God Of War's Kratos Revealed For Fortnite Chapter 2 – Season 5 And Is Available Now
It seems as if your property has any degree of mainstream presence nowadays, you're going to end up in Fortnite in some form or fashion. Marvel's Galactus just got done attempting to eat the Fortnite world, for instance, and we got a leak earlier that Kratos from the God of War series was coming. Well, now he's here and ready to get as family-friendly as possible.
Announced on the official PlayStation blog, a skin for Kratos will be available as well as items modeled after those in the most recent 2018 entry in the series: the Guardian Shield Glider, Leviathan Axe and Mimir's Head. You can see and read more about those through here.
This will be part of Fortnite Chapter 2 – Season 5 which will shake up the gameplay a bit this go around as you must go around various locations to take on missions as well as duels with various characters. You can read more about that through here. What's interesting about this is it seems as if the Kratos material is not exclusive in any form to the PlayStation versions of Fortnite and ads for this crossover seem to be showing up on other platforms. Not sure if there's much to look into there or not, but interesting now the less. The Kratos content is available now.
Microsoft Holiday Commercial 2020 Highlights Xbox, Windows PC Gaming, And Traitorous Dogs
2020 is winding down (thank God), and the holidays are among us. It's been a hard year, there's no way around it, but hopefully you can find some degree of holiday cheer. With lockdowns in various places, it's also caused a lot of people to have a lot of free time they probably never expected to actually have. Microsoft is hoping you'll find one of their many items for that time in a new holiday commercial highlighting several products and a pair of dogs out to murder Master Chief.
The commercial, which you can see below, isn't solely focused on gaming, but does include what appears to be a Xbox Series S controller as someone games on a TV and then someone gaming on a laptop. A pair of roaming dogs go around the house to see their family using various Microsoft products. They then dream of using said products and being in games which include Minecraft and Halo. It takes something of a dark turn when the dogs betray Master Chief and bring a grenade back to him that he just threw at his enemies, then run off. Chief looks at the camera in, presumably, shock. We don't see the explosion, this being a family commercial and all, and Chief probably escaped alive, but definitely odd.
You can find all of the products highlighted in the video at any major retailer, at least for those in stock. The Xbox Series X/S, for instance, is expected to have stock storages into early 2021, so your mileage will vary.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Nabs A Grand Award At PlayStation Partner Awards 2020 Japan Asia
With everything that has happened this year, it's almost easy to forget what actually came out in the first half of 2020, but indeed, the first part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake came out this April even though that does feel like it was years ago. It was a solid affair, and an interesting beginning to what promises to be a longform remake of the classic RPG. Now it seems that it's been honored this year alongside two other titles.
At PlayStation Partner Awards 2020 Japan Asia, three titles are awarded the Grand Award that were voted to be the top titles of Japan that released on PlayStation in some form from Japanese developers and artists. The three title selected this year were eFootball PES 2020, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Producer Yoshinori Kitase came out on stage with a full Buster Sword which was, well, something, and there is also some development footage that was shown. You can see it below.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now on PlayStation 4, where it is said to be exclusive to up until April 2021, though no other platform information has been announced at this point. Part 2 is also said to be in production already.
Demon's Souls Remake Garners High Praise In Accolades Trailer
In 2009, there was a small game called Demon's Souls released on the PS3 as a collaboration between Sony and FromSoftware. The title ultimately was a flop in Japan, so much so that Sony decided to pass publishing duties in other regions to Atlus. However, it managed to garner a following, which lead to a spiritual successor, and over a decade later at the launch of the PS5, Demon's Souls returned in a remake (though without the addition of a lot of rubber ducks), and it is meeting much the same acclaim as the original.
Sony released a new accolade spot for the remake which was done by Bluepoint Games with support from Sony Japan. Much like the critical reaction of the PS3 original, this one is garnering high praises, and considering just how little the game changed the core gameplay itself, that says a lot about how well the game aged. We didn't make the cut, but we were fans, and you can read our full review through here.
Demon's Souls is available now on PlayStation 5.
EA and BioWare have announced that studio veterans Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah are leaving the developer. Hudson began working at BioWare in 2000, and would go on to create the Mass Effect franchise. After directing the original trilogy, he left the studio in 2014, before returning in 2017 in the capacity of General Manager. Meanwhile, Darrah had been at BioWare for over twenty years, and had serves as one of the top creative leads on the Dragon Age franchise.
EA's Chief Studios Officer Laura Miele writes in a statement that the search for a new GM for BioWare is already underway, while Hudson has said in a statement of his own that Sr. Director of Development Operations Gary McKay will serve as the interim GM until that search is complete. Samantha Ryan, who is SVP at EA, will continue to oversee the studio.
Work on all currently ongoing projects is also going to continue despite Hudson and Darrah's departures. Darrah was serving as the executive producer on Dragon Age 4, and that project will now be headed by Christian Dailey, Studio Head at BioWare Austin. BioWare Austin is also currently working on the overhaul of Anthem. Darrah writes in his personal farewell statement that Matthew Goldman, who has been working on the Dragon Age series since its inception, will stay on as Creative Director.
Then there's Mass Effect, which has multiple projects in development. One is Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, which launches in Spring 2021 and remasters and compiles the original Mass Effect trilogy. BioWare recently confirmed that the next Mass Effect mainline game is also in the works.
The Mass Effect team will be headed by Mike Gamble, who has been at BioWare for over a decade. He was involved with the development of Mass Effect 2 and 3, was a Producer on Mass Effect: Andromeda, and was Lead Producer on Anthem.
