Assassin's Creed Valhalla should include these 5 fun Viking facts

One of the most fascinating things about the Vikings is just how little we actually know about them. In contrast to the calm, confident and certain manner demonstrated by our primary school teachers when they regaled us with all things Viking, little of what they told us is based on that much evidence. Instead, a lot of what we have come to regard as being definite truths about the Vikings is based on circumstantial evidence at best, often from sources written centuries after their time.

There's tons of fascinating new insights and observations being provided by historians and archaeologists every single day but the fact remains that there's an awful lot of Viking deeds which are still unknown. It is this what makes the Viking era such a brilliant setting for an Assassin's Creed game. For a series that prides itself in shining a light on – and offering a fantastical explanation for – the events of the past, this is a historical period rife with mystery.

So, here's a list – the internet loves a list, right? Especially a numbered one – of five wonderful Viking facts that should absolutely be included in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Now, do bear in mind that some of these have only the teeniest amount of historical evidence to support them but then that's what a good Assassin's Creed game is all about; blending history with fantasy to create something new and unique.

Dancing on Ice

Fun fact to share with your loved ones over Sunday dinner: Vikings loved skiing. There is actual, genuine archaeological evidence that rudimentary skis were invented over 6000 years ago in Scandinavia. By the time of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, set in the 9th Century AD, it is likely that the Vikings were using skis for both a popular form of transportation and a source of leg-breaking fun. There was even a Viking god of skiing; Ullr. Not too much is known about this fella, but he is always depicted with skis and a bow.

Just imagine a section in Assassin's Creed Valhalla where our plucky protagonist, Eivor, has to don a pair of skis to escape a horde of Saxon warriors. As you whip down a mountain at breakneck speed, with only a pair of thick twigs strapped to your feet to keep you upright, you must use your bow with pinpoint accuracy to strike down your pursuers. There could even be an entire optional objective that sees Eivor rack up points with his or her sick ski skills; unleashing 540 Tail Grabs, spread eagles, and corkscrew 720s to climb to the top of an online leaderboard.

Keep it clean

Assassin's Creed Valhalla will have a feature in which players can share their custom raiders with others online. You'll be able to sit back, relax, and know that your menacing mercenary will be on hand to help out your pals in their game. Now who knows the level of customisation that will be on offer when the game finally launches but one thing which should absolutely be included is that you can make your custom warrior look very clean, plucked and well-manicured.

This is because Vikings were big on personal hygiene and appearance. Much more so than many of their historical contemporaries. Archaeologists have discovered combs, ear cleaners, razors and tweezers at burial sites. Vikings even went as far as to bathe once a week – outrageous, I know. In Old Norse 'Saturday' is 'laugardagr', which means 'bathing day'. One account, usually credited to an abbot of St Albans states:

"Thanks to their habit of combing their hair every day, of bathing every Saturday and regularly changing their clothes, [the Vikings] were able to undermine the virtue of married women and even seduce the daughters of nobles to be their mistresses."

Living in America

DLC. Let's face it, if it's anything like previous entries in the series, then Assassin's Creed Valhalla is going to have more DLC than you can wave a decapitated monk's head at. Thing is, after having spent tens of hours exploring England, we might need a fresh environment to raid. Why not America?

After all, the Vikings beat Christopher Columbus to America by approximately five hundred years. Leif Erikson, a Norse explorer likely born in Iceland, established a settlement in 'Vinland', often considered as being located on the coast of North America. Now just imagine his epic voyage re-created in-game – that would be a chunk of add-on content that would definitely have me reaching for my wallet.

Admittedly, there's a significant period of time that separates Leif Erikson from Eivor but I'm sure that's nothing that a bit of Animus nonsense can't resolve.

Weirdest Mini-Game QTE EVER

I don't like QTEs (quick-time events) in games. They feel a bit lazy and lose all dramatic impact when you repeatedly fail at the exact same time just because you'd didn't tap 'X' fast enough. But maybe the reason I don't like them is because they just haven't been set in the right context; they haven't included cow tail pulling.

I only have one academic source for this insight: my much thumbed through and well-worn copy of 'Horrible Histories Vicious Vikings' by the legendary Terry Deary. In this educational masterpiece there is a section on Viking Law. Apparently, "fights were very popular in the courts of Denmark and Sweden. But if a man was beaten, and wanted to have his life spared, then he had to go through a harsh test". What was this test? Basically, you'd shave off all the hair from a wild cow's tail. Then you'd cover Daisy's – all cows are called Daisy – tail in grease. At this point the person who lost the fight, let's call him Dave – not the most Viking of names but it's the first one I thought of – must cover his feet in grease too. Then Dave must grip Daisy's tail and hold on for dear life. Daisy is then whipped to make her so angry she charges. If Dave can hold on to Daisy's tail until she calms down then his can keep his life, and, for good measure, the cow too. If Dave can't hold on then he'll probably be trampled to death under Daisy's formidable tail.

Now, just picture this scene playing out as a QTE Mini-game in Assassin's Creed Valhalla; the player frantically bashing buttons and twiddling thumb sticks to keep a tight grip on Daisy's waggling tail. It would be awesome, right? I can smell the GOTY award already.

No Horns Please, We're Vikings

It's probably fairly common knowledge by now but let's just be clear: Vikings didn't have horns on their helmets. When I first learnt this I was shocked, appalled and ever so slightly nauseous. But copious retching doesn't change the fact that there was nary a horn to be seen on a Viking helm. Horns on a helmet would be ridiculous: the additional weight would make fighting in battle even more arduous. Not to mention the fact that the horns would render a warrior horribly off balance, likely to cause them to slip on some mud and land embarrassingly prostrate at the feet of an amused Saxon. All of that doesn't stop me from feeling the way I feel though; I prefer my Vikings with horns.

How about this as a compromise: whilst Vikings didn't wear elaborate headgear into battle, their gods certainly could have done. Assassin's Creed loves to fuse a culture's myths into game mechanics, so why not include different god's helmets that imbue Eivor with special abilities? A winged Thor helm that grants Eivor lightning powers, who wouldn't want that? Just watch out for Marvel's lawyers, they are more devastating than a Thanos finger click.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla will launch later this year on November 17th, coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia. A next-gen version is also planned for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Playing with History is our ongoing series spotlighting video games and the real-world people and events that inspire them. From the harrowing historic backdrop fuelling Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, to the existence of zombies in Days Gone, and a deep dive into Jurassic World Evolution's T-Rex, join us as continue to expand our timeline. Why not explore the real-world history behind Ghosts of Tsushima, or learn just how authentic the game is, according to a samurai expert.

Something for the Weekend – 15/08/20

I'm very much enjoying the drop in temperatures and rain showers of the last couple days, but looking at the Formula 1, they've jumped out of the frying pan of Silverstone in a heatwave to the first of Barcelona!

Will we have more tyre wear shenanigans this weekend? Can someone spring a surprise in qualifying? I'm looking forward to finding out at the end of this second triple-header.

Now then, let's crack on with this week's gaming news.

In the News This Week

Giveaways

We've got five codes apiece for iOS and Android versions of WST Snooker, the latest snooker game from Lab42 and Sumo Digital. Head here to find out how to enter the giveaway.

Games in Review

We had a pretty full slate of review this week, covering all manner of different genres and topics.

And we also had a documentary review telling the origins of the THPS franchise:

Featured Articles

Just because we had a bunch of reviews doesn't mean we didn't have space for anything else. Ade's kicked off our weekend with 5 Viking facts that should be included in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, while Tom went hands on with the intriguing Dreamscaper, blending action RPG gameplay with Persona-like relationship creation.

Dom ventured into the teensy tiny world of Grounded, before going up against the "despicable, speedrunning nightmare" of Okunoka Madness, and loving every second of it! Alan joined us this week to share his thoughts on the nosy X-raying ghost shenanigans of I Am Dead.

I pondered just how bad Halo Infinite's delay is for Xbox Series X in the long run, while Aran spoke to director Ludvig Gür about the Pretending I'm a Superman documentary.

Jim dove into Solaris Offworld Combat, the next VR shooter from the makers of Firewall: Zero Hour, while Miguel dove into the Limited Run VA-11 HALL-A Collector's Edition for Switch for an unboxing.

I took a look at the upcoming Train Sim World 2, as Steve got a different perspective on the life of creepy crawlies in Metamorphosis.

And we rounded out a week full of features with What We Played

Trailer Park

FIFA 21 career mode revealed in latest trailer

Cyberpunk 2077 Lifepaths, weapons and SAMURAI chrome rock band videos revealed

Sam Fisher is joining Rainbow Six Siege

Apex Legends Season 6 Boosted gameplay revealed

Your Achievements

Here's what you in our community has been up to this week:

  • Crazy_Del is just one trophy away from the Fall Guys platinum, all of which will depend on the in-game store updates. There's also be one trophy waiting for him in Skater XL and a handful of them in NFS Heat.
  • ron_mcphatty has picked up three wins in Fall Guys and is aiming to hit level 40 before he tires of its light and fun battle royale.
  • Dreams little Dreams was TSBonyman who's resting up after a shoulder injury.
  • tactical20 has really got the hang of Skater XL, to the point that he's joined an online team based in North Carolina.
  • And finally Andrewww has been battling through more of The Last of Us Part II, while the kids have been enjoying the chaos of Fall Guys.

I hope you have a good (and relatively cool) weekend and I'll see you on the other side!

Epic's next free games are God's Trigger and Enter the Gungeon

If you're looking to expand that endless digital library of PC games, Epic have you covered. Again.

This week's Epic Game Store freebies are now live with both Remnant: From the Ashes and The Alto Collection up for grabs.

Honestly, it's a great selection this week and if you were hot on the trigger you will have also bagged A Total War Saga: Troy for free within its first 24 hours of launch. The strategy sequel scored a mythic 8/10 in our launch review.

So what can we expect next week? The Epic Games Store will see the return of Enter the Gungeon as well as top-down shooter, God's Trigger. Both will be available to download and keep forever before the next game(s) inevitably drop seven days after.

