Interview: How Rebellion plotted the return of Evil Genius 2: World Domination

After over a decade of relative peace and calm, it's time for supervillains to rise again. Having announced the game all the way back in 2017, Rebellion have been secretively working on their grand scheme to bring the Evil Genius series back with a full sequel for modern systems. That game, Evil Genius 2: World Domination, is now set to make its grand return and stake its claim to strategy management genre when it releases on 30th March, 2021.

We played a few hours of the game last week – read our Evil Genius 2 preview here – getting to grips with its kitschy spy villain mischief as we played through the game's opening tutorial, before sitting down and chatting with Producer Ash Tregay and Lead Designer Rich Edwards about the game's origins and how Rebellion are modernising the experience. Also murdering minions in their sleep. There's some of that as well.

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TSA – How happy are you that you've managed to beat the long-rumoured, possibly but not really in development Austin Powers 4 to release?

Ash Tregay – I think that's always been our goal from the outset to make sure we get out to market before Austin Powers 4 doe, and so, you know, here we're in 2021 and we've absolutely nailed it! So, yeah, take that Mike Myers! [laughs]

TSA – [laughs] He really needs to get his act together, doesn't he? He's in semi-retirement or something, so if Austin Powers 4 is going to happen, he's actually got to start working again.

Ash – He really does. He's been slacking! Well, maybe he will play Evil Genius 2 and it will inspire him to get back on the horse.

TSA – You could have helped him out. You've got Brian Blessed on the cast, so maybe Mike Myers would have been up for doing some lines over the phone?

Ash – We could. I think I still he's still a restraining order against me after all the messages I sent him prior to it. So you know, probably still in place. That's why we can't get him?

TSA – That daft question was rooted in a little bit of truth though, because this has been one of the longest running rumoured game development sagas I can think of. There were the rumours, the speculation, but then that first real announcement came in 2017. What led to it being such a long time between Rebellion picking up the IP and then deciding it was the right time to do this?

Ash – Yeah, that's a great question. Um, I think, since we picked up the IP, there's been a lot of enthusiasm for the franchise, and that we wanted to make it a sequel, when the time and the team was right. Back near 2017, there was kind of a sense that maybe we should crowdfund this to make sure it gets off the ground and there's still the appetite for it. Following the kind of phenomenal success of the Sniper Elite series, we found ourselves in the fortunate position of not needing to ask fans to do that and so we took another look at it…

TSA – Your gold vaults were overflowing?

Ash – We had sufficient gold in our vault, that's exactly it! And so we took a look at that and said actually, we don't need to do this, so let's just make it because we know we want to do it. At the same time wanted to assure fans that this was still a thing; we hadn't kind of made noises about potential crowdfunding, and then just it had gone completely silent, so that's why the announcement came as early as it did while we were in the very early stages of pre-production. Whereas otherwise, we might have waited until it was further along before reassuring people of that.

Rebellion has been working on creating Evil Genius 2 since 2017.

TSA – How do you feel about the balance between having that very early game announcement – which can go very wrong, to put it mildly – and biding your time to get to those further trailers and beats closer to release?

Ash – I think it's so difficult to get right, isn't it? I mean, it's something that I know Jason Kingsley, our CEO, had constantly been asked questions on are you making an Evil Genius? When are you making Evil Genius 2? And it was ultimately his decision that to say, I'm going to let people know this is the thing.

I think one of the advantages of being a independent developer means that we we are in a position where we can announce those things early and still have confidence that we're going to come out with this. If we're going to announce it, then we are confident with what we're making and that there's a good team behind it. So there's less danger of it being cancelled along the way. But as you say, it does lead to those potential longer periods of downtime where we're not talking about much stuff and, honestly, it's just such a difficult balance to get right, because we want to engage with the fans as much as possible. One of the things has been really nice is, since we have been talking about the game more we've seen the fan response and there's clearly such a significant audience who are still really enthusiastic about Evil Genius and what we're doing. So thank goodness for that!

Rich Edwards – Yeah, I think that's been true throughout. When the announcement first went out, there was this massive sort of public outcry that yes, this is finally getting done. It was such a nice thing to be part of and seeing that rise up from the ground floor. I know that, yeah, if I'd not been working on the game, I would have absolutely been one of those people. Because I was one of the people that had been for years doing a Rebellion going, "When are they going to make this game?"

Rebellion's hiring process is very intense.

Ash – On that note, it might be worth worth talking about how you join the team.

Rich – So yeah, I had my life in a box and I was about to take a job at the other end of the country. I'd been living in Oxford for a while and I showed up to an interview with Rebellion on like, just a whim, basically. I'd been offered an interview and I'd said, "Fine, but my life is in a box, I'm gonna be moving out literally tomorrow and I'll show up and see what's going on." I showed up and halfway through the interview, they told me that actually, this is for Evil Genius 2, not for any of our existing unannounced properties. I had to call the timeout in the middle of the interview. I don't remember what I did…

Ash – Reports vary! [laughs]

Rich – They do! I think I thought they were quite stoic and relaxed and calm, but other people say that I came across the table. There's been a number of different things said about what happened . What I do know is that I just was overjoyed to hear that a sequel was happening and when I was leaving the office, I accepted the job as soon as it was offered, and then had to go around and tell my landlord that actually yes, I do want to stay here, and can I please still stay in the city and not have to go and find another place to live!

Ash – And thank goodness he did, to be honest, because Rich has been absolutely integral to the project. He is the genius behind Evil Genius 2. So much of this is his kind of brainchild, and as I'm sure he'll tell you if given half a chance, he actually tried to start building an Evil Genius many years ago on his own in his bedroom. So yeah, having a full, complete, decent team around him has been fantastic in getting that where I needed to go.

TSA – I'm not entirely sure that going into a bit of a fugue state is the best idea in a job interview, but it worked out it seems.

Rich – Honestly, I woke up thinking that, yeah, I genuinely didn't think I've got the job, but I was still overjoyed to hear that, you know, the game was happening. It's great.

You balance lair building and scheming on the world stage in Evil Genius 2.

TSA – That fan reaction is interesting, because it does feel like management sims, in broad terms, was underserved for a long time. Did seeing the success of Frontier's games and Two Point Studios help spur on Rebellion's decision to greenlight the game?

Ash – We'd started pre-production on Evil Genius 2 already, but we certainly closely followed a number of those those properties. I mean we're big strategy management fans ourselves on the team, as you might expect, and so we're big fans of Two Point Hospital, Jurassic World Evolution, Surviving mars and all that stuff. I think seeing those titles kind of come out to such an enormous positive response was really heartening for us. I think when we started the project, it was very much seen as well, we're probably going to be a small niche PC title, but it's going to be cool and we really want to make it there's a lot of passionate people behind this and waiting for it so that let's just do it.

I think the real tipping point for us in terms of that there's a potentially a huge audience for this came in at E3 2019 when we opened the PC Gaming Show with our kind of first trailer and the response to that was enormous and we were like, "Oh wow, okay. This might be bigger than we expected." So yes, seeing the resurgence of the strategy management genre has been really phenomenally positive thing for us and kind of encouraged us that we're doing the right thing here. Seeing some of the ways we've looked to modernise Evil Genius and similar corresponding beats in some of those other properties has also been heartening. It's like, "Cool, yeah, we're doing that as well. That's brilliant!" Yet, at the same time, there's still nothing quite like Evil Genius out there, so I think it puts us in a really, really good position.

TSA – Speaking of modernisation, how have you gone about taking a 15 year old game and updating it, beyond just making the game look much prettier? There's the potential to go a bit too far with handholding, and also to stay to slavishly restricted by the original.

Rich – So one of the things that we'd be looked at on every feature we've implemented is how you can just interact with that feature at a very sort of surface level, it's a game about being an Evil Genius, so you can if you want focus on being just the big picture person, the person who says I want a room over here, and then minions will do it for you. This is a fantastic example of where ou can take your hands off the wheels and just let this thing play out by giving these nice orders. That just makes it nicely accessible for basically any player.

But to make sure that we're also targeting the people who want that sort of hardcore, in-depth experience, we've made sure that our features have that level where you can go in and say, "Actually, you know what, this means a bit lazier than the others, I'm going to execute him or send him to the world map have him commit a crime, so I never need to think about him again." It's all about making sure that the feature just works out of the box, but has that nice potential to be a really nice cog in a machine that the player gets to build.

Executing minions is all in a very fickle day's work.

TSA – I'll be honest, when the tutorial was forcing me to execute someone, I literally went through all the minions I had, looking for someone who's lazy? Someone who's just really tired at the moment? I feel bad killing someone that's awake!

Ash – So you executed someone in their sleep? That's brutal?

TSA – Uh, I think I did, yeah. There was someone in their bunk. It's a shame there wasn't a pillow smothering animation to go with it! [laughs]

Ash – I was just thinking… if we had time!

TSA – One thing I found as I was playing was that I was initially very stuck in the mentality of building my lair out of just rooms and corridors. It was only after a few hours that I realised I could just adjoin certain room types and have, for example, a sushi bar just in my science lab. I then saw this featured in some of your game screenshots. Is there anything you do to encourage the exploration of this more open plan design?

Rich – The tools that we give you absolutely allow you to bring out that from minute one. And one of the endless push-pulls that we have on the dev team is that I am the kind of player who will use those straightaway. I'll say, you know, my minions need to be eating or sleeping much more quickly, so I can put the sushi bar right in the middle of my barracks to sort of facilitate that. Whereas you've got somebody like ASh, who will build very square rooms, all of them with you know, just like the one or two bits that they need in it…

Ash – Look, I put things in boxes for a living, Rich!

Yeah, it's something that's taken me a lot longer to adapt to, I think, I think there were, you know, back in the pre-COVID development days, Rish was on desk next to mine, and he would often kind of walk past my screen where I was building, kind of shake his head and go, "You know, you're not using the checkerboarding. You're not placing things rooms within rooms!" And I'm like, "But I like this kind of layout." It's only relatively recently that I've started really experimenting with that and realising just how powerful that tool set is. Being able to combine multiple room types, as you say, have a sushi bar in the middle of your barracks, or put weapon racks at the side of your control room so that if it red alerts, your minions respond more quickly, that kind of thing is all really, really integral to the people who want to fully experiment and go extreme with what a lair can truly be.

The fact that it's not strictly necessary means that if you don't want to do that, you can build a more traditional rooms, separated by corridors and that will also work. So I think it's about making sure that it meets what people want to do going in, regardless of their mindset, but also provide them with the depth to explore and continue to say, "Well, okay, I built a lair with boxes and corridors last time, but in this other campaign, I'm gonna go crazy and then see what happens." And that's the other advantage, I guess, of having four separate narrative campaigns, so we are very focused on replayability. And that the depth of those tools means that, yeah, there are so very, very many different ways you can go about building a very functional lair.

Evil Genius 2 lets you create some great open plan evil lairs.

TSA – You've got four geniuses in the game this time round, and they're all new apart from Maximilian who's obviously coming back. What went into the creation of the other ones, what twists on the gameplay? I see that Red Ivan has had a bit of a promotion.

Rich – The first thing we did was we looked at the ways that we would want to play this game. So we ended up with four sort of very broad archetypes, which we then ended up modelling our geniuses on. So we've got sort of the standard and wants to be good at everything player who is sort of the gold standard dabbles in everything, which is Maximilian. He's this genius specifically tailored for you know, you just want to do a little bit of everything, but not exactly specialised.

The other three then follow the different minion trees more heavily than the other geniuses. For example, Ivan is more into his big burly guards, and you know, big gunfights in the middle of the corridors, were somebody like Zalika is going to be far more focused on traps because she has the scientific power to, to pull those through.

That said, as we've sort of been keen to stress at every level, you can play the game whichever way you want. So if you want to play Red Ivan, but put a very heavy focus on research, you absolutely can. It might not move as smoothly as somebody like Zalika would be able to do and you might find yourself needing compensate in other areas, ut it's your genius, your lair, and you can absolutely play this however you want. The other thing that gives us the massive advantage here is we've got four campaigns, one for each genius. So that's given us an opportunity to, rather than give like one standard set of levels that all geniuses must overcome, we're giving you very unique challenges for each genius. For example, Ivan will be seeing a lot more soldiers showing up in his lair as he attempts to take over the world, whereas somebody like Zalika will be needing to do a lot more research in order to complete her campaign.

Each Genius has their own particular specialty.

TSA – And finally, since everyone's working from home and there's no doubt endless video conference calls, who on the team has the best evil lair?

Ash – Oh, that's a good question….

Rich – It is hard…

Ash – I might go with… me? Yeah!

So I moved house at the end of last year, and bought my first house and I spent kind of lost that the previous kind of 9-10 months working from an old sofa in front of my TV in my little flat. So when I moved house, I was like, well, this is an expensive time anyway and my back hurts, so I spent a fair bit of money on getting a really nice setup, but because of the kind of person I am, I tend to buy black, white or chrome things – that's why I'm not an artist – so my desk setup is a black desk with a big black high back chair and multiple screens and a mic stand and big black speakers. I'm very happy with it, but it does look a little bit malevolent.

Rich – Thinking about this, even back in the office, Ash had a giant red buttons on his desk and he never told us what it did!

Ash – Someone once referred to it as the murder button; they reckoned that I pressed it if someone really annoyed me… Not true!

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Thanks to Ash and Rich for chatting with us, and hopefully nobody has drawn the ire of Ash and his big red button in recent times! Evil Genius 2 is out for PC on 30th March. Make sure to check out our hands on preview here.

