Rockstar
Administrators
-
Joined
-
Last visited
Everything posted by Rockstar
-
We're big fans of TimeSplitters here at Pure Xbox, and we've enjoyed playing TimeSplitters 2 and 3 via backwards compatibility in recent years, but we've also been craving some kind of brand-new project for over a decade now. TimeSplitters Rewind isn't actually new — it's been in development for over a decade — but it's suddenly released for free in early access on PC this week, containing a full remake of TimeSplitters 1's campaign (playable both offline and online), along with a full multiplayer suite that includes some hectic online shootouts. It's been a long time coming, and there's a lot of excitement from the community right now: Of course, this is only a PC game as things stand - and therefore the only way to access it on an "Xbox" branded device is by using the ROG Xbox Ally. I can confirm the game runs well and recognises the ROG Xbox Ally X's control scheme just fine, while you can turn all the settings up to maximum and still get easily over 60FPS. TimeSplitters Rewind isn't the finished package just yet, but it's still glorious to be playing a remake of the series for free on an "Xbox" branded system. This kind of thing is what the next Xbox console could thrive at - allowing us to try games that otherwise are very unlikely to get a release on a traditional console like the Series X, S and PS5. Anyway, we'll throw a handful of images from TimeSplitters Rewind running on the ROG Xbox Ally X down below, and don't forget about TimeSplitters 2 and 3 - those are both well worth playing on your Xbox console even to this day! -
We're big fans of TimeSplitters here at Pure Xbox, and we've enjoyed playing TimeSplitters 2 and 3 via backwards compatibility in recent years, but we've also been craving some kind of brand-new project for over a decade now. TimeSplitters Rewind isn't actually new — it's been in development for over a decade — but it's suddenly released for free in early access on PC this week, containing a full remake of TimeSplitters 1's campaign (playable both offline and online), along with a full multiplayer suite that includes some hectic online shootouts. It's been a long time coming, and there's a lot of excitement from the community right now: Of course, this is only a PC game as things stand - and therefore the only way to access it on an "Xbox" branded device is by using the ROG Xbox Ally. I can confirm the game runs well and recognises the ROG Xbox Ally X's control scheme just fine, while you can turn all the settings up to maximum and still get easily over 60FPS. TimeSplitters Rewind isn't the finished package just yet, but it's still glorious to be playing a remake of the series for free on an "Xbox" branded system. This kind of thing is what the next Xbox console could thrive at - allowing us to try games that otherwise are very unlikely to get a release on a traditional console like the Series X, S and PS5. Anyway, we'll throw a handful of images from TimeSplitters Rewind running on the ROG Xbox Ally X down below, and don't forget about TimeSplitters 2 and 3 - those are both well worth playing on your Xbox console even to this day! View full article
-
.jpg.0ce145545cf9e8d211c60cea066be8bf.jpg)
It's been a while since we last saw a new free-to-play (or just entirely "free") game release on the Xbox Store, but that's all changed today with the arrival of Card Storm Idle - a game that actually has three separate versions to try. That makes it extremely lucrative for achievement hunters, as there's a potential 3000G worth of achievements up for grabs here across the Xbox One (1000G), Xbox Series X|S (1000G) and Windows PC (1000G) versions. It's really simple to complete as well, described as an "incremental experience" in which you can get all the achievements in around 10-20 minutes. You can see how it looks in the video up above. Of course, a situation like this brings up the whole idea of "stacks" and whether games should be allowed to have multiple versions on the Xbox Store unless they're significantly different from each other. Card Storm Idle is far from the first game to employ this strategy - plenty of publishers do it with paid titles as well, and even in the past few days we've come across many new releases with separate Xbox One, Series X|S and PC versions. We'll leave the decision up to you about whether to download Card Storm Idle and get those 3000G or not, but in the meantime feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments - does this kind of thing put you off, or are you just grateful for the free game and extra achievements? -
It's been a while since we last saw a new free-to-play (or just entirely "free") game release on the Xbox Store, but that's all changed today with the arrival of Card Storm Idle - a game that actually has three separate versions to try. That makes it extremely lucrative for achievement hunters, as there's a potential 3000G worth of achievements up for grabs here across the Xbox One (1000G), Xbox Series X|S (1000G) and Windows PC (1000G) versions. It's really simple to complete as well, described as an "incremental experience" in which you can get all the achievements in around 10-20 minutes. You can see how it looks in the video up above. Of course, a situation like this brings up the whole idea of "stacks" and whether games should be allowed to have multiple versions on the Xbox Store unless they're significantly different from each other. Card Storm Idle is far from the first game to employ this strategy - plenty of publishers do it with paid titles as well, and even in the past few days we've come across many new releases with separate Xbox One, Series X|S and PC versions. We'll leave the decision up to you about whether to download Card Storm Idle and get those 3000G or not, but in the meantime feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments - does this kind of thing put you off, or are you just grateful for the free game and extra achievements? View full article
