The Force Won't Be With You

Respawn Entertainment has issued an apology to PC players for the state of the desktop edition of new release Star Wars Jedi: Survivor �The statement was issued this weekend after a torrent of complaints rolled in from players on Steam, ??decrying the RPG's critical bugs, frequent crashes, and generally unoptimized nature.

In addition to the above problems, the notorious issue of DRM has risen its head once again, locking some players out under the mistaken belief that they had the sequel booted on several PCs at once. In a recent report from the techheads over at Digital Foundry, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was bestowed the questionable title of "Worst AAA PC port of 2023 so far", complaining of framerate drops, texture stutter, and a lack of support for softwa??re s??uch as DLSS and XeSS.

//tw??itter.com/EAStarWars/st??atus/1651990800862183426?s=20

"We are aware that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor isn’t performing to our standards for a percentage of our PC players, in particular those with high-end machines or certain specific configurations," begins Respawn's statement, issued to Twitter. "While there is no single, comprehensive so?lution for PC performance, the team has been working on fixes we believe will improve performance across a spectrum of configurations."

"We are committed to fixing these issues as soon as possible, but ??each patch requires significant testing to ensure we don’t introduce new problems. Thanks for understanding and apologies to any of our players experiencing these issues. We will continue to monitor performance across all platforms and share update timing as soon as it is available."

Launching on April 28, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor received high scores from many critics, praising the adventure's characters, combat, and expansive worlds. While it's more than likely that many of these reviewers played the PS5/Xbox Series X editions of the game, the high praise will only add further sourness to PC players, who must now wait for Electronic Arts and Respawn to mak??e good on its promised "weeks" of patches and updates.

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Repairing a fallen society

Naughty Dog continues in its efforts to roll out patches for its disappointing PC port of The Last of Us Part I, with each new ??update bringing it closer and closer to the quality expected of the Californian studio. The newest patch, Version 1.0.4.0, released yesterday with another fistful of fixes.

Looking at the patch notes, it seems that this particular update focuses on CPU/GPU compatibility, while optimizing the PC edition of the dramatic remake for the Steam Deck platform. Graphics in general have been improved at lower settings, (water no longer appears?? as a black void), while an array of random crashes and U.I. bugs have also been eliminated, including one which saw the game report a critical error occasionally when skipping cutscenes during loading.

Mush Room for Improvement

For all of you Achievement fans, the busted "It Can't Be for Nothing" achievement should now pop, while non-English speaking players will be pleased to hear that multiple corrections have been made to language errors in the menus and in-game subtitles. Naughty Dog ends the notes by reiterating its commitment to improving The Last of Us Part I's PC port in the coming weeks and months.

"We at Naughty Dog and our partners at Iron Galaxy are closely watching player reports to support future improvements and patche??s. We are actively optimizing, working on game stability, and implementing additional fixes which will all ??be included in regularly released future updates."

The Last of Us Part I is available now on PS5 and PC/Steam.

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Patches en route for troubled port

Naughty Dog has released another patch for the troubled PC edition of its critically acclaimed grimfest The Last of Us Part I �In addition, the studio noted that fixing t??he port's issues was currently its top priority, and those wa??iting on its Steam Deck Compatibility will need to remain patient while the game, y'know, gets fixed.

The Last of Us Part I V1.0.1.7, which is available to download right now, tackles several crash instances that would occur when booting the game or when transitioning between Windowed and Fullscreen modes. Additionally, the new update includes fixes for the game's UI, and tackles some of the strange behavior exhibited by NPCs out on the mean streets of Boston. Players with nVidia Series 30 graphics cards are advised to update their drivers before playing wi??th the new patch installed.

"We at Naughty Dog and our partners at Iron Galaxy are closely watching player reports to support future improvements and patches." writes ND on the official patch notes. "We are actively optimizing, working on game stability, and impl?ementing additional fixes which will all be included in regularly released future updates."

The Last of Us Part I launched on Steam on March 28. And, despite being delayed by almost a month, has disappointed fans with a litany of issues, ranging from visual glitches and broken textures, to clipping animation, effect botches, long load times, and random crashing. The Steam releases holds a "Mostly Negative" review rating on the Steam platform, a disappointment given Naughty Dog's excellent PC port of previous release such as Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves.

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What, indeed, is up, Doc?

Player First Games has released a new update for its fun and chaotic crossover fighter MultiVersus, but fans hoping for new stages, characters, or balance updates will have to keep waiting, as this update seem??s purely focused on bug fixes and hit/hurtbox tweaks.

The new update, available now on all platforms, includes a handful of fixes for various characters, including hitbox improvements on Iron Giant, bug fixes on Garnet, stat tracker fixes on LeBron, and down special fixes for Morty. Unfortunately, there's little more in the way of gameplay tweaks, character balancing, or additional characters, stages, or fixes. This has seen players getting more than a little shouty on social media. Something which never, ever happens in gaming communities.

Launched in open beta in July 2022, MultiVersus got off to a magnificent start. Millions of players dove into its free-to-play, Super Smash Bros.-style shenanigans in local, online, and tournament scenes. The following weeks and months would see the arrival of new characters and stages, including DC Comics' anti-hero Black Adam, edgy cartoon stars Rick & Morty, and Gremlins' Stripe and Gizmo. But things have been very quiet for the past four months, with the November 2022 arrival of Marvin the Martian representing the most recent major content update the ??fighter has received.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=??zvborgKG7fw&ab_channel=WarnerBros.Games

Now, of course, it should be reiterated that MultiVersus is in open beta mode, and as such, there is probably much going on behind the scenes in regard to the fighter's actual release. After all, there were inklings, (albeit unofficially) of some cool characters supposedly lined up for the roster. These included DC Comics' villain Joker, as well as movie characters such as Beetlejuice, The Goonies, and even The Wizard of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West.

The Warner Bros. IP catalog, which includes DC Comics, Mortal Kombat, The Lord of the Rings, Looney Tunes, and main other popular worlds and characters is, on paper, a gold mine of roster additions.

Fighting game communities are flighty and brutal mistresses: Hard to build, hard to maintain, and most certainly hard to recall, once their interest has wandered elsewhere. Hopefully MultiVersus �which is a fun scrapper �will be able to resurrect the excitement of its launch months, At this stage, MultiVersus needs "an event": Either an official launch date, a fresh front end/U.I. update, or a "Roadmap" (ugh) of incoming content. The shrinking player community nee?ds evidence that the fighter has a future, and is not on the road to getting insta-canned by the Money Men, like so many free-to-play hits before it.

