Madden 23 Best Teams: From The Dominant Bucs To The Cellar-Dwelling Texans

Madden 23 once again reignites the debate over which virtual NFL team is really the best. While EA Tiburon has revealed its ratings for all 32 teams, that’s hardly the end of the debate. Football fans love arguing things like Madden player ratings, and the overall (OVR) team ratings are just as fiery a topic. With the launch ratings of all 32 teams now made public, it’s time to argue for your favorites. Who got snubbed? Who is overrated? Which team will make the biggest leap by the season’s end. Here are your Madden 23 ratings for all 32 NFL teams, starting with the top 10.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 92 OVR

With Tom Brady unretiring and rejoining his Bucs squad with very few holes to fill on either side of the ball, it’s no wonder Tampa Bay sits alone at the top as the only 90-plus team to start Madden season. Brady loses Gronk (for now anyway), but he still has veritable playmakers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, a strong offensive line, and a newcomer with high upside at wideout, Russell Gage. Unless Brady falls off a ratings cliff, look for the Bucs to remain a favorite in Madden leagues and head-to-head (H2H) play all season.

Buffalo Bills – 89 OVR

The Bills come into Madden 23 as the team that arguably should’ve won the Super Bowl. Of course, they didn’t make it, but perhaps only because Josh Allen’s offense never got the ball in overtime against the Chiefs. He played what may have been the best 60 minutes by a QB in NFL history, which accounts for his high placement in this year’s Madden 23 QB ratings. Along with a stifling defense, the Bills will are right in the middle of their Super Bowl window, and Madden players get to reap the benefit.

Los Angeles Rams – 88 OVR

The defending champs come in third on this list, but shouldn’t feel slighted by it. With two of the game’s best defenders in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, plus the rejuvenated Matt Stafford and Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, the Rams are likely to be the favorite team of H2H players out of the gate. With impressive young linebackers and a fun young running back in Cam Akers, the Rams are as well-rounded as it gets in Madden 23.

Green Bay Packers – 88 OVR

The big headline for the Packers entering the season is the loss of Devante Adams, who decided to regroup with his best friend Derek Carr in Las Vegas. But the Packers remain a top-flight team in Madden 23 thanks to who they didn’t lose: Aaron Rodgers. The veteran QB has yet to show his age, winning two consecutive MVP awards and still making his surrounding talent better every season. In Madden 23, players may be wary of his lack of pass catchers, but he’s got one of Madden 23’s best running backs in Aaron Jones to help keep defenses guessing, not to mention the shutdown corner Jaire Alexander on the other side.

Baltimore Ravens – 87 OVR

The Ravens fell out of the spotlight a bit last season, but Coach Harbaugh has helped them stay as a consistently tough matchup season after season, so this year’s high marks in Madden are, in some part, a sign of respect for a team that no one looks forward to facing–not in real life or in Madden. With the game’s speediest QB in Lamar Jackson and a bruising approach to player development on offense and defense, the Ravens are the go-to team for Madden players looking to play a smashmouth style of football and punish opponents into submission.

Los Angeles Chargers – 87 OVR

The NFL must love that both LA teams are poised for success this fall, as the brand has made a huge effort to turn the formerly football-indifferent city into a den of fanatics. While the Chargers have so far played second fiddle to the Rams in real life, they may wind up the more exciting pick for Madden 23. That’s owed to young phenom QB Justin Herbert and his incredible cast of surrounding talent, like Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Derwin James, Joey Bosa, and new face J.C. Jackson. On paper, the Chargers may actually have the league’s best roster, and that will translate to a ton of Madden players taking Herbie and company for a ride.

Dallas Cowboys – 86 OVR

Like the Yankees in baseball, the Cowboys will always receive some flak for being “overrated” according to a large number of football fans, simply because they’re the Cowboys. But you can’t really deny the team’s roster. Dak is still a great QB, the backfield has two solid RBs in Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard, and last year, the team drafted not one but two Rookie of the Year candidates in Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons. The Cowboys might always flame out in January in real life, but in Madden, it’s you who decides how far they go, and in Madden 23, the Cowboys will remain a fan favorite for high-stakes virtual football because they have a roster worthy of the brand.

Kansas City Chiefs – 86 OVR

This is the lowest the Chiefs have been rated to kick off a Madden season in three years (84 in Madden 20), and that largely comes down to the departure of Tyreek Hill, who now bloviates in favor of his new middling QB Tua Tagovailoa, but the Chiefs are still one of those teams that no one wants to face in Madden H2H. That’s mostly due to the connection between Patrick Mahomes and Madden 23’s best TE, Travis Kelce, but the team also quickly improved its o-line and returns several key defenders such as Chris Jones to solidify one of the game’s most-feared teams.

With Tyreek Hill heading south to Miami, can the Chiefs offense stay dominant?

