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.

Disc Room Review

Do or die trying. It's a an old adage that video games make a mockery of with the ability to respawn and try again. Disc Room takes that to an extreme. It's not so much do or die trying, it's do and die trying.

In the far flung future, a mysterious alien thingamy has appeared in space, with a handful of scientists sent to investigate. What they find is the sci-if equivalent of a lumberjack yard haunted by malevolent poltergeists.

Each room is home to spinning buzzsaws that float around in the vague hope that they will be the lucky one to cut you in half. This is a bullet hell of a puzzle game that will have you frantically trying to skirt past these flying serrated discs, while also trying to meet the conditions to unlock the next room.

Many room unlocks boil down to needing to stay alive for a certain period of time, but how time is defined depends on the room and the zone that you're in. It could simply be dodging a few slow-moving discs for five seconds, or you might need to stand in a particular area, or weirder still, collect increments of time. Then there's the cumulative requirements that spread across multiple rooms and will likely see you having to revisit and try to improve you previous best run.

Some rooms will need you to die. A lot. You'll die anyway at the end of each and every attempt – such is the nature of this hellish game world – but some room requirements need you to die in particular ways. It can become quite gruesome at times…

Dodging discs initially seems quite easy, but there are dozens of different types of disc in Disc Room. Some are big, some are small, they can be slow or fast, they can spawn other discs, change direction or speed in somewhat unpredictable fashion, phase in and out of existence… You never quite know what to expect as you step into a new room, let alone a new zone, where the fundamental rules of time are liable to change along with the environments.

Along the way, you'll start to pick up a handful of new abilities, starting with a dash that lets you skip past and through discs coming your way, and getting much more esoteric from there. You can use any unlocked ability in any room, and picking the right ability can have a big part to play in helping you overcome the challenge in front of you. The game doesn't do a great job of explaining how they really work though, and it can be a touch frustrating when they seem not to be working, leaving you to try again and again and again while figuring things out.

The game is relatively short, meaning that the difficulty ramps up quickly as you get deeper into the maze. The first few levels can be beaten in a handful of attempts, but later on, as I'm trying to complete zone-wide time challenges I found myself butting my head against brick walls for go after go after go. That's part of the appeal, but if it does prove to be too much to defeat, you can also modify the game's difficulty, tuning the speed of the game, the disc movement, the room requirements, and even just unlocking all of the doors. Some will be sniffy that this doesn't "count", but still will allow people to experience more of the game.

There's also plenty of replay options. Built into every single room is its own leaderboard, initially challenging you to beat the best dev time, but once the game is released, inviting you to go up against the best in the community. The replay value is twisted further by a set of eight challenges that task you with beating the game in under 15 minutes, fewer than 30 deaths, at higher game speed, and more fiendish demands, which are sure to tax completionists and speedrunners alike. For the rest of us, I'm sure that one blast through the game will be enough.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Ver. 9.0.1 fixes Minecraft DLC issues

Following Nintendo's announcement of a new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update yesterday, patch Ver. 9.0.1 is now available to download and install on Nintendo Switch.

This update looks to be a pretty small one and is primarily aimed at delivering fixes following the recent addition of Ultimate's newest fighter, Steve from Minecraft. From what we can see there are no new notable features that have snuck into the 9.0.1 patch notes.

Steve joins a handful of familiar faces from Minecraft as part of the latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC. It's the second of six paid expansions that comprise the game's second fighter pass which was announced earlier this year. With Min Min from ARMS having been added to the roster this summer, and now Steve, four more characters will follow within the next year.

Minecraft isn't exactly what you'd call a classic/original Nintendo IP though over the years we've seen them partner with Sega, Konami, Namco, Square, and other publishers to pump up their Smash Bros. roster. Ultimate boasts the biggest cast of playable characters in the series' history with third party members including Cloud (Final Fantasy VII), Bayonetta, Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid), Sonic the Hedgehog, and more.

Anyway, you can catch the latest patch notes below:

Ver. 9.0.1 (Released October 21, 2020)

General

  • Fixed the issue where sometimes an opposing fighter would go through the landscape when Steve/Alex created a block at a certain location and the opposing fighter destroyed the block.
  • Fixed the issue where sometimes an opposing fighter would go through the landscape when Steve/Alex created a block at a certain location and the anvil created with a down air attack struck the opposing fighter.
  • Fixed the issue where the opposing fighter would become uncontrollable when Steve/Alex hit them with a minecart in certain situations.
  • Fixed the issue where if Steve/Alex's minecart bounced off the wall, it would not hit the opposing fighter.
  • Fixed the issue where opposing fighters carried in Steve/Alex's minecart would sometimes be warped to the original location where they were picked up.
  • Fixed the issue where certain fighters could go through Steve/Alex's block once KO'd.

Source: Nintendo

Garmin are planning to make you a better gamer with the Instinct Esports Edition smartwatch

Smartwatches are good for a number of things beyond just telling you the time. They can also tell you that you're becoming deeply unhealthy, and that you haven't moved for five hours from the same spot. This is in fact what mine has been telling me for days, but I promise I haven't been very well. Anyway, it's an interesting problem for Garmin and their newest smartwatch, the Instinct Esports Edition, when they're now going to be dealing with sitting still as standard. They believe they have the know-how to make you a better gamer though, which is all exceedingly interesting, and the tech behind it is pretty damn exciting!

The Instinct allows esports fans to track and livestream their biometrics for their followers to marvel at how they're either staying incredibly calm, or wondering how their favourite Twitch star is actually still alive despite nearly having the heart rate of a terrified rabbit.

The Instinct Esport gives wearers access to Garmin's health tracking features, which includes stress, heart rate and 'Body Battery' which will help players to be healthy and mentally prepared for their next game or competition. You can tell the PC software has been aimed at esports as it's called STR3AMUP!, but despite the slightly try-hard name it sounds as though it's going to integrate very nicely with your favourite streaming software with overlays bringing all of that information to the people that need it.

It's a rugged-looking sports watch, and doesn't go too heavily on the gamer-centric looks which is a nice surprise for something that is targeted at esports. It has a battery life of three days in esports mode, and an incredible maximum of 14 days as a smartwatch which is great for a wearable. Besides all of the esports functionality you will also receive smart notifications for all of your phone's various messaging platforms.

The Garmin Instinct Esports Edition is available now.

Witcheye Review

The opening cutscene to Witcheye was exasperating. A "brave" knight breaks into a witch's shack, before proceeding to steal valuable items from her. It sounds familiar, no? Yet another game following a hero that's kind of the worst? Thankfully, I judged the game too soon, as it flips the narrative on its head.

Instead you play as the witch, who turns herself into a bouncing eyeball to exact revenge. Thankfully the knight is incredibly clumsy, and drops his treasures across the worlds, travelling back to the castle, allowing us to follow the trail he leaves and reclaim our items.

Instead of the traditional gameplay of a walking and jumping through levels, the Witcheye is endlessly bouncing around. You have lot of control though, whether using the analog stick or swiping the touchscreen to direct the eye, while movement can be stopped by tapping the 'A' button or the screen.

I love this kind of innovation in gameplay, and it's certainly the first platformer I've played that doesn't use jumping to get around. This unique take on gameplay creates a fresh feeling to the narrative that could have been just another 2D platformer, and makes itself feel entirely unique.

Admittedly, this gameplay was difficult to master. Even with several hours of gameplay under my belt, I was still getting used to the flying movements. At times it felt almost clunky, the way the Witcheye would suddenly stop, even if it was my doing. Of course, this frustration is mostly with myself, rather than the game, but it did detract from the experience of enjoying the game

Travelling through a 2D platformerr landscape, the Witcheye collects jewels and hunts down her stolen possessions. The jewels appear from defeated enemies and destroyed blocks, however speed is of the essence here, as they will float off at an alarming rate. If you want to 100% this game, prepare for a lot of replaying levels. Of course, this will get highly repetitive and edges on the side of annoying, but thankfully, it isn't essential to the progressing through the game. You don't need to collect every jewel to carry on, you need only not die. Yet there's another source of repetition that Witcheye still falls prey to, as the level design themselves make for a repetitive narrative, even if you don't go for the 100%.

Even so, the levels are short and sweet, and there's some beautiful pixel art landscapes to look at. Each follows a theme, such as forests level and water levels, that create a seamless journey that you follow. Not only are the world's great eye-candy, but the monsters and bosses are varied in their designs and ways to kill you. They aren't just pretty faces, they're original and eye-catching, and create constant new challenges for you to fight and overcome as you progress.

Minecraft Java Edition will soon require a Microsoft account

Mojang have announced that they will be shifting Minecraft Java Edition away from the old Mojang accounts to join the rest of the company's games in requiring a Microsoft account in order to play. It will join the main Minecraft game and Minecraft Dungeons in this requirement.

