Xbox Community Pushes to Boycott Marvel's Avengers Over Its PS4-Exclusive Content

Avengers

Recently, Sony and Square Enix officially revealed that Spider-Man will only be available in the PS4 edition of Marvel's Avengers as a new playable character. While it might sound great for PS4 owners, the news caused a huge backlash against Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix for offering less content on Xbox One and PC for the same price as the PS4 version of the game.

According to a recent post on Reddit, which has already been upvoted by over 14K users, the Xbox community believes that the PS4-exclusivity of Spider-Man's content in Marvel's Avengers is an unforgivable disrespect as they will pay the same price, but receive less content. In order to demonstrate this anger over Square Enix's exclusivity deal with PlayStation, the Xbox players consider boycotting the game, which simply means they wouldn't buy it until the publisher offers the same content with the same price on PC and Xbox same as PS4.

Let's boycott Avengers. from xboxone

Since its official announcement at E3 2019, Marvel's Avengers has received many criticisms from fans so far. At first, the fans reacted to the game's character design which doesn't seem to get any changes to satisfy its community. Then, the game was criticized for focusing too much on Kamala Khan rather than the other popular superheroes who are the main members of the Avengers team. And now, Spider-Man exclusivity has ignited the negative reaction against the game once again.

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics haven't reacted to the criticisms yet, and I don't expect any changes in their plans as it seems like a done deal between Sony and the publisher behind Marvel's Avengers.

Marvel's Avengers is set to be released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 4. The game will feature Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, and Kamala Khan as the main playable characters at launch, with Hawkeye and Spider-Man joining the roster in a later date.

The post Xbox Community Pushes to Boycott Marvel's Avengers Over Its PS4-Exclusive Content by Mehrdad Khayyat appeared first on DualShockers.

Ghost of Tsushima Video Lines Up a Bit Too Well With Mr. Blue Sky

Ghost of Tsushima, Sony's latest new exclusive IP from Sucker Punch, has garnered critical and commercial success since releasing a few short weeks ago. As Jin Sakai, you are given a lot of free reign to explore the regions of the island of Tsushima, rescuing people, freeing villages from the Mongol invasion, and taking on quests. Much like other open-world games, Ghost of Tsushima does have a way of forcing you from venturing into areas you aren't supposed to visit yet. In this instance, it is by bombarding Jin with barrages of arrows from all directions until he dies.

Originally posted on Youtube by user MagicSword, showcasing an "Unlimited Resolve" exploit, Twitch and Twitter user @TeaJae2x overlayed a portion of MagicSword's video with the catchy tune Mr. Blue Sky from Electric Light Orchestra. It turns out, that the sounds of Jin being turned into arrow pin-cushion lines up strangely well with the song, and creates a quite the fun video.

Could this idea of putting "Jin being hit with arrows" become the next big thing, with Ghost of Tsushima? Who knows, maybe? Stranger things have happened after all. I know that after watching it, I found myself curious and brainstorming about what other tunes would work. In any case, we've found a lot to love about Ghost of Tsushima. In our review, we applaud the game's presentation an how it boasts some of the smartest designs our reviewer has seen in a video game. The photo mode present is also perhaps the most in-depth example among other AAA offerings, allowing fans to take and edit beautiful photographs and sharing them with the world.

Ghost of Tsushima is available now on the PlayStation 4.

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PS Now August Lineup Includes Hitman 2 and Dead Cells

Following a strong PS Plus showing for the month of August with hits like Fall Guys and Modern Warfare 2 Campaign: Remastered, Sony is keeping up their momentum with another strong showing, this time for their PS Now service. Announced this morning via a PlayStation Blog post, Dead Cells, Hitman 2, and Greedfall are joining hundreds of other games on PS Now this month. This lineup certainly makes Sony's relatively obscure streaming service much more enticing.

First up on Sony's $9.99 a month service is IO Interactive's stealth sandbox Hitman 2, which is available on PS Now until February 1, 2021. Up next is Greedfall, the enticing action-RPG from Focus Home Interactive, which has no limit set on its PS Now tenure. Rounding out the list is the addictive, fast-paced and challenging action-platforming roguelike, Dead Cells, which also will be leaving the service on February 1, 2021.

The blog post doesn't feature any information on the release dates of the games on the service, or the form factors in which they're playable. While the service allows some games to be downloaded, PS2 and PS3 games can't, but because all three games are PS4 games, it's likely that they'll all be able to be downloaded.

