SEGA has released the Sonic Colors Ultimate update 1.05 patch this November 22, which is for the game’s 2.6 patch. This includes audio improvements, stability fixes, and platform-specific fixes too. Read on for the full patch notes below.
Sonic Colors Ultimate Update 1.05 Patch Notes | Sonic Colors Ultimate Update 2.6 Patch Notes:
Here’s the announcement regarding the patch straight from SEGA:
Improved stability on all platforms
Updates to the save-game system
Audio mix improvements
Music now loops in credits
Update to “Giving Credit Where Credit’s Due” trophy/achievement description
Switch-specific update
Eggman fireworks now appear at end of Terminal Velocity
PC-specific update
Fix for issue where Yellow Drill Wisp could not damage Captain Jelly
Various bug fixes
That seems to be it. If there are more changes not included above that you notice, feel free to leave a comment below to let the other players know.
While MP1st got the chance to talk to Techland about Dying Light 2 just a few months ago, when the opportunity presented itself to talk to the devs again, we jumped at the chance given how the zombie action game is one of the biggest games set for release in 2022. In our new Dying Light 2 interview, Techland talks about the game’s delay, sound design and loads more! It’s an interesting read with some very candid answers, so read on.
MP1st managed to talk to Lead Game Designer Tymon Smektala during the hands-on event we attended. Read our impressions of the game after playing it for three hours right here!
MP1st: I’ve been playing the game a little while now, and so far I’m liking what I’m seeing. I think it’s a good follow-up so far. One of the changes I’ve noticed so far is the weapon repair system. What was the thought behind changing that process of repairing weapons versus the first game, wherein the sequel it seems your more interested in players picking up new weapons as the go along.
Smektala: The explanation is actually quite simple. We have around 200 weapons, so we want players to basically see all of those beauties. So that’s one of the reasons why we made that change, and the other is we want players to go out and explore and not stick to one thing they have found; just basically keep looking for new stuff and explore every nook and cranny, and going inside every dark place.
Because this is what supports our general idea of how players could or should play the game. The rule of this world is the day is for humans, and the night is for infected. What that means is that during the night, the infected leave the dark places, they leave the interiors, but the most valuable stuff, the most interesting stuff, the most powerful weapons is hidden inside those dark places. This is our way of motivating players to actually go out during the night, to play during the night, because we have realized that for the first game there were a lot of gamers that were basically skipping the night part. It was too scary for them, and they didn’t really have the incentive to do so. So now the incentive is built into world itself. During the night you can get the best loot, and the most powerful weapons, so basically go out there and have fun and be aware that the infected are everywhere around you.
MP1st: I thought the night was really fun and scary early on in the first game when you were really weak. I liked that it was much more of a stealth, kind of runaway experience and then at night time it was all panic, get out to the safe point. As the game progress you became more powerful, it almost changed genres to where I found going out at night was like an exciting challenge, finally I wasn’t just cutting through hoards, and the super zombies.
Along those lines, I know in this game and in a lot of the press you’ve done so far, you’ve talked about how the world progression matters a lot more, and how your changes affect the future of the city. How did you approach that specific aspect of the first game in this one, where the character progression in the first game had a big effect on the gameplay. How did you apply that same principle to the world, or is it a whole new system you’ve worked out?
Smektala: I think it’s safe to say it’s a completely new system. If you look at the player progression it is actually quite similar to what we had in the first game, maybe a little more streamlined, but basically it’s the same system.
You do parkour stuff, you get parkour XP, you get new parkour skills. You fight a lot, you get combat XP points, you get new combat skills. So basically it’s like a pendulum that keeps powering itself.
But then when it comes to the world progression, or maybe your ability to change the world around you, it is more connected to choices and consequences. There are a couple of places in the game where you make choices centered around some specific facilities as we call them. These are very important buildings in the city that allow one faction or another to culture a zone within the city.
When you complete some kind of a mission at the facility you get to choose which faction get to take over it, and then which faction should take over the zone. And then when that faction goes into a zone, they start installing their gadgets, their installations in that area. So for peacekeeper those installations are focused on combat, for survivors those are parkour and traversal. You can change the city by giving various zones to various factions, and by that you change what the playground around you is.
Maybe it’s more focused on combat, maybe it’s more focused on parkour, or maybe you choose in this area that you have something that will help you fight the infected, while in the other it would be more beneficial for you if you get additional power corruptions. It is different, and it’s very closely tied to the idea of choices and consequences that we have for this game.
MP1st: Given the fact that this is a game that was announced before current-gen (PS5/Xbox Series) consoles and now we are in this weird in-between space because of the pandemic where games are kind of straddling the line between consoles. What’s the plan for any kind of cross-gen play, or cross-family, and how are you planning on supporting the two versions of the game on the PS4, Xbone, versus the Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.
Smektala:A couple of things, first we are not announcing any type of cross-gen or cross-platform play at this time.
When it comes to having the game on those platforms (old gen to newer gen,) it is possible because at the very beginning of the project we have changed our technology. We have our own new in-house engine called “C-Engine” and one of the benefits of it is it’s extremely scalable. It allows us to not only create a game for PS4, and then have the same game on PS5, but in the future if there’s PS6, then the same engine will be able to kind of scale whatever that console brings.
We knew from the start that we would have one game where as you said in a “weird space” where we would have to release a game on last-gen consoles and new-gen consoles, but we came in prepared because of the technology that we had.
But the third thing I want to say is that, I think, and I hope you will also see when you get to play the PS4 build later on today, is that we didn’t sacrifice any part of the experience. Of course maybe the resolution is different, maybe the quality of some texture is different, but the experience itself is the same on both machines, last-gen and next-gen consoles. It is basically the same game, and if you just dim your lights, sit on your couch, put on your console, I hope you’ll get immersed in the same way, and you will have the same emotion no matter the platform your playing on.
MP1st: Does that apply to things like frame-rate and ray-tracing?
Smektala: Of course PS4 and the Xbox One cannot offer the same frame-rate as next-gen consoles, but next-gen consoles will support 60FPS, and they will support ray-tracing.
But maybe it’s my personal opinion, but to be honest I think that those are very nice graphical flourishes attached to the experience, but this is not what makes the experience. I have a lot of games on my Xbox 360 that I love to play, and when I play them I’m basically all immersed in that world, because those are just games constructed in a way meant to draw you in. I hope that Dying Light 2 will be a game like that, working independently from the platform it’s on.
MP1st: I didn’t get a chance to talk to him since then, but I ended up sitting next to Jonah Scott, who’s playing Aiden the protagonist of this game. That was really cool he was here today. Are we to expect any potential guest voices, like is Idris Elba (jokingly) in this game.
Smektala: Idris is not in this game, but Rosario Dawson is in the game and we are very happy to be able to work with her on one of the characters. We also have David Belle who’s like the inventor of parkour and made it popular so you will see his face as you play the game in character named Hakon. We didn’t want to go too crazy with names and spend a lot of money on someone famous because he’s famous, that’s not our goal. We wanted to choose people that we thought would really add to the characters we have created, to have a mentor, a character that guides you into the city in the form of Hakon, who’s played by David Belle. To have Lawan, the strong female character who’s played by Rosario Dawson, this makes sense, this connect, this is what guided our choices.
MP1st: Let’s talk about the delay. It came as a surprise to a lot of people given how long the game has been in production, but I think everyone was pretty understanding given what the past two years have been. What do you think at this point the chances are of another delay or do you think that there’s any chance that-
Smektala: ZERO.
MP1sT: Zero?!?
Smektala: Yes. The game is going to be released next year in February, and that’s what we’ve focused on, that’s what we’ve worked on. So absolutely zero chance of that happening.
As you said, there was a couple of reasons for the fact that we delayed the game. Of course COVID was one of the factors, but I don’t want to put the blame on COVID because all of us had to go through it, and all of us had to face some struggle and new challenges because of the pandemic.
I think the most important reason for us is that when you work on a non-linear game, and you want to polish that, you’re actually not polishing one game, but few games at the same time. Because the same game can have so many variants, and some of those variants can be so drastically different that you have to verify every playthrough, not just 1000 times, but 1000 times multiplied by the number of variations in the game.
MP1st: Especially for games with multiple endings.
