Category: Video Games

Fallout 4 PS Plus Owners Currently Cannot Get the Next-Gen Update for Free

Those who have Fallout 4 via PlayStation Plus do not appear to be able to download the next-gen update for free.

Reports indicate that the Fallout 4 next-gen update (check out the patch notes here) is free only to those who own the post-apocalyptic adventure outright, as opposed to via the PS Plus subscription service. It is unclear if this is intentional or a bug. IGN has asked Bethesda for comment.

This does not appear to be the case on Xbox Game Pass, where the native Xbox Series X and S version of Fallout 4 is available to subscribers. Fallout developer Bethesda, via its parent company ZeniMax, is owned by Xbox maker Microsoft.

IGN has verified that PS Plus subscribers will see the PlayStation 4 version of Fallout 4 receive a big update (the last-gen versions of the game are updated today, too, with new content and some bug fixes), there appears to be no way to access the native PS5 version without buying it at the time of this article’s publication.

A Bethesda rep posted on the company’s Discord to address the confusion, saying: “PS5 Upgrade should be available for you if you OWN Fallout 4 on the PSN account. Still looking into this for the PS+ users!”

PS Plus subscribers have expressed disappointment over the situation, and are criticizing Bethesda for not flagging this problem ahead of the much-anticipated launch of the Fallout 4 next-gen update.

The next-gen update includes native applications for the consoles, Performance mode and Quality mode settings, as well as stability improvements and fixes. This means the game will be playable up to 60 frames per second and with an increased resolution.

Elsewhere, Fallout 4 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One also gets a free update with stability improvements, and login and quest fixes. And finally, a free Fallout 4 update for PC adds widescreen and ultra-widescreen support, as well as fixes to Creation Kit and a variety of quest updates.

Players with PC versions of Fallout 4 on Steam, the Microsoft Store, and GOG will receive stability, mod, and bug fixes. Fallout 4 will also be sold on the Epic Games Store, and will be Steam Deck verified.

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.

The Electronic Wireless Show podcast S3 Episode 16: the new hobbit life sim and our favourite The Lord Of The Rings games

This week saw the first (small) look at the new and upcoming Hobbit-themed cosy life sim Tales Of The Shire, plus the news that Embracer group is splitting into three, including a Middle-earth And Friends group. We thus use this as an excuse to spend some time talking about The Lord Of The Rings games we’d like to see, plus our favourite Rings games from days gone by (and also Gollum, and also we do impressions of Gollum).

Nate has been playing an impressive number of games, including one that did not allow him to invent the stick and therefore hampered his progress. We also talk about AI NPCs again, because one of them tried to get James drunk. Plus: some lovely recommendations to round off your weekly pod (one of them is a long life meat product).

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Fallout 4 Next-Gen Update Rolling Out Now

The Fallout 4 next-gen update is rolling out now.

The hotly anticipated next-gen update is available for Fallout 4 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, alongside an update for the PC version of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic open-world RPG.

On PS5, the new native version of Fallout 4 (1.000.001) weighs in at 56.503 GB, according to early reports.

The next-gen update includes native applications for the consoles, Performance mode and Quality mode settings, as well as stability improvements and fixes. This means the game will be playable up to 60 frames per second and with an increased resolution.

Elsewhere, Fallout 4 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One also gets a free update with stability improvements, and login and quest fixes. And finally, a free Fallout 4 update for PC adds widescreen and ultra-widescreen support, as well as fixes to Creation Kit and a variety of quest updates.

Players with PC versions of Fallout 4 on Steam, the Microsoft Store, and GOG will receive stability, mod, and bug fixes. Fallout 4 will also be sold on the Epic Games Store, and will be Steam Deck verified.

Fallout 4 next-gen update, PC update, and last-gen update patch notes:

New Creation Club Content Free for Everyone

Enclave Remnants

Some say the past is a scar, cut across the skin of the Commonwealth. Others believe it’s a scab clotted over an unhealed wound. Those who fought the Enclave, and those who serve them subscribe to the latter. And when the scab is broken the flag of this old-world cabal will once more stand at full mast. Unless of course, you stop them first. Features the classic Enclave Colonel uniform and over a dozen workshop items! If you have other Enclave creations installed, some of these troops may use this equipment against you!

