Author: Trafficblast

Yakuza Series Coming To Xbox One For The First Time With Game Pass

Many announcements have been made during X019, the big Microsoft event to celebrate and show the future of Xbox. And one of the most pleasant surprises was that the Xbox platform will be getting Yakuza games, marking the first time the traditionally Sony-exclusive franchise appears on a Microsoft console. Next year, through Game Pass, subscribers can play Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2. These are the first three entries in the series’ in-game chronology.

Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio started Yakuza back on the PS2 and have made seven mainline games and a number of spinoffs thus far. Last year, the franchise came to PC for the first time, and now its expanding further with Xbox One versions. For those unfamiliar, the Yakuza series blends open-world and 3D beat-em-up style gameplay, and strikes a balance between gripping melodrama and comedic absurdity that all comes together wonderfully.

You follow the story of Kazuma Kiryu, a man with a heart of gold trying to navigate the Japanese underworld while doing right by those around him. Other great characters come into the mix, like Goro Majima, and add an extra dynamic to the fascinating drama of being in a Japanese gang. Mini-games and side-stories play a huge role in fleshing out Yakuza’s depiction of certain cities in Japan.

These three Yakuza games come to Xbox One in early 2020 through Game Pass, though you can play them on PS4 and PC now. The series is still going with brand-new entry launching in Japan early next year and sometime afterward in the West, and you can read our breakdown of Yakuza: Like A Dragon to catch up. For more on all the announcements coming out of Xbox’s X019 event, be sure to check out all our coverage below:

Now Playing: New Rare, Obsidian, & Game Pass Games Announced At X019 – GS News Update

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Xbox’s xCloud Adds PS4 DualShock 4 Support, And A Bunch Of New Games

During its Xbox fan event in London, X019, Microsoft shared more details on its game-streaming service, Project xCloud. One of the biggest new reveals is that Microsoft is adding numerous more games to the service along with support for new controllers, including Sony PlayStation’s DualShock 4.

xCloud already supports Xbox One controllers, but the company said it plans to expand to the DualShock 4 from Sony’s PS4 and other game pads from peripheral company Razer. It’s not exactly clear how DualShock 4 support would work given the button names are completely different.

Microsoft also announced that, in 2020, it plans to add support for xCloud on Windows 10 PCs, as well as devices made by a “broad set of partners.” Currently, xCloud only works on Android phones. Another big piece of news is that Microsoft is expanding the network of public testers to, so if you didn’t receive an invite to the initial beta, check your email again now. The current xCloud public trial continues to be exclusive to the US, UK, and Korea, however.

Another big piece of xCloud news is that game streaming is also coming to Xbox Game Pass, so subscribers can play games in that catalogue via the cloud on compatible devices.

In 2020, the xCloud preview program will expand to Canada, Japan, India, and Western Europe, though there is no word on support for Australia or other major areas around the globe. Microsoft has said it wants xCloud to eventually reach 2 billion gamers across the world, and it appears it will take a while for that dream to become a reality.

Microsoft also announced it’s adding more than 50 additional games to the xCloud preview. These include Madden NFL 20, Tekken 7, Hitman, Just Cause 4, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, and Darksiders 3, among many others.

Now Playing: New Rare, Obsidian, & Game Pass Games Announced At X019 – GS News Update

Life Is Strange Dev Reveals New Game, Tell Me Why

Life Is Strange studio Dontnod has announced its next game as part of Xbox’s X019 event. Tell Me Why is another narrative-focused title from the French studio that claims to be the first-ever video game from a major studio featuring a playable character who is transgender.

Tell Me Why takes place in small-town Alaska and follows the “true-to-life” story of twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan as they learn more about their difficult childhood.

“Over the course of the story, players will explore the identical twins’ different memories of key events and choose which memory to believe,” game director Florent Guillaume said. “Ultimately, the choices players make determine the strength of the twins’ bond–and the future course of their lives.”

Tyler and Alyson are both playable and are “equal heroes” in the campaign.

