Fortnite Adds Performance Mode For PC

Fortnite Chapter 2 - Season 5

It's become something of a cliché to try and say that a game is more than just a game and that it transcends that label, but if there is one title that deserves that it's probably Fortnite from Epic Games. The long running shooter has become something of a cultural mile marker, and I mean, you can now play as both Halo's Master Chief and God of War's Kratos in the same place, which is just crazy to think about. Now they are also giving more options for more people to keep playing.

As announced by Epic, starting today they will be adding a Performance Mode to PC. The update will be in alpha and is largely testing its viable for those on older hardware. It will be a toggle and those on older machines will get a prompt to use it automatically. Besides this toggle, you'll also have the ability to opt out of high-resolution textures which will also lead to easier performance for older hardware as well as shrink game size.

Fortnite is available now on most major platforms. The Performance Mode update for PC will go live today.

Cyberpunk 2077 Developer Says They Underestimated Issues With Releasing Game On Base PS4/Xbox One

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There's no game that has been hyped for so long, at least not that I can recall, as Cyberpunk 2077. Revealed just before the release of The Witcher 3, the sci-fi title feels like it has been lingering in some form or fashion over the entire console generation that is at its end. After just a few days on the market, it's been a massive success, but it's also been plagued with technical issues. While the PC version and the next gen console versions are suffering some bugs, crashes, etc., they are perfectly playable, but those on older consoles are finding the game shockingly poor. It's so bad that OpenCritic issued a PSA about playing the game on the base PS4 and Xbox One. The game's developer acknowledges that, and says a lot of it comes down to underestimation.

In the latest conference call with investors, CD Projekt RED President Adam Kiciński acknowledged the poor state of previous generation versions. He said that the team was simply too focused on getting the game out the door and, surprisingly, even said that exclusively using the PC version in marketing could be seen as misleading. He does say that more fixes are coming and they hope to get the PS4/Xbox One versions of the game to a better state next year (thanks to Wccftech for transcribing the below).

"After three delays, we as the management board were too focused on releasing the game. We underestimated the scale and complexity of the issues. We ignored the signals about the need for additional time to refine the game on the base last gen consoles. It was the wrong approach and against our business philosophy. On top of that, during the campaign, we showed the game on PC, which caused loss of gamers trust and the reputation that we have been building to a big part of our lives. And that's why our first steps are solely focused on regaining those two things.

We are concentrated on fixing Cyberpunk 2077 on last gen consoles. The first substantial set of fixes was released over the weekend. The next set of fixes will be released within the next seven days. Big updates are planned for January and February together with smaller fixes. Of course, PC gamers will also be getting regular updates and fixes to improve the game. We'll do everything possible to prove that we stick to our values. We truly hope that our efforts will let us rebuild the trust we have lost."

While CD Project RED has always been known for some buggy releases (anyone who played any of The Witcher titles at launch will know that), what we're seeing with the base PS4/Xbox One version is far beyond those issues of the past, it seems. When you add in the relatively well running PC and PS5/Xbox Series X/S versions, it makes the issues even more pronounced. CDPR has been known for continuing to work and refine their games, so hopefully they can polish up those versions to something working halfway decently in the near future.

Kojima Productions Teases Some Kind Of Update For Tomorrow

Kojima Productions

It's hard to believe, but it's now been 5 years since the legendary Game Director Hideo Kojima left his long time position at Konami to form his own studio with many of the same members of the team that worked under him there. They developed Death Stranding in conjunction with Sony last year. Now on the eve of this 5th anniversary, they are teasing some kind of update.

On their official Twitter, they are teasing something that will be on their social media channels that will be revealed tomorrow. There's nothing else here to give any kind of hint for what it could be.

It was confirmed earlier this year that the studio is working on another project, but nothing solid has been revealed about what it could be. It may also not be a new game at all, considering it is rather early since Death Stranding originally released just last year, and could just be something fun to celebrate the anniversary. Stay tuned for tomorrow.

Monster Hunter Rise – Nintendo Reportedly Paid Around $6 Million for Timed Exclusivity

Monster Hunter Rise

Capcom's recent ransomware attack has resulted in a leak of unprecedented scale, with not only detailed plans of the company's planned schedule for upcoming releases over the coming few years getting out, but other business-related decisions being leaked as well. For instance, the leak informed us that Monster Hunter Rise, announced as a Switch exclusive, would eventually also be making its way to PC. Now, that same leak has provided more information on the game's exclusivity.

