[UPDATE] Xbox Live had sign in issues, was fixed, broke again, is now fixed

UPDATE #4: It seems to be back up. Don't hold your breath…

UPDATE #3: It's broken again!

UPDATE #2: It's fixed!

UPDATE #1: It may be fixed soon!

Original story below…

I was wondering when this was going to happen, America is waking up and plugging in those shiny new Xbox consoles and Xbox Live is falling over. "We're aware that users are currently unable to sign into Xbox Live on various platforms," tweets Xbox Support.

You can check out the status of Xbox Live by heading to the support page here. It seems the issue was spotted at just after 6pm GMT and is being investigated by Microsoft. The status page does say only Xbox One and Windows 10 are affected by a quick check on Twitter shows the Xbox app and those with a Series X are also having issues.

It's a big night for server issues, Beyond Light has just launched on Destiny 2 and Bungie's severs have fallen apart.

Is the Xbox Series X worth they outlay? We'd say so, if you prefer the green team over the blue. The console is fast, it's clearly very powerful and it builds on the Xbox One X. You'll see a huge jump forward if you're coming from a base Xbox One or PlayStation 4, but might be feeling there's a lack of meaningful exclusives on day one.

We said in our Xbox Series X review:

The Xbox Series X is the continuity candidate. It's built on the foundations of familiar system software and comprehensive backward compatibility that actively enhances everything you want to play on it (within limits) and it's effectively silent no matter how hard we've pushed it. At this time we're still on the outer threshold of what it can offer for the next gen gaming, but we'll explore that over the coming days, weeks and months. What's certain is that you'll want a high-end TV or monitor to get the very best out of it, and that if you're coming from a base PS4 or Xbox One in particular, this will be a huge step forward.

Source: Xbox

Destiny 2: Beyond Light Update 3.0.0 patch notes have dropped, check them out here!

It's here, Destiny 2: Beyond Light has officially launched – although you might not be able to play it yet – and with it a huge number of changes. Four planets have gone, quests, strikes and raids wiped from the game, tweaks to remaining feature such as Gambit and the Crucible, and a whole bunch of new content.

Here are the notes and they are HUGE.

REWARDS

VENDOR ARMOR

  • Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit vendors now all reward a Prime version of their respective ritual engram for completing the weekly challenge.
      • These engrams award the ritual's new Season of the Hunt armor on a knockout list until the full set has been obtained.
      • Once the full set is obtained the engrams drop re-rolls of the ritual armor as well as world weapons. (Note this is on a per-ritual basis; each ritual engram assesses separately.)
      • All armor dropped from these engrams is high stat armor.
  • The base (non-Prime) version of Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit engrams now drops world armor until the respective ritual set has been obtained from the Prime ritual engram.
  • Once the ritual set has been obtained from the Prime ritual engram, low-stat ritual armor will drop.
  • Zavala, Shaxx, and Drifter now sell low-stat versions of their new Season of the Hunt armor. Armor must be obtained from the ritual's Prime engram before it can be purchased.

ENGRAMS

  • Engram previews for most gear engrams have been removed.
  • The following engrams had new versions created in Season of the Hunt: Legendary World, Prime, Crucible, Gambit, Vanguard, Gunsmith, and Iron Banner. Older versions of these engrams will be removed from the game in Season 13.
      • Players with a back-stock of these engrams in the Postmaster are advised to extract and decrypt these engrams before the end of Season of the Hunt.

ECONOMY

  • Spider has made several changes to his inventory as follows:
      • He has grown jealous of the large stocks of Legendary Shards Guardians have saved up, and now covets them. To that end he will no longer part with Legendary Shards.
      • He has obtained Enhancement Prisms to sell but will part with no more than three per week for each customer.
          • He has priced these at 400 Legendary Shards each.
      • Enhancement Cores are now fixed in price at 30 Legendary Shards each (they do not ascend with each purchase) but are limited to 5 per day for each customer.
  • Zavala's and Shaxx's Boons and the Eververse's Gleaming Boons have been deprecated and can be dismantled to recover their original full purchase price.
  • Economy, Currencies, Faction of the Nine, Dead Orbit, New Monarchy, Future War Cult faction tokens, and all Rare destination materials can now be safely discarded and can be deleted as a full stack.
  • Banshee-44 and the Spider will still accept planetary materials from Vaulted destinations for the duration of Season of the Hunt.
      • These materials will be deprecated in a future season and players are advised to spend them during Season of the Hunt.
  • Season Pass
      • Season Pass rewards have been refreshed for Season of the Hunt.
      • Additional Bright Dust has been added to the Season Pass reward tracks as follows:
          • Free Track: Added 5,200 to the already present 2,300, for a total of 7,500.
          • Paid Track: Added 2,600 to the already present 400, for a total of 3,000.
      • Weekly Bounties will now award 100 Bright Dust
  • Eververse
      • Starting in Season of the Hunt, Bright Engrams will now contain all Eververse content from Season 1 to three Seasons prior to the current Season (excluding content from special events like Festival of the Lost, the Dawning, etc.). Here are some practical examples:
          • Season of the Hunt: Bright Engrams contain all content from Seasons 1 through 9.
          • Season 13: Bright Engrams contain all content from Seasons 1 through 10.

GHOSTS

  • All existing and new Ghost Shells except the Generalist Shell now have energy levels and access to mods with various energy costs instead of being pre-loaded with specific perks.
  • Ghosts now have four mod slots. Three are unlocked by default, and the fourth is unlocked by Masterworking the Shell.
  • Kill Tracker functionality remains only on Ghosts that originally had access to that perk.
  • Other pre-existing Ghost perks have been turned into mods and some have been made into more globalized versions of their past functionality.
  • A selection of mods are available on all Ghost Shells by default, with the remaining ones obtainable via various gameplay sources (information on where to find these mods can be learned from Collections).
  • No mods will be obtained from the Eververse and Eververse purchased Shells will have no advantages or functional differences from Ghost Shells earned in game.

SPARROWS

  • All Sparrows intrinsically fast-summon now.
      • Newly acquired or reacquired from Collections sparrows no longer roll on the Speed Demon(fast-summoning) perk.
      • Players are advised to re-pull any sparrows they presently are using that have fast-summon to gain a new perk combo.

GENERAL FIXES

  • Matterscourge ornament can no longer be reacquired from Collections.
  • Last Perdition on Shaxx now dismantles for less than its vendor cost.
  • Universal Ornament item descriptions no longer refer specifically to Year-3 items.
  • Emotes now display flavor text on the item detail screen or when being previewed on the Eververse store.
  • Added icons to weapons that were missing their release watermark.
  • Exotic Ciphers can no longer be added to a player's Vault.
      • Players saving an Exotic Cipher in their Vault must remove it and spend it before they can acquire a new one.
  • Armor affinity now display on player inspect.

BOUNTIES

  • Lectern of Enchantment weekly bounty no longer references Nightmares on Io or Titan.
      • Progress is now made from defeating Nightmares on the Moon.

POWER & PROGRESSION

  • Powerful sources, weekly rituals with Powerful rewards released with Shadowkeep no longer grant Powerful rewards.
      • These rewards have been moved to new rituals released with Beyond Light.
  • Once the character's gear Power has reached the soft cap (1200 in Beyond Light), it will now be possible to receive small Powerful upgrades from some normal drops.
      • These will come from strikes, Crucible, and Gambit as well as some Seasonal sources, and are not subject to daily nor weekly lockouts.
      • These can drop until the Power Cap (1250 in Beyond Light).
  • Reduced the Power level of some vendor token rewards.

PLAYER IDENTITY

  • Login screens now have a dark background.
  • Updated the Full-screen Menus to have a dark background style.
  • Player waypoints now display Season Rank, HUD waypoints.
      • Character Creation:
      • Changed selection from "Male" & "Female" to "Masculine" & "Feminine."
      • Guardian head and hair models have been replaced with improved versions.
      • Several color swatches have been changed to better represent the applied color.
      • Players previous head selections are still used.
  • Added toggle functionality to the character screen, allowing the player to make a choice between Light and Dark subclasses.
      • Character screen visuals updated depending on player choice between Light and Dark.

TRIUMPHS

  • Triumph Screen Updates:
      • Navigation has been added to Triumphs and Seals to toggle between Active and Legacy content.
      • Legacy Triumphs and Seals have a new visual style to distinguish them from Active content.
      • Medals, Exotic Catalysts, and Lore have been given their own section within the Triumphs screen.
      • Improved Lore screen added for better book/page navigation.
      • Triumphs now display both the current step reward and final completion reward.
  • Triumphs have had an overhaul and are now categorized in a new way.
      • Lifetime Triumph sets will persist across all Seasons and introduces new players to the core aspects of Destiny.
      • Destination Triumph sets will move to the Legacy section when the related destination enters the Destiny Content Vault.
      • Seasonal Triumph sets will move to the Legacy section at the end of each year.
  • Legacy Triumph Sets and Seals are found in the Legacy section.
      • Legacy sets will not apply to your Active Triumph Score.
      • Players can still see their Legacy set scores and which Triumphs they completed in time.
      • All the Legacy Seals and their related Triumphs can be seen on the Legacy page.
      • Titles for completed Legacy Seals can still be equipped
  • Several new Stat Trackers were added to the system including, but not limited to, weapon-type Stat Trackers gated behind new Triumph completions.
      • Prophecy Dungeon Stat Trackers have been moved to the Open World category matching other Dungeon related Stat Trackers.

COMBAT

WEAPONS

  • Hand Cannons
      • Aggressive
          • Increased Rate of Fire (RoF) from 110 to 120.
          • Broke out Aggressive Hand Cannons, allowing custom tuning of stats (e.g. damage falloff for 100 range in this subfamily now starts at 32m).
      • Adaptive and Precision
          • Range stat now has more impact on minimum damage falloff range for both archetypes.
          • Damage falloff for 100 range now starts at 25m, was 20m.
      • Precision Hand Cannon
          • 180 RoF magazine scaled up by 37 percent.
          • Note: This also affects Exotics with that RoF.
      • Lightweight (folded in to Adaptive)
          • Moved all Lightweight Hand Cannons (150 RoF) to the Adaptive subfamily (140 RoF).
      • This includes Luna's Howl and Not Forgotten.
          • One Exotic Hand Cannon will retain 150 RoF.
          • We aren't going to leave it to speculation.
          • It's beautiful.
          • It does Solar damage.
          • It makes enemies explode.
          • It's Sunshot.
  • Sniper Rifles
      • Adjusted how aim assist (AA) is affected by Sniper Rifle Zoom rating. The lower the Zoom the lower the AA and vice versa. Scopes with around 50 Zoom are unchanged.
      • Lowest-Zoom scopes have a large reduction in AA cone angle.
      • Highest-Zoom scopes have a small increase.
  • Auto Rifles
      • Adaptive
          • Damage per bullet reduced from 15.75 to 14.25.
          • Note: Prior to Season of the Worthy, damage per bullet was 13.75.
  • Scout Rifles
      • Increased how much each point of the AA stat widens the AA cone.
      • At maximum, the AA cone is now 15 percent wider.
  • Rocket Launchers
      • Increased reserves by 1 or 2 rockets depending on Inventory stat.
  • Perks
      • Outlaw – Reload speed increase felt insufficient with certain subfamilies and combinations of rolls (e.g. Aggressive Hand Cannons).
          • Increased Reload stat bonus from +50 to +70.
  • Merciless
      • Increased Inventory stat from 36 to 55 (this increases reserve ammo).
  • Mountaintop
      • Reduced splash damage by 33 percent, increased impact damage such that total damage is 5 percent lower than before.
      • Reduced projectile velocity multiplier from the Micro-Missile perk from 1.4 to 1.2. (i.e., now 20 percent faster than other breech Grenade Launchers instead of 40 percent).
      • Reduced in-air accuracy. Now has significant projectile error while in-air (around 7 degrees without the Icarus Grip mod, substantially less with).
  • Falling Guillotine
      • Reduced Heavy Attack damage by ~24 percent to bring in line with other Swords.
      • Note: Falling Guillotine will continue to be slightly above average, just not to the extent that it is now.
  • MIDA Multi-Tool and MIDA Mini-Tool
      • MIDA Mini-Tool
          • Moved the "Mida Synergy" trait to the intrinsic, similar to how the (Baroque) version works.
          • Added the following perks:
              • Hip-Fire Grip
              • Kill Clip
      • NOTE: There is an issue with the Masterwork on this weapon that prevents it from being upgraded. This will be fixed in a later update.
      • NOTE: The Gunsmith will begin selling a version of this weapon on November 10 with no infusion cap.
  • Sturm and Drang
      • Drang
          • Moved the "Together Forever" trait to the intrinsic, similar to how the (Baroque) version works
          • Added the following perks:
          • Accurized Rounds
          • Moving Target
          • NOTE: There is an issue with the masterwork on this weapon that prevents it from being upgraded. This will be fixed in a later update.
          • NOTE: The Gunsmith will begin selling a version of this weapon on November 10 with no infusion cap.
  • Ruinous Effigy
      • Transmutation Spheres
      • Reduced the damage of the aerial melee attack by 25 percent.
      • Significantly reduced the damage of the drain effect on enemy combatants.
  • Arbalest
      • No longer strikes shields multiple times, but its efficacy against shielded targets has been increased.
  • Jade Rabbit
      • Armor Piercing Rounds swapped to High Caliber Rounds.
      • This fixes an issue that could prevent the Exotic perk from triggering.
  • Traveler's Chosen
      • Reduced muzzle flash intensity.
  • Point of the Stag
      • Increased Point of the Stag's Max Power Level to 1310.
  • Divinity
      • Fixed a bug that prevented some weapons from dealing precision damage to the Divinity cage (e.g. Eriana's Vow).

ENERGY TYPE REQUIREMENTS

  • All of the weapon-oriented armor mods (e.g. Hand Cannon Loader, Fusion Rifle Ammo Finder, etc.) have been changed to be any energy type.
      • As a result of the above change, all Arc Charged with Light mods now activate their second perk if you have any other Arc mod equipped on the same armor piece, or if you have any other Arc Charged with Light mod socketed in any other armor piece you are wearing.

ENHANCED MOD REBALANCING

  • All mods that have an Enhanced version of that mod (e.g. Enhanced Hand Cannon Loader) have had the base mods' efficacy increased to match that of the Enhanced version of the mod.
      • As a result, those Enhanced mods have been deprecated, and the base mods' energy costs have been adjusted upward slightly (but are still lower than the equivalent Enhanced mods).
  • Some mods have moved to different slots to create more competition for mod sockets across armor pieces (for example, the Fast Ready mods have moved to the Arms socket).

RAID MODS

  • Starting in Season of the Hunt, Last Wish, Garden of Salvation, and the upcoming Beyond Light raid armors will now drop with a fifth, dedicated armor mod socket that is exclusively for the mods related to that raid.
      • Anti-Taken mods from Last Wish will only function in the Last Wish raid.
      • Anti-Hive mods from the Leviathan raid will be deprecated.
      • Anti-Fallen raid mods from Scourge of the Past will be deprecated.
  • Last Wish and Garden of Salvation armor acquired prior to Season of the Hunt will not have this dedicated armor socket but will still be able to use the mods related to that raid in the new Legacy armor mod socket.

COMBAT MODS

  • All armor released in Beyond Light and Season of the Hunt, all Last Wish and Garden of Salvation armor acquired starting in Season of the Hunt, and all Armor 2.0 Exotic armor pieces (including those already possessed by players) will have a Combat style mod socket.
      • In Season of the Hunt, this socket will accept all Charged with Light and Warmind Cell mods.
  • All Armor 2.0 armor acquired during Seasons 8 through 11 have had their Seasonal mod sockets replaced with a single, unified Legacy mod socket that can socket all Charged with Light mods, all Warmind Cell mods, all Nightmare Hunt mods, all Garden of Salvation mods, and all Last Wish mods.
  • Banshee-44 now has a chance to sell armor mods from Black Armory, Season 10, and Season 11.

ANTI-CHAMPION MODS

  • Anti-barrier rounds will now penetrate Taken Phalanx shields.
  • All Anti-Champion mods have been shifted to armor, rather than taking a weapon mod slot.

