I can hang out with Sindel now

While I doubt many of us would leap at the opportunity to step into the ring with Sub-Zero, Shao Kahn or, God forbid, Erron Black in real life, a new, fan-created mod for Mortal Kombat 11 offers the oppo?rtunity to get closer to the action ??than ever before, implementing a weird first-person camera.

The MK11Hook – created by modder Ermaccer – lets you essentially step into the skull of your favorite fighter, mere minutes before it is separated from their shoulders. A video of the mod in action (which you can check out below) sees poster boy Scorpion going nose-to-nose with Noob Saibot, while an alternate third-person camera sees Spawn tackle Shokan queen Sheeva. The camera-offset options also offer interesting new perspectives on some of MK 11's stages.

Ok, let's face it, nobody is gonna be rocking these views for their MK 11 fix (he says right before someone probably wins EVO 2021 in first-person), but the MK11Hook mod also has other features, such as the option to alter gameplay speed. It goes without saying that modding MK 11 could land you in hot water online, possibly resulting in a ban, so I should do my finger-??waggin??g bit here.

Still, it's the closest you'd probably ever want to get to actually visiting the NetherRealm.

The post Check out this wacky first-person mod for M??ortal Kombat 11 appeared first on Destructoid.

Consider not crafting

[Update: CD Projekt Red has "fixed" the save issue, but not really; because ?that's just how this game rolls.

According to hotfix 1.06's notes, the??y have "removed the 8MB save file size limit, but it will "not fix save files corrupted before the update. Welp, goodnight everybody! Good luck if you were impacted.]

In my review of Cyberpunk 2077, I was able to test the game on PC; which was devoid of many game-breaking bu?gs that are present on the console editions. But naturally, a few are popping up.

This one actually impacts all platforms (even Stadia!), but should be very familiar for anyone who has played Elder Scrolls titles, from Morrowind to Skyrim. It's none other than the bloated save file bug, which makes saved games u?nusable after certain parameters are met (it rises above 8MB). The actual?? in-game text is "saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded."

This isn't an isolated issue??, as it seemingly was just a ticking time bomb. Doing things like crafting and acquirin??g more items/gear triggers the bug, which pushes save files over the 8MB edge: it was only a matter of time until it happened.

Mind, this b??ug was officially acknowledged over on the CDP?R forums, where the current fix on PC is to back ??up all your saves, repair the game, then erase t?he corrupted saves and replace them. As a forum moderator recommends, "keep doing this" as you troubleshoot, as "it can often be the loading process, not the save process" that corrupts the save. "Keep doing it" eh?

Right now, the CDPR support center statement is that a future patch "might" increase the save file size limit. "Might" eh? There's a lot of uncertainty in this for a studio who is knee deep in refunds right now. Maybe it'll be in the "January" patch. Good luck playing it over Chri??stmas break, I guess!

Save files are corrupted [CD Projekt Red]

The post (??Update) Holy Elder Scrolls bug: Cyberpunk 2077 saves ove??r 8MB are getting corrupted appeared first on Destructoid.

Cyberpunk on a more stable platform

In ca?se you missed it, Apple really doesn't want studios selling individual games on their own cloud service apps. It's impacted both Stadia an??d Microsoft xCloud, among other outfits, but those service providers are working around it.

Just this week, Stadia released their iOS solution: just use Safari. Here's how it works.

Basically, as soon as you head to Stadia.com on iOS, you'll encounter the beta program. The ?interface is exactly the same as on PC, with your profile in the corner (which you can use to redeem codes or change your settings), and games listed vertically on your screen.

Right now, Stadia on iOS supports both virtual control?s as well as Stadia and "other Bluetooth remotes." If you recall, Appl?e Arcade allowed the use of PlayStation and Xbox (Bluetooth-enabled) controllers, so you don't need Stadia hardware to take advantage of it. As for the touch controls, they can be a boon or a burden depending on the game.

For low key puzzlers, or even retro-themed action games, it's doable. Virtual d-pads have been ar?ound for over a decade now on mobile devices, and it shouldn't take long to acclimate at all. For full-on experiences like first-person shooters, it can be a nightmare. Stadia is likely banking on you having an errant?? controller lying around.

If you do, you're going to have an experience about as seamless as using Stadia on a PC or a Chromecast. I even tried Cyberpunk 2077 on it! And it's still more stable than the console editions. This was already possible on Android devices, but it's still weird to see it play out. You can also save screenshots, or start parties/multiplayer within the iOS browser. I even tested minimizing Sa??fari, doing something else, and comin?g back; and it picked up where I left off.

A simple rundown, yes, but it's a simple app. Of course, if you still aren't down with paying mone??y for Stadia games?? on Google's proprietary platform, nothing is going to change here. For everyone else diving in with a free trial or existing subscribers; you now have the option to play on iOS.

The post Stadia is on iOS now, here’s how to access it appeared first on Destructoid.

One good turn deserves another

For the past three years, I've posted the nominees for Destructoid's annual Best Remaster/Remake award of the given year. W??hile it's fair to suggest that the ca??tegory is hardly considered a "leading" topic in the annual GOTY discourse, it's not without its charm, having seen some solid winners in its past.

2020 is a little different. 2020 was a year where the general run of up-scaled and re-tweaked classics was replaced by a selection of varied, creative, and both conceptually and critically adored re-imaginings of some of the industry's most fondly-remembered titles. The year saw the return of several PlayStation paragons, a selection of tightly-held PC favorites, and one of the greatest PS3 titles of all-time. All of these titles paid respect to the past, while using today's technology and contemporary design culture to offer modern experiences to both new audiences and those of us with older souls.

As such, this year's Remaster/Remake category not only features a selection of truly excellent titles, but it is actually one of the premier – and most hotly contested – awards of this 2020's Game of the Year discourse. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Thes??e are the nominees for Des?tructoid's Best Remaster/Remake of 2020:

• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Demon's Souls
• Command & Conquer Remastered
• Resident Evil 3
• Xenoblade Definitive Edition
• Mafia: Definitive Edition
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Best Remaster/Remake of 2020 appeared first on Destructoid.

Keanu: 'Whoa?'

CD Projekt Red has the benefit of releasing a major game once in a blue moon to a roaring appla?use.

I was hooked from the very first Witcher (which is frankly still some of their best narrative work), and continued on through Geralt's journey into card game-dom. Now, we're fast-forwarding that old fantasy timeline quite a bit with Cyberpunk 2077.

While it's more than adequate at giving us a g?eneral look at a dystopian techno-future, a lot of the details are muddled.

Cyberpunk 2077 (PC [reviewed], PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Publisher: CD Projekt Red
Released: December 10, 2020
MSRP: $59.99

The last time we spoke in my review in progress, I was enjoying the side content and the general feel of Night City more than the actual campaign. No?thing has changed since then.

Without giving away too much, your avatar (named "V") busts into Night City and tries to make a name for themselves as a hustler and odd-job-taker. Very quickly (I'm talking a few hours in) you get wrapped up in a socio-economic plotline involving some of the biggest names in the city,?? and become mentally entwined with Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves) via technical wizardry. Johnny is pretty much present for the entire shebang as a Great Gazoo figure (he does basically call you "dumb dumb" a lot!), and for the most part, appears randomly and taunts you: eventually you start? to learn more about his story and forge your own.

It...works until it doesn't. Again, a lot of the meat of Cyberpunk is found in the cracks between the main questline. Many supporting characters have a compelling story to tell; you just need to coax it out of them throu??gh optional missions, because the critical path really isn't going to deliver on that front. In some sections it feels cobbled together and rushed, quickly dispensing lore dumps and then whisking you out of a fixed location.

Some campaign quests have this really obvious "massive cut" that amounts to a short load screen when you're just at the apex of something exciting. Either it'll knock you out with an errant blow to the head, or you'll get a jarring load screen that will transport you to an entirely different location. It's all meant to be stylized, but in some instances, it feels like the team just wasn't sure how t?o end a sequence.