San Francisco 49ers – 86 OVR

The 49ers have a championship-caliber roster pretty much up and down the field, with just one glaring exception: quarterback. If Trey Lance can live up to his pre-draft hype, the Niners will be a contender for years to come. Regardless, his speed and elusiveness will make the virtual Niners a more compelling pick in Madden either way. With George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Deebo Samuel, and Trent Williams all providing a core of 90-plus players, the Niners have plenty of surrounding talent to give any scrambling QB-favoring Madden players a dominant team with which they can compete.

Philadelphia Eagles – 85 OVR

The Eagles looked to be a team on the rise in the back half of last season, and in Madden 23, players will benefit from their continued upward trajectory. This comes in part due to the trade for former Titan wideout A.J. Brown, who should pair well with Devonta Smith to give young QB Jalen Hurts an uncoverable duo. A speedy QB is always a draw in Madden because they can screw with defenses in ways more statuesque signal-callers can’t, and in Madden 23, Hurts is supplemented with a terrific offensive line, a monstrous defensive line, and stars in the defensive backfield, such as Darius Slay Jr.

11-32

While the above list highlights the game’s top 10 teams, here’s the rest of the league for good measure. Who do you think has the best chance to climb into the top 10 as the season plays out?

Cincinnati Bengals – 85 OVR

Arizona Cardinals – 84 OVR

Cleveland Browns – 84 OVR

Denver Broncos – 84 OVR

Las Vegas Raiders – 83 OVR

Miami Dolphins – 83 OVR

Tennessee Titans – 82 OVR

New Orleans Saints – 82 OVR

Indianapolis Colts – 82 OVR

Washington Commanders – 81 OVR

New England Patriots – 81 OVR

Minnesota Vikings – 80 OVR

Pittsburgh Steelers – 80 OVR

Carolina Panthers – 79 OVR

New York Jets – 79 OVR

Chicago Bears – 78 OVR

Detroit Lions – 78 OVR

Atlanta Falcons – 77 OVR

Jacksonville Jaguars – 77 OVR

Seattle Seahawks – 76 OVR

New York Giants – 75 OVR

Houston Texans – 74 OVR

For more on Madden 23, check out our complete Madden 23 ratings hub, or read our feature on the way this year’s franchise mode seeks to mirror the chaos of the real NFL offseason.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Nier Automata Secret Area Mystery Deepens As Producer Sends Out Cryptic Tweet

It looks like Nier Automata might still be harboring some secrets, as producer Yosuke Saito acknowledged a video showing off a hidden area.

Over a month ago, Reddit user sadfutago posted on the Nier subreddit asking the community how to open the door for a church in Nier Automata, as they could access it but a friend couldn’t. This particular area was in the Copied City section of the game, specifically. The post was joined by a pair of images showing off the church. The only problem is that prior to this post, this church had never been discovered, and subsequently the community has exploded over this mystery.

Then, on July 25, sadfutago shared a video showing them entering the door that eventually brings them to the church. Entering the door brings them to a long ladder, at the bottom of which is a doorway that leads into a long, spiraling corridor. Eventually reaching the church loads is an unused cutscene, with voiceover used from another portion of the game.

Inside the church is some kind of weird, digital blob that’s constantly evaporating, and a body laying down with a lunar tear, an important symbol in the Nier universe, coming out of its chest. All in, it’s an incredibly weird thing to have gone completely unnoticed.

According to a post from a member of the Nier modding Discord, the modding community is very confident that this isn’t some kind of elaborate prank. As currently it isn’t possible to make mods like this, and it would be “a relatively immense undertaking for a single individual to accomplish with various modding breakthroughs.”

The version that sadfutago is using is apparently a Canadian version 1.0 of the game, with their PS4 having been disconnected since starting the game, and in turn having received no updates. So it could be that it’s something that was patched out before players reached it.

Of course, no matter what the modding community says, this could all easily be a hoax. Then entered the game’s producer, Yosuke Saito, quote tweeting a tweet of the video footage from known Nier and Dark Souls hacker Lance McDonald saying “Eternal mystery…”

Yoko Taro, director of the game and frequent tweeter, hasn’t yet acknowledged the mystery. But with someone so high up in the development chain drawing attention to it, it’s much less likely to be fake, though it obviously isn’t any less confusing.

Nier Automata is also coming to Nintendo Switch this fall complete with all of the game’s additional content, as well as some brand new costumes.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Micron’s 232 Layer NAND Now Shipping: 1Tbit, 6-Plane Dies With 50% More I/O Bandwidth

Ahead of next week’s Flash Memory Summit, Micron this morning is announcing that their next-generation 232 layer NAND has begun shipping. The sixth generation of Micron’s 3D NAND technology, 232L is slated to offer both improved bandwidth and larger die sizes – most notably, introducing Micron’s first 1Tbit TLC NAND dies, which at this point are the densest in the industry. According to the company, the new NAND is already shipping to customers and in Crucial SSD products in limited volumes, with further volume ramping to take place later in the year.

