Kitaria Fables comes to PC and consoles this year

PQube has announced that its RPG and farming title Kitaria Fables will be released this year for PC, Switch, PlayStation consoles, and Xbox consoles. Along with this announcement a new trailer has been released to show one of the locations in the game. That location is Paw Village. The village is getting attacked by the local wildlife which is becoming more and more aggressive, ruining the peace of the little village.

Thunderbunn Farm in Paw Village will be the player's main base, where a spot of farming is done as well as prepping for adventures. The player will also need to socialise with the other villagers by completing quests. That in turn offers rewards for players. Players will be spending a lot of time with the village's local merchant Kiki, who will provide provisions for food to take on adventures as well as seeds to plant on the farm. The other character that will be a regular is Shamrock the blacksmith. Shamrock can provide melee weapons, ranged weapons, and spells.

Kitaria Fables is currently available to wishlist on Steam.

Source: Press Release

Robert A. Altman, Founder and CEO of ZeniMax Media, has passed away

ZeniMax Media has announced that co-founder and CEO of the company Robert A. Altman has passed away. He was in his early 70s. Robert co-founded ZeniMax Media in 1999 with Christopher Weaver, founder of Bethesda Softworks. Robert married Lynda Carter, star of the Wonder Woman TV show, in 1984. The company released a brief statement about Robert's passing, and also shared one the notes he would send out to the company.

We are deeply saddened to tell you of the passing of Robert A. Altman, our Founder and CEO. He was a true visionary, friend, and believer in the spirit of people and the power of what they could accomplish together. He was an extraordinary leader, and an even better human being. During the pandemic, Robert would send out an email every week to keep in touch with everyone in the company. Everyone always looked forward to these and we thought we'd share one of his notes with you:

To The ZeniMax Family:

Last week I mentioned some small pleasures I had discovered as a byproduct of the lockdown. Some of you have since written to share your own experiences and describe other quiet ioys WFH brings: the growing numbers of song birds in our backyards, quieter streets, adventurous efforts baking bread and mixing cocktails, long walks, restaurant takeout, time to read. While we clearly miss treasured social interactions, something valuable has been gained too. We know many are feeling the pressure of isolation, and the stresses related to our current circumstances. Again, I urge you to make time for yourselves daily, schedule online social gatherings, and keep your perspective, knowing this will pass. Tomorrow I encourage everyone to take a break to toast our Company's 21st birthday, and reflection the long journey we have taken together. You have done something extraordinary, something few startups ever do. You have created a multinational, multi-billion dollar business, stacked with talent at all levels of the company, carving out a leadership role, earning the admiration of our toughest competitors and devoted fans. And you have done it the right way, always faithful to our core principles of integrity, respect, team, quality. Don't let the day pass without taking a moment to enjoy your remarkable creation.

Looking forward to being back together. As always, stay safe. We are proud to carry on the values and principles Robert taught us. We extend our deepest sympathies to Robert's family, who are a part of our family and have always treated us as part of theirs. Thank you for everything you did for all of us, Robert.

Rest in Peace.

Source: Twitter

The Falconeer – The Hunter DLC will let you fly dragons as it swoops onto Xbox Game Pass today

The Falconeer is receiving its first paid DLC in the form of The Hunter, a (very, very cheap) premium content pack that adds a new class, the ability to fly dragons, and more. It's perfectly timed to compliment the game's release into Xbox Game Pass for both Xbox consoles, PC and cloud streaming.

The Hunter DLC will cost just £1.69 / $1.99 / €1.99 and is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.

The new class is the Mongres Hunter, who comes with the ability to fly the ceremonial Ormir, a speedy drake that comes with some serious firepower. There's also the new Pyro Pots weapon, which are spectacular looking homing weapons split off into multiple smaller missiles. Flying dragons has been one of the most-requested additions by the community, and game creator Tomas Sala has only been happy to oblige.

Tomas Sala said, "I've loved reading what both press, and consumers have to say about The Falconeer, and their feedback is inspiring. Some have called The Falconeer uncompromising, but they haven't seen what's coming next."

Before you get to what's next, the paid content will come alongside a free update to the game that brings a wide array of quality of life imporvements. That ranges from balance adjustments to custom waypoints, map changes, improved player models to make photo mode more impressive, and more.

Jason reviewed the game upon release and while he enjoyed it and the world it created, it didn't quite catch his imagination as much as he hoped it would:

I find myself a little perplexed by The Falconeer. I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game, but it almost felt like I was doing so in spite of how I felt about the gameplay. I do think The Falconeer is going to find an audience that loves it wholeheartedly, but also that there will be plenty of others for whom this falls a bit flat too.

You can read our full review here, but it sounds like Sala is doing his damnedest to improve and grow his game further and further.

Source: press release

Destruction AllStars Review

When we think of Sony and their newly rebranded PlayStation Studios, we tend of think of prestige single player experiences. Genre-defining hits such as God of War, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us that completely defied a once-burgeoning notion that solo story-driven games were dying out.

This latest PS5 exclusive comes as somewhat of a surprise, then. A vibrant, vehicular wreck-a-thon with a predominant focus on network multiplayer. Destruction AllStars is a breath of fresh air in that respect, successfully modernising the car combat genre, though not without suffering a few bumps and scrapes along the way.

Tearing across the arena and watching your rival crumple as you land a devastating head-on slam, PlayStation fans will get immediate flashbacks to the once-great Twisted Metal. In many respects this feels like a spiritual successor to the beloved series, even as it swaps chainsaw-wielding clowns and sadistic wishmakers for a diverse cast of would-be world champions.

Destruction AllStars plays host to a gallery of larger-than-life characters who do more than simply serve as your in-game avatar. Each one has their own unique ultimate-style Breaker move and a Hero Vehicle that, when used effectively, can easily turn a match in your favour.

Before we elaborate, let's take a step back. At launch, Destruction AllStars offers four competitive online modes which can also be accessed offline against AI-controlled bots. After a cinematic, gameshow-like intro, you and the other players will descend into the arena below… on foot.