MultiVersus is available now on PlayStation, PC?, and Xb??ox platforms.

Related: All MultiVersus Voice Actors Listed on PrimaGames

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Physical edition hits PlayStation today

When we reviewed The Rumble Fish 2 in December 2022, we were quick to praise? its unique style and great gameplay, but fairly chastised the old-school scrapper for forgetting some hugely important features �vital to any modern fighter, re-released or otherwise. Fortunately, a new update for the cult release will address some of these misgivings today.

The new update, live now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms, contains several vital online options, these include a new Spectator Mode for waiting players, as well as a rematch option at the end of each fight, saving you from having to return to the lobby and search for the same opponent. Additionally, a new indicator will give players a he??ads-up on their opponent's connectivity, and will also offer the ability to reject a match if the connec??tion is poor.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHBPAQ?zu_nQ&ab_channel=3goo

The Training Mode has also been tweaked, offering multiple settings for your training dummy, as well as adjustable recovery options for your meter??s. The Training Mode will also now allow you to save your lab settings for future sessions. Finally, the match timer can now be set to 99 seconds max, and a new "Combat Range" option should prevent a frustrating bug that was causing combos to drop in widescreen ratio. These adjustments will help bring the rerelease up to par with some other fighters, and a further update is expected in April.

In related news, indie publisher Clear River Games has launched a physical edition of The Rumble Fish 2 on PlayStation platforms, with a Nintendo Switch edition releasing on March 28. You can order the physical edition from game retai?lers in Europe and North America, while the digital edition is available now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

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Bungie is already on the case

The way games are made these days, any small change can send the whole house of cards toppling down �live service games are in an even more precarious situation due to constant updates. Destiny 2 is currently taking a hit in this regard, and a pretty big one at that. The issue has caused the progress of some of the Triumphs to reset, which has removed already-earned Seals from some players. Of course, those affected aren't exactly thrilled, as the Triumph objectives take a great deal of? time and effort to complete, but thankfully Bungie is already working on a h??otfix, as they announced on Twitter this morning.

//twitter.com/BungieHe?lp/status/1617??959541685235713

Bungie also stated that they're extending the ongoing maintenance time for the hotfix by four hours, meaning the new end time will be 2 PM ??PT / 5 PM ET. The game will go offline shortly to get everything sorted, so here's hoping it doesn't take long?? to get things back on track.

This bug entered the game after the release of Hotfix 6.3.0.5, which got rid of blue?? engrams and therefore removed the soft gear cap �now players who were otherwise maxed out will receive Glimmer drops instead. It's a welcome change that players have been asking for, but unfortunately, this bug has soured the m??ood in the community a bit.

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Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em

Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. Video games and bugs. There are just some things that go together. It doesn't matter how good or how polished a video game is �these days, it's nearly impossible to get through one without encountering a bug in one way or another, even if we don't realize it. Even in games that get a ton of continued support after launch, like Stardew Valley, which also happens to be one of my most played and loved games of?? all time, it's inevitable to encounter a glit?ch every now and again.

Squashing bugs in game development often becomes a race against a deadline as more and more issues pop up, and it seems increasingly common these days that games are shipping with glaring issues because they can simply be fixed with one of the first few patches that comes out. Conversations ab??out crunch culture aside, the simple fact is that as our games cont??inue to get bigger and more complex, so will their bugs.

Despite the unintentional problems that are bound to appear during a playthrough, there have been plenty of titles out there I've been able to enjoy even in the face of some obvious bugs. The first example that comes to mind is the community simulator Potion Permit. I was surprised I felt so compelled to add this title to my "favorite games of 2022" list, because there were some huge bugs in that game when I played it right after launch. For example, if I used the fast travel mechanic to certain locations around the map, all of the art would corrupt and I'd be running around in some kind of rainbow-colored broken matrix. I was also incredibly disappointed to find out th?at the arcade machines in the basement of the tavern were entirely unplayable because of a bug.

Then there's another community sim I've been playing recently, Disney's Dreamlight Valley. I usually avoid games that are in early access for the sake of avoiding any bugs that I can, but I'll admit that this game looked too good for the me to wait any longer on. Sure enough, it turned out to be everything I wanted from a cozy, relaxing gaming experience, but that game runs pretty poorly on the Switch. The frame rate really starts chugging if you move around the map too ?quickly, and navigating the menus feels like wading through a pool o??f molasses.

[caption id="attachment_357567" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

I can't let them spoil the fun

Regardless of the issues with these games, though, I've managed to have an absolute blast playing them. In an ideal world, games wouldn't have bugs to begin with. The unfortunate truth is that they're unavoidable, but I try my? best to look at a game as a whole and enjoy its best elements regardless �assuming I'm not encountering crashes or bugs that halt progression.

Of course, not all bugs detract from the fun. Some visual bugs can really give you a good laugh (especially when they happen in "serious" games) �the prime example that comes to mind is the Mass Effect 2 episode of the YouTube series Monster Factory, where the hosts make hilarious use of some bugs in the character creation menus. I've also gotten some good laughs out of players taking advantage of some exploits in Breath of the Wild's physics mechanics.

I'm curious -- what are some games you've played and genuinely enjoyed in spite of bugs? Are there any bugs you've encountered ??that have actually made the experience more enjoyable or memorable? Let's discuss in the comments!

[Featured Image Screenshot by Destructoid]

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EA hoping to restore 'around 40%' of affected files

Electronic Arts has addressed a major data storage glitch that has caused untold damage to the save data of many Madden 23 players. The glitch �which struck EA servers between Wednesday, December 28 and Thurs??day, December 29 �has corrupted the Franchise save files of many users, essentially deleting their custom leagues entirely.

"Unfortunately, if you logged into franchise leagues during this time, your data was affected due to a data storage issue that resulted in franchise files being corrupted," said EA in a statement. "We ??know how important your franchises are to you, and we are actively working on a fix to restore some files via a backup as soon as possible."

However, EA noted that, unfortunately, many of the affected save files were beyond repair, and that, of all corrupted data, only around 40% of users would find their Franchise data salvageable. Thus, it is simply a nerve-rattling case of "fingers crossed" for all those affected, as they wait to see whether their custom leagues �that they have no doubt poured many, many hour?s into curating �have been permanently wiped.

More information is expected from the EA tech team next week, and users are asked to keep a close watch on the official Madden 23 Twitter. Wishing you luck if this concerns you.

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'Drift' issue recognized as 'design fault' by Which?

