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Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Provides 5 Minute Gameplay Overview

Cyberpunk 2077_V

In its latest episode of Night City Wire, CD Projekt RED released a new gameplay trailer for Cyberpunk 2077. It had quite the smorgasbord of details, from showcasing the open world to dialogue choices and combat. Check it out below.

Some of the major highlights of the trailer include revamps to the Perk tree, robot enemies and what seems to be a romantic relationship with Judy Alvarez. A variety of different foes, from human to cybernetic can be seen, sporting custom weapons and Mantis Blades alike. Even the cosmetic customization looks pretty good with numerous outfits to choose from.

Cyberpunk 2077 is out on December 10th for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia. You can check out gameplay on the Xbox One X and Xbox Series X here (though full-fledged next-gen versions are scheduled for later). PS4 and PS5 footage will also be showcased at some point so stay tuned for more details.


Demon's Souls PS5 Guide – How to Defeat All Bosses

Demon's Souls

Bluepoint Games' highly anticipated remake of Demon's Souls is now available for PS5. As gorgeous as it looks, the brutal difficulty is still very much in effect especially when it comes to the bosses. Worry not though – whether it's your first or 100th time taking on Boletaria's toughest, there's always a way to win.

Here are all the different bosses in the game. Spoilers await, especially for the final boss and the good ending so beware. Check out the videos by Boss Fight Database below to see the bosses in action and how to defeat them.

  • Vanguard Demon
  • Phalanx
  • Leechmonger
  • Dirty Colossus
  • Armor Spider
  • Flamelurker
  • Dragon God
  • Maiden Astraea
  • Tower Knight
  • Penetrator
  • Fool's Idol
  • Maneater
  • Old Monk
  • Adjudicator
  • Old Hero
  • Storm King
  • Old King Allant
  • The Old One

For more Demon's Souls tips and tricks, check out our guide here.


Marvel's Avengers – Kate Bishop Arrives on December 8th

Marvel's Avengers - Kate Bishop

In its latest War Table stream, Crystal Dynamics provided an update on Kate Bishop joining Marvel's Avengers. The new Hawkeye arrives on December 8th in the Operation "Taking AIM." It sees her on the hunt for Clint Barton, the first Hawkeye, but coming across some rather troubling issues (like time travel).

Along with new story missions, Taking AIM also  offers a new foe to fight – the Super Adaptoid, which seems to combine all of the different Avengers into one powerful robot. Kate's abilities also look pretty fun, from combos with the bow and arrow to whipping out a katana to slice foes. Some different cosmetic skins for her were also showcased.

However, even more interesting is the tease of Clint's Operation "Future Imperfect" near the end. It features The Maestro, a villainous version of Hulk that also has Bruce Banner's intelligence. If you look closely enough, Black Panther's helm can be seen at the base of his throne.

In the meantime, stay tuned for more details on Kate Bishop en route to her release. Marvel's Avengers is currently out for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia with Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions out next year.


Fallout 76: Steel Dawn Video Highlights Brotherhood of Steel's Journey to Appalachia

fallout 76 steel dawn

Bethesda's next big update for Fallout 76 is Steel Dawn, which sets up the Brotherhood of Steel's introduction to Appalachia. But how exactly did the organization's First Expeditionary Force arrive in the region? A new video focuses in this Chapter and what became of them when facing the Scorch. Check it out below.

Steel Dawn is the precursor to Fractured Steel, offering new NPCs to interact with, new areas to visit, new Brotherhood of Steel weapons and armor, and so on. When Fractured Steel arrives, one can also expect Perk Loadouts, C.A.M.P. Shelters and Expeditions, along with new Daily Ops. Holiday Scorched, whatever they may be, are also on the way.

As for Steel Dawn, it arrives on December 1st for current owners of the game. Fallout 76 is currently available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. It's a fairly different game now, thanks to the Wastelanders update which landed earlier this year but it's not without its flaws. Check out our official review for more details.


