S.O.P.H.I.A.
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Posts posted by S.O.P.H.I.A.
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Xbox owners will soon be able to get their hands on Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
The game is set to arrive on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on 15th August, priced £34.99 on the Microsoft Store. It will come with exclusive pirate-themed hats for the Rots - the game's timid and elusive spirits - as well as a unique Kena Staff and a Golden Rot Skin (you can check out how the hats look in the video below).
Those on Xbox Series X/S will also be able to purchase a Premium physical edition of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, which will include a digital soundtrack and a retail exclusive sticker sheet.
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Naughty Dog won't be The Last of Us studio forever, according to studio president Neil Druckmann. He told the LA Times this in a new interview, which is where he also said the studio has multiple single-player projects in development, as reported by VideoGamesChronicle.
"I promise you, we will not be The Last of Us studio forever," Druckmann said, revealing the team is working on "multiple single-player projects." He continued, adding, "We create experiences that are steeped in story and characters, especially relationships. The stories have some sort of philosophical core that everything is going to revolve around and feed into."
Elsewhere in the interview, Druckmann told the LA Times he came up with the idea about a man and a girl crossing a post-apocalyptic landscape – the premise of The Last of Us – in college. He planned to get that story out of his head one day as a graphic novel. Even after getting hired at Naughty Dog, he didn't bring up this story to the studio, he said. Instead, he was given the task of recreating Jak and Daxter into "something more reality-based," the publication writes.
However, he and those on the task were struggling. They went to Naughty Dog's then-president Evan Wells, who retired last year, and asked, "Do we need to do Jak and Daxter?" Wells said no, and Druckmann told the LA Times, "Immediately the lightbulb went off" as the time for what would become The Last of Us had arrived. And the rest is history.
This interview follows Druckmann's recent interview with PlayStation, which resulted in a public rebuttal of the interview by Druckmann, with him claiming he was heavily misquoted, and PlayStation eventually pulling the interview down completely.
Word of multiple single-player projects in development at Naughty Dog follows news from last December where Naughty Dog canceled its Last of Us live-service multiplayer project after years of development.
For more, read Game Informer's review of The Last of Us and then read our review of The Last of Us Part II. After that, read our impressions of Naughty Dog's remake of The Last of Us.
[Source: LA Times via VideoGamesChronicle]
What do you hope Naughty Dog's next game is? Let us know in the comments below!
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Naughty Dog executive Neil Druckmann has teased the developer's future projects, saying the company will likely create something outside the Last of Us universe at some point in the future. Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, Druckmann re-confirmed that Naughty Dog has multiple single-player projects in the works, and, while The Last of Us: Part III may be among them, there will be other games outside that universe.
"I promise you, we will not be The Last of Us studio forever," he said.
After Naughty Dog canceled The Last of Us Online in 2023, the developer confirmed it had multiple single-player games in development. These games remain unannounced, but Druckmann has strongly suggested one will be The Last of Us: Part III.
"I've been thinking--is there a concept there [for The Last of Us 3]? For, now years, I haven't been able to find that concept. But recently that's changed," he said in comments published in 2024. "I don't have a story. But I do have that concept that is, to me, as exciting as 1, as exciting as 2. As its own thing, and yet has this throughline for all three. So it does feel like there's probably one more chapter to this story."
Beyond another entry in The Last of Us series, could Naughty Dog return to the Uncharted series? Don't get your hopes up for that, as Naughty Dog has said it is "done" with the franchise (though a different team could, of course, make Uncharted 5).
Druckmann is writing and directing a new game, but he can't say what it is just yet. "I know the fans really want The Last of Us: Part III, I hear about it all the time," Druckmann said in 2023. "All I can say is that we're already into our next project, the decision has already been made. I can't say what it is."
Some also believe that Naughty Dog might turn its attention to a totally new genre, fantasy, for its next game, which could be a new IP.
