As was hinted at yesterday, Deathloop is indeed amazing and I’ve still got you covered for all the best deals on a launch day purchase. I’d also like to personally recommend the whopping 46% off deal that’s happening for Mass Effect Legendary Edition on consoles. Last but not least, fighting game fans should be aware of quite the fisticuffs sale on Xbox. All those deals and more await you below!
Hideo Kojima is imagining a game that you and you alone would experience, kind of. In an interview with Japanese magazine An-An (via Siliconera), Kojima talked about his latest goal in game development: making games that “change in real-time.”
“I want to create a game that changes in real-time,” Kojima told the magazine. “Even though there are people of different ages and trades playing the same game, they are playing it in the same way.” To Kojima, the mind behind the sole entry in the “Strand-type” genre, Death Stranding, games should be experienced differently by each person playing. Arguably, that already happens since we, as humans, all experience and process media in our own unique way. However, Kojima wants that process to extend to games themselves.
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Death Stranding Director’s Cut – Official Final Trailer
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Continuing, the developer said he wants “the game to change based one where that person lives, and that person’s unique perspective.” Kojima’s idea here sounds extremely out-of-this-world, but considering its source, this is standard fare. Kojima’s games have often made use of new, inventive mechanics, including Death Stranding’s take on asynchronous co-op. In that game, players could interact with each other by building structures throughout the game’s world or by leaving equipment behind for others to stumble upon.
While Kojima’s constantly-changing, extremely personalized dream game is likely far from becoming reality, Death Stranding is getting a new lease on life thanks to a Director’s Cut version releasing on the PS5. According to a new trailer, Death Stranding Director’s Cut will include new songs and “blood urine” when it launches for PS5 on September 24.
WandaVision won three Creative Arts Emmys during the weekend of September 11: Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics–Agatha All Along, Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes–Filmed Before A Live Studio Audience, and Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-hour).
Composed by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Agatha All Along played in Episode 4, “Breaking The Fourth Wall,” and introduced Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) as the villain responsible for a bunch of bad deeds in the show–including killing Sparky the dog.
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Now Playing: Vision’s Comic Book Origins Explained | WandaVision
When Agatha All Along was released, it was warmly received and reached the top of the iTunes charts. Speaking to the New York Times, Anderson-Lopez stated, “[Agatha All Along has] an ‘Addams Family’ twist with an electric harpsichord. It’s super-duper cool and feels like something you’d find in a haunted house.”
Agatha All Along’s competition in the Original Music and Lyrics category included Bo Burnham: Inside’s Comedy, The Boys’ Never Truly Vanish, The Queen’s Gambit’s I Can’t Remember Love, Soundtrack of Our Lives’ The End Titles, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Birthday.
The Emmys aren’t quite over. The Primetime Emmy Awards–the one most people tune in for–takes place the weekend of September 25. WandaVision was nominated for 23 Emmys in total, including Outstanding Limited Series. Both leads–Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany–got nods as well, and are up for awards in Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series. Kathryn Hahn was also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series.
Following a successful reveal of Project Eve at Sony’s latest PlayStation Showcase, Shift Up CEO Hyung-Tae Kim bought a little present for each of the game’s 260 developers–a PlayStation 5.
According to Daniel Ahmad (via Twitter), Swift Up’s CEO chose the PS5s as a gift so that the game’s creators could all play Project Eve when it eventually releases. It’s unclear exactly how Swift Up’s CEO acquired so many of the still hard to find consoles, but given Project Eve’s role in the recent PlayStation Showcase, Ahmad says it probably wouldn’t have been too hard to secure so many units.
Despite each of the game’s developers receiving a PS5 to play the game on, Project Eve was announced as a multiplatform title back in 2019, and slated to release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Whether or not the title is now a PS5 exclusive is unclear, but Project Eve will take advantage of the PS5 DualSense controller’s haptic feedback according to an official PlayStation Blog post, though Swift Up hasn’t revealed specific details on that front.
Project Eve made an action-packed splash at Sony’s most recent PlayStation Showcase with a new gameplay trailer, showing the game to be a stylish, futuristic action title. Players will take on the role of Eve, a warrior facing mysterious creatures on a destroyed Earth. Eve can parry enemy attacks and dish out combo attacks, and will grow stronger over the course of the game as she acquires new skills, items, and costumes that will change her look.
