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Cyberpunk 2077 Patch Notes: Update 1.04 Deals With Seizure Concerns, Copyrighted Music

Developer CD Projekt Red has dropped a new update for Cyberpunk 2077 on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 that addresses its copious bugs and issues. Update 1.04, which hits Xbox consoles “as soon as possible,” also fixes the quest system. The full patch notes are outlined below.

It’s no secret that Cyberpunk 2077 has been plagued by issues since its December 10 launch, with some players even seeing their main character’s genitals through clothing, among other complaints. While this particular issue isn’t called out in the patch notes, Update 1.04 does address various problems with Cyberpunk 2077. This includes stabilizing the game and ironing out the myriad crashes.

Other fixes for Cyberpunk 2077 include reducing vehicle appearance pop-in, addressing issues with missing NPC animations during cinematics, fixing the weapon preview while crafting, and removing copyrighted music through the “Disable Copyrighted Music” toggle. The latter feature was not working as intended after launch, prompting CD Projekt Red to recommend that streamers disable Cyberpunk 2077’s music entirely to avoid risking DMCA strikes.

Another major concern involved flashes that potentially could trigger seizures in those with epilepsy. According to the patch notes, CD Projekt Red has “[m]odified the flashing effect on braindances to reduce the risk of inducing epileptic symptoms. The effect has been smoothed out and the flashes reduced in frequency and magnitude.”

Quests in Cyberpunk 2077 are also being tweaked, with a handful of them–such as the A Like Supreme quest and Freedom of the Press Gig–being optimized to ensure players can either complete or re-track them. There are other fixes being implemented as well, including Jackie no longer standing still in The Ripperdoc, conversations with Johnny Silverhand initiating like they’re meant to, and progress being unblocked when taking on the I Fought The Law quest.

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 1.04 Patch Notes

Quests

  • Fixed an issue with completing the final objective in Gig: Freedom of the Press.
  • Fixed an issue with starting a conversation with Johnny at the end in Life During Wartime.
  • Corrected a rare issue with NPCs no longer calling V if A Like Supreme quest was abandoned mid-way.
  • Fixed an issue with Nix not going into his default state in Spellbound and KOLD MIRAGE.
  • Fixed issues blocking progress in I Fought The Law if the quest area is left.
  • Fixed inability to find Delamain in Epistrophy.
  • Fixed issues related to remaining in the second phase of the quest after finishing Pacifica fight with Ozob if played after Finals.
  • Fixed an issue with Nomads no longer present if V leaves the quest area mid-combat in With a Little Help from My Friends/Queen of the Highway.
  • Adjusted mappings and re-enabled quest tracker in Map Tann Pèlen/I Walk the Line/Transmission.
  • Fixed constraints on freedom to get up and sit down if neither blueline condition is met in Violence.
  • Fixed issues with time and space resulting from leaving the quest area or abandoning the quest in Following the River.
  • Fixed an issue with a conversation with Johnny not starting after leaving the hotel in Tapeworm.
  • Fixed an issue with quest being blocked upon leaving the quest area before climbing the hill in Following the River.
  • Fixed the objective “Go into booth 9” not completing if the room’s entered too fast in Automatic Love.
  • Fixed Jackie’s issues with sitting still in The Ripperdoc.
  • Other quest fixes

Gameplay

  • Fixed the preview in weapon crafting.

Visual

  • Reduced vehicle appearance pop-in.
  • Speeded up switching from first-person perspective to third-person perspective in a vehicle.
  • Fixed issues with animations missing from important quest NPCs during cinematics.

Performance & Stability

  • Improved stability, including various crash fixes.

Miscellaneous

  • Modified the flashing effect on braindances to reduce the risk of inducing epileptic symptoms. The effect has been smoothed out and the flashes reduced in frequency and magnitude.
  • Removed copyrighted songs incorrectly present in the game with the “Disable Copyrighted Music” feature toggled on.