Druckmann recently made headlines for calling out the editing of an interview he did with his own company. While Sony removed the interview from its website, Druckmann uploaded his raw, unedited answers, in which he said he is currently working on a "dream" project. He said, "It's maybe the most excited I've been for a project yet."
Sony's recent State of Play briefing had no details on any future Naughty Dog games. Many are expecting Sony to conduct its next PlayStation Showcase later this year, and if that happens, it could be a venue for Naughty Dog to announce a new project, but this is just speculation.
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Baldur's Gate 3 will finally add official mod support in September, after a summer of ongoing testing - which begins today.
Patch 7, which will include the game's modding toolkit, begins testing now via a closed alpha which will run for around a month. In July, a further 1000 players will be added, as part of a closed beta.
The idea is that the alpha test will develop mod tools and bring over existing mods, while the beta test will then provide feedback on these. That should then take everyone through to September, when Patch 7 rolls out for everyone.
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As Fallout fever conitines, one fan has managed to get the original game playing on a Nintendo 3DS.
The port, first spotted by TheGamer, uses a mod made by MrHuu to get it all working. "I've had the first Fallout for years, but it's always ran too crappy on my PC and I never get far, but this awesome 3DS port is running great (even if it is a little clunky having to cycle between left and right click with L button)," Reddit user Loopuze1 shared last week.
"Just have to install it, copy over files from your original, legally purchased copy and you're good to go. Figured this community might appreciate how cool this is!"
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Abubakar Salim, creator of the recent Tales of Kenzera: Zau, has addressed the "fever pitch" of "constant targeted harassment" the studio has received since the release of the game.
The game is inspired by Salim's own story of grief and set in an Afrofuturist world based on Bantu Tales and African folklore.
However, in a video posted to X, Salim responded to the abuse received and announced a price drop for the game on Switch.
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While Naughty Dog may currently be best known for its post-apocalyptic The Last of Us series, with multiple remasters and an award winning TV series under its belt, it won't be like this forever.
That's according to studio head Neil Druckmann, who additionally told the LA Times Naughty Dog currently has a number of games in the works, including "multiple single-player projects".
While the creator did not share any further specifics as to what these upcoming games are, he suggested they will be as story rich as the studio's previous works.
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The legendary Horiyuki Sanada, star of hit Amazon TV series Shogun, is in talks for a role in the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima film.
That's according to veteran movie tipster DanielRPK, who shared word of the discussions over the weekend.
Sanada, who played Toranaga-sama in Shogun, is also known for his roles in The Last Samurai, Sunshine and Lost. He's next set to appear on cinema screens in another video game adaptation: Mortal Kombat 2.
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"Something big is going on behind the scenes" at Starfield.
That's according to players who have been poking around in Steam's backend. By monitoring the updates made to the Steam files via SteamDB, some players claim that Bethesda has made more changes in May than March and April combined.
"It's pointless trying to decipher the changelogs on Steamdb, but one thing is certain from experience: when there are a lot of changes, something big is coming," opined u/JarusinTheStars (thanks, TheGamer).
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Astro Bot will feature over 150 PlayStation-inspired cameos.
That's according to the game's recently unveiled store listing, which says we'll get to "rescue over 150 iconic VIP Bots inspired by legendary characters from 30 years of PlayStation history".
The same listing describes Astro Bot as a "standalone, full-sized adventure that offers over four times more worlds, 300 bots to rescue, and dozens of new powers and features to discover". It also confirms that Astro Bot is strictly a single-player experience that will only be available on PS5.
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Wuthering Waves developer Kuro Games has once again apologised to players for "the deficiencies and issues present" in the game, and outlined how it intends to improve the experience going forward.
In a lengthy blog entitled "Announcement on Wuthering Waves 1.0 Version and Future Adjustment Directions" posted earlier today, the team said Wuthering Waves was its "first fully independently developed and globally published game" and understood that the launch issues have "affected your gaming experience".
