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February 21 is going to be a fantastic day for Marvel Rivals players, as The Thing and the Human Torch will officially be added to the game’s roster. Half of The Fantastic Four is already playable in Marvel Rivals, as Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman were introduced on January 10, complete with alternate character skins based on their villainous personas of The Maker and Malice, respectively. View the full article

The Steam page for Wizardry Variants Daphne is now live for wishlisting with new gameplay screenshots from the PC version. View the full article

After interrogating the prisoner in Necessary Evil, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 players are given the choice to either withhold part of the truth or tell Otto von Bergow about the involvement of Olda Semine in the whole affair. But as the choice can have huge repercussions, you should not take it lightly. Here's what will happen in all scenarios, as well as whether or not you should tell Otto von Bergow about Young Semine in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. Table of Contents:What happens if you tell von Bergow What happens if you hide the truth Should you tell von Bergow about Young Semine in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? What happens if you tell von Bergow Image by Destructoid If you decide to tell von Bergow about Olda Semine's alliance with the bandits, the lord will assemble a party and send Henry, Hans, and Burgrave Hashek to Semine. Shortly after reaching their destination, Henry will then be given the choice to side with either Hashek or the Semines, as a fight becomes inevitable. You can check out what will happen in both cases below: If you side with the Semines (Select "Nothing is going to burn"): Henry and Hans will aid the Semines in the fight. After the fight and the deaths of both Hashek and his company, all parties will agree to hide the truth and the Semines will go into hiding following the burning of their fortress. If you side with Hashek (Select "I'm on your side"): After defeating Jan Semine and killing his soldiers, Hashek will go on a rampage and order his men to search the fortress for Olda while killing all in sight. After you arrest Olda, Hashek will then kill him and leave him to burn after setting the fortress on fire. If you choose to let Olda escape after confronting him, Hashek will turn against you before triggering a similar outcome to the above. You won't need to pass any stat checks to lie to von Bergow about what happened at the fortress. But don't go trying to appeal to the lord's humanity after siding with the Semines, as revealing the truth about Hashek's death will see him sentence Henry to the gallows. This will unlock a hidden "ending" where Henry is sentenced to death. His execution cutscene will then be followed by a standard game-over screen. What happens if don't tell von Bergow Image by Destructoid Contrary to the above, not telling von Bergow about Young Semine will skip the second portion of the Necessary Evil quest in its entirety and see the lord immediately start preparations for an attack on Nebakov Fortress. You will then immediately start the For Victory main quest. Should you tell von Bergow about Young Semine in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? Image by Destructoid I believe withholding the truth and not telling von Bergow about Young Semine is the best choice here, as although Olda should be held accountable, the civilians in the fortress are innocent. Doing that will also allow you to progress while keeping Hashek, his men, and all within Semine alive. If you don't want to skip the event but still want the best possible outcome, siding with the Semines will save the most lives, as all the innocent within the fortress will be spared. I'm not gonna lie though, even if saving the people is the only right choice here, letting Olda go after learning of his crimes and lack of remorse will still leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. The post Should you tell Otto von Bergow about Young Semine in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Shift Up have today released another earnings report for the end of 2024, and in it they talk about some expectations for the upcoming PC release of the popular Stellar Blade. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Those looking to get the best protection and damage from their weapons and armor in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will need to repair their gear frequently after intense battles. Armor and weapons in disrepair have lower stats, so they require constant attention to stay in "healthy" states. There are multiple ways to repair your gear, from relying on special vendors to implementing your skills. View the full article

Henry of Skalitz is neither a hero or coward, and definitely not the center of his universe. His journey through embattled 15th Century Bohemia in Warhorse Studios’ Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 continues, subject to the whims of magnanimous lords, backstabbing louts, catchpoles, and conmen, with the game’s grounded medieval fiction steadily bubbling around him. Published once again by Deep Silver, the game’s balance of veracity and viability is refined in this sequel, andKingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers a near-incomparable adventure and atmosphere, even if it sometimes fumbles immersion and player independence to get there. View the full article

A recent leak of Hell is Us' release date has sparked speculation of the game showing up at PlayStation's heavily rumored State of Play later this week. The most recent big showing of Hell is Uswas its gameplay reveal at PlayStation's September 2024 State of Play. The brand's next State of Play event is rumored to be taking place this week, according to a recent report by industry insider NateTheHate. View the full article

When you think of long-running MMORPGs, your mind likely jumps to World of Warcraft and Runescape, two staples that have been on the go for over two decades. Tibia is a lesser-known free MMO that predates both, and it's making a bold leap forward by introducing a new class for the first time in nearly 30 years. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Classic MMO Tibia finally makes looting easier in new summer update One Tibia player uncovered the MMO's 19-year-old secret and logged off, telling nobody View the full article