This is where the game breaks away from your typical car combat mould with vehicles spawning around the map at regular intervals, allowing you leap from one to the other. This introduces an unfamiliar sense of expendability when playing Destruction AllStarsl whether your car is on its last legs or you simply fancy a different class of vehicle, you can take your hands off the steering wheel at any moment. You'll find that each arena has its own network of walkways and platforms that can be navigated using smooth yet simple parkour manoeuvres.

As you do so you'll gather energy drops to fill your character's Breaker and Hero Vehicle gauges. Breakers triggers unique on-foot moves such as a stampede rush or invisibility while also making your AllStars more mobile with a handy speed boost and double jump. It's the Hero Vehicles that really set the contestants apart, however.

In terms of handling, they act the same as normal cars (there are three weight classes of varying speed and control), but these ones come tagged with a special power. For example, Ultimo's chunky truck will pop an impenetrable front shield whereas Lupita will leave a flame trail, Harmony shunting nearby foes with a bass overload.

The impact these have will largely depends on the game mode. As mentioned before there are four available on day one: Mayhem, Gridfall, Carnado, and Stockpile. Where Mayhem is your typical free-for-all deathmatch, Gridfall has a battle royale slant with the last AllStar standing being crowned the winner, the arena floor gradually falling away.

Carnado and Stockpile are the two team-based modes in Destruction AllStars, designed for 8 versus 8. Carnado will dish out points (or Gears) as you perform offensive actions, but you have to bank them for your team by binning your vehicle into the titular vortex occupying the centre of the map. Finally, Stockpile has both teams warring over three control points. When a player is wrecked they'll dropped gears that need to be collected on-foot before being deposited at one of the three podiums.

It's nice to have some variety, though each mode involves the same gameplay actions on a loop. Jumping into a vehicle, targeting a rival, then trying your best to wreck them, occasionally peeling off then trying again. The vehicle handling is reliably smooth and the on-foot sections do help spice things up, though I couldn't help but feel myself settling into the same groove after a dozen or so matches.

You'll find more variety in what Destruction AllStars calls the Challenger Series. Each one is its own series of challenges focusing on one of the sixteen characters, sandwiched between some light exposition. Throwing down against bots isn't quite as satisfying as online play though there are some bonus solo game modes to sample such as checkpoint races and Crazy Taxi style missions. They're pretty fun, but there's a disappointing rub – all but one of the Challenger Series is locked behind a premium paywall. As a PlayStation Plus freebie you might say that's fair enough, but it's a shame that there aren't two or three of these to whet our appetites.

Overall, Destruction AllStars is a great looking game and one that has a roster of visually striking characters and signature vehicles. A lot of care and attention has gone into each one, the sixteen AllStars having their own unique running animations and cheeky spread of taunting emotes. The game runs smoothly on PS5 and if there's one area we'd criticise it would be overly similar environments, each arena decked with the same ramps, barricades, and billboards despite some of them having unique hazards.

Hitman 3 roadmap promises new content every week in February

IO Interactive have unveiled a roadmap of post-launch content for Hitman 3, promising free new content that you can play through the rest of February. This includes new Featured Contracts, two new Escalations and an Elusive Target contract set in Sapienza level.

It all starts today with the first Escalation, dubbed The Baskerville Barney, and continues next week with a Dubai Featured Contract that has been created in collaboration with MinnMax. A further Featured Contract is coming from KindaFunny on 23rd February, which is also when two Deluxe Escalations will be added to the game for Deluxe Edition buyers, adding in a handful of new game items as well.

Here's the full breakdown:

The Baskerville Barney Escalation – 4th February
MinnMax Dubai Featured Contract – 11th February
The Sinbad Stringent Escalation – 18th February
KindaFunny Dartmoor Featured Contract – 23rd February
The Gauchito Antiguity Deluxe Escalation – 23rd February
The Proloff Parable Deluxe Escalation – 23rd February
The Deceivers Elusive Target – 26th February to 8th March

The two Deluxe Escalation missions add The Guru Suit, Guru's Pen Syringe Emetic and Guru's Emetic Grenade for The Gauchito Antiquity, and The White Shadow costume, Custom Sieger 300 sniper rifle and White Katana fo The Proloff Parable.

Paving the way for some of this, IO Interactive are working on a patch that is due in ta few weeks on 23rd February (alongside the largest content drop of the month), bringing fixes and tweaks to the game.

We can expect Hitman 3 to continue to see similar updates over the coming months, but post-launch support will be somewhat different to Hitman 2. Hitman 3 has finished off the World of Assassination trilogy's overarching story, so where Hitman 2 had additional levels as DLC that continued the plot in certain ways, Hitman 3 will not be receiving additional levels. Instead IO will focus on adding new missions to the levels that already exist, and seemingly tap into levels from across the whole trilogy in order to do so.

Hitman 3 wraps the stylish and inventive trilogy perfectly, having scored an 8 out of 10 in our review. Hitman 3 is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, as well as Google Stadia and Nintendo Switch.

Source: IO Interactive

Hitman 3 Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Stubbs the Zombie remaster leaks with a March release for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One

A remaster of Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse seems to be clawing its way out of the grave, with the achievements list and a Microsoft Store listing leaking a release date for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on 16th March 2021. Fingers crossed it's also coming to other platforms.

The game is a comedic twist on the zombie apocalypse, set in 1959 with the eponymous Stubbs rising from the dead and leading growing ranks of undead to topple the city of Punchbowl in the name of love. Stubbs has a number of undead abilities including zombie sputum, gut grenades and flatulence, using them to kill and convert humans to your cause.

First released in 2005, the game was developed by Wideload and was the first original title published by long-time Mac porting house Aspyr – a company that has just now been snapped up by Embracer Group. Of note, Wideload Games was founded by Alex Seropian, one of the co-founder of Bungie, who used his ties to the Xbox first party company to license the Halo engine for Stubbs the Zombie. You can really see that tie in the game's sticky grenades and physics.

Stubbs the Zombie was fairly late to the party when it released on the original Xbox in 2005, just a month before the launch of the Xbox 360, but with a complimentary release on PC and Mac (which is where I played it), it was a moderate success.

