Month: November 2020

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S both have a new, improved controller that features a Share button. This new button, located under the Menu and View buttons, allows you to instantly capture moments of gameplay, without the need to scroll through menus or use any voice commands. Need to know exactly how it works? IGN is here to help.

By default, tapping the Share button once will immediately take a 4K screenshot of whatever is on your screen at that moment. Holding the Share button for a few seconds will record a 1080p video of the last 30 seconds of gameplay, a feature known as ‘Record what happened’. You’ll know when these functions have triggered as an Xbox notification will pop up to tell you that the screenshot/clip has been saved to your library.

You can quickly find your newly saved screenshots and clips by opening the Capture & Share menu. Tap the Xbox Guide button on the controller to open the Guide Menu, and you’ll see a notification indicator over the tab on the right of the window that features the same logo as seen on the Share button. This is the Capture & Share menu, and if you scroll over to it you’ll be able to see your new screenshot/clip in the ‘Recent Captures’ section.

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The Capture & Share menu can be used to take screenshots and capture a clip of gameplay, too, if you’d rather not use the Share button. It can also be used to start a recording if you plan on capturing a longer session than the few seconds saved by the ‘Record what happened’ function of the Share button.

Additionally, the Capture Settings menu allows you to reconfigure what the Share button does. If you find you prefer to capture longer sessions, you can re-assign a long press of the Share button to start recording, rather than capture the most recent few seconds. ‘Record what happened’ can also be changed to record either the last 15, 30, 45, or 60 seconds of gameplay. This gameplay can be recorded in 1080p or 720p, but only in SDR.

Once you have a fair few games installed, you might need to keep an eye on how much space you have for captures, however. We now know that Xbox Series S will have 364GB of usable storage space, while Xbox Series X will have 802GB available.

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In other Xbox Series news, we’ve also explained how the excellent Quick Resume function will work, even if you unplug the console.

We’ve reviewed both new Xbox consoles today. We awarded Xbox Series X an 8/10 review, calling it “a quiet, compact, laser-targeted games machine that should make 4K/60fps gaming the wonderful new norm, but it currently lacks must-play games.” Series S got a 7/10 review, saying it “could shine as a second console, but it’s hard to recommend as your primary gaming platform due to its 1440p resolution and claustrophobic storage capacity.”

The Xbox Series X and S are coming on November 10. Xbox Series X retails at $499 USD / £449 / $749 AUD, while Xbox Series S comes in at $299 USD / £249.99 / $499 AUD. Xbox Series X and S are currently sold out ahead of launch but, with more units promised, keep an eye on our Xbox Series preorders page – and if you want to know everything about the consoles before you nab one, we have our Xbox Series X and S guide.

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer.

I was especially excited to play NBA 2K21 on PS5 because it is one of just a couple next-gen launch games that is being built specifically for the new consoles. Yes, 2K21 is out right now on PS4, but the next-gen edition of the popular basketball sim is a new, built-from-the-ground-up version that has unique tech, modes, and features. Developer Visual Concepts took the same next-gen-do-over approach last time around with NBA 2K14, and the PS4 version ended up being pretty bare-bones next to that year’s PS3 game. Not so with 2K21. It’s got everything that’s in the current-gen version now and more, including a bold new City mode and deeper WNBA integration.

But first, let’s talk about the most fun part of any sports game’s generational transition: the graphics. The native 4K/60fps presentation in NBA 2K21 is impressive. Among the few dozen launch titles across both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X, this might be the one you fire up first to show off your new next-gen console’s horsepower. Animations are much better, with foot planting and momentum being key areas of improvement. Players also now take procedural steps instead of just canned animations, which leads to less “skating.”

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Player faces are, of course, more detailed than ever, and a little thing that sells it is that everyone else looks much better now too, from the crowd (which finally has kids in it!) to the referees, people at the scorer’s table, dance team, mascots, mop boys, cameramen, security guards, etc. Visual Concepts says they’ve added custom AI routines for 150 NPCs in the arena’s lower-bowl. More obviously, they’ve even added an entire second play-by-play broadcast team led by Brian Anderson and Grant Hill.

