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Fall Guys Patch Notes released for this week's 'Spicy Hot Fix' update

A "Spicy Hot Fix" update is in the works for Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, the cute and cuddly Battle Royale game that has taken the world of gaming by storm over the last month. Expected to drop sometime this week, it's all about making minor tweaks and updates, as opposed to adding new rounds and game modes like the last update did.

Team mode dislikers will be glad to see that these modes will only trigger if team sizes can be equal, and party players will find it easier to watch their chums should they get knocked out. There's also a handful of tweaks for exploits and crashes, and Yellow Team is no longer nerfed (we think this one's a joke).

Here's the full patch notes:

Fall Guys 'Spicy Hot Fix' patch notes

  • Tweaked round selection algorithm to select a Team game only if the team sizes can be equal
  • Party members are now sorted first in spectator mode.
  • (PS4 Only) Added Controller options, including invert X/Y axis and sensitivity settings
  • Slime Climb: players can no longer grab some of the moving obstacles
  • Jump Showdown: changed geometry to prevent a gameplay exploit
  • Jump Showdown: fixed camera auto-panning
  • Improved in-game store purchase dialog to avoid accidental selections
  • Addressed the top 5 most frequent crashes
  • Visual fixes to some of the outfits
  • (PS4 Only) Improved UI performance on non-Pro PS4 models
  • Added option to change the jump button binding for Japan
  • Trophy/Achievement names and descriptions are now correctly displayed in all supported languages
  • Removed move speed nerf from Yellow Team (Don't post this one)

This isn't the only news for Fall Guys fans this week, as it's been revealed that a sneak preview of Season Two of the game will be shown on the opening night of Gamescom's digital showcase. Keep a beady eye out at 7PM BST if you're planning to tune in.

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 earlier this month, 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

Microsoft files a statement of support for Epic Games in Apple lawsuit

Today, the Apple vs Epic Games lawsuit has taken another turn as Microsoft, specifically General Manager of Gaming Development Experiences Kevin Gammill, have filed a statement of support for Epic Games. This statement related specifically to Apple's threat to remove Epic's access to the software development kit on iOS. That would be a huge and devastating move for a number of developers who rely on Epic's Unreal Engine. If Epic cannot update and maintain Unreal Engine then third party developers would be very limited in being able to update or develop games on iOS.

In the statement, Microsoft specifically references Forza Street, one of its own titles, which runs on Unreal Engine. Additionally, Microsoft states that if support for Unreal Engine is removed it would either have to develop a new engine, an option not viable for smaller devs, or leaving its iOS players behind. The full statement can be read below.

I, Kevin Gammill, declare as follows:
1. I am the General Manager, Gaming Developer Experiences for Microsoft. In this role, I oversee Microsoft's support of game creators (including game developers, audio engineers, level designers, game producers, etc.) within the Xbox ecosystem. Among other things, my team helps game creators achieve their creative goals. I have been an engineer for more than 30 years, including more than 20 years at Microsoft, and have more than 10 years of experience supporting game creators across multiple platforms.

2. Epic Games' Unreal Engine is a critical technology for numerous game creators including Microsoft.

  • (a) Game engines provide creators with a development environment that delivers the necessary graphics, rendering, physics, sound, networking, and other technologies that enable them to build games that run on multiple platforms.
  • (b) Although some large game creators choose to develop their own proprietary game engines, many others, including small and independent game creators, utilize game engines built by and licensed from third parties.
  • (c) Many of these creators do not have the resources or capabilities to build their own game engines and rely on the availability of third-party game engines, while other creators may choose to use third-party game engines to save development costs and utilize
    already-developed technologies.
  • (d) As a result, Epic's Unreal Engine is one of the most popular third-party game engines available to game creators, and in Microsoft's view there are very few other options available for creators to license with as many features and as much functionality as Unreal
    Engine across multiple platforms, including iOS.
  • (e) Microsoft has an enterprise-wide, multi-year Unreal Engine license agreement and has invested significant resources and engineer time working with and customizing Unreal Engine for its own games on PC, Xbox consoles, and mobile devices (including iOS devices).

For example, Microsoft's racing game Forza Street is currently available on iOS and utilizes Unreal Engine.

3. Denying Epic access to Apple's SDK and other development tools will prevent Epic from supporting Unreal Engine on iOS and macOS, and will place Unreal Engine and those game creators that have built, are building, and may build games on it at a substantial disadvantage.

  • (a) Developing a game using different game engines for different platforms may be prohibitively expensive and difficult. In any event, it is not as cost-effective as using a game engine that supports different platforms.
  • (b) As a result, game creators, including Microsoft, that are preparing to develop a game targeted at multiple platforms generally choose game engines based both on the functionality they provide as well as their ability to support development for those platforms.
  • (c) If Unreal Engine cannot support games for iOS or macOS, Microsoft would be required to choose between abandoning its customers and potential customers on the iOS and macOS platforms or choosing a different game engine when preparing to develop new
    games.
  • (d) Because iOS is a large and growing market for games, Apple's discontinuation of Unreal Engine's ability to support iOS will be a material disadvantage for the Unreal Engine in future decisions by Microsoft and other game creators as to the choice of an
    engine for new games.
  • (e) Even uncertainty about the Unreal Engine's ability to continue supporting iOS and macOS will make it less likely for Microsoft (and, I believe, other game creators) to select Unreal Engine for their projects. When game creators are planning development projects,
    which can last for years, it is important to have confidence that the chosen engine will continue to be available on and support all platforms on which the game creators plan to distribute their games. 

4. Apple's discontinuation of Epic's ability to develop and support Unreal Engine for iOS or macOS will harm game creators and gamers.

  • (a) For game creators in the later stages of development utilizing Unreal Engine and targeting the iOS and/or macOS platform, Unreal Engine's sudden loss of support for iOS and macOS would create significant costs and difficult decisions. The creator would have
    significant sunk costs and lost time using Unreal Engine for game creation, and would have to choose between (a) starting development all over with a new game engine, (b) abandoning the iOS and macOS platforms, or (c) ceasing development entirely.
  • (b) Apple's removal of Unreal Engine's ability to develop updates and improvements for iOS and macOS could also harm already-launched iOS and macOS games built on Unreal Engine. If the game engine can no longer develop updates that take advantage of new
    iOS or macOS features, fix software bugs, or patch security flaws, this will harm games that have already launched on iOS and macOS (and, in turn, harm gamers). In addition, this situation could bifurcate a game's player base, such that gamers on iOS or macOS cannot play or communicate with friends or family who are playing on other platforms.

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746, I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct and that I executed this declaration on August 22, 2020 on Lopez Island, Washington. 

All of this has come about because Epic decided to introduce a new way to pay for in-game currency that bypassed Apple's systems, dodging Apple's 30% fee on transactions processed via Apple. In reaction to this, Fortnite was pulled from the App Store, with Epic then immediately filing suit. A similar chain of events also played out on the Google Play Store on Android.

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.

Source: Twitter

Rocksteady issue a statement in regards of reports of sexual harassment at the studio

Rocksteady were the subject of a report in The Guardian on Monday which accused them of ignoring sexual harassment claims, followed by a emotional video from Kim MacAskil, Senior Writer at the studio until 2019.

The letter, dated November 2018 and signed by 10 of the company's 16 female staff at the time, raised complaints about behaviour including "slurs regarding the transgendered community" and "discussing a woman in a derogatory or sexual manner with other colleagues", and sexual harassment "in the form of unwanted advances, leering at parts of a woman's body, and inappropriate comments in the office".

Rocksteady gave The Guardian the following statement.

From day one at Rocksteady Studios, we set out to create a place where people are looked after, a place fundamentally built on respect and inclusion.

In 2018 we received a letter from some of our female employees expressing concerns they had at that time, and we immediately took firm measures to address the matters that were raised. Over the subsequent two years we have carefully listened to and learned from our employees, working to ensure every person on the team feels supported. In 2020 we are more passionate than ever to continue to develop our inclusive culture, and we are determined to stand up for all of our staff.

Rocksteady have now responded to the report with a full statement.

They say "we listened, and we dealt with issues raised." They also say they are employing an independent third party which Rocksteady employees can talk to confidentially, and also speaking to all female employees who have left the company in the last two years.

The statement follows an "unsolicited letter" from seven out of the ten women who signed the original letter which complained about sexual harassment.

Rocksteady's statements seem to contradict those of Kim MacAskil, a senior script writer at Rocksteady until 2019.

Kim states that higher management and a director were harassing the females, with a male colleague complaining about a female employees work after she rejected her advances.

She goes on to say she "redrafted and redrafted" the letter, during which the HR department tried to stop her twice, and members of higher management told her that if she did finish the letter her position in the company would be in jeopardy and that her future prospects at other companies would be jeopardised as she might be seen as "a trouble maker" .

