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'Overwatch' is adding a competitive mode that doesn't require role locks
Competitive Open Queue mode is set to become a permanent feature in Overwatch.
'Madden NFL 20' gets a wild five-minute match mode
Madden NFL 20 is already well underway, but EA Sports is shaking things up a little with the surprise introduction of a new Superstar KO mode -- and compared to usual Madden experience, it's pretty leftfield.
‘Tetris 99’ will get an offline multiplayer mode later this year
Nintendo has been slowly expanding how and where you can play Tetris 99. In February, the company released the battle royale game as an online exclusive for Switch. A few months later, Nintendo offered downloadable content, so users could play the game offline. While you could still battle against opponents, offline you were forced to duke it out against bots. Now, it looks like that's going to change. Nintendo appears to be planning an offline multiplayer mode.
Google's Mode Android Wear bands snap on for easy changes
If you want to change the band on your Android wear device, it takes a few minutes. Thanks to a new line of accessories Google, though, swapping out that wrist strap can be done in a matter of seconds. Google revealed its new Mode "snap-and-swap" bands today in 10 shades of leather and 6 different silicone hues. Each material is available in four widths, with the former starting at $60 while pricing on the latter starts at $50.
'Evolve' simplifies the hunt with free deathmatch arena mode
Evolve isn't a typical multiplayer shooter. The game pits four hunters against a quickly mutating monster, with the first task usually being to find and trap the player-controlled goliath. The experience can be a little bewildering for newcomers, so developer Turtle Rock Studios is throwing in a free Arena Mode that keeps everything simple. In a best-of-three match, the hunters and monster are dropped in a small, pre-determined dome with only one goal; take down your opponent(s). The monster starts at stage two with 50 percent armour, reducing the need to devour local wildlife, and when a hunter dies they're out until the next round. It's a bare-bones take on the Evolve formula, stripping away some of what makes the game unique. Still, if you're interested in shorter rounds where you can easily hone your combat skills, Arena Mode could be a welcome change on planet Shear.
Halo 4's Spartan Ops comes to Master Chief Collection
Halo: The Master Chief Collection received another update this week, improving the game's matchmaking and other functions. The update also added Spartan Ops to Halo 4 in the collection, 343 Industries' cooperative multiplayer mode. Teams of up to four players barrel through missions in the episodic mode, which was purposely not included in the collection's initial 20 GB patch; the developer planned to issue Spartan Ops in December so that it could make "technical enhancements" to the mode. Spartan Ops features 10 episodes, all of which are now available in The Master Chief Collection. The update includes a number of other fixes for the collection, such as hit detection for online multiplayer in Halo: CE and also giving a loss to players that disconnect from matches before a round ends. The patch should also improve roster update times as well as statistic and achievement tracking. It's the latest in a line of updates for the game, which launched with severe online multiplayer issues, among other problems. 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross apologized to players for the collection's issues in late November, recently offering free goodies to affected players, including the Halo 3: ODST campaign. [Image: Microsoft]
WWE 2K15's 'My Career' mode crashing Xbox One systems
WWE 2K15 launched off the top ropes and into Xbox One and PS4 systems this week, and was met with a number of technical issues as it landed. Polygon reported that Xbox One versions of the game crashed during multiple attempts to play My Career mode, a game-breaking problem listed by others on 2K's official support forums. One player discovered a trick that appeared to solve the issue: Disconnecting their system from the Internet seemed to make My Career mode available to them. 2K's support team addressed other concerns, such as instances where PS4 players are unable to download add-on content like the Sting and Hulk Hogan characters. Additionally, the publisher offered a guide for players stuck on the game's demo match, which happens for those downloading the launch update at the same time. We've reached out to 2K for information on the game's early issues and will update as we learn more. [Image: 2K]
Get a push, win the belt in WWE 2K15's 'My Career' mode