(Quest “Echoes of the Past” starts on the road north of Saugus Ironworks.)

Armor and Weapon bundle

  • X-02 Power Armor
  • Hellfire Power Armor
  • Heavy Incinerator
  • Tesla Cannon
  • Enclave Weapon Skins
  • Enclave Armor Skins

Makeshift Weapon Pack

Whether it be grenades or piggy banks, there’s no shortage of objects you can transform into murderous projectiles with this collection of unique weapons. Included are two grenade launchers, a Nail Gun, Baseball Launcher, Saw Blade launcher, and piggy bank based weaponry.

(Quest “When Pigs Fly” starts at a merchant workshop northwest of Greenetech Genetics.)

Halloween Workshop

On the eve of the end, the New England Technocrat Society has thrown a spooky Halloween gala for anyone with the nerve to attend. Drop in on this fa-boo-lous pumpkin-lit soiree replete with witches, cauldrons, and ghouls, and unlock 38 new spine-tingling Halloween props to decorate your settlement! Includes new wearables, such as the iconic De-Capitalist helmet!

(Quest “All Hallow’s Eve” starts by tuning into the Mysterious Signal on your Pip-Boy.)

Changes and New Features

  • Native PS5 and Xbox Series applications. Includes performance and quality mode options.
  • Performance mode: 60 FPS target, 4k resolution, standard settings, relying on dynamic resolution scaling.
  • Quality mode: 30 FPS*, 4k resolution, ultra settings, should not require dynamic resolution scaling.

When connected to a 120Hz display, Quality mode will target 40 FPS.

When connected to a 1440p display, the title will run at 1440p resolution at 60 FPS w/ ultra settings regardless of rendering mode

  • Release on Epic Store.
  • Widescreen and Ultra-widescreen support.
  • Steam Deck Verified
  • Added “Installed Content” menu.

Bug Fixes

  • Resolved issues preventing Japanese and Chinese users from connecting to Bethesda.net (this restores access to Mods).
  • Resolved issue preventing save data from properly loading during the prologue.
  • Resolved issue that could prevent the Vault 111 Door from opening on new games.
  • Resolved issue that could prevent the quest “Go Home” from advancing.
  • Resolved issue that could result in Codsworth being broken on the ground after fast traveling.
  • Resolved issue with mipmaps in DLC.
  • Resolved issue that could result in a softlock when in dialogue with Prestson Garvey.
  • Resolved issue preventing autosaves while fast traveling in Power Armor.
  • Fixed issue where text would occasionally disappear in the Creation Club menu.
  • Resolved issues with text formatting in the credits in Japanese and Chinese.
  • Resolved issue causing the camera to fail when leaving furniture after an extended time.
  • Fixed issue that could misplace quest markers while the VR Workshop Creation was installed alongside Automatron.
  • Resolved issue with player movement in some underwater areas at Thicket Excavations.
  • Resolved issue that could cause corruption within the Settlement system resulting in wrong resource counts and/or destroyed settlements.
  • Resolved issue where the “Level Up” notification would display even if there was not a level up available.
  • Fixed some flickering in Vault 111.
  • Stability improvements.

PC Only

Resolved issue preventing saves being made under Windows Usernames with Cyrillic, Chinese, or Japanese characters.

PlayStation Only

  • Resolved issue that could keep the Pip-Boy light on when reading holotapes.
  • Resolved issue that could prompt users to free up 0kb worth of space when attempting to save even if space was available.
  • Fixed crash that could occur while loading a save that was made immediately before dying.
  • Resolved issue that would prevent Codsworth from checking on Shaun in the intro.