Source: Twitter

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League revealed for PS5, Series X, and PC

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been revealed as the second big game announcement at the DC FanDome stream, it is planned for release in 2022, coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.

It's a 1-4 player co-op game with bots taking the roles of other players if you are on your own, but you can swap between characters as you play. Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark and Captain Boomerang are shown, with Amanda Waller giving them orders via comms. The trailer is all CGI, with no gameplay in sight at this time, but WB describe it as having "character-driven story gameplay with third-person shooter action", and state that each squad member has a unique moveset for getting around the world.

The game is set in a ruined open-world version of Metropolis and continues the story from Rocksteady's previous Batman games, so we can expect other characters and plot threads from the Arkhamverse to continue.

Superman also makes an appearance, but has clearly been turned from the hero he once was, killing a helicopter pilot. He seems to have been infected with some sort of purple aura, which matches the colour of a monster Deadshot takes out. There's some real The Boys vibes from that particular point.

The game is out in 2022, which means Rocksteady will have been working on it for well over seven years by the time it launches. The game was confirmed earlier this month after years and years of speculation on what Rocksteady were developing after concluding their Batman: Arkham trilogy in 2015. Rumours had pointed to both Suicide Squad and Justice League games, with the truth being…. both!

Alongside Rocksteady's new title, the Batman: Arkham universe that they created is continuing in a rather different form. Batman: Arkham Origins developer WB Games Montreal unveiled Arkham Knights earlier in the day, with Batman dead and Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl and Red Hood answering the call to fight crime in Gotham (and in co-op!) and end the plots of the Court of Owls, Mr. Freeze and plenty other villains.

The run up to the Suicide Squad's reveal has not been a smooth one for Rocksteady and WB, as allegations of sexual harassment at the company resurfaced over the last few days. A letter penned in 2018 by former senior script writer Kim MacAskil was published by The Guardian, as she sought to highlight the behaviour that the small minority of women at the company were facing. This was followed by an ostensibly unsolicited statement from the women that were at the company during that period and have remained, and Rocksteady have now brought in an independent third party to confidentially speak with current and former employees to try and weed out abusers.

Gotham Knights first gameplay revealed – fight the Court of Owls in 2021

After months and months of teasing, Gotham Knights has been officially announced at DC FanDome today. The game is coming out in 2021 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC.

The trailer starts off with news reports of an explosion in Gotham City that apparently kills Bruce Wayne, his post mortem message being beamed across to his former allies, passing the baton of protecting Gotham from bad guys to Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl and Red Hood. With four heroes to choose from, the game will also bring some co-op play to the table, though this will be limited to two player multiplayer.

WB Games Montreal came with plenty of gameplay to show as well, with Batgirl and Robin teaming up to fight Mr. Freeze and his goons in a fortress of ice created by a large weather machine.

But what led to Batman's death? Well… maybe the Court of Owls? That's right game takes inspiration from the Court of Owls storyline that debuted at the start of DC's New 52 initiative in 2011. Writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo led a major crossover story arc which saw Batman discover a secret controlling society within Gotham, using an army of Talons, kidnapped, trained and brainwashed circus performers, much like Dick Grayson, the first Robin. With Batman and Commissioner Gordon dead, these four crime fighters have been pushed back to vigilante status and will certainly have an uphill battle ahead of them.

Gotham Knights is in development at WB Games Montreal, best known for their previous game Batman: Arkham Origins, which released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, telling a prequel story to the Batman: Arkham trilogy from Rocksteady Studios. Though obviously set in familiar territory of Gotham, it's not entirely clear if this is considered a continuation of the Batman: Arkham franchise and story.

Speaking of Rocksteady (a company currently embroiled in scandal after allegations of workplace toxicity and abuse came to light in the last week), their next game set in the DC Universe, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is set to be revealed tonight at 1:10AM BST.

Update: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been revealed!

Something for the Weekend – 22/08/20

The heatwave we were experiencing seems to have gone for good, as Storm Ellen swept across the UK this week. Not only did it bring disruption in real life to places with fallen trees and flooding, but it also disrupted several landings (not all successful) I made in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 with live weather turned on!

Anyway, let's take a look at the past week on TSA. We've got a lot to cover…

In the News This Week

Games in Review

We had loads of reviews this week, covering a wide range of genres and scores too:

And just one hardware review this week:

Featured Articles

Similar to the reviews, it was also a busy week for the previews. Stefan kicked things off by asking whether it was game, set, and match for Tennis World Tour 2, and it sounds like once you get past the initial learning curve, this is the game that fans wanted in the first one. And, despite most theme-parks in the world being shut for Covid, he got his adrenaline fix with Planet Coaster: Console Edition.

Jonny teed off his week with GolfTopia, a golf course management sim with some futuristic additions, as Dom looked at Pacer, a spiritual WipEout successor that is looking promising. With Dom grounded by some incredibly frustrating technical difficulties, Stefan took to the skies in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and decided to try and visit his own homes in the virtual world.

After enjoying the game so much in his review, Miguel made an unboxing video of all the goodies in the Limited Edition for Death end re;Quest 2:

Elsewhere, Tuffcub went hands on with Transformers: Battlegrounds which takes "the franchise to a genre that it's never really visited before", and Steve was similarly impressed by BPM: Beats Per Minute.

Last up, Adrian took a look at whether the Peaky Blinders really existed, and asked the all-important question: were they all as well-dressed as Tommy Shelby?

Oh, and What We Played featured Flight Simulator, Peaky Blinders & PGA Tour 2K21.

Trailer Park

Martha Is Dead revealed for Xbox Series X and PC, watch the disturbing trailer here

The PlayStation 5's first TV advert is here

Your Achievements

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

  • Crazy_Del added two more platinums to his collection: NFS Heat and COD Modern Warfare 2. That last pesky Fall Guys trophy still eludes him!
  • hornet1990 finished reading Blood, Sweat and Pixels, and enjoyed the insight into the industry.
  • Like many of you, ron_mcphatty is still enjoying Fall Guys with his family, and is aiming to start Death Stranding this weekend.
  • tactical20 is looking forwards to new maps being added for SkaterXL.
  • After Andrewww was disappointed with the Avengers beta, he is enjoying TLOU2 and Erica (when he can get his son off Fall Guys!).
  • Last up, MrYd is on the mend after putting his back out, playing lots of games as usual, feeling mixed emotions with Death Stranding, and enjoyed finishing off I Am Setsuna.

Phew! I wasn't lying when I said it was a busy week. Have a good weekend and I'll be back soon!

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 launch trailer drops ahead of release date

September will see the launch of yet another Activision remaster. Following on from Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and last year's Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, developer Vicarious Visions will flip, grab, and grind with their top-to-bottom remake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Oh, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, as well.

The launch trailer gives us a much closer look at what to expect from this hotly-anticipated double dose of skateboarding action. You can see the work that has been put into recreating every stage from the first two landmark Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. The trailer even gives us some nostalgic side by side comparisons – oh, how far we've come!

For those who simply can't wait to get their hands on this remaster, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Warehouse is available to download, but only for those who have digitally pre-ordered the game. Showcasing one of the series' most iconic levels, you'll get a two-minute run as Tony Hawk himself, sampling the game some twenty years after its original release.

Drop back in with the most iconic skateboarding games ever made. Play the fully-remastered Tony Hawk's™ Pro Skater™ & Tony Hawk's™ Pro Skater™ 2 games in one epic collection, rebuilt from the ground up in incredible HD.

– Skate as the legendary Tony Hawk and the original pro roster, plus new pros
– Skate to songs from the era-defining soundtrack along with new music
– Hit insane trick combos with the iconic handling of the Tony Hawk's™ Pro Skater™ series
– Play all the original game modes and go head-to-head with local 2-Player modes
– Show off your style and creativity with upgraded Create-A-Park and Create-A-Skater features
– Take your sessions online and compete against players from around the world in Multiplayer modes and leaderboards

Tony Hawks' Pro Skater 1 + 2 will be launching next month on September 4th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, where it will be an Epic Games Store exclusive (sorry Steam users!)

Source: YouTube

Epic adding Hitman to its free games list next week

Epic have announced their latest pair of upcoming free video games for next week: 2016's Hitman and Shadowrun Collection.

Both games will be available to download and keep forever as long you claim them between August 27th and September 3rd.

Hitman will come fully packaged with every episode and location, from Paris to Hokkaido. It's a fantastic reboot for the series with hours upon hours of replayable content. We scored Hitman an 8, praising its flawless style and inventive episodic approach while criticising load times and frustrating stretches of trial and error gameplay.

Hitman 3 was recently announced as an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC.

Shadowrun Collection is definitely worth a punt for those who enjoy quirky sci-fi RPGs. This bundle packs in Shadowrun Returns (Base Game), Shadowrun Dragonfall – Director Cut (Base Game) and Shadowrun Hong Kong – Extended Edition (Base Game).