While this will be a frustration for some who would rather keep an old system that they are familiar with, and keep their Minecraft data separate from any Microsoft data presence they have online, Mojang insist that this will make Minecraft Java Edition more secure and safer for young players.

In particular, you will now be able to secure you game account with two-factor authentication, you will have Java Edition connected to the same account as the other Minecraft games, there will be access to improved parental controls, and features like chat and invitation blocking will also now appear. You know, the standard Microsoft account stuff.

However, Mojang also promise that this won't affect how the game actually works. Players will still be able to mod the game to their heart's content, the PvP scene can continue to thrive, and there's no added fee for this. Players will get a free in-game cape as a tiny gesture of goodwill.

You will not have a choice in this, as the migration from Mojang to Microsoft is mandatory, and if you don't migrate, you won't be able to log in anymore once the transition has been completed. The process will be handled in batches, with an email providing instructions on how to migrate. Once migrated, you'll no longer be able to use the old log in details, and you'll get that cape.

They'll be detailing the process over the coming weeks and months across their social media, but in the meantime, there's an FAQ on their support page.

Source: Minecraft

Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed Review

Back in the 1980s, when Transformers and G.I. Joe's did battle, and He-Man only really left Castle Greyskull to give us negative body image, there was a range of toys that brought sci-fi and dinosaurs together in spectacular fashion. Zoids was a phenomenon that stretched from Japan to encompass the whole world, its wind-up mechanical creatures offering an impossibly futuristic and imagination-fuelled set-up.

Many in the UK might think that Zoids are as relevant to 2020 as Teddy Ruxpin, but in Japan they've continued to be hugely popular, spawning toys and new anime series like wind-up robotic bunnies. Zoids Wild is the latest of these, and Blast Unleashed is the Switch exclusive tie-in that they'll be hoping brings the Zoid franchise back to the West.

Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed turns the robotic action into a one-on-one arena brawler, its mechanical cast getting stuck into it in a style decidedly reminiscent of Pokémon-thumper Pokken Tournament. You take your chosen Zoid and you're then given the tools you'd expect for roughing everyone else up.

There's standard and strong attacks, you can dodge and you can block. Each Zoid then has three unique special moves that have a gauge preventing you from constantly spamming the hell out of them. Landing attacks or taking damage serves to fill your Blast Gauge, which once topped out allows you to enter a powered-up state of your choosing. Just like Pokken, you want to hold onto it for as long as possible before unleashing your Blast Move – a hugely powerful special that decimates your opponent's health bar. While it's all fairly familiar, the whole thing comes together in a surprisingly enjoyable way.

Much like Monster Hunter Stories, the Wild anime brings more friendship and cooperation into the franchise, with riders sat atop their chosen Zoid rather than being tucked away in a cockpit. They all look exactly like their animated counterparts and the Zoids themselves, with a modicum of cel-shaded style, are just as cool as you'd hope they would be. For fans of the show it's a genuine treat to spend time with the cast, and the action has enough variation and weight to keep you engaged for a suitably long time.

Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed also resurrects one of my favourite elements of fighting games of old, which is unlocking characters through play. I do love to see a half-full roster that you must slowly open up, though Blast Unleashed's paltry starting five is a bit of a disappointment if you were hoping to jump right into some two-player tomfoolery.

You'll be racing through the extensive Story mode to try and unlock all the basic fighters, though it's nice that it doesn't feel like a throwaway element. The story is mainly performed via talking heads and text, and it's light, harmless fun. Once again, fans are going to get the most out of it, but newcomers won't find it too much of a chore, with short and snappy dialogue that suits the show.

It is admittedly pretty easy to work your way through. Blast Unleashed is aimed at younger players, and it was particularly obvious when I allowed my four year old to mash the buttons with the outcome very much the same as my ever-so-slightly more considered approach. It's accessible to a fault, and rounds will likely fall into the same pattern as you try to get through them as swiftly as possible.

That does change if you're playing multiplayer, and battles can be pretty engaging with two players that know what they're doing. It is possible to string some very destructive combos together, and rounds can be suspiciously short, though you'll need to connect with your Blast Move to maximise it all. Central character Arashi will fire off his Wild Blast and say "bet you didn't see that coming!" I can safely say, you definitely will.

The biggest disappointment is that there's no online component, which is surely the most important thing for any versus game in 2020. I could imagine a good few Zoids fans around the world battling it out for supremacy, but as it stands once you've worked your way through the Story mode, taken on your sibling, and seen all of the character's artfully produced Zoids, it's liable to drift into the same hazy memories of your childhood as the 80's toys.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – Ronin Class Guide & Techniques

The first choice you'll make in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is picking one of the co-op mode's four playable classes. Compared to the other three, the Ronin is perhaps the least straightforward as he's not specifically melee, ranged, or stealth focused. Instead he fills more of a support role.

Team composition is key in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends and it won't take long for the Ronin to prove himself a worthy party member. He's your go-to guy for healing, his ultimate – Breath of Izanami – allowing you to revive multiple fallen allies simultaneously.

When playing Survival on Silver tier difficulty or higher the Ronin becomes an essential part of any squad, keeping everyone's health topped up while carefully unleashing his ultimate when it's needed.

Ronin Overview

The Ronin more than makes up for his lack of offence with reliable support actions but requires a team player mindset. His Healing Incense should be used regularly and in proximity of allies in combination with Weakening Burst. This power consumes one Resolve but plants a helpful debuff on surrounding enemies, dropping their attack power and defence by 25%. If timed correctly, you and your companions can unleash a deadly onslaught. However, knowing when to spend Resolve and when to keep it for Breath of Izanami is the sign of a great Ronin player.

Another highlight worth mentioning are bombs. Initially, the Ronin is the only class able to carry bombs which can help wreak havoc and are generally quicker and easier to use than bows.

Ronin Techniques

Name Type Rank Required Description
Breath of Izanami Ultimate 0 Revive all downed allies
Spirit Animal Class Ability 1 Summon a friendly dog companion for a short amount of time
Enhanced Ghost Weapons Perk | Slot 1 2 Increase damage from all Ghost Weapons by 50%
Staggering Imposition Perk | Slot 2 3 Increase Stagger damage inflicted by 15%
Soothing Breath Perk | Slot 3 5 Breath of Izanami now also applies a heal over time to all players for 8 seconds
Weakening Burst Perk | Slot 1 7 Weaken enemies so they deal 25% less damage and take 25% more damage
Resolve Increase Perk | Slot 2 9 Increase max Resolve by 1
Healing Incense Class Ability 10 Deploy a small pot of incense that heals nearby allies
Fire Breath Perk | Slot 3 11 Breath of Izanami now also ignites enemies near all players
Ronin Unleashed Perk | Slot 1 14 Decrease class ability cooldown by 15%
Quick Regen Perk | Slot 2 16 Increase healing received and health regen by 50%
Legendary Perk | Slot 3 18 Increases the number of Legendary items you can equip by 1

Unless you're in a party with other Ronin, you should always select Healing Incense as your class ability. Having a spirit dog is fun and all but they're not as essential, only distracting enemies for a short time while you could be healing instead.

You should really be taking Weakening Burst in your first perk slot for the reasons mentioned earlier. If used well and often it can help in just about every combat scenario. That said, Enhanced Ghost Weapons could also come in handy if you're particularly handy with you kunai and caltrops.

In perk slot two, we recommend taking the Resolve Increase. Again, this links back to Weakening Burst – when at full Resolve you have enough to activate this ability then have enough left over in case you need an emergency Breath of Izanami. Opting for Staggering Imposition is a solid backup for those Ronin who thrive at guard breaking enemies and maintaining crowd control.

Finally, in perk slot three you can mix things up here. Naturally, we'd go for Soothing Breath due to its healing properties but if you're already carrying other medic perks then Fire Breath might be more suitable, potentially torching swathes of enemies that surround individual squad mates.

Ghost of Tsushima Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's post launch content plans includes two expansions

Ubisoft has confirmed the post launch content for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and the publisher has stated that there will be two expansions and an exclusive quest for season pass owners, and a lot of free content for all players. The exclusive quest for season pass holders is called The Legend of Beowulf which explores the legend, and this quest will be available on launch day of the game. The two expansions will then expand the world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

The first expansion is called Wrath of the Druids and in it players will be travelling to Ireland on the hunt for the members of a druidic cult while being immersed in the folklore or Ireland. This expansion is due in Spring 2021. The second expansion is The Siege of Paris and as you can probably guess players will be heading to the French capital. To be precise this expansion will allow players to experience the famous siege that took place in 845 AD. Players will have to infiltrate Paris and create alliances to secure the future of Eivor's own clan. This is expected in Summer 2021.