“We are especially grateful to Microsoft for its full support, openness, and help regarding Tyler’s identity and character, as a transgender man,” Guillaume said.

Dontnod said it worked alongside LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD to make Tyler an “authentic representation of the trans experience.” Microsoft says Tyler is the “first playable videogame hero from a major studio and publisher who is also transgender.”

GLAAD’s Nick Adams said in a statement that Microsoft and Dontnod worked hard to construct Tyler as a character “with a real commitment to authenticity.”

“Tyler is a fully-realized, endearing character, whose story is not reduced to simplistic trans tropes,” Adams said. “Creating a playable lead trans character–and taking such care to get it right–raises the bar for future LGBTQ inclusion in gaming.”

Tell Me Why’s story unfolds across three chapters that will be released on a “clear and predictable schedule,” according to Microsoft. What this means in practice is that all three chapters will be released in one period of time–Summer 2020.

The game will be on Xbox Game Pass, while people can also purchase it outright on Xbox One and PC (including Steam). There is no word on if the game is also coming to PlayStation.

Now Playing: New Rare, Obsidian, & Game Pass Games Announced At X019 – GS News Update

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New Xbox One Game, West Of Dead, Is Playable Right Now (And Stars Ron Perlman)

The next game from developer Raw Fury (known for the Kingdom series) was revealed during Microsoft’s X019 event. It’s called West Of Dead and it’s playable now through an open beta on Xbox One. It also features the sultry tones of actor Ron Perlman who’s the game’s narrator and main character named William Mason.

West Of Dead has a distinct painterly art style and it appears as an isometric action game that plays like a fast-paced twin-stick shooter. It’s a procedurally generated game where you gun through enemies in a series of hunting grounds in which you have dodge attacks and use cover. The game takes place in Purgatory, Wyoming in the year 1888 and taps into some classic western themes. You can check out in-game screenshots below.

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The Microsoft store page describes Purgatory as, “A place of gun smoke and darkness, sin and damnation, wendigos and witches. A shifting, chaotic world that takes its form from the memories, culture or beliefs of the souls who pass through.” It continues to outline the premise with, “When a dead man awakens with only the memory of a figure in black, he sets into motion a chain of events that have truly mythic consequences.”

You can check out more about West Of Dead on the Microsoft Store page. For more on the news coming out of X019, check out our stories below:

Now Playing: New Rare, Obsidian, & Game Pass Games Announced At X019 – GS News Update

Watch a Sneak Peek from Episode 2 of Disney Plus’ High School Musical: The Series

Disney+ has finally launched, and while we’re all buzzing over episode 1 of The Mandalorian, the unlocking of Disney’s legendary movie vault, and the chance to binge classic cartoons like DuckTales and Gargoyles, the new streaming service also boasts one of the most disarmingly charming comedies of the year in the satirical High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

If you can’t tell by the name, HSM: TM: TS is a tongue-in-cheek look at the legacy of the High School Musical franchise, following the students of East High – where the original movie was filmed – as they attempt to stage a musical recreation of High School Musical, with the school full of characters who either grew up idolizing the franchise or resenting it for making a mockery of their school (they’re the East High Leopards, damnit, not the Wildcats!).

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SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run’s Hilarious Trailer Features Keanu Reeves And Lost Snails

SpongeBob Squarepants is back. It’s been five years since the last movie featuring the iconic undersea sponge was released, but he’s set to return to the big screen next year in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. The first trailer has now been released.

The movie is a prequel to the classic Nickelodeon show and focuses on SpongeBob’s attempts to find Gary the Snail, his beloved pet, who has gone missing. So SpongeBob and Patrick (who is also Gary’s cousin) hit the road, and end up in the Lost City of Atlantic City, which, as the name suggests, is a glittering underwater gambling metropolis. The animation might be more sophisticated than it was in the original series, but it looks every bit as bizarre and hilarious. Oh, and Keanu Reeves is in there too, playing a sage made of sage called Sage. Check it out below:

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is directed by Tim Hill, who also made 2004’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and was one of the main writers on the original show. All the regular voicecast are back, including Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward, and Clancy Brown as Eugene H. Krabs. The movie hits theaters on May 22 2020, having been moved up from its initial release date of July 17.