You can check out the full list of Epic free games below which started with Subnautica in December 2018. Click on the game titles to read our reviews:

God's Trigger August 20-27, 2020
Enter the Gungeon August 20-27, 2020
The Alto Collection August 13-20, 2020
Remnant: From the Ashes August 13-20, 2020
A Total War Saga: Troy August 13-14, 2020
Wilmot's Warehouse August 6-13, 2020
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP July 30 – August 6, 2020
Barony July 30 – August 6, 2020
20XX July 30 – August 6, 2020
Next Up Hero July 23-30, 2020
Tacoma July 23-30, 2020
Torchlight II July 16-23, 2020
Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition July 9-16, 2020
The Escapists 2 July 9-16, 2020
Killing Floor 2 June 9-16, 2020
Hue July 2-9, 2020
Stranger Things 3 June 25-July 2, 2020
AER Memories of Old June 18-25, 2020
Ark: Survival Evolved June 11-18, 2020
Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection June 11-18, 2020
Overcooked June 4-11, 2020
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection May 28-June 4, 2020
Civilization VI May 21-28, 2020
Grand Theft Auto V May 14-21, 2020
Death Coming May 7-14, 2020
Crashlands April 30-May 7, 2020
Amnesia: The Dark Descent April 30-May 7, 2020
For the King April 23-30, 2020
Just Cause 4 April 16-23, 2020
Wheels of Aurelia April 16-23, 2020
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments April 9-16, 2020
Close to the Sun April 9-16, 2020
Gone Home April 2-9, 2020
Drawful 2 April 2-9, 2020
Hob April 2-9, 2020
Totally Reliable Delivery Service April 1-8, 2020
World War Z March 26-April 2, 2020
Torment x Punisher March 26-April 2, 2020
Figment March 26-April 2, 2020
Watch Dogs March 19-26, 2020
The Stanley Parable March 19-26, 2020
A Short Hike March 12-19, 2020
Mutazione March 12-19, 2020
Anodyne 2 March 12-19, 2020
Gonner March 5-12, 2020
Offworld Trading Company March 5-12, 2020
Inner Space February 27-March 5, 2020
Faeria February 20-27, 2020
Assassin's Creed Syndicate February 20-27, 2020
Aztez February 13-20, 2020
Kingdom Come: Deliverance February 13-20, 2020
Ticket to Ride February 6-13, 2020
Carcassonne February 6-13, 2020
Farming Simulator 19 January 30-February 6, 2020
The Bridge January 23-30, 2020
Horace January 16-23, 2020
Sundered: Eldritch Edition January 9-16, 2020
Darksiders Warmastered Edition January 1-9, 2020
Darksiders 2 Dethinitive Edition January 1-9, 2020
Steep January 1-9, 2020
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair December 31, 2019
Hello Neighbor December 30, 2019
The Talos Principle December 29, 2019
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun December 28, 2019
Hyper Light Drifter December 27, 2019
FTL: Faster Than Light December 26, 2019
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator December 25, 2019
Celeste December 24, 2019
Ape Out December 23, 2019
Little Inferno December 22, 2019
Superhot December 21, 2019
Towerfall Ascension December 20, 2019
Into the Breach December 19, 2019
The Wolf Among Us December 12-19, 2019
The Escapists December 12-19, 2019
Jotun: Valhalla Edition December 6-12, 2019
Rayman Legends November 29-December 6, 2019
Bad North November 21-29, 2019
The Messenger November 14-21, 2019
Ruiner November 7-14, 2019
Nuclear Throne November 7-14, 2019
Costume Quest October 31-November 7, 2019
Soma October 31-November 7, 2019
Layers of Fear October 24-October 31, 2019
Q.U.B.E.2 October 24-October 31, 2019
Alan Wake: American Nightmare October 17-24, 2019
Observer October 17-24, 2019
Surviving Mars October 10-17, 2019
Minit October 3-10, 2019
Metro 2033 Redux September 26-October 3, 2019
Everything September 26-October 3, 2019
Lego Batman Trilogy September 19-26, 2019
Batman: Arkham Collection September 19-26, 2019
Conarium September 12-19, 2019
ABZU September 5-12, 2019
The End is Nigh September 5-12, 2019
Celeste August 29-September 5, 2019
Inside August 29-September 5, 2019
Fez August 22-29, 2019
Hyper Light Drifter August 15-22, 2019
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden August 15-22, 2019
GNOG August 8-15, 2019
For Honor August 2-9, 2019
Alan Wake August 2-9, 2019
This War of Mine July 25-August 2, 2019
Moonlighter July 25-August 2, 2019
Limbo July 18-July 25, 2019
Torchlight July 11-18, 2019
Overcooked July 4-11, 2019
Last Day of June June 27-July 4, 2019
Rebel Galaxy June 20-27, 2019
Enter the Gungeon June 13-20, 2019
Kingdom: New Lands June 6-13, 2019
City of Brass May 30-6, 2019
Rime May 23-30, 2019
Stories Untold May 16-23, 2019
World of Goo May 2-16, 2019
Transistor April 18-May 2, 2019
The Witness April 4-18, 2019
Oxenfree March 21-April 4, 2019
Slime Rancher March 7-21, 2019
Thimbleweed Park February 21-March 7, 2019
Axiom Verge February 7-21, 2019
The Jackbox Party Pack January 24-February 7, 2019
What Remains of Edith Finch January 11-24, 2019
Super Meat Boy December 28, 2018-January 10, 2019
Subnautica December 12-27, 2018

The Epic Games Launcher also hosts to a variety of free-to-play games including Dauntless, SMITE, Magic The Gathering Arena, and of course, Fortnite.

Source: Epic Games

Solaris Offworld Combat has been delayed by a month

First Contact Entertainment has announced that it is changing the release date for its upcoming VR multiplayer shooter Solaris Offworld Combat, with the Oculus Quest date now set for September 24th. The original release date was August 27th. This date only applies to the Oculus version with the PSVR release date yet to be confirmed. The reason for the delay is due to First Contact Entertainment requiring a bit more development time. The statement is below.

"We'd like to provide a short development update for Solaris Offworld Combat. In order that the day 1 play experience meets our expectations, we have made a small adjustment to our release plan. The new release date for Solaris Offworld Combat is September 24th 2020. We look forward to sharing what we've been building, with all of you."

We recently spoke to First Contact Entertainment Game Director Damoun Shabestari about Solaris Offworld Combat.

"Games are providing deeper mechanics and longevity through content updates without sequels. I believe arena shooters can come back to a popular gaming space so long as it has some social and seasonal updates attached to it. Bethesda does a great job of this with Quake Champions, and I think players enjoy what they're doing. I really hope we see more of that.

There is a lot that is taken into consideration when it comes to how we treat player locomotion. The type of gameplay is a huge part of how we start player movement; additionally we factor in the title's art style, lighting, animation sets, and audio. Solaris is quick and energetic where players need to take advantage of flanks and teleporter routes to take and hold the Control Point."

You can read the full Solaris Offworld Combat interview here.

Source: Twitter

G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is coming this October for PC and consoles

There is a new third-person shooter on the way and it is based on a classic IP. Hasbro, GameMill, and Maximum Games are releasing G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch with a confirmed date of October 13th. A trailer shows the game in action and it looks like it could be a fun little game. G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout will feature both a campaign mode with 18 missions, and multiplayer modes. The campaign can be played in local co-op. You can watch the trailer below.

There will be 12 playable characters to choose from including Duke, Snake Eyes, Cobra Commander, Destro, Roadblock, and Storm Shadow, with each having access to their own special abilities. The multiplayer modes will include King of the Hill, Capture The Flag, and Assault. The locations in the game will be recognisable to anyone that watched the cartoon including Cobra Headquarters and the U.S.S. Flagg. However, if you're expecting big multiplayer fare then there will be some disappoinment. According to the official site, the multiplayer will be limited to 4-player local

There have been some attempts to bring G.I. Joe back into some relevance. Who can forget the two G.I. Joe movies starring Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson. In fact, there is a third G.I. Joe live-action movie expected next year. The last major G.I. Joe video game release was in 2009 with G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra, which was a tie in to the movie of the same name.

Source: Press Release

Tears of Avia release date has been confirmed for September, new gameplay footage released

PQube and CooCooSqueaky have confirmed that the turn based RPG Tears of Avia will be released on September 24th for PC and Xbox One. The game was going to have a summer release originally but has been pushed back into the autumn. Alongside the announcement of the Tears of Avia release date CooCooSqueaky released some brand new gameplay footage, eight minutes of it, and the footage explores different aspects of the game.

The story involves demons invading the world which has caused the city of Avalon to become lost and almost relegated to mythological status. However, the main character believes that Avalon is still out there and so, along with their party, they will venture through different settings including towns, dark woods, and forgotten ruins including tombs. The character's party members will have skills spread across five classes. Those classes include Ranger, Mage, Warrior, Brawler, and Priest. There are more than 100 skills for players to evolve for the characters, and moves can be combined between party members. Additionally, the story itself will be affected by the choices players make. PQube states there are no good and bad choices but each one will have an impact on the world.

Source: Press Release

Kena: Bridge of Spirits free PS5 upgrade confirmed

Ember Lab has announced that players who buy Kena: Bridge of Spirits on PS4 will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free. Ember Lab confirmed this news on Twitter. Kena: Bridge of Spirits has been confirmed to be releasing on PS4, PS5, and PC via the Epic Games Store. The tweet announcing the free upgrade can be seen below.

The description for Kena: Bridge of Spirits says:

A story-driven action adventure with a stunning visual aesthetic combining exploration with fast-paced combat. Players find and grow a team of charming spirit companions called the Rot, enhancing their abilities and creating new ways to manipulate the environment. Kena: Bridge of Spirits seamlessly blends action and narrative into an unforgettable experience. Travel with Kena, a young Spirit Guide on a quest to uncover the mysterious story surrounding the demise of the village.

This move sees Ember Lab join other companies that will be supporting free cross generation upgrades, including CD Projekt RED with Cyberpunk 2077, and EA with both FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 21. However, not all publishers are supporting the free upgrade path but are instead charging for the option. 2K has confirmed that the only way to get both the current gen and next gen versions of the NBA 2K21 players will have to buy the Black Mamba edition of the game. Meanwhile, Remedy's Control will also not have a free upgrade path. Instead, the upgrade is only available to those who buy Control: Ultimate Edition.

Source: Twitter

Death end re;Quest 2 Review

A lot of the games that come out of Compile Heart and Idea Factory can best be described as JRPG comfort food. From the campy adventures of Hyperdimension Neptunia to the trope-filled fantasy of Fairy Fencer F or Dragon Star Varnir, Compile Heart know how to deliver enjoyable, if unsurprising, video game experiences.

They aren't afraid to shake things up though, and that much was made clear with the 2018 release of Death end re;Quest. A morbid, gruesome RPG that told the twin stories of a corrupted MMO game world and a crumbling real-life game-studio in the midst of scandal and subterfuge. Rather than follow up on the setting and story of that game for a sequel, Compile Heart and Idea Factory once again crafted an entirely original and unexpected story for Death end re;Quest 2 that essentially results in a full-on horror RPG.

For as much bloodshed and mutilation as there was in the first Death end re;Quest, it wasn't exactly a scary game. It also wasn't an entirely shocking venue for a video game story, because as refreshing and intriguing as the characters and plot developments were, it was still a game about yet another amnesiac protagonist sucked into yet another virtual MMO reality. The sequel immediately establishes the most unique setting I've ever experienced in a JRPG. You play as Mai Toyama, a girl who is left orphaned after her abusive father dies by her own hand. A social worker helps her move into Wordsworth Women's Dormitory in the quiet town of Le Choara, but Mai doesn't want to go there for a second chance at a peaceful life – she's in pursuit of her younger sister, Sanae, who abruptly stopped texting her and went missing just over a year ago.

Elements of the world and setting of Death end re;Quest 2 mirror plenty of other iconic Japanese horror games, from indie gems like Umineko to iconic adventures like Resident Evil 4. None of these games are dungeon-crawling, party-managing RPGs though, and seeing this sort of grim, unsavoury story serve as the backdrop for a game like this is incredibly refreshing.

There are layers of mystery to unfold and question surrounding the town of Le Choara, the practices of Wordsworth, and the mysterious religion of El Strain that ties it all together. What makes this mystery even more exciting is how disconnected, yet seemingly still influenced by the first game it all is. Despite being a brand new setting with a brand new protagonist, you're still finding glitchy visual oddities around town when you explore, and the protagonist of the first game, Shina Ninomiya, is working as a new maid at Wordsworth. It isn't clear at all how all of these elements fit together during the beginning of the game, but as layers start to unfold and plot elements reveal themselves, it comes together magnificently.

You'll unravel these mysterious through daytime conversations and night-time exploration. During the day, you navigate a menu that lets you pick from some of the 20 different students at Wordsworth to strike up a conversation with. Once those events are done with and you end the day, a big story scene ends up causing you to sneak out of the dorm and head into the 3D and fully explorable town of Le Choara.

Each of your characters has a special ability they can use to help in navigating these dungeons, from Rottie being able to float over barriers or onto floating platforms, to Mai's ability to hack nearby computers in order to control security cameras and reveal hidden paths. Awkwardly, the mini-map in the top left of your screen already shows you these "hidden" pathways, making the PCs pretty useless.

