Announced last year, WB Games has now put a release date to Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, and it’s due on consoles and PC on September 3!
During Summer Game Fest, we were given our first official look at gameplay:
The game is also confirmed to be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers on day one, which is a nice plus for those looking for more games to play for “free.”
More info straight from WB Games:
Price: $29.99
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC.
Summer Game Fest kicked off today with the reveal of LEGO Horizon Adventures, a 2-player co-operative action adventure game that features Aloy in high-definition bricky glory. The game launches later this year for PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, making it the third Horizon title to be released for computer systems!
You can watch the reveal trailer below:
Here are the details we got from the official PlayStation Blog post:
In a distant future, the land is made of LEGO bricks and incredible dinosaur-like machines roam the Earth. Aloy, the game’s leading hero, is found in a cave as a baby and raised by a grizzled huntsman called Rost, who teaches her the way of the wilds. One day, Aloy embarks on a quest to discover her true destiny. Guided by a thousand-year-old hologram of a scientist called Elisabet, Aloy must confront Helis, the leader of a group of sun worshipers who bow to an Ancient Evil shrouded in mystery. There’s much more in store for Aloy and her friends, as their adventure sends them across the tallest mountains and deepest cauldrons — all beautifully recreated in LEGO elements.
Follow your own adventure or share the fun with another player via couch or online co-op. LEGO Horizon Adventures has been designed for two-player action without the need for split-screen, providing an opportunity for family and friends to develop connections through collaborative play.
There’s plenty of brick-based fun to be had too. Give the village of Mother’s Heart a makeover, decorating it in delightful ways to unlock unique LEGO buildings and ornaments. You can even dish out hilarious outfits for your friends to wear!
Are you excited for this game? Let us know down in the comments.
Aside from Killing Time: Resurrected, Nightdive Studios has another project in the works, and that’s The Thing: Remastered! This current remastering by the studio is based on the game released back in 2002 on the PS2, Xbox and PC.
According to Nightdive, this remaster will feature enhanced HD visuals, improved animations, advanced 3D rendering for updated lighting and atmospheric effects and more. See it in action in the official reveal trailer!
According to the press release, The Thing: Remastered is a faithful restoration of the 2002 third-person survival horror game, which was inspired by Universal Pictures’ 1982 film that starred Kurt Russell. Nightdive has upgraded the game through its proprietary KEX Engine for play on current-gen platforms up to 4K resolution at 120 frames-per-second. Improvements to character models, textures, animations have been handcrafted by Nightdive with the implementation of advanced 3D rendering for updated lighting and atmospheric effects.
The Thing: Remastered Key Features:
In the frozen arctic tundra, a mysterious shape-shifting alien has wiped out the crew of the U.S. Outpost #31 research facility. In The Thing: Remastered, players step into the boots of Captain J.F. Blake, the leader of a United States Army Special Forces rescue team sent to investigate the blood-curdling events that transpired in the original The Thing film. Trapped by the elements and at risk of infection by a horrific entity, Blake must keep his squad together to survive by gaining their trust and ensuring that their fear and paranoia don’t get the best of them … or himself.
Return to U.S. Outpost #31: Continue the story of The Thing and face off against terrifying monsters, from scuttling head-spiders and human-like walkers to gigantic multi-tentacled level bosses
Who Goes There?: Command a squad of up to four NPCs from Soldier, Medic, and Engineer character classes through the game’s 11 frightening levels
The Warmest Place to Hide: Someone in your squad may not be who they appear to be. The shape-shifting alien hides inside an imitation, so keep a watchful eye.
Don’t Lose It: Gain the trust of your squad members and minimize their fear levels lest they become defiant or, worse, succumb to paranoia
Ultimate Alien Terror: Upgraded models, textures, and animations hand-crafted by Nightdive, plus enhanced lighting and atmospheric effects
Stunning Visuals: Up to 4K 120FPS visuals on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S
Checkmate: Trophies and Achievements on Windows PC via Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles
The Thing: Remastered is set to be released on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and PC later this year.
Team Asobi has released Astro’s Playroom update 1.900 today, and this surprise patch gives players new trophies and collectibles to earn! This is an unannounced title update for the adventure game that saw release on PS5 back in November 2020.
Astro’s Playroom Update 1.900 Patch Notes:
Team Asobi hasn’t said anything about today’s title update just yet, but we have confirmation of the new stuff from Okami:
Per the image it says, “A mysterious portal has appeared in the center of the PS Labo. Could this be related to Astro’s new big adventure?” and adds, “A new collection of gatchas have also been added. Time to go spend those extra coins!”
There are five new trophies to earn with the title update, which is definitely a surprise for anyone who’s still playing the game three years after.
For the “new big adventure,” the game is referring to Astro Bot, which got announced by Sony at the recent State of Play and launches this September 6. Read on for what to expect from that game here.