-
At this point, we know about the awards that will be present at The Game Awards 2025, but the new game reveals are what most folks tune in for, and our first inclusion has now been locked in ahead of the event next month. Action-adventure RPG Exodus will feature during The Game Awards showcase, as confirmed by Archetype Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast. Exodus was first unveiled at TGA 2023, and will be returning this year with a brand-new trailer. In the run up to the live event on December 11th, we expect host Geoff Keighley to announce even more games that will be present at the showcase. Typically, these teases are for already announced titles with new trailers, whilst world premieres are saved for the big day - but still, it's nice to know at least some of the titles that are expected to show up during the livestream. If you want to know all of the games that have been nominated at The Game Awards 2025, do check out our awards roundup below - oh, and we'll drop a wee rant about the Xbox title that we feel is undeservedly missing as part of these nominations down below as well. -
At this point, we know about the awards that will be present at The Game Awards 2025, but the new game reveals are what most folks tune in for, and our first inclusion has now been locked in ahead of the event next month. Action-adventure RPG Exodus will feature during The Game Awards showcase, as confirmed by Archetype Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast. Exodus was first unveiled at TGA 2023, and will be returning this year with a brand-new trailer. In the run up to the live event on December 11th, we expect host Geoff Keighley to announce even more games that will be present at the showcase. Typically, these teases are for already announced titles with new trailers, whilst world premieres are saved for the big day - but still, it's nice to know at least some of the titles that are expected to show up during the livestream. If you want to know all of the games that have been nominated at The Game Awards 2025, do check out our awards roundup below - oh, and we'll drop a wee rant about the Xbox title that we feel is undeservedly missing as part of these nominations down below as well. View full article
-
When you think of platformers, you likely think of Super Mario Bros. When you think of JRPGs, you likely think of Final Fantasy. When you think of FPS, you likely think of Call of Duty. Some games are just synonymous with their respective genres. And when it comes to tower defense games, what comes to my mind immediately is Plants vs Zombies. Plants vs Zombies: Replanted is exactly what it says on the tin. Zombies are invading and the only hope against them is a crop of… well, crops. You’ll need to plant an entire plant army to prevent the zombie hoard from entering your home. It’s a simple, if not rather iconic, premise. I never actually had the chance to play Plants vs Zombies growing up. My only exposure to the franchise has been the hero-shooter spin-offs. Thankfully, this Replanted edition has breathed life back into the game to offer a way for players like me to experience this cult classic properly for the first time. It’s worked well for the most part; I’ve greatly enjoyed my time with Replanted, even if it stumbles in a few areas. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) It’s worth noting the amount of gameplay content you get for your buck. From the main campaign, which is itself fairly meaty, to new minigames to even a puzzle mode, there’s a lot packed into this gem of brain-hungry, botanical tower defense. The unlockable minigames are a blast. Walnut Bowling is self-explanatory, but modes like ZomBotony — where you’re attacked by plant-zombie hybrids— spin gameplay mechanics around on their heads. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a puzzle mode where you have to think strategically about card placement to clear vases. There’s also an unlockable co-op mode (that I unfortunately wasn’t able to test as I had no one to play with), and those with a partner will be able to do head-to-head PvP matches, with one player on the side of the zombies. You’ll get hours of replayable fun and I’m surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed it all. The tower defense gameplay is as strong as ever, and I love having to carefully prep my cards (i.e. units) to best battle waves after waves of zombies. My strategy tended to change between battles. Some plants can spray through screen doors, which makes them essential for battles with zombies sporting screen doors. But then you also have to consider which plant you want to use for resource generation and whether you want walnuts to act as a buffer, or maybe protect your crops with landmines. Those kinds of options helped keep the flow of combat feeling fresh and made me get out of my comfort zone to test new strategies. Unfortunately, there was initially more trouble in the neighborhood than just the hordes of undead ghouls. As Felix mentioned in his video, the optional mouse controls were downright abysmal at launch, and the touchscreen controls didn’t fare much better - at least until patches adjusted things (and also restored the original dynamic audio and implemented a whole load of sound effect fixes which dogged the game on release day). Previously, trying to use the mouse controls resulted in a headache, as it was so sensitive that it quickly switched back to standard controls the second you lifted the controller. Meanwhile, planting in touchscreen was a letdown because the sprites followed you as if they were stuck to your finger once you selected a unit. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) The ball definitely got dropped in this area, and those post-release patches haven’t totally solved things for me, especially in touchscreen mode. It still feels clunky and difficult to control, sometimes slowing on-screen action to a glitchy crawl and ultimately making me question the inclusion of the control scheme in the first place. There’s also allegations of AI usage in the game, which — at the risk of sounding like I’m soapboxing — is downright messy if true. That aside, the overall package is still a blast to play. It doesn’t take very long before the 'just one more level' addictiveness begins to take hold. This is helped by the number of units you unlock, all of which have a quirky charm and cute design. Of course the basic attacking unit is called a Pea Shooter, and of course the icy variant is a Frozen Pea Shooter. You can’t beat those kinds of puns! It’s a game that’s guaranteed to make even the most cold-hearted gamer crack a smile. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked) Plants vs Zombies: Replanted also comes with some quality-of-life improvements. One of the best new features is the ability to fast-forward the gameplay up to 2.5x speed. By default, these are the slow shambling type of zombies and there’s normally a long, slow gap between waves. But with the press of a button, they speed up to World War Z levels of fast. It makes playing feel more fluid and smooth; it also adds another layer of challenge for those who might find the standard gameplay flow too easy. ConclusionOverall, I find myself really loving Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted. Its cute and quirky character designs are infectiously charming, and the gameplay is simple but effective. The graphics are easy on the eyes and help make the character designs shine. It’s a bummer that there were problems with the controls at launch, but even with those issues, it wasn't enough to prevent the game from being a botanical blast. -
Remember Nintendo's short film, Close to You? The adorable baby animation with which the company kept us on tenterhooks for three days straight as it drip-fed us information about its context? Well, it looks like it'll be cropping up again, this time in an upcoming Pikmin Bloom event. As of tomorrow (27th November), anyone logging into Pikmin Bloom will receive a Gold Seedling, which promises a special Decor Pikmin inside. And this isn't any old Decor Pikmin either, oh no, this is a Seedling that "seems to have a connection to the short movie Pikmin Close to You". At least, that's how the Pikmin Bloom blog post puts it. We don't know the exact form that this Seedling will take, but considering that Decor Pikmin usually style a cute bit of — you guessed it — decor on their heads, we'd wager it will be something along the lines of a Pikmin wearing a stylish pacifier, rattle or some sort of stuffed toy. Talk about synergy, eh? You'll be able to collect this special Seedling from the app's home screen simply by logging in any time between 27th Nov 2025 and 26th Nov 2026, so you have a whopping great year to make sure that you pick it up. It's unclear whether anything else will come of the Pikmin short movie for the time being, but that sure was a fun week while it lasted. Here's hoping there will be a couple more cameos from the little guys in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, or how about that Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Pikmin 4 that we're all after? Whatever it takes to keep us Pikmin fans happy... -
Remember Nintendo's short film, Close to You? The adorable baby animation with which the company kept us on tenterhooks for three days straight as it drip-fed us information about its context? Well, it looks like it'll be cropping up again, this time in an upcoming Pikmin Bloom event. As of tomorrow (27th November), anyone logging into Pikmin Bloom will receive a Gold Seedling, which promises a special Decor Pikmin inside. And this isn't any old Decor Pikmin either, oh no, this is a Seedling that "seems to have a connection to the short movie Pikmin Close to You". At least, that's how the Pikmin Bloom blog post puts it. We don't know the exact form that this Seedling will take, but considering that Decor Pikmin usually style a cute bit of — you guessed it — decor on their heads, we'd wager it will be something along the lines of a Pikmin wearing a stylish pacifier, rattle or some sort of stuffed toy. Talk about synergy, eh? You'll be able to collect this special Seedling from the app's home screen simply by logging in any time between 27th Nov 2025 and 26th Nov 2026, so you have a whopping great year to make sure that you pick it up. It's unclear whether anything else will come of the Pikmin short movie for the time being, but that sure was a fun week while it lasted. Here's hoping there will be a couple more cameos from the little guys in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, or how about that Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Pikmin 4 that we're all after? Whatever it takes to keep us Pikmin fans happy... View full article
-
