World of Warcraft Shadowlands may have already received its final content update and just kicked off Season 3, but in an atypical move, Blizzard has now confirmed that the game will receive an additional season later this year.

Season 4 will mix things up when it comes to WoW’s normal seasonal format, according to a Blizzard post on the game’s official forums. WoW seasons typically consist of a rotating roster of Mythic+ dungeons (oftentimes featuring a new dungeon and new seasonal affixes), a new raid, and a new season of competitive PvP. Since Shadowlands isn’t set to receive any new content–the recent Eternity’s End update was the last–Blizzard looks to be pulling from previously released content to keep things fresh instead.

For Mythic+, Blizzard will be featuring two dungeons from the game’s last four expansions. Those dungeons will be the two wings of Shadowlands’ Tazavesh, the two wings of Battle for Azeroth’s Operation Mechagon, the two wings of Legion’s Return to Karazhan, and two to-be-determined dungeons from Warlords of Draenor. Players can vote on which two Draenor dungeons should be included.

Raiding will also be different in Season 4. With no new raid to tackle, Blizzard is instead looking to make all three of Shadowlands’ raid tiers relevant in Season 4 by increasing their difficulty, adding a new seasonal affix, and increasing the power level of loot dropped within each raid.

Blizzard is set to reveal WoW’s next expansion on April 19. The timing of the announcement (most new WoW expansions are typically announced at BlizzCon in November and then released roughly a year or so later) leads many fans to believe that WoW’s next expansion won’t be coming until sometime in the first half of 2023. The fact that Blizzard is now planning for an additional Shadowlands season to fill out the remainder of 2022 seems to back that idea up.

Shadowlands has proven to be a disappointing expansion for many players in the game’s community, so the news that it will be sticking around for longer than is typical could be a hard pill to swallow for fans who are ready to move on to what’s next for Blizzard’s MMORPG. On the bright side, Blizzard is making the popular Mage Tower feature a permanent addition, which should give players some challenging solo content to pursue while they wait for new content. WoW fans can also look forward to the announcement of Blizzard’s long-in-development Warcraft mobile game, slated to be revealed in May.

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Walt Disney Games and Kabam Entertainment are partnering up for Disney’s Mirrorverse, an action-RPG launching June 23 on mobile devices that brings Disney and Pixar characters together in a brand-new adventure.

Mirrorverse is set in an alternate universe where enemies called the Fractured are attempting to break the Stellar Mirror and harness its magic. Some of Disney and Pixar’s most famous characters–both heroes like Sulley from Monsters Inc. and villains like Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent–have been amplified by the magic produced by the mirror in order to protect it, turning them into Guardians that fight the Fractured hordes.

These Guardians are reimaginations of those iconic Disney characters, giving them new powers and abilities. Beauty and the Beast’s Belle, for example, is a powerful sorceress wielding a staff powered by the cursed rose from Beast’s castle, while the aforementioned Sulley is a melee warrior tank wearing armor made from the doors of the Scream Floor. 40 Guardians will be available to unlock at launch, with more coming via monthly content releases post-launch.

Disney’s Mirrorverse is casting a brand-new light on some of the most famous characters in history, turning them into powerful warriors of both might and magic. GameSpot recently spoke with two key members of the game’s development team, executive producer Mark Raham from Kabam and VP of creative Will Rosas from Walt Disney Games, about what makes this new Disney game different from anything we’ve played before.

We spent time discussing the thought process behind Mirrorverse, especially the radical departure from what Disney fans would consider the norm. Character designs, building a brand-new story from scratch, and how far into the Disney vault Kabam will go in future releases are all discussed, and I came out of the interview with a clear understanding of why this new look at Disney will be a welcome one.

This interview was conducted via video conferencing and edited for readability and clarity.

GameSpot: A lot of the character designs that we saw would be considered “out of the box” for the characters they’re portraying. How much freedom was Kabam given to design the characters this way, and how much collaboration with Disney went into these designs?

Mark Raham: This has been a really amazing partnership with Disney. One thing that we decided pretty early on is that these amazing evolutions of these characters that everyone knows have to be rooted in authenticity. We did a lot of testing early on around this concept, and the one thing that kept coming back to us was this: if you preserve the core of who that character is, if that’s still present in the battle-ready evolved version of Mirrorverse, then people are willing to accept it and love it.