Cyberpunk 2077 Global Pre-load and Unlock Timings Detailed
At long, long last, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally almost upon us. CD Projekt RED's long-awaited RPG is out in less than a week, and the millions who have been counting down to its launch for the past few months and years are going to continue to do that right until the very last second. Thankfully, CDPR have now confirmed exactly when that countdown will end depending on what platform you'll be playing on, and where you'll be playing.
On consoles, Cyberpunk 2077 will unlock at midnight local time no matter where you are, so that's easy enough. On PC and Stadia, however, the game will unlock simultaneously across the globe at midnight GMT. To help you figure out what that means for your local time, you can check out CDPR's tweet below.
Meanwhile, pre-load timings have also been confirmed. Pre-loads are live now on Xbox One already, while they will be available for PlayStation players two days before the game's launch. Of course, if you're planning on playing the game on a physical copy, none of this will apply to you. You might even get your copy early- if you do, CDPR has a special request for you.
Cyberpunk 2077 will release on December 10 for the PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia, and will also be playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S via backward compatibility. Its photo mode was recently shown off with a new trailer- check it out through here.
CD Projekt RED has given assurances that the game will run "surprisingly" well on base PS4 and Xbox One consoles. Meanwhile, if you're going to be playing it on PC, you can check out the system requirements through here.
The wait is almost over!
If you're looking to play #Cyberpunk2077 as soon as it's available, here's a map with global release timings.
For PC and Stadia players, the release is simultaneous and scheduled for midnight GMT, and for all console players – midnight local time. pic.twitter.com/W0QLIFAhH1
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 3, 2020
The King of Fighters XV Reveal Trailer Coming January 7th 2021
SNK has released a new teaser trailer for The King of Fighters XV with the official reveal trailer set to debut on January 7th 2021. There's plenty to glean from the teaser though, including the return of three key characters – Shun'ei, Kyo Kusanagi and Benimaru Nikaido. Check it out below.
Producer Yasuyuki Oda and creative director Eisuke Ogura offer up some details as well. This includes confirmation that Shun'ei – who debuted in The King of Fighters XIV – is the protagonist in the sequel. "We gave him new extra moves, and he looks a lot cooler as well. We can't wait for you to see him in action! Now that we confirmed he's the protagonist, you can imagine that this story takes place after The King of Fighters XIV. More will be revealed on this later."
The teaser also briefly sees appearances from K' and Leona so it's a given that they'll be on the roster. Ogura also provided some new information on teams, noting that the way they're composed would "differ greatly" from the previous game. There will be more details releasing next year though so stay tuned.
The King of Fighters XV was announced at EVO 2019 but its platforms have yet to be confirmed. Though it was slated to release this year, it looks like 2021 is a safer bet.
Helldivers Developer Working on Next-Gen, AAA Third Person Shooter
Arrowhead Game Studios is known for its top-down titles, whether it's the hack and slash dungeon crawler Gauntlet or the critically acclaimed shooter Helldivers. However, it's now working on a triple-A third person shooter with "next-gen graphics." It will also feature "innovative co-op" and "agency for the community to alter the course of the game."
This sounds somewhat akin to the Galactic Campaign from Helldivers which saw players in the community conquering planets, gaining influence and eventually taking the fight to the enemy's home world. Time will tell if this new shooter goes in the same direction. But at the very least, it will have the "satirical humor" that has adorned Arrowhead's previous titles.
Currently, the studio is looking to expand on its current staff. As game director and CEO Johan Pilestedt stated, "We are incredibly excited to create a new, next-gen, co-op experience for our fans and community. We are looking for talented developers to join us on this journey and are looking forward to sharing more details about the project at a later date."
Though it's indicated as a next-gen (technically current gen) title, it's possible that this new project is exclusive to the PS5. After all, Gauntlet was a console exclusive for PS4 while Helldivers was published by Sony for PS3, PS4 and PlayStation Vita while PlayStation Mobile, Inc published the PC version. Either way, stay tuned for more details in the coming days.
Monster Hunter Rise Will Have Global Matchmaking, No Mantles
Capcom's next big Monster Hunter is coming to the Nintendo Switch next year with Monster Hunter Rise. It's set in a more Japanese-style setting with monsters based on yokai and new mechanics like the Wirebug. However, it will retain a few features from Monster Hunter World, like global matchmaking.
This is according to an interview that Gaijin Hunter conducted with the developers. Furthermore, the ability to pause in offline quests will also be included, which should be a nice touch for Monster Hunter World fans who didn't have the option. Mantles, which provides different buffs and resistances in World, will not be returning though.
While it's possible that future entries could have them, they're currently absent from Monster Hunter Rise. On the bright side, you can have not one but two Palamute companions with you which serve as mounts and aid in combat. They can even be customized with their own stylish armor.
Monster Hunter Rise is out on March 26th 2021 for Switch, though it's rumored to be heading to PC later.
The Last of Us Part 2 Trailer Focuses on Abby's Story
Naughty Dog has released a new trailer for The Last of Us Part 2, which doesn't really provide any update on the rumored Factions multiplayer or a PS5 upgrade. Instead, it's about Abby, the "other side" of the story and how she descends down the path for revenge. Major spoilers inbound for those who haven't played the game so be warned.
The Last of Us Part 2 takes place four years after the first game. The relationship between Ellie and Joel has become strained but once a certain incident occurs, Ellie embarks on a journey for vengeance. Along the way, she battles the Washington Liberation Front and Seraphites, each having their own agenda.
Praised for its visuals and unflinching brutality, The Last of Us Part 2 sold 2.8 million digital units in June. It's nominated for 10 categories in The Game Awards 2020 next to Hades and Ghost of Tsushima. Check out GamingBolt's official review here for our thoughts.