Project Eve does not currently have a release date.
The voice actor who plays Bayonetta in the Platinum Games series has commented on her future with the series, and it has fans worried that she’s not coming back for Bayonetta 3.
After a fan on Twitter said they couldn’t imagine Bayonetta with a different actor, Hellena Taylor replied, “Well you might have to.” Asked to clarify what she meant, Taylor responded, “I’m not at liberty to say.”
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In another tweet in response to the speculation that Taylor isn’t returning for Bayonetta 3, she replied, “I so wanna answer that one but I’m bound by confidentiality agreement.”
Presumably due to that agreement, Taylor said in yet another tweet that, “I’m not saying anything” one way or the other about her involvement or lack thereof in the next game.
Former PlatinumGames developer JP Kellams said he would be outraged if Taylor does not return to voice Bayonetta again in Bayonetta 3.
Now this is the best tweet of the night. I love this man. He is so talented and such a lovely person. It was such a joy to work with him.
Bayonetta 3 was announced in 2017 for Nintendo Switch but very little information about the game has come to light since then. Just recently, director Hideki Kamiya and Atsuhi Inaba from Platinum Games said they are eager to show more and fans needn’t worry about the game. Nintendo, which is publishing the title, gets to make the call about when to show more of it.
At E3 2021, Nintendo said development on the game is “progressing well,” but it was still too soon to actually show more of it.
“We like to show things when we’re ready to show them,” Nintendo’s Bill Trinen said at the time. “And certainly we like to show things when the developers are ready to show them.”
You’re rapidly approaching the end of Psychonauts 2 when you get to Lucretia’s Lament, delving into the secrets of the Psychonauts. But there are still plenty of collectibles to find, even if this is one of the smaller levels in the game. Here’s where to find everything you need to keep maxing out your Intern rank and powering up all your psychic abilities.
Emotional Baggage: Duffel Bag, Suitcase, Hat Box, Steamer Trunk
Figments: 106
The quilting-themed world of Lucretia’s Lament is one of the smaller, more straightforward levels in Psychonauts 2, but make sure you thoroughly check the flea circus area before moving on.
Nugget of Wisdom: When you first arrive in Lucretia’s Lament, you’ll find yourself in a flea circus version of the Aquato family act. Look for ladders and climb up to the highest platform you can reach, near the carousel section, then cross the tightrope to reach the Nugget.
Memory Vault: Down on the ground, look for a red jar that’s being used as part of the stage area. In the corner behind it lies the Memory Vault. It’s to the right of the stands, which have a few bug figments making up the audience.
Suitcase Tag: Complete each of the circus acts in the flea circus portion and you’ll be sent up to the high dive for one last maneuver. When you get there, look over to the right and jump over to a big piece of metal holding up portions of the stage. Run to the far end to find the Suitcase Tag near the edge.
Steamer Trunk Tag: Once you enter the quilted area of Lucretia’s Lament, you’ll use a bridge to cross a stream. Immediately turn right to find the Steamer Trunk Tag just sitting near the fence.
Memory Vault: Around this same area is a Memory Vault, hidden among the trees not far from the Steamer Trunk Tag.
Nugget of Wisdom: Look up for your second Nugget of Wisdom, which is also located near the bridge you crossed. This one is up on top of a thread spindle, and you’ll have to carefully climb up on some objects to get high enough to reach it.
Hat Box Tag: Follow the path and you’ll come to a portal you can move through that will take you to another portion of the level, marked by a drawing of Nona and Raz’s father as a boy. Instead of going through, check around behind it for the Hat Box Tag.
Purse Tag: Continue on and you’ll pass through two more portals. When you come through the third one into the Quilt Forest, which looks like a throw pillow, head around behind the exit side to find the Purse Tag.
Duffle Bag Tag: In the Quilt Forest, not long after you arrive, look for a black button on the ground. Use Telekinesis to pull on the button to create a portal that will take you to the Duffle Bag Tag.
Nugget of Wisdom: In the same area, the Quilt Forest, keep going until you find another black button. Repeat the process with Telekinesis of grabbing it, and the new portal will carry you to where the Nugget of Wisdom is hidden.
