EA will be fined €500K every week in the Netherlands until FIFA's Ultimate Team Packs are removed from the game

The Netherlands Gaming Authority has ruled that the FIFA's Ultimate Team Packs are a breach of there gambling laws. EA argued that as the packs have no value outside the game and they cannot be exchanged for cash they were not breaching the rules, but this was dismissed by the Judge.

EA have three weeks to take the packs out of the game if they are to avoid any fines and have said they are "disappointed" in the decision.

We do not believe that our products and services violate gambling laws in any way. We are appealing this decision and trying to avoid a situation that will impact the ability of Dutch players to play FIFA Ultimate Team in full.

Belgium was one of the first countries to ban loot boxes which caused Nintendo to close down two of its mobile titles in the country, EA removing FIFA Points from sale, Blizzard removing the option to buy loot boxes with real money, and 2K turning off the option to buy packs in NBA 2K. There has been a growing number of governments that have begun focusing on the impact of loot boxes with both Australia and the US among those nations.

Here the UK the House of Lords has issued a report on the subject of loot boxes in videogames, and has concluded that loot boxes should be classed as gambling. The report also states that this classification should happen immediately. In June the UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport put out a call for evidence as it continued to investigate whether loot boxes should be considered gambling. Back in September 2019, the DCMS recommended that loot boxes get classed as gambling but no legislation as been passed to incorporate those recommendations. In the report and a statement accompanying it the House of Lords said:

"If a product looks like gambling and feels like gambling, it should be regulated as gambling…The government must act immediately to bring loot boxes within the remit of gambling legislation and regulation."

Source: Nu.Nl via VGC

Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six: Quarantine both delayed until after March 2021

Ubisoft have just had an earnings call and Ubisoft chief financial officer Frédérick Duguet has revealed that both Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six: Quarantine have been delayed until at least April 1st 2021, no new date has been given for either title but they should be out by the end of March 2022.

Despite having moved Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Quarantine to 2021-22 to leverage their full potential in the context of production challenges caused by COVID-19, our new non-IFRS operating income targets for 2020-21 remain within the boundaries we set back in May. Being able to maximize the long term value of our IPs while at the same time maintaining solid financial targets highlights the increasing recurring nature of our revenues, the strength of our portfolio of franchises, confidence in our holiday season release slate, and current supportive industry dynamics.

That's a lot of financial waffle, but it basically translates to 'we're making a shed load of cash at the moment so we can afford to delay these games'.

Far Cry 6 was officially announced in a Ubisoft Forward event back in July and was orginally scheduled for February 2021, coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Stadia, and PC via Epic Games and Uplay. As with Ubisoft's other upcoming games, you will get free cross-generation ownership from Xbox One to Xbox Series X via Smart Delivery and from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5.

The game will feature Giancarlo Esposito, who's best known for his role in Breaking Bad, as the main villain. He's the dictatorial El Presidente of the war-torn tropical paradise of Yara. Esposito's character, Anton Castillo, rules this land with an iron fist, attempting to restore it to its former glory as a guerrilla revolution rages in the modern day. He hopes that his son, Diego, will follow in his footsteps.

Rainbow Six Quarantine had already been delayed and was set to release before the end of this year having originally been revealed as part of Ubisoft's E3 2019 lineup. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine is a 3-player squad-based survival FPS being developed by an entirely new team at Ubisoft Montreal, led by game director Bio Jade. The Rainbow Six operators will face off against a mysterious threat infecting human hosts and their surroundings, and there's definitely a bit of zombie outbreak about everything that looks to be going on.

Source: Venturebeat

November's Games with Gold includes Aragami & Full Spectrum Warrior

Microsoft are bringing one of the classic original Xbox games out of retirement for November's Games with Gold selection. Full Spectrum Warrior will be joined by Lego Indiana Jones in the pair of backward compatible games, while Aragami: Shadow Edition and Swimsanity! will fill out the Xbox One spots.

Admittedly it's not the most exciting of line ups as Microsoft hope to embrace a new era of gamer with the launch fo the Xbox Series X|S on the 10th November. Even so, Full Spectrum Warrior was a game that was generally well regarded on the Xbox, and something that I've been curious to check out for a long, long time.

We reviewed Aragami back in 2016, with Miguel scoring it 6/10:

You can see the passion and care put into Aragami from a mile away. Everything about the game shows a love for the stealth genre and the games that made the genre so great. Unfortunately, it isn't until you get up close and start to play the game that you also see all the cracks. Aragami has a lot going for it, but it also has a lot going against it, and those issues keep a good game from being a great game.

Meanwhile, Swimsanity launched in early August across PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. It's described as "a multiplayer underwater shooter with action-packed co-op and versus game modes."

And you can still grab three of the four games from October's selection of spookiness

Source: Xbox

Every game playable on Xbox One will play on Xbox Series X|S on day one (except for Kinect)

Microsoft have confirmed quite definitively that every game that's playable on Xbox One will also be playable on Xbox Series X|S on the day of launch. That includes all the Xbox and Xbox 360 games that were made available through backward compatibility, with only the few games that require Kinect being incompatible.

It's an impressive feat, and backs up Microsoft's statements of intent from all the way back at E3 2019 when the Series X was still known as Project Scarlett. That announcement came as Microsoft ended their backward compatibility programme for Xbox One to focus on ensuring universal support for the upcoming console, capping off the already impressive work that they had done in making previous generations compatible on Xbox One and then enhancing several titles in select ways on Xbox One X.

You can see all the Xbox and Xbox 360 games that are compatible here.

Xbox Series X will play all of these games at their highest possible resolutions and frame rates, enabling whatever Xbox One X enhancements were intended. The Xbox Series S, meanwhile, will play and enhance games to the maximum that was possible on the Xbox One S, again stabilising frame rates and dynamic resolutions.

Those enhancement efforts are continuing on Xbox Series X|S. Microsoft have stated that developers can go back and add new performance targets for the newer consoles with just "three lines of code", which is admittedly a bit hyperbolic. Still, there's other initiatives, such as Auto HDR using machine learning to add HDR to games that weren't designed for the expanded dynamic range, which is actually enabled by default unless Microsoft identify unintended consequences to the technique.

More selectively, Microsoft are also able to double the frame rates of backward compatible games, jumping form 30fps to 60fps, or from 60fps to 120fps. This is much trickier to do, and so being applied on a case-by-case basis, but has already been demonstrated with Fallout 4 hitting 60fps on Xbox Series S.

Over on the PlayStation 5 side of things, Sony have been able to state near universal backward compatibility support, with just 10 games that were found not to work on PS5. As with Xbox, the PS5 will use its additional power to boost game resolutions and frame rates up to their programmed limits for PS4 or PS4 Pro. This means that God of War can play at 60fps in its performance mode, while Ghost of Tsushima seems to have a dedicated graphics mode for PS5 to play at 60fps, double what the PS4 Pro's modes allow.

Source: Twitter

Watch fives minutes of Demon's Souls PS5 gameplay here

Sony have released a second gameplay trailer from the stunning looking Demon's Souls remake for PlayStation 5. A launch title and exclusive for Sony's next-gen console, Demon's Souls will be out on 12th November in the US and select other regions, and 19th November in most other parts of the world, including the UK.

There's plenty of battling through the cramped confines of this trailer, contrasting with the gameplay that was shown in the first gameplay trailer that Sony released last month. Also in contrast to that trailer, the player looked like they knew a bit more of what they needed to do when facing off against the boss characters in the game – this makes sense, since that trailer was set at the beginning of the game.

The second trailer journeys to Stonefang, one of the five different realms of Demon's Souls, where caverns of molten lava light up the weapon forges. Here, you'll face off against the Armored Spider and Flamelurker, both of which feature in the trailer.

What many will take away from it, just as with previous trailers, is just how impressive the game in its grandest moments, really showing off what the PS5 is capable of, and the mastery of Bluepoint in remaking classic titles.

Check out the first gameplay trailer here:

Way back in 2010 when Demon's Souls released for PS3, DJ-Katy wrote the review and said:

Demon's Souls is a very good game. It's not a fabulous game. On the one hand, it's hard to recommend to anyone who isn't a hardcore RPG fan or who doesn't have a mountain of patience at their disposal. On the other hand, Demon's Souls rarely puts a foot wrong – the game mechanics are tough but fair. If you learn from your mistakes, you will progress. You don't die from random issues or problems with the game itself, only your own error as a rule. Really, all this means is that it's a return to the old days when dieing in a game meant losing all your stuff and having to start the level again. It's just that the levels are very, very long.

You can read the full classic Demon's Souls review here.

Source: YouTube, PS Blog

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope Review

'Twas a dark and stormy night…. No really, it was, the wind was hollowing and the rain was lashing against the windows as I sat down to play the latest instalment in Supermassive's The Dark Pictures Anthology. With the lights turned off, the surround sound on, and a friend on hand to play the game in Movie Night mode, I had the perfect conditions to enjoy a spooky story.