PC-specific

  • Switching language to default in the in-game settings now correctly sets it to the language of your Steam client.

Console-specific

  • Improved reflections quality on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 to eliminate the smudge effect.
  • Fixed “The Wasteland” achievement being stuck on 97% after completing all relevant missions in The Badlands on Xbox.
  • Fixed an issue with missing PT-BR VO for Xbox players in the Americas.

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Best Games Of 2020 – Persona 5 Royal

Over the next week, we will be posting features for what we’ve nominated to be the best games of 2020. Then, on December 17, we will crown one of the nominees as GameSpot’s Best Game of 2020, so join us as we celebrate these 10 games on the road to the big announcement. Be sure to check out our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best Games of 2020 hub.

I know what you’re probably thinking: “Wait, Persona 5 came out in 2017, and you even named it the second best game of the year when you used to rank games!” That’s true. This nomination, however, speaks to the fact that Persona 5 Royal expertly builds on what was already a tremendous RPG and delivers all-new story chapters that are genuinely unexpected yet perfect thematic fits. It’s a definitive version, yes. But to simply call it a re-release is to sell short the extra 15 to 20 hours of essential content, the clever ways a new narrative is woven into the base game, and the emotional conclusions that follow. When we thought that Persona 5 couldn’t be anymore invigorating or inspiring, Royal proved us wrong.

Persona’s bread and butter is its marriage of social simulation where you live the life of a Japanese high school student, and dynamic turn-based RPG combat as you explore surreal dungeons. Both aspects feed into one another to create a cohesive whole and instill a sense of purpose in the things you do. You grow to care about the world you’re striving to change and grow attached to the friends you make and fight alongside, all of whom empower each other with conviction and strength to right the wrongs of a society corrupted by abuse and exploitation. The Phantom Thieves–the main cast of characters who drive the story–take matters into their own hands with such lavish gusto that you can’t help but fall in love with the ways in which their style meets substance.

Atlus is known for putting out updated versions of their existing games with extra content, and as far as the gameplay experience goes, a slew of quality-of-life improvements and additional mechanics allow you to make more of your time playing the game. The new town of Kichijoji introduces extra activities to do with your friends. Morgana doesn’t bug you as much to go to sleep. The upgraded baton pass mechanic adds an extra layer to the strategic turn-based combat. Showtime attacks are ridiculous and hard-hitting partner attacks to help wipe out enemies with flair. Confidant routes have new opportunities that make it easier to progress in those engaging stories. Boss fights have been reworked to present different challenges. Dungeon layouts have been tweaked to make exploration smoother and more rewarding. Mementos is revamped in smart ways. Royal-exclusive songs fit perfectly into what’s already an iconic genre-bending soundtrack, and hit you in your feelings at just the right moments. And the new final palace is arguably the best one in the entire game.

I’m just scratching the surface but I don’t want to spend all day listing the ways in which Royal proves itself to be more than just a repackaging of an old game. It’s a culmination of improvements and additions that make a much better whole. Yet, that alone is not necessarily what makes Royal rise above its original release.

Persona 5 Royal is an overwhelmingly emotional experience, partly because you grow to love the characters you spend so much time with, making it tough to say goodbye as the credits roll.

What Royal does specifically seems understated at first, introducing two new characters: fellow student Kasumi Yoshizawa and school counselor Takuto Maruki. You know Kasumi eventually joins the squad thanks to a teaser in the fantastic opening sequence, but you gradually learn about her purpose and her tragic backstory. Maruki provides perspectives on mental health that were sorely lacking in the original game–for a story that revolves around overcoming personal trauma and the strength born from that, Maruki’s inclusion is an important one. To talk through the things that haunt you, the things you dread, and be validated in those feelings sends a strong but subtle message.

