Tag: Video games

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Mobile Syrup

Rainbow Six Mobile brings Ubisoft’s tactical shooter to mobile devices

Ubisoft has revealed Rainbow Six Mobile, a new entry in the tactical shooter franchise that brings the Rainbow Six series to smartphones.

Ubisoft Montreal says that Rainbow Six Mobile will look and play very similarly to Rainbow Six Seige on console, right down to its 5 vs 5 attack and defend FPS gameplay, and destructible environments.

That said, there are also notable changes to the game’s formula, including shorter matches and a HUD that’s been better optimized for mobile. Operators Bandit, Caveira, Smoke, Valkyrie, Mute, Ash, Sledge, Twitch, Thermite and Hibana are all included in the game, and each character features a loudout similar to the counterpart in Siege loadout that offers unique gadgets and equipment.

Finally, Ubisoft says that the game will feature “several game modes” at launch. Unlike Fortnite, Rainbow Six Mobile is its own standalone experience, similar to the smartphone versions of Apex Legends or Call of Duty Warzone.

A release date for Rainbow Six Mobile hasn’t been revealed yet, but you can currently register to access the game prior to its official iOS or Android launch.

Image credit: Ubisoft 

Source: Ubisoft 

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Mobile Syrup

Valve ramping up Steam Deck shipments, first set of Q2 reservations notified

After a tumultuous wait, Valve is sending shipment notifications for Q2 reservations of its highly anticipated Steam Deck.

Announced via Twitter, Valve has confirmed that the first set of order emails have been sent to those lucky enough to secure a Q2 reservation. Valve first revealed the portable PC handheld in July of last year. Initially, shipments were scheduled to kickstart in December but were delayed. Thanks to supply chain issues, shipments were postponed until February, and many were pushed later to Q2 2022.

However, the time has finally come, and Valve is making good on its promise. Starting today, the company is ramping up Steam Deck shipments. Every week, Valve says it’s sending more order availability emails. However, some weeks may see two waves sent out.

In addition to the tweet, Valve has updated its Steam Deck product page. Now, anyone who aims to reserve a Steam Deck for $5.70 will be notified of the expected window of availability. For instance, it currently states that new orders are expected to be fulfilled “After Q3” and as early as October 2022.

The Steam Deck is highly sought after, not only because of its specs but also for its features and portability. In addition to having access to your Steam library, Windows is now supported by the handheld, and Microsoft has added Xbox Game Pass and Cloud Gaming support.

Speaking anecdotally, I received an email outlining the notice to finalize my order. Once sent out, the recipient must confirm their order within 72 hours. If the order is not finalized by that time, Valve will automatically cancel it and move on to the next in line.

Keep an eye on MobileSyrup as our very own Patrick O’Rourke will have a review of the handheld up on the site in the coming weeks.

Source: @OnDeck Via: IGN

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Mobile Syrup

Epic Games’ Ukraine fundraising effort raised $144 million across two weeks

Today marks the end of Epic Games’ fundraising initiative for Ukraine within Fortnite. Between March 20th and April 3rd, the publisher raised $144 million USD (about $179 million CAD) in proceeds to donate to humanitarian efforts. This fundraiser began in a response to the ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia.

As Fortnite kicked off its most recent season, Epic Games announced that the total of all in-game purchases made across two weeks will be donated to Ukraine relief efforts. As the two-week period of the charity concludes, Epic Games will begin donating the full $144 million.

Rather than donate the accumulative amount to a single group, Epic Games is donating to a series of different Ukraine relief efforts. These include Direct Relief, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the World Food Programme.

Given the anticipation of Fornite Chapter 3 Season 2, the game saw a staggering $36 million raised during its first day. The new season introduced beloved character skins for Doctor Strange as well as Prowler. A brand new mode where the building is removed was initially tested and is now a permanent mode for the battle royale.

The momentum hardly waivered with players all contributing to the grand total but purchasing V-bucks for in-game skins and accessories. Epic Games confirms that V-bucks and cosmetic purchases from retail cards are donated to Ukraine efforts as well.

In addition to Epic Games, Microsoft has pledged to donate its net proceeds. All purchases of Fortnite content on the Microsoft Store over the last two weeks are also being donated.

Epic Games joins a growing list of companies striving to contribute to Ukraine relief funds. Riot Games, Humble Bundle, and more have raised money for charity.

Source: The Verge

Image credit: Epic Games

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Mobile Syrup

Iconic point-and-click adventure series Monkey Island returns in 2022

One of the most iconic point-and-click adventure games ever will return in 2022.

Return to Monkey Island, a new entry in the log running Monkey Island series from original creator Ron Gilbert, has been announced. Gilbert left Lucasfilm Games after the release of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge in 1991, but is credited as working on 2009’s Tales of Monkey Island from Telltale Games.

