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After announcing a price increase for Xbox Live Gold yesterday, Microsoft has reversed the decision.Pricing will not only remain the same but now, you will also no longer need an Xbox Live

A new Cyberpunk 2077 update is now available for PC and console players alike, as well as Google Stadia. The latest patch is one of many on the horizon following a chaotic launch and this update tackles major areas of improvement including open-world issues, commonly reported bugs, and overall stability concerns. 

CD Projekt Red took to the game's blog to share with players what the latest update has in store, saying "In this update, we focused on various stability improvements, which you can find outlined in the patch notes below. We will continue this work in patch 1.2 and other upcoming updates. At the same time, we will keep fixing the bugs you encounter and listening to your feedback on how to improve the overall game experience."

While new DLC and new-gen updates are still on the horizon, the main priority for the Polish studio currently is to get the issues that contributed to the messy launch under control. This especially became an important focus when Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection began its investigation into the company concerning the game's launch on the heels of two class-action lawsuits from investors. 

The latest patch, called Update 1.1, tackles various stability issues including: 

  • Memory usage improvements in various systems within the game: characters, interactions, navigation, in-game videos (news, tv, etc.), foliage, laser effects, minimap, devices, AI, street traffic, environmental damage system, GPU-related, and more.
  • Various crash fixes (related to, among others, loading saves, game opening/closing and Point of No Return).

It also tackles many of the quest bugs that players have been reporting and a few open-world issues that have been shared as well, especially concerning any of the content surrounding Delamain and achievement/trophy issues. 

For the full list of what the latest patch entails, check out the full update notes below courtesy of CDPR

Quests/Open World

  • Fixed an issue where calls from Delamain would end immediately and seem like they cannot be picked up in Epistrophy.
  • Fixed an issue where players would not receive calls from Delamain when approaching relevant vehicles in Epistrophy.
  • Fixed an issue where the objective could get stuck on "Answer the call from Mr. Hands" in M'ap Tann Pèlen.
  • Fixed an issue where Judy could teleport underground in Pyramid Song.
  • Fixed an issue where it would be impossible to talk to Zen Master in Poem of The Atoms.
  • Fixed an issue where Takemura wouldn't call in Down on the Street.
  • Fixed an issue where Jackie could disappear in The Pickup.
  • Fixed an issue where it could be impossible to get out of the car in The Beast in Me: The Big Race.
  • Fixed an issue where players could stop receiving calls and messages after moving too far away from A Day In The Life area.
  • Fixed an issue where opening the package wouldn't update Space Oddity.
  • Retro-fixed the saves affected by a rare issue where speaking to Judy in Automatic Love would be impossible due to an invisible wall. The underlying issue is under investigation.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented players from collecting the reward in Gig: Freedom of the Press. The quest will auto-complete for those who could not collect the reward previously, and the reward will be provided automatically.
  • Fixed an issue where Delamain would remain silent throughout Epistrophy if the player initially refused to help him.

UI

  • Fixed an issue where prompt for exiting braindance could be missing.
  • Removed an invalid item from loot.

Visual

  • Fixed an issue where a grenade's trajectory could be displayed in photo mode.
  • Fixed particles' hue appearing pink when viewed close up.
  • Fixed cars spawning incorrectly in Reported Crime: Welcome to Night City.

Achievements

  • Fixed an issue where completing one of theassaults in progress in Santo Domingo would sometimes not contribute towards progression for The Jungle achievement, preventing its completion.

Miscellaneous 

  • Addressed the issue responsible for saves getting oversized (related to the modifier indicating if the item is crafted), and trimmed the excess size from already existing saves (note: this won’t fix PC save files corrupted before 1.06 update). 
  • Fixed an issue where input could stop registering upon opening the weapon wheel and performing an action.
  • Fixed an issue where the "Continue" button in the Main Menu could load an end game save.

PlayStation-specific

  • Performance optimization of crowds on PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 5.
  • Various crash fixes on PlayStation 4.

Xbox-specific

  • Improved memory usage for character creation, mirrors, scanning, camera remote control, menus (inventory, map) on Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox One S.

PC-specific

  • It will now be possible to obtain achievements while in Steam offline mode. Note: Offline mode needs to be enabled before starting the game. This change does not work retroactively.
  • Addressed the game startup crashes related to loading cache on NVIDIA graphics cards.

Stadia-specific

  • Concert audio should no longer be inaudible in Never Fade Away.
  • Fixed corrupted textures on several melee weapons.
  • Tweaked default deadzone settings to be more responsive. Note: the change will not affect settings unless they’re set to default.  

Interested in learning what else is going on in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 and the studio behind the open-world game? You can check out our previous coverage here that includes news, mods, and our reviews for both PC and last-generation systems.  

Thursday, 21 January 2021 23:23

Amazon's "Invincible" Set To Debut In March

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Robert Kirkman is best known for his comic series The Walking Dead and its subsequent television adaption. Soon, another one of Kirkman's comics will be hitting your screen, this time as an exclusive to Amazon Prime. The new show is called Invincible, and Kirkman has announced that it will debut on March 26.