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Valheim – top 10 tips and tricks beginner's guide

Valheim, which is currently in early access on Steam, is the latest game to take the internet by storm.

Players are enraptured by its retro graphics, vast open world, and diverse enemy pool. It's been at the top of the charts since its release a couple of weeks ago, and it's shattered player-base records, exceeding the likes of Apex Legends and Grand Theft Auto V.

While one half of Odin's mythical ravens, Hugin, is there to guide players as they traverse the vibrant forests and meadows in Valheim, there's some things that he won't tell you about. Fortunately, here's some tips to guide new players in the fight out of purgatory.

Valheim tips and tricks: a beginner's guide

1. Run, punch, jump, and crouch early and often. Almost every action in Valheim has an associated skill tree, and doing these things as much as possible will boost those levels, so they'll be vastly improved for later in the game.

2. In that same vein, weapon skills can be improved by hitting objects other than an enemy. Some tricks to help with this is grinding away at a rock, whacking a friend while Valheim's PvP is disabled, or even poking at a tree are all sufficient for levelling up.

3. Everything in Valheim uses stamina. If it requires any sort of movement or effort on your part, assume that it will use stamina. With this in mind, it's important to always keep a full belly, which means eating three different food items.

4. While the decrepit structures dotting the land aren't aesthetically pleasing, if it has a roof and some walls, it can house a workbench. Finding a sufficient abandoned building is a good starting point for a home base, plus some can contain chests that hold coins and other valuable items.

5. Timing blocks in Valheim when on the defensive is key. If you block right before an enemy's attack lands, then not only will it prevent more damage, but it will stagger the enemy, making them vulnerable for more powerful attacks.

6. There are several animals that can be tamed, by different means. The general idea is to trap them in some sort of enclosure and feed them until they love you. For example, boars can be domesticated with berries, mushrooms, or carrots.

7. While Valheim's world is open for exploration, and there aren't physical constraints on where a player can go, there are certain biomes that are nearly impossible to survive in unless the requisite boss has been slain. Hugin will give you a good indication as to when/if you should enter a specific biome.

8. The cart is a mobile storage unit that you should prioritize crafting, because it makes resource gathering way more efficient. There are a couple of things you should be aware of, though:

• While the storage capacity is rather massive, the cart gets heavier and harder to pull with more weight added.
• The cart will take damage if it's banged around too much.

9. Listen closely. Don't play music or any other sound in the background when playing. It's all too easy to get distracted while mining or chopping wood, and there are hostile foes aplenty. It is possible to hear them sneaking up, though, giving an indication that immediate action is needed. Plus, Valheim's soundtrack is excellent.

10. Don't throw any material away. Horde everything you collect in Valheim like a pack rat. If you think it may not be useful later because it's something you got early in the game, then you're probably wrong. This tip is especially relevant if you want to build an impressive settlement.

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For more on Valheim, you can read our early impressions of the popular Viking survival game.

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Marvel's Avengers hits next gen this March, check out the PS5 trailer

Square Enix's Marvel's Avengers – try saying that after six pints – is coming to next gen properly on March 18th with new versions of the game specifically for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.  We are promised "upgraded visuals and framerate, haptic feedback for each hero, significantly faster load times, improved destruction and Heroic detail", and the new PlayStation 5 trailer certainly looks more impressive than the last gen versions, check it out.

Snazzy, eh? However, can publishers stop claiming "faster loading times" is a feature of their game, it isn't, all games load faster on the next gen consoles as they have non-mechanical hard drives. Tsk.

You will also notice the next-gen versions come with two Operations, Hawkeye: Future Imperfect and Kate Bishop Taking Aim, so if you are fan of bows and indeed arrows, this is the game for you.

The next gen versions of the game were meant to drop last year but were held back by Crystal Dynamics. "We've also made the decision to shift our PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S launch to next year to ensure that we give our team the time to deliver a next-gen experience showcasing all that this game is meant to be," they said at the time.

This is Roy, the gear vendor in Marvel's Avengers. He's having pancakes for tea.

We scored Marvel's Avengers 7/10 in our Day One review, Jim had this to say:

Marvel's Avengers offers a new approach for a superhero video game, yet one that still feels all too familiar for anyone who's played Destiny, The Division, or Anthem. It's eye-popping in its technical prowess as well as how much it leans on live service hooks, anticipating players will come back day after day. And a lot of players definitely will, especially if they can squad up with friends. Past its flaws and behind the grind, Marvel's Avengers is still a fun superhero brawler that has plenty of room to grow in the coming months.

Source: YouTube

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Microsoft Flight Simulator UK & Ireland World Update 3 is out now

Asobo Studios have released World Update 3 for Microsoft Flight Simulator, another major revision of the game's recreation of the planet Earth, this time focussing on adding further detail and landmarks to the UK & Ireland. Microsoft Flight Simulator is out now for PC via Steam, the Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass.

A little later than Asobo had planned, World Update 3 makes for a dramatic step forward in detail for a handful of cities across the UK, using flyover footage to recrete Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, London and Oxford. There's also five new hand-crafted airport at Barra, Liverpool, Land's End, Manchester-Barton and Out Skerries, smaller improvements to 85 area airports, and improved digital elevation information across the whole of the UK.

Then there's the landmarks, which were famously… less than great for some parts of the UK at launch – Buckingham Palace looked like a block of flats, for example – and so Asobo have gone back through to recreate more regional elements. That means there's some more typical looking British manors, Victorian homes, stone structures in the countryside, castles and churches to add more authenticity in the right spots. For the most famous of these, 70 custom landmarks and points of interest add things like bridges, palaces, cathedrals and football stadiums.

To help you to explore the revised world, a new Iconic Flight takes you to the Northern Isles, and there's a pair of new Landing Challenges, one of which has you trying to land on the Shelands way up in the North.

This is all going to be featured in Microsoft Flight Simulator when it debuts on Xbox Series X|S this summer. Though previously expected for Xbox One, this has not been announced at this time, with the demands of the game engine rather high on PC, let alone a 7 year old console!

Here's the full patch notes for the update:

Microsoft Flight Simulator World Update III – Version 1.13.16.0

PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY

• Fixed various crashes across the title
• Fixed a specific crash while using Little Navmap in Bush trip activities

WORLD

• Several terrain spikes have been fixed, including incorrect cases of water elevation issues
• Water masks have been updated across various locations in the world
• Reduced the frequency of water artifacts appearing on cliffs
• Noise issue affecting clouds has been fixed

VR

• The 'Activate/Deactivate VR' button is now always displayed in the main menu (bottom left corner of the screen) when a VR headset is plugged in. If no controls are displayed on this button, then it means that no controls are bound to this action.
• When the toolbar is opened, it does not block interactions anymore with other menus displayed in front of it.
• The cursor doesn't jump anymore when moving across the Options menu in the cockpit.
• Gray boxes don't appear anymore when using the 'Travel to' feature in VR.
• After leaving VR mode, the sim window is no longer forced on top and the player can drag and drop any other window over it.

PLANES

• Fixed induced speed calculation bug with bi propeller engines
• Fixed the plane crash detection when landing on iced water with crash detection 'ON'
• Fixed swapped screens in DA62 TestPilot version
• Fixed VS Knob Turn not working on the Airbus A320Neo
• Improved flaps system of aircraft: Aircraft creators can now move the wing surface's position and camber with each flap system at each flap level
• Improved ground effect wing to ground interaction system to avoid pitch dip at rotation on some aircraft

NAVIGATION

• Latest AIRAC cycle has been integrated and is now available

INPUT

• CH ECLIPSE YOKE default preset have been added
• Fixed Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant ENG 1+2 don't start engines

SDK/Devmode

Dev mode:

• New version of the console is now available
• Fixed an issue related to UTF8 encoding in the BGL compiler

Scenery Editor:

• New feature to group, rename, re-order, hide and lock items in the scene list
• Fixed freeze during saving
• New airport light system
• Add a button in airport properties to generate taxiway signs
• Improve heightmap edition
• Don't lock runway profile extremity
• Fix taxiway sign size (wasn't correctly serialized in BGL)

Aircraft Editor:

• Fixed an issue with the saving of "static_thrust"
• Added a new button in the Camera section of the aircraft editor to teleport the current developer camera to the position, rotation and zoom of the selected one.
• Creation of a new tool to edit only a camera file (cameras.cfg) : it matches with the camera section of the aircraft editor

WASM:

• Security vulnerabilities in the WASI layer have been reported and fixed
• Fixed StringFormat conversion to NanoVG alignment in GDI+ layer
• Reworked MouseAircraft left gauge to provide clearer information

Simconnect:

• Fixed flight load/save (SimConnect_FlightLoad / SimConnect_FlightSave)

POINTS OF INTEREST

• One Blackfriars
• BT Tower
• Newfoundland
• St George Wharf Tower
• Southbank Tower
• 20 Fenchurch Street/ Sky Garden
• The Leadenhall Building / 122 Leadenhall Street
• HSBC / 8 Canada Square
• Tower 42
• 25 Canada Square / City Bank
• 22 Bishopsgate
• Landmark Pinnacle
• Heron Tower
• One Park Drive
• The Scalpel
• The Madison
• 100 Bishopsgate
• Aykon London One
• 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)
• Strata
• Palace of Holyroodhouse
• Blenheim Palace
• St. James's Palace
• Palace of Westminster
• Glamis Castle
• Buckingham Palace
• Archbishop's Palace, Maidstone
• Wolvesey Castle
• Floors Castle
• Balmoral Castle
• Hillsborough Castle
• Dublin Castle
• Mount Stuart House
• Blair Castle
• Hampton Court Palace
• Rock of Cashel
• Stirling Castle
• Warwick Castle
• Windsor Castle
• Blarney Castle
• Eilean Donan Castle
• Edinburgh Castle
• Caernarfon Castle
• Canterbury Cathedral
• Durham Cathedral
• Fountains Abbey
• Lincoln Cathedral
• Salisbury Cathedral
• St. Paul's Cathedral
• Westminster Abbey
• York Minster
• Angel of the North
• Blackpool Tower
• British Airways i360 (Brighton)
• Glenfinnan Viaduct
• Humber Bridge
• Jodrell Bank Observatory
• Kelpies, The
• Maritime Greenwich
• Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
• Royal Botanical Gardens
• Royal Liver Building
• Samson & Goliath (Cranes)
• Spinnaker Tower
• Stonehenge
• Titanic Belfast
• Tower of London
• Wales Millenium Centre
• Wallace Monument
• All England Club
• Anfield
• Emirates Stadium
• Goodison Park
• Millennium Stadium
• Old Trafford
• St. James' Park
• Stamford Bridge
• Twickenham Stadium
• Villa Park
• Wembley Stadium
• Eden Project
• London Eye
• Southend Pier
• Millennium Bridge London
• Blackfriars Railway Bridge
• Southwark Bridge
• Cannon Street Railway Bridge
• Blackfriars Bridge
• Vauxhall Bridge
• Grosvenor Bridge
• One Canada Sqaure
• Waterloo Bridge
• Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges
• Lambeth Bridge
• Chelsea Bridge
• Albert Bridge London
• Battersea Bridge
• Battersea Railway Bridge
• Wandsworth Bridge
• Clifton Suspension Bridge
• Forth Rail Bridge
• Forth Road Bridge
• Queensferry Crossing
• Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge
• Tees Transporter Bridge
• Tower Bridge
• Tyne Bridge
• Westminster Bridge

Source: Flight Simulator

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Microsoft jump into the premium headset arena with the Xbox Wireless Headset

It's fun to see the console manufacturers vying for supremacy, but they're not always focussed on the same thing. However, after the PS5 launched with the Pulse 3D headset, Microsoft have clearly decided that there's a gap in the market for an official headset flavoured especially for the green and black console crowd; enter the Xbox Wireless Headset, set to launch on the 16th of March, 2021.

Now, this isn't the first headset from Microsoft, or the first they've made themselves for the Xbox family of consoles, but it is the first gaming headset that jumps into the premium price bracket, with an RRP of $99.99 in the US or £94.99 in the UK.

It's little surprise to see that the Xbox Wireless Headset comes in a black and green colour scheme, but what you might not have expected is that it doesn't look too much like a gaming headset, with a subdued appearance that should mean the rest of your family don't smirk behind your back. Much like SteelSeries Arctis 9X, the Wireless Headset is capable of connecting to your Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One family of consoles without an additional dongle, keeping those USB ports free for whatever else you might have plugged into them.

The Xbox Wireless Headset supports Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X so you're going to be well covered on the virtual surround sound front – Dolby Atmos remains my top pick here. I was initially a little disappointed to find there's no 3.5mm connection, but there's a sturdy 15-hour battery life, and connection possibilities are increased by the inclusion of Bluetooth, meaning you can take it on the go with you, hooked up seamlessly with your mobile device, or to your PC.

In fact, it's saying all the right things, with the inclusion of EQ and customisation software built into the Xbox UI itself, letting you adjust the auto-mute mic sensitivity and mic monitoring without any additional hassle, and they look suitably comfy as well. We'll look forward to testing them out as soon as we can!

The Xbox Wireless Headset is available to pre-order here in the US, and here in the UK.

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Predator Hunting: Grounds update 2.14 is out, adds a new Predator

Illfonic have released a new patch for Predator Hunting: Grounds which includes the usual round of bug fixes, some free DLC in the shape of new masks and custom private matches, and a new playable Predator as paid DLC. Here are the notes!

