Immortals Fenyx Rising Has Gone Gold
For the final three months of 2020, Ubisoft seems determined to give you as much content as humanly possible. We'll round out the year with Immortals Fenyx Rising. The family-friendly open world title will see you trying to reunite the banished Greek Gods to battle a powerful enemy. It just recently got a lot of new information and footage, which you can read about through here, and it seems as its locked and ready to go.
On Ubisoft's official Twitter, it's been announced that Immortals has officially gone gold. That means the primary development on the game is now finished ahead of its release at the end of the year.
Immortals Fenyx Rising will release on December 3rd for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC and Stadia, so you'll be able to play it just about anywhere you go. The PS5/Series X version has also been confirmed to run at 4K/60 FPS, which you can read more about through here.
GOLD
Congratulations to the @FenyxRising team, we can't wait for everyone to play this December 3! pic.twitter.com/hvZUebLdSJ
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) October 26, 2020
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Gets New Lead Narrative Designer
The hope was that this year we would get the sequel to the cult hit, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. Alas, it was not to be be, as the game was one of many high profile titles to eventually be hit with the delay hammer to 2021. But it also seems as if there is some degree of turmoil behind the scenes as well, as several high profile members of the development team have left. For instance, the Creative Director Lead Narrative Designer were both let go. It definitely raises some eyebrows about the state of the project, but it does seem as if one of those spots has been filled.
On her Twitter, Samatha Wallschlaeger announced that she had become the new Lead Narrative Designer at Hardsuit Labs. She's worked for several developers in the past, including BioWare and Monolith.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is set to release at some point in 2021 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC and Stadia.
Guess what, y'all? I'm now the lead narrative designer at Hardsuit Labs!!
At this point, I'll just be supporting my new team in whatever tiny ways I can. But I'm so excited for future stuff, and so happy to be working with these wonderful folks!
— Samantha Wallschlaeger (@StillNotSam) October 26, 2020
Destruction AllStars – 15 Features You Need To Know
NOTE: It was recently confirmed that Destruction AllStars has been delayed, and will now launch in February 2021. It will also be free to all PlayStation Plus subscribers for the first two months after launch.
This feature was written prior to this announcement.
Car combat and arcade, action-oriented racers have become a rare breed, so any time new game in the genre looks good enough to catch your attention, it's hard not to take notice. Lucid Games and Sony's upcoming Destruction All-Stars might not be the biggest first party launch title for the PS5 this Holiday, what with the likes of Demon's Souls and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales releasing right alongside it, but there's no shortage of people who're excited to see how it will turn out. So as we approach its imminent launch, in this feature, we're going to go over some of the most crucial details you should know about Destruction AllStars.
COMBAT
Car combat is going to be the name of the game in Destruction AllStars. Each match will see heroes in unique cars taking each other down through rams and well-timed slams or the usage of weapons. Interestingly enough, the action will continue if your car gets destroyed or you find yourself without a vehicle, and you'll find yourself on foot as you look for a new vehicle.
VEHICLES
So what exactly can we expect from the vehicles we'll be driving in Destruction AllStars? Well, there's nearly 30 unique vehicles in the game. As each match begins, several basic vehicles will be scattered throughout the map, though though it's worth noting that each character in the roster will also have their own signature vehicle with special abilities.
HERO VEHICLES
Some of the examples Sony have revealed for the aforementioned signature hero vehicles give an interesting idea of what we can expect from them. For instance, The Undisputed (which belongs to the character Ultimo Barricado) can activate a large shield. Tw!nlkeR1ot's vehicle, Mr. Sparkles, can enter Rampage mode, allowing you to hit harder with your attacks. Genesis' Callisto can use boosters, which can not only help with speed, but allow you to slam enemies much harder. Then there's Hana's Sabre, which can slice opponents in half with a large blade.
ABILTIIES
It won't just be the vehicles and their abilities that will turn the tide of battle in Destruction AllStars. As we've mentioned, characters seem to play just as much of a role in the game as their vehicles, and each character having their own movement options and unique abilities to help them behind the wheel, as well as when they're on foot. Using character abilities and vehicle abilities in conjunction is likely going to be crucial to success in Destruction AllStars.
