PS5 Launch Day Sales Will Only Be Available Online, Per Sony
In a week's time (or well, two weeks depending on your region), the PS5 will launch. Sony's next generation console is probably the most anticipated piece of tech for this holiday season, I wager, and it feels like it's been a very long road to finally get these on store shelves. Of course, I have to use that metaphorically since it seems there will, in fact, not be any on store shelves.
Sony sent out a post on their official PlayStation blog to basically confirm that any launch day sales for the system will be online only. They are discouraging people from camping out. The main reason given is due to COVID-19 and the hopes of keeping people safe. But considering we got word earlier that Japan has totally sold out of the console before launch, I imagine there could be some overall stock issues at place as well.
The PlayStation 5 will launch in select regions on November 12th with a worldwide rollout a week later on the 19th. If you were lucky enough to get a pre-order in, Sony does confirm that you will still be able to get yours on release day, so this news does not affect you. For those that are going to try and get one at your online store of choice at launch, good luck.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Wants You To Be Yourself In Latest TV Commercial
In a week's time we will once again be able to swing across the skies with one of the most popular superhero of all time, Spider-Man. This time around it won't be Peter Parker, but a newer hero under the mask, Miles Morales. The game promises lots of action, alternate skins to wear and a lot of very neat optimizations for Sony's upcoming PS5. Now we got a TV commercial that implores you to be yourself.
The spot is very brief one, only 30 seconds. It shows Miles getting knocked down for a bit before rising back up to take on the baddies. No gameplay, all CG, and not really sure what the Be Yourself thing is about, but hey, it's good advice if you're not a trash bag of a person.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Mile Morales will launch on November 12th for both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, but beware, the game has been confirmed to have gone out early and spoilers are corrupting the net as we speak.
Microsoft Says They're "Confident" Xbox Series S Storage Will Be Sufficient
In less than a week now, we will get the next generation consoles from Microsoft, the Xbox Series X and the Series S. The lower-end, cheaper entry system, the Series S, has caused some waves for a variety of reasons. Not only is it astonishingly cheap compared to the other systems, some have questioned how effective it'll be. Some developers think it'll be fine, while others worry it may cause issues. But maybe the thing that stung the most was that it was recently reported that the system will only have 364 GB of usable storage from its 512 GB SSD. That is not much, especially since the system is digital-only. Microsoft isn't sweating it, however.
Speaking with EDGE in the latest issue (Christmas 2020, issue 352) Partner Director of Program Management at Team Xbox Jason Ronald said he did not think it would be a huge issue. He said that the team looked at the data and how the user base they are targeting, and he thinks with the way most people who the Series S is aimed at utilize their space, it will be fine with the storage available (thanks to Wccftech for transcribing this)
"As we look at player patterns, there's all different kinds: some people will play ten to fifteen games a month; other players will choose to just play one game, and they play that game religiously. So obviously, in that case, they're not switching games all the time. Some people might choose smaller games, and want to hop between them. So we definitely looked at the data, and we felt confident in the 512GB of the Xbox Series S."
While it's logical and all, 364 is not much, especially as game sizes have continued to balloon as time has gone on. But for the most casual consumer who doesn't buy a lot of games, or just sticks with one game, it may be more than enough. Phil Spencer has also signaled they see the Xbox Series S be the bigger hit of the two systems launching on November 12th, so only time will tell how much it will really matter in the end.
Godfall Launch Trailer Confirms Game Is 6 Month Timed Console Exclusive On PS5
It seems like the one game that has been somewhat tied to the next generation of consoles almost since the beginning has been Godfall. The game from Gearbox and Counterplay Games was one of the first titles to be revealed as coming to the PS5, will launch alongside the system in November, and has hyped up the features unique to the console. Though, as you probably won't be too surprised to learn being a third party title and all, the game is a timed console exclusive.
