Why Yakuza: Like a Dragon's English dub is such a triumph for the series

As a fan of Japanese games, one of the first things I'll always do first is go into the settings and switch the audio to Japanese, or sigh with dismay when I discover that there's only English audio available. Listening to the original language has always been important for immersing me in a story, especially when it's a game as Japanese as the Yakuza series.

I'm especially reminded of the early days of voice overs in games. For Western audiences, the dodgy dubs of Hong Kong martial arts films or Japanese RPGs, might have given these exotic products a hilarious endearing quality. As an Asian person myself, I end up feeling even more embarrassed having these botched recordings trampling over any intended pathos especially at a time games were getting more realistic.

So it's been a huge surprise that for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, I decided to take a leap in with the English audio, which has completely changed my mind on the matter. Atlus' job on localisation has been among some of the best in the industry but this really is their masterpiece, not just with the text but bringing it to life in one of the best dubs I've ever experienced in any medium.

Of course, Sega also did a great job with last year's Judgment which could be considered a test run, since it was a spin-off that introduced completely new characters but still in the Yakuza universe. This was also following the soft reboot of the series, since Yakuza 0 and the Kiwami remakes that were responsible for giving a previously niche series much wider attention to Western audiences. Back then, I had asked Yakuza's localisation producer Scott Strichart some questions about the decision to dub Judgment in order to reach an even wider audience.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guide – Find collectables, unlock job skills, and get quick XP

"I don't think a lot of our core fanbase really realizes how many people pass on playing Yakuza because they have to read subtitles," he says. "That's not a slight against anyone, it's just how they play, whether that's because they're balancing other tasks while they play video games or they're the type that just wants to be able to get up and get a snack during a cutscene, you know?"

Audience exposure to foreign language media has also improved tremendously over the past decade, especially with platforms like Netflix, but Strichart still believes there's a huge gulf when expecting any media in a foreign language to truly permeate an English-speaking culture. And when the latest Yakuza game is actively going up against holiday blockbusters like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, it has to step up if it wants to be more than just the dark horse cult title.

What the dub gets right immediately is the lip sync, either by ensuring the lines and the experienced voice over cast's delivery matches the Japanese during pre-rendered cutscenes or by having the developers re-animate lip flaps for the English audio. When these games luxuriate in lengthy dramatic cutscenes with huge close-ups, that detail matters, and the excellent results here make a mockery of the so-called authentic 'Kurosawa mode' in Ghost of Tsushima.

There's also of course the incredible cast themselves, some which you might recognise from plenty of other Atlus releases but working at the top of their game. The Yakuza games are often highlighted for their absurd moments but that also risks giving a very narrow backward take of 'weird Japan' when the reality is they've always struck a balance between surreal silliness and heavy melodrama. This dub captures these tones faithfully, making you laugh out loud during its comical moments and at the brink of tears when Ichiban's completely overwhelmed with passion and emotion.

Part of that faithfulness could also be attributed to some appropriate casting for its major roles, even if that's not usually expected for a dub, where you're already replacing audio from another language in the first place. Yet Yakuza is also grounded in realism unlike say an anime production, so I think it's significant that quite a few of the lead roles in Like a Dragon are played by Asian actors, including Kaiji Tang in the starring role, Greg Chun (Judgment), Will Yun Lee (Sleeping Dogs), as well as the legendary George Takei, who brings a real gravitas to patriarch Masumi Arakwa, one of the most fascinating antagonists in the series' history. Kudos to Sega for giving these talented actors the spotlight during the game's promotion worthy of any Nolan North or Troy Baker.

I also have to commend them for going the extra mile and actually translating the karaoke songs into English. Those who played the recent Yakuza remasters will have seen the option to play these mini-games with translated lyrics already but to have its cast also belt out these tunes in English is quite another level.

More importantly is that, regardless of your view on subtitles or dubs, you have the choice to pick whichever you prefer. Having dual audio has thankfully been more common in all of Sega and Atlus' games, especially as storage limits are no longer a concern. Diehard fans who want the original audio don't have to feel short-changed with being forced to only have English, whereas those who don't want to have to read subtitles also don't have to just make do with a poor quality dub. Fans of subs are even better catered to since there are also two English subtitles, one for the English audio, while another more accurately translates the original Japanese.

Naturally, the next hurdle is whether Sega can aim to have the localisation done in conjunction with development so that we get to a point where future Yakuza games have a simultaneous release, which Strichart has stated is a goal from an interview in Inverse. On the other hand, I also wonder whether they might also have an opportunity to look back.

I actually went back to play the original PS2 game this year, and quite honestly, the dub wasn't half bad. Voice-acting has certainly improved a great deal since then but if you were to compare it to say Shenmue, it's a damn sight better. If Sega want the series to reach a wider audience, as well as putting Yakuza 0, Kiwami and Kiwami 2 on Game Pass, perhaps the next step would be to patch in an English dub for these games too. Doing this retrospectively is arguably too costly, though for anyone who's finished the latest game, getting the cast for it isn't out of question either. It's something I would have balked at in the past, but based on the standard achieved in Like a Dragon's localisation, my ears are open at such a prospect.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

PlayStation Store End of Year deals start with up to 70% off Death Stranding, Assassin's Creed, God of War & much more

Sony have kicked off a set of 'End of Year' deals on the PlayStation Store, offering up to 70% off a wide range of games available digitally.

Despite the successful launch of the PlayStation 5, major exclusives like The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima and circumstance leading to a boom in engagement with the PlayStation brand and platforms in general, Sony seem to be pretty keen to wave goodbye to 2020. They've gone straight from Black Friday to the 'End of Year' sale, seemingly skipping past previous promotions like 12 Deals of Christmas to just get on with it.

It's worth noting that the Black Friday sale is still on, and ends today on 30th November. It includes 2020 PlayStation 4 blockbusters The Last of Us Part II for £31.34 and Ghost of Tsushima for £39.04, or there's Star Wars Squadrons for £21.69, Resident Evil 3 Remake for just £16.49, and so, so much more. There's a few games in there with free PS5 upgrades as well, including Watch Dogs Legion, No Man's Sky, FIFA 21, WRC 9 and Borderlands 3.

For the End of Year sale there's plenty of big games on offer, which you can browse on the PlayStation Store. We don't have a full list, but here's what Sony have featured on the first page of the store and some highlights from beyond:

Death Stranding – £15.99 (71%)
God of War Digital Deluxe Edition – £15.99 (36%)
Ratchet & Clank – £7.99 (50%)
Dead by Daylight: Special Edition (PS4 & PS5) – £9.99 (60%)
Assassin's Creed Origins – £10.99 (78%)
Red Dead Redemption 2: Special Edition – £26.24 (65%)
Mortal Kombat X – £7.99 (50%)
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty: Complete Edition – $5.09 (70%)
Assassin's Creed Odyssey – £15.39 (72%)
House Flipper – £12.99 (35%)
Monster Hunter World – £11.99 (25%)
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne – £16.74 (33%)
F1 2019 – £8.99 (80%)
Dark Souls III Deluxe Edition – £13.74 (75%)
Uncharted: The Lose Legacy – £7.99 (50%)
The Crew 2 Deluxe Edition – £11.99 (75%)
Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition – £17.99 (60%)
Alien Isolation – The Collection – £9.59 (80%)
Need for Speed – £3.99 (75%)
Divinity: Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition – £19.99 (60%)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 – £7.99 (50%)
WWE 2K Battlegrounds Digital Deluxe Edition – £24.74 (45%)
Far Cry 4 Gold Edition – £13.49 (70%)
Metro Exodus Gold Edition – £18.54 (65%)
MediEvil – £12.49 (50%)
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan – £8.99 (64%)
Need for Speed Rivals – £2.71 (83%)
Need for Speed Payback – £7.49 (70%)
Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition – £3.74 (85%)
Dragon Ball FighterZ – £7.67 (84%)
LA Noire – £17.49 (50%)
Bloodborne – £10.39 (35%)
Predator: Hunting Grounds Digital Deluxe Edition – £29.99 (40%)
The Surge 1 & 2 Dual Pack – £16.99 (66%)
Dirt Rally + PSVR Bundle – £4.99 (80%)
Doom VFR – £9.99 (50%)
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind – £7.99
Shenmue III: Digital Deluxe Edition – £20.99 (70%)
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered – £4.79 (70%)
Ticket To Ride – £5.59 (65%)
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition – £2.39 (85%)
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered – £8.99 (78%)
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration – £4.99 (80%)

Source: PS Store

Shut In Review

There's an unwritten rule here at TheSixthAxis that unnecessary mentions of the whole pandemic situation will be mercilessly cut from reviews by our erstwhile editor. With Shut In, however, the experience of playing is so inextricably tied up with whole notion of lockdown that I hope to get a free pass for this article. [I'll allow it – Ed.]

Shut In has a more internalised focus than a government's imposition of lockdown, as it is mainly concerned with the effect of serious mental health conditions on your character's ability to actually leave his house. The game's release is a billed as a deliberate imaginative attempt to engage with Covid-19 which offers the potential for a huge potential audience. The bleak and dark nature of the game's humour, however, perhaps means that it will remain a more niche title.

This is a totally lo-fi experience. The graphics are deliberately simplistic and pixel-based. The sharp edges and relative lack of refinement and clarity work well to represent the way in which your character views the world. Everything looks normal enough, but the visuals are indistinct enough to give your surroundings a necessary sense of unease and claustrophobia. This makes Shut In a rare case where the aesthetics are key to the gameplay rather than a display of faux nostalgia.

The game is essentially an old school point and click adventure, albeit with a controller friendly approach. Finding items and using them in the correct room allows you to progress, but there are a huge number of tricks and traps that will swiftly show you the Game Over screen. Even horrible death isn't an escape, though, as you always wake up the next day to try and probably fail again. This seemingly unending cycle of entrapment and failure speaks both to the lockdown experience and more specifically to the nature of depression and anxiety. As a sufferer of these conditions myself, I recognised the symptoms being played with, although they are taken to their logical extremes here.

Your opening tasks are eerily reminiscent of the way that these conditions can make you feel. Simply getting dressed, washing, and cleaning your teeth are things that should be practically automatic, but when your brain chemicals are misfiring they can become the equivalent of gaming achievements – chores that occupy your whole being and genuinely feel like they are too much to cope with. In Shut In these simple tasks are made difficult by the surreal behaviour of your house, a location which feels like an antagonist at times, and the immediacy of horrible death. When the game asks you if you want to just stay in bed, it really can feel like the best option.

As is usually the case for this kind of adventure game, a large proportion of the puzzles are relatively trial and error in nature as they rely on you scouring the screen for interactive objects and areas before then working out which item to use. Getting a puzzle wrong usually results in a witty line of dialogue in this genre, but with this game any mistake is fatal – what constitutes a mistake may not always be that obvious.

