The 18-year-old hacker who breached Rockstar Games to steal and post Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) game clips has been sentenced to life in a secure hospital.
As reported by BBC News, Arion Kurtaj, an 18-year-old hacker with autism and a vital member of the international gang Lapsus$, has been sentenced, though not behind prison bars. Instead, he will spend the rest of his life in a secure hospital. He will remain there for as long as until the doctors no longer see him as a public threat.
Doctors previously deemed him unfit to stand trial due to his acute autism, though provided statements by Kurtaj, where he vowed that he would continue his hacking ways if let go free, a decision on his sentence was able to be made.
Kurtaj was already awaiting trial for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE, for which he posted bail with the condition that he would remain in police protection. He had been set up at a traveling lodge with his computer confiscated, though he still had access to his mobile device and some hotel amenities. Just as he vowed, Kurtaj managed to beach Rockstar Games using the hotel TV, an Amazon Firestick, and his mobile phone, where he then stole 90 clips of GTA 6 and threatened the company if they didn’t contact him. This eventually led to him posting various GTA 6 clips online under a different alias, with his arrest following.
Another unnamed member of Lapsus$ was also sentenced, though to a less severe 18-month Youth Rehabilitation Order.
As noted on the BBC site, this hack cost Rockstar Games $5 million and thousands of employee hours. Though two members of Lapsus$ have been caught, it is still believed that several other members are still at large.
Let us hope that this deters other members, though given Kurtaj’s response, the threat of Lapsus$ is likely far from over.
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.
Valve has launched the last Steam sale of the year, as the Steam Winter Sale 2023 promotion has kicked off! There’s a ton of games discounted and we’re here to help you somewhat with it.
Rockstar Games has unleashed a new GTA Online weekly update for December 21, and this brings the holiday themed events and rewards. Read on for the new activities and discounts players can check out in the game.
New GTA Online Weekly Update for December 21 – Discounts, GTA Plus & More:
As snow blankets Southern San Andreas this week, so too does an array of festive gifts and activities, from hunting the mythical Yeti to earn a very special outfit, to following eCola’s Happy Holidays Hauler Truck for extra rewards, starting snowball fights with the new Snowball Launcher, and so much more.
Plus, the new Bravado Dorado SUV is available for purchase from Southern San Andreas Super Autos and the Premium Deluxe Motorsport Showroom.
Full details from this week’s festive update include:
New Bravado Dorado SUV, available now at Southern San Andreas Super Autos and on display at the Premium Deluxe Motorsport Showroom
eCola’s Happy Holidays Hauler Truck dropping presents along its path, including GTA$, RP, ammo, and snacks
Thenew Snowball Launcher, available by logging in from December 21 through December 27
Triple GTA$ and RP on holiday-themed Community Series Jobs
Double GTA$and RP on Snowball Fights, Entourage (Festive Remix), and Drift Races
Double LS Car Meet Reputation in Sprints, Test Rides around the Track, all Street Race Series events, and more
Entourage (Remix) Bonuses: A skin for the Combat Pistol for completingEntourage (Remix) once, a skin for the Special Carbine for surviving five matches, and a Heavy Sniper skin for winning while playing as Santa Claus
Yeti Hunt: Find the five clues that lead to the Yeti and defeat the mythical creature by January 3 to unlock the Yeti Outfit
Holiday Gifts: Log in from December 21 to 27 to receive the Green Xmas Tree Hat, White Xmas Reindeer Hat, Candy Cane Weapon, and Green Reindeer Beer Hat, and between December 28 and January 3 for the New Year’s Hats and New Year’s Glasses
Find and destroy all 25 Snowmen Collectibles to earn the Snowman Outfit
Successfully fight off the Christmas-ruining mugger known as The Gooch to win theGooch Outfit
Defeat the criminal masterminds in the Weazel Plaza Shootout to earn the WM 29 Pistol
Premium Deluxe Motorsport Showroom Vehicles: The Bravado Dorado (SUV), Ocelot Ardent (Sports Classic, 40% off), equipped with the limited It’s a Wrap livery, Benefactor Streiter (Sports, 40% off), Vapid Riata (Off-Road, 40% off), and Lampadati Pigalle (Sports Classic, 40% off)
Luxury Autos Showroom Vehicles: The Gallivanter Baller ST (SUV, 30% off) decked out in a limited Festive Stripes livery, and the Albany V-STR (Sports, 30% off)
Vehicle Discounts: 40% off (60% off for GTA+) the Benefactor Streiter (Sports), Lampadati Pigalle (Sports Classic), Ocelot Ardent (Sports Classic), and Vapid Riata (Off-Road), 30% off (50% off for GTA+) the Gallivanter Baller ST (SUV) and Albany V-STR (Sports), 30% off the Buckingham Alpha-Z1 (Plane), and 20% off (for GTA+) the Bravado Dorado (SUV)
This Week’s Gun Van Discounts: 50% off the Heavy Sniper and 35% off the Tactical SMG (for GTA+)
GTA+ Members: A free Declasse Impaler LX (Muscle), Festive Clothing, 1.5X GTA$ on Tow Truck Service Salvage Value, an extra 2X GTA$ and RP on Drift Races, and more
GTA+
Kick your holiday haul into overdrive with GTA+ and get the new Declasse Impaler LX muscle car, alongside The Vinewood Club Garage for storing up to 100 personal vehicles, new festive clothing, and much more.
Plus a GTA$500,000 bonus delivered upon billing each month, access to download and play a rotating assortment of classic Rockstar Games titles, and more. Visit the GTA+ website for full details.
DISCOUNTS
Benefactor Streiter (Sports) – 40% off (60% off for GTA+)
Lampadati Pigalle (Sports Classic) – 40% off (60% off for GTA+)
Ocelot Ardent (Sports Classic) – 40% off (60% off for GTA+)
Vapid Riata (Off-Road) – 40% off (60% off for GTA+)
Bravado Dorado (SUV) – (20% off for GTA+)
Gallivanter Baller ST (SUV) – 30% off (50% off for GTA+)
Albany V-STR (Sports) – 30% off (50% off for GTA+)
Developer Yuke’s has released AEW Fight Forever update 1.08 (PS5 version 1.008). Read all the fixes and changes in today’s AEW Fight Forever patch notes.
You can now invite friends and form parties within Stadium Stampede.
Voice chat is supported among party members in Stadium Stampede.
You can now match as a party for the Solo match type in Stadium Stampede.
Two new Stadium Stampede match types are playable: Duo Stampede and Quad Stampede.
A “match type select” screen has been added to Stadium Stampede, as well as tutorials for the new match types.
You can now check the gamertags of other players in Stadium Stampede, after selecting a spawn location at the lobby screen.
Added the following parts to CAW, New Male Wrestler > Ring Attire > Bottoms: TRUNKS 5-9, BOTTOM 58-60.
Added the following parts to CAW, New Female Wrestler > Ring Attire > Brassiere: BRASSIERE 8.
Added the following parts to CAW, New Female Wrestler > Ring Attire > Bottoms: TRUNKS 3.
Fixes On All platforms:
Fixed a bug that caused players to pass through walls in Stadium Stampede.
Fixed a bug that prevented field hockey stick attacks from hitting frontal enemies in Stadium Stampede.
Fixed a bug that caused multiple damage when colliding with a horse and cart in Stadium Stampede.
Fixed a bug that affected attack hit counts in Stadium Stampede, so that now if a weapon attack hits
more than one enemy, the number of times it is used is reduced by only one.
Fixed a bug that allowed horse attacks in Stadium Stampede to hit downed enemies.
Fixed a bug that affected horse attacks in Stadium Stampede, so that now a horse’s durability value is reduced when it attacks.
Overall performance of weapon attacks in Stadium Stampede has been adjusted.
Grapple attacks in Stadium Stampede now hit the nearest enemy when there are multiple enemies in range.
Fixed a bug that would cause the AI to be stuck in the middle rope down state.
Fixed a bug that allowed menus to be operated while the tutorial was displayed.
Fixed a bug that caused incorrect “Singles Record” to be displayed in the victory screen after a title reboot.
Fixed a bug with some custom parts that caused traffic cones worn over the head to clip.