What’s been really exciting about developing this game is working with Will and our partners at Disney hand in hand to really understand those core essences. Who are these people? What matters to them? The Mirrorverse is a world where the forces of light and dark are really exaggerated to a cataclysmic degree compared to these characters’ original films. What would they do in these extraordinary circumstances and how would they adapt in order to stand up for what they believe in and the people that they care about? That part has been an amazing process.

Will Rosas: To echo that, the collaboration with Kabam has been phenomenal. We’re big fans of their game Marvel: Contest of Champions, they’ve done a phenomenal job in terms of the execution, the action, and the storytelling. We were thrilled to work with these guys again.

To Mark’s point, if you’re going to take these guys and put them into this high-stakes world, how do you evolve their design in order to “meet the moment?” That’s a big thing here; you don’t want to necessarily take them and place them into this world. They have to be ready to meet the moment. That’s where we’re able to evolve their designs, which are still rooted in authenticity, and that’s what makes it plausible. That’s what makes players believe that this can happen, and this idea is what got us the buy-in from the rest of the organization.

It makes sense that there would be a few more hoops to jump through, from a design standpoint, in order to turn Belle into a sorceress than, say, have Sulley being a tank with armor made from the doors of his factory. Belle as a magic-wielder is a bit more of a mental leap, but after seeing her in-game it makes perfect sense.

Rosas: You’re hitting on something there that’s very important to Mirrorverse, and that’s storytelling. Storytelling is at the heart of everything that we do; we’ve got these ideas around these characters, but we have to have a bit of backstory in order to present them. Some of these things you’ll see via the in-game bios for each character, like with Belle in particular there were some choices that were made. The world of the Mirrorverse is changed, amplified by what’s called “stellar magic,” and that creates this divergent path that turns Belle into the sorceress that she is.

The presentation we saw yesterday made reference to the references in each of the characters, for example the stone in Belle’s magical staff is the rose from Beauty and the Beast, or the part of Sulley’s armor that has Boo’s door number written on it. Clearly there will be little things like this to find on all of the characters, so how challenging was it to research what would make the perfect reference to include in these character designs? Was there an attempt to balance references that might be too obscure versus those that everyone will know?

Raham: We feel like there has to be those layers, right? The ideal thing is someone who’s familiar with a movie because they watched it on Disney+ or played with an action figure would recognize some familiar faces, while the true, die-hard Disney fans who are super-steeped in the lore will have things to find targeted to them in every single character, maybe even more than one for some characters.

Is there one reference in particular that you’re particularly proud of?

Raham: It’s hard to pick just one, they’re like my kids. I’m extremely proud of what the character team between Kabam and Disney is building. One of my favorites–what I’m playing in the game right now–is Maui from Moana. In the Mirrorverse, the “stellar magic” has changed Maui’s relationship with the sun and the earth, giving him different powers. In gameplay, he’s an amazing tank that can also protect those around him. He’s got these radiant tattoos coming off of him that blast magic off of them, and his talents can be customized in such a way that he gives armor to his teammates during combat. His story is great, his visual representation is awesome, and he’s super useful in the dungeon mode.

Rapunzel is another great one, she’s actually one of our starter Guardians right out of the gate. She’s a powerhouse melee fighter that’s really easy for new users to understand: push button, swing medieval battle frying pan. She has a nice, gratifying action feel, and her magical hair can add healing in a pinch. Her dialogue is sharp, she’s funny and curious about the world, and it really feels like the actual Rapunzel from Tangled is going on this adventure with you.

Will there be alternate costumes/skins for each of the heroes? Other mobile games have employed them in the past, and as you’ve mentioned Maui, we now like the idea of playing with Sharkhead Maui.

Raham: I’ll go back to authenticity for this question; it’s really important for us that every single one of these Guardians is rooted in a truth about who they are and what they’ve gone through. As such, I don’t know that something like a magical hat would make sense in our game. We want this to be a game that people really invest emotionally into for years to come, and to that end we want a real sense of place, story, and purpose for these characters. Their visual representation is going to be driven by what’s happened in this world and what will happen going forward.

In terms of customization and personal expression, we’re going to focus on that more on the player side rather than the in-game characters with icons and decorations, mixing and matching to say “this is who I am as a player.”

You mentioned wanting players to enjoy the game for many years. Obviously there’s a massive vault of Disney content that characters can be pulled from. How deep into the vault would Kabam be willing (or allowed) to go for character ideas? Are there any limits to what you can pull from?

