September 2020

Red Dead Online has been something of a roller coaster in recent months: after the community protested the lack of updates by wearing clown costumes, Rockstar pushed a major update to introduce legendary animals and the naturalist role, and players appeared to be relatively satisfied. The celebrations didn't last long, however, as a subsequent bug fix update brought a range of issues so severe that Rockstar had to roll back the entire patch.

The latest chapter in the Red Dead Online saga is a particularly strange one, as many players have experienced significantly reduced lobby sizes in recent days - and some believe the game has improved as a result.

On a normal day, you might expect to encounter lobbies of around 20 players on Free Roam, but this week players have found themselves placed in lobbies with around two to seven people. This seems to have occurred across all platforms, although the change to smaller lobbies hasn't always been consistent, and some players have been able to access full lobbies at varying times over the past few days.

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Corrupt saves, missing perks, and more

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British developer Rebellion has announced that its undead Nazi shooter Zombie Army 4: Dead War will receive a further two seasons of DLC content, extending the life, (or is that "afterlife), of the multiplayer team title into 2021.

Rebellion announced the content in a new video - which you can check out below. Seasons two and three will bring with them a fresh slew of characters, enemies, weapons and maps, alongside expanded campaign chapters. Previous DLC drops have seen our rag-tag band of heroes venture into darkest Transylvania, and even into forgotten subterranean cities, while on their quest to eradicate every trace of the Undead Reich.

Baby steps, people.

Look, the eShop has remained mostly unchanged for over three years now. Despite Nintendo's initiative to add 30-40 games to it every week, causing tons of bloat, navigational efforts haven't really improved all that much despite a few nips and tucks here and there. A new advancement this week definitely counts as minor; but it's appreciated nonetheless.

After being informed by a reader that the Switch eShop now has timers available for game sales, I booted up my Switch and sure enough, it's there. Note that in addition to providing "days remaining" when it comes to broad strokes, the new system will actually delineate "hours remaining" as well when it comes down to the wire.

I'll take it! Now Nintendo just needs to get to work overhauling the rest of it, while keeping this feature.

[Thanks John!]

[Update: A couple weeks later, Bandai Namco has confirmed a November 20 release date for Katamari Damacy Reroll on PS4 and Xbox One in the West. That's just a day after Japan.]

Katamari Damacy Reroll might not have set the world on fire, but I loved revisiting the original unhinged rolling action game on Nintendo Switch and PC. Can we get any more Katamari remasters? I sure hope so. In the meantime – but not all that soon – a pair of console ports are on the table for Reroll.

Bandai Namco is bringing the game to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 19, 2020 in Japan.

The listing was spotted on Katamari Damacy Reroll's Japanese site, and it's hard to imagine we won't see a similar announcement in the West soon. Will I dip again for PS4 trophies? Most likely!

On that note, I'll take anything and everything from the main series – bring on the ports.

[Via Gematsu]

Ninjala is still trucking along on Switch, calling my name every so often.

Although it was fairly flawed at launch some post-launch updates have smoothed over some of the rougher aspects: enough for that "one round or so" feel when winding down for the day. It also helps that developer Soleil and publisher GungHo are actually trying to build out this universe: theme counts for a lot.

To that end, GungHo's endless pockets have funded a Ninjala anime, that's still running as of this week. The first episode actually debuted around the game's launch, but the latest one came out yesterday.

As a note, it's all free to watch on YouTube. You can check it all out below! Episodes are actually pretty meaty, running around 10 minutes each.

If you enjoy a side of mechanical flipper action alongside your video game hobby, then you’ll want to check out the latest from Stern Pinball, as they announce info on the new upcoming Avengers: Infinity Quest pinball machine.

Today saw a collection of videos that show off the new machine, which includes an Avengers Tower magnetic lock  ramp, the ability to capture pinballs in midair, and plenty more bells and whistles.

The new machine comes in pro, premium, and limited edition models, each of which has slightly different features. The premium and limited editions, for instance, have a Dr. Strange motorized pop-up disc scoop, and a custom light-up Infinity Gauntlet, among other bonuses. And the limited edition has additional backglass, custom art, and several other exclusive features, and only 500 units will be made available worldwide.

Here’s hoping the eventual release finds one of the machines making its way to an arcade near you.

