Yakuza Remastered Collection and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life heading to Xbox Game Pass
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has confirmed that both Yakuza Remastered Collection and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life will be heading to Xbox Game Pass in 2021. Yakuza Remastered Collection includes Yakuza 3, 4, and 5. This means that all of the mainline Yakuza games with Kiryu Kazama as the lead will be on Microsoft's service for subscribers to play. Xbox Game Pass already has Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami 1 and Yakuza Kiwami 2 available.
We're excited to announce that the entire mainline Kiryu Yakuza saga will soon be available on Xbox Game Pass, Windows 10, and Steam!
The Yakuza Remastered Collection (Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 also available separately) – Jan 28, 2021
— RGG Studio (@RGGStudio) December 11, 2020
As you can see from the Tweet above the Yakuza Remastered Collection will be available from January 28th, while Yakuza 6: The Song of Life will arrived on March 25th. In our Yakuza 6 review, Miguel wrote:
Yakuza 6 is a beast of a game, and it sends Kiryu off in style. The graphical upgrades are mouth-watering, and the seamless interior exploration makes an already immersive world even more engrossing. Combat feels very different from any other Yakuza game, and while it's a little sluggish and unsatisfying at first, upgrades and stat buffs help make Kiryu feel like as much of a bruiser as he's always been. While some important side-characters don't get their moment in the sunset here, Kiryu Kazuma gets one last heart-breaking journey that parallels the highs and lows of his previous adventures. Kiryu may be gone, but with a new engine and flashy new combat, the Yakuza series is nowhere close to going away.
While Yakuza 6 may have been the end of Kiryu's arc is not the end of the Yakuza story. Recently, Yakuza: Like A Dragon was released bringing with it the new series protagonist Ichiban. In our review for Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Thomas wrote:
Source: Twitter
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure Review
2020 has been a garbage fire of a year for this planet's climate, with massive bushfires ravaging Australia in the first few months of the year, and then California this summer. With the report just this week that November was the hottest on record, it's likely that 2021 and beyond will see that garbage fire continue to burn unless we do something about it.
That is something that our protagonist Alba would no doubt like to avoid at all costs. The wider fight against climate change might not yet be on the mind of our 11-year-old heroine, but a wildlife adventure that's much closer to home and her heart very much is.
As Alba – in this case meaning dawn in Spanish, as opposed to meaning Scotland in Scottish – visits her grandparents on the island of Pinar del Mar in the Mediterranean you get to soak in this idyllic setting. With everything from sandy beaches and rice paddies to a nature park and a castle on the hill, the island has it all. The nature park, in particular, is one of Alba's favourite places.
Sadly, the park has fallen into disrepair, along with much of the rest of the island. Much to her annoyance and that of her best friend, Inés, the mayor has plans for the nature reserve, and they don't involve sprucing it up.
Instead, he plans to bulldoze the park and build a ginormous luxury hotel.
Although the mayor's announcement initially puts the residents on the back foot, you quickly see them wrestle with the dilemma of trading something they love for the promise of jobs and a boost to the local economy.
But you're an 11-year-old. You don't give a hoot about jobs and the economy. You just care about the park, the island and its animals, and since your grandparents have just given you a map, guide and a smartphone — equipped with a Pokédex-style app that lets you identify the wildlife around you — your mission is to show everyone what they'll be missing if they follow through with the mayor's plan.
You embark on an adventure to photograph, scan and document the 62 species of birds and mammals (plus one reptile), spread across the island's eight distinct biomes, each with its own unique endemic life. As you show just how diverse the island is, you open the eyes of the islanders to the just how precious what they have is.
This is the crux of the game: walking around, taking photos and trying to document everything you can. Fortunately, the island is pretty densely packed, and you can walk from one side to the other in just a few minutes — which is pretty impressive considering the land speed of a typical 1-year-old.
This all means that you can pretty much 100% the game in a mere three hours. That said, this isn't a game you're going to forget any time soon. Alba is the kind of game that sticks with you.
It has to be said: this game is ludicrously cute. It has all the good feels, and the way that Alba skips around the island is as heart-warming as it gets. Despite its small size, the island also feels genuine. From the graffiti to the posters adorning the buildings in the town, Pinar del Mar feels like a lived-in place.
It's also stunning to look at and capture. The camera's autofocus works as you'd hope, generating the right kind of bokeh that you'd expect as you view the world through a camera lens. I often found myself stopping to snap a sunset as I skipped down the road, just like I would if I saw it in real life.
Alba doesn't just take photos. She also helps sick animals, builds bird boxes, cleans up the trash littered around the island and repairs the local tourism boards. Once you've photographed a given species, you can print new signs for the wildlife information boards, further restoring the island to its former glory.
The more you clean up Pinar del Mar, the more likely the animals are to come out, helping further your quest to snap 'em all.
In short, you're basically a one-woman town hall who puts everyone else to shame with how useless they are.
As exemplary as this game is, it's not all gravy and there are some real quality of life improvements that could be made. First and foremost, when Alba pulls out her phone to take a photo, she plants her feet like Claire Redfield, and nothing short of Nemesis is going to make her move until she puts her phone away.
This lets the game down slightly. The inability to strafe half an inch to the left while taking a photo through a fence is frustrating as all hell. It only gets worse when taking a photo of something fast-moving, like a gecko or a bird that's darting around above your head.
Additionally, there are a couple of bugs here that could be ironed out. I've seen people staring through binoculars at a brick wall in front of their face and I've had the game freeze twice when accidentally nudging the mouse while using a gamepad. Neither is ultimately game breaking, but both are eyebrow raisers nonetheless.
Though this does bring me to the last thing that disappointed me about the game: a lack of actual bugs and the things that eat them. The island is suspiciously void of anything smaller than a gecko, and the gecko is the only reptile you see. Speaking to the devs, it turns out that the game was originally focused on bird watching, and evolved to include mammals, but going into macro photography and bug hunting was simply outside the scope of this game.
This all said, I would like to end with a point of genuine admiration. It needs to be said that the studio behind this game is putting its money where its mouth is. Despite being a small south-London indie dev, ustwo is donating money to Ecologi with each copy sold and each unique user on Apple Arcade, as part of project to plant one million trees.
And spoiler warning for the credits: they open with information resources from the United Nations and WWF on what you can do if you want to do more for your local environment. Classy move, ustwo.
BioWare tease the next Mass Effect game with a new trailer
BioWare and EA have teased their next Mass Effect game, releasing a sweeping teaser trailer that swoops through the galaxy to the sounds of radio communications and disastrous first contact.
The YouTube blurb reads:
Get a sneak peek at the next chapter of the Mass Effect universe. A veteran team at BioWare is in the early stages of what is on the horizon for the Mass Effect franchise, and we are excited to show you where we'll be heading next!
The teaser comes not long after confirming that a new Mass Effect was in development, the new shoved in with the announcement of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition trilogy remaster.
