Assassin's Creed Valhalla Cosmetic Store Leaks
With Assassin's Creed Valhalla just a few days away from launch, it only makes sense to receive more details on its microtransactions. Though Ubisoft hasn't officially anything, one player (as per Reddit user The SilentTitan) managed to get a peak during a livestream. Check out the Imgur gallery below to see for yourself.
Along with different cosmetic armor like the Draugr, Huldufolk and Valkyrie sets, one can also buy a variety of tattoo sets. Bayek's outfit from Assassin's Creed Origins is also available, though this is seemingly obtained through Ubisoft Connect. The Naval Pack and Settlement Pack are also mentioned while the main store page has categories for Property, Weapons, Companions, Utilities and so on.
While much of this appears to be cosmetic, it remains to be seen if Ubisoft will sell XP boosters or bundles of resources for upgrading one's settlement. Stay tuned for more details on that front. Assassin's Creed Valhalla is out on November 10th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia. It launches on November 12th for PS5.
Dontnod Entertainment Has 6 Games in Production Right Now
Dontnod Entertainment have enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame in recent years, breaking out into the mainstream with Life is Strange and then continuing to grow further still with their subsequent releases. With a new studio in Montreal, Canada, Dontnod has set its sights on become an even larger studio- and it seems they're set to become a lot more prolific in terms of how many releases they have in the pipeline.
Speaking in an interview with GamesBeat about the studio's growth and what they have their sights set on for the future, Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert said that the developer currently has as many as half a dozen games in development at the same time. "Our studio is growing, with six games in production now," he said. "Our recent releases have been very successful in terms of press reception and player reception. I'm very proud."
One of the six that Guilbert mentions is probably Twin Mirror, which will be Dontnod's first ever self-published game and will release on December 1. Beyond that, we also know Dontnod and Focus Home Interactive – who previously worked together on Vampyr – are collaborating on another project, which is said to be "one of the most ambitious in the history of the publisher and the studio."
Recently, Dontnod Entertainment launched Tell Me Why in three episodes for Xbox One and PC in collaboration with Xbox Game Studios. You can read our review of the game through here.
Demon's Souls Remake – 10 New Features You Need To Know
Prepare to die- yet again. The Souls franchise has been on top of the world since its inception, and though its next step forward isn't being handled by FromSoftware, the upcoming Bluepoint Games-developed Demon's Souls remake is looking like an excellent next-gen debut for it nonetheless. Recently, lots of new details on the game have emerged, giving us a clearer idea of what the remake is adding, what it's changing, and what it's keeping intact. Here, we'll be going over ten of those biggest details- so without further ado, let's get started.
FRACTURE MODE
References of a Fracture Mode have been doing the rounds on the internet since the Demon's Souls remake was first announced, but now, we finally know what exactly it is. It's essentially a mirror mode, flipping the entire game horizontally and making it so that you have to learn the environments and enemy placements all over again. Bluepoint implemented something similar in the Shadow of the Colossus remake, and it was really well done, so we're excited to see how it turns out this time around.
PHOTO MODE
You can't release a AAA game in 2020 without a photo mode- thankfully, Demon's Souls is going to have one. We don't know the specifics yet, but the developers have said that there will be plenty of filters and tools to play around with. When you activate photo mode, the game will pause (which is a first for Souls), but if you're playing online and another player invades your game, you'll get a warning, which will be promptly followed by you getting booted back to gameplay.
FILTERS
Interestingly enough, you can also play Demon's Souls' remake with several filters applied, which means you're going to have the tools to change how the entire game looks. As revealed in a recent Polygon article, there's one mode that makes the remake look more like the original PS3 game, while another mode turns the game black-and-white, similar to the Kurosawa Mode in Ghost of Tsushima.
Meanwhile, you're even going to have the option to change the game's camera positioning to make it more like the original- though the developers have said that they think players should stick with the new camera placement, at least for your first playthrough, since it does a better job of showcasing the game and its technical achievements.
NEXUS
As you'll know if you've played the original game, the Nexus is a location you'll be coming back to time and again throughout Demon's Souls, and in the remake, it'll also have an interesting new feature. Creative director Gavin Moore, while speaking with GameSpot, revealed that players will be able to store their characters in the Nexus, change their build, and continue playing the game, free to go back to older builds at any time by accessing them in the Nexus.
Oh, and don't expect there to be a Sixth Archstone in the Nexus, nor a new world that it will lead to. Players have been hypothesizing about that fabled world for a long, long time, but it's been confirmed now that the remake, too, will have five unbroken stones in the Nexus, same as the original.