Codemasters has released the first post-release patch (v1.3) for the latest entry in its long running F1 series, F1 24. This delivers handling refinements, alongside bug fixes and even quality-of-life features. Read on for the complete F1 24 update 1.03 patch notes, which current-gen players will see as version 1.003.
F1 24 Update 1.03 Patch Notes for June 7, 2024:
PS5 Update Version 1.003
HANDLING ADVANCEMENTS
Following continued conversation with drivers of all levels, the team are pleased to share the following gameplay adjustments based on feedback received:
Fixed tyre model response to rapidly changing slip angle/ratio
Adjusted slip curves for post-peak falloff, load sensitivity, and camber effects to work with the slip response fix
Tyre thermal model adjustments for high-temperature behaviour
ABS, Traction Control, and gamepad controls tuned to suit the new tyre model
Improved power unit balance in 7th and 8th gear
Gear ratios matched to 2024 race data
Revised suspension kinematics to reflect 2024 car designs
Performance of several teams adjusted to fit results and changes seen in the 2024 season up to and including the Monaco GP
ERS bug fix for MGU-K torque and new calibration of Hotlap mode energy use at all tracks
“We’ve made significant updates to our physics tech this year to set us up for long-term advancements in handling. As with any new system, we will continue to refine it by listening to our community, with further refinements throughout live service and beyond.’
“The changes set out to calm down the front end of the car giving a more realistic level of grip and turn-in capabilities. We’ve also made adjustments that will aid in the controllability of the car on throttle. These changes will be more prevalent for players using a wheel and without assists.”
Lee Mather, Senior Creative Director
In addition, AI/CPU-controlled racers have been re-tuned to accommodate for the handling changes made. Whilst you will notice more unpredictability from the AI when playing in Career mode, future patches will include further advancements to how the AI behave with one another throughout race weekends.
Here’s a list of everything else that’s been addressed in this latest patch:
GENERAL
All leaderboards for F1 2024 cars have been wiped to coincide with handling update
Trophies can now be added to the Trophy Cabinet
Fixed an issue where the “Strong Relations” Achievement/Trophy would not unlock in certain circumstances
ERS Battery will no longer drain after the per-lap usage limit has been reached
Added the ability to tab directly between Goal Vendors in F1 World
Refined the F1 World Upgrade Card Mods and Goals
CAREER
AI in Career modes are now more likely to have component faults and failures during a race
Fixed Two Player Career from sometimes skipping or getting stuck during Contract Negotiations
Fixed an instance in Two Player career where both players restarting their game could cause a desync
Fixed a rare instance in Two Player Career which could result in the wrong driver name being added
After retiring from a race on the first lap the player’s Pace statistic will no longer increase
Fixed a rare issue where Specialists could incorrectly become unavailable in Driver Career
When comparing drivers in between later seasons in Career, all drivers will be in their correct teams
Improved the Agent Introduction Cinematic
GRAPHICS/VISUALS
Improved Ray Tracing reflection quality
Prevented dynamic objectives from sometimes having a deadline beyond the final lap of the race
When a dynamic objective is given the MFD will now automatically open to the relevant page if available
The Copy Livery screen now shows the correct colours
Accessing the Casual Wear store from within a Driver Career will now always show a correctly modelled custom driver
Fixed a rare occurrence where the player could flashback after Terminal Damage and all sectors of the track would appear red
Visual improvements to some F1 24 & F2 23 vehicles
More Carbon Fibre particles have been added during collisions in Replays
Replay Camera improvements at several tracks
Cinematic Safety Car Camera improvements at several tracks
AUDIO
Fixed an issue with Race Engineer pitstop lines in various languages
Commentators will no longer sometimes be silent after a race in some languages
Removed some incorrect Engineer Audio which could play during a Cinematic Safety Car
MULTIPLAYER
Added a fix to ensure that F1 World ability mods last the correct duration for players with a poor connection in multiplayer races
Yellow Flags are now visible for retired Spectators
HANDLING (OTHER)
The marginal increase in speed when partially driving on the grass has been eradicated
A fix has been made to prevent extreme overheating of the tyres in certain conditions
MISCELLANEOUS
UDP Options have now been capped at 60Hz. Anyone who previously had this set higher will need to set it back to 60Hz
Support added for the Asetek Invicta™ Direct Drive Wheelbase
Some extra Casual Wear Customisation items have been added
Various UI improvements in many areas of the game have been made
General stability improvements
Various minor fixes
Once another patch for F1 24 is released by Codemasters, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
With Black Myth Wukong set to be released this August 20, it seems more info about the game is starting to seep out, and this time, it’s the game’s different editions that will be available for purchase. Info on the Black Myth Wukong Collector’s Edition, Physical Deluxe Edition have made its way online, and it looks quite impressive.
The leak comes from Chinese retailer JD Store which has since pulled the listing, but not before the info and images were shared on Chinese social site weibo.
Check the images below alongside our list for what’s in the Collector’s and Physical Deluxe editions.