The post is seemingly being handled by Aspyr, who've most recently been known for their efforts bringing classic Star Wars games to modern systems. They might have some issues in keeping the game's soundtrack intact, though, which featured 2000s artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Cake, The Dandy Warhols and others performing covers of 30s, 50s and 60s era songs. Then again, the soundtrack was also published under the Aspyr Media label and can still be found on iTunes and Spotify, so it might not be a problem at all!

Source: True Achievements

Activision sued for copying a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare character model

Activision Blizzard is being sued over allegations that they willfully copied a character to incorporate them in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Calyton Haugen alleges that the Modern Warfare multiplayer character Mara, introduced in Season One of the game's post-launch content updates, is a reproduction of Cade Janus, a character that featured in his short story November Renaissance. You can see the full filing hosted on TorrentFreak.

This isn't just a case of "Huh, I guess the look kind of similar," though. Hauen asserts that Activision deliberately recreated his work, hiring the same model, Alex Zedra, and then copying the exact look and style of Cade Janus for a photoshoot to bring her likeness into the game.

Haugen's lawyers wrote, "In addition to hiring the same talent, they also hired the same makeup professional who had prepared the talent for Haugen's Cade Janus Photographs. They instructed the makeup professional to prepare the talent exactly as she had done for Haugen's Cade Janus Photographs. They instructed her to style the talent's hair exactly as she had done for Haugen's Cade Janus Photographs, even using the same hair piece extension."

Again, that's not all that's alleged here, as both the model and makeup artist were bound by non-disclosure agreements in order to, as the complaint puts it, "conceal their planned infringement."

Haugen explains that he hired Zedra in 2017 to model as Cade Janus so he could pitch his story to movie studios. Photos were then published online via his website and Instagram, and used in a calendar.

Zedra was not simply used for an in-game likeness, but also to appear in promotional material for the game. One of the examples in the filing is particularly damning, though, taking one of Haugen's photos and running it through image editing tools to change the colour balance, recolour her scarf, add a headset and make other tweaks. It is undoubtedly ripped from Haugen's phot.

The character Mara was added to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2019 and made available as part of the reward track for the Season One battle pass. She was monetised further with a Kawaii Cat skin with a cat-eared helmet and kitten charm for her weapons, costing 2,400 COD point, or around $24.

Source: TorrentFreak

COD Black Ops Cold War Season 1 Reloaded update adds new Zombies, 6v6 map & more

A fresh update is out now for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, expanding on the current content cycle with Season 1 Reloaded. The update brings a new Zombies map, a new 6v6 map and more. To encourage people to dive in, there's also a double XP weekend running from today on PlayStation, and tomorrow on all other platforms.

On the Zombies side of things, the mode's story continues with the Firebase Z map, as you battle through Outpost 25 in the jungles of Vietnam, fending off Mimics, Dark Aether, Hellhounds, the Mangler and something else that's not of this work.

There's also a new Tombstone Soda Perk, which can be found at a dedicated Tombstone machine in Firebase Z and the updated Der Wunderfizz machine in the Die Maschine map. Taking a swig will make you a shadow in the Dark Aether when you are downed, giving you a chance to rejoin the fight before you bleed out. If your Perk Skill is upgraded to Tier III, you'll drop a tombstone stash on death that preserves your weapons, equipment and resources for when you get back in the game.

In general, Treyarch have also rebalanced Zombies, buffing the critical damage and max ammo on assault rifles and SMGs, increasing damage and range on Streetsweeper shotgun, and reduced the cooldown of the Cryofreeze Ammo Mod. There's also a new Requiem Advancement category in Challenges.

Turning our gaze to multiplayer and the Black Ops 2 map Express is being added to the 6v6 rotation. Set in an LA rail station, it's especially known for the S&D mode. To celebrate its revival, there will be a new Express 24/7 playlist running through a moshpit of modes just on this one map.

The new Endurance mode is a 40-player slaghterhouse with ten squads of four players dropping into Sanatorium, Ruka, and Alpine to collect uranium and detonate bombs with the score limit doubled to 1,000 points. Meanwhile, Prop Hunt has four additional maps – Express, Raid, Crossroads Strike, and Armada Strike – and Gunfight has Nuketown '84 added to the rotation, and there's a 3v3 Gunfight Snipers Only mode returning to the featured playlists.

With all of this kicking off, there's a double XP weekend, starting at 6PM GMT on Friday 5th February, and running until 6PM GMT on Monday 8th. PlayStation players get an extra 24 hours though, starting at 6PM GMT later today.

And with that, here's the full patch notes:

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Season 1 Reloaded

GLOBAL

Addressed an issue that led to choppy Voice Chat in some circumstances.

MULTIPLAYER

Maps

Express [NEW]
- Express now available in map rotation in Core and Hardcore modes.
- Express 24/7 playlist now available.
General
- Addressed an issue with uneven map distribution in non-map voting playlists.

Modes

Endurance (40 Players) [NEW]
- New high-player count mode available on Sanatorium, Ruka, and Alpine.
- After one bomb detonates, a new one comes online to take its place, so five bombs are always available instead of an initial set that gets reduced to a single bomb before the next wave.
- Score limit doubled from 500 to 1,000.
Prop Hunt
- Added new maps to Prop Hunt rotation:
  - Express
  - Raid
  - Crossroads Strike
  - Armada Strike
Gunfight
- Added Nuketown '84 to Gunfight map rotation.
- 2v2 and 3v3 Gunfight now available in Custom Games.
Hardpoint
- Updated Hardpoint Owned score event to increase in score the longer a player controls the Hardpoint. This score modifier will reset upon leaving the Hardpoint.
- Reduced Hardpoint Secured score event from 50 to 25 score.
Dropkick
- Reduced how late players can join a match in progress.
Control
- Additional defender spawn points added and logic updated for the B capture point on Raid.
CDL Custom Game Modes
- Increased player count to allow for two Spectators in CDL Hardpoint, CDL Search & Destroy, and CDL Control.