ABILITIES

  • Increased Hunter's dodge cooldown by a few seconds
      • (E.g. Tier 4 original cooldown: 22 sec. New cooldown: 26 sec)
  • Orbs of Light have been changed to Orbs of Power as they can now be consumed by Light and Dark subclasses.

ACTIVITIES

VANGUARD

  • Removed Legacy Nightfall and Heroic story mission nodes.
  • Nightfall: The Ordeal
      • Adjusted Adept recommended Power level to 1180, matchmaking is available at 1150.
      • All versions of Nightfall: The Ordeal now fill player ammo at the start of the activity (like Grandmaster has always done).

GAMBIT

  • Merged Gambit and Gambit Prime into a single mode
      • Single round.
      • Gambit Prime encounters, with all a large boss combatants reduced in potency.
      • Gambit Prime mote targets and drain.
      • Gambit Prime blockers, with the Phalanx taking the place of the Captain for 10 motes.
      • Gambit Prime invasion cadence, with longer cooldown between invasions.
      • Gambit boss fight, with increased Primeval health and Slayer buff potency.
      • Removed Gambit Prime armor perks.

CRUCIBLE

  • Updated the Crucible's featured modes:
      • Control
      • Elimination
      • Rumble
      • Glory: Survival
          • Both Survival and Survival: Freelance will be available.
      • Weekly rotator
          • Clash
          • Mayhem
          • Showdown
      • Private matches
      • Limited Availability
          • Iron Banner
          • Iron Banner: Freelance
      • Weekend Availability
          • Trials of Osiris
  • Trials of Osiris
      • Trials of Osiris Power level requirement increased to 1210.
      • Weapons or armor that have ornaments applied to them now correctly show the ornament icon during the Trials intro.
      • Added Adept weapons and weapon mods to Flawless chest rewards.
      • Additional information here (link TWAB).
  • Maps
      • Added physics blockers to some out-of-bounds areas on Altar of Flame.
      • Added physics blockers to some out-of-bounds areas on Exodus Blue.
      • Added physics blockers to some out-of-bounds areas on Cauldron.

MONUMENT TO LOST LIGHTS

  • Added the following to the new Monument to Lost Lights vendor in the Tower:
      • Exotic quest weapons from Year 1.
      • Most Exotic quest weapons from Year 2.
      • Exotic Season Pass and quest weapons from Year 3 through 8, 9, and 10.
      • All past pinnacle and ritual quest weapons.
      • Vaulted Raid's Exotic Weapons.
  • All Exotics require an Exotic cipher, large amounts of Glimmer, a large amount of one planetary materials, and a small amount of Masterworking material.
  • Legendary weapons require a second Masterworking material, rather than an Exotic cipher.
  • Amounts vary between weapons.
  • Added a repeatable source of Exotic ciphers – visit Xur to learn more.
  • Added a new currency, Spoils of Conquest, acquirable only from raids.
      • Spoils of Conquest can be used to acquire Vaulted raid's Exotic weapons from the Monument to Lost Lights vendor.

GENERAL

  • Fixed an issue where dying while holding Riven's Heart could cause the Heart to disappear.
  • Removed flashpoints.
  • Removed the following Shadowkeep challenges from the Moon:
      • Rune table
      • Repeatable campaign missions
      • Nightmare Hunt completion and time trials
      • Pit of Heresy completion
      • Garden of Salvation completion

QUEST NOTIFICATIONS

  • Added notifications in the player's HUD that display whenever a player acquires a new quest, progresses to a new quest step, and completes a quest.
  • Tracking a quest with an associated map location automatically adds a waypoint to that associated location.
  • Added a shortcut to the current Season's Triumphs within the Seasonal tab of the Quest Log.

NEW LIGHT

  • Greatly expanded the New Light experience
      • Introducing a new introductory campaign that both new players and veteran players can experience.
      • Cosmodrome makes a return as a destination along with new activities and a new NPC.
      • Created additional new user experience tutorials to help explain equipping weapons and armor, quests and bounties, lost sectors, strike matchmaking, and more.
      • Veterans can experience this new campaign should they choose by retrieving the "A Guardian Rises" pursuit from the Quest Archive.
  • The Pain & Gain Exotic quest for Riskrunner has been replaced
      • This quest has been folded into the New Light campaign experience.
  • Subclass Acquisition
      • New Light players who do not have a veteran account with all subclasses unlocked will now acquire alternate subclasses from Ikora
      • New characters can earn pursuits to unlock their additional subclasses by speaking with Ikora after their first strike.
      • All subclass pursuits are class scoped just as their subclasses are.
      • Alternate characters with missing subclasses can acquire them by speaking with Ikora and accepting the subclass pursuit package.
  • Added a new vendor to the Tower, located to the left of the Postmaster.
      • The Quest Archive Vendor functions much like the Destiny 1 Abandoned Quests Kiosk as well as a way to acquire older pursuits.
      • The kiosk has subpages that group the pursuits just as they are seen on your Quests page.
      • Going forward any pursuits abandoned will go to this vendor.
      • Older pursuits can now also be found on this vendor.
      • This is to help ensure that vendors do not become overwhelmed by older content.
  • Triumphs are now unlocked as part of the New Light experience
      • Prior to this moment you will not be able to navigate Triumphs if your account has not yet unlocked them.
      • Unlocking Triumphs on any character enables them for all.
      • There are categories of Triumphs under Lifetime that unlock as a result of claiming adjacent Triumphs.
  • The Season Pass and its rewards are now unlocked as part of the New Light experience
      • Unlocking the Season Pass on any character enables it for the entire account.
      • The first time you unlock the Season Pass you will earn 5 free ranks, up to rank 5.
      • Rested XP is also not enabled until the Season Pass has been unlocked.
      • The moment that the Season Pass is unlocked both Rested XP and Challenges are enabled.
  • Destinations unlock via XP if you do not own the expansion associated with that destination.
      • Unlock Order:
          • Cosmodrome
          • Europa
          • EDZ
          • Nessus
          • Tangled Shore
          • Dreaming City
          • Moon
  • Crucible and Gambit
      • These activities are now unlocked after reaching the Tower and picking up the associated pursuit from Lord Shaxx and Drifter respectively.
      • Completing the first step of either pursuit unlocks the entirety of the activity types modes.
      • These pursuits can be acquired when returning to the Tower after your first strike.
      • They can be picked up, but they will not advertise on the vendor waypoint/tooltip until you've progressed through the game further.
  • Strikes can be unlocked after completing the first step of the strike introduction pursuit provided by Zavala.
  • The Forsaken campaign now has the same introduction behavior as Shadowkeep and Europa.
      • All players regardless of expansions owned get to experience the first mission of the Forsaken campaign upon unlocking the Tangled Shore.
      • Completing this activity is a requirement for unlocking Free Roam on the Tangled Shore.
      • Accounts that own Forsaken will automatically be given the remainder of the campaign and may continue as they see fit.
      • Accounts that do not own Forsaken will be able to pick up the remaining campaign for Forsaken from the Quest Archive vendor once they've purchased it.
      • Accounts that do not own Forsaken can still explore the Tangled Shore and the Dreaming City after having unlocked their patrol zones.
  • Beyond Light
      • Veteran characters who log in and qualify for the start of the Beyond Light campaign will be automatically launched into it.
      • New characters who log in and qualify for the start of the Beyond Light campaign, but have not completed the New Light quest, will not be automatically launched into it.
      • This does not disable a new character from manually starting the Beyond Light campaign.
  • Chaperone Acquisition
      • There is now an alternative pursuit for acquiring the Exotic Shotgun, Chaperone.
          • This pursuit may be acquired via Shaw Han on the Cosmodrome or the Quest Archive Vendor in the Tower.
          • This pursuits requires ownership of Beyond Light.
      • The pre-existing pursuit for Chaperone continues to exist as-is and remains part of the Forsaken expansion.

MISC

  • Fixed a bug that prevented online friends from showing up in the roster on Stadia for players with over 100 friends.
  • Fixed a bug that occasionally prevented players from earning progress on bounties when joining an activity in progress.
      • This most notably impacted Iron Banner bounties, and also caused players to have their artifact power bonus enabled.

GENERAL

PC

  • PC players with compatible NVIDIA cards and drivers will be able to take advantage of Destiny 2 integration with NVIDIA Reflex, reducing "click-to-display" latency during gameplay.

ENVIRONMENT

  • Updated lighting in a number of areas on EDZ and Nessus.
  • Updated lighting and sky atmosphere for EDZ.

LOCALIZATION

  • Due to the challenges of voice recording during a global pandemic, different actors had to be used for the following characters:
      • Osiris (Brazilian version)
      • Eris (Brazilian version)
      • Eris (Polish version)
  • We intend to return to the original cast as soon as possible.

ADVANCED RENDERING

  • Lighting improvements and better dark area standardization.
  • Please revisit your brightness settings and tune to your taste.
  • We recommend HDR black point is set to the default middle value for best results.

 

Source: Bungie

[UPDATE] Destiny 2 :Beyond Light is having server issues, Bungie aware of the problem

UPDATE 3: A queueing system is now in place, but it's behaving very erratically, I jumped from 1065 to around 6000 and then back up to 9514  in the space of three minutes. Background maintenance has also been extended.

 

UPDATE #2: Bungie have tweeted the following. You should also note that Xbox Live is having problems. 

UDPATE: Bungie say things are getting better, however my fireteam have been "playing" for an hour now and the servers are not holding up. Infusing weapons doesn't work, the game has crashed, there's a lot of lag, and we keep on getting kicked out to the title screen. If you were hoping to play tonight then maybe give it a few hours…

Original story below…

For those who have not bought a shiny new Xbox Series X|S today there is another big launch, Destiny 2's Beyond Light expansion should have gone live at 5pm GMT. Up until now anyone trying to log in got a cute message telling them to search for the light on Europa, the new destination that is being added to the game.

However, as 5pm rolled past that message has gone and you can now try and log in to the game, but so far no one on the TSA clan has managed to be successful, everyone gets the usual "Destiny 2 servers are not available. Dismiss this message and try again" notification.

UPDATE: I've managed to get in, as has has another fireteam member, however our last chum is still having problems and cannot get into the game. However, we are getting connection issues and got kicked out of the area.

We have seen some reports of people getting in to the game on Twitter but many more having problems.

Bungie has just this moment tweeted that they are aware of server issues.

There should have been a small patch as well, Destiny 2 Update 3.0.0.1 should have been available from 5pm but this does not appear to be live.

Bungie have helpfully listed the top known issues problems on Twitter. Here are the known issues so far:

  • Season Passes will be applied to the first set of characters that signs in. If you plan to Cross Save but will use other characters later, it's recommended to set up Cross Save before logging in. For more information visit bungie.net/CrossSave 
  • In a Wrathborn Hunt, players must deal damage to the final boss to get credit for the activity.
  • Stasis subclasses are only available with a Beyond Light game license.
  • The Exotic Archive will keep flashing if the player has an Exotic Cipher in their inventory.
  • Diamond shape with a dot inside Players who dismantle the Stasis fragment quests must wait a week before picking up a new one.
  • The One-Inch Punch finisher will not kill enemies if the player has the Stasis subclass equipped.
  • Diamond shape with a dot inside Kill-based weapon perks may work inconsistently on Stasis frozen shatter kills.
  • The Crucible Stasis fragment quest "Timeless Victory" progresses inconsistently.
  • Diamond shape with a dot inside The Wrathborn Hunt icon sometimes will not appear on the map.
  • The Europa patrol "To the Nth Power" cannot be progressed with Stasis super kills as a Warlock.
  • Diamond shape with a dot inside Exo Challenge activities don't grant a reward for players below the Soft Power Cap.

The Pathless Review

Little by little, games continue to learn the lessons of Breath of the Wild's game-changing open world design. The biggest surprises however have not been from AAA but rather from indies able to create a sense of scale and wonder with comparatively little, such as A Short Hike.

The Pathless is another such example, feeling familiar in its vast natural open world dotted with mysterious towers and puzzles embedded in ancient ruins as well as a plot that tasks you with taming four corrupted divine beasts in your journey to defeat the 'godslayer' who wishes for his own immortality to carve a 'one true path'. Like Link, your nameless hunter also wields a cool bow, but here there's no Master Sword to back it up.

More significantly, it would be incorrect to call it a weapon but rather a tool. Your sights are never trained on the odd wild boar or deer roaming the otherwise quiet plateaus, but instead on traversing, solving puzzles, or yes, a boss fight, though even here the context isn't so much about defeating a foe so much as it is cleansing it of its curse.

But it's the traversal that literally jumps out at you. The world is filled with talismans, nodes that work like momentum boosters, filling up your stamina gauge when you shoot one so you can continue dashing – which also has you sliding in a cool Vanquish sort of way while you're drawing back your bowstring. Better yet, shoot a talisman as you jump and you're propelled further into the air. As these nodes are plentiful, you can effectively bound across great distances this way. Once you've unlocked an eagle companion though it's feasible to use them to glide everywhere without ever touching the ground, especially as you unlock flaps over time that allow your feathered friend to take you to new heights.

Auto-aim is what makes this alchemic brand of archery so effortless. You never have to slow down or awkwardly line anything up in your crosshairs so long as a node is within range. That kind of accessibility is what you might expect from the creators behind Abzu and Journey; minimal linear games that prioritise narrative experiences over skill-based gameplay.

The Pathless nonetheless veers towards more traditional gameplay in terms of clever puzzles and boss fights, though the emotion and atmosphere is once again left in the masterful hands of composer Austin Wintory. There are plenty of puzzles with gently discernible patterns that shouldn't keep you scratching your head for long as you figure out how to open doors or light up torches with both your eagle companion and your bow. Most of these are also perfectly optional as you'll quickly come up with the required number of emblems needed to activate the nearby towers, allowing you to move onto the cursed guardian residing inside.

The boss fights that ensue are a highlight, starting off as a thrilling chase before turning into arena showdowns. But these spectacles also eschew the punishing demands usually expected. Get hit and the worst that happens here is that you have to catch up or climb back up for another attempt. Damage is relative when there's no health bar. There's always a sense of danger and peril but you don't have to worry about actually getting burned.

Before facing these cursed guardians, you have to weaken them by activating the surrounding towers, which in turn require emblems rewarded from completing the many puzzles scattered around (most of these are optional since you only need a couple emblems to activate any tower). Just the presence of these destructive biomes they occupy, appearing like a scorching mushroom cloud from a distance, leaves a haunting image especially at a time when forest fires have become all too much a reality in Australia and America.

Allow the flames to spread and engulf you if you're too close however and you also have to endure the game's weak point, as you're transported to a danger zone with an uninspired stealth sequence. Robbed of your jump or quick movement, you try to recover your eagle while avoiding the hot glare of a fiery beast stalking the environment. It just kills the pace of a game that's at its best when you or your arrows are flying in motion.

Ultimately, these moments are infrequent enough not to spoil the majesty of movement the rest of the time, where even the puzzles let you shoot arrows in unexpected ways. Living up to its title, there may be no map in The Pathless, but when you have ample opportunity to survey your surroundings in the air and can turn toggle spirit vision to denote unactivated towers or hot spots of interest, navigation is a clutterless breeze. This island feels expansive even if you'll likely cover its ground in a few hours, but just like every arrow you loosen, it finds its mark.

Walmart will have limited supplies of Xbox Series X|S for sale at 9am PT, links here

U.S. retailer Walmart appears to have a few Xbox Series X|S's laying around and will be putting them for sale online at 9am PT, which at the time of writing is less than half an hour. There is a countdown ticking to show when the sales go live which you can access here but what you really want are the direct links, and we have those as well.

For those in the UK, BT have also announced that they will have some launch day stock of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, with the caveat that it is available exclusively for BT broadband and EE mobile customers. BT customers will have to log into their MyBT account to spot the offer, stock will likely be quite limited, and hopefully this isn't the only avenue that punters have to pick up a launch day console – Game announced yesterday that they will have launch day PlayStation 5's next week.

