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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 daw 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 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."

Source: TheDigitalBits

Guerrilla are investigating Horizon Zero Dawn for PC's problems, but does this include performance?

Horizon Zero Dawn launched for PC at the end of last week, the first real attempt from within Sony to bring one of their first party games to home computer. Unfortunately, it did not go smoothly, and suffered from unexpectedly low performance for the high powered hardware that it was possible to run the game on. It's something that we highlighted in our Horizon Zero Dawn PC review, alongside a number of other outlets.

Writing over the weekend, Guerrilla Games have said that they are "monitoring all of our channels and are aware that some players have been experiencing crashes and other technical issues. Please know that we are investigating your reports as our highest priority."

Unfortunately, this does not seem to really address the game's performance, which is substantially behind that of the Death Stranding PC port which shares a game engine with Horizon Zero Dawn. In our experience, Horizon Zero Dawn for PC offers performance dramatically lower, unable to reach 1080p60 in Horizon on the "original" PS4-matching settings, while able to push past 90FPS at higher settings in Death Stranding.

Admittedly he waters were muddied within the review period, with a day one patch arriving at the last moment alongside driver updates from AMD to add support for the game. However, our own review was based on the game with these updates installed and still came up wanting.

The wording and tone of Guerrilla Games' note on Steam does not seem to suggest that they are tackling this particular, quite fundamental issue, but are instead focusing on crashes and bugs within the game. Here's hoping that their efforts can extend to continuing to optimise the game for PC, because it's a delightful and inventive experience that should be enjoyed by PC owners, not leave them embittered at a mediocre port.

Source: Steam

Fall Guys sold over 2 million copies in its first week

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 daw 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.

Considering the downtime, Mediatonic promised that, once the servers were improved, they would start working on some free DLC to show their appreciation for players' patience. We wouldn't be surprised if there's some other DLC on the way, give how gleefully their social media has been teasing a The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 collaboration.

 

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

F1 2020 Keep Fighting Foundation DLC honours Michael Schumacher

Codemasters have followed the Michael Schumacher inspired DLC and premium edition of F1 2020 by releasing DLC for the Keep Fighting Foundation that was inspired by the legendary driver after he suffered traumatic brain injuries in a skiing accident in 2013.

The premium DLC will include a car livery, podium emote, helmet, gloves, suit and badge, and will be available from 11th August on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Google Stadia. Proceeds from the sales will go straight to the Keep Fighting Foundation.

Lee Mather, F1 Franchise Game Director at Codemasters said, "It was an honour for the studio to focus on Michael's record-breaking F1 career for the F1 2020 Deluxe Schumacher Edition. We are equally proud to support the Keep Fighting Foundation. Many of our players regard Michael as the greatest of all time, and we know the exclusive items will prove incredibly popular."

F1 2020 released earlier this month with a new My Team mode the biggest addition for this year's entry. In our F1 2020 review, Tom said:

If it wasn't for the addition of My Team, F1 2020 would go down as being great for newcomers, but past the best before date for those who have enjoyed recent iterations. Some elements are now very tired, but being able to oversee the running of your own team proves to be incredibly satisfying and just enough of a distraction – for now. F1 2020 highlights just how much of a team sport Formula 1 is, and that can only be a good thing.

At the start of this month, Codemasters updated the game with the Mercedes W11 black livery. While it's a few weeks after the game's release on 10th July, the timing was great to emphasise the reason for the livery change, with Mercedes making the change from their traditional silver livery in a statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, alongside a commitment to improve diversity within the team and sport.

Source: Codemasters

Superliminal Review

As you wander around solving puzzles in first person in Superliminal, you'll be guided through the experience by a robotic woman's voice. This fairly generic description might well sound like you've heard of it before, but if there is anything that Superliminal isn't, it's familiar.

Set in Somnasculpt, a dream therapy program ran by one Doctor Pierce, the fundamental truth in Superliminal is that "perception is reality." The game uses optical illusions and forced perspective to constantly and relentlessly subvert the most basic functions, like moving objects. The size of objects is reliant on how you're perceiving them. When you put an object on the floor directly in front of you, it's smaller than if you shift your gaze up and place it at the wall opposite, because it would have to be bigger for it to take up that much space in your view from that distance. For example, you can pick a model house up off a table, turn and place it on the other side of the room, and then walk through the door of the model house.