Long-standing UK consumer watchdog Which? has called on Nintendo to refund all customers who purchased alternate Joy-Con peripherals as a result of the packaged units suffering from "dri??ft".

"Joy-Con Drift", as you will no doubt remember, referred to a frequent problem in the Switch's lifespan which would see one or both thumbsticks roll off-center, resulting in on-screen movement even when the sticks were stationary. The flaw resulted in numerous complaints from users and led to several class-action lawsuits being filed ??against Nintendo, leading to Nintendo improving the controller's design but open admitti?ng that instances of drift would be "unavoidable".

Which? recently performed a new investigation into the sturdiness and manufacture quality of modern Joy-Con, ultimately deciding that drift is a result of both dirt damage alongside worn contact points. Despite the natural wear-an??d-tear nature of frequent usage of console controllers, Which? has cal?led on Nintendo to instigate a four-point plan for all Nintendo Switch warranties going forward.

• Commission an independent investigation into the causes of drift on Joy-Con controllers and make the findings and outcomes publicly available
• Commit to a ‘no-quibbleâ€?and completely free-of-charge repair or replacement of all Joy-Con controllers sold in the UK that have developed drift since the Nintendo Switch Classic launched in 2017
• Provide a compensation or refund plan for any UK consumers who can prove that they have paid out for replacement Joy-Cons as a result of the drift fault since 2017
• Promote this scheme so that all consumers who are affected are aware that they can access free support, compensation, or refunds.

"Nintendo Switch drift has been plaguing gamers for years now, and we've found evidence that mechanical issues are likely to blame," said Which director of policy Rocio Concha. "Nintendo?? must get a grip on the problem and provide free repairs, compensation, refunds or replacements to any consumers who have been impacted by this issue since the launch of the console."

Of course, as Which? is only a consumer association, Nintendo does not have to accept the outcome of its investigation nor take its four-point policy on-board. The report does, however, thrust the time-honored debate of controller construction back into the headlines, asking what is a reasonable amount of wear-and-tear and/or damage that can be allowed to take hold of any game console's controllers before it beco?mes a matter of customer vs. design.

For Nintendo's part, any customer who has purchased a Switch console since 2017 who is suffering from Joy-Co?n Drift should book a repair on the official Nintendo website. The publisher has also noted that it will take all ??repair requests into consideration, even if your console is outside of its warranty period.

?Which? tells Nintendo what is causing its Nintendo Switch drift issue [Which? Official]

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Nintendo taking player feedback 'seriously'

Today sees the launch of the first major update for Nintendo's Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but while Update 110 will add some new features to the juggernaut-selling Switch releases, those plucky trainers hoping for a hefty run of performance improvements? are, sadly, going to be left wanting.

The core element of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Update 1.10 is the addition of Ranked Battles, which will allow players to fight for glory within the confines of the Battle Stadium of Paldea. This new, seasonal-based mode kicks off today with Series 1, allowing trainers to chase the rank of Pokemon Master through showdowns with their fellow players �using the cache of critters they have tucked away within their respective Pokedex. In addition, special events and tournaments will be held on a regu??lar basis as the season progresses.

However, in regards to improving Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's heavily publicized technical issues, Update 1.10 only promises a handful of undisclosed "bug fixes". In an additional statement published alongside the official patch notes, Nintendo said that it was aware of the performance issues that are being suffered by the millions of players who picked up one (or both) of the games during launch week, and that it is working on improvements to the games �noting that it was taking playe?r feedback "seriously".

Released on November 18 exclusively on Nintendo Switch, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet sold over 10 million copies within the first three days of release, making it Nin??tendo's biggest launch of all time.

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Raceway to Recovery

Sonic Team has released that first major patch for its recent release Sonic Frontiers �Rolling out on PlayStation now, Version 110 addresses numerous issues with the so-so adventure. Similar patches for other console and PC platforms are ?set to follow in the near future.

The patch notes are, oddly, only available via the Japanese Sonic Frontiers Twitter. But, thanks to a translation by UpdateCrazy, we know that Versio??n 110 includes fixes for a variety of in-game problems, including UI and map optimization, fixes to audio issues, performance improvements, and fixes for numerous fatal crashes. The new update also cleans out a bug that would cause the Chronos Island boss to randomly di??sappear upon retry.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfr4kK8phZ4

Sonic Frontiers launched on November 8 to a mish-mash of reviews and divisive fan praise. While some found the new adventure an interesting and unique new take on the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, others were ostracized by repetitive gameplay and a dull, somewhat miserable environment. Much of the fanbase sees Sonic Frontiers as a positive step for? the dice-roll fran??chise, however, and hopes that it represents a new dawn for a series that has had its fair share of terrible releases.

There is still work to be done to bring Sonic Frontiers fully up to speed, (pun fully intended), and Sonic Team lead Morio Kishimoto has raised a few eyebrows with his comments that he sees the game's grand worldwide launch akin to a "global playtest". Despite this, Kishimoto points to the new title as a landmark moment, reinventing the long-running franchise for a ?brighter future.

Sonic Frontiers is available now on PlayStation, P??C, Xbox, and Nintendo S?witch platforms.

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Not Perfect

Some lucky Street Fighter fans got a sneaky treat this week, as the recent Street Fighter 6 Closed Beta miraculously sprang back to life for several hours, before quietly shutting down once again. The beta, which took place on PC and current-gen console?s, officially ended on Mon?day, October 10.

Earlier this week, however, PS5 players who still had the client installed found that could suddenly re-access a rudimentary version of the trial. Matchmaking wasn't working with any great stability, but the Training Mode was up and running, giving some sneaky petes several more hour?s to get the tech down with Messrs Ryu, Ken, Guile, Kimberly, Juri, Jamie, Chunners, and Luke.

Word would eve?ntually spread online,?? and the CapCops came in to hit the big red button.

//?twitter.com/Rooflemonger/status/1584980219626409985?s=20&t=nkWle_HZuIWFMoW??CtCQPZg

Of course, this reopening of the servers was a total accident. Players were noting that the unofficial beta was crashing, load times had been extended, and online matches were disconnecting with regularity. So clearly, somewhere, somebody at Capcom typed a "1" where a "0" was needed and opened the door to the PS5 community. It is incredibly likely that the publisher which launch more betas before Street Fighter 6's eventual 2023 release, and there w?ill assuredly be an open beta at some point to stress test the servers, (though it must be said that online was very slick during the offici?al beta run time.)