Fixed a bug that caused loss of input after jumping on an out-of-place opponent just before the referee counts to 10.
Fixed a bug that allowed reversal of a third party’s strike attack while being grappled.
Fixed a bug that caused a fallen opponent near a barricade to partially clip into the barricade.
Fixed a bug that caused a hit animation to appear after jumping over the opponent when tope-attacking out of place.
Fixed a bug that caused the AI to not do anything to a wrestler on the apron.
Fixed a bug that led to dashing when not facing a downed opponent causing a jump over.
Fixed a bug that caused the AI to repeatedly enter and exit the ring when players were fighting each other out of the ring.
Fixed a bug that prevented “Rope Step Tornado DDT” from being used as a signature/finisher.
Fixed a bug that caused the AI to not enter the ring and repeat the running animation if a tag team partner fainted on the middle rope in the AI’s path of travel.
Fixed a bug that allowed the user to stand in the air when going up to the corner of the guardrail near the ramp.
Fixed a bug in tag team matches that caused the AI tag team partner to forcefully touch and enter the ring, clipping their teammate, when the teammate was using their own corner to launch a move.
Fixed a bug that caused AIs to launch topes without aiding.
Fixed a bug that caused hands to get caught in the muffler when MFJ appeared as manager in the entrance scene.
Fixed a bug that caused visually disturbing flickering when the large monitor in the arena was destroyed.
Fixed a bug that prevented the guide HUD for tandem finishers from displaying when on a custom team.
Replaced the title screen with artwork for Season 2.
AEW Fight Forever season 2 is currently underway, though for you Switch owners out there, you’ll get the season next week.
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.
According to a former BioWare employee’s LinkedIn profile, Anthem’s lifetime sales had surpassed five million copies. Discovered by Timur222 on Twitter/X, Alexandre Scriabine, a former employee at EA reported that Anthem had sold two million copies in its first week of release, and the total lifetime sales of the game has surpassed five million units.
Find the original tweet below:
Anthem (Bioware) sold 2 million units in its first week. The game sold 5 million units to date pic.twitter.com/2cipNqpBRZ
The profile also lists some other interesting statistics for Anthem. The launch trailer for the game “Conviction,” directed by Neil Blomkamp trended among the top three videos on YouTube in the US. Additionally, the launch trailer also won the Bronze Cilo award in 2019.
Despite its sales, Anthem was BioWare’s first live service game and the developer’s biggest and most expensive game. It launched to mixed responses with its empty world and questionable loot system, leading players to retire from the game really early. While BioWare tried to resurrect the game, EA decided against it, which meant the game died for a second time three years ago.
Talesworlds Entertainment has released Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord update 1.2.8, and this brings a host of fixes to the game’s single-player, modding and more. Read on for what’s new in the official patch notes below.
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord Update 1.2.8 Patch Notes | Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord Update Patch Notes for Today:
Singleplayer
Crashes
Fixed a crash that occurred when hovering on the settlement overlay tooltip while leaving the settlement.
Fixed a crash that occurred when the mercenary player became a vassal of the same kingdom.
Fixed a crash that occurred when a caravan or villager party tried to donate/sell hero prisoners.
Fixed a crash that occurred when closing the game.
Fixed a crash that occurred when trying to skip the initial video.
Multiplayer
Crashes
Fixed a crash that occurred when clicking the lobby Clan button using the GOG build.
Both
Fixes
Fixed a bug that caused high FPS to reduce the turn speed of mounted troops with couched lances.
Modding
Fixed a bug that prevented C# side assertions from showing up in the Modding Kit.
Larian Studios has released Baldur’s Gate 3 update 1.005.005, fixing several issues across multiple platforms. Read on for what’s new in the BG3 December 21 patch notes.
Fixed a potential crash during autosave after moving to another level.
Fixed a multiplayer crash that could occur for the client when the host loads a savegame after a Game Over screen.
Fixed a crash related to deleted physics objects.
Fixed a crash that would occur when you disarmed an NPC twice during combat and made them drop two different weapons (e.g. because they were dual-wielding), incapacitated them, and ended the combat without killing them, and then the incapacitating condition got removed.
Fixed not being able to load a savegame that was started with a mod that’s now missing.
Fixed a crash that could occur on Xbox when losing internet connection while editing a lobby name.
Fixed a potential crash on Xbox related to the game checking whether you have the Deluxe Edition.
Fixed a crash that could occur when swapping to Honour Mode.
Fixed a crash that could occur when changing levels.
Performance and Code:
Fixed potential performance issues at the end of the cinematic where Shadowheart
kills Nightsong
in the Shadowfell.
Fixed an issue related to lava bubbles near the Sentient Amulet in Grymforge causing savegames to become very large.
Fixed a memory issue when closing containers on controller.
Fixed the Low Model Quality option sometimes not working as expected.
Fixed an issue that could make certain special items, like the Idol of Silvanus, enter the wrong state when decluttered to a Traveller’s Chest.
Reduced memory usage related to animation skinning.
Multiplayer:
Fixed the Traveller’s Chests sometimes disappearing when changing to or from Honour Mode in the Multiplayer Settings.
Fixed a multiplayer issue where, if the host was controlling a companion and a split-screen client joined the game, the client would gain control of the host’s avatar.
Fixed a multiplayer issue where a reconnecting player wouldn’t get their characters assigned back to them correctly.
Fixed Player 2 not being able to prepare spells if Player 1 moves their focus during a split-screen game.
Flow and Gameplay:
Addressed an issue that prevented you from talking to NPCs at camp when going to camp via the Long Rest button.
Fixed some wrong character behaviours likely introduced in Patch 4.
The ‘Deal with the Devil’ quest now accounts for different outcomes in the Epilogue.
Karlach should now get her scene in
Avernus
, regardless of whether she’s an avatar or a companion.
Fixed companions not being able to jump when following the player character.
Fixed an issue where ending the tutorial with only Lae’zel alive prevented you from saving the game in Act I.
Fixed Gale’s dialogue ending abruptly when you ask him what he wanted to show.
Fixed player factions sometimes becoming hostile towards each other when they shouldn’t.
Fixed Create or Destroy Water only casting Create Water at Level 2.
Other Fixes:
The Korean language pack is now enabled on Mac.
Fixed some weapon textures.
Fixed several cases of what we’ve dubbed the Pinocchio issue, where characters’ noses (and cheeks) get stretched in cinematics. They also happen to lose their eyeballs, turning the sockets into pits of flesh.
Fixed equipment tooltips opened via the Inventory sometimes randomly closing on controller without player input.
That’s all the fixes for today, there likely won’t be another update until next year.
The Division 2 servers have been taken down by Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment this December 21, and this is for your usual maintenance where a fix will also be released.
The Division 2 Down for Server Maintenance Schedule for Dec. 21:
While there shouldn’t be a patch released during this downtime, there is a fix incoming!
“To fix the activation of the Fireworks Show Talent in the Festive Delivery Backpack when players throw grenades at their own feet, we’ll be taking #TheDivision2 servers down for maintenance Thursday, December 21st”
That seems to be it. If there is a patch, we will let our readers know about it, so make sure to check The Division 2 game hub if we post one.
As for the downtime, if anything changes, we’ll update the article. Mind, given past maintenance downtimes, an extension of the outage isn’t out of the question.
It seems Twitter is acting up, as multiple Twitter down reports have surfaced this December 21, with the timeline not loading or refreshing and other issues popping up.
X Down Today | Twitter Down and Login Issues Status for December 21:
Update: Looks like servers are back up and running again.
If you’ve managed to get logged into Twitter (now known as X) today, you may have noticed your timeline vanishing, and feed not loading or refreshing, as well as the inability to access other user’s profiles. Don’t worry, as you are not the only ones, as we, too, are running into the issue with post history and timeline disappearing completely, and being greeted with a “Welcome to X!” message on the main page.
Down detector has seen a massive spike in reports recently from other users:
Of course, since we can’t access any profiles, we can’t see what Twitter/X support account has to say, though based on down detector, the service is definitely having issues.
Strangely, you can still write tweets and post them, you, to or anyone else just won’t be able to see them. You can however access tweets you have set-up for notifications under the notifications tabs, and even reply to them. How weird!
