Microsoft had some negative press earlier this year, after announcing mass layoffs a few months after closing its blockbuster acquisition of Activision Blizzard King. Unfortunately, it seems the troubles aren't over just yet, as reports of another round of lay-offs at Microsoft are now hitting the web. 

Former Microsoft Senior Product Manager, Angela Viness, was the first to break the news, confirming that her position was “eliminated” recently. Other Microsoft employees working in technical, social and managerial roles have also confirmed that they have been let go recently.

Microsoft has not yet publicly announced any additional lay-off plans, so these could be leftover roles that are being cut now, after the initial restructuring effort got underway earlier this year. Microsoft may wait until its next earnings call to address this, which is scheduled to take place on the 23rd of July.

This follows on from a number of layoffs at Microsoft earlier this year, including the closure of several studios acquired in the Zenimax deal, like Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog and Arkane Austin.

KitGuru Says: These things typically happen right before an earnings call, so the fact that Microsoft has one scheduled in this month is no accident. We should get more clarity on what is going on over the next couple of weeks. 

The post Microsoft lay-offs continue first appeared on KitGuru.

There have been a number of small demos showcasing what an Attack on Titan game would be like in VR. Now, an official game is finally coming. Developed by UNIVRS, Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable will be launching later this month, starting off in ‘Early Access' while the developers work to finish the game. 

Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable will be a cheap pick-up for VR headset owners too. The Early Access version of the game will include story chapters 1 & 2 at launch, for just $4.99. Buying this version of the game will also get you access to the final 1.0 version of the game with the full story and a co-op mode included. It is unclear if the game will go up in price once it leaves Early Access but chances are, it will.

The game will enter early access starting on the 23rd of July on the Meta Quest platform, meaning you will need a Quest 2, Quest Pro or Quest 3 headset to play the game. We do not yet know if the game will come to Steam so it can be played on PC VR headsets like the original Oculus Rift, the HTC VIVE or the Valve Index.

The game will feature 3D Manoeuvring, so you'll be zipping and flying around the map, trying to dodge and defeat titans along the way. The game will have both Japanese and English language options for voices, which will be good news for fans of the anime series.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on picking up Attack on Titan VR? 

The post Attack on Titan VR launches into Early Access this month first appeared on KitGuru.

While Sony has confirmed it has no plans to participate in Gamescom this year, the company will support its home country's big gaming event, the Tokyo Game Show. PlayStation will be at TGS this year, marking Sony's first appearance since 2019. 

As spotted by Insider Gaming, the TGS website has listed Sony Interactive Entertainment as an exhibitor for this year's event. However, Sony is listed under the ‘indie game area' and in the ‘family game area', so it seems unlikely that there will be much first-party studio activity going on.

The last time Sony turned up at TGS, it was to reveal more details about Death Stranding ahead of its release date. Kojima Productions is now hard at work on a direct sequel, which we saw a lengthy ten-minute gameplay clip of earlier in the year. It is unclear if Sony will be making any major announcements at TGS this year, or if it will hold another State of Play in September.

The Tokyo Game Show kicks off on the 26th of September.

KitGuru Says: The Tokyo Game Show usually comes with some game announcements from Japanese publishers like Capcom, SEGA and Square Enix. It will be interesting to see if PlayStation has anything lined up for the occasion too. 

The post PlayStation will be participating in the Tokyo Game Show this year first appeared on KitGuru.

At launch, Steam user reviews were not kind to Elden Ring:  Shadow of the Erdtree, despite the fact that the game was garnering glowing praise everywhere else. Many of these reviews took issue with the expansion's difficulty, as many players were skipping over key new items to power up in the DLC. Since then, the expansion's rating has bounced back from ‘Mixed' to ‘Mostly Positive'. 

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree gives players exactly what they wanted more of. More lore to discover, more areas to explore and more bosses to take down, alongside new weapons, armour and character classes. The expansion impressed critics greatly, earning extremely high review scores across the board. On Metacritic, the game has a 95 overall rating, based on over 60 critic reviews. The contrast with Steam user reviews at launch was staggering, with the game garnering far more criticism from players.

