News | Collector's Edition of World of Warcraft: The War Within revealed
Blizzard this week unveiled the 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition of upcoming World of Warcraft expansion The War Within.
The Collector’s Edition can now be pre-ordered and costs 200 euros. In return, you will not only receive a code for the game, but also an art book, a statue of the Gryphon Rider, a pin featuring Anduin, Thrall and Alleria and additional game content.
Since this week, it has been possible for interested parties to register through the beta of The War Within. People who register have a chance to receive an invitation, and Blizzard indicates that invitations will be sent out regularly during the beta test.
Following The War Within is Midnight, set in the ancient world of Azeroth, Quel’thalas, where the Void attempts to destroy the Sunwell to shroud the world in darkness. The twelfth expansion is called The Last Titan, which is set in Northrend, known from Wrath of the Lich King. Players will uncover an intricate plot surrounding the returned Titans.
News | Star Wars Outlaws story trailer is now available to watch
Ubisoft has released a new trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, an open-world game from The Division developer Massive Entertainment. The trailer offers us the first details about the game's story.
Star Wars Outlaws’ August 30 release date was accidentally announced a few hours before the trailer went online, but the trailer reveals a lot more about the game’s story.
Star Wars Outlaws centers on new character Kay Vess, who, according to the trailer, is a relative newcomer to the underworld, but has been taking care of herself and the adorable Merqaal Nix since she was little. In the game we get to see how Kay navigates the universe when it is more dangerous than ever.
The game takes place between Episode 5 and Episode 6 of the Star Wars films, meaning the civil war between the Empire and the Rebellion is in full swing. Something that the underworld is only too happy to take advantage of. A new character in the franchise, Sliro, appears to take charge of the criminal factions, after which Kay tries to steal something from him.
How the story will ultimately turn out is of course still a surprise, but we can start working on this new story in August. Players who pre-order the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition will receive three days early access to Star Wars Outlaws, as well as a number of cosmetic rewards. The Ultimate Edition also includes the game’s Season Pass, which gives players two post-launch expansions.
Star Wars Outlaws will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S and PC.
News | Fortnite is getting skins from Avatar: The Last Airbender today
Fortnite today introduces three character skins from Avatar: The Last Airbender. In addition, starting Friday, April 12, players can participate in an event based on the popular cartoon, called Avatar: Elements.
Epic Games announced this news via a trailer on X. The skins that will be available in the item shop from today are those of Katara, Zuko and Toph. The trailer also shows a short clip in which the main character Aang – aka the Avatar – is frozen in a large ice lump together with his flying bison Appa. In all likelihood, the Avatar’s skin will be available via the event’s mini-battle pass, which starts on Friday.
The arrival of the Avatar: The Last Airbender event in Fortnite had already been leaked. Like other Fortnite crossover events, Avatar: Elements will likely last two to three weeks. During the event, players can complete missions related to the characters and various elements of the cartoon series. This allows various cosmetic items, including an extra skin, to be unlocked.
Yip yip! Get ready, Avatar: The Last Airbender is coming to Fortnite.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) April 8, 2024
Katara, Zuko, and Toph land in the Shop tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/PlP1PWs7Bl
It is currently unclear whether Sokka will also be part of Avatar: Elements. Katara’s brother, known for his boomerang, is actually the only character from the well-known ‘Team Avatar’ that has not yet been shown by Epic Games.
The upcoming event is not the first crossover that Fortnite has had with the Avatar world. A Korra skin previously came to the game via the second season of Chapter 5: Myth & Mortals. Korra is the main character of the spin-off series The Legend of Korra.
News | PS5 version Sea of Thieves will have a closed beta next weekend
A closed beta for the PlayStation 5 version of Sea of Thieves will be held this weekend.
Developer Rare announced this via social media. The beta starts on Friday, April 12 at 11:00 AM Dutch time and runs until April 15. People gain access by pre-ordering the game via the PlayStation Store. Participants will also unlock the Dauntless Adventurer Sales and Title. Participants will also automatically receive ten levels of Renown for the Season 12 battle pass.
Sea of Thieves will be available on PlayStation 5 from April 30. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it will also bring games that were previously exclusively released on Xbox and PC to PlayStation and Switch. The first games included in this are, in addition to Sea of Thieves, also Grounded, Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush.
The Sea of Thieves @PlayStation 5 Closed Beta takes place this weekend, April 12th-15th (9am UTC)! Participate to earn the Dauntless Adventurer Sails and Title, for use exclusively on the PlayStation platform.
— Sea of Thieves (@SeaOfThieves) April 8, 2024
Pre-order any version for Closed Beta access: https://t.co/cG2xpxRXmH pic.twitter.com/w4a9Ew3FZ3
Last week, Rare revealed more information about the PS5 version of the game. For example, the game on PS5 uses the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback of the DualSense controller and you can choose between two graphic modes. Progress made from the Xbox and PC versions is included because people have to link the game to their Microsoft account.
News | Free-to-play PvP shooter Marvel Rivals revealed
Marvel has unveiled their new Marvel Rivals game, a free to play PVP shooter.
