When you upgrade your PlayStation Plus membership to tiers above Essential, you’re going to get a lot more games. B??ut, of all the current PS Plus games in the catalog,?? which ones are the best in terms of multiplayer?

We have some recommendations below.

The 10 best PS Plus multiplayer games

There are two other tiers for PS Plus, so we’ll also note which one is for which service to give you a better idea of which one to get or what’s available?? in your current subscription??.

For Honor - Extra

For Honor has been around fo??r over seven years at this point, but has received so much content ranging from ne?w maps, characters, customizations, and progression options. Team up with some friends to take on the PvE or PvE modes in this brawler. 

It takes a while to get???? good at a game like this since it’s different than many other games in this genre, but once you get some decent combos and defensive plays down, this opens up tenfold.

Monster Hunter Rise - Extra

With Monster Hunter Wilds on the horizon, now is the best time to get into the latest installation of the franchise to prepare for it. Rise is more akin to the classic formula of the MH games, borrowing a lot of the more modernized stuff from World, but also making it better.

The cooperative aspect is seamless and just more fun with more people coordinating awesome methods to hunt, trap, and beat the monsters. If you’re looking for a game to introduce you to the franchise, you will not be disappointed with Monster Hunter Rise.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege - Premium

Similar to For Honor, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege? has been out for a long time, having so many maps, operators, and content that awaits. Admittedly, this game is a sweat fest, but as long as you ignore the ranked side and team up with some friends for casuals, it’s a great time.

This game breaks away from the twitch shooter aspect that many may have grown tired of from games like Call of Duty. It??’s slower, more tactical, and me??thodical. You still need to be a decent shot, but each operator has their own set of weapons and gadgets that can help snag that win.

Killing Floor 2 - Extra

Killing Floor 2 is a round-based zombie shooter game with classes. The cooperative ?aspect of it makes this so much fun, especially when pitted against the hundreds of z??ombies (or Zeds as they are called in-game). 

With so many maps to choose from and so many builds in the game, you can easily have dozens of hours slaying these Zeds. There’s even a PvP aspect of the game if you and your group are fee??ling competitive.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge - Extra

If you want a classic beat ‘em up in the modern era, TMNT Shredder’s Revenge is the best you’ll get from the PS Plus collection. It’s an awesome party game that’s so reminiscent of the S?ega Genesis and arcade era of ??16-bit games. 

The best part i?s, if you have a group above four people, you can play up to six players a??t once!

Worms W.M.D - Extra

The Worms games were all wacky fun with hilarious physics, explosions, and interactions. To break away from games that have a more cooperative aspect, Worms W.M.D is all abou??t blowing ??up all the competition to be the one to get out on top. 

It’s?? an easy game to get into, whether you have ever tried 2D tank-sty?led games or not.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 - Premium

The Division 2 is one of the bigger looter shooter games? out right now that isn’t free to play. It has only gotten better since it was first released. Having a full-on cooperative aspect, PvP, and a sizeable community, this is something you can easily sink over a hundred hours into.

The gunplay and all th???e builds are for the hardcore, but the initial playthrough of the base campaign will still provide plenty of fun for casuals.

Serious Sam Collection - Premium

If you want a more cooperative experience with a shooter, the Serious Sam Collection is go??ing to be a blast. Being more akin to early 2000s boomer shooters, this collection of games will provide you and your friends with dozens of hours of ??high-octane shooter gameplay.

While highly unlikely, you can play cooperative mode with? up to 16 players. Th?e action will be insane and hilarious all at the same time.

Moving Out - Extra

If you want a more party-centric multiplayer game in the PS Plus catalog, Moving Out will scratch that itch and then some. Think of these games being an extension of the Overcooked ?games. You’re constantly walking over your teammates and other obstacles to get the job?? done.

You might break a few things or have a huge fail along the way, but it’s all ??in good fun.

Overcooked 2 - Extra

Carrying the momentum forward from Moving Out, Overcooked is the OG of birds-eye view, cooperative, item-moving games. The experience in the second game is different almost every single time since everyone is frantically trying to get their ta?sks done and efficiently. 

The post 10 Best PS Plus multiplayer games appeared first on Destructoid.

Xbox One X support, as well

If you've been dying to kill stuff with buddies in the blood filled Killing Floor 2, but only own an Xbox One, then today is a good day for you. Launching next month on August 29, Tripwire Interactive has announced that Killing Floor 2 will be shooting its w??ay on over to Xbox One with some timed exclusive content. The game will retail for $39.99/£ 34.99 (UK)/€39.99 (EU) and wil?l include all previously released DLC packs.

If you don't own the XBone, but you're looking to pick up the Xbox One X, then you're also in for a treat! When the refreshed console launches on November 7, Killing Floor 2 will have support ready to go.

One of the new guns mentioned is a Freezethrower, which is exactly what it sounds like. You'll be able to spray liquid nitrogen at zeds (this game's version of zo?mbies) and then shatter them with melee attacks. There will also be som?e new armor called the "Wasteland Armor" and a bunch of extra skins for it.

As for what the Xbox One X patch will include, the obvious is 4K resolution (seeing as how Microsoft is in love with that). Tripwire Interactive al??so mentions increased performance, higher resolution textures and incre??ased shadow-fade-out-distance. That sounds ever so vital to the experience.

The post Killing Floor 2 murders its way ont??o ?Xbox One next month appeared first on Destructoid.

Midgets on stilts!

Tripwire Interactive took the stage at the PC Gaming Show to show off some of Killing Floor 2's next seasonal event, titled Summer Sideshow. This is a (free) limited time event that?? will last for a mere month and comes with 50 cosmetics, two new weapons, and crazy game modes.

Oh, and it kicks off tomorrow! There's also a free week and sale st??arting tomorrow, which sounds like a perfect jumping off point for people like me who haven't jump on board yet. The trailer does a great job of showing off the style and humor of the event.

The post Killing Floor 2’s Summer Sideshow event hits tomorrow in addition to free week appeared first on Destructoid.

Photo op!

It looks like the leak from last week was correct; June's PS Plus free games will include Life is Strange and Killing Floor 2 on PS4. Finally, a good month for titles, even if I wasn't too keen on how Life is Strange ended. That final chapter was pretty bad.

As for the other systems, I'm not sure I've actually heard of any of these. I know of WRC from past titles, but WRC 5 wasn't supposed to be that good. The Vita games (which are also cross-buy on PS4) are total unknowns to m??e. I guess this is going to be an exploratory month, although I don't know if I care enough.

• Killing Floor 2 - PS4
• Life is Strange - PS4
• Abyss Odyssey - PS3
• WRC 5: World Rally Championship - PS3
• Neon Chrome - PS Vita (crossbuy with PS4)
• Spy Chameleon - PS Vita (crossbuy on PS4)

What I'd really like is for Sony to come up with some way to get P??S3 games playing on PS4. Even if Microsoft's Games with Gold titles are sometimes crappy, you don't need to have multiple devices plugged in to enjoy the titles. Hell, I'd even accept PlayStation Now if I didn't need to subscribe to the service. That lack of backward compatibility sucks, but at least we're half-way there with cross-buy on the Vita titles.

PS Plus: Free Games for June 2017 [PlayStation Blog]

The post PS Plus June’s game selection is strange appeared first on Destructoid.

~400 hours and counting

Over the last year and a half, I've been playing a ton of Killing Floor 2 (just under 400 hours) during its time on Steam Early Access. It's an in-staff joke at this point: if news about the game pops up, the team knows I want to read it and cover it. The number of times I've begged  my co-workers to play with me is bordering on pathetic. I'm sorry that I wanted to play one of my favorite cooperative sho??oters ever with you, guys. How dare I want to share with you some of the most satisfyin?g gunplay I've ever seen?

Of course, with it finally le??aving Early Access, I have to separate the time that I've played from what's actually being presented in the final product. I have to ignore the ups and downs during development, the numerous balance changes, the focus shifts. I'll do my b??est, but I'm pretty sure you can already tell I love this damn game.

Killing Floor 2 (PC [reviewed], PS4 [tested on both regular and Pro])
Developer: Tripwire Interactive
Publisher: Deep Silver, Iceberg Interactive
Release: November 18, 2016
MSRP: $29.99 (PC Standard Edition), $39.99 (PC Digital Deluxe Edition, PS4)

A biotech company called Horzine went and created a bunch of horrible monsters, and now soldiers, mercenaries, and survivors are trying to clean up the mess. Killing Floor 2 follows a ver??y simple loop, but it does it so well that I don't mind. You and up to five friends have to fight ten waves of Zeds (genetically engineered monsters), earning money with each kill so you can buy increasingly ridiculous weapons. At the end of the ten waves, you fight one of two bosses. Aside from the Versus mode -- more on that later -- that's it for now. Other modes will assuredly be added, as Tripwire Interactive supports its games for much longer than most developers. 

If you need a campaign or multiple modes to keep your attention, this might not be the ga?me for you. It's essentially a horde mode turned into a full game. While that may sound repetitive, the insane tactility and attention to detail p??ut into the weapons and combat has kept my attention for longer than I thought possible. There are ten perks (classes) to choose from: Berserker, Commando, Demolitionist, Field Medic, Firebug, Gunslinger, Sharpshooter, Support, Survivalist, and S.W.A.T. Leveling them up and gradually becoming better-versed in survival on the hardest difficulties just hasn't stopped being satisfying for me.

There are eleven different monsters ranging from basic zombie-like creatures called Clots that shamble toward you to Scrakes, well-muscled menaces with a chainsaw for an arm. Some perks are better-geared towards killing certain enemies, so teamwork is more important here than most co-op games I've played. When you feel comfortable enough and move onto higher difficulties, the Zeds gain new abilities in addition to more health and damage. Due to the new tactics employed by your mutated opponents, playing on the hardest mode, Hell on Earth, is frantic and fast-paced, feeling like a completely different game than Normal difficul?ty.