As always, we’ll continue to monitor the servers and will update the post should we see any improvement on Twitter/X servers.
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 plenty to celebrate for the holidays this year. PS5 sales have officially surpassed 50 million units, a significant achievement in the console’s life cycle. This metric was announced by Sony this morning, just a month after the PS5’s third birthday.
Despite a rough start and a severe console shortage in late 2020 and most of 2021, the PS5 seems to have found its footing. Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan celebrated the milestone with the following words:
Achieving this PS5 sales milestone is a testament to the unwavering support of the global PlayStation community and their passion for the incredible experiences created by the talented developers from PlayStation Studios and our partners. We’re grateful for all of our players who have joined the PS5 journey so far, and we’re thrilled that this is the first holiday season since launch that we have a full supply of PS5 consoles – so anyone who wants to get one can get one.
Sony’s been expecting a pretty significant holiday rush for a few months now. It’s unsurprising that they would cross the 50 million line right around this time of the year, especially given that this is the first year the console hasn’t faced a shortage. Plenty of lucky young gamers are going to unwrap a PS5 for Christmas this year, a feeling that’s difficult to beat.
It likely also helped that 2023 was a phenomenal year for games. While Sony themselves didn’t have many exclusives, plenty of impressive games released on their platform. Baldur’s Gate 3, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Street Fighter VI, Resident Evil 4, and many more launched on PS5. The exclusives they did have also sold well: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 broke 5 million copies sold in the first month alone.
We hope that the PS5 (and the Xbox Series, too) continues to perform well in the years to come. It’s good to see a little holiday cheer brought to the Sony team just before the year’s end.
Striking Distance Studios has pushed out The Callisto Protocol update 1.27 on last-gen and current-gen platforms, Don’t expect anything major in terms of changes and additions, as this seems to be for skins. Read on for what’s new in The Callisto Protocol new update patch notes.
The Callisto Protocol Update 1.27 Patch Notes for Today:
There are no official notes from Striking Distance, though we know from an announcement last week that this update adds the following skin for everyone.
Gore Skin Collection
Those who own either the Deluxe Edition or Season Pass, you’ll also gain access to these skins.
Snake
Retro Prisoner
Biophage
AMD Radeon Skin Collections
As far as we know, that’s all this update includes, so don’t expect it to come with any additional improvements or fixes. However, if Striking Distance ends up releasing a full changelog, we’ll be sure to update the story with those patch notes. Otherwise, have fun with those new skins! There may not be anything else planned for the game, but it’s still a nice gift nonetheless to have.
Striking Distance has released The Callisto Protocol update 1.028, adding several skins previously locked behind exclusivity. Read what’s new in The Callisto Protocol patch notes for December 20.
The Callisto Protocol Update 1.028 Patch Notes | The Callisto Protocol New Update Patch Notes for December 20:
There are no official notes from Striking Distance, though we know from an announcement last week that this update adds the following skin for everyone.
Gore Skin Collection
Those who own either the Deluxe Edition or Season Pass, you’ll also gain access to these skins.
Snake
Retro Prisoner
Biophage
AMD Radeon Skin Collections
As far as we know, that’s all this update includes, so don’t expect it to come with any additional improvements or fixes. However, if Striking Distance ends up releasing a full changelog, we’ll be sure to update the story with those patch notes. Otherwise, have fun with those new skins! There may not be anything else planned for the game, but it’s still a nice gift nonetheless to have.
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.
NetEase has begun rolling out Naraka Bladepoint update 1.024, which is a big update, adding new content, fixes, and more. Read on for everything included in today’s Naraka Bladepoint update.
Naraka Bladepoint Update 1.024 Patch Notes
Brand New Content
I. New Hadi Skill [Mechanical Arm: Pursuit]and Ultimate [Aerial Ascent: Rescue] are now available.
II. Disengage System
Shadow Surge and Capture the Spirit Well modes will both support the Disengage System.
III. Fairyland Penglai
1. Scenery Updates
Fairyland Penglai has been updated in accordance with the Martial Infinity and Holly Christmas themes:
(1) In the Martial Infinity Theme Area, players can interact with Martial Pedastals and display the flag of their chosen school;
(2) In the Holly Christmas Theme Area, players can interact with Gift Boxes to turn into snowpeople!
2. Castell
Four (4) Castell mechanisms have been added to the plaza in front of the Pantheon on Fairyland Penglai. After activating the ring, a Martial Arts Manual will appear above. Bring your friends and earn rewards!
(The reward for interacting with a Martial Arts Manual will change with version updates. In this version, you will get up to 1 Martial Treasure, a Martial Infinity event item, per week.)
In addition to the rewards, players can also challenge new heights: stack on top of each other to reach the flags above the ring.
(1) During the event, you must join one of the following schools: Will-Form, Tai Chi, Wing Chun, Baji, or Shaolin. By completing Daily Quests and School Quests, you will earn rewards and Martial Fame. Reach certain Martial Fame milestones to claim rare rewards.
(2) During the event, open Stashes in Ranked Mode, Quick Match, Immortal’s Trial, and BOT Mode for Martial Boxes. You can obtain up to 2 Martial Boxes per game and up to 3 per day. Upon match settlement, you gain Martial Fame based on the number of Martial Boxes acquired. The daily cap for Martial Fame earned by Stashes is 300. Opening a Martial Box randomly yields rare items, with a chance to receive Banner·Martial Arts.
(3) During the event, match settlement of Ranked Mode, Quick Match, and BOT Mode earn Martial Fame based on the number of times their team captures a Spirit Well. If 2 or 3 team members belong to the same martial arts school, the Martial Fame earned will receive a 20% or 50% bonus, respectively. The daily cap for Martial Fame earned by capturing the Spirit Well is 600.
(4) Martial Fame you accumulate through various means will also be counted as Martial Fame for the martial arts school you belong to. The school that accumulates enough Martial Fame the quickest will be crowned the Unrivaled School.
(5) If you reach 12,500 in total Martial Fame, you will receive the Legendary Emote Gesture [Martial Infinity·Victory] via mail after the event ends and the next version update rolls out. The design of this reward will be based on the school elected as the Unrivaled School.
2. Holly Christmas
The holiday bells are ringing, a wish for peace and happiness in the New Year.
Event Rules
(1) Gain Pinecones by completing quests during the event. Pinecones can be redeemed for great event rewards.
(2) During the event, in all modes except Showdown, the ranged weapon Cannon will be changed to Snow-Cannon, firing snowballs. The Cannon Souljade [Rupture Gale Orb & Burn] will temporarily be replaced with [Rupture Gale Orb & Frostwind], but the effects and damage remain the same.
3. Gingerbread Joy Sign-In
As the year ends, remember the Gingerbread.
Event Rules:
Players can get special rewards by signing in on specific days during the event and can make-up for yesterday if it was missed. If you sign in for 5, 10 or 15 consecutive days, you will get extra rewards such as Epic Pose, Spectral Silk*2024 or Regular Treasure ChoiceGift*2.
4. Christmas Limited-time Discount
(1) Season Treasure in limited-time return
During the event, Tidal Treasure, Echelon Treasure, Untamed Treasure, Dawn Treasure and Reckoning Treasure will be available again for a limited time.
(2) Christmas Special Offer
During the event, 4 kinds of vouchers are claimable on the event page: Legendary Outfit 30% discount voucher, Legendary Weapon 30% discount voucher, Legendary Accessory 30% discount voucher and other legendary Item 30% discount voucher. There are 2 of each voucher type to be claimed. Use these vouchers to get a 30% discount on cosmetics released before the Untamed Season.
(3) Selected Cosmetics Discounts
We have brought [Journey of Blades·Divine Seal], [Poetic Rhymes·Lion Dance] and [Udumbara] back to the store for a limited-time discount. For more details, please visit the “SHOP-Featured”.
V. Playstation Exclusive Mode
1. A brand-new Solo mode “PlayStation®Tournaments – Martial Artist Solo” is now open for limited-time test! Contend with other players in a 1v1 mode to experience the epitome of competitive combat!