This is one of the earliest mechanics to appear in the game and as far as I'm aware it is completely unique. It's also capable of stumping you pretty early on, as it's difficult to wrap your head around. This feeling of bewilderment this causes is furthered by the constant subversion of just about everything around you. There's doors that, once you get near them, turn out to be a stretched out piece of textured geometry that only looks like a door from the other end of the corridor, or objects that only pop into being once viewed from the right angle to use the same forced perspective trick.

 

It sounds frustrating and confusing, but I found it to be a constant delight. Every time I tried one thing and something else happened I'd swear aloud in surprise and grin to myself like an idiot. There's just something very satisfying about being tricked in such a clever way. More importantly, the mechanics that it relies on to do so are not only unique, but they are subverted themselves. Just as you get used to one particular trick, it'll change subtly, and be used in a way that you couldn't have thought of beforehand, or the game will just move onto a new mechanic without mentioning it and things suddenly start to clone themselves when you try to pick them up.

I won't go into later mechanics in the game as discovering them is part of the fun, but by the final levels you can never be sure that anything you're looking as it what it seems. The walls might not be walls, the floor could disappear at any moment, doors can open to brick walls, and are you sure that's the ceiling up there? It's like being in a severely malfunctioning version of the Matrix… but in a good way.

This is all tied together by a narrative that's delivered by the omnipresent voice of the orientation guide and occasional messages from Doctor Pierce himself, both of whom seem to grow increasingly more perplexed that the dream therapy is going off the rails. It culminates in a surprisingly introspective message that felt genuinely meaningful alongside the gameplay.

There's a couple of issues though, the first being occasional drops in frame rate on PS4 when around particularly complex puzzle concepts, which gave me a small sensation of motion sickness – this doesn't ever happen to me in other video games. There's also some aliasing as there's a lot of fine lines and details in the environment.

Outside of that, the game is very short – there's a speedrunning trophy for finishing it in an hour and another for finishing in 30 minutes. This might be to the game's advantage, as stretching it out out might have resulted in repeating more mechanics to the point of overfamiliarity. There is some replayability such as collectibles to find around the levels and a few mysterious trophies to figure out, but the delight of discovering all the tricks isn't quite the same the second time.

Metamorphosis might just change your view of creepy crawlies

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."

So begins Franz Kafka's novella, Metamorphosis, a story of alienation and self-discovery that speaks to the outsider within us all. Kafka's stylistic treatment of the layers of absurdity and bureaucracy that confine and control the modern world are perfectly suited to gaming, as players are well used to carrying out menial tasks and jumping ridiculous hurdles. In adapting the story into a game, developers Ovid Works have taken a few liberties, most notably changing Samsa's insectoid form into a regular sized bug.

During a disorientating and surreal opening played out in a first person perspective, you awake to discover that you, as Gregor, have undergone the titular metamorphosis and are now an insect. At first, this change seems superficial as you explore a room and find a key to unlock the door. So far, so normal, but upon leaving the room, you shrink and must attempt to navigate an identical copy of it from a very different perspective. This tutorial works well to introduce you to the very different movement set available in your tiny six-footed form. Desks become environments filled with platforming puzzles, table-edges are perilous cliffs, and pencils bridges between areas.

It isn't just the bugs-eye perspective that stands out here, as you also have a movement set that fits your insectoid form. Scuttling along at high speed and taking impressive leaps of faith between household objects quickly becomes second nature, although taking the speed of travel for granted can often lead to a sickening death – accompanied by a suitably unpleasant squishing sound. It takes a little longer to become accustomed to the traversal opportunities available through your new body, as you are able to climb up some surfaces; and even scale vertical walls after coating your feet in sticky fluids (cough mixture, honey, ink, etc.). This mechanic offers a verticality that is rarely seen in first person games outside of the Aliens vs Predator franchise. At first, this approach leads to some confusing paths but as the game develops it really opens the levels out.

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In his novella, Kafka left instructions that no illustrations of Gregor's changed state were to be made, as he intended the result to be left open to interpretation (instructions that have been consistently ignored since the earliest critical editions) and true to this, you never get to see your own insectoid face, or at least not during the early sections available in this preview. I played the first hour or so and found myself exploring drains and vents as well as rooms, whilst trying to make my way to The Tower – a sinister destination that promises to offer a potential cure. Similar to the underrated Deadly Creatures from the Wii, the humans in the background carry some of the narrative burden, with incredibly authentic Kafka-esque dialogue around the aforementioned bureaucracy and labyrinthine regulations within which Gregor's best friend becomes entrenched.

