Posted by: xSicKxBot - 08-06-2019, 11:09 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Fire Emblem: Three Houses Beats Resurgent FIFA 19 In UK Sales Charts
Fire Emblem: Three Houses has kept hold of the No.1 spot in the UK games chart this week, holding off strong competition from a resurgent FIFA 19. Sales monitor Chart-Track says it was a close call, but that the Switch exclusive "just manages" to keep its place atop the all-format physical sales chart for the week ending August 3.
FIFA 19 achieves its best chart performance in six weeks at No.2 thanks to the new football season getting underway, with a little help from retailer price promotions. Below that, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled is a non-mover at No.3. The only new entry this week is Madden NFL 20, which debuts at No.5.
We enjoyed EA's new American football title, with Eddie Makuch awarding it an 8/10 in our Madden NFL 20 review. "Madden NFL 20 is an improved version of the annualized professional football series that excels in some areas and leaves something to be desired in others," he wrote. "The new QB1 career mode--which includes a barebones NCAA football experience--overall feels like a half-baked idea that doesn't deliver anything meaningful or interesting. When it comes to the on-the-field action, however, the new X-Factor and Superstar abilities shake up the familiar gameplay formula to give seasoned players and newcomers alike a fresh way to scheme plays and orchestrate strategy on both sides of the ball."
Fire Emblem: Three Houses also enjoyed a positive critical reception, including a 9/10 from GameSpot. "When all was said and done, all I could think about was starting another playthrough," said our critic, Kallie Plagge. "I was curious about the mysteries left unsolved, of course, but I also hoped to undo my mistakes. There were characters I didn't talk to enough, students I didn't recruit, and far more effective ways to train my units. A second playthrough treads familiar ground in the beginning, but after learning and growing so much in the first, it feels fresh, too. That speaks to Three Houses' mechanical complexity and depth as well as the connections it fosters with its characters--and whether you're managing inventories or battlefields, it's the kind of game that's hard to put down, even when it's over." Read more in our full Fire Emblem: Three Houses review.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart for this week below, courtesy of UKIE and GfK Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Indie Publisher Playdigious Announces Four Games For Nintendo Switch
Indie publisher Playdigious, which has previously released a number of games across mobile devices, has revealed that it is expanding into the world of PC and console. It has announced four new games as part of the reveal and all of them are coming to Switch.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
[Nintendo Switch] | Release: 8th August
Put your reflexes to the test and scratch your head with Pix the Cat! This critically acclaimed intense arcade game is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat! Your mission is simple: collect all the ducklings and lead them to a safe zone! Easier said than done, though: if you’re not careful enough, you’ll end up crashing into those poor cuties before you know it!
[Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4] | Release: TBA
When their escape pod crashes on the unexplored planet of Auriga, prisoners and guards have no choice but to work together to survive. In this rogue-like dungeon-defence game, protect your generator with your team of heroes -each with their own strengths and flaws- from endless waves of monsters and fight your way to the surface to discover the truth about Auriga!
In this contemporary tale, play as a young girl trapped between life and death and explore your surroundings to unravel the dark and poignant truth about her death. Investigate beautifully rendered dioramas, reveal the twists and turns of the plot, and search forensically for clues to take you closer to your final destination.
[Nintendo Switch] | Release: TBA (will include DLC)
Drill for oil like it’s 1899! In this western-inspired management game, play as an oil entrepreneur during the 19thcentury oil rush in North America. Grow from rags to tycoon, develop your town and get upgrades for an even better drilling-and ultimately, more profits!
Does anything here take your fancy? Will you be checking out Pix the Cat later this week? Tell us below.
Mesosphere has decided to changes its name to focus on cloud-native space. Today the company announced it was changing its name to Day2IQ, or D2IQ for short, and fixing its sights on Kubernetes and cloud native, which have grown quickly in the years since Mesos appeared on the scene. D2IQ CEO Mike Fey says that the name reflects the company’s new approach. Instead of focusing entirely on the Mesos project, it wants to concentrate on helping more mature organizations adopt cloud-native technologies. (Source: TechCrunch)
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 08-06-2019, 11:09 AM - Forum: Windows
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Microsoft acquires PromoteIQ
I am excited to announce that Microsoft has acquired PromoteIQ, the leading provider of vendor marketing technology to online retailers and brands. We are constantly striving to empower our retail and manufacturing clients with solutions to help them grow their e-commerce and in-store commerce businesses. Today’s announcement is an important step in the journey to innovate and accelerate our offerings.
