CoD: Warzone And MW3 Patch Notes Detail Map Fixes And Guns Removed From MP Ranked Play
A small update has arrived to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone on April 23. The patch notes include fixes for several map exploits in Modern Warfare 3, and the expanded weapon trial has concluded for multiplayer’s Ranked Play mode.
For Modern Warfare 3, the update adds collision to prevent players from reaching exploitable areas across Season 3’s new multiplayer maps: 6 Star, Growhouse, and Tanked. The patch notes also mention a correction for an issue in the One in the Chamber party mode, which previously caused the last player standing to incur a loss for the match.
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The limited-time trial has ended for the expanded weapon pool test in multiplayer’s Ranked Play mode. The developer says teams will be discussing the findings of the weapon trial, and more information will be shared about the test after the launch of Season 3 Reloaded. The conclusion of the trial means the following weapons are once again restricted in Ranked Play:
Assault rifles:
- BP50
- Holger 556
- MTZ-556
Submachine guns:
- WSP Swarm
- HRM-9
- RAM-9
The update is very light on the Warzone side. The patch notes details three bug fixes for battle royale, including a fix for collision issues on Rebirth Island that allowed players to exploit the map, correction for an issue that previously prevented the gas mask animation and proper functionality, and an issue has been resolved that prevented players in a passenger seat of a vehicle from using UAVs.
The full patch notes for Warzone and Modern Warfare 3 can be found below, as shared by Activision.
In other recent Call of Duty news, players can now choose to be a dinosaur soldier in Modern Warfare 3, Warzone, and Warzone Mobile. Season 3 Reloaded should arrive next month, and here are all the major announcements for the midseason update.
MW3 GLOBAL
GAMEPLAY
- Resolved an exploit involving Rear Grips on Handguns allowing players to gain an unfair advantage.
MULTIPLAYER
PROGRESSION
- Challenges that require quickscope kills are now more lenient in detection when using Weapons that cannot one-shot kill.
MAPS
- 6 Star
- Added collision near the Garden to prevent players from reaching exploitable areas.
- Growhouse
- Added collision near the Container to prevent players from reaching exploitable areas.
- Tanked
- Added collision near the Entrance to prevent players from reaching exploitable areas.
MODES
- One in the Chamber
- Corrected win conditions to prevent the last-standing player from incurring a loss.
MWIII RANKED PLAY
Gameplay
- Concluded: Weapon Evaluation
- Thank you for your feedback and gameplay data! The Call of Duty League, Sledgehammer Games, and our teams will discuss findings and share an update after the launch of Season 3 Reloaded.
- Content Restrictions Update
- Weapons
- ARs
- BP50
- Holger 556
- MTZ-556
- SMGs
- WSP Swarm
- HRM-9
- RAM-9
- ARs
- Weapons
WARZONE
BUG FIXES
- Fixed additional collision issues on Rebirth Island that allowed players to exploit geography.
- Fixed an issue preventing the gas mask animation from playing, leading it to function improperly.
- Fixed an issue preventing players in a passenger seat from using UAVs.
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What’s Going On With Batman Games? | Spot On
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a decade since Rocksteady Studios concluded its Arkham trilogy with Batman: Arkham Knight. And yet, it’s somehow even harder to believe that same studio released Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League just a few months ago, which unfortunately tells you just about everything you need to know about the poorly-received action shooter.
Earlier this week, however, Camouflaj Games announced it had begun its own venture into Gotham City for a new Batman game, Batman: Arkham Shadow. The only catch? It’s a Meta Quest 3 exclusive. With all this in mind, we’re left with one, big question: is the golden age of Batman video games over?
On this week’s Spot On, Tam and Lucy discuss what’s next for the Dark Knight, if VR is a smart move for his next installment, if Rocksteady can bounce back from Kill the Justice League, and if WB Montreal–the studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins–could return to helm the series. The pair share their thoughts and delve into how Arkham Shadow could connect to Arkham Origins in this Batman-centric episode.
