Category: Video Games

Nintendo Store Tokyo’s Latest Gacha Goodies Are A Range Of Zelda: TOTK Zonai Devices

You’re gunna hear me Rauru.

Remember earlier this year when Nintendo revealed its range of controller button fidget toys, sold exclusively in the gacha machines of its Japan stores? Well, it looks like there’s a new collection in town to get us envious all over again.

As spotted by a whole host of people today on Twitter and BlueSky, it appears that the Tokyo Nintendo Store is home to a new gacha collection, one that contains miniature magnetic Zonai devices from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Oh, be still, my beating heart.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

How Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Brings Us Inside the Mind of Indy

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Hero Image

How Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Brings Us Inside the Mind of Indy

It’s easy to forget that, over the course of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, we’ll spending the runtime of multiple films with the archaeologist adventurer. Not just that but, thanks to the game’s primarily first-person viewpoint, we’ll be quite literally inside Indy’s head.

It gave the game’s developer MachineGames a responsibility – not just representing the world and feel of the Indiana Jones movies faithfully, but also this character, who we already know so well.

As Design Director Jens Andersson puts it: “Of course, no-one is more iconic than Indiana Jones, so getting that right was paramount.” There’s so much to juggle here – from Indy’s tone of voice, to the way he reacts to situations, right down to how he moves, or uses his equipment. And, for the developers, that meant going to the source.

“Lucasfilm Games and Franchise was a great help here, providing a ton of insight on the character,” explains Andersson.

“The collaboration with the Lucasfilm Games team has been incredibly smooth,” adds Lead Narrative Designer, Tommy Tordsson Björk. “We’ve had an open channel with them throughout the project where we’ve sent finished drafts of scripts to them for feedback and getting their lore input on various aspects. This open and transparent working process has been very valuable for us.”

But, truly, this research was just the start.

Meeting Indy

Poring over not only the films, but comic books and even other games became central to defining who Indiana Jones truly is, and led the team to create “rules” around what Indy would and wouldn’t do:

“Early on in the project I started to look at the early movies, starting to dissect the character and the IP,” explains Creative Director Axel Torvenius. “The goal was to flesh out and identify what is core to the franchise. What that gave us was some sort of framework for who Indiana Jones is, but also, and sometimes even more importantly – what he is not.

“Quite quickly you realize that he is not a guns-first type of character that kicks down doors, mowing through enemies with a machine gun. He is also not an aggressor or vengeful person. There are some key beats to Indy as a character: he is very human, he is an academic, he is a complex character with his weaknesses (and strengths), he is passionate, an empath with warmth. He also has a sweet tooth for danger and daring stunts, he is obsessed, he thirsts for knowledge, and he is extremely resourceful.”

That framework didn’t just govern how Indy acts in the core story, or how he speaks – it was applied to everything about the game, down to moments where players make choices in how to act, or take part in optional content that other players may never find.

“All of these things tie into the types of actions he does and it ties into which type of narrative we want to craft,” says Torvenius. “So even when you are off tangent and not on the golden path, all your actions will still feel like they fit within the IP.”

“We worked really hard to make sure it was fun and easy for the player to make similar choices that Indy would do,” adds Andersson. “If the player naturally chooses to play as a lovable and sometimes brawling archaeologist, they’ve already put themselves into the shoes of Indiana Jones and most of the battle is already won.”

Defining the Character

But this isn’t just an image of Indiana Jones as a whole – The Great Circle is set in a very specific period between ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’, meaning MachineGames needed to further refine the character. Who was he in this moment?

“Speaking in terms of the storyline, the game picks up after ‘Raiders’. Indy has split with [‘Raiders’ companion] Marion Ravenwood and he’s kind of lost, trying to figure out what his next move is,” explains Torvenius. “He is this charming, very human teacher, but also this almost obsessed superhero – but with no superpowers.”

‘Obsession’ is an idea that everyone I speak to brings up around this take on Indy – and interestingly, it was drawn out of the movie that follows this game in the timeline:

“Obsession is what defines him here. Obsession with his work, with exploring the past and uncovering the secrets of history, and it is this that has led him to where he is when the game starts,” explains Björk. “Indy’s personal theme of obsession is something that we’ve drawn from ‘The Last Crusade’ and the relationship Indy has with his dad, who also was obsessed with work. Indy doesn’t realize how much it also defines him – and that’s how it often goes, isn’t it? It’s not easy to see or analyse your own character traits and flaws.”