PromoteIQ has pioneered the private marketplace approach to digital vendor marketing. PromoteIQ’s technology strategically complements Microsoft’s current retail advertising offerings, and together, we can enable retailers with a portfolio of technology solutions to modernize their e-commerce platforms and maximize their monetization opportunity.
With this acquisition, PromoteIQ clients — which include leading global retailers such as Kroger, Kohl’s and Overstock.com — will continue to benefit from the PromoteIQ platform and team, and will now benefit from more resources and support from Microsoft. PromoteIQ will maintain its brand and become a division within Microsoft Advertising.
We greatly admire the work PromoteIQ has done and couldn’t be more excited about this acquisition’s potential to empower global retailers and brands, accelerate PromoteIQ’s growth and expand Microsoft Advertising’s reach and scale.
New Apple videos cover how to apply for and use Apple Card
By William Gallagher Tuesday, August 06, 2019, 03:58 am PT (06:58 am ET)
Emphasizing the simplicity and speed of signing up, ten new videos from Apple cover applying for Apple Card directly in your iPhone’s Wallet app through using the titanium card at retail.
Alongside a limited release of the Apple Card for a small group of testers outside the company, Apple has released a series of 10 videos that not just details the remarkably few steps needed for you to apply, but how to activate the titanium card, how to get support, and more.
To apply, Right now you need to have received an invitation before the feature is available in your Wallet app, but thereafter it’s a fast process.
Inside the Wallet app, there is a button with a plus sign at top right of the front screen. Tap this and all users go to a section that lets you add regular credit and debit cards. Those with invitations, however, also get an option to tap to add Apple Card.
Then you get a description of the card alongside optional information you can see about how Apple and Goldman Sachs Bank manage your data, plus details about the card’s rates and terms.
If you tap Continue, you’re shown a form with details such as contact information, date of birth and so on. Very nicely, that information is likely to have already been filled out for you because your device gathers it from your Apple ID. You can change or correct it here, then tap Next.
Apple’s video rather skips over a section now as it does not detail what you see as you wait to find out if you’ve been approved. Users who are already signed up report that this stage takes no more than a minute or two, though.
If you’re approved, the next screen you see will show you a summary of what your Apple Card is offering you. That will be the credit limit, the APR and the fact that there are no fees.
Apple recommends that you check the fine print in the Offer Terms and Conditions, and that you should look into your credit score.
Assuming you want to go ahead, you tap Accept Apple Card and you’re done.
The card is immediately added to your iPhone, and also to your Apple Watch. It’s really been added to your Apple ID, so it’s even available in Safari.
One thing to note is that Apple tells you the Apple Card will “be automatically selected when you use Apple Pay.” That might not be what you want, so you’ll have to go through Wallet settings to change it.
You are a teenager from a small, modern town. Each morning, you awaken covered in mud or scratches, with no memory of the night before. You've heard of sleepwalking - but this is different. Sometimes you lose entire days.
There are others like you. Your new group of friends bonded over this shared secret, forming a club to investigate the cause of these BLACKOUTS. Together, you discovered a network of bizarre underground tunnels, hidden just beneath the surface of your quiet community. An uncanny, disorienting music beckoned from below.
The leaked images suggest Play Pass will cost $4.99 a month, and will grant users access to “hundreds of premium apps and games, with no ads or in-app purchases.” A free trial and family plan will also be available, although it’s unclear how much the latter will cost.
It looks like the service won’t just include games, either, with an information page revealing users will be able to “explore a curated catalog spanning puzzle games to premium music apps and everything in between.”
“From action hits to puzzles and fitness trackers,” it reads, “with Google Play Pass you unlock access to hundreds of premium apps and games without ads, download fees, or in-app purchases.”
Although there’s no word on what specific games will be available through Play Pass, the screenshots suggest big-names like Stardew Valley, Marvel Pinball, and Limbo could make an appearance.
We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox!