The sidequests on the other hand aren't afraid to get weirder. In fact, I spent a lot of time embarking upon these oddities thinking "why weren't these just campaign missions???" Some of the most meaningful dialogue, character growth, and interpersonal relationships are buried within these quests that a lot of people will never see (which is why I'm glad I took my time with this review). It's almost like these portions of the game were designed by a different tea??m; or hungrier, more junior developers. That lack of polish also applies to the RPG elements; which might be one of the most disappointing pieces of the package given that this is based on a tabletop RPG.

Loot and inventory management can be a mess, often resulting in chasing menial stat-boosts that barely impact gameplay in any meaningful fashion. Crafting similarly feels like a complete afterthought, as do many of the "plus stat" skill-up perks that you'll apply between leveling. Depending on your build you'll either gain completely new abilities, or a few stat points here and there. At first glance Cyberpunk 2077 seems to have expa?nsive skill tree and crafting syst?ems, but they're only skin deep.

The main strength of Cyberpunk 2077 is the joy found in stomping around the open world. It can feel sterile at times (particularly with some gaunt and lifeless NPCs), but when something randomly pops up (like a new building, sidequest, or open world event), it's fun to just hang out. That counts for a whole lot in a game like this, and was one of the best parts of Witcher III. In fact, it saved the game for me from descending into "okay" terr??itory. On PC, when the game isn't bugging out, Night City can look beautiful and imposing. I'm still going to be aimlessly trekking through it for the foreseeable? future.

So at the time of the review-in-progress last week I didn't have any major bugs to report; but lo and behold I came across some, even with the day-one patch. Most of what I experienced are minor visual and AI issues, including cases like this one right here: where the vehicle on the right flipped out and whirlwinded around like the Tasmanian Devil. But there's stuff that's more severe than that. Another bug killed me after opening up an elevator shaft door (I assume the physics system s?prang it into my body at 1000x the force required and did enough damage to take me out), resulting in 10 minutes of lost progress during a relatively low-key walking sequence.

In one instance, loading a save didn't spawn the enemies required to actually finish a mission: putting me in an endless loop. In true Ubisoft fashion, I was saved by the constant auto-save system, which brought me back to an earlier checkpoint. Oh, I also crashed out twice and lost around 10 minutes of progress each time. Note that you cannot save in combat, nor?? can you save during an in-game cutscene: so if you feel a crash coming, sometimes you can't do anything about it. At most, I lost around 45 minutes of progress that I can live with, and dealt with some easily-bested glitched AI and a few wonky visual effects. It's not the end of the world, but the lack of polish is so obvious, even on PC (which is arguably the mo??st stable platform of them all).

Cyberpunk 2077 is a victim of bloat, but you can choose to ignore a lot of it and take in the sights. That's where Night City is at its best, and I sincerely suggest that you take your time going through it, as rushing will only lead to disappointment. Even just strolling through though, you'll probably be left wanting ?more.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Cyberpunk 2077 appeared first on Destructoid.

Putting the 'aggro' in aggregate

Review aggregate site OpenCritic has accused developer CD Projekt RED of demonstrating "deceptive and selfish behavior" in regards to the marketing and launch of the PS4 and Xbox One editions of Cyberpunk 2077.

The last-gen editions of CDPR's epic action-RPG launched alongside their PC brethren on December 10. However, the console edition of Cyberpunk 2077 is particularly shoddy, so much so that CDPR is now offering refunds to customers who picked up the new release on PS4 or Xbox One. Prior to release, all reviews covered the vastly-superior PC edition of Cyberpunk 2077, while footage of the console ports in action was almo??st non-existent.

OpenCritic co-founder Matthew Enthoven vented his thoughts in a scathing article on the score-gathering website, claiming that "[CDPR] did it knowing that many publications generally can't re-review games. [...] They did it knowing that, to this day, it is still challenging for consumers to return a video game. [...] They did it knowing what they were doing was wrong. It was deceptive?, selfish, and exploitative. They did it anyway."

A new disclaimer now appears on OpenCritic's Cyberpunk 2077 review page, noting that there are "significant disparities" between the PC and console editions of the release. CDPR yesterday apologized for the release state of Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 and Xbox One, and is working on several updates to improve the title's standing on last-gen platforms. The studio hopes to have the title in much better shape by February 2021, but suggests, in the meantime, unhappy parties contact their retailer or emai?l helprefundme@?cdprojektred.com. This email will remain open until December 21.

OpenCritic acc??uses Cyberpunk's developer of 'deceptive and selfish behavior' [VGC / VG24/7]

The post OpenCritic adds disclaimer to Cyberpunk 2077 reviews, accuses CDPR of ‘deceptive and selfish behavior’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Through the Dragoon's Eye

The physical media funsters over at Limited Run Games have announced that they will be producing a short run of physical copies for the PS4 edition of Sega's Panzer Dragoon: Remake.

Limited Run's Panzer Dragoon: Remake will be made available in two formats: a standard boxed copy of the game and a delightful "Classic Edition" which houses the disc in a special jewel case reminiscent of the Sega Saturn releases of yore - complete with old-school artwork. In addition, LRG will also be selling a double-LP vinyl of the Panzer Dragoon: Remake soundtrack, signed by legendary composer Saori Kobayashi herself.

Pre-orders for both physical editions, as well as the soundtrack LP, will open exclusively on the Limited Run website on Friday, December 18. Get your order in sharpish, as the retailer will be closing pre-orders after four weeks. Panzer Dragoon: Remake is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, an??d Stadia.

The post Panzer Dragoon: Remak?e PS4 phy?sical edition available in a sweet Sega Saturn jewel case appeared first on Destructoid.

Brothers in Arms

IO Interactive has released the intro movie for the next entry in the stalwart Hitman franchise. Courtesy of IGN, the tense cinematic sees 47 in??filtrate Saudi Arabia, working alongside a fellow sh??adow-walker, problem-solver... problem-eliminator.

The duo is seen performing reconnaissance on on the controller of a mysterious organization known as "Providence" with?? which our dynamic duo appear to have some sort of mysterious history. Frankly, it's interesting to see 47 working in the field alongside his fellow "asset," with the video introducing us to one of the f??ew people to stand in 47's presence, and live to tell the tale. Dare we say... a friend?

Hitman 3 will launch January 20 on PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Stadia. A Nintendo Switch port - utilizing cloud-stream??ing technology - is also in the works.

Hitman 3 official opening cinematic [IGN]

The post Hitman 3’s dramatic opening sees 47 ply his trade in the Middle East appeared first on Destructoid.

Xbox Series X and Switch editions to follow

The weird and wild stylings of Disco Elysium will be oozing their way onto console platforms in 2021. As announced by developer ZA/UM at last night's Game Awards, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut will bring a definitive edition of the open-world RPG to PS4, PS5, PC, and Stadia in March 2021, with Xbox Series X and Nintendo Swit?ch ports to follow in summer.

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut will see the dystopian adventure upgraded with new voicework, an overhauled UI and control system, a slew of new Political Vision Quests, and new customization options. On PS5, The Final Cut will run at 60 FPS at resolutions up to 4K, bringing the mind-melting and eye-wearing world to life like never before. Best of all, The Final Cut will be offered as a free upgrade to all owners of the original Disco Elysium on PC.

For dedicated deadbeat detectives, iam8bit has put together Disco Elysium: The Final Cut Collector's Edition. This lavish release contains a boxed physical copy of The Final Cut on PS4, PS5, PC, or Xbox Series? X, a 190-page hardback art-book, a hand-painted "Totem" sculpture, and a fa?bric map of Martinese, all housed in innovative "Layers of the id" packaging.

Pre-orders for the collector's edition are open now at the iam8bit store, retailing for around $250.

