Category: Video Games

Nintendo Cancels Japanese Esports Events Following Threats to Staff and Spectators

Nintendo has cancelled Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo and postponed other Japanese esports events after persistent threats were made to both staff and spectators.

A Japanese press release, shared by reliable translator Genki on X/Twitter, revealed the “all ages celebration of Nintendo fun”, which took place in the United States for the first time in 2023, has been cancelled and its main esports tournaments postponed.

Nintendo said its employees have received relentless threats which have also recently targeted spectators, attendees, and staff at Nintendo Live 2024, forcing the cancellation in the interest of safety. It was due to take place from January 20 to 21.

The Splatoon Koshien 2023 National Finals, which was due to take place in December 2023, has also been postponed. The events scheduled for Nintendo Live 2024 — the Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Online Challenge Final Stage, and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe World Championship 2024 — have obviously been postponed too, all to an undetermined date.

Nintendo apologised for any inconvenience caused and thanked fans for their understanding.

The 2023 event, which took place in September in Seattle, Washington featured myriad fan-centric celebrations including opportunities to play incoming Switch games, complete in tournaments, take photos with characters, watch live stage performances, and more.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora PC performance and best settings to use

I find myself agreeing with Ed’s Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review so closely that we may as well have plugged our USB dreadlocks into the same magic tree. This is indeed an extremely Ubisoft game, with all the busywork and go-here-shoot-that roteness that entails, and although it throws some genuinely gorgeous visuals into the bargain, these also come at the cost of steep hardware requirements.

That said, good performance ain’t out of the question, at least not for modern CPUs and graphics cards. It will just take some digging through the graphics menus – digging that I’ve now completed, so join me as my blackened fingers bash out a convenient guide to Frontiers of Pandora’s PC performance and best settings.

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Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo Has Been Cancelled

Splatoon and Mario Kart events postponed too.

Nintendo has today announced that the first Nintendo Live event of 2024, which was set to take place in Tokyo, has been cancelled. Alongside this, several competitive events including the ‘Splatoon Koshien 2023 National Finals,’ the ‘Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024′ and the ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Online Challenge Final Stage’ have been postponed.

Nintendo cites safety concerns as the main reason for the changes following the company receiving numerous threats targeting its employees and spreading to the wider community.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Genesis Noir follow-up Nirvana Noir spirits you off to a reality where the Big Bang never happened

Feral Cat Den and Fellow Traveller have announced Nirvana Noir, a follow-up to cosmic philosophical jazz-me-whatsit Genesis Noir. Revealed as part of yesterday’s Day of the Devs showcase, the game continues the adventures of spacey watchmaker No Man, who must solve mysteries that spans two parallel realities, Black Rapture and Constant Testament. In Black Rapture, the Big Bang never happened. I feel ‘universe in which the universe never began’ is an… unpromising choice for a setting, but I am not an astrophysician, nor very much of a magic-realist, and I know eff-all about the jazz. Here’s the trailer.

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Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.1 Includes a Devastating Reference to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

CD Projekt Red are tugging at heartstrings again after including a devastating reference to hit anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners in Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.1.

Fans were very excited over the long requested romantic partner hangouts being added to Cyberpunk 2077 (and are obviously still obsessed with them), but CD Projekt Red targeted them right in the feels with the mission name connected to these meets.

As outlined in IGN’s Cyberpunk 2077 Guide, which details how to trigger the romantic encounters and what they entail, beginning one will start a Main Job called “I Really Want to Stay At Your House”. This is a reference to the song by Rosa Walton and Hallie Coggins, that’s been in Cyberpunk 2077 from the start but greatly grew in popularity after the release of Cyberpunk: Edgeunners in September 2022.

While we won’t spoil what happens in Cyberpunk: Edgeunners, the song appears at some particularly emotional moments.

I Really Want to Stay At Your House also appears as one of the songs players can dance to with their partners. “I realise it’s the name of the gig but did they have to use that song,” said ZawanShin87 on Reddit. “I couldn’t even enjoy Judy’s dancing because I was laughing and crying.”

Another user, IGR777, shared a similar sentiment. “Nice name. Totally didn’t bring back depressing memories,” they said. “I have no reason to leave my apartment anymore,” added Lord9witdafye in another post. “Done with all that merc s**t choom, gonna elope with Panam.”

Update 2.1 adds a lot more than this, of course, as CD Projekt Red also brought the long-requested metro system, new motorbike mechanics, and much more. It even added the infamous sad Keanu Reeves meme.

The full patch notes were shared ahead of its release on December 5, the same day the Ultimate Edition of Cyberpunk 2077 was released. This will be the final big update in Cyberpunk 2077’s long and troubled history, though comes after CD Projekt Red won back the love of its fans following the game’s messy launch.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

How Jusant tells its history through art instead of dialogue

“Moebius built a world that doesn’t exist, but you can understand it. It’s a realist world. A world you can relate you, but it’s not your world,” says Edouard Caplain, art director for Jusant, the meditative tower climbing adventure that is Life Is Strange studio Don’t Nod’s latest game. Moebius was the pseudonym of French artist Jean Giraud, and whose surreal sci-fi and fantasy landscapes, with washes of contrasting colour and impossibly huge structures of soaring rock, have influenced games for years. You can certainly see that influence in Jusant, too: a world you can understand, though it’s quite unlike your own.