In a bid to outline how it intends to improve things for "those who love the game", Kuro says it has been focussed on optimisations and iterations for the 1.0 versions, as well as looking ahead to what changes it can introduce in further version updates.
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"Come one, come all" – Diablo 4 is about to celebrate its first anniversary, and Blizzard has "a goblin's heap of rewards" to mark the occasion.
As a thank you "for being part of the Diablo community through another year of fighting back the demonic forces of Hell", the March of the Goblins will kick off next week across both Diablo 4 and Diablo Immortal, which is also marking its second anniversary.
First off, you can claim a free cosmetic gift from the Shop in Diablo 4 from 6th June, and you'll have "until 20th June to claim all of these gifts". At the same time, you'll see a boost in Treasure Goblin activity across the Sanctuary, "with Horadric scholars foretelling the contents of their greed-filled bags rumoured to be richer than ever before".
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Embark has pushed out a hotfix for The Finals, addressing the extraordinarily frustrating exploit that enabled players to track opponents through walls.
In a brief update on the official website, the team said the update was designed "for many of the issues introduced in Update 2.10.0" earlier in the week, starting with the broken aim assist to "prevent tracking enemy contestants through objects such as walls, terrain, etc".
The hotfix also fixes enemy healthbars – they were not only persisting on screen longer than intended, but also popped up through walls and terrain, too – and another issue where players couldn't track contracts in rookie/challenger/pro/master circuits.
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Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will debut on Netflix on 10th October, 2024.
The streaming giant confirmed the news earlier today with an all-too-brief teaser – I'm afraid it's less than a minute long – which you can see embedded below:
The animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft "picks up after the events of the highly successful Tomb Raider video game Survivor trilogy (Tomb Raider; Rise of the Tomb Raider; Shadow of the Tomb Raider), and will chart the globetrotting heroine’s next chapter as the iconic adventurer", Netflix explains.
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Curious about Destiny 2's final expansion but aren't sure where to start? One of Destiny's most dedicated fans, My name is Byf, has put together a 10-hour video to bring new players (and - let's face it - existing ones, too) up to date with the sci-fi shooter's complex storyline.
The video is particularly good timing given Sony is giving all Playstation and PC players limited-time access to three Destiny 2 expansions – The Witch Queen, Beyond Light, and Shadowkeep – ahead of The Final Shape's arrival next week. Additionally, Destiny 2's current expansion, Lightfall, is available to PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Byf says the video details the "complete story of Destiny", from the origins of The Witness, and includes the full timeline of major events to happen in the game, as well as additional lore and backstories.
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Valve has filed to trademark Deadlock, the hero shooter the company still won't confirm exists.
As spotted by Gabe Follower (thanks, PC Gamer), Valve's trademark application is pending approval, but the developer has applied for trademark protection for the term Deadlock across the categories of "entertainment services, namely, providing video games; provision of online entertainment, namely, online computer games; games services provided by means of the Internet". It was filed on Thursday, 30th May, 2024.
Of course, a trademark filing is just that, and is by no means evidence that Valve has a game of that name in development, or even proves that a game in mid-production will ever be released.
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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's stunning soundtrack is now available to buy as a custom CD boxset.
Comprising of over 300 tracks across nine CDs that run for 11 hours, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Original Soundtrack is set to release on 12th July (in the UK at least – other territories will vary) for a formidable £230.
"A total of 344 songs on 9 CDs, including songs from the game and songs used in trailers," explains the item description. "The total recording time is approximately 11 hours.
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Grand Theft Auto and Borderlands publisher Take-Two is reportedly looking to sell or shutdown OlliOlli World and Kerbal Space Program 2 developers, Roll7 and Intercept Games respectively, along with its indie label, Private Division.
According to IGN, "these closures [are] imminent", despite Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick claiming earlier this month that Take-Two "didn't shutter" its indie teams at Intercept Games and Roll7.