Sponge on the Run isn’t the only new SpongeBob release on the way. Nickelodeon parent company Viacom has struck a huge deal with Netflix to license many of its characters to the streaming giant, and according to reports, a “music-based project” based around Squidward is one of the shows in development.

SpongeBob Squarepants premiered in 1999, and it continues to be made, with Season 13 announced in July this year. The show was created by Stephen Hillenburg, who died in 2018.

Pokemon Go November Events Include New Shiny And Legendary Pokemon

Pokemon Go‘s Team Rocket event is winding down, but Niantic has plenty of other activities planned for the hit Pokemon mobile game this month. The developer has outlined several new events scheduled to take place throughout the rest of November, and they include a friend celebration, as well as the debut of another new Legendary Pokemon.

First, Niantic is hosting a Supereffective Week event from November 19-26. During that time, Pokemon that will be effective against Team Rocket and other trainers will appear more often in the wild, Raid Battles, and Field Research tasks. On top of that, you’ll have your first chance to find and catch a Shiny Tentacool. You’ll also receive two times the normal amount of Stardust from trainer battles, and PokeStops will distribute more Potions and Revives.

Following Supereffective Week, the Legendary Pokemon Terrakion will make its debut in five-star Raid Battles, replacing the current Legendary, Cobalion. Terrakion is also a part of the Swords of Justice trio. It’s a dual Rock/Fighting-type, which means you’ll want to bring along Grass, Ground, Water, Fighting, or Psychic Pokemon when challenging it. Terrakion will appear in Raids until December 17.

Finally, Niantic is capping off the month with the first ever Friend Fest. The event kicks off on November 27 and runs until December 2. During that time, you’ll encounter “family-themed Pokemon” such as Nidoran and their evolutions more often in the wild and through Field Research tasks. Trading Pokemon with friends will also require half the usual amount of Stardust, and you’ll be able to make two special trades per day. You can read more details about all the November events on the official Pokemon Go website.

Of course, before these events roll around, Niantic is hosting November’s Community Day. That takes place this Saturday, November 16–the day after Pokemon Sword and Shield launch for Nintendo Switch. The featured Pokemon for this month’s event is Chimchar, the Fire-type starter from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Not only will you have your first chance to catch a Shiny Chimchar during the Community Day, eggs will hatch at a quarter of their normal distance during the event.

Now Playing: Pokemon Go November 2019 Community Day Details – GS News Update

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The Witcher 3 Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass According To A Leak

If an advertisement that recently appeared on Twitch is any indication, it looks like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is on its way to Xbox Game Pass. If that’s the case, you’ll soon be able to play GameSpot’s 2015 Game of the Year for as little as $1.

Reddit user tombonez initially spotted the ad for Xbox Game Pass on Twitch. The sizzle reel showcases The Witcher 3’s inclusion along with titles currently available on the service such as Gears 5 and The Outer Worlds. With Microsoft set to announce Game Pass news during X019 later today, it stands to reason that The Witcher 3 will be part of the festivities.

Aside from winning Game of the Year in 2015, The Witcher 3 also received one of GameSpot’s elusive 10/10 review scores. A Netflix Witcher series is also on the way and has already been renewed for a second season.

Now Playing: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition For Switch Video Review

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Red Dead Redemption 2 PC Update 1.14 Is Now Live; Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Red Dead Redemption 2‘s biggest PC update so far is now available to download. As promised, update 1.14 implements fixes for the stuttering issue caused by certain configurations of Nvidia GPUs and four- and six-core CPUs. Rockstar has also issued a workaround while it collaborates with Nvidia to permanently solve the issue, along with introducing a host of other fixes.