After cleaving through the ten waves, it's boss time. You'll fight either Dr. Hans Volter, an emaciated sadist in an exoskeleton suit, or the Patriarch, the former CEO of Horzine who's now an abomination equipped with a rocket launcher and a gatling gun. Both bosses can kill careless players in seconds, so it's best to stay close to your friends and keep each other healed. Volter and the Patriarc??h can both heal themselves three times, which can make the boss battles feel formulaic at times, but there are now ways to prevent them from doing so. When Hans' health is low, he has a forcefield and he'll try to grab you and drain your life. If you can do enough damage, you can knock the shield off. The Patriarch will try to cloak and run away to stick himself with a healing syringe. If you block his exit or leave C4 on him and detonate it at the last moment -- boom, you win.

Each perk has 25 levels, with two abilities to choose from on every fifth level. While some of these skills can't compare to each other and there's an obvious choice, it's always exciting to find reach the next tier and further realize your perk's potential. Most of the classes don't quite feel specialized until you reach about level ten, but beyond that, you'll be earning fun abilities that can help you narrow down your role. For example, Demolitionist can focus on being a crowd clearer with a larger area of effect per explosion??, or honing in on taking out the big bads. Gunslinger and Sharpshooter, perks focused on dual pistols and ranged weapons respectively, get a skill later on that provides extra damage if you chain headshots, turning aiming into a sort of minigame.

The first fifteen levels go by rather quickly, but reaching the cap for each perk takes a looooong time. Again, I have about 380 hours in the game and I haven't maxed out each one (though the tenth perk was only added last week). I'm almost there, but if you don't plan on putting as much time into this game as I have over the last year and a half and want to reach the harder difficulties, I'd recommend focusin??g on a few perks instead of trying to do all of them.

A game this simple lives and dies by how satisfying it is to shoot all the things, and Killing Floor 2 has some of the most sublime combat I've ever played. There are about 40 different weapons, as well as original grenades and knives for each perk (aside from Survivalist, which can use everyone else's weapons). Almost every weapon is unique and a joy to use, whether it's based on a real weapon like a SCAR or is something more outlandish like the microwave gun, which turns every monster into popcorn, exploding in a shower of gore. The attention to detail with the weapons actually makes Tripwire Interactive's staff seem like terrifying gun nuts. They all sound great, have fun idle animations that you can trigger when hitting reload with a full magazine, and all just feel right.

Some of this satisfaction is due to the games' M.E.A.T. (Massive Evisceration and Trauma) system, which makes it so Zeds can be dissected in 22 different ways. By the time you leave a room, it's going to drenched with persistent blood that remains until you finish the level. Popping off limbs and heads should be horrifyin?g -- and the game definitely isn't for kids -- but it mostly provides great feedback for each shotgun blast or melee slice. Using weapons like katanas and shovels is especially fun, feeling more tactile and solid than melee combat in most first-person shooters. Directional combat, power attacks, and a block and parry system help to flesh the fighting out.

The other main mode, Versus Survival, divides players into Zeds and humans. It plays similarly to Left 4 Dead's Versus mode. When Tripwire introduced this mode earlier this year, it wasn't met with a ton of fanfare. It was initially poorly balanced, and though it was actually pretty damn cool to play as the monsters, the playerbase gradually dwindled. I hadn't played it for awhile until recently, but it's a lot more fun than I remembered. I'm hoping that it'll find more players on PS4. It needs some more tuning, as you sometimes feel rather weak as some of the smaller monsters, but I do like the idea. Playing as the Scrake and the Fleshpound (a hulking monstrosity with spinning mallets for arms) and terrorizing the hum?ans gives me hope that a fresh infusion of players will give Versus Survival new life.

At launch, Killing Floor 2 has twelve different maps ranging from the streets of Paris (with the Eiffel tower burning in the background) to the catacombs under Italy. Each one has its spots that are best for hunkering down and holding out, but you can play in a more mobile way if you like. Despite red being the main color you'll see in the game, almost every map uses vibrant colors that helps to make them stand out. For instance, the snowy Outpost level has a glowing blue/green aurora borealis floating above, and the Prison map has a purple sky with what looks like the Paleblood moon from Bloodborne staring down at you from the heavens.

While it may be overshadowed graphically by games like Battlefield 1 due to still using a modified version of Unreal Engine 3, Killing Floor 2's strong art direction, use of vibrant color, and great animations make it one of the smoothest games I've played, especially on PC. I've been testing it on both the PlayStation 4 and the PS4 Pro as well, and while it still looks great, the frame rate isn't consistent. On the Pro, it uses checkerboard rendering at 3200x1800 for a 4K experience and gets the added benefit of the PC version's Ultra textures. While it looks similar to the PC version on higher settings, it ranges from 40-60 frames per second, which might be jarring for some players. For me, staying at 40 and above is fine when I'm on a console, but I still vastly prefer the look of the PC version (especially with my 144 Hz monitor....mmm). Plus, Hell on Earth requires such precision and coordination that I'm not sure I'd be able to pull it off on a?? controller. Some of you probably will do just fine, but the game feels much faster with a mouse and keyboard.

Since we're talking about treats to the senses, I have to mention the audio. The gun pornography I mentioned earlier is especially effective because each weapon just sounds so powerful. The Zeds, which didn't have voices at the beginning of Early Access, emit horrible noises now, and it makes them much more menacing. All of this mayhem is set to the music of metal bands like Demon Hunter, Impending Doom, and Living Sacrifice and the more industrial stuff is done by zYnthetic, who did music for the first game. While I prefer zYthetic's stuff overall, the metal gives it that this is a goddamn video game feel that Doom doe?s. You can turn on the vocals as they're disabled at the start, but I really didn't get on with them.

On PC, there's a large amount of content such as maps and gametypes already available via Steam Workshop. Tripwire has expressed interest in keeping the PC and PS4 updated side-by-side, but it remains to be seen how it can achieve that without the Workshop being available on console. What is in both versions is the Zedconomy, which is a system that has weapon skins and wearable cosmetics drop daily. These can be sold and traded on the ??PC version, but it's not yet live on the PS4 so I can't determine how it'll work. I imagine you'll just be able to buy those items as microstransactions if you'd like, but that's purely speculatory for now. I get a kick out of getting some of the more bizarre cosmetics (especially when they drop for free daily), but players who don't like this should know that it's completely optional and doesn't affect gameplay in any way. There are no stat bonuses or anything like that here.

Killing Floor 2, like its predecessor, is something I'll be returning to for a long time. It's not often that I stick with a multiplayer game for any length of time, but this one has its hooks in me deep. At the end, yes, you're fighting the same enemies with the same weapons over and over again, but the level of challenging chaos keeps me coming back. Just know that as high as my score is, this is a repetitive game by nature. However, as previously mentioned, Tripwire updated the first game for years with new weapons, maps, modes, and enemies, too, so this is like an investment that I've already broken even on and will continue to reap benefits from. If you need something simple where you can jump in and shoot some of the best guns ever, Killing Floor 2 is you??r game. Now?? fucking play it with me, Jordan (and all of you guys, too!).

The post Review: Killing Floor 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Codes are over at GameSpot

If you've been reading me gush about Killing Floor 2 for the last year but don't own a PC, you might be in luck. A closed beta for the PlayStation 4 i?s ava??ilable starting today and ending tomorrow.

The beta is a pared-down ve??rsion of the main game, with only three maps (Burning Pari?s, Biotic Labs, and Evacuation Point) available for the moment. Aside from that, there are fourteen characters, both the survival and versus modes, and nine player classes to choose from.

If you want to be part of the beta, there's a form over on GameSpot that you have to fill out. You'll also have to follow them on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. ??After that, you immediately get the code for either NA or EU depending on your preference. Just make sure you fill out the right region, or you'll get an invalid code!

I've played a few matches already to get a feel for the console version and compare it to the game I've already poured almost 400 hours into. It mostly runs at a solid 60 FPS until things get hectic, and the control scheme is more comfortable than I was expecting. Since this is one of the titles that's supposed to benefit from the PS4 Pro, I'm curious to see how that looks on my TV (there's footage here).

As chaotic and tense as Killing Floor 2 can get on Hell on Earth difficulty, I'll probably still be sticking with the PC version (plus stats and levels don't carry over), but it seems like a solid port for those who prefer PS4. I'm still wondering if we'll see Sony-exclusive characters or weapons; blasting Zeds as Uncharted's Drake would be a good time.

Killing Floor 2 PS4 Closed Beta Key Giveaway [GameSpot]

The post Killing Floor 2’s PS4 closed beta begins today, here’s how to get in appeared first on Destructoid.

There are benefits even without a 4K TV

I had forgotten that the PlayStation 4 Pro is coming out this year. Part of that stems from my lack of a 4K television now and into the foreseeable future, part of it has to do with the not exactly long list of games that'll see visual enhancements in 2016, and part of it has to do with the just-released PlayStation VR, which is overshadowing the console in my mind. The Pro seems nice and all, but is it $400 nice? Probably ??not for someone like me who has already invested in Sony's current hardware.

In the days leading up to the system's November 10 release, we're bound to see and hear much more from developers whose games will tap into that extra power. One such game is Killing Floor 2, which you can g??et ??a sense of in this trailer and screenshot collection. The PS4 Pro features are:

• "1800p checkboard rendering on 4K TV (3200x1800) optimized for 4K TVs."
• "Effectively supersampling and increased fps on HDTV."
• "Using additional memory to [increase] texture resolution to 'Ultra Textures.'"

The game itself won't be out until Nov. 18, and that also goes for the out-of-Early-Access PC version.

By covering anything related to Killing Floor, I run the risk of Zack kidnapping me for a forced co-op session in some underground bunker. He's been trying to get me to play Killing Floor 2 with him for months and months to no avail. If I ever disappear, you know where to look first.

The post Here’s how Killing Floor 2 looks running on PS4 Pro appeared first on Destructoid.