While I certainly don't wanna be a cop about things. Word of various accidental betas and cracks is a l?ittle frustrating for players. Getting started in a fighting game is tough enough, let alone when some cabals of players have already been putting in hours, weeks, or even months of additional, unofficial practice. The larger concern is that unofficial access will scare publishers away from further beta periods �though, in the long run, these off-record throwdowns are unlikely to affect launch sales.

Still, some of us need all the help we can get, ??without better players having weeks of additional practice.

Street Fighter 6 launches in 2023 on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms. You can check out our thoughts on the great looking fighter here, as well as my list of 50 highlights from the official beta.

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(Not the ones hanging around the daughters of Dimitrescu)

Capcom has informed fans that it is currently working on a fix for a fistful of serious bugs that are currently infesting the Steam edition of Resident Evil Village �Speaking on Twitter, the studio has assured players th??at a fix for the plague of issues is currently in the works.

The troublesome bugs appeared following the release of the Steam/PC edition's latest patch, which launched in-game on October 10.  Since its arrival, some Resident Evil Village players have found that the survival horror adventure either gets stucks in a restart loop, refuses to accept version compatibility while loading, or simply fails to boot entirely.  This is, no doubt, a very frustrating experience, especially for those currently picking through the game ahead of the incoming Winters' Expansion DLC.

//twitter.com/RE_Games/status/1582022175426375681??s=20&t=mhfHU?Lksgj1vUm5V6kIu_A

It has been suggested by tinkerers that the crash is caused by code that stops the game dead should it find any anomalies in Village's main body of code. Readers will likely recall that the Steam edition of Resident Evil Village has had a particularly brutal run, hampered by performance issues attributed to the game's intensive anti-piracy software. While it has not been officially confirmed that this new issue is caused by a fearful code-tampering measure, it would be most eye-rolling to discover that players have once again gotten the shaft due ?to Capcom's paranoic attitude towards piracy.

Regardless, a fix is en route, so players only need hold their horses ??for now.

In related news, Capcom will host a special Resident Evil Showcase tomorrow, October 20. The stream is expected to feature new trailers, updates, and details pertaining to Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition, the Winters' Expansion DLC, and the highly anticipated remake of Resident Evil 4.

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More story content is also on the way for Saints Row

The team at Volition is laying out the future of updates for Saints Row. As the reboot passes a significant milestone, the developer is also talkin??g about its plans for?? fine-tuning the game post-launch.

In a new blog, Volition and publisher Deep Silver confirm the 2022 Saints Row has seen 1 million players boot it up. That's a lot of players, but Saints Row has also been dealing with a number of bugs, too.

The studio says it is prioritizing delivering improvements over new features. Part of that is the major update planned for late November, the first one Saints Row is receiving since its launch in August.

The update will see 'over 200' bug fixes and stability upgrades. There will be a focus?? ??on challenges, overall stability.

"We’re ?especially aware of issues some players have been having with co-op and we’re sorry these fixes have tak?en longer than expected while we apply and test them thoroughly," said Volition in the update.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgjzDJA1o1E

What's in store the reboot

Quality-of-life improvements are also in store for the autumn update. A few ?specified changes include reducing repetition in some activities, improving ma??nagement of vehicles, and making challenges more rewarding.

Though newer content is "less of a priority" for the Saints Row team now, the crew is still planning for the future. Volition and Deep Silver say they plan to support Saints Row for the long-term.

Saints Row is due to receive all-new story content in 2023, included in the Expansion Pass or purchasable as a separate piece. Free ne gameplay experiences and city areas are also in development. Cosmetic DLC is also expected to arrive this week for all Saints Row owners, with m??ore on the way this year.?? Expansion Pass owners will get a few additional cosmetic packs, too.

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COUNTER BREAKER!

[Update: The Killer Instinct dev team has seemingly fixed both the game's online rank?ed mode and its leaderboards problems. Normal C-C-C-C-C??-Combo breakin' service should now be?? resumed.]

Every game is a potential target for troublemakers, even Iron Galaxy's excellent 2013 fighter Killer Instinct, which is currently mired in its own hack-based catastrophe, despite the relative quietness of the fast-paced scrapper in the larger picture of the f?ighting game community.

Killer Instinct's ranked mode has, for some time now, been the target of one individual, who has been rendering the leaderboards an absolute mess with a flurry of fake accounts, which they have used to essentially "jam" the online rankings for the dedicated KI community. This? irritant has gone one step further, however, and is causing the game's sync system to crash when trying to load players into matchmaking. Ess?entially, ranked mode has been rendered literally unplayable for the community.

//twitter??.com/KillerInstinct/status/1577001295784816641?s=20&t?=ITaKxasPT8OmvydEPVk9Bw

Fortunately, dedicated player NickyFGC was able to raise awareness of the issue �via a video and a social media campaign �and was able to get the attention of Killer Instinct's publisher, Microsoft. A simple statement was then posted to the official KI Twitter, saying that the team was now aware of the issue and had launched an investigation. It should be noted that this bug only affects the Xbox and Windows versions of KI. The Steam edition, which has its own server, is?? running as it shoul?d be.

Seeing Killer Instinct in the headlines again, even if for negative reasons, only serves as a reminder as to quite how excellent that reboot was. I myself scoffed arrogantly at the news the series was returning, only to then find not only did I truly love the game, but I actually became better at it than I have with any other fighter. Today, KI still entertains a throng of dedicated players, unable to tear away from its dazzling looks, amazing soundtrack, an??d fast, compelling action.

Here's to C-C-C-Combo Breakers everywhere.

Killer Instinct is available now on Xbox One and PC.

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Speed Demon

For those of you currently grinding it out in Shin Megami Tensei spin-off Soul Hackers 2, Atlus is currently preparing a new update that hopes to make? your hour-chomping journey through the demon-filled dungeons a more streamlined and faster-paced experience.

The new update, which will drop on all platforms in November, will feature a variety of gameplay and U.I. tweaks, all seemingly designed to remove the hurdles between you, the monsters, and endless nights of level-grinding action. The November update will add a "Dash" function to our dungeon-running heroes, and will also offer a "high-speed" option to the game's many, many, many demonic encounters.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiHU6riu1UQ

In regards to Soul Hackers 2's U.I. and menu system, several small tweaks have been made to expedite the process and get you back to soul 'ackin in double quick time. Players will now teleport to the shop interior when selecting the?? shop from the in-game map, while the tip transitions on loading screens have been stripped down to increase load times. Some menu elements will also be rearranged to prevent you over-eager button mashers from accidentally cl??icking the wrong option.