Micron first announced their 232L NAND back in May during their Investor Day event, revealing that the NAND would be available this year, and that the company intended to ramp up production by the end of the year. And while that yield ramp is still ongoing, Micron’s Singapore fab is already capable of producing enough of the new NAND that Micron is comfortable in announcing it is shipping, albeit clearly in limited quantities.

From a technical perspective, Micron’s 232L NAND further builds upon the basic design elements Micron honed in that generation. So we’re once again looking at a string stacked design, with Micron using a pair of 116 layer decks, up from 88 layers in the previous generation. 116 layer decks, in turn, are notable as this is the first time Micron has been able to produce a single deck over 100 layers, a feat previously limited to Samsung. This in turn has allowed Micron to produce cutting-edge NAND with just two decks, something that may not be possible for much longer as companies push toward designs with over 300 total layers.

Micron’s NAND decks continue to be built with their charge-trap, CMOS under Array (CuA) architecture, which sees the bulk of the NAND’s logic placed under the NAND memory cells. Micron has long cited this as giving them an ongoing advantage in NAND density, and that’s once again on show for their 232L NAND. According to the company they’ve achieved a density of 14.6 Gbit/mm2, which is about 43% denser than their 176L NAND. And, according to Micron, anywhere between 35% to 100% denser than competing TLC products.

Micron 3D TLC NAND Flash Memory
 
232L
(B58R)
176L
(B47R)
Layers
232
176
Decks
2 (x116)
2 (x88)
Die Capacity
1 Tbit
512 Gbit
Die Size (mm2)
~70.1mm2
~49.8mm2
Density (Gbit/mm2)
14.6
10.3
I/O Speed
2.4 MT/s
(ONFi 5.0)
1.6 MT/s
(ONFI 4.2)
Program Throughput
?
?
Planes
6
4
CuA / PuC
Yes
Yes

The improved density has allowed Micron to finally produce their first 1Tbit TLC die, which from a productization standpoint means that Micron can now also produce 2TB chip packages by stacking 16 of their 232L dies. This is good news for SSD capacities, which at the high-end are often limited by the number of packages that can be placed. Though it does mean that there’s a potential loss of performance at lower capacities due to a decrease parallelism from implementing fewer packages.

At the same time, Micron has also been working on the size of their chip packaging, and as a result while the larger capacity means that their die size has increased on a generational basis (we estimate ~70.1mm2 given Micron’s density figures), they’ve still shrunk their chip packaging by 28%. As a result, a single chip package is down from 12mm x 18mm (216mm2) to 11.5mm x 13.5mm (~155mm2). So for Micron’s downstream customers, the combination of the greater capacity and physically smaller packages for Micron’s NAND means that device manufacturers can cut down on the amount of space they allocate to NAND packages, or go the other direction and try to cram in even more packages into a similar amount of space.

Besides density improvements, the latest generation of Micron’s NAND is also allowing the company to upgrade their hardware to take advantage of newer I/O technologies, as well as to implement their own improvements to increase transfer speeds. The big news here is that Micron has increased the number of planes within their NAND die from 4 to 6, further improving the parallelism available within each die.  Quad (four) plane designs became common in the previous generation of NAND, and as the density of NAND grows, so too are the number of planes in order for transfer rates to keep up with these greater densities. Micron has confirmed that the planes in 232L NAND offer independent reads, though they aren’t being quite as explicit on what kind of wordline dependencies remain for writes.

This increase in parallelism, along with improved internal transfer rates, has allowed Micron to significantly improve their per-die read and write speeds. According to the company, read speeds have improved by over 75% over their 176L generation NAND, and meanwhile write speeds have outright doubled.

Coupled with this, Micron has also implemented the latest generation of ONFi on their peripheral logic. Finalized in 2021 and now rolling out in the first NAND products, ONFi increases controller-NAND transfer rates by 50%, bringing it to 2400MT/second. ONFi 5.0 also introduced a new NV-LPDDR4 signaling method, which is available with the same 2400MT/s rate but, as it’s based on LPDDR technology, consumes less power. According to Micron, they’re seeing per-bit energy transfer savings of over 30%, which makes for a significant reduction in energy consumption. Though as always with these sorts of comparisons, it’s worth noting that the bandwidth gains exceed the energy savings (50% vs. 30%), so our expectation is that overall energy consumption is going to go up for high-performance products that run at the fastest speeds supported by Micron’s 232L NAND.