The post Disco Elysiu??m: The Final Cut head??ed to PS4, PS5, and PC March 2021 appeared first on Destructoid.

Two-thousand and seventy-nice

[Update: Success! The designer of the fuel cell got in touch with me and I was able to get the unit working. Images are in the gallery below: it alternates between red and blue lighting, triggered by a motion sensor.]

What are the odds of getting number 69 out of 77?

Well, one in 77. But it kin?d of rules when you hit the jackp?ot, right?

In an extremely "what even is this post? sort of fashion, I'm reporting on one of the weirdest items I've gotten over the years: a Cyberpunk 2077 fuel cell from Doritos. The gaming pope would ??be proud. Praise be.

Today the innocuous-looking box came in the mail, and it's literally a fuel cell statue with a pack of Doritos in it. The Doritos company (which is hopefully still ran by Mr. Dorito - he demands a tight ship!) assures us that it is a limited edition item, and that "only 77 in the world ??have ever been printed." Whoa.

Here's what the actual Doritos look like. And here's the bad news: it doesn't turn on because my power switch is possibly busted, so it'll have to make due as a statue somewhere, probably next to my Borderlands loot crate [Fixed!].

The numerical? victory is too?? much. It's too Destructoid to not share.

The post Doritos? sent us a Cyberpunk 2077 fuel cell, and against all odds, we go??t limited edition number 69 appeared first on Destructoid.

Night City Jam

After years and years of development, CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 is finally in the hands of the people. Almost immediately after la?unch, the dystopian RPG hit over one million concurre??nt players on PC, breaking all-time Steam records for the most players simultaneously engaged in a single-player title.

As reported by PC Gamer, this record was achieved within the first two hours of Cyberpunk 2077's launch, leveling out at a peak of 1,003,264 players - with a further one million people tuning into streams of the neo-noir adventure on Twitch. This almighty number doubles the previously held record of 472,962, achieved in 2015 by Bethesda RPG Fallout 4.

While Cyberpunk 2077 has received almost unanimous praise across the board for its stunning visuals, magnetic locale and characters, and vulgar embrace of excess, the launch has arrived amidst a string of controversies. The developer recently came under fire from the media after reports of "crunch" working conditions, a situation only further compounded by Cyberpunk 2077's multiple delays.

Some gaming critics have also expressed dismay in CDPR's insistence that reviewers do not use their own video captures for review purposes. Select reviewers opined that the publisher's review guidelines did not allow for an honest depiction of some of Cyberpunk's tech issues, nor the abilit?y to relay the game's performance on PS4 and Xbox One platforms.

In addition to the above, CDPR recently implemented a new health warning to loading screens, after Game Informer reported that the visual patterns utilized in Cyberpunk 2077's "Braindance" sequences triggered an epileptic seizure in a reviewer. CDPR has noted that it will be looking into a "more permanent solution" to this situation in particular.

The post Cyberpunk 2077 breaks Steam records ??with over one million concurrent players appeared first on Destructoid.

Long but not hard

You may be well aware, but in the unlikely event that you're somehow not: Cyberpunk 2077 releases tomorrow. Technically, that might only be a few ho??urs from now if you're playing on PC, as there's a ?global launch that hits at 4pm Pacific. On consoles, it's midnight for every region.

We've played some of it. You should check out our Cyberpunk 2077 review-in-progress if you're interested in how it's shaping up. Or, you could just go in blind tomorrow. If you want the low-down on the achievements and trophies, we've got that too, courtesy of Xbox Achievements.

Surprisingly, for a game this big and detailed and long and full, Cyberpunk 2077's achievements don't look too overly complicated. There's nothing wild like necessitating a pacifist run for full completion. You only need to give it one playthrough. There's also nothing missable apart from using your lifepath dialogue option 10 times (and once you know that's a requirement, it'll be very easy?? to fulfill). For those of you looking for a low-stress time, you should be able to knock this all out on Easy, as there's nothing related to difficulties.

That doesn't mean it'll be quick, though. It kind of looks like you'll have to do everything in Night City to hit the 1000GS or Platinum trophy. Complete all gigs and NCPD Scanner Hustles in each region and then some collectible-seeming stuff adds up to a rather long game. The PowerPyx walkthrough esti??mates a 60-70 h??our completion -- 20ish for critical path story and then another 40-50 for side content.

Now that you achievement and trophy hunters know what you're getting into, prepare to spend a lot of time ja?cked into the Matrix. This is about the?? Matrix, right? 

Here's the Cyberpunk 2077 achievement list:

• The World -- Complete the main storyline. (90G)
• Breathtaking -- Collect all items that once belonged to Johnny Silverhand. (30G)
• It's Elementary -- Complete all gigs and NCPD Scanner Hustles in Watson. (30G)
• I Am The Law -- Complete all Cyberpsycho Sightings. (20G)
• Greetings from Pacifica! -- Complete all gigs and NCPD Scanner Hustles in Pacifica. (30G)
• The Wasteland -- Complete all gigs and NCPD Scanner Hustles in the Badlands (30G)
• Little Tokyo -- Complete all gigs and NCPD Scanner Hustles in Westbrook. (30G)
• Mean Streets -- Complete all gigs and NCPD Scanner Hustles in Heywood. (30G)
• The Jungle -- Complete all gigs and NCPD Scanner Hustles in Santo Domingo. (30G)
• City Lights -- Complete all gigs and NCPD Scanner Hustles in City Center. (30G)
• Full Body Conversion -- Install at least one implant in each system and body part. (15G)
• Gun Fu -- Kill or incapacitate 3 enemies in quick succession with a revolver or pistol in close combat (15G)
• Christmas Tree Attack -- Complete a Breach Protocol with a minimum of 3 daemons uploaded (15G)
• Ten out of Ten -- Reach the max level in any skill. (15G)
• Gunslinger -- Shoot an enemy grenade in midair with a revolver. (15G)
• Two Heads, One Bullet -- Kill of incapacitate 2 enemies with the same sniper rifle shot. (15G)
• Rough Landing -- While Berserk cyberware is active, perform a Superhero Landing to kill or incapacitate 2 enemies. (15G)
• Stanislavski's Method -- Use a dialogue option related to V's life path 10 times. (15G)
• Autojock -- Buy all vehicles available for purchase. (30G)
• Master Crafter -- Craft 3 Legendary items. (15G)
• Daemon in the Shell -- Kill or incapacitate 3 enemies with one "Detonate Grenade" quickhack. (15G)
• The Quick and the Dead -- Kill or incapacitate 50 enemies while time is slowed. (15G)
• Must Be Rats -- Perform the Distract Enemies quickhack 30 times without drawing attention to yourself. (15G)
• V for Vendetta -- After reviving with Second Heart, kill or incapacitate the enemy who killed you within 5 seconds. (15G)
• True Soldier -- Kill or incapacitate 300 enemies using ranged weapons. (30G)
• True Warrior -- Kill or incapacitate 100 enemies using melee weapons. (30G)
• Right Back At Ya -- Kill or incapacitate an enemy who threw a grenade at you. (15G)
• The Wandering Fool -- Find all the tarot graffiti for the job Fool on the Hill. (30G)
• Frequent Flyer -- Find all fast travel dataterms. (20G)
• Legend of the Afterlife -- Reach max Street Cred. (30G)

Secret Achievements -- Story spoilers!!:

• The Fool -- Become a mercentary. (15G)
• The Lovers -- Steal the Relic. (15G)
• The Hermit -- Find Alt Cunningham. (15G)
• The Wheel of Fortune -- Interrogate Anders Hellman. (15G)
• The High Priestess -- Talk with Hanako Arasaka. (15G)
• The Devil -- Help Takemura avenge the death of Saburo Arasaka. (30G)
• The Star -- Leave Night City with the Aldecaldos. (30G)
• The Sun -- Become a legend of the Afterlife. (30G)
• Temperance -- Let Johnny Silverhand keep your body. (30G)
• To Protect and Serve -- Complete River Ward's storyline. (15G)
• To Bad Decisions! -- Complete Kerry Eurodyne's storyline. (15G)
• Judy vs Night City -- Complete Judy Alvarez's storyline. (15G)
• Life of the Road -- Complete Panam Palmer's storyline. (15G)
• Bushido and Chill -- Watch Bushido X with Rogue. (15G)

Cyberpunk 2077 Achievement List [Xbox Achievements]

The post The Cyberpunk 2077 achievements don’t make you do anything too crazy appeared first on Destructoid.

