Tetris 99 is being adapted into Tetris Royale for mobile and it is going to be crazy!
As the likes of Apex Legends and Fortnite: Battle Royale continue to take the world by storm it is clear that the battle royale formula is here to stay. It seems there is just something about squaring up against players all over the world that is attractive to us gamers.
It doesn’t all have to be guns, bombs, and explosives though. Battle royale games don’t have to be about fights to the death. Yes, it is all about the last gamer standing, but that doesn’t mean everybody else has to be dead, they could simply be eliminated. When you think about it like this, there are many more titles out there that could get the battle royale treatment.
We recently covered an unofficial Super Mario battle royale game, which pitched players against each other in a race to the end of a level from Super Mario Bros. Unfortunately, with Nintendo being Nintendo, this game has already been taken down, but we have some news of an official battle royale game, based on an old Nintendo classic, that is coming to mobile soon.
Tetris 99 is being adapted into Tetris Royale for mobile
When the Nintendo Switch launched the world was blown away by how much power was packed into Nintendo’s little touchscreen device. Despite all that power though, and a plethora of impressive Switch games, one of the most fun and addictive games to hit the latest Nintendo handheld has been Tetris 99. For those that haven’t played it, it’s a manic and modern update on the classic Tetris formula.
Tetris 99 pits you against 99 other Tetris players in a battle to be the last player standing. The dynamics of the war come from sending garbage blocks to your various opponents whenever you clear multiple lines at once. You also have to deal with similar attacks coming your way from all the other players around you. The action is fast, the action is crazy, and the action is coming to your mobile.
Tetris Royale is the mobile port of Tetris 99 that is coming to both Android and iOS soon. As well as the standard 100 player mode from Tetris 99, Tetris Royale is also getting a few other game modes and features to keep mobile players satisfied. These include daily challenges, power-ups, customization options, and the chance to earn and use special boosters in battles.
Wrapping up
There is no word about pricing or when Tetris Royale will hit the Play Store and App Store. However, according to a press release from games company N3twork, who’ve teamed up with The Tetris Company to develop Tetris Royale, the game will go into beta testing this year. This means that we have a maximum of six months to wait before the crazy fun of Tetris 99 hits our mobiles in one form or another. Beware though, this one could be extremely addictive.
Ever wanted Mario to jump into the world of Fortnite? This is the next best thing!
Just when you thought the Mushroom Kingdom had nothing left to offer, one game developer decided that Mario needed the Fortnite treatment.
Enter Mario Royale: the game where you play the classic Super Mario Bros. in a battle royale format with gamers around the world. Rather than working together to make it to the end, you instead are competing with each other, and can even kill each other.
The creator took to YouTube to discuss the creation of the game:
The project took him only about three weeks. Rounds can last a few minutes as players work to reach the end, or a few seconds if you really stink at the game.
How to play
When the game starts, you and other players are thrust into a random world from the original Super Mario Bros. Once you land on the first stage, the game begins.
The goal of the game is to reach the end to defeat Bowser. The first three people to beat Bowser get first through third place, while the rest run into a pit of lava. The game is over once everyone either finishes or dies.
Power-ups are a hot commodity. There isn’t a Mushroom or Fire Flower for everyone on every stage, so if you find one, it is probably the only one there. If you find a Starman, you can use it to kill other players. You can also kill players using a well-placed Koopa shell, or screw up their jump sequence by knocking into a block.
Wrapping up
The game is still in its early stages and is still being patched, so you can probably expect to see some updates. Until then, have fun!
Prop Hunt brings hide-and-seek gameplay to Fortnite!
Image courtesy Epic Games
Fortnite’s v9.20 patch brought some major changes to Battle Royale. As always, intrepid data miners have been hard at work digging into the game files added as part of the update. They have found a treasure trove of new items that indicate some exciting stuff it coming up for Fortnite fans. Chief among these upcoming additions are two new LTM game modes: the classic Prop Hunt game type and a new mode dubbed Beach Assault.
Prop Hunt and Beach Assault modes come to Fortnite
Image courtesy Epic Games
Based on what the leaked game files have revealed, Beach Assault is going to be a wave defense game type. Attackers will be working to assault enemy fortifications on the beach and destroy a suitably intimidating-sounding “Doomsday Cannon.” As the assault continues, attackers will be able to reach checkpoints that will, presumably, act as spawns as they get closer to the main objective. In the meantime, defenders will need to fend off the waves of attackers for 15 minutes to win.