That remaster will take the original trilogy and update the textures, shaders, models, effects and technical features of all three. BioWare are modernising the games for newer machines, to give higher resolutions, better frame rates and enhance but not reimagine the visuals.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition will include the main single player and DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, remastered and optimised for 4K on capable consoles. It will be out for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in Spring 2021, with forward compatibility for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
It now seems that's setting the stage for the next chapter in the Mass Effect series, potentially cutting off the story of the ill-fated Mass Effect Andromeda. That game was a commercial flop and DLC that was planned for the game was scrapped. That said, the game got some decent reviews including an 8/10 from ourselves.
I found it hard to be excited during the opening hours of Mass Effect: Andromeda. It feels too safe, too much like what's gone before, but then it clicks. There's a moment where the galaxy opens up and you find yourself embarking once more on a huge mission across compelling, beautifully constructed planets, surrounded by memorable characters. Sadly the glut of technical missteps serve to cheapen proceedings, but this is still an adventure you don't want to miss out on.
Here's hoping the next big chapter in the Mass Effect series is easier to love.
New Among Us map revealed at The Game Awards – The Airship coming in early 2021
The new map for Among Us has been revealed at The Game Awards, where developer Innersloth picked up a couple of awards (and were totally adorable with their reactions and acceptance speeches).
Called The Airship, the new map is set on the Toppat Airship, with tasks like polishing diamonds and emptying trashcans. You'll have to take ladders to get around, while there's new mechanics like being able to choose your starting position after a meeting, and more.
The original post follows:
A new map of murderous shenanigans is coming to to cult hit Among Us is on the way, with developer Innersloth teasing a shot of what looks like a space ship command bridge and promising a full reveal at The Game Awards on 10th December.
Take a look:
Welcome to the official Among Us Twitter
Get all the news, peeks, and fun shenanigans here and become a part of the crew.
Here's a special look at the NEW Among Us map! (For your eyes only!!) (Don't show the impostors!!) pic.twitter.com/FrCkK7ZcnI
— Among Us (@AmongUsGame) November 18, 2020
The new map was previously discussed in an updated roadmap for the game:
New Map. We're hard at work on a new map (It's Henry Stickmin themed!). This map is currently looking bigger than Polus! The map will contain plenty of new tasks and will be available for free to all players!
Among Us has been one of the indie hits of the summer, despite actually having released all the way back in 2018. The game was discovered by Twitch streamers, with its paranoia-infused multiplayer making for a lot of fun and plenty of cross-channel collaborations. It helps that the game's really cheap at just £4.
The game is built for 4-10 players, with one or more players being an "imposter", and alien interloper who has to try and murder their way through the other players as they try to complete tasks. As murdered bodies are discovered, players report them and call a group meeting to bicker, accuse, and potentially kick someone out of an airlock. There's tons of options to customise lobbies and tweak settings to balance the game for your group,
In response to the sudden boom in popularity in August, Innersloth set back to work on their now very popular game. It had achieved moderate popularity originally, allowing them to start working on a sequel, but they decided to instead cancel the sequel and put more resources into supporting their now huge audience.
So, if you're a keen imposter or a mildly fearful human just wanting to complete their tasks, make sure to keep an eye out on what's next for the game at The Game Awards in December.
Source: Twitter
Disco Elysium is coming to PlayStation, Xbox & Switch with The Final Cut in 2021
The critically acclaimed RPG Disco Elysium is making the long awaited jump from PC to consoles next year with the release of the greatly updated The Final Cut version of the game.
Alongside the currently released PC and Mac versions, it will be out for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 from March 2021, before arriving on Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch in the summer.
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut takes the already hugely accomplished game and expands upon it with new political quests, more characters and full voice acting throughout the game.
The game picked up our Best PC Game award last year, with Jim describing it quite nicely.
Developed by Estonian newcomers, ZA/UM, it's a truly singular game yet one that can trace its roots back to the computer RPGs of old – we're talking Baldur's Gate, Planescape, and the original Fallout.
Game protagonists suffering from amnesia is a well worn trope yet here it forms the foundation of a bizarrely gripping story. One in which you – a bedraggled detective – wake up after going on a brutal bender with a murder mystery to solve.
The writing here is genuinely funny which helps as Disco Elysium artfully walks the line between visual novel and old-school RPG. Instead of outfitting your character with spells, armour, and abilities, ZA-UM has built a clever alternative that explores personality traits, inner thoughts, and the power of the mind, with a number of different ways to approach every scenario.
There will be both standard and collector's editions of the game, coming in partnership with iam8bit.
The Collector's Edition will include:
- Innovative 'Layers of the Id' Premium Box
- Hand-Painted 'Mind Totem' Vinyl Sculpture
- 190+ Page Hardbound Art Book feat. Oodles of Previously Unreleased Art and Stories
- Illustrated Fabric Map of the District of Martinaise
- Physical Edition of Disco Elysium with Reversible Cover, Housed in an Elegant Slipcase
- Region Free – Worldwide Compatibility
- Available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch
It will set you back an eye-watering $249.99, though.
Elder Scrolls Online next expansion is Gates of Oblivion
The Game Awards continues to be the show that keeps on giving, and Elder Scrolls Online is next in line for an exclusive trailer. This time we got to see what the next major expansion is going to be, and it's called Gates of Oblivion. What could it be referring to?
It's safe to assume that Gates of Oblivion is going to send us off to the parallel lands of the Daedric plane, and much like we headed underground through Greymoor's enjoyable campaign, it gives the developers at Zenimax loads of opportunity to craft some exciting new areas, landmarks and cities. Players have already headed off to Cyrodiil, the central setting for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, so this is the next step that makes sense, and will no doubt please long term fans.
Elder Scrolls Online continues to go from strength to strength, and is now available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac and Stadia. There are plans to have specific versions for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S which will appear in the future, though for the moment you can enjoy the previous generation's versions via backwards compatibility.
We really enjoyed the last DLC Greymoor, saying "This is still the Elder Scrolls Online though, and if you've enjoyed it in the past, Greymoor is a fun experience that adds a worthwhile chunk of content to it. The well-written quests, the fun combat, and the often-impressive landscapes are unchanged here, and I can see Greymoor drawing in more Skyrim fans to the online world, even if it feels a little like a cover band version of the iconic title. Elder Scrolls Online deserves its position as one of the premier MMORPG experiences, and Greymoor upholds that, even if it doesn't quite do justice to Skyrim's vast legacy."
Gates of Oblivion will launch in 2021.
Housemarque's PlayStation 5 exclusive Returnal is coming out in March
The masters of arcade shooters Housemarque have announced the release date for their PlayStation 5 exclusive game Returnal. The game is out on 19th March 2021.
The game shifts down to a third person view, stepping away from pure arcade delights by wrapping a narrative around the action. Returnal delves into the mind of Selene, an Astra space scout who's trapped in a Groundhog Day loop on an alien planet.
It's a roguelite in structure, with exploration elements to go alongside the bullet hell of projectiles coming your way.
On PS5, it'll obviously look pretty fab, and loading times will be nigh on invisible, but you'll feel the difference on the DualSense with the Adaptive Triggers able to define a half squeeze to shift from aiming down sights and activating the alt-fire that each weapon has.
