Home > Title Updates and Patches

Payday 3 New Update for Today Brings Fear & Greed in Version 1.000.039 During Server Downtime (Update)

  by   Alex Co  
September 16, 2024 5:03 am in Title Updates and Patches

Starbreeze Studios has released a new Payday 3 update for today, September 16, and this is for the shooter’s “Fear & Greed” content patch which will show up as version 1.000.039 on consoles. Same as with any major update for the game, this is accompanied by a long server downtime, which means the game’s unplayable for a few hours today.

Before diving into the patch notes, the Payday 3 server outage schedule is as follows:

Start: Sept. 16 at 9:30 am CEST/3:30 am ET/12:30 am PT/3:30 pm HKT

End: 5 pm CEST/11 an EST/8 am PT/11 pm HKT

Payday 3 New Update for Today Version 1.000.039 Patch Notes:

Free Content

Houston Character Pack

We’ve broken Houston out of the clutches of police and Concord both, now that he’s free, he’s ready to get back to heisting.

The Houston Character Pack is FREE to claim, and includes:

  • Houston Playable Character
  • Houston Mask
  • Freedom’s Fortune Preset Weapon
  • The Mechanic Charm
  • Facelift mold

New OVERKILL Weapon – M135 ARGES Minigun

Big gun goes BRRRRRRRRRRR, and it’s in your hands as part of today’s update!

New Mask Moulds

We’re adding three new Mask Moulds ingame for all heisters! We look forward to seeing what designs you create with them.

  • Stock Ticker
  • Profit Prophet
  • Market Maven

New Mask of the Week Additions

We’re adding six new Masks to the Mask of the Week vendor! Keep an eye out each week and see when your favorite goes on discount!

  • Hellspeak
  • Hard Time
  • Mommy Dearest
  • Master Plan
  • Metamorphosis
  • Long Face

Twitch Drops

A brand new set of Drops are available, and you can earn them by watching PAYDAY 3 Streams on Twitch!

Tune into your favorite streamers as they take on the new Fear & Greed Heist and unlock cosmetic drops for yourself, or let your viewers earn drops as you heist!

New Features and Changes:

Features:

  • Added AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 3 (FSR 3) functionality.
  • Pause function added for both solo mode and multiplayer (all players in an online game must choose to pause for the game to pause).
  • If the mouse cursor stayed at the last comwheel command that was used, it now resets to middle when opening the comwheel again.

Balance Changes:

  • All weapons have had an adjustment to their pickup rate based on how how many bodyshots they take to defeat a heavy SWAT.
  • All Default and Quick-pull mags now share the same stats (the only exception being increased reload speed on quick-pull mags)
  • All weapons now start out with max reserve ammo.

Assault Rifles

Default/Quick Extended Compact
From To From To From To
// CAR4 30 30 45 45 20 20
Max Reserves 300 300 300 270 400 400
Min Pickup 3 8 3 8 3 10
Max Pickup 5 10 5 10 5 12
// NWB9 30 30 45 45 20 20
Max Reserves 300 300 300 270 400 400
Min Pickup 3 10 3 10 3 12
Max Pickup 5 12 5 12 5 14
// VF7S 20 20 30 30 10 10
Max Reserves 200 200 200 180 300 200
Min Pickup 2 5 2 5 2 7
Max Pickup 4 7 4 7 4 9
// KU59 30 30 45 45 20 20
Max Reserves 300 300 300 270 400 400
Min Pickup 3 6 3 6 3 8
Max Pickup 5 8 5 8 5 10

SMGs

Default/Quick Extended Compact
From To From To From To
// ZIV 25 25 32 35 20 20
Max Reserves 200 250 200 210 300 400
Min Pickup 9 8 9 8 9 10
Max Pickup 12 10 12 10 12 12
// PC9 30 30 35 35 20 20
Max Reserves 200 300 200 210 300 400
Min Pickup 7 9 7 9 7 11
Max Pickup 10 11 10 11 10 13
// COMPACT7 30 30 40 40 20 20
Max Reserves 200 300 200 240 300 400
Min Pickup 8 8 8 8 8 10
Max Pickup 10 10 10 10 10 12

Shotguns

Default/Quick Extended Compact
From To From To From To
// R880 7 7
Max Reserves 48 70
Min Pickup 1 3
Max Pickup 1 5
// MOSCONI 2 2
Max Reserves 36 40
Min Pickup 1 1
Max Pickup 2 3
// FSA12 10 10 15 15 5 5
Max Reserves 100 100 90 90 100 100
Min Pickup 3 3 3 3 4 5
Max Pickup 4 5 4 5 5 7
// M7P 12 12 21 21 9 9
Max Reserves 120 120 126 126 180 180
Min Pickup 2 3 2 3 4 5
Max Pickup 4 5 4 5 6 7

Marksman Rifles

Default Extended
From To From To
// A114 12 12 20 20
Max Reserves 60 120 60 120
Min Pickup 2 3 2 3
Max Pickup 3 5 3 5
// R900 5 5 10 10
Max Reserves 50 50 50 60
Min Pickup 1 1 1 1
Max Pickup 2 2 2 2

LMGs

Default
From To
// BLYSPRUTA 100 100
Max Reserves 400 500
Min Pickup 8 8
Max Pickup 10 10

Pistols

Default/Quick Extended
From To From To
// STRYK7 17 17 31 31
Max Reserves 85 170 85 186
Min Pickup 4 7 4 7
Max Pickup 6 9 5 9
// S403 17 17 21 21
Max Reserves 60 170 60 126
Min Pickup 2 6 2 6
Max Pickup 3 8 3 8
// S40 12 12 20 20
Max Reserves 60 120 60 120
Min Pickup 2 6 2 6
Max Pickup 3 8 3 8
// SPM11 10 10 18 18
Max Reserves 60 100 60 108
Min Pickup 2 4 2 4
Max Pickup 3 6 3 6

Revolvers

Default
From To
// CASTIGO 6 6
Max Reserves 36 60
Min Pickup 2 2
Max Pickup 3 4
// BISON 6 6
Max Reserves 36 60
Min Pickup 2 3
Max Pickup 4 5
// BULLKICK 5 5
Max Reserves 35 50
Min Pickup 0.5 1
Max Pickup 1 2

Art:

  • Fixed a visual bug on some twitch drop stickers.
  • Improved fingerprint visual.
  • Updated Mamba Overkill Weapon Sight.
  • Fixed an issue where button prompt for solo mode was missing.
  • Weapons no longer shake after applying changes to them.

Audio:

  • Fixed an issue where the third person reload sound were inaudible for DLC weapons.
  • Fixed an issue where audio would stutter after some time, after trip lasers had been used.

Gameplay:

  • Fixed emotes animation issues during certain interactions.
  • (Consoles) Fixed some vibrations missing when lockpicking, cracking a safe, and landing on the ground.
  • Fixed an issue where players would reload despite Mower Ammo funnel and Mower Replenish would giving a bullet in the magazine.
  • Fixed a bug in which swapping empty guns and activating the ‘Lock and loaded’ skill required you to reload the gun that now contains ammo upon swapping back.
  • Fixed an issue where player entered spectator mode when skipping intro too quickly.
  • Adjusted the frontal detection to be more forgiving; but it still shouldn’t be possible to crouch walk right in front of a guard anymore.
  • Fixed an issue where the ‘Final Charge’ prompt would Override ‘FBI Assault’. Now ‘FBI Assault’ will be shown at all times when active.
  • Decreased stun duration from tactical drones on Crew AI, they will no longer be permanently in flashed animation when the drone keeps flashing the same crew AI.
  • Increased the amount First Aid Kits heal from 25 points to 50 points.

UI:

  • Fixed an issue where the ‘Heavy Hitter’ suit had the incorrect name.
  • Fixed a text scaling issue in the courtroom where the text on the TV screen would not fit in specific languages.
  • Fixed an issue in Solo Mode where the Result Screen only shows the number of secured bags, instead of the total amount of possible bags.

Skill Changes:

  • Fixed an issue where ‘Routed Ping’ (Hacker) wasn’t marking enemies during assault.

Tech Changes:

  • Fixed an issue where Epic players could join invite only lobbies without an invite through Epic friends.
  • Fixed an issue where placed tools would disappear while equipping/unequipping consumable or overkill weapon.
  • Fixed an UI issue where there was no info about penalty for killing a civilian whom was held as a human shield.
  • Fixes an invisible shield collision sometimes encountered where Techie was killed.
  • Fixed an issue where completed challenges would not show in the ‘challenge menu’.
  • Fixed an issue in which weapons would not receive XP or level up.

Heists:

Dirty Ice

  • Fixed jewelry machine text going outside of the screen in localized languages.

Rock the Cradle

  • Fixed an issue where the bouncer would not move after cuffing the player in secure area.

No Rest for the Wicked

  • Fixed an issue where the guard couldn’t spot the player through the fence.
  • Fixed an issue where the additional secure point favor got disabled after securing all mandatory loot.
  • Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck while placing thermite and crouching in its setup zone.

99 Boxes

  • Fixed crew AI not being able to reach downed player on some containers.

Boys in Blue

  • Fixed cops jumping through interior windows to reach detected players, causing the alarm to go off.

Turbid Station

  • Fixed player being able to pick up the satellite prototype through the lasers.

Cook Off

  • Fixed an issue where the Escape van would not leave the start of the level after vote restarting the level.

Houston Breakout

  • Fixed an issue where the escort would break in the basement if going loud while Houston was being transported in the elevator.
  • Made it easier to interact with the keypad in cell one without being detected.
  • Fixed an issue where the donut box objective would sometimes remain in the basement after going loud.
  • Adjusted the elevator ziplines to prevent the players from taking damage.
  • Fixed an issue where the buttons in the cell block would occasionally be disabled.
  • Made sure that players can pick up the zipline bag while in casing.
  • Prevented a waypoint to the balcony QR phone would show in loud.
  • Fixed an issue where the red keycard didn’t spawn in the basement safe, even though it’s indicator was present.
  • Added objectives after seeing the TV in the courtroom and opening the server room..
  • Fixed an issue EMP waypoint would be disabled if the EMP was picked before opening the server room door.
  • Fixed an issue where AI had difficulties riding the zipline properly on Houston Breakout.
  • The dialogue between the Judge and Shade will now end if players go loud.
  • Adjusted drone delays.
  • Fixed an issue where players could not secure all loot when switching to loud while escorting Houston.
  • Fixed an issue where players could get stuck in the vents in the west wing after the heist went loud.
  • Fixed the problem where you had to hack the boxes for the courtroom even though Houston was in the basement.
  • Added localization for hooking up Shade to the landline to blackmail the judge..
  • Fixed an issue where Houston could be killed.
  • Fixed bathroom reverb audio.
  • Fixed a bug where Shade would play the success voice line on heist failure.
  • Fixed a bug where the clerk screens didn’t show the intended information when playing in solo mode.
  • Fixed an issue where the fingerprint objective would trigger when players required a code instead of a fingerprint.
  • Fixed an issue where Houston would despawn if shocked.
  • Added localization for opening the folding counter.
  • Added localization for the computer screen inside the server room.
  • Fixed Turkish outro subtitles.

