Something for the Weekend – 24/10/20

Another week down, and another week closer to the next-gen consoles we've been waiting all of 2020 for. I'm sure some people are getting itchy fingers and thumbs just thinking about it, but personally I'm just getting a little antsy waiting to get stuck into reviewing them!

As always, it was the next-gen machines that dominated the headlines, but we can throw in some rather odd brand partnerships as well.

In the News This Week

And in weird and totally unnecessary partnerships:

Games in Review

We raced through a bunch of game reviews this week, and were clearly quite impressed with a number of them.

And we reviewed a headset that comes with a prancing horse on the front:

Thrustmaster T.Racing Scuderia Ferrari Edition Gaming Headset– 8/10

Featured Articles

After that metric ton of reviews, I got to look at some upcoming games that deserve some attention. A little bit ahead of the spookiest day of the year I played the creepy and deeply atmospheric Little Nightmares II, and I also got to spend a few hours colonising Mars in Per Aspera.

I also backed up Thomas' preview of The Falconeer. He tried the game out on PC, while I soared through the skies on Xbox One X. It's one of the much hyped next-gen launch games, especially as it's set to push the Xbox Series X to 120Hz at lovely high resolutions, thanks to its gorgeous and stylised art direction.

Finally, What We Played included Genshin Impact, Transformers Battlegrounds and Mario Kart Live.

Trailer Park

It's showtime in the Balan Wonderworld opening movie

Watch 14 minutes of Scorn gameplay captured on Xbox Series X

Rambo goes to war in his Mortal Kombat 11 gameplay debut footage

Zombie Army 4: Dead War DLC Season Pass 2 starts today with a trip to Damnation Valley

Your Achievements

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

  • willbuchanan sntched the Pic a Pix Classic platinum yesterday and rounded off the Reignited trilogy with the Spyro 3 platinum as well. He's now starting A Winter's Daydream while daydreaming about what his next "proper" game will be.
  • Also grabbing platinum trophies was Crazy_Del (as usual). It was PGA Tour 2K21 this week, but he's well on the way to the Star Wars Squadron one as well, having rounded out all the online trophies from that game. Next up are Astro Bot Rescue Mission VR.
  • hornet1990 has only just figured out that you can fast travel while mounted and craft your own fast travel packs in Horizon Zero Dawn. He's at 56% complete after 40 hours, but I'm sure the last 44% won't take him quite so long!
  • MrYd was annoyed by halloween bobbins in Red Dead Redemption 2, has continued to enjoy Genshin Impact and a little Rogue Company, and been playing lots and lots of Star Wars Squadrons.
  • And having returned from holiday, Andrewww is quarantining at home. His internet's down though, so he's been playing The Last of Us Part II and revisiting The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion on PS3 to play with his son.

Have a good weekend (and wrap up warm if you're going out) and we'll see you on the other side!

Gears 5 will get New Game+ in November's Series X update & Hivebusters story DLC in December

The Coalition have announced that Gears 5 will receive fresh content through the end of the year, starting with a New Game+ mode alongside the Xbox Series X|S update, and continuing with a fresh serving of story with a Hivebusters DLC in December. Hivebusters will be available for the game on all platforms, from Xbox One through to Xbox Series X|S and PC.

The expansion is named after the Hivebusters, a squad of three characters who appear in the game's co-op Escape mode, and whose origin story has been told through the Gears of War: Hivebusters comics.

Speaking to IGN, Gears 5 principal lead producer Zoe Curnoe explained that the estimated playtime will be 3-4 hours, but did not reveal if the DLC will be free or a paid expansion.

While story DLC was not previously on the cards, it seems that The Coalition have made an exception to the rule, possible as a way to show off what the next-gen consoles can manage. While the game has been enhanced for Xbox Series X|S, studio technical director Mike Rayner said that it will be the first Gears content that's been reviewed, tuned and polished for the new consoles, instead of being upgraded after.

He told IGN, "So the things that we're doing with global illumination and constant mapping I think are a good example, and we've made sure that the content is really set up to take advantage of that. The ultra-res textures are now there and we can kind of tune them and make sure that they really show up in 4K resolution with the additional memory we have on these consoles and the ability to stream them in super fast."

That's in addition to the big update that will arrive on 10th November alongside the new consoles. This will bring two new difficulty modes – a single-life Ironman mode and an Inconceivable difficulty higher than the original top difficulty – new character skins for Kait, Del and JD, weapon skins, mutators like big head mode, the ability for Jack upgrades to carry over between plays, and new achievements to go along with it all.

If you really want, you'll also be able to replace Marcus with a Dave Bautista face.

That's all alongside the previously announced visual and performance upgrades. On Xbox Series X the game runs at higher quality settings, such as to add contact shadows and have screen space global illumination. There will also be a 120fps mode for multiplayer, and even at 60fps they have improved input latency through the Series X|S system.

Gears 5 was met with mostly positive reviews when it released last year. It serves up a familiar cocktail of blood, gore, and shooting at enemies behind waist high walls. However, a more interesting narrative hook and some smart new modes and gameplay changes push the franchise in a promising direction with The Coalition no doubt readying the final part in our second Gears trilogy.

In our Gears 5 review, Nick said:

Gears 5 is a brilliant experience which can be enjoyed alone or with friends in equal measure. It keeps much of the series' core gameplay and feel, but also takes it in some new directions. It's great to see Gears evolving, opening the door for even more positive changes in the future.

Source: IGN

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – Hunter Class Guide & Techniques

Ghost of Tsushima is a game that seamlessly blends together three complimentary playstyles. As Jin Sakai, you'll ruthlessly hunt down Mongols with a cocktail of well-timed swordplay, cunning stealth tactics and precise marksmanship.

In the newly introduced co-op multiplayer mode, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, this applies to the four playable classes though each excels at a specific combat role.

As you might have guessed just by looking at her, the Hunter is a proficient ranged fighter who favours the bow. Initially, she is the only character able to use weapons in the longbow category. While not quite as tank-y or durable as the Samurai or Ronin, she can quickly navigate the battlefield, supporting her allies with a deadly barrage of arrows.

Hunter Overview

Switching to the Hunter from another role can be a tough transition to make. Using bows in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends requires a lot more skill than in the singleplayer campaign where you can use Jin's concentration skill to slow time and line up headshots. This makes the bow less desirable in Legends, especially in the hands of a Samurai, Ronin, or Assassin.

In truth, the same applies to the Hunter – well, until you hit those later ranks. Her bow attacks become far more deadly as you level up, allowing you to pinpoint those tougher targets as well as rain down on larger enemy groups.

When playing the Hunter you should try and maintain the high ground, giving yourself a better view of the battlefield and easier access to grapple points in order to travel the map faster. In story missions you need to memorise vantage points and patrol patterns whereas in survival you should be locking down enemy routes, chokepoints, and the best places to drop explosive barrels.

When tweaking your Hunter loadout, you'll want to balance bow damage with abilities that refund ammunition. The latter may be more useful if you're not so great with landing headshots. It's important to remember that the Hunter isn't just a reliable sniper – use Staggering Arrow and Explosive Arrow to disrupt groups of enemies, leaving them disorientated and buying your allies some extra time.

Hunter Techniques

Name Type Rank Required Description
Eye of Uchitsune Ultimate 0 Target 3 enemies and fire a guaranteed headshot at each target
Staggering Arrow Class Ability 1 Fire an arrow that stuns enemies in a small area
Executioner Perk | Slot 1 2 Increase headshot damage by 50% for targets within 12 meters
Resupply Perk | Slot 2 3 Refill 30% of all ammo types
Pinpoint Perk | Slot 3 5 Body shots with the bow have a 50% chance to deal headshot damage
Scent of Blood Perk | Slot 1 7
Increase draw and reload speed by 100% for 30 seconds after attempting an assassination
Status Damage Perk | Slot 2 9 Damage of status effects increased by 25%
Explosive Arrow Class Ability 10 Fire an arrow that explodes after a short delay
All-Seeing Eye Perk | Slot 3 11 Eye of Uchitsune can target 2 more enemies
Hunter Unleashed Perk | Slot 1 14 Decrease class ability cooldown by 15%
Piercing Arrow Perk | Slot 2 16 Unlock Piercing Arrows for your bow that can penetrate shields
Legendary Perk |Slot 3 18 Increases the number of Legendary items you can equip by 1

Perk choices largely depend on your precision with the bow. Having Executioner as in your first perk slot is great if you're nimble enough to headshot enemies at close range. Scent of Blood can be hugely appealing to, but only if you disengage often enough to land stealth assassinations.

For perk 2 you have another pair of similarly matched options though which one to take depends on your playstyler and current loadout. Status Damage is brilliant if combined with frequent explosive attacks though Piercing Arrow can be a boon when your team is pressed in by shielded enemies.

Finally, we have another toss up for perk 3. Pinpoint massively increases your damage output if your the kind of Hunter who prefers landing as many hits as possible instead of focusing on headshots. However, All-Seeing Eye is bound to be a favourite, boosting the power of Eye of Uchitsune – combo this with the Stone Skipping Bow Legendary Item and you're laughing.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Pumpkin Jack Review

Despite the vast range and variety of protagonists available in games, it's still surprisingly unusual to play as a villain. Most of the time you're tasked with saving the world, or at least temporarily postponing its downfall. Pumpkin Jack, however, is not a good guy. Summoned by the devil to foil the annoying plans of a heroic wizard, the soul of the trickster Jack is set within a pumpkin and sent out to do his master's bidding. Such dastardly deeds certainly make for a different background, but does the game really let you do bad things?

It is clear that solo developer Nicolas Meyssonnier has been hugely influenced by the adventures and aesthetic of the hapless Sir Daniel Fortescue, as Pumpkin Jack looks and feels like a spin-off from Sony's series. This has both positive and negative consequences though, as it immediately faces comparison with the recent remake of Medievil. On the whole it comes off surprisingly well here, although it lacks the particularly British sense of humour that is so characteristic of its influence. Rather than abusive gargoyles, Jack is accompanied by a magical crow and an expositional owl.

For a single developer title, Pumpkin Jack is a beautiful looking game. The gothic aesthetic and Tim Burton-esque characters are well designed and animated, although some more variety would have been welcome. Dark and spooky surroundings are balanced nicely with colourful magic effects and there's an impressive use of DLSS and Ray Tracing in the PC version. The latter is a massive plus, especially when you consider how few big studio games are taking advantage of this technology. If you have a compatible graphics card, these effects give everything an extra layer of shiny and the cartoony graphics really pop with everything turned up to maximum. Although this was a little buggy in the first build, everything is running nice and smoothly after a series of pre-release updates.