The mode seems to have a distinctly World War II flavor, and also reveals the potential addition of a new weapon. As seen in the image above, one of the attackers is wielding a new kind of pump-action shotgun, different than the old one that was recently added to the vault. How this shotgun will function and whether it’s exclusive to the new LTM is unclear.
Image courtesy Epic Games
The second new game mode is a classic that will be familiar to many veterans of first-person shooters. Prop Hunt is essentially hide-and-seek with guns.
Players will be split into two teams. The first team will have a limited time to hide by taking the form of in-game props and positioning themselves in unobtrusive places around the map. The team of seekers will then have to use a combination of observation and instinct to track down and eliminate their opponents. To spice things up, hidden props will make a noise every 15 seconds, and players with keen ears will be able to track those sounds to their source to find hidden enemies.
In addition to the leaked modes, the v9.20 patch brought a fair amount of changes to the game. Most players have likely already noticed the new Storm Flip grenade, which allows players to use the Storm as a weapon. Tossing the Storm Flip creates a deadly bubble of Storm energy that can quickly take out large groups of opponents. Alternately, tossing a Storm Flip while caught in the storm itself will create a bubble of safety. It can potentially allow players the extra boost they need to escape the storm and stay in the game.
Unfortunately, the classic Hunting Rifle has now been vaulted. The rationale is that the new Infantry Rifle has made the Hunting Rifle a little bit superfluous. Other changes include a reduction in damage for the Boom Bow and less frequent Sniper Rifle drops.
As always, be sure to check back with Softonic for the latest updates and news for Fortnite Season 9.
A beloved franchise looks to get new life with Modern Warfare.
There was a time when Call of Duty was one of the most inescapable franchises in the world. Peaking in popularity with the Modern Warfare series, especially Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty was seen as the gaming industry’s signature AAA franchise. While it was eventually dethroned as the most popular AAA franchise, Call of Duty, especially the Modern Warfare subseries, is seen as a defining game series of the Xbox 360/PS3 generation.
After the Modern Warfare subseries ended with Modern Warfare 3 in 2011, the series took a number of creative risks to varying results. From going to the close and distant future to introducing classes with special abilities, to even going back the CoD’s WWII roots, the series never quite managed to recapture that Modern Warfare fervor.
Fans seemed to dislike Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in particular, as its trailer is one of the most disliked YouTube videos in history. When the original Modern Warfare designers left Infinity Ward to form Reflex (which went on to make Titanfall and Apex Legends), it seemed all hope of a new Modern Warfare was lost.
Now, it seems our prayers have been answered.
Modern Warfare is finally back with a brand new reboot. As the first new game in the series in nearly a decade, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has plenty of expectations to shoulder. Based on all of the news we’ve seen so far, they’re headed in the right direction.
According to prerelease material, the series is placing a greater emphasis on morally gray politically-relevant conflicts this time, aiming to showcase the horrors of the modern world and the powers that be. While specific details have been scarce, it has been reported that certain campaign scenes have been so emotionally powerful that playtesters have cried while viewing them.
The focus on tragedy and morally unsound conflict brings up memories of Modern Warfare 2’s infamous “No Russian” mission, which had the player take part in a terrorist attack on an airport. The series has mostly failed to recapture this sense of realistic shock, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can truly shock the world again. The developers have classified the story as a reboot of the Modern Warfare franchise, and staple character Captain Price returns.
Gameplay-wise things are shaking up as well. The release trailer has shown us that leaning out of cover has been added to the series, and developers have described the gameplay as more methodical than previous games. For the first time in years, the CoD series is getting a brand new engine, allowing for tweaked gameplay and more photorealistic visuals.
And of course, what would Call of Duty be without multiplayer? Infinity Ward has already announced two major improvements for the series moving forward. First, similar to Fortnite, Modern Warfare will be cross-compatible among gaming platforms, including console to PC. Additionally, Infinity Ward has said that the game will not feature a season pass, meaning that all downloadable content will be free moving forward. This is a huge step forward for the Call of Duty series, which has been criticized for years for its overpriced map packs that fragment the player base. Both additions cast Modern Warfare as the series’ most consumer-friendly game yet.
