As we inch closer to the big spring game releases (like Dark Souls 3, and The Division) news is starting to pick up again. Luckily for you, we’re here to break down a few of today’s highlights. In today’s Gaming Daily, it sounds like Street Fighter V might be getting an arcade mode later on, the HTC Vive was finally given a price, there’s a massive update coming to Gears of War Ultimate Edition, over 6.4 million people took part in The Division‘s open beta this weekend, and Dark Souls III‘s digital pre-order bonuses have been revealed.
Street Fighter VÂ may be getting an arcade mode.
Since Street Fighter V hit shelves last week, there’ve been a ton of complaints from both technical and content standpoints. Though Capcom is already working on a fix for the server issues, the lack of an arcade mode–which was previously a staple in the Street Fighter series–remains a problem. Luckily, it sounds like the company might be incorporating it later on.
A representative recently told the folks at Forbes that “The team is looking into adding an Arcade Mode and we’ll have more information to share soon.”  According to the same source, the company is also planning on adding a difficulty slider to the existing character stories.
By the sound of their remark, it certainly sounds like the mode’s inclusion is imminent. With the full story-mode releasing in June (as free DLC), there’s hope that the arcade mode will be patched in along with it.
HT: Forbes
HTC Vive’s expensive pricing leaked.
After the Oculus Rift’s controversial price reveal, we’ve been hoping and praying that the rest of the VR headsets would be listed at a more reasonable price point. While we’re still waiting on Sony’s PlayStation VR, the pricing information for Valve and HTC’s Vive was leaked earlier today, and it wasn’t what consumers were hoping to hear. In short, it’s actually more expensive than the Rift. According to reports around the web, you’re going to have to fork over $799 for the device. Though that’s a scary number, you’ll be scoring two controllers, the base stations, and two games (Job Simulator, and Fantastic Contraption), which isn’t that outlandish if you think about it.
HT: Nerdist
Massive Gears of War Ultimate Edition update on the way.
If you’re a Gears fan, I have some great (yet sort of annoying) news for you. The Coalition revealed today that a massive update is on the way from Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. The 5 GB–which launches February 23, at 9 AM PST / 12 PM EST, and must be downloaded to play online–patch will offer fixes for server issues, Boomshot hit registration, matchmaking problems, and more.
Aside from the Boomshot difficulties (which the developer noted has had “inconsistent performance”) the other big fix on the way makes changes to the Seriously achievement. Previously, the only kills that counted towards it came from competitive playlists. With the update, kills in social playlists will also count. To mark the change to “Seriously,” the developer will be running a week-long special event called “Seriously TDM,” which will go live tomorrow February 23, and run through 12 PM PST / 3 PM EST on February 29.
The other changes they listed includes:
- Addressed some matchmaking issues that caused long wait times
- Improvements to hit registration on downed enemies (sponging)
- Small improvements to the Left Trigger Issue
- Fixed hit detection when shooting an enemy in cover against the top pillars on Clocktower
- Removed POI on Right Stick for Alternate Control Scheme
- Bug fixes and general improvements
- Increased XP in the Execution playlist
- Warzone is a permanent playlist
- Assassination returns as temporary playlist
- Blitz moves from competitive to social playlist
For more information, check out the full blog post (linked below).
HT: Gearsofwar.com
The Division‘s open beta breaks records, rakes in 6.4 million players.
Look out Destiny, The Division is here to take your crown! Over the weekend, Ubisoft hosted an open beta for their upcoming open-world, third-person shooter. According to the developer, over 6.4 million people played across platforms. Considering Destiny raked in about 4.6 million players back in the summer of 2014, the statistic is pretty impressive. On average, players spent about five hours as an activated sleeper agent, with the Dark Zone being a fan favorite. After playing the open-beta for ourselves, we’re pretty pumped for the game’s launch on March 8.
HT: Nerdist
Dark Souls 3 digital pre-order bonuses revealed.
If you’re as excited as we are for Dark Souls III‘s release in April, and are prepared to pre-order, you’re going to like this next one. Bandai Namco has revealed the digital bonuses you’ll be able to score by pre-ordering the game. The content varies between platforms, so lets waste no time and get into it.
If you decide to pre-order Dark Souls III on the PS4, you’ll receive the “Fire Fades” dynamic theme, and a digital copy of the official soundtrack. While the theme is available immediately, the soundtrack won’t be delivered until the game’s launch.
As for PC, pre-ordering on Steam will get you the soundtrack, and a $5 discount on the game as long as you already own the first two. Unlike the PS4 version, there’s no indication as to whether you’ll receive the soundtrack right away, or later on. We’re assuming it will probably be the same.
Though the folks who pre-order the game for the Xbox One won’t be getting the soundtrack, they’ll be given a free copy of the original Dark Souls, thanks to the system’s backwards compatibility capability. According to the publisher, the code will arrive 7-10 days after you place your order.
The cream of the crop, however, is the digital deluxe version, which is available across all three platforms. Forking over $85 for this bad boy will get you the same pre-order bonuses for that particular console, plus the title’s slate of DLC. We don’t know much about what the developer has planned, but judging by the additional content released for the previous entries, it will definitely be worth the extra $25.
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That’s it for today’s Gaming Daily. Keep Nerdist tabbed for upcoming gaming news, reviews, and features. In the mood to discuss what you read? Join the conversation on Facebook, or start one up with me on Twitter: @Samantha_Sofka