A new launch trailer was released hyping up the game with a lot of flashy and fun cinematics and some bits of gameplay. At the end, you can see the game is classified as a timed console exclusive, with the exclusivity period ending May 12th, 2021, making this a 6 month period until the game will most likely launch on the Xbox Series consoles, or at least will be able to. Of course, the game has been known to be coming to PC for a long time, so this only applies to consoles, and you can see the PC requirements through here.
Godfall is set to launch on November 12th. Alongside the launch trailer was almost an hour of gameplay footage with some streamer Q&A, all of which you can check out below. We got a chance to sit down and talk with the game's Technical Producer, which you can read in full through here.
Warframe Coming to PS5, Supports DualSense and Activities
Digital Extremes will be bringing its free-to-play looter shooter Warframe to PS5 later this year. It released a new trailer showcasing visual improvements along with reduced loading times. Even better is the fact that all of this runs at "up to" 4K resolution and 60 frames per second.
Thanks to a new enhanced renderer, the development team is able to implement dynamic lighting. As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, this "follows the natural direction and strength of any given light source in an environment." Cross-generation multiplayer for PS4 and PS5 players is also confirmed along with the ability to carry progress over to the latter.
Warframe also utilizes the PS5's new Activities feature with "access to exclusive challenges and rewards." Progress Activities will help track Trophy progress and Challenge Activities allow for jumping straight into certain game modes from the Home screen. Sanctuary Onslaught Challenge will be the first and more are expected in the future.
If that weren't enough, DualSense's adaptive triggers are supported. "At launch, you'll feel the impact of every shot fired with each trigger pull, bringing a new level of immersion and thrill to your actions without comprising the tight, fast, fluid and responsive controls that you can only get in Warframe."
Details on the Xbox Series X/S version and its release are yet to be revealed. Warframe is currently available for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.
Destruction AllStars Receives New Gameplay, Multiplayer Modes Detailed
Following its delay to early next year, Lucid Games has released a new gameplay trailer from Destruction AllStars. This provides a pretty good overview of the gameplay, which includes vehicular combat, evasion and stealing other player's vehicles. Check it out below.
Over on the PlayStation Blog, the developer outlined the various modes that can be expected at launch. Mayhem is like deathmatch – the player who gets the highest score from wrecking other opponents wins. Carnado sees players collecting Gears by damaging or wrecking foes and then sacrificing their vehicle into the Carnado for points. Stockpile is like capture and control, except you need to run on foot to collect the Gears knocked out from an opponent's vehicle and deposit them in one of three banks.
Gridfall sounds like a battle royale-esque style mode (with limited respawns) as 16 players hopping in and fighting for supremacy. There are also Challenge Series against the AI which unlocks different character and player cosmetics, and a Training area for learning the game. Lucid Games is also planning more content for the future including new playable characters, Challenge Series and features along with Seasons, events and new game modes.
Destruction AllStars is out on February 21st 2021 for PS5 and will be included with PlayStation Plus at launch.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla Photo Mode Available at Launch
As a staple of Assassin's Creed titles over the past few years, Photo Mode is also coming to Assassin's Creed Valhalla. It will be available from launch, allowing players to capture the gorgeous vistas of Anglo-Saxon England with a variety of settings. The tweeted images below showcase examples of Photo Mode at work.
Along with shifting the focus and toggling headgear, Photo Mode has different filters and settings for Depth of Field, Exposure, Temperature, Saturation, Bloom and Fog. You can add Vignettes, shift the camera's position and much more. Ubisoft also confirmed that there will be "ongoing enhancements and added features" for the mode in its lifetime.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is currently slated to release on November 10th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia while the PS5 version is out on November 12th. Recently, the in-game store was leaked, showcasing the different cosmetics and items that players could purchase with microtransactions. Expect official details from Ubisoft on that soon.
We're excited to confirm that the beloved #ACPhotoMode returns with Assassin's Creed Valhalla at launch!