But perhaps most excitingly for players, much of the rest is up to you. MachineGames has created a version of this character that’s open to your interpretation:

“What defines him in this game is what you as a player want to define him as. We have crafted a game experience where all his character traits and skills are there for you to choose from. But regardless whether you, as a player, choose the fists-first brawler or the inquisitive investigator that hides in the shadows, we have made sure that this will always feel like a solid, genuine Indiana Jones adventure.”

Growth Mindset

Another key element for The Great Circle’s take on the character was in having him change over time – MachineGames isn’t looking to create a static icon of who Indiana Jones is, but offer a meaningful exploration of how he grows after ‘Raiders’ and before ‘The Last Crusade’. That comes down not just to the story, but the game itself – MachineGames has found ways of hinting at Indy’s personal growth through mechanics.

“There are several ways we have worked with this,” begins Torvenius. “Throughout the game we reward the player with Adventure Points. These points can be spent to unlock skills that you find in ability books. These are basically new skills you learn throughout the adventure – and all these skills and moves you unlock have been carefully crafted to fit the character of Indy. Some of these are things like more health or stamina and others are related to handling the whip – all features intimately tied to Indiana Jones. This gives a sense of experience building up.

“We also have a visual progression with his hat and jacket becoming a tad more beaten up throughout the experience, and the same goes for the journal. Indy’s journal becomes more and more built out, and shows stains and scribbles on the pages to emphasize the player’s journey. All of these things combine to work together very nicely – the player will never be left feeling that the character of Indy is not evolving throughout the game.”

And, of course, playing the majority of the game in first-person plays a major part here too. While it may seem a challenge to set the game within a character so defined by his look, it gave MachineGames a chance to use their experience within this area – particularly in the recent Wolfenstein games.

“We knew this was super important challenge from the get-go,” says Andersson. “Luckily, this is not our first rodeo. Big parts of the team have worked together on story-driven first-person games all the way back to The Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness. Also, I think the Wolfenstein series surprised the world by having a very interesting and relatable character with B.J. Blazkowicz, so we have had a lot of experience with this.”

“One important thing that has been part of our DNA for a very long time – and is definitely something that helps create great characters – is that we put story front and centre,” adds Torvenius. “We always start with a strong narrative, and we always end with a narratively strong ending. And our experience is weaving those stories tightly with solid gameplay.

“Having the perfect mix of strong cutscenes and interesting gameplay, driven by an interesting character that is complex with many nuances, that continues to evolve throughout the game, is crucial. A good story survives everything and that’s why we’re always so very focused on getting the story just right.”

Finding a Voice

But all of this hard work would be for naught without finding the right voice for Indiana Jones – not just someone who could step into the role of Indiana Jones and make it their own, but create a version of the character who felt right for this specific point in his life. The team found it in renowned voice actor, Troy Baker, whose portrayal feels so natural that you never doubt that you’re hearing Indiana Jones.

Even better, Baker’s work as a performance capture artist meant that he literally embodied Indiana Jones for the game: “Troy Baker did a phenomenal job in portraying Indy, both in first-person and third, with his extensive research of the character and stellar acting,” says Andersson.

For the game’s writers, it was a match made in heaven:

“Harrison Ford’s depiction of the character has been our starting point when writing the script, and then letting Troy Baker do his magic in honoring that depiction,” explains Björk. “And that’s what has been so amazing about working with Troy Baker – he truly understands Indy as a character, and he has an incredible wealth of knowledge about him and the franchise, and so much love and passion for the story.”

Creating a single character has been a true team effort, across MachineGames and beyond – and it’s what lends Indiana Jones and the Great Circle its magic. You’re not simply moving Indiana Jones around this world-spanning adventure – you’re truly playing as him, and it makes all the difference.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (with Game Pass), or Steam on December 9. Premium and Collector’s Editions will offer up to 3 days of early access from December 6.


Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™: Digital Premium Edition

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™: Digital Premium Edition

Bethesda Softworks

☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★

$99.99
Pre-order

Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade™ Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade™.

***
Live the adventure with the Premium Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™!

INCLUDES:
• Base Game (digital code)
• Up to 3-Day Early Access**
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants Story DLC†
• Digital Artbook
• Temple of Doom™ Outfit

***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark™ and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.

YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.

A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.

WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

*Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active.
**Actual play time depends on purchase date and applicable time zone differences, subject to possible outages.
†DLC availability to be provided at a later date.


Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™ Standard Edition

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™ Standard Edition

Bethesda Softworks

☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★

$69.99
Pre-order

Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade™ Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade™.
***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark™ and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.

YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.

A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.

WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

*Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active.

The post How Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Brings Us Inside the Mind of Indy appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Share of the Week: Gathering

Last week, we asked you to gather together your favorite characters and share them bonding using #PSshare #PSblog. Here are this week’s highlights:

SlashingShadow shares a gaggle of bots gathering at the Crash Site in Astro Bot.

call_me_xavii shares the characters of God of War Ragnarök gathering for a meal.

secondcapture shares three masked figures gathering to dance in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.

jdbolzan shares the characters of Dave the Diver gathering for a toast.

GabeGSalvatore shares the characters of Death Stranding gathering for a huddle.

Beat_Minerz shares the characters of Red Dead Redemption 2 gathering around a fire. 

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Stellar Blade x Nier: Automata

SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on December 4, 2024 

Next week, we’re headed back to the world of Stellar Blade to celebrate the newly released Nier: Automata DLC and photo mode! Share moments with Eve donning 2B’s outfit using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Garry’s Mod Has Sold an Incredible 25.4 Million Copies, Is the Best-Selling PC Exclusive of All-Time

Garry’s Mod has sold over 25 million copies since going on sale 18 years ago, Facepunch Studios has announced.

The physics sandbox is now over 25.4 million sold, to be exact, since going on sale on PC via Steam back in 2006.

Designer Garry Newman tweeted to reflect on the astonishing sales success of Garry’s Mod, saying: “When Valve first floated the idea of selling Garry’s Mod on Steam I said no because.. ‘who would pay for that?.’

“Well 18 years later, it turns out that 25,560,290 people would. Glad to have been wrong on this one.”

In September, Garry’s Mod was named the best-selling PC exclusive of all-time by the Guinness Book of Records, beating out the likes of World of Warcraft and its expansions. At the time, Newman joked that he “never imagined becoming a world record holder and not be prawn cocktail crisps related.”

Garry’s Mod lets you play with models from Valve games developed on the Source engine, and its enduring popularity has seen it remain in steam’s top 100 most-played games list for years.

In July, Newman said the “Skibidi Toilet guys” had hit him with a DMCA in a wild bit of litigious irony. But soon after, an account purporting to be Skibidi Toilet creator Alexey Gerasimov (DaFuq!?Boom) said he wasn’t behind the claim, and Newman then told IGN that the matter had been “resolved.”

Newman had shared the news about the Skibidi Toilet DMCA, including pasting a screenshot of the letter he was sent. The copyright holder the letter was attributed to was Invisible Narratives, the film and TV production studio that’s partnering with Michael Bay on a Skibidi Toilet film.

The letter Newman posted specifically cited Skibidi Toilet characters Titan Cameraman, Titan Speakerman, and Titan TV Man, saying they were “all registered copyrights that are unique and representative of our brand.” Sure enough, a public catalog search reveals that Invisible Narratives had indeed claimed a copyright for Titan Cameraman and three other unpublished works.

The letter added that “significant revenue is being generated by unauthorized Skibidi Toilet Garry’s Mod games that are being advertised everywhere.” The irony was not lost on Newman, who declared: “can you believe the cheek?” Skidibi Toilet, of course, is largely made with assets from Half-Life 2, and was originally created in Garry’s Mod.

Earlier this year, Facepunch removed all Nintendo-related content on Garry’s Mod – what amounted to 20 years of uploads – from Steam Workshop after receiving a takedown request from Nintendo. Newman is currently working on a successor to Garry’s Mod called S&box.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Black Friday brings the first big discount on the 1TB Samsung Pro Plus, the Steam Deck microSD card to beat

The Samsung Pro Plus is, alongside the Logitech G502 Hero, one of those hardware products that rocks up at literally every single sales event in the calendar. Just an endless cycle of microSD cards, mice, microSD cards, mice. At least it’s a good’un, though – the best Steam Deck-compatible microSD of them all, in fact. Previously, its one weakness was the lack of a truly cavernous 1TB model, but that was amended earlier this year, and now that capacity is getting its first major saving as part of Black Friday 2024.

