Fired Up Gaming

Tag: Gaming

  • Destiny 2 Players beat Prophecy Dungeon In 8 Minutes

    Three Destiny 2 players ransacked the mini-raid Dungeon in an astounding eight-minute speedrun. 

    Destiny 2’s dungeon Prophecy is filled with skyboxes and fun puzzles. The Prophecy is the latest addition after Season of Arrivals launched in June. Season of Arrivals launched in June. Players’ characters must descend to the cave, delving into the mysteries that surround the Darkness. They must navigate through the maze located in the Ascendent Realm. 

    The Prophecy is by far Destiny 2’s supreme realm, where anything can happen. As Kotaku words it, you can sweep celestial expanses while riding on a sparrow motorbike. Some puzzles can only be solved by killing enemies, and it must be on a specific area of light or shadow to open a new path. Prophecy also contains lore that will pique any hardcore fans’ interest. 

    Destiny players AceyBaby, Granger, and BjarturFO were featured in articles after flashing through Prophecy in 8 minutes and 4 seconds. The article reported that the players used high mobility builds and swords. Their method made the first-person shooter made the game look like it belongs to an arcade. These players used time-saving tricks, killing enemies quickly to have their enemies in specific combat encounters to spawn early. 

    While the game comes down to practice and skill, extended sections of sparrow flying are vital in Prophecy. It was explained as spawning the sparrow mid-air then using side-boosts as you start to fall in order to spin the vehicle upward. When you’ve used up all of your boosts, use the sparrow as a platform to jump. Immediately summon a new one once your character begins to fall. 

    AceyBaby, Granger, and BjarturFO’s run remains the fastest. There’s no doubt that someone will beat that record after the video showed missed opportunities in saving time. The players did a messy fight against one boss. Thus, a more polished attempt will inevitably beat their run. 

  • Here’s a leaked 30 minute video of gameplay from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

    Assassin’s Creed fans may be happy to watch the leaked Assassin’s Creed Valhalla gameplay. 

    People have expressed their discontent towards the E30 2020 gameplay trailer that was an in-engine instead of being an actual gameplay trailer.

    AC fans will definitely be interested to see the gameplay footage. However, be warned that it is leaked. Hence the video quality is not up to par. Despite the bit of blurriness, the three videos condensed into one 30-minute video will make you excited. 

    Assassin’s Creed Valhalla centers on the saga of Eivor. Eivor is a fierce Viking raider, and AC fans are invited to this live gameplay to roleplay and participate in battles to gain glory. The open-world is set on England’s Dark Ages. Players are to expect new features, that includes raids. Like Dark Side of Gaming reports, players can grow their settlement, build power, and grow their influence. 

    The game is something to look forward to this holiday season as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s release will be provided in both the current and next-gen system. Ubisoft hasn’t clarified if the PC version will be the same quality as the next-gen version. 

    The UbiForward 2020 event will air on July 12. Expect new gameplay footage of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, or wish that it is, this time. Ubisoft will also give a glimpse of Watch Dogs Legion. From what DSOG reports, Ubisoft may also reveal Far Cry 6 in the upcoming event. 

    Do watch the video before Ubisoft takes them down… or leaves them up to keep the interest rolling.

  • OK hand gesture removed from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone

    Infinity Ward quietly removed the OK hand gesture on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone. 

    Eurogamer provides the analysis as to why the OK sign was removed. In September 2019, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) added the OK sign in a list of hate symbols. The ADL found out that some use the gesture as a “sincere expression of white supremacy.” In the past, 4Chan trolls pretended the sign had a hidden meaning to create controversy. However, this all ended when the OK sign was indeed used by movements, hence changing meaning. 

    Eurogamer and Activision did not give any comments about this. 

    The OK sign was launched in early 2020. Some used it as a trick shot. The player’s character will do the OK sign with their left hand while firing the gun on their other hand. 

    The sign became famous, with fans and players alike uploading videos where their characters do the OJ sign as they end a multiplayer match or go for a final kill. 

    Infinity Ward replaced this gesture with “crush.” There is no change in the official patch notes. But players have sharp eyes, and it did not take long for them to see the gesture’s absence. 

    Players theorized that the removal of the OK gesture is due to the ongoing #BlackLivesMatter movement. Just a few weeks ago, the developer pledged to crackdown racism in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. They also inserted a message supporting Black Lives Matter into the game. 