Mix and match, baby

As Killing Floor 2 creeps closer to full Steam release this November, players have been wondering what the final perk (character class) would be. Some community folks dug into the code and found references to the Martial Artist, which everyone assumed would be a faster Berserker variant with katanas and throwing stars, but Tripwire Interactive recently announced that Martial Artist would not be the tenth perk. I asked the developer what it was goi?ng to be, and today we have the answer: the Survivalist.

Instead of new weapons a?nd a new focus, the Survivalist is a hybrid class that allows you to create your own build. Players have been demanding more cross-perk support, and this might fill that niche. While the perk won't sp?ecifically excel at what other classes specialize in, it can allow your dreams of being a flaming Berserker or a healing Demolitionist to come true. I'll let the Tripwire design team describe its intentions:

The Survivalist perk functions a bit differently than other perks in that it is a jack of all trades perk?, whereas all the others are specialists.  The Survivalist has passive abilities that make it effective with a wide range of weapons and capable of withstanding an impressive amount of damage, while its skills allow the perk to serve in a number of roles? based on player choices.  For example:

Want to be a better medic than just using your injector, but also want bigger explosions an?d to carry more weapons?  The Survivalist can do that.  Want some extra power in melee combat, but you also want to have healing grenades? The Survivalist can do that too.  While the Survivalist will not be as effective as other perks in their chosen specialty (a Survivalist will never have the raw healing potential of a Field Medic), they can fulfill multiple roles in a team and use combinations of weapons from multiple perks more effectively than other perks.

Because of this level of complexity, the Surv?ivalist needs more attention to skill choices and playing to your strengths than other perks.  The Survivalist is a veteran player’s perk as it will take knowledge and skill to make use of the synergies the Survivalist can create through skill selection, weapon load outs, etc.  The Survivalist is sort of building block perk; it’s got a lot of awesome pieces, ??but it’s up to the player to build them in an effective combination.

We went with this perk in order to give players who wanted the ability to customize their characters more ways to do so. &nb??sp;Instead of making perks that were half one thing and half another, we created a single perk that allows players to dip into lots of different perks, letting them choose their play experience from a wider variety of options than the existing perks allowed. Secondarily, we wanted to create an option for players to fill a specific role in a game, like medic, without being limited to playing a single perk. Now players can be competitive across mul??tiple roles instead of being limited to one.  And they can use all the weapons in game effectively while doing so.

So we can choose our own grenade types and find awesome combos? I'm into it. I still wish we could have tried out Martial Artist, but maybe we'll see it later on down the line. Initially, I thought the Survivalist seemed like a copout because it's not a new perk per se, but now I'm excited to go on r/KillingFloor and see what combinations everyone comes up with. The players who miss when Sharpshooter and Gunslinger were rolled into one class can have that back again! As of right now there's no word on w??hen Survivalist will release, but with launch coming so soon, it can't be too far off.

The post Killing Floor 2’s tenth perk is the Survivalist appeared first on Destructoid.

Full release is edging closer and closer

Tripwire Interactive's Killing Floor 2 has had somewhat of a tumultuous Early Access. I've mostly enjoyed it from the beginning (it's my go-to shootgame because it feels so dang good), but that's not to say it's all been smooth sailing. Some players were upset that it wasn't ready for release in 2015, and others review bombed the game's Steam page ??when cosmetic mictrotransactions were introduced.

Since the beginning of the year, the developer has been redoubling its efforts on making sure to communicat?e with the playerbase. The most recent update released last week, Tactical Response, shows the fruits of that labor are delicious indeed.

The main addition is the SWAT perk and the Infernal Realm map (made by modder Swift_Brutal_Death), but there is so much more here that rounds out the game in preparation for its November release. You can find all of the major changes on this page, but here's a condensed list if you don't want to click away from the beautiful jbsgame.com: loyalty pistol and a??rmor skins for Early Access players, a be?tter cosmetic drop rate, new achievements, and new Zed behaviors and resistances.

SWAT is all about fa??st-firing submachine guns (MP7, MP5, P90, Kriss Vector, in supposed order of effecti?veness) and having a ton of armor. Tripwire's gun pornography is on full display here, and as always, everything is fun to shoot. The only one that seems out of place is the MP5. It's a second-tier weapon that seems like a bit of a downgrade from the MP7 in that it loses the nice dot sight, but it was recently made more powerful. That helps a bit, but I still usually skip it in order to go straight to the Vector, which is laser-accurate and helps to take down Scrakes like a champion.

Infernal Realm is a glorious little chunk of hell. There's a gigantic doomsday clock that rings throughout the halls, adding ambiance to an already impressive level. Cobbled-together skeletons and corpses in cages hang about, a??nd green flames flicker against the stone. I'm amazed that one person was able to build this whole thing, as polished as it is.

The loyalty skins seem to be a hit with many players that I've seen in the last few days. The pistol skins are a little bit too busy for my tastes, but the armored skin that makes you look like a futuristic soldier and can be worn by most characters is a cool bonus. I imagine a variant of it will eventually be for sale so players who buy after Early Access will be able to wear it too, but ??that remains to be seen. Cosmetic drops in general have been tuned to drop once a day instead of once every week, and supposedly better items will now appear instead of just cheap headband after headband.

By fa??r my favorite part of this update are the new Zed behaviors. All of the nasties that want to hurt you seem more eager to survive, dodging and defending themselves instead of walking straight into your bullets. For a time, higher difficulties like Suicidal and Hell on Earth just felt like faster versions of the normal game. Now, they're a devilish treat, as crawlers skitter away when you aim at them and Scrakes block their faces with their massive chainsaws. New squads of enemies also spawn now, so you might get five Husks all the sudden, or a Scrake on a really early wave. This all adds up to a more organic difficulty that's nice and tense, where I can't predict how every battle will go.

On top of those big changes, there are smaller things that make Killing Floor 2 feel just about ready for release. On the title screen there's a small portal that can take you to the official forums, to polls about current game balance, the Killing Floor: Uncovered short film, and other related material. It's a smart mov??e to get more people involved in the Early Access program, providing more collated feedback. There are also UI no??ises that make the menus seem more concrete. It's the little stuff, folks. I'm also happy to hear the Fleshpound finally have a terrifying voice again.

It's been a bit of a ride, but Killing Floor 2 is almost out. Once the tent??h and final (for now?) perk is released, it'll be November 18 and the PC and PS4 versions will be out for everyone to enjoy. I've gushed about the game a ton on this site, and as always? I'm happy to play with anyone here. Let's paint the town red.

The post Killing F??loor 2 feels much more finished with the Tactical Response update appeared first on Destructoid.

Incursion coming soon, Bullseye is out now

At the PC Gaming E3 show, a new trailer for Tripwire's Killing Floor 2 was dropped that details the brand new Bullseye update, which reintroduces the sharpsho??oter class back into the fight against murderous mutant clones.

Not only that, but the update is live right now. They did one of those launch-duri??ng-the-event d?eals.

But that wasn't it from Tripwire, as it also announced Killing Floor Incursion, a whole new Killing Floor game for the Oculus Rift and Oculus Touch controller. It isn't an adaptation of Killing Floor 2, but instead it's its entirely own project.

No date has been given for Incursion, however Killing Floor 2 is set to leave early access this autumn.

The post Ki??lling Floor Incursion announced for Oculus VR, and a new Killing Floor 2 ??update is live today appeared first on Destructoid.

It's finally here

There aren't many games that make me obsessively speculate about upcoming character classes, but I and many others have been waiting for Killing Floor 2's Sharpshooter perk (read: class) since it released on Steam Early Access last yea??r. Since it was in the first game and was missing in action for the past year in the ??half, most of the playerbase has been anticipating being able to use their scoped weapons to kill tougher enemies. Though Sharpshooter isn't officially out yet (Tripwire Interactive is making an announcement next week at E3), you can play the huge new update right now.

By right-clicking Killing Floor 2 in your Steam games list and going to properties, you can access the beta tab. Select "preview -" and you'll begin downloading the new Bullseye update. This includes the Sharpshooter perk, a reworked Berzerker, Demolitionist, and Commando, two new ??maps, an updated Hans fight, a new tutorial mode, a new enemy resistance and in?cap system, and a crapload of other fixes. I plan on writing up detailed thoughts tomorrow, but here's what I feel in the few hours I've played:

Sharpshooter is great so far, even at low levels. The M14EBR is incredibly fun to use, though I wish you could turn off the laser sight. As far as the most powerful weapon at the perk's disposal, the rail gun, I love how it looks and feels, but I'm a little unsure of it's ability to lock on to Zed weak points. It should either take a bit longer to lock on or have a smaller cone, since Sharpshooter is all about skill-based headshots. I like the new tutorials and tooltips, since Killing Floor 2 can be overwhelming for new players. The biggest change that is throwing me off right now is the resistances; it may because I'm not used to these, but right now certain Zeds feel bullet spongey depending on the weapon/perk you're using. I know this is to give each class a more dedicated role, but it seems a little drastic. I might change my tune after a few more hours with it! We'll see tomorrow. Here's the some of the gigantic changelog (the rest can be found here):

• Sharpshooter Perk
  • M14
  • Railgun
  • Liquid Nitrogen Grenade
• 2 Community Maps
  • Containment Station
  • Hostile Ground
• Added Basic Training - Tutorial (cosmetic items rewarded for completion)
• Resistance/Weakness System
• Incapacitation Changes
• Updated Perks
  • Demo
  • Commando
  • Berserker
• VS Survival update
• Updated Hans Fight
• New Character - Rae
• 32 New Achievements
• Menu/UI Design Updates
• 2 crates 2 USBs (new precious items)
• Several battlescarred weapons updated to look better
• Steam market item view inside Trading Floor
• Support for Double Byte Character sets
  • Chinese Localization added
  • Japanese Localization added
  • Wider range of special characters
• Performance Optimizations

General:

• All incapacitations (knockdown, stumble, etc. ) will now build up and fall off over time unless they reach the triggering threshold
• Resistance and Weakness system added per weapon type - See wiki charts for more information

