505 Games Says Indivisible Future Content Has Been Canceled Following Lab Zero Games Closing

Indivisible

It has been a tumultuous past few months for Lab Zero Games and its former employees. Following the decision by multiple developers to leave the studio earlier this summer as a form of protest against owner Mike Zaimont and his alleged history of sexual harassment, the company was soon after dissolved entirely with all remaining employees being laid off. The move was one that left the developer's future and current projects in question, and as of now, we know what the status is with at least one of them.

Publisher 505 Games released a statement today confirming what was already expected by many in the case of Indivisible, the action-RPG that Lab Zero released a year ago. While the game was slated to receive future content in the form of guest characters (which included the likes of Shantae, Shovel Knight, and many others) this will no longer be possible. Additionally, characters that were created by those who backed the game won't be coming either.

505 did clarify, however, that there is still some content in the submission process that will still be coming to Indivisible. Of those new add-ons, one such update for the game's Switch iteration will bring a number of new challenges, co-op, and New Game+. "At this stage, apart from content that is already in submission, there will unfortunately be no more production on the game," 505 wrote.

This whole situation is definitely a bummer all around. I especially feel for those who backed the game on Indiegogo and won't be able to see their contributions result in the in-game content that they paid for. Then again, considering the way in which Lab Zero closed, it's not like you can be mad at the studio itself or 505 Games for this situation coming about.

Even though is the end of Indivisible itself, the game remains one of the more highly-scored games from us here at DualShockers last year and is one that we would absolutely recommend picking up even without these planned future content updates.

The post 505 Games Says Indivisible Future Content Has Been Canceled Following Lab Zero Games Closing by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.

Genshin Impact Version 1.1 Will Add Equipment Lock Function, Oculus Detector, And More Quality of Life Improvements

Genshin Impact Housing haloween alternate costumes feature Genshin Impact Version 1.1

Soon after publishing the future update schedule for Genshin Impact, available now on PC, PS4, iOS, and Android, miHoYo in another post announced multiple upgrades are coming with Version 1.1. Including quality of life enhancements and UI changes. The original article is in Chinese, but was translated in Japanese by Genshin player Kurayami_11. Here are all the details:

Genshin Impact Version 1.1 improvements:

We'll be able to lock Artifacts and weapons, so they can't be accidentally used as level-up fodder.

An encyclopedia will be added so you can check the description of items. Alongside how to obtain them.

An Anemoculus Detector and a Geoculus Detector will be added. Anemoculus and Geoculus are Oculi, small collectibles used for stamina upgrades. This will make it easier for players to find them.

That's it for the upgrades coming in Version 1.1 on November 11. However, miHoYo also revealed more changes will be coming soon:

A shortcut function to eat food items during battle will be added. That way you won't have to go through the menu each time.

When strengthening weapons to their current max level, we'll get the excess Experience back in form of ores.

A new in-game report function will be added. The translation doesn't detail what it is for but I assume bug reporting.

Characters will stay playable even if you send them on an Expedition. As you already know, Fischl has a 25% Expedition time reduction bonus in Mondstadt. This is very important as you'll be able to use Fischl even when she's on an Expedition. We won't have to choose between playing with her or sending her away.

Lastly, a co-op event will be held soon. It's likely it will be the same Ignite the Elemental Crucible co-op event from the Closed Beta 3, but with changes and improvements.

Genshin Impact will receive its Version 1.1 update on November 11. That's one month from now on. As we wait for the update, don't forgot to play the game the way you want and having fun. Meanwhile, you can also watch Lisa's seiyuu Rie Tanaka playing the game. The game also nearly reached 20 millions downloads on mobile alone.

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Here's How You Can Upgrade Select PS4 Games to Their PS5 Version

PS5 Close up

Along with a post detailing the massive list of PS4 games that will be backward compatible with the PS5, Sony has released details on how players can upgrade their current-gen titles to their high-fidelity next-gen versions. Not all games will be eligible for upgrades, however, and a list of games that can be upgraded has not been made available.

Not all games will be free to upgrade either. According to the PlayStation support page detailing how to upgrade games, "Depending on the game, this upgrade may occur at no additional cost, may require a purchase, and may be available for a limited time."