Smektala: Exactly. So this is the reason for the delay, and also this is our baby. This is our IP. The Dying Light IP is owned by our studio. So we just knew that we couldn’t release the game if it’s not ready to release.
Another reason for that, why we were looking and why we decided to postpone the release to find the quality is that Dying Light 1 was such a success. Not because of what the media was saying, but because of how players accepted, and liked, and loved the game. I think we have one of the most active and vocal communities out there, and to be honest the pressure is way higher than it was with the first game because we understand we cannot disappoint those guys. I know that hearing about the delay is disappointing, but I think it’s better than getting a game which wasn’t meant to be released in the first place, that wasn’t ready to be released.
MP1st: Speaking of the first game, what kind of enhancements can we expect for the next-gen enhancement version?
Smektala: There will be a separate announcement regarding this, so we’ll let those guys do their work and make the announcement when they’re ready for it. I think what you can expect is, you can expect to get what you would expect. Now you can’t expect a full remake of something that’ll completely change the game. It will still be the same game, just upgraded and use the advantage of the next-gen consoles. I think this will be the swan song of Dying Light 1 because then we will move to Dying Light 2 Stay Human. We have a lot of plans regarding Dying Light 2 Stay Human after release, but of course the important thing for us right now is just to release the game and make sure it is as good as possible for our team, as good as we envisioned it. Because if the first step isn’t solid, then having any plans for post-launch, DLC, additions, whatever, doesn’t make sense. The base game needs to be good and we are focusing on just that at this point.
MP1st: It might be a weird fit, but you kind of have to wonder with every game coming out these days, have you considered any sort of virtual reality, augmented reality application for the franchise?
Smektala:: Dying Light is best game for virtual reality, but also the worse game for virtual reality. This is a game that’s meant, as I said before, this is a game meant to draw you into this world, a game meant to immerse in it totally. So of course, it kind of makes sense with virtual reality, which adds to the immersion in extreme ways, but also this is a game about moving very fast and doing very crazy acrobatics stunts.
This is what is historically problematic with VR, because when people start playing that game, they start feeling motion sickness and all of that stuff. Even for the first game we had a version of Dying Light running on VR. It was really amazing for the first five to ten minutes, you really felt you are in this city surrounded by infected around you. But after those five and ten minutes of playing it was a really hard time for a lot of people, so we said maybe that’s not it. Maybe at some point we will branch off and do something with the IP that makes sense for the VR, but again, nothing like that is happening at this point because we are focusing on the release of Dying Light 2 Stay Human.
MP1st: So I got to ask some questions about the multiplayer. Are there any plans for any kind of a Battle Pass or Season Pass?
Smektala: Nothing that we are announcing at this point, what we are saying about the online is that it supports four player online co-op. You will be able to play basically the “whole” game from start to finish. When I say “whole” game I do these funny faces because there’s a short section at the very beginning of the game, the prologue and tutorial that introduce you to the story, the characters, and the gameplay mechanics. So that part is played in single-player, but as soon as it ends you move on to a full co-op experience. You can play the game with your friends, or complete strangers.
I think one very interesting thing about co-op is how well it supports the choices and consequences you make in this game. If you have a game about choices, someone has to make that choice, someone has to make that decision. So it’s always the host of the session. Let’s imagine it’s your session and you invite me to play with you and I play with you and we come to a point where there is a decision is to be made. So what I can do is of course, besides screaming at you on the headset, is that we have some solutions that allow me to kind of vote or suggest to you what I would choose. You make the decision, all of us get to see that outcome and that decision stays in your save game and you will complete the game in your own canon version of the experience.
But then the next weekend I will invite you to play in my game and now I get to make the decision, and now you get to see all the version of the story, all the options, all the other decisions we can make. For me the optimal way to play the game is first to play by yourself or with your friends, but as the host and get your version of Dying Light Stay Human, and then hop online and start joining other people and start experiencing all of the other variations the game has to offer.
My personal bet on this is that I will bet $1000 that this will be appreciated by the gamers and give them the meaning to play the game for hundreds, and thousands of hours.
MP1st: How did the adapting the gameplay from the first game into this one, how directly did the multiplayer affect the game design and mechanics moving over from the last one into this one, and what did that process look like.
Smektala: I’m afraid I don’t have like any juicy story for you because this is not our first co-op game. Maybe it is our first choices and consequences game, but this is not our first co-op game because we had Dead Island and we had Dying Light, so we have quite a lot of experience in that general type of gaming.
So we look at all of the data from those previous games and analyze them, trying to see what excite people most and see what they are doing when they play and build mechanics around this. Nothing really fancy, just making sure we don’t mess this thing up. I think we kind of made it quite well in the first game, so the goal here was not to mess it up, and to deliver the same experience to players and to create a platform for them, for us to expand upon after the game is released.
One of the things we are doing which is kind of new is the idea of character classes. For the release it will be quite light, but we hope to expand on it later. As you play the game you will see that you gather different pieces of outfit, gear. Cap, or shoe, or maybe pants or something. Those are meant to support specific types of gameplay, so maybe they give you more damage, or less range, or maybe they make you use stealth a bit better because it takes a little longer for enemies to discover you.
You can specialize in different classes or different style of gameplay, and when you play online you can actually try to create companies, or teams with different specialties that cover each other’s backs and cooperate with each other to achieve goals.
MP1st: Talking about the build I played today, I really enjoyed the sound design, which is something I wasn’t expecting to have much of a focus. That squishy slop sound when I cut into an infected for the first time was really satisfying. What was the philosophy in the sound design and how do you think that applies to something like multiplayer where there’s multiple people going at it at once and that layering of sounds.
Smektala: Of course you could always mix it up so you mostly hear your sounds and this is exactly what we’re doing, like a whole system that tries to understand what would be the most juicy for the player to hear in their headphones.
What I mean is that feeling of hitting something organic with something very deadly, this is absolutely something we wanted to capture in the game when it comes to the sounds of the combat. Our sound designer are actually quite crazy. For example they’ll buy those big pieces of pig meat and just hit on it with different objects trying to capture the most “juicy,” weighty sound. Yeah, they are crazy like that.
I think it’s also worth mentioning we are working with Olivier Deriviere, who is a French video game music composer who’s worked on some quite interesting games like A Plague Tale: Innocence and Vampyr. He’s also worked with Dontnod Studios on their game Remember Me. He has quite a lot of interesting games to his credit, and I said he’s a video game music composer because what’s unique about him is that he understands video games, and he understands video games are interactive.
When he comes into a project he’s not just giving us his music, he asks for systems that allow his music to be interactive and react to different things players are doing. There are some solutions that change the music regarding how you fight, how you run through the city, and also change the music when play in co-op, when you play in multiplayer. By the way, he’s also crazy, like it seems like all our sound designers are crazy. The thing he did is he created a special instrument just for the game, trying to capture the modern dark ages era. He created this medieval, very awkwardly-looking instrument that you play using medieval metals, like tapping the strings like they did in medieval times, but it’s all made from modern materials. It’s like the musical version, or sound version of the modern dark ages.
A lot of work went into all aspects of our sound designs and it seems like a job well done since you appreciated it.
MP1st: Lastly, assuming this game takes off like the first one and I assume it will. What are your plans for the future of the franchise?
Smektala: Sorry, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, because really we could have a conversations about it that would last the whole evening. Of course we have plans, and maybe some work has been started on that, but all of this doesn’t make sense unless the base game is a success. We can talk about it after the game is released, let’s just focus on this one and we need to make sure that you like it, and I hope you like it when it releases.
We’d like to thank Techland for inviting us to check the game out, and for sitting down for an interview. Dying Light 2 will be released this February 4, 2022 on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC.
A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.
If you’re playing Battlefield 2042, and noticed that hit registeration seems to feel off, well, you’re not alone. Not only that, but for console gamers, if you also feel that aim assist feels off, it’s also not just you. DICE has confirmed that the Battlefield 2042 hit registeration, aim assist, and even bloom are all being looked into and will get tweaks.
Over on Twitter, Lead Game Designer for Battlefield 2042 Florian Le Bihan confirmed some of the tweaks being looked into, as he replied to fan concerns.
On aim assist being enabled on consoles:
Yes we are aware of the issues with aim assist, it is being worked on by the team. No specifics to share at this point though.