Those wanting some free gaming goodness from Epic right now can get their hands on Enter the Gungeon and God's Trigger.

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:

Hitman August 27-September 3, 2020
Shadowrun Collection August 27-September 3, 2020
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

Ghost of Tsushima Legends multiplayer won't have microtransactions

Sony and Ghost of Tsushima developers, Sucker Punch, recently unveiled their upcoming multiplayer mode for the game which will be dropping later this year.

However, one question that immediately sprang to mind was whether Ghost of Tsushima: Legends will be monetised. The upcoming multiplayer component will be a free add-on for those who already own a copy of the game, so adding microtransactions such as currency/experience points boosters, as well as cosmetic items, seems like a natural fit.

When asked by IGN whether Ghost of Tsushima: Legends will go down this path, Sucker Punch made the following statement:

"There are no microtransactions in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, and we have absolutely no plans to add them. All of the content is unlocked through play."

Legends doesn't have an exact release date for now though is due to launch in "Fall 2020" according to the developers.  Here's a quick rundown of what to expect:

You'll be able to partner up with friends or via online matchmaking and play Legends in groups of 2-4 players. Each player can choose from one of four different character classes: the Samurai, Hunter, Ronin, or Assassin. Each class has unique advantages and abilities that we'll reveal in the future.

With two players in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, you'll be able to play a series of co-op Story missions that escalate in difficulty, building on the foundation of combat from the single-player campaign but with new magical twists that often require careful synchronization with your partner.

With four players, you'll be able to take on wave-based Survival missions, fighting groups of the toughest enemies Tsushima has to offer, Including new Oni enemies with supernatural abilities.

From what little we've seen, it looks like a fascinating expansion for Ghost of Tsushima and one no-one expected to see considering the game's open-world singleplayer focus. It will definitely have fans returning to the island to hone their sword-fighting skills once more and then there's the possibility Legends could become its own standalone game. We'll know more when it debuts later this year.

Source: IGN

What We Played #464 – Microsoft Flight Simulator, Peaky Blinders: Mastermind & PGA Tour 2K21

I have spent this week playing 'Microsoft Flight Simulator Troubleshooting Simulator' and let me tell you, it's the worst game of the year so far. I have a pretty decent PC, that plays nice with pretty much everything, but not this. It just crashes, usually just as it's loading, and it's driven me to distraction. I think it might have actually removed any love for gaming that I have.

Well, maybe not quite as I've been playing No Straight Roads for review, as well as continuing to give the Wii U some much needed attention with Wind Waker HD and Paper Mario Color Splash, but it's been a close run thing.

Thankfully, so that we can actually have a feature about the game, Tef has had far more success with Microsoft Flight Simulator, which he's happily dabbled with while playing 'Microsoft Flight Simulator Tech Support' and come up with a bunch of new troubleshooting things I can try. He's not had much luck with that.

Now that Nic B has got the internet, he's been storming through Ogre Tale — a weird 2D beat-em-up that asks what happens if you took Japan and vomited Japan all over it, with Nic telling us "It's an interesting play, if very try-hard in its writing." Gareth meanwhile has been playing Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? for review. He's also mopped up some side missions in Ghost of Tsushima, which in any other year would likely be his GOTY, but The Last of Us 2 released this year. He's also jumped into some Beat Saber with the newly released Linkin Park pack.

On the watching front he's on the second season of Umbrella Academy this week, "which was good except for a few moments that relied on poor writing and nonsensical character choices to progress. Other than that, I continued to watch 30 Rock and, much to my delight, discovered that I had misremembered how many seasons it has. I have two seasons left! It's excellent, if you haven't seen it."

Aside from his usual grind on FFXIV, Reuben has been sinking some time into surviving the Siberian wilderness in Rise of the Tomb Raider and soaring through Aokana for a review too. He also says "I haven't been watching a whole lot, unless you count my millionth rewatch of Friends as background noise."

Jim hasn't really thrown himself into one game this week, juggling a few, dipping in for a couple of hours here and there. He tells us "I'm still slaying away with Dauntless, having almost maxed the new Hunt Pass and unlocked almost all the Indiana Jones adventurer-esque cosmetics. Fall Guys has obviously been in my rotation but I've probably spent more time with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5. I don't have much history with the series at all, so maybe I'm not catching the same flaws fans butt their heads against. I'm really enjoying it, firing up a session then completing a handful of missions before ducking back out."

Nick P has been mostly playing PGA Tour 2K21 for review, as well as some Ghost of Tshushima, CoD Warzone, Fall Guys and the Marvel Avengers Beta. "For things I've watched, I saw two movies, Invisible Man and Us which I quite enjoyed. I also started watching Brooklyn 99! I don't know where all this time has come from haha!"

Jason has been playing more some Halo multiplayer, saying "it's nostalgic and lets me pretend the world isn't on fire around me. I've also been spending a lot of time with Dreamscaper, which is a really cool roguelike game with some light Persona social stuff thrown in."

Over the other side of the pond, Miguel played Spiritfarer and Kandagawa Jet Girls for review. "My friends and I picked up Remnant as a co-op thing so i played the tutorial last night. I've also been doing a bunch of Final Fantasy XIV now that the Yokai Watch event is kicking off. I found out that the Regular Show creators new show Close Enough FINALLY came out so I watched that this week alongside some of Kaiji season 2 and my usual weekly anime business."

Ade thoroughly enjoyed his time reviewing Peaky Blinders Mastermind, to the extent that he's tempted to go and watch the TV show, and did a new Playing with History researching the gang's real origins. He also played the Avengers Beta and said, "it was alright," before returning to the EDF franchise and playing EDF 5 with his girlfriend – "The best in the series yet, we reckon."

Steve turned up to say that he played BPM: Bullets Per Minute, Battletoads and Metamorphosis and just got the platinum for the lovely Ni no Kuni II. He's going to watch the film with his kids over the weekend.

Finally, Aran played Death Stranding and got bored, saying "I just could not get into it at all". He also played more Fall Guys "which is a great game to unwind with", some and UFC 4 online. He's been watching more The Good Place and also watched 1917, saying "what a great film that is."

That's all from us, but what about you? Let us know what you've been playing in the comments.

Lair of the Clockwork God is coming to Switch & Xbox One in September, and "ASAP" to PS4

The quite excellent platformer point & click hybrid adventure of Lair of the Clockwork God is coming to Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on 4th September, with a PlayStation 4 version coming "ASAP" in 2020.

There's no word on if the games will be coming to next-gen platforms PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but if they do, hopefully there will be free cross-gen upgrades and just loads of really pointless ray tracing effects that make everything super reflective. The port to current gen has been handled by Ant Workshop.

Lair of the Clockwork God sees the classic point & click loving characters of Ben and Dan return for another adventure, except this time Dan has decided that he wants to be an indie darling platformer, much to Ben's chagrin. They stumble their way into a new adventure trying to convince a guardian computer that humanity is worth saving from all the apocalypses that are happening outside. Oh dear.

it's a genuinely funny adventure that's sometimes borders on being a bit too smart for its own good. In our Lair of the Clockwork God review, I wrote:

Lair of the Clockwork God is a genre mash-up that probably shouldn't work, and yet it does. It feels a little unrefined, intentionally so, but there's plenty of comedic fodder in indie platformers, modern gaming and life for Ben and Dan to riff off through the lens of classic LucasArts style adventures.

The game is out now for PC, with that Switch and Xbox One release now penned in for 4th September, and coming to PlayStation 4 sometime in 2020 after all that businessy stuff has been sorted out.

Source: Dan

Marvel's Iron Man VR update 1.06 adds New Game Plus and new weapons

Camouflaj has announced the contents of Marvel's Iron Man VR's 1.06 update, and there are some big additions. The first is that Iron Man VR will now have a new game plus mode so you can replay the campaign with all of your unlocked gear. Alongside that, there is a new Ultimate difficulty which will be much tougher to get through than Marvel's Iron Man VR's Invincible difficulty mode. To help out four new weapons are available with those being the micro swarm, gravity bomb, EM charge cannon, and the continuous beam repulsor.  There are also some new custom armour decorations to get from the Armor Station.

As well as gameplay additions there have been some quality changes too. Load times should drastically improve when going into the Shanghai missions, with reports of times being reduced by up to 30 seconds. When you replay a mission you will be able to skip the cinematics if you wish to. There are also two missions in the game that are now skippable following player feedback. When you skip them they will be marked as completed in the campaign, but any trophies associated with them will remain locked until you go back and complete the mission properly.