Returnal's out for PS5 on 19th March 2021.
It Takes Two gameplay revealed by A Way Out developer Hazelight – Out in March 2021
EA and Hazelight have announced that the fantastical co-op adventure It Takes Two will be out on 26th March 2021, coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
The game follows the troubled couple of Cody and May, a pair of humans who have been turned into dolls by a magic spell and trapped in a fantasy world… until they can sort out their relationship. They'll have to work together to overcome the many gameplay challenges ahead of them in order to return to their human forms. They also seem to be guided by the Book of Love, and anthropomorphised tome with a Mexican accent and "facial hair" made from tape.
Here's how Hazelight describe it:
From rampaging vacuum cleaners to suave love gurus – with It Takes Two, you never know what you're up against next. Filled with genre-bending challenges and new character abilities to master in every level, you'll experience a metaphorical merging of gameplay and narrative that pushes the boundaries of interactive storytelling.
I'm pretty sure I spotted a snippet of Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare in there…
Announced back in June, this is the next game from the developers of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out, building on the co-op gameplay style that Hazelight and their outspoken figurehead Josef Fares have really embraced. This seems much more playful than their previous works though, and in terms of gameplay it blends split-screen views as found in A Way Out with more traditional shared-screen gaming as well.
As with A Way Out, the co-op adventure has to be played with another person, and so it's great to see them bringing back the Friend's Pass. While you can obviously play locally, the Friend's Pass lets you play online co-op with one purchase of the game at no extra cost.
Looking back at A Way Out review, I wrote:
After Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, I came into A Way Out with expectations of a fraught and trying prison escape drama. That's just the beginning though, and it soon transforms into a fun revenge flick. It doesn't have the emotional impact of Brothers, and there's some rough edges from the breadth of ideas that Hazelight include, but most importantly we just had a lot of fun.
You can read the full review here.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is coming to Xbox Series X|S in Summer 2021, but what about Xbox One?
The console release of Microsoft Flight Simulator has been something that Xbox fans have dreamt of for at least the last few month. Now, Microsoft have dropped a trailer showcasing the game's stunning recreation of the world and what's possible on Xbox Series X.
Microsoft Flight Simulator will be out for Xbox Series X|S in summer 2021.
That's great and all, but what about Xbox One? Wasn't Microsoft Flight Simulator meant to come to Xbox One as well?
For now, it seems that only Xbox Series X|S is confirmed, with the Xbox One sure to be a much bigger challenge for developer Asobo Studio to optimise the game for. That will be a big disappointment for those expecting the game on the last-gen console, especially the Xbox One X, which should be able to cope much better than the original console.
Ark II and Ark: The Animated Series announced, starring Vin Diesel
The jokes were flowing thick and fast while the trailer below was playing, what could it be? Horizon Vin Dawn? Stargate SG:Vin? Nope, it turns out Vin Diesel is going to star in Ark II, the sequel to Ark: Survival Evolved.
There no other details on the game but it does seem that that the sequel will have a bigger story element that the original title.
Alongside the sequel a new animated series was announced and it has one hell of a cast including Michella Yeoh, David Tennant, Gerard Butler, Karl Urban, Elliot Page, Russel Crowe, and of course, Vin Diesel.
The Fall Guys Season 3 reveal trailer is here – starting December 15th
Cuddly battle royale sensation Fall Guys is about to embark on its third season, sprinkling the game with a light dusting of wintry content to go with the festive cheer of the season.
Fall Guys Season 3 is out on 15th December for PlayStation and PC.
The winter update will bring with it 7 new levels to test yourself on, new obstacles to deal with, and over 30 new skins to unlock through wins and playing.
So what's the point in playing this weekend? Well, you can try to get through the last few levels on Season 2 with its medieval theme, which will certainly be helped by the Double Fame points that are currently being handed out. Or maybe take a break so that the winter content will all feel nice and fresh?
We awarded the game an excellent 8 our of 10 in our review earlier this year. Here's how I summed up my time with the game:
Full of cute and cuddly jelly beans bumbling into each other in a race for the crown, Fall Guys is just about the most wholesome battle royale imaginable, and a whole lot of fun.
Fall Guys was made available for free on PlayStation Plus back in August and quickly became it's most-downloaded complimentary game. It was a huge success on PC as well, though, selling millions of copies and becoming a staggering success for Mediatonic.
Season revealed, exclusively for PlayStation 5
Coming exclusively to PlayStation 5, Season is a gorgeous looking game, all about exploring and capturing the world on a bicycle road trip…. before the world is washed away in a cataclysmic event.
Coming from Scavengers Studios, it's a big change of pace from their battle royale game Darwin Project, but it's wonderfully evocative and the artwork is sublime in its anime styling.
You'll journeying on bicycle exploring the world for the first time, while also collecting artifacts and memories as you go.
We look forward to seeing more from this game soon.
Dragon Age 4 is coming, and it's simply called Dragon Age
As we already know Dragon Age 4 is on its way, fittingly, two years after its announcement at the same event, The Game Awards has confirmed that Bioware's next title is still going to be Dragon Age 4. However, it's forgoing the number and instead it looks like it's just going to be Dragon Age. Presumably that's intended not to put new players off from getting in on the action, but either way, if you're a fan of RPGs you should definitely put this one right at the top of your list for the foreseeable future if it wasn't there already.
The reveal trailer doesn't give much away, giving us some pleasant cinematics of bow wielding warriors, and fighting against dragons, demons and dark spawn against some suitably fantastical backdrops, including our old favourite, the lava filled cavern. We do see the return of Elven mage Solas which should please Dragon Age fans, while the voiceover tells us that "It's time for a new hero, no ancient hand, no legacy" so perhaps we're going to have a new unnamed, ordinary central character who's swept up in all sorts of shenanigans.
Dragon Age: Origins was the first game in the series, releasing 11 years ago, and remains on my all-time favourite RPG list. Dragon Age II is not on my list, but it did release a couple of years later in 2011. Things greatly improved for 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition though, and if you have Game Pass or EA Play you can check it out right now. In fact, forget about reading this, go and download it and prepare yourself for the new Dragon Age. You'll thank me later.
Bioware have seen some of their top staff leave recently – hopefully that's not going to hurt Dragon Age, but their recent run of games; Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem, haven't hit the same highs as the company's earlier work.
Scavengers Closed Beta Preview – A royale mash-up of survival and competition
How do you go about describing a game like Scavengers? It's a game where you have to lean on buzzwords and caveated comparisons to genre blockbusters in order to get across the blur of gameplay mechanics. So here goes: Scavengers is like a team-based battle royale mixed with a survival game.
I'm not sure that quite does it justice, but the good news is that it doesn't have to. Tonight at The Game Awards, Midwinter Entertainment have announced and opened up their Closed Beta, with 50,000 slots for new players and everyone from previous testing phases thrown into the mix as well. Head here to sign up.
