Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Still on Top of UK Retail Charts

The latest weekly charts for physical sales in the UK are in (via GamesIndustry), with some surprises. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart topped charts last week, making it the series' second biggest launch in the region. It's still on top of the charts this week, but while generally games tend to see drops in sales in their second weeks, Rift Apart has actually sold more than it did at launch.

Meanwhile, Minecraft Dungeons has also enjoyed a surprising bump. Thanks to retail discounts, the game saw a whopping 758% weekly increase in sales, jumping from No. 30 last week straight to second place. The Switch version, which was the discounted one, accounted for 96% of all retail copies sold of the game last week. 

Meanwhile, FIFA 21, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Resident Evil Village have all also seen weekly increases in sales, and all are still in the top 10. Other perennial sellers like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Grand Theft Auto 5, and the Nintendo Switch version of Minecraft are all also in the top 10.

You can check out the full top 10 for the week ending June 19 below.

No. Game
1. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
2. Minecraft Dungeons
3. FIFA 21
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
5. Resident Evil Village
6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
7. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
8. Minecraft (Switch)
9. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
10. Grand Theft Auto 5

Cyberpunk 2077 is Back on the PlayStation Store, but Sony Says PS4 Version is "Not Recommended"

It was confirmed last week that Cyberpunk 2077 would finally be returning to the PlayStation Store, after having been delisted over six months back due to the unplayable condition the game had launched on, especially on the base PS4. Now, the game is finally available for digital purchase on PlayStation consoles again- but Sony and CD Projekt RED both have still issued warnings that the base PS4 version of the game might not be the way to go.

As spotted by VGC, Cyberpunk 2077's PlayStation Store page comes with a warning (screencap below) that players are still experiencing issues with the fact, and that the PS4 version of the game is "not recommended." The warning adds that Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation is best experienced with the PS4 Pro and PS5 versions, which is something the game's official Twitter account says as well. Meanwhile, PlayStation has also said in a tweet that fixes and updates for the game will be "released throughout the year."

Cyberpunk 2077 is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. Native PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game are also in the works.

cyberpunk 2077 ps store

The Falconeer: Warrior Edition Runs at 4K/60 FPS on PS5, Will Target 60 FPS on Switch

Tomas Sala's fight combat game The Falcooner was an Xbox console exclusive when it came out, launching on both active generations of the ecosystem alongside the Xbox Series X/S, but its timed exclusivity is soon coming to an end. In a few weeks, the game will be launching for PlayStation and Switch as well- but what exactly can players expect from it in terms of resolution and framerate where both the PlayStation versions are concerned?

According to Sala, you can essentially expect parity with the Xbox versions. In a recent interview, Sala told us that on the PS5, The Falconeer: Warrior Edition is going to run at 4K and 60 FPS on the PS5, though he adds that that might "get pushed further as new technologies and abilities are unlocked." On the base PS4, meanwhile, the resolution is going to be a mix of 1080p and 900p upscaled, while on PS4 Pro, that gets kicked up to 1440p.

And what about the Switch? Sala confirms that the game targets 60 FPS on the Switch in both handheld and consoles modes. Details about the resolution aren't "set in stone yet" though.

"The setup I use to achieve that is to split GUI and 3D world into separate renders," Sala explained. "The GUI, which is 3D itself (no textures are used in The Falconeer, and that goes for the GUI as well) is rendered at native resolution (so 1080p docked and 720p handheld). And then the 3D world can be rendered at a much lower resolution, while the GUI remains readable and crisp, with a decent anti-aliasing solution thrown in."

As such, currently, Sala said that when the Switch is docked, the game's 3D world is rendered at a 720p, or at 450p when playing in handheld mode, which "gets up sampled and anti-aliased."

He added: "For me, a 60 FPS target is more important than resolution at all times, and this combination seems to hold up well so far."

The Falconeer: Warrior Edition is going to launch for PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch on August 5. Our full interview with Sala will be live soon, so stay tuned for that.

Bloodborne Remaster is out This Year on PS5, Later for PC – Rumor

Of the many rumors that seemingly refuse to die is that of Bloodborne, FromSoftware's incredible action RPG for the PS4, being remastered for PS5. A rumor from June 2020 suggested that QLOC and Bluepoint were co-developing it. In September 2020, another rumor stated that the remaster was quite far along in development with new content added.

Of course, nothing has been seen or heard until then but there could be hope. Souls Hunts, who leaked details on Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin before its official announcement, said on Twitter (translation via DeepL) that a Bloodborne remaster is indeed coming this year to PS5. It will arrive "later" on PC.