Menu/UI

• Weight added to the HUD
• New kill alert added when human teammates die
• Interaction widget updated, will now resize itself to fit the text inside it.
• Info text added to matchmaking and solo game menus
• Loading Screen Tips
• Perk menu layout changed to make reading passive bonuses and skills easier
• Menu bar updated
• Added boss health bar
• Players can now choose to recycle all their duplicates of an item at once (leaving one behind)

Perks:

• Added Sharpshooter
  • Level 5:
    • Sniper - Inflict 25% more damage while stationary with sharpshooter weapons
    • Marksman - Shoot 25% faster and move 10% faster with sharpshooter weapons
  • Level 10:
    • Stability - Inflict 30% more damage while crouched
    • Ballistic Shock - Stun power increased by 100%
  • Level 15:
    • Rack ‘em Up - Each consecutive headshot increases your damage by 5% up to 75%
    • Combat Ready - Reload your weapons faster
  • Level 20:
    • Deadeye - Reduce recoil by 10% and increase headshot damage by 10% when aiming
    • Always Prepared - Get 25% more ammo for sharpshooter weapons and grenades
  • Level 25:
    • Assassin - Headshot will knock down any Zed
    • Ranger - Headshots will stun any zed

• Demo Changes
  • Level 5:
    • Bombardier - Explosive demo weapons now do 25% more damage
    • Grenadier- Demo weapons fire 20% faster
  • Level 10:
    • High Impact Rounds - Do 25% more damage on a direct hit with demo weapons, but lose 3 ammo from the max ammo count per weapon
    • Extra Rounds - Increase max ammo by 5 for every demo weapon
  • Level 15:
    • Sonic Resistant Grenades - Demolition weapons have a 100% chance of avoiding siren scream destruction
    • Fragmentation Rounds - AoE of your explosions increase by 50% but AoE damage is reduced by 30%
  • Level 20:
    • Armor Piercing Rounds - Direct hits to a critical zone will do an extra 50% more damage
    • Concussive Rounds - The hit reaction, stun, stumble and knockdown of all demo weapons is increased by 50%
  • Level 25:
    • Destroyer of Worlds - Previously nuke, this has been tweaked slightly
    • Mad Bomber - Shoot and reload in near real time
    • Passive Changes

• Commando Changes
  • Level 5:
    • Tactical Reload - Reload 20% faster with commando weapons
    • Large Mags - Commando Weapons have 50% increased mag size
  • Level 10:
    • Backup - Pistol and knife do 60% extra damage and 50% faster weapon switch
    • Impact - Commando weapons have 150% increased stumble power
  • Level 15:
    • Health Increase - Increased health and Armor by 25%
    • Ammo Vest - Carry 2 extra mags per commando weapon
  • Level 20:
    • Hollow Point Rounds - Commando Weapons do 25% more damage and have 50% less recoil
    • Eat Lead - Get another 50% increase in mag size for Commando

    Weapons

  • Level 25:
    • Professional - Reload weapons at full speed and switch weapons twice as fast
    • Rapid Fire - Do 3% more damage with commando weapons and shoot 3x faster with all weapons
  • Passive Changes

• Berserker Changes
  • Level 5:
    • Dreadnaught - Increased health by 50%
    • Skirmisher - Move faster, sprint faster, regenerate health every second
  • Level 10:
    • Vampire - Heal yourself 4 points of health for every zed you kill with a Berserker weapon, also attack 15% faster with Berserker weapons
    • Butcher - Attack 20% faster and do 25% more damage with Berserker weapons
  • Level 15:
    • Resistance - Gain 20% resistance to all damage, gain an extra 20% resistance to poison and sonic damage
    • Parry - Parrying an attack will increase melee attack speed by 5% and damage by 35% for 10 seconds
  • Level 20:
    • Smash - Hard attacks do 50% more damage, plus an extra 25% more damage on headshots, which have 200% more stumble power
    • Massacre - Light attacks do 20% more damage and are 5% faster
  • Level 25:
    • Spartan - Attack in near real time and gain 25% of your total health
    • Rage - Move and attack in real time
  • Passive Changes

Zeds:

• Reduced gorefast headless damage 50% and reduced the attack speed
• Hans fight Update
  • Hans shield can now be broken
  • If broken before his heal, he won’t heal that phase
  • If broken during his heal it will be interrupted
  • Hans now has more overall health to compensate for how the fight plays out

Weapons:

• LAR - Sped up bolt time
• Crossbow - Reduced stun power
• HX25 - Modified spread to more reliably hit the target that was aimed at

Versus:

• New ZED awards
• Scoreboard and match layout UI
• Team Swap every match
• Player Zed Spawning Decoupled from AI Waves
• Updates to Player Zeds
  • Health, speed and damage changes
  • Some can now block: Scrake, Fleshpound, Bloat and Gorefast

Maps:

• Added Containment Station
• Added Hostile Ground
• Updated Buring Paris art assets to bring it more in line with later produced maps

Weapon Skin Revisions:

• Battlescarred Weapon Revisions on the following skins to look less battlescarred
  • SCAR | Spray Can
  • Katana | Cyberbone
  • Scar | Horzine Elite Red
  • Scar | Horzine Elite Blue
  • Scar | Horzine Elite Green
  • Scar | Horzine Elite White
  • 9MM | Tactical
  • AR15 | Tactical

Bug Fixes:
General:

• Fixed an issue where spawn prediction checks would fail allowing zeds to spawn within sight or potential sight of a character (behind their backs)
• Fixed an issue where Zed would get confused about who to target (and constantly switching targets) leading to them not attacking
• Fixed a case where a mis-sized Steam avatar would crash the game on launch
• Fixed another case where players would enter a solo versus game
• Fixed crate opening animations getting into an endless loop
• Fixed ultra bright gore for Flex High settings
• Fixed grenades not bouncing in Black Forest grass
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to keep trader menu open during a round
• Fixed Crossbow bolts disappearing when hitting a destructible item
• Fixed Gamepad - Voice chat receive volume slider breaks when pushed all the way to the right
• Fixed an issue with the hammer staying up on the Winchester 1894
• Fixed audio issues with the Winchester 1894’s running and melee sounds not triggering
• Fixed audio issues with the Crossbow’s melee sound not triggering
• Fixed an issue with blood not showing up on the Bowie Knife
• Fixed an exploit that allows players to keep more than 15 weight when switching from Support perks using Strength
• Fixed an issue when receiving grenades/ammo from other players prevents the player from receiving grenades for the rest of the game
• Fixed an issue with the Lacerate skill not functioning with heavy and stab attacks
• Fixed the trader menu not correctly updating with the Experience and Level of the player
• Fixed an issue with the Trader giving too much armor to Medics when purchasing armor
• Fixed an issue with players not being able to parry/block behind the spawn points

Versus:

• Fixed Player Crawlers being able to be killed by others after they had triggered their suicide

Map Fixes:

• Various Map Fixes
• Outpost
• Black Forest
• Burning Paris
• Biotics Lab
• Prison

SDK:

• Fixed landscape de-vised patches block grenades and paths, and don't allow player to stand up when crouched

Known issues

• Bosses do not lose the freeze grenade frozen texture effect after thawing out
• Players are able to parry unparryable attacks from player controlled ZEDs in VS mode
• Some particle effects do not render when looking through scoped weapons
• Fire induced panic causes Sirens to stop screaming in some cases
• Doors on Containment Station map missing sounds
• Some visual issues on dynamic objects after swapping teams in VS mode
• Interaction messages on HUD (Opening doors, etc) will sometimes stay on screen until a new interaction message is prompted
• Some cosmetic items do not fit correctly on Rae
• Cosmetic item preview images are low resolution
• This beta has caused us to revert the Live Update balance changes for Versus Survival in the Live version. We do not recommend playing Versus in Live at this point

The post You can try Killing Floor 2’s Sharpshooter class right now with an opt-in beta appeared first on Destructoid.

Now it's easier to get to player-made maps and mods

Last week I wrote that Tripwire Interactive is bringing a competitive mode to Killing Floor 2. Some of you are excited to see how that turns out, and others would prefer the game to stick to its cooperative roots. Today, Tripwire announced that people who like to murder on the ground (eh? eh?) will be able to utilize full Steam Workshop integration and start downl??oading user-generated maps and mods. That means if you aren't happy with the upcoming Versus mode but still want more content to play, there's going to be an abundance to choose from as folks start tinkering with the game.

Tripwire has found a way to make Killing Floor 2's workshop a little more intuitive than most games on Steam. Clients and servers are able to subscribe to maps and mods so that they'll automatically stay up-to-date. This cuts out the re-direct server in the middle, so people that want to enjoy player-made content can spend less time fiddling with updates. Tripwire President John Gibson says that this type of implementation leads to "a complete circle that makes it so much easier for modders to get their content in the hands of players," so hopefully this leads to a ton of creative, accessible mods and maps. The update is already live, though there's not a huge wealth of stuff to check out yet. Some of the maps that won Tripwire's Grindhouse mapping contest are ??available, in addition to some recolor?ed monsters.

Some of the mods that Tripwire made (like Boss Challenge and Pop the Cyst) should be coming online r?elatively soon as well. This should make waiting for the next official update easier. ??And here I was, thinking I was going to a break from this game.

The post Killing Floor 2? now has full Steam Wor??kshop integration appeared first on Destructoid.

Plus, all sharpshooter weapons revealed

During PC Gamer's Weekender event, Tripwire Interactive president John Gibson revealed some of the developer's upcoming plans for Killing Floor 2. The biggest addition is a humans versus Zeds PVP mode, ?where you can play as the various specimens and try to kill Horzine m?ercenaries.

Each Zed?? has their own set of abilities: crawlers can leap around all willy-nilly, slashers can jump twenty feet in the air, Stalkers are invisible as long as they aren't sprinting, and Clots can rally fellow specimens to give them a temporary buff. Both Hans and the Patriarch will be playable as well. I was at Tripwire's studio a few weeks ago and had a chance to check out the mode, but can't talk about it just yet. Soon, though!