Is the Xbox Series X worth they outlay? We'd say so, if you prefer the green team over the blue. The console is fast, it's clearly very powerful and it builds on the Xbox One X. You'll see a huge jump forward if you're coming from a base Xbox One or PlayStation 4, but might be feeling there's a lack of meaningful exclusives on day one.

We said in our Xbox Series X review:

The Xbox Series X is the continuity candidate. It's built on the foundations of familiar system software and comprehensive backward compatibility that actively enhances everything you want to play on it (within limits) and it's effectively silent no matter how hard we've pushed it. At this time we're still on the outer threshold of what it can offer for the next gen gaming, but we'll explore that over the coming days, weeks and months. What's certain is that you'll want a high-end TV or monitor to get the very best out of it, and that if you're coming from a base PS4 or Xbox One in particular, this will be a huge step forward.

Source: Twitter

Bungie list the top known issues with Destiny 2: Beyond Light

This may come as a surprise to you but it appears Destiny 2: Beyond Light may have a few bugs. I know! Shocker!

Bungie have helpfully listed the top problems on Twitter. Here are the known issues so far:

  • Season Passes will be applied to the first set of characters that signs in. If you plan to Cross Save but will use other characters later, it's recommended to set up Cross Save before logging in. For more information visit bungie.net/CrossSave 
  • In a Wrathborn Hunt, players must deal damage to the final boss to get credit for the activity.
  • Stasis subclasses are only available with a Beyond Light game license.
  • The Exotic Archive will keep flashing if the player has an Exotic Cipher in their inventory.
  • Players who dismantle the Stasis fragment quests must wait a week before picking up a new one.
  • The One-Inch Punch finisher will not kill enemies if the player has the Stasis subclass equipped.
  • Diamond shape with a dot inside Kill-based weapon perks may work inconsistently on Stasis frozen shatter kills.
  • The Crucible Stasis fragment quest "Timeless Victory" progresses inconsistently.
  • Diamond shape with a dot inside The Wrathborn Hunt icon sometimes will not appear on the map.
  • The Europa patrol "To the Nth Power" cannot be progressed with Stasis super kills as a Warlock.
  • Diamond shape with a dot inside Exo Challenge activities don't grant a reward for players below the Soft Power Cap.

At stupid o'clock this morning a small live event took place in Destiny 2 to signal the end of the current version of the game and prepare for the launch of Beyond Light. Check out the video below to see what happened.

Those who logged in saw the Traveller go all sparkly and begin healing itself, as did all the Guardians watching. That was about it until right at the end the game shifted to the map view and some dark swirls crept from the left side out the map, removing Io, Mars, Mercury, and Titan, before the Traveller glowed and stopped the spread of the darkness.

Source: Twitter

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a Champion return for the Legend of Zelda spin-off

Set 100 years before the events of Breath of the Wild, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity details exactly what it claims: the Calamity. As everyone's favourite mute protagonist and a host of other familiar faces, you take on the forces of evil in skirmishes across Hyrule. You even have the opportunity to play as the Champions (probably the best thing about Breath of the Wild, don't @ me).

As you would expect from a musou title, slashing through unimaginable numbers of enemies is the order of the day. Each character has their own quirks, but largely you'll be hammering combinations of the face buttons to combo your foes into oblivion and unleash a devastating attack on practically everything in your vicinity when you have it.

The combat really gets interesting when you meet one of the more powerful enemies of the game. In this instance you need a strategy, waiting for openings to strike at their vulnerability gauge or performing perfect dodges to then execute a Flurry Rush. You do have a couple of other tricks up your sleeve however, with individual character quirks and the runes of the Sheikah slate.

Starting with the quirks, and the most basic example of Link, he can fire his bow repeatedly into a crowd with a tap of a trigger, which is excellent for decimating groups by hitting exploding barrels. Each character has their own unique abilities – I'm a real fan of Impa's clones – but Link's attacks change depending on the type of weapon he is holding, with the two-handed weapons being mighty, life-sapping strikes.

The Sheikah slate runes operate exactly as you remember them from Breath of the Wild, with Magnesis, Cryonis, Stasis, and Remote Bombs all returning. Each of these behave slightly differently depending on the character you play as, but you'll want to break them out for more powerful enemies, which will be temporarily vulnerable to one of these during particular attacks. Time it right and you effectively blast a hole in their defence.

These runes are also useful in standard battles with mobs, such as the ability to freeze enemies standing in water with Cryonis or stopping a group attack with Stasis. The Sheikah slate has really been implemented in a satisfying way here, and it being so readily accessible makes for some interesting and frenetic gameplay.

What did we all want to do in Breath of the Wild, but couldn't? That's right folks, you can finally pilot the Divine Beasts. While these missions are considerably slower than the others, the sheer devastation you can bring down upon your foes and the environment and rapidly mounting KO numbers during these segments is just so satisfying.

Another major improvement over the first Hyrule Warriors is how the experience outside of combat has been streamlined. Everything of note is managed through the world map, so there's no need to switch to other menus for the Smithy, for instance. Even all of the combo and health upgrades are done through little side quests on the map – it's just a far cleaner experience.

Age of Calamity is gorgeous to play, with character and world design stripped cleanly out of Breath of the Wild. The UI is clean yet informative, with touches of the instantly recognisable visual style liberally sprinkled throughout, a far cry from the cluttered feeling of the previous title. It genuinely looks and feels like simply another adventure in the same world, which is genuinely to its credit.

As of yet, the frame rate issues of the previously release demo haven't proven to be much of a problem for the final game. The exception is with the co-op mode, where the frame rate really tanks when you and the other player are in the same area. Luckily a lot of the missions have spaced out objectives so you can avoid the worst, but nonetheless this is slightly disappointing to see, considering how well implemented the multiplayer is otherwise.

After playing the first couple chapters, there's only so much to share, but the game so far is fantastic. It really feels like it has built upon, not only the foundations set by the original Hyrule Warriors, but also brings in some great things from Breath of the Wild too to create a thoroughly enjoyable prequel story. Now, if you'll forgive me, I have a Hyrule at war to return to.

Oh, and one last thing: the little egg Guardian is a baby and must be protected.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare update 1.29 adds Private Warzone beta, patch notes here

Infinity Ward has released update 1.29 for Call of Duty Modern Warfare across PS4, Xbox One, and PC. One of the big additions that has come from this update is the inclusion of the Private Warzone beta, allowing players to create private matches of Battle Royale and Plunder. There are also a number of fixes in this patch such as challenges resetting so players miss out on completion, and there are number of other issues addressed in Warzone. The full patch notes are below.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare update 1.29 patch notes

PLAYLIST UPDATE:

MODERN WARFARE:

  • Ground War
  • Gunfight
  • TDM Snipers Only
  • Hardpoint Hills and Kills
  • Shipment 24/7
  • Shoot House 24/7

WARZONE:

  • BR Solos, Duos, Trios, Quads
  • Plunder Trios

PRIVATE WARZONE

We're excited to launch a beta version of Private Warzone matches! This requires various player counts to start the match and we have three modes available:

  • BR – 50 players required to start (also has squad variations)
  • Plunder – 30 players required to start (also has squad variations)
  • Mini BR – 24 players required

Please share any bugs you encounter along with your feedback!

GENERAL FIXES:

  • Fix for a bug where, when reviving a fallen teammate as the round ends in Survival, users can become stuck in third person
  • Fixed an issue where some players were seeing the error code: "HK:s=373408m=54293536:10635584"
  • Fix for the Gaz Operator challenge where players are unable to complete the first objective in the Season 4 Gaz Operator Bundle Mission "win 3 Gulag fights as Gaz"
  • Fix for an issue where officer challenges 90 – 100 have been resetting after completion, preventing players from getting the last Season 6 Emblem
  • In the Safehouse Finale of SP, at the Killstreak Chopper checkpoint, when using the zoom button the camera will zoom in and out
  • Players using the Juggernaut will not hear the drilling audio when hit by the Phlembotomizer throwing knife. This has been fixed
  • Fixed a bug where the player could have the Spotter Scope effect when not ADSing with it by picking up 2 weapons while looking with the scope
  • Fixed a bug where helicopters could spin and float in the air after progressing in Survival
  • Fixes to help prevent players from going AFK in Gunfight
  • LMGs, Sniper Rifles, and Marksmen Rifles will now rotate as intended in Gunfight
  • Fix for an issue where players that die right before an HQ is disabled and watch the full killcam do not spawn in as intended

WEAPONS:

  • M4 Tombstone: Fix for a bug where adding the .458 SOCOM or the 9mm Para 32-Round Mags removes them from the weapon model
  • Tracer Pack: Sakura Edition- Maruyama – The dynamic icon appears to have a minor gap between the barrel and body of the weapon when the Compensator is equipped on the FTAC 13.5″ Compact barrel. This has been fixed

PC:

  • To help with patch sizes and disk space, high-resolution textures will now be downloaded while playing, using On-Demand Textures Streaming:
    • On-Demand Textures Streaming is located in the Options, under the Graphics tab and in the Details & Textures section.
    • It will only kick-in for users playing with Texture Resolution set to High.
    • It streams textures for Operators and Weapons.
    • You can control the daily texture streaming limit and the size of your cache
    • You can learn more about Texture Streaming HERE
  • Fix for a bug where a Premium user with only Warzone installed, can select a trial on a MP map, which can result in a crash
  • Fix for a bug where PC players were able to select a custom loadout in Snipers Only
  • Fixes for an issue where some Activision account names were being applied to different profiles in the friends list
  • Survival mode now has its own DLC package. To access Survival, a player has to install both Special Ops and Survival

WARZONE:

  • Fixes to help fight against weapon corruption while in Spectator mode
  • The gas from the Gas Grenade can sometimes obscure or completely hide players from thermal scopes
  • Fixed an exploit near the Lozoff Pass Metro Station
  • Armored Royale: Fixed a bug where dropping a truck redeployment flare into the service entrance of the subway can cause the truck to parachute underground
  • While in Plunder, players parachutes will now auto deploy to help prevent against exploits
  • Fix for an exploit with the Durable Gas Mask
  • Fixed an audio bug where no overheat audio was playing when using the minigun on the helicopter
  • When the player is using Bumper Ping as their button layout, the player will be unable to switch between the Gas Grenade and EMP Blast, resulting in them only able to use the gas grenade. This has been fixed
  • When sitting in passenger seat of a helicopter and using the minigun, priming a lethal while simultaneously switching seats will break the players viewmodel. This has been fixed
  • Fix for a bug where players are unable to equip other War Tracks after selecting "Random"
  • Removed Juggernauts from Bunker puzzles

Source: Infinity Ward

Take-Two's deal to buy Codemasters likely to be completed in early 2021

Earlier this week, it came to light that Take-Two had approached Codemasters to buy the company and bring it under Take-Two's umbrella of developers. Now, it has been confirmed that the deal is likely to be completed at some point in the first quarter of 2021, and that the purchase will cost Take-Two £726 million/$956 million. The deal has been approved by the boards of directors from both Take-Two and Codemasters.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said:

"We are exceedingly pleased to announce this recommended transaction with the Board of Codemasters. Codemasters has a renowned history of creating some of our industry's most beloved and commercially successful racing franchises, and we believe that their offerings will be highly complementary to our sports portfolio and enhance further our organization's long-term growth. Moreover, we look forward to welcoming Codemasters' senior management and development teams into our Take-Two family, and sharing in our vision to deliver the highest quality entertainment experiences and aim to be the most innovative, creative and efficient company in our industry."

The response was also positive from Codemasters, with Chairman Gerhard Florin saying:

"With a leading position in sports gaming, the Board of Codemasters firmly believes the Company will benefit from Take-Two's broad capabilities which will help propel the long term success of Codemasters. In recommending this Offer to shareholders, the Board of Codemasters believes it is in the best interests of all stakeholders in the Company."

The original offer was for £739m/$973m, which equated to £1.20 in cash and £3.65 in Take-Two shares for every Codemasters share, but it looks like Take-Two were able to lower the offer. Should the deal be completed Codemasters will join the likes of 2K, Private Division, and Rockstar Games under Take-Two's ownership.

Source: Gamesindustry.biz

Planet Coaster: Console Edition Review

From the moment the theme song starts being piped out of your TV speakers, you can't help but be cheerful when you're playing Planet Coaster. It's a park builder that has embraced the candy floss, the ecstatic cries of joy, and the freedom of a few hours shorn of any worries beyond whether the person sat in front of you is, in fact, going to vomit during a 90mph loop the loop. Few things in 2020 are quite as vibrant, welcoming or engrossing as what Frontier have deigned to bring to your home console, and it's fair to say it's exactly what we need.

We love to build digital things. By 'we' I of course mean gamers, and by 'digital things' I mean tiny replicas of things we would like to experience every day but probably can't. Frontier are arguably the best in the business at this, having been helping you create lifelike zoos, obviously lethal dinosaur paddocks and packed theme parks for years.

If you ask me, they've taken a few too many years bringing Planet Coaster to console given that PC players have been enjoying it since 2016, but that's the notoriously greedy side of my personality that I try to keep away from the biscuit tin. Still, it's arrived just in time to hop onto both 8th and 9th generation consoles, so perhaps I'll forgive them.

If it isn't immediately obvious, the aim of Planet Coaster is to build spectacular theme parks, ideally with a roller coaster or two as their biggest and flashiest attractions. You build the park, starting with the odd path that takes you to a solitary ride, and before you know it, you'll suddenly find that you're the owner of Alton Towers and you've got hundreds of staff on the payroll. It's as much about money and business as it is fun and frolics, but then again, isn't everything?

Planet Coaster is nothing if not characterful. Oswald B. Thompson is your guide through Console Edition's opening tutorial and beyond. He's a cheerful Scottish sort who's only interested in guest's happiness and helping you to do simple things like putting down rides and clearing areas of unwanted junk.

He's given a nudge along the way to take care of business by Cynthia the accountant, who of course just wants you to put prices up, and young influencer Lucy whose 900 followers mean she must be listened to at all times. So, just like in real life then.

The tutorial gives you the majority of tools you'll need to make the transition to Planet Coaster on console, and it's fair to say that Frontier have done an effective job of wrestling the in-depth park builder onto a gamepad, even if it's occasionally obvious that it's not its natural home.

Shorn of the straightforward clicking of a mouse button, you'll find that the majority of your interface is managed using the shoulder buttons for moving through the main park tabs before relying on your trusty D-pad to get into the nitty-gritty of each menu option. The tutorial occasionally leaves you hanging, only nudging you when perhaps you want clearer instructions emblazoned across the screen, but I soon got the hang of moving around the park and focussing in where work needed to be done.

Like its sibling Planet Zoo, Planet Coaster is a menu heavy park builder, and making that acceptable on console could have been a tall order. Players can rest assured that Frontier are masters of their art though, and despite the fact you're now hitting a round A or Cross button instead of a mouse button, once you've learnt the shortcuts you'll be merrily constructing your magical kingdom as efficiently as you would at your desktop. You could always plug in a mouse and keyboard if you really wanted, but then maybe you should have bought something that rhymes with teepee instead of a PlayStation.

There's a wealth of content, beginning with the Career mode where you're handed an array of parks in various states of disrepair, anarchy or apathy. You're then expected to sort them out, help them turn a profit, and return them to the place of happiness they're intended to be, all while the difficulty level steadily cranks up. Misplace a few things later on and you'll be on the unemployed park manager's list in no time at all.

Once you're done with Career you can head off to the Sandbox and let your imagination run wild, creating a park entirely in your own image, or at least as far as you can mixing pirates, fairytale castles, sci-fi, the old west and modern theme park elements together.

If you can't find an asset that fits with what you're trying to do, you can either try to construct your own – which is a painstaking if rewarding endeavour on a controller – or you can head to the Frontier Workshop and check out other people's creations.

Find something you like and you can download it to your own roster, before bunging it into your park. You can subscribe to your favourite creators, rate their work and favourite the best examples. It's a great inclusion that should keep the interest flowing in Planet Coaster on console for years to come.

It's a shame that there's no inter-connectivity between the PC building community on Steam Workshop, particularly when creating with a mouse is inarguably easier, but I'm sure console players will soon fill the relatively bare gallery with masses of options.

