Tag: pc

How Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Brings Us Inside the Mind of Indy

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Another key element for The Great Circle’s take on the character was in having him change over time – MachineGames isn’t looking to create a static icon of who Indiana Jones is, but offer a meaningful exploration of how he grows after ‘Raiders’ and before ‘The Last Crusade’. That comes down not just to the story, but the game itself – MachineGames has found ways of hinting at Indy’s personal growth through mechanics.

“There are several ways we have worked with this,” begins Torvenius. “Throughout the game we reward the player with Adventure Points. These points can be spent to unlock skills that you find in ability books. These are basically new skills you learn throughout the adventure – and all these skills and moves you unlock have been carefully crafted to fit the character of Indy. Some of these are things like more health or stamina and others are related to handling the whip – all features intimately tied to Indiana Jones. This gives a sense of experience building up.

“We also have a visual progression with his hat and jacket becoming a tad more beaten up throughout the experience, and the same goes for the journal. Indy’s journal becomes more and more built out, and shows stains and scribbles on the pages to emphasize the player’s journey. All of these things combine to work together very nicely – the player will never be left feeling that the character of Indy is not evolving throughout the game.”

And, of course, playing the majority of the game in first-person plays a major part here too. While it may seem a challenge to set the game within a character so defined by his look, it gave MachineGames a chance to use their experience within this area – particularly in the recent Wolfenstein games.

“We knew this was super important challenge from the get-go,” says Andersson. “Luckily, this is not our first rodeo. Big parts of the team have worked together on story-driven first-person games all the way back to The Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness. Also, I think the Wolfenstein series surprised the world by having a very interesting and relatable character with B.J. Blazkowicz, so we have had a lot of experience with this.”

“One important thing that has been part of our DNA for a very long time – and is definitely something that helps create great characters – is that we put story front and centre,” adds Torvenius. “We always start with a strong narrative, and we always end with a narratively strong ending. And our experience is weaving those stories tightly with solid gameplay.

“Having the perfect mix of strong cutscenes and interesting gameplay, driven by an interesting character that is complex with many nuances, that continues to evolve throughout the game, is crucial. A good story survives everything and that’s why we’re always so very focused on getting the story just right.”

Finding a Voice

TFT’s new Arcane set is adding Viktor, Mel, and Warwick next patch

Posted on by faz_business


Teamfight Tactics’ Into the Arcane set may have come out last week, but like everything that comes into contact with the Arcane, it’s not quite done evolving yet. To celebrate the release of the final episodes of Arcane, TFT’s developers have released a new video announcing that some of the show’s most important characters are coming to the game next week. (If you haven’t finished the show yet, tread lightly — spoilers are in the video).

If you’re an Arcane fan who’s already played TFT set 13, you’ve likely been wondering where characters like Viktor and Warwick are, or how exactly they missed the cut. Thankfully, the game’s upcoming update should make sense of that for you. In the above announcement video, set 13 lead designer Shawn Elizabeth Main revealed that Viktor, Mel, and Warwick are coming to Into the Arcane as new 6-cost units.

This is the first time that TFT has added 6-cost units to the game, and their power level appears to fit their high price. The video shows off some of the abilities of all three champions — each in their final forms from the last act of Arcane — and they seem capable of totally turning the tide of a TFT match all on their own. Of course, to counteract that power, these units will be exceedingly rare, only available in the endgame of a match — and even then you, might not see them.

The video announcement itself has a few more interesting insights into how the team balanced releasing the set and hiding some of its most exciting units, as well as how they designed these new characters to feel as exciting and powerful as they look in the show.

These 6-cost units will be added to Teamfight Tactics in its next patch, which is set for release on Dec. 5.

Honkai: Star Rail codes for November 2024

Posted on by faz_business


Honkai: Star Rail is Hoyoverse’s latest title added to their mobile (and PC) game lineup, which means that yes, the game has codes that you can redeem for premium currency.

In this case, Honkai: Star Rail codes reward Stellar Jade and the usual other goodies — money, EXP, and the like.

