Genshin Impact Unreconciled Stars Event Has A Pretty Neat Detail For Venti Players
Unreconciled Stars is the new large-scale event ongoing in Genshin Impact (PC, PS4, PS5, Mobile, soon on Switch), and it has a fun detail for Venti players. The event is divided in three phases, with the first and second phases, Unknown Star, Star of Deceitful Dreams, available now. In the first phase, players need to investigate mysterious meteorite remains. You do that by collecting shards of of the meteorite, dropped in Mondstadt and Liyue. miHoYo already published everything to know about the event. As such there's no real need for a 3rd party guide or anything unless you really hate reading and prefer learning everything through VTubers.
Note that the following contains spoilers if you haven't finished the Mondstadt main story yet.
In order to localize the meteorite shards, the characters need to use the Vision they all own. The closer you are to a meteorite shard, the stronger a character's vision will blink.
However, Venti's Vision doesn't blink, since it's not a real Vision but a fake accessory whose only function is turning into a wooden lyre. Venti is an Archon, the gods of Genshin Impact, so the fake vision he has never blinks during Unreconciled Stars. The fake he carries is to avoid raising suspicions about his identity. Note that the Traveler too has nothing blinking on them as they don't use a Vision either.
That's a pretty simple detail but pretty cool. I'm personally not surprised they thought about it. Seeing miHoYo's very close attention to detail in all of Genshin Impact so far. Such as the very extensive item descriptions and books to read. It's definitely a great game if you love reading for info rather than watching VTubers. No, I'm not judging you.
Incidentally, one of the best characters to search for the shards is Noelle as she carries her Vision on her back. Makes it easy to see the blinks.
miHoYo just revealed that the new character supposedly from Inazuma is voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara, the voice of Lloyds Bannings in the Kiseki series, and the voice of Kouji Mihama in Pretty Series, among other roles.
Unreconciled Stars Event duration: 2020/11/16 – 2020/11/30
"Unknown Star" starting time: 2020/11/16
"Star of Deceitful Dreams" starting time: 2020/11/18. Where we're at right now.
"Star of Destiny" starting time: 2020/11/23
Genshin Impact is currently holding a limited gacha banner, Farewell of Snezhnaya, with Childe (Tartaglia) as the featured five star character. The Japanese Twitter account for the game also recently got trolled into tweeting out a dick joke.
The post Genshin Impact Unreconciled Stars Event Has A Pretty Neat Detail For Venti Players by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.
Predicting the Game of the Year Nominees at The Game Awards 2020
Whether you enjoy the show or not, The Game Awards has essentially become the games industry's equivalent of the Oscars, Grammys, or Emmys. Even though every other publication around the globe (including us here at DualShockers) ends up handing out annualized "Best Of" awards of their own, Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards is the showcase that catches the attention of the most people each year.
On the eve of this year's nominees being announced for the 2020 edition of The Game Awards, I thought it might be fun to try and read the tea leaves and predict what the six choices are that we'll see selected for the show's biggest honor: Game of the Year. While these are just my own guesses, I feel like they'll prove to be pretty spot-on once Keighley and crew reveal the official list.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
In a year that has largely been so awful around the world, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been that blanket of warmth, comfort, and joy that many have surely needed. The latest iteration of the long-running series couldn't have hit at a more perfect time when it launched back in March and the enjoyment that many fans around the globe have derived from it hasn't gone away since then.
With Nintendo continuing to support New Horizons on a routine basis in the months following its release, Animal Crossing is likely the one new title that many haven't stopped playing in 2020. That speaks volumes in its own right and makes it a worthy nominee at this year's event.
Half-Life: Alyx
It has been said for years that virtual reality, while really cool in practice, still lacked a killer app. Well, it seems Valve heard those complaints and decided to bring Half-Life out of retirement to show everyone what the space really needed.
