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Tuesday, 19 January 2021 22:14

Bungie Dev Teases Next Destiny 2 State Of Play, "2021 Is Going To Be Different"

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It's been some time since Bungie split from Activision, and the team has spread their wings in terms of what Destiny 2 has to offer. So what's next? With Beyond Light, the team tried something completely new and despite PvP concerns, the overall reception of how the story has evolved since the Forsaken DLC has been incredibly positive with the community thriving once more. That being said, the work is far from over when taking back the Destiny name since its launch and with two more confirmed expansions on the horizon, it looks like Bungie is almost ready to share what's next following immense player feedback. 

The launch of Destiny 2 wasn't the most stellar of launches. Bungie received a seemingly endless wave of backlash due to predatory monetary practices, a perceived lazy endgame design, and a general feeling of disconnection from the community as a whole. At the time of launch, Activision was the publisher for Destiny 2, creating a more complicated relationship of the game's vision and meeting certain profitable expectations. The team, as a whole, knew this and a plethora of reasons ultimately ended with Activision and Bungie splitting up in a public breakup and since then, the studio has worked tirelessly to make good on their promise to the community for an amazing Destiny 2 experience. For the most part, they've done just that, though there are always areas of improvement and feedback that can either be ignored or implemented; this is largely evident in the current ongoing conversation about the state of PvP, especially following the introduction of the Stasis subclass. That being said, this is only the tip of the iceberg for what's to come and according to game director Joe Blackburn, the best has yet to come. 

Last year, I said Destiny's Best Days are ahead. Seeing what's coming, I believe this more than ever. But we have work to do to get there. 2021 is going to be a little different for Destiny. Taking some time to validate our plans, but expect a state of Destiny 2021 next season.

— Joe Blackburn (@joegoroth) January 19, 2021

In the above tweet, Blackburn reflects back on Destiny's past saying, "last year, I said Destiny's Best Days are ahead. Seeing what's coming, I believe this more than ever. But we have work to do to get there. 2021 is going to be a little different for Destiny. Taking some time to validate our plans, but expect a state of Destiny 2021 next season." 

Bungie already confirmed that there will be two more expansions following Beyond Light, but more than just story expansion is on the way. One Bungie dev mentioned to me previously during a raid that he is excited to share with the community what's next, especially since so many feel like PvP concerns are falling on deaf ears. He says that this is very much not the case but much of that context is still locked behind closed doors. Blackburn's "taking some time to validate our plans" likely includes that revamp, ensuring that everything the team wants to do is viable to ensure a smooth transition into the future of the space franchise. 

The current season is coming to a close with Season of the Hunt ending next month on the 9th. Season 13 will come bearing many of its own changes, including how tokens work, with future seasons bringing about even more change such as transmog, how in-game rewards work, crossplay, and so much more. 

The future has so much potential for where the Destiny franchise can go, whether it be an ongoing continuation of the sequel or a new game altogether. From previous announcements from Bungie, it looks like the team wants a chance to really see Destiny 2's full potential, and with a firm direction in place and a vision in the process of seeing fruition, it will be interesting to see where the shooter goes next (even if we're still crying over that future not including Cayde-6). 

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Wednesday, 20 January 2021 16:31

Get To Know The Zany Cast Of Disgaea 6 In This New Trailer

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Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny is coming exclusively to Switch this summer (in the west at least), and NIS released a new trailer running down the absurd cast of characters players can expect to meet. If for some reason you had any doubts Disgaea 6 would be any less silly than its predecessors, the game's colorful band of heroes should quickly dispel any reservations. 

We’ve already been acquainted with Zed, our attitudinal zombie hero(?) who can die and resurrect repeatedly, which actually raises his strength. Now players can meet Bieko, Zed’s decidedly friendlier sister, their companion Cerberus, the self-centered Princess Melodia, among others. My favorite is Piyori Nijino who is a Prism Ranger. That’s pretty much all you need to know because Prism Rangers rock, so this makes Piyori the best character by default. 

Click here to watch embedded media

Disgaea 6 retains the fun and strategic gameplay fans have come to expect, but throws in a few new wrinkles. The most noticeable is the switch to fully 3D models replacing the signature sprites of past games. The Super Reincarnation system grants Zed karma points every time he dies, which are used to dramatically increase his strength and abilities. The level cap has been raised to an absurd 99,999,999, and the often lengthy battles can now fly by thanks to a new 32x speed mode. 

