies, Dan the Man, and Monster Dash, among others.
Today Blizzard announced its next Hearthstone expansion, the spooky haunted forest theme titled The Witchwood. And though the company has only revealed six cards so far, those six pack a lot of flavor and implications for this expansion’s direction–especially thanks to the introduction of two new keywords. Let’s take a closer look.
Pumpkin Peasant – This card is actually represented as a pair, because as it sits in your hand it will shift from a 2/4 minion to a 4/2 and back again. Hearthstone has certainly toyed with similar effects before, with cards like Molten Blade or Shifting Scroll changing to randomized cards from a pool of weapons or Mage spells, respectively. This represents a different type of shifting, though, because it occurs in a predictable pattern. That means you can plan several turns ahead, knowing exactly what it will be when you need to drop it. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Blizzard continuing this idea with more cards that shift in your hand in a clockwork pattern.
Phantom Militia – This is the first of two new keywords introduced in this expansion. The Echo keyword allows you to play a card multiple times in a single turn. While Blizzard has executed a similar idea in the Shaman’s Unstable Evolution card, giving it a keyword suggests the developer has much bigger plans for this mechanic, in this expansion and beyond. Keywords can also signal interactions with other cards that may let you perform tricks like reducing costs or increasing effects.
The card itself is a fine utility staple, giving you a decent Taunt minion that can be doubled or tripled up as necessary. It’s not the most exciting inclusion, so the introduction of a keyword is really the more interesting element here.
Milita Commander – The only class card introduced so far in this set is a Warrior card that debuts the other new keyword, Rush. Rush is essentially Charge, which allows a minion to attack on the turn it is played, but it’s limited only to other minions. We can already see how this new keyword is opening up additional design space for Blizzard. This minion would be way too powerful if it could attack the enemy Hero, but as limited to other minions it seems pretty fair.
The studio has tried to implement a similar limitation before with Charged Devilsaur, which inserted the minions-only limitation as a Battlecry. It was possible to cheat around the Battlecry though, so devoting a new keyword should avoid that problem altogether.
Azalina Soulthief – One of the neutral Legendary cards already revealed, Azalina Soulthief could allow for some huge gameplay moments. If you’re running out of cards against an opponent with a full hand, it’s an easy way to swing the game back in your favor. Alternatively, if you suspect your opponent is putting together a wicked combo, you can take their pieces and try to pull it off yourself. It’s easy to see how this could become a tech card against powerful decks, since it has such an immediate effect to answer whatever your opponent has coming.
Genn Greymane – This is one of a pair of cards with similar effects that are vitally incompatible. In the past, Hearthstone has printed cards that upgrade your Hero Power, and cards that reduce the cost of your Hero Power. With the ability to use both together, players have put together combo decks like Shadowreaper Priest that were too powerful and subsequently needed to be nerfed. Greymane gives the power-reduction effect, but only if you construct your deck with even-costed cards. That could be a serious disruption to your play tempo and limit your options, but as a trade-off, the impact is available right from the start of the game.
Baku the Mooneater – The mirror image of Greymane is Baku, which upgrades your Hero Power from the very start by building a deck of only odd-cost cards. These upgraded powers will presumably be similar to the ones introduced by Justicar Truehart, which rotated out of Standard a long time ago. Greymane’s cost-reduction will likely make its limitations easier to deal with, but having an upgraded Hero Power from the very start of the game could see you through.
Most importantly, since it’s impossible to build a deck out of only even and only odd cards, you can’t use Greymane and Baku together. Forcing players to choose a lane should make for more diverse strategies.
The Witchwood will launch in mid-April with 135 new cards. Blizzard has opened pre-purchases of a bundle that includes 70 packs, with a few packs and a free Class Legendary available as a login bonus near launch. It will kick off the Year of the Raven, which will also mean older sets will be cycled out at the same time.
PUBG recently received a new update, adding additional anti-cheat measures to the PC edition of the game. Now, however, developer PUBG Corp. has removed the update, rolling the game back to its previous version due to “compatibility issues.”
“Despite its effectiveness in blocking cheats, we have decided to roll back our latest live server update,” the company stated in a blog post. “We will continue to resolve some compatibility issues caused by it. There will be a small patch to download. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
The company did not state when or if the update would be re-applied following a potential fix. It’s not the first issue the patch has run into; PUBG Corp. previously delayed the update because of an “unexpected issue.” The more recent issues include hard crashes and being unable to launch the game at all, hence the rollback.
PUBG on Xbox One received a separate update recently that added Game DVR support and introduced additional starting areas for all players. Other gameplay changes include lower damage taken from objects such as rocks, trees, and uneven terrain. On top of that, squad member colours should now be more visible, and you can now use the right stick to rotate your character at the customisation menu.
Later this year, the battle royale title will expand with a new emote system, Achievements, an in-game friends list, and the ability to voice chat with your squad in the main menu. There’s also a new PUBG map on the way, which you can try on the game’s Experimental Test Server next month.