2K Sports offered details today on WWE 2K15's other career mode, My Career. Much like the mode of the same name in Visual Concepts' NBA 2K series, in My Career, players take a custom wrestler through the career path of a WWE superstar. The mode begins by having players learn the ropes at the Orlando-based WWE Performance Center, eventually headlining WrestleMania and winning the top championship titles in the company. The mode features seasoned trainer Bill DeMott and general manager Vickie Guerrero, the latter setting matches and giving wrestlers goals to advance their career. As the journey unfolds, wrestlers improve their attributes and unlock new abilities and moves while developing alliances and rivalries with others on the WWE roster. With each decision a player makes in My Career, the crowd's reaction will change and "multiple branching storylines, surprises, twists and turns" will manifest, complimenting the game's other, historical career mode, 2K Showcase. WWE 2K15 will launch October 28 for Xbox 360 and PS3, arriving later on November 18 for PS4 and Xbox One. [Image: 2K Sports]
WWE 2K15's historical rivalry mode stars CM Punk, Shawn Michaels
WWE 2K15 will feature a 2K Showcase career mode that spotlights two wrestling rivalries in WWE's history, 2K Sports announced. The mode will focus on the feud between Triple H and Shawn Michaels from 2002 to 2004 as well as the more recent rivalry between CM Punk and cover star John Cena from 2011 to 2013. CM Punk's contract with WWE recently ended, so the Chicago-born wrestler's inclusion in the upcoming game was previously in question. The 2K Showcase mode will span 33 matches across the two rivalries in a mini-documentary style similar to WWE 13's Attitude Era mode and 30 Years of WrestleMania in WWE 2K14, complete with video packages and scripted commentary as well as historically-accurate characters and events. By playing through the rivalry mode, players will unlock wrestlers, alternate attire and championship titles that can be accessed throughout the rest of the game. Additionally, 2K Sports will build on the 2K Showcase mode after the game's launch by introducing more rivalries as DLC packs, though it did not say what feuds will be included (fingers crossed for Heath Slater's series of losses in 2012 to various WWE legends). WWE 2K15 will launch October 28 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360. [Image: 2K Sports]
Madden 15's franchise mode instills confidence, wraps up ratings
EA Sports introduced its changes to Connected Franchise mode in Madden NFL 15 this week, which includes the replacement of the the series' hot/cold streak system with "game prep" and "confidence." The team-management mode now has players preparing their teams with individual position drills and activities to boost experience points and influence a dynamic confidence rating. The confidence rating fluctuates throughout the season with the highs and lows of athletes' performances. It also changes with trades, team wins and losses, and even more with blowout victories and defeats, impacting other key ratings along with it. Additionally, Madden 15's Connected Franchise mode will include a tweaked free agency system in which available athletes will take factors like a team's needs, scheme and coaching ability into account when deciding where to take their career. It will also include entirely random draft classes for a change, with randomized names, ratings and traits for all incoming rookies. That marks a departure from previous franchise draft classes that had guaranteed-to-appear stars, such as Madden 11's Aspha Savage and K.C. Williams or Madden 25's Leon Sandcastle (yes, that Leon Sandcastle).
PSA: FIFA 14's World Cup update delayed until tomorrow
For those sitting idly by their consoles, waiting for FIFA 14's Ultimate Team World Cup update, expect it to arrive tomorrow, according to an update on EA's official forums. The update adds a special World Cup mode within FIFA Ultimate Team, the series' card-collecting, squad-building mode. It also offers an offline World Cup kick-off game option for those playing on PS4 or Xbox One, which allows players to use the 32 national teams participating in the tournament this summer. While running its final phase of testing, the developer "encountered unforeseen issues that would affect all users who downloaded the update," and opted to "address them first before release." It anticipated that the World Cup kick-off mode will likely launch "earlier in the day." [Image: EA Sports]
Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers available now on iOS
I got to see Magic 2014 in action back in May of this year, but the game is now available both on the iOS App Store and on Steam for both Mac and PC. (Update: Turns out it's not available for the Mac. Last year's version wasn't either, unfortunately.) The biggest new feature of this year's go-round is the "sealed play" mode, which allows players to build a deck using cards from a set of sealed random booster packs. Usually in these games, you have to use one of the prebuilt decks, but the sealed play mode provides another option for experienced players (or anyone looking ot mix things up). Unfortunately, you only get a couple of deck slots to build in, and you can't reset them, so you have to buy more if you need them. Kind of a cheap move on Wizards of the Coast's part. There are also brand-new cards in this game, and in fact some of the cards are available to play here even before they arrive in the paper game later on this year. Magic 2014 is a free download on the iPad, and then you can buy the whole game (or separate decks) via in-app purchase for $9.99.