Although Disgaea 6 is also coming to PlayStation 4 in Japan, us westerners will only get to play it on Switch for the time being (importing not withstanding, of course). Look for it this summer alongside a special Unrelenting Edition that includes a mini art book and digital soundtrack. Be sure to also check out our review of the previous game, Disgaea 5. 

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Wednesday, 20 January 2021 17:27

What's Next For Among Us In 2021?

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Among Us is a charmingly simple "whodunnit" game that came out in 2018, then had a much-deserved second lease on life in the second half of 2020. Since its re-emergence, Among Us has escalated to become one of the biggest games out there, even nabbing a major Video Game Awards spotlight back in December. With a new map and plans of expansion on the way, many are wondering what's next for Among us in 2021? Luckily, the tean over at InnerSloth has some answers! 

In a recent developer update, the studio addressed a commonly asked question: What's next and why is it taking so long? While that seems a little sus and like something only a murderer would say, the studio answered regardless. While a detailed roadmap wasn't offered at this time, InnerSloth did mention that the team is back in full force following the holidays and that as a more concrete plan comes together, they will release a solid roadmap in an effort to continue being transparent with players. 

Another topic the update addresses is accounts. "We wanted to launch this earlier, and we're close, but we want to make sure it isn’t half-baked before implementing. (Trust me - you do not want a bad reporting system with no accountability behind it)," reads the blog post. "The first update for this is primarily focused on moderation - as stated in the previous dev log - and we’re hoping to get this out ASAP. This is a small step towards ensuring everyone playing the game has a safe and welcoming experience! Don’t worry, we’ve heard all your requests for things like a friend system, saved stats, and so on, but for now, this will be the first thing available."

As for the "why is it taking so long?" question, the blog post explains that InnerSloth wasn't really prepared for the popularity en masse that was experienced in the latter half of 2020. In fact, the team was planning on an Among Us 2 since the first one fell under the radar, but then the popularity made them want to focus on making the first game even better so that fans can experience more joy out of the hit indie. 

Click here to watch embedded media

The post continues, saying "Not to dive into too much organizational stuff, but not only did we need to switch back to working on Among Us after thinking it was done, but we also needed to set ourselves up to more sustainably to work on the game. We had to spend 2 months just restructuring, figuring out new processes, and getting external partners to help us manage on board. Originally it was just 3 friends working together (and now I'm here to make 4, hi), but if we wanted this to work long term and hire up, we needed to streamline things."

InnerSloth added, "It’s all behind the scenes work, and while it meant time away from the game, it’ll make it easier for current and future us to develop the game better. Not to mention additional platforms (like Nintendo Switch and Xbox) means more support, certifications to go through, and whatnot. We have help from our porting partners for that, but it still means we need to make sure future things we do are supported on those platforms. There’s a ton of other things out of our control (legal issues, meetings, planning), so sometimes these things take longer as well."

Regardless of what's on the way, I'm personally delighted to see the game's success. So many indies fly under the radar and stay there, so to see one – especially one that was developed by a small team – is incredible to see. To learn more about the murder-happy adventure, you can also check out our full review here! 

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Wednesday, 20 January 2021 17:44

Jackie Welles Actor Wants In On Future Cyberpunk 2077 DLC

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Jackie Welles voice actor Jason Hightower wants to return for future Cyberpunk 2077 DLC and thinks it can happen if fans want it enough.

This article contains spoilers concerning Jackie's character. Plot-specific points are covered in a thin black stripe to avoid accidental spoiling. To read what is under the black lines, simply click on them to show the text below. 

In the first act of Cyberpunk 2077, Jackie Welles and V become close, no matter the life path chosen. While the pair's intro may change, the end result is the same: they're close friends, almost family. Unfortunately, those close ties weren't enough to save the character because an infiltration mission at the Konpeki Plaza goes awry with the same conclusion no matter the choice: Jackie will die. 

The actor says there is a way for his character to return in an epic way. "Listen, I don't want to be the one to say it. We could [make a] DLC upload of Jackie if you wanted," the actor told ExBee. "This is not everyone but, you know, for those who might want a little bit of Jackie in their ear while they're doing missions, there you go."

