Marvel’s Avengers To Finally Include PlayStation Exclusive Spider-Man DLC Later This Month

Among many of the complaints aimed at Marvel’s Avengers since its inception, one thing that many users were confused about is its plans for the Spider-Man add-on planned. Of course, there is an understanding as to why it is exclusive to PlayStation: Sony holds the publishing rights to the character and marketing rights for Marvel’s Avengers too, But, why proceed with unique content when a portion of your player base cannot even play it which you likely need playing? Part of the post-launch campaign, Crystal Dynamics announced that the Spider-Man expansion for Marvel’s Avengers is scheduled to arrive later in 2021. However, as spring came about, the team went on to share that the DLC will not be arriving until this summer. Despite the pushed promise, we are well fitted into the fall season and there is still no sign of the add-on. On Thursday, Crystal Dynamics revealed that the long-awaited Spider-Man Expansion is planned to arrive this month at the end of November. “The iconic web slinger Spider-Man will come exclusively to PlayStation players in the November 30 update along with the Spider-Man: With Great Power Hero Event! You’ll experience Spider-Man’s story through unlockable challenges woven throughout the Avengers Initiative,” the team writes in summary of the coming update for Marvel’s Avengers featuring Spider-Man. “Peter Parker uncovers AIM’s new plan to acquire technology that could make their Synthoid army unstoppable and total domination inevitable. He must partner with the Avengers to stop this looming threat, and forms a tentative friendship with Ms. Marvel and Black Widow while keeping his identity hidden. As a Hero accustomed to working solo, he struggles with the new dynamics of working with a team. Will he join up full time with the Avengers, or stay independent in his fight against AIM?” This week, Square Enix revealed its opinion on the decision for Crystal Dynamics to developer Marvel’s Avengers. In that, CEO Yosuke Matsuda expresses his disappointment for the release and pins the developer to be unsuited for the project ultimately. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you planning to try out Marvel’s Avengers when the Spider-Man add-on arrives? Marvel’s Avengers ships to Xbox Game Pass on September 30, 2021; out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Stadia. Source: Crystal Dynamics

Report: Square Enix CEO Comments Crystal Dynamics Not Suited For Marvels Avengers Based Off Game’s Performance In Recent Earnings Call

Although the titular Marvel juggernaut film series holds very high in regards to the cult status among fans, the same cannot be said for the video game Marvel’s Avengers. Even before the game was released, many criticized the status of the title with its pacing of the original prologue at the start of the game. But following its launch, excited players learned that the formula is not what they would anticipated alike when going to watch one of the movies. So much so that there was a reported $63 million loss on behalf of Square Enix following the release of the game last September. Even more, portions of the game is only unique to one platform: the Spider-Man DLC However, matters became even worse when learning that the promised content for PlayStation users is being delayed even more. And while the addition to Xbox Game Pass might put a band-aid for all hope lost for the game, Square Enix says to be certain of the failure of the property now. So much so that CEO Yosuke Matsuda shares Crystal Dynamics was not suited for the project in the recent earnings call – transcribed by Video Game Chronicles. Marvel’s Avengers was an ambitious title for us in that we took on the GaaS (Games as a Service) model. We overcame a variety of unexpected difficulties in the final phase of the game’s development, including needing to transition to work-from-home due to the pandemic. We were able to surmount these challenges and release the game, but it has unfortunately not proven as successful as we would have liked. Nonetheless, taking on the GaaS model highlighted issues that we are likely to face in future game development efforts such as the need to select game designs that mesh with the unique attributes and tastes of our studios and development teams. While the new challenge that we tackled with this title produced a disappointing outcome, we are certain that the GaaS approach will grow in importance as gaming becomes more service oriented. How we go about creating new experiences by incorporating this trend into our game design is a key question that we will need to answer going forward The outlet goes on to note Matsuda’s statement on Crystal Dynamics prior to the game’s release to be more than qualified for the task at hand. “Crystal has always been a company that’s made games in the action-adventure space.In that sense, I thought that it would be good fit in terms of making a game with Marvel using the Avengers, which would naturally be an action-based game,” he told GamesBeat then. Despite the current opinion on Crystal Dynamics, Microsoft believes to say otherwise about the developer. For also being a notable team that conjured the rebooted Tomb Raider series, Xbox Game Studios recruited the team to work on The Initiative’s Perfect Dark project. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you surprised that Square Enix disavows Crystal Dynamics’ performance for Marvel’s Avengers? Marvel’s Avengers ships to Xbox Game Pass on September 30, 2021; out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Stadia. Source: Video Game Chronicles