I did encounter a few issues with controlling the camera in-game, and this led to some frustrating platforming sections, which was an aspect of the inspiration that perhaps would be better left in the past. This same problem was present in the far bigger budget Medievil remake however, and it's probably just part of the classic, and ever-so-slightly-dated gameplay. This was my only real complaint, although there were some overlong endless runner sections which stood out for all the wrong reasons. Level design is good, with optional collectables scattered around the environment for completionists. Collecting these allows you to purchase different skins for Pumpkin Jack, a nice old-school approach to cosmetics that is refreshing in these days of DLC and microtransactions.

Much like Medievil, Pumpkin Jack is a third-person platformer with combat and light environmental puzzles. I genuinely meant it earlier when I said that this feels like a spin-off, and everything here will feel familiar to fans of Dan. The aforementioned runner sections, which see you riding in a mine cart, on a ghostly horse, or kidnapped by a gargoyle, are regularly featured but can be a tad annoying. The latter, in particular, controls like a 3D Flappy Bird, a reference that is almost as dated as the camera. These aren't gamebreakers but they felt too much like trial and error and dying meant having to do them all over again. I certainly wouldn't have missed them not being included at all.

 

To foil the plans of the noble wizard, Jack must take arms against an assortment of human and monstrous foes. Beginning with a simple spade and then working up to more magical and effective weapons, combat is a fairly simple but enjoyable affair. Dodging and swinging your weapon is smooth and arcade-y -this is no Dark Souls-like – and you also have your magical crow to send into battle like a feathery guided missile. This attack is particularly well suited to picking off enemies from afar and is a nice addition to the melee focus. Bosses generally require a combination of ranged and close quarters combat with the usual timing, avoidance, and pattern recognition.

The six levels of Pumpkin Jack take you through the usual swamps and graveyards before you end up in a surprising location that I won't spoil here. Suffice to say that you have to defeat an enemy by being far more naughty than nice before you finally meet up with the object of your quest. The levels are fairly sizable but this isn't a sprawling epic of a game; instead what you have is much closer to the length of traditional action adventures. I finished in around 5-6 hours which, to be honest, felt about right for this kind of title. The relatively short runtime does mean that I'll be replaying to find all of the collectables, something which I often struggle to find motivation for with longer games.

Epic are giving away two big games to celebrate Halloween

Epic are adding two big titles to their growing free games list next week, both of them perfect for a spot of spooky Halloween gaming.

What's more, both of these free games are relatively new having launched in 2019. They include Blair Witch from Bloober Team (developers of The Medium and Observer as well as the Layers of Fear series) alongside Ghostbusters The Video Game – Remastered.

These two new additions can be claimed next Thursday on October 29th. Adding them to your Epic Games Store library before November 5th will give you permanent access.

While you wait, this week's offering include another seasonal duo of games – Layers of Fear 2 and Costume Quest 2. For the full list of free Epic games, keep reading:

Game Name
Dates Available
Ghostbusters The Video Game – Remastered
October 29-November 5, 2020
Blair Witch
October 29-November 5, 2020
Layers of Fear 2
October 22-29, 2020
Costume Quest 2
October 22-29, 2020
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
October 15-22, 2020
Kingdom New Lands
October 15-22, 2020
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam
October 8-15, 2020
ABZU
October 8-15, 2020
Pikuniku
October 1-8, 2020
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition
September 24-October 1, 2020
Football Manager 2020
September 17-24, 2020
Watch Dogs 2
September 17-24, 2020
Stick It To The Man!
September 17-24, 2020
Railway Empire
September 10-17, 2020
Where The Water Tastes Like Wine
September 10-17, 2020
Into The Breach
September 3-10, 2020
Hitman
August 27-September 3, 2020
Shadowrun Collection
August 27-September 3, 2020
God's Trigger
August 20-27, 2020
Enter the Gungeon
August 20-27, 2020
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 Store also hosts a growing number of online free-to-play hits including Fortnite, as well as Rocket League, Dauntless, Rogue Company, and more.

Source: Epic Games

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – Gear & XP farming guide

Like most online games nowadays, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is loot driven. Although there's plenty of fun to be had in slicing and dicing Oni, you'll soon focus on farming gear, piecing together the ultimate class loadouts.

However, with gear drops being random, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends will have you grinding a lot to chase the game's most coveted prizes. Luckily, you'll earn resources along the way including Essence, Honor, and Blessing, which can also be gained from dismantling unwanted gear.

Before we dive into the best gear farming techniques, it's best to get a proper understanding of how gear works in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.

Understanding gear stats and Ki

Completing missions – as well as certain bonus objectives – will reward you with weapons and charms that are level-appropriate, their "Ki" slowly rising as you move from bronze up to gold tier difficulty, then onto Nightmare. Your Ghost's Ki is calculated by taking the average value from your five equipped items. Your Ki wont influence your raw stats such as damage and defence though it does limit which modes you can participate in, locking out higher difficulties.

As your Ki approaches 100, this number no longer holds much relevance. Instead, you'll be paying attention to individual pieces of gear – their stats, traits, perks, and rarity. This is also when Legendary Items will begin to randomly appear in drops, offering unique powers that can really spice up a loadout. You can view a list of the game's Legendary Items here.

Those resources you've been accumulating (and likely holding onto) will now come in handy as you spend them on modifications. Pressing square while hovering a piece of high level gear will allow you to reroll traits and perks. This is randomised and if you choose to only reroll one stat then this prevents you from rerolling the others.

Best gear farming techniques

In order to get the best gear as quickly as possible, you'll want to play missions that offer plenty of gear drops but don't require much time to beat.

We'd strongly recommend playing the first story mission in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, Severed Hearts, on gold difficulty. Of all the story missions available this is by far the quickest and easiest for farming tier loot. Split into three stages, you'll attack a small Mongol warband, then chase down a caravan before conquering a war camp. Depending on which modifiers Ghost of Tsushima randomly throws into the mix, Severed Hearst on gold should take between 10 and 15 minutes.

For each of the three parts you complete you'll earn one gear chest with another awarded for completing the entire mission. You can farm an extra piece of loot onto every run by finding the Oni treasure. In total that's 5 bits of gear every quarter of an hour.

In comparison, playing survival on gold will shower you with 7 gear drops. However, this demands that you beat 25 waves, relying on the competence of your three allies. Not only is this risky, it can take in excess of an hour, making it a far less efficient farming technique.

Playing on gold difficulty, the max Ki level you get on gear caps out at 105. If you want ever more powerful weapons and charms you'll need to dip your toes in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends' Nightmare mode. Grinding for gear that is Ki 105+ is brutal and hugely time consuming but could help you get a leg up on the game's three-part Raid.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Travis Scott joins PlayStation as a strategic creative partner

PlayStation are total hep-cats and down with the kids for sure as they have announced that rapper / producer Travis Scott has joined PlayStation as a strategic creative partner. Totally tubular!

"Travis is an artist who is incredibly innovative, constantly surprising, and continues to push boundaries, very much like the PlayStation brand – so we think this is a perfect fit. When we embarked on this collaboration, the most important thing was to keep it as open as possible, to allow space to explore interesting, creative ideas," said Eric Lempel
Senior Vice President of PlayStation Worldwide Marketing.

"Travis' deep knowledge and fond memories about PlayStation as a brand, our products, and games will inspire his work with us from start to finish. He is an amazing creator, and we strive to work with the best creative minds inside and outside of our industry to continue to surprise the world in a way that only PlayStation can."

Right on Eric! Schwing!

"I'm really looking forward to being able to showcase everything that Cactus Jack has worked on with Sony and the PlayStation team," adds Travis. "Most importantly I'm excited to see how the PlayStation fans and family respond, and I look forward to running some games with everybody very soon!"

Totes amazeball news, I am sure you cool kids will agree. In case you are like, totally uncool, and don't know who Travis is, here is is hit song "Sicko Mode" in which he raps about 'hos' and taking prescription drugs whilst surrounded my lots of women in their underwear jiggling their arses at the camera.

I'm sure that's exactly how PlayStation should be represented.

Source: PS Blog

UPDATE: EA's servers are coming back online

UPDATE: It seems like things are coming back online!

Original story below….

EA have temporarily disabled match creation in FIFA 21 due to 'connectivity issues', rather unfortunate when they are about to release the Rulebreakers event for the Ultimate Team mode.

There are reports that other games are suffering online problems including Apex Legends, Madden 21, and NHL 21. The good news is that EA have identified the source of the problem and are working to fix it.

FIFA 21 scored an impressive 8/10 in our review.

On the pitch, FIFA 21 is an incremental improvement over FIFA 20, but doesn't address some of the biggest issues with defending and the high-scoring matches this leads to. With Volta still missing a certain spark and Ultimate Team not really changing much, it's the Football Manager-inspired Career mode that takes the biggest step forward. It's still a good football game, but it feels like the real focus is on next-gen.

You can read the full review here.

You can read the full FIFA 21 review here. FIFA 21 has also had some updates released for it. You can find the patch notes for update notes for 1.01 and 1.02 here, while 1.03 can be found over here. The full trophy list for FIFA 21 is also available to look through by following this link here. 
Here's more on Rulebreakers:

Rulebreakers players will be available in FUT over the course of the campaign, with the first group released on Friday 23rd October. Rulebreakers leave behind their previous styles of play and transform into different kinds of stars with game-changing stat updates.

Now you can play in new ways with some of your old favourites, creating variety in squad building like never before. Keep your eyes peeled for additional FUT 21 Rulebreakers to be made available through upcoming Squad Building Challenges and Objectives.

In addition, for the first time, by completing select Objectives during a limited-time Live FUT Friendly event, you'll be able to obtain an exclusive Rulebreakers player reward. Finally, Halloween and Day of the Dead also return to FUT with Squad Building Challenges and Objectives featuring themed kits, stadium items, and pack rewards beginning Thursday 29th October.

What We Played #472 – Genshin Impact, Transformers Battlegrounds & Mario Kart Live

As the internet lights up to the distant sound of fresh consoles in the wild – they're nearly here folks! – I've been having a great time with my old consoles and my old games. I could be playing umpteen things, and yet I've returned to Breath of the Wild and Valkyria Chronicles, both of which are my gaming happy place, and I needed some digital comfort food. I did manage to play Mario Kart Live as well as the demo for Immortals Fenyx Rising though, which is so new it's not even out yet, and that was on Stadia so I'm not completely stuck in the past.