Check out the videos below for a better look at the new pinball game in action.

The Desktop Army Persona 3 Aigis figures will be up for pre-order soon ahead of their February 2021 launch.

The post Desktop Army Persona 3 Aigis Figure Pre-orders Open September 3, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

Taihou, Formidable, Roon, Le Malin, and Sirius are coming to Azur Lane: Crosswave this October.

The post Azur Lane: Crosswave Taihou, Formidable, Roon, Le Malin, and Sirius DLC Arrive on October 5, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

There's finally a Root Double Switch update! ININ Games promised it, Regista, and Sekai Games will show the visual novel "very soon."

The post ININ Games Promises a Root Double Switch Full Reveal ‘Very Soon’ appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix said the Marvel's Avengers beta it offered for the PS4 was the most-downloaded PlayStation beta worldwide ever.

The post Marvel’s Avengers Beta Was the Most-downloaded PlayStation Beta appeared first on Siliconera.

Intel have officially unveiled their 11th Gen Tiger Lake laptop CPUs with integrated Xe graphics, and they might just be about to change the future of gaming laptops. With up to double the gaming performance compared to Intel’s previous generation of mobile CPUs, Tiger Lake laptops with Xe graphics were shown playing big blockbuster games such as Grid and Gears Tactics at 1080p at close to 60fps during Intel’s online press conference this evening, representing a huge leap in performance for ultraslim laptops compared to their AMD and Nvidia-powered competition.

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Space cowboy trucker simulation Rebel Galaxy Outlaw has been off the radar for a bit but they’ve blipped back into existence. Strap into the cockpit and get ready for some more hauls. Double Damage Games have announced that the game will be launching on Steam and consoles on September 22nd.

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Yesterday, I dived into the magical world of themed Crusader Kings III playthroughs, with this sobering exploration of what a man’s life might look like if he cared for nothing except banging giants. I may return to my nightmare re-imagining of C12th Estonia at some point, but not today. You see, today, there’s science to be done.

CK3 is, emphatically, all about planning for the long game. The fact you play as the successive inheritors of a medieval throne means you’re always thinking centuries ahead. Even within the lives of your individual rulers, you’ll almost always want to ensure a long and healthy reign, as that’ll give you more time to work on goals that benefit both your current king and their descendants. Indeed, even Andyamo the giantshagger cultivated a secondary interest in medicine, so that he could extend his titan-tupping career well into his seventies. But what happens if you play with utter contempt for longevity? Playing as recklessly as possible, I want to find out just how quickly a king can get themselves killed.

With the new [cms-block] RTX 3000 cards finally out in the open, we can now make some proper decisions about which graphics card deals are going to be worth snapping up over the next few weeks as retailers look to shed their existing stock of Nvidia RTX cards, and which ones you should avoid like the plague because they’re just not going to be as good value compared to what’s on the horizon. On the Nvidia side of things, you probably shouldn’t buy anything from an RTX 2070 upwards from now on, as even really good graphics card deals aren’t going to offer nearly the same kind of performance as the upcoming RTX 3070.

Heck, even the RTX 2060 and RTX 2060 Super are looking a bit dicey at the moment given the latter’s proximity in price to the RTX 3070, and we’re still expecting a proper RTX 3060 successor before the end of the year, too. This also puts AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT cards at risk, and we’ll be monitoring their ongoing prices like a hawk to tell you whether or not you should take the plunge. In the meantime, read on below for the cheapest graphics card deals worth buying at the moment, and which ones you should avoid.

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Today Marvel Entertainment released a new trailer of the upcoming action-adventure game by Crystal Dynamics Marvel’s Avengers. 

The trailer focuses on the most adorable green dude in the Marvel universe, the Hulk, who takes upon himself to teach you a really important lesson, how to smash.

You can watch it below.

Marvel’s Avengers will release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 4, with next-gen versions also coming down the line.

If you’re unfamiliar with the game, you can catch up with the story below.

“Marvel’s Avengers begins at A-Day, where Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor are unveiling a new, hi-tech Avengers Headquarters in San Francisco. The celebration turns deadly when a mysterious enemy causes a catastrophic accident which results in massive devastation. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband. Five years later, with all Super Heroes outlawed and the world in peril, a sprawling adventure ignites when a determined young woman named Kamala Khan sets out to reassemble and rebuild the Avengers to stop the unchecked power of the secretive new force known as AIM.