Nintendo Switch Lifetime Sales Now Exceeds 93 Million Units In Latest Financial Report

For the record, the Nintendo Switch is one of the most impressive pieces of tech to enter the video game industry. Despite powerhouses such as the Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation 5 appear to be conquering the marketplace, Nintendo has already capitalized on nearly 100 million units in roughly five years of the hardware releasing. However, the PlayStation 5 did recently dethrone the handheld hybrid console of its 33 consecutive weeks as the top-selling SKU. Previously, the Nintendo Switch earlier in May reported to sell beyond 84 million units then. The significance of that is the hardware outperformed lifetime sales of the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Game Boy Advanced at the time. Later in the summer Nintendo recorded 89 million units sold which topples the Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3 lifetime sales too. Now this week, the latest financial report discloses the Nintendo Switch on its way to outperform the Nintendo Wii at 92.87 million units sold ahead of the holiday season. Nintendo also updated its top ten best-selling release which you can read the full list below: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 38.74 Million Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 34.85 Million Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 25.71 Million The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 24.13 Million Pokémon Sword/Pokémon Shield – 22.64 Million Super Mario Odyssey – 21.95 Million Super Mario Party – 16.48 Million Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!/Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! – 13.83 Million Splatoon 2 – 12.68 Million Ring Fit Adventure – 12.21 Million In terms of Nintendo diversifying the Nintendo Switch lineup, the Nintendo Switch OLED Model is available now. NPD Group in regards to the platform losing its consecutive record to PlayStation 5 blames the new iteration to be the reason for PlayStation 5 overtaking. Additionally, Nintendo recently addressed that there are no current plans for a 4K-enabled model despite reports saying otherwise. This week, the PlayStation 5 devastated a previous Nintendo platform in lifetime sales. In that, the PlayStation 5 inches over 13 million bordering the number of sales obtained by the Wii U in just under a year. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested in the results from this recent financial report? Source: Nintendo, (1)

Forza Horizon 5 Features Horns From Other Xbox-owned Properties Like Banjo-Kazooie & Halo, Dolby Vision Support Confirmed

As many can gather from the chatter on the internet, Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5 is shaping up to be a definitive experience that many players were awaiting to hear for the newest consoles on store shelves (if you can get one). Despite the game also offering an Xbox One version as well at launch, the developer returns with a truly impressive sequel that many are growing excited with the number of glowing reviews online. “Playground Games must have felt a certain kind of way about the situation, because the already excellent Forza Horizon 4 has been obliterated with Forza Horizon 5,” our critic David Rodriguez wrote in his review for the game. Concluding with stating that “Forza Horizon 5 is the best game in the franchise, and it also might be the perfect arcade racing game,” and a 9.8/10 score. Leading up to the game’s release, Video Game Chronicles reports that the new release is to also feature some niché additions to the game’s customization. Namely the car horns, Playground Games does not hesitate to feature namely IPs with this opportunity. You can read the full list below: Banjo-Kazooie – Spiral Mountain (part 1) Banjo-Kazooie – Spiral Mountain (part 2) Battletoads Doom – E1M1 (high part) Doom – E1M1 (low part) Halo Killer Instinct Ori and the Blind Forest Sea of Thieves The Outer Worlds As for preparation for the launch of Forza Horizon 5, there is also another appreciated addition that will be provided day one: Dolby Vision. Already officially supported on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox insider Program Lead Brad Rosetti makes the announcement. “Xbox Users we have enabled Dolby Vision for Gaming for Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 4 – A console reboot may be required to grab the new setting!’ Already, Playground Games presses on the file size for the game on respected hardware. In that, 100 GB is the rough minimum on console. Xbox One remains the highest at 116 GB whilst Xbox Series X|S is at 103 GB. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you planning to see these features in the act when Forza Horizon 5 launches? Forza Horizon 5 ships on November 9, 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Source: Video Game Chronicles

