The path to Tekken 8’s launch continues, as Bandai Namco has released yet another character trailer! Though the full roster has been revealed already, it seems the game still holds many surprises, proven in the latest Tekken 8 gameplay trailer for Kuma, as the adorable yet ferocious bear that now sports Electric Wind God Fist.
Tekken 8 Kuma Gameplay Trailer
Anyone following the Tekken franchise could probably say this isn’t a surprise, though, considering how long it took for Kuma to get electric abilities. That, and the fact that Bandai has shown the character off prior, even to the press, while withholding this information, yeah, I say it still comes as a massive shock. Get it? Shock, as in getting shocked by electricity? Alright, that was probably a bit unbearable. I’ll stop now.
Tekken 8 releases January 26, 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. A Tekken 8 demo is now available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.
Sony has revealed the PlayStation Plus free games for January 2024! Set to become available in just a week’s time, PlayStation gamers will be in for a treat, as two solid single-player games are on the way.
PlayStation Plus Free Games for January 2024:
A Plague Tale: Requiem | PS5
In this sequel to award-winning adventure, A Plague Tale: Innocence, Amicia and Hugo travel far south to new regions and vibrant cities after escaping their devastated homeland. There, they attempt to start a new life and control Hugo’s curse. But, when Hugo’s powers reawaken, death and destruction return in a flood of devouring rats. Forced to flee once more, the siblings place their hopes in a prophesized island that may hold the key to saving Hugo. Discover the cost of saving those you love in a desperate struggle for survival, overcoming foes and challenges with a variety of weapons, tools and unearthly powers.
A dark menace consumes the American frontier. As one of the last agents in a top secret vampire-hunting institute, you are the final line between humanity and a deep-rooted terror that now emerges from the shadows. Unleash hell with your firearms, lightning-fueled gauntlet and gadgets. Kill bloodthirsty monstrosities in style as a lone hunter or in co-op with a friend. Explore and fight in a narrative-driven campaign while upgrading your weapons and hunting tools. Unlock new perks to evolve your monster-slaying mastery, crafting your own playstyle to defeat the supernatural hordes.
When the ancient Calamity re-awakens, who can save the world? Nobody! (That’s you, you’re Nobody.) Master the art of transformation to become a Slug, Ghost, Dragon, and more in this new take on action RPGs from the creators of Guacamelee. Complete quests to discover and swap between 15+ varied and distinct Forms, with each offering its own set of quests, which you can complete in creative ways. Mix and match abilities in unexpected ways to unlock and complete even MORE challenging quests. Explore a vast overworld – on your own or with a friend online – while clearing shape-shifting dungeons in an effort to stop The Calamity and save the world!
Warframe: Syrinx Collection – exclusive PlayStation Plus Pack
In addition to the Monthly Games lineup, January 2 will also see the release of the Warframe Syrinx Collection. This exclusive PlayStation Plus pack contains multiple weapons, armor and items for Digital Extremes’ F2P sci-fi multiplayer action title. Once downloaded, they’ll all be available in your in-game Warframe inventory immediately, regardless of whether you’re a new or returning player.
Wizordum is a throwback to times when Doom was all the rage, a new generation of first-person shooters taking the world by storm, bloody pixels rampant and speedy gameplay delighting players. Incidentally, publisher Apogee Entertainment has strong ties with this era and is responsible for classics such as Duke Nukem, under the guise of 3D Realms. Wizordum, currently in Early Access, opts for a fantasy theme with extremely colorful graphics and a noticeable RPG feel that blends past and present in a promising way.
Magical Doom
This retro FPS comes with fast action and bright colors, a step away from the mostly dull shades of Hexen and Heretic, for those who remember these staples of the genre. The start of this adventure is perchance the worst part, as melee combat doesn’t really feel adequate or exciting enough, collision detection revealing itself to be fairly inaccurate and inapt. You’ll end up learning about proper distances and the hit and run combat, but the enjoyment drastically improves as you start using ranged weapons.
Shooting fireballs from your hands while dancing between the enemies’ projectiles is a blast, pun intended. Their movement patterns are intentionally rudimentary as to mimic old-school FPS behavior, providing no real challenge unless you are surprised by someone spawning around the corner or behind you, simply requiring that you learn each one’s skillsets and keep on the move. Skilled players will lure goblins into shooting their fireballs right when melee enemies stand between you and them, a nice friendly fire touch that is occasionally forgotten amidst retro shooters.
Combat is fast, fun, with limited but always comfortable ammo counts to be found across the stages, one weapon being used when you are about to run out of ammo for the other. Switch to the staff and now you can freeze your opponents, a mace whack instantly turning them into ice cubes. The spellstriker is your medieval fantasy shotgun, quite effective in terms of damage but requiring a reload after every shot, not the best weapon for moments when you’re being swarmed by enemies. There are other weapons to discover, including an exploding orb – the medieval grenade – and it feels like you have enough firepower and diversity to tackle every foe, from pouncing rats to unspeakable green abominations.
Running in Pixelated Circles
Instead of a straight route for every area, Wizordum gates progression behind locked doors and barriers enforcing exploration, with various secrets and many treasures to be found. It’s mostly engaging as you often switch between outdoor environments and inner areas searching for levers and keys to unlock special doors. But in a sense it’s also simple and sticks to the old-school guns somewhat too strictly, without any jumping mechanics or a hint of verticality, apart from the concept of moving between zones via a quick transition.
Exploration can also be a bit confusing, with plenty of backtracking and occasional bouts of frustration as you fail to immediately grasp where you should go next. Sometimes you have a marker on your map, sometimes you don’t, so your only option in the latter case is to explore the same old areas until you see enemies spawning, an indication that this is likely to be the right path, or at least an unexplored section. The Murky Wastes stage is a good example of the occasionally confusing nature of this design, with more levers to find than you would wish for, making this journey through filthy waters overstay its welcome.
Wizordum knows what it is and what it’s trying to achieve, so don’t expect a groundbreaking shooter or the second coming of Hexen. It’s more of a fun, almost casual FPS experience with some basic mechanics and simple enemy AI that won’t pose much of a challenge, and the level editor could extend the enjoyment as you create your own stages. Dial down your expectations and this could be the game to give you a fast and enjoyable taste of the golden age of shooters, but we’ll have to wait for the full launch to see just how gripping and charming the remaining chapters are.
MP1st was given access to a preview build of Wizordum for our hands-on session. Wizordum is currently in Early Access and launches in 2024 on PC.
Cognosphere has released Honkai Star Rail update 1.6 (PS5 update version 1.600) during the game’s maintenance, and this brings the latest major title update to the game titled, “Crown of the Mundane and Divine.” Read on for what’s new in the Honkai Star Rail new update patch notes.
Honkai Star Rail Update 1.6 Patch Notes | Honkai Star Rail Update 1.600 Patch Notes:
Update: Patch notes are now live!
▌Update and Compensation Details
■ Update Time
Begins at 2023/12/27 06:00:00(UTC+8). The update will take approximately 5 hours.
■ Compensation Details
●Server Maintenance Compensation
Compensation: Stellar Jade ×300
Eligible Recipients: Trailblazers at Trailblaze Level ≥ 4 before 2023/12/27 06:00:00(UTC+8)
※ Please claim before the Version 2.0 server maintenance.
●Bug Compensation
Compensation: Stellar Jade ×300
Eligible Recipients: Trailblazers at Trailblaze Level ≥ 4 before 2023/12/27 06:00:00(UTC+8)
※ Please log in to claim the mail before 2024/01/26 23:59:00(UTC+8).
The Crew will issue the above compensation via in-game mail to Trailblazers within 5 hours after the update is complete. Be sure to claim it in time.
■ How to Update
PC: Exit the game, restart the launcher, then click “Update”
Android: Enter the game and follow the instructions in the in-game pop-up window to complete the update
iOS: Enter the App Store and tap “Update”
▌Version Update Details
1. New Area
■ Seclusion Zone
This was once a zone frequently crossed by shuttles during bustling periods but was sealed due to unknown anomalies, quietly becoming one of the few rare spots on the space station not open to the public.
2. New Characters
■ 5-Star character Ruan Mei (Harmony: Ice)
Ruan Mei is a support character capable of increasing allies’ Weakness Break Efficiency, SPD, and All-Type RES PEN. At the same time, Ruan Mei can also deal additional Break DMG whenever any allies Weakness Break an enemy, causing the Weakness Broken enemies’ actions to be further delayed.
■ 5-Star character Dr. Ratio (The Hunt: Imaginary)
Dr. Ratio is a DPS character that deals follow-up attacks after he or his allies attack. He gains bonuses to CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG depending on how many debuffs his enemies have.
■ 4-Star character Xueyi (Destruction: Quantum)
Xueyi is a DPS character that is strongly focused on depleting Toughness. Her Ultimate can deplete enemy Toughness while ignoring Weakness Type, and she Charges whenever an ally reduces an enemy’s Toughness. When her Charges are stacked to their maximum capacity, her follow-up attack can be triggered.
3. New Light Cones
■ 5-Star Past Self in Mirror (Harmony)
Obtainable through the Brilliant Fixation Light Cone Event Warp.
■ 5-Star Baptism of Pure Thought (The Hunt)
Obtainable through the Brilliant Fixation Light Cone Event Warp.
4. New Story
■ Trailblaze Continuance “The Blue — Crown of the Mundane and Divine”
The space station has been bustling with activity lately. With the latest update to the Simulated Universe and the gathering of prominent figures from the Genius Society, everyone seems to have their own agenda. You can’t help but feel that there might be some unexpected events on the horizon.
Availability: Permanently open after the Version 1.6 update
Unlock Conditions: Complete the Trailblaze Mission “Jarilo-VI — Silent Galaxy.”
5. New Events
■ Critter Pick
Delectable little critters zapping all over the space station? Is this a dream? These little cuties are happily bounding around all over the place and now the responsibility of looking after them has fallen on your shoulders.
Event Period: After the Version 1.6 update – 2024/02/05 03:59:00(server time)
Participation Requirements: Complete the Trailblaze Continuance “The Blue — When the Stars of Ingenuity Shine”
■ Virtual Scentventure
The Department of Ecology’s “Unknown Lifeform Smell-Induced Perceptions and Hallucinations” special test has begun. You have been specially invited as a qualified tester… Wait, what’s with these strange fragrances?
Participation Requirement: Complete the Trailblaze Mission “Jarilo-VI — Silent Galaxy.”
■ Proposal from Dr. Ratio
From when the Version 1.6 “Panta Rhei” Event Warp begins to when Version 2.1 ends, complete the Trailblaze Mission “The Blue” — “A Moment of Peace” and unlock the Mailbox function to claim Dr. Ratio (The Hunt: Imaginary) ×1 in the mail.
■ Gift of Odyssey
Log in every day during the event to obtain check-in rewards. Trailblazers can claim Star Rail Special Pass ×10 after checking in for 7 days!
※ Please refer to future announcements for information on other events.
Unlock Requirements: Complete the Trailblaze Continuance “The Blue — When the Stars of Ingenuity Shine”
Location: Herta Space Station — Seclusion Zone
Stage Description: Clear the stage to obtain the Advanced Trace level-up material “Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster,” Lucent Afterglow, credits, and other rewards.