Featured Playlists

Express 24/7 [NEW]
Endurance FTDB (40 Players) [NEW]
Gunfight Blueprints (including Nuketown '84)
Prop Hunt (4 maps added to rotation)
3v3 Gunfight Snipers Only
Face Off (3v3)
Nuketown 24/7

Weapons

Launchers
- Increased minimum damage for the two Launcher class weapons.

Equipment

Addressed an issue where players inside smoke from a Smoke Grenade would gain aim assist against players outside the smoke.
Decreased hip-fire accuracy when priming a grenade while sprinting.

Music Player

Original Treyarch music unlocked via War Tracks can now be played in the Music Player in the Barracks, including "Pentagon," "Rooftops," "115," and "Damned."

ZOMBIES

Maps

Firebase Z [NEW]
- New "Firebase Z" map now available via Endless and Round 20 playlists for all players.
Die Maschine
- Players can now complete the full Omega Intel collection in "Die Maschine."
- Addressed an issue on "Die Maschine" that rarely positioned players outside of the map when teleporting from the Dark Aether.
Express (Onslaught – PS4/PS5)
- Express now available in Onslaught on PlayStation.

Featured Playlists

Firebase Z Endless [NEW]
Firebase Z Round 20 [NEW]
Dead Ops Arcade Solo Advanced Start [NEW]
Onslaught Express [NEW] (PS4/PS5)

Perks

Tombstone Soda [NEW]
- Tombstone Soda Perk now available in "Firebase Z" and via Der Wunderfizz in "Die Maschine."
Quick Revive
- Addressed an issue that prevented Quick Revive from reducing the time it takes to regenerate to full health.

Support

Napalm Strike [NEW]
- Napalm Strike now available as Support in Zombies.
Artillery [NEW]
- Artillery now available as Support in Zombies.
Self-Revive
- The Self-Revive will now only drop if a player in the game can equip it.
- Capped the maximum amount of Self-Revives that can drop in a game to the total number of players in the game.
Sentry Turret
- Addressed an issue that allowed duplicating the Sentry Turret support item.

Weapons

Assault Rifles
- Increased critical hit damage on all assault rifles.
- Increased max ammo stock on all assault rifles.
Submachine Guns
- Increased critical hit damage on all SMGs.
- Increased max ammo stock on all SMGs.
Shotguns
- Increased base damage on the Streetsweeper shotgun.
- Increased range of the Streetsweeper shotgun.
Blueprints
- Addressed an issue that prevented attachments from appearing on the "Western Justice" Weapon Blueprint.

Armor

Level 1 Armor will now replace the first Armor Shard drop in a game when no players have Armor.

Ammo Mods

Cryofreeze
- Reduced Cryofreeze cooldown from 3 seconds to 1 second to make it a more dependable method of slowing enemies.

Challenges

Added new "Requiem Advancement" category of Challenges for future additions.
Added first set of six new Requiem Advancement Challenges: "Firebase Z Report."
Added new Dark Ops Challenge for "Firebase Z."

Dead Ops Arcade 3

Solo Advanced Start [NEW]
- New private playlist available for Solo players.
- Allows players to start at their highest arena checkpoint reached in Solo mode. No stats or challenges are recorded, but achievements can be completed, including "Reunited with Fidolina."
Gameplay
- Added new pickup item: Divine Shield Potion – Grants player Divine Shield buff that allows player to absorb one damage event (30 min. expiration).
- Added new key spawn locations: Added to the high road tunnel route.
- Added a 1.5-second damage shield on player while in First Person when damage occurs.
- Made slight adjustment to multiplier progression.
- Auto-life donation now begins automatically after Round 64. The player with the highest lives to spare will now donate to downed teammates with a cooldown of 120 seconds.
- Addressed an issue where the player's shield was active even though effect was not visible.
- Addressed an issue that prevented extra lives from being awarded at expected score thresholds.
- Various gameplay bug fixes related to Fated Chicken disappearance, control bindings when exiting vehicles, unwanted deaths associated with traps, invisible electrical poles, missile turrets killing players, etc.
Enemies and Friendly AI
- Greatly reduced Spider melee range.
- Removed Skeleton boss from arena spawning.
- Removed Demons from arena spawning.
- Reduced Megaton melee distance.
- Reduced Megaton arena spawn rate after Round 64.
- Reduced Megaton health in arena.
- Megaton Orb weapon is no longer a one-hit kill in arena.
- After Round 64, enemy target selection behavior is now weighted entirely toward proximity.
- Increased friendly skeleton horde health, enemy quantity, time duration, and weapon damage.
- Addressed an issue where melee damage caused by a friendly skeleton guardian was not registering against enemies.
- Addressed an issue where zombies could speed up while under the clock time slowdown effect.
- Addressed an issue where explosive damage vs. Spider / Meatball enemies did not register correctly.
- Addressed an issue where Spider enemies would not show up on radar.
- Addressed an issue that allowed the Gladiator "Marauder" enemy to melee kill the player when it wasn't facing the appropriate direction.
- Addressed an issue where the Margwa was not dropping loot when killed.
Fates
- Divine Chalice fated players now earn extra life 37.5% faster than standard players at every 125,000 points.
- Divine Chalice fated users now respawn with temporary vitality buff.
- Divine Shield fated players now respawn with Divine Shield buff.
- After Round 64, when a Divine Shield fated player picks up a nuke drop, all players will now be granted a nuke.
- Friendship fated player chickens now last 25% longer.
- The Golden Chicken associated with Friendship Fate now periodically produces eggs in arena.
- After Round 64, the Golden Chicken associated with Friendship Fate will now have permanently upgraded weaponry.
- Addressed an issue that could prevent players from collecting a Fate in the Room of Fate when the room timed out (i.e. grabbing a Fate Rock with less than 4 seconds before the room expired).
Visuals
- Added lighting in the Room of Fate above Fate Rock pedestals five and six.
- Addressed an issue with various particle effects having visibility issues.
- Addressed an issue that could prevent the player's selected character skin from showing up correctly.
- Weapons
- Addressed an issue with the shotgun pickup that could cause it to initially begin firing slowly before speeding up.
Stability
- Added various crash fixes.
General
- Added various exploit fixes.
- Added new camera mode: Extra High.
- Addressed an issue where the player was not able to use the flashlight in First Person.
- Addressed an issue with some collision in the Water Temple arena.
- Addressed an issue in splitscreen mode where players would enter The Wild in shared viewport mode.