As for productization, Micron is pitching 232L NAND as a full stack replacement for 176L NAND – meaning that Micron considers it suitable for everything from mobile and IoT to clients and data center products. To that end, the company is already making initial shipments to their customers, including their own Crucial subsidiary. As with past generations of Micron NAND, starting early with Crucial allows the company to get some hands-on experience in developing full-featured products with their new NAND before they roll it into their own enterprise equipment. Interestingly, however, Micron isn’t announcing any new Crucial products right now, which strongly implies that Crucial is going to begin implementing the new NAND in existing products. If that’s the case, then Crucial customers will want to pay attention to what’s going on and what revision of a drive they’re buying, as the larger 1Tb die could have performance implications for products originally designed around 512Gbit dies.

Wrapping things up, today’s announcement should be the tip of the iceberg for Micron’s 232L shipments. With volume ramping expected to continue through this end of this calendar year, Micron’s plans call for the company to significantly increase the amount of next-generation NAND they’re shipping, going well beyond these initial volumes. Ultimately, this means that products equipped with 232L NAND are going to be relatively sparse for this year, and will pick up in 2023 following the volume ramp. So while Micron’s 232L NAND is indeed shipping, from a consumer standpoint we’re likely still several months off (or more) from seeing it becoming a common fixture in SSDs and other products.

Read MoreAnandTech

MultiVersus July 26 Patch Addresses Taz’s Tornado Attack As Early Access Ends

The MultiVersus July 26 patch notes have been released, and joining a new rotation of free characters is a oft-requested change to one of the powerful moves in the game.

Taz’s Tornado–the side special attack that sees Taz spin in his trademark cyclone for multiple hits and huge knockback–will see its power dropped significantly in this new patch. Not only will the tornado hit one less time, but its ability to throw opponents off of a stage has been reduced as well.

This Taz Team spammed tornado all match and 4 Stocked us. We really need nerfs… #PS5Share, #MultiVersus pic.twitter.com/BncWWalIyv

— Mr. Bray (Garfield Hater) (@CoolGarflafel) July 21, 2022

The MultiVersus July 26 patch also adds LeBron to the roster after he was announced at San Diego Comic-Con last week. The game will see its first free character rotation as well, with Superman, Reindog, Finn, and Garnet becoming the next four fighters players can try without the need to unlock them. The quartet will remain free until the start of Season 1 on August 8.

The patch also brings the first-ever limited-time event for the game, as the Open Beta Warp Event will allow players to earn 25 percent more gold between now and August 8.

The MultiVersus open beta is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. The beta will end its early access period and officially open to all players at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET July 26. The full list of changes from the MultiVersus July 26 patch is below.

MultiVersus Open Beta Patch Notes

New Character

Lebron James has arrived! He is our first basketball-wielding character!

New Free Character Rotation (7/26 to 8/8)

Finn

Garnet

Superman

Reindog

New Open Beta Warp Event

For a limited time, Gold earned from matches has increased by 25% from 7/26 to 8/8

Characters

Legend:

+ = Buff

– = Nerf

~ = Change

Note: Attacks callouts reference default controls.

Batman

Air/Ground Neutral AttackCooldown on Batarang increased from 13s to 14s. Pick up of Batarang returns 11.55 second up from 11.05. This means that the minimum time between Batarang throws is 2.45s up from 1.95s. Batman’s Batarang pick-up cooldown created very small windows where the Batarang wasn’t in play. This change should make it so opponents of Batman have a larger window between Batarang attacks to gain advantage.Bug FixAir/Ground Side Special: Fixed a bug where Grapple would sometimes shoot you off the map.

Bugs Bunny

Air Up AttackStartup window increased by 2 frames, active window decreased by 2 frames The hitbox made it so that Bugs Bunny hit nearly all around himself. This should make the up air a bit more reasonable to deal with.

Iron Giant

Bug FixAir Down Attack: can no longer combo into itselfAir/Ground Down Special: can no longer repeatedly hit and lock opponents in place foreverAir Up Attack: Can no longer repeatedly hit opponents

Steven Universe

Air Neutral AttackKnocks opponents up and away to prevent an infinite attack caused by alternating Air Down Attack and Air Neutral Attack.

Taz

Bug FixFixed a bug that was preventing Taz from doing any aerial attacks once he reached his air special limit.Air/Ground Side SpecialA decrease to the tornado’s duration and the additional duration gained by passing an ally.Removing one of the multi-hits of the tornado.Decreasing the hit pause of all the hits in the tornado.Reduced knockback from the final hit in the tornado from 1375 to 1275. If you have been following early access, Taz’s Tornado has been dominating his character kit and presenting a non-obvious knowledge check for newer players. By reducing its effectiveness we hope to improve his gameplay health and loop and bring the game to a healthier state for newer players.Right now, our plan is to transition the Tornado to a cooldown move in an upcoming patch. The tornado is Taz’s signature move so we want to keep it as one of his most powerful attacks, with the cooldown forcing more intentional use of it. These nerfs will reduce Taz’s strength, especially at higher levels of play, so expect some buffs to the other moves in his kit in the near future. Thank you for your patience and we will continue to evaluate Taz’s gameplay health.