Gibson also revealed the remaining Sharpshooter weapons that will arrive in the next big update. In addition to the lever action rifle and crossbow, those inclined?? to kill from a long range will have the M14EBR from the first game and a new Horzine Tech Railgun for their fourth tier weapon. We've still only seen the render of the lever action rifle, so I'm hoping to see what the ot??her weapons look like in their finished state soon.

Two of the winning maps from Tripwire's mapping contest (Hostile Grounds and Containment Station) will be officially added to the game soon. Hostile Grounds plays like a standard Killing Floor 2 map: players will fight waves of Zeds until the boss comes out. Containment Station is an objective map where you have to defend points and find hidden objectives. This will be the first map with objectives since the original Killing Floor, so it should shake things up nicely.

There's no word on when the next update will be released. In addition to trying the Versus mode and Sharpshooter weapons while in the studio, Destructoid also captured a video interview with variou?s members of Tripwire, so look forward to that soon. 

The post A Versus mode is coming to Killing Floor 2 whe??re you? can play as the Zeds appeared first on Destructoid.

Now, I'm no gun nut, but dang, girl

The Sharpshooter perk/class in the first Killing Floor was a fan favorite for many reasons. The two most important are that it made taking down big Zeds like Fleshpounds and Scrakes easier, and that the Lever Action Rifle was so damn fun to use. Killing Floor 2's Early Access launch didn't include Sharpshooter, and? almost a year later, it still isn't in the game. It's been a long, painful wait, but Tripwire Interactive is starting to show off renders of the new Lever Action Rifle.

Here's what it looks like now:

I'll miss the ring sight from the first game, but otherwise the Winchester 1894 looks hawt. That wood grain. That knurling on the metal plate. Mmm. The crossbow is also in the works, but the render isn't finalized yet. I can't wait to see what the rest of the weapons look like. Whenever this update comes out, we'll be testing out these weapons in a new Prison map. I'll have Tripwire set the scene for you: "Now also coming with these two weapons is a new map we’ve been working on. Imagine your?self rushing to escape the dark as the freezing cold and the zeds approach. A walled and fortified looking structure offers perceived safety. But how long can you survive in this old Soviet era relic? Welcome to the Prison."

If there's not a guard tower that I can snipe from, I'm quitting my floor-killing? career (no I'm not).

The post K??illing Floor 2 sends you to pri?son with a sexy lever action rifle appeared first on Destructoid.

Just what I was looking for

The Killing Floor Twisted Christmas events (in which the enemies wear costumes, Christmas music jubilantly plays in the background, and maps like Santa's lair become available) hold a special place in my heart. Tripwire Interactive isn't going to be doing one this year, since Killing Floor 2 is in Early Access and it's abstaining from holiday events until the full launch. That ruins my holiday plans a 'lil bit, but it's also understandable. Luckily, a modder by the name of -MGSa- Sniper has saved Christmas.

He's the creator of the popular KF-London-Day/Night map, which is a reimagining of the West London level from the first game. It won fourth place in GameBanana's Killing Floor 2 mapping contest. Last month, -MGSa- Sniper decided to modify his map to give it a Christmas theme. A week ago, I stumbled upon it with a few buddies ?and we had a blast.

London is now covered in snow, and festive lights are strung across streetlights. There are all sorts of cool little touches that hearken back to past Twisted Christmas events. If you turn down the default soundtrack, you can hear the Killing Floor rendition of Jingle be?lls blaring (perhaps a little too loudly!) in the background. There's a Gingerfast ice-skating around in a rink next to the trader, and you can skate with him if you'd like. 

Instead of a trader pod, Santa's Workshop is nestled in the co??rner of the map, where the classic Patriarch boss is dressed up as Santa, standing by presents, waiting for you to buy more guns with which to kill his children. A jingly version of "Let it Snow" plays as you re-arm yourself for the next wave. It's enough to make a 25-year-old fogey like myself grin from ear-to-ear the entire match.

Halfway through the game, the world begins to shake, making aiming more difficult. If you look up, an absolutely massive Gingerfast is stomping across a bridge. The scale of it is something I'd love to see in official Killing Floor maps someday. The map is a bit easy since there's so muc??h open space, but I had such a great time enjoying the Christmas atmosphere that it didn't matter.

If you want to give it a whirl, you can download it here. Enjoy your holidays!

The post This modder m??ade his own Killing Floor 2 Christmas map appeared first on Destructoid.

It's still coming, they promise

I guess this one slipped by me during PlayStation Experience. Tripwire Interactive is starting to produce videos about Killing Floor 2's PlayStation 4 port. It's still off in the distance, but it's a good sign that they're starting to talk about the this officially since there's been relative radio silence since the port's announcement.

While at PSX, I took a look at the game running on the PlayStation 4, and it's shaping up nicely. The framerate isn't locked right now so it's in the range of 20-60, but it's still being optimized. I'll probably stick to the PC version, but I'm curious to see if there will be Sony-exclusive characters. I'd like to shoot Zeds as Nathan D?rake, please.

Oh, and the best part of this is Tripwire's vice president Alan Wils?on's ?incredibly dark eyebrows. Enjoy.

The post Tripwire Interactive talks Killing Floor 2 on PS4 appeared first on Destructoid.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY CHILDREN

It's been a long wait, but Killing Floor 2's newest update, Return of the Patriarch, just went live. I had a great time blasting the new boss with the Gunslinge?r perk, and I'm excited to jump in and play with you guys.

The launch trailer below shows the two new maps, Black Forest and Farmhouse, along with the ?new guns and the Patriarch himself. Tripwire Interactive is also sporting a new logo, but I'm not used to it yet. It kind of looks like a skate sticker you'd see slapped on the wall of a white-washed burrito?? joint. Anyway, I'll see you on the killing floor (after the VGAs, PlayStation Experience, and finals oh god).

The post Killing Floor 2’s Return of the Patriach update is now available appeared first on Destructoid.

It takes a Viking to handle TWO OF THESE

Last week, Tripwire Interactive came under scrutiny when they introduced cosmetic microtransactions to Killing Floor 2. Many people who had purchased the Steam Early Access title felt that th?is showed Tripwire's true money-grabbing intentions: why would a ga??me that sorely needed more content and balance updates get microtransactions before content?

While it remains to be seen whether or not this will all go down in flames and the community will truly abandon the game like so many are threatening, the Return of the Patriarch update is going to breathe new life into the game. With a new boss?, a new per??k, new maps, and Steam mod and workshop support arriving, good luck sticking to that boycott you might have been planning.

Killing Floor 2 (PC [previewed], PlayStation 4)
Developer: Tripwire Interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive 
Release date: April 21, 2015 (Steam Early Access)
MSRP: $29.99

I wish I had a video to show you, but I ran into problem after problem when it came to recording my time with Return of the Patriarch. If I can iron out those problems in the coming days, I'll upload some footage of a playthrough on Suicidal difficulty. In terms of perk balance and weapon damage, keep in mi??nd that everything I descri?be here is in regards to solo play on Suicidal.

In the first Killing Floor, the Sharpshooter perk used both long-range weapons (rifles, a crossbow) and dual pistols, utilizing highly-damaging headshots to kill the bigger Zeds. In the sequel, dual pistols have found their home in a new perk: Gunslinger. This is a natural transition since Sharpshooter had entirely too many guns and dual-wielding is nuanced enough for it's own perk. Having two separate handfuls of metal feels more fleshed out in Killing Floor 2, and the class's perk skills l??end it a few different styles of play.

The first perk skill choice is between moving faster while aiming down the si??ghts (with reduced weapon sway) and faster weapon switch transitions. I generally opted for the second one, since once you get the feel for shooting without iron sights, you start t?o ignore them. Next, you have a choice between 20% more damage for Gunslinger weapons or a headshot multiplier. This largely determines your playstyle but both seem completely viable so far.

Choosing the headshot multiplier is about careful selection of targets, running far enough away to find some breathing room and determine which melon to burst first. Each headshot fills an increment on a bar that appears on the screen, and a sound effect plays, intensifying with each Zed you shoot in the head. Once you reach seven headshots, a triumphant noise happens with each additional popped skull that is supremely satisfying every time. It sounds annoying when I describe it, but it doesn't feel that way in action. Each consecutive headshot adds 5% to your damage, capping off at 75%, but if you miss a shot beyond seven, it'll go back to seven. If you miss again, it'll go down one increment?? with each shot. I initially thought that one missed shot would bring the counter to zero, but I much prefer this system. Get ready to hate the invisible Stalkers when they block one of your perfectly lined up shots.

Using the flat damage in?crease is much more reliable, but not quite as fun as the multiplier. Pulling off consecutive headshots and then being rewarded with an ultra-powerful damage bonus against a Scrake feels skillful and makes Gunslinger more unique. Flat damage is a sure thing, and I'd be lying my ass off if I said I didn't enjoy sprinting away and then unleashing a hail of bullets while the Zeds charged me on Hell on Earth difficulty. I'm not yet sure which perk skill high level players will choose yet, since they both have their uses. I'm glad to see choices that aren't as clear cut as past perks.

Back to the other perk skills! The third tier is faster reloading or the ability to penetrate an additional Zed with every bullet. This is another hard choice, even though I would have thought reloading would be the way to go. All Gunslinger guns already pass through bodies into ??the monster behind them, and since Zeds tend to stack up behind one another, extra penetration helps you clear out hordes rather quickly. My feelings on this are clouded by the fact that in the build I was playing, you could reload cancel immediately after one of your two guns was reloaded. If that's patched out by the time the update is live, increased reload speed will probably be the overwhelmingly popular choice.