Half-Life: Alyx doesn't mark just the return of a beloved franchise, it's likely the most impressive, immersive, and groundbreaking VR title we've seen so far. Even though it has likely been experienced by fewer players overall than any other game on this list, it's hard to deny that Half-Life: Alyx isn't the shot in the arm that the VR industry needed. Whether or not a VR game is able to win GOTY outright remains to be seen, but it shouldn't be a surprise if we see this one nominated.
The Last of Us Part II
Love it or loathe it, you probably need to accept that Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II is a virtual lock to be in contention for Game of the Year at The Game Awards. Not only does it stand as one of the year's highest-rated games, but it's also a technical achievement for the PS4 and the games industry as a whole. Not to mention, it boasts some of the most impressive accessibility functions in any video game ever created.
While you might not disagree with all of its narrative choices, not seeing The Last of Us Part II in the running for GOTY would be far more shocking than if it does get nominated. Prepare yourself for the inevitable.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Yeah, I know, it's baffling that a well-received remake of one of the most beloved games of all-time would end up appearing on this list. Who could have expected that?
In all sincerity, Final Fantasy VII Remake is likely the year's most stand-out RPG and meaningfully found a way to not only expand on the game's original story, but also injected it with enough new content to keep longtime fans intrigued. Even though it took a long time to finally hit store shelves after its first announcement all those years ago at E3, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a game that will surely get a chance to win the honor of best game released in 2020 at The Game Awards.
Hades
Hades has quickly become this year's indie darling. Supergiant Games' latest title had been in early access for a while prior to its launch earlier this year, but once the full 1.0 version went live, many started to realize just how darn good this roguelike really is. I mean, heck, it stands as one of the only 10/10 scores we gave here at DualShockers in 2020.
Despite not having the IP pull that Half-Life, The Last of Us, or Final Fantasy does, it's hard to deny that Hades isn't worthy of a spot here among these other potential nominees. And if you don't believe me, the game's aggregate score over on Metacritic should say enough.
Fall Guys
This sixth and final nominee was hard for me to pick, but I landed on Fall Guys as what I expect to be the last game chosen. In terms of sheer popularity, it's hard to match what Fall Guys was able to do when it released over the summer. Within mere days, this new take on the battle royale genre went from being virtually an unknown quantity to then being played by what felt like everyone in the world.
While I'm unsure if it will end up taking home the biggest honor at The Game Awards, I wouldn't be shocked to see Mediatonic's mega-popular release get some love with a nomination at the very least.
As mentioned, the official nominees for Game of the Year and every other category at The Game Awards will be announced tomorrow on November 18. As for this year's event itself, it's set to take place early next month on December 10.
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FIFA 21 Playtime Controls Live Now On Consoles and Web App
FIFA 21 has taken a big step over the last week to finally give players better control and information about their spending and playtime. EA Sports new Playtime feature first rolled out on PC last week and now it's available across the board. It lets you monitor how much time and money you've spent on the game, while also giving you the ability to set limits for yourself or other players on your account. As far as tools go, this is an excellent effort to help parents better understand what their young gamers are doing.
Of course, the more cynical among us will likely view this as a stopgap measure as EA fights several lawsuits around its predatory loot boxes. And frankly, there's probably some truth to that. It doesn't address the core issue many players have with loot boxes. That said, it at least provides the idea that EA is doing something to protect a group vulnerable from their scummier tactics. It doesn't really address gamers with gambling addictions or anything like that, but it is a very small step in the right direction.
That said, it certainly feels like FIFA 21 is trending towards something of a breaking point. We've seen several loot box lawsuits coming forward in the last few months. Plus, content in FUT has been slowly changing in terms of what's available where. You still feel the pull of FIFA points, of course. However, unless you want the very best players, it doesn't feel as strong. I guess that could just be because the servers are so bad, but who can say?
FIFA 21 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. You can also pick it up on PS5 and Xbox Series X. However, the next-gen update isn't available until December 4.