Gears of War Extended Universe Showcased at San Diego Comic-Con This weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, Gears of War fans got a deep look to the game’s lore. It all began with Gears of War: Extended Universe panel which featuring developers behind the games, books, novels, and comics of the much beloved Gears universe… Read more
Creating a Sea of Solitude When people are too lonely, they become monsters… in Sea of Solitude, which is part of the EA Originals program, you accompany a young, lonely woman on her very personal journey across the Sea of Loneliness, a beautiful world where nothing is as it seems… Read more
New Approaches to Home and Xbox Voice Commands Roll Out to Xbox Insiders As Xbox Insiders, your feedback helps inform the decisions and updates we make on Xbox, from new features to how gamers interact with the console itself. Based on your valuable feedback, we’ve been continuing to iterate on two key experiences on Xbox… Read more
Gears 5 Versus Multiplayer Tech Test Now Open to All Xbox Live Gold Members The Gears 5 Versus Tech Test began last weekend, inviting both those players who have pre-ordered Gears 5 and Xbox Game Pass members to rev up their Lancers and roadie run through their opponents on the way to victory. Thanks to the incredible Gears fans… Read more
K.I.T.T. from “Knight Rider” Speeds into Rocket League on Xbox One Summer is heating up and Rocket League’s ’80s-themed event Radical Summer is keeping the party going in its third phase: a celebration of ’80s Television. Leading that celebration is none other than the iconic Knight Industries Two Thousand (more popularly known as K.I.T.T.)… Read more
Awaken Your Ultimate Ninja Abilities in Black Desert Content Update Starting today as a free content update, experienced Black Desert adventures can awaken the Ninja class in the newest update that lets you to play with new skills and abilities to deliver devastating damage, in addition to new world bosses that offer mighty weapon drops… Read more
New Vendor Rewards and New Episodes Coming Soon to DC Universe Online on Xbox One Justice League Dark, the recent DC Universe Online event and episode on Xbox One, is getting a bit more treacherous. We’ve added Shadow Golem, a new giant creature lurking in Chaos Gotham. Defeat him if you can for a chance to earn your very own Orbital Strike trinket… Read more
QuakeCon 2019: Celebrate with New Releases, Updates, Sales, and More Pull up your comfiest chair, grab some snacks and check your connection settings – QuakeCon 2019: Year of Doom is underway! Even if you can’t attend the QuakeCon festivities in person, you can still celebrate North America’s biggest LAN party with new releases on Xbox One… Read more
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for July 30 to August 2 Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One… Read more
This week at Bungie, we’re taking the time to get it right.
Luke and Mark: As we’ve been getting closer and closer to serving up Shadowkeep and New Light, it has become increasingly clear to us that our releases for this Fall would benefit from a bit more time in the oven.
Being independent means that the future of Destiny 2 is entirely on our team. It also means that we’re agile enough to choose to do what’s best for the game and our players, even if it’s the hard choice.
We wanted to let you—our community—be the first to know that we’re changing the date for Shadowkeep and New Light from September 17 to October 1.
For full details on the change, make sure to check out the New Launch Window article. We have two months between now and Shadowkeep launch. For some, it may seem like a long time, but for us, the days are flying by. Our short delay won’t be followed by silence.
We have a lot to reveal and explore between now and October 1. The blog will be lively next week with some information on Cross Save, PC migration, and everything else you’ll need to know to kick ass this fall.
Stay tuned.
Eventful
Right now, Solstice of Heroes rages on. The European Aerial Zone is live. Guardians are dishing out the mayhem with their elemental buffs. Today marks the third and final daily rotation. If you haven’t gotten a chance to experience them just yet, here’s your briefing:
We’re only on day three of the event, and we’re already seeing Legendary armor sets and the Moments of Triumph “MMXIX” title. We’ll be watching to see who among you earns all three armor sets and unlocks the coveted Voidstreak Sparrow.
Some of you might argue that there’s a better Sparrow available…
Ending on a High Note
With two more weeks on our Season of Opulence Calendar, we’re taking an opportunity to make players feel truly Opulent. Moments of Triumph is being extended for those hunting their prize ship, Sparrow, and T-shirt. Multiple Iron Banners will happen during the final month and a few Valor/Infamy boosts to help Guardians reach some milestones before the end of the season. Here’s a quick calendar for what we have planned:
In Destiny 2 Update 2.5.2.2, you’ll find a quick quality-of-life update to address some trending feedback from players, specifically concerning rewards. Here’s a preview:
Moments of Triumph has been extended through 9/17.
