Bethesda Pulls Bait And Switch On Fallout 76 Canvas Bag


Fallout 76 is just two weeks out of launch but it doesn’t look like the controversies are going to burn out any time soon. In addition to the ongoing server issues, players this week began raising complaints in regards to an alleged bait and switch regarding the game’s collector’s edition.

Put on the market for $200, the Fallout 76 collector’s edition includes the game, a lifesize power armor helmet, figurines, a map, and exclusive in-game items. The collector’s edition also advertised itself as including a canvas duffel bag to keep the aforementioned helmet safe and sound.

Unfortunately it turns out that players are not receiving the canvas duffel bag but instead found a lower quality nylon bag. One player contacted Bethesda customer support only to receive a response that the canvas bag was a prototype that was found to be “too expensive to make” and that Bethesda wasn’t planning to do anything about it.

Bethesda followed up today by apologizing and announcing that the company would be offering 500 atoms as compensation to players disappointed with the falsely advertised product. 500 atoms translates to roughly $5 worth of in-game currency.

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[NM] Battlefield V Hit By Disappointment Bug, 50% Off One Week After Launch


How much does Electronic Arts value $30? One week of play time.

Hopefully those of you out in the netosphere didn’t put too much investment into your $60 Battlefield V purchase. In addition to having to wait over a week compared to the Origin Premier subscribers to get into the game, early adopters will need to come to peace with the knowledge that other people are getting a much better deal just seven days later. Target must be seeing the effects of EA’s “don’t like it, don’t buy it” campaign, because they are already discounting Battlefield V on Xbox and Playstation down to $30 just one week after the official launch date. Best Buy meanwhile has dropped its price down to $39.99 with Wal Mart undercutting them by 11 cents at $39.88. Incidentally the only major US store showing enough faith to keep the game at full price is Gamestop.

Is Battlefield V floundering? Sources say…possibly. Eurogamer posted a story this week that Battlefield V physical sales are down more than half over Battlefield 1. It seems unlikely that Target would be effectively putting the game on clearance price a week after launch if sales were as good as they normally are for Battlefield titles.

[Mobile] Marvel Future Fight Introduces Original Character Crescent


Netmarble today released an update to Marvel Future Fight introducing three new characters.

The update introduces an original character, Crescent, as well as Marvel favorites Morgan Le Fay and White Fox.

“Crescent is a 10-year old girl named Dan Bi who grew up in Korea, raised by her single father, an antiques dealer who was forced to acquire powerful artifacts for the ancient sorceress Morgan Le Fay. By touching one of the artifacts, a mystical bear mask, Dan Bi summoned a “half-moon” bear spirit named Io, who bonded with her to become her protector.”

Marvel Future Fight has previously introduced new characters including Sharon Rogers and Luna Snow to positive feedback. Today’s update introduces additional content including four new costumes, Tier-3 upgrades for Captain America (Sharon Rogers), potential realizations, heroic quests, giant boss raid improvements, and a special mission quest pack.

(Source: Netmarble press release)

Aura Kingdom Unlocks Awakening Patch


Gamigo has released an update to Aura Kingdom increasing the maximum level and allowing players to further power up their characters.

The awakening system grants max level characters with a quest that will allow them to super level 1. The new awakened leveling comes with an exclusive character banner and new features. Guardians, wizards, and ravagers can prove their worth at the holy temple of its evil occupants, with rewards including golden weapons and armor formulas.

More information can be found on the official website. New players interested in Aura Kingdom can register here (affiliate link).

(Source: Gamigo Press Release)

Twin Saga Patch Introduces Five New Dungeons


Gamigo this week revealed a new content drop introducing numerous new features and an in-game event.

Fans of Twin Saga can explore five new dungeons as well as collect exclusive pets as part of a crossover event with Aura Kingdom and Grand Fantasia with each pet originating from the various online worlds. Within the six new dungeons, players can find crafting recipes and armor parts. In the dungeon “Abyss,’ players can find new skill books, offering twelve new class skills.

Six new companions also join the fray and can assist in new PvP battlefields. Companions can also make use of the new Senshi point system.

More details can be found at the Twin Saga website.

(Source: Gamigo Press Release)

Dark Eclipse Release V2.0, Official Ranked Mode


Dark Eclipse has been given a major boost this week in the form of version 2.0. The first ever MOBA for Playstation VR just became more competitive as the update introduces ranked mode with a global leaderboard and three new playable characters.

“Our passionate community already knows there’s still nothing else quite like DARK ECLIPSE in VR right now, and we want to continue providing tools like Ranked Mode to keep our VR MOBA as fresh as possible,” said Shohei Sakakibara, Producer and Project Leader at SUNSOFT. “As MOBAs are an inherently competitive genre, the focus of this major update is to further foster and enhance competition in DARK ECLIPSE by allowing players to see how they stack up against other dedicated fans with our global leaderboard.”

Characters include Destrophe, a tank, Dosmelda the assassin, and Zahina the carry hero. Dark Eclipse is free to play on the Playstation 4 and requires the VR headset to play.

[NM] Bad Press: Don’t Read Too Much Into Konami’s Trademark Renewals


Konami this week silently renewed its trademarks for Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid in Europe and the press is already speculating on what this could mean: A Playstation Classic lineup? Remakes? Remasters? A surprise announcement at the game awards? Don’t hold your breath.

This story comes up whenever a developer is found to renew trademarks in some territory and while the speculation will certainly bring in views and thus ad revenue, the answer is rarely newsworthy. Right now the only upcoming Metal Gear related release that the public is aware of is Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation Classic. Apart from that, all is silent over at the smouldering remains of Kojima Productions.