Raham: From Kabam’s perspective, we’re definitely not going to exhaust the pantheon of Disney content. What’s great about the world we’ve set up is that we can reach into the vault of Disney classics, from the iconic animated movies to live-action films and even to Pixar movies and shorts, with a reason to bring them together in a cohesive way, which is really great.

In terms of who and how, even looking at the launch list you’ll see expected franchise blockbusters like Elsa, Jack Sparrow, and those types of characters. However, you’re also going to find characters that our players have told us resonate with them. Scrooge McDuck is a perfect example; Scrooge is in the game because players have said, “Scrooge is the man, we want to play with him in this game.” The possibility to dig deep and find things that mean a lot to our players gives us a lot of opportunities.

Rosas: I completely agree with that, and I would also say that as Disney and Pixar continue to add new content through films and Disney+, there’s opportunities there to introduce new characters into the world as well. There really is an infinite amount of characters we can choose from, and there’s going to be a combination of fan favorites, new characters, names that the team is passionate about, and more. It’s really exciting, and I think there’s a lot of great characters to come.

Speaking of those infinite possibilities, could Mirrorverse expand into other Disney-owned properties like Marvel and Star Wars, or will it focus strictly on the aforementioned Disney and Pixar?

Raham: For now we want to focus on getting this right, and there is already a lot to work with. I want to be sure we don’t spread our attention too thin, because it’s the small details that matter most.

Rosas: I would add that while we really appreciate our Marvel and Star Wars fans, I think Mirrorverse features Disney and Pixar characters in gaming like you’ve never seen them before, and I think we want to continue down that path. Whenever you see a new character, there’s both a surprise and delight around what that character can look like. What is the Guardian version of that character? That question really excites us when we think about it, there’s an unexpected nature around how these characters are represented in this game. If you’re a big fan of Sorcerer Mickey, for example, wait until you’ve seen our version–he’s unlike anything you’ve seen. There’s so much richness in the Disney and Pixar universes, and we’re going to really lean into that.

Regarding the idea of the Mirrorverse itself: Was it something that started at Kabam that was then presented to Disney, or was this built from the ground up as a collaboration as a brand-new Disney-themed project?

Raham: We had a great relationship with Disney previously thanks to Marvel: Contest of Champions. We’ve known each other for a long time and enjoy working with each other. Contest has been out for six-plus years now and we’re hitting a large part of planet Earth every single day. We wanted the opportunity to do that with a new story, with new properties, and working with our partners to do that.

At the very beginning of the discussion, there was an opportunity identified to say, “Does this have to be a cross-over or mashup, or can we build something really new that really lasts and people want to play for 4-5 years down the line?” What it came down to was, we had to build a brand-new lore, new mythology, and a new grounding for that type of storytelling.

Rosas: It took us a bit to get to this place, as we tried to consider how people think about these characters, how it is possible for them to do the things they’re doing in this world, etc. The characters don’t normally coexist, so what is the event that brings them all together? What is this high-stakes world, and is it worthy of bringing them all to it? What’s the call to action when the characters get here? Building all of this got us incredibly excited and working towards the setup and the power of the mirror symbol in both Disney and Pixar. We started riffing, and we’re super thrilled about where we landed.

How long would you say development has been going on Mirrorverse? When did the project first begin?

Raham: We started talking about the idea of Mirrorverse and building the foundation back in 2018. It really was a process of not rushing to the end; as Will said a lot of these characters have never talked to each other before, and we had to have a grounding for that. Have Belle and Maleficent ever talked about things like magic with each other before? These were the things we had to consider while talking about ideas and concepts and stories. Getting that part solid and clear, making sure people understood the reasoning behind this concept, was the first big job.

How are you planning to tell your story in Mirrorverse? Will there be seasons? Will there be one overarching story with follow-up stories coming later on? How will that structure work?

Raham: The main story is told through the game’s Story Mode, which has eight chapters. Within that story there are specific arcs, but as you know, this is mobile: the game is never done. You can look at Contest of Champions for example, building out dozens of characters and creating tons of dialogue within the game and the community. That’s what we think Mirrorverse is ripe for; speculation, anticipation, and eventually our community working together to find out what’s next.

This last question is focused on the Disney side of things: the Mirrorverse idea is a bit of a departure from the “standard” thought when it comes to the way that these characters are portrayed. If an idea would ever be brought to you by Kabam or another company that is a similar departure–for example a Street Fighter-style fighting game with Disney characters–would those ideas be considered, or is there a boundary to how far you’d be willing to go with how characters are portrayed?