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Observer: System Redux Review — Paranoid Android
Back in March, I was fortunate enough to have a full-time job that allowed me to quarantine and still get paid. During this time, I finally got around to that backlog many of us #gamers too often ignore. While I played some old favorites, like the entirety of the Halo series, and some of the last generation's greatest games (by "some," I mean Yakuza 0, obviously), Bloober Team's Observer was one that stood out the most.
Observer stands out for me for a number of reasons. First, although I absolutely adore horror as a movie genre, horror games freak me out way too much for me to really get into them. Second, it is heavily inspired by my favorite film of all-time, Blade Runner. Lastly, it tells such an interesting tale by weaving both the horror and cyberpunk genre in a unique way. It actually surprised me how much I enjoyed Observer despite some of its faults in gameplay and performance.
However, those qualms have mostly been rectified with Observer: System Redux, a remastered version of the sci-fi horror game which includes three new side cases, upgraded graphics, and other quality-of-life improvements. It might not be the graphical showcase to show off your new console or PC to your friends, but it improves on what is already a fantastic horror experience.
Set in 1984 with a dystopian sci-fi version of Poland as the backdrop, you take the role of Daniel Lazarski (portrayed by the late Rutger Hauer), a policeman tasked with investigating a death in a grimy apartment building known as "The Stacks." However, he's not just any ol' policeman. He is an Observer, a special augmented detective who can hack into their suspect's mind to find the evidence they need to solve their case.
As such, Lazarski takes it upon himself to hack into the victims of a mysterious attack to solve his assigned case. However, it seems to make him less and less sane after each time he feeds on their dreams. The story is simple in that Lazarski must simply solve a murder case, but it boasts a tremendous amount of depth once you learn about "The Great Decimation," the Nanophage, and Lazarski's personal road to redemption.
The story of Observer: System Redux is a mesh of dystopian sci-fi themes and horror atmosphere. In many ways, the game attempts to answer the question, "What does it mean to be human?" It's a query many films, TV shows, and video games attempt to answer, but many falter with. While I don't think Observer is a shining example of how to portray a dystopian cyberpunk landscape, I think its own unique take on the age-old question is interesting, and one worth seeing through.
Much of the story and its many side missions are worth checking out for the visuals alone. It's a corny thing to say, but some of the set pieces in Observer: System Redux almost looks like a painting. Albeit, a really messed up and haunting painting, but beautiful nonetheless.
These impressive visuals are mostly due to the new improvements Observer: System Redux brings to the original. On my initial playthrough of the original release, I thought the art direction was fantastic, but graphically, some of the scenes lacked depth. A lot of it had to do with lighting, but there was just not a lot of detail in the NPC models and environments. For this new remaster, Bloober Team has updated its character models, animations, and effects, as well as added ray-tracing. Overall, these additions are a definite improvement. Every scene, whether you're walking down one of the empty hallways or tripping out within your witnesses' dreams, is stunning in its own way.
While it really does look great, I don't really think Observer: System Redux will be a game to showcase your new console's capabilities. I mean, the game looks great, but it doesn't showcase any one feature in a way no one else has. Graphically, it looks great but it doesn't compare to games like The Last of Us Part 2. Its ray-traced lighting is rad but it isn't as rad as Control's use of ray-traced lighting. To put it simply, it features everything it advertises but it's not the most exemplary example of any one of those features.
Observer: System Redux also adds three new side cases: Errant Signal, Her Fearful Symmetry, and It Runs in the Family. More than the graphical improvements, these new stories would be the reason anyone who has played this game recently would even think of diving back into Bloober Team's dark dystopian Poland. However, I'm not quite sure it really adds much substance to the core experience of Observer. There are some really great looking set pieces and interesting puzzles to solve in the new side cases, but I'm not sure each case is great enough to play the game again.
With all these new additions and improvements, I guess the answer some of you are looking for is whether Observer: System Redux is worth checking out if you've already played through the original. Well, there are several answers to that question. If you haven't played it already, and you really dig horror and sci-fi stories, then you should absolutely play this game. If you played it and enjoyed it the first time, like myself, then yes, you should totally play Observer again. If you are looking for a game to show off your new toy to your friends or specifically want to see what cool new things Bloober Team added to Observer: System Redux, then you can definitely skip this one.