While details are still scarce, we’re still incredibly excited for Modern Warfare from what we’ve heard. What do you think?
Play your favorite Nintendo Switch games online for free with Amazon Prime.
Amazon just made trading and battling Pokémon online way cheaper.
If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can now claim a new offer of 12 free months of Nintendo Switch Online with a Prime member account. You can get the first three months when claiming the offer, and the other nine months 60 days after making the first claim.
The offer is worth $20 and is available for download from Amazon through Twitch Prime. The 12 months will stack on top of whatever time you may have already purchased for Nintendo Switch online.
This is one deal in a long line of offers Amazon has made with gamers through Twitch and Amazon Prime.
Nintendo has several games that utilize online capabilities available in its store including Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, Super Smash Bros: Ultimate, and Fortnite. With Nintendo Switch Online, you also get access to classic games from the Nintendo Entertainment System’s vast library.
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Fortnite creator Epic Games, has made a name for himself by shaking up the gaming scene. His contentious feud with Google made headlines last year, and Epic Games turned heads again with the implementation of its own innovative online storefront. Sweeney is again getting attention after making the bold proclamation that smartphones will be the future of gaming.
In an interview with Business Insider, Sweeney said that the eventual industry shift toward mobile gaming was inevitable. In the interview, Sweeney asserted that most game companies unjustly view mobile ports of their games as “dumbed-down” versions of the original titles.
Image courtesy Epic Games
Epic Games has been making moves to support handheld gaming for some time now. The studio has long worked to implement effective cross-play mechanics that allow gamers playing Fortnite on mobile to play with console players. This move has been met with varying degrees of success; players have cited a distinct gap in skill level between smartphone users and players on other consoles. This gap seems to be due, at least in part, to the inherent limitations smartphone users must contend with. Namely, the lack of a distinct controller or dedicated hardware means smartphone users will usually be at a disadvantage when matched with console gamers.
Epic Games has also announced the release of the Epic Online Service. This software developer kit would allow creators to implement cross-play functionality in their games, a move designed to encourage more inclusion for smartphone gamers.
Sweeney’s words aren’t entirely without merit. A new generation of gaming smartphones is hitting the market, such as the newly released Black Shark 2. Google has also turned its attention to smartphone gaming with the announcement of its new Stadia gaming platform. In addition to PCs and TVs, players will be able to use Stadia to stream triple-A games directly to their smartphone’s browser window. Only time will tell if Sweeney is correct in his predictions.
Which battle royale game gives you the most bang for your buck?
With over 50 million players and counting, Apex Legends has taken the online gaming community by complete storm. When you have a well-crafted battle royale game backed by a triple A company and the game is released as free to play, it’s no surprise that the title would rise to the top. It’s a milestone for sure, but obviously, EA and Respawn Entertainment aren’t the first to do it. It’s a formula that PUBG did, that H1Z1 did it, and Fortnite has been absolutely killing it with. So now for the question that’s on everybody’s mind now that Apex Legends is on the up and up: “Is Fortnite on its way out?”
It’s definitely way too early to say, but the competition is surprisingly fierce – probably fiercer than Epic Games had expected. To EA’s credit, releasing Apex Legends during the slow period of Fortnite’s long seventh season was a stroke of genius. Many bored Fortnite players picked up Apex Legends just to see what the hype was about, and whether this battle royale game was better than the reigning champion. Evidently, many found this to be the case, as it’s climbed up to the top of both Twitch’s ‘most watched’ and ‘most popular’ lists, Fortnite falling to third on both counts:
One might think that the opening weeks aren’t any real indication of a game’s longevity or quality, but the frank truth is that PUBG never did recover from Fortnite’s initial splash. Like any good battle royale player, though, Epic Games was quick on the trigger, and is already working to reel their audience back in.
How?
With lots of money (offered to players as rewards through tournaments) and by directly incorporating some successful Apex mechanics into Fortnite, namely the game’s ping system. Rumors are also circulating about Epic Games putting in Apex Legends’ respawn system in a coming update.
An upcoming respawn mechanic in Fortnite might look like this.
So who wins when two titans duke it out, trying to endlessly one-up each other?
We do!
A new free contender in the battle royale genre? That just means more opportunities to hop online and see which game we like better! In the end, that’s kind of the best way to look at things: Neither game is objectively better than the other; they both offer different facets to the experience.