Rosas: I don’t think we ever go into initial conversations with partners with any preconceived notions. We always have an open mind, and that’s actually how we approached Mirrorverse. When Kabam and us started talking, we were really excited about the idea and immediately started planning how to do this. We always go into these things with an open mind, while providing clear swing lanes for various teams to carve out a unique story that works for them and these characters.

Our goal with any of our partners is to tell original stories. The medium of gaming is an incredible platform; we’ve got so many fans, and we want to make sure we’re not just retelling stories from films. We want to make sure we’re building new experiences, innovating in how gamers see our characters and worlds, and reintroduce them to characters they haven’t seen in a while if ever before. This is an absolute thrill for us, because when you play these characters you get to see them in a whole new light through actions, dialogue, and more. We’re bringing something new, and that’s ultimately what gamers want, what Disney fans want, and it’s a really exciting medium for us to tell new stories.

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Arcade1Up’s Infinity Game Table is one of the brand’s most impressive offerings, letting you play a variety of classic board games–complete with online play–without having to worry about keeping score or cleanup. Now, it’s getting a dose of the Caped Crusader with the release of Monopoly Batman.

GameSpot can exclusively reveal that Monopoly Batman is releasing on the Infinity Game Table, complete with options for local multiplayer as well as online play with between two and six people. As a digital board game, the banker is completely automated, and the game board is dynamic. You still get the fun of rolling dice, virtual as they may be, to determine if you have to end your friendships, and you can also adjust the house rules to suit your preferences.

Batman Monopoly

As it’s Batman-themed, you won’t just be putting up hotels around the Gotham board. Instead, you’ll be using Bat Signals and Wayne Towers in an effort to bankrupt everyone else. We’re going to be honest–that doesn’t exactly sound like heroic behavior!

The Infinity Game Table is available in 24-inch and 32-inch screen sizes and features removable legs, allowing you to use it as its own standalone table or place it on an existing surface. Many of the games available are from Hasbro and Parker Bros., including Sorry, Battleship, and Clue, and there are also classic games like chess and backgammon. Many are pre-installed, with a digital store available to purchase additional games.

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Friday the 13th developer Illfonic has revealed its newest asymmetrical multiplayer game, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. Currently scheduled for release on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4 in Q4 2022, the game will see you join three other players as you strap on a proton pack and help clean up paranormal infestations in New York City.

The game is filled with several pieces of iconic Ghostbusters equipment, as you’ll track down ghosts using a PKE meter, wrangle them with the aforementioned Proton Pack and Neutrona Wand, and finally bag ’em with a Ghost Trap. Just remember: When the light is green then the trap is clean.

If you’d prefer to cross on over to the other side, you’ll be able to play as one of several types of ghosts and cause some havoc. Ghosts have a range of skills that include flight, intangibility, and the ability to possess inanimate objects. If a Ghostbuster gets too close to you while you’re playing as a phantom, you can also use your slime powers to summon a few minions that’ll leave the paranormal investigators drenched in ectoplasm.

Adding some more authenticity to the game is the inclusion of Ernie Hudson and Dan Akroyd, who reprise their roles of Winston Zeddemore and Dan Stantz respectfully. Zeddemore is now in charge of the Ghostbusters and assigns missions, while Stantz has plenty of information to share from his occult bookshop. You’ll also be able to customize your Ghostbuster or ghost, upgrade equipment, and enhance your abilities as you progress through the game.

Remember, don’t cross the streams.

While it may be a multiplayer game, Illfonic added that AI companions will also be available for anyone who plays Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed in solo mode. Illfonic is also working on a Texas Chainsaw Massacre asymmetrical multiplayer game currently, which aims to make the genre even more intense by using a 4v3 format for matches.

Games based on popular movie licenses seem to be on the rise lately, as Saber Interactive’s Evil Dead: The Game is scheduled for release in May. Beyond those ghoulish franchises, Hitman developer IO Interactive is working on a James Bond 007 game, the world of Harry Potter is being explored in Hogwarts Legacy, and Bethesda has an Indiana Jones game in development.

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After a substantial overhaul in February, Cyberpunk 2077 has received a new update that continues to tweak several lingering issues inside of the game. While it’s not as massive as the previous update, there are a significant number of improvements that have been added to the sci-fi sandbox according to the patch notes.