Many of the puzzles depend on the game blurring reality and hallucination. Doors disappear or are replaced with chalk outlines, everyday objects become deathtraps, and even kitchen cupboards can become portals to alternative versions of your home. The oppressive and claustrophobic effect of this is hugely effective, whilst also suiting the small size of the game's environment. This intense location is surprisingly packed with things to do, with many interactions being missable in a successful playthrough. This offers some welcome replayability, but the resonance of the themes with my own conditions mean that I have not ventured back.

Where the game becomes more of a tough sell, though, is through the level of dark humour it uses. This mostly takes the form of the narrative text delighting in tormenting your character or relishing your failure. I accept that this works as a metaphor for the interior voice that so often manifests as one's struggles with mental health issues, but it does come awfully close to outright ridicule at times. This isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but it's worth bearing in mind if you come to the game expecting a sympathetic treatment. I think the idea is to make day to day activities feel like a challenge – living with mental illness is the Dark Souls of lives – but at times the separation between the narrative voice and the game was unclear.

Epic are giving away this all-time indie classic next week

It doesn't matter that Christmas is just around the corner, Epic always seem to be in the giving mood. Next Thursday the Fortnite creators will be adding one of the greatest indie classics of all time to their extensive catalogue of free games.

Cave Story+ is an amped up version of the brilliant 2004 original which was developed by Daisuke Amaya. With enhanced HD visuals and extra content, Cave Story is one game retro/indie fans will want to add to their Epic Games library.

Whenever discussing Cave Story, it's always worth mentioning the controversy surrounding Nicalis who are responsible for its more modern iterations. They have been dogged in shutting down Cave Story fan projects despite the original game (and its assets) being completely free for the indie community.

This week we saw MudRunner added to the Epic Games Store. This popular truck simulator is a precursor to one of our favourite games of 2020, Snowrunner, tasking players with rescues and deliveries while combating rough terrain.

Below we've published the full list of Epic free games, complete with their availability dates and review links.

Epic Games store free games list

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

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

Source: Epic Games

SaGa Frontier Remastered announced for PS4, Switch, PC and mobile

Square Enix has dropped a surprise announcement today by revealing SaGa Frontier Remastered, a remaster of the original 1998 PlayStation title. The game will be released on PS4, Switch, PC via Steam, Android, and iOS. The target release window is Summer 2021. The remaster will allow players to play as Fuse who becomes a playable character. SaGa Frontier Remastered will expand on the original game too with more features and events to experience.

With the Free-Form Scenario System players can choose to play as any of the eight characters, with each one having their own story and aims. That means there will be plenty of replay options to discover the story of each character. The SaGa series span off from the Final Fantasy series. SaGa Frontier was the first of the SaGa games to be released outside of Japan, followed by SaGa Frontier 2 a couple of years later. There were a few other new SaGa games released in the early 2000's. SaGa: Scarlet Grace was then the new entry a decade later releasing in 2016 for Vita. The Romancing SaGa games have been remastered over the last few years and released worldwide too.

Source: YouTube

Something for the Weekend – 28/11/20

As England enters its last weekend of lockdown (but not really), there's plenty to get up to this weekend while remaining safely inside. From Formula 1 to Rugby, there's loads of sport to watch on TV, but who could forget about the new consoles that are providing us with some great games to enjoy? Oh, and maybe you're doing some bargain hunting online?

Let me know what you're planning to get up to below, but not before we take a glance at the past seven days on TSA:

In the News This Week

And are you wondering what freebies you can grab with your online subs next week?

Games in Review

Here's what was in our review list this week:

Destiny 2: Beyond Light – PS5, PS4, XBX, XBS, XBO, PC, Stadia – 8/10
Tenderfoot Tactics – PC – 8/10
If Found… – NSW – 8/10
The Signifier – PS4, XBO, PC – 7/10
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory – PS4, XBO, NSW – 7/10
PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay – PS4, XBO, NSW, PC – 6/10
Uppers – PC – 6/10
Shadow Fight Arena – Android, iOS – 6/10
Damsel – PS4, XBO, PC – 4/10
Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues – PS4, XBO, NSW, PC – 3/10
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle – NSW – No Score

And we had one hardware review for our readers looking for a new controller, plus something a little different:

Featured Articles

From our features, Reuben explored why it's time for The Legend of Zelda to give us a Female Link, while Jim asked, which Call of Duty is better between Cold War and Modern Warfare?

Elsewhere, Mahin turned their attention to R.U.S.E, the real-time strategy game, and spoke to three players about what still brings them back to the game a decade on from launch.

Finally, What We Played was packed full, and included Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon's Souls & COD Black Ops Cold War.

Trailer Park

Cyberpunk 2077 PS4 Pro and PS5 gameplay revealed

Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 4 is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X & everything else

Rainbow Six Siege next-gen trailers confirms PS5 Xbox Series X|S release date

Red Dead Online standalone edition announced

Your Achievements

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

Crazy_Del's 500th Platinum, and first on PS5 was Miles Morales. That was swiftly followed by Astro's Playroom, MK11, Spiderman Remastered, Cencept Destruction, Watchdogs Legion, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Seven Platinum's in a week has to be a record!
willbuchanan has been playing more Far Cry 5, and also found someone to help mop up the multiplayer trophies.
Andrewww called AstroBot "truly excellent", and is looking forward to returning to Demon's Souls.

Have a good weekend and I'll see you again soon!

What We Played #477 – Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon's Souls & COD Black Ops Cold War

It feels like everyone is ploughing through the new-gen releases this week, as more and more people I know have popped the Astro's Playroom platinum, and seen off the Miles Morales story. I've been too busy to play all that much this week, but I did clear every artefact and find every jigsaw piece in Astro so I don't have too far to go there. Otherwise I've played some Sackboy with my sons, and they – and I – love it. It's been a nice and chilled game to get together and play, and the music is fantastic!

Steve was the first to drop in this week, and he's had a quieter one too, having been on the 'GaaS' grind of grading/marking papers taking precedent. "I've managed a couple of hours of the intense Visage – review to come – which is a genuine nerve-shredder. Also put a lot of commuting time into Wordament on Android and, despite the cool games I really want to play on Switch, working through the nostalgically retro Goblin's Sword. Hoping to get stuck into Twin Mirror later after the last batch of papers."

Meanwhile, Reuben has been having a great one, tucking into the usual suspects of Final Fantasy XIV and Hades, alongside Miles Morales, finishing Astro's Playroom, ploughing through more of Tears of Avia (review incoming), and getting all emotional over Ori and the Will of the Wisps (as you will too when you play it).

Jason has been playing some Rocket League for a change of pace and has achieved Diamond rank in 3s now, saying it's "a big old step up from my peak of Silver last season. Other than that I've been playing some stuff I'm not allowed to talk about. Exciting."

After his launch day woes with Amazon, Nic B's PS5 miraculously turned up letting him smash through Astro to start the week, "which is fantastic." He then picked up Miles Morales and still had time for the odd game of Magic. Aran is reviewing Immortals Fenyx Rising, but that's all we can tell you for now.

Jim has mostly been playing Demon's Souls this week, "slowly chipping away as I improve my character build and fell one boss at a time. It's a phenomenally obtuse RPG and I'd be very interested to know how it's done – sales wise – considering how it's not very casual friendly. I've also been hopping between the superb Dirt 5 and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. In the latter, I've gone exploring my home county of Oxfordshire for loot while crossing off even more of Valhalla's quirky side missions."

Gareth has been playing Chicken Police for review and Watch Dogs Legion of fun. "The latter is taking absolutely ages because I keep distracted by side missions and real life. Found a man holding a cone just walking around Westminster the other day, not sure what he was planning."

Miguel has been messing around a bunch in Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, saying "it's got an AMAZING story campaign but the multiplayer has been super addictive too! I've also been playing a lil Animal Crossing, some Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memories, aaand a little Noita"

And to round things out, Tuffcub has played Destiny 2 and "Hot Beardy Men Do Manly Stuff (aka Assassin's Creed Valhalla)", while Tef has been playing a bunch of things off and on, including Dirt 5, AC Valhalla, Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5 and more. He's also terraforming Mars in Per Aspera for a review next week.

Now it's your turn, what have you played?

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Guide – Find collectables, unlock job skills, and get quick XP

Yakuza: Like a Dragon (also referred to as Yakuza 7) isn't like any Yakuza game before it. This latest entry in the long-running Sega series is a love letter to the JRPG genre infused with the same criminal underworld skulduggery and thick wedges of weird side content fans have come to expect.

As Thomas points out in our review, Yakuza: Like a Dragon isn't some cobbled together homage to turn-based roleplaying games. It stands on its own as strong surprise instalment in the Yakuza series with a cast of compelling characters and some fun, engaging battle mechanics.

With the game now available on PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S (a PS5 worldwide release is coming in March 2021), we've put together some handy guides to help you and Ichiban on your way to ruling the streets of Yokohama. Read below for more information on how to find collectables in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, master each job skill, increase character bonds, and bag some quick XP.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon – Quick XP and levelling guide

Here we discuss the best methods and techniques for earning experience points to level up your characters. This covers the best places to grind as well as which items and gear can help score you as much XP as possible.

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

The Yakuza series is well known for its repertoire of mini-games. Between completing missions and beating down Yokohama's more unsavoury crowds, you can partake in a number of fun side activities. From SEGA arcade classics to running your own cabaret club, here's an in-depth breakdown.

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

One of the optional quests in Yakuza 7 will have you searching for 10 Kappa statues. These creepy looking monuments are scattered around Yokohama – snapping photos of all 10 is a great way to earn some money fast. This guides includes every location with images to help guide you.

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

Somewhat similar to the Kappa statues quest, you can have Ichiban and his party scouring the game for 9 missing felines. Here's every location, each one tagged with a handy screenshot.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon – how to improve friendship bonds

As you progress through Yakuza's story, you will recruit more characters to your party. Each of them has their own role to play in the game's story and – as in the Persona series – you can increase your friendship bond with them for special perks. Here's everything you need to know about how bonds work in how to increase them using the most efficient techniques.

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

One thing we love about this Yakuza game – and JRPGs in general – is the job system. This allows you to change a character's profession and thereby change their combat role with different commands and abilities. However, each member of your party has a starting job unique to them – this guide gives you a deep dive on these jobs and their attached skills.

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

Some jobs in Yakuza: Like a Dragon are gender-specific roles. Here you can view all the jobs available for characters Kasuga, Nanba, Adachi, Joon-gi, and Zhao.

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

The last of our Yakuza job guides hones in on characters Saeko and Eri, detailing the jobs available to both characters.