Test Time: Dec 21, 2023 – Jan 3, 2024 20:00(UTC+0)
The mode will go live officially after the update on Jan 4, 2024, offering great rewards for players to enjoy!
After the game mode opens up, there will be a tournament held every day. In groups of 16, players will compete in 1v1 Best of 5 matches to advance, culminating in a single victor for the group, after which the competition will end.
Tournaments are hosted on respective servers, each with its own start time. Please select the appropriate tournament to register. Once registered, players are required to join in within 5 minutes after the tournament’s start time.
Registration Instructions: To register, open the PlayStation Tournaments Card on your PlayStation, or select the”PlayStation® Tournaments Martial Artist Solo” mode in game and select “Start Game.”
Participation: Before the tournament starts, log in to the corresponding server, select “Start Game,” and access the PlayStation Tournaments Card to join.
Hero Adjustments
I. Hadi
1. Reduced the stagger time of Plume Blade’s horizontal 1st stage charged attack.
2. Increased the time that Hadi has to wait to attack after dodging while flying.
3. Slightly reduced the strike coverage time of charged dash attack, making it match the animation better.
4. Optimized the special effects of Hadi’s Skill Mechanical Arm: Pursuit, solving issues that would occur when Hadi hit targets that were bound by Water Bombs, Frozen or being controlled by others skills.
Weapon Adjustments
I. Staff
(1) When Stanchion·Rising Cloud misses, the following Heaven Uproar’s second hit will grant Blue Focus instead of Gold Focus.
(2) Restrictions to the timing of using grappling Hook during the third hit of Heaven Uproar.
II. Fan
(1) Reduction in hit stun duration of charged Horizontal Strikes and Vertical Strikes.
(2) Reduction in damage coefficient of charged Horizontal Strike from 2.77*2 to 2.55*2.
Reduction in damage coefficient of charged Vertical Strike from 2.5*2 to 2.29*2.
III. Polesword
(1) Improvements to the gestures of charged vertical Strikes.
(2) Slight increase in the time frame for a possible interruption to a charged Vertical Strike.
(3) Reduction in the Polesword’s Stone Formdamage reduction from 75% to 60%.
Souljade Adjustment
I. Dual Blades Souljade
Souljade “Martial Art·Octa-SlashBlade” added.
In-match Adjustments
I. Feature Adjustments
In-match quest “Salute” was adjusted such that players only need to send the emote to the specified Clay Figurine once, instead of twice.
II. Realm of Yang Adjustments
The collision size of the pillars in the Realm of Yang has been adjusted.
III. BOT Mode Adjustments
The logic of AI opponents using Hero Ultimates improved, slightly increasing the frequency of Hero Ultimates.
Out-of-match Adjustments
I. Matchmaking Node
Players can now enable “Automatic Node Transfer” in the matchmaking region selection panel. This will allow the system to automatically switch to the matchmaking node with the most players to speed up matchmaking when it is taking too long.
II. My Info
Statistics for past Showdown seasons have been added. They can be viewed in “All Seasons” and “Showdown Pre-Season.”
III. Request Party
Players can now send a party request to friends in the game through the friend list.
IV. Mastery Leaderboard
Players must be at least Lv.50 to be ranked on the Mastery Leaderboard.
V. The “Golden Poetry of Tang” Event
An in-game icon for the H5 event, “Journey with Tang Poetry” in “Golden Poetry of Tang” has been added.
Showdown Adjustments
I. Opening of Yama’s Abyss Leaderboards
The number of available levels in Yama’s Abyss has been increased to 45, accompanied by a new challenge: the Yama’s Abyss Leaderboard, a part of the Showdown Leaderboards.
In Yama’s Abyss, reaching higher levels, trying different heroes, and completing stages with greater speed will help you rise to the top of the leaderboards and earn rare titles and Hero Badge rewards.
The rules are as follows:
1. The leaderboards are separated into Solos and Trios. Getting records in different modes will be registered on the respective leaderboard.
2. We hope that each hero will shine on the leaderboards. For this reason, each hero will have their own leaderboard for Yama’s Abyss.
3. After leaderboards open, completing a stage will create a record. Data from before leaderboards are opened will not be recorded.
4. Leaderboards will consider both the stage reached and the time taken, reaching higher stages will increase your rank; when there is a tie in stage reached, ranking will occur by the time taken, down to the second. If there is still a tie, then the player who created the record first will be given a higher rank.
5. After the update, the leaderboards will be settled every Wednesday at 20:00 (UTC). If any one of your heroes ranks within the top 500 at the time of settlement, you will receive a title reward. At the end of the current Showdown season, a limited-edition avatar will be awarded to you based on your best title ranking and your final ranking. After the settlement of the season’s final week, the top 3 players will also receive a unique Hero Badge, with only 1 Hero Badge per player based on their highest rank.
At the same time, we will also optimize the Speedrun Leaderboard: The Speedrun Leaderboard will also be separated by Hero. We hope that this will let everyone use their favorite hero to get the appropriate glory.
II. Combat Adjustments
1. Increased the scattering angle between arrows when the Bow Evil-Ent is on Hard and above, and when it has the [Relentless Volley] Omen, to avoid multiple arrows hitting the same target, and reduced the damage value of [Relentless Volley] by a certain amount.
2: A [Ocean Yaksa] using [Swirl Crossbow] can still attack while being hit by a melee white attack.
3. Players will no longer switch to an unarmed state after they stop using the [Swirl Crossbow]. Instead, they will revert to using the weapon that was equipped prior to the crossbow.
4. The Hammer Evil-Ent in Normal mode will no longer perform consecutive ground smashes.
5. The clash window of usable moves when attacked for [Thunderspawn] and [Cursespawn] has been removed, and the cooldown of usable moves when attacked has been increased.
6. The casting interval and probability of the Blue Focus move of the Fiery Monster in Hard mode have been slightly reduced.
7. The Fiery Monster will now proactively exit the affected area of the [Hellhole] Omen when it finds itself within it.
8. The probability of Nerusa using the dive move in the Yama’s Abyss has been reduced.
9. The kneeling animation of Nauticus and Nerusa post-Aegis-break has been optimized to fix a bug that prevented certain moves from attacking them in the Aegis-broken state.
10. The invincibility status of Mountain Ghost, Fiery Monster, and Stone Monster upon spawning in the Enigma Domain and Yama’s Abyss modes has been removed. The invincibility status of Thunderspawn and Cursespawn upon spawning in any mode has also been removed.
11. The damage of some moves of Omnius·Aureate has been reduced.
12. The collision detection area for the tail and limbs of [Omnius·Beast] has been enlarged. Additionally, the collision detection area for its head during the post-Aegis-broken falling state has been adjusted.
13. Delayed the time at which [Omnius·Beast]’s charged tail strike will hit after it flips itself over.
14. The invincibility of players upon rebirth has been altered. Now, even if a player performs an action, the invincibility will not be canceled. However, the player will be unable to deal damage during the invincibility period.
15. The difficulty level of all Boss monsters in the single-player mode has been toned down.
16. An issue causing a mismatch between the attack range of certain monster moves and their special effect range has been resolved.
17. The impact of monster attack moves on the environment (such as trees, grass, water) in PvE battles has been optimized.
18. Optimized the movement of Counterstrike combos when using the Katana, the Nunchucks or the Staff, making it easier to hit monsters.
19. The attributes of Soul Altars·Immutable Wood in Immovable have been slightly increased.
20. The accumulation meter for Frostbite, ThunderShock, Spirit Erosion, and Liquid Miasma has been relocated to the right side of the player information panel.
21. When Feria Shen is driving the Bronze Mech, she will no longer sustain direct damage from attacks. Additionally, the mechanism that made the Bronze Mech “less likely to be targeted by Bosses” has been eliminated.
III. Yama’s Abyss Adjustments
1. Rift Dealer Adjustments
(1) A refresh feature has been introduced, enabling players to refresh the temporary enhancement items and Souljades offered by the Rift Dealer. Players are granted one refresh opportunity each time they enter the Boss Zone.
(2) The likelihood of the Rift Dealer selling the same type of Souljade that the player currently has equipped has been increased. The Rift Dealer is also more likely to sell Souljades that can form combo effects with Souljades and Anima Rings already owned by the player.