In the gameplay department, issues related to missing loot, broken animations, and teleporting wrecked cars have been fixed. Console-specific fixes include addressing corrupted saves being imported from PS4 to PS5, Xbox Series X|S controller disconnects will no longer result in a player being stuck, and wet roads should have an accurate amount of reflection on the PS5 version that’s comparable to the PC edition of the game.

Bugs in quests such as Automatic Love, Epistrophy, and Path of Glory have also been cleaned up, and your vehicle should spawn closer to V when it’s summoned. You can see the full list below of all the fixes. While Cyberpunk 2077 and its saucy Johnny Silverhand content are in a better state currently, developer CD Projekt Red is looking to the future by revisiting its past. The studio announced this week that a new Witcher game is in development and will be built using Unreal Engine 5, but it won’t be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC.

Cyberpunk 2077 won’t be making a graphical engine switch either, as CDPR will continue to use REDEngine for the game’s upcoming expansion.

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 1.52 Patch Notes

Gameplay

Fixed an issue that could cause wrecked cars or multiple Nomad cars to spawn in traffic when driving fast.Fixed an issue where first equip animation could be played repeatedly after recovering a throwing knife.The Laminate-armor Media Ballistic Vest can now be found as loot in Japantown.Fixed an issue where the recon grenade highlighted non-hostile crowd NPCs.Fixed an issue where after using the Take Control quick-hack on a device, the camera axis was inverted when zoomed in.

Quests

Player won’t be able to purchase again an apartment makeover they already own anymore.Added the showering interaction to the Nomad Camp.It won’t be possible to hack the Northside apartment before completing Act 1 anymore.Fixed an issue where Open World combat events and some scenes could remain disabled after visiting Afterlife until the player fast traveled within Watson.Automatic Love – Walking into a wall in the elevator in Megabuilding H8 will no longer cause instant death.Blistering Love – Fixed an issue where Johnny could despawn if player left the booth before interacting with the projector, blocking progress.Cyberpsycho Sighting: Demons of War – Fixed an issue where it wasn’t possible to progress past the “Search the area to collect information” objective.Epistrophy – Fixed an issue where the quest could reappear in the Journal instead of being marked as failed after player failed to retrieve any of the cabs.I Fought the Law – Fixed an issue where River could drive out of the market area erratically and push V out of world bounds.Life During Wartime – Fixed an issue where selecting a blue dialogue option twice upon arriving on the crash site blocked progression.Path of Glory – Optional objective “Get dressed” will no longer be incompletable if player collected the clothes before it appeared.The Information – Fixed an issue where the doors to Lizzie’s were closed during the hours they should be open, blocking progression.The Ride – Fixed an issue where Dex’s car was swerving left and right when driving away.With a Little Help from My Friends – Fixed an issue where holocalls and text messages could be blocked if player told Saul about Panam’s plan while the Nomads were driving away.

Open World

Fixed an issue where summoned vehicles could be spawned far away from the player.Suicidal Corpos in Corpo Plaza will no longer stand up after the fall.Fixed an issue where an Assault in Progress in Arroyo wasn’t visible on the map, hindering progress in The Jungle achievement.Gig: Goodbye, Night City – Fixed an issue where the quest didn’t trigger after approaching the area.Gig: No Fixers – Fixed an issue where the “Park Iris’ car in the garage” optional objective didn’t complete if player stopped in front of the garage.Gig: Playing for Keeps – Fixed an issue where all the enemies in the casino were set to Friendly.Murk Man Returns Again Once More Forever – Fixed an issue where the Rayfield Caliburn didn’t spawn.

User Interface

Added a quest tag to fixer rewards when they’re first found in the stash.Opening menus while reading a shard will no longer block the game.It won’t be possible to change the position of the marker when a time skip is in progress anymore.Fixed an issue where the loot UI could flicker and change before picking up the item.Fixed an issue where the English text “A Favor for a Friend” would be displayed regardless of the language version instead of the correct quest name for some tracked quests.

Visual

Fixed animations and missing or displaced objects in various scenes.Fixed some issues with animation occurring when performing an aerial takedown using the Hidden Dragon perk.Fixed an issue where sandstorms could appear in scenes they weren’t supposed to.Fixed an issue where foliage was not affected by different weather conditions.Polycarbonate Sport Sunglasses will no longer be visible when switching between Third Person Mode and First Person Mode while driving.