The Art of Murder

Developer IO Interactive has released the first full gameplay trailer for Hitman 3, the third and final chapter in Agent 47's globe-trotting "World of Assassination" trilogy. The video showcases everyone's favorite Suspicious Bald Person as he tra??vels the world meeting interesting people, and killing them.

The three-minute video sees the ICA assassin tac??kling a whole new series of missions in a selection of distinct locales. From rain-filled neon streets, grim fog-covered marshland, and swanky upscale parties, our one-man army brings the sting of death to some of society's most powerful and seem??ingly untouchable villains.

While it can't be denied that the action in Hitman 3 looks mostly comparable to that of previous releases Hitman and Hitman 2, powerful next-gen graphics bring character models, visual effects, and opulent locales to life like never before. Mr. Tobias Rieper asking to use the bathroom seems a very, very long time ago.

Hitman 3 will launch January 20 on PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Stadia. A Nintendo Switch port - utilizing cloud-streaming technology - is also in the?? works.

The post 47’s world is glossier and deadlier than ever before in Hitman 3 gameplay trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

It's so good being bad

Publisher nWay has released the full gameplay trailer for Scorpina, the next character headed to the fun tag-fighter Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. After a slew of Ranger-based characters, the arrival of one of Rita Repulsa's most unique and?? dastardly lieu??tenants is quite anticipated.

Appearing in the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series, Scorpina ventured into battle with the super-radical rangers alongside fellow villains such as Goldar. One of the few Power Rangers villains to be sans-mask, Scorpina used her alluring looks to catch her enemies off-guard, before unleashing her curved sword with deadly intent. It seems that both Scorpina's fighting style and her femme fatale ways have been neatly recreated in Battle for the Grid, as the trailer below (courtesy of IGN) demonstrates.

Scorpina is the third character to arrive as part of Battle for the Grid's third season pass, following on from Jungle Fury's Robert "RJ" James and Super Samurai's Lauren Shiba. Scorpina will launch in-game tomorrow, December 8, and is a most ??welcome addition to th?e fighter's somewhat samey roster.

Power? Rangers: Battle for?? the Grid - Scorpina revealed to close out season 3 [IGN]

The post The su??ltry Scorpina brings her sting to Power Rangers: Ba?ttle for the Grid appeared first on Destructoid.

'Cause we could be immortals, just not for long

Ubisoft is sometimes referred to as the king of open world games. For some of you, it has a d??ivine right to rule. For others, it’s a proverbial crown that needs to be overthrown.

Immortals Fenyx Rising (the artist formerly known as Gods & Monsters) doesn’t really make a strong case for either position. It exists in a purgatorial state of sorts; albeit clawing its way up t??o the heavens.

Immortals Fenyx Rising (PC, PS4, PS5 [reviewed], Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)
Developer: Ubisoft Quebec
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: December 3, 2020
MSRP: $59.99

Fenyx Rising is quite literally the story of Greek gods and mythological monsters (the name it should have stuck with).

An arrogant and boisterous Zeus and a prideful Prometheus hash out a wager in the form of an unreliable narration scheme, with the brave warrior Fenyx (that's you) caught in the middle. Your job is to take down a big monster named Typhon while fighting a ton of other monsters and warriors, donning gear from the gods along the way. Being the pawn of the gods is a neat popular-media device dating back to Clash of the Titans, and althoug?h it is unique here, the executio??n of how it's told is a bit lacking.

The narrative framework of having each side explain or take back certain details can frankly get exhausting. All of the banter is a bit too much when you want to get on with it and enjoy the open world, and I found myself eventually just tuning most of it out altogether. So many jokes don't land, including a really clunky moment like an early "it's over, go home!" credit roll goof. It's Lego Ninjago movie, B-level material.

I felt this sense of narrative fatigue with the demo a few weeks back, and that same feeling washed over me in the retail build. But the gameplay, and the very simplistic flow of it all, won me over. Fenyx Rising is a sort of amalgamation of a ton of other Ubisoft games, borrowing some of the more arcadey bits and rolling it into one cartoony ball. The quick dodge and lock-on system work well together, on top of a climbing system (and more than a few other mechanics) that emulates Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The more you play it, the more you appreciate it. Fenyx is granted access to several melee and ranged options pretty quickly, presenting players with a decent amount of style and variety to go their own way. Double jumping constantly with stubby wings and gliding around the open world is also pretty fun, and beats hoofing it constantly. It's a good, tempered degree of freedom as the world is big enough to feel full and worth exploring; but small enough to warrant constantly flying aroun?d instead of using fast-travel points.

The simplicity I mentioned earlier courses through the beating heart of the entire game. Micro-puzzles are sometimes way too simple to solve, but alternatively don't feel like a massive pain that you'll want to skip. Little pointed challenge dungeons that are laid out like Mario Sunshine's Secret Levels (complete with th???????????????????????????e same void and platforming focus) are great too.

Even things like first-person-guided arrows come into play: like the team was made up of a b??unch of gaming fans spanning multiple decades, and just put their favorite ideas in, one by one. It can get messy and busy, but it comes together in a satisfying way.

Now it is still an open world "go there, do that" game, but it's perhaps more accessible than most other modern titles out there. You can customize every button, or even some ability toggles (like long or short presses). You can alter the entire HUD like you were using an MMO mod. Or wield a mouse and keyboard on consoles. A lot of things you might hate about AAA games can be manipulated in Fenyx Rising.

But back to the constant rollercoaster that is this game: I don't know if I've seen an odder aesthetic from a AAA release this year. It can look great at times and utterly bland in the same breath. Part of my problem is the enemy design, which ranges from interesting takes on Greek myth classics to Saturday morning cartoon side characters. The lengths that Fenyx was reworked, beyond the n??ame change, are very clear. On PS5, it does look mostly okay (the draw distances and far-off details can look hazy), and the performance mode toggle allows for a stable framerate: so it's nothing you can't shake off.

I was skeptical of Immortals Fenyx Rising after trying the demo, but it comes toget??her with more context. It might be sloppy sometimes, even in regards to the conversation of open world adventures, but it offers up a lot of fast-paced arcade fun. I'd definitely be interested in a true current-gen sequel with a clear vision that shores up some of its bigger issues.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Immortals Fenyx Rising appeared first on Destructoid.

At first we were like 'oh no,' now we're like 'oh yes'

It's still weird thinking about a Bethesda release being a "Microsoft" release. But this is one of the first major ports or game launches since the big publisher acquired ??the smaller one.

We were worried about Doom Eternal on Switch for a second! It never had a firm release date out of the gate, and it chucked its physical release into the sun. But Bethesda has confirmed this morning that Doom Eternal will arrive on Switch on December 8.

As a reminder, this pretty good Doom game (itself a sequel to Doom 2016) came out in March of this year on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Stadia (did you think I'd leave you out, Stadians?), and has received one DLC micro-campaign so far. It's due for another, but for now, Bethe?sda is poised to giv?e us their Switch version.

Want the rundown? Bethesda stresses that it's still a digital-only release ("at this time?" So you're saying there's a chance). The exact launch time is midnight on December 8, ET, and the aforementioned Ancient Gods: Part One DLC will come "at a later date," so it's going to be behind the other versions. I'd put money on it coming alongside of the second part. You?? can rea?d all about the other known issues and glitches here.