Velma

Weight: reduced from 70 to 63 It was an oversight on our part that Velma is one of the heaviest characters in the game. This change should bring her more in-line with where we originally envisioned her.Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

As Dusk Falls Choices And Endings: All Character Deaths And Best Ending

Because As Dusk Falls is a narrative adventure game with a branching storyline, your decisions may drastically change the story you experience with each playthrough. Trying to discuss the game’s events with friends is liable to shed new light on characters and reveal totally different outcomes for characters such as Jay, Zoe, Vince, and the rest of the ensemble cast. If you’re curious to find out about all As Dusk Falls endings, this guide will walk you through every possible outcome for the game’s 13 characters whose lives can be permanently changed over the course of the six-episode saga. Here’s every character death, divorce, prison sentence, and all other outcomes possible in As Dusk Falls.

Vince Walker

Seven endings including three deaths

Vince has seven possible endings, including three in which he dies. If you fail the quick-time event during the fight with Dante in the motel bathroom, Vince can be electrocuted to death. He can also be drowned by Tyler during the standoff by the pool which occurs right after the Dante fight. If Vince is taken as a hostage in the car with the Holts and does not sneak out of the backseat while Tyler and Sharon are talking outside of it, he will die in the ensuing car crash in the fourth episode.

If Vince survives, he may end up on four possible paths, including taking either a corporate job (if he takes the settlement offer from his former employer) or opening up a flight school (if he decides to take his former employer to court). Should Vince and Michelle both survive the Desert Dream Motel crisis, they will stay together or get divorced based on whether they reconciled following Michelle’s infidelity.

Jay Holt

Five endings including two deaths

The youngest Holt, whom you learn isn’t exactly a Holt at all, can wind up on one of several paths–most of them tumultuous. Jay can be arrested in three different endings. In one of them, he receives clemency. In another, he is executed. In the third such ending, he escapes to Mexico but is later reported to the police by Zoe if she refuses to forgive him.

If Jay escapes to Canada and Zoe does not report him, he can either live freely or commit suicide depending on how Zoe responds to his apology.

Zoe Walker

Six endings including no deaths

Since an older Zoe is the narrator of the story, she naturally can’t die any sooner than when we catch up with her in 2012. However, even after that, her life is never seriously in danger–look for her in the sequel, we bet. Zoe’s endings revolve around how she treats Jay as well as what her career prospects look like. She can visit Jay in one of four different endings, two in prison and two in Canada. If she visits Jay in prison, it comes when Jay is scheduled to be put to death. Zoe may either attend his execution or refuse to be present for it. If she visits Jay in Canada, she may either choose to forgive Jay or turn him into the police.

Separately, Zoe’s schooling changes based on her emotional well-being at the end of the story, with her electing to either stay in journalism school or drop out.

Michelle Walker

Four endings including one death

Michelle is usually alive in Zoe’s college years, but she may not live to see it if she gets shot in the Desert Dream hostage crisis and is not treated for her wounds when the Holts release a single hostage of Vince’s choosing. When the police first storm the motel, Michelle is shot if Vince chooses for the group to run for the door rather than stay where they are, so players can avoid her wound entirely if they don’t run for the door. If she does survive the motel, Michelle can stay married to Vince if they both survive and have previously reconciled their issues regarding Michelle’s affair–in some playthroughs, players don’t even learn that Michelle actually did have this affair. If she divorces Vince or if he dies, Michelle remarries–a detail Zoe isn’t too fond of, we found.

Should Michelle and Vince both survive the night, their future may still not involve each other.

Sharon Holt

Two endings including no deaths

Though the Holt family matriarch cannot die in As Dusk Falls, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for her. In one ending, she flees to Mexico alone. In another, she flees with Paul. These depend on Paul’s actions when Dante visits his trailer. In Sharon’s worst ending, she is caught trying to flee and is sent to prison.

Paul

Three endings including no deaths

Like his once (and perhaps future) flame, Paul can’t die, but he may not live a quaint life in the end. Paul can escape to Mexico with Sharon if their attempt to flee the trailer is a success. He could also be caught there as Sharon flees alone, or he could side with Dante and turn Sharon into the police.

Vanessa

Five endings including no deaths

Jay’s accomplice and possible girlfriend will survive the story no matter what you do, but her life will be forever changed in any event, as she always crosses paths with the fugitive, Jay. She can escape to Canada with Jay, where she is said to leave him six years later, according to Jay in his talk with Zoe. She can also be arrested with Jay in the National Park. In two different points in the National Park, Jay can leave Vanessa behind, including during his fateful cliff jump to freedom. If Jay surrenders, Vanessa may also be allowed to go free. A lot of this depends on whether or not Jay comes clean with who he is during the night after the party. Vanessa will stay by Jay’s side through all the hardships to come provided she doesn’t learn from her father that Jay is a fugitive. She needs to hear it from Jay.