My early impressions of Metamorphosis are really positive and I can't wait to see how Gregor's quest to return to his human form progresses. Without wishing to venture into possible spoilers, I certainly hope that the videogame version has brighter prospects than his literary forbear. We'll be sure to bring you a full review when the full version scuttles out this week on 12th August.

Xbox Series S leaks on new Xbox Series X controller packaging

The long rumoured Xbox Series S, the cheaper "Lockheart" variant of Microsoft's next-gen console, has been leaked from a handful of different sources that have got their hands on the updated Xbox controller designed for the Xbox Series X.

Twitter user Zak S was able to purchase the controller, with its subtly modified form factor, redesigned D-pad and new Share button. However, most interesting is that the packaging for the controller reveals that is it compatible with "Xbox Series X | S".

Bingo.

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.

The availability of an Xbox Series S also helps to explain why Microsoft ceased production of their current most powerful console, the Xbox One X. While the Xbox One S remains in production, it will eventually be left behind by next gen game designs, the weakness of its CPU likely to be a key factor in this. That CPU weakness would have remained on Xbox One X.

Not only will this be a future proof option, it will also allow Microsoft to aim for a lower entry price to the next generation, potentially helping to bring more players into their next-gen plans by aiming $100 or more lower than what Sony can manage with the PlayStation 5.

As a reminder, Microsoft's studios are not developing Xbox Series X exclusive titles for at least the first year of the console's time on the market. Halo Infinite and anything else that comes out also having versions for the Xbox One, with Smart Delivery meaning you can buy the game once and own optimised versions across Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Windows 10. Additionally the new controller will be backward compatible to the Xbox One, and Xbox One peripherals forward compatible to next-gen. However, that message was muddied through their Xbox Series X showcase, which largely showed first party games that will not be coming to Xbox One.

Source: Zak S

Fae Tactics Review

Fae Tactics knows you've played a tactical RPG before. It knows you're going to go all wobbly with nostalgia at a jaunty, stirring soundtrack; at a main theme that evokes Wild Arms and Fire Emblem. It knows you're going to crack a wide smile at saucer-eyed, headstrong protagonist Peony and her pet companions. It knows that when it introduces, over a series of tutorialised intro stages, at least a dozen interplaying systems – buffs and debuffs, opposing elements, party synergy – you're going to lap it up like the dehydrated genre aficionado you are.

You are a waiter. Fae Tactics is your manager. Fae Tactics is going to keep placing plates piled high with steaming hot systems onto your quivering arms, and just when you feel like a stray hair would send you crashing to the floor, it's going to slap you on the back, never once fearing you might topple. As I said, Fae Tactics knows you've played a tactical RPG before. At least, it assumes you have.

Here's the basics, champ; each character and enemy acts once per round based on an initiative system. You can choose to delay turns if you want. They move, then can either buff another ally, buff themselves by resting, or attack. If you attack an enemy that's next to one or more friendly melee characters, those melee characters will attack straight afterwards, allowing you to set up powerful combos. There's approximately sixty thousand additional systems that build on this, but that's the core of it.

The line between engrossing complexity and unnecessary complication may seem like a thin one, but I can't help feel that many of Fae Tactics design priorities are simply in the wrong place – stacking middling percentage modifiers where it really could have done with more overtly meaty choices. I still haven't fully mastered a good third of what the game is doing enough to consistently make fully informed decisions, but much of this is down to me not feeling the need to. Regarding challenge, Fae Tactics seems to have two polarities. You'll play through two or three trivially easy stages – maybe with the odd NPC you have to babysit or get autofailed into the sun – then get thrown into a war of attrition with a spongy boss that can one-shot multiple characters every few turns.

Here's the thing though: I still quite enjoy it all, just not really for the same reasons I was expecting. It's got a weak plot, sure, but likeable characters, and a heap of charming creature designs and great pixel art. The basic approach of setting up formations of melee, ranged, and buffer characters, augmented by cooldown-ability spells, is really quite compelling in small doses. Plus, as I said, it's impossible to hear that soundtrack and not be transported back to a simpler time of PS1-era JRPG classics.

That's not to say Fae Tactics doesn't attempt to modernise either. There are no menus in combat, instead having you choose character abilities through placement, movement, and whether or not you attack that turn. There's still a big stat and ability overlay in the top right for every character and enemy though, complete with a dizzying array of icons to display buffs, debuffs, and abilities. So, less menus doesn't necessarily mean less reading, and it certainly doesn't mean keeping track of less variables if you want to play optimitally.