On gun bloom getting changes. For those not familiar what bloom is, it’s basically aim down sight (ADS) spread, where your bullets don’t exactly hit where you’re aiming them at. Other games like Call of Duty Vanguard also has this, which is frankly, annoying.
It is going to receive changes, we've done those changes on our side already, now it's a matter of getting the changes in one of the upcoming updates.
These are all good news for BF2042 players, so let’s hope we get a time frame on when we’ll actually get these changes in the game. Speaking of changes, DICE has outlined some of the tweaks and fixes incoming in the next patch, which you can read about here.
Ahead of his inclusion in the demigods’ roster this December, Hi-Rez Studios have revealed the newest SMITE Atlas trailer, a cinematic look at one of the most well-known Titans in Greek mythology. Check out the cinematic trailer below, as well as some information on what to expect from Atlas in SMITE.
Atlas’ role will be that of a Guardian, as most players can infer from his overall design and standing within the Greek pantheon. Besides the SMITE Atlas trailer, here’s some information on the Titan coming in the game:
“I control the heavens above. I wield their strength, and I will use this strength to bring forth a better future!” Atlas, Titan of the Cosmos, is coming to the battleground this December!
The Titan Atlas, SMITE’s upcoming Guardian, was sentenced by Zeus to haul the heaviest burden there is the universe itself, contained in an Astrolabe. In-game, he uses it as a mighty weapon.
What do you think? Are you excited to see Atlas in action in SMITE? Let us know in the comments below!
When news surfaced that Rockstar’s classic Grand Theft Auto titles were getting a re-release with improved graphics, gameplay, and frame-rate, there was much excitement to be had. After all, these were the titles that have defined the studio’s legacy over the last decades, with them continuing down the line with many more sequels and spin-offs. I have lots of fond memories playing the original trilogy on the PS2, and although they certainly haven’t aged as well as many would hope, they’re still very much fun titles to playthrough. So, of course the thought of having a newly refreshed version, built with modern gaming in mind, filled the room with much excitement. Well, sadly, what should have been a trip down nostalgia alley, has instead turned into a bug-filled, poor replication, expensive money-grabbing attempt, that loses the soul of the originals. They may be called the Definitive Edition, but they’re far from being just that.
Shiny New Graphics That Lose That Artistic Touch of the Originals
If it wasn’t clear from the announcement trailer, the GTA Trilogy – The Definitive Edition features graphical overhauls for the original three 3D GTA games in order to make them more appealing for the modern day gamer. While that certainly sounds great, in actuality, what we got on a visual scale with these remasters is laughably some of the worst design decisions made for a remaster (possibly ever) that has more downs than ups.
Yes, it’s great to see that the visuals have “improved” from the original releases, but those improvements come at a heavy cost of losing the atmosphere of the originals with an art direction that is constantly at odds with itself.
For starter, the character models don’t mash with the environments at all. While the original GTA games have always had a bit of a cartoonish look, that was mostly due to the technical limitations of their time. With these remasters, it would appear Grove Street Games (the studio behind these remasters) have decided to upgrade each game’s environments for a more “realistic” take. Buildings, streets, trees, cars, basically everything is now richer in details, and although not the most graphically impressive title, I do think the environments look great in some areas.
The Problem is, despite those environments looking good, there is no consistency. In one instance you’ll be driving down a detailed city block, only to turn the corner and see super bland and texture-less environments. The characters and NPCs don’t fair any better, either, as they feel out of place — as if they’re plucked out of a completely different universe. They’re ugly — very ugly — and provide no consistency between the environments and themselves. It’s like a really poorly rendered CGI model thrown in a modern day movie. It looks bad now, and it will look bad in 10-20 years, and that’s what the character models in the trilogy come off as. Heck, by now we’ve seen a number of modders who have had their GTA projects taken down that have created better models than what we got from this official re-release, and these fan-made ones stay faithful to the original aesthetics of these games.
Speaking of, despite the environments looking better than they have ever, they somehow feel worse. That’s because much of the original lighting and effects in the cities are gone, and have instead been replaced with, well, nothing, literally. While an ultra clean and clear look may be welcoming, in say, Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s because those titles are flourishing in details. Being able to see across a map in those games provide you with so much information, that it works to their advantage.
The original trilogy couldn’t be built like that, thus Rockstar had to get creative with the lighting and effects of the city to hide those limitations. This resulted in easily some of the most atmospheric games of their time, and for me, in particular one of the best looking open world’s with GTA San Andreas. Driving around a smoke hazed fog city gave San Andreas a unique feel, one that made the city believable and oozing in all kinds of sleaziness and corruption. The same held true to the previous GTA’s, they all had an atmosphere to match the story and setting they were in. GTA 3 with it’s mobster Godfather-like story gave the city a gritty, desperate, and sad look, while Vice City perfectly captured that ’80s Miami look with its neon, bright and warm colors that made you want to to throw a pair of shades and bask in the sunlight. It gave us that Scarface movie vibe that the whole world was ours for the taking.
You don’t get that sense anymore in the remasters, and for me, the saddest moment to realize this was when I climbed to the top of Mount Chiliad and I could see the end of the map. No polluted filled city where you could barely make out the top of a skyscraper, or fog-filled forests that always made you wonder if Big Foot was lurching around in. It’s gone, and with it, the charm masterfully crafted in the original releases. It looks and feels cheap.
A Buggy, Bad Performing Mess
You know, I would be forgiving of the character designs and lack of atmosphere if it meant these titles would be polished with a rock solid frame-rate. Sadly, despite not being at all graphically demanding, these games run like utter shit. Playing on the PS5, a next-gen console that is more than capable of running some games at 120fps (frames-per-second) that have far more graphical and technological advancements, can’t even hold a stable 60fps in any of the trilogy titles. I won’t pretend that I know the work that went into this remaster, but it’s hard to argue that all three of these games shouldn’t be anything less than 60fps on the PS5 (heck, even the PS4). Yet they are, and at times can dip to a staggering 30fps. That’s half of what it targets in performance mode for games that I would say already look dated in the visuals department.
Then there are the bugs. I have lost a few of my save files due to corruption, restarted missions because of odd spawning issues, and have even had hard freezes and crashes. San Andreas was the worse for me, having crashed 10-15 times in a single session. This is a game that I had left my PS2 on for hours as I went to school so I wouldn’t have to start a mission all over again. Bad for my PS2, but I was able to come back and keep on playing just fine. Yeah, the original release did have bugs, but the point of the remaster should be to address those, not introduce new ones and somehow be worse. It’s astonishing how many new bugs there are, and the performance is completely inexcusable.
Least I not forget to mention how the rain has been implemented in all three GTAs. You have all probably seen the videos and pictures already, but here it is again, in all its blinding galore.
I mean, come on! Seriously, whoever did this, what the hell were you thinking?? This is so unbearably playable, there is just no way no one saw this during playtesting. I am at a loss of words, though I suppose vomit inducing is the best suited description.
Quality of Life Improvements That Would Have Been Acceptable in a HD Re-Release
If there is something I was happy to see in these remasters, then it’s the quality of life improvements. A remaster should be more accessible than the original, and Grove Street Games definitely nailed at providing the series with much needed improvements. For starters, GTA 3 now has a full in-game map that you can view. Additionally waypoints and GPS navigation has been updated to be more similar to that from recent GTAs with routes being outlined.
Then there is the new checkpoint system. It’s not perfect — far from it — as it seems pointless in GTA 3 and Vice City since you are mostly having to restart the entire mission, but when it does work, and start you off part ways it feels great. Some patching could be implemented to resolve that.
However, the biggest change in the remaster comes in the gameplay controls themselves. Now touting modern controls inspired by the latest GTA (GTA 5) all three classics (GTA Vice City, GTA 3, and GTA San Andreas) have never played better than before. This is definitely a welcome change, as going back to replay the original PS2 releases, it’s likely you’d end up dropping them due to how outdated the gameplay feels. It’s snappier, responsive, and more user friendly, all without sacrificing the core experience offered from the original gameplay. They have even added the weapon wheel from GTA 5 in each game with a slowdown so that you easily pick what weapon you want without the worry of being killed.