Paid DLC

• New playable Predator – Valkyrie
• Early Access to the new Predator weapon – Norse Hammer

Free Update

• Custom Private Matches are now available! More info below
• B34S-T Rocket Launcher is now available at Level 24
• New Unlockable Predator masks available
  • Wretch
  • Haze
  • Rival

General

• Fixed an issue where the host would always be chosen as predator in private matches when everyone selects the team "?"
• Added an option to disable the HUD while in game via the options menu (Video)
• Fixed an exploit spot in Overgrowth
• Reduced amount of the dead AI bodies that persist on the map (dependant on quality settings and platform)

Fireteam

• General
  • Fixed an issue where Fireteam members were unable to spot Veritanium
  • Cycling through gear will now skip the gear that no longer has any uses left
  • Fixed an issue where the player would sometimes be unable to sprint with their knife out if both their primary and secondary weapons were empty
  • Fixed an issue where Reinforcements would appear to be available when there are no uses left
  • Fixed an issue where the Overseer specialization would sometimes cause downed Fireteam members to incorrectly exit the downed state
  • Fixed an issue where the O.W.L.F. Operative head would stretch across the map when quick claimed by the Predator
• Weapons
  • Plasma Rifle Prototype
    • Added 3 new shaders for the Plasma Rifle Prototype
      • Schism
      • Breakdown
      • Force
    • Fixed an issue where the 6x scope would sometimes disappear while ADSing
    • Fixed an issue where the Plasma Rifle Prototype's force feedback was not always working
  • B34S-T Rocket Launcher
    • Fixed an issue where the 6x scope rangefinder numbers are sideways while ADSing with the B34S-T Rocket Launcher
  • O.W.L.F. Pit Bull
    • Fixed an issue where the magazine was not being removed during the reload animation
• Specializations
  • Field Medic
    • Reduced the amount of health that the specialization Field Medic provides to revived players

Predator

• General
  • Increased armor of all Predators
  • Fixed an issue where activating ADS was not overriding melee attacks
  • Fixed an issue where the Predator would sometimes lose input if the player claims while sprinting
  • Fixed an issue where skin patterns for the Elder Predator were only applying to the head
  • Fixed an issue where equipping the Samurai mask shader "Azure" would cause warpaints to not apply
  • Fixed an issue with the Vanadium shader not applying properly to the Immortal mask
• Weapons
  • Battle Axe
    • Added a bleed effect to the alternative attack
  • Combistick
    • Fixed an issue where throwing the Combistick while crouched would cause two Combisticks to appear
  • Net Gun
    • Fixed an issue where the Net Gun could cause a Fireteam member to be unable to break out of their own net if they are netted the moment they are reinforced
• Gear
  • Bear Trap
    • Fixed an issue where the Bear Trap would not disappear after being disarmed if the Bear Trap downs the player
• Perks
  • Trapper
    • Fixed an issue where the Trapper perk would only apply to the first time you net a Fireteam player

Custom Private Matches

Custom Private Matches are now available! Select the "Modifiers" button while in the Private Match menu to access the new options for Private Matches (Hunt and Clash). Listed below are the categories that can be modified as well as some of the preset custom modes that are available.

• Clash
  • Change settings specific to Clash
• Hunt
  • Change settings specific to Hunt
• AI
  • Modify abilities and power specific to AI characters
• Fireteam
  • Modify abilities and power specific to Fireteam characters
• Fun
  • Fun modifiers making for a less serious experience
• General
  • General match modifiers
• HUD
  • Hide or restrict use of various HUD elements
• Predator
  • Modify abilities and power specific to Predator characters
• Weapons/Gear
  • Modify weapons and gear usage
• Custom Modes (Clash)
  • Classic Clash
    • The Classic 4 on 4 versus match
  • Stabbers Only
    • Will's Way: Knives out
• Custom Modes (Hunt)
  • Classic Hunt
    • The classic Predator vs Fireteam match
  • Hardcore Hunt
    • A more intense version for the experienced hunters
  • Lunar Shooter
    • The chopper must have taken us a lot higher up than we thought, it almost feels like we're on the moon
  • The Floor Is Lava
    • Predators like to hunt in the heat, but sometimes things can get a little too hot!

Source: Illfonic

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Predator: Hunting Grounds guides and more from TheSixthAxis

• Predator: Hunting Grounds review
• How do loot boxes work?
• How to parry Predator attacks
• How to enable/disable crossplay
• Is Predator: Hunting Grounds coming to Xbox One?

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Evil Genius 2 Preview – A modernised sequel set for World Domination

Sometimes you just need to get away from it all, break away from the endless churn of everyday life, perhaps find isolation in a remote part of the the world, a tropical island for instance, where you can relax and plan for the future. A future, that is, where you bend the world to your will and rule under the threat of your doomsday device.

That's right, Evil Genius 2 is nearly upon us, following in the footsteps of Planet Coaster and Two Point Hospital as the management sim makes a return from relative obscurity.

As with the original, Evil Genius 2 riffs off the template set out by Dungeon Keeper, dressing it up in a spastiched classic Bond film theme. It's a perfect fit, leaning into tropes of evil lairs being hidden behind luxurious casinos, on tropical islands, in dormant (you hope!) volcanoes, and beyond. Naturally that means that, instead of building a base from the ground up, you're mining into rocks and underground to create corridors and rooms, building out a covert installation from where you can plan and put into action your nefarious schemes.

There's a dozen or so different room types that you'll gradually need as you expand deep into the ground. At the most basic, you need a vault for your hoard of gold, a canteen and barracks for your willing minions to get fed and rest up. It's not long before you're building radio rooms to control your global scheming, training facilities to add scientists, engineers and guards to your cohort, security rooms, science labs, and more.

It's nice and simple: you carve our a space for a particular type of room, and then fill it with the various items you have access to and need. The one minor annoyance I found while playing Evil Genius 2 is, unlike Two Point Hospital, you're not given a suggested minimum dimensions for a room, meaning that you can mark out a space, switch over to the Items tab and start trying to fill it with the various necessary objects, only to discover that the room is too small and having you switch back to the mining tool. It's a minor faff as you get used to the game, but thankfully work doesn't start until you're happy with the room and its layout and you click to get your workers on the job with their rubble reducing mining cannon things.

Then it's time to sit back and relax and watch your underlings get to work – until you build them an inner sanctum, they'll just menacingly stand around in the middle of corridors. Then again, maybe you want them to be milling around? Each of the four geniuses in Evil Genius 2 has specific perks, where the Blofeld-esque Maximillian is an all rounder who can spur on nearby workers to try harder or trigger those in training to immediately gain their new role, and the other three are geared towards a specific side of the game's tech tree. Zalika has a science focus, Emma, the former spymaster, is an expert at deception, and Red Ivan comes toting a rocket launcher to enforce his (explosive) security focus. They're backed up by a gallery of recruitable henchmen as well.

Security's a pretty big deal in Evil Genius 2, because of those pesky do-gooders who will regularly turn up and try to infiltrate your base. You have multiple layers to your defence, starting with the deception possible in your cover operation, the valets in a casino attempting to misdirect their attention with blackjack and booze until they give up and go away. Once they breach your base, it's then down to your minions and guards to fight, who can be equipped with non-lethal and lethal weapons, or for a devious maze of traps to automatically take them out. Kill them and the bodies go to the incinerator, but capture them and you can torture them in slapstick fashion to gain information, or even brainwash them to join your ranks.

As time goes by, you'll start to attract more serious attention from the regional spy agencies around the world, sending stronger operatives your way to try and stall whatever plans you're cooking up. Some of that attention will probably be warranted thanks to the bases you can set up around the world and schemes you can cook up on the world stage. These tend to boil down to money making operations that send your minions on a one-way trip to earn you thousands of dollars worth of gold, operations to lower the suspicion of spy agencies about you, and a smattering of story-based missions. Through the tutorial mission, this had me recruiting (kidnapping) each type of minion in turn and then learning how to train them up.

Through it all, Evil Genius 2 tries to balance the ability to pick up and play with depth for those that want it. After building my base with strict corridors and rooms with doors and defined entryways, I happened upon the idea that I could actually just attach a small dining area onto my science lab, and pop in a brain power-enhancing sushi bar for my eggheads to nip on over to when they need a break instead of schlepping their way across my whole lair. Seeing some of the more open plan designs in Rebellion's screenshots told me just how conservative my layout had been thus far, and I look forward to experimenting with more optimum ways to set out a base, geared toward keeping my minions' core statistics looking healthy instead of having them cooped up like battery hens.

One thing that's great to see is that Rebellion has taken accessibility into consideration. There's colourblind options in Evil Genius 2 for those that need them, and options for the game to auto-pause on various actions and events, modify camera controls, and more. Evil lairs and empires are renowned for ignoring workplace safety regulations, but thankfully that doesn't extend to putting the player in harm's way!

After building up in near secret over the last few years, Evil Genius 2 aims to pull off its plan for world domination on 30th March this year. Brought bang up to date with a wonderful visual style, and with its familiar form of Machiavellian strategy management gameplay, it looks set to bring back the charm of the kitschy evil lair builder with aplomb.

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30XX can be a roguelike or a standard platformer, and both modes are a Mega Man X fan's dream

The roguelike has grown into the biggest genres in the indie game scene over the last few years, and with regular standout games, they likely aren't dying out any time soon. I can appreciate roguelikes, even though the live-die-repeat nature can aggravate me on occasion, but titles in the genre that alleviate that pain with consistent progression or rich story keep me engaged for hours on end. Still, I've had a few times where I've dug into a game that felt like it would totally be my thing if it just didn't have roguelike trappings slapped on.

I imagine Batterystaple Games ran into a lot of feedback similar to that with 20XX, their Mega Man-inspired platformer roguelike from 2017. Their follow-up release 30XX is a similar robot-blasting roguelike platformer, but this time, fans can tackle the entire experience with a totally different Mega Mode that turns this into one of the most addicting and engaging love letters to the blue bomber I've ever played.

The Standard mode for 30XX is stil all about that die-and-retry roguelike form. A run in this mode sees you chilling in a small hub area before diving into action, where you'll be randomly teleported to one of several different levels, each sporting their own unique visuals, music, enemies, and bosses. It isn't just the level order that's randomised, though; the levels themselves will have varying layouts and sections each time you tackle them. The midboss and boss of each level stays consistent, but the challenges you face between those fights are different each time, making it even harder to truly master a stage.

At first, it felt a little surprising that the game was openly whisking me around all of these different levels in such a short time. You're typically be stuck in one environment before earning progression to the next one in a roguelike, so having a brand new one be your starting section in each run was a surprise, and the variety of layout changes I encountered each time made even repeat level encounters feel brand new.

As you navigate these stages, you'll grab ability and attack upgrades from rare chests or defeated bosses that can drastically alter the flow of battle. For laser-sword wielding robot Ace, you might discover a flame uppercut that drastically strengthens your regular blade combos. For blue bullet blaster Nina, you'll likely run into a variety of different projectile types to wield and even combine thanks to her unique Power Fusion system. This isn't the kind of game where upgrades and modifiers are tossed at you like candy, so clawing your way to a new one always feels incredibly special.

Of course, it can be all too heartbreaking to make a sloppy mistake and lose all those amazing upgrades as you die during a run. You might not even be able to tackle that same stage again to immediately learn from your mistakes. Mega Mode is built to ease the frustrations of the roguelike genre that might otherwise turn people away from 30XX, while still maintaining the tough-to-master difficulty you'd expect from a game so heavily inspired by Mega Man X.

In this mode, you initiate a playthrough that delivers randomized versions of each level, but you're able to pick and choose which level to dive into from the hub as you please. Dying isn't a permanent defeat either, as you'll be able to return to the hub, stock up on upgrades, and dive right back into the level you just got destroyed in. Some added bells and whistles like narrative scenes help make Mega Mode feel more like a standard platformer affair, and it's a great way to experience the game if you want to change things up or just feel burnt out on roguelikes in general.

No matter which mode you tackle, you're in for an artistic treat thanks to the killer visuals and sounds of 30XX. As promising as the gameplay of 20XX was, the hand-drawn art felt a little bland at times. The key art and character illustrations for 30XX have seen a massive upgrade, but the entire game is now rendered in sharp, vivid pixels that combine the chunky appeal of SNES sprites with modern particle effects and glistening glows. Each level is accompanied by insanely awesome chiptune music that gets your adrenaline rushing every time you hop into a level.

30XX is still very, very early in its Early Access roadmap, but while there's a bunch of stuff the developers are set to add and improve over time, the core experience is already incredibly exciting. With two different ways to experience the game that are equally addicting and finely-tuned, roguelike fans, Mega Man X lovers, and members of both categories owe it to themselves to keep their eyes on this game as it gets bigger and better with time.

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A Nintendo Direct is happening tomorrow, featuring Switch games out in first half 2021 and more Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Nintendo have announced that the first full Nintendo Direct stream in a long, long time will take place tomorrow, 17th February, at 10PM GMT. The stream will last around 50 minutes, but with a focus on the immediate future of the Nintendo Switch, including new content for already released games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and games coming to Switch in the first half of 2021.

Tune in 2/17 at 2 p.m. PT for a #NintendoDirect livestream featuring roughly 50 minutes of information focused on available games like Super #SmashBrosUltimate and games coming to #NintendoSwitch in the first half of 2021.https://t.co/fbG3hEtD0Q pic.twitter.com/w8J6lbdIkQ

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 16, 2021

While there hasn't been a "full" Nintendo Direct in quite some time, Nintendo have hosted a number of smaller Nintendo Direct streams. This included the dedicated streams for the announcements of Steve & Alex and Sephiroth for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in October and December respectively, a Partner Showcase in October, and an Indie World stream in December. There was also a guided tour of the Super Nintendo World theme park.