Below we list out the currently active Honkai: Star Rail redemption codes as of November 2024 and explain how to redeem codes.

Honkai: Star Rail codes for November 2024

The active Honkai: Star Rail reward codes as of writing this are as follows, in order from newest to oldest:

How to redeem codes in Honkai: Star Rail

You can redeem the codes in game by opening the menu and tapping on the ellipses in the top right corner. A “redemption code” option will come up that you can select.

You can also redeem them online through the Honkai: Star Rail code redeem website. You’ll need to select your correct server and login through the website in order to get rewards. You will also need to have a working UID for Honkai: Star Rail. If you’ve never logged into Honkai: Star Rail in any form using your Hoyoverse account, it will not work.

What time does Black Ops 6 release in your time zone?

Posted on by faz_business


Black Ops 6 is the latest entry in the very long-running Black Ops wing of Activision’s Call of Duty series. Specializing more in alternate history and spy craft than other Call of Duty games, Black Ops 6 launches with a new campaign set during the height of the Gulf War. As usual, the game will offer a campaign, multiplayer, and a zombies mode.

Here’s what time Black Ops 6 releases, including a breakdown of when it’s available on which platforms, if you can play it on Game Pass or not, and a brief overview of what’s new.

What time does Black Ops 6 release on PC?

A map showing the release times for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Image: Activision

Black Ops 6 releases on Windows PC (both Steam and Battle.net) at 9 p.m. PDT on Thursday, Oct. 24. Here’s when that is in your time zone, or you can check the image above:

  • 9 p.m. PDT on Oct. 24 for the West Coast of North America
  • 12 a.m. EDT on Oct. 25 for the East Coast of North America
  • 5 a.m. BST on Oct. 25 for the U.K.
  • 6 a.m. CEST on Oct. 25 for Western Europe/Paris
  • 1 p.m. JST on Oct. 25 for Tokyo

Black Ops 6 is currently available to pre-load for all players on all platforms.

What time does Black Ops 6 release on PlayStation, Xbox, and Microsoft Store?

An image showing console release times for Black Ops 6

Image: Activision

For PlayStation, Xbox, and Microsoft Store PC players, things are a little weird. Activision is giving a release window for the game, from 4 a.m. – 11 p.m. PT on Oct. 24.

At the very least, Black Ops 6 should be available before midnight PT on Oct. 25, but it could also launch several hours earlier. At the moment, your best bet is to follow the Call of Duty blog or Call of Duty’s official social media accounts, though we’ll update this guide if Activision provides more clarity.

Is Black Ops 6 on Game Pass?

Yes, Black Ops 6 is the first Call of Duty game to launch on Xbox Game Pass, following Microsoft’s official acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year. However, there is a minor catch here. Game Pass Core and Game Pass Standard subscribers will not gain access to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at launch.

The game will only launch for PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. If you already have one of those tiers, you’ll be able to play on launch day alongside everyone else. If not, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher Game Pass tier or purchase the game separately.

What’s new in Black Ops 6?

A soldier points a gun away from the camera in Black Ops 6 multiplayer

Image: Activision

Black Ops 6 is the return of the subseries started more than a decade ago, and takes the alternate history and applies it to the Gulf War and early ‘90s America. The game comes with the three big Call of Duty staples, as usual: campaign, multiplayer, and zombies. Unlike last year’s title, this zombies mode returns to its classic round-based variant.

The big new feature for this game is omnimovement, which drastically improves players’ ability to maneuver the battlefield in and out of combat.

Matthew McConaughey narrates a spooky new Exodus game trailer

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It’s been a while since we’ve seen much from Wizards of the Coast and Archetype Entertainment’s Exodus, the upcoming sci-fi role-playing game from former BioWare developers. Sure, the studio has been dropping lore and concept art since revealing Exodus at last year’s The Game Awards, but a new trailer for the game released Wednesday offers a much-needed reminder of Archetype’s upcoming project.