One interesting and useful part of the new Diplomacy and Influence system in Sid Meier'sCivilization 7 is the Espionage mechanic. Diplomacy in Civ 7 functions on Influence, a new key resource acquired from certain building types, leader or civilization abilities, adjacencies, Wonders, etc. Unlike previous Civilization games, there are no longer Spy units that receive upgrades or complete missions; therefore, there are no upgrades or promotions available for spies. In Civ 7, a limited number of Espionage actions can be chosen, and each one needs to be unlocked via Civics or Techs in each Age. View the full article

Towards the end of Letter From The Producer Live Part 85, Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida revealed a new collaboration with Fujifilm's Instax brand of cameras and printers. The partnership between Final Fantasy 14 and Instax will culminate with a new emote that will be offered on February 25 with the launch of Patch 7.18. View the full article

It's a tough time to be a live service game, even if you're one of the biggest and most established names on the block. Apex Legends is still one of the best-feeling FPS games around, if you ask me, but that's not stopped it from going through a major slump. Respawn has already revealed some radical changes that are coming in its imminent new season, but the Apex Legends Season 24 patch notes have just landed, and they further prove that this is one of the most transformational updates the game has ever seen. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Sorry Steam Deck owners, Respawn is happy with its Apex Legends Linux ban Apex Legends is fixing matchmaking, changing every weapon and more in Season 24 Apex Legends characters and abilities list View the full article

There has been a lot of speculation over whether Commander Shepard will be alive in Mass Effect 5, but either way, I hope Shepard isn’t the player character. It’s not that I dislike Shepard, and I have fond memories of my early experiences playing through the original Mass Effect trilogy. That said, having recently revisited the series, some things stuck out about Shepard that make me hope I can play as a new character when the next game comes out. This is especially true given the advancements made to the RPG genre in the years since Mass Effect came out. View the full article

A notable Fortnite leaker claims that more Metal Gear content is on the way. Fortnitehas had plenty of crossovers with popular movie franchises, comics, and video games in the form of special guest character skins and promotional events. The growing list of gaming icons to grace the Island includes Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider franchise, Kratos from the later God of War games, and even the Doom Slayer of Doom fame. View the full article

There is no one certain way to win in Civilization 7, but knowing all the conditions will help you win quickly. Of course, certain victory conditions are more straightforward to achieve, but they might not be the best route for you to take. You can exploit the Legacy Path options, which have four subtypes available inside the game. If you don't like to take a direct approach, going for a Domination or Points Victory might be far more suitable. All Victory types in Civilization 7 There are four Legacy Path Victories, which are divided into Culture, Economics, Military, and Science. First, let's examine how to achieve these four victory conditions. Victory TypeHow to AchieveCultureThe main goal is to have as many Wonders at first, and then switch to Legacies as you transition through the different ages. Your Wonders will provide different boons to your civilization, which transfers to having different Relics in the Exploration Age. Finally, you'll discover different Relics to show to the world in your Museums. Completing the tasks will help you get a fair amount of Legacy Points, and secure the win. EconomicIf you're more a person who loves to flaunt their riches, Economic Victory might be the best choice for you. You begin in the Antiquity Age by establishing trade routes, before settling down to expand your base further. Modern Age will allow you to further solidify your trading network by creating rail lines, which will help to connect with other civilizations.MilitaryThe Military route is suitable for those who believes in establishing control and creating fear. The first objective is to capture as many settlements as possible, which transfers over from the Antiquity to the Exploration Age. In the Modern Age, you'll have to take a diplomatic approach to create your own ideology, and get a high number of followers. The ultimate aim is to make the whole world believe in you like a mythical God-like character. ScienceTo win with this route, you'll have to rely heavily on tech. At first, you'll have to collect codices, which will be displayed and studied in your academies. This will be followed by the use of Specialists to increase your yield, before the Modern Age will incentivize you to research flight projects, and hopefully, to outer space. of course, it's not necessary for you to stick to a Legacy Path Victory formula in Civilization 7. There's the Domination Victory route, along with Points Victory method. Victory TypeHow to WinDominationDomination is the way to go if you want to eradicate every other civilization from existence. To do so, you'll have to overtake every rival town and city across every aspect. Be prepared to use your military might to the fullest, along with making use of your influence. Unless you're playing a single-age game, Domination Victory isn't possible in the Antiquity Age. You'll have to reach the Exploration Age, and travel across the seas (or gain the capability) to exercise the Domination option. PointsIn Civilization 7, it's not compulsory for either you or your opponent to achieve one of the five conditions mentioned above. Once the game reaches the final age and times out, the person with the highest number of Legacy Points will be declared as victor. Before you can win, you'll have to find someone to play the game with. While defeating the AI can be tough test for sure, you can also play against other human opponents withe help of multiplay. The post All Civilzation 7 Victory types and how to get them (Civ 7) appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

