Spider-Man: Miles Morales update 1.002.001 is out, patch notes here

Insomniac have released the ridiculously numbered update 1.002.001 for Spider-Man: Miles Morales on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It adds the much requested ability to transfer save games from PS4 to PS5, plus selfie poses and ray-tracing improvements on the PS5 version.  Here are the full notes.

Version 1.002.001 Release Notes

General Updates

  • Added option to change time of day during post-game
  • Added rewards for completing benchmarks (Photo Mode stickers)
  • Added supported localized VO
  • Added option to transfer save from PS4 to PS5
  • Added in-game option to upgrade to Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition (PS5 only)

Photo Mode Updates

  • Added selfie poses
  • Added depth of field slider
  • Added light distance

Accessibility Updates

  • Added customizable button remapping
  • Added mono audio selection

General Fixes & Polish

  • Improved stability
  • Performance improvements on PS4
  • Performance improvements on PS5
  • Ray-tracing improvements on PS5
  • HDR improvements
  • Subtitle and localization text fixes
  • Various additional fixes

We gave Spider-Man: Miles Morales 8/10 in our review. "Spider-Man: Miles Morales feels like more of a sequel than it is a stopgap, entangling players within its web of cleverly refined mechanics while delivering some familiar web-slinging thrills," said Jim. "A heroic technical showcase for PS5 owners picking up their consoles on day one, this meaty side story in the Spider-Man saga has us even more excited than before to see what Insomniac Games have planned next."

You can read the full review here.  

Spider-Man: Miles Morales Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Source: Insomniac

Warning: It may be a good idea not to use the PS5 rest mode for the moment

With the PlayStation 5 now officially out in North America and other territories gamers have been getting their hands on the new console and unfortunately there seems to be a an issue with the PlayStation 5 rest mode. The mode allows you to put the console to sleep and instantly pick up where you left off, the same as it does on the PS4.

Insomniac have confirmed that there is definitely an issue if you put the PS5 in to rest mode when playing Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the remastered original Spider-Man game.

There are also multiple reports of Godfall also suffering the same problem.

Users who have been hit by the problem have to rebuild their PS5 database and most find that has worked. However, a small number of gamers have found that the rebuild fails and bricks their console.

To stop your PS5 going in to rest mode go to the Settings menu on the console, the navigate to Power Saving and then Set Time Until PS5 Enters Rest Mode. From here select "Don't Put in Rest Mode".

Just as an aside: Sony, what's with capitalising everything but 'in' on that menu option? Weird.

It appears the delayed release of the PlayStation 5 might just be to the advantage of us here in the U.K. as Sony have five more days to get to the bottom of the problems and get a firmware update out, no doubt the developers of the games are also looking at the problem.

There are also reports of PS5's crashing at various points and throwing up the error code CE-108255-1, a rather generic "Something went wrong with this game or app." Sony have yet to make any official comment on this but @AskPlayStation on Twitter is DM'ing individuals with some sort of help so best to try there if you have the problem.

PlayStation 5 Guides and more from TheSixthAxis

Dirt 5 – how to upgrade from PS4 to PS5 for free

If you were unsure whether to pick up a copy of Dirt 5 on release day due to the impending launch of new consoles, Codemasters made it an easy decision for rally racing fans by announcing a free cross-gen upgrade.

In a nutshell, if you've already purchased Dirt 5 on PlayStation 4 and want to make the leap to PS5 without buying the game again, you can do totally do that. The same applies for those who own Dirt 5 on Xbox One wanting to switch to the newer Xbox Series X|S. Naturally, you won't be able to upgrade from one family of systems to the other, so don't go shoving your Xbox Dirt 5 disc in your PS5.

Dirt 5 isn't the only game offering a free upgrade. We've already seen others follow suit including Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Dead By Daylight, Borderlands, FIFA 21, and many more. So, how do you get in on this free PS4 to PS5 upgrade?

We've been testing the PS5's games and features for the past couple of weeks now and while there's a lot to love, some features don't come tagged with explainers or are hidden away in submenus. This guide will quickly show you how to upgrade your existing copy of Dirt 5 from PS4 to PS5.

Of course, you will already need to have purchased a copy of Dirt 5on PlayStation 4, whether you purchased it as a direct download via the PlayStation Store or have a physical disc-based version.

Once you've set up your PlayStation 5 and signed into the PSN profile used to originally buy Dirt 5, go into the PlayStation Store and look for the game (use the search bar if you're having issues).

Even when you've found the Dirt 5 page, you may miss where to upgrade to PS5. If you press download then you'll likely end up installing the PS4 version instead. When on the store page, look to the right side and you'll see an icon for the PS5 upgrade (it's sitting just above the trophies tab). We've attached a screenshot (depicting the same screen, but with Assassin's Creed: Valhalla) below so you know where to look.

Our resident racing expert Thomas H-L left a glowing review of Codemasters latest entry in the long-running series, scoring Dirt 5 an 8 out of 10:

DIRT 5 strips away the more serious elements of the franchise and puts all its eggs in one, arcade cabinet shaped, basket. At times a riot, in other areas a little repetitive and lacking in finesse, it nevertheless delivers on the concept of an adrenaline-fueled off-road racer. It's a game that makes you sit forward in your seat and savour the joys of jumping a Dakar Rally Peugeot 3008 over a ravine.

PlayStation 5 Guides and more from TheSixthAxis

8 things to do with your DualSense controller while you wait for your PlayStation 5 to arrive

Because reasons, Sony have decided to release all the PlayStation 5 peripherals and games on November 12th, the launch day of the console in North America and other regions, but over here in the U.K. we still have to wait until November 19th until we get the console itself. So, what do you do with a Dualsense controller until then? Well we have some ideas…

1. Celebrate Christmas early

2. Take it to a kinky leather bar

3. Introduce it to the rest of the family

4. Celebrate it's first ever birthday

5. Give it a giant robot to keep it safe

6. Show it all the places you still can't own a PlayStation 5

7. Take it for a walk in the countryside

8. Wear it as the ultimate in bling!

We have a huge amount of PlayStation 5 content on the way including a review of Godfall, so keep an eye for that. We also have a load of guides ready for you, check this lot out.

PlayStation 5 Guides and more from TheSixthAxis

Spider-Man: Miles Morales Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – How to fix the PS5 download bug and Dualshock from disconnecting

Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War seems to have some interesting 'features' that were never listed. It's disconnect PS4 Dualshock controllers mid game, and some people can't even download the PlayStation 5 version, it just gets stuck in their queue and/or downloads the PlayStation 4 version instead.

Let's start with the PS5 download bug which unfortunately has one fix at the moment and you're not going to like it. You need to do a full factory reset of the console, which will wipe any games and updates you have installed.

To perform a factory reset of your PlayStation 5, you must navigate to the gear icon on the top right of the home screen which takes you to the System Settings page. From there head to the System section, , select Reset Options and then Reset Your Console. At this point you will need to confirm you are going to wipe everything from your console.

As this is such a huge bug Activision should be fixing it very quickly so you may want to wait a day or two rather than have to reinstall all your PS5 games.

Moving on to PlayStation 4 players who have been reporting that the Dualshock controller starts flashing and disconnects. This seems to happen at the start of the third mission in the campaign but there are also reports of the fault occurring during multiplayer and zombies matches.  There is a fix, but once again it's not a good one, you need to hook the controller up to the console with a USB cable and play with it connected rather than wirelessly.

Insert the cable in to your controller, connect it to the PS4, then got to Settings > Devices > Controllers and from that menu choose Communication Method and change it to "Use USB Cable". That should sort you out, again it's a rather huge bug so hopefully Treyarch are on the case and will issue a fix soon.

Source: IGN / PushSquare

Something for the Weekend – 14/11/20

It's been a monumental week in the video game industry as the 'next gen' finally becomes 'this gen'. That is unless, you're a PlayStation fan living in Europe and still have a tantalising wait for your PS5 console.

As many of us look jealously upon our friends across the pond and around the world play with their shiny new toys, let's recap everything that happened this week.

In the News This Week

Games in Review

It was a strong start to the new generation, but we didn't get time to explore everything we wanted to in some of the launch day titles. Stay tuned for the full reviews, but here's our initial thoughts:

And here's our full reviews:

And from the hardware side of things, we had a gaming keyboard review

Featured Articles

All of those reviews might be a little overwhelming, and we don't blame you – that's why Nic has spent some time answering the question many of you will be asking: what are the best PS5 games at launch?

If you're itching to get your hands on the new Assassin's Creed, then Adrian has been speaking to some experts to see just how accurate Ubisoft have portrayed the Viking era, while Reuben had a look at Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a "fantastic" spin off.

Finally, What We Played included plenty of next-gen gaming with Demon's Souls, Gears Tactics & Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

Your Achievements

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

  • hornet1990 went back two generations, giving Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon a whirl on PS3.
  • Valhalla will be the focus of Crazy_Del's weekend, who's also just 1 trophy away from the platinum in Watchdogs.
  • willbuchanan started Far Cry 5, and is already put off by those pesky online trophies.
  • Another member revisiting their PS3 was tactical20
  • Andrewww is looking forward to Thursday, but can't decide between Demon's Souls, the Pathless, Spider-Man, or something else!
  • When even MrYd says "too many things" you know he had a busy week! EA Play is offering him loads of new games including Fallen Order and Rocket Arena. Meanwhile from PS Now, he tried out Vermintide 2 and Rage 2.

Have a good weekend and I'll see you in the new generation!

Beat Saber's BTS music pack is out now

The latest music pack for Beat Saber has arrived with the focus being K-Pop band BTS. The pack adds a total of 12 BTS songs and it also features the TinyTAN versions of the band members. The pack comes with 12 songs from BTS including the likes of Dynamite, Boy With Luv, and Not Today. You can listen to a snippet of some of the music in the latest trailer, and a look at how the gameplay may look with this new song pack. The pack currently costs £12.72.

The full BTS song list available in this pack can be found below.

  • Blood Sweat & Tears
  • Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)
  • Burning Up (FIRE)
  • Dionysus
  • DNA
  • DOPE
  • Dynamite
  • FAKE LOVE
  • IDOL
  • MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)
  • Not Today
  • UGH!