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that upcoming free DLC is the plan and will drop later this year, but the main concern right now is to fix lingering bugs that were part of the reason the game has been delisted from the PlayStation Store. While bugs are far from the only thing that has made the Cyberpunk 2077 launch anything but ideal, the pressure to make the game functional and enjoyable for all was put on even more with two class-action lawsuits currently in the process alongside the investigation that is ongoing by the Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. 

The issues regarding Cyberpunk 2077, despite there being an enjoyable narrative in the game and characters that matter, are more than just the glitches reported. It was the broken communication between the company and fans (despite deliberate attempts to seem the exact opposite) and the outright attempt at deception by not allowing reviewers access to console versions of the game and purposeful intentions to hide the current state of the game on last-gen platforms; especially the PS4.

Following a recent apology video from the co-founder of CD Projekt Red that seemingly threw the entire Q&A team under the proverbial bus and reports that there was no clear vision for the game itself which caused a chaotic developmental timeline, it will be interesting to see what comes next. With new DLC and multiplayer components on the way, the Polish company has a long road ahead to repair its reputation with consumers and investors alike. Can they do it without causing further harm to the team? 

What do you think about the possible return of Jackie Welles character? Do want to see this happen, or do you think CDPR should focus on the more technical aspects of Cyberpunk 2077 for now? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below. 

[Source: ExBee]

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Wednesday, 20 January 2021 18:07

Conor McGregor Gets A Throwback Version In Latest UFC 4 Update

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EA Sports UFC 4

This weekend sees the return of the biggest star in mixed martial arts, Conor McGregor. The first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history returns to rematch Dustin Poirier this Saturday at UFC 257. In addition to headlining that pay-per-view event alongside Poirier, McGregor is also the main event of EA Sports UFC 4's January title update, which hits today.

To celebrate the highly anticipated UFC 257, EA Sports and developer EA Vancouver have added a new version of Conor McGregor to the featherweight division, where the Notorious Irishman began his UFC run and captured his first UFC championship. The Legacy version of Conor McGregor joins the featherweight division, based on his skillset and look from UFC 178. At that 2014 event, McGregor faced off against Poirier for the first time, knocking him out in the first round. His Legacy model features a 4.5 out of 5 overall rating, with high marks in striking and health.

To continue the Conor celebration, new McGregor-themed vanity items for your created fighters have been added to the in-game closet. These items include an orange shirt and green shorts that say "The King is Back" and a shirt and pair of shorts that say, "I'd Like to Apologize to Absolutely Nobody," – an abridged version of McGregor's famous quote after capturing the lightweight belt at UFC 205 in 2016.

This title update also adds light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka to the game. Prochazka is coming off of a UFC debut in July 2020 where he brutally knocked out former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. He is currently set headline the February 27 UFC Fight Night, where he will face two-time title challenger Dominick Reyes.

EA Sports UFC 4

On top of those two real-world additions, fans of the Fight Night franchise can rejoice, as Andre Bishop and Isaac Frost, the fictional protagonist and antagonist of Fight Night Champion respectively, have been added to UFC 4's heavyweight division. The two fighters were previously added to UFC 3 as one of the final free updates for that game.

Changes have also been made to systems like stamina and submissions, and blocking animations have been added and tweaked. The biggest gameplay change comes in the form of the new ability to throw calf kicks. Performed by tapping the leg kick command instead of holding it, calf kicks do less damage, but are safer than regular leg kicks and are effective at interrupting your opponent's strikes.

The free January title update is available now for EA Sports UFC 4. For more on the game, check out our review.

[Source: EA Sports]

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Wednesday, 20 January 2021 19:35

Valve's Gabe Newell Confirms Company Is Working On "Several New Games"

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Valve has created some incredible games, most notably the Portal, Half-Life, Team Fortress, and Left 4 Dead franchises. With Half-Life: Alyx and Artifact heralding in a return to game dev, Valve CEO Gabe Newell confirms that the company has "several" new titles in development at this time. 

Newell sat down with the folks at 1 News to talk about what's currently coming down the pipeline for the company outside of being a viable storefront for PC gamers. In the interview, Newell addressed Alyx and mentioned that the company is looking to do more single-player games in the future. He added that Alyx "created a lot of momentum inside of the company to do more of that" in terms of single-player narratives. 

In true Newell fashion, there was no confirmation about a possible continuation of franchises like Portal and Half-Life. Instead, he added, “I’ve successfully not spoken about those things for a long time and I hope to continue to not talk about them until they are moot questions. Then we’ll move on to a new set of questions,” Newell said. Valve was recently rumored to be working on a title code-named “Citadel,” but Newell was quick to end that conversation when asked as well.