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Gears 5 Adds WWE's The New Day as Playable Characters via DLC
The roots between WWE and the Gears of War team appears to run deep. Last year, the team added Dave Batista as a skin in Gears 5. Now, Big Dave isn't an active WWE Superstar, spending more of his time yacking it up with that crew that guards the universe or whatever. However, the newest set of wrestlers to make their way into the Gears 5 universe are active talent. Announced today via Xavier Woods' Twitter, The New Day is coming soon to an Xbox near you.
https://twitter.com/AustinCreedWins/status/1328766714289512448?s=19
As of this writing, it doesn't appear that The New Day skins have a release date. They don't appear to be a part of today's Operation 5: Hollow Storm patch. However, the materials might just not be updated yet. Either way, this is a super cool move for wrestling fans everywhere. Having three of the biggest names in the community featuring in a major video game is, without a doubt, a big deal. You also have to wonder if we'll get any other pro wrestlers down the line.
It's worth noting that, as briefly touched on above, this isn't the only Gears 5 news today. The Hollow Storm patch is bringing several multiplayer updates to the game. Expect several new fan-favorite characters and some familiar maps when you log on. And, of course, the new battle pass has tons of unlocks.
That said, The New Day's invasion is the big news here. Expect to see Woods, Kofi, and Big E on the battlefield soon. Gears 5 is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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Xbox Series S Review — Compact and Cost-Effective
With the arrival of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, this is the official relaunch for the Xbox platform after taking most of the last generation to recover from the Xbox One. The Xbox Series X is a powerhouse when it comes to 4K graphics and teraflops, but the Xbox Series S, while running on similar hardware, is mostly the same experience in a much smaller box. Naturally, there are some cutbacks to make up for the low price tag, but at the end of the day, I believe the Xbox Series S will be a very attractive console going into next-gen.
The Xbox Series S is more or less an evolution of the Xbox One S. It's a less powerful yet cost-effective option for those who aren't looking into 4K gaming. Despite 4K being as relevant as ever, there are still a lot of people who just aren't in the market for a 4K television or simply do not play games enough to justify the investment. That is what the Series S is for.
With the ability to hit a native 1440p, the Xbox Series S is also able to reach framerates of up to 120 frames per second. We already know that games like Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Gears 5 multiplayer are supporting this for those who have a TV or monitor that have the capabilities. For those that do have access to 4K, the Series S is able to upscale to that resolution in rare instances, but it will not be native like the Xbox Series X. Additionally, any backward compatible titles that have Xbox One X enhancements will not show those upgrades on the Series S.
Removing the disc drive is arguably the biggest sacrifice for those who decide to pick up the Series S over the much more expensive Series X. The Xbox One S released an all-digital edition last year, but there was still the regular Xbox One S with the disc drive included. This is no longer the case.
Not only is there no disc drive, but the Series S is only equipped with 512GB of memory in its SSD. That is, until you count the operating system. In reality, there is only 360GB of memory available to store games optimized for the Series S. With next-gen games likely to get bigger in size as the generation progresses, that storage will fill up quickly.
However, there are solutions to this. Xbox has teamed up with Seagate to create a one terabyte proprietary expansion card that takes advantage of the system's solid-state drive, but it is costly. At the price of $219.99, it would probably be better to use that money to grab a Series X which comes with 1 TB of internal storage instead. At that point, you would not have to worry about moving to a Series X once you eventually have the possibility of 4K gaming. The storage upgrade wouldn't be as significant, but it is definitely more bang for your buck. An external hard drive is also an option for your backward compatible games as well as a holding place for Series S titles, but they must be installed on the SSD to be played.
Quick Resume allows multiple games running to switch on the fly. The number of games that you can have running at once varies depending on how strenuous it is on the console. Through my experience, I have been able to have a handful of games running without one completely shutting down.