Pool Nation drops into XBLA's corner pocket on October 31
Pool Nation is a brand new billiards game by Cherry Pop Games that's coming to the Xbox Live Arcade, and while we previously posted that it was due out sometime last week, Cherry Pop has instead confirmed it for release on October 31. That's what the official Twitter account says, so if you were excited to break with a virtual cue already, you'll have to wait just a few more weeks.Pool Nation allows for online or singleplayer billards play, and will let players use slow-time, rewind, or a number of other powers while cracking the various colored balls around the table. There's also a mode called Endurance, which tasks players with finishing the table quickly to try and earn the most money. When it does arrive, the game will be available for 800 Microsoft Points, or about $10.00.
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault on PSN includes Captain Qwark, tower defense
The official PlayStation blog has some new info on the upcoming Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault. While the game is returning to more core R&C gameplay, Captain Qwark will still be available as a playable character throughout. The PSN game will contain five different levels across three planets, along with an online mode to be announced later, and lots of unlockable content including character skins and weapon upgrades.There's also a new feature in the gameplay that Insomniac describes as "tower defense," which "will have you building and defending a base against invasions using your ultimate Ratchet & Clank arsenal." That's all we've got for now, but presumably you'll be building or placing towers as you play, defending against invading waves of enemies. We'll hear more about Full Frontal Assault before the end of the year.
Deezer music streaming service rolls out offline mode, still not available in the US
While Stateside folks are still waiting for the service to land, tune-streaming Deezer is keeping itself and its current groupies occupied. During today's London Web Summit, the company announced a new feature simply dubbed "off-line mode," which will be up for grabs to any Premium+ subscriber. The fresh bit allows paid subs to download their tune collection onto a desktop or laptop machine and have access to it offline, something rival Spotify's been doing since its beginnings. Worth noting is the feature will only work on the Big G's browser during its initial launch, though support for others is said to be coming "very soon." Enjoy. We'll just have to keep awaiting.
Daily iPhone App: Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies
EA has been on the App Store for a long time. Say what you want about subscription minigames and in-app purchases, but recent release of Tetris and Bejeweled demonstrate that EA has a good play. Activision, on the other hand, still doesn't quite get the App Store, and the result is games like Call of Duty Black Ops: Zombies. Not that this latest version of this game is bad. In fact, it's a pretty faithful recreation of the popular variant of the console military shooter. You shoot zombies, earn money to buy weapons and upgrade your map, and then shoot more zombies to earn more money. The graphics are fairly high level (though don't compare to games made specifically for iOS like Infinity Blade), the virtual controls work just fine, and the experience is more or less equivalent to the real thing. There's even a dual-stick shooter called Dead Ops Arcade hidden in here (originally an easter egg in the console title) to make that US$6.99 purchase price a little more palatable. But this is really just one mode of a console game ported over to iOS, and a year-old console game at that. Hopefully Activision will step it up in the future, because EA's developers (among others) know the've got to do better than this to compete on the App Store. If you're a fan of this one, you can grab it (though I'd say wait until it goes on sale), but everybody else can pass for better titles.
Shank 2: Back for more
Klei Entertainment's Shank was a lovable, uncomplicated indie beat-em-up. The game's protagonist went on a murderous rampage using whatever he had lying around, including guns, a big knife, a chainsaw, and a few other items. It's probably no surprise that the recently announced Shank 2 is more of that kind of thing. The backgrounds are nicer and more colorful, Shank's enemies are more varied, and the controls are refined. It's a better, cleaner Shank experience. The indie charm is still there, and the whole game is more polished. Oh, and there's one big feature that will probably make the game for fans of the series: An endless online co-op survival mode.