The temporary workaround for the stuttering problem uses a command line to slightly re-balance and ease the load on the CPU. If you’ve run into the problem yourself, Rockstar has a support page explaining how to add the command and potentially fix the issue for the time being.

The update also brings a plethora of improvements to graphics, performance, stability, control, UI, and general bug fixes. The full patch notes can be found below:

Update 1.14 Full Patch Notes

Graphics & Performance Fixes

  • Added an additional launch argument (-cpuLoadRebalancing) to rebalance workload on the CPU cores and avoid hitting an edge-case in certain NVIDIA graphics card drivers that causes significant stalls on 4-core and 6-core CPUs
  • Added improvements for performance and stability on graphics cards with 4GB of VRAM or less when using Vulkan
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in audio stuttering and sound drops on some CPUs when using Vulkan
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics problems when using Fullscreen mode on systems with multiple displays
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in the game becoming stuck in Windowed Borderless mode instead of Fullscreen mode if the game lost focus or certain graphics settings were changed under DirectX 12
  • Fixed issues that resulted in the incorrect detection of devices and problems switching between SDR and HDR modes. Players who previously encountered these issues should enable HDR through the Windows Display Settings prior to launching the game
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in the game launching in a window larger than the maximum resolution of the attached display when using Windowed display mode
  • Improved the auto-detection of system hardware so that the recommended default graphics settings will provide higher performance
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in the game setting a default graphics preset that was unsupported by the amount of available VRAM on some graphics cards, preventing the game from launching
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in VRAM usage estimation for pending settings changes to be slightly different to the actual usage once the settings were applied
  • Added a separate option to enable tessellation on tree models within the Graphics settings menu
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in reduced performance when switching between different graphics settings presets without restarting the system
  • Fixed an issue that affected the brightness of Photo Mode images that were captured in HDR after editing them using the Social Club menu
  • Fixed issues with some full-screen effects and Photo Mode filters when using a display aspect ratio other than 16:9
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics artifacts in mirror reflections when using Multisample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA)
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics artifacts on the Pause Menu Map when using Multisample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA )
  • Fixed issues with rendering and lighting that occurred with some waterfalls
  • Fixed issues with rendering that occurred with a Story Mode character
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in flickering graphics artifacts on some systems using multiple graphics cards
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in graphical corruption during the theater shows in Saint Denis
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics artifacts to appear when rendering some light reflections
  • Fixed an issue that affected the rendering of the Pause Menu background after changing the display resolution
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in reduced world detail at long distance when using items that allow zooming, such as scopes and binoculars
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in rendering issues with shadows on some parts of the terrain
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in graphics artifacts that could occur with some hair/fur rendering when using Multisample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA)
  • Improved the performance rendering some in-game particle effects
  • Improved the performance rendering of trails when in snowy areas of the game
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in the partial rendering of the Pause Menu while some graphics settings were active

Stability Fixes

  • Fixed issues that resulted in crashes during game startup and logo screen
  • Fixed issues that resulted in crashes when changing graphics settings or switching back and forth between presets
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in crashes during the initial boot of the game in the Windowed display mode
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when switching between Windowed and Fullscreen display modes on some graphics cards
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when the game window lost focus or as a result of using Alt+Tab
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when attempting to load an autosave on some systems
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when repeatedly transitioning between Story Mode and Red Dead Online
  • Fixed issues that resulted in crashes when attempting to quit the game
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash on some systems when connecting and disconnecting input devices with the game running
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when attempting to switch weapons in Story Mode
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when opening the HDR Calibration screen with some combinations of graphics cards and displays
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when using the mouse to switch between categories in the Satchel menu
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in the game freezing when applying remapped keyboard inputs through the Settings menu
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in an infinite loading screen when exiting the Settings menu and returning to the Landing Page
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash when playing Story Mode while offline
  • Fixed crashes and stability issues that resulted in the error “Red Dead Redemption 2 exited unexpectedly” during gameplay
  • Fixed an issue with attempting to join another player’s Red Dead Online session with a different control scheme or lock-on type that resulted in networking issues
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the Red Dead Redemption 2 desktop shortcut from correctly launching the game

