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Envyus Trounce Fnatic and Move on to Semis at Dreamhack Open: Cluj-Napoca

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8 years ago

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Envyus dominated Fnatic 2-1 to be the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of DreamHack Open: Cluj-Napoca. The match was played on Mirage (Fnatic’s pick) which was 9-16 in the Swedish team’s favor, Cobble 16-9 for the French team and Cache which ended 16-2. Envyus awaits the winner of Virtus Pro vs G2 Esports.

The series started strong with a competitive first half on Mirage. The casters called attention to a slow start by Fnatic. They seemed sluggish and unfocused for the first few rounds. They picked up momentum after a seventh round eco rush from apartments to B site that made the score 2-5. They won the next two round and the match finally seemed to hit its stride.  Fnatic takes the lead for the first time off an Envy eco round which made the score 6-7. The half ended 7-8 in the Swedes’ favor, and Envyus would only go on to win two more rounds. Flusha and KRIMZ were integral to Fnatic’s win with player ratings of 1.66 and 1.27 according to hltv.org. KRIMZ had a couple of high impact rounds that included evening out a 2v5 and hiding on site after an Envy plant. While this was the best map for every player on Fnatic, JW posted a negative kill to death ratio and a player rating of .85.

Cobble felt more in Envyus’ favor than Mirage felt in Fnatic’s, despite the scorelines being the same. Envy grabbed the pistol round thanks to KennyS and apEX getting three frags between them and holding A site long enough for their team to rotate. The map consisted of large chunks of rounds dominated by Envyus, a block of three rounds in Fnatic’s favor and repeat. Flashes of what made Fnatic the most dominant team in the world over the past year+ were readily available for fans to enjoy, but were followed by long periods of sloppy play. More than once they made their way onto B site without clearing all the positions and a lurking Envyus member would peek out and close the round out in the French team’s favor. it was 6-9 at the half, and Envyus took the second pistol dominantly. JW whiffed shots on T’s funneling out to B site and the casters were quick to call him on it. It wasn’t just one man’s fault though. To lose a map isn’t the fault of just JW. As one of the casters said, “Right now, [Envyus] are just winning all of the aim battles.” To Envy’s credit, they looked in perfect form. When they are firing on all cylinders, it’s hard to imagine a team that could deal with KennyS, Happy, kio[c] apEx and NBK. ApEX maintained a player rating of over 1.10 across all three maps. NBK and Happy topped out at 1.75 and 1.74 on Cache.

Reminiscent of NiP vs titan on Dust 2 yesterday, Cache was a one sided beat down. KRIMZ top fragged for Fnatic at 9-15 while olofmeister brought up the rear at 3-17 with a player rating of just .18 — again, all stats thanks to hltv.org. There’s not much to report for this match. Fnatic got outplayed. Their game was completely disrupted by Envyus and their will and concentration seemed to break. They were getting out peeked, out fragged and out smarted. It wasn’t until round 14 that they won their second round and to their credit, it was a solid A hold that came in from pronax and olofmeister.

The match seemed like a one-sided affair, which is odd because Fnatic won map one fairly convincingly. But the solid win on Cobble followed by the domination on Cache made the back end of that match seem weighted heavily towards Envy. Envy is the team I picked to win the tournament going in, and seeing them in form on both Cobble and Cache affirms their positions as one of the favorites. If NBK can maintain his ridiculous level of current play and if apEX continues to seize the opportunities to be a high impact player, there’s a legitimate chance they can outdo Team Solo Mid. KennyS had a huge match, and should keep whatever mindset led to his play today because he’ll need it when he’s opposing the Danes.

For Fnatic, it seems to be time to look inward and address some problems. They had a disappointing online season that had some people ringing alarm bells, but any time they look vulnerable, people call them finished. This marks another loss early in a LAN tournament and an elimination before the semi-finals. If Fnatic didn’t believe there was a problem before, it’s time to look again. JW was absent the entire match. He’s been mostly absent this tournament. Sure, olofmeister may not be in the #1 player in the world form he was last winter, but he’s still easily top 3. Maybe Fnatic needs to start shopping for a new awper, maybe pronax should move to coach, maybe they just need a good boot camp. The problems are very real for the Swedish team, and with the competition heating up throughout the competitive scene, Fnatic need to right the ship before they begin to slip the same way NiP did.