GRASSES
Bluepoint Games have also made some more granular changes to the game to tweak with the balancing and the difficulty. For instance, healing grasses won't be as plentiful in the remake as they were in the original. To be more specific, they will have a much greater effect on encumbrance this time, with the more effective grasses weighing more than the others, which means you won't be able to carry around hundreds of healing grasses like you could in the original Demon's Souls.
GRAINS
Some new items are also going to be added to the remake. We've known about some of these for a while, including the weapons and armour you get exclusively with the Digital Deluxe Edition. Another new item type in the game is Grains. What exactly are these? In a nutshell, they will provide you temporary resistance against various status effects, such as poison and fire.
BOSSES
Bosses are, of course, the heart and soul of any Souls game, and as the very first Souls game ever, that's doubly true for Demon's Souls. The likes of Tower Knight and Vanguard had been shown previously, while recently, we got to take a look at a few more returning classics. The recent gameplay trailer, for instance, showed off Armor Spider and Flamelurker in all their vicious, ruthless glory, and the encounters against them seem to be quite faithful to how you probably remember them from the original. Meanwhile, it's also been confirmed that the Old Monk fight – which basically sees you playing as a boss in another player's campaign – will also be brought over to the remake as is.
DIFFICULTY
The discussion around accessibility in gaming has been growing more pertinent as time passes, and the Souls games get brought up in those discussions quite a lot- probably more than any other series out there. Calls for difficulty options in the Souls franchise have gone unanswered up until this point- and that's going to continue with the Demon's Souls remake, with the developers having recently confirmed that there are no difficulty options in it.
Speaking in an interview with Game Informer, creative director Gavin Moore said, "There are no difficulty options in Demon's Souls, and there shouldn't be. I think the original challenge is fair. It's all about learning enemy patterns and learning your environment, and then knowing when to move forward in combat with that risk/reward system. When to attack, when to back off. A lot of people tell me, 'Oh, Demon's Souls is such a hard game.' I actually don't believe it is as hard as people imagine it was. I think the difficulty levels of subsequent games in the genre have got harder."
RE-RECORDED MUSIC AND DIALOGUE
Demon's Souls had an excellent soundtrack, as Souls games always do, and though the remake is going to remain faithful to the original in that area as well, it won't be exactly the same. Shunsuke Kida's soundtrack for the original soundtrack has been re-recorded from scratch for the remake, so though the harmonies you hear are going to be familiar, they're going to be updated versions of things you heard over a decade ago. Additionally, all the dialogue for the game has also been re-recorded, with Moore telling Polygon that "many" of the original game's cast are returning.
WORLD TENDENCY
Something that won't be changing in the remake an awful lot is the World Tendency system, which isn't necessarily everyone's favourite, but is, admittedly, an important part of the experience. But while the larger system is going to work as it did in the original release, Bluepoint Gams have made some tweaks to it. For instance, the UI now is going to be much more explicitly indicative of what World Tendency state you're in, which was a bit of an issue in the original PS3 game.
PS5 Has Completely Sold Out in Japan
It has been abundantly clear for a while now that the PS5 is going to be facing supply shortages at launch, with the console selling at a rapid pace in all regions of the world and many prospective users being unable to get a pre-order in for launch. That's true in Japan as well, where Sony says the console's pre-order supply has completely sold out.
"Due to the high interest and many orders from users, the release date is sold out by the reserved amount," Sony writes in an update on the PlayStation blog.
Sony goes on to say that owing to continuing concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic, they will not be holding any launch events or selling the PS5 in stores on launch day, in order to ensure the safety of all concerned.
"Since there are still concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, we do not plan to hold events or sell PS5 at stores on the day of its release in order to ensure the safety of customers, retailers, and staff," the company writes. "We apologize for any inconvenience caused to those who wish to purchase PS5. For customers who purchased PS5 by advance reservation, please check the receiving method in advance and contact the store where you made the reservation for details."
Furthermore, Sony has also said that it will not be taking any more pre-orders for the console in Japan in the lead up to its launch, though more consoles will, of course, become available for purchase after its release.
"On the day of the release of PS5, we have temporarily closed the reservation because we have reached the planned number of reservations, but we expect to continue shipping PS5 in the future," says Sony.
Japan is one of several regions where the PS5 is launching on November 12, with the rest of the world receiving the console on November 19.
Sony has said that it hopes to sell 7.6 million PS5 consoles by the end of the current fiscal year, with a long-term view to exceed 100 million lifetimes sales. Read more about that through here.
DiRT 5 – PS5 Gameplay and DualSense Features Revealed
Codemasters has released a new video for DiRT 5's PS5 version, covering the various features it will have and generally showcasing how it runs on the console. Much like the Xbox Series X version, it will run at 120 FPS, providing a smoother and more responsive experience. Check it out below.