Rather than diving into a handful of different dungeons throughout the game, Le Choara acts as one large, interconnected hub of explorable environments full of treasures, plot beats, and gruesome enemies. For as gorgeous as the portrait illustrations and menu designs of the game are, the 3D modeling in Death end re;Quest 2 is relatively basic. Still, the lack of technical quality is made up for with the unique design work that goes into the decrepit and corrupted environments, as well as the genuinely disturbing and twisted enemy designs.

Death end re;Quest 2 doesn't rely on pure shock value and over-the-top gore like the previous game did, but instead delivers a constant stream of disturbing, tense, and atmospheric imagery and story beats that are a far cry from what the studio usually delivers.

Of course, you'll need to get over the dramatic story and tense atmosphere and start battling some baddies. For me this is where some of the most enjoyment in the original game came from. Combat encounters in Death end re;Quest are similar to the Neptunia series in which your characters can freely move around an enclosed battlefield and line up their attacks to get as many enemies within the area of effect as possible. Death end re;Quest put a spin on that by having your enemies get knocked back by your attacks, pin-balling into each other and the borders of the arena for extra damage. Death end re;Quest 2 amplifies this with Super Knockbacks, which let you time a button press to send foes flying even further.

The standard ebb and flow of RPG combat combines with the knockback system beautifully, but I was thrown for a loop by the insane difficulty swings of the game. In the first few chapters, enemies are child's play and can often be wiped out in a single turn. At a certain point the tables turn. Now boss battles become teeth-clenching encounters where your foe can eliminate party members in a single hit, and later on every enemy in the game is able to do this. I appreciate the option to engage in punishingly difficult gameplay like that, but when the game flip-flops from easy-peasy to lemons getting squeezied into a paper cut, regardless of your difficulty setting, it's mostly a pain.

There was a similarly cruel punishment in the original game, with dialogue options and certain gameplay moments that could lead to you and your party dying excruciating deaths before a Game Over popped up, forcing you to reload your last save and potentially lose oodles of progress. Death end re;Quest 2 rectifies this, so that the frequent Game Over screens that you encounter will give you the option to reload right at the choice or event that triggered said ending. There's even an Episode Chart that rewards you for exploring these branching story paths and Game Over events with money and unique items, although the fact that you aren't able to dive into previous episodes to unlock these items and can only be rewarded for what you've already done is a bit of a bummer.

Giveaway – Win a code for WST Snooker

Snooker fans of the world, here's a chance to get your hands on the latest WST video game from Lab42 and Sumo Digital. See below for the entry form.

Available now via the App Store and Google Play, here's a breakdown of this year's WST Snooker:

Featuring the world's top 128 players, including Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Selby, Judd Trump and Ding Junhui, as well as official tournaments and international venues, WST Snooker brings the genuine snooker experience to mobile devices.

Players can feel the drama of the World Snooker Tour as they compete in all 25 snooker tournaments around the globe – from the China Open at Beijing's Olympic Gymnasium, to the pinnacle, the World Snooker Championship at Sheffield's renowned Crucible Theatre.

WST Snooker also features TV-quality commentary and presentation, trick shot and skill challenge modes, online and offline multiplayer, fully customisable matches of snooker, 6-red and Shoot Out, an extensive reward system, true-to-life physics and the most advanced cue sports AI ever devised.

Win a code for WST Snooker on Mobile

10 lucky winners can bag themselves a copy of the game. Simply complete the form above – entries close at midnight on Monday 17th August. The giveaway is open to anyone, however winners must respond within three working days of being contacted, and if they do not another winner will be drawn. Our usual terms and conditions apply, and decisions are final.

Good luck!

What We Played #463 – UFC 4, Fall Guys & Mortal Shell

Since we're British we'll grudgingly admit it's been "a little warm", when what we mean is "my eyeballs are melting out of my face". Still, with the giant fan out in the living room, it's possible to just about play some games. I cooled myself down by playing the Alto Collection, though Adventure's snowy mountains soon gave way to Odyssey's sand dunes, and I was right back to square one. Besides that I've started on No Straight Roads for review, and watched the excruciating progress of Microsoft Flight Sims download bar as it taunts me with not being finished.

We're also talking about what we're watching at the moment, and I finally watched Birds of Prey, which was pretty good, sank some more time into BNA from Trigger and having finished the entirety of 30 Rock, we started Life on Mars again, which is just about as perfect as TV gets.

Nic B has just moved house and is still without internet, which means that he's watching a load of Married at First Sight Australia with his partner. In return, she's playing through The Last of Us for the first time, with Nic saying "It's a great game, even the fourth time around." I should probably play it someday, shouldn't I?

Ade has been on with Days Gone, telling us "It's decent enough but surprisingly half-finished feeling for a Sony exclusive. Those frame rate drops are nasty". He also devoured Peaky Blinders Mastermind for an upcoming review. On to the viewing side he's been partaking in superhero shenanigans, "I finally watched Spider-Man Far From Home last night. Really enjoyed it! That was a fun film with a frankly jaw-dropping illusion sequence. Don't ask me how but I'd managed to avoid any spoilers, so those end credit scenes were quite the shocker!"

Thomas Harrison-Lord has been playing Fast & Furious Crossroads for review. More on that coming soon! He also watched a film featuring Nicolas Cage called 'Color out of Space' saying "holy cow, was is it weird. If you like the sound of demonic alien-infected alpacas, this is the film for you."

Jason has been playing Mortal Shell, Rogue Legacy 2, and a couple of other things he can't give any thoughts on. Yet. He's also been playing the full release of Risk of Rain 2, "which is excellent, but I still find myself itching for new content in it."

Gareth has played Rage 2 quite a bit. "The combat is great but it doesn't fit into the open world, it feels like you get interrupted just as you're getting going. I also played 30 minutes of Beat Saber, which I regretted due to the temperature, and some Dreams VR. And I've been rewatching 30 Rock!"

Tuffcub played Destiny 2 because that is simply the way things are, and is watching Umbrella Academy "which is very slow". Jim meanwhile strapped on some sandals this week for his review of Total War Saga: Troy. "It's a dense and rewarding strategy sequel though one you have to really pour yourself into. Compared to previous Total War games where I've traditionally focused on conquest through grand battles, with Troy I've been taking a more strategic approach on a higher difficulty setting, really getting to grips with the web of mechanics underlying just about every fibre. I also fired up Dauntless following its recent content update. It continues to sink its hooks in and although I'm a Monster Hunter fan through and through, the more quick and casual Dauntless has become my go-to multiplayer action RPG."

Aran has been playing UFC 4 for review. Full thoughts on that next week. He also watched Bad Boys For Life "which was alright. Not quite up there with the original and it feels like they might start taking the franchise the Fast and Furious route."

Steve has been immersed in Ni No Kuni II this week, which is apparently pretty all-consuming. He tells us "so many different parts to manage and lots of distractions from the main story path. Aside from that I played through the underwhelming Skully for review, got in some good Overcooked time with my 8 year old and spent a couple of evenings looking at some demos and prologues on Steam. Watching wise, balancing weekly Doom Patrol episodes with an every evening spot of Umbrella Academy which my 13 year old is loving. Topping that all off with late night episodes of United States of Tara whilst melting in the heat. Is it Autumn yet?"

Miguel has been dipping a bit into FF14 again, and also been playing a bunch of Death end re;Quest 2, Yakuza Kiwami 2 and Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga. As for shows, he's been watching more Kaiji, "which continues to be one of the most stressful and nerve-wracking series I've ever watched. I'm also keeping up with currently airing stuff like Re:Zero, Deca-Dence, and Uzaki-Chan."

Finally, Tef has been too hot for any gaming aside from a couple rounds of Fall Guys each day, picking up a handful of more wins in the process, and finished off watching Snowpiercer, which has been enjoyably dumb.

Now it's over to you. What haveyou been playing and watching this past week?

Former AC Valhalla creative director fired, as new allegations of misconduct hit Ubisoft

As Ubisoft work through their process of investigating allegations into sexual abuse, harrassment and general misconduct, a fresh wave of allegations have surfaced against senior staff at the publisher.

However, in a sign that things are progressing, if slowly, Ashraf Ismail, the creative director of several highly regarded Assassin's Creed games, has now actually been fired after previously stepping down from his role on Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

Ismail originally stepped down in June after allegations were made into his personal life, however multiple women then forward to claim that he had more systematically hidden the fact that he was married while being in a relationship with them.

An email sent internally within Ubisoft Montreal was obtained by Kotaku and read, "Following an investigation by an external firm, it was determined that Ashraf's employment with Ubisoft had to be terminated. We cannot provide any details about this confidential investigation."

His departure follows that of Tommy François, Maxime Béland, Serge Hascoët and other Ubisoft executives.

If Ubisoft hoped to draw a line under the allegations at some point, that does not seem likely any time soon. Gamasutra has published a report based off the anonymous accounts (for fear of reprisals) of a number of Ubisoft staff, making allegations of abuse against Assassin's Creed Odyssey creative director Jonathan Dumont at Ubisoft Quebec.

One source said, "He is very narcissistic and overall a major bully. [He] pushes people to the edge of their mental health regularly, and tries to justify his behavior by saying 'this is how you get things done.' [He makes] various misogynistic and homophobic comments, and when he's called out on them will come out with defenses like 'my mother left my father when she realized she was ​a lesbian, so I know what I am talking about.'"

Gods & Monsters quest director Hugo Giard and associate producer Sephane Mehay are also accused of similar behaviours, seeming to bully and pressurise other Ubisoft employees with aggressive behaviour.

Executive producer and former creative director at Quebec, Marc-Alexis Cote is alleged to have enabled this behaviour, while also manipulating employees to compete against each other, and alternating between praise and insults. One person claimed Cote has a "direct line to Yves [Guillemot] and Serge [Hascoet]" that allowed him to protect those who were known for toxicity.

And that's just Quebec. Gamasutra's report also explores allegations at Ubisoft Singapore and Montreal, showing just how widespread the issues are within Ubisoft.

Ubisoft have made positive moves publicly, restructuring the Editorial Team, launching investigations, and opening up new posts to try to champion diversity within the company. The concern, of course, is that CEO Yves Guillemot is saving his own skin with these moves and that, having been CEO for such a long time, he must have been aware of or intentionally blind to what was going on at the company.

Former Ubisoft Quebec narrative designer Jill Murray said to Gamasutra, "Real change at Ubisoft has to happen from the ground up and the top down, and it needs to be transparent. Empower employees. Remove business-as-usual executives. Yves Guillemot can't pretend to want change, while installing his cousin [Christophe Derennes] as CEO in Montreal."

Ubisoft and those accused in the report declined to comment, though the publisher reiterated their intention to investigate allegations that are made.

Source: Kotaku, Gamasutra

Horizon Zero Dawn PC update 1.01 released – Here's the patch notes

It's no secret that Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition for PC has been a less-than-perfect port of Guerrilla Games' blockbuster sci-fi action adventure. Today, Guerrilla released the first update to the game, hoping to fix a handful of immediate issues, while continuing to investigate and test a second patch planned for next week.

Here are the patch notes for today's version 1.01 update.

Horizon Zero Dawn version 1.01 patch notes

Crash/Hang Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where the game would crash if the SteamUI didn't initialize properly on startup.

Functionality Issue Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where Concentration and other slowdown mechanics wouldn't work for everyone.
  • Fixed an issue where Windows/Steam profile names containing special characters would prevent some players from saving the game. We are still investigating other saved game issues as well.
  • Fixed an issue where Windows/Steam profile names containing special characters would prevent some players from saving screenshots in Photo Mode.