What will the Nintendo Direct reveal?

The curious element about this Nintendo Direct is that the last two Smash Bros. centric streams have been standalone events, but this time it's coming as just one part of a wider stream. When a new Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter is announced, it typically takes a decent amount of time, as game director Masahiro Sakurai walks us through the fighter's moveset. It could simply be the character reveal on this occasion, but if Sakurai-san does go into detail, expect it to take up a fair chunk of that 50 minutes.

However, there's plenty more that Nintendo could reveal or talk about. The 35th Anniversary celebrations for Nintendo are coming to an end in March, and they've teased an Animal Crossing: New Horizons tie in event for the game next month. Hot on Mario's heels, it will also be the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, which first release on 21st February 1986. Nintendo will almost certainly have something to say about that, and recent trademark filings suggest that remakes and remasters of The Wind Waker, Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass could all be on the way, making a Toon Link trilogy.

Wrapping things up, a quick trailer for Monster Hunter Rise, and new New Pokémon Snap details would probably see us through to the end.

It's time to announce the Nintendo Switch Pro – Opinion

One thing that seems very unlikely, given the phrasing of the announcement tweet, is the reveal of a Nintendo Switch Pro. While not entirely off the table, it feels like it's a remote chance as Nintendo focus on games and DLC content.

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DayZ update 1.11 adds new "badass" rifle, live on all platforms

A new DayZ patch is now available developer Bohemia Interactive have confirmed, with update version 1.11 now live on PC as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility).

Accompanying DayZ 1.11, Bohemia Interactive have outlined the changes in a new blog post while reporting that DayZ has broken new player records in 2021. They stress that this new update doesn't add anything major in terms of new content and is mainly focused on stability, making fixes, and removing exploits.

There is one notable new addition to DayZ, however: a "badass" new rifle, the SVAL.

We decided to name it SVAL, which is the Czech word for muscle. The weapon is derived from the existing VSS rifle, uses 9×39 ammo with an integral suppressor, and has been modified for close-range combat, with the added ability to attach a flashlight and universal sights (western types). We also added a new 20 round magazine for 9×39 ammo, which can be used with both the SVAL and VSS. And we responded to your feedback regarding the signal pistol (introduced in 1.10), so flares should fall much slower now.

Listed below are the console patch notes for DayZ update 1.11. Click here for the PC Experimental 1.11 changelog.

ADDED

• Added the SVAL rifle
• Added the 20 round magazine for SVAL and VSS
• Added new textures for the static (abandoned) M3S truck
• Added abandoned truck parts for M3S
• Starting a vehicle engine now slightly depletes the battery
• Added flags of the winners of our base building contest
• Garden plots can now be removed with shovels and pickaxes

FIXED

• The Xbox Experimental disclaimer was not available in Brazilian Portuguese
• The info widget in the vicinity does not pop up consistently
• Tent doors were missing collision after their destruction
• Inventory interaction hints were not shown properly on items with quantity sometimes
• Fixed an exploit to look/glitch through walls
• Plants could not become infested
• Fixed a server crash related to pulling corpses out of vehicles
• Fixed a game crash connected to item attachments
• The player can no longer execute certain actions when their legs are broken
• The player can no longer dance with a broken leg
• Preparing Mackerels or the Carp did not stain the player's hands with blood
• An applied splint would disappear if the player's inventory was full at the moment the healing was completed
• The Pumpkin Helmet was still shining when ruined
• Flares shot by the flare gun often disappeared inside objects
• The glow of the flare was immense when seen from up close (now scaled with the distance)
• Getting out of a car could result in the character appearing on the roof when an object was on the exit position
• Fixed a server error caused by repeated crouching during an ongoing action (https://feedback.bistudio.com/T154062)
• The inventory of improvised shelters could be accessed from the closed-off sides
• Infected could hit the player through shelters and tents
• Infected could enter closed-off containers (variants 2A and 2B)
• Infected would glitch into players during combat
• Dead bodies getting stuck in mid-air
• Bodies of infected would sometimes rotate while already dead
• The wrong particle effect was displayed when hitting infected with a Pipe, Wrench, or a Lug wrench
• Adjusted collisions and occluders of buildings against unwanted behavior (https://feedback.bistudio.com/T152082, https://feedback.bistudio.com/T154532
• Removed collisions of low-hanging tree branches for better navigation
• Exploit allowing players to get infinite plant seeds
• The Frying Pans and Cooking Pots would disappear from fireplaces upon server restart (https://feedback.bistudio.com/T153689)
• The inventory of the M3S truck did not refresh after removing attached containers from it
• The dashboard on certain vehicles would disappear after certain actions
• Ruined hatchets showed the wrong texture
• The contents of the fireplace would not always be displayed correctly in the world
• The indoor fireplace could sometimes get wet during rain
• Land mines were not dealing damage when placed in the doorways of specific houses
• Barbed wire could block the damage of grenades (https://feedback.bistudio.com/T154631)
• Sounds were missing when skinning with some tools
• It was possible to build overlapping fences and watchtowers
• Swapping materials attached to base building objects could trigger a desynchronization
• Fixed a server error when checking the pulse of a disconnecting player
• The battery charger is not a heavy item anymore
• The battery charger could not recharge car and truck batteries
• Items could not be rotated and placed on the same space
• Placing a connected battery into the inventory would not disconnect it
• It was possible to use items placed in attachment slots for crafting operations
• Entering a vehicle with a Chemlight or Road Flare turned on would ruin them
• It was problematic to open/close the doors of certain vehicles when in third person view
• It is no longer possible to cut a raincoat into armbands when its inventory isn't empty
• Attempting to throw a handheld plugged device would unplug it, preventing it from being turned back on
• Slicing a rotten pumpkin produced edible pumpkin slices (https://feedback.bistudio.com/T155304)
• Preparing spoiled fish would produce edible fish
• Players were unable to remove some car parts from close range
• An engine belt was displayed in the ADA 4×4 (https://feedback.bistudio.com/T148071)
• It was possible to craft a long torch from a sharpened stick with food attached, causing the food to disappear
• Items split in the inventory of the truck would appear below it
• Items were appearing on the roof when swapped while inside specific buildings
• It was not possible to open cans that were upside down while in full inventory
• Character hand slot become broken after exiting a vehicle in the water
• Endless white cable appeared after placing a Spotlight
• It was possible to sometimes light a fireplace underwater
• Fishing in sea was frequently interrupted, making it difficult to find a place to fish
• Improved the client performance when holding an item in hands
• Continued damage from a fireplace or barbed wire after moving away from it
• Packing a tent while having an item in the hands would not hide the item
• Resuscitation while having an item in hands caused it to appear in the middle of the action
• Blurred text on the logout dialog window
• Camera clipping issues in the big ATC building and airfield service hangar
• Infected walking through service hangar doors
• Several object placement issues on the Chernarus terrain
• Could not attach an item on selected attachment slot in the inventory
• It was not possible to equip items using micro-management
• The revolver was not dealing consistent damage
• It was problematic to place a Medium / Party Tents too close to the player
• Issues with fertilizing garden plot slots (https://feedback.bistudio.com/T156389)
• The spotlight could be plugged into a battery that was inside of a vehicle
• It was possible to place two tents inside each other
• It was possible to stack up stone ovens
• It was possible to sometimes place objects inside furniture of buildings

CHANGED

• Updated the Tarp (Fabric) durability, textures, and inventory view
• More tools can be used to slice pumpkins
• Reduced initial velocity of the 5.56x45mm ammunition by 9% to match real values
• Barbed Wire and Fire now deal damage to infected and animals
• Deployed Barbed Wire can only be dismantled from inside on Fence and Watchtower
• The fireplace now warms a larger area, with the maximum heat reaching further
• Lowered the maximum heat of the fireplace
• Updated the credits
• The flare from the signal pistol now falls down slower

CENTRAL ECONOMY

• Changed: Reduced the amount of ammunition and magazines
• Tweaked: Deagle and Revolver now spawn in Towns only
• Tweaked: Repeater tiers adjusted from Tier 1,2,3 to 2,3,4 (Chernarus)
• Tweaked: Batteries won't spawn with a full charge anymore
• Fixed: Spawn points on Land_Castle_Stairs_nolc
• Fixed: BearPelt was missing

KNOWN ISSUES

• Entering a vehicle might cause a black screen
• Game crash caused by adding too many nails while constructing the flag pole

Source: DayZ Forums

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Rocket League update 1.93 secures player trading with 2FA

A new Rocket League patch released by developer Psyonix has tightened the limits on player to player trading while also dishing out some handy bug fixes.

Rocket League feature a trading system that allows users to exchange in-game items with one another, either for credits or other items. Those wanting to trade online with other Rocket League players will now need to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) with the release of update 1.93.

This is in order to make Rocket League trading more secure by making this second layer of protection mandatory for those wanting to trade online.

Related reading: Rocket League Guide – what is the best car for new players?

Rocket League update 1.93 is now available on all version of the game including PC (Epic Games Store), as well as PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. You will need to have this patch installed to access online multiplayer. Here are the release notes in full, including more information on Rocket League 2FA:

Rocket League Update 1.93 Patch Notes

CHANGES AND UPDATES

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

• Starting with v1.93, players that want to participate in player-to-player trading must have 2FA enabled on their Epic Games Account
  • As part of enabling 2FA, your Epic Games Account email must also be verified
  • Learn how to enable 2FA on your Epic Games Account here
  • Learn how to upgrade a platform account to a full Epic Games Account here
• The first trade you execute after enabling 2FA may take longer than normal to process (about 30 seconds). Subsequent trades should process normally

BUG FIXES

• Fixed a bug preventing splitscreen players from matchmaking in Competitive Playlist
• "Invite to party" option in Friends List now displays properly for all players
• Fixed lighting on Forbidden Temple
• Removed animations added to the Playlist Menu in the last update
• Fixed a bug causing the ball to turn invisible in Spectator Mode when using Fly Cam

Source: Rocket League

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Rainbow Six Quarantine rebrand as Rainbow Six Parasite is a placeholder title [Update]

Update: Ubisoft have confirmed that Rainbow Six Parasite is the new name for Rainbow Six Quarantine, but only in the capacity as an internal placeholder title while they deliberate on another, more appealing name.

In a statement to Eurogamer, a Ubisoft spokesperson said, "While we recently shared that we will be changing the name of Rainbow Six Quarantine, 'Parasite' is only a placeholder that our internal teams use. Recently, we ran an internal test for the game and some of its details became public. We can confirm this is a glimpse of the upcoming game, and we will share more details, including the official name, soon."

The original article follows

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Images for a game titled Rainbow Six Parasite have been discovered online via the PlayStation Network, potentially revealing the new name of Ubisoft's Tom Clancy co-op shooter, Rainbow Six Quarantine.

The leaked data comes via orbispatches.com, a site that scrapes the PlayStation Network for details on games including their file size, update version number, and release date. A 1.01 version of Rainbow Six Quarantine has been unearthed with a game install size of 14.2GB.

Digging a little deeper, MP1st were able to mine a number of images from the data file which have fuelled speculation as to which direction Ubisoft are taking with Rainbow Six Quaratine.

The images show key art for the upcoming Tom Clancy title as well as a PlayStation dashboard icon, both branded with the name Rainbow Six Parasite. The artwork has a striking black and yellow colour scheme and features fan favourite Rainbow Six Siege Operator, Ela, being corrupted by a stringy, black alien substance. Another image shows a PlayStation Vita diagram, presumably for Rainbow Six Parasite's remote play functionality.

While it is known that Ubisoft are changing the title of Rainbow Six Quarantine – the original title having undesired connotations tied to the current Covid-19 pandemic and the need for quarantines and lockdowns – they have yet to release a statement to address these data leaks and will likely remain silent as we approach the Six Invitational 2021. This is the biggest event on the Rainbow Six Siege esports calendar with the play-offs taking place in Paris this weekend. Ubisoft have traditionally revealed every new season of Siege content in a panel ahead of the final match of their quarterly tournaments.

However, it's the Six Invitational where they set out their roadmap for the year ahead. This weekend we'll be getting a detailed brief on Rainbow Six Siege Year 6 – the panel being an ideal place to also reveal Rainbow Six Parasite too, maybe?

Rainbow Six Quarantine was originally announced during Ubisoft's E3 2019 showcase but since then we've heard very little about the game.

Source: MP1st

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Valheim sells 2m copies in just a fortnight

Valheim has taken the gaming world by storm, it seems. Within a fortnight of Valheim launching, the Viking flavoured sandbox survival game has already sold over two million copies Coffee Stain Publishing and Iron Gate Studio have confirmed.

Since Valheim launched in Steam early access on February 2nd, it has massed a throng of fans exploring, crafting, building, and battling in its perilous open world. Much to the surprise of the game's developer, Valheim hit a concurrent player count of 360,000, besting every other Steam game bar one at the time: Valve's own indomitable Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

"The gods have truly favoured Valheim. We've been refreshing the sales report to get the latest numbers, and it's showing no signs of slowing down," said Sebastian Badylak, Executive Producer at Coffee Stain Publishing. "We sold 275,000 units on Saturday, our highest number yet, and with the team hard at work actioning the Early Access roadmap, there's so much more to come that will hopefully keep all these players engaged, and bring new Vikings onboard."

New Valheim content has already been discussed by Iron Gate, including new biomes and enemies as well as expanded/improved game systems.