This is really the only part that I can comfortably say makes this Trilogy edition “definitive” over the originals, and it is a welcome new feature.
Verdict
I like to think that some thought was put into the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Definitive Edition, at least when it came to the quality of life improvements. But outside of that, it’s hard to say that this is the definitive way to play these all time classics. The end product of Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Definitive Edition feels more like a mod created from one person. And that would have been more forgiving if that was the case, however, it’s a full team (a small one granted) and the end result just simply isn’t on par with the level of expected quality. We weren’t asking for a full blown remake, but we definitely weren’t expecting to get this. It’s horrendously buggy, disgustedly ugly, and most of all, it’s not the same GTA we played decades ago. The very soul of the original Rockstar Team has been sucked out of them, and in their place, replaced with intolerable cash grab. I would say go grab the originals, but they have been replaced with this not so definitive version of the game. Maybe Rockstar and Grove Street will somehow pull through in the end, and restore much of what made the originals so beloved, but I guess, at least for PC players out there, they can look forward to modders fixing this mess.
Score: 4/10
Pros:
Improved gameplay and controls, along with other quality of life improvements such as the checkpoint system.
All three stories are worth experiencing if you haven’t already.
Cons:
Buggy, from progression locks, to visual epilepsy, and random constant crashes. Game breaking ones too.
The visuals may look nice, but they lack the soul of the originals, as well as the consistency.
Character models are just ugly and conflict with everything,
No excuse for the poor performing frame-rate, especially on next-gen consoles and PC.
Removal of the originals from storefronts so that they can sell this version over it.
A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.
Stutter Fox Studios has announced that their sci-fi space RTS Falling Frontier has been delayed to next year. The game made waves when it won E3’s “Most Anticipated Indie Game” award earlier this year, and this delay is expected to push the game back until sometime in the second quarter of next year. That said, the game did get a new trailer called ‘Search and Rescue’ which you can check out below.
The game’s solo developer, Todd D’Arcy, had this to say on Falling Frontier being delayed:
“Most of Falling Frontier’s systems are in place for our Early Access launch, but I want to take the necessary time to get the game to its best possible state before players get their hands on it. There’s still so much more I’ve got planned for the game after it hits Early Access, and my publisher Hooded Horse has been very supportive of delaying the game to polish it as needed. Falling Frontier is my dream game, and it’s very exciting to have the time to fully realize systems like orbital bombardment and search and rescue, and most importantly, to ensure the storyline campaign ‘Titan Rising’ delivers the kind of experience players have been looking forward to.”
Falling Frontier is now available for wishlisting on PC via Steam and GOG.
While we are still months away from its February 2022 release, Guerrilla Games has not been slacking in showing off Horizon Forbidden West, and their latest post showcases the game’s open world in gorgeous, stunning detail! Check out the new pieces of footage below, included in the developer’s latest hefty PlayStation Blog post.
Lead Living World designer Espen Sogn describes the developer’s intentions with Horizon Forbidden West open world design, saying:
“Our main challenge is translating this narrative framework into visuals that are integral to the world itself,” says Espen. “For example, the Tenakth are known to be competitive and combat-focused, but so are other tribes. So how do we distinguish them, and how do we communicate that visually?”
‘It then becomes all about the details, the animations, and the behaviors. Within their settlements, you’ll see the Tenakth working out, readying themselves for battle. They’re often younger because they need to be capable warriors. Their base is an ancient ruin, from which they’ve picked up certain Old World gestures that they may not fully understand – like using a military salute to say hello.’
‘Ultimately, our goal is to make sure NPCs feel connected to where they live, and we work closely with other internal teams, such as Narrative, Quest, and Environment, to make sure that every location feels authentic.”
While it may be early footage, it’s incredible to see the open world of Horizon Forbidden West, albeit with not a ton of action going on. The blog post also goes on to discuss more on the vibrant open world, as well as some revelations about the game’s crafting system. It would appear that Aloy can now have access to six weapons at a time in Horizon Forbidden West, not counting her trusty spear.
What do you think? Are you excited to see more of the open world of Horizon Forbidden West? Let us know in the comments below!
343 Interactive have revealed their upcoming plans for their latest Hitman title, as they have released the Hitman 3 Year 2 content roadmap via an announcement video as well as a short blog post. Head down below to see the video and read on for what you can expect for Hitman 3 Year 2.
Here’s a recap of everything covered in our HITMAN 3 – Year 2 Announcement video – and look out for more details on everything below and more in our full Year 2 reveal coming in early 2022.
50 Million
The World of Assassination trilogy has reached the phenomenal milestone of 50 million players and HITMAN 3 is now the most successful Hitman game of all time.
Year 2
HITMAN 3 – Year 2 will start on 20 January 2022, with post-launch support confirmed for another 12 months. New maps, storylines, modes and ways to play are all lined up for 2022, which is set to be another exciting year.
Ray Tracing
Together with our partners at Intel, we’re committed to bringing the best possible performance and optimization to our PC players. HITMAN 3 has already been enhanced on PC with support for 8+ core CPUs and Variable Rate Shading. In 2022, HITMAN 3 will also support Ray Tracing on PC.
PC VR
HITMAN 3 launched with support for PS VR and we’re happy to bring HITMAN VR to PC in January 2022. Full technical details, including the platforms that we’re supporting will be revealed before Year 2 starts on 20 January 2022.
Elusive Target Arcade
A new way to play Elusive Targets arrives in HITMAN 3 in a brand new game mode that we’re calling Elusive Target Arcade. Prepare to take on the ultimate Elusive Target challenge in a change to the established formula in this fan-favourite game mode. All Elusive Target Arcade content will be a permanent addition to the game. Full details on how this game mode works will be shared in early January 2022.
[REDACTED]
In Spring 2022, we’ve got a major update to the game planned. Stay tuned for more details.
What do you think? Are you interested to see everything in store for Hitman 3 in the Year 2 roadmap? Let us know in the comments below!
Bethesda has released The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim update 1.001.001 patch this November 22 for both last-gen and next-gen platforms.. While there’s no new content included in this patch, this should fix some of the nagging game-breaking issues affecting the game.The last patch before this one was for the 10th Anniversary Edition, which we posted and have details of right here.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Update 1.001.001 Patch Notes:
Update: Bethesda has released the official patch notes (via Steam):
FIXES
Fixed a problem preventing some doors in Rielle from opening properly.
Fixed an issue where Russian and Polish notes were not displaying text properly.
Fixed an issue where German and French players were given incorrect menu text when leveling up.
Fixed an issue where players were experiencing a “black screen” and upon launching
Bethesda has not issued the official patch notes just yet, however some people on the game’s subreddit have chimed in on what this patch is (allegedly) for. One user has mentioned that this patch should fix the black screen and the 0kb bug on PS4. What is the 0kb bug? Here’s an explanation from Reddit:
Hopefully, this is sorted out for real, as that bug can wipe out hundreds of hours of progress, which no one wants to suffer to. On the PC front, someone has reported that after updating the game, Skyrim won’t even run.
If you spot any gameplay-related or technical fixes, let us know what you find down in the comments. We’ll be updating the post as soon as Bethesda releases the official list of changes.
Bethesda has released The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim update 1.21, which is an unannounced title update. While there’s no new content included in this patch that’s out now for both next-gen platforms, and last-gen (and PC), this should fix some of the nagging game-breaking issues affecting the game.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Update 1.21 Patch Notes:
Update:Bethesda has released the official patch notes!
FIXES
Fixed a problem preventing some doors in Rielle from opening properly.
Fixed an issue where Russian and Polish notes were not displaying text properly.
Fixed an issue where German and French players were given incorrect menu text when leveling up.
Fixed an issue where players were experiencing a “black screen” and upon launching
Bethesda has not issued the official patch notes just yet, though some people on the game’s subreddit have chimed in on what this patch is for.
One user has mentioned that this patch should fix the black screen and the 0kb bug on PS4. What is the 0kb bug? Here’s an explanation from Reddit:
Hopefully, this is sorted out for real, as that bug can wipe out hundreds of hours of progress, which no one wants to suffer to. On the PC front, someone has reported that after updating the game, Skyrim won’t even run.
The last patch before this one was for the 10th Anniversary Edition, which we posted and have details of right here.
