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Sekiro update 1.06 fixes frustrating boss battle bugs

FromSoftware and Activision have unsheathed a new title update for their award-winning samurai RPG, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Sekiro update 1.06 is now live and available to download across all versions of the game including PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia, making a small series of change with a couple of boss battle fixes.

This follows last month's surprise update which introduced a chunk of new content long after Sekiro's launch in early 2019. You can read the full patch notes for Sekiro update 1.06 below:

  • Fixed an issue where lock-on camera wasn't functioning correctly with some bosses in "Reflection of Strength" and "Gauntlet of Strength".
  • Fixed an issue where "Inner Genichiro" was not behaving as intended in certain situations.
  • Fixed an issue where the correct text was not displaying under INFORMATION upon changing language settings.
  • Fixed an issue where part of the UI was not displaying as intended.
  • Fixed an issue where the correct text was not displaying in some European languages.

Last month's content drop added a number of new features to Sekiro. First up, we have the Reflections of Strength which allows players to revisit boss encounters, twinned with the new Gauntlet of Strength mode which has you fighting bosses back to back with just one life. There are new costumes too as well as Remnant system used to exchange messages between players.

In Jason's review he scored Sekiro an almighty 9 out of 10, praising the game's brutal yet ingenious combat:

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an incredible blend of story, gameplay and world design. I don't think it trumps Bloodborne, personally, but it may well be the next best game that FromSoftware has created. It definitely has the most experimental aspects and rises above so many of its peers because it dares to punish you for not paying attention. As ever, the elation you find when overcoming a challenge is unparalleled. This is one for the masochists and the hard-headed, but it will welcome any who have the patience to learn it. Sekiro is bloody brilliant.

FromSoftware have yet to show us more of their next game, The Elden Ring. Meanwhile, their first entry in the Souls series, Demon's Souls, received a recent remake on PS5 which bagged a 9 out of 10 in our review.

Source: Sekiro

New Yakuza announcements teased for anniversary livestream

Next month Sega are expected to make new Yakuza announcements while hosting a special 15th anniversary livestream event, looking back at the popular action RPG series.

The Yakuza celebration broadcast will be available to watch live via YouTube on December 8th, running between 11:00AM and 13:00PM UK time.

Gematsu note that the stream will be presented by Kazuma Kiryu Japanese voice actor, Takaya Kuroda, and Ichiban Kasuga actor, Kazuhiro Nakaya, the lead character in Yakuza: Like A Dragon. This will be joined by the Yakuza series director, Toshihiro Nagoshi, and other prominent Sega developers who have worked on the series.

The even will look back at fifteen years of the Yakuza series though we're none the wiser as to what Sega could be planning in terms of new announcements. Yakuza: Like A Dragon may have only just launched oversea but has been out since January 2020 in Japan so maybe there's DLC on the way or news of a supercharged version with new content and features.

Some fans will no doubt be yearning for a return to the traditional action brawler style of gameplay, as fun as Yakuza's recently turn-based JRPG entry was. Although it doesn't seem likely, we may also get an update on Sega's potential plans to remaster Yakuza Ishin and Kenzan, two period spin-offs never released outside of Japan.

For those interested, Sega will also be running a let's play series with guests pummelling their way from Yakuza: Kiwami to Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. This will also be available to watch on YouTube.

Source: Gematsu

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

DayZ 1.10 update trailer highlights new content

In case you missed it, there's a new patch available for popular survival sandbox sim, DayZ. Update 1.10 is fresh out of testing and ready for download, whether you're playing the PC version of DayZ, or on consoles including PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. By extension, the game is also playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility.

If you don't fancy wading through a wall of text to pick out the highlights in this newest DayZ update, developer Bohemia Interactive have released a new trailer.

It doesn't go into too much detail, showing an in-game scenario where a survivor signals for aid using DayZ's new flare pistol. We also get to the recently added M3S Truck in action as well splints and a new type of shelter.

We've included the image above (shown at the end of the 1.10 trailer) which gives players a snapshot of what the devs have added. Here's a more comprehensive list below – those seeking the full changelog can find it via the official patch notes.

  • You can now break the players lower leg, damage is applied by falling or brute force (walking/fighting with a broken leg will result in shock damage)
  • Added the Signal Pistol and its ammunition (in various colors)
  • Added crafted Tanned Leather using Garden Lime
  • Added crafted Leather Backpack
  • Added crafted Improvised Shelter
  • Added localization for Brazilian-Portuguese
  • Added the crafted Splint
  • Added Tarp (material)
  • Added the ability to replace ruined parts of tents (entrance-/window-covers) with tarp
  • Added the Pipe Wrench
  • You can now repair a damaged car engine with the Pipe Wrench
  • You can now repair parts of the vehicle chassis with an Epoxy Putty
  • Clothing items now have an indicator for their insulation value
  • Exposure to wind will make your character freeze more (forests can provide cover)
  • Food decays over time
  • Items dry up over-time when put on the ground or in a cargo space on the ground (proximity to a fireplace is no longer required, but the area of a fireplace dries items faster)
  • Items cool down over-time in the player's inventory and on the ground
  • Added a heat buffer to supply an overtime heat bonus to the thermal comfort of the player character (you receive a temporary heat bonus after spending time near a fireplace)
  • Added a smoking slot to several types of fireplaces, used to dry meat
  • Added additional coastline details between Storozh (prison island) and Ostrog, making the sea traversal easier and more interesting (Chernarus)
  • Punching now deals damage to gloves and can cause bleeding to bare hands
  • Added a visual effect to increasing shock damage (both reflecting getting hit, and current state)
  • Added damage when jumping out of a running vehicle (also including a chance for broken legs and death)
  • New visual heat haze effect for the fireplace, flare, road flare and torch lights

Bohemia Interactive have confirmed DayZ on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S will run better than on last-gen systems. We haven't seen any technical breakdowns though they cite a noticeable improvement in overall performance.

Greggs & PlayStation Launch Box Review

Move aside KFConsole, away with your PlayStation symbols as Oxford Circus London Underground signs, a new dog is in town to help the launch of the PlayStation 5. That's right, Greggs have released an exclusive 'Greggs & PlayStation Launch Box' packed full of unhealthy treats.

Since no gamer wants to depart from their brand new console (in addition to the other reasons for not going out right now), you can order online via Just Eat. It's just darn nice that Sony and Greggs are letting us all joyously play into the stereotype of being fat nerdy gamers glued to screens with sticky doughnut fingers and beards full of crumbs. And yes, that's for the ladies as well.

Consisting of either two meaty sausage or vegan sausage rolls, a sugar strand doughnut, a vegan glazed ring doughnut, and two drinks all for £5, this was hardly a deal to sniff at on launch day. Oh, and don't forget the lavish laminated package it all came in, covered in branding which brings the swagger and the air of superior produce that you typically only find in Waitrose or M&S. There are just 50 limited edition boxes available at each Greggs offering the Launch Box, so you might've missed out by now, and getting this exclusive package gives the same delicious smugness that was shared by those of us who managed to cop a PS5 at launch.

Delivered to my door by a charming young man named Larry, the PlayStation Launch Box arrived steaming and ready for action on November 19th, the launch day of the console here in the UK. Tucking into its contents, the sausage rolls consisted of a crumbly buttery pastry that crunched between your fingers and left smears of grease over my new DualSense, whilst the flat white I'd ordered alongside a bottle of Lucozade had a bitter snap in the aftertaste and a severe lack of froth. It was reminiscent of a particularly poor macchiato I'd had in an East Soho coffee shop. I rather think Larry had got a bit side tracked and his late delivery led to a cold and lackluster froth. Poor show, Larry. No wonder I didn't give you a tip.

The treats are a great accompaniment to gaming, but can also be a distraction. By the point I decided to devour one of the sumptuous sausage rolls, I was pillaging my way through a poorly built castle somewhere near Gloucester in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. As I dispatched a charging berserker with a sickeningly bloody crunch of my axe, I needed to pause the action as the lingering waft of the delicately scented meat tempted me to devour the second sausage roll. I swiftly follow the meaty pastry with the whole bottle of Lucozade to feel the wash of victorious bravado just like Eivor after a drinking challenge. While it might have stayed my axe for a few moments, the rest of the castle fell beneath my vicious axe swings in a hazy, pastry-fuelled frenzy.

It's at this point I charged forth straight into the glazed ring doughnut, delicately decorated with a smattering of icing that brings up fond memories of Jamie Oliver Christmas specials, and an exquisite fluffy texture that is gone within seconds. There's less to say about the sugar strand doughnut; it's half squashed from the delivery (damnit, Larry!) but falls deftly under my magnificent masticating moxie all the same. In moments I'm left sitting forlorn and covered in sugar, coming down from the combined bloodlust of massacring both the doughnuts and half of Gloucestershire.

As I sit here in these hazy post-launch PS5 days, I sometimes wonder about Larry. Did he know what he was delivering? The events that unfolded directly from his snacking intervention – his snacktervention if you will – and the impact he would have on my gaming. With the taste of a burnt flat white on my tongue, I reminisce on the bloody trail that I have blazed through the East of England, leaving both burning villages and doughnut crumbs in my wake.

Written by Andrew D from the TSA Destiny Clan

Destiny 2: Beyond Light – Europa, The Glassway Strike Guide

While it's fair to say the reception for Destiny 2: Beyond Light has been relatively mixed so far, the Europa map and its associated content are welcome additions to the world – especially the new strike!

Europa brings with it a new strike titled The Glassway, while the returning Cosmodrome has The Disgraced strike. The Glassway is an all new strike, taking players through a lengthy journey to the heart of Europa where they will face off against an army of Vex. It's probably one of the best new strikes we've seen in sometime, with both new enemies, different types of encounters and a unique art style.

In this guide we will provide a general run through of each encounter, with some light directions and the weapons and strategies that are going to best aid you.

Europa – The Glassway – Recommended Power Level: 1100

Enemy Types: Fallen, Vex

Loadout Recommendations

The Glassway is a difficult strike with a mix of both long-range and close encounters, so you're going to want to focus on a mix of different weapon types. A Sniper Rifle is an absolute must have for taking on the new Wyvern enemies, especially if you are under or on the power level for the strike. A pulse rifle will help deal with the mid to long range encounters and many of the weaker enemies throughout the strike. A grenade or rocket launcher in your heavy slot will give you the damage output you need for many of the powerful enemies, and the damage you'll need for the last boss.

Taking the right element types in with you will also help with the shielded powerful enemies, so you'll want to make sure you've got both void and arch covered as they are the most common throughout The Glassway.

So TLDR;

  • You'll want a pulse rifle for mid to long range encounters and general enemy clearance
  • A sniper for the wyvern enemies and boss damage
  • A grenade or rocket launcher for powerful enemies and the boss damage
  • Make sure you've got void and arch weapons

The Glassway starts how most strikes do, which is with a nice short sparrow ride down into an icy canyon. Keep making your way down until you reach a raised platform that you must jump up to and over. From here, swing left and you'll run into several Fallen, including a few shanks, a dreg and a captain. This is a nice big open space though, and none of the enemies here should really cause you any trouble.

With the Fallen down, make your way along the cliff edge, where more Fallen shanks and acolytes will appear. These shouldn't give you too much trouble, but you'll want to be mindful of the space you have between them and the chasm below. It's not too difficult to get distracted and fall down here! Keep making your way round and you'll find yourself in the first proper encounter of the strike.

Nexus – Encounter One

As soon as you walk into the small area, several Fallen Wretches and will spawn immediately to your left and towards the back of the room towards the door with a Fallen barrier. While it's tempting to want to run in and quickly take each enemy down, a servitor will soon spawn, so take your time and pick each enemy off with your pulse rifle before focusing on the servitor with your sniper. This initial encounter is only a short one, serving as almost a kind of warmup for what's in the next room.

With the Servitor down, make your way across the room and through the open door, which is no longer blocked by a Fallen barrier. After making your way through a short tunnel, you'll find yourself at the next encounter.

Nexus – Encounter Two

The second encounter in the Nexus is similar to the first, featuring numerous Fallen enemies alongside a cliff edge, but the stakes are raised slightly here with some tougher enemies. As you approach the area, Fallen Dregs will spawn around the outside, along with a Warrior's Enforcer and a Powerful Servitor. If you are under levelled, both of them will hit hard, so keep your distance and pick off all the surrounding enemies with your pulse rifle. As you head into the area, there's a large rock column and a smaller rock to the right that will both provide the perfect cover for you to shoot from.

With the weaker enemies slain, it's time to focus on the Servitor and Enforcer. Use your sniper on the Servitor to begin with, its critical hit spot is reasonably easy to shoot, and it's less likely to move around like the Enforcer. If you can spare it, use any heavy ammo you have to deal damage to the Enforcer and then finish them with the sniper rifle or pulse rifle. With all the other enemies in the room down, focusing your fire together as a team should make quick work of the Warrior's Enforcer.

The Fallen Barrier ahead of you should now open, and you can make your way up and further into the cave. You'll then want to hug the right wall, jumping between the different platforms before coming to another opening, and another Fallen Barrier.

Nexus – Technocrat's Assistant

This encounter is very similar to the last, but with one big difference. The sub-boss in this encounter, Technocrat's Assistant, will use the new element Stasis on you and your fellow Guardians. This element freezes you in place, meaning you cannot move and will take damage until you break free.

Fortunately, you can play this encounter the same way as the last one; hang back and use cover to take down the weaker enemies in the area, before moving your focus to the Servitor which spawns. When the servitor is down, focus your efforts as a fireteam and damage the Assistant with your sniper of heavy weapon. Just be mindful of his Stasis abilities which can bring you grinding to a very sudden halt. Once the Technocrat's Assistant is down, the Fallen Barrier will once again fall enabling you to continue into the heart of the caves.

Travel through the doors to find a few Fallen Dreg next to a Vex Milk Waterfall. With the Fallen down, turn left into the river and make your way across the platforms and cross the bridge at the top of the area. You'll now find yourself in the Glassway area, which starts with many platforms and Fallen enemies. You'll want to make your way across carefully because you can easily end up surrounded here.

If you are quick enough, you can actually get through here without having to kill any of the enemies, so keep that in mind if speed and time is important to you!

The Glasshouse – Encounter One

Remember when we said earlier on that you'll need something with range? The next encounter is a little different as it tasks Guardians with standing still while Draining Radiolarian Fluid. Several Fallen Shanks, Explosive Shanks and Vandals will spawn above to your left and right. As a team, you must drain the fluid and defend against the oncoming waves. Having a ranged weapon here will really help deal with the enemies before they get too close, which is especially important when they include Explosive Shanks. With you and your Fireteam in close proximity, it wouldn't be difficult for you to all die if you are under levelled.

With the fluid drained, it's time for you and your fireteam to make your way across the pit below. Fallen Dregs, Shanks and Servitors will spawn into this area and there will also be fire from above courtesy of Vandals. There's plenty of cover for the enemies on your level in the pit, but it can be difficult to hide from the Vandals above, so you'll want to focus on killing them before anything else.

You'll need to kill everything in this area in order for the Fallen Barrier to open at the other end, so once you've done that, it's time to take on the final encounter.

The Glasshouse – Belmon Boss Fight & Wyverns

Having fought your way through many encounters, it's finally time to take on the boss of The Glasshouse Strike, and it does not disappoint! As you walk into the room, you'll notice a large portal and a pool of Vex Milk. To the right and left of entrance there are two backrooms that wind round onto the lower level near the pool, make sure you know the layout of both sides as they make a great escape route when things get a little too hectic.

