Perfect Dark Design Director Leaves The Initiative

perfect dark

Microsoft set up the youngest studio in their first part portfolio, The Initiative, back in 2018, and the developer confirmed (after months of speculation and leaks) at The Game Awards this past December that they're working on a Perfect Dark reboot. They have, however, lost a key member of their development team.

Drew Murray, who was design director at The Initiative and has been at the studio since the beginning in November 2018, recently confirmed that he will be leaving the studio. Murray stated in a thread on his Twitter that his life outside of work "needs more attention and headspace" than he's been able to give it, and will be stepping down from his role as a result. Xbox boss Phill Spencer also took the opportunity to thank Murray for his help in setting up the foundation for both the studio and its debut game.

Before joining The Initiative, Murray was at Insomniac for a little over ten years. During that time, he was a designer on Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and the entire Resistance trilogy, before going on to serve as game director on Sunset Overdrive. 

Perfect Dark is currently in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC, but has no release date just yet.

Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu is Taller Than Mr. X and Nemesis

Resident Evil Village Tall Lady

Resident Evil fans usually latch on to specific elements of new games in the series to focus all their hype and excitement on. With Resident Evil 2, it was Mr. X; with Resident Evil 3, it was Nemesis; and with Resident Evil Village, as the past few weeks have shown us, the Tall Vampire Lady™ (a.k.a. Lady Dimitrescu) has caught the fancy of the fanbase at large.

But exactly how tall is she? Well, funnily enough, Capcom has an answer for you. In a message posted to Twitter by the official Resident Evil page, RE Village art director Tomonori Takano thanked fans for the positive reception to the game, while also confirming that Lady Dimitrescu is 9 feet 6 inches tall (or 2.9 meters).

That would mean she's taller than both Mr. X and Nemesis. While there's no official word on how tall the former is, Nemesis' height is officially confirmed as 7'3″, and Mr. X is in that same ballpark as well, which means Lady Dimitrescu is more than two feet taller than both of them.

I'm not sure how this affects us, but it's sure good to know, that's for certain.

Resident Evil Village is out on May 7 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A demo is currently available exclusively on PS5, while a second demo will be releasing for all platforms in the Spring.

The Division 2 Update Adds Resident Evil Apparel, 4K/60 FPS Support for Xbox Series X/S and PS5

The Division 2 - Resident Evil

The Division 2's Title Update 12.1 is out today and brings an unlikely crossover. A new Apparel Event focused on Resident Evil will be available to all players, providing outfits based on iconic characters from the franchise. Leon S. Kennedy, Rebecca Chambers and Jill Valentine are accounted for, among others.

Along with the outfits, there are seven new back trophies and four new patches to obtain. This can be done by completing S.T.A.R.S. Support and S.T.A.R.S. Assault projects with a new one available each day. Xbox Series X/S and PS5 players can also rejoice seeing as the update allows for playing the game at 4K/60 FPS on those platforms.

Other welcome changes include optimization costs being reduced by 75 percent while material crafting recipes for optimization have been reduced by 50 percent. The Reanimated Global Event has also been changed – the green cloud that forms upon killing foes with headshots will now heal players and provide a damage boost. Check out the full update notes here for more details.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed issue where gear sets would not correctly display which talents were required to be active for their chest and backpack talents to activate.
  • Fixed issue where Rigger would sometime refresh Tend and Befriend incorrectly.
  • Fixed issue where Memento Kill Confirmed drops could come from friendly skills.
  • Fixed an issue where Memento buffs could last beyond death. Which was both grim and ironic.
  • Fixed issue where directives in the LZ could multiply experience earned in the DZ.
  • Fixed and issue where Legendary Black Tusk would not count as "Black Tusk" for objectives in Leagues and Summit Challenges.
  • Removed objectives for the Skill Demotions Summit Challenge which referred to the Firestarter Chem Launcher and the Shrapnel Trap. The objectives were misbehaving and have been put in timeout.
  • Fixed issue where Vanguard and Perfect Vanguard granted their invulnerability to allies.

Genshin Impact Character Trailer Highlights Xiao

Genshin Impact - Xiao

Arriving tomorrow in Genshin Impact's Update 1.3, Xiao is the latest 5 star character to grace the roster. As the only survivor of the Five Yakshas, Xiao relies on the Anemo element and a Polearm to dish out punishment. Check out the latest character demo trailer below, which showcases some of his moves.

Xiao's normal attack is Whirlwind Thrust which allows six quick strikes and an upward thrust when charged. His Elemental Skill, Lemniscatic Wind Cycling, is a quick dash that damages foes in his path and has two charges. Yaskha's Mask is the name of his Elemental Burst – when activated, his jumping ability, attack AoE and damage are increased. On top of his, his attack damage is fully converted into Anemo and can't be infused.

