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Marvel's Avengers PC specs confirmed, optional 30GB texture pack will be available

Crystal Dynamics have announced the PC specs for Marvel's Avengers, and you will need a minimum of 75GB of disk space, 8GB RAM, and an NVIDIA GTX 950/AMD 270 graphics card in your rig. In addition, Crystal Dynamics has confirmed there will be an optional 30GB texture pack so the best visuals can be reached, and there will also be an unlocked framerate. Support for ultrawide and multi monitor setups will also be there day one for Marvel's Avengers. All control options will be fully customisable and you should be able to switch between keyboard and mouse and controller, depending on preference. The spec lists for minimum and recommended setups below:

Minimum Spec:

  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • CPU: i3-4160 or AMD equivalent
  • 8GB RAM
  • NVIDIA GTX 950 / AMD 270 (min 2GB video ram)
  • DirectX 12
  • 75GB HDD space

Recommended Spec:

  • Windows 10 64-bit
  • CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K, 3.4 Ghz or AMD Ryzen 51600, 3.2 Ghz
  • 16GB RAM
  • NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB or AMD Radeon RX 480, 8GB.
  • DirectX 12
  • 110GB SSD space

In our beta preview, we wrote:

The Marvel's Avengers beta gives more than a quick glimpse of what to expect from Crystal Dynamics newest game. This is a large helping of content from the game and after spending a few hours picking away at it, we've come away finally understanding exactly what this game is and what the Tomb Raider studio is trying to achieve. So far it's coming together nicely, and while not exactly revolutionary we're impressed with how it enables a group of radically different Avengers to fight side-by-side. Let's just hope the story can inherit some of that MCU magic and that we see more mission variety when the game finally touches down on September 4th.

It has not been all smooth sailing for Marvel's Avengers recently. It has been confirmed that Spider-Man will be a PlayStation exclusive character. You can find out more in our interview with Crystal Dynamics here as to why that has happened.

Source: Square Enix

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 pre-order demo details confirmed

Activision has confirmed the details for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2's pre-order demo, which was confirmed when the game was revealed. We already know that the demo will transport players back to the very beginning of the series with the Warehouse setting being the demo. The demo will also be taking inspiration from the original release's demo with players having a time limited two minute session in the Warehouse to put together as high a score as possible. There are no limits to have many sessions you can play.

There are changes though and the big one is some new tricks that were not in the original release. Activision confirmed the notable tricks that will be in the demo, and you can see the list along with the descriptions below.

  • Manual – While a skater has their board on solid ground, rapidly flicking the commands for up, then down (forward and back) will make them lean on the board's back truck so that only two wheels are touching the ground. This stance must be balanced by using the same commands, or else the board's front wheels will hit the ground and end the Manual, or the skater will fall back and bail.
  • Nose Manual – Similar to a Manual, except it is done by rapidly flicking the commands for down, then up, for the two front wheels of the board to be only touching the ground.
  • Flatland Tricks – While performing a Manual or Nose Manual, pressing buttons mapped to grind, flip, and grab commands will let the skater perform tricks such as a Casper, Pogo.
  • Revert – "The Revert became one of the great staples of the franchise, we knew from day 1 that we wanted to include them." says Leo Zuniga Lead Designer at Vicarious Visions, and you can be sure that the Revert is included in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 and this demo. As a skater is landing a trick on a vert surface, e.g. a half-pipe or bowl, pressing either (or both) buttons mapped to switching stances will allow the player to pivot the board 180 degrees, adding to their current combo and potentially extending it with a Manual or Nose Manual.
  • Spine Transfer – If there is another vert surface opposite a skater's current vert surface, e.g. two bowls or half-pipes next to each other, pressing the same Revert command while in mid-air will allow them to seamlessly "transfer" from surface to surface, which directly adds to their current combo and potentially could be key to finding extra points via Gaps.
  • Acid Drop – If a skater Ollies, No Complies, Boneless, Nollies, or Fakie Ollies over a vert surface and presses the command used to Revert, they will land in the transition, allowing them to gain serious momentum and could let them start or continue a combo with a Revert into a Manual or Nose Manual.
  • Wall Ride – Veteran skaters already know this but it's worth repeating: If a skater jumps alongside a vertical surface – e.g. a wall – and presses the button normally used to Grind, they will have their board skid along the wall while they ride it, allowing them to gain points and start or continue a combo.
  • Wall Plant – If a skater jumps directly into a vertical surface and presses the command used to perform a Boneless move, they will come off their skateboard and use their feet to leap off the surface with serious momentum in the other direction as they return onto the board, rather than slam themselves into the surface face first.
  • Trick Transitions – A skater can transition between tricks by double tapping either the grind, grab or flip buttons while doing pretty much any trick, especially grinds

Special Tricks can also be changed so you are not limited to Tony's special ones. Included in the demo are the Rowley Darkslide and the Hardflip Backside Nose Pick. The demo will be available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC via the Epic Games Store. The demo will be available to preload from today if you have already pre-ordered, but not playable until August 14th.

Source: PS Blog

Minecraft Dungeons' Creeping Winter DLC is coming this September

Mojang has announced that Minecraft Dungeons' Creeping Winter DLC will be releasing on September 8th, and that there will also be a free update on the same day. In the Creeping Winter DLC a storm is coming that will bring a dangerous frost unless players complete some new missions and fights some new enemies in environments that will be slippery with mobs all over the place. In return, players will get new weapons, armour, and artifacts.

The free update will add new merchants and Daily Trials. The merchants are the Blacksmith and the Gift Wrapper with the Blacksmith being there to upgrade items, while the Gift Wrapper means players can trade items with each other in multiplayer. Each of the Merchants can be upgraded which will give players access to other items. Daily Trials will change core game mechanics which will mean difficult and experimental challenges together.

Mojang has also confirmed that Minecraft Dungeons will be getting a physical release for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, with the release date set for September 8th, except in Japan where there will be a delay. The full name is Minecraft Dungeons: Hero Edition and it will include the base game as well the Jungle Awakens DLC and the Creeping Winter DLC.

In our review for Minecraft Dungeons, Dom wrote:

Minecraft Dungeons could easily have been "My First Dungeon Crawler", but it's so much more than that. It does a great job of taking the genre's hooks – the waves of enemies, the pervasive drive for better loot – and makes them palatable and approachable for a wide-ranging audience. It's perfect family gaming, but if you crank the difficulty up prepare for an epic beatdown, and the epic rewards to go with them.
You can read the full Minecraft Dungeons review by  clicking here.
Source: Mojang

Fall Guys first update adds a new game mode – grab the patch notes here [Update: Delayed!]

Update 6:20PM: The Mediatonic gang have delayed the Fall Guys patch by one day, implementing a "last minute fix" and hoping to now push it live to players tomorrow, Thursday 13th August, after an extra round of testing.

The original post follows.

The breakout hit of Fall Guys is getting its first post-release update today, with Mediatonic patching a few bugs, making a few balance changes, and adding the first new game mode to their game: Jump Showdown.

Jump Showdown is similar in set up to Jump Club, in which two beams spin at different speeds and you must run and time your jumps in order to keep yourself from falling and being knocked off. Jump Showdown, however, adds even more peril into the mode, as sections of the platform start to disappear, making it a tense mode suitable for being an episode finale.

Further maps and modes are promised to be "coming soon", alongside new features and costumes to earn.

Here's the full patch notes:

Fall Guys 12th August patch notes

  • Lowered the weighting for Royal Fumble to add more final round variation
  • Fixed crash at launch with certain regional calendars set in the operating system
  • Improved messaging for matchmaking and server errors
  • Fixed physics behaving erratically at high framerate on levels like Tip Toe
  • Fixed crown in Fall Mountain not being grabbable in rare situations
  • Addressed some collisions in Block Party allowing players to bypass the blocks
  • Fixed Parties sometimes failing due to too many requests
  • Addressed some special characters causing display issues in player names
  • Fixed Big Tease Achievement not unlocking in specific regions
  • PC only – Fixed certain game controller models not being detected on PC

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

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

We posted our Fall Guys review last week, saying:

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

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

Source: Twitter

Fall Guys guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Control will get free PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades… but only if you buy the new Ultimate Edition

505 Games and Remedy Entertainment have revealed Control Ultimate Edition, a bundle that will include Control and its two expansions, The Foundation and AWE. The Ultimate Edition will also give purchasers free upgrades for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X within their console families, an offer that is not being extended to those who have bought the game since its original release.

The Ultimate Edition release is being staggered across various mediums and platforms, with 505 citing the pandemic for distribution difficulties. However, it will be priced at a rather reasonable £29.99 for newcomers.

The release dates are as follows:

  • August 27th Steam
  • September 10th Epic Game Store, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (digital)
  • End of 2020 PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (physical edition)
  • End of 2020 PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (digital)
  • Early 2021 PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (physical)

In an associated FAQ, they outline that the Ultimate Edition does offer free upgrades, but other versions of the game do not.

Will Control Ultimate Edition give me access to Control on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5?
We will offer a free next-gen digital upgrade for those who buy Control Ultimate Edition on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For more information on eligibility, stay tuned to our website and community channels.

What if I purchased the original version of Control previously?
The free upgrade path to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 version of Control is only available for Control Ultimate Edition.

Control is currently available for at an RRP of £49.99 (though it has been sold as low as £15.99 on the PS Store just last week), and the Season Pass for £19.99. A Deluxe Edition, which bundles the game together with the Season Pass and Urban Response Gear DLC, is currently on sale for £32.49 with an RRP of £64.99. Despite having ever-so-slightly more content than the Ultimate Edition, it does not offer a next-gen upgrade.

We've asked 505 Games if there will be another option for existing owners to get a next-gen upgrade, but given Microsoft's assertion to developers that upgrades should be free and not paid DLC, we won't be holding our breath.

Expect a fair few people to be a bit miffed about this on the internet.

Either way, the game is fantastic. In our Control review, Aran wrote:

Control is one of the best story-focused single player games in years. Its unique mix of surrealism, sci-fi and mystery draws you in, but doesn't give everything away, and the combat is fantastically varied and provides just enough challenge. A culmination of everything that went before, Control is Remedy's magnum opus.

Source: Control

Forza Horizon 3 is being delisted in September – can we expect it in Games with Gold?

Forza Horizon 3 is set to be delisted from digital stores on 27th September, following the well established pattern of the previous games in the Forza series of only being available for 4 years from their original release for Xbox One and PC.

If you own the game or any of its DLC digitally, you will of course still be able to download them, and the game's servers will remain online, but you will simply no longer be able to buy the game anymore. The reason for the delisting isn't known, but will most likely be down to music and car licenses expiring.

