December 2020

This month's Game Awards are expected to feature a slew of announcements, trailer, and reveals, with many developers taking the opportunity to direct the audience's eyes towards their latest wares. One such developer is Pearl Abyss, who will be debuting gameplay footage from its upcoming fantasy MMO, Crimson Desert.

The natural evolution of 2014's Black Desert Online, Crimson Desert promises to be another dramatic and lore-heavy adventure set within a dangerous mythical universe. Players will explore a huge kingdom, engaging with "worldviews, religions, and characters" unique to Crimson Desert's universe. Threat and danger will come in the form of a menagerie of terrifying monsters and beasties, so come loaded for bear, and best bring comrades.

Currently in development for PC and consoles, Pearl Abyss is yet to offer a launch window for Crimson Desert, but perhaps more information will be revealed during this upcoming gameplay premiere. The MMORPG market is hardly starved of titles, so let's hope Crimson Desert can turn enough heads to carve out a sizeable following for itself.

The Game Awards 2020 takes place Thursday, December 10.

Last week, indie outfit Rayark announced that its ethereal rhythm-action remake Deemo Reborn would be coming to mobile platforms on December 17. Well, it seems that Nintendo Switch fans will also have the chance to get in on the melodious mystery, as a Switch has just been confirmed for the same date.

As a quick refresher, Deemo Reborn is a re-imagined edition of the 2013 PS Vita and mobile title Deemo. It tells a serene tale of a young girl who is thrust into a sublime-but-haunting universe, and must find her way back to her own reality, guided by the soft lilt of piano music and the strange sprite, Deemo. Players guide the protagonist through the environment, solving riddles and puzzles while mastering a score of over 60 classical tunes.

Deemo Reborn launches December 17 on Nintendo Switch, alongside iOS and Android platforms. It is available right now on PS4 and PC.

Naughty Dog has a new The Last of Us Part II trailer that documents Abby's side of things throughout the game. Here's the catch though: You really shouldn't watch it unless you've already played it. It's nothing but spoilers and plot points, the likes of which you should probably see firsthand rather than in a 149-second recap trailer.

This is where I, as a blogger, am at an impasse. I have not yet played The Last of Us Part II. My PS4 went kerplunk the literal week before Part II released, and I wasn't about to buy a new obsolete console months before the PS5 launched. Also, because of the pandemic, Sony wasn't accepting any out-of-warranty service work because it was prioritizing the in-warranty repairs. It's still sitting under my TV doing absolutely nothing.

So, I don't know -- I won't watch the trailer because I have not played the game because I'm unable to play the game until I can get my hands on a PS5. The best blogs are authored by folks who have a deep understanding of the subject material, and can offer insight and new perspectives that enrich the reader. This is, like, the literal opposite of that.

Watch the video if you want. Sorry all my words were useless!

While Immortals Fenyx Rising has several series of difficult boss battles thanks to Mythical Creatures, Tartaros Lieutenants, and more, some of the most intense battles you can find in the game surround the wraiths of the corrupted heroes. These heroes were summoned by the gods to battle the powerful titan Typhon prior to the events of the game, but he was able to corrupt them and force them to fight by his side. Until you defeat them in their Wraith Lairs, weaker versions of these legendary heroes can appear at random on the map while you're trying to do other activities, so it's a good idea to take them out once you feel competent and powerful enough to do so.

My tips below give you advice on how to topple these powerful heroes with a pretty baseline set of abilities, but through upgrades, you can make these showdowns much easier. My preferred loadout for these battles was to equip Phospor with the Tarnished skin, which replenishes your health every time his attack lands, and just relentlessly bomb on them with his attack. However, since his attacks use up your stamina, you have to get in and attack with your sword to replenish your stamina quickly while he's lighting them up. The more upgraded Phosphor and your sword are, the better this tactic works, but once I got this down, I combined these skills with the tips listed below to make short work of most of the heroes.

Check out my hero-specific tips below, and let us know what tactics you employ in the comments section!

Sometimes we all need a kick in the pants to get off our bums, get things done, and improve ourselves. That inspirational call to action is found in all kinds of places, including video games. If you’re looking for fun forms of encouragement as you begin to draft your New Year’s resolutions, here are some games that inspired me to be better in one way or another. 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Ichiban Kasuga knows how to make lemonade out of Lemon Heads. The dude spends 18 years in prison, and upon his release, he has to deal with the realities of being abandoned and homeless (a subject the game tackles very well). Instead of wasting time moping, though, Ichiban eagerly begins rebuilding his life from scratch, collecting cans for cash and applying for jobs with inspiring persistence. What I love most is that he takes whatever work is available, and doesn’t let pride get in the way. For a guy who once proudly associated with an organized murder gang, Ichiban’s got a great head on his shoulders, and his can-do attitude is infectious. 

EA has confirmed that general manager Casey Hudson and Dragon Age 4 executive producer Mark Darrah are leaving BioWare. While the announcement did come with the assurance that Dragon Age 4, Anthem Next, and the Mass Effect Trilogy Legendary remaster would be unaffected, fans of these iconic franchises have already begun voicing their concerns. 

"We strive for all of our studios to be places where talented creative people come to do career-defining work," reads the official announcement on the BioWare Blog. "A dimension of this ambition is that sometimes those people want to try something different. Casey Hudson, GM, BioWare and Mark Darrah, Executive Producer, Dragon Age are two of those people and they have decided to move on from BioWare.