The Nioh Collection – Short Videos Showcase Fast Loading Time on PS5

The Nioh Collection

When Koei Tecmo announced that The Nioh Collection was coming to PS5, faster loading times were to be expected. But just how much faster would they be, compared to the PS4 versions? Thanks to some short clips from Nioh 2 on Twitter, we can see that the process of dying and then respawning at the nearest shrine is more or less instant, allowing players to get back into the game immediately. The same goes for loading into a new area from the region map.

The Nioh series has always been known for its quick loading so this is an added bonus. Nioh Remastered – The Complete Edition and Nioh 2 Remastered – The Complete Edition are both included in The Nioh Collection on PS5. They features 4K resolution support, up to 120 FPS gameplay, PS4 to PS5 save transfer and improved visuals.

The Nioh Collection along with both remasters launch on February 5th 2021 for PS5 with pre-orders going live tomorrow. Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition will also be coming to PS4 and PC on the same date. In the meantime, current owners of the game can look forward to its final DLC, The First Samurai, releasing on December 17th for PS4.


Override 2: Super Mech League Open Beta is Now Live for PS4, PS5 and PC

Override 2 Super Mech League

Modus Games' open beta for Override 2: Super Mech League is now playable on PS4, PS5 and PC. Eight mechs are playable from the full roster across "multiple game modes" from today until November 22nd. Check out the release trailer below which showcases the various playable mechs.

Override 2: Super Mech League will release with a total roster of 20 mechs, each with their own unique play-styles and abilities. Each mech can be customized with a variety of different components and cosmetics. Career Mode sees players joining the Mech Leagues, representing their Club and battling it out to earn Influence.

Multiplayer is where it's really at though with 1v1, 2v2, Free-For-All, Xenoswarm and King of the Hill modes available. Ranked Rumbles see two players battling it out and ascending the ranks. But if you'd rather play with or against friends, then there's support for up to four players via local and online co-op/versus.

Override 2: Super Mech League is out on December 22nd for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.


Hitman Developer Announces James Bond Title, Project 007

Project 007 image

If you thought after the recent Hitman reboot entries that IO Interactive would be a perfect fit to make a new James Bond game, you weren't the only one- apparently, the developer agrees with you, as does the license holder. After teasing the same yesterday, IO Interactive have now announced Project 007, a new original James Bond game.

As per the game's official websiteProject 007 will be a brand new origin story that will see players stepping into the shoes of Bond before he became the man with a license to kill, and follow his journey en route to him earning his 00 status.

As the game's name and the brief nature of its announcement teaser trailer indicate, Project 007 is pretty early in development, with IO Interactive currently on the lookout for talent to add to its development team. "IO Interactive is currently recruiting elite talent from around the world to join the team that will build out this exciting and unique gaming title," the game's website reads.

No release window or release platforms for the game have yet been announced, but I wager it'll be a while before we hear anything concrete about it. Either way, it's happening- and I'm sure that'll be reason enough for millions to get excited.


MXGP 2020 Not Launching on Xbox Series X/S Due to Generation Transition and Remote Work Adjustments, Says Developer

mxgp 2020

As is usually the case with console generation transitions, most major games that are going to release for at least the next year or so are likely going to be cross-gen games, catering to audiences across the eighth and ninth generation consoles. Milestone's upcoming motocross sim MXGP 2020 follows that as well- but only partially so.

When the game launches not long from now, it will be available on both PS4 and PS5 (alongside PC), but on Xbox, it will only be releasing for the Xbox One. Why exactly is that the case?

Speaking to GamingBolt in a recent interview, lead game designer Alex Basilio said that the decision to not release a native Xbox Series X/S port was made due to "a remarkable productive effort" to balance not only a console generation transition, but also having to work remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, Basilio assures that the game will still have optimizations on the new Xbox consoles thanks to their backward compatibility features.