Also a part of that pattern, we can likely expect to see Forza Horizon 3 dropped into Games with Gold for its final month, just as Forza Horizon 2 did in 2018, and Forza Motorsport 6 did in 2019 before they were delisted. The two things that would seem to go against this, is that those racers were made free in August of their final year, and Forza Horizon 3's delisting on 27th September would mean it's not available for the entire month. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but it would be pretty crummy to do since the game is going on sale from now until it's delisting

It's a cracking game, and showed just how much of a class act Playground Games are when it comes to creating sprawling open world racers. It was also enhanced for Xbox One X, and looks fantastic in 4K, so if it is put on GwG or you have the chance to pick it up for cheap, you should make sure to download it.

In our Forza Horizon 3 review, Dom wrote:

The third game in the Forza Horizon series has far exceeded its status as a loud and brash spin-off, becoming a racing title that embodies the best of this generation. Beautiful visuals, pitch perfect gameplay and eternally rewarding, there are few racing games that have ever come close to what Playground Games have achieved with Forza Horizon 3.

After years of back-to-back Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon game releases through the 2010's, 2020 is another year without a Forza game, as Turn10 Studios instead turn their focus to a reboot of the series for Xbox Series X. Revealed last month with spectacular looking ray tracing, the game will be exclusively for next-gen and not coming to Xbox One, with Phil Spencer describing the game as being early in development. It could be a while away from release, it seems.

via VG247

Xbox Series X will be on the shelves before November 13th!

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg, GM Xbox Games Marketing, recently announced that the Xbox Series X will be released in November, narrowing the release window from "Holiday 2020" to a specific month.

We can now reveal that the console will be out by November 13th, thanks to a press release for Yakuza: Like A Dragon which has in very big letters…

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Launches Day 1 on Xbox Series X!

Just announced on Inside Xbox, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, an explosive new entry point in the acclaimed Yakuza series, will be releasing as a launch title on the next-gen Xbox Series X*. Yakuza: Like a Dragon will also be available as simultaneous release on the Xbox family of devices, including Xbox One X*, Windows 10 PC*, PlayStation 4, and Steam*.

Now, all we need to do is check the Xbox store which conveniently tells us the Xbox One game is out on November 13th, and as this is a simultaneous launch across all platforms that is also the day one release for Xbox Series X version, ergo the console must be landing on shelves sometime between 1st and 13th of November.

We also checked the  PlayStation Store and that has the same date, November 13th.

The main cast of the game's English dub has been revealed, including the legendary George Takei:

  • Kaiji Tang as Ichiban Kasuga, protagonist of the story returning from 18 years spent in prison
  • George Takei as Masumi Arakawa, patriarch of the Arakawa Family
  • Andrew Morgado as Koichi Adachi, an ex-cop on the search for truth
  • Greg Chun as Yu Nanba, downtrodden former nurse making amends with the world
  • Elizabeth Maxwell as Saeko Mukoda, a bar hostess on a mission

Set in 2019 following the events of Yakuza 6, Yakuza: Like a Dragon follows the story of Kasuga Ichiban, a member of the formidable Tojo Clan who, much like Kiryu Kazuma, takes the fall for a crime he did not commit in order to protect the honor of his clan. When Ichiban emerges from prison almost two decades later in 2019, though, he's found that the world has changed immensely and moved on without him. Stuck as an outsider in an unfamiliar town, he gathers a crew of unlikely allies in order to find out the truth behind what happened while he was behind bars.

The game is a pretty major departure beyond just having a new lead, with new turn-based RPG encounters. Part of the reason for this switch to an RPG battle system is that Ichiban is obsessed with Dragon Quest, and the regular thugs you run into on the street will often transform into otherwordly warriors (in Ichiban's head, at least) once battle begins.

Source: Press release

A Total War Saga: Troy Review

Ancient Greece, it seems, is once again in vogue. With the roaring success of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Ubisoft aren't the only game makers to explore this rich setting with the launch of A Total War Saga: Troy.

Compared to last year's Total War: Three Kingdoms, Troy is bound to resonate more with western audiences. If the name wasn't a dead giveaway, this latest instalment in the twenty-year-old series is centred around the Trojan War – easily one of the most iconic events in Greek mythology, made famous by Homer's Iliad. It all kicks off when Paris, prince of Troy, steals the wife of Menelaus, having only just brokered peace with the Spartan king. Fleeing behind the walls of his impregnable home city, the foolish prince awaits the enraged Menelaus and his warmongering brother, Agamenon…

With A Total War Saga: Troy, Creative Assembly have manoeuvred into a pincer formation, looking to flank both their core audience and prospective newcomers. On one hand, the generally more cinematic tone of Troy as well as improved tutorials and onboarding, help pave the way for first-time generals. Meanwhile, that dense strategic core remains steadfast with the option for seasoned Total War commanders to get stuck straight in while only having new and revised features explained to them.

As always, Total War relies on a tried and tested mix of turn-based strategy and real-time battles. However, in order to keep the formula feeling fresh with each new game, Creative Assembly continue to work in some clever changes. The result is a familiarly rich and satisfying strategy experience though one with few alterations to its core ruleset.

We won't go too in-depth though here are some highlights. First up, there's the new Total War economy which is now split between five main resources including food, lumber, stone, bronze, and gold, which can be traded seamlessly between factions. Each has its own specific use in recruiting units and building structures, giving them strategic importance.

With this being Ancient Greece, you'll also want to curry favour with the gods. Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, and other deities rule over the Total War pantheon and through paying tributes, you can earn yourself temporary and long-lasting boons to help benefit your faction.

Of course, this latest game brings a completely different change in setting and with that comes new units, agents, and leaders, all plucked from the Bronze Age. At launch, there will be eight generals to pick from, split between the Achaeans and the Trojans with mythic heroes including the mighty Hector and the unrivalled Achilles.

Like Three Kingdoms, and both Warhammer games, before it, Troy empowers these heroes to become more than fancily dressed characters embedded among your rank and file troops. They are essentially their own units, complete with unique table-turning ability, equipped with weapons and treasures throughout your campaign. While far from invincible, they stand out on the field of battle, each of the faction leaders also having their own unique campaign mechanics, too. For instance, Agamenon can receive (and demand) resources from his vassals, whereas Menelaus can claim razed settlements remotely, without needing to dispatch his soldiers.

As for units, expect your usual mix of melee, ranged, and cavalry, spliced with thematic elite units. A Total War Saga: Troy also features special units and agents such as gorgons, centaurs, and cyclopes. They're not actually mythical beasts (they're just dressed up to look like them) though the abilities and combat prowess they can add to your faction make them highly valuable.

Total War still relies on a heavy mix of grand battles sandwiched between long stretches of diplomacy and managing your territory. For those who simply want to lead armies on the battlefield, there's a separate mode for that though campaigns demand that you focus on more than just skirmishes and sieges. Play long enough, and you'll witness feats of glory on the battlefield with surprise ambushes, heroic rallies, and mythic moments of triumph. However, victory often hinges on how much homework you've done before charging against an enemy.

In terms of visuals, Creative Assembly straddle between a "realistic" depiction of what the Trojan War could have looked like and a more theatrical, stylised look. They continue to raise the bar in just how polished these games look with a gorgeous campaign map and sweeping battles which play host to hundreds of individual soldiers clashing swords as arrows fly overhead. It's a shame that we don't see more cinematic cutscenes or authored set-piece moments, yet these wouldn't fit the sandbox nature of the Total War series.

No Man's Sky Desolation patch 2.62 is out, read the notes here

Hello Games have launched a new patch for No Man's Sky, it's a smaller patch that focuses on fixing bugs rather than adding new content. Here are the notes!

Patch Notes

  • A range of new base building parts have been added. These are based upon the decoration inside derelict freighters. The blueprints can be acquired by searching salvage crates found inside derelict freighters.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause a unpassable corridor to be generated in certain derelict freighters.
  • Fixed a number of issues that could cause planetary creatures to fail to spawn.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause particle effects to stop playing.
  • Expanded the Nexus exploration mission to also include flora and minerals.
  • Fixed an issue that could prevent other people's discoveries from advancing multiplayer exploration missions.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the Chef title from unlocking after impressing Cronus.
  • Reduced the priority of the Emergency Broadcast Detector and Salvage Opportunity hints so that they do not block other mission messages.
  • Fixed a number of issues that could cause the Anomaly Detector and Emergency Broadcast Detector to perpetually fail to locate an object, blocking progress.
  • Added procedural atmospheric fog effects to the interior of derelict freighters.
  • Fixed an issue that caused a soft light to follow the player into caves and other dark spaces.
  • Fixed a number of small visual artifacts in the lighting system.
  • Fixed a number of visual issues with the intensity of starship trails and engine glow.
  • Fixed an issue that caused a number of lighting issues for metallic surfaces.
  • Fixed a number of issues that could occur when declining or accepting a group invite.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the hit indicator to flash incorrectly for some ship and Multi-Tool modes.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause inappropriate items to appear in the artifact crates at the heart of buried ruins.
  • Introduced a number of small optimisations.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when calculating creature navigation paths.
  • Fixed an issue with abandoned Space Stations that prevented players from landing, and could cause a crash when deploying system authority starships.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash while saving.
  • Fixed a number of issues that could cause the game to crash during loading.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to become unresponsive during loading.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause very large save games to crash during load.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur during procedural generation of a derelict freighter.

Source: NoMansSky

Sam Fisher is joining Rainbow Six Siege

Ubisoft have announced another cross over with Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher joining the cast of Rainbow Six Siege. He joins the game as part of the Operation Shadow Legacy update and will be a new Operator with the codename Specialist Zero.

Sam has guested in a number of games over the years but there has not been a Splinter Cell game since 2013. The character remains popular and it was recently revealed that an animated series may be on the way.

According to Variety, a deal has been struck between Ubisoft and Netflix to create an anime based on the iconic franchise. There seem to be some details already with Variety reporting that two seasons comprised of 16 episodes in total have been greenlit. Derek Kolstad, who is one of the key writers behind the John Wick films. has been linked as an executive producer and writer for the series.

Rumours of new Splinter Cell game have been rumbling around the industry for quite some time since the game was first listed in the great Walmart leak of E3 2018, in which a huge number of unannounced games such as Just Cause 4 and Rage 2 were detailed before their E3 debut.

In April 2019 Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot said "Last time we did a Splinter Cell, we had lots of pressure from all the fans saying, 'Don't change it; don't do this; don't do that.' So some of the teams were more anxious to work on the brand," said Yves. He also said that employees in Ubisoft were more keen to work on the bigger franchises such as Assassin's Creed.