The game is set in a dark future where an asteroid hit and shattered the moon. It was a cataclysmic event that saw a shard of moon hitting the planet, debris blotting out the Sun, and even had a virus piggyback on the Asteroid and eliminate much of the life on the planet, mutating what was left into the Scourge. I don't want to jinx it, but 2020 hasn't been quite that bad.
An Explorer Programme was hastily set up to put people in suspended animation into an orbital sanctuary where an AI 'Mother' looked after them. Now, years and years later, Mother is creating and sending clones down to the planet to collect samples for analysis. Given that this cloned life is apparently very cheap, you'll find you won't be working in harmony, but rather competing to bring home as many samples, no matter the cost. It certainly feels like a background story designed to fit the gameplay, rather than the other way round, but for a live game like this, story isn't really the focus.
Scavengers sees 60 players, split into 20 teams of 3, dropping into a broad 3x3km2 map called Cascade Springs. With the sun blocked out, the world is blanketed in snow and ravaged by freezing tornadoes, while the city-like structures that dot the map are ruined or converted structures out of ruins. It's not just other players that you need to be aware of, but the aforementioned Scourge and cannibalistic Outlanders who have set up camp in various places, hoarding resources. You'll also have to simply survive the elements. Hunger is represented by a gradually shrinking stamina bar, so you might see fit to hunt deer if you spot them bounding across the map, and the frigid map and roaming blizzards will mean you want to find fires to warm up or use thermal packs to refill your maximum health. Bullets can also feel rather scarce unless you're sharing what weapons you have and ammo types you need with your buddies.
Immediately, you can see the battle royale influence as you want to quickly grab whatever starting weapons you can find when you spawn in, before checking the map, finding a point of interest and trekking across the landscape. The points of interest provide much more focus than they do in a game like Fortnite or Apex Legends, though. These aren't simply locations where you might find other teams and/or some loot, but often have AI camped out at them guarding the data points that you'll be eager to collect that make up your score at the end of a round. Of course, battling with them, chasing after boss-like characters that roam the map, and battling with some of the wildlife that roams around will all help you level up through the match – Oh yeah, did I mention the slight MOBA vibe yet?
While you'll be scrounging around for guns, a key factor in your survival is also going to be levelling up your character. There's a decent selection of hero characters to choose from, leaning into various archetypes – Halden has a healing aura that can revive teammates, Callie can go invisible for a time when not attacking, Letty's EMP will cancel out abilities and boop nearby enemies away – and they all have a signature weapon. Levelling up, you can spend points that you've earned through the round to unlock increased armour, buy your signature gun (which will equate to some of the rarer guns you can find from looting), or other items that you've researched in the overarching metagame.
While you are pushed together by an encroaching storm as a match progresses, it's a different kind of pressure to the final moments of a battle royale. Instead of having a final fight for survival and victory in the "final circle", the storm is pushing you toward a dropship where you can escape with all your data points. A countdown to the dropship's departure gives a hard deadline for you to either be on that ship or lose everything, and the competitive edge comes to the fore here as teams can try to pick off others and steal their points before the ship can leave.
Encounters with other teams of players do feel more forgiving here, thanks in part to how easy it is to return to a match even if you've been killed off. So long as one of your trio can survive and escape, any downed played will simply respawn back in. It's this that led to a fantastic comeback in one of the matches we played. With another team seemingly hunting after us, using vehicles to get around and haunt our headphones, we were dropped to just one player not once, but twice as we ran into other groups of players. We were plumb last on the leaderboard with practically no data points, but clung on, respawned and just about managed to get away.
Then we could turn the tables, skirting the edge of the shrinking circle and getting ahead of two fighting teams who weren't quite so wary of the match situation, setting up at a ramshackle AI camp and catching them as they struggled out of the freezing blizzard. It felt great to turn it around like that, and we snatched up their points and some others as we raced to the dropship, gunning down some stragglers behind us.
It was quite different to a previous match where we were ambushed at a point of interest on the map by two teams at once, our last player being offed as a blizzard rolled in not by human players… but by a bear that decided it really didn't like the look of us!
There's some really nice emergent moments like that, as you balance a desire to fight other people with wanting to grab your points and get out alive to progress your metagame research. It's that research that leaves me scratching my head a little, though. For one thing, the work in progress UI is not particularly intuitive, and for another, you're coming out of matches with resource bundles that give you such exciting things as Acid Salt, Petroleum, Fuel Cell, Rare Earth Magnets. You need certain resources in order to research new items that you can add to your character's loadouts, but it just feels both convoluted and a bit pedestrian right now.
Still, there's real potential here. The comparisons to certain other games will be inevitable, but Scavengers is looking to carve out its own niche genre, with PvEvP battles for resources and survival.
The team behind Dead Space announces The Callisto Protocol for PC and consoles
The original Dead Space was a classic of the PS3 generation, inspired by the movie Event Horizon it starred a voiceless protagonist, Isaac Clarke, trapped on space station with hundreds of mutated humans. It managed to combine sci fi and horror and many have clamoured for a remake but EA have not been forthcoming.
It turns out we might not need a Dead Space remake as Glen Schofield, former executive producer at Visceral Games, creators of Dead Space, has dropped by The Game Awards to announce the first game from his new studio, Striking Distance Studios. You can see the cinematic trailer below and yes, it's set on a space station and there are nasty mutated fleshy things eating people.
The official version trailer is locked behind an age gate so if you want to see that click here.
Striking Distance say this is an "all-new take on the genre" but you can clearly at least one influence, around the 1m8s the shot is almost identical to the famous image of a xenomorph bearing down on Ripley in Alien 3.
Set on Jupiter's dead moon Callisto in the year 2320, The Callisto Protocol is a next-generation take on survival horror. The game challenges players to escape the maximum security Black Iron Prison and uncover its terrifying secrets. A blend of horror, action, and immersive storytelling, the game aims to set a new bar for horror in interactive entertainment.
"The Callisto Protocol is the culmination of decades of experience building AAA games," said Glen Schofield, founder and CEO of Striking Distance Studios. "We've built a world class studio of passionate developers that is ready to once again tackle one of our all-time favorite genres—survival horror. We're setting out to make one of the most terrifying games of all time, and we can't wait to share more about The Callisto Protocol next year."
Unfortunately we have a bit of a wait, The Callisto Protocol will launch sometime in 2022 with Krafton on publishing duties.
Back 4 Blood gameplay revealed, bringing back those Left 4 Dead vibes in June 2021
Back 4 Blood might look like Left 4 Dead by another name for a reason, and that's because it comes from Left 4 Dead creators Turtle Rock Studios. That fact on its own makes it a highly anticipated game for fans of those decade-old titles.
Turtule Rock have now confirmed that the game will be out on 22nd June 2021 for PS5, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. If you're keen, you can now register for the closed alpha here and start playing on December 17.
Oh, and they also dropped a pair of trailers as well, first showing off a cinematic to introduce the playable characters:
And then to show off some gameplay:
Back 4 Blood was announced back in March 2019, with Turtle Rock very keen to make it clear that this is not Left 4 Dead 3, but rather its own thing, but you might not believe them considering some of the very archetypal zombies shown in the trailers. I guess it's because the zombies are worm-infested and not some mystery virus?