For more on Yakuza: Like a Dragon, our resident series expert Alan has ranked every mainline Yakuza game in the series. Which entry do you think comes out on top?

Rainbow Six Siege PS5 upgrades are a big improvement over PS4

We're just a few days away from the hotly anticipated next-gen upgrade for Rainbow Six Siege on PlayStation 5. Ubisoft will be deploying this free update next week on December 1st, allowing anyone who owns a copy of the popular tactical shooter to make that leap to PS5.

Although Siege is currently playable on PS5 via backwards compatibility, this new version of the game comes tagged with several notable improvements setting it way above its older, ageing PS4 counterpart.

The team at Ubisoft Montreal have posted an extensive breakdown via the PlayStation blog. In a nutshell, here's what you can expect from Rainbow Six Siege on PS5:

Performance Mode: Target 120 fps with 4k Dynamic Resolution Scaling
Resolution Mode: Target 60 fps with 4k Resolution
Activity Card support for Ranked, Unranked, Newcomer, Quick Match, & Events so players can dive into the game faster

Other improvements include DualSense integration faster loading time thanks to the PS5's SSD, shaving off some valuable seconds of waiting time.

With the DualSense, Rainbow Six Siege is dialling up the immersion by simulating the trigger pull effect across its arsenal of weapons. This will be paired with overall improvements to haptic feedback, the DualSense rumble being context sensitive.

In other Siege news, last week saw one of the game's very first Operators undergo a makeover. The armour-clad Tachanka now carries a Shumikha incendiary grenade launcher instead of his previous static turret gadget. Speaking of which, this LMG has been torn from its mount and can now be used as Tachanka's primary weapon. There's also a new elite skin available to celebrate his rework as seen below.

There's more Siege goodness to come even after the game's leap to next-gen. Next month will see Year 5 Season 4 roll out with a new Operator, map rework, and more. Here's a summary.

Rainbow Six Siege Y5S4 Summary

New Operator – Aruni
New Gadget – Surya Gate
Skyscraper map rework
Hibana X-KAIROS update
Echo Yokai drone update
Jäger Active Defense System update
Reduced runout timers
Improved Gadget on Gadget interactions
Sixth Guardian charity initiative
Vigil, Zofia, Dokka, Nomad, Kaid, Wamai and Kali Operator price reductions

Source: PlayStation Blog

Damsel Review

Available now on all consoles, Damsel is a platformer in which you shoot vampires, defuse bombs, and rescue hostages as efficiently as possible. The quicker you do it, the better your finishing time and the higher your score on the leaderboards, which is what this game is meant to be all about. Unfortunately it doesn't have the staying power to keep you coming back after those first couple of hours.

Graphically, Damsel is a mixed bag. It's a 2.5D game that's made to look like a comic book. everything is colourful and bright, with cartoon-style impacts and damage numbers. There's a few nice touches here, such as how the damage numbers fall out of the air and land on the ground after a second or two. Characters themselves are 2D and stick out a bit against the 3D backgrounds, but they're smoothly animated and the way hostages dance once you rescue them is quite charming.

Damsel's cutscenes are animated comic panels that look pretty good, but there's little reason to pay any attention. There is a story about a vampire organisation turning out to be untrustworthy (shocking, I know) but there's barely any characterisation to speak of and it always just feels like a thinly veiled setup pushing you to the next level. There isn't much else to say about its presentation which is sadly unremarkable on the whole. Damsel doesn't stand out from the waves of similar looking games, particularly in terms of its character designs. The lack of an engaging narrative doesn't help differentiate this indie game from its competitors either.

Gameplay has the same highs and lows. Our titular Damsel can shoot with her shotgun that fires slugs, although she'll melee instead if you're close enough, with a double jump and dash for quick movement. When you hit an enemy your combo counter will go up one and refresh its timer, and if you keep hitting enemies you'll get more points, naturally. So you're going to want to keep your combo going, which you can do by collecting the many purple skulls dotted about the levels as well as hitting enemies. The skulls are usually arranged in a way that guides you through a level, so you can often defeat an enemy or two and follow the skulls to the next ones. The game is at its best when you're following these skulls, mopping up some enemies and pushing on.

Unfortunately there's a few issues in Damsel, such as the controls being a bit too loose. You'll find yourself slightly misjudging jumps and shots pretty often even after you'd expect to be used to it – it just feels a bit inaccurate, which isn't what you need from a game relying on your accuracy for a high score. Worse than this though, are the mini-games. There's a lot of them, whenever you rescue a hostage, defuse a bomb, use a keypad, or anything like that. If you fail the bomb mini-game in Damsel you fail the level instantly and have to start again. It's immensely frustrating to rescue four hostages and defuse three bombs only to slightly mess up the eighth one you've had to complete, as if it wasn't already obnoxious enough breaking the flow of the platforming and combat.

And even worse than that is that the way levels are designed seems to impede Damsel's gameplay. As mentioned, it's best when you're following skulls and defeating enemies, but levels are sometimes designed in a way that doesn't flow quite as well you'd like. As a result, it usually feels a bit awkward and even when you are as efficient as you can be, the slight fuzziness of the controls and the level design makes it feel less satisfying, as if it was luck or coincidence that saw you through. Then as you get further into the game, things obviously get busier, so on top of all that you can't quite tell what's happening and crucial details, like explosives get lost behind enemies or effects, resulting in you shooting hostages by accident, or blowing yourself up. It soon stops being awkward and becomes frustrating.

Sony is reportedly banning people sharing access to the PlayStation Plus Collection on PS5

Reports have come out of PlayStation 5 owners being banned for sharing and/or selling access to PlayStation Plus Collection via their shiny new consoles.

PlayStation Plus Collection is a fantastic bonus for those picking up the PS5, giving PlayStation Plus subscribers access to 20 PS4 games playable via backward compatibility.

It took all of 15 seconds for users to figure out that once you redeem those games via the PlayStation 5 home menu, they are attached to your account like any other PS Plus title and you can then go and play those games on any PlayStation 4. That also means that any account with a PS Plus subscription can be used with a PS5 to redeem those games, making away with hundreds of dollars worth of games.

Sony naturally haven't taken too kindly to those who are abusing this promotional bonus, and especially not those who are seeking to profit from it, so they're waving their ban hammer around for the most obvious offenders out there. If a PS5 sees dozens of users logged in on the same system, and from regions where the PS5 is not yet available, that's an obvious red flag for Sony to investigate.

Reports are that the accounts most closely tied to the PS5s being used for account sharing are getting permanent bans, possibly locking the PS5s themselves, while the PS4 accounts are getting temporary bans of a couple of months.

I'm sure there's someone somewhere in Sony's creative department looking at resurrecting the classic "You wouldn't steal a…" video for a new era.

You wouldn't steal a handbag, would you?

PS5 PlayStation Plus Collection Games List

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

Source: GameBraves via ResetEra

Cuphead's The Delicious Last Course DLC has been delayed again

Studio MDHR has announced it is delaying the release of Cuphead's final DLC The Delicious Last Course, with the aim now being 2021. This is not the first time the DLC has been delayed. Back in July 2019, Studio MDHR delayed The Delicious Last Course aiming to release the content in 2020. In the latest statement the delay has been pinned on the impact of COVID-19 which has interfered with the studio's ability to work as it intended to on the content. The full statement is below.

While the Delicious Last Course is a continuation of Cuphead and Mugman's grand adventure, it's also a conclusion to the story that began on that fateful day at The Devil's casino. In true Studio MDHR fashion, we aren't content for this final chapter to be anything less than our best work Throughout development, we've challenged ourselves to put everything we learned from making Cuphead into the quality of The Delicious Last Course's animation, design, and music.

Meeting this standard has been extremely challenging for us amid the global pandemic that has affected So many of our fellow developers. Rather than compromise on our vision in response to COVID, we've made the difficult decision to push back the release of The Delicious Last Course until we are confident it will delight the Cuphead community the way we feel if should. We know many of you have been waiting to return to the Inkwell Isles, and our goal is to make the trip back there next year a truly magical one.

With our warmest regards,

Chad & Jared Moldenhauer

Cuphead was released in 2017 for Xbox One and PC. Then in April 2019 Cuphead was released on the Switch before landing on PS4 in July this year. The Delicious Last Course DLC was first announced back in 2018 with an aim of a 2019 release date.

Source: Twitter

Greedfall will be releasing on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, new expansion coming too

The fantasy colonial setting of Greedfall is going to be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, Focus Home and NACON have confirmed in a joint statement. Greedfall has sold over a million copies. In addition, a brand new expansion will be released for Greedfall which will add more content to the island of Teer Fradee. Greedfall was released in late 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One offering players a chance to explore a new land in the search for a cure of a plague that was ravaging their homeland. In Greedfall players have to navigate relationships between different political factions including colonising powers and the native inhabitants. There are no details on the expansion will include.

In our Greedfall review, Gareth wrote:

Greedfall has an ambitious story, but it's not backed up by the clearly repeated environments, simple combat and dull abilities that take ages to unlock. However, seasoned RPG players might well be able able to look past those flaws in favour of the interesting, well written stories about political manoeuvres and oppression that make up the bulk of the quests in this pretty dark, deep world.

Spiders, the developer of Greedfall, has not rested on its laurels. In July, the company revealed for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. In Steelrising, you play as Aegis, the robotic bodyguard of Queen Marie-Antoinette, ordered to find your creator and put and end to the tyranny of King Louis XVI and the robot army he is using to crack down on the French Revolution. The Paris depicted in the game includes many monuments and famous locations, including those that no longer exist, including the Grand Chatelet and the Tour du Temple. Aegis has weapons built into her body, with items found while exploring letting you make her more powerful, more durable, or more mobile. There's seven families of weapons, which could be built into her arms, alchemical rifles for long range, or more powerful and forceful options as well.

A release date for Steelrising is yet to be confirmed.

Source: Press Release

Black Ops Cold War or Modern Warfare? Which Call of Duty is better?

With Call of Duty being the only non-sports AAA game series with a fresh instalment guaranteed to release every year, it's fair to say that not all of them have been bangers. Over the last console generation we also saw some factionalism as different segments of the Call of Duty community rallied around certain games and stuck with them, even after the next sequel had come around. The three development studios working on the franchise – Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer – all had different approaches when it came to delivering that triple layer experience: a meaty multiplayer sandwiched between a cinematic singleplayer campaign and an ever-changing co-op component.

This year Treyarch had the unenviable job of following up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Although not everyone's favourite recent game in the series, for many others it marked a return to form and Warzone has cemented its place in the COD hall of fame.

However, that hasn't stopped Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War from trying to outdo its predecessor. Treyarch have made some bold choices with their fifth game in the popular sub-series, but is enough to contend with Modern Warfare?

