Destiny 2 Beta Extended, Final Hours Today July 25, 2017

Bungie has been overwhelmed by the popularity of their Destiny 2 Multiplayer Beta and because of that, they have extended their online test to today.  Just be aware that Bungie is doing an extreme test in its final hours, as they are spending this time to test their network under extreme stress.  Sudden disconnects are a very real possibility for anyone who continues to play.  If you haven’t had the chance to check it out, you can download it for free off the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live Marketplace.

The beta test is expected to end in a few hours so make sure to play it all you can until then.  Destiny 2 is coming to PC, Xbox One and PS4.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Western Ghats Gameplay Preview July 25, 2017

I got an in-depth look at Uncharted: The Lost Legacy during E3 2017, and I honestly thought that would be the longest preview Sony would do for the game before its release, but it looks like I was wrong. Earlier today, Sony released this all-new preview of the game, featuring the Western Ghats section.  Its a pretty lengthy preview so if you want to avoid spoilers you may not want to give it a watch until after the game is released.

Is it just me or did this level feel like it was a bit more open than some of the other Uncharted games have been?  I guess we will find out next month.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is coming August 22nd, 2017 exclusively to the PS4.

Pokemon Go Fest Refunds To Be Issued July 23, 2017

When it launched, Pokémon Go became a worldwide phenomenon, and it is still going strong a year after its release. Developer Niantic planned to host an enormous fan event in Chicago, IL this weekend to celebrate the game’s first year, and it started early this morning.

Major plans were unveiled before the event even started, including raids to unlock various Legendary Pokémon in the wild. Players not at the event would be able to participate as well, as any Pokémon caught worldwide at certain points of the day would bring attendees one step closer to achieving that goal.

However, Pokémon Go Fest was riddled with non-stop glitches ranging from connection issues, long lines, admittance problems, and more. Major raids failed, not because the players were unable to accomplish them, but because the vast majority of potential players couldn’t even connect to the game during the limited play period.

Due to all of these issues, Niantic has decided to refund every attendee’s money and compensate everyone at the event who couldn’t play.  Players with a legitimate ticket will get the following:

• A full refund of their ticket.
• $100 of in-game currency (Pokécoins)
• Access to rare eggs at select PokéStops. (Players must redeem the Pokémon Go Fest Attendee Badge QR code at an event PokeStop first.)
• Lugia

That last one is not a typo, all attendees are going to get the Legendary Pokémon Lugia, and now Lugia can be earned at gyms in raid battles worldwide.

Anyone who paid for a legitimate ticket to the event should check their email addresses as soon as possible for all the details they’ll need.  Trainers will have until Sunday to register their Attendee Badge QR Codes at the specially designated Pokémon Go Fest PokéStops.

Let’s be honest, while most people are blaming Niantic for this event, Niantic isn’t the only company at fault here.  In the US, its become expected that when you attend a major convention anywhere, the cellular service at the event is going to fail. One would assume with all the profits the cell phone companies are making here, they can afford to provide their customers with a service that works consistently, but they can’t.  Creating a major event that entirely relies on cellular service working is, in my opinion, a bad idea.

I plan to talk more about this event on the website throughout the week, so stay tuned for more Pokémon Go coverage!

Ready Player One SDCC 2017 Preview Released July 22, 2017

I’ve been reading Ernest Cline’s novel Ready Player One all summer. The book is well deserving of all the praise it has gotten over the years and it came as no surprise it would be adapted to a major motion picture. What was an enormous surprise was the announcement that the feature film would be directed by Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones Trilogy), and today at San Diego Comic Con, attendees got their first look at the film. Enjoy.

Ready Player One is coming to theaters in 2018.

Destiny 2 Open Beta Live on PS4 and Xbox One July 21, 2017

Bungie has just opened access to the Destiny 2 Beta to all console players, and if you want to check out a game that was so popular at E3 2017 I couldn’t even get near its booth, you can download it right now on your console’s respective online marketplace.