Xbox Only

  • Resolved issue where users would not always be returned to the main menu after signing out of their profile.
  • Resolved crash that could occur if the player had unlocked all perks.
  • Fixed lighting issue that could occur during Airship Down.
  • Encountering a BNET error will now return you to the main menu instead of asking you to log in again.
  • Resolved issue that could result in significant drop in frame rate when a Gas Canister is ignited by a Molotov Cocktail.
  • Addressed some visual artifacts that could occur when dynamic resolution was triggered.

Creation Kit

  • Removed non-functional “Hot Load” button.
  • Removed non-functional “Material Editor” button.
  • Editor IDs longer than 99 characters will no longer crash the editor.
  • Resolved crash that could occur while viewing a quest’s Objectives tab.
  • Resolved hang that could occur while adding a reference to a layer.

Fallout 4 launched in 2015 across PC, PS4, and Xbox One, generating $750 million in revenue. In the near decade since, Fallout 4 has continued to be one of the top-played games on Steam, with a huge number of mods keeping the experience fresh for players. The next-gen update is well-timed, given it arrives following the release of the Fallout TV show’s first season.

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.

Gorgeous interactive fiction Pine: A Story Of Loss is a small sad game about a big sad man

Pine: A Story Of Loss, which stars a bereaved woodworker and thus may be a play on the double meaning of ‘pine’, is a gorgeously animated interactive fiction game that sees you performing farming chores and wordlessly reminiscing upon cherished memories. It’s short – designed to be played in a couple of sittings – and while the fiction is the focus here, you’ll spend time gardening and whittling in bespoke minigames as you find out more about the woodworker’s relationship. The publisher describes it thusly:

As each season changes, the woodworker must prepare for what’s to come. Tasks such as collecting water, thatching the roof, or planting crops each bring back vivid memories of his wife. Desperate to not let her memory disappear, the woodworker captures these moments in beautiful wood carvings. Yet, while each one is a promise to her memory, they soon become a dangerous obsession.

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New Contra: Operation Galuga Update Is Heading For Switch, Here Are The Patch Notes

Out now on other consoles, “coming soon” for Switch.

Konami and WayForward have today announced that a new update is on the way for Contra: Operation Galuga on Switch. As was the case with the launch update, the latest patch is available today on PS4, PS5, Xbox and Steam, but we’ll have to wait a little longer before it comes to Switch.

We don’t have a precise date for the Switch release yet outside of “soon,” but we do know what it’ll entail. The major issues targeted this time are a forced quit error, game freezes and music bugs, though the development team has also made a handful of tweaks to most of the stages in the hopes of improving the overall experience.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

You Probably Don’t Have to Worry About Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Incredibly Complicated Cut Content

The allegedly cut ending of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which was set to make the series’ already incredibly complicated meta story even more complex, is probably nothing to worry about according to Ubisoft.

As reported by Eurogamer, a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” from Mirage art director Jean-Luc Sala saw one fan essentially ask if cut content found through a datamine was canon to the larger Assassin’s Creed story.

“All we can say is that what’s not in your playthrough does not exist,” Sala said, suggesting the cut content was cut for a reason and therefore bears no impact on the Assassin’s Creed stories that have actually been released. He followed up with a winking emoji, however, perhaps just to leave fans a little on edge.

The cut content was thought to be a tease for Assassin’s Creed Hexe, the upcoming spooky-looking entry seemingly connected to witchcraft. Mirage, like most games in the franchise, features minor connections to the modern day meta story, but this cut tease pointed to the distant future for the first time.

Players could pick up on a conversation that takes place between two Animus Operators (the Animus being the machine that sends people’s consciousness back in time), in which they refer to the 21st century as “ancient history.”

What makes the cutscene even more complicated, and a little eerie, is that it shows Mirage protagonist Basim’s eagle flying from what appears to be Mirage’s normal map into the desert to a technological tower of some kind, suggesting the game may not be set in 9th century Baghdad as suggested.

But this “does not exist” according to Sala, as it didn’t actually make it into the final game, so fans will just have to wait and see if Assassin’s Creed goes in that direction down the line.

“All we can say is that what’s not in your playthrough does not exist.