Take out the few Fallen enemies here to start the encounter, upon which two Hydra's will spawn. One is your typical run of the mill Hydra, while the other (named Belmon) is around four times the size of it. Both will spawn into the arena and Vex Minotaurs and Goblins will appear on the left and the right. Take down the Vex reinforcements first and then focus your efforts on damaging the boss. This is where the sniper rifle you've brought along will come in handy. Try to sit reasonably far back here and dive into cover if you gain the attention of Belmon. It hits incredibly hard, and could be a one hit kill if you go into it under levelled.

The general flow of this encounter is to kill the weaker Vex, kill the powerful enemies, and then damage the boss. Around halfway through the encounter, a new enemy type called Wyverns will start spawning into the area. These hit hard with powerful ranged and close encounter attacks. This is where your sniper rifle will come in handy, allowing you to shoot them in their red eye, which will open up a white critical hit spot just below. Be careful though as Wyverns wind up a charging attack which can be lethal. Fortunately, you can counter this swooping charge with a melee attack.

Stick to the aforementioned loop while staying out of the line of fire and you should be able to take Belmon down. This is a difficult Vex boss, and at the moment the best thing you can do is be patient. Use your sniper rifle and powerful weapon to attack Belmon, but it's very easy to wipe, so don't forget those backrooms to your left and right!

Enjoy your spoils Guardian, you've earned them.

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered update 1.001 addresses Rest Mode issues – get the patch notes here

The PlayStation 5 has had a slightly wobbly launch for some people, with quite a large number of users reporting instability and console crashes when using the machine's Rest Mode and certain launch games. Of particular note, users have found that Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales have caused issues with Rest Mode crashes.

An update over the weekend for Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered has specifically mentioned that it addresses "a stability issue when resuming from Rest Mode." This comes alongside tweaks for other less fundamental issues and adding the ability to import saves from Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4.

Here's the patch notes for Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered version 1.001:

New Features

  • Added ability to download save games from Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4) to Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered

Fixes & Updates

  • Improved quality and performance of ray-traced reflections
  • Addressed various animation issues
  • Addressed various environment art issues
  • Addressed various accessibility issues
  • Addressed a stability issue when resuming from Rest Mode

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is available for PlayStation 5 as part of the Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition bundle, and only via the Ultimate Edition. There's no paid upgrade path from the PS4 version of the original game to the remaster, and it cannot be bought separately. However, you can purchase an upgrade from the standard version of Miles Morales to the Ultimate Edition via an in-game option to get the remaster. That all make sense?

Spider-Man Remastered is a big overhaul of the game's engine to support the PlayStation 5. This includes making use of the console's SSD to make things like fast travel ultra-speedy, adding a 60fps performance mode as well as having support for ray traced reflections, and haptic feedback for the new DualSense controller, just as in Miles Morales. Insomniac also decided that they would replace Peter Parker's face.

In our review of the original game, Gareth wrote:

Marvel's Spider-Man does a spectacular job of making you feel like the ultimate Spider-Man. From swinging through the city at high speed to fighting off legions of enemies by zipping between them and pulling them into the air, its gameplay looks like a scene from the films. It's remarkably well realised in terms of its world, design, and even technically, with short loading times and a rock solid framerate even on the base PlayStation 4. If Spider-Man is your thing then this is an essential purchase.

You can read the full review here.

Meanwhile, we gave Spider-Man: Miles Morales 8/10 in our review of the new cross-gen game.

Source: Insomniac

Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 update adds cross-gen save export and three new suits

Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered on PlayStation 5 have both been updated over the weekend to enable the export and import of your save data across generations. Additionally, players on the original release of the game now have access to the three new suits that were bundled into the remaster.

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is bundled in with Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition, which launched alongside the PlayStation 5. One of a few minor bones of contention surrounding Miles Morales' announcement was that (once the remaster was revealed) the game would not allow you to import you save progress from the PS4 original. The announcement of the remaster came at the same time as the reveal that Miles Morales was, in fact, a cross-gen title… and would let you transfer your progress from PS4 to PS5. While some people would relish in the excuse to replay the game from the very beginning and see the sights of New York City with a fresh like of ray traced paint, others might want to do so with a New Game+ instead.

In order to transfer the save, you must first update the PS4 version of the game, whether on an actual PS4 or by installing the original release onto your PS5. Then, update the game to version 1.19. Now, from the in-game save game menu, you should see an option to export the save. This moves it to the cloud, so that an up-to-date copy of the remaster on PS5 can import it to a save slot from its own save game menu.

Here's the simple, to the point patch notes for Spider-Man on PS4, version 1.19:

New Features

  • Added ability to upload save games from Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4) to Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered
  • Added the Armored Advanced Suit
  • Added the Arachnid-Rider Suit
  • Added the Amazing Suit

And the companion update for Spider-Man Remastered on PS5, version 1.001:

New Features

  • Added ability to download save games from Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4) to Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered

Fixes & Updates

  • Improved quality and performance of ray-traced reflections
  • Addressed various animation issues
  • Addressed various environment art issues
  • Addressed various accessibility issues
  • Addressed a stability issue when resuming from Rest Mode

In our review of the original game, Gareth wrote:

Marvel's Spider-Man does a spectacular job of making you feel like the ultimate Spider-Man. From swinging through the city at high speed to fighting off legions of enemies by zipping between them and pulling them into the air, its gameplay looks like a scene from the films. It's remarkably well realised in terms of its world, design, and even technically, with short loading times and a rock solid framerate even on the base PlayStation 4. If Spider-Man is your thing then this is an essential purchase.

You can read the full review here.

Meanwhile, we gave Spider-Man: Miles Morales 8/10 in our review of the new cross-gen game.

Source: Insomniac

 

 

Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues Review

This year has proven to be something of a renaissance for the humble beat 'em up. Titles such as Streets of Rage 4, Battletoads and Shing! have demonstrated that this isn't just a simple nostalgia fix; scrolling beat 'em ups absolutely have a role to play at the dawn of a new video game generation. It's quite astonishing considering that the genre arguably had its heyday well over two decades ago. Still, with every renaissance masterpiece there's a few lacklustre mistakes and Cobra Kai is the video game equivalent of renaissance artists trying to paint babies. It's weird, ugly and a bit disturbing.

Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues is based on the YouTube/Netflix TV show that itself is a follow-up of the 1984 film Karate Kid, AKA Rocky for Children. Plot and character wise the TV show is a treat, having proven to be a whip-smart spin on the Karate Kid tale, but none of that has translated over to the video game. Instead the ongoing conflict between the rival karate schools of Daniel and Johnny simply provide a thinly veiled narrative excuse to wander around a city, punching everyone you meet in the delicates. That's not strictly a problem, since that's what beat 'em ups are always about.

What is a problem are the ugly, ugly visuals. This is not a pretty game. Characters bear little resemblance to their real-life counterparts, nor do they bear any resemblance to Homo Sapiens in general. Body parts are oddly deformed, character models are devoid of, well, character, and the cutscene art work is unpleasant to look at. Animation fares little better as characters move like jerky marionettes whilst their attacks are clearly lacking several frames – they almost teleport to complete a move. Environments are also bland and plain affairs, lacking in any detail or personality. The amount of levels to do Karate stuff in may be impressively numerous when compared to its peers, but you'll struggle to tell them apart and they all just merge into one big brightly coloured poorly rendered mess.

The game's selection of enemies are also a tad unpalatable. Beat 'em ups normally task you with punching evil ninjas, criminal gangs, deadly mutants or near-unstoppable robots to a pulp and I'm fine with that, but Cobra Kai forces my heavily muscled Karate aficionado to beat seven shades out of 'Mommy'. Mommy is, quite literally, a mum who desperately calls for help from nearby reinforcements as your heroic protagonist beats her unconscious with a baseball bat. Then, after Mommy has been obliterated, how about you beat up a few hippies or goths? Their crime? Well, I guess the fact that they are hippies and goths. It just doesn't work and left a bad taste in my mouth.

Maybe some of this could be forgiven if the combat was an explosive blast. Sadly, it goes off like a pound shop firework in a rainstorm. This is a game that acts as something of a homage to the beat 'em ups of yesteryear in its gameplay, taking elements from a hodgepodge of classics and welding them together. Attacks are varied, with each fighter having up to eight upgradable specials to go with their standard attacks, grapples, throws and even a spot of ground n' pound. In a neat touch you can even lob your foes through the screen, just like in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. It all sounds fantastic, if only the collision detection weren't completely abysmal.

It would be hilarious if it weren't so frustrating when hot-headed Johnny unleashes a flurry of flaming kicks and punches at an opponent, only for the game to decide not a single one made contact. Why? I can only assume it's something to do with the game believing the two combatants aren't parallel, even though they are close enough to do a Viennese waltz. It's a problem throughout, which is a big deal for a game that is all about hitting people.

This issue is aggravated by the fact that character models aren't solid and combatants can just move through each other with an ease that would even impress Casper. Having your fighter physically inside their enemy and still not being quite able to hit them with your attacks is certainly a sight to behold. There's a combo meter included to encourage making the most out of the combat system, but you can forget about it. Receiving an A grade is down to dumb luck rather than any skill.

On the plus side, the levelling up here is surprisingly deep, with each fighter in your team of four – you can swap between any warrior at will during a level – having an extensive range of specials to unlock and bonus abilities that benefit both themselves and the rest of their team. Experience points can be gathered by the usual means of punching people till they cry but also by completing challenges, such as defeating a certain opponent with a specific technique. If the combat itself weren't so lacklustre, it would provide a compelling reason to keep playing.

Last Commander Standing – Remembering Ubisoft's R.U.S.E.

Ubisoft's R.U.S.E. was real-time strategy game based on World War II, and I remember getting sucked into the game through a few friends, back when it was released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2010. My friends who were hooked continued loving the game so far as to buy it again on Steam when it was ported the following year.

Fast forward to 2020 and believe it or not there are still die-hard R.U.S.E. rebels fighting it out on the beaches. I caught up with players Oliver, Brooks and Tim about why they still play the game.

What draws you to R.U.S.E. and not other RTS war games?

Brooks: There's no other game like it.

Oliver: I feel like this game is quite easy to pick up and yet at the same time complex.

Brooks: Ruse has the fighting but it also has the Ruses which is another side of it. The other games don't have "Ruses" they just have combat.

Oliver: It had something different about it. You're meant to play deception not just rock paper scissors with units.

I'm not usually one for these kinds of games but the element of "Ruses" really made this underrated Ubisoft hit more about deception and fooling the enemy rather than tactical RTS gameplay. Ruses allowed for players to deploy fake units, spy on the enemy, affect unit behaviours and more. As you can imagine, playing a game that relies so heavily on back-stabbing and trickery between friends made for an… interesting time. Needless to say I soon stopped playing the R.U.S.E..

Due to an expired military license, R.U.S.E. was pulled from Steam in later 2015, only five years after its original launch. That said, the game's multiplayer servers are still online.

So, does R.U.S.E. still have a sizeable number of people playing online matches?

Brooks: No, we meet the same people a lot. We know which players are good.

Oliver: You do get new faces but It's quite distinguishable who's new or not because of the levels and most people are level 100, the max level. You'll get very few people who aren't level 100, and if they aren't level 100 there can be discrimination against lower levels.

What's the difference between level 100 and 0? Are there unlockable weapons, abilities, units etc.?

Brooks: No it's just a status thing. You could be level 95 and join a lobby and you'll be kicked.

Can you tell how many people are on at any one time?

Brooks: No, but there are games, you can see how many games are on. You can see how many servers are open.

How many servers do you normally see?

Brooks: I don't think we have ever seen anything more than 7 *laugh* Normally 3 or 4.

Ubisoft officially closed its dedicated servers for both console versions in November 2017 though they remain open on PC. The peak number of players reached within the last 30 days from the beginning of this month was 229, but averaging at 110.3 at any given time.

With R.U.S.E. no longer listed on Steam, buying into this niche multiplayer scene comes at a premium – you'll be looking to pay £50 if you want to purchase access via someone else's Steam account.

Is R.U.S.E. really worth the cost, in 2020?

Oliver: Yes.

How much did you originally pay for it?

Tim: I paid the lowest of £2.50 on Amazon.

Brooks: I paid a fiver and we all originally had it on Xbox.

Oliver: Yeah I was gonna say, we bought it on Xbox and then on the PC because there wasn't a unit capacity, so your Xbox could only handle a certain amount of units in a game whereas your PC could handle more. So we bought it twice.

How long have you played it for?

Oliver: According to my Steam I played it for 589 hours.

Brooks: 368 Hours.

Tim: Mine is 539.

Do you have any funny/interesting stories of your time with the game online?

Brooks: You get little Hitlers sometimes, they're way too serious.

Oliver: Extremely bossy.

Brooks: Typical toxic behaviour, quit the game if they're losing

Oliver: They'll leave even though it's quite rare to get a game

Have you made friends with anyone in the community from the game?

Oliver: I've chatted to some people in Austria through the game. It's quite international.

Brooks: I've met people from Mexico on there.

Oliver: I think the game is for World War II nerds and at that point you get into a weird realm about men who would change their steam names to a general or a historical figure and also have their steam picture changed and you do sometimes see ones that are Nazi related. I've even seen Rommel.

Are most of the people are historic enthusiasts rather than RTS fans would you say?

Oliver: I do wonder if it's people who love history or the glorification of World War II. This game is obviously based on real life historical events but I feel like if you are respecting the history you wouldn't want to replicate Nazis.

Our players finished with some closing comments on the game:

Oliver: There is a community sense in the game. There's been multiple times I've been like "I have to rush downstairs to do something or go to the toilet" and the game allows you to chat with other people on the opposing team and I'll say don't attack me, and people will be very sportsman-like and respectful.

Brooks: There's also a Discord channel for R.U.S.E. and they do other games as well so it crosses over but I see so many of the same people who play online on the Discord server.

The story of how R.U.S.E. was wiped from the Steam store is sadly all too familiar. As previously mentioned, Ubisoft didn't renew their military license which meant they could no longer sell the game as it included real military manufacturers. We've seen Microsoft do the same with past Forza games due to pricey vehicle licenses – if there aren't enough players driving up engagement and spending money, these games are removed from sale. While good for business, it sucks for the niche communities keeping older games like R.U.S.E. alive against all odds.

It's quite fitting for a game called R.U.S.E. to be so in the shadows when it comes to what the game's playerbase. Unsurprisingly, Ubisoft have yet to hint at  a sequel or some kind of return to R.U.S.E. but for some people, it doesn't look like that's needed. Upon further conversation with the game's last clutch of commanders, it was evident they've found ways to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of this ageing RTS and they aren't going to give up on R.U.S.E anytime soon.

It's time for The Legend of Zelda to give us a Female Link

Hyrule Warriors had some interesting points about it when looked at it in comparison to the main series of Legend of Zelda games. It saw another new Link, Zelda, and Ganon, as well as a Hyrule that acted as a nexus for the wider Zelda multiverse thanks to the sorceress Cia pulling fragments from other worlds. With some of their characters dragged along for good measure.

Most importantly, Hyrule Warriors brought forward one of the strongest arguments for the possibility of a female Link appearing in future Zelda games. All beginning with a young girl oversleeping and waking to notice that Hyrule Castle was in trouble. A young girl with a magical gold compass with the ancient symbol of Hyrule engraved into it – Linkle.

Linkle poses an interesting turning point for the series at large, if you think about it. Although she begins as a kind of comic relief character, getting lost and only involved initially because she believes she is the legendary hero reborn. However, if you look at what she achieves in her adventure through a Hyrule strewn with fragments of alternate realities of the world, she is undeniably heroic.