This time we are heading in to a dark forest, home to the town of Little Hope, a seemingly abandoned settlement with a dark past. A bus accident leaves a college professor and his four students stranded on the dark road in to town, the mist swirling and forcing them forward. It's a classic horror setting very much like Silent Hill, but with a good dollop of The Blair Witch Project and Cabin in the Woods thrown in for good measure. I don't want to spoil any of the story but suffice to say swatting up on the Salem Witch Trials may help – Season One of the 'Unobscured' podcast is a good listen.

The characters you get to control are Taylor (Caitlyn Sponheimer), Daniel (Kyle Bailey), Angela (Ellen David), professor John (Alex Ivanovici), and Hollywood star Will Poulter as Andrew. I found the Man of Medan cast were an annoying bunch and quite hard to relate to, and although the Little Hope team have their quirks and rough edges, they mostly act like normal, likeable human beings and you will be rooting for all of them to survive.

Ahead of them lie.. things. Honestly, as with most horror games or movies, it's really best if you go in to the game not knowing anything about it, and thankfully the trailers don't spoil the plot and there's a really good twist at the end which, unlike in Medan, I did not see coming.

There are plenty of jump scares and things going bump in the night, and once again the sound design is excellent with creaks and howls putting the player on edge. The Movie Night mode works particularly well; having a friend to talk to and unravel the mystery together is a brilliant idea, but if you don't have a chum to sit next to you on the sofa and enjoy the scares you can also play online.

When I reviewed Man of Medan I had a number of criticism, one of which was the ponderous slow start to the story, something Little Hope quickly rectifies with shadowy figures and a lot of gory deaths. In fact, Little Hope improves on Man of Medan in almost every aspect. It is paced better, the frame rate is more stable on PS4 Pro and the annoying loading screens that broke the tension in the first game are almost non existent. The writing could still do with a little more tweaking – our five protagonists still accept that something supernatural is going far too readily – but this time they do acknowledge horror movie tropes. When John suggests the team split up Taylor is quick to point out that never ends well in films.

Nothing much has changed in terms of how you actually play, though. There's a lot of walking about with a flashlight exploring forests and decaying buildings, all the time picking up clues as to what is going on. As before, pictures and postcards can give you premonitions, glimpses of dangers that may lay ahead, and quick time events return for the action sequences, as do sections where you hide and have to tap a button in time with your heart rate. These are much more forgiving than the first game and are less likely to an instant death.

Also returning is Pip Torrens, the mysterious Curator who critiques your progress and may offer a hint by way of a line from a famous book. As the game progresses we get to learn a little more about him with clues about who he is – I have a feeling there will be a big reveal when the anthology ends. Torrens plays him with delicious gusto, a raised eyebrow or a sly smile hinting as to what is to come, and he's easily one my favourite characters to be found in a video game. Keep an eye out the very first time you meet him as there's a blink-and-you'll-miss it tease of the next two games in the anthology.

Little Hope is a stunningly good looking game, bordering on photorealistic at times. The graphical fidelity, obscure camera angles, and anamorphic format place your right in the middle of a horror movie. That said it's not an out-and-out fright fest. It's very much on the Nightmare on Elm Street end of the spectrum with jump scares and gore, but you end up having a good giggle straight after rather than constantly being on edge and checking behind the sofa for ghosts every five minutes.

A play through lasts around seven hours, so long enough to split over two evenings. As before, you can play with a friend online or go it alone if you are feeling brave. There are a lot of collectables and secrets to discover on repeated plays, as I barely found a fifth of them on my first go and thought I was being thorough. You're also going to need multiple plays through to uncover the full story, and you'll get a different experience once you're armed with the knowledge of what is going on. You also unlock the Curator's cut after your first completion, giving you a slightly different version of the story with new scenes.

Blair Witch: Oculus Quest Edition VR Review

Just over a year after its initial release, Bloober Team's Blair Witch has finally made its long awaited jump to virtual reality. I enjoyed the original version, but was critical of the short running time and its failure to really push the more interesting aspects of its puzzles and setting. The VR version is billed as an entirely new version redesigned from the ground up for VR, so I was excited to strap on my headset and check it out.

Would the result be a horror story for the right or wrong reasons? Dim the lights, check the windows and doors are locked and join me for a suitably spooky Halloween review.

For the moment, Blair Witch VR is exclusive to Oculus Quest with only vague plans to make it more widely available. This is, of course, perfectly timed to coincide with the release of Facebook's shiny new headset, the Oculus Quest 2, but my playthrough was on the original Quest, losing out on some enhanced visuals that include a more realistic dog and more convincing foliage. Such improvements would be welcome as the downshift in graphics from the original to this is striking.

Graphically, the flatscreen version wasn't quite cutting edge but it offered a detailed and claustrophobic gameworld with more than enough fidelity to get across the sense of place. The Quest version is an altogether more impressionistic vision. Textures and resolution are redesigned to fit the limitations of the standalone headset and this felt hugely jarring at first. Fortunately, the innate immersiveness of the VR format soon kicked in and I adjusted.

While the short running time was one of my main criticisms of the original game, VR is well suited to more compact experiences. That being said, I was surprised to discover that the playing time has been cut down even further for this version. Bloober Team have spoken about deliberately condensing the gameworld to minimise the amount of travelling through the forest as they felt that this didn't work as successfully in VR. While this may be true, the result is an environment that feels unnaturally confined and the sense of being lost in the woods is replaced with something that often comes across more like a forest-themed escape room. The woods were always an uncanny space that wrapped around and lead you back to where you started, but this makes the level design more linear.

The storyline of the original is kept intact, as are the main story beats. You play as Ellis, a troubled veteran suffering from PTSD who finds himself lost in the forest whilst searching for a missing boy, Peter. Accompanied by your loyal support dog, Bullet, as well as a handful of 90s gadgets (Nokia phone, handheld camcorder and walkie-talkie) you must face your fears and survive the dangers of the forest while trying to get closer to the mystery at the heart of the forest.

The Blair Witch setting is more context than plot, although she does make occasional audio appearances. The PTSD aspects take an important social issue and represent it in mostly sensitive fashion through Ellis' wartime hallucinations. These episodes, in particular, were hugely effective in VR despite the visual downgrade, and felt more essential than they did in the original version.

Navigating the world offers up a range of VR control options. You can choose to manually move using the Touch controllers or to teleport, with direction either being controlled by your head movement or the right-hand analogue stick. There are also options for seated or standing gaming with the necessary height adjustments. I opted for manual movement with head direction and found this to work pretty well for me. The alternatives are welcome, as everyone's comfort level for VR will be different. I did struggle to set up the height for seated play and either towered over or couldn't reach the table in the game's main menu, but had no problems with standing mode.

As well as the amount of movement being cut back, the puzzles have been redesigned with VR in mind. The tactile immersion of opening doors and pulling levers still feels novel to me, but it is a shame that the changes mainly involve simplifying or removing puzzles. As an example, in the original you have to rearrange fuses to get a car's headlights to switch on. Here, this was simply removed and the process was automated. I can understand the desire to avoid more fiddly operations, but again, the result is a more linear and directed experience. The most interesting mechanic, freezing or rewinding time using the camcorder, is retained and works brilliantly in VR.

While it didn't take me long to adjust to the lower resolution and graphical downgrades, the same can't be said of the slew of immersion breaking glitches. Most of these were minor – Bullet clipping into the scenery was always a bit unpleasant – but I did encounter a couple more serious bugs that stopped progress. Chapter 5, in particular, refused to trigger properly until I loaded an older save. Having played the original, I knew roughly what I needed to do, so likely picked up on this being a glitch quicker than a first time player would.

Where to buy the GeForce RTX 3070 – on sale today at 1PM!

Update 1: They're late! Scan's website has already fallen down, and the other sites still haven't got their listings up yet.

Update 2: Ebuyer has stock listed now, and we've successfully preordered through them. Amazon and Curry's PC World still don't have pre-orders available.

Update 3: Ebuyer has stopped taking pre-orders as well for the moment. It seems as though they're letting some through, and then shutting them off again.

Update 4: Scan is back up, and Founders Edition cards are available.

Update 5: The Founders Edition is now sold out. Other sites with cards from the various manufacturers are on hold for now.

Along with the generational jump that's coming with the arrival of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, PC gamers are all set for some serious leaps with this year's NVIDIA line up of graphic cards. While we've already seen the GeForce RTX 3080 arrive and then promptly disappear, prepare for another round of hunting for one of the most sought-after tech products of the year as the GeForce RTX 3070 goes on sale today at 1PM GMT/6AM PT.

We're all set to keep an eye on stock levels, and try to buy at least one of these things for ourselves, but you can expect them to disappear nearly as quickly as the appear. This will then most likely be followed, just as with the 3080, by months of out of stock notices so if you want one, you need to be ready for it.

UK Stockists

 

NIVIDIA have their own Founders Edition available via Scan for the fantastic price of £469.00 which you can check out here.

Currys PC World will have a full range of cards on sale from ASUS, MSI and Gigabyte here.

Ebuyer feature cards from everyone, including ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, Palit and Zotac which you can find here.

Amazon will of course be doing their best to hoover up as many sales as possible, with their range of 3070 cards available here.

Overclockers UK also have the full range of card manufacturers on their roster, which you'll find here.

Scan have all the manufacturers listed, including EWGA, MSI, PNY, Gigabyte, Palit and Zotac and the link for them is here.

