It has been a wild week, to say the least, for Cyberpunk 2077 and its developer CD Projekt Red. Reports of egregious performance issues on base PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles warranted an apology from CD Projekt Red, which in turn resulted in a wave of refund requests and Sony even delisting the game from PSN. Well, the team at CD Projekt is hard at work on fixes for the game, and have just released Hotfix 1.05 on PlayStation and Xbox. PC versions of the game will follow shortly after.

This latest fix resolves a variety of visual, performance and quest breaking bugs that have been cropping up since launch. You can find the full list of fixes here, but here is a taste of what the hotfix entails.

Quests

Jackie will no longer disappear in The Pickup or The Heist.

Fixed an issue preventing players from landing the helicopter in Love like Fire.

Fixed an issue with Takemura not calling in Play it Safe.

It’s no longer possible to trigger the same dialogue twice in Big in Japan.

Fixed an issue with Delamain appearing upside down at the end of Don’t Lose Your Mind.

Saul now correctly reaches the van in Riders on the Storm.

Gameplay

Improved the reaction times of NPCs taking cover.

Corrected the number of shots needed to kill civilians from a distance while in combat.

The Bigger Game – Dark Souls: Remastered

PS Plus Free Games Predictions

It’s almost that time for Sony to announce what free games will be offered on PS Plus for the very first month of 2021. While we wait for the offical reveal, we have a few PS Plus predictions as to what games will be included for fun in the meantime.

For the current month of December 2020, the PS Plus free games were Just Cause 4, Rocket Arena, and Worms Rumble. All three games will continue to be free to download for PS Plus subscribers until Jan. 4.

Usually a larger game headlines the list, offering some bang for your buck so to speak, with last month’s being Just Cause 4. For January 2021 we suspect Dark Souls: Remastered would be a perfect AAA inclusion for PS Plus predictions.

Capcom is continuing its series of trailers dedicated to the weapons of the upcoming Monster Hunter game Monster Hunter Rise.

The first trailer we see today is dedicated to the powerful Great Sword, while the second showcases the game’s complex technique for the Switch Axe.

You can check out both trailers below.

“Overwhelming, devastating power. The Great Sword delivers meaty chops with incredible force. Charge its attacks for even more damage!

“Power Sheathe” is a silkbind attack comprised of a quick Wirebug-assisted dash and a sheathing motion that boosts your attack for a short time.”

Today Square Enix announced the Japanese release date for its train simulator Densha de GO!! Hashirou Yamanote-sen.

The game has been recently released for PS4 in Japan, and it’s the latest entry in the popular Densha de GO!! franchise.

It lets you enjoy running around Tokyo with a lineup of local trains on top of the Narita Express rapid train to the airport.

The titular Yamanote Line is one of the most iconic train lines in Tokyo, well-known for the green and grey livery of its cars and for running in a circle around the downtown area.

You can check out the trailer below showing the opening cutscene.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Densha de GO!! series, it’s a popular franchise of train simulator games that debuted in Japan all the way back in 1996.

Originally, it was produced by Taito, so it passed into Square Enix’s portfolio after the company’s acquisition in 2006.

Prior to the PS4 launch, the franchise hadn’t received a console release since the latest Nintendo DS game in 2010, with two arcade launches since.

Steam runs a number of big seasonal sales each year, but it has revealed that the most recent--the Autumn Sale that coincided with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend--was its biggest yet. The sale drew in new users to Steam, as well as a huge number of returning players.

While the sale exceeded previous events according to a number of benchmarks Steam tracks, the one it chose to highlight was a record amount of revenue going back to developers and publishers. The blog post says that, while it's difficult to quantify how many games are finding success on Steam, the data shows that there are more games than ever grossing at least $10,000, all the way up to $1,000,000.

Valve also reveals that just under a million players spent money on Steam for the first time during the Autumn Sale--which isn't too surprising in a year that has seen rapid increases in the number of people gaming on all devices, due to the pandemic keeping them inside. The peak number of concurrent players logging on for the sale also increased by around 7 million when compared to last year's Autumn Sale.

Today D3 Publisher revealed a new trailer of its upcoming JRPG Maglam Lord.

The trailer focuses on introducing the characters of the game, including the demon lord (in male and female forms), their assistants, and the heroes that will fight by their side or better, will wield them.

We also get to see weapon customization and gameplay mechanics toward the end of the trailer.

You can enjoy it below.

Maglam Lord is developed by Summon Night 5 studio Felistella, while the scenario and the world view are by Summon Night series writer Kei Miyakozuki.

The character design and illustration are by lack, who is known for having worked on Fate/Grand Order (for instance, the art for Izou Okada).

The soundtrack is by Puresound, which worked on the Summon Night and Metal Max series.

