Watch Dogs: Legion Guide – Essential Gadgets and Upgrades
Watch Dogs: Legion presents a whole world of NPCs to recruit as playable characters. However, while their skill sets and perks will be useful, you'll also want to invest in different gadgets. These are unlocked with Tech Points which you gather throughout the map – head here for more details on all of their locations.
What are all the different gadgets that can be unlocked? Let's start with the Deep Profiler, which is essential when recruiting NPCs. If an NPC doesn't have a good opinion of DedSec, they can't be recruited but with the Deep Profiler, you can investigate a lead that – once completed – will allow for pursuing their recruitment. This is very useful when trying to convince Albion contractors to join DedSec, especially since their Uniformed Access perk is great.
The AR Cloak and AR Shroud are the standard tools of any stealth players kit. The former lets you turn invisible, even in broad daylight and can be upgraded for longer duration. The latter will turn you invisible after performing a takedown which is pretty useful when you're able to perform takedowns from longer range with the AR Cloak. Next up is the Spiderbot which is used for scouting, finding collectibles and other sneaky stuff. Upgrade it as soon as possible for the ability to double jump and cloak.
Riot Drones can be some of the more annoying enemies in the game. So invest in the Riot Drone Hack to temporarily throw them off and gain some breathing room. Of course, there's also the DedSec Grenade Launcher which can take down multiple drones at once – get that if you need more firepower. As for human enemies, consider investing in Gun Jam since this will stop them from utilizing any firearms. It's perfect for close combat and frontlining play-styles.
The Electro-Shock Trap is less recommended but still useful. It will knock out enemies instead of killing them and helps in dealing with patrols. If you're savvy enough, it can be used defensively as well to prevent any pursuers.
Watch Dogs: Legion is currently available for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia. Check out our official review here along with tips on recruiting different Operatives.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure Out Now for PS5, PS4
LittleBigPlanet's Sackboy makes his long-awaited return but this time, he's the star of his own 3D platformer. Sackboy: A Big Adventure is now available for PS4 and PS5 – a launch trailer provides the set-up for the hero's big adventure. Check it out below.
Set in Craftworld, Sackboy is in training to become a Knitted Knight until the villainous Vex appears and kidnaps his friends. It's up to Sackboy to save the day, traveling to jungles, underwater regions, snowy mountains and even space to stop Vex. Armed with a variety of moves, our hero can also utilize different power-ups like the Grappling Hook.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure takes ample advantage of the PS5's features like DualSense and Tempest 3D Audio. It also uses the console's Activity Cards for easily hopping into new levels, gathering collectibles and costumes and much more. Co-op is also supported, allowing you to play through the entire campaign with up to four players. Stay tuned for more details on the title in the coming days.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Guide – How to Unlock All Suits
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is out now and revisits Manhattan with a new story, new hero and much more. That means new suits as well and like its predecessor, each has its own unique ability and unlock conditions. Let's go through them below:
- Sportswear Suit – Unlocked from the beginning.
- Great Responsibility Suit – Finish the first main story mission with Peter Parker.
- Winter Suit – Unlocked by finishing the "We've Got a Lead" side mission.
- Bodega Cat Suit – Enables use of Spider-Cat as a finisher. Unlocked by completing the "Cat's Pyjamas" mission.
- Miles Morales 2020 Suit – Complete all Spidey Challenges along with other conditions.
- Classic Suit – Equipped with Zap Slap mod, which generates a concussive force upon destroying weapons used by the Underground.
- Programmable Matter – Enables use of the mechanical limbs finisher. Unlocked by completing all Underground Hideouts, Roxxon Labs and other conditions.
- Uptown Pride Suit – Complete all requests in the FNSM App to unlock.
- Purple Reign – Equipped with Reclaimer mod, which replenishes one gadget ammo after performing a stealth takedown.
- Homemade Suit – Comes equipped with the Power Pitcher mod which increases damage dealt by thrown objects. Unlocked at level 5.
- T.R.A.C.K. Suit – Equipped with the Untrackable Visor mod which provides 25 percent damage reduction from ranged attacks. Unlocked at level 6.
- Animated Suit – Equipped with the Stronger Webs mod which sees enemies taking more time to escape from webbing. Unlocked at level 7.
- Brooklyn Visions – Equipped with Trick Master mod which provides bonus Venom Power after performing Air Tricks. Unlocked at level 8.