Onslaught (PS4/PS5)

Onslaught Express playlist now available on PlayStation. [NEW]
Spaced out special enemy spawns.
Added additional enemies to the mode from "Firebase Z."

Stability

Added various crash fixes.

General

Party Leader is no longer required to have Dead Ops Arcade 3 installed for their party to join for other Zombies game modes.
Addressed an issue that caused zombies to maintain a slowdown debuff forever if it ended while they were mantling.

PC

Stability

Added various crash fixes.
Fixed a crash that could occur when watching a replay in Theater.
Fixed a crash that could prevent the game from starting under some conditions on Windows 7.

General

Addressed an issue that could result in loss of keyboard/mouse functionality when opening and closing the Windows key + G capture menu.
Addressed an issue where players could get stuck in the pause menu under certain circumstances during a game.

Source: Call of Duty

Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition Review

With the dawn of a new generation, developers and publishers have been forced into making a choice: do you release a free update, or charge for an expanded or remastered version of a game? For Team Ninja's stab at the tough as nails action role-playing game – a Soulslike, if you will – The Nioh Collection is seeing them do both.

For the original Nioh, PS5 owners can pay for Nioh Remastered – The Complete Edition, either on its own or in the collection, and get an improved version of the 2017 original. Meanwhile, anyone that bought Nioh 2 on PS4 in the last year, or grabs the new The Complete Edition can get a free upgrade to the game on PS5. Conveniently Tecmo Koei have also taken the opportunity to release the sequel on PC for the first time.

I had the absolute pleasure of reviewing the original release of Nioh 2 last year when it launched on PS4, and I think it's fair to say that my opinions on the base game haven't really changed. Thankfully, the Complete Edition adds in a whole heap of stuff that players who've not kept up with the DLC would have missed.

You know, players like me.

Is this too much game?

I like gaming a lot, and I like Nioh 2 a lot, but even the base game took me some 70 hours to get through thanks to the time I spent messing around with side missions and, let's be honest here, a copious dose of dying.

I'm not going to dive into the story too much, but there are a trio of DLC expansions, each of which adds a few new stages and around ten new missions into the mix. Each DLC is likely to take you around ten hours to beat a piece, which means that getting through everything is around 100 hours of gameplay.

When you then add on the potential for New Game Plus, and all of the additions that this mode makes to how the game plays, the enemies you'll face, and even the kind of loot that can drop, you suddenly have what might just be the largest Soulslike in existence.

The co-op is still inspired too, and I'm really hoping other Soulslikes learn from this particular aspect, because not having to use White Soapstones would make my life far easier.

New toys

One of the main things that the first two DLCs, The Tengu's Disciple and Darkness in the Capital, added was two new weapons.

The first of these is the Splitstaff, which is another magical weapon that is basically a big stick with a morning star on either end. I don't think I have to explain why that's cool.

The second one is the one that got me though, as it finally adds a Fist weapon to Nioh 2, which turns you into a martial artist. There's just something wondrous about punching a supernatural being into a pulp, and to say that I was giddy upon managing it for the first time would be a gross understatement of how easily pleased I am (sometimes).

Sure, the yokai are still terrifying, but it's hard to feel too cowardly when you can take them down by kicking them straight in the chin. Well, I think that's a chin anyway.

Nioh-ly perfect

Moving to new platforms, it all comes together in a version of the game that runs incredibly well on PC. I only had a couple of stutters in my time with it, and I'm assuming that's more my PCs fault than anything to do with the game at this point (it's getting on a bit).

The only other issues I have with it is that my mouse cursor randomly makes an appearance while playing, and all of the button icons are still listed for a PlayStation controller, even if you're using an Xbox controller (you know, the superior controller from the last-gen). These are fairly small issues, thankfully, but they're noticeable.

On PlayStation 5, it's an already familiar story, but builds off the excellent foundations of the original release. On base PS4 you had a choice between 720p60 and 1080p30, while on PS4 Pro it was 1080p60 and 1800p30. The PS5 upgrade has no need for a 30fps option. Instead, it's 4K at 60fps as standard, with a 120fps performance option for those with TVs or screens that can handle it. From our spot testing using a 1080p 120Hz screen, it looks to be a flawless 120fps, which is no surprise given how well optimised the original release was.

With super-speedy loading times that make your deaths feel like less of a punishment, the only blemish for the PS5 upgrade is the slight awkwardness of bringing forward any progress you've made on PS4. You'll have to load into the older version of the game, upload your save file to a server and then download it again. PlayStation is still silly for these save file shenanigans, but at least you do have transfers, which isn't always guaranteed.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood Review

Not so long ago, I dipped into the visual novel, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest and explored what it was like to feel the inner rage growing during the early stages of a Garou's life. There's no action, but the descriptions were enough to really make you feel the internal struggle of the Chrinos.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood lets you experience the Werewolf journey from a different perspective, one of tearing humans into tiny pieces.

You play the role of Cahal, a very typical bald, gruff, beardy, tattooed man with a lot of pent up rage. One day that rage boils over, Cahal succumbs to his anger and does something truly terrible, resulting in him leaving his pack and going on a five year journey to find and forgive himself. Upon his return, the forest and his pack are in trouble and it's up to Cahal to set things straight.

The bulk of the story sees you chasing down the evil Endron corporation who abducted Cahal's daughter for evil reasons. In this sense, it feels like a classic Mario game, each level ending with the discovery that the bad guys have moved on, taking his daughter with them. The Princess is in another castle.

The action is where this game really shines. It's predominantly a third-person action game akin to, though nowhere near as refined as, the Devil May Cry series.