"Now there are some things and some people that are now looking at the brand; taking care of the brand. At one point you will see something but I can't say more than that," he teased.

In May the same year Ubisoft Creative Director Julian Gerighty tweeted  "Working on the next #SplinterCell with @danhaynow and @romcamor in #Lyon. Can't wait for #E3." but then retracted the statements saying they were a joke. Of course they were.

Italian actor Luca Ward may also have to use the "I was joking guv, honest" excuse as he has now confirmed a new Splinter Cell game for 2021.

"There is this return of Splinter Cell that is supposed to be a conclusive episode, but I'm not sure about this part," he said. "They have not yet figured out whether to do it in 2021. It was going to release in 2020, and then COVID-19 happened, and several big projects in 2020 got delayed. Others went on, like Cyberpunk 2077 on which I have almost finished working."

"But I am sure that Splinter Cell will return, this is a fact," he added.

We do know of a Splinter Cell game in development, but it's a VR title and it will be exclusive to Oculus Rift rather than an entry to the main franchise. If another game is launching next year it will surely be on next gen consoles.

Check out our Rainbow Six Siege hub!

Source: Youtube

Okunoka Madness is a horrible, despicable speedrunning nightmare – and you're going to love it

There's a certain group of wayward adventurers who think that difficulty has fallen by the wayside in games. They yearn for the old days, when you were lucky if the tape cassette in your Commodore 64 loaded, often found that the controls didn't work, and where it was possible the game simply hadn't been finished. Things have changed – improved most would say by accessibility and inclusivity – but a hard game can still be a precious delight, endangering our screens, our relationships and our controllers. Okunoka Madness is such a game.

You play as Ka, a blue demon-ish character who's been raised from his slumber by things going 'a bit wrong', and who then sets out to put things right, seemingly by rushing headlong through a bunch of despicably tough levels and eating up a bunch of sprites and spirits along the way.

Okunoka Madness is a speedrunner's platforming dream. Every single level pits you, not just against the spiky, lethal obstacles in your way, but against the clock, giving you a grade and letting you see where you stack up on the leaderboards; both local and global. While you will progress through the different worlds you'll find yourself becoming obsessed with single levels that get in your way. You become steadily more gung-ho, living life ever closer to the edge of each platform, attempting to shave one hundredth off your best time. In order to achieve that you're going to die over, and over again. Oh, and then a few times more.

You run, you jump, you wall climb. These simple tenets of gameplay are almost underwhelming in the context of modern gaming, and yet, they remain as vital and compulsive as they were when a young Shigeru Miyamoto decided plumbing was a suitable pastime for a hero. Ka has less weight than a Brooklyn Italianite, presumably due to less pizza and more ethereal indulgences like Special-K, but either way it sees him leaping and turning with incomparable precision.

Adding an extra wrinkle into platforming's time-worn face, Okunoka Madness brings in elemental Sprites, which allow Ka to interact with certain parts of levels in a different way. Frost, the first Sprite you encounter, allows you to switch icy barriers and platforms on and off, often needing you to tap away at the shoulder button at the same time as leaping towards or away from something else, while the second world brings in Fire, doubling the ways in which you will probably die. We won't even think about the fact there are probably even more ways than that.

It's a war of attrition between you and your fingers. You begin many of the levels with a clear sense of disbelief about what you need to do in order to reach the end of the course, and yet you'll grind away at your synapses until Ka is flowing from one platform to the next, narrowly missing the spinning blades of a death dealing robot to land neatly on the smallest of platforms before entering another pitched battle with yourself through the next section.

Okunoka Madness' level designers are the kind of sadists that other sadists talk about in hushed tones. There's some kind of devilish glee to be found in the steadily more vicious stages, and you might begin to hear their maniacal laughter after you start over for the umpteenth time. No, wait, it was my maniacal laughter. I do think the 'Madness' in the title might be a health warning. You should bear that in mind.


Our hands-on was limited to the first two worlds, with each one boasting twenty stages. The final level for these worlds plays host to a dastardly boss clearly meant to inflict further psychological damage on you. In a lot of ways, they're not really a huge leap from the standard levels, being a heady mix of muscle memory, learned patterns and snappy reflexes, but they definitely serve to bookend each world in soul-crushing style.

Okunoka Madness is exhilarating, brutal, time-sinking fun though. It's gaming in the classical sense, with a bright and bold skin that lives just the right side of Rayman's best work. It's the kind of game to wrap yourself up in as you perfect each stage, though there's a real risk of needing to but the new 4K TV you've been lusting after thanks to some kind of 'accident'.

I can't wait to fling myself on all its mercies when it reaches full release.

Maneater celebrates Shark Week with free DLC

Tripwire Interactive have cast a free nugget of DLC into the ocean for Maneater players to devour.

Over the years, our fascination with these waterborne predators has led to a annual celebration known as Shark Week and now Maneater wants a bite of that exposure.

What better way to wave in this week-long run of Discovery Channel programming than by giving away some free content for the so-called ShARkPG?

Maneater guide – 7 tips & tricks to get you started

Players who own a copy of Maneater will be able to download and install the new Tiger Shark Adaptation which provides a handy boost to resource gathering while giving your shark a cool new look. Note that console players will need to visit the PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo digital stores to download this shark upgrade:

Maneater is celebrating Shark Week with a free gift for all players. Both current and new Maneater players on all gaming platforms can grab the Tiger Shark Adaptation for free. Named after the legendary Tiger Shark, often referred to as "the garbage can of the sea," this evolution provides extra nutrients when consuming prey in addition to providing a sharply striped cosmetic upgrade. The Tiger Shark Adaptation is now free for all players. To equip the Tiger Shark Adaptation, download the latest Maneater update, players can visit their nearest Grotto, and select the Tiger Shark Adaptation under Body Evolutions.

We reviewed Maneater when it first launched on PC and consoles back in May. The bizarre action RPG didn't make a huge splash though proved quirky and inventive enough to snag a respectable 6/10. Here's what we wrote:

"Maneater is a crazy concept come to life, Tripwire somehow managing to cobble together a silly ShaRkPG that is more than just a ten-minute novelty. There's no denying it's an exotic catch, but when it comes to quality open world action games, there's plenty more fish in the sea."

Source: Press Release

Halo Infinite's delay is rough for Xbox Series X in 2020, but how bad is it really?

There's no two ways about it: Halo Infinite's delay is a gut punch for the launch of Microsoft's next generation plans. I'm not just talking about the Xbox Series X release in November, but their whole vision for an era of subscription led cross-platform gaming. It's not putting the nail in the coffin for this plan, but at the very least it's a stumble that puts them at an even bigger disadvantage compared to their biggest rivals.

Ultimately, Halo Infinite's delay might well be the best decision for the game. The old Shigeru Miyamoto adage  that "A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever," might not ring quite so true in the age of live games, DLC and 'Games as a Service', but it doesn't hurt to get things right at the first attempt. Not every game can pull off the recoveries that No Man's Sky, Sea of Thieves or Destiny (twice!) have managed and it's obviously better not having to go through those growing pains.

Still, it leaves Microsoft without a marquee title for the launch of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Streaming, and the release of Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. We've been eagerly awaiting the official reveal of Microsoft's lower powered console, not to mention the announcement of the price of either Xbox or PlayStation 5, but now it's like one of the teams turning up to the World Cup final is doing so without their star striker. For this winter, at least.

While that's a big blow for 2020, Microsoft are playing the long game. After promising that all their first party games for the first year or tow of the next-generation would be cross-generational, they rocked up to their Xbox Games Showcase with a bunch of rendered concept trailers for games that would be exclusive to Xbox Series X. From Forza Motorsport, to Fable, to Avowed, these are games that are at least a year away and Microsoft was seemingly going to have to rely on third parties for quite some time anyway.

That said, Xbox fans aren't entirely bereft of other games to look forward to this year, of course, and Xbox Series X will provide advantages across a wide range of games. In first party titles, there's the prospect of Gears Tactics and maybe Microsoft Flight Simulator – OK, so ports of months old PC games might not be particularly exciting, but I'm looking forward to them on console nonetheless. As we come to the end of the year, let's be honest that this November is going to be all about Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla and the next Call of Duty for an awful lot of people.

In fairness, Microsoft aren't really alone here. Outside of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales being a launch title and the bundled Astros' Playroom, do we really have any idea of when all of those first party games from the PlayStation 5 showcase will be released alongside the console? Sony have a big, hugely popular tent pole release to market, but there's lingering doubts over just how big an experience it's going to be, as it builds on the foundations of the 2018 PS4 exclusive. The difference is that the overall perception is of Sony having fistfuls of games that are ready to go through the PS5's first year.

For Xbox, the concern is that without that one big system seller, those thinking of next-gen will either delay their purchase plans to 2021 or now lean toward picking up a PS5. Delayed purchases and upgrades have obviously been a part of their plan, with the cross-generational releases intended to soften the potential blow of a high ticket price for the upcoming machines in the West, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate streaming aiming to let them reach new audiences whenever people want to engage, but they've got to try and shift the cloud of negativity currently hovering over them if they hope to stay in touch with Sony through the generation.

Through all of this, and as with any major game delay, we shouldn't forget the developers themselves. Passion is one of the key attributes that defines many developers, as their love for their creation shines through, but that can be manipulated, it can be crunched. 343 Industries will have been in a maladjusted form of crunch for some time already, the lines between work and home blurred even further thanks to COVID. The response to the gameplay reveal will have hurt, even if it was maybe expected in some quarters, and now those wearying heads have to face an even longer stretch to reach the finish line, whenever that might be.

At the end of the day, while it will hurt in 2020, Halo Infinite's delay isn't quite terminal for Xbox Series X and Microsoft's future plans, but it's felt like the company has been on the back foot all through the summer. It will take something big (or small, to be more precise) to shift things back in their favour.

Risk of Rain 2 update 1.0 adds new Captain character and final boss

Risk of Rain 2 has finally hit version 1.0 with developer Hopoo rolling out its newest early access update.

This is the fifth major content drop for Risk of Rain 2 since launch, adding a new playable survivor, stage, monsters, items, music, and… a final boss.

The third person shooter roguelike now officially has an ending as well as an intro cutscene and myriad other additions, making this Hopoo's biggest patch to date.

Out now on PC, those playing on console (either on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch) will have to wait a little longer to get stuck into this new content.

For the full list of what's been added and changed to Risk of Rain 2, see the official patch notes below.