- Crimson Cowl Suit – Equipped with Strike Visor mod, which allows for completely silent Web-Strike Takedowns when camouflaged. Unlocked at level 9.
- S.T.R.I.K.E. Suit – Equipped with Venom Overclock mod, which increases Venom Power regeneration when health is low. Unlocked at level 10.
- The End Suit – Equipped with Steady Focus mod, which slows the depletion rate of camouflage when not moving. Unlocked at level 11.
- Miles Morales 2099 Suit – Equipped with Venom Suppression Resistance mod, which reduces the amount of time that Roxxon Venom Suppression is active. Can also remove Roxxon bolas when activating camouflage. Unlocked at level 12.
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse Suit – Equipped with Vibe the Verse Suit mod, which adds animations based on Into the Spider-verse. Also equipped with the Bam! Pow! Wham! mod Mod, which adds comic book-style captions to attacks. Unlocked at level 13 or by pre-ordering.
- Spider Training Suit – Equipped with Power Transfer mod, which disables camouflage early and converts any remaining energy to Venom Power. Unlocked in New Game Plus.
Halo Infinite – Xbox Boss Addresses Staff Turnover
Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S is finally out but the next-gen launch is somewhat sobering without Halo Infinite. 343 Industries' shooter was delayed to 2021 following a middling gameplay showcase. However, the project has been garnering concern due to the turnover of key developers like studio head Chris Lee (who still remains a Microsoft employee).
Xbox boss Phil Spencer isn't concerned though and says that such turnover is a "healthy thing." Speaking to GameSpot, he also noted that, "Sometimes what hits the press, or when certain things get announced internally, have actually happened months before. It's not always accurate when these things line up – we did take the feedback coming out of the July showcase event seriously, both on the date and what people were expecting from the game."
Spencer does state that there were several mistakes made with the timing of the reveal. "It was a miss on our part, on my part, to open our July showcase with Halo Infinite and then a couple of weeks later have to move the date. I don't take the sentiment and the emotion of our fans and our customers lightly. We set an expectation that here, this is something you're going to have at launch and then we have to change that expectation not too much after our showing – that's a mistake."
Despite Lee not being on the project any more, Spencer said he has "a lot of faith in Bonnie [Ross] and the team there having Joe [Staten] and Pierre [Hintze] join, which they did late in the summer – I feel good about where we are on that team. I don't have any specific concern about 343. I actually think in the long run, turnover is a healthy thing because we want people who are really motivated by the things that they're working on."
Along with 343 Industries, Skybox Labs and Sperasoft, Certain Affinity was confirmed to have partnered for development. The studio is famous for developing DLC maps for past games and working on multiplayer for Halo 2: Anniversary. Halo Infinite's multiplayer will be going free to play so the additional support seems a given, though there are concerns regarding prices for the new coatings.
Halo Infinite is currently in development for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Reports state that it's almost content complete and will more or less release in 2021. Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light – Lost Sector Legendary Farm Quickly Patched
Bungie's Destiny 2: Beyond Light is out and by now, players would have cleared the campaign. This means that the grind to max Power is on, especially with the raid coming up next week. Some players managed to circumvent it somewhat thanks to a particular Lost Sector in the European Dead Zone.
If you ventured to Widow's Walk and killed the Wanted target there, you'd receive a Legendary Engram. However, Legendaries were dropping at several levels higher than expected, allowing players to quickly hit the 1200 Power soft cap. Bungie realized this and has appropriately hotfixed the issue.
Of course, that's only one step of the journey complete. Players will now have to complete weekly rituals like Gambit, Strikes, Crucible matches, and more to gain Powerful Gear drops to advance. With the Deep Stone Crypt raid going live on November 21st and the Contest Mode modifier providing a cap on player's level, the race to being adequately geared is on. Stay tuned for more details in the coming days.
Due to an issue with the legendary engram drop rate in the Widow's Walk EDZ Lost Sector, we have lowered the rate to its intended frequency.
— Bungie Help (@BungieHelp) November 12, 2020
Ghost Of Tsushima Has Sold Over 5 Million Copies
While the bulk of the attention is on Sony's PS5 at the moment, it's worth remembering that the PS4 had quite a stellar send off year. One of the biggest final titles it got was Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima. The was a well-received open world action game that got its life extended by a multiplayer mode, and was said to have been a bigger hit than Sony anticipated. Today, we got an idea of how big of a hit that equates to.
