Respawn has released a new update for Apex Legends. The update reinstates Bangalore’s legendary MIL-SPEC skin, as well as the Sentinel sniper rifle and Rampage LMG.

The MIL-SPEC Bangalore skin was removed from Apex Legends as equipping it to Bangalore and then selecting to play as the character would cause your game to crash on the legend select screen. The glitch would cause your squadmates’ games to crash too.

Respawn writes that this new update should fix that issue–you can safely equip the skin again if you have it, and now buy it from the in-game store during the limited-time Dark Depths event if you’ve yet to unlock it.

Both the Sentinel and Rampage had been removed from Apex Legends after a discovered exploit was allowing players to charge both weapons indefinitely. This new update fixes that issue, so you shouldn’t be running into players with supercharged Sentinels and Rampages anymore.

The update also implements a nerf for the Rampage. Bullet damage has been decreased from 28 to 26, and thermite consumption per shot has been increased while the LMG is in its charged state. So not only is the gun weaker but it won’t stay charged for as long as it once did the moment you pull the trigger.

Apex Legends is currently in the midst of its Dark Depths event, which adds the new Habitat map to Arenas, 40 aquatic-themed cosmetic items to the in-game store, and a free three-week reward track. The event will continue until February 1–if the Season 11 battle pass is any indication, that’s days before the end of the season and the start of Season 12.

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PUBG: Battlegrounds, also known as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Battlegrounds, is officially free-to-play. Developer Krafton launched the previously announced free-to-play update on January 12, 2022 for all supported platforms. This drastic change skyrocketed its Steam player count to about double its former average weekly peak in the past 48 hours.

According to SteamDB, the average peak used to be about 300,000. As of yesterday, the number surpassed 600,000 players twice as a daily peak during prime playtime hours. PUBG is currently the third most popular game on Steam in terms of player count, just below Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2.

Official stats from the Steam website currently list the PUBG player count around 418,090, though the peak player count for today already hit 625,564. These numbers shoot way above the fourth-place game, Apex Legends, and rival the numbers for the second-place game, Dota 2.

PUBG isn’t the first competitive multiplayer to switch from a paid to free-to-play model. Rocket League made the switch last year and received similar results, including more viewership for its esports league. Of course, the game isn’t completely free, as you can choose to pay for Battlegrounds Plus. Still, the existence of a free membership tier has been enough to influence numbers.

Those interested in playing PUBG for free can download it for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia.

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A new 13-minute gameplay video for Pokemon Legends: Arceus has been released by Nintendo, showing off a detailed look at the Hisui region and just how this title shakes up the formula of the series.

One of the biggest changes in Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the world around you, as the ancient Sinnoh region is a wild and untamed frontier that’s full of hostile and aggressive Pokemon. While you won’t have to worry about a goofy Bidoof picking a fight, other Pokemon such as Tangrowth and Walrein won’t tolerate your presence and will launch an attack if they spot you. Blacking out means that you’ll have to restart your journey from a checkpoint, but you’ll do so with fewer items in your inventory.

Another big departure for the series is the actual art of catching Pokemon. While most games had you instantly jump into battle and weaken a wild Pokemon before you throw a Poke Ball at it, Pokemon Legends: Arceus will give you the chance to sneak up and catch a Pokemon. If your target becomes aware of your presence, you’ll need to battle it and weaken it using either Agile or Strong style moves. Agile moves trade power for speed, while Strong style attacks leave your Pokemon open to multiple attacks after it lands a hard-hitting blow.

The Hisui region is also home to tougher wildlife, such as the Alpha Pokemon who boast stronger stats, and Noble Pokemon who’ll need to be taken down with a mixture of traditional Pokemon battles and soothing balms that you’ll throw at them. That’s easier said than done though, as these boss battles will see Noble Pokemon charge and attack you when you encounter them in these boss battles.

Outside of battle, you’ll be able to explore the land and use your Pokemon for traversal. Two examples shown by Nintendo include a Braviary for flight, a special Wyrdeer to help you navigate on land faster, and a Basculegion for when you need to explore rivers and seas. Just don’t think about Basculegion’s messed-up backstory and you’ll be fine.

Customization will also play a large part in your journey, with the option to equip different clothes, accessories, and hairstyles helping to create a unique character for your journey across the region inhabited by multiple clans. For more on the game before it launches on January 28 for Nintendo Switch, check out our Pokemon Legends Arceus preorder hub or head on over to Amazon where you can grab it for $55.

For more on the game, check out our Pokemon Legends: Arceus preorder hub. In case you missed it, you can also check out the previous trailer which gave the game some Breath of the Wild vibes.

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This year’s Dota Pro Circuit Winter Tour comes to an unfortunate close with a canceled first Major. Valve claimed that the “discovery and spread of new strains of COVID-19” and the “resulting increase of travel restrictions” made it difficult to gather all the qualified teams from across the globe for a proper LAN tournament.

The Dota Pro Circuit consists of three Tours, all of which pit teams against each other in Regional Leagues before advancing the top performers to Majors. However, the canceled Major means the Winter Tour will end without any advancement to an international stage. As a result, points from the first Major have been redistributed between the other two Majors scheduled later in the year.

In its blog post about the cancelation, Valve promised to monitor the global health situation and travel restrictions to gauge whether or not future Majors can take place as planned. Unexpected variants such as Omicron and spikes in COVID cases, like that over the holidays, might further interrupt the DPC schedule.

Dota 2 has managed to stay one of the most popular esports since its release in July 2013. The Dota Pro Circuit is the most recent iteration of its esports league, which evolved from the Dota Major Championship series. The Winter Tour is currently ongoing, and the latest Spring Tour passed earlier last year. Competing teams hope to earn enough points to enter The International for a chance at becoming the Dota 2 World Champion.

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2022 marks the 30th anniversary of Nintendo’s iconic Kirby series, with Kirby’s Dream Land having released for the Game Boy in Japan on April 27, 1992. While the actual anniversary is still a few months off, Nintendo has acknowledged the anniversary year by releasing a free wallpaper for fans and promising more is still to come.

The anniversary wallpaper features a collection of different Kirbys, spanning 30 years of Kirby titles. For now, Nintendo hasn’t announced any of its other plans for the 30th anniversary, though it has promised that we can expect news on forthcoming events and activities soon.

The next Kirby title, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, will release on the Nintendo Switch on March 25, about a month before the franchise celebrates its 30th birthday. The new Kirby game, a 3D platformer that has players exploring a “mysterious world”, received a new trailer this week, showing off new levels, abilities, and a two-player co-op feature.

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