Emotional Baggage: Eventually, you’ll hit a dead end with a huge dam, a bunch of chains, and some luggage holding back the water. Here, you’ll find all the level’s Emotional Baggage in the same place. As you can see, Lucretia has a lot of it.
There’s no question that you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to PC gaming hardware, making it more of a decision as to what your setup requires rather than available power when deciding between a dedicated gaming desktop or gaming laptop. Most of the crucial questions you need to ask yourself haven’t changed over the years, but what has is your options; there are far more gaming laptops of different types today than there ever has been, complicating the decision slightly if you find yourself in the middle. We’ve compared gaming desktops vs. gaming laptops below: Here’s what to consider when shopping for either, and what options might be the best for your use case and budget.
There are three main factors to consider when comparing both gaming laptops and desktops: overall performance, portability, and price. These are where you’ll find the biggest differences, often with concessions in one impacting the other two in considerable ways. For the most part, desktop gaming PCs are more powerful and cheaper than identically setup laptops, with portability factoring into the discrepancy heavily. That doesn’t mean that the decision is as clear cut as that, and you’ll see how many top-tier gaming laptops deliver some of the best gaming performances out there while being stellar workstations that you can pop into a backpack without breaking your back.
Portability
Razer Blade 15
This is the easiest factor to help you decide between a desktop and a laptop: do you need to carry it around? Sure, there are ways to make desktop PCs incredibly small, especially with the popularity recently of the mini-ITX chassis and boutique micro-builds. Despite that, carrying around a mini-ITX PC is still far, far harder than just throwing a gaming laptop into a backpack, even when you’re looking at the chunkiest ones out there.
Better still is the fact that most gaming laptops have, in fact, become a lot lighter and thinner. You only need to look at options like Razer’s Blade Advanced 15 or Blade 17 Pro to get a MacBook-like experience with the raw performance needed to run some of the latest AAA titles. That makes it a perfect option if you absolutely need to have that sort of gaming capability with the advantages of being able to easily take it on a plane or one a long road trip. Better still if you plan to do gaming at several different desks, which might save you from needing multiple desktops at each station.
Winner: Gaming laptop
Performance
Maingear Vybe
Gaming laptops have come a long way in recent years in terms of narrowing the performance gap between themselves and gaming desktops. Make no mistake, a gaming laptop will still not outperform a similarly configured desktop, but the number of options available now, including some laptops offering desktop-grade hardware, is far better. It’s so similar that Nvidia has branded its mobile GPUs with the same model numbers as its range on desktop, something which used to be entirely separate not even just five years ago.
With that comes some unfortunate confusion, however. Especially with Nvidia, the model numbers are often misleading, with a mobile RTX 3080 and a desktop RTX 3080 varying wildly in terms of performance between each other. Worse still is the fact that Nvidia doesn’t enforce the power delivery to its GPUs in laptops, meaning manufacturers can all use the same mobile RTX 3080, for example, but deliver different levels of performance based on the power they give to the chip. Nvidia has forced laptop manufacturers to disclose this information now on specification sheets, but it’s still so in the weeds that it’s very easy for most to assume that any laptop with a specific GPU performs to a specific level.
AMD doesn’t suffer this same issue currently with its latest mobile GPUs, but the performance gap between them and desktop GPUs remains. That’s just an inescapable fact of shoving powerful hardware into a mobile chassis–cooling and power delivery will never match desktop setups, and thus performance will likely always lag a little bit. That said, there are some ways to mitigate these issues, many of which come down to your selected laptop display resolution and frame rate. You don’t need a 4K panel on a 15-inch laptop, for example, and forcing your hardware to try and drive that will only disappoint you.
You could also invest in external GPU enclosures, which deliver more graphical horsepower over Thunderbolt ports on Intel-based gaming laptops. Outside of being confined to Intel laptops, which aren’t the cream of the crop with the current AMD offerings, you’re also required to invest in an additional desktop GPU and enclosure for performance that is ultimately compromised by the bandwidth of Thunderbolt. That means you’re paying more for less performance than if that card was in a dedicated desktop, meaning you must have some serious portability requirements to justify it.