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In short, the whole look of NBA 2K has a much more holistic feel compared to the current-gen versions. 2K Studio Art Director Anton Dawson told me that the team has a brand-new set of tools to scan player faces and capture arena lighting, and they’ve been working on the next-gen version since midway through 2K20’s development. In short, just about everything about the way players are brought into the game and then rendered and lit has changed, and you can see the results on the screen.

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Outside of the simulation, NBA 2K21 next-gen’s big new idea is The City. It’s billed as the next step after Neighborhood, and it is an actual open-world where you can walk around, join one of the four affiliations, and compete in one-on-one (or bigger team) events. You get around it on foot, skateboard, or bike. There are shops, pickup courts, and more. There’s even a FourSquare-esque feature that allows you to run for mayor of each district, complete with in-game polling places to vote at every six weeks when new elections are held. The four mayors then get to curate matchup soundtracks, design their affiliation’s courts, and customize the look of their district. Hundreds of players will walk around at a given time, though when I jumped into the preview build, only a couple of QA testers were milling about. Still, it’s a fascinating feature if Visual Concepts can pull it off.

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The new 2K also doubles down on its WNBA integration. You’ve got a full MyPlayer career mode available now, plus a full online league option. I played a bit as the Phoenix Mercury, aka my only Arizona pro sports team actually capable of winning a championship, and sure enough these women move differently and play differently compared to the men, as they should. Visual Concepts’ quest for authenticity here seems genuine, which 2K says is owed to the women and men on the team who are big WNBA fans themselves.

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And back on the men’s side, MyCareer offers a new story mode called Long Shadow, which introduces the G League as another big career path option alongside college. Humorously, various nemeses from MyCareer modes in previous years return here as teammates on your G League squad, complete with plenty of off-court drama that’s bound to follow.

It’ll be interesting to see how NBA 2K21’s fresh start on next-gen comes together. My hour or so of hands-on time was very encouraging, but things like The City will need to be experienced with a full and active community of real-life players. NBA 2K21 will be out on Xbox Series X on November 10 and on PS5 on November 12.

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Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

I am with Alex, we need a nap first and real nap.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 5, 2020

A new patch is coming to NHL 21 on November 5, and it’s a big one. The newest update for PS4 and Xbox One makes a series of changes to gameplay, physics, goalies, and AI, while it also makes many improvements to various modes such as Be A Pro, Hut Rush, and World of Chel.

The AI changes will make the computer-controlled skaters more skilled with things like improved weak side defender coverage when in front of the net and better defensive positioning when defending a rush. As for the general gameplay changes, players should expect to have a tougher time scoring goals when shots are taken from “non-ideal” locations. Additionally, puck pickup animations are now better around the net, while instances where tall players struggled to pick the puck up have been addressed.

In terms of the presentation, the center ice layouts for the Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, and Ottawa Senators has been updated, while a series of new uniforms are now available covering teams in the NHL, as well as various international leagues.

You can see the full NHL 21 patch notes below, as posted by EA on its website.

In other news, the retro-style NHL 94 Rewind mode is now available in NHL 21 for people who pre-ordered–here’s everything you need to know.

NHL 21 November 5 Patch Notes

Gameplay

General

• Updated shot quality impact for shots that are taken from non-ideal shot locations (reaching and shots in tight to the body)
• Fixed a specific case where a penalty shot was called despite the player not having a clean break
• Fixes for pickup consistency while the puck is around the net and goaltenders
• Fixed a few specific pickups where tall players were having trouble picking up the puck
• Fixed some cases where reviewed goals were overriding goalie interference situations
• Fixed a case where players were unable to get back on the ice after taking coincidental roughing penalties