(3) Players who have previously purchased Ice Essence or Thunder Essence will be unable to purchase the same type of Element Essence again.
(4) The display of Souljades sold by the Rift Dealer has been improved. Players can now accurately view the Elemental Attributes of the Souljades.
2. The likelihood of players receiving Souljades that can form combo effects with Souljades and Anima Rings they already own has been increased when completing area quests for Souljade rewards.
//Devs’ Note: In Showdown, certain Souljades can create potent effects when working with other specific Souljades.We have optimized the Souljade loot rules to enhance players’ chances of experiencing these combo effects in Yama’s Abyss.
3. Adjustments to the Dark Tide Coin Loot Rules in Yama’s Abyss:
(1) Monsters will no longer drop Dark Tide Coins upon defeat. Instead, all players will directly receive a specified number of Dark Tide Coins. In multi-player scenarios, all players will share the Dark Tide Coins obtained from defeating monsters equally.
(2) In the “Capture the Spirit Well” and “Braving the Ambush” quests, monsters will no longer provide Dark Tide Coins rewards after their second respawn.
//Devs’ Note: We have revised the Dark Tide Coins loot rules to address the issue of some Dark Tide Coins not being automatically collected, and the problem of a single player in a multi-player mode collecting most of the Dark Tide Coins.
4. Combat Items Adjustments
(1) The startup frames for the animation of using the Boss summoning item and the animation of Boss attacks have been reduced, and the damage to Astral Aegis caused by items has been significantly increased. Different items will also yield different buffs. The specific effects are as follows:
[Ignis Blaze]: When this item is used, it not only summons Omnius·Hell Scorch to unleash a flame attack, but also restores Rage to all team members.
[Annihilate Light]: When this item is used, the laser strike will render the enemy into a [Vulnerable] state, increasing the damage they receive from melee and ranged attacks.
[Obliterate Hammer]: When this item is used, it not only summons Omnius·Aureate to execute a hammer smash but also restores Armor to all team members.
(2) Boss summoning items can now be purchased from the Rift Dealer, while [Yushan Bladestorm] cannot be.
5. Stage Unlocking Adjustments:
In Yama’s Abyss mode, when you and other teammates complete a stage that you have not unlocked, this completion record will be saved for you. Once you complete the prerequisite stage for this stage, this stage will also be marked as completed immediately.
//Devs’ Note: Currently, in Yama’s Abyss mode, players have varying progress statuses. We aim to ensure that players who are progressing at a slower pace can also advance when playing with their friends.
6. Portal Adjustments
(1) Improved the placement of Portals leading to the next area, ensuring that they correspond better.
(2) After teleporting, the player’s character will no longer keep their hands raised.
7. Adjusted the levels at which different content appears, lower stages will now feature Omens, Cursed Chests and Hard Monster Zones. Details are as follows:
Stage 1: Monster Areas will contain the “Capture” mode.
Stage 2: Curse Chests may appear in The SHOP area, and players can choose whether to open them. They may contain [Melee Sunder], [Ranged Sunder], and [Health Sap] curses.
Stage 4: An Omen will appear in the monster area.
Stage 6: A Hard-mode monster area may appear, and players can choose whether to enter it.
Stage 8: Curse Chests may contain [Powerful Foe] and [Lost] curses.
//Developer’s Comment: Players can now experience some elements that offer varied gameplay but will not significantly increase the difficulty level in the early stages of Yama’s Abyss.
8. Adjustments to Omens in the Yama’s Abyss:
(1) In the “Capture the SpiritWell” quest, the [Ghostly Hand], [Ice Wind], and [Frozen Earth] Omens will no longer appear.
(2) The positions of some Omens that were too close to the player’s spawn point have been adjusted.
(3) The number of Omens in the Boss area has been reduced.
9. Cursed Chest Adjustments
(1) Adjusted the curse effect of [Health Sap] so that it won’t reduce a player’s health below 0.
(2) A text prompt will now appear after a Curse Chest is opened and the Dark Tide Coins and Curses contained inside are collected.
10. Players who utilize Cleanse Stones to refresh the enhancement content will no longer encounter the same rewards that were previously available before the refresh.
11. The total remaining battle time is now displayed above the minimap.
12. The descriptions of some Blessings and items sold by the Rift Dealer have been optimized.
13. The tags of Anima Rings have been optimized, and players will now receive recommendations for suitable enhancement content based on their current style.
14. The size of the Boss area has been expanded.
15. The quantity of Nerusa in the initial areas has been increased.
IV. Omen Adjustment
Activation time of Divine Thunder and Ice Mound omen mechanisms increased. The player will only be attacked 5 seconds after their appearance.
V. Anima Ring Collections Adjustments
(1) When selecting Anima Rings in Yama’s Abyss, the player will get a prompt if a higher-level Anima Ring has not been collected.
(2) Details of each type of Anima Ring in the Anima Ring Collections added.
VI. New Showdown Souljade
Swift Heal: Use Special Healing Berries and Special Armor Powder quicker.
VII. Souljade Adjustments
Yushan Shadows
(1) Reduction in the number of Frostbite stacks required to summon a Matron of Yushan Shadow for an assist attack from 3 to 1, and the maximum stacks from 3 to 2. Reduction in the damage coefficient of Matron of Yushan Shadow from 25 to 12.
(2) When using Defuse (Counterattack), players can consume 1 stack to summon 2 Matron of Yushan Shadows for assist attacks. However, the damage coefficient of each Matron of Yushan Shadow will be reduced by 30%.
VII. Others
(1) Showdown Season Reward Adjustment
Extra Showdown Seals and Hero Badges added to Showdown Season rewards. Final Rewards:
Required Rank
Rewards
Showdown Solar
Regular Treasure Choice Gift ×2, Showdown Seal ×10
Showdown Empyrean
Regular Treasure Choice Gift ×3, Showdown Seal ×20, Hero Badge “Chasm·Showdown Empyrean”
Showdown Astral
Regular Treasure Choice Gift ×5, Showdown Seal ×30, Hero Badge “Chasm·Showdown Astral”
Showdown Paragon
Regular Treasure Choice Gift ×10, Showdown Seal ×40, Hero Badge “Chasm·Showdown Paragon”
(2) Descriptions of Martial Skills added to the Hero Upgrade panel. The Lv.12 and Lv.18 skills are Aegis-break Martial Skill and Defuse Martial Skill, respectively.
Feature Adjustments
I. Performance Adjustments
(1) Characters’ sprinting movements adjusted.
(2) The position of red aura from Counters changed.
(3) Issue where the character in Home was facing the wrong direction when holding a bow and arrow fixed.
4. Optimized some frequently appearing special effects in Showdown mode, reducing the number of effects that will appear onscreen at the same time and reducing lag.
5. Modified the interaction between certain accessories and hair, making the hair appear more natural.
II. Xbox Performance Optimization
Reduced memory usage by 80MB, lowering the likelihood of crashes on low-memory devices due to insufficient memory.
Bug Fixes
I. Hero Bugs
1. Fixed an issue with the damage reduction type of Mighty Bellow of Yueshan’s General’s Call: Protection. Effects remain unchanged.
2. Fixed an issue where Zai’s Flame Ward: Firestorm failed to immediately generate a hit under specific circumstances.
II. Showdown Bugs
1. Fixed an issue where the incorrect number of Dark Tide Coins would be dropped by certain monsters in Yama’s Abyss.
2. Fixed an issue with the map that would occur in Yama’s Abyss’s cave stages.
3. Fixed an issue where players could not clash with some of Depth Fiend’s Purple Focus moves.
4. Fixed an issue that would occur when attacking the Water Ent while it was in stealth and countering it while it was dealing an execution move.
5. Fixed the shaky camera that could occur when locking onto Omnius·Beast.
6. If Kurumi uses a Horizontal Strike when neutralizing an action with the Martial Skill “Fang Severing Slash,” she will now cast Thunderstorm instead of the Aegis-break Martial Skill “Severing Gust.”