Alongside the new Xbox consoles is an updated controller. At first glance, it didn't look much different from the Xbox One controller, but immediately after putting it into my hands I was shocked as to how much an improvement it ended up being. The controller has texturized grips on the back which feels like a lesser version of the Elite Series 2. It also boasts grips on the triggers and smoother bumpers. The triggers are also slightly smaller than they use to be, but it makes very little difference. The new controller also has a new share button making it easier to take immediate screenshots to share on either the platform or social media. With that in mind, it takes away the previous option to capture that was on the Xbox One. It might seem redundant, but I wish they would have both options available as I see no reason to take it away. Overall I think it is on a similar level of quality to the original Elite controller but falls short due to the lack of adaptive triggers.
The main question that I think most have about the Xbox Series S is, "Who is the target audience?" The answer is that it just depends. Outside of those who can only afford one console, the Xbox Series S is great for those looking for a secondary console. With Xbox Game Pass and the low price tag, the Xbox Series S is a great console for almost anyone to have. While still playing multiplatform titles on PlayStation 5, for example, you can still have access to a large library of games to try out on Xbox along with getting all exclusive first-party titles on day one. That said, the Xbox Series S is great even if it is your one and only console. Game Pass is the best deal in gaming right now and regardless of which Xbox system you have, not subscribing to Game Pass is like shooting yourself in the foot.
The Xbox Series S was made to make next-generation more affordable to those who can't shell out $499 for the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5. With the $299 price tag and an experience that is comparable to Series X outside of 4K graphics, the Series S has the potential to be the best-selling console this generation. The storage size does hurt it in the long run, but there are ways to get by it if you're willing to be flexible. Despite that one major flaw, the Xbox Series S simply gives the best value in gaming and is a great option for those looking for the cheapest way to get into the next generation.
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Immortals: Fenyx Rising Season Pass Includes New Game Modes and Story DLC Based on Chinese Mythology
While November has been a busy month with the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/Series S and plenty of new game releases, December already has a ton of new game releases worth looking forward to in the month ahead. Immortals: Fenyx Rising is one of the titles leading the charge with its launch early next month, and now you can take a look at what's in store for the game through its Season Pass.
Ahead of its launch next month, Ubisoft has released a new trailer for the upcoming Immortals: Fenyx Rising that takes a closer look at the title's post-launch plans. Specifically, the new trailer breaks down the contents of the Season Pass for Immortals and what players can look forward to from its DLC and expansions.
You can take a look at the Season Pass trailer below:
As the trailer highlights, players can expect three major expansions for Immortals as part of the Season Pass alongside free daily quests, weekly challenges, and in-game events. The Season Pass also includes an additional bonus quest called "When the Roads Get Rocky" for those that pick up the add-on at launch, which is available with the game's Gold Edition ($99.99) or available to purchase separately ($39.99).
The first content update as part of the Season Pass is called "A New God," which features Fenyx trying to overcome "The Trial of the Olympian" challenges. The second, titled "Myths of the Eastern Realms," introduces a new area inspired by Chinese mythology alongside a new combat style "based on Chinese martial arts," according to Ubisoft. The third and final expansion is called "The Lost Gods," which brings "a new gameplay style" that switches to a top-down isometric perspective and introduces a new hero named Ash, who embarks on a quest to "bring back the lost gods and restore balance to the world."
Immortals: Fenyx Rising will be available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, and PC on December 3, 2020.
The post Immortals: Fenyx Rising Season Pass Includes New Game Modes and Story DLC Based on Chinese Mythology by Ryan Meitzler appeared first on DualShockers.
PS5 First Post-Launch System Update is Live, Improves General Performance
Let's be honest: there have been some weird issues with the PS5 so far. Perhaps you haven't run into some of these problems like I have, but the console is definitely in need of some stabilization patches at the very least. Fortunately, Sony seems to be well aware of this and has today pushed out a new update for the platform.