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Sony is reportedly engaged in discussions to form a partnership for a potential bid on Paramount

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11 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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There hasn’t been much buzz lately about any new acquisitions in the world of video game intellectual property. According to a recent report, Sony is currently engaged in discussions with a well-funded partner to potentially acquire the renowned film studio Paramount, along with all the exciting possibilities that come with such a merger.

As reported in the New York Times (thanks, ResetEra), Sony Picture Entertainment is reportedly in discussions with Apollo Global Management, an investment firm, as per two sources familiar with the matter. In the past, Apollo had made an offer to acquire Paramount for a minimum of $26 billion, but their bid was ultimately turned down.

The terms of the joint bid are currently under discussion, and there is a chance that the two parties may decide against making a formal offer. Unnamed sources have revealed that Paramount is currently in exclusive discussions with Skydance, preventing any official offer from being made at this time. Investor opposition to the recent deal that Skydance brought seems to have been significant.

The potential impact of such an acquisition is immense. First and foremost, it would introduce adaptations of Sonic and Halo into the expanding media empire of the PlayStation platform holder. Following the announcement, Paramount’s stock experienced a significant 11% surge in after-hours trading.

What are your thoughts on the news? Is there a possibility of Sony acquiring Paramount? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Helldivers 2 Players Face Overwhelming Hordes of Factory Striders

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2 days ago

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April 18, 2024

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In the ongoing conflict against the Automaton invasion fleet, the Helldivers 2 players have successfully halted their advance. However, the situation has now reached a tiresome stalemate. Yet again, the machines refuse to take a break from their relentless pursuit of progress, with reports emerging of the Factory Striders being deployed in record-breaking quantities.

There have been reports of alleged machines that were supposedly encountered during Operation Swift Disassembly, which was just the beginning of a larger campaign. However, these accounts should be taken with a grain of salt, as they are unverified and seem to be more on the imaginative side. Factory Striders have gained a reputation as formidable weapons platforms that can produce more Automatons while enduring significant damage. If the machines are able to withstand such a relentless assault, it will be necessary to develop innovative strategies.

Have you come across groups of Factory Striders in Helldivers 2? Which strategies are proving to be the most effective in taking down these armored brutes? The Orbital Railcannon Strike will prove to be a valuable asset in the comments section below.

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Todd Howard affirms that the timeline of the Fallout series is coherent and well-constructed

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2 days ago

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April 18, 2024

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The recent release of Amazon’s adaptation of Fallout has ignited a renewed interest in the series and brought attention to the captivating alternate history that forms its foundation. Fans have expressed concern that the TV show’s events might be at odds with the plot of the Obsidian Entertainment video game New Vegas. Warning: Spoilers ahead for New Vegas and Amazon’s show!

Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard and Fallout TV executive producer Jonathan Nolan recently sat down with IGN to discuss the timeline. Howard was taken aback when showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet presented him with the surprising concept of obliterating Shady Sands, the bustling capital of the New California Republic, in the aftermath of the events in New Vegas. Howard eventually warmed up to the idea: “After discussing it, we realized that this could be a significant story moment that many things hinge upon.”

It seems that they had to make some tough decisions to ensure everything fell into place, but Howard emphasizes the importance of preserving the integrity of the Fallout timeline: “We take great care with the timeline. There seems to be some confusion in certain areas. However, all the events from the previous games, including New Vegas, did occur. We take great caution in that matter. We’re really pushing the limits here, but the explosions occur right after the events of New Vegas.

What are your thoughts on this? Is it up to par? Even though it may not have a significant impact on the overall quality of the games or show, it is comforting to know that those in charge are paying attention. We value your feedback and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

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