Physics

• Fixed a case where stick on stick contact wasn’t being recognized
• Various post whistle and scrum player alignment fixes
• Fixed various cases where players would lose the puck unintentionally when blending between animations
• Fixed some cases where collisions along the boards were leading to either no hit reaction or a smaller reaction than expected
• Fixes to pass blocks where the puck was able to get under/through the stick

Goalies

• Animation improvements to various goalie stances
• Added glove down butterfly proximity for old school goalie stances
• Various goalie save animation improvements
• Tuned Goalie redirects to avoid some rare collisions where they could redirect the puck off themself
• Improvements to save selection for Human goalies
• Reduced the chance of the AI goalie triggering a preemptive desperation save when they still have time to get back into position
• General tuning for how the ai goalie tracks the puck
• Various puck cover improvements
• Fixed an issue where the goalie would sometimes spin when attempting an on ice cover

AI

• Improved some Defensive AI gap control cases while defending against the rush
• Fixed a case where puck carriers could split the defensemen while the defenders switched their coverage on the rush
• Improved weak side defender coverage in front of the net
• Fixed an issue where a player would sometimes choose to start a net battle after starting to intercept which would unintentionally allow pucks through

Training Camp

• Added videos to training camp for the new dekes introduced this year

Presentation

• Fixes for screen tearing with certain camera angles in various arenas
• Various camera tuning
• Added replays in the Pause Menu
• Added the ability to skip NISes for rounds 1 and 2 of Eliminator Threes
• Update to the bench camera within Be a Pro to give a better view of the action

World of CHEL

General

• EASHL Club Finals history screen was added to showcase the top teams from each WoC Season
• Added additional content into WoC for upcoming Chel Challenges. Check back often to collect the latest cool new content

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the game would sometimes softlock if an opponent suddenly quit after starting a match
• Fixed a rare hang that occurs during the intro NIS of an EASHL game
• Fixed an issue where the user would sometimes crash on the Post Game Screen
• Fixed a rare crash that would sometimes occur when trying to back out of a post-matchup Dressing room
• Fixed a rare issue where users would sometimes hang in a Threes Eliminator Club Dressing room
• Fixed an issue where the title sometimes hangs during a 3v3 Drop-in game intro
• Fixed an issue where the dressing room host gets removed from the dressing room if an opponent team backs out at the matchup screen
• Fixed an issue where any user skater on the same EASHL Drop-In team can pull the user goalie at any point during a game
• Fixed an issue where the Club Pants & Socks were not showing the correct club colors in the post matchup dressing room
• Fixed an issue where the Player stamina and traits/specialties overlaps the goal scorer overlay
• Fixed an issue where the Team overlay was overlapping the Round overlay in Threes Eliminator
• Fixed the Player model overlapping the Player Name during the End of Game, Player of the Game Screen
• Fixed an issue where the championship jerseys had a 20 instead of 21 for the jersey number
• Fixed an issue where changing your gloves for a second time in Creation Zone was not equipping them
• Fixed an issue where custom logos and center ice lines were not showing up during games in users arena
• Fixed an issue where the Club custom ice line was showing up in the Club Finals Arena
• Fixed Club default search settings not carrying over to the Dressing room matchmaking settings
• Fixed an issue where players EASHL goal total during the game intro NIS would show as the combination of goals and assists
• Fixed an issue where the Opponents have their name cut off in the Pro-Am Dressing Room
• Fixed an alignment issue for the Ones Eliminator player list in the abuse reporting
• Fixed an issue where the player progression screen referred to XP received from Chel Challenge cards as Rank Rewards
• To more easily read the Player Rank a thousand comma separator was added in the Player Summary Screen
• To more easily read the Experience Points a thousand comma separator was added in the End of game screen when a user gains over 1,000 XP

Franchise

• Fix for an issue where defenders were not showing the correct line chemistry values.
• Fix for an issue where Auto Scouting would not rope in early round prospects.
• Fix for an issue where you were unable to see the goalie filter when assigning a scout.
• Fix for an issue where LD and C are mislabeled in the edit lines screen.