She rescues some known and familiar faces and locations in Hyrule, including the Great Deku Tree, aided by the one creature Link himself could never tame nor defeat – Cuccos. She even steps up to the plate to save Hyrule Castle itself from a monster invasion while the "true" hero and Zelda are swanning off somewhere sealing portals to other worlds or something similarly banal.

Also, if any more evidence was needed for her worth as a hero and defender of Hyrule, Linkle can effortlessly and stylishly wield dual hand crossbows in large scale conflicts. We have irrefutable proof in the form of the 2007 Wii spin-off, Link's Crossbow Training, that even the supposed and glorious "Hero Chosen by the Gods" can only wield one at a time and very poorly at that!

Although, that might be down to my prowess with the game, but I digress.

Hyrule Warriors and its brand new sequel, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, are full of immensely powerful female characters, and every one is more than capable of saving Hyrule alone. Impa in Hyrule Warriors with her water summoning giant blade or Urbossa having mastery over bolts of lightning in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity being merely two examples. So it's galling the "hero" is always male.

This being said, the mythos surrounding the "hero" – whatever iteration they might be – always refer to them as male. In Wind Waker, the hero that defeats Ganon in the opening sequence is referred to as a "young boy clad in green". In Ocarina of Time, the prophecy states that "a Hero is destined to appear…and he alone must face the person who began the Great Cataclysm".

So, the evidence is there to support Link always being a "boy clad in green", or at least is for the most part. However, legend and myth are fickle mistresses and rarely do they reflect the truth of events. After all, there was once a time that we attributed all phenomena to gods that lived on an easily scalable mountain that we didn't think to climb, but that doesn't mean they existed.

It could be proposed the stories that underpin Zelda's mythos, like all stories, have changed over time and are altered even at the point of delivery. Let's just say the opening segment from Wind Waker is a tale being told to Link by his grandmother, she very easily could be tweaking the details to inspire our young chap in lobster pyjamas, just the same as stories of a hero were told to Linkle to inspire her.

Although it is true that the legend of the hero being a young boy forms a tradition on Outset Island, this rendition of the legend may not fully resemble the original tale. After all, if the Link in this tale is the "Hero of Time", a lot of the pretty important details are glossed over for the sake of brevity. If we didn't experience this story for ourselves, the hero could have been anyone.

This is the point. The hero in The Legend of Zelda could be anyone.

The only real prerequisite to being the hero is being chosen by the gods or goddesses, depending on the game. Whether this is by a link (get it?) to the Triforce alike the hero in Link's Adventure or being destined for the Master Sword, you just have to be chosen to be a hero. Everything else is merely additional fluff, like being asked by the king to help or other such nonsense.

But what does this have to do with Linkle? Well, it could even be argued her actions were ordained by the goddesses themselves, because of her compass. In Hyrule Warriors, this object was inherited from her grandmother and had the power to repel evil to some degree. This was seen early on during her adventure, during an encounter with Skull Kid when he attempted to steal the item from her.

Linkle had nothing more than faith she was the hero and her compass, and yet she saved Hyrule from disaster. She deserves to at least return again in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity or, better yet, to be her own hero. Nothing would be lost by the Hero in Green in a main game being Linkle, but what would be gained is the knowledge that heroism isn't in destiny, it's in actions.

Something for the Weekend – 21/11/20

While some are missing out due to various degrees of skullduggery, I'm sure there's an awful lot of you that are now settling in for your first weekend of next-gen current gen gaming. Have you rinsed every droplet of joy from Astro's Playroom yet? Swung through New York City as the other Spider-Man? Are you venturing into the painful world of Demon's Souls? Or perhaps it's one of the many cross-gen and cross-platform releases that has caught your eye?

Whatever you have planned this weekend, I hope you have a great time, but if you're already here, let's get stuck straight into our weekly round up!

In the News This Week

And both Sony and Microsoft have kicked off their digital sales on the PlayStation and Microsoft stores:

Games in Review

We've continued to dive into a wide range of games for review, including passing our final judgements on some of the biggest launch titles for the new generation:

And we had a couple hardware reviews as well:

Featured Articles

While all the new consoles are hogging the spotlight, it's easy to forget that they're not the only vision for the future of gaming. One year ago, almost to the day, Google Stadia launched and so Dom looked back at the Stadia's first year on the market and what its future might hold.

There's also some more games just around the corner for us to preview. Alan went hands on with Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, while Gamoc shared his thoughts on the real time action of Worms Rumble.

Finally, What We Played featured lots of Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 gaming with Demon's Souls, Astro's Playroom & Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Trailer Park

Here's Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One X and Xbox Series X gameplay

Marvel's Avengers Kate Bishop DLC launches in December

IO Interactive announce Project 007 – They're making a James Bond game!

Katamari Damacy Reroll has rolled onto PS4 and Xbox One

Your Achievements

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

  • MrYd's next-gen gaming got underway with the arrival of his… PS4 Camera Adapter! So he's basically just played exactly the same as last week, with the addition of Rock Band 4, because it was on sale.
  • TSBonyman is holding out on the PS5 and is more than happy to keep on playing No Man's Sky, Dreams and Bloodborne.
  • Picking up an EA Play pass for the year, hornet1990 has sunk his teeth into Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
  • Crazy_Del's PS5 arrived yesterday (one day late), so he's been having fun setting that up after a week of Assassin's Creed Valhalla on PS4.
  • Dan Jones dove into his PS+ back catalogue for some "bloody hell it's difficult" Bloodborne.
  • And it felt like Christmas came early for Andrewww when he unwrapped his PS5 and made sure it was working OK by playing… Alien: Isolation. Then Astro Bot, then Bugsnax (which he's not sure will last long on the SSD), and then Demon's Souls. He loves the new controller, but reckons the PS5 UI is a mess.

And with all of that out of the way, I'll let you crack on with your weekends! Have fun gaming!

Epic users can get Elite: Dangerous for free, MudRunner next week

Swing by the Epic Games store over the next two weeks and you'll be able to get your hands on two very different kinds of sim.

From now until November 26th, anyone with an Epic Games Store account can log in to redeem their free copy of space-faring fan favourite, Elite: Dangerous. Trust us when we say this is a game you can get lost in, studio Frontier Developments having recently launched their free Elite: Dangerous Horizons expansion which adds planetary exploration. Epic are also giving away spell-slinging indie, The World Next Door.

Next week we're getting something a little more grounded with MudRunner. This popular truck simulator is a precursor to one of our favourite games of 2020, Snowrunner, tasking players with rescues and deliveries while combating rough terrain.

For the full catalogue of free games Epic have given away in the past, look no further.

Epic Games store free games list

Game Name Dates Available
MudRunner November 26-December 3, 2020
Elite: Dangerous November 19-26, 2020
The World Next Door November 19-26, 2020
The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia November 12-19, 2020
Dungeons 3 November 12-19, 2020
Wargame: Red Dragon November 5-12, 2020
Ghostbusters The Video Game – Remastered October 29-November 5, 2020
Blair Witch October 29-November 5, 2020
Layers of Fear 2 October 22-29, 2020
Costume Quest 2 October 22-29, 2020
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs October 15-22, 2020
Kingdom New Lands October 15-22, 2020
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam October 8-15, 2020
ABZU October 8-15, 2020
Pikuniku October 1-8, 2020
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition September 24-October 1, 2020
Football Manager 2020 September 17-24, 2020
Watch Dogs 2 September 17-24, 2020
Stick It To The Man! September 17-24, 2020
Railway Empire September 10-17, 2020
Where The Water Tastes Like Wine September 10-17, 2020
Into The Breach September 3-10, 2020
Hitman August 27-September 3, 2020
Shadowrun Collection August 27-September 3, 2020
God's Trigger August 20-27, 2020
Enter the Gungeon August 20-27, 2020
The Alto Collection August 13-20, 2020
Remnant: From the Ashes August 13-20, 2020
A Total War Saga: Troy August 13-14, 2020
Wilmot's Warehouse August 6-13, 2020
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP July 30 – August 6, 2020
Barony July 30 – August 6, 2020
20XX July 30 – August 6, 2020
Next Up Hero July 23-30, 2020
Tacoma July 23-30, 2020
Torchlight II July 16-23, 2020
Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition July 9-16, 2020
The Escapists 2 July 9-16, 2020
Killing Floor 2 June 9-16, 2020
Hue July 2-9, 2020
Stranger Things 3 June 25-July 2, 2020
AER Memories of Old June 18-25, 2020
Ark: Survival Evolved June 11-18, 2020
Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection June 11-18, 2020
Overcooked June 4-11, 2020
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection May 28-June 4, 2020
Civilization VI May 21-28, 2020
Grand Theft Auto V May 14-21, 2020
Death Coming May 7-14, 2020
Crashlands April 30-May 7, 2020
Amnesia: The Dark Descent April 30-May 7, 2020
For the King April 23-30, 2020
Just Cause 4 April 16-23, 2020
Wheels of Aurelia April 16-23, 2020
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments April 9-16, 2020
Close to the Sun April 9-16, 2020
Gone Home April 2-9, 2020
Drawful 2 April 2-9, 2020
Hob April 2-9, 2020
Totally Reliable Delivery Service April 1-8, 2020
World War Z March 26-April 2, 2020
Torment x Punisher March 26-April 2, 2020
Figment March 26-April 2, 2020
Watch Dogs March 19-26, 2020
The Stanley Parable March 19-26, 2020
A Short Hike March 12-19, 2020
Mutazione March 12-19, 2020
Anodyne 2 March 12-19, 2020
Gonner March 5-12, 2020
Offworld Trading Company March 5-12, 2020
Inner Space February 27-March 5, 2020
Faeria February 20-27, 2020
Assassin's Creed Syndicate February 20-27, 2020
Aztez February 13-20, 2020
Kingdom Come: Deliverance February 13-20, 2020
Ticket to Ride February 6-13, 2020
Carcassonne February 6-13, 2020
Farming Simulator 19 January 30-February 6, 2020
The Bridge January 23-30, 2020
Horace January 16-23, 2020
Sundered: Eldritch Edition January 9-16, 2020
Darksiders Warmastered Edition January 1-9, 2020
Darksiders 2 Dethinitive Edition January 1-9, 2020
Steep January 1-9, 2020
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair December 31, 2019
Hello Neighbor December 30, 2019
The Talos Principle December 29, 2019
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun December 28, 2019
Hyper Light Drifter December 27, 2019
FTL: Faster Than Light December 26, 2019
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator December 25, 2019
Celeste December 24, 2019
Ape Out December 23, 2019
Little Inferno December 22, 2019
Superhot December 21, 2019
Towerfall Ascension December 20, 2019
Into the Breach December 19, 2019
The Wolf Among Us December 12-19, 2019
The Escapists December 12-19, 2019
Jotun: Valhalla Edition December 6-12, 2019
Rayman Legends November 29-December 6, 2019
Bad North November 21-29, 2019
The Messenger November 14-21, 2019
Ruiner November 7-14, 2019
Nuclear Throne November 7-14, 2019
Costume Quest October 31-November 7, 2019
Soma October 31-November 7, 2019
Layers of Fear October 24-October 31, 2019
Q.U.B.E.2 October 24-October 31, 2019
Alan Wake: American Nightmare October 17-24, 2019
Observer October 17-24, 2019
Surviving Mars October 10-17, 2019
Minit October 3-10, 2019
Metro 2033 Redux September 26-October 3, 2019
Everything September 26-October 3, 2019
Lego Batman Trilogy September 19-26, 2019
Batman: Arkham Collection September 19-26, 2019
Conarium September 12-19, 2019
ABZU September 5-12, 2019
The End is Nigh September 5-12, 2019
Celeste August 29-September 5, 2019
Inside August 29-September 5, 2019
Fez August 22-29, 2019
Hyper Light Drifter August 15-22, 2019
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden August 15-22, 2019
GNOG August 8-15, 2019
For Honor August 2-9, 2019
Alan Wake August 2-9, 2019
This War of Mine July 25-August 2, 2019
Moonlighter July 25-August 2, 2019
Limbo July 18-July 25, 2019
Torchlight July 11-18, 2019
Overcooked July 4-11, 2019
Last Day of June June 27-July 4, 2019
Rebel Galaxy June 20-27, 2019
Enter the Gungeon June 13-20, 2019
Kingdom: New Lands June 6-13, 2019
City of Brass May 30-6, 2019
Rime May 23-30, 2019
Stories Untold May 16-23, 2019
World of Goo May 2-16, 2019
Transistor April 18-May 2, 2019
The Witness April 4-18, 2019
Oxenfree March 21-April 4, 2019
Slime Rancher March 7-21, 2019
Thimbleweed Park February 21-March 7, 2019
Axiom Verge February 7-21, 2019
The Jackbox Party Pack January 24-February 7, 2019
What Remains of Edith Finch January 11-24, 2019
Super Meat Boy
December 28, 2018-January 10, 2019
Subnautica December 12-27, 2018

The Epic Games Store also hosts a growing number of online free-to-play hits including Fortnite, as well as Rocket League, Dauntless, Rogue Company, and more.

Source: Epic Games

The PlayStation 5 download queue bug has a fix, details here

It turns out the recent update to the PlayStation 5 firmware has fixed the download queue bug that struck many owners of the consoles, but you need to do a little more to get it to work. The bug stopped games from downloading and left them in the queue, leaving the payers in limbo.

The fix is simple, if a little time consuming, here's what you need to do.

  1. Make sure you have downloaded the latest system update for the PlayStation 5.
  2. Start you PS5 in Safe Mode. To do this, turn your console off and wait until it has powered down. Now press and hold the power button, you will here a beep as the console starts up but keep the power button pressed down until you hear a second beeo.
  3. Connect a Dualsense controller via USB so you can navigate the menu
  4. Selection option 5, "Rebuild Database"Image
  5. That's it, wait for the PS5 to do it stuff and when it reboots you should be back in action

In other PS5 news,a number of claims have been made online of PlayStation 5 orders placed at Amazon going missing by various means. Consoles have gone missing through deliveries being falsely labelled as successful or packages with incorrect contents, with even one of our regular TSA writers having been affected.

In response to these claims, Amazon issued a statement to VGC saying, "We're all about making our customers happy, and that hasn't happened for a small proportion of these orders. We're really sorry about that and are investigating exactly what's happened. We're reaching out to every customer who's had a problem and made us aware so we can put it right. Anyone who has had an issue with any order can contact our customer services team for help."

PlayStation 5 Guides and more from TheSixthAxis

Source: Twitter

The PS Store Black Friday sale is now on – Save on PS Plus, PS Now, Ghost of Tsushima, TLOU Part II & more

Sony have kicked off their Black Friday sale today and, just as with the Xbox Black Friday event, there's a focus right now on the PlayStation Store and cutting prices on PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now subscriptions, as opposed to slashing the prices of games consoles.

So let's start with those subscriptions. PlayStation Plus (which includes the PlayStation Plus Collection on PS5) and PlayStation Now can both be had for 25% off a 12-month subscription, both dropping down to £37.49. You an also get PS Now's 3-month sub for 20% off at £18.39.

The PS Store, meanwhile, is playing host to a wide range of discounted games from now until 30th November. This includes 2020 PlayStation 4 blockbusters The Last of Us Part II for £31.34 and Ghost of Tsushima for £39.04, or there's Star Wars Squadrons for £21.69, Resident Evil 3 Remake for just £16.49, and so, so much more. There's a few games in there with free PS5 upgrades as well, including Watch Dogs Legion, No Man's Sky, FIFA 21, WRC 9 and Borderlands 3.

We don't have a price list to post, but we do have a list of the games on offer. To see the prices, you can follow these links to your respective PlayStation Store.

And here's everything that's gone on sale today. Let us know if you find any bargains!

  • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
  • A Fisherman's Tale
  • A Plague Tale: Innocence
  • A.O.T. 2
  • A.O.T. 2: Deluxe Edition
  • A.O.T. 2: Final Battle
  • A.O.T. 2: Final Battle – Upgrade Pack
  • ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN
  • ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN Season Pass
  • Amnesia: Rebirth
  • Apex Legends™ – Bloodhound Edition
  • Apex Legends™ – Lifeline Edition
  • Apex Legends™ – Octane Edition
  • Apex Legends™ – Pathfinder Edition
  • Arizona Sunshine
  • Arizona Sunshine – Dead Man DLC
  • Arizona Sunshine – The Damned DLC
  • Arizona Sunshine® – Deluxe Edition
  • Arizona Sunshine® – Deluxe Upgrade
  • ARK: Aberration
  • ARK: Extinction
  • ARK: Genesis Season Pass
  • ARK: Scorched Earth
  • ARK: Survival Evolved
  • ARK: Survival Evolved – Explorer's Edition
  • ARK: Survival Evolved Season Pass
  • Assassin's Creed Origins – Deluxe Edition
  • Assassin's Creed Origins – Gold Edition
  • Assassin's Creed® Odyssey Deluxe Edition
  • Assassin's Creed® Odyssey Ultimate Edition
  • Assetto Corsa Competizione
  • Atelier Ryza: Digital Deluxe Edition
  • Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout
  • Batman: Return to Arkham
  • Battlefield™ V Definitive Edition
  • Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle
  • Black Desert: Conqueror Edition
  • Black Desert: Explorer Edition
  • Black Desert: Traveler Edition
  • Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
  • Borderlands 3 PS4™ &  PS5™
  • Borderlands 3 PS4™ &  PS5™
  • BOXVR
  • Budget Cuts
  • Catherine: Full Body
  • Catherine: Full Body Digital Deluxe Edition
  • Cities: Skylines – Mayor's Edition
  • Cities: Skylines – PlayStation 4 Edition
  • Cities: Skylines – Premium Edition 2
  • Civilization VI – New Frontier Pass
  • CODE VEIN Deluxe Edition
  • Control: Ultimate Edition
  • Cooler of Nuka-Cola Quantum
  • Crash Bandicoot™ 4: It's About Time
  • Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
  • Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled – Nitros Oxide Edition
  • Crysis Remastered
  • Cuphead
  • DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED
  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Dead or Alive 6
  • Dead or Alive 6 – Digital Deluxe Edition
  • Dead or Alive 6 – Season Pass 1
  • Dead or Alive 6 – Season Pass 2
  • Dead or Alive 6 – Season Pass 3
  • Dead or Alive 6 – Season Pass 4
  • Destiny 2: Forsaken
  • Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
  • Destroy All Humans!
  • Devil May Cry 5
  • Devil May Cry HD Collection & 4SE Bundle
  • Disintegration
  • DOOM Eternal Deluxe Edition
  • DOOM Eternal Standard Edition
  • DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ – FighterZ Edition
  • DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ – Ultimate Edition
  • Dragon Ball Xenoverse 1 and 2 Bundle
  • DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT
  • DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT Ultimate Edition
  • Dreams
  • Dying Light
  • F1 2020
  • F1 2020 – Deluxe Schumacher Edition
  • Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
  • Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition
  • Fallout 76
  • Fallout 76: Raiders & Settlers Content Bundle
  • Fallout 76: Raiders Content Bundle
  • Fallout 76: Settlers Content Bundle
  • Far Cry®5
  • Far Cry®5 – Season Pass
  • FIFA 21 Beckham Edition PS4™ & PS5™
  • FIFA 21 Champions Edition PS4™ & PS5™
  • FIFA 21 Ultimate Edition PS4™ & PS5™
  • FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE
  • FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Digital Deluxe Edition
  • FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE DIGITAL DELUXE UPGRADE
  • FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Complete Edition Ex3 (NA/EU/AS)
  • FINAL FANTASY® XIV: SHADOWBRINGERS
  • FINAL FANTASY® XIV: SHADOWBRINGERS – Collector's Edition
  • Ghost of Tsushima
  • Ghost of Tsushima Digital Deluxe Edition
  • Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered
  • Ghostrunner
  • GOD EATER 3
  • God of War
  • GORN
  • Granblue Fantasy: Versus
  • Granblue Fantasy: Versus – Character Pass Set
  • Granblue Fantasy: Versus – Digital Deluxe Edition
  • Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition
  • Greedfall
  • HITMAN – Game of the Year Edition
  • Hitman 2
  • Hitman 2 – Expansion Pass
  • Hitman 2 – Gold Edition
  • Hitman HD Enhanced Collection
  • Hunt: Showdown
  • Hunt: Showdown – The Bayou Edition
  • Judgment
  • JUMP FORCE
  • JUMP FORCE – Characters Pass
  • JUMP FORCE – Ultimate Edition
  • Just Cause 4 – Complete Edition
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance Royal Edition
  • KINGDOM HEARTS All-In-One Package
  • Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix
  • Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
  • KINGDOM HEARTS III
  • Kingdom Hearts III – Re:Mind
  • Kingdom Hearts III – Re:Mind + Concert Video
  • Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
  • Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning – Fate Edition
  • Labyrinth Life
  • Labyrinth Life: Deluxe Edition
  • LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
  • LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
  • LEGO Marvel's Avengers Deluxe Edition
  • LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Deluxe Edition
  • Madden NFL 21 Deluxe Edition PS4™ & PS5™
  • Madden NFL 21 MVP Edition PS4™ & PS5™
  • Madden NFL 21 PS4™
  • Mafia: Definitive Edition
  • Mafia: Trilogy
  • Maneater
  • Maneater PS4 & PS5
  • Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite – Standard Edition
  • Marvel's Avengers
  • Marvel's Avengers: Deluxe Edition
  • Marvel's Avengers: Exclusive Digital Edition
  • Marvel's Iron Man VR
  • Marvel's Iron Man VR Digital Deluxe Edition
  • Marvel's Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition
  • Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection
  • Metro Exodus
  • Minecraft Dungeons Hero Edition
  • MLB The Show 20
  • MLB The Show 20 Digital Deluxe Edition
  • MLB The Show 20: MVP Edition
  • MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS. MAXIBOOST ON
  • Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Digital Deluxe
  • Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition Digital Deluxe
  • Mortal Kombat 11
  • Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath
  • Mortal Shell
  • Motorbike Racing Bundle
  • MX Nitro: Ultimate Edition
  • NBA 2k21
  • Necromunda: Underhive Wars
  • Need for Speed™ Heat Deluxe Edition
  • Need for Speed™ Heat Standard Edition
  • Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit Remastered
  • NHL™ 21
  • NHL™ 21 Deluxe Edition
  • NHL™ 21 Great Eight Edition
  • Ni no Kuni™ II: REVENANT KINGDOM – Deluxe Edition
  • Nioh – The Complete Edition
  • Nioh 2
  • Nioh 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
  • No Man's Sky
  • No Man's Sky PS4 & PS5
  • ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 Deluxe Edition
  • Othercide
  • Overwatch® Legendary Edition
  • Paladins – Champions Pack
  • Paladins – Digital Deluxe Edition 2019 + 2020
  • Paladins Season Pass 2019 + 2020
  • Paper Beast
  • Persona®5 Royal
  • Persona®5 Royal Persona Bundle
  • Persona®5 Royal Ultimate Edition
  • PGA Tour 2k21
  • Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
  • Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville™
  • PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
  • Project CARS 3
  • Project CARS 3 Deluxe Edition
  • Red Dead Redemption 2: Special Edition
  • Remothered: Broken Porcelain
  • Resident Evil 2
  • RESIDENT EVIL 3
  • Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
  • RIDE 4
  • RIDE 4 – Special Edition
  • Risk of Rain 2
  • Rogue Company: Standard Founder's Pack
  • Rogue Company: Starter Founder's Pack
  • Rogue Company: Ultimate Founder's Pack
  • Saints Row: The Third Remastered
  • Sakura Wars
  • Samurai Warriors 4 Empires
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
  • Skater XL
  • Skyrim Special Edition + Fallout 4 G.O.T.Y. Bundle
  • Skyrim Special Edition + Fallout 4 G.O.T.Y. Bundle
  • SnowRunner
  • SnowRunner – Premium Edition
  • SpongeBob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated
  • Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy
  • Star Wars Battlefront II
  • STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order™
  • STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order™ Deluxe Upgrade
  • STAR WARS™ Battlefront™ II: Celebration Edi…
  • STAR WARS™: Squadrons
  • Stellaris: Apocalypse
  • Stellaris: Console Edition
  • Stellaris: Console Edition – Deluxe Edition
  • Stellaris: Console Edition – Expansion Pass Two
  • Stellaris: Console Edition – Leviathans Story Pack
  • Stellaris: Console Edition – Plantoids Species Pack
  • Stellaris: Console Edition – Utopia
  • Stellaris: Distant Stars Story Pack
  • Stellaris: Humanoids Species Pack
  • Stellaris: Synthetic Dawn Story Pack
  • Stranded Deep
  • Street Fighter V – Champion Edition Upgrade Kit
  • Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
  • Streets of Rage 4
  • SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris
  • TALES OF BERSERIA
  • TEKKEN 7 – Ultimate Edition
  • Tennis World Tour 2
  • Tennis World Tour 2 Ace Edition
  • The Catch: Carp & Coarse – Deluxe Edition
  • The Crew 2 – Gold Edition
  • The Crew 2 – Gold Edition
  • The Division 2 – Warlords of New York Edition
  • The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor
  • The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Collector's Ed. Upgrade
  • The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Collector's Edition
  • The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Upgrade
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
  • The Jackbox Party Pack 7
  • The Last of Us Part II
  • The Last of Us Part II Digital Deluxe Edition
  • The Last Of Us™ Remastered
  • The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame
  • The Outer Worlds
  • The Outer Worlds
  • The Sims 4
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint
  • Tom Clancy's The Division 2 Standard Edition
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint: Ultimate Edition
  • Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition
  • Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Ultimate Edition
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
  • Tony Hawk's™ Pro Skater™ 1 + 2
  • Trails of Cold Steel IV: Standard Costume Bundle
  • Train Sim World® 2
  • UFC® 4
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
  • Warface: Breakout – Ultimate Edition
  • WarframeⓇ: Deimos Hive Supporter Pack
  • WarframeⓇ: Deimos Swarm Supporter Pack
  • Wasteland 3
  • Watch Dogs 2 – Gold Edition
  • Watch Dogs: Legion
  • Watch Dogs: Legion Gold Edition
  • Watch Dogs: Legion Ultimate Edition
  • Wolfenstein: Alt History Collection
  • Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood Deluxe Edition
  • World War Z
  • World War Z – Season Pass
  • World War Z: GOTY Edition
  • WRC 9 Deluxe Edition FIA World Rally Championship PS4 & PS5
  • WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship
  • WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship PS4 & PS5
  • Wreckfest: Drive Hard. Die Last.
  • WWE 2k Battlegrounds
  • Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
  • Yakuza Kiwami
  • Yakuza Kiwami 2
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist – Link Evolution

Source: PS Blog

What We Played #476 – Demon's Souls, Astro's Playroom & Assassin's Creed Valhalla

It's finally happened! The PS5 has launched around the UK, meaning that various members of the TSA team have wrestled Sony's gaming behemoth to fit it into TV cabinets that were designed for a DVD player and a Sky box. Miraculously, mine actually fit my cabinet, meaning that it's only the chunky Xbox Series X that gets to stay on display/run the risk of being used by a small child as part of a futuristic Lego city.

With two new consoles to play, I've been filling my eyes with new-gen loveliness then, and it's been Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Dirt 5, Astro's Playroom and Godfall for me so far. Godfall is perhaps the weakest entry of the lot, but mostly because it's so shiny that it actually hurts my eyes. I can't wait to spend more time with everything this weekend.

Aran has also continued his journey into the new generation. "So far I've mainly been playing Gears Tactics, which is a fun tactical title even if some of my plans are ruined by poor accuracy. Started AC Valhalla where I promptly ignored finishing the first mission to go explore instead, and I have also been playing Astro's Playroom which may just be one of the most joyful games I have played in years."

Jim meanwhile has been dipping his toes in Dirt 5 and CODBLOPSCW (what a wonderful acronym) but most of his time this week has been spent with Demon's Souls, telling us "It's really drawn me in despite being tough as nails and me being one of the heathens who would have liked an easy mode bolted on. I can't fault Bluepoint for the direction they've taking though. It's just a brutal and beguiling now than it was ten years ago."

Meanwhile, Steve is nearly done with his Hard playthrough of FFVII Remake, "I'm just bashing my head against the secret boss before finishing the last two chapters". He's also played some PC titles for review, picked up MH Generations for Switch on sale and tried to ignore everyone else on here tempting him with their new console experiences. "I'm looking to get back to Demon's Souls on PC – although the slightly souped up emulation doesn't look as impressive as it did before Bluepoint got involved."

Gareth has been playing Shadow Fight Arena and Chicken Police for review, with a bit of Shadow of War thrown  in. Reuben on the other hand dropped into the "fantastic" Astro's Playroom and "really enjoyed all its little quirks and nostalgic references", before playing the PS4 version of Devil May Cry 5 on PS5. Over the last week he's mostly been playing NieR on PS3 "to fill a blatant gap in my gaming history" and the excellent Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on Switch.

Tuffcub has played Destiny 2, but wait! He's also played "Spider-Man: Miles Morales which is very snazzy, Astro's Playroom which is just bloody fantastic, and AC: Valhalla which has turned out to be the first AC since Black Flag that I really like, and its got nothing to do with all the big burly bearded men. Well, maybe a little bit. There's a lot more weight to combat, it feels nicely crunchy rather than the skippy floofy combat in the more recent games. I'm also appreciating you can climb anywhere, all those mountains that other games would go "Nope, not going up there" are available to summit. Also: Thank heavens for next gen – no bloody loading screens as soon as you want to talk to someone! Yass!"

Nic B, like many others it seems, has had his PS5 mysteriously disappear when an Amazon driver was supposed to safely deliver it to his hands. Given the context of this year, that is utterly rubbish, and we hope that some solution is found exceptionally fast. Thomas Harrison-Lord was lucky enough to receive his PS5 and has played through Astro's Playroom and found it to be the perfect antidote to 2020, saying "I almost felt emotional at times, such is the love that's gone into even the smallest of details."

And finally, Tef has been bouncing around a bunch of games, from WRC 9 and Dirt 5 last weekend, to trying his hand at Gears 5 and Halo: TMCC multiplayer and their new 120Hz modes – he's been thoroughly punished for his foolhardiness, with so many more experienced players out there. He's also started his own personal journey into AC Valhalla (instead of briefly piggybacking on other people's saves), and played Tetris Effect Connected to wind down in the evenings, quite enjoying its collaborative multiplayer modes.

Now then, what have you played? Have you been getting on the new-gen train?

Amazon promise to "put it right" after reports of missing PS5 deliveries and other skullduggery

A number of claims have been made online of PlayStation 5 orders placed at Amazon going missing by various means. Consoles have gone missing through deliveries being falsely labelled as successful or packages with incorrect contents, with even one of our regular TSA writers having been affected.

In response to these claims, Amazon issued a statement to VGC saying, "We're all about making our customers happy, and that hasn't happened for a small proportion of these orders. We're really sorry about that and are investigating exactly what's happened. We're reaching out to every customer who's had a problem and made us aware so we can put it right. Anyone who has had an issue with any order can contact our customer services team for help."