Console-specific

Memory improvements and crash fixes on next-gen consoles.Minor UI optimizations.[PlayStation 5] Importing a save while not connected to the PlayStation Network will no longer block the option to continue the game.[PlayStation 5] Fixed an issue where a corrupted save was created when player tried to import a PlayStation 4 save when no saves were exported.[PlayStation] Fixed an issue where the “Press [Options Button] To Continue” screen registered pressing the button with a delay.[PlayStation 5] Wet roads will now be as reflective as on the PC version.[PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X] Changing the preset in Video settings will no longer set all the Graphics options to ON automatically.[Xbox One/Xbox Series X] Disconnecting the controller and entering the pause menu at the same time will no longer result in player being stuck.

Stadia-specific

Enabled aggressive crowds on Stadia.Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

A new title in CD Projekt Red’s massively successful Witcher series was announced this week, with the untitled game currently in development and switching to a new engine. In response to a tweet referring to mandatory crunch practices on both Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3, the new game’s director has said things will be different this time.

In a tweet, CD Projekt Red developer Jason Slama announced that he will be working on the next Witcher game in the role of game director. After contributing to both Witcher 3 and the studio’s standalone Gwent title as a programmer, Slama has served as the game director on Gwent since late 2018, and will now be taking on that role for the studio’s next big AAA game.

I am super thrilled to announce that I have humbly been working to ensure the success of the next big AAA The Witcher game as its Game Director! Think you could join the team? We have tons of roles open with the possibility of remote work we could discuss! https://t.co/bBbxs0JMmq

— Jason Slama (@SlamaTwoFlags) March 21, 2022

With Slama’s tweet–and likely the early announcement of the new game–mostly serving as a recruitment tool, the developer later responded to a tweet that brought up the studio’s poor track record with crunch in the past. Slama responded “never on my watch,” promising better conditions for those hired to work on the new title.

It’s unsurprising that CD Projekt Red may be seeking to mend a reputation damaged by reports of mandatory crunch on Cyberpunk 2077, especially after the company initially promised it wouldn’t require its employees to crunch on the expansive open-world title.

Since the reports of crunch on Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red has put some work into changing its workplace culture, with a 2021 strategy update saying that the studio was “working hard to minimize stress, prevent burnout, and give our employees everything all they need to focus on the work with a fully positive mindset.”

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Forspoken, the open-world action RPG first announced as Project Athia, is ready to reveal a few more details about the narrative that will drive players to explore the world of Athia through the eyes of protagonist Frey Holland.

Much of the early marketing for Forspoken focused on the game’s technical and visual achievements, with the PS5 and PC title being a poster child for both AMD’s new FidelityFX Super Resolution tech, and Microsoft’s DirectStorage on PC. Now, more is starting to be revealed about the game’s story and, more specifically its protagonist Frey Holland.

We already knew that Forspoken’s narrative would be leaning into the so-called isekai genre made popular by anime and Japanese games, with its protagonist Frey Holland being an orphan from New York City who finds herself thrust into the strange magical world of Athia. Previous game previews gave us more information about Frey’s main companion in Athia, a talking bangle named Cuff who will banter with Frey while she explores the game’s dangerous open world.

A new feature from Game Informer has pieced together more details on the narrative, based on a new part of the game that was shown off in a behind-the-scenes demo. The demo included plenty more story content, including an argument between Frey and Cuff in which it was shown that the protagonist is far more interested in finding a way back to her world than in helping the citizens of Athia. During this conversation, Cuff also reveals that he knows something about Frey’s mother–even though the character has grown up as an orphan.

Another scene in the demo shows a confrontation between Frey and Tanta Prav, just one of the Tantas who are known as powerful sorceresses and the former rulers of Athia. Frey seeks an audience with Tanta Prav to ask her to help in stopping the apocalyptic Break that is threatening all of Athia. In this scene, Tanta Prav also references a previous encounter Frey had with one of her fellow sorceresses, before entrapping the protagonist in a floating ball of water.

Another Game Informer article focuses more on Frey’s character and her journey, coming from a fraught life on the streets of New York where it’s implied she has gotten herself in trouble with the law. In New York, Frey’s only companion or family is her cat Homer, and as well as being an instant fan favorite from Forspoken’s trailers, the game’s writers have said that the adorable cat is also important to Frey’s character.

Writer Todd Stashwick told Game Informer that Frey’s major conflicts include: “A Hell’s Kitchen Gang. The New York legal system. The council of Athia. The evil Tantas. Her own self-doubt. Freaky beasts and a dragon.” In general, it seems that Luminous Productions is invested in making Forspoken a heavily character-focused game, exploring what hardships of both mundane and magical natures will do to its protagonist Frey Holland.