That modernisation is also present in the art, which skews retro in sensibilities but with distinctly modern detail and dynamism. A core mechanic involves you collecting monsters – the titular Fae – to bring into battle alongside your core party, and thanks to the imaginative design work, it's a real joy to collect some of the odder ones. Fire-puking salamanders, horned-squirrels, and Jim Henson-esque Gremlins are all there to augment your force. It's always fun to experiment with new builds, even if they often end up feeling boxed in to quite restrictive categories in terms of applicability.

Oh, I'd better mention those Gremlins again, because one of them was pretty indicative of a real issue I have with Fae Tactics' storytelling. I love a good David Bowie reference as much as anyone else, but when I'm fighting a boss swirling a crystal orb and quoting labyrinth before the game has bothered to really establish any of its own characters, the whole homage slips into pastiche. There's some tantalising glimpses into the world and the lore, but much less focus into the characters or the plot itself. I'm getting weary of games that just shove a dog at me instead of working to get me invested in the characters. It is, admittedly, a very good dog though.

Fight Crab Review

There have been a slew of cinematic blockbuster games coming out in recent months, from the debut of samurai epic Ghost of Tsushima to the massively anticipated The Last of Us Part II and even the surprising PC release of Hideo Kojima's masterpiece Death Stranding. These are games that revel in developing a realistic, dramatic world rife with intricate character stories, big-budget visuals and finely crafted game mechanics. They're massive, Hollywood-level experiences and they're well worth experiencing, but not every game has to be like that.

Sometimes, games can just be simple and silly little experiences. Sometimes, they can just be a colorful and flashy afternoon of dumb, childlike fun. Sometimes, a game can just be about two crabs flinging crowbars and shuriken at each other in an absurd and addictive duel to the death. That particular kind of game is Fight Crab, and it's one of the most delightful and charming games I've played all year.

You play as a crab. You fight other crabs. The first crab to be knocked onto their back in three seconds loses. That's really the long and short of what Fight Crab is. Of course, the challenge comes from just how dang difficult it is to engage in bloodsport as a simple crab.

The game is built on dynamic physics gameplay, with your left and right sticks controlling the direction your claws are pointed in while the shoulder buttons and triggers punch, pinch and grab. Add in the slow crabby movements and ability to walk along walls on the D-pad and face buttons, and it's an awkward control scheme that might result in you holding your controller in the all-too-appropriately named "claw grip".

Much like the incomprehensible physics mayhem of Gang Beasts or Human: Fall Flat, there's a learnable yet slightly unpredictable charm to the controls and physics of Fight Crab that constantly kept me engaged in battle. I definitely may have resorted to wild button mashing and stick twirling in times of duress, but if I played smart and timed my punches and claw-swings to land speedy swinging hits or flip over a wounded foe, I could always manage to deliver exactly what I was hoping to dish out.

The main campaign mode doesn't present any kind of deep story or quest for vengeance, although new levels are often complemented by flavor text describing the events of the stage. My favorite line of text? "The crab has obtained the holy sword."

So much of the charm and fun in Fight Crab comes from how much ridiculous stuff is just tossed into the game with little explanation. When it happens, the game immediately expects you to comprehend the fact that you are a giant crab fighting through a destructible city, swinging cars and trees at your foe by grabbing them with your pincers. A couple of levels in, you're suddenly fighting a lobster holding a knife and a revolver, but that's nothing compared to the spider crab equipped with tonfas who summons a giant dragon, or the horsehair crabs jumping around wildly and swinging lightsabers at you. There's no rhyme or reason to the crustaceans and weaponry you'll come up against as you play, and the surprise of seeing what sort of foe came next always left me hollering with laughter and screaming in surprise.

The stupid and unexpectedly hilarious energy of Fight Crab is complemented by the high-octane soundtrack and silly sound design. Moments like hearing triumphant Spanish guitar music while a mitten crab swung nunchaku at me or hearing the bassy and overblown reload sound effect on a coconut crab's sawed-off shotgun left me speechless.

Similar to how your foes grow in variety and strength as you progress, your own crab can also grow and evolve by spending money on a variety of upgrades in-between missions. Perhaps you want to swap out the species of crab you're playing as for something with a lower center of gravity or wildly larger arms. You could also stick with your current crab and simply upgrade your stats to ensure you're harder to knock down or quicker to land hits. You could also do what I did and save up your money for most of the game to unlock the holy sword Excalibur that fires waves of raw energy whenever you enter Hyper Mode.