7. Fixed incorrect recommended Sense Levels for the Topaz Enigma Domain.
Store Updates
I. Yin Yang Pool·Martial Infinity Goes Live
Each pull requires 1 Ingot·Martial Infinity, which costs 400 Gold. There are as many as 21 rewards, including Tessa’s Legendary Outfit [Martial Infinity·Will-Form], Wuchen’s Legendary Outfit [Martial Infinity·Tai Chi], and the brand-new Legendary Group Gesture [Martial Infinity·Yin-Yang Debate]. The first open is free. You will not receive duplicate rewards, which means you can get all the rewards after opening 21 times. Each open grants a chance to get all the remaining rewards in the pool. After getting all the rewards, you can go to your Inventory to convert unused Ingots·Martial Infinity into Gold.
Guarantee:
Based on the above drop rate, players are guaranteed to receive at least one Gold (Legendary) reward within the first 4draws. Another guaranteed Gold (Legendary) reward within 5 more draws, followed by the next guaranteed Gold (Legendary) reward within 7 more draws.
II. New Packs
Newly added Feria Shen exclusive Pack [WingChun Pack], including Legendary Outfit [Martial Infinity·Wing Chun], EpicHairstyle [Martial Infinity·Wing] and Legendary Pose [Martial Infinity·Wing Chun Kuen]. Standard price: 3,100 Gold; Now: 2,400 Gold.
1. Tarka Ji Legendary Accessory [Zhurong’s Jadeball] (Unlock it to get a new appearance for Tarka Ji’s Ultimate “Fire Frenzy”) has returned to its standard price of 4,600 Gold.
2. Tarka Ji Legendary Outfit [Razor Robes] has returned to its standard price of 1,800 Gold.
3. Tarka Ji Legendary Accessory [Festive Dragon Head] has returned to its standard price of 1,200 Gold.
4. Epic Pose [Flutter·Left] for all heroes has returned to its standard price of 400 Gold.
5. Epic Pose [Flutter·Right] for all heroes has returned to its standard price of 400 Gold.
6. Valda Cui Legendary Outfit [Justice·Gossamer Iris] has returned to its standard price of 1,800 Gold.
7. Valda Cui Legendary Hairstyle [Justice·Raptor] has returned to its standard price of 800 Gold.
8. Tarka Ji Legendary Outfit [Justice·Iris’ Whisper] has returned to its standard price of 1,800 Gold.
9. Tarka Ji Legendary Hairstyle [Justice·Hue] has returned to its standard price of 800 Gold.
V. Featured Cosmetics Return for Limited-Time
1. Hadi Legendary Outfit [Dove of the Desert] with a price of 1,500 Gold.
2. Yueshan Legendary Accessory [Journey ofBlades·Divine Seal] with a price of 3,350 Gold.
3. Epic Kill Announcement [Dissipated] with a price of 200 Gold.
4. Grappling Hook Legendary Skin [Poetic Rhymes·Lion Dance] with a price of 2,400 Gold.
5. Tianhai Legendary Outfit [Journey of Blades·Wujing] with a price of 1,500 Gold.
6. Kurumi Legendary Hairstyle [Poetic Rhymes·Starry Bridge] with a price of 600 Gold.
7. Fan Legendary Skin [Udumbara] with a price of 1,200 Gold.
8. Kill Announcement [Journey of Blades·All-Seeing Eye] with a price of 200 Gold.
9. Zai Legendary Outfit [Laudation·Chain Break] with a price of 1,200 Gold.
10. Zai Legendary Outfit [Robe of Annica]with a price of 1,200 Gold.
11. Tessa Legendary Outfit [Noir Sash] with a price of 1,200 Gold.
12. Legendary Mark of Victory [Feline’s Call] with a price of 1,200 Gold.
13. Grappling Hook Skin [2674·SkyClaw 3000]with a price of 1,000 Gold.
14. Grappling Hook Skin [Glacial Chain] with a price of 1,200 Gold.
15. Wuchen Legendary Hairstyle [Nine Ridges] with a price of 1,200 Gold.
16. Wuchen Legendary Background [Yin-Yang Mirror] with a price of 600 Gold.
VI. New Store Items
Added the new store item “SurmountCard·Pioneer,” which can be used to upgrade the Pioneer Hidden Treasure by 30 levels for only 1,800 Gold. Can only be purchased once
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.
The Epic Games Store free games annual promotion is back in full swing with another new title! For the next 24 hours, you can claim Arc System Works’ 2.5 Dungeon and Fiight brawler, DNF Duel, for free!
If you want to grow your Epic Games Store library without buying anything, then you may want to act fast as DNF Duels (our review) is free, as in free to keep forever, on the store as part of their annual promotion. Time is short, though, as you only have 24 hours to claim it before it goes back to being full price.
You don’t even need to download the Epic Games launcher to claim it either, as you can log into the website and claim it via this link: DNF Duels Epic Games Store
Once it’s added to your library, it’s yours to keep forever. Even if you don’t fancy the game, it wouldn’t hurt to claim it and just have it in your library, as you may want to play it down the road.
Epic Games will offer more free titles throughout the month, with the next one landing tomorrow at 11 am ET. And don’t worry, we’ll remind you of the free game once it goes live, just in case you end up forgetting.
Any game in particular that you’re hoping goes free on the Epic Games Store during this promotion?
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.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth will boast perhaps the largest cast of characters in the Like A Dragon franchise thus far, which can be overwhelming, especially for newcomers. Luckily, SEGA and RGG Studio understand that, and to help you familiarize yourself with the world they’ve created, they’ve released a series of spotlight trailers that are short and straight to the point about who these characters are. Get ready because there’s lots to watch.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Character Spotlight Trailer
Whew, talk about a trailer overload! But hey, at least this gives us a better idea of who everyone is.
If you want to go hands-on with the game just a bit early, a demo is included in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which goes over the game’s opening and features a ton of mini-games and activities to try out. Plus, Like A Dragon: Gaiden is an excellent game that bridges this and the last Like A Dragon game.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth arrives on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles on January 26.
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.
Bethesda offers fans one final update before the year ends, confirming the next major Starfield update release and outlining what to expect throughout 2024.
Starfield players will have a very busy 2024, as Bethesda has offered a sneak peek at what’s to come. As confirmed in a year-end update blog post, the studio plans to release some updates for the game every six weeks, with the first major update dropping in February. This update will include several major requested quality-of-life improvements, with a beta branch going up soon on Steam.
That isn’t the only exciting thing planned for Starfield, as they’ve also detailed other major features planned for 2024, including the game’s first story expansion.
Here’s a summary of what to expect throughout 2024:
City maps
New ways to travel
New ways to customize your ships
New gameplay options to further adjust difficulty
Official mod support with the launch of Creations
Our first story expansion, Shattered Space
Here’s the studio expanding on each point:
“First, we’re targeting updates roughly every six weeks starting in February. These updates will include everything from quality-of-life improvements to content and feature updates. Join our Steam Beta branch to be the first to try these updates as they begin rolling out.
We’ve been reading all your feedback and are excited to start launching these new features. We’ll be adding new ways to travel and you’ll now be able to access city maps while exploring the major cities. For those of you who love ship building, we’ll also be expanding on ship customization with ship decorations, new ship building options, and more.
We’re also excited to be adding all new Gameplay options. With these new settings you’ll be able to alter your gameplay to allow for an easier or more challenging experience that will expand beyond our normal “Difficulty” setting. These will allow you to easily customize carry capacity, cargo access distance, ship damage, vendor credits, how you suffer afflictions, new survival mechanics, and more.
Next, official mod support will be coming to Starfield with the launch of Creations. Beginning early next year, Starfield will be getting its own exporter and you’ll have access to a new Creation Kit. Modding has always been an enormous part of our games, with incredible community-made content constantly bringing fresh new experiences. With the scale and systems in Starfield, we can’t wait to see what you come up with!
And lastly, the team is hard at work on the development of Shattered Space, our first major expansion coming next year. You’ll have new story content, new locations, new gear, and much more. We can’t wait to share more with you next year.”
The studio also shared this infographic, revealing some impressive stats.
Lots to look forward to next year for Starfield players, and we’re glad to see Bethesda addressing several criticisms, some of which were outlined in my Starfield review. It’ll be really interesting to see the mod tools, as while the game can already be modded, these tools will offer more flexibility in what can be done. Skyrim has been thriving off mods for the past decade, with even fan-made expansions being released for it. We’re sure we’ll see plenty of major fan projects once the mod tools are released.