    Activision and Infinity Ward are not the first to do this. In April 2019, Blizzard told a fan in the Overwatch League Arena that the OK sign is not allowed. 

  • Video deleted after revealing Call of Duty Leaks

    Call of Duty video leaks was deleted after it revealed Call of Duty’s 2020 actual gameplay. YouTuber Xclusive Ace is responsible for this leak as he posted this video and claimed that the company showed him the actual gameplay. 

    The video has since been deleted. However, Game Radar was able to provide some scoop based on what Reddit was able to keep. The leak on Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War includes insight on the game’s upcoming shooter’s multiplayer, Warzone updates, and campaign. Activision removed the video online but failed to prevent the leakage nonetheless. 

    According to developer Treyarch, the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be released by October or early November. They’ve also stated that they have almost finished the game’s development, and it is all in a good state. Below is a list of what Reddit was able to keep before the video was set to private.

    • Game is set in the Cold War
    • Targeting to release at the end of Q3 (September) but tentatively pushed back to early Q4 (October/early November)
    • The game is in a good state. MP maps are pretty much done except for some textures and fixes.
    • The campaign is fully playable, only some voice over and animations missing
    • Campaign, Zombies, Multiplayer and Warzone, including a new Warzone map
    • The standard minimap is currently in the game. It means that if you shoot an unsilenced gun, you’ll show up on the enemy’s minimap
    • No Fog of War presently in the game
    • Compass from Modern Warfare is returning
    • No mounting and leaning
    • Sliding returns
    • Swimming returns, which yes means water returns in MP maps
    • New Warzone map has a big lake in the middle
    • Modern Warfare’s Tactical Sprint will NOT return, sprinting is unlimited
    • MP maps will NOT have interactable doors. Warzone will have them
    • The source is aware of 10 maps currently, map layouts to be more of the classic Treyarch map design for the most part
    • One map is a small boat in the Black Sea
    • Another map called “Mall,” quite a complex map
    • The third map is called “Satellite,” set in the middle of a desert, very open with small cave sections. Gave some Afghan (MW2 map) vibes
    • The fourth map is called “Tank,” the map from the previous video leak. Smaller, mid-sized three-lane map, seems to be designed for competitive
    • The fifth map is called “Tundra.”
    • The sixth map is called “KGB,” very small, about the size of MW2019’s Shoothouse
    • No Specialists, but something similar to Field Upgrades, will return. Field Upgrades can be charged twice. The second charge takes longer. One is a piece of equipment that shoots at vehicles and streaks. Another looked similar to Crash’s ammunition box
    • Regular equipment returns, no longer on a recharge timer like BO4
    • Scorestreaks return instead of Killstreaks. Some Scorestreaks: Bow, Artillery Strike, Chopper Gunner, Controlled Missile, Death Machine, Flamethrower, Gunship, Grenade Launcher, and Hand Cannon. Light Attack Chopper, Napalm Strike, RC-XD, Sentry Gun, Strafing Plane, UAV, and Counter UAV
    • No Dead Silence in the game at all currently
    • 150 health currently but with automatic healing, no word on time to kill, health bar returns as well
    • Guns include the Ak5 and SPAS-12 as secondary, so it looks like Shotguns are once again secondaries
    • Create-a-Class is a hybrid of classic CAC (CoD4) and Pick 10. Currently, there’s no Gunsmith in the game, but could still be something they’re working on. Customizing your class such as a 4th perk, overkill, extra attachments require Wildcards
    • The source isn’t aware of the existence of a Prestige system but could be something they’ll implement very late
    • Standard MP is 6v6. 2v2 Gunfight currently isn’t in the game, but a 3v3 mode is being playtested
    • No Ground War (32v32) map is currently in the game, but there is a mode that takes place on sections of the new Warzone map. This could end up being Ground War as that’s basically what Infinity Ward did with Modern Warfare
    • The new Warzone map is set in Russia. Named locations include Mines, Chemical Lab, Weather Station, Ski Slopes, Duga, Zoo, and Battery. There’s a big lake in the middle (a bit to the bottom left). The bottom right is snowy with mountains, and it’s where the Ski Slopes and Weather Station are. Just north of that is the Chemical Lab with a swampy area, and north of that are the Mines. West of that is Duga, which appears to be based on the radio array at Chernobyl. The battery is on the mid-West of the map, with a small city in the middle of the map. The Zoo is just south of the city. Guess is that the map is a bit smaller than Modern Warfare’s Warzone map, although more open.