Read more

Score Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (PS5) for Just $15 This Black Friday

There are plenty of gaming deals to check out for Black Friday. For PlayStation 5 owners, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has dropped to just $15 today at Amazon. This is a whole 70% off its list price of $49.99, marking a drop to its lowest price ever according to price tracker camelcamelcamel.

If this deal sells out, a good backup option is over at Best Buy where you can score the game for $19.99. This is a few dollars more than the one at Amazon, but still a great option to keep in mind if the $15 deal disappears.

We had high praise for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown upon release. Writer Phil Hornshaw said in our review of the game that “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown captures not only what made games such as The Sands of Time so good, but it irons out a lot of the little issues that plagued the 3D games in this series by opting for a 2D perspective – and owning it. It also works extremely well as a traditional Metroidvania, sticking with tried-and-true elements of the genre but executing on them with precision.”

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has also earned a couple of nominations from The Game Awards this year for Best Action/Adventure Game and Innovation in Accessibility. We also consider it one of the best video games of 2024.

Looking for even more game deals like this one? In our roundup of the best Black Friday video game deals, you can see our top picks from the event so far. And if you want to look outside of video games, have a look at our breakdown of Black Friday 2024 to see our favorite deals overall from the sale event.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Wants DLSS 3 for as little money as possible? Try these Black Friday deals on the RTX 4060

To be clear, I still think the best graphics card deal of Black Friday week is that RTX 4070 Super offer and oh no wait that one’s gone now. But even if hadn’t been ecommerced to death, there’d still be a way to get the upgraded ray tracing and DLSS 3 frame gen tools of the RTX 40 series for less cash still: plucky 1080p contender, the RTX 4060, whose deals are still very much available and kicking.

In the UK, the best available prices are for the MSI GeForce RTX Ventus 2X Black edition, which is the partner card I happen to own myself – and has become the effective go-to GPU for RPS game performance tests. Over in the US, meanwhile, the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 Gaming OC is the most affordable of all; it’s a chunkier design than that of the compact Ventus 2X, though that’s mainly just the tradeoff for having an extra fan. These cards were already on the cheaper end of the RTX 4060 spectrum, and now they’re £30 / $35 off in the sales. Bargain.

Read more

Stalker 2’s First Big Patch Has Dropped, and It Makes Over 650 Fixes

GSC Game World has released Stalker 2’s first big post-launch patch across PC and Xbox, making over 650 fixes.

Stalker 2 enjoyed an impressive launch with over one million copies sold, but it suffers from a number of game-breaking bugs. Check out IGN’s Stalker 2 review for more.

Now GSC has released patch 1.0.1, hopefully Stalker 2 players are in for a smoother ride. The update includes fixes for quest blockers, memory leaks, crashes, and minor bugs, GSC said. There are a number of blanace changes, too, which overall make the game easier. Check out the patch notes below.

“Thanks for your passion and support since the release, it is really important to us,” the developer added.

GSC said future updates will make A-Life system bugfixes. Free in-game content is also coming to the game – expect more on that when GSC shares its roadmap later in December.

To help you survive in the Zone, we’ve got a list of Essential Stalker 2 Tips and Tricks, plus a guide on Things to Do First in Stalker 2 to help you through the early game, and Things Stalker 2 Doesn’t Tell You – everything we wish we knew before we started playing. Save time scouring the wasteland with our Artifacts checklist and locations guide, and every Stash location we’ve found so far.

Stalker 2 suffered a number of understandable delays, most recently in July when the game was due out in September. GSC said at the time that the extra two months would give the developers the chance to fix “unexpected anomalies,” aka bugs.

GSC has also been vocal about the challenges the studio faced getting Stalker 2 up to scratch after a mixed reaction to its debut public showing last year. At gamescom 2023, GSC addressed what some had called a “downgrade” sparked by Stalker 2’s then latest gameplay trailer. At the time, GSC told IGN it was still targeting a visual quality and level of polish suggested by Stalker 2’s eye-catching 2021 trailer despite the horrendous conditions suffered by the staff amid the war with Russia.