The GeForce RTX 3070 is liable to be the most wanted mass-market card from NVIDIA this year, sitting at the sweet spot in terms of price and power, offering similar performance to last year's 2080 Ti for a much reduced ingoing. Boasting 5888 CUDA Cores, 1.73Ghz Boost Clock, and  8GB of GDDR6 memory this is the one you need, with the Founders Edition starting at £469.

 

Pacer Review

You can't talk about future or anti-gravity racing without talking about Wipeout. Psygnosis' seminal racer was the defining launch game for Sony's then-brand-new PlayStation, setting a tone that drew on club culture and urban joie de vivre to startling effect, while its competitors' azure hedgehogs and Italian tradesmen looked on in wonderment.

Similarly, you can't talk about Pacer without talking about Wipeout. This future racer has been built by a team that includes a number of Wipeout 3 devs, boasts a soundtrack that calls in Wipeout luminaries like CoLD SToRAGE, and puts you in control of a hovering future-ship that you're going to launch through more twists and turns than an M. Night Shyamalan movie. It is, to all intents and purposes, the most spiritual of spiritual successors.

Pacer is an anti-gravity racing game. You want to be the fastest, the quickest and the toughest pilot out there, while you negotiate impossible, futuristic tracks that bend and contort in ways quite unbefitting of a road. Thankfully your craft is agile and nimble, and hovers some six feet off the ground, which surely makes it an absolute cinch to navigate those corners with ease. Right?

Wrong. Just like Wipeout, F-Zero, Redout and Fast RMX before it, the anti-gravity vehicles in Pacer require a certain amount of finesse to get around the course without the constant sound of pranging ailerons against every available surface. To help you in this task your vehicle is fitted with air brakes that you can skilfully engage to smooth away those turns as if they're the wrong kind of peanut butter. Once you get it right, the effect is so magical you'll feel like Gandalf – at least, you would if he was more into futuristic anti-grav racing rather than getting short hairy men to do his bidding.

There's everything you're going to need here for the foreseeable future, with a Career mode that takes you through four speed classes, across fourteen tracks with a host of variables to keep things fresh. The majority of race types will likely feel familiar to Wipeout fans, especially the non-stop Flowmentum, but it's exactly what you would have hoped for. Beyond the offline options, you can head out online for ten player races and I can well see this becoming a hot-bed of competitive clashes.

As you progress through the career mode you'll sign contracts with different companies, each of which will give you a number of team goals to achieve. They're not the most obvious goals in the world, appearing amongst a stream of text, and even then they're unnecessarily obtuse. "Finish ahead of Neu-Tron in every race" basically means you need come first in every single event, except when it's not, and there's no real indication of which company each racer belongs to anyway. It's a good idea, but poorly executed.

You can tune your craft to suit your playstyle in Pacer far more than its inspiration ever did, creating different loadouts to fit particular needs. Performance subsets allow for High Speed, Agility, Defensive and Drifter modifications, or your own custom setups where you can alter the parts for your Engine, Handling, Braking, Anti-Gravity and Defence. New parts and mods are bought using credits earned in-game, and it all flows together very nicely, with a decent array of items to spend your futuristic moolah on.

Following on from there, you can also alter your weaponry loadouts. You can pick from the Defensive end of things through to Long Range offerings, and then modify them so they do exactly what you need them to. I settled for a lock on missile, plumped for a modification that let it bypass enemy shields, and then increased the payload for good measure. Despite sounding like it would decimate everything in its path, it still felt balanced. It certainly became more effective in certain situations, but was far from an automatic win button.

One of the things I love about Pacer is how competitive it is. I detest obvious rubber banding in racing games, and I was impressed to find that if there is any here, it's beautifully well hidden. Races feel close, they feel realistic, and there's often a sense of fighting for position with a well-matched human opponent, as opposed to a pre-programmed reproduction of one.

There is always a sense of danger and drama to proceedings, with incidental narratives forming as you try to hold off other racers. A few accidental brushes of the track walls will have you looking over your shoulder, while the low shield warning will have you praying for the chance to reach the next shield pickup. R8 have done an incredible job of capturing both the essence of competition and of racing, pulling them together in an emphatic manner.

Similarly, Pacer's immense soundtrack unwraps the mid-90's strands of electronica and binds them with twenty-five years of musical evolution. It's fantastic to have CoLd SToRAGE, aka Tim Wright, return to the genre that he's so indelibly linked with, while DUB FX and a host of others turn in an embarrassment of bangers. The soundtrack is a huge success – there's over 80 tracks! – and the only disservice the game does to it is having it set too low in the mix as standard. Be sure to dial it up; it's far too good to miss.

ScourgeBringer Review

ScourgeBringer opens with what can only be described as incomprehensible sci-fi nonsense. There's something about an apocalyptic event that results in the arrival of the bringer of scourges… or maybe just a single scourge, it's hard to tell. All you really need to know is that you play as the most powerful warrior of your tribe, Kyhra, tasked with the redemption of humankind. No pressure.

The game is a roguelite, and by this point you should all know that entails running through levels of chambers that change in layout every time you die, which you will be doing a lot. However, ScourgeBringer does bring in an unusual element to this already potent cocktail: a slight dash of bullet hell. Most enemies have projectiles of sorts, and you have projectile abilities alongside a smash attack capable of sending enemy projectiles back at them. It's satisfying when you manage to nail the timing of this, but to the game's intense discredit, that timing can be a little off on occasion.

The problem here is that the bullet hell gameplay doesn't honestly add anything to the roguelite formula that its better off without. If anything it adds an overly hectic element to a title that's already a little too frenetic. You can dash to enemies and hit them with the smash attack to stun them to stop them from firing, but if you time this poorly you will likely get hit because ScourgeBringer isn't graceful enough to grant the player invincibility on their dashes.

Each death sees you cycling back to this title's hub, The Chiming Tree, to use any of the resources dropped by boss encounters to gain permanent skills to use in later runs, talk to the mostly-useless exposition character, or look over the files you have collected in the levels. There's not much to the location, but this is justified by how little time you spend here.

What hits you whilst playing is how quickly each game loop cycles around. You jump into the portal, slash and shoot your way through various chambers and bosses, invariably die, and then a quick breather at The Chiming Tree before jumping in again. You reach an odd state of flow playing ScourgeBringer; it's not an especially satisfying gameplay loop, but yet you get absolutely absorbed into the overall experience.

One thing that's certain is that this game is, at times, unfairly punishing. You start with a mere five hit points, and any hit from an enemy will know one chunk from that, whether that be from a tiny gnat bite or the fist of a giant golem. As such, until you unlock more hit points from the skill tree (which doesn't give you too much anyway) or find boosts in the levels, you're distressingly squishy for the best warrior of your tribe.

Now, confession time: I needed to lower the difficulty a smidge in this game. I know, I'm a complete travesty. Well, by "lower the difficulty" I mean that I altered a couple of things in the robust (and excellent) in-game accessibility menu to make it a bit more manageable and enjoyable to play. This menu is incredible, allowing the player to tinker with minor elements of the game to allow ease of all players to enjoy.

For instance, ScourgeBringer at full speed can be difficult to play effectively, especially with the bullet hell aspect. You can alter the game and enemy projectile speed, which I did (by 20%, then by 40%) to give a more forgiving window to ricochet the bullets back. As well as this you can remove screen shake and even the possibility of dying at all, if you fancy.

Visually simplistic and (mostly) striking, the game uses neon splashes in its pixel art for distinction and the result is something with a painfully 80s sensibility. The only real criticism here is that the aesthetic style doesn't quite mark out things clearly enough to allow the player to follow when it gets really hectic, resulting in a fair few cheap deaths and hits.

Haven launches in December for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC

The Game Bakers have confirmed that the RPG Haven will be available from December 3rd on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One via Game Pass. Haven is the polar opposite of The Game Bakers last game Furi. Instead of a focus on violence Haven instead is about love and follows the story of Kay and Yu as they traverse across an alien planet after escaping from their own home. On this planet the couple work together to survive. A new story trailer was released today to mark the Haven release date.

You play as both Yu and Kay at the same time, exploring together, fighting in real time, and conversing with one another. Alternatively, you can play with another person with drop in, drop out co-op. One thing that isn't different to Furi are the musical collaborations. Furi won our Best Soundtrack award in 2016, pulling together several different artists. Danger featured on that soundtrack and features here once more.

Source: Twitter

Temtem will be a PS5 early access title and it will be available in December

Earlier this year, the monster battling game Temtem was confirmed for PS5 with the full release edition expected to launch on Sony's new console in 2021. Well, things have changed slightly. While the full release is likely happen in 2021 Temtem will now be released as an early access title on December 8th on PS5, and it will be a console exclusive early access title. Pre-orders for the PS5 version of Temtem are live now and you catch that here.

The early access version of Temtem will feature four of the six islands from the game, and you will be able to experience the story as you traverse the islands. The story is not the only part available. With Temtem being an online title players will be able to battle their Tems against each other in ranked battles. Or you can create your own home in a neighbourhood with other players, and explore each house with no load times as you visit each.