Tyler Holt

Three endings including one death

Tyler has three endings, and each of them is rather sad. He can die at his family’s cabin if Dante was made aware of its existence by Joyce’s son, Ash. He can also be caught and sent to prison or escape imprisonment completely, but his freedom is somewhat limited even in the latter case: He quietly works on an oil rig far away and keeps his head down, seemingly estranged from his family. He’s arrested only if Jay lets Tyler fall from the tree and hurt his leg when they’re arguing in the woods.

Dale Holt

Two endings including two deaths

Dale’s fate is sealed no matter what, and he never lives to see the morning after the hostage crisis begins. But when this happens is somewhat in the player’s hands. If Vince chooses not to warn Tyler about the police sniper, he will be shot in the head in that very moment. If Vince does warn him, Dale’s life continues for only a short while longer, as he is eventually killed in the final shootout at the motel. Dale never makes it to the getaway car with his family.

Bear

Two endings including one death

The absentee father figure of the Holt clan has two straightforward endings, and players directly choose in one single moment how his story ends. When Bear heads to the shed to quietly hang himself, Jay spots his suicide note, causing him to run to the shed. There he finds Bear hanging and can elect to either cut him down or let him kill himself.

The worst possible ending for the Holts includes all four of the men dying while Sharon winds up in prison.

In either event, the Holts still owe a gambling debt to the shady loan sharks, so the robbery and eventual hostage situation unfold no matter what, but whether or not Bear is recovering in the hospital is up to you.

Jim Walker

Two endings including no deaths

Vince’s dad has plenty of secrets of his own, and while you can only maximally uncover some of them in any playthrough, his relationship with his son can change based on how they’ve gotten along in the story. Jim can either be estranged from Vince or remain on good terms with him, assuming Vince is alive at the end himself.

In either case, the game ends with a cliffhanger that suggests Jim has been shot just as Zoe is arriving to visit him, setting up what looks to be a sequel in the series’ future.

Joyce

Two endings including one death

The manager of the Desert Dream Motel can either be shot and killed or survive the hostage crisis, and it all comes down to one scene. When Joyce and Vince’s dog, Zeus, are each making a lot of noise, Dale grows angry and trigger-happy. Failing to calm Joyce down in this scene will result in Joyce being killed by gunshot.

If you’re wondering, there is no version where Zeus is harmed, so don’t worry about it.

Big Sam

Three endings including one death

Big Sam is the cop who stops in for a drink and some chit-chat early in the game’s first episode, and how you play this scene will determine whether Sam survives or not. If you hide Joyce’s bloody earring, Sam will come and go none the wiser. If you allow him to see it but try to play it off like nothing is wrong, Sam will clandestinely call for backup when he leaves, after alerting Vince he plans to do so. If Sam is persuaded to confront the Holts head-on, he will die in the ensuing shootout.

The Best Ending

The “best” ending is open to interpretation, of course, but most players tend to think of it as “the one where the fewest people die.” In As Dusk Falls, you actually can complete the story with virtually no one dying–sorry Dale, not you–so here’s a quick explainer on how to achieve that ending.

With Vince, you must:

Forgive Michelle for her affairHide Joyce’s bloody earring from Big Sam, or just don’t tell him you’re being held hostageAsk Joyce to calm down when she and Zeus are both making Dale upsetMake amends with your dad, Jim, whenever possibleChoose to sue the airlineDon’t run for the door when the police assault the motelSurvive Dante’s attack after the bus crashDrop your weapon when confronted by the Holts near the poolGet out of the Holts’ car when Sharon and Tyler are arguing outside

With Jay you must:

Save Bear from his suicide attemptSave Tyler when he’s slipping from the treeBe honest with Vanessa as much as possible, but do not be possessive of her during the partyJump into the water with Vanessa at the National Park

With Ash you must:

Not tell Dante about the Holts’ cabin

With Zoe you must:

Make amends with Jay when he escapes to Canada

With Paul you must:

Choose to flee with Sharon and help her do so

If you follow this path, you will have saved all lives possible, while keeping all characters out of prison, too. If that’s not enough justice for you, then feel free to adjust according to your moral code, but if you’re looking for the ending that brings the most amount of happiness to as many characters as possible, this is it.

In total, all of this adds up to 48 possible endings for the game’s 13 major and secondary characters–Dante is not shown here as he survives no matter what and has just one ending. This includes eight characters who may live or die based on your actions. We hope this breakdown helps make sense of As Dusk Falls’ complex story tree and its many branches. For more on Interior Night’s debut, check out our As Dusk Falls review.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

New Daily Adventure Incense Item Is Coming To Pokemon Go

Today, Pokemon Go developer Niantic announced it is adding a new type of incense item to the game that will help players (or trainers to use Niantic’s term) find and catch Pokemon that do not typically appear in the wild.