HERO ABILITIES
As with hero vehicles, details on some hero abilities have also been revealed. Ultimo Barricado, true to his name, can become invulnerable to all incoming enemy attacks. There's Lupita, who can spew a trail of fire to deal damage to her foes. There's Shyft, who can temporarily go invisible, and perhaps even leverage that to steal an enemy's vehicle. Then there's Boxtop, who can spawn a parcel that will not only provide your teammates with buffs, but also deal explosive damage to your enemies.
ROSTER
So, it's become clearer that Destruction AllStars isn't just a car combat game- it's also throwing some rather interesting hero multiplayer elements in there, which could potentially make for a nice concoction. And how many of these characters exactly are there going to be in the game? At launch, Destruction AllStars will have a roster of 16 playable characters. Lucid Games and Sony have given an interesting taste of what they're going to be like, but here's hoping more details on them arrive soon.
"CINEMATIC RIVALRIES"
It seems like Destruction AllStars will be leaning heavily into its heroes, not only for gameplay purposes, but also for storytelling and cinematic purposes. Background and story details on these characters haven't been revealed yet, but the developers have said that many characters will have "cinematic rivalries" that will explore the motivations of these AllStars.
ARENAS
We've spoken about the combat, we've spoken about the abilities, we've spoken about the characters- but just as important in a multiplayer game, if not more so, is the maps and how they're designed. That is something the the developers of Destruction AllStars have specifically spoken about as well. Apparently, the game's arenas have been designed with both, car combat and on-foot gameplay on mind. In an update about the game on the PlayStation blog, Lucid Games said the arenas have been "designed to harness mobility and destructive action." Vehicles will have the freedom and room to speed around and cause mayhem, while on-foot characters can "seek temporary safety in suspended platforms above" and use their parkour skills to "jump, climb, grab and vault, they can collect items and lure opponents into hard hitting traps."
MULTIPLAYER
Clearly, Destruction AllStars is going to be a multiplayer game first and foremost. Matches will be 16-play affairs, there will be quick play options, as well as limited-time special events. The game's official webpage on the PlayStation site mentions Matchday games and Persistent Rivals, and while Lucid Games have yet to explicitly talk about those two things in details, we're curious to see what they will offer. Rank-based matches will also earn you XP, which means there's going to be a proper progression system as well.
SINGLE PLAYER
Though Destruction AllStars will put much of its focus on the multiplayer side of things, the game will have a single player offering for you to dive into as well, if you wish to. The single player campaign will see you completing through a series of over 50 events, playable as multiple heroes, and take you across five arenas.
DUALSENSE
Like most (if not all) games releasing for the PS5 this Holiday, Destruction AllStars – which, in fact, is one of few actual PS5 exclusives coming out in November – will be leveraging the DualSense's unique features as well. Adaptive triggers and haptic feedback will both be used to give players more nuanced and varied feedback for different vehicles, the impcts you will feel during combat, the weapons you will use, and more.
OTHER ENHANCEMENTS
Other than the DualSense, there are two other leaps over current-gen hardware that the PS5 has been trumpeting loudly- its super-fast SSD and its 3D audio engine. Destruction AllStars, like pretty much every other Sony first party launch title, will use both these things to its advantage. 3D audio should be interesting when you're in the midst of chaotic matches in arenas full of crowds, while the SSD promises to minimize the game's loading times.
COSMETICS
Given Destruction AllStars' multiplayer-driven and hero-driven nature, it isn't surprising that the game will also allow you to mix things up with cosmetic options. As with a few other things, not too many details have been revealed about this thus far, but we can probably expect cosmetic options to be featured for characters as well as vehicles. Meanwhile, the game's aforementioned webpage also mentions that you'll be unlocking emotes, banners, new skins, and more while playing the single player campaign, so there's that.
POST-LAUNCH
Destruction AllStars is a game that's rife for post-launch support, and developers Lucid Games seem to have every intention of doing just that. It's been promised that after launch, Destruction AllStars will continue to receive a stream of new modes, new features, and more. Post-launch roadmaps will be shared soon (and regularly after that, hopefully), and all of this DLC will be coming to the game for free.