Spot On is GameSpot’s weekly news show in which managing editor Tamoor Hussain and senior producer Lucy James talk about the latest game news. Given the massive video game industry’s highly dynamic and never-ending news cycle, there’s always something to talk about. Unlike most news shows, Spot On will dive deep into a single topic instead of recapping all the news. Spot On airs each Friday.
Everything To Know About Apex Legends Season 21: New Legend Alter, Map Makeovers, And Solos Mode
Apex Legends Season 21: Upheaval is set to introduce the first new Legend to join the Apex Games in 2024, but it also features a number of other big changes, like a much-needed makeover for the Broken Moon map, the long-awaited return of Solos Mode, and some surprising new Legend buffs and nerfs.
We’ve got the scoop on everything from the season’s launch date to Alter’s ability set and details on Broken Moon’s revamp. Keep reading for a closer look at everything you need to know before you dive into Apex Legends Season 21: Upheaval.
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When does Season 21 begin?
Apex Legends Season 21: Upheaval goes live on Tuesday, May 7 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.
Who is Season 21’s new Legend?
Season 21’s debut Legend is Alter, a mysterious, dimension-hopping new character who Respawn describes as a “villain.”
What we do know is that she was trained in combat by a secretive organization, and appears to have a history as an interdimensional assassin. In her episode of Stories From The Outlands, Alter can be seen telling a series of increasingly exaggerated lies and half-truths when asked who she is.
“Alter is from another dimension, although which dimension is kind of hard to say–she’s not the most reliable narrator when it comes to her past because she will only let others know what she wants them to know,” Alter narrative lead Jaclyn Seto said during Season 21 previews. “Definitely take what she says with a grain of salt, although if you look hard enough, you might find some bits of truth in her words. In general, her past is whatever it needs to be. Not only can she use it as a tool to manipulate others, but she knows that knowledge is power. Only she knows what her past is, and she’s unwilling to give anyone the power to know those details about her.”
There is one verifiable fact about Alter’s background, however: She’s fluent in Cantonese.
“We didn’t have any characters with a Chinese background, so I jumped at the chance to write one,” Seto said. “It’s any developer’s dream to be able to create a character that shares their same background. [Alter] definitely grew up in her culture, and you’ll definitely see her display that within the game.”
Alter’s episode of Stories From The Outlands shows her holding a photo of Horizon and her son, Newton, which has raised questions about what sort of connection the two Legends may share.. But Seto says Alter doesn’t have a relationship with Horizon so much as she has a “fixation” on her. “There are gonna be some really world-shattering events that stem from this fascination [with Horizon].”
Despite knowing very little about who she is, we do know what she’s capable of. Alter has the following in-game abilities:
- Tactical: Void Passage–Create a portal passageway through a surface
- Passive: Gift From The Rift–Remotely interact with a deathbox to claim one item (cannot be armor).
- Ultimate: Void Nexus–Create a regroup point that all allies can remotely interact with to open a phase tunnel back to that location.
Solos Mode is returning
Season 21’s gameplay trailer confirmed that Solos Mode is returning to Apex Legends–despite Respawn previously stating that the mode was gone for good. Solos will replace Duos Mode for the first six weeks of Season 21.
“Solos will run as a six-week takeover of Duos for the first half of the season,” Apex Legends events lead Mike Button explained during previews. “We’re excited to give everyone an extended period of time to experience this new take on Solos, and for us to be able to collect more feedback over the course of a longer run. With growing demand from players and a desire on the [development] team to explore the concept again with everything we’ve learned since the mode’s last appearance in 2019, Upheaval seemed like the right time to reintroduce a Solos experience to Apex.”
The new version of Solos Mode will include some features that weren’t included in previous iterations of the mode, like fully-kitted weapons and a new item called a Respawn Token, which gives players a second chance to get back in the game if they’re killed.