Risk of Rain 2 version 1.0 patch notes

Major Content

    • Added System: Game Ending
      • The game now includes a proper ending, with credits and cutscene.
    • Added System: Server Browser
      • Quickplay served an important function at launch – but the QP featureset is barebones. Not only that, but the game has evolved past needing to just find a match – you need to find the right match. We think a built-in Server Browser (and hosting) will still allow you to connect and find other players easily while also providing a lot of the features and choices you want to make before connecting to a game.
    • Added System: Intro Cutscene
      • The game now includes an intro cutscene!
    • Added New Survivor
      • New Survivor: Captain
    • Added New Stage
      • New Final Stage: ???

 

  • Added 4 New Music Tracks
      • New Track: Through a Cloud, Darkly
      • New Track: …con lentitud poderosa
      • New Track: You're Gonna Need a Bigger Ukulele
      • New Track: Lacrimosum

 

  • Added New Survivor Skin
      • New Survivor Skin: Captain Skin

 

  • Added 2 New Monsters
      • New Monster: ???
      • New Monster: ???

 

  • Added New Boss
      • New Final Boss: ???

 

  • Added New Interactable
      • New Interactable: Scrapper

 

  • Added 7 Items and 3 Equipment to the game
      • New Item: Item Scrap (White, Green, Red, Yellow)
      • New Boss Item: Molten Perforator
      • New Boss Item: Shatterspleen
      • New Boss Item: Mired Urn
      • New Lunar Item: Defiant Gouge
      • New Lunar Item: Mercurial Rachis
      • New Lunar Item: Purity
      • New Equipment: Super Massive Leech
      • New Equipment: Gorag's Opus
      • New Equipment: Forgive Me Please

 

  • Added 3 Character Challenges to the game
      • New Captain Challenge: Captain Mastery
      • New Captain Challenge: Wanderlust
      • New Captain Challenge: Worth Every Penny

 

  • Added 3 Challenges to the game
      • New Challenge: I Love Dying!
      • New Challenge: Washed Away
      • New Challenge: The Calm

 

  • Added 36 Lore Entries to the game
    • New Item Lore Entry: Molten Perforator
    • New Item Lore Entry: Shatterspleen
    • New Item Lore Entry: Mired Urn
    • New Item Lore Entry: Super Massive Leech
    • New Item Lore Entry: Gorag's Opus
    • New Item Lore Entry: Forgive Me Please
    • New Item Lore Entry: Soulbound Catalyst
    • New Item Lore Entry: Bandolier
    • New Item Lore Entry: The Crowdfunder
    • New Item Lore Entry: Old Guillotine
    • New Item Lore Entry: Jade Elephant
    • New Item Lore Entry: Blast Shower
    • New Item Lore Entry: Lepton Daisy
    • New Item Lore Entry: Shattering Justice
    • New Item Lore Entry: Topaz Brooch
    • New Item Lore Entry: Ocular HUD
    • New Item Lore Entry: Unstable Tesla Coil
    • New Item Lore Entry: Milky Chrysalis
    • New Item Lore Entry: Will-o'-the-wisp
    • New Item Lore Entry: Gnarled Woodsprite
    • New Item Lore Entry: Halcyon Seed
    • New Item Lore Entry: Purity
    • New Item Lore Entry: Glowing Meteorite
    • New Item Lore Entry: Preon Accumulator
    • New Item Lore Entry: Aegis
    • New Monster Lore Entry: Clay Dunestrider
    • New Monster Lore Entry: Alloy Vulture
    • New Monster Lore Entry: Imp
    • New Monster Lore Entry: Void Reaver
    • New Monster Lore Entry: ???
    • New Monster Lore Entry: ???
    • New Monster Lore Entry: ???
    • New Stage Lore Entry: ???
    • New Character Lore Entry: Huntress
    • New Character Lore Entry: Captain
    • New Character Lore Entry: MUL-T

Gameplay Changes

  • General
      • Bleeds now refresh all existing bleed durations on that target. This affects both enemies and players, and is a huge change for how bleeds will work.
      • Increase difficulty rate over time for all difficulties by +10%.
        Developer Notes: In this update, we've buffed a ton of items – and also given players way more agency over the way a run progresses. Our goal is for players to be more engaged with the game – what we don't want is for the game to be suddenly much easier. This is a bit of a sanity check, and shouldn't dramatically change the difficulty.
      • Slightly reworked OSP. The goal is to fix inconsistencies and make it actually protect you from one-shots – while also fixing some abuse cases with curse.
        • The threshold for OSP is now displayed on the healthbar with a faint graphic.
        • Now has a lingering 0.1s duration when activated.
        • 🌧 Now is subtracted via Curse (Shaped Glass, Artifact of Glass, etc), i.e a curse of 10% will remove OSP entirely.
        • 🌧 Update OSP logic so it still triggers if you receive multiple sources of damage in the same frame that go past OSP values, i.e Malachite Lesser Wisps

 

  • Elites
      • Blazing, Overloading, Glacial
        • 🌧Health Bonus: 470% ⇒ 400%
      • Malachite, Celestine
        • 🌧Health Bonus: 2350% ⇒ 1800%
          Developer Notes: We've had a lot of feedback that elite health has always felt a bit bloated – and that subsequently, it makes the Old Guillotine feel required. Our intent is to make characters less reliant on the Old Guillotine, and to make it feel more like an elite hate item – and less of an overall DPS item.

 

  • Survivors
        • 🌧🌧🌧 Mobility skills are now considered 'sprinting', scaling with sprint speed multipliers and also sprinting after use.
        • Melee Survivors
          • 🌧 Melee skills will now perform more consistently at high attack speeds.
          • Melee skills will now scale hitpause duration with attack speed – since the pause when hitting enemies were static, melee characters actually scaled poorly with attack speed.
          • Melee skills will now 'hold' you in the air better at high attack speeds.
        • Added a 'Keyword' system. Keywords are just words to describe common repeated behavior without explaining it every time. Added the following keywords:
          • Freezing
          • Stunning
          • Shocking
          • Poisonous
          • Regenerative
          • Agile
          • Percent HP
          • Sonic Boom
          • Weaken
          • Expose
          • Heavy

 

      • MUL-T
        Developer Notes: MUL-T has gotten some love from this patch to really push forward the idea that his weapons are strong in specific roles. Faster swap time and more responsive actions for the weapons will (hopefully) make weapon swapping feel better. We've also admittedly creeped cooldowns down over time, and MUL-T felt a bit left behind.

        • Base Acceleration: 25 ⇒ 30
        • Rebar Puncher
          • Now charges after firing, rather than before.
        • Scrap Launcher
          • Now behaves like a rocket instead of a grenade
          • Lifetime: 3s ⇒ 4s
          • Explosion Radius: 5m ⇒ 7m
          • Velocity: 70 m/s ⇒ 100 m/s
        • Nail Gun
          • No longer has an initial shotgun of 6 nails.
          • Now has a final shotgun of 12 nails.
          • Now fires in a consistent corkscrew pattern
          • Proc Coefficient: 0.4 ⇒ 0.6
          • Damage: 60% ⇒ 70%
          • Wind-down duration: 0s ⇒ 1.152s
        • Retool
          • Swap duration: 0.7s ⇒ 0.4s
        • Transport Mode
          • Cooldown: 8s ⇒ 6s
      • Mercenary
        Developer Notes: The Mercenary was always supposed to be the highest skill-cap survivor. However, in actual gameplay he became very flow-charty, using abilities directly off cooldown while holding down M1. The intent for all these changes is to allow skill expression, dynamic cooldowns, and higher risk vs reward in fight with the new 'Exposed' debuff. The hope is that the character will be stronger for advanced players, but weaker for new players.

        • Base Health: 140 (+42 per level) ⇒ 110 (+33 per level)
        • Base Regeneration: 2.5 health / second ⇒ 1 health / second
        • NEW Debuff: Exposed
          • Striking an Exposed target reduces all cooldowns by 1 second and deals an additional +350% base damage
        • Laser Sword
          • Third Strike Damage: 300% ⇒ 130%
          • Third hit now applies 'Exposed' debuff
          • The second and third hit of the combo can no longer be started in the middle of other attacks
        • Whirlwind
          • Ground Speed Multiplier: 6 ⇒ 8
        • Blinding Assault
          • Cooldown: 7s ⇒ 8s
          • Can now be canceled mid-attack by both Whirlwind and Rising Thunder
        • Slicing Winds
          • Last hit now applies 'Exposed' debuff
      • Acrid
        Developer Notes: Acrid has always been a melee-ranged hybrid. We want greater rewards for engaging in melee and completing your M1 combo for players who enjoy a more aggressive playstyle.

        • NEW Buff: Regenerate
          • Regenerate for 10% health over 0.5 seconds.
        • Vicious Wounds
          • Third hit of the combo now grants 'Regenerate' buff
        • Ravenous Bite
          • Now grants 'Regenerate' buff
        • Frenzied Leap
          • 🌧Now (properly) stuns
      • Artificer
        Developer Notes: We want to enforce the Artificer's role as a high-damage, high AoE character. Nano-Bomb in general was core to the fantasy, but was pretty much inferior to Nano-Spear in every way.

        • Plasma Bolt
          • Blast Radius: 4m ⇒ 6m
        • Charged Nano-Bomb
          • Now has slight gravity
          • Blast Radius: 10m ⇒ 14m
          • Blast Damage, Max Charge: 1200% ⇒ 2000%
          • Blast Force: 1300 ⇒ 3000
          • Lifetime: 5s ⇒ 10s
          • Improved FX for clarity
        • Ion Surge
          • No longer has -75% damage falloff at the edge of the blast

 

  • Items
      • Monster Tooth
        • Healing: 8 (+8 per stack) ⇒ 8
        • 🌧Now also heals for 2% (+2% per stack) of maximum health
      • Medkit
        • Healing: 24 (+24 per stack) ⇒ 20
        • 🌧Now also heals for 5% (+5% per stack) of maximum health
      • Repulsion Armor Plate
        • Now properly reduces damage from environmental effects
      • Warbanner
        • 🌧 Now also places a Warbanner when activating the Teleporter
        • Improve VFX to be less opaque, since it will always be near the Teleporter
      • Death Mark
        • Debuff Duration: 7s ⇒ 7s (+7s per stack)
        • 🌧Remove text stating that the damage bonus scaled with stacks
      • Old Guillotine
        • Execute Threshold: ~20% (+20% per stack) ⇒ 13% (+13% per stack)
          Developer Notes: Since we've re-tuned the health of elites across the board, the Guillotine should be appropriately re-tuned as well.
      • Runald's/Kjaro's Band
        Developer Notes: The two rings have undergone a bit of a rework, working off of an internal cooldown rather than a chance on-hit. We're hoping that this can help diversify one of our "on-hit" items to be more than just attacking enemies and hoping things activate. We've also changed the behavior of Kjaro's to be more of the AoE option, while Runald's is the single target option.