PRICE
Sony have become one of several companies to adopt $70 as their new standard price for games, and Destruction AllStars will launch with that price as well. Something that Sony haven't yet spoken much (or at all) about is monetization. With its cosmetic in-game options, there's plenty of questions about how these will be unlocked, especially with all post-launch DLC being free, so here's hoping those in-game monetization details come soon.
Cyberpunk 2077 Designer Talks Cut Content and Features
CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 is only a few weeks away but it's interesting to see just how closely it resembles the original 2018 gameplay demo. That being said, some features – like wall-running – have been cut. Will that impact one's enjoyment of the title? In a recent forum post, senior level designer Miles Tost weighed in on the same.
Tost first noted that dual-wielding, also reportedly cut, was never a thing and that players should read reviews and other impressions before picking the game up. He then noted that, "Cutting features and scope is a very normal part of development. You can witness it so openly with our game, because we happily gave in to community wishes and showed you that 2018 demo. Think about it. The game – 2 years from release. Of course we iterate and change stuff and of course we also will have ideas that sound great on paper but then doesn't end up working out well in the game with all the other features.
He also cited The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt which had a "ton of stuff" cut out, "but in the end all of it made the game better – now I understand, this is disappointing for everyone when it happens and also difficult to understand without all the context of development environment, but in this case I just kindly ask you for your trust. Just look at stories of so many other games you might enjoy.
"Believe me when I say that during their development some loved features also were cut and you still enjoy them today, maybe even because of the cuts. In the end, it is all about how much fun the game and it systems provide you and we are doing our best to make sure it is as great of an experience as it can be. Sometimes for that, you have to make some hard decisions and this time around, you were here to witness it."
Finally, for those worried about the content that will be in the game due to these cuts, Tost replied, "If you worry about the amount of content on our game, please don't. We're notoriously bad at judging how long game time is in our games (I remember we estimated players would max out The Witcher 3 at 100h), so we try not to do that anymore. But I can only keep saying what I have been saying in the past: you guys have seen nothing yet."
With three Life Paths to pursue, each with their own impact on the main story and branching decisions; 75 Street Stories which provide smaller quests with their unique stories to tell; an extensive list of activities and happenings around every corner; and much more, it's safe to say that there will be plenty to do. CD Projekt RED will also be releasing free DLC, which should add more quests and items like with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This also doesn't account for the upcoming paid expansions or multiplayer which release further down the line.
Cyberpunk 2077 is out on November 19th for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia. It will be playable on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 at launch but proper next-gen versions won't arrive till later. Stay tuned for more details en route to launch.
Devil May Cry 5 – Vergil DLC is Out for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in December for $5
When Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition launches not long from now, it'll also be bringing plenty of completely new content, from a new Turbo mode to the Legendary Dark Knight difficulty. The most notable addition, however, is Vergil, who will be a playable character across the campaign, the Bloody Palace, and the Void.
Vergil won't be exclusive to next-gen, however. It will be added to the game on PS4, Xbox One, and PC as DLC as well, and now, Capcom have confirmed exactly when that will happen- on December 15, a little over a month after Special Edition's launch. It will cost $4.99 / €4.99 / £3.99.
Devil May Cry 5 is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, while Special Edition will be a launch title for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in November. Capcom doesn't have any plans to bring it to PC.
In addition to the new content, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition will also feature 3D audio, faster load times, higher frame rates, and ray tracing. Ray tracing will be coming to Xbox Series X in a post-launch update, but won't be available on Xbox Series S.
Capcom recently detailed the various graphical modes that will be available in the game. Get all those details through here.
Ghostrunner Celebrates Release With Launch Trailer
Developer One More Level's upcoming first person cyberpunk hack-and-slash platformer Ghostrunner might not be among the biggest blockbuster games releasing in the coming weeks, but it's a game that a lot of people have had their eye on for a while. Its fast action, slick aesthetic, and one-hit-one-kill mechanic have looked like an interesting concoction for a while, and now, players can try it out for themselves.
Ghostrunner has released today, and it's received an official launch trailer to celebrate that occasion. Take a look at it below.