Black Ops Cold War vs. Modern Warfare: Campaign

Firstly, there's the campaign. Black Ops III and its futuristic bending of reality proved more than a little divisive, thanks in part to Treyarch's insistence on making it a co-op focused experience, and then Black Ops 4 shelved its campaign entirely. With Cold War promising a return to the more traditional campaign format – dropping us in the 80s with a familiar cast of characters – there was definitely some promise there.

Where this campaign delivers is in the choices it presents. Most of them amount to next to nothing, though you're given more agency in Cold War than other Call of Duty campaigns before it, bar the superb Black Ops II. The skullduggery and mind games are more prevalent than ever here, one level showcasing this perfectly as you finally unravel one of the story's biggest twists. It's one that no one saw coming…

Where Modern Warfare was a punchy, incredibly well-placed thrillride, Black Ops Cold War wants its players to immerse themselves, reading through dossiers, and piecing together leads in your hunt for the big baddie. It works to an extent, but the overall story isn't quite as gripping and the characters far less engaging. Modern Warfare didn't have a flawless narrative, but it kept you charging from one story beat to the next.

Black Ops Cold War vs. Modern Warfare: Multiplayer

Next stop is multiplayer, where we'll also touch on the core gameplay. Modern Warfare made some notable changes to how Call of Duty's traditional running and gunning felt, creating a deeper sense of interactivity with the environments. Players could peak around corners, mount guns on surfaces, and even open/close doors.

Cold War inherits some of these changes – such as the in-depth Gunsmith weapon customisation – but overall it feels like a simplification. This less "realistic" strain of boots-on-the-ground action is one that I personally prefer, with a slightly longer time to kill and fewer opportunities for players to camp for entire matches.

The number of maps is fine and will no doubt expand with free additions just as Modern Warfare did. However, Treyarch's two big new modes – Fireteam's Dirty Bomb, and Combined Arms – don't really do it for me. Without any tutorials on hand to explain what's going on, those first few matches can be confusing, so even though they're more objective-based than Modern Warfare's 64-player Ground War, I found myself drifting more towards the traditional match playlists in Cold War.

It's still early doors, though. Even though Black Ops Cold War is out, Treyarch's first season for the game doesn't kick off until next month. Areas that have been looking a bit sparse (namely the amount of visual customisation available) are sure to be remedied, and Warzone is gearing up for the Cold War takeover.

Black Ops Cold War vs. Modern Warfare: Co-Op

Funnily enough, the original Black Ops was the last time I took the Zombies mode seriously. Call of Duty's carousel of co-op modes tend to be hit and miss though I've given each one a fair shake, hoping they'd draw me back in and then drifting away. Cold War's "Die Maschine" held my attention for a little longer than usual, deviously leaning on my nostalgia for that very first Call of Duty Zombies map, Nacht der Untoten.

Of course, there have been renovations since its debut in Call of Duty: World at War. The classic co-op mode has also been injected with some new and returning features without feeling like a total rehash. However, with only one map there isn't enough meat on the bone.

Still, it's way better than Modern Warfare's attempt at reviving Spec Ops. Infinity Ward could have made a truly class series of challenges, but instead opted for something multiplayer focused that just felt like a wasted opportunity.

Black Ops Cold War vs. Modern Warfare: The Verdict

Overall, if Treyarch delivered a campaign that had the same chops as Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War would be the hands down winner. They've played it safe with this year's multiplayer, but that's exactly what I wanted from them after years of either wall-running or hero-based shooting. Modern Warfare was definitely more revolutionary though the brutal time to kill made it a hard one to stick with.

The beauty of this series is that both games (and no doubt next year's entry) will all continue to support different factions of the Call of Duty fanbase.

Right now we're clueless as to what comes next. 2020 should have actually been Sledgehammer's turn to lead a Call of Duty sequel, but Treyarch were reportedly brought in to rescue a troubled development cycle, partnering with Raven Software. 2021 could see Sledgehammer returning to the spotlight, though a Modern Warfare sequel wouldn't be completely out of the question with enough manpower thrown at the problem by Activision.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla update is great news for trophy hunters

In case you missed it, Ubisoft have roll out their latest update for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, bringing the game to version 1.04 on PlayStation and Xbox consoles as well as PC.

With this patch came the option for players on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S to adjust the sequel's graphics settings, opting between Valhalla's 60 FPS performance mode or upping the visual fidelity instead.

The 1.04 update comes stuffed with loads of fixes and minor changes, many of which will slip under your radar (unless you ogle the patch notes here, of course). However, one big change that isn't listed in the change log on PS5 is a trophy fix fans had been hoping for.

If you were one of those Assassin's Creed: Valhalla players who bagged a copy of the game on PS4, then upgraded to PS5, you will have seen your trophy progress completely reset. Valhalla has two separate trophy lists for both versions of the game, even if it does allow a free cross-gen upgrade and cross-gen save transfer.

When we hopped on last night to raid a few villages we noticed that, after a few minutes, the PS5 trophies suddenly started popping. It seems as thought Assassin's Creed: Valhalla will read your cloud data, unlocking any trophies you may have already earned on PlayStation 4.

This is great news for a couple of reasons. Those trophy hunters who were unwilling to make the cross-gen leap can do so now, knowing their save progression and trophy data will seamlessly transition with them. I'm glad I won't have to fire up a new game save just to re-do those first few story-related trophies.

On top of that, those who already have the Assassin's Creed: Valhalla platinum on PS4 can quickly double their trophy count. Simply redeem your free next-gen upgrade on PS5, download Valhalla, and launch into a new game and watch those trophies come rolling in. Naughty.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Warframe PS5 version now available, file size revealed

Warframe, the highly popular multiplayer shooter/slasher, is now available to download on PlayStation 5.

Weighing in at just over 25GB you can dive straight into this slick sci-fi ninjafest with, the PS5 version of Warframe being completely free-to-play.

You'll be able to carry your PS4 progression forward, Warframe allowing for cross-gen play between both systems. This next-gen upgrade will also make use of the DualSense adaptive triggers.

Here's what Digital Extremes COO, Sheldon Carter, had to say about the new PS5 upgrade (via the PlayStation Blog):

For us, it means bringing nearly eight years of evolutionary content into the future for PS5. It means new players experiencing Warframe for free with a brand new graphics engine, up to 60fps and 4K from the very start. It means PS4 players transitioning seamlessly to an all new generation. And it means all the friends you've made sticking together, with PS4 and PS5 gamers playing together with cross-generational play — a first for Warframe.

Warframe was made available on PlayStation 4 the day the console launched back in November 2013. Having played a fair chunk back in its heyday, and now in 2020, the two versions of the game feel worlds apart. Over the past several years, the team at Digital Extremes have pumped Warframe with a ridiculous amount of free content while introducing completely new ways to play.

Railjacks added the ability to command ships in Warframe, exploring space and engaging in dogfights. Meanwhile, the Plains of Eidolon update brought with it a huge open world to explore, steering away from Warframe's previous focus on tight, dungeon-like levels.

Digital Extremes are hoping that Warframe's fluid combat, combined with visual enhancements and a "butter-smooth" framerate will bring even more Tenno on board. For those picking up a PlayStation 5, it's well worth a shot. Not everyone will gel with the grindy progression you'll need to initially wade through but it's easily one of PlayStation's best free-to-play offerings.

Star Wars: Squadrons update 3.0 deploys next-gen upgrade

Star Wars: Squadrons has been bolstered with a slew of upgrades as developers EA Motive roll out update 3.0 for their space dogfighting sim.

Update 3.0 is now live across all versions of Star Wars: Squadrons, bringing with it some next-gen upgrades on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Those playing on Microsoft's latest console(s) can take advantage of 4K resolution with up to 120 FPS. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 5 version boasts "improved visual quality and lighting" which hopefully means a similar boost in resolution and image quality.

This new Star Wars: Squadrons update also crams in a new map, Fostar Haven, as well as new Starfighter components. You can catch the full patch notes below.

Star Wards: Squadrons Update 3.0 Patch Notes

General

Added Fostar Haven as a map to Dogfight and Fleet Battles (Solo/Co-Op vs AI and PvP)
Added next gen improvements
- The game now supports up to 120FPS and up to 4K on Xbox Series X|S
  - Added an option for players on the Xbox Series X|S to prioritize enhanced visuals or enhanced performance
- Improved visual quality and lighting on PS5
- Variable frame rate support added for TVs and monitors that allow it
Fixed an issue where the game could crash while changing loadouts
Improved support for matchmaking between players with highly divergent load times
- Players who are not finished loading when the match begins will now have an additional window of time to join the match-in-progress rather than timing out on start
Tweaked the brightness of light sources on PC so that they're no longer too bright in some instances
Fixed issue where the sky color of Esseles would appear to change when entering/exiting the station
Fixed an issue where the menu voice over accessibility feature could not play after entering a lobby
Fixed issue where Steam players could fail to log in if their screen name included certain unicode characters or emojis
Various stability improvements and minor bug fixes.

Controls

HOTAS support now allows for devices with up to 128 buttons (up from 40 buttons per device)
Fixed issue on the Xbox One where HOTAS controls would be disabled if the controller went to sleep
HOTAS devices that don't have an X and Y axis, such as the Virpil throttle, are now properly recognized by the game
Fixed issue on PC where a gamepad could become unresponsive if not paired as the primary controller when other input devices were plugged in.

Cosmetic Customization

Added two new starfighter paint jobs: Typhoon Squadron for the New Republic and Interstellar for the Empire, the latter of which is inspired by the classic Kenner Products toys
Added the Vandal TIE fighter paint job based on Sabine Wren's iconic "handiwork"
Added the Powerful Ally X-wing appearance based on Luke Skywalker's swamp-sunken X-wing from Dagobah
Added the Zeltron Pilot head (Imperial)
Added the Pantoran Pilot head (Imperial)
Added the Venture set (jacket, pants, gloves) for the New Republic
Added the Paladin set (flight suit, gloves, helmet) for the Empire
Added the Navigator set (flight suit, gloves, helmet) for the Empire
Marauder gloves will no longer cause the player's hands to disappear.

Dogfight

Fixed an issue where starfighters wouldn't appear in the end-of-round transition screen.

Fleet Battles

Reduced the Morale gain for AI kills while on defense from 4 to 3
Morale gains and losses are no longer scaled based on the number of players present on the team
Fixed an issue where match music would continue into the end-of-round screens after the match was over
Corvettes and Raiders now spawn on a random side of the battlefield rather than in a fixed pattern
Fixed an issue where the Nebulon-B could display the incorrect amount of shield strength it had in its objective UI.

Social

Made messaging clearer for Xbox players when trying to join a party that's full
Fixed issue where the social menu would lose functionality after exiting a PVP match as a spectator
Fixed an issue where muting multiple players at a time could incorrectly mute additional players as well
Fixed issue where laser sounds would fail to play when spectating a match in first-person
Fixed an issue where UI and menu elements could overlap.