Other Fixes

  • Added improved diagnostic data collection when submitting a crash report.
  • Fixed several backend issues.
  • Fixed a video corruption issue for specific hardware. We're continuing to look at other hardware configurations as well.

Guerrilla also released a list of known issues:

Known Issues

In addition to the issues identified previously, we're working on a number of high-priority issues:

  • Some players are experiencing startup crashes. Patch 1.01 fixes a few, but not all, of these crashes.
  • Some players are experiencing GPU-related hangs during gameplay. The improved diagnostic data collection added in Patch 1.01 is aimed at making it easier to track these down.
  • Some players are experiencing graphical settings issues, such as Anisotropic Filtering not working, 4K not displaying correctly, or HDR not working correctly.
  • Some players are experiencing performance issues on specific GPUs or hardware combinations.
  • We're aware of and continue to investigate all issues in this list on Reddit as well. Thank you to u/EvilMonkeySlayer for compiling this for us.

Of note are the "performance issues on specific GPUs or hardware combinations", which seems to go against what we believe to be fundamental performance issues. Our testing saw the game struggle to meet expectations set by fellow Decima Engine game Death Stranding across both AMD and Nvidia GPUs. On a Vega 56 it was unable to reach 1080p60 in Horizon on the "original" PS4-matching settings, while able to push past 90FPS at higher settings in Death Stranding. Meanwhile, 1080p30 was the only plausible target for a GTX 1060, which can easily handle 1080p60 in Death Stranding. Anecdotally, we saw similar reports of diminished performance from a number of other post-day one patch reviews.

Here's hoping that, as they work on the issues with anisotropic filtering and scaling, Guerrilla are also able to uncover the root of this poor performance.

In our Horizon Zero Dawn PC review, I wrote:

Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition brings Guerrilla Games' fantastic sci-fi adventure to a whole new audience, but PC players used to ultra-high frame rates will have to accept a step down in performance as they enjoy Aloy's journey.

Source: Reddit

Dreamscaper adds heart and intimacy to an action RPG roguelite

Heading into Steam Early Access today, Dreamscaper is an intriguing take on the action RPG roguelite, aiming to add a little bit of heart and intimacy to the genre. I've spent the past few days with the game, and I have to say, it's pretty excellent.

 

Presented as your typical roguelite, Dreamscaper tasks you with beating a number of levels that increase in difficulty as you collect weapons and abilities that make you more powerful. With each death you will be sent back to the start again, having to accrue abilities and weapons all over again. It's a genre that most gamers will be familiar with by this point and Dreamscaper doesn't do anything outside of the established template in this regard.

What makes Dreamscaper interesting is the time spent outside of combat. While sleeping, Cassidy fights her deep subconscious, taking on her worst fears. When you wake up, Dreamscaper takes on a very different tone as players are able to travel to a number of locations and build relationships within Cassidy's social circle. Relationship levels can be built by chatting with friends or providing them with gifts, which in turn unlocks new abilities and buffs to use in the dreamworld. It's similar to Persona 5's Confidant system, but I actually feel it works better here.

The unlocks in Persona 5 were typically stat buffs or upgrades for pre-existing items, Dreamscaper empowers you to build these relationships by dangling the carrot of new weapons and abilities. For instance, if I spoke to one character enough times I could unlock the Breaker Sword which is one of the best early game weapons available. This reward system makes the relationship building feel just as important as the combat itself.

Combat sits somewhere between old top-down action RPG titles and recent Soulslike games. Players are able to attack up close and at range with the need to guard, parry and dodge to avoid taking damage. Each new level ramps up the difficulty, with a boss to beat at the end before you are able to progress. Cassidy starts each playthrough with a randomised weapon, meaning you have to adapt to the different playstyles presented by weapons. I quite enjoyed not being able to rely solely on one type of build to get me through the game, and it encouraged me to experiment more with Dreamscaper's systems.

There are a number of combat challenges and puzzles to find throughout Dreamscaper's procedurally generated levels. These rooms help break up the repetition of fighting enemies by introducing challenges that force you to fight in a specific way. Beat the challenge or solve the puzzle and you earn yourself an additional weapon or ability to equip. It's these little touches that make Dreamscaper enjoyable, providing just enough variety across its levels to ensure repetition doesn't set in.

Dreamscaper's cartoony visuals are a perfect fit for its aesthetic, bringing Cassidy's dreams to a life in way only highly stylised visuals could. My only real bugbear is the lack of character faces. There's a lot of great dialogue in Dreamscaper, so having faces expressing the emotions and sentiments behind it would add a lot more depth to the relationships. Other than that, Dreamscaper is a visual delight, with colourful and dreamy visuals that perfectly match the game's narrative direction.

My only other major issue is with enemy balancing. In the Early Access build, I found that enemy health was often set far too high, resulting in Cassidy absolutely wailing on one specific enemy for upwards of ten seconds before they fall, making them feel far too much like a damage sponge. A little bit of tweaking in this respect will absolutely remedy the issue, and I expect this will likely be fixed with community feedback in the coming months.

Dreamscaper is already off to a fantastic start, providing one of the most interesting takes on the roguelite genre we've seen in the last few years. I look forward to seeing what the team adds to the title and how it will look upon release. For now though, I'm going to continue dreaming my way through it's procedurally generated levels.

Dead By Daylight crossplay live for consoles and PC

Some excellent news for Survivors and Killers alike – developer Behaviour Interactive have finally flipped the switch on cross-play for Dead By Daylight.

As the name suggests, this eagerly awaited feature for the popular horror title will allow users to play together regardless of whether they're gaming on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, or Nintendo Switch. The mobile version of DBD will not be added to the mix though Dead By Daylight Stadia players will soon join the party.

This follows recent changes made to how ranks and matchmaking work via a new update.

In addition, Dead By Daylight will also have cross-friends functionality too, allowing you to connect with those you encounter on other platforms to later party up and play matches.

In order to add friends, you'll need to pop open the social menu and punch in their Dead By Daylight ID. Here's Behaviour's official breakdown of how the new cross-play and cross-friends systems will work in-game:

Which platforms are included in cross-play?

You will be able to play between Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox One, Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The Dead by Daylight Mobile game is not included in cross-play. Stadia will also join other platforms at launch

Since cross-play is happening, is mouse and keyboard support going to be added in?

There's no current plan at the moment.

Now that cross-play and cross-friends are available, how about cross-progression?

We will communicate more information about cross-progression when we are closer to the feature release.

If other platforms have content I cannot access on my platform, what will happen when I play with these players?

You will play against these players as you would any other, you will see the content as they play it. The only restriction is that you will not be able to access the content if it isn't available on your platform.

What happens if one platform gets an update late?

To be able to cross-play together, platforms needs to be on the same version of the game. If one platform gets the update late, they will match together (not cross-play) until they are on the same version as the others.

Can I chat with other platform's players

The in-game chat will not be available or visible to console players. Players on PC (Steam and Windows Store) will still have access to pre-game and post-game chat.

How can I communicate with my friends on other platforms?

Whereas we have no means to communicate inside the game, you can join our amazing Discord community here https://discord.gg/PpF8Ae to join more than 140K Dead by Daylight players and join play sessions.

How to deactivate cross-play?

Go in Settings / Disable Cross-Platform play

What happens if a player deactivates cross-play?

The player will play only with players from their platform. The matchmaking time might be longer as there will be less players to match with.

If I report a player from another platform what happens?

This will function the same way as it was before. A report will be sent and investigated by our team.

If a player has a bad username what can i do?

If a player is using a bad username, you can use the in-game report and report the player. Furthermore, if they are on your own platform, you can report them to your platform provider.

How do I know the other players platforms?

Players that play on a different platform will have a logo identifying they are connecting from the cross-play feature but it will not specify which platform they are from.

Source: Dead By Daylight

Sentinels of Freedom Review

With Superheroes dominating mainstream media, it's no surprise gaming also see's it's fair share of spandex wearing crusaders, right in the palm of your hands, ready to take on the villains. These days, it's all about that realistic gritty take on the comics you love, so seeing Sentinels of Freedom's vintage comic style feels like a welcome change.

Sentinels of Freedom is based off the hit card game Sentinels of the Multiverse and Sentinel Comics: The Roleplaying Game, which sees you creating your very own hero to team up with popular characters like Bunker and Unity. This in itself is a very cool idea. A lot of superhero games rarely give you the chance to create something from scratch, so naturally, I spent a fair chunk of time creating my paragon of justice!

You start off by choosing your theme, each of which gives you a subset of abilities you can use. For my creation I chose Power Melee, Mobile Melee and Tank, which meant I was able to perform all kinds of bone-shattering hand-to-hand combat moves and also aggro enemies on the field to draw them away from my teammates. There were other options like being able to shoot guns and having laser blast powers, to name a few. Strangely, some of the other superhero staples like Super Speed were missing. I can only assume they were unselectable because one of your main team members also has this power.

All of this is modified further by other character details like background, personality and power source, which give pluses and minuses to various stats. Of course, it's all about designing that hero look and there's a fair bit on offer. I opted for a sleek black/purple number that was basically futuristic techno armour. I felt pretty heroic as I chose my name: Rainmaker.

Once past the initial training section, you're introduced to the hub Plaza where you can customise your characters by changing equipped skills, training them so they learn new abilities and of course, choose your next mission.

Taking all of this into turn-based battles, you're handed a set number of Action Points per round to move and fight with. It feels a lot like a tabletop miniatures game, and planning out your turns is key to not leave yourself exposed to getting thwaked from behind. Only one ability set can be activated at a time, so if I start a turn in my Power Melee stance, I can only perform actions from that move set. You can switch, but that also costs you AP.

Once you end a character's turn, it does give the option for a free stance switch and choice of direction to face them. This is very handy for Bunker because one of his modes sees him turn into a gun turret – a little like Bastion from Overwatch – with a passive ability that puts him on overwatch to start blasting at anyone who walks into his field of vision. I found this ability to be particularly overpowered as he ended up clearing most of the enemy forces on his own!

Each attacking ability has a damage type. For instance, Tachyon's Sonic Strike is a Thwok damage type. It's a close range attack that gets a chance to be buffed if you have allies nearby. Being based off of a tabletop roleplay system, there's a lot of background numbers that go into determining whether or not you will land a blow or miss, with odds that can be increased by strategically placing yourself in the right position and using the right abilities for the correct bad guys. A Focus mechanic encourages you to get stuck in, where a missed attack leads to your hero becoming more focused and adds +1 to their next hit roll.

Damage types in this game have very comic panel inspired names which come across as confusing more than being helpful. Thwok is strong against Deflect but weak against Block, while Zaakt is strong against Evade defences but weak against Deflect. There are five damage types in total but I can help thinking it would have been easier to give them names like Melee, Ranged etc. Something simpler to learn. The one saving grace is that if you go to use an attack, when you hover the cursor over the enemies head, it tells you if your Ping! will beat your opponent's Soak.

Next to the standard abilities, you have Vigilance abilities which happens automatically when enemies perform certain actions. If a Vigilance ability is available, a circle will appear around your hero, showing the front, side and backs zones where potential dangers can come from. It's why facing the right direction is so important. Your chance to hit increases when attacking an enemy from the side and even more so when attacking from the back.

Another thing that surprised me was the sheer number of bad guys the game actually throws at you. You are always outnumbered, though heroes are meant to take on scores of villains and feel pretty strong. Once again, Bunker was on hand to mow down the horde of robbers intent on causing chaos and he did this with ease. The main problem I found with this was that missions were long enough for me to lose interest. With only three heroes, you take your turn and then wait a minute or two for a dozen baddies to take theirs. To my horror, I cleared over 70 enemies in one mission which was insane. 70 goons to rob a bank? They could have robbed the whole city!