Jim has only found time for one game this week and that's Ghost of Tsushima, telling us "I'm still a little way off the ending and will probably have to wrap up Jim's story on PS5. The reason why I haven't finished is because of the new Legends multiplayer. Considering this is Sucker Punch's first punt at a proper multiplayer mode for a big AAA game it's damn good and they've already promised more challenging content to come."

Thomas Hughes was next up and he's been playing The Red Lantern, saying it "is an excellent narrative survival adventure that takes players through Alaska with a pack of adorable huskies." He's also spent some time with The Falconeer, one of the launch titles for the new Xbox. "It's a very solid dogfighting game with more under the hood than first appears. It's also absolutely stunning."

Jason has been playing a lot of Rocket League and a lot of Genshin Impact. Apparently that doesn't leave a huge amount of time for anything else though. Sounds pretty good though.

Steve meanwhile has been playing all the things! Having played through the "super interesting" Amnesia: Rebirth over the weekend, he's now exploring the wonders of his shiny new Switch Lite with a few review titles. Alongside those, he's been hugely enjoying the excellent Mummy: Demastered on PS4, telling us it "is just a perfect self-contained little Metroidvania. Almost made me want to watch the film despite it's atrocious reviews and reputation (this is the Universal reboot, not the fun 90s one). Looking to spend Halloween immersed in spooky forest games for an academic article I'm working on so that should be suitably terrifying."

Aran has played Space Crew for review and also a bit more Yakuza 4. I do enjoy how Yakuza basically whips from super serious drama to complete out there scenarios. I'm trying to complete all the Yakuza games ahead of Like A Dragon but I believe that won't be possible unless I stop sleeping

Nic B shouted at me once again, but this time to say "GENSHIN IMPACT!" which when shouted sounds very much like a move from Street Fighter II. Anyway,  he's also played some Double Pug Switch, which was "very disappointing", and some Oddworld, Nice & Tasty.

Reuben has ended up in the same Gacha prison as the rest of them having been playing Genshin Impact too, but he's also found time to play Scourge Bringer for review, and been tearing up the Bozjan Southern Front in Final Fantasy XIV. Gareth has played Torchlight 3 this week and one game of Rocket League, which he did at least win.

Ade has been playing through the duff 'em up delights of 9 Shaolin Monkeys for review, as well as the easily mis-read title Monster Prom XXL. Miguel has been on it this week with 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim, Apex Legends, Animal Crossing, Ghost of Tsushima Legends, Smash Bros aaaand a little bit o' the Minecraft filling up all of his time.

Nick P has mostly played Transformers Battlegrounds for review this week, as well as the new Night Mode in Warzone "which has been pretty cool. It's almost like a different game."

Finally, Tef has been flitting back and forth across Xbox Game Pass, checking out games like Tell Me Why, The Touryst, Gonner 2, and even returning to Forza 7 for some of that brand of racing. He's also been on the review and preview path, getting to sample some of Little Nightmares II, backing up Thomas' PC playtime of The Falconeer on Xbox One X (where it looks fantastic), colonising Mars in Per Aspera, and dropping into the weird and wonderful bullet circular saw hell of Disc Room

What about you? What have you played?

Nioh 2 update 1.18 has long list of fixes

Tecmo Koei and Team Ninja have rustled up a new patch for their Oni slaying sequel, Nioh 2. Update 1.18 is now available for the PlayStation 4 exclusive and will need to be downloaded to access the game's online features.

While there doesn't appear to be any new features of in-game content, Nioh 2 update 1.18 makes a long list of gameplay changes and bug fixes which can you read about further down.

Following the Tengu's Disciple expansion, there's more DLC coming later this month with the launch of Darkness in the Capital.

This second expansion will take players to Kyoto City with a bit of time travel involved taking them to the Heian Period, where Yokai are tormenting the ancient city. In this time period the player will team up with legendary heroes to turn the tide in the war against the Yokai. This new expansion will add new bosses, new Yokai, new Guardian spirits, new skills, and new cores.

Nioh 2 Update 1.18 Patch Notes

Adjustment
  • Increased the number of special effects given to accessories with rarity "Kamiho"
    * Adjusted to be the same as the number of special effects when raising the rarity of accessories to "Kamiho" with "Stone of Difficulty"
  • Changed to add a special effect if there is a space in the special effect frame of the accessory when you deposit the accessory of the rarity "Kamiho" and "commemorate" in "Stone of Difficulty" of "Sha"
  • Changed so that "Receive" cannot be selected when "Memorial" can be selected in "Stone of Difficulty" of "Company" to prevent erroneous operation.
  • Changed the number of times of use to decrease immediately after using the ninjutsu "Flame Dragon Technique", "Devil's Wind Blade Technique", and "Dark Extreme Heavy Wave Bullet Technique".
  • Added the ability to push back nearby enemies immediately after using the ninjutsu "Dark Extreme Heavy Wave Bullet"
  • Adjusted the amount of health recovery when a skeleton or accompanying character is attacked by an enemy who has been granted "Enlightenment Difficulty"
  • Adjusted the amount of accumulated abnormal state attacks issued by "Hunger"
  • The disadvantageous effect given by the special effect "Your Power Advance" has been changed so that it is not subject to the Yin-Yang technique "Iki".
  • Changed to issue a confirmation message when "Soul Matching and Grace Inheritance" occurs in "Soul Matching" of "Blacksmith"
Bug fixes
  • Fixed a bug related to the mission of "Heiankyo Demon Den"
    • Fixed a bug that the screen goes black when the battle ends immediately after receiving a grab attack in the boss battle of the main mission "Ryoune in the Fire".
    • Fixed a bug that could make it impossible to proceed if the setting of "Skip movie once seen" differs depending on the player when accompanying the main mission "Ryoon in the fire".
    • Fixed a bug that the difficulty level changes to "Samurai's Dream Road" after clearing the main mission "Yokai no Daimon" for the first time.
    • Fixed a bug where "Nurikabe" in the main mission "Yokai no Daimon" was locked on.
    • Fixed a bug where enemies outside the area could intrude or go out of the area while fighting in the blocked area of ​​the submission "Unusual Killing".
    • Fixed a bug that the boss may not appear and you may not be able to proceed when accompanying the submission "Unusual Killing"
    • Fixed a bug that the everlasting darkness that was canceled by a specific procedure may be revived when accompanying the submission "Unusual Killing"
    • Fixed a bug where items dropped by the boss of the submission "Tathagata's Palm" could be blocked by the boss's torso and become unavailable.
    • Fixed a bug in the submission "End of the Feast" where the accompanying character could not be cleared without moving to the boss area.
    • Fixed a bug that could prevent "Amulet Fire" from being activated when the submission "Overflowing Chaos" was accompanied by the eternal world.
    • Fixed a bug that the appearance timing of enemies in battle may be greatly different between players when accompanied by the submission "One Party of Devil".
  • Bug fixes related to the back of the hand
    • Fixed a bug that the martial art "Unwinding" on the back of the hand would activate "Unwinding 2" toward the locked-on enemy when it was established against an enemy who was not locked on.
    • Fixed a bug that when defeating an enemy with the martial arts "Yakura Crush" and "Fortress Castle" on the back of the hand, it may get up once after falling to the ground.
    • Fixed a bug that players can easily see through when blowing off with the back of the hand martial art "Yakura Crush" near the wall
  • Bug fixes for special effects
    • Fixed a bug where the damage dealt was multiplied when the special effect "Multi-talented" overlaps with other advantageous effects.
    • Fixed a bug that the special effect "Automatic health recovery with 0 energy" does not activate.
    • Fixed a bug that the special effect "○○ augmentation in siege" does not activate
    • Fixed a bug that the special effect of Souls "This monster skill hits XX enhancement" does not work properly.
    • Fixed a bug where the guardian spirit's blessing "Nagi no Breath" would play a production that restores HP even outside the mission.
    • Fixed a bug where the corpse always recovers health even during battle if it has the guardian spirit's blessing "Nagi no Breath".
    • Fixed a bug that the special effects "Hiiragi's damage" and "Unwinding damage" were not working in the derivative technique of the martial art.
    • Fixed a bug that the special effect "Recover energy by success of Hiiragi" does not work properly.
    • Fixed a bug that the number of hits that originally increased may not increase correctly when the special effect "Mystery Compatibility (Preparation Club)" is applied.
    • Fixed a bug that the "Toraana" icon was displayed while in the eternal world even when using a weapon other than the ax when the ax mystery "Toraana" was enabled by the special effect "Mystery compatibility".
    • Fixed a bug that the special effect "Soul Matching Cost" that appeared on the difficulty level "Shura no Yumeji" did not appear on "Shura no Yumeji" after Ver1.17.
  • Fixed a bug with the blacksmith
    • Fixed a bug that scrolling cannot be performed in a specific procedure when "Tool" is selected in "Forging" of "Blacksmith".
    • Fixed a bug that the tab becomes "prepared club" when the "base" selection screen is opened after selecting any "hand back" from the "hand back" tab on the "material" selection screen in "soul matching" of "blacksmith".
    • Fixed a bug that the initial value of the selected number of "Shards of Sacred Treasure" changes in a specific procedure in "Forging" of "Blacksmith".
    • Fixed a bug that you can forge with 0 tools in "Forging" of "Blacksmith"
  • Other bug fixes
    • Fixed a bug that the equipment performance does not increase according to the + value when the + value of the weapon / armor of the rarity "Kamiho" exceeds 28.
    • "Fixed a bug that the numerical display on the right side of the physical strength gauge was not displayed correctly when the maximum value of physical strength exceeded 10000.
    • Fixed a bug where certain enemies wouldn't appear in the Samurai Yumeji Omagatoki mission "Purple Mei no Sakuraka"
    • Fixed a bug that caused an application error when switching guardian spirits before hitting an enemy using a youkai technique without equipping a secondary guardian spirit.
    • Fixed a bug where skeletons and accompanying characters could continue to attack the point where "Oboroguruma" appeared after defeating "Oboroguruma".
    • Fixed a bug where the enemy's physical strength would be restored if the enemy's projectile with "Enlightenment Difficulty" was bounced off with "Repulsion" etc.
    • Fixed a bug that caused a large amount of damage due to the splitting of the fire sword when receiving the fire sword of "Oezo" using "Rebellion".
    • Fixed a bug that "Type order" did not exist in "Order switching" in "Receive" of "Stone of difficulty" of "Company"
    • Fixed a bug that "Regeneration of Thoughts" was not displayed in "Demon Hunting Demon" of "Yokai Illustrated".
    • Fixed a bug that the auxiliary function window of "Hyakuki Yakou Emaki" might shift upward and disappear (only at 4K resolution).
    • Fixed a bug that mission information may not be displayed correctly when multiple rooms exist when displaying the room list in the "Custom Match" search of "Eternal companion".
    • Fixed a bug that arm armor disappears when the back of the sword is delivered when "Short range weapon display" in "Game settings" of "System" is set to "Do not display when sword is delivered".
    • Fixed other minor bugs

Source: GameCity

Ghost of Tsushima update 1.11 prepares for first Legends Raid

Sucker Punch have confirmed that their first Ghost of Tsushima: Legends multiplayer raid will be arriving next week.