Miguel previewed Temtem for us in January, discussing its potential for greatness:

Temtem has some promising ideas at its core, with a uniquely challenging combat system and a beautiful world to explore. Unfortunately, so many other elements of the game fall flat for this initial release. A harsh economy, a lack of multiplayer content, underwhelming character and monster designs and more plague the title, while minor issues like server caps and constant maintenance add another layer of frustration to the experience. With a projected final release date of Q3 2021, there's plenty of time for Crema to evolve and grow their game, and I only hope Temtem manages to become the ambitious, multiplayer monster-catching adventure it so desperately wants to be.

Source: PS Blog

The Ascent will launch in 2021 for PC and Xbox Series X|S, coming to Game Pass

Curve Digital and Neon Giant have announced that the action RPG The Ascent will be released in 2021 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with the game also coming to Game Pass on launch day. The Ascent will also be available on Xbox One. To mark the announcement Neon Giant has released a new developer walkthrough of The Descent which focuses on two player co-op. The Ascent will allow up to four player co-op when it is released.

Tor Frick, Art Director and co-founder of Neon Giant, said:

"Xbox Game Pass is an amazing proposition for us as a small indie developer with a team of only 11 people, because it allows more players around the world to experience our game. To celebrate this exciting news, we wanted to cement the game's place in 2021's next-gen line-up by casting light on what players can expect to experience at launch.

A list of features for The Ascent was also given:

  • A free-roam play style in a cyberpunk inspired dystopian world
  • Classic RPG mechanics to enable players to build up their character including cyberwear, augmentations and looting
  • An unprecedented sense of verticality within its world, with different levels and platforms discernible within play
  • Double-aim mechanic enables players to utilise the full screen and choose between multiple targets anywhere in the environment
  • A narrative-led adventure playable in single and up to four-player co-op modes

The Ascent was revealed earlier this year during the Xbox Series X Game Showcase. The story of The Ascent is set in the aftermath of the collapse of mega corporation The Ascent Group which controlled the aspects of everyone's lives. In that new vacuum new organisations and criminal syndicates are vying for power. Players are fighting for the survival of their district and will also try and discover what led to the downfall of The Ascent.

Source: Press Release

No Man's Sky Next Generation update will bring enhancements for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC

Hello Games has announced the next update for No Man's Sky and that update is called the Next Generation. No prizes for guessing what the entails. Yep, No Man's Sky will be getting a free update that will bring enhancements for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Current players will be able to move their current gen saves to the next consoles. On Xbox consoles those saves will be compatible automatically while on PlayStation players will have to upload save data for the PS5 version.

The full patch notes for the Next Generation update can be seen below.

NEXT GENERATION CONSOLE SUPPORT

  • No Man's Sky is now compatible with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
  • Save games can be transferred from previous console generations to their next generation equivalent.
  • PSVR owners can continue to experience No Man's Sky in Virtual Reality on PlayStation 5 via the backwards compatibility functionality.
  • PlayStation 5 users can use the Activities feature to track and manage their Journey Milestones.
  • PlayStation 5 users now experience feedback directly through the triggers of their pad.
  • Added support for Tempest 3D AudioTech on PlayStation 5.

VISUAL ENHANCEMENTS

  • Rendering quality has been significantly increased for next generation consoles.
  • Base complexity rendering limits have been removed for next generation consoles.
  • For next generation consoles and PCs running on "Ultra" settings, the distance at which detailed grass, plants, rocks and other objects are shown has increased.
  • For next generation consoles and PCs running on "Ultra" settings, the density of terrain details such as foliage, fungi and rocks has been increased.
  • Texture and geometric detail on a large number of objects such as foliage, fungi and rocks has been significantly increased.
  • Improved the visual effect of grass being pushed aside when walking through it.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the water horizon to appear bumpy.
  • Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause grass to fail to render.
  • Fixed an issue that caused butterfly bellies to be unintentionally always white.
  • Fixed an issue that caused planetary lighting to change after opening and closing Photo Mode.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause foliage to disappear when moving the camera in Photo Mode.
  • Refreshed the set of community images on the Mode Select screen.
  • Updated the style of the hazard protection icons on the HUD.
  • Updated the style of the icons displayed by mission notifications and markers.

PERFORMANCE & STABILITY

  • Fixed a number of rendering-related crashes on PS4.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause very large saves to fail to load on PC.
  • Optimised terrain generation on Xbox One.
  • Introduced a significant number of performance optimisations for all platforms.

QUALITY OF LIFE

  • Improved the feel of space combat. Target locking has been improved, and enemy ships are now more visible with cleaner UI.
  • The camera shake caused by gassy hazardous flora has been reduced.
  • The camera shake when shooting nearby objects has been reduced.
  • Hover text has been added to banner emblems in the Appearance Customiser.
  • On PS4 and Xbox One, when adding a No Man's Sky friend who is playing on on the same platform, players are now also presented with the option to add them as a PSN or Xbox friend.

MISC BUGFIXES

  • Fixed a rare blocker where some players on older saves would be unable to progress in the Atlas Path.
  • Fixed some rare cases where multiplayer sessions could fail to resume correctly after suspending the game on Xbox One.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause a blank Galactic Map when joining a multiplayer game while the host was mid-warp.
  • Fixed an issue where NPC pilots landing on planets could disappear for some players in a multiplayer game.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause players to load into the wrong system when joining a multiplayer game while the host was on the other side of a portal.
  • Fixed an issue that could prevent players from redeeming the pre-order bonus if it was installed while the game was running in the background.
  • Improved the alignment of the camera when interacting with damaged containers.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause ships docking in a Space Station to have incorrect collision.
  • Improved the collision of doors on bases, making them easier to walk through.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented base decals from being deletable after placement.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause multiple mission notifications to display simultaneously and overlap.
  • Fixed a rare case where the tutorial notifications would constantly flicker when starting a new game.
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause inactive missions to progress when using the Multi-Tool Scanner.
  • Fixed a number of incorrect text responses in NPC interactions.

Source: Hello Games

Bravely Default II is going to be released in February, confirms Nintendo

Nintendo has announced that Bravely Default II will be released on February 26th  for Switch, Nintendo has announced. The announcement came by Nintendo's Mini-Direct earlier today.  Nintendo also stated that while it had previously said that Bravely Default II would be released in 2020 the slight delay into 2021 was needed. A small statement was released.

We originally announced that #BravelyDefault II would release in 2020, but more development time is necessary to ensure this RPG experience is the best it can be. Thank you for your patience, and we hope you look forward to setting out on your search for the crystals on 2/26.

Some more details about Bravely Default II were released as well, and the store description reads:

Balance risk and reward in turn-based battles. Characters can make multiple moves in one turn, but then they may be unable perform actions for a while. Balance is key.

  • A new world, a new story, and all-new Heroes of Light ready to save Excillant! Engage in turn-based RPG combat with a risk/reward system in the next entry of Square Enix's Bravely series.
  • The saga begins when our hero Seth, a young sailor, washes up on the shore of one of Excillant's five kingdoms. Here, he meets Gloria of Musa, a princess who fled her kingdom when it was destroyed by evil forces bent on stealing its Crystals. He also encounters Elvis and Adelle, two travelers determined to decipher a mysterious and magical book. It's up to you to stop the forces that threaten these heroes and all of Excillant. 
  • Select from many different jobs, skills, and abilities to customize each party member to fit your strategy. The more you learn, the more tactics you'll wield. Find and defeat one of the powerful bosses who holds an Asterisk to take on even more jobs—take down Orpheus for the Bard job or fell Dag to become a Vanguard!

Source: Nintendo

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity demo out now on Switch

Nintendo has confirmed that a demo for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is now available on Switch, following a mini direct the company released earlier today. The demo for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity allows players to experience the first chapter of the game, with Link, Zelda and Impa being the playable characters. Players have the choice of experiencing the opening chapter alone or play the demo with someone else through local two player co-op.

Nintendo has also confirmed that the progress made in the demo for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity will carry over to the full release, giving players a bit of a head start. The demo link is below.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a follow up to Hyrule Warriors, is set 100 years before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It's coming out for Nintendo Switch on 20th November. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity builds on the hack and slash action of the first Hyrule Warriors game, but adopts some of the visual stylings of Breath of the Wild. You'll be able to play as many characters from that game, You battle swarms of enemies to defend Hyrule, while also solving environmental puzzles, unlocking weapons, crafting, and even using the Sheikah Slate.

The first Hyrule Warriors came out for Wii U all the way back in 2014, then as a swansong release for the 3DS that also introduced Linkle, the first female Link. It was an unlikely marriage of genre and game series, but one that worked, with Koei Tecmo able to explore the breadth of the Zelda game series and incorporate numerous characters. By contrast, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity shifts from the broader franchise to tying in with one of the series' most successful games to date.

In our original Hyrule Warriors review for Wii U, we said:

"This might not be The Legend of Zelda we know, but it's a faithful marriage between the Zelda series and the incredibly fun gameplay of the Warriors series. It's not the next step in the Zelda timeline, but rather an off-kilter non-canon entry which effectively acts as a party with all of your favourite people present. It's a hell of a lot more niche – only really appealing to Zelda fans who don't mind a big change in the gameplay style – but Hyrule Warriors is to Zelda what Mario Kart is to the Super Mario series, and that's brilliant news for dedicated fans."