In addition to the above changes, four more demons will be added to the big book of baddies. These are the fiery Aitvaras, the priestess Isis, comical warrior Neko Shotgun, and finally, the iconic cutie-pie, Pixie (Devil Summoner variant). While a spe??cific launch? date is yet to be announced, fans can expect this update to hit next month.

Soul Hackers 2 is available now on ??PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.

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Lush anime fighter getting re-evaluated

Nexon and Arc System Works have announced several new updates currently in the works for DNF Duel. The totally wild anime fighter will receive a fresh run of bug st??omps and balance tweaks before the year is out, although no mention was made of any additional ?DLC characters.

Announced during the weekend's CEOtaku tournament, the first update will fix several technical issues that have troubled DNF Duel since launch, including screen freezing du?ring online battles and input issues that are exclusive to the PC/Steam platform. These and other problems will be addressed in a new patch, which is scheduled to drop on all platf??orms at "the end of September"... which is now, to be honest.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=o02qkoTwnvg

Then, in December, a new balance update will be applied to DNF Duel, taking a look at some of its stronger and weaker characters. While chaotic and powerful combos are part of the fighter's make-up, there are still a few characters who could stand to be a little less dominant, (looking at you, Swift Master), and so the December update will attempt to bring the entire roster a little more in-line �hopefully without putting the brakes too hard on DNF's? unique, aggressive, and devastating style. It is believed that the patch will focus far more on buffing lesser characters ??than nerfing the upper tiers.

Production Director Kodani also noted that the team was working on "something else," but did not offer any further information, other than that it was "exciting" and that the DNF community should look forward to it. This seems to suggest some form of additional content, perhaps characters?, modes, or some technical upgrade. For now, we will simply have to wait an?d see.

DNF Duel is available now on PlayStation and PC platforms. It's a rad fighter, well worth checking out.

The post New bug ‘n’ balance updates headed to DNF Duel this year appeared first on Destructoid.

Anybody call for a web-slinger?

Insomniac Games has released the first major patch for the PC port of Marvel's Spider-Man. The patch, which is available to download right now, includes fixes for several issues pertaining to the port's use of ray-tracing technolog?y alongside general improvements to Spidey Stability.

The clunkily titled Version 1.817.1.0 has been pushed out as a small fix to stick a band-aid over some of the? port's most egregious issues. Insomniac has noted that it is already working on a much larger update, which will contain a litany of bug stomps as well as directly address issues brought to the developer's attention via player feedback. A release date for this secondary patch was not announced.

Today's update fixes crashes and visual distortions directly rela??ted to the use of ray-tracing, while also eliminating random issues that would crop under specific circumstances �such as when playing on widescreen monitors or when Alt-Tabbing out of the game. In addition, Insomniac assured fans it is aware of less common issues �such as a baffling bug that is stopping some players from photographing The Empire State Building �and is continuing to investigate solutions.

You can check out the patch notes for Version 1.817.1.0 right here.

Marvel's Spider-Man is available now on PlayStation and PC pl?atforms.

The post Marvel’s Spider-Man PC patch reduces crashes and ray-tracing issues appeared first on Destructoid.

Now get to Slashin'

Input lag �even in 2022, it continues to be a frustrating thorn in the sides of online fighting game playe?rs. And, ironically, while the ninth generation of gaming is well underway, it appears that Sony's shiny new PlayStation 5 platform tends to exacerbate the issue, rather than repair it.

Case in point: Arc System Works' Guilty Gear Strive, which currently suffers from an estimated 4.5 frames of input lag on PS5 when compared to its sibling PS4, which only suf??fers from around 2.5 frames. Input? lag is an inevitability in almost all fighting games, but the lower a developer can get the fateful number, the better it is for all players.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GYL5FVpjG4

To that end, ArcSys has released Version 1.21 on both PlayStation and PC platforms, bringing with it a few small ??bug fixes, optimized controls for the Figure Mode and much requested improvements to the server connection time on startup. Specifically for PS5, however, the input includes reoptimized input lag. This should bring the PS5 edition more in line with its PS4 and PC brethren, although ArcSys is tight-lipped on exactly how much faster your chosen fighter will respond to your instructions.

Courtesy of Kimagre Gaming, here are some post-patch result??s for all plat??forms.

//twitter.co??m/kimagreGaming/status/1556955540001267712?s=20&t=jIt6z9pG9PRXOEUaWIyCYQ

Guilty Gear Strive is preparing to launch its second season, bringing with it new characters, new stages, a new competitive season, and further updates. The wonderful Bridget is already available today, with more content coming to the title over the coming year. Guilty Gear Strive has already smashed the one million sales mark, and hopefully, this popularity will co??ntinue across the remainder of 2??022 and into 2023.

The post Guilty Gear Striv??e update 1.21 improves PS5 input lag appeared first on Destructoid.

Refunds en route for affected accounts

Mediatonic has humbly announced that it has fixed a frustrating bug in its madcap battle royale release Fall Guys that was causing? players to automatically spend in-game cash when visiting the game's store. The fix comes after the developer had previously denied that the bug was even in existence, suggesting that players were simply accidentally purchasing the cosmetic items themselves.

Reddit first complained about the bug before the weekend, with one user providing an example of how simply viewing items was instead causing the game to roll out the "Show Bucks." A Mediatonic support team member was quick to deny the problem, however, confidently telling the user that they had, indeed, purchased the items themselves and that no refunds would be issued. After some investigation, however, it seemed that the store was indeed bugged and auto-buying ge??ar for hapless browse??rs.

//twitter.com/?FallGuysGame/status/1548006629198639104?s=20&t=ox5xRDDg9Fb8biFGCGuVww

Late on Friday, Mediatonic confirmed the bug's existence on Twitter and noted that it was working on an immediate fix. Smarting a little from the tone of the support team response, the developer noted that it would be issuing refunds for all in-store purchases that were made between the period of June 21-July 15, and would also be gifting all Fall Guys players the "Grandis" bean.

In a separate statement to news outlets (including VGC), Mediatonic noted that the original response to players' complaints was "not acceptable." It's not uncommon for players ?to make in-game mistakes and blame the games themselves, so it's understandable that the support team might have thought that this was the case here. Unfortunately, the response's super passive-aggressive nature was certainly knee-jerk, given that a simple investigation was all that it took to confirm the issue with the store.

Fall Guys, which recently went free-to-play, is available now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. The colorful slapstick title recently hit an amazing milestone of 50 million total players.

The post Mediatonic announces fix for Fall Guys ‘automatic purchase’ bug appeared first on Destructoid.