Beat Games Studio has releases multiplayer for the PC version of Beat Saber, with that update being released on October 13th. With the multiplayer aspect players will be able to create their own avatars, and play against friends or strangers online. The multiplayer will definitely be releasing for PC VR headsets on the 13th of October. At the time the studio had announced there would likely be a delay for the multiplayer update rolling out to PSVR, and it has not yet arrived. In fact, multiplayer will not be released on PSVR until some point in 2021.

Source: Steam

Madden NFL 21 update 1.17 adds new Yard Play A Friend feature, full patch notes here

EA has released update 1.17 for Madden NFL 21 with the biggest new feature being Yard Play A Friend. This mode allows players to now challenge their friends in The Yard. It seems like a pretty simple thing to set up as long as everyone selects the same venue and uses the same password to get in. There have also been some gameplay updates such as blocking improvements, general fixes in Franchise mode, and some playbook improvements too so plays run smoother. The full patch notes are below.

Madden NFL 21 1.17 update patch notes

Gameplay Updates:

  • Fixed an issue allowing offensive users to breakout of the handoff on Gun Flex Y Off Mtn Counter and run with the QB, making the play appear to be a version of QB Draw
  • Fixed an issue causing awkward ball warping on some on HB Toss plays
  • Fixed all distance-related abilities to take pass-leading into account as a triggering condition
    • DEV NOTE: Route Abilities were not giving catching benefits due to the pass leading of the Quarterback. E.G. A receiver with Short Out Elite would not receive any benefit if the receiver was inside the numbers when the pass started even if the pass lead caused the receiver to catch the ball short, outside of the numbers. Any time a ball is led to the area on the field that the Ability is designated for the receiver will get all the Ability catching benefits.
  • Fixed a playbook issue on a specific Jet Sweep PA play causing a blocker to miss a rushing defender
  • Fixed an issue where motioning an outside receiver would cause inappropriate defender coverage swapping vs. specific coverages
  • Added functionality for user-controlled defenders to successfully Hit Stick the ball carrier immediately following a Block-Shed
  • Tuning to reduce reaction-time penalty for Linebackers with the LB Style Trait set to 'Cover;' this tuning should make coverage LB's react quicker in reading running plays and moving towards their run fits

Playbook Updates: 

  • Blocking improvements:
    • Made several adjustments to improve blocking on plays like Inside Zone Split, RPO Read WR Screen, PA Jet Sweep, and RPO Peek
    • Improved Left Tackle blocking on Pass plays in certain formations to address an issue where the blocker would miss an Edge Pass Rusher
  • Updated Out Routes in compression formations and the Tight End's route in RPO Y Peek so the releases are cleaner and the routes are more effective
  • Addressed issues where the Halfback and Tight End would sometimes run into each other on plays like Zone Split Lead, Alert X Smoke, and RPO Alert Jailbreak Screen
  • Alignment improvements:
    • Strong Safety in Cover 3 is in better position to play outside runs vs Wing formations
    • Adjusted Wide Receiver splits in Spread formations to improve spacing and timing
  • Updated the Halfback's run hole on 0 1 Trap plays which gives the Halfback more space away from the Defensive Lineman who's being trapped

Franchise Updates:

  •  Face of the Franchise Updates:
    • General stability improvements
    • Fixed an issue with several abilities not unlocking or equippable when they should be
    • Fixed an issue in the WR Drills causing users to sometimes fail the drill even after making the appropriate catch
  • Franchise Updates:
    • The first set of Franchise updates announced post-launch have arrived, check out the Madden NFL 21 Gridiron Notes for more info on the following changes:
      • Dev Trait Regressions: Star, Superstar, and Superstar X-Factors will now have desired counts that are treated as the "correct" amount of each Dev Trait in your Franchise. Eligible players will be regressed in priority order until the target is met. These targets can be changed via Commissioner settings.
      • X-Factor Customization: We brought over our functionality from player mode that allows the player to alter the Superstar and Superstar X-Factor abilities on their players inside of Core Franchise as both a coach and an owner.
      • Playoff Bracket: Starting Week 13 of the regular season, there will be a Things To Do item that takes you to the current playoff picture if the season ended that week including the seeding for each team that would be in the playoffs. Once Wild Card week begins, the playoff bracket will also have the scores of all games that have been played, and the box score available by clicking on the matchup. There will also be a way to access this bracket through the "schedule" button, with a new tile labeled "Playoff Picture".
      • Career Stats: One of the top community requests for several years now, we added the week matchup and result of the game to each player's season stats via their player card. We also added what team a player finished their season with on each year of their career stats via their player card.
      • Retirement Improvements: In Re-Sign Players week, there will now be a Things To Do item that takes you directly to the Transactions screen sorted to Retired players to provide a quicker look into who is riding off into the sunset.
    • General stability improvements
    • Fixed an issue where the user was sent back to the Things to Do tab when exiting out of a screen even if they were on a different tab

The Yard Updates:

  • New Feature: Yard Play-A-Friend.
    By popular demand, you can now play against your friends in The Yard.How it works:
    0) Select the Play-A-Friend tile in The Yard hub.
    1) Pick a venue and party size and build out your party as you normally would.
    2) Make sure to tell your friend's team what venue and party size they should select.
    3) At the prompt, both party leaders set the same matchmaking password. This can be anything you want, just make sure you both enter it exactly the same.
    4) … (Magic of the internet happens here)
    5) Play against your friend and make sure they know you are better than them.

    NOTE: You won't earn progression from Play-A-Friend games.

Superstar KO Updates:

  •  Stability and UI improvements for Superstar KO Endless Run.

Presentation Updates:

  • Added functionality for users to toggle the Passing and Kicking Feedback Text on/off via the 'Visual Feedback' setting in the settings menu

In our Madden 21 review, Dom wrote:

Madden 21 has the components to be a solid, if utterly by-the-numbers entry in the franchise. However, a raft of bugs and glitches serve to undo the game's atmosphere at every turn.
You can read the full Madden 21 review here.
Source: EA

Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered Review

Asterix and Obelix, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo, is one of the greatest comic book series of all time. Don't even @ me. Mostly because I'm still not entirely sure how Twitter works. This is a bande dessinée that, thanks to its hilarious characters and brilliant storytelling, enthused me with a lifetime fascination in ancient history. So, when the opportunity came up to revisit a world of heroic Gauls, villainous Romans and gallons of magic potion in Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered, I wasn't exactly going to say no.

Ever since Crash Team Racing – Nitro Fuelled made silly money, there's been an increasing interest amongst developers and publishers to revisit their old property, spruce it up a bit with a new paint job and hopefully connect with not only the game's original fans but an entirely new generation – or two – of players. Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered then is a remake of the original action adventure game, first released back in 2003.

The game follows a classic set-up for an Asterix and Obelix story; the inhabitants of our heroes Gaulish village have been kidnapped by Romans, so its up to our intrepid duo to set-off in hot pursuit to save their chums from the vile machinations of Julius Caesar. This will see them visit lands like Egypt and Greece to jump on platforms, solve rudimentary puzzles, punch legionaries and smash, quite literarily, thousands and thousands of unattended crates to collect helmets. If you've played any 3D platformer over the last twenty years then you'll know exactly what to expect here.

What does the whole 'Romastered' bit entail then? Basically you get updated graphics, refined sound and a handful of new challenges to undertake that have been peppered throughout the levels. These consist of time challenges in which you have to collect coins or race to a finish line. It's, in all honesty, a tad underwhelming as an offering. Though there's a neat idea that sees you able to switch between the remake and the original game with the tap of a button. This device is even utilised within the gameplay, the player having to switch between the two modes to be able to see and collect all the coins in a time challenge for example. On the downside, it also serves to reveal how little has changed between the original and the remake. If you're after a significant improvement to the graphical fidelity of the original then you're going to be disappointed, this is as basic a polish-up as you'll find.

What this remake needed, more than being a bit prettier, was an entire overhaul of the original's fundamental gameplay mechanics. Sadly, that hasn't happened. And because of that, look forward to spending most of your time with the game beating up boxes to collect Legionnaire helmets. Who knew that the Pharaoh's of Ancient Egypt had such a predilection for stacking wooden crates everywhere. It's a wonder they even ever had time to build any temples with all that box carrying going on. Every level is suffused with crates to smash, rendering it a tedious and repetitive activity. There's no sense of accomplishment in finding a particularly well-hidden collectable as you're literally tripping over the things.

Worse still is the lack of a motivational reason to go collectable hunting. You're meant to be able to use the helmets to buy items and power-ups from the in-game shop but there's so few products on offer that you'll struggle to spend your ill gotten gains. Even more aggravating are the stupid and frustrating challenges you must overcome that require you to collect a huge amount of helmets – even though you already have a huge amount of helmets.

Take one activity that required Asterix and Obelix to ski down a precarious snow coated mountain. A smug NPC demanded that I collect two thousand helmets whilst hurtling down from the peak, despite the clunky controls rendering this fairly impossible. This same NPC then taunted me with the fact he had an item that I would require to progress any further and – surprise, surprise – he'd only give it up in return for all those helmets. Why did he want two thousand bonce protectors? Who knows. I tried the challenge something like nine times before managing it, on each attempt grinding my teeth with the knowledge that I already had seven thousand helmets but for some reason the NPC wouldn't accept those helmets as payment. What was the problem, did they have the wrong ear flaps or something? What's the point of collecting collectables if the game world and its inhabitants render them entirely pointless.

Combat doesn't fare much better and is a tedious case of smashing one button repeatedly as you punch through hordes of your foes. There's little to break up the monotony, other than calling in your dog – Dogmatix – to bite a Roman's bum. Other than that, you'd best make sure you do some thumb stretches to prepare yourself for all the button mashing. I suppose there's a few moments of enjoyment to be had from the combat, finding the weak point in Roman shield formations provides a hint of strategy, but then when you do find the weakness it's just a case of standing in place and spamming the attack button – so hardly revelatory.

And that's the quintessential problem with Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered. This a game that's made up of finding collectables, fighting Romans and solving puzzles and two thirds of those things are just plain boring to do. Puzzles fair better but any enjoyment to be had is tempered by the fact that everything you're tasked with doing is a puzzle you've solved countless times over the last seventeen years. Safely carrying flaming torches to light distant fires and switching between characters to remove obstacles are solid but uninspiring fare.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla day one player count smashes AC: Odyssey

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla seems to be going down pretty well, then. The Viking era sequel massively outperformed its predecessor, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, on launch day according to publisher Ubisoft.

