The Battlefield 2042 team has unveiled a new, one-of-a-kind surprise collaboration: a crossover with the iconic sci-fi horror game, Dead Space. As part of the crossover, there will be a new limited-time event for players to try out in Battlefield 2042.

The new mode, titled ‘Outbreak', will have squads of four players taking on hordes of infected while trying to escape the Boreas laboratory.

Your squad is about to become humanity’s last defense.#Battlefield 2042 | @DeadSpace July 9 – 16 pic.twitter.com/2OsJIwbbur

— Battlefield (@Battlefield) July 3, 2024

This crossover event comes at an odd time, as DICE just announced plans to wind down development on Battlefield 2042 and ramp up production on the next game. Additionally, we also learned earlier this year that EA ‘passed' on a pitch for a new Dead Space game following on from the 2023 remake. Still, it is nice to see EA putting the IP to use somewhere.

By playing the limited-time game mode, players can earn free rewards, but if you want the big items, which include a Dead Space themed outfit and three legendary weapon skins, then you'll need to fork out for 2200 Battlefield Coins to pick up the Dead Space bundle.

The Outbreak mode will be playable from the 9th of July until the 16th.

KitGuru Says: Will you be playing the new Dead Space-inspired event in Battlefield 2042?

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Due to the FTC's pending court case against Microsoft over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has been quite slow in merging Activision IP with the wider Xbox ecosystem. We expected to see an update on Activision games coming to Game Pass in June during the Xbox Showcase, but nothing materialised. Fortunately, it sounds like good news is just around the corner. 

According to WindowsCentral's Jez Corden, Activision titles will finally begin landing on Game Pass in August. Microsoft already brought Diablo 4 over to the service in March of this year. The next wave of games could include titles like Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk and Spyro, and this rollout should begin in August.

Unfortunately, we aren't going to get a massive drop of past Call of Duty titles on Game Pass. There has been a big question mark around how Microsoft will handle Call of Duty. Apparently, there was even an internal debate within Microsoft over whether or not to bring this year's COD release to Game Pass at launch. It seems the plan has since been settled on. New COD titles will be launching onto Game Pass, starting with Black Ops 6 later this year. As for the massive backlog of classics, those will be slowly added to Game Pass over time.

Unfortunately, we do not know what classic Call of Duty titles Microsoft plans to bring over first, nor do we know how long it will take to get all the games on there. Many still have a lot of love for the original Modern Warfare & Black Ops titles, and more recently, Infinite Warfare has also received a bump in interest. No matter where Microsoft starts with this slow rollout, there will be no way to please all fans all at once.

KitGuru Says: Personally, I would have preferred a big drop of classic COD titles on Game Pass, even if it meant that Black Ops 6 didn't land on the service on day-one. It might make less sense on the console side, but I think such a drop would bring a significant boost to PC Game Pass subscriptions. 

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While most of the big major publishers in the west are looking to invest in generative AI and implement it to speed up development timelines, Nintendo is going in its own direction. During a recent investor Q&A, Nintendo executives confirmed that the company has no plans to begin using generative AI tools to develop future games.

During a recent Investor Q&A, Nintendo president, Shuntaro Furukawa, was asked about the company's plans for Generative AI and its place in game development. Furukawa's answer is exactly what you would expect from a company that has often steered away from wider industry trends.

As spotted by TweakTown, the full quote was published on Nintendo's Japanese investor relations site:

“We have decades of know-how in creating optimal gaming experiences for our customers, and while we remain flexible in responding to technological developments, we hope to continue to deliver value that is unique to us and cannot be achieved through technology alone.”

In other words, Nintendo does not plan on replacing its creative humans with creative machines. While it is true that Generative AI tools can aid in game development, it is mostly being viewed as a cost saving measure to replace artists, voice actors and even to hire less coders. Nintendo has a long established history of retaining talent and is one of the few major publishers to avoid any major layoffs over the past 18 months.