As per the leak (via ResetEra), Monster Hunter Rise will be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch for six months, and will be releasing for PC in October. Nintendo apparently paid Capcom $6 million for the game's timed exclusivity on the Switch, and Capcom at one point even considered making the game an absolute Switch exclusive. They were, however, wary of the impact that would have on sales (especially in regions such as China), and decided against it- and we know how high their expectations are for Monster Hunter Rise in terms of sales.

Monster Hunter Rise is due out for the Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021, with a timed demo releasing in January. A PC version of the game hasn't yet been officially announced.

Cyberpunk 2077 Refunds Being Denied by PlayStation

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Cyberpunk 2077's launch has been a complete mess. Though the game is faring relatively well on PC, those who purchased or pre-ordered it on consoles have received a broken game that really had no right to launch in the state it has launched in. CD Projekt RED's insistence on not showing any footage of the game on base consoles before launch, promises of acceptable performance that turned out to be false, and refusal to send out pre-launch review codes of the game's console versions has led many to the conclusion that the developer intentionally hid the state of the game and misled those who planned on purchasing what they knew was a broken product.

Recently, the developer issued a vague apology for the same, and said that two big updates for the game will be coming in January and February that will fix most of the more prominent issues it is facing on PS4 and Xbox One. CD Projekt RED also stated that those who are unsatisfied with the product and do not wish to wait for the patches can ask for refunds, and in fact specifically mentioned that players who bought the game digitally can request refunds from Sony and Microsoft.

It turns out that those refunds are being denied. A whole host of users have taken to social media to confirm that their request refunds for Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 have been denied by Sony, with PlayStation telling customers that they do not qualify for their PSN refund policy in spite of CDPR's statement, and that they should wait for the January and February patches, which will allegedly fix the game. A bunch of tweets from users have compiled in this thread on ResetEra, and you can view a few of them below.

Cyberpunk 2077's console launch issues have resulted in some drastic reactions from many in the industry, including OpenCritic issuing a warning on the game's page about CDPR's misleading practices with the game, the developer's stock prices tumbling, and it rethinking bonus payouts.

Cyberpunk 2077 is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.

Destiny 2 Hotfix Buffs Shadebinder, Increases Lure Charge Cap

Destiny 2 Beyond Light - Shadebinder_02

The latest hotfix for Bungie's Destiny 2 is now live with a number of quality of changes for players. Season of the Hunt's Cryptolith Lure will now charge twice as quickly and has an increased cap, going from three to five. Other issues like players having to continuously reacquire the Lure have also been fixed.

Also, if you were annoyed by the Gunsmith constantly requiring materials from vaulted destinations, hotfix 3.0.1.2 should reduce the changes of that happening. It also provides some much needed buffs to the Shadebinder, namely its Penumbral Blast melee. Range has been increased by 37 percent and the minimum distance required to cast it has been reduced by 32 percent.

Players with The Lament who could execute Heavy air strikes even without ammo should take note – this was a bug and it's now been fixed. So keep that in mind when trying to hack Navota to death in The Disgraced Strike. Today also marks the arrival of The Dawning so we'll see if any other changes are pushed through. You can check out the rewards offered in the seasonal event here.

Destiny 2 Hotfix 3.0.1.2

Season of the Hunt

  • Adjusted the Cryptolith Lure to allow players to charge it twice as fast.
  • Increased Cryptolith Lure charge cap from 3 to 5.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing players to reacquire the Cryptolith Lure every time they launched the game.
  • Fixed an issue with the Lure exclusion description.
  • The One for All perk is incorrectly listed as a possible roll for Corsair's Wrath and has been corrected to the Unrelenting perk.

Activities

  • Fixed an issue that was causing some players to be blocked from progressing the Forsaken campaign.
  • Fixed a location where players could get out of environment.
  • Resolved an issue that was preventing some players from progressing past the first mission of "A Guardian Rises" in the New Light introduction quest.
  • Fixed an issue where "Stasis Weekly Challenge" was translated incorrectly in some languages.
  • Fixed an issue with the Lost Lament quest not progressing from Minotaurs, Hydras, and Cyclops.