Control & User Interface Fixes

  • Improved mouse support in some Store menus
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in a black screen during the initial boot of the game rather than the loading bar
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to equip emotes in Red Dead Online while using the mouse
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in the Map in the Pause Menu being cut off when changing the game resolution
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in player overhead displays to appear in the incorrect position on displays other than 16:9 aspect ratio in Red Dead Online
  • Fixed an issue that prevented some keyboard inputs from being remapped
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in some incorrect text and warning screens to appear when remapping keyboard inputs
  • Fixed issues that resulted in problems with scrolling in parts of the user interface
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in some menus not displaying input controls, including Safe Zone and Brightness Calibration screens
  • Fixed issues with keyboard text input when using some languages
  • Fixed issues that resulted in the red selection highlight disappearing while browsing through menus
  • Fixed issues that resulted in problems with mouse selection, or erratic cursor movement when browsing some menus
  • Fixed an issue with keyboard navigation of the Pause Map after selecting a blip/icon.
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to complete some actions while inspecting weapons
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in save game information to be missing from the Load Game menu
  • Fixed issues with text input of non-Latin characters and added support for more input methods
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in the Pause Map moving position after placing a waypoint
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in difficulty aiming with a mouse, especially at low DPI settings
  • Fixed issues that resulted in incorrectly sized, overlapping or misaligned user interface elements under different display resolutions
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in the loss of previous selections when navigating back and forth between menus
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in redundant options in the Keyboard and Mouse submenu of the Controls menu

General / Miscellaneous

  • Improved the stability and result consistency of the in-game Benchmark Tool
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in players appearing underneath the world when in the lobby screen while playing some Red Dead Online content
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in incorrect performance of the ‘Tap and Hold Speed Control’ accessibility feature while using keyboard and mouse controls in First Person camera mode
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in camera stuttering when using the mouse to look around while sprinting
  • Fixed an issue that caused problems with the fishing minigame when running at high framerates

Now Playing: What Red Dead Redemption 2 On PC Is Like To Play

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New Expensive Dungeons & Dragons Dice Set Features Gem Grown By Science

This year is the 45th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the most popular tabletop roleplaying game of all time. To celebrate, D&D is putting out an expensive new dice set featuring a sapphire gem on it that grown in a lab. It’s a science stone, a glorious, shiny science stone.

As a D&D player myself, I’m not one to judge, but how is your dice game? Are you using anything high end? You should be. Throw that dice set from your local comic shop away which you bought for $8, and be the talk of your group with the finest of anniversary dice sets from D&D, which will run you $300, check it out below.

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The main feature of the dice is a d20 with a lab-grown sapphire on the 20-side. Have you ever had a gem grown by a scientist put onto one of your icosahedrons? Probably not, but now you can. But why would D&D do this?

“When the D&D team realized the sapphire is the traditional anniversary stone for both five years and forty-five years, and that adding a laboratory-created sapphire to a twenty-sided die wouldn’t jeopardize the integrity of a roll, we couldn’t pass up the chance to make something really cool to celebrate the milestones,” said Nathan Stewart, VP of the D&D franchise at Wizards of the Coast. “The team put together a fun product for our fans that includes art and newly updated stats for sapphire dragons, making these classic dragons ready for play in your next D&D session.”

The 45th anniversary set comes with two d20s–one of which has a sapphire in it–one d12, two d10s, one d8, four d6s, and one d4. It also comes in a custom dice box and dice tray, a foldout card with game statistics for adult, sapphire dragons, an exclusive sticker set, and a collector’s card confirming the set’s authenticity.

The 45th anniversary D&D dice set releases on November 21 for $300, and it can be purchased directly through the D&D site. Only 1,974 were made of this set, so supplies are limited.