Broken Moon is getting a facelift
Broken Moon’s centerpiece POI, Promenade, is being replaced by a new POI called Quarantine Zone in Season 21. Respawn has shared that its main goals with the map revamp are addressing loot deserts and making squad rotations a bit smoother. Mutated foliage and a new skybox are among the aesthetic changes to the map, meant to reflect the changes occurring on the moon after a recent collision with the stasis net satellite severely damaged it and sent an entire chunk of the moon itself floating off into space. During the cleanup process, some “unknown alien eggs” were discovered, so the Quarantine Zone POI was created to contain any potential threat the eggs may pose.
“Trees are wrapped up for protection, spray stations can be found throughout [the map], which are meant to keep everything as sterile as possible, and if you really wanna soak up all the details, you’ll find some samples tucked away in some cold storage containers,” lead level designer Steve Young said of the lore behind the aesthetic changes to the map. “Broken Moon feels really unique now, it’s got super bright colors and just an overabundance of alien plant life. It’s really cool.”
Legend buffs & nerfs
One of the biggest changes to Legend abilities is the reworking of Newcastle‘s Castle Wall ultimate ability. Developers saw that Newcastle players frequently teamed up with Wattson players, using Newcastle’s Castle Wall to block bullets, and placing one of Wattson’s Interception Pylon’s to block grenades. For Season 21, Respawn decided to give Newcastle’s Castle Wall the ability to block grenades and bullets.
“You could still get a [Gibraltar Defensive Bombardment] or a Bangalore [Rolling Thunder] strike in from above, and you could still get other abilities or grenades in from the sides or from above or from the back,” Apex Legends balance designer John Larson told GameSpot. “It’s just if you are facing the [Castle] Wall, you will not be able to sneak a [grenade] through or in.”
“It’s something we had been wanting to do to help the [Castle] Wall succeed more–even before watching scrims–but I coincidentally had been watching scrims and [Northeption] has a team that had been experimenting [and] they’re still running Newcastle/Wattson,” Larson added. “It’s like, ‘Oh, that’d be nice if they could free up a whole legend pick so they can do the thing that Newcastle should just be able to do.'”
Catalyst and Crypto are getting some love this season, too, while Legends like Bloodhound, Fuse, and Octane are getting a few minor tweaks as well, though we won’t have the details on these changes until Respawn releases the Upheaval patch notes.
Minecraft Fans Can Save 30% On Official Visual History Preorders At Amazon
The upcoming visual history of Minecraft just received a huge discount at Amazon, dropping the price from $40 to $28. Created by Mojang Studios and set to be published on September 3 by Random House Worlds, The World of Minecraft is a 224-page hardcover book that tells the story of the game’s 15-year history. It’ll include full-color art, development secrets, and interviews with Mojang developers, content creators, and notable members of the Minecraft community.
$28 (was $40)
The World of Minecraft will cover behind-the-scenes insights on the creation of iconic Minecraft characters and creatures like Alex and the Phantom, as well as stories from the wider Minecraft community, including mods like Feed The Beast, popular servers like Hypixel, and YouTube channels like The Yogscast. The 224-page book will also include tons of concept art, high-resolution renders of in-game assets, and never-before-seen development materials.
The combination of rare production materials, in-game lore, and real-world history makes The World of Minecraft the most comprehensive source of Minecraft information and a cool addition to any fan’s collection.
Amazon’s preorder price guarantee ensures that you’ll get the book for the lowest price offered between the time you order and when it ships.
The World of Minecraft will launch just in time to catch up on your Minecraft history before the live-action Minecraft movie premieres in theaters next year. While we don’t know much about the movie’s plot, Jack Black will reportedly star as one of the main characters from the game, Steve. Emma Myers, Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, and Jemaine Clement are all confirmed to star in the movie as well. The movie recently wrapped filming in April, so we expect more news to be revealed soon. In the meantime, check our round-up of everything we know about the Minecraft movie for all the details shared so far.