In a press release, Ubisoft announced that Valhalla had doubled the number of day one players compared to their latest time-hopping AC instalment back in 2018. Considering how beloved Odyssey was (and still is), that's no small feat.

Then again, it should come as no surprise. COVID-19 and a patchwork of regional and national lockdowns around the globe have led to a spike in "player engagement" as more of us turn to video games as a safe escape. Not only that, with the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S finally touching down, plenty of gamers will have no doubt picked up a copy of Valhalla to see what these new machines are capable of.

Here's what Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemot, said about Valhalla's reception:

We are humbled by the reception from the players and extremely proud of what our teams have accomplished with Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which builds on the amazing success of its predecessors. In the context of COVID-19, shipping Assassin's Creed Valhalla on no less than seven platforms is an incredible achievement for all of the teams involved around the world. We are excited to greet players on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 with a game that unleashes the power of the new hardware. This paves the way for an exciting Christmas period, with Assassin's Creed Valhalla set to be one of this season's biggest hits.

We're still beavering away at our review playthrough of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Having upgraded our copy of the game from PS4 to PS5 we're keen to dive back in and see where Eivor's Viking adventures take us.

Source: Press Release

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla guides & more from TheSixthAxis

What We Played #475 – Demon's Souls, Gears Tactics & Assassin's Creed Valhalla

It's finally started! The next generation is here, and dove right into it here at TSA. I was lucky enough to grab an Xbox Series X, and I've been massively impressed by how fast and quiet it is. Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Dirt 5 are both fantastic, while Planet Coaster: Console Edition has been the perfect antidote to all the pillaging and drifting. I've also returned to Tetris Effect: Connected, with some thoughts on all the multiplayer shenanigans coming soon!

Aran also joined team Microsoft, saying he's been surprised at how much he's enjoyed Gears Tactics on Series X. "The game has really drawn me in and I'm having configuring squads to find the battles. Have also started Observer Redux for review. More on that next week."

Steve finished his Normal playthrough of the impressive FFVII Remake and is weighing up a Hard run through. He's also been "lopping limbs and breaking skulls in the rather fun Rune II, and spent a traumatising couple of hours with the great little Shut In."

Tuffcub has been playing "Destiny 2 Beyond Light: Back to the Grind", but is it really back to the grind if the grind never stopped. Meanwhile Gareth has been playing Chicken Police and Shadow Fight Arena for review, as well as some more Watch Dogs Legion and Minecraft.

Nick P has actually managed to get a selection of games tucked away, telling us. "I finished TLOU2 which was… ok. Definitely not the masterpiece everyone is saying. There's a decent game in there but it's muddied with filler and bad writing. I finished Little Hope which I quite enjoyed. It's miles better then the slightly disappointing Man of Medan with the game having more of an intense horror feel to it. Finally, played and got the Platinum on Maneater. Man, what a fun game. It was a short experience but I walked away wanting more. It's like Goose game but violent!"

The DualSense has been almost glued to Jim's hands this week, as he's been ploughing through that first wave of PS5 launch titles including Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Demon's Souls, and Godfall. "Flipping between them has been exciting yet there comes a certain amount of disorientation as I hurtle from one game into the next. As a reprieve, I've spent the occasional fifteen minutes here and there with FUSER which has been great fun." He continued, "Whether I'm taking it seriously or just trying to make some garish sounding mixes, it's easily one of the best things I've played in 2020. When attempting to wind down, I've found myself going back to Final Fantasy VI. Again. I'm now powering through the second half and would say it's close to topping FF9 as my fave game in the series. I've already purchased Final Fantasy IV while it's on discount, so I know what I'm playing next!"

Nic B has played a lot of Genshin Impact, where he's run into the pay wall for upgrading his characters and stuff. He's still determined to keep the game absolutely free, though. Meanwhile, Ade has been enjoying a host of different things this week: "Laura and I have been playing through Asterix and Obelix XXL 3 on coop – it's a fun little game, if a little shonky in places. Punching Romans out of their sandles is always a delight! Other than that I've been finishing off the story mode of Shadow of the Tomb Raider before hopefully starting on Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Oh, and I've been playing Paw Patrol Mighty Pups with my son for review, it's a surprisingly alright game!"

Miguel started playing Yakuza: Like A Dragon! "So far, its everything I was expecting. Really amazing story and visuals, love Ichiban, but mannnn the turn-based combat is just not as visceral or exciting as the action combat for me. I can already tell the RPG stuff is a ticking time bomb for me, at some point all the systems and jobs and party members are gonna start pouring in and I'm either gonna plow through it for the story goods or I'm gonna fall off hard when the game asks me to grind for five hours." He's also been playing Teardown, "a very very cool indie game", a bit of Fuser, some Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, and last night he played co-op Bloody Palace in Devil May Cry 3 with a pal, "which was ssoooo silly and dumb and fun."

Thomas Harrison_Lord has been playing F1 2020 online with some fellow TSA readers, saying "It's fun, but the same-old F1-game multiplayer tropes are starting to grate. Weird virtual safety car delta times, inconsistent penalties and restrictive race-length options, all of which have been in previous iterations. Time for a next-gen version, please."

And finally, Tef's also been on the next-gen train, checking out WRC 9 and Dirt 5 on PS5 to share some thoughts on what the DualSense can do for racing games, savouring the upgrade to DMC5 Special Edition (even if he's not the most ardent DMC fan), dipping a toe into the compelling world of AC Valhalla, and dashing through Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

And now, what about you? Have you had chance to hop on the next-gen train? Or are you waiting for next week's UK launch of the PS5?

Godfall Review in Progress

Godfall may have been the first game announced for PlayStation 5, but as we've approached the launch of Sony's newest console, it has seemingly surrendered its leading position in the vanguard for a seat on the sidelines.

Despite some telltale trappings of an online title, this "looter-slasher" from Counterplay Games and Gearbox Publishing is not a multiplayer live service game akin to Destiny, Marvel's Avengers, or Anthem. It does have a reliance on replayable content, as you run the same gauntlets time and again for a chance at better loot and higher gear stats, but Godfall is primarily an action heavy RPG that is mostly built around solo missions from what we've played so far.

The story here is pretty thin and boils down to a rivalry between two powerful warriors, the last of their kind. Having been bested by the wolf-headed Macros, you must regain your strength and must seek him out before he becomes unstoppable.

Although Godfall has you interacting with other characters, there's a very small supporting cast here and they're mostly there to fill the game's hubworld with vendors and quest givers. Counterplay have at least tried to craft some lore for their game's setting but it's just not that interesting and feels like filler.

Your base of operations looks like a fantasy Batcave, its main portal surrounded by an armoury of Valorplates: chunky metal suits, each one imbued with various perks and abilities. The designs are pretty imaginative, even if there are only two human-looking body types, though it's arguably Godfall's weapons that are the most important part of a loadout.

Godfall touts five weapon classes in total and it won't take long for you to try them all out. These include the longsword, polearm, warhammer, greatsword, and dual blades, each with their own movesets. Aside from their individual "Weapon Technique" attacks, they don't feel wildly different and you'll still get the same basic actions such as blocking and dodging.

This game straddles the line between basic hack n' slash and something more refined. As you explore Godfall's open areas and carry out objectives, you'll dispatch enemy patrols and larger bosses with a flurry of light, heavy, and special attacks. Your foes will bite back, however, and you'll soon find that evading and parrying their colour-coded blows is just as important as unleashing your own onslaught.

If we had to compare Godfall to one game in particular, it would be 2018's God of War. There's a heft to its combat and the close-up camera angle means that you'll need to rely on flashing indicators to avoid off-screen attacks.

The similarities end there, really. Outside of combat, Godfall aligns more with your typical run-based loot game. Chasing down Macros quickly becomes a secondary objective as you feverishly pursue the best weapons and gear for your Valorian knight.

Godfall doesn't have the most exciting loot system we've come across, though it does succeed in funnelling a steady churn of items for players to sift through or salvage. The upside to weapons having so much common ground is that you can easily switch between the five without having to completely relearn how to fight. As they increase in rarity, they'll come tagged with better DPS and a growing list of perks which may swerve your combat playstyle.

There's still a lot more of Godfall we need to play before we pass a final verdict. What we've seen so far is a serviceable action RPG and one that could well step up a gear once we've hit that endgame and its multiplayer elements. However, at this early stage, Godfall feels like a lesser deity among the PS5's pantheon of launch titles, though one that some fans of the genre will still come to worship.

Xbox Series X|S launch biggest in Xbox history, announces Microsoft

Microsoft's Liz Hamren, CVP of Gaming Experience and Platform, has written today to confirm that the launch of the Xbox Series X|S is the biggest console launch in Xbox history. This means it has beat the original Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One when it comes to launch numbers. The Xbox Series S brought in the highest number of new players percentage wise compared to other Xbox consoles. 3,594 different games were played collectively by users in the first 24 hours of the Xbox Series X|S launch, with Game Pass now doubt having an impact there. In fact, 70% of Xbox Series X|S users are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass. Here is what Liz Hamren had to say:

Thanks to you, the launch of Xbox Series X|S is now the most successful debut in our history. While we missed the emotional spark of being together with you in person, it was incredible to celebrate a new generation of gaming with the millions on our celebration livestream and everyone who participated in our global launch across 40 countries.

As none of this would be possible without great games to play, we also want to thank our development partners around the world and congratulate them on their own respective launches this week, including delivering more than 40 new and Optimized games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Dirt 5, The Falconeer, Tetris Effect: Connected, Watch Dogs: Legion and Yakuza: Like a Dragon to players on day one, 30 of which support Smart Delivery.

We know that not everyone was able to get an Xbox Series X|S immediately and are working tirelessly with our partners around the world to bring as many new consoles to as many of you as possible over time and encourage you to check in with your local retailers directly for more details on availability in your market.

You can read our own review of the Xbox Series X right here.

Source: Microsoft

Gran Turismo Sport update 1.62 out now, read the patch notes here

Polyphony Digital has released update 1.62 for Gran Turismo Sport today. The new patch adds the Toyota GR Yaris 1st Edition RZ "High Performance" '20. Additionally, new logos have been added. Others have been removed. There have been some fixes too with one of the main ones relating to the Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo and Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991) '16, which did not look like they were making turns while players were steering. The full patch notes below.