I reached level 16, so those are the only skills I was able to try first-hand. Fourth tier is between increased stumble chance when sh?ooting chests or increased knockdown chance when shooting sprinting Zeds in the legs. The fifth ??tier is limitless firing without reloading/ the ability to fire as fast as you want in Zed time (slow motion to those unfamiliar). I'd probably choose the second option for both of those, but I won't know until I play with them. Passive abilities include bullet resistance, weapon damage, move speed, and recoil reduction.

You probably want to know about those sweet, sweet guns you'll be firing (I promise I'm only a gun nut when it comes to Killing Floor). The starting weapons are a pair of 1858 revolvers, nail bombs (fun for close-quarters!), and a bowie knife. While the 1858s seem a tad weak at low level, once you acclimate to their penetration, they can be effective. In a cool little touch, if you drop one of them, your free hand will fan the hammer and your rate of fire will increase. I came up with a fun little trick: when you activate Zed time, toss one gun up into the air, fan the hammer to neutralize the oncoming threat, catch the gun, and continue blasting. You will feel like a big ol' badass.

Even though the 1858s can be fun, I almost always sell them immediately to get the M1911s. Their combination of speed, capacity, and stopping power make them my favorite Gunslinger weapon to use. Darting aro??und and launching lead with these 'lil fuckers is some of the? most fun I've had with the game so far. Though they aren't as powerful as the higher tier weapons, they're prone to knocking down Zeds. There were numerous occasions where I thought I had killed something, but I had simply knocked it on its ass. 

Next up are the Desert Eagles. Now we're getting to the bigguns, and that's reflected in their damage potential. With th??e Desert Eagles, you can feel how powerful they are with both the small ring of fire that appears with every shot and the THOOOM sound effect that happens with each click. Using these, you have a chance against both Scrakes and Fleshpounds (especially with that headshot multiplier!). 

Rounding out the collection is the .500 "Zed Collector," a pistol-sized cannon. These are ungodly strong, to the point where shooting a weaker Zed causes it to outright explode. I am not ashame??d to admit that I cackled each tim?e a Crawler became a meat tornado due to one of my shots. Fleshpounds are rendered toothless when you surprise them with a pair of these. Even bosses go down quickly when you have something this strong. Speaking of bosses...

Yay! The Patriarch is back! Though he is without mustache, it's good to see the old original boss back and "with some new tricks." His new form is hideous, and while I initially didn't care for him being so thick (why is everything thicker in Killing Floor 2?), it's grown on me as much as his mutations have grown on him. Fighting him is fairly similar to how it was in the first game: he'll use his gatling gun and rocket launcher whenever you try to flee, cloak to sneak up on you, and his disgusting chest-protrusion will latch onto you and pull you close. He can use his rockets to flush you out of?? cover, and the ensuing smoke trails are as beautiful as they are dangerous.

Fighting him as the Gunslinger can be rough, since his hump over his head makes headshots more difficult to pull off. I've taken him down on Suicidal, and he was a tough but fair endeavor. I'm not sure how it'll be with a full squad, but I look forward to a meaty challenge. Since both the Patriarch and Hans Volter have an equal chance of spawning, teams will have to be prepared for anything. This is a welcome shake to the formula, and I think everyone's going to like coming up with new tactics instead of dealing with Hans' three phase fight ad nauseam. The only disappointment regarding the Patriarch fight is that his theme (Abandon All) has been replaced with a new, faster-paced song. It's blasphemous to say, but I actually really like the new song and think it fits the theme of a quicker, more brutal boss fight.&nbs??p;

Two new maps bring unexpected changes to Killing Floor 2. Farmhouse is a tiny tiny tiny close-quarters map: a two-story house and barn surrounded by a cornfield makes for the perfect little skirmish. Since the area is so small, you're forced t?o be more mobile than previous maps, and you'll spend most of your time kiting around the yard. Since enemies can spawn in the cornfield, nowhere is completely safe, and it's a welcomely unwelcome feeling. Barricaded windows on both the house and barn can be destroyed to provide vantage points for picking off Zeds from above, giving you plenty of ways to re-enact your favorite horror films.

Black Forest is the other new map, and it's much larger. It's a brightly-lit forest where there are remnants of train tracks and an old bar, and a Horzine train recently crashed nearby. Rushing rivers cascade through the wreckag??e, and it's all very scenic. As waves progress, the sun goes down, reducing visibility. The bar has walls that can be destroyed by way of gunfire or overzealous Zeds, which startled the crap out of me the first time. It's hard to feel safe when even walls can't protect you. When I asked the developers if they planned to have day/night cycles and semi-destructible environments in future levels, they said that nothing was currently planned, but it's a defin??ite possibility.

Even though that last map gets fairly dark, you'll now be equipped with a flashlight no matter what weapon you have in your hands. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, since flashlight attachments used to be an integral part of weapon selection. It's definitely convenient to always be able to see in dark levels (looking at you, catacombs), but it remains to be ??seen whether this'll be a good change in the long run.?? 

Another welcome change is that the collectibles hidden in each level are now much less of a pain in the ass. Instead of having to find all of them, you only have to find ten per level. They still only unlock achievements, but it's more enjoyable when you don't have to scour maps for every little collectible. Plus, the new maps have themed items: little dolls in Farmhouse (a reference to the Toy Maker mod in the first game) and little Clot Moth??er chunks in Black Forest.

There are a host of other changes in this update as wel?l. Audio has been re-balanced and there are more sliders to customize your sound experience. The Fleshpound supposedly has new sounds, but I wasn't able to hear them all that well (I've been having speaker problems, so this is probably on my end). Berserker has been re-balanced as well, with Fortitude giving only 75 more health instead of 100, and Smash being less ridiculous, lessening the 100% bonus to hard hits going down to 25%. The main menu has also been chan??ged to make room for the shop tab, where you can buy either costume sets for Hayato, Mr. Foster, and Constable Briar or decryption keys to unlock crates.

As far as the item drops go, they're earned at the end of a battle in the results screen, so players won't sprint away and abandon their team to get a shiny new gun skin. In my 10 or so hours with the update, I've unlocked 7 gun skins and one cosmeti??c item. Of course, drop rates are probably different in the build I played than the one will go public, but it's still worth mentioning. I don't think the system was fully implemented yet as I didn't see any mention of conditions (such as battle-scarred or field-tested).

One new character also makes his debut in this update. Oisten Jaegerhorn, a big burly Swede, is a member of a Metallica tribute band called "Metalbika." Most of his little comments involve his being in a metal band, such ?as saying the Siren has a bad singing voice. He's especially fun when he picks up dual revolvers and says stuff like "IT TAKES A VIKING TO HOLD TWO OF THESE" in his booming, enthusiastic voice.

All-in-all, this is a hefty update that fuels my ever-burning interest to blow up Zeds in new ways. The Patriarch makes the formula less predictable, the new concepts in the maps introduce f?resh ideas, and Tripwire stills knows how to make good guns go boom. The incoming map and mod support will bring even more to the plate, but I wasn't able to see them in action. I'm curious to see how the community will react to the Gunslinger, as right now, it's kind of amazing at everything. It's a trash-killing boss-murdering machine with just the right amount of friction behind every pull of the trigger. I hope that every other class gets brought up to this level, instead of Gunslinger getting nerfed. 

But then again, I haven't tried Hell on ?Earth difficulty with a full squad. I hope to play with you all soon (couple of weeks maybe?) when the update comes out.

The post Killing Floor 2’s Return of the Patriarch update is worth the wait appeared first on Destructoid.

Freaky and a freebie

Skipping out on the Saturday night costume soirée? No problem - this weekend is filled with PC gaming sales galore on Halloween (and non-Halloween) themed titles. Probably the best in the business right now is GMG's "Face Your Fears" sale, with discounts up to 90% off and a stacking 20% off code. About 250 titles are discounted, including $6 Metro Redux Bundle, $16 Killing Floor 2, $3.60 Dead Island Franchise, and more.

There's a tricky deal this weekend for Shadow Warrior, where the game is already discounted by 85% on Steam Store. Snag an Alienware coupon which stacks another 75% off and you'll have the game for only $1.50. You might want to act fast - the Alienware-supplied code is limited in quantity.

If that's still too rich for your blood, how about seven free games? The Tribes Universe games are free from Hi-Rez Studios this weekend. Titles include Earthsiege, Earthsiege 2, Starseige: Tribes, Tribes 2, Tribes: Aerial Assault, Tribes Vengeance, and Tribes Ascend. Can't go wrong with free.

Top Deals

GMG Face Your Fears Sale

Use Code: SAVE20-NOVEMB-GAMING

• The Evil Within (Steam) — $16.32  (list price $60)
• Wolfenstein: The New Order (Steam) — $16.32  (list price $60)
• Killing Floor 2 (Steam) — $16.08  (list price $30)
• Valhalla Hills (Steam) — $12  (list price $20)
• Silent Hill Homecoming (Steam) — $8  (list price $40)
• Metro Redux Bundle (Steam) — $6  (list price $30)
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (Steam) — $5.44  (list price $20)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Steam) — $3.20  (list price $20)
• Lumber Island: That Special Place (Steam) — $3.20  (list price $5)
• Lucius (Steam) — $2  (list price $10)

Origin Zomboss Invasion Sale

• Battlefield 4 + Premium (Origin) — $29.99  (list price $50)
• The Sims 4: Get To Work (Origin) — $29.99  (list price $40)
• Dragon Age: Inquisition (Origin) — $19.99  (list price $40)
• Battlefield: Hardline (Origin) — $19.99  (list price $30)
• SimCity Standard Edition (Origin) — $9.99  (list price $20)
• Mass Effect Trilogy (Origin) — $14.99  (list price $30)
• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare (Origin) — $4.99  (list price $20)
• Plants vs. Zombies Game of the Year Edition — $2.49  (list price $5)

Freebies

• Tribes Universe Games — FREE
• The Sims 4 Digital Deluxe Upgrade — FREE
• Realms of the Haunting — FREE <- just added