According to multiple anonymous sources verified by IGN, Intercept Games is set to close on 28th June, as detailed by the Washington State WARN Act, whilst Roll7 "is similarly winding down".
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Call of Duty is one of gaming's biggest series. Xbox Game Pass is one of gaming's biggest services. It only makes sense then that one of Xbox's priorities--particularly after purchasing Call of Duty's publisher, Activision--was ensuring the next title in the series is available on Game Pass.
Fortunately for Xbox and Call of Duty fans already subscribed to Game Pass, Microsoft recently confirmed that the next Call of Duty, Black Ops 6, will be included in the subscription service. Yet we can't help but wonder if having Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Game Pass will actually move the needle for Microsoft. Sure, Call of Duty has a built in, loyal fanbase, but will fans who traditionally play on other consoles be motivated to enter the Microsoft ecosystem? Will those not wanting to shell out $70 to purchase the game outright be attracted by Game Pass' lower price point?
On this week’s Spot On, Tam and Lucy discuss that state of Microsoft and AAA gaming in general, the potential for a Game Pass price hike, and whether they think BLOPS 6 will be the title to give Game Pass a much needed shot in the arm.
Spot On is GameSpot's weekly news show in which managing editor Tamoor Hussain and senior producer Lucy James talk about the latest game news. Given the massive video game industry's highly dynamic and never-ending news cycle, there's always something to talk about. Unlike most news shows, Spot On will dive deep into a single topic instead of recapping all the news. Spot On airs each Friday.
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Mini PCs are a nice alternative to full-size desktops or laptops. They can be used with standard keyboards, mice, and monitors just like a regular desktop PC, but they're more affordable. Their small, compact size also makes them easy to fit on your desk or even carry around with you in a backpack. If that sounds like the kind of PC setup that's right for you and you're looking to pick one up, then you're in luck--You can save on a bunch mini PCs at Amazon right now, including a dozen models from Beelink, which is the most popular mini PC brand on Amazon.
Beelink Mini S12 The prices of these mini PCs range based on the included hardware, with the most affordable being this Beelink Mini S12 Pro model that's down to $159 (was $199). It sports a 12th Gen Intel CPU, 16GB RAM, and a 500GB SSD. If you need something stronger, the Beelink SER5 Max with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD is available for $389 (was $459).
These mini PCs are designed for general use and home office functionality, but some can handle some light gaming. The model best suited for gaming is this Beelink SER7 configuration that includes a dedicated AMD Radeon 780M GPU, along with a Ryzen 7 CPU, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD. It's available for $550 (was $749).
Here's a quick list of all the Beelink mini PCs currently discounted at Amazon. Note that some require you to click the coupon code box on the store page in order to get the full discount.
- Beelink Mini S12 Pro Mini PC (12th Gen Intel-N100, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD) -- $159 ($
199) - Beelink Mini S12 Pro Mini PC (12th Gen Intel-N100, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD) -- $168 with coupon code ($
219) - Beelink SER5 Mini PC (AMD Ryzen 5 5560U, 8GB RAM, 500GB SSD) -- $217.20 with coupon ($
309) - Beelink Dual LAN 2.5Gb Mini PC (12th Gen Intel-N100, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD) -- $229 ($
279) - Beelink SER5 Mini PC (AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD) -- $289 ($
359) - Beelink SER5 Mini PC (AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD) -- $295.45 with coupon code ($
389) - Beelink SEI12 Mini PC (Intel Core i5-12450H, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD) -- $329 ($
419) - Beelink SER5 Max Mini PC (AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) -- $389 ($
459) - Beelink SEI12 Mini PC (Intel Core i7-12650H Turbo, 32GB RAM, 500GB SSD) -- $439 ($
529) - Beelink SER6-P Mini PC (AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU, AMD Radeon 680M GPU, 32GB RAM 1TB SSD) -- $479 ($
599) - Beelink SER7 Mini PC (Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU, AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) -- $550 ($
749) - Beelink SER7 Mini PC (AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) -- $599.20 ($
749)
More mini PCs
M2 Mac Mini There are a few other notable deals on mini PCs from other brands, including a few Mac Mini models for Apple fans. The standout deal is the 2023 Mac Mini with M2 chip, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD. This configuration is on sale for $100 off at Amazon, dropping the price to $499. Most users will find it to be more than speedy enough to handle daily computing needs, and Apple's proprietary chip is powerful enough to handle many indie games, Apple Arcade titles, and some older Mac-compatible AAA games.