The fun is always in the strategy, but I found missions getting a little trite after a while and overall giving it a mind-numbing repetitive feeling. That's not to say that every mission was the same, it just all blurred into one.

I like the comic book style of the game, which is derived from the card game, but the production values aren't quite there, leaving the game feeling overly simplistic and dated. It would be great to have more detail to the character designs and environments as a whole. Playing on Switch, everything was really small and hard to read. It wasn't much better on the TV with a lot of the writing being very small and tricky to read.

NBA 2K21 demo drops on 24th August for PS4, Xbox One & Switch

Alongside a blog that dives into the changes coming in NBA 2K21, 2K Games revealed that a demo will be dropping on 24th August for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

There's you're typical array of tweaks and modifications to the core gameplay, with an overhaul to the Pro Stick for new dribbling mechanics to come in, the shot meter has changed from a timing bar to a targeting system, there's new shot types and signature defensive motion styles, and you'll be able to make "oversized" point guards up to 6'8″, in honour of cover star Damian Lillard.

There's plenty more to be talked about, with details of MyTEAM, MyCAREER and other current gen changes set to be detailed in the run up to release.

NBA 2K21 will be available for PS4 and Xbox One on September 4th, with the next-gen version to be available when the PS5 and Xbox Series X release.

If you were hoping that there would be some kind of free upgrade path through something like Xbox's Smart Delivery, where there is no extra charge for upgrading to the next gen then that hope is dashed. While Cyberpunk 2077 or with EA's Madden 21 will have a free upgrade, NBA 2K21 will not. 2K is charging for the upgrade through the Mamba Forever edition of NBA 2K21 which will cost £84.99, and that will grant access to current-gen and next-gen versions of the game. While there is a cost to access both versions all progression will be shared across platform families, so you will not need to start again should start NBA 2K21 on PS4/Xbox One and then migrate to PS5/Xbox Series X.

The cover stars will be Damian Lillard for the PS4 and Xbox One versions, while Zion Williamson will be the cover star for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The Mamba Forever will have Kobe Bryant who passed away in a helicopter crash earlier this year along with his daughter and seven others.

Source: press release, NBA 2K21

Crysis Remastered PS4 trophy list revealed

Almost thirteen years after the game's original release, Crysis is gearing up for its big return to current-gen consoles. Having launched on Nintendo Switch last month, Crysis Remastered will also be coming to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One though Crytek have yet to nail an exact release date.

However, with the PlayStation 4 trophy list having just surfaced, its release on Sony's platform could very well be imminent.

Crysis Remastered features a fully stacked spread of accolades with 41 trophies up for grabs. It looks to be a fun trophy list, encouraging players to experiment with the game's arsenal of weapons and Nanosuit abilities. If you're serious about get that platinum trophy you'll have to kill a fair few enemies, complete all 6 secondary objectives, and finish the game (or at least a handful of selection missions) on Delta difficulty.

Platinum Trophy Earn all available trophies for Crysis Platinum
A Little Trouble Parking Discover the fate of the Lusca's Call Bronze
Easy Darlin' Rescue the hostage Bronze
You Knew, Didn't You? Regroup with Prophet upriver Bronze
Very Strange Readings Infiltrate the excavation site Bronze
Livin' Up To Your Name Board the VTOL for extraction Bronze
Pro-Aircraft Destroy all AA guns around the harbor Bronze
Enjoy The Fireworks Destroy the cruiser Bronze
Empty Platform Secure the train station Bronze
You're On Your Own Proceed to the mining complex Bronze
One Careful Owner Reach the end of 'Onslaught' in the tank you started with Bronze
Going Underground Enter the mines Bronze
It's On Like General Kyong Defeat General Kyong Bronze
I'm Coming Home Escape the mysterious structure under the mountain Bronze
Expedition Team Escort Prophet to safety Bronze
I'm A Marine, Son! Help the marines evacuate Bronze
Strickland Would Be Proud Defeat the flight deck invader Bronze
Close Encounter Secure victory in the Battle of Lingshan Bronze
Delta: Act I Complete 'Contact', 'Recovery' and 'Relic' on Delta difficulty Silver
Delta: Act II Complete 'Assault', 'Onslaught' and 'Awakening' on Delta difficulty Silver
Delta: Act III Complete 'Core', 'Paradise Lost', 'Exodus' and 'Reckoning' on Delta difficulty Silver
Crysis Controlled Complete the game on any difficulty Gold
Cool In A Crysis Complete the game on Hard or Delta difficulty Gold
Following Orders Complete 3 Secondary Objectives Bronze
Without Question Complete 6 Secondary Objectives Silver
Perfect, Soldier! Complete all Secondary Objectives Gold
No Fly Zone Destroy 5 helicopters Silver
Tank Buster Destroy 5 enemy tanks Bronze
This Is My Rifle Customize a weapon to use all 5 modification points Bronze
Special Forces Kill 200 enemies Bronze
Team Raptor Kill 400 enemies Silver
Long Distance Relationship Kill an enemy 200m away Bronze
Weapons Master Perform a kill with every firearm Silver
Something For Every Occasion Use all weapon attachments Bronze
Choke Hold Kill 20 enemies with grab Silver
Marathon Man Speed sprint 3km Silver
Nano Ninja Perform 5 consecutive kills without being spotted by an enemy Bronze
Knock-off Knockout Kill an enemy Nanosuit soldier with a Strength punch Bronze
Zoology Pick up an animal Bronze
Keen Observer Tag 30 enemies using the binoculars Silver
Catch This! Kill 10 enemies by throwing an object at them Bronze

Source: TrueTrophies

Fortnite also removed from Google Play Store after introducing direct payments – Epic sues Google

Hot on the heels of Fortnite's removal from the iOS App Store, Google has now removed Fortnite from the Google Play Store for introducing a direct payment method that bypasses and undercuts Google's standard payment process.

In a statement picked up by The Verge, Google said:

The open Android ecosystem lets developers distribute apps through multiple app stores. For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users. While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play.

Not playing favourites, Epic have also sued Google and twisted their own history against them, writing in the suit:

In 1998, Google was founded as an exciting young company with a unique motto: 'Don't Be Evil. Twenty-two years later, Google has relegated its motto to nearly an afterthought, and is using its size to do evil upon competitors, innovators, customers, and users in a slew of markets it has grown to monopolize.

Epic Games are tilting at the windmills of the iOS App Store and Google Play Store, with a carefully staged publicity stunt within their hyper popular battle royale game Fortnite that's allowed them to highlight and legally protest the fees that both stores charge for processing purchases.

As with Apple, Google have determined that games must use their system for in-app purchases. The guidelines clearly state, "Developers offering products within a game downloaded on Google Play or providing access to game content must use Google Play In-app Billing as the method of payment."

Both iOS and Google charge 30% for all purchases and transactions made through the store, with preferential treatment and exceptions made in certain circumstances. The direct payment option that Epic introduced say them pushing a 20% reduction to end users, with Epic now theoretically coming out 10% ahead, though the company now has to handle the associated credit card fees, currency conversions, and so on.

Epic and Google have quite publically not seen eye-to-eye over this in the past, with Epic deciding to pull Fortnite from the Google Play Store in August 2018 and start to distribute the app themselves, which is possible through being able to side-load apps from third-party sources on Android. However, Epic decided to return to the Play Store in April, issuing a statement that was already quite huffy.

Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.

Another key player in all of this is Microsoft, who will offer game streaming to Android with Game Pass Ultimate this September. While the app will be available on Google Play, you will not be able to purchase DLC via the app because Google will want to take a 30% cut. Obviously that's a fair bit better than not having an app at all, as on iOS (which Microsoft are not happy about), but you will be able to make DLC purchases via the app if installed from the Samsung Galaxy Store… who obviously have a competitive vested interest in playing nicely with big names to try and shave off some market share from Google.

It's all a tricky situation, with various legislative bodies investigating Google, Apple and others for anti-competitive practices, but Epic have really just thrown a cat among the pigeons, hoping to harness the rage of gamers to attack and pressurise their erstwhile opponents.

Source: The Verge

Being a nosy X-raying ghost in I Am Dead

As far as game titles go, I Am Dead is one of the most stark and on-the-nose, and also perfectly describes your protagonist Morris Lupton, a museum curator dealing with the fact that he is deceased.

Death and mortality have been recurring themes for indie publisher Annapurna Interactive, most notably their debut release What Remains of Edith Finch as well as last year's Outer Wilds that had you trapped in a time loop just before a supernova engulfs the solar system. I Am Dead is a little different, not so interested in morbidity – you never even learn how Morris or indeed anyone else died – rather a whimsical story that places you in the colourful island town of Shelmerston, waiting for you to explore its peculiarities.

The way you go about exploring is the fascinating aspect, as developers Hollow Ponds demonstrated to me during our preview session. As a ghost, Morris is able to zoom in on objects, slicing through them, even drilling down and uncovering objects within objects. While it was hard to discern how this works without holding the controller myself, interacting with objects is done just by squeezing the triggers while the stick lets you rotate the angle of the object, which is meant to be very playful and intuitive.

For instance, in the opening section in a lighthouse, we go to one of its many floors, a kitchen, and the spectral cursor hovers over the fridge, which you can then zoom in and find different foods like a cheese wheel or tomatoes. These in turn can also be sliced through, exposing more of their interior textures, the way you can sort of slide in and out almost like a kind of X-ray vision – the developers specifically liken it to an MRI scan.

In another amusing touch, we come across a couch and your scanner vision reveals there's coins beneath it as well as a remote that got stuck down the side, though you can drill even further down to see the batteries on one end or slide over and see the circuitry on the other. It's really quite wondrous just how detailed the game is despite appearing seemingly simple in its Richard Hogg-designed Mr Men aesthetics.

Of course, not every single object in the game can be interacted with like this, but you're also not just randomly rummaging across everything in sight since interactive objects have a white outline. You also have some direction as there's kind of a point to all this. See, it's not just Morris who's dead, he can also see other ghosts of people who once lived in Shelmerston. The goal is to meet up with them as they may just be able to help you solve a mystery that can save your home from the island's once dormant volcano that's beginning to wake up.

To find these ghosts, you first need to find mementoes; hidden objects that belonged to them or had some kind of significance to them. One way of finding out just what these mementoes are is by interrogating their loved ones who are still living. By interrogating, I don't mean talking, since you're dead, but you can actually scan a person's brain and uncover a memory. These are like narrated cutscenes, albeit still playfully interactive ones, as you can shift in bizarre ways revealing a certain object you'll want to then find.

Later in the session, we jump to another location, Shelmerston's seaside shopping front bustling with people, including some not-so-human folk. This includes a race of aquatic fish-folk, a world away from the ones conjured up by H.P. Lovecraft, who have recently been coming to the island as they've discovered an insatiable appetite for dry food like toast and crisps and needed to start making some money in order to buy it.

Then you've also got these anthropomorphised birds who used to visit the island as part of their annual migration but have now evolved to the point where they come as tourists. Instead of flying they now come by boat since they have to carry heavy luggage with them like camera equipment. As you do. I enjoyed how the developers explained this to me all very matter-of-factly, and while the cartoony visuals probably does make it easier to imagine humans coexisting with fish and bird people without batting an eyelid, it just adds to the game's wholesome charm.

The nature of being a hidden object game however means you also get to uncover secrets bubbling beneath the surface, such as a boat being displayed on the port that, when you slice into it, turns out to be housing an illegal whisky brewing operation. There's all kinds of strange and fascinating little stories to uncover in the world of the living as well as for those who have departed.

There's a linear kind of progression to the game, even in the way you float through each of these diorama-like surroundings which feels like a cross between a point-and-click adventure and being on a ghostly rail. Morris is in a peculiar situation, still grappling with his non-existence as it were, while often speaking as if he was still alive. I'm not sure how his dog Sparky also came to be dead but the good news is in this state you can talk to her and she acts as your guide, loyal even in death.