Sorry, did i forget to mention your crab's Hyper Mode? The mode that lets you fire the Crab Ball, a devastating projectiles like the Kamehameha? Yeah, that's a thing too.

You don't have to experience the absurdity of Fight Crab alone. You can take the battle online and duke it out with other crabby combatants across the globe, or even load up a split-screen battle on any map in the game and play with whichever crabs and weapons you so please. If there's a single thing missing from the game that truly bums me out, it's the lack of local co-op. You can create a lobby to play the game in online co-op mode, but the fact that local versus made the cut, but local co-op didn't is a disappointment.

Yoshinori Ono announces resignation from Capcom, "new generation" will take care of Street Fighter

Yoshinori Ono has announced he is resigning from Capcom after nearly 30 years with the video game developer. Yoshinori Ono is perhaps best known for his role as the Street Fighter series executive producer, and is synonymous with the franchise. He took to Twitter today to announce his resignation, and released a statement about his time with the company, and what will be next for the Street Fighter franchise. You can read Yoshinori Ono's full statement below.

Dear Street Fighter series' players & Fighting Game Community members

There have been many unexpected events occurred globally in 2020. Especially the COVID19 has been significantly affecting many people's life and health all over the world. I'm praying that all of you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. Since Capcom Cup in 2013, the Capcom Pro Tour has become an annual event because of the continued tremendous support from the players and Fighting Game Community members in the world.

We at Capcom had many internal discussions about the format for the CPT 2020. It took a long time for us to decide the format for this year, but we believe that conducting the event itself would repay those who has been supporting the CPT, regardless of what the format is. Needless to say, I understand there has been some criticism about this particular format. However, I'm fully convinced that it is important to shed light on various hopes by keeping the event even in this way.

Additionally, I'm extremely grateful that so many players and Fighting Game Community members and its related individuals have been supporting us so that we can make the CPT happen this year. I've been with the Street Fighter brand for a long time, experiencing good times, bad times, and even non-existent times.

My heart is filled with appreciation to those players who've been giving warm and kind support on the brand especially little over the past decade or so as all the activities on the Street Fighter brand regained sunshine and grew its liveliness. And now, after serving almost 30 years at Capcom, I am leaving the company in this summer. This means that I will resign my position as the brand manager for Capcom's various titles including Street Fighter.

Capcom staff in the new generation will continue taking care of the Street Fighter brand and leading the World Warriors. And, I do believe that they will continue making Street Fighter extraordinary. I will look forward to seeing the new Street Fighter brand and how it's going to be expanded, as just one of regular gamers next time around.

I've been trying to contact those whom I've gotten to work with in the past about my resignation. However, it's quite difficult to reach out to all of people I've associated with throughout my career for almost three decades, so I'd like to humbly ask your kind understanding. When the opportunity comes, I'd like to extend warm greetings and my appreciation to those individuals and companies I've had a chance to work with.

Again, to many players, FGC and its operation staff, and all of Street Fighter fans, thank you so much for your continued support. I regret that I as the Street Fighter series executive producer, wasn't able to do "SHORYUKEN" together with you all at each event in 2020, so please allow me to shout as my closing statement in this message to you.

3 2 1 SHORYUKEN!

Street Fighter Series Executive Producer Yoshinori Ono 

Just a few days ago Capcom held its Street Fighter Summer Update, and during that announced five more fighters would be added to the Street Fighter V roster over the next year, along with new stages and costumes.

Source: Twitter

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (Rocksteady, NeatherRealm etc) is not being sold

After months of speculation with Activision and Take Two looking as likely buyers, it turns out that parent company AT&T is not selling their gaming division after all, at least not yet. On August 7th CEO Jason Kilar sent an email to all staff explaining how the company was to be restructured but specifically mentioned that the gaming arm was staying put.

The Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group continues to be led by Chairman Toby Emmerich. Warner Bros. Television Studios group continues to be led by Chairman Peter Roth. Warner Bros. Interactive remains part of the Studios and Networks group, along with our Global Brands and Franchises team including DC led by Pam Lifford, and our Kids, Young Adults and Classics business led by Tom Ascheim, all focused on engaging fans with our brands and franchises through games and other interactive experiences.

The message also explains that the HBO Max streaming service will be expanded globally, good news for those who want to watch the four hour Snyder cut of Justice League when it debuts on the service.