Be A Pro

• Suspected Fix for an issue where the users BAP player’s stamina would not decrease when on the ice.
• Added in Neutral States to certain promises. For example, the user promises to be the 1 star of the game, the user will now receive lesser punishment for still performing well but not reaching the goal. Previously you would fail and get the full punishment.
• Added in a Trade Request Conversation that can be accessed in the Main Hub in the user initiated conversation tab.
• Added in new conversations to renew a re-occurring salary perk when it expires.
• Added the ability to edit shot style and skating style post BAP creation.
• Updated the user experience of the training screen.
• Various miscellaneous fixes to conversations.

HUT

General

• Removed the automatic pop-up when entering Edit Lines before advancing to a game
• Press the Menu / Options Button to advance to game from Edit Lines
• Made various bug fixes and visual tweaks to Base Items and Primetime Items

HUT Rush

• Fixed an issue where Players would see the result of the previous game played after their opponent disconnected
• Fixed an issue where the the Goal banner would display at the end of a game in HUT Rush Threes
• Fixed an issue where the Goal banner for a Game Winning Goal would not display at the end of a game in HUT Rush Threes
• Fixed an issue where one of two actions displayed in the points ticker at the same time had the incorrect display name
• Fixed an issue where the game could continue without selecting a side after a controller disconnect
• Fixed an issue where the camera would sometimes be zoomed in too much during the intro/outro in a 5v5 game

HUT Rivals

• Fixed an issue where only 1 Pack Reward per Rank was displayed

HUT Challenges

• Fixed an issue where Objectives visually appeared to unlock (while already being unlocked)

Play a Friend

• Fixed an issue where a Player would get an error message trying to join a Play a Friend Game as the 3rd Player

Auctions

• Fixed an issue where the option to Filter Auction by Buy Now Price was missing

Collection

• Fixed an issue where the duplicate icon was not present on duplicate players

Edit Player

• Fixed Edit Player where the overalls are consistently shown between Creation zone and Menus.

Art

Center Ice Changes

Updated the following Center Ice layouts:

NHL

• Arizona Coyotes
• Calgary Flames
• Ottawa Senators

Uniforms

The following uniforms have been added or updated in NHL 21

NHL

• Arizona Coyotes Home
• Calgary Flames Home, Away and Alternate
• Ottawa Senators Home and Away
• Vegas Golden Knights Alternate

ECHL

• Greenville Swamp Rabbits Home, Away and Alternate
• Maine Mariners Alternate

SHL

• Djurgarden Hockey Home and Away
• Farjestads BK Home and Away
• Orebro Hockey Home, Away and Alternate
• Rogle BK Home and Away
• Skelleftea AIK Home and Away

Liiga

• KalPa Kuopio Home and Away
• Mikkelin Jukurit Home and Away
• SaiPa Home and Away
• TPS Turku Home and Away

ICE

• Dornbirn Bulldogs Home and Away
• EC-KAC Home and Away
• EC VSV Home and Away
• EC Red Bull Salzburg Home and Away
• EHC Linz Home and Away
• Hydro Fehervar AV19 Home and Away
• HC TWK Innsbruck Home and Away
• Graz 99ers Home and Away
• SPUSU Vienna Capitals Home and Away
• HCB Sudtirol Alperia Home and Away

HockeyAllsvenskan

• Almstuna IS Home and Away
• BIK Karlskoga Home and Away
• HC Vita Hasten Home and Away
• IF Bjorkloven Home and Away
• Kristianstads IK Home and Away
• MODO Hockey Home and Away
• Mora IK Home and Away
• Sodertalje SK Home and Away
• Timra IK Home and Away
• Tingsryds AIF Home and Away
• Vasteras IK Home and Away

