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BioWare promises to fix ‘Anthem’ after dismal launch
Anthem has had a rough launch, and no one is more aware of the issues than developer BioWare. In a candid blog post, company general manager Casey Hudson acknowledged the early run has been "rougher than expected" and said the team is "very disappointed" with the number of issues plaguing the title. Despite the problems, BioWare is offering reassurances to gamers that BioWare will continue to support and improve the game.
'Anthem' patch to fix crash, balance problems arrives Saturday
Anthem has had a launch troubled by various glitches, but its developers announced a patch that will deal with crashes and balance issues -- among many other things -- is going out between 8 and 10 AM ET on Saturday morning. As it attempts to compete in the "loot shooter" category, Destiny 2 is updating with new tweaks for its second season and The Division 2 is close to release, increasing the pressure to get things running smoothly and hang onto whatever player base it has. The list of fixes and tweaks is far too long to list fully, but check the Reddit post for all the details. The crash issues on PS4 should be among those addressed, as head of live service Chad Robertson noted a few days ago that it had identified causes for the "power-down crash" some had experienced, and after checking had not found evidence the game caused consoles to "brick."
WinRAR patched 19-year-old bug that left millions vulnerable
Remember that early 2000s software that extracted .zip files and just about any other file archive on your Windows PC, WinRAR? The one that constantly bugged you to buy it but could be duped by clicking "next time"? Well, if you're one of the 500 million people who've used WinRAR over the years, the joke's on you. Researchers at Check Point Research uncovered a 19-year-old bug that created a security breach in your hard drive.
Another Google+ data bug exposes info for 52.5 million users
Google's semi-defunct social media platform Google+ has suffered its second data breach in three months and, as a result, will be completely shuttered in April, four months earlier than previously planned.
47GB 'Fallout 76' patch nearly replaces the entire game on PS4 and Xbox One
Prior to release, beta testers of Bethesda's Fallout 76 ran into an issue that caused the entire game to spontaneously redownload itself on their PCs. Now a major patch has arrived on all platforms and for PS4 players at least, it's a similar experience. Patch notes indicate the update addresses many performance and stability issues, as well as tweaking the game's PVP mode. But on PlayStation (update: and Xbox One), gamers faced a 47GB download, compared to the game's initial 53GB install size (after the patch is applied it takes up roughly the same amount of space). On PC it was a more modest 15GB, but players who have bandwidth caps that are already stretched to their limit by fall releases aren't all happy, with the game requiring nearly 100GB by itself in just a couple of weeks. The developers did mention this prior to releasing the update, and said "This update will be large compared to what we expect for patches going forward." Of course, Overwatch just reinstalled itself with a new patch for at least the second time, so maybe it's time for ISPs to ease up on bandwidth restrictions because the file sizes aren't going down. Update: The size of the patch is similar between PS4 and Xbox One, leaving PC gamers with the smaller 15GB download.
'Mass Effect: Andromeda' looks to the future with an Xbox One X upgrade
After a launch troubled enough that it caused Bioware to rethink how it makes games, there's some new news for Mass Effect: Andromeda. No, it's not a single-player story addition addressing the fate of the Quarians, but for this year's N7 day (a reference to the military rank held by the player's in-game character) a 1.68GB patch on Xbox One has arrived. It adds support for higher resolution and HDR on the Xbox One X for anyone ready to try playing through again, or for the first time. Clearly Bioware and EA are reminding fans that the franchise isn't gone for good, and have a "What does N7 mean to you?" campaign going on social media, plus new merch from a partnership with J!NX. Even as the developer prepares to launch its multiplayer-focused game Anthem, general manager Casey Hudson recently wrote that teams are working on "secret stuff" for fans of ME and Dragon Age. Has enough time passed to wash the taste of a glitch-ridden and uneven release from gamer's mouths and get them ready to try again? We'll see.
Apple releases watchOS 5.1.1 after previous update bricked devices
Apple has released its latest watchOS update, after the previous release caused a bricking issue on some Apple Watches. The watchOS 5.1.1 update seems to resolve the problem that led the company to pull version 5.1 soon after releasing it last week.
'No Man's Sky' update overhauls underwater exploration
Hello Games teased a major, "eerie" update to No Man's Sky last week, noting that it would arrive just in time for Halloween, and now we have details on what The Abyss has in store. As the name implies, the update is all about improving and enriching subaquatic life.
'Fortnite' celebrates Halloween with themed outfits and challenges
Fortnite is a gaming juggernaut that just won't quit. No doubt part of its success are the constant changes and updates that keep things fresh, and with Halloween just around the corner, what better time than now to unveil a new in-game event and patch?