With the upcoming Disney Lorcana set Archazia's Island just a month away, Wargamer has been given the exclusive opportunity to show off some new cards to you: two of Jafar's magical pals Rajah, Ghostly Tiger and Giant Cobra, Ghostly Serpent. This batch of Amethyst illusions include a deep dive into a new character classification and an associated ability, which lay the groundwork for a powerful new deck. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Get 24 Disney Lorcana Shimmering Skies packs at a huge saving right now Start playing Disney Lorcana for under $7 with this must-have deal Act quick, as this Disney Lorcana booster box just had a huge price cut View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Here we (maybe) go again: Reports from a handful of early adopters of Nvidia's new GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card are reporting that their power cables are melting (so far there's at least one report on YouTube and one on Reddit, as reported by The Verge). This recalls a similar situation from early in the RTX 4090's life cycle, when power connectors were melting and even catching fire, damaging the GPUs and power supplies. After much investigation and many guesses from Nvidia and other testers, the 4090's power connector issues ended up being blamed on what was essentially user error; the 12VHPWR connectors were not being inserted all the way into the socket on the GPU or were being bent in a way that created stress on the connection, which caused the connectors to run hot and eventually burst into flames. The PCI-SIG, the standards body responsible for the design of the new connector, claimed that the design of the 12VHPWR connector itself was sound and that any problems with it should be attributed to the manufacturers implementing the standard. Partly in response to the 4090 issues, the 12VHPWR connector was replaced by an updated standard called 12V-2x6, which uses the same cables and is pin-compatible with 12VHPWR, but which tweaked the connector to ensure that power is only actually delivered if the connectors are firmly seated. The RTX 50-series cards use the 12V-2x6 connector. Read full article Comments View the full article

Last March, ***** sold off Company Of Heroes and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War developers Relic Entertainment in the course of wider "restructuring", "realigning" and lay-offening at the house of Sonic. Relic's new corporate partners are a holding company established by the *** investment firm Emona Capital LLP - an arrangement that apparently lets them operate like an independent studio, though I'm fuzzy on the moving parts. Read more View the full article

Marvel Rivals will round out The Fantastic Four team when The Thing and Human Torch launch as playable characters on February 21, 2025. The release date for the new heroes in Marvel and NetEase Games’ popular hero shooter was announced today, revealing that they'll arrive alongside an update for the second half of Season 1. Although the team has yet to spill the beans on what exactly this Season 1.5 update has in store, a Dev Talk blog post on the Marvel Rivals website teased “major balance adjustments.” As for The Thing and Human Torch, we have yet to see exactly how the two classic heroes will light up the roster with their new moves and abilities. Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman were introduced as the first post-launch Marvel Rivals heroes when Season 1 launched last month. Both characters brought along unique tools to shift the multiplayer game’s meta in a new direction, with Reed Richards able to take stretchy (and goofy) swings at enemies thanks to his elastic powers while Sue Storm introduced invisibility mechanics to the battlefield. Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm will surely do the same when they launch in a few weeks, but let’s hope NetEase reveals some gameplay before then. The upcoming Marvel Rivals Season 1 update will also see Ranked players hit with a rank reset. Come February 21, expect to see your Rank drop four divisions, meaning if you’re a Diamond I player on February 20, you’ll be brought down to Platinum II the following day. NetEase explained how this process will carry on in the future, saying that brand-new seasons will hit players with a six-division drop, while half-season updates will bring a four-division drop. As Marvel Rivals continues to tweak its Ranked offerings to players’ desires, NetEase said it will “tune this as necessary.” It’s not all doom and gloom, though, as competitive Marvel fans in the Gold rank can look forward to new costume rewards with the launch of the second half of Season 1. NetEase will also be introducing new Crests of Honor to “recognize players at Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and One Above All (the top 500).” Superhero fans had been not-so-patiently waiting to hear more about how Marvel Rivals will continue its post-launch plans, and The Fantastic Four is just the beginning. Last month, creative director Guangyun Chen drummed up excitement by promising to release a new playable character every half-season. That means a fresh Marvel face will join the fight roughly every six weeks, giving fans plenty to keep coming back for as seasonal updates progress. There’s quite a bit of evidence to suggest the vampire-hunting Daywalker Blade is next on the list, though outside of some rumors and leaks that have had players arguing for the last few weeks, Marvel Rivals’ future remains a mystery. You can read up on our current Marvel Rivals Season 1 tier list to find out the best characters while you wait for the mid-season update to shake things up. You can also see how the original Marvel rivals Season 1 patch turned the meta on its head, and why the community got so worked up over Marvel Rivals' alleged bot issue. Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). View the full article