Forspoken was recently delayed to October 11, 2022, after originally being intended for a May release. The game will release simultaneously on PS5 and PC, and will be console-exclusive on PS5 for at least two years.

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Gran Turismo 7 players are not happy with the racing series’ latest release, and they are making their voices heard. In response to a maintenance outage lasting almost two days, as well as complaints about aggressive microtransactions, players have review bombed Gran Turismo 7 on Metacritic, pushing its user score to a dismal 1.8 at the time of writing.

When reported by Kotaku, the game’s user score was sitting at 2.8, and has only been pushed lower since then. Reviewers cite complaints such as not being able to resell cars on the marketplace, developer Polyphony Digital cutting the amount of in-game currency earned by racing, long maintenance periods, the game’s always-online playstyle, and more.

While many of the negative reviews were posted during the game’s extended downtime, which Polyphony Digital attributed to a “rare” startup issue on the PS4 and PS5, negative reviews have continued since the game’s servers were brought back online.

One of the biggest complaints involves the price of the game’s top-tier premium vehicles, which rotate through the game’s digital storefronts in a way that players say encourage spending on microtransactions. Developer Polyphony Digital has even seemingly made it more difficult to earn these vehicles through regular play, slashing the earnings players get from winning on certain tracks.

Series founder Kazunori Yamauchi defended the in-game vehicle pricing in a statement released after the game returned from its extended maintenance period. “I would like to have users enjoy lots of cars and races even without microtransactions,” Yamauchi wrote. “At the same time the pricing of cars is an important element that conveys their value and rarity, so I do think it’s important for it to be linked with the real world prices.”

While the developer has promised that future events and upcoming content will “will constructively resolve” the issue, players are still vocally unhappy with how the game functions as of the latest patch.

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A new software patch for the Nintendo Switch has finally made it possible to organize games into groups, providing an element the machine has been hurting for since it was released in 2017: folders. Update 14.0.0 provides you the capability of putting games together into groups, so you can more easily find games installed on the console’s internal or extended storage space. Gone are the days of paging through your entire game library to find what you’re looking for.

Nintendo’s patch notes for Update 14.0.0 detail the change, and the console maker also provided some quick instructions on how to create new software groups. In short, you can now organize the All Software tab either as a single grid-based list of games, or by groups that you create. You can also name the groups, making it easier to find exactly the kind of game you’re looking for. Nintendo’s instructions page notes that you can create as many as 100 groups on the console, with as many as 200 games in each–so it should take care of all your game-organizing needs.

The bad news, however, is that your folders only appear on the All Software tab, and won’t pop up on the Home tab. That means you’ll still be dealing with that horizontal list of recently played games, and you’ll need to do some extra clicking to get to your immaculately curated game library.

Update 14.0.0 also fixes some issues with Bluetooth audio devices, like headphones. You can now adjust the volume of Bluetooth devices either on the Switch, as was the case before, or on the device itself, if it has a volume selector. The patch also allows max volume on Bluetooth devices to be increased, although Nintendo notes volume will be reduced when connecting those devices, in order to keep you from accidentally blowing out an eardrum.

Now all the Switch needs is some killer eShop music and it’ll be good to go.

Check out the full patch notes below.

Nintendo Switch Update 14.0.0

“Groups” feature was added to the All Software menu.

You can now create groups of software to help organize your software titles.Making groups for different game genres, developers, or whatever you’d like to organize by may make it easier to find the application you want. Up to 100 groups can be created with a max of 200 titles per group.The button to proceed to the “All Software” screen is displayed only when there are 13 or more software title icons on the system.For more information, see How to Create Groups of Software.

Bluetooth Audio volume behavior was changed.

You can now adjust the volume of Bluetooth audio devices using either the Nintendo Switch console or through volume control buttons on the Bluetooth audio device. The Bluetooth audio device must support AVRCP profiles for these changes to work.The volume displayed on the console will reflect the Bluetooth audio volume when using the device’s control buttons.The maximum volume output for some Bluetooth audio devices has been increased. When first connecting a device, volume will be reduced to avoid sudden loudness.For more information, see How to Pair and Manage Bluetooth Audio Devices.Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is Nintendo’s best-selling game on Nintendo Switch, so it seems like a no-brainer to offer more content for it. If anything, it’s surprising that it’s taken this long. But the success of the Fighters Pass for Smash Bros. Ultimate has seemingly resulted in the Booster Pass for MK8D, effectively doubling the number of tracks in the game over the course of several content drops. The first wave is now available and shows the enormous potential of regularly feeding kart-racing fans new content–even if it isn’t strictly new.