Latest Sony Financial Report Reveals PlayStation 5 Sales Close To Overtake Wii U Lifetime Record In First Year At 13.3 Million

No question about it, the PlayStation 5 continues to push beyond expectations in terms of demand for the latest iteration on the market. From NPD Group this past April, the PlayStation 5 was regarded as the fastest-selling console in United States history. The record was previously held by its older sibling system, the PlayStation 4. More interesting is that the newer hardware also breaks other records in comparison to its predecessor. In that, the PlayStation 5 overtook the number of sales in its first fiscal year in April as well. More notably, the new hardware continues to shatter expectations despite component shortages still plaguing the industry. In August, it was reported by corporate Sony that the PlayStation 5 outsold the PlayStation 4 by a couple million for that quarter. Now this week, Sony returns with its latest financial report to disclose the continuous success of the PlayStation 5. This time, it is revealed that the hardware is now officially at the 13 million mark for its lifetime sales: 13.3 million to be more accurate. The document counts 3.3 million sold from previously recorded 10 million this summer. You can view the image in the photograph below: More notably is that the PlayStation 5 is virtually on the path to outperforming the Nintendo Wii U in its respected lifetime sales in one calendar year. At the moment via VGChartz, the Wii U sold approximately 13.97 million units in contrast to the 13.3 million roughly for PlayStation 5. However, the database as of this Thursday counts the PlayStation 5 to already sell beyond Sony’s count with a higher 13.60 currently. This is not the first time that a new device outperformed a SKU in record time. It was back in December 2019 that the Nintendo Switch was reported to outsell the Xbox One which was released three years before the Nintendo system. In that, Nintendo Switch sold 45.92 million units in contrast to the 42.25 for Xbox One. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you a current PlayStation 5 owner? Source: Sony

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance Launches Today

In the growing market of roguelike titles, many look in the direction of The Binding of Isaac from Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl. Released in 2011, the game swiftly grew a cult-following for its addictive gameplay and unique art style for what appears on the surface to be an innocent release. More specifically, it is a loose telling of the titular Biblical story, Binding of Isaac. Later on in 2014, Edmund McMillen partnered with publisher Nicalis to deliver The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth – essentially a re-release of the original game with improvements to the core visuals, new soundtrack, and enhanced refresh rate as well. Additionally, the series went on to feature a Magic the Gathering-like tabletop experience, The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls. This month, Nicalis and Edmund McMillen return with more for The Binding of Isaac. As for the current The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, a new add-on arrives on Thursday for the 2014 title. In that, The Binding of Isaac: Repentance which is a compilation of the original experience including all of its added content plus more. “The Binding of Isaac: Repentance is the ultimate edition of the genre-defining roguelike, with so many additions and improvements that it feels like a brand new game. Experience Isaac’s adventures with new twists, terrifying turns and OVER 500 HOURS of new gameplay!” the official listing reads for the game on Nicalis’ website. “Repentance takes Isaac to new depths of roguelike dungeon adventure, as the brave boy descends into the basement for his greatest challenge yet! Isaac’s new quest includes unknown places he’s never been, filled with horrible new enemies and bosses, weapon combos you’ve never synergized before and items he’s never seen… unholy terrors from his wildest dreams and worst nightmares!” The ultimate version for The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth includes more than 100+ achievements, 130 new items, 25 new bosses, 5,000 room designs, and alternative paths upon completion. A physical version of the game is also planned to ship for major consoles sometime next year in 2022. Are you interested in picking up The Binding of Isaac: Repentance? The Binding of Isaac: Repentance is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Source: Nicalis