Planet Coaster: Console Edition certainly retains the same clear and colourful graphics as that of its PC predecessor, though there are occasionally a few nips and tucks that are apparent to shore up the game's performance – we were playing on Xbox One X while patiently waiting for a launch day Series X to appear. This is nothing we haven't seen before from Frontier's console editions, and just like Jurassic World Evolution you'll find the odd bit of pop-in on the horizon, and the occasional hiccup if you spin and rush through a particularly built-up park.

Fall Guys update 1.11 is out on PS4, here's are the patch details

Mediatonic have released a mid season update to Fall Guys which adds a new level called Big Fans, plus a bunch of tweaks and fixes. As usual there are no patch notes as such, just a summary of what the release contains:

  • NEW LEVEL – Big Fans!
  • NEW VARIATIONS throughout the game!
  • [PC] NEW name system!
  • Server Region Selector!
  • Featured Crown Costumes now available in regular store rotation
  • Show Selector now lets you queue for multiple shows at the same time
  • Improved stability when playing in parties!
  • New Language selection option in-game
  • Lowered chance of Medieval Rounds, Perfect Match, and Tail Tag
  • Fix: Falling through tiles on Hex-A-Gone
  • Fix: Losing jump inputs, especially on Jump Showdown
  • Fix: Grabbing the crown on Fall Mountain and hanging from it instead of winning
  • Fix: Infallible achievement sometimes not unlocking
  • Fix: Falling on flat surfaces

Fall Guys Seasons 2 easy XP and rewards guide

In case you missed it, here's everything introduced in Fall Guys season 2:

  • New Feature –  The Show Selector: Time-Limited Shows give players new ways to enjoy their favourite rounds types by selecting which Show they want to play!
  • New Feature –  Nameplates: Mix and Match customisable Banners and Nameplates to compliment your Fall Guy's attire!
  • New Feature –  Random Outfit Generator: Press triangle on the customiser screen until you get a combination of items you like!
  • Improvement – See your party members fall alongside you while waiting for matchmaking to complete.
  • Improvement – Fall Guys now have more responsive mantling up ledges.
  • Improvement – Visual updates to many levels
  • New Level –  Knight Fever:  Our hardest gauntlet level yet.
  • New Level –  Wall Guys:  Cooperate with other players to traverse castle walls.
  • New Level –  Egg Siege: A brand new Egg Scramble map with moving drawbridges!
  • New Level –  Hoopsie Legends: A Solo Hoopsie Round with moveable blocks.
  • Plethora of new customisation options – costumes, faceplates, colour palettes, emotes, and celebrations.
  • Many bug fixes and optimisations.

After launching in August, Fall Guys quickly became the most-downloaded title to ever feature on PlayStation Plus, picking up a fantastically fumbly 8/10 in our review.

Source: Twitter

Immortals Fenyx Rising's PC specs have been confirmed by Ubisoft

Ubisoft has released the details of the PC specs players will need if they want to run Immortals Fenyx Rising. The settings range from playing on the very low settings that will output the game at 720p at 30fps, and all the way up to the very high settings that will output 4K at 60fps. The settings also confirm that Immortals Fenyx Rising will requires 28GB for storage. You can check out the full specs below and see if your PC will be able to handle the game.

Very Low Settings – 720p/30FPS

  • Processor: Intel Core i5-2400 / AMD FX-6300
  • Video Card: GeForce GTX 660 / AMD R9 280X
  • VRAM: 2GB NVIDIA / 3GB AMD
  • RAM: 8GB (Dual-channel mode)
  • Storage: 28GB HDD
  • OS: Windows 7 (64-bit only)

High Settings – 1080p/30FPS

  • Processor: Intel Core i7-3770 / AMD FX-8350
  • Video Card: GeForce GTX 970 / AMD R9 290
  • VRAM: 4GB
  • RAM: 8GB (Dual-channel mode)
  • Storage: 28GB SSD
  • OS: Windows 10 (64-bit only)

High Settings – 1080p/60FPS

  • Processor: Intel Core i7-6700 / AMD Ryzen 7 1700
  • Video Card: GeForce GTX 1070 / AMD RX Vega 56
  • VRAM: 8GB
  • RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel mode)
  • Storage: 28GB SSD
  • OS: Windows 10 (64-bit only)

Very High Settings – 1440p/60FPS

  • Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
  • Video Card: GeForce RTX 2070 Super / AMD RX 5700
  • VRAM: 8GB
  • RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel mode)
  • Storage: 28GB SSD
  • OS: Windows 10 (64-bit only)

Very High Settings – 4K/30FPS

  • Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
  • Video Card: GeForce RTX 2070 / AMD RX Vega 56
  • VRAM: 8GB
  • RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel mode)
  • Storage: 28GB SSD
  • OS: Windows 10 (64-bit only)

Dom recently played the demo for Immortals Fenyx Rising, and he wrote:

For one thing I hadn't anticipated laughing quite as much as I did during my time with it. Elder Gods Prometheus and Zeus bicker their way through an imperfect narrative where you're fairly sure that Zeus is just making the whole thing up, and it carries a lightness of tone that I simply wasn't expecting. Sure, Assassin's Creed can be witty, but this has just the right level of sarcasm and silliness that it plays out like a Grecian Roald Dahl short.

The combat feels just right as well, action-packed and intuitive. There's a host of different difficulty settings from Story through to Insane so you can peg the difficulty just right, which will be perfect for younger gamers, those short on time, or those that want to whimper into Zeus' robes at the brutality of it all. The impressively ugly Cyclops that you face off against at the end of the demo is no slouch on normal difficulty, so I dread to think what he'll do higher up the scale.

You can read the full preview here. Immortals Fenyx Rising launches on December 3rd for Stadia, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PC, Amazon Luna, and Switch.

Source: Ubisoft

Amazon warn customers they may not deliver Xbox Series X|S pre-orders today, launch games also delayed

It seems Amazon are having worldwide logistical problems as they have been informing customers who have had an Xbox Series X|S pre-ordered for months that they may not be delivered today, November 10th, launch day. Those over in the US seem to have the worst deal as 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

Over here the UK the delays seem to be shorter but people are still miffed that Amazon have moved the delivery date at such short notice, with many having taking the day off to accept the delivery including industry professionals.

It's not just the consoles that are being delayed, Amazon are also warning that launch day games such as The Falconeer are also suffering server delays and may not arrive until 2021. This message has been sent to one of the TSA Staff.

According to this unverified conversation with Amazon UK help, they have, well, screwed up massively, and not got the right number of consoles in the their fulfilment centres.

Although the PlayStation 5 does not launch in the UK until November 19th the new DualSense controller and all the games should ship in two days, on the 12th. PlayStation 5 customers will be hoping Amazon do a better job then, and indeed on launch day when their delivery system will be under even more pressure as the PS5 is larger than the Xbox Series X, meaning even fewer consoles can be transported in each delivery van.

UPDATE: Amazon continue to annoy people by tweeting a competition to win an Xbox series X, even though they cant deliver them to people who paid for them.

UPDATE: A Microsoft spokesperson has given a 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.

I don't think that's really the problem, everyone knew there would be high demand, the problem is that retailers are changing delivery dates on the day teh consoles should be delivered, rather than weeks ago when they clearly knew they were going to have problems.

Source: Windows Central / Twitter

Is Assassin's Creed: Valhalla historically accurate? Interview transcript

This is the original transcript of our interview with William R. Short, manager of Hurstwic LLC. Above is the original video that William viewed in the putting together of his answers. You'll find time stamps throughout the interview that indicate the section of the footage that is being referred to.

TSA: @ 50 seconds – Something depicted both in Assassin's Creed Valhalla and also in popular TV shows such as Vikings, is the sight of warriors with face paint. Often this paint is primarily positioned around the eyes, is this something that has a precedent in history? Did Vikings wear face paint or make-up?

William: It does look good, but we know of no evidence that suggests that Vikings wore makeup.

What we can probably say with some certainty is that Viking-age people were clean and neatly groomed. We see that in pictorial sources, such as a carving of a man's head with a trimmed beard and neat, long hair sticking out from under his helmet. Combs and grooming aids are common archaeological finds. There are countless examples in literary sources telling of the desire of the Viking people to take regular baths, and there are treaties between Viking people and other lands that require the Vikings be provided with all the hot water they demand for their baths.

It also seems likely that men would routinely have beards. There is at least one famous example in the literary sources of a man who could not grow a beard who was mocked, an insult that resulted in multiple deaths.

There is talk around 20:40 in to the video of tattoos. Whether Vikings wore tattoos or not is up for debate. The one source that might suggest them, the account of Ibn Fadlan, can be interpreted in ways other than as tattoos, and that source contains many other puzzling and questionable aspects. Literary sources from Viking lands often have detailed descriptions of peoples' personal appearances, and we know of no description that suggests tattoos.

TSA: @ 1 minute – Eivor is seen wielding two hand axes at one, is this something you would recommend? People have the idea that Vikings thought wildly and without any sense of self preservation, but was this the case?

William: What we would recommend is not important in any way. The weapons a Viking carried and used were based on many things, and none were based on our personal recommendations. The choice might depend on what weapons he could acquire, whether he was part of the king's levy or not, what weapons he felt most comfortable with, and so on.

There are many examples in the literary sources of warriors dual wielding, with a weapon in each hand. While the pictorial sources (such as Viking-age pictures stones) rarely show actual combat, there are examples of warriors with different weapons in each hand on the stones.

The second part of your question is a bit more complex. We disagree with the statement that Vikings fought wildly and without any sense of self-preservation for several reasons. For example, Vikings are well known for using a shield; that in itself tells us that they were concerned in some way with their self-preservation.

On the other side of the coin, it is quite clear from the sources that defence and self-preservation were not as crucial to a Viking as was cutting the opponent down. Viking-age people believed the moment of their death was predestined, and nothing they did could change that moment. What was important was how you were remembered after the day of your death. One of the more famous verses in the poem that allegedly came from Óðin himself states that everyone dies: your cattle, your kin, and you yourself, but a good reputation never dies.

So taken together, the sources suggest that Vikings were more intent on attacking their opponents than on protecting themselves, but they did protect themselves.

At 1:33 and 2:02 Punches and kicks seem to be used as the basis for empty hand fighting in Assassins Creed. Yet, punches and kicks did not seem to be a part of Viking combat or even a part of Viking sport.

Empty-hand methods were a big part of Viking combat. In order to understand how Vikings fought with weapons, one must first understand how they fought without a weapon. Glíma (Viking empty handed fighting) is an area that Hurstwic has researched very deeply. Empty-hand fighting often ended with a take down, followed by a kill on the ground. We did not see any element of glíma in the parts of the gameplay that we saw.

TSA: @ 7:30 minutes – Eivor is shown here using a bow and arrow to pick off an enemy from afar. Hunting aside, were bows and arrows a weapon that a Viking warrior would use?

William: Yes, there are many examples of bows being used, especially in mass battles and in naval battles where a large number of warriors would not be in range to use their conventional weapons. Using a bow against someone in a fortification as seen in the gameplay video is mentioned numerous times in the literary sources. In archaeology, we see arrow heads intended to penetrate mail and make the kill despite the opponent's wearing armour.

At 1:19 in the video, an archer uses a bow that probably was not typical in Viking times, a recurve bow. Viking bows were typically longbows, as best as can be determined from limited archaeological finds. Warriors from other cultures in the Viking age used recurve compound bows, and it is possible some of those may have been used in Viking lands, but the evidence is slight. Generally, this compound bow would not be a bow that a Viking would use. That does not mean much, though, since a Viking might have gotten the bow whilst raiding, trading, or other interactions with other societies.

TSA: @ 8 minutes – Throwing axes, are they a real thing? Would a throwing axe actually be effective or would it be virtually impossible to hit anything in real life in the midst of a battle?

William: Every weapon can be effective, and every target can be hit if the universe bends to your rules. Throwing axes are a real thing, but Viking axes were not throwing axes. The physics of the Viking axe makes it less than suitable as a throwing weapon. The physics of the weapon tell us that in the chaos of combat, it is unlikely to hit the target in a way to do lethal damage because of the way it rotates in flight. There are few examples of axes being thrown in the literary sources, usually as a move of desperation.

At 8:35, there's essentially no evidence from the Viking age for the swinging death weapon seen in the gameplay. Apart from Þór's hammer Mjöllnir (which he uses to crush his enemies), impact weapons, such as maces, hammers, and morning stars were not much used. The only impact weapons that are mentioned in any of the sources are improvised weapons, such as a club or staff.

TSA: Eivor is shown swinging a double handed war axe. Is there any historical or archaeological evidence for this being a weapon that Vikings used and, if so, how effective do you think it would have been?

William: A two-handed axe (which some call a Dane axe, even though that term would have been unknown to the Vikings) is a real and formidable Viking weapon. There are numerous axes of this type found in the archaeological record and seen in pictorial sources. The literary sources often say that an axe blow to the head split the skull down to the shoulders. We tested this move with a sharp replica two-handed axe and an animal carcass, and the result was just as described: the axe split the skull and was stopped when it hit the spinal column. As effectiveness goes, it's not a tool one would be keen on meeting; it is formidable.

TSA: Throughout the video we see battles depicted as chaotic skirmishes, there's little strategy or tactics, instead it's a violent free-for-all. How does this contrast to what we know about battles and warfare from the Viking era?

William: We have no doubt that battle in the Viking age was chaotic, yet there is no simple answer to this question, sadly. Viking combat took on quite a few forms: small fights (like one on one or two on two), skirmishes, and mass dynastic battles. All three forms had their individual method of combat. There were, in many cases, tactics and strategy, but that was more based on cunningness of fighting, such as ambushes, spies, burning houses to attack those inside, or surprise attacks such as raiding. In mass battles, warriors were drawn into lines, and lines fought together to achieve the goal.

TSA: If there's anything else you would comment on, please feel free!

William: There are many more issues that can be nit-picked from this single clip. Doing so would take pages upon pages. This is a game where the rules of the real world don't fully apply, and it is not supposed to be a history lesson. There are so many exceptions to the rules when it comes to Vikings that many things, though not part of the common thread running through Viking combat, could possibly have been done by Vikings.

That having been said, there are many good things about the gameplay, as it relates to Viking combat. It captures some of the brutality that we feel was at the core of Viking combat. It avoids the technique-driven approach to combat that we feel was not part of Viking combat. It features women combatants (skjaldmær, the shield maidens discussed in several literary sources and seen in pictorial sources), a fascinating topic that is currently much debated, with conflicting points of view. And it brought in to the world of the game aspects of Viking culture that are well supported: Niflheim, Valhöll, and others.

For more on Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, you can read our review in progress.

Is Assassin's Creed: Valhalla historically accurate? We ask the experts

The Vikings get a rough time of it in our modern collective consciousness: barbaric, violent, hairy, smelly, frothy mouthed, and partial to a spot of pillaging. Or at least, that's what I learned in primary school. But is this interpretation fair? It's certainly one that Ubisoft are seeking to rebuff with Assassin's Creed: Valhalla which, as well as being the latest exciting instalment in the long running series, also appears to offer a much more nuanced view of Viking life in the 9th Century. Vikings are depicted as farmers, as friends, as traders and explorers, not just as warriors.

But, let's face it, with this being an action video game, it's the interactive violence that we are drawn to. As I watched the gameplay previews, walkthroughs and trailers, my eye was taken by the combat style demonstrated by Eivor, the game's lead protagonist. Is this really how a Viking would fight? Did Vikings use a bow and arrow? I thought they were all about the axes? Would a throwing axe really hit anything? Or would it just embarrassingly and painfully imbed itself in the would-be thrower's foot? These are all questions we need answering.

So who better to ask than Viking experts in the forms of William R. Short, the manager of Hurstwic LLC, and Hurstwic's representative in Iceland, Reynir Alfreð Óskarson. If anyone could answer my questions, it would be William and Reynir, after all, they and their colleagues at Hurstwic have been "using the scientific method to reverse engineer how Vikings fought" for the last twenty years.

Call in the experts!