The downside is that Xiao will keep losing health while the Burst is active, providing a risk vs. reward kind of scenario. Stay tuned for a more in-depth showcase of his skills in the coming days. Update 1.3 arrives tomorrow and adds a new enemy type, a new camera devices, increasing Leyline rewards and much more.

Control: Ultimate Edition Review – Living up to Its Name

In 2019, Remedy released what is probably their best game to date with Control, a stellar metroidvania third person shooter with a riveting story that also paved the way for what's likely going to be an ambitious shared universe roping in games from the developer's past and its future. Now, less than two years on from its original launch, Control is coming to ninth generation consoles, hoping to leverage their more powerful hardware and deliver a better looking and better performing version of an already excellent game. How successfully does it manage to do that?

In one word: very. Control was already an excellent looking game even on base PS4 and Xbox One consoles when it first came out not that long ago, and on the PS5, which is what I played Control: Ultimate Edition on, it looks even better. Meanwhile, boosts to the game's performance have also addressed one of the original release's bigger issues, resulting in a smoother experience that lets the game's biggest qualities shine even brighter.

control

"In graphics mode, Control's visuals really pop. While it's not a night and day difference when compared to the game's base PS4 or Xbox One versions, the improvement is still easily visible."

Like many other games, Control: Ultimate Edition offers two graphical options: a performance mode, which runs at 60 FPS and 1440p upscaled to 4K, and a graphics mode, which runs at 30 FPS and the same resolution, while also offering ray-tracing. In graphics mode, Control's visuals really pop. While it's not a night and day difference when compared to the game's base PS4 or Xbox One versions, the improvement is still easily visible. Textures are sharper, character models and faces look more detailed, and finer details in the environments are more pronounced.

The headlining addition here is, of course, ray-tracing, with everything from polished walls and floors to transparent glass surfaces boasting ray-traced reflections, allowing the game's impressive lighting to flourish even more. While ray-tracing in Control: Ultimate Edition isn't anywhere close to being as good as Control's RTX on a high-end PC, it looks solid enough, and does contribute to making the game look visibly better, rather than simply adding cursory improvements.

That said, for my money, performance mode is the best possible way to play Control. Barring ray-tracing, all of the visual enhancements are available in performance mode as well, while the game also runs at a 60 frames per second frame rate. Control is a game that's defined by fast, bombastic, frenetic action, and while better performance is preferable to better visuals in any game, that's doubly true in games like this one. Control: Ultimate Edition doesn't always stick to its 60 FPS target, but the frame rate drops are largely minor and infrequent.

control

"Playing the game at 60 FPS is a blissful experience, and allows the eye-popping action to really shine."

By and large, playing the game at 60 FPS is a blissful experience, and allows the eye-popping action to really shine. Graphics mode also maintains a steady 30 FPS though, and in my time with the game, there were hardly any frame rate drops there, so if you absolutely do not want to miss out on ray-tracing, you can rest assured that you'll still get a solid baseline level of performance. Frequent and drastic frame rate stutters were a major issue in Control at launch, especially on base consoles, so it's good to see that being addressed so emphatically here.

Meanwhile, on the PS5, the game also features support for the DualSense's haptics and adaptive triggers. There isn't much to say about the former (there's only so much you can say about how intensely the controller vibrates on your hand depending on whether your character is walking on tiles or on carpets), but the adaptive triggers are used to great effect, with the triggers offering different levels of tension and resistance with every pull of the trigger based on what form of the Service Weapon you're using in a firefight. It's not a highlight of the experience, but it's good enough that it deserves to be mentioned.

Meanwhile, with the excellent base game and both of its expansions included in a single package, Control: Ultimate Edition is lacking neither in content nor in quality. The two expansions – The Foundation and AWE – don't really touch the highs of the base game, but they're still solid additions to the experience, and the latter in particular opens the door for an exciting shared Remedy universe. If you haven't played the DLCs before, this is a great chance to do so. It is, of course, disappointing that publisher 505 Games hasn't offered free next-gen upgrades to those who already have Control on PS4 or Xbox One. As such, even with the visual and performance improvements, I wouldn't recommend dropping another $40 on a game you already own (if you do already own it). For newcomers though, this is a must-buy.

control

"With the excellent base game and both of its expansions included in a single package, Control: Ultimate Edition is lacking neither in content nor in quality."