You start levels in human form, armed with your trusty crossbow and your wits. It's heavily implied that sneaking through levels is entirely possible and encouraged. There are cameras you can avoid and disable if you can sneak to the correct computer, there are reinforcement gates that can be sabotaged, and you can take out a few small enemies with stealth takedowns.

You also have the option of transforming into a Lupus (a wolf) to sneak around levels, utilising tiny grates to manoeuvre in-between areas. You also move faster in wolf form so it's pretty good for getting around quickly.

I liked the idea of this right up until I realised that sneaking was utterly useless because nine times out of ten you will get spotted and then have to enrage, turning yourself into a massive werewolf and fighting your way through. It's made worse by the presence of giant enemies that you cannot take out via stealth, meaning that I'd clear an area out and be left with one guy who I had no choice but to fight. As soon as I transformed, reinforcements were summoned and all my work was down the toilet. My eyes rolled. If you're going to put sneaking into a game, you really should be able to sneak through areas to the end of a segment.

Thankfully the combat itself is great. Being a hulking werewolf feels really satisfying. You have two stances – Agile and Heavy – each with access to different special moves. Agile gives you faster movement speed and attacks as well as generating rage faster, while Heavy means you walk slower, taking less and dealing more damage.

Fighting generates Rage which is then spent to use these moves. Early on you can just have fun slashing and tearing into naughty humans, but later in the game you have to be a little more reserved as you can be overwhelmed rather quickly. It's here that I was saving my rage meter to use on my heal ability, as I'd be dead without it. A lot of enemies fire silver which can be deadly, pre-upgrades, because you cannot heal from silver wounds.

There's also the Fury meter which, when full, triggers The Frenzy mode, granting both benefits of Agile and Heavy stances but not letting you use specials. This mode, in particular, is fantastic once you get some key upgrades mid game, allowing you to heal as you attack.

The sheer carnage is great. You can walk into a room full of crates, machines, desk, people and then once the battle is over, you're left with a room, devoid of furniture and smeared in blood and schmutz.

The rest of the game is… there as well.

Between fights there's a lot of walking from point A to point B which soon gets a little boring. You have hub areas where you can chat to people and take in the sights as well as a couple of side quests involving finding spirits to chat to, but the non-combat parts of the game feel like an afterthought.

As you walk around, both in and out of combat, you'll be using Penumbra Vision a lot, which lets you see into the spirit world, identifying threats, spirits and their connections. This is handy for finding which controls are connected to which camera or gun turret so you can disable them before a fight. It also lets you absorb spirit energy from plants, totems and other objects.

It's spirit energy that feeds upgrades for Cahal, so you don't get stuffed by late-game fights. You also earn spirit energy after enemy encounters. Not all of them, though. This part is so inconsistent to the point where I'm not sure what actually triggers spirit gain. Some large boss fights would give me Spirit and some wouldn't. The same happened with small enemy encounters. During one level, I went the entirety of it without getting anything at all. It was so weird and felt like I was missing something, which in turn made me fairly selective of the skills I picked from the skill tree.

There are simple abilities that upgrade things like the virtually useless crossbow, and then you have the really strong abilities right at the bottom of the page which are essential for surviving later encounters. As the upgrades are split into two sections, you can mostly ignore the base upgrades in favour of the stronger stuff, which undercuts the typical character progression.

Now, I really have to address the overall look of the game, because damn, it looks really poor. Obviously, it's a cross-gen release, but all the way through I felt like I was playing an HD remaster as opposed to a shiny new PS5 game. The characters and surroundings just look… meh. Characters all permanently look surprised and everything just feels a little cheap.

The voice acting is also really bad. Cahal is the best of a bad bunch, but the rest aren't great. Lots of really bad overacting made for many 'What the hell am I listening to?' moments. The dialogue felt devoid of logic a lot of the time, especially with Cahal's daughter, who is berating him for leaving one minute and then in the next scene she's like, 'Oh, I love you, Dad.' which left me laughing at the TV.

One saving grace for the audio was the Metal that played over the top of combat and in various sections of the game. It's what you want to listen to when tearing people apart.

Xbox Game Pass February update adds The Falconeer, Final Fantasy XII, and Jurassic World Evolution

Microsoft has confirmed the games that will be coming to Xbox Game Pass this month, with a mix of games for console, PC, and Project xCloud. The Falconeer is one of the major additions having been a launch title for Xbox Series X|S. Joining The Falconeer will be Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, and that will be available on PC and console. Jurassic World Evolution will be available on Game Pass through console and cloud, along with Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones. Project Winter is coming to all three Game Pass platforms, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is coming to cloud, and Ghost of a Tale will be on PC. The dates for when each is available is below.

February 4th:

Ghost of a Tale (PC)
Project Winter (Console, Cloud, PC)
The Falconeer (Console, Cloud, PC)

February 11th

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PC and Console)
Jurassic World Evolution (Cloud and Console)
Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones (Cloud and Console)
Wolfenstein: Youngblood (Cloud)

Of course when some games are added to the service others leave. This time around those games that are leaving include De Blob (Console), Ninja Gaiden II (Console), World of Horror (PC), and Shadows of the Damned (EA Play/Console).

Source: Microsoft

Madden NFL 21 February title update has been released

EA has released the February update for Madden NFL 21 across PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Stadia. On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S the update addresses issues such as fixing unintended penalties, and stopping players from running out of bounds in error, or ghosting through each other on the sidelines. On PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia the fixes including stopping from defenders avoidance animation from triggering if an opposing player dives. The full and rather extensive patch notes are below.