Upgrades are split into two different categories – upgrades from disks and upgrades from digital versions. The first thing you need for either is a PlayStation account, although the similarities end there. If you're upgrading a game you own physically, you will have to put the disk in your PS5 first, go to the game's hub, and select the upgrade offer that should appear there. After this selection, you'll be downloading (or purchase at a discounted price) the upgraded version of your game. There is one hitch though, you'll need to keep the disk inserted whenever you're playing a game upgraded like this.

Upgrading digitally purchased games is a much more straightforward process. You'll simply have to find the game in the PlayStation Store and go to its game hub. From there, you'll find an upgrade offer and go through the same final steps as if you were upgrading a disk.

Sony will be launching the PS5 on November 12.

The post Here's How You Can Upgrade Select PS4 Games to Their PS5 Version by Otto Kratky appeared first on DualShockers.

Baldur's Gate 3 Review (Early Access) — Role for Initiative

When playing through a campaign in Dungeons & Dragons, there is always the pretense that players are being guided through a set narrative, but the real joy of a tabletop RPG is the unpredictability. Even with the best intentions and well-laid plains, a stray dice roll or a wayward saving throw can completely change the narrative for players, something that has always been at the heart of a good D&D campaign. In that sense, with Larian Studios serving as the Dungeon Master, Baldur's Gate 3 almost perfectly captures what makes banding together on a fantasy adventure through roleplaying so alluring.

As the developers behind the Divinity: Original Sin series, Larian already made a case for themselves that they were up to taking the mantle of the Baldur's Gate series, which is still regarded as one of the all-time RPG classics. Though players of Divinity: Original Sin 2 will likely find a lot of that game's DNA strewn throughout Larian's latest project, Baldur's Gate 3 is unabashedly a D&D-inspired adventure with a truly heavy emphasis on role-playing. From its storyline set in the Forgotten Realms, to its systems that feel right out of the 5E Player's Handbook, Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the best game adaptations of the D&D universe yet, even though it clearly has a long way to go to reach its full potential.

Baldur's Gate 3 has been released by Larian Studios this week in Early Access on PC and Mac, which will give players the chance to delve into the RPG before its full release sometime in the future. However, the most notable part of the Early Access release worth mentioning is the fact that this build isn't the full game and instead is focused solely on the first of the game's three acts. A dense experience on its own, the first act of Baldur's Gate 3 offers about 20-25 hours of gameplay, while also giving players a glimpse at most of the systems and mechanics that will fuel the rest of the experience once it hits its finalized release.

Normally I'm someone that tends to shy away from playing games in Early Access in favor of playing a finished, polished release, and playing through Baldur's Gate 3 a few days prior to its Early Access release was a reminder of why I tend to wait. New builds of the game were introduced over the past weekend that erased progress from previous ones, and new updates and patches released would gradually fix some of the issues that I ran into. There are placeholders for features like pre-made Origin characters that aren't in the game yet, along with other components that aren't fully fleshed out, such as a wider selection of character classes beyond six basic D&D staples: Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, Ranger, Cleric, and Warlock.

In its current form, there's no question that Baldur's Gate 3 is very much an Early Access experience with bugs and technical issues to spare. In my time with the Early Access build texture loading, missing character animations, and delayed sound cues were among the most common issues that I ran into, along with some initial tweaking with the game's settings to improve performance. Though the game as a whole often looks gorgeous, there were moments where beautifully-rendered scenes were dampened by low-res textures or a character model that didn't fully render correctly, reminders that this build is functional but not yet fully polished.

However, despite some of those issues that are inevitable with a release that is clearly a work-in-progress, what Larian has offered with the Early Access version of Baldur's Gate 3 is still an enjoyable and satisfying experience in its own right. Given that there are plenty more updates and tweaks in store for this build over the coming weeks and months, the best approach towards the Early Access release is taking it in as a very extended demo of what will (eventually) be an enormous, highly-detailed RPG. From the hours that I've spent with the game, there are already a vast assortment of options and ways for scenes to play out, giving more of an incentive for players to experiment with each of the available classes and races in the Early Access build.

After a cinematic opening cutscene introduces the threat of the Mindflayers to Faerun, Baldur's Gate 3 brings players into its character creator to create both their playable protagonist and their potential love interest. Here, Larian Studios strikes an excellent balance with a fantastic character creator that feels streamlined, approachable, and with enough depth to bring the player's characters to life, especially since they all look incredible when finished. Whether you decide on a Tiefling Wizard or a Half-Elf Cleric, the character creator in Baldur's Gate 3 offers enough depth that players can finely tune their characters from skin and hair color to tattoos and facial features, but with enough approachability to not feel too overwhelming if you want to delve right into the action.