Being less than two years old, Control wasn't really in need of a radical reworking or an ambitious remaster. Control: Ultimate Edition is a pretty conservative upgrade, but the improvements it does make are solid. A pretty game is made prettier still, and the improved performance means that Control's excellent action and shooting feel better and more kinetic than they ever have on a console in the past. If you haven't yet played Remedy's newest classic, wait no longer- Control: Ultimate Edition is the best way to do so.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Overwatch Lunar New Year Event Returns on February 4th

Overwatch Year of the Dog_Lunar New Year

Blizzard Entertainment's yearly Lunar New Year celebration for Overwatch will take place on February 4th to 25th. Like previous years, this one celebrates a specific animal, namely the Year of the Ox. Though no new cosmetics have been unveiled yet, a new highlight intro for D.Va – which sees her mech self-destruct into fireworks – has been teased.

One can expect new Legendary skins, voice-lines and sprays for other heroes when the event goes live. Whether updates will be made to Capture the Flag remains to be seen. At the very least, we can expect Capture the Flag Blitz – which positioned the two opposing flags closer to each other – from last year's event to make a return.

Though Overwatch hasn't received any new heroes since the release of Echo, the development team has been pushing balance patches and new cosmetics. The latest major update added a new Free-For-All map in Kanezaka, which seemingly contains hints on a new hero. Perhaps we'll learn more at BlizzConline 2021 later this month especially with an update on Overwatch 2 planned. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

BlizzConline 2021 Trailer Promises Epic Announcements

BlizzConline 2021

Despite the physical event being cancelled last year due to the pandemic, Blizzard Entertainment will be hosting an online BlizzCon event this month. BlizzConline 2021 features much of the same compelling content, from developer talks and Q&A panels to "epic announcements." Check it out in the trailer below.

In terms of announcements, we have a fair idea of what to expect. Overwatch 2 will be receiving an update, though rumors claim it to still be a ways off in terms of release. Diablo 4 is also slated to make an appearance and should hopefully provide more gameplay along with details of other classes.

There's also a chance that the Diablo 2 Remake is announced, especially with Vicarious Visions being merged into Blizzard Entertainment and reportedly taking over development of the title. BlizzConline 2021 takes place on February 19th to 20th and for the first time, it will be completely free to watch. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Nioh 2 – Update 1.24 Adds Cross-Save Management, Balance Changes

The Nioh Collection

To prepare for its release this week on PS5 and PC, Team Ninja's Nioh 2 has received a new update. Cross-save management for PS4 to PS5 players has been added, allowing PS4 save data to be uploaded and then downloaded to the PS5 version. If you want to transfer from PS5 to the PS4 version, this will also be possible but in both cases, the same PlayStation Network account is needed.

Cross-save transfer also applies to Trophies – any that have been earned on PS4 will be automatically unlocked on PS5. As for balance changes, Burst Attacks for bosses like Nue, Shuten Doji and Otakemaru are now easier to Burst Counter. Bug fixes like special effects, Guardian Spirit actions and Onmyo Magic not activating when the Purified or Sanctity Talisman appeared have also been fixed.

Check out the full patch notes below for more details. Available now for PS4, Nioh 2 will release as Nioh 2 Remastered – The Complete Edition on PS5 and Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition for PC and PS4 on February 5th. It will also be included with The Nioh Collection which launches on the same day. For things you should know before buying it, head here.

Scarlet Nexus Dev Diary Details Lore and Design of the Others

Scarlet Nexus_02

Bandai Namco has revealed quite about Scarlet Nexus since its announcement, from the presence of a second protagonist to the release window. There's still a lot we don't know about the game, especially regarding the antagonistic Others. Though the truth of their nature will be revealed in the full game, the development team did sit down to discuss their backstory and design.

As revealed by director Kenji Anabuki, the Others manifest from the Extinction Belt, a fog-like phenomenon in the sky above New Himuka. Thanks to the humans' ability to predict where they'll land, the Others Suppression Force or OSF can be dispatched to deal with him. Anabuki likens the Others to natural disasters, except occurring on a daily basis.

Design-wise, the Others combine organic with inanimate objects – like household appliances – to create this incomprehensible nature to their design. Their true purpose and nature is no doubt a central part of the game's plot so hopefully we'll learn more when it releases this Summer. Scarlet Nexus is currently in development for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.

Judgment Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Stadia in April

Judgment

Ryu ga Gotoku Studio's Judgment, a spin-off of the famous Yakuza series, is getting a re-release for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Google Stadia. It's out on April 23rd and will retail for $39.99. Check out the announcement trailer below which showcases the game running in 60 frames per second.

Along with an increased frame rate, the re-release will also sport faster load times. All DLC that previously released for the title – like 10 Play Passes, the Landlady's Gift Basket, Detective Life Fun Pack and Play Spot Fun Pack – will be included. Along with a digital edition, there will be a physical release for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in the West, and PS5 in Japan and Asia.

Unfortunately, those who own the PS4 version won't be able to upgrade or transfer their save data over to the PS5 version. For more details on Judgment, check out GamingBolt's official review here. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months, including a potential release for PC.