Rewards

  • Fixed an issue where deleting a character could reset some raid rewards.

Economy

  • Adjusted destination materials exchanges with the Gunsmith to reduce the chances of materials from Vaulted destinations being required.

Monster Hunter Rise – Lance and Long Sword Trailers Highlight New Skills

Monster Hunter Rise

Capcom continues to roll out new details for Monster Hunter Rise, this time focusing on the Lance and Long Sword. The former has always been known for its defensive nature while the latter is about methodical slices and counters. Check out the latest trailers to see what's changing with both weapon types.

The Lance can still guard and step-dodge from enemy attacks but can also utilize the new Silkbind attack "Twin Vine." This allows for quickly closing the gap on a target while your guard is up. "Anchor Rage" allows one to increase their attack, granting an explosive aura to each hit.

As for the Long Sword, it retains moves like the Foresight Slash and Iai Slash for countering attacks. Using the Wirebug, players can kick off the monster and dive the blade straight down as part of the "Soaring Kick" attack. "Serene Pose" seems similar to the above counters but is more of an immediate slash and can instantly transition into combos.

Monster Hunter Rise is out on March 26th 2021 for Nintendo Switch with a limited time demo out in January 2021. Head here for details on the Bow and Dual Blades, including their new skills.

Genshin Impact – Dragonspine's Environments Detailed in New Screenshots

Genshin Impact Update 1.2

The Game Awards 2020 may have hogged all the attention this past week but miHoYo Games' Genshin Impact had its own stream with big news. The free to play action RPG will receive a new region this month with Dragonspine. To show players what they can expect, several new screenshots and details have been released on Twitter.

These screenshots showcase the region's snow-covered plains and a strange red core. Players will eventually reach the peak under certain conditions and discover all the "shiny blue flowers." In terms of threats, you'll have to deal with the Fatui and Treasure Hoards. Whatever awaits in Dragonspine, everyone wants a piece of it.

The new region is part of update 1.2 aka The Chalk Prince and The Dragon, which is out on December 23rd. Two new 5-star characters are included, the first being Geo wielder Albedo. The second is Ganyu, slated to arrive in mid-January 2021 and who relies on Cryo while using a bow. New weapons and artifacts can also be expected including the Festering Desire sword. Head here for some of the quality of life changes that will also be included.

Back 4 Blood Closed Alpha Begins on December 17th

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Announced last week at The Game Awards 2020, Turtle Rock Studios' Back 4 Blood has received more details on its closed alpha. It runs from December 17th to 21st with registrations still open and a new trailer indicates the content that players can expect. Check it out below.

The alpha mission focuses on Evansburg and along with hordes of The Ridden (which is what the zombies are being called), players will fight special Ridden as well. Playable characters have their own unique personalities, secondary weapons and character perk with four available in the alpha. The full game will have eight in total to choose from.

The card system will also be in effect during the alpha, introducing difficulty modifiers to each mission. These can range from more enemies and less ammo to an obscuring fog throughout the area. Of course, players can have their own cards as well to introduce different benefits and even the odds.

Back 4 Blood is out June 22nd 2021 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, PS5 and PS4. In addition to the closed alpha, stay tuned for a gameplay showcase livestream on Thursday at 10 AM PST.

Devil May Cry 5 – Vergil DLC Now Available For PS4, Xbox One, And PC

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition

Last year saw the incredible return of Devil May Cry with the fifth entry in the mainline series, even forgoing a full reboot attempt from a few years ago to do so. The game largely saw acclaim as, and as the series has become accustomed to, also saw a Special Edition release for new consoles that had a host of new features. The main star of that was playable Vergil, but you don't have to have a new system to slash up the place with the series anti-hero.

It was announced that the previous gen vanilla release of the game would get a chance to play as the character with DLC. It's now available across all three original platforms, and you can see the trailer below. Just to be clear, this DLC features only the ability to play as Vergil through the campaign, Bloody Palace and The Void practice area. It does not include other features of Special Edition, such as enhanced graphics or Legendary Dark Knight Mode.

Devil May Cry 5 and the Vergil DLC are available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition is also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.