It's still strange to see violent games like this on the innocent Nintendo YouTube channel! It even has that little Mario head logo pop up while Doom Guy is rippi??ng ?and tearing. Jarring!

The post Doom Eternal on Switch isn’t that far away after all, as it launches next week appeared first on Destructoid.

Also, Orcs Must Die Unchained probably isn't being revived anytime soon

Did Orcs Must Die 3 pass you by? Look, I get it.

July 2020 was a busy and tumultuous month, and you may not have checked out Stadia yet. But even if you have no interest in Google's platform, Orcs Must Die 3 is coming to other platforms eventually (Steam is the only one that's 100% confirmed), and i??t's pretty good.

Following the launch of the game's first DLC pack, I got a chance to sit down with Patrick Hudson (C??EO of Robot Entertainment) to see what the future might bring.

It's important to point out that this is the first "premium" Orcs Must Die game in eight years. That's a long time! Previously Robot Entertainment had been busy with Orcs Must Die Unchained, which met ?an untimely end in April of 2019, when the servers were officially?? shut down. Hudson had a few things to say about that.

"I could write thousands of words on what we learned from Orcs Must Die Unchained," he muses. "As far as trying a free-to-play project again, we start with the game idea first and then decide the best business model for that game. There’s? a cha??nce that we could do a free-to-play game in the future, but we don’t have any projects in the short to mid-term that would be so."

There were plenty of great concepts in Unchained, to the point where I'm sad to see them gone entirely. Is there a chance of an offline, "complete" reboot? Well, the prospects don't look great, according to Hudson. "It's hard to see that happening,??" he said. "As a relatively small, indepe?ndent developer you’re always calculating your opportunity cost. Reworking Unchained into a retail game would require a large effort. We’re currently focused on Orcs Must Die! 3 and a second, new project. We just don’t have the bandwidth to pursue such a project without taking us away from current efforts."

However, he does concede that they "frequently discuss elements" of Unchained that "could show up in either Orcs Must Die 3 or a future Orcs Must Die project." Okay, so we got a future Orcs Must Die tease here: that's good enough for me. Where might that future project end up though? And what platforms beyond Steam will we see Orcs Must Die 3 arriving on? Hudson is mum right now, but responded to?? my request of a Switch port coyly, noting "We’re big Switch fans, and we see where you&?rsquo;re going with this."

Shifting gears to the future, Hudson says that "ideas" for a fourth game are already in the works, and he falls short of confirming a fourth entry today: "We have a lot of great ideas for Orcs Must Die! Should that be the fourth game in the series or some sort of twist? We aren’t sure, yet. Fortunately, we’ll be supporting Orcs Must Die! 3 f??or a long time so we have s?ome time to listen to what the fans want and then figure it out."

One thing I really wanted to hone in on was the war scenario concept in Orcs Must Die 3: where you control giant weapons of war against hordes of orcs. When asked about an entire game focusing on war scenarios, Hudson responded: "We’d consider it, sure. We think the new War Guardians introduced in the Drastic Steps? expansion made War Scenarios even more compelling. There’??s plenty of design space here."

You might be wondering though, "why Stadia?" Hudson says that Google was very receptive to the idea, and particul?arly liked "the game's personality and humor." The publishers also dug the creativity aspect of divining up open-ended puzzle solutions, and how "longer term," it could shine a light on Stadia features like Stadia Connect: which allows for a picture-in-picture effect with a co-op partner (I've tried it, i??t's pretty neat).

Whatever ends up happening, Hudson says he and his team have a "content plant hat runs through at least the end of 2021." At least! So even if you don't catch Orcs Must Die 3 on Stadia soon, you'll reap the benefits eventually on some other platform. Either way??, I'm just happy this series is back in any form.

The post Orcs Must Die boss would consider a larger scale spinoff, says the team is ‘big Switch fans’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Thanks, Captain Obvious

I like a good on-the-nose title. No one reads the name Home Alone and wonders "Gee, think there are other people in the house?" No one goes into Airplane! wondering where the movie takes place.

That's why I don't feel too bad telling you that gods will fall in Gods Will Fall. This is an action advent??ure game from indie developer Clever Beans and published by Deep Silver. Here's the gist: The gods are real dicks and you and your Celtic friends are sick of them ruining your lives. So, you kill them.

Apart from assured deity death, we know that Gods Will Fall has eight different classes so it's something of a role-playing game. Also, the game's site lists five Celtic gods: Belenos, Morrigan, Osseus, Krannus, and?? Ogmios. Dead gods walking.

It's unclear if there's a multiplayer and/or online component, though. Actually, the trailer that's embedded above pretty much tells us everything we know so far. The remaining questions will be wrapped up in relatively short order. Gods Will Fall launches in two months' time on January 29, 2021 o?n PC, PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One.

The post Gods Will Fall is about killing gods… but you probably already got that from the title appeared first on Destructoid.

Roll them bones

In the context of Assassin's Creed, the word "dice" is usually a synonym for all the different ways you can murder with a blade. Stab, shank, skewer, slice, chop -- you get the picture. In Valhalla, it's?? more associated wit?h a charming little side activity.

All throughout Assassin's Creed Valhalla's villages are random townsfolk who are eager to challenge Eivor to a game of Orlog. This isn't a real Viking game. It's something that Ubisoft designers created themselves that ended up being a fan favorite. Its legend is a lot like Gwent in The Witcher 3.

It'd be easiest if you just played Valhalla to get the Orlog tutorial, but here's a simplified overview. Players take turns rolling six dice across three rounds, choosing each time which ones they want to keep. The die faces have symbols for attack, block, or for stealing currency used for God Favors which are like special abilities. The goal is to drain the opponent's health pool of 15 points. ??It's a little complicated, and then devilishly simple, and then surprisingly deep (once you get into the strategies of the various God Favors).

Orlog is good enough that it's being turned into a real game. According to an interview in Dicebreaker, Ubisoft is teamin??g up with collectibles ??manufacturer PureArts to create a physical version of Orlog that will launch in 2021. No other details were given.

However, the interview has a lot of other interesting tidbits about the creation of?? Orlog. For instance, it started as a collect??ibles-based deck-building game. It also offers insight as to how a bunch of video game designers went about balancing a dice game. It's all the Orlog background info you didn't know you needed.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla's Viking dic??e game Orlog will get ??a physical version in 2021 [Dicebreaker via Eurogamer]

The post Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s dice game will be a real physical game soon enough appeared first on Destructoid.

Looks that kill

I'm killing in the rain. Just killing in the rain. W??hat a glorious feeling, I'm happy again.

Scratch that. Cloned killing machines do not feel happiness. They just e?xecute on their executions and then move onto the next murde??r.

IO Interactive has revealed the third Hitman 3 locale. This time, it's a neon-soaked Chongqing, China, as Agent 47 ascends apartments stacked on top of each other, all in pursuit of his next unlucky target. Chongqing seems quite thematically different from the Dubai espionage setting and the England countryside murder mystery.

This unveiling is a bit less Hollywood-produced than the first two. Instead, IO has opted to use Chongqing's announcement as a showcase for its Glacier engine. The trailer shows how developers build parts of levels, including the impressive water/rain effects and the ability to use more than 300 NPCs in a single location. IO also confirms that Hitman 3 will have 4K, 60fps gameplay, an??d HDR on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Come for all the killing, stay because it looks so good. Sure -- that's ?the on??ly reason you're staying, you absolute psychopath.

The post It’s big trouble in little China when Hitman 3 goes to Chongqing appeared first on Destructoid.

But you didn't, of course

2K Games has released a second wave of superstars for its rubbish wrasslin' title WWE 2K Battlegrounds. Anyone playing the arcade brawler will ??receive free access to sports stars Damian Lillard and - the living embodiment of Johnny Ca??ge - Rob Gronkowski.