Sony still has a long way to go before its streaming subscription service ditches the mixed, confusing messaging around it, but strong gets like Dead Cells and Hitman 2 certainly help. Compared to Microsoft's Game Pass, which might become even more relevant, since it's rumored to be tied into Xbox Live Gold, it still has a long way to go.

Considering next-gen is right around the corner, Sony has a strong chance to bring PS Now into the limelight. What changes do you hope they make? Do these games move the needle on the service for you? Let us know in the comments below this article.

The post PS Now August Lineup Includes Hitman 2 and Dead Cells by Charlie Wacholz appeared first on DualShockers.

Fall Guys Review Bombed on Steam as Servers Struggle

fall guys

Fall Guys, Mediatonic's new and wacky Battle Royale inspired by the likes of Takeshi's Castle and playground games is facing a barrage of negative reviews on Steam. The developer took to Twitter to call for the users leaving negative reviews to stop.

"We're currently being review bombed on Steam…" reads the tweet from the developer. It states that the team is working really hard to get the game running smoothly for so many players. "We know it's super frustrating, but if you could hold off from negatively reviewing – Until you get chance to play the game, it would really help us out."

Fall Guys hasn't been live for a day, and the game has become hugely popular. The beta weekends were already a sign of how popular the game was, seeing the official account giving away 800 beta keys at one point due to streamers using subscriptions to their channel as payment for beta keys. On top of that Mediatonic was giving away even more codes to players desperate to jump in and try the game before its launch today.

The game launched on PC and PS4 today. To add to that, PS+ members are able to download the game through their subscription. Since launching it appears there have been server issues going on throughout the day. To give some insight, one tweet states that 100,000 players jumped on the servers after the servers were silently switched back on after maintenance.

On Steam, users with less than 5 hours of playtime on record, are negatively reviewing the game, mainly to complain about the servers. One user wrote, "Will change my review once I can actually play the game." Another user with 0.9 hours on record wrote a user review, but due to "problematic servers" they added a disclaimer, "I decided to do a review to give my first expressions from playing and watching streamers."

One user with 0.8 hours writes, "I've lost every game because team matches." a complaint many seem to be raising when it comes to team focused rounds. Other users seem to be concerned about map rotation, lack of levels, and lack of content — which is due to add more in the future. So not all reviews are negative specifically because of the servers, but the majority of them certainly are.

And in a turn of events, it seems a large influx of positive user reviews came to Mediatonic's rescue after the above tweet was posted. The positive review bombing has now surpassed the number of negative reviews. At the time of writing, there are over 4,400 positive user reviews and over 1,600 negative user reviews. The official Twitter account has expressed appreciation for the fans.

Fall Guys is now live on PC and PS4.

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Rune Factory 5 Still Set to Be The Best 2020 Switch Game Alongside Persona 5 Scramble

Marvelous financials rune factory 5 2020 release date

Marvelous says Rune Factory 5 is still coming in 2020 in Japan on Switch, surprisingly.

Marvelous, like many other Japanese game companies, published a new financial report a few days ago. Now, my paycheck isn't big enough to give you a full summary of the report with the actual numbers, but as you can guess with the Covid-19 pandemic: Marvelous' revenue coming from its activities like stage plays, arcade games such as Pokemon Gaole (which is now shutting down), anime, and music, have been dwindling. Meanwhile game sales and revenue have increased.

Marvelous financials mobile games etc for rune factory 5 post

All the online and mobile games such as Senran Kagura New Link and Ikkitousen Extra Burst are reported to be doing well too. Mobile games in Japan is a far bigger market than console games. That's also why the two Fate/Extella games just got ported to mobile.

The financial report also mentions again how Tencent invested in Marvelous.

The biggest shock though is the report listing Rune Factory 5 for a 2020 release on Nintendo Switch.

Rune Factory 5 was first announced alongside Rune Factory 4 Special on February 2019. The Switch exclusive was slated for a release sometime after March 2020 back then. However, the official Twitter account of the Rune Factory series hasn't even tweeted once since 2020 started. The last tweet dates from December 12, 2019:

As such, I've been personally expecting Marvelous to announce Rune Factory 5 is delayed due to the pandemic and work from home conditions slowing down development. Like many other Japanese studios did. And yet it still hasn't happened, and seems like it won't. Rune  Factory 5 is really coming in 2020. We should hear about the game soon. You can be sure we'll cover it here, just as we fully covered the series' live streams in the past.

Be sure to check our our review of Rune Factory 4 Special on Switch. You can also read about why Rune Factory is so nice with its mix of farming, crafting, Action RPG and Japanese dating simulators.