Mod credits: ChuckFeedAndSeed, patchanon, somerandompeople, SweetMini, theboy181, Wollnashorn, Zeikken Additional credits: Darktalon, Socats My current source for 0.5.0 is at https://bitbucket.org/totk-fpsplusplus/dynamicfps Install Instructions Download Mods.zip, and extract your desired mods into the game's mods directory. Important Notes: Note that you should not set the emulator speed% past-or-below 100% to target a higher framerate. This will cause unintended behavior, and will technically (not visually) accelerate time. Yuzu: Note that you can get achieve higher framerates with the DynamicFPS patches by pressing Ctrl + U to unlock the framerate. Keep in mind that this may introduce extra stuttering, and use more resources. Furthermore, this will cause unintended behavior, and will technically (not visually) accelerate time. Ryujinx: Note that you can get achieve higher framerates with the dynamic versions by disabling vsync. Furthermore, This will cause unintended behavior, and will technically (not visually) accelerate time. Common User Error: The Game is softlocking when I press continue on the game over screen: You are on game version 1.0.0, update to the latest version of the game. If you are using reencoded 60 fps cutscenes, and their internal framerate is 30 fps, you must modify these files so that their framerate is 60, or they will run at 50% speed. Known Bugs: With the 60fps_static, the background blur effect in the weapon switch UI and other similar effects appear completely black. Note that there seems to be a separate mod which fixes this by modifying some game files. I am not including it here since it provides game files. See the known issues listed on the reddit post for the DynamicFPS mod VisualFixes_1008P_FXAA_On/Off_FSR_Off and VisualFixes_DisableFXAA will crash your game if you are on version 1.0.0. Mods that are included which I did not make: ChuckFeedAndSeed's Dynamic FPS patch theboy181's 60FPS cutscene fix patch and disable dof patch some of patchanon's visual fixes Resolution mod by Zeikken, Socats, and Darktalon Anisotropic fix by Wollnashorn Note that if you are the author of one of these mods, and do not want me to include them, let me know and I will remove them. I am including these to try and make the installation process easier. Patch descriptions: 20fps_stable_static: sets the game's framerate target to 20 fps, and scales the game time to run at 20fps. Do not mix with 30fps_stable_static Do not mix with 60fps_stable_static 30fps_stable_static: sets the game's framerate target to 30 fps, and scales the game time to run at 30fps. Do not mix with 20fps_stable_static Do not mix with 60fps_stable_static 60fps_stable_static: sets the game's framerate target to 60 fps, and scales the game time to run at 60fps. Do not mix with 20fps_stable_static Do not mix with 30fps_stable_static CutsceneFix_stable: Reduces your framerate to 30fps when you are in a cutscene. Do not mix with Dynamic FPS DynamicFPSv1.5.1: Chuck's Dynamic FPS mod. Scales the game to run at the correct speed no matter your framerate. Do not mix with Cutscene Fix Do not mix with DynamicFPS++ Do not mix with DynamicFPS++30 Make sure to reenable the relevant lines in the 60 fps pchtxt file if you are using this with static 60 fps DynamicFPS++: My version of DynamicFPS. Includes static 60 fps, and cutscene fix. Do not mix with Cutscene Fix Do not mix with DynamicFPS Do not mix with DynamicFPS++30 Do not mix with 20fps_stable_static, 30fps_stable_static, or 60fps_stable_static DynamicFPS++30: My version of DynamicFPS. Includes static 30 fps, and cutscene fix. Do not mix with Cutscene Fix Do not mix with DynamicFPS Do not mix with DynamicFPS++ Do not mix with 20fps_stable_static, 30fps_stable_static, or 60fps_stable_static VisualFixes_1008P_Chuck: Sets the game's internal resolution to 1792x1008. This uses the old pchtxt method, and seems to be more stable than the newer method. Do not mix with VisualFixes_1008P_FXAA_On/Off_FSR_Off VisualFixes_1008P_FXAA_Off_FSR_Off: Sets the game's internal resolution to 1792x1008. This also disables Dynamic Resolution, and FSR, so you should not use it alongside other mods which do the same thing. Do not mix with VisualFixes_1008p_Chuck Do not mix with VisualFixes_DisableFSR Do not mix with VisualFixes_DisableFXAA Do not mix with VisualFixes_DisableDynamicResolution Note that this currently causes game version 1.0.0 to crash. If you are on 1.0.0, either update your game or disable this mod If you opt to disable the mod, you can alternatively use Chuck's version VisualFixes_1008P_FXAA_On_FSR_Off: The same as VisualFixes_1008P_FXAA_Off_FSR_Off, but with FXAA enabled. Do not mix with VisualFixes_1008p_Chuck Do not mix with VisualFixes_DisableFSR Do not mix with VisualFixes_DisableFXAA Do not mix with VisualFixes_DisableDynamicResolution Note that this currently causes game version 1.0.0 to crash. If you are on 1.0.0, either update your game or disable this mod If you opt to disable the mod, you can alternatively use Chuck's version VisualFixes_AnisotropicFix: Makes Anisotropic Filtering work correctly on emulators by changing the filtering type of certain textures. What is anisotropic filtering? VisualFixes_DisableDynamicResolution: Disables the built-in dynamic resolution feature. Dynamic Resolution adjusts the game resolution (reducing visual quality) on the fly to improve framerate. Do not mix with VisualFixes_1008P_FXAA_On/Off_FSR_Off VisualFixes_DisableFSR: Disables the built-in FSR upscaler. FSR is an upscaling technique which is used to improve image quality with lower resolutions. Do not mix with VisualFixes_1008P_FXAA_On/Off_FSR_Off VisualFixes_DisableFXAA: Ensures that FXAA is disabled. What is FXAA? Do not mix with VisualFixes_1008P_FXAA_On/Off_FSR_Off. Note that this currently causes game version 1.0.0 to crash. If you are on 1.0.0, either update your game or disable this mod Note that this mod is a folder which contains different