If you spot any gameplay-related or technical fixes, let us know what you find down in the comments. We’ll be updating the post as soon as we get the official patch notes. or if we can confirm what got fixed.
Ubisoft has released the Brawlhalla update 10.47 November 22 patch, or what’s also called patch 6.01. This huge update brings a the Street Fighter collaboration characters, as well as various gameplay changes and various fixes. Head down below for the complete patch notes.
Choose your character as new challengers Ryu, Chun-Li, and Akuma from Capcom’s Street Fighter ready for battle in Brawlhalla update 10.47!
The newest Epic Crossovers feature custom Signature effects with VO lines for the first time ever, two new Weapon Skins each, unique lock-in animations, and dedicated Roster spots. The event also brings a new game mode featured as the Brawl of the Week – Street Brawl, a new 1v1 competitive Map, Satsui no Hado Emote, Kapukon Yu Podium, Knockout KO Effect, and new Avatars.
Follow the Satsui no Hado symbol in Mallhalla to discover all the Street Fighter Crossover items! Munin’s price has also been reduced to 5400 Gold.
This update also includes a new feature: Rematch! Players now can rematch opponents in Ranked 1v1 and Ranked 2v2 games. The drop shadows Test Feature also graduated into all queues.
Additionally, we made a few game improvements, bug fixes, and updated the free-to-play Legend rotation. Claim the Halloween Bundle now with Amazon Prime Gaming!
Get ready for action as another fight is coming your way! Ryu, Chun-Li, and Akuma battle in the Grand Tournament as new challengers.
Ryu, Chun-Li, and Akuma are new Epic Crossovers that feature custom Signature effects that include VO lines, custom lock-in animations, dedicated Roster spots, and two new Weapon Skins each.
Ready for the next challenger, Ryu is eager to fight with his Fūrinkazan Gloves and Power of Will Orb.
Chun-Li Epic Crossover
“What’s the matter? Too many kicks to the head?”
Chun-Li will make justice triumph in the end with her Sparring Gloves and Martial Staff.
Akuma Epic Crossover
“Weaklings! Is there no one worth fighting?”
The Master of the Fist bows to no one and will eliminate his opponents with his Raging Fists and Messatsu Blade.
KO Effect
Knockout
“Continue?”
A new Street Fighter themed KO Effect with VO sound effects!
Emote
Satsui no Hado
“To harness this means great power. But at what cost?”
Podium
Kapukon Yu
“Nothing like a relaxing bath after a tough battle!”
Avatars
Quarter Circle Punch
“Practice makes perfect.”
An animated Avatar!
The Red Cyclone
“Nothing can stop Zangief when a new challenger approaches!”
HADOKEN!
“Hadoken! Hadoken! Hadoken!”
Shadaloo
“The most powerful and deadliest criminal organization.”
The Street Fighter Epic Crossover event also includes:
A new game mode that is also featured as the Brawl of the Week – Street Brawl!
Brand new 1v1 Map called “Suzaku Castle.”
Daily login bonus of 250 Gold to celebrate this Epic Crossover event.
New main menu, character select, and victory theme music!
Get ready for action as another fight is coming your way! Choose your fighter and brawl in this 1v1, 8-minute match. Go for broke and knock out your opponents into oblivion. Defeat your opponent first in this stamina mode to win!
New Street Brawl Game Mode
1v1
8 minutes
3 stocks each
First to 3 KOs wins!
Also featured as the Brawl of the Week
Players now can rematch opponents in Ranked 1v1 and Ranked 2v2 games.
Players may opt into rematches up until a best-of-3 is decided. No farming Elo!
Players must opt in before each rematch. For Ranked 2v2 games, only one player needs to opt in on each team in order for the rematch to launch.
For 2v2 games, a player may opt out of a rematch by opting in and then canceling. This will make it so your teammate cannot opt into a rematch on your behalf when you don’t want one.
Leaving the post-match scoreboard and returning to the Legend select screen will automatically opt out of any rematch. Rematches will launch straight from the scoreboard. If a remote player leaves the scoreboard while you’re still there, the option to rematch will disappear.
After receiving feedback from the community, we are graduating drop shadows from Test Features into all queues! Along with this graduation, we adjusted the shadows to more naturally match the idle poses for each weapon. Thank you so much for your continuing support and feedback as we continue to improve Brawlhalla.
The Halloween Bundle brings these treasures from the depths of the underworld free with Prime Gaming! Unlock these premium rewards:
Nix Legend Unlock
Scarecrow Nix Skin with Reaping Time Scythe & Birdshot Blasters
Search for the Satsui no Hado symbol to locate all of the Street Fighter Crossover items!
Munin’s price has been reduced to 5400 Gold!
Looking for a certain chest? We’re rapidly rotating through chests, so check out the in-game timer to know when the next chest will rotate.
Find the new sales items!
User Interface
Added localization of the “Incorrect Version” UI screen.
Added a transparent backing to all icons for the Street Brawl gamemode in order to prevent negative space from appearing in game.
Added a Podium-only variant animation of the “Howl at the Moon” Emote so that the effects don’t block the UI.
Added a screen that warns the user when they attempt to buy a Mammoth Coin pack that is too small to cover the cost for a particular purchase.
Added a popup screen for server maintenance status tiles.
User Experience
Steam PC: -unlockfps now sets the fps target to 1000 (similar to tech-test beta).
-setfps <target> is now supported outside of tech-test.
Improved camera consistency for Climb and Kung Foot.
Invite to Lobby
Players will now receive a notification whenever a player accepts or declines a room invite that is sent to them.
Players may now accept game invites from the post-match Scoreboard screen.
Players no longer see lobby invites from players they have muted.
Lobby invites received from recent players will now automatically expire after 3 minutes or after beginning a new online match.
Recent players you invite to your lobby will now automatically decline your invite once they start a new online match.
Animation
Improved art performance for Petra.
Optimized Garnet’s art for better performance and fixed a visual bug on Garnet’s fireball hit.
User Interface
Fixed a bug where the “Say GG” and “Emoji” prompts on the post-match scoreboard screen were visible for spectators.
Fixed a bug where you could still send messages in post-game chat despite it being hidden.
Fixed a rare crash on the Scoreboard screen.
User Experience
We fixed an issue with the Experimental bots where they would get stuck Dashing.
We fixed rare game crashes on all platforms.
Animation
Fixed a bug where shadows displayed on the bottom of platforms.
Fixed an animation loop in the Champion’s Throne Emote for animated Skins.
Fixed a visual bug where Hugin’s Bow skins would display improperly in her character select animation.
Fixed a visual bug where Hugin & DJ Hugin Skins didn’t display Bow skins properly in the character select animation.
The free-to-play Legend rotation for this week includes: Rayman, Hattori, Ada, Magyar, Petra, Lin Fei, Nix, Koji, and Vector.
Rayman -The Champion of the Glade of Dreams, wielding his Gauntlets and Axe, has found his way into Valhalla on a mission to save his home.
Hattori – A gifted ninja with unparalleled skill with the Sword and Spear has discovered Valhalla. Will she find any worthy challengers there?
Ada – Armed with Blasters and Spear, this nano-tech, elite combat hacker aims to win in the Grand Tournament.
Magyar – As the last remaining member of the Batavian Strazci army and wielding the strength of a 100 elite knights, this spectral guardian has come for the glory of battle with their Greatsword and Hammer!
Petra – Having been set free from Terminus, Petra sets her eyes on Valhalla with her Orb, Gauntlets, and Darkheart powers.
Lin Fei – A defender of the innocent and teacher of the lost ways. She is a great teacher who has developed her own fighting style, the ‘Way of the Iron Dragon,’ which utilizes her Cannon, Katars and an ancestral dragon-spirit.
Nix – Led by a thousand year hunt, this reaper, armed with both Blasters and Scythe, has found herself a new bounty in Valhalla.
Koji – Armed with his ancestral katana, Koji slices his way through the battlefield with Sword and Bow!
Vector – Transforming into a jet with his Rocket Lance and wielding his Bow to fight, Vector travels through time and space to battle crime!
That’s about it for the Brawlhalla update 10.47 patch notes.