Starfighters & Components

Added four new components:
- Boost Extension Kit has been added to the X-wing, Y-wing, TIE fighter, and TIE bomber
- Prototype Piercing Torpedoes have been added to the X-wing, Y-wing, TIE fighter, and TIE bomber
- Ion Rockets have been added to the X-wing, A-wing, TIE Fighter, and TIE Interceptor
- Anti-Material Rocket Turrets have been added to the U-wing and TIE reaper
Added 60% maneuverability (turn rate) reduction while firing the Rotary cannon and Auto-aim Rotary cannon
- Does not apply during the charging stage before firing
Using the Assault Shield component now reduces maneuverability to better balance its role as a capital ship assault or starfighter jousting tool rather than as an all-purpose component
Fixed an issue where the Proton Bomb counter could display incorrectly after use
Starfighters using the Overloaded Shield component now start will fully overcharged shields
Fixed issue where ships from the wrong faction could appear in the hangar
Increased audio volume for the player's Tractor Beam
Guided Burst Cannon damage reduced to 28% of the unguided variant (down from 35%)
Fixed issue where the Vanguard paint job for the A-wing could have an unintended New Republic decal appearing on it when inside the cockpit
Removed incorrectly assigned auto-aim symbol from the icon for the Composite Beam
Different torpedo types now have distinct names when targeted (Proton vs Ion vs Piercing)
Reduced A-wing shield regeneration rate by approximately 1/3
Fixed an issue where the Unstable Engine could deal no damage to nearby targets.

Story

Fixed an issue where the player could have a black screen after redeploying from the hangar
Fixed issue where Zerelda's voice over could start during the load screen before Mission 1, resulting in an animation desync
Fixed issue where the corvette could clip through the station in Mission 6
Fixed issue where the player couldn't complete the "Destroy Comm Array" objective if they died during the regroup-with-Gunny beat in Mission 6.

UI

Your current Skill Rating is now shown as its value instead of as a percentage of tier progress after playing a ranked Fleet Battle
UI message for being in the low priority matchmaking queue is now clearer on how to get out of the low priority status: by playing more matches
UI messaging around forfeiting while in the lobby is now clearer
Fixed an issue where squadmates icons would not turn green when readied up
Fixed an issue where the menu overlay could not appear in the redeploy screenProvided additional UI support for long names so that they display correctly
Fixed an issue where the player could be unable to open menu during a match if the match begin while they were in a customization menu
Fixed issue where the missile lock UI could stay on the screen briefly after switching targets
Fixed issue where text said "Examine your squadron" instead of "Examine enemy squadron" in Squad Loadout while hovering over "Add friend"
Fixed issue where ship marker UI could appear during outro cinematics while playing Fleet Battles vs AI
Fixed typo in the description of the Mythosaur decal
Fixed an issue where the daily challenge timer could start counting upward after reaching 0:00
Fixed issue where holding the button rather than tapping it would not open the scoreboard during the post-match sequence
Fixed an issue where starfighters could get greyed out if the player rapidly shuffled between them.

VR

Skyboxes now have increased resolution for high-rez VR headsets
Added an option for PC players to adjust their VR resolution scaling
- Players using high resolution headsets (such as the Valve Index) should be able to enjoy higher frame rates without requiring the most powerful GPUs
Forward rendering is now used, potentially improving their VR performance
The game now uses less intensive forward shading when using the "Low" lighting quality setting in the graphics options, allowing VR to be used on mid-tier and even some lower-tier PCs
Fixed an issue where black bars would appear when transitioning out of a PvP match if the player died at the same time.

In our review for Star Wars: Squadrons, Dom wrote:

Star Wars Squadrons has taken an impressive first step in revitalising the Star Wars fighter pilot game. With a tale that feels like a genuine part of the galaxy far, far away, and space combat that gives you the tools to be an X-Wing or TIE fighting ace. Whether you're on the light or the dark side of the Force, this is a game that Star Wars fans need to play.

You can read the full Star Wars: Squadrons review here.

If you plan on playing Squadrons on your PlayStation 5 using PSVR then you will need to get your hands on Sony's virtual reality adapter. Here's how to request one.

Source: EA

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory Review

An outward observer of the Kingdom Hearts series might notice that the "third" entry in the series just came out last year, but while Kingdom Hearts III is the third mainline entry in the series, there are nearly 20 years of side-stories, remakes, and awkwardly-numbered prequels spanning a whole array of game consoles that make up the twisted tapestry of the Kingdom Hearts series.

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is the latest part of the constantly evolving universe of this wild series. More importantly, though, it's a celebration and compilation of years of Kingdom Hearts history for diehard fans to dig into, and in that regard, the game delivers in spades.

This isn't developer Square Enix' first rodeo when it comes to rhythm game spinoffs from prestigious JRPG franchises. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and the unlocalized Theatrhythm Dragon Quest were musical celebrations of each series that packed in as much music and as many cutesy chibi characters as possible, while also sprinkling in some light JRPG mechanics to encourage progression. Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory borrows a bit from the DNA of those games, but while you'll see adorable little versions of your characters during loading screens, the game itself goes to great lengths to look and feel like the actual 3D Kingdom Hearts games that each song comes from.

You're hitting buttons in rhythm with the music, sure, but you're not just matching up with colored notes on a track highway. Sora, Donald, and Goofy automatically run down a vertical lane while enemies and items come towards you, and you'll need to hit buttons to smack enemies away, pick up lightning attacks, and soar through the air in time to the tunes. At first, it's a tricky sort of rhythm system to adjust to. Without direct and obvious incoming notes to react to, you're instead forced to learn the animations and placements of the various enemies to help you react in time. Once you get used to it this can be incredibly fun and rewarding, but a few elements like the jump-indicators for mid-air enemies still catch me out now and then.

The dedication to the aesthetic of the games runs deep, and it adds so much to the experience of the game. Each song you play comes from a specific world in a certain Kingdom Hearts game, and everything from the background environment to the enemies that appear on the stage will reflect that. New characters will even pop into your crew, including Disney guest characters when you're playing tracks from worlds like Aladdin or The Nightmare Before Christmas, for example. Being immersed in the sights that go alongside the sounds is great, but it also ends up highlighting the random pockets of missing musical history in the game. Kingdom Hearts III suffers the most, with barely any music featured from that game at all, and the most iconic tracks from a few side games have also gone missing.

You wouldn't discover this right away, though, as there isn't a traditional free-play mode with the entire tracklist to start with. Instead, you'll have to play through the World Tour campaign in order to unlock and experience each song in turn. This is also where the brand new story elements of the game live, but don't get your hopes too high about that. Despite trailers for Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory teasing this as Kairi's big solo adventure, she is (as usual) barely a factor in the story. She simply narrates brief recaps of story scenes from the previous games in the series, so you won't even be playing as her throughout the entire campaign. Kairi still plays a key role in the new story content, which does a very exciting job of clearly setting up the next chapter of the Kingdom Hearts story, but this juicy lore only comes at the very end of the game, so you'll be playing through 5-10 hours of World Tour before seeing any new info.

At the very least, the World Tour is a fun time. You explore a huge and winding overworld map made up of countless themed mini-worlds where each song lives, and you're tasked with completing challenges in order to unlock gates to new worlds and even obtain collectible memento cards. Challenges give a decent incentive to give your all during songs, but they're usually simple and repetitive "complete the stage with X% of health" or "hit X number of flying enemies" challenges that won't pose much of a threat unless you're playing on Proud mode. Item crafting gets introduced at a certain point in the story, but with so many challenges tasking you with completing a song without using items, I was way more incentivised to ignore the system than I was to make use of it.

Metro Exodus is getting a free update for PS5 & Xbox Series X|S – 4A Games also announce sequel and… Metro multiplayer?

4A Games have announced that their hit first person shooter Metro Exodus will be getting a free upgrade for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, taking advantage of the new hardware to feature higher frame rates, increased resolutions, reduced loading times, and bringing ray tracing effects across from the PC version of the game. They've also teased some elements of the series' future, including new generation exclusivity and… something multiplayer.

A release date has not been announced yet, but it will be a free upgrade to the game for owners on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One who are stepping up to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Until then, you'll still be able to enjoy the game via backward compatibility, playing at a boosted version of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.

However, the enhanced game will be able to take advantage of new graphical features like ray tracing, which was exclusive to PC and Nvidia's RTX GPUs upon the game's original launch in 2019.

4A Games have also confirmed that the next Metro game is in development. The game will mean a complete overhaul of the game engine and renderer, which is being done with the new consoles in mind. In fact, the game is only coming to PC and "next generation consoles", which means PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, so that they can more fully take advantage of the power, SSD storage and hardware ray tracing that these machines offer.

In a strange twist for the single-player, narrative focussed series, 4A Games will be teaming up with parent company Saber Interactive (itself a subsidiary of the vast gaming empire of Embracer Group) to develop a new multiplayer experience in the Metro universe. It's not clear if this will be a part of the next Metro game from 4A, or a separate game entirely, but it's an interesting prospect. Saber Interactive developed the popular zombie co-op shooter World War Z, after all.

The announcement is a part of the Metro 10th anniversary, with the company releasing an interactive timeline of the studio and series' history. You can explore that here.

Nicole played Metro Exodus for our review and she wrote:

Metro Exodus provides an immersive FPS experience that marks a new milestone for the franchise. Its survival-horror, sandbox and shooter elements are remarkably well balanced, constituting an engaging and thrilling game that'll leave you no stranger to a good jump scare. The once linear horror franchise has been reformed, introducing expansive environments to indulge in without derailing the narrative. Metro Exodus is a must play.

You can read the Metro Exodus review right here.

Source: press release via Gamasutra

Watch Dogs: Legion online multiplayer delayed as Ubisoft prioritise fixing bugs with update 2.20

Ubisoft have announced that the post-launch Online mode for Watch Dogs: Legion has been delayed, as the company instead focusses on patching the game and fixing the various bugs and issues that users have found over the last month.

Watch Dogs: Legion Online will now arrive in early 2021, which should go some way to ensure that the mode is more stable upon its release.

The company are also focussing on fixing the various issues players have encountered and this week will see the release of Update 2.20 across PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Stadia. This will make stability improvements for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 4, while also adding a manual Save Game button for PC. The equivalent PlayStation 5 update already launched on 19th November. Further optimisations on PC are also on the way with the target of making 60fps gameplay more consistent on higher end GPUs.

There's no word on if Ubisoft are getting close to resolving the free PS4-PS5 game upgrade issue that some users are still encountering.

Here's the patch notes for this week's title update.