Anyway, we're definitely up for some more co-op zombie blasting.
Warhammer 40,000 Darktide gameplay revealed at The Game Awards
Update: Here it is! The promised gameplay reveal for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide at The Game Awards:
With The Game Awards taking place in just a couple of days, the show's line-up is steadily coming into focus.
While the awards show is likely to be crammed with surprise reveals and announcements, some developers have gotten out ahead of the event to confirm their (virtual) attendance.
Swedish studio Fatshark have revealed that Warhammer 40,000: Darktide will be making its gameplay debut during The Game Awards 2020. They haven't confirmed exactly what Warhammer fans will get to see though it's very likely the trailer will present a slice of grimdark co-op survival action.
After all, Fatshark is the same team that brought us the very popular Warhammer: Vermintide and its sequel. Both titles are focused on first person hack n' slash gameplay as groups of four carefully tread through levels overrun with hordes of fodder enemies and tougher elites. Darktide could well be a sci-fi counterpart to this, swapping mages and Skaven, for guardsmen and chaos horrors.
If you're looking for more Darktide clues, here's the game's official blurb:
Fight together with your friends against hordes of enemies in this new Warhammer 40,000 experience. From the developers of the best-selling and award-winning co-op action franchise Vermintide, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a visceral 4-player co-op action game set in the hive city of Tertium.
In the depths of the hive, the seeds of corruption threaten an overwhelming tide of darkness. A heretical cult known as the Admonition seeks to seize control of the planet Atoma Prime and lay waste to its inhabitants. It is up to you and your allies in the Inquisition to root out the enemy before the city succumbs to Chaos.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is currently planned for release in "2021" and will appear on both PC and Xbox Series X|S as a timed exclusive.
The Game Awards will be streaming on December 10th at 11:30PM UK time. Here are more details on where you can watch.
Source: Steam
Perfect Dark re-imagining is in development at The Initiative
Microsoft's have confirmed the game that's in development at their homegrown game studio, The Initiative, and it's one that's sure to please long time fans of the N64.
That's right, The Initiative are developing Perfect Dark.
All that's been released so far is the above world-building cinematic trailer, establishing a future world that has been ravaged by climate change, but with mega-corporations stepping in to offer… solutions.
It's a re-imagining of the classic N64 first person shooter, but it will still be a secret agent thriller.
The Initiative was founded back in 2018, with Microsoft announcing the new studio alongside the acquisition of Ninja Theory, Playground Games, Undead Labs and Compulsion Games. The studio is led by the former Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher, and has been on a hiring spree over since then, drawing together a team of big names from across the industry.
If we had to guess, we'd say this is in development for Xbox Series X|S and PC, leaving the Xbox One behind, but nothing's confirmed just yet. Whenever it comes out, we're pretty interested to see what The Initiative can pull off.
Scavengers closed beta is live now with 50,000 slots available for new players
Announced at The Game Awards, the "strategic survival battleground" of Scavengers has opened up into closed beta… right now! 50,000 slots have been opened up for this stage, with the game aiming for Early Access in 2021 and an eventual release on consoles.
Head here to sign up on PC and try it out.
Developed by Midwinter using a mixture of Unreal Engine and parent company Improbable's SpatialOS networking technology, the game blends PvE and PvP gameplay in a large scale sandbox environment.
Players are confronted with a hostile frozen environment on a post-apocalyptic Earth, tasked with collecting data for Mother, the custodian AI that is safeguarding humanity's future… by sending clones down to the planet on semi-suicidal missions.
Your team is not the only one, so in addition to cannibal survivors on the planet, mutated monstrosities and hungry, hungry wolves and bears, you'll be competing as just one of 20 teams of 3 to collect the most data and then extract to the dropship as the storms close in.
You'll have to scavenge for weapons and resources, level up your gear through a match, and outsmart your rivals in order to succeed.
We've been hands on with the game in the run up to today's closed beta launch. Catch our full Scavengers preview here.
Century Age of Ashes, a free-to-play multiplayer dragon fighting game announced for PC
Playwing have announced a new multiplayer dragon battling game for PC and it's launching in Early Access on Steam this February. You can sign up for the beta right now by following this link.
Here are more details on the game taken from the Steam page.
Intense Arena Battles
Compete in intense online games and discover the fast-paced gameplay of Century : Age of Ashes! Dive into the arena alone or with friends and fight for your survival! Three varied game modes ranging from 3v3 to 6v6v6 await you: Carnage, Survival and Raid.
- Carnage: A six-versus-six killing spree with special power ups appearing in the arena to unleash hell on your opponents. It's Team Deathmatch, Dragon riders style!
- Survival: A Last Team Standing mode where up to 18 players divide into three teams (six-versus-six-versus-six). Respawn is limited and can only be done through ally rescue!
- Raid: A unique mode in which two teams clash over possession of the flag. Gain points by flying through special gates around the arena while holding the flag!
Choose Your Class
Experience different play styles with three unique classes, each with their own abilities! Shield and disorient as the Windguard, track and destroy as the Marauder, or stealth and trap as the Phantom. How will you choose your path to victory? Additional classes are planned throughout development.
Full Customization
Your dragon, your style! Century: Age of Ashes offers carefully designed cosmetic items to stand out in the arena. Gain experience as you play and unlock awesome skins to customize your dragon and its rider! Don't worry, these items are purely cosmetic and offer no advantage in battle.
Free-to-Play
Century: Age of Ashes is completely free-to-play. In order to keep the experience fair and equitable, in-game purchases are purely cosmetic. Battles are won by skill and teamwork alone.
Source: Steam
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's next DLC fighter is… Sephiroth!
Certainly not one to be outdone by Cloud, Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII (and Final Fantasy VII Remake) is joining the fight in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the next DLC fighter in Fighters Pass 2.
He will be out this month, in December 2020.
Tchia is a game where you can possess a coconut and explore a tropical open-world
Inspired by New Caledonia, Tchia is a wonderfully cute looking game set in a tropical open-world with a fascinating mixture of gameplay elements.
The game will be coming to PC via Steam and Google Stadia
The Pacific island of New Caledonia provides the game with a variety of landscapes, the cultures, music, languages and traditions which Tchia blend into a fictional world.
Just as interesting is the blend of gameplay. There's Breath of the Wild-esque "climb everything" traversal and gliding, while you can sail a boat to cover longer distances. Wherever you go, you'll be able to use the unique ability to possess any animal or object, whether it's a small native rodent, a crab, or just zipping straight into a coconut and bouncing around.
There's also a great looking Ukulele, which you can play with picking, strumming, bends and more. Unlockable melodies will then go on to affect the open world.
Sea of Solitude: The Directors Cut announced as a Nintendo Switch exclusive
Released back in July 2019 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Sea of Solitude is heading to Nintendo Switch in a brand new Directors cut. The new version was announced during The Game Awards pre-show by Connie Geppert from Jo-Mei Games.