KitGuru Says: The original creators behind many of Nintendo's hit franchises still work there to this day. After retiring as a voice actor, Nintendo hired Charles Martinet as the official ‘Mario Ambassador'. When the Wii U was tanking, Nintendo executives took pay cuts to avoid lay-offs. If there is one company we don't need to worry about when it comes to maintaining creative integrity, it is Nintendo. That could well change in the future, as Nintendo has found itself needing to adapt to industry-shifts in the past. For instance, Nintendo had to refocus a lot of its efforts on digital games and online services while building the Nintendo Switch.

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Earlier this week, a viral tweet pointed out that Sony's latest rewards program, PlayStation Stars, has been offline for over a month, longer than the massive PSN outage of 2011. This had all gone by without any updates from Sony. The company has been quick to take notice and is finally working to bring the service back online.

If you are familiar with Microsoft Rewards on Xbox, then PlayStation Stars would be the most direct equivalent. Gamers earn points via game purchases and by completing certain activities. Those points can then be traded in for PlayStation Store credit, a selection of full games, or other benefits.

On the PlayStation Stars website, Sony has now offered a long overdue update on the rewards program, with a new notice added to the homepage saying: “PlayStation Stars will be returning soon in phased regional rollouts. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to welcoming you back.”

We still don't know what knocked PlayStation Stars offline in the first place, nor do we know why it has taken so long to bring back online. Considering the timing of this immediately follows on from a viral social media post, I have to wonder if someone at Sony just forgot about it. The program isn't back online yet here in the UK, but it is apparently returning to a functional state in other parts of the world, so it should be back up any day now.

KitGuru Says: I've used PlayStation Stars on a few occasions to claim PSN Store credit but I have often found it easier to earn points on Xbox's rewards program. Do any of you use PlayStation Stars at all?

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Bethesda has just begun rolling out the latest patch for Starfield but not everyone is thrilled with some of the changes this time around. A sudden change in policy for mods installed through the Creation Club is set to break a lot of saves.

The new Starfield update changes the type of mods allowed on the Creation Club. Moving forward, mods that make changes to .ini files will not be allowed, although modders will still be able to publish those mods elsewhere. This means mods that unlock frame rates, or enhance graphics settings will no longer be allowed on the cross-platform Creation Club, meaning Xbox users won't be able to install mods that make the game unstable on console. PC gamers are also under the same limitation as far as the Creation Club is concerned but most experienced modders are likely heading to Nexus Mods for their files anyway.

Bethesda does recognise the significance of this change, putting out a statement: “With today's update to the #Starfield CK, we are also removing the ability to upload Creations with altered ini files, since some altered ini files are resulting in more negative effects than the benefits for allowing this functionality, such as audio corruption on the Xbox. Removing this functionality will bring Creations in line with how they work on Skyrim. We are investigating ways to address active Starfield Creations from creators that alter ini files.”

This change has come with some negative comments asking Bethesda to change its mind. Some were using mods to unlock the frame rate on Xbox Series S for example. If these mods are indeed causing significant issues for console players, then Bethesda is unlikely to change its mind on allowing these mods on the Creation Club specifically.

KitGuru Says: Were any of you playing a modded version of Starfield on Xbox? 

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The Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is more of a remake, with the entire game being rebuilt using Capcom's newer RE Engine technology, which also powered the recent Resident Evil sequels and remakes. Capcom has announced a September launch date and even showed off some graphics comparison images. Now, it is time to check out the game's new PC system requirements. 

The original Dead Rising released in 2006 for the Xbox 360. With that in mind, the PC system requirements to run the original game are very low when we take into account the more powerful hardware available nowadays. However, the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will see PC requirements bumped up significantly.

As revealed by the game's Steam Store pre-order page, the preliminary minimum and recommended PC system requirements include:

Minimum:

• OS: Windows 10 (64bit) / Windows 11 (64bit)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-6700 / AMD Ryzen 5 3400G
• Memory: 16GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) / AMD Radeon RX 58

Recommended:

• OS: Windows 10 (64bit) / Windows 11 (64bit)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-8700 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
• Memory: 16GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070Ti / AMD Radeon RX 5700

If you are looking to play the game at 4K/60FPS, then you'll need a more powerful GPU. Currently, Capcom is recommending an RTX 3080 or RX 6900 XT graphics card for those with 4K monitors. The Steam pre-order page for the game also confirms that it will utilise Denuvo DRM protection.

The Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is launching in September for PC (via Steam), Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are any of you planning on picking up the new version of Dead Rising? 

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Nintendo is not giving up on its crusade against Switch piracy, as it has filed two new lawsuits against individuals who allegedly promoted and profited from modded consoles and pirated games. Interestingly, one of these lawsuits targets one of the moderators behind the popular r/SwitchPirates subreddit. 

As spotted by TorrentFreak, the first lawsuit targets James Williams, the main moderator of r/SwitchPirates, a subreddit dedicated to Switch hacking and piracy. According to Nintendo, Williams operates “several pirate shops” that offer “massive libraries of pirated Nintendo Switch games” for download, as well as providing technical support and guidance. Nintendo claims that Williams' actions violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and infringe on Nintendo's intellectual property rights.

The second lawsuit names Ryan Daly, a member of a homebrew group that sells modded Switch hardware online. Daly had previously agreed to a cease and desist order from Nintendo earlier this year, but failed to comply with it. Nintendo accuses Daly of selling mod chips, mail-in modding services and modded consoles that enable users to play pirated games straight out of the box. Nintendo is seeking damages, injunctive relief and the destruction of all infringing products from both defendants.

These lawsuits are the latest in a series of legal actions that Nintendo has taken against Switch piracy in recent years. In 2022, Nintendo successfully shut down Team Xecutor, a notorious piracy group that sold hacking devices for the Switch. More recently, Nintendo also reached a settlement with the developers of Yuzu, a popular Switch emulator that was widely used to play leaked copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom before its official release. The Yuzu team has since disbanded and shut down operations.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Nintendo has been on a winning streak with these lawsuits lately and I would expect that to continue here. If you are selling modded consoles, hardware designed to circumvent DRM, or console modding services online, Nintendo's legal ninjas will be monitoring.

The post Nintendo continues to target Switch pirates with new lawsuits first appeared on KitGuru.

Sega has already confirmed plans to bring back its classic driving game, Crazy Taxi. While the original game was primarily a single-player experience, Sega's reimagining will see a greater focus on multiplayer and open-world mechanics, taking inspiration from popular racers like Forza Horizon. 

In a recent development update, the team behind the new Crazy Taxi game at Sapporo Studio confirmed that several game modes are in the works, including stunt modes, police chases and open-world exploration. The concept doesn't sound too far off what Playground Games does with Forza Horizon, offering a massive open world for players to drive around, with different kinds of races and challenges dotted around the map. These range from things like street races, off-road races & Rally driving, stunt challenges and more.

Apparently, this switch from single-player development to live-service multiplayer is going well, with the team making consistent progress. However, the team at Sapporo Studio is also hiring up, seeking additional development talent to push the game towards release.

The new Crazy Taxi game is reportedly being developed with Unreal Engine 5, alongside another classic Sega IP revival project for Jet Set Radio.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While games like The Crew and Need for Speed have struggled in recent years, Forza Horizon has thrived. Perhaps a new Crazy Taxi that offers a similar gameplay model could give Microsoft a run for their money. 

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Palworld has shot back up in the charts this week, thanks to the game's latest major update, which adds a full new island for players to explore. 

The new Palworld update brings the new island, Sakurajima, to the game for all players. It is the largest update the game has had so far in its Early Access journey. The new island presents a new environment for players to explore, catch Pals, and build. The update has led to concurrent player counts rising up once again, peaking at over 128,000 concurrent players, after declining over the course of April, May and June.

During that three month stretch, the game was averaging around 30,000 peak concurrent players, so the new update has seen many return. Still, the game is far from reaching its launch-week height of 2.1 million concurrent players, largely driven by a viral marketing campaign that captured the imaginations of gamers by displaying clips of Pokémon-like creatures wielding guns.