These are remastered tracks, borrowed from the series’ long history across a variety of console and handheld platforms. The results are inconsistent, but in a narrow band of quality from “very good” to “absolutely fantastic.” There are no real clunkers here, and even the weakest link in the chain isn’t all that weak.

That weaker track is Toad’s Circuit, a recreation of the 3DS Mario Kart 7 track. It’s well-made and straightforward, but it’s just a bit on the bland side. This is the type of track that would exist to introduce you to Mario Kart’s basic racing mechanics–wide thoroughfares, a few turns but nothing too sharp. It’s fine for what it is, but it doesn’t quite belong in a set designed for Mario Kart fans hungry for more tracks to master. It’s like buying a variety pack of gourmet ice creams and finding a container of vanilla. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with vanilla, and hey, ice cream is ice cream. But it’s a little boring compared to the rest.

Toad’s Circuit is also oddly placed as the second track in the Golden Dash Cup, so it doesn’t serve an introductory role. That position makes it more awkward, because it comes right after Paris Promenade, which is borrowed from the mobile game Mario Kart Tour, making it one of the most recent tracks. Tour is the odd duck of the Mario Kart family, having not attracted quite the same audience as much of the console series, but the track design is top-notch and this remaster approach will give Switch kart-fans a chance to see them. Paris Promenade in particular is lovely, with wide vistas, beautiful brickwork along the road, and landmarks like the Arc de Triomphe sitting alongside cute little touches like parked Vespas. It’s narrow enough and tight-cornered enough to present a real challenge even for karting experts.

The Tour tracks as a whole shine here, and it’s easy to see why they make up three of the eight new additions. They’re among the best-looking and most polished, to the point that many fans wouldn’t even know they aren’t just brand-new Mario Kart 8 tracks. They’re also the tracks that change most significantly between laps, which helps keep you on your toes. Mario Kart Tour generally shortened races to two laps instead of three, and this shifting track design maintains that spirit by keeping races from feeling repetitive.

This first wave delivers a nice dose of racing action and highlights tracks that were overlooked or have drifted into obscurity.

Sometimes the bustling track design is a little too busy for its own good, though. At one point I got stuck on some unusually enclosed geometry in Ninja Hideaway in such a way that it wasn’t easy to find my way out of, and when I did I ran into yet another boxed-in wall. Nintendo generally avoids designing track elements that could result in those types of dead ends, so this is a rare flaw.

The rest of the tracks are stellar. Shroom Ridge (from Mario Kart DS) is a traffic-laden street reminiscent of Toad’s Turnpike, but with banking mountainous curves that create a risk-reward element for using your slide to maneuver between the cars and trucks occupying the street. Sky Garden (from Mario Kart: Super Circuit) received the most significant facelift, from a simple flat sky-themed track to a beautiful mid-air location full of winding turns.

The biggest revelation for me, though, was Coconut Mall, a remaster of the track from Mario Kart Wii. This version of Mario Kart never stuck out in my mind–in part because it was following on the heels of the renowned Double Dash, and in part because Nintendo pushed its gimmicky Wii Remote steering wheel control scheme. But Coconut Mall shows that the track design, at least, was definitely not that game’s problem. With a creative concept, clever uses of the theme like the boost pads on mall escalators, and an appealing environmental switch into the mall parking lot, this is easily one of the best tracks in this first wave.

The one drawback of all this is that the Booster Pass is limited only to tracks. Nintendo has not announced any plans to introduce more racers, karts, wheel types, or gliders to the game. For the first new Mario Kart content in years, some new racers or karts would have been a nice addition. That distinction makes it not-quite analogous to the Smash Bros. Fighters Pass, which introduced new characters in addition to the new arenas.

That said, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe roster is already massive, especially since it includes all of the DLC characters from the original MK8 release on Wii U. Many dedicated go-karters have probably picked their favorite character, so what they’re really looking for is new tracks to master. This first wave delivers a nice dose of racing action and highlights tracks that were overlooked or have drifted into obscurity. If this is the level of quality we can expect from the five remaining waves, the Booster Pass will serve as an excuse to dip back into Mario Kart 8 on a regular basis with new races to master. That’s all we ever really needed.

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