■ Gameplay
Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears
Herta and the others have added a new algorithmic branch to the Expansion Module. This time, they have simulated Nous and selected the time before the demise of #27, Emperor Rubert…
Availability: Permanently open after the Version 1.6 update
Unlock Conditions: Complete Simulated Universe: World 5
Pure Fiction
Mr. Xiyan suddenly contacted you and said that he got a miraculous new pet, and that “you will definitely like it!” Go to Spare Time Book Shop and have a look. Maybe that pet will bring you an unexpected surprise.
Availability: Permanently available after 2024/01/08 04:00:00(server time)
Complete the Trailblaze Mission “Xianzhou Luofu — Demise of Immortality, Finale of Calamity,” be at Equilibrium Level 3 or higher, and read specific Messages.
Clear Pure Fiction stage 2 during any phase to unlock the 4-star character “Lynx (Abundance: Quantum)”
Treasures Lightward
New Permanent Game Mode “Forgotten Hall: Memory of Chaos” and “Pure Fiction” will be alternatively refreshed. Please check out the following for details:
Memory of Chaos — Enigma in Deep Space
After the 1.6 Version update – 2024/02/05 04:00:00(server time)
After an ally Breaks enemies’ Weaknesses or attacks Weakness Broken enemies, add 1 Hit Per Action to Memory Turbulence, up to 10 hits. At the start of every Cycle, every hit will deal DMG based on the enemy target’s Max HP to a random enemy target once.
When allies use an Ultimate to attack target(s), inflicts Shatter to the target(s) for up to 6 stacks. At the start of the target’s turn or when target is eliminated, deals a set amount of DMG to the target and adjacent targets based on the number of Shatter stacks.
At the start of every wave or Cycle, randomly apply 10 debuffs selected from the following: -8% ATK, -8% DEF, -8% SPD, -8% Effect RES, or receive 20% additional DMG from follow-up attacks. Each debuff stacks up to 3 times and lasts for 3 turns. This effect also causes 1 ally following either the Path of The Hunt or Path of Destruction to immediately take action.
Increases DoT taken by enemy targets by 50%. Enemy targets that receive DoT have their DMG dealt greatly reduced by 35%. After they are attacked, their action is Advanced Forward by 35%.
■ Others
Adds some new sticker emotes to Messages.
Adds new photos to the photo wall in March 7th’s room. Trailblazers can check it out after completing the corresponding Trailblaze Continuance.
Added character messages, avatars, messages, chat boxes, readables, Achievements, and loading screen introductory texts.
▌Adjustments and Optimizations
■ Characters and Enemies
Adjusts the text tags from “Impair” to “Single Target ATK/AoE ATK” for certain abilities. This adjustment does not affect the actual effects of the abilities.
Adjusts the logic behind how Argenti (Erudition: Physical)’s Ultimate “Merit Bestowed in ‘My’ Garden” selects enemy targets when dealing damage, resolving the issue where this ability deals abnormal damage against random single enemies. The corresponding visual indications have also been adjusted.
Adjusts some colors shown on the character Argenti and enemy Argenti models when in shadow.
Optimizes the logic of using abilities when auto-battle is on for Pela (Nihility: Ice).
Optimizes certain ability and Eidolon icon display effects in some interfaces for Argenti (Erudition: Physical)
Optimizes the Enemy Info displayed outside of battle, allowing better viewing of enemy details, abilities, and more.
Optimizes the content in the prompts shown when failing to pass stages such as Calyx (Crimson), Stagnant Shadow, and others.
Optimizes the cooldown for Numby to attract Trotters again when Topaz & Numby (The Hunt: Fire) uses their Technique while Numby is in the process of attracting Trotters.
■ Missions
Adjusts the required levels of some Trailblaze Missions and Adventure Missions, as well as the difficulty of some missions and stages.
■ Gameplay
Tales of the Fantastic
Availability: The former Limited-Time Event will be moved to Conventional Memoir permanently after the Version 1.6 update.
Prerequisite: Complete the Trailblaze Mission “Xianzhou Luofu — Obsequies Performed, A Long Road Ahead.”
After “Tales of the Fantastic” becomes a permanent game mode, the previous event challenge progress, points, and reward claim status will be retained. Trailblazers who haven’t completed all the event content or missions can continue to challenge them. Trailblazers who have fully participated in the event and claimed all rewards cannot replay the challenges to receive additional rewards.
The name of the random Occurrence will now be displayed in the Simulated Universe’s open world.
After the update, Simulated Universe Points will be calculated and points rewards granted when you complete Simulated Universe Expansion modes such as Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears and Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster.
■ System
Temporary Early Access of Calyxes (Crimson) and Stagnant Shadows is now supported. During the Event Warp and until one week after the end of the Event Warp, the stages required for the Ascension or Trace materials used by the limited 5-star character, Light Cone, and any 4-star characters added to the Warp for the first time will become temporarily accessible. Trailblazers who have not unlocked the corresponding stages can enter them through the Interastral Peace Guide during the event.
Some stages such as “Warring Expedition” and “Exploratory Excursion” now support the usage of the Navigation system. Trailblazers can open Navigation during the exploration of instances to view their current location and objectives.
Adjusts Nameless Honor and removed Today’s Missions. This Week’s Missions will get the new “Consume Trailblaze Power” missions. Trailblazers can earn up to 4,900 Nameless EXP through these missions every week. Additionally, This Period’s Missions will have “Pure Fiction” related missions added, and these can be cleared for 1,400 Nameless EXP. Finally, the Nameless EXP for “Forgotten Hall” related missions in This Period’s Missions will now net up to 1,400.
Increases the limit for the number of saved teams in the Team Setup screen, supporting up to 9 teams.
Optimizes the smoothness of the transition frames out of the Real-Time Combat View.
Optimizes the special effects for characters’ standby modes and abilities when characters are riding lifts in the open world.
Adjusts the style of the icon in the upper left corner of the interface in the Forgotten Hall: Memory of Chaos page.
Optimizes how the UI interface is deployed during Ultimate animations. You can call up the UI interface during the Ultimate animation when using buttons aside from ASCII now.
The number of active missions in Interastral Peace Guide — Daily Training will be increased to 8, and its refreshment logic will be optimized.
■ Audio
Optimizes voice quality on PC.
Adds new corresponding sound effects when a character or enemy becomes stunned.
Optimizes English voiceover for Hanya (Harmony: Physical)’s character voice line “First Meeting.”
Optimizes certain English dialogue voice lines when interacting with objects in the “Herta’s Office” map.
Optimizes certain Japanese dialogue voice lines for Huohuo (Abundance: Wind)’s character voice line “Added to Team With Hanya.”
Optimizes certain Japanese dialogue voice lines for NPC Huohuo when she is visiting the Express.
Optimizes certain Japanese dialogue voice lines for the Female Trailblazer during the Trailblaze Continuance “Xianzhou Luofu — A Foxian Tale of the Haunted.”
Optimizes certain Japanese dialogue voice lines for NPCs March 7th and Velite in the Companion Mission “Night of Universal Hallucinations.”
Optimizes certain Korean dialogue voice lines for the NPC Seele in the Trailblaze Mission “Jarilo-VI — Ones Fallen Into the Abyss.”
Optimizes certain Korean dialogue voice lines for NPCs Pela and Serval in the Companion Mission “Farther Than The Snow Plains.”
Optimizes certain Korean dialogue voice lines for NPCs Yanqing and March 7th in the Companion Mission “Frosty Blade’s Trial.”
Optimizes certain Korean dialogue voice lines for the NPCs March 7th, Serval, and Wilder during the Aetherium Wars gameplay.
▌Bug Fixes
■ Characters and Enemies
Fixes the issue where, after Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae (Destruction: Imaginary) uses his Technique or after Hook (Destruction: Fire) uses her Basic ATK or Technique, they are unable to enter battle.
Fixes the issue where, after Seele (The Hunt: Quantum) uses her Ultimate, the enemy’s Quantum Entanglement visual effect has a chance to abnormally not display.
Fixes the issue where, after Welt (Nihility: Imaginary) repeatedly uses his Ultimate, the sound effect will abnormally disappear.
Fixes the issue where, after Fu Xuan (Preservation: Quantum) uses her Skill, some items in the combat scene will display abnormally.
Fixes the issue where Silver Wolf (Nihility: Quantum)’s Ultimate visual effect has a chance to display slight abnormalities.
Fixes the issue where some of Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae (Destruction: Imaginary)’s visual effects will abnormally clip through items in the open world.
Fixes the issue where the visual effect for Sushang (The Hunt: Physical)’s shadow during her Ultimate displays abnormally.
Fixes an issue where buff hints displayed for Seele (The Hunt: Quantum) are abnormal in certain circumstances. This fix will not affect the functionality of the actual ability.
Fixes an issue where Hanya (Harmony: Physical)’s model jitters abnormally when performing idle movements.
Fixes an issue where when Dan Heng (The Hunt: Wind) is the ally adjacent to Huohuo (Abundance: Wind)’s Skill target, his personal Talent will not be triggered.
Fixes an issue where Herta (Erudition: Ice) has a chance of triggering an abnormal follow-up attack in certain circumstances. This fix will not affect the functionality of the actual ability.
Fixes an issue where certain Technique effects do not trigger as per normal when you enter battle using Clara (Destruction: Physical), Hook (Destruction, Fire), or Natasha (Abundance: Physical)’s Technique while no target is selected.
Fixes an issue where Numby’s treasure-seeking hint will abnormally appear when using Topaz & Numby (The Hunt: Fire) to experience certain missions.
Fixes the issue where some characters’ visuals appear abnormally on the Character Details page.
Fixes the issue where, if enemy Cloud Knight Lieutenant: Yanqing is Frozen, his Flying Swords will not display the Frozen special effect.
Fixes the issue where using Huohuo (Abundance: Wind)’s Technique will result in the enemy attacking an abnormal direction in certain circumstances.
■ Combat
Fixes an issue where after Blade (Destruction: Wind) is affected by a Crowd Control debuff, has already stacked his Talent to full stacks, and returns to battle after receiving a killing blow, he would not immediately use his Talent to launch a follow-up attack.
Fixes the issue where the DoT applied by Guinaifen (Nihility: Fire) to enemies cannot obtain the bonus from her Trace “Walking on Knives.”
Fixes the issue where after Argenti (Erudition: Physical) enters the preparation stage to launch his Ultimate, the Ultimate button still visually appears as not having been activated.
Fixes the issue where, in the ability effect description for the Light Cone “In the Name of the World,” the numerical values for Effect Hit Rate boost and ATK boost did not match the actual values boosted. The actual values and the description will match after the fix.
Fixes the issue where, if enemy Warp Trotters and Sequence Trotters are Crowd Controlled by some characters’ Techniques right before they escape, they will not continue to escape after the Crowd Control effects are removed.
Fixes the issue where, if the enemy enters their next phase (or, in the case of enemy Mara-Struck Soldiers, when they restore their HP) while they are Weakness Broken, they will no longer take reduced DMG while their Toughness has not been depleted.