I asked for more information on how this reverse engineering takes place, mostly just so I looked a bit clever. William obliged: "We consider all the available sources and clues, and layer them on top of one another to see if they break or if they hold. We seek to find the common thread that ties the available information together and leads us towards a (somewhat) clear picture of how Vikings fought and used their weapons."

I nodded sagely so it looked like I understood. Even if I didn't quite comprehend what William was saying, it soon became clear that Hurstwic had an impressive level of success in this endeavour. As William told me:

This research has resulted in some interesting accomplishments recently, work that has received the attention and approval of leading organizations. For example, we have dug deep into the Viking empty-hand combat method called glíma, a word also used to describe the modern wrestling that is Iceland's national sport.

This work has been acclaimed as ground-breaking by the National Glíma Association of Iceland, along with the current and former chairmen. Additionally, with the cooperation of archaeologists researching Viking-age house sites, we have explored the escape tunnels that were a part of many Viking homes, used in case of attack. We were invited to give a lecture to the Icelandic Archaeological Society on our combat research. Hurstwic successfully led an international research program to uncover the lost secrets of Viking-age iron making in Iceland.

Let's face it, that's an impressive resume, but before I could bombard William with Viking related questions, he had an important caveat to state. "The game is clearly intended for entertainment (and not as a history lesson), set in a world where the rules of the real world don't always apply and can be bent. We appreciate it when entertainment companies make the Vikings their focus and teach some history at the same time. Yet, a pure history lesson will never make for an entertaining game, and a game will never make for a history lesson. There will always be some give and take in trying to balance these two goals."

Well said. So, are there any definitive sources we can draw upon that demonstrate an authentic Viking fighting style? William's response was illuminating, "The Vikings didn't leave us with fully detailed sources on what is the 'authentic' way to fight, and it quite possibly differed from one Viking warrior to the next. Based on all this, we think the interpretation of what is 'authentic' and what is not must be kept open and flexible."

That's the challenge facing a modern historian, that it's rare to even have the full and entire historical picture.

Viking weapons – myths and truths

First things first then, let's talk different types of weapons. I've always been under the impression that axes were a Viking's best friend and they wouldn't bother wielding anything else. Yet Eivor, the protagonist of Assassin's Creed, is frequently shown utilising a nifty bit of archery to fell distant targets. Is there any historical evidence for Vikings using a bow and arrow in warfare?

"Yes," William responded. "There are many examples of bows being used, especially in mass battles and in naval battles where a large number of warriors would not be in range to use their conventional weapons. Using a bow against someone in a fortification is mentioned numerous times in the literary sources. In archaeology, we see arrow heads intended to penetrate mail and make the kill despite the opponent's wearing armour."

So, bows and arrows, yes, but throwing axes? One of Eivor's abilities is to throw an axe with lethal accuracy into an unaware Anglo-Saxon's mush, but is this even remotely possible? William had my query covered: "Every weapon can be effective, and every target can be hit if the universe bends to your rules. Throwing axes are a real thing, but Viking axes were not throwing axes. The physics of the Viking axe makes it less than suitable as a throwing weapon. The physics of the weapon tell us that in the chaos of combat, it is unlikely to hit the target in a way to do lethal damage because of the way it rotates in flight. There are a few examples of axes being thrown in the literary sources, usually as a move of desperation."

Definitely more of an awesome video game thing than a real-life thing, then. But what about double handed axes? Eivor is shown wanging around a massive war axe without a care in the world, but would this really be a good idea? If it was me in a battle – heaven forbid, as I'd be rubbish – then I'd want to spend all my time hiding behind a big thick shield, having to use both hands hefting a big axe would prevent me from doing that. I'm guessing it's a strong no to war axes then?

William took down my assumption with relish. "A two-handed axe (which some call a Dane axe, even though that term would have been unknown to the Vikings) is a real and formidable Viking weapon. There are numerous axes of this type found in the archaeological record and seen in pictorial sources." He continued, "the literary sources often say that an axe blow to the head split the skull down to the shoulders. We tested this move with a sharp replica two-handed axe and an animal carcass, and the result was just as described: the axe split the skull and was stopped when it hit the spinal column. As effectiveness goes, it's not a tool one would be keen on meeting; it is formidable."

This is the brilliant thing about experts. They take our assumptions – which are, let's face it, usually woefully incorrect – and dropkick them into the stratosphere.

Berserker rage

I had a follow up question: Eivor is also seen sans shield and hacking up foes with two axes, was this a real thing? And, if so, does that mean that Vikings were less concerned with self-preservation and just resorted to going wild?

There are many examples of warriors dual wielding, with a weapon in each hand. While the pictorial sources (such as Viking-age picture stones) rarely show actual combat, there are examples of warriors with different weapons in each hand on the stones. We disagree with the statement that Vikings fought wildly and without any sense of self-preservation.

For example, Vikings are well known for using a shield; that in itself tells us that they were concerned in some way with their self-preservation. On the other side of the coin, it is quite clear from the sources that defence and self-preservation were not as crucial to a Viking as was cutting the opponent down. Viking-age people believed the moment of their death was predestined, and nothing they did could change that moment. What was important was how you were remembered after the day of your death. One of the more famous verses in the poem that allegedly came from Óðin himself states that everyone dies: your cattle, your kin, and you yourself, but a good reputation never dies.

Looks that could kill

I guess predestined death and a ticket to Valhalla would certainly be a reassurance when it came to the prospect of facing a painful death. Also, if you're going to die, you might as well die looking good. That brings me onto our next questions: did real Vikings wear makeup?

"We know of no evidence that suggests that Vikings wore makeup," William told me, though he did offer a fascinating insight into Viking grooming.

"What we can probably say with some certainty is that Viking-age people were clean and neatly groomed. We see that in pictorial sources, such as a carving of a man's head with a trimmed beard and neat, long hair sticking out from under his helmet. Combs and grooming aids are common archaeological finds. There are countless examples in literary sources telling of the desire of the Viking people to take regular baths, and there are treaties between Viking people and other lands that require the Vikings be provided with all the hot water they demand for their baths. It also seems likely that men would routinely have beards. There is at least one famous example in the literary sources of a man who could not grow a beard who was mocked, an insult that resulted in multiple deaths." I think anyone with a regularly mocked patchy beard can relate to the desire to commit murder. I wouldn't know though, I absolutely don't have that problem. My moustache definitely joins up with the rest of my beard. Honest.

In summation then, the Viking's and their fighting style depicted in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla looks like an informed interpretation of cutting edge historical research. I'll let William finish the round-up, "there are many good things about the gameplay, as it relates to Viking combat. It captures some of the brutality that we feel was at the core of Viking combat. It avoids the technique-driven approach to combat that we feel was not part of Viking combat. It features women combatants (skjaldmær, the shield maidens discussed in several literary sources and seen in pictorial sources), a fascinating topic that is currently much debated, with conflicting points of view. And it brought in to the world of the game aspects of Viking culture that are well supported: Niflheim, Valhöll, and others." I, for one, am very excited to check out the combat of Assassin's Creed Valhalla on release day, armed and well equipped with a little more historical knowledge than I had before.

A massive thank you to William R. Short and Reynir Alfreð Óskarson for lending their time and expertise. Find out more about Hurstwic and their work over on their website. You can also say hello on Facebook or check out their YouTube Channel. Finally, they have created a series of Viking combat training videos, as well as two feature-length edu-tainment documentaries on the Great Battles of the Viking Age which can be found here.

If you'd like to read the original Interview Transcript you can do so here. It's packed with fascinating historical insights for your eyeballs.

Playing with History is our ongoing series spotlighting video games and the real-world people and events that inspire them. From walking with dinosaurs in Jurassic World Evolution and talking real-life zombies in Days Gone, to learning about the Peaky Blinders, and chatting Ghost of Tsushima with a samurai expert, there's plenty you may not have known about your favourite video games.

Blood & Truth PS5 enhancements are ready and they will include upto 90fps

PlayStation London Studio has confirmed that if you have recently updated its title Blood and Truth then you are already prepared to experience the game on PS5. The latest update has added enhancements that will give improvements to Blood and Truth on PS5, with these including higher resolutions, increased framerate of up to 90fps, better detailed assets which will be present at all times, and improved texture details. The studio confirmed all of this via Twitter.

When playing Blood and Truth on PS5 players will have access to all the content that is available on PS4. That content includes new game plus, leaderboards, skeet shooting, hard mode, and the rhythm challenges. In our review for Blood & Truth, Jim wrote:

The London Heist always felt like it was leading to something much bigger, and here it is. Blood & Truth is a thrilling romp that puts you at the helm of your own blockbuster, dripping with over-the-top action as you blitz your way from one set piece to the next.
Of courses, to experience Blood and Truth on PS5 you will need both your PSVR, and a PSVR PS5 adaptor which you can claim for free from Sony. The adaptor will not be in the PS5 box when that arrives.
Source: Twitter

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla day one update 1.0.2 rolling out now, patch notes here

Ubisoft has released the day one update for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, with the patch being numbered 1.0.2. It is not a huge update but this one does add some substantial content to Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. That content includes tutorials and the return of the Animus Database, which in this game will be called the Codex. In addition, localised audio packs have also been released with supported languages including English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Japanese. Full patch notes are below.

GAME IMPROVEMENTS:

  • Fine-tuned the balancing of the game
  • Addressed various quest-related nuisances
  • Improved performance and stability
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes

CONTENT:

  • Added additional localized audio packs.
  • The Codex: We're excited to reveal that the beloved Animus Database will return with Assassin's Creed Valhalla as "Codex". The Codex has two parts, the Database & Tutorials.
  • The Database provides information about the world and its people
  • Tutorials provides insights on everything you have learned so far

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla weighs in at 45GB across all platforms, except Xbox One where it is 44GB. In our review in progress for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Jim wrote:

"We've been primarily reviewing the game on PlayStation 4, twiddling and tapping with our thumbs while patiently waiting for the ability to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version of the game, but have also had access on Xbox Series X. While it looks as good as you'd expect from the recent series on PS4 Pro and performs nicely, there's a healthy step forward for resolution and frame rate with the next-gen console. Load times are shorter, shrinking down to around 10 seconds of Eivor standing in a watery void, while the world is crisp and sharp at 4K and runs with a 60fps target. The only real blemishes are some light, but noticeable environmental pop-in, and ripples of screentearing down the screen that seem to occur more commonly during cutscenes, but can also happen during regular gameplay at times."

If you are getting the game then maybe you will want some tips to help out. Here you can check out 10 essential tips and tricks, while over here you can get a walkthrough of The Stench of Treachery questline.
Source: Ubisoft

Gears Tactics Xbox Series X Review

It might not be as glitzy a technical showcase as Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but the Xbox Series X|S does have an exclusive first party launch title that's out today: Gears Tactics.

Originally coming out for PC back in April, the console release was only a matter of time, with Microsoft choosing to line it up alongside the new console instead of rushing it out the door. Of course, it's also a cross-gen release that's out for Xbox One as well as Series X|S, and available to Xbox Game Pass on all platforms.

While real time strategy is often still a bit of a stretch on console, turn-based strategy games have proven themselves time and again over the last decade. It was really XCOM: Enemy Unknown that threw the genre into the spotlight once more, and it's that game who's footsteps Gears Tactics follows most closely.

As we explained in our original Gears Tactics review:

Gears Tactics is the lovechild of Gears of War and XCOM. You'll be leading a small fire squad of four across the ruins of Sera through turn-based tactical battles. Each unit has three actions as standard, and you burn through them to varying degrees depending on how far you move, what skills you engage and whether you shoot or not. This being a Gears game, reloading also comes into play and you're going to have to factor in how many shots you've got left in the clip along with everything else.

In action, this is about as Gears-y as a tactical game could be. You'll aim to hunker down in cover, fire off a few rounds, time your reload, close emergence holes with a well-placed grenade, and finish off the nearest Locust with a visually brutal execution. Despite the fact that you're doing it via a completely different control setup, in a new genre for the series, it still feels utterly familiar.

With no time pressure on your decisions, the jump from mouse and keyboard to controller is relatively effortless. My fingers and thumbs did initially get in a muddle when trying to select different targets to shoot at, and I occasionally tapped back out of an action when I didn't mean to, but I could put that down to a tired brain that's been hopping between dozens of games over the last week or two. After one or two missions, it's easy to do exactly what you need to, whether that's quickly targeting an enemy and blasting them with a few taps of the X button, or scrolling through your alternate weapons and abilities.

Everything that you need to interact with is clearly laid out around the side of the screen, slightly rejigged from the PC version to be a bit bigger and friendlier to a TV that's a few meters away. Honestly, it's all a little bit plain, with a rather basic teal-y green box highlighting the actions at the bottom of the screen and new enemy types you encounter being with a similarly basic lower third. Where's the grit and grime of the Gears of War franchise?

The between mission UI is still a touch unrefined feeling, as you try to manage the Gears in your convoy and their equipment. Each character you have has their own class that determines their loadout, and skill tree to customise their abilities. As you play, you'll find Supply Crates in battle and earn new weapon mods and armour that can boost damage output, accuracy, add passive abilities and more. It's great to have that flexibility and depth to tweak character builds for your particular playstyle, but right from the off, following the red markers to reach each upgrade and then comparing things feels like a bit of a chore.

A new element for the console release, and a free update for PC players, is the introduction of Jack, Gears of War's traditional floating robot companion. Jack initially only has two abilities, to spend actions points to buff nearby allies with boosted damage output, and to cloak himself to avoid damage, but he gets far more interesting with more skill points fed into his skill tree. After a few missions, you can have pushed Jack's abilities toward a particular battlefield role, whether it's to support your Gears with more buffs and additional action points, to be on the front line himself with a set of weapons, or even to hijack enemies and turn them to be a controllable ally.

There's the original campaign without Jack in it, but Jacked immediately feels like a bit of fun to use. Oh, and his fast movement speed and cloaking makes him ideal for picking up Supply Crates that are dotted around each map to add more equipment to your team.

Playing on Xbox Series X, the game looks great. It's high resolution, it's full of detail and (not that it really matters for this kind of game) and it runs at 60fps. While no-one will be fooled into thinking this is a cutting edge new shooter in the series, when the action camera cuts to an over the shoulder view for a cinematic takedown, there's plenty of detail here that looks pretty great. You do have visual customisation for each Gears' equipment, swapping colours, materials, and so on, but when you're viewing the game from the sky for 99% fo the time it feels a tiny bit pointless.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla Guide – 10 essential tips and tricks

It's launch day for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and, chances are, if you've got a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S on preorder, this is one of the games due to arrive alongside your shiny slab of next-gen hardware.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla should be largely familiar to those who have previously played Origins and Odyssey. It's a gritty action roleplaying game layered with new and refined features to keep the rebooted formula feeling fresh.

Whether you're a seasoned assassin or just happen to fancy a Viking romp, we've come up with XX tips to help you and Eivor on your joint voyage.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla Tips & Tricks

1. You should boot up Ubisoft Connect as soon as you can. This is a meta layer for Ubisoft titles that offer exclusive challenges and rewards. It's purely optional though there's an item here that can help you out in those early stretches of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Spend 100 U points to unlock the Spartan Bow. Even after a dozen or so hours, it remains a permanent part of our Eivor loadout.

2. Experiment with every weapon type. In Assassin's Creed: Valhalla you'll come across various weapon classes from two-handed swords to flails, each with their own unique movesets. Mix, match, and get a feel for which combination suits you.

3. Staying with weapons, let's talk about shields. If playing on tougher combat difficulty settings you'll want to use that free fighting hand to defend yourself. While dual-wielding and two handed-weapons allow for quicker or more powerful attacks, the defensive capability of a shield can counter this. That said, if you master the parry in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla then you can pick up any weapon.

4. Upgrade your settlement as often as you can. While it's tempting to blitz through story quests, raid monasteries, and explore England, you should be returning to Ravensthrope and spending resources on new buildings, each of them yielding new activities or bonuses.

5. Gunnar's forge is the first upgrade you'll buy for Ravensthorpe. Whenever making a journey to your base, pay the Norse smithy a visit – here you can exchange Ingots (looted from chests and elite enemies) to upgrade your weapons and armour, boosting their stats and allowing you to slot runes.

