PS5's Price Was Decided In Early 2020, Jim Ryan Reiterates; COVID/ Lockdowns Had No Impact

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It's been just under a month now since we saw the launch of new consoles. Sony launched their PS5, and it seems to have worked out pretty well for them. While they are out and it's just part of life now, it can be easy to forget that the marketing on both Sony and Microsoft's side was unusual. Without the centralized event of E3 this year, neither company wanted to reveal their prices, which lead to a lot of speculation (and concern) that these new boxes were going to be very pricey. In the end, however, that didn't end up being the case. Considering the world kind of being on fire, and a lot of financial woes in a looming recession, it's also lead to speculation Sony's PS5 probably was going to be more expensive. However, Jim Ryan insists that isn't the case.

In an interview in EDGE magazine (issues 353), Ryan was asked if the price had changed at all due to the pandemic. He said it hadn't. The PlayStation CEO stated they had the price determined by early 2020 (though does not give a month, but it must be very early since the pandemic was affecting things on a global scale as early as March and April). He denies that COVID or lockdowns impacted the decision, saying that it was all about getting a machine out with a price tag they were happy with and had worked to great success for them in the past.

"Our preferred pricing was determined early in this calendar year, pre-lockdown. And we just got on and executed with what we wanted to do.

"No, no, it didn't [change], no. We've been able to launch PlayStation 5 at $399, €399, with all the horsepower and the feature set that the console has, at the same price that we launched PS4 back in 2013. That was important for us, and we're very happy that we've been able to do that. $399 worked very well for us last time round and we'd like it to work very well for us this time round, too."

Ryan has stated roughly the same thing in the past, as well, shortly after the price was officially revealed. There will, of course, be skeptics considering some of the technology powering the PS5, but in the end, it doesn't matter at this point, because the prices are what they are. Now it's just a game of actually getting one.

Cyberpunk 2077's First Update Allegedly Adds Performance/Quality Mode Options To Xbox Series X

We're entering into a new generation of consoles, and I guess it's almost fitting that at the same time we're about to finally see the release of Cyberpunk 2077, a game that we have basically heard about for the entirety of the ending generation. Technically speaking, it's releasing on that ending gen as there will be no native version for either PS5 or Xbox Series X/S next week when the game does launch, but there are enhancements in tow for those playing on the new machines, and today we possibly found out at least one.

As you're probably aware by now, copies of 2077 are out in the wild. While we aren't going to spoil anything, we promise, it does seem the game being out in the wild has given a glimpse of some potential next gen perks. Reddit user scorpo187 says he got his copy of the game early for Xbox. He says that an update has gone live already for the title, and that it helped the game's bugs and some rough running.

The bigger surprise though is that he says on the Xbox Series X, it also added an option for Performance and Quality mode. There were apparently pictures to prove all of this, but have since been deleted. It's interesting because as of now, CD Projekt RED has not commented on the option being available. Presumably it will also be on the PS5, though no one has come forth to confirm it, and it's rather up in the air if it will exist for the Series S, PS4 or Xbox One. We do have to file this under rumor for the time being considering the source, but nothing here sounds outrageous.

The game is already up for preload on Xbox systems and will be next week for PlayStation systems, with the game unlocking at various times depending on where you purchased it, which you can read about in full through here. Cyberpunk 2077 will release officially on December 10th.

Xbox Series X/S Quick Resume Will Continue To Be Fixed And Improved, Says Microsoft's Jason Ronald

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When it comes to the new generation consoles, one factor that both Sony and Microsoft were harping on hard (Sony, especially) was the move from HDD to SSD. For those who were lucky enough to get any of the three new systems, no doubt you've seen a big difference in your loading times already and on the Xbox you've also got the Quick Resume feature. It's one of those things that you really don't think you'll use much until you have it, especially with Game Pass. However, like a lot of new tech, there are issues. If you recall, Quick Resume was actually disabled in some titles because of technical issues. Well, that's being worked on, along with other improvements down the line.

Xbox Director of Program Management Jason Ronald was on Major Nelson's Xbox Podcast to talk about the future of Quick Resume. He said the team was hard at work fixing the problems that are there, and many of the titles that had Quick Resume disabled have been reenabled. He said Quick Resume is something they'll continue working on, tweaking and improving, based on the feedback they'll get in the future from players.