Technical director David Springate also talks about DualSense and how much the team is enjoying it. The adaptive triggers provide more immersive feedback when dealing with different surfaces. Springate also talks about support for 3D audio, taking advantage of the Tempest 3D AudioTech engine for headphone users.
Interestingly, when listening to music in-game – which is played through speakers on the actual tracks – players will feel that audio around them thanks to 3D audio support. It all speaks to the kinds of nuance that developers are implementing on next-gen consoles thanks to the technology available. DiRT 5 is out on November 12th for PS5 players and supports free upgrades for PS4 owners.
Star Wars: Squadrons Guide – How to Unlock Cockpit Cosmetics and Recommended Loadouts
Star Wars: Squadrons doesn't just let you customize a ship's hull – you can also deck out the cockpit with Holograms, Dashboard items and Hanging Flairs. These all cost Glory to unlock, which is only earned by completing challenges or leveling your Fleet Battle Rank during an Operation (that lasts for eight weeks). What kinds of items can you unlock? Let's start with the Holograms.
For the New Republic, Holograms include the Dejarik Piece (400 Glory), Chopper (800 Glory), Pilot Portrait (400 Glory), Galaxy Map (1200 Glory), Exogorth (800 Glory) and Kowakian Monkey Lizard (1200 Glory).
Holograms for the Empire include the ISD Chimaera (400 Glory), Kill Tally (800 Glory), Lord Vader (1200 Glory), TIE Fighter Blueprint (800 Glory), Special Forces Pilot (400 Glory) and Death Star II (1200 Glory).
Next up are Dashboard items. For the New Republic, there's the GNK Power Droid Figurine (1200 Glory), Luke Skywalker Figurine (400 Glory), Training Remote Replica (400 Glory), Miniature Sandcrawler (800 Glory), Mysterious Adorable Bird (1200 Glory), Miniature X-wing (800 Glory), Tuggtar Ewok Plush (1200 Glory), Podracer Toy (400 Glory), Hosnian Kid Figurine (1200 Glory) and Tauntaun Plush (400 Glory).
On the Empire's side, you have the Droid Head (400 Glory), GNK Power Droid Figurine (1200 Glory), Medal of the Emperor's Fist (1200 Glory) Mouse Droid Replica (800 Glory), Carbonized Kouhun (400 Glory), Lord Vader Statuette (1200 Glory), Hound Skull (800 Glory) and TIE Pilot (1200 Glory).
Finally, you have Hanging Flairs. For the New Republic, you can unlock the Destroyed Death Star Ornament (1200 Glory), Medical Droid Figurine (400 Glory), Carved Millennium Falcon (400 Glory), Naboo Starfighter Toy (1200 Glory), Fresh Flowers (400 Glory), Landspeeder Toy (800 Glory), Crait Crystal (800 Glory) and Hoth Snowspeeder Toy (800 Glory).
Pilots for the Empire can unlock the Krayt Dragon Tooth (800 Glory) Stormtrooper Helmet (1200 Glory), Miniature Rancor (800 Glory), Imperial ID Badge (400 Glory), Miniature Star Destroyer (1200 Glory), Crystal Charm (400 Glory), Miniature Interrogation Droid (400 Glory), Miniature Officer's Shuttle (1200 Glory) and Miniature Scout Walker (800 Glory). More items are added with Operations (like the latest which focuses on The Mandalorian) so keep checking back to see what's new.
Recommended Loadouts
Choosing a build for each ship class in Star Wars: Squadrons can be a bit tricky. There are plenty of recommended loadouts (which you can see in IGN's video below) but it's best to choose a class that fits your play-style and then build around that. So if you're all about assaulting capital ships as a BTL-A4 Y-Wing Bomber, then it's best to pack a Taim and Bak Ion Bomb, Arakyd PW-16 Proton Bomb and Krupx JR-89 Ion Cannon to best damage shields. Experiment with each ship, for both the New Republic and Empire, and find the one that suits you best.
For more Star Wars: Squadrons tips, including how to divert power and earn all of the different mission medals, head here.
Watch Dogs: Legion Guide – How to Earn Eto Fast and Recruit Operatives
In Watch Dogs: Legion, Eto is the primary in-game currency though it's mostly for purchasing cosmetics for Operatives. But how do you go about earning it fast? Completing main missions and side missions is a good method since those dole out 1,000 Eto at times. But you might also want to hack any ATMs you come across for an easy 100 Eto.
There are also safes found in restricted areas which bestow 1,000 Eto. Once again, simply hack them to gain the amount. Just be careful of any opposition (since, well, it's a restricted area). As a general tip, consider killing enemies through stealth instead of going loud since each kill provides a good 20 to 30 Eto.