Archetype’s latest reveal for Exodus is timed to Spooky Season — and is thus appropriately terrifying. The game’s new cinematic trailer introduces the Mara-Yama, an alien threat that travels in fleshy ships and relentlessly pursues and overwhelms its victims. Think Star Trek’s the Borg, but instead of voyaging through space in black cubes, Exodus’ unrelenting predator species gets around in ships that use grotesque extremities like a physical tractor beam.

According to some moody narration, courtesy of actor Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar), the Mara-Yama “feed on fear, delight in cruelty, and revel in the agony of their prey. They aren’t just hunters — they are sadistic predators who savor every moment of psychological torment they inflict.” The name Mara-Yama is a reference to the deities Mara and Yama, representations of death and the underworld in Dharmic religions.

While these cosmic horrors may not be appealing, necessarily, they have stoked my interested in Exodus. I’m digging the coldness-and-cruelty-of-space-demons thing that McConaughey’s vibing about here.

Apparently, we’re going to be hearing a lot more from McConaughey; he’s portraying a character named C.C. Orlev for Exodus. The developer describes him as a “self-proclaimed spokesman” for Exodus, and an infamous character in the game’s fiction.

Exodus does not have a release date. It’s currently in development for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and, according to executive creative director James Ohlen, is just the start of a new universe.

Archetype’s debut title is part of a billion-dollar bet on internal game development at parent company Hasbro. In addition to Archetype Entertainment, Hasbro has Atomic Arcade, which is working on a G.I. Joe game starring Snake Eyes; Invoke Studios, which is developing a Dungeons & Dragons game; and Skeleton Key, which is working on “something spooky.”

Save 70% on Yakuza’s complete Kazuma Kiryu series on PC

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There’s still time to immerse yourself into the wild and whimsical world of Sega’s Yakuza at a steep discount. GOG is offering a on PC, where you can pick up a seven-game collection that includes the best versions of Yakuza 0 through Yakuza 6: The Song Life for less than $34, saving 70% off the total price. This bundle includes the “Kiwami” remakes of the first two Yakuza games as well as the remastered editions of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5. But time is of the essence, as the sale expires Sept. 10 at 3 a.m. EDT/12 a.m. PDT.

Each game featured in this collection can be purchased individually and are also on sale between 45% and 70% off their standard $19.99 price:

Note that this bundle focuses on the mainline, Kiryu-centric Yakuza games. That means neither turn-based game from the more recent Ichiban Kasuga era is included (e.g. no Like a Dragon or Infinite Wealth). The collection also doesn’t include any Yakuza spinoffs such as Like a Dragon: Ishin!, The Man Who Erased His Name, or the delightfully bizarre Yakuza: Dead Souls. That said, Ichiban Kasuga’s debut game, 2020’s excellent Yakuza: Like a Dragon, is from GOG for $11.99 (was $19.99).

There is no franchise quite like Yakuza. It’s an epic story about the criminal underworld centered around the stoic and virtuous Kazuma Kiryu, a.k.a. the Dragon of Dojima, that has a strong dash of surreal and comical substories. If you need any more convincing as to why Yakuza is one of the best — and certainly one of the strangest — franchises this side of Kamurocho, check out this great essay from Super Eyepatch Wolf (caution: some series spoilers):

… And also this image that I randomly found in the Polygon image database. No, I will not be explaining — you’ll just have to play the games and find out for yourself.

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is more of a puzzle game than I expected

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Life Is Strange: Double Exposure simultaneously serves as a welcoming return and an exciting leap forward, as fan-favorite protagonist Max Caulfield steps back into the spotlight with new friends, a fresh mystery, and reality-bending abilities. I took the game for a spin during Gamescom and the demo revealed, to my surprise, that Double Exposure may be the series’ most mechanically intriguing entry yet.