versions of this mod for each version of the game. Choose the version which corresponds to the version that you are using. VisualFixes_DisableQualityReduction: Disables the built-in LOD reduction in response to low performance. This should improve image quality at the cost of performance. VisualFixes_DisableTargetingDOF: Disables the depth-of-field effect when targeting. What is depth-of-field? VisualFixes_ShadowResolution: Sets the shadowmap resolution to 1024x1024, with other options listed in the file. What is a shadowmap? "What mods are you using": I haven't really gotten around to playing the game yet, but with the short spouts I have played, this is my current mod list: VisualFixes_1008P_FXAA_Off_FSR_Off VisualFixes_AnisotropicFix VisualFixes_ShadowResolution Dynamic FPS 60fps_stable_static This page is the only place that I am posting this mod. If you have downloaded any of the assets from other sources, keep in mind that they may be out of date, or provide outdated or inaccurate information.Free
-
Neowiz and Round8 Studio created one of the best-loved Souls-likes outside of FromSoftware with Lies of P, and it sounds like the team isn't resting on its laurels. Speaking to GamesRadar following Overture's Best Game Expansion win at the Golden Joysticks, director Choi Ji-Won sounds confident about the upcoming work from the studio. Via an interpreter, he says fans "can expect the most fun that we can achieve within the game", not specifying exactly which project he's talking about. He also asks fans to "please stay tuned for it; we are working really hard, and I will not disappoint you at all." Neowiz recently announced several games it has in the pipeline, one of which is the direct sequel to Lies of P. Thanks to the success of that game, the publisher is currently planning five titles, as well as publishing work from other teams, so it's seriously scaling up its whole operation. Are you excited for the next games from Neowiz, including Lies of P 2? Tell us in the comments section below. -
Neowiz and Round8 Studio created one of the best-loved Souls-likes outside of FromSoftware with Lies of P, and it sounds like the team isn't resting on its laurels. Speaking to GamesRadar following Overture's Best Game Expansion win at the Golden Joysticks, director Choi Ji-Won sounds confident about the upcoming work from the studio. Via an interpreter, he says fans "can expect the most fun that we can achieve within the game", not specifying exactly which project he's talking about. He also asks fans to "please stay tuned for it; we are working really hard, and I will not disappoint you at all." Neowiz recently announced several games it has in the pipeline, one of which is the direct sequel to Lies of P. Thanks to the success of that game, the publisher is currently planning five titles, as well as publishing work from other teams, so it's seriously scaling up its whole operation. Are you excited for the next games from Neowiz, including Lies of P 2? Tell us in the comments section below. View full article
-
There seems to be at least a couple of people at Ubisoft still working on Beyond Good & Evil 2, in amongst its Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed remakes. A new job listing for a Technical Sound Designer was posted online by the French publisher within the last 24 hours, and the position is tied directly to the long-in-development project. Part of the Montpellier team, the successful applicant will "provide technical solutions for integrating and implementing audio systems to ensure that the audio assets created by the team work as intended, in line with the Audio Director’s vision". Whoever gets the job will begin work on Beyond Good & Evil 2 "as soon as possible". The game received a proper reveal more than eight years ago at E3 2017, with a trailer confirming the project as a prequel coming to PS4. Almost a decade later, it's never been seen since. Here's how Ubisoft is describing it in 2025: In fact, Ubisoft began work on, completed, and shipped a Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition of the first game during that lengthy development time. That new version contains some new collectibles teasing events taking place outside of the game, which shall link into Beyond Good & Evil 2 — if it ever makes it to market. For now, it does at least seem to be alive. If you want to go back to that 20th Anniversary Edition, it's still more than worth playing, as our 8/10-rated PS5 review states: "This edition brings smooth visuals, a beautifully recreated musical score, and well-presented supplemental materials. It certainly shows its age, but like all great art, Beyond Good & Evil weathers the test of time with grace." Do you think Beyond Good & Evil 2 will ever come out? Let us know in the comments below. -
There seems to be at least a couple of people at Ubisoft still working on Beyond Good & Evil 2, in amongst its Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed remakes. A new job listing for a Technical Sound Designer was posted online by the French publisher within the last 24 hours, and the position is tied directly to the long-in-development project. Part of the Montpellier team, the successful applicant will "provide technical solutions for integrating and implementing audio systems to ensure that the audio assets created by the team work as intended, in line with the Audio Director’s vision". Whoever gets the job will begin work on Beyond Good & Evil 2 "as soon as possible". The game received a proper reveal more than eight years ago at E3 2017, with a trailer confirming the project as a prequel coming to PS4. Almost a decade later, it's never been seen since. Here's how