Klipsch Mode noise-canceling headphones tweet highs, woof lows
We've been worried about Klipsch's future since Audiovox joined the picture, but it looks like there isn't reason to fret just yet. Remember the company's first on-ear headphones, the Image One? Well, Klippy's back for round two evidently; its Mode active noise-canceling headphones have quietly popped up on its website with a whopping $350 price tag and a fall 2011 release. The collapsible earcups are padded in plushy leather and house a 40mm mid / low woofer with a 15mm tweeter for silky highs, crunchy mids and thumping lows. Also included are two detachable 3.5mm cables, one of which has an Apple-certified three-button inline remote / mic. Best of all, ANC can be enabled for up to 45 hours on a single battery to zone out any bustle around you. We'll have an ears-on with these very soon, but you'll find details now via the source link below.%Gallery-128214%
iPhone: What is DFU mode, and what's the difference from recovery mode?
In the past couple of days, we've seen reports here and there of iPhones getting stuck in a restart loop. The black screen with the Apple logo shows up, holds for a while, and then disappears again; repeat ad infinitum. While it's not clear yet exactly what's triggering the issue (the complainants suspect that it may be a recent application update to blame), there is a tried and true way to get your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or older iPod back to square one: either use recovery mode or do a DFU restore. As OS X Daily explained, DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode is a means to getting your iPhone to interface with iTunes without iTunes automatically loading the latest version of iOS onto it (it skips the iBoot bootloader, for jailbreak aficionados). Differing from recovery mode -- where iTunes restores your iPhone to its original factory settings but with the latest iOS and firmware -- DFU mode allows you to change and choose the firmware you want to install onto your iPhone. For instance, you would use DFU mode if you want to install a previous version of iOS, jailbreak your iPhone or unlock your SIM. If (for whatever reason) standard recovery isn't working for you to get your device back to working condition, DFU may help you out. Remember, if you restore your phone in any fashion (via the iTunes 'Restore' button, recovery mode or DFU) you will lose any modifications made to unsynced content or in-app data since your last iTunes sync (game states, voice memos, notes etc.). Be cautious. So, here's the basic info on how to enter DFU mode (and it works for your iPod touch, too). Instructions may vary slightly by year or model; if these steps do not work, check YouTube's extensive library of how-to demonstrations). Connect your iPhone to your computer via USB and launch iTunes. Now turn your iPhone off. Hold down the sleep / power button at the top right of your iPhone, then slide your finger across the "slide to power off" button on your iPhone's screen. (If it won't turn off, press Home and Sleep/Power until the screen goes dark, then release.) Once your iPhone is off, hold down both the sleep / power button as well as the home button for 10 seconds. Once 10 seconds has elapsed, release the sleep / power button on your iPhone, but continue to hold the home button until the the above message has appeared in iTunes telling you that your iPhone has been detected in recovery mode. (If you just want to go to recovery mode, skip the 10-second hold on both buttons and simply connect the phone while holding down Home, then wait for 'Connect to iTunes' screen on the phone.) Click OK. You're now in DFU mode. It's pretty straight forward, but if you see the Apple logo or the "connect to iTunes" screen on your iPhone, you're not in DFU mode. DFU leaves the screen of the iPhone completely black turned off. To exit DFU mode, simply hold down the sleep / power button and the home button together until your iPhone disappears from the device list in iTunes, then turn on the iPhone as normal. Again, for most purposes (save jailbreaking) there's no practical difference between DFU and a regular restore, except and unless you're in a situation where your phone won't go into restore mode normally. Restore with care!
Engadget app updated with landscape mode, save for later options
Our good friends at Engadget have posted an update to their iOS app. The new version introduces a landscape viewing mode for all of the included content and new "save for later" options that will send your favorite Engadget posts off to reading services like Evernote, Instapaper, and Read It Later. The app is still free, and the new version is available right now in the App Store. We've got our own app on the App Store, and you may recall that it was updated for Retina Display compatibility a few months ago. It still doesn't run natively on the iPad just yet, but we're told an update for that is still in the works. Presumably we'll see some of these Engadget updates on our app as well. As grandma always said, patience is a virtue... so don't worry, the updated (and free) TUAW app is still coming soon.