Fixes the issue where using Topaz & Numby (The Hunt: Fire) in the Trotter Catch challenge in the Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster will result in Trotters not actively approaching Numby and will not escape after they have been attacked.
Fixes the issue where using Argenti (Erudition: Physical)’s Technique in the Trotter Catch challenge in the Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster to Crowd Control a Trotter then attack it will result in the animation of the Trotter disappearing not to be displayed.
Fixes the issue where, after dealing Weakness Break for the first time in a battle, DMG number pop-ups will abnormally appear at the bottom of the screen.
Fixes the issue where, after characters have seized Performance Points from IPC Employees, the Performance Point effect does not apply to the characters.
Fixes an issue where some model visual effects are displayed abnormally when Huohuo (Abundance: Wind) is Frozen.
Fixes an issue where enemies and Numby will act in an abnormal order when Numby and the enemy target’s action values are both displayed as 0 in the Action Order under certain circumstances
Fixes an issue where, when the enemies “Entranced Ingenium: Illumination Dragonfish,” “Swarm: True Sting,” “Juvenile Sting,” and “Lesser Sting” trigger their Talents, damage dealt to enemy targets will not be able to dispel their Barriers or trigger specific effects.
■ System
Fixes the issue where the stage’s Team Setup interface will not display trial characters in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where the Achievement “Heh, Cosmic Big Lotto?” can be obtained when Fu Xuan (Preservation: Quantum) has not triggered her Talent’s HP Restore effect 4 times.
Fixes the issue where selecting the Space Anchor teleport tutorial hint interface will cause abnormal errors in the game process in certain circumstances.
Fixes an issue where music for the “Interastral Peace Broadcast” will be played when entering the primary “Forgotten Hall” menu under certain circumstances.
■ Missions
Fixes the issue where the Adventure Mission “Echo of War” cannot be completed by defeating “Echo of War: Divine Seed.”
Fixes the issue where certain missions in the game modes “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” and “Aurum Alley’s Hustle and Bustle” cannot be completed in certain circumstances.
■ Gameplay
Fixes the issue where the description for the Curio Vile Mechanical Satellite #900 is inaccurate. This fix only affects the text and not the Curio’s actual effects.
Fixes the issue where using specific exorcismics in “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” will abnormally change the enemy locked on by a character.
Fixes the issue where Fiendfire has a chance to appear at abnormal locations on the Action Order in “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” when some characters use their Ultimates.
Fixes the issue where some dialogue trigger conditions do not function as expected in “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where entering battle using Kafka (Nihility: Lightning)’s Technique in specific “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” stages will cause some of the Technique’s effects to not be applied.
■ Environment Visuals
Fixes the issue where the shadows for NPCs in the Aurum Alley map are displayed abnormally in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where NPC models abnormally display black patches in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where Trailblazers have a chance of being unable to claim the rewards after defeating enemy Warp Trotters following the V1.5 update, as well as seeing “Warp Trotter 0/1” in the Navigation page. If you have already encountered this issue, please defeat the enemy Warp Trotter again following the V1.6 update to claim the rewards as normal.
Fixes an issue where character models are displayed abnormally for certain characters when they enter the “Roots of the Arbor” map on PC.
■ Audio
Fixes the issue where the sound effect is missing for Huohuo (Abundance: Wind)’s restoration effect when being activated on herself.
Fixes the issue where some idle sound effects for Argenti (Erudition: Physical) and Huohuo (Abundance: Wind) are played abnormally.
Fixes the issue where the sound quality is suboptimal for some of Guinaifen (Nihility: Fire) and Pela (Nihility: Ice)’s combat voice lines in the Character Details page when the chosen voice language is in English.
Fixes the issue where some voice lines are played incorrectly in “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted.”
Fixes the issue where the record Crises cannot be played normally in the Phonograph.
Fixes the issue where some overworld environmental sound effects are missing in the Simulated Universe.
Fixes the issue where the sound effects of entering battle via attacking Physical, Quantum, or Imaginary Weaknesses are missing.
Fixes the issue where some sound effects of entering battle do not disappear as expected in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where the voice line for when characters discover enemy targets in the open world will abnormally play when entering battle.
Fixes the issue where some of NPC Giovanni’s voice lines in the Adventure Mission “Aetherium Wars” are incorrect when the Chinese voice is selected.
Fixes the issue where some of NPC Tail’s voice lines in the Trailblaze Continuance “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” are incorrect when the Chinese voice is selected.
Fixes certain incorrect English dialogue voice lines for the NPC Lynx in the Companion Mission “Farther Than The Snow Plains.”
Fixes certain incorrect English dialogue voice lines for the NPC Hanya during the Trailblaze Continuance “Xianzhou Luofu — A Foxian Tale of the Haunted.”
Fixes certain incorrect Japanese dialogue voice lines for the NPC Antonia in the Trailblaze Mission “Jarilo-VI — Ones Fallen Into the Abyss.”
Fixes certain incorrect Japanese dialogue voice lines for the NPCs Huohuo and Cirrus during the A Foxian Tale of the Haunted gameplay.
Fixes certain incorrect Japanese dialogue voice lines for the NPC March 7th during the Aetherium Wars gameplay.
Fixes certain incorrect Korean dialogue voice lines for the NPC Memory-Arlan in the Companion Mission “Total Recall.”
Optimized the audio effects of some audio files.
■ Others
Fixes the issue where the game may progress abnormally when selecting Notice or viewing details in the Warp page on the PC.
Fixes the issue where, when some Android devices have Compatibility Mode turned on, abnormal colors are displayed during some character’s ability visual effects, some Path Resonance’s visual effects in the Simulated Universe, and some visuals when exploring the open world.
Adjustments, optimizations, and fixes for the in-game text in 13 languages. These changes will not affect the actual in-game effects. Trailblazers can switch language at Phone Screen – Settings – Language Settings, then view corresponding Notices for the details of changes.
Fixes and optimizations in English include the following (they have no impact on the actual in-game effects):
Optimizes the Skill description for Hanya (Harmony: Physical)’s Skill “Samsara, Locked.”
Optimizes certain character stories for the characters Huohuo (Abundance: Wind), Luka (Nihility: Physical), Topaz & Numby (The Hunt: Fire), Guinaifen (Nihility: Fire), Bailu (Abundance: Lightning), Jingliu (Destruction: Ice), and Hanya (Harmony: Physical).
Optimizes certain character voice overs for the characters Luocha (Abundance: Imaginary), Fu Xuan (Preservation: Quantum), Hanya (Harmony: Physical), and Huohuo (Abundance: Wind), and certain combat voice line titles for Kafka (Nihility: Lightning), Luka (Nihility: Physical), Blade (Destruction: Wind), and Huohuo (Abundance: Wind).
Optimizes the hints that appear when the character “Trailblazer” embarks on a new Path.
Optimizes the ability descriptions of the Light Cones “Worrisome, Blissful (The Hunt),” “On the Fall of an Aeon (Destruction),” and “Hey, Over Here (Abundance).”
Optimizes the descriptions related to “Featured character/Featured Light Cones receive a drop-rate boost” in Warp Details.
Optimizes the 4-piece set effect descriptions for Cavern Relic “Thief of Shooting Meteor” and “The Ashblazing Grand Duke.”
Optimizes certain messages and posts in the “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” and “Ghostly Grove” gameplay modes.
Optimizes enemy ability titles and descriptions for “Maddened,” “Piety,” and “Spear & Shield.”
Optimizes the text for instructions of certain events and game modes, readables, Simulated Universe Blessings and Occurrences and options, names and descriptions of items, cutscene dialogue, messages, stage descriptions, Adventure Mission guides, Guest Book details, and certain descriptions in tutorials.
While miHoYo has yet to reveal the complete patch notes, here are some of the stuff players can expect form this update:
▌Light Cone Event Warp: Brilliant Fixation
●During the event, the drop rates of the limited 5-star Light Cone “Past Self in Mirror (Harmony),” the 4-star Light Cones “Planetary Rendezvous (Harmony),” “Day One of My New Life (Preservation),” and “A Secret Vow (Destruction)” will be boosted for a limited time.
■Event Period
After the Version 1.6 update – 2024/01/17 11:59:00(server time)
■Drop Rate Boost: 5-Star Light Cone
Past Self in Mirror (Harmony)
■Drop Rate Boost: 4-Star Light Cones
Planetary Rendezvous (Harmony)
Day One of My New Life (Preservation)
A Secret Vow (Destruction)
▌Light Cone Event Warp: Bygone Reminiscence
●During the event, the drop rates of the limited 5-star Light Cone The Unreachable Side (Destruction), the 4-star Light Cones Planetary Rendezvous (Harmony), Day One of My New Life (Preservation), and A Secret Vow (Destruction) will be boosted for a limited time.
■Event Period
After the Version 1.6 update – 2024/01/17 11:59:00(server time)
■Drop Rate Boost: 5-Star Light Cone
The Unreachable Side (Destruction)
■Drop Rate Boost: 4-Star Light Cones
Planetary Rendezvous (Harmony)
Day One of My New Life (Preservation)
A Secret Vow (Destruction)
※ Among the above Light Cones, the limited Light Cone will not become available in the Stellar Warp event.
※ During the event, the limited 5-star Light Cone “Past Self in Mirror (Harmony)” can only be obtained from Light Cone Event Warp: Brilliant Fixation while the limited 5-star Light Cone “The Unreachable Side (Destruction)” can only be obtained from Light Cone Event Warp: Bygone Reminiscence.
※ This event is considered a Light Cone Event Warp. The cumulative Warp count for a guaranteed 5-star Light Cone in any Light Cone Event Warp will always be carried over to other Light Cone Event Warps, but is independent of and unaffected by other types of Warps.
※ For more details, please head to the Warp screen.
Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears — Experience new Simulated Universe gameplay
Herta, Ruan Mei, Screwllum, and Stephen have joined forces to bring about the Simulated Universe’s second major update! They’re not only bringing in brand-new Blessings, Curios, and Random Occurrences, but also have all-new Adventure Occurrences.
Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears is about to become available for testing!
▌Availability
Permanently available after Version 1.6 update
▌How to Join
Clear Simulated Universe: World 5
▌First-Time Clearance Reward
▌”Test” and “Conundrum” Rewards
▌Unlock rewards through “Secrets”
▌How to Play
●Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears has updated Blessings, Curios, random Occurrences, and brand-new Path Resonances.
●Custom Dice: The updated version now allows for free assembly and customization of its dice faces. Collect dice faces with various abilities and strategically combine these varied Custom Dice to get more Blessings and Curios.
●Resonance Extrapolation: In the boss fight in the deepest level of the Third Plane, the overflowing Path energy from Erudition will interfere with the Simulated Universe system and extrapolate Path Resonances for different Paths, thereby presenting new challenges for the team.
● Collect “Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears” Secrets to earn collection rewards. Complete “Tests” and “Conundrums” to earn challenge rewards. Clear each difficulty for the first time to earn the first-time clearance rewards.
▌Things to Note
●Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears has 5 difficulties in total, and you can select the difficulty for more advanced challenges after clearing the fifth difficulty. Trailblazers can challenge these stages based on their preferences for difficulty and challenge.