The free co-op mode was added to Ghost of Tsushima last week with more than 2 million matches having already been played online.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends offers nine missions that can be played in duos as well as wave based survival with four available maps.

The developers also announced that a small update will be going live later today which includes the following fixes, many of them related to Legends as well as the New Game+ option added as part of update 1.1.

– Resolved a bug causing frequent Network Error pop-ups
– Resolved a bug preventing the Platinum Trophy armor dye from appearing in New Game+
– Resolved a bug that caused some users to become stuck in the Legends tutorial
– Added support for PlayStation™ Network "Players Met" functionality to Legends
– Various bug and crash fixes

Meanwhile, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends prepares for The Tale of Iyo, a three-part Raid which will go live on October 30th. Sucker Punch have revealed that this mode won't allow for matchmaking so if you're hoping to take part then you will need to assemble a crack team of Ghosts before partying up and going toe-to-toe with Iyo.

Source: Sucker Punch

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

 

Little Nightmares II is a horrible new adventure – which is just what we wanted

There's a gnawing unease as you play Little Nightmares II, an uncertainty about every situation that it presents for you to explore. It's much like its predecessor in that regard, continuing the story with new characters and new creepy stuff for you to endure.

The game follows on from Six's escape from The Maw in the original game (um, spoilers?), and introduces a new diminutive protagonist in the form of Mono, a boy with a paper bag on his head. Together they have to traverse the Pale City, overcoming the decaying environments and the dangers before them.

Our demo started with the pair of them sat before a blank television screen amidst a group of headless mannequins sat in wheelchairs. The desaturated gloom lends everything a dense, oppressive atmosphere, and that's before Mono and Six start to explore other parts of the Hospital level.

As you wander around, Mono takes the lead with Six lagging a few footsteps behind. It almost feels as though the fight, the drive to survive has left her since the original game, though she plays her part in giving Mono a boost to get up to and through higher up ledges. She can't follow though, leaving Mono to face the fears of what's to come on his own.

This place is full to the brim of mannequins and their parts, but they're designed to look, not like the kind of mannequin you'd find in a clothes store window, but like prosthetic limbs. It's those that have then been cobbled together into human form in various ways. Compared to the grotesque nature and odd proportions of the various characters in the first game, this is more about the chilling absence of anything human, of instilling automatonophobia.

You expect them to start moving and coming for you far before they actually do. As you drag a box along the floor, a hand detaches itself and starts to skitter along the floor toward you, arching back onto its wrist before launching itself and trying to grab on. It's not the most capable foe, but there's little you can do except take to the little islands of high ground you find and move quickly to dodge its attacks. It's persistent though, and it comes to a head, if you will, when you find a hammer, able to grab onto it and swing as the hand comes at you again and again.

I'll admit I gave it a few extra whacks even after it had stopped twitching. It's good being able to fight back against the horrors.

There's no hammers to be found when heading into a deeper, darker recess of the hospital. Mannequins in gowns are everywhere to be found, standing staring into the corners of hallways like they've been naughty, sitting in chairs, lying on beds. It's nothing if not ominous, and the tension is ratcheted even further when one of them starts to move, juddering as a light flickers, lurching as it cuts out and rushing to grab Mono and end him.

You'll have to pull out Mono's flashlight to keep them at bay by shining it at them, and as a room might feature a dozen such mannequins, you're left wondering if any of them can be trusted to just be dumb inanimate objects. On several occasions, they'll come at you from multiple directions forcing you to move quickly and try to spin the light to keep them at bay.

It's tense stuff, and you're never quite sure whether you're safe or not as you explore and look to solve the environmental puzzles. Fundamentally, the game feels very similar to the first in that regard, exploring the 3D levels from a side-on view and dealing with the fact that your small body can only do so much. Dragging boxes around is a special kind of torture, not just in terms of how cumbersome and slow it feels, but also for the horrible scraping sound it makes that you feel sure is going to attract things to your location.

Little Nightmares II looks set to pick up right where the original game and its DLC left off, filled with a thick atmosphere and creepy new situations to find yourself in. Would that it could come out this month in time for Halloween, we'll have to wait a few months longer until 11th February 2021 to continue the horrible little adventure.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – All Legendary Items

As you grind your way at Ghost of Tsushima: Legends and get closer to Ki level 105, you'll start to come across Legendary Items.

As the name suggests, these are the best items available in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, each one with its own powerful unique ability that can enhance your favourite loadouts.

There are Legendary Items in each category, including Katanas, Ranged Weapons, Charms, and Ghost Weapons. Note that only one can be equipped at one time unless you've unlocked the "Legendary" perk for your character, letting you equip two instead.

Just like rare and epic tier items, you can modify these powerful artefacts by re-rolling stats and traits to suit your own preferred class and playstyle. If you're serious about taking on the Nightmare challenges in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends you should try and unlock as many of these Legendary Items as possible.

Name Slot Effect
Master's Katana Katana Allow switching between any stance.
Demon Cutter Katana
Staggering a target has 30 percent chance to throw nearby enemies." Two minor perks, one major
Stone Striker Katana Improved heavenly strike (extra damage and knockback), costs 1 resolve.
Yonitsune's Hand Katana
Staggered enemies have a 30 percent chance to be knocked down." Two minor perks, one major.
Masamune's Edge Katana Melee has 20 percent chance to deal double damage.
The Weightless Spirit Ranged | Bow Arrows don't descend.
Forbidden Medicine Ranged | Bomb Bombs heal allies.
Heavens Sting Ranged | Blow Dart 20 percent chance to instantly kill non-Oni targets.
Stone Skipping Bow Ranged | Long Bow Headshots ricochet to nearby targets.
Sacred Iron Charm Enemies that deal melee damage to you have Weaken applied to them.
Shogun's Fortitude Charm Immunity to Flash and poison effects.
Benkei's Last Stand Charm 15 percent chance to negate arrow damage.
Enjo's Remorse Charm 15 percent bonus damage while at full health.
Last Breath Charm Instead of taking fatal damage, heal for 50 health. Can occur every 5 minutes.
Spirit Kunai Ghost Weapon 1 Getting a kill with Kunai lowers all cooldowns on your character by 15 seconds.
The Touch of Heaven Ghost Weapon 1 A sticky bomb that also heals allies.
Kenji's Shared Brew Ghost Weapon 2 A healing gourd that also heals nearby allies when used.
Lady Sanjo's Surprise Ghost Weapon 2 15 percent chance to cause enemies to hallucinate.
Mist of Yagata Ghost Weapon 2 Smoke Bomb that heals friendlies.
Demon Seeds Ghost Weapon 2 Applies Weaken to affected enemies.

So, which of these Legendary Items is the best? While they all have their uses, it's widely agreed by Ghost of Tsushima that Stone Skipping Bow is the game's best prize. Landing headshots naturally or using the Hunter's ultimate can cause huge amounts of ricochet damage which can be enhanced by her equipped perks and various ammo types.

With Sucker Punch ready to roll out new missions and challenges, there's a chance we may see even more Legendary Items working their way into the game as part of future updates.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

 

Torchlight III Review

Torchlight III is an interesting game. After years of development down one particular path, Echtra Inc. and Perfect World brought it back in line to be much closer in structure to previous games in the series as a straight up sequel, and as sequels do, it makes some improvements and adds new features. Just not really where it matters. Eight years on from Torchlight II, many of the same niggling issues return, but they're harder to forgive without meaningful upgrades.

The game gives a good first impression. Its bright and sharp graphics look good, there's plenty of variation between areas and loads of fireworks to enjoy whilst you're casting spells or otherwise dissecting enemies. There's also a lot of detail to the audio, whether it's the splintering of wood as you break a barrel, the whip-like crack of lightning from spells, or the chattering of goblins. Most story cutscenes are basically still images with varying degrees of zooming and panning whilst voices talk over them, but other than that, everything looks and sounds good.

The same can be said of combat. Once you pick up some items and can handle more than a few enemies at once, it feels satisfying and skills have some real punch to them. With some clever maneouvering and skill planning you can take down a lot of enemies at once whilst avoiding their attacks quite nicely.

The problem comes as you get deeper into the game and its systems, which simply aren't deep or interesting enough. Each class has three skill trees available to them, two of which are class specific and a third that is chosen during character selection. Each trees is made of active and passive skills and each of those skills then have multiple levels to upgrade by further investing skill points. Because your skills all have multiple levels with small, incremental upgrades, they're just dull. In other games in the genre you get a new skill or a modification and it can significantly change a skill you already have. Most of the time in Torchlight 3 you get, say, a 5% increase in duration for a skill, or a similar increase in damage. They fail to capture the imagination despite the three tiers of more significant, but still pretty benign upgrades.

That just compounds the lack of variety in the skills as well. Some are pretty interesting, such as one that summons a insanity-inducing god to stare at things, but my characters also had no less than three horizontal fan skills available to him which, again, fails to really capture the imagination. Eventually, I stopped immediately spending my skill points once I'd levelled up, because it didn't feel that consequential. In contrast, other games in the genre have me eagerly opening the menu to see what my new skill or rune does.

The loot system falls into another familiar trap. Regular items are always expendable, while legendary items often seem like they might have a significant effect on how you play based on the description, but usually just make you deal a bit more damage or provide a mildly useful utility, such as a charge for a movement skill, or more usefully, doubling up my spell casts with another spell from a different skill tree. This basically doubles the damage of the ability, making it absolutely indispensible in a game where your damage only creeps up little by little. Thankfully you can equip effects from legendaries you've already found in three slots independent of any equipped items, so you can use it even once the item is past its use-by date, though I struggled to find effects that felt worth keeping to fill in these slots.