The official patch notes aren’t available yet we do know some of the new content incoming for players.

Stonks Market

Fear & Greed has you set your sights on Wall Street to tank all the stocks that Concord has even the slightest involvement in and cripple his operation indefinitely.

How do you go about that? Well, both stealth and loud options are available, so you’ll need to decide how to approach this. For stealth, you will be able to grab a favor that’ll get you onto the exchange floor unmasked. Otherwise, your ingress point will be to zipline down the elevator shaft from the roof.

First, you will need to breach one of the broker companies and hijack a computer to get access to their systems, steal a USB credential key, and then load it into one of the booths to get access to a control panel inside the exchange room. You sneaky folks will gain access to night-night gas to get around the civilian problem.

From there, you start shorting your nemesis’ stock, and make Concord’s money go bye-bye, then shut down the markets with a stashed EMP device. Your egress point will depend on your volume of play, but the loud option means making a whole new escape route.

While the stealth starting condition can be purchased through a favor, there will be other favors available to make your time on Wall Street more like a saunter through Easy Street. We’ll leave the element of mystery as to bonus objectives and minutiae of play for when you get your hands on the heist!

New Tailor and Weapon Packs:

Bling out with the Tailor Pack that gives you a range of outfits and masks themed around the different broker personalities: bull, wolf, bear, and rabbit.

New Weapons:

  • The first offering is the TAS-12 shotgun that connoisseurs of close-quarter combat will know and love immediately.
  • The Jackknife SE5 is a workhorse of a secondary weapon, broadening the offering of light armaments with another solid pick.
  • Last, but definitely not least, the Garstini Viper .50AE is another beast of a gun. We’d like to call it a pistol, but this instantly recognizable piece will poke holes in anyone and anything that dares step into your crosshairs.

The M135 ARGES Minigun will also be available for free as part of the update.

Alongside this, Derek Ray as Houston will also be free with today’s patch! You can check out the trailer for that here.

Once the official patch notes are out, we’ll update the article with the info.

Update: Complete patch notes have been added courtesy of Starbreeze.

Tags: payday Payday 3
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Demon’s Mirror Review – Matching Cards and Gems

  by   Vitor Braz  
September 15, 2024 3:26 pm in News

You often get collectible card games, and match-3 games. But having both genres mixed into one is quite rare, definitely worth of making it stand out from the crowd. Demon’s Mirror tries this fairly novel approach and the idea works surprisingly well, all nicely presented in a roguelike approach that is polished and exciting, offering enough depth for the traditional repeat runs while still looking deceivingly simple on the surface. But is this additional match-3 aspect more than a fun gimmick in the long run?

Three Faces, Three Styles

Demon’s Mirror Review

You have three different characters in Demon’s Mirror, only one of them unlocked for your first run, but you’ll quickly get the other two in a couple of hours or less. This will allow you to experiment with their unique traits, as each one comes with a starting trinket that will put a very different spin to the gameplay, providing fairly different playstyles. Ultimately, you’re going to find your favorite depending on how you intend to approach the dungeons, not before experimenting with the vast possibilities and the combinations of card play and match-3 grid action, which have a lot going for them.

When you choose your character, the randomized dungeon map pops up and the only way is to keep moving forward until you reach the boss. There’s no going back, only the occasional choice between a couple of options, battles being the most frequent but you can also stumble upon random events, the shop, elite battles, treasure, a campfire to heal or craft scrolls, and so on. There’s enough richness in a run as to keep it fresh and interesting, spruced up by the ever-changing routes that guarantee a different experience each time.

The battles are where the meat of the game resides, with an intricate combination of systems that fall upon the recurrent and cliched adage of easy to learn, hard to master, but it does ring true here. With your hero on the left, the enemies at the center, the grid on the right side, and your cards at the bottom of the screen, the display is organized and clean, but it will still take some time to understand where trinkets and scrolls go, how they work, the importance of gems such as essence and willpower to increase your odds in combat, respectively for card buffs and choosing a perk. The grid also has swords and shields which are easier to understand – chaining them will result in the correspondent stat for attacking an enemy or providing guard for the current turn.

It’s when deciding where to use the action points that most doubts will pop up. Should you spend them using cards, or on the grid, as the pool is shared between the two? With the expected amount of deck building and randomization for the hands, there’s more than enough to make each run unpredictable; however, this doesn’t mean everything is down to luck, as an attentive eye will take smarter decisions, scrolls and trinkets that you collect or purchase along the way can turn the tide of a battle, and death is certainly not the end, as it unlocks new possibilities such as trinkets, modifiers, and cards for future runs.

Demon’s Mirror Review

And you’re going to need all the help you can get. Most encounters are tough and your health doesn’t replenish after a battle, so you’ll have to learn how to save most of it for the full run, remembering that there’s a boss waiting for you at the end of the region.

It does feel like the match-3 mechanic got a little overlooked, which is a shame since it’s incredibly satisfying to use. It has this addictive Bejeweled feel to it, the way you create the chains and the sounds the gems make, all of that just feels right and demands more playtime. Alas, with the shared action point pool and depending on the character you choose – Wulf has a free tile chain at the start of each turn – it will seem too slight. I was hoping for more time with the board, chaining gems in moves one after the other, but you only get a brief taste per turn, which can be disappointing. More of a good thing would be something to have here, but you’re always limited to a low amount of action points to distribute.

Dungeons and Trinkets

How can something so familiar sound so unique? That’s the question a game like Demon’s Mirror dares to pose, and successfully answers it at the same time. It’s a bit of two popular genres and it doesn’t outstay its welcome; actually, I’d love to have a little more time to play around with the board instead of the brief experience in each turn. The practical graphics and organized design seal the deal for this game, which won’t make any waves and doesn’t seem to offer a whole lot of content without repetition setting in, but is bound to be a good one for fans of the genre(s).

Score: 8/10

Pros:

  • A clever mix of two popular genres
  • Simple design with interesting depth
  • Has this addictive feel to it

Cons:

  • Not enough chain-3 gameplay per turn
  • Repetition may sink in

Demon’s Mirror review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.

Tags: Be-Rad Entertainment Demon's Mirror Good Shepherd Entertainment Review

Vitor Braz

Home > News

Report: Krafton’s “Project Windless” Character Details Surfaces

  by   Efrain  
2:29 pm in News

In May 2021, Krafton, the publisher behind titles like PUBG and The Callisto Protocol, announced the development of “Project Windless,” an ambitious game set to adapt the popular Korean fantasy novel “The Bird That Drinks Tears” by Yeongdo Lee.

The project is being handled by Krafton Montreal, a new studio established in 2023. The studio is led by Patrik Méthé, a veteran in the gaming industry known for his work on the Far Cry series. Méthé brings a wealth of experience to the table, having been involved in the development of several successful titles. Along with other industry veterans, the studio’s end goal is to hire 150 people to complete the work on this first project.

In 2022, a conceptual trailer developed in Unreal Engine 5 was released, showcasing the game’s dark and fantastical aesthetic. Since its announcement, several pieces of concept art have also been revealed.

Now, it has come to light that casting calls for the game’s characters were held in July of this year. This aligns with Krafton’s Q2 2023 Earning Results, which indicated that the game was concluding its conceptual phase and moving into a more advanced stage of development. Additionally, it was revealed in the same year that the game is projected for release in 2026.

The casting calls mention six characters by their name alongside detailed descriptions. However, these seem to be placeholder names (being obvious in the first example) as they do not originate from the novel. The descriptions read as follows:

 Hero (Male)

  • Character Age: 25
  • Character Race: a birdlike humanoid species.
  • Demeanor: Moves like a fighter. Almost military but more instinctive, animal.
  • Keywords: Legendary, Powerful, Hot-blooded, Rough, Exuberant.
  • Personality: Years of winning lethal challenges have built Hero’s confidence in his own strength, but beyond this admired might, he feels vulnerable or empty. Overconfident in his physical abilities, Hero struggles with internal doubts and is often manipulated through his ego and image, making it difficult for him to trust others. Though he boasts about his independence, he secretly craves connection. Proud of the powerful legend he has become, Hero dreads the growing weight of responsibility and the moral complexities of decisions that impact many lives. He fears losing his true self to the role he’s played and leaving behind a legacy he might not be proud of.

Otti (Male)

  • Character Age: 98
  • Character Race: Tokebi.
  • Demeanor: Graceful, mannered, yet heavy.
  • Keywords: Confident, Casanova, Charming.
  • Build: Bulky.
  • Personality: Confident, wise, relaxed. Sharp as a whip, he never shies away from a good joke, and no one can believe he is really 98 years old. A Casanova who doesn’t brag about his exploits but has the confidence to love and be loved, with all it implies. Great listener, kind-hearted, humorous.

Camiye (Female)

  • Character Age: 26
  • Character Race: Human.
  • Demeanor: Stern, Strict, Noble.
  • Keywords: Cold, Responsible, Dedicated, Insecure.
  • Build: Lean.
  • Personality: Strong sense of duty and an acute awareness of the expectations placed upon her. She is deeply concerned with maintaining a favorable image and is highly conscious of how others perceive her. She compensates her timidity and lack of confidence with a cold demeanor and a high chin. Despite her initial apprehensions, she demonstrates resilience and determination in the face of adversity, honing her negotiating skills, emulating her mother’s wisdom. However, beneath her composed exterior lies a vulnerability, stemming from her fear of disappointing those who look up to her.

Jeramd (Male)

  • Character age: 28
  • Character Race: Human.
  • Demeanor: Discreet, reserved, cautious.
  • Keywords: Emo, immature, defensive, whiny.
  • Build: Weak.
  • Personality: Misunderstood and angsty, Jeramd is a sensitive and caring young man, but through his experiences of survival, of being taken, adopted, adored and then rejected he’s come to prefer the stability of nature to the whims of the human heart. Jeramd is in search of his own identity, he questions his existence as a tool for other’s power through the fear that he inspires.

Menan (Female) 

  • Character age: 35
  • Character Race: Rekkon.
  • Demeanor: That of a builder, confident, strong, calm and determined.
  • Keywords: Gruff, intimidating, hard-working, creative.
  • Build: Very tall, strong, heavy.
  • Personality: Menan is a formidable figure, gruff and hard-working, her intimidating presence commands respect. Years of adversity have forged her relentless determination, driving her to excel in her craft with unmatched creativity. Despite her stern exterior, she harbors a deep sense of loyalty and commitment to those she cares about. Menan’s practical approach to problem-solving and her ability to envision and construct grand structures reflect her innovative mind. Beneath her tough demeanor lies a profound resilience, shaped by her desire to overcome obstacles and protect the vulnerable, making her a mighty ally and a dedicated friend.