Warner Brothers and HBO Max announced that the entire 2021 schedule of films will launch on the streaming service same day as theatrical release. If you weren't concerned about the potential death knell of the traditional theatrical release spurred on by the devastating consequences of COVID-19, perhaps now's the time to take note. Or maybe you're on the other side of things and would rather watch movies in the comfort of your own home stream style on release day. There are many reasons to swing to either side of the equation, but the important takeaway here is that the streaming future is being experimented with heavily and will be in full command of an immense cache of huge 2021 movies, including Matrix 4 and Dune.

I got you something ✨nice✨ this year:
🎁 The biggest movie premieres
🎁 In theaters and on HBO Max the exact same day
🎁 Beginning December 25 with #WonderWoman1984#HBOMax #WBPictures https://t.co/BZgFFRrrg2 pic.twitter.com/J2KBdWd9Tf

Unlike other writers of his stature, there is no centre devoted to J.R.R. Tolkien anywhere in the world. Yet. @ProjNorthmoor https://t.co/pzMg8Yk2t2 pic.twitter.com/jx2r5MVbcw

How to Get Your First Beskar Armor Piece?

Fortnite Razor Crest Location

How to Get Your First Beskar Armor Piece?

Fortnite Razor Crest Location

After a long and bumpy road, two companions have this week chosen to leave BioWare’s adventuring party. Casey Hudson, the project director for Mass Effect before becoming the studio’s general manager, has departed the company after 23 years along with Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah. Those are some big departures, but BioWare insists they’ll have no effect on the studio’s upcoming remasters and long-distant sequels.

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With Halo Infinite delayed into next year and The Master Chief Collection all wrapped up, where is one supposed to hang out with their big green friend? Fortnite, apparently, should this week’s rumours be believed. Recent alleged leaks suggest John Halo himself is making his way to murder island as part of this season’s multi-dimensional crossover, letting the big man finally compete in a castle-building contest with The Mandalorian.

Fortnite got real weird, huh.

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In the latest TWAB Bungie has shared some juicy completion stats for Destiny 2: Beyond Light’s raid, Deep Stone Crypt, giving players a sense of how easy/active Deep Stone Crypt was in its first ten days in comparison to Garden of Salvation and Last Wish. The differences are quite massive.

The statistics, provided by Bungie, highlight how much easier, or at least active Deep Stone Crypt was in its first day, and in its first ten days (the amount of time to complete the quest for the jacket) as compared to Garden of Salvation and certainly as compared to Last Wish.

Electronic Arts just announced some relevant changes at the helm of BioWare and its current projects.

General manager Casey Hudsin and Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah are leaving the company.

While a new general manager is being scouted, senior vice president mobile, maxis, & bioware Samantha Ryan will continue to oversee the studio.

BioWare Austin studio director Christian Dailey will lead the current Dragon Age project, while Anthem producer Mike Gamble will lead the team working on the future of Mass Effect beyond the upcoming Legendary Edition.

Below you can read the full announcement from EA chief studios officer Laura Miele.

Haven, a game about love and fighting for it developed by Furi studio The Game Bakers, is now available on PC and consoles.

Players take control of couple Yu and Kay who have escaped to a forgotten planet to stay together. The game revolves around exploring the planet for supplies, defeating enemies in real-time combat, rebuilding their spaceship/home, and activities such as cooking or other moments of everyday couple life.

The game can be played with one person controlling both characters at the same time, or in local two-player co-op. Check out some of the gameplay in the launch trailer below.

“Four years ago we set out to create a game about love, and to build a game system that puts players at the center of a relationship. It was not easy, but all along the game development, we saw interest from players that we never saw before. They were longing for a game that makes them dream about love and fight for love,” said The Game Bakers creative director Emeric Thoa in a press release. “We also hope the game will bring people closer in real life, allowing for cosy co-op gaming sessions.”

Haven is now available for $24.99 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass, Steam, GOG, and Windows Store. Xbox consoles and the Windows Store versions support cross-saves across the three platforms.

The game is also coming to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in 2021, and players who purchase the game on PS5 will get the game for free on PS4 and vice versa.

Today Cloud Imperium Games released a brand new video of its growing space simulator Star Citizen.

The video focuses on two different topics. The first is a deep dive into the RSI Perseus gunship, providing more information on its capabilities and interior spaces.

The second part is something even more exciting, the tractor beam attachment for the multitool.

Not only you’ll be able to manipulate objects with it (with different effects depending on gravity), but also to use it as a sort of grappling hook to propel yourself around in zero gravity. It looks like a lot of fun, I kid you not.

You can check it out below.

In other Star Citizen news, the crowdfunding total is currently at
$335,275,828, having passed $335 million. This means that the game made roughly $16 million during the 13 days of the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo. That’s quite impressive.

The number of registered accounts has also recently passed 2.9 million and it’s currently at 2,908,487.

7. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

Ranking the Big Nintendo Switch Games of 2020

Getting a port of the classic mystery dungeon Pokemon game that was originally released on the DS was a treat for fans of the niche spin-off series but even with a new coat of paint, this title doesn’t hold up too well on Switch.

Thursday’s Best Deals | Kinja Deals

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Casey Hudson is leaving BioWare, again.

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Each entry in Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise has been a discrete story following the Hero of Time and Hyrule’s legendary princess as they fight to keep the ultimate evil at bay. At the same time, all of the different games also fit together as pieces of a larger overarching narrative that spans multiple…

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Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach is one of the biggest YouTube stars in the world. At almost 30 million subscribers, he’s afforded a level of celebrity that can make even a mundane activity, like taking a dump, a big deal.

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For Hudson, this marks his second departure from the studio where he has helped shape games like the Mass Effect trilogy and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. ...