6. You should also waste no time in building a bureau for the Hidden Ones. This is where Assassins Basim and Haytham will be quartered and while it's easy to try and ignore the Templar/Assassin conflict as on your Viking escapades, you'll learn new techniques. It will also open a new menu tab called "Order", populating the world with agents who need killing. If you're late in constructing the bureau there's a good chance you'll need to backtrack to kill these Order members.

7. Sýnin the raven is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. From the sky, your avian assistant can get a general overview of your surroundings, scout enemies camps, and relay important intel. If you're a keen treasure hunter then sending Sýnin can often reveal entrances and pathways which you can mark out.

8. Tailor the difficulty settings in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla to suit your playstyle. Instead of the bog standard "easy, normal, and hard" you can dial combat, stealth, and exploration to your own tastes. Fancy challenging battles but suck at stealth? You can adjust accordingly, making enemies tougher yet less aware when Eivor is sneaking around.

9. Acquire Books of Knowledge whenever they are in reach. Looting treasure is great, sure, though these chunky tomes will bless Eivor with new abilities. You can slot four melee and four ranged abilities at one time, each one helping to make battles more dynamic and flashy.

10. Gather natural resources as you move between objectives. Ore deposits and patches of wildlife are scattered throughout Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, offering the materials needed to upgrade gear. They can also be spent on increasing Eivor's arrow and ration capacity. If hunting is proving too hard you can always buy leather, ore, and more from merchants. While you're at it, check their stock for runes.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Stench of Treachery quest guide

Upon leaving Norway and first sailing to England, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla will give you a choice as to which faction you should forge an alliance with. If you choose Grantebridgescire this will start a new story arc for Eivor as you travel south of your newly made home in Ravensthorpe.

It turns out that the Vikings occupying Grantebridge have been driven out by Wigmund's Saxons following a surprise attack. You quickly team up with Soma to find her companions and retake their settlement.

Even after your victory, there's a cloud hanging over Soma. The only way the Saxons could have besieged the town is via the secret tunnels beneath Grantebridge. Tunnels only Soma and her three closest advisors know about.

It's time for Eivor to play detective, scouring the nearby region for clues while questioning the three suspects and those who might have seen anything strange on the night of the attack.

This Assassin's Creed: Valhalla "The Stench of Treachery" quest guide will talk you through the mission. You can either follow the steps below or skip to the end for a fast solution.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla "The Stench of Treachy" Guide

Your three suspects in The Stench of Treachery are Lif, Birna, and Galinn, all of whom you have already met in previous quests in this story arc. Soma will ask you to do some digging but you can just as easily make your accusation there and then. We provide the correct answer in a later part of this guide, but here's how to do it the proper way.

Your first step should be talking to Lif, Birna, and Galinn in their homes around the town.

First we have Galinn, a warrior who wandered the land in a bedraggled state before being brought into Soma's service. He's been through some hardship and is obsessed with hallucinatory visions. On the night of the Saxon ambush he has no firm alibi but at the same time no real motive to betray Soma.

Next up we have Birna, one of Soma's best fighters who parries every grave blow life has to throw at her with a quip and a smile. There's something more to her relationship with Soma and it appears as though her bags were packed to leave on the night of the raid.

Finally we Lif. He's been beside Soma for a long time now, serving as a master shipwright. He has served loyally though tells Eivor he had originally put his name forward to lead the tribe, too. On the night of the raid, this ambitious advisor was working in the shipyard.

Exhaust all dialogue options available. Also, make sure you are speaking to nearby NPCs who can give you more clues. Report back to Soma with your findings and your search will be directed to the swamps beyond Grantebridge.

Pop open your Asssassin's Creed: Valhalla world map and look north. You will see a scattered cluster of islands. You can begin your search anywhere in this region though we'd recommend starting with the tunnel where the Saxons got in. At the entrance you'll find a painted yellow cross, triggering a cutscene recreation. To find clues, use your eagle vision to scan the area around Eivor, highlighting anything of interest. Quest objectives will glow green.

You'll be guided further north along the riverbank where you'll discover wrecked longships and another cutscene. Lif is the master of ships and you'll find his poem carvings inside these scattered boats. If you examined the shopping list in Lif's hut you will have also seen that he purchased yellow paint…

There are two more major clues to be found. If you follow the same path shown in the recreation you will come upon a longship painted in yellow. As you'll know by now, the conspirator painted the ship, marking it for the Saxons to attack. Galinn's ship.

All the clues are pointing to Lif, but there's one more crucial piece of evidence. In the nearby Saxon camp west of the river, you can kill a large group of enemies and claim their loot. However, there's also a clue here – a letter from Wigmund ordering his men to allow a yellow longship safe passage. The plot thickens…

This should give you all the information you need to make the correct accusation. Galinn is the traitor, having brokered a deal with Wigmund. He painted the ship yellow and tried to escape though was set upon by bandits. The place where Eivor finds Galinn at the beginning of this story arc is just north of the yellow ship – convenient, eh?

Report back to Soma and watch the rest of the quest play out.

The Stench of Treachy solved – who is the traitor?

Galinn is the traitor. Select him and Soma will call a meeting of her trusted advisors, killing Galinn despite his protests – he lies through his teeth even in death. You, Soma, Birna, and Lif will head to the Ely Monastery in the final stage of this quest, to kill Wigmund.

If you choose correctly then the raid will go ahead as planned. You will return to camp after slaying Wigmund and Soma will reward you. Birna will also join your clan.

If you wrongly accused Lif or Birna, you will return to camp to find Galinn holding the surviving advisor with an axe to their throat. They'll break free only to be cut down as Galinn launches an axe at them. You'll then have to face him in a boss battle. A bloody end to this small saga.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla guides & more from TheSixthAxis

BT have launch day Xbox Series X|S stock for BT and EE customers

Alongside Game, BT have also announced that they will have some launch day stock of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, with the caveat that it is available exclusively for BT broadband and EE mobile customers.

BT customers will have to log into their MyBT account to spot the offer, with consoles and a range of accessories to be made available, while EE customers have the option to throw the cost of the their next-gen console on top of their existing mobile contracts, paying through 11 interest-free instalments with the Add to Plan service.

It's touted as a new partnership between Microsoft and BT, as BT look to strengthen their position as a partner for gaming companies. They were also the first European network to partner with Google Stadia back in January.

Stock will likely be quite limited, and hopefully this isn't the only avenue that punters have to pick up a launch day console – Game announced yesterday that they will have launch day PlayStation 5's next week.

Is the Xbox Series X worth they outlay? We'd say so, if you prefer the green team over the blue. The console is fast, it's clearly very powerful and it builds on the Xbox One X. You'll see a huge jump forward if you're coming from a base Xbox One or PlayStation 4, but might be feeling there's a lack of meaningful exclusives on day one.

We said in our Xbox Series X review:

The Xbox Series X is the continuity candidate. It's built on the foundations of familiar system software and comprehensive backward compatibility that actively enhances everything you want to play on it (within limits) and it's effectively silent no matter how hard we've pushed it. At this time we're still on the outer threshold of what it can offer for the next gen gaming, but we'll explore that over the coming days, weeks and months. What's certain is that you'll want a high-end TV or monitor to get the very best out of it, and that if you're coming from a base PS4 or Xbox One in particular, this will be a huge step forward.

Source: press release

If you missed it, catch up with Destiny 2's end of season live event here

At stupid o'clock this morning a small live event took place in Destiny 2 to signal the end of the current version of the game and prepare for the launch of Beyond Light. Check out the video below to see what happened.

Those who logged in saw the Traveller go all sparkly and begin healing itself, as did all the Guardians watching. That was about it until right at the end the game shifted to the map view and some dark swirls crept from the left side out the map, removing Io, Mars, Mercury, and Titan, before the Traveller glowed and stopped the spread of the darkness.

Honestly, I'm a bit annoyed. This was billed as a small event and it was in terms of theatrics, but as part of the lore it was huge and most players in Europe missed it due to the timing. Also, after months of build up, story missions, and saying goodbye to Brother Vance and the others, they just get removed from a map? That's it? No cut scenes, no explosions, no last stand, they just get removed, what an anti-climax.

The game is now offline while Bungie get everything ready for Beyond Light which launches later today. Here are the details, remember UTC is the same as GMT.

  • November 9, 7:00 PM PST (0300 UTC): Destiny 2 will be brought offline for expected maintenance. Players will be removed from activities and won't be able to log back into Destiny 2 until 9 AM PST on November 10.
  • November 10, 9:00 AM PST (1700 UTC): Destiny 2 Update 3.0.0.1 will be available across all platforms and regions. Players will be able to log back into Destiny 2.
  • November 10 12:00 PM PDT (2000 UTC): Destiny 2 maintenance is expected to conclude.

You should be able to preload the new version of the game right now, Bungie warn that you should not delete your existing copy of Destiny 2 to make space for the new version.

Source: YouTube

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guide – Where to find all Missing Cats

If you're looking to make some yen fast in Yakuza: Like a Dragon then you'll want to get to Chapter 5 where you'll unlock the Part-time Hero service, which happens as part of the story.

This is essentially where you carry out fetch quests like finding X number of items or defeating Y number of enemy types. While each quest will net you cash and item rewards, there's a few that are a very nice earner for when you're broke for much of the start.

First, in order to start the cat quest in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, you will need to go visit the Part-time Hero office in person (although you do go to the office during the substory when the mode unlocks, it doesn't count). The office is located in the northwest of Ijincho.

Once you're there, a cutscene will play featuring a number of stray cats. However, as soon as you leave, you'll get a call to say they've all escaped, so now you'll have the quest to find all 9 stray cats around the city. You should be able to locate them all from Chapter 5 onwards and once done, just return to the Part-time Hero office to collect a 1 million yen reward!

In the following guide, we've listed all the missing cat locations in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, complete with screenshots of where to find them.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon Guide – all Missing Cat locations

  1. Located on Sunrise St in the Commercial District just north of the brothel where you and your party are staying at early on.

2. South of the Bar District, this cat is tucked away in the doorway of this club that has this big garish head statue on the outside (hint: it's one that the others say looks a bit like Adachi).

3. Behind a car on the upper floor car park in the Commercial District, right above where the Can Quest mini-game is located.

4. West and across the road from Ounabara Vocational School, you have to go through the gates into the grounds of this large square building where the cat is perched on top of a green meter box.

5. West of Jinnai Station, as you come out the station, veer south and go across the road and you'll come to an enclosure you can enter lined with trees. Head further down, past a row of silver safes (which you might as well open for loot as well) and you'll find the cat at the very end perched on top of a large bin.

6. At the most northwest of Ijincho next to the batting center. This one's just on the ground behind a couple of huts.

7. In the west-central part of Hamakita Park there's a water fountain. The cat is hiding behind that.In the centre of Chinatown, this cat is perched just outside this restaurant.

8. In the centre of Chinatown, this cat is perched just outside this restaurant.

9. Deep inside Restaurant Row in Liumang territory, the final cat is just tucked away in this tiny alleyway.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Job Guide – Every female character job and skills

Yakuza: Like a Dragon changes up the series' history of real-time brawls to a turn-based JRPG, and with that a modern-day twist on job class systems based on real-life jobs.

In order to change jobs, you have to go to Hello Work in the Commercial District and then speak to Ririka.

Job rank levels are separate to character levels. As your job rank increases, you will learn new skills related to that job. While it's possible to max out your job rank to Lv.99, you will learn all skills by Lv.28, and thereafter levelling up further simply improves other stats. Also note that you can also learn Character skills, which can be used by your character even when in a different job.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon Female Character Job Guide (Saeko and Eri)

The availability of jobs is based on gender however, and unfortunately for the female characters, there are considerably less jobs, which also appear to fall into fairly stereotypical categories. Nonetheless, that should not discount how important these jobs are in battle.

Note that there are also conditions that need to be met in order for a job to unlock for each character, which is usually based on character level as well as their bond level with Kasuga.

Hostess

Lure your enemies in for a good time and then put the freeze on them with a range of ice-based attacks.

Unlocks for: Saeko (at Lv.1) and Eri (at Lv.20, Bond Lv.2)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Card Shot Blade attack that may cause bleeding Job skill
1 Sparkling Cannon Ice-based attack that may leave enemy cold and drunk Job skill
4 Ashtray Crush Attack that may lower enemy's accuracy Job skill
6 Cutie Smile Removes mental status ailments from all allies Job skill
10 Sexy Pose Lower enemy's defence and may leave them charmed Character skill
12 Nail Scratch Blade attack that may lower enemy's evasion Job skill
16 Platter Shatter Ice-based attack that may leave enemy cold Job skill
18 Penalty Roulette Attack with a random self-defence weapon Job skill
22 Ice Spreader Heavy ice-based attack that may leave enemy cold Character skill
24 Essence of Damnation Date If successful, will instantly KO enemy Job skill
28 Essence of Lighter Service Extreme fire-based attack to a single enemy that may cause burn Job skill

 

Idol

Equivalent to the white mage, your pop star power can heal allies, though they can also debuff enemies and even use their cutesy poses to charm the enemy

Unlocks for: Saeko (at Lv.15), Eri (at Lv.1)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Smash Step Attack that may leave enemy charmed Job skill
1 Twirling Beat Attack combo that may leave enemy silenced Job skill
4 Magical Voice Restores HP to an ally Character skill
6 Magical Song Restores HP to all allies Job skill
10 Miraculous Voice Removes physical status ailments from all allies Job skill
12 Lovedrunk Typhoon Lowers defence of all enemies that may leave them charmed Job skill
16 Impish Wink May leave an enemy brainwashed Character skill
18 Playful Splash May leave the enemy with a cold Job skill
22 Magical Concert Fully restores HP to all allies Job skill
24 Essence of Glowstick Fury Extreme attack on an enemy, damage is greater based if charmed Job skill
28 Essence of Idol Spirit Revives an ally Job skill

 

Nightqueen

Got a whip handy, because it's time to bring the punishment as a sadistic dominatrix. Whether with a whip, dancing pole, or a bit of bondage, your enemies will feel the pain so much they may even be brainwashed.

Unlocks for: Saeko (at Lv.20, Bond Lv.2), Eri (at Lv.25, Bond Lv.4)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Heel Stomp Attack that may brainwash enemy Job skill
1 Luscious Guillotine Attack with chance to instantly KO enemy Job skill
4 Whip Service Attack combo that may brainwash enemy Job skill
6 Somersault Leg Attacks enemy area that may leave enemies brainwashed Character skill
10 Spinning Queen Attacks enemy area that may leave enemies brainwashed Job skill
12 Tough Love May leave enemy brainwashed or silenced Job skill
16 Candle Rush Heavy fire-based attack to enemy area that may cause burn Character skill
18 Vital Vibration Heavy attack combo that may leave enemy brainwashed Job skill
22 Essence of Titillating Claws Greatly restores HP to an ally Job skill
28 Essence of Extreme Bondage Extreme attack that may instantly KO enemy Job skill

 

Dealer

As a high-rolling casino dealer, many of your best attacks are dependent on the roll of the dice, with a mixture of melee, blade and gun attacks thrown in for good measure.

Unlocks for: Saeko (at Lv.25, Bond Lv.4), Eri (at Lv.15)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Card Sharp Blade attack, damage depends on the card's number Job skill
1 Joker's Juggling Juggling attack, damage depends on items that fall back down Job skill
4 Jackpot Chip Throws mysterious chip at enemy with high chance of critical hit Character skill
6 Darts Airstrike Gun attack at enemy area Job skill
10 Lucky Dice Boosts ally's stats Job skill
16 Unlucky Dice Lower's an enemy's stats Job skill
18 Tricker's Top Hat May leave enemy burned, poisoned or with a cold Character skill
22 Essence of Russian Roulette Extreme gun attack all multiple enemies but may strike allies too Job skill
28 Essence of Fortune's Wheel Mysterious roulette with one of many possible outcomes Job skill

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Job Guide – Every male character job and skills

Yakuza: Like a Dragon changes up the series' history of real-time brawls to a turn-based JRPG, and with that a modern-day twist on job class systems based on real-life jobs.