Ubisoft is describing it in 2025: In fact, Ubisoft began work on, completed, and shipped a Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition of the first game during that lengthy development time. That new version contains some new collectibles teasing events taking place outside of the game, which shall link into Beyond Good & Evil 2 — if it ever makes it to market. For now, it does at least seem to be alive. If you want to go back to that 20th Anniversary Edition, it's still more than worth playing, as our 8/10-rated PS5 review states: "This edition brings smooth visuals, a beautifully recreated musical score, and well-presented supplemental materials. It certainly shows its age, but like all great art, Beyond Good & Evil weathers the test of time with grace." Do you think Beyond Good & Evil 2 will ever come out? Let us know in the comments below. View full article
-
Bafflingly buried within the questions and answers section of SEGA's Japanese website, the publisher finally confirms that Yakuza Kiwami 2 will run at 60 frames-per-second on PS5. The fantastic remake is being re-released for Sony's current-gen system on the 8th December, and it'll be a free upgrade for those who already own the PS4 version digitally. However, up until now, we've had no mention of any technical improvements, leading fans to question the point of even having a PS5 version to begin with. But 60fps performance is exactly what Kiwami 2 needs. The game's locked at 30fps on PS4, and it never received any kind of performance-boosting patch for PS5 when played via backwards compatibility. For some, this won't seem like a big deal, but you've got to consider that the titles leading up to Kiwami 2 — that is, Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami — both run at a silky 60fps, even on PS4. Jumping from those games to Kiwami 2 can be jarring to say the least, especially since the latter looks so much better, thanks to the Dragon Engine. So, to recap, Kiwami 2 on PS5 will run at 60fps, it's a free upgrade (for PS4 digital owners), and because it's a new release, it'll have a separate Trophy list to its PS4 predecessor. However, you won't be able to carry over your save data from the PS4 version. Have you been waiting for Yakuza Kiwami 2's 60fps ascendency? Keep it smooth in the comments section below. -
Bafflingly buried within the questions and answers section of SEGA's Japanese website, the publisher finally confirms that Yakuza Kiwami 2 will run at 60 frames-per-second on PS5. The fantastic remake is being re-released for Sony's current-gen system on the 8th December, and it'll be a free upgrade for those who already own the PS4 version digitally. However, up until now, we've had no mention of any technical improvements, leading fans to question the point of even having a PS5 version to begin with. But 60fps performance is exactly what Kiwami 2 needs. The game's locked at 30fps on PS4, and it never received any kind of performance-boosting patch for PS5 when played via backwards compatibility. For some, this won't seem like a big deal, but you've got to consider that the titles leading up to Kiwami 2 — that is, Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami — both run at a silky 60fps, even on PS4. Jumping from those games to Kiwami 2 can be jarring to say the least, especially since the latter looks so much better, thanks to the Dragon Engine. So, to recap, Kiwami 2 on PS5 will run at 60fps, it's a free upgrade (for PS4 digital owners), and because it's a new release, it'll have a separate Trophy list to its PS4 predecessor. However, you won't be able to carry over your save data from the PS4 version. Have you been waiting for Yakuza Kiwami 2's 60fps ascendency? Keep it smooth in the comments section below. View full article
-
Developer Grasshopper Manufacture has announced its third ever Grasshopper Direct, this time with a focus on its upcoming madcap action game, Romeo Is a Dead Man. Announced during a State of Play earlier this year, Romeo Is a Dead Man is a hyper-violent action title we've not seen a huge amount of yet, but our next glimpse at the game is coming very soon. On 5th December, the next Grasshopper Direct will go live on the studio's YouTube channel at 10am JST (that's 1am GMT, 2am CET; Thursday 4th December, 5pm PST, 8pm EST). "Among brand-new updates to pour over, next week’s Grasshopper Direct will showcase more of the studio’s upcoming, absolutely crazy, sci-fi action game, Romeo Is a Dead Man," reads the press release. "Set to launch on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2026, the presentation will also share a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s development, together with never before seen gameplay." With his life saved at the very last moment, the space-time continuum is split open, and player character Romeo becomes an interdimensional special agent who takes down wanted criminals. He does so with a mixture of guns and swords, and the game is described as Grasshopper's "bloodiest action game yet". With a wild art style and bonkers premise, this is definitely one to watch out for in the new year, but in the meantime, we can check out the Grasshopper Direct in the coming days. -