        • Proc Chance: 8% ⇒ 100%
        • Now has an internal cooldown of 10 seconds
        • Now has a minimum threshold of only triggering on attacks that deal 400% or greater damage
        • Runald's Band
          • Ice Blast Damage: 250% (+125% per stack) ⇒ 250% (+250% per stack)
          • Ice Debuff Duration: 3s ⇒ 3s (+3s per stack)
        • Kjaro's Band
          • Fire Tornado Damage: 500% (+250% per stack) ⇒ 300% (+300% per stack)
          • Fire Tornado Hitbox Width: 4.8m ⇒ 13m
          • No longer moves
      • H3AD-5T v2
        • Reworked logic for calculating fall speed so it scales better while falling farther. Now has the following behavior:
          • Damage Coefficient: 1000% – 10,000% at maximum speed
          • Explosion Radius: 5m – 100m at maximum speed
          • Improved FX
      • Interstellar Desk Plant
        • Healing Radius: 3m (+1.5m per stack) ⇒ 5m (+5m per stack)
        • Healing: 5% max health every 1 second ⇒ 5% max health every 0.5 second
      • Milky Chrysalis
        • Now grants true flight and antigravity instead of jump-to-hover.
        • Pressing jump now performs a short dash in the direction of movement with a 0.5s cooldown.
      • Strides of Heresy
        • No longer puts you in combat
      • Helfire Tincture
        • Helfire Radius: 10m ⇒ 15m
        • Helfire Duration: 8s ⇒ 12s
        • Improve VFX and SFX
      • Effigy of Grief
        • Now placed at where you're aiming, rather than at your feet
        • No longer is consumed on use.
        • Now limited to 5 per map per character.
      • Little Disciple
        • Fire Rate: 0.5s ⇒ 1.6s
        • Damage Coefficient: 100% (+100% per stack) ⇒ 300% (+300% per stack)
        • 🌧Fire Rate now scales with movement speed

 

  • Stages
      • 3D Printers will appear more often on all stages, ~50% more
      • 3D Printers will cost less to spawn on all stages, ~50% less
      • The new interactable, the Scrapper, can now appear on all stages
      • Titanic Plains
        • 🌧 Update with new visuals to make it depressing
      • Sky Meadow
        • Update with new visuals and functionality that leads to the final stage
      • Bazaar Between Time
        • Base Portal Chance: 25% for the first portal ⇒ 37.5% for the first portal
        • Lunar Buds: 4 ⇒ 5

 

  • Monsters & Bosses
    • Mini Mushrum
      • 🌧 Base Health: 360 (+108 per level) ⇒ 290 (+87 per level)
    • Parent
      • 🌧 Base Health: 1200 (+360 per level) ⇒ 900 (+270 per level)
    • Lesser Wisp
      • Now properly stops charging attack sound when interrupted
    • Imp Overlord
      • 🌧Maximum Blink Distance: 600m ⇒ 300m
      • Now throws Void Spikes in a staggered fashion, rather than all at once
    • Magma Worm
      • 🌧Maximum "Blink" Distance: 600m ⇒ 300m
      • Now considerably more aggressive and better able to hit targets
        Developer Notes: The blink behavior of both the Imp Overlord and the Magma Worm allows it to follow players between platforms, but it leads a lot of the times to the bosses blinking across the map to attack drones and turrets. While they may still do that, it'll be a bit less pronounced.
    • Void Reaver
      • Now attempts to lead its Void Bombs in a straight line against its target
      • Updated AI to fire more aggressively and backpedal when its target is too close
      • AI now has 360° vision
    • Bison
      • 🌧 Add spawn effect and animation (finally!)

Quality of Life

  • 🌧 Added a language dropdown menu to the Main Menu
  • Audio has received an overall mix pass
  • Reduced the audio levels of the Magma Worm, Imp Overlord, and Clay Dunestrider
  • Updated the Teleporter model
  • Updated the Ukulele model
  • Improved Infusion VFX to be more noticeable
  • Reduced brightness of some Mercenary effects to they are less white and have more color
  • Fixed dithering for several on-character item displays
  • Updated the kick system to be able to supply detailed messages and enforce version matching when connecting to a server
  • Added functionality for servers and lobbies to provide mod info and reject players for mismatches
  • Servers can now define behavior to run upon entering character select by supplying a "server_pregame.cfg" config file
  • Updated "MUL-T: Gotcha!" challenge to allow Preon tendrils to count toward completion
  • A bunch of other stuff we probably forgot!

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue with spread from bloom being applied to both minimum and maximum spread (ie you could never have a bullet travel dead-center when your spread bloom is at maximum) for Commando's Phase Blast, Huntress' Ballista, and MUL-T's Rebar Puncher
  • Fixed potential physics crash that could occur if a character attempts to use a melee attack after crossfading into a new animation from a paused animation
  • Fixed immobilization from Void Reavers and REX's Tangling Growth becoming permanent if using Wax Quail while affected, which would also sometimes lead to a crash upon getting killed
  • Fixed Repulsion Armor Plate not applying against posthumously dealt damage
  • Fixed Visions of Heresy allowing Huntress' Ballista to exceed three shots
  • All gameplay stats are now forced to update before generating the final run report to make sure all values are up-to-date at the end screen
  • Fixed MUL-T's Nailgun not properly animating over the network
  • Fixed some projectiles not playing their pre-expiration sounds over the network
  • Fixed several sounds not being played over the network
  • Fixed a timing issue in which lobby player count would not update immediately after a player leaves the lobby
  • Fixed a variety of other bugs we also probably forgot!

Source: Steam

Banner of the Maid Review

A turn-based strategy game about the French Revolution developed by a Chinese video game studio might seem like a wild combo on paper, but then we've seen a game come out this year that's steeped in authentic Japanese samurai culture developed by a studio in Bellevue, Washington. It's obvious that the geographical location of a game company doesn't automatically dictate the kinds of stories they can or can't successfully tell. Indeed, it's obvious from my time with Banner of the Maid that Azure Flame Studio has the utmost respect and for detail when it comes to the content they cover in this alternate version of the French Revolution. For as passionate as the team is about the subject matter of the game, though, many elements of the overall package still end up floundering.

Set in the 1790s, Banner of the Maid proposes an alternative version of the very real French Revolution with some very not-real elements mixed in. Your protagonist, for example, is Pauline, the real-life sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, but in this game she's the rising star of the French army and leads its armies into battle while mingling with political powerhouses to turn the war around and grow stronger. Even though it takes plenty of liberties with the events of the actual French Revolution, Banner of the Maid still expects you to be at least vaguely familiar with the important parties and people involved in the war. A lack of knowledge of the original events will likely lead to a few story scenes flying over your head.

What's even more likely to make you lose the plot, though, is the awkward and stiff English translation. Half of the sentences in the story contain some kind of grammar error or awkwardly unfitting turn of phrase, like King Louis XVI starting his sentences with "Anyway…uh…." The other half of the dialogue in the game simply lacks the natural flow of human conversation. Characters spout contextless replies to nonexistent questions or mix old-timey speech patterns with modern English. The narrative is already dense, but with these poorly written scenes my eyes often glazed over as I tried to follow what was going on. It's a shame because there are some interesting characters in the game. Pauline's character arc of a nervous yet naturally talented army general is so intriguing, but it's ruined by the headache-inducing localisation.

As much as the writing in the game may have suffered in the localisation process, the art of Banner of the Maid helps add some much needed style to the overall package. Every character illustration in the game is jam-packed with detail and sharp rendering my favourite part being just how varied these character portraits are. You have a few sparkling anime boys in there, coming alongside some stylised yet realistic renderings of major historical figures like Napoleon. Most of the character art in the game, though, is of leading ladies with sharp, varied designs. OK, so many of them do end up having their breasts practically spilling out of their clothes, which might be a distraction or turn-off for some. Still, as much as I didn't expect Marie Antoinette to be one inch away from a wardrobe malfunction at all times, the way she and the rest of the cast are illustrated is gorgeous.

When you aren't scrambling through hard-to-follow story scenes, you'll be tossed into grid-based tactical battles pitting your ragtag group against daunting enemy armies. Like other tactical RPGs, Banner of the Maid employs a rock-paper-scissors style class system that you'll need to be aware of at all times if you want to be victorious. Heavy Infantry beats Light Infantry, Light Infantry beats Light Cavalry, Light Cavalry beats Heavy Cavalry, and Heavy Cavalry beats Heavy Infantry. There are three different difficulty options in the game, but even on the standard difficulty, you can be wiped out quickly if you aren't staying aware of incoming attacks and potential retaliations. You can recover from or prevent nasty enemy attacks with the healing abilities of Drummers or the long-distance attacks of the Artillery, though.

The basic tactical combat is satisfying, but the experience is often hampered by the frustrating mission design of the game. So many encounters will have you ambushed by unexpected reinforcements that are a pain to overcome, while other missions present hyper-specific defeat conditions that are often more of a headache to overcome than a satisfying challenge.

The character growth and customization systems included in the game are similarly flawed. Units can upgrade or change classes once they eventually reach level 15, but only have one option for a potential class change. You can also equip new weapons, items, and accessories on your characters, but good luck finding any worth investing in. To unlock worthwhile items, you'll need to raise your favour with the various factions in the game by doing missions for them, slowly expanding the wares available in each of the faction-specific stores in the game. It can be close to eight hours before you're even able to replace your default starting weapons, making the grind for new equipment tedious and mind-numbing.

Xbox Series X release confirmed for November 2020, despite Halo Infinite delay

Aaron Greenberg, GM Xbox Games Marketing at Microsoft has stated that the Xbox Series X will be released in November, narrowing the release window from "Holiday 2020" to a specific month. The console will, however, release without Halo Infinite alongside it, the game having been delayed to 2021.

This probably isn't quite the fashion in which Microsoft's Phil Spencer had hoped to drop the news, though it does hold true to his statement in an interview with iJustine he said "I am encouraged to be able to talk more about our plans… Should be August. I think August we'll have more to say."