Black Myth Wukong Collector’s Edition:
Info:
Price: $399 USD
Steel case
Game activation code
40cm statue of Sun Wukong
Teaching of the Heart Sutra Scroll
Fengduo necklace (Wind Chime)
Lei Qiang ring (Thunderstone)
Jinwu badge (Gold Sun)
Postcards
Black Myth Wukong Physical Deluxe Edition
Info:
Price: $169 USD
Steel case
Game activation code
Tight hoop (1:1 size made from brass) – The Constricting Headband
Fengduo necklace (Wind Chime)
Lei Qiang ring (Thunderstone)
Jinwu badge (Gold Sun)
Chaos at the Peaches Banquet Scroll
Postcards
Per the info, the first wave of pre-orders will be kicking off on June 8 (and will ship no later than September 21), while the second wave of pre-orders will be opened on June 11 (and will ship no later than October 8).
Black Myth Wukong Digital Deluxe Edition
Info:
Price: $69.99
Full game
Weapon: Bronzecloud Staff
Equipment: Folk Opera Mask, Folk Opera, Almsgiving Armor, Folk Opera Leather Braces, Folk Opera Buskins
Curio: Wind Chimes
Selected Digital Soundtrack
In addition to that, the PC requirements for the game has surfaced as well.
Black Myth Wukong PC Requirements:
If you’re not familiar with the game, read on for the official key features and game description.
About Black Myth Wukong:
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology. The story is based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past.
Explore a Land of Vast Wonders
A world unseen, where new sights rise with every stride. Enter a fascinating realm filled with the wonders and discoveries of ancient Chinese mythology!
As the Destined One, you shall venture through breathtaking landscapes in the classic tale of Journey to the West, creating a new epic of uncharted adventures.
Confront Mighty Foes, Old and New
Heroic Monkey, might and fame, adversaries rise, to test his name. One of the major highlights of Journey to the West is its diverse cast of adversaries, each with unique strengths.
As the Destined One, you shall encounter powerful foes and worthy rivals throughout your journey. Fearlessly engage them in epic battles that know no surrender.
Temper Your Mastery of Varied Spells
Spells unbound, knowledge’s flight, infinite abilities take their height. Spells, transformations, and magic vessels in all manifestations, complementary yet adversarial, have long been iconic combat elements in Chinese mythology.
As the Destined One, aside from mastering various staff techniques, you can also freely combine different spells, abilities, weapons, and equipment to find the winning formula that best suits your combat style.
Discover Heartfelt Tales Behind Every Facade
Within beings of every kind lies the story of a life. Beneath the ferocity and craftiness of your foes lies an engaging tapestry of their origins, personalities, and motivations waiting to be revealed.
As the Destined One, you will uncover the stories behind a variety of characters, delving beyond your battles with them, to taste the love and hate, greed and fury they once had and still carry with them.
—-
Chances are, the game will have this info along with possibly a new trailer available at Summer Game Fest later today when it kicks off, and someone jumped the gun in posting this.
Black Myth Wukong is headed to retail this August 20, 2024 and will be available on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Check out our latest gameplay look at it here to see how impressive it’s looking so far.
Update: Added the trailer, English images and prices courtesy of the PR email sent out.
Xur’s back to do business in 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, June 7, 2024 post lists both his location and full inventory until the next Weekly Reset.
New Destiny 2 Xur Location Today June 7, 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:
The Tower
Carrying:
Lion Rampant
Raiju’s Harness
Verity’s Brow
–
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.
Amongst the exhaustingly endless discussion surrounding layoffs, industry standards, toxic workplaces, and the like, we’ve heard new insight from someone with direct exposure to an unhealthy studio environment. Liana “Hippy” Ruppert, a former Community Manager for Bungie, shared how the company’s culture may have led to some missteps with the Destiny 2 The Final Shape DLC, as well as some larger issues with the company’s employee treatment overall.
Now, before we go any further, it’s important to mention that this is all from the word of just one person. It’s always paramount to consider that there are other perspectives and voices on this issue that might not align with the one we’re covering here. That being said, Ruppert has been one of the most outspoken individuals regarding unhealthy workplace practices in the gaming industry, and she has firsthand experience, so we believe her take is worth reporting on.
Ruppert had much to say about the state of the industry as a whole and more specifically about Bungie in a video she uploaded on Wednesday titled “we should probably talk.” The video discusses the recent release of The Final Shape DLC for Destiny 2 and what factors played into its delay and eventual launch.
One of the most compelling—and perhaps, most unsurprising—points that Ruppert made was regarding industry crunch and how it affected not only The Final Shape, but Destiny 2’s last DLC, Lightfall, as well:
“Crunch was absolutely a leading factor for The Final Shape and I’m so glad it was delayed because there were so many things that the devs did not feel super great about and that delay gave them the time to do that. On the positive side of the layoffs, the layoffs gave [Bungie] such bad PR that leadership was forced to listen to the teams, and that’s good. That’s what we need, that’s what we want.