"The transition between two generation of consoles, new digital platforms and the global pandemic that is requiring remote working for all our developers (safety of our people is a priority for us), caused a remarkable productive effort in our studio that forced our dev team to take hard decisions," Basilio said. "The incredible power of the Xbox Series X/S will allow our players to enjoy an optimized version of MXGP 2020, even without a specific release."

MGXP 2020 launches on December 10. On the PS5, it will feature support for the DualSense's new features and run in dynamic 4K at 60 FPS.


Sony Celebrates PS5's Worldwide Launch With Incredible Light Show

PS5 Logo

Depending on where you live, the PS5 has been available since last week. But, as I'm sure you're aware of, the actual worldwide rollout for the console wasn't technically until today, November 19th. Of course, actually getting a console this go around has been quite difficult considering the well known issues that disrupted production. Either way, though, on paper the system is officially out anywhere and everywhere, and Sony gave us a light show to celebrate.

At Venice's Piazza San Marco, Sony celebrated the launch with a light show, of which you can see below. It uses the familiar iconography of the PS5 controller: Cross, Circle, Triange and Square as well as the new slogan of Play Has No Limits. The console itself and DualSense are featured prominently, too. It's pretty neat.

The PlayStation 5 is now available worldwide, if you can manage to get one anyway. We took a look at the system itself, and were pretty positive on it by and large, even if there are notable improvements to be made. You can read all about that through here.


Tetris Effect: Connected Review – Tetris at its Best

Tetris is one of the most recognizable and foundational pieces of gaming's history. Over time, some have tried to rework its formula, but the gameplay at the core of Tetris is timeless, representing the simple, yet increasingly challenging form of interactivity that makes gaming a unique medium. 2018's Tetris Effect understood what makes the original so great and built around it to improve the experience but leave the core unchanged, and Tetris Effect: Connected improves the formula even further by implementing new multiplayer modes and enhancing the already beautiful visuals to utilize the Xbox Series X. Some difficulty spikes aside, Tetris Effect: Connected emphasizes the never-ending enjoyability of Tetris's gameplay and includes every classic mode a Tetris experience should offer, and its mesmerizing implementation of music and visuals makes it the best core Tetris package on the market.

An upgraded version of 2018's release, Connected contains all of the single player modes from the original, mostly unchanged. The primary, and likely first, that you'll experience is the Journey Mode, which acts as the effective campaign. In this mode, you work your way through more than two dozen stages combined into a handful of four or five stage bundles that you play in sequence. Within each of the sequential stages, you need to clear a certain number of lines, which changes based on the difficulty setting, and between stages, the pieces you've already placed stay put, though if you fail, you can restart the stage you were on from scratch. Naturally, stages begin relatively easy and increase in difficulty, usually fairly, but there are a handful of times where the difficulty spikes become too much to handle. The drop speed of tetriminos can increase with almost no warning, especially when you're focused on the board to figure out your next moves, and getting hit with an unannounced major spike in drop speed feels jarring and unfair. Luckily this only happens in the latter stages on normal difficulty and intermittently on expert, but when it does, it feels like an unavoidable setback.

"2018's Tetris Effect understood what makes the original so great and built around it to improve the experience but leave the core unchanged, and Tetris Effect: Connected improves the formula even further by implementing new multiplayer modes and enhancing the already beautiful visuals to utilize the Xbox Series X."

The only adjustment to the core Tetris gameplay is the addition of the zone mechanic, through which you can slow down the drop speed of each piece and, if you've planned well enough, clear more than the traditional four lines at a time. This mechanic is almost akin to Guitar Hero's Star Power, working to either help boost your high score or lend a helping hand when you're about to fail. It's easy to forget about when you're in the zone, but if you've built up enough of a zone meter, it can be a secret weapon against those spikes in speeds. Plus, the stages react beautifully to going into the zone, and if you clear enough lines, it turns to a satisfying negative filter, making you feel like you've utilized it correctly. It's the type of mechanic that can be completely ignored if you want the pure Tetris experience but only serves to help those who want or need it, and I found it a welcome addition to the formula.