The free content will be released across seasons with each of these seasons lasting three months. Season one will include:

  • A new settlement area, allowing players to continue to grow and evolve their settlement.
  • A traditional Viking Festival: the Yule Festival, for players to experience in their settlement.
  • A new game mode: the River Raids. Building on Valhalla's core raiding mechanic the mode will deliver a dynamic, challenging and highly replayable raid experience.
  • The addition of the Ranks for Jomsviking: in Assassin's Creed Valhalla players can not only create their lieutenant to be part of their raiding crew, but also recruit some from their friends and the community. In Season 1, players will see an update to the Jomsviking feature which will allow their Jomsviking to earn XP and rank up – the higher will be the rank of the lieutenant, the more silver players will earn when recruited by other players.
  • Finally, as for each season, Season 1 will also come with new player skills and abilities, weapons and gear, and cosmetic items for the settlement, longship, horse and raven.

Season two will be available in March 2021. 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

Dirt 5's full launch car list has been confirmed

Today, Codemasters confirmed the full list of cars that will be available at launch for Dirt 5. There are 13 classes of vehicles in total suited for different vehicles. Some cars are real while some are fictional, and a couple will have designs exclusive to the Amplified Edition of Dirt 5. The full list of vehicles is below.

Super Lites

  • Ariel Nomad
  • Ariel Nomad Tactical (Amplified Edition exclusive)
  • Armada Engineering Class 10
  • Blitzworld Beast
  • Brenthel Industries Class 10
  • Exomotive Exocet Off-Road
  • Speedcar Wonder
  • Speedcar Xtrem
  • Volkswagen Baja Beetle
  • Volkswagen ID Buggy

Rock Bouncer

  • WS Auto Racing Mudclaw (fictional)

Formula Off Road

  • WS Auto Racing Titan (fictional)

Unlimited

  • Armada Engineering Unlimited Truck
  • Brenthel Industries Class 1 Buggy
  • Brenthel Industries Unlimited Truck
  • Jimco Unlimited Class 1
  • Jimco Unlimited Truck

Modern Rally

  • Citroën C3 R5
  • Ford Fiesta R5 MKII
  • Å KODA FABIA Rally2 evo
  • Volkswagen Polo GTI R5

Classic Rally

  • Fiat 131 Abarth Rally
  • Ford Mustang GT Fastback Rally
  • Lancia Stratos
  • Porsche 911 SC/RS Rally
  • Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Rallye

80s Rally

  • BMW M1 Procar Rally
  • Ford RS200
  • Lancia 037 Evo 2
  • Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 2
  • Porsche 959 Prodrive Rally Raid

90s Rally

  • Ford Escort RS Cosworth
  • MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VI
  • Peugeot 306 Maxi
  • Renault Clio Williams Maxi
  • SUBARU Impreza S4 Rally

Rally GT

  • Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4
  • Audi TT Safari (Amplified Edition exclusive)
  • BMW M2 Competition
  • Fiat Abarth 124 Rally
  • Ford Mustang GT4
  • Lotus Exige R-GT Rally
  • Porsche 911 RGT

Rally Cross

  • Audi S1 EKS RX quattro
  • MINI Cooper SX1
  • Peugeot 208 WRX
  • Megane R.S. RX
  • SUBARU WRX STI RX Supercar
  • Volkswagen Beetle Rallycross (Amplified Edition exclusive)

Pre-Runners

  • Aston Martin DBX
  • Audi AI: TRAIL quattro
  • Cadillac Escalade PreRunner
  • Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison
  • Ford F-150 Raptor PreRunner by Deberti Design (pre-order bonus)
  • Ford F-150 Raptor
  • MITSUIBISHI e-EVOLUTION
  • Porsche Cayenne Transsyberia

Cross Raid

  • Laffite G-Tec X-Road
  • MINI John Cooper Works Buggy by X-raid
  • Peugeot 3008 DKR Maxi
  • Porsche Macan T1 Rally Raid (Amazon exclusive)
  • Sodicars Racing BV6
  • Volkswagen Race Touareg 3

Sprint

  • Jupiter Hawk 410 (fictional)

It was recently confirmed that save data would not transfer between PS4 and PS5, but that data will transfer between Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Recently gameplay was shown of Dirt 5 which featured South Africa. Codemasters has confirmed that Dirt 5 will be a launch title for next gen consoles, meaning it will be available on November 10th for Xbox Series X|S, and should be making its way to PS5 on November 12th/November 19th depending on which region you are residing in. The current gen release will be on November 6th.

Source: Codemasters

With Ubisoft Connect all your Ubisoft saves follow you wherever you go

Slightly late in the day for us here in the UK – and France where Ubisoft are based – but Ubisoft have just announced Ubisoft Connect, a new system for allowing cross save on Ubisoft games to follow you from platform to platform. Set to release on the 29th of October, Ubisoft Connect is billed as an ecosystem of player services that covers all Ubisoft games on all platforms.

Player's will be happy to learn that this is a free service, and you can access it on PC, via the mobile app, or directly through your games, building on and replacing the infrastructure of Uplay and Ubisoft Club. To make use of the service all you need is a Ubisoft account, which most gamers in the world will have probably signed up for at some point.

Sadly, the progression across all devices is currently limited to Ubisoft's newest or upcoming games, with the battle royale Hyper Scape, Viking-flavoured Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Breath of the Wild-aping Immortals Fenyx Rising and extreme sports title Riders Republic the first games to benefit from it.

Besides the cross-save functionality you can access your stats at any time to compare your progression with your friends, see highlights of your best performances, and even get personalised tips to help you become a better player.

You'll also continue to benefit from the benefits of Uplay like the huge back catalogue of free rewards across their back catalogue, including legendary weapons, character outfits, emotes and consumables. All of them can be purchased with Ubisoft Units that you gain from progressing in games or by levelling up in Ubisoft Connect.

Ubisoft are set for a big winter in 2020, with mega-hitters like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion and Immortals Fenyx Rising likely to make up a huge portion of the games sold in the coming months. Ubisoft Connect will at least make it easier for those hopping from old platforms to new for some of those games, and hopefully we might see it roll out to more Ubisoft titles in the future.

Darkest Dungeon 2 comes to Epic Games Store early access in 2021

Red Hook Games has confirmed that Darkest Dungeon 2 will be released on Epic Games Store in 2021 as an early access title. Darkest Dungeon 2 was announced last year. A new teaser "A Glimmer of Hope" has been released but it does not give too much away. What we do know is that there will a lot of challenges ahead in Darkest Dungeon 2. You can watch the brand new teaser below.

The description for Darkest Dungeon 2 is quite brief, and this is what it says:

The eagerly awaited follow-up to Red Hook's smash hit gothic horror RPG! DDII will test your mettle and drive you to the brink of madness. Armor yourself with purpose and provision your party for the journey ahead. It will be arduous.

 

In our review for Darkest Dungeon, Steve wrote:

Darkest Dungeon has found itself high up in my games of the year list, and I'll be playing it for a long time to come. An ungodly combination of Fire Emblem and Dark Souls, it delights in making you suffer, but every small step forwards feels like a massive achievement. It's not for everyone, but if you enjoy the darkness and feel up to the challenge, you can't do much better than enter the Darkest Dungeon. Just make sure that all your affairs are in order and that you have written a will, because once you're in, you might not make it back out…

You can read the full Darkest Dungeon review here.

Source: Epic Games Store

Rainbow Six Siege PS4 update 1.96 brings mid-season changes

As promised by Ubisoft earlier this week, the PlayStation 4 version of Rainbow Six Siege has received a new update.

Rainbow Six Siege update 1.96 is now available to download following some brief server downtime this afternoon. It includes not one but two lots of mid-season changes for Year 5 Season 3 which started on September 3rd, adding Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher as playable Operator "Zero".

Microsoft recently confirmed that Rainbow Six Siege will join Xbox Game Pass. It has also been revealed that Siege will receive a next-gen update on Xbox Series X|S and PS5, boosting performance up to 4K and 120fps. Finally, one more bit of Siege news: fan favourite Operator Tachanka is currently undergoing a major rework and is available to play on the Test Server.

For the full patch notes, see below. Ubisoft has also posted designer notes on the Y5S3.3 update, explaining the motive behind these changes.

Rainbow Six Siege PS4 Update 1.96 Patch Notes

BALANCING

ACE

Ace couldn't handle all the thirst from his fans.

  • Reduced the number of explosive ticks of the SELMA Aqua Breacher to 2 ticks (down from 3).

FROST

Shoot your shot(gun).

  • Added the ITA12S as a secondary weapon.

GLAZ

Lonely Russian sniper looking for some love.

  • Reduced vision recovery time to 0.4s (down from 1s).
  • Reduced movement penalization by 50% to 12s (up from 6s).

MELUSI

  • MP5 primary will replace the T-5. Optics available on the MP5 will be the red dot, holographic, and reflex.

ORYX

  • T-5 primary will replace the MP5. Optics available on the T-5 will be the red dot, holographic, reflex, and scope 1.5x.