While on the surface I Am Dead is a kind of first-person puzzle adventure we're all quite familiar with, it's executed in such a playful and wonderfully weird way that can only come from the minds behind Hohokum and Wilmot's Warehouse. It's arriving in September on PC and Switch, so we don't have long to wait to slice through more of Shelmerston.

Fortnite pulled from iOS App Store over direct payment option – Epic sues Apple [Update]

Several companies have been challenging Apple on their iOS App Store policies in recent weeks, as the company faces increased scrutiny from regulators over its business practices.

The latest company to do so has been Epic Games, the maker of the hugely popular Fortnite, who today introduced a new way to pay for in-game currency that bypassed Apple's systems. Seemingly in reaction to this, Fortnite can no longer be found on the iOS App Store – it obviously remains playable for the millions of existing owners, but can no longer be downloaded by new users and will no longer be able to receive updates.

Update: Apple released the following statement to The Verge:

Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result their Fortnite app has been removed from the store. Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services.

Epic has had apps on the App Store for a decade, and have benefited from the App Store ecosystem – including its tools, testing, and distribution that Apple provides to all developers. Epic agreed to the App Store terms and guidelines freely and we're glad they've built such a successful business on the App Store. The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users. We will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.

And Epic Games have immediately filed suit in response, while rallying their millions of players with a pastiche of Apple's 1984 advertising campaign.

The original story continues.

Earlier today, Epic Games announced that they would be permanently discounting V-Bucks microtransactions on all platforms by 20%. On PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, nothing would change with the manner in which you pay, and nor would there be a difference to users who downloaded the game via epicgames.com or the Samsung Galaxy Store. However, for those who downloaded the game from the iOS and the Google Play Store, the company added a new "Epic direct payment" option alongside the traditional payment method, showing a 20% price disparity in the process.

That's a direct attack on both app stores, who charge 30% for all purchases and transactions made through the store, with preferential treatment and exceptions made in certain circumstances. In making a 20% reduction, Epic theoretically now come out 10% ahead, though the company now has to handle the associated credit card fees, currency conversions, and so on.

While Google has yet to respond – the game's availability directly from Epic was already a workaround the company made – but Apple have seemingly pulled the app within a matter of hours, as it now contravenes a number of their app store policies.

Apple have come in for strong criticism over the last few months, with a war of words with Microsoft over the exclusion of their xCloud streaming app. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will only be able to access game streaming via Android smartphones when the service launches in September.

Sources: Epic Games, Gamespot

FIFA 21 career mode revealed in latest trailer

EA have revealed a bunch of new features coming to FIFA 21's career mode in the latest trailer for the game. With more flexibility with match simming, improved training, new transfer options and more, it's looking like a decent update on one of the series' main game modes.

The Interactive Match Sim allows you to simulate a match in the career, but keep an eye on how things are progressing from a simplistic mini-map. At any time, you can hop in and have the game load up the full 3D engine and start playing, letting you pull off a late game comeback if the sim wasn't going quite as you'd planned.

As a manager, you'll have more hands on opportunities to shape the players your in charge of. New position training lets you switch a player's specialty position to another, while development plans can let you focus a squad's growth to match an overall style of play. There's also tweaks for transfers, with Loan to Buy offers and AI managers able to propose player swaps to you.

Getting ready for an individual match, you'll get to see your squad's performance levels with the new 'match sharpness' attribute. That can be trained up in a new Active Training System, and can help strikers score goals or defenders make those clutch tackles that require them to be at their best.

Meanwhile, you'll hopefully notice the enhanced opposition AI, geared up to be a bit more intelligent in both defence and attack.

It definitely feels like EA are cribbing from Football Manager's homework for FIFA 21, but that can only be a good thing for diehard FIFA fans, considering the depth and simulation on offer in Sports Interactives' series.

FIFA 21 will be out for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 9th, with free upgrades to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X via EA's homegrown Dual Entitlement scheme. This will allow free upgrades to take place from the launch of the next-gen consoles up until the release of FIFA 22 next year.

Source: EA

Pretending I'm a Superman – The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Documentary Review

The late 90s and early 2000s were the golden era for Skateboarding. Rising popularity in the mainstream, meant skaters were quickly becoming household names and the sport was gaining more credibility. One of those names that still retains its star power over 25 years later is that of Tony Hawk, the man who landed the 900 at the 1999 X-Games and in turn cemented his place in the annals of history.

Four months after that historic event, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater released on the PlayStation and was met with critical acclaim, forever changing the landscape of Skateboarding as a sport and creating a new genre of games. Pretending I'm a Superman follows the story of the Pro Skater series, charting it's meteoric rise and the fall from grace in it's later years, all told from the perspective of those right in the middle of it all.

Pretending I'm a Superman starts with the man at it's heart, Tony Hawk, landing the pivotal 900 at the age of 48. Right from the start, you can tell this documentary is a love letter to not only Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, but also the man himself and the wider skateboarding community. The documentary takes viewers back to the 80s and a time when skateboarding was limited to smaller groups and rarely in the mainstream spotlight, losing the momentum it had garnered during the 70s.

The likes of Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, Jamie Thomas, Cara-Beth Burnside and other professional skateboarders talk us through the scene at the time, the trials, the tribulations and the way in which it changed as everyone moved towards the 90s. The history of skateboarding is one that has been extensively documented, but it's a great way to set up the rise of the THPS series so we can see later how much it helped change things.

Pretending I'm a Superman also charts the rise of street skateboarding and skate films, two things that had a huge impact on the look and feel of the THPS series. Hearing from a number of professional skateboarders about how they adapted to the change in the industry is a meaningful insight that sets the scene for what the next decade brought with it.

The culture and history of skateboarding is important and with the sport having faced so many challenges from the establishment, authorities and society at large, it's great to see so much credence paid to it in Pretending I'm a Superman. It gives you a far better appreciation for where the industry is today and what it has gone through to get here.

This documentary clearly respects it's core subject, interjecting footage with famous skate videos and recognisable songs. It treats skateboarding with the reverence it deserves, giving the microphone to those who helped build its legacy, empowering them to be open and honest about the sport.

With the scene set and almost fifteen year's of Skateboarding history condensed into fifteen or so minutes – that's a minute per year – it shifts its sights and introduces the birth of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

Riding a wave of popularity off the back of the X-Games, Tony Hawk was approached by a number of developers and publishers looking to create a skateboarding game. Fortunately, one of those interested parties was Activision, which resulted in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Pretending I'm a Superman gives Tony and a number of key developers the spotlight to talk viewers through its initial inception and the way in which it was built.

As someone who spent their childhood and teen years playing the Pro Skater games, it's great to see all the nuts and bolts that went into creating the series. From the way the developers leant on Tony for knowledge of the sport, to how his 900 special move was brought into the game at the last minute after he landed it for the first time at the X-Games. Pretending I'm aSuperman is filled with these fantastic little nuggets of information, which I think fans of the series will absolutely love.

The documentary also features a few snippets of Larry Lolende of Primus and John Feldmann of Goldfinger, both discussing how they got involved with THPS and the effect it had on their respective bands. The soundtracks across the THPS series helped shape mine and I imagine many others' tastes in music, so it's great to see Pretending I'm a Superman make some time for another important aspect of the series' history.

It really drives home the theme of change and growth, showing the ways in which the THPS series altered the path of skateboarding. While it could be argued that another game or series likely would have appeared in its place if it hadn't been developed, it's still lovely to see the new generation of skateboarders who were directly inspired by the series. It's in these moments that Pretending I'm a Superman shines the brightest, showing skateboarding and THPS for what they were, a global phenomenon that changes the lives of millions of people.

It's also interesting to see the director touch on the downfall of the series, pinpointing the point at which sales declined following the release of Project 8 and the introduction of major competitors in the genre. While it would have been nice to explore this period a little more, we still got to see Tony discuss the infamous RIDE peripheral and the workings behind it. Even with the series' later failings, you can see how much it would continue to inspire and encourage people to pick up the sport with numerous professional skateboarders stating they joined the sport due to the series.

One are the documentary fails to address is the series' return and the opportunity to take an inside look at the upcoming THPS 1 + 2 remake. This is a documentary that focuses on the effect the series had on skateboarding and pop-culture, so to see what could well be a redemption story in the form of this reboot would have been a fantastic way to end the documentary.

Dauntless patch 1.34 fixes bugs with new game improvements

There's a new update available for monster-hunting multiplayer title Dauntless, ready for Slayers to download and install.

Dauntless patch 1.34 makes a number of minor improvements to the popular cross-play RPG while ironing out some bug with a fresh wave of fixes.

This follows last week's 1.33 update which kicked off the latest Hunt Pass, loaded with 50 tiers of free and elite rewards. It also saw a complete redesign of Ramsgate, the Dauntless hub world/social space.

We recently decided to return to Dauntless for our 2020 review, scoring it an impressive 8/10 for its slightly more accessible approach to the action RPG side genre. You can catch the latest patch notes below.

Dauntless update 1.34 patch notes

Camera Improvements

  • Camera distance is now configurable.
  • Camera view is now more consistent.
  • Vertical FOV is now static, making the horizontal FOV auto-adjust when changing the screen aspect ratio. A wider screen now just means being able to see more on either side of you.
  • Reduced the amount the FOV can be changed to 75-85°, down from 35-120°, preventing fisheye.
  • Camera distance and FOV sliders are now available on consoles.

Ramsgate

  • You can now interact with the portal driver to view the new Ramsgate cutscene.

Behemoths

  • Reduced the knockback on Lesser Behemoth attacks.
  • Reduced the amount of damage it takes to stagger Lesser Behemoths.

Miscellaneous

  • Reduced the knockback on Lesser Behemoth attacks.
  • Reduced the amount of damage it takes to stagger Lesser Behemoths.

Sword

  • Fixed a bug that prevented The Hunger from generating Special meter while in Overdrive.
  • Fixed a rare crash that could occur when using the sword.

Repeaters

  • Full-Bore Chamber's projectiles no longer deal damage continuously after hitting the ground or a Behemoth.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause a crash when using the Full-Bore or Salvo chamber.

Hammer

  • Fixed a bug that prevented buffering of inputs during the uppercut combo.

Miscellaneous

  • It's now easier to navigate the cell list with a controller.
  • Removed the crouching animations when interacting with weapons in the Training Grounds or with vistas.
  • Reduced the range at which you can activate the ram-headbutting animation.
  • Introduced multiple improvements to localized text to prevent it from overlapping or escaping its UI elements.
  • Removed tooltips from the character creator.

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

  • Activating Torrent Shield on a player who already has a shield now correctly applies the shield.
  • Fixed a bug where Hunt Pass bonus loot wasn't being distributed at the end of a hunt.
  • Fixed a spot where it was possible to get stuck on the cave island.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause aether vents to appear interactable despite being depleted.
  • Fixed a bug that caused other players to render poorly at long distance while using emotes.

Cosmetics

  • Fixed a bug where crowns might not be shown after changing instances.
  • Fixed a bug that could sometimes cause beards to be the wrong colour.
  • The music for the "Dance Crazed" emote no longer continues playing after the emote ends.
  • The paneled lantern skin's textures are no longer brighter than intended.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause your head to vibrate.