●When challenging Difficulty II or above for Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears, if you haven’t obtained initial clearance rewards from difficulties lower than the current selection, they will be instantly granted at once upon clearing the current difficulty.
●Collect all the Secrets in Gold and Gears and complete the Adventure Mission “Gold and Gears: Finale” to unlock the brand-new Path of Erudition inside the Simulated Universe.
Delectable little critters zapping all over the space station? Is this a dream? These little cuties are happily bounding around all over the place and now the responsibility of looking after them has fallen on your shoulders.
▌Limited-Time Event Period
After the Version 1.6 update —2024/02/05 03:59:00(server time)
※ After the limited-time event concludes, Critter Pick will be moved to Conventional Memoir, where Trailblazers can continue to experience its gameplay.
▌Participation Requirement
Complete the Trailblaze Continuance “The Blue — When the Stars of Ingenuity Shine”
▌Event Rewards
■ Limited-Time Rewards
■ Regular Rewards
▌Event Details
●During the Critter Pick event, Trailblazers can customize and cultivate their own creations.
●Genetic mutations may occur during the nurturing, resulting in new creation traits or rare creations.
●Complete Adventure Mission “Critter Pick” and explore the “Seclusion Zone” for a chance to obtain Base Traits for creations.
■ Regular Rewards
●You can raise your Research Level by obtaining new creation traits and cultivating rare creations.
●You can raise your Research Level to earn corresponding rewards.
■ Limited-Time Rewards
●During the event period, hit designated nurture targets to earn corresponding rewards.
▌Event Notice
●After the Critter Pick Limited-Time Event has concluded, Trailblazers will no longer be able to obtain the limited-time event rewards. However, the “Lifeform Oven” in the Seclusion Zone map will still be available and offer its regular rewards.
Developer Cognosphere has taken the Honkai Star Rail servers down this December 26 (December 27 for those outside the US), and this is to bring patch 1.6 “Crown of the Mundane and Divine.” Players can expect a download to kick off while the game’s unavailable for play, with the schedule listed below.
Honkai Star Rail Down for Server Maintenance This December 26:
The Crew is set to run version update and maintenance soon. The game will be updated to Version 1.6 “Crown of the Mundane and Divine” upon maintenance completion.
During the maintenance, Trailblazers will not be able to log in to the game. Please note the maintenance schedule and plan your gaming time accordingly. The game client must be updated after the maintenance. Due to the large size of the new game resources, we recommended Trailblazers to use a Wi-Fi connection to download the update.
▌Update Time
Begins at 2023/12/27 06:00:00(UTC+8). The update will take approximately 5 hours. – 2 pm PT/5 pm ET/6 am HKT
▌How to Update
After maintenance for the version update begins, Trailblazers can follow the in-game instructions to update.
● PC: Close the game, restart the launcher, then click “Update”
● Android: Enter the game and follow the instructions in the in-game pop-up window to complete the update
● iOS: Enter the App Store and tap “Update”
▌Compensation Details
■ Server Maintenance Compensation
Compensation: Stellar Jade ×300
Eligible Recipients: Trailblazers at Trailblaze Level ≥ 4 before 2023/12/27 06:00:00(UTC+8)
※ The Express Crew will issue the compensation via in-game mail to Trailblazers within 5 hours after the update is complete. Please be sure to claim it before Version 1.6 ends.
※ Version 1.6 will end at 2024/02/06 06:00:00(UTC+8)
※ Attention: If Trailblazers still have incomplete Simulate Universe expeditions in progress before the update, the current exploration progress will be terminated, and their Simulated Universe points will not be recorded after the Version 1.6 update.
Device: Snapdragon 835, Dimensity 720, Kirin 810, or better.
RAM: 4 GB or more
System: Android 8 or higher
●iOS:
Device specifications: iPhone 8 Plus or later models. iPad with A10 processor or higher
System: iOS 11.0 or higher
While the pre-load for the patch is available on mobile and PC hours ago, console players should be getting it just now. If there are any changes to the maintenance, we’ll update the article.
For those playing The Finals using a controller, how are you liking the game’s aim assist so far? Just right? Too sticky to the target? Regardless of your preference, this The Finals aim assist explanation will offer more clarity on how it works
Courtesy of Reddit user thwoc, check out the video below to see an in-depth explanation of how the game’s aim snapping manages to be a tad too generous, as well as how it doesn’t seem to factor in distance as well, which can lead to some frustrating deaths, I presume.
In the same video, its explained how there is recoil smoothing in The Finals (which, in conjunction with aim snapping and rotational aim assist means there is super minimal recoil present if you or a target is strafing. For those unaware, recoil smoothing is a mechanic in shooters where vertical recoil is removed if your aim is moving horizontally above a certain threshold. Again, all these claims are backed with video evidence.
Of course, this isn’t a cut-and-dry situation (balancing in games rarely is), so there is a reason Embark Studios chose to do this for the game. I mean, it’s not like the devs are new to the whole online multiplayer shooter party, as quite a fair few number of the devs at the studio came from DICE, which is the studio behind the Battlefield franchise.
For those playing The Finals, what are your thoughts on aim assist in the game? Just right or does it need adjustments?
A Rift in Time is the first major content expansion to one of the coziest life simulators of recent years. With the strength of a few cartoon characters that marked the infancy for many of us, Disney Dreamlight Valley convinced a crowd and deservingly so, despite some issues with monetization and glitches. For this new era, players can expect to discover a new island with different biomes and a handful of familiar faces, but the drawback is that this release messes up its heartwarming intentions with a few bugs that are impossible to ignore, resulting in an underwhelming expansion.
Jafar Enters the Valley
New players wanting to start exploring this expansion have to complete some Disney Dreamlight Valley quests until they reach the castle. A couple of hours should suffice, but if you decide to go directly to A Rift in Time right after that, you’re going to stumble upon the age-old barrier of reduced inventory space. Juggling quests from various areas simultaneously results in frustrating item management, something that your excessively small house storage won’t help much with. All this to say that new players should put some progress into the base campaign to unlock more inventory space and house upgrades, and subsequently have less worries while advancing on the expansion.
Eternity Isle is the new location to explore, of reasonable size but only three different biomes, and with a brand new story to unravel. The new characters include Jafar, EVE, Gaston, and Rapunzel, but you can naturally see other familiar faces around the new place such as Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Scrooge McDuck. For the rest, there’s a new tool to use and an interesting board game to play against other villagers, and on the surface, it seems inviting for players who fell in love with the relaxing nature of Disney Dreamlight Valley, mainly home customization possibilities.
That’s not to say that the entire game is relaxing, and it does rely a bit too much on a loop focused on resource grind. The same applies to A Rift in Time, as you set out to clear the land by removing splinters of fate, decorate your new home, help Goofy set up a stall, a store for Scrooge McDuck, and even a Chez Remy, but these are in fact clones of the ones available on Dreamlight Valley, ultimately working as some sort of portal. There are tons of new Mist Duties to shoot for, but also quests erring on the tiresome side, such as mining copper and digging pearls, but the main offender may be the one asking you to fish for significant amounts of plastic trash, effectively boring you until the quest is complete.
Scrambling For Coin
One of the new additions is the board game Scramblecoin, somewhat similar to chess where you use different pieces based on Disney characters to collect coins. You can play this game with every villager and earn friendship points, but this also allows you to unlock new pieces of other characters. Pieces have distinct movement patterns and entry points, sometimes even a perk, so you have to consider the location of the coins – more will spawn after every turn – and try to collect more than your opponent. There’s some tactical depth to the game and it encourages you to play frequently with the villagers, being a welcome highlight as you shoot to collect all the pieces.
The new Royal Hourglass tool is going to be a source of fun or frustration, eventually both, as you’ll find out soon enough. You can use it to discover relics from ancient times, but the way it works is as a simple compass, pointing you in the direction of treasure. It will be used in various quests but also as a regular tool for frequent loot finding, with treasure reappearing in every location after a few minutes of waiting. This is a good choice as a way to earn Mist in nice amounts, if you can endure the task of running everywhere to find it. Furthermore, you will need the most Mist you can get to unlock new areas.
However, this is where A Rift in Time decided to sneak in a game-breaking bug preventing me to progress in the adventure. A quest asking to collect ancient plates was infinitely stuck at two out of three, after various hours of trying, even returning in different real-life days, and in no way I was able to find the remaining piece. Running around for hours, collecting countless amounts of Mist and resources, but no quest part. As frustration settled in, a quick search revealed that more players stumbled upon this bug, which seems to randomly strike and there’s no noticeable workaround or patch. So, while current impressions for this expansion were positive, this bug completely broke the potential of the game and got me dissatisfied.
A Glitch in Time
Even without considering the progress-halting bug which you may be lucky enough to avoid, A Rift in Time seems to carry a hefty price tag for what it offers in comparison to the base game. The gameplay is very much the same, a cozy but grindy gameplay loop, customization remains enjoyable and possibly the main factor to keep you grinding, and Scramblecoin is an interesting diversion that could get your tactical juices flowing. Fans will appreciate the additional content and disregard the tiresome quests and occasional minor bugs, but when some of them are capable of stopping your progress entirely, it’s hard to say what Jafar truly is up to in this adventure.
A new Overwatch 2item shop rotation for December 26, 2023 is live now, with a fresh selection of store bundles on sale plus individual cosmetics, emotes, and more. Players need the requisite amount of Overwatch Coins in order to make purchases in the item shop.
Don’t forget: a 100 Overwatch Coins convert to $1 USD, so 1,000 Overwatch Coins equate to $10 and so on.
New Overwatch 2 Item Shop Rotation for December 26, 2023:
Featured:
Sweater Weather Mega Bundle (3100 OC)
“Jingle Belle” Mercy Legendary Skin
“Ugly Sweater” Winston Epic Skin
Homemade Cookies – Epic Highlight Intro
Jingle Belle – Rare Player Icon
Reindeer Headband – Common Spray
Jingle Belle – Rare Name Card
Ugly Sweater – Rare Name Card
Hot Chocolate – Epic Weapon Charm
Ice Monkey – Epic Weapon Charm
Lounging – Rare Victory Pose
Jingle Belle Mercy Bundle (2500 OC)
“Jingle Belle” Mercy Legendary Skin
Homemade Cookies – Epic Highlight Intro
Jingle Belle – Rare Player Icon
Reindeer Headband – Common Spray
Jingle Belle – Rare Name Card
Hot Chocolate – Epic Weapon Charm
Ugly Sweater Winston Bundle (1200 OC)
“Ugly Sweater” Winston Epic Skin
Lounging – Rare Victory Pose
Ice Monkey – Epic Weapon Charm
Ugly Sweater – Rare Name Card
Ugly Sweater Soldier: 76 Bundle (1100 OC)
Ugly Sweater: 76 – Soldier: 76 Epic Skin
Ugly Sweater – Rare Player Icon
Ugly Sweater – Common Spray
Hard Light Weapons Mega Bundle (2900 OC)
Hard Light – Reinhardt Legendary Weapon Skin
Hard Light – Mercy Legendary Weapon Skin
Hard Light – Reaper Legendary Weapon Skin
Hard Light – Reinhardt Legendary Weapon Skin (1200 OC)
Hard Light – Mercy Legendary Weapon Skin (1200 OC)
Hard Light – Reaper Legendary Weapon Skin (1200 OC)
Winter Fair Bundle (3000 OC)
Formalwear – Tracer Legendary Skin
Ostentatious Oxton – Common Spray
Golden Invitation – Rare Name Card
Shrug – Rare Victory Pose
Formalwear Tracer – Rare Player Icon
575 Event Tickets – Common (Others)
Remix Vol. 1 Bundle (1500 OC)
Remix Vol. 2 Bundle (1500 OC)
Remix Vol. 3 Bundle (1500 OC)
Biathlon Bundle (1300 OC)
Biathlon – Widowmaker Legendary Skin
Skiing – Common Spray
Biathlon – Rare Player Icon
Exquisite – Common Voice Line
That’s all for this week’s Overwatch 2 store refresh! In case you were unaware, Blizzard announced earlier that each new major in-game event will feature a free skin which players can earn through playing, just like the first Overwatch.