Today Microsoft and Asobo Studio released the first post-launch update for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The update addresses mostly installation issues that have been experienced by a number of uses since the game’s release.

On top of that, we also get a couple of fixes to problems causing performance drops and crashes when disconnecting peripherals.

The update is fairly small weighing roughly 333.2 MB.

You can read the full patch notes below.

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics’ anticipated action-RPG Marvel’s Avengers is likely to prove a huge commercial hit if its beta download numbers are anything to go by.

As proudly touted by the publisher earlier today in a Tweet, the beta has broken records as the most downloaded in PlayStation history.

A heroic achievement — the Marvel’s Avengers Beta was globally the most-downloaded beta in PlayStation history. Congrats to our team @CrystalDynamics!#EmbraceYourPowers on September 4 https://t.co/UVFJmEgcrq pic.twitter.com/lAMniXczWg

— Square Enix (@SquareEnix) September 2, 2020

As you can see, there are no official numbers included, and since beta downloads are never really paraded it’s hard to get a flavor of exactly how many constitutes an impressive figure.

In any case, though, I think it’s safe to assume most industry analysts and commentators believed Marvel’s Avengers was always destined to be a smash hit. The license is just so immensely popular, and even a lukewarm critical reception to the beta was never likely to impact its bottom line.

Ever since Marvel’s Avengers was revealed to be an endless online game, a la Destiny, prospective players have wondered about potential microtransactions, and just how bad they are. To just be out with it: Yes, there are microtransactions in Marvel’s Avengers. No, you can’t pay your way to a superpowered character…

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If you want to know if a game is good or bad, you read its Steam reviews—except in the case of Crusader Kings III. If you want to hear a whooooooooole lot about incest within dynastic families, then you read Steam reviews of Crusader Kings III.

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When Ella’s monthly supply of modafinil didn’t arrive in the mail in late August, she wasn’t sure what to do. They’re not like the pills she takes for her allergies or her blood pressure. “Without it, I might not be able to get up for three days,” she said. A 65-year-old on a fixed income, Ella has normocytic anemia…

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Control’s latest update added an assist mode that makes protagonist Jesse into a paranormal killing machine with the click of a button. It’s an option I wish more games had.

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Crazy Taxi is no stranger to clones. I will freely admit enjoying the rather shameless The Simpsons: Road Rage back in the day, and to spending countless hours crashing around Springfield in a hovercar as Professor Frink. Fortnite's new Tilted Taxis mode feels similar, familiar fare.

The launch of Tilted Taxis as a limited-time mode follows the rather muted arrival of drivable cars in Fortnite at the rear end of last season. Within Fortnite's main playlists, they appeared and... did not seem to leave a huge impression in day-to-day gameplay. Ever since the game's machine gun-toting aeroplanes, which Epic Games was forced to repeatedly nerf out of existance, Fortnite has seemed ultra wary of adding any movement option which overly affects the game's meta.

So fans have been waiting for specific vehicle modes such as this one to really enjoy Fortnite's cars - and Tilted Taxis has been a while coming. (It was first spotted in the game's code over a month ago, alongside another possible future addition - a Mario Kart style option.)

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Sea of Thieves' treasure-hungry Gold Hoarders faction is getting some much needed love next Wednesday, 9th September, in the form of a new tomb-raiding puzzle quest type which arrives as part of the multiplayer pirate adventure's newly revealed Vaults of the Ancients update.

The Gold Hoarders are the only one of Sea of Thieves' original three Trading Company factions yet to receive a new quest type, with the Merchant Alliance introducing Cargo Runs back in 2018, and the Order of Souls expanding to offer their wonderfully entertaining ghost ship battles earlier this year. From next week, though, Gold Hoarder representatives at outposts will give players the option to hunt down keys required to open ancient vaults - used to store the faction's unimaginable wealth - that are scattered across the Sea of Thieves.