Wungpo (Non-binary)

  • Character age: 35
  • Character Race: Tokebi.
  • Demeanor: Clumsy, cute, excited.
  • Keywords: Optimistic, bubbly, extroverted, goofy.
  • Build: Bulky.
  • Personality: Wungpo is characterised by zier love for everything. Zee is a very cheerful, charming and kind character who sees the world in a positive light. Zee is also notable for zier clumsiness, dropping things unintentionally, forgetting to tidy zier few belongings, and walking around with sorghum powder around zier mouth. Like zier favourite beetle Ninnie, Wungpo doesn’t not overthink things. Zier have a very transparent, natural and genuine approach of life that applies to every person zier meet or every problem zier are presented with.

The descriptions mention races found in the novel and seem to reference existing characters, although it’s unclear who they are due to the use of placeholder names.

Considering that they are still in the casting phase, it seems we will have to wait a bit longer to see more of this game. Additionally, there’s no guarantee that it will meet its projected release year, but we will have to wait and see.

Stay tuned for more updates as Krafton Montreal unveils further details about this upcoming title.

More MP1st Reading:

Tags: exclusive Krafton project windless Report The Bird That Drinks Tears

Efrain

Home > News

EA Play Is $0.99 for 1 Month on PSN, and Here Are Some Games You Can Finish With the Trial

  by   Alex Co  
12:09 pm in News

For bargain hunters or you just want to try a game out without buying it, publisher Electronic Arts currently has its EA Play subscription service for a super low price to try on the PlayStation Network (PSN) Store for one month!

Checking this link (US), you can see that instead of $5.99 to try it for one month, it’s now at a super low $0.99! Yes, that means that for less than buck, you can subscribe to the service, cancel immediately (your membership will still be active for 30 days), and then play the games in the catalog. This also doesn’t auto-renew, so you should be safe if you forget to cancel it (though I’d just cancel it to be safe). If you want to test it out, best act now, as the offer only lasts until September 26 at 10 pm PT/7 am ET/7 pm HKT.

What are some of the games you can play in that 30 days? While there’s your usual bevy of sports titles, there are also single-player games and even multiplayer ones worth checking out.

Games Worth Checking Out:

If you’re looking for more deals, Sony has the “Planet of the Discounts” sale this month, as well as the Weekend Offer which will expire very soon.

More MP1st Reading: 

Tags: Deals EA EA Play Electronic Arts PlayStation
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Report: Ubisoft Allegedly Using Bots to Promote Assassin’s Creed Shadows

  by   Taha  
9:52 am in News

In addition to offering a glimpse into the atmosphere of Feudal Japan, the recent World trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows has raised concerns about questionable practices by Ubisoft. At least, that’s what some viewers claim, having noticed suspicious activity in the comments section.

Shortly after the trailer’s release, viewers began to spot numerous comments with a similar tone and structure, all praising the trailer’s visuals and historical accuracy. What raised suspicion was that these comments were coming from accounts that appeared to follow an unusual and repetitive naming structure.

These accounts were all created recently, and the comments they posted appeared just a few hours apart, quickly racking up an unusually high number of likes—typically between 3,000 and 5,000. While the comments were human-written, bots seemed to have been used to boost their likes, further raising suspicion.

Assassin's Creed Shadows
Ubisoft using bots to promote Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

The sudden disappearance of these comments from the Assassin’s Creed Shadows World trailer has raised more questions, though no one knows yet whether Ubisoft or YouTube removed them.

Despite the lack of concrete proof, screenshots of the suspicious comments continue to circulate online. This has left many viewers wondering why a big company like Ubisoft would engage in such tactics to promote one of its most anticipated games given how ingenious people are nowadays in spotting out AI, bots and other non-organic promos.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Ubisoft has faced such accusations. Viewers also noticed a similar pattern of suspicious activity during the release of the Star Wars Outlaws Story trailer in April.

Ubisoft will launch Assassin’s Creed Shadows on November 12, 2024, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Watch the World trailer here:

More MP1st Reading:

Thanks, TheDkmariolink!

Tags: Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows Ubisoft
Avatar photo

Taha

Television kills your vision.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

UFC 5 Adds the Sphere Venue in Update 1.013.001 for UFC 306

  by   Alex Co  
2:00 am in Title Updates and Patches

With UFC 306 taking place in the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, EA has pushed out UFC 5 update 1.013.001 that adds the venue in the game! The patch is live now to all players and is another free content drop for the fight sim.

In addition to the Sphere, players can also expect the Custom Riyadh season “Noche UFC” as well with today’s patch. This was confirmed by the official EA UFC Twitter/X account today as part of the UFC 306 festivities.

For those not familiar what the Sphere is, it’s a music and entertainment arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States, east of the Las Vegas Strip. The venue costs a whopping $2.3 billion making it one of the most expensive venues in the world, and it boasts an 18,600-seat auditorium that’s being marketed for its immersive video and audio capabilities, which include a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen, speakers with beamforming and wave field synthesis technologies, and 4D physical effects. The venue’s exterior also features 580,000 sq ft (54,000 m2) of LED displays. Sphere measures 366 feet (112 m) high and 516 feet (157 m) wide (via Wikipedia).

While this new title update doesn’t add any new fighters, it’s still an awesome addition to the game. No word if the Sphere will be added to the career mode, but we wouldn’t hold our breath for it given the mode hasn’t been given any new content since launch. Speaking of new fighters, there was a title update released last week that saw the addition of not only new MMA artists to the roster, but also various adjustments as well.

In case you haven’t bought the game yet, UFC 5 is discounted in the PlayStation Store “Planet of the Discounts” promotion.

Tags: UFC UFC 5
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Ark Survival Ascended Gets New Update 1.052.018 to Patch Out Flying Ability

  by   Alex Co  
September 14, 2024 7:09 pm in Title Updates and Patches

With the Aberration patch released for Ark Survival Ascended, not only did Studio Wildcard drop a load of content for players, but there were also bugs included as well (figuratively and literally). One of the actual bugs is a spider named Cosmo, and there was an unintended bug in the game that allowed players to fly! That has since been patched out today as part of Ark Survival Ascended update 1.052.018 (PC version 52.22).

According to Studio Wildcard, the new Ark Survival Ascended update released today did the following:

52.22 – Minor Version for Steam Clients – 13/09/2024

  • Fixed lighting flicker on Aberration
  • Fixed an unintentional bug with Cosmo that allowed players to fly

Note that the patch is also live on PS5.

In addition to that, there were also multiple server-side patches released that amended crashes and an exploit.

v52.23 – Minor version for Servers – 09/13/2024

  • Fixed an issue with Rock Drake gliding on servers

v52.21 – Minor version for Servers – 09/13/2024

  • Fixed an exploit
  • Fixed several server crashes

Studio Wildcard has been very busy patching out issues in all versions of Ark Survival Ascended. Just the other day, a patch was released to fix the rendering issue that affect players. By our count, today’s patch is the fifth title update released for fixes since the Aberration patch was released.

Chances are, we’ll be getting more patches soon, and once we have one, we’ll let our readers know.

[Source: Ark Discord]

Tags: ark survival ascended
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

PlayStation Co-CEO States Benefits of Playing Consoles Compared to PC, Mobile; Business to Be Centered on “Home Consoles” But Wants to Increase Market Pie

  by   Alex Co  
4:37 pm in News

While a lot of gamers play on both consoles and PC, there are always people stating that one is better than the other. Of course, if you’re the Co-CEO of PlayStation, you probably want to push more players into your ecosystem, though you do need to give people a reason why.

In an interview, PlayStation Co-CEO Hideaki Nishino explained the benefits of gaming on a console rather than on PC and/or mobile.

“I think that with mobile devices, there are a lot of games that show ads, and with PCs, the setup can be difficult. With PS, you can immediately enjoy the content you purchased as soon as you turn it on. Even in the stores where you buy software, the products are clearly displayed, making it an intuitive experience.”

In the same interview, Nishino mentions that while they are releasing PlayStation games on PC to increase the overall game market pie, they still see “home consoles” as the center of their business.

“We are trying to increase the overall game market pie by expanding our content to PCs as well. There is no doubt that our business will be centered on home consoles, but by offering titles for devices other than home consoles, we will reach a wider range of customers.”

Nishino does have a point. I play primarily on consoles so I don’t need to deal with drivers, compatibility issues and the like. That said, there are huge advantages on gaming on PC, and if you had the choice, I’d recommended getting both.

For those not familiar with the executive, back in May of this year, it was announced that Nishino would be the co-CEO of PlayStation alongside Hermen Hulst. with Nishino heading Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) Platform Business Group, and Hulst in charge of the Studio Business Group.

More PlayStation Reading:

[Source: Nikkei (subscription required)}

Tags: Hideaki Nishino PC PlayStation
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Fate Trigger: The Novita Revealed and It’s a F2P Anime Hero-Based Battle Royale for Consoles and PC; Trailer and Key Features Revealed

  by   Alex Co  
September 13, 2024 4:17 pm in News

Tencent subsidiary Saroasis Studios has announced Fate Trigger: The Novita, an upcoming free-to-play (F2P) 3D anime hero-based battle royale that’s due for release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and mobile in 2025.

Check out t he trailer and key features of the game straight from Tencent:

In a dynamic world of floating islands set against the sky, players will become sharpshooters with extraordinary skills, craft their own strategies and engage in thrilling, life-or-death showdowns. With specialized skills, a diverse array of innovative and original physics-based weapons and a unique open world, Fate Trigger: The Novita vows to deliver a visually gorgeous and fully immersive gaming experience.

Key Features of Fate Trigger: The Novita: 

  • Anime Heroes Storm the Battle Royale Arena – Choose from a diverse roster of anime heroes, each equipped with distinctive skills, unique abilities and breathtaking 3D visuals. Whether players decide to be a timid bunny who builds pixel fortresses or an elegant scout who dazzles foes with deadly mist and charm, there’s a hero to suit every playstyle.

  • Form A Squad, Dominate the Battlefield – Dive into a fast-paced shooter where anime heroes can be tailored to various combat styles. With the ability to strategically respawn and transfer with easier difficulty for seamless accessibility, Fate Trigger: The Novita offers players full weaponry customization with the integration of the immersive gun-chip system and treats players to the intense, gripping action of a short time-to-kill for maximum fun.