The game will be a free-to-play PvP shooter in which two teams of six players compete against each other. “Rally your favorite Marvel characters and compete in 6v6 battles, using all-new Team-Up Skills in destructible locations from across the Marvel Universe,” the description reads.
These Team-Up abilities allow heroes to perform moves together. For example, Rocket Raccoon can ride around on Groot’s back. Players can choose from a wide selection of heroes and villains from well-known groups such as the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men and many more.
Marvel also promises that the game will continue to evolve. “New superheroes are introduced every season, along with challenging and diverse maps. Unlock new content to use in different strategies and experience thrilling action and endless possibilities in these adventurous team battles.”
Marvel immediately released a trailer with a lot of gameplay. The images shown are reminiscent of Overwatch, where two teams of Marvel heroes with different roles fight against each other.
Marvel Rivals is being developed with the help of Chinese publisher NetEase. An exact release date is not known, but we do know that the closed alpha test will be held in May on PC, via Steam and the Epic Games Store. No other platforms have been mentioned for the game yet.
News | New update No Man's Sky overhauls space stations
A new update for No Man's Sky is coming out today that addresses the space stations in the game.
This is the twenty-seventh update for the game, which is called Orbital. The biggest change is happening to space stations, which can now take on all kinds of different shapes and colors. They have also been thoroughly overhauled, redesigned and expanded on the inside, according to the patch notes from developer Hello Games.
Space station interiors are now procedurally generated, allowing each station to look completely different. The stations also look different based on the race that lives there: for example, the Korvax install many servers, while the Gek install many ergonomic chairs. The lighting and reflections in space stations have also been improved.
In addition, trading has been slightly adjusted, with players able to receive discounts from technology traders based on their relationship with the alien race. Players can also now design their own ship using parts they have looted. You can also dismantle ships that you don’t need and then use the parts in another ship.
The update appears today. Hello Games also released a trailer to highlight all the new features.
News | Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra shown extensively
Extensive footage of Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, Amy Hennig's Marvel game, was shown during an Unreal Engine presentation at the Game Developers Conference.
The then unnamed Marvel game from developer Skydance New Media was already announced in 2022. It was already known at the time that the game would be set during World War II and would feature superheroes such as Captain America and Black Panther.
So extensive images and more details were revealed yesterday. For example, Drew Moerlein plays Captain America and Khary Payton plays Black Panther. In addition to these characters, players also control American soldier Gabriel Jones and Nanali, the leader of the Wakanda Spy Network.
The game will logically run on Unreal Engine 5 and will be released on modern platforms sometime in 2025.
News | New horde mode for Destiny 2 revealed
Bungie has unveiled Onslaught, a new horde mode for Destiny 2 that will be available to all players on April 9.
The mode is part of the Into the Light update and was revealed via a livestream. Destiny 2 has had temporary horde modes before, but Onslaught will remain permanently available in the game from April 9. Just like the basic game, it is completely free.
Players must work in teams of three to defeat waves of enemies sent by the Witness. Regular games contain ten waves of enemies, while there is also a special variant with fifty waves. A higher difficulty level of Onslaught will also be available.
The mode takes place on existing, adapted maps from the Crucible, and players can take all kinds of defensive measures between waves, including placing turrets and tripwires.
News | New Overwatch 2 heroes will immediately be available for free from the tenth season
New playable heroes in Overwatch 2 will be completely free from the upcoming tenth season.
Blizzard has announced this. Previously, new heroes could only be unlocked immediately with a paid battle pass, or by completing different tiers of the free battle pass. But from season 10 onwards, all players can immediately start working with new heroes. This also applies retroactively to all previously released Overwatch 2 heroes.
In the tenth season, which starts on April 16, players will also be able to earn Coins through the free and premium battle pass. The amount of Coins that can be unlocked for free each season will increase from 540 to 600. Weekly Challenges will now award Battle Pass XP instead of Coins.
Blizzard is also adding a new way to unlock Mythic skins in the tenth season. These could previously only be unlocked through seasonal battle passes, but older Mythic skins will also be available for purchase through a new Mythic Shop. When this in-game store launches during season ten, the Mythic skins from seasons one through seven will be available.
News | World of Warcraft is getting battle royale mode named Plunderstorm starting today
As of today, the mmorpg World of Warcraft includes a limited-time battle royale mode called Plunderstorm.
Plunderstorm will be added to the popular online RPG with content update 10.2.6 and will last a few weeks. The mode has a pirate theme, with players searching the Arathi Highlands for skills, upgrades and loot to plunder. Each game lasts ten to fifteen minutes and starts with sixty players. The winner is the last one standing.
Players must create a separate character for Plunderstorm, which is unique to that mode. You can play the mode alone, or pair up with another WoW player. You find spells and skills in the world, which are then automatically added to your action bar. In chests you can find even stronger variants of all skills.
Players will be rewarded for their efforts with cosmetic items, pets, titles and mounts. A special reward route is available, including a Plunderlord parrot to string up and Bubbles the pet crab.
No additional expansion is required for Plunderstorm. Players of World of Warcraft Classic can also play the battle royale mode. More information can be found in Blizzard’s blog post. Below you can see the announcement trailer for Plunderstorm.