"We've reenabled Quick Resume for more than 20 Xbox Series X and Series X optimized titles including Gears 5, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and just this week we reenabled Quick Resume for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and we're gonna continue to work very closely with partners to make sure that the feature is working as we expect. We'll continue to reenable this for as many titles as we can over the coming days and weeks, and then we're gonna really make sure that players are getting what they expect.

"We're listening to feedback from the community on how gamers want to use Quick Resume. We're really listening to that feedback and some of the feedback that we've heard is the ability to know which games are Quick Resume enabled versus not, or knowing which titles have a current Quick Resume state saved and other ideas that players have."

Quick Resume is definitely a neat feature and as of now there isn't really a similar function on Sony's PS5. Even though the SSD for all three systems are so fast you barely need it, it can cut down time between games even more so. It will be interesting to see what kind of added functions will come down the line.

The Last of Us Part 2 Director Neil Druckmann is Now Co-President of Naughty Dog

With 2020 almost coming to a close (and not a moment too soon), Naughty Dog have announced some high-level changes within the studio. In an update on the developer's blog, president Evan Wells announced that Neil Druckmann – who is the co-creator of The Last of Us, and served as creative director on both games (and on Uncharted 4) – has been promoted to the position of Co-President alongside Wells.

Druckmann had been a Vice President at Naughty Dog for nearly the last three years, and has been at the studio for almost seventeen years in total. How his promotion affects his game development work – what with him likely having more company-wide management to to do with his new position – remains to be seen.

Druckmann's promotion also comes with a couple of other promotions within the studio's structure. Director of Operations Alison Mori and Co-Director of Programming Christian Gyrling have been named as Naughty Dog Vice Presidents.

What the studio is working on next is up in the air right now. It's likely that work on a Factions multiplayer mode for The Last of Us Part 2 is ongoing. Neil Druckmann has also previously commented that the developer's next project could be The Last of Us Part 3, or perhaps a completely new IP.

Batman: Arkham Knight Gets Free Update Out Of Nowhere With Two New Costumes

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Next year we will be returning to the iconic setting of Gotham City with the upcoming Gotham Knights. That game will feature a cast of Batman characters after Bruce Wayne has seemingly been killed in action as they must fight to clean up the chaos in the aftermath. The game is not by Rocksteady Studios, being developed instead by WB Montreal, and is not in the same canon as the popular Arkham series. Despite that, it seems out of nowhere, the last game in the franchise got a quick update.

Rocksteady decided to update Arkham Knight today to give everyone free access to two skins: the Zur En Arrh and Anime Batman. These are not new skins and were originally given out as part of the WBPlay service that was once attached to the game. That service is long defunct, meaning anyone who got the game recently in a sale or via Game Pass or however would have no way to access either of these until this update. It's random, but hey, it's now out there if you want it.

Batman: Arkham Knight released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC back in 2015. Rocksteady themselves is currently working on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which is slated to come out to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2022.

Everspace 2 – Ruins of the Ancients, Prescott Starbase Details Revealed

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Rockfish Games' Everspace 2 may have been delayed from its early access window (again) but it's seemingly on course for January 2021. In the meantime, the developer has offered new details on some areas that players will explore. One of these is the Ruins of the Ancients, an end-game area with "extra hard challenges and the best loot in the game."

Appearing in Everspace, the Ancients have unique structures on Cephas II, a moon in the Union system. The Ancients won't appear in the early access release but there will be some of their ruins present. The developer even hints at the Ancients being "deeply connected to the established lore" of the game. We'll have to see how that pans out in the sequel.

Another new area in Union is Prescott Starbase. Described as a "highly condensed version of an entire city floating in space," players will encounter a shopping and entertainment area, a harbor district and a black market where freelancers ply their trade. Though it's still a ways from being completed, Prescott Starbase can be explored when early access is live.

After its early access period, Everspace 2 will be available for PC players first with PS4 and Xbox One releases coming later. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Destiny 2 Xur Exotics – Wardcliff Coil, Graviton Forfeit, Citan's Ramparts

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Xur has returned in Bungie's Destiny 2 with a range of relatively newish Exotics. You can find him in the Winding Cove in the European Dead Zone, where he will remain until the next weekly reset. In terms of weapons, he's carrying The Wardcliff Coil for 29 Legendary Shards.