However, he also noted that the remaster isn't developed by Bluepoint Games or FromSoftware (while also noting that a sequel won't be happening since the latter is focused on new IPs). It is noted to be "ambitious" though, which might fit the earlier rumor of additional content. Development could also have shifted entirely to QLOC.

Though Souls Hunts has some credibility, take this rumor with a grain of salt. In the meantime, Bloodborne is currently playable on PS5 but only runs at 30 FPS.

Tales of Arise Trailer Showcases Alphen's Backstory and Abilities

Bandai Namco has been showcasing a lot of gameplay for Tales of Arise lately while also getting us acquainted with the cast. In a new character trailer, the focus returns to one of the two leads – Alphen, a native of Dahna who has no memories and feels no pain. He also doesn't have a face until breaking the iron mask that binds him.

Alphen's aim is to ultimately free the Dahnans from the rule of Rena, although why and to what personal end remains to be seen. As a close-quarters fighter specializing in swords, he combines different abilities together, utilizing counters and combos to one-up foes. The next character trailer should focus on Shionne, the second lead who's from Rena and travels with Alphen for her own reasons.

Tales of Arise is slated to release on September 10th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Check out the various Mystic Artes that each party member wields here. For more information on other characters like Kisara and Dohalim il Qaras, head here.

Biomutant Patch 1.5 Increases Level Cap, Improves Loot Generation, and Adds Modifiers to New Game+

To say that Experiment 101's Biomutant wasn't a super-compelling experience at launch would be an understatement. Nevertheless, it's been receiving updates which add new features and fixes. The latest is update 1.5 which adds a new field of view type to allow for changing between horizontal and vertical FOV.

Those who want to earn even more stat points and upgrades can also take note – the level cap has been increased from 50 to 100. This should help in New Game+ which now receives different modifiers to make the experience tougher (with each new loop adding new ones). Loot generation has seen the most changes though with more "superb" loot variations and higher tier relic and legendary weapon parts that will start dropping at level 50.

A scrap function has also been added in case you want to get rid of certain items. Various other aspects have been tweaked like Saw Blades having higher velocity, increased damage for tribe weapons in later parts and so on. Check out the full patch notes here for more details.

Patch 1.5 Notes

PC Specific

  • Added "Field of View Type" setting for selecting between horizontal and vertical Field of View. Vertical Field of View is useful when using a wider monitor to get the correct aspect ratio. By default, the Field of View is set to be horizontal.
  • Fixed crash when temporarily losing contact with the GPU.

PlayStation 4 Specific

  • Fixed some menus not working correctly when Enter and Back buttons are swapped.

Progression

  • Increased level cap from 50 to 100.

Items & Loot

In order to improve the looting experience, we've tweaked how the loot generation works to reduce duplicate items and improve variety. We have also added several new items which have higher stats than their lower rarity counterparts. This means that an item found with a certain rarity can also be found later with a higher rarity and substantially improved stats.

And to top it off, we have also added a much-requested scrap action to the loot screen, which should reduce time spent cleaning up the inventory.

  • Added more superb loot variations.
  • Added higher tier relic and legendary weapon parts that will start dropping at level 50.
  • Updated loot generation to provide more variation and less duplicate items.
  • Added scrap action to loot screen.
  • Added settings for hiding or showing head items.
  • Increased damage of later tribe weapons to better fit player level and gear.
  • Removed add-on slots from special gear that can't be scrapped, lost or crafted with.
  • Fixed issue which allowed an unlimited material supply to be gained from crafting.
  • Fixed Missile Cloud to correctly fire on every fourth shot during Rapid Shot in Super Wushu.
  • Updated Saw Blades to have a lower spread, higher velocity and correct pierce through enemy behavior.
  • Fixed Pichu Nanchuk being hidden in inspect mode.
  • Fixed issue where it was possible to equip another one-handed weapon when the Pichu Nanchuk was already equipped.
  • Fixed issue which caused Valve add-on to have higher stats than intended.
  • Reduced resistance values for Ancient Pants to make other gear more viable.
  • Fixed favorite consumables quick menu being scrambled when there are no free slots available.
  • Fixed Automaton Health Injector cooldown being reset when using Automaton Boost resulting in Automaton Health Injector only being refilled after resting.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Trailer Highlights Critical Praise

Insomniac Games' Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart launched recently and has been doing fairly well. On top of a strong debut in the UK charts, becoming the second biggest launch in the series' history for the region, it's also earned heaps of accolades from critics. A new trailer has been released that highlights some of that praise – check it out below.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart tells a brand new story which sees Dr. Nefarious stealing the Dimensionator from the duo. When things go awry, Ratchet is separated from Clank and has to navigate a dimension where Nefarious has his own evil empire. Meanwhile, a new Lombax named Rivet is introduced and leads the resistance to try and stop Nefarious.