“We have a bunch of code names — are you referring to a code name?” said Newell. “I don’t know what ‘Citadel’ is — what is Citadel? Just to be clear — internally we have a bunch of different names and they change over time.”

He then confirmed that the company is actively working on several games at this time and that he hopes to have more to reveal soon, though what those titles will have to offer still remains a mystery. 

What do you hope to see from Valve? Portal 3? Alyx in non-VR? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!

[Source: 1 News via DualShockers]

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Wednesday, 20 January 2021 19:45

Apex Legends Season 8 Trailer Reveals The Destruction Of Kings Canyon

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Click here to watch embedded media

Respawn Entertainment unveiled the arrival of Fuse with a new “Tales from the Outlands” cinematic earlier this week. Fans speculate – likely because of the character’s name – that Fuse’s ability kit prioritizes explosives and all-out destruction. In the new Season 8 Mayhem trailer that dropped today, these theories were finally confirmed. The trailer starts with Fuse recounting his recent arrival to the Apex games and the large-scale celebration surrounding him. Unfortunately, Maggie, his sadistic childhood pal, shows up to ruin the festivities. You can watch the video above.

The events that follow ultimately lead to the destruction of the beloved Kings Canyon map. Respawn announced changes to the classic location alongside the original Fuse announcement, but the level of devastation that takes place during the trailer makes Kings Canyon seem like an entirely new arena. The various points of interest haven’t been shown yet, but it’s safe to say that the massive cruiser that Fuse flew in on will play a part in Season 8’s many matches. 

Aside from Maggie’s ambush, we got to see a small snippet of one of Fuse’s abilities. He flings some explosive projectiles from a launcher mechanism on his wrist, takes out the new 30-30 repeater rifle, and fires at the pellets which explode on impact. Whether this is Fuse’s ultimate or tactical ability is still unknown, but there will likely be more information on his kit, the repeater rifle, the extensive King’s Canyon changes, and the next battle pass in the coming days. 

Season 8 Mayhem launches on February 8, and Apex legends might be dropping on the Nintendo Switch that same day. 

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Wednesday, 20 January 2021 20:02

Impressive Morrowind's Skyrim Remake Mod 'Skywind' Is Coming To Nexus Mods

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The Skywind Morrowind Skyrim remake is a fan-made mod project that I've been covering for years throughout my career, and for good reason. This ambitious project is not only approved by Bethesda, but incredibly detailed in a way that honors both Morrowind and Skyrim in the best way possible. What Skywind does is it modernizes the amazing tale that Morrowind gave players, and now it's coming to Nexus Mods. 

Nexus Mods is a modding hub that we share quite a bit here for our Mod Corner segment and is an amazing tool for mostly PC players to get their creativity on with some of their favorite games on the market. In terms of bringing Skywind over into the Nexus-verse, there was a long conversation about what that would mean regarding Bethesda's stance on exchanging assets between various properties. While there are exceptions, including a few Fallout mods that have been sanctioned by the studio, the exchange between games is largely something Bethesda is leery of. Because of this, the folks over at Skywind have passionately worked to ensure that they used brand-new models, textures, audio, and more, all at the effort of a team of hundreds of volunteers and thousands of man hours. 

That dedication has paid off, because the project of recreating Morrowind from scratch now has the support of Nexus Mods where it can be supported more heavily community amplification. 

Click here to watch embedded media

We don't have a release date for this project at this time, and the team is always looking for more volunteers, but it's nice to see that it will be supported by Nexus and its community and I can't wait to see where this goes next! To learn more about what this fan-driven project has to offer, you can learn a little bit about the team below courtesy of their website:

"It is a non-commercial, fan-made modification for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that seeks to merge the amazing world of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind with the enhanced graphics and capabilities of Skyrim's engine.

"While ownership of both games is required to play, the player only actually plays Skywind using the Skyrim game, and not the older Morrowind game. This means that the user interface, combat, graphics, and system requirements for the Skywind mod are all those of Skyrim and NOT Morrowind."

The modding team added, "Skywind aims to have full functionality upon release equivalent to recent Elder Scrolls titles, as well as to expand by reintroducing critical elements from Morrowind, that did not make it into Skyrim. We cannot make any promises at this time about what will and will not make it into the final release but rest assured some are already implemented and others are being worked on."