As detailed in Rare's latest Sea of Thieves developer video, these new quests will consist of two parts. The first sees players on the hunt for the key itself, using the fragments of a treasure map to piece together its location and retrieve the chest it hides inside. From there, pirates have a choice: either turn the key in or (and I'm not sure what the incentive is to not do the following) use it to open the corresponding island vault and claim its treasure for themselves.

Epic Games Versus Apple & Battletoads Impressions! | Final Checkpoint Podcast Ep. 51 Read More »

Amazon has taken down two job listings for intelligence analysts that generated controversy over their anti-union/labor organizing language. The positions were charged with gathering information on threats to Amazon and reporting that data. One of the alleged threats these positions were meant to monitor was "labor organizing."

These analysts were also going to be set to monitor "sensitive topics that are highly confidential, including labor organizing threats against the company,'' "funding and activities connected to corporate campaigns (internal and external) against Amazon," as well as briefings on "dynamic situations" including protests, geopolitical crises and other topics "sensitive to human resources and employee relations," as reported by CNBC.

Marquee first-party games don't usually get discounts until long after release, but PS4 users can now snag The Last of Us Part II at a great price, thanks to its first major markdown since launch. You can buy The Last of Us Part II for $50 from Amazon. The deal is also available through Best Buy and GameStop--if you're a PowerUp Rewards Pro member, you can get it for $45 from GameStop today only.

It's unclear how long this deal will last for, so you'll want to order as soon as possible if you're interested. All retailers offer free shipping and can arrive by the end of the week--though you'll need Prime for two-day shipping if you're buying from Amazon. Best Buy and GameStop also offer in-store pickup if you'd rather grab it in person.

The story from the first game continues in The Last of Us Part II, as we follow Ellie and her partner Dina on their hunt to find a group of survivors that have wronged them. It's a dark story about revenge and anger, but it's also about companionship and what we'd do for those we love. The combat is also very tense and quite violent, so if you're into stealth action, you'll likely enjoy it.

Developer Massive Entertainment rolled out an update for The Division 2 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One that makes some minor adjustments. The full patch notes are outlined below.

The latest patch makes three particular adjustments to The Division 2. The first pertains to issues with sniper turrets and irons out problems that cause inconsistencies while aiming and shooting. Additionally, the update addresses issues with checkpoints not working during the Tidal Basin Heroic boss encounter and adds Season 2 level skips to purchase from the in-game store so players can advance through The Division 2's battle pass-like progression system.

In other The Division 2 news, a release date for Title Update 11 has still not been announced. However, Massive Entertainment outlined some of what players can expect when it drops. One such feature is gear appearance customization in the form of Transmogrification, which allows you to alter the look of any gear--except for Exotics, of course.

Fall Guys is getting a new obstacle in some of its current mini-games. A giant hammer the studio calls "Big Yeetus" will "randomly appear" in several levels to throw the little bean characters across the map.

Mediatonic tweeted out the news on September 2, although the studio didn't say when the hammer would be live in the game. The studio included a short gif of a player getting thrown across the Dizzying Heights map--all the way to the finish line. I'm sure most encounters with Big Yeetus won't be as generous.

Fruit appeared to be getting shot out of the cannons on the Dizzying Heights map in the gif as well. Usually nothing but balls come out of those cannons, suggesting Mediatonic is making other changes to the game without saying much.

The PlayStation Store's latest sale focuses on AAA games, including a bunch of exclusives for discounted prices such as The Last of Us Part II, Dreams, and Persona 5 Royal. The Essential Picks Sale is live now and runs through September 16. You also still have another week to shop the Hidden Gems Sale, so between the two, you can grab both must-play hits and some games that might have flown a tad under the radar.

The Last of Us Part II is discounted to $50, which is the first major discount we've seen on the stunning PS4 exclusive. If you prefer a physical edition, it's also on sale for the same price at major retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop. Dreams, another 2020 PS4 exclusive, is discounted to $30 during the sale, and Persona 5 Royal is $39.

Developer Double Damage Games has announced that Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is launching on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam on September 22. The action-packed space combat sim was previously an Epic Games Store exclusive, but it's now making its way to other platforms.

If you were unaware, Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is a prequel to 2015's Rebel Galaxy. While the first game cast you as the commander of a powerful star destroyer with combat akin to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's naval skirmishes, Outlaw drops you straight into the cockpit of a nimble spaceship piloted by outlaw and smuggler, Juno Markev.