In order to change jobs, you have to go to Hello Work in the Commercial District. Although you reach this place for the first time in Chapter 3, you'll have to go through the story for a bit before switching jobs becomes available. But once it's unlocked, you just need to go there and speak to Ririka at her desk.

Job rank levels are separate to character levels. As your job rank increases, you will learn new skills related to that job. While it's possible to max out your job rank to Lv.99, you will learn all skills by Lv.28, and thereafter levelling up further simply improves other stats. Also note that you can also learn Character skills, which can be used by your character even when in a different job.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon Male Character Job Guide

Availability of jobs is based on gender, so we'll be going through the jobs available to the male characters here. Note that there are also conditions that need to be met in order for a job to unlock for certain characters, usually based on character level as well as Kasuga's personality stats or bond levels with his allies.

Bodyguard

Uses katana attacks that deals heavy damage but also inflicts harm on the user – similar to a dark knight

Unlocks for: Kasuga (at Lv.1), Nanba (at Lv.15), Adachi (at Lv.1), Joon-gi Han (at Lv.1), Zhao (at Lv. 20, Bond Lv.3)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Fiendish Slash Blade attack that may cause bleeding Job skill
1 Thoughtless Skewer Blade attack that also damages user, the lower your MP the higher the damage Job skill
4 Beserker Spirit Boosts attack Character skill
6 Haywire Havoc Attack that when timed right results in critical hit Job skill
10 Smack Talk Taunt enemy to enrage Job skill
12 Nightmare Glare May cause enemy to be afraid Job skill
16 Diehard Skewer Blade attack that also damages user, the lower your HP the higher the damage Character skill
18 Devilish Slash Heavy blade attack that may cause bleeding Job skill
24 Essence of Lightning Rod Extreme blade and electric-based attack that damages user as well, the lower your HP and MP the higher the damage Job skill
28 Essence of Diabolic Slash Extreme blade attack that may cause bleeding Job skill

 

Host

Here to bring the pain through good times, from sparkling champagne to birthday cakes to the face. Hosts can learn both fire and ice attacks, while also stealing from enemies (or rather coercing them to give up items) – sort of a mage and thief rolled into one.

Unlocks for: Kasuga (at Lv.1 and Style Lv.3), Nanba (at Lv. 20 and Bond Lv.4), Adachi (at Lv. 20 and Bond Lv.4), Joon-gi Han (at Lv.1), Zhao (at Lv.15)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Sparkling Splash Ice damage that may leave enemy cold and drunk Job skill
1 Hyper Shout Boost ally's attack Job skill
1 Golden Finger May cause an enemy to hand over an item Job skill
4 Rose Stinger Attack that may leave enemy charmed and burned Job skill
6 Birthday Bash Attack that may lower enemy's attack Job skill
10 Ice Spreader Ice damage that affects enemy area, may leave enemies with a cold Character skill
12 Birthday Bonanza Attack that may leave enemy silenced Job skill
16 Platinum Finger Chance of enemy handing over a rare item Job skill
18 Secret Cocktail Restore own HP but may leave them drunk Character skill
22 Essence of Rose Typhoon Extreme fire attack to all enemies that may leave them charmed and burned Job skill
24 Coercive Shout Boost ally's magic Job skill
28 Essence of Champagne Wave Extreme ice attack to all enemies that may leave them cold and drunk Job skill

 

Yakuza: Like A Dragon_20201106104601

Breaker

Bringing the bling and the beats, a breakdancer uses dance-based attacks that can also provide buffs to the user.

Unlocks for: Kasuga (at Lv.1), Nanba (at Lv.1), Adachi (at Lv.15 and Bond Lv.2), Joon-gi Han (at Lv.15), Zhao (at Lv. 15 and Bond Lv.2)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Maximum Flair Unblockable attack that may boost defence Job skill
1 Rolling Thrash Attack that may recover MP Job skill
1 Accel Step Boost evasion Job skill
4 Collapsing Chair Unblockable attack that may boost attack Job skill
6 Windmill Attack combo to enemy area Job skill
10 Atlas Hold Unblockable combo attack that may boost defence Character skill
12 Goblin Swipe Attack combo to single enemy Job skill
16 Spin Sweeper Attack combo to enemy area that may boost attack Job skill
18 Hangman Twist Throw attack that may boost attack for all allies Job skill
22 Double Hatchet Attack that may boost magic Character skill
24 Essence of Rolling Mixer Extreme attack to single enemy that may remove your debuffs Job skill
28 Essence of Breakdance Delight Extreme attack on all enemies that may restore allies' HP Job skill

 

Foreman

A construction worker who wields a big hammer to bring in heavy damage as well as explosives that bring fire-based damage.

Unlocks for: Kasuga (at Lv.1 with Charisma Lv.3), Nanba (at Lv. 25, Bond Lv.5), Adachi (at Lv.1), Joon-gi Han (at Lv. 20, Bond Lv.3), Zhao (at Lv. 25, Bond Lv.4).

Note: ensure you equip this job for Kasuga at least once as it also unlocks an important exploration ability called Demolish that's essential for accessing certain locations.

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Boss Hammer Powers attack on first turn followed by heavy damage on next turn Job skill
1 Healthy Routine Reduce allies' chance of suffering status ailments Job skill
4 Hammer Swing Attack enemy area Job skill
6 Get Pumped Boosts own defence Job skill
10 Explosive Throw Fire-based attack at multiple enemies, can cause burn Job skill
12 Master Hammer Powers attack on first turn followed by extreme damage on next turn Job skill
16 Ocular Assessment Greatly boosts accuracy Character Skill
18 Upswing Smash Heavy damage to an enemy Job skill
22 Essence of Labor Parade Extreme attack to all enemies Job skill
24 Megaton Throw Heavy fire-based attack at multiple enemies, can cause burn Character Skill
28 Essence of Wrecking Ball Extreme attack to all enemies Job skill

 

Musician

A modern day bard, use the power of music and song to heal and buff allies while debuffing enemies. Skills can also raise your voltage level, which affects the power of your attacks.

Unlocks for: Kasuga (at Lv.15, Kindness Lv.5), Nanba (at Lv.1), Adachi (at Lv.20, Bond Lv.3), Joon-gi Han (at Lv.20, Bond Lv.4), Zhao (at Lv.1)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Guitar Crush Attack that causes more damage with higher voltage Job skill
1 Album Drop Blade attack that deals more damage with more musicians in party Job skill
2 "We Are The Globe" Lowers attack of all enemies, may raise your voltage Job skill
4 "Endless Desire" Gives HP regeneration to all party members, may raise your voltage Character skill
6 "Scar Me" Attack enemy area, may raise your voltage Job skill
10 "Relax" Lowers defence of all enemies, may raise your voltage Job skill
12 "Those Who Protect" Raises defence of all allies, may raise your voltage Job skill
16 "Be My Shelter" Absorb enemy's MP, may raise your voltage Character skill
18 "Your Wackiest Dreams" May cause enemies to fall asleep, may raise your voltage Job skill
22 Feel the Crowd Defend and counter-attack any close range attacks, voltage is raised for each counter-attack Job skill
24 Essence of Surprise Concert Extreme attack on all enemies, the higher your voltage the higher the damage Job skill
28 Encore Increase the strength of your skills for 3 turns Job skill

 

Chef

Coming roaring out from the kitchen, the chef's recipes include blade-based attacks that have a chance of making enemies bleed as well as a fire-based attacks.

Unlocks for: Kasuga (at Lv.15, Passion Lv.5), Nanba (at Lv.15, Bond Lv.2), Adachi (at Lv.25, Bond Lv.4), Joon-gi Han (at Lv.25, Bond Lv.4), Zhao (at Lv.1)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Flattening Pan Attack that deals greater damage to stunned enemy Job skill
1 Medium Well Fire-based attack to enemy area that may cause burn Job skill
1 Saucer Discs Throws blade attack to enemy and any enemies in path of trajectory Job skill
4 Sashimi Slice Blade attack combo that may cause bleeding Job skill
6 Cutlery Crash Blade attack combo that may cause bleeding Job skill
10 Peppermill Blow Attack that may lower enemy's accuracy Character skill
12 Wound Opener Blade attack that deals greater damage to bleeding enemy Job skill
16 Well Done Heavy damage to enemy area and may cause burn Job skill
18 Vanquishing Pan Heavy attack that deals greater damage to stunned enemy Character skill
22 Essence of Human Grating Extreme attack on a single enemy Job skill
24 Pressure Cooker Slam Heavy damage to enemy area that may cause stun Job skill
28 Essence of Searing Extreme attack on a single enemy that may cause burn Job skill

 

Enforcer

Basically a riot police officer wielding a baton and shield like a knight, an enforcer can protect allies while also learn electric-based attacks that can paralyse enemies.

Unlocks for: Kasuga (at Lv.20, Confidence Lv.7), Nanba (at Lv.25, Bond Lv.4), Adachi (at Lv.15), Joon-gi Han (at Lv.15, Bond Lv.2), Zhao (at Lv.25, Bond Lv.5)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Strike Down Attack that may enrage enemy Job skill
1 Transfer Shield Shield that reduces damage an ally receives but greatly reduces your defence Job skill
4 Shield Blast Attack enemy area Character skill
6 Paralysis Prongs Electric-based attack that may paralyse enemy Job skill
10 Shield Bash Heavy attack that may enrage enemy Job skill
12 Sleep Grenade May cause enemy in area to fall asleep Job skill
18 Power Lift Extreme attack that may enrage enemy Character skill
22 Essence of Shield Rupture Extreme attack to all enemies that deals greater damage to enraged enemies Job skill
28 Essence of Electromagnetic Storm Extreme electric-based attack on all enemies that may cause paralysis Job skill
24 Pressure Cooker Slam Heavy damage to enemy area that may cause stun Job skill
28 Essence of Searing Extreme attack on a single enemy that may cause burn Job skill

 

Fortune Teller

Uses magic to buff and revive allies while inflicting status ailments on enemies.

Unlocks for: Kasuga (at Lv.20, Intellect Lv.7), Nanba (at Lv.20, Bond Lv.3), Adachi (at Lv.25, Bond Lv.5), Joon-gi Han (at Lv.15, Bond Lv.2), Zhao (at Lv.20, Bond Lv.4)

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Directional Doom Attack that may brainwash enemy Job skill
1 Holy Water Cure enemy of status ailment Job skill
4 Soul Tether Revive fallen ally Character skill
6 Leyline Logarithm Attack that may brainwash enemy Job skill
10 Pulsa Denoura Spell that may leave enemy afraid, brainwashed, charmed, enraged or silenced Job skill
12 Auric Insight Boosts attack of all allies Job skill
16 Bad Omen Spell that may leave enemy brainwashed or silenced Job skill
18 Fulminating Forecast Electric-based spell on multiple enemies that may cause paralysis Character skill
22 Essence of Spirit Bonding Revives all fallen allies Job skill
28 Essence of Divine Punishment Extreme magic attack on an enemy that may leave them afraid Job skill

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Job Guide – Every character starting job and skills

Yakuza: Like a Dragon marks a huge departure from the previous entries in the long-running series as it changes from real-time action brawling into a turn-based JRPG. That also includes party members and its own twist on job class systems.

A lot has been made of being able to swap around to a variety of real-life jobs but each character also has their own starting job that's unique to them, and while it's fun to try your hand at being a breakdancer or chef, your starting job can be just as important, with skills you don't want to neglect.

Job rank levels are separate to character levels. As your job rank increases, you will learn new skills related to that job. While it's possible to max out your job rank to Lv.99, you will learn all skills by Lv.28, and thereafter levelling up further simply improves other stats.

One thing worth noting is that as you learn new job skills, a couple of skills are classed as Character skills, which means once you've learned it, your character can use it irrespective of what other job they have at the time.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Starting Job Guide

In this guide, we'll outline each character's starting jobs while also listing their unlockable skills, starting with the game's main protagonist.

Ichiban Kasuga

Ichiban actually has two exclusive jobs. He starts as a Freelancer fighting with just his fists and can learn terrain-based attacks. He eventually defaults to Hero in Chapter 4, using bat-based attacks but can also learn a mixture of offensive and healing skills. Take note that Freelancer remains a separate job that you can always switch back to.

Freelancer

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
2 Tenacious Fist Punch attack that may leave enemy stunned Job skill
4 Rock Swing Puts enemy in headlock and throws them Job skill
5 Headbutt Barrage Damage an enemy with headbutts Job skill
8 Hyper Swagger Boosts evasion and attack for 2 turns Character skill
12 Dropkick Flying kick attack with high chance of critical hit Job skill
16 Ruffian's Kick Heavy kick attack Job skill
20 Atomic Drop High damage with high chance of critical hit Job skill
24 Release German Suplex Suplex move that may instantly KO enemy Character skill
28 Essence of Roadside Weapon Extreme damage on enemy with an improvised weapon in environment Job skill

 

Freelancer

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Bat Buster Swing bat at enemy Job skill
1 Mega Swing Damage enemy and anyone within attack area. Damage is higher when HP is lower Job skill
4 Fearless Command Boost allies' attack Job skill
6 Bat Breaker Heavy damage with a bat swing Job skill
8 Hero's Vigor Revive ally from KO – does not always succeed Job skill
10 Hero's Compassion Restores HP to all allies Job skill
12 Giga Swing Heavy damage to enemy and anyone within attack area. Damage is higher when HP is lower. Job skill
16 Peerless Resolve Allows you to survive a hit that would otherwise result in KO. Character skill
18 Indomitable Courage Removes all allies' status ailments Character skill
22 Essence of Bonecrushing Bat Extreme damage to an enemy Job skill
23 Hero's Embrace Restores all allies' HP Job skill
28 Essence of Full Swing Extreme damage to enemy and anyone within attack area. Damage is higher when HP is lower. Job skill

 

Nanba

You meet Nanba in Chapter 3. An ex-nurse who is living in Yokohama's homeless camp, his hobo-based skills includes using alcohol to light up enemies with fire, bad breath to cause debuffs and summoning attack pigeons.

Homeless Guy

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Pigeon Raid Attacks enemy with flock of pigeons Job skill
1 Gnarly Breath Lowers enemy defence Job skill
1 Pitiful Look Chance of making enemy hand over an item Job skill
4 Pyro Belch Fire attack that affects enemy area and may inflict burn status Job skill
6 Push and Shove Attack that may leave enemy stunned Job skill
10 Pyro Breath Heavy fire attack that affects enemy area and may inflict burn status Character skill
12 Nauseating Breath Lowers enemy attack Job skill
16 Pigeon Storm Heavy attack on enemy with flock of pigeons Job skill
18 Stunning Cane Heavy damage that may leave enemy stunned Job skill
22 Malodorous Stench Lowers attack and defence of all enemies Character skill
28 Essence of Pigeon Migration Extreme damage to all enemies using pigeons Job skill

 

Koichi Adachi

You meet Adachi in Chapter 2 though he's not properly part of the party until Chapter 4. A washed up detective on the verge of retirement, he's quite tanky and able to dish out heavy attacks.

Detective

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Beatdown Attack that may enrage enemy Job skill
1 Slick Tongue Provoke all with chance to enrage Character skill
3 On Guard Defend and counter-attack any close-range attacks that turn Job skill
4 Heavy Beatdown Combo of attacks Job skill
6 Detective's Determination Chance of striking fear into an enemy Job skill
10 True Grit Allows you to survive a hit that would otherwise result in KO. Job skill
12 Helmsplitter Damage that may leave enemy stunned Job skill
16 Detective's Eye Boost accuracy Job skill
18 Arrest Restrain enemy and if successful will instantly KO Job skill
22 Grand Helmsplitter Heavy damage that may leave enemy stunned Character skill
24 Essence of Bulldozing Throw Extreme damage Job skill
28 Essence of Body Stacking Extreme damage to two enemies Job skill

 

Saeko Mukoda

Joining the party in Chapter 5, Saeko is a hostess turned bartender who's as tough and witty as any of the guys. She specialises in physical attacks on single enemies while using a range of cosmetics to buff herself.