Lightfall’s [missteps] was leadership, they already took responsibility for that. The devs had a lot of cool stuff they wanted to do with it. And Final Shape was different before the layoffs, that’s why they announced the delay. They knew they couldn’t skate by, which is a good thing for devs and a great thing for players. Lightfall also had crunch. This is an industry wide problem.”
Lightfall was not received well by the majority of the Destiny 2 community (our own reviewer called it a “mixed bag”), and it’s unfortunate that it took something as extreme as company-wide layoffs to compel Bungie to give The Final Shape the time it needed to breathe. While this may have been a silver lining for the layoffs, Ruppert was quick to emphasize that the way they were handled was less than ideal:
“After the layoffs we saw a ton of people leave Bungie. A ton of people. And still more are looking. And it’s just unfortunate because that is what happens anytime a big layoff happens, but I think what hit Bungie the most was that Bungie leadership put in so much time and effort to make it look like they weren’t a company that would do that, and then they did it in the most callous way possible and then just said ‘f—k you, good luck.’
And that’s the part that makes me upset, because there was a lot of people that moved to relocate to one of the most expensive places in America for this only to get laid off, myself included. I had to sell my house, which was halfway paid off, which is unheard of in this day and age. And now I’m right back to ground zero.
There was another person that literally had a stroke that was in a year worth of recovery because of the stress of the job. He worked really hard to recover… only for him to finally do that year’s worth of recovering and being able to come back into work only to get laid off.”
Ruppert did make a point to credit those in leadership who have been doing their best to make positive changes within the company. At the same time, she noted that these changes were still “a long way from where they need to be,” and emphasized that the studio needs the support of the community to ensure that the right transformations are made.
Nothing we heard here is necessarily new or shocking to the industry, unfortunately, but it doesn’t make it less important to shed light on. With the thousands upon thousands of layoffs we’ve seen in the last year or so, it’s more important than ever to put a spotlight on the developers behind the games we play and make their voices heard.
If you’ve been playing The Final Shape, leave a comment and let us know if you think the delay improved its quality. The DLC is available now on all platforms.
Sucker Punch Productions has released Ghost of Tsushima update 2.22 on consoles (update version 2.022 on PS5), and once again, this doesn’t include new content but was pushed out for matchmaking improvements more than anything else. Read on for the official announcement from Sucker Punch below.
Ghost of Tsushima Update 2.22 Patch Notes:
Here’s the announcement from Sucker Punch Productions regarding the title update:
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut Patch 2.22 will be released today for console players.
This patch is aimed at improving our matchmaking service across all supported platforms. pic.twitter.com/9SVo9B3ePa
— Sucker Punch Productions (@SuckerPunchProd) June 7, 2024
So far, this patch is only for consoles, though PC players did get Patch 2 last month. While there’s no mention whether we’ll get new content for the game’s single-player (highly unlikely) or even its Legends multiplayer mode, there is a movie being developed and the latest rumors point to Hiroyuki Sanada (Shogun) being cast for it which we wholeheartedly agree.
If there are any changes to the game that’s from this title update, we’ll add it in the article.
Battlefield 2042 players, a new patch is headed your way next week on June 11! Thankfully, we don’t even need to wait for it to drop to know what changes are being made by DICE. The studio has released the complete Battlefield 2042 next update version 7.3.0 patch notes and we have it below.
Battlefield 2042 Next Update Version 7.3.0 Patch Notes:
Vehicles
Fixed an issue with damage over time of Kerosene Bombs when being too close to its death zone radius.
Increased the XFAD-4 Draugr’s AP cannon damage vs other air vehicles by 20%.
DRFM jammer will now protect against all locks for 5 seconds.
The weapon description has been updated to reflect this change.
Developer comment: We’ve seen your feedback around weapon lock-ons against the XFAD-4 Draugr and how little counterplay exists around it. We are therefore adding a lock-on protection to the DRFM jammer that will protect the Draugr against all lock-ons for 5 seconds. This will not protect the vehicle against projectiles already fired but should offer options to avoid getting locked on.
Added missing tooltips for various vehicles.
EBLC Ram weapon changes:
Increased rate of fire of the 40mm cannon from 140 to 155 and increased blast from 35 to 37.
Increased Howitzer impact damage from 40 to 65 to make it more desirable in vehicle combat.
Developer comment: The Missile launcher has been dominating the loadout for the EBLC Ram. These changes are aiming to make the 40mm and Howitzer cannon more competitive options when choosing your loadout.
Fixed an issue with the LAV-AD (BF3) getting stuck on certain objects.
Fixed an issue with Jets systemic parts getting disabled too quickly.
Similar fixes for other vehicles are planned for the next update.
Weapons
PP-2000 will now use the correct ammo count in Battlefield Portal experiences (42 ammo)
Fixed various visual and sound effects on weapons using different attachments.
Lowered AP amp damage from 23 to 21 in 0 to 100 meter range for DFR Strife.