Palworld has never dropped to unsustainable player numbers and with the game still in early access, there is still plenty of work left to be done on the game. In the future, the team at Pocket Pair plans to add a new Arena battle mode for fans, and more major updates are on the way for 2025 and beyond. Soon, the game may also land on PS5, ending a period of Xbox console exclusivity.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have you picked up Palworld since its launch in January? Was the latest update enough to draw you back in? 

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The next batch of titles for Xbox Game Pass subscribers have now been announced. There will be eight new games joining the library over the next couple of weeks, with a little something for fans of platformers, adventure games and sports. 

Journey to the Savage Planet is one of this month's big additions to the Game Pass library. The game achieved widespread critical acclaim when it released several years ago. Unfortunately, in the build-up to Stadia's launch, Google acquired the studio behind the game and ultimately shut them down, cancelling a potential sequel along the way.

Another indie hit, Neon White, is also joining the library this month. This parkour-platformer is built for those who get a kick out of speed-running and pulling off slick moves, all presented in an anime aesthetic.

Here is the full list of titles joining Game Pass over the next couple of weeks, including supported platforms and dates:

• Journey to the Savage Planet (Cloud, Console and PC) – July 3rd
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Cloud, Console and PC) – July 3rd
• Cricket 24 (Cloud, Console and PC) – July 9th
• The Case of the Golden Idol (Cloud, Console and PC) – July 9th
• Neon White (Cloud, Console and PC) – July 11th
• Tchia (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – July 11th
• Magical Delicacy (Cloud, Console and PC) – July 16th
• Flock (Cloud, Console and PC) – July 16th

On the 15th of July, a few games will also be leaving Game Pass, including Coffee Talk 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, Figment 2: Creed Valley, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, TOEM and The Wandering Village.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Will you be downloading any of this month's new Game Pass titles? 

 

The post The next batch of titles for Xbox Game Pass revealed first appeared on KitGuru.

Dead Rising, the 2006 cult classic zombie shooter, is getting a new lease of life with a next-gen remaster coming this September. Capcom announced the news today, promising a faithful but improved version of the game that started the franchise.

The Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will feature enhanced graphics, including 4K resolution at 60FPS, real-time lighting and shadow effects, and updated character models and mall designs. The gameplay will also see some tweaks, such as more intuitive controls, better NPC behaviour, an auto-save feature, and a refined interface. Capcom said it wanted to keep the core of the game “unchanged” but enhance the user experience.

In some comparison images, we can see some of the upgrades. The game is rebuilt on Capcom's newer RE Engine, which has also powered the Resident Evil Remakes, as well as all of Capcom's other major releases over the past 5+ years. While graphically, the game does look much improved with more detailed lighting and character models, some fans may take issue with the changes made to the main character, Frank West, who appears visibly older than intended in the original game.

The Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will be available in two digital editions for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam on 19th September. The Standard Edition will cost £39.99, while the Digital Deluxe Edition will cost £49.99 and include 17 costumes for Frank and 17 additional mall music tracks. Pre-ordering the game will also grant access to the Dead Rising Original Pack, which adds three more costumes and three more mall tunes. A physical edition of the game will be released for consoles in November.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Will you be returning to Dead Rising when this remaster drops later this year?

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Microsoft has walked back on its plan to turn any TV into an Xbox with its own cheap cloud streaming box. The new plan seems to be turning the Xbox into a powerful gaming PC. According to new leaks, Microsoft and Nvidia are now working to bring GeForce Now to Xbox consoles, which would allow users to turn their consoles into RTX 4080-powered gaming beasts.

GeForce Now already offers better quality options than Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming service. While Xbox Cloud Gaming is powered by Xbox Series X hardware, GeForce Now has options like GeForce Now Priority and GeForce Now Ultimate, which grant access to more powerful RTX-powered servers. GeForce Now Ultimate subscribers can stream at up to 120FPS on supported devices, at up to 4K resolution, while Xbox Cloud Gaming is limited to lower resolutions and frame rates at this stage.