We gave the original version a fabulous 9/10, "Clever, emotional and raw, Sea of Solitude is a personal journey that at times you feel like you're intruding on. It is resolutely truthful and, just as Kay turns aspects of herself inward and outward, you can't help but consider your own place, both amongst the people around you and inside your own head."
We also had a good chinwag with Connie before the game was released. The game is partially based on her own emotional journey following a relationship break up.
"Sea of Solitude is by far the most personal project I have ever made," said Connie, "I think this is what artists do, if you want to touch the heart of someone else you have to talk about what you are going through. You often find that the most touching songs are written after a break up, so why can't we do the same for games?"
Although large parts of the story are based on Connie's personal experiences, planning the game with the rest of her team allowed them to fold their own issues into the game as well. "We were always calling [Sea of Solitude] the 'therapy group'", said Connie, "At the core it's my story, but with many other people stories too. It's important that you know that."
The original version of the game was released by EA as part of their EA Originals label but the new Nintendo Switch version publish has a new publisher and you may be familiar with the name, it's Quantic Dream.
Sea of Solitude: The Directors Cut will launch on Switch on March 4th,
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake delayed until March 2021
Ubisoft have announced that, due to 2020 being an utter bum of a year, the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is going to be delayed a couple of months and will miss it's original January release date and instead will arrive on March 18th 2021 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
An update from the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake dev team: pic.twitter.com/zKCoJPkzmM
— Prince of Persia (@princeofpersia) December 8, 2020
Here those ever so important key features:
A CLASSIC REBORN Experience the original epic tale of the Prince on his journey for redemption. Travel back in time with the return of the Prince's original voice actor, Yuri Lowenthal, and discover a brave new Farah.
REIMAGINED FOR TODAY Fight new enemy character models and enjoy entirely new cinematic sequences along with enhanced voices, sounds, parkour animations, and soundtrack.
WIELD THE POWER OF TIME Master the Sands of Time and use your dagger to reverse, accelerate, freeze, and slow time itself while solving puzzles along the way.
BREATHTAKING GRAPHICAL UPDATES Immerse yourself in ancient Persia with more realistic graphics, pre-baked rendering, and VFX as you fight cursed enemies along your journey.
MODERNIZED CONTROLS Camera, controls, and combat have been completely rebuilt and updated for today's standards. Choose between original or modernized mapping.
EXPAND YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH BONUSES Unlock the original Prince of Persia® game ('92 Mac version) along your adventure and access it from the Main Menu whenever you want. Even more surprises await!
The last official console game was The Forgotten Sands which was based on Disney's film adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal. The new remake will also come with the original 1989 Mac version of the game
The Prince has popped up recently but not in his own game, he guest starred in a For Honor event. Other than that the Prince was also seen on mobile way back in 2013. The Shadow And The Flame was set after the events of the original game (which Ubisoft are now dubbing 'Classic') and boasted an "epic journey" with "visually-stunning 3D" and "intuitive controls" designed for touchscreens, which means gesture-based touch controls, or a virtual joystick.
Source: Twitter
Watch Dogs Legion title update 2.40 fixes Xbox Series X|S save bug – here are the patch notes
The 2.40 update for Watch Dogs Legion is now out on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation but oddly not on Stadia, that's coming a little later. It includes quality-of-life improvements, ray tracing for those with AMD GPUs with ray tracing capabilities, and the usual raft of bug fixes.
By far the biggest fix is the one for Xbox Series X|S, resolving a save issues that prevented the game from retaining progress between game sessions. In other words, you couldn't complete the game if you had to restart the game!
Here are the notes:
Global
- We have added the ability to retire Prestige Operatives, which will function like their Permadeath behavior: They will be gone for the remainder of the playthrough. Starting a new game will add the Operatives in that playthrough.
- Fixed the Unequip button in the store not unequipping equipped items.
- Fixed an issue where skipping a cutscene could cause the cutscene to continue to play while the player regained control over their operative.
- Fixed an issue that caused the Welcome Page settings to not correctly reset when choosing the Reset to Default option.
- Fixed an issue that caused clothes to not show up on a character after having saved or loaded the game while wearing an outfit. This fix is going live for Xbox One and PC and will follow shortly for PlayStation 4.
- Fixed an issue that could cause reflections to judder and pop in with Raytracing enabled.
- Fixed incorrectly applying low resolution textures on the Outwear Hoodie item in the "Synthetic Error" clothing pack.
- Fixed an issue that caused the paint from paint grenades and paint guns to not show up when hitting enemies.
Xbox Series X/S
- Fixed an issue causing the game to not properly save progress.
Xbox One
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash while driving.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash during gameplay.
PC
- Enabled Ray Tracing for Ray Tracing capable AMD GPUs.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when using DirectX12.
- Fixed shimmering artifacts behind particle effects when DLSS was enabled.
- Fixed an issue that caused the game to not launch with Korean localization despite selecting Korean localization.
- Fixed an issue that caused double clicking on the Back button in any Tutorial menu to return to the same submenu they attempted to leave.
- Fixed several issues that could cause the game to crash due to a UI bug.
- Fixed missing highlight when hovering over buttons in any Clothing Shops in-game.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash after interacting with the Walkie Talkie during the Initiation mission.
- Reordered the DLS options to correctly reflect which are available when playing on an NVIDIA GPU.
- Fixed an issue that caused prompts to not correctly reflect a key binding change.
- Fixed an issue that could crash the game when switching from DX12 to DX11, and then back to DX12 again.
- Fixed an issue that could cause a crash when force closing the Ubisoft Connect overlay, while the game is launching.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when controlling a drone.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash during a Spiderbot takedown sequence.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash if an NPC died.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash if it was minimized for more than 5 minutes.
- Fixed an issue that prevented Photomode pictures to be locally saved after uploading to the cloud.
- Fixed an issue that prevented players to map Parkour and Aimed fire to the same keybinding.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when loading into the Open World or starting a new game.
PlayStation 4
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when the game was launching.
- Additional memory optimizations to improve game stability.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the error message "Upload failed" to be shown when uploading saves to the cloud while the upload was actually successful.
- Added an additional fix for an issue that could cause the game to crash when quitting to the Main menu.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when leaving the game idle for more than 15 minutes.
PlayStation 5
- Fixed an issue that could cause a crash to occur during the HUMAN ERROR mission.
- Fixed very bright reflections to appear during daytime in New Scotland Yard.
Source: Ubisoft
Cyberpith 2077: Amazon fails again, delivers citrus fruit rather than Cyberpunk
At the time of the PS5's launch, numerous Amazon customers found that their deliveries were either being marked as delivered, when no such thing had actually happened, or that their expensive console had been replaced with kitchen items, kitty litter and other random items.
The whole matter has put the reputation of Amazon's delivery network at stake with the allegations suggesting issues that run through Amazon's supply chain, both within their warehouses where items are picked and with their network of delivery drivers. Some people even went so far as to taking their home CCTV footage to the Amazon depot, speaking to the manager, and getting the driver fired by the company. Of course, that's just one driver and there's no official statement to explain what happened or how Amazon will ensure this doesn't happen again…
…it's happened again.