A more significant effect of this is how you build your character. Elsewhere in the genre, if you find an item or weapon that's rolled with the right effects and stats, it can change how you develop your character and lead to interesting and novel character builds. Combat in a game like Diablo 3 is satisfying initially because of its own mechanics, but later it's also because of how those mechanics change based on how you develop and play your character. There, four separate wizards can handle completely differently, but here variety, the incremental legendary effects are far more limited and the loot in general just feels unremarkable.

Again, the same can be said for enemies. Regular enemies and even elite or champion enemies start to blend together after a while, and though there are specific enemies in different parts of the campaign, there isn't a lot of variety overall.  Battles will often take time as well, because the game seems geared to make you grind pretty regularly to level up. Unless you really want to be kiting every elite enemy halfway around the level whilst you chip away at their health.

Boss battles are better, with bosses themselves attacking in patterns that you must avoid whilst also trying to attack back, but even these seem light on ideas, with their later phases typically just seeing the introduction of some fodder alongside. They also tend to just repeat one attack throughout the fight, saying one of two lines of dialogue every time, which quickly grows obnoxious and is not what you want in a lengthy boss fight.

Add to all this an entirely forgettable story that often feels likes it's stringing you along to pad the length of the game, voice acting which is generally just OK, and a smattering of minor bugs and performance stutters, and it all feel lacklustre. Even the added features, don't manage to spice things up. The fort that you can decorate that is devoid of any kind of meaningful gameplay purpose and belies the original intent for this Torchlight game to go free-to-play.

Brawl Stars Brawl-o-ween live with new Brawler Amber

Brawl-o-ween is back! Developer Supercell have pulled the lever on this year's Halloween themed event for their mega-popular mobile action game, Brawl Stars.

Before you can dive in and explore this spooky new content you'll need to download Brawl Stars update 30.223 for the latest version.

Headlining this Brawl-o-ween event is a new Legendary Brawler, Amber. Using her torch, she can spew a continuous stream of flame which can ignite any flammable fluid spread around the arena using Amber's flasks.

There's a new map too – Poco's Band Stand – as well as a map making tool, allowing you to craft arenas for you and your friends. Of course, you can also get your hands on some Halloween skins and partake in limited challenges.

Brawl Stars Update 30.223 Patch Notes

AMBER [Legendary]

  • Main Attack – Amber fires a continuous stream of fire that can lit up any fire fluid on the ground

  • Super – Amber throws a flask of her fire fluid which leaks while flying and generates a big pool of fluid at the landing location

  • Gadget – Amber gains increased movement speed and starts leaking fire fluid underneath her

  • Star Power – Allows having two fire fluid pools on the ground simultaneously and recharges Super while standing in fire fluid

Map Maker (BETA)

  • Available after reaching 1,000 Total Trophies

  • Create maps and play in friendly rooms [Gem Grab, Showdown, Brawl Ball]

  • Check YouTube #BrawlMaps for more information!

New Skins

  • Underworld Bo (Custom VFX, Custom Animations) | 150 Gems | Make

  • Zombibi (Custom VFX, Custom Face) | 80 Gems | Make

  • Brawl-O-Ween Rosa (Custom VFX for Main Attack, Rosa animation update) | 80 Gems | Seasonal

  • True Silver/Gold Bull

  • True Silver/Gold Barley

  • True Silver/Gold Rico

  • True Silver/Gold Frank

  • True Silver/Gold Mortis

  • Challenger Colt (Custom VFX, Custom Animations) | USD 4.99 (Limited)

Other Skin & Character improvements

  • Piper – New Facial VFX

  • New VFX for Shark Leon

  • Rosa – Animation Update

Brawl-O-Ween

  • Main Menu background

  • Main Menu music

  • POCOS BANDSTAND!

  • Brawl-O-Ween Challenge

    • Win a Brawl-O-Ween Rosa skin and exclusive Pins

    • 800 Total Trophies required to unlock

    • 12 Wins (4 Losses)

    • Gem Grab (Double Swoosh)

    • Hot Zone (Ring of Fire)

    • Heist (G.G. Mortuary)

    • Bounty (Shooting Star)

  • Graveyard Shift is back as a temporary game mode with new map rotation

  • Halloween decorations in Poco's Bandstand and Mortis' Mortuary

Brawl Pass

  • WARNING – Season 1 rewards will be automatically collected when Season 3 ends

Matchmaking

  • Removed increased matchmaking score when entering matchmaking in a game room with 2 or 3 players

  • Previously playing with friends in a group would match you against higher trophy players. Now even in a group, your match should only consider the highest trophy player from your team.

New Gadgets

  • Bull: Stop charge instantly and stomp the ground to slow nearby opponents

  • Max: Rewind: Save position and teleport to that 4 seconds later (with same health)

  • Bea: Three circling bees that fly over walls and deal increasing damage the further they get. Starts at Bea and slowly circles away from her

  • Darryl: Darryl emits a slowing area around himself for 4s

  • Nita: Nita's bear gets a 35% shield for 3s

  • Sprout: Reposition: Destroy current wall, instantly get full super

  • Brock: Next basic attack is a Mega rocket that deals more damage

  • Carl: Next basic attack makes Carl fly with the pickaxe

  • 8-bit: Next basic attack shoots more bullets

  • Colt: Next basic attack is a big bullet which penetrates and destroys walls

Game Modes / Event Rotation Changes

  • Poco's Bandstand

    • New In-game environment

    • New in-game music

  • Siege

    • Bolt spawns are now fixed within each of the maps and the spawn order repeats throughout the match

    • New Siege rotation

  • Hot Zone

    • New Hot Zone Rotation

    • Multiple new maps

  • Brawl Ball

    • Self-scoring is now disabled by an invisible wall, the enemy team has to be the last one to touch the ball in order for a goal to be scored

  • Power Play

    • Showdown (Solo, Duo) no longer in rotation

    • Rotation includes exclusively Brawl Stars Championship maps

Pins

  • Pin system now allows configuring 5 Pin slots for each Brawler

  • Each Brawler has 3 Brawler specific Pin slots and two Special Pin slots

  • The two Special slots are universal and are shared between all the Brawler

Brawler Balance

8-BIT

Increased Health from 4300 to 4800

Colette

Increased Super charge rate from Super Attack by 100%

Increased Main Attack reload speed by 11%

EMZ

Increased Main Attack reload speed by 5%

Gale

Increased Main Attack reload speed by 14%

Nita

Increased Main Attack reload speed by 12%

Bruce is now allowed to move and attack while casting Bear Paws

Bo

Tripwire now has a 1.5 second delay after activation before the mines explode. The mines still remain invisible after being triggered by Tripwire.

Max

Decreased Run n Gun efficiency by 50%

Other changes & bug fixes

  • Added 90/120/144 Hz (fps) support for additional devices

  • Piper's Auto Aimer gadget no longer overrides Frank's Active Noise Canceling gadget

  • Rosa's Grow Light gadget now always creates green grass regardless of the map theme

  • Fixed an issue where Mecha Paladin Surge's shield was missing from his back at the final upgrade level

  • Fixed an issue where the sound effect for Bo's Super Totem and Bea's Honey Molasses was played each time the object came into the field of view of another player

  • Fixed an issue where Surge and Colette could destroy walls that were next to decorations with their Supers

Source: Reddit

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – Samurai Class Guide & Techniques

With four playable classes at launch, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends allows you battle the Oni and their Mongol puppets using a variety of tactics and playstyles. Naturally, a lot of players will gravitate towards the Samurai.

This armour clad warrior is the closest Ghost of Tsushima: Legends has to a tank class, in the same way that the Ronin can be viewed as a medic or support class. As those who play MMOs and similar online games know, the tank's primary purpose is to draw attention (or aggro) away from vulnerable/weaker team mates.

As such, the Samurai has the most defence focused techniques and abilities available. However, as with all classes in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, he has the same global combat options available including melee, ranged, and stealth attacks.

In survival Samurai players should act as an anchor, holding down control points. Your job is to draw as much heat as you can, parrying blows and dodging special attacks while keeping your enemies at bay, whittling down their health. You should be playing for time, giving your fellow Ghosts time to clean up while also unleashing an occasional barrage of attacks yourself.

Samurai Overview

Spirit Pull, your first class ability, will help you stay in fight by draining health from nearby enemies as you wait for a Ronin to come and support you. This can be swapped for Explosive Blade, substituting this safety net if you prefer to go on the offensive.

Hachiman's Fury is perhaps the most fun ultimate power to use in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, slicing and dicing three enemies for major damage. While it's tempting to use this whenever you have three Resolve, it should be saved for emergencies as it can help take down high value targets such as Oni Brutes, Warlords, and Tengu.

Another powerful tool in your Samurai arsenal is Heavenly Strike. Gold and Nightmare tier missions will serve up shielded enemies who can be particularly tough to kill, demanding your time and attention. Heavenly Strikes can bite through their defences – you should also invest in a katana which has improved stagger damage and Water stance. This will open enemies up to be attacked by other players.

Samurai Techniques

Name Type Rank Required Description
Hachiman's Fury Ultimate 0 Perform a series of lightning-fast strikes against a group of enemies
Spirit Pull Class Ability 1 While active, your Spirit Pull passively siphons health from a nearby enemy
Defender Perk | Slot 1 2 Increase base health by 25
Lightning Reflexes Perk | Slot 2 3 Parry incoming arrows while blocking
Heavenly Strike Perk | Slot 3 5 Perform an unblockable quick strike
Deep Strikes Perk | Slot 1 7 Increase Melee damage by 10%
Critical Defense Perk | Slot 2 9 Increased parry and dodge window when at low health
Explosive Blade Class Ability 10 Melee attacks deal damaging explosions upon impact
Hachiman's Frenzy Perk | Slot 3 11 Hachiman's Fury gains 2 extra strikes
Samurai Unleashed Perk | Slot 1 14 Decrease class ability cooldown by 15%
Resolve Increase Perk | Slot 2 16 Increase max Resolve by 1
Legendary Perk |Slot 3 18 Increases the number of Legendary items you can equip by 1

In the Samurai's first perk slot you can assign one of three handy bonuses. We'd recommend taking Samurai Unleashed – the small health/melee damage bonuses aren't as useful as reducing the cooldown on your class ability, especially as you become more reliant on Spirit Pull.

Perk two should be used to equip Resolve Increase. Being able to parry arrows sounds useful but you'll quickly develop the reflexes needed to dodge all ranged attacks. Relying on this perk will make you less effective when swapping to other classes. Having one extra renown node gives you the extra stopping power needed to dole out Heavenly Strikes and Hachiman's Fury.