Everything we know so far on Rune Factory 5 can be found via our previous coverage. Most notably, 2 guest characters from Rune Factory 4 Special will appear in your playthrough if you link the games' saves.

The post Rune Factory 5 Still Set to Be The Best 2020 Switch Game Alongside Persona 5 Scramble by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.

Final Fantasy XVI Rumored to be a Timed PS5 Exclusive

Rumors related to the next mainline installment in the Final Fantasy series have been circling for some time now. While a new game in the franchise, Final Fantasy VII Remake, just released earlier this year, it has been nearly 4 years since Final Fantasy XV launched, which makes it seem just about time for the next iteration in the series to be revealed. According to one potential insider, that reveal could be coming quite soon.

Divulged by Resetera user Navtra (and originally reported by Wccftech) Final Fantasy XVI is indeed real and it's "closer than most people would think." Navtra says that based on what they're aware of, the 16th installment in the mainline Final Fantasy series was originally set to be unveiled back at Sony's PS5 reveal event in June. Instead, all that Square Enix ended up rolling up with was the announcement of Project Athia.

Far and away the most interesting aspect of Navtra's new comments though relate to how Final Fantasy XVI will have some sort of exclusivity to the PS5 platform. While details of this exclusivity still aren't known for certain, Navtra goes as far to say that "it seems to be full timed exclusivity now." Considering FF7R was a timed exclusive for PS4 as well, this wouldn't be too shocking.

Again, keep in mind that none of this is confirmed just yet, so don't take anything that Navtra is saying about Final Fantasy XVI to be true by any means. That said, there have been some supporting rumors in recent weeks that Sony has opened its checkbook to score other exclusives from third-party companies. This has already been shown to be true with games like Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo, so it wouldn't be shocking to potentially see the PS5 manufacturer scoring other deals with publishers like Square Enix.

Sony is said to be revealing more information about the PS5 later in August, so if Final Fantasy XVI is indeed real and is set to be shown off, maybe we'll learn of its existence in the coming weeks.

What do you think about these rumors? Do you think there's any potential plausibility to it? Let us know down in the comments.

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Xbox Pushes Into Mobile Gaming With New Accessories

8BitDo

Xbox is now advancing its presence in the mobile games field with a new line of mobile gaming accessories designed to bring Xbox-quality gameplay wherever you go.

This new line of products does have one caveat though. They are all designed with cloud gaming in mind – specifically the massive library of games that will be available on Xcloud with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate when it launches September 15. This is also the part where owning an Android phone comes in handy as the service will be exclusive to those devices only, sorry iPhone users. That being said, you don't have to wait to pick up one of these nifty gadgets; they all release either completely or for pre-order today. Here are some of the notable products that can make your mobile gaming adventures a whole lot easier.

This new lineup of products begins with a costly remodel of the Razer Kishi. This handy device turns your phone into a faux Switch, stretching out two controllers to go on the top and bottom of your phone. Usually, this little gadget costs about $80, but the new Xbox version bumps that price up to $99.99. For the extra 20 bucks spent, you get a Kishi that better resembles an Xbox controller, featuring a dedicated Xbox button that boots up the Xbox Mobile app along with Xbox style buttons.

If you're looking more for a throwback, low profile controller, the 8BitDo is likely your speed. A remodel of the Sn30 Pro Bluetooth gamepad, this version of the controller ditches its Nintendo paint job for something a bit more modern. Along with its usual features, this version of the controller has an added Xbox button and an adjustable phone clip. That being said, you aren't limited to your phone with this one, as it's also compatible with Android tablets. The 8BitDo Sn30 Pro will be available starting September 21 for $44.99 USD, but it's already available for pre-order through Amazon if you're eager.

If you're not looking to buy another controller that's just fine. Xcloud is already going to have compatibility with wireless controllers, even the DualShock 4 at some point. If that's the case, there are also a couple of phone clips being launched especially for you. Both PowerA and 8BitDo are launcher standalone mobile gaming clips for Xbox controllers, each costs $14.99 USD although the former will be launching this winter and the latter on September 21.

While I've never been one for mobile gaming, that sentiment was mainly because it seemed, well, unwieldy. The mobile controllers all looked clunky, and I couldn't imagine myself packing away a controller every time I went out. But these new options for bringing gaming on the go, along with the bevy of games offered with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate are making the decision to keep gaming at home more and more difficult.