In an article from the New York Times about Sony's new console, it is casually dropped that Ghost sold over five million copies. This is the first time we've gotten any solid numbers since June. The article writer also specified later on his Twitter that number came directly from Sony. Considering it's a brand new IP, that's not too shabby.
Ghost of Tsushima is available now for PlayStation 4. The game will also be playable on the PS5 with certain enhancements, which you can read more about through here.
Yes they did, and I believe the 5 million figure for Ghost of Tsushima had not been reported previously.
— Seth Schiesel (@SethSchiesel) November 12, 2020
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is out tomorrow but there may be some wary fans, especially after the recent beta's issues. Treyarch has revealed how the final game will be different, including more nerfs to sliding. Simply put, it will now have reduced range and speed while its stow speed will be longer.
Scorestreaks are also getting changed, allowing lower-tier selections to be abused less and higher-tier streaks easier to get. Mantling will also see increased speed and a "number" of aim assist parameters have been adjusted for a "more expected feel" across different weapons.
Despite reportedly having eight 6v6 multiplayer maps at launch (with the 40 player Fireteam: Dirty Bomb having two dedicated maps), there will be a number of different modes at least. These include Free-For-All, Hardcore Team Deathmatch, Hardcore Domination, Search and Destroy and so on. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is out tomorrow for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.
"Astro Will be Back With News Soon," Says Astro's Playroom Director
Astro Bot might not be Sony's most high profile franchise right now, but the level of quality it has been hitting over the past couple of years has been extremely impressive, to say the least. 2017's PSVR showcase Astro Bot Rescue Mission is one of the best platformers of its generation, and the charming little Astro's Playroom has gotten the PS5 off to an excellent start, showcasing the impressive features of the DualSense perfectly.
But it seems the little bot isn't done with us just yet. Astro's Playroom is by no means a full-fledged game- but we might be in line for one soon. At least if creative director Nicolas Doucet's words are anything to go by. Talking recently about the game in a recent update on the PlayStation blog, Doucet passingly suggested that we could be hearing more about the franchise not long from now, saying, "Astro will be back with news soon."
That doesn't necessarily suggest that a new game is on the way, but I certainly hope that's the case. Astro games have a knack for being excellent, charming platformers, and a new full-fledged entry in the series would be hard to turn down.
Astro's Playroom comes pre-installed on every PS5, and has launched in some regions of the world. It will release worldwide on November 19. Stay tuned for more coverage.
Next Trails Title Coming in 2021 for Japan
Though it recently released The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki in Japan, Falcom is already planning for the next big release. In its latest financial report, the developer revealed that next year marks its 40th anniversary and it would release "multiple titles" for consoles to celebrate. One of those includes a new Trails title (which could possibly use the company's new engine).
Falcom is also looking to "expand" its content to multiple platforms worldwide like PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and smartphones. It also discussed utilizing its in-house IP to create new games alongside the Trails and Ys franchises. Whether this means a new title in the Xanadu series or an off-shoot of Trails and Ys remains to be seen.
Outside of Japan and Asia, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 4 recently released for PS4 with NISA as its publisher. It will also be coming to PC and Nintendo Switch in 2021. For more details on how it fares, check out our review here. Stay tuned for more details on future titles, especially when Hajimari no Kiseki will be localized.
Microsoft is Still Looking to Acquire More Developers to Add to Xbox Game Studios Portfolio
Microsoft's first party portfolio has looked increasingly impressive over the last couple of years, but in recent weeks, with the announcement that all of ZeniMax (and, in turn, Bethesda) will be joining the Xbox Game Studios lineup soon has pushed them over the line from impressive to staggering.
With nearly two dozen first party studios and a healthy list of major AAA franchises under their belt, they're looking all set to compete with the likes of Sony and Nintendo this generation- but they're not done yet. Speaking recently in an interview with Bloomberg (which you can view below), Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that Microsoft is still out there looking to acquire more studios and add them to the Xbox Game Studios pipeline, further bolstering their first party lineup.
"Games are what gamers play," said Spencer. "We build these platforms and services to deliver the best games to gamers everywhere, so we need a great supply of first-party teams. Bethesda nearly doubles the size of our first-party studios, meaning the studios that build games as part of Xbox, and we're still out there looking for other teams. It's important that we have a continued supply of great games for our gaming subscription and platforms."
Currently, Microsoft has 15 first party studios under its belt, and once all the formalities are done and the ZeniMax deal goes through, that number will immediately jump up to 23. Their lineup is looking healthy, to say the least, and the prospect of it becoming even healthier is certainly an intriguing one.