Perk three is a bit trickier, especially if you've started to collect Legendary items in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. We'd opt for Heavenly Strike in this case simply due to how useful it is in punching through armoured enemies. Hachiman's Frenzy sounds better on paper though most enemy groups tend to have around three Oni, those bonus attacks being wasted on Mongol grunts.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

 

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – how to counter Tengu Crow Demons

Once you've cleared your first few story and survival run in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, you'll want to bump the difficulty from bronze to silver, then gold before attempting the weekly Nightmare challenges.

In doing so, you'll introduce tougher, more varied enemy patterns. These will include a mix of supercharger Oni who can trigger deadly area attacks, heal their allies, and even summon soldiers to their aid. However, the most frustrating Oni by far are the Tengu crow demons.

Not to be confused with the Tengu Demon, a boss character Jin Sakai encounters during the Mythic Tale mission "The Curse of Uchitsune", these Oni will continue to appear when playing Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.

But what makes them so annoying to fight? Every enemy you encounter in the game and its online multiplayer can be countered in some fashion whether evading, dodging, or parrying. However, the Tengu crow demons have an OP attack that completely bypasses these battle reflexes you've spent hours memorising.

Tengu techniques and strategies

The Tengu will frequently level their spear at a target and unleash a barrage of crows. This works like a magic beam or torrent of projectiles, locking onto unfortunate Ghosts and whittling down their health. The damage output is moderate and when combined with getting hit by other attacks (or more Tengu crows!) can lead to a quick death.

There isn't a quick and easy way of cheesing the Tengu, sadly. Ghost of Tsushima developer, Sucker Punch, may introduce an exploitable weakness in a future balance update for Legends but for now here are some reliable strategies to take them down.

Let's start with the crow attack. It cannot be blocked, parried, or evaded – the only way to avoid being damaged or killed by the Tengu crows is to disengage. This is particularly devious in survival mode as you'll be forced to flee capture points, potentially failing the mission. Running away, stunning, or breaking the Tengu's line of sight is the only way to escape.

In desperate situations just run, or use the Assassin's invisibility power – standing your ground won't work even if you're managing to land hits on the Oni. Even at a distance the crows can still reach you though the further you get away, the easier it is to curve roll away from them.

You'll still need to kill the Tengu, however. Doing so requires team coordination and/or the spamming of various ghost weapons, abilities, and ultimates. One tried and tested technique is for two players to land consecutive critical strikes from stealth to deal massive damage. Your aim here is to keep the Tengu locked in recovery animations and unable to use his crow attack.

Sticky bombs, smoke bombs, and dirt throws are essential in this respect, following them up with heavy attacks and then finishing with a Samurai, Hunter, or Assassin ultimate. This becomes trickier if there are multiple Tengu but if you are serious about playing Ghost of Tsushima: Legends on gold and Nightmare difficulty tiers then you'll quickly learn how to overwhelm Tengu, prioritising them before moving onto other enemies.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

 

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – find Oni Treasure and Gyozen's Lost Scrolls

When playing story missions in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends you and a partner will run the gauntlet against Mongol and Oni forces as you cross off objectives.

At launch there are a total of nine playable story missions, each spinning their own tale as the Ghosts come closer to facing the main antagonist of Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – Iyo.

Once you've completed all nine missions, your attention will turn to replaying them (or hopping over to Survival mode) in the hopes of scoring gear with a better Ki rating as well as earning experience points and resources.

In Ghost of Tsushima: Legends you can squeeze even more rewards out of each story mission playthrough by completing three side objectives. These are only available when playing on silver tier difficulty or higher (including Nightmare), two of them requiring both players to trigger, so they're not attainable on solo runs.

These three bonus objectives include: finding Gyozen's lost scrolls, collecting Oni treasure, and surviving Gyozen's curse.

How to complete story bonus objectives

It's worth noting that each story mission is split into three stages separated by torii gates. When entering a stage you will see which bonus objectives are active for that particular zone. Here's how to complete them.

Gyozen, Ghost of Tsushima's wandering storyteller, has a penchant for leaving behind lost scrolls. These won't always appear in the same location (or even the same stage) but are mostly found stashed away in mongol tents, stables, and other buildings with some hidden on rooftops and other hard to reach spaces. Gyozen's lost scrolls give off a telltale blue glow so shouldn't be hard to find. Doing so will give you bonus Essence at the end of a run.

Similar to lost scrolls, Oni treasure won't always appear in the same location. However, these horned chests can easily be picked out by using your focus hearing to see their white outline – as long as it's within range. Activating the chest requires both players and will spawn a small cluster of Oni you need to defeat in order to collect their treasure. A good tactic is to clear a stage of enemies before going back to the chest. Oni enemies are considerably more powerful than regular grunts so take a knee and wait for your cooldowns to reset on class abilities and equipped ghost weapons. Although they add an extra layer of challenge to story missions, collecting the Oni treasure will give you a bonus gear drop at the end of a run so they're certainly worthwhile.

Finally, we have Gyozen's Curse. We have a more detailed guide on how to survive Gyozen's Curse which binds players together in order to make combat scenarios even tougher. Overcome this and you will earn additional Blessing.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

 

R-Type 2 Final announced (again)

Despite being revealed back in April 2019, R-Type 2 Final has been announced again and now has a release window of spring 2021 having originally targeted this winter. It's also picked up a distributor, NIS America, which is probably why it's be re-announced.

R-Type Final 2 is coming to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, there's no new on whether the Xbox Series X|S versions are enhanced and no mention of a PS5 version, but it should work via backwards compatibility.

From October 29th your can pre-order a special edition of the game via the NISA Online Store, and there is also a limited edition which includes the soundtrack, art book and the usual bobbins.

Last year the developers Granzella held a successful Kickstarter for the game raising 224% over what the had planned and almost hitting $1m in funding. Kazuma Kujo is directing the project, he has a long history with series have previously worked on R-Tyle Delta, R-Type Final, and R-Type Tactics.

"The stages are rebuilt from scratch for the new game," explained Granzella back in 2019, "As this is going to be the first R-Type game since 16:9 displays have become the standard, the screen structure will be reviewed to improve the playability and make the side scrolling shooter game more exciting and enjoyable. In addition, the stages that appeared in the earlier work will come back with new expressions and interpretations."

"The mere basic functions of R-Type generate a lot of tactical features. We take our hats off to by the depth of the basic rules of R-Type created by our predecessors," the add.

R-Type is the best side ways scrolling shooter and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. A version of the original game and it's sequel were released on the PlayStation Store in the shape of R-Type Dimensions EX, which included a version with the original graphics and an enhanced version with better, although not stunning, graphics.

Source: Press release

Transformers Battlegrounds Review

Transformers Battlegrounds might just be the perfect entry level strategy game to get budding young generals ready to command. Strategy games are fairly niche compared to FPS and sports games, and the mainstream nature of those genres mean that when little Timmy gets his hands on his first console, he's pretty likely to hop into Fortnite or FIFA. Strategy games probably aren't too high on the list of gaming priorities, which is a shame because more people should play them.

Battlegrounds plays a lot like XCOM, as you get a set amount of actions points per round to move your bots and perform various attacks. It's a simplified system and much less intensive, which certainly feels like a design choice to cater to a younger audience.

Firstly, taking shots isn't as RNG driven as the XCOM games, in which you could stand point blank to an alien and still miss. Here, as long as you are in range, your shot will hit. Secondly, you aren't overloaded with abilities. Each character has three skills that can be equipped at a time: a basic attack, which for most characters is a blaster shot, a second skill which you can increase with power depending on how many action points you are willing to spend, and an ultimate ability which has two levels depending on your Energon meter.

Windblade gets to use her awesome turbines with her second skill, for example. The level one version pushes enemies in front of her back, dealing no damage unless they knock into something. Level two deals damage while pushing back the enemy and level three deals more damage and pushes them back even further. Level three's are always great, but they leave you vulnerable, unable to spend action points on movement.

Unspent action points are converted into Energon at the end of a round, and once the Energon meter is halfway full, you gain access to your team's ultimates. These do great things and generally grant you free movement, which can work really well if you can strategically pull off a combo. I did this to great effect in one game where the enemy kept hiding from me. I moved my Optimus Prime just enough to get him in range of the boss and used his ultimate to charge in, grab the enemy and throw them backwards a great distance, dealing damage in the process. Of course, I threw this hapless foe into the rest of my team who were able to whale on him until he was deactivated. Fully charging your Energon grants you the highest level of power for your ultimate, so it's best to save up if you can.

There are a total of six Autobots to mix and match during levels, each with different classes and abilities. You have Optimus Prime and Grimlock as your brawlers, Bumblebee and Windblade who serve as your scout class, and then you have Arcee and Wheeljack offering support. All of their abilities can be swapped out for new ones that you unlock over the course of the campaign using the Spark currency earned from completing levels.

The story follows Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, and his band of merry robots as they chase after big bad Megatron and his evil Decepticons who are trying to get hold of the Allspark. It's standard Transformers stuff and is modeled on the recent Cyberverse series with characters having slightly more human faces (and Grimlock sounding somewhat intelligent). You are actually playing as a human, believe it or not, who manages to get caught up in the middle of things and ends up commanding the Autobots actions from a safe distance inside Teletran X.

The campaign is a fair length, spanning four acts and twenty levels with a bit of a difficulty spike coming during the later levels. Objectives are generally quite simple, like reach the end of the level or defeat all the enemies on screen. It's only towards the end of the game that you start to get more interesting objectives, which is a shame because it does suffer from some repetition early on. Then again, viewing this from the eyes of a younger player, that might not be a bad thing.

The AI is also fairly forgiving, but still clever enough to make for a light challenge. I often found enemy robots using action points to run in, shoot me for damage and then peace out to go hide behind safe cover. It was infuriating, but tactics that only a shifty Decepticon would use. It forced me to place somewhat aggressively until I learned how to bait them out by standing at certain distances so they couldn't just hit and run.

There's also repetition from facing a lot of similar enemy types until you encounter bosses. They seem to get the majority of the cool gameplay mechanics. Shockwave, for instance, spawns small drones who can actually be a right pain to deal with. He is also a pain himself, causing high damage with his stomp attacks. Once again though, I found that I was quite easily able to draw in the boss and then deal with them on turn one through clever placement of my guys and savvy use of abilities. After they went down, it just became about dealing with the spawning minions who were not a problem to deal with.

