Gaming News - Page 377

Housemarque finally addresses Returnal's most problematic and frustrating feature...and it only took them six months to do it.

Returnal was one of the most aggravating PS5 games of 2021, and I actually avoided it based on what people were saying at the time. It's a roguelike without a manual save feature. That's...well, frustrating, but what made it worse is that you had to beat an entire biome, which are levels that can last multiple hours or more to beat--in order for the game to save your progress. You can't save if your in the middle of a biome level, and your progress would be wiped if you turned off your PlayStation 5 or launched another game. So gamers were keeping their PS5s on or in rest mode to preserve their playthrough, not unlike the old-school NES days.

That's all been changed. Gamers can now suspend their Returnal progress and fully turn off their PlayStation 5 consoles and close Returnal. Think of it as a save state in an emulator, but one that vanishes after you resume. Finally!

Today Devolver Digital and Flying Wild Hog delayed Shadow Warrior 3 in the best way possible.

Shadow Warrior 3 has been delayed to sometime in 2022. The announcement was made in a very tongue-in-cheek way with an official delay trailer which somehow made me laugh in real life. We always see announce trailers, teasers, and even those famous pre-release builds that get downgraded before release...but delay trailers? That's a new one.

"The team here at Flying Wild Hog here have been working our flying wild butts off to hit the quality level we all want for Lo Wang's next adventure. The exact date will be announced soon and we'll have a ton more to show," the developers said in the trailer.

Microsoft is testing a new update that adds native Twitch integration into the Xbox UI, allowing gamers to launch streams without opening the Twitch app.

Xbox Insiders in the Alpha and Alpha Skip Ahead tiers can now test out Twitch streaming directly from the Xbox quick bar. The Xbox team is working to natively add Twitch streaming right into the UI to replace the now-defunct Mixer's functionality.

Insiders can try out live streaming to Twitch by navigating to the "Capture and Share" tab and choosing "Live streaming". They'll then need to link a Twitch account using a mobile device or using console Settings. Once the account is linked hit the "Go live now" button to start streaming gameplay to Twitch. This feature only streams game play so viewers will see a pause screen if the user navigates to home or another app.

343 Industries have announced that all legacy Halo game servers will go offline January 2022.

Last year 343i confirmed it would shut down online services for older Xbox 360-era Halo games, Now it finally has an end-of-service date: January 13, 2022. After that date the following games will no longer be playable via online matchmaking and no playlists will be accessible:

The reality is that MCC was always meant to take over the mantle and carry the series forward. Soon these old games will be a memory as MCC's custom games, awesome functionalities, and ridiculous seasonal-based rewards take precedence.

Gamers are reporting multiple issues with N64 emulation in Nintendo's new $50 Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription.

It looks like Nintendo is using subpar Nintendo 64 emulation in its new Switch Online service. Subscribers that shelled out the steep $50 cost are reporting lots of problems including random frame rate drops, significant audio issues, and even heavy input lag that makes games like Ocarina of Time a lot harder to play than they should be (Super Mario 64 is also suffering from input lag).

Ocarina of Time is also missing a number of environmental effects including water reflections in the Water Temple and fog throughout the entire game. The beloved N64 classic is getting lampooned pretty badly on Twitter right now. OoT on Switch is apparently worse than the Wii U Virtual Console version, a port that was also criticized for its wonky emulation.

Modders continue doing impressive things with Halo 3's modding tools including injecting new models into the game.

Halo 3's new modding toolset is breathing new life into the old-school shooter. We've seen massive all-out AI war chaos with never-ending UNSC vs Covenant battles, huge 100+ AI sequences that bypass the game's combat NPC limiter, and tons of new models thrown into the mix. Now Halo Infinite's Spartan 117 shows up to finish the fight.

After cursing Halo 3 multiplayer with Five Nights at Freddy's models, modder Glitch has injected Halo Infinite's Master Chief into Halo 3's campaign. Using Fortnite's MC model as a base, Glitch upgraded the textures to match the rough-and-chunky Mjolnir armor from Halo Infinite. The results are pretty impressive and show that Halo 3's graphics were no slouch back then and still look great today.

The new GTA trilogy remaster collection will require extra downloads on the Nintendo Switch.

New listings on Target.com confirm the Nintendo Switch version of the new multi-game Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition remaster bundle will require downloads. The trilogy is listed at 25.4GB on the eShop however, so the game will technically fit on a single cartridge but it isn't being shipped on one.

Right now Switch GameCards only come in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB sizes, with the latter being the most expensive option. It looks like Rockstar, Take-Two, or Nintendo picked the 16GB variant (or possibly smaller) for the GTA trilogy. It's also worth mentioning the overall file size of the Switch version (25.4GB) is a lot less than the Xbox version, which is listed at 49GB.

Guerrilla Games outlines a bunch of new changes in the cross-gen Horizon Forbidden West sequel coming in February 2022.

In many ways, Horizon Forbidden West sees the franchise unleashed and fully realized. Guerrilla Games is making huge fundamental changes that will alter the scope of the game and how players engage with the world. One of the biggest changes is the inclusion of free climbing, which brings Assassin's Creed-style exploration and verticality to combat and gameplay.

While the animations look very Assassin's Creed-ish, the truth is Forbidden West seems closer to Breath of the Wild. The combination of free climbing with the new Shieldwing paraglider gives players unprecedented freedoms to scale tons of areas in the game and fly down them in real-time. This is something that I sorely missed in AC Valhalla, although it wouldn't have made any sense historically.

Sledgehammer Games has created multiple dynamic phases of DualSense trigger actuation in Call of Duty Vanguard.

Like most PS5 gamers, Vanguard will make heavy use of the DualSense controller's new rumble tech. Similar to Black Ops Cold War, which had amazing next-gen tactile feedback, the new WWII-themed Call of Duty has its own multi-phase pressure-sensitive trigger haptics to significantly increase immersion. Guns will pop with recoil and power as you fire them, precision weapons will feel more satisfying, and gunfights will actually feel like lethal do-or-die battles.

There are four stages to a trigger pull in Vanguard:

The new $350 Nintendo Switch OLED isn't any more durable than the base 2017 model, and you really should put a screen protector on it.

YouTuber Jerry Rig Everything answers a simple question: How much abuse can the Switch OLED withstand? Starting with the screen, the outer-most protective layer scratches very easily with a level 3 hardness gradient because the surface is made of plastic. This is an anti-scatter sheet that protects the glass OLED panel underneath--and also protects users from shards of glass should the screen shatter.

Overall the OLED model is structurally sound. It didn't break or crack under pressure and the bezels are made of metal. The YouTuber proceeds to torture the OLED model with 35-seconds of ignited lighter action, multiple scratches from a razor, and even some really rough bending. The Switch OLED bends and flexes a bit but it doesn't break in two.