Players trying to log into Riot Games’ League of Legends may be noticing issues, as reports of League of Legends servers being down have begun flooding in this December 26!
League of Legends Down With Login Failures Updates for Dec. 26:
Riot Games has yet to acknowledge the ongoing issues with League of Legends, but plenty of reports have begun cropping up on Down Detector in the last hour, suggesting that the game’s servers are having issues.
As always, we’ll monitor the situation, and should Riot Games release any statement on the server issues, we’ll be sure to keep you all updated via this article, so refresh it from time to time.
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.
It’s a new Tuesday, bringing yet another store refresh for Fallout players. That’s right, the items for sale in Fallout 76’sAtomic Shop have been updated!
As usual, MP1st is here with the new Fallout 76 Atomic Shop weekly update today, December 26’s list of items for sale. Check out this week’s best Atomic Shop items and bundles below.
New Fallout 76 Atomic Shop Weekly Update for December 26:
Notable Items This Week:
Stepping Out NYE Bundle – 1500
Mysterious Skellscream Bundle – 2000
Jumping Photomode Bundle – 600
Light Em Up Weapon Bundle – 1800
Life Above Ground Bundle – 1200
Bundle: Comin’ to Town – 910
Abandoned Mine Bundle – 1050
Mad Scientist Bundle – 840
Pose Bundle – 630
Vault-Tec Holiday Village Bundle – 1200
Sam Nguyen Bundle – 1800
Under The Tree Bundle – 840
Vault-Tec Duffel – Free
Nuka-Cola Twist x1 – Free
Mothman Frame – 125
What is the Fallout 76 Atomic Shop?
The Atomic Shop is an in-game store in Fallout 76 offering cosmetics, C.A.M.P. objects and more in exchange for a special currency called Atoms. Most purchases are unlocked account-wide, and may be accessed by any character on the account.
Some objects require an in-game plan to be learned in order to gain access, while other items are only unlocked for a single, specified character. All exclusive items are character-bound, and cannot be dropped or traded with other players. The Atomic Shop is accessible at any time from the main menu, as well as the pause screen after leaving Vault 76 for the first time.
That’s it for this week’s refresh. Is there anything in particular that interests you?
If not, there’s always next week, which we’ll have covered, so be sure to check again next Tuesday!
As Xur departs from Destiny until next Friday, a new set of weekly activities and Eververse offerings have rushed in to keep players busy. The new Destiny 2 weekly reset December 26, 2023 refresh of activities is now live, fully detailed below along with the new Eververse inventory.
Shielded Foes: You will face combatants with [Arc] Arc, [Solar] Solar, and [Void] Void shields.
Hero Modifiers: Extra Shields Maximum Effective Level 1765
Champion Foes: You will face [Disruption] Overload and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.
Arc Threat: 25% increase to incoming Arc damage.
Epitaph: Taken combatants generate blight geysers when defeated.
Overcharged Weapons: Weapon overcharges from the Seasonal Artifact are active in this activity. Kinetic weapons do increased damage when your subclass element matches an active surge.
Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.
Overcharged Rocket Launcher: 25% bonus to Rocket Launcher damage.
Galvanized: Combatants have more health and are more difficult to stun.
Nightfall: Legend
All previous modifiers
Legend Modifiers: Locked Loadout Extra Shields Maximum Effective Level 1815
Equipment Locked: You will not be able to change your equipment after this activity starts.
Nightfall: Master
All previous modifiers
Master Modifiers: Extra Champions Locked Loadout Extra Shields Maximum Effective Level 1820
Togetherness: Base health regen is reduced. If near another player, health regen is increased.
Nightfall: Grandmaster
All previous modifiers
Grandmaster Modifiers: Extinguish Limited Revives Contest Join In Progress Disabled Extra Champions Locked Loadout Extra Shields Maximum Effective Level 1815
Extinguish: If your fireteam falls in a Restricted Zone, everyone is returned to orbit.
Limited Revives: Limited fireteam revives. Gain additional revives by defeating Champions.
Stop the Darkness relay from activating and creating a link between the Witness and the Veil.
Partition: Backdoor
Break into a Vex Mind’s stronghold and defeat it.
Vex Incursion Zone: Zephyr Concourse
The Vex are testing CloudArk defenses in this region. Reality fractures as the VexNet bleeds through into Neomuna.
Legacy Activities
Savathûn’s Throne World
Campaign Mission: The Arrival: Track Savathûn on Mars, where temporal abnormalities scar the planet’s surface and the Cabal seek to claim new territory.
Europa
Eclipsed Zone: Eventide Ruins
Empire Hunt: The Dark Priestess: Hero: Defeat the new leader of the Fallen, Kridis, the Dark Priestess.
Exo Challenge: Simulation: Survival: Simulated Skill-Set Training: Survive the harsh weather as you take down the Vex.
Moon:
Campaign Mission: Beyond
Wandering Nightmare: Nightmare of Horkis, Fear of Mithrax (Anchor of Light)
Trove Guardian is in Archer’s Line
Dreaming City: Weak Curse
Petra is at The Strand.
Weekly Mission: Broken Courier – Respond to a distress call in the Strand.
Ascendant Challenge: Forfeit Shrine, Gardens of Esila
Blind Well: Scorn, Plagues: Sikariis & Varkuuriis
Miscellaneous
Ada-1’s Wares
Name
Description
Cost
Cinderchar
Equip this shader to change the color of your gear.
10000 Glimmer
Tangled Bronze
Apply this shader to change the color of your gear.
10000 Glimmer
War Cult Rain
Apply this shader to change the color of your gear.
10000 Glimmer
Upgrade Module
A collection of universal components that can be used to infuse power between gear items. Can be purchased from the Gunsmith or acquired from special reward sources.
Modifications for your ship’s transmat systems, so you’ll always arrive in style.
Transmat Effect
450 Bright Dust
Weekly Bounties
Eva Levante, Charming Old Lady
Name
Description
Cost
Requirement
Reward
The Spirit of Giving
Deliver holiday treats to recipients all over the system.
1000 Glimmer
5 Gifts delivered
XP++ & Bright Dust & Random Ingredient & 30 Essence of Dawning & 40 Essence of Dawning & 10 Dawning Spirit
Snowball Fight
Defeat combatants with snowballs. Snowballs spawn when combatants are defeated with abilities or Dawning weapons.
1000 Glimmer
50 Targets
XP++ & Bright Dust & Random Ingredient & 30 Essence of Dawning & 40 Essence of Dawning & 10 Dawning Spirit
Petra Venj, The Dreaming City
Name
Description
Cost
Requirement
Reward
Ascendant Challenge
“The Awoken have long practiced the art of walking between worlds.” —Techeun Kalli
1500 Glimmer
1 Ascendant challenge completed
XP++ & Dark Fragment & Legendary Gear
Gateway Between Worlds
“The Blind Well can split wide the veins that run between realities.” —Techeun Sedia
40 Dark Fragment
10 Activity completions
XP++ & Offering to the Oracle
Eris Morn, Moon
Name
Description
Cost
Requirement
Reward
Slow-Wave Disruption
Complete waves of Altars of Sorrow in Sorrow’s Harbor.
1000 Glimmer
7 Waves completed
Hymn of Desecration
Lunar Spelunker
Loot chests in 3 of the Moon’s Lost Sectors.
1000 Glimmer
1 K1 Communion Lost Sector looted & 1 K1 Logistics Lost Sector looted & 1 K1 Crew Quarters Lost Sector looted
1 Firewall Data Fragment
Lectern of Enchantment, Moon
Name
Description
Cost
Requirement
Reward
Nightmare Hunter
Defeat Nightmares in Nightmare Hunts.
5 Phantasmal Fragment
100 Nightmares
XP++ & 1 Phantasmal Core
Nightmare Sojourner
Defeat Nightmares in Lost Sectors across the solar system. Nightmares defeated on the Moon only grant reduced progress.
5 Phantasmal Fragment
100 Nightmares
XP++ & 1 Phantasmal Core
Variks, Europa
Name
Description
Cost
Requirement
Reward
Courageous Expedition
On Europa, complete Lost Sectors, public events, and patrols.
1000 Glimmer
15 Progress
XP++
Divine Intervention
During the Empire Hunt “The Dark Priestess,” defeat Kridis and earn points by defeating combatants with precision final blows. Higher difficulties grant more efficient progress.
1000 Glimmer
50 [Headshot] Precision & 1 Kridis defeated
XP++
Shaw Han, Cosmodrome
Name
Description
Cost
Requirement
Reward
Public Disturbance
Complete public events on the Cosmodrome. Heroic public events grant the most efficient progress.
1000 Glimmer
3 Public events
XP++ & Glimmer
Full Spectrum
Defeat combatants on the Cosmodrome with Arc, Void, and Solar damage.
1000 Glimmer
25 [Arc] Arc & 25 [Void] Void & 25 [Solar] Solar
XP++ & Glimmer
Starhorse, Eternity
Name
Description
Cost
Requirement
Reward
Bring the Overkill
Complete the following objectives in a single run of Dares of Eternity. Objectives will reset if not completed when the activity ends. Defeat combatants with your Super, disintegrate combatants with high-damage elemental final blows, and complete the activity with an impressive score.
Complete the following objectives in a single run of Dares of Eternity. Objectives will reset if not completed when the activity ends. Defeat combatants with grenade abilities or Grenade Launchers, rapidly defeat combatants, and complete the activity with an impressive score.
Complete the following objectives in a single run of Dares of Eternity on Legend difficulty. Objectives will reset if not completed when the activity ends. Defeat combatants using a Void, Arc, or Solar weapon that matches your currently equipped subclass; defeat combatants with any Power weapon; and complete the activity with an incredible score.
In the Vex Incursion Zone, defeat combatants using Strand to obtain Shellcode Fragments. Open a Terminal Overload Key Chest to obtain a Polymorphic Engine.
1000 Glimmer
8 Shellcode Fragments & 1 Polymorphic Engine
XP++ & Polymorphic Shellcode
Seasonal Challenges
Name
Description
Objectives
Rewards
Wishseeker V
Complete Week 5 of “Wishing All the Best.”
