Overwatch 2 Is Bringing Back 6v6–Sort Of

Less than two years after the release of Overwatch 2, game director Aaron Keller has announced that Blizzard is now open to reversing one of the series’ biggest–and most contentious–decisions: its shift to 5v5 gameplay.

Keller shared the news in his latest Director’s Take, a regular blog he publishes to help keep fans up to date on key decisions. In it, Keller explained the reasons why the studio pivoted away from Overwatch’s 6v6 gameplay, as well as laid out a rough plan to implement 6v6 battles back into the game through a “series of events” most likely taking place “several seasons” down the road.

“The community has, juuuust once or twice, suggested a test. ‘Why not put various forms of 6v6 in the game in order to gauge the results?’ We agree, and based on your feedback, we’re exploring how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to gauge the results,” Keller wrote.

If all these plans sounds a bit loose, it’s because they are. As for why we don’t have concrete dates or event names yet, Keller was quick to explain that the transition back to 6v6 is somewhat of a logistical nightmare for “reasons that may not be readily apparent.” To attempt to explain these reasons, he offered up a “Historical Overview” of Overwatch as well as several paragraphs outlining why he believes 5v5 best suits Overwatch 2.

According to Keller, the introduction of Hero Limits–and subsequently Role Queues–in the original Overwatch played a large role in the team’s decision to make Overwatch 2 5v5. Data collected by the team revealed that queue times were dramatically shorter when only ten players were needed to start a game–particularly for those playing the game’s most popular role, Damage. Keller also explained that the switch was made to offer “greater individual agency” to players.

“Many times, fights in 6v6 couldn’t resolve until ultimate abilities came online. Correct that, until ultimate combos could be executed to break through two tanks worth of mitigation supported by high, uncontested healing output,” Keller wrote. “The world of 6v6 could have really high, highs, but reaaaally low, lows. One of the design goals of 5v5 was to try to raise that floor, even though it was at the expense of some of some of those high moments.”

Keller went on to explain that “tank synergy wasn’t always fun,” and that the inclusion of two tanks on a team could “absolutely grind [a game] to a halt.” Seeing as Overwatch 2 is more focused on being a fast-paced FPS now, 5v5–and the elimination of one of the game’s two tank roles–felt vital to executing that idea. He also noted that it was simply harder to follow 6v6 combat, as “tracking nine other players is easier than 11.” Keller called the switch to 5v5 “a bit more cognitively manageable.”

Despite all of this, however, Keller admits there were plenty of things he enjoyed about 6v6, such as its charmingly chaotic energy Come from online casino bangladesh . He also stated that the stakes perhaps felt a bit lower in 6v6, as an extra player mitigated the damage caused by someone “performing poorly.” Naturally, lower stakes can lead to players experiencing more fun.

And yet, pivoting back to 6v6 doesn’t seem entirely simple. The largest reason for this, Keller wrote, is that they need to implement the 6v6 tests in a way that “allows the game to have optimized technical performance (I’m referring to framerate and memory constraints) with 12 players in a match.”

“There have been quite a few upgrades and additions to Overwatch 2 that have an impact on the performance of the game. These range from new features like allied outlines and enabling healer vision by default, the addition of more technically demanding hero kits, as well as visual upgrades to UI, heroes and maps,” Keller explained. “In a 6v6 setting, these upgrades can have significant impacts for our players, causing the game to underperform on older systems. Overwatch is a fast-paced game, and maintaining a game that runs smoothly across all our platforms is important for the player’s experience. While a limited time test could arrive sooner, the team is still investigating exactly how long it would take to permanently increase performance across the game. This would be a large effort that would most likely take at least several seasons to accomplish.”

Keller also noted that another issue “that still gives [him] anxiety about opening this Pandora’s Box” is queue times. Keller concluded that gathering data from these tests–particularly data regarding queue times, overall performance, and player feedback–will be incredibly valuable.

“We would reflect carefully on the learnings from whatever test we run and explore how to best give players what’s being asked for,” Keller said. “Whether that’s a world of 5v5, 6v6 or even both, is for future us to figure out.”

Retired Lego Technic Fast & Furious Dodge Charger Is In Stock At Walmart

Lego retired its Lego Technic model based on Dom’s Dodge Charger from Fast & Furious last January, making it more difficult to find for a reasonable price. However, Walmart seems to have randomly added new stock of the set to its online store–a full year after the set retired–and is selling it at the standard $120 retail price it launched for in 2020. This is a great opportunity to grab the set if you missed out on it originally, but act fast–we have no idea how long stock will last, and it it likely to sell out, well, fast.