That last point especially defines the opening hours of the game, as Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't waste time introducing players to its story, world, and the stakes at hand. Your playable character finds themselves onboard a Mindflayer ship alongside other captives, with the infamous D&D nemeses implanting their prisoners with parasites to turn them into members of their growing army. With the help of a Githyanki Fighter named Lae'zel, your character escapes the prisoner ship and discovers that they have yet to turn into Mindflayers themselves, leading to the search for a cure and to thwart the Mindflayers' plans to overrun Faerun.

From the simplicity of its opening setup, the rest of the Early Access experience of Baldur's Gate 3 puts a greater emphasis on teaching players the basics of exploration, combat, character interaction, and the dynamics of its many gameplay systems. Like the Divinity games before it and the Dungeons & Dragons mechanics it is drawing from, Baldur's Gate 3 will likely be a bit complex for those without a basic understanding of the D&D fundamentals. But even then, Larian does a solid job of laying out the core mechanics of exploring each environment for what objects you can interact with, how to approach conversations with different characters, and eventually how to engage with combat.

The influence of the Divinity series is especially felt in Baldur's Gate 3, as Larian puts a heavy emphasis on interactivity within each environment. Elemental effects and learning how to combine them with the environment is a tactic that players can make full use of in Baldur's Gate 3, such as dousing enemies in oil and lighting them on fire with a flaming arrow to deal extra damage. For fans of the Divinity games, it won't be much of a hard transition at all with so many of that series' staples and mechanics working their way into Larian's latest project.

However, Baldur's Gate 3's more immediate D&D influences are felt in conversations with other characters and exploration, which rely heavily on dice rolls and saving throws to determine the outcome. In several situations, players will be presented with a d20 dice roll and a number that they will have to surpass in order to successfully pass through an encounter, lending itself to the ways that situations in Baldur's Gate 3 can vary wildly between playthroughs.

For example, in the game's opening where the player encounters an Intellect Devourer (I.E., a brain with legs) feasting on the skull of a captive prisoner, choices are presented then to either destroy the brain, gently remove it and have it join your party, or leave it be. Having played through the opening section of the game twice, both of my outcomes were wildly different. At first, I managed to have the brain follow along in my journey battling Imps, while in the second playthrough, I flubbed the attempt to remove it and left the encounter in a bloody mess. Though this is just one specific example, it speaks to the ways that Baldur's Gate 3 really embraces giving players a variety of outcomes and choices for how they approach each encounter, with surely a lot more to come.

In terms of combat, Baldur's Gate 3 plays out in a turn-based fashion between your party members and the enemies that you engage, with each character having a movement action, attack, and bonus action to utilize each turn. If you already have familiarity with D&D, Baldur's Gate 3's approach to combat should be straightforward and approachable, with a few tweaks made to streamline things a bit. Even if you aren't, Larian has made its systems approachable enough that if you've played some form of tactical RPG or strategy game–even something like XCOM–you can quickly get the hang of how to take on enemies, with its turn-based combat giving a chance to reflect and plan out your next moves.

Coming off Divinity: Original Sin 2, it's no surprise that Baldur's Gate 3 already shows a ton of promise not only to build off Larian's predecessor, but as a worthy successor to an iconic RPG series. The caveat of course is that it isn't quite there yet, instead showing players a foundation for what's to come through its complex but satisfying systems of exploration, combat, and player agency and immersion. In its current state, the Early Access release of Baldur's Gate 3 is an entertaining but buggy one-shot versus a fully-polished experience. But even in that form, Baldur's Gate 3 looks like the beginning of a grand campaign for the ages.

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The Outer Worlds Finally Docks On Steam October 23

The Outer Worlds Companions

Obsidian's The Outer Worlds launched last year to solid critical praise and great sales. This summer, the Nintendo Switch received a port that was lackluster. But now the game is finally making its way to Steam. Obsidian announced Steam players will only have to wait a few short days before picking up the game on their favored platform. The Outer Worlds launches on Steam October 23. Check out their short teaser trailer below.