Masterkey underbarrel:
Maximum pellet dispersion increased from 2 to 2.5 degrees.
RPM reduced from 99 to 80.
Damage per pellet reduced as follows:
From 5 to 10 meters: Reduced damage from 20 to 18.
From 10 to 15 meters: Reduced damage from 18 to 16
Developer comment: These changes aim to balance this attachment and reduce its power against short-range primary weapons, while remaining a viable option to add strong CQC capabilities to weapons that otherwise wouldn’t have them.
PBX-45
Close Combat ammo damage changed:
Before 7.3.0: From 0 to 20 meters: 28 damage
With 7.3.0: From 0 to 10 meters: 28 damage, from 10 to 20 meters: 24 damage
Close Combat ammo dispersion: Dispersion will increase slightly (~8%) faster after the first few shots but maximum dispersion levels remain the same. Bursting and tap firing should yield similar performance as before.
High Power ammo damage:
Before 7.3.0: 0 to 10 meters: 28 damage
With 7.3.0: 0 to 20 meters: 28 damage
High Power ammo reload speed penalty reduced
Developer comment: These changes aim to address the overuse and overperformance of the PBX-45 Close Combat ammo setup, which had a notably superior TTK within 20 meters with no equivalent downsides.
TTK with Close Combat will still be the overall fastest of all ammo types within 40 meters, but will require more control at longer distances to stay as accurate as before. High Power ammo will now have more competitive TTK within 20 meters and reload speed to make it a more viable mid-range ammo type option.
Characters and Gadgets
Mackay now uses a reload animation everytime the Grappling Hook is equipped.
That’s about it. Once the download is out, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
Announced two years ago, Slitterhead, the horror game from Silent Hill co-creator Keiichiro Toyama, is set to be released this November 8 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC according to a prematurely released gameplay trailer.
The trailer, which was accidentally made live by Bokeh Studios, features the different enemies players will face in the game as well as gameplay mechanics of the different weapons players can wield in fighting off these monsters.
As you can see, the trailer reveals the release date of November 8 at the end. For now, Bokeh Studios has pulled the clip from their channel, which we suspect will be live once again once its debut at Summer Game Fest officially takes place.
Chances are, more gameplay details will be revealed later, and we’ll have it up on the site.
Summer Game Fest kicks off later today at 2 pm ET/5 pm ET/5 am HKT.
Remember New World? The MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) developed and published by Amazon that exploded onto the scene back in 2021? It seems, the game is headed to PlayStation (PS5), and we should be getting the announcement very, very soon.
An ad for New World was spotted on the PlayStation Network Store as part of its “What’s Hot” tile:
Only one problem: New World for PS5 hasn’t even been announced yet! However, it does seem that announcement is set for Summer Game Fest (SGF) later today, as the game’s Twitter/X account teased of an “exciting announcement” back in the last week of May:
Summer Game Fest kicks off later at 2 pm PT/5 am ET/5 am HKT (June 8), and should include a fair few announcements.
Speaking of Summer Game Fest, a recent report has surfaced stating how much companies need to pony up in order to get some air time, with a two and a half minute spot costing over $500,000!
Stay tuned here on MP1st, as we’ll have the pertinent Summer Game Fest announcements up on the site the moment they are announced.
Just last year, Warner Bros, and Avalanche Studios surprised gamers and Harry Potter fans around the world with Hogwarts Legacy, as it wasn’t just a meaningless cash-grab, but an actual action-adventure game that was well worth playing, which players did as it amassed over 22 million copies sold and was the top-selling game of 2023.
It seems WB is dipping back into that Hogwarts well again, as a recent report has surfaced stating that Hogwarts Legacy: Director’s Cut is being worked on, and by none other than Rocksteady Studios, the development house behind the Batman Arkham franchise.
This report comes from the ever-reliable Jason Schreier who wrote an in-depth feature on what went wrong with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. According to Schreier, many of Rocksteady’s studio members are now working on Hogwarts Legacy: Director’s Cut. At the same time, the report also states that studio leaders at Rocksteady are also looking to pitch a new single-player game.
With Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League failing as hard as it did, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear the studio changing course already. For those unaware, former Rocksteady Studios bosses Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker departed the studio back in 2022 with Nathan Burlow and Darius Sadeghian taking over leadership duties.
As for Hogwarts Legacy, Avalanche just released the game’s big Summer Update that adds photo mode and other improvements to the game. That said, the title updates for the game have been few and far between, and there doesn’t seem to be any plans to add DLC or any new gameplay elements into it. This Director’s Cut could be WB’s latest attempt to squeeze more revenue from the game, as there’s no way to shoehorn microtransactions into the title given it doesn’t feature multiplayer and doesn’t really fit the live service model.
Same as with any insider info, take this with a grain of salt. That said, Schreier is almost-always correct with these things. Hopefully, Rocksteady can bounce back from Suicide Squad’s failure, but we’re hoping it won’t take the studio that long to release their next game — whatever it might be.