If you’re still one of the thousands of players still enjoying Star Wars Battlefront 2 to this day, then here are some interesting tidbits for you. The game’s creative director, Dennis Brännvall, shared some behind-the-scenes information on Star Wars Battlefront 2, including how infamous droid R2-D2 was envisioned as a back-up hero and why Dagobah was never in the cards for DLC.
Brännvall shared these information on his Twitter as well as a years-old Star Wars Battlefront 2 thread on Reddit. In both, he mentioned some key details on the game’s DLC inclusions, and how they picked which parts of the Star Wars universe will get to be in Star Wars Battlefront 2.
Outer Rim – Chewbacca and Bossk (originally only going to be a Sullust-only pack depending on other stuff, read below)
Bespin – Lando and IG-88 (rigging a droid character was going to take too long, so Dengar replaced and all bipedal droid characters were moved to SWBF2)
Death Star – Obi-Wan and Tarkin. I can’t fully recall why we didn’t do Tarkin, maybe it had something to do with the character going to be showing up in Rogue One later on.
We weren’t sure that Rogue One DLC was going to happen, so backup plan was R2D2 as a full-on hero instead of a game mode objective replacing Obi-Wan on Death Star and Obi-Wan headlining a Mos Eisley pack for Battlefront 1 likely with Greedo (since Rogue One did happen, Mos Eisley was instead moved to Battlefront 2).
When I joined SWBF2 development I then realized they still weren’t doing Obi-Wan so I flipped. As you probably noticed at EA play, I was quite satisfied with Obi-Wan finally joining the game. 🙂
While it’s understandable how they chose a Rogue One DLC (which is more relevant at the time) over Mos Eisley, it’s still a bummer to not see R2-D2 as a playable character in the game, especially when BB-8 is in it.
A user on Twitter also chimed in, asking why we never got to see Dagobah in Battlefront 2.
I always wanted DLC 4 to be a DLC pack that included places like Mos Eisley and Dagobah (even though there was never a canon battle there)
Dagobah was off the table for us. It was hard to tell a believable “what-if” scenario of the Rebels and Empire fighting on that planet + Yoda and his origins are of course extremely precious (as it should be).
There you have it. A mixture of keeping Yoda’s origins a mystery and the difficulty of fitting possible scenarios into canon may have hindered the swamp planet Dagobah from making it into the game.
What do you think? Which Star Wars character would you have chosen to be in the game, if you had the option of picking? Let us know in the comments below!
Kojima Productions has released the Death Stranding Director’s Cut update 1.004 patch for November 21, and this is an unannounced title update, so don’t expect much. As far as we’re aware, this is only for the PS5 version of the game.
Death Stranding Director’s Cut Update 1.004 Patch Notes:
Performance Improvements
Per the official in-game changelog, this update adds general improvements to performance. No other details are listed, though if we do spot anything new or fixed, we will be sure to update this post. As always, saves created under this new update will no longer work with earlier versions of the game.
About Death Stranding:
From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes a genre-defying experience, now expanded and remastered for PS5 in this definitive DIRECTOR’S CUT.
In the future, a mysterious event known as the Death Stranding has opened a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to grotesque creatures from the afterlife roaming the fallen world marred by a desolate society.
As Sam Bridges, your mission is to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America.
Can you reunite the shattered world, one step at a time?
If you notice any gameplay-related changes, or technical fixes, let us know what you spot down in the comments below.
A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.
Are you a fan of Netflix’s hit show Squid Games? If you are, and you’re playing Battlefield 2042, then you might be interested to try out this Battlefield Portal Squid Game Red Light, Green Light mode created by creative fans!
Our own Jimmy Lara captured gameplay footage of him playing the mode in action! For those not familiar with the Red Light, Green Light game, check out details of it here. This Portal mode comes courtesy of the fine folks over at TWOANGRYGAMERSTV.
Those interested in hosting it can does so using their experience code: AADYBD
Not bad, right? Given how robust the game editor is in BF Portal, I suspect we’ll be seeing more inventive game modes crop up in the future.
For those wondering whether Dying Light 2 will offer the same amount of game time as its predecessor, it seems that won’t be a concern at all — at least according to Techland. While the studio didn’t exactly say how long it will take gamers to finish the game, the studio did let on that they are expecting gamers to play for “thousands of hours.”
In an interview with MP1st, we asked Lead Game designer at Techland, Tymon Smektala about multiplayer, whether the game is getting a Season Pass. While Smektala wasn’t able to answer that specifically, he did comment that he hopes that given the game’s choices and consequences, that it will incentivize gamers to play the game for a longtime.
MP1st: So I got to ask some questions about the multiplayer. Are there any plans for any kind of a Battle Pass or Season Pass?
Smektala: Nothing that we are announcing at this point, what we are saying about the online is that it supports four player online co-op. You will be able to play basically the “whole” game from start to finish. When I say “whole” game I do these funny faces because there’s a short section at the very beginning of the game, the prologue and tutorial that introduce you to the story, the characters, and the gameplay mechanics. So that part is played in single-player, but as soon as it ends you move on to a full co-op experience. You can play the game with your friends, or complete strangers.
I think one very interesting thing about co-op is how well it supports the choices and consequences you make in this game. If you have a game about choices, someone has to make that choice, someone has to make that decision. So it’s always the host of the session. Let’s imagine it’s your session and you invite me to play with you and I play with you and we come to a point where there is a decision is to be made. So what I can do is of course, besides screaming at you on the headset, is that we have some solutions that allow me to kind of vote or suggest to you what I would choose. You make the decision, all of us get to see that outcome and that decision stays in your save game and you will complete the game in your own canon version of the experience.
But then the next weekend I will invite you to play in my game and now I get to make the decision, and now you get to see all the version of the story, all the options, all the other decisions we can make. For me the optimal way to play the game is first to play by yourself or with your friends, but as the host and get your version of Dying Light Stay Human, and then hop online and start joining other people and start experiencing all of the other variations the game has to offer.
My personal bet on this is that I will bet $1000 that this will be appreciated by the gamers and give them the meaning to play the game for hundreds, and thousands of hours.
Hopefully, the choices players make are meaningful enough that players will want to pour in thousands of hours into Dying Light 2. Given how well supported the first Dying Light was, if there’s a studio that can pull this off, it’d be Techland.
Dying Light 2 will be out this February 4, 2022 on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC.
Continuning with MP1st’s weapons of Battlefield 2042 gun guides, first-person shooter fan and weapon guides maker Sorang has crafted another one, and this is a Battlefield 2042 SFAR-M GL gun guide! Check out its time-to-kill, rate of fire, effective attachments and more.
Hi! Remember how my SVK guide was about arguably the most powerful gun in the game? Well worry not, my friends, because if you hate good guns and want to use the worst thing possible, I’ve got you covered. ENTER SFAR-M GL!!
All of the data comes from my own testing using the portal mode. All of the sarcasm is my own. If you have anything to add, feel free down below! But don’t be rude. I’m lookin’ at you, Kevin. I saw you push the downvote before you even read this far.
Just a heads up that I am Korean, so my English isn’t perfect. I try hard to translate things appropriately, but if you find any errors feel free to let me know and I’ll get ’em fixed!
Acronyms:
TTK = Times to kill
BTK = Bullets to kill
RPM = Round per a minute
DMR = Designated Marksman Rifle
SFAR-M GL
1. DAMAGE & FIRE RATE Base = 22
Headshots = 44
Fire rate = 600 RPM
On previous guides I mentioned that the fire power stat doesn’t actually equate to damage, but it’s actually even more confusing on this gun.
SFAR-M GL has the highest fire power stat for a full-auto gun. But, showing how the stat is weird as hell, it actually does the lowest damage when compared to the others. I guess they boosted the stat because it has a grenade launcher?
2. BTK
One Armor Plate adds 20 Health to an Infantry, giving you 120 Health in total.
As you can see on the chart above, Headshots can help at any range.
3. Range
The High Power Ammunition, which SFAR-M GL has by default, doesn’t have a range limit.
Other ARs, by default, all have limits on their ranges.
However, the High Power Ammunition removes the limit for any AR. Because of that, it’s hard to say this makes SFAR-M GL any better than the others.
4. TTK
Compared to other full auto weapons, SFAR-M GL has the slowest TTK.
Its TTK can even be slower than a DMR’s beyond a certain range, while its accuracy is way worse.