Winner: Gaming desktop
Price
There’s no question that powerful gaming hardware is expensive, especially during these times where the microprocessor shortage is resulting in demand that greatly outstrips supply. Desktop GPUs aren’t selling for their recommended MSRPs, forcing more and more people to seek out pricier pre-built options (such as those from companies like Maingear, NZXT, Corsair, Origin, and more) just to get hardware that they want. This does make the question of price between a gaming desktop and a gaming laptop one with an answer that’s constantly in flux, but there is one persistent constant: gaming laptops will always be more expensive for worse performance, especially if you build your own desktop.
This shouldn’t be that surprising–gaming laptops are more than just the gaming performance they provide. You’re getting a complete package that requires more compact, more expensive components, with loads of research and development costs behind them. So, if you’re planning to go with a gaming laptop, you’re going to have to accept that you are paying more for performance that can be had much cheaper on a desktop. That’s the price of portability, so to speak. That said, gaming laptops are also all-in-one solutions, whereas when you buy a desktop you often need to purchase a separate monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Winner: Gaming desktop
Upgradability
That doesn’t mean gaming desktops are cheap, but they do offer one aspect that is also a little more challenging to find in many gaming laptops: upgradability. When a component in your desktops starts becoming a performance bottleneck, or just stops working entirely, it’s relatively straightforward to just replace it without needing to replace everything else inside.
That’s not the case with a gaming laptop, especially thinner ones where all the components are soldered onto the main board. Many don’t even allow you to add more RAM modules or additional SSDs once you’ve made your purchase. That isn’t to say all are like that. Some gaming laptops, such as the Lenovo Legion 5i lets you install additional RAM or replace what is there entirely, while the Alienware Area-51M gives you multiple M.2 slots for additional SSD space down the road.
Winner: Gaming desktop
What Should You Look For?
With all of this in mind, you might be wondering what key features you should be looking out for in both a gaming desktop and laptop in 2021. This can be a broad enough topic that warrants its own guide, there are some specifications that just shouldn’t be skimped on anymore. If you’re buying a new system or building one from scratch, here’s some checkboxes you should really tick:
Gaming Desktop
At least 16GB of DDR4 RAM, rated at ideally 3200MHz or higher
A relatively modern CPU with good single core performance for games. This can be anything from AMD’s Ryzen 3000 (starting at the Ryzen 3600) or 5000 series (starting at the Ryzen 5600X) or Intel’s 10th and 11th generation desktop chips (ideally a quad-core Core i5 and higher).
A motherboard that can support your choice of CPU, ideally with heatsinks for the VRMs on the board. There are loads of overpriced motherboards, so don’t blow your budget here.
Graphics card choices are entirely dependent on your expected performance and what types of games you’re playing, but we wouldn’t suggest anything older than Nvidia’s GTX 10 series. Ideally, you’ll want something from the RTX 20 or 30 series, or some of the latest RDNA 2 GPUs from AMD such as the RX 6600 XT or RX 6700 XT for the best entry points.
You should stay away from a GPU with less than 6GB of VRAM if you’re expecting to play modern titles for the foreseeable future.
A power supply with an 80 Plus Gold rating for reliability and efficiency, and at least 500W or higher depending on your component choices.
A well-ventilated chassis with a straight-forward build experience. Brands like Corsair, Fractal Design, Lian Li, Phanteks, and Cooler Master are great choices here, with a variety of options at many price points. Focus on performance first, RGB last if you want the best bang for your buck.
Gaming Laptop
At least 16GB of RAM, like desktop systems
A modern CPU from either Intel’s 11th-generation of chips or AMD’s Ryzen 4000 or 5000 Mobile series.
A dedicated GPU from Nvidia’s latest RTX range, including the RTX 20 or 30 series.
It’s important too to make sure that your GPU is supplied with enough power. The more powerful Max-P versions will likely ship with a power supply of 280W or more, while less powerful Max-Q versions will ship with 230W power supplies typically.
Although tempting, it’s advisable to stay away from 4K gaming laptops as it will needlessly stress your hardware and battery. Higher refresh rate displays and 1440p options are better choices.
Ensure that the laptop balances a slim design with effective cooling to prevent your hardware from thermal throttling.