Main Features

1. Cars
– The following new car has been added:
・Toyota GR Yaris 1st Edition RZ "High performance" '20

2. Decals
– The following new logos have been added to the Decals section of My Library and are available by selecting a car from the relevant manufacturer in the Livery Editor:
・Nissan 04, 05
・Mazda 05~07
・Toyota Gazoo Racing 01~10

– The following logos have been removed from the Decals section of My Library and from the Favorite page, if they were added:
・Mazda 01, Mazda 100 years 01, Mazda 100 years 02

Other Improvements and Adjustments

– We repaired the issue where the rear wheels of the Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo and Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991) '16 did not appear to turn when steering.
– We also attended to the issue where a network error [NE-21097097] sometimes resulted when attempting to access Sport mode after playing in Lobby.
– Support for the Logitech G923 Racing Wheel & Pedals have been added. The device name in the key assignment options has been changed to "Logitech G29/G923."
– Various other issues have been addressed.

Gran Turismo 7 was announced for PS5 back in June. When the game was announced there was mention that Polyphony Digital would be drawing on the past and present of the Gran Turismo franchise, as well as things that would be coming to it in the future. Now we know that will mean classic  tracks and vehicles being added in, along with the GT Simulation mode. There will also be a Sport Mode though the features for that will require online connectivity. You can find what more details about Gran Turismo 7 here.

Source: Polyphony Digital 

Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire 5 will be about Johnny Silverhand, coming next week

CD Projekt RED has confirmed that the fifth Night City Wire for Cyberpunk 2077 will be streamed on November 19th, and this stream will be about Keanu Reeves' character Johnny Silverhand. The stream will also look at the music that will be in Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt RED has also stated there will be a lot more to talk about, and that this Night City Wire will be a big one. Let's hope that big things do not include another delay.

The last Night City Wire focussed on the smaller world details such as the cars, motorbikes and fashion of Night City. Previous streams have given players to see gameplay, see the lifepaths you can choose, the weaponry you can wield. Originally, Cyberpunk 2077 was planned for an April 2020 launch before being pushed back to September, then November and now December. For those keeping track, the game was formerly announced way back in 2012 before the first cinematic teaser was shown in January 2013.

So, Cyberpunk 2077 will now be out for Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 10th Decmeber. It will be playable on Xbox Series X | S at that point – the consoles coming out on 10th November – and on PlayStation 5 on November 11th/19th, but next-gen enhancements will not be there on day one. The game could take some advantages next-gen beyond simple backward compatibility, but for ray tracing and other more integral enhancements, we'll have to wait

Source: Twitter

The Nioh Collection is coming to PS5 in February

Team Ninja has announced it is remastering both Nioh and Nioh 2 for the PS5, with both games coming together in one package called The Nioh Collection. This collection will contain all the DLC for both games including the story expansions. Alongside The Nioh Collection, Nioh 2: The Complete Edition will be available on PS4, while Nioh: The Complete Edition Remastered and Nioh 2: The Complete Edition Remastered will be available as standalone titles on PS5.  The Nioh Collection will run at 4K and have upto 120 fps so the action will be super smooth. Players who own Nioh 2 or Nioh 2: The Complete Edition will be able to upgrade to the corresponding version at no extra cost.

However, if you have the disc version of Nioh 2 you will need a PS5 with a disc drive to get the upgrade, as there is no way to redeem the upgrade from disc to digital according to Team Ninja. Additionally, the base Nioh 2 Remastered and the Nioh 2 DLC expansions for PS5 cannot be purchased separately. Speaking of DLC, Team Ninja confirmed that the final DLC for Nioh 2, The First Samurai, will be available on December 17th.

In our review for Nioh 2, Jason wrote:

Nioh 2 builds on the excellence of the original with a fistful of new twists and ideas, from new Yokai abilities to full-on co-op through the entire game. Nioh 2 might well be the best Soulslike that isn't a FromSoftware game, and it's easily one of my personal contenders for Game of the Year.
Meanwhile in our original Nioh review, Dave wrote:

Do not dismiss Nioh as just another knockoff; it's so much more than that. By taking some inspiration from others, Team Ninja do prove with a rich combat system and solid foundation that they have the ability to surprise and innovate. The vast majority of the game is a pleasure to play, despite the fact that death is around every corner.  There's a lot I've not even touched upon in this review, simply because it's better experienced than told. For Koei Tecmo at least, all the effort was well worth it.

The Nioh Collection will be available on February 5th 2021 for PS5.
Source: PS Blog

Rune II: Decapitation Edition Review

The tale of Rune II's development is a saga in itself – a tale full of betrayal, greed, tyrannous giants (Zenimax), and the heroic acts of a small group of developers trying to avert Ragnarok. The full details are well documented, as can be seen in our earlier coverage, and my upcoming interview with the team at Studio 369, so having managed to make it all the way to release, what condition is the game now in? We didn't review the original, cursed release on Epic a year ago but I did play Rune II in its frankly shocking pre-Studio 369 form and let me tell you, it was barely a game at all with almost no content and a complete disregard for basic QA. I was therefore in a good position to see how much had changed with this build, and to see whether it lived up to the legacy of the much loved original.

Rune II sees your player-created Viking called forth by the mighty Heimdall to stop Loki's evil plan to unleash an unending cycle of Ragnarok on Midgard. Setting up your character is pretty standard RPG fare, with a choice of appropriate hairstyles and facial hair to choose from and a refreshingly accessible approach to stats.

Your points from levelling up go towards one of four branches – strength, dexterity, wisdom, or constitution, with each having various logical effects on your overall character abilities. While this may sound limited in comparison to the labyrinthine systems of many RPGs it is perfectly suited to the more action-focused approach of Rune II. Equipment and weapons also have built-in enhancements and there is a lot of loot-based fun to be had in trying to set up the best build for your gaming style.

Graphically, Rune II is a far prettier game than last year's version. It doesn't reach the cutting edge standards of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, but there is a good amount of detail in the environments and enemy models are nicely designed. The biggest improvement is the much more defined Ages that you progress through. This sees the familiar landscape transformed by the ravages of ice, fire, and darkness, and I really liked the way in which these changes made the world feel changed and suited the story well. The explorable world is large, although I would have liked to see more incentive to leave the beaten path. There are runestones, chests, and enemies to slay scattered across the map but these are largely optional extras.

Last year's release had no real narrative to speak of, whereas Studio 369 have built a full campaign into the Decapitation Edition. In order to take on Loki and secure the future of Midgard, you'll have to take on quests, explore dungeons, and fight off Loki's hordes across the various ages of Ragnarok. In traditional action RPG fashion, many of these quests are relatively simple kill or fetch missions but they do provide a suitable framework for the limb lopping and brutal combat. There is full voice acting for the various villagers you'll meet but this is of hugely differing quality. Some of the accents are almost impossible to place and I found myself skipping a number of these conversations and using the subtitles instead.

Studio 369 have described Rune II as akin to a mix of Skyrim and Diablo, a combination that gives a good idea of the game. The main focus here is combat and loot  – lots of lovely loot. Enemies drop loot, chests contain loot, you pick up ingredients that you can craft into more loot, with the result being an ever-evolving selection of weapons and equipment for your Viking. This is all easy to manage with an intuitive interface and an easily accessed combination of radial equipment menu and skills hotbar. I found myself quickly switching between weapon sets to suit the combat style of my enemies, alternating between huge battle axes and the cagier sword and shield. While not as meaty as the likes of Dark Souls, there is a clear influence to be felt here, even if just for the ubiquitous stamina bar. My build helpfully negated this aspect and I was able to roll around like a Nordic Sonic the Hedgehog.

After the opening tutorial missions and the first dungeon, you'll be provided with the choice of aligning to a God. Odin, Hel, and Thor all open up different skill trees and playing styles, alongside the choice to go it alone as a Heathen. Odin is the path for healer style support skills and group buffs, Hel is a combination of rogue and necromancer, whilst Thor is all about magic damage. The Heathen path is focused on tank-style survivability and is my recommendation for a first playthrough in single player mode. The other modes are all good fun and offer genuine alternative approaches but are mostly more suited to co-operative play.

The bulk of my experience with Rune II was playing through the single player campaign but I was able to check out the multiplayer aspects too. The whole story can be played through in group co-op and the result is wonderfully chaotic. Enemy mobs scale with the size of the group which leads to massive melee battles with weapons and limbs flying everywhere. Studio 369 have kept Rune I's ability to throw your weapon at any time, and you can even pick up severed body parts as makeshift weapons too. This isn't a serious Viking-sim by any means, but it doesn't feel any less enjoyable because of that.

Ghost of Tsushima sales pass 5 million milestone

Ghost of Tsushima has now sold more than 5 million copies on PlayStation 4, Sony have confirmed. Herman Hulst, Head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios and former Guerrilla Games Director, made the announcement via Twitter, adding another interesting statistic.

The PlayStation exclusive samurai sim has now become the fastest selling original PS4 IP since it launched back in July, dethroning Horizon: Zero Dawn. It's a huge milestone for Ghost of Tsushima developers, Sucker Punch, whose previous games include the inFamous and Sly Raccoon series. Despite it's somewhat niche appeal, their gorgeous open world homage to classic samurai cinema has been catapulted into the PlayStation hall of fame.

In our review, we scored Ghost of Tsushima a fantastic 8 out of 10:

Ghost of Tsushima is an artistic triumph, capturing a real cinematic feel through its visuals, immersive world and soundtrack. However, Jin is a serviceable main character and he and his journey to save Tsushima is often overshadowed by secondary characters and smaller, more personal stories found in the side quests. Throw in some formulaic missions and an awkward user interface, and Ghost of Tsushima is at times more style than substance.

In the months since launch, Ghost of Tsushima has received numerous game updates, adding features such as New Game+ and, of course, the Ghost of Tsushima: Legends multiplayer which we've admittedly fallen in love with. A massive congratulations to Sucker Punch – we can't wait to see what they create next for PS5.

Source: Twitter (@HermenHulst)

Ghost of Tsushima Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

inFamous Second Son runs at 60 FPS on PS5, allows save transfer

The developers at Sucker Punch have confirmed that not one, but two of their games from the PlayStation 4 library have been enhanced for PS5.

We already knew that Ghost of Tsushima would receive a patch boosting the game's framerate on Sony's next-gen console. What we didn't know is that smoke-belching superhero sequel, inFamous Second Son, would also get a PS5 upgrade.

According to Sucker Punch, Second Son will run at a silky 60 FPS on PlayStation 5 while also benefiting from improved loading times.