  • A Stunning 3D Visual-audio Combat Spectacle – Powered by the latest Unreal Engine 5, the top-tier 3D rendering technology brings each hero to life. Experience realistic and satisfying gunplay, spectacular ultimate abilities, and seamless movement interactions in a vibrant and immersive shooting combat environment.

  • Multi-Dimensional Sky Islands: Your Ultimate Playground – In the dynamic world of floating islands, players can absorb themselves in the thrill of interacting with diverse terrain mechanisms. Use portals, gliders, hover cars and mysterious updrafts to explore and navigate between islands.

  • Commitment to Fair Competitive Play – The core principles of Fate Trigger: The Novita are a commitment to fair competitive play and a zero-tolerance stance on cheating. Penalties, reporting and appeals are managed promptly, supported by an advanced AI anti-cheat system and a vast database of cheating patterns.

There’s also an upcoming closed beta for Steam launching soon. Those who want to learn more about the game you can follow their social accounts: X, Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Tik Tok.

Tags: Saroasis Studios Tencent
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Visions of Mana Update 1.03 for September 13 Brings Short List of Fixes

  by   Alex Co  
3:03 pm in Title Updates and Patches

RPG Visions of Mana just got a new update this September 13 on consoles and PC, and this is a pretty small patch that aims to resolve tech issues more than anything else. Those on consoles will see this as version 1.03 on last-gen, and 1.003 on current-gen.

The patch notes for today’s patch is as follows;

  • Improvements to overall game stability
  • Bug preventing game progression in certain circumstances fixed
  • Minor bug fixes
  • Adjustments made to mechanic to dispel frozen status effect on allies.

Yep, that’s about it. There are no gameplay-related changes made aside from the dispel one listed above. If you’ve yet to play the RPG, you might want to check out our review where we state, ” the end of it all, Visions of Mana is a well-crafted game full of vibrant characters, good combat, and a lot of experimentation with the elemental vessel system. The story is solid enough to carry you through, and with a few surprises I didn’t see coming, but it isn’t anything world-breaking.”

[Source: Steam]

Tags: Visions of Mana
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Risk of Rain 2 Update 1.13 Drips Out on Consoles and Brings Fixes

  by   Alex Co  
2:20 pm in Title Updates and Patches

Risk of Rain 2 just got another update today, and it brings another set of fixes to the game following an issue-filled DLC drop (Seekers of the Storm). Console gamers will see this as Risk of Rain 2 update 1.13 for last-gen, with current-gen getting version 1.003.200. Those on PC, there have been two patches released recently (v1.3.2 and v1.3.4). Expect the fixes there to be part of today’s console patch.

Risk of Rain 2 Update 1.13/1.003.200 Patch Notes:

[ez-toc-]

Hopoo Games has not mentioned anything about today’s patch and whether it contains the two previous patches released on PC. For reference, we’ve included both.

Full Patch Notes for V1.3.2:

  • Resolved a bug with the way builds are compiled that led to many behaviors being erroneously tied to FPS. These elements included physics, attack speed, and movement. This was not the result of any significant architecture changes to the game. The bug that created this issue has been addressed.
  • Addressed an issue some players reported where Mithrix would become invincible upon stealing your Warped Echo.
  • The Teleporter will no longer spawn inside geometry on Rallypoint Delta.
  • Acrid’s Utility Skills, both Caustic Leap & Frenzied Leap were not dealing damage or colliding properly. Acrid should now be back in action.
  • Resolved an issue reported by some users with items not being picked up when interacted with. Despite not being picked up, some players would receive a large number of item stacks anyway. Both parts of this issue are now resolved.
  • Item highlights have now returned to various shops & adaptive chests.
  • You’ll now no longer be able to escape Shattered Abodes, at least in the ways we didn’t intend.
  • We’ve restored the full screen damage indicator and low health feedback.
  • An issue that caused some players to get stuck while smelling the flowers on Reformed Altar has been resolved.
  • Longstanding Solitude will no longer sometimes show pinged interactables at 2x cost.
  • The portal will no longer spawn inside geometry in Bulwark’s Ambry.
  • Healthbars were updating very slowly. That has now been resolved.
  • Halcyonite’s spawn animation was playing at lower than expected framerates. He won’t be jittery anymore when spawning in.
  • We’ve resolved a bug with Seeker’s Sojourn ability that sometimes blocked non-host players from using it.
  • Players are now able to pick up CHEF’s food drops from farther away.
  • We’ve rolled out a change to the Halcyon Beacon’s texture on Gilded Coast. The team is going to continue monitoring this one. There may be more changes coming on this front.
  • Loader’s Knuckleboom VFX has been realigned.
  • We’ve resolved an issue some players reported that Survivor VFX in the character select screen overlapped with the Ready button.
  • Fixed an issue with Bolstering Lantern where the logbook ‘unlock’ highlighting no longer was clearing after viewing the unlock.
  • Solved an issue where the ‘item count’ displayed on the tab menu in multiplayer sessions would show 1 for some players despite not having any items.
  • Resolved an issue where Sojourn would sometimes fail to trigger when colliding with monsters or geometry.
  • Changed the visual effects of the initial jump pads on Meridian to convey better to players from a distance.

  • Resolved an issue that led to the Imp Overlord’s Void Spike ability sometimes not dealing damage.
  • Addressed an issue reported by some players on Prime Meridian where lighting would spawn on top of players during the False Son cutscene.
  • Resolved an issue where the Scorch Worm would snap 90 degrees right before attacking.
  • Gaining multiple Warped Echos on Heretic led to infinite stacks of the item buff being added to the player. This has been resolved.
  • Sonorous Whispers had an issue where the drop chance of items could become extremely high, especially later into runs. This has been re-balanced to be more realistic. Elite item drop chance: 15% (+5% per stack) -> 4% (+1% per stack). Logbook change is still pending.
  • Solved an issue where the music would stop if a player opened the logbook and clicked on an item during a run.
  • Addressed an issue reported by some players where entering the Prime Meridian cutscene with >4 players resulted in a softlock. To make it clear, >4 player co-op is still not officially supported. We just wanted to address this anyway because we know many players still opt to unlock max lobby size with convars.
  • Teleporters should no longer be able to spawn within Halcyonite Shrines
  • Resolved an issue where some players without SOTS could become soft locked by not being able to interact with the Shrine of Rebirth upon defeating False Son.
  • CHEF has had some item placements moved (where items are displayed on his character model when picked up) to avoid clipping with other items and parts of his model.
  • Addressed an issue with Railgunner’s Concussion Device (utility – mine) where it would not detonate on its own. It will now detonate after a few seconds like normal.
  • Resolved an issue reported by some players where sometimes skills wouldn’t activate when pressed. This ended up being a bi-product of the FPS-related issues we outlined above. Both are now resolved.
  • Addressed a bug that allowed players to permanently fire False Son’s Laser of the Father ability (special – head laser). It will now go on cooldown after fired for up to 4 seconds.
  • Increased the intensity of the VFX for CHEF’s Dice ability (primary – cleaver). This should make it easier to spot when thrown a far distance out.

  • Addressed an issue where players would be unable to input actions for Seeker’s Meditate ability while having both mouse/keyboard and a controller plugged in at the same time.
  • Resolved an issue where sometimes Chef’s Dice (primary – cleavers) couldn’t be recalled while at either unlimited or under 30 FPS. That issue was part of the FPS-tied-mechanics issue above. Both have been solved.
  • Addressed an issue where Acrid was no longer able to hit enemies or spread his poison using Epidemic (special – poison blob attack)
  • Solved an issue where The Crowdfunder would stop firing if framerate fell under 30FPS. This was also part of the FPS-tied-mechanics issue above. Both issues have been resolved.
  • Acrid’s Frenzied Leap (utility – jump) now properly negates fall damage when falling from large heights.
  • Addressed an issue where standing behind Mithrix, while entering phase 4, results in him losing aggression towards you temporarily.
  • Parents had an issue where they would attempt to navigate to the player but get stuck on a navigation node, that issue has now been fixed. We are tracking broadly similar behavior with some other monsters, but none were nearly as severe as Parents were.
  • We are aware of False Son’s downward plunge attack not behaving as intended. We’re currently working to address this issue, but did not want it to hinder the release of additional changes.

V1.3.4 Notes:

We have addressed the following reported concerns from players:

  • When the False Son used Club of the Forsaken (Primary – swing attack) while falling, he could become locked in his ‘diving attack’ state despite colliding with the ground.
  • The shader for the Halcyon Beacons in Gilded Coast would now wrap all the way around the beacon as expected.

  • Upon defeating Mithrix and escaping successfully, connected clients sometimes saw the final kill screen for a moment before the credits played.
  • The sun over Aphelian Sanctuary could sometimes be a tad ‘flashier’ than usual. The sun has been restored to its previous glory.
  • Quitting to the main menu immediately after hosting a four-player run could result in a soft lock.
  • Upon defeating The False Son as Heretic, the line that plays in chat was incorrect. That string has been replaced with the intended line.
  • Loader’s Thunderslam (Alt Special – downward slam) and False Son’s diving Club of the Forsaken attack (Primary – swing while falling) both failed to shake the player’s screen when used.
  • Sometimes changing the music audio slider would not actually change anything. We identified two potential causes and resolutions for this issue.
  • In the Loadout tab of the Character Selection Screen, skins would sometimes not display their names when hovered.

In addition to the fixes, the devs admitted on their shortcomings with the DLC, and how they are “committed to making the DLC everything that you expected and deserve.” Expect more patches for the game to be released to fix the other issues, and beyond that, they are looking at player feedback and will implement gameplay changes in future patches once the bugs have been sorted.

[Source: Steam (1, 2)]

Tags: risk of rain Risk of Rain 2
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

PSN Store Weekend Offer Drops This Sept. 13; Here Are the Games

  by   Alex Co  
1:50 pm in News

While the PlayStation Store Planet of the Discounts promotion is still on-going, Sony has launched yet another sale, and this is the PSN Store Weekend Offer for September 13! As one might expect, this sale will only last until the weekend, and surprisingly, it has some solid games discounted.

PSN Store Weekend Offer for Sept, 13 – Ends 9/16:

Complete Games List:

Note: We have enabled a collapsible table for the games given the huge list. To see the games in each list, click on the black arrow and/or the letters (A – E, F – J, K – O, P – T, U – Z).