In our review for Marvel's Iron Man VR, Dom wrote:

Marvel's Iron Man VR is a brilliant superhero adventure, and one that replicates its star's physicality in VR in a truly incredible way.
You can read the full Marvel's Iron Man VR review here.
Source: PS Blog

Griefhelm Review

Looking to recreate the tense thrills of medieval duelling, Griefhelm will feel strangely familiar to those who have played local multiplayer masterpiece, Nidhogg. It's a fighting game almost stripped down to the barest essential with 2D movement, simplified controls, and one-hit kills by default. While easy to pick up and play, Griefhelm requires a mix of tactical cunning and razor sharp reflexes to master.

Let's quickly dive into how Griefhelm's combat works. You'll combine timing, reach, and footwork to deliver killing blows using a small medieval arsenal of weaponry, from flails and poleaxes to clubs and claymores. Battles in Griefhelm can be over in a matter of seconds if one knight manages to land their attack perfectly.

When going toe to toe with an opponent, each weapon has three attacks for each stance – high, mid, and low – which you can swap between by simply moving the right stick. This can be done with a mouse or directional keys though Griefhelm encourages you to plug in a gamepad for the best duelling experience.

Hacking away is a tactic that will only suffice for the first AI difficulty tier. You'll quickly learn to use parries (you'll automatically parry an attack by matching their stance and remaining idle) as well as throwing in the occasional shove.

Overcoming this early learning curve presents a pretty brutal difficulty spike. Rounds can be lost in the blink of an eye and the only way you can become a Griefhelm parry master is to have lightning fast reactions, learning the different attack animation wind-ups for the various weapons.

Compared to the zanier Nidhogg, Griefhelm is grittier and has more immediate depth to its combat. At the same time it's not as demanding to learn as traditional fighting games. Each weapon feels different enough for you to settle on a couple of favourites without requiring a radical shift in playstyle to wield.

Griefhelm can be played solo or in groups of up to four, whether sparring online or locally. There's a campaign mode too (which you can also tackle with friends) where most players are likely to spend the bulk of their time. At least initially.

Diving into a campaign will present you with a branching tree of combat encounters, each bookended by loose snippets of story. Battles can vary from simple head-on clashes to the very Nidhogg-esque Tug of War in which defeated opponents are pushed back towards their half of the screen until vanquished for a final time. There's also a Horde mode in there too as well as the more challenging leader battles against Griefhelm's bosses.

What makes the campaign dynamic is its replay value. These battles are strung together randomly in terms of the game mode, who you're fighting, where, and the rewards up for grabs. Each playthrough will see you amass different weapon and armour loadouts as well as consumable perks which can help give you an advantage, though the campaign will be reset if you run out of lives. The perks are particularly interesting – fights can get repetitive so having these introduce modifiers to a fight can help spice things up.

Griefhelm isn't exactly pushing for hyper-realism with its visuals. The game's character models and backdrops have a simple yet distinct art style that seem almost deliberately understated in order for players to focus purely on the arc of each sword swing and hammer fall.

Crysis Remastered releases for PC, Xbox One, and PS4 in September

Crytek has confirmed that Crysis Remastered will be available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Epic Games Store from September 14th. It will be a digital release that will cost £26.99 / $29.99 / EUR 29.99.  Crytek released a new trailer for Crysis Remastered that shows a side by side comparison of the original release and the remastered version with ray tracing in the PC, PS4 Pro, and Xbox One X versions of the game.

Crysis Remastered will focus on the game's single player campaign, so don't expect to see Crysis multiplayer return, and will feature remastered graphics and engine optimisations. The remaster is being co-developed by World War Z studio Saber Interactive, who've been in the limelight for excellent porting work on The Witcher 3 for Nintendo Switch. Together, they'll be updating the original game with "high-quality textures and improved art assets, an HD texture pack, temporal anti-aliasing, SSDO, SVOGI, state-of-the-art depth fields, new light settings, motion blur, and parallax occlusion mapping".

Crysis Remastered was delayed for PC, Xbox One, and PS4 after the original trailer leaked, and it was not received well. After seeing the feedback Crytek took the decision to take more time with development, though the Switch version of Crysis Remastered was released in July. A couple of weeks ago the PS4 trophy list for Crysis Remastered appeared online.

Source: Press Release

Ghost of Tsushima 1.07 update improves stick tolerance, fixes bugs

If you plan on firing up Ghost of Tsushima this weekend, you will notice that there's a new update available.

Sucker Punch have rolled out a post-launch patch for the open world samurai sim with Ghost of Tsushima version 1.07 now live and ready to download.

Compared to previous updates for the PlayStation exclusive, 1.07 doesn't make too many changes or introduce new content. In fact, if you're ready the patch notes via the Ghost of Tsushima icon on your PS4 home menu, you get a template message about general bug fixes.

Sucker Punch have explained that some changes have been made to the game. Most notably, the developers have added an option to "increase stick tolerance" to combat drift and deadzone issues. They also confirmed that other bug fixes have been rolled into 1.07.

Patch 1.05 added a new "lethal" difficulty option to Ghost of Tsushima, while 1.06 reworked the Traveler's Attire, helping players to better locate collectables using this armour set – pretty handy if you're looking to get that platinum trophy.

Source: Twitter

Ghost of Tsushima Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Animal Crossing: New Horizons version 1.4.2 just fixes some bugs

Not every game update needs to be full of new content, nor do they always need to revise huge tracts of game code to fix thousands of bugs. Animal Crossing: New Horizons version 1.4.2 has been released today, and it fixes just a handful of things that were known issues from the last few update.

So, without much further ado, here they are:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons 1.4.2 Patch Notes:

General updates

The following issues have been addressed:

From Ver. 1.4.1:

  • Fixed issue where the "sumo ring" would not display properly.

From Ver. 1.4.0:

  • Fixed issue where the game would shut down under certain conditions when dreaming.
  • Fixed issue where shining soil would improperly appear behind buildings and other places.
  • Fixed issue where specific message cards sent from animal residents the player is close friends with would not arrive in the player's mailbox as intended.

From Ver. 1.3.0:

  • Changed the MTU when playing with others from 1364 to 1240 in order to investigate an issue where players cannot play with others in certain network environments.

It's been a busy couple of months for Nintendo, who've fed in a number of major features into the game through the two waves of summer updates. The first update added swimming, diving and sea creature collecting in July, but that almost pales in comparison to the addition of island backups, dreaming to visit other people's islands, and firework shows of the second update.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has raced past 20 million game sales in just a few months, the game chasing after the current best-selling Switch game, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Will it catch and pass Mario Kart by Christmas? It seems pretty likely!

Source: NIntendo

Animal Crossing Guides from TheSixthAxis

Inertial Drift's seven modes revealed along with an animated trailer

PQube and Level 91 have released details about Inertial Drift's seven modes that players will be able to experience as they drift around the tracks. Those seven modes are Practice, Ghost Battle, Race, Time Attack, Duel, Endurance, and Style. The details of each mode can be found below the brand new trailer released for Inertial Drift, with the footage being the animated intro for the game. Have a watch of that now.

As promised here are the mode details:

  • Practice – Practice makes… you know the rest. This mode keeps things simple – just you, your car and the road. It's the perfect way to get used to the handling of a brand new car for the first time, without having to compete for track-space with rivals.

  • Ghost Battle – Like practise mode, this is another great place to hone your craft, only this time you'll be racing against the ghosts of other players. Unlike in a full 1v1 race, Ghost Battles allow you a valuable insight into the way your opponents approach a track. Keep an eye out for their glowing skid-trails to help you study their lines and knock valuable seconds off your lap times.

  • Time Attack – Those who have already checked out the Inertial Drift: Sunset Prologue will be more than familiar with this mode. The objective is simple – record the fastest lap. Achieving it will be another matter…

  • Race – Intense, head-to-head racing in some of the most exciting cars you'll ever get behind the wheel of. All cars are fitted with the Phase Shift Impact Prevention System, so all you and your opponent need to do is focus on your lines. But don't make the mistake of thinking there won't be any crashes – the 20 tracks will demand total concentration and no shortage of skill to navigate safely.

  • Duel – As well as a traditional race, you can also take on drivers in Duel mode. Score points by putting distance between yourself and an opponent – and the first driver to fill up their bar wins! The race lead can swing frequently from one driver to another in Inertial Drift, so every second you can stay ahead is vital.

  • Endurance – In this mode you'll race solo, attempting to reach each checkpoint before the timer runs out. Sure, the first lap might be easy enough – but how long will you be able to keep it up?

  • Style – Every drifter knows that it's not always about speed. This mode rewards those who are willing to take a risk in the pursuit of style. Race on the very limits of the track and earn points for nose skims, dirt drops and more. You can chain up moves for a greater reward, but be warned: you will be penalized for crashing.

Inertial Drift will be released for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch on September 11th.

Source: Press Release

Ogre Tale Review

Everyone in Japan knows the tale of Momotaro, of the boy born from a giant peach (hence his name, which literally translates as 'Peach Boy'), who journeyed to recover his village's treasure that had been stolen by ogres. It's a story as ubiquitous in Japan as Jack and the Beanstalk is in the UK.