The Daily Adventure Incense is a special type of incense you will be able to use once a day. It lasts 15 minutes and will generate Pokemon not normally see in your location. It will be especially helpful for players in rural areas where Pokemon populations are not as dense. It’s not currently clear if the Pokemon it attracts will be rarer than using the standard Incense.

The new item will be rolling out to players this week.

There are some qualifiers for the Daily Adventure Incense. Special Research will appear that you must complete in order to start using it. The Special Research will function as a tutorial and will also reward XP. You won’t be able to use the standard Incense while the Daily Adventure Incense is active, nor can you use the Daily Adventure Incense if you’re already using the other Incense.

The Daily Adventure Incense will appear in your bag as an inventory item, but will not count toward the total number of items you’re carrying. After activating the Daily Adventure Incense, it will disappear from your bag until the next day. After the Daily Adventure Incense has expired, you will get a recap image showing all the Pokemon caught during the time it was active.

Gallery

In an effort to get encourage the use of the new Daily Adventure Incense, players will received Poke Balls if their cache is low. If you have 30 or fewer Poke Balls, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls, you will automatically receive 30 standard Poke Balls when you activate the Daily Adventure Incense.

Daily Adventure Incense will be rolling out to players over the course of this week. For more on Pokemon Go, you can read our recent interview with Niantic where the developer responded to players’ concerns about Incense and the rollback of various features added to the game during the height of the pandemic.

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Ubisoft Insists Roller Champions Isn’t Canceled After Rumors

Ubisoft has released a statement insisting that Roller Champions, its free-to-play roller derby game, isn’t getting canceled. This statement comes after a rumor that the game would be canned after Season 3.

Ubisoft has released a statement on Twitter, reaffirming its commitment to Roller Champions, stating that the game isn’t being canceled. This is in response to Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb stating on the XboxEra podcast that a source told him the game would be canceled after Season 3. Roller Champions is currently in its first season, Disco Fever.

Hello Champions! Let’s clear it out of the way first, Roller Champions isn’t getting cancelled, and Ubisoft fully supports it.
You can rest assured we’ll keep you updated as we roll forward.
Full statement: pic.twitter.com/U8mfQRZRoH

— Roller Champions (@RollerChampions) July 25, 2022

In the statement, Ubisoft said that Roller Champions current season is going to be extended so that the developer can focus on making needed improvements to the game, with the main concern being the ability to send cross-platform invites to other players. The statement does not say how long the current season is going to be extended but Ubisoft did say that it has exciting plans for the next few seasons.

GameSpot has reached out to Ubisoft for comment.

Ubisoft had previously shared a list of priorities for Roller Champions, with crash reductions, ranked matchmaking improvements, and cross-platform invites being the highest priority. Ranked experience improvements and an adjustment of quit-time bans and rank impacts following that. Ubisoft also said that Roller Champions looked at Rainbow Six Siege and Hyper Scape when planning its live-service elements.

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Snag A HyperX Universal Headset For Only $15

Looking for a new headset or backup headset that won’t break the bank? Consider snagging the HyperX Cloud Stinger X while it’s on sale for just $15, down from its usual $40. The impressive discount was originally offered by both Amazon and Best Buy, but Amazon quickly sold out–so move fast if you want to cash in on the savings at Best Buy.

This new discount matches the best price we’ve seen for the headset all year. Amazon’s stock disappeared quickly, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the same happened at Best Buy. If you’re looking for something a bit more premium, check out our headset roundups for PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch.

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The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum Delayed “A Few Months,” No New Release Date Set

Like the precious One Ring that routinely eludes him, Gollum will have to wait a little longer for his starring role. Daedalic Entertainment has announced a delay for upcoming stealth-action game The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum.

Gollum’s new adventure was originally set to launch on September 1, one day before the new Amazon Prime Video series Rings of Power is set to begin. The game has been delayed for “a few months,” according to Daedalic, with the new release date to be announced in the “near future.”

An important message. pic.twitter.com/s2UvhPfILF

— The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (@GollumGame) July 25, 2022

The message does not give a specific reason for the delay, only stating it’s to give players “the best possible experience” when the game finally does launch, and that the team is “dedicated to meeting our community’s expectations.”

Gollum’s adventure is a stealth action game where players control the impish creature as he solves puzzles and sneaks through Mordor. Multiple locations from the LOTR universe will be part of the game–including Cirith Ungol and Mirkwood–while new and familiar characters like Gandalf and Aragorn will make appearances.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will launch on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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Apex Legends Unveils Vantage In Stories From The Outlands: Survive

After teasing Vantage’s reveal on Twitter last week, Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment has released a new episode of Stories From The Outlands that gives players a closer look at her past before joining the Apex Games.