This Exotic rocket launcher fires a volley of rockets in all kinds of directions and can provide some strong DPS (just don't use it in an enclosed area). It also reloads ammo on pickup. It's not the best Exotic heavy weapon by a long shot but does a decent job. In terms of Exotic gear, there's Graviton Forfeit (Hunter helm), Citan's Ramparts (Titan gloves) and Verity's Brow (Warlock helm), each for 23 Legendary Shards.

Graviton Forfeit increases the duration of invisibility effects and recharges one's melee faster while invisible. Citan's Ramparts allows for shooting through the Towering Barricade though it has less duration and health. Meanwhile, Verity's Brow provides bonus grenade damage and energy when scoring kills with Energy weapons (and even provides increased grenade regen for nearby allies).

Dead Cells Update 21 Alpha is Live, Malaise and Colors Reworked

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Motion Twin and Evil Empire have big plans for Dead Cells in early 2021 when the next paid DLC, Fatal Falls, releases. However, its update for this month is now in alpha and there are some pretty big changes in-bound. Chief among them is a rework of Malaise.

Malaise is a punishing mechanic that appears in the Castle before the final battle – filling up the meter will cause the player to die instantly. In 4/5 Boss Cell difficulty, every enemy can inflict Malaise, making it super frustrating and encouraging players to kite and run away than fight. The new version of Malaise works differently – it fills over time (and pauses in certain rooms) and will make enemies more dangerous when full.

This means they'll deal increased damage, move faster, randomly spawn around the player and even turn into Elites. Depending on the number of enemies alive in a biome, the contamination rate can be slowed. If there are only 10 percent of enemies remaining, then that biome has been "cleansed."

Colors are also being revamped with Mutations like Soldier Resistance and Berserker now scaling with Survival instead of Brutality while Predator, Scheme and Initiative will scale with Brutality instead of Tactics. Certain weapons like the Broadsword, Symmetrical Lance, Rhythm n' Bouzoki and more now longer have "red" scaling while other like the Flashing Fans don't scale from Tactics. There's quite a lot to go through so check out the full patch notes here.

In terms of new content, the Katana is finally coming to the game along with a new enemy – the Demolisher – and four new Mutations. Stay tuned for more details on a release date in the coming weeks.

Dragon Age 4 Will Get a "Special Look" at The Game Awards

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Geoff Keighley has announced over on Twitter that Dragon Age 4 will be receiving "a special look" at The Game Awards next Thursday, on December 10. BioWare and EA first announced the next mainline game in the series at The Game Awards in 2018 with a teaser trailer.

Updates on the RPG have been scant since its reveal. BioWare assured in July earlier this year that production on the game was proceeding smoothly, while early development footage and some new details were also revealed the following month.

Reports have also suggested that the game is being built on Anthem's codebase. Allegedly, while the critical path in the RPG will be single player-focused, BioWare have not yet decided what to do with the multiplayer component.

Recently, Dragon Age 4 executive producer Mark Darrah left BioWare (alongside general manager Casey Hudson). In his absence, the development will now be led by BioWare Austin studio head Christian Dailey, while Matthew Goldman will stay on as creative director.

As for when Dragon Age 4 (or whatever BioWare ends up calling it) will come out, no launch window has been announced- but it's not going to be anytime soon. EA has said not to expect the game anytime before April 1, 2022.

Worms Rumble Review – No Early Bird Is Getting These Worms

Worms Rumble should be anathema to fans of the long running franchise (and, at least at first glance, I am sure that's how many will react to it). Taking a classic turn based strategy series and turning it into a multiplayer shooter hardly seems like a fitting direction for the games to go in, after all, so you can even empathize with that response. However, once you get around to actually playing it, it ends up being surprisingly fun and compelling. In the tradition of other PS Plus titles such as Rocket League, or Fall Guys from earlier this year, Worms Rumble is a surprisingly fresh and enjoyable multiplayer game, with a unique and quirky spin on several multiplayer tropes.