While most of our deliveries have been successful for TSA's writers, one did vanish into thin air. Nic B's order was simply labelled as "handed to resident" in Amazon's system, but this simply did not happen. Amazon's customer services team said it could be a mis-scan and that it would arrive by Saturday. We'll see…

Elsewhere, freelance journalist Bex April May videoed her box opening to find a… well, see for yourself.

We've also had reports of PS5s replaced by a 5kg bag of bulgar wheat, cat food, Nerf guns and more.

The problem is a serious one though. Even if the vast majority of PlayStation 5 orders placed through Amazon have been successfully and correctly delivered, the allegations would suggest issues running through Amazon's supply chain, both within their warehouses where items are picked and with their network of delivery drivers. While Amazon as a company probably won't gain much sympathy here, and their promises to put things right will mean replacing the PS5s or refunding the orders at their own expense, this still amounts to theft and fraud by their employees.

The PlayStation 5 is worth £449, but that's just the MSRP. The PS5 is one of a number of gaming-oriented bits of tech that has been targeted by botnets and scalpers over the last few months, alongside the Xbox Series X, Nvidia's Geforce 3000 series GPUs, and AMD's Ryzen 5000 CPUs and Radeon 6000 series GPUs. With many of these in short supply or out of stock, scalpers are flogging them on various sites for quite a mark up.

A mass of PS5 consoles have appeared on eBay overnight with some chancers asking in excess of £10,000 with prices averaging at around £700 for the PS5 Digital Edition and £750-800 for the PS5 Disc Edition. With many of these consoles being available for cash in hand via local collection, scalpers also appear to flouting the UK's lockdown laws for some fast cash. Not cool.

via VGC

Demon's Souls Review

Demon's Souls is one of the most brutal, beguiling games to have ever been made. This precursor to the Dark Souls series gained popularity on PS3 through word of mouth, quickly amassing a fervent fanbase around the globe as action RPG nuts obsessed over the game's uniqueness. So much of this game was shrouded in fog – a sword that cuts both ways and one that will continue to ward off potential players many years later. You'll see the words "You Died" so many times when playing Demon's Souls, they'll likely burn into your retinas.

Now a dramatically overhauled PlayStation 5 launch title, FromSoftware's landmark title is just as devious in 2020 as it was a decade ago. This action RPG has you trawling maze-like levels, each one filled with demented foes and tricksy traps, all conspiring to consume your precious slither of a health bar. Death is not the end, however. Your warrior can rise again but with fewer hit points, having also lost their stash of souls. By returning to where you previously fell, you can retrieve them, but dying again will mean forfeiting them forever.

Demon's Souls is all about risk and reward. Trial and error. It's a game of perseverance where you'll eventually master its ballet of swordplay and spellcasting only to fall down a chasm because you weren't looking where you were going. Even if you manage to survive one of the game's many gauntlets intact, each one is then bookended by a beastly boss battle. For the most part, the odds are stacked heavily against you. Coming into Demon's Souls as a casual fan of the genre will catapult you into a Sisyphean scenario that can only go one of two ways: you'll either want to immerse yourself up to the eyeballs for dozens of hours, or flog your copy of the game immediately.

Instead of crafting linear stories, the Souls series has always favoured lore and world-building instead. All you need to know is that you are the slayer of demons, harvesting their souls to save the kingdom from ruin. Along the way you'll encounter a bizarre troupe of characters who, despite having very few lines of dialogue, form a memorable cast of misfits.

Everything about the 2010 original has been preserved and polished here in Bluepoint's remake. In the same year that Demon's Souls originally launched, Bluepoint wowed PlayStation fans with remasters of the first two God of War games for PS3. From there Bluepoint would go on to do the same for Metal Gear Solid, Uncharted, and more, but they shifted gears in the latter half of the decade, first with the full-on remake with Shadow of the Colossus in 2018 and now this.

With Demon's Souls, they've been incredibly faithful though it's clear that the team have had more freedom and room to experiment. In our initial impressions of the PS5 exclusive we noted the change in art direction, Bluepoint having completely redesigned the look of character models and environments and it means that some of that carefully crafted bleakness has been lost. The game is far more detailed and still triumphs in depicting a dark fantasy world dripping with misery, though purists will have a bone to pick for sure.

However, what's most important is gameplay, that central spine which has been painstakingly recreated to perfection. Demon's Souls plays on PS5 exactly as it did all those years ago. From level layouts and boss encounters down to the basic feel of movement and swordplay, diving back into Demon's Souls is like slipping into an old pair of slippers. Ones that are no doubt threadbare by now, stained with the tears from past playthroughs.

The game's online features have also been revived with players able to help or hinder one another. Touching bloodstains left throughout the world lets you see where others have fallen, potentially avoiding the same fate. You can also read notes left by others, which can be simple messages of encouragement or more accurate tips and advice – there's the occasional fib for good measure. As a Black Phantom you can hunt down other adventurers by invading their online session, or offer them your services as a ghostly companion.

On PS5, there are some extra flourishes to celebrate the launch of Sony's newest console. Demon's Souls makes subtle use of the DualSense controller, emitting nuanced audio as you play and using the haptic feedback to immerse players further. You will notice a difference when striking different materials such as stone, wood, or metal, the DualSense speaker honing in on certain sound effects such as the mechanical winding of an elevator.

Although the temptation was clearly there, Bluepoint Games never divulge the inner workings of Demon's Souls. There are significant systems and mechanics at play (such as the mysterious "World Tendency") that are never explained. In an age where most games insist on holding your hand every step of the journey, those first few hours spent with Demon's Souls can be hugely jarring and will have you running Google searches back to back.

Love it or hate it, that's the magic of Demon's Souls. You only need to look at the mass of fan-made wikis and ancient message board posts to see how the community formed around this game, crowdsourcing answers to many of its secrets. Today, a new generation of fans will brave the fog to keep these beacons alight.

New Among Us map to be revealed at The Game Awards

A new map of murderous shenanigans is coming to to cult hit Among Us is on the way, with developer Innersloth teasing a shot of what looks like a space ship command bridge and promising a full reveal at The Game Awards on 10th December.

Take a look:

The new map was previously discussed in an updated roadmap for the game:

New Map. We're hard at work on a new map (It's Henry Stickmin themed!). This map is currently looking bigger than Polus! The map will contain plenty of new tasks and will be available for free to all players!

Among Us has been one of the indie hits of the summer, despite actually having released all the way back in 2018. The game was discovered by Twitch streamers, with its paranoia-infused multiplayer making for a lot of fun and plenty of cross-channel collaborations. It helps that the game's really cheap at just £4.

The game is built for 4-10 players, with one or more players being an "imposter", and alien interloper who has to try and murder their way through the other players as they try to complete tasks. As murdered bodies are discovered, players report them and call a group meeting to bicker, accuse, and potentially kick someone out of an airlock. There's tons of options to customise lobbies and tweak settings to balance the game for your group,

In response to the sudden boom in popularity in August, Innersloth set back to work on their now very popular game. It had achieved moderate popularity originally, allowing them to start working on a sequel, but they decided to instead cancel the sequel and put more resources into supporting their now huge audience.

So, if you're a keen imposter or a mildly fearful human just wanting to complete their tasks, make sure to keep an eye out on what's next for the game at The Game Awards in December.

Source: Twitter

With PS5 UK stock sold out, scalpers look to make a profit

It should come as no surprise that, just hours after the PS5 became available in the United Kingdom, scalpers have been flogging their consoles only for a quick bit of money.

With the PS5 completely sold out in most shops and online outlets, buyers have been left searching the internet in hopes of getting one of Sony's new consoles. Throughout launch day we were keeping track of available PS5 stock in the UK with retailers selling out almost instantly including Amazon.

Having managed to successfully secure their pre-orders, scalpers have been quick to respond to the PS5 shortage, taking to online marketplaces such as eBay, Gumtree, Depop, and Facebook to peddle their PlayStation at a premium price.

For those unaware, "scalping" is when people get hold of rare items (usually via pre-order) then sell them at launch for profit, hoping that there will be a shortage. We've seen this happen countless times in the world of gaming when it comes to consoles, and video game special editions.

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A mass of PS5 consoles have appeared on eBay overnight with some chancers asking in excess of £10,000 with prices averaging at around £700 for the PS5 Digital Edition and £750-800 for the PS5 Disc Edition. With many of these consoles being available for cash in hand via local collection, many scalpers also appear to flouting the UK's lockdown laws for some fast cash.

On top of having to pay more for a PS5 console, desperate gamers will also need to be aware of the pitfalls when buying from private sellers online. We'd strongly recommend waiting for a restock.

Keep an eye on Stock Informer which tracks retailers that have consoles. Good luck!

PlayStation 5 Guides and more from TheSixthAxis

Xbox exclusive shooter CrossfireX has been delayed to 2021

CrossfireX is the latest to announce that it's being pushed back from a somewhat optimistic and constantly narrowing 2020 release window to sometime in 2021.

As is usual for game delay announcements, it's been done via a text image posted on Twitter.

They write:

After much deliberation, and in consideration of the challenges faced by the Smilegate development team due to COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to delay the release of CrossfireX to 2021.

Moving our release will allow us to deliver the Crossfire experience on console our team set out to create. We'll have more to share in the future.

CrossfireX is the console oriented follow up to the hugely popular PC original, which has managed to amass a staggering 650 million players. It features two warring PMC factions, the Global Risk and Black List, and it's their globetrotting escapades that a single player campaign created by Remedy Entertainment will tell. That, however, is an additional project alongside the main multiplayer that is in development at Smilegate in Korea. In fact, the single player will be part of a "premium battle pass" at its launch.

The first gameplay teaser for CrossfireX came at XO19 last year, following on from the E3 2019 announcement. At the time it was only confirmed for Xbox One, but with mention of "Xbox consoles" plural, it teased that the game would be coming natively to Xbox Series X (which was still codenamed Project Scarlett at the time).

CrossfireX is coming as a timed exclusive to Xbox One and Xbox Series X – a "console launch exclusive" as revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase. The multiplayer will be free-to-play, with Remedy's single player story campaign sold separately.

We got a behind the scenes look at a mission from the CrossfireX single player campaign and the work that Remedy have done with their first first person shooter, twisting their Northlight engine to a new use. You can read some of our thoughts and impressions, alongside input from the game's creators in our CrossfireX campaign preview.

Source: Twitter

Far Cry 6 will be out in May, according to the Microsoft Store

It's not the first time, and it won't be the last that a store page online lets slip the planned release date of a game. This time around it's the delayed Far Cry 6, with the Microsoft Store page claiming that the game will now be releasing on 26th May 2021.

Far Cry 6 will be out for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia and Amazon Luna. As with Ubisoft's other upcoming games, you will get free cross-generation ownership from Xbox One to Xbox Series X via Smart Delivery and from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5.

The game was officially announced back in July's Ubisoft Forward event, initially with a release date set for February 2021. However, Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Quarantine were both delayed from this financial year in October, with Ubisoft citing the difficulties of working through the pandemic as the reasoning.

The game will feature Giancarlo Esposito, who's best known for his role in Breaking Bad, as the main villain. He's the dictatorial El Presidente of the war-torn tropical paradise of Yara. Esposito's character, Anton Castillo, rules this land with an iron fist, attempting to restore it to its former glory as a guerrilla revolution rages in the modern day. He hopes that his son, Diego, will follow in his footsteps.

You obviously don't play as either of these characters, but rather as Dani Rojas, a Yaran who's rising up against the oppressive regime. The game also takes part in a city for the first time, with Esperanza providing an urban setting for the war to take in as you fight for territory and to depose Anton from his seat of power.

There's plenty of weapons, vehicles and animal companions promised, but by far the best of them all is going to be Chorizo, a vicious little sausage dog!

Source: Microsoft Store via VGC

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back Review

In October 1987 a teenage Tuffcub rushed to WHSmith's, cash in hand, to buy the latest game for the ZX Spectrum, a conversion of the Taito arcade smash Bubble Bobble. Over hundreds of hours in the following months my next door neighbour and I played the game constantly, uncovering the many secrets and slowly getting closer to level 100, the end of the game. Bubble Bobble was, and remains to this day, incredibly addictive with fast paced gameplay as you race to complete the level before the Baron Von Blubba, or "The Grok" as we called him, appeared on the screen and mercilessly hunted down Bub and Bob.

Suffice to say I love Bubble Bobble. I have the arcade port on my PS3 and PS4 and a cuddly Bub on a shelf above my consoles, so I was very excited to get my hands on Bubble Bobble 4 Friends. The Baron is back and the good news it has all the classic elements of Bubble Bobble. The bad news is that things have also been changed.

The gameplay remains very similar; you play as Bub, Bob, or one of two new characters and jump around platforms, capturing enemies by blowing bubbles at enemies. Once encased in the bubble, the enemies and any other bubbles you blow float around screen following wind patterns. You can then burst the bubbles to kill the enemies, but the idea is the pop more than one at a time to create a chain and get a higher score.

New for Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is the ability to crouch, which lets you slip between small gaps, and auto jumping on bubbles. In other words, when you jump on a bubble it won't pop, you bounce merrily on top of it and you have to push down to pop the bubbles. This changes a key element from the original, making the game much easier. The power ups are roughly the same, but instead of appearing in the level as you play, you get them be completing a set of ten levels and then equip one at time. You also get a very limited supply of each power up to use and can only gain extra use by killing enemies, meaning that I barely used them.

The game is more like a traditional platformer rather than an arcade title, as levels require you to follow a set path to reach all the enemies. However, the level design is also very confusing. You can now only jump through certain platforms, and the game introduces spikes later on which will, of course, pop bubbles. Fooled you! Bubbles actually happily float straight through spikes, and they only kill cute green dinosaurs and their friends. Enemy patterns are also pretty basic, as many of the bad guys just stay completely still and wait for you to bubble them.

There's more to annoying Bubble Bobble fans: The classic music is only played on the first few levels not during the entire game, and despite the full title of the game being Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back, Baron Von Blubba is nowhere to be seen. As I write this review, I have had the game running for 50 minutes and left Bub standing still, but the Baron has yet to make an appearance and chase me off screen.

Complete a set of ten levels and you get a boss battle, a nod to Bubble Symphony, the arcade sequel. For most of these, it's just a case of avoiding the boss, waiting until they are worn out and then attacking them with enough bubbles until you pop them. The game as a whole is very easy and you can swish the fifty levels in just over an hour. The one exception is the boss fight at the end of level four, which is much, much harder than any other level in the game for some reason and fires over a dozen fast moving enemies across the screen along with the boss itself.

One you've complete the fifty levels you can unlock a hard mode with remixed version of the levels, but while they are more challenging, they're still not really that difficult. If you fail a level three times you also get the option to play and complete the level in invincible mode so the enemies can't hurt you. You also unlock a mini arcade cabinet on which you can play the original 1986 arcade game, and that will take you much, much longer to finish than 4 Friends.

As the name suggests, you can play the game with up to four chums in couch co-op, and as with most games adding friends does make it a lot more fun. The game suddenly becomes more frantic and feels more like the original, and if you're feeling particularly mean you can mess up another player's plans with a well timed bubble.

The Xbox Black Friday sale is now on

Microsoft have got their Black Friday sale and offers going, both with digital discounts online and some smaller discounts promised for physical goods as well.

If you were even vaguely hoping to see Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on sale, then you're kidding yourself – good luck finding stock in the first place! Instead, Microsoft are cutting £20 from the ERP of the Xbox One S from 22nd November through to the end of the year, making it a rather disappointing £229.99. A bit better is that they're cutting £10 off the Xbox One controller price and £8 from the Xbox Series X|S controller, so you can get an extra pad for a bit cheaper.