- Kamrui AK1 Plus Mini Desktop (Intel 12th Gen N95 CPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) -- $160 with coupon code ($
220) - GMKtec Mini PC (Intel Core i7-11390H Turbo,16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) -- $342 ($599)
- Mac Mini (Refurbished) (Apple M1 chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) -- $384 ($
600) - Mac Mini (2023 model) (Apple M2 chip, 8GB RAM, 256 SSD) -- $499 (
$599) - Mac Mini (2023 model) (Apple M2 chip, 8GB RAM, 512 SSD) -- $699 (
$799) - Mac Mini (2023 model) (Apple M2 Pro chip, 16GB RAM, 512 SSD) -- $1,200 (
$1,300)
- Beelink Mini S12 Pro Mini PC (12th Gen Intel-N100, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD) -- $159 ($
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A physical edition of the incredible indie adventure game Cocoon is launching on Nintendo Switch and PS5, courtesy of the folks at iam8bit. Not only is this a great opportunity to add one of the best games of 2023 to your collection, but the new Cocoon physical edition will also include five bonus art cards exclusive to the new release.
The Cocoon physical edition launches for $30 on September 13, and preorders are available now.
Cocoon physical edition preorder bonuses
All Cocoon physical edition preorders on PS5 or Nintendo Switch come with a digital download code for the Cocoon soundtrack.
Cocoon is a mind-bending puzzle-adventure game where you play as a tiny robot exploring strange alien worlds that overlap and intersect in exciting ways. In our Cocoon review, Jessica Cogswell awarded the game a 9/10 and praised its puzzles, visuals, and audio design, saying "Cocoon is a beautiful game filled with brilliance and meaning, delivered in a subtle yet unforgettable way." It also made its way into our 2023 spotlight series that looked back on memorable moments in games thanks to the way navigating and solving Cocoon's puzzles makes the player feel like a genius. The game initially launched as a digital-only game, but this new physical release will hopefully give even more folks a chance to try this engrossing sci-fi adventure.
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There’s a secret Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door party member you can unlock if you put in a bit of effort, but the classic RPG does a pretty good job hiding what you need to do. She might not be much help in combat, but her field skill is one of the most useful in the game--especially if you’re keen on tracking down every secret.
We explain how to unlock the secret character in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door below and whether she’s worth the effort. Of course, be mindful that this guide is one big spoiler.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door secret character
Ms. Mowz, the badge shop owner and self-proclaimed Badge Ninja, is the seventh playable party member and one you can completely miss if you don’t do a specific side quest. The side quest featuring Ms Mowz only unlocks after you return to Rogueport following the conclusion of Chapter 4 in Twilight Town.
Head to the Trouble Center on the city’s eastern side, and pick up the “Elusive Badge” side quest there. Climb up to the roof of Zess T’s house, and you’ll meet "??? the questgiver," who’s very obviously just Ms Mowz without her signature bow.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Elusive Badge quest
She tasks you with finding an elusive badge “in Hooktail’s room” and believes the secret to finding said badge is in the power of the wind. Hooktail’s Room is the same room where you fought the giant dragon in Chapter 1, so make your way back to the Petalburg Outskirts and into Hooktail Castle again.
The journey is a bit of a slog, since all the enemies--minus Hooktail--are back again. The puzzles are all solved, though. Don’t waste your time defeating enemies unless you just want a fight. By this part of your journey, you’ll only earn one Star Point for each enemy, so it’s not really worth the time.