Developer Grasshopper Manufacture has announced its third ever Grasshopper Direct, this time with a focus on its upcoming madcap action game, Romeo Is a Dead Man. Announced during a State of Play earlier this year, Romeo Is a Dead Man is a hyper-violent action title we've not seen a huge amount of yet, but our next glimpse at the game is coming very soon. On 5th December, the next Grasshopper Direct will go live on the studio's YouTube channel at 10am JST (that's 1am GMT, 2am CET; Thursday 4th December, 5pm PST, 8pm EST). "Among brand-new updates to pour over, next week’s Grasshopper Direct will showcase more of the studio’s upcoming, absolutely crazy, sci-fi action game, Romeo Is a Dead Man," reads the press release. "Set to launch on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2026, the presentation will also share a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s development, together with never before seen gameplay." With his life saved at the very last moment, the space-time continuum is split open, and player character Romeo becomes an interdimensional special agent who takes down wanted criminals. He does so with a mixture of guns and swords, and the game is described as Grasshopper's "bloodiest action game yet". With a wild art style and bonkers premise, this is definitely one to watch out for in the new year, but in the meantime, we can check out the Grasshopper Direct in the coming days. View full article
-
.jpg.d854854529bf195dbdd1b4629f29da5a.jpg)
SEGA has confirmed that those who own Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, or Yakuza Kiwami 2 on PS4 can take advantage of discounted upgrade paths when buying the new versions on PS5. All three PS5 re-releases are due to launch on the 8th December, but there is a catch in that these upgrade paths only apply to the digital versions of the PS4 games — and any games claimed through PS Plus subscriptions unfortunately don't count either. Here's a quick summary of the upgrade pricing, which differs between games: Yakuza 0 (PS4) upgraded to Yakuza 0 Director's Cut (PS5) - $14.99 / £11.99 / €14.99 Yakuza Kiwami (PS4) upgraded to Yakuza Kiwami (PS5) - $1.99 / £1.70 / €1.99 Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4) upgraded to Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS5) - Free Yakuza 0 Director's Cut is the only PS5 re-release that features new content. It has several additional cutscenes and an online co-op mode — which is why SEGA's charging more for the upgrade. It also has an English dub for the first time. Meanwhile, Kiwami and Kiwami 2 include new text language support in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian. SEGA has, however, confirmed that Kiwami 2 will boast 60 frames-per-second performance on PS5. The game has always been locked to 30fps on PS4, so the curse has finally been lifted. Oh, and your PS4 save data will not carry over to the PS5 versions, so get ready to start a new playthrough or two. Or three! Still, we're glad that SEGA's seen sense and gone down the upgrade route (partially, at least). Given the publisher's more... questionable business practices over the years, we were pretty much convinced that these PS5 versions would demand a fresh purchase across the board. Will you be replaying any of these Yakuza titles on PS5? Feel the heat in the comments section below. -
SEGA has confirmed that those who own Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, or Yakuza Kiwami 2 on PS4 can take advantage of discounted upgrade paths when buying the new versions on PS5. All three PS5 re-releases are due to launch on the 8th December, but there is a catch in that these upgrade paths only apply to the digital versions of the PS4 games — and any games claimed through PS Plus subscriptions unfortunately don't count either. Here's a quick summary of the upgrade pricing, which differs between games: Yakuza 0 (PS4) upgraded to Yakuza 0 Director's Cut (PS5) - $14.99 / £11.99 / €14.99 Yakuza Kiwami (PS4) upgraded to Yakuza Kiwami (PS5) - $1.99 / £1.70 / €1.99 Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4) upgraded to Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS5) - Free Yakuza 0 Director's Cut is the only PS5 re-release that features new content. It has several additional cutscenes and an online co-op mode — which is why SEGA's charging more for the upgrade. It also has an English dub for the first time. Meanwhile, Kiwami and Kiwami 2 include new text language support in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian. SEGA has, however, confirmed that Kiwami 2 will boast 60 frames-per-second performance on PS5. The game has always been locked to 30fps on PS4, so the curse has finally been lifted. Oh, and your PS4 save data will not carry over to the PS5 versions, so get ready to start a new playthrough or two. Or three! Still, we're glad that SEGA's seen sense and gone down the upgrade route (partially, at least). Given the publisher's more... questionable business practices over the years, we were pretty much convinced that these PS5 versions would demand a fresh purchase across the board. Will you be replaying any of these Yakuza titles on PS5? Feel the heat in the comments section below. View full article
-
A few years ago, around the same time that Xbox's Activision deal was going through, Embracer Group went on a bit of a spending spree of its own, scooping up loads of studios from Square Enix and more. Major downsizing has happened since though, as Embracer struggled to handle so many different teams - and now two more studios have been sold off. Announced in a press release today, Arc Games (the publisher behind the Remnant series) and Cryptic Studios (the developer of Neverwinter and Star Trek Online) have been divested in the latest Embracer restructure. Embracer Group will retain the rights to Remnant, which will be published by spin-off organization THQ Nordic in future. Another series that Embracer will cling onto as part of this sale is online dungeon crawler Fellowship, also previously of Arc Games. That one will be distributed under Embracer's Coffee Stain label in future - although Arc Games will continue to be listed as co-publisher for the time being. The full details of the business update have been shared in the press release link up above, and you can take a look through it if you'd like any further nitty-gritty detail on this. We must admit that some of this business jargon goes above our heads, but the long and short of it is that Embracer is letting two more of its game companies go despite massive acquisition efforts in recent years. -