Title: A – Z, Discount, Final Price
A Hat in Time -50% $14.99
Accidental Favorites Hat Pack – Among Us VR -20% $3.99
AEW: Fight Forever – Season Pass 1 -50% $14.99
AEW: Fight Forever – Season Pass 2 -45% $13.74
AEW: Fight Forever – Season Pass 4 -35% $12.99
AEW: Fight Forever – Ultimate Edition -35% $64.99
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases -80% $4.99
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case -55% $17.99
Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders -50% $7.49
Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders -50% $9.99
Agatha Christie Collection: The ABC Murders & Hercule Poirot: The First Cases Bundle -65% $10.49
Age of Wonders 4: Premium Edition -25% $67.49
Age of Wonders: Planetfall Premium Edition -70% $19.49
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (2001) -35% $6.49
Amnesia: Rebirth -90% $2.99
Amnesia: The Bunker -50% $12.49
Among Us VR -30% $6.99
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars -60% $13.99
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars Game Trial
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars Deluxe Edition -60% $17.99
Avatar The Last Airbender: Quest for Balance -60% $19.99
Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions -80% $7.99
Black Mirror -80% $7.99
Black the Fall -75% $3.74
Blazing Chrome -65% $5.94
Call of Cthulhu® -75% $4.99
Car Mechanic Simulator – DLC Mega Pack -80% $7.69
Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 – Dodge | Plymouth | Chrysler Remastered DLC -25% $11.99
Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 – Drag Racing DLC -40% $8.99
Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 – Ford Remastered DLC -35% $3.89
Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 DLC MegaPack -45% $35.46
Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 DLC MegaPack -45% $35.46
Castlevania Anniversary Collection -80% $3.99
Children of Zodiarcs -75% $4.49
Included
Cities: Skylines – Remastered -70% $11.99
Closer the Distance -25% $14.99
Corpse Party -50% $9.99
Creed Rise to Glory™ -90% $2.99
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition™ -40% $23.99
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition™ -40% $29.99
Crysis 2 Remastered -70% $8.99
Crysis 3 Remastered -70% $8.99
Crysis Remastered -70% $8.99
Cuphead & The Delicious Last Course -30% $18.89
Cyberpunk 2077 -40% $29.99
Cyberpunk 2077 Unavailable
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty -15% $25.49
Dark Devotion -70% $5.99
Darksiders Genesis -80% $7.99
Darksiders III -80% $7.99
Darksiders III Digital Deluxe Edition -80% $9.99
Darksiders III Season Pass -80% $3.99
Darksiders Warmastered Edition -80% $3.99
Darksiders: Fury’s Collection – War and Death -80% $7.99
Dead Cells: Fatal Falls -45% $2.74
Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania -30% $6.99
Dead Cells: The Bad Seed -50% $2.49
Deep Rock Galactic – MegaCorp Pack -75% $1.99
Deliver Us The Moon PS4 & PS5 -80% $4.99
Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed -55% $17.99
Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed: Single Player -55% $13.49
Detective Reborn Bundle -86% $9.79
Don’t Starve Mega Pack 2020 -65% $11.37
Don’t Starve: Console Edition -75% $3.74
Don’t Starve: Hamlet Console Edition -50% $3.49
Don’t Starve: Reign of Giants Console Edition -50% $2.49
Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked Console Edition -50% $2.49
DREDGE – The Pale Reach -25% $4.49
Dying Light -80% $3.99
Dying Light 2 Stay Human – Ultimate Edition PS5 -30% $62.99
ELEX II PS4 & PS5 -65% $20.99
Empire of Sin -80% $7.99
Empire of Sin – Deluxe Edition -80% $9.99
Empire of Sin – Expansion Pass -55% $11.24
Extinction: Deluxe Edition -90% $3.99
Fallout 4 -60% $7.99
Fallout 4: Automatron -50% $4.99
Fallout 4: Contraptions Workshop -40% $2.99
Fallout 4: Far Harbor -40% $8.99
Fallout 4: Nuka-World -50% $4.99
Fallout 4: Vault-Tec Workshop -40% $2.99
Fallout 4: Wasteland Workshop -40% $2.99
Fallout Shelter: Bundle of 15 Lunchboxes -30% $6.99
Fallout Shelter: Bundle of 15 Pet Carriers -30% $6.99
Fallout Shelter: Bundle of 40 Lunchboxes -50% $9.99
Fallout Shelter: Bundle of 40 Pet Carriers -50% $9.99
Fallout Shelter: Bundle of 5 Lunchboxes -25% $2.99
Fallout Shelter: Bundle of 5 Mr. Handys -25% $2.99
Fallout Shelter: Bundle of 5 Pet Carriers -25% $2.99
Fallout Shelter: Case of Nuka-Cola Quantum -20% $3.99
Fallout Shelter: Cooler of Nuka-Cola Quantum -30% $6.99
Fallout Shelter: Crate of Nuka-Cola Quantum -50% $24.99
Fallout Shelter: Refrigerator of Nuka-Cola Quantum -40% $11.99
Fallout Shelter: Truck of Nuka-Cola Quantum -50% $49.99
Fear Effect Sedna -90% $1.99
Frostpunk: Season Pass -75% $6.24
Fusion Bundle -85% $16.49
Goat Simulator -80% $1.99
Goat Simulator 3 -60% $11.99
Goat Simulator 3 – Digital Downgrade DLC -50% $3.49
Goat Simulator 3 – Multiversal Traveler’s Edition -25% $29.99
Goat Simulator: GoatZ -80% $0.99
Goat Simulator: PAYDAY -80% $0.99
Goat Simulator: The GOATY -80% $4.99
Goat Simulator: Waste of Space -80% $0.99
Graveyard Keeper -80% $3.99
Graveyard Keeper – Better Save Soul -80% $1.99
Graveyard Keeper: Last Journey Edition -80% $9.99
Guts & Glory -80% $2.99
Hammerwatch Anniversary Edition -40% $11.99
Hammerwatch Anniversary Edition -40% $11.99
Heading North DLC – Truck Driver -50% $9.99
Hello Neighbor -80% $5.99
Hello Neighbor 2 -55% $17.99
Hello Neighbor 2: Back to School -55% $6.74
Hello Neighbor 2: Hello-copter -55% $2.69
Hello Neighbor 2: Late Fees -55% $6.74
Hello Neighbor Bundle -80% $9.99
Hello Neighbor Hide and Seek -80% $5.99
Hellpoint -80% $6.99
Hotline Miami -75% $2.49
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number -80% $2.99
Huntdown -80% $3.99
Infernax -35% $12.99
Jurassic World Evolution 2: Deluxe Edition -75% $17.49
Jurassic World Evolution 2: Dominion Biosyn Expansion -50% $9.99
Jurassic World Evolution 2: Dominion Malta Expansion -50% $9.99
Jurassic World Evolution Deluxe Edition -80% $10.99
Jurassic World Evolution: Expansion Collection -85% $5.99
Jurassic World Evolution: Jurassic Park Edition -85% $9.74
Kill It With Fire -80% $2.99
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga PS4 & PS5 -75% $14.99
Little Nightmares Complete Edition -75% $7.49
Lost in Random™ PS4™ & PS5™ -85% $4.49
Martha Is Dead Digital Deluxe PS4™ & PS5™ -65% $13.99
Martha Is Dead PS4™ & PS5™ -65% $10.49
Martha Is Dead Ultimate Edition PS4™ & PS5™ -65% $15.74
METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater – Master Collection Version PS4 & PS5 -20% $15.99
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE DEFINITIVE EXPERIENCE -40% $11.99
METAL GEAR SURVIVE -40% $17.99
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes: Definitive Edition -35% $11.69
Mortal Shell -90% $2.99
Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition -90% $2.99
Necromunda: Underhive Wars -80% $3.99
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 – Season Pass -60% $9.99
Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus (PS1 Emulation) -60% $3.99
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (PS1 Emulation) -60% $1.99
Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty Included
Outlast Whistleblower -90% $0.89
Outlast: Bundle of Terror -90% $2.89
Overcooked! 2 – Gourmet Edition -75% $11.37
Pang Adventures -75% $2.49
Planet Zoo – Twilight Pack -30% $6.99
Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack -30% $6.99
Police Simulator: Patrol Officers -35% $19.49
Police Simulator: Patrol Officers: Garage Bundle -20% $9.59
Potion Permit -50% $9.99
Potion Permit: Complete DLC Bundle -25% $11.24
Potion Permit: Complete Edition -25% $22.49
Prison Simulator -55% $8.99
Riders Republic™ Skate Edition -75% $14.99
Riders Republic™ Skate Plus Pack -50% $19.99
Riders Republic™ Year 1 Pass -70% $11.99
Rise of the Ronin™ Digital Deluxe Edition -32% $54.39
Secret Neighbor -80% $3.99
Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition | PS4 & PS5 -75% $9.99
Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition | PS4 & PS5 -75% $9.99
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One -85% $6.74
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened – Deluxe Edition PS4 & PS5 -75% $12.49
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments + Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter bundle -93% $4.54
Sifu -60% $15.99
Sifu – Deluxe Edition Upgrade Bundle -55% $4.94
Slime Rancher -75% $4.99
Slime Rancher 2 -20% $23.99
Slime Rancher Rainbow Bundle -40% $26.69
Slime Rancher: Deluxe Edition -70% $8.99
Slime Rancher: Secret Style Pack -40% $4.79
Sniper Elite 4 -90% $5.99
Sniper Elite 5: Conqueror Mission, Weapon and Skin Pack -55% $4.49
Sniper Elite 5: Kraken Awakes Mission and Weapon Pack -55% $4.94
Sniper Elite 5: Landing Force Mission and Weapon Pack -55% $6.74
Sniper Elite 5: Rough Landing Mission and Weapon Pack -55% $6.74
Sniper Elite 5: Target Führer – Wolf Mountain -55% $3.14
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered -90% $3.49
Sniper Elite VR -85% $4.49
Soulstice: Deluxe Edition -65% $17.49
SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY! Asspen Pack -35% $1.94
SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY! CRED Pack -35% $1.94
SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY! Digital Deluxe -35% $32.49
SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY! Season Pass -35% $16.24
SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY! Snowball -35% $3.24
SpiderHeck: Show Your Support -45% $1.64
Strange Brigade -90% $4.99
Strange Brigade Digital Deluxe Edition -90% $7.99
Streets Of Rage 4 -50% $12.49
Subnautica PS4 & PS5 -60% $11.99
Subnautica: Below Zero PS4 & PS5 -60% $11.99
System Shock -40% $23.99
System Shock Unavailable
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge -35% $16.24
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection PS4 & PS5 -60% $15.99
Temtem -60% $17.99
Teslagrad Power Pack Edition PS4 & PS5 -70% $8.84
Thank Goodness You’re Here! -20% $15.99
Thank Goodness You’re Here! -20% $15.99
The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Deluxe Edition -40% $17.99
The Last Spell -40% $14.99
The Shadow Warrior Collection -80% $9.99
The Walking Dead Onslaught -85% $4.49
The Walking Dead Onslaught: Digital Deluxe -85% $5.99
The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series -70% $14.99
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -75% $9.99
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Expansion Pass -65% $8.74
Them’s Fightin’ Herds: Deluxe Edition PS4 & PS5 -70% $11.99
Tom Clancy’s The Division™ -90% $2.99
Tom Clancy’s The Division™ Gold Edition -90% $4.99
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy -45% $16.49
Truck Driver -55% $13.49
Untitled Goose Game -50% $9.99
Vampyr -80% $7.99
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider -40% $10.19
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters – Purifier Edition PS4 & PS5 -50% $24.99
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin – Deluxe Edition -80% $13.99
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground -80% $3.99
Watch Dogs™ -80% $3.99
Way of the Hunter – Steyr Arms Pack -35% $3.24
Way of the Hunter: Elite Edition -50% $27.49
Way of the Hunter: Map Pack 1 -40% $11.99
Way of the Hunter: Map Pack 2 -30% $13.99
Windjammers -65% $5.24
Windjammers 2 -55% $8.99
Wizard with a Gun -50% $12.49
Wizard with a Gun – Bounty Hunter Pack -60% $2.79
Wizard with a Gun – Gunmancer Pack -60% $2.79
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap -70% $5.99
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap -70% $5.99
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap + OST bundle -70% $7.49
XIII -80% $3.99
XIII -80% $3.99
Young Souls -55% $11.24
Ys Origin -75% $4.99
Zombie Army Trilogy -90% $4.99

RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • Cyberpunk 2077 (-40%, $29.99) -CDPR’s sci-fi disaster that they managed to turn around with countless updates. It’s in a pretty good state now. Just don’t forget, support for it has ended since the studio has jumped to The Witcher franchise.
  • Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC (-15%, $25.49) – Rarely post DLCs here, but given this is a pretty big expansion, some might be looking to get it a wee bit cheaper.
  • Fallout 4 (-60% $7.99) – The last mainline Fallout game released by Bethesda (not counting FO76), this is as deep as RPGs get. Not sure how gameplay holds up now since it’s been a while. Did get a current-gen patch this year that adds new technical features.
  • Rise of the Ronin Digital Deluxe (-32%, $54.39) – Released a few months ago, and oddly is already here on sale. Made by Nioh devs at Team Ninja. I think the demo for it is still available, so try it to see if it’s your cup of tea.
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (-75%, $9.99) – One of my favorite games of all-time. This is one hefty action-RPG that has amazing side-quests, deep combat, and just packed with content. The expansions are on sale as well and I recommend picking those up too. This is for both PS4 and PS5 versions of the game.
  • Dying Light 2 Ultimate Edition (-30%, $62.99) – Includes paid DLC and other doodads. Heavily supported by Techland and even has a new Raid mode released this year. They also added firearms recently as well.
  • South Park: Snow Day Digital Deluxe (-35%, $32.39) – Latest major South Park game. Still being supported with patches, though not all bugs have been ironed out. For fans of the franchise, might be worth a look at that price.
  • Metal Gear Solid V Definitive (-40%, $11.99) – The only MGS game I haven’t finished, and offers a huge departure from the franchise given the open-worldness of it.
  • System Shock (-40%, $23.99) – Remake of the 1994 game, This will introduce you to SHODAN, and this remake reviewed favorably when it was released in May this year.
  • Sifu (-60$, $15.99) – From the studio that made Absolver. A different kind of brawler, and not as easy as it looks. Has a unique age mechanic with a deep fighting system.
  • Cuphead & The Delicious Last Course (-30%, $18.89) – Base game + DLC. Fantastic animation. Hard as nails though. You can play this co-op so you have someone to blame if you keep getting decimated by the bosses.
  • AEW Fight Forever Ultimate Edition (-35%, $64.99) -Includes Season Pass 1-4. Not a looker, but made by Yuke’s. If you liked the former WWE games from 2K, then this will be right up your alley.
  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Master Collection Version (-20%, $15.99) – Original was fantastic, but with Delta about to be released, might be worth just waiting for that to get the new features and graphics.
  • Outlast Bundle of Terror (-90%, $2.89) – Includes base game and the Whistleblower. Awesome ambience. You can’t really fight back but more on hiding but the tension it invokes is a good adrenaline rush.
  • Destroy All Humans 2 Reprobed Single-Player (-55%, $13.49) – Just the campaign, which is what you’ll want to play in this alien game. Humor is hit or miss depending on your taste, so YouTube it since if it doesn’t stick with you, you’ll have a very bland time.
  • Shadow Warrior 3 Definitive (-75%, $9.99) – If you like your action games bloody and violent, then this should do the trick.
  • Little Nightmares Complete Edition (-75%, $7.49) – Includes base game and the DLC. Fantastic platformer, though I think the bundle that includes LN2 sometimes goes on sale as well. Perfect time to dip into this with LN3 out next year. Underrated plot and scares.
  • Amnesia: The Bunker (-50%, $12.49) – Most recent Amnesia game, this is survival horror, and compared to other Amnesia games, you can fight back a little bit more here.
  • Streets of Rage 4 (-50%, $12.49) – Underrated bea-’em-up with modern mechanics baked in. Has multiplayer and a neat combo system.

Which games are worth picking up? Leave a comment below and let us know.

More PlayStation Reading:

Tags: Deals PlayStation PlayStation Store
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

New Destiny 2 Xur Location Today September 13, 2024 (And What Xur Is Selling)

  by   Salman Haider Zaidi  
1:07 pm in News

Xur has returned to Destiny this Friday with a fresh set of Exotics, Engrams, and Legendary gear, all on sale only in exchange for Legendary Shards. For those seeking the eccentric merchant’s wares, MP1st’s new Destiny 2 Xur location today September 13, 2024 post lists both his location and full inventory until the next Weekly Reset.

New Destiny 2 Xur Location Today September 13, 2024 (And What Xur Is Selling):

Xûr, Agent of the Nine

A peddler of strange curios, Xûr’s motives are not his own. He bows to his distant masters, the Nine.

Location:

Bazaar, Tower, The Last City

SGA: Check Xûr’s three inventories online to ensure he is offering items at the lowest prices!

Exotic Weapons

Name Type Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4
Sweet Business Kinetic Auto Rifle
Sunshot Energy Hand Cannon
Two-Tailed Fox Heavy Rocket Launcher
Hawkmoon Kinetic Hand Cannon Extended Barrel Moving Target Smooth Grip

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Exotic Armor

Name Type MOB RES REC DIS INT STR Total Cost
Wormhusk Crown Hunter Helmet 15 9 8 10 10 11 63 41 Strange Coin
Mk. 44 Stand Asides Titan Leg Armor 26 3 6 19 10 2 66 41 Strange Coin
Stormdancer’s Brace Warlock Chest Armor 6 10 16 16 11 2 61 41 Strange Coin

Exotic Ciphers

Name Description
Xenology Complete Vanguard or Exotic playlist activities, or win matches in Crucible or Gambit. Extra progress is awarded for more challenging activities and for succeeding with clanmates.

Currencies & Engrams

Name Description Cost

Other

Name Description
Wardcliff Coil Catalyst When upgraded to a Masterwork, this weapon will obtain enhanced capabilities, such as increased stats and/or additional perks.
Bad Juju Catalyst Upgrades this weapon to a Masterwork. Once upgraded, the weapon will obtain an additional perk. Defeat targets using Bad Juju to unlock this upgrade.
Stoicism This item comes with randomized perks.
Exotic Engram An engram with a predestined outcome. Contains a new Exotic if any of the possible rewards remain to be collected.

Materials

  • Enhancement Prism (2 for 17 Strange Coin)
  • Enhancement Core (3 for 3 Strange Coin)
  • Enhancement Core (5 for 5 Strange Coin)
  • Glimmer (22277 for 5 Strange Coin)
  • Glimmer (33377 for 7 Strange Coin)
  • Nightfall Cipher (Adept) (2 for 97 Strange Coin)

Legendary Weapons

Name Type Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Masterwork
Death Adder Energy Submachine Gun Hammer-Forged Rifling // Smallbore Appended Mag // Alloy Magazine Mulligan Dragonfly Tier 2: Stability
Hoosegow Heavy Rocket Launcher Confined Launch // Countermass Alloy Casing // Black Powder Threat Detector Rangefinder Tier 2: Velocity
Blast Battue Heavy Grenade Launcher Linear Compensator // Smart Drift Control Proximity Grenades // Alloy Casing Clown Cartridge Wellspring Tier 2: Blast Radius
Friction Fire Kinetic Submachine Gun Chambered Compensator // Full Bore Tactical Mag // Flared Magwell Subsistence Slideways Tier 2: Reload Speed
Crown-Splitter Heavy Sword Hungry Edge // Enduring Blade // Tempered Edge Flash Counter Whirlwind Blade Tier 2: Impact
The Deicide Energy Shotgun Smoothbore // Corkscrew Rifling Extended Mag // Light Mag Lead from Gold Wellspring Tier 2: Handling
Stochastic Variable Energy Submachine Gun Corkscrew Rifling // Polygonal Rifling Extended Mag // Ricochet Rounds // Phase Magazine Zen Moment Dragonfly Tier 2: Handling
Strange Weapon Engram Weapon Engram

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Legendary Armor

Name Type MOB RES REC DIS INT STR Total Cost
Simulator Gauntlets Titan Gauntlets 2 25 6 14 12 7 66 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Plate Titan Chest Armor 18 6 7 24 7 2 64 17 Strange Coin
Entanglement Mark Titan Mark 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Helm Titan Helmet 14 7 10 10 20 2 63 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Greaves Titan Leg Armor 16 16 2 10 6 15 65 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Gloves Warlock Gauntlets 6 20 6 10 10 12 64 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Robes Warlock Chest Armor 6 20 6 10 10 10 62 17 Strange Coin
Entanglement Bond Warlock Bond 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Hood Warlock Helmet 6 20 6 12 10 10 64 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Legs Warlock Leg Armor 10 12 10 10 12 10 64 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Grips Hunter Gauntlets 12 14 7 10 12 11 66 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Vest Hunter Chest Armor 12 7 14 20 11 2 66 17 Strange Coin
Entanglement Cloak Hunter Cloak 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Mask Hunter Helmet 16 6 12 14 14 2 64 17 Strange Coin
Simulator Boots Hunter Leg Armor 2 6 25 20 2 11 66 17 Strange Coin

–

What’s a Xûr?

Xûr, Agent of the Nine, is an eccentric merchant who randomly appears in a Public Sector on one of the Worlds. Xûr offers Exotic equipment and only takes Legendary Shards as payment.

TL;DR: He’s the Santa Claus of Destiny and every weekend is Christmas. Sometimes he brings you what you want, sometimes he brings you coal. Mostly it’s coal.