This also follows on from the leak of the Xbox Series S, by the updated Xbox controller, which found its way into the hands of the public this week. The Xbox Series S is expected to be a lower powered version of the Xbox Series X, keeping many of the same attributes, such as the ultra-fast SSD storage and Zen 2 CPU, but compromising on the GPU side of things. Where the Xbox Series X is expected to deliver a native 4K resolution, higher frame rates and ray tracing, the cut back "Lockheart" could sacrifice these to reach a lower price point for those buyers without a 4K TV or without as exacting demands from their games graphics, while retaining the minimal loading times and enhanced game worlds that the CPU could provide.

Though the release month has now been confirmed, the exact date has not, nor has the price. Microsoft and Sony are essentially playing chicken over who is going to go first and reveal the price of their console. Whoever it is will be at a disadvantage, both firms will have a number of prices in mind, from a low price that means they make a loss on each console, or a higher price where they break even, once one of them has revealed their price the other can juggle their numbers and see if they can make their product look more attractive.

The problem, of course, is that there's no Halo Infinite on day one, meaning that Microsoft have lost one of their biggest and most appealing game franchises from launch.

Feels like August is going to be a looooooong month for the team in green…

Source: Twitter

Halo Infinite delayed to 2021

Halo Infinite has been delayed from launching alongside the Xbox Series X in November to some time in 2021, with 343 Industries citing the difficulties of development in the Covid-19 affected world and a desire to meet the expectations of fans.

This will be a huge blow to Microsoft's ambitions for the Xbox Series X launch in November this year, and the addition of xCloud game streaming to Game Pass Ultimate, removing a marquee game franchise from the

Chris Lee, Studio Head at 343 Industries writes:

Today I want to share an important Halo Infinite development update with the community. We have made the difficult decision to shift our release to 2021 to ensure the team has adequate time to deliver a Halo game experience that meets out vision.

The devision to shift our release is the result of multiple factors that have contributed to development challenges, including the ongoing COVD_related impacts affecting us all this year. I want to acknowledge the hard work from our team at 343 Industries, who have remained committed to making a great game and finding solutions to development challenges. However, it is not sustainable for the well-being of our team or the overall success of the game to ship it this holiday.

We know this will be disappointing to many of you and we all share in that sentiment. The passion and support the community has shown of the years has been incredible and inspiring. We wanted nothing more than to play our game with the community this holiday. The extra time will let us finish the critical work necessary to deliver the most ambitious Halo game ever at the quality we know our fans expect.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

Halo Infinite was the big game from the Xbox Series X games showcase in July, but drew widespread criticism for the visuals on show during the gameplay reveal. Instead of wowing fans with dramatically next-gen graphics, the lighting from the day-night cycle left the game looking flat and uninspiring.

With criticism ringing in 343 industries' ears, the studio fessed up to the fact that ray tracing would not be available with the game at the intended 2020 release date – this may obviously change with the release pushed back to next year – and that the game was running on a PC with an older build.

Even so, the game looks and sounds ambitious with an open or semi-open world design and 343 Industries talking about how the game will be a platform for the future, with new stories from the Halo universe told within Halo Infinite instead of new games.

It also snuck out that Halo Infinite's multiplayer will be going free to play.

Halo Infinite will be out for Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC in 2021.

Hyper Scape now available on consoles, get the Season One details here

Ubisoft has released its take on the battle royale genre Hyper Scape on PS4 and Xbox One, having released the game earlier on PC. Along with the console release Ubisoft has confirmed the first details of Hyper Scape Season One which has been named The First Principle. Before we get into all the nitty gritty details you can grab Hyper Scape from the download links below.

Hyper Scape Season One introduces cross progression so it does not matter which platform you play everything you unlock will carry over. While cross play is not yet available in Hyper Scape, Ubisoft has confirmed and it will be optional. Hyper Scape season one also adds a new weapon and that is the Dragonfly. The weapon is described as a silenced, semi-automatic precision rifle, and that means the number of weapons has gone up to 11. The Magnet hack has also been added which traps enemies if they get near it. A player reporting tool will allow players to report others in their own squad if they are cheating or breaking other rules of Hyper Scape.

Season one of Hyper Scape brings with it 100 tier battle pass with both free and premium content available, with all that being cosmetic only. A shop is also being added so players can buy cosmetics from there, including items that were in the original beta. New memory shards will appear in matches to which will give more insight in to the lore of Hyper Scape. When it comes to the streaming side of things Twitch streamers will be able to vote on nine different event cards that can change the environment of a match, while the newly introduced Kudos system that will trigger different visuals such as a thumbs up. Finally, Streamers will be able to anonymise their names so other players don't know who they are.

Source: Ubisoft

Apex Legends animated trailer reveals more of new character Rampart's backstory

With the launch of Apex Legends Season 6 – Boosted next week on 18th August, players will have a new Legend to choose and play as: Ramya Parekh, AKA Rampart. Described as a 21-year-old British-Indian and private business owner, she steps into the arena with a heavy-mounted turret.

The latest trailer for the game, gives us a bit more of a look at Rampart, setting up some of her backstory and teasing some characters that might filter into Apex Legends over the coming months.

Season 6 – Boosted brings a new crafting mechanic to the arena, with the ability to collect materials and build something better if they're not so happy with their current gear.

There's also a new energy SMG, the Volt, a battle pass, legendary skins and holo-sprays and Ranked Series 5.

Source: Twitter

Solaris Offworld Combat could be the Quake of virtual reality

Like many gamers, the first time I put on a virtual reality headset, my first thought was "Wow, this would be great for shooters!" It's no coincidence that several years after the emergence of VR platforms, the FPS has been a reliable staple though developers have approached the genre in a number of interesting ways, First Contact Entertainment being one such team, gearing up for the summer launch of Solaris Offworld Combat.

Their first major release, Firewall: Zero Hour, took the tense, tactical skirmishes seen in games like Counter-Strike and Rainbow Six: Siege, adapting them for virtual reality. Now, in 2020, they're looking to revive the frenetic arena shooter of yesteryear using the power of VR.

In Solaris Offworld Combat, you won't be playing as an elite military operative. Set in the far flung future you don the helm of an Athlon, a virtual avatar locked in gladiatorial battles – a new form of entertainment for ravenous esports fans.

Speaking with Game Director, Damoun Shabestari, he explained the inspiration behind the premise of Solaris Offworld Combat:

"Our team is into a variety of eSports as well as physical sports. From fighting games to competitive Overwatch and Call of Duty leagues. When we discussed what the world would be playing in the future, we landed in this meta inception of a virtual space where you partake in a competitive and physical battle with your team in these arenas."

From that initial trailer and its handful of accompanying screenshots, you can sense a certain arena shooter vibe mimicking classics of the genre such as Quake and Unreal Tournament. However, Shabestari noted the gravitational shift towards hero-based shooters like Overwatch, Valorant, Paladins, and Rogue Company. Even Call of Duty continues to dabble, as seen in Black Ops III and Black Ops 4.

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

Needless to say, Solaris will follow suit. Much like Firewall, First Contact has a content roadmap already planned out, ensuring there's a steady stream of updates and events following the game's launch later this month.

Part of what made Firewall such a huge hit among PlayStation VR fans was how the game moves. Stacking up, peeking around corners, and making gestures to squadmates helped ramp up the immersion though the pacing in Solaris is far more frenzied. Juggling player comfort within this quicker pace and not breaking immersion will be a challenge.

"Movement is definitely something we take seriously  so that players can enjoy game sessions without discomfort," Shabestari told us. "There is a lot that is taken into consideration when it comes to how we treat player locomotion. The type of gameplay is a huge part of how we start player movement; additionally we factor in the title's art style, lighting, animation sets, and audio. Solaris is quick and energetic where players need to take advantage of flanks and teleporter routes to take and hold the Control Point."

While we're excited to see Solaris touch down later in August, some way be concerned that First Contact are peeling away from Firewall: Zero Hour. However Shabestar confirmed to us that a separate team will continue working on that game.

Solaris Offworld Combat will launch on Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift on August 27th. A PlayStation VR version is also in the pipeline though we don't have a confirmed release date. In addition, when asked about a potential PS5 release, to which First Contact made no comment.

The Last of Us Part 2 Grounded DLC update coming this week

Naughty Dog has announced a free new update for The Last of Us: Part II, adding a slew of options and features to their latest PlayStation epic.

Without even sifting through the list below, fans of the series will already have a good idea of what this new Grounded update entails. Following the original game's launch in 2013, Grounded was released as a DLC pack for The Last of Us, adding a brutal new difficulty setting.

Well, that's exactly what you'll be getting when the free patch drops on Thursday, August 13th. It will weigh in at just under 600MB, bringing The Last of Us: Part II to version 1.05.

The headline feature here is the new Grounded difficulty which strips away the game's listen mode feature, minimises the HUD, and peels back other elements such as stealth indicators. For those wanting to play The Last of Us: Part II again, there's an option for Grounded+.

Naughty Dog will also be adding a Permadeath mode, too. Die once and you'll be sent back to the main menu with a screen showing just how long/far you managed to get. There are two bonus trophies being added to the exiting list for completing TLOU2 in both new modes. Don't worry, you won't need these for the platinum!

For those wanting to wring some fun extras from The Last of Us: Part II, there is now a wide selection of render modes which alter the game's visuals. These can range from warm and sepia tones to the more stylised Noir-like 1960 render mode, cell-shading, or murky afterlife mode. Many of these featured in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

Rounding out this update is a spread of gameplay modifiers. Again, similar to Uncharted 4, they add different ways to play with slow motion and bullet speed mode (time slows when aiming), as well as more conventional cheats like infinite ammo, health, and melee weapon durability.

Source: Press Release

The Last of Us Part II Guides from TheSixthAxis

Final Fantasy XIV Patch 5.3 makes major story and free trial changes

Square Enix have gone live with their latest game update for Final Fantasy XIV. The eagerly awaited Patch 5.3 – dubbed "Reflections in Crystal" – makes a number of significant changes to the Final Fantasy MMO, as outlined below.

Patch 5.3 is now available to download for both PC and PlayStation 4 (versions of the game. Naturally, you will need to install this new update if you want to sign back into Final Fantasy XIV.

For regular FFXIV players, Reflections in Crystal adds a large dollop of fresh end game content to slurp up. This includes new main scenario quests which finally bring the Shadowbringers story arc to a close. Then we have the second chunk of NieR content from guest creators Yosuke Saito and Yoko Taro, the Chronicles of a New Era quests which form YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse.

There are new side story quests, dwarf quests, and plenty more – all of which can be found in the extensive Patch 5.3 Reflections in Crystal breakdown posted on the official Final Fantasy XIV portal.

Square Enix are forever keen to get even more players involved with their smash hit MMO. With Patch 5.3 they definitely seem to be going the right way.