Madden NFL 21 February Title Update patch notes

Madden NFL 21 (Xbox Series X|S & PS5)

Key Highlights:

In Competitive only, only players with the 'Reach For It' ability will trigger certain reaches
Extensive Coverage fixes for Cover 3, 4, and Man
Locomotion and Pursuit improvements
Made Blocking improvements to handle DBs
Fixed unintended penalties from DL

Gameplay Updates:

Pass Coverage:

Tuning to outside deep-zone defenders in Cover 3 to improve the timing of the drop to get to the appropriate coverage depth when aligned over an outside receiver running a short route (Drag, Smoke Screen, etc.). This adjustment will allow them to get deeper and play any deep routes coming from the slot.
Tuning to outside deep-zone defenders in Cover 3 to reduce the frequency of jumping inside to cover an out-route from the slot, allowing an outside receiver on a Streak/Fade to get behind them. The outside deep-zone defender will now keep his width and continue to leverage his zone-drop accordingly.
Fixed an issue causing receivers to sometimes run into the back of a slower defender playing a deep-zone assignment, leading to an avoidance animation disrupting the route.
Updated Cover 4 Quarters to use more Man Matching principles against Trip formations and improved transitioning from zone to man when matching certain vertical routes.
Fixed an issue causing deep-zone defenders in Cover 4 Quarters and Palms to let streaking receivers run by them on the outside. Now the defenders will backpedal and transition to turn and run with the correct timing.
Tuning to Cover 4 Drop to better cover deep post routes, by improving deep-zone anticipation of vertical routes moving to the middle of the field to reduce the likelihood of big plays over the top of all the deep zone defenders.
Added logic to make the reaction of linebackers in man-coverage more authentic when covering a running back in a block-and-release assignment. The LB's will have the option to either trigger a pass rush and transition to a QB Spy assignment when they see the running-back block, and the timing they use to make the decision will be scaled by their play-recognition rating.
Fixed an issue sometimes causing cornerbacks to instantly rush the passer when playing man-coverage on RPO Screen plays.
Fixed an issue causing all the underneath zone defenders to break out of coverage and rush the Quarterback when he rolled out of the pocket, even if he was not close to the line of scrimmage.
Tuning to improve Jam/Press criteria so user-controlled defenders will be able to trigger the appropriate animations for all angles and situations.

Tackling and Blocking:

Fixed an issue allowing an exploit blitz with nickel corners in the contain assignment. New logic and movement has been implemented for pass blockers to better react to this exploit blitz which is most commonly run out of formations like Dime 1-4-6.
Fixed an issue sometimes causing defenders to get stuck in a breakdown fake-out when the ball carrier was being tackled within close proximity.
Fixed an issue causing unintended 'Roughing the Passer' penalties when pass rushers could obviously see the ball had been released.
Fixed a rare issue with a reach-sack animation that could get misaligned, and make it appear like the QB would be tackled by air.
Tuning to reduce the amount of broken tackles that were triggering from defenders being out of position, with the most significant tuning being done for the Competitive game style. This should result in far less broken tackles from over/under-pursuit defender alignments.

Locomotion:

Tuning to reduce steerability while in Truck animations.
Fixed a rare issue causing ball carriers to get stuck in the running assignment and run out of bounds.
Fixed an issue causing defenders to sometimes use the 'Option Quarterback' carry-style when switching ball hands after an INT.
Fixed an issue causing defenders to sometimes hitch in the transition from pre-play to during-play movement in pass coverage.
Fixed an issue causing Tight Ends to sometimes slide on the cut when running corner routes against certain coverages.
Tuning to improve ball-carrier ability to get through the line when running routes from the backfield.
Fixed a rare issue sometimes causing the ball carrier to freeze up after two spin moves were used in quick succession.

Passing:

Fixed an issue causing the running back's receiver icon to disappear after the handoff when running Gun Doubles Y Off RPO Zone Y Peek.
Fixed a rare issue causing the QB to throw an odd push pass when running Singleback Wing Pair HB Dive Alert Smoke
Fixed an issue causing the QB's arm to get caught up on the running back when attempting to pass during the handoff when running Gun Wing Slot Offset PA Jailbreak Screen.

Abilities:

Tuning to only allow players with the 'Reach For it' Ability equipped to be able to trigger successful pylon/first-down marker reach-tackles for Competitive game style.
Fixed a visual issue allowing the in-game indicators to remain visible during the entire play when using the 'Blitz Radar' and 'Threat Detector' abilities.

Environment:

Fixed various issues sometimes causing the coach or other sideline players to ghost through an opposing player during various sideline interactions with players running or falling out of bounds.
Fixed an issue preventing sideline 'help-up' animations from triggering in situations where they should.

General Gameplay Improvements:

Fixed an issue sometimes causing a new field to load with invisible players after switching Practice type from the Practice Pause menu.
Fixed an issue causing the punter to line up too close to the line of scrimmage when punting from inside the 5-yard line, allowing the punt to be blocked too frequently.

Madden NFL 21 (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Stadia)

Key Highlights:

In Competitive only, only players with the 'Reach For It' ability will trigger certain reaches
Fixed blitz's with Nickel Corners in Contain
Fine-tuned deep-zone defenders in Cover 3
Tuned the distance-based receiver abilities vs. Man-Coverage
Addressed Man-Coverage issues with RPOs and Receiver motion
Fixed frequency of defenders doing QB Slide avoidance

Gameplay Updates:

Fixed an issue causing the tight end to stay in his 3-point stance after being motioned to the slot on running plays out of the Gun Doubles formation.
Fixed a visual issue allowing the in-game indicators to remain visible during the entire play when using the 'Blitz Radar' and 'Threat Detector' abilities.
Fixed an issue causing the QB's arm to get caught on the pulling guard when throwing the ball early on I-Form Slot Flex Power Alert Smoke.
Tuning to the distance-based receiver abilities so the Receivers to increase the receiver's win-chance on the cut vs. man-coverage defenders without a counter-ability, as long the cut is performed in the designated area of the field.
Fixed an issue sometimes causing cornerbacks to instantly rush the passer when playing man-coverage on RPO Screen plays.
Tuning to outside deep-zone defenders in Cover 3 to improve the timing of the drop to get to the appropriate coverage depth when aligned over an outside receiver running a short route (Drag, Smoke Screen, etc.). This adjustment will allow them to get deeper and play any deep routes coming from the slot.
Fixed an exploit allowing the offensive user to manipulate a man-coverage defender by using motion directly after a hot-route.
Fixed an issue causing defenders to trigger avoidance animations any time any ball carrier would dive.
Fixed an issue allowing an exploit blitz with nickel corners in the contain assignment. New logic and movement has been implemented for pass blockers to better react to this exploit blitz which is most commonly run out of formations like Dime 1-4-6.
Tuning to pass-blocking logic to improve 'blocking handoffs' for left tackles when facing two rushers in the outside gap.