We recently went hands on with Valheim, Thomas sharing some thoughts on his time with the early access build of this up-and-comer:

Valheim, while a bit rough around the edges, has a number of genuinely nice touches to its gameplay. When cooking food, you have to actually stand by it as it cooks and take it off when it's ready – leave it on for too long and you'll be left with a piece of coal – but stand by a fire in a cramped space and you'll start to die due to smoke inhalation. For a game that's just entered Early Access, Valheim already feels like a mostly complete game.

The future feels bright for Valheim. With a solid arrangement of survival systems already in place, an engaging array of boss battles and plenty of extra touches, I can't wait to see how the community shapes and guides this survival sim's future development. This is definitely one to watch out for.

We'll have more Valheim news, guides, and features in the near future.

Source: Press Release

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Audeze Penrose Gaming Headset Review

The Audeze Penrose is one of the most exciting additions to the gaming headset market I've seen in quite some time. If you've just bought one of the newest, most up to date consoles in the world, it follows that you're going to want the newest, most up to date peripherals to back it up. In the world of audio, Audeze are renowned for their incredible headphones, all of which lean on phenomenal planar magnetic tech to produce some of the most detailed, enveloping audio you'll find. Audeze has now turned their gaze towards gaming, and with the high-class sounding Penrose they're all set to ensure that the new generation is accompanied by new-generation audio.

The Audeze Penrose are an over-ear, wireless headset, and come in blue PlayStation or green Xbox flavours depending on which camp you fall into. They'll both happily work with the neutral-zone straddling PC, and as an added bonus, the Nintendo Switch as well, meaning these might just be able to fulfil all of your household's wireless headset needs.

While there's the console-specific plastic highlights, the rest of the Penrose is mostly a reliably stylish black. There's a reason that most of our tech products fit into this monochrome camp, and it's because they just look right. There are some nice design flourishes though, with the Audeze logo running across the headband, and some of grey Penrose graphics on the outside of each earpiece that look suitably cool.

I was a little surprised to find that the Penrose didn't feel quite as premium as I was expecting. They're undoubtedly very well built, with no creaking or groaning, even when you're twisting them in a wholly unthoughtful way, but a few areas, such as the colourful plastic band around each earpiece, and the underwhelming feel of the volume dials are just a step down from the kind of package Penrose have otherwise constructed. This might be the cheapest headset Audeze has ever released, but they still sit at the most premium point of the gaming headset market. It feels like a mild letdown when the Astro's A50s and Steelseries Arctis Pro manage to follow through on their own top-end pricing.

The Audeze Penrose sound phenomenal though. If you're looking for one of the best sounding gaming headsets on the market, then look no further. In fact, if you close your eyes and sink into the audio these things put out, you might swiftly reach a new-found level of zen. There's a roundness to the bass that marries with the exceedingly crisp delivery to such a satisfying effect that you can forget there's anything else going on around you. I often talk about detail as being the defining difference between good and great headsets, and the Penrose jumps to the head of the queue in terms of replicating audio exactly as it was intended to be heard.

Putting it through its musical paces with M83, The Midnight and a healthy dose of Nirvana for some old-school thrills, you can pick out every single element of the mix. The sax solo in The Midnight's Days of Thunder might as well be happening inside your skull, while you can pick out every strum of the distorted guitars of Scentless Apprentice. The Penrose are simply fantastic for listening to music.

That extends, thankfully, to gaming audio with the same kind of authority. I've spent an unhealthy amount of time with Destruction All-Stars recently, and through it all the Audeze Penrose has proven to be the ultimate ally to take into automotive battle. Clear, effective communication with teammates over the removable mic arm is integral, but each car crunch, musical lick, and line of character dialogue reaches you in perfect form. You couldn't really ask for better.

The Audeze Penrose are connectivity kings as well, covering the trifecta of 2.4ghz wireless via its USB-A dongle, Bluetooth, and faithful 3.5mm jack. You can even use Bluetooth and wireless together if you want to listen to an audiobook while strolling through Call of Duty Warzone (or just play music from your phone). They will pretty much work with anything and everything, and they look good enough to use everywhere too. Yes, it's a hefty price tag, but you're getting a huge amount in return.

They are a pleasingly straightforward headset to interact with too. Soft-touch power and Bluetooth buttons marry up with a physical switch for muting your mic, and then the pair of dials for master volume and chat. There's no EQ button to hop between your presets, which is a little disappointing, but when the audio is as good as this out of the box you don't really need them.

The Audeze HQ software does give you the option of different EQ presets though, and you can customise five to your liking. I have to say that the adjustments here weren't all that useful, and pumping a frequency up in one position reduced the overall output of everything else. I'm sure that Audeze know what they're doing here, but the EQs just don't behave in the way the majority of others do.

The question mark that really hangs over the Audeze Penrose is, of course, the price. At £300 they are in the absolute top tier of where gaming headsets are priced, but besides the Penrose's excellent connectivity options this is the cheapest Audeze headset ever made, while featuring the same Planar Magnetic tech as their audiophile headphones. They've been fitted with an excellent microphone as well, all in all making them well worth the money, if your budget will stretch to it.

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Microsoft start testing xCloud game streaming to regular web browsers on PC

Microsoft has started testing their Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming (formerly Project xCloud) service through a plain old web browser, The Verge reports. The closed beta is currently limited to Microsoft employees ahead of a public preview, but lays the foundations for an expansion fo Xbox Game Pass to support streaming to PC, Mac and Linux, as well as iPhones and iPads.

Functionally similar to xCloud for Android tablet and phone, the web version lets you browse a library of games with the ability to resume recently played games. You'll have access to all the games enabled for Cloud Gaming via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The two requirements are a Chromium-based web browser – Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome are compatible – and a controller in order to play.

Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming via a web browser – Credit: The Verge

While reaching PCs is great, and will allow Microsoft to try and draw owners of lower-powered PCs to the subscription service, letting them play Xbox games that would otherwise require a high-powered gaming PC, the real target in the crosshairs is iOS. Through 2019 and 2020, Apple rebuffed Microsoft's plans to add Cloud Gaming to their Xbox Game Pass app on iOS, refusing to accommodate game streaming services like Google Stadia, Project xCloud and Amazon Luna in the app store. Apple said Microsoft would need to submit individual games for review, a process that Microsoft labeled a "bad experience for customers."

This left Microsoft to focus first on Android, where a dedicated app is allowed, but they have now followed in Amazon Luna's footsteps and will offer the service as a web app. The move was announced last September, with Microsoft promising Cloud Gaming will come to PC and iOS in Spring 2021. If testing has just started, it's a sign that the company is on track to meet that target.

Microsoft have steadily broadened the reach of their game streaming service over the last two years, bringing it to more countries, testing on various platforms, and eventually bundling Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming in September for all Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

One potential area that will hold the service back in the long run is the quality of the streaming itself. The server blades powering the service are all based on Xbox One S hardware, limiting the game streams to 720p and 30 frames per second. While Stadia and Luna both tout more powerful servers with 1080p and 4K streaming, Microsoft will have to start rolling out Xbox Series X-based servers before they can compete in terms of visual fidelity and performance. That won't happen any time soon when they need every chip they can get to shove into consoles!

Microsoft will have been buoyed with the announcement from Google that they are closing Stadia's internal game development studios, and will instead simply offer games from third parties. This has cemented the feeling that Stadia cannot and will not compete directly with PlayStation and Xbox, and also that Microsoft can grab a commanding lead in the realms of game streaming, especially when they also have ambitions to expand to smart TVs and streaming sticks.

Source: The Verge

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Assassin's Creed Valhalla Update 1.1.2 adds River Raids game mode, new abilities and skills, and more

Ubisoft will be releasing Title Update 1.1.2 for Assassin's Creed Valhalla tomorrow, adding a new replayable River Raids game mode, new abilities and skills, and making gameplay improvements and bug fixes throughout the game.

Update 1.1.2 will be going live at 12PM GMT tomorrow (1PM CET, 7AM EST, 4AM PST, and 11PM AEDT), with a hefty download size on all platforms, but Xbox Series X|S and PC in particular:

• Xbox Series X|S: ~19.53 GB
• Xbox One: ~15.27 GB
• PlayStation®5: ~11.18 GB
• PlayStation®4: ~10.23 GB
• PC: ~18.04 GB

What are River Raids?

River Raids are coming to the game as part of the Yule Season, adding a new and replayable game mode that is free for all players. Embarking on a River Raid will take your Jomsviking crew to a new region of England with new loot, rewards and challenges to face off

What are the new abilities and skills?

Title Update 1.1.2 also adds some new abilities and skills to the game, as follows

New Abilities

• Berserker Trap:  This attaches a trap to your arrow, spreading hallucinatory powder. Any nearby movement causes the trap to trigger. Surprise clueless passersby!
• Battle Cry:  In a fit of rage, Eivor lets out a blood curdling scream, gaining strength and causing nearby enemies to stumble backwards in fear, interrupting their attacks.
• Shoulder Bash:  Eivor performs a shoulder bash that pushes back enemies and destroys objects.

New Skills

• Assassin Carry:  Automatically carry a body after a successful assassination.
• Assassin Slide:  Slide into enemies and knock them off balance while sprinting.
• Power Stroke:  Trigger a speed boost on the long ship at the cost of stamina.
• Arrow Looter:  Eivor has a greater chance of looting arrows from archers.
• Fight Ready:  Always start a fight with an adrenaline-filled slot.
• Long Ship Brace:  When you are in command of the long ship, the crew will raise their shield with you.

What else does it do?

There's tons of other bug fixes, changes and improvements to the game, ranging from improved vibration feedback when fishing – "Fishing goes BRRRR." – to cutting out a crackling audio issue on PS4, and a bunch of quest fixes.

Here's the full patch notes:

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.1.2

GAME IMPROVEMENTS

MISCELLANEOUS

• Runes and used resources to upgrade Berserker gear will be returned to the player inventory when an item is lost.
• Improved vibration feedback during fishing. Fishing goes BRRRR.
• Addressed an issue that caused players to leave disguise mode if players perform any attack while riding.
• Addressed an issue that prevented players from catching fish in the sea or on coastlines.
• Addressed an issue that caused school of fish to take a long time to respawn after one was caught.
• Items purchased at the Animus Store will only be given to players after returning to England from Vinland.
• Changed predator charge attack animations to give players a little more time to react.
• Addressed an issue that prevented fabric from being available. Everyone liked that.
• Added date of purchase to items listed in the owned section of the store.

BALANCING

• Removed diamond rune slots from gear set pieces other than torsos. Runes that were slotted into these will be returned to the player inventory.

GRAPHICS, AUDIO, AND ANIMATION

• Addressed various graphics or lighting issues.
• Addressed various texture issues.
• Addressed an issue that caused explosion VFX to be missing when oil jars explode. Oil jars will now go BOOM.
• (PS4/PS5) The Muspell Warg mount will now burn with the fires of Hel!
• The blood of your enemies will now soil all clothing.
• Addressed various character or NPC animation issues.
• Addressed various clipping issues.
• Addressed an issue that prevented visual effects of the Draugr set to be displayed.
• Addressed an issue that caused arrows to disappear from the quiver after reequipping the bow from the inventory.

QUESTS, WORLD EVENTS, AND SIDE ACTIVITIES

• Addressed an issue in Storming the Walls, preventing players from completing the quest. Gunnar has decided to join the festivities in The First Night of Samhain, allowing players to complete the quest. Party Time!
• Addressed an issue that allowed NPC in The Good Men of Sherwood world event to be killed. Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day.
• Jomsviking gear will now display their quality properly in the customization page.
• Addressed an issue that could cause Jomsviking to change shapes and sizes in the menu when being recruited.
• Randvi is ready to hear the news after completing the Sciropescire Arc, allowing completion of the alliance.
• Addressed an issue that prevented players from interacting with Tove after having completed Carrying the Torch.
• Addressed an issue that caused some dice to be reused when both players used the God Favor giving 3 additional dice. Nothing up your sleeve anymore.
• Addressed an issue with the Fishmonger encounter that prevented the quest from being marked as complete after confirming the kill.
• Players will no longer be ashen if escaping before fighting the Bard in The Devil Has All the Best Tunes.
• Players loading a save created after knocking in Clues and Riddles, will now be able to complete the objective.
• Addressed an issue in Extended Family that caused the boss not to deal any damage during underground attacks.
• Addressed an issue in Extended Family that caused the boss to get stuck near walls, stay underground, or not engage in combat altogether.
• Addressed an issue that prevented the final order member to be revealed. No more Revealio!
• Addressed an issue in Binding Fate that prevented players from completing the boss encounter, as the boss may get stuck underground.
• Addressed an issue in Binding Fate that prevented players from completing the quest after talking to Tyr.
• Addressed an issue in War Weary that prevented players from completing the quest after having defeated all NPCs outside.
• Addressed an issue that caused all Order members to be killed after killing a Zealot. This may just be the wildest issue ever seen.
• Addressed an issue in The Big Finish that prevented players from completing the quest when the hideout was visited before starting the quest.
• Addressed an issue in Blood from a Stone that prevented players from moving a stack of cargo.
• Addressed an issue in The Prodigal Prince that caused the objective to remain stuck if Eivor assassinates the first training dummy before reaching the checkpoint.
• Addressed an issue that prevented players from interacting with Gotafrid Fair-Robes post fight, if the players threw them in the river. Yeeeeeet!
• Addressed an issue in The Twit Saga Part I, where the house would sometimes not catch fire preventing players from completing the world event.
• Addressed an issue in Degolas the Beautiful that caused the kid to grow in size. HOLD UP.
• Addressed an issue in Degolas the Beautiful that prevented Degolas from leaving the water.
• Addressed an issue that prevented players from interacting with Settlement NPCs.
• Addressed an issue in Crushed Dreams that prevented players from completing the world event as the wife is in a dead state. Quest name checks out.
• Addressed an issue that caused the world map to become unavailable after speaking to Ceolwulf.