BALLISTIC SHIELDS

  • The guard break effect occurs when operators with a ballistic shield are hit by an explosion or take certain types of damage (from a scale of a minimum of 50 to trigger the guard break to 100 damage).
  • The severity of the guard break is proportional to the damage done to the shield. Electric damage and the minimum 50 damage threshold will trigger the minimum strength guard break animation.
  • Melee damage, concussion FX, sonic bursts, and explosions of 100 damage or higher will trigger the the maximum strength guard break animation.
  • Operators positioned behind a Clash, Monty, Blitz, or Fuze are now also partially protected from explosion damage (this still applies even if they are from the opposing team). This protection also applies if the shield is on the operator's back. Damage taken from the explosion is proportionally calculated based on the operator's exposure to the blast.
  • Instead of folding Montagne's Extendable shield, he now as a guard break animation.
  • Shield explosion protection is reduced to 66% (down from 80%).

TCSG12 + ACS12

  • Damage drop-off is now more progressive to reach minimal damage at 50m (instead of 20m).
  • Damage at max range increased to 68% (up from 48%).
  • Suppressor damage penalization normalized to -12.5% regardless of range.

GAMEPLAY UPDATES

  • Changes to the defuser interaction that allow players to pick up the defuser, even in situations where it might have originally been inaccessible, due to falling into difficult-to-reach spaces.
  • Improvements to the chat filter feedback system.
  • The ban ticker has been deactivated for custom games. It will remain visible in all other game modes.

BUG FIXES

  • FIXED – Sometimes defenders spawn on top of each other when in 2nd Floor Master Bedroom on Chalet.
  • FIXED – Players can't vault over the half-wall/railing in 2F Library Stairs on Chalet.
  • FIXED – Dropped defuser can be difficult to recover from behind the table of 2F Cigar Balcony on Kafe.
  • FIXED – (PvE) Barbed wire spawns issues in Situation 10.
  • FIXED – Poor lighting inside the cabinet between sofas in 1F Bar of Chalet.
  • FIXED – Players can use a deployable shield to get to the counter next to the piano on Chalet.
  • FIXED – Zero's Piercing Camera can pierce and see through the ceiling in 1F First Aid on Plane.
  • FIXED – Missing SFX when picking up generic items.
  • FIXED – (PvE) Missing pre-barricaded doors/windows in Heavily Fortified Situation.
  • FIXED – Cancelling a Ranked queue can sometimes trigger an abandon penalty even when the player did not join a match.
  • FIXED – Secondary hard breach gadget's blue light can sometimes be seen through a barricade when deployed on it.
  • FIXED – Residual black smoke is visible after some soft walls in the Basement of Chalet are destroyed.
  • FIXED – Minor map asset issues.

Source: Ubisoft

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Ver. 9.0.1 patch release date confirmed

Nintendo have revealed when the next major patch for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be available for Nintendo Switch players.

The Ver. 9.0.1 patch now has a release date set for tomorrow, Nintendo confirmed earlier today. However, they have not specified an exact time for when this latest update will go live.

So far, we have no concrete information as to what's being included in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Ver. 9.0.1. The only details we have is that it will feature various "fighter adjustments". These character roster changes mean that replay data will be incompatible following the update – Nintendo posted a tweet detailing how to convert existing replays.

Naturally, Smash Bros. fans want to know exactly when the recently announced Minecraft DLC will be making its way to the popular Nintendo fighter.

Having been rumoured long before the game's announcement, the upcoming pack will see Minecraft's Steve make his debut alongside other familiar faces from the world-beating sandbox series.

Steve and his chums might initially seem to be an incredibly jarring inclusion, but it's hardly the first time that Super Smash Bros. has included characters from quite a few steps outside Nintendo's pantheon of characters. Sonic was one of the highest profile crossover characters, busting down the traditional walls of the Sega-Nintendo rivalry, but there's also been Snake from Metal Gear Solid, and the thoroughly saucy Bayonetta (partly because Nintendo now funds and publishes the series). Still, Minecraft characters just stand out from the crowd.

Nintendo revealed earlier this year that it would be extending its support for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with a second fighter pass string of 6 bonus fighters. With Min Min from ARMS having been added to the roster this summer, and now Steve, four more characters will follow within the next year.

Source: Twitter (@NintendoofEurope) 

Per Aspera Preview – A fascinating take on the Martian terraforming project

For centuries, Mankind has looked to the stars and dreamt of the possibility of voyaging to new worlds, going boldly beyond our little blue and green marble and exploring the galaxy. You've got to walk before you can run, though, and even just having humans reach Mars for the first time would be a monumental project, let alone actually colonising it, terraforming our reddest of neighbours, or going any deeper into space.

Per Aspera is another relatively realistic take on the genre, loosely similar in tone to Surviving Mars. It's not humans that build their first colony on Mars, but rather robots, machines and artificial intelligences laying the foundations and building the habitats that humans need to survive. Per Aspera cast you as AMI, the custodial artificial intelligence that's running the show.

While AMI might be artificial, she's given meaningful intelligence and awareness through the game's early plot beats. Booting up upon arrival at Mars, you get a call from Nathan Foster from the ISA, who briefs you on the mission, and gives context. It's curiously framed, making it clear that AMI is almost like a newborn in AI terms, able to run through simple initial procedures, but also set to learn from them.

It's a perfect analogue for you as the player going through the game's opening for the first time, but you're given regular narrative prompts where you choose between two styles of response. Additionally, AMI's internal monologue sees her awareness of the situation evolve and grow, pondering the scenario, curious as to how the arrival of humans will affect your work, if they will simply see you as a machine or as a peer and custodian that ensures their safety, and more.

Then there's the seismic narrative twists and mysteries that were teased in the game's reveal trailer. Any game that gives me the option to nuke the ice caps will have me smashing that launch button faster than a really fast thing.

But first you need to build a sprawling network of industry on the hostile, barren face of the planet. Starting off with just the lander, you need to create mining installations and the first factories to turn aluminium, carbon, iron, chemical, water and other resources into polymers, circuitry, glass, and other building blocks for everything that comes after.

You're able to take a rather overarching view of proceedings, working in relatively broad strokes as the drone Workers scoot back and forth and move resources to where you need them. You simply have to pay attention when placing structures, to ensure that they are in range of an energy source, that it's close enough to other buildings to have a road automatically created for it, and after a little while, that it's within range of a maintenance building to ensure that it keeps on working.

Of course, you should consider the efficiency of your network, as each drone hub only has a single drone and they handle all the to-ing and fro-ing in their area.It can become exceptionally busy if you don't have enough drone hubs, slowing down the growth of your settlement as factories are starved of resources. You can give priority to a construction or factory, but it's really a stopgap measure for when you're pushing your network to the limits. You can often find yourself creating this sprawling network and then having to dive in to fix a mountain of niggling issues from inefficiencies, especially as your initial mines start to run dry and you have to spread the tendrils of your Worker network further and further.

Once humans arrive, they'll autonomously start to work in the colonies and research buildings you create, letting you pour research into advancing the structures and network of buildings, as well as opening up the options for expanding your reach to other parts of the planet. This starts to meaningfully advance the narrative, as you're able to investigate leftover structures from previous expeditions. One of these is the abandoned and secretive Huolong mission by China which, as luck would have it, was based around using nuclear weapons to melt the ice caps and kickstart the terraforming project.

That's a pretty big deal, because your overarching goal is to make the planet habitable for humanity. The first step is to raise the surface temperature, which can be done in a number of ways. You could use those aforementioned nukes (the whole radiation poisoning thing be damned), use giant mirror arrays to focus the sun's light, import carbon emissions from Earth, and even drag an asteroid through the thin atmosphere in the hopes it releases some CO2. There's other options as well, but I'm sure many people (like me) will have an itchy nuke button finger…

Per Aspera is a fascinating new take on the Martian colonisation project, not least for the way that it injects a science fiction narrative into proceedings centred around the growth of AMI's consciousness, her interactions with the human colonists and how her choices affect them, and a mysterious threat that could derail all of your work.

Hello Neighbor universe introduces Hello Engineer, coming 2021

Developer tinyBuild have announced Hello Engineer, their newest game in the Hello Neighbor universe. Revealed during the latest Google Stadia broadcast (which also revealed demos for Immortal: Fenyx Rising, Humankind, and PAC MAN Mega Tunnel Battle), Hello Engineer will be launching some time in 2021 and will be exclusive to the cloud game-streaming service.

Hello Engineer moves away from the stealth horror trappings of Hello Neighbor though shares the same setting and characters including the terrifyingly omnipresent Neighbor himself, Mr. Peterson.