Leak Reveals Dates For Handful Of PlayStation Exclusives Launching For PC

For the state of PlayStation and the entirety of the platform, a handful of its once unique titles are now being prepared to enter the PC realm very soon. In that, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and God of War are both being ported to the platform in early 2022, but, there is certainly more to be delivered later on as you might expect. Already, another unique property was leaked for PC. Via SteamDB, Sackboy A Big Adventure was listed recently, identifying that the support campaign for PC has yet to cease. But it does not end there. From a discovery by good-sighted users on Steam, they indicate that the publisher for these PlayStation PC games was renamed from PlayStation Mobile to PlayStation PC – a new banner for the initiative. From Twitter user @Cadreinth on Wednesday, a slew of NVIDIA GeForce Now titles was archived via a GitHub Gist thread revealing five games and its scheduled release dates. You can view the full list below: Recently, Sony Interactive Entertainment expressed its ambition to deliver its unique titles to more players outside of PlayStation. To gamesindustry.biz, President & CEO Jim Ryan told “I’d like to see a world where the games that we make at PlayStation can be enjoyed by many, many tens of millions of people.” Of course, PC is just one avenue for this new pursuit. Elsewhere related to the PlayStation firm, Sony Interactive Entertainment is preparing a new initiative for its mobile game division. As evidence for that, the firm welcomed former Apple Arcade lead  Nicolas Sebastiani to its new mobile gaming sector. You can read the full report by heading here. What games would you like to see come to PC from Sony Interactive Entertainment?

Review: Path of Exile: Scourge Expansion

Hold fast exile, the demons are approaching!  The latest Path of Exile expansion, Scourge, is everything I have ever wanted from Grinding Gear Games (GGG): fast-paced and exciting content. This league introduces the Scourge, a rag-tag group of demons seeking to bring disruption to Wraeclast, but not the Wraeclast that you or I know. They come from a dark timeline where they have infiltrated every corner of our once (relatively) tranquil island. Path of Exile’s passive tree is certainly daunting to say the least. With over 500 passive skills available, the possibilities are endless. Scourge Leagues brings a refresh of the game’s passive tree allowing players to further customize their mob-smashing to extreme levels. With Scourge League, you can now allocate an extra passive node on clusters with Notable passives. From simple “You can Cast 2 additional Brands” to “Corrupted Blood cannot be Afflicted on you” the customizability and power available is endless. I personally took several QoL nobles for my build to reduce (or in some cases eliminate) the need for some flask mods and movement speed mods. If you are a seasoned player, you may have noticed some of your favorite passives have been moved or changed. For example, the famous Rectangle Of Health found between the Duelist and Marauder starting points has been updated to a circle and features one less health node but adds a notable upgrade. GGG has done a fabulous job with this League, from new base items and uniques, to a clan revamp and end-game rework. Notable changes include Clan Hideouts and a new Energy Blade base item that pairs with several active skill gems. New players will find a simplified, streamlined leveling process and seasoned adventurers will see a complete passive tree rework alongside a smooth end-game Sirius grind. One change I find very appealing is to the Clan system. Clan Leaders can now create a Clan Hideout, a full-sized hideout for your clan to gather, trade, and map together. This new lounge features the same Stash and Clan Stash boxes you know, along with a map device that can be used by all clan members! No more do you have to jump from hideout to hideout to run maps. You can now rotate seamlessly between Clan members for full up-time, monster-mashing fun! The League mechanic allows players to fight hundreds of demons and resurrected monsters in an alternate Wraeclast after meeting The Last To Die, Scourge League’s newest NPC. After escaping the clutches of the demon hordes he travelled to our timeline where he warns us of the dangers coming to our little slice of the world. Our new friend also opens our eyes to a new way of crafting through the Crucible. Place an item into the Crucible and syphon corruption from slain demons to charge your item, changing it unpredictably into a new corrupted item. Worried about bricking your hard crafted item? Worry not adventurer! There are now corrupted versions of your favorite crafting currencies. Chos, Jewelers, Fusings, and more allow you to alter your corrupted items without the need of a crafting bench or Vaal Orbs. This is a welcome change alongside a League that features only the best corrupted items. This is also the first League that allows players to turn the League mechanic off and on at will. After slaying a certain number of monsters you can turn on the Scourge and fight a plethora of monsters to gain corruption and level up your Crucible. This is huge for lower-level players that previously were scared to turn up the heat on their map crafting in a (again, relatively) safe way to effectively double the number of monsters available for that all-elusive Exalted Orb. With the long list of new items, features, and mechanics found in this League I can say confidently that if there was ever a time to start playing Path of Exile, this is the League! New players and battle-hardened veterans will find a refreshed game that feels much smoother and more current than recent Leagues have been. Stay sane, Exile! 