The other modes transferred from the original are the Effect Modes, consisting of a variety of modified ways to play the base game. These include traditional quick play and Chill Marathon modes, more intense high-score and high-speed modes, and others with unique challenges such as clearing infected blocks, dealing with occasional I-tetriminos randomly falling onto the board, and the most fun Mystery mode, which pits you against a surprisingly large number of different factors like turning the board upside down or throwing in a bomb that needs to be defused. These are just more ways to play the game with a few twists, and, while they're not necessarily breaking any ground, they're great pieces to have for the longevity of Tetris in this particular package.

The primary addition to Connected is a slew of competitive or cooperative multiplayer modes. The most interesting of these is the Connected mode, which teams three real players up to go against a series of AI-controlled bosses. For the most part, this is a variation on three players playing their own game, but occasionally the three boards are combined and the three players are invited to clear even longer lines that make the boss's board more difficult, similar to how it's done in Tetris 99. The calculus for a handful of the mode's features is never clearly explained, but the ability to combine boards and take down a common enemy, Tetris-style, never gets old. The other multiplayer modes are classic one-on-one modes that are fun in their own right, one of which includes the zone mechanic from Journey Mode. These are more features that don't try to shake up the formula but are classic elements of the game that should be there for any Tetris experience and are fun to jump into as a shake-up from the single-player.

tetris effect connected

"What truly differentiates Tetris Effect from any other Tetris game is the unparalleled presentation that turns such a simple game into a transcendental experience."

What truly differentiates Tetris Effect from any other Tetris game is the unparalleled presentation that turns such a simple game into a transcendental experience. Each primary stage has its own unique theme, ranging from the darkness of space to the hustle and bustle of a city skyline and everything in between. Every stage has a gorgeous set of visuals that plays out around and behind the game board, each of which is almost mesmerizing enough to distract you from the game you're supposed to be playing. Even more impressive is how the visuals react to your progression through the stage. Most stages begin relatively quaint and cold, but as you clear lines and make big moves, the visuals start to open up, getting warmer and more vibrant.

Take the stage that sees you climbing a mountain. Your initial view is cold, looking up at the long path ahead, but as you progress, you move your way up the path until the end, when you've cleared enough lines, you reach the summit and see the beautiful orange sunset covering the snow. While some stages are more impactful than others, each is still uniquely gorgeous. Though it might not push the boundaries of the Xbox Series X with character models or draw distance, it's instantly mesmerizing to see the array of colors that fly around in the form of countless particles that could not have been rendered this beautifully on past consoles.

Complementing the visuals for every theme is the equally mesmerizing music that not only sets an undeniable tone for each stage but also interplays with the gameplay just as much as the visuals themselves. The music, too, starts soft but slowly builds to a triumphant climax as you reach the latter stages of each level, and it even reacts when you clear a line or rotate a piece. The combination of the music and visuals culminates in one of the most satisfying feelings as you progress, with particular moments like reaching the mountain summit or breaching the ocean surface with a pack of dolphins becoming entirely unforgettable and incredibly replayable, even through the Theater Mode that eliminates the Tetris aspect altogether.

tetris effect connected

"Tetris Effect: Connected is undoubtedly the best complete Tetris package that I've played."

Tetris Effect: Connected is undoubtedly the best complete Tetris package that I've played. With Connected's addition of cooperative and competitive multiplayer, it contains virtually every mode you could hope a Tetris game would have, whether it's relaxed or intense, alone or with others. The true star of this version of Tetris, though, is the presentation, which mixes visuals and sound in a way that uniformly enhances the experience without touching the core gameplay. Tetris is one of gaming's quintessential pieces, and Tetris Effect: Connected makes that piece ever more unforgettable.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox Series X.