Nationalliga

• EHC Biel Home and Away
• EV Zug Home and Away
• HC Ambri-Piotta Home and Away
• HC Davos Home and Away
• HC Fribourg-Gotteron Home and Away
• HC Lugano Home and Away
• Geneve-Servette HC Home and Away
• Lausanne HC Home and Away
• SC Bern Home and Away
• SCL Tigers Home and Away
• Rapperswil-Jona Lakers Home and Away
• ZSC Lions Home and Away

International

• Hockey Canada Alternate

Improvements

• Fixed an issue where the 2016-17 Detroit Red Wings Home Jersey had stretched Numbers and Letters
• Updated the Florida Panthers Scoreboard and Power Ring Video Art
• Updated the All-Star team’s arena to be the Enterprise Center in St. Louis
• Fixed the All-Stars Home Arena where it was showing an international goal crease and missing trapezoid

Spelunky 2 has had another update, and it’s made some big changes that will make some parts of the game a little easier, and others, perhaps, a little harder. Patch 1.15.0 is now available on Steam and PS4. The biggest changes have been applied to the Olmec boss fight, although whether they help you beat the fight or not will depend on how you usually fight it.

The Olmec boss fight has been tweaked so that the boss will now only throw bombs at a player when they are below him. This means that bombs are only thrown when they might do some damage, which could make it harder to take Olmec down. However, the floaters sent out by the boss have had their HP reduced down to 1HP, so they’ll be easier to take down now.

Layer doors have also been added on the right in Olmec’s level.

The patch contains a long list of fixes and changes, too. The physics are now a bit more forgiving and less likely to crush players, and players will find that grabbing something in a hurry is now more responsive. Some other changes target exploits, like spamming the attack while climbing.

Here’s the full list of changes and tweaks introduced in this update.