Hyrule Warriors was then one of the first Wii U games to be given a fresh release on Nintendo Switch, the newer console able to handle the big battles much better, combining the merits of the Wii U game with some of the additions made for the 3DS version. It's still a solid shout for fans of the Warriors style hack and slash, and fans of Zelda in general. Might help while away some of the time as we wait for Age of Calamity.

Source: YouTube

The new PlayStation App which includes PS Messages rolls out today, details here

The new updated PlayStation App has been unveiled by Sony and will be rolled out globally today via and update, but you must be running iOS 12.2 or later or Android 6.0 or later. "The PS App introduces fresh features such as voice chat, native PS Store integration, and a smoother experience delivered in an all-new design," say Sony.

Alternatively the new PS App can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

The old PS Messages app will be retired in a couple of days so make sure you update to the new app!

Here's a list of the key features for PS App:

  • Updated user interface – The first thing you'll notice is the sleek new user interface of the redesigned PS App. The new home screen lets you quickly see what your friends are playing and access details about your recently played games, including your Trophy List.
  • Messages integration – For a unified experience, the PS Messages app feature will now be integrated in the updated PS App so you can seamlessly message your friends all in one place. As part of this integration, PS Messages will no longer be available as a standalone app. Your existing messages and threads in PS Messages will be carried over to the updated PS App.
  • Voice Chat and Party Groups – You can now create party groups from PS App, and voice chat with up to 15 other friends though your mobile phone. Also, a note to fans: the PlayStation team is looking into your feedback around the Parties changes introduced in the PS4 system software update 8.00. There are no updates to share today, but thanks for speaking up about your concerns – we're listening and evaluating.
  • Natively integrated PlayStation Store and remote downloads – The new native PS Store experience enables fast and smooth shopping and browsing, with the ability to remotely download games and add-ons directly to your PS4 and PS5.
  • New features for PS5 – When PS5 arrives, you'll be able to remotely launch games, manage storage on your console if you run out of space while downloading a game, and quickly sign in to PS5 straight from the PS App.
  • All the latest PlayStation news – The Explore tab surfaces Official News from game developers and PS Blog content to help you stay up to date with the world of PlayStation.

ALERT: The PS4 PSVR camera adaptor is not included in the PS5 box, you need to request one separately

Well this is utterly rubbish. Sony have previously stated that the PlayStation 5 camera won't work with PlayStation 4 VR games and that you will need to use an adapter to plug in your old PS4 camera in to your PS5. Annoying as hell, but that's progress for you.

However, it has now been revealed the adaptor will not be in the PS5 box, you need to request one from Sony using the link below.

Request a PS5 camera adaptor

Just to be extra annoying the Captcha on the link seems to be broken and we cannot get past the "I am not a robot" check at present. It's been fixed, but now when you type in the serial number (which by the way is INCREDIBLY SMALL) and enter your details it kicks you back to the start.

Here's more from Sony's FAQ.

Who qualifies for the PlayStation Camera adaptor?

Anyone who owns a PS VR headset qualifies to receive a PlayStation Camera adaptor with a limit of one per household.

What details do I need to provide to make a request?

It will vary by region, however you should be prepared to provide your PS VR processor unit serial number, first name, last name, email address, shipping address, and phone number. Check the rear panel of the PS VR processor unit to find the serial number, which begins with the letter C, M, or P depending on your region.

Why was my serial number not accepted on the webform?

Make sure you've provided the serial number from your PS VR processor unit, which begins with the letter C, M or P. If you are still unable to use your serial number please contact PlayStation Support for additional troubleshooting.

What should I do if I cannot find my country in the drop-down list on the webform?

If you cannot find your country in the drop-down list please contact your local distributor or retailer for support. Contact details are listed in the support information section of your PS VR manual.

What is the warranty for the PlayStation Camera adaptor?

This product is covered by the manufacturer's warranty for 12 months from the date of delivery. Please refer to the warranty included with the PlayStation Camera adaptor if you requested it separately, or the warranty statement included with your PS VR for full details.

How do I connect the PlayStation Camera to my PS5 console using the PlayStation Camera adaptor?

Connect the PlayStation Camera adaptor to a USB Type-A port on the back of your PS5™console. The PlayStation Camera adaptor cannot be used with the PS4™console.
Connect the PlayStation Camera to the AUX port on the PlayStation Camera adaptor.
For further guidance on setting up your PS VR, camera, and console, refer to the instructions included with each product.

Source: Sony

PS5 launch title Bugsnax will be free to PlayStation Plus owners until January!

Sony have dropped the news that Bugsnax will available for free on PlayStation 5 to PlayStation Plus subscribers at no extra cost until January 4th, 2021. This will be an addition to the month's PS4 games, Shadow of Mordor and Hollow Knight.

The team recently revealed the pretty great cast of voice actors that will play the many Grumpuses and the Bugsnax themselves in the game. Here's hoping they don't change Chandlo's face between now and launch, or there will be uproar.

Full cast for the Grumpuses:
Wambus Troubleham – Fred Tatasciore (Overwatch)
Wiggle Bigglebottom – Kenna Ramsey (Background Vocals – David Foster's live band)
Chandlo Funkbun – Yuri Lowenthal (Spider-Man PS4)
Filbo Fiddlepie – Max Mittelman (Saitama in One-Punch man)
Gramble Gigglefunny – Sam Riegel (Critical Role)
Shelda Smellywag – Debra Wilson (Jedi: Fallen Order)
Floofty Fizzlebean – Casey Mongillo (Evangelion)
Eggabell Batternugget – Fryda Wolff (Loba in Apex Legends)
Beffica Winklesnoot – Cassandra Lee Morris (Persona 5)
Snorpy Fizzlebean – Roger Craig Smith (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Cromdo Face – Rick Zieff (Terminator 3)
Clumby Clumbernut – Barbara Goodson (Rita Repulsa)
Elizabert Megafig- Helen Sadler (Battlefront)
Triffany Lottablog- Haviland Stillwell (Devil May Cry 5)

AND the many Bugsnax voice actors:
Abby Trott (Hunnabee & more)
Michael Schwalbe (Scoopy Banoopy & more)
Cristina Vee (Cheezer & more)
Todd Haberkorn (Shishkabug & more)
Jeannie Tirado (Razzby & more)
Julie Nathanson (Banopper & more)
Robbie Daymond (Buffalocust & more)
Courtenay Taylor (Cheepoof & more)

Bugsnax was the real breakout surprise from the PlayStation 5 reveal event back in June, capturing the imaginations of many viewers with its maddeningly catchy music – provided by Kero Kero Bonito – not to mention its weird and wonderful world, in which you are what you eat, and what you eat are the living food items known as Bugsnax, which can only be found on Snacktooth Island.

We spoke to Young Horses shortly after the game's announcement, diving into the music partnership, the iterative process that led to the game's form, and more. Check out the full interview here.

Source: PS Blog

November's PlayStation Plus Games have been revealed!

UPDATE: Middle-earth: Shadow of War and Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition are your PS Plus games for November and PlayStation 5 owners will also get Bugsnax!

Set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth: Shadow of War beckons you once more into JRR Tolkien's iconic world of wizards, orcs and elves. Go behind enemy lines to forge your army, conquer Fortresses and dominate Mordor from within. Experience how the Nemesis System creates unique personal stories with every enemy and follower, and confront the full power of the Dark Lord Sauron and his Ringwraiths in this epic new story of Middle-earth.

In Team Cherry's engrossing 2D explorative platformer, descend into a sprawling underground world of Hollownest to battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs. Unlock new skills and tailor your power sets to fit your playstyle to help you explore twisting caverns, ancient cities and deadly wastes. Uncover a kingdom's ancient history, taking on epic bosses that'll challenge your combat and platforming skills as you strive to solve the mysteries buried at its heart.

Both PS4 games will be available from Tuesday, November 3 to Monday, November 30th. Also you are LL rubbish for not spotting my cunning hints below.. SHADOW of a doubt.. HOLLOW words…

Original story below…

It's time for our monthly guessing game of 'What's on PlayStation Plus this month?'. However, that has been spoiled somewhat as we already know but we can't tell you else Sony will put us in the naughty corner. Hopefully someone else will spot the same leak as us and then we can source them and they get the blame.

Until then I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that it won't be Spider-Man, don't believe those silly tabloids who insist it's going to be Spidey or God of War every single month, ignore their hollow words. We will update this post as Sony officially announce the games at 4.30pm / notice they've leaked the games and hastily try to cover it up.

The store links for the October PS Plus games are below, you have a week to grab them.

Earlier this week it was revealed that PS5 launch title Destruction AllStars would be removed from sale and will now be part of the February 2021 PS Plus line up.

Hi everyone – we wanted to share a quick update on our plans for Destruction AllStars. We've decided to move the game's release from November 2020 to February 2021, where it will be included for two months in PlayStation Plus at no additional cost.

Destruction AllStars is a multiplayer game that's at its best when you're competing with gamers online from all around the world. We want as many people as possible to experience the mayhem on PS5, and what better way to do that than to provide the game to our PlayStation Plus members?