Ghostrunner sees you, a cybernetic ninja, trying to ascend the Dharma Tower – which is a sprawling city built into a large structure that serves as the last bastion of the human race – in order to take out its tyrannical leader, Mara the Keymaster.
Ghostrunner is out today on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. It will also release for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S some time in 2021. Publisher 505 Games has confirmed that free next-gen upgrades will be supported.
Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition Will Not Support Ray Tracing on Xbox Series S
Capcom recently revealed the several graphical options that will be available to players in Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition when it launches on next-gen consoles next month. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X will offer up to 120 FPS gameplay, but those looking for sharper visuals, you can play at either 4K/30 FPS or 1080p/60 FPS with ray tracing enabled (ray tracing will become available on the Xbox Series X in a post-launch update).
Of course, that still leaves the question of what players can expect from the game on the Xbox Series S. In a recent update, Capcom clarified that though Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition on the Xbox Series S will have several enhancements – including faster load times, spatial audio, up to 120 FPS gameplay, and all the new content – ray tracing won't be one of them. That feature will be restricted to the Xbox Series X and PS5.
Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition is out for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10 and for PS5 on November 12. Capcom currently seem to have no plans to bring it to PC.
Watch Dogs: Legion – Opening Gameplay and Permadeath Ending Revealed
With reviews going live for Watch Dogs: Legion tomorrow, many publications (along with Ubisoft's official YouTube channel) have begun uploading more gameplay of it's opening. It sees DedSec attempting to stop Zero Day's attack on London, along with the fallout afterwards. Check it out below courtesy of IGN.
But that's not all. Permadeath is an option in the game which sees operatives permanently gone if fatally wounded in combat. So what happens if you lose all of your operatives this way? Once again, the consequences of this can be seen below. Minor spoilers, of course, but it's hilarious all the same.
Watch Dogs: Legion is out on October 29th for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia. It will also launch on November 10th for Xbox Series X/S worldwide and November 12th for PS4 in North America. Expect more details in the coming days but in the meantime, check out the story trailer for the game here since it provides a bit more on Zero Day's goals.
Xbox Game Pass has emerged as one of Microsoft's key strategies going forward. While it's by no means the first video game subscription service we had, it's certainly the biggest and the only one being aggressively pushed by a platform holder. It's had a good rotation of games coming and going since its initial launch and is planned to come to more and more platforms. It's also expanding, and with the acquisition of Bethesda, it means there will be a lot more titles coming onto the service by next year, but it seems that it's not done by a long shot.
Talking to GameReactor, Phil Spencer talked about Game Pass and its future. When asked about Microsoft acquiring more companies, he didn't give a specific yes or no, but did seem to hint it would be happening in regards to the service expanding, saying, "So, with the growth that we are seeing, I expect we will constantly be in this mode of bringing more creators into the fold." What's maybe more interesting is that Spencer said he sees a key thing missing from Game Pass he hopes to expand on: more casual, broad appeal titles similar to their acquisition of the Minecraft property.
"If we look at what people are playing on Xbox, what Game Pass subscribers are playing, I think what is missing from our portfolio is casual content with a broad appeal. E-rated content (to use an ESRB rating) is not a strength for us. We obviously have Minecraft and we have some other franchises. But when I think about expanding the creative palette that our teams have, I think that is critically important."
Xbox Game Pass is currently available via Xbox One, PC and Xbox Cloud Streaming on Android. It will also be available on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S launches when they launch November 10th.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot To Add Dragon Ball Card Warriors Online Game In Free Update
Earlier this year we got to revisit the classic Dragon Ball Z saga with Kakarot. While it's very well worn ground at this point, and I mean very well worn, this was a new context as it was a RPG title as opposed to the fighting titles we're used to. We also got to go past Z into the Super saga as well, which is fun. Now it seems we're going into a much different realm with a very interesting game within a game.
As part of a free update later this week, the game will add Dragon Ball Card Warriors. It will be a fully online collectible card game, and there's also a video to explain the rules of the update. It's actually pretty in-depth considering it's a free add-on and all.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Card Warriors will come as part of a free update on October 27th. The next paid expansion, A New Power Awakens – Part 2, is set to launch this fall.