A friend of one the TSA writers got in touch with him to show him his very shiny – and exclusive to Amazon – steel book edition of Cyberpunk 2077.
As you can see, Amazon have delivered a portion of dried citrus fruit, oranges to be specific. They are solely for use as decoration and meant to be used for Christmas wreaths so the poor Cyberpunk-free customer can't even snack on the dried fruit while he waits for Amazon to sort it out the cock up.
We'll flag this one up with the team at the BBC's Watchdog TV show as they are already investigating all the missing PlayStation 5 consoles.
However, our unexpectedly citrus-rich chum may have dodged a bullet if they had ordered the current gen versions of the game as the frame rate is really quite low on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and there are complaints of game breaking bugs, crashes, and blurry graphics. These are all surprising given that game was made for PS4 and Xbox One, the next gen versions were just meant to add a little polish.
Chronos: Before The Ashes Review
In hindsight, the utterly perplexing announcement trailer for Chronos: Before the Ashes doesn't seem so odd. We first saw a teenage girl vibing to some vintage synthpop, before buckling down to the game on her old-school CRT television set—clearly a child of '80s pop culture. Hypnotised by the frenetic action, she instinctively flinched as her avatar swung a flaming sword at an automaton, the blue-ish glow from the screen cascading into her room as if she's at the entrance of a Stargate. And when her mother called her in for dinner—reminding her to save her game and come down—she wailed in frustration about how busy she is. Of course, this teenager is a capital-G Gamer.
Despite the trailer's bizarre presentation, it's still pretty much in line with the spirit of Before the Ashes. Like the trailer, it tries to appeal to players' nostalgia for the rigours of classic gaming: the silver age when combat was intricate and sacrosanct, and save points were strewn far apart, across the level, to ramp up its difficulty.
In the vein of similar tough-as-nails action RPGs – the game is set one month before Remnant: From the Ashes – there's an emphasis on timing your manoeuvres right and punishing you for any lack of precision. Every attack, dodge and parry have to be exact, else your enemies will keenly exploit the openings to pummel you with impunity. For unwary players struggling with figuring out the cadence of enemy encounters, emerging unscathed from even simple fights can be challenging. A poorly parried move, even against a goblin-esque foot soldier, can open you up to attacks that are difficult to recover from.
At the same time, combat is also pared down to the basics; better weapons, while available, are scarce, and upgrades in the form of dragon shards can be expensive. Even though you can add points to attributes when levelling up—your strength, agility, arcane or vitality—enemies are still adept at lunging at you in new, barbarous ways. In the end, you are mostly reliant on your own abilities and reflexes. Before the Ashes isn't the sort of numbers game that lets you hoard experience points in exchange for slick power-ups.
That's not to say that the game doesn't believe in shaking things up; in fact, it does introduce its own quirks into combat. Clearly the most intriguing aspect of Before the Ashes is how it weaves the concept of aging into the rhythm of its brawls, while revising the notion of death. The thing is, you don't actually die in Before the Ashes; you simply grow older by one year whenever your health bar is depleted, and then respawn from your last saved point. And with every passing decade, you can pick up a new trait, which can vary from a sizable boost in health, to increasing the amount of experience points earned. Become more combat-hardened with the passing of the years, and certain attributes will also cost more to increase.
Take for instance how in the later half of your adulthood, two skill points have to be dedicated to strength and agility, but your arcane capacity can become more potent, more swiftly, since improving your arcane attribute only costs one point. It's a smart gimmick that forces you to contemplate how you approach every coming battle. Bailing out of dicey encounters, such as when getting cornered by multiple foes, becomes a necessary tactic. A quicker witted player should be able to complete the game without ageing too quickly, while a more careless playthrough may see a more disparate experience, with players in the latter bracket leaning more heavily on arcane powers.
Whether you're crunching skulls, propelled by the momentum of your hefty axe, or jabbing Krell flesh with the more lightweight sword, combat often feels graceless and weighty. This isn't necessarily a irksome trait, given that combat is usually pretty balanced and can hardly be considered frustratingly unfair, but this taut line feels like it's being viciously tugged at by the awkward camera position.
In another life, Chronos: Before the Ashes was simply known as Chronos, an exclusively VR experience launched in 2016 where you can control your hero from a fixed camera perspective, as if an onlooker to the action. Before the Ashes instead places the camera behind you, but that means that in some instances during your battles, you will be nudged towards a corner you aren't aware is behind you, giving your foes free reign to clobber you till you're mush. The carrot on the stick in this unwinnable situation, is that finality does come for you quickly enough, at the very least.
Aside from the melee encounters, Before the Ashes also has some perfunctory puzzles, though they usually mostly have you running from one end of the labyrinth to the next. Less can be said about its environments, which are just your typical, dilapidated structures of stone and steel; there's nothing particularly off-putting about them, but there's nothing particularly exciting about them either. You understand instinctively that you've been transported into the remains of a wrecked civilisation on its throes of death.
I would imagine this would seem a lot more impressive in VR in 2016's Chronos, but removed from this perspective, it largely fails to inspire. There's some world-building lore scattered within the fractures of these ruins, and while their discovery can be illuminating, it's also not that invigorating. You digest these tidbits for a period, and then plunge right back into adventuring.
Before the Ashes doesn't seem to want to do more than that, content with its tough hack 'n' slash gameplay and RPG elements. The game is at its best when you're thinking about how best to heave your blunt axe against a mechanical golem, or when you're pulling off that perfectly executed counter attack that knocks the foe back, breaking their defences and giving you ample time to perform a flurry of back-breaking trashing. Even if somewhat formulaic in its fights, Before the Ashes is still deeply gratifying. It almost justifies the teenager's obnoxious behaviour found in its trailer.
Worms Rumble getting free new maps and modes very soon
Since Worms Rumble launched on PC and PlayStation consoles last week, we've been having a blast with Team17's latest entry in the series.
However, one of the issues players have pointed to is a lack of content upon release. Worms Rumble currently has three modes and three maps – just enough to keep its multiplayer mayhem feeling varied. Thankfully there are more on the way.
Team17 have today announced that a new arena will be coming to Worms Rumble, free to all players. Deadly Dockyard wills see the game's wriggly warriors battle it out in a maze of cranes and shipping containers, suitable for solo and team-based modes. This first free map will unlock on December 17th, Team17 also adding new premium skins (a ship captain and shark) as well as emotes and weapon camos based on the classic Worms Armageddon.
The developers have also revealed another major addition to Worms Rumble they're calling "The Lab". This is where they'll be hosting limited-time game modes, the first of which is available from 3PM UK time today, running through until December 12th. The first experimental mode is dubbed Pistols at Dawn, equipping every worm with a hand cannon while also activating one-hit kills.
It sounds like a neat addition to the game and one that leans even more towards the arcade inspiration for Worms Rumble. Those who participate will also get their hands on a golden worm skin. Speaking of skins, Team17 are readying up to celebrate the festive period with a new collection of Christmas themed cosmetics you can find in-game.