The real savings are to be had digitally. In the US you can get 40% off when buying three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – it'll be $27 instead of $45 – and in the UK if you snag a three-month Xbox Game Pass for PC subscription for £23.99/€29.99, you'll get a Sea of Thieves "Parrot Starter Bundle" for free. Ultimate perks currently include a 30-day trial for Disney+, by the way.

Then there's just the massive Black Friday sale on the Xbox store. Running from now until 3rd December, there's over 750 Xbox One games and DLC expansions on sale and, if you aren't just playing through Game Pass, that includes Forza Horizon 4 for 50% off at £27.49, Gears 5 with 75% off at just £8.74, PUBG down to just £3.74, Ori and the Will of the Wisps for £12.49, and much more.

Here is the full list of games and their percentage discounts.

Content Title Content Type Discount
#KILLALLZOMBIES Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
1000 Neverwinter Zen Add-On 30%
101 Ways To Die Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
11000 Neverwinter Zen Add-On 30%
23000 Neverwinter Zen Add-On 30%
8-Bit RTS Series – Complete Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 90%
8Floor Strategic Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
A Way Out Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
ABZU Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Xbox Game Pass 67%
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Adam's Venture: Origins Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 90%
Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Age Of Wonders: Planetfall – Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Age Of Wonders: Planetfall – Premium Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Alice: Madness Returns Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
American Ninja Warrior: Challenge Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
America's Greatest Game Shows: Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy! Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 65%
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Anthem Xbox One X Enhanced 85%
Anthem: Legion of Dawn Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 85%
Apex Legends – Bloodhound Edition Add-On 35%
Apex Legends – Lifeline And Bloodhound Double Pack Add-On 35%
Apex Legends – Lifeline Edition Add-On 35%
Apex Legends – Octane Edition Add-On 35%
Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Arise: A simple story Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
ARK: Survival Evolved Xbox Game Pass 80%
ARK: Survival Evolved Explorer's Edition Smart Delivery 75%
Arkane Anniversary Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Army of Two Xbox One Backward Compatible 67%
Ash of Gods: Redemption Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Assassin's Creed Bundle: Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Assassin's Creed Origins Smart Delivery 50%
Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Assassin's Creed Odyssey Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Assassin's Creed Odyssey – Gold Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 65%
Assassin's Creed Odyssey – Season Pass Add-On 50%
Assassin's Creed Origins Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Assassin's Creed Origins – Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Assassin's Creed Origins – Season Pass Add-On 60%
Assassin's Creed Syndicate Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Assassin's Creed The Ezio Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla + Watch Dogs: Legion Bundle Smart Delivery 17%
Assetto Corsa Competizione Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Assetto Corsa Competizione Intercontinental GT Pack DLC Add-On 20%
Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Atlas (Game Preview) Xbox Game Preview 50%
Attack on Titan 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Attack on Titan 2 Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle Xbox One X Enhanced 30%
Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle Upgrade Pack Add-On 30%
Baja: Edge of Control HD Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Batman: Arkham Knight Xbox Game Pass 60%
Batman: Arkham Knight Season Pass Add-On 60%
Batman: Return To Arkham Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Battle Chasers: Nightwar Xbox Game Pass 70%
Battle Worlds: Kronos Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Battlefield 1 Xbox One X Enhanced 55%
Battlefield 1 Premium Pass Add-On 80%
Battlefield 1 Revolution Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Battlefield 1943 Xbox One Backward Compatible 50%
Battlefield 3 Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Battlefield 4 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 55%
Battlefield 4 Premium Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Battlefield Hardline Ultimate Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Battlefield V Definitive Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Battlefield V Standard Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Battlefield: Bad Company Xbox One Backward Compatible 67%
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
BATTLESHIP Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Battletoads Xbox Game Pass 50%
Bayonetta Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Ben 10: Power Trip Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Beyond Good & Evil HD Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
Big Buck Hunter Arcade Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
BioShock: The Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Black Desert – 1,000 Pearls Add-On 20%
Black Desert – 10,000 Pearls Add-On 20%
Black Desert: Conqueror Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Black Desert: Traveler Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Blasphemous Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Bleeding Edge Xbox Game Pass 50%
Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night Xbox Game Pass 60%
Boggle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Book of Demons Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Borderlands 3 Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 40%
Borderlands Legendary Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Brawlhalla – All Legends Pack Add-On 25%
Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway Xbox One Backward Compatible 40%
Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 85%
Bundle: South Park: The Stick of Truth + The Fractured But Whole Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 65%
Burnout Paradise Remastered Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Call Of The Sea Pre-Order Discount 10%
Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Carnival Games Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Castlevania Anniversary Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Child of Light Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Citadel: Forged With Fire Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Civilization VI Expansion Bundle Add-On 40%
Civilization VI – New Frontier Pass Add-On 20%
Code Vein Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Code Vein Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Xbox One Backward Compatible 67%
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 Xbox One Backward Compatible 67%
Contra Anniversary Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Contra: Rogue Corps Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Control Ultimate Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Cooking Simulator Xbox One X Enhanced 30%
Crackdown 3 Xbox Game Pass 50%
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 35%
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Xbox One X Enhanced 65%
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled – Nitros Oxide Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 65%
Crashbots Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Crayola Scoot Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Crimsonland Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 60%
Crysis Remastered Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 35%
Cuphead Xbox Play Anywhere 25%
Curious Expedition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 25%
Cyber Complex Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Dark Souls II: Scholar Of The First Sin Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Dark Souls III Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Dark Souls III – Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Dark Souls: Remastered Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Darkestville Castle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Darksiders III – Blades & Whip Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
DCL-The Game Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
de Blob 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Dead Island Definitive Edition Xbox Game Pass 75%
Dead Or Alive 6 Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Dead Or Alive 6 Digital Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Dead Or Alive 6 Season Pass 1 Add-On 30%
DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Season Pass 2 Add-On 30%
Dead or Alive 6 – Season Pass 3 Add-On 20%
Dead or Alive 6 – Season Pass 4 Add-On 20%
Dead Space Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Dead Space 2 Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Dead Space 3 Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Deployment Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Desperados III Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 30%
Destiny 2: Forsaken Add-On 50%
Destiny 2: Legendary Edition Add-On 15%
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep Xbox Game Pass 50%
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Digital Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Devil May Cry 5 Not Sold Separately 20%
Diablo III: Eternal Collection Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
DiRT Rally 2.0 Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
DiRT Rally 2.0 – Game of the Year Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Dishonored 2 Xbox Game Pass 70%
Dishonored The Complete Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Dishonored: Death Of The Outsider Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Dishonored: Death Of The Outsider Deluxe Bundle Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Dishonored: Definitive Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Disintegration Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Disneyland Adventures Xbox Game Pass 60%
DOOM Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
DOOM (1993) Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
DOOM + Wolfenstein II Bundle Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
DOOM 3 Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
DOOM 64 Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
DOOM Eternal Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
DOOM Eternal Standard Edition Xbox Game Pass 67%
DOOM II (Classic) Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
DOOM Slayers Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Dragon Age 2 Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Dragon Age: Inquisition DLC Bundle Add-On 75%
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Game of the Year Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Dragon Age: Origins Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Dragon Ball FighterZ Xbox One X Enhanced 85%
Dragon Ball FighterZ – FighterZ Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 85%
Dragon Ball FighterZ – Ultimate Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 85%
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 85%
Dragon Ball Xenoverse Super Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Ultimate Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Dread Nautical Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
DreamWorks Dragons Dawn Of New Riders Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Dungeons 3 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 Complete Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 Special Scenario Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 Special Weapon Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Dynasty Warriors 9 – All Season Passes Set Add-On 30%
Dynasty Warriors 9 – Season Pass Add-On 50%
Dynasty Warriors 9 – Season Pass 2 Add-On 40%
Dynasty Warriors 9 – Season Pass 3 Add-On 30%
eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE ARSENAL EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE FC BARCELONA EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE JUVENTUS EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE MANCHESTER UNITED EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE STANDARD EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
Elex Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Elite Dangerous: Standard Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
F1 2020 Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
F1 2020 Deluxe Schumacher Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Fallout 3 Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
Fallout 3: Broken Steel Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Fallout 3: Point Lookout Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Fallout 3: The Pitt Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Fallout 4 Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Fallout 4: Automatron Add-On 60%
Fallout 4: Contraptions Workshop Add-On 60%
Fallout 4: Far Harbor Add-On 60%
Fallout 4: Game Of The Year Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Fallout 4: Nuka-World Add-On 60%
Fallout 4: Season Pass Add-On 60%
Fallout 4: Vault-Tec Workshop Add-On 60%
Fallout 4: Wasteland Workshop Add-On 60%
Fallout 76 Xbox Game Pass 67%
Fallout 76: Raiders & Settlers Content Bundle Add-On 50%
Fallout 76: Raiders Content Bundle Add-On 50%
Fallout 76: Settlers Content Bundle Add-On 50%
Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
Fallout New Vegas: Honest Hearts Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
Fallout New Vegas: Lonesome Road Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
Fallout: New Vegas (Back Compat) Xbox Game Pass 70%
Family Feud Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Far Cry 4 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Far Cry 5 Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Far Cry 5 Season Pass Add-On 50%
Far Cry New Dawn Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Far Cry Primal Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
FAST & FURIOUS CROSSROADS Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
FAST & FURIOUS CROSSROADS: Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Fenix Furia Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
FIFA 21 Champions Edition Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S Optimized For Xbox Series X | S 55%
FIFA 21 Standard Edition Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S Optimized For Xbox Series X | S 40%
FIFA 21 Ultimate Edition Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S Optimized For Xbox Series X | S 50%
FIFA The Journey Trilogy Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
FIGHT NIGHT CHAMPION Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour + Quad Lake Pass Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour – Collector's Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
For Honor – Complete Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
For Honor – Standard Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Forza Horizon 4 Car Pass Add-On 60%
Forza Horizon 4 Fortune Island Add-On 60%
Forza Horizon 4 LEGO Speed Champions Add-On 60%
Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition Xbox Game Pass 50%
Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Add-Ons Bundle Add-On 60%
Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition Xbox Play Anywhere 55%
Forza Motorsport 7 Standard Edition Xbox Game Pass 50%
Forza Motorsport 7 Ultimate Edition Xbox Play Anywhere 65%
Gang Beasts Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Gears 5 Xbox Game Pass 75%
Gears of War 4 Xbox Game Pass 50%
Gears of War Ultimate Edition Deluxe Version Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Generation Zero Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Generation Zero – Resistance Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Genesis Alpha One Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Gigantosaurus The Game Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Ginger: Beyond the crystal Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Gleaner Heights Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 35%
Goosebumps: The Game Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Grand Theft Auto V – Megalodon Shark Cash Card Add-On 15%
Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
GRID Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
GRID Ultimate Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Halo 5: Guardians Xbox Game Pass 50%
Halo Wars 2: Complete Edition Xbox Play Anywhere 60%
Halo Wars 2: Standard Edition Xbox Game Pass 60%
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition Xbox Game Pass 60%
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Xbox Game Pass 35%
Hasbro Family Fun Pack – Super Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Xbox Game Pass 50%
Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Hitman 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Hitman 2 – Expansion Pass Add-On 75%
Hotel Transylvania 3: Monsters Overboard Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Hotshot Racing Xbox Game Pass 33%
How To Survive 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Human Fall Flat Xbox Game Pass 60%
Human Fall Flat Xbox Game Pass 60%
Hungry Shark World Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Hunt: Showdown Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Hunt: Showdown – Master Hunter Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Hunt: Showdown – The Bayou Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Hunting Simulator 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Hunting Simulator 2 – Bear Hunter Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
I AM ALIVE Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
Ice Age Scrat's Nutty Adventure Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Illusion of L'Phalcia Xbox Play Anywhere 40%
Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 25%
Indivisible Xbox Game Pass 40%
Initial2: New Stage Xbox One X Enhanced 45%
Injustice 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Injustice 2 – Ultimate Pack Add-On 65%
Jeopardy! Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Journey to the Savage Planet Xbox Game Pass 50%
Jumanji: The Video Game Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Jump Force Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Jump Force – Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Jump Force – Ultimate Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Jurassic World Evolution Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Jurassic World Evolution – Deluxe Bundle Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Jurassic World Evolution: Deluxe Content Add-On 65%
Just Cause 3 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Just Cause 3: XXL Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Just Cause 4 – Complete Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Just Cause 4 – Expansion Pass Add-On 67%
Just Cause 4 – Gold Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Just Cause 4 – Reloaded Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Just Dance 2021 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 30%
Kerbal Space Program Enhanced Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition Xbox Game Pass 75%
Kingdom Come: Deliverance Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Kingdom Come: Deliverance – DLC Collection Add-On 60%
Kingdom Come: Deliverance – Royal Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Xbox Game Pass 67%
Kingdom Hearts III Xbox Game Pass 70%
KINGDOM HEARTS – HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX – Xbox Game Pass 60%
KINGDOM HEARTS Ⅲ Re Mind Add-On 25%
KINGDOM HEARTS Ⅲ Re Mind + CONCERT VIDEO Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 25%
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning FATE Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 35%
L.A. Noire Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Lara Croft And The Temple Of Osiris Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris & Season Pass Pack Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
LEGO DC Super-Villains Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
LEGO DC Super-Villains Season Pass Add-On 70%
LEGO Jurassic World Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Season Pass Add-On 60%
LEGO Marvel's Avengers Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
LEGO Marvel's Avengers Season Pass Add-On 60%
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Season Pass Add-On 60%
LEGO The Incredibles Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Life Is Strange 2 – Complete Season Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Life is Strange 2 – Episode 2 Add-On 50%
Life is Strange 2 – Episode 3 Add-On 50%
Life is Strange 2 – Episode 4 Add-On 50%
Life is Strange 2 – Episode 5 Add-On 50%
Life is Strange Complete Season (Episodes 1-5) Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Complete Season Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Light Fairytale Episode 1 Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Little Big Workshop Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Little Nightmares Complete Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Livelock Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Lords Of The Fallen Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Lost Artifacts: Golden Island Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Madden NFL 21 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Madden NFL 21 Deluxe Edition Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 45%
Madden NFL 21 MVP Edition Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Mafia: Definitive Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 25%
Mafia: Trilogy Xbox One X Enhanced 17%
Maneater Xbox One X Enhanced 35%
Mars: War Logs Xbox One Backward Compatible 80%
Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite Xbox Game Pass 75%
Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite – Deluxe Edition Xbox Play Anywhere 60%
Marvel's Avengers Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Marvel's Avengers: Deluxe Edition Smart Delivery 50%
Mass Effect: Andromeda – Deluxe Recruit Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Mass Effect: Andromeda – Standard Recruit Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Mecho Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Mega Man 30th Anniversary Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 & 2 Combo Pack Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 35%
Memories of Mars Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Metal Gear Solid HD Edition 2 & 3 Xbox One Backward Compatible 50%
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Metal Gear Survive Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Metro Exodus Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Metro Exodus Expansion Pass Add-On 55%
Metro Exodus Gold Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Metro Redux Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Xbox Game Pass 60%
Middle-earth: Shadow of War – Expansion Pass Add-On 75%
Minecraft Dungeons Hero Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
Mirror's Edge Catalyst Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Monopoly Family Fun Pack Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Monopoly Plus Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Monster Energy Supercross 2 – Season Pass Add-On 70%
Monster Energy Supercross 2 – Special Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Monster Hunter World Xbox Game Pass 25%
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Digital Deluxe Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 25%
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition Digital Deluxe Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 25%
Monster Jam Steel Titans Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Moons of Madness Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Mortal Kombat 11 Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
MotoGP 19 Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
MX vs. ATV Supercross Encore Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
MXGP 2019 – The Official Motocross Videogame Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
My Hero One's Justice Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
My Hero One's Justice 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
My Hero One's Justice 2 Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
My Time at Portia Xbox Game Pass 67%
n Verlore Verstand Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Naruto To Boruto: Shinobi Striker Xbox Game Pass 85%
Naruto To Boruto: Shinobi Striker Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
NASCAR Heat 5 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
NASCAR Heat 5 – 2020 Season Pass Add-On 50%
NASCAR Heat 5 – Gold Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
NBA 2K21 Xbox One X Enhanced 30%
NBA JAM: On Fire Edition Xbox One Backward Compatible 50%
NBA Live 19 Xbox One X Enhanced 85%
Need for Speed Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Need For Speed Heat Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Need For Speed Heat Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 25%
Need for Speed Payback Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Need For Speed Payback – Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Need for Speed Rivals Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
New Super Lucky's Tale Xbox Game Pass 25%
NHL 21 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
NHL 21 Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
NHL 21 Great Eight Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Nickelodeon: Kart Racers Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
No Man's Sky Xbox Game Pass 50%
Oblivion Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
Oblivion DLC Knights of the Nine Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
Oblivion DLC Shivering Isles Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
One Piece World Seeker Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 45%
One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Operencia: the Stolen Sun Xbox Play Anywhere 60%
Ori And The Blind Forest: Definitive Edition Xbox Game Pass 75%
Ori and the Will of the Wisps Xbox Game Pass 50%
Outbreak: The Undying Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Outland Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Outward Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Overcooked Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Overcooked! + Overcooked! 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Overcooked! 2 Xbox Game Pass 40%
Overcooked! 2 – Gourment Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
OVERPASS Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
OVERPASS Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Overwatch Legendary Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Owlboy Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Paladins Champions Pack Add-On 67%
Paladins Digital Deluxe Edition 2019 + 2020 Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Paladins Season Pass 2019 + 2020 Add-On 50%
Panzer Dragoon Orta Xbox One Backward Compatible 50%
Panzer Elite Action: Fields of Glory (not available in USA) Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Pathfinder: Kingmaker – Definitive Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 30%
Paw Patrol: On A Roll Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 30%
Payday 2: Crimewave Edition Xbox Game Pass 60%
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
PGA TOUR 2K21 Xbox One X Enhanced 33%
PGA TOUR 2K21 Digital Deluxe Xbox One X Enhanced 30%
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds Xbox Game Pass 75%
Portal Knights Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Prey Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Prey + Dishonored 2 Bundle Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Prey: Digital Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Prey: Mooncrash Add-On 70%
Project CARS 2 – Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 85%
Project CARS 3 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Project CARS 3 Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 30%
R.B.I. Baseball 20 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Raccoon City Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Race With Ryan Xbox One X Enhanced 25%
RAD Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
RAGE Xbox One Backward Compatible 70%
Rage 2 Xbox Game Pass 70%
Rage 2: Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Raging Justice Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Railway Empire Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Rapala Fishing: Pro Series Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Rare Replay Xbox Game Pass 75%
Rayman Legends Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
ReCore Xbox Game Pass 75%
Red Dead Redemption 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 55%
Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 65%
Red Faction Geurrilla Re-Mars-tered Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Relicta Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 30%
Resident Evil Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Resident Evil 0 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Resident Evil 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Resident Evil 3 Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Resident Evil 4 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Resident Evil 5 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Resident Evil 6 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Xbox Game Pass 50%
Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Gold Edition Xbox Play Anywhere 50%
RIDE 3 Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
RIDE 3 – Gold Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
RIDE 3 – Season Pass Add-On 75%
Rise of the Tomb Raider Season Pass Add-On 60%
Rise of The Tomb Raider – 20 Year Celebration Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Rise of the Tomb Raider – 20 Year Celebration Pack Add-On 75%
Risk of Rain Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Risk of Rain 1 + 2 Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Risk of Rain 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Rocksmith 2014 Edition – Remastered Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Rogue Company: Standard Founder's Pack Add-On 35%
Rogue Company: Starter Founder's Pack Add-On 35%
Rogue Company: Ultimate Edition Add-On 35%
Romancing SaGa 3 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Rugby 20 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Rush: A DisneyPixar Adventure Xbox Game Pass 60%
Ryse: Legendary Edition Xbox Game Pass 75%
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected + Gat out of Hell Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Saints Row The Third Remastered Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
ScreamRide Xbox Game Pass 75%
Scribblenauts Showdown Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Sea Of Solitude Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Sea of Thieves: Black Friday Special Edition Smart Delivery 25%
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Xbox One X Enhanced 35%
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider Definitive Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider Definitive Edition Extra Content Add-On 70%
Shape Up Gold Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Shotgun Farmers Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Sid Meier's Civilization VI Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Silent Hill: HD Collection Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Sine Mora EX Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Skate Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Skate 3 Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Skater XL Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Skelattack Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Skelly Selest Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Skyrim Special Edition + Fallout 4 G.O.T.Y. Bundle Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
SMITE Digital Deluxe Edition 2020 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 35%
SMITE Season Pass 2020 Add-On 25%
SMITE Ultimate God Pack Bundle Add-On 67%
Sniper Elite 3 Ultimate Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Sniper Elite 4 Xbox Game Pass 80%
Sniper Elite 4 Digital Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered Xbox Play Anywhere 60%
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 65%
Sonic Adventure Xbox One Backward Compatible 50%
Soulcalibur VI Xbox Game Pass 85%
Soulcalibur VI Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
South Park: The Fractured But Whole Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 70%
South Park: The Stick Of Truth Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Space Crew Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 30%
Spitlings Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated Xbox One X Enhanced 30%
Spyro Reignited Trilogy Xbox One X Enhanced 65%
Star Trek Online: 1000 Zen Add-On 30%
Star Trek Online: 11000 Zen Add-On 30%
Star Trek Online: 23000 Zen Add-On 30%
Star Wars Battlefront II Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
Star Wars Battlefront II Celebration Edition Upgrade Add-On 35%
Star Wars Battlefront II: Celebration Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
STAR WARS: Squadrons Xbox One X Enhanced 40%
Starlink: Battle For Atlas Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition Xbox Game Pass 40%
STEEP Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Stellaris: Console Edition Xbox Game Pass 67%
Stellaris: Console Edition – Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Stranded Deep Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Street Outlaws: The List Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Stuntman Ignition Xbox One Backward Compatible 75%
Subnautica Xbox Game Pass 35%
Sudden Strike 4 – Complete Collection Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Sunset Overdrive Xbox Game Pass 75%
Sunset Overdrive Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Super Bomberman R Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE Xbox One X Enhanced 30%
Surviving Mars Xbox Game Pass 70%
Surviving Mars – Digital Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Surviving Mars – First Colony Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 40%
SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 30%
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet Complete Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition Xbox Game Pass 75%
Team Sonic Racing Xbox One X Enhanced 35%
Team Sonic Racing & Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
TEKKEN 7 Xbox Game Pass 80%
TEKKEN 7 – Ultimate Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Tell Me Why: Chapters 1-3 Xbox Game Pass 33%
Tennis World Tour 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
TENNIS WORLD TOUR 2 ACE EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Terraria Xbox Game Pass 50%
The BioWare Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
The Catch: Carp & Coarse – Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
The Clocker Xbox One X Enhanced 50%
The Council – Complete Season Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
The Crew Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 67%
The Crew 2 – Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
The Crew 2 – Standard Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
The Crew and Trackmania Turbo Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
The Crew Ultimate Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man Of Medan Xbox Game Pass 33%
The Disney Afternoon Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
The Division 2 – Warlords of New York Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 55%
The Division 2 – Warlords of New York – Expansion Add-On 60%
The Drone Racing League Simulator Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 30%
The Elder Scrolls Online Xbox Game Pass 60%
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Collector's Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Collector's Edition Upgrade Add-On 67%
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Upgrade Add-On 67%
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
The Evil Within Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
The Evil Within 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
The Evil Within Digital Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
The Evil Within Season Pass Add-On 70%
The Jackbox Party Pack 3 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 35%
The Jackbox Party Pack 7 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 25%
The Outer Worlds Xbox Game Pass 60%
The Sims 4 Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
The Sims 4 Bundle – City Living, Vampires, Vintage Glamour Stuff Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Bundle – Get to Work, Dine Out, Cool Kitchen Stuff Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Cats and Dogs Plus My First Pet Stuff Bundle Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 City Living Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Deluxe Party Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
The Sims 4 Dine Out Add-On 25%
The Sims 4 Discover University Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Get Famous Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Get To Work Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Get Together Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Island Living Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure Add-On 25%
The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat Add-On 25%
The Sims 4 Parenthood Add-On 25%
The Sims 4 Plus Cats & Dogs Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
The Sims 4 Realm Of Magic Add-On 25%
The Sims 4 Seasons Add-On 50%
The Sims 4 Spa Day Add-On 25%
The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu Game Pack Add-On 25%
The Sims 4 StrangerVille Add-On 25%
The Sims 4 Vampires Add-On 25%
The Surge: A Walk In The Park Add-On 50%
The Surge: Augmented Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
The Surge: The Good The Bad And The Augmented Expansion Add-On 50%
The Ultimate Sonic Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 25%
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Xbox One Backward Compatible 85%
The Witcher 3: Hearts Of Stone Add-On 60%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Xbox Game Pass 70%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood And Wine Add-On 60%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
theHunter: Call of the Wild Xbox Game Pass 60%
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales Xbox Game Pass 50%
Titan Quest Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Titanfall 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 85%
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Xbox One Backward Compatible 50%
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Xbox One Backward Compatible 50%
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint – Gold Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands – Standard Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands – Year 2 Gold Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Xbox One Backward Compatible 50%
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition Xbox Game Pass 70%
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Gold Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Ultimate Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege – Year 5 Pass Add-On 30%
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Xbox One Backward Compatible 67%
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Xbox One Backward Compatible 67%
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent (OG Xbox) Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent (Xbox 360) Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow Xbox One Backward Compatible 60%
Tom Clancy's The Division Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Tom Clancy's The Division 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Tom Clancy's The Division Franchise Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Tom Clancy's The Division Gold Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 30%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 – Digital Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 25%
Tony Stewart's All-American Racing Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Tony Stewart's Sprint Car Racing Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Torchlight II Xbox One X Enhanced 40%
Torment: Tides of Numenera Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Totally Reliable Delivery Service Xbox Game Pass 50%
Totally Reliable Delivery Service Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Tour de France 2017 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Trackmania Turbo Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 75%
Train Sim World 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Train Sim World 2020 Collector's Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Transference Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Trials Fusion Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 70%
Trials Fusion: The Awesome Max Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
Trials Rising Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Trials Rising – Digital Gold Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 35%
Tropico 4 Xbox One Backward Compatible 80%
Trulon: The Shadow Engine Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 40%
Two Point Hospital Xbox Game Pass 50%
Tyd wag vir Niemand Xbox Play Anywhere 50%
UFC 4 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 35%
UFC 4 Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
UglyDolls: An Imperfect Adventure Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Ultimate Marvel Vs CAPCOM 3 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Underworld Ascendant Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
UNO Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 60%
Unravel Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Unravel Two Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
Unravel Yarny Bundle Xbox One X Enhanced 67%
V-Rally 4 Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
V-Rally 4 Ultimate Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 80%
Valkyria Chronicles 4 Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 20%
Vanquish Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Virginia Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Vostok Inc. Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 33%
Wasteland 3 (Xbox One) Xbox Game Pass 33%
Watch Dogs 1 + Watch Dogs 2 Gold Editions Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Watch Dogs 1 + Watch Dogs 2 Standard Editions Bundle Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
Watch Dogs 2 Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S w/ Free Trial 80%
Watch Dogs 2 – Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Watch Dogs 2 – Gold Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 80%
Watch Dogs Legion – GOLD EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 25%
Watch Dogs Legion – ULTIMATE EDITION Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 25%
Watch Dogs: Legion Optimized For Xbox Series X|S 33%
Watch_Dogs Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 67%
Watch_Dogs Complete Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 70%
We Happy Few Xbox Game Pass 80%
We Happy Few Digital Deluxe Xbox Play Anywhere 80%
Wheel of Fortune Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Windbound Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 30%
Wolfenstein II: The Freedom Chronicles Season Pass Add-On 70%
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Digital Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
Wolfenstein: Alt History Collection Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Wolfenstein: The New Order Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Wolfenstein: The Two-Pack Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Wolfenstein: Youngblood Xbox Game Pass 70%
Wolfenstein: Youngblood Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 70%
World of Warships: Legends – Power of Independence Add-On 40%
World of Warships: Legends – Russian Emperor Add-On 50%
World War Z Xbox Game Pass 70%
World War Z – Game of the Year Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 60%
World War Z – Last Aid Pack Add-On 40%
World War Z – Marseille Episode DLC Add-On 40%
World War Z – Season Pass Add-On 50%
World War Z – The Professionals Pack Add-On 40%
World War Z – War Heroes Pack Add-On 40%
Worms Battlegrounds Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
WRC 8 Deluxe Edition FIA World Rally Championship Pre-order Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 75%
WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
WRC 9 Deluxe Edition FIA World Rally Championship Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 50%
Wreckfest Complete Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 35%
WWE 2K Battlegrounds Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 40%
WWE 2K Battlegrounds Digital Deluxe Edition Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 45%
XCOM 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
XCOM 2 Collection Xbox One X Enhanced 75%
Ys Origin Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 60%
Zombieland: Double Tap- Road Trip Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S 85%
Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection Xbox Game Pass 60%