Apex Legends Expects To Welcome Mobile Version By Year’s End With Highest Player Count Yet & Nearly Doubling Its $1 Billion Gross Revenue, Earnings Report Shares

While Respawn Entertainment’s Apex Legends continues to thrive, so much so that the developer opened up a dedicated studio over in Vancouver, metrics for the game’s performance illustrates the hype that surrounds the 2019-released battle royale. With the launch of Season 9 – Legacy, player activity spiked to all-time highs. Additionally, the title officially grossed more than $1 billion in generated revenue. It wasn’t until the following financial report by Electronic Arts that the firm pressed the projected number of users swelled beyond 13 million concurrent players then. At that time Electronic Arts reassured its plans for a mobile release of the game would be met with a launch by the year’s end. However, it was uncertain if it was intended for the financial year or calendar year at the time. From Electronic Arts once more, the firm continues to celebrate the success of Apex Legends as it now tallies impressive numbers for the game. This time, Apex Legends Season 9 – Legacy & Season 10 – Emergence both contributed to record-high player activity on par to the likes of Season 1. Apex Legends continues to grow as one of the top franchises in the industry – a brand new IP that has scaled to more than 100 million players and is closing in on $1 billion in net bookings annually. Season 9 and Season 10 each respectively set new marks for the highest active players since Season 1, and Q2 was the biggest quarter of in-game spending in Apex that we’ve had to date. Wilson adds, “Apex is moving from strength to strength, and we will add to that when we bring Apex Legends to mobile platforms later this year.” As noted in his statement, user spending on virtual currency/items also breaks expectations. Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgenson remarks on the matter. “Apex Legends net bookings were up over 150% year on year. There was some benefit from having two collection events this quarter, but even so, the underlying growth rate is clearly extremely strong. Apex has delivered over $1.6 billion in net bookings life to date, and we’re well ahead of our expectations for the year.” For anticipated plans on the future of Apex Legends, support for the latest Xbox & PlayStation is still underway. The developer pressed that it is aiming to deliver a 120Hz mode for the game on newer hardware at a later date. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you surprised by the further success of Apex Legends? Source: Electronic Arts