1
Challenger XP+
Dreamcrusher
Defeat bosses and minibosses in Riven’s Lair or The Coil.
25 Bosses
Challenger XP+
Dragon’s Defender IV
Defeat targets with Hand Cannons or Submachine Guns. Gain additional progress from Guardian final blows and final blows within Riven’s Lair or The Coil.
125 [Hand Cannon] or [SMG] final blows
Challenger XP+
Neptune Activities
In Neomuna, complete bounties, patrols, public events, and Lost Sectors.
36 Progress
Challenger XP++ & Bright Dust
Commendation Appreciation
Earn progress for giving commendations in Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit activities.
5 Progress
Challenger XP & Bright Dust
Potent Projectiles
Defeat Guardians in Crucible or Gambit with Bows, Hand Cannons, Pulse Rifles, Auto Rifles, or Rocket Launchers. Earn bonus progress for Rocket Launcher final blows.
25 Guardians
Challenger XP & Bright Dust
Boss Battle
Defeat bosses in strikes or Vanguard playlists. Bonus progress is granted for defeating bosses on Hero difficulty or higher.
20 Bosses
Challenger XP+++ & Bright Dust
Notable Armor Rolls
Only notable rolls (stat total >= 59 or single stat >= 26) are listed here.
A new set of weekly missions and store items has now arrived in Battlefield! Our Battlefield 2042 Season 6 Week 12 weekly missions, store bundles, and Portal Modes post details the new missions, modes, and store items for this week below.
Here’s a Christmas surprise I’m sure Front Mission fans weren’t expecting, as Forever Entertainment has announced Front Mission 1st: Remake Mercenaries update, a free expansion arriving sometime next year.
Front Mission 1st: Remake Mercenaries Update Trailer
Details of the update:
New Single-Player Scenarios – An exciting array of fresh single-player scenarios is coming with the update, each carefully crafted to provide a diverse range of challenges and engaging narratives. These new missions bring a captivating solo gaming experience while also expanding gameplay with new types of terrain tiles.
Local Multiplayer Hot-Seat Mode – Jump into action with local multiplayer mode featuring hot-seat functionality! Challenge your friends to a skirmish and prove your tactical superiority on brand-new maps.
New Mercenaries and a Commander Character – Meet a whole new character roster, including the commander a character, whose role is to introduce you to the new update and assemble the best possible team of mercenaries.
That’s one beefy, and unexpected content update!
Front Mission 1st: Remake is now available across all major platforms. Front Mission 2 Remake is also available, though currently only for the Nintendo Switch. It’s expected to arrive on other platforms in the near future, with the third game also being remade.
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.
Cross Blitz is a deckbuilder RPG with pixel art aesthetics and a couple of game modes bound to keep you collecting and battling for several days. A rich and engaging story-driven experience that unveils layer after layer of complexity beyond its deceiving simplicity, it eases you in with its indubitably charming looks only to throw you into a challenge that is aimed at the most skilled players of the genre. It’s Hearthstone but with deceivingly colorful characters, featuring showdowns between prima donna popstars, good-willing pirates, and other heroes that we’re yet to experience, but the start of the adventure seems to be on the road to stardom… or buried treasure.
Board Games
The narrative supporting Cross Blitz’s Fables story mode places you in control of your chosen hero, as they explore a board across various screens, adding a layer of fun to the trademark card battles, each area having a few events for the player to uncover. From lore-advancing dialogues to finding chests, meeting useful characters, and stumbling upon the inevitable battles, this is a fairly simple touch that yet manages to avoid the monotony of the traditional card game template, disproportionately fixated on combat after combat with little opportunity to diversify.
Sadly, the board doesn’t allow for complete freedom of exploration, with roads only opening after completing a preestablished set of goals – picking up a chest forces you through a battle, or reaching a helpful NPC may require a scuffle as well. Still, it’s better to have two or three choices here and there than being pushed down a linear path, and this also provides plenty of opportunities to grow your hero and return to an earlier battle that kept giving you trouble.
Starting with a very limited deck, your adventures will offer other means of progression, obviously including the acquisition of new cards. Chests may reward you with resources, which in turn will be used in the Mana Forge, the place where you can meld new cards. Card shops are other interesting visitation spots, with the money gained from winning battles used to purchase new cards.
Each usable deck is limited to 30 cards, unit or spells, no more, no less. There’s a deck editor for you to pick the type and amount of cards which you desire to take into battle, so long as you have them available, and this requires careful consideration as the usual factors are right there in front of you: mana cost to play a card, health points, and damage. Creating different decks and saving them is a way to spare some additional trouble as you manage cards accordingly to the various enemy types, namely the chapter boss.
Your strengths are bolstered with the inclusion of relics, four of them at a time, one slot being exclusively for a single elder relic. These buffs are not to be disregarded, things such as extra health or making opponent spells cost one additional mana being potential game changers that help create very different builds, so don’t forget to take the occasional trip to the Relic Shop.
Winning battles also rewards you with points to level up your grid, a skill tree of sorts that unlocks new cards, extra health, and an ultimate ability at the end of each track. With the liberty to select from any of the four paths, there’s the option to reset everything and reuse the points if you’re not satisfied with your previous decisions.
Popstar Synergies
The other game mode is called Tusk Tales, a roguelike spin with randomized runs and a series of nodes providing various options and events. From campfires where you can pick an outcome to convincing mercenary companions to join for the ride, the ultimate goal is to reach and beat the boss. This time we don’t have the hex board, but we are placed in an equally interesting map with routes to pick before we reach the main event of this mode. Restarting a run with different cards and mercenaries increases the probabilities and makes for a great way to discover and experiment in the game, serving as a demanding experience that should be tackled only after the learning hours of the smoother story-driven Fables are behind you.
Cross Blitz plays a mean game of cards, but it’s not about novelties or anything that truly breaks the norm. As mentioned before, it’s Hearthstone and other collector card games in a nutshell, fantasy style traded by cute pixel art with decks that are themed around each hero, and currently offering more than 200 cards across all options. The possibilities are vast, combinations between cards making the difference between good and average players, a learning process that isn’t immediate but that is infinitely rewarding.
Consequently, Cross Blitz isn’t easy, with narrative-driven adventures where bosses may grind your gears and require strategic changes to find the sweet spot. Persistence is key, and making sure that no past event or achievement is left behind is a small step to reach success.
Currently there isn’t a PvP option to be found, but this seems to be planned for the official launch via a Colosseum mode. It would be a shame if all the potential of the game was to ignore the fun and unpredictability of player versus player battles, a much distinct approach that, no matter how enjoyable a solo mode can be, delivers on a completely different set of challenges and emotions.
Cross Blitz is already looking to be a positive entry in the deckbuilder genre, with a pleasing story-driven focus and a couple of twists to give players room to breathe and to think strategically between battles. Maybe there’s some balancing to do here and there, mainly upon the brutal bosses, but mileage may vary according to each player. The cute aesthetic is enjoyable and the cards are easy to read and understand, making for a potentially winning combination that could pull a player or two from the firm grip of Blizzard’s Hearthstone.
MP1st was given access to a preview build of Cross Blitz for our hands-on session. Cross Blitz is currently in Early Access on Steam since November 29, 2023.
Those looking to play Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, you better prepare for it for a long haul, as the Infinite Wealth length will roughly take 72 to 96 hours to complete and that’s just the main story alone with no side quests even factored in.
This was revealed by RGG Studio Director Masayoshi Yokoyama in an interview where the developer mentioned that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s length will take players 3-4 days “without sleep” for the main story.
Yokoyama: If you wanted to clear only the main story of Infinite Wealth, it would take about 3-4 days without sleep. That means no sleep, no detours, and almost no side stories, so please enjoy the game bit by bit, without losing any sleep.
While the game hasn’t been released yet, it seems poised to be the first commercial blockbuster of 2024, as Yokoyama also revealed that the upcoming RPG has already shattered pre-order records for the franchise.
──By the way, how has Infinite Wealth been doing in terms of pre-orders?
Yokoyama: Quite well – I think we might break a record in terms of pre-orders.
While there are no numbers released for it, the Yakuza franchise has been one of SEGA’s top moneymakers, so this is definitely good news for the company.
The latest game in the franchise, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, was released this November, and while it’s way shorter than Infinite Wealth, it’s still a solid experience. Go read our review here where our reviewer states, “This story may take you less than 15 hours to conclude, or double those numbers if you take your time to check every activity, every distraction. In the end, seeing where the adventure will lead us, to a place capable of making the toughest of men break down in tears, veteran or newcomer to the series, makes this journey alongside a dead man entirely worthwhile.”
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is set to be released this January 26, 2024 on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
It seems DICE has added a Battlefield 2042 “Plushie” Easter egg just in time for the holidays! As one might expect, this one involves the little stuffed toys! Yes, those little dolls that were the craze back then.
There are four plushies in total that can be spotted in various parts of the Redacted map, though only one can be found by a player per match, and their spawn points change. However, the good news is, players can start a private match!
From what we know so far, each plushie has 10 spots they can spawn at in each time you load a match. Players can technically start a private match, get the plushie, then restart it until they complete it. What do players get for their hard work? There are four weapon charms to earn and cool player card, which you can see below.
Battlefield 2042 Plushie Easter Egg Rewards:
For Battlefield veterans, you’ll notice that each plushie corresponds to a specific Battlefield game. The T-Rex (Dusty the Dino) is connected to Battlefield 3, Franky the Shark is from Battlefield V (or the megalodon from Battlefield 4), Chopper the Crab is from Battlefield 3, and Poco the Penguin is from Battlefield 2042.
Battlefield YouTuber DANNYonPC shared in-game images of each creature in Battlefield games for reference:
The dinosaur one is from various Battlefield games, as DICE kept teasing it though we didn’t exactly get a mode or something that featured it. Speaking of which, you can check out more of the dinosaur’s appearance in Battlefield games right here in this video.
If you want a more detailed look at each one, go check out this video from DANNYonPC where you’ll see some of the plushie hiding spots:
No word on how long these BF2042 plushie Easter egg will remain in-game, so best to get cracking at them while you still can.
Those looking forward to new content for Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising, you’ll be getting that with the start of 2024 and beyond! Publisher XSeed has announced the first wave of Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising DLC characters as well as the game’s official roadmap!
Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising DLC Characters and Roadmap:
Shown as part of the Granblue showcase, Arc System Works has marked the dates January 16, “late February” and until October, as when players can expect new content.
As you can see, Lucilius will be available on January 16, with 2B out in late February, Vane in April and Beatrix set for release in May. It seems the developers have more planned for August and October, but will be ready to share the info at a later date.
Alongside the new fighters, players can expect a new stage, new in-game features and an online lobby update to be available in the first two months of 2024, while a new game mode (Grand Bruise), new online lobby minigame, a new bonus story, and another new game mode is set to be released within April up to October 2024.
Check out the trailers featuring Lucilius and 2B below.
Alongside the Fantasy Versus news, Cygames has also announced that Granblue Fantasy Relink will have a demo available in January 2024 on the PS4 and PS5!
While Fantasy Relink has no release date yet, we did manage to get some hands-on time with it, which you can read about here.