5. Recoil
The horizontal recoil on SFAR-M GL is very unstable and troublesome, which makes it even harder to benefit from having the High Power Ammunition by default.
6. Attachments Silencer – I really didn’t want to get 210+ kills with this gun. I might kill myself.
On every other gun that I’ve tested so far, the silencer reduces damage by 10% at any range. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and just assume that SFAR-M GL is the same.
Standard Issue Ammunition – This ammunition increases the fire rate from 600RPM to 650RPM. It also adds a limit of 50m to the range. Beyond 50m, the damage falls off to 18 (or 36 for a headshot).
The TTK under 50m does decrease, but it still proudly boasts the slowest TTK for an AR regardless.
Extended Barrel – This attachment reduces the fire rate by a lot. At this point, a DMR might be a better choice, since the TTK on SFAR-M GL gets even slower than DM7.
When equipped with the Standard Issue Ammuntion, the fire rate doesn’t decrease. However, due to the limit on the range, the increased bullet velocity wouldn’t be needed anyways.
7. Recommanded Build
An optic of your choice
Standard Issue Ammunition
+ Horizontal Recoil Control
Some might prefer the Drum Mag. If you do, keep in mind that any other gun will always outperform SFAR-M GL under 75m. Beyond 75m, SFAR-M GL might start to perform better than others in terms of TTK, but the gun is so inaccurate that it’s almost impossible to take the benefit.
However, with the Standard Issue Ammunition, SFAR-M GL outperforms other ARs at the range of between 50m ~ 75m. Its horizontal recoil, which is the biggest downside, also gets bit better.
Of course, the gun still has many other downsides such as the small magazine size, the terrible accuracy… Not as fast TTK as other guns so you die even when you notice and shoot at your enemy what feels like 10 minutes before they even see you…
8. Grenade Launcher
The armor piercing grenade punches through the Dozer’s shield. You can kill him with 2 shots.
By now, you all probably have realized why I ranked SFAR-M GL as F Tier on my weapon tier list post. I already know youtubers will make videos about how broken SFAR-M GL with the big text saying [BROKEN] [OVERPOWERD] as well as shocked faces of themselves on the thumbnail.
With the big November 30 update set to hit for Marvel’s Avengers, players aren’t just getting the Klaw Raid, Spider-Man (for PS4, PS5 gamers), but even new in-game currency called “Units” to earn as well. These said Marvel’s Avengers Units can be used to purchase Shipments, which are packs that include cosmetic items that will allow players to further customize their Avenger as they wish.
Given how Square Enix made it so that XP boosters can be bought with real-world money (even if the devs promised this would never happen), some might be wondering if this would be the case for Units as well. Well, thankfully, that’s not the case according to the developers.
Over on Twitter, Crystal Dynamics Game Designer Brian Waggoner answered some fan concerns regarding this new in-game currency and other stuff, and confirmed that there are “no plans” for Marvel’s Avengers Units to be purchasable via real-world money.
In addition to that, Waggoner confirmed that Shipments won’t contain Marketplace items, which is a huge relief for those worrying that these would be just rehashes from the Marketplace and branded as new rewards.
No marketplace outfits/emotes/takedowns/nameplates are available via shipments or the cosmetic vendor.
No Cosmetic Vendor/Shipment outfits/emotes/takedowns/nameplates will be available on the marketplace.
Finally, Waggoner also touched upon the new stuff incoming that are in Shipments, and states that there are 20-30 items in these packs that are new to the game since launch.
Depends what you mean by new.
New to the game since launch? I'd venture to say 20-30?
Given how much backlash Crystal Dynamics got from making XP boosters paid (and then reversing it within a week), I suspect the devs and Square Enix won’t attempt something like it again.
If you want to know more about Units, Shipments, and the other earnable cosmetics, read on our post right here. Marvel’s Avengers will be getting its next major title update this November 30, which also includes hero perk reworks, and more. Once it’s out, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
While DICE introduced Specialists in Battlefield 2042, there’s no denying that the game lacks certain features that past Battlefield games had. From a more robust weapons list, server browser functionality, leaning taken out, and more, here’s a huge list of the Battlefield 2042 missing features (both good and bad) that veteran fans will remember were in past Battlefield games.
Fewer standardized game modes (Can’t even play TDM or smaller scale modes without relying on community servers. Really?)
No standard hardcore mode
No persistent lobbies (seriously why do I have to matchmake after EVERY round?)
Fewer in-game assignments
No class system
Less character customization options (than BF5)
No profile progress/stats page in the menu
No battle log/stats tracker for other players
No global leader boards
No dog tags (they still sort of exist I guess?)
No custom emblems
No cross-game profile screen (BF 4, HL, 1, and V were all linked by a menu if you owned them digitally, was a neat feature.)
No spectator mode
No permanent community servers (would be useful for clans and events)
No Central US servers
No test range (this one is sort of compensated for with single payer servers vs bots)
Infantry Gameplay
Fewer guns (even including all the portal guns, BF4 still had more at launch)
Fewer infantry gadgets
No manual leaning
No diving while swimming
No high wall vaulting
No crouch sprinting
No backwards prone
No explosion knockback
No rolling after falling from heights
No ammo or health pickup off teammates
No scope zeroing
No tiered reloads/paused reloads
No melee weapon choices
No thermal optics
No indirect fire gadgets
Less anti-tank launchers (Come on man only one?)
No lock-on launchers (The M5 works with the SOFLAM but that requires 2 people)
No AP mines/claymores
No suppression mechanic (This one I don’t mind but I’m including everything)
No first person takedown animations (whether this is a downgrade is up for debate, but I think it is)
Vehicles
Fewer vehicle types (and separate vehicle progression per faction even though they are functionally identical… why???)
No naval vehicles (Except I guess the hovercraft technically)
Cannot spawn in a passenger seat in transports at round start.
No vehicle gunner direction indicator
No lock on direction indicator
No unoccupied seat indicator on friendly vehicles
No vehicle enter/exit animations
No tank turret decoupling (This was so great in BF4!)
Less vehicle driver/pilot customization options
No tank zoom customization options
No tank gunner customization options
No heli gunner secondary weapons
No separate heli/fixed-wing controls
No rocket aiming reticle for helictopters
No control input while looking behind/free looking in aircraft (BF1 and V pilots, this one is gonna absolutely suck for you guys)
No joystick/non-generic gamepad support
General consensus seems to be that the helicopter and fixed wing flight models are a step down from BF4.
No behemoths
Scoring System
No squad wipe scoring
No player damage points
No vehicle damage points
No vehicle kill assist points
No headshot bonus
No long-range kill bonus
No assist counts as kill bonus
No multi-kill bonus
No killstreak stopped bonus
No comeback bonus
No squad objective play bonus
Oversimplified teamplay scoring (i.e. healing a teammate always gives you a flat +5xp rather than being based on how much you heal them)
Squad and Teamwork
No commander
No special squad call-in abilities
No squad field upgrades
No in-game VOIP (coming soonTM)
Fewer factions (with almost nothing to give the 2 factions any distinction)
No cross-team chat
No team changing
No “create new squad” option
No self protmot to squad lead using “request order”
No clans/platoons (coming soonTM)
No view of squadmates while in the spawn screen
No “Medic incoming” indicator in downed state (coming soonTM)
No rank names/icons, just a number.
Maps
Lack of persistent servers means poor map rotation (I played for 10 hours and never saw Kaleidescope, Orbital, or Breakaway)
Fewer base game maps (not including portal maps)
No static weapon emplacements
Fewer destructible buildings
Very poor balance between vehicle and infantry gameplay
No infantry focused maps
No game changing levolution
Absolutely zero cover between capture zones
Poor spawn points (Constantly spawning in the open/visible to enemies)
No fortification building (given how open all the maps are, this could have been super useful)
Fewer urban areas
No naval maps
UI and Quality of Life
Less control customization options
Less UI customization options
No HUD/icon opacity customization
No HUD scaling customization options
No gunsight reticle customization options
No network performance graph
No individual player scoreboard
No ability to zoom in on the spawn map
Less detail in the ‘who killed you’ screen
Less ultrawide monitor support (hud ratio is locked in at 16:9)
Very poor friend joining system (Lack of server browser makes playing with more than 4 friends completely impossible)
Poor console aim assist (big fat fuck you to console players there, dice. Hopefully this will come with the D1 patch)
No in game crossplay toggle option (you have to change your global console settings)
Audio
General consensus seems to be the audio design is bad, especially compared to both BF3 and BF1.