The upcoming movie is far from the only piece of non-gaming media to tell a story within the world of Minecraft. The modern classic has also been adapted to the page. Multiple children’s book series focused on Minecraft are available now. You can get the six-book Woodsword Chronicles box set for $35 at Amazon (down from $60). You can also preorder the Stonesword Saga six-book box set at a 15% discount ahead of its May 7 release.
Minecraft is one of the wildest success stories in video game history. What started as a simple one-man project in 2009 ballooned into one of the best-selling games of all time that now ranks among the likes of Super Mario Bros., Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto V, and Pokemon Red/Blue as one of those rare generation-defining games for millions of players.
Star Wars Day – New Stormtrooper And Boba Fett Electronic Helmets Launch On Disney Store
It used to be that if you wanted to dress up as a Star Wars Stormtrooper, your options were limited to cheap masks unless you invested heavily in a set of 501st-approved armor or learned how to make your own. These days? While you’ll still need a decent chunk of change for that iconic white armor, at least getting your hands on a helmet isn’t complicated. Previously an Amazon exclusive, Hasbro’s Black Series Imperial Stormtrooper voice-changing helmet is now available on the Disney Store. The helmet is just one of many new additions to Disney’s catalog as part of the Star Wars Day celebrations. Joining the Stormtrooper helmet is the new Boba Fett Prototype Armor helmet, a pretty cool collectible for those interested in the history of Star Wars.
The Stormtrooper helmet retails for $105 on the Disney Store, and you can get free shipping with promo code SHIPMAGIC. It’s worth noting the Stormtrooper helmet isn’t available directly from Amazon at the moment, and it’s unclear if it will be restocked. You can still buy it from third-party resellers, but the price is currently sitting at $130 minimum (plus shipping).
Star Wars – Imperial Stormtrooper Helmet (Rogue One) — $105
This Imperial Stormtrooper helmet is based on the cannon fodder trooper from Star Wars: Rogue One, and includes fine details based on that film’s Stormtrooper armor. It features an adjustable fit so that it can securely sit on most noggins, but the cool thing here is the inclusion of an electronic voice-changer. With that powered on, you’ll sound like you’re communicating through a ham radio at your next convention. As mentioned, this helmet was previously an Amazon-exclusive helmet, but after it quickly sold out, resellers were listing this helmet for hundreds of dollars at one point, so it’s nice to see it available at retail price again.
If you’d rather cosplay as the Artillery Stormtrooper from The Mandalorian, Amazon and Best Buy are selling that particular helmet for $103 (was $132) for a limited time.
Star Wars Boba Fett Prototype Armor Helmet (Empire Strikes Back) – $105
Though the voice-changing effect built into the Stormtrooper helmet is very cool, the new Boba Fett helmet is cooler from a historical standpoint. While it has the signature shape of Fett’s bucket, it pays tribute to the original concept of the bounty hunter back when he was envisioned as a Super Stormtrooper in concept art. Instead of the olive green that became his trademark color, this helmet has a crisp white finish. This one also has interior padding for a snug fit, a flip-down rangefinder, a heads-up display, and LEDs to indicate when you’re in “hunting” mode.
If you love Boba Fett but want a different style of helmet, the Axe Woves edition inspired by his role in The Mandalorian is on sale for $109 at Amazon (was $132).
Disney has a bunch of other new products and deals available for Star Wars Day, including Force FX lightsabers, Black Series action figures, and cool clothing.
Read more on Star Wars Day
The Mummy (1999) Wasn’t A Universal Monster Movie Remake And That’s Why It Rules
On May 4, 1999, Universal’s The Mummy hit theaters and became one of the biggest movies of the year, even outearning James Bond and Julia Roberts films released in the same window, with over $400 million worldwide. It solidified Brenden Fraser’s star power and put him in the action-hero category for a new generation. That level of success helped spawn two sequels, video games, a spin-off series with The Rock, and an animated television series.