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Wednesday, 20 January 2021 20:59

Terminator Skins Come To Fortnite [UPDATE]

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Update: And it's official. Fortnite skins for Sarah Connor and the T-800 are now available to purchase in Fortnite. You find them in the game's shop, with Sarah sporting two costume variants. She runs for 1,800 V-bucks while T-800 will set players back 1,500. However, for the next 23 hours you can nab both skins in the Future War bundle for 2,800 V-bucks. Check out the announcement trailer below. 

Click here to watch embedded media

Original Story: Fortnite Season 5 has been a wild ride thanks to its who’s who of crossover guests. The Mandalorian, Kratos, Master Chief, The Walking Dead’s Daryl Dixon/Michonne, and, most recently, the Predator are all running around with pickaxes and flossing (is that still a thing?) as we speak. Even after Galactus effectively ended the Marvel season, Black Panther and Captain Marvel joined the fray anyway. The fun isn’t stopping there, because now Fortnite is teasing that its next guests hail from a certain machine apocalypse. 

The official Fortnite Twitter account released a new in-game transmission. Narrated by Jonesy, these broadcasts usually tease an upcoming character skin, and this time Jonesy discusses meeting a female hero who can relate to dealing with “impending global doom, time travel, paradoxes”. Given that the tweet itself describes " A ruthless machine and a protector of the future", it seems likely that Terminator characters, namely Sarah Connor, are set to drop into Fortnite. 

:: Incoming Transmission - Reality Log 991 ::
Targets Description: A ruthless machine and a protector of the future pic.twitter.com/LGXiAadncR

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) January 21, 2021


Of course, if audio speculation isn’t enough, a Twitter account following Fortnite leaks tweeted an alleged leaked photo of a PlayStation Store ad flat-out promoting Sarah Connor and the T-800 so there you go.

A similar leak occurred shortly before Kratos’ reveal, so it’s probably only a matter of days or hours before we get an official confirmation. Seems like a perfect fit given that Season 5’s theme centers on hunters, and Sarah Connor/Terminator certainly fit that bill. With so many wacky guests, the question of whether “if” a character can appear in Fortnite has now become a matter of “when”. In other words, put Samus in the game already, you cowards.

In other, non-character related Fortnite news, the game recently added a 120 fps mode for new-gen consoles and Epic bought an entire shopping mall because it can.

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Wednesday, 20 January 2021 22:08

Resident Evil Village Collector's And Deluxe Editions Revealed

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You know what's a neat way to celebrate all of the Resident Evil Village news showed off today during the Capcom showcase? Treating yourself to a Collector's edition that scratches that fandom itch perfectly. Capcom revealed two special versions of the highly anticipated horror game with the Resident Evil Collector's and Deluxe editions available now to pre-order. 

There are two options to choose from when the game arrives May 7 for those that want special loot, starting with the Deluxe Edition Trauma Pack. 

Trauma Pack: 

  • Safe Room music
  • Save device
  • Albert01 Chris weapon 
  • The Tragedy of Ethan Winters
  • Found Footage RE7 Filter
  • Mr. Everywhere 

As for what the Collector's Edition will have to offer, the more expansive option includes everything the Deluxe edition has plus more: 

Collector's Edition

  • Trauma Pack
  • A Poster
  • Special edition collectibles box
  • Artbook
  • Steelbook
  • Chris Redfield statue 

The Chris Redfield statue shows off a much beefier Chris, giving the man that has gone through way too much already some more meat on his bones. It's also the perfect addition to any collection, especially looking at previous statues included in collector's editions that predate Resident Evil Village. 

Both versions will be available across all platforms. For those that opt into pre-ordering, there is an additional bonus no matter the version bought with the Mr. Raccoon weapon charm and a Survival Resource Pack. There is also a special bundle available for anyone that may have missed out on Resident Evil 7 that includes the most recent game with the purchase of Village. 

What do you think about the different versions of Resident Evil Village? Thoughts on the Chris statue and the footage shown off today? Sound off with those horror-loving thoughts in the comment section below! 

Missed out on some of the other reveals to come out of Capcom lately regarding Resident Evil Village? You can catch up on the PS5 demo, new gameplay, another trailer, and more with our previous coverage here. 

As for the game itself, Resident Evil Village arrives on May 7, 2021 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC players. 

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