How to Recruit Operatives
The main hook of the game is building up a team of DedSec Operatives from the vast world of NPCs. Each Operative has different perks, weapons and skills that can make certain missions a breeze. But you either need to recruit them – which involves completing a mission – or turn a borough Defiant (which provides a Skilled Recruit with an optimized kit and extra perk).
Some of the Operatives you should keep an eye out for include a Spy (especially the Spy+ which is obtained from turning three boroughs Defiant and completing their uprising missions); an Albion contractor or Clan Kelley member, both who provide Uniformed Access for restricted areas in their respective organizations, letting you walk through unfettered; and a Construction Worker who has a drone that you can pilot around. Other great Operative types include the Drone Expert, earned by making the Lambeth borough Defiant; the bare knuckle brawlers from the various tournaments in town; and of course, the Beekeeper who can unleash bees on enemies.
Of course, not everyone can be recruited right off the bat. You also have to see how they feel about DedSec – if they dislike the group, then they won't even be open to recruitment. So instead, pick up the Deep Profiler upgrade from the tech tree – it only costs 25 Tech Points and will provide leads. These leads can be completed, which will then open up the recruitment mission for a DedSec-hating NPC. Complete that and they can be recruited. If you want to quickly pick up Operatives from Albion and Clan Kelley for their Uniformed Access perk, having the Deep Profiler is your best bet.
A couple of things to keep in mind when recruiting Operatives. Look for team abilities which can provide benefits to all members (like a shorter arrest time). You can have up to 45 people in your team, which includes any potential recruits and Operatives. When low on space, simply head into the Team menu and select the person in question. You can then choose to retire them (in case of an Operative) or abandon their recruitment (in case of potential recruits). Try to have a wide variety of perks, abilities and weapons across the board but don't forget to keep some slots open for potential future recruits.
Watch Dogs: Legion Guide – How to Make Boroughs Defiant
While traipsing through London in Watch Dogs: Legion and dropping drone cargo on people's heads can be fun, you inevitably have to help liberate the various boroughs. Boroughs start out with the "Oppressed" status but by completing specific missions in its surrounding areas, you can turn it Defiant. First, select a borough and then check which tasks need to be completed to turn it Defiant.
Tasks can range from collecting evidence against Albion or Clan Kelley, rescuing an ally, photographing illicit activities and hacking ctOS hubs to sabotaging an operation, "neutralizing" a VIP target and defacing Albion signs. Once the progress bar is filled and the area becomes Defiant, you gain access to a Borough Uprising mission. Complete this and you're done.
It's worth liberating boroughs because along with making it easier to recruit Operatives from that area, you can receive a Skilled Recruit for completing the uprising mission. These are essentially specialized versions of Operatives like the Spy and Hitman which have totally optimized kit and an additional perk, making them some of the best characters in the game.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars Sells 5.21 Million, Paper Mario: The Origami King Sales at 2.82 Million
With the Switch selling 68.3 million units worldwide and first-party titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons continuing to soar, one has to wonder how Nintendo's other titles are faring. As it turns out, pretty well. In Nintendo's 2nd quarter results for the fiscal year ending March 2021, it announced that Super Mario 3D All-Stars had sold 5.21 million units as of September 30th.
This is fairly impressive because the game managed these sales numbers in just 13 days (having launched on September 18th). Paper Mario: The Origami King has also done well, selling 2.82 million units. Ring Fit Adventure dominated above both with 5.84 million units sold while Luigi's Mansion 3 has sold 7.83 million thus far.
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics managed to sell 1.81 million units while Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition sold 1.40 million. Overall, more than 456.49 million titles have been sold on the Switch worldwide till date. With Nintendo forecasting 24 million Switch units sold by March 2021, it should be interesting to see how the current crop of titles fares.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Has Sold 26.04 Million Units
Along with providing updated Switch hardware numbers, Nintendo also revealed updated sales figures for its best-selling first-party titles on the platform. To no one's surprise, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe continues to dominate with 28.99 million units sold till date. But it's crazy that Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which launched in March this year, has sold 26.04 million units.
With Nintendo pushing out regular updates for the title – and more to come as Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner – it likely won't be long before it overtakes Mario Kart 8: Deluxe. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has sold 21.10 million units while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold 19.74 million units, inching ever closer to that 20 million mark.
Pokemon Sword and Shield, which will be celebrating their first anniversary this month, have also done very well with 19.02 million units sold. Check out the top 10 best-selling first-party Switch titles (as of September 30th) below. Stay tuned for more updated sales numbers from Nintendo in the meantime.
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 28.99 million
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 26.04 million
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 21.10 million
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 19.74 million
- Pokemon Sword / Pokemon Shield – 19.02 million
- Super Mario Odyssey – 18.99 million
- Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! / Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! – 12.49 million
- Super Mario Party – 12.10 million
- Splatoon 2 – 11.27 million
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – 8.32 million