If you've yet to play The Outer Worlds, it's kind of like a modern Fallout game crossed with something out of the Firefly universe. You play as the captain of a small spaceship, taking your crew around the stars to save the universe from very greedy corporations. Your crew is made up of several fun characters with their own storyline for you to explore. And really, they're the best part of the game.

 The Outer Worlds brings tons of that Obsidian humor and wit, while also providing a decent enough FPS RPG. Now, there are a few places where it misses the mark, but as an easy-going romp through space, it doesn't get much better on current-gen hardware. And, with it finally hitting Steam, tons of players are going to start flocking in. Thus, this is a perfect time to see what the game is all about.

The Outer Worlds is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC (via the Epic Game Store), PS4, and Xbox One. It comes to Steam on October 23. So, dust off that leather vest and get ready for some exciting space escapades.

The post The Outer Worlds Finally Docks On Steam October 23 by Ricky Frech appeared first on DualShockers.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Has Gone Gold for Both PS5 and PS4

Arguably the biggest launch title for the PS5 is that of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and ahead of the platform's release next month, developer Insomniac Games has confirmed that the game will be arriving right on schedule.

Insomniac took to Twitter this afternoon to announce that Spider-Man: Miles Morales has now officially gone gold, meaning that the initial work on the game has been completed. This is true for both iterations of the title across PS5 and PS4, so no matter where you might be looking to pick it up, you'll officially be able to do so in just a few short weeks.

By far the best part of the announcement though is that Insomniac Games attached a GIF that features a modernized version of a popular sequence from the old Spider-Man cartoon. The newly-realized GIF features the character models from Miles Morales sleuthing along in the same bizarre manner that Spidey did in the old animation. And while GIF itself is pretty funny at face value, it also seems to highlight a few of the variant skins that Miles will be able to swap between in-game.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is set to drop next month for both current and next-gen PlayStation systems on November 12. And if you'd truly like to get the full Miles Morales experience, an accompanying art book and tie-in novel will also be dropping in proximity to the game's release.

The post Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Has Gone Gold for Both PS5 and PS4 by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.

Microsoft Says "We Absolutely Will End Up On IOS"

Xbox Game Streaming

Between the lengthy and very public lawsuit with Fortnite developer Epic Games and the rejection of streaming apps such as Microsoft's xCloud and Google Stadia, it's safe to say that Apple isn't making any gaming fans as of late. Despite Apple's resistance, Microsoft's executive vice-president of gaming Phil Spencer told his company "we absolutely will end up on IOS."

First reported by Business Insider, Spencer held a company-wide meeting where he discussed bringing Xbox Game Pass to IOS in 2021 by using a "direct browser-based solution" to navigate around Apple's reluctance to allow game streaming apps on their platform.

This dedication from Spencer and the team at Microsoft to bring their games to IOS is nothing new. Last month in an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer said, "We're committed to bringing xCloud to all mobile endpoints, including Apple's big ecosystem. For customers out there — and I see it on Twitter all the time, people asking — they can just know we will get there. We remain committed."

It's currently unclear what the future of cloud gaming services will look like for Apple. They have remained solid on their stances and that doesn't seem like it's going to change anytime soon. They also haven't responded well to companies trying to get around their app restrictions so their response to this might be less than ideal.

Only time will tell, however, as Spencer's comments were not official statements. We can probably expect something official from Microsoft and a response from Apple in the coming weeks as more information comes to light.

For more on xCloud, make sure to check out our video on the best phones to use for cloud gaming. Also, make sure to read our article on the issue that no one is talking about: how the Xbox Series X and S taste.

The post Microsoft Says "We Absolutely Will End Up On IOS" by Peter Hunt Szpytek appeared first on DualShockers.

PS5 Won't Let You Play Afro Samurai 2 at Launch

PS5 PS4 Backward Compatibility Cross Generation New PlayStation

Despite launching in a little under five weeks, Sony has still needed to dot some I's and cross some T's when it comes to final details on the PS5. One of those aspects of the console that we have continued to have a few questions about has come with its backward compatible functionality in regards to PS4 titles. Luckily, it seems as though any lingering questions prior to release have now been answered.

Over on the official PlayStation website today, further details of how PS4 backward compatible games will work on PS5 were laid out. Once again, it was made clear that the "overwhelming majority" of the PS4's 4,000+ game library will be able to make the transition to the PS5. While not all of those games will receive what Sony is calling a "Game Boost" on the next-gen hardware, they will be playable nonetheless.