Oh, and of course the ride at Universal Studios theme parks. It’s still an absolute banger and hasn’t been updated in 20 years over at Universal Orlando. Even if the sequels didn’t capture the same sort of magic, 25 years later Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy is still a crowd-pleaser that somehow didn’t get lost in the shuffle in a summer where everything fell under the shadow of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and the one-two punch of sleeper hits The Matrix and The Sixth Sense.
Almost 100 years ago, Universal Studios’ band of monster movies helped forge a whole new genre and create a new batch of pop culture icons. These Classic Monsters–Dracula, Frankenstein, the Creature of the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man (and Woman), the Wolf Man, and the Mummy made their own cinematic universe along the way with crossovers and tie-ins.
The latter of those monsters had five movies under Universal’s banner and four with Hammer Films, who had rebooted the series in 1959 with the final sequel coming out in 1971. There wouldn’t be another Mummy movie for 28 years, where it was again rebooted under Universal, who had already missed out on Dracula and Frankenstein’s remakes aimed at being truer adaptations of their source material. The Mummy was just a mummy, though, malleable to any kind of story, but still seen as an undead force of nature.
However, to get there we had to have a few missteps from Hollywood horror heavy hitters like George Romero and Clive Barker who tried their hand at resurrecting the franchise in the late 1980s’. Ultimately things fell apart on both directors’ attempts for one reason or another.
Enter Sommers who had made kids’ movies for Disney in the early ’90s, but wrote and directed a fresh take on The Mummy, loosely based on the original film from 1932. The three connections the movies share are the Mummy’s name, Imhotep, Oded Fehr’s character’s name Ardeth Bay, and the plot revolving around an Egyptian priest resurrecting his ancient love. Everything else was brand-new to the Mummy’s mythos and made the movie all the better for it.
The film switches genres from the upfront focus on horror to action, concentrating more on adventurous sequences, special effects, comedy, and more flavor regarding Egyptian mythology and lore. It feels more of a throwback to adventure serials of the same time the original Mummy was a part of with Fraser’s Rick O’Connell mirroring something out of an Allan Quartermain story. The studio had originally wanted a typical leading man with the likes of Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck in the role. While those guys have proven they can be funny, it’s Fraser’s effortless take on being cool while also being willing to mock himself that makes his portrayal play out so well.
To break more stereotypes, Rachel Weisz’s wise, charming, and beautiful librarian Evelyn Carnahan proved that within every bookish girl stirs an adventurer ready to save the day–and a brilliant one, at that.
“I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O’Connell, but I am proud of what I am,” she tells Rick. When asked what that is, she replies back “I…am a librarian.”
They’re electric on-screen together. The two of them should have won the Nobel Prize in chemistry if we’re being honest.
Balancing the good, we have Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep, the malevolent Mummy himself. What a performance. Apparently, Vosloo got offered the role after one audition and it’s easy to see why. He’s leagues from Karloff’s stoic and slow-moving, calculating undead creature to a man hellbent on finding his love and his unwillingness to let anyone or anything stop him. There’s a dramatic and sinister flair in everything he does.
As previously noted, 1999 was a pivotal year for big-budget action movies as special effects were becoming an art form and more computer-generated effects were becoming more mainstream. About a fifth of the movie’s $80 million budget, roughly $15 million, was set aside exclusively for the special effects, including digital prosthetic make-up, motion capture, and stop-motion.
For The Mummy, Sommers chose to utilize both cutting-edge CGI from Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) and practical effects with the help of Oscar nominee Nick Dudman. Dudman had gotten his start as a puppeteer assistant for Yoda in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and already had a hand in several blockbusters by the time he was developing the mummies. He would also return for the sequel, The Mummy Returns. This combination helps those effects hold up to this day. It wasn’t all special effects, though. The scene with Evelyn covered in rats and locusts? Those are those actual creatures all over Weisz. Sometimes, you can’t beat the real thing.