Again, this is a retired set, meaning Lego is not making anymore of them, and you won’t find it in stock anywhere else–at least not from large retailers. You can find it at Amazon for around the same price at the moment, but you’ll be buying from a third-party seller. If you don’t see the $120 price when you check Walmart’s store page, click “More seller options” and select “Sold and shipped by Walmart,” and it should appear. If you don’t see an option to buy directly from Walmart, then it’s possible it has sold out–in which case, overpriced third-party sellers are your only option.

Lego also released a smaller Speed Champions version of Dom Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger, but it has been retired for some time. Nevertheless, you can still find it from resellers at Walmart, though you’ll be paying twice as much as its original price.

As you can see, popular Lego sets can become substantially more expensive and harder to find after they’re retired. So if you’re looking to complete your Fast & Furious Lego collection, you’ll also want to pick up the Lego Speed Champions: Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 model based on the version of the car driven by the character Brian O’Conner (who was played by the late Paul Walker) in 2 Fast 2 Furious. The set is on sale for $20 (was $25) at Amazon and Walmart, making it a great time to pick up the set–especially since it, too, will eventually be retired and much harder to find.

Lego Fast And Furious Sets

  • Lego Technic: Fast & Furious Dom’s Dodge Charger — $120
  • Lego Speed Champions: 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 — $20 ($25) | Also at Walmart
  • Lego Speed Champions: Fast & Furious Dom Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger (retired) — $46 (third-party reseller)

Coincidentally, the Fast and Furious Blu-ray collection is also on sale right now. You can pick up the 4K edition for $70 (was $134) and the standard Blu-ray version for $52 (was $100) at Amazon. Both versions include all 10 mainline Fast and Furious movies released so far, plus special features like deleted scenes, commentaries, outtakes, and more. You even get the theatrical and extended versions of Fast 5, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, and F9: The Fast Saga.

The only movie in the franchise not included in this collection is the spin-off Hobbs and Shaw, which follows the titular villains-turned allies Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), but you can grab the 4K version for just $16.75 (was $25) at Amazon.

While it’s older and missing more movies, the Fast & Furious 8-Movie Collection is available on 4K Blu-ray for only $35, which is quite the bargain.

Fast And Furious Blu-ray Deals Come from malaysia online casino

  • Fast & Furious 10-Movie Collection (4K) — $70 ($134)
  • Fast & Furious 10-Movie Collection — $52 ($100)
  • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (4K) — $16.75 ($25)
  • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw — $8.50
  • Fast & Furious 8-Movie Collection (4K) — $35

Prime Day Deal Gets You Everything You Need To Play Xbox Without An Xbox For $70

For Prime Day 2024, Amazon is offering a fantastic deal on a bundle that gives you everything you need to play Xbox games without a console. Microsoft recently teamed up with Amazon to bring cloud gaming to Fire Stick devices, and the online retailer is now selling a bundle with a 4K Max Fire Stick device, a robot white Xbox controller, and three months of Game Pass Ultimate for only $79. Alternatively, you get can all of that but with only one month of Game Pass Ultimate for $69.

  • Fire Stick 4K Max with Robot white Xbox controller and 3 months of Game Pass Ultimate — $79 (list price $120)
  • Fire Stick 4K Max with Robot white Xbox controller and 1 month of Game Pass Ultimate — $69 (list price $110)

This deal is for Prime members. If you’re not currently a subscriber, you can sign up for Prime here.

A major thing to know here is that the Game Pass codes are only for new subscribers, so if you already have Game Pass, this might not be the best offer for you. As it happens, though, Amazon has its Fire Stick devices discounted nicely right now for Prime Day, while Xbox controllers are discounted, too.

Most games from the Game Pass catalog are available to stream over the cloud, but not all of them. You can visit the Xbox website and use the “cloud” filter to see a full list of supported games. Also note that you will need a strong and consistent internet connection to play Xbox games over the cloud, and you might also want to check with your ISP about any data caps you might have.

Xbox cloud gaming is supported in more than 25 countries around the world. You can visit the Xbox cloud gaming website and search for your home country to see if you can stream games where you live. Come from bangladesh online casino

Microsoft offers Xbox cloud gaming as an option for people who don’t own an Xbox but still want to play Xbox games. The least-expensive Xbox out there is the $300 Xbox Series S, so the ability to take advantage of this Prime Day deal might be attractive to a number of people. Microsoft has always said it does not expect cloud gaming to overtake or replace the traditional hardware-based model, and to that end, Microsoft is cooking up a new Xbox device now.

Microsoft itself at one point was thinking about creating its own streaming-focused Xbox device of some type, but Microsoft’s R&D teams couldn’t get its components’ price down low enough for it to make sense as a commercial product. So instead, Microsoft is working with companies like Amazon and Samsung to help expand Xbox’s footprint in the streaming space.