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Xbox's Path to Success Might Look More Ambiguous in This Console Generation

Inside Xbox

Anyone with a brain can point out that the Xbox One was in a losing battle against the PlayStation 4. The Xbox One launch is up there with one of the worst announcements of any piece of tech. That announcement now lives in infamy and set forth a chain reaction that left Microsoft with the least desirable console to many gamers at the beginning of this console generation. It being $100 dollars more at launch showed me and many others that those in charge of pricing at Microsoft certainly didn't pay attention to mistakes made with the launch of the PS3. However, the damage was done. Microsoft has tried to backtrack many of those critical mistakes since the Xbox One launched, but even then, it was too late

That leads us to today: the PS4 has absolutely walloped the Xbox One in terms of consoles sold. In fact, Sony has outsold Microsoft in every console generation, even when Sony was on their high horse because 150 million people bought a PS2 (many of those I believe were just for a DVD player). They launched the PS3 at $600 with an architecture nobody wanted to develop for, and yet it still eventually outsold the widely popular Xbox 360. It took Sony a while to get there as it happened very very late in the generation, but it still eventually happened.

All you guys still living in 2009 and believe in defending to your death whatever console you own, you might want to plug your ears. Based on the sales trends of each previous console generation, it's probably safe to say that the PS5 will outsell the Xbox Series X. While yes, Microsoft would love to throw the marketing phrase "the best-selling console" around, it's just not going to happen unless the PS5 has some major marketing blunder or a terrible hardware bug.

Xbox Series X

With all that said though, Microsoft has to know this now. They know that going head-to-head with just a box and games will not hold a candle to whatever Sony puts out. They have had three opportunities but haven't outsold their competitors one time. That's no slap in the face to Xbox; I still think that each Xbox console has been fantastic with some great exclusives. I personally have always leaned more on the Xbox side when purchasing third-party games, and I think they have always put out the better-feeling controller. But the PlayStation consoles will always sell well based on history.

Now, what if I told you that the Xbox brand could be more successful than PlayStation in the next generation without selling more consoles? How would that happen, you say? The simple answer is that this has led Microsoft to create new and innovative avenues on how to broaden its audience in two important ways: Game Pass and xCloud.

Over the last few years, the Xbox brand has really morphed into something else rather than just being a console. Sure, players can still pick up a box from Best Buy, put on a headset, and listen to a twelve-year-old curse you out just like the good ole Halo 3 days. But now, the Xbox brand is on your Xbox, your PC, and even your phone. Rather than just a box, the Xbox brand is an entire ecosystem.

People love to throw around sales figures of consoles to say who "won" a generation. Yet, those hardware sales aren't that profitable or good measures of "success" for Sony, Microsoft, or even Nintendo. In fact, Microsoft has almost never made a profit on Xbox systems, and I doubt that will change with the Series X. These companies make their real money in selling software. Microsoft seems to be more aware of this, and Sony seems to be opening up to the idea now that Horizon Zero Dawn and Death Stranding have come to PC.

Microsoft has largely moved away from exclusive Xbox One games years ago, and that was a calculated move; they would like a wider audience to have the opportunity to purchase their games. And let's not forget, those PCs that are downloading Xbox Game Studios games are doing so on the Windows Store, which is owned by Microsoft, so it's not like they are missing out on potential sales. They have even opened up to the idea of releasing on Steam as well recently.

With all that said, the "success" of the Xbox brand is going to look much different this generation compared to the last. This time around it won't be as cut and dry as comparing pure sales figures of the Xbox Series X and PS5. Hypothetically, it is totally possible that there will be 10 million Xbox Series X consoles sold by the end of December with 25 million players playing Halo Infinite, since players will be able to play it on their PC, Android device, Series X, and even Xbox One.

Hell, just for the sake of it, let's say that a game comes to only the Series X and PS5, and no PC version was created. Say there are 10 million PS5 consoles sold and 5 million Series X consoles sold. It is possible that there can be 7 million players playing on the PS5 and 9 million players playing through the Xbox brand, whether that is on the console itself or xCloud. This strategy gives Microsoft the opportunity to sell more games than there are even consoles in the wild.

xCloud allows anyone with a screen in front of their face the opportunity to jump into the Xbox brand; but more importantly to Microsoft, it's the opportunity for them to make money. The recent news of the cloud streaming system being included in your Game Pass subscription was a big deal that I don't think many people recognized. There are going to be plenty of people out there playing games through Game Pass and paying $15 a month without even owning either an Xbox or a PC.