Worms Rumble has three modes at launch – a classic deathmatch, a battle royale style mode, and a team battle royale mode. Each of these modes work exactly how you'd think from those descriptions, with up to 32 worms duking it out against each other in some rather zany maps, and with some delightfully imaginative (and differentiated!) weaponry. Last Worm Standing, the battle royale mode, pretty much has your involvement end once you're killed – and with a low TTK, this can be the quickest moving mode. Whether or not that's a good thing ultimately comes down to your personal skill level. If you're good at the game, quickly being able to mow through other players to nab the gold for yourself is probably an empowering and thrilling prospect. If, like me, you suck at the game, then your involvement in a Last Worm Standing game will be over pretty quickly. This, of course, is true of all battle royale games, but dedicated battle royale games usually have full fledged rules and maps dedicated to that style of play which help keep things nuanced and interesting even for less skilled players. Worms seems to be less compelling in this mode (or in the Last Team Standing variant of this mode).

"Worms Rumble is a surprisingly fresh and enjoyable multiplayer game, with a unique and quirky spin on several multiplayer tropes."

The true star of the game, in my estimation, is the deathmatch mode. Much like he battle royale modes, this mode works exactly how you expect – you and the other worms spawn on one of the game's three maps, and then you duke it out against each other until the timer runs down. This is where Worms Rumble's mechanics and finely honed design chops truly get to shine. See, since a single unlucky (and inevitably quick) death doesn't spell the end of your time in the game, this mode is where you truly get to enjoy Rumble's delightful map design (replete with shortcuts, multiple levels, dynamic elements, nooks and crannies to set up ambushes, and more), and this mode is where you get the chance to really try out the full range of weaponry that Worms Rumble has to offer, given that you actually have the time (and impetus, in case the one you have isn't working for you) to experiment.

The weapons themselves are great – while you have your standard and conventional ones such as  a shotgun (which is great) or an assault rifle (which is less so), as well as stuff like grenades, you also get some truly off-kilter armaments to wreak havoc with, including a plasma rifle (which has the ability to shoot charged shots, and go around corners – a superb advantage on a multi-tiered, vertically oriented game such as this one), and a gun that shoots out sheep that, I kid you not, then proceed to chase any worm in sight, until they catch up, at which point they explode, dishing out massive damage.

The delightful weaponry, coupled with the really imaginative and clever map design, really help games feel dynamic and frenetic, helping every match feel different in how it flows and how you progress. This kinetic variation across games is, to be frank, necessary, since Worms Rumble has a shockingly low amount of content at launch – the three modes I mentioned, and only three maps. While, as I mentioned, those maps are really well designed, and should end up giving players a lot to work with over the course of many, many games, even the best designed map of all time will eventually get repetitive, which is a risk Worms Rumble runs three times over. Worms Rumble does try other things to keep you coming back, to its credit, including the requisite leveling system for your profile, as well as each individual weapon you play with, all of which works towards unlocking more cosmetics for your character and profile banner – but that kind of thing works better as a supplementary reward rather than being the primary, or even sole, motivation for a player to invest dozens of hours into something. I can only hope that this, as well as the other content issues plaguing this game, is alleviated in some future update.

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"Worms Rumble has a shockingly low amount of content at launch."

In spite of the radical departure from other games in the series, Worms Rumble does retain some elements of the older titles' identity. The controls, for instance, retain the franchise's trademark floatiness to some degree, which actually ends up working well with the game's verticality. As you may already have picked up on, the game also retains some visual motifs and nomenclature that has been pervasive through the series in the past as well.

We were promised that Worms Rumble would be the first 3D game in the series, and that was only true in the most technical sense – while the graphics are undoubtedly rendered in polygonal 3D, the actual gameplay takes place entirely on a 2D plane. On the whole, this ends up being strongly in the game's favor, however, since keeping the action 2D helps it stay simple and brisk (not to mention the sidescrolling view's ability to give you a view of a larger portion of the map at any given time, helping you prepare for springing or avoiding ambushes based on the rather clever and intriguing possibilities that the design and camera angles can provide for). In spite of the relative simplicity that this 2D format can provide, however, I did find Worms' controls to be finnicky on console – especially aiming, which seems to lack finesse (the game compensates for this by not demanding a lot of accuracy from you either).

If you're not sold on Worms Rumble because you balk at the very notion of real time Worms, playing the game will probably be all that's needed to make you at least start to come around on the idea. As mentioned, Worms Rumble is flawed and lacking in a lot of areas, but the core gameplay and design works, and works remarkably well, to the point that the primary complaint you can lob at the game is very literally that there isn't more of it.

That's a pretty good base to build from.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.