Gonna Stop Fast

[Update: Amidst recent criticism regarding the state of Sonic Origins, Sonic social media manager Katie Chrzanowski has noted that the Sega? team is aware of players' issues with the title and that it is currently "working on fixing a variety of issues ??right now." More information will be forthcoming.]

//twitt?er.com/KatieChrz/status/1547680495797800963?s=20&t=GfKPR3femFwg78??J6oOM_LQ

A renowned modder has canceled their ongoing project to mod Sega's latest release, Sonic Origins, stating that the state of the title's game code is making thei??r plans for the mod project unfeasible.

As reported by TheGamer, modder Xannan had been working on a homebrew project known as "BetterOrigins" �with the intent of mixing multiple in-game bugs, visual problems, misinterpreted text, and other off-key elements of the retro collection. Speaking candidly on mod website GameBanana, however, ?Xannan did not hold back their frustrations in working with the final release.

"Hey, so we decided to stop the development of this project. After really digging into the files for this game, it's become way clearer that this game is absolute shit," wrote Xannan. "We've f?ixed enough where the game is a bit more serviceable but really, especially without scripts, there's not a whole lot we can 'fix' without just redoing sprites [...] MAYBE I'll come back to this in the future, when script editing becomes a thing. But for now, screw this ??game."

While it would be easy to write off Xannan's brutal comments as them simply not being part of the original development team, the modder is far from the first person to speak ill of Sonic Origins' final release. Almost immediately after launch, developers Headcannon and Christian Whitehead (of Sonic Mania fame), both lambasted the compendium, opining that the final product was not reflective of the work the teams had produced �or wanted to?? produce �for publisher Sega.

"I'm extremely proud of my team for their performance under such pressure, but every one of us is very unhappy about the state of Origins," wrote Headcannon's Simon Thomley on Twitter. "We weren't too thrilled about its pre-submission state either but a lot was beyond our control. "We asked to do major fixes near submission but weren't allowed due to submission and approval rules. We asked about delays early and repeatedly but were told they weren't possible. We offer??ed to come ba??ck for post-release fixes and updates �we do not yet know if this is happening."

While the "BetterOrigins" mod ?did not see completion, it does feature several updates to correct color, animation, and Museum mode text, while also offering a filter displaying a more authentic 1:1 pixel style.

The post Sonic Origins modder cancels project, slams ‘absolute shit’ release (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

Good God Almighty, They Killed It

The book closes on a piece of pro-wrestling history next month, as 2K Games has officially confirmed that it will shut down the online servers to the abominable WWE 2K20 and its somewhat better-received predecessor, WWE 2K19, on June 30.

Speaking on Twitter, 2K Games said that going forward the development team would be focused on supporting its most recent WWE release, WWE 2K22, which launched on PC and consoles in March of this year. Once the switch is flicked on June 30, all online elements of WWE 2K19 and 2K20 will become inactive, including online matches, multiplayer lobbies, and the Communit?y Creation suite.

While WWE 2K19 did find some favor among hardened fans, and is considered one the best releases in the WWE 2K series, WWE 2K20 will go down in history as one of the most shambolic releases in AAA history. Rolling out in October 2019, the wrasslin' sim had an utterly disastrous launch �the title packed to capacity with glitches, bugs, warped animations, online lag, flailing cameras, mislabeled control prompts, frame rate issues, and many, many more issues. 2K Game??s sheepishly apologized for the quality of the product as soon as launc?h day, but not before raking in plenty of $60 sales.

It didn't end there. Future updates and fixes would add further problems, including an amusing bug that prevented the game from launching once the real-world calendar hit 2020. Yikes. 2K Games would decide to take a year out from the franchise, and instead released garbage brawler WWE 2K Battlegrounds �a microtr??ansactions-filled disaster that died a deserved death in double-quick time.

WWE 2K22, considered a "restart" of sorts for the beleaguered series, has received relatively positive reviews from critics and fans, but most of the community admits that there is still much to be done before the WWE 2K series hits the heady heights of the pro-wrestling video game greats. If you want to check it out for yourself, then WWE 2K22 is available now on PlayStation, PC,?? and Xbox platform??s.

Adieu, Becky No Face...

The post They’re shutting the servers of your favorite wrestling game, WWE 2K20 appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a kind of magic

Are you still playing Elden Ring? You probably are. It seems that most of our dear community has truly been bitten by the Elden Ring bug, probably one that has seven legs and ninety eyes. Well, there's big news today, as FromSoftware has released a new Elden Ring update on all platforms, bringing fixes, tweaks, and balance changes??.

Perhaps the centerpiece of Version 1.04, for that is what it is called, is an incredible laundry list of boosts and nerfs to Elden Ring's massive ars?enal of weaponry, both physical and verbal. From its cavalcade of swords, spears, and axes, to its many spells, curses, and incantations, the development team has attempted to further fine-tune the player's offensive and defensive capabilities when out on the battlefield �maybe it will help you, maybe it will hinder you. Either way, adaptation is key.

Away from game balancing, the new update contains a litany of fixes for various bugs as they pertain to Elden Ring's audio/visuals, quest markers, NPCs, and text. Elden Ring is already a fairly well-polished title, but any and all glitch fixes are welcome. For full details on all of the new changes now live in Elden Ring, be sure to visit the official patch notes over on the Bandai Namco website.

Elden Ring update 1.04

Additional Elements Added

• Added an option to turn camera auto rotate function ON/OFF
• Added some event phases for the NPC “Patchesâ€?/li>

Balance adjustments

• Increased Colossal Swords/Colossal weapons attack speed and lowered their recovery time. Jump attack not included.
• Increased the two-handed attack damage of Colossal Swords/Colossal Weapons. Jump attack not included.
• Increased physical block rate and guard boost of the Colossal Sword, Colossal Weapons, Great Sword, Great Hammer, Great Axe, Great Spear, and Halberd weapon classes.
• Increased the damage of Grafted Blade Greatsword.
• Increased the damage of Devourer’s Scepter.
• Decreased the scaling of status effect build-up from spells and incantations of Albinauric Staff and Dragon Communion Seal.
• Decreased the effect of Greatshield Talisman for weapons with high block rate.
• Shortened the length of the madness afflicted animation.
• Lowered the speed of madness buildup recovery.
• Slightly increased FP and Stamina growth rate at lower levels*