Next week, we'll return with a brand-new trailer and more details on the game, so you'll know exactly what to expect when you download it in February.

This may be disappointing news for some of you who were looking to play the game at launch, but we hope you understand the decision. For those of you that have already pre-ordered the game, be it via PlayStation Store, PlayStation.com, or at retail, your purchase will be refunded.

Thank you for your continued support, we look forward to seeing you in the arena in February!

This explains why we have seen so little of the game, it was less than a month away from launch and all that has been released to the public is a trailer. The game is being developed by Liverpool-based Lucid Games and leaves the PlayStation 5 launch window looking very sparse.

Golf With Your Friends free The Deep course and update out now

The crazy golf carnage of Golf With Your Friends is getting just that little bit crazier with a game update now available that adds a free new 18-hole course entitled The Deep.

The underwater setting sees players take to the depths of the see to find 18 holes of minigolf – what else? The scenery features everything from fully-functional cannons (somehow), sunken ships and even a few Krakens.

As with the rest of the game, up to 12 players can play at once with a variety of game presets and modifiers that turn ball collisions on or off, modify gravity, oddly shaped balls (arf), as well as funky powerups to mix things up even further.

Golf With Your Friends spent a fair bit of time in Steam Early Access before hitting 1.0 and launching in May for across PS4, Xbox One (with Xbox Game Pass), Switch and PC.

While it feels rough around the edges, there's plenty of enjoyment to be had when actually playing with your friends. In our Golf With Your Friends review, I wrote:

Golf With Your Friends has all the rage-inducing charms of minigolf to savour while playing with your chums. With plenty of varied courses to play through and some good variations, there's a lot of fun to be had, even if the game often feels inconsistent and unpolished.

To celebrate the new update, and with a bit of spooking in mind, Golf With Your Friends will be a part of the upcoming Steam Halloween Sale that's due to kick off this week.

Source: press release

Watch Dogs Legion Review

When Ubisoft set out to start crafting their vision of a near-future London fueled by invasive cyber-security and a harsh imbalance of political power, it probably didn't seem like it would be as immediately relatable of a setting as it is. The truth is that this game is releasing in a political climate where so many of the grim challenges this virtual version of London faces are perfectly mirrored by society today. Across the globe, protests fill the streets and police brutalise their own citizens in broad daylight – sights you'll come across all too often as you navigate the open world of Watch Dogs Legion.

The latest entry in Ubisoft's open world hacker adventure isn't squarely focused on these shockingly true-to-life themes, though. While part of your focus in the game is aiming to fight back against the authoritarian regime that has risen to power in London, you'll also be diving into a variety of other cyber-crime adventures that all circle back to a coordinated terrorist bombing in London that caused immeasurable damage and, by all public accounts, was coordinated entirely by nonviolent hacktivist group DedSec. Most of the group winds up being taken down in the aftermath, but they've been framed and soon start rebuilding in order to tackle an organised crime family, a mind-hacking tech mogul, spy conspiracies, and the true organisers of the bombing that set everything in motion.

The reborn DedSec is coordinated by veteran member Sabine and hyper-intelligent AI assistant Bagsley, but there's no one particular protagonist for you to step into the shoes of. Instead, anyone and everyone in London is a potential DedSec recruit and prospective leader of the story-driven uprising. It's the kind of game mechanic that feels like something you and your pals would gush about wanting back in middle school; what if there was a huge open-world game with a bunch of robots and cars and you can play as anyone you want?! Well, Watch Dogs Legion is that.

You'll kick things off as a potential recruit chosen from a list of candidates, but recruitment after that is up to you. You can profile anyone you come across in the world, tapping a button to see their name, occupation, skills, negative traits, and their current opinion on DedSec. If you want to recruit them, some people will happily join you if you just perform a quick favor for them – rescue them from cruel Albion officers, or even assist a friend or relative somewhere else in the city – but other will have a negative view of DedSec. For them, you'll have to work a bit harder, digging into their profile to see what they've been up to and then inserting yourself into their business to do them a few favors and turn their opinions on the group.

It's a fascinating system that feels like a sort of expansive offshoot of the Nemesis system in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and from a gameplay perspective, it works flawlessly. Early in the game, I wanted to recruit a construction worker because they typically have access to a summonable construction drone that you can ride to reach high-places or scope out scenes. I drove around until I found a construction yard full of workers, but before getting there I profiled someone in plain-clothes who seemed very cool and… oh hey, a construction worker! I tried talking to her, but she was in the middle of being harassed by a bookie. I promptly beat the piss out of her harasser and she happily joined up with me to repay the favour. Just like that, my team expanded.

For as naturally as the system of making anyone a playable character works out in terms of gameplay, it doesn't quite gel as nicely with the narrative of the game. Sure, all of these characters have names and jobs, and there are purportedly over a dozen different voices and personality types to make them feel and act differently through dialogue and cutscenes, and yet they end up coming across as ideas of characters more than fully fledged heroes. Even worse, their dialogue in cutscenes sometimes doesn't quite match with what was being said to them. On more than one occasion I saw two recruitable characters talk to each other in a cutscene and basically sound like they were having entirely different conversations. I loved Watch Dogs 2 because it had a core cast of characters with incredibly unique personalities who you saw grow and change throughout the game. Watch Dogs Legion, by comparison, makes you do a lot of that work and growth in your own head.

It was sometimes fun imagining what would cause a secret agent to join DedSec or how my shy and meek hacker character felt confronting huge military goons, but without a strong lead to attach myself to like the previous games had, it was a lot harder to get emotionally invested in any of the story beats presented to me. That said, the story missions flow together a lot better than they previously did, pacing things out at a much more engaging rate than Watch Dogs 2.

Watch Dogs Legion leans far more into the gameplay, presenting a huge toy-box for you to create your own fun in. The game isn't shy on activities. There are loads of side-quests, parcel delivery missions, boatloads of clothing customization, borough liberation challenges, and more. The amount of depth in the recruitment system is staggering too. You'll rarely encounter the same kind of task being given to you twice by potential recruits. Plus, the cascade of relationships that begins to build up the more you play is wild. I turned the game on once and found that one of my favourite characters had been kidnapped, only to find that the ringleader was a Clan Kelley goon that I smacked up during a previous mission.

All of these activities and seamless recruitment mechanics would be for naught if the game wasn't fun, and trust me, it's fun. The same snappy gunplay and fluid car controls of the previous game return, alongside even more hacking-related tools to bust out. You had a summonable drone and RC car in Watch Dogs 2, but in Legion, drones of all types are flying around everywhere. You can hack a news drone to scope out buildings and stun enemies, or you can hack an anti-terror drone to lay supressing fire on baddies while you pilot your character's spider-bot into the building to hack a terminal or download an encryption key. Every mission, challenge, and activity in the game has multiple ways to approach it, building on the emergent and creative gameplay opportunities of the last game.

I imagine that there's a version of Watch Dogs Legion where you have skill-trees presenting you with all of the possible abilities and traits in the game, and I'm so happy that I'm not playing that version. The inundation of modern triple-A games with RPG mechanics like skill trees and levelling numbs my brain, so it's refreshing to see Watch Dogs Legion take a different approach to things.

Plus, it makes gameplay way more challenging and interesting when I have to constantly consider which limited toolkit to bring into the field. Do I play as an ex-Albion officer to sneak into their HQ in uniform? Or do I bust out my hacker who will have to sneak in much more carefully, but has a way easier time downloading encryption keys and disabling security drones? It's a fun and engaging back and forth that, above all else, manages to keep every mission of the game just as engaging from the beginning to the end.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Raid release date and requirements confirmed

Sucker Punch are getting ready to unleash their toughest challenge yet for Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. Later this week, the co-op multiplayer mode will introduce a three-part Raid to the celebrated PlayStation exclusive title.

The Tale of Iyo has a confirmed release date of Friday October 30th – Sucker Punch are likely to provide an exact time at a later date though we'd hazard a guess that it will go live at the same time as the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima: Legends weekly challenges. That would be 08:00AM PT (or 15:00 GMT for the UK crowd).

Before you can even attempt The Tale of Iyo you need to meet a couple of entry requirements. Players must have a Ki (combine gear score) of 100 – if you're struggling, then we have a super easy gear farming guide to help you out.

You will also need to have a full party of four players. The Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Raid demands co-operation and teamwork so matchmaking has been disabled. We'd strongly advise finding other Ghosts in-game and shooting them friend requests ahead of the Raid or scout online for others looking for a group.

In order to fully prepare yourself for The Tale of Iyo, make sure you have unlocked all the techniques for your chosen class, configuring their loadout to suit the scenario. Each class has their own combat role so it's best to have at least one tank player drawing aggro, one solely focused on damage, and one laying down support/healing. Ghost of Tsushima: Legends has a selection of Legendary Items which can be a major help, each one slotted with its own unique ability.

We'll have more on the Raid when it goes live over the weekend!

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Guides & more from TheSixthAxis

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord update improves ranged weapons and more

An upcoming Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord update will focus on improving each of the game's ranged weapon classes to help them feel more unique. This is one of the big changes highlighted in studio TaleWorlds Entertainment's latest development update.