With the game set a decade after the events of the original Life Is Strange, the now-adult Max has left Arcadia Bay and works as an artist-in-residence at Caledon University in upstate Vermont. She’s formed a new friend circle in Moses, a science enthusiast, and Safi, daughter of the university’s president. Since the cataclysmic events at Arcadia Bay, of which both endings will funnel into this narrative, Max has sworn never to use her time-rewind power again. However, her new peace becomes shattered when Safi is mysteriously murdered, prompting Max to attempt to save her by winding back the clock for the first time in years. For reasons unknown, the lengthy period of inactivity has caused Max’s power to evolve, and she manages to tear through the fabric of time and space to access an alternate timeline where Safi still lives but remains in mortal danger. Thus, Double Exposure becomes a double murder mystery with players utilizing Max’s newfound Shift power to jump between timelines to discover the identity of the killer in one reality while preventing Safi’s murder in the other.

The Gamescom demo takes place shortly after Safi’s murder. I won’t spoil the narrative details, but Max must retrieve Safi’s camera from a classroom while avoiding detection by a snooping detective. While the room is locked in her current timeline, the same may not be true in the alternate reality. Keeping track of which timeline you occupy is easy thanks to an icon in the upper-left corner labeling the reality as “Living” or “Dead,” referencing Safi’s fate in that world. Using Max’s Pulse ability, another new trick that lets her detect and reveal ghostly elements from the other timeline without doing a full swap, I find a glowing weak point between realities where switching timelines becomes possible. Making the jump sees Max pull apart the current reality like she’s opening a pair of curtains to instantaneously cross over to the other side. The snappiness of this transition makes for a cool visual.

Getting my hands on Safi’s camera becomes an involved exercise in exploring the two-story room, finding clues and hitting dead ends that can only be circumvented by switching to the other timeline. Elements such as the room’s layout, the characters’ current activities and moods, and the location of important items differ in each timeline, and the crux of puzzle-solving involves figuring out how gathering information in one world answers a question in the opposite one.

What begins as a simple search for a safe spirals into using an astronomy chart to find a vital constellation referenced by Moses, then activating a projector to overlay a star chart on a classroom mural in such a manner that the orientation of the constellation reveals the hidden location of the safe’s item. Solving this single puzzle requires several timeline shifts to unravel smaller riddles that logically build toward the solution.

Upon solving this puzzle, the detective forces his way into the classroom, triggering a stealth sequence where I need to escape the room undetected. Simply sneaking past him isn’t enough; I need a loud object to create a distraction, and it can only be found in the Living reality. Since the patrolling investigator blocks certain routes in the cluttered, box-ridden room, getting past him requires a few strategic uses of Shift, as he’s not present in the Living timeline.

While Double Exposure seems to test your noodle more than previous entries, it still heavily emphasizes managing character relationships and steering the story through dialogue choices. However, timeline hopping adds some spice to this formula. While a character may be hesitant to reveal a crucial personal secret in one timeline, their counterpart may be more forthcoming, offering information that can give Max the upper hand. Resorting to using knowledge Max technically shouldn’t possess may not go over well, though, adding a thoughtful wrinkle to conversations.

The Double Exposure Gamescom demo sold me on Shift as a fun mechanic, and I’m excited to see how the game further leverages it to tell its tale. Tack on the return of Max and I’m itching to see how this multiversal murder mystery unravels.

Zenless Zone Zero 1.1 livestream codes

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Zenless Zone Zero just closed out its version 1.1 livestream, teasing what’s to come in the next update, which launches the evening of Aug. 13 EDT. Alongside new characters and events, Hoyoverse uses the stream to distribute codes that reward free Polychrome and other upgrade materials.

The 1.1 patch will add three new agents to the game: Seth, Qingyi, and Jane Done (yes, that’s really her name). Qingyi is an S-rank electric stun character whose banner will run during the first half of the patch and Jane is an S-rank physical anomaly character who will run during the second half of the patch. Seth is an A-rank character, and he’ll be in the banner alongside Jane. The update also will add a special story about Jane Done, and an agent story for Qingyi, as well as new events, and additional content for Shiyu Defense.

Zenless Zone Zero 1.1 livestream codes

These codes are usually only active until the day ends, so you’ll want to make sure to use them quickly.