Watch Dogs: Legion Title Update 2.20

Global

Fixed an issue that could cause longer load times when exiting to the main menu.
Fixed an issue that could cause save games to get corrupted.
Fixed an issue that could cause lost progress during Borough Uprising missions when loading back into the game.

Xbox One

Optimized game on Xbox One and Xbox One S to reduce instability during certain missions (among them "Justice for Claire") and the open world.
Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when scrolling through the Team tab.
Fixed an issue that could cause the Main Menu to become unresponsive when quitting the Single Player mode.
Fixed a crash that could occur while auto driving on the Tower bridge during the "Inside Albion" mission.
Further incremental optimizations made to improve game stability which improve performance and reduce crashes.

Xbox Series X/S

Fixed an issue that caused the game to crash when switching between users with non-English and English text versions.

PC

Added a manual save game button to the Pause Menu.
Fixed an issue that could cause a Borough to not be liberated despite the player having completed all necessary activities.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to load a save game over save file slot when playing with Permadeath enabled, resulting in an infinite loading screen.
Fixed an issue that could cause save games to get corrupted after a crash or freeze.
Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when one or all Operatives die.
Added CPU optimization that increases framerate on high end PCs in DirectX 12 mode.
Fixed an issue that caused the game's framerate to drop significantly when looking at water or reflective surfaces.
Fixed an issue that could cause Operatives to go missing after the game crashed.
Fixed an issue that caused the game to become pixelated with DLSS enabled and playing on the lowest available resolution.
Fixed an issue that caused Reflection, Ambient Occlusion and Subsurface Scattering to not save their value after changing the graphic quality from Custom to Low/Ultra and back.
Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash under certain rendering conditions.
Fixed an issue where some players would see a "Dunia Demo" error message and be unable to launch the game.
Added further stability improvements and fixes to the game to prevent crashes.

PlayStation 4

Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash if a character model was not loaded correctly.
Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when quitting to the Main Menu.
Added further stability improvements and fixes to the game to prevent crashes.

Stadia

Fixed an issue that allowed players to load a save game over save file slot when playing with Permadeath enabled, resulting in an infinite loading screen.

Ubisoft+

Fixed missing English localization for Russian users.

PlayStation 5

(Deployed on Thursday, November 19th, 2020)

Fixed an issue where the game would crash on game launch when the graphic settings (e.g. brightness) were changed.
Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when quitting to the Main Menu.
Fixed an issue that could cause a cloud save download to fail on first try.
Fixed a crash that could occur when entering the EPC area in "Lost in the Process" mission.
Fixed and issue that could cause longer save times.

Source: Ubisoft

Tenderfoot Tactics Review

There's an arresting tension at the heart of Tenderfoot Tactics. This is a game where you break from precise, deterministic turn-based combat to explore an overworld both immaterial and tangibly evocative, leading to a tension between touch and sense memory, between foggy truth and lucid dreams.

Between combat and exploration, you'll trade out the hard lines of movement grids and AOE markers for loose, impressionistic hand-drawn-maps. You'll break from non-random hit percentages and precise, immutable damage numbers to soak up cryptic hints and desperate, seeking tone poems opined by puppet-weaving spirits that tower above forest and town.

Sometimes, the combat's determinism becomes formulaic, and its frequency repetitious. That lack of direction might start to feel like hopelessness occasionally, but then the immaterial skyline will flutter, the archipelago will reveal another secret, and that hopelessness will start to feel like…not hope, exactly. It's more that sweet, stranded feeling that at least knows there's more sights worth seeing, if only you'll pace on into the fog.

Tenderfoot's atmosphere eludes easy comparison, but I do love a crutch, so here goes: Tenderfoot Tactics is Breath of the Wild meets Final Fantasy Tactics, with the terrain manipulation of Divinity Original Sin 2. This description is the roundest of pegs, awkwardly jammed into Tenderfoot's psychedelic-splat shaped hole, but it'll have to do.

You play as an entity controlling a gang of goblins. You'll walk, slide, jump and sail over the archipelago, uncovering the mysteries of each island. All enemy encounters can be seen on the overworld, giving you a chance to avoid them if you wish. There are also special encounters, which give you a choice whether to engage or not. Occasionally, you'll encounter a settlement, where you can trade the items you gather from combat, mix items, and chat to some of the townsfolk for tantalising fragments of lore.

You'll soon fill out your squad of six goblins, and the game then becomes about discovering new job classes, combining job classes, levelling up, and learning new abilities. They start off with simple classes like ranged and melee, then upgrade to knights, archers, and spellcasters, and onward to classes that require multiclass experience. To become a battlemage, a goblin will need to train in both knight and spellcaster classes. It's a varied, customisable system that finds various ways for later classes to use abilities from earlier ones, allowing for a huge amount of tinkering and tailoring to your liking.

Taking for granted that combat features genre staples like grid-based movement, movement and action allowances, and fixed turn order, what sets it apart? Firstly, the way you can mess with that turn order through affecting individual units' morale – either through the use of certain abilities, or attacking them from the side or back. Next, there's the environment. Most abilities feature some sort of elemental affinity, and this can morph the terrain in individual grid squares – from creating steep hills to hinder movement, to setting dry grass on fire.

There's no initiative system, as far as I can tell, which means the starting order is random. You move your goblins around before a match starts, though, adjusting both turn order and grid positions, though the actual turn sequence stays the same. The problem here is that you can just 'restart scum' until you get a turn order you're happy with, which is admittedly cheap, but can be hard to resist.

Also, you can sometimes insult other goblins to death, which is great.

In lieu of trying and failing to do Tenderfoot Tactics' OST justice with language – as fun as that might be – you can listen to it here on Bandcamp. It's a playful yet somber accompaniment to the way the game's environs ebb and flow in and out of reality. A good battle soundtrack should make fights feel significant – and these dynamic, reactive stems certainly do – but it also makes standing atop a hill staring at the horizon feel just as momentous. Regardless of context, 'Goblin Town: Stinkhorn Central' is a certified banger.

Black Ops Cold War Nuketown Easter Egg reveals secret mode

This week, Treyarch took Call of Duty fans on a trip down memory lane as players were unleashed upon the newly added Nuketown '84 map for Black Ops Cold War.

Naturally, as soon as this latest iteration of the popular multiplayer battleground dropped, Call of Duty die-hards have been mining it for secrets and hidden Easter eggs.

It didn't take the community long to discover a cool hidden quirk in Nuketown '84 which you can trigger by following the instructions outlined below (with a demonstration video from Call of Duty YouTuber, MrDalekJD).

So, what does this latest Nuketown Easter egg do, exactly? In a nutshell, it activates one of two 80s style visual render modes in green and purple/blue. These tie in with the Black Ops Cold War timeline as well as the game's multiple references to the arcade era.

In order to trigger this secret: you'll need to shoot the heads off every mannequin found in the Nuketown '84 map. What makes this Easter egg tricky is that you have only two minutes to shoot every target, the dummies appearing randomly each time you enter a match. Loading into Nuketown '84 via a private match seems to be the easiest way of achieving this.

To celebrate the return of Nuketown, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is hosting a 2XP event. Running through until November 30th, players will receive two times the amount of experience earned in matches with double weapon XP to boot. So if you're looking to max out your favourite guns, or perhaps grind out some levels with your most underused ones, you should definitely swing by for the Nuketown event.

Black Ops Cold War scored a 7 out of 10 in our review, not quite meeting the bar set by last year's Modern Warfare. Here's what Nick had to say:

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a decent entry in the series, but it feels like it doesn't quite know what it wants to be. The campaign is full of underused ideas, while the multiplayer misses some of the magical charm of Modern Warfare, opting for faster paced aggressive battles which just don't feel as satisfying. While still enjoyable, Black Ops Cold War fails to recapture the magic of Black Ops 1 and 2.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be kicking off its first season next month so hopefully we'll have the details on potential new maps, modes, cosmetics, and Warzone content very soon.

FIFA 21 free next-gen upgrade detailed for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S

EA Sports have confirmed when footie fans will be able to download FIFA 21 on next-gen consoles. The release date for FIFA 21 on both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S has been confirmed for December 4th, the studio sharing some more details on what to expect from this upcoming version of their latest soccer sequel.

Up top, we have the game's visuals. FIFA 21 will be running at 60 FPS in 4K resolution on Sony and Microsoft's new hardware, EA have confirmed. The extra muscle packed into these machines means that player models, textures, and lighting will be the best the FIFA series has ever seen. Player haircuts, muscle definition, and ball compression have even been given an upgrade thanks to new engine tech. Other exclusive features include a new in-game camera angle and heavily revised animations both on and off the ball.

Anyone who currently owns a copy of FIFA 21 on PS4 and Xbox One will be able to upgrade for free, up until the release of FIFA 22. Something fans may want to consider is that there is no cross-gen online play, meaning PS5 users won't be matched against those running FIFA 21 on PS4. However, the FUT transfer market will allow cross-gen integration, with players also able to carry their FUT and Volta progress back and forth across generations if they so choose.

Some extra bonus features for those playing on PS5 include DualSense haptic feedback, making rumble more defined and context-aware. Activity cards are also enabled via the PS5 home menu, allowing you to dip into game modes without trawling through FIFA 21's start-up screens.

Aran reviewed FIFA 21 on PlayStation 4 back when it launched last month, scoring the game a solid 8 out of 10, praising its mix of game modes and attacking gameplay. Here are his closing thoughts:

On the pitch, FIFA 21 is an incremental improvement over FIFA 20, but doesn't address some of the biggest issues with defending and the high-scoring matches this leads to. With Volta still missing a certain spark and Ultimate Team not really changing much, it's the Football Manager-inspired Career mode that takes the biggest step forward. It's still a good football game, but it feels like the real focus is on next-gen.

Source: PlayStation Blog

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle shreds louder than ever on Nintendo Switch

I'm a man of simple pleasures. I love No More Heroes, and I've wanted the series on Nintendo Switch ever since I got my hands on the hybrid-handheld console three years ago. I've been craving a proper sequel to the hyper-violent Suda 51 directed saga for even longer, and while a third mainline entry is coming next year, I've been itching for a more polished way to re-experience my favourite Nintendo Wii games.

Imagine my surprise when, on my birthday last month, Nintendo decides to stealth release HD ports of No More Heroes 1 and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle onto the Nintendo Switch eShop. With zero build-up and hardly any fanfare, Nintendo casually dropped the best versions of these games onto their latest console for newcomers and Suda 51 die-hards alike to dig into.

The first No More Heroes was a whimsical, blood-soaked journey through the underbelly of the ranked assassin world, viewed through the lens of anime and wrestling fanboy Travis Touchdown. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle picks up 3 years later, as our sleazy hero returns to the world of assassination after climbing to number 1 and promptly falling from grace. He's reluctant to fight his way to the top yet again, but when mysterious goons murder his best friend, Travis is fuelled by revenge to take down everyone standing between him and the man responsible for the murder. All of the campy carnage and tongue-in-cheek absurdity of the first game returns, but with Travis fuelled by revenge and Santa Destroy having been turned into a corporate-controlled commercial tourist trap, the journey is a shade darker than the previous game.