In teams of three, you will play as a group of kids who need to explore the Golden Apple amusement park for materials to craft into various inventions. As always, you'll need to watch out for the Neighbor as he tries to thwart your plans. Here's an official rundown of what expect when Hello Engineer launches on Google Stadia next year:

Story​

A group of kids from Raven Brooks, members of the Inventors club, went to the abandoned amusement park to scavenge for resources to win the State Inventors Contest. Under unclear circumstances, the whole group was trapped there. Turns out that they're not alone here, somebody watches their moves and controls the evil bots. Little inventors need to use all their engineering skills to get out of amusement parks and don't let the strange Neighbor get them down.​
Construction:​

  • Using frame parts, gears, engines, wheels, weapons, and even jet engines from the amusement park scrap, you can build different vehicles that suit your ever-changing needs.
  • There are several advanced features such as electrical circuits and smart modules that are accessible for skilled engineers to build self-driven mechanical vehicles or creatures.
  • The most important ingredient is your creativity. There are no prescribed solutions to complete objectives, progress through the level however you want.

Multiplayer:​

  • You have too many moving parts and need more hands to control it? Just add more control panels and enjoy the ride with the crew members.
  • Do you have an idea to build a roller coaster? Team up with your friends to build even more exciting attractions.
  • You'd like to match your creation against other players' machines? Start the PvP mode to determine the best construction and copy the blueprint of it.
  • Sharing blueprints is an effective way to infinitely improve mechanisms and implement new ideas.

Game Modes:​

  • Creative mode is a sandbox with infinite resources to build any kind of creations.
  • Challenges mode. Complete challenges with a certain amount of resources.
  • PvP/PvE mode. Challenge players or evil bots in the "Bumper Car" arena to define the best and effective creation.

Hello Neighbor is one of those video game franchises that doesn't attract much mainstream attention yet has a thriving fanbase. It was reported earlier this year that the franchise has surpassed 30 million players. Hello Neighbor 2 is currently in development with a playable alpha available now via Steam.

Source: Press release

Risk of Rain 2 update 1.0 out now on consoles

As promised, Hopoo Games and Gearbox Software have launched their latest patch for manic roguelike, Risk of Rain 2, bringing the console version up to version 1.0.

Coming out of early access, there are plenty of changes that have been made to Risk of Rain 2 including the introduction of a new Survivor: The Captain. Oh, and there's an ending too.

Previously, solo and co-op players would continue advancing between stages with the difficulty steadily rising. In Risk of Rain 2 version 1.0 you can enter a final stage, defeat the end boss, and watch those credits roll!

Hopoo have introduced new items as well, adding even more ways for you to customise your Survivor loadout in-game. Keen for players to discover some of Risk of Rain 2's new arrivals for themselves, the team have blanked out some of the items found in the patch notes below.

If you haven't played it already, then Risk of Rain 2 is well worth picking up on consoles. Now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, it crams in oodles of replayability as you go from run to run, sharpening your skills against the game's randomised gauntlet or perils.

Risk of Rain 2 Update 1.0 Patch Notes

Major Content

    • Added System: Game Ending
      • The game now includes a proper ending, with credits and cutscene.
    • Added System: Server Browser
      • Quickplay served an important function at launch – but the QP featureset is barebones. Not only that, but the game has evolved past needing to just find a match – you need to find the right match. We think a built-in Server Browser (and hosting) will still allow you to connect and find other players easily while also providing a lot of the features and choices you want to make before connecting to a game.
    • Added System: Intro Cutscene
      • The game now includes an intro cutscene!
    • Added New Survivor
      • New Survivor: Captain
    • Added New Stage
      • New Final Stage: ???

 

  • Added 4 New Music Tracks
      • New Track: Through a Cloud, Darkly
      • New Track: …con lentitud poderosa
      • New Track: You're Gonna Need a Bigger Ukulele
      • New Track: Lacrimosum

 

  • Added New Survivor Skin
      • New Survivor Skin: Captain Skin

 

  • Added 2 New Monsters
      • New Monster: ???
      • New Monster: ???

 

  • Added New Boss
      • New Final Boss: ???

 

  • Added New Interactable
      • New Interactable: Scrapper

 

  • Added 7 Items and 3 Equipment to the game
      • New Item: Item Scrap (White, Green, Red, Yellow)
      • New Boss Item: Molten Perforator
      • New Boss Item: Shatterspleen
      • New Boss Item: Mired Urn
      • New Lunar Item: Defiant Gouge
      • New Lunar Item: Mercurial Rachis
      • New Lunar Item: Purity
      • New Equipment: Super Massive Leech
      • New Equipment: Gorag's Opus
      • New Equipment: Forgive Me Please

 

  • Added 3 Character Challenges to the game
      • New Captain Challenge: Captain Mastery
      • New Captain Challenge: Wanderlust
      • New Captain Challenge: Worth Every Penny

 

  • Added 3 Challenges to the game
      • New Challenge: I Love Dying!
      • New Challenge: Washed Away
      • New Challenge: The Calm

 

  • Added 36 Lore Entries to the game
    • New Item Lore Entry: Molten Perforator
    • New Item Lore Entry: Shatterspleen
    • New Item Lore Entry: Mired Urn
    • New Item Lore Entry: Super Massive Leech
    • New Item Lore Entry: Gorag's Opus
    • New Item Lore Entry: Forgive Me Please
    • New Item Lore Entry: Soulbound Catalyst
    • New Item Lore Entry: Bandolier
    • New Item Lore Entry: The Crowdfunder
    • New Item Lore Entry: Old Guillotine
    • New Item Lore Entry: Jade Elephant
    • New Item Lore Entry: Blast Shower
    • New Item Lore Entry: Lepton Daisy
    • New Item Lore Entry: Shattering Justice
    • New Item Lore Entry: Topaz Brooch
    • New Item Lore Entry: Ocular HUD
    • New Item Lore Entry: Unstable Tesla Coil
    • New Item Lore Entry: Milky Chrysalis
    • New Item Lore Entry: Will-o'-the-wisp
    • New Item Lore Entry: Gnarled Woodsprite
    • New Item Lore Entry: Halcyon Seed
    • New Item Lore Entry: Purity
    • New Item Lore Entry: Glowing Meteorite
    • New Item Lore Entry: Preon Accumulator
    • New Item Lore Entry: Aegis
    • New Monster Lore Entry: Clay Dunestrider
    • New Monster Lore Entry: Alloy Vulture
    • New Monster Lore Entry: Imp
    • New Monster Lore Entry: Void Reaver
    • New Monster Lore Entry: ???
    • New Monster Lore Entry: ???
    • New Monster Lore Entry: ???
    • New Stage Lore Entry: ???
    • New Character Lore Entry: Huntress
    • New Character Lore Entry: Captain
    • New Character Lore Entry: MUL-T

Gameplay Changes

  • General
      • Bleeds now refresh all existing bleed durations on that target. This affects both enemies and players, and is a huge change for how bleeds will work.
      • Increase difficulty rate over time for all difficulties by +10%.
        Developer Notes: In this update, we've buffed a ton of items – and also given players way more agency over the way a run progresses. Our goal is for players to be more engaged with the game – what we don't want is for the game to be suddenly much easier. This is a bit of a sanity check, and shouldn't dramatically change the difficulty.
      • Slightly reworked OSP. The goal is to fix inconsistencies and make it actually protect you from one-shots – while also fixing some abuse cases with curse.
        • The threshold for OSP is now displayed on the healthbar with a faint graphic.
        • Now has a lingering 0.1s duration when activated.
        • 🌧 Now is subtracted via Curse (Shaped Glass, Artifact of Glass, etc), i.e a curse of 10% will remove OSP entirely.
        • 🌧 Update OSP logic so it still triggers if you receive multiple sources of damage in the same frame that go past OSP values, i.e Malachite Lesser Wisps

 

  • Elites
      • Blazing, Overloading, Glacial
        • 🌧Health Bonus: 470% ⇒ 400%
      • Malachite, Celestine
        • 🌧Health Bonus: 2350% ⇒ 1800%
          Developer Notes: We've had a lot of feedback that elite health has always felt a bit bloated – and that subsequently, it makes the Old Guillotine feel required. Our intent is to make characters less reliant on the Old Guillotine, and to make it feel more like an elite hate item – and less of an overall DPS item.

 

  • Survivors
        • 🌧🌧🌧 Mobility skills are now considered 'sprinting', scaling with sprint speed multipliers and also sprinting after use.
        • Melee Survivors
          • 🌧 Melee skills will now perform more consistently at high attack speeds.
          • Melee skills will now scale hitpause duration with attack speed – since the pause when hitting enemies were static, melee characters actually scaled poorly with attack speed.
          • Melee skills will now 'hold' you in the air better at high attack speeds.
        • Added a 'Keyword' system. Keywords are just words to describe common repeated behavior without explaining it every time. Added the following keywords:
          • Freezing
          • Stunning
          • Shocking
          • Poisonous
          • Regenerative
          • Agile
          • Percent HP
          • Sonic Boom
          • Weaken
          • Expose
          • Heavy

 

      • MUL-T
        Developer Notes: MUL-T has gotten some love from this patch to really push forward the idea that his weapons are strong in specific roles. Faster swap time and more responsive actions for the weapons will (hopefully) make weapon swapping feel better. We've also admittedly creeped cooldowns down over time, and MUL-T felt a bit left behind.