The latest update for the PS5 is the first that has come about since the console's release last week on November 12. It stands around 800MB in size with the description simply saying, "This system software update improves system performance." If you owned a PS4 last-gen, you're likely used to updates of this ilk.
As I mentioned before, though, the PS5 has definitely been having some strange bugs out of the gate so it's good to see that one of these patches has come through so quickly. While I'm not sure if it will rectify some of the errors that some users have reported on that involve crashes and rest mode struggles, but hopefully it's the first step of many needed for Sony to iron out the kinks with this new hardware.
In the interim, keep an eye out for our final review of the PS5 itself which should be arriving in the next few days.
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Cyberpunk 2077 First Console Footage for Xbox Series X and Xbox One X Revealed
We've seen a fair amount of gameplay for Cyberpunk 2077 over the years at this point, but we still have yet to see what the game will look like running on consoles. Fortunately, that dry spell has now ended with CD Projekt Red now giving us a look at the highly-anticipated RPG on Xbox.
Without warning, CDPR today released a new "special" episode of Night City Wire, which is the ongoing video series dedicated to all things Cyberpunk 2077. This edition solely focused on highlighting the first console gameplay footage that we have seen, specifically on the Xbox Series X and Xbox One X platforms. The video which we were shown lasted about ten minutes and highlighted a number of different aspects of Cyberpunk 2077. Some of these included combat, dialogue with other characters, and simply driving around Night City.
All things considered, Cyberpunk 2077 looked really solid on both platforms. Xbox One X, in particular, looked pretty sleek despite being last-gen hardware at this point. It's also important to note, however, that the Xbox Series X footage we were shown was not the game's iteration that is optimized specifically for the new console. CD Projekt Red has said that this optimization patch for next-gen consoles will be coming in 2021, meaning that what we're seeing here is essentially the XBO version running on the hardware. Despite this, you could still tell that it looked sharper compared to the Xbox One X version.
If you'd like to see the new gameplay footage in total, you can find the accompanying video down below. This is only the first bit of new footage we'll be seeing this week as well, as another Night City Wire stream is set to occur on Thursday, November 19.
As for Cyberpunk 2077 itself, the game will be releasing in a few short weeks on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Stadia on December 10.
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You Can Now Eat Bugsnax in Real Life With These Fan-Made Recipes
While the game managed to become a viral sensation thanks to its insanely catchy theme song, Bugsnax has turned out to be an excellent game in its own right. Its wacky premise of catching food-themed bugs on a whimsical island has made for one of the most unique games to release this month, and now you can create your very own Bugsnax to eat right at home.
Pixelated Provisions–a food blog that recreates various food from different video games–has shared several of their own recreations of the creatures from Bugsnax that you can make at home. Helmed by Victoria Rosenthal, the blog features recipes inspired by Bugsnax that perfectly recreate three of its food-like creatures: Strabby, Flapjackarak, and Cinnasail.
You can check out images of all three of the delicious creatures below:
All three of the snax featured on Pixelated Provisions are made entirely of edible elements, and for the most part, they are all fairly simple recipes that come with some creative flourish inspired by Young Horses' title. You can find the recipes for each of the three creatures above by clicking their names.
While it has only been out for a week now on PlayStation consoles and PC, it's fitting to see that Bugsnax has already inspired some incredible fan creations, and just like in the game, it's even better that you can actually eat these creations as well. Of course, if you want to make these creations at home and are looking for some background music to cook and bake to, look no further than the best music to accompany it: the game's theme song.
Aside from the Bugsnax recreations, you can also find a ton of other incredible video game-themed recipes worth digging into at Pixelated Provisions. Specifically, some of the most recent recipes include food based on several recent titles, including koppepan from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, ovim meatballs from Final Fantasy XIV, and my personal favorite, a chicken gyro from Hades.
Bugsnax is available now on PS5, PS4, and PC.
The post You Can Now Eat Bugsnax in Real Life With These Fan-Made Recipes by Ryan Meitzler appeared first on DualShockers.