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Valve makes 'Counter-Strike: GO' free and adds battle royale
The current environment for shooting games is centered around the two tentpole features embodied by the genre's current leader Fortnite: free-to-play and battle royale mode. In an adjustment acknowledging the situation, Valve's latest rework of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive adds both elements to the game that originally launched in 2012 and a series that has been running since CS launched as a Half-Life mod 19 years ago. Mimicking Call of Duty's addition of 'Blackout' mode to the mix in this year's game, CS:GO now includes Danger Zone, with players dropping in solo, as a duo or in three-player squads to fight for survival. PlayerUnknown's: Battlegrounds popularized the style last year and now any game without it risks being seen as stale. According to Valve, Danger Zone games should last around ten minutes, keeping the pace and action up. Whether that's your preferred style or not, the entire game is now F2P with in-game purchases supporting its economy, while existing players will immediately see their accounts updated to Prime Status. That's otherwise available as a $15 upgrade, and according to its listing: "Players with Prime Status are matched with other Prime Status players and are eligible to receive Prime-exclusive souvenir items, item drops, and weapon cases."
What we're playing: 'Wipeout', 'Dead Cells' and 'Danger Zone'
Welcome back to Gaming IRL, a monthly segment where several editors talk about what they've been playing in their downtime. This month, we've obsessed over roguelikes, remasters and resource gathering; we've sent adventurers into dungeons, only to see them go insane; and one of us searched for the Burnout mode they've pined for, only to realize that making a 13-year-old minigame feel relevant is easier said than done.
'Danger Zone' turns the best part of 'Burnout' into a full game
It's been nine long years since we had a proper Burnout game. But when Paradise launched back in 2008 it didn't come with the franchise's trademark Crash Mode, the arcadey feature that tasked players with hurtling themselves through an intersection to cause as big of a car accident as possible. That debuted in 2002's Point of Impact, returning in Takedown in 2004 and Revenge a year later before it was scrapped for an inferior clone in Paradise. Well, today there's some good news: the latest project from former Burnout developers is Danger Zone, a game that sounds an awful lot like Crash Mode: The Game.
TomTom refreshes Navigation app for iOS, adds social features
TomTom has refreshed its Navigation App for iPhone and iPad with a new user interface, Foursquare integration and constantly updated maps. It'll also automatically check into your favorite hangouts to avoid forgetting to oust your frenemies at your local coffee house. The revised application will also help you avoid French speed traps that don't fall foul of new laws on traffic alerts, with the whole thing playing very nice with the recently announced car kit. The app retails for $50 (€70) in the App Store -- although we're not sure how popular it's going to be if those same features will be bundled in iOS 6.
US Navy's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System launches first fighter jet (update: video!)
For more than 50 years, the on-ramp to the highway to the danger zone was a steam catapult that launched fighter jets from an aircraft carrier, but it looks like that could soon be set to change. The U.S. Navy just announced yesterday that its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, has passed a key test by launching a manned F/A-18E Super Hornet for the first time (several more successful launches then followed). Among other advantages, that system promises to allow the Navy to launch a wider range of aircraft from a carrier -- including everything from lightweight unmanned aircraft to heavy strike fighters -- and do so while also bringing "substantial improvements" to weight, maintenance, and efficiency. Head on past the break for the official announcement (sorry no video). Update: We spoke too soon, video is now after the break! You'll have to supply your own Kenny Loggins soundtrack, though. [Thanks, Fionn]