For those who never got around to playing inFamous back on PS4, you'll get immediate access to Second Son and a superb collection of other games included with your PlayStation Plus subscription. See below for the full PS+ Collection list.

Game Name PS5 Enhanced? Release Date
Batman: Arkham Knight No 23/6/2015 Review
Battlefield 1 No 21/10/2016 Review
Bloodborne Yes 25/03/2015 Review
Call of Duty: Black Ops III No 06/11/2015 Review
Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy No 30/06/2017 Review
Days Gone Yes 26/04/2019 Review
Detroit: Become Human No 25/5/2018 Review
Fallout 4 No 10/11/2015 Review
Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition No 29/11/2016 Review
God of War Yes 20/04/2018 Review
Infamous: Second Son Yes 21/03/2014 Review
Monster Hunter: World No 26/01/2018 Review
Mortal Kombat X No 14/04/2015 Review
Persona 5 No 04/04/2017 Review
Ratchet and Clank No 20/04/2016 Review
Resident Evil 7 No 24/01/2017 Review
The Last Guardian Kind of 07/12/2016 Review
The Last of Us Remastered A little bit 30/07/2014 Review
Until Dawn No 26/08/2015 Review
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End No 10/05/2016 Review

When we reviewed inFamous Second Son at launch, here's what we had to say:

While the narrative might not have the same impact as previous games, it's somewhat more of a down-to-earth tale of an ordinary man with extraordinary powers, and that's an exciting new direction for the series to take.

We recently took a look back at 10 years of inFamous, reflecting on the series and discussing a potential comeback in the future.

Source: Twitter (@SuckerPunchProd)

PlayStation 5 Guides and more from TheSixthAxis

Microids and Playmagic issue apology over XIII remake

This week the remake of XIII was released and the reception for the return of this first person shooter has not been met with celebration. Instead players and fans of the original XIII have reported numerous issues with the XIII remake, and by all accounts the game is currently not worth the money. The issues are so prevalent and the outcry widespread that Microids has issued an apology about the state of XIII. Playmagic, the developer, has been working on a day one patch that was not released day one. You can read some of the apology below.

The highly anticipated remake of XIII, awaited by many fans, came out earlier this week. Unfortunately, players expectations have not been met by the launch version and we hear loud and clear the legitimate criticism and disappointment.

First and foremost, we would like to offer our most sincere apologies for the game's technical issues. In its present state, XIII does not meet our quality standards and we fully understand players' frustrations. The pandemic has impacted the game's production on many levels. Pivoting to home working for the teams has added unexpected delays in the development schedule and the QA process. We hoped we would be able to provide a Day One patch fixing all the issues but the development of this update is taking more time than expected.

Microids has also published a list of what will be fixed in upcoming patches and you can find that list below.

KNOWN ISSUES TO BE FIXED WITH INCOMING PATCHES:

Technical:

Framerate will be improved in the following locations:

  • Rooftops – Departure
  • Emerald Base – Insertion
  • Emerald base – Rescue
  • Kellownee Lake – Exploration
  • Spads Base – Sabotage
  • Spads base – Destruction
  • Spads Submarine – Evacuation
  • Resolute base – Intrusion
  • Sanctuary – Sunset Sanctuary
  • SSH1 Base – Forbidden Entry

AI:

  • NPC AI improvement is planned.

Save System:

  • Will be improved: the player should be able to load his progression at the last checkpoint and with his weapons saved.

Stability:

  • Will be improved in following locations:
  • FBI Headquarters (Games crashes when FBI agents kills XIII)
  • Spads Base 02 (Game crashes when the character dies in the water)
  • Emerald Base 02 (Game crashes when XIII dies 2 times near ladder with electricity.)
  • Emerald Base 03 (Game crashes when XIII dies 3 times near electric surrounded area)

Graphics :

  • Sometimes, 2D asset may stay on screen indefinitely if triggered before a loading
  • Vsync setting will be added on PS4 and XB1
  • Some 3D models will be improved
  • Lights will be improved on PS4 and XB1

Design:

  • Some issues with objective marker might be missing in some levels or stay active even though you finished the objective.
  • "Finish Him" achievement – There are currently issues to unlock this achievement.
  • You could be stuck if you switch the Spying Microphone for a weapon.
  • Player can fail to grab ladder to go down and fall (Pressing A/X/Space mid air to grab the ladder while falling to catch it).
  • Sometimes, ammo can not be picked up.
  • Escort in Prison can be broken.
  • Alarm in Prison/Asylum does not have the behaviour expected.
  • Kellownee Lake Exploration – A deer fails to run away and can get stuck.
  • Sometimes, you can go out of the world if you press the button for crouch at the starting of the mission.
  • Sometimes, Game over message does not match with the condition.

 

Sound Design:

  • Some voice lines are cut before the end of the dialog.
  • In some parts, some SFX and musics are missing.

XBOX ONE SPECIFIC ISSUES TO BE FIXED :

  • Switch profile from Xbox menu issue:

There is an issue if you change profile on the main menu by disconnecting the profile in the Xbox menu and connect to the another profile. If you are stuck on the main menu, please relaunch the game.

  • Launching the game without first signing into Xbox profile issue:

There is an issue if you launch the game without signing into an Xbox profile. You could be stuck on the title screen. If this issue occurs, please close the game and relaunch it with a profile connected.

  • Newly signed in user can continue the previous user progression issue:

There is an issue if you change your profile from the Xbox menu during an active gameplay. If you are able to continue the previous user progression, please relaunch the game with your new profile.

Playmagic is also working on a content roadmap that will feature additional levels, skins, weapons, and local multiplayer modes. There is no expected date for when this free content will arrive.

Source: Microids

Drone Swarm Review

An ever-present ask of RTS games is that the player suspend their disbelief long enough to accept that not a single soldier will ever stop following orders. From classic Dune II, all the way up to this year's Iron Harvest, I'm yet to see a single unit balk at whatever war crime I've just right-clicked them into committing, instead happily whistling as they dutifully bayonet sheep or set fire to thatched-roof orphanages. This could well be read as the genre's surviving commentary on itself; A mindless swarm of murderbots is an obedient swarm of murderbots, after all. That's the mechanical premise of Drone Swarm, anyway. It's a game that saw the bee-shooting plasmid from Bioshock and was like: Yes, that, but more of it, and also in space.

It's also a game that's probably more interesting and stuffed full of screenshot-worthy physics wizardry than it is an instant RTS classic, but it is so interesting, novel, and yes, actually pretty stunning to see in motion that it doesn't take long to separate itself from the pack. It's not the deepest, all told. You'll grasp the basics in about five minutes. The frantic, rapid encounters are often far more kinetically demanding than they are strategically taxing – you'll tire out your clickin' fingers long before your thinkin' head. But, in swapping out the rigidity of a tower defence for far more fluid, reactive skirmishes, Drone Swarm manages to kick off with a gripping sense of momentum that doesn't really let up until the end of its eight-hour journey through the stars.

If I say that the story and set-up remind me of Relic's 1999 classic Homeworld, but not as gripping, I'd hope that would come across as a compliment, because Homeworld is, after all, Homeworld. Drone Swarm is quite exposition heavy, while Homeworld seemed content to let its atmosphere breathe, and was better for it. Still, it's a satisfying sci-fi tale with a solid structure that only occasionally hampers the game's rapid-fire pace of progress. To summarise: Someone spilled something on the earth and now it's broken, go find a new one.

You can achieve most everything you need to in Drone Swarm with the Q,W,E, and R keys, plus your mouse. The keys select a drone type, then you use the mouse to tell the drones what to do. The most basic form of this is pathing your defence and attack drones. Attack drones damage anything they touch, and defence drones create shield barriers. So, if your mothership – The Argo – is being flanked by enemy fighters, you draw defensive walls to block incoming shots, then draw paths through your foes' flight paths for your attack drones to follow.

Victory varies missions to mission – survive x minutes, destroy everything, protect a friendly etc – and Defeat usually comes in one of two ways – you lose the Argo, or you run out of Drones. As the story progresses, so does complexity, and you start encountering a few ship types that can decimate your drone count if you're not careful. It's not a one-sided arms race, of course, as you'll also be steadily upgrading the Argo along the way with new systems. Mine fields, backup shields, self-repair units, and an actual goshdarn DRONE SHOTGUN all stop you falling too far behind your increasingly advanced alien foes.

With the proviso that, as I said up top, Drone Swarm is interesting enough to make up for most of its shortcomings, I do have a few major issues with the way progression is handled. Although you earn experience to spend on upgrades, everything feels more or less on-rails until around 70% of the way through. You've got infinite upgrade slots, so the only choice is which ones to purchase when you have a point. Even then, it's often a choice between two upgrades at max. You do have to make choices about which systems to equip the Argo with, however. Again, it takes about 60-70% of the game for there to be much real choice here. It's here a difficulty adjusted NG+ mode would have done wonders – or maybe some sort of roguelike survival mode – because the last third of Drone Swarm is easily the most interesting and rich in the amount of systems it introduces.

There's also some uniformity in enemy design that makes it difficult to differentiate which space-bastard does what, and so who you should take out first. A lot of new ships – and therefore new challenges – get introduced throughout, and some stages feel like very specific target-prioritisation puzzles.

Altogether, Drone Swarm is a game for folks who have played around a lot in the tactics and RTS genres and are more excited about seeing something new than in playing another staple, even if that hypothetical alternative may provide a more satisfying package. The phrase 'you won't be disappointed' gets used a lot in reviews, as if any game worth playing should blind the audience to its faults. You probably will be disappointed with some areas of Drone Swarm for not living up to their potential, but you'll be disappointed because of all the facets of its genuinely fascinating premise it manages to pull off brilliantly. It's not quite there, but s'warmer than it is colder.

Dead By Daylight – how to upgrade from PS4 to PS5 for free

Dead By Daylight fans, if you're reading this then there's a good chance you already have your hands on a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S. Either that, or it's sat in a van or warehouse somewhere, awaiting dispatch.

In the lead up to the launch of Sony's next-gen system, various publishers and developers have come forward to announce PS5 upgrades for their games. While some games – such as Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer Edition – are being sold as a separate, enhanced version, others will allow for a free upgrade, Dead By Daylight being one of them.

We've been testing the PS5's games and features for the past couple of weeks now and while there's a lot to love, some features don't come tagged with explainers or are hidden away in submenus. This guide will quickly show you how to upgrade your existing copy of Dead By Daylight from PS4 to PS5. It's dead simple, honest!