According to leaker ‘eXtas1stv‘, GeForce Now integration on Xbox is being tested, putting a new option on certain Xbox Store game listings to “play with GeForce Now”. This is similar to how the Xbox Store handles other subscription options, like EA Play, Ubisoft Connect and Game Pass, adding a new button next to games on the store alongside the traditional ‘purchase' button. For now, the GeForce Now option only appears to be showing up on the Japanese Xbox Store.

Microsoft and Nvidia have not yet announced anything officially, but with Microsoft partnering with Nvidia last year to bring all PC Game Pass titles to GeForce Now, it seems likely that this idea has been kicking around behind the scenes for a while.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While GeForce Now's Ultimate tier membership is expensive, it is a lot cheaper than building an RTX 4080-powered rig and you should benefit from future hardware upgrades too. We would expect that eventually, the RTX 4080 powered servers will be upgraded with RTX 50 series GPUs. Assuming your internet connection is up to the task, it can be a great alternative for those who don't have the space for a dedicated PC setup.

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Garry's Mod has been going strong for decades at this point, but the team at Face Punch studios has been hard at work on a spiritual successor known as S&Box, which will utilise Valve's newer Source 2 engine. So far, the game has been closed off to most thanks to an invite-only testing scheme. However, the studio is finally ready to let more players in. 

Getting into the S&Box test has not been easy, typically requiring some mod development credentials, or game developer connections to be allowed in. This made sense at first, as like Garry's Mod, S&Box will need community participants to create new game modes. However, we are now several years into development, making it time to finally allow a wider circle of players to gain access.

S&Box, spiritual successor of Garry's Mod (now it's more like Roblox for adults), based on the Source 2 engine, will come out of closed beta soon.

“One of the things we're going to be doing is getting rid of the invite system. It worked, and it was fun, but it's too much work.… pic.twitter.com/kjFfgOgx5X

— ‎Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) June 30, 2024

As part of the S&Box June 2024 development blog, Face Punch confirmed that it is planning to get rid of the current invite system. In its place, sign-ups for beta access will be opened up to all. You will still need to be accepted in order to access the preview version of the game, but you will no longer need to spam Garry on his socials for an invite code.

There is still no clear timeline for S&Box but the move towards a more widely accessible preview is encouraging. I would still expect the game to launch in early access when it does eventually open up to all players.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I played a lot of Garry's Mod when I was younger, so I've had a keen eye on S&Box since its announcement. Fingers crossed many long-time fans will now be able to check it out first hand. 

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Over the past year, there have been rumours that Ubisoft is working on an Assassin's Creed IV remake. This entry in the series is unique thanks to its pirate-centric story and it was also the birthplace for Ubisoft's modern ship sailing and battle mechanics. Now, Ubisoft has confirmed that it is planning a number of remakes.

Ubisoft has announced that it is working on remakes of some of the games in the Assassin's Creed series, one of the most successful franchises in the gaming industry. The remakes will allow fans to revisit some of the rich worlds and characters from the past, with improved graphics, gameplay, and features.

This information was revealed by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot in a new interview published on the Ubisoft website, but he stopped short of revealing any specific Assassin's Creed titles. According to Insider Gaming, the Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag remake is being developed under the codename ‘Obsidian' and some early gameplay footage does exist.

Guillemot says that the goal is to have Assassin's Creed games come out more regularly, but not for it to be the same experience every year: “There are a lot of good things to come, including Assassin's Creed Hexe, which we've announced, which is going to be a very different game from Assassin's Creed Shadows. We're going to surprise people, I think,” he said.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Which of the old Assassin's Creed games would you like to see remade? I think the obvious answer here would be to go back and do the original trilogy, but any remakes there would be hampered by the more recently released remasters. Personally, I'd like to see Unity given another shot. Perhaps with more modern APIs and developer tools, they could achieve their original vision of a densely packed city of NPCs without breaking the game and causing significant performance issues.

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Over the past 18 months, Embracer Group has been scrambling to to fix its financial situation by shutting down studios, selling off others and cancelling various projects in a quest to find more commercially viable games. TimeSplitters, which has a cult following, was cancelled, and a similarly popular IP, Red Faction, had a similar cancellation in the past year. 