As it turns out, a lot of these user reviews pointing out the difficulty spike in the expansion were missing key in-game items, like Scadutree Fragments, a new item introduced with the Erdtree expansion specifically to buff player's offensive and defensive stats to take on the new bosses.

Now that players are more aware of the expansion's additions, user review scores for the game have bounced back on Steam. The expansion now sits at a ‘Mostly Positive' overall score, based on almost 67,000 reviews. The remaining highly voted negative reviews on Steam now point towards performance issues, rather than issues with the content itself.

KitGuru Says: I've been playing through Elden Ring recently but I am nowhere close to being ready to tackle the expansion yet for myself. Have any of you been playing Shadow of the Erdtree? How are you finding the expansion so far? 

The post Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree bounces back with positive Steam user reviews first appeared on KitGuru.

We've entered a new month, which means it is time for another big GeForce Now library update. Throughout July, GFN users can expect to see 18 more games joining the library, including four new games this week. 

Some of the highlights for GFN in July include Once Human, a new multiplayer survival game where players must use the power of stardust to stave off infection. Additionally, Stormgate has been confirmed for day-one support on GFN when it launches into Early Access later this month.

Here are the four games joining GeForce Now as of today:

• The Falconeer (Free on Epic Games Store, July 4)

• The First Descendant (Steam)

• Star Traders: Frontiers (Steam)

• Wuthering Waves (Native and Epic Games Store)

And here is everything else already confirmed to be joining the library in July:

• Once Human (New release on Steam, July 9)

• Anger Foot (New release on Steam, July 11)

• The Crust (New release on Steam, July 15)

• Gestalt: Steam & Cinder (New release on Steam, July 16)

• Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn  (New release Steam and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, July 18)

• Dungeons of Hinterberg (New release Steam and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, July 18)

• Norland (New release on Steam, July 18)

• Cataclismo (New release on Steam, July 22

• CONSCRIPT (New release on Steam, July 23)

• F1 Manager 2024 (New release on Steam, July 23)

• EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6 (New release on Steam, July 25)

• Stormgate Early Access (New release on Steam, July 30)

• Cyber Knights: Flashpoint (Steam)

• Content Warning (Steam)

• Crime Boss: Rockay City (Steam)

• Gang Beasts (Steam and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass)

• HAWKED (Steam)

• Kingdoms and Castles (Steam)

As we've seen over the past year, there is room for surprise announcements from partners like Xbox, Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft, EA and others.

KitGuru Says: What do you think of this week's GeForce Now update? 

The post GeForce Now gets Stormgate, Once Human and more this month first appeared on KitGuru.

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.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

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

The post Battlefield 2042’s Dead Space crossover event kicks off next week first appeared on KitGuru.

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.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

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. 

The post Xbox Game Pass will finally get Activision titles starting in August first appeared on KitGuru.

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.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

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.

The post Nintendo has no plans to adopt Generative AI for game development first appeared on KitGuru.

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.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

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?

The post Sony finally bringing PlayStation Stars back online after month-long outage first appeared on KitGuru.

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? 

The post Latest Starfield patch will do away with performance-tweaking mods in Creation Club first appeared on KitGuru.

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? 

The post Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster gets PC system requirements first appeared on KitGuru.

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. 

The post Sega’s Crazy Taxi reboot is taking inspiration from Forza Horizon first appeared on KitGuru.

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? 

The post Palworld rises in Steam Charts following big new update first appeared on KitGuru.

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?

The post Capcom shows off comparison screenshots for Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster first appeared on KitGuru.

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.

The post Microsoft and Nvidia may soon turn your Xbox into an RTX 4080 powered gaming PC first appeared on KitGuru.

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. 

The post Garry’s Mod successor ‘S&Box’ finally opening up preview access first appeared on KitGuru.

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.

The post Ubisoft confirms plans for Assassin’s Creed remakes first appeared on KitGuru.

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? 

The post Embracer scrapped plans for a new Red Faction game in 2023 first appeared on KitGuru.

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? 

The post Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition finally releases this week first appeared on KitGuru.

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? 

The post Elden Ring expansion sees player numbers soar, but Steam user reviews drop to mixed first appeared on KitGuru.