AT&T have been looking at ways to cut costs and it seems rather than sell off a specific group they going to perform a major restructure and cut staff numbers instead. That doesn't mean Rocksteady, NeatherRealm, TT Games and the other studios are safe, but it does seem the sale is off for the moment. There may have been complications in negotiations as many of the games from the studio are based on Warner Bros. properties such as the Lego movie or DC comics.

That's not to say a sale may occur in the future, AT&T still need to raise a lot of cash to cover a $200 billion debt, but Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment always seemed an odd choice for sale when everyone knew Rocksteady had a major title in the works and the pandemic has seen demand for video games surge. The near future of video games looks positively rosy when compared to that of movie studios.

The news comes just days after Rocksteady Studios confirmed that it is working on a Suicide Squad game, and that it will be releasing more information on August 22nd at DC Fandome. The news came via a tweet on the official Rocksteady Studios Twitter with a poster showing the Suicide Squad logo acting as a target placed squarely on Superman's head. It seems the Suicide Squad will be battling the Man of Steel, and it could also mean the rest of the Justice League is involved in some way.

Source: WarnerMedia

Something for the Weekend – 08/08/20

Another heatwave has hit the UK, bringing with it sweltering heat and an unhealthy craving for ice cream! Elsewhere, F1 returns to Silverstone again this weekend for the 70th Anniversary GP, and with these temperatures let's hope the tyres hold up better than last time – unless you want a bit of excitement of course!

Anyway, let's start our recap of the week:

In the News This Week

Games in Review

We crammed as many reviews in as we could in this week, check 'em out below:

Featured Articles

Aran kicked off the previews with some impressions from the Marvel's Avengers beta. Overall he's moderately impressed, although has some complaints about the door sounds! Stefan also got to have a chat with some of the folks at Crystal Dynamics about the game and the recent Spider-Man backlash.

Elsewhere, Stefan tee'd off with a look at PGA Tour 2K21, which is HD Studios' first outing in the licensed world for their indie series that was The Golf Club. After that, he wrote about how he fell in love with Windbound, a survival game with strong Zelda vibes as you can see in his video below.

Finally, What We Played featured Fall Guys, Ghost of Tsushima & Marvel's Avengers.

Trailer Park

FIFA 21 gameplay trailer describes the new creative dribbling and agile runs systems

A gorgeous new gameplay trailer for The Pathless is here

New Vader Immortal trailer confirms August PSVR release date

Godfall combat trailer gives an extended look at the game running on PS5

Bugsnax gameplay trailer gives a tour of Snaktooth Island

Your Achievements

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

  • Plenty of you such as Crazy Del and MrYd have been enjoying Fall Guys (when it works). Del's also enjoyed Skater XL (1 trophy away from the Plat) and NFS Heat. MrYd meanwhile has dabbled into games here and there as usual, including sessions with RDR2, Death Stranding, GreedFall and Warhammer.
  • hornet199's completed the Battlefield V War Stories and now moves on to Battlefield 1, which has been less buggy.
  • And last up, due to an arm injury (get well soon!), TSBonyman didn't get much gaming in, but has been getting his fix by watching streamers and the State of Play reveals!

I hope you have a good week and I'll see you again soon!

This week's free Epic games are up, Remnant: From the Ashes coming

Epic have confirmed that two more games will be joining its long list of freebies next week. These will include Remnant: From the Ashes, as well as the upcoming The Alto Collection.

Meanwhile, this week's free game is now live: the brilliantly inventive puzzler, Wilmot's Warehouse. Alongside this is the first episode of "3 out of 10" a new cartoon series about the world's worst game development studio.

Remnant: From the Ashes is a weird mix of melee action and looter shooter from the same team that brought us the Darksiders games. Meanwhile The Alto Collection brings the endless sledging games to PC and consoles, having been a huge hit on mobile.

If neither of those tickle your fancy then make sure you fire up the Epic Games Store on Thursday August 13th anyway – you'll have 24 hours in which to claim a free copy of A Total War Saga: Troy.

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

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

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

Source: Epic Games

Fall Guys is back online, Mediatonic promise rewards for server downtime [Updated 3:30PM]

Updated 3:30PM 08/08/20: Fall Guys servers are officially back up and running, and "things are looking good." Here's hoping the game manages to survive the big weekend rush that's expected heading into the evening and when the US is awake.

Update 1:50PM 08/08/20: There's no official Tweet saying the servers are back back we can see people playing online so give it a try!

