Olen Baecker

Bungie continues working against players as they've now blocked select **Destiny 2 ** end-game content for those who haven't purchased the game's DLC. The game's first mini-expansion, Curse of Osiris , released this past Tuesday and came with new missions - as well as an increase in the game's soft level cap, from 20 to 25, and gear level cap, from 300 to 330 (gear can be increased by 5 using legendary mods) - in addition to introducing new higher-level, end-game content, such as Heroic Stri So what's Osiris' curse? That's anybody's guess, but the trailer makes it seem as though it has something to do with an impending invasion by Vex. It's been rumored for a while that the Vex have access to time travel, possibly even seeing through time to adjust their tactics; the trailer is the first confirmation that this may be true. Perhaps in coming to understand the Vex, Osiris began to see through time as well, and that has something to do with his cu Established series have dominated video game sales in 2017 — other top performers include NBA 2K18 , Madden NFL 18 , and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild . WWII and Destiny 2 have received some positive critical attention alongside their commercial success, with WWII earning a nomination for best multiplayer at the 2017 Game Awards , and Destiny 2 racking up six nominations, tying it with Horizon Zero Dawn , Breath of the Wild , and __ Super Mario Odyssey for most nominations. ( Destiny 2 did not ultimately win any Game Awar Things went sideways for Osiris when he became obsessed with solving the mysteries surrounding the nature of the Traveler, the Guardians, and the Traveler's enigmatic enemy, the Darkness. He was particularly interested in prophecies surrounding the arrival of Oryx — which came true, in The Taken King — and the secrets of the Call of Duty WWII __ developer Activision have been granted a patent for a new matchmaking system - one that analyzes player behavior and tweaks their gaming experiences to encourage microtransactions. Loot Boxes and in-game purchases have become increasingly controversial, with more triple-A games releasing with some variation of this component. The recent beta for Star Wars Battlefont II raised the issue of how monetized loot boxes have become problematic. Likewise, the full release of Middle-earth: Shadow of War has been criticized for being pay-to-win, with a Loot Chest system that allows players to use real-world money to purchase followers, gear, and even Polygon notes that Destiny 2 players can no longer access certain end-game content without purchasing the Curse of Osiris DLC first (and presumably future DLC as well). End-game content, such as Nightfalls and the Raid, have seen their base power level requirements increase, with Nightfalls now requiring players to have a 270 Power Level. While they're still available to the general public, the Nightfall's Prestige variant, which previously required Power Level 300, now requires 330 gear, a level only people who purchased the DLC can obt Bungie's reputation with gamers is hanging by a thread judging by how they've been treating their consumer base lately. And the problem is that this isn't anything new for them... or for Activision. The developer employed the same shady tactics in the first Destiny game, and they got away with it, for the most part, which is why they've brought the same mechanic back for the sequel. But now that the gaming industry is under fire for its predatory tactics, with EA bearing the brunt of the industry's consumer backlash , Bungie deciding to use the same mechanics for Destiny 2 may just tip their fan base against t The Call of Duty series has long been a powerhouse in the industry, but last year's Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was considered a relative commercial failure. With WWII , though, Activision has bounced back in a major Prometheus Lens (costs 29 Legendary Shards) is an exotic Trace Rifle that's considered to be click the up coming webpage strongest weapon in the game right now. It's overpowered, especially in PvP, thus giving players who wield the exotic weapon an edge over those who don't. While Bungie plans on nerfing the weapon on December 12, they decided to temporarily give everyone a fighting chance (and wreak some havoc at the same time) by making the Trace Rifle available for everyone to purchase as Xur. The funny thing is, Prometheus Lens' inclusion may have been brought about by a Redditor vowing to shave his head if Xur sold the wea According to Activision, WWII — which broke the company's record for biggest console digital launch — was the year's bestselling console game in North America, extending Call of Duty 's historical dominance. " Call of Duty has been the #1 top grossing console gaming franchise in North America for a staggering nine years in a row," the press release said, noting that the metric is based on revenue. Activision also shared good news about Destiny 2 , which came in at number two, saying that the game has outsold the original Destiny . The press release rounded out with a nod to the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy , which has become the "top selling remastered collection in PS4 histo