If you want in on the Destiny 2 beta you need to download the beta client right now because it will be active for only this weekend. It ends on 9PM PST on July 23rd.  PC players interested in joining the beta will be able to play the beta on PC in August 2017.

Destiny 2 is coming to PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in September 2017.

Pokemon Sun/Pokemon Moon Mega Evolution Stone Giveaway July 21, 2017

The Pokémon Company has just announced they are giving away four mega stones to Pokémon Trainers playing Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon.  The four stones are Tyranitarite, Abomasite, Manectite, and Aggronite and while the Pokémon they mega evolve are not catchable in Pokémon Sun or Pokémon Moon, they can be brought by trainers using Pokémon Bank.

To get the mega stones, you’ll need to connect your Nintendo handheld to the internet, boot up your game and select the Mystery Gift option before loading your save game.  In the gift menu, choose to receive a gift and select the use a code option. When you see a code prompt, enter this word:

SABLEVOLANT

Once the code is verified, players can get the mega stones in game from the next Pokémon Center they visit. You’ll need to have the latest version of your game installed to connect it to the internet, but you can always download the latest update off the Nintendo eShop.  You’ll also be happy to know that The Pokémon Company is also giving away a rare shiny Pokémon this month. You won’t need a code to download it, just tell the game to receive a gift from the internet after you get the stones.

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are out now exclusively for Nintendo 3DS systems.

DOOM Update 6.66 Released, Multiplayer Map Packs Now Free July 21, 2017

Bethesda has just released an epic patch for DOOM on all of its platforms. According to its official patch notes the new update, version 6.66, now includes all of the three premium DLC map packs, essentially making them free to all DOOM owners.  That’s right, Unto the Hell, Hell Followed and Bloodfall are now free to download for all DOOM players regardless of platform, and all a player needs to do to get them is update their games to the latest version.

This good news comes with a caviat, the Xbox One version of the patch weighs in at over 58GB, something that will take hours to download even on various high-speed connections.  The upside of this enormous patch is the fact that no extra DLC needs to be downloaded.

DOOM is out now on PC, Xbox One and PS4.

Legendary Pokemon Coming to Pokemon Go This Weekend July 20, 2017

Niantic is hosting an enormous Pokémon Go event on Saturday and the worldwide Pokémon Go community can be a part of it.

Starting Saturday, Pokémon Go players attending the Pokémon Go Live events in Chicago will be given the opportunity to raid for some never before seen Legendary Pokémon including Zapdos.  At the same time, Pokémon Trainers worldwide are going to need to catch as many Pokémon in the wild that they can.

Make sure to visit your local Pokéstop soon to stock up on Pokéballs. We will be sure to link to a live feed of the Pokémon Go events as it starts so stay tuned!

Pokémon Go is out now for Android and iOS devices.

iOS 10.3.3 Released July 20, 2017

Apple has just released minor software update has been released for iOS 10.  The new update, iOS 10.3.3 contains non-specific bug fixes for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices running iOS 10.

You can download the update to your iOS 10 smartphone or tablet right now using your device’s software update feature. Depending on your device, the update can range in size from 80-150MB.

This seems to be an update-centric day for  Apple as other products including the Apple TV, MacOS and WatchOS have also been updated.

Dissidia NT Closed Beta Signups Live July 19, 2017

Square Enix made a huge announcement coming out of EVO 2017, and I’m more happy to report it to all of you.  Dissidia NT, a game I had a blast playing at E3 2017, will be getting a closed beta test on the PS4 and you can sign up for it right now.

EVO attendees interested in playing should not sign up for the beta in this way. Square Enix has revealed they will be emailing out guaranteed beta access codes to EVO attendees. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, check your email because you should be getting yours soon!
For those of you who haven’t had the chance to play the game yet, here’s a closer look at it!

I know Square Enix made this announcement over a day ago, but I was unwilling to talk about this until now due to ongoing technical issues with the official website.  As of now, those issues appear to be resolved and because of that I encourage everyone to go sign up as soon as possible!

Dissidia NT is coming exclusively to the PS4 in 2018.