Recent Releases

• 10/27: The Park (Steam) — $8  (list price $13)
• 10/23: Guild Wars 2: Heart Of Thorns — $39.99  (list price $50)
• 10/27: Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One) — $49.99  (list price $60)
• 10/22: Ashes of the Singularity (Steam) — $32  (list price $50)
• 10/09: Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4 DL) — $41.99  (list price $60)

Upcoming Releases

• 11/03: Anno 2205 (Uplay) — $48  (list price $60)
• 11/06: Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Steam) — $48  (list price $60)
• 11/10: Fallout 4 + $25 eGift Card (PS4, Xbox One) — $59.99  (list price $60)
• 11/10: Fallout 4 (Steam) — $48  (list price $60)
• 11/13: Football Manager 2016 (Steam) — $40  (list price $50)
• 12/04: Xenoblade Chronicles X + $15 eGift Card (Wii U) — $50.99  <- $9 discount dead
• 12/04: Mario Tennis Ultra Smash + $15 eGift Card (Wii U) — $39.99  (list $40)

PC Game Deals

• Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls — $19.99  (list price $40)
• Total War: Attila Special Edition (PC DVD) — $19.97  (list price $50)
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Steam) — $16.99  (list price $50)
• Dark Souls II (Steam) — $9.99  (list price $40)
• The Banner Saga (Steam) — $4.99  (list price $20)
• Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (Steam) — $4.99  (list price $20)
• Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines (Steam) — $4.99  (list price $20)

Console Game Deals

• Splatoon (Wii U) — $44.99  (list price $60)
• NBA 2K16 (Xbox One) — $44.99  (list price $60)
• Madden NFL 16 (PS4) — $39.99  (list price $60)
• Assassin's Creed Unity - Collectors Ed (Xbox One) — $39.99  (list price $100)
• Gears of War: Ultimate Ed (Xbox One) — $29.99  (list price $40)
• Zombie Army Trilogy (PS4, Xbox One) — $19.96  (list price $50)
• LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Wii U) — $11.99  (list price $20)

Laptop Deals

• 17.3" Alienware i7-6820HK Skylake, 8GB, GTX 970M — $1,399.99  (list $1,500)
• 12" Apple MacBook Core M, 8GB, 256GB SSD — $1,099  (list $1,299)
• 15.6" Lenovo Y700-15 i7-6700HQ Skylake, GTX 960M — $1,049  (list $1,380)
• 15.6" Lenovo Y50 i7-4720HQ, 8GB, GTX 960M — $899  (list price $1,400)

HDTV Deals

• 49" Vizio 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV — $499  (list price $599)
• 55" Hisense 1080p 120Hz Smart LED HDTV — $499.99  (list price $690)
• 55" Insignia 1080p Roku Smart HDTV — $449.99  (list price $580)

Accessories & Hardware Deals

• PS4 Uncharted Bundle + Destiny Taken King — $349.99
• Western Digital 3TB External Hard Drive — $109  (list price $189)
• Seagate 3TB Hard Drive - ST3000DM001 — $74.99  (list price $135)
• Western Digital 1TB Hard Drive - WD10EZRX — $45.99  (list price $70)

The post $16 Killing Floor 2, Free Tribes, & Halloween sale in Weekend Deals appeared first on Destructoid.

Summon your inner Ocelot

I've been a bad, busy boy. As the self-appointed Killing Floor 2 and Dungeons & Dragons guy, I've failed you, my friends. There jus??t ?aren't enough hours in the day. But now I'm back!

Tripwire Interactive has been showing off the weapons for the upcoming Gunslinger perk. Attached are pictures of the 1858 Revolver, the M1911 (with silly K??F2 engravings), the Desert Eagle, and the .500 Magnum Revolver.? Whenever the next update hits, you can roleplay as Revolver Ocelot himself, though you won't have his exact guns. Maybe someday!

There are other teased changes: instead of only having a flashlight on certain weapons, each player will have a body flashlight, and there will be more volume sliders for optimal audio experience. I'm not sure how I feel about the flashlight change, since that seemed like it was a component of weapon balance. We'll also be seeing Killing Floor 2 at PlayStation Experience, so we'??ll f??inally know more about the upcoming PlayStation 4 port. 

WWAUT - Rounding Out The Collection [Tripwire Interactive]

The post Killing Floor 2’s Gunslinger weapons revealed appeared first on Destructoid.

You always need a spooky forest

Killing Floor 2's last major update brought two new maps, two new perks, and all sorts of necessary improvements. It's still in Steam Early Acce?ss, and each chunk of new content is bringing it closer to full release.

So far, we know the next update will be featuring the Gunslinger perk, which focuses on dual-wielding. There's some speculation that it will be paired with the eagerly-awaited Sharpshooter perk, but there's no confirmation as of yet. However, Tripwire Interactive announced today that the next new map will be the Black Forest, where "You have been sent deep into these murky woods to find something (and it doesn’t look like it involves cake)." It reminds me of Wyre from the first game, ??which combined open forest ??with narrow, subterranean corridors.

Tripwire also wants to know how you'd prefer to aim two guns at once. There's the original "hold the guns a little farther out and zoom in" version of aiming, or the "iron sight with one gun and leave the other in place" method. It looks like you'll be able to do both, but you can vote on which one you think should be the default mode.? 

The Steam Modding Workshop is also on its way, so players will be able to upload maps and mutators for other people to download. No release date has been given for any of this content yet, so hopefully we'll see so??mething before the end of the year.

WWAUT - Into the Woods [Tripwire Interactive]

The post Next Killing Floor 2 m?ap takes us to the Black Forest appeared first on Destructoid.

Make a gun skin! Or a dumb hat!

Tripwire Interactive is hosting a Killing Floor 2 competition via Polycount cal??led Guns 'n Gear. Anyone interested can create a cosmetic item or gun skin and attempt to win money/dosh.

This contest began on September 16 and will end on October 18. Those who don't own Killing Floor 2 can request a temporary key that will expire after this battle of creation has come to an end. There will be two categories, Best Cosmetic Item and Best Weapon Skin, and three winners (or teams of winners) in each. First place wins $1500, second wins $700, third wins $300, and all of the items will be added to Killing Floor 2?'s ??Steam Workshop page where the winners will earn royalties.

So who do I have to hug to get a Mr. Destructoid helmet and matching gun skin (preferably on the double-barreled booms??tick?)? Please? Read the rules and get crackin'.

Guns 'n Gear [Polycount]

The post Make somethin’ purdy in Killing Floor 2 and maybe win $1500 appeared first on Destructoid.

Go forth, my child

Killing Floor 2's Incinerate 'N Detonate update is playable now via an opt-in beta. The changelog can be found right here. There are two new perks, Firebug and Demolitionist, two new maps, a reworked a??udio system, and all sorts of other tweaks and fixes that breathe new un-life into the g?ame.

To access the beta, right-click Killing Floor 2 in your Steam library and go to Properties. Then, go to your Betas tab. You'll find a drop-down menu: choose preview.8.15. After a 3.9 GB download, you'll be ready to barbecue some Zeds. I already loved to kill floors before this update, but it's even better now. If PAX wasn't this weekend, I'd ??be playing for 48 hours straight (not really, ?I don't recommend that).

The post You can play Killing Floor 2’s Incinerate ‘N Detonate update right now appeared first on Destructoid.

FIRE AND BLOOD

Killing Floor 2 has been ?available through Steam Early Access for almost exactly four months. Upon its initial release, I was already surprised by how fluid and satisfying the cooperative horror shooter felt. Cleaving my way through the evil Horzine company's specimens kept me up for more than a few long nights. The only thing that kept me from continuing to play it constantly was the dearth of content; with only four perks (classes) and three maps, it's hard not to feel burnt out after covering every square inch of every area in crimson.

Tripwire Interactive has been listening to fan feedback since launch, tinkering?? with the numbers and skill trees, revamping the audio, and adding more content on their way towards full release. All of these efforts have culminated in the Incinerate 'N Detonate update. Goodbye, free time.

Killing Floor 2 (PC [previewed], PlayStation 4)
Developer: Tripwire Interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive 
Release date: April 21, 2015 (Steam Early Access)
MSRP: $29.99

As per the name of the update, the main draw here is the return of the Demolitionist and Firebug perks. In the past few months, most available perks had trouble taking down sub-boss enemies such as Scrakes and Fleshpounds. If you didn't have someone playing as Support with an AA-12 shotgun, chances a??re you weren't going to survive (put your dicks away, I'm not saying it was impossible, tough guys). In such a team-based game, it felt odd to be pigeonholed in this manner.

Demolitionist fills a much-needed gap in Killing Floor 2's cooperative structure. Having the big guns necessary to tackle the big specimens feels long overdue, but it's much appreciated. You'll start off with sticks of dynamite, a utility knife, and the first tier weapon: the HX 25, a grenade pistol that may be my favorite in the entire game ??thus far. It launches a short-range horizontal cluster of grenades that explode on contact, and encourages strafing to properly group oncoming attackers. Having to change the way you move and think about lining up your shots sepa??rates this perk from the others in a pleasing manner. You have to reload between every shot, but the destructive power contained within more than justifies the increased pucker factor. 

The second tier weapon is the C4, which I haven't got much of a feel for yet. You can deploy up to eight of them and then set them off in the order you set them. I imagine creative players will have fun rigging doors to blow, but I usually sk??ipped C4 to get to the third tier M79 grenade launcher more quickly. You don't need to be as careful with this one as you do with the HX 25, since you can shoot from a farther distance. It doesn't work very well in a panicked backpedal, since you need to have a certain amount of space between you and your target for the round to explode. You'll still do damage with a dud round, but you won't take out the group in front of you like you were probably hoping.

The final Demolitionist weapon is the RPG-7, which you've used in every game with guns ever. It's welcome here, even if I miss the LAW from the original Killing Floor. It launches one rocket at a time, which makes a missed shot a painful experience. You'll mainly want to save this for Scrakes, Fleshpounds, and the boss, Hans Volter. On a solo match?? I was able to take out Hans with three rockets, but they've already nerfed it somewhat since then. As much fun as it was to obliterate the boss so quickly, it's better that they took it down a notch. ??Don't worry, it still feels immensely powerful, just not ridiculously so.