GAMEPLAY, COMBAT, AND AI

• Addressed several NPC behavior issues.
• Mounts will heed Eivor's call from the Quick Actions Wheel.
• Addressed an issue that caused NPC to die before they're being hit. Calls an emergency meeting.
• Addressed an issue that caused Eivor to end up standing on their toes after being idle for a while. Eivor en pointe.
• Addressed an issue that caused decorative elements to spawn in miniature form.
• Addressed an issue that allowed players to obtain Nodens' Arc using save/load actions. It had to be done.

AUDIO

• (PS4) Addressed an issue that caused crackling sounds to be heard.
• Addressed an issue that caused dead swarm animals to make idle sounds. I know an Animus glitch when I see one.

PHOTO MODE

• Addressed an issue that caused Photo Mode frames not to scale to game window size.
• Addressed an issue that caused terrain rendering issues when moving the camera.

USER INTERFACE/HUD

• Addressed various UI/HUD issues.
• Addressed an issue that caused Premium Start Pack items to appear in Fine instead of Mythic quality.
• After encountering Cola, their appropriate icon will be shown on the Order tab.
• Addressed an issue that caused acquired Reda contracts to appear under the Cent quest log section.
• Addressed an issue that caused contracts not to count towards the Viking for Hire progression.
• Addressed an issue that prevented players from interacting with any items in Reda's shop when Focused Navigation is enabled.
• Players will be able to switch targets with the mouse wheel by using M and K.
• Addressed an issue that was causing stick input to stick after enabling Swap Sticks option during Cairns.
• Addressed an issue that caused the Call Mount prompt to appear every time when whistle is used to attract enemies.
• Addressed an issue when pressing D-Pad down causing Daily Concept Art to remain.
• Addressed an issue that caused several Daily Concept Art to be displayed on the world map.
• Addressed an issue that caused the mouse curser not to be displayed when switching back to M&K after controller was used as single source.
• Addressed an issue that prevented Order of Ancient icons not to change based on selected colorblind settings.
• Addressed an issue that caused control conflicts in Photo Mode if Swap Sticks option is set to ON.
• Addressed an issue that caused the slider value of subtitle backgrounds not to reset to the default value.
• Addressed an issue that caused exploration difficulty to be reset to Adventurer instead of Explorer when resetting to default.
• Addressed an issue that prevented the adrenaline bar from filling after the second assassination was performed using chain assassinations.
• Added a quit fishing button during aiming state.
• Addressed various instances where Odin's Sight highlighted props that it shouldn't.
• Addressed an issue that caused "data corrupt" errors after entering the save menu.
• Addressed an issue that prevented the ingot that was looted off the destroyer (Hamptun Blockade) not to be counted towards wealth completion.
• Addressed an issue that caused Fly Agar mysteries not to be highlighted with the appropriate mystery icon.

SYSTEM

• (PC) Addressed issues with various Ubisoft Connect achievements that were not unlocking correctly when conditions were met.
  o Take My Hand
  o The Enemy of My Enemy
  o Disorder of the Ancients
  o Completionist All The Way
• (PC) Addressed an issue with the unlock condition of the Equine Attack achievement.
• Addressed an issue that caused online service errors to be displayed when creating or hovering over photos.
• Addressed an issue causing the game to remain stuck during loading after entering the save/load menu.
• Addressed an issue that caused the MSI voice command feature to stop working after save/load.

PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY

• Improved performance and stability.

Source: Ubisoft

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Assassin's Creed: Valhalla guides & more from TheSixthAxis

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla Review
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla: The Stench of Treachery quest guide
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla trophy list
• Is Assassin's Creed: Valhalla historically correct? We ask the experts
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla Guide – 10 essential tips & tricks

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The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles rated for Switch, PS4 & PC in Taiwan

Taiwan's Digital Game Rating Committee has let slip about an upcoming release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for PlayStation 4, Switch and PC. There's no word on when the game will be released, but this is potentially great news for western fans of the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney series, who have been hoping to see more of the series' Japan exclusive games head overseas.

The Great Ace Attorney originally released for the Nintendo 3DS in July 2015, with the follow up The Great Ace Attorney 2 coming out in August 2017, both well into the twilight years of Nintendo's handheld. That's sure to be a big part of why the games only released in Japan up until this point, with the 3DS most popular in Japan. The two games are now set to be combined in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and released for more contemporary platforms, similar to the 2019 release of Phoneix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles has been rated for PS4, Switch & PC.

The Great Ace Attorney puts the series' original star to one side, and steps back to the end of the 19th century – the Meiji Period in Japan and Victorian era in Britain. The game stars one of Phoenix Wright's ancestors travelling to the UK alongside his student lawyer friend, hoping to become better acquainted with a more established judicial system, and finding himself getting wrapped up in the investigations of a somewhat hapless Sherlock Holmes.

The game follows on from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies in terms of visual style, with fully 3D environments and character models. There's a similar split between investigation and court room battles, but instead of having one judge presiding over the trial, there's a jury of six that deliberates, as previously seen in one case from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. You'll have to convince them of a client's innocence, but jurors can individually interrupt and declare a verdict throughout the case. Final closing arguments can be used to try and change their minds and try to get a majority in your favour.

It's an interesting sounding shake up on the traditional Ace Attorney courtroom shenanigans, and we look forward to (hopefully) giving it a try sometime soon.

Source; Gematsu

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See 9 minutes of gameplay from NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…'s Barren Temple

Square Enix have released a hearty nine minutes of in-depth gameplay from the upcoming NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…. Showcasing the Barren Temple area from the game, we'll see parts of the desert kingdom of Façade, building up to a boss battle against a swarm of sentient cubes.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… will be coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on 23rd April 2021.

 

NieR Replicant is more than just a remaster of the game, featuring upgraded visuals, revised combat and re-arranged music for the soundtrack. Square Enix are dubbing is a "retelling", as opposed to remaster or remake. Developer ToyLogic are doing a great job updating the game visually and their decision to record dialogue with the original cast of voice actors to now make the game fully voiced.

The game revives the cult classic action RPG from a decade ago. NieR was originally developed by Cavia as a spin-off from the Drakengard series, but with the curious decision to have two version in Japan – NieR Gestalt for Xbox 360 and NieR Replicant for PS3. This took the setting of NieR and changes the main character to make him a brother for Yonah instead of her father.

NieR Replicant is the predecessor to the hit post-apocalyptic action-RPG NieR: Automata, which has sold over 5 million copies since its release in early 2017. In our glowing review of the Yoko Taro directed game, Dom said:

NieR: Automata is the epitome of a sequel you didn't know you needed. The original NieR was itself a spin-off to the Drakengard series, and one that, whilst gaining a cult following, certainly didn't achieve the kinds of sales that most risk-averse publishers would consider worthy of a sequel. Yet here we are, with a second Yoko Taro-helmed NieR game, this time boasting the action-gaming heft of PlatinumGames firmly behind his uniquely dark vision.

Yoko Taro's unique storytelling ability has matched perfectly with the committed development culture at PlatinumGames, making NieR: Automata a mature and thought-provoking action-JRPG. Its tight combat and compelling narrative sets it apart from both its predecessor and the Drakengard series, and it's utterly essential for fans of the genre.

See our full NieR: Automata review here.

Source: press release

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Metro Exodus PS5 & Xbox Series X upgrade brings ray traced lighting at 4K and 60fps – PC Enhanced Edition revealed

4A Games have revealed details of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S free upgrade to Metro Exodus, promising ray traced lighting through the game without sacrificing 4K and 60fps gameplay. At the same time, a new Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition has been announced as a free upgrade, looking to take advantage of new and more advanced ray tracing features, including DLSS 2.0 support for Nvidia GPU owners.

There is no word on when these upgrades will be released, but they are expected to arrive in 2021.

Metro Exodus' next-gen ray tracing is coming…

Metro Exodus was one of the first games to make use of ray tracing upon its original release in early 2019, leveraging the new technology found in Nvidia GPUs on PC. Now, many of those enhancements are making the jump to console. There will be full ray traced lighting on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and both the base game and DLC expansions will feature Ray Traced Global Illumination (RTGI) and the Ray Traced Emissive Lighting technique that first appeared on PC alongside the The Two Colonels expansion. Xbox Series S won't be able to shoot for 4K, but will still have 60fps with full ray traced lighting at 1080p.

All of the new generation of consoles will also benefit from reduced loading times from the SSD, 4K texture packs where necessary, and a bunch of platform specific features. That includes spatial audio and controller latency improvements on Xbox, and haptic feedback on the DualSense controller (strangely there's no mention of the Tempest 3DAudioTech on PS5).

All of that will be a free upgrade from the current generation, and it will take advantage of Smart Delivery on Xbox. That does, however, leave the possibility that you won't have save file transfers on PlayStation, but we'll watch out for there. Then again, Metro Exodus was a part of PlayStation Plus in June 2020, so that's an awful lot of people who will be getting a fresh dose of next-gen goodness for the price of their ongoing PS+ sub.

On PC, there is a similarly extensive upgrade being made for the Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition, to the extent that, while a freebie for all existing owners of the game across Epic Games Store, Steam and GoG, it will be treated as a separate game to install and not a simple patch.

The PC Enhanced Edition will use 4A's new fully ray traced lighting pipeline that will offer additional ray tracing features beyond what was found in the original release. This includes advanced ray traced reflections and DLSS 2.0 support for Nvidia GPUs. This version of the game will actually require a ray tracing capable GPU as part of the minimum specifications.

Nicole played Metro Exodus for our review and she wrote:

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

You can read the Metro Exodus review right here.

Source: 4A Games

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Graven Preview – An excellent homage to Hexen and grimy 90s first person shooters

You might notice that Graven sounds a lot like Hexen, and that's probably deliberate. Touted a spiritual successor to the 1995 dark fantasy FPS, I was tempted to just look up some details and run with it in a vaguely official sounding games writer tone for a bit, but truthfully, I never played Hexen. I jumped into Graven because it looked a bit like Monolith's 1997 game Blood and a bit like David Szymanski's 2018 game Dusk. It's not actually entirely like either of those games, but – if the hour long demo is representative – it is bloody excellent.

Since I went into Graven expecting something that riffs on classic boomer shooters, my first surprise was that I wasn't immediately dropped into a pit of speedy bastards with a shotgun, but instead embarked a lengthy ferry ride through accursed swamps while a wizened boatman spoke forbiddingly at me. I can't remember exactly what he said, but I think he mentioned a place called 'shit' and how everything around me had gone there.

I had a few out loud "damn" moments on that ferry ride, soaking up the artistry that has gone into creating the sense of place that really sets Graven apart. There's grimly funny gallows humour, and then there's something so utterly grim it goes right round the wheel and becomes funny again. After the boat ride, you end up in a village. Graven's peasantry are almost Monty Python-esque in the sheer scale of their evident suffering, and the town and surrounding swampland are deliciously moody, dripping with grime, grunge, and despair. Ten minutes into the game, I wanted a wash, but I couldn't find a source of water that wasn't clogged up with corpses.

Exploring Graven feels open, bordering on an RPG. In the demo, at least, there were no distinct and separate stages. A town, catacombs, and the surrounding outskirts all flowed into one another. I get the feeling this is some of that Hexen DNA, how Graven seems more an action adventure wearing a 90s shooter trench coat. Combat is fast, immediate, and brutal, but exploration and puzzles are more complex and expansive. And, once again, there's that sense of place tying everything together – a world to explore, rather than abstracted stages to beat.

You start off with a staff, which fills the time-honoured video game archetype of 'big stick to hit things with'. You can also kick, which adds extra timing and strat to melee. First person melee has a lot to measure up to in a post-Vermintide world, but there's something very satisfying about Graven's nippy swings and squishy skulls. Gold coins collected from pots and corpses can buy you additional gear, including swords, flails, and a wrist-mounted crossbow.

You've got a spellbook too, which plays into both exploration puzzles and combat. You start with a fire spell, the jets of flame you release from your palms able to ignite barrels, and you'll quickly find a lightning spell to stun enemies. You can electrocute water pools and work machinery with it, suggesting some tasty immersive sim reactivity later down the line. You get a nice pool of MP, too, so you don't have to be stingy about spellcasting. Burn everything. Go on, no-one's looking.

I am very, very curious to explore more Graven, and to see which parts of the formula it expands on. Will there be optional quests? How expansive will the spellbook and weapon inventory end up? What other ungodly monstrosities will emerge from its cursed swamps? Will I finally be tempted to give Hexen a go? Hopefully I'll get some answers when Graven releases later this year on pretty much all platforms.

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Overcooked! All You Can Eat comes back to PS4, Xbox One, Switch & PC – cross-platform multiplayer update announced

Overcooked! All You Can Eat, the remastered compilation of Overcooked! and Overcooked 2!, is heading back to the platforms it originated on. Having been a launch game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, the bundle is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on 23rd March. Oh, and cross-platform multiplayer will also be coming after launch.

Overcooked! All You Can Eat brings together over 200 levels from the heavily expanded games. There's both of the main games, all of the DLC and free updates, and then there's seven new levels that were made as an added sprinkling of culinary goodness on top.