There's a full single-player story campaign for you to play through, but you're also free to tread off the beaten path to meet and befriend a cast of sketchy characters, gamble some of your hard-earned cash and equipment at the local watering hole, or simply cruise around the vastness of space listening to over 21 hours of Subspace Radio.

Super Punch Patrol is the latest game from Gunman Clive creator Bertil Hörberg. The Swedish designer is known for taking retro video game experiences and imbuing them with modern touches, particularly when it comes to their unique art design, and Super Punch Patrol is no exception.

With a title that immediately invokes the SNES generation, it's no surprise that Hörberg's latest mirrors the classic beat 'em ups of that era. The premise is a familiar one for the genre, too. Set in the far-flung future of 202X, crime and violence dominate the streets of Gravy City as an evil crime syndicate called E.C.S. rules the city and controls much of the government and police force, with only a handful of officers unsullied by corruption. Police Chief Anders Punch and two of his most trusted officers, Nils and Selma Snyting, take matters into their own hands and set out to defeat the evil syndicate using only their fists.

Playing as police officers with the sole task of beating up people on the street isn't the most appealing idea in the current climate, but putting real-world issues aside, there's no denying that Super Punch Patrol's sketch-like art style is stunning to look at. The game features three playable characters and can also be played in two-player local co-op.

Working from home is the new normal due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, but thanks to advances in internet technology and software that bridges the gap between people, communication is easier than ever before. Conferencing programs such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom have risen up to become some of the most popular software that allows for large groups of people to chat to each other from the comfort of their own home, but it can be boring seeing the same setting behind you in each call.

That's not too much of a problem though, as those programs do allow for users to create a virtual background that can be used to liven up their surroundings. Sony has thrown its hat into the ring, and has released a collection of background images from several of its first-party games including Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima, Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, and plenty more.

Plus, they make for some soothing PC desktop wallpapers as well, in case you're looking for a change of pace. You can click on any of the images below to get them in their full resolution and convince your co-workers that you've just landed in feudal Japan or escaped the planet to join Ratchet and Clank in their next adventure.

Undead shooter Zombie Army 4: Dead War has two more seasons of content on the way. Developer Rebellion announced the news in its latest Development Update, outlining a rough plan for the next year's worth of undead Nazi slaying.

The game's second season--which is being developed in collaboration with Flix Interactive--will kick off later this year on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. Season three is due to follow sometime in 2021, and both seasons will feature new campaign missions, character skins, weapons, and more, including both free and premium content.

Rebellion isn't done with season one yet either. A free horde map titled Zoo is available to download now, while you can also purchase a crossbow pistol bundle separately or as part of the game's season pass.

Though it's technically been out for a few months, finding the Amazon-exclusive TurboGrafx-16 Mini in stock for list price hasn't been easy. The mini console's North American release was delayed earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic before finally releasing in limited quantities in May. For those who have wanted to scoop one up, the TurboGrafx-16 Mini is available to order at Amazon for $100.

The TurboGrafx-16 Mini includes several can't-miss classics like Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, Bonk's Revenge, Ninja Spirit, Ys Book 1 & 2, and Neutopia. In our TurboGrafx-16 Mini review, tech commerce editor Mat Paget praised the big library of games and the console's authentic design. "Being able to experience these classic titles in one convenient place--and witness M2's charming, nostalgic presentation--makes the TurboGrafx-16 Mini an exciting device that does a great job of capturing the past of a console that should not be forgotten," Paget wrote.

Version 1.1 is now available to download for Persona 4 Golden on Steam. The first patch for the PC version of the classic JRPG addresses gameplay and stability issues including random crashes, progression issues, improved optimisation, and so on.

Those participating in the game's Open Beta Branch will have already encountered these fixes, but they've now made their way to the Main Branch of the game for everyone. Version 1.1 tackles a number of issues relating to various parts of Persona 4 Golden, such as problems with cutscene playback, including a new lower playback mode that smooths out the performance on older machines. There are also fixes for crashes that could occur when removing an Xbox One controller, a progression issue that sometimes happened when entering Yukiko's castle, and another issue that would prevent some players from being able to complete Quest 3.

Below is the full comprehensive list of fixes made in the first patch.