Stalker 2 update 1.0.1 patch notes:

AI fixes:

  • Fixed groups of NPCs getting stuck and dying near Shelter during active Emission.
  • Fixed issue when Burer could drop any mission items out of the player’s hands.
  • Added missing sound effects for Burer’s ‘Telekinesis’ ability.
  • Fixed issues with NPCs occasionally getting stuck and not reaching the mission location. This might have caused inability to interact with NPC or progress to the next mission stage due to idle behavior of mission NPC.
  • Fixed issues with performance drops/potential out-of-memory crashes in hubs and locations crowded with NPCs during long play sessions.
  • Fixed issue when NPCs would move to A-pose or start flying after death.
  • Fixed issue when NPCs could not track whether a target in cover was covered from shots, which caused them to shoot into cover.

And other, more than 20 different issues with AI.

Optimization fixes:

  • Fixed issue with invisible NPC/Mutants appearing in FOV while the Player is scoping.
  • Fixed fire visual effects that were not rendering at certain camera angles.

Also, we fixed approximately 100 different crashes, including potential memory leaks and EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION issues.

Audio & Sound fixes:

  • Fixed issue when combat music was still playing while combat was finished.

And 7 other minor audio & sound bugs.

Balance adjustments:

  • Weapons and armor repair cost is decreased.
  • Significantly increased cost of artifacts (more revenue from selling).
  • Money reward for most missions is increased from 2 to 3 times.
  • Rookie difficulty armor and weapons buffs.
  • Damage from mutants is moderately decreased on Rookie difficulty (more mutant health balance changes in Combat Balance section).
  • Damage to player’s weapon is decreased by 23 percent on Rookie difficulty.
  • Armor durability is increased by 12.5 percent.
  • Added silencer attachment for PTM to specific stash on Lesser Zone.
  • Fixed sell prices for Exoskeletons, they are now more expensive to sell.
  • Fixed sell price of upgraded weapons.
  • Rebalanced Hercules consumable: player speed debuff removed; increased the effect parameters (now more weight could be carried by player after consuming).

Some additional minor bugfixes.

Combat Balance:

  • Reduced some mission items’ weight (including weight of scanners)
  • Slightly rebalanced Bloodsucker’s damage.
  • Decreased Bloodsucker’s strike protection rank (more damage from guns).
  • Reduced Boodsucker’s HP regeneration outside the combat.
  • Controller HP is moderately reduced.
  • Burer HP is moderately reduced.
  • Boar HP is moderately reduced.
  • Flesh HP is moderately reduced.
  • Damage to Boar from headshots changed to 100% of body damage.
  • Damage to Boar from shots to the limbs is increased.
  • Damage to Flesh from shots to the limbs is increased.
  • Significantly increased weapon melee distance.
  • Slightly increased knife melee distance.

Gamepad Input:

  • Increased gamepad dead zones

Characters:

  • Fixed eyes and teeth on NPC models.
  • Some minor fixes of NPC models and animations.

Cutscenes:

  • Added missing footage to TV displays in the final cutscene.
  • Fixed issue with deer animation in the opening cutscene.

And 20 other different bugs in the cutscenes.

Game Settings & Menus:

  • Adjusted unreadable text at the bottom of the Shader Compilation screen.
  • Fixed issue with the ‘Nvidia Reflex Low Latency’ option not being saved on subsequent boots of the game.

And 10 more minor issues.

Interactable Objects:

  • Fixed physics issues with destructible and movable objects, including those floating in the air.
  • Fixed interaction prompt with glass doors in SIRCAA’s inner yard, which caused a walkthrough blocker.
  • Fixed missing inner doors in the X-11 laboratory elevator.

And more minor bugs.

Main and Side Missions:

Resolved numerous mission blockers and bugs encountered under specific conditions. Key fixes include:

  • Fixed missing interaction with dead Blind dogs in the Nightingale’s Hunt mission.
  • Fixed uncompletable objectives in the Seek, and You Shall Find mission.
  • Fixed multiple issues in the There and Back Again mission, including one where the artifact couldn’t be found.
  • Resolved dialog loop with Zotov during the A Needle in a Haystack mission.
  • Fixed progression blockers in the Answers Come at a Price mission, including issues with bandits after an emission and missing the Heavy Key item.
  • Corrected mission markers for NPC locations in Hot on the Trail mission.
  • Fixed door-related issues in the In Search of a Guide mission and The Side Hustle mission.
  • Fixed issue when cutscene does not start during the Just Like the Good Old Days mission.
  • Fixed issue when Lodochka is missing in Quite’s Camp during the Just Like the Good Old Days mission.
  • Fixed an issue during Just Like the Good Old Days when Lodochka acts aggressively after bringing him the Emitter.
  • It is now possible to turn off electricity in the flooded area during the To the Last Drop of Blood mission.
  • Fixed multiple issues in the On the Edge mission, including idle NPCs, stuck doors, and the Monolith attack progression.
  • Fixed progression blockers in the A Minor Incident mission, including issues with Bayun’s collar and locked doors.
  • Addressed performance drops and confusing objectives in the In Search of Past Glory mission.
  • Fixed issues in the Visions of Truth mission, including stuck NPCs and blocked progression after dialogs.
  • Resolved stuck cutscenes and blocked progression in the Dangerous Visitors, Gray’s Last Hunt, and The Eternal Shining missions.
  • Corrected spawn behaviors for NPCs and enemies in The Boundary and Escape from the Cage missions.
  • Tweaked missions like Down Below, Budmo!, and A Big Score to resolve stuck NPCs, misaligned markers, and missing dialog options.