Comparing Fortnite to Apex Legends
Graphics
Apex Legends takes on a less “arcadey” aesthetic than Fortnite
Apex Legends is obliquely set in the Titanfall universe, and carries some of the grit and more realistic character models with it. Fortnite fully embraces its unique visual aesthetic, and bumps the zaniness to 11 with players running around dabbing, riding chicken parachutes, and dressed as bananas.
Perspective
3rd-person shooter, or 1st-person shooter? You pick.
Fortnite plays in 3rd-person, while Apex Legends is the more classic 1st-person shooter. This means the player perspective in Apex Legends in smaller, and their view cone thinner. As with the graphics, Apex Legends is trying to push for a more realistic, less arcade experience.
Fortnite has building
There is no building or resource mining in Apex Legends
Players making the switch from Fortnite to Apex Legends will immediately notice the lack of a building mechanic. Some will be frustrated with the limited mobility (Apex doesn’t have vehicles, either), but others will glad to return to the genre’s shooter roots without having to worry about building battles or resource acquisition.
Apex legends has classes
Eight classes, eight play styles. More are on the way.
Apex Legends has eight (with more incoming) different Legends you can play as, each with their own unique perks and passives. This dramatically changes player encounters, and adds a fresh element to the mix (though Fortnite players might argue that building served much the same purpose).
The strength of the pack is the wolf, the strength of the wolf is the pack.
Sure, you can free fall onto a different part of the map than your buddies, but that happens pretty rarely. In Apex Legends you’re not alone; you’re on a squad of three players who are your only chance of getting back into the fight if you’re downed or killed. This offers a (weighted) chance to get back in the ring that many players will be excited to have, but other players may find it frustrating to kill the same players multiple times per game.
Fortnite has more people per match
Since Apex Legends isn’t a free-for-all, there are fewer players
There are 100 players in a Fortnite Battle Royale match, and there are only 60 players per match of Apex Legends, a little over half the people, and therefore half the chaos. Combine that with the fact that many players go solo in Fortnite, and you’re looking at a much more frenetic experience.
Cosmetics
We’re probably not going to see Caustic or Wraith ‘swipin’ it.’
Like Fortnite, Apex Legends is 100% free to play, but offers aesthetic upgrades to player skins, weapon skins, finishers, and emotes. Fortnite’s got a huge array of character customization, ranging from cool, to pop culture references, to absolutely ludicrous. Everyone’s got a lot of personality in Fortnite, and so far that’s not the case with Apex Legends. This comes as the result of Apex Legends already having eight established and fully voice-acted characters, though.
Each Legend has a fully voice-acted personality.
Right now Fortnite also has the advantage of multiple game modes, a larger community, and most importantly a name and culture behind it. Apex had a great launch and established themselves as a true competitor to Fortnite, but Fortnite is a game that’s held that top spot for years. Given the huge cultural phenomenon that Fortnite has become – and moreover, its continued popularity this long after launch – it’s not going to be that easy for Apex Legends to swoop in and steal the crown.
In the meantime, enjoy the fruits of the competing companies’ labors, and drop into whichever game is your favorite. Let us know in the comments below which game that is, and we’ll see you online!
Fortnite players were treated to a new event this weekend: the Ice Storm. The event kicked off on Saturday, with the arrival of the Ice King.
Many players noticed that a strange figure had appeared in the game, suspended in a frozen orb high above Polar Peak. On Saturday, the event revealed that this figure was none other than the Ice King, who burst out of the orb and summoned a fierce winter storm that blanketed the entire Fortnite island in snow and ice.
With the event comes a new series of challenges, the Ice Storm Challenges. These began to appear on Saturday and will unlock over the next several days. You can complete these special Ice Storm challenges to earn extra XP.
Fortnite players who were around in October of last year will find this event very familiar. It’s very similar to the Fortnitemares event. The creatures you’ll battle look very similar. They’re Ice Monsters instead of Cube Monsters, but they more or less act exactly the same.
Read on for a complete list of all the Ice Storm challenges as they are revealed.
The Ice Storm Challenges
The Ice Storm daily challenges are unlocked at the rate of two per day, and there are a total of 13 challenges to complete. Check back here often to see how to complete all of the challenges as they unfold.
Complete Ice Storm challenges (6)
This challenge rewards a special weapon wrap once you complete 6 of the other daily Ice Storm challenges.