According to Rock Paper Shotgun, a new Red Faction game had been pitched and approved at Embracer before all of the financial issues came to light. The game, which was planned to follow in the footsteps of Red Faction: Guerrilla, but was scrapped in late 2023.

It is claimed that the team at Fishlabs was working on the game under the codename ‘Project White', and they brought in cosplay and a  trailer to represent the visual target for the game in an effort to sway executives into keeping the project alive. Unfortunately, the vote was split amongst executives and rather than obtaining a budget, Fishlabs' management was instead told to let go of any employees not currently attached to a greenlit project.

The new game would have been set 100 years after the events of Red Faction: Guerrilla. At this stage, it is unclear if Red Faction holds enough potential commercial value for Embracer to invest in a new game in the series. Currently, we're also wondering about the futures of other IP like Deus Ex, TimeSplitters, Saints Row and others.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru Says: I had a lot of fun with the Red Faction games when I was younger but I'm not sure I would be there day-one if a new game was made today. Have you played any of the Red Faction games? Would you like to see a new entry into the series? 

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Ubisoft announced plans to re-release Beyond Good & Evil again with a new 20th Anniversary Edition that includes some hints at what's to come in the long awaited sequel, Beyond Good & Evil 2. Now after much waiting for a release date announcement, Ubisoft has finally confirmed that the new remaster will finally drop this week. 

Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition is launching on the 25th of June. The original game released in November 2003, so Ubisoft had just a few months left to get this remaster out without having to rename it. A 21st Anniversary Edition doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well. Below you can find the launch trailer, giving a little peek at what fans can expect from this new version of the game.

This is not a remake, so the game still looks like an early 3D adventure game, rather than a modern graphics showpiece. However, the cartoony art style can hide a lot of flaws and do look crisper at higher resolutions. This remaster will run at 4K/60FPS on current-gen consoles, while PC players will be able to push resolutions and frame rates as high as their hardware will allow.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still in development at Ubisoft but it has faced multiple setbacks since its announcement in 2017. For some reason, the game is still available for pre-order for Xbox One and PS4 consoles through retailers like Amazon, despite the fact that the game is almost assuredly not going to release on those platforms at this point. The new remaster for the original game includes a newly implemented ‘narrative link' between the first game and its upcoming sequel, so hopefully that is a sign that the plan for Beyond Good & Evil 2 is now set in stone.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on revisiting Beyond Good and Evil with the new remaster? 

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree finally dropped last week after a lengthy waiting period for fans. The expansion has already received a ton of praise from critics, in part due to its sheer scope, and in part due to the inventive new bosses. Elden Ring soared in player numbers over the weekend, surpassing 750,000 concurrent players. However, not everyone is happy with the new content judging by the Steam reviews. 

The Elden Ring expansion saw hundreds of thousands of gamers jumping back in to the game on Steam. Over the launch weekend, the game hit a new 24-hour peak of 765,984 players a little lower than the game's all-time high of 950,000 concurrent players during the game's original launch in 2022.

While many are playing the game, and the expansion went on to become one of the highest-rated games of the year based on critic reviews, the game's Steam reviews have dropped to Mixed. Based on just over 34,000 user reviews, players are calling out the DLC as being ‘unfairly difficult', which is somewhat funny to see, given that From Software has built its reputation on creating difficult games that you can't just breeze in one sitting.

One common point of pushback I've seen to these negative reviews is that players aren't utilising the tools available to them properly. Some of these players are trying to get through the game without using advantageous items like Scadutree fragments, which is a new upgrade material that will enhance your offensive and defensive stats. Others are also avoiding using summons to help out in boss fights. The game might be difficult, but we can't exactly say that From Software hasn't provided tools and mechanics for players to make things easier on themselves.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you think of the new Elden Ring DLC? Is it too difficult? 