However, as these narrative additions unfold throughout the game, they serve as the building blocks for Royal’s new storyline. It’s as if it’s being constructed in front of you, essential to the overall narrative that’s been hiding in plain sight. Instead of feeling like tacked-on content, this extra chapter superbly blends into what was already in place and leverages the already-affecting journey to draw you into a new finale that hits you just as hard. It’s also a drastic change in tone, yet effortlessly fits into the themes and messages Persona 5 always expressed.

One of the empowering aspects of Persona 5 was in destroying the abusive power structures that have oppressed the people you know and society as a whole. With the confidence, style, and conviction of the Phantom Thieves, you were motivated to see the journey through. All that is still a core part of Royal, of course, but this new chapter in the Royal-specific story is a reflection of the trauma everyone has faced and an acceptance of your past to forge a better future. Your adversary is no longer someone who’s in clear violation of human decency. It’s a clash of visions for a genuinely better world, a battle between what’s ideal and what’s real.

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Gallery

This new content isn’t entirely wrapped up in a tangled web of philosophy, it’s also more intimate. Goro Akechi, who was a core character in the original, is fleshed out to a much greater degree, which leaves you with a better understanding of him. A new alternate ending paints a full picture of your last “enemy” while peering deep into what your friends always wanted in their lives. As wild and bombastic as the final palace and boss fights are in Royal, the game always stays grounded in its human element, and after every battle in the Metaverse is done, you’re always brought back down to Earth.

Persona 5 Royal is an overwhelmingly emotional experience, partly because you grow to love the characters you spend so much time with, making it tough to say goodbye as the credits roll. But also because there’s a genuine empathy built into the fabric of Persona 5 Royal that many us identify with on a profound level. To see difficult parts of our lives expressed in a 100+ hour RPG that’s an absolute blast to play is an experience like no other.

I said in my review that Persona 5 Royal is an empowering and inspiring RPG that should be recognized as one of the greatest games of our time, and that’s due in large part to how it separates itself from the original version. I also said that I’ve thought about Persona 5 almost everyday since playing it back in 2017–with P5R, that continues to be true, and I suspect it’ll be like that well after 2020.

Cyberpunk 2077 1.04 Hotfix Released for PC and PS4

Cyberpunk 2077 is getting its first hotfix patch less than 48 hours after an aggressively buggy launch. CD Projekt Red says the update fixes a number of issues with quest bugs, visual bugs, stability, and more.

Hotfix 1.04 is now live on PlayStation consoles and PC. CD Projekt says it is working on getting the update available on Xbox consoles “as soon as possible.”

One of the more notable fixes pertains to the controversial braindance sequences, which featured red and white flashing lights that could cause players with epilepsy to have seizures. CDPR says the 1.04 update modifies the lighting effect to reduce the risk of inducing epileptic symptoms, reducing the flashing in frequency and magnitude.

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CDPR has also removed copyrighted songs present in the game’s DMCA-friendly “disable copyrighted music” feature, which presented the streamer community with the huge issue of possibly being demonetized or having their content taken down following a DMCA strike.

Here’s CDPR’s full list of each fix in the 1.04 update.

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Quests

Fixed an issue with completing the final objective in Gig: Freedom of the Press.

Fixed an issue with starting conversation with Johnny at the end in Life During Wartime.

Corrected a rare issue with NPCs no longer calling V if A Like Supreme quest was abandoned mid-way.

Fixed an issue with Nix not going into his default state in Spellbound and KOLD MIRAGE.

Fixed issues blocking progress in I Fought The Law if the quest area is left.

Fixed inability to find Delamain in Epistrophy.

Fixed issues related to remaining in the second phase of the quest after finishing Pacifica fight with Ozob if played after Finals.

Fixed an issue with Nomads no longer present if V leaves the quest area mid-combat in With a Little Help from My Friends/Queen of the Highway.

Adjusted mappings and re-enabled quest tracker in M’ap Tann Pèlen/I Walk the Line/Transmission.

Fixed constraints on freedom to get up and sit down if neither blueline condition is met in Violence.

Fixed issues with time and space resulting from leaving the quest area or abandoning the quest in Following the River.