Update 12PM 08/08/20: Well that did not last long, servers are back offline again.

Update 9AM 08/08/20: The Fall Guys Server Owl has not tweeted any any further updates, but I managed to get in to a game on PS4 in seconds, so things seem to be back up and running, huzzah!

Mediatonic shifted the game back into an official maintenance mode overnight, citing the ever-increasing number of players throwing up more problems. Obviously it's not been great for people wanting to play, and the team have promised to create some extra rewards as a sign of their appreciation for everyone's patience and support.

Update 11PM: This update is to let you know there is no update, it's still down, sorry.

Update 8PM: Finally an official update! The servers are effectively still down, with Mediatonic hoping to stabilise things in preparation for the weekend.

Update 6PM: We're back online and playing a game! After a lot of downtime and connectivity issues, Fall Guys seems to be working. Sometimes. You will need patience while matchmaking in order to get a game, that's for sure. There are also still no updates from the Mediatonic team about how things are performing as we head into the evening, but things are "working" right now.

Update 3:50PM: We're seeing connection errors during matchmaking with the message, "Connection to the Server timed out. Please check the settings and try again." There are no settings to check on PS4, though!

No updates have been posted about the matter on either of the Fall Guys Twitter accounts since 1:39PM, but we're sure the Mediatonic team are working hard to resolve the issues.

Update 2PM: Uh oh, the servers are still struggling, because people rushed to play too quickly…

Update 1PM: Fall Guys' server maintenance has finally ended after over seven hours! It sounds like it's been a big job for Mediatonic as they've added capacity and enhanced the servers ahead of the weekend, while also fixing a few exploits with regard to Steam player names and hacking crowns and kudos from the store. However, note that the servers are "slowly" coming back online, so be patient while trying to matchmake for the next hour or so.

The original post follows.

Mediatonic have taken the Fall Guys servers offline this morning to perform maintenance and add capacity ahead of the game's first weekend after launch.

Trying to play the game this morning will see the following message pop up.

The Matchmaker is currently down for maintenance whilst we add more capacity, please check back soon for updates.

There's no word on when they expect to have the servers back online – Update 12:30PM: maintenance has been ongoing for over 7 hours at this point – but in the meantime, they've been having more social media fun times with a few polls.

While the main Fall Guys twitter account has been keeping people updated, there's also the Fall Guys Server Owl account, which has no less silly nonsense on it, despite supposedly being more technical and informative.

So, what do you think to see-saw?

As you can see, very little has changed in their social media approach since yesterday's The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 love in, where they teased or joked about some kind of future collaboration.

On 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 as one of August's free games, but it was always going to be a streaming darling, and shot to the top of Twitch as well.

It's no surprise that the game has been struggling, and with all of that attention, this weekend is sure to be peak Fall Guys time, and therefore quite critical for the game's servers to hold up.

We posted our Fall Guys review today, saying:

Full of cute and cuddly jellybean dude 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.

What We Played #462 – Fall Guys, Ghost of Tsushima & Marvel's Avengers

It's horribly sunny, muggy and warm in the UK about now. It's almost too hot to actually do much of anything right now, beyond sit with a fan pointing at your face or with the AC cranked up. With that in mind, we've also asked our writers what they've watched in addition to what they've played.

I have been playing games this week though. Obviously there's been some Fall Guys, which is great despite its rocky start, but I also got to preview PGA Tour 2K21, sample the gorgeous survival game Windbound, and be disappointed by the optimisation (or lack thereof) of Horizon Zero Dawn on PC. I've accompanied my gaming with occasional episodes of Snowpiercer, which has helped cool me down.

Aran's been watching The Good Place (which is something I should really come back to for the final season!), and finished off the story of Yakuza 3 with a side of Fall Guys.

Meanwhile, it was Lost Wing and Void Terrarium reviews for Ade, to compliment his EDF 4.1 with his girlfriend and Lego Ninjago with his son. They're trying to unlock the Golden Ninja, with a daunting 152 Golden Lego Bricks to collect! Oh, and the decidedly un-PC early seasons of Midsomer Murders, as they've started watching the long running murder mystery series from the very beginning.

There's been a mishmash of Ghost of Tsushima, Dauntless, Fall Guys and Marvel Ultimate Alliance for Jim, who's looking forward to Marvel's Avengers, having got to play it early last weekend. Meanwhile, Reuben has been reviewing Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris, playing Final Fantasy XIV ahead of next week's patch, and used Rise of the Tomb Raider as a palette cleanser after all those JRPGs.

