Category: Video Games

Square Enix Rolls Out Chocobo GP Version 1.4.1, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Download it now.

Square Enix released another update for its Switch-exclusive Chocobo GP. This is the first update of 2023, bumping the title up to Version 1.4.1. This patch contains multiple fixes, here’s the full rundown courtesy of the Square Enix support page:

Chocobo GP – Version 1.4.1 (1st Feb, 2023)

Thank you for playing “Chocobo GP”. The Ver.1.4.1 update for Chocobo GP is due for release on 2/1/2023.

*Please be aware that if the player is playing a game mode that involves online communications at the time the update is released, the system will quit out of that mode after the current race finishes and return to the title screen.

The content of this update is detailed below.

1. Fixes to an issue with multiplayer where settings would change from “mirror” mode to “master” mode if a lobby was created with mirror mode set and then play continued for a time without disbanding that lobby
2. Fixes to an issue on the Midgar short and technical courses, where racers would sometimes be judged to have gone off the course incorrectly.
3. Fixes to an issue when using Cactuar’s 1000 Needles ability in Time Attack mode where the ability is immediately forced to end if Cactuar touches a ghost while hit detection for the attack is active.
4. Fixes to an issue on the sticker select screen where the cursor moves to locations that should not be selectable if it is made to skip from a specific location.
5. Fixes to an issue on the LITE edition where options that cannot be selected are displayed as options that can be selected if transitioning between screens in a specific way.
6. Fixes to an issue where the correct colour is not shown when selecting the “Premium Gold” colour for the Kwackeys’ speed type vehicle.

An internet connection is required to apply these updates.

We hope you continue to enjoy “Chocobo GP”.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Talking Point: Who Did You Marry In Fire Emblem: Awakening?

Fire of love.

For better or for worse, Fire Emblem today is a different beast to what it was a decade ago. Fire Emblem Engage brought back the weapons triangle, a combat-first focus, and the wonderful Engage mechanic, but at what cost? The social aspect (one of the biggest selling points in previous games) takes a tumble in the most recent entry. The central hub (The Somniel) is much smaller, character interactions are lessened and, most importantly of all, there is no marriage.

Ten years ago, Fire Emblem: Awakening came to the 3DS (in the US, at least) and opened our eyes to the prospect of in-game marriage. Evolved from the ‘Love System’ which debuted in the Fire Emblem: Geneology of the Holy War on Super Famicom, no longer was the game’s romance something that you had to read into, oh no; this time around it was front and centre and came with a number of genuinely beneficial perks based on who you decided to partner up with.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 4th)

Game on!

Well folks, we made it through January and the upcoming months are looking bright (in gaming, at least). It’s now fewer than 100 days until the release of Tears of the Kingdom so the countdown is well and truly on.

This week at Nintendo Life, we had a chance to get hands on with Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, and we also looked ahead to The Super Mario Bros. Movie after the recent trailer had us wondering which other suits we’d like to see pop up. It was also, unbelievably, the 15th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and a group of us got together to discuss the oft-overlooked game mode ‘The Subspace Emissary’.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Square Enix Planning “Multiple New Titles” And New IP

Following a slump in sales.

Square Enix has had a solid run on the Nintendo Switch over the past year with releases such as Live A Live, NieR:Automata, Tactics Ogre: Reborn and more recently Crisis Core, but it seems it’s not been enough. The Japanese publisher and developer has reported a drop in net sales in its latest financial results period (up to 31st December 2022).

Despite net sales falling to 255 billion yen (down by nearly 7% YoY), it’s still got some big plans moving forward – teasing “multiple new titles” including games featuring brand-new IP.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Among Us Shares Its Roadmap For 2023

Nothing sus here.

It’s a new year and that means there’s a new roadmap for the popular multiplayer indie hit Among Us. So, what’s on the agenda for 2023?

Coming soon are user interface and user experience updates. This includes “cleaning up the account merging flow, updating the store to be easier to navigate, making it easier to see how you can report a toxic player” and more.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Activision Blizzard Charged $35 Million By the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Activision Blizzard has been charged $35 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for “failing to maintain disclosure controls related to complaints of workplace misconduct and violating whistleblower protection rule.”

The SEC shared the news in a press release, stating Activision Blizzard agreed to pay the $35 million to settle its violations, and the charges stemmed from issues dating back to 2016.

“According to the SEC’s order, between 2018 and 2021, Activision Blizzard was aware that its ability to attract, retain, and motivate employees was a particularly important risk in its business, but it lacked controls and procedures among its separate business units to collect and analyze employee complaints of workplace misconduct,” The SEC wrote.

Between 2016 and 2021, the SEC stated Activision Blizzard also “executed separation agreements in the ordinary course of its business that violated a Commission whistleblower protection rule by requiring former employees to provide notice to the company if they received a request for information from the Commission’s staff.”

As a result, Activison Blizzard was said to have violated Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(a) and 21F-17(a). The company did not admit or deny the SEC’s finding, instead it just “agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to pay a $35 million penalty.”

“The SEC’s order finds that Activision Blizzard failed to implement necessary controls to collect and review employee complaints about workplace misconduct, which left it without the means to determine whether larger issues existed that needed to be disclosed to investors,” said Jason Burt, Director of the SEC’s Denver Regional Office. “Moreover, taking action to impede former employees from communicating directly with the Commission staff about a possible securities law violation is not only bad corporate governance, it is illegal.”

The SEC confirmed it was investigating how Activision Blizzard handled allegations of sexual misconduct and workplace discrimination in September of 2021. The SEC’s search followed the two-year investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing that led to a lawsuit against the company for fostering a “frat boy” culture in which female employees were allegedly subjected to unequal pay and sexual harassment.

This settlment also comes at a time when there is extra scrutiny regarding the $68.7 billion deal that would merge Xbox and Activision Blizzard. Most recently, the merger spurred a formal antitrust warning from the European Union.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.