The main theme is by Chiaki Fujita of Sing Like Talking, who previously worked on the theme of Summon Night 2.

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has listed ratings for PC editions of Suda51's 2007 hyper-kinetic action-adventure No More Heroes and its 2010 sequel No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.

Both titles - previously available for Nintendo Wii and more recently the Nintendo Switch - received an "M for Mature" rating, due to the series' notorious lust for sex and violence. While there has been no official word from current rights holders Marvelous, the new ESRB listings all but confirm that the early adventures of Travis Touchdown will be hitting a PC store near you in the near future.

No More Heroes III is expected to launch on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2021.

ESRB rates No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle for PC [Gematsu]

[This article contains major spoilers for Attack on Titan season 3.]

With the final season of Attack on Titan now underway, it’s a good time to take a quick look back at the season that preceded it and how it elevated what initially appeared to be your run-of-the-mill action shounen anime to a true narrative powerhouse. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not exactly an expert when it comes to anime. I’m not well-versed in the ins and outs of what makes an anime series tick, and hell, I’m not even a fan of the genre in general.

At first glance, Attack on Titan seems to embody almost everything I hate about anime: it’s extremely over-the-top, it’s overdramatic, and everyone’s always yelling and crying all the time. If it wasn’t for the beautiful soundtrack and the exceptionally well-choreographed action, I likely would’ve dropped the series long before the first season even ended.

By the time I got to the third season, though, I was convinced that Attack on Titan featured a wonderfully intricate plot that could easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with something like Game of Thrones… pre-season 6, that is.

It’s not a stretch to say that Attack on Titan has seen a noticeable dip in popularity as the series has progressed. The gap between its first two seasons stretched on for way too long, and by the time the series found its footing again, there were newer and bigger series to check out.

Following yesterday’s announcement at Jump Festa, today Bandai Namco released the first screenshots of the upcoming additional content for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.

We get to take a look at the new DLC featuring Paikuhan as a playable character on top of Bardock and Gine’s costumes from the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie.

The set also includes Gine’s tail and wig to complete the getup.

The free update includes a Janemba CC Mascot. This is not all, and more will be announced at a later time.

Update and DLC will come in the spring of 2021, despite the fact that the game is now over four years old.

The Genshin Impact Albedo banner doesn't add any new 4-star characters, but the ones appearing are all really good! Be our BFF, Bennett?

The post The Genshin Impact Albedo Banner Doesn’t Include Any New 4-Stars appeared first on Siliconera.

My Dad Works At Nintendo!

You take control of a Bug and watch Homer bumble about.

The post Newly Uncovered Files on Dev Kit Includes Dreamcast Simpsons Game appeared first on Siliconera.

It feels like it’s been an awfully long time since we’ve had a proper Nintendo Direct. Instead of their usual lengthy video formats, Nintendo’s been taking a different approach this year by scattering their new announcements.

If the lack of a true Direct has been giving you the blues, this fan project will be sure to put a smile on your face.

Switch Stop on YouTube knew just how much people are infatuated and excited by the prospect of new game announcements in Nintendo Directs, so they came up with a creative way for people to make their own dream presentation.

The entire project takes place on YouTube. You start by making your first choice: which Smash Bros. character reveal should your Direct open with, platforming icon Rayman or Super Mario RPG’s very own Geno?

You click your choice to move onto the next video, which will present you with two new choices, which will take you to another video where you’ll make even more choices.

After you’ve picked your four announcements, you can sit back and watch your very own Nintendo Direct unfold with fan-made trailers and everything. It looks very official!

At the end, you’ll be graded on how good your Direct was. Did it have a healthy combination of new games and nostalgia? Did it end with a memorable announcement? You’ll get a score out of 10.

There are 16 total outcomes for your presentation, so you’ll need to play more than once if you want to see all of the possible fan trailers. My first presentation scored a 9/10, so I’ll be sitting here waiting for Nintendo to call me to ask for help with their next official Direct.

A video full of expensive stuff I want to own? It figures.

The post Kotobukiya Winter Expo Features Mega Man, Tales of the Abyss, and More appeared first on Siliconera.

Paris in Microsoft Flight Simulator has a few dedicated landmarks, but it isn’t exactly exceptional. Third-party add-on developer Orbx is aiming to fix that.

Today the developer revealed that its TrueEarth team is developing a package that will surely enrich the city.

This should serve as a perfect complement for the recently-released Paris Orly airport.

Below you can check out a description, feature list, and gallery, keeping in mind that it’s a beta build. The release of the package is planned for January.