Source: Xbox

Cardpocalypse Review

Cardpocalypse is a love letter to lunchtimes spent playing cards while growing up. Whether Pokémon or Magic was your playground poison, this is a game that will take you back to the good old days.

The year is 1993 and you're a kid in a new school. Your name is Jess and you love the TV show Mega Mutant Power Pets. Everything in Cardpocalypse is centred around this show. Even the opening of the game has a Saturday morning cartoon style intro theme, which tells you in no uncertain terms that "school has gone insane".

This is where we pick up the game. On your first day at your new school, you bond with some other kids over your mutual love of the show, your new friends give you some cards, and you pick up the basics of the game. Unfortunately, you then get the game banned for everyone at the school and everyone immediately hates you. Yay.

Over the next five days, as you meet other kids, form allegiances, trade cards and battle your frenemies, you get better cards and start to improve at the game, just like when we were kids.

Mechanically, the game plays like a stripped down version of Magic the Gathering's Commander format. While Magic has five colours, Cardopcalype has four — one for each of the game's four animal factions – and your choice of commander will decide the colour identity of the deck you then build. You can't have purple cards in a green deck, for example.

From there, we have the expected similarities — Deathtouch has become Lethal, Goad has become Defender, etc. Basically, if you play Magic, you already know the most of the game mechanics here.

Where the game diverges is how you win each match. Each champion starts with 30 life and has an ability. The aim is get the opposing champion down to zero life. However, as soon as they hit the half-way mark, they go mega. This powers them up, granting both a triggered ability and a more powerful passive.

As you learn the ropes and discover what each champion can do, you'll also find a surprising amount of gameplay depth on offer. Eventually you get to modify the cards yourself, using crayons and stickers to the best of your childish ability, turning this homage to a youth well spent into a game-design class for dummies.

Towards the end of the game, you even get the ability to change the rules, making everyone start with more resources, or making all cards with a certain mechanic cost more or less. Making rule changes is very important if you're to take down the big bad at the end of the week — a supernatural enemy which is bringing the game to life around you.

There's also the everyday school life aspect of the game — doing missions for your fellow kids (annoy X or beat Y at a game) to unlock new card rewards. These missions are a bit repetitive at times, requiring a lot of effort on your part, but they're worth it for that sweet, sweet cardboard. Even when they feel a bit much, they're saved by the quality writing, references and jokes.

All in all, Cardpocalypse has an excellent premise backed up by some fantastic gameplay. It really feels like the devs were trying to capture the spirit of youth as we all got into cardboard crack behind the bike shed, and they've done an admirable job. The way that each champion has a theme tune that plays when you acquire their card, and the way the kids energetically sing when you finish a mission for them will almost certainly put a smile on your face.

I also love the way they've made the main character's disability — being wheelchair bound — a core part of the game. Jess can't use stairs and she has to shrug off comments from the other kids, which range from simply curious (asking if they can have a go in the chair) to being mean (calling you a cyborg). The game is as diverse as it is good, and remember, the game is excellent.