As the tale goes:

There was once an old man and an old woman who lived in a village in the mountains. One day, the woman found a giant peach floating down river by their house. She took it home to her husband, but when they tried to eat it, a boy came out. The man said "He came out of a peach, so let's call him Momotaro (Peach Boy).

Momotaro grew big and strong, but he was a kind and gentle boy. One day, ogres came to the village and stole the village treasure. Momotaro vowed to get the treasure back, so he set off to Onigashima (Demon island), where the ogres were hiding. He stocked on kibidango (a type of dumpling) and set off.

Along the way, he met a dog. "Woof, woof", said the dog. "Please give me one kibidango."

Momotaro gave the dog his first kibidango and the dog became his friend.

Then he met a monkey. "Eek, eek", said the monkey. "Please give me one kibidango."

Momotaro gave the monkey his second kibidango and the monkey became his friend.

Then Momotaro met a pheasant. "Squawk, squawk", said the pheasant. "Please give me one kibidango."

Momotaro gave the pheasant his last kibidango and the pheasant became his friend.

Momotaro arrived at the island with his friends and confronted the ogres. "Woof, woof! Eek, eek! Squawk, squawk! Give it back!!" they shouted.

The noise was so loud that the it hurt the ogres' heads. They said "we're sorry", and gave the treasure back. They promised not to be naughty again.

However, just as with Grimm's tales, there are darker version where Momotaro travels the land and kills the ogres. Ogre Tale takes this more violent interpretation of this story and flips it on its head. Then vomits Japan all over it.

Momotaro has become the bad guy. His desire to kill has become insatiable, and he is no longer the kind and gentle boy who fell out of a peach. He has all but wiped ogres out of existence, and your clan — the Onigashimas — is all that's left. Your mission is to kill Momotaro.

This reversal of the famous Japanese tale is what drew me to the game, but it leans very heavily into Japanese tropes and stereotypes. It's like if Jack and the Beanstalk was set in 1800s London, riffed off every stereotype of Brits you could think of, and then padded it out until a quarter of the four-hour game is pure try-hard, fourth wall-breaking dialogue.

On the surface, Ogre Tale is a side-scrolling, button mashing beat 'em up. You play as one of the last three descendants of the Onigashima clan — the sisters Hana, Ran and Yume — whipping, slashing or clubbing your way through Japan. You visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Miyajima and Mt Fuji — all places with extreme historical and cultural significance.

But there is a second layer of Japanese-ness that has been thrown into the mix, like every Saturday morning anime you know has been blended together and slathered over the deep and rich history of Japan.

Much like the real-life country, there is a peculiar mix of old and new. However, that's not to put the country and game in the same league — the game only works because of how dichotomous the country is. Unlike Japan, which has a seamless beauty in the way that tradition and modernity come together, Ogre Tale is an incongruous mishmash of stale tropes and standalone references.

The story itself is fine, but it's so snarky and text heavy that the game calls itself out for its poor writing multiple times. The characters know they're in a game, they know the scripting and pacing are off, and they know they're so verbose they risk the player getting bored. Think Deadpool if they turned it up to 11.

Mechanically, the game gets there, though if you start playing with a keyboard, "press any key" actually just refers to the letters B and J. I was sitting there tapping every key just trying to get into the damn game. Once you get past that, and plug in a controller, it plays much better. Not perfectly, but better.

Ogre Tale has the usual combat mechanics you'd expect in a beat 'em up, with close attacks and ranged attacks, and attack styles changing between characters. You can pick up and upgrade weapons, and level up your characters separately. If you prefer to play online, there's an option to do so. So far, so good.

However, the difficulty leaves a little to be desired — the easiest difficulty (Normal) still sees you swarmed by enemies that spam-lock you until you die in the corner. Fortunately, dying simply resets you to the nearest checkpoint (minus any ammo you've used), which means you can simply brute force your way through the game. The difficulty throughout story mode is pretty linear, right up until you fight Momotaro. You then have to go and grind half a dozen levels on side missions — which exist primarily so you can get cash — until you can squash the last boss like an overly ripe peach.

Cash, which seems to be included mostly so they could jam in a reference to stripping, is pretty much useless. I wound up with over a million yen, unable to buy a better weapon than one I found halfway through the game.

One of the best things about the Ogre Tale, I'd wager, is actually the soundtrack. It's nothing that will stick in your head, but the shamisen twanging away in the background as you fight your way west is utterly perfect for the game. This is hardly a stunning endorsement though, is it?

Planet Zoo Australia Pack arrives next, update 1.3 detailed

Frontier Developments has announced a brand new DLC pack for Planet Zoo, and this one is the Australia Pack. As you can guess animals from the Land Down Under are the focus of the Australia pack, with the Koala, Red Kangaroo,Dingo, Southern Cassowary, and the Eastern Blue-Tongued Lizard all being part of it. There will also be new foliage and scenery as part of the pack, as well as new scenarios. The Australia Pack will be available from August 25th.

Alongside the paid content the free 1.3 update for Planet Zoo will be released. In update 1.3 there will be more colour variations for animals and descriptions will be improved for colour blind players. Animal colours will be dependant on genetics and will allow more differentiation between individual creatures. 6% of the Jaguar population will be black, Albinism or Leucism in birds and reptiles will be much more noticeable. An animal food management page will also be added so players can see the grade of food being given to animals, the costs of feeding the animals, how many keepers have been assigned to each area, and whether the animals are hungry.

A new sandbox map will be added in update 1.3 too, as well as a timed scenario in Estonia. Vending machines will be available to place in zoos as well, though items from machines will not be as satisfying as those from shops for guests. Scenery lights can be turned on at any time too. When it comes to staff management players will be able to multi-select staff members meaning training and pay rises can be done in bulk, as well as assigning and firing them. Zoo alerts will also be dismissable.

In our review for Planet Zoo, Dom wrote:

Planet Zoo is simply wonderful; a bright and breezy park builder that gushes with enthusiasm for its charges. There's depth to spare here, pushing further than either of Frontier's most recent management games have, and it leans into its own identity, with a keen eye for the importance of education, animal welfare and preservation.
Source: Press Release

Martha Is Dead revealed for Xbox Series X and PC, watch the disturbing trailer here

Wired Productions and LKA have announced a brand new psychological thriller called Martha Is Dead, and the game has been confirmed for PC and Xbox Series X. A release in 2021 is expected. The games is set in Italy during 1944 where the body of a woman called Martha is found by a lake. Her twin sister sets out to find how Martha ended up there and she will have to travel along a very dangerous path. Before hitting play on the trailer I will warn you that there are some disturbing images in it, like a face being peeled away.

Luca Dalco, Founder & Director of LKA, said:

 

"At LKA, we start with a story. Often it's uncomfortable, not painless and based in truth. We learned a lot with The Town of Light, and Martha is Dead is taking everything we know, and turning it up to 10. Martha is Dead is set in a really interesting and distressing period of history, with Italy at this time torn between two major powers fighting for the future. Martha's brutal murder brings with it a mirrored sense of misery. This game will shock, make players question the truth and like The Town of Light, help continue a conversation around subject matters that still carry much stigma."

Leo Zullo, Managing Director at Wired Productions, said:

"After two years of development, we're happy to start unveiling more information about Martha is Dead.The range of Wired releases continues to grow, and our aim is to always publish incredible games with undeniable quality that deserve to be played. It's a journey that started with our signing of The Town of Light in 2016, so to continue to support LKA and the studio's storytelling is something I'm very happy Wired has been able to do."

Martha Is Dead is being built using Unreal Engine 4, and will be a first person narrative.

Source: Press Release

Black Myth: Wu Kong announced by Game Science Studio for PC and consoles

A new action RPG called Black Myth: Wu Kong has been revealed by the Chinese studio Game Science Studio, and the game is set to be released on PC and consoles. There is no release date yet, however. The announcement was made through a 13 minute gameplay video showing off the combat Black Myth: Wu Kong as well some areas of the environment that players will travel in. There are not too many details though going by the official site the inspiration does seem to be the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to The West by Wu Cheng'en.

In an FAQ on the Black Myth: Wu Kong's website, the developers have stated that the game will be a single purchase title but will not rule out additional DLC after the launch of the game. While a launch date is yet to be confirmed, Game Science Studio has also confirmed that there are other titles planned for the Black Myth series, though the release of those would likely depend on the success of Black Myth: Wu Kong.  The reason Game Science Studio released the footage of Black Myth: Wu Kong was partly because the team needs more members. The studio is looking for people join them to develop the game further.

Source: YouTube

EKSA Air Joy Pro Gaming Headset Review

The marketplace for our gaming ears has become steadily more competitive over the last few years. Where it was once the choice between Turtle Beach and what felt like nobody else, there's now manufacturers from every corner of the globe aiming to send some sweet sounds of video games down our respective lugholes.