UI

  • Fixed a bug that prevented quest and bounty progress from displaying at the end of a hunt.
  • Fixed a bug where blocking someone didn't remove party invites from them.
  • Fixed a bug where the background highlight didn't follow the mouse cursor when navigating the Journal.
  • Fixed a bug that let you select weapons from the armour selection screen.
  • Fixed a bug where purchasing a flare or banner fabric from the Personality menu didn't clear the lock icon.
  • Fixed a bug where going to the next Journal entry might not correctly reset your scroll bar.
  • Main menu tabs no longer remain highlighted when using a keyboard to navigate.
  • Fixed a bug that caused loadout options to remain highlighted after changing screens.
  • The Vault tutorial slate no longer shows when you complete the Hunt Pass intro quest.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause the background of the main menu to disappear when rapidly changing screens.
  • Fixed a bug where Thrax weapon mastery icons were displayed as Torgadoro weapons.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause the Berzerker Vision glowing eyes to appear in the background of the main menu.
  • Fixed the alignment of various UI elements and icons.

Miscellaneous

  • Improved armour clipping on Trainer Rosk at the Training Grounds.
  • Xelya's necklace no longer breaks as she moves.
  • Improved Xelya's armour when viewed from a distance.

Dauntless guides & more from TheSixthAxis

The Last of Us Part 2 update 1.05 live with Grounded DLC

Revealed earlier this week, Naughty Dog are expanding The Last of Us: Part II with Grounded mode and other features as part of update 1.05.

The 573MB patch will being going live later today and crams in a spread of new gameplay options to mess about with, as well as filter-like render modes, and the aforementioned Grounded DLC.

For those seeking the ultimate challenge, Grounded strips away a number of key mechanics from The Last of Us: Part II. These include the x-ray listen mode, as well as HUD elements (ammo/health count) and stealth indicators.

There's also a Permadeath mode being thrown into the mix. It does exactly what it says on the tin, booting players back to the main menu if they die even once. They will receive a summary showing just how far they managed to get. With The Last of Us: Part II clocking in at 20+ hours (even when blitzing through huge swathes) the trophy earned for beating the game in Permadeath will definitely stand out among the collection of series uber-fans.

As we await the official patch notes, here's a summary of what to expect from update 1.05:

Difficulty modes 
  • Grounded Difficulty
  • Permadeath Mode
Trophies 
  • New update introduces two new Trophies: one for completing the game with Permadeath enabled and another for beating it on Grounded difficulty. Neither of these will be required in order to earn the Platinum. 
New Graphics, Audio, and Gameplay Modifiers
    • Mirror World
    • Mirror on Death
    • Slow Motion
    • Bullet Speed Mode
    • Infinite Ammo
    • Infinite Crafting
    • Infinite Melee Durability
    • Infinite Listen Mode Durability
    • Infinite Listen Mode Range
    • One Shot
    • Touch of Death
    • 8-bit Audio
    • 4-bit Audio
    • Helium Audio
    • Xenon Audio
New Options and Improvements
  • Film Grain Adjustment Option
  • Disable Listen Mode Option
  • Motion Sensor Function Aiming Option
  • Arc Throw HUD Display Option
  • Aiming Acceleration Scale Option
  • Aiming Ramp Power Scale Option
  • Accessibility Improvements to Ground Zero encounter and rope gameplay
  • Additional accessibility improvements

For Honor update 2.21 makes core combat changes

Ubisoft have been toiling in the forges at yet another For Honor update you will need to download and install in order to access their flagship fighting game.

Patch 2.21 is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and is a follow-up to last week's 2.20 update in which a new playable hero, The Warmonger, was introduced.

This For Honor patch also introduced the eagerly anticipated core combat design update. In a nutshell, Ubisoft have been busy working on changes to make battles more offence focused and thereby more dynamic and fun.

However, their work isn't done. Ubisoft will be working with the For Honor community to make further improvements while ironing out any issues surrounding the combat update. 2.21 outlines a first wave of changes, as noted below.

For Honor update 2.21 patch notes

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Peacekeeper's 2nd Light is now dodgeable when getting hit by the initial Light attack
  • Orochi's Top Heavy Finisher Feint to Guard Break now works against rollers
  • Highlander's Offensive form enhanced Light attacks have been adjusted to cost 12 stamina
  • Highlander's Light Light combo is now dodgeable on Block and on Hit when in Revenge or if the opponent is Out Of Stamina

STAMINA AND DAMAGE ADJUSTMENTS

  • Stamina cost reduction on combo moves, down from 12 to 6:
    • Shaolin's light combo
    • Peacekeeper's Deep Gouge
    • Warden's light combo
    • Lawbringer's light combo after heavy finisher
    • Orochi's top light combo
    • Shinobi's light combo
    • Shaman's light combo
  • Damage reduction on a variety of attacks:
    • Jiang Jun's heavy finishers: from 38 to 35
    • Warden's top heavy finisher: from 44 to 37
    • Centurion's heavy openers max charge: from 33 to 30
    • Centurions' heavy finishers min charge: from 29 to 28
    • Centurions' heavy finishers max charge: from 40 to 30
    • Black Prior's full block stance unblockable heavy: from 35 to 30
    • Lawbringer's unblockable heavy finisher: from 40 to 36
    • Lawbringer's light combo after heavy finisher: from 6 to 3
    • Kensei's heavy chains: from 34 to 30
    • Kensei's top heavy finisher: from 44 to 38
    • Shinobi's ranged heavy: from 29 to 25
    • Shugoki's heavy openers max charge: from 38 to 35
    • Shugoki's heavy finishers max charge: from 44 to 38
    • Highlander's offensive stance heavies: from 37 to 35
    • Shaman's unblockable side heavy finishers: from 41 to 36
  • Out of lock damage fixes for consistency with locked attacks:
    • Tiandi's OOL light finishers: from 13 to 10
    • Tiandi's OOL heavy finishers: from 35 to 32
    • Shaolin's OOL heavy finishers: from 29 to 32
    • Nuxia's OOL left light finisher: from 13 to 10
    • Peacekeeper's OOL heavy openers: from 29 to 18
    • Peacekeeper's OOL heavy finishers: from 34 to 24
    • Warden's OOL light chains: from 15 to 14
    • Conqueror's OOL heavy infinite chains: from 32 to 35
    • Shinobi's OOL heavy finishers: from 32 to 25
    • Aramusha's OOL heavy infinity chains: from 26 to 32
    • Berserker's OOL light infinite chains: from 9 to 13
    • Berserker's OOL light openers after feint: from 13 to 9

Source: Ubisoft

A Total War Saga: Troy is now free to download on the Epic Games Store

A Total War Saga: Troy is out today on the Epic Games Store and, just as was promised back in June, the game is absolutely free to download and keep for the first 24 hours.

You have until 2PM BST on Friday 14th August to add the game to your account, and we'll keep things nice and simple by giving you a link straight to its store page: Get A Total War Saga: Troy free on the Epic Games Store.

Right, we all done snagging the game for free? Good! Here's a launch trailer to watch while the game downloads.

A Total War Saga: Troy is a timed exclusive to the Epic Games Store for 12 months, after which it will spread to Steam and other PC gaming storefronts, but making it free to download and keep is a pretty big step. From Sega's statements, Epic have simply plunked down enough cash to make it happen, with CA and Sega deciding that if they were able to offer the game for free for a time, celebrating the series' 20th anniversary, it was worth forgoing the diehard Steam users for a time.

At the time of the announcement, Tim Heaton, Chief Studios Officer at Sega Europe said, "Thanks to Epic, we're able to offer a Total War title for free on its launch day. It's a hugely exciting thing for us to be able to do for our players. Not only does this mean that we can bring the tales and legends of TROY to a wide audience through Epic's massive platform, but it also means new players will get to try Total War for the first time, experiencing the unique gameplay that the series is famous for."

A Total War Saga: Troy is the franchise's third release in the Saga spin-off series, with A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia being joined last year by the rebranded Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai.

Troy similarly focuses on a smaller scale conflict and pulls it off. In our Total War Saga: Troy review, Jim said:

Splicing history with Hollywood, Troy is an exciting new take on the Total War formula. Sega's immense strategy series continues to snowball, absorbing and shedding new ideas, somehow keeping momentum despite that core gameplay remaining virtually untouched.

Either way, it'd be a bit silly to pass up being able to grab this for free, wouldn't it?

Source: press release

The Alto Collection Review

Alto is a snowboarding llama farmer. There's probably few more succinct and wonderful character descriptions than that, and here, in an endless-snowboarding-tricking-llama-catching game where your charges have headed off down the mountainous slopes, it's undoubtedly the one for our protagonist.

The Alto Collection pulls together the two previously mobile-exclusive Alto games – Alto's Adventure and Alto's Odyssey – and drops them onto console. In gaming it's hard not to think of Greek assassins and Italian plumbers when you hear the word 'odyssey' – sorry Homer – but it's a fair assessment to say that Alto's journey is a substantially different one.

Alto snowboards – or sandboards in his Odyssey – down, across and over a simplistic, but unequivocally beautiful series of mountain ranges, snow fields and sand dunes. As an endless runner, it's mostly about not stopping, and your only real goal is to stay on that board, avoiding rocks, crevasses and landing on your head in order to do so.

Given its touchscreen origins, Alto's Collection is a true single-button experience. One press sees Alto hop, or leap, over an oncoming obstacle, while holding it down sees him jump and begin a relatively slow rotation that can earn you extra Trick points, a speed boost and shield if you stick the landing. That's really all there is to it, but somehow it manages to spin out a relaxing and compulsive game experience that eternally demands one more go.

There's hints of experiential games like Journey here, and in fairness, the game's central sliding, evocative and impactful visuals, and gentle audio tones were almost certainly born out of a love and respect for thatgamecompany's timeless classic. This is an even more stripped back rendition of a similar idea, but it's no less likely to creep its way into your psyche.

Whether sliding in the snow or the sand, the end of each run gives you a breakdown of your achievements, starting with distance travelled and trick scores, up to chasms jumped and Goals completed. As you progress you gain access to a small selection of upgrades via the Workshop that will allow you to press on ever further across the endless landscape, from helmets that let you fall once during a run, to permanent upgrades for pick-ups like the magnet that pulls coins towards you.

Goals carry over from run to run, and it's here that each Alto game builds a more conventional sense of progression. Three different Goals need completing in order for you to level up, at which point you're then presented with another, slightly tougher trio to work on. They certainly help generate a different way of attacking each run, perhaps focussing on tricks one time, before shifting to overall distance in the next, but they're not designed to slow you down so much as slide alongside you.

In the long run, the game is challenging you, and nobody else. It feels as though it's begging for online leaderboards so you can be completely laidback about rubbing your success in other's faces. Instead you'll just have to settle for personal knowledge, and that feels so much more satisfying… right?

The major caveat here is that The Alto Collection is a sweet, but fundamentally repetitive experience. Despite the ever-changing, procedurally generated courses, once you've spent a few minutes with either Adventure or Odyssey, they'll have shown you their hand, and you're going to swiftly discover if it's not for you. Alternatively, that simplicity and repetition makes it a perfect piece of brain-massaging goodness, sucking away hours with about the same friction as a board on snow. At a fraction under $10 – it's actually free on the Epic Games Store in its first week – it's at least not a terribly expensive translation to console and PC.

Fall Guys downtime reward revealed – free Legendary Prickles costume and 5,000 Kudos

As Fall Guys went through extended downtime and server maintenance at the end of last week, Mediatonic said that they would be rewarding all the game's players for their patience waiting for the game to come back online.

Now they've revealed the compensation that they've come up with: a Legendary Prickles costume and 5,000 Kudos to spend in the in-game cosmetics store. Not so cuddly now, are we?

To be eligible, you just need to have launched the game before midnight tonight, with this being gifted to all players automatically.

That's not the only wonky moment that the game has had since release, with the first Fall Guys update having been planned for release yesterday and instead arriving today. The update patches a number of bugs and rebalances some game modes and the map rotation, as well as adding Jump Showdown as the first new map after release.