“Paris, the capital of France, has been one of Europe’s major centres of diplomacy, finance, commerce, fashion, science and the arts for the past 300 years. Paris, known for having beauty, elegance, and for being a boldly romantic city is transformed for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Our TrueEarth team, led by the legendary Tony Wroblewski, have packaged together 200 Points of Interest (POI) with 15 high-detail POIs. These carefully selected hero-asset POIs allow you to get up close and explore, whilst still maintaining excellent performance across the city.

Pokemon have been painted on airliners’ liveries for a long time, including ANA’s iconic and long-gone Pokemon Jets.

Lately, they’ve been more common on manhole lids, but a new Pokemon airliner has just been launched.

Miyazaki-based regional airline Solaseed Air just painted one of its fourteen 737 aircraft (specifically the Boeing 737-86N with registration JA812X for the planespotters out there) as “Nassy Resort in Miyazaki” portraying Exeggutor and its Alolan version. “Nassy” is Exeggutor’s Japanese name.

The choice of pokemon isn’t random, as Exeggutor is associated with the city of Miyazaki, which also has the famous Poke Lids portraying the cute coconut critter.

The livery was inaugurated yesterday, December 19, at Miyazaki Airport with a dedicated ceremony, and it’ll remain in service for about a year and a half. It even comes with matching headrest covers inside.

Perhaps less glamorous but no less cute are the Exeggutor buses. Those visiting Miyazaki will be able to ride three “Nassy Resort Buses” operating in the city and in the nearby Nobeoka and Miyanokojo.

Below you can check out a few pictures of the vehicles and their inauguration ceremonies, which came with the press release.

A decade is a long time to wait for a sequel, but Super Meat Boy Forever is almost here after some delays and hiccups.

Read more...

Falcom announced Hajimari no Kiseki Switch and Steam versions at its recent event, Falcom Day 2020 Winter, coming next year.

The post Hajimari no Kiseki Switch and Steam Versions on the Way appeared first on Siliconera.

While players aren’t exactly waiting for Master Chief in Fortnite anymore, considering that he’s already there, Grif and Sarge from Red vs. Blue are rather eager to receive his visit.

Ina new trailer, we get to see a funny skit with the two popular multiplayer caricatures as they work with two new faces to prepare a welcome worth the Chief.

I wouldn’t know if I’d consider the attempt successful per-se, but the video is certainly funny.

You can watch it below.

Master Chief’s iconic suit joined Epic Games’ popular battle royale shooter back on December 11, following PlayStation icon Kratos.

Fortnite is currently available for basically every platform with a chip inside excluding iOS.

The game is currently deep into Season 5, which started this month and will end in March.

Will this update be free? It shore will.

The post Stardew Valley 1.5 Update Includes Beach Farms and Advanced Options appeared first on Siliconera.

I don’t play sports games. I don’t even watch sports. But I’m always impressed by some good looking, next-gen hair. And the latest FIFA game on next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X has some damn fine hair.

Read more...

Art galleries can be cool. But they are hard to create, so we don’t get as many galleries as we deserve. For example? Where are the galleries and museums for things like broken extension cords? Or people like Keanu Reeves? Well, thankfully, with The Anything Gallery, you can create a gallery about whatever you want.…

Read more...

PinfinityAR pins bring augemented reality to the pin collecting game. These new AR pins with Street Fighter and Tetris bring new life to the hobby.

The post Collector’s Corner: PinfinityAR’s Augmented Reality Gaming Pins appeared first on Siliconera.

Audiences finally got the open-world samurai game they longed for this year, thanks to Sucker Punch Productions and its stellar Ghost of Tsushima. It skillfully marries stealth action and visceral swordplay, letting players protect Japan from a large-scale Mongol invasion however they see fit. And even though it tells an epic story of love, betrayal, and honor, it’s filled with moments of quiet contemplation that let players fully absorb the effects of their actions.

Protagonist Jin Sakai is a young noble torn between acting honorably while up against insurmountable odds. Under the brutal leadership of Khotun Khan, hordes of invaders have slaughtered the protector samurai class and butchered anyone on the island of Tsushima who stands in their way of eventually claiming greater Japan. Sakai’s uncle, Lord Shimura, believes the only way to fight back is by doing so the traditional way: battling enemies in face-to-face combat. Once Shimura is captured, Sakai discovers a new path, one based on deception and subterfuge.

Click image thumbnails to view larger version

What’s in a name? When it comes to games... not much. Games can be great and have terrible, awful, dumb names. In fact, many games on this list are good games that are just unfortunately saddled with an awful title.

Read more...

A page advertising the standalone version of Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered has popped up on the official PlayStation website.

At the time of writing, the only way to obtain the remastered version of the PS4 game is to buy Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition. But now it has its own listing on the PlayStation website, fans are now speculating that it might be teasing an imminent standalone release, particularly as there's no mention in the page's small print that you can only play it if you buy Sony exclusive, Miles Morales Ultimate Edition.