Nightdive Studios and Ziggurat Interactive have announced Killing Time: Resurrected; an HD remastered of the classic 1995 comedy horror first-person shooter, and it’s due for release later this year on PC and consoles.
Check out the announcement trailer featuring gameplay.
If you haven’t played the game before, it’s understandable since it was released back in 1995 for PC and the 3DO. Read on for the game synopsis and key features.
Killing Time: Resurrected Synopsis and Key Features:
Set in the early 1930s, Killing Time casts players as a former Egyptology student trapped in the estate of wealthy heiress Tess Conway. Ms. Conway’s ritual to bestow eternal life backfires, and her high-society friends vanish without a trace. It’s up to players to find and destroy the mystical Egyptian Water-Clock to undo its curse and face a legion of supernatural horrors.
Murder Around Every Corner: A fright-fest for the true aficionado of first-person corridor mayhem
Ghost Stories: Listen to the remembrances of the 7 video-real apparitions and ghostly guests. They offer clues as to what past heinous acts actually transpired in the cursed mansion
Stunning Graphics: Look up and down and turn around with a complete 360 view. The three-dimensional mansion offers outdoor areas, staircases, and intricately detailed ceilings and floors
Keep Your Guard Up!: The original music makes this old haunt strongly inviting, eh? But beware. Every room, every passage in the estate holds dreadful dangers
Max Efficiency: Enjoy continuous gameplay with no load time between areas
Updated Controls: Redesigned controls to support PlayStation and Xbox gamepads
No release date has been revealed yet, but this is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and PC.
Demon’s Mirror is a roguelike that tries to offer some extra depth by blending two fairly different genres, the card battler and match-3 games. This playable build gave us vibes that weren’t without recalling Dicefolk, another ingenious game that combined familiar mechanics in original and exciting ways. The content available wasn’t that extensive, but it was more than enough to showcase the tactical depth and sheer fun of these strategic battles.
Cards and Jewels
The adventure begins as you select your starting character, but in this version we were limited to Draga, a humanoid dragon with horns. Each character comes with a unique ability and the promise of additional modifiers, the latter being locked for now. Then we’re off to the region map, a forest one in this case, with many tiles to forge our path in a way that there is no turning back, planning the route ahead anticipating the battles, campfires (for healing), shop visits, and random events, until we reach the inevitable stage boss.
Gameplay is a weird concoction of gem chaining puzzle games and card battlers, and despite the initial suspicion over the combination of these mechanics, it isn’t difficult to grasp. You have the familiar action points per round to spend in card usage, but you can instead choose to chain at least three tiles on the grid for other effects. From damage to shield, activating your special ability or amassing essence to upgrade some cards, tactical options are extensive enough as to make you carefully consider your approach and deeply regret wasting your precious action points in a move that wasn’t fruitful.
Every so often, your opponents may deploy an enemy tile on the board which can do one of several actions, from damaging to debuffing or even shielding an enemy. The number of turns in which it will trigger are shown, along with their potency or damage they cause, and the only ways to avoid it is by playing a card that targets tiles, or chaining it with other tiles to reduce its potency. This enemy action will move our focus from the deck and into the board, meaning that players have to balance the pros and cons of letting the tile trigger or do their best effort to neutralize it.
Demon’s Mirror promises a selection of over 200 cards, which combined with the upgrade potential should provide vast combinations to create a consistent run. Our runs did showcase a few different scenarios based on the paths we took, complete with the variables that you will find along the way, random events being a fun change of pace throwing some lore at you, often with surprising and relevant consequences, either positive or negative.
With the card and grid mix, Demon’s Mirror has a clever idea up its sleeve. The rest of the gameplay mechanics are more familiar but well-rounded, with items that we can use whenever we want to (and occasionally we can purchase additional slots), trinkets to buff your hero, action warnings over each opponent allowing us to plan our moves ahead, and an intuitive interface.
Unchained Replayability
Demon’s Mirror is the kind of game that puts a spin to a known formula, while fundamentally retaining what makes the genre so appealing and challenging. There are enough Slay the Spire and Puzzle Quest influences here to catch one’s attention, and while it’s not bound to be a groundbreaking or hugely popular release, the potential to scratch the itch of fans from both sides of the barricade – match-3 and deck builder – is there. We’ll see how far it can go when it releases sometime later this year.
MP1st was given access to a preview build of Demon’s Mirror for our hands-on session. Demon’s Mirror is launching for PC in 2024.
Maxis has pushed out a new title update for The Sims 4 this June 6, and this is for both consoles and PC. Expect bug fixes more than anything else, though I suspect players will be OK with that. Read on for the complete The Sims 4 update 1.93 patch notes per the studio.
The Sims 4 Update 1.93 Patch Notes for June 6, 2024:
PC: 1.107.151.1020 / Mac: 1.107.151.1230
Console: 1.93
Today’s update is intended to address multiple issues where players were able to access Happy At Home Login Event rewards before they were unlocked, as well as fixing a crash reported by players using the DirectX 11 Preview.