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) November 5, 2020
You can expect ongoing enhancements and added features throughout its lifetime. pic.twitter.com/W6JKmO3r49
Outriders – Post-Game Expeditions, Technomancer Revealed
In the latest Outriders Broadcast, People Can Fly finally offered details on the looter shooter's post-game content, which consists of Expeditions. These consist of challenging post-game missions that are entirely brand new (not recycled from the main campaign) with unique mechanics. Though they tie into the overall story as well, the developer wants to avoid spoilers for now.
Expeditions are subject to challenge tiers. These raise the difficulty of enemies while also providing higher level loot. The player's level is capped at 30 but guns and gear can go up to level 50. Successfully complete lower tiers to unlock higher ones and eventually, you'll find yourself at the final Expedition – the Eye of the Storm.
Then there's the Technomancer, the fourth and final available class for players. It allows for acting as a support role with the ability to interrupt bosses, heal teammates and so on. However, the class can also deal high amounts of damage with sniper rifles and even call on summons.
Outriders is set to release for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on February 2nd 2021 with the Stadia version coming later next year.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe Enjoys Strong Japanese Debut With Over 170,000 Copies Sold
Famitsu has released the latest weekly charts for video game software and hardware sales in Japan, and as far as the former is concerned, the top 10 is dominated largely by new releases. Debuting in first place is Pikmin 3 Deluxe, which sees impressive sales of over 171,000 units across the week.
Meanwhile, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster claims both the second and third spots, with the Switch version in second place with over 52,000 units sold, and the PS4 version not far behind with over 48,000 units sold. In fourth place is Ubisoft's open world title Watch Dogs: Legion, which sees sales of over 40,000 units.
GreedFall, Spiders' action RPG, recently saw its launch in Japan, and debuts in seventh place, selling over 13,000 units, while Kamen Rider: Memory of Heroez for the Switch is the sixth debutant in the top 10, slotting in at No. 8 with over 11,000 copies sold.
On the hardware front, the Switch rules the roost once more, selling over 86,000 units, which is up from over 64,000 units sold last week.
You can check out the full software and hardware Japanese sales charts for the week ending November 1 below.
Software sales (followed by lifetime sales):
01. [NSW] Pikmin 3 Deluxe – 171.349 / NEW
02. [NSW] Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster – 52.481 / NEW
03. [PS4] Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster – 48.830 / NEW
04. [PS4] Watch Dogs: Legion – 40.962 / NEW
05. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure – 29.086 / 1.746.352
06. [NSW] Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 24.009 / 5.909.746 (+4%)
07. [PS4] GreedFall – 13.292 / NEW
08. [NSW] Kamen Rider: Memory of Heroez – 11.683 / NEW
09. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 9.569 / 3.238.517
10. [NSW] Pokemon Sword / Shield – 9.421 / 3.783.145
Hardware sales (followed by last week's sakes):
Nintendo Switch – 86,985 (64,768)
PS4 – 3,150 (3,137)
Nintendo 3DS – 1,467 (608)
Xbox One – 36 (47)
[Via ResetEra]
Forza Horizon 4 Xbox Series X Gameplay Showcases Beautiful Visuals, Lightning-Fast Loading
Alongside the likes of Sea of Thieves, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4 is one of many first party Xbox One titles that will be optimized for the Xbox Series X and Series S at launch. Boasting 4K visuals at 60 frames per second, the next-gen version of the open world racer is sounding promising, and we now have a bunch of new gameplay footage to give us a clearer idea of what to expect as well (via ResetEra).
Videos uploaded by Gamersyde Official and MKIceAndFire show the game running on an Xbox Series X, and frankly, it looks stunning. The jump in image quality is instantly noticeable, and 4K and 60 FPS paired together do the game a ton of favours. YouTuber AR12Gaming has also uploaded a lengthy video in which he compares the game's Xbox Series X and Xbox One X versions, comparing everything from the visuals to the load times, and the results are impressive.
Another video uploaded by Xboxdynasty shows how long it takes for the game to load after you switch vehicles- astoundingly, the load times in question are literally less than half a second long. All the videos are embedded below, so make sure to give them a look.
Forza Horizon 4 will be available for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10, and is currently available on Xbox One and PC.