Spelunky 2 Patch 1.15.0 Notes

• Olmec will now throw bombs in phase 2 only if the player is below him
• Reduced Olmec’s floaters life to 1HP
• Added layer doors to the right part of Olmec’s level
• Added leaderboard blocking: see filters/depot_filters files after accessing in-game leaderboards
• Physics should no longer crush the player as easily as before
• Trying to quickly pick something up should now be more responsive
• Bombs can now be tossed while the player is holding one in their hands
• Players can now grab ladders and ropes while attacking
• Fixed Vlad’s cape behavior on the quicksands
• Dismounting in the air after the mount’s second jump while wearing Vlad’s Cape won’t make the mount jump a third time
• Pressing down+rope should now send ropes downward without having to crouch first
• Fixed issue where the attack could be spammed while climbing
• Players should no longer be able to change directions while attacking while falling
• Fixed some weird issues when tossing stuff diagonally with the pitcher’s mitt
• Fixed issue where players could shoot when leaving through the exit door while on a mount
• Fixed issue where dropping a bomb with the pitcher’s mitt was being done with too much force (even breaking regenerative blocks)
• Fixed issue where the bear trap’s gold nugget seemed to fly after triggering the trap
• Prevented a hard boss from processing a specific projectile if it doesn’t see the projectile
• Track Star achievement will now try to re-unlock on just beating 30 seconds mark
• Fixed jetpack
• Fixed powderkeg journal’s unlock on whipping it
• Ghist shopkeeper journal’s entry will no longer unlock if entering uncursed
• Fixed mummy’s journal entry unlock on killing it with a bomb
• Fixed Duat’s dust wall rendering
• Prevented duplicate characters when using the random option on the quick select
• Fixed Arena’s crash when multiple players played with the same characters
• Fixed lasers’ infinite generation issue in the last game theme
• Fixed issue with music not playing properly when reaching Olmec through the first shortcut
• Profile Win% now takes all kinds of wins into the equation
• Fixed issue when pushblocks spawned right in front of arrow traps
• Shields will now protect from firebug flames
• Paste bombs should no longer bounce off of corners
• Fixed punish ball interaction with pipes
• Fixed issue where Dice shops could sometimes soft lock
• Prevented soft-locks on being thrown by a vendor or yeti with the punish ball
• Fixed issue where certain corners could mess with the jetpack and other stuff
• Players will no longer be considered vegan if they consume the elixir
• Prevented vendors from angering when touching a level generated cobweb
• The player ghost is now able to flip and shake during the dash
• Prevented magmamen from spawning on a tile of lava where they immediately fall down
• Made cursed pots a lot less likely to be accidentally destroyed on Neo Babylon
• Fixed punish ball behavior in the Tiamat’s special exit
• Star challenge generation should now be guaranteed
• Prevented some projectiles from tossing stuff backwards
• Adjusted grabbing point for climbing gloves and climbable entities
• Hard Boss will no longer destroy metal or light arrows stuck to walls
• Fixed first theme boss rolling up the side of the level
• Fixed floating orbs’ collisions
• Fixed issue where spikeballs damaged players before moving
• Fixed coop crash when flag carrier wasn’t the first player and Hired Hand carried the idol to the exit
• Fixed UFO’s sound in the character selection screen on starting a new game
• Fixed issue when lasers collided with armored Olmites
• Teleporter backpack’s base price is now 12000 (down from 15000)
• Hoverpack’s base price is now 12000 (down from 20000)
• Black Market items are now sold at base price (cheaper)
• Landmines placed or triggered by players will now enrage vendors
• Fixed Yeti Queen incorrectly spawning in the Yeti King’s floor
• Prevented some NPC conversations from being triggered from different rooms
• If a partially blocked door can be entered, it can now be entered from both layers
• Increased gold coins’ shape slightly so they can be pushed away with the whip
• Fixed issue where falling platforms would sometimes break on pets without dealing damage
• Fixed issue when the true crown triggers the teleport while inside a pipe
• Fixed loyalty of cloned players
• Added “back” button hint on the main menu
• Prevented yeti king from freezing the players while they are crossing a door
• Fixed flying arrows with rotation
• Localized some extra texts
• Tossing a cursed pot against a specific enemy during his attack now correctly curses him as well
• Fixed crash when a land mine was brought to the ending sequence
• Fixed some crashes in the Dice shop
• Capped leaderboard resource usage
• Fixed black market issue where the middle row shops were using the wrong floor
• Equippables will now ignite on any magmaman contact
• A certain minister generation should now be guaranteed
• Renamed Bear Trap to Totem Trap
• Renamed Snap Trap to Bear Trap
• Removed a couple of sprite artifacts
• Optimized CPU usage of AI
• Changes to prepare audio system for multi-context update
• Audio system optimizations
• Invalidate input on opening any popup to prevent auto-selection
• Prevented posse rooms in Duat
• Prevented secondary rooms from spawning inside challenge rooms
• Fixed tile for the small sapphire and small ruby

Apex Legends Season 7 is just hours away from starting, with the new season projected to land at 8 PM PT / 11 PM ET, November 4. With the start of a new season, one of Apex Legends’ best–and definitely its most iconic–maps will be sent to the vault for a while, meaning you have just a few hours to play on it.

Kings Canyon will not be a part of Apex Legends Season 7, meaning that in a few hours it’ll be locked away until a future season. The map, which has changed over time as new seasons and events have shifted the landscape, is a beloved classic–and it’s worth dropping in for a last round or two before it goes away.

This season launches later than most, but there’s an upside if you want to run around this map again.

Season 7 of Apex Legends will bring a new hero, Horizon, to the game. You’ll be able to use her on the new map, Olympus, that is rolling out later today.

Apex Legends is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and will be playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X at launch through backwards compatibility. The game is also coming to Switch in 2021, and has been previously announced for mobile devices, although it’s been a while since we heard news on this version.

While Halo Infinite has been delayed to 2021, developer 343 Industries is filling the time with a special behind-the-scenes look at how sound of the game’s sounds were recorded.

In this newest video, we get a closer look at how the audio team captured the “small arms” weapon sounds for Halo Infinite, and it’s very impressive. The team recorded in all manner of locations and situations, using weaponry that runs the gamut from hand-held slingshots to long rifles. There is an exciting sequence in the middle where a developer hunkers down behind a wall as bullets whizz overhead.