Path of Exile 2's Ritual system can be a great source of endgame gear and Divine Orbs, but how can this be most effective? The early access for the hit ARPG has been off to a good start but hasn't been without issues. However, many of these issues are on a smaller scale and have been worked out or are being worked out. This will continue over the next six months. The early access is planned to last but could be extended if needed. View the full article

Steam has officially banned games with ads from its platform in a new statement released this past weekend. Owned and operated by Valve, developers of such games as Half-Life, Team Fortress 2, and Portal, Steam is a wildly popular digital platform for distributing and organizing PC games. Although there are alternatives like the Epic Games Store, many players prefer Steam for its vast library, built-in community features, and convenience. View the full article

Valve has released a new rule for Steam which bans all games which compel players to watch advertisements. In particular, these new rules appear to be targeted at potential PC ports of mobile games which regularly rely on advertisements for monetization. Developers should not utilize paid advertising as a business model in their game, such […] Source View the full article

The Advanced Access launch of Sid Meier's Civilization VII likely did not go quite as well as developers at Firaxis had hoped. Civ 7 will have its full release for players on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch on February 11, 2025, but already many prospective players have changed their minds about wanting to pick up the title following an influx of negative responses from those who have tried it. Civ 7's developers are handling the situation in stride, however, with a plan to improve the game to meet the standards of the series. View the full article

Call of Duty players who had their double XP time taken away by the PSN outage, Super Bowl, or other activities will have 48 hours to make up for lost time. Treyarch confirmed that ****** Ops 6 and Warzone double XP weekend is being extended by two days and will now end on Feb. 12 at 11am CT instead of today at the same time, like it was originally supposed to. View the full article