NFL star Gronkowski - going by his wrestling pseudonym of "Gronkster" - is available to download free-of-charge right now, while the NBA's Damian Lillard will join the roster on December 2, rocking his in-ring persona "Laheem." The coming weeks will see WWE stars such as "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Edge, Buddy Murphy, and the former IIconics - Peyton Royce and Billie Kay - drip-fed to the roster? as paid DLC that you probably won't be paying for.

The post If you had bought WWE 2K Battlegrounds, you could’ve downloaded ‘Gronkster’ today appeared first on Destructoid.

Free-to-play games and major demos make the most sense to me as a perpetual non-subscriber

Google h??as made plenty of questionable decisions with Stadia, but this one checks out.

Starting November 19 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific, everyone with a free Stadia account will be able to stream Destiny 2 (minus the premium expansions) to their heart's content. The free-to-play base game will, in fact, be free-to-play on Google's streaming service – no $10 Stadia Pro subscripti??on needed. As a free user, you can simply play the game via Google Chrome or Android with a 1080p cap instead of 4K.

This might not be the most enticing game right now or even the best way to play it, but as a chance to test out Stadia and see how it fares with your connection and setup, I can see the appeal. One caveat: the Stadia version of Destiny 2 does not have cross-play, so you can't mingle with other platforms.

It's pretty painless to make a Stadia account –?? you can just leverage a Gmail or Google Account. Convincing your ISP to let you have unlimit??ed data without paying an exorbitant fee is another matter.

Google has also warned Stadia Pro players that if they haven't already claimed Destiny 2: The Collection (the package with Forsaken and Shadowkeep) then they'll have until November 19 to do so. There are a few other tidbits this week, including the return of the (supposedly fun) Immortals Fenyx Rising demo.

This Week? on Stadia: Play PAC-MAN instantly, Immortals Fenyx Rising returns and your Destiny awaits [Stadia]

The post You can play Destiny 2 on Stadia with a fre?e account star??ting this Thursday appeared first on Destructoid.

Some paid, some free

If you were unsure about how Ubisoft views Immortals Fenyx Rising, look no further than its post-launch DLC plans. Even though it's aesthetically different from most of Ubisoft's biggest sellers, it's being supported nearly identically to those flagship games. Immortals Fenyx Rising&n?bsp;has a spot ?in the pantheon among the titles Ubisoft has the most faith in.

Immortals Fenyx Rising will get an all-out assault of post-launch support that will feature both free and paid-for DLC. It's the exact same approach that Ubisoft is taking with the likes of Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion. A constant onslaught of free updates that's bolstered by three expansions and ?a $40 season pass.

Here's what's planned. In terms of free stuff, Immortals Fenyx Rising is getting "free in-game events, weekly dungeon challenges, and daily quests." Things, predictably, get a lot more enticing when you drop some cash. Here are the descriptions of th??e three story-driven DLCs:

• A New God -- Fenyx will embark on a new adventure set in Olympos Palace, home of the gods. This journey will require Fenyx to overcome the Trial of the O?lympians, immersing players in beautifully crafted and challenging vaults built by the gods, in order to join the Inner Circle of the Pantheon.
• Myths of the Eastern Realm -- Set in Chinese Mytholo??gy, the game's second episode w?ill introduce a new hero, Ku, who sets out on a journey to save mortals in a new mystical land at the frontier of the Sky and Earth. Players will need to master Ku's unique fighting style and abilities, inspired by Chinese martial arts, to defeat new enemies and monsters from Chinese mythology.
• The Lost Gods -- The third and final episode will feature top-down gameplay, all-new brawler combat and a new hero, Ash, chosen by Fenyx to bring back the lost gods. The episode will take place on a new mysterious island where ??players will explore ?regions inspired by these lost gods, to restore balance on Earth.

The first one seems like your typical easy-to-forget trials mode thing, but the second and third actually sound pretty neat. Throwing it back to ancient China with a new protagonist and new gods is the perfect kind of experimentation that you can pull off in add-ons. The Lost Gods switching ??to a top-down view might be a fun choice too.

Anyway, Immortals Fenyx Rising is going to live on far past its December 3 launch -- and you can decide whether that's worth paying for. That's the treatment all of Ubisoft's biggest games get. It's a new property, but Ubisoft clearly thinks Immortals Fenyx Rising is capable of standing tall among the Titan??s.

The post Immortals Fenyx Rising has the same DLC plans as an Assassin’s Creed appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't Push Me! (which he never said)

Today is a big day for fans of Mortal Kombat 11, for today sees the launch of Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, the latest iteration of NetherRealm's grisly fighting title. The new update brings with it a slew of balance changes, and transitions the 2019 f?ighter onto next-gen platforms PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Perhaps the most exciting addition - especially for a particularly frenzied portion of the MK fanbase - is the arrival of Kombat Pack 2, bringing with it returning kombatants Rain and Mileena, alongside the M-60-toting soldier of fortune himself, John J. Rambo. The three new kharacters are now available for purchase, bolstering MK 11's roster to an impressive 37 fighters... Interesting overkill given only one warrior actually matters.

Players who have purchased MK 11 on PS4 or Xbox One will find that they are already able to download MK 11 Ultimate - alongside any previously purchased DLC - on the?? respective next-gen platform. The PS5 and Xbox Series X editions promise faster load times and slicker visuals, though there's zero promise that you'll actually be any better at the game itself. This is purely an upgrade from a video game standpoint. You need to get back in the lab... And by "you," I mean "me."

Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate is available now on PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Stadia. This release includes the base game, the Aftermath expansion, and Kombat Pack 1 & 2.

The post Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate launches today, brin??ging Mileena, Rain, and Rambo to the fight appeared first on Destructoid.

Beware of dog

That's a big Jake. That's a mean Jake. T??hat's a three-headed Jake.

That's not Jake at all! That's Cerberus and, thanks to an Adventure Time crossover, h?e's trying to make mince m??eat of both Finn and Jake. Thankfully, Fenyx swoops in to play mediator.

Ubisoft has released this trailer for an Immortals Fenyx Rising meets Adventure Time collaborative effort. However, it's unclear if this is the beginning of a larger crossover or just?? an isolated advertisement. The game could very well have some side quest content based on Finn and Jake.

Although Adventure Time wrapped up in 2018, it lives on through a limited-run series of specials that was greenlit by HBO. Later this week, the second one, Obsidian, premieres. There's still Adventure Time content out there, but it isn't exactly plentiful. If there's some more in Immortals Fenyx Rising, it might make the game a c??an't-miss for fans of the show.

Thus far, Immortals Fenyx Rising is shaping up like a messy love letter to Breath of the Wild. In his preview, Chris noted that the action is coming along nicely but the humor is looking a little rough. It probably wouldn't affect the main story, but Adventure Time could certainly bring something to the table as far as ha-has ?go.

The post Immortals?? Fenyx Rising has an Adventure Time? crossover appeared first on Destructoid.

Interpret this as you will

Just like Phil Spencer and the new Xbox, Ubisoft isn't interested in talking sales. Assassin's Creed Valhalla came out Tuesday, and Ubisoft says that it already has twice the number of players that Assassin's Creed Odyssey launched with.

Even then, we have no firm numbers. Ubisoft only confirms that Valhalla doubled Odyssey's launch d??ay player count, but doesn't mention what that number is. It's data that's seemingly positiv??e but impossible to draw any real conclusions from.

The reason Ubisoft isn't giving sales specifics is because a good chunk of Valhalla's players probably didn't buy the game. Assassin's Creed Valhalla is available on subscription-based streaming services Google Stadia, Ubisoft+, and Amazon Luna. We don't know how many ??people are playing on those platforms.

But then again, it's very feasible that Valhalla has outsold Odyssey to this point, just not two-to-one. When you factor in that Valhalla's one of the most highly-touted next-gen games during a console launch and an active pandemic that's keepi??ng people indoors, it seems like a formula for success. 