        • Base Acceleration: 25 ⇒ 30
        • Rebar Puncher
          • Now charges after firing, rather than before.
        • Scrap Launcher
          • Now behaves like a rocket instead of a grenade
          • Lifetime: 3s ⇒ 4s
          • Explosion Radius: 5m ⇒ 7m
          • Velocity: 70 m/s ⇒ 100 m/s
        • Nail Gun
          • No longer has an initial shotgun of 6 nails.
          • Now has a final shotgun of 12 nails.
          • Now fires in a consistent corkscrew pattern
          • Proc Coefficient: 0.4 ⇒ 0.6
          • Damage: 60% ⇒ 70%
          • Wind-down duration: 0s ⇒ 1.152s
        • Retool
          • Swap duration: 0.7s ⇒ 0.4s
        • Transport Mode
          • Cooldown: 8s ⇒ 6s
      • Mercenary
        Developer Notes: The Mercenary was always supposed to be the highest skill-cap survivor. However, in actual gameplay he became very flow-charty, using abilities directly off cooldown while holding down M1. The intent for all these changes is to allow skill expression, dynamic cooldowns, and higher risk vs reward in fight with the new 'Exposed' debuff. The hope is that the character will be stronger for advanced players, but weaker for new players.

        • Base Health: 140 (+42 per level) ⇒ 110 (+33 per level)
        • Base Regeneration: 2.5 health / second ⇒ 1 health / second
        • NEW Debuff: Exposed
          • Striking an Exposed target reduces all cooldowns by 1 second and deals an additional +350% base damage
        • Laser Sword
          • Third Strike Damage: 300% ⇒ 130%
          • Third hit now applies 'Exposed' debuff
          • The second and third hit of the combo can no longer be started in the middle of other attacks
        • Whirlwind
          • Ground Speed Multiplier: 6 ⇒ 8
        • Blinding Assault
          • Cooldown: 7s ⇒ 8s
          • Can now be canceled mid-attack by both Whirlwind and Rising Thunder
        • Slicing Winds
          • Last hit now applies 'Exposed' debuff
      • Acrid
        Developer Notes: Acrid has always been a melee-ranged hybrid. We want greater rewards for engaging in melee and completing your M1 combo for players who enjoy a more aggressive playstyle.

        • NEW Buff: Regenerate
          • Regenerate for 10% health over 0.5 seconds.
        • Vicious Wounds
          • Third hit of the combo now grants 'Regenerate' buff
        • Ravenous Bite
          • Now grants 'Regenerate' buff
        • Frenzied Leap
          • 🌧Now (properly) stuns
      • Artificer
        Developer Notes: We want to enforce the Artificer's role as a high-damage, high AoE character. Nano-Bomb in general was core to the fantasy, but was pretty much inferior to Nano-Spear in every way.

        • Plasma Bolt
          • Blast Radius: 4m ⇒ 6m
        • Charged Nano-Bomb
          • Now has slight gravity
          • Blast Radius: 10m ⇒ 14m
          • Blast Damage, Max Charge: 1200% ⇒ 2000%
          • Blast Force: 1300 ⇒ 3000
          • Lifetime: 5s ⇒ 10s
          • Improved FX for clarity
        • Ion Surge
          • No longer has -75% damage falloff at the edge of the blast

 

  • Items
      • Monster Tooth
        • Healing: 8 (+8 per stack) ⇒ 8
        • 🌧Now also heals for 2% (+2% per stack) of maximum health
      • Medkit
        • Healing: 24 (+24 per stack) ⇒ 20
        • 🌧Now also heals for 5% (+5% per stack) of maximum health
      • Repulsion Armor Plate
        • Now properly reduces damage from environmental effects
      • Warbanner
        • 🌧 Now also places a Warbanner when activating the Teleporter
        • Improve VFX to be less opaque, since it will always be near the Teleporter
      • Death Mark
        • Debuff Duration: 7s ⇒ 7s (+7s per stack)
        • 🌧Remove text stating that the damage bonus scaled with stacks
      • Old Guillotine
        • Execute Threshold: ~20% (+20% per stack) ⇒ 13% (+13% per stack)
          Developer Notes: Since we've re-tuned the health of elites across the board, the Guillotine should be appropriately re-tuned as well.
      • Runald's/Kjaro's Band
        Developer Notes: The two rings have undergone a bit of a rework, working off of an internal cooldown rather than a chance on-hit. We're hoping that this can help diversify one of our "on-hit" items to be more than just attacking enemies and hoping things activate. We've also changed the behavior of Kjaro's to be more of the AoE option, while Runald's is the single target option.

        • Proc Chance: 8% ⇒ 100%
        • Now has an internal cooldown of 10 seconds
        • Now has a minimum threshold of only triggering on attacks that deal 400% or greater damage
        • Runald's Band
          • Ice Blast Damage: 250% (+125% per stack) ⇒ 250% (+250% per stack)
          • Ice Debuff Duration: 3s ⇒ 3s (+3s per stack)
        • Kjaro's Band
          • Fire Tornado Damage: 500% (+250% per stack) ⇒ 300% (+300% per stack)
          • Fire Tornado Hitbox Width: 4.8m ⇒ 13m
          • No longer moves
      • H3AD-5T v2
        • Reworked logic for calculating fall speed so it scales better while falling farther. Now has the following behavior:
          • Damage Coefficient: 1000% – 10,000% at maximum speed
          • Explosion Radius: 5m – 100m at maximum speed
          • Improved FX
      • Interstellar Desk Plant
        • Healing Radius: 3m (+1.5m per stack) ⇒ 5m (+5m per stack)
        • Healing: 5% max health every 1 second ⇒ 5% max health every 0.5 second
      • Milky Chrysalis
        • Now grants true flight and antigravity instead of jump-to-hover.
        • Pressing jump now performs a short dash in the direction of movement with a 0.5s cooldown.
      • Strides of Heresy
        • No longer puts you in combat
      • Helfire Tincture
        • Helfire Radius: 10m ⇒ 15m
        • Helfire Duration: 8s ⇒ 12s
        • Improve VFX and SFX
      • Effigy of Grief
        • Now placed at where you're aiming, rather than at your feet
        • No longer is consumed on use.
        • Now limited to 5 per map per character.
      • Little Disciple
        • Fire Rate: 0.5s ⇒ 1.6s
        • Damage Coefficient: 100% (+100% per stack) ⇒ 300% (+300% per stack)
        • 🌧Fire Rate now scales with movement speed

 

  • Stages
      • 3D Printers will appear more often on all stages, ~50% more
      • 3D Printers will cost less to spawn on all stages, ~50% less
      • The new interactable, the Scrapper, can now appear on all stages
      • Titanic Plains
        • 🌧 Update with new visuals to make it depressing
      • Sky Meadow
        • Update with new visuals and functionality that leads to the final stage
      • Bazaar Between Time
        • Base Portal Chance: 25% for the first portal ⇒ 37.5% for the first portal
        • Lunar Buds: 4 ⇒ 5

 

  • Monsters & Bosses
    • Mini Mushrum
      • 🌧 Base Health: 360 (+108 per level) ⇒ 290 (+87 per level)
    • Parent
      • 🌧 Base Health: 1200 (+360 per level) ⇒ 900 (+270 per level)
    • Lesser Wisp
      • Now properly stops charging attack sound when interrupted
    • Imp Overlord
      • 🌧Maximum Blink Distance: 600m ⇒ 300m
      • Now throws Void Spikes in a staggered fashion, rather than all at once
    • Magma Worm
      • 🌧Maximum "Blink" Distance: 600m ⇒ 300m
      • Now considerably more aggressive and better able to hit targets
        Developer Notes: The blink behavior of both the Imp Overlord and the Magma Worm allows it to follow players between platforms, but it leads a lot of the times to the bosses blinking across the map to attack drones and turrets. While they may still do that, it'll be a bit less pronounced.
    • Void Reaver
      • Now attempts to lead its Void Bombs in a straight line against its target
      • Updated AI to fire more aggressively and backpedal when its target is too close
      • AI now has 360° vision
    • Bison
      • 🌧 Add spawn effect and animation (finally!)