And approximately 120 other issues within the main line, side missions, and encounters.

Open World Experience:

  • Fixed stretched or missing limbs on humanoid corpses.
  • Fixed missing fast travel routes, including to the Concrete Plant for Toadstool.
  • Resolved isses with loudspeakers, fast travel, and NPC interactions in various locations, such as the Scientists’ Bunker, and Chemical Plant.
  • Adjusted hostile NPC behavior during the Arena missions, including bandits’ tactics and increased ammo for the Tyrant fight.
  • Corrected mission progression in the Black Sheep and The Key to Freedom missions.

And approximately 50 other issues were fixed.

Player Guidance, Gear, and Weapons:

  • Fixed a bug that allows to sell items to the trader for more money that they actually cost.
  • Fixed input blocking issues with the PDA, inventory, and attachments when interacting with artifacts.
  • Corrected flashlight behavior after saving/loading.
  • Resolved issues with grenade type selection, compass marker overlaps, and missing mission markers.
  • Fixed inconsistencies with weapon and armor upgrade effects, including pricing and upgrade reversals.
  • Improved HUD behavior and prolonged the duration of “Point of No Return” hints during Down Below mission.
  • Fixed a bug where player could sell mission items using gamepad.

And approximately 50 minor “anomalies”.

Voiceover and Facial Animations:

  • Restored missing facial animations for Sava in the Hot on the Trail mission and Mugwort in The Eternal Shining mission.
  • Fixed missing voice lines during the Let No One Leave Unsatisfied mission.
  • Corrected radio call effects so NPC voices properly reflect distance during communication.

And a couple more things are fixed.

World:

  • Fixed flickering textures in various locations, including the Sphere, Military Base and Chemical Plant.
  • Resolved movement issues, including getting stuck in certain locations during missions like Once More Unto the Breach and A Tough Awakening.
  • Corrected artifact spawn points in some areas.
  • Fixed NPC behavior during encounters.
  • Adjusted voice volume during storm weather for improved audio balance.

And approximately 50 more bugs.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Maybe for this Black Friday, I won’t mention the Logitech G502 Hero. Nah just kidding, it’s 68% off

As far as Black Friday deals go, the Logitech G502 Hero isn’t so much low-hanging fruit as it is a root vegetable. Every year, this damned multi-buttoned mouse goes on sale, and every year, I’m powerless to avoid writing about it. Can’t even be bothered to take a different header image photo. It’s partly your fault, you know. You like it too much.

This time it’s down from £80 to £26 in the UK (£27 outside the Bezos Empire), which isn’t quite an all-time low, but is pretty close – and a silly-good price for such a capable mouse in any case. Its US discount price of $35 ain’t half bad either, though I notice Amazon US is shouting louder about knocking the newer G502 X down from $80 for $45. That’s mostly a fine mouse as well, though I find its redesigned scroll wheel a bit too much on scratchy side. Of the two, I’d stick with the classic.

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Random: Now Pokémon Is Getting Its Own ‘TCG’ Rip-Off On The Switch eShop

Just stop.

It’s no secret that the Switch eShop is home to a ridiculous amount of utter slop alongside the genuinely good games, but what’s baffling us is just how unwilling Nintendo seems to be to improve anything.

Just this week, we highlighted a game that blatantly copied Witch Beam’s homework with Unpacking, and now it seems as though Pokémon is once again in the firing line. Specifically, following the success of Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket on mobile, a new game has cropped up for pre-order on the eShop called TCG Card Shop Master.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com