With Return to Monkey Island, Gilbert is back alongside Monkey Island series veteran Dave Grossman as one of the key creative minds behind the upcoming title. Michael Land, Peter McConnell and Clint Bajakian, other key names that have worked on the franchise in the past, are also back, according to the brief reveal trailer (seen above).

The game is currently in development by Gilbert’s development studio Terrible Toybox alongside Developer Digital and Disney-owned Lucasfilm Games. Little is known about Return to Monkey Island beyond the fact that it seems to — as you may have guessed — involve a return to Monkey Island. It also seems that Return is a “follow-up” to the first two entries in the series.

Gilbert has tried for years to get the rights to Monkey Island from Lucasfilm Games, and it appears he was finally successful.

I haven’t enjoyed a classic point-and-click adventure title in a long time, but the Monkey Island series is special to me. It’s one of the first video games I’ve ever played, and I credit it with encouraging my interest in pirates and boats as a child. I’ll also never forget the puzzle with the giant Q-Tip and a concrete monkey head or that stupid magnetic compass.

More details about Return to Monkey Island will likely be revealed in the coming months. It’s unclear when the game will release in 2022 or what platforms it’s coming to.

Image credit: Devolver Digital (YouTube)

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Mobile Syrup

What retro games do you want to see on PlayStation Plus Premium?

This week, Sony finally unveiled its often-rumoured Xbox Game Pass competitor, called the “all-new PlayStation Plus.” The three-tier subscription platform, which merges PS Plus with PS Now, includes up to 700 games and access to select retro titles when you subscribe to specific tiers. The all-new PlayStation Plus launches in some countries in June, and is coming worldwide at a later date.

We don’t have Canadian pricing yet, but we know how much the service costs in the United States.

U.S. pricing for PlayStation Plus Extra is $14.99 USD (about $18 CAD) monthly/$39.99 USD (roughly $50 CAD) quarterly/$99.99 USD (about $125 CAD) yearly. Plus Extra offers around 400 PS4 and PS5 games with “some blockbuster hits.”

U.S. pricing for Plus Premium is $17.99 USD monthly (about $22 CAD)/$49.99 quarterly (roughly $62 CAD)/ $119.99 yearly (about $148 CAD). This tier includes 340 more games with PS3 titles available via cloud streaming, and some classic titles from the PlayStation, PS2 and PSP era.

Plus Premium will also offer time-limited game trials, allowing you to try out select games before buying them, sort of like the good old days when you could rent titles.

There’s also PlayStation Plus Essential, but this tier is identical to the original PlayStation Plus.

Are you planning to buy PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium? And if you are getting Premium, what retro games are you most excited to see return? Personally, I want to see Tenchu, but let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Mobile Syrup

Here are Nvidia’s GeForce Now additions for April

Nvidia has announced the 20 new games it will be adding to its GeForce Now cloud streaming service over the course of April 2022.

Check out the new games available to stream this today below and scroll further to check titles releasing later in April:

Available to stream today:

Coming to GeForce Now later in April:

  • Anno 1404 – History Edition (Steam)
  • Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread (Steam)
  • Cities in Motion 2 (Steam)
  • Crawl (Steam)
  • Cultist Simulator (Steam)
  • Die After Sunset (Steam)
  • ELDERBORN (Steam)
  • EQI (Steam)
  • Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark (Steam)
  • Flashing Lights – Police, Firefighting, Emergency Services Simulator (Steam)
  • Galactic Civilizations II: Ultimate Edition (Steam)
  • Jupiter Hell (Steam)
  • Offworld Trading Company (Steam)
  • Ranch Simulator (Steam)
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter (Steam)
  • SOL CRESTA (Steam)
  • Star Control: Origins (Steam)
  • Spirit of the Island (Steam)
  • Twin Mirror (Steam)
  • Wobbledogs (Steam)

Nvidia’s cloud gaming service offers three membership options. The first is the free route that will give you standard access to the platform with a one-hour gaming limit per session. Once the hour passes, you can queue again to get another hour of free gaming in, although you may have to wait a while.

Nvidia also offers a paid membership option that gives you priority access to gaming servers without any session length limit. This subscription will cost you $12.99/month or $64.99 for six months.

Lastly, the company’s recently-released RTX 3080 tier provides a low ‘click-to-pixel’ latency of 56 milliseconds, and a boost in framerates and overall performance. The subscription is available for $24.99/month or $129.99 for six months.

Learn more about Nvidia GeForce and its subscription options here.

Image credit: Nvidia

Source: Nvidia

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Mobile Syrup

E3 2022 reportedly cancelled, virtual expo to no longer be held this year

It appears as though the ESA has cancelled any form of E3 this year. According to recent reports, E3 2022, both digitally and in-person, is officially cancelled.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the ESA cancelled its week-long E3 event. Previously, E3 has been held annually at the Los Angeles Convention Center in June. At the time, rumours swirled about whether the digital version would be held. It appears as though the ESA will not be moving forward with any version of E3 this year.