Quality of Life

  • 🌧 Added a language dropdown menu to the Main Menu
  • Audio has received an overall mix pass
  • Reduced the audio levels of the Magma Worm, Imp Overlord, and Clay Dunestrider
  • Updated the Teleporter model
  • Updated the Ukulele model
  • Improved Infusion VFX to be more noticeable
  • Reduced brightness of some Mercenary effects to they are less white and have more color
  • Fixed dithering for several on-character item displays
  • Updated the kick system to be able to supply detailed messages and enforce version matching when connecting to a server
  • Added functionality for servers and lobbies to provide mod info and reject players for mismatches
  • Servers can now define behavior to run upon entering character select by supplying a "server_pregame.cfg" config file
  • Updated "MUL-T: Gotcha!" challenge to allow Preon tendrils to count toward completion
  • A bunch of other stuff we probably forgot!

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue with spread from bloom being applied to both minimum and maximum spread (ie you could never have a bullet travel dead-center when your spread bloom is at maximum) for Commando's Phase Blast, Huntress' Ballista, and MUL-T's Rebar Puncher
  • Fixed potential physics crash that could occur if a character attempts to use a melee attack after crossfading into a new animation from a paused animation
  • Fixed immobilization from Void Reavers and REX's Tangling Growth becoming permanent if using Wax Quail while affected, which would also sometimes lead to a crash upon getting killed
  • Fixed Repulsion Armor Plate not applying against posthumously dealt damage
  • Fixed Visions of Heresy allowing Huntress' Ballista to exceed three shots
  • All gameplay stats are now forced to update before generating the final run report to make sure all values are up-to-date at the end screen
  • Fixed MUL-T's Nailgun not properly animating over the network
  • Fixed some projectiles not playing their pre-expiration sounds over the network
  • Fixed several sounds not being played over the network
  • Fixed a timing issue in which lobby player count would not update immediately after a player leaves the lobby
  • Fixed a variety of other bugs we also probably forgot!

Source: Gearbox Software Forums

Feather Review

Imagine for a second, having the ability to escape into the air, to soar through the sky with no clear destination in mind and to just enjoy the freedom to explore. Sounds great, doesn't it? And this is essentially what Feather allows you to do as you take control of a bird in flight. From indie studio Samurai Punk, this atmospheric flight sim isn't going to be to everyone's taste but if you enjoyed games such as Flower or Journey, you should certainly find something here to appreciate.

One of the first things you'll notice is how Feather does away with the need to mindlessly press X through a whole bunch of loading screens. Just launch the game, press 'Start' and you're off and flying over rolling hills – off to a flying start, if you will – accompanied by a soothing, atmospheric soundtrack. 

When you play for the first time, you'll be given a very brief – but entirely adequate – tutorial on and then the game lets you loose in the world which you are free to explore at your leisure. And as you fly around trying to master the simple controls of your bird, you might be forgiven for thinking that there's not a lot to the game but that's certainly not what I'd consider a negative here. There are no enemies or combat and you can't die – at worst if you do accidentally misjudge a dive or turn, time will rewind for a few seconds to let you correct your path. There are no clear goals and it's up to you entirely how you spend your time. 

Feather_20201017180215

The controls are intuitive and easy to pick up, and thankfully you can invert the controls via the options if they feel odd. The analogue sticks control your direction and camera and you can give yourself a speed boost or slow yourself right down with the left and right triggers. The more you become used to the feel of flying, the more you begin to appreciate the little nuances. Sure you have a speed boost button, but diving will also increase your speed dramatically and make for some exhilarating fly-bys, as well as some occasional – and embarrassing – crashes.

The views are fairly spectacular too, even with the low-poly graphics. And this is enhanced further with a day and night cycle, allowing you to enjoy countless sunsets and sunrises or take a leisurely moonlit flight across the islands. The weather also changes, giving the landscape a different look and feel. The murkiness of a cloud-filled rainy day or the early morning mist followed by bright sunshine makes the world feel that much more vibrant and alive.

Feather_20201019115121

Feather's music is a great accompaniment to the entire aesthetic of the game, and as you fly around the island, you'll notice circular gateways dotted around. Naturally, you'll want to fly through them and doing so will change up the music track and, as this plays such a big part in the mood of the game, it's well worth checking out all of them to find one that really suits your aerial pursuits. There are also smaller, triangular versions of these which will transform your bird's colour and change the sound of your chirp.

Speaking of which, there's also a passive multiplayer which you'll be familiar with if you played Journey. You may encounter other players flying around the island and you'll be able to spot them from the ribbons of air that trail behind each bird, though your only form of communication is through chirping which can be heard from quite a distance away. There's something really heartwarming when you suddenly hear the chirping of another player and you chirp back excitedly while flying around together. And if you're desperate to know who you've been sharing your airspace with, the pause menu will list the names of players in your game – though it may shatter your immersion if you suddenly discover that person you've been racing through the skies with for the last 20 minutes is actually 'Xxlolun00b69Xx'.

Feather_20201019121958

Many of the objects and environments of Feather's world are interactive in some way and it is well worth exploring every corner of the island – I actually didn't discover that you can land and perch on certain objects until I had been playing for quite a while! Performing low fly-bys can reveal many interesting features and if you look hard enough you'll find well-concealed entrances to caves and even a portal to another island with even more musical gateways and colour-changing portals to experiment with. 

So while there are things you can do in Feather, most of your discoveries will probably be made in a fairly short amount of time. But that's okay – Feather feels like it is meant as a relaxing interlude from everyday life and many will enjoy it as such. The real fun comes from the freedom of soaring through the air or performing daring dives at break-neck speeds and swooping through trees or between river banks after all. Despite there being no real replay value to speak of, it's a game that's quick to load up and come back to again and again to escape the stresses that the real world has a habit of throwing at us.

Despite all this, it feels like some players might be put off by the lack of direction or goals in Feather. Even Flower gave you a purpose and it seems a shame that this game lacks something more tangible to come back for. Still, it's a surprisingly enjoyable distraction – just as long as you're aware of what may be perceived as its shortcomings before you take flight.

Thrustmaster T.Racing Scuderia Ferrari Edition Gaming Headset Review

While most headset manufacturers are weighing up the options between copying Bose and Sony or trying to imagine what an alien's pair of headphones might look like, Thrustmaster are doing things a bit differently. Always keen to give you the most realistic experience while gaming, whether you're flying a jumbo jet, or trying to keep a rally car on the twisty and narrow, that desire for realism now extends to what you put on your head.

After their Air Force flavoured T.Flight, the newest addition to their headset line-up is the revamped T.Racing Scuderia Ferrari Edition, with a vibrant red styling that lets you look like you're taking a quick break from an F1 pit-lane. Whether you're a racing fan, or you just like the colour red, the Thrustmaster T.Racing is as successfully styled as a Schumacher is good at racing.

The T.Racing isn't a direct match to the current headsets used by the Ferrari F1 team, but they're clearly influenced by them. Bright red plastic housing around each earpiece is topped off by the instantly recognisable Ferrari logo, and the proportions and curvature of those earpieces mimics what you can see down the pit lane on a race weekend. There's also a chunky volume control knob at the top of the left earpiece which is gloriously easy to find in the midst of a hectic gaming session, and that's all of the controls you're going to find on the headset itself.

The other controls can be found on the inline controller a short way down the audio cable, which is also fitted with spring section that made me feel a little like I'd got the old home phone I grew up with attached to my head. The dinky little box includes the switch for muting the microphone and a mic volume dial for getting the mix just right. It's as good for hearing your Forza 7 pit crew natter away as it is for hearing the screams as you let your fireteam down in Destiny 2.

Oddly, despite looking like the type of headphones that are going to protect your ears when you've put your head inside an internal combustion engine, they have virtually no passive noise cancellation. Without any audio running through them you can hear the outside world with very little trouble, which is pretty disappointing when you're expecting the opposite. Listening to music with them on while writing this review, I can hear the clacking of the keys during quieter moments – they're almost as open as a pair of open-back headphones.

Still, blocking everything out isn't always what people are looking from in their headphones and the T.Racing benefits from a pleasingly wide soundstage that gives audio room to breathe. The overall audio response is very balanced. There's no overwhelming bass, while the top end is clear and distinct without becoming too sharp. It's a solid all-rounder, and while it lacks the magic you'll experience with the top-end of the gaming spectrum, it's a good companion for all of your content, particularly in its sub-£100 price bracket.

Gunship's synthwave tuneage sounded excellent, while an evening of NFL action this past Sunday allowed me to pick out all of the details of the commentary alongside the crunching action. It was of course a prerequisite to test the T.Racing with a batch of racing games and from F1 2020 on Stadia to Forza Horizon 4 the engine sounds, and Horizon's excellent soundtrack, were perfectly reproduced.

The refreshed T.Racing now includes a one year subscription to DTS Headphone X, giving Xbox and PC players another option on the 3D audio front. Given that you can already make use of either Windows Sonic as standard, or pick up Dolby Atmos access for a single payment, getting a one year unlock feels like a real nickel and dime job, but once you've hooked up the DTS Unbound app on your Xbox, it does at least do a good job of recreating a three dimensional audio space.