There are additional game modes to play after the campaign. Capture the Flag, Energon Capture, Last Stand, Destruction and Decepticon Grudge Match, which lets you play as the Decepticons. All of these are short arcade games with simple mechanics. Energon Capture, for instance, sees your team defending Energon Ore Deposits over ten turns. It's also worth noting these are not played online but as local multiplayer. That's nice, but it's a slight shame not to have online multiplayer support.

Hardcore strategy fans might be left wanting after playing Battlegrounds. It's actually quite good, but it's not setting the world on fire by evolving the genre. That's fine when considering that it's aimed at getting younger people into strategy games and in that vein, it feels like a great jumping on point. It helps that it's a Transformers game and that's sure to be pretty popular amongst the young folk.

Older members of the fandom might feel a little let down, however. It's been five years since the last Transformers game and this might not have been the best way to appeal to a mass market of budding Cybertronians. Yes, it's got a lot of fanservice with famous lines from Transformers lore being quoted left, right and centre, but when you walk in the shadow of the War for Cybertron games, you have big shoes to fill.

Ubisoft and Reebok announce an Assassin's Creed Valhalla collaboration

Ubisoft and Reebok are partnering up to release some sneakers/trainers, hoodies and caps that are inspired by the upcoming Assassin's Creed Valhalla. This merchandise will be releasing on November 7th through Reebok's site before being available in stores 11th November. The footwear has been inspired particularly by the Northern Lights while also featuring imagery from the age of the Vikings and the Assassin's Creed franchise.

The three footwear types have been described below.

  • Zig Kinetica: Inspired by the deep black of the Nordic night and the northern lights the Zig Kinetica x ASSASSIN'S CREED VALHALLA is designed with a black moulded-mesh upper, built around its distinctive zigzag-shaped, energy-return sole in emerald sea. Nodding to the Viking Lifestyle, the model features the symbol for Synin, a raven that represents a major feature of Norse mythology, and helps key character Eivor on his journey.
  • Club C Revenge: Simple yet versatile, the Club C Revenge x ASSASSIN'S CREED VALHALLA features a soft suede tan upper with emerald sea and black hits throughout. On the heel, the silhouette features a twin battle axe symbol, the epitome of Norse versatility and one of the most iconic Viking symbols.
  • Classic Leather Legacy: Coming with a cold grey upper and highlights in both emerald sea and emerald haze, the Classic Leather Legacy x ASSASSIN'S CREED VALHALLA, a retro-running inspired lifestyle silhouette, is the perfect choice for those who don't want to choose between the present and the past. The embossed raven symbol on the heel this detail speaks once more to the deep meaning of these creatures for the Vikings.

Yesterday, Assassin's Creed Valhalla's post launch content plans were confirmed. This includes paid content from the season pass such like The Legend of Beowulf quest, the Wrath of the Druids and The Siege of Paris expansions.  Assassin's Creed Valhalla is launching on the 10th of November, a week earlier than previously announced, to line up with the launch of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The game will be be releasing for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia. For the home consoles, if you're not hitting the next-gen on day one there's free cross-gen upgrades, like using Smart Delivery on Xbox.

Source: Press Release

Watch 14 minutes of Scorn gameplay captured on Xbox Series X

Microsoft has uploaded 14 minutes of gameplay from the upcoming Xbox Series X|S and PC horror title Scorn, which is being developed by Ebb Software. If the name vaguely rings a bell then you may remember Scorn being revealed back in May. The original reveal stated that Scorn would be coming during the Xbox Series X|S launch period, but the new footage has confirmed that Ebb Software's horror game will now be released in 2021.

The description for Scorn can be found below.

Scorn lures players into a claustrophobic underworld populated with mis-shapen organic forms dripping with unnamed fluids. You will find yourself entirely alone, with only your senses and instincts to guide you through the non-linear nightmare of interconnected spaces. In Scorn, the environment is itself a character, and will do its best to unsettle and unbalance you. Each location has its own puzzles, characters and story to tell, all of which combine to create a cohesive world. On your journey through the game, new areas, skills, weapons and items will be unveiled as you attempt to comprehend the unfolding reality of Scorn.

At the time of reveal Scorn Game Director Ljubomir Peklar said:

"For us as developers it's imperative to present Scorn in the best way possible. The distinctive art style is only half the story – the other half is having all the technical parts of the game running smoothly. Xbox Series X is an extremely capable piece of hardware that will enable us to run Scorn at 4k 60fps with all the graphical bells and whistles. Ease of development and raw processing power are the primary reasons we chose to go exclusively with Xbox Series X."

Source: YouTube

You can play the demo for Ubisoft's Immortals Fenyx Rising right now!

Coming in on day three of Google Stadia's announcement streams, gamers can now check out one of Ubisoft's big hitters for this Christmas; Immortals Fenyx Rising.

Formerly known as Gods and Monsters, Immortals Fenyx Rising is a third person action adventure set in Ancient Greece, with all of the Gods and Monsters still clearly intact. The elevator pitch for it was undoubtedly along the lines of "let's mix Assassin's Creed Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild together and see what happens" but we probably shouldn't sneer at picking two of the best games of the last couple of years as your direct inspiration. It feels like there's rather more going on than that, which you'll discover in the first few minutes of the demo, when you're presented with an uncharacteristically amusing take on Zeus.

You take control of Fenyx, a new winged demigod, who is on a quest to save the Greek gods and their home from a dark curse. You'll get to take on fantastical versions of mythological beasts, master the legendary powers of the gods, on the path to defeating Typhon, the deadliest Titan in Greek mythology. You get to put your own twist on Fenyx, as you can create their look before heading out on your quest, and the cartoonish stylings are as endearing as they were in Breath of the Wild and more recently in Genshin Impact.

The demo for Immortals Fenyx Rising will remain available until the 29th of October, but once it's gone you won't have to wait too long for the main game to arrive as it launches on the 3rd of December 2020. While it's obviously coming to Google Stadia, you'll also be able to pick the game up on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch.

You can simply follow this link in a Chrome browser and you'll be playing the demo for Immortals Fenyx Rising quicker than you can sign up for a Stadia account (don't worry though, the demo, and signing into Stadia, are both completely free!)

Rambo goes to war in his Mortal Kombat 11 gameplay debut footage

It was last week when NetherRealm confirmed that Rambo would be one of the characters in the second Kombat pack for Mortal Kombat 11, joining Rain and Mileena. Now you can watch Rambo, voiced by Sylvester Stallone, bring a lot of pain to his foes using all the tools available to him. If you have always wanted to see Rambo vs Terminator then some of the footage will please you greatly. Have a full look of Rambo in combat below.

In case you missed it you can see Rain's fighting footage here. Anyone who purchases Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Edition or Kombat Pack 2 will get a Time Warriors skin pack. That pack will include "Dark Web" Noob Saibot, "HCF" (Halt and Catch Fire) Liu Kang and "Blood Moon" Skarlet. NetherRealm Studios has confirmed that Mortal Kombat 11 will have a free upgrade path from current gen to next gen, so PS4 players can upgrade to the PS5 version and Xbox One players can upgrade to the Xbox Series X|S version.

In our original review for Mortal Kombat 11, Miguel wrote:

This game is the pinnacle of Mortal Kombat action. Fights are fluid, weighty, and gorgeous to look at. Unfortunately, that tightly-designed gameplay is bogged down by a grindy system of loot and consumables that only serves to artificially extend your playtime in the most tedious ways imaginable. There is so much heart and care put into this game, from the combat to the gorgeous visuals and memorable story, but that effort feels nullified by the desperate attempt to twist an iconic video game franchise into just another endlessly online service game.

Meanwhile, in our review for Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, Nick wrote:

Weighing in at a hefty £34.99, Aftermath feels a bit pricey, despite how good the content is. The Friendships, the new stages and the balance update are all free downloads, so what you're really paying for is a very short campaign and three extra characters. It's going to be a very hard sell to casual fans of the series. The package which includes the base game definitely feels like the better deal weighing in around £49.99, but those that own it already might feel a little hard done by.

Still, die hard fans of MK should definitely consider picking Aftermath up. The campaign is short but sweet and the new characters are fun to experiment with. It really just depends on your wallet.

Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Edition will be released on November 17th for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch and Stadia.

Source: YouTube

See the first shot of Tom Holland as Nathan Drake from the Uncharted movie

I know it can be hard to believe but the long wait for an Uncharted movie seems to be coming to an end. It was three years ago when it was confirmed that Tom Holland had signed on to take on the role of Nathan Drake. When the decision was made there was some confusion before there was proper confirmation the Uncharted movie would be a prequel to the games. Now you can get your first look of Tom Holland as Nathan Drake in a shot the actor shared today.

According to Tom, Uncharted 4 will give a lot of inspiration for the story but the film will very much be its own thing. As Tom is portraying a younger Nathan Drake in the movie this will be a prequel of sorts, which avoids the issue of having to adopt a game directly. Ruben Fleischer is attached to direct the movie having recently worked on Venom and Zombieland: Double Tap. Previous people attached to direct the project include Travis Knight, David O. Russell, Dan Trachtenberg, Shawn Levy, Seth Gordon, and Neil Burger. Each left for their own reason with Travis Knight apparently leaving due to Tom Holland's own filming schedule clash.

The Uncharted movie has been in development for so long that Mark Wahlberg has gone from originally being considered to play Nathan Drake, and now he is Victor Sullivan. Sony recently announced it had pushed back the release date of the movie to October 2021 after previously announcing a March 2021 and December 2020 release date. Though with COVID-19 currently having a major impact that date will not be set in stone.

Source: Twitter

The Falconeer shows indie developers can soar on the next generation

Developing a console launch game has always been tricky. You're either remembered as the star of the show or forgotten shortly after release and left to the annals of gaming history. Launch game are even trickier in 2020, with developers trying to launch across current gen, next gen and PC all at the same time.

With all of this in mind, The Falconeer still feels like a next-gen game, happily touting 4K resolutions and 120Hz modes on the new Xbox consoles, but scaling that all back down for the base Xbox One as well.

The Falconeer is a dogfighting game, following the likes of Ace Combat and Star Fox as it provides big aerial battles that focus around the fundamentals of attacking and evasion. The Falconeer changes the formula slightly by introducing an open-world to explore and a vast, ongoing narrative to experience. Simply calling this a dogfighting game feels misleading as there's so much more going on at the core of its gameplay.