EKSA hail from China, and are a relatively new and up and coming brand in the UK. We've previously reviewed the EKSA E900, and EKSA E900 Pro, both of which boasted impressive build quality at a budget price, and now they've returned with an ultra-light headset designed to be worn effortlessly no matter how long you sit staring at your computer.

How light is ultra-light? The Air Joy Pro weighs in at 162g, making it the lightest over-ear gaming headset we've ever covered, beating the Roccat Noz out by a whole 58g. In your hands, and on your head, that translates to very little in the way of resistance, and you'll soon forget you're wearing them in the midst of whichever flavour of digital world you're currently inhabiting.

In an effort to keep the gram count down, the Air Joy Pro is mostly made of matte black plastic. It's put together in a fairly non-descript kind of way, barring the adornment of each earpiece with four red light strips, and four red claw marks (similar to what an old Mad Catz piece of kit might have had) as well as twinned, terrible logos that read "No Burden" and "Just Joy".

Personally I think they look utterly awful, ruining what is otherwise a pretty standard headset that you could wear at home and on the go. As it stands I wouldn't be seen dead with them outside the house, as the decals simply make them look cheap. EKSA's previous headsets showed a keen ability to craft something that looked far more premium than what its pricing would have you believe. There's no sign of that here.

The headband itself has been slimmed to within a millimetre of its life in an effort to lose a few more grams, but despite my best efforts – and those of my four-year-old – it withstood a remarkable amount of twisting and pulling thanks to the metal strip running through it, coming out of our combined testing with no sign of breaking or cracking.

Comfort-wise there's a thin layer of memory foam in the headband. Without any real weight to pull it onto your head, it's more than enough to offset any downward force and the extra-soft woven earpieces are plush and comfortable. While lengthy sessions did see my ears becoming slightly warm, they never reached uncomfortable levels.

The left earpiece sports the Air Joy Pro's minimalist controls, with a volume wheel and clickable mute button at least unburdening you from accidentally hitting the wrong thing. They also thankfully do the jobs asked of them. Besides that there's the socket for the removable microphone to slot into, and the USB-C socket that serves as your main connection.

It's not got the strongest or most immovable boom arm, and it definitely feels pretty cheaply made, but the bi-directional, noise cancelling microphone itself is a functional piece of gear that will let your friends – and enemies – hear your innermost thoughts. It definitely sounds a little thin, but it will serve its purpose for cutting through the sound of Fortnite or Warzone's bullet fire.

The Air Joy Pro's hideous decals are even less worthwhile if the audio isn't up to scratch, but this is the area where the headset manages to claw back a couple of points. Despite the lightweight design, there's some genuine heft to the audio that they're able to kick out. From a standard 3.5mm connection, you'll find a satisfyingly wide soundstage accompanied by well-balanced tuning that ensures the top end details are clear while the low end reverberates without overwhelming everything else.

With both 3.5mm and USB-A cables provided to plug into the USB-C port, you can hook the Air Joy Pro up to a great number of different devices, from PC and Mac through to PS4, Switch and your smartphone. Both provide similar audio response, though I think the 3.5mm connection edges it, giving a slightly airier tone to your stereo audio.

There's also the option of 7.1 Surround Sound, but Mac owners should be aware that even though there's a giant "MAC" sign on the front of the box, and their website skirts the question of whether you can use 7.1 surround sound, it is in fact solely PC owners who get to access EKSA's drivers. To be honest, they're not missing out on all that much. It's a solid enough effort, with a good sense of space, but it's not of the same calibre as either Windows Sonic or Dolby Atmos. You'll be better off not bothering to install EKSA's drivers and sticking with those options built into Windows.

There's a decent level of passive noise isolation from the earpieces without an ear-cramping clamp, and pretty much every device you can think of will be able to make good use of them thanks to their 30 ohm impedance. If they hadn't put horrendous claw marks on them, the Air Joy Pro could have been a real winner at this low pricepoint.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone update changes some weapon stats, patch notes here

Infinity Ward has released a new patch for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone, with this patch addressing weapon stats. Those weapons include the 12-Gauge Deputy underbarrel shotgun, the Bruen MK9, and 725 Sawed Off. The patch also fixes an exploit that was found near Prison in Warzone, and also changes the High Alert perk slightly. The patch notes are listed below.

  • Warzone: 12-Gauge Deputy underbarrel shotgun:
    • Clamped close lethal damage
    • Fixed damage falloff for the FR 5.56 underbarrel shotgun
  • Bruen MK9:
    • Reduced upper torso damage
    • Base weapon – Increased recoil
    • 60 Round Mag – Additional increased recoil
  • ISO:
    • Reduced movement penalty for drum mags
    • Increased base ADS movement speed
  • 725 Sawed-Off Barrel:
    • Small increase to ADS time
    • Small decrease to movement speed
    • Reduced close lethal damage range
  • Fix for an exploit near the Prison in Warzone
  • Removing the VO from the High Alert perk

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's spot in the limelight may soon be ending. Activision recently confirmed Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War and that it would get a full reveal on August 26th. Typically, the Call of Duty series has been juggled between three Activision studios, churning out one annualised sequel on a three-year development cycle. World War II and Advanced Warfare team, Sledgehammer Games, were originally due to release their next Call of Duty title this year but Treyarch have now taken the reins of development after reports of internal struggles of Sledgehammer's game. Since 2010, they have continued to work on the Black Ops branch of the Call of Duty franchise, and this means that a new Black Ops game is coming just two years after the last, instead of the expected three.

The full reveal next week will likely give us a release date, details about the current gen and next gen versions of Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, whether there will be a free upgrade path, cross play, and of course story and multiplayer details. Call of Duty games release in October or November so it would be likely to see Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War be on the PS5 and Xbox Series X day one.

Source: Infinity Ward

Marvel's Avengers beta patches 1.4 and 1.5 released, read the notes here

Ahead of this weekend's Marvel's Avengers open beta, Crystal Dynamics has released two updates with those being patches 1.4 and 1.5. Together these patches address multiple crash issues, decreases the time it takes for loot to drop, improves matchmaking, and decreased the amount of motion blur. On Steam, update 26.1 will reduce stuttering and lag in Marvel's Avengers as well as improving graphical issues. The full patch notes can be found below.

Marvel's Avengers 1.4 and 1.5 update patch notes

Beta Update 1.4.0 – PS4 and Xbox One 

  • Added an option in Settings to adjust Camera Shake Sensitivity
  • Decreased amount of motion blur during sprint and flight
  • Multiple improvements and optimizations made to matchmaking
  • Changed default settings to wide combat camera distance, heavy targeting assistance and matchmaking disabled
  • Improvement to vaulting
  • Fixed several reported crashes
  • Fixed issue with multiple Super Heroes spawning
  • Decreased delay of loot drops
  • Save game optimizations

 

Beta Update 1.5.0 – PS4 and Xbox One 

  • Fixed rare issue of players losing certain gear
  • Additional matchmaking improvements
  • Rare crashes fixes
  • Moved Enable Matchmaking prompt to occur after the War Table is unlocked
  • Added a link to 1st Party store to main menu

 

Beta Update 26.1 – Steam

  • We have seen how some people struggled with severe stutters/lag and irregular performance and we have made several fixes that will solve or at least improve those.
  • A variety of fixes for crashes seen during last weekend have been implemented, which includes certain older systems not being able to launch at all, but also some that occurred rarely during gameplay.
    • We will keep monitoring for other crashes and will release updates as we have them.
  • Multiple improvements and optimizations made to matchmaking.
  • Changed default settings to wide combat camera distance, heavy targeting assistance (for gamepad) and matchmaking disabled.
  • Added an option in Settings to adjust Camera Shake Sensitivity.
  • Decreased amount of motion blur during sprint and flight.
  • We have made fixes for issues surrounding microphone handling and muting other players.
  • We have addressed some graphical issues, for example when using SSSR while having TAA turned off.
  • We have solved issues with the Dynamic Screen Resolution feature, especially when it was combined with HBAO+.
    • With those fixes we recommend turning on Dynamic Screen Resolution again (at your desired minimum frame-rate) to ensure you are able to stick to your desired frame-rate no matter how hectic the game gets.
  • Improvements to vaulting.
  • Decreased delay of loot drops.
  • We have brought in some initial improvements to our support for ultra-wide and super-ultrawide screens, with us planning more for launch.
  • Various other smaller fixes and improvements.

Recently, a leak seemed to confirm that the likes of Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and the Winter Soldier would be some of the additional characters added to Marvel's Avengers post-launch. So far the only confirmed post-launch characters are Hawkeye and Spider-Man, though Spider-Man will be a PlayStation exclusive character.