The Halo series is known for its strong audio design, and this video seems to demonstrate how that should continue with Halo Infinite. Check out the video above, but note that some of the scenes in the video were published on Instagram earlier in 2020 and back in 2019.

In other news, another lead on Halo Infinite has left the project. When the game is finally released in 2021, the multiplayer element will be free, and that could be a big deal. The entire game, too, will be available at no extra cost for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

After working on the soundtracks for mega-franchises like Grand Theft Auto, Killzone, Total War, and Splinter Cell, composer Walter Mair was brought on to write new music for Activision’s Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. The music in Crash 4 does a good job at staying true to the origins of the franchise–you’ll hear lots of marimbas and percussion instruments–while updating the music for a more modern feel. We recently spoke with Mair about this an a number of other topics about Crash 4’s music.

In our interview, Mair speaks about how he became attached to Crash 4 in the first place, how much access he had to the development team and what the collaboration process was like with Toys For Bob, and the varied instrumentation he used to score the game.

Mair composed unique music for each setting and character, and he went to some interesting places to nail down the right sounds for each. For Dingodile, Mair used a clumsily played tuba and double bass to describe the character, while Mair used electric guitars and bass guitars through massive stacks of guitar amps and a drum set to create the music for the N.Gin boss fight.

Mair also shared that he used primitive instruments like the bone flute and fur drums for Crash 4’s prehistoric levels, and you can hear some of this in the videos embedded in this story.

Now that Crash 4 has been out for about a month, Mair reflected on the response to the game and the music, which has been generally positive. “Fans enjoyed how the music was composed to be more dynamic and reflective of the unique worlds, as well as different sections of gameplay within levels,” Mair said. “The off beat mardi gras level has been a standout music experience for many.”

Mair also said people have been sharing their own cover versions of songs, including full-on metal tracks. “There is absolutely brilliant material online and I am loving every single piece of it! This is a great honor and exactly what this amazing franchise deserves–to live on and see the many interpretations of the music,” Mair said.

You can check out our full interview below.

How did you come to be attached to Crash 4 in the first place?

As a big fan of the franchise I was over the moon when I heard from the Toys For Bob studio that I was invited to audition for Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. The next stage was critical and so I locked myself into my recording studio to come up with new sounds and combinations of instruments to create a quirky-sounding world that fits this new Crash adventure.

How much access did you have to the Crash 4 development team, and what was the collaboration process like?

I was given access to the title in an early development state. I had the pleasure of meeting the Toys For Bob team at their studio in San Francisco. Each sub-team provided me with updates on their latest development so I could see first-hand how the animations were going to look, the objects and colors of the level design, and which characters the studio would introduce or bring back to this exciting new experience.

From then on, I stayed in regular contact with the studio and the Audio team. Toys For Bob wanted to create a more sculpted, dynamic music experience for the player, so there was frequent back and forth with the Audio team to dial in what works for each level and gameplay section. Threading the needle of being inventive and fresh while staying true to the established Crash music tone can be a challenging target and the team provided great feedback–sometimes we’d go a little too far, then reel it back in. There was a lot of music to be written in a short timeframe, so we created a helpful system for tracking music progress and sharing notes and assets. The Audio teams at Toys For Bob and Beenox also assisted with music remixing including the N.Verted mode remixes – it was great to collaborate with folks who care so much about the music and bring their own music skills to the creative process.

At a higher level, can you speak about the challenges of trying to stay true to the roots of the series while also putting your own stamp on it?

The people at Toys For Bob were absolutely amazing in that they gave me free reign to explore and experiment with different instrumentation and ideas, while staying true to the core tone and feel of Crash music. We tried various approaches at first–recording instruments live versus using mainly synths and electronic instruments. For Crash 4, we wanted to elevate the soundtrack to the next level so I decided to follow a hybrid approach where we recorded most of the instruments live but then tweaked them with analog and digital effects. A recorded saxophone would result in a quirky synth sound that still contained all the ‘breathiness’ one would hear on a real sax performance. I also experimented with synths and incorporated my modular synth rig which was responsible for many of the textures and sounds for Cortex.