The game brings all of the previous content up to the same standard, so while the Overcooked! 2 levels will look relatively close to how they did at its 2018 launch, the content from the 2016 original looks prettier and has online multiplayer support. AYCE features resolutions up to 4K, depending on the platforms, and runs at 60fps on PS4, Xbox One and PC – Switch runs at 30fps. There's a new assist mode to try and make the game a mite more accessible, and the multiplayer will be expanded to work across platforms in a free post-launch update.

The assists include options to increase level times, boost scores for each meal served, lengthen recipe times and turn off order expiration. There's also colour-blind indicators, a scalable user interface and a dyslexia friendly font.

Overcooked! All You Can Eat will be releasing digitally on all platforms for £30/$40/€40, a £10 saving on the PS5 and XSX|S release from the end of 2020, and with a physical release for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. There won't be any upgrade pricing from the original game releases, but we've asked Team17 for clarity about any cross-generational upgrades for the All You Can Eat edition.

Source: press release

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Get a month subscription to EA Play on PlayStation for just 79p, details here

If you have a hankering to play A Way Out, Burnout Paradise Remastered, or Battlefield V then good news, you can pick up a subscription to EA Play for PlayStation for just 79 pence via the PlayStation Store. You will be subscribed to the service and charged the regular price of £3.99 the next month but you can cancel at any time so this is a very cheap way of trying out the games on offer.

Unfortunately the PlayStation version of EA Play is rather limited compared to the Xbox service and only has PlayStation 4 games, if you want to play Dead Space 3 again you will have to subscribe to PlayStation Now instead. Here are the games available.

• A Way Out
• ANTHEM
• Battlefield 1
• Battlefield 4
• Battlefield Hardline
• Battlefield V
• Burnout Paradise Remastered
• Fe
• FIFA 17
• FIFA 18
• FIFA 19
• FIFA 20
• Madden NFL 18
• Madden NFL 19
• Madden NFL 20
• Mass Effect: Andromeda
• Mirror's Edge Catalyst
• NBA Live 18
• NBA Live 19
• Need for Speed
• Need for Speed Heat
• Need for Speed: Payback
• Need for Speed Rivals
• NHL 17
• NHL 18
• NHL 19
• NHL 20
• NHL 94 Rewind
• Peggle 2
• Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare
• Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
• Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
• Rocket Arena
• Sea of Solitude
• Star Wars: Battlefront
• Star Wars: Battlefront 2
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
• Titanfall 2
• The Sims 4
• UFC
• UFC 2
• UFC 3
• Unravel
• Unravel Two

You also get ten hour trial versions of the following games, Star Wars: Squadrons is quite short so you might even be able to finish the campaign in the time available.

• EA Sports UFC 4
• FIFA 21
• Madden NFL 21
• NHL 21
• Star Wars: Squadrons

EA Play's induction into the Xbox Game Pass for PC game library has been delayed until sometime in 2021.

Writing on the Xbox blog, they say:

When we originally set out to write this blog post, which would announce the availability of EA Play on PC with Xbox Game Pass, it looked a little bit different. Unfortunately, what had been a celebratory post is now one asking for a little more patience: We made the decision to delay until 2021 the release of EA Play on PC as part of the Xbox Game Pass for PC and Ultimate memberships.

We established this partnership with Electronic Arts because they are as passionate as we are about helping people and communities discover great games, and we knew we could provide a great experience for members by working together. In order to deliver on that, we need more time to provide the Xbox Game Pass experience.

Source: PS Store

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Vivo X51 5G Mobile Phone Review

In a market dominated by a handful of mobile phone manufacturers, I've always been interested in seeing what relative outsiders can bring to the table. Before my current iPhone 11, I was always a Huawei fan because of their solid camera offerings compared to the competition. In 2021, the market is very different though, with plenty of mid-tier manufacturers offering great value phones with features that provide a premium feel.

Vivo, while not a giant in the mobile market, has slowly built a reputation in recent years for offering solid performing phones at a fraction of the price of the competition. The X51 is a bit of a venture outside of their typical production, proving a more premium feature set compared to the other models. With a Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G, an Adreno 620 GPU and a 8GB of RAM, the X51 isn't at the bleeding edge, but is more than prepared for anything you throw at it.

Running Android 10, Funtouch 10.0, the Vivo X51 runs incredibly smooth. From gaming to camera use and even everyday browsing, the phone never skips a beat delivering excellent performance consistently. It's the smoothest I've personally seen Android running on a phone for some time and even comes close to the seamless feel of iOS.

Backing up that performance is a 4315 mAh battery that performs pretty solidly with moderate use. Typical use without any gaming usually lasted me anywhere between one to two days, while a game heavy session might bring that performance down to a day. Fortunately a fast-charging USB-C port – although the phone does not come with a fast charger – should have your battery back to full in no time.

The Vivo X51 really shines in two different ways. Firstly, it has a versatile set of camera features that gives some of the biggest phones in the market a run for their money. Featuring four cameras on its back panel, the X51 features a quad 48MP camera with an inbuilt gimbal for smooth video filming. The four cameras provide a dizzying array of photo options including a brilliant night mode, autofocus motion tracking, and a 60x zoom mode amongst other things.

I really have to talk about the night mode and how well the camera picks up light. I've always been a fan of astrophotography and having got a tripod early last year, I will occasionally go out and snap some images of the sky above if it was clear. I ventured out with the X51 at 1 AM on Christmas morning and snapped some of the clearest and most detailed night sky images I have taken to date. It far exceeds the capabilities of my iPhone 11 and my Huawei P20 Pro, and Vivo should be commended for that.

The gimbal feature is also a fantastic addition, creating smooth footage in a number of different scenarios. As someone who used to film wrestling shows from a mobile phone, I can't tell you how useful having a gimbal was in that situation. Rather than using a large physical gimbal, the X51 fits it within the camera system itself, giving users the ability to shoot high-production visuals without the extraneous budget that comes with it. It's a shame the gimbal feature is limited to 1080p footage, as it's pretty standard for phones to film in 4k these days.

The other area the X51 shines is in its gaming mode. Similar to the way many PC CPUs can overclock for extra performance in gaming, the X51 comes with a performance mode designed to get just a little more out of games. Titled 'Ultra Game Mode', the phone turns off all notifications, offers numerous optimisation modes and brings options like surround sound to the table. While I'm not sure there's much extra raw performance it adds to games, playing titles like Genshin Impact and PUBG felt incredibly smooth to me with no obvious performance issues or frame drops. Every little boost helps, of course.

I'm also a big fan of the X51's design. It's big, but not overly large, with a curved screen that looks smart and stylish as it wraps to the side sides of the phone, and the silver back providing the look and feel of a premium product. I never really understood the allure of curved screens until using the X51, but the 90hz display looks fantastic when watching YouTube or browsing Instagram, providing an endless feel to the corners of the screen.

On the audio front, the X51 is a little disappointing, lacking a dedicated headphone slot and packing a mono speaker. For a phone geared at mobile gaming, it's likely that people might want to have their phone plugged while gaming, so a dedicated audio jack would mean users don't have to choose between the two – Bluetooth headphones often have a little latency. A mono speaker also feels like another shortcoming in a phone that's designed for multimedia use, especially should users decide to play games through them.

Price-wise the X51 is one of the most expensive in the company's range, setting customers back around £750, although the phone has already come down in price since its release. You can currently grab one for below £700 at a number of websites. Even at that lower price, the cost is considerably expensive for the specs on offer, with the primary draw at that cost being both the camera and its gaming performance. Sitting in that pricing bracket pits the X51 against the likes of the Huawei P30 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S20 and even the Apple iPhone 11 which are all premium handhelds and have better specs.

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Eternal Hope Review

The gaming industry's ability to tell an emotional tale has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, with the likes of Limbo, Dear Esther and the Life is Strange series, amongst many others, leaving long-lasting impressions on those who play them. It's fair to say such games have grown so much in popularity now that it's common for many games to focus far more on the narrative exposition than the gameplay itself, offering fairly simple gaming experiences whilst telling hard-hitting, sad stories.

Eternal Hope, developed by Doublehit Games, is one such title, offering a relatively simple puzzle platforming experience soaked in emotional depth and offering an experience that hits a little different from the established triple A scene. 

You play as Ti'bi, a young boy tasked with finding his lover's soul after she is brutally taken away at the beginning of the game. What follows is an emotional journey ride with hardship, tribulations and also puzzles, because it's a video game, so of course, there are puzzles. Split across 11 chapters, Ti'bi travels across the world collecting the remnants of his lover's soul in order to bring her back. 

Working alongside an otherworldly god who promises to return your lover should you find her souls, Ti'bi uses a special power bestowed upon him to call on the beings of another dimension. Using the support of these beings, Ti'bi can make it across gaps, scale heights and generally make it past areas he couldn't normally. This skill has a stamina bar, so it's on players to use it sparingly and timely or Ti'bi can die. 

Eternal Hope isn't all that original in its gameplay or presentation, feeling very similar to the 2010 smash hit Limbo. The moment to moment gameplay feels almost identical, mirroring much of the structure, albeit with a different graphical style. I'm not completely against this though, as Limbo is an absolutely stellar game and I'm all up for other developers mimicking its core gameplay to create a fresh experience. 

Unfortunately, Eternal Hope never quite hits the same high. Its story plays on themes of love and loss, but the writing is never as powerful as the heights it aspires to. This isn't to say the story is unenjoyable, with a few twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout, but I felt the team could have done more with the premise. It's also incredibly short, clocking in at just short of two hours. I felt Eternal Hope ended before it really kicked into gear, which is a real shame as the world and the characters are excellent. There are a number of collectibles hidden throughout the world, so these do at least offer some form of replayability.

The world around the main narrative is absolutely stunning, with dense backgrounds almost acting like a tapestry against the action in the centre. Eternal Hope has a dreamy, surreal visual look to it, which perfectly fits the game's overall aesthetic. Unfortunately, the soundtrack doesn't quite match up to the visuals, with much of the score feeling overly simplistic and a touch repetitive at times. It's a real shame, because a top-notch score could have underpinned Eternal Hope's more emotive moments perfectly.

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Glyph Review

It's easy to look at Glyph's levels and its mechanical ball and assume this is a Super Monkey Ball-alike. However, despite the fact you'll start out with a roll, you quickly discover how much time you're spending off the ground in this charming puzzle adventure, even if its presentation is a touch on the austere side.

Set in a barren desert, you play as mechanical scarab Glyph who awakens with the no-nonsense purpose of restoring an ancient temple city. This is done bit by bit as you venture through various levels and collect items that unlock and restore the hub-like city as you approach closer to the source of its corruption.

Before your adventure begins you're given a thorough crash course in the controls. Rolling around won't cut it since levels are largely surrounded by sand which is deadly to the touch (the floor is sand at first, though lava – or at least red hot fire – also factors in). So Glyph can also jump, bounce, climb and open its wings to glide around briefly, the latter a reminder that you are indeed a scarab and not just a budget Samus Morph Ball. Like many other 3D platformers tend to suffer from, Glyph's jump feels awfully floaty, which isn't totally mitigated by having a quick-drop option, though when you are short on safe surfaces, you might occasionally appreciate the extra air time.

Bouncing off surfaces is arguably one of the most crucial skills in the game as this is akin to landing on a new platform, at least for a character without legs. It still means you can jump again and continue moving along the environment without losing momentum, which is precisely how you're able to bounce your way up walls and pillars, though thin pillars are the ones to be weary of lest the controls or the positioning of the camera has you unwittingly slipping off. Even when there aren't any vertical surfaces nearby, you're able to reach new heights just by bouncing up off the ground and then opening your wings to propel you further to perhaps reach an otherwise out-of-reach item or another platform.

Experimenting and making the most of your bounce and platforming is crucial to exploring each of the 80+ levels in Glyph, which can be accessed in a non-linear fashion similar to Super Mario 64. Where it differs is in the type of collectibles that play an important part in how you progress. Each expansive level technically just asks you to collect a set number of keys to open a portal to finish. However, you don't want to rush to the exit as what you actually need to open this hub are the collectibles placed around each level.

The plentiful coins activate portals to new levels but in order to open up more of the hub you need to collect pink gems, which are a rarer sight. The one exception is in the time trial levels, which feel more like the linear, twitch-based Monkey Ball challenges, where your rewards are gems based on your time. The requirements for beating these on a gold ranking are fiendishly tough, while unlocking these levels also requires a golden scarab that only appears once you've collected all the coins in a level. Rather than collectibles for the sake of completionists, you can appreciate how each feeds back into each other.

The most challenging collectibles are actually reserved for cosmetics which are accessed with a hidden switch, and even then might be located right off the beaten path. Fortunately, your mentor, a larger scarab, is usually perched somewhere in the level happy to drop a few hints and lore. While these are totally optional, they're often rewarding to find and offer some much needed variety and colour to the game. By the end, I was quite pleased that I had turned Glyph into a turtle with wings.

Poking around for collectibles certainly makes each level last longer, though thankfully it's not a precarious process. The game may have a one-hit death system but the good news is that most of your collectibles are still banked. The keys for opening the exit portal need to be collected again – though sometimes a level has just one key anyway – but the frustration is reduced by not being forced to collect everything from scratch.

That's the benefit to this non-linear structure because if you do find a particular level tricky – and and I wouldn't blame you if it's one of the fiendish time trials or a level populated with enemies – then you'll likely have resources to open up another level or area in the hub and just go from there. It'll take plenty of hours to unlock, complete and collect everything but just a fraction of the resources will still be able to chart you on a path to reach the finale.