Bug Fixes & Updates
Base Game
Removed an incorrect tooltip that appeared for the “Purchase” interaction on the Guerdon Goods Vending Machine.
We have resolved an issue that allowed the Practice Makes Perfect trait available in Create a Sim before it was unlocked through the Happy At Home Login Event.
Additionally, we’ve resolved an issue that allowed the Practice Makes Perfect trait to be available to Sims after aging up before the trait was unlocked through the Happy At Home Login Event.
Buffs from the Practice Makes Perfect trait will now be correctly applied and incremented when their requirements are met.
Addressed an issue that allowed locked Create a Sim rewards from the Happy At Home Login Event to become available through certain filters or through the randomizer.
Addressed an issue that allowed locked Build Mode rewards from the Happy At Home Login Event to become available in Build Mode through a specific combination of filters being applied.
Addressed a Last Exception error that caused Sims to reset after completing certain pool interactions.
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause text to be missing when opening the Happy At Home Login Event in Spanish.
We have updated the names and descriptions of some flowers to reflect the variety of colors they are available in.
DirectX 11 Preview
Resolved an issue causing a crash at launch when MSAA was enabled.
Following today’s announcement by BioWare that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is now known as Dragon Age: The Veilguard, some might be assuming that this is yet another live service game from EA. Thankfully, we have confirmation today that it’s not.
Over on Twitter/X, BioWare Executive Producer Mike Gamble confirmed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is not a live service title, but that it’s “straight up, single-player story goodness.”
Some takes out there about this game being a live service game or something like that.
That part is in the articles. It ain’t. Its straight up single player story goodness.
This is definitely good news to not only franchise fans, but those looking to sink their teeth into the Dragon Age franchise for the first time. Also, BioWare has been known to be a studio that excels in single-player games, and I’m glad to see they are not straying far from it. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the game won’t feature micro-transactions, as I think that’s a given for character customization and whatnot, but at the very least, fans can take comfort knowing that this RPG will be an RPG and not something else.
In other The Veilguard news that surfaced today, BioWare also confirmed yes, there will be romance in the game (how can it be a BioWare game if it didn’t, right?), and not only that, but players will be able to romance any of their seven companions!
This was confirmed by BioWare General Manager and Executive Producer of Dragon Age: The Veilguard Gary McKay in speaking to IGN.
“I won’t spoil next week’s reveal but I can say we’ve created a story where you can impact the world and the companions that surround you. Player agency is important to the Dragon Age: The Veilguard experience and allows each player to form unique personal connections with their companions of choice. And, yes, you can romance the companions you want!”
While it’s to be expected in a BioWare game, this at least confirms it 100 percent. Based on McKay’s statement, romance options won’t be an issue for members of the LBGTQA community as well.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard still has no release date but its gameplay reveal will take place on June 11.
HexWorks has pushed out Lords of the Fallen update 1.049.000 on consoles and PC, and this is for patch v1.5.115 and is a minor title update. Read on for the devs’ message to players regarding the LOTF “Clash of Champions” update last week, and of course, the official changelog.
Lords of the Fallen Update 1.049.000 Patch Notes for June 6, 2024:
We hope you all enjoyed the surprise launch of ‘Clash of Champions’ last week, we’ve seen many of you sharing your adventures in the new Crucible mode, some of you completing it in it’s entirety within the first few hours – your dedication for all things Lords is unwavering, Lampbearers.
We continue to monitor your feedback and reports, so keep them coming.
Again, as always, if you’re enjoying your adventures in Mournstead, please consider leaving us a Steam review!
In light, we walk. HEXWORKS Team
Minor Fixes
Fixed an issue that caused some Boss Rush text to not display properly in all languages.
Fixed some minor issues that caused unexpected behaviors with Gamepass players.
That’s about it for the devs, but once a new patch is released, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
Xbox’s cross-platform publishing strategy has become an especially hot topic as of late. Just a few weeks ago, we caught wind of an internal effort dubbed “Project Latitude” that made no exceptions for Xbox’s first-party titles in terms of cross-platform potential. Today, a report has revealed that Microsoft is working on a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster with potential plans to bring it to other consoles like PS5.
This news was first reported by The Verge’s Tom Warren this morning. In an article reflecting on the future of Xbox and Halo, the author shared some insider information he’d received from numerous sources:
“One game that is being considered for release on PS5 is Halo, though. Sources tell me Microsoft is working on some form of a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster that is also being considered for rival consoles. I don’t expect Microsoft to announce this during the showcase [on June 9], as it’s early days for this remaster.”
Warren also noted that he was able to confirm prior rumors that a new Doom title would be revealed at Xbox’s showcase. This game, reportedly titled “Doom: The Dark Ages,” is part of Microsoft’s Project Latitude efforts and will be set to launch simultaneously on PS5 when it’s released in 2025.