Of course, it's possible this is merely a mistake and right now, and it doesn't seem as though players can purchase the Remastered version without Miles Morales. We've reached out to Sony for confirmation either way - watch this space.

Read more

The PUBG Mobile development team has been on a roll with its anti-cheat actions, as it has banned more than 2 million people over the course of a week. Dubbed the "Ban Pan," the latest anti-cheating report for the game says that nearly a third of all banned players had modified their character model, while about 15% of players were using aim hacks.

The accounts banned as part of the mass action are permanently suspended from using the game. Other reasons for the bans include x-ray vision hacks, speed hacks, and hacks that modify an area of damage. All of them threaten to undermine the competitive nature of a game that game that has more than 50 million daily users. That means the banned total equals roughly 4% of the total daily number, though the game has been downloaded more than 600 million times to date.

They say any publicity is good publicity. It makes sense because lord knows no one else is talking about Animal Rescuer. But why is that?

The tech demo of an unreleased The Simpsons game has been discovered on a Dreamcast devkit.

The demo of The Simpsons Bug Squad was first shared by DreamcasticChannel, and though it was prepared for Fox Interactive by Red Lemon Studio twenty years ago, it was not commissioned.

While only a tech demo and lacking both music, sound effects, and any obvious gameplay, it looks amazing for a demo made two decades ago. The brief video sees you, as the titular bug, explore a cel-shaded rendition of The Simpsons' kitchen and lounge, avoiding Homer's feet as you go.

Read more

Shigeru Miyamoto hosted the most recent Nintendo Direct, which was all about the Super Nintendo World park in Japan. It opened with the legendary designer jumping out of a pipe. Thank you, Nintendo for this ‘Shop Contest gift.

Read more...

We already knew that The Epic Games Store was primed to give away free games during its Epic Holiday Sale, but now a cheeky tweet has intimated what might be up for grabs across the whole promotion.

Yesterday, the freebie was The Long Dark, and today it's Defense Grid 1, which all fit with the tweet's predictions. It also includes Cities: Skylines and Oddworld: New N Tasty, which were each given away earlier this week, too.

Here's the tweet:

Read more

If you’re eager to fly the Bombardier CRJ in Microsoft Flight Simulator, Aerosoft released more goodies today.

First of all, we get a new volume of the manual, and more precisely part 2 of the operating manual, which looks really detailed, with a lot to learn to operate the aircraft correctly. You’ll have to log into the Aerosoft forums to download it, but it’s worth it if you’re interested in beginning your studies ahead of release.

That being said, Aerosoft intends to also release a series of video tutorials hosted by a CRJ pilot with thousands of hours on the aircraft.

Speaking of videos, another clip from the beta test was also released today, courtesy of Flyer0245. We see the basic features of autopilot being used in flight, including heading, altitude, and vertical speed modes.

2020 was a big year for PlayStation. As Sony prepared to launch the PS5 and usher in a new generation, developers were preparing to say goodbye to the last one with swan song games that pushed the PS4 hardware to its limit, and others transitioned to the PS5 with next-gen upgrades.

That made this an especially strong year for PS4 games, as exclusives like Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part II showed off what the hardware can do. Meanwhile, some games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs Legion crossed between generations. And the PS5 itself got some of its own highly-regarded exclusives like Astro's Playroom and Demon's Souls.

We've compiled a list of the best-reviewed PlayStation games in 2020 below. For more of the year's best, be sure to check out our Best Games of 2020 and familiarize yourself with GameSpot's top 10 nominees.

2020 has been quite the year, and now that it's finally coming to a close, we figured it's the perfect time to look back at some of our favorite games. Our top 10 picks make up our Best Game of 2020 nominees list, but there were plenty of other wonderful gems that we liked. And many of those games released on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Below, we've rounded up GameSpot's best-reviewed Xbox games of 2020.

Now, remember, this list only includes the games for Xbox that GameSpot reviewed. We're only human and there aren't enough of us to cover literally every single game. This list is not designed to diminish other excellent games that were released on Xbox this year, such as Call of the Sea, Evan's Remains, and Coffee Talk (all of which you should go play, by the way); it just compiles the collection of games that we managed to publish a review for on the website that scored an 8/10 or higher. We've listed the games in alphabetical order.

Gogeta (SS4) from Dragon Ball GT will soon join Dragon Ball FighterZ.

The post Dragon Ball FighterZ Gogeta (SS4) DLC Character Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today I’m going to remind you all how much the music in SimCity 4 slaps. Granted, I just did, but now I will go into greater length.

Read more...