A few rounds of the excellent Gears 5 Horde mode became even more intense as you can pick out Locust rushing around on your periphery, and it certainly avoids the overly-airy effect some virtual surround offerings produce. Still, I'm not entirely convinced you'll be renewing the sub after one year.

If you're going to play a few rounds of whichever multiplayer poison you favour, you'll be needing a decent microphone and the T.Racing has you covered. For one thing the mic arm is removable – a gold standard in my book – or you can angle it up out of the way. It's also possibly the strongest flexible mic arm I've come across; once you have this thing set it's not going anywhere. In use the uni-directional microphone picks up exactly what you want it to, providing clear audio for all of those important things you have to say about people's mums.

It's a real pleasure to wear the T.Racing thanks to the excellent level of comfort that Thrustmaster have built in. The huge ear cushions are filled with cooling gel – one of my favourite advances in headset technology – and they're big enough that you won't experience any unwanted ear pain or pressure. The headband itself is covered with soft leatherette, and while there isn't a huge piece of foam beneath it, there's more than enough to keep you playing for many hours.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – how to survive Gyozen's Curse

If you've been playing Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, then you may have noticed the trio of bonus challenges attached to each of co-op mode's two-player story missions.

In order to squeeze as many rewards out of each Legends run you'll need to complete the same three optional objectives (only available on silver tier difficulty or higher). These include finding one of Gyozen's lost scrolls, recovering an Oni Treasure, and surviving Gyozen's Curse.

Even after completing all of the Legends missions, there's a chance you might have missed how to trigger Gyozen's Curse. This quick guide will explain exactly what the curse is and how you can overcome it to earn some extra loot while playing Ghost of Tsushima online.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guide – 7 tips & tricks for beginners

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – Ronin Class Guide

If you've been playing Ghost of Tsushima: Legends (or wandering the island as Jin Sakai) you'll have likely encountered Gyozen the storyteller. He serves as your gateway between the solo and co-op modes the game has to offer, recounting tales of demon scourges and ancient battles. Here's a fun bit of trivia – he's voiced by Greg Baldwin who many will recognise as Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends – how to survive Gyozen's Curse

First, you need to know how to trigger Gyozen's Curse – this isn't made very clear in-game and is easy to miss. Each story mission is split into three stages separated by portal-like torii gates. As you pass through them, it prompts a kind of interactive loading screen as you walk down a corridor and through another gate.

Once per mission you'll find two shrines next to this second gate. You can activate them (this requires two players) to activate Gyozen's Curse. But what does it do?

The curse will create a bond between you and your partner, slowly draining your health if you move too far apart. Additionally, if one of you respawns then the curse will fail. So, in order to survive Gyozen's Curse you will need to complete one area while it's active, co-ordinating with your ally and making sure you don't get separated during those tougher combat encounters.

It adds an extra layer of challenge though the pay-off isn't all that great. At the mission complete screen you'll earn some extra Blessing – Legends most valuable currency. If you're regularly modifying gear and re-rolling stats then the extra Blessing will help with this.

Ghost of Tsushima Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Dead By Daylight update 2.04 improves graphics and Pyramid Head

It's feels like a strange thing to be typing, but Pyramid Head – Silent Hill's relentless, gore-soaked executioner – has been rebalanced in a video game update.

Changes made to the gaming horror icon are one of the highlights of the latest Dead By Daylight update which went live earlier today.

This brings the game up to version 4.3.0 which will display as 2.04 if you happen to be plugged into the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One versions of Dead By Daylight.

There's a shopping list of changes to get through – developer Behaviour Interactive have a handy portal where you can view the latest patch, as per the system you're playing on whether it be PC, Stadia, Switch, and more.

Pyramid Head has been simultaneously nerfed and buffed as part of this mid-chapter update. Behaviours Interactive note that players have had a hard time landing his special power while others have been winding it up, only to feint into a cheeky basic attack.

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Other changes include a visual update to improve the appearance of some assets and video effects.

Dead By Daylight recently entered it latest chapter "Descend Beyond" which introduced The Blight as a new playable killer. Looking further into the future, Behaviour have confirmed that players will get a free next-gen upgrade on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

We've listed the latest Dead By Daylight patch notes in full below. In the meantime, keep an eye out for upcoming re-review of the game.

Dead By Daylight Update 2.04 Patch Notes

THE EXECUTIONER BALANCE UPDATE

At the moment, the cost of missing a Punishment of the Damned attack is too high, and it's too easy to fake Rites of Judgement into a basic attack. The following adjustments address these issues.

  • After cancelling Rites of Judgement:
  • Movement speed is 3.68 m/s for 1 second
  • Further attacks cannot be made for 1 second
  • Cooldown before further attacks after Punishment of the Damned reduced from 2.75 seconds to 2.25 seconds

Perks:

  • Trail of Torment: Undetectable now lasts until the affected Generator stops regressing or a Survivor is injured or put into the dying state by any means
  • Forced Penance: Broken Status effect lasts 60/70/80 seconds
  • Blood Pact: Haste bonus is now 5%/6%/7%, and lasts until the Survivors are no longer within 16 meters of each other

Perk Updates:

  • Any Means Necessary now awards Bloodpoints when used, and its cooldown has been reduced to 100/80/60 seconds
  • For the People now awards Bloodpoints when used
  • Thanataphobia no longer affects healing speed, and its penalties have been increased to 4%/4.5%/5%
  • Mindbreaker's effect now lasts 3/4/5 seconds
  • Cruel Limits's range has been increased to 32 meters
  • Slippery Meat no longer affects Bear Trap escapes, and now increases hook escape attempt probabilities by 2%/3%/4%. These escape attempt percentages are additive, i.e. with this perk the chance of escaping the hook is now 6%/7%/8%
  • Discordance now has limited range of 32/64/96 meters. It triggers one loud noise for a Generator when it's first marked. The aura of the Generator remains visible as long as the conditions are fulfilled. From the time the conditions are no longer fulfilled, the aura remains for another 8 seconds
  • Hex: Huntress Lullaby now only affects healing and repairing skill checks
  • Technician now prevents all Generator explosions from missed skill checks. The Generator loses and additional 5%/4%/3% progress for missed skill checks
  • Pop Goes the Weasel now lasts 35/40/45 seconds
  • We're Gonna Live Forever now increases healing speed by 100% when healing a Survivor in the dying state. Players now gain a token when rescuing a Survivor by stunning the Killer with a pallet or blinding them with a flashlight

Generator Terminology changes and clarifications:

  • A Generator losing progress over time is "regressing"
  • Putting a Generator into the regressing state is "damaging the Generator"
  • If a Generator loses some of its progress immediately, this is "losing progress"
  • A blocked Generator cannot change its progress
  • A blocked Generator retains its regression state, but no progress is lost until it is no longer blocked
  • A regressing Generator can lose progress due to other effects
  • e.g. a Generator affected by Ruin can still lose progress due to Surge
  • Surge, Pop Goes the Weasel, and Overcharge have had their text updated to reflect these changes

Visual Update:

  • Visual updates to maps in The MacMillan Estates Realm.
  • Visual update to Lockers.
  • Added Footstep VFX.
  • Visual update to all Blood VFX. On Screen Blood, Blood squirt on hit, Blood pool decals.
  • Updated VFX for Trapper, Wraith and Hillbilly.
  • Updated dissolve VFX in-game and in-lobbies.

4K UI Icons

  • Updated Character portraits and customization icons for better resolution at 4K. This may result in your custom icons being replaced when you update.

Perk rarity:

All perks now have the same rarity:

  • Tier 1: Uncommon
  • Tier 2: Rare
  • Tier 3: Very Rare

BUG FIXES

System:

  • Disabled daily rituals screen and claiming while in Custom Game
  • Disabled audio sounds while being in the platform's store after proceeding from the In-game Store
  • Added the player Cloud ID in the soft ban pop-up

Gameplay:

  • Fixed an issue that might cause a survivor to remain in the being carried position after being hooked
  • Fixed an issue that might cause players to have less control on their character after being unhooked
  • Fixed an issue that caused the Cursed effect to appear before any token is earned on the perk Hex: Huntress Lullaby
  • Fixed an issue that might cause Hex totems to appear as dull totems for some players
  • Fixed an issue that caused the Make Your Choice perk to override a survivor's Calm Spirit while unhooking
  • Fixed an issue that caused failed skill check animations to continue after a player lets go of the interaction button
  • Fixed an issue that caused the survivor to hold the Deathslinger's chain with one hand after holding and dropping an item
  • Fixed an issue that might cause players to receive the Torment effect at random times when playing against The Executioner
  • Fixed an issue that caused survivors in the Cage of Atonement not to cause instant death if the remaining survivors are in the struggle phase
  • Fixed an issue that caused The Oni's Blood Orbs to spawn too far from survivors

KNOWN ISSUES

  • The Killer will sometimes see an incorrect animation during the start of match camera pan.

Source: Dead By Daylight