When does Xûr visit?

Xûr visits every Friday at 17:00 UTC and departs at Weekly Reset (Tuesday 17:00 UTC). If you would like to see all the live conversions of Time Zones, please follow this link here.

(Thanks as always, /r/DestinyTheGame!)

Tags: Bungie Destiny Destiny 2 Xur Destiny 2 Xur Location Xur Xur Location
Avatar photo

Salman Haider Zaidi

That's a nice argument, Senator.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

The Outlast Trials New Update for September 13 Brings Countdown Hotfix

  by   Alex Co  
1:00 pm in Title Updates and Patches

Just a few days ago, Red Barrels released a major update for The Outlast Trials that added the new Countdown game mode alongside other stuff. However, as is with these online-focused games, there’s an issue or two that creeps up from time to time. To amend the bugs, the studio has pushed out The Outlast Trials update 1.14 for last-gen consoles, and current-gen patch 1.000.012.

The patch for the horror game released today primarily deals with the Countdown mode, with the full hotfix changes available below.

The Outlast Trials Update 1.14/1.000.012 Patch Notes for Sept. 13:

  • Fixed an issue where one of the three new Countdown documents did not unlock properly.
  • Fixed the weekly task to “Place Three Blind Mines” which would not progress.
  • Significantly increased Countdown Tokens granted on Trial completion (3x).
  • Implemented a fix for the missing weekly tasks if you played on Monday.

As for the Countdown patch released a few days ago, here’s a quick rundown of what’s in it:

Highlights:

  •  Limited-Time Event: Countdown
  • New Limited-Time Event Catalog: Countdown
  • Two New Mk-Challenges at The Docks.
  • Updates to the Standard and Deluxe Catalogs
  • Many additions, fixes, and balancing changes

For the full list of changes and additions, head on over here.

[Source; Steam]

Tags: Outlast The Outlast Trials
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Leaked Character Selection Video Confirms More Fighters as Number Climbs to 181; Pre-Order Bonus Is Daima Goku

  by   Alex Co  
12:42 pm in News

While Bandai Namco has steadily revealing new fighters that will be roster for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, a leaked video showing off the game’s character selection screen has a few more fighters confirmed to be part of the roster.

Bear in mind, even with this video, there might still be more fighters yet to be revealed. The clip apparently comes from a Japanese media company that had the video unlisted on their channel, but somehow, some fans managed to get their mitts on it.

Based on the footage, here are the characters confirmed to be part of the roster that have yet to be revealed officially:

  1. Kid Goku
  2. Super Gogeta (Z)
  3. Frieza Soldier 4-6 Broly (Z)
  4. Garlic Jr.
  5. Dr. Wheelo
  6. Turles 10-11. Lord Slug 12-14. Cooler 15-16 Android 13 17-18 Bojack 19-20 Janemba
  7. Tapion
  8. Hirudegarn
  9. Frost 24-26. Cabba
  10. God Toppo.

It’s also revealed that the pre-order bonus is Daima Goku! For those unaware, this is Goku from Dragon Ball Daima that’s the kid version of the character. Based on all the characters revealed so far and alongside the new ones unearthed today, there are 181 characters in the roster, and there is a chance that’s not even the complete lineup! With Tokyo Game Show happening later this month, expect a trailer or two to be released there featuring new characters.

Just yesterday, Bandai Namco released a new trailer that confirmed the GT characters appearing in the game, which you can check out here.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero will be released on October 11, 2024, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

[Thanks, Aidenzthings!]

Tags: Dragon Ball Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Leaks
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

MLB The Show 24 Update 1.019 for Game Patch 19 Bats Out for a Small List of Fixes This Sept. 13

  by   Damien Seeto  
7:33 am in Title Updates and Patches

San Diego Studio has released Game Update 19 for MLB The Show 24 and this comes with fixes for Diamond Dynasty, Road to the Show, and Franchise. This is patch 1.019 for PS5 owners and you can read the full list of fixes down below.

MLB The Show 24 New Update 1.019 Patch Notes for Sept. 13:

Versions:

PS4: 1.19
PS5: 1.019
Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S: 1.0.118
Nintendo Switch: 1.19

Diamond Dynasty 

  • Fixed a bug that would keep a Captain Boost active after the captain was unassigned.

Road To The Show and Franchise

  • Save files affected by a bad roster update should now be able to advance past the MLB Draft.

Miscellaneous  

  • Fixed several bugs that could cause the base umpires to face the wrong direction when making a call at 2nd and 3rd.

Developer Notes 

  • There are no gameplay or live content balance changes in this update.

That’s all for today’s patch notes. Head on over here to see previous updates that have been released for the game.

[Source: MLB The Show]

Tags: MLB the Show MLB The Show 24

Damien Seeto

Home > Title Updates and Patches

NBA 2K25 Update 1.005 Released for Patch 1.4 Fixes Framerate, Sub Issues and More

  by   Alex Co  
5:09 am in Title Updates and Patches

Some of the user–reported issues for NBA 2K25 is being resolved today with the latest patch tagged as 1.4 by Visual Concepts. Players will see NBA 2K25 update 1.005 available for download now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and this is the second post-release patch released for the current-gen versions, though the first one was smaller in scope and was primarily for technical fixes more than anything.

NBA 2K25 Update 1.005 Patch Notes for September 13:

The City:

  • Addressed the user-reported framerate issues when playing games in ELITE/RISE/Beach Courts.
  • A number of fixes/improvements made to the Squad Finder feature.
  • The Shut It Down feature will now function as expected when playing Streetball C0-Op games.
  • Resolved an exploit in The Track that allowed user to achieve unrealistic times.
  • Fixed a disconnect that could occur when playing games with NBA players in MyCOURT.

Gameplay: 

  • Addressed a user-reported situation where players were prevented from being substituted when on extended hot streaks.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the Takeover meter to drop down to Tier 1 if already at Tier 5 when the Team Chemistry meter is filled.

MyNBA: 

  • Arenas will now appear correctly when playing with All-Time teams at home in MyNBA.
  • Expansion teams will now have a proper floor when playing NBA Cup games in MyNBA.

MyTEAM: 

  • Fixed a user-reported disconnect that could occur at the start of Showdown and Salary Cap games.

PC: 

  • Fixed an issue that prevented the “Sim To Next Appearance” option from activating as expected in MYCAREER when playing on monitors with a particularly high refresh rate.
  • Resolved an issue that could cause long hangs during the initial launch sequence.

Developer Note: We are working quickly to resolve the most user-impacting issues being reported. Feedback from the community has been quick and clear, we thank you. The patch we will release prior to Season 2 will contain a much broader set of fixes and improvements spanning the entire game.

No word yet when will the last-gen versions see a patch, but once one is released, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.

For those still on the fence for this year’s iteration of the sports sim, its gameplay is still solid, though the microtransactions still bog it down. You can read our review of it here for the full breakdown of what worked, and what didn’t.

[Source: NBA 2K Discord]

Tags: nba NBA 2K NBA 2K25
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Annapurna Interactive’s Entire Staff Resigns After Dispute With Owner

  by   James Lara  
September 12, 2024 7:34 pm in News

In a rather unexpected and surprising turn of events, acclaimed publisher who helped bring indie titles such as Stray, Neon White, Cocoon, and so many others to the market, Annapurna Interactive, has seen it’s entire staff resign due to some internal conflict with the current owner of the publisher.

The news comes from Bloomberg, which reported that all 25 staffers at Annapurna have quit after negotiations fell through with the publisher’s owner, Megan Ellison, to spin the company into an independent entity. Bloomberg reports that Ellison had pulled out of the negotiations, though the exact reasonings weren’t specified. Annapurna Interactive President Nathan Gary confirmed to Bloomberg that he and the rest of the staff at Annapurna have all left following the decision to end the negotiations. 

“All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned,’’ Gary and the group said in a joint statement. “This was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make, and we did not take this action lightly.”

A statement from Ellison was also issued, noting that they’re still committed to delivering their current slate of projects and plans despite the staff leaving. 

“Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition,” Ellison said in a statement to Bloomberg News. “We’re committed to not only our existing slate of games but also expanding our presence in the interactive space as we continue to look for opportunities to take a more integrated approach to linear and interactive storytelling across film and TV, gaming, and theater.”

Last year, the publisher announced that its animation subsidiary would produce an animated movie based on the hit indie title Stray. Though Ellison suggests that plans will continue, the future of the film, as well as all current games in development, is rather uncertain, especially since key members of the publisher who helped get these projects going will no longer be there. 

We’ll have more as the story develops. 

Tags: Annapurna Interactive
Avatar photo

James Lara

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.

Home > News

NBA 2K25 Review – Back to Form

  by   Dean James  
7:26 pm in News

Annual sports franchises are an interesting case in gaming, as they are just about the only game series besides Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed that you can count on to release year in and year out. This often leads to complaints that new entries are just new roster updates, which means the developers have to get creative with what new additions they make each year. After a bit of a backslide last year, Visual Concepts have managed to right the ship with NBA 2K25.

A Shot From Deep

The NBA 2K series has been the only name in the video game basketball scene for years now for better or worse, which means you can expect much of the same year to year. Two of the areas you know you can always count on regardless from 2K and Visual Concepts are the visuals and gameplay, and NBA 2K25 delivers in both of those departments once again. The visual upgrades aren’t that substantial, but that is largely due to the fact that the foundation already found in the game is so impressive. Bringing star players like reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and more to life to where they look as real as ever is still amazing to see in the game.

This is complemented by 9,000 new ProPLAY animations based on real-world NBA footage to make each player perform just as they would in real life. One major way this has been utilized in this year’s game is by pairing it with a brand-new dribble engine. By using ProPLAY animations with this, player motion is more authentic than it has ever been. While there are some gameplay upgrades each year where you really can’t tell a difference, there was no question that this part of the gameplay was enhanced as a result. Besides the dribbling, it may be hard to always tell exactly how this new engine has changed the gameplay, but the seamless nature of the animations continues to enhance the overall experience, whether that is on the court or off the court. The presentation in NBA 2K25 is as solid as ever too, including the halftime broadcast crew from TNT. From the players to the arenas and overall presentation, everything in NBA 2K25 is on par with what you expect from this long-running series, though it is without managing to break any major new ground in that area.

One of the most controversial changes in recent years was the new shot meter that relied on near-perfect shots at times by landing in the green part of the shot meter. NBA 2K25 has not abandoned this approach entirely but instead has pivoted to giving players two choices to choose from that are based on low risk or high risk through Shot Timing Profiles. Shot Timing Profiles allow you to adjust just how risky you want to be based on the rewards. For instance, a low-risk option is more based on player stats, openness, and more, while the high-risk option is based more on timing your shot correctly with the newer meter. As someone who is very used to meters with other sports titles like MLB The Show and even more recently College Football 25, I actually do like the meter at times, though I can certainly understand why someone would want to have another option.