Fixed an issue with conversation with Johnny not starting after leaving the hotel in Tapeworm.

Fixed an issue with quest being blocked upon leaving the quest area before climbing the hill in Following the River.

Fixed the objective “Go into booth 9” not completing if the room’s entered too fast in Automatic Love.

Fixed Jackie’s issues with sitting still in The Ripperdoc.

Other quest fixes

Gameplay

Fixed the preview in weapon crafting.

Visual

Reduced vehicle appearance pop-in.

Speeded up switching first person perspective to third person perspective in a vehicle.

Fixed issues with animations missing from important quest NPCs during cinematics.

Performance & Stability

Improved stability, including various crash fixes.

Miscellaneous

Modified the flashing effect on braindances to reduce the risk of inducing epileptic symptoms. The effect has been smoothed out and the flashes reduced in frequency and magnitude.

Removed copyrighted songs incorrectly present in the game with “Disable Copyrighted Music” feature toggled on.

PC-specific

Switching language to default in the in-game settings now correctly sets it to the language of your Steam client.

Console-specific

Improved reflections quality on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 to eliminate the smudge effect.

Fixed “The Wasteland” achievement being stuck on 97% after completing all relevant missions in The Badlands on Xbox.

Fixed an issue with missing PT-BR VO for Xbox players in Americas.

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Cyberpunk 2077 launched just late Wednesday evening here in North America, perhaps coming in a little too hot as numerous players lamented the number of significant bugs and graphical issues present throughout the game. Console players particularly got the short end of the stick, with base PS4 and Xbox One users experiencing significant graphical downgrades compared to the PC version.

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Check out the latest episode of IGN Now to hear our thoughts on how CD Projekt Red missed the mark with its last-gen failure.

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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/netrunner for IGN.

Game of Thrones Prequel Casts Doctor Who, Ready Player One Stars

HBO has reportedly cast Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, and Matt Smith for its upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.

The three are set to star in the show with Greg Yaitanes (Banshee), Clare Kilner (Snowpiercer), and Geeta Patel (Netflix’s The Witcher) tapped to direct episodes of the series set 300 years before Game of Thrones, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series will tell the story of House Targaryen, which is the house of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones.

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Smith, who is perhaps best known for his time as the eleventh doctor on Doctor Who, will star in House of the Dragon as Prince Daemon Targaryen, who is the “younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne,” according to HBO. He’s a “peerless warrior and a dragonrider” that “possesses the true blood of the dragon.”

Cooke, who played Samantha in 2018’s Ready Player One, has been cast to play Alicent Hightower, who HBO describes as “the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms.” Hightower was “raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle” and she “possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.”

D’Arcy, who played Naomi Richards in the TV series Wanderlust, will portray Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is “the king’s first-born child” and “of pure Valyrian blood,” according to HBO. Like her uncle Daemon, she is also a dragonrider and HBO says she was “born with everything” except being “born a man.”

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This is the latest casting news for House of the Dragon after it was reported back in October that Paddy Considine will play King Viserys Targaryen. House of the Dragon is expected to premiere in 2022.

Check out some art of the dragons from the show and then read up on everything you need to know about this Game of Thrones Targaryen prequel series.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Cyberpunk 2077 Pre-Order Sales Have Already Covered Entire Development and Marketing Cost

Cyberpunk 2077 has been out for less than a week, but developer CD Projekt says it has already recouped its total development cost and marketing and promotional cost.

In a short report to investors, the Management Board of CD Projekt says that the “estimated licensing royalties receivable by the Company in association with pre-order sales of Cyberpunk 2077 across all of its digital distribution channels have exceeded the sum,” of both the game’s development cost and marketing expense.

This means that Cyberpunk 2077 is already profitable thanks to both pre-order sales across PS4, PS5, Xbox One/S/X, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia, and PC. The profits are also bolstered by estimated licensing royalties the company expects to be owed.