There are opportunities for Ubisoft to take the franchise in a different direction, of course, as two upcoming entries — the aforementioned Hexe and a feudal Japan-set Assassin’s Creed Red — are already confirmed to be in development, and will both be sheltered under the Assassin’s Creed Infinity umbrella, a new platform acting as a series hub.

Details are still slim about all three of these projects, but one employee listed the highly anticipated Red as a 2024 game.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage launched October 5, 2023 as a smaller-scale entry that returns players to the series’ roots through slower-paced, stealth-based gameplay, veering away from the role-playing game foundations of the recent trilogy of Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla.

In our 8/10 review, IGN said: “Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s back-to-basics approach is a successful first step in returning to the stealthy style that launched this series.”

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

RPS Game Club Asks: What do you think of Lethal Company?

To keep the ball rolling with this month’s Game Club pick, we’re asking what you, the readers, think of Lethal Company?

By now, I can confidently say that the RPS team are scrap collecting experts and can easily meet the quota set by the enigmatic Company. Much to James’ chagrin, who prefers the chaos of being objectively ‘bad’ at the game. So confident was I in our abilities after our co-op sesh, that I dove into a solo game. Cue immediate death by a vengeful face-hugging bug. I’m expecting my first round of xenomorph child maintenance fees any day now.

With our blog chat scheduled for Friday 26th April, 4 PM GMT, here are a few conversation prompts we’ve gathered ahead of time. Tell us your thoughts in the comments and shoot any questions our way too. We hope to see you there!

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Video Game-Starved Titanfall Fans Call Netflix Sci-Fi Film Atlas a ‘Titanfall Movie at Home’

Netflix has released a trailer for its upcoming Jennifer Lopez starring sci-fi film Atlas and fans of the Titanfall video game franchise are noticing a lot of similarities between the two.

The two minute trailer shows off Lopez’s Atlas Shepard fleeing from certain death in a giant mech akin to those seen in Titanfall, or more specifically its sequel, which was the first to feature a campaign. While this concept wasn’t necessarily new at the time of Titanfall 2’s release either, fans have spotted “pretty glaring” callouts to the game.

Reddit user dravacotron pointed these out. A line in the trailer for the Netflix film sees the mech Smith tell pilot Atlas that “my primary protocol is to keep you alive”. Titanfall 2’s scene where the pilot properly meets the mech has the line: “Protocol 3: Protect the pilot.”

Another of the more iconic scenes from Titanfall 2 sees mech BT tell pilot Jack Cooper to trust it before hurling him across an enormous gap, and the Atlas trailer showcases a similar line: “This won’t work if you don’t trust me.”

The film is otherwise about a growing bond between mech and pilot who are both thrust into unexpected territory on a dangerous alien world, which is the general plot of Titanfall 2 as well.

“I’m roughly 70% sure this was a rejected Titanfall script,” said LapsedVerneGagKnee. “It literally looks like a parody. How did they even manage that?,” asked sunboy4224. Agiantgrunt referenced the famous meme: “Mom can we have Titanfall movie. We have Titanfall movie at home.”

It literally looks like a parody. How did they even manage that?

Titanfall fans have been desperate for another entry in the practically dormant franchise ever since Titanfall 2 released in 2016. Popular battle royale Apex Legends is set in the same universe but doesn’t feature nearly as much of the story and lore the second game is remembered so fondly for.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “A long-awaited single-player campaign puts Titanfall 2’s feelgood mobility onto a sprawling platforming playground.”

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

I have determined which Lethal Company monster is the hardest worker and should be hired

Most of my time in Lethal Company is full of tomfoolery, panicking, and ultimately letting the quota down. As I run back and forth from the ship, only able to carry four things at a time in my puny arms, I frequently see the various monster inhabitants of the game excelling at pretty much everything. The Forest Keeper has brawny strength and can travel across the map in a blink of an eye, the Eyeless Dogs can sniff out an intruder in next to no time and The Butler has dedicated his life to maintaining a mansion even after the owners have long since gone.