Firstly, they've extended the free trial level cap on all classes and jobs to level 60. Other previous restrictions have also been lifted, allowing free trial players to select the Au Ra race, as well as the Machinist, Astrologian, and Dark Knight classes.

In terms of content, you can now play from the beginning right through Final Fantasy XIV's first expansion, Heavensward, and all the way up to Patch 3.56. That's potentially hundreds of hours of content without paying a penny. Square Enix are no doubt hoping a number of players will want to continue their journey, buying further expansions and game time.

The one part of this update we're glad to see is the streamlining of content between Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (the base game) and Heavensward. Infamously, players would need to complete dozens of tedious main story quests in order to progress to the expansion, most of them forcing you to travel from one area and talk to NPC before returning to the quest giver. This has now been changed, funnelling players into Heavensward more smoothly. Hurrah!

Source: Final Fantasy XIV

Popup Dungeon Review

I'm about halfway through the second level of Popup Dungeon's roguelike Tower mode when the incorporeal wizard that runs the place decides he needs to chew out his wise-cracking vampire bat employee. He suggests my party break for lunch – considerate of him – and we find ourselves transported from a grimy dungeon to a welcomingly-lit seafood buffet. My new mission, as it goes, is to scoff as many free cheese biscuits as possible before the waitress gets wise and I'm forced to actually pay for something.

Popup Dungeon has been in development for six years, and some of the humour feels appropriately dated. Gags about trolling, emojis, and dank memes feel exhumed from a digital crypt and given a light dusting off before being shoved into the final game. The whole thing still comes together well – the biscuit quest totally worked for me – as a knowing love for creaky tabletop tropes shines through. I'm clicking through story tiles to make decisions, and the game occasionally prompts me to roll a physical D20 to pass a skill check, whether it's to hide biscuits, distract the waitress, or various other daring acts of roguery. Altogether, It's a breezy, visually neat choose your own adventure system.

The general idea here is that players can easily create their own dungeon romps from images, sound and text. It's not only these story sections that you can modify, but the combat too. You can tweak or create monsters, characters, spells, and equipment. It's fortunate that the game offers so much room for modification because as it stands, the bulk of what you'll actually be playing through in Popup Dungeon feels like a placeholder. The simplified tile-based tactical action prioritises style and variety in place of tactics or tension.

Combat is resolved on grid-based dungeons, using a system of initiative and action points. Those action points can be spent on either movement or character abilities. Abilities are represented as cards, but there's no real deck-building elements here. Direct damage, healing, buffs, debuffs, and status effects all operate on a turn timer, and the more powerful abilities have cooldown.

It's a diverse system that doesn't skimp on synergy, but it never feels particularly exciting either. The animation is great, and leans into the papercraft stylings with small details, like the way slain creatures go up in flames like a scorched Rizla. The game enjoys its own animation a bit too much, though, which slows things down considerably. This, and trading turn-based blows here feels almost entirely devoid of consequence. You win, you move on to the next slow, simple fight. You lose, you do the same slow, simple fight again. It's just all a bit, well, papery. As in frictionless and weightless.

The character selection really is something, though. You can have up to five characters in a party (it recommends three and difficulty scales accordingly) and there's currently a few dozen in the game, plus dozens more on the Steam Workshop. I downloaded a character called the '30 year old boomer' and shredded goblins with a lawnmower. Good times were had. And again, once that meme has died in about fourteen seconds time, the game is easily set up to let players make others. I assume this is less a case of Popup Dungeon trying to be hilarious, and more showing players the sort of things that are available to create and download. The deliberately immersion-breaking roster does its job here.

As far as the breadth of content goes, I can't fault it. There's a roguelite tower mode, some self-admitted endless grind modes, and some pre-written stories (which are genuinely enjoyable). There's already a bunch of extra stuff on the Steam Workshop, including homages to Pokemon Blue and Red, of which I've taken screenshots in the hope of preserving them after the 48 hours it takes Nintendo to have them wiped from the surface of Valve's servers. Alongside these are the actual creation tools, which are legible, well-designed menus with various tweakable parameters. I couldn't find any tutorials in-game, but there are some great ones on the developer's YouTube channel. All in, there's a lot here.

I'm going to score this one more or less down the middle, and this is more a signifier of what I see as a game that could go either way, rather than a game of average quality. Popup Dungeon absolutely stands out, if only for its ambition, and if it attracts a dedicated, creative community, then the tools are here for some really nifty stuff to emerge. This is a problem in itself, of course. I've personally criticised Media Molecule's Dreams for its reliance on the free time of players to add to its own value, so it would be unfair of me not to do the same here. I don't feel it should be on a community of players to make a game a worthwhile buy for its audience, or profitable for its creators. I'd love to see some more dedicated developer content, because whoever's doing the art and writing on that team has come up with some really endearing and sometimes genuinely funny writing. It's not a bad game, by any means, but it's currently a pile of bones waiting for a few dozen talented necromancers to really make the most of it.

I'll add a 'but' here, because I'm a jaded tactics veteran, and your kids or young siblings probably aren't. Though I don't think the combat holds much for someone that plays a lot of tactics games, it's simple and attractive enough that it could well really resonate with a younger audience. So, if you're thinking of buying Popup Dungeon with a prospective mini-dungeon master, game designer or storyteller in mind, I'd say there's some real fun to be had here.

Disclaimer: One of the voice actors for the game was TSA writer Miguel Moran. Please rest assured this has not influenced the review process for Popup Dungeon.

Update: Due to a communication error, the review was originally posted as a 5/10 instead of the 6/10 score agreed with our reviewer.

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

The second Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire aired, giving us another look at how the game is coming together in the final months before release. It's allowed CD Projekt Red to delve into three areas of the game: the Lifepaths, weaponry, and the music of the in-game chrome rock band SAMURAI.

Let's start with the LIfepaths. Originally planned to be a sprawling freeform system, the game has narrowed its focus to give you three Lifepath options for V, choosing a different backstory for your character in the game. This can be a Corpo, a Nomad or a Street Kid, with each of these giving you a different introduction to Night City and influencing how the world and its inhabitants react to V through the game.

Next up are the weapons, in the Tools of Destruction video. CD Projekt Red are still working to refine the melee combat in the game, but the weaponry on offer gives plenty of options for players to make use of, with all manner of futuristic guns, melee and cyberware weaponry to use.

And then there's SAMURAI, the in-game chrome rock band. For this, CD Projekt Red have had Swedish hardcore punk band Refused channel their inner cyberpunk personas, with a behind the scenes set of interviews to see how they've tried to fit into the game world.

If you want to watch the whole stream, then that's here:

You can watch some gameplay from the first Night City Wire here. Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on 19th november, with day one support and free upgrades for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 (though meaningful enhancements will come at a later date).

Cyberpunk 2077 has gone through a string of late delays in its development process. It was first pinned down for March 2020 at last year's E3, before CD Projekt Red announced that they were delaying the multiplayer side of the game a few months later. At the turn of 2020, the hype for the game was picking up, but in mid-January, they dropped the bombshell that they would delay the game until September so that they could polish and refine it further. That was then pushed back further to November.

The delays naturally had fans and pundits speculating about next-gen versions of the game, and CD Projekt Red initially confirmed Cyberpunk 2077 as the first third party game to confirmed for the Xbox Smart Delivery scheme. This month, that was expanded to also include free upgrade from PS4 to PS5.

Cyberpunk 2077 will release on 19th November for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with Google Stadia coming later in the year.

Source: Night City Wire

Unboxing the Limited Run VA-11 HALL-A Collector's Edition for Switch

I am absolutely obsessed with VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action. I'm sure I gushed enough about the sleek indie visual novel when I reviewed the Nintendo Switch port last year, but allow me to gush a bit further. Sukeban Games' debut title is flooded with style and unique charm, mixing together the all-too-familiar pastiche of cyberpunk and flashy anime girls with the all-too-personal stories of dystopian life in Venezuela, the country VA-11 Hall-A was developed in. Telling these personal stories through the lens of a fictionalized cyberpunk utopia creates one of the most unique visual novel experiences I've ever played.

I jump at the opportunity to get my hands on VA-11 Hall-A merchandise, so I was over the moon to get my hands on this Collector's Edition run of the Nintendo Switch version of the game from Limited Run Games.

Right out of the gate. this collector's edition blew me away with how gorgeous the box itself is. Front to back, it's adorned with sharp new artwork of bartending protagonist Julianne Stingray. The front flap on the box snaps open to reveal a double-panel illustration of the main cast. As a cute bonus, if you get your hands on both this and the collector's edition run of 2064: Random Access Memories from Limited Run Games, the two boxes and gatefold illustrations can be displayed next to each other as a seamless, crossover art piece.

There's plenty of great stuff inside the box as well. As soon as you open up the collector's edition of VA-11 Hall-A, you're greeted by an adorable enamel magnet depicting everyone's favorite android sex worker Dorothy Haze. I expected this to be an enamel pin, so I was surprised to find out that it was actually a magnet instead. Honestly, I have a massive bag of pins and nowhere to even put them, but I rarely get magnets and have plenty of space on my fridge, so this enamel mini-Dorothy was a nice surprise.

As is standard for just about every collector's edition under the sun, this special production of VA-11 Hall-A also includes a soundtrack CD. This game is packed with some of the most wonderful atmospheric music I've ever heard in a game, and it would be a crime not to include any of it in a collector's edition of the game. There's plenty of music in VA-11 Hall-A, and this collector's edition CD gives you 19 of the most iconic tracks from the game. I'm in love with the cover art for the CD jacket, which was also used as the jacket art on the vinyl run of the game soundtrack.

But wait, there's more! Packed into this Limited Run Games production of VA-11 Hall-A is also a gorgeous, double-sided poster with two different illustrations of Julianne Stingray to adorn your walls with. This isn't some tiny ant-sized poster, either. Clocking in at 18″ by 24″, it's a massive thing that would look jaw-droppingly beautiful in a proper frame. The blue artwork adorning the front side of the poster is actually the cover art of the Japanese edition of VA-11 Hall-A on Nintendo Switch, which came out last year.

For me, the most exciting thing in this box has got to be the official artbook of VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action. This was originally printed as a pre-order bonus for the aforementioned Japanese physical run of the game, and I've been dying to get my hands on an English version for ages. The reason for that is because, well, this isn't exactly a typical art book. You won't find pages of in-game illustrations or design sketches. Instead, half of the book is made up of really intriguing stuff like brand new character bios and interviews with the developers that shed some interesting new light on the world of the game. There's plenty of cute art in it, too, but for fans of the game, these new bits of translated writing are a massive treat.