Along with several new planets and weapons, the title also introduces rifts – along with using them for short-range traversal, they also allow Ratchet and Clank to venture through several different dimensions within seconds. Pocket Dimensions are also created, leading to interesting side areas and challenges. For more details, check out our review for the game here.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Includes "The Huddle" for Dialogue Choices in Combat

One of Square Enix's many reveals during E3 2021 – which had more lows than highs – was Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Developed by Eidos Montreal, it's actually a single-player title where you control Peter Quill aka Star-Lord with the other Guardians serving as AI teammates. You'll also be making decisions during the story which can influence how they behave with you but the decision-making also plays a part in combat.

Speaking to VentureBeat, senior narrative director Mary DeMarle talked about a feature called "the huddle" which is used during battles. "The huddle is this wild card that you can use in battle when the huddle gauge has reached a certain point. Now your huddle is available. You can call it and activate a huddle. What happens is, the Guardians all come forward like in a true American football huddle, and you have to listen to them, because it's all based on how they were doing in combat.

"Maybe they were doing great and they're super excited, so excited that they may even be yelling at each other. Or maybe they were doing terribly, and now they're all down. 'We can't do this!' You have to listen to them, and then you have to decide if you're going to motivate them or calm them down. You have a dialogue choice, and when you choose it Peter gives a speech that's loosely based on the lyrics of one of the songs."

Choose correctly and all of your Guardians are powered-up, having recovered to full health with their abilities off cooldown. Of course, you can make the wrong choice and only Quill will get the bonus. "Then you dive into the fight and you're listening to the song that he chose to make his speech. You can sit there and be playing in this final battle to one of the licensed songs." Though this can be bad news for streamers due to DMCA concerns, a PR representative confirmed that there will be an option to turn off licensed tracks.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy releases on October 26th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 , PC and Nintendo Switch. Unlike Marvel's Avengers, it won't have any DLC or microtransactions. For some more extended gameplay of the combat and choices, head here.

Psychonauts 2 Development Has Had No Crunch

Double Fine Productions' Psychonauts 2 has been a long time coming, announced at The Game Awards in 2015 and set to release this August. Even with the more ambitious scope, there's been no crunch involved in the development process. This was revealed by senior producer Kevin Johnson who added that, "The team has been amazing and I'm proud to have been a part of something so special that's been made in the schedule we set forth."

Psychonauts 2 sees Raz returning and now part of Psychonauts HQ. Not everything is as it seems though and he'll have to uncover the organization's secrets, which involves diving into the mind of his old foe Dr. Loboto. Along the way, Raz will gain access to new Psi-Powers including Mental Connection which can be used to pull foes close or grapple to different vantage points.

The game is out on August 25th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PC. It will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass. Lots of gameplay has been revealed during E3 2021 – head here to see the latest trailer.

E3 2021 – 10 Things Players Disliked About It

After skipping a year, the Electronic Entertainment Expo made its return in grand fashion. Just like the good old days, we have multiple showcases and world premieres. However, not everything was a hit and even with current events taking their toll on the industry, there are still a few things that stood as relatively annoying (or were just outright hated). Let's take a look at 10 of them here.

Strange of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin aka Chaos Reigns

You could point to other titles in Square Enix's showcase as being disliked but Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is on top. This is a combination that should have made an immediate impression – Team Ninja of Nioh fame working on a hack and slash Souls-like set in Final Fantasy 1's universe. Plus, it was a surprise announcement – it had to make an impact regardless. It certainly made an impact and unfortunately, it wasn't quite what Square Enix had in mind. From the cheesy dialogue and meme-rific spouting of "CHAOS" to the unimpressive aesthetic and blandly designed main character, Stranger of Paradise garnered mixed reactions. And unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it.

The trial went live on PS5 right after the debut trailer – surely the gameplay was solid, right? No sooner had fans downloaded it than they discovered the trial was corrupted and wouldn't play. Square Enix would release an update to get it working and even then, impressions have been mixed. From what should have been a bright new debut to a floundering on all fronts, Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin's arrival has been painful to witness.