Despite a slightly darker story, this Nintendo Switch port of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is just as impressive as the port of the first game released alongside it. This new version of the game shoots for a sharp 720p resolution that easily outshines the visuals of the original Nintendo Wii version, and it also touts a solid 60fps. While the Switch port of the first game dips during crowded fights and open-world driving segments, the sequel is as smooth as butter. Big battles stay smooth, and since you navigate the game world through menus rather than clunky open-world exploration this time, there aren't any driving segments to compromise the framerate.

One of the best improvements with this port is the updated control options for the game. The original Nintendo Wii release of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle employed a fusion of motion controls and button inputs as you hacked, slashed and suplexed your way through suited hitmen and wild ranked assassins. Those motion controls return on the Nintendo Switch, as the game lets you use dual Joy-Con inputs to play. Pressing buttons to attack and block while you wave your Joy-Con to switch sword stances, deal finishing blows, and recharge your beam katana with that all-too-iconic jerk-off motion is a delight.

That's not the only way to play, though.If you decide to disable motion-controls, you'll find that a lot of the combat systems feel a lot faster. You're able to chain together high and low katana attacks like you never could with motion controls, and recharging your beam katana by waggling the right-stick – while way less goofy, it's also way faster. Both control methods are viable, and both are fun as hell.

Much like the port of the first game, there aren't any extra features or major bonuses here aside from the resolution and framerate improvements. This is the only re-release of the sequel, so there isn't a PS3 port to pull bonuses or altered visuals from like there is for the first game. Still, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is hardly lacking in content. This remains a rich, raunchy, and utterly unforgettable action game that's stuffed to the gills with unlockables, mini-games, crazy fights, and insane humor that only Suda 51 could provide.

No Man's Sky update 3.12 makes some next-gen fixes

The developers at Hello Games have deployed their latest game update for No Man's Sky on consoles. Available to download now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, this 3.12 patch carries out some fixes following the game's recent next-gen update.

One issues players had been encountering on PS5 was an overly bright display image when playing with HDR enabled. This has now been remedied in No Man's Sky 3.12. For a longer list of changes, you can review the patch notes further down.

If you've been sitting on the fence waiting to play No Man's Sky or perhaps have a launch copy collecting dust, now's a great time to jump in. Over the years Hello Games have continued to pipe No Man's Sky with new content while vastly expanding what you can do within their spacefaring sandbox with several meaty multiplayer expansions.

Those wanting the best No Man's Sky experience can take advantage of the game's next-gen upgrades on both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. You can bring your old save data over from last-gen consoles or start anew, this refined version of the game offering enhanced visuals, better stability, and quality of life features.

No Man's Sky Update 3.12 Patch Notes

Fixed an issue that caused HDR to be overly bright on PS5.
Fixed an issue that could cause texture artefacts in the terrain.
Fixed a number of issues that could cause base screenshots from being captured correctly on next-gen platforms.
Fixed an issue that prevented water droplets from being visible on Xbox Series X/S.
Fixed an issue that caused hitching on Xbox Series X/S.
Fixed an issue that caused props held by NPCs to appear glitchy on Xbox Series X/S.
Fixed a rare issue that prevented some PSN friends from being shown in the list of available games to join.
Fixed a memory-related crash on Xbox One.
Fixed an HDR-related crash on PS5.

Source: No Man's Sky

PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay Review

Earlier this year, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany suggested that PAW Patrol had been cancelled. "We saw a few weeks ago," Kayleigh said during a press conference, "that 'PAW Patrol', a cartoon show about cops, was cancelled." Concern was such that it prompted Nick Jnr, the creators of PAW Patrol, to respond with the following tweet "No need to worry. PAW Patrol is not cancelled". That tweet ratcheted up a stonking two hundred and eight thousand likes.

Is there a better example for the enduring popularity of PAW Patrol than that? Is there any another kids animated cartoon that would evoke such a frenzied level of concern about its possible cancellation? I don't think so. Stands to reason then, that publishers Outright Games would want to follow up 2018's PAW Patrol: On a Roll as soon as possible. And they have, this time with added super heroics, in PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay.

Approaching this review sparked quite a conundrum: How was I, a jaded and nearly forty-year-old gamer, going to review a game so heavily aimed at young children? My opinion matters little at the best of times, even less so when critiquing a game that isn't remotely intended for someone of my age. I've been playing games since they came on cassette tapes, I am not going to have what it takes to approach a PAW Patrol game with an open mind and a fresh perspective. Then I had a eureka moment: why not play the game with my 4-year old son? I'll let him decide on the qualities of the game simply by how much he enjoys playing it. Let's hope I'm not inadvertently breaking any child labour laws.

PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay is a game of two parts. One side is played from a top-down perspective and is effectively a simplified collectathon platformer. Playable via local co-op, you must guide your pup around the level to reach the end where you'll then have to do a spot of rescuing. There are no fail states and the only challenge comes from locating and collecting doggy biscuits and the occasional PAW Patrol badge.

At certain points, when a pup needs to use their abilities, a mini-game will be activated. These are basic and simple affairs with the player having to time a response; you'll wiggle a thumb stick or spam a button press to ensure Rubble drills through rocks, Marshall waters flowers or Everest scales a wall. Despite the promise of super hero shenanigans, the Mighty Pups actually have a disappointingly minimal role in proceedings. Changing costumes doesn't make them play any differently. Rocky may look like a budget-priced Green Lantern, but that doesn't mean he can fly around and create green things at will. Instead, he'll do all the exact same things he did before, just with slightly different mini-games.

The first thing that impressed we with PPMPSAB is that it's a fun acronym, the second is how this game has been extremely well calibrated for a young player. Ryder, the pups human leader, clearly and concisely explains all the gameplay at several points throughout a level. My son required very little assistance from me in order to navigate the environment and figure out how to solve the mini-games. He also found the game "very funny and silly", laughing hysterically every time he made Everest and her snow mobile crash into a rock or log during one snow mountain themed mini-game.

To an experienced player these mini-games can be seen as laughably simple and very cliched, but to a four year old they offered a decent challenge. There's definitely a gentle learning curve and a nice challenge to be had, but as my son's confidence confidence grew he even started skipping Ryder's briefings to get straight to the action, figuring out how to solve the mini-games on the fly.

Paw Patrol also delivers with its bright, bold visuals and the pups have plenty of character. My son was delighted by the inclusion of all their respective vehicles, as well as both the Paw Patroller and Air Patroller making an appearance. He did notice that the song "sounds weird", and despite this being a licensed title, it seems the developers decided not to go with the official music that plays when the pups slide down from the top of their base to reach their vehicles. This over-the-top track is one of the best bits of the TV show, so not featuring it in the game feels like it should be a crime.

PPMPSAB has a host of other problems as well, to the point that they are even obvious to a younger player. Invisible walls are everywhere. "Why can't I go this way Daddy?" my son asked as Chase once more bounced off a whole lot of nothing, "The game says no" I replied. "The game says no" became something of a mantra during our time with the pups. Why can't Skye jump up here? Why can't I walk this way? Perhaps most unforgivably, why can't I jump into the sea when at the beach? Developers Drakhar Studio haven't even bothered to hide these invisible walls, they're so plentiful and obvious that they'd have been better off surrounding a level with brick walls instead. A game that encourages you to explore and find all the pup treats whilst also preventing you from exploring is a frustrating contradiction for players of all ages.

Then there's the lack of a separate screens during local co-op. All too often one of the players can get stuck behind an item of scenery whilst the other is trying to move through the level. The screen ends up locked in place, trapping an innocent pup and forcing them to spend the rest of their days behind a big rock. Quite why the screen doesn't split or zoom out in these situations is beyond me. Loading times between levels are also butt-numbingly long on PS4, to the point that my son frequently declaring "It's broken" as the animation on the loading screen froze for the umpteenth time before gradually, painfully, lumbering back to life.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla update 1.0.4 is out, get the patch notes here

Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla has a new patch and it's already out on Xbox consoles with PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Ubisoft Connect, Epic Games Store, Stadia, and Amazon Luna all being patched today. Highlights include improved fish-reeling behaviour, a reworked sliding mechanic, and improved reactions to whistling. Woohoo! Probably some other stuff as well, take a look.

Patch Sizes and Deployment Timing:

Xbox Series X|S: ~5.3 GB @ 1pm CET | 7am EDT | 4am PDT | 11pm AEDT
Xbox One: ~4.9 GB @ 1pm CET | 7am EDT | 4am PDT | 11pm AEDT
PlayStation 5: ~2.5 GB @ 1pm CET | 7am EDT | 4am PDT | 11pm AEDT
PlayStation 4: ~4.1 GB @ 1pm CET | 7am EDT | 4am PDT | 11pm AEDT
PC: ~4.3 GB @ 1pm CET | 7am EDT | 4am PDT | 11pm AEDT

Please note that these timings are estimates and subject to change.

Check out the most notable changes with 1.0.4 below.

CONTENT

Graphics/Performance Mode Introduction

Added an option to the game that allows players to choose between Performance or Visual Quality.

Feature breakdown:

This option is available for Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation5.
Choosing Performance allows the game to adapt the resolution and graphic settings to maintain 60 FPS.
Choosing Quality enables the game to run maximum resolution and graphic settings while maintaining 30 FPS.
Default values since the launch of the game are as follows:
Xbox Series X / PlayStation5: Performance
Xbox Series S: Quality

Miscellaneous

Added a new background image to the title screen.
Added various VFX to enhance visuals.
Added an option that will automatically assign all nodes on the path when acquiring a central skill.
Added rune categories to the rune menu. All runes are now categorized in Weapon & Armor runes.
Added a warning when switching from a language that supports TTS to one that doesn't.
Sliders can now be moved with left/right arrows on M&K and controllers.
Increased fabric limit to 82.
Added fabric to traders once the settlement has reached Level 6.
Added offering altar requirements to the world map.

Balancing

Updated gear quality and gear to their correct values.
Added Assassination damage stats on the character stats page.
Removed duplicate gear from inventory.
Heavy and light attack stats will now adjust correctly based on acquired skill nodes.
Heavy attack modifiers will no longer be applied to range attacks.

Game improvements

Performance and Stability

Improved stability and performance.
(Xbox Series) Improved experience on Xbox Series S | X consoles including screen tearing
(PC) Addressed a VRAM/RAM leakage issue when alt tabbing to desktop.