That said, the fact that Konami is renewing the Metal Gear trademarks is nothing to get prematurely excited about. Outside of defunct developers, this process is done essentially on an automated basis or by third parties in order to ensure that said trademarks don’t lapse. Nintendo still owns trademarks for games dating back to the arcades and NES games from the 80’s that they have no intention of ever selling or developing sequels for, yet don’t want the trademark to lapse.

Konami may never develop another Metal Gear Solid game again, but they aren’t going to let the trademark expire because that means other parties could use it, and if there’s one thing that game developers hate it’s other people making use of their unwanted property.

Square Enix Black Friday Sale: Use SHIP10OFF For $10 Off Shipping


It’s Black Friday, and that means sales, sales, and more sales.

Over at the Square Enix store, you can grab a number of games at a heavy discount including Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood or its collector’s edition. For physical orders over $75, type SHIP10OFF in the promo box for $10 off shipping fees.

All kinds of games and merchandise are on sale, from PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, 3DS, DS, and we even saw a couple of physical Playstation 1 games available.

Some highlights:

  • FFXIV: Stormblood – $19.99 (50%)
  • FFXIV: Stormblood Collector’s Edition – $30 (50%)
  • Chrono Cross (PS1 physical) – $3.74 (75%)
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Steelbook Edition – $50 (44%)
  • NieR: Automata – $20 (50%)
  • Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition – $20 (50%)
  • Select merchandise up to 40% off.

The sale is good until November 26 at Midnight PDT. Certain restrictions may apply, ask your doctor if Moogles are right for you.

Black Friday: Check Out All Of Daybreak Games’ Deals


Black Friday is upon us, and that means deals on everything! For Daybreak Game Company customers, there is a good week’s worth of deals on every game in Daybreak’s library.

Check the list below to see what’s on sale for your preferred title.

  • DCUO (Nov. 23 – 26, 2018)
    The DCUO Black Friday Sale is back for 2018 with major discounts. Be sure to visit the in-game Marketplace this weekend, and check back on Cyber Monday for some additional superhero-sized deals!
  • Dungeons & Dragons Online (Nov. 22 – 26, 2018)
    Dungeons & Dragons Online offers Black Friday deals including double bonus points for point bundles, sales on all versions of the Raveloft Expansion and deep-discounts on the Deep Gnome Iconic Hero, Dragonblood Prophecy Adventure Pack and more! For a limited time, Otto’s Box is back with with a big character level booster, reincarnation reset timer, cosmetic pet and other bonus items.
  • EverQuest (Nov. 21 – 27, 2018)
    Even though Fall Fun is still in full swing with 50% shorter instance lockout timers for ALL players, EverQuest is ringing in the season with holiday items available in the Marketplace. Members can also score a 25% off sale on the in-game Marketplace.
  • EverQuest 2 (Nov. 21 – 27, 2018)
    EverQuest 2 is offering a 25% off sale for Members on the in-game Marketplace. Added bonuses for Members include double status and double guild XP.
  • H1Z1 (PlayStation Store: Nov. 21 – 27, 2018; In-game: Nov. 23 – 27, 2018)
    Get great deals in-game in H1Z1 on PS4 with its Black Friday sale on crates and Battle Pass Season 2. North American players can also check out the PlayStation Store for even more deals on crowns and the Black Friday bundle starting today at 10 am PT.
  • Lord of the Rings Online (Nov. 22 – 26, 2018)
    Lord of the Rings Online brings the Black Friday deals with double bonus points for point bundles, sales on the Mordor and Mines of Moria expansions, and discounts on Crafting XP Boosts and the High Elf Race. In addition, players will be able to grab the Keepsakes of the Grey Mountains Bundle, Bombur’s Bounty, Weapons of the Depths Cosmetics, and more!
  • PlanetSide 2 (Nov. 23 – 26, 2018)
    Cheers to 6 years! In addition to the anniversary bundle, from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, PlanetSide 2 will have four days of different sales on the Marketplace. Don’t miss out on your chance to score 40% off on infantry weapons, vehicle weapons, infantry & vehicles cosmetics and all camo.

[Column] Fallout 76’s Black Friday Sale Is A Warning Against Pre-Orders


Gamers were angry when Square Enix put Shadow of the Tomb Raider on sale for 34% off just a month after launch. They were just as angry when Bethesda knocked 50% off of Wolfenstein II a month after it hit store shelves.

Boy will/should they be livid now.

Fallout 76 launched eight days ago and Bethesda has thanked their loyal fans by giving everyone else a heavily reduced price. The few loyal fans, anyhow, since if the game’s UK sales figures are any indication there aren’t many of them left. 80% down over Fallout 4? Ouch. Not even two weeks after launch, Fallout 76 has been slashed a mean 33% off down to $40.

And critics aren’t going easy on the game either. The Playstation 4 version currently stands with a 50 average critic rating on Metacritic, the PC version at 55, and the Xbox One at 50.

It’s worth noting that this is a publisher-led sale, meaning Best Buy, Gamestop, and Amazon didn’t just unilateraily decide to drop their prices for Black Friday. If you purchased the game from one of those sources, it might be worth getting in touch with customer service to see if you can get a price match.

Best Buy will match a lower price within 15 days of purchase, which would cover early adopters. For Gamestop that is at the store’s discretion.

For everyone else, may this be another warning against early adoption. You might view your early sale as a sign of loyalty to Bethesda, but they sure don’t view the same about you.