Born on the icy, abandoned planet of Pàgos, Vantage–real name Mara Contrares–grew up with no one to entertain her save for her mother Xenia and Pàgos’ diverse wildlife, which Mara hunts on a daily basis. She enjoyed more freedom than the average child, living by only one rule: survive.

Although Mara and her mother’s frigid homestead is secure, free, and private, danger lies beneath the planet’s snowy surface, making Vantage’s mother a bit overprotective. We see this in the trailer when Mara shoots down a bat-like creature that bites her, wounding her hand. After being bitten, Mara uses a carved whistle imitating a bird call to signal to her mother that she is unharmed. But as she sits in the snow, she notices something beneath it: a cargo ship by the name of G.D.S. Vantage.

After the biting bat incident, Mara’s mother chides her for her curious nature, but appears somewhat understanding. “When the ship crashed, I was curious, as you are,” her mother warns. “And it nearly killed me.”

Xenia has a massive scar on the side of her face, and is blind in one eye–almost certainly a result of tangling with whatever danger lurks inside the G.D.S. Vantage. It’s clear she raised Mara up to be a skilled hunter for a reason.

Vantage’s mother, Xenia, has a massive scar across her right eye.

Back at home, Xenia wraps her daughter’s wounded hand, assuring her that there is nothing worth exploring on the G.D.S. Vantage and describing it as “an empty cargo ship driven by computers.” This indicates that Xenia has explored the spacecraft for herself–a detail that Mara likely notices, furthering her determination to learn more about the ship. Mara asks her mother why there’s a cargo ship on Pàgos with no actual cargo on it, but ultimately receives a non-answer.

“Never mind the outside world,” Xenia tells her, when asked what the initials on the ship stand for.

Unfortunately, Mara doesn’t listen. She returns to the crash site, rappels down into the abandoned craft’s interior, and gives the place a good look for herself–with disastrous consequences. Unlike her mother has led her to believe, the ship is far from empty. As Mara explores, she comes across a row of cells, some still containing the decayed corpses of the ship’s involuntary occupants. One of the cells has broken bars, and Mara notices that her sniper rifle is the same type the ship is stocked with, indicating that her weapon of choice was looted from the fallen cargo ship.

Approaching the cockpit, Mara makes another grim discovery: a corpse in the pilot’s seat. It seems the ship was neither empty nor flown by computers. Upon reaching the cockpit, Mara finds another, smaller bat-like creature resting on the console. When she startles it, it steps on a few keys, awakening the ship’s AI system and revealing a terrible truth: Mara’s mother is a liar.

She’s also a wanted felon. She was not born on Pàgos, as she told her daughter. In truth, Xenia only arrived when the G.D.S. Vantage crashed on the planet. Mara’s mother is–or was–a prisoner.

A holographic wanted poster of Xenia appears, showing her as she appeared before the ship crashed. The AI system’s voice also answers a question Mara’s mother wouldn’t, revealing that G.D.S. stands for Gaean Detention Ship, indicating that Xenia may have originally been a resident of Crypto and Caustic’s homeworld. Xenia’s crimes are not made known.

Xenia’s holographic wanted poster reveals she has lied to her daughter regarding nearly every detail of their lives.

Instead of imparting further tidbits of valuable information, the AI system attacks, scanning Mara and mistaking her for Xenia. It seems the ship’s giant metal cargo-moving arms have been programmed for hostility, lunging and snapping at Mara as they try to drag her to her mother’s cell. (Interestingly, each of these cargo arms has a Hammond Robotics logo on it).

Mara barely survives the scuffle, escaping by the skin of her teeth. As she lies bleeding on a snowy cliff, she watches her bird call whistle slip off the cliff’s edge, squashing any chance of rescue. Luckily, she isn’t completely alone. Echo, the baby bat that set off the AI system retrieves her whistle, but she’s far too injured to use by the time Echo returns. Instead, the creature carries the whistle to Xenia, who has been frantically using her own whistle to search for her daughter.

Echo attempts to coax a wounded Mara into using her bird whistle.

As Vantage slips in and out of consciousness, her mother approaches, surrounded by a flock of little bats that almost seem drawn to her, very similar to the in which way Bloodhound interacts with ravens. Crouching down, Xenia activates her personal prisoner distress beacon, slipping it into her daughter’s hands and proclaiming that she can’t save Mara. The scene ends as the Gaean Space Authority arrives to retrieve Mara in response to the distress beacon’s activation.

This episode of Stories from the Outlands answers plenty of questions about the upcoming season, but if you’re still itching for Season 14 content, you won’t be waiting long–the season launch trailer will be released on July 28 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET, with the Apex Legends Season 14: Hunted set to begin on August 9.

Apex Legends is free to play on console and PC. A mobile version of the game, Apex Legends Mobile, is available for download on Android and iOS devices.

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