Category: Games

Activision Blizzard recently made the surprising decision to merge Vicarious Visions–the studio behind Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2–into Blizzard to support other projects. One of those projects is, at least reportedly, a Diablo 2 remake while others at Blizzard continue working on Diablo 4.

According to Bloomberg, issues with the development of Warcraft III: Reforged made Blizzard reconsider the teams it had developing games moving forward, with its classic games “Team 1” being pulled off the project and replaced by a division that is also handling Diablo 4. Among the developers also working on that project includes the Vicarious Visions team. It’s the second time a Tony Hawk developer has been absorbed into another studio, with Neversoft joining Infinity Ward in 2014.

That Diablo 2 remake hasn’t been formally announced by Blizzard, but it could be a stopgap release to make the wait for Diablo 4 a little easier. What won’t be easy is dealing with the studio behind one of 2020’s best games getting pulled off its own projects to assist with it. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 not only managed to replicate what made the original games great, such as the level design and sound, but also delivered a core skating experience that felt like it was made today. Nearly every song from the original two games was kept for the remake, as well.

The Diablo franchise will certainly have no shortage of releases going forward if everything reported comes to fruition. Alongside Diablo 4, Blizzard will also release Diablo Immortal for mobile devices, which features classes from previous games like Demon Hunter, Monk, Crusader, and Barbarian. Blizzard continues work on World of Warcraft and Overwatch 2, as well.

Due to issues where players can get out of bounds on Fragment, Trials of Osiris will be updated to feature an alternate map on Saturday at 9:00 AM Pacific.

Any players in an active Trials of Osiris match will experience an error code when this change goes into effect.

— Bungie Help (@BungieHelp) January 22, 2021

Developer CD Project Red has released Patch 1.1 for Cyberpunk 2077 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. According to the developer, this update “lays the groundwork for the upcoming patches.” The patch notes are outlined below.

The two biggest things addressed in Cyberpunk 2077 with this update are memory usage and crashes. According to the patch notes, the update makes some “memory improvements in various systems within the game” to stabilize performance. Additionally, the patch addresses the myriad crash issues, particularly related to loading game saves and the Point of No Return, that part where players are told they can’t go back once the final mission starts.

Patch 1.1 makes a number of important changes to questing as well, such as circumstances where players couldn’t finish certain missions due to game hiccups. One example is in Delamain’s questline, Epistrophy, in which players sometimes couldn’t pick up or receive his calls to progress the quest. Another is in Takemura’s quest Down on the Street, where players occasionally wouldn’t receive a call from him. CD Projekt Red says these issues and others like them have been fixed in Patch 1.1.

On top of these quest-specific adjustments, the update also dives into issues specific to each platform. PlayStation players should see “performance optimization of crowds” and “various crash fixes” on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Xbox users, meanwhile, will see system memory usage improved on Xbox One and Xbox One S, ideally helping to iron out texture pop-in and other graphical issues. Stadia and PC players also get game fixes as well.

CD Projekt Red said that it is continuing to work on Patch 1.2 and “other upcoming updates,” while also listening to feedback and fixing any bugs Cyberpunk 2077 players may encounter. It’s unclear how many updates CD Projekt Red is currently hammering away on for Cyberpunk 2077, but the game’s free DLC should be available sometime later this year. As for its multiplayer mode, the studio confirmed that it wouldn’t come out until at least 2022.

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 1.1 Patch Notes

Stability

• Various stability improvements including:
  • Memory usage improvements in various systems within the game: characters, interactions, navigation, in-game videos (news, tv, etc.), foliage, laser effects, minimap, devices, AI, street traffic, environmental damage system, GPU-related, and more.
  • Various crash fixes (related to, among others, loading saves, game-opening/closing, and Point of No Return).

Quests/Open World

• Fixed an issue where calls from Delamain would end immediately and seem like they cannot be picked up in Epistrophy.
• Fixed an issue where players would not receive calls from Delamain when approaching relevant vehicles in Epistrophy.
• Fixed an issue where the objective could get stuck on “Answer the call from Mr. Hands” in Map Tann Pèlen.
• Fixed an issue where Judy could teleport underground in Pyramid Song.
• Fixed an issue where it would be impossible to talk to Zen Master in Poem of The Atoms.
• Fixed an issue where Takemura wouldn’t call in Down on the Street.
• Fixed an issue where Jackie could disappear in The Pickup.
• Fixed an issue where it could be impossible to get out of the car in The Beast in Me: The Big Race.
• Fixed an issue where players could stop receiving calls and messages after moving too far away from A Day In The Life area.
• Fixed an issue where opening the package wouldn’t update Space Oddity.
• Retro-fixed the saves affected by a rare issue where speaking to Judy in Automatic Love would be impossible due to an invisible wall. The underlying issue is under investigation.
• Fixed an issue that prevented players from collecting the reward in Gig: Freedom of the Press. The quest will auto-complete for those who could not collect the reward previously, and the reward will be provided automatically.
• Fixed an issue where Delamain would remain silent throughout Epistrophy if the player initially refused to help him.