In our review for Madden NFL 21, Dom wrote:

Madden 21 has the components to be a solid, if utterly by-the-numbers entry in the franchise. However, a raft of bugs and glitches serve to undo the game's atmosphere at every turn.

You can read the full review here.

Source: EA.com

EA College Football game is coming, but what does this mean for NCAA players?

EA have announced that EA Sports College Football is in development, seeing them return to the field of collegiate sports after several years away to create a counterpart to their main Madden NFL series.

For those who never stopped believing…#EASPORTSCollegeFootball pic.twitter.com/2vDUYnbXEJ

— EA SPORTS (@EASPORTS) February 2, 2021

EA's first college football game came out all the way back in 1993 with Bill Walsh College Football, before evolving into NCAA Football in 1997. The series ran all the way up to 2013 with NCAA Football 14, but was brought to an end after the NCAA and other college football conferences decided not to renew their exclusive contracts with EA Sports.

This was partly down to image rights and a legal dispute over whether players should be able to take a share of the profits that the NCAA was able to generate from their likeness. It's an issue that remains in collegiate sport, though there has been some motion on the matter. Florida, California, Colorado, Nebraska and New Jersey all legislating on the matter and the NCAA has also voted unanimously to loosen the restriction.

That's all great, but what does it mean for players and EA's new College Football game? Well… not a lot. In fact, the game will not include any student-athlete names, images or likenesses, and the only elements that EA will be able to include for authenticity are the logos, stadiums, uniforms, gameday traditions and other colour elements that they can license through the Collegiate Licensing Company.

There's still plenty of time for that to change, though. EA have only just announced this partnership and, while they are able to build on the foundations of Madden NFL in terms of game engines and gameplay, it will still take some time for a game to be released. If the opportunity arises for them to secure a significant number of players' likenesses en masse, they could incorporate them into the game. Indeed, with regard to image rights, EA say they are "continuing to watch those developments closely."

Source: Twitter, press release

Werewolf: The Apocalypse Earthblood Xbox One and Series X|S physical UK release delayed due to Brexit

The physical release of Werewolf: The Apocalypse Earthblood for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S has been delayed in the UK due to logistical issues that have come about from Brexit. Previously the game was going to be available this week, February 4th in fact, but that has now been pushed back to February 12th. Cyanide Studios has confirmed that this will not affect the digital release which UK players will still be able to get from tomorrow. The full statement reads:

"Due to unforeseen logistical problems, partly down to Brexit changes, the physical release of Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood on Xbox systems has been delayed to February 12th in the UK. We apologise to fans for the unexpected delay. This came as a surprise and we want to assure you we're doing our utmost to get the Xbox version to the UK as soon as possible. Please note this has no affect on the digital release of the game."

The game is based on the tabletop RPG Werewolf: The Apocalypse, a part of the World of Darkness universe that also contains Vampire: The Masquerade. The full story follows the Cahal, an eco-terrorist werewolf banished from his tribe, but deciding to fight against the corporations that have caused pollution across the American Northwest. The game will let you shapeshift between wolf, human and werewolf form, to explore, converse, and fight across this region.

This is not the first Brexit related shipping issue that has had an impact within the games' industry. A couple of weeks ago, Bitmap Books suspended shipping to the EU due to the additional charges that customers were facing. The company is looking at ways to alleviate that issue so shipping can resume.

Source: Twitter

Total War: Warhammer III will complete the epic grand strategy trilogy in late 2021

Sega have announced the long-awaited Total War: Warhammer III, the third and final part in an epic trilogy of grand strategy games set in the fantasy Warhammer universe. The game will be coming out in late 2021.

Total War: Warhammer III will explore the mysterious Lands of the East and the daemonic Realms of Chaos for the first time in the series. It will dramatically expand on the factions of Chaos found in the game, featuring Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch as they wage war against Kislev and Cathay.

The new grand campaign will see you tasked with saving or exploiting a dying god, with each race having a different journey through the Chaos Realm that builds up to an endgame to decide the fate of the world.

The first Total War: Warhammer was centred around the Old World (a fantasy representation of Europe), while Total War: Warhammer II looked to the lands to the West where the High Elves had retreated to, leaving the eastern reaches of the Warhammer world unexplored by the games. This was the plan all along, of course, with Creative Assembly embarking on a trilogy to explore these different realms. The surprise, perhaps, is that it's taken this length of time. The first game arrived in May of 2016, and followed in September 2017 by the sequel. It's now going to be approaching a 4 year wait for the third instalment.

"Our vision, from the start, was to create a series that felt like an incredible journey through this world we all loved.," said Game Director, Ian Roxburgh. "The enormous support of our players in ensuring the success of the first two instalments has pushed our ambition to new heights, and we can't wait for everyone to experience it."

One element not discussed in the announcement was how the three games would be united into one gigantic, all-encompassing campaign. Total War Warhammer II featured the Mortal Empires mega-campaign for those that owned both games, and it's expected that this third game will offer the same. We hope to have more details soon.

And will this be the end of Total War: Warhammer? Not likely. It might be the final game in the trilogy, but the second game in particular has been well supported with DLC expansions to add new heroes, factions and campaigns into the game. Expect more of the same to come out in 2022 and beyond.

Total War: Warhammer III will be out for PC, Mac and Linux in late 2021, coming to both Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Source: press release

FIFA 21 Title Update 9 has been released, addresses haptic feedback on PS5

EA has released title update 9 for FIFA 21 on PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This update addresses quite a few things. In gameplay those changes include making volleyed chip shots less effective from distance, stopped the ref blowing the final whistle if a goal scoring opportunity is unfolding. In Ultimate Team the fixes are mainly to the interface with fixes to incorrect displays. On PS5, there have been changes so that haptic feedback has less resistance and does now function properly.