Unlike many dogfighting games, rather than controlling a ship or a machine that has no free will, you are commandeering an autonomous bird. While you are always in full control in The Falconeer, there are little things that remind you about the giant, living being that you're riding. Dive down into the water below to pick up an item and you'll have to rely on your bird to actually pick it up. There is no button for the action, you instead have to guide your bird and let them do the rest of the work. When you're simply cruising from one location to another, if you leave the controls alone for a few moments, the bird will take over, starting to weave through the sky and drifting off course as its desires take over.

During fights you can evade attacks with a dodge button and boost your speed with the same input. This isn't something you can do indefinitely though, as the bird has a limited amount of stamina. Flying through an electric storm or dive down at speed will refill your stamina, but it's something you're constantly managing. Most fights are a balancing act, between acting aggressively enough to defeat your adversaries and balancing your stamina and ammo, although there's always typically a storm reasonably close by.

The world of The Falconeer is known as the Great Ursee, a vast ocean split between five different factions. Each one of these factions plays an important role in the narrative and the gameplay, with all of them providing missions to complete and stores for you to shop in. What makes the factions interesting is the ways in which they interact within the game. There are clearly tensions between each of them as you travel from one to another, but in the early part of the game you are mainly there to build your reputation with each one by doing jobs.

There's clearly a very grandiose story being told, and there's a surprising amount of depth to the lore you find. The world feels fleshed out with numerous tales and anecdotes of history and landscape. What makes this even more impressive is that The Falconeer has been created by solo developer, Tomas Sala. For one person to put this much depth, lore and heart into the game is impressive and it shows in the quality of the gameplay – thankfully he's had some help from publisher Wired Productions to help scale the game across all the different hardware options.

Previewing the game on PC and playing The Falconeer on a high-refresh rate monitor is an utter delight. Everything from the clouds above through the unforgiving sea below look absolutely fantastic with smooth animations that bring every inch of this spectacular world to life. It's stylised and lacks the miniscule detail that you'd get from a Naughty Dog or The Coalition game, but it still looks fantastic.

Those eagerly awaiting an Xbox Series X or S on 10th November will also be able to indulge in 120Hz gaming on a supported TV or monitor, but this game scales from native 4K on Xbox Series X all the way down to 1080p on Xbox One S and 900p on Xbox One, but with 60fps as standard. We've also checked the game out on Xbox One X, and it still looks, feels and plays fantastically well, matching the Xbox Series S with its 1800p and 60fps target.

From what I've played so far, The Falconeer is going to be something very special. There's real depth in the world presented here and the combat and visuals are fantastic to match. While it may not visually look like a step forward into the next gen, it represents a significant leap for what small indie games can try to do. The level of quality and detail created by one person is truly impressive. This is one to watch out for when it launches alongside the Xbox Series X|S on 10th November.

Mortal Shell's free Rotten Autumn update adds a new quest and a photo editor

Cold Symmetry has announced the first free update for Mortal Shell and it is called Rotten Autumn. This new update adds a mini quest where players have to help out Gorf. If players are successful they will get ten new Shell shades. Those shades include a war paint inspired by Dracula and a regal yellow trim. In addition, this update also adds a brand new photo editor accessible through the pause menu. Finally, there is an alternative soundtrack from Rotting Christ, though the soundtrack does require a separate download.

Cold Symmetry's four co-founders – Andrew McLennan-Murray, Anton Gonzalez, Dmitry Parkin, and Vitaly Bulgarov – in a joint statement said:

"We are incredibly delighted with such a warm reception of Mortal Shell and are forever grateful to the community for all the love and support the game has received. We'd like to express our gratitude and celebrate the successful launch with you by introducing this extra content that we hope you'll enjoy!"

In our review for Mortal Shell, Jason wrote:

Mortal Shell is just an incredibly satisfying experience. It'll punish you constantly, but if you can master the mechanics it lays out in front of you then you'll have an incredible time of things. The lore is a little more obvious that in other soulslikes, and the story it tells and the world it puts you in are both rather enthralling. This is definitely a game that fans of dying a lot will enjoy, but it's probably not for everyone.
You can read the full Mortal Shell review here.
Source: Press Release

For Honor Monsters of the Otherworld Halloween event

For the fourth year running For Honor will host yet another timed Halloween event, inviting all kinds of ghosts and ghouls from the Otherworld to wreak havoc upon Ashfeld.

Over the next three weeks For Honor players will be able to partake in two spooky new game modes while unlocking loads of Halloween themed loot for their heroes.

Available in-game now, the Monster of the Otherworld event will run until November 12th and is split into two phases. Between now and November 5th Endless March will be available to play, (pumpkin) spicing up your usual Dominion matches with powerful skeleton warriors.

Then, from November 5th until the 12th, Spooky Slashers will pit fighters against demonic foes as they work together to lock down control points.

Playing For Honor during this event gives you an automatic chance of unlocking Otherworld bonuses for your fighter roster, dropping at the end of every match. Ubisoft have promised that items from previous years' celebrations will be up for grabs but will be phased in for a set amount of time.

For Honor is currently enjoying its fourth year of post-launch support. In 2020, Ubisoft have already added a new hero, The Warmonger, with another promised by the end of the year. This is on top of regular updates and balances, including a core combat design overhaul. Overall, For Honor is now a more offence focused fighting game that allows for more diverse, dynamic battle tactics as opposed to the defence-driven meta that previously existed.

Even if Monsters of the Otherworld doesn't entice you to jump back into For Honor, you may be tempted by the recently announced next-gen upgrade. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players will be able to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S respectively, allowing for improved graphics and visual effects with a 60 fps mode promised before 2021.

Source: For Honor

PlayStation 5 streaming apps confirmed – Apple TV, Disney+ and more on day one [Updated]

Sony have revealed the media and streaming apps that will be available for PlayStation 5 on day one of the console's release.

It seems as though a new range of apps has had to be created for the platform, in order to exist in the new and separate part of the system software dedicated to non-gaming media, as was revealed during the PS5 showcase last week.

Update: Sony have clarified that all named apps will be available on day one.

The streaming services confirmed for day one include:

  • Apple TV
  • Disney+
  • Netflix
  • Spotify
  • Twitch
  • YouTube
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • MyCanal
  • Hulu
  • Peacock

More apps are expected on day one – Ars Technica have a confirmation from CrunchyRoll that their app will be available – but Sony's not provided an exhaustive list and had to issue yet another clarification after leaving things a bit vague. Notable by their absence are the likes of HBO Max and country specific streaming platforms like BBC iPlayer.

As on PlayStation 4, Twitch and YouTube will also be integrated into the system's Create button functionality to broadcast your gaming online, while Spotify can play music for you while you game. Apple TV will be launching alongside a new PS4 app as well.

Sony also explained that a little more about the Media space in the system software. You won't need to download any of the entertainment apps through the PS Store, they will simply be there in the Media section of the UI.

What's also not detailed is the actual playback capabilities of the PS5. The console can almost certainly stream in 4K and with HDR, but will the PS5 support Dolby Vision HDR? Dolby Atmos audio for media? We're still in the dark on some of the PS5's media credentials.

Source: PS Blog

The Red Lantern Review

As the aurora borealis shimmers in the night sky above, you're the only human for hundreds miles around, all alone but for the adorable pack of huskies protecting you on your journey. The Red Lantern is unlike anything else I've played this year, mixing the randomly generated elements of roguelites with more traditionally focused narrative beats on top of focus on survival. It's a mix that works with spectacular effect, creating an emotional journey that gripped me from start to finish.

Right from the off, The Red Lantern tasks players with choosing their team of dogs to take on the journey through Alaska. There are eight dogs, all with very distinct looks and personalities. Those personalities change the way your journey plays out, as each dog reacts to the game's random encounters in different ways. One dog may be aggressive, while another is nervous around specific animals. Keeping this in mind when choosing your team will improve your chances of making it through the harsh wilderness.

Day-to-day life in the Alaskan Bush is treacherous. At any point you can find yourself attacked by a bear, a moose, or even a wolverine. When the wildlife isn't trying to kill you, you must balance hunger, sleep and your health. Players are equipped with a gun, although there is only a limited amount of ammo available per turn, so you have to manage your shots carefully. Shoot too often or too soon, and you will probably starve later on in your run as you find yourself unable to hunt.

Fortunately, The Red Lantern makes progress with each subsequent run easier by allowing players to carry over special items found in the world. With each death, progress is reset, the protagonist waking up as though they've had a nightmare about their Alaskan journey. Should you find a fishing rod, the protagonist will wake up and now remember that they need to pack a fishing rod for their journey. It's a creative way of carrying progress across runs, one that fits both the gameplay and the narrative.

Throughout your journey, you will come across many random encounters. There are apparently close to 100 types of encounters to experience, although I probably saw around 40 of them during my time with the game. Anything from being attacked by a wolf to finding an abandoned house can happen during your journey and experiencing these encounters really is a lot of fun. It makes Alaska feel real and adds purpose to your journey. Rather than simply having you travel from A to B, you explore Alaska and live off it.

Between journeys, players can set up camps and rest with the dogs. It's during this downtime that you feed them and yourself before getting some sleep and using a med pack should you or your pack be injured. If you spend too long travelling the wilds, you will end up tired which limits how much food you can eat, and should your or the dogs' hunger bars deplete, you will find your run ending.

The Red Lantern is all about survival and managing your health, but I never felt like those systems got in the way. Great care has been taken to ensure the game is well-balanced, and it shows as I constantly wanted to just take one more run rather than turning in for the night.

The Red Lantern tells the tale of a young woman looking for something new in her life. With her past put behind her, she looks to start a new one in the Alaskan Bush, surrounded by her pack of loyal dogs. Voice actor Ashley Burch (best known as Aloy of Horizon Zero Dawn) voices the protagonist, lending her exceptional voice talent to the role and really bringing the character to life. I'd have liked to see a little more depth in the backstory, but the moment to moment interactions between you and the dogs are heartwarming.

In a year that's completely changed the way we live, there's an almost cathartic feeling while playing The Red Lantern. Much like the protagonist's story, this is a year in which we've all faced unknown events and adapted to new careers or lifestyles. The Red Lantern offers something actual life can't though, which is a light (literally) at the end of the tunnel.

Much like the dogs who run throughout Alaska, The Red Lantern looks and plays wonderfully. Each one of the dogs is filled with character thanks to their unique designs, and Alaska looks as unforgiving and glacial as I imagine it would be. The PC version has the benefit of offering a higher frame rate, so I could enjoy the game at a solid 144fps throughout.