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Last year, Shinji Mikami left Tango Gameworks, more than a decade on from founding the studio. Less than one year on from his departure, Microsoft announced that it was shutting the studio down. Now, it seams that Mikami's departure may have had more to do with the shut down than expected.

Everyone was confused when Microsoft announced it was shutting down Tango Gameworks. The studio was its only foothold in the Japanese market, and it had just shipped a hit game, Hi-Fi Rush, the year before. However, Shinji Mikami and his protege, who directed Ghostwire Tokyo, Ikumi Nakamura, both departed the studio. Xbox's head of Game Studios, Matt Booty, has alluded to these high profile departures being part of the decision to close down Tango Gameworks.

As spotted by Eurogamer, Booty was interviewed by Variety for the Strictly Business Podcast. Without giving away any “nitty gritty details”, Booty said: “I think the thing to be considered is that for us, it's as much a forward-looking situation as much as it is looking back at one certain game… There are a lot of things that go into success for a game. What leadership do you have? What creative leadership do you have? Is the team the same team that shipped something successful previously?”

Booty said Microsoft has to look at those things and decide if they are “set up for success” going forward. The implication here is that Tango Gameworks was not set up for future success. For whatever reason, Microsoft had a lack of faith in the remaining team at Tango Gameworks and rather than trying to juice up the studio with new hires, it instead decided to cut costs.

I think it is also worth noting that Japan is a bit of a tough market right now, as the Japanese Yen has tanked in value. That may also have played a role in Microsoft's decision to scale back on its Japanese studio ambitions for now, while their economy recovers.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Tango Gameworks shutting down was a shock but with Microsoft's reputation in Japan, and Xbox's low fan base in the region, it is unclear if Microsoft would have been able to draw in top Japanese talent to lead the studio after Mikami's departure.

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We had hoped that when Sony announced the PlayStation VR2, it would use some of its first-party development resources to deliver more impressive VR games. Instead, we got Horizon: Call of the Mountain, which was… not great. Now, it seems Sony has ‘scaled back' its VR efforts, according to a new report.

A source speaking with Android Central has claimed that Sony is cutting funding for VR projects. Apparently there are going to be ‘very few opportunities' for VR development at Sony's studios moving forward. Sony itself also recently shut down one of its UK studios, which primarily worked on VR.

It is unclear of this means we'll also see less funding for exclusive games, like Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4 Remake, which are only playable in VR mode on PS5, cutting out other platforms like PC VR.

This follows on from reports that PlayStation VR2 headsets have not been selling well, missing Sony's ambitious sales projections significantly at launch.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Sony has been known to lose interest in devices. It happened with the PS Vita, the original PSVR didn't get a whole lot of first-party love and now, if this rumour is true, it appears that PS VR2 will be in a similar boat, relying primarily on third-party developers.

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Ubisoft's new shooter, XDefiant, officially launched in May and quickly drew in some players after some initial server issues. The game appears to be doing well, but fans have been asking for more game modes. In particular, the game's lack of Team Deathmatch mode has raised some eyebrows. Fortunately, as of today, XDefiant now has Team Deathmatch. 

Team Deathmatch is a staple of the multiplayer shooter genre. The idea is simple, you put together two teams on opposing sides and you let them fight it out, all while working together and communicating to win rounds. In XDefiant, the two current modes, Escort and Domination, encourage a fast-paced style of play, so it will be interesting to see if Team Deathmatch ends up being a bit more tactical.

What has two words, no objectives, and has been a frequent community request for many moons?

Jump into Team Deathmatch this Friday, June 21st at 10AM PT. pic.twitter.com/QV4gTeK6dy

— XDefiant (@PlayXDefiant) June 18, 2024

The XDefiant team made the surprise announcement that Team Deathmatch would be coming to the game earlier this week, confirming that the update will drop today, June 21st. If you have XDefiant installed, the update should be waiting for you to download by 6PM tonight (UK time).

