The ‘experiment’ is now live Aw here it goes! For weeks now,Destinydataminers have been hacking away at the game’s code, looking for anything of note. Although they’ve found plenty of tertiary things, they figured out one huge addition — paid experience boosts. The notion wasquickly denied by Bungie, who noted that it was “just an experiment” and that it had no intention of introducing pay-to-win elements like that into the game....

This does not compute Although a lot of what Bungie has done toDestiny 2in the past year or so can be seen as an upgrade, they’ve been accused by many fans of making endgame more and more laborious over time. That was most definitely the case forShadowkeep, which relied on a “pinnacle” system for endgame upgrades. The gist: to upgrade from the second soft cap of 950 item level (also known as “light” in the past), you need to best “pinnacle” endgame events, like raids, the Nightfall, or the Iron Banner PVP events....

Call of Duty:Black Ops 6 Zombiesis filled with classic one-liners, but Carver’s unexpected and delightful reference to the belovedSpongeBob SquarePantsseries is the one that takes the cake. InZombiesmode, Carver will mention, “Wanna see how fast I can reload? Wanna see it again?” The minute I heard this line, I already knew what he was poking fun at, especially as someone who quotesSpongeBobreligiously. This dialogue is a nod to the show’s iconic Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V episode, where the cast transcends into a Justice League-like ensemble....

Another avenue to one of the greatest games of all time Xbox One Backward Compatibilityis chugging along, and it gets a couple of great titles this week. According to a tweet from Xbox’s Major Nelson,Alan Wake,Pac-Man, andCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightare now available on Xbox One. I can’t speak much forAlan Wake, but hugmonster Brett Makedonski lists it as one of his favorite games of all time. It’s just a shame it’s overshadowed bySymphony of the Night, one ofmyfavorite games of all time....

This pieceon Gamepolitics — the completely unpartisan website focused entirely on truth, justice and not at all becoming offended by anything I might ever type — reveals some not-so-shocking truths regarding our consoles and/or the inanity of the average American person. According to a study by research group User Centric, the parental settings found in our consoles, televisions, cellular phones and digital video recorders are as difficult to use as the almost-cliche timing settings on the VCRs of the late-80s, only now we’re lacking Alf to crack wise about our ineptitude....

Steve, you’re delicious! In today’s contest you can win a Switch or Steam copy of multiplayer gameCannibal Cuisine! I can’t cook. I’ve tried a few times, but it usually ends up in bland flavors, burnt proteins, and disappointed wives. It’s a mess! Well, in this title not only can you cook up some delicious dishes with friends, but you can use said friends as the ingredients!Cannibal Cuisineis pretty much exactly what it sounds like, so come win a Switch or PC copy while we’ve still got them!...

In case you forgot,Destiny 2is about to host a new event that centers around the arc (lightning) subclasses. Dubbed “Arc Week” (what intern was thinking “Shark Week” at the time and went with it, right?), the event basically re-balances lightning powers/abilities, allows players to grab the Thunderlord exotic lightning machinegun (from the first game) again, and adds some more exotics to the overall loot pool. Said balancing is basically a set of buffs across the board....

It’ll run through May, then the Season of Opulence starts in June We already knew the second (of three) season was on the way forDestiny 2‘s “Year Two” post-Forsakenworld, but thanks to a roadmap rundown and developer video we have a better idea of what it entails. New exotic quests, lore bits and a raid (eventually) are on the way, but the biggest addition is “Gambit Prime,” which is basically a more focusedGambit(the PVE/PVP combo mode introduced in the last Forsaken expansion)....

Marvel Snap A big part of a creative process is knowing that it’s okay to start over. You might have an amazing initial idea, but as you put it into action, whether writing a book, drawing a picture, or making a game, you might discover that you can do better than that first idea. And that’s okay. It’s all part of the process. Just askKen Levine. But sometimes, you get lucky, and the first idea you have knocks it out of the park....

The final game I checked out at E3 was the PS Vita port ofRetro City Rampage, the title I was most looking forward to playing. With the copious amounts of hands-on previews and the frustration of its seemingly endless development, I have been beyond antsy. It was supposed to come out last month! I rubbed shoulders with creator Brian Provinciano, who guided me through several game modes including the three crossover minigames:‘Splosion Man,Virtual Meat Boy, andBIT....

It’s the Michael Bay of updates Sci-fi 4X gameEndless Space 2launched its “Target Locked” update today, adding much-anticipated fighters and bombers to the fray. These smaller ships will give you an edge over bigger cruisers, and they’ll look good doing it since the update also adds bigger explosions in battles. Those who played the originalEndless Spacewill see a familiar face. Pirate hero Jennifer Rach returns to lead your squadrons into battle in a new quest....

The catacombs, specifically While we still don’t have a date on theIncinerate N’ Detonatecontent update (personally hoping for late next month), Tripwire Interactive hasteasedan upcoming map: Catacombs. Instead of being beneath the Burning Paris map like some had speculated, it’s deep below Italy. This’ll be the first map to take advantage of the destructible lighting. It is entirely possible to destroy every light in the catacombs, making your flashlight a necessity instead of an afterthought....

Looks pretty at least Apparently there has been a free-to-playFablecard game in the works for the past 18 months at Lionhead before the studio closed. Now that game, titledFable Fortune, is heading to Kickstarter with Microsoft’s blessing under a new indie developer,Flaming Fowl Studios, founded by ex-Lionhead developers. Just like Bethesda’sThe Elder Scrolls: Legends, the game draws heavily fromHearthstone, having eight different heroes to choose from when building a deck. Cards and heroes feature familiar faces from theFablefranchise, with all that cheeky British humor the series is known for....