Barmaid

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Clobberbag Attack that may leave enemy stunned Job skill
1 Boxercise Blow Attack combo Job skill
1 Sharp Perfume Raises attack Job skill
4 Beautician's Finesse Raises defence Character skill
6 Powderpuff Press Attack that may lower enemy accuracy Job skill
10 Clobberwheel Damage to enemy area Job skill
12 Tweezer Toss Throw damage that may leave enemy afraid Job skill
16 Yoga Meditation Recover HP and heal burn or bleeding status Character skill
18 Branding Blow Damage that may burn enemy and seal skills Job skill
22 Curler Throw Attack that may lower enemy accuracy Job skill
24 Essence of Handbag Hurricane Extreme attack to single enemy Job skill
28 Essence of Facial Gone Wrong Extreme throw attack to enemy that may cause debuffs Job skill

 

Joon-gi Han

Second-in-command of secretive Korean gang the Geomijul, Joon-gi Han is actually the body double of the man of the same name who once led the Jingweon Mafia (for those who played Yakuza 6). Though an adversary to begin with, he later joins the party and can provide gun skills that damage multiple enemies.

Hitman

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Head Trauma Damage enemy Job skill
1 Combo Beat Attack combo Job skill
1 Sniper Shot Ranged attack Job skill
4 Banshee Bayonet Disappear for a turn then unleash powerful attack the next turn Job skill
6 Rapid Shot Ranged attack combo Character skill
10 Point Blank Close gun attack that can stun or even instantly KO Job skill
12 Cheap Shot Stomp on enemy foot then strike Job skill
16 Neck Twister Heavy throw damage Job skill
18 Divine Shot Damage multiple enemies within range Job skill
22 Essence of Phantom Drive High blade damage that may leave enemy bleeding Job skill
24 Phantom Shift Boosts accuracy and evasion Character skill
28 Essence of Trick Shots Heavy damage to all enemies but damage is higher when there are less enemies Job skill

 

Tianyou Zhao

The young leader of Chinese mafia, the Yokohama Liumang, Zhao joins the party late in the game but offers fierce blade-based attacks as well a dose of martial art kicks.

Gangster

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Falling Fang Blade attack that may leave enemy bleeding Job skill
1 Dragon's Vortex Combo attack Job skill
1 Blinding Viper Attack that may lower enemy accuracy Job skill
4 Whirling Blade Dance Attack enemy area and may cause bleeding Job skill
6 Dragon's Ascension Attack combo that may leave enemy stunned Job skill
10 Shell Shatter Attack that may lower enemy's defence Character skill
12 Rapd Crane Kick Damage an enemy and may leave stunned Job skill
16 Sanguine Blade Dance Combo attack that may cause bleeding Job skill
18 Seismic Shockwave Builds up power on first turn followed by devastating attack the next that damages enemy area Job skill
22 Drunken Tiger Fist Damage enemy, critical hit more likely when drunk Character skill
24 Essence of the Phoenix Blade Extreme attack that may leave enemy burned Job skill
28 Essence of the Ladder Acrobatics Extreme attack to all enemies, may instantly KO the last enemy hit Job skill

 

Eri Kamataki

Eri is an optional character you meet towards the end of Chapter 5. While her story is focused on the management mini-game, you're advised not to ignore this if you want to make a lot of money in the long run. Upon reaching the Top 100 in the management mini-game, Eri joins the party, bringing the pain using blade-based attacks – based on a variety of office supplies!

Clerk

Job rank Skill Summary Skill type
1 Healing Vibrations Restore HP to self Character skill
1 Rolling Kick Attack that deals more damage to enemies with status ailments Job skill
1 Flying Crane Blade attack that may leave enemy bleeding Job skill
4 Thumbtack Scatter Sharp attack affecting enemy area Job skill
6 Inkblot Nocturne Lower enemy and nearby enemies' accuracy and evasion Job skill
10 Shadow Stitch Heavy blade damage that may lower enemy evasion Character skill
12 Sealing Lamp Attack that may silence enemy Job skill
16 Stapler Striker Attack combo that may leave enemy afraid Job skill
18 Paper Drop Heavy damage that may leave enemy stunned Job skill
22 Papercut Reversal Heavy damage that may leave enemy bleeding Job skill
24 Essence of Flying Swallow Extreme attack that may leave enemy afraid Job skill
28 Essence of Telephone Nunchaku Extreme attack to all enemies, may cause silence and fear Job skill

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guide – All Mini-Games and where to find them

Yakuza games have always been known for having a wealth of mini-games to distract you, and Like a Dragon is no different.

There's plenty for you to do in Yokohama's Isezaki Ijincho, but it's also a considerably larger place than Kamurocho, so it can take some time to get your bearings on just what's available in. There's a mixture of familiar as well as completely new activities, although some have certain conditions before you can access them.

This guide will give you a breakdown on all the dizzying mini-games in Yokohama and how to unlock them.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Mini-Game Guide

Arcades

There's actually two arcades in Ijincho, the small run-down Sasaki arcade in the Commercial District and the Club Sega in Chinatown (which is exactly where you'd find a Sega arcade in the real Yokohama).

Sasaki is located on Tsurukame Alley, a side street off W Central St. on the way to Hello Work, so it's one you can access very easily in the beginning. Inside you'll find playable versions of Virtua Fighter 2, Fantasy Zone and Out Run, as well as some UFO catcher machines. The photo booth unfortunately is just for show.

Club Sega is just at the end of Chinatown on the North East part of Ijincho. Inside you'll find playable versions of Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, Super Hang-On and Space Harrier.

Can Quest

This is the first substory you'll play and is part of the story. Essentially, you're riding a bike around the homeless area collecting cans while trying to avoid rival collectors – unless of course you've got an energy drink, in which case you can ram into them and steal their cans!

Seagull Cinema

This small arthouse cinema shows vintage films but the comfiness of the seats, and possibly the quality of the old movies, means it can be tough to stay attentive and not fall asleep. Fight back against the sheep to stay awake to get through the film!

You'll find this on the corner of Ijin Street north of where Otohime Land is. You can't really miss it as you'll have to go to Ijin Street as part of the story. You'll have to complete 'Substory 8: Old Cinema Paradiso' first before the cinema unlocks as an activity you can come back to anytime. You can even go see a film with a friend to build up your bond level.

Shogi

Japan's own version of Chess, you'll find a homeless guy set up just north of the homeless camp who will challenge you to a game. You can play ranked matches, challenges or puzzles.

Hostess cabaret clubs

Hostess clubs are a long-running staple in the series although their function is much reduced here. It's not so much a minigame but a more costly equivalent of a restaurant where you can splash out on food and drink to restore your allies' HP and MP, although if you treat the hostesses right, it puts your male allies' in a better mood, boosting your bond level with them.

There's two hostess clubs to choose from, the Rose Blossom Cabaret that's on the same street as Otohime Land in the red light district, and Lin Lin Hostess bar, a Chinese hostess bar located in Ijin Street. You'll go to the latter as part of the story in Chapter 5.

Karaoke

Another series staple returns – except you can even sing in English! This rhythm game is available in Survive Bar which you'll unlock in the story. You'll also unlock more songs as more characters join the party.

Slot machines

You can play Pachislots at PIA on Isezaki Road, one street away from Otohime Land. These feature real Pachislots machines including 'Pachislot Souter-no-Ken Ponyou' based on the Fist of the North Star manga. You do however have to download free DLC before you can actually play these machines.

Mahjong

You can play Richi Mahjong in two places. There's Citron Majhong, a basement parlour for lower tier games in the south of Koreatown, and located below where Sujimon Sensei is based. For higher ranking Mahjong games, head to Vista Mahjong on Pier Street in Chinatown north east of Ijincho.

Ounabara Vocational School

This school is on Daikokuten St. just north east of Jinnai Station in the centre of the map. You'll trigger 'Substory 10: Fast times at Ounabara' (which also features a brilliant bit of localisation if you're playing with English audio) before it unlocks.

Basically, this is the place to go to raise Ichiban's personality stats by taking a series of vocational tests, which range from trivia to math to your Sega knowledge. Just make sure you have plenty of money as these tests cost a fair bit.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon_20201106150626

Darts

Based on the darts mechanics from Yakuza 6, you can play darts in basement bar Bee. This is located on Bayside St. almost in the centre of the map just north of Jinnai Station, and around the corner from a Poppo store.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon_20201106145516

Golf

Heaven's Golf is located on Kinka St. north west of Jinnai Station around the corner from gourmet sushi restaurant Kappo Katsumi.

Batting Center

Just like the batting centre in Kamurocho, the MIRAI Batting Center is located at the most north west of Ijinco by the sea.

Dragon Kart

A surprisingly decent and meaty Mario Kart clone (and perhaps a parody of those unlicensed Mario Kart go-karting businesses found in Japan), this can be found in Hamakita Park, the most north eastern part of Ijincho by the sea. Those who've played Yakuza 0 and recall the pocket circuit racing mini-game may also recognise the owner of this activity.

To unlock Dragon Kart, just complete 'Substory 40: Welcome to Dragon Kart!' when you approach the area for the first time. After that, you can return and compete in up to four cups, each with three different tracks based around the city. Each cup is also tied to a substory with racing rivals while you can also upgrade your kart or unlock new ones over time. Bear in mind that the final cup isn't available until the final chapter of the game.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon_20201027153315

Business management

The most substantial mini-game of the lot, you're introduced to this one in Chapter 5 when you meet Eri where 'Substory 15: Ijincho's Safety Net' begins as part of the story. In the long term, this is the best route to making lots of money in the game, which you do by investing in new businesses, recruiting and training staff, then battling angry investors at shareholder meetings.

Once you've unlocked it, you can resume the management mini-game by going to the upstairs office above Ichiban Confections just north west of Tsurukame Bridge.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon_20201106150819

Gambling

There are two underground gambling spots but both are hidden away and require meeting certain conditions to unlock.

The first one is a casino next on Breakwater Drive just next to Chinatown and the taxi point. However, this is hidden in the men's toilet at this spot and in order to access it, your style level needs to be at Lv.4. Once you've reached this level, speak to a guy outside the toilet and he'll tell you to go into the cubicle at the end and there'll be a wall that slides open! Underground, you'll find a casino where you can play Poker and Blackjack.

The second one is a gambling hall that's easy to miss. You have to climb down a ladder on Kinka Bridge to access it, located just across from Kinka Pharmacy – not far from Survive Bar. But your path to this ladder is blocked by a couple of guys. In order for them to let you through, you need to have your confidence level at Lv.4. The games played here are traditional Japanese card games using hanafuda cards.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guide – Where to find all Kappa Statues

If you're looking to make some yen fast in Yakuza: Like a Dragon then you'll want to get to Chapter 5 where you'll unlock the Part-time Hero service, which happens as part of the story.

This is essentially where you carry out fetch quests like finding x number of items or defeating y number of enemy types. While each quest will net you cash and item rewards, there's a few that are a very nice earner for when you're broke for much of the star.

One way to earn a million yen quickly is to complete the request to take a picture of all the kappa statues in the city. You'll have probably come across a kappa statue early on by the river next to the homeless camp, and a boy there will even mention that there's supposed to be 10 of these hidden around Ijincho.

What you don't realise is that, with one exception, these other statues are not as conspicuous as this one with a sign next to it. But you've come to the right place as this guide will detail just where you can find all the kappa statues to get rich quick.

Take note that to do this properly, you need to open the camera on Ichiban's smartphone, which you can do by pressing up on the d-pad. You also want to make sure you get a prompt telling you to 'take picture' in order for it to count.

Also, while this quest is available as soon as Part-time Hero is available, a couple locations are out of bounds until you've progressed further in the story to about Chapter 7.

In the following guide, we've listed all the missing cat locations in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, complete with screenshots of where to find them.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Kappa Statue Locations

  1. The most obvious you'll come across early on nearby the homeless camp in the Commercial District where you also find a few of the game's earliest substories.

2. This one is hidden through a window in a building that can be found in between Hamako's restaurant/brothel and one of the Part-time Hero reps.

3. In Survive Bar, go upstairs to your hideout where you can restore the party's HP/MP and if you look to the right, this one is sneakily tucked inside the cupboard on its side on top of blankets.

4. West of Jinnai Station, and not far from one of the missing cat locations, this statue is actually inside an outside accessibility elevator.

5. This one is tricky to find, but you want to go to the red light district south east of the map. East of the Romance Workshop is a back alley parking lot where you'll also find a silver locker, and a shady businessman (if you've made progress in the management mini-game). This is also surrounded by green fencing. The statue is actually located behind the fencing, and though you'll likely not get a clear picture, as long as you get the prompt it will count.

6. Tucked to the side in Chinatown on the same street where the Yi Xing Tang herbal shop is located. It's to the right of a restaurant advertising roast duck (as seen in this picture).

7. The only other statue accompanied with a proper sign, this one can be found on the most northwestern corner of Ijincho just behind the batting center.

8. This cheeky chappy can be found inside the Hero's Harvest food truck in Hamakita Park, next to Dragon Kart.

9. For this one, you'll need to have access to the Liumang's hideout, which you won't be able to reach until late into Chapter 5 (though you can't freely access until Chapter 7). To reach it, head into Restaurant's Row and just take the stairs to the right partway in. You'll likely have to fight some bad guys once you head up here, but once that's done you should see the statue perched up in front of you on another building's balcony.

10. The last one is in Geomijul territory in Koreatown, which is out of bounds until you go there in Chapter 7 of the story. If you follow the path you do for the story, you just climb up the stairs (near a place you can also plant seeds) and if you look across from you, the statue is just there on a balcony.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 to be patched to allow you to use your saves with PS5 remastered version

Insomniac Games has announced that Marvel's Spider-Man on PlayStation 4 will be patched to allow you to use your saved games from that version in the new Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered for PlayStation 5.

We have heard you – in an upcoming update for #SpiderManPS4, we will add the ability to export your save to Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered. This update will also add the three new suits from Remastered to the PS4 game. We expect to bring you this update around Thanksgiving.

Great news, and shows that Insomniac are listening to their fans. They have also recently revealed some of the additional content that PS5 players will get when Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is released for the console.

That new content is two new suits with those suits being the Arachnid Rider and Armored Advanced suits. It is likely these suits will also be added to the PS4 version of Marvel's Spider-Man at a later date. Of course the new suits are not the only differences PS5 players will experience differently to PS4 players.

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered will run in dynamic 4K at 60 fps, and the adaptive triggers of the DualSense will give players the feeling of shooting webbing. The DualSense's haptic feedback will also be used to immerse you into the world with gadgets almost being felt in your own hand while using them. The sounds will be more improved than the PS4 version due to the PS5's Tempest 3D AudioTech which will allow players to pinpoint sounds, and hear things that would have been missed on the PS4. Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered launches alongside Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and in our review for that Jim wrote:

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 read the full Spider-Man: Miles Morales review here. Both Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be launch day titles for the PS5, with Miles Morales also releasing on PS4. PS5 owners can get both games in the Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition.

Source: Twitter

GAME will have limited stock of PlayStation 5 consoles for sale on launch day, but online only

UK retailer GAME are sending out emails to customers to let them know that they will have a limited amount of PlayStation 5 consoles available for purchase on launch day, November 19th. However, these will be online only sales, due to Coronavirus restrictions across the U.K. you will not be able to stop by a store and buy one. Presumably you will be able to order online and then run round to the shop to pick up your shiny new console.

No further details have been announced but if you are hoping to get a console then load up the GAME website as early as possible on the 19th and start hammering that F5 key.

In other PlayStation 5 news, Sony have released a huge FAQ covering the console, games, DualSense, PS5 camera and lots more.

We've also got a review of another PlayStation 5 game. BugSnax, which will be available for free to all PlayStation Plus subscribers on the console launch day.  "Bugsnax is a unique and wonderful experience, and a must-play for anyone who can get their hands on it," we said. "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."

Sony's latest TV advert for PlayStation 5 has a small disclaimer at the bottom of the screen that reveals that Gran Turismo 7, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal are all expected to launch before the middle of 2021. Horizon Forbidden West is going to take longer and will arrive in the second half of 2021, I would guess that's going to be the big Christmas release for Sony.

You can see the advert below, or,. you know, just turn on your television as it's showing in the UK right now.