RPS slapped on the coveted Bestest Best sticker when reviewing it a few weeks back, calling it “a show don’t tell masterpiece”. A sentiment I can get behind as a long-standing proponent of silent games ever since the Evil Within 2 insisted on puncturing its creepy baroque ambience with consistently stupid dialogue. Jusant comes from a team that know how to write a conversation, though. So why the change of pace this time around?

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Square Enix Asks Fans To Consider Dragon Quest Monsters eShop Version After Physical Release Sells Out

Due to “popular demand” in Japan.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince launched on the Switch last week and apparently it’s already sold out in many stores around Japan. It’s got to the point now where Square Enix has advised fans to consider the digital version if they can’t get hold of a retail copy.

Here’s a translation (via Ryuji of Noisy Pixel):

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Sonic Frontiers Latest Update Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Balance adjustments and more.

Following the delivery of the “Final Horizon” update for Sonic Frontiers back in September, Sega has now released a brand new patch for the game, bumping it up to Version 1.41.

It includes some balance adjustments for the game’s “Easy Mode” and also makes changes to some of the controls for the new characters Amy, Knuckles, and Tails. Here’s the full rundown, courtesy of Sega’s official patch notes page:

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Xbox Insider Release Notes – Omega (2311.231205-1910)

Hey Xbox Insiders! We have a new Xbox Update Preview coming to the Omega ring. It’s important we note that some updates made in these preview OS builds include background improvements that ensure a quality and stable build for Xbox consoles.

We continue to post these release notes, even when the noticeable changes to the UI are minimal, so you’re aware when updates are coming to your device. Details can be found below!

Xbox Insider Release Notes

System Update Details:

  • OS Version: XB_FLT_2311ZN25398.2920.231205-1910
  • Available: 7 p.m. PT – December 6, 2023
  • Mandatory: 7 p.m. PT – December 7, 2023

Note: This update may not occur automatically before it has already become mandatory. You can always find the most current update as soon as it is available by opening the Guide > Profile & system > Settings > System > Updates.

Remember: Newly enrolled users in this ring are not guaranteed to receive all early updates, but they’ll receive the update prior to the GA release. Additionally, a small subset of users may remain on their current GA build once they enroll until the next system update becomes mandatory for the public. Visit the Xbox Insider Program FAQ to learn more.

Fixes Implemented

Thanks to the hard work of Xbox engineers, we are happy to announce the following fixes have been implemented for this build:

System

  • Various stability and performance fixes.

Known Issues

We understand some issues have been listed in previous Xbox Insider Release Notes. These items aren’t being ignored, but it will take Xbox engineers more time to find a solution.

Audio

  • We have received reports of users experiencing intermittent issues with audio across the dashboard, games, and apps. If you have experienced issues, be sure you have the latest firmware updates for your TV and other equipment. If you’re unsure, you may need to contact the manufacturer for assistance.
    • Note: If you continue to experience issues after applying the latest firmware updates, please submit feedback via Report a Problem immediately with the “Reproduce with advanced diagnostics” option, then select the category “Console experiences” and “Console Audio Output Issues”. Be sure to include as much information as possible:
      • When did the issue start?
      • Did you lose audio just in the game/app or system audio as well?
      • Does changing the audio format resolve the issue? If yes, what was the format before and after?
      • Does rebooting resolve the issue?
      • What does your setup include? Equipment, layout, etc.
      • And any additional information you can provide to reproduce the problem.

Networking

  • We are investigating reports of an issue where the console may not connect to their network as expected on boot. If you experience this, be sure to report the issue via Report a Problem as soon as you’re able.
    • Workaround: Wait a minute for the connection to establish. If your console still hasn’t connected, restart your Xbox from the Power Center by holding the Xbox button > Restart console > Restart.

Make sure to use Report a problem to keep us informed of your issue. We may not be able to respond to everyone, but the data we’ll gather is crucial to finding a resolution.

What Happens to Your Feedback

How to Get Xbox Insider Support

If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please reach out to the community subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help with your concerns.

When posting to the subreddit, please look through most recent posts to see if your issue has already been posted or addressed. We always recommend adding to threads with the same issue before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can! Don’t forget to use “Report a problem” before posting—the information shared in both places helps us understand your issue better.

Thank you to every Xbox Insider in the subreddit today. We love that it has become such a friendly and community-driven hub of conversation and support.

For more information regarding the Xbox Insider Program follow us on Twitter. Keep an eye on future Xbox Insider Release Notes for more information regarding your Xbox Update Preview ring!

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