A few years ago, around the same time that Xbox's Activision deal was going through, Embracer Group went on a bit of a spending spree of its own, scooping up loads of studios from Square Enix and more. Major downsizing has happened since though, as Embracer struggled to handle so many different teams - and now two more studios have been sold off. Announced in a press release today, Arc Games (the publisher behind the Remnant series) and Cryptic Studios (the developer of Neverwinter and Star Trek Online) have been divested in the latest Embracer restructure. Embracer Group will retain the rights to Remnant, which will be published by spin-off organization THQ Nordic in future. Another series that Embracer will cling onto as part of this sale is online dungeon crawler Fellowship, also previously of Arc Games. That one will be distributed under Embracer's Coffee Stain label in future - although Arc Games will continue to be listed as co-publisher for the time being. The full details of the business update have been shared in the press release link up above, and you can take a look through it if you'd like any further nitty-gritty detail on this. We must admit that some of this business jargon goes above our heads, but the long and short of it is that Embracer is letting two more of its game companies go despite massive acquisition efforts in recent years. View full article
-
An intriguing leak has cropped up on the Tomb Raider subreddit this week that hints at some major DLC coming to 2024's Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered in the near future. A set of Steam achievements have leaked for the Apsyr collection that are all tagged with the heading 'TRX:CR'. The achievements themselves talk about levels, time limits and gameplay modifiers - and some folks in the Reddit thread are speculating that 'CR' could stand for Challenge Run here; some kind of potential bonus mode for Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered? The development teams at Aspyr and Crystal Dynamic haven't officially announced this update/DLC yet, but these leaked achievements certainly suggest it exists in some form - and that it could be pretty close to launching as well. The developer recently shadow dropped Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition on Switch 2 this month, so there's certainly a precedent for them to do something like a surprise release. For now, one comment mentions that the achievements have been removed for the time being, after presumably going live too early. We'll keep an eye on this to see how things develop; could it have been a simple backend error? Is this stuff about to launch for real in TR 1-3 Remastered? Hopefully we'll find out in the near future! -
An intriguing leak has cropped up on the Tomb Raider subreddit this week that hints at some major DLC coming to 2024's Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered in the near future. A set of Steam achievements have leaked for the Apsyr collection that are all tagged with the heading 'TRX:CR'. The achievements themselves talk about levels, time limits and gameplay modifiers - and some folks in the Reddit thread are speculating that 'CR' could stand for Challenge Run here; some kind of potential bonus mode for Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered? The development teams at Aspyr and Crystal Dynamic haven't officially announced this update/DLC yet, but these leaked achievements certainly suggest it exists in some form - and that it could be pretty close to launching as well. The developer recently shadow dropped Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition on Switch 2 this month, so there's certainly a precedent for them to do something like a surprise release. For now, one comment mentions that the achievements have been removed for the time being, after presumably going live too early. We'll keep an eye on this to see how things develop; could it have been a simple backend error? Is this stuff about to launch for real in TR 1-3 Remastered? Hopefully we'll find out in the near future! View full article
-
Destiny leaks account Colony Deaks has today shared information on Destiny 3, which is apparently in "extremely early development" right now over at developer Bungie. The leaker profile, which typically shares datamined Destiny leaks amongst other bits and pieces about the franchise, says that it's been "sitting on the info for a few weeks now" - and has decided to share it following other reports on the game. It adds that it "plans to share more info in the coming months" once the project "takes shape" at Bungie. Now, we must admit that we're not super well versed in the Destiny leaking scene, and we're absolutely taking this as a vague rumour right now. Bungie hasn't confirmed Destiny 3 at all just yet - in fact, its Destiny 2: Renegades expansion launches in just a few days here on December 2nd, so content for that title is very much still in the pipeline right now. However, this isn't the first time we've heard about a third game in the franchise. Back in April 2024, another source dropped info on Destiny 3 being in development under the codename Payback. All we can do is sit tight for now, but the Destiny 3 rumours are gathering pace, folks.