Destroy Ice Fiends (250)
These are the smaller ice monsters and they’re very easy to kill, especially with a crossbow.
Deal damage with explosive weapons to the Ice Legion (5,000)
In this challenge, you need to do damage to any type of ice monster with any type of explosive weapon. Load up with a rocket launcher or grenade launcher and aim into groups of the ice monsters to quickly complete this challenge.
Destroy Ice Brutes (100)
These guys are bigger and tougher than the ice fiends, but a few well-aimed headshots with a crossbow will take them down quickly.
Deal damage with Assault Rifles or Pistols to the Ice Legion (10,000)
Keep on killing ice monsters with this challenge, but with specific weapons: assault rifles or pistols. This challenge completes when you tally up 10,000 in damage.
Destroy Ranged Ice Fiends (150)
These guys look just like the regular Ice Fiends, but they throw snowballs at you as they advance. Destroy 150 of them to complete the challenge.
Destroy Golden Ice Brutes (20)
They’re big. They’re beautiful. They’re golden. You’ll spot these brutes only in the later stages of the game, but when they do appear they’re easy to spot. It takes a lot to dispatch with a Golden Ice Brute, but when they fall, they drop some nice loot.
Deal damage to the Ice Legion in a single match (2000)
Dealing 2,000 damage in one match may seem like a daunting task, but it’s very doable. Simply keep an eye out for enemy players and stay alive as long as possible. As long as you’re focused on taking down Legion enemies, you should be able to complete this task with no issue.
Destroy an Ice Shard in different matches (10)
Ice shards are the jagged, frigid looking ice blocks that serve as spawn points for the Legion. They can take a fair amount of hits before exploding, but with high damage weapons you should be able to make short work of them. Destroy a shard in 10 seperate matches to complete the challenge.
Destroy elite members of the Ice Legion (100)
Similar to Golden Brutes, Ice Legion elites tend to show up towards the final stages of a match. You can tell them apart from their standard counterparts by their glowing limbs. Come prepared: elites can take more damage before going down. Take out 100 to finish the challenge.
Deal damage with Shotguns or SMGs to the Ice Legion (10,000)
Similar to previous challenges in the set, this specific iteration tasks you with using Shotguns or Submachine Guns to deal damage to the horde. Keep plugging away, and this challenge will complete as soon as you rack up 10,000 points.
Destroy members of the Ice Legion (300) This one should be pretty simple. Just grab your weapon of choice and go to town. Drop 300 members of the Ice Legion (any enemy type will do), and this challenge will be complete.
Deal damage to the Ice Legion (20,000)
Another damage dealing challenge, except this one tasks you with dealing a hefty 20,000 damage to the Legion. If you focus exclusively on taking down Ice Legion enemies, you may be able to get this done in a single match. Otherwise, keep plugging away and soon enough you’ll have completed the final challenge on the list.
Ice Storm Challenges – Rewards
When you complete 6 of the 13 Ice Storm challenges, you’ll win the Blue Metallic Wrap, and optional item to decorate your weapons.
When you complete all 13 of the Ice Storm challenges, you’ll earn the mystical Winter’s Thorn Glider.
More about the Ice Storm
Let it Snow!
The first thing you’ll notice about the game is that the entire map is covered in snow.
This transformation occurred in the live in-game event on Saturday, and it was pretty impressive. Take a look at this video of the storm’s arrival.
Tips for Fighting the Ice Monsters
The monsters spawn from Ice Spikes, large blue formations of ice that appear in random locations throughout the map.
The daily challenges so far are pretty simple: kill ice monsters and kill a lot of them.
You’ll find that it’s much easier to complete all of the challenges if you join a team in squad mode. Although you can fight solo, all the gunfire will draw attention to you and you’ll be an easy target for other players.
Want to complete the challenges in solo mode? You can do it if you pick a corner of the map, where other players are much less likely to land.
The Golden Ice Brutes are the toughest of the Ice Monsters and have the nicest loot drops. They only appear in the later stages of the game, when the storm circle is smaller, and opposing players are more likely to be lurking nearby, ready to pick you off.
Just when you thought the Mushroom Kingdom had nothing left to offer, one game developer decided that Mario needed the Fortnite treatment. 
Wrapping up
Amazon just made trading and battling Pokémon online way cheaper.