I guess the takeaway is that Assassin's Creed Valhalla is doing fine. We won't know how fine until February when (and if) Ubisoft gives sales figures as part of its third-quarter financial report. But, given this vague and incomplete information, Valhalla's doing fine enough.

The post A whole lot of you are playing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla appeared first on Destructoid.

London Falling

"This video game is a work?? of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or any real persons, living is purely coincidental. No org??anization or government agency has approved endorsed or authorized the use of their names or logos or product."

For some time now, Ubisoft has opened many of its titles with a disclaimer similar to the one above, often placed front and center each time the game in question loads. While a company wanting to "cover its back" is understandable, it gets harder to swallow said message with each release. Ubisoft is heavily invested in narratives concerning political upheaval, corrupt governments, class rebellion, and the breakdown of societ??y. But the publisher's persistence in distancing itself from the topics it capitalizes on is getting long in the tooth.

Ubisoft's fiction is frequently embedded in recognizable real-world drama. The publisher openly linked Watch Dogs: Legion with Brexit before reiterating that Ubisoft games are "not political." The Division 2 featured war in the streets of Washington. 2018's Far Cry 5 was about doomsday preppers following a false idol, while the upcoming Far Cry 6 concerns a fascist dictatorship on an island? off the shores of the United States.

There's nothing wrong with tackling socio-political subjects in any medium - creators can and should when the opportunity arises - but at least own your stake. Telling the audience that your wares "aren't political" doesn't wash when you set your latest adventure in "post-Brexit" Britain, open the story ??with terrorist attacks, feature dialogue referencing "fake news" and "social media conspiracies,"?? and then add British xenophobia, a work-shy Prime Minister, and a crumbling NHS to the mix.

When companies take this tack, it comes off as having your cake and eating it too, allowing the product's marketing to bask in the headline-grabbing buzz of real-world concerns while not having to actually enter legitimate discourse with those for whom these themes may be disturbingly r?elevant. Make your point, but also own it. To do otherwise is arguably exploitation.

Watch Dogs: Legion (PS4 [reviewed], PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, Stadia)
Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: October 29, 2020
MSRP: $59.99

Watch Dogs: Legion is the third entry in Ubisoft's high-tech, open-world crime series. The story concerns a London that has become a locked-down surveillance state following a tragic night of terrorist bombings, resu??lting in much death and destruction across the capital. DedSec - the franchise's phone-hacking heroes - have been left holding the bag for this disaster, having been framed by an unknown party known only as "Zero Day."

In the wake of the bombings, the British government has all but abandoned the police force, bringing in paramilitary security firm Albion to handle London's law enforcement. In the following mont?hs, London does become relatively free of crime, but also free of human liberties. Albion, with its army of surveillance drones, its jack-booted soldiers, ??and its propensity for violence, rules over London with a fascist fist. It's up to the hackers of DedSec - now deeper underground than ever before - to rally the people and bring about freedom, one terabyte at a time.

As a narrative concept, Legion sets the stage for an exciting, state-smashing rebellion. Outmanned and outgunned, our ragtag revolutions must use their wits, cunning and technical prowess to research their enemies and bring them down from within, toppling the government and its skull-cracking rent-a-cops using brains over brawn. But in reality, Legion translates this "Vive La Revolut?ion" spirit into hours of relatively choresome missions, with almost all falling into a formula of Infiltrate, Hack, and Escape.

While the narrative persists in telling you that you're being the Trojan Horse that's bringing down a regime, it's hard to feel like 007 when you're repeatedly driving to locations, meeting a dude, driving somewhere else, opening a few doors, and hacking a terminal. While Legion is certainly peppered with its fair share of vehicular mayhem and head-popping gunfights, for the most part the campaign consists of a queue of mundane missions, often leaving the player feeling like they're performing odd-jobs rather than taking down a dangerous dystopia. On a mission-by-mission basis, Legion is... fine, but it's startling just how quickly gameplay becomes stagnant. The very first mission, before the credits have even rolled, is a "hold off enemy waves while a ha??ck takes place" set-piece, setting the tone for the famil??iarity ahead.

The fresh element that Legion brings to the party - as its title suggests - is the concept of playing as a gathering of mismatched rebels, rather than a singular protagonist. Players seek out recruits to the cause while traversing the streets. Simply find a disfranchised Londoner, perform a short mission for them, and you have another DedSeccer on your squad. Each character brings their own set of skills to the urban war - perhaps they have access to certain weaponry, or a special drone, maybe they have legal skills to free your jailed teammates, or are a bit handy with the ol' one-two. Legion's hook lies in the player building a bespoke party of operativ?es to ensure that, as a collective, DedSec has the skills on deck to tackle any situation.

It's a solid concept, but unfortunately, the idea promises more than it delivers. For the most part, save for a few specific technical traits, very few revolutionaries are required in DedSec's efforts to liberate London. A team of unique protagonists with individual abilities, skills, and perks is a great, Mission: Impossible-type idea, but in reality, the gimmick? is mostly superfluous. Almost everyone you bag is, ultimately, more than capable of dealing with the majority of encounters.

Ironically, the lack of a true "lead" actually hurts Legion's immersion. Despite his iconic hat, Aiden Pearce was an insufferable bore, but stripped of the charisma of characters such as Watch Dogs 2's Marcus Holloway and his hipster kidz, Legion leaves us with a band of mostly interchangeable nobodies. This often leaves player characters feeling hollow and NPC-like, rather than a passionate posse of freedom fighters. Case in point: the first character to draw any real emotion from me was a sad, broken Spiderbot, still trying its very best to be useful despite its pitiful state. Godspeed, little Spiderb?ot.

This dissonance affects Legion's campaign in multiple ways. Everybody had a chuckle at the "spy granny" trailer - sure - but in reality, this party rarely feels like an undercover, state-breaking unit. I was able to play half the game as a lofty, high society woman - Ascot hat, lace gloves, heels, the works - who I'm supposed to buy is also a stun?t driving specialist, an expert gunslinger, and can take down waves of special forces agents in hand-to-hand combat like she's Amanda Nunes.

It's a juxtaposition that Legion struggles with for its duration. One minute you're being told immigrants are being kidnapped and butchered for their organs, and the next Miss Money-Sterling and her Chanel suit just won a pit-fighting tournament on the dark web. Titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Saint's Row get away with blending their dark violence with off-the-wall wackiness due to their satirical, stylized worlds. But Watch Dogs' narrative is so grim and po-faced, rolling out themes of?? police brutality, human trafficking, terrorist atrocities, and political fascism, that it doesn't earn the same tonal conflict.

Where Watch Dogs: Legion does put one in the net, however, is in the incredible work done in recreating The Big Smoke. The London of Legion is stunningly authentic and brilliantly detailed, from the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus and the pomp of Buckingham Palace and Big Ben to the grimier underbelly rarely shown when U.S. sitcoms do an obligatory vacation episode. The developers have done an amazing job in replicating the bustling metropolis of modern London, tweaking it just enough to make the city feel that little bit more dangerous - a?? nightmarish v?ision that feels depressingly plausible.

Equally as effective are Legion's visual effects, featuring some of the best color, lighting, shadow, and weather effects we've seen in an open-world title since Batman: Arkham Knight. The Watch Dogs: Legion vista more than holds its own against the impending next-generation in both shine and scale. By comparison, the city's inhabitants are a l??ittle rougher around the edges visually - and feature a wide spectrum of voice-acting ranging from solid to hilarious. At one point I had a construction worker on my squad with the face of a 30-year-old? but the voice of an 80-year-old.

Legion ran acceptably on PS4 Pro but was still fettered with small, irritating bugs. While the reported save corruption and Xbox-bricking flaws have now apparently been fixed, I still encountered multiple issues. These include unresponsive button prompts, missions failing to trigger?/end, two full crashes, and endless NPC odditie??s, such as a screaming woman having a fight in the street with nobody... Come to think of it, maybe that just added to the city's overall authenticity.