Between all of the games and movies that revolve around superpowers these days, you may have reached your saturation point when it comes to heroes in tights with special abilities. Even so, Invincible might be worth giving a chance. It's about a young man named Mark who discovers he has superpowers, but he also happens to be the son of Omni-Man – a Superman-like figure who is the world's most powerful hero. Check out the clip above for a sneak peek at the dynamic between the two characters, and get a broader look at the show with the teaser trailer.

If the concept alone isn’t enough to entice you, then maybe the phenomenal voice cast can lure you in. It features an astounding array of talent, including Steven Yeun (Glenn from The Walking Dead) in the lead role of Mark, and J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy) as Omni-Man. Other people lending their voices to the show include Mark Hamill, Seth Rogan, Gillian Jacobs, Jason Mantzoukas, Sandra Oh, Walton Goggins, Mahershala Ali, and more (including other alums from The Walking Dead). Check out the show’s Wikipedia page and soak in the star power.

Those on the Game Informer staff who have read the Invincible comic say that it is an under-appreciated work, and its quality may even surpass The Walking Dead. So, even if you've never heard of it before today, it seems like fans of superhero fiction should definitely have this upcoming series on their radar. 

Thursday, 21 January 2021 20:33

Vicarious Visions Merges Into Blizzard

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Vicarious Visions has moved from the Activision side of the company to the Blizzard side moving forward, reports Gameindustry.biz. This shift also places the studio head, Jen Oneal, on the Blizzard leadership team where she will report to Blizzard president J. Allen Brack.

Vicarious Visions has a wealth of work on Activision titles under its belt, most recently the Tony Hawk game resurrection in the form of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, which was well received.

"Forget the weird peripherals, bad sequels, and questionable ports that defined Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in the series’ later years," says Game Informer's Brian Shea in our review.  "Instead, remember the glory days of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, because that’s where you’re going with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2. By returning to the first two games in the franchise and modernizing them with changes large and small, developer Vicarious Visions reminds us why we fell in love with this series in the first place." Over the years, Vicarious Visions has been involved with myriad Activision properties, including the Skylanders and Guitar Hero franchises. The list of games Vicarious has touched is huge, but also includes Call of Duty, Destiny, and Crash Bandicoot. Whew!

This shift is not expected to move the 200-ish person Vicarious Visions team out of their New York company headquarters. What role Vicarious will play at Blizzard and what projects they will be working on isn't yet known, but they will be working on existing Blizzard games and initiatives, as far as the initial scope goes.

What do you think about the change for Vicarious Visions? Is this an opportunity to buff up some Blizzard titles that could use some extra power? Are you lamenting the potential loss of more Tony Hawk titles? Let us know what you think of the merger in the comments below!

[Source: Gameindustry.biz]

China-based company Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Don’t Starve developer Klei Entertainment.According to a Klei Entertainment forum post, the Candian studio’s founder Jamie Cheng said the partnership will help the

Tweaks were made to stop the game’s audience facing further criticism, apparently.Mass Effect 2‘s Jack was originally intended to be pansexual, but BioWare cut down non-straight romances over concerns of negative media

A new report states that studio M-Two, which contributed to Resident Evil 3 Remake, is no longer in charge of the Resident Evil 4 remake, and that the game may be pushed

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was a treasure when it first released, and when a modernized version later arrived on Nintendo Switch, the journey got even better. If you're like us and are always on the hunt for an excuse to re-play through the iconic adventure Link himself, might we suggest pointing that sword at Minecraft next? 

Minecraft players are among the most creative in gaming, taking the sandbox world and truly turning out incredible creations. From full-on replicas to fan-driven content, Minecraft is a flourishing world of creativity and wonder. It's also now the home of another new way to experience Link's Awakening because two Redditors banded together to faithfully recreated the Nintendo classic within the world of Creepers and mining. 

[LA] So a while ago I posted some progress on Hyrule minecraft and it got a lot of traction - so I thought I'd show off what me and u/thelasteddieonearth are making: a fully playable and functional Link's Awakening map on Minecraft Java Edition. you can find it and play on Planetminecraft :) from r/zelda

Redditor Pickledscones took to the Zelda forums to share the two-teamed recreation, showing off some progress shots of what an experience in a Hyrule-ified Minecraft looks like. In conjunction with u/TheLastEddieOnEarth, the Link's Awakening Minecraft experience will be fully playable, completely integrating the map of the Nintendo darling within the Minecraft Java Edition.

Interested? You can find this passion project over on PlanetMinecraft, the demo is completely free to play and is available now on PC. Keep in mind, this mod is still a work in progress, but what's been done so far looks wildly impressive. 

Want more mods? Check out a few of my other favorite Mod Corner picks below: 

Thoughts on playing Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening in Minecraft? What other games would you like to see faithfully recreated? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below! You can also hit me up if you're looking for a specific game for mod recommendations!