The studio recently revealed that Worms Rumble had racked up close to 1.5 million players in launch week. Other statistics include 38.4 million worms killed, 384,577 worms revived, and a whopping 5.17 billion points worth of damage dealt.
- Worms Rumble Guide – 7 essential tips & tricks for winning
- Will Worms Rumble come to Xbox and Nintendo Switch?
In our review of Worms Rumble, Gareth scored the manic multiplayer title a solid 7 out of 10. Here's what he had to say:
Although purists may balk at Worms Rumble, I found Team17's reinvention to be a welcome change in direction for the series. Real-time action wrapped around the battle royale genre works a treat here when combined with the zany, explosive world of Worms, but in order to become a multiple mainstay it needs more depth both in terms of strategy and player progression.
For those with an active PlayStation Plus membership you can access your free copy of Worms Rumble right now.
Source: Press Release
For Honor Gryphon Guide: Moves, Feats, Combos, Tactics
Joining the ranks in For Honor Year 4 Season is a new fighter: Gryphon. This battle-scarred veteran makes a strong addition to the game's existing hero roster while also being a viable choice for both For Honor newcomers and those lapsed fans looking to shake off some rust.
You can read more on Gryphon in our Year 4 Season 4 Mayhem preview, but here's what you need to know. Gryphon is a commander-turned-mercenary who crops up several times during the For Honor singleplayer campaign. He's now part of the Chimera Rebellion against the Order of Horkos though this won't matter to those who aren't really plugged into the game's lore.
What you need to know is that Gryphon is an easy-tier hybrid fighter with great support capabilities. He's got a pretty versatile moveset though you can get away with locking down a few reliable combos before gradually experimenting as you get to grips with this new character.
Is For Honor still worth playing in 2020?
Like most heroes in For Honor, Gryphon has his own unique mechanic. This aged warrior has access to "Veteran moves" which basically means that his chain finishers will be uninterruptible or undodgeable, depending on whether you finish with a heavy or light attack respectively.
So, in order to get the most out of Gryphon you'll want to aim towards triggering Veteran moves. The simplest way of doing this is by landing a three-hit combo though you can substitute those first two hits with a dodge attack, leading straight into a Veteran move/finisher.
Gryphon can also use his shove to begin an attack chain as well as perform the Veteran's Kick – this can worked into a combo after the second hit, booting your opponent backwards and lining them up for devastating finisher.
As a starting point, you should try the following chain: two light attacks in the same direction (the second will always hit if the first is successful), then Veteran's Kick, followed by a light or heavy finisher depending on the situation. Opting for a heavy finisher then feinting before starting the chain over is a great way to apply pressure.
Let's move onto Gryphon's Feats. In For Honor, these abilities can be slotted into a loadout for various active and passive bonuses.
For Honor Gryphon Feats
| Feat Name | Type | Slot | Description |
| Stern Stare | Active | Slot 1 | Lower an enemy's Attack |
| Draconite Mist | Active | Slot 2 | Heal yourself and nearby allies |
| Draconite Bolt | Active | Slot 3 | Fire a bolt that deals some damage to an enemy and heals nearby allies |
| Draconite Cleanser | Active | Slot 4 | Throw a projectile that deals some damage to enemies upon explosion, then heals you and your nearby allies |
| Speed Revive | Passive | Slot 1 | Rapidly revive fallen teammates |
| Flesh Wound | Passive | Slot 2 | Gain moderate Damage reduction every 3 seconds |
| Tough as Nails | Passive | Slot 3 | Raises max Health when unlocked |
| Champion's Aura | Active | Slot 4 | Gain an aura which heals you and nearby allies |
| Fast Recovery | Passive | Slot 1 | Stamina regenerates faster |
| Winner's Advantage | Passive | Slot 2 | Gain a temporary attack buff after a successful attack |
| Fury | Active | Slot 3 | Raise sprint speed slightly, attack and defence greatly |
| Arrow Storm | Active | Slot 4 | Aerial Attack that deals medium Damage in multiple areas |
When slotting Feats you need to consider the game mode you're dropping into as well as your own individual playstyle.
Most of Gryphon's best Feats are geared towards team fights and supporting your allies though you can equip a handful of helpful passive bonuses to amp up his raw stats, too.
In team modes, take Speed Revive in your first slot if you're in a squad with strong communication, otherwise take Fast Recovery to help with stamina management. While you're at it, slot each of Gryphon's Draconite Feats as well. Mist, Bolt, and Cleanser all have healing properties that can give you and your nearby allies a small injection of health. However, if you're playing on larger maps in which big team fights are rare then you may want to opt for Gryphon's passive Feats instead.
Ultimately, you'll want to play to Gryphon's strengths as a support class hero though as with every For Honor fighter, no one is locked into a pre-determined combat role.
DIRT 5 PS5 update will fix bugged trophies
DIRT 5 developer, Codemasters, have confirmed that a major 2.0 update is just around the corner for the latest racing game sequel.
Those who have been playing on PS5 will be happy to hear that they addressing the issues surrounding glitched trophies. For some players, certain progress related trophies haven't unlocked even after hitting completing the listed requirements. We have some first-hand experience with this, the gold trophy "Superstardom" still not popping even after reaching level 50 with other trophies being similarly bugged.
Here is what the developers have said in response to the trophy issue.
PS5 #DIRT5 players: Thanks for your feedback on some Trophies not unlocking
This is resolved in the next update, with any Trophies you've previously earned triggering after installing it and progressing in the game.
Keep it here for more news on the next update. Thank you
pic.twitter.com/inTbpr9mnE
— DIRT (@dirtgame) December 10, 2020
DIRT 5 update 2.0 doesn't have a confirmed release date just yet. What we do know is that it will also include other fixes and features such as racing wheel support and further optimisations for next-gen consoles.
Beyond that, Codemasters will be adding more Online race events, including some multi-class races. They're also making adjustments to the handling of Sprint cars, and will be tweaking the discoverability in Playgrounds so that you can find the best content quicker.
Codemasters also have some work to do with the graphics settings, and will be adding V-Sync options on PS4. They're also making another pass on the next-gen versions of the game – this will likely be to address the disparity between PS5 and Xbox Series X in 120Hz mode, with Series X seeming to have lower quality visual settings compared to PS5, but having a steadier 120fps as a consequence.
There's no word on if update 2.00 will also feature the revised haptic and trigger feedback for DualSense controller that was promised around the launch of the PS5.
DIRT 5 scooped an impressive 8 out 10 from our resident racing game expert, Thomas. Here's what he had to say:
DIRT 5 strips away the more serious elements of the franchise and puts all its eggs in one, arcade cabinet shaped, basket. At times a riot, in other areas a little repetitive and lacking in finesse, it nevertheless delivers on the concept of an adrenaline-fueled off-road racer. It's a game that makes you sit forward in your seat and savour the joys of jumping a Dakar Rally Peugeot 3008 over a ravine.
We expect patch notes to be available around the time of the update's release.
DIRT 5 is out now for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Source: Twitter (@DIRTGame)