User Interface

• Fixed an issue where prompt for exiting braindance could be missing.
• Removed an invalid item from loot.

Visual

• Fixed an issue where a grenade’s trajectory could be displayed in photo mode.
• Fixed particles’ hue appearing pink when viewed close up.
• Fixed cars spawning incorrectly in Reported Crime: Welcome to Night City.

Achievements

• Fixed an issue where completing one of the assaults in progress in Santo Domingo would sometimes not contribute towards progression for The Jungleachievement, preventing its completion.

Miscellaneous

• Addressed the issue responsible for saves getting oversized (related to the modifier indicating if the item is crafted), and trimmed the excess size from already existing saves (note: this won’t fix PC save files corrupted before 1.06 update).
• Fixed an issue where input could stop registering upon opening the weapon wheel and performing an action.
• Fixed an issue where the “Continue” button in the Main Menu could load an end game save.

PlayStation-specific

• Performance optimization of crowds on PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 5.
• Various crash fixes on PlayStation 4.

Xbox-specific

• Improved memory usage for character creation, mirrors, scanning, camera remote control, menus (inventory, map) on Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox One S.

PC-specific

• It will now be possible to obtain achievements while in Steam offline mode. Note: Offline mode needs to be enabled before starting the game. This change does not work retroactively.
• Addressed the game startup crashes related to loading cache on NVIDIA graphics cards.

Stadia-specific

• Concert audio should no longer be inaudible in Never Fade Away.
• Fixed corrupted textures on several melee weapons.
• Tweaked default deadzone settings to be more responsive. Note: the change will not affect settings unless they’re set to default

Hitman 3 caps off the journey with a mission that’s quite out of the ordinary for the series. Carpathian Mountains (Untouchable) takes on a more linear design, leaving you little room to work with and fewer options for clever methods–think of it more as an epilogue mission to tie up the story’s loose ends. While it may be straightforward, it can still be challenging, so we’ll walk you through it in case you need some pointers.

For your first time in this mission, you’ll start with Agent 47’s flashbacks and visions followed by walking up in a secluded test lab. You won’t have any items to start with and you have no guidance since there are no Missions Stories to follow, similar to how Berlin, Apex Predator started. But fret not, this one’s not as complex or free-roaming as Berlin. Take note that every NPC is fair game in this mission and you will actually be rewarded with XP for every kill.

If you need help with any previous missions in case you want to complete leftover Mission Stories or knock out every assassination challenge, be sure to check out our full Hitman 3 guides and walkthroughs hub.

Waking Up

Once you wake up from the bed in this mysterious lab, you’ll be in a narrow room with one doctor present. Knock him out, take the disguise, and the keycard dropped (or the one on a desk nearby). The next room will have a guard and a doctor talking to each other. After their brief conversation, they’ll alternate short patterns within the room. Walk past them and go to the next room; there will be a door locked by a keypad, but don’t worry, the code is literally written on the wall to your left (it’s 1979). Take the rusty crowbar and use it to bust open the door in the previous room in order to progress in this mission.

Working On The Railroad

Turns out you’re on a train heading up through the Carpathian Mountains–yup, this entire mission is on a set of train cars. Keep moving forward by scaling the sides and tops of the train cars. Knock out the guard standing outside and take his disguise since this will help you walk through most of the mission without resistance. Go inside the next train car with a missing valve wheel, find the valve wheel in the back of the train car, then use the valve to open the roof.

Once you get past the train car’s roof and drop down, turn around to enter a room full of guards. Only one will suspect you; walk right past them and pick up the rusty crowbar at the far end of this area. Walk back out and continue moving forward.

Scaling Trains

From this point forward, you’ll move past a series of train cars with various guards posted up. You can get past them by carefully avoiding the ones who are suspicious of you, or jumping out of the side of certain windows to shimmy across to the next window to jump into the next room. Ledges with ice on them cannot be scaled, frozen windows cannot be jumped through, and when you’re walking on the roof, lookout for signal posts that will cause damage if they hit you.

You’ll eventually make it to a room that has a workbench; use this to craft a silenced pistol which can be useful if you want to get lethal. Progressing is quite self-explanatory around these parts, but keep an eye out for higher level disguises that let you access subsequent train cars with ease. The next one being right after you pass the bar where two guards are talking about the secrecy of this train operation. Check one of the rooms where an armored guard is sleeping; take the outfit right next to him and the silenced SMG just in case.

Guard Duty

The next train car has two armored guards, one of which will be suspicious–there are weapons and ammo in this room if you want, otherwise you can keep moving forward past them. On the way to the next train car, there will be a fuse on the ground that you can use to power a light and blind the patrolling guard. The next train, where two guards are sitting down talking to each other, will have a rusty crowbar and a valve wheel which you can take back to a previous train car, but you’ll simply get weapons and ammo.