Will Powers, a notable PR lead at Razer, tweeted that he received official confirmation from the ESA directly regarding the cancellation of E3 2022. “It’s official, E3 digital is official cancelled for 2022,” Powers writes. In a response to an inquiry about whether it was only the in-person event, Powers states E3 is “officially cancelled cancelled.”

IGN independently confirms the news. Its report states that rather than focus on a digital show, the ESA is regrouping “for a larger comeback in 2023.”

Last year, the ESA held a virtual substitute for E3. The end result saw mixed reactions, largely from media and those who held virtual passes. Aside from the strange avatar creations and focus on outdated chatrooms for networking, organization and publisher involvement was lacking.

Geoff Keighley and his Summer Game Fest programming have been slowly picking up the torch dropped by the ESA over the past few years. The Summer Game Fest has been an all-digital annual outing for the industry and has gained a lot of support.

Following Powers’ tweet, Keighley tweeted a single, yet cheeky winking emoji.

News of this comes at a time when many believe publishers have the ability to reach their target audience on their own by hosting virtual conferences. Last year, we saw the likes of Microsoft, Ubisoft, PlayStation, and others host their own “Direct” style shows via Twitch and YouTube.

Without the ESA and E3 this year, it will be interesting to see how publishers align their announcements and reveal next to each other throughout the June and summer months.

Source: Will Powers (Twitter)

Image credit: ESA

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Mobile Syrup

Xbox Game Pass Family Plan subscription reportedly in the works

Microsoft is reportedly working towards introducing new family plan options for Xbox Game Pass.

According to Windows Central, multiple sources have confirmed the company is looking into options to launch an Xbox Game Pass Family Plan. The report claims that the new plan will arrive sometime later this year.

“According to trusted sources familiar with Microsoft‘s efforts, we can now confirm that Xbox is moving ahead with an Xbox Game Pass Family Plan, which should be set to launch sometime this year,” the report states.

The report claims that the highest tier of the Xbox Game Pass Family Plan will grant access to five players for games across the entire Xbox Game Pass library. Pricing and availability for the family plan has not been revealed. However, it’s likely that subscribing to the family plan will be cheaper than paying the subscription of five individual accounts.

It also still remains to be seen if Microsoft will launch the family plan globally or if it will receive a regional rollout. Additionally, it’s not yet known if the new plan covers access to both PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass. The other unknown is how it will integrate into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Xbox Game Pass currently grants access to a library of over 100 games in a Netflix-style subscription service. Additionally, the service also enables access to online services, cloud saves, and Xbox Games with Gold titles each month. Xbox Game Pass is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Android and iOS. Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass cost $11.99/month, respectively.

Nintendo currently offers a family plan for its Switch Online subscription service. A 12-month subscription of the family membership costs $44.99 and supports eight Nintendo Accounts.

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Nintendo Switch Online is getting awful platformer Earthworm Jim 2

Nintendo’s next set of Switch Online titles include NES classics Dig Dug II and Mappy-Land, but also abysmal SNES platformer, Earthworm Jim 2.

Though the 1995 title featuring a worm named Jim was a graphical achievement of the era, it offers wonky hit detection, confusing level design and humour that just doesn’t land in the same way it did 27 years ago (talking cows aren’t funny anymore).

With this in mind, unless you’re looking for a nostalgic blast from the past, Earthworm Jim 2 is not worth your time. There are much better platformers available on Nintendo’s Switch Online service.

In Japan Harvest Moon is coming to Switch Online instead of Earthworm Jim 2, which seems entirely unfair because it’s arguably the best entry in the long-running faring series. All of these new titles will appear automatically in the SNES or NES app on your Switch if you’re already a Switch Online subscriber.

Switch Online includes a collection of several SNES and NES titles like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country, Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros., Kirby’s Adventure and more.

All three titles hit the subscription service on March 30th.

In Canada, the following Switch Online membership options are available:

  • One month (single account): $4.99
  • Three months (single account): $9.99
  • Twelve months (single account): $24.99
  • Twelve months family membership (supports eight Nintendo accounts): $44.99

Nintendo offers a more expensive Expansion Pack subscription tier that features Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64 titles for $63.99 for a 12-month individual membership.

Image credit: Nintendo

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PlayStation’s Spring Sale discounts PS4, PS5 games up to 75 percent off

The PlayStation Store’s Spring Sale is offering a variety of triple-A games and more at a discounted price.

Games like NBA 2K22, Ghost of Tsushima, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Demon’s Souls are on sale until April 27th.

You can check out the complete list of games, here.