Sorcery/Incantation

Upward adjustments

• Crystal Barrage - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time
• Gavel of Haima - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Allows caster to more easily withstand enemiesâ€?attack while casting
• Shatter Earth - Increased cast speed and decrease recovery time. Allows caster to more easily withstand enemiesâ€?attack while casting
• Rock Blaster - Decreased recovery time. Allows caster to more easily withstand enemiesâ€?attack while casting
• Thop’s Barrier - Increased area of effect and slightly increase effect duration
• Rennala’s Full Moon - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Ranni’s Dark Moon - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Carian Greatsword - Increased cast speed at lower dexterity
• Magma Shot - Decreased FP cost and increased cast speed
• Roiling Magma - Increased cast speed and decreased time until magma explodes
• Gelmir’s Fury - Slightly decreased the random nature of projectile’s range and increased the damage of lava pool. Increased the hitbox
• Rykard’s Rancor - Decreased FP cost
• Oracle Bubbles - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Great Oracular Bubble - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Briars of Sin - Decreased recovery time. Increased blood loss buildup on enemy
• Briars of Punishment - Decreased recovery time. Increased blood loss buildup on enemy
• Explosive Ghostflame - Decreased FP cost and recovery time
• Tibia’s Summon - Increased damage and cast speed
• Aspects of the Crucible: Tail - Decreased FP and Stamina cost
• Aspects of the Crucible: Horns - Decreased FP and Stamina cost, Increase cast speed. Increased the distance traveled when not charged and made it easier to cause enemies to flinch when charged
• Elden Stars - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time
• Black Blade - Decreased Stamina consumption and decreased recovery time
• Discus of Light - Decreased FP cost. Increased damage and cast speed
• Triple Rings of Light - Increased damage
• Radagon’s Rings of Light - Decreased FP cost. Increased damage and cast speed. Decreased recovery time.
• Lightning Strike - Decreased Stamina cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Honed Bolt - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Ancient Dragonsâ€?Lightning Spear - Decreased FP and Stamina cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Allows caster to more easily withstand enemy attacks while casting.
• Ancient Dragonsâ€?Lightning Strike - Decreased recovery time
• Lansseax’s Glaive - Decreased FP and Stamina cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Allows caster to more easily withstand enemyâ€?attacks while casting.
• Fortissax's Lightning Spear - Decreased FP and Stamina cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Allows caster to withstand enemy attack while casting more easily.
• Frozen Lightning Spear - Decreased Stamina cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Allows caster to more easily withstand enemy attack while casting.
• Death Lightning - Decreased FP cost, Increased the duration of death-accumulating smoke
• O, Flame! - Increased damage
• Giantsflame Take Thee - Decreased Stamina Cost
• Flame of the Fell God - Decreased FP cost and increased damage
• Whirl, O Flame! - Increased damage, decreased recovery time
• Burn, O Flame! - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Black Flame - Increase damage and the spell can break enemy’s guard more easily.
• Scouring Black Flame - Decreased FP cost and recovery time. Increased attack range and area of effect.
• Black Flame Ritual - Reduced FP cost and increased damage.
• Gurranq's Beast Claw - Increased damage and decreased recovery time.
• Bloodflame Talons - Decreased FP cost and increased cast speed. Decreased recovery time.
• Bloodboon - Increased damage. Increased cast speed and decreased effect start-up time, decreased recovery time.
• Pest Threads - Decreased Stamina cost.
• Scarlet Aeonia - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Allows caster to more easily withstand enemy attacks while casting.
• Unendurable Frenzy - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Decreased the random nature of projectile’s range and increased Madness buildup on enemies.
• Inescapable Frenzy - Increased cast speed.
• Placidusax's Ruin - Decreased FP, Stamina cost and recovery time.
• Dragonclaw - Decreased FP, Stamina cost and recovery time and made it easier to cause enemies to flinch when charged.
• Dragonmaw - Decreased FP, stamina cost, recovery time and increased cast speed and made it easier to cause enemies to flinch when charged.
• Greyoll's Roar - Decreased FP, Stamina cost and recovery time.

Upward and downward adjustments

• Adula's Moonblade - Decreased the power of single cast and improved performance so that the blades and frost hit more consistently and continuously. Increased cast speed at lower dexterity.
• Flame, Fall Upon Them - Decreased the damage of single cast and improved the performance so that it hits the enemy multiple times. Decreased FP cost.
• Howl of Shabriri - Decreased the madness buildup on the enemy. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.

Downward adjustments

• Swarm of Flies - Decreased blood loss buildup on enemy.
• The Flame of Frenzy - Decreased madness buildup on enemy.
• Frenzied Burst - Decreased madness buildup on enemy.

Weapon Skill

Upward adjustments

• Lion's Claw - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Kick - Increased cast speed.
• Hoarah Loux's Earthshaker - Increased cast speed. Increased cast speed on follow up input, decreased recovery time.
• Troll’s Roar - Decreased Stamina Cost. Increased cast speed on follow up input, increased distance traveled.
• Giant Hunt - Decreased recovery time.
• Storm Assault - Decreased recovery time.
• Carian Greatsword - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Increased the damage when charged and made it easier to cause enemies to flinch.
• Carian Grandeur - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Increased the damage when charge and made it easier to cause enemies to flinch.
• Gravitas - Increased cast speed.
• Flaming Strike - Increased the travel distance of a stepping cleave in a strong attack.
• Black Flame Tornado - Added hitbox to weapon when spinning, and added a window to roll during the attack to cancel the animation.
• Lightning Slash - Increased cast speed. Added a hitbox to the stomp animation.
• Sacred Blade - Increased cast speed.
• Sacred Ring of Light - Increased cast speed.
• Poisonous Mist - Increased cast speed.
• Poison Moth Flight - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Ice Spear - Added a hitbox to the weapon’s spinning animation.
• Chilling Mist - Increased cast speed.
• Assassin's Gambit - Increased cast speed.
• Shield Bash - Increased cast speed.
• Shield Crash - Decreased Stamina cost. Increased cast speed.
• Blade of Gold - Decreased Stamina cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Blade of Death - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Golden Tempering - Decreased FP cost and increased cast speed. Increased effect duration.
• Last Rites - Increased cast speed.
• Mists of Slumber - Increased cast speed.
• Eochaid's Dancing Blade - Increased travel distance, added a window to roll during the attack to cancel the animation.
• Unblockable Blade - Increased cast speed with the weapon Coded Sword.
• Alabaster Lords' Pull - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Added a window to roll during the attack to cancel the animation.
• Establish Order - Decreased recovery time and increased cast speed on follow up input. Increased damage. Made it easier to cause enemies to flinch.
• Moonlight Greatsword - Decreased FP cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Increased the frost buildup effect during the skill duration.
• Wave of Gold - Decreased FP cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Wolf’s Assault - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• The Queen’s Black Flame - Increased cast speed. Added a window to roll during the attack to cancel the animation.
• Dynast's Finesse - Decreased Stamina cost.
• Flowing Form - Decreased Stamina cost.
• Death Flare - Increased cast speed.
• Onyx Lord's Repulsion - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Added a window to roll during the attack to cancel the animation.
• Magma Guillotine - Decreased Stamina cost, Increased cast speed. Decreased recovery time on follow up input.
• Cursed-Blood Slice - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Ice Lightning Sword - Increased cast speed. Added a hitbox to the stomp animation.
• Rosusâ€?Summons - Decreased recovery time.
• I Command Thee, Kneel! - Increased cast speed including follow up input. Added a window to roll during the attack to cancel the animation.
• Gold Breaker - Decreased FP cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.
• Familial Rancor - Added a window to roll during the attack to cancel the animation.
• Nebula - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time with the weapon Bastard's Stars.
• Regal Beastclaw - Increased cast speed.
• Devourer of Worlds - Increased cast speed.
• Regal Roar - Decreased recovery time.
• Spearcall Ritual - Decreased recovery time.
• Ancient Lightning Spear - Decreased FP cost and increased cast speed. Allows player to more easily withstand enemiesâ€?attacks while casting.
• Great-Serpent Hunt - Decreased recovery time and increased damage. Allows player to more easily withstand attacks from enemies.
• Frenzyflame Thrust - Decreased FP cost, decreased recovery time. Decreased madness buildup on self.
• Bloodboon Ritual - Increased cast speed.
• Miquella's Ring of Light - Increased cast speed.
• Sea of Magma - Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time. Added a window to roll during the attack to cancel the animation.
• Flame Dance - Decreased Stamina cost, decreased recovery time. Added a window to roll during the attack to cancel the animation.
• Storm Kick - Decreased Stamina cost.
• Bear Witness! - Increased cast speed.