Source: Crystal Dynamics

UFC 4 update 2.02 fixes takedown issue and addresses perks, patch notes here

EA has released update 2.02 for UFC 4 and the new update addresses issues such takedown defences not being properly implemented. Before the patch denying a takedown could be missed while moving or throwing a strike, but that should not be the case anymore. Update 2.02 also tunes some perks and damage points to make fights more balanced. AI has been modified too so it goes for fewer clinches, and various fighter movesets have also been updated. You can read the full patch notes below.

UFC 4 2.02 update patch notes

Patch 2.02 Notes:

  • Fixed issues that could prevent denying takedowns while moving or striking

    • Previously, if a user held the movement input for too long (even for only one frame) after they had already pressed low block to deny a takedown, it would count as an attempt to deny a takedown turn that had not happened yet and would result in a successful takedown for their opponent. This only occurred in cases of "late" (partial) denials, including some cases where the fighters hadn't made contact yet.

    • Previously, pressing striking modifier buttons, such as for throwing hooks or overhands, could cause them to be interpreted as an attempt to apply a reversal to a takedown that had already started. A denial attempt made after that would then count as a late reversal attempt and, therefore, fail.

    • Those two issues were affecting all shooting takedowns, including the power takedowns. The fix will help users deny more driving and late denials on takedowns.

  • Fixed an issue with Imanari Roll being available in 'Stand and Bang' and KO modes

  • Fixed exploit with Cage Back Clinch drives

  • Fixed an issue with Von Flue Choke stamina

    • The stamina for the attacker and defender was swapped and the fighter with less stamina had the advantage.

  • Tuned Marathoner Perk

    • The effect of perk is drastically reduced. This was a major component of some of the issues with stamina being reported by the community.

  • Tuned Cage Guillotine chain progress

    • The Cage Guillotine was granting too much progress to the attacker when they hit the chain. We reduced the amount of progress granted by that chain to be a similar amount to the other chains. The team is still investigating changes to balance as it relates to the Standing Guillotine.

  • AI Improvements

    • In guard and half guard, AIs will now avoid striking with the hand holding the opponent's head down.

    • Reduced AI clinch frequency

  • Tuned Side Control strike damage

    • Significantly reduced damage of all strikes from Dominant Side Control.

  • Tuned Body strike damage

    • Slightly Increased base damage of body jabs, straights, hooks, and uppercuts.

    • The damage is proportional to the stamina drain and the stamina cost so this change indirectly impacts the stamina drain for your opponent and the cost of throwing these strikes.

    • Landing a body shot is always a net positive for the attacker, but be careful not to miss as the increased cost will punish missed strikes more.

  • Updated moves and perks for some fighters

    • Gaethje moveset updates

    • Sandhagen moveset updates

    • Amanda Nunes moveset updates

    • Germaine de Randamie moveset updates

    • Paulo Costa moveset updates

    • Ronda Rousey moveset updates

    • Valentina Shevchenko moveset updates

    • Johnny Walker moveset updates

    • Dan Hooker moveset updates

    • Eddie Alvarez moveset updates

    • John Lineker moveset updates

  • Updated Archetype movesets

    • Added Imanari and osotogari to Archetypes Shark and Vanguard

    • Added osotogari to Engine

  • Updated fighter records based off of recent events that took place before Aug 14th

  • Updated Kimbo Slice's grappling ratings

In our review for UFC 4, I wrote:

UFC 4 is an evolution over UFC 3. A much better and more cohesive online, a better system for advancing your created fighters, a career mode that has a bit more depth, and gameplay that opens up the series to more people, makes UFC 4 the game that UFC 3 should have been.
You can read the full review here.
Source: Reddit

Marvel's Avengers will add Black Panther, Wasp & more according to leak

When Marvel's Avengers launches next month on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, the hotly anticipated superhero action game will give players access to a roster of their comic book favourites including Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and Ms. Marvel.

Although each hero comes with their own unique playstyle, movesets, abilities, costumes, and upgrades, the game's community are already obsessing over which other Marvel characters will make an appearance. We already know that Hawkeye will be joining the team after the game's September launch, with Spider-Man being an exclusive PlayStation add-on reportedly coming in March 2021.

With players having gotten their hands on Marvel's Avengers during the recent beta tests, one Reddit user, u/6plus4equals52, has been meticulously scouring the game's data files for clues. In their datamining efforts, they may have uncovered an entire roster of future playable Marvel icons.

Followed up by a subsequent post (both of which have now been removed from Reddit), here are the Avengers characters who have been outed so far, including many of the usual suspects:

  • Ant Man
  • The Wasp
  • Vision
  • Black Panther
  • Doctor Strange
  • Falcon
  • Mar-Vell
  • Mockingbird
  • Quake
  • Winter Soldier
  • Scarlet Witch
  • Captain Marvel
  • Kate Bishop
  • She-Hulk
  • War Machine

From what we've seen of Marvel's Avengers ahead of release, some of those heroes seem like much more likely fits than others. Ant Man and his Pym Particle tech have already been introduced into the game's universe via a video shown at E3 2019. It's not hard to imagine Wasp tagging along for the ride.

Vision and Scarlet Witch also both seem like natural additions to the roster, hopefully adding more abstract abilities to Marvel's Avengers which is currently dominated by melee and tech-based heroes, Thor adding some much-needed magic. Speaking of, Doctor Strange also seems like a given as well as Black Panther, Winter Soldier, and Captain Marvel, all of whom have seen a surge in popularity followed their debuts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Our impressions of the beta have been mostly positive. Marvel's Avengers manages to bring together a diverse array of characters, placing them all in the same open arenas with plenty of shooting and brawling action. Some are still a little confused about the split between solo/co-op content with the loot and upgrade systems also causing some initial headaches. We'll be able to deliver our final verdict when Marvel's Avengers assembles on September 4th.

Source: Reddit 1, 2

Skully Review

There's not enough games nowadays about balls. Now, I'm not talking the sporty, ultra HD, annually updated EA and 2K kind of balls, but instead the old school Marble Madness or Super Monkey Ball kind of balls. Given the ubiquity of proper analogue controllers in today's market, this omission feels like even more of an oversight. I have vivid memories of fighting with the joystick-based original Marble Madness and would love a proper update with decent, responsive controls. When I first saw the early footage of Skully, I thought to myself, "Finally! The game about balls I've been dreaming off!"

There is something unmistakeable old school about Skully. Whilst not the ugliest game, there is little here stylistically that wouldn't be out of place in an early 360 or PS3 release. The levels are not particularly distinctive, background details often feel repetitive, and cutscenes are static rather than animated. The latter detail is a real shame, since the claymation aesthetic is crying out for a proper sense of movement. While the characters are adequately voice acted (the mute Skully excepted) the storyline just feels lacking in effect in large part due to this choice.

You play as the titular Skully, unimaginatively named by Terry, a mysterious but wild-looking figure with apparent powers over Earth (hence the name – stemming from terra). He asks you to help him in seeking out his brother and sisters to unite the elements. At first you have no abilities over than being able to roll around the landscape and jump (the latter is never really explained as you have no limbs or obvious propulsive power) and a fairly basic, but well designed opening section helps you to become familiar with these controls.

The use of the analogue sticks allows for some responsive control, even when you build up speed. Throughout the game it was these sections that were the most successful. Sure, the camera occasionally struggles to keep up, but you have control over it with the right stick. This was more of an issue when platforming rather than rolling, an aspect not helped by the small shadow that Skully casts making judging the distance of jumps more difficult.

It isn't long before the game transforms into a very different beast – one that is devoid of balls. Pools of mud that serve as checkpoints also enable you to shift forms and become golem-esque creatures with additional abilities. There are three of these to unlock as you progress, beginning with a strong form able to break through cracked walls. The secondary ability here can be used to fight off the balls of elemental goo that serve as your enemies whilst later in the game you also unlock a skill that allows you to throw Skully across large distances. The range of abilities here is impressive and well thought out, but it feels more like a last generation game like Kameo than the game I was expecting.

In later levels you unlock a speedy form and a double jump form, both of which can manipulate some blocks to help form platforms. The speedy form can move these horizontally whilst the jump one can lift them up. As you can summon three forms simultaneously, there are some complex puzzles that involve combining their abilities to navigate.

It is these puzzles that really form the bulk of the game's playtime, which to me felt like a missed opportunity. This style of 3D platforming feels dated, the camera becomes increasingly problematic as you progress, and everything just feels like a lost game from a decade ago. Now I know this may seem like it doesn't fit with my lamenting the lack of old school marble rollers, but the truth is that many of the style of 3D platformer and character switching puzzles that actually make up Skully were left behind for good reasons. Manipulating blocks and then trying to throw Skully onto them with no real precision is just not that fun – especially as these passages invariably feature instadeaths and irregular checkpoints.