On top of that, Xbox just wants people to be ingrained into the Game Pass ecosystem. There is a reason that it was so prominently shown during the Xbox Games Showcase event earlier this month. There is a reason that every game shown was announced to be coming to the subscription service. It is because it works and makes Microsoft a whole lot of mullah.

Xbox Game Pass PC Series X One New August Rebrand Microsoft

Microsoft has had to adapt to the current market. They know they cannot compete with Sony by going head-to-head. They know that Sony has plenty more quality exclusive developers, though I was really intrigued by Avowed from Obsidian and plenty of other titles shown off during the Xbox Showcase. However, all of theses games will still need to wow us though when they eventually release. That is why they have morphed their strategy into something we haven't seen before.

We might need to stop focusing so much on the statistics of consoles sold to measure success in this upcoming generation, because it seems like Microsoft doesn't mind not selling as many consoles. What they want is for you to get ingrained into their Xbox ecosystem, whether that is buying a console, playing their published games on your PC, using your Game Pass subscription on your Xbox or PC, or even just buying a controller and playing Game Pass titles on your phone through xCloud. All that matters to Microsoft right now is that people are playing their games or using their services in any form they want to.

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Baldur's Gate 3 Delayed from August Early Access Launch, New Release Date Announcement Coming Soon

Baldur's Gate 3 was originally slated to launch in early access this month, but as of now, Larian Studios has revealed that this will no longer be the case. Luckily, the highly-anticipated RPG's new launch date isn't said to be too far off.

Larian made the announcement over on its official Twitter page today that Baldur's Gate 3 is set to be receiving a new release date in the near future. Alongside the general delay revelation, Larian announced that it is planning a stream for August 18 to divulge the official launch date for BG3 in early access. Geoff Keighley will be taking part in the stream, which makes it seem as though this will be part of the host's ongoing Summer Game Fest series.

This new information comes not long after Larian suggested that prospective purchasers of Baldur's Gate 3 opt to not pre-order the game at any retailers. This is due in part because the developer says it can't ensure that those pre-orders will even be met since the studio isn't working with any outside partners to bring it to retail.

Baldur's Gate 3 is set to arrive on both PC and Stadia. When Larian reveals the new early access release date for the game in the coming weeks, we'll let you know here on DualShockers.

The post Baldur's Gate 3 Delayed from August Early Access Launch, New Release Date Announcement Coming Soon by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.

Disgaea 6 (Probably) Teased By Nippon Ichi Software

maybe this is disgaea 6

Nippon Ichi Software sends each summer to its fans summer greeting cards with exclusive illustrations, and this year's card includes two brand new character, possibly from Disgaea 6 or another new project.

The card has been received by fans on august 4, and many shared it on Twitter and Japanese anonymous message boards, speculating how it could be teasing a Disgaea 6.

Here's a higher resolution version of the card:

The card features two characters in a place that looks like some Disgaea underworld. You can easily recognize the artwork is by Takehito Harada, who handles the chara design of the Disgaea series and multiple other games at Nippon Ichi Software. Having loli and shota characters as protagonists is definitely a Disgaea thing too.

Disgaea games have pretty much been re-released on every single platform ever. The series itself started 17 years ago in 2003 . The latest main game in the series is Disgaea 5, which first launched in March 2015. Meaning it's been five years since the latest main console release of the series.

Games tend to be in development since much longer than we tend to think. And I'm sure even if development of a Disgaea 6 didn't start yet, the developers at Nippon Ichi Software definitely already thought up some ideas for it, and these two characters could still be from the game. A well-done, polished, and satisfying Disgaea 6 would help Nippon Ichi Software get back on track. Nippon Ichi Software announcing Disgaea 6 soon on PS5, PS4 and Switch is certainly something I can imagine.

Nippon Ichi Software faced huge financial problems in 2019 following the failed launch of mobile game Disgaea RPG. The game was pulled down and re-released months later, and it seems to be doing better now. Some Japanese players also criticized the company in 2019 with how it launched yuri ADV Jinrui no Mina sama e for full price (+ a DLC-only character) despite the small content the game ultimately offered.

Nowadays in 2020, Nippon Ichi Software seems to be doing better, and definitely would be doing better if not for Covid-19 making things difficult for everyone. Multiple new IPs have been launched again by the company this year: the crossdressing ADV Bokuhime Project, the action RPG Shoujo Jigoku no Doku Musume, and the horror + yuri ADV Yoru, Tomosu. Two other games are still coming too, rhythm action game Mad Rat Dead, and the dungeon crawler Coven and Labyrinth of Galleria.

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