Following its massive success at the box office, a sequel was quickly greenlit and almost 70 years later, Universal had another monster movie franchise in its cloth-wrapped hands. The Mummy Returns had more of a mixed critical reaction, but still managed to earn over than $430 at the box office. The subsequent spin-off Scorpion King franchise helped launch the movie career of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson–for better or worse–but added more monsters and magic to this already mysterious world.
Obviously, the Tom Cruise-starring reboot of The Mummy and Universal’s proposed Dark Universe was tombed pretty much on arrival. It’s hard to mess with the cosmic gumbo of what made The Mummy such a hit, but other franchises have sniped the recipe and made their own versions–and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Maybe someday we’ll finally get that Mummy 4 that’s long been rumored, maybe not, and if not–that’s okay! We have Rick and Evelyn riding off into the sands before the credits roll, and sometimes, that’s the best kind of ending.
Halo Infinite Is Getting Its Own Version Of Helldivers 2 Thanks To Forge Creators
Halo Infinite’s Forge mode and the creators who make it sing never cease to amaze, as work has now begun on a Helldivers 2-inspired game mode within 343 Industries’ free-to-play FPS.
Helldivers 2 may have popularized the idea of space marines dropping from orbit in drop pods to do battle with alien threats, but before there were Helldivers, there were Halo’s ODSTs, aka Helljumpers. That certainly makes the Helldivers 2 formula of dropping into a map, battling aliens, and completing objectives before extracting a perfect fit within the Halo universe, but to date there has only been one official ODST spin-off: 2009’s Halo 3: ODST. A former Halo developer stated that a number of ODST games were pitched during his time working at 343, though none were ever greenlit.
Helljumpers | Reveal Trailer
This is your first look at the map for *Helljumpers*. This map is NOT final and is expected to receive new additions, changes, lighting changes and balances throughout the development cycle.
Helljumpers will launch in June, we are aiming for early… pic.twitter.com/RE5hhIykAQ— The Forge Falcons (@TheForgeFalcons) April 30, 2024
Now, a group of around a dozen Forge creators under the banner of the Forge Falcons, have taken it upon themselves to give Halo fans an unofficial ODST spin-off inspired by Arrowhead Studio’s immensely popular Helldivers 2. Appropriately titled Helljumpers, it uses Halo Infinite’s robust custom game and map creator, Forge, along with the recently implemented ability to add AI enemies, to recreate the Helldivers 2 experience. The group has previously released a full-fledged zombies mode inspired by Call of Duty Zombies, as well as a battle royale mode, making them no stranger to big Forge projects.
From what the Forge Falcons have shown so far, Helljumpers looks to already be coming together nicely. The Forge Falcons recently showed off a brief teaser of the urban map the mode will take place on, noting that aspects of it will change over the course of development. A full gameplay trailer for Helljumpers is slated to release in May, with the mode itself aiming for a June release. As with all Forge creations, Helljumpers will be completely free to download and play.
“We’re glad we can finally show this off to you all, it has been a lot of hard work over the last two months to really nail down the layout we want for this experience,” The Forge Falcons stated on X.
In another post, the team welcomed feedback on its map reveal, and said it was looking forward to bringing “the Helldivers 2 experience to Halo Infinite.” Far from a simple game mode, Helljumpers is aiming to be a complete game-within-a-game, featuring a story campaign that will take “approximately 2-3 hours” to complete if players focus on main objectives. The Forge Falcons say it will include “expertly crafted cinematic events” and even its own original soundtrack (albeit one that won’t be heard in-game).
While fans hopefully won’t have to wait long for Helljumpers to release, there is new content in Halo Infinite to keep players occupied. Halo Infinite officially launched its latest Operation, Banished Honor, on May 30. The update introduces Banished-themed cosmetics as well as a new cosmetic store where players can spend points earned through playing to unlock previously available items. The update also restores one iconic Halo weapon to its former glory via a balance change that fans have been asking about ever since the game’s launch.