Of course, you will already need to have purchased a copy of Dead By Daylight on PlayStation 4, whether you purchased it as a direct download via the PlayStation Store or have a physical disc-based version.

There will be plenty of you that already own Dead By Daylight but don't even know it! Back in August 2018, Sony included the multiplayer horror hit as part of its PlayStation Plus bonus game line-up alongside Mafia III. Even if you didn't download and play it at the time, it may be in your library so go and check.

Once you've set up your PlayStation 5 and signed into the PSN profile used to originally buy Dead By Daylight, go into the PlayStation Store and look for the game (use the search bar if you're having issues).

Even when you've found the Dead By Daylight page, you may miss where to upgrade to PS5. If you press download then you'll likely end up installing the PS4 version instead. When on the store page, look to the right side and you'll see an icon for the PS5 upgrade (it's sitting just above the trophies tab). We've attached a screenshot (depicting the same screen, but with Assassin's Creed: Valhalla) below so you know where to look.

From what we've played of Dead By Daylight on PS5, it's certainly a step up when compared to last-gen versions. It runs at an improved framerate though it's hard to say whether the upgrade in visual fidelity is hugely noticeable. Thankfully, if you've previously played on PS4 then your progress will transfer over seamlessly including your online progress and purchases.

We recently re-reviewed Dead By Daylight for 2020, increased the game's original score. In other Dead By Daylight news, developer Behaviour Interactive has just unveiled their newest upcoming chapter, "A Binding of Kin" which includes a new Killer – The Twins.

Fuser full song list – here's every track available at launch

Fuser is definitely one of the more unique video game launches in 2020. The musical masters at Harmonix are back again and this time they've shelved their plastic guitars and drumkits for what can only be described as a festival DJ sim.

This latest game from the Rock Band studio builds on the concept of their DropMix interactive card game from a few years ago. It offers a simple DJ setup, giving players the freedom to mix vocals, instruments, and other sounds from various songs, all while trying to rock the crowd and boost your point score.

Fuser is out now on several platforms including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. If you want to see all of the songs currently available at launch, we've listed them below. Note that we've added an additional table at the bottom to include the 25 bonus songs available for those who splurged a little extra money on the Fuser VIP Edition.

Fuser – full launch song list

Song Name Artist
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" Blue Öyster Cult
"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" Otis Redding
"All Star" Smash Mouth
"All the Stars" Kendrick Lamar & SZA
"Any Man of Mine" Shania Twain
"Back To Boston" The Unicorn Princess
"Bad Guy" Billie Eilish
"Been Here From the Start" Da Sunlounge ft. Sara Z
"Better Now" Post Malone
"Black Phosphorous" Basra Khan
"Blah Blah Blah" Armin van Buuren
"Blinding Lights" The Weeknd
"Bloom" Charm Syndicate
"Bodak Yellow" Cardi B
"Body Like a Back Road" Sam Hunt
"Born This Way" Lady Gaga
"Bring Em Out" T.I. ft. Jay-Z
"Bust a Move" Young MC
"Call Me Maybe" Carly Rae Jepsen
"Can I Kick It?" A Tribe Called Quest
"Can't Stop the Feeling!" Justin Timberlake
"Chaka Zulu" STL GLD ft. Latrell James
"Cheap Thrills" Sia ft. Sean Paul
"Clocks" Coldplay
"Dance Monkey" Tones and I
"Daniel Wiggy" Agent 001
"Don't Let Me Down" The Chainsmokers ft. Daya
"Don't Start Now" Dua Lipa
"Don't Sweat the Technique" Eric B. & Rakim
"Dot Calm" Cade7
"Dragostea Din Tei" O-Zone
"Espresso" Steve Porter
"Eyes" Rüfüs Du Sol
"Feeling Never Lasts" Faint Shadow
"For an Angel (PvD Remix '09)" Paul van Dyk
"Future 4 Love" Soul Clap ft. Nick Monaco & Bill "Bass" Nelson
"G.D.F.R." Flo Rida feat. Sage the Gemini & Lookas
"Get Back To Me" David Youu
"Ghosts 'n' Stuff" Deadmau5 ft. Rob Swire
"Give Me Everything" Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer
"Good as Hell" Lizzo
"Groove on Lockdown" Joliet
"Happy" Pharrell Williams
"Here Comes Your Man" Pixies
"High Fructose" Bignums
"High Hopes" Panic! at the Disco
"Hold On Infinite" TK Sun
"Hold Up (Radio Edit)" Lonely C ft Kendra Foster
"Hot in Herre" Nelly
"Hot Stuff" Donna Summer
"I Gotta Feeling" Midnight Magic
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" Whitney Houston
"In da Club" 50 Cent
"Jolene" Dolly Parton
"Killing in the Name" Rage Against the Machine
"Lady Marmalade" LaBelle
"Let's Go Home" DYH
"Lonely Mornings" Doscomp
"Mantra" Hashtyani
"Me Too" Meghan Trainor
"Mi Gente" J Balvin & Willy William
"Moves like Jagger" Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera
"Mud on the Tires" Brad Paisley
"My Prerogative" Bobby Brown
"Never Gonna Give You Up" Rick Astley
"O.P.P." Naughty by Nature
"Old Town Road (Remix)" Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus
"Party Rock Anthem" LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
"Physically (Pete Moss Remix)" Colette
"Push It" Salt-N-Pepa
"Raise it Up" Life On Planets
"Regulate" Warren G & Nate Dogg
"Rehab" Amy Winehouse
"Reminds Me " Brown
"Rip The Floor Open" Hollow
"Rock the Casbah" The Clash
"Rotten Colossus" Dissentor
"Rupture Academy" CrackCase
"Satisfaction" Benny Benassi presents The Biz
"Sequence Her" Black Light Odyssey
"Shanghai Slugfest" Austin Seltzer
"Sin Pijama" Becky G & Natti Natasha
"Stir Fry" Migos
"Streetfire Tango" Danny Humbles
"Stressed Out" Twenty One Pilots
"Studio 54" Lord Felix
"Sucker" Jonas Brothers
"Summer Hair" Eddie Japan
"Summertime Magic" Childish Gambino
"Sweet but Psycho" Ava Max
"Symphony of Destruction" Megadeth
"Take On Me" A-ha
"Temperature" Sean Paul
"The Man" The Killers
"The Message (2012)" Grandmaster Melle Mel
"The Middle" Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey
"The Rockafeller Skank" Fatboy Slim
"The Sign" Ace of Base
"This Isn't Enough" Greg LeBeau
"Thrift Shop" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz
"Thunder" Imagine Dragons
"Time For Crime" ORION
"Tongue Tied" Grouplove
"Tusa" Karol G & Nicki Minaj
"Wait For Me" Pattern Drama ft. Aquarius Heaven & Hezza Fezza
"Where's Your Head At" Basement Jaxx
"X Gon' Give It to Ya" DMX
"Yo Perreo Sola" Bad Bunny

Fuser – VIP Edition DLC songs

Song Name Artist
"A Lot" 21 Savage
"Take Over Control" Afrojack ft. Eva Simons
"Ironic" Alanis Morissette
"1 Thing" Amerie
"Kings & Queens" Ava Max
"Venus" Bananarama
"Linger" The Cranberries
"Loco Contigo" DJ Snake, J Balvin & Tyga
"Lips Like Sugar" Echo & the Bunnymen
"A Little Respect" Erasure
"Bring Me to Life" Evanescence
"Trap Queen" Fetty Wap
"Unforgettable" French Montana ft. Swae Lee
"Gentle on My Mind" Glen Campbell
"Here Comes the Hotstepper (Heartical Mix)" Ini Kamoze
"Rock Your Body" Justin Timberlake
"What Ifs" Kane Brown ft. Lauren Alaina
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" Kelly Clarkson
"Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" Mark Ronson ft. Miley Cyrus
"Starships" Nicki Minaj
"Get Busy" Sean Paul
"Crank That (Soulja Boy)" Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
"Funky Cold Medina" Tone Loc
"Breaking Me" Topic with A7S
"DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" Usher ft. Pitbull

For more on Fuser, you should read our initial impressions via our review in progress. That's right, we got an actual DJ to review this game. Enjoy!

Snuggles The Unicorn is a game about building a cute little town and murdering demons

Bossa Studios has announced a brand new game with the innocent little title of Snuggles The Unicorn. In Snuggles The Unicorn players can build a town to home unicorns, make friends, do a spot of farming, build a mech suit, descend into Hell, and kill demons. Exactly what you would expect from a game called Snuggles The Unicorn. Bossa Studios has confirmed that a prototype of Snuggles The Unicorn is available to download now by signing up here.

Snuggles The Unicorn is one of a number of prototypes that Bossa has put out. Those other prototypes include Trash Bandits, I Am Fish, Pigeon Simulator, and World War AI. Bossa's last big release was Surgeon Simulator 2. Surgeon Simulator 2 is a vastly expanded game on the wacky surgeon-ish action of the original game. While there's still plenty of accident prone digging around in various surgical scenarios, you can now step away from the surgeon's table and get up to all manner of other things. There's 12 operations in the game, and you can wander to go and pick up tools in other rooms, share the space with full four player co-op to the game. There can even be some Dr. Frankenstein-esque person creation! There's also the Bossa Labs Creation Workshop built into the game, letting you create in the game. You can simply customise your character, create scenarios, build new levels and more. In fact, players have already been creating all manner of things in the game.

Source: Bossa

Bugsnax is out and free to download if you have PlayStation Plus, link here!

The first ever PlayStation Plus title for PlayStation 5, Bugsnax, is now available for download on the PlayStation Store, and it seems to be worldwide so if you are in the U.K. you can queue the game up ready for when you get your PlayStation 5 console next week.

Here are the links for the US and the UK.

The game has scored well in reviews including our own as we gave it a magnificent 9/10. "Bugsnax is a unique and wonderful experience, and a must-play for anyone who can get their hands on it," said Nic. "If you're lucky enough to have secured a PS5, make sure you make the most of PlayStation Plus and pick up your free copy while it lasts. If not, this game is still well worth your hard-earned cash."

You can read the full review of the game here. Bugsnax will available for free on PlayStation 5 to PlayStation Plus subscribers at no extra cost until January 4th, 2021. This will be an addition to the month's PS4 games, Shadow of Mordor and Hollow Knight.