For now, we’ll just have to keep on exploring the universe and its secrets.
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.
World of Horror launched back in October, but to the horrors of console players, a nasty save bug that wiped progression also came with it. Now, months later, the bug has finally been addressed, along with other issues, as Ysbryd Games has started to roll out World of Horror update 1.05 for PlayStation owners.
World of Horror Update 1.05 Patch Notes for December 20:
Please note the actual version numbering for Switch is v1.03 and v1.04/1.05 on PlayStation. Both versions are based on the PC’s v1.0c build, hence this is why you will see “1.0c” on the top right corner of the screen, and why we are calling this the “1.0c” patch.
Implemented several fixes for the correct operation of the game’s handling of save data. Players’ experiences during a playthrough of WORLD OF HORROR should now be correctly recorded in general, and players’ progress should be properly reflected via the listings for ACHIEVEMENTS, EVENT CODEX, ENEMY BEASTIARY, ENDING ENCYCLOPEDIA and MYSTERY MONOGRAPH
The SAVE AND EXIT and EXIT TO MENU feature is now fixed and will no longer delete players’ progression data
PS4 only: Accessing the Options Menu will no longer cause deletion of players’ progression data (as of v1.05)
Fixed the introduction scene at the start of every playthrough getting cut short after pressing a button to proceed
Improved frame rate on Nintendo Switch. (Some players may find this subjective. Also, please note if you have WAVY EFFECT on in the Options Menu, the game’s frame rate will still take a hit whenever the wavy effect comes on.)
Fixed issue where the EVENT CODEX’s entries E001 to E080 may be erased by use of the SAVE AND EXIT function.
Fixed issue where only one ending from the bottom row unlocks ( Inconceivable Sadness)
When using Save and Exit at the player’s apartment, both “ENEMY BESTIARY” and “EVENTS CODEX” are expected to be updated accordingly with new entries after exiting the playthrough with that function.
Fixed issue where Events that haven’t been encountered before by the player are sometimes being recorded and saved in EVENTS CODEX.
Fixed crash when changing add-on locations
Fixed issue where at the beginning of a new game, the game log displays the following message:
[WARNING] Your health dropped too low!
[WARNING] You will die at the beginning of your next encounter!”
Fixed issue with “EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY” mode where sometimes a character starts the game with one random spell
Fixed issue where a customizable playthrough’s BACKSTORY description text extends beyond the UI frame
Fixed crash when pressing shoulder buttons during the introduction cutscene at the beginning of a custom game
During the “PERILOUS PARABLE OF A PECULIAR PAINTING” mystery, fixed an issue where some event text extends beyond the frame
Fixed issue where the settings in the EXTRA menu [CREEPY NEIGHBOR] and [WAVY EFFECT] parameters were not saved
Fixed issue where sometimes the wrong character portrait is shown in a playthrough
Fixed issue with the inability to trigger the “SAY HELLO” in-game achievement
Fixed issue where the final in-game achievement “DUDE” could be activated, recorded and saved before its trigger requirements are met
There are many fixes, but the biggest is the save wipe bug, so if you were dealing with that issue, you can now finally enjoy World of Horror. I know it is Christmas time, and perhaps out of season now, but trust us, you’re going to want to play this game as it’s an excellent text-based Horror game, as discussed in our World of Horror review.
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.
Blizzard Entertainment has released the Diablo 4 update for December 20, and this is a server-side patch (called hotfix 5) that brings adjustments to rewards on all platforms starting today until next year.
Diablo 4 Update for Dec. 20 Patch Notes | Diablo 4 New Update Patch Notes for Dec. 20:
HOTFIX 5 – December 20, 2023 – 1.2.3a
Game Updates
Echo of Duriel drop rates for Uber Uniques will now be doubled until January 8th.
Developer Note: We’re boosting Duriel Uber Unique drop rates until January 8th to help all those looking for that special piece of gear. Happy Holidays!
Vampire Power Update:
Metamorphosis: Unstoppable duration changed to a flat rate instead of scaling with Vampiric power level.
Unstoppable duration changed to 2.5 seconds at all levels. No longer increases per level.
Damage increased from 80%/120%/160% to 110%/180%/250%
Note: Metamorphosis in-game tooltip will not reflect these new values, and will be updated at a later date through a client update.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where in extreme cases, Charged Bolts would result in stability and performance issues.
We’re not expecting any other updates for the game until 2024 rolls around. But if ever we do get one, we’ll let our readers know.
It was only in the past year or so that Turtle Beach started to dabble with the idea of controllers. It’s a risky move for a company known mainly for its headsets. But it’s also a market that has somewhat been stagnant, as while there are great third-party controllers out there, most end up coming with some drawbacks. That was somewhat the case with Turtle Beach’s first gaming controller, The Recon. It earned an Editor Choice badge from us, as it features some rather innovative features, but the drawback then was that it was a wired controller. Price helped justify the controller, but it was clear to Turtle Beach that the market demanded something wireless.
So it was back to the drawing board for the company, though not from scratch, as The Recon would serve as the foundation for what would come next. Little did I know that this time around, the manufacturer wouldn’t take any half-measures, as they’ve set their eyes on crafting the best Xbox controller with the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless Controller.
Does it live up to those expectations?
The Best Designed Pro Xbox Controller?
To be the best, you have to look the best, which is why the Xbox controller remains mostly unchanged over the last decade. Why change what many already consider to be the perfect design for Xbox?
That’s something Turtle Beach understood, which is why their Stealth Ultra maintains that best-feeling factor that Xbox has delivered for decades. But that’s not to say that the design can’t be improved upon. The question has always been how without comprising everything you love about the controller? For Turtle Beach, that starts with the small details.
The Stealth Ultra is not only a gorgeous controller, but it also feels fantastic to hold. The paint job and plastics used are soft to the touch, while the rubber handles and texturized triggers give you just the perfect amount of grip. But holding the Ultra Stealth in your hand, there’s something special about it that gives it that premium touch that makes you want to run your hand across it like some exotic sports car.
For back buttons, the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless Controller features four programmable ones. They’re OK in terms of design, but I do wish they had a bit more spacing, as each side has two buttons that are really close to one another. The low profile they have is nice, and they’re relatively snappy and responsive while using in a game.
There’s a texturized grip on them, too, as there are on all the triggers, which feels really nice. In general, the controller feels good to hold, and there’s a real sense that this is a premium controller. Even the painting and material used on the controller feel better than stock ones and a lot of other pro controllers.
Moving up from the back buttons, there are also trigger stoppers right beside each trigger. These come in two settings: full range and short range. It’s always good to have options, as some pro controllers will specifically only have short triggers, which can be an issue in games that require the entire trigger motion for specific action. You’ll likely stick with the short-range stops for anything competitive.
Then there’s the charging dock. In 2019, Turtle Beach announced the acquisition of PC peripheral makers ROCCAT. Since then, they’ve expanded and released many products that built and further innovated on technology, such as their optical Titan Switches and other features. But the most exciting thing about this deal was how both companies would eventually meld their tech with one another. We saw this first with headsets from ROCCAT, as Turtle Beach’s staple Super Hero Hearing feature eventually came with newer headsets.
Now, it looks like Turtle Beach is benefiting from that purchase, as the design of the Stealth Ultra Wireless charging dock was one clearly inspired by ROCCAT’s Kone XP Air wireless mouse dock.
It’s very basic looking, mind you, but it has some neat features. The design itself has a curved angle so that the controller can rest comfortably. That may cause some worry that it could potentially slide out of place, but fret not, as the controller/charging dock has a magnetic port. They’re decently strong too, as the controller will snap right into place, meaning no finicking around trying to align the charging ports in the right spot.
For connectivity, it uses a USB-C to USB-B cable. There is no wifi built into the dock itself, which is actually a pro, in my opinion. Not everyone likes having a charger near their set-up, so being able to plug this in elsewhere is great. The connectivity is instead done via a wifi dongle or Bluetooth, which is pretty standard on consoles and PCs. But I am someone who likes having their dock near my PC setup, and this is something that I loved about the ROCCAT Kone XP Air wireless mouse dock.