As for Granblue Fantasy Versus, it’s out now, and you can read our review of it here, where we state,
“Rising is a perfect entry point to the series for those who are new and especially those excited about the upcoming action RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink. There is even a free version of the game with rotating characters that is releasing alongside the game, so feel free to give that a try before purchasing the full version of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising.”
Once we know more about the DLC and exact date of the demo, we’ll let our readers know.
It is without a doubt that this year has been one of the best years in gaming in a long time. The ridiculous number of high quality triple AAA releases has been dominating compared to previous years. While many of us are still deep in one of the many 100+ hour RPG’s released this year, looking forward shows that we may not be catching a break anytime soon. In terms of what has been announced, there is already a plethora of amazing games that are slated to release in 2024. This isn’t even considering games that have yet to be announced or have no official release windows either.
These are some the biggest upcoming games to look forward to in 2024 in no particular order.
Tekken 8
Fans of the fighting game genre have had plenty to keep them occupied recently. Mortal Kombat 1 and Street Fighter VI have both released and are enjoying their time in the spotlight. Tekken 8 was originally supposed to be among that line-up, but unfortunately had to be delayed into 2024. It surely would have made for a crazy year with three of the biggest fighting franchises all duking it out to see who would come out on top in one year. This may be a better alternative though, as it gives Tekken the time it deserves in the spotlight after the hype has died down for the others. You can play quite soon too. It releases on January 26th, 2024. All that really matters though? You can still play as the Panda, Kuma.
Stellar Blade
While 2023 was a great year for gaming in general. Sony has been generally quiet compared to previous years. Most of the games they had announced had either silently been delayed or given the radio silence treatment. Stellar blade, previously known as Project Eve, was originally announced to be coming in 2023, but will be coming sometime in 2024 instead. Coming from developer Shift Up, Stellar Blade is a third-person action adventure game set in a brand new universe. Players can expect stylish Devil May Cry-esque combat along with an interesting story that tasks you with saving humanity from extinction. This game will require more than just mindless button mashing, as it boasts a difficult and rewarding level of challenge along with some incredibly memorable bossfights.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a large open world RPG being developed by Capcom. It has been more than a decade since the original Dragon’s Dogma released in 2012, so the improvements and enhancements are immediately noticeable. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is being developed using the RE engine which has already proven its capabilities with the high quality Resident Evil games as of late. The game will immerse the player in a highly detailed fantasy world that has tons to explore and accomplish. You can choose your party of pawns, bringing company along with you on your journey and allowing you to form bonds in this single player experience. Mythological creatures, powerful magick, and a grand open world quest all await anyone who is interested in picking this up in 2024.
Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong originally came out of nowhere and surprised everyone with its polished gameplay and flashy fight sequences back in 2020. Chinese developer, Game Science, has managed to stay incredibly faithful to the legacy and history of the Wukong character as well, including many of his powers and incorporating them into his fighting style in interesting ways. This game is finally set to release in 2024 using Unreal Engine 5 and fans could not be more excited. It is described as a light souls-like that sees you fighting all different manner of monstrosities from Chinese folklore. As the game progresses, Wukong will be able to add to his power set by defeating bosses giving him many different ways to overcome challenges as time goes on. This semi-open world is sure to impress anyone who is a fan of beautiful looking third-person action adventure games. Game Science has narrowed down the year, but has yet to tell when in 2024 we can finally get our hands on this.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
Silent Hill 2 remake is a game that we have all wanted for a very long time. This franchise has been stagnant for some time, the last piece of content we experienced was the infamous P.T. demo by Hideo Kojima. This remake is taking a page out of the Capcom’s Resident Evil remakes. It pulls the camera in close for a third-person viewpoint that accelerates the horror elements throughout the game and increases the tense feelings of unease the series is famous for.
The last piece of information we have on this game was a note from the developers stating that it is progressing well and they have been diligently working on the title. The developers understand the love and respect the franchise commands from fans and intend on keeping that benchmark high. While there is no official release date as of yet, with the progress the developers have made so far, it seems to be a sure thing it will hit the market in 2024.
Call of Duty: 2024
Not much is known about this upcoming years Call of Duty title, but you can be sure as ever that it’s coming. Call of Duty is handled by a rotation of different developers each year and this time around it will be Treyarchs turn to develop this years next entry. They are best known for their past Call of Duty Black Ops titles and if rumors are true, they will be following a similar path again this time around as well.
This years game will be set in the 90’s and will be using the Gulf war as its set piece. You will take the role of a CIA operative and be placed into scenarios dealing with some of history’s greatest threats from that time like Saddam Hussein. The premise and pitch seem incredibly solid so hopefully they can pull it off and feature not only a great multiplayer experience, but a single player one as well.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
It seems as though 2024 is set to be just as good of a year for nostalgic and faithful remakes as 2023 was. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was recently revealed in a Nintendo Direct and people couldn’t be happier. This particular entry in the Paper Mario franchise is often said to be the best of all of them. It features some of the greatest gameplay the series has ever seen as well as the most memorable laugh out loud moments. This title has been praised for its turn-based combat, outside the box puzzles, and changing party members throughout its story. With an eye-catching new coat of paint, this remake comes to life, looking better than it ever has. Nintendo has given players new and old no excuse not to experience one of the best Mario games ever made with this remake. No specific release date has been given yet other than a general “winter” 2024 at the time of writing.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight has cemented itself as one of the best indie titles of all time. A huge map to explore, variable interesting powers, and dozens of unique bosses to face. It is no wonder that the sequel is as anticipated as it is. From what we know about the sequel, it seems as if they are taking everything great about the first game and multiplying it tenfold. This game features a new protagonist, The Hornet, who appears to be much more acrobatic in nature than The Knight. This should allow for some much more stylish and free flowing combat that is sure to feel fresh and satisfying. While this game has yet to be officially delayed into 2024, it looks to be an inevitability as each day passes. The game was first expected to release in 2023, after delays and radio silence, it is safe to assume that the first half of 2024 is the likely release date. Either way, the developers over at Team Cherry can take as long as they need. I am sure we would all much rather play something that is polished and complete than rushed for the sake of hitting a date.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy VII Remake. While the game shares many similarities with its original PlayStation game, do not expect this to be a shot for shot retelling of the same story. Square Enix has taken an interesting approach to this remake by branching away from the original to tell a new story that will still coincide with the original. While risky if not done right, so far the games have been favorable in the eyes of the fans. The good news is that this gives new players an easy avenue to jump into these new games without having to play or understand the original. From what has been released so far, the gameplay, animation, and graphics all seem to be astonishingly high quality. There is no doubt that this game is already looking to be a game of the year contender before it has even released. You can expect to play this as early as February 29th, 2024 as long as no delays are made.
Hades II
The first Hades won game of the year at The Game Awards in 2018. For the sequel, the hype and expectations are incredibly high, and Supergiant Games is set to deliver exactly what people have been waiting for. Hades II has the same rogue-like dungeon crawling madness that made the original so beloved by fans. The rewarding nature of the game saw that you were always making progress in some way and learning something new even when you were dying. Whether it would be a new powerful combination of boons to use or a fascinating piece of lore. There was always something to discover. Hades II looks to be taking everything that made the first game work and delivering it in a fresh and interesting way. New mythological gods and powers to play with, new weapons and locales, and a brand new protagonist and story that will ensure that this game is firing on all cylinders when it releases in Q2 of 2024.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
It is hard to tell from its presentation, but this series was created by an indie studio, Ninja Theory. After the first game, they were recognized for their talent and bought by Microsoft. Now they will be releasing the sequel as an exclusive for the company and their fans. While the identity and direction of the game had not shifted, the access to Microsoft’s resources is sure to have bolstered the development allowing the studio to create something truly magnificent. The first game was, without a doubt, a masterpiece in auditory storytelling. The protagonist, Senua, is stricken with schizophrenia in a medieval fantasy world. This created so many opportunities for strange and unique gameplay moments where the voices in your head could go from second guessing your actions as the player or providing hints that were contextual within the game world. Not much of the sequel has been shown outside of a few trailers so far, but if the vibe and game design is anything like the original, it is sure to be a wonderful addition to Microsoft’s line-up. This is another game that does not have a specific release date outside a general 2024.
Rise of the Ronin
Rise of the Ronin was first showcased by Sony in 2022. Since then, very little has come out about the game. While at a glance it may seem it is another Ghost of Tsushima, but that is far from the truth. Rise of the Ronin is set in 1863 Japan and follows the story of a masterless samurai where the choices you make will alter the story considerably. The game also features loads of impressive gameplay elements in its open world for you to play with like gliding and period authentic firearms to use in combat. If the studio behind this is any inclination of its quality then we are also in luck. Team NINJA has created some of the most beloved samurai games of the past with Nioh and Ninja Gaiden. This RPG does not have a concrete release date at this time, but is aiming to be released in Q1 2024.
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 is one of those sequels that is almost indiscernible from its predecessor. The original Helldivers was a top-down twin stick shooter. This sequel is upping the adrenaline on almost every level with a brand new third-person point of view and beautiful visual enhancements as well.
Helldivers 2 will let you loose to battle against hordes of alien bug-like creatures much in the vein of Starship Troopers. You can party together with up to 3 of your friends to tackle the mayhem together as well. The first Helldivers was very well received and from what Sony has showed us so far they seem to be doing everything right with this sequel. You can pick this game up when it launches February 8th, 2024.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink
Granblue Fantasy: Relink is another one of the heavy hitters coming in 2024. Releasing in February, Granblue Fantasy: Relink will feature two new playable heroes. While the game was originally planned to be released in winter of this year, the studio made the difficult decision to delay the game to ensure it was going to meet the high level of quality they wanted to achieve.
While the series has seen great success in the mobile market, particularly in Japan, this title is sure to make a positive impression in the in the minds of console gamers. We actually were lucky enough to go hands-on with this title a few months ago. You can read all about our impressions here!
Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws is Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment’s first crack at the Star Wars License since Disney took over. This departure from the usual Jedi-style game looks to be quite impressive. It will feature a unique scoundrel story, allowing the player to make decisions and live out the fantasy of being a smuggler in the Star Wars universe. This means that the player will be able to travel across the galaxy to many different planets and even feature a Grand Theft Auto-style wanted system where you can be hunted down and tracked by the empire after committing crimes. This is one to be genuinely optimistic about. From the presentation alone, the feel and immersion of the Star Wars universe is most certainly there from what we have seen so far. Outlaws has yet to nail down an exact release date but is expected to come sometime in 2024.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Rocksteady hasn’t released a full-fledged AAA experience since Arkham Knight, and that’s about to change in February 2024, as Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is about to be unleashed!
A lot of controversy around this one, but we’d be lying if we didn’t say we were excited about this one on the story side of things. Regardless of how the gameplay may turn out, we’re sure the story is going to be a fun one, and we can’t wait to see what Rocksteady has built, even if it’s a GAAS-geared experience.
Alone in the Dark
While the Alone in the Dark remake was originally set to launch in Q4 this year, it was pushed to January 2024 to avoid this quarter’s big games but was pushed back again to March so the dev team can avoid crunch work this holiday season.