Bugsnax was the real breakout surprise from the PlayStation 5 reveal event back in June, capturing the imaginations of many viewers with its maddeningly catchy music – provided by Kero Kero Bonito – not to mention its weird and wonderful world, in which you are what you eat, and what you eat are the living food items known as Bugsnax, which can only be found on Snacktooth Island.

We spoke to Young Horses shortly after the game's announcement, diving into the music partnership, the iterative process that led to the game's form, and more. Check out the full interview here.

If you don't have PlayStation Plus then Bugsnax will be priced at $24.99 USD, and is also available on the Epic Games Store.

What are the best PS5 games at launch?

Living in the UK is awesome. We have fish and chips; we have the NHS and we have the Great British Bake Off.

Sadly, we also have to wait a week for the release of the Playstation 5. So, if, like me, you're patiently waiting for your big shiny new toy to arrive in the post, you're probably scrolling through a list of games, wondering what to pick up and play first,  or perhaps if you're in the US you've got one of these shiny new beasts sat in front of you and you're doing the exact same thing.

Well, luckily for you, I was sitting here earlier, asking those hard-hitting questions: what are the best PS5 games at launch? What PS5 game should I play first? And, most importantly, what PS5 games are free at launch? Also luckily, we've had Tef and Jim hard at work over these past few weeks, reviewing everything they can get their hands on. Coupled with the games which have already been released on PS4, we have quite a healthy catalogue of games to look at already. Here they are, listed by review score, with a couple of notes against each one. Don't worry, the full review is linked below if you want to get a more rounded picture of the full game.

What are the best PS5 games at launch?

Although we do give games 10/10 from time to time, new consoles are always full of hiccups, and no new game on a new console is ever perfect. We have, however, given a fair few the almost perfect score of 9/10, and a couple of clunkers the dubious honour of 6/10. Here they are, ranked by score (and then alphabetically for fairness), complete with trailers and our final thoughts.

Bugsnax – 9/10

Bugsnax was one of the games which really caught my eye when it was first revealed. A photojournalist running around doing Pokémon things? Sign me up.  This is what I said in my review:

Bugsnax is a unique and wonderful experience, and a must-play for anyone who can get their hands on it. If you're lucky enough to have secured a PS5, make sure you make the most of PlayStation Plus and pick up your free copy while it lasts. If not, this game is still well worth your hard-earned cash.

You can read the full Bugnsax review here.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition – 9/10

Sibling rivalry never changes: Dante and Vergil will always have a rivalry and a new Playstation will always have a Devil May Cry game.

Or to quote Tef:

DMC5 Special Edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S builds on the excellence of the original release. It's not the most essential purchase, since you will soon be able to buy Vergil as DLC for the original release, but with some new game modes like Legendary Dark Knight difficulty and the new graphical options making the game smoother/prettier than ever before, it's sure to be tempting for fans of the series.

We kept the original review score of 9 for this game, but you can read the full review for this special edition release here.

The Pathless – 9/10

The Pathless is another great addition in the BotW-like genre. Linklike? I'm not quite sure what to call it, other than a bloody good game.

A larger more ambitious game from Giant Squid that shares influences with Breath of the Wild only to subvert it in clever ways: retooling a bow as an ingenious mode of traversal and puzzle solving, an open world with no map, and a shooter where you don't have to aim. It's an accessible and streamlined approach making for an unmissable adventure to lose yourself in.

Read Alan's review of The Pathless here.

Planet Coaster: Console Edition – 9/10

Not all rollercoaster sims are good. The VR one which made you shoot things as you went almost had me vomiting in the corner of the room. This one, however, embraces all that is good about this genre, ramps up the saturation (and the sugar) and Dom absolutely loved it.

Joy, wonder and engrossing park management come together to spectacular effect in Planet Coaster: Console Edition. Frontier are masters of the park building art, and as we enter a new console generation that's never been clearer.

Read Dom's full Planet Coaster review here.

Astro's Playroom – 8/10

I reckon that if TSA were to have a mascot, it would probably be Astro. Not only does this cute little robot match our logo, colour for colour, their first game was a rounding success — we all absolutely loved it. And it's not just us who would use him as a mascot either:

Astro cements himself as the PlayStation 5's mascot with a celebration of all things PlayStation that also showcases the full potential of the immersive new DualSense controller. Astro's Playroom is the first thing you should play on PlayStation 5.

Read Tef's full thoughts on Astro's Playroom here.

Dirt 5 – 8/10

Our first racing game of the list, DIRT 5 is a big, bold over-the-top arcade racer. It's far from perfect, but if this looks like your bag, why not give it a shot?

DIRT 5 strips away the more serious elements of the franchise and puts all its eggs in one, arcade cabinet shaped, basket. At times a riot, in other areas a little repetitive and lacking in finesse, it nevertheless delivers on the concept of an adrenaline-fueled off-road racer. It's a game that makes you sit forward in your seat and savour the joys of jumping a Dakar Rally Peugeot 3008 over a ravine.

You can read more of Thomas's thoughts on DIRT 5 here.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales – 8/10

Onto the one everyone is probably waiting for, not only building on the resounding success of the first game, but doing so from the perspective of Miles Morales — a decision which made a lot of fans very happy.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales feels like more of a sequel than it is a stopgap, entangling players within its web of cleverly refined mechanics while delivering some familiar web-slinging thrills. A heroic technical showcase for PS5 owners picking up their consoles on day one, this meaty side story in the Spider-Man saga has us even more excited than before to see what Insomniac Games have planned next.

You can find out why Jim gave it 8/10 here.

Watch Dogs: Legion – 8/10

Ubisoft's latest installment in it's Watch Dogs franchise is, fittingly, a Marmite game, with people falling very much into one of two camps. Personally, I'm just hoping the PS5 version fixes the awful load times I've had on the PS4.

Watch Dogs Legion is a different type of sequel to Watch Dogs 2, contrasting in its approach to creating a hackable open world playground, but with no less impressive results. Playing as any citizen in London leads to some less-than-engaging story moments, but the web of relationships and activities that crop up as a result of the systemic design is mind-blowing. I rarely did the same thing twice in Watch Dogs Legion, and if I did, I wasn't doing it the same way twice. Watch Dogs Legion truly feels like a living, breathing world, and it's a world that I plan to revisit often, even though I've seen the credits on the main story roll.

You can read Miguel's thoughts here.

WRC 9 – 8/10

WRC is the official World Rally Championship racing franchise. Much like our last racer, it's not perfect, but this is a game that fans are going to love. Something tells me that this could feel pretty good with the new Dualshock, but we haven't tested it with the adaptive triggers.

With driving that is now on par with the competition, WRC 9 will keep sucking rally fans back in for more. Elements around the core rallying action could still do with some added finesse, but when the basic premise is so solid, those issues fade into the background. At last, Kylotonn has delivered on the promise of authentic driving experience, and for a rallying game, I think that is the single most important element.

You can find Thomas's full WRC 9 review here.

Marvel's Avengers – 7/10

If you're looking for a superhero smackdown, Marvel's Avengers is likely your first port of call.

Marvel's Avengers offers a new approach for a superhero video game, yet one that still feels all too familiar for anyone who's played Destiny, The Division, or Anthem. It's eye-popping in its technical prowess as well as how much it leans on live service hooks, anticipating players will come back day after day. And a lot of players definitely will, especially if they can squad up with friends. Past its flaws and behind the grind, Marvel's Avengers is still a fun superhero brawler that has plenty of room to grow in the coming months.

You can read Jim's thoughts on the latest Marvel game here.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure – 7/10

Another Playstation flagship franchise, Sackboy: A Big Adventure is going to be one of those games that fans gravitate towards. Unfortunately, it's a little slow-moving, but it's still worth your time if you're curious what Sackboy (specifically not Sackgirl) has been up to.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure starts off slow, feeling like a hollow reflection of the franchise, but eventually grows into its new 3D platforming elements. It's at its best when it blends the new with the old, when there's power-ups, side-scrolling and a meaningful challenge, but it takes a bit too long to get it together.

Read Tef's thoughts on this flagship game here.

Madden 21 – 6/10

Dom wasn't impressed with Madden 21. Hopefully, its PS5 release will iron out the bugs which made this such a mission on current-gen consoles

Madden 21 has the components to be a solid, if utterly by-the-numbers entry in the franchise. However, a raft of bugs and glitches serve to undo the game's atmosphere at every turn.

Read the full Madden 21 review here.

Unrated/Review in progress

Sadly, we haven't had time to fully play and review everything. Where possible, we've given our thoughts on the game's opening, with more thoughts to come. If you're curious and want an early peak at how we feel these games are shaping up, take a look at our reviews in progress here:

What PS5 game should I play first?

Astro Boy, apparently — Tef's full review was titled "Astro's Playroom Review – The first game you should play on PlayStation 5". That answers that question pretty well, doesn't it?

And, most importantly, what PS5 games are free at launch?

First and foremost, anyone with a Playstation Plus subscription gets free access to Bugsnax this month — and the game is stellar so make sure you pick up a copy.

On top of that, PS5 owners with a this subscription will also have access to the brand new PS Plus Collection: a collection of games free to play if you have Playstation Plus. The name is pretty on the nose, if you ask me…

Anyway, the first batch of games you can pick up are as follows, with more inevitably to come as Sony expands the collection. Where we've only reviewed the base game, the review for that is provided:

Demon's Souls Review in Progress – a PS5 must-play, but something is missing

Eleven years ago, if you had told me Demon's Souls would be one of the most anticipated PlayStation 5 launch titles, I wouldn't have believed you. Having seen the occasional glimpse of this mysterious RPG in magazines and message boards, I quickly caved and imported a copy from Hong Kong which luckily played in English.

There's something so jarring about Demon's Souls even today, having been modernised on PS5 by the talented developers at Bluepoint Games, their recent work including the incredible Shadow of the Colossus and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection.

The ample hand-holding we typically get in most games now, even those considered highly skilled-based or hardcore, is completely missing. This isn't a case of the original creators, FromSoftware, wanting to kick away your crutches. The one-two Demon's Souls' punch of barely explaining anything, coupled with its sheer brutality, continue to make this one of the most beguiling entries in the roleplaying genre to date.