I would like to say that the boss fights with the elemental siblings mix things up and provide a welcome change of pace, but they are pretty one-dimensional and dull. Alongside these bosses there are a couple of chase sequences too which quickly become a matter of trial and error and route memorisation. I wasn't expecting an into the camera chase this side of the next Crash Bandicoot game and I wouldn't have missed it were it not included here.

Hitman 3 will be an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC – Dartmoor murder mystery level revealed

If you've been playing the Hitman series on PC via Steam up until this point, you'll have to hop storefronts if you want to conclude the trilogy. IO Interactive have announced that, as they self-publish for the first time, they've struck a deal to make Hitman 3 a 12-month timed exclusive to the Epic Games Store.

Thankfully, you will still be able to carry over your current progression and unlocks from Hitman 2 in Steam, and you'll also be able to import locations from the first two games into Hitman 3 from other storefronts. "We want to make it a seamless process for our PC players to enjoy Hitman 3 on a different PC platform and continue to enjoy the benefits of our World of Assassination," IO write.

To help in that regard, the first game in the trilogy will be a free game on the Epic Games Store from 27th August to 3rd September, alongside Shadowrun Collection.

IO also revealed a new location and mission. Set in Dartmoor, England and called The Thornbridge Mystery, it evokes many a classic British whodunnit, with a murder mystery for Agent 47 to solve… on his way to committing another murder.

Nick Price, Lead Writer on Hitman 3 said, "HITMAN missions are very complicated affairs with plenty of moving parts and lots of characters you are able to interact with in a huge variety of ways. In Dartmoor's murder mystery, we are dialing all of that up to 11.

Every member of the family is a possible suspect and it's been quite the challenge to make sure everything doesn't fall apart just because the player wants to play around. In fact, that sort of behaviour should be rewarded in a HITMAN game, so we have been working hard on making sure that depending on what a player discovers during their investigation, outcomes might differ. It's going to be great fun to see how everyone tackles this particular problem next year."

Hitman 3 will be out for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Google Stadia and PC via the Epic Games Store in January 2021. Presumably it'll then pop up on Steam in January 2022.

Source: IOI

The PlayStation 5's first TV advert is here

The first TV spot for the PlayStation 5 is here, as Sony try to describe to people what it will feel like to play games on their next-gen console, wrapping together things like 3D audio, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

It's quite a high concept video, showing a woman adventuring in a weird and mysterious world. The opening line says, "Welcome to a world where you can feel more," and this is a key part of Sony's pitch for the next generation. The DualSense controller features adaptive triggers to relay different pressures to your fingers, while more advanced haptic feedback is to be incorporated to add more nuance compared to the rumble motors found in the DualShock 4. 3D audio with advanced HRTF processing to simulate different ear shapes will also aim to make audio more immersive and spatial, regardless of whether you're hearing sound from a TV, set of headphones or an existing surround sound set up.

All of this is completely intangible to end users at the moment. Literally the only person to have ever touched a DualSense up until this point is Geoff Keighley – I'm obviously being quite hyperbolic there – with the Covid-19 pandemic preventing the wider games press from going hands on at trade shows or smaller private events, and no possibility of public demo booths for fear of the DualSense becoming contaminated and helping to spread the virus.

What's curious about the trailer is that there isn't any sign of actual gameplay that could show off the raw power of the PS5 to deliver next gen graphics at ultra HD resolutions. Thatd would feel much more tangible for people passively watching something on a TV screen, but I guess Sony's focus is on trying to describe the console's other advantages. If this airs during this weekend's Champions League final, it will get those three talking points across to millions of viewers.

Of course, there's also no hint of a release date, let alone a price, with Sony and Microsoft locked in a seemingly endless game of chicken over who will announce the price of their next-gen games console first, so that one of them can try to undercut the other one or something.

The wait continues…

Source: Sony

PGA Tour 2K21 Review

It's the final hole and I'm tied at six under par for the tournament. Big Boy Billy shot his last hole and now it's up to me to finish. The pressure is on. If I can just make this 18 foot putt…

HB Studios and 2K are back after a two year break, transforming The Golf Club into the fully fledged and licensed PGA Tour game with all the bells and whistles you'd expect. Straight away, you are thrown into the character creator to craft your legend with quite a few options on hand – hundreds, in fact. Naturally, I made a version of myself, complete with man bun, before diving into the wide range of licensed clothing. I ended up opting for a shirt/tie/waistcoat combo with a porkpie hat, which made me look absolutely spiffing. If you fancy your Addidas or Polo Ralph Lauren branded apparel, they are of course there with some options being locked until you unlock them through gameplay.

Then, it's onto look at your Golf Bag and the 14 clubs you take with you during your games. You can unlock and buy new clubs with varying stats for different situations, although I'm yet to find a reason to change out my max power driver which I started with. Also, your clubs can be customised with different shafts and handles if you really want to stand out.

All this character creation was immediately followed by a short and fairly robust training session to teach you the basics of swinging that stick to get the maximum distance on your shots.

Pulling back on the right stick brings your club back and then pushing forward once it's reached the power you want in the gauge will see your golfer smack the ball. I thought this would be easy, but there is an art to it. You need to be accurate. An image of the ball with a white line down the middle shows you how precise your stroke is using a blue line, and mine was all over the place. I didn't realise how inaccurate I was!

The problem I had was every time I pushed the stick forward, I always went up and to the right, so naturally, my balls were flying off to the right. It took some real time and patience before I started to nail down the basics. But this a sports sim and that level of learning should be expected.

I jumped straight to a career after that and that's where the salt began. I thought after one training session I was ready to go. I picked the easiest option which was Q-School and spent my first 18 holes embarrassing myself in front of the other up and comers. I ended up 11 over par and failed my first season. I then failed my second.

Back to training.

Another round of truly reading the mechanics and practicing hard saw me finish in the top 50 during my third run, letting me qualify to play amongst the big wigs. I was actually improving. That's one of the main selling points of 2K21 for me, actual trackable self improvement. All of a sudden, I was hitting birdies, reading the wind correctly, judging the lay lines on my putting. It's all mechanically there and it's all very well desgined.

The true shot mechanic is fantastic. The game does a very good job of catering toward beginners by making sure you are recommended a club and shot style to use for every shot (which can be turned off), but if you want to take a risk and push that ball a little further, then the true shot will help you experiment a little. It's as simple as striking the ball in a certain spot to either increase or decrease the loft, enabling you to slice through harsh winds, or adjusting that attack angle to gain a few extra yards.

Before long, you'll be promoted to the PGA tour proper, and that's when the career mode begins to open up. You unlock sponsor goals, which level up your relationship with them, unlocking rewards like new clubs and apparel. The goals are also quite simple, like hit six birdies on your next tournament or hit so many greens in regulation. You can only have one sponsor active at a time, but there are plenty of goals to complete.

The point of all of this is to aim for the FedExCup. Completing events during the tour awards you FedExCup points based on how well you do. Along the way, you can actually strike up rivalries with some of the biggest names in golf like Bryson DeChambeau and Jim Furyk.

When you unlock the first rival, Cameron Champ, the next time you meet him in a tournament, you'll need to score five rival points to complete the rivalry and unlock the set reward. I did this through one tournament on my first go, scoring points for beating him in areas like the total score on the front nine holes, how many Birdies I shot and whether or not I went a full round without any Bogies. It's a fine feature, but I really wasn't trying to do anything out of the ordinary but play my best game. Once that's done, you just unlock the next rivalry in the queue. This feature overall feels a bit undercooked. I would have preferred to have a proper rivalry with another golfer throughout the course of a year, telling a story of how we went toe to toe all year. Instead it's like you have one good game and suddenly you're declared the winner. I doubt Cameron's that fussed, to be honest.

The main problem is that the career just feels a little empty and lacking a little soul. There's no player progression outside your own improving skill, the rivalries feel empty, and so you never feel like you're building anything. You're just playing events to get a trophy in the cabinet. Even the commentary doesn't help, and while Luke Elvy and Rich Beem will sound utterly authentic for US golf fans, the gents consistently made out of place comments, praising me for bad shots and sighing when I scored a Birdie.

Perhaps you can inject some more life by playing with other people. There's a bunch of different game types and online multiplayer, While we were unable to test this before launch, the game also features Societies, where you can set up a golf club with your friends and get together to compete in a relaxed environment. You can make people admins and have them set weekly events if you like.

What we did get to play with was the detailed course designer, which is easily one of the better features in PGA Tour 2K21 and builds off the ones found in previous The Golf Club games. You start off by picking the number of holes and how many par 3's or 5' you want to include before choosing an environment to set it in. I went for the desert because, why not? The freedom you have in this mode is pretty wild. From simple things like weather and time of day, to plonking giant townhouses and crocodiles on the course. With enough time, you could set up some really fun and pretty courses. Then you have the added bonus of being able to upload and share them with the community, which is always great to see.