Video games have only recently (in the grand scheme) begun telling seriously riveting tales of their own, but the tales behind their development have always been the stuff of legends. Sadly, these stories largely go untold, even to the gamers who'd totally love to hear them — so let's fix that. Here are some of the best books about games that all gamers should read before they despawn. Image via Amazon Masters Of DOOM by David Kushner Even though you can pretty much run DOOM on most things nowadays, you still can't run it on a book — yet — but we already have the next best thing. I'm talking about the thrilling story of John Carmack, John Romero, and the remaining OG crew at Id who brought the original title in the revolutionary series to life. This is not a "making of" featurette in the shape of a book, but rather the amazing story of the early days of the company, as well as a great account of the influence the title had all over the industry. Masters Of Doom is so good it's Hollywood-worthy. An adaptation was going to happen before COVID and other problems caused it to sadly but aptly land in development hell, but here's hoping it'll one day rise from the grave to make everyone realize how cool of a tale this is. Image via Amazon Console Wars: *****, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation by Blake J. Harris For dark and mysterious reasons, war oftentimes proves to be box office gold in movies. Luckily, video game wars lack the moral reprehensibleness of traditional warfare — while they maintain the same level of drama and surprise. For example, would you believe me if I told you that ***** came close to winning the war against Nintendo? This means we could have been living in a world where ***** owned the market. One where Sony never even got a chance in the console business. That's one of the incredibly interesting details you'll learn from Console Wars, a fantastic account of the late '80s and early '90s war between ***** and Nintendo. Image via Boss Fights books Silent Hill 2 by Mike Drucker Do you think the world of Silent Hill 2 would be too scary for you to handle? Then consider learning about it in book form, through the words of super fan Mike Drucker. For those unaware, Drucker made a name for himself as an excellent comedy writer, and here we see him nailing a completely different world by delving deep into one of the most harrowingly unfunny experiences you can have in gaming. This book is the perfect gift for anyone who'd want to know more about Silent Hill 2, as, even though the Internet is (was?) great, it lacks many of the research materials Drucker lovingly dug into to find out all there is to learn about the history of the game. Silent Hill 2, the book, is also so good I'd recommend it even to people who know nothing about the game — who knows, you might even finally be tempted enough to play it. Image via Amazon The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World Vol.1 and Vol.2 by Steven L. Kent Unfortunately, you cannot fit everything one should know about the history of humanity into two volumes. The history of video games remains short enough to accomplish this feat. If you want to learn where it all started, how games evolved into what they are today, and perhaps even to catch up with your kid's hobby and understand the hype, these books are your way in. The first Volume came out in 2001 and contains everything you should know from the very beginning of video gaming until the turn of the millennium. The second volume covers the two decades that followed. While the second title contains far more recent information, much of it will still surprise you. Image via Amazon Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made by Jason Schreier The last few years have revealed some of the darker aspects of the game development industry. If that sentence piqued your interest, you definitely want to read Jason Schreier's Blood, Sweat, and Pixels. Schreier spent a lot of time interviewing developers working on various top titles and put his findings about crunch, burnout, and unexpected victories in that bleak battleground together for us to enjoy. At points, it feels like a scathing critique of the Industry, but Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is even more of a celebration of the true heroes who give it their all to make these beautiful works come to life. Image via Amazon Video Game Of The Year by Jordan Minor Interested in acquiring more encyclopedic knowledge on video games? One easy way is by learning all about the games we've deemed GOTY over the years, and no better way to dig into that than via Video Game Of The Year. Since we only began using the GOTY designation after the release of Half-Life's GOTY edition, anything before that would be speculation. So, Jordan Minor's book does the digging required to bring up the best and most interesting games we could've possibly called the best of the year ever since 1977. The result is an interesting and informative trip down memory lane. Image via Amazon Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell The question of whether or not video games are art is one that has haunted gamers for a while. Before that, we had to justify whether video games were, in any way, shape, or form, a worthy way of spending our time. If either question sparks even a tiny bit of interest from you, then you should totally consider picking this one up. In Extra Lives, author Tom Bissell looks into the "why" of video games with this deep dive into the medium and into what makes it a medium so many people care deeply about. Extra Lives is a great pick for anyone interested in video games, even slightly. Image via Amazon Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry by Jason Schreier If Jason Schreier's Blood, Sweat, and Pixels told you the story of trying to survive in the video games industry, Press Reset, the spiritual successor, talks about coming back to life after "dying" in it. Press Reset tells the true stories of layoffs and studio closures that continuously leave people without the jobs they love in an industry that seemingly despises them — then about how they deal with it. It's a great, tough, read, but also one that will not leave you completely devoid of hope. Image via Amazon Virtual Cities: An Atlas & Exploration of Video Game Cities by Konstantinos Dimopoulos Some of us don't care too much about where the game takes place, while others want to immerse themselves in every scrap of lore they can find about the game world. They want to explore, learn more about the world itself, and if you're a part of this group, then Virtual Cities is the book for you. Konstantinos Dimopoulos' video game city Atlas digs deep into the lore and the reasoning behind the aesthetics and structures in 45 extremely iconic game cities such as Half-Life 2's City 17, Silent Hill, and New Vegas. If that's not enough for you, Virtual Cities then beautifully ties it all together via over 100 full-color illustrations that are gorgeous enough to justify the price on their own. Image via Amazon Significant Zero: Heroes, Villains, and the Fight for Art and Soul in Video Games If you're among the countless people who played Spec Ops: The Line and wanted to read more from the person behind it, then this may be your jam. The Line's lead writer, Walt Williams, wrote an entire book's worth of thoughts about video games. in Significant Zero, Williams talks about the seemingly unfortunate time when his satirical writing first caused him to lose his job in the Air Force, then paved the way to an awesome career writing for games such as Bioshock and Civilization. He then delves into the billion-dollar video game industry, one filled with incredible talent and even more incredible egos. If you want to read a fun account about this sometimes beautiful, sometimes dreadful industry, then Significant Zero is the book for you. Image via Amazon Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto by David Kushner What better way to cap it all off than with yet another great work of David Kushner, the man who got the ball running with Masters of Doom? This time Kushner tells us about the origin story of the Grand Theft Auto series, which is now the biggest franchise in the world, but one that started off as anything but. Did you know GTA started off as a dead average driving game that was pretty much carried by the free publicity it got from outlets everywhere complaining about the amount of violence It contained? Did you know the series owes its success to a glitch that made cop cars go psycho? Did you know the makers of GTA are British?! Those are just the tip of the iceberg in the incredibly outrageous origin story of Dan Houser, Sam Houser, and Rockstar games. The post Best books all gamers should read appeared first on Destructoid. 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Rainbow Six: Siege esports team M80's head coach, Matheus 'Budega' Figueiredo, and team manager, Igor ‘Vivas‘ Vivas, have been "ejected" from the 2025 Six Invitational by Ubisoft, following an "altercation" that was partly caught on camera. The incident occurred after M80 had lost a match 2-1 to DarkZero Esports, and saw Budega shouting at members of the DarkZero team and at one stage having to be physically restrained from continuing to remonstrate with one of the players... Read more.View the full article