That said, we were also given the full breakdown of the games that won't be working on PS5. Here's the full list of PS4 games as of right now that have been confirmed to be unavailable on PS5:

  • DWVR
  • Afro Samurai 2 Revenge of Kuma Volume One
  • TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 2
  • Just Deal With It!
  • Shadow Complex Remastered
  • Robinson: The Journey
  • We Sing
  • Hitman Go: Definitive Edition
  • Shadwen
  • Joe's Diner

As you can see, the ten titles here aren't "major" PS4 games by any means, so I doubt too many folks will be crestfallen. This list will likely grow over time though, so if you think every single PS4 title other than these ten will work on PS5, well, that won't be the case. Regardless, it's nice to see that the list is this small for launch, even though I'm sure Afro Samurai 2 stans are heartbroken.

The PS5 is finally set to arrive in a little over a month and will hit store shelves (briefly) on November 12.

The post PS5 Won't Let You Play Afro Samurai 2 at Launch by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.

Xbox Series X New Commercial Sees 'Get Out' Star Daniel Kaluuya Transforming Into Master Chief

For the longest time, PlayStation has basically been the king of weird-ass video game marketing. Within the past year alone, Sony has put out weird ads that feature a man flooding the world with his own tears while playing Death Stranding and another where a group of soldiers find a bunch of hearts hooked up to PS4 consoles. As we begin to move towards next-gen, however, it looks like Microsoft is trying to give Sony a run for its money.

As promised, Microsoft released its new trailer for the Xbox Series X and S today, and holy smokes, watching it will make you feel like you're on drugs. The trailer features Daniel Kaluuya, who is likely most known from his role in the film Get Out, sitting down to play himself some fun new video games on that there Xbox Series X. Once he picks up his controller and puts on his headset though, things get wild.

Kaluuya is plummeted immediately into what looks to be the world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla only to be then sucked into orbit moments later. He then (stick with me here) transforms into Halo's Master Chief before then blasting off into space and becoming… Galactus? All I know is that he becomes bigger than the planets that we see in space only for us to then be shown a machine being built on the surface of one of these said planets. I don't know how familiar you might be with Marvel comics, dear reader, but that's some Galactus type stuff if I have ever seen it.

The video finally concludes with Kaluuya floating through some sort of city that has been built around him before coming face to face with a woman. Who is this woman? Why is she here? Where did she come from? Look, I don't know, but let's just accept this for what it is at this point.

Despite being so truly bizarre, the commercial itself is actually pretty fun to watch. The visuals that are in the video as well are of a pretty high quality, too, with the Master Chief model, in particular, looking really nice. I don't know if Microsoft will have anymore strange ads for the Xbox Series X like this leading up to launch, but I would definitely be down to consumer more of this nonsense in the future.

As for the Xbox Series X and S themselves, each console is slated to drop next month on November 10.

The post Xbox Series X New Commercial Sees 'Get Out' Star Daniel Kaluuya Transforming Into Master Chief by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.

The Medium Release Date for Xbox Series X and PC Set for Early December

The medium troy baker cast

Of all of the upcoming Xbox Series X launch window games that we have seen, Bloober Team's The Medium is one of the few that won't be available on current generation hardware. And while we previously haven't known when the horror title would be arriving, Bloober Team has today rectified that.

It was revealed this morning that The Medium is set to launch exactly one month after the release of the Xbox Series X and S and will release on December 10. In addition to coming to Microsoft's next-gen platforms, it will also be heading to PC. In addition to Observer: System Redux, this will actually be the second game that Bloober Team will have released for next-gen hardware once it arrives.

The release date announcement from Bloober also coincided with the release of a new trailer for The Medium. The game's latest video continues to highlight its highly-spooky world. Rather than showing actual gameplay, the trailer opts to show off many of the different locales that you'll come across in The Medium in addition to featuring a track from the title's score, which is composed by Arkadiusz Reikowski.

All in all, The Medium continues to look like one of the more intriguing titles that is coming out for either next-gen platform later this year. Given Bloober Team's track record over the past few years as well, it stands to reason that this one could be quite good.

The post The Medium Release Date for Xbox Series X and PC Set for Early December by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.