    It is expected that Activision will soon present an official statement soon due to this leakage. Fans have so much to look forward to. Hopefully, it doesn’t involve having to get another hard drive due to a massive update like Call of Duty: Warzone, as previously reported by ByBerry. 

  • Falling Guillotine is so good, basically Dark Drinker 2.0

    Destiny 2’s latest updates have these swords are outta control (in a good way) and ridiculous in terms of power (and I love every minute of it).

    Lots of other updates are in place as we dive into the dark, but the swords stand out and Falling Guillotine is just so darn good. Temptation’s Hook is solid too, and looks funky, but we’ve got Dark Drinker 2.0 on our hands and we can’t put it down. The two new swords will both be acquired from this season’s Umbral Engrams, and Big Purple can also be attained by progressing through your season levels. 

    According to PCGamer, the swords are reprized versions of exotic weapons from Destiny 1. They come with unique and heavy attacks. 

    Temptation’s Hook

    Temptation’s hook is based on Bolt Caster. It’s useful for dealing with substantial damage both from a distance and up-close attacks as it fires a spinning disc of electricty. The Massive Breakdown team concluded that Temptation’s Hook has less damage than other swords that belong to the Adaptive Class. However, it still comes with perks like Vorpal Weapon and Relentless Strikes. It also has a Boss Spec mode. 

    Falling Guillotine

    Purple has never looked this good. They’re calling it the Dark Drinker 2.0. The Falling Guillotine is formed like a tuning fork that unlocks from rank 30 in this season’s pass. You can aim for it from the Umbral Engrams by focusing them before decryption at Drifter’s talking dustbin. 

    As you’ve guessed, Falling Guillotine is based on Dark Drinker. It really leaves a dent with its perks; Jagged Edge, Relentless Strikes, and Whirlwind Blade. The combo is one heavy spin attack, which is followed by five lights. 

    The highlight of this season falls on Falling Guillotine. It’s too good to be true that YouTubers themselves are questioning if this is right. Some even claimed that it might be a game bug. However, Hearthstone designers explained that the damage is correct, but the gameplay displays are wrong and caused by server/client issues. 

    Falling Guillotine leaves out a trail of corpses that players should fear the sight of it. 

    Temptation’s Hook is beautiful too, but if you’re not using Falling Guillotine to destroy the crowd, then simply give it a try.

    It also looks like a giant rectangle the size of a small apartment, so, enjoy that.

    It reminds me of those massive swords from Soul Caliber.

  • Microsoft discontinues Mixer, pushes users to Facebook

    Microsoft gives up its video-streaming service, Mixer. It is quite a surprise, especially since they are pushing their content creators and other users to move to Facebook instead. As reported by Byberry, the social media tech giant created and launched Facebook Gaming. Facebook Gaming is a new competition against veteran video streaming services such as Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer. 

    According to the source article by CNBC, the company decided to retract their service due to its failure to dominate the market. Microsoft is still in the race when it comes to game development, console hardware, and cloud service. However, they have given up on Mixer and will instead focus their attention on launching a new version of the Xbox video game console this year. 

    Microsoft bought Beam four years ago, a startup game streaming service that they then renamed Mixer in 2017. They come in third with YouTube being the oldest and Amazon’s Twitch in 2014. Despite being a strong competitor, there is no doubt that Mixer still lacked compared to other game-streaming services. 

    In a data analysis form from Stream Hatchet, owned by Streamlabs, Microsoft’s Mixer failed to gain more traction compared to Twitch. In his blog post this Monday, Microsoft’s executive vice president Phil Spencer wrote, “Ultimately, the success of Partners and streamers on Mixer is dependent on our ability to scale the service for them as quickly and broadly as possible. It became clear that the time needed to grow our own live streaming community to scale was out of measure with the vision and experiences we want to deliver to gamers now, so we’ve decided to close the operations side of Mixer and help the community transition to a new platform.” 

    Microsoft did try to enhance Mixer’s user base by trying to poach major content creators to switch to their service. Despite succeeding, it cannot be said that their effort was fruitful. Mixer’s operations will come to a halt on July 22. After that, the homepage will redirect to the Facebook website fb.gg. With Mixer out of the equation, Microsoft and Facebook are working towards a cloud streaming service named xCloud, which is already in preview. 