Nic's Netflix-ing has taken him to the darkest depths of reality TV with the "surprisingly watchable" Selling Sunset. That's helped him get through the process of packing for a house move this weekend, which has meant putting his PS4 away in a box. Luckily he finished off The Last of Us Part II just before he did that!

A different kind of darkness from Tom Lord, who's been watching The Salisbury Poisonings in lieu of playing Fall Guys. Apparently it  "Makes you paranoid," which maybe isn't the most ringing of endorsements…

The other Tom fell head over heels for the psychadelic speed-running roguelite FPS Post Void this week, which also ended up on Miguel and Steve's playlists. Speaking of Steve, he thoroughly enjoyed The Last Guardian despite its wonky controls, and got to vent while playing through Carrion. His week of telly has featured Doom Patrol on Starzplay, but he's having to wait for his daughter to catch up on Umbrella Academy.

No problems with slow children for Nick, who's finished off Umbrella Academy season 2, and cannot wait for season 3. His gaming has been dominated by Ghost of Tsushima, where he's just reached the second act.

Next we come to Miguel. He played Fall Guys for a bit, kept up with Animal Crossing, played Tetris 99 for the Paper Mario theme, and dipped into COD Warzone. He also picked up a cheap Xbox One X, where he's hopped into Forza Horizon 4 and Halo 5, and when his internet died after a tropical storm hit NYC, he decided to watch Kaiji, Arakawa Under The Bridge, and Girls Und Panzer to name a few shows.

And finally, Tuffcub played (not watched) Fort Boyard, for some reason. His internet went down as well for a bit, so he played The Last Guardian and got lost with a complete lack of waypoints until he could play Destiny 2 again.

Right. Now it's over to you. What have you played and watched this week?

Fall Guys Season One rewards – when does it end?

Fall Guys has gracefully waddled its way into our shortlist of favourite multiplayer games on PC and PlayStation 4. Picking up a plucky 8/10 in our review, we love the game's cheeky simplicity even if we have been butting up against server issues during launch week.

Even when you don't win in Fall Guys the game still rewards players with Fame, feeding into a progress bar tagged with various unlockable rewards. Think of it as the Fall Guys battle pass. From faceplates and emotes to costumes and Kudos, aiming for these prizes is what will keep many coming back.

Each season your progress bar will be reset and the track restocked with new rewards. If you miss some of the costumes and other bits from season one they will be lost though it's likely they will return via the in-game shop.

Fall Guys Season One rewards full list

Below you'll find a complete list of unlockable items, leading all the way up to rank 40.

Rank Unlock Category
2 500 Kudos Currency
3 Bubblegum Colour
4 Cells Pattern
5 1 Crowns Currency
6 Pigeon Costume (Lower)
7 Raspberry Colour
8 Squiggly Camo Pattern
9 Pigeon Costume (Upper)
10 1000 Kudos Currency
11 Coo-ey! Emote
12 Topology Pattern
13 Rookie Costume (Lower)
14 1500 Kudos Currency
15 Citrus Blast Colour
16 Rookie Costume
17 Yeller Faceplate
18 2500 Kudos Currency
19 Hot Dog Costume
20 1 Crowns Currency
21 Steel Color
22 Hot Dog Costume (Lower)
23 3500 Kudos Currency
24 Rainbow Water Colour
25 Chicken Costume (Lower)
26 Paint Dipped Pattern
27 Night Sky Colour
28 Chicken Costume (Upper)
29 4500 Kudos Currency
30 Pirate Jig Emote
31 Hunter Pattern
32 1 Crowns Currency
33 Hunter Costume (Lower)
34 Ocean Dreams Colour
35 Baby Blue Faceplate
36 Hunter Costume (Upper)
37 Zebra Stripes Pattern
38 6000 Kudos Currency
39 Pirate Pattern
40 Jack in a Box Celebration

In summary, here's a quick rundown of everything you can rinse from the season one pass:

  • 19,500 Kudos
  • 3 Crowns
  • 2 Emotes
  • 1 Celebration
  • 5 Lower costume parts
  • 5 Upper costume parts
  • 2 Faceplates
  • 7 Colours

When does Fall Guys Season One end?

Fall Guys season one will end on October 6th. Your progress will be reset for season two though Mediatonic have yet to confirm how long fans will have to wait for this second season to kick off.

Fall Guys guides & more from TheSixthAxis