Another new gameplay feature that I greatly appreciated being added is the shot canceling feature. This allows you to cancel any advanced shot at any time, allowing you to make a last-minute decision to not take what may have turned into a bad shot option in the end. There are plenty of times where I have looked to take a jumper but the court opened up as soon as I started, opening up a much better option to drive the lane. Being able to make this split second decision is a great addition that really allows you to save some possessions that may have been dead in the water otherwise.

The other major offensive gameplay addition in NBA 2K25 is the introduction of Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting. This adds a further level of strategy into your shot taking, as you can now try to time the player’s jump shot animation by holding down initially and then pressing up at just the right time to match it. Players still can play shooting with the shot button and everything, but this is just another option that can be utilized to take your skills to the next level. Even though it took me awhile to get the hang of the Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting, it was well worth learning and paid great dividends after I had a grip on how to use it properly.

Offense may have gotten a bigger focus in NBA 2K25, but the defensive side of the ball also had some useful upgrades to the gameplay as well. The new defensive cutoff system allows you to lock down opponents much more dynamically by using the right analog stick. By using this stick on defense, you can manage to slide into lanes and cutoff the opponent from making their shots as planned. It may lead to some blocking fouls occasionally, but it also can play a big role in stopping a player who is running towards the basket and forcing them to take a worse shot or pass the ball instead.

NBA 2K25 includes the game modes that you come to expect with the series, including Play Now, MyCareer, MyTeam, MyNBA, and WNBA. As in most years, the focus is on the game’s single-player story mode known as MyCareer where you start by creating your MyPlayer, even going by the name MP. When first creating your MyPlayer, you can build them completely from scratch, base them on existing players directly, or use the new Pro-Tuned Builds. The developers came up with 74 different Pro-Tuned Builds to choose from that strive to offer players an array of different play styles.

The badge system is back once again in NBA 2K25 and is something your player strives to earn across the various game modes, but that is not all. NBA 2K25 introduces the new Takeover System, with 72 Takeovers and 14 Takeover Abilities to choose from in the game. As you play each individual game, there will be a five level Takeover meter at the top right of the screen to keep up with. The better you perform on the court, the higher your takeover meter will climb, unlocking temporary attribute bonuses for each subsequent level depending on which Takeover you have chosen. Performing poorly can cause your meter to dwindle, so you have to be very careful. By actually filling up all five levels of the meter, you will unlock your chosen Takeover Ability.

Takeover Abilities include options such as Blur, which allows you to drive by defenders much more easily on the way to the rim, See the Future, which lets you see where missed shots will land ahead of time, and Spoiler, which increases your efficiency at getting on-ball and pass steals. Between the 14 Takeover Abilities available, there are so many interesting options to choose from and use in the game. The only downside is that you have to level up a few times before you have full access to these, but you will unlock them pretty quickly.

There is not really anything game changing in this year’s MyCareer as you go into the City and start your career as MP. As per usual, you get to pick your team that you get drafted by and then play through your player’s career to try and become the greatest of all time. Not only are you trying to become the best by yourself, but a big focus in MyCareer this year is to build the next dynasty in the NBA. This corresponds with the return of the G.O.A.T. Rankings system, this time having a Dynasty part to see how your team lives up to the other nine greatest dynasties throughout NBA history. Another neat inclusion this year is a flashback story of MP prior to the NBA that you get to play through known as Heart of a Dynasty. I really enjoyed getting to play these as well as a way to separate from the monotony of the regular NBA season.

The NBA 2K series’ City was beginning to get a little unruly in size and scale for a few years there, with it seeming like it would take forever just to travel between quests and often finding yourself lost. Thankfully, NBA 2K25 features a more scaled-back City that is jampacked with plenty to do all without a few city blocks rather than a much larger version. I greatly appreciated this change, as the massive size for a few years was not only daunting, but really took away from the overall experience after a while. I do still wish the game had a much better method of quick selecting locations and such from the map regardless.

Reducing the scale of NBA 2K25’s City doesn’t mean it’s a major downgrade either, as there is still plenty to see and explore in this smaller area. There are more than 20 shops that you can visit and purchase cosmetics including clothing, vehicles to travel around the City in, and even accessories such as durags and glasses.

Also of note, while we reviewed the version on PlayStation 5, this year finally brings the next-gen version of the City to PC as well. This is obviously something that PC gamers have been asking for over the last many years, having felt left behind with the last-gen version still. After seeing how the City performed this year, I can say I’m glad that PC gamers are also getting to experience this finally.

As is always the largest complaint with the NBA 2K series are the microtransactions, and yes, they are present once again this year. Not only are they pretty necessary if you want to buy any of the good items in the City as mentioned above, and some are really pricy, you’re also going to need it if you want to level up your MyPlayer at all. You can still earn the games’ Virtual Currency, aka VC, by playing through the game and playing well. However, the amount of VC you earn for the time you spend is so minimal that it takes forever to earn what feels like still not very much VC. If it wasn’t for the free 100,000 VC in the Hall of Fame edition, my MyPlayer would have been even harder to use in these modes to start with. Even with it, I was only able to improve them to a 75 overall, so there’s still a lot of work to do.

Speaking of microtransactions, MyTeam is back again as the game’s variation of ultimate team that essentially ever sports game has now. This has long been a very popular mode in the game, as you get to put together your own roster of players by collecting cards, albeit at the mercy of card packs and microtransactions. This mode also has an additional in-game currency besides VC with MTP (MyTeam Points), which makes things get confusing at times. The equivalent of MyTeam is often pretty stagnant in a lot of franchises, but MyTeam this year actually got a lot of attention and love.

Compared to many of these similar modes in other games, MyTeam is very heavy on content for you to enjoy. This includes modes like Showdown, Breakout, Triple Threat Park, King of the Court, Salary Cap, and Domination, four of which are new in this game. Triple Threat Park is easily the most impressive of the bunch, where you can meet new friends to team-up with or paly against in the new Triple Threat Park, which is remake of NBA 2K16’s Rivet City Championship MyPark. With nine courts to play on, get ready to line up and ball out. There is also the passive Exhibitions mode that can get you prizes, but I never was too interested in that one. You can also play some of these against friends within MyTeam as well. On top of these game modes, you can take on the numerous challenges offered in the mode that can keep you pretty busy.

Just like in MyCareer, Seasons play a big part in MyTeam in NBA 2K25. The ongoing Season 1 features Jayson Tatum, with more coming in the future with different rewards for you to earn by completing the season pass. Unfortunately, this is where microtransactions come into play again where you have to buy the higher level passes to get the best rewards or purchase level skips. MyTeam also added a MyTeam REP ranking that you will keep throughout the entire year, but this will not reset every season unlike the passes.

One of the biggest complaints about MyTeam recently was the removal of the Auction House. Thankfully, the development team listened and the Auction House is back yet again in NBA 2K25. This allows you to auction off or purchase cards using MTP, with the Auction House itself being much more streamlined than ever before.

MyNBA serves as the game’s franchise mode yet again in NBA 2K25, with there being quite a few options including a fan favorite return of a game mode. The general MyNBA option let’s you take control of your favorite team in a season or multi-year franchise mode offline or online. Over the last few years, the series has integrated past eras into MyNBA and that has expanded again this year. Besides the Modern Era option, players previously had the option to select the Magic vs. Bird Era, the Jordan Era, the Kobe Era, and the LeBron Era, but NBA 2K25 introduces the all new Steph Era. As the most recent dominant dynasty in the NBA, this era was a no brainer to add in and can really give you a challenge here.

The previously mentioned fan favorite feature in MyNBA mode that has finally made its triumphant return for the first time on next-gen consoles is MyGM mode within MyNBA. While you are limited to the Modern Era, you can build up your team as the GM through RPG-infused gameplay that adds many more layers than you would find in MyNBA proper. Like in most sports games, the GM-style mode is not for everyone, but I had a lot of fun with it here after missing it for a number of years.

Last but certainly not least is the growingly popular WNBA mode. Thanks to rookie phenoms such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, as well as veteran stars like A’ja Wilson, the WNBA has the largest spotlight on it that it has ever had and that spotlight is likely to just keep growing. This is where The W mode comes into play, as you get to build a MyPlayer and play through their career, though not at the level of the regular MyCareer. You also have the option for a franchise mode that can be offline or online like in MyNBA, though it’s separated here in the WNBA part of the game. After experiencing the hype of the Women’s NCAA Basketball season that then led right into the Olympics and WNBA season, I had to at least try out the WNBA game modes and I really enjoyed my time with them. While it probably couldn’t support it’s own game quite yet, I could easily see the WNBA mode getting even more attention in future years, but we’ll have to wait and see about that.

Verdict

The NBA 2K series has been a bit of a roller coaster over the last few years, with last year’s entry being one of the lower points. Rather than continuing that downward trajectory, NBA 2K25 has course corrected and given us one of the better entries of this generation. There still may not be any drastic changes this years, but the new gameplay mechanics and upgrades to each game mode come together to create a very authentic and satisfying experience in NBA 2K25.

Score: 8.5/10

Pros:

  • Visuals and gameplay are top notch as always
  • New takeover system
  • Scaling down of the City
  • Return of MyGM mode and the Auction House

Cons:

  • Nothing is overly groundbreaking
  • Too microtransaction heavy

NBA 2K25 review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.

Tags: 2K Sports nba NBA 2K NBA 2K25
Avatar photo

Dean James

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Cyberpunk 2077 Gets New Update This September 12 for PC That Adds AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 With Frame Generation

  by   Alex Co  
6:59 pm in Title Updates and Patches

CD Projekt RED has pushed out a new Cybperunk 2077 update today for PC, and this adds a bunch of graphical enhancements. Note that this is for PC only, and doesn’t include any gameplay-related changes, so we’re not expecting this to appear on consoles anytime soon.

For those looking for the verison, it’s 2.13 per CDPR.

Cyberpunk 2077 New Update for September 13 Patch Notes:

  • Added support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 with Frame Generation. More information can be found in this article on the Support website.
  • Added support for Intel Xe Super Sampling 1.3.
  • It will now be possible to enable both DLAA and DLSS Ray Reconstruction at the same time.
  • Added a new “Utilities” tab in Settings and moved HDD Mode, Hybrid CPU Utilization and AMD Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) options there.
  • Other stability and visual fixes

According to CDPR, despite the version mismatch between PC and console, cross-progression will still function properly. Don’t expect any new content or even any major updates for the game, as the studio has confirmed they have moved on from the project focus on the new Witcher game.

Related Reading:

[Source: Cyberpunk]

Tags: Cyberpunk 2077
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

╳