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Cyberpunk 2077 was announced way back in May 2012 and pre-production began after the development of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Blood and Wine expansion in 2016. So depending on how CD Projekt defines the development time for Cyberpunk, the pre-orders and royalties have already covered anywhere from eight to four years of development.

Similarly, CD Projekt towards the end of its development promoted Cyberpunk 2077 heavily with ads, physical events at conferences like E3, and more, but those costs including the marketing costs for the remainder of the year have also already been eclipsed by the profits.

The news comes just as CD Projekt stock dropped by 29% following the launch and news that the performance of the title is underwhelming on consoles, particularly last-gen systems like the PS4 and Xbox One.

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Though that didn’t stop CD Projekt from already selling 8 million copies of Cyberpunk 2077 before it was even released.

For more on Cyberpunk 2077, check out IGN’s full Cyberpunk 2077 guide and Night City map.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Pokemon Go Adding Galarian Mr. Mime In New Event Next Week

Another Galarian Pokemon is making its debut in Pokemon Go very soon. Galarian Mr. Mime and its evolution, Mr. Rime, will arrive in the mobile game next weekend as part of a Special Research story event–but you’ll need to have a ticket to participate in it.

The event kicks off on December 19 at 10 AM local time and runs until 8 PM local time the following day, while tickets run for $8 USD. Those who do purchase a ticket will get access to an exclusive Special Research questline that will lead to encounters with a handful of Ice and sound-based Pokemon including Alolan Vulpix, Jigglypuff, Jynx, Snorunt, and the aforementioned Galarian Mr. Mime. Niantic also says you’ll be able to earn enough Mr. Mime Candy through the questline to evolve it into Mr. Rime.

Even if you don’t purchase a ticket, you’ll still get more chances to catch certain Pokemon that weekend. From December 18-21, a handful of Ice and “melodious” Pokemon like Jynx, Swinub, Spoink, Woobat, and Cubchoo will be attracted more frequently to Incense, and the Incense itself will last for three hours. You’ll also have your first chance to encounter Shiny Cubchoo that weekend. You can read more about the event on the Pokemon Go website.

In the meantime, Niantic is hosting a two-day Community Day weekend event on December 12 and 13. Throughout the event, all of the featured Pokemon from this year’s previous Community Days will reappear in the wild, and you’ll be able to encounter 2019 featured Pokemon in Raids and hatch them from 2 km eggs.

Niantic has a few other December events lined up beyond that. Shiny Celebi is making its debut in the game starting December 14, while the Legendary Pokemon Kyurem is appearing in five-star Raids again all month long. There’s also a new batch of Field Research tasks this month.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Mario Gets His Own Manga, And Mama Mia, It Is Bizarre

Super Mario-kun by Yukio Sawada is a long-running manga series which began in Japan in 1991. Running for over 50 volumes, with the latest hitting shelves back in October, the zany series has taken the plumber and his pals on a crazy journey throughout the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. However, getting your hands on localized versions of those stories was near impossible, until now.

Viz Media released Super Mario Mania on December 8, which is a collection of hand-picked stories by Sawada from the Super Mario-kun manga. Take a look below at some of the interior pages for the book.

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Obviously, the manga leans heavily into comedy, absurdism, and zany antics. But what else would you expect? It’s a story about a plumber and his brother in a magical kingdom where turtle-people are trying to kidnap royalty. The last time someone tried to go the serious route with that, we had the Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo Mario Bros. movie.

Super Mario Manga Mania features ten stories, and two bonus short stories, coming in at over 160 pages. While the retail price for the book is $10, it’s currently on sale at Walmart and Amazon for $9 during the holidays.

The Super Mario Manga Mania collection is available at various retailers, and if you’re looking for more from the worlds of manga and anime, check out our Anime Gift Guide. Mario is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and Tetris 99 is honoring the plumber with a Mario All Stars event. If you can score enough points during the Maximus Cup, which is happening now, you can unlock a Super Mario All Stars theme for the game.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.