Upward and downward adjustments

• Thundercloud Form - Decreased damage when activated with a short button press. Decreased FP cost. Increased cast speed and decreased recovery time.

And a bug fix of particular note: "Fixed a bug that allowed unauthorized items to be pass?ed to other players."

Elden Ring is ava?ilable now on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.

The post Elden Ring update 1.04?? is stacked with weapon and sorcery balance tweaks appeared first on Destructoid.

Fine-tuning

Polyphony Digital has released a brand new update for its classy driving simulator Gran Turismo 7. Available to download now on both PS4 and PS5, Version 1.11 brings with it a huge medley of small tweaks, fixes, and bal??ance checks to the title's massive roster of well-worn tracks and dazzling vehicl?es.

Perhaps the most notable element of the new update is an increase in earned Rewards across the board. As listed in the official patch notes, smart drivers should now rack up in-game prizes more regularly in GT7's World Circuit, Circuit Experience, and Lobby/Sports mo?des. In addition, new objec?tives have been added to Mission Mode, the in-game credit cap has been raised, and a variety of tweaks have been made to the physics engine and player controls �hoping to provide a tighter driving experience.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCabpb5HRv0

In regards to Gran Turismo 7's all-important audio/visual package, Version 1.11 has further polished its smoke effects, and removed a bug that caused debris to appear inside vehicles. For those of you with a fancy-dancy audio setup, Surro?und 7.1 has been better implemented to offer a more immersive experience, with new audio balance sliders added to the in-game audio menu. Now it's like you're actually in a car crash!

In regards to all of the minor tweaks to U.I., race tracks, individual vehicles, and The Livery, (not to mention a litany of bug stomps), there are simply too many to list here, so be sure to pull into the official patch notes for full details on what the new update is bringing to the GT7 party.

Gran Turismo 7 is available to? purchas??e now on PlayStation platforms.

The post New Gran Turismo 7 update ??includes an assortment of tweaks and fixes appeared first on Destructoid.

Go elsewhere for your Aloy ASMR

Guerrilla Games has released a new update for its gorgeous adventure sequel Horizon Forbidden West. Update 1.08 �which is live right now on all platforms �features a plethora of tweaks, fixes, and bug stomps, all of which will help our intrepid hero Aloy on he??r ventures into the wilderness.

The patch notes for the new update do not reveal any major changes to the title overall, more a litany of fixes to minor issues plaguing the Horizon Forbidden West campaign and side-quests. These include unresponsive NPC characters, select U.I. and icon bugs, environment traversal problems, objective errors, and various crash and save state issues across the board. The update also includes further "fixes" to the sequel's already stunning visuals.

Perhaps the most amusing or notable fixes pertain to issues where Aloy would exit a deep-sea swimming adventure bone dry, and an instance where her heavy breathing would play over a specific cinematic sequence, almost implying that our girl had picked up a side-gig as an ASMR video maker. You can check out the full patch notes over on the official Reddit, though Guerrilla notes that the recap may contain some small spoile?rs.

Horizon Forbidden West is available no?w exclusively on PlayStation ?platforms.

The post Horizon Forbidden West Update 1.08 inclu?d??es quiver of teeny tweaks appeared first on Destructoid.

No word on PC update as of yet

Today sees the official launch of one of the highest-rated video games of current times, maybe all times, as FromSoftware's highly anticipated Elden Ring makes its debut on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms �The developer has released a launch day patch for the console editions, which hopes to fine-tune a few early issu??es.

Version 1.02, which should be available by the time you read these words, tweaks various elements of Elden Ring's controls, visuals, and overall gameplay stability. According to the patch notes, (which you can check out right here), the new update features "improved player controls", as well as fixes to on-screen text, audio and music prompts, NPC issues, and overall frame-rate problems. The Elden Ring Version 1.02 pa??tch also includes some very specific fixes, such as a bug affecting Xbox wireless headsets.

The notes end by stating that the i??mplementation of r??ay-tracing technology will arrive at a later date.

It should be stated that there has been a fair bit of testimony doing the rounds that the PC edition of Elden Ring is going through its own set of specific teething issues. Neither FromSoftware nor publisher Bandai Namco has addressed these concerns as of yet, but you can be sure that the problems are being looked into. Elden Ring is set to be one of the biggest and most successful releases of the year, perhaps the generation, and will no doubt be of the highest priority to the comp?anies.

Elden Ring is ??available now on PlayStation, ?PC, and Xbox platforms.

The post Elden Ring l??aunch patch to address stability issues on consol??e appeared first on Destructoid.