Will we get a solid remake of the granddaddy of survival horror games, or will this crash and burn into oblivion? Your guess is as good as ours at this point, but with the smashing success of the Dead Space remake and the Resident Evil 4 remake, we have our fingers crossed that this continues the streak!
XDefiant
Originally set to launch in “Summer of 2023,” XDefiant has now been delayed indefinitely with the devs hinting at an early 2024 release. Thankfully, we don’t need to base what we know on just the trailers, as Ubisoft has made the game playable to the public with a beta, and based on what we played, this is one promising free-to-play shooter.
Made by devs who worked on the Call of Duty franchise, it offers the same arcade-style shooting action, with the major difference here is the devs actually communicate a lot on the game’s development and future plans.
Time will tell if the FPS crowd can accommodate another shooter to binge on, but based on what we’ve seen so far, this is one to look out for.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
The Yakuza series, now known in the West as Like A Dragon, has been a series that has continued strong for four entire console generations, and for good reasons. Studio RGG doesn’t miss, be that with their over-dramatic stories that will undoubtedly real you in, or their fun, over-the-top combat, that always feels like it’s improving with every iteration, even if the series has gone turned-based. There’s so much fun to be had with these games and very little reason not to love them.
Infinite Wealth, however, looks to be RGG’s grandest adventure yet. Set in a whole new location that the series has yet to visit, Infinite Wealth promises a plethora of content that leans heavily into satirical fun while also managing to tell a very serious story. There are high expectations for what may be Kazuma Kiryu last adventure, and we cannot wait to dive into the vast new world that RGG is building with Infinite Wealth this January.
What games are you excited to release in 2024? Let us know in the comments!
There are some games that most assumed would never see the light of day again outside of a stray re-release, with Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars definitely being one of those games. The rights have always been an issue due to being a partnership between Nintendo and what was Square at the time. This is why the announcement of a Super Mario RPG remake earlier this year was all the more surprising, which has now arrived and proves once again why it is one of the greats.
A Blast From the Past
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was released later in the life of the Super Nintendo and took great advantage of the graphical capabilities of the system with a special enhanced chip that very few games utilized on the console. The game used sprites for each character and placed them atop an isometric world that you could explore by visiting the various areas in the game. Rather than completely remaking the game entirely, the development team on the remake was very faithful by updating the sprites and backgrounds from the original to 3D without taking away the charm and beauty of the original. There is even a unique way that a certain secret boss is handled which people of the original will greatly appreciate.
While the gameplay in the original was fairly basic, it was also incredibly well designed to where players could continually enjoy it throughout the game. This still works so well that the development team didn’t have to make many changes, but rather took the existing system and just upgraded it in a few areas while maintaining what people love about the original.
By touching an enemy while walking around, a battle will commence between your party and the enemies. Even though some more modern games have added a feature where you can either ambush the enemy or deal extra damage by jumping on top of them outside of combat, this has not been added to Super Mario RPG in the remake. The combat system still has you taking turns attacking the enemy using a mix of attacks, special moves, and items, where timing is more important than ever.
Just pressing the attack button once like a typical classic JRPG is not going to cut it here in Super Mario RPG, as that will deal the minimal amount of damage possible. By pressing the attack button once again just as your attack is landing, you can deal much more damage. This remake adds in another tier of this timing as well where if you hit it perfectly, it will not only hit the target for great damage but also the rest of the enemies with splash damage. The timing here can greatly vary between the characters and their equipped weapon, so finding the right weapon where it’s easiest to time these is crucial.
Paying close attention when the enemy is attacking is also very important in Super Mario RPG, as you can also mitigate some or all of the damage by timing the button press at just the right time. If you time it perfectly, you can even prevent all damage being dealt to your character. There are still attacks that cannot be prevented, but being able to limit some damage is something that can especially help in the tougher battles that come in the post-game.
This remake maintains the existing equipment system where you can equip a weapon, gear, and an accessory. They are not just all the same weapons for each character with strength upgrades but rather offer some variety in how they are used. For instance, Mario has a mix of hammers, gloves, and shells, while Mallow has sticks, gloves, and cymbals. The gear is going to range on which stat you want to focus on increasing, with it usually being either attack or defense. Accessories can break the game wide open, especially later in the game when you get access to the really powerful ones, with some giving extra EXP, increased strength, or even help to find treasure chests on the map. Figuring out the best lineup of equipment for your characters can really help you out in the long run.
Super Mario RPG featured five playable party members including Mario, Mallow, Geno, Bowser, and Peach, and those same five are once again playable in the remake. The big change here though is no longer are you relegated to only having three in your party for each battle. While you enter battle with your preset three party members, you can swap any of the non-Mario characters out for another without even losing a turn. If your character is defeated, you can choose who to swap them out with instantly as well. The game will even prompt you to swap one of them out if it becomes their turn and they have a status effect such as sleep or Scarecrow on them. It is kind of unfortunate that the game still locks to where Mario has to be in the party at all times, but the versatility with switching makes it feel like you’ve got a huge five-character party even though it’s technically only three at a time.
Carrying over from the original is the way the game’s balanced leveling system is handled across all party members. Most RPGs only give your active party members EXP, or at the most give a reduced amount to non-active party members. However, Super Mario RPG provides your entire party with the same amount of EXP regardless of whether a character is not in your current three or participated in the battle at all. The only change here that gives a character more EXP is the EXP Booster item that will double the EXP in each battle for the character who has it equipped. Having the balanced EXP system gives you more control of your party by keeping them pretty even throughout to where any of them can participate in a given fight and still feel like they are not underleveled.
One more addition to the game’s combat system is the new Triple Attacks that revolve around the new Action Gauge that’s found in battle. The Action Gauge gradually increases when you attack and are attacked, but can be increased even faster if you are timing hits correctly. Having long chains of timed presses can increase the gauge further with the goal being to reach 100%. Once you get to 100%, you can press a button regardless of which of your characters turn it is to activate one of the new Triple Attacks. There are seven of these total and they depend entirely on who is in your party at the time. One of the seven is only available early before you get three members in your party, but after that, you have six others to choose from including the Star Riders attack when you have Mario, Geno, and Mallow in the party. While they are called Triple Attacks, they aren’t all offensive moves, as the Spare-Us-All Triple Attack when you have Mario, Peach, and Geno in your party casts a barrier that protects you entirely from the next attack.
When the first gameplay trailers for Super Mario RPG’s remake were released, some people were concerned about the addition of the Triple Attack as a way of making the game too easy. It does make the game a bit easier, especially in tandem with some of the other abilities like the extra timing attacks and defense moves, but the good thing is that you can avoid using them entirely if you really would like to up the challenge. The game does not rely on these at all and I personally did not use hardly any of them just because I didn’t think about it most of the time.
The story in Super Mario RPG starts with Bowser kidnapping Peach as always, leading Mario to go to his castle to rescue her. Things go awry when a giant sword named Exor crashes down and takes over the castle, sending everyone flying. Mario then wakes up in his own house and starts a journey to go find the Princess. Along the way, he ends up meeting new characters named Mallow and Geno, while also having an unlikely team-up with Bowser and finally adding Peach to the group after finding her. Once assembled, the group has to work together to get back to Bowser’s castle and take down not only Exor but also the main villain named Smithy.
This story was never the deepest RPG story, but the charming characters made the experience a whole lot of fun. That is still the case in the remake, where the characters have not lost a step in their banter back and forth. Getting to see Mario and Peach interact with Bowser in a more friendly manner in something that isn’t a Mario Kart or sports spinoff game is very welcome and leads to some genuinely great moments. The humor here is top-notch, with the visual gags being just as funny here as in the original. Bowser is hilarious throughout the game and still really manages to steal the show a lot of the time as well.
A few other additions in the remake are essentially quality-of-life upgrades to make the experience all the better. The game’s overworld map now allows for fast travel between areas by opening it on the pause menu, which makes things even easier to navigate. You now also have access to a storage box in Mario’s Pad that holds any excess items that you pick up, rather than only limiting you to what you can hold in your bag at a time. This is a huge help later in the game especially when you start piling up items and don’t want them to go to waste.
The rest of the game is pretty much as it was when it was released on the Super Nintendo, up until the credits at least. After completing the game, you will still be able to battle the hidden boss that was in the original game. That is not all though, as now you can complete a questline that includes rematches with the major bosses in the game, including that hidden boss. These fights are leagues harder than any of the other ones in the game and really will test your skills. A few of them even have some unique situations that you have to figure out to win. Thankfully, some extra powerful items become available in the post-game that you can get as well. Even with those though, these fights will present the biggest challenges you will face in the entire game.
The original Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars already had a stellar soundtrack that has now been redone here in the remake. This new version of the soundtrack is fantastic and does justice to the original in every way. For those traditionalists though, you can switch to the original version of the soundtrack from the menu at any time to relive the olden days. You can also unlock a Sound Player in the menu after beating the game that will allow you to just listen to any of the tracks from either version of the soundtrack. I will admit that I found myself doing this quite often after unlocking it.
Verdict
Remakes can often be hit or miss, where for every good one you can probably find a bad one as well. Super Mario RPG’s remake falls entirely on the good side though, as it not only provides a graphical upgrade to the original but also adds some extra features and content that enhance the experience. Whether you have played the original or not, Super Mario RPG is yet another must-own gem in the Nintendo Switch’s library that can appeal to many different groups of people.
Score: 9.5/10
Pros:
Beautifully upgraded visuals
Characters are just as charming as ever
Upgrades to the combat that don’t completely change it
Quality-of-life changes
New post-game boss rematches are a real challenge
Cons:
No extended game content besides the extra boss rematches
Ubisoft is said to be investigating an alleged data breach, as sources online claim that a hacker managed to get access to the company’s servers and services for roughly 48 hours before being locked out.
In a Tweet issued by vx-underground, the group says they have been contacted by an unknown person, claiming that they breached Ubisoft. Screenshots were shared as proof with vx-underground, with the hacker telling them that they had access to Ubisoft’s servers for about 48 hours. They were trying to extract 900GB of data, though Ubisoft took notice of the activity and revoked it before they could steal it.
December 20th an unknown Threat Actor compromised Ubisoft. The individual had access for roughly 48 hours until administration realized something was off and access was revoked.
They aimed to exfiltrate roughly 900gb of data but lost access.
“December 20th an unknown Threat Actor compromised Ubisoft. The individual had access for roughly 48 hours until the administration realized something was off and access was revoked. They aimed to exfiltrate roughly 900gb of data but lost access.”
BleepingComputer was the first to report the incident, contacting Ubisoft for comments. Here’s what the publisher had to say:
“We are aware of an alleged data security incident and are currently investigating. We don’t have more to share at this time.”
This alleged breach comes right after Insomniac Games’ recent data breach, which saw 1.67 TB of data stolen that was being ransomed off. Unfortunately, the data stolen contained a mass amount of personal information of employees at the studio, along with other stolen material that made their way online.
This wouldn’t be the first time the publisher experienced a data breach, as they were attacked back in 2020, and also last year, with some of the stolen data making its way online. Let us hope that we aren’t in for another massive breach this time around, as by the sounds of it, Ubisoft managed to catch it in time.
We’ll continue to update the story as it develops.
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.