Normally, you’d need two USB ports, one for the charger and the other for the wireless dongle. However, on both the Kone XP Air and now the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless Controller, the charging dock has a built-in USB port that you can insert that dongle. It cuts right into the design too and is an improvement over the Kone XP Air’s design, so it’s not sticking out like a sore thumb. When you put the controller on it, too, it covers the entire docking station when you look at it from above. So it looks like it’s being charged via cable versus a docking station.
I’m fond of the design of the docking station. I’m surprised Turtle Beach even built one, as most pro controllers opt for being rechargeable via USB cable.
Now, thumbsticks are one of the more exciting features of this controller, as they do away with traditional analog sticks in favor of Hall Effect Joysticks. For those who aren’t super tech-savvy, Hall Effect doesn’t rely on contact like analog sticks do. They use magnetic sensors to determine movement. Because the sticks don’t rely on contact, in theory, they should never suffer from the awful fate of stick drift, you know, when you are moving in-game but aren’t touching the controller.
It’s awful when it happens and has always been a leading concern when buying any pro controller. Warranty may cover it in some cases, but it’s when you’re outside of that. Pro controllers aren’t cheap, so rebuying one is often out of the question for many.
I can’t comment on how true that will be for the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless, but there’s proof out there to back up the durability of Hall Effect sticks.
The last piece of the controller is the onboard screen and RGB lighting. Yep, you read that right, in addition to some flashy lights, the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless also has a built-in screen and onboard memory that doesn’t compromise the controller’s form factor. It does, however, solve my biggest issue with any third-party pro controller, and that’s being able to finally save your custom mapping and more.
I find that, more often than not, third-party controllers can provide a better experience than official controllers out there. However, they severely lack on the software side of things, as mappables have to be done each time. It’s been a major complaint with every pro controller I have ever used, outside of the official console maker ones. Turtle Beach has clearly seen those complaints and has built a controller with that in mind.
There are advanced features that you can view from the screen that allows you to monitor and access a few things, such as volume levels, superhuman hearing, RGB lighting, and even social media notifications sent from your phone. That latter one is an option I could care less about, but hey, if you can do it, then why not?
What I do love is that the controller can save up to 10 controller profiles, storing customized back button mapping, deadzones, axis response, and even vibration intensity. It’s absolutely insane and by far the best feature of the controller, in my opinion. Gone are the days where I’m sitting there remapping my buttons for each game on a third-party controller, and that, to me alone, makes it well worth the buy.
The only thing that feels like a missed opportunity is the lack of integration with the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro headset. The Xbox, in general, has built this idea of a unified ecosystem, and seeing that Turtle Beach is an official partner and all, I think that’s one major frontier they could learn from. Mind you, I say this with expressions that this is easily one of the best Xbox controllers I’ve ever used. But the idea of a unified ecosystem for peripherals from Turtle Beach having some form of integration with one another excites me if it could easily connect and control different headsets wirelessly.
One thing you might have noticed is that I haven’t mentioned any module pieces. That’s because the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless Controller isn’t modular like the Xbox Elite controller. It does come with rubberized thumbstick caps, but beyond that, nothing on the controller is interchangeable. I don’t mind it because I stick to the default design, though I wish we could swap out the D-pad for something else.
Another feature I wished it had that we praised in our Nacon Revolution X Pro controller was that you could increase and decrease the controller weight with removable weights in the handle. I’d love to see a similar thing for The Stealth Ultra Wireless down the road, as it does feel a tad too light to me.
Past those two complaints, the controller is essentially perfect with its design. It’s impressive to see this from Turtle Beach, not because they make bad products, far from it, but because they’ve had so little time in the non-headset peripheral market. They’re pushing the quality with this controller and what it means to be a “Pro Controller.” But enough about the design, let’s talk about how it performs!
Power in the Palm of Your Hand
A main draw of pro controllers is the back buttons. Back buttons allow players to map face buttons that would otherwise require you to remove your thumb off a stick. Maintaining stick control is important because it’s often associated with movement and camera positioning, something you would always want to have in a competitive online game.
While I still think the back buttons are too close to one another, there’s no denying that they work perfectly as intended. Going into a shooter like Call of Duty, being able to slide and jump without ever removing my fingers off the sticks, is a different experience of play and one I’ll never give up. Many can attest to how much better back paddles make you in a game, and I really like how the Steal Ultra Wireless feels overall as a controller when using them.
But the most significant feature, in my opinion, is the profile swapping. Pro Controllers are great in that you have back buttons that can be customized to any button. The problem is that there are so many multiplayer games to switch to nowadays that they all feature different gameplay and require different configurations. PlayStation’s and Xbox’s Pro controllers have solved this with profile saving. Third-party controllers, at least the ones I’ve used, don’t have this feature.
I play many different multiplayer games, from Battlefield, Call of Duty, and Apex Legends to the recently released The Finals and so many others. I can tell you, even if it’s easy, it’s still annoying having to program back buttons every time I switch to another game.
Turtle Beach eliminates that, as the Stealth Ultra Wireless has a generous ten profiles you can alternate between. Ten profiles for ten games, or if you want, you can run multi-setups for one game-specific. Hero shooters or specific weapons and loadout builds could benefit from those profile switches, as you may prefer one layout in one instance and a different one in another.
It’s super easy to switch profiles, too, as the controller has a dedicated plus button that gives you control of the onboard screen. You could also use the mobile app, but for most of my testing, I kept to what was offered by the controller. The only thing you can’t do, I believe, without the app or a phone is set up social media alerts. It’s not a feature made for me, but I can see this being a big thing for many.
Other features include adjusting the lighting and even turning it off (come on, PlayStation, if Turtle Beach can do it, so can you!) for increased battery life. The controller can last up to 30 hours, which is plenty for a week of play, but if you have the RGB lighting on, it does lower it.
As mentioned, deadzones, axis response, and vibrations can also be adjusted. Those are massive features to have in a controller, especially deadzone options. If, somehow, this controller does experience stick drift, you can go into the deadzones and other settings to counteract it. Some games give you deadzone options, but this works universally across all games since it’s hardware base.
In some ways, you can look at that as one added layer to protect against stick drift. If the sticks somehow manage to show drift, playing around with the deadzone settings will help fix that.
Verdict
If Turtle Beach wanted to make a statement to all Pro Controller makers out there, then they’ve certainly done just that in the very short amount of time they’ve been in the controller market. The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless Controller is, by far, one of the best Xbox/PC Pro controllers that I’ve used, which says a lot when considering it has no modular parts. It’s a shortcoming that gets made up in the quality of the controller itself, as it boldly boasts a level of premium that makes it hard to go back to any other controller. Beyond its minor faults, you’re getting an experience worth every penny.
Score: 9.5/10
Pros:
Hall Effect sticks to combat stick drift.
It has a beautiful design, with added features that don’t compromise it.
Pro features, such as trigger stops and mappable back buttons.
Onboard memory that can store up to 10 profiles.
The built-in screen has a ton of functionality, like RGB lighting, social notifications, deadzone, vibration, and more.
Easy connectivity to nearly any device.
The dock is well thought out. It’s a surprise it even comes with one.
One full charge will get you 30 hours of game time.
Cons:
The back buttons are a tad too close. If you have fat fingers, be warned.
The controller is a bit light, a complaint I even had about stock Xbox controllers.
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.
Continuing down the roster list, Bandai Namco has released a new Tekken 8 gameplay trailer, this time featuring the Desert Falcon himself, Shaheen.
Tekken 8 Shaheen Gameplay Trailer
Shaheen made his first appearance in the series with Tekken 7, and we’re glad to see he’ll be returning to continue his journey to avenge his longtime friend. He uses a mixed martial art that focuses on closed-quarter combat, with fast strikes, and acrobatics.
Though Bandai has already revealed the full roster of Tekken 8, they have plenty of characters left to show off, leading to the game’s launch next month. Though if you’re itching to get into the fight early, there’s now a playable Tekken 8 demo on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. The demo features a few characters, as well as game modes, including a short portion of the main campaign.
Tekken 8 is out this January 26 on the 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.