Ford will keep GT supercar from catching fire with a software update
If you're driving in your fancy Ford GT supercar on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca you definitely don't want to see is fire erupting from the engine behind you. Turns out, neither does Ford, especially after one burst into flames earlier this year in Germany. The American car manufacturer has issued a recall for its beautiful flying-buttressed supercar. and will fix the erupting-into-flames issue via a software update. Approximately 200 of the 2017-18 Ford GTs are affected in this recall. The issue arises from hydraulic fluid which may leak from the valve block assembly due to high pressure onto the exhaust. So far, only one owner has been affected by the issue. The driver, who goes by muc.collector on Instagram, was driving casually through Munich, Germany when his car caught on fire. Luckily neither the 52-year-old driver, nor his son, were injured. The car itself only had 43 miles on the odometer, meaning it was likely mechanical issue, and wasn't caused by a crash or reckless driving. Ford was kind enough to replace the driver's GT free of charge, though. View this post on Instagram First supercar I saw when I visited Munich a month ago... | #Ford #GT #FordGT #V6 #EcoBoost #MucCollector A post shared by cem (@itsme.cem) on Sep 17, 2018 at 12:35pm PDT But considering that each Gorilla-Glass-windshielded GT retails for $450,000, it's probably best that Ford deals with the problem sooner rather than later.
‘Fortnite’ update adds Rifts-To-Go item
After some short downtime for server maintenance, Fortnite is back online and its v5.30 patch is live, bringing with it some cool new features and a bunch of bug fixes that'll make gameplay smoother and (possibly) less rage inducing. First up is Rifts-To-Go. Rifts were introduced last month as quick sky-bound escape routes from enemy squads -- now you can use them yourself as and when you need them, without having to find one.
'PUBG' brings fickle weather patterns back to its big maps
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has a new patch with quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes and a few notable features to add a bit of realism. Random weather patterns return to the game's first two maps, Erangel and Miramar. The update also enables bullets to penetrate arms and hands, doing more damage if they would hit more vulnerable body parts behind them. In other words, your character's flailing limbs won't block higher-damage headshots anymore.
Epic quickly nerfs the new 'Fortnite' SMG after complaints
The v5.10 Fortnite update that brought back our beloved Playground mode also added something else -- this new gun. Unfortunately, the "high capacity, fast firing Compact SMG" was just a little too overpowered, and many high-profile players quickly complained that it made the game a race to get the SMG so one could chew through their enemies (and their buildings, as the starting and max health of many materials dropped at the same time). While Epic has been up front about wanting to make the endgame more exciting and less focused on build-offs as it pushes for esports viability, this particular tweak may have gone too far. As a result, the company quickly lowered the accuracy, range and damage done by the new gun and existing SMGs. Check below for the (now-live) adjusted SMG values, and a few clips of the gun at work as it existed prior to the nerf.
'Skyrim VR' is now easier to play and better to look at
Bethesda's Skyrim went full VR about seven months ago, and it's now getting a pretty significant update. That's a good thing, as not everyone was super pleased with this version of the venerable RPG. According to UploadVR, the title will receive improved visuals, a new main menu and some significant changes to the Move controller configuration.
'Minecraft' cross-play is here for mobile, PC, Switch and Xbox
Announced at E3 last year, Minecraft's cross-play update is finally here to unite players on mobile, PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox hardware. More than just proving to Sony that cross-platform multiplayer is safe and that it works, the "Bedrock" update also brings the Switch version up to par with other platforms.
First 'State of Decay 2' patch is as large as the game itself
If you have State of Decay 2 but haven't fired it up in a while, you'll have to be... patient. Undead Labs has released its first patch for the zombie-slaying title, and it's a whopping 20GB -- that's about as large as the install on the Xbox One. And despite the size, you're not getting more content. The 1.2 update fixes a raft of bugs, including gameplay quirks, multiplayer, the heads-up display and the environment. Think of this as a gigantic, later-than-usual day-one patch ironing out the quirks of the launch version.
All Xbox One 'PUBG' players can access its terrible second map
Whether you love it or hate it, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' second map is out of testing and available for all players on Xbox One as of today. If you're a fan of sniping, Miramar, with its focus on open spaces and elevation should be right up your alley. In addition to the semi-fresh play-space, today's patch brings a new revolver, a lever-action rifle and a sawed-off shotgun into the mix, as well as a handful of tweaks for game balance. Not a fan of the new map? Well, you aren't alone in that, but, you can always hope that the PC and mobile version's map selection feature is added in the next patch on Xbox One.
‘God of War’ photo mode lets you apply filters and tweak faces
More video games are getting photo modes these days, but none have likely deserved it more than the recently-released God of War. The fourth game in the franchise is gorgeous, and wherever you land on its story or mechanics, the AAA polish resulted in a beautiful, high-resolution world. With the game's new photo mode, you can capture moments with plenty of customizable features to get just the right stylized or hyper-realistic look.
New 'Overwatch' map brings the battle to Italy's canals
Last month, players of Blizzard's hero shooter Overwatch took a trip into the game's fictional past with a new temporary game mode, Retribution. The brawl portrayed heroes escaping through the streets of Venice after a clandestine mission gone wrong. Though the event ended on Tuesday, players can still roam (and fight) around gorgeous Italian canalways as the latest map, Rialto, is added to the game -- along with a few hero changes in the latest patch.
Deezer now creates playlists based on your listening habits (updated)
Not to be left behind by the competition, Deezer is tweaking its Flow feature. The app's latest update augments the automatically curated playlist tool to include tracks from artists related to what you're listening to. More than that, the patch gives Flow its own tab within the navigation panel. "You want to discover new music but still have control over what genre is recommended? You in a rock mood and your favorites Nirvana and Guns 'n Roses would definitely cheer you up? Just select the Flow tab that will float your boat," the Deezer announcement says.