As you move forward, you’ll notice guards with winter camo uniforms, keep walking past them, avoiding the suspicious ones. The next train car will have the Commando Leader inside. He’ll have his back turned when you walk into the room. It’s important that you knock him out and take his uniform; you’ll walk past the rest of the guards and they’ll address you as the commander and let you pass free.

An Easy Stroll To Your Target

You can switch into the office staff suit in the next train car but you won’t be able to carry an SMG or shotgun if you want to do that. The guard in this room is suspicious of you regardless, but once you get past him, it’s just a simple walk past a few office spaces and guards to get to your target.

Once you get to the final train car, use the lever to disconnect it from the rest of the train and confront your target. There’s a secret ending you can get if you do things a certain way, but the rest is up to you.

As with Resident Evil 7 before it, Capcom has provided fans with a short, intense look at Resident Evil Village in the form of a standalone demo. That demo, dubbed “Maiden,” is available now on the PlayStation Network store for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It’s not quite as puzzling as the demo for RE7, but it’s definitely possible to get hung up and miss important clues that will show you the way to work your way through this short, frightening slice of the castle.

Below, you’ll find a quick, spoiler-free walkthrough that will lead you through the demo and help you if you find yourself stuck. We won’t spoil any scares or story elements, although we do highlight a few notes that can give you a little extra insight into what’s going on. You can check out the video below for a full runthrough of the entire demo, as well.

The Dungeon

Upon waking up, you’ll find yourself in a dark dungeon cell. Look to one side to find a crumpled-up note hidden in the wall. Reading it provides you several clues you’ll need to escape the dungeon, but they’re a bit obtuse. First, you need to get out of the cell–crouch down and look under your wooden bed for a hole through which you can crawl.

Once you’re out, you’re free to explore. There are several other cells, mostly filled with various implements of torture. You’ll find two of them are chained closed with hanging, half-devoured bodies inside. Follow the blood trails through the dungeon and you should find the body of a woman slumped in another cell. With the doors chained, there’s nothing more you can do here.

Follow the dungeon hallway to a barred door at the end. You won’t be able to open it, and it’s here that you might be a little confused as to what to do next. Look for a metal box on a stand to the left of the door, in front of it. The box is locked, but examine it anyway–you should hear a sound back the way you came when you do. You have to interact with the box in order to find your next clue.

Follow the sound back through the dungeon to the cell with the dead woman. You’ll find her in a new position with a set of bolt cutters sticking out of her back. Grab them and cut the chains off the nearby cell to get inside it. Here, look for a bucket filled with blood. Interact with that and you’ll fish out the item you need to move on: a lockpick. Use it on the metal box at the end of the hall to leave the dungeon.

The Cellar

You’ll find yourself in a strange, ornate room next. If you remember, the note you read suggested you’ll soon find a locked door, and that you’ll have to follow the light to make your way forward.

Keep moving through the hallways and up a ladder until you reach a round room with a barrel and a small table. Look carefully and you’ll notice a hand sticking out of the barrel, fluttering weakly. You can’t leave this room by its door, but if you walk around the table, you’ll find the doors to a wooden cabinet slightly cracked, with light slipping through from the other side. Open them to reveal another hole you can crawl through.

The note now mentions hitting a dead end and finding a secret that will let you advance. As you move into the next room, you’ll hit that dead end. Duck down into the recessed fireplace, where a few candles burn, to find a brick you can push, activating a switch. That’ll reveal a hole in the wall that lets you advance.

Through the hole, look to your left to find a note that provides some context for what’s going on. Written by a maid, it describes working for someone who viciously attacks her servants if they make any sort of mistake. Being carried to the cellar sounds like what might have happened to the character you’re playing.

Take the ladder from here and push through another hole in the wall to reach the next area.

The Castle

Now you’ll find an opulently decorated, actually clean room. Pick up the Necklace (which is made of bone) on the table as you go by. Exit through the door and follow the hallway to a large foyer. You’ll find a door in this hallway with a bust set in it, which is missing an eye. Log that info for later and head downstairs. Look in the fireplace for another clue as to who you might be playing in this particular demo.

Two of the doors here are locked, but the one left of the fireplace can be opened. Check the side table right in front of it for another note, listing names of potential candidates–for what, however, we don’t know.

Through the door, you’ll find a room with an open window and another big, locked door. Out the window, you’ll see a snowy courtyard lit with torches. Next, check one of the wine glasses on the table in front of the door to discover a ring with a maroon eye set into it. Open your inventory and examine the ring more closely to remove the eye.

As you might have guessed, this will unlock the door with the bust upstairs, so return to the foyer and head there now. Open that door and find another note discussing a particular vintage of wine made by the Dimitrescus, the family that owns the castle.

You can open several of the cabinet doors close to the floor in this room. The cabinet immediately to the right of the note about the wine holds a key to the courtyard, which sounds like the locked door you found in the room with the open window. Return and use the key to unlock the door to trigger the end of the demo.