    The head of Facebook Gaming, Vivek Sharma, stated in her blog post, “Imagine a scenario where people can instantly move from watching a Facebook Gaming creator’s live stream to jumping in and playing the game with their closest friends, all in one click. Project xCloud can help change the way people discover games by expanding our Playable Ads format, enabling Xbox games on your mobile device. While scrolling News Feed, people could try out awesome games from Xbox Game Pass immediately, further blurring the line between discovery and play.” 

  • Police cars removed from popular video game ‘Fortnite’ amid protests

    Fortnite’s latest update grabbed the attention of gamers and non-gamers alike. That is because the shooting game removed all police cars in their latest update. Epic Games did this, not as a political statement, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Fortnite creators removed police cars as a response to #BlackLivesMatter protests. The source from Epic Games stated that the online game creator made this move to remove all police cars in the game. This move is not a political act but more of a culturally aware step to tend to users who are currently dealing with sensitive issues. 

    Epic Games is not the only company doing this, and compared to others; it is a mild move. After all, Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare included a message on their screen that read, “Our community is hurting. The systemic inequalities our community experiences are once again center stage. Call of Duty and Infinity Ward stand for equality and inclusion. We stand against the racism and injustice our Black community endures. Until change happens and Black Lives Matter, we will never truly be the community we strive to be.” Rockstar Games halted access to Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Online for two hours. On their Twitter page, they published “Black Lives Matter. To honor the legacy of George Floyd, today, 6/4/20, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. ET, we will be shutting down access to our online games, Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online.”

    Many game studios are experiencing this challenge to address the current status quo and remain apolitical. Their moves can potentially alienate current and future users. Despite games having a political commentary on its platform or users, it is a different matter with companies to put themselves in a vulnerable position by stating their political stance. 

    Engadget predicted that Epic Games is putting themselves in a difficult position. If this action sparks outrage, regardless of which side people will take, their company will take the hit with much revenue to lose. 

  • Amazon’s upcoming MMO teases character progression

    Amazon Game Studios released a breakdown on their upcoming MMORPG, New World. The comprehensive breakdown is solely on how the character progression works. 

    As reported by Games Radar and New World, the progression is divided into three categories; Core Attributes, Trade Skills, and Weapon Mastery. In GR’s report, Amazon Game Studios described the CA as a point system, which they’ve stated, will, “ultimately govern a large part of how powerful you are relative to the various hostile creatures and other players in Aeternum.” 

    The Core Attributes, as stated on the website, is divided into 5; Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Focus, and Constitution. For strength, it depends on your power with melee weapons. Dexterity relies on your effectiveness with ranged weapons. Intelligence is your power with magical weapons. Focus, however, is determined by your Mana recovery rate and cooldown time. The constitution is your health. 

    Trade Skills, according to the website, is “Trade Skills make up a variety of non-combat skills that you can master. There are 4 Gathering Skills, 5 Refining Skills, and 7 Crafting Skills.” All in all, these three categories have 16 skills. 

    The four gather skills comprise of Mining, Skinning, Logging, and Harvesting. The five refining skills are Smelting, Stonecutting, Woodworking, Tanning, and Weaving. Lastly, the seven crafting skills are Weaponsmithing, Armoring, Jewelcrafting, Engineering, Arcana, Cooking, and Furnishing.

    In their website, the seven crafting skills were stated as:

    • Weaponsmiths craft melee weapons.
    • Armorers craft soft and hard armors.
    • Jewelcrafters craft trinkets.
    • Engineers craft ranged weapons and ammunition.
    • Arcanists craft potions, tinctures, and magical weapons.
    • Cooks craft meals and drinks.
    • Furnishers craft furniture, storage, and trophies for houses.

    Weapon Mastery is standard fare, as many MMOs. In this game, every weapon comes with WP and with two distinct skill trees. As reported by GR, weapons have active abilities, passive modifiers, and bonuses. To gain these, you must defeat your opponents to gain XP. 

    New World is reported to be in its Alpha Stage. It was supposed to be released last month. However, due to the pandemic, workers were forced to telecommute.

    New World will be in closed beta in July. 