Other Xbox titles, such as the next Gears of War game and Fable, have not yet been confirmed to be part of Project Latitude. Whether or not these games come to other consoles remains to be seen, but for the time being, it sounds like Xbox doesn’t have plans to release them day-and-date for PS5.
First-party titles appearing on other platforms is always a touchy subject among gamers. Many see it as a betrayal of their loyalty to a given brand, and others question what the point of buying into a specific ecosystem is if not for its exclusives. While I’m personally of the mindset that more people getting to play more games in more places is a good thing, I can definitely see the reasoning behind these concerns.
Bear in mind, while Warren is quite reliable, this is still not official, so treat it with a bag of salt for now.
How do you feel about the potential of Halo coming to PS5? Let us know down in the comments.
[Source: The Verge (subscription required for Notepad]
MultiVersus update 1.30 is now live to all players on PC and consoles (PS5 version will show up as patch 1.030), and this brings not just bug fixes, but a host of character balance changes as well. Everything that got changed today is available below in the official patch notes for what Player First Games calls Patch 1.01 for the brawler.
MultiVersus Update 1.30 Patch Notes for June 6, 2024:
PS5 Update Version 1.030 | PC Game Client Version 1.01
General
Lowered Hit Pause on all Hits by 10% in 1v1 modes
Players can now try all Fighters in Training Mode, including Fighters they do not own
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where players could not complete daily rewards in Rifts Mode
Fixed an issue that was impacting performance on Xbox Series X|S
Fixed an issue where beam visual effects were occasionally invisible on PlayStation consoles
Fixed an issue where certain keyboard configurations would cause phantom inputs in matches
Fixed an issue with pause input conflicts in Training.
~ Reduced input buffer window for follow-up attacks
Banana Guard
The goal of this change is to reduce the extreme kill power on Banana Guard’s side specials and bring it more in line with the damage of the rest of the cast.
Aerial Side Special
– Reduced damage to 10 from 12
Ground Side Special
– Reduced damage to 12 from 14
Bugs Bunny
Neutral Special
* Fixed an issue causing the Safe to hit repeatedly and rapidly in succession
Garnet
Down Special
* Fixed an issue where Garnet and an enemy could be frozen at the end of her Star Grab
Gizmo
Up Special
– Ally attach cooldown now begins when Gizmo detaches from his ally, instead of beginning when Gizmo attaches to his ally.
Iron Giant
The goal of these changes is to prevent Iron Giant from chaining certain sets of attacks infinitely. While these fixes address some of the issues on Iron Giant, it will require additional fixes to bring Iron Giant fully back online. Iron Giant will remain down for repairs until those fixes are implemented in a future patch.
Ground Down Attack
~ Knockback angle is now more horizontal
Aerial Neutral Attack
~ Final hit now always knocks away regardless of charge
Ground Side Attack
– Jab first hitbox is slightly smaller
Rage Mode Pilot Special
~ Reduced strobing visual effects
Rage Mode Up Special
– Reduced final hit damage to 5 from 6
Jake
Aerial/Ground Up Special
* Fixed some issues with game performance
Jason
Ground Down Special
* Fixed an issue where one player would disappear when Jason grabbed two players with the sleeping bag
LeBron
Basketball
– Basketball can now only hit one time per target
Marvin
Aerial/Ground Neutral Attack
* Fixed an issue where Marvin could ringout opponents instantly due to a Side Special projectile interaction with Neutral Attack
Reindog
Aerial Side Attack
~ Knockback Angle is now more horizontal
Aerial Up Attack
~ Knockback Angle is now more horizontal
Shaggy
The goal of this change is to not allow Neutral Air Attack to combo back into the Jab combo at all damage levels. There are feel issues introduced with this change that we will address in the next patch.
Aerial Neutral Air
~ Base Knockback increased to 1700 from 1300
~ Knockback Scaling increased to 14 from 13
~ Knockback Angle is more horizontal
~ On-Hit cancel window delayed by 10 frames
Steven
Aerial Up Attack
~ Sweet spot hitbox delayed 1 frame later to match when Steven has his hands clapped together
Aerial Down Attack
– On-Hit cancel window delayed by 3 frames
Stripe
Aerial Down Attack
+ More downward momentum is maintained on attack start-up
Taz
Aerial/Ground Side Special
+ Increased damage on non-cooldown tornado final hit to 8 from 7
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman’s lasso was a bit too oppressive to play against without any limiter, so we decided to add a short cooldown to the ability.
Aerial/Ground Neutral Special
– Added an 8 second cooldown for lasso
Per Player First, they have also pulled the Iron Giant for adjustments, and the studio will have a status update available next week. There are also plans to address highly requested changes from the community as well, such as additional performance improvements, end of game stats, options to turn off team colors, the ability to swap side and neutral attack, and the addition of adjustable input buffer settings. No word yet when we’ll see these implemented into the game, but once we do, we’ll let our readers know