Thankfully, the game has overcome the serious server troubles that they encountered as the game launched. Last Wednesday, Mediatonic revealed that the first 24 hours had seen over 1.5 million players ran headlong into walls of doors, spinny hammer and swinging balls, and it's this sheer demand that overwhelmed the company's servers. That was obviously helped by the game being dropped in the laps of PlayStation Plus subscribers, but it was always going to be a streaming darling, and shot to the top of Twitch as well.

Fall Guys has been an absolute sensation for the team at developer Mediatonic and publisher Devolver Digital, with the companies revealing that they've sold over 2 million copies on Steam in the game's first week. That's before you take into account however many people have been playing via PlayStation 4, where it's free on PlayStation Plus in August. However, that has also led to some major server issues around launch, with an entire day being effectively wiped out on Friday, as they shored up the servers and added capacity ahead of the weekend. Thankfully things have been fairly steady since then.

We posted our Fall Guys review last week, saying:

Full of cute and cuddly jelly beans bumbling into each other in a race for the crown, Fall Guys is just about the most wholesome battle royale imaginable, and a whole lot of fun.

Fall Guys is out now for PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam.

Source: Twitter

Interview: Director Ludvig Gür on filming Pretending I'm a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story

The Tony Hawk skateboarding games have had a massive cultural impact in the games industry and the wider skateboarding community. However, before becoming the cultural icon it is now, the Tony Hawk skateboarding games had all sorts of ups and downs with success being far from guaranteed.

There is a fascinating story behind the game franchise, which is explored in the upcoming documentary Pretending I'm A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story. We were fortunate enough to speak to director Ludvig Gür about the experience of filming the documentary, specific moments in the documentary, and stories that came up while shooting it.

TSA: You start the documentary with a history of skateboarding and speaking to influential skaters from the 80s and 90s, who later made it into the games. Why did you believe it was important to give that background of the skateboarding scene?

Ludvig Gür: To understand the success of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, I think it is important to examine the rise and fall of skateboarding in the 80s. Towards the end of the decade, the art-form reached an all-time high in popularity and mainstream corporations wanted to be a part of this trend. The Bones Brigade were featured in commercials, films and more. However, shortly after the peak, skateboarding lost its place in the mainstream.

The very small team at Neversoft managed to make a video game which sent the sport into millions of homes where it has stayed ever since. One of the main reasons is that the people behind Tony Hawk's Pro Skater had an understanding and respect for skateboarding that ultimately led to the game's fantastic representation of the sport. Skateboarders loved it, and non-skateboarders were immediately thrown into the culture.

TSA: Before settling on the name Pretending I'm A Superman were there other titles being considered? Why go with Pretending I'm A Superman?

Ludvig: We didn't have any other titles before Pretending I'm a Superman. The producer of the film, Ralph D'Amato (who also worked on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 – Tony Hawk's Project 8) came up with the title before we started filming. I loved it because it not only references the fantastic song by Goldfinger, but also represents what many people felt like playing the game. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater allowed us to do tricks that back then seemed impossible. In a way, we all pretended we were supermen.

TSA: When you approached the skateboarders involved about doing the documentary how did they initially react?

Ludvig: They were all aboard from the get-go (sort of). Ralph D'Amato went on to work for Tony Hawk Inc after he left Neversoft and kept in touch with a lot of the skaters from those days. As a result, most of them agreed to be a part of the project immediately, knowing that Ralph's name meant this was a professional project.

TSA: Was there anyone you really wanted to speak to that was not involved with the documentary?

Ludvig: There were a couple people we couldn't interview for various reasons. I won't mention any names. No one specifically declined to be a part of the project but most of the time we were unable to match their schedules. Skaters lead busy lives.

TSA: Can you tell us of any stories that did not make the final edit?

Ludvig: There were a lot of fun stories from the developers at Neversoft and also from the skaters that did not make it. However, some of these will be released as extras on iTunes, so be on the lookout for that. My favorite story is Chad Muska's experience working on Tony Hawk's Underground. That might be my favorite game in the franchise, and his (acting) performance in the story made it so memorable.

TSA: Why did you want to make this documentary? Were you into skateboarding culture, fans of the games, or both?

Ludvig: I am a massive fan of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise and had a YouTube channel back in the day where I would cover the games in detail. I have also been a skater all my life, although I never became good at it. The influence that the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater had on skateboarding itself can not be understated and I have wanted to make a film about this topic for a long time.

TSA: As you made the documentary were there any particular moments that really stood out to you?

Ludvig: The whole experience was surreal in many ways. One of the most "stand-out" moments was the second interview I did with Rodney Mullen. He is one of the most intelligent people on this planet.

TSA: As documentary makers what kind of challenges did you face while filming?

Ludvig: Ralph D'Amato was a terrific producer and managed to make the production work despite the tight schedules and limited budget. However, there were some other challenges along the way, especially when we went out filming some of the skaters around LA. I did not realize how hard it was filming skaters in Downtown until we were out there with our RED Dragon Cameras. Cops are always on duty and ready to catch you. Luckily, we were never caught (though we were close a couple of times).

TSA: What were the best parts of filming?

Ludvig: Talking to some of the most legendary skaters of all-time about the video-game and the skateboarding itself. That was a wonderful experience in every way. If someone had told me this all would have happened five years ago, I would have never believed them. Tony Hawk has been my biggest hero since childhood, and to have been able to make a film with him is something I still fail to grasp.

TSA: From a viewer's perspective you can notice certain shots being used, like slow tracking shots for some of the skateboarding trick shots, and the interviewees all being off to the side instead of centred. Can you tell us your thought processes in what goes into picking the perfect shot for you?

Ludvig: My DOP (Director of Photography) Austin Droguett did a fantastic job. He had previously shot various documentaries and his experience shows. We put a lot of effort into each interviewee shot and in the end they turned out really great. The skaters were all at various locations so we had to keep some kind of consistency throughout, and Austin managed to pull that off.

TSA: There's lots of footage from old skateboarding videos. How did you choose what to include?

Ludvig: I would watch skateboarding videos all the time growing up, and still do. While editing this film, I got in touch with several videographers who had been active in the 90s. Erik Hatch, one of the main filmers for Shorty's (Chad Muska's company) provided a lot of footage for us, some that I had never seen before. Iain Borden (author of "Skateboarding and the City: A Complete History") was of huge help as well as he provided us with remastered versions of various skate videos. Jamie Mosberg (one of Tony Hawk's filmers) was also very helpful in the process. I basically chose my favorite footage and the most essential parts from those legendary videos (such as Tony Hawk's loop in "Birdhouse – The End" or Steve Caballero's debut in "Skateboard Madness") and whatever we could get the rights and access to we would use in the film (which ended up being most of it).

TSA: With the upcoming release of the remastered versions of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2 do you think there could be a resurgence of the skateboarding scene?

Ludvig: Absolutely! I think the game could appeal to a younger crowd with its roster of new skaters (such as Leticia Bufoni, Nyjah Huston, Lizzie Armanto etc) whilst also being a satisfying experience for hardcore fans.  Vicarious Visions, the developers behind the game, have many years of experience with the franchise (they developed various handheld ports of the earlier games). xwI have no doubt that the game will become a massive hit!

We would like to thank Ludvig for taking the time to answer our questions. Pretending I'm A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story will be available on August 18th from digital video stores. 

Grounded Preview – a miniaturised survival game that will leave you wanting more

There are plenty of fears that come from being small. I was afraid of the dark when I was little – not for any of the normal reasons, but because some helpful older child told me I'd turn into a werewolf if moonlight touched me – but as you get older you tend to replace such things with worries about the mortgage monster and the noise coming from No.11 down the street.

Grounded reminds you of those fears your smaller-self experienced. Quite literally. You think that your garden is a peaceful place, a square of solitude that is wholly yours and an extension of the safety of your home. Grounded will show you that it's not. This is a place that's wild, alien, and dangerous, and having been shrunk down to the size of a Rick Moranis feature film, things like mites, ants and spiders are suddenly the most hostile creatures you've ever met.

Having entered Game Preview on PC and Xbox One at the end of July, Grounded runs the familiar path of many recent survival games in Early Access. It drops you in with the fundamental components and tools of the game in a sandbox arena, while holding back the main body of the narrative as Obsidian continue to tinker away with it.

Difficulty in Grounded runs from Mild, where the yard is still a hostile environment but the game is otherwise pretty easy going, up to Whoa!, where the game is designed to beat you down even further than ground level you're at. There's also a Creative mode, where there's no stress, no creatures trying to kill you, and no need to manage your resources, and you can just explore the garden to your heart's content. Even on the standard difficulty, a careless jaunt too near to the wrong creature will have you scurrying back to your last save point.

You didn't just magically shrink down to the size of a thumbnail. Much like the movie classic Honey I Shrunk The Kids there are obviously science-based shenanigans at work, and this opening narrative section really only hints at the wider picture that's going on.

Despite being an insect-sized person, expecting to find nothing more interesting than forgotten Lego blocks and surprise 'treats' from your pet dog, you fairly swiftly come across a Field Station, a tiny little scientific base. There's no explanation of where it comes from or what it's doing, but it is kitted out with a Resource Analyzer that your small personage can put to use.

In classic survival game style, you can pick up a host of things along your garden travels, from pebbles and clover leaves through to sap and mushrooms. Using the Resource Analyzer you'll unlock new crafting recipes that use those items, starting out with the necessities like a torch and axe, before making a start on armour to protect yourself against the more vicious bugs, and the components needed to construct your own home base.

There are more tiny installations and mysterious machines hidden amongst the grass, and in one of these you come across BURG. L, a friendly grilling/flipping/monitoring robot. The lab that he's in has suffered from a power-based disaster – I'm only mildly sure this wasn't something to do with me – and while there are a few further glimpses of the underlying story, the Game Preview effectively just dumps you here, leaving you begging for more.

There's still plenty for you to do. BURG. L gives you three daily tasks to complete, forcing you out into the wide world, and pushing you to learn the game's systems and see more of the hideous/cute menagerie. Ants, mites and aphids are smaller than you, cute even, and while ladybugs bumble along with their merry colours belying an ability to crush you in moments, there's one creature that will have some players shivering with horror in real life, never mind on their TV screen: spiders.

The spiders in Grounded are terrifying. The sight of a series of webs strung between blades of grass will have you taking a hugely circuitous route to steer clear of them, while holes at the centre of their nests are worth staying away from for… well, forever. I don't doubt that BURG.L will eventually send you down one – there's something nefarious about that burger-flipping bot – but for now they are an immediate, skin-crawling, terror that remain a constant presence at the back of your mind. The game does allow you to alter their appearance incrementally until they're just plain deadly blobs, though I'm not sure how much that will help some people.

Grounded's Arachnophobia Mode turns spiders into weird blobs

There's some lovely little details though, amongst the arachnophobia. From your way-point marker working in centimetres instead of metres, to the way that your expanding list of craftable items pushes you further and further from safety, Grounded has all the bases covered for a unique and enjoyable survival experience. It also looks quite lovely, with bold, stylised visuals and some great depth of field to draw you into the idea that you're an inch tall.

The music successfully fulfils all of those 80s movie vibes too, with some fantastic synth-led tunes giving things more of a horror vibe, a la Stranger Things, while the chirps and rustles of creatures as they go about their busy lives lends the garden a life of its own that's a delight to take in.

Despite Grounded being in Game Preview, it feels agreeably solid and fully formed, at least in terms of the mechanics at play. The narrative setup is intriguing, and told with a wry sense of humour that should win over even the most hardened of hearts. Thanks to its launch on Game Pass as well, this is one mini adventure with a huge amount of potential.