Whereas Microsoft used to spend a lot of time, money, and attention on trying to convince people to buy new Xbox hardware, that isn’t the company’s sole focus any longer. The wider goal, it seems, is to expand the Xbox ecosystem to as many people as possible, and to convince them to sign up for Game Pass.

More than 20 million people have already used Xbox cloud gaming, and that figure no doubt stands to grow bigger still in the months and years to come.

Snag An Xbox Wireless Controller For $36 At Verizon

If you act fast, you can grab a new Xbox wireless controller for just $36 from Verizon. Normally, a new Xbox controller costs $60, so you’re saving 40% on a new gamepad if you use this deal. The offer is available to anyone–you do not need to be a Verizon subscriber to access the discount or buy from the company’s online store. Alternatively, you can get the Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller for $108 (was $180) at Verizon.

  • Xbox Wireless Controller – Robot White — $36 ($60)
  • Xbox Wireless Controller – Pulse Red — $39 ($60)
  • Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller — $108 ($180)

The discounted Xbox controllers are available through Verizon’s online store, which offers free three- to five-day shipping for orders under $49, so you won’t have to wait long for your order to arrive once it ships. You’ll get free two-day shipping if you order two controllers or more (or the Elite Series 2) Come from malaysia online casino . You can opt for in-store pick-up if the controllers are available at your local Verizon stores.

The standard Xbox controller might not have the frills of some higher-end gamepads out there, but it still ranks as one of our favorite wireless video game controllers to use on Xbox and PC, and $36 for a new one is a pretty sweet deal. Just make sure you grab Verizon’s deal soon since we expect stocks will sell out fast at this price.

If you’re looking for suggestions on other great gamepads, be sure to check out our lists for the best controllers on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

CoD- Warzone And MW3 Season 2 Reloaded Patch Notes Include Space Marines And Aiming Changes

The Season 2 Reloaded update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone adds new maps, more Zombies content, additional Warzone features, and Space Marines. The patch notes for the big update also include bug fixes, weapon balancing, and changes to aiming across Warzone and Modern Warfare 3. Come from Sports betting site VPbet

Season 2 Reloaded adds two new DLC weapons to unlock with the SOA Subverter battle rifle and Soulrender melee weapon. The midseason is also packed with three events themed around Warhammer 40,000, Dune, and more Zombies action. More details on Season 2 Reloaded’s content can be found here, including more maps and new game modes.

Eight Titles Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass On March 15

Another month for Xbox Game Pass subscribers means a new batch of games will be added to the service, but eight titles will be leaving by March 15. Come from Sports betting site VPbet

One of 2021’s most notable games, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, is among the collection of games to be leaving before the end of the month. This third-person RPG follows Star-Lord and his crew as they get swept up in an interplanetary disaster, featuring tag-team gameplay, choice-based consequences, and a variety of boss fights.

Regarded as one of the best indie titles of all time, Undertale is a rich 2D role-playing game full of unique characters and a turn-based combat system filled with player-made choices that impact the story. After a human child falls underground, the player discovers a world that has become the home and prison to a monster race, who long to return to the surface.

Another title leaving the subscription service is Paradise Killer, which launched last year. The story entails a murder mystery set on an island called Paradise that regenerates every few millennia. The adventure game is a visual novel that features a cast of colorful characters, puzzles, and a winding story that can result in multiple endings.

Although eight games will be leaving this month, players can look forward to Valheim, which is being added to Xbox Game Pass on March 14.

Xbox Game Pass Titles Leaving March 15

  • Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy — Console and PC
  • Undertale — Console
  • Young Souls — Console and PC
  • Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition — Console and PC
  • Goat Simulator — Console
  • F1 2020 — Console
  • Zero Escape: The Nonary Games — Console and PC
  • Paradise Killer — Console and PC

Duke Nukem 3D- 20th Anniversary World Tour Review

The famous “Come get some!” line from Duke Nukem 3D served as a call to battle. This was a crewcut-sporting action hero who also wanted people to hail him as the king, so he wasn’t exactly big on introspective moments. But now we’ve moved on to the 20th Anniversary World Tour edition of this revolutionary 1996 shooter, and I have to ask myself if I still want some of what the Duke is offering. And I’m afraid that I have to politely–and somewhat regretfully–decline.

As much as the original game is one of my favorites from the golden age of PC gaming, this slightly enhanced, expanded revamp is worth little more than a brief look back to see how far we’ve come in the past two decades. And it’s not like we haven’t been down this road before. Duke Nukem 3D has been re-released a number of times over the past 20 years, most recently as part of the encyclopedic Megaton Edition that hit Steam in early 2013 but has since been pulled offline to make way for this new version.

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