There's no fold or seam for this one, so it might take a few tries to get the position just right. Climb the castle, cross the bridge, and hoist yourself up the tower staircase and into Hooktail’s room. Walk to the room’s center, and bring Flurrie out from the Partner Wheel, if she’s not with you already. Use her field skill to blow away a hidden paper panel to reveal a chest. Unlike most panels in The Thousand-Year Door, this one has no visible edges. You might need to reposition Mario and Flurrie to get the angle just right.
Is Ms Mowz worth it in The Thousand-Year Door?
Yes, but possibly not for the reasons you might expect. Her combat abilities are a solid mix of offense--a slap attack that ignores enemy defense, for example--and support, including a skill that restores 10 HP to Mario. However, her field skill is what makes Ms Mowz such a good companion to have around. She can sniff out treasure.
You’ll notice Ms Mowz lift her nose in the air when you approach a hidden treasure, and she becomes visibly more animated as you get closer. The Thousand-Year Door is littered with hidden treasure, especially in the final few chapters, so having someone around to lead you in the right direction is a big help.
Sure, most of those hidden treasures are just Star Pieces, but if you want some of the best badges in the game, you’ll need plenty of Star Pieces to buy them with.
It’s probably a good idea to save your Shine Sprites for another party member, though. Ms Mowz’s damage output can’t compete with the likes of Bobbery, Vivian, or even Koops, so only upgrade her when you’re finished with everyone else.
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343 is finally adding Match Composer to Halo Infinite, a multiplayer feature previously seen in The Master Chief Collection that makes finding a game much easier. Match Composer will launch alongside the latest Operation on June 4.
As explained in a Halo blog post, Match Composer is a feature that allows players to find very specific kinds of matches. For example, if someone is looking for Team Slayer, a 4v4 game, all they have to do is select those, and they'll be launched into a queue looking for that specific game type.
The blog post explains that every mode will be turned on by default. So, players must turn off which game modes they don't want to look for. It's worth pointing out that if players are looking for a very specific game, it may take longer to find a match than someone with every mode turned on.
It's also worth mentioning that most social playlists will have Match Composer, but players cannot use this feature when playing Ranked. Since Match Composer will not be in Ranked, the following modes will be expanded: Ranked Arena, Ranked Slayer, Ranked Doubles, and Ranked Tactical.
For more Halo content, check out our story detailing how you can get your hands on a Needler Nerf Blaster for a discounted price.
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As Sony continues to bring many of its acclaimed PlayStation console exclusives to PC, each release seems to be getting better in terms of quality and stability. Ghost of Tsushima is the latest to uphold this trend, with developer Nixxes showing yet again how valuable of a purchase it was in the pursuit of this PC-focused endeavor. Taking the work done by Sucker Punch on the PlayStation 4 and translating it to a smooth PC experience might sound trivial in the face of more demanding projects such as Returnal and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, but it doesn't make the final product any less impressive when you're able to get it running far beyond even the PlayStation 5 version's level of visuals and performance.
Ghost of Tsushima on PC is the complete package, including the post-launch multiplayer mode Legends (which requires a PSN account to play) and the entertaining Iki Island DLC that extends protagonist Jin Sakai's adventure. There's a lot to play here, especially taking into account the scope of the main adventure. It's a story that takes some time to get going, but fully earns its pacing through moments such as the breath-taking late title card screen and captivating set-piece battles that bookend its main acts. Ghost of Tsushima's open-world design feels slightly old given the time since its original release, but it's no less captivating to make your way across the gorgeous island the game takes place on.