FIFA 22 ratings are here, and so are the fervent undervalued/overvalued debates from passionate fans. Typically, the FIFA ratings roll out in a slow build, and the top-ranked players are released at the end. But this year, EA Sports chose to immediately release the stats and names of the top 22 players.
Lionel Messi is still ranked number one, retaining his top streak from FIFA 21 and FIFA 20. Trailing behind him, Robert Lewandowski takes second place and Cristiano Ronaldo comes in third. The only difference in the top three from FIFA 21 is that Lewandowski and Ronaldo switched places in FIFA 22; Ronaldo was in second place last year instead of Lewandowski.
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Now Playing: FIFA 22 – Official Career Mode Trailer
There’s a lot of shifts within the roster, so just focusing on impressive ranking improvement in the top ten: PSG’s Kylian Mbappé went from rank eight from last year to rank five this year. Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane went from rank 21 to eight. Chelsea’s N’Golo Kanté rose from rank 26 to nine.
You may be wondering: How are FIFA ratings decided? It all lies in the hands of a team led by Michael Mueller-Moehring–the guy in charge of collecting and verifying EA Sport’s soccer data. According to an interview Mueller-Moehring gave to ESPN, 9,000 data reviewers–including coaches and scouts–get together and decide on ratings for players. Most individuals in that group are season ticket holders that can watch a lot of matches in person.
It’s less reliant on big data than you think, Mueller-Moehring points out, which makes sense–there are intangible qualities like intelligence and resilience in EA’s FIFA game that can’t really be defined by any metric. Data Reviewers usually estimate those two stats by the “player’s aggression or…by the style of play on the pitch.”
Darkest Dungeon 2 will be available in early access on the Epic Games Store on October 26. Announced by developer Red Hook on Twitter, the sequel to gothic horror turn-based strategy game will be available in early access on PC via the Epic Games Store.
While Darkest Dungeon 2 has a store page on the Epic Games Store, a price has not yet been announced. The teaser shows off a number of character classes that were present in the original game and implies that the evil from the Darkest Dungeon in the first game has spread out into the world.
As reported by Game Informer, Darkest Dungeon 2 looks to abandon the town building elements of the original, instead sending players’ parties on a doomed caravan ride through various biomes. The game will instead be similar to a rougelite, having players earn the currency of Hope, which can be used in between runs to purchase upgrades for the caravan to make it a bit further. Players will navigate across a massive map, forced to make hard choices between where to travel next. Permadeath also returns, but instead of returning to the Hamlet like in the original, in Darkest Dungeon 2 players will have to pick up a new adventurer at a local inn.
Darkest Dungeon 2 is currently only announced for PC via the Epic Games Store. Darkest Dungeon is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, Mobile, and PC, for anyone interested in checking the original out before diving into Darkest Dungeon 2.
Developer Red Hook Studios has revealed that Darkest Dungeon II will enter Early Access on the Epic Games Store next month. The studio announced the news today on Twitter, stating that the game will be playable via the Epic Games Store on PC starting on October 26.
Darkest Dungeon II (Early Access) is coming to @EpicGames on October 26th, 2021!
Red Hook also revealed that the first game’s combat system will return, but that it would be “tuned-up” for the sequel. The developers said the sequel will employ a very different metagame structure, but opted not to reveal more about what that means. It seems players will get the chance to discover that very different metagame structure first hand in a little over a month.
When the sequel was first announced, Red Hook said the team working on the game consisted of 14 people but that growing to 20 people was anticipated.
“We love our dysfunctional cast of characters, our atmosphere and our world,” Red Hook’s Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa told PCGamer when the game was announced. “Horror is a fantastic space to explore interesting and unconventional ideas, and we have a lot more story we want to tell. Mechanically, we also think we have some valuable nuggets and there is more there that we’d like to explore and build on. Above all, we are committed to crafting Darkest Dungeon II to be its own experience; it will have its own creative and thematic identity.”
You can check out that creative and thematic identity on PC on October 26 when Darkest Dungeon II enters Early Access on the Epic Games Store. In the meantime, watch the Darkest Dungeon II announcement teaser and then read our thoughts on the first game in IGN’s Darkest Dungeon review.
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.