Demon's Souls – best starting class to choose on PS5

At the time, there was nothing else like it – little did we know that Demon's Souls would actually become the template for a hugely popular series (Dark Souls, followed by Bloodborne and Sekiro) while influencing the design of countless other games. We only need to look elsewhere in the PS5 launch lineup, specifically Godfall and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, both of which borrow similar combat systems, to see how wide-ranging the approach has become.

So what exactly have Bluepoint Games done here? Demon's Souls on PS5 has been totally rebuilt from the ground up, though its gameplay and foggy RPG trappings remain as they were in 2009, completely untouched.

At its core, Demon's Souls is a combat heavy action RPG in which you go from realm to realm, each one capped with an infamously tough boss battle. On top of that there are countless enemies and traps to watch out for, the game revelling in catching its players unaware. Persevere and you'll see your adventurer go from punching bag to… well, a slightly tougher punching bag.

Trudging through the game's prologue, it was the deliberate feel of sword strokes, dodges, and parries that imbued me with a sense of nostalgia, not so much the visuals. This PS5 remake of Demon's Souls is likely to divide the original game's fanbase in how its aesthetics have been modernised with environments and character models having undergone a major makeover.

It looks far more detailed while leaning further into its dark fantasy theme, though purists will claim that something crucial has been lost here. The plain, statuesque look of some enemies, as well as the game's brutish architecture, has been partially lost, though Demon's Souls is still a treat for the eyes even with that chip on your shoulder.

Stepping foot inside The Nexus and then Boletarian Palace, everything will come rushing back to those who braved this adventure on PlayStation 3. Even the weakest of grunts, garbed in nothing but rags, can take you down in a few measly hits. The further you press on, the more souls you will collect though dying will forfeit these – unless you recover them from where you were last killed. However, if slain during this risky rescue mission, those souls are gone for good.

Mastering the finesse of combat in Demon's Souls is only part of the appeal, as are the nail-biting boss battles. There's a much deeper layer to the game when it comes to character progression and understanding those crucial mechanics that simply aren't explained to you. The simple act of being able to level up requires you to find and kill the first boss, then navigate The Nexus for an unassuming NPC tucked away on one of the upper floors.

After seeing what Bluepoint did with Shadow of the Colossus on PS4 back in 2018, we had hoped Demon's Souls would be equally as faithful in terms of art direction. It's certainly lost some of that unique style but it's still a remake well worth playing. We just hope those picking up a copy with their PS5 on launch day know what they're getting into.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla – how to upgrade from PS4 to PS5 for free

Ubisoft recently announced that several of its games launching from now into 2021 will be eligible for a free next generation upgrade on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It's a smart initiative and one that deals with the financial burden of making that leap to new hardware.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is one of the games that is eligible. Available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia, and Xbox Series X|S, it will finally be joining the PlayStation 5 line-up when Sony's shiny new console launches on November 19th here in the UK.

We've been testing the PS5's games and features for the past couple of weeks now and while there's a lot to love, some features don't come tagged with explainers or are hidden away in submenus. This guide will quickly show you how to upgrade your existing copy of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla from PS4 to PS5.

First, you're going to actually need a copy of the game, whether you purchased Assassin's Creed: Valhalla via the PlayStation Store digitally or got yourself the physical version.

Once you've set up your PlayStation 5 and signed into the PSN profile used to originally buy Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, go into the PlayStation Store and look for the game. If it does not appear on the main store page along with other new releases then use the search function in the top right corner.

Even when you locate the page for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, you may miss where to upgrade to PS5. If you press download then you'll likely end up installing the PS4 version instead. When on the store page, look to the right side and you'll see an icon for the PS5 upgrade (it's sitting just above the trophies tab). We've attached a screenshot below so you know where to look.

Naturally, the PS5 version offers several advantages with Ubisoft making the use of Sony's next-gen tech. Expect improved loading times, enhanced visuals, and DualSense integration. The trade-off here is that the files size will be considerably larger than Valhalla on PS4. At the time of writing, the Viking era sequel weighs in at a hefty 84.55GB.

If you're already well into Eivor's journey on PS4 then there are a couple of things you should take into consideration. If you've logged into Ubisoft Connect via the game's menu then you can carry your save data over to PS5 and pick up where you left. Of course, make sure you have a copy of your save file also backed up on a console of USB just in case there's an error.

One thing that doesn't carry over however is your trophy progress. Booting up Valhall on PS5 for the first time will present an identical list of trophies that won't unlock retroactively.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Monster Prom XXL Review

Look, calm down, it's okay, you just read the title wrong. It's easy to do but this game is actually called Monster Prom XXL. Whilst it certainly attempts to be sexy in places, it is, thankfully, far from being pornographic. It's also part of a niche genre, within a niche genre, within a niche genre. Genre inception if you will. I've no idea what a one-to-four player competitive dating sim is, let alone how one plays. Let's find out together, shall we?

Monster Prom XXL is ostensibly a party game; one that's framed around a high school dating sim. It has the style and narrative drive of a visual novel and the structure of a board game. It also has elements of roleplay bolted to it, as well as a virtual Dungeon Master who creates new stories for you on the fly. It's a hodgepodge, it's a bit of a mess, it's certainly not for everyone, but it's also oddly compelling and often very very funny.

You and up to three pals take on the role of one of four charmingly illustrated high school Monsters. Your challenge? To land yourself a date for the high school prom, it's that simple. Monster Prom is wonderfully inclusive in it's dating and its choice of pronouns, anyone – regardless of sexuality, gender, species, appearance or the fact they are already dead – can date anyone. There's a number of candidates to impress, each unique in appearance and temperance.

Perhaps you'll set your sights on a feisty and furious demon called Damien, who just wants to punch the world in the face – repeatedly. Or maybe you'll endeavour to woo Polly, the party loving Ghost with the most. If you've any sense though, then you'll be getting to know Calculester better. Why? Calculester is a "library computer who had become a sentient robot ready to experience life to its fullest." This living computer also happens to have the most hilarious lines – and rude selection of emoticons – in the entire game. Which, seeing as the the standard of humour is impressively high here, is certainly saying something.

Humour really is the secret weapon of Monster Prom. The script writing is regularly sublime; fast, funny, full of character and deliciously meta. This is a game that isn't afraid to poke fun at the player, at itself, or even at its developers. There's so many cultural references, sly digs and exasperated nods that it's nearly impossible to keep track of them all. Instead, just go with it and have a good laugh. Though one aspect of the script that does fall short is its attempts at adult humour.

Swear words are, in my opinion, overused and unwarranted, while references to sexual acts and the inclusion of overt sexual innuendo just feels plain awkward. Is a sentient robot really going to be interested in a blowjob? Surely a defrag would be more desirable? On the plus side, you can ignore these clangers by skipping through them and admiring the art style instead, Monster Prom's comic worthy illustrations are gorgeous throughout.

What of the gameplay then? This aspect of the game is a little hit and miss for me. The story takes place over the course of a three week – or two week in the shorter gameplay mode – run-up to the high school prom. Each player answers a silly quiz that provides their character with stats in various attributes (boldness, creativity, fun etc) and a prospective date that best suits them.

This is where the board game similarities come in: players take it in turns to visit certain areas of the school, each time triggering a different event. They'll meet a selection of characters ensconced in different scenarios and then be given a number of – usually ridiculous – choices to make and actions to take by the virtual DM. Make the right choice and you'll be awarded a stat boost and develop your relationship with a specific monster. Make the wrong choice and your stats will take a dip whilst your beloved will show you the hard shoulder – or hard tentacle in some cases.

If I'm honest the changes to your stats felt arbitrary and made little sense – they certainly appeared to play no part in whether or not I was successful in getting a date for the prom. The game also suffers from quickly becoming repetitious. Whilst there's hundreds of possible scenarios to experience, the board game structure remains unchanging: visit an area of the school, choose a table to sit at in the canteen, visit a couple more areas before moving on to the next week and doing it all again.

This tedium is exacerbated by a very limited cast of monsters during any one run through. Despite the story and script work regularly surprising then, the actual gameplay quickly becomes formulaic. It's a shame that Monster Prom doesn't vary its own structure, perhaps by putting more events in one week and less in another, or by having a large group of characters involved in a scenario, rather than just two or three. Either way, it would certainly have benefited from a couple of extra game modes or activities to shake things up a bit.

Local play is, of course, the best way to play the game – putting a wrecking ball to a friend's blossoming relationship by spreading slanderous rumours never gets old. Though playing together in the same room is oddly hampered by a curious mechanic that seeks to encourage 'real world' debate to decide which player goes first at the start of every turn. Players are asked to choose an object, animal, brand or similar and then are given a crazy criteria. A debate must then ensue as to whose choice is better suited to fulfil the criteria, the winner getting to go first.

There's nothing wrong with a party game that encourages social interaction – that's the whole point, right? The problem is that for a game that aims for accessibility, the questions asked are far too niche and not applicable to a wide audience – leading to some members of the family feeling left out and unable to contribute to the discussion.

Well this is going swimmingly, now Walmart Canada are delaying PS5 deliveries

The last few days have seen many Xbox Series X|S pre-orders delayed across the globe and it looks the the PlayStation 5 may also be in trouble. With just hours to go before delivery, Walmart Canada has told customers that their new consoles will be arriving 2-3 days later than expected.

However, the 2-3 day delay is nowhere near as bad as what some Xbox Series X customers face in the United States where Amazon are suggesting the console might not arrive until the start of 2021.

We're contacting you with an update regarding your order of Xbox Series X. We expect to ship your console in the coming weeks as we receive more inventory in November and December. At this time, we anticipate that you will receive your Xbox Series X by 12/31 or before. We are making every effort to get it to you as soon as possible and apologize for any inconvenience

Microsoft spokesperson gave the follwing statement to GamesIndustry.biz

We have seen overwhelming global demand from our fans for the next generation of Xbox and are working tirelessly with our retail partners to replenish Xbox hardware as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile over the UK, many people including myself and other TSA staff, are faced with prospect of having a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller and PS5 games, but no console to play them on, as Sony moved the release date of the games and accessories to today, but not the PS5 itself.

It seems many retailers have been surprised by the size and number of consoles they have top move, this seems ridiculous when pre-orders have been closed for weeks and warehouses have been full of consoles for days. The PlayStation 5 launch will be even bigger here in the UK where PlayStation has been the dominate console for quite a few years. Let's hope Amazon UK and the other retailers have got their act together by next Thursday.

PlayStation 5 Guides and more from TheSixthAxis

Source: Twitter