XDefiant was billed as Ubisoft's competitor to Call of Duty and during its beta tests last year, a lot of players believed it could overthrow COD multiplayer in an off year for the long-running franchise. However, the game was hit by multiple delays, pushing it well out of its original late 2023 release window. The game is available now on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5 as a free-to-play title. If you want something purely tactical, then Ubisoft's other shooter, Rainbow Six Siege, is still going strong to this day and is continuing to get new updates.

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KitGuru Says: Have you been playing much XDefiant since it launched last month? Will you be diving in this weekend to check out the new Team Deathmatch mode? 

The post Today’s XDefiant patch will bring Team Deathmatch to the game first appeared on KitGuru.

Despite Black Myth Wukong being announced for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC since its initial reveal, this month, we learned that the game would not actually be available on Xbox at launch. This immediately kicked off rumours that the developers were struggling to get the game running on Xbox Series S. However, a new statement indicates that the real issue here is that the publisher behind the game has signed a late timed exclusivity deal.

In a statement sent to Windows Central, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “We’re excited for the launch of Black Myth Wukong on Xbox Series X|S and are working with Game Science to bring the game to our platforms. We can't comment on the deals made by our partners with other platform holders, but we remain focused on making Xbox the best platform for gamers, and great games are at the center of that.”

We don't know if Microsoft has knowledge of a new exclusivity deal between Sony and Game Science, the developers behind the game. However, based on that statement, it seems that it is their belief that an exclusivity deal has been signed. If true, then Game Science' comment on the Xbox delay could appear a little shady.

In the studio's own statement announcing the delay, it stated that it is now “optimising” the Xbox version of the game but that it won't be ready in time for launch. This led to renewed rumours that the Xbox Series S is ‘holding games back'. If the real reason behind the delay is actually a PlayStation exclusivity deal, then Game Science should really confirm that to clear things up.

Game Science has not yet responded to Microsoft's new statement on Black Myth Wukong and its status.

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KitGuru Says: We've seen a lot of current-gen games running fairly well on the Steam Deck, albeit with extremely dialled back graphics settings. With that in mind, I find it difficult to believe that the Series S is truly an issue, but Microsoft should be more flexible when it comes to feature parity between its two consoles. If it went in that direction from the beginning, maybe Halo Infinite's co-op plans wouldn't have been scrapped.

The post Black Myth Wukong appears to now be a PlayStation launch exclusive first appeared on KitGuru.

In recent weeks, a game simply titled ‘Banana’ has been topping the Steam charts and accruing hundreds of thousands of concurrent players. The game is simple, it shows a banana on the screen and all you do is click it as many times as you feel like. The game is clearly being used by bot farmers to try and cash out via the Steam marketplace. However, the developers behind Banana claim the title isn’t a ‘scam’.

On the game’s official Discord server, one of the co-owners of the studio said there is “no scamming” going on with Banana. In fact, the team apparently has plans to turn it into more than just a simple clicker game. “We cannot wait to turn this game into something bigger and better than just a clicker game. Please stay on the lookout as we have been and still are working on a large amount of updates to improve the game and let you all do much more with your bananas,” the developer wrote.

Currently, Banana is one of the top ten most played games in Steam’s history, which is quite an achievement for the biggest PC gaming platform. However, sleuths eventually discovered that one of the people involved in the game was previously involved in a Bitcoin scam, back when Steam allowed Bitcoin transactions on its store.

The game also has a known bot problem, something the developers are being open about. However, they have not yet figured out a way to put a stop to bot farms, which are using thousands of alternative accounts to try and earn skin drops in bulk. Those skins can then be sold on the Steam Marketplace. When a skin is sold on the Steam marketplace, Valve takes a cut, the seller takes a cut and the game developer also gets a cut, so there has been doubt around how motivated the team really is to address it.

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KitGuru Says: Crypto scams have been prevalent for a long time now, and we've started to see some of those ideas applied in the world of video games. In recent years, some developers have announced games with fake trailers or images, built up hype around the project and then quickly shut down operations. Given how this game is being utilised as a Steam Market engine, I don't blame anyone for thinking that perhaps this little Banana clicker falls into a similar boat. 

The post Banana devs push back against claims game is a scam first appeared on KitGuru.