On PC, Tsushima looks better than ever, too. There are some small improvements that help its visuals surpass those of the PS5 version, including some upgrades to volumetric fog and smaller visual enhancements to make the world look sharper to the eye. It's hard to pick these out without a direct comparison to the console version, however, with Nixxes holding back large changes such as ray-traced lighting or global illumination, which is disappointing given how both have become commonplace in modern games. Ghost of Tsushima side-steps its age with a timeless visual design. Colors are vibrant and accentuated, bringing to life forests laden with warm autumn hues and providing an eye-catching contrast between the lush wildlife and the oppressive Mongol structures that have started infecting it.
Exploring this world is improved significantly with the additional fluidity that playing on PC can offer. On my AMD Ryzen 5600X and RTX 3080 Ti, I was pleasantly surprised to see such high frame rates at much higher resolutions than the PS5 could offer, with a native 4K hovering well above 80fps for much of my playtime. This gives Ghost of Tsushima a lot of room for scaling down to much older hardware, albeit with the caveat that it plays best on graphics cards with more than 8GB of VRAM, which can be a limiting factor. Still, the range of visual settings on offer lets you refine your experience to achieve the performance you want, with real-time changes to the world letting you sample your tweaks as you make them in the menu. Ghost of Tsushima felt great on PS4, was vastly improved with its 60fps mode on PS5, but feels transformative at even higher refresh rates if you have the display to support it.
A wide range of hardware is also supported in terms of resolution scaling features, with support for Nvidia's DLSS, AMD's FSR, and Intel XeSS super-sampling solutions. In addition, you can make use of Sucker Punch's own TAA solution with dynamic resolution scaling, which matches how the PlayStation handles the game, although it's a much less refined option than those offered by PC graphics cards. More surprising still is the decoupling of AMD's hardware agnostic frame generation solution, letting you pair it up with Nvidia's DLSS for the first time (officially) in a PC title. This means that you don't need a modern Nvidia 40-series card to enjoy the benefits of frame generation, which can nearly double your frame rate without much perceivable latency. There are some issues with image quality if you look hard enough, as the generated frames are injected between natively rendered ones, but they're minor enough that I played with the setting enabled for most of my time. This won't magically transform the game into a 60fps one if you are struggling to sustain that level of performance, however, as you'll have the best results with the game running there or higher already.
Between its scalable performance and robust range of settings, Ghost of Tsushima is another feather in the cap of Nixxes' work with PlayStation exclusives. Even if it's without some big improvements over its console counterpart, it's nonetheless a great way to experience one of the most visually striking open worlds on the market today despite its age, with the dangers and wonders of Tsushima island still a delight to experience for the first time.
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Geoff Keighley Says 'People Are Setting Themselves Up For Failure' When Asked About Kingdom Hearts IV At SGF
in Gaming News & Releases Feeds
Posted
This year's Summer Game Fest showcase is happening this week, on Friday, June 7, at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET, and with more than 55 studios and publishers set to be featured at the event (including Play Days this weekend) this year, fans have been speculating on what they might see. That includes Kingdom Hearts fans, who have been hoping to see something related to Kingdom Hearts IV at SGF this year, given it's been more than two years since its reveal.
However, SGF host and creator Geoff Keighley thinks Kingdom Hearts fans should lower their expectations for the show.
"People keep asking about Kingdom Hearts, I don't know why," Keighley says during a recent stream where he answered questions about SGF. "I think it's because we did [Final Fantasy VII Rebirth] last year or something like that. But yeah, people are setting themselves up for failure but you guys can keep hoping."
Here's a clip of it, too:
Now, Keighley could be playing coy, especially with the "but you guys can keep hoping" part at the end, but it's more likely that he's trying to nicely let Kingdom Hearts fans know that if they expect to see Kingdom Hearts IV during SGF, they might be disappointed.
In the meantime, watch the Kingdom Hearts IV reveal trailer, and then read Game Informer's exclusive interview with Tetsuya Nomura about Kingdom Hearts IV, the series' future with Final Fantasy, and more.
Do you think we'll hear about Kingdom Hearts IV this upcoming weekend? Let us know in the comments below!
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