Save Games

Corrected some instances where Load Game would not display save games correctly.
Renamed Cloud saves to make them more distinguishable from regular saves.
- Previously the cloud save was only highlighted with a Cloud icon. Now they'll be called, for example, "Manual Save Cloud"
Removed Cloud saves from the Save menu. This will ensure that it cannot be overwritten unintentionally.
Added a notification when a cloud save retrieval has failed.

Graphics, Audio, Animation

Addressed various graphical issues across the board.
Addressed various FX issues.
Addressed various instances of clipping issues.
Addressed various visual issues with Eivor's cloak.
Addressed various instances of player or NPC animation issues.
Addressed various audio issues.
Addressed various lighting issues.
Shadow resolution on High will now use correct values.

World

Addressed various texture or object placement issues.
Addressed some instances where the player could become stuck in specific locations.
Fish in Norway will now spawn in bad weather. Yeah, we had to read this one twice too.
Crows will no longer randomly fall from the sky in Asgard. *Bad omens, huh?*

Gameplay, Combat, AI

Addressed various bow-aiming issues.
Improved NPC and Boss behavior across the board.
NPCs will now react to the player stealing…so think twice before stealing!
Addressed an issue where dogs would start levitating when Eivor starts to pet them.
Blocking Springald projectiles will now consume stamina, as intended.
Zealots that were hit with a sleep dart can now be stun attacked. Sleep tight.
Zealots will no longer heal themselves while in player vicinity.
Guards who clearly saw Eivor shoot their ally will now turn hostile. *presses emergency button*
Guards will now hear the impact of dead bodies dropping to the ground.
Improved guard reactions to whistling.
Improved disguise behavior in distrust zones.
Shooting bows from the Longship now consumes arrows.
Players will now be able to air-assassinate sleeping NPCs. *Savage…*
Improved fish-reeling behavior.
Addressed an issue where the horse wouldn't use the gallop animation in combat.
The crowd will now cheer during drinking games. *You better.*
Reworked sliding mechanic.

Quests, World Events, Side Activities

Addressed an issue where the assassination sequence wouldn't play for some targets.
Addressed various texture issues during cutscenes.
Addressed various issues with quests or world events that prevented players from completing them.
Players can no longer use the fishing tool or the horn during the drunk walk with Tewdr – *you're drunk, go home.*
Sub quests will now display the correct "Part of" parent quest.
The memory stream can now be chosen when starting a New Game if Hold Alternative option is set to ON.
Increased frequency of experienced travelers.

User Interface / HUD

Addressed various issues with the User Interface/HUD.
Addressed various localization issues.
Addressed various Mouse- and Keyboard-related input issues
Secrets will now be discovered when synchronizing a Viewpoint. (This does not apply to Pathfinder difficulty)
Experienced travelers are now highlighted on the world map and on the compass when in proximity.
Addressed an issue where the map wouldn't update once players got intel from an experienced traveler.
Increased Odin's Sight radius and enemies will now be highlighted for longer.
Improved radius in which Synin reveals keys.
Reduced Synin's view distance of materials.
Improved the objective beam behavior.
Settlement building beams can now be seen using Odin's Sight.
Improved enemy target-lock mechanic.
"Sell all trinkets" will now be greyed out after all trinkets were sold. *Cha-ching!*
Bosses' power levels will now be displayed on their health gauge. This does not apply to regular enemies.
Regular brightness settings will no longer apply to HDR exposure settings.
The Codex will no longer foreshadow or spoil some events.
(A11y) Desktop entries and content on Layla's laptop are now narrated when Menu Narration is ON.
(A11y) Colorblind filters are now applied correctly to mini-quest log and raid tutorial.

Abilities and Skills

Addressed an issue where players couldn't use any abilities anymore when the Dive of the Valkyries ability was interrupted.
Ally NPCs or horses can no longer trigger body traps. *Some people just want to see the world burn, huh?*
Addressed a display issue where the poisonous powder trap could become invisible after using Synin.
Adjusted chain-assassination behavior. Players will no longer be able to assassinate a target who was tackled to the ground.
The Secondary hand slot will no longer be available when a two-handed weapon is equipped (pre-heavy dual-wield skill).
Flaming powder traps will now explode when walking over the arrow.

Raids

"Force Open" will now be displayed correctly even if nearby allies are in combat.
Addressed an issue where allies would not help Eivor to open a door during Raids.
Allies will now return to the longship once a raid is complete.
Added a timer until players can restart a raid that was just completed.

Photo Mode

Effect values can now be adjusted with arrow keys or WASD.
The no-filter option will now work correctly.
The Territory panel is no longer displayed in Photo Mode.
Changing filters will now work as intended.
Addressed an issue where an Online Service Error could occur temporarily when looking at photos on the world map.
Snow FX will now center to the camera instead of the player in Photo Mode.

System

(PC) Updated readme files to show correct PC specifications.
Added additional checkpoints to some boss fights.
Addressed an issue that led controllers to vibrate constantly.
Addressed an issue where players could become stuck in a black screen after closing the menu with start.
(PC) Updated the autodetect config for Nvidia Geforce 1650 S.

Source: Ubisoft

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Square Enix lost a huge amount of money on Marvel's Avengers

Years in development at some of Square Enix's biggest Western studios, Marvel's Avengers has been a huge flop for the company. In an earnings call, president and CEO Yosuke Matsuda admitted that Square Enix had to write down 11 billion yen in losses associated with Marvel's Avengers, both in terms of development and marketing.

That's around $105 million or £80 million.

It's fair to say that's a pretty huge blow to the company's finances. In fact, Matsuda-san goes on to say in the Q&A portion of the call that their sub-segment of 'HD Games' (which includes traditional console titles like Final Fantasy VII Remake) would have been profitable without Avengers' flop.

Absent factors associated with "Marvel's Avengers," the sub-segment would have been in the black. In addition to the amortization of that game's development costs, another significant factor associated with the title was the fact that we undertook a major advertising campaign at the time of its launch to make up for delays in our marketing efforts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a certain amount of development costs still to be amortized in 3Q, but we want to recoup it by growing our sales going forward.

Marvel's Avengers was originally planned for release back in May of this year, but was delayed back in January. When it eventually launched in September, it failed to set the critical or commercial worlds alight – here's our Marvel's Avengers review – no doubt leading to a little soul searching within the company.

Personally, I think a part of the reason is simply a lack of understanding over what Marvel's Avengers actually is, and a little confusion when you get into the game in how it's all put together. The game was revealed with the bombastic 'A-Day' events that set the game's story in motion, but this whole sequence is purely a tutorial for the game's basic controls. We were left asking what kind of game it wanted to be for almost a year after the E3 2019 gameplay reveal.

Not only that, but it focusses so heavily on the core Avengers characters , when the lead character through much of the story is actually Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel. While a Games as a Service title with many narrative drops, a lot of the game is focused around solo play as opposed to co-op multiplayer like Destiny and The Division. Oh, and then there was the fuss caused by Spider-Man being made a PlayStation exclusive character.

While the original delay to September cannot be attributed to the challenges of 2020, the subsequent delays can be. The first narrative episode featuring Hawkeye protege Kate Bishop was pushed back and will now launch in early December, and you have the delay of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S enhanced versions of the game to 2021.

It is still a fun action brawler, there is a solid comic book story that it tells, and there's definitely been a lot of thought put into making sure there's regular content coming to the game, but it just never managed to capture the imagination of punters. The hope for Square Enix is that, as with Destiny and The Division, the game can turn a corner and get more people to invest in its ongoing story and gameplay.

Source: Square Enix via Twisted Voxel

PlayStation Plus free online multiplayer weekend will be held mid-December

Sony will be opening the gates to online multiplayer on PS4 and PS5 in the middle of December with a free online multiplayer weekend for non-PlayStation Plus subscribers.

It will run from midnight Saturday 19th December until 11:59PM on Sunday 20th December, both in local time.

That's pretty much all there is to say about it. Online multiplayer used to be free on PlayStation, back in the glory days of the PS2 and PS3, but Sony followed in Microsoft's footsteps at the start of the PS4 generation and locked it all behind an active PlayStation Plus subscription. Given how successful that's been in lining Sony's pockets with cash in the last seven years, I doubt we'll see multiplayer being made free again any time soon, outside of these fleeting moments of free online play.

The timing is a little funny in relation to Christmas. Sony are presumably hoping that enough people will be tempted to join their subscription service – especially with early adopting PS5 owners – but playing 4D business chess by holding the free weekend ahead of Christmas when there will no doubt be a big jump in service usage that could see PSN downtime. That wouldn't exactly be the best advert for a paid subscription…

While you can play online like a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you won't have any of the other perks, which for the month of December includes multiplayer games Worms Rumble and Rocket Arena alongside the single player chaos of Just Cause 4. If you're subscribed on PlayStation 5, then you get a ton of great games through the PlayStation Plus Collection.

So, with no sub, you'll have to bring your own games to the free multiplayer weekend, whether that's taking your FIFA 21 gaming online for the first time, diving back into your back catalogue for some GT Sport racing, or the perennial online shenanigans of GTA V.

Source: PS Blog

December's PlayStation Plus have been revealed!

UPDATE: My predictions were, once again, completely wrong. Rubbish. Anyway, for December you are getting not two, but three games! Worms Rumble, Just Cause 4 and Rocket Arena!

Worms Rumble is brand new and we rather liked it when we went for a hands on preview. Just Cause 4 had good reviews, 8/10 from us, and is lots of explosive fun, while Rocket Arena came out in July and has pretty good reviews, averaging at 71% on Metacritic. Here's some trailers for the games!

Original story below…

It's almost time for another batch of juicy free (ish) games to be dropped for PlayStation Plus subscribers to devour. The games should be announced around 4.30pm today and should go live on December 1st, usually around midday.

The games will be replacing Middle-earth: Shadow of War and Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition, November's PlayStation Plus games, but PS5 exclusive Bugsnax will remain free until January 4th, 2021, so I doubt we will be getting another PS5 game this month. If you have yet to download this month's game you can use these handy links.

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

You can read the full review of the game here.

So, on to the speculation, what are we getting this month. Well just for a change we have a couple of indicators that might tell us what Sony have in store. At present there is a Black Friday sale on the PlayStation Store and some big Sony games are conspicuously absent including Gran Turismo Sport, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Uncharted Lost Legacy. We also know the games in the PlayStation Plus Collection, twenty free PS4 titles that PS5 owners get for free and Gran Turismo Sport, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Uncharted Lost Legacy are not included.

Sony will want to pull out the big guns to keep PS5 owners happy, and any of those games, with an accompanying PS5 patch to make then a bit more shiny, seem a very good bet. Uncharted Lost Legacy seems the more obvious title as Sony may want to keep back Horizon until nearer the launch of the sequel.

Stay tuned for the official reveal!

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