Watch Dogs: Legion certainly isn't a bad game by any stretch, but rarely is it engaging, and it is hardly ever simply "fun." Despite its multi-man concepts and intriguing narrative, Legion slots into the Ubisoft oeuvre of sequels, bringing little new to the table and feeling repetitious a mere third into its 20-30 hour run-time. Watch Dogs: Legion is as serviceable as a-n-other open-world crime sim, only really hitting highs when the player steps away from the main ?thread to spread a little extra-curricu??lar chaos.

As a new generation of gaming dawns, one can't help but wonder what Ubisoft has planned for its flagship franchises. It appears that the Rainbow Six team is already taking initiative and switching things up with the upcoming Rainbow Six: Quarantine. But what of the Assassin's Creeds, Far Crys, and Watch Dogs of the world? In the latter's case, it feels like the well is running dry, and if DedSec are inten??t on Hacking the Planet into the next decade, then they might need to download some new tricks.

For all its themes of rule-breaking anarchy, Watch Dogs: Legion toes the line as a formulaic, though ambitious, open-world adventure. While it boasts one of the most visually exciting and stunningly authentic locales in the genre's history, Watch Dogs: Legion's gameplay?? is mechanical, over-familiar, and repetitive, struggling to capture the exciting p?romise of a fist-pumping, system-smashing revolution.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Watch Dogs: Legion appeared first on Destructoid.

Three more weeks

Just because a game goes gold doesn't mean it's immune to delays. It's rare, but the long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077 is an example.

Minutes ago, CD Projekt Red announced that it's delaying Cyberpunk 2077 by three weeks. Originally set to launch on November 19, it's now scheduled for December 10. It'??ll still be here before the year's out.

We have important news to share with you pic.twitter.com/qZUaD6IwmM

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) October 27, 2020

CD Projekt Red points to challenges juggling current- and next-gen systems all at once as the prevalent factor forcing the delay. "The biggest challenge for us right now is shipping the game on current-gen, next-gen, and PC at the same time, which requires us to prepare and test nine versions of it while working from home," the developer says.?? The message continues "We're aware it might seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make any diffe?rence in such a massive and complex game, but they really do."

The timeline on Cyberpunk 2077 has always been super hazy. Years went by where we didn't hear anything about the game. Then it was eventually announced to be launching in April 2020. That was pushed back to September. Then the November date we w?ere expecting. What's three more ??weeks at this point?

Shout-out to this poor soul. Full confirmation!

That was yesterday XDDD pic.twitter.com/401XRX2rID

— PaweÅ‚ (@SirPaffel) October 27, 2020

The post Cyberpunk 2077 hit with another small delay, but it’ll still launch before the year’s over appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 43

-Kerrik52 reviews MediEvil: Resurrection as part of his Traveler in Playtime review blogs.

-Somniferous ?thinks that the next gen games and Google Stadia are made for each other.

-Black Red Gaming shares his thoughts on the rogue-like game, Before Liftoff: Roboquest.

-NarcosGalactico reviews Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

-Sam van der Meer remembers a wonderful strategy guide to Shadow of the Colossus.

-BRAVO F1VE reviews Hades which he thinks makes repetition fun.

-Humantofu looks back at Far Cry.

-Virtua Kazama is excited a??bout the upcoming Sonic Hacking Contest.

-Black Red Gaming continues his ranking of the Metal Gear games with this blog about Metal Gear Solid.

-Exber has been a member of Dtoid for six mo??nths now and he is sharing his thoughts on the e?xperience so far.

-Agent9 continues his ?daily journals in October for another week.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Wizards & Warriors 2 and Ska Punk music.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Resident Evil and 70s Disco/J-Pop music.

-ChronoLynxx o??pens yet another TGIF thread for the ?community to chat in.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our awesome community members for their thoughts and feelings on a variety of cool topics! If you want to see your own opinions included in nex?t week's recap, head over to our Community Blogs and scratch that typing itch.

The post Cblogs of 10/17 to 10/23/2020: Hades,?? Stad?ia, and Disco Resident Evil appeared first on Destructoid.

When unreliable narration spills over

You may not recognize the title Immortals Fenyx Rising. Did you miss the name change? Did you know it as Gods and Monsters, from Ubisoft's E3 2019 conference? Okay, well it got a name change that was allegedly due to a Monster Energy tradema?rk dispute; but maybe wasn't.

Yeah, this game is a little weird. Before it arrives in December as one of the last big titles of the year, we took it for a test drive thanks to the new Stadia demo. It's...alright so far.

Since info on this one has been kept under wraps, I was surprised to see the incredibly light and carefree tone from the start. The framework involves the unreliable narration of Zeus telling the tale of the warrior Fenyx, who forcibly steals the show from the very reliable historian Prometheus: who is at the whim of th?e electric God of Gods.

While the theme is already fantastical, this allows Ubisoft Montreal to sort of bob and weave with the story to make it a little more exciting — but the script just isn't there to match that witty conceit. Most of the jokes (which aren't even "dad humor" good) didn't land for me, which is a shame because you can clearly tell they're going for a more comedic tone than say, the Assassin's Creed series. It's also (thus far) taking away from the ability for Fenyx herself to shine in any real ca??pacity, wit??h two dueling jokesters basically running the show. Hopefully it'll evolve in the campaign.

There is a lot of intertwined DNA with AC, actually, in spite of the tonal shift. Combat feels like an arcadier Creed, with snappy dodges and attacks. I dig the ranged system, which allows our heroine Fenyx to fire quick shots that recharge on a cooldown (read: unlimited ammo) or via a player-guided Metal Gear Nikita mechanic. A parry system (L1+R1/LB+RB) opens up the chance for a more involved experience when swapping to tougher difficulties, as does the functional heavy attack that can ?knock enemies off their guard.

Special abilities — like a giant hammer slam or a thicket of spears that thrust up below Fenyx for crowd control — are cleverly tied to a recharging endurance/magic meter that winds Fenyx if they're used too often. In what is one of several clear homages to Breath of the Wild, you can even manipulate objects with a yellow stasis ability for fun and profit. Locomotion follows a similar path, with one of the major focuses involving climbing very vertical regions and gliding through the air (which is governed by a stamina meter). It seems like there's plenty of collectible goodies to uncover based on my limited access via the demo — and Fenyx Rising doesn't look to go completely overboard with thousands of tiny pins li?ke other bloated, similar titles.

So far my more concerted problems with Immortals are skin-deep. A lot of the character models just look straight-up garish, and while the environm??ents are lovely at a distance, upon closer inspection they start to look less impressive, like a structurally crumbling antiquity. As intimated above, the UI is also all over the place, with rough edges that could use?? a minimalistic second pass. That HUD, thankfully, can be customized, or turned off. I highly recommend tweaking it.

The physics system and controls are also a little wonky, and not because of Stadia. Sprinting is awkwardly tied to holding down the Square/X button (PlayStation/Xbox respectively), which doubles as your dodge. Object-bas?ed puzzles and clambering up walls also feel a little off: like items that should move a certain way aren't as tightly bound. It's annoying and can be fixed (ideally, before the live release). Speaking of Stadia, how does this version run? Fine, as usual! I didn't encounter any major issues when playing the game on Stadia on my?? 100Mbps internet (1Gbps coming soon to prepare for the new consoles!).

While Gods and Monsters caught my eye as soon as it was announced, I'm a little worried about Fenyx Rising. So far the stage has been completely dominated by Zeus and Prometheus and there's not nearly enough Fenyx. If Ubisoft can smooth over some unnecessary roughness, it should be a whimsical side dish after the main course of Valhalla.

The post Immortals Fenyx Rising is messy, but has ?potential appeared first on Destructoid.