There’s actually only one Zenless Zone Zero reward code from the version 1.1 livestream:

This single code does reward the same amount of premium currency that the usual three codes we see from Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail streams reward: 300 Polychromes.

The code will expire on Aug. 4 at 11:59 a.m. EDT / 8:59 a.m. PDT, so use it quickly or you’ll miss out on the free loot. For more codes that don’t expire in just a few hours, you can check out our constantly-updated list of active Zenless Zone Zero codes.

How to redeem codes in Zenless Zone Zero

You can redeem the codes in game by opening the menu, selecting “more,” “redemption code” and then “enter redemption code.” This menu will become available once you finish “The Hare and the Proxy,” though some codes won’t be redeemable until you’re Inter-Knot level five or higher.

A menu screen in Zenless Zone Zero showing the code redemption offer.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

You can also redeem them online through the Zenless Zone Zero code redeem website. You’ll need to select your correct server and login through the website in order to get rewards. You will also need to have a working UID for Zenless Zone Zero. If you’ve never logged into Zenless Zone Zero in any form using your Hoyoverse account, it will not work.

Genshin Impact codes from the version 4.8 livestream

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Hoyoverse just wrapped up the Genshin Impact version 4.8 preview livestream, showing off all sorts of details about the upcoming patch. Most importantly, there were several codes that award Primogems and other rewards shown during the stream.

Our Genshin Impact 4.8 livestream code list provides you with the three stream codes for rewards and explains how to redeem them.

It’s summertime! So that means the next Genshin Impact patch will be the massive summer event, where there’s a limited time map, new skins for Nilou and Kirara, and — if it follows the same pattern as previous summer events — a hint about the upcoming region, Natlan. The stream also showed off Emilie, an upcoming Dendro character who will make her debut in version 4.8.

Genshin Impact version 4.8 livestream codes

The codes are as follows:

You’ll want to redeem these codes quickly, as they expire on July 6 at 12 a.m. EDT.

They not only reward Primogems, but they also give Mora and Adventurer’s EXP to level up your characters.

How to redeem Genshin Impact gift codes

To redeem codes, you can log in and input them on the code redemption website. You can also input them in-game through the settings menu, but copy and pasting them in a browser is much easier. You can also click the links above, if you’re logged in on whatever device you’re seeing this post on.

Once you redeem the codes, you’ll get the rewards via in-game mail shortly after that.

NewJeans’ PUBG collab has already captured the attention of fans online

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It seems like no world — physical nor digital — is immune to the girly pop flair of NewJeans. The globally famous K-pop group made its debut in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds as part of the 30.1 update on Wednesday. The collaboration adds each member of the group as a playable character, adorable accessories to dress up your characters, emotes for popular dances set to songs like “OMG,” and more. Equal parts bizarre and wonderful, the PUBG update has already captured the fascination of fans online.

Krafton released the NewJeans x PUBG: Battlegrounds collaboration on Wednesday to Windows PC users and will release it to console users on June 20. The PC patch has introduced some environmental changes as well. For example, the Taego School has been transformed into a sparkly rainbow wonderland and there’s now a pink and purple truck stage on the starting island of every 8 km map. You can play as any member of NewJeans — Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, or Hyein — and dress your character up in adorable pastel accessories. You can view all the details on the PUBG site.

The collaboration brings a vibrant pop of color to the gritty world of PUBG. Just like other live-service games, PUBG is no stranger to surprising collaborations. PUBG has featured collaborations with the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion and other games like Angry Birds. Despite that, the NewJeans collab manages to stick out from previous events and now people online are sharing videos showing the girls emoting in the game. The dances just look that good. Here is a video of Minji from NewJeans doing several dances from songs like “Super Shy” and “OMG.”

It’s only been a day, but people have already started to make memes of the girl group in the game. This video features several moments, including one where Haerin dances on a knocked out played and then shoots them at point blank range.

I personally can’t get this video of several characters joining in on dancing the choreo for “Hype Boy” out of my head.

There’s a lot to check out, so if a ton of Bunnies suddenly found themselves interested in trying out PUBG, I wouldn’t blame them.