Released back in March, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is still in early access with new features and fixes being constantly rolled out for both its medieval sandbox campaign and online multiplayers modes. Last time, we talked about Bannerlord mods as well as new settlements and maps for players to explore.

This newest update hones in on several systems including the aforementioned ranged weapons as well as an education mechanic for training young NPCs, siege weapon projectiles, prisoner recruitment, and more realistic horses (they can now incur injuries and fall in later battles). On top of that we also have the radial command menu which will hopefully make selecting units and issuing orders much more fluid than the existing system.

For a more in-depth overview of what the new update includes, here's a handy breakdown:

RANGED COMBAT UPDATE
A substantial change to ranged combat is in the works that aims to present you with a more meaningful choice when selecting a ranged weapon by making each of them more distinct from one another.

Currently, all ranged weapons share the same aiming system, with the initial crosshair and accuracy timings being the same across the board. With this update, each weapon will have its own unique aiming curve. For example, short bows will reach their maximum accuracy faster and be able to hold their aim for longer, while longbows will take more time to reach their maximum accuracy and have a shorter window for aiming, but will deal higher single-shot damage.

This change applies to all ranged weapons, including bows, crossbows and throwing weapons, giving each weapon a unique feeling in this subtle but impactful update to ranged gameplay.

EDUCATION
Education is a feature that will allow you to interact with and shape your offspring and other young clan members as they reach certain ages throughout their childhood. This will present you with a number of choices similar to your own character creation for each progression stage, giving you much more control over how your clan develops over time.

MANGONEL PROJECTILES
An update to mangonels is on its way that will bring them closer to their historical anti-infantry routes by giving you the option to fling multiple smaller projectiles towards the enemy instead of a single boulder.

LAME HORSES
A horse! A horse! my kingdom for a horse!

Horses that fall in combat can now be crippled or even killed outright, with lame horses that go on to fall in future battles being permanently downed. So be sure to look after your four-legged friend or be prepared to meet the same fate as King Richard III.

RADIAL ORDER MENU
A new radial order menu is being worked on to make the game more accessible for those of you who are playing with game controllers. This menu is still a work in progress and we are very much open to feedback on it so please make sure to let us know what you think!

PRISONER RECRUITMENT
A change to prisoner recruitment is on the horizon that aims to bring some balance to the feature and add a little depth by making recruitment slightly more difficult. With the change, recruiting prisoners will incur a morale penalty for your party. However, we do also plan to add perks that will make recruitment easier and that will reduce the morale penalty.

FOLLOW COMMAND
We recently added a new way to follow parties on the world map to make things a little less tedious when performing certain tasks. To do this, you simply need to hold down the Left Alt key and click on the party that you want to follow.

BATTANIAN CHAINMAIL
Finally, we have a new Battanian armour on its way. This armour features a decorative bronze disk and tartan shawl over a sturdy chainmail vest.

Source: Steam

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Guides from TheSixthAxis

For more on Mount & Blade II, check in with our Bannerlord early access review.

An Xbox Series X unboxing

Oh yes, we're some of those people. Microsoft have provided us with an Xbox Series X to review, and as we can finally get stuck in with reviewing the company's next-gen obelisk*, the first step we're allowed to do is to unbox the console.

So here it is. An Xbox Series X unboxing.

*other next-gen obelisks will also be available.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe Review

With the Wii U further slipping into the annals of history, Nintendo have been quickening the process of plucking the divisive system's best first party titles and sprucing them up for their incomparably successful hybrid console.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was honestly a no-brainer for the gaming giants, and it's been followed by Donkey Kong, New Super Mario Bros. U and plenty more, but now we're a few years into the Nintendo Switch's life cycle, it's less obvious titles that are undergoing the same glow-up, the latest being Pikmin 3.

Having launched almost a decade after Pikmin 2 on the GameCube, Pikmin 3 was widely celebrated by critics though wasn't exactly the kind of system seller Nintendo desperately needed at the time. Several years later again, there's a good chance this might be your first foray into the bizarre world of Pikmin, but don't worry, you needn't have played those previous two games in the series. Although you'll cross paths with established Pikmin characters such as Captain Olimar, there's little in the way of story and any kind of plot quickly gives way to a sense of exploration.

As strange as it looks and feels, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is relatively easy to get your head around. With your home planet Koppai suffering from famine, brave explorers are sent into space in search of food to bring back home. After landing on the world of PNF-404 you soon discover a bounty of fruit as well as plant-like aliens known as Pikmin.

It's your job to go from level to level, collecting as much fruit as you can and learning more about the biosphere of this strange planet. This is done by navigating with your assigned characters, lobbing Pikmin at enemies, fruits, and other points on the map to interact with them.

Pikmin come in several colours, each with their own unique traits, though there's a fair amount of overlap. For example, Red Pikmin are your primary attackers and can withstand fire, while Yellow Pikmin can resist electricity, linking together to form a conduit. It's only once you've discovered all types of Pikmin that you can fully explore a level.

In the game's story mode you'll have set objectives which often culminate in a major discovery or a boss battle. However, there's plenty of freedom to explore too, harvesting more Pikmin and adding fruit to your finite reserves. While missions aren't timed, you can only remain on an expedition for so long –once the sun goes down you'll consume a unit of fuel and any roaming Pikmin will be gobbled up.

This adds a sense of urgency and forces you to be more efficient in how you play Pikmin 3 Deluxe. After all, if we were to categorise this Nintendo Switch exclusive it would be as a strategy game first and foremost. Spliced with action set pieces and environmental puzzles, there's an overriding focus on Pikmin management and it isn't long before you're given multiple characters to control, allowing you to spread out and cover a wider area.

It takes a few missions to get to grips with how the game flows, but once it snaps you'll enjoy peeling back the layers. The only thing that stands in the way of this is how Pikmin 3 Deluxe plays. Corralling, then cycling between different Pikmin squads feels tricky and imprecise. Without the luxury of a keyboard and mouse, console strategy titles have struggled and while Nintendo's attempt at gamepad controls is serviceable it's not the most fun to get your head around, especially when there's a lot happening on-screen.

Thankfully Pikmin 3 Deluxe has made some quality of life improvements for its Nintendo Switch reincarnation. There's an easier difficulty story mode for a start as well as the option to bring a co-op buddy along for the ride. This comes in hand with better target locking (replacing the Wii U's touchpad aiming) and a hint system always ready to point you in the right direction.

For those returning to Pikmin 3 since its original release, there's new content too. Deluxe packs from all the post-launch DLC as well as new missions featuring Olimar and Louie have been thrown into the bundle. There's also a competitive Bingo Battle mode which pits two players against each other as they scour maps for resources needed to complete lines on their card. Nintendo have also bolstered Pikmin 3 with achievement-like badges for those wanting to wring even more playtime from the game via tracked challenges.

This all comes in a delightfully designed package that has Nintendo slapped all over it. Pikmin's wild worlds are teeming with monstrous minibeasts and other creepy crawlies. You'll find pieces of fruit and other human objects scattered around the game, many times bigger than you and your Pikmin companions. This sense of scale is enhanced with a subtle tilt shift visual effect, as if you're peering into your own garden down the lens of a powerful microscope.

DayZ opens Halloween servers as update 1.10 enters testing

With a growing number of video games celebrating Halloween this week, DayZ is also getting in on the action. Developer Bohemia Interactive have confirmed that their zombie infested survival sandbox shooter will host a number of time limited Halloween servers full of spooky surprises.

This DayZ news comes in tow with details of the next game patch. Bohemia are rolling out DayZ experimental update 1.10 which includes a number of fixes and changes you can review below. Note that this early version of the update will only be available to PC players – there's no confirmation as to when the full release date is or how long console players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will have to wait.

Anyway, going back to DayZ's Halloween event, servers will be going live today across all platforms (going offline on November 2nd) and will include the following festive tweaks:

  • Pumpkin (plant) spawns in farm areas
  • There is an increased amount of light sources spawning
  • Infected have a random chance to spawn with the Pumpkin Helmet or the red Headtorch
  • Player spawns with an additional item (roadflare)
  • It is always sunset. Fog increased as well.
  • There is "dark" night for everyone
  • Cows, Deers, Pigs, Roedeers and Boars don't spawn.
  • There are a lot more wolves pack in the map. They also hunt in a larger area of the map.

DayZ was recently added to Xbox Game Pass which has led to a surge of new players. The game is currently on sale across all platforms, including its Livonia expansion DLC.