Cardpocalypse isn't all sunshine and rainbows, and there are a couple of issues which hold the game back, making some parts of it extremely frustrating. In a couple of matches I had bugs where end-of-turn effects didn't end, making the opponent significantly more powerful than they ought to be. In Magic speak, imagine if Threaten was actually In Bolas's Clutches, but it only cost U. Yeah, that's pretty broken.

In other places, including in boss fights, the game bugged, making me watch the entire pre-fight conversation all over again before having to fight the boss a second time. That's pretty egregious as far as bugs go.

There's also a missing gameplay element which could improve the card-game gameplay, and that's having a graveyard for cards which have been used/killed. When the opponent casts something, you only see it for a second before it is gone forever, along with one of your creatures, leaving you wondering if this is another bug or if the card is supposed to work that way. Having a graveyard is a small change that would really improve quality of life through the game.

Last but not least, we have the recently released DLC — the 'Out of time' end-game pack which sees Jess trapped in a time loop. It should have come with a spoiler warning, as I loaded this up before beating the main game, but alas. Still, Out of Time is some great end-game content as it strips you of your cards and gives you a unique 'Neutral Champion' who is capable of using cards of all colours in your deck. It's like a WUBRG Commander in Magic. Your Champion is a weakling that, by all rights, shouldn't exist, but has a unique upgrade tree which allows you to build it into the right card for your play style. It's a cool idea which is fairly well executed. The only issue is that time loops can be extremely repetitive and boring to play through, which means this DLC will not be for everyone.

Watch the new five minute Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay trailer here

CD Projekt RED have released a new five minute trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 which explains the story, upgrades, and many other elements to the game. Check it out.

While the game does look amazing the upcoming release has been soured by reports of months of crunch leading to the games release. Back in March CD Projekt "more humane" approach to crunch and that it would not be mandatory, but later in the year it was revealed that had changed and that employees were required by the company to work six days a week to get the game finished.

The game was delayed back at the end of October an additional three weeks, with company bosses Adam Badowski and Marcin Iwinski explaining, "The biggest challenge for us right now is shipping the game on current-gen, next-gen and PC at the same time, which requires us to prepare and test 9 versions of it (Xbox One/X, compatibility on Xbox Series S|X, PS4/Pro, compatibility on PS5, PC, Stadia)… while working from home."

During the recent Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire the senior quest designer on the game, Patrick K. Mills, said the following.

"The difference between a completionist run and a main story run… we do know that the main story run in Cyberpunk 2077 is slightly shorter than The Witcher 3 because we got a lot of complaints about Witcher 3's main story just being too long."

"Looking at the metrics, you see tremendous numbers of people played through that game really far, but never made it to the end. We want you to see the full story, so we did shorten the main story, but we have lots to do, and in terms of a completionist campaign, I just don't have that number," he added.

Cyberpunk 2077 will be out for Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 10th December, it will be playable on Xbox Series X | S and PS5 but full on next-gen enhancements will not be there on day one.

Source: YouTube

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm Review

Having been one of the highest profile titles on Apple Arcade, Oceanhorn 2 has been around for a little while now, but it's apt that it's now out on Nintendo Switch. This is, after all, a series that takes clear influence (to put it generously) from the Legend of Zelda series.

The first Oceanhorn was a bit of a sleeper hit, taking aspects of Zelda and applying it to a well designed isometric flooded world. Knights of the Lost Realm is billed clearly as Oceanhorn 2 but is in fact a prequel, and one that takes place a thousand years before the events of the first game. This complete disregard for the logic and chronology of reality is not entirely new in games, but this is perhaps the most blatant example in a while. Still, how does the Zelda-alike fare on the home of its illustrious inspiration?

First up, Oceanhorn is a lovely looking game, and one that feels like a tribute to both Wind Waker and Skyward Sword. The bright and colourful environments are impressively detailed with a surprisingly long draw distance and relatively little pop-in. Admittedly I was playing on a Switch Lite so it is possible that these may be more noticeable on the big screen, but the visual design really nails the Zelda vibe. In this, as with so many other aspects, though, the line between tribute and outright copy is a fine one indeed.

The storyline of Knights of the Lost Realm is standard Zelda fare. Your Hero, an unnamed Link cosplayer, must work alongside champions from other areas of Gaia to return three Emblems to their rightful locations and power the Great Core beneath the capital city. To be honest, this plot is mostly irrelevant and just serves to link (ha) your journey together.

As with Zelda, the overall battle against a big bad is delayed by a series of glorified fetch quests that take you through various dungeons, each containing an essential item or power-up. In this sense, Oceanhorn 2 is arguably a truer sequel to the series than the open world Breath of the Wild. The supporting characters are fine, with perfectly adequate voice acting, but are certainly not as memorable as genre highlights like Xenoblade Chronicles.

At first you'll be equipped with nothing but your trusty sword, but this is soon joined by a shield and the versatile Caster gun, which acts as both ranged weapon and elemental magic purveyor. You'll also unlock bombs and a hookshot as you progress, and start putting it all to use for solving puzzles with switches, lever and buttons. The Caster gun leads to some of the game's more involved puzzles, with some memorable electricity and ice related head-scratchers. Again, this all reads like I'm describing a classic Zelda adventure, because that is exactly how it feels.

The environments are clearly and easy to navigate, with only a few roadblocks where I couldn't make out what I needed to do (some of these were admittedly due to forgetting basic elemental properties). That isn't to say that Oceanhorn 2 is an easy game though, as there are a few quite fiendish moments that really force you to make full use of your equipment.

Combat is pretty frequent and is mostly fairly straightforward. You can start off by shooting from afar, quickly zoom to your enemies using your hookshot, and then pull out your sword and shield for good old-school action RPG battling. The lack of a lock-on feature is a bit annoying, but something I quickly got used to. A little more of an issue is that you have to map your shield to the same face button as your items, which makes for some fiddly moments. This makes cool combinations of items unwieldy and results in you relying on prod and roll techniques for the most part. The Caster gun's elemental spells are always available, however, and freezing or burning your enemies is a great way to give yourself an edge.

Boss battles are present and correct, mostly taking the form of mobile environmental puzzles rather than twitchy combat encounters, which leads to some lengthy sections of doing no damage until you work out the enemy's weak spot. These aren't always that obvious (until they've been exposed), which is a refreshing change of pace to most video games. Unfortunately, the less memorable bosses were the two final ones, which undermined the narrative climax of the game. Given its role as a prequel, it'll come as no surprise to hear that the ending is inconclusive, although it has been modified since the original Apple Arcade release.

Destiny 2 hotfix 3.0.0.3 is out, nerfs the Warlock Stasis super, details here

Bungie have released a hotfix for Destiny 2: Beyond Light and it looks like those who found Stasis way to overpowered have got their wish as it's been nerfed, with extra nerfs for the Crucible and attacking Guardians in Gambit. On the plus side, Witherhoard is back in action.

Here are the notes, Stasis Warlocks are not going to be happy…

COMBAT

WEAPONS

  • Fixed an issue where the Coriolis Force Fusion Rifle was getting more ammo than intended from ammo bricks.
  • Fixed an issue where the Witherhoard damage debuff wasn't being removed properly.
      • Witherhoard has now been re-enabled.

 ABILITIES

Stasis  
  • Fixed exploits with the Warlock Shadebinder Super.
  • Stasis breakout damage reduced (110->90hp).
      • Adjusted the curve that reduces breakout damage using Resilience.
      • Increased the damage reduction effect Resilience has so that higher tiers of Resilience are more valuable.
      • Caps out at 90 Resilience.
  • Penumbral Blast (Stasis Warlock melee) projectile speed reduced by 20%.
  • Penumbral Blast (Stasis Warlock melee) range reduced (was 28m now 16m).
  • Winter's Wrath (Stasis Warlock Super) duration reduced (was 30s now 24s).
  • Winter's Wrath light attack (Stasis Warlock Super) cost reduced (was 5% per burst, now 4.5% per burst).
  • Cold Snap seeker speed reduced by 23%.
Against Guardians:  
  • Cold Snap freeze duration lowered (was 4.75s now 1.35s).
  • Ice Flare Bolts freeze duration lowered (was 4.75s now 1.35s).
  • Penumbral Blast (Stasis Warlock melee) freeze duration lowered (was 4.75s now 1.35s).
  • Winter's Wrath heavy attack (Stasis Warlock Super) no longer affects players who are not encased.

GAMEPLAY AND INVESTMENT

REWARDS

  • Fixed an issue where Pinnacle rewards were not dropping at the correct Power.
  • Fixed an issue where several repeatable bounties were providing more XP than intended.

ACTIVITIES

  • Fixed an issue on Exodus Crash where the Spider Tank wasn't spawning.
      • Exodus Crash has been re-enabled.

GENERAL

  • Fixed an issue that was causing ARUGULA errors.
  • Fixed an issue where Fragment pursuits were purchasable with a full inventory.

Source: Bungie

Marvel's Avengers Kate Bishop DLC launches in December

The latest Marvel's Avengers War Table video has been released giving us a deep dive into the first DLC character, Kate Bishop, AKA the other Hawkeye. She'll debut in the Operation Taking Aim story that continues on directly from the end of the main game. The Operation will launch on 8th December.

Kate Bishop is an interesting character, the protege of Clint Barton (Hawkeye), who has disappeared off the face of the Earth. In Operation Taking Aim, Kate returns to the fore with a single-minded mission to find Hawkeye and bring him back… from an alternate timeline. In the process, maybe she can do something about the continuing menace that is AIM and the Super Adaptoid, an enemy that can copy all of the Avengers' . It all plays out in a story arc, similar to a comic book or TV show in conception.

Voiced by Ashly Burch, Kate Bishop primarily wields a bow and arrow, but has her own distinct abilities compared to Clint. In particular, she can pull out a sword for close combat and uses repurposed AIM tech to teleport around the place.

Blink  lets her double jump, air dash and more, while Quantum Shift lets her "parry" to teleport behind enemies. She can upgrade her bow with things like Razor Arrows in a three shot combo, there's Scatter Shot Arrows for crowd control, Explosive Arrows to deal stagger damage, and Smokescreen Arrows to stun and cloud enemies.

Decoy is her Support Heroic ability to spawn a holographic version of herself that shoots arrows of quantum energy. After Image then lets you swap places with a decoy and deal a burst of area damage. Her Warp Arrow heroic teleports across long distances and trigger an explosion that lifts enemies into the air – this can be upgraded to a Worm Hole for allies to use.

Finally, her Ultimate is Quantum Overdrive, which provides unlimited energy to power her bow with explosive Quantum energy.

Following on from Kate's introduction, Hawkeye himself will return in Operation Future Imperfect.

For more on Marvel's Avengers read our day one review as well as our handy guide loaded with tips for beginners. The game is out now for PS4, Xbox One and PC, with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S support now planned for 2021 after a bit of a delay, with free upgrades for players.

Source: press release

Observer: System Redux Review

As the new console generation launches, Bloober Team has made its first offering to the gods of horror gaming. While The Medium promises a spooky trek into twinned realities, it's not the company's first next-gen game. That honour instead goes to one of the developer's prior releases: Observer.

Observer: System Redux is both a remaster and a bit of an expansion of the original game that came out in 2017, boasting overhauled graphics, improved gameplay sequences, and some brand new content. While Bloober Team has changed some things, the actual experience still packs a punch.

You are Daniel Lazarski, played by the late Rutger Hauer, an Observer for the KPD. Daniel is kitted out with augmentations such as a bio scanner, tech scanner, night vision, and what is called the Dream Eater. This last piece of equipment allows you to hook up to the neural networks of other people and experience their memories, and it comes in particularly useful while scouring an apartment block for clues about Daniel's missing son. Unfortunately, these apartments hold more than their fair share of disturbing and horrifying situations. These augmentations also don't always work smoothly requiring you to take pills to reduce strain on them and Daniel's mental faculties.

Observer: System Redux is part exploration title and part detective story. You gets stuck in the apartment building soon after entering with a lockdown occurring, which happens in this world if there is a threat of the nanophage virus – how topical. So you gets to work searching for Daniel's son, but never really see anyone else aside from Janus the caretaker. Instead, the way you interacts with the majority of the building's inhabitants are through their intercoms. By talking to these people, you learns things about the building and the desperate situation of the residents, giving clues as to how this dystopian future of 2084 functions.

Some of the apartments are open though, filled with clues for either the main case or a number of side cases. Observer System Redux has three new side cases, so even those who played the original will find a reason to come back.

While exploring and using the Dream Eater to jack into people's neural connections, things start to enter the state of psychological horror and thriller. Wandering through these memories is not a nice nostalgia trip, instead letting you relive someone else's horrifying moments and twisted abstract concepts. Television sets that float like balloons and laugh like children, forests with trees made of cables, offices and corridors patrolled by a cybernetic looking Big Daddy type character that will kill you, and those are some of the tamer memory pieces.

Every one of these sequences has some interactive elements, but the main point is to find your way through the maze of memories using the environmental clues. A lot of the tension arises from never knowing what to expect next. One moment you could be wandering down a corridor and the next you are hearing voices while things shift around you quickly. It gets to a point where it becomes difficult to ascertain what is real and what is not, as the impact of reading other's memories hits Daniel.

Observer System Redux looks stunning on the Xbox Series X. The rundown cyberpunk environment of the apartment block and the memory sequences all shine in their own way, with the smallest details rendered really nicely. The soundwork transfers over well too with the noise keeping you edge while the voice acting, especially Rutger Hauer's, is very good. The characters get across the feeling something is not right and that they are tired of how life has turned out.

The game is not without a few issues. In some areas there were moments where interacting with objects was not particularly smooth, with the prompt only appearing at certain angles and in one instance not appearing at all. While work has been done to make some of the dream eater sections more streamlined, there were also moments where what to do next was not clear, leading to a slowdown of progress.

IO Interactive announce Project 007 – They're making a James Bond game!

Hitman developer IO Interactive have revealed their new game, Project 007. That's right, they're making a James Bond game!

There's precious few other details about this project, with a simple and effective teaser to announce the project, as you can see here.

IOI have also teased that this will be an origin story for the world's most famous spy.

No platforms have been confirmed by name, but it will be made "for modern systems and platforms," and is using IOI's in house Glacier engine. In other words, we can expect it for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and depending on how deep into development the company are, possibly PS4 and Xbox One as well. We'll just have to wait and see, but the game is already in active development at IOI's offices in Copenhagen and Malmö.

"It's true that once in a while, the stars do align in our industry," said Hakan Abrak, CEO of IO Interactive, "Creating an original Bond game is a monumental undertaking and I truly believe that IO Interactive, working closely with our creative partners at EON and MGM, can deliver something extremely special for our players and communities. Our passionate team is excited to unleash their creativity into the iconic James Bond universe and craft the most ambitious game in the history of our studio."

Honestly, this seems like a pretty much perfect match of developer and game title, with IO Interactive best known for the Hitman series, in which a very smartly dressed assassin mingles through increasingly large and complex worlds and crowds, aiming to reach their target and then get out as sneakily as possible.

Speaking of which, IOI are putting the finishing touches to the final entry in their World of Assassination Hitman trilogy that started back in 2016. Hitman 3 will be out in January for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC and Stadia. The game will also have VR support for the first time, exclusively for PlayStation VR, which will allow you to import and go back to all the levels from Hitman and Hitman 2 as well. However, for those picking up PS5s this holiday, there's some question marks about how that will work. PSVR seems to only be supported via backward compatibility, so you might have to install the PS4 version of the game to play PSVR… Cool.

Source: press release