Gambit Prime and Reckoning weapon reward rates will be highly increased.
They will also have bad-luck protection to guarantee a drop after a set amount of runs.
Reckoning difficulty will be tuned to be more welcoming as you hunt for rewards.
BrayTech Schematics will no longer have a daily lockout and will give better chances toward weapons that players do not own.
Mountaintop and Wendigo GL3 pinnacle quests will become more accessible.
Specific quest objectives will be tuned based on player feedback
There will be multiple weeks of increased Valor and Infamy to look forward to in September.
Iron Banner will be accompanied by increased Valor in each event.
As the season comes to a close, Menagerie chests will become more rewarding as Calus sees fit.
On the week of Destiny 2 Update 2.5.2.2, we’ll be hosting a Community Challenge of sorts. Stay tuned for more details.
Note: While Moments of Triumph has been extended, Solstice of Heroes will end on August 27. If you wish to complete all Moments of Triumph, be sure to earn your Legendary Solstice set and Masterwork one piece before that deadline.
We’ll have more specifics on these notes as we get closer, but we wanted to give you a few things to look forward to as we embark on the final sprint toward our Fall releases on October 1.
What’s Cookin’?
Another week, another update. Destiny Update 2.5.2 is live, and by now you’ve probably installed the patch. Destiny Player Support has been all hands on deck, monitoring for any early event hiccups in Solstice of Heroes.
This is their report.
Known Issue Callout: Solstice Key Fragment Magnets
This week, Solstice of Heroes returned in Destiny 2.
Shortly after its launch, we identified an issue where Solstice Key Fragment Magnets were not improving the drop rates of Solstice Key Fragments. To mitigate further impact from this issue, we removed this item from the Eververse Trading Co. storefront and disabled its use in players’ inventories.
As we investigate this issue, we are also working on a plan to restore Bright Dust to affected players. We will follow up with more information at a later date.
Prismatic Inferno and Wolves Unleashed Emblems
Earlier today, we distributed the Prismatic Inferno and Wolves Unleashed emblems to the Postmasters of qualifying players in Destiny 2.
Players should be aware that these emblems will not appear in the Collection until Destiny 2 has been updated at a later date. Until then, players who want to wear these emblems should keep them handy in their Emblem inventory.
Destiny 2 Season of Opulence Known Issues
Listed below are the latest player-impacting issues discovered in Season of Opulence. Players who encounter other issues should report them to the #Help forum.
“The Electrician” Bounty: Spider’s “Wanted” bounties do not complete the daily bounty “The Electrician,” which is completed by claiming other daily and weekly bounties.
“Aggravated Battery” Bounty: The “Aggravated Battery” daily bounty asks players to defeat high-value targets, but only progresses when defeating high-value targets on destinations from the Red War campaign (EDZ, Nessus, Titan, Io); expansion destinations (Mercury, Mars, Tangled Shore, Dreaming City) will not progress this bounty.
Elemental Loadout Bounties: For any bounty that states “Defeat enemy combatants in strikes with an Arc/Void/Solar subclass and an Arc/Void/Solar loadout equipped,” only the elemental subclass is required to complete the bounty. Weapon loadout will not make a difference in completing the bounty.
Power Slides
This week, we have movement on the mind. Outrunning a blazing Servitor is always a thrill, but can you keep focus when trying not to laugh at your friend’s Sparrow?
Movie of the Week: Blacksmith Circuit – Botza Underground
Honorable Mention: Gahlran Metal Cover
Honorable Mention: Slideshots
If you’d like to put your name in the hat for Movie of the Week, make sure to post your content to the Community Creations page on bungie.net, or throw a video to myself or Cozmo on Twitter.
Usually Cozmo and I leapfrog each other for blog duties, but he was a bit busy this time around. What could be more important than writing the TWAB? Well, he had probably the best reason one could have: He was bringing his second daughter into the world. I have no doubt he’s reading this at home right now, unless he’s on diaper duty.
Join us in welcoming a new member to the Bungie fireteam.