3D soundscape is almost non-exsistent
Less impactful soundtrack (menu music is very dull and repetitive)
End of round music is dull and uninteresting (compared to BF1 and V this is a big downgrade)
End of round voicelines are just so tone-deaf and awful. I can’t describe how much I hate them. (Tried to keep the rest of the list objective, but I had to add this. You guys understand)
Bear in mind, some of the features removed were for the betterment of the franchise (subjective, but veterans would know what we mean). Also, there is a possiblity that some or a majority of these said missing BF2042 features might make it into the game via patches. Speaking of patches, DICE has released a list of fixes incoming to the game as part of a patch, which is listed here.
Amidst the growing allegations at Activision-Blizzard, another yearly Call of Duty title is upon us. Call of Duty: Vanguard promises to give a fresh take on World War 2, with a gritty story, a multiplayer experience packed with content, and a new Zombies mode helmed by fellow COD studio Treyarch. So how does it fare? Read on for our COD Vanguard review for all three core modes the game has available at launch.
Campaign
Vanguard’s campaign follows a small group of elite soldiers, each with their own specialty. Those specialties translate into unique gameplay abilities, and you’ll need to use each of them during the roughly five-hour campaign.
As you follow Vanguard squadron on their mission to retrieve classified intel from the Germans, you’ll learn about their backgrounds, and play through some of the most important moments of their lives. After each mission, a short cutscene returns you to the “present day” narrative of Berlin’s fall and a fictional Nazi plan to install a new Fuhrer.
Despite the interesting premise, Vanguard’s campaign unfortunately falls flat. For the most part, the characters are generic and there is nothing about the story to keep you invested. Most of the unique gameplay abilities are either highly situational, or could have simply been quick time events.
That’s not to say it’s all bad. Operation Tonga, one of the game’s standout levels, follows Vanguard squadron’s captain Arthur Kingsley, as he relives the Battle of Normandy. After crash-landing, you’ll have to sneak into enemy lines in the dead of night, in order to regroup with your fellow British soldiers. One of the highlights will have you charging into battle, flanked by transport tanks and your fellow troops as you mount an attack on a Nazi bunker. This moment is bolstered by Vanguard’s incredible soundtrack.
In the end though, Vanguard’s campaign feels like just another run of the mill Call of Duty campaign that says nothing about the events of the war. The story is decent enough, and it certainly has its highlights but nothing about this campaign stands out or pushes the series forward.
Multiplayer
With tons of competition this Fall, Sledgehammer Games had to bring their A-game for this year’s multiplayer, and for the most part, they’ve succeeded.
Call of Duty Vanguard’s big selling point is content — and lots of it. Vanguard launches with 16 standard multiplayer maps, with an additional four maps reserved for the new Champion Hill mode. As if that weren’t enough, there are a healthy number of weapons in the game, each with dozens of attachments to unlock. The challenge and progression system has been upgraded as well, now with unique specialist skins to earn and more customization options to grind for than COD has seen in years.
So how does it play? Vanguard’s multiplayer sits somewhere between the last two entries, Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War. The playstyle is faster than Modern Warfare’s, where a slower, more tactical playstyle was encouraged. This is partially due to the map design, which is overall solid, and omits some of the clutter seen in Modern Warfare 2019. The TTK (time-to-kill) is a bit slower as well, which gives you more of a fighting chance during gunfights.
The maps as a whole are solid, which is impressive considering the number of maps in the game. One of the standouts is Numa Numa, where a big, circular hill in the center of the map makes every match feel like a game of King of the Hill.
Vanguard runs on a slightly modified version of Modern Warfare 2019’s engine, which now features destructible elements. While it’s a cool feature, truth be told it doesn’t add a whole lot to the gameplay. Killstreaks are also back, in lieu of Black Ops Cold War’s convoluted semi-scorestreak system.
Outside of that, the core gameplay of Call of Duty: Vanguard hasn’t changed very much. But this seems to be by design. Activision have decided to forego some of the drastic gameplay changes and experimentation seen in Modern Warfare and Cold War, such as the changes to the minimap and the scorestreak system. Instead, they’ve opted for a more back to the basics Call of Duty multiplayer, with new and returning features that have long been requested by its core fanbase, and they’ve packed it with as much content as possible at launch. That decision pays off.
Zombies
Unfortunately, the same can not be said for Vanguard’s Zombies experience. At launch, Vanguard Zombies is a barebones experience, that amounts to little more than a series of mini-games played on maps recycled from the game’s multiplayer.
Unlike previous COD Zombies entries, there is no standalone Zombies map this year. Instead, you’re dropped onto one of the game’s multiplayer maps with a different skin and some of the Zombies essentials like perk machines, and the Pack a Punch.
Each round, you’ll take one of the portals on the map and attempt to complete a small challenge to proceed. For example, you may be asked to survive in a small room for 60 seconds while zombies flood in or fill up obelisks by depositing Runes. Once you complete the challenge, you’ll travel back to the main map, where you can purchase upgrades before continuing on to the next round. Rinse and repeat, until you choose to extract and end the game, or until the team wipes.
While I appreciate the attempt at trying something new, it’s a lackluster experience at the moment. Treyarch have promised a main Easter egg quest with Vanguard’s first season of content in December, but until then the loyal COD Zombies community has been left hanging.
Final Thoughts
Vanguard comes at an awkward time for Activision, and into a sea of competition. While the campaign is decent, it’s nothing to write home about, and the Zombies experience probably should have been delayed altogether. For Call of Duty, multiplayer is where it counts though and they’ve managed to put together a solid offering this year. Kudos to the teams at Sledgehammer Games and the other COD studios for managing to do so on such a tight deadline, in the midst of a global pandemic.
Score: 7/10
Pros:
Enjoyable multiplayer that addresses feedback from the core community.
Beefy amount of content at launch with a good variety of maps.
Very well-optimized with no real technical issues to speak of.
Decent campaign.
Has a campaign (sorry Battlefield).
Cons:
Zombies mode is unfinished and feels like an afterthought.
To say that November has not been a very good month for huge AAA publishers would be an understatement; Activision Blizzard is still deeply entrenched in controversies, Rockstar Games has been called out for their buggy launch of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition across all platforms, and Electronic Arts and DICE themselves are now facing the pushback from a buggy launch of their own. Despite a middling score on Metacritic, Battlefield 2042 is now one of Steam’s worst rated games of all-time, breaking the bottom ten of the veritable Hall of Shame on Steam 250.
If you’re wondering how this came to be, then look no further than the Steam reviews for Battlefield 2042, which now sits at Mostly Negative across its more than 35,000 reviews (at the time of writing). Checking the bottom ten games at Steam 250, we see this list:
eFootball 2022 – (1.25, 12%, 23,845 votes)
Flatout 3: Chaos and Destruction – (1.54,15%,2,941 votes)
Uriel’s Chasm – (1.73, 17%, 2,744 votes)
Kinetic Void – (1.83, 18%, 1,516 votes)
Spacebase DF-9 – (1.86, 19%, 4,136 votes)
Identity – (2.17, 22%, 1,948 votes)
GASP – (2.26, 23%, 1,592 votes)
Battlefield 2042 – (2.43, 24%, 35,603 votes)
RollerCoaster Tycoon World – (2.46, 25%, 5,439 votes)
Godus – (2.53, 25%, 7,064 votes)
What makes this even worse is that of the ten games in the list, Battlefield 2042 holds the most number of reviews owing to the game’s popularity. It dwarfs the top stinker, Konami’s eFootball 2022, by more than 10,000 votes. One of the best-rated Steam reviews compiled all the list of issues with Battlefield 2042, and it’s a good read to see just why so many people are upset with the release.
All of this said, we are encouraging gamers to be civil in letting their issues known with any game. Also, at the end of the day, if you yourself enjoyed it, then good for you. At the same time though, it’s clear that Battlefield 2042 is plagued by many issues, and here’s hoping both EA and DICE can get it together to fix these problems for players.