Overall, there's a relaxed and meditative vibe to Glyph, no doubt in part down to its soothing soundtrack, and that's important to keep you from raging when the difficulty does ramp up. Of all the hazards gradually introduced, we probably could have done without actual enemies to ruin our day – they may not hurt you per se, but bouncing or blowing you off into the deadly sand is bad enough. That said, the boss at the end is a decent multi-staged challenge that's pitched just right for the end of this delightful journey.

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Rocket League Guide – what is the best car for new players?

Despite being over five years old, which is an eternity in the gaming sphere of time, Rocket League maintains its status as one of the most popular titles on the market, a position elevated by the fact that it's been free-to-play for a few months now.

With peaks at over 1,000,000 concurrent players, and averages well over 500,000, a good amount of those are bound to be new Rocket League players. Welcome to the world of high-Octane "soccar".

It can be hard to know where to start, with a seemingly infinite amount of car bodies and other customization options to choose from after just a few hours of playing. Not to worry – some of the best cars in the entire game are among the first you'll ever unlock.

Here are the best car bodies in Rocket League for new players. Legacy bodies, unfortunately, don't qualify for this list, as the only way to access these is to have an account that existed before the game went free-to-play. It will also be limited to cars that are easy to unlock, as this guide is aimed at those that joined the fun more recently.

Octane

Is one of the three starting cars really among the best in the game, regardless of rank? The short answer– absolutely.

There's a reason the Octane is the poster-child for Rocket League. If you tune into any professional match for a few minutes, you'll see a majority of the athletes using this body.

It's viewed as a jack of all trades. Need good control while dribbling? Check. Want to boom the ball away from your own goal? Also check. Want to wow your friends with some slick air-dribbling skills? Triple check.

While new players aren't keen on taking to the air, the Octane's versatility is still important for learning the basic mechanics of the game. Its hitbox, snuggly matching the car's shape, is forgiving and its turn radius is unmatched.

Breakout

The Breakout may be past its heyday, with most professionals moving on from the once heavily used body, but the utility value is still there – plus it's the second of the three starting cars.

Its flat body makes it perfect for learning the ground aspects of the game. It has a better line of sight than the Octane when dribbling, with the ability to peek over the roof of the car unobscured.

An important part of the early-game is simply getting solid touches on the ball, and the Breakout is unmatched in that capacity. It's wide hitbox gives more leeway on approach, and it's plank-like shape means that the ball will be easier to control and dribble while grounded.

Paladin

Okay, so this one is for slightly more seasoned players that have got a grip on most of the basics.

The Paladin is similar to the Breakout – flat body, low hitbox, booming touches – but it's more slender and narrow, and has a better turn radius, making it the more agile of the two. Though it isn't a starter car, it's pretty easy to attain by completing the New Driver Challenges.

Given its shape, the Paladin is perfect for defensive-minded players, and can pull off some of the most powerful pinches in Rocket League. It can also pound the ball, sending it flying with the lightest of touches.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the bodies above are just suggestions, three of the best cars for learning the game. But the most important aspect of Rocket League, and the best way to get better, is adapting a playstyle.

It's okay to use a car body that isn't one of the three listed, so long as you're comfortable with it, and it matches what you're trying to accomplish. Each of the over 65 variants are useful in their own right.

Except for the Scarab. Avoid that at all costs.

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Something for the Weekend – 13/02/21

The opening round of the Six Nations certainly delivered last weekend, complete with red cards and that win from Scotland which went into the history books. As an England fan I'll be hoping today's game against Italy goes much more smoothly, and I'm sure everyone is excited to see which France shows up against Ireland later.

Anyway, enough rugby chit-chat, let's recap this past week of video gaming news on TSA!

In the News This Week

• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will be released this June
• Crash Bandicoot 4 is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S & Switch in March
• Six Days in Fallujah – cancelled Iraq War shooter revived, coming late 2021
• CD Projeckt Red has been hacked, release the ransom note they have been sent
• The Last of Us TV show casts The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal as Joel and Game of Thones' Bella Ramsey as Ellie
• Skate City shredding onto PS4, Xbox, Switch, and PC soon
• We Are Legion: Rome is a first person action RPG where you play as a Roman Legionary
• Ubisoft could move away from relying on AAA game releases
• Grand Theft Auto V has sold 140 million copies, Take-Two have 93 games in development
• Steam Lunar New Year Sale & Epic Spring Showcase Sale are both now on
• PlayStation Store Big in Japan sale returns with up to 75% off

Games in Review

It was another strong week with some decent review scores:

• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury – NSW – 9/10
• Skul: The Hero Slayer – PC – 8/10
• Little Nightmares II – PS5, XSX|S, PS4, XBO, PC – 8/10
• Persona 5 Strikers – PS4, PC, NSW – 8/10
• Rigid Force Redux – PS4, XBO, PC, NSW – 8/10
• Orwell's Animal Farm – PC, Mac, iOS, Android – 6/10
• Conspiracy! – PC – 5/10

And we had a couple of hardware reviews looking at HyperX's new products too:

• HyperX QuadCast S Microphone – 9/10
• HyperX Pulsefire Haste Mouse – 8/10

Featured Articles

Swiftly moving onto the previews, Dom hit it off with the 'intoxicating and inviting' demo for Aerial_Knight's Never Yield. Emma, meanwhile, dove beneath the surface of Subnautica: Below Zero, as Reuben went hands on with Bravely Default II and shared his first thoughts, and Tef went hands on with the upcoming closed beta for Roller Champions.

Sticking with Reuben, he also examined the journey Street Fighter V has been on since its rocky release, and asks if it's worth playing in 2021.

Elsewhere, Alan spoke to Corina Boettger, the voice actor for Paimon in Genshin Impact, and Marcus ranked every Ratchet & Clank game from worst to best.

Wrapping up the week, What We Played featured Destruction AllStars, Bravely Default II & Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Trailer Park

Check out this new trailer for Oddworld: Soulstorm

Paradise Lost trailer explores an alternate timeline where WWII went on for decades

Black Myth: Wukong trailer celebrates the Chinese New Year in stylish Kung Fu style

Your Achievements

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

• willbuchanan grabbed the platinum for Phoenix Wright and now moves onto Far Cry New Dawn.
• MrYd can't tear himself away from Hitman 3 in VR, but in between other games he finished off Control and got the platinum.
• Even after his 4th play through, Crazy_Del enjoyed getting the platinum for Miles Morales, as well as adding Concrete Genie to his cabinet and making progress in GodFall.
• TSBonyman has been continuing to plug away at the side missions in Cyberpunk 2077, even with a handful of unusual glitches.
• hornet1990 sprinted through the Star Wars Battlefront II campaign before moving on to Dragon Age Inqusition.
• Andrewww has discovered that he's a total noob at Call of Duty Warzone (unsurprisingly), but is still enjoying himself.
• It's been a Ubisoft one-two for doomsday619, with both Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Immortals Fenyx Rising.
• And Lt. Fatman has been enjoying Guacamelee 2 on PS4 and Iconoclasts on PS Vita.

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Well there you have it. Enjoy your weekend and I'll catch you next time!

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Halo: The Master Chief Collection is getting a new multiplayer map for Halo 3

If you thought Halo: The Master Chief Collection was a 100% complete compilation of the first person shooter series' Xbox and Xbox 360 titles, then 343 Industries have got news for you: it's not. The MCC team will be flighting (testing) a new update for the game that adds a new multiplayer map to the Halo 3 collection. The map actually comes from the short-lived Halo Online spinoff, which was cancelled before it could be released.

The map in question is Waterfall, which has never really been seen in public before now. It was never featured in any of the public beta testing builds of Halo Online, and so the only information for the game came from text strings found by data miners, and some concept art that described the map as being a hidden UNSC base.

Its addition to Halo: The Master Chief Collection's Halo 3 multiplayer queue technically makes it the first new developer-made map for Halo 3 since the Mythic Map Packs in 2009.

The test flight will be going live next week on 18th February with the following tweaks and features.

• Custom Game Browser: a new way to play with each other in MCC
• Season 6 content
• A new map for Halo 3 from Halo Online
• FOV slider support for all Xbox One consoles
• FOV slider will no longer be locked when Xbox Series X|S devices are set to 120hz
• Double Keybindings
• Mouse & Keyboard support for consoles
• Advanced Audio options
• View Model Customization options

Last week, 343 Industries teased that Halo: The Master Chief Collection is getting "a new place and way to play" this month, leading to speculation that the collection could come to Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch or (the most likely option in our opinion), to iOS via Xbox Game Pass Game Streaming with new touch controls.

This new map announcement blows a fascinating avenue wide open for more content to be added to MCC's multiplayer through 2021, while the majority of 343 Industries is hard at work on Halo: Infinite for a Fall 2021 release. Halo Online had six original maps in development for it: Diamondback (admittedly a desert-based remake of the Halo 3 map Avalanche), Reactor, Icebox (a remake of Halo 2 map Turf), Edge, and Sky Bridge.

Outside of the remakes, none of these have really been seen by Halo fans up until now. Halo Online was a multiplayer-only game in development by Saber Interactive and Innova Systems, built off the Halo 3 engine and intended to tap into emerging markets where lower-end PCs were dominant. The game was announced in 2015, with a Russia-exclusive closed alpha and closed beta testing. However, that testing led to the decision to first send the game back to an earlier development phase, and then shut down the project.

The game was brought back into the public eye when a group of modders revived the game in the fan project 'ElDewrito' in 2018. The intention was to take Halo Online, make it playable again, and then modify the game to play more like Halo 3. Stopping short of sending a cease and desist, 343 Industries asked the modders to cancel the project, but it's generally seen as being one of the catalysts for Halo: The Master Chief Collection being ported to PC in the first place.

In a nice and cyclical fashion, now that the main body of Halo: TMCC is out on PC as of the end of 2020, 343 Industries are going back to Halo Online for some inspiration over their long-term plans to support the game. With a seasonal form of multiplayer progression, Season 5: Anvil includes twelve armour permutations that have come across from Halo Online, and we're now seeing one of Halo Online's maps being revived for the game as well.

Source: Halo

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Instinction announced by Hashbane Interactive, aiming to be Dino Crisis' spiritual successor

Hashbane Interactive, a studio based in New Zealand, has announced a semi open-world title called Instinction, and has essentially made its intention to make the game a spiritual successor to the long-dormant Dino Crisis franchise. According to Hashbane Interactive, Instinction will be coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and Xbox One in Q3 2022. Instinction will be a survival horror title where players will have to face off against deadly dinosaurs to survive.

In the press release, Hashbane Interactive wrote:

"We wanted what many gamers wanted, a modern take on an age old cult classic, a dinosaur survival game with modern mechanics and a compelling story, after 20 years waiting we had no choice but to make one ourselves, and it had to be amazing so as to pay homage to the original, with full mod support for the community!"

In Instinction players will be able to play in either first or third person mode, with co-op of up to three other players. According to the brief plot summary, each player is a member of a salvage crew who must venture around different environments, from open grassy plains to the ocean. Instinction will take advantage of available tech with ray tracing effects in place, and support for 8K resolution and 120fps.  All settings will be fully customisable allowing players to set the game for their own personal comfort.

What is Dino Crisis?

There has been a lot of talk and requests for Dino Crisis to make a return. The Dino Crisis series was a survival horror series in which players had to survive in different scenarios against dinosaurs and other creatures. The first game was set on an island in the year 2009, the second game dealt with time travel as a whole city was time displaced with a team being sent through a time gate to find survivors. The third game was set in the year 2548 where a colony ship, called Ozymandias, near Jupiter loses contact with Earth. A team is sent to investigate the ship where mutant dinosaurs have escaped.

The franchise is owned and published by Capcom with the first Dino Crisis releasing in 1999 for PS1, Dreamcast, and PC. It also released later on PS2 and Xbox. Dino Crisis 2 followed soon after in the year 2000 for PlayStation, with Dino Crisis 3 rounding off the trilogy of games in 2003. That final title released for exclusively for Xbox after the PS2 version was scrapped. There were also spin-offs including Dino Stalker, which was a light gun game that released in 2002, and Dino Crisis: Dungeon In Chaos, a first person shooter for mobile. Capcom has not confirmed if it is working on a Dino Crisis remake, ala Resident Evil, or if a Dino Crisis 4 is in development.

Source: Press Release

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RICO London, Battle Axe gameplay and more revealed in Numskull Presents stream

Numskull Games's second indie gaming stream has been and gone, showcasing gameplay from a clutch of previously announced games, such as retro top-down hack & slash Battle Axe, and including some new game announcements, such as RICO London, a sequel to the 2019 shooter.

All five games are coming out in the first half of 2021, with Iris.Fall the first out the door. Out this month for PS4 and Nintendo Switch, the game features a black cat that you must navigate through a dilapidated theatre, solving puzzles between light and shadow along the way.

Also coming to Switch and PlayStation 4, but in March, Bladed Fury is a 2D action game based on Chinese history and mytholgy. As you travel the Warring States, exiled princess Ji is looking for revenge on the clan that stole her father's lands.

It's a two-fer in April, with 80s/90s retro-inspired Battle Axe coming to PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. The game features classic hack & slash gameplay to go with pixel art from Henk Nieborg and music from Manami Matsumae.

That's alongside Brigadine – The Legend of Runersia, a sequel to the 1990s tactical RPG, where you'll be looking to conquer the continent in the name of your chosen country. The game will be out for PS4 and Switch.

And finally we come to RICO London. Coming to PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox, the game is a fast-paced FPS where you take on the violent gangs of London, battling through procedurally generated levels. Just like the original (but in London). RICO London will be out in June 2021.

That was all for this entry in Numskull's new publishing venture. Did anything tickle your fancy?

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