Perk skills for the Demolitionist i??nclude explosive resistance, being able to rig doors to explode when you weld them, and increased damage when using weapons from other perks. There seems to be less of a sure ?a build than with the previous classes. I only reached level six so I could only choose between supplying teammates with grenades and having my dynamite explode on contact. Even at this low level, I felt integral to every team I played on.

Firebug occupies a similar role to the Commando perk: you're the garbage man, taking out the trash so your friends can take on the bigger meatsacks. You start out with Molotov Cocktails, a Fireman's Knife, and a makeshift flamethrower called the Caulk 'N Burn. It's a caulking gun that emits a short-range stream of flame that cooks weaker Zeds in seconds. It's easy to burn through all of your ammo before the wave is over but careful conservation eventually comes naturally. Once you have enough dosh (Killing Floor money), you can get the Trench Gun, a pump-action ??shotgun with incendiary rounds. This is the only weapon in the update that feels a bit underwhelming to me so far. The flame rounds are p??retty, but feel ineffective.

Next up is the Flamethrower, which is as enjoyable to use as I was hoping. Watching the never-ending onslaught of Zeds charge through your wall of flame only to keel over just in front of you remains a pleasurable (demented, horrible, what's wrong with me) experience. It sort of invalidates the Caulk 'N Burn though, since it's better in almost every way. The star of the show is the fourth tier weapon: the Microwave Gun. This high-tech laser beam feels straight out of Turok, replete with the oh God gross gore. It heats up? enemies, covering th??eir skin in what looks like gingerbread dough, making them expand until they just...pop, leaving entrails and other viscera strewn about.

Some of the ??Firebug skill choices seems obvious: why would I choose to Flaritov (Molotovs become better light sources in dark areas) when I could have Fully Stocked (purchased weapons have full ammo)? Later skills seem more difficult to pick from, such as when you have to choose either increased range or splash damage. I wasn't able to try any of these skills, so maybe I'll be singing a different tune in a few weeks.

Firebug, while entertaining, can't hold a candle to Demolitionist. I like ha?ving more options so I appreciate every perk, but a class that specialized in bosses was sorely lacking. I see myself rocking the grenade pistol for quite som?e time.

And that's just the perks! The two new maps, Evacuation Point and Catacombs, are vastly different from each other. Evacuation Point is a more urban environment with plenty?? of open spaces and long tunnels to funnel Zeds through. There are only a few areas that you can get cornered, and there always seems to be an escape route. Catacombs is my new favorite map. It's an Ossuary under Italy, with tight corners and almost no light. It's the first map where every light can be shot out or accidentally blown up, and tension runs high when you can't see anything. It?'s fortunate then that one of the new perks is about creating meat torches, no?

There's a host of other improvements that continue to make Killing Floor 2 feel more finished than the average Early Access title. The reworked audio includes meatier sound effects and also adds additional hit markers on the enemies. Wherea??s before there was really only a difference between head shots and body shots, metallic implants on the Zeds now make clan??ging sound effects. Shooting Hans' power core on his chest now does more damage than body shots. It's nice to be choosing to shoot somewhere other than chest or slightly above the chest.

Upon ending a match, whet?her by defeat or victory, you're greeted with a results screen. Awards are handed out for various achievements such as killing the most specimens and getting the most ?assists. You can see which team member is doing the most damage, and how much experience you earned for each perk. Map voting has now been implemented as well so players can actually choose where they're going for the next round. 

As if Killing Floor 2 wasn't gory enough, there's now the optional Nvidia FleX toggle that simulates soft tissue and fluid interaction. Just wait until the first time you launch a grenade into a group of Zeds and see the satisfying meat explosion. Do I sound crazy? I sound crazy. You need a beefy graphics card to handle FleX on high (they recommend a 770 or higher, which is what I'm rocking), but even with the extra giblets abound I?? didn't see a performance drop.

If you want to get close to all that gore, you can try the new Berserker skill tree. Since the perk was underwhelming at launch, it's been completely re-worked. It has more damage resistance and you now have to choose between being stronger with normal strikes or doing massive damage with counterattacks. Since I've seen both styles of players, I know these changes will be appreciated. I still haven't mastered the parry. Some Zeds now ?have unblockable attacks (denoted by a fiery outline on their weapons) so Berserkers will have to stay on their toes. Berserkers (as well as Commandos) also have night vision instead of flashlight now. No more 'wasting' a skill slot!

Dual pistols have also made their return, though the Gunslinger perk that will utilize them has yet to be implemented. Using their ironsights feels?? great; instead of holding your hands out a little further to zoom like the previous game, you aim with your right hand while the left remains in place. While the concept of dual-wielding is and will always be silly (he said while previewing a game with mutants taking over Europe), it's a great compromise.

There are two crossover characters for players who own Red Orchestra 2 and Chivalry. The first is Anton Strasser, a soldier of the German Wehrmacht. He was cryogenically frozen by Hans Volter during World War II and now he's pissed. The second is a LARPing knight who played too much Chivalry before the Zed outbreak (seriously, that's what it says in his b??io). He comes with his own unique weapon for the Berserker perk, a Zweihander that easily cleaves through Clots. As long as one player h??as this character, he can share the weapon with anyone on the server. This way the crossover bonuses are purely cosmetic.

In a cool final touch, when Hans co??mes out for the final wave, he's introduced with a title card and a strategic hint. It's minor, but makes him seem more imposing. I look forward to when there are multiple bosses on rotation and each one gets their own little introduction.

The Incinerate 'N Detonate content update is a shot in the arm for Killing Floor 2. Since the only problem I had with it before was that there wasn't enough to do, this was exactly what I needed to put it back into my regular rotation. While we don't yet have the release date for this update, it?? shouldn't very far from now. It's now in the QA stages, so as soon as final balancing touches are in place, it should be in your hands. I'm happy to say it was worth the wait. Now if I could just get the Sharpshooter perk back...

The post Killing Floor 2’s Incinerate ‘N Detonate update feels damn good appeared first on Destructoid.

Demo skill tree detailed, too

If you've missed dual-wielding in Killing Floor 2, I've got good news for you. When the Incinerate N' Detonate content update comes out, you'll be able to buy dual 9mm pistols just like in the first g??ame. Instead of just holding up your guns a little higher when you zoom, you'll use the iron sights on the gun in your right hand. That makes a little more sense, I guess.

Tripwire Interactive's most recent update post also deta?ils how the Demo's perk skills will work. They can rig doors to bl??ow once they're breached, use dynamite that explodes on contact, deal radiation damage during ZED time, and all sorts of other fun stuff. ;

If you go to the link above, you can see a graph that shows how much work Tripwire has left before the update is released. Each member of the team has under five days left. After that, they send it to QA. I'm not sure how long QA will take, but ?it looks like the update will be released by month's end. Don't quote me on this!

The post Dual pistols coming to Killing Floor 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Just like pizza rolls

We're approaching Killing Floor 2's Incinerate N' Detonate content update (I've been saying this for too long, but it's closer?? every day), and Tripwire Interactive has shelled ou?t a few more details for us.

The forum post Lighting Up the Night&nb?sp;explains the returning Firebug perk's passive boosts and skill tr??ee. Perk weapon damage, reload speed, fire resistance, personal fire resistance, and starting ammo amount will increase as you level up. The skill tree will include choices such as increased range or splash damage and more damage over time or a chance to make your enemies stumble.

But we're all here for the microwave gun, yes? We've seen similar weapons before, like theX-43 MIKE in Crysis. What Crysis didn't have, however, is Killing Floor 2's ridiculous gore syste?m. Get ready for some nasty.

Oh, and there's a new character for players who also own Red Orchestra 2: Anton Strasser, a soldier of the German Wehrmacht. But he's not a microwave gun, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

The post New Killing Floor 2 weapon microwaves Zeds appeared first on Destructoid.

Will not reset stats as of today

At the first ever PC Gaming Show at E3, Tripwire Interactive took the stage to announce that they will be bringing a brand new advanced gore tech mechanic to Killing Floor 2, which will come by way of a fr?ee update. The gist is that bits and pieces of various body parts will be "hanging from the ceilings," and "flowing like lava" in-gam??e.

Additionally, Killing Floor 2 will&nbsp;get an "Incinerate N' Detonate pack," soon wh??ich comes with new content, as well as two new perks and new weapons, like the Firebug Shotgun that shoots flames. Tripwire Inte?ractive has also announced that they will not reset any stats as of today in the Early Access program, so you can play now without fear of losing anything.

Killing Floor 2 currently has no final release date and ??is still in Early Access at the moment.

The post Killing Floor?? 2 introduces new new advanced gore ??tech, free content appeared first on Destructoid.

Barbecue some Zeds

Despite being in Early Access, Killing Floor 2 has been the multiplayer title I've returned to any time I get a chance. While everyone is alternating between?? kids and squids and skids and quids, I've been dissecting Zeds with double-barreled shotguns. Of course, with only four available perks (read: character classes) and four official maps, players with more time have already chewed through all available content.

Every other Friday, Tripwire Interactive has been putting up What We Are Up To posts where they describe current plans and tease new content. The most recent post mainly serves to let the Killing Floor communi??ty know that the developers are aware of problems that need to be addressed, such as teleporting Zeds, perk balance, Fleshpound/Scrake spawning sounds, and the much-maligned Clot grab. I'm excited to see how these changes manifest.

To end the post, Community Manager Yoshiro teases a new weapon: the Caulk N'Burn. It's a caulking gun with two canisters of Ethyl Ether Anhydrous loaded up to created a sort of makeshift flamethrower. Looks like those speculating that Firebug will be the next perk to be released are on to something?.

The post Killing Floor 2 teases gameplay changes and new ?weap??on appeared first on Destructoid.