DayZ Experimental Update 1.10 Patch Notes

FIXED

  • Dryed raw meat would still trigger diseases
  • It was not possible to skin an animal using a hatchet
  • The M4A1 could load flare ammunition
  • The wetness badge is now showing up again (as soon as the first item can be wrung out)
  • An incorrect amount of sticks was returned after building a shelter of a different type while having wooden sticks attached to it
  • It was possible to destroy the placed Shelter Kit
  • It was not possible to choose in between different shelter types when more than one material set was attached to the shelter site
  • The action to build a shelter did not complete when holding a tool
  • It was possible to over-stack Wooden Sticks using a fireplace
  • It was not possible to unload a flare from the Signal Pistol when in standing or crouched position
  • The shock hit effect was appearing delayed

CHANGED

  • Lifetimes of items were lowered across the board (2 days have become 8 hours, 1 day has become 4 hours). This change may take up to 3 days to be in effect on the official Experimental servers
  • Removed skinning from the shovel, as it was causing a conflict with the bury action
  • Lowered the heat insulation of the Rain Coat
  • Lowered the heat insulation of the Patrol gear
  • Updated the tourist map for chernarus to include the latest coastline changes
  • Flare light should illuminate its surroundings much better (using linear brightness falloff)
  • Lowered the temperature loss of items when on the player
  • Reduced the overall damage applied to tools
  • Reduced the damage done to tools by burying ashes and players bodies by 60%
  • Increased the health of the Stone Knife, Steak Knife and Kitchen Knife
  • The Leather Shelter now requires 8 Tanned Leather to build
  • The Tarp Shelter now requires 4 pieces of Tarp to build
  • Increased the cargo space of Shelters to 10×10
  • Lowered the character's comfort temperature (making the character more resistant against cold)
  • Increased the impact of altitude on the environmental temperature
  • The regeneration speed of broken legs is now fixed to 30 minutes
  • In case of broken/splinted legs, the health of your legs now defines the character injury animation (slower with lower HP)
  • Walking does not trigger shock damage when having a broken leg and not having a splint
  • Painkillers and morphine reduce shock, dealt by broken legs, more (making them lot more useful in cases, where a player does not have enough time to craft/apply a splint)
  • Crossing waters (by walking or swimming) now makes the player freeze more

LAUNCHER

  • The launcher was not showing the country of the language in the language selection

SERVER

  • Added admin log information on the Shelters

Source: DayZ Forums

Little Witch Academia VR Broom Racing Review

With Halloween just around the corner, it's the perfect time to pretend you're a witch. But wait! There's no need to start constructing houses out of confectionary to entrap small people or hang around on Scottish moors giving predictions to future kings, you can simply grab an Oculus Quest – or Oculus Quest 2 if you're feeling swish – and jump into Little Witch Academia VR Broom Racing, a game bursting with anime witches who want to befriend you and take you broom racing.

Trigger's Little Witch Academia is their most mainstream anime, starring Akko, a student witch who's not particularly good at being a witch, but who is good at trying her absolute best. It's light, it's silly, and it has all the storytelling hallmarks of a Trigger show, though with far fewer severed limbs than Kill la Kill.

Little Witch Academia VR Broom Racing puts you right into the world of the anime. The visuals are just as you'd expect; bright green grass and lurid flowers play home to 3D versions of the well-known cast, while the Luna Nova school building looms large over everything. They are simplistic – there's very little in the way of extra detail if you look around during conversations or mid-flight – but they're effective enough.

Fans of the show will be pleased to discover that the full voice cast have worked on Broom Racing VR, so everyone here sounds exactly like they do in the anime. Akko is unnecessarily hopeful, Susy sounds like she's eaten one too many mushrooms, and Diana carries the weight of upbringing and ability with every single syllable. If you wanted to feel like you're one of the gang, Broom Racing certainly fulfils the fantasy, and as the audio is available in both English and Japanese, you're covered either way.

It's just a shame that the central broomstick flying is about as challenging as Velcro shoe straps. You don't even fly on your own, but are inexplicably involved in some dual stick tethering with one of the cast, though it is you that largely dictates the direction and speed that you fly at. Races involve finding your way through a series of glowing rings, interspersed with magical portals that transport you to different areas to fly through.

No matter what environment you're in, it's as simple as pointing your broom in the right direction. It's rare, even when using a magical power-up or flying through a speed-up, that you'll feel remotely out of control, and as long as you're capable of aiming a stick at a large hoop you'll be able to finish in the top three of every single race.

There's a sprinkling of other witch-y behaviour, as you can collect spells mid-race that you then cast with your free hand. Clutching your wand, it's as easy as waving it in the air as you speed along, unleashing a speed boost or an ensnaring web that slows your opponents down. It adds a modicum of difficulty to what you're doing, but it's not

You assume that this is because they're expecting Broom Racing VR to attract younger gamers, and fans will likely find enough to amuse themselves through an afternoon of Quest-ing, but there's little reason to return. There will be an online component, which is "comming soon" [sic] and might add a little more replay value, but I can't imagine it will have a hugely competitive online scene to sink into.

There is an element of upgrading as you progress, with both more powerful brooms and a small host of crystals that you can equip to further enhance your broom's performance. It's not exactly the Gran Turismo of brooms and the difference between one broom and the next are virtually indistinguishable, but it's nice to have something extra to tinker with as you work your way through the short campaign.

Broom Racing VR at least manages not to make you sick, thanks to being well-optimised and not too wild on the VR racing front. There's a constant leyline that runs beneath the course, so there's always a physical path for you to latch onto, as well as the steady flow of gates, both of which help to keep you, and your brain, grounded.

Unfortunately, that's all there is to it. Anyone hoping to re-enact scenes from the anime, or a cheeky cartoon Harry Potter homage, will find that these brooms are resolutely stuck in more-or-less one place, and you can forget any hopes of simply flying off to check out the top of Luna Nova's impressive tower.

WRC 9 will be a PS5 launch title, but Xbox Series X|S players will have to wait for their upgrade

Nacon have confirmed that WRC 9 will be a PlayStation 5 launch title, with the PS5 release of the game and free upgrades from the PlayStation 4 release available on 12th and 19th November, depending on when the PS5 is launching in your region.

A new trailer has dropped, showcasing the PS5 is 4K and 60fps.

WRC 9 will arrive on PlayStation 5 with a number of improvements, but the biggest one on a technical level is that the console lets KT Racing target 60fps with a dynamic 4k resolution to improve visual clarity as you're racing through each of the real world rallies it recreates. It will also feel different, thanks to the DualSense controller and its new haptic features. KT Racing note that the vibrations the DualSense is able to emit is able to give a different feel to asphalt, gravel and snow, as well as directional impacts, while the adaptive triggers can, for example, make acceleration harder when the car is damaged.

Benoit Clerc, Head of Publishing at Nacon said, "Like all gamers around the world, we couldn't wait to try out the next generation of consoles. After many months of work, it's an honour to be there on day one with one of our flagship titles. The possibilities offered by the new consoles have allowed us to take WRC 9 to a new and incredible level of performance and smooth gameplay, further demonstrating KT Racing's expertise in racing simulations."

One thing that hasn't yet been cleared up is the what will happen to any career and player progression made in the jump from PS4 to PS5. Several games, such as Dirt 5 and Maneater, are not able to offer cross-gen save transfers on PlayStation, while offering that function via Xbox Smart Delivery. Sony have described this as "a developer decision." We've asked Nacon for clarity on this matter.

We also don't know when the Xbox Series X|S next-gen update will be released. This will arrive by way of Xbox Smart Delivery, though, again offering free upgrades.

Yesterday saw Nacon release the 'Blind Jumps' update for WRC 9 on current platforms, adding six new special stated to Neste Rally Finland, a new driver and a photo mode to the game. Further updates will bring additional stages for Rally Portugal, the co-op Co-driver mode, and more.

We rather enjoyed the game at its release in September. Tom said in our WRC 9 review:

With driving that is now on par with the competition, WRC 9 will keep sucking rally fans back in for more. Elements around the core rallying action could still do with some added finesse, but when the basic premise is so solid, those issues fade into the background. At last, Kylotonn has delivered on the promise of authentic driving experience, and for a rallying game, I think that is the single most important element.

Source: press release

PS5 pre-order sales beat first three months of PS4 sales in 12 hours, says Sony

Sony has stated that the pre-order sales for the PS5 have been higher than the numbers for the PS4, and by a considerable amount. According to Jim Ryan, the first 12 hours of PS5 pre-order sales outstripped the sales of the PS4 in its first 12 weeks on sale. These figures are limited to the United States but with how pre-orders were performing across the world with retailers selling out stock quickly that could be the picture everywhere.

In an interview with Reuters, Jim Ryan said:

"The demand as expressed by the level of pre-order has been has been very, very considerable. It may well be that not everybody who wants to buy a PS5 on launch day will be able to find one." 

The PS5 was made available to pre-order in mid September following Sony's PS5 showcase. However, the company was criticised due to how it handled the pre-order process with little warning to consumers despite stating people would be given plenty of notice. Sony apologised but then did similar with the second wave of pre-orders. Sony has stated it will be upping production for the PS5 to try and meet demand for the Christmas rush to meet demand and compete with Microsoft's Xbox Series X|S.

We have a PS5 to test and today Jim wrote about his first experience with the DualSense and Astro's Playroom, which will be a free title for all PS5 owners. In the article, Jim wrote:

As a first experience of PlayStation 5, it's a great one, the nods to the past adding to the joy of getting to finally go hands on and experience what Sony's grand vision for the next generation is. It's just a taster so far, having received and unboxed our PlayStation 5 review unit today, but we can't wait to get stuck in to experience and share more over the coming days and weeks.

You can read the full Astro's Playroom hands on here.
Source: Reuters
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