  • Call of Duty update packed with bonuses, but has massive file size

    After Activision delayed the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone Season 4, the wait is finally over. Season 4 is here, officially going live at 11:00 p.m., on June 10. The update comes with bonuses, such as changes to Warzone, new battle pass, maps, and modes. 

    According to Forbes, Call of Duty will come with a massive update. The file size will exceed 50 GB in its premium PC version. However, it comes with the benefit of having the Infinity Ward compressing a bunch of assets. It will mean that the smaller eventual file size comes with a bigger initial download. According to Forbes, this is smaller compared to the past. This is the outcome of the developers taking extra measures to control things, even to its minute detail. It is a part of the parcel of the games-as-service era. The games-as-service era is the state where constantly expanding games come with expanding file sizes as well. 

    Expect incredible backstories and narratives with Warzone. The update will come with patch notes, maps, modes, and many more. Since its dominance in 2010, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reigns supreme. After its release, it easily became the best-selling game of the series, beating its previous sales and titles. The free-to-play release of Warzone drove players to upgrade to full version. Statistics also show that the free-to-play release prompted players to spend money on the game’s cosmetics. 

    It has been predicted that Activision will reveal their next game at Sony’s PlayStation 5 event.

  • New date set for Playstation 5 event that was previously postponed

    Sony Interactive Entertainment plans to launch the event for PlayStation 5. This is their second attempt to launch after it was postponed. 

    VentureBeat reported that the company is currently planning to give a glimpse of PlayStation 5’s games this Thursday, at 1 p.m. Pacific time. They aim to offer fans and potential customers a closer look at the upcoming next-gen console software that can only be deemed as epic. 

    Sony decided to continue to move ahead of their plan a week after its postponement. The event was supposed to be held last Thursday, June 4. However, the launch had to be canceled. This is in response to the protests that were happening in different parts of the United States. Sony Interactive Entertainment said that they would make matching donations for organizations that support the organizations against police brutality. 

    PlayStation 5 will launch this Thursday, and the company is ensuring that it will happen. 

    A previous report by VentureBeat covered Sony’s plan. The event will focus on games primarily from first-part and third-party studios. It is to be expected that a reveal will take place. The company plans to highlight its latest software, with it said to run natively on PlayStation 5. 

    Sony made sure that the specific games in the spotlight have not reached the ears of nerd enthusiasts and other gaming websites. 

    Sony’s event will clash with Microsoft’s spontaneous Xbox event. While Microsoft moved their event to August, the rivalry between PlayStation 5 and Xbox will still take place. Sony launching ahead of Microsoft changes the game once again. 

  • Facebook launches gaming app to compete with Twitch and YouTube

    Facebook plans to take on Twitch and YouTube. On Monday, the tech giant launched Facebook Gaming, a mobile app where people will be able to stream and watch live gameplay. This mobile app is similar to that of Amazon’s Twitch, Google’s YouTube, and Microsoft’s Mixer. The sudden uproar in demand for gaming live streams pushed Facebook to create Facebook Gaming.

    According to The New York Times, the app has already been available in Southeast Asia and Latin America. However, the 18 months of its availability isn’t the final version of the app but a trial. The app is similar to the Gaming Tab on Facebook’s social media as both allow its users to broadcast or watch streames play games. Facebook’s gaming tab and Facebook gaming are still far behind that of Twitch and YouTube. According to Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet, the firm’s game streaming platform accumulated 554 million hours of viewing time in the first quarter of 2020. YouTube places second with 1.1 billion watch hours, and Twitch lands first with 3.2 billion viewing times.

    CNBC confirmed the news and reported it on their site.

    Facebook gaming features a “Go Live” function that allows users to livestream mobile games directly. It eliminates the need for third-party software and hardware. The “Go Live” function si an edge as platforms such as YouTube and Twitch require third-party software and hardware.

    However, the current challenge that Facebook is facing is that of the app’s monetization. Facebook gaming does not have ads in the app that limits monetization. The social media giant is patching this up using “stars.” Stars allow fans to make one-time payments to support their favorite streamers. Facebook promises to find more ways to monetize Facebook Gaming.

    Facebook’s research says that over 700 million users already interact with the gaming content on Facebook’s main app. They hope that this can pave the way for Facebook Gaming to gain considerable traction. The app will be available on the Google Play app store. The iOS version is currently a work in progress and will be released at a later date.