To connect the music with past titles and add a bonus for the fans who’ve been playing the franchise for decades, I also brought back some of the long-standing themes. I also incorporated the heavy usage of marimbas, memorable melodies and playful composition as a way of grounding the music as a Crash experience, while at the same time pulling it into new territory through more sculpting of tone and instrumentation to represent the unique locations.

Whilst I composed a fresh main theme for Crash 4, you will notice a hint at previous themes in some of the cutscenes. For example, when Cortex enters the screen and we hear a synth-laden rendition of his theme that then cuts off abruptly as Tawna enters the stage, and her new theme comes in.

Crash’s adventures in the new game take place in a multitude of varied locations–what kind of instrumentation did you use to capture this?

This was so much fun as each setting and character got their very own music. For Dingodile I recorded a brass band with guitars and drums. A clumsily played tuba and double bass describe the character that comes to Crash’s aid in the game.

The music for the first boss fight against N.Gin was something rather special–I was presented with the task to write music for a huge robot who plays a gigantic drum set behind massive amps that fire large soundwaves at Crash to the beat of the music. The music needed to capture the vibe of the scene and be bold, daring and … epic! So I recorded electric guitars and bass that I had run through massive stacks of guitar amps and a large drum set that was accompanied by fast synth-movements. We also slipped in a nod to the original N.Gin music, to connect with franchise history.

For the levels set in Wasteland I wanted to capture raw and ‘heavy’ sounds. Equipped with field recorders I took a recording team into a quarry where we smashed rocks and metal objects with sledgehammers and large wrenches. These sounds were then treated with effects and became the backbone of a drum beat or massive stomping effect.

The Prehistoric levels received their own unique sound-world by recording primitive instruments such as the bone flute or fur drums. These sounds, combined with orchestral colors and the Crash-style fast Marimba runs, provide the score with a unique sound that is equally at home in the Crash universe. We also contrasted the playful, prehistoric-themed Crash music, with the super epic, cinematic chase music in the Dino Dash level. This is a good example of times when we stylistically pushed music into new territory.

Percussion instruments are a big part of the Crash series–what did you do to ensure you were really nailing this essential part of the franchise?

Absolutely, percussion is such a great element to pick up the pace and add an element of forward momentum to keep the player pushing through the level. I recorded a very large selection of drums. From the simpler hand-made instruments for the Prehistoric levels, to industrial sounds that were recorded in a quarry to enhance the Wasteland levels. The score also makes regular use of full drum sets and electronic drums. In particular, the drums employed for the city levels feature this ‘80s ‘old school’ vibe that were so fitting to the retro sounds of synths accompanying the beat elements. There are also levels where more than one drum set plays at a given time and we weave in and out of electronic and real drums for added craziness when we really want to change up the sound.

Now that Crash 4 has been out for a little, what are you hearing from fans about the music?

I’ve rarely experienced before such support as that which the amazing fans of Crash are showing me. I’ve received countless messages every day from fans complimenting the music. Fans enjoyed how the music was composed to be more dynamic and reflective of the unique worlds, as well as different sections of gameplay within levels. The off beat “mardi gras” level has been a standout music experience for many. The entire level–platforms, obstacles, ghost musicians, playable instruments – were synced to the beat, creating a synergy between music and gameplay. And of course, they loved hearing nods to established franchise music themes.

Many even send me cover versions of the themes and level music. They interpret the melodies in a completely different way and produce fully-fledged metal tracks with videos that you can find on YouTube. There is absolutely brilliant material online and I am loving every single piece of it! This is a great honor and exactly what this amazing franchise deserves–to live on and see the many interpretations of the music.