It all comes together with a standard physical copy of the game. The standard cover art is brand new, as is the adorable special reverse cover illustration. It's obvious just how much love was put into this collector's edition release by Limited Run Games, and as a big fan of the game, it's incredibly appreciated. Limited Run Games could have simply cobbled together the things they produced for its PlayStation Vita collector's edition and called it a day, but instead, the company went out of its way to produce a swath of beautiful new artwork and collectables that any fan would be a fool not to get their hands on.

Twitch Prime is now Amazon Prime Gaming

Amazon have officially re-branded Twitch Prime as Prime Gaming. At its core, the service remains unchanged and those who subscribe to Prime Gaming will still continue to get the same bonus content and perks.

Instead, this rename brings Twitch more in line with Amazon's other Prime services. Aside from getting free faster shipping on purchased products, Amazon Prime has expanded over the years to include a Netflix-like streaming platform (Amazon Video), Prime Reading, Prime Music, and various other benefits.

Amazon acquired Twitch in 2014. Those with Amazon Prime have been able to link to their Twitch account for Twitch Prime bonuses which include free content for popular games as well as a growing library of free titles.

Here's the official announcement:

With today's launch of Prime Gaming, Amazon Prime members can now enjoy tons of free, exclusive content for their favorite games every month. Prime members can claim new in-game content for Grand Theft Auto Online, Red Dead Online, Apex Legends, EA SPORTS FIFA 20, League of Legends, and more than 20 other popular PC, console, and mobile games, worth hundreds of dollars in value. Plus, they can claim a collection of PC games for free every month that are theirs to keep forever. This month's more than 20 Free Games with Prime include SNK arcade classics SNK 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION, METAL SLUG 2, and indie retro brawler Treachery in Beatdown City. Prime Gaming's selection of in-game content and free PC games is always growing and rotating to stay fresh, with new items and free games added every month.

While this move certainly helps in bushing the Prime brand, Amazon have struggled when it comes to launching their own video games. Despite showing promise, Crucible (from Relentless Studios) fizzled out almost immediately. The hero shooter saw its playerbase shrink rapidly, forcing the devs to remove game modes before hauling Crucible back into beta.

Source: Press Release

The Fall Guys servers are back online after maintenance [Updated]

Update 11:30AM: Maintenance is now complete, and the matchmaking servers should now be back online.

The original post follows:

Medaitonic's Fall Guys is offline again for a "short period of planned maintenance". How long that short period lasts for remains to be seen, the last time they did some quick maintenance the game was offline for the best part of a day.

We will keep an eye on things and let you know when it's back online.

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.

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

This led to an entire day being effectively wiped out on Friday, as they attempted to shore up the servers and add capacity, only to have the servers overwhelmed every time they tried to turn them back on. Thankfully, they were able to put all the fixes in place, add capacity, and by Saturday morning, the game seemed to be running smoothly through the rest of the weekend.

We posted our Fall Guys review last week, saying:

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

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

Fall Guys guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 delay pushes release to 2021

Paradox Interactive and developer Hardsuit Labs have confirmed that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been delayed to 2021.

Originally the surprise sequel was meant to release in 2020 but the release date has now been pushed back due to the ambition and scope of the project.

Bloodlines 2 would have launched on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, with Paradox having recently announced a next-gen version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Andy Kipling (Hardsuit Labs) and Jakob Munthe (Paradox Interactive) made the following statement regarding Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2:

We are moving the launch of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 to 20201.

Our goal has always been to deliver the best game possible, to immerse you into a Seattle re-imagined in the World of Darkness, and deliver a worthy successor to the original Bloodlines game. Due to the quality bar and ambitions we have set for ourselves, we have made the difficulty decision that we need more time. This means that our goal to release in 2020 is no longer possible. Moving launch is one of the changes we are making to ensure the best player experience possible.

This is not a decision taken lightly nor is it the first option we considered. We will share more information in the coming months on launch timing and other organizational changes that will help us achieve this goal.

We understand that this will be a disappointment to many of you, but we also appreciate how our ambition is echoed through many parts of the community. We hope you understand that, while difficulty, this is the right call.

We thank you all for your patience while we continue to build Bloodlines 2.

The original Bloodlines has somewhat of a cult following. Based on the Vampire: The Masquerade pen and paper roleplaying game, this Activision-published adaptation saw players transform from a human into a Vampire, exploring the hidden underworld of early 00s Los Angeles.

Train Sim World 2 Preview – Taking the ICE and going on the Underground

In the average child's ranking of amazing things they want to be when they grow up, train driver is right up there with astronauts, pilot firemen and dinosaurs. There's something about locomotives that can so easily captive a child's mind, but it's a love that can go well into adulthood. It's really no wonder that sim games have such a large audience around the world.

Train Sim World 2 looks to build on the foundations of the regularly updated and expanded original, letting anyone and everyone become a train driver in their time off with a rich, detailed and accurate train driving experience.

We were given a look at two of the new routes to feature in the game, the Köln–Aachen high speed rail link that had me pining for a return to Gamescom, and the Bakerloo line on the London Underground, which brought back some less pleasant memories of the hot, cramped, sweaty confines of the tube.

Not being particularly familiar with the first game, outside of a few trailers, videos and memes, what surprised me is how TSW2 manages to effortlessly straddle the gap between a hardcore sim and being something of a plaything for train enthusiasts. It's incredibly easy to flick from standing in the cab of the train to a free-flying camera outside that you can use to tour Cologne's main station and take in the impressively broad recreation of the city around it. It's not really an open world, but it feels like it as you skate over the station's roof and gaze off into the distance. This all works once you've taken off down the tracks as well, making for what I'm sure is many a train spotter's dream of being able to set up shot right on the tracks and see a train whizz past.

In the cab, though, it starts to approach something a bit closer to actual work. All of the controls and readouts that are available to an actual train driver are there for you as well, and there's a lot to figure out as you pan around the cab's buttons, levers, screens and dials. Thankfully, a redesigned HUD allows you to quickly take in everything that's really going on, clearly showing the train's speed and giving you warnings and information. Look around and you can interact with those things directly, but Dovetail have also worked to reduce the number of inputs required for things like opening doors in a station – on a gamepad, it's as simple as pressing left or right on the D-pad.

But again, it's all about those details. In the ICE 3, you can enable or disable the driver's frosted glass cab, either letting the front row of passengers look out the front of the train or now. Then there's a panel for toggling through all the safety features on the train, to enable things like the LZB that automatically manages the train's top speed via computer – required in real life because the speed at which the train can travel wouldn't allow a human operator to slow down in time. This is stuff that a train driver would have to be certified for over their extensive training, so it's automated by default, but you can fiddle with it if you want.

Heading to the London Underground, and while it doesn't look anywhere near as grimy and filthy as it should, it's a fun addition to the game, detailed right down to the familiar patterns on the seat covers of the train. Is it as exciting as you'd expect from Hollywood films? Not so much because, would you believe it? It's just a big tunnel drilled through the ground, and it's pretty damn dark down there. If you want to see something, you can turn the train and cab lights on to illuminate the tunnel ahead of you, before bursting into a station and trying to slow down on the right mark.

The tube can show off one of the new features in the game, with track adhesion a new part of the train handling model. Underground, there's little need for these trains to have wheel slip protection, and with the need to race through the tunnels, they're very light, with powerful brakes and a powerful throttle. Of course, there's times where these so-called underground trains run overground, exposing them to the elements and more slippery conditions.

All of that might sound pretty daunting to a complete newcomer to the series, and Dovetail know that people will need to be eased into train driving. Enter 'The Journey', which isn't quite as glamorous as the one found in FIFA games a few years ago. Instead of telling a rags to riches tale of a… train driver, this is instead a paced and spread out set of scenarios and tutorials, always giving you a new gameplay experience and leading you through the new elements that they'll introduce as you come to them.

You can skip all of this, and create your own scenarios, though. Pick one of the routes in the game – TSW2 will also allow for the various expansions from the original game to be ported into it. with five at launch and the others upgraded through the rest of the year – pick the stops, trains and the traffic that you'll see passing in the opposite direction, and just go drive your train.

But what if you want to go a little bit off book? Well, you can do that too. There's an extensive livery editor, letting you layer up and group basic shapes to create completely fresh designs, and there's also the 'Off The Rails' mode, which lets you defy reality. You can run electric trains on a diesel route without power, you can shove oversized freight trains from Sand Patch Grade, or the ICE into the Bakerloo Line's tunnels, it's entirely up to you at that point.

With an impressive attention to detail, but also the freedom to bend the game to let you do as you see fit, Train Sim World 2 is sure to please plenty of train fans, no matter how young or old they are. OK, maybe toddlers will struggle to figure out how to play, but I'm sure they'll appreciate the big choo-choos if their parents are playing.

Report: Disney to cease production of some films on UHD Blu-ray

Apart from the Xbox One X and One S, all the current consoles lack a 4K Blu-ray drive so if you wanted to watch a movie in super sharp definition you had to buy a separate 4K player or stick to streaming. Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have 4K Blu-ray drives and I for one was looking forward to getting back to buying movies on disc, streaming is fine but the quality is not as good as a disc.

Disney have thrown a spanner in works as it is reported they will no longer release certain films in 4K Ultra HD on disc, they will only be available streaming. They are not stopping entirely, animated films, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel will still get a disc version but all other new live action films, and any back catalogue titles, will not be available. This also includes anything from Fox, which Disney now own, so the upcoming Kingsman film will not get a 4K disc release.

Clearly this is to help Disney push their streaming service, but it does mean a lot of movies may never be available in 4K including classics such as Aliens. As Disney+ is family friendly, Aliens won't be appearing on that either.

If you are planning to buy a PS5 then there should be plenty available, Sony have double the amount of PlayStation 5 consoles they intend to produce in the coming months and have also increased the number of DualSense controllers in production.

The had previously said they were aiming for 5-6 million consoles by March 2021, that has now increased to 10 million. However, there may still be shortages of the console as they are manufactured in China and delivered across the world via shipping containers which can take a very long time to reach their destination.

"Sony began PS5 mass production in June and, under the latest plan, expects to assemble 5 million units by the end of September and another 5 million between October and December," report Bloomberg. "A large portion of the latter tranche would turn into stock for 2021 due to the logistical delay. Sony could try to use air cargo for faster delivery, as it did in 2013 around the launch of the PlayStation 4, though airlines are running vastly reduced schedules due to Covid-19 and Sony's ability to reserve flights would be limited."

Correction: The One S also has a UHD Blu-ray drive.

Source: TheDigitalBits