This had me thinking – surely the various monster inhabitants of Lethal Company would make for a much better worker than myself?

Sure, most of them are ravenous killing machines – but that fits with the core values of The Company. After all, most of your time spent in the game will be collecting scrap on distant moons to meet an arbitrary quota set by The Company. You’ll then feed your pilfered belongings to the insatiable maw of a tentacled horror (otherwise known as the boss). You may be able to sympathise depending on your occupation.

So, if the monsters in Lethal Company were given the chance to work for said company, which of them would make it as an employee of the month and which would crash and burn harder than me getting thrown from the airlock five times in a row?

Join me as I peruse the CV’s of my favourite monsters in Lethal Company (as far as I know only half of them have opposable thumbs) and advocate for which of them should be my replacement as The Company’s new hire. After all, once this month’s Games Club is finished I’m not sure they’ll even let me back on the ship.

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How Did Moldaver Survive for Over 200 Years in Fallout? Fans Have Theories

The Fallout TV show has sparked a number of fan theories. There’s speculation about the Snake Oil Salesman’s mysterious serum, for example. Some believe the Brotherhood of Steel’s airship confirms one of two Fallout 4 endings as canon. And let’s not forget the theory that the Fallout TV show’s biggest bombshell may in fact be a misdirection.

As the speculation about what’s in store for fans with the already confirmed Fallout Season 2, as well as its impact on Fallout canon, a fresh debate has emerged: which of the main characters are synths?

Warning: spoilers for Fallout Season 1 and Fallout 4 follow.

Fans of the Fallout video games have noticed the Fallout TV show fails to include a number of iconic creatures, characters, and factions from the series. That’s understandable, given the showrunners had a lot of world-building to do for newcomers in Season 1 and only so much time to do it in. Adding to this absent mix are the synths from Fallout 4, which takes place nine years earlier than Season 1, in 2287.

Synths are synthetic humanoids built by the Institute, one of Fallout 4’s main factions. Newer models are almost indistinguishable from humans, and, in Fallout 4, replace residents of the Commonwealth as part of espionage tactics. While Fallout 4 is set in what’s left of the city of Boston and the surrounding Massachusetts region following the nuclear war of 2077, it’s conceivable that synths made their way to the west coast of the United States, although it’s a long journey across the wasteland.

If so, we may be seeing synths hidden in plain sight during Fallout Season 1. Indeed, some believe that Moldaver, the mysterious (and apparently deceased) leader of this part of the wasteland’s New California Republic, who has somehow survived the nuclear apocalypse and for 200 years afterward despite displaying no signs of ghoulish behavior, is a synth.

“Mark this post, it will either be revealed that the one that passed of her was just a clone/synth copy not the original or maybe she is a type of ghoul and was slowly healing pretending she had passed,” X / Twitter user @fatedwanderer84 said.

Indeed, Sarita Choudhury, who portrays Lee Moldaver in Fallout, has teased the character’s return in Season 2 despite her apparent death at the end of Season 1. In a recent interview with Nerdist, Choudhury was asked to explain how Moldaver survived. She replied: “I can’t, but I like your predictions, and you can figure stuff out, I think. But again, it’s in line with the fact that she’s a scientist. The fact that she created cold fusion makes me think she can figure out how to live.”

That tease is in-line with the theory that Moldaver is a synth or clone of Miss Williams, the pre-war name of the character depicted in flashback scenes. But some believe other characters could be a synth, too, including Hank, Maximus, and even Lucy.

The idea of synths and / or the Institute being around during the events of the Fallout TV show sparks further lore questions. Fans are already wondering which Fallout 4 ending the show considers to be canon, given it looks like the Brotherhood of Steel airship we see on-screen is the Prydwen from Fallout 4. Does The Institute still exist by the time the Fallout TV show starts? The showrunners and Bethesda development chief Todd Howard have confirmed all previous Fallout games are canon, as is the show, but none of the canon endings from the games are necessarily taken on board. Fallout Season 2 will, of course, answer some of these questions and pose more.

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.