Review: Forza Horizon 5

Developer – Playground Games Publisher – Xbox Game Studios Platforms – PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X Another year, another Forza, it could be so easy to grow weary and exhausted by the sheer amount of Forza titles that have hit the shelves in the past 10 years. One year, Turn 10 brings out a Forza Motorsports title that at its worst is usually very good. Then the next year another entry from Playground Games Forza Horizon series comes and takes us on another vacation with some of the world’s hottest cars. The consistency of the Forza series has always been impressive. The problem with always being so consistent, however, is each new game introduced can have a hard time truly separating itself from the rest. You always get the typical improvements and upgrades you expect from a sequel. Better graphics, more cars, some refinements to existing systems, and more along those lines. After the Forza series has taken a much-needed break, the power of next-gen has arrived. Playground Games must have felt a certain kind of way about the situation because the already excellent Forza Horizon 4 has been obliterated with Forza Horizon 5. Forza Horizon 5 takes us away from the rolling green hills of the U.K. and into the southern paradise of Mexico. Like every other Forza Horizon title, the love they give each game’s home country is on full display. The slang, the music, the culture, and the history are all front and center no matter where you look in Horizon 5. The U.K.-based team made sure to give Mexico the treatment such a historic location deserves. Now to really talk about what they changed about Forza Horizon 5 let’s talk about what they have kept. The absolutely stunning visuals have returned. The PC and Series versions perform incredibly right out of the gate. I have yet to encounter any technical issues with 5. On the Xbox Series X, they offer you a 4k, 30fps locked mode or a very welcome 60fps performance mode. Either mode is stunning. The same great physics system returns. With several improvements carried over from previous entries, the feel of every single car is handled to perfection. The tuning allows you to control how much simulation vs arcade feel you want to go for. The assists all return and haven’t changed much from previous iterations. The much-hyped seasonal approach to the open world is back with but adjusted. Each season in the game is truly unique, but seasons such as Fall and Winter obviously work differently in Mexico. Beyond the visual differences, each new season brings its own set of challenges and handling models to challenge everybody. New locations open up, and old ones fade away. Even races, events and barn finds will change, with some of those open-world events only appearing in a specific season. Audio, visuals, and controls all work seamlessly together to truly immerse you in the Horizon experience, just as well as they always have in the past. Now that we have got that out of the way, let’s talk about what’s new. Previous Horizon games, despite their excellence always had a couple of things truly keeping them from perfection, career progression, and online integration. Previously each Horizon title had you compete in various events strewn around the open world, in an effort to gather enough fans to expand the Horizon festival. Each time you upgraded a Festival site, another tier of events, open-world challenges, and showcase events would populate the surrounding area and then you rinse and repeat until you get to the end of the game and compete in the Horizon Championship race. The problem with that format was the progression didn’t feel satisfying. Gathering enough fans, and expanding Horizon sites felt inevitable, but never fun in the moment. The way the game never really forced you to try different vehicles or play-styles would eventually make progressing through the festival races more of a chore, than a fun task. They always had a ton of content, just never a clear direction for said content. Cross-country races, street races, speed traps, and bucket lists would all co-exist with no clear motivation for wanting to pursue any of these different styles outside of your own desire to perform that activity at a given time. On its own, the old method wasn’t broken, or even bad by any means. By Horizon 4 though, that formula was feeling stale, and it was something nagging at me the entire time I spent in Horizon 4 and it ultimately kept me from caring much about any festival sites or events I unlocked. Horizon 5 finally upends the old career system on its head, and is one of the biggest changes the series has seen since its inception. The new progression system doesn’t exist in a vacuum anymore. The brand new accolade and expedition approach to the open world and the much improved online integration combine to transform the minute-to-minute Forza Horizon experience. The online connected world from 4 is back and much more lively than ever. The connected online plus campaign experience goes a long way to completely changing the Forza experience on a fundamental level. Every step of the way during your career, the festival finally feels like a festival. Players are always around, doing their own thing, hanging out near barn finds, and taking massive jumps, and the Rocket League quick chat system they have implemented keeps it civil and easy to communicate with anybody around. If you find a player you like, a quick tap of the D-pad will allow you to invite them into your convoy, which is the new term they use for co-op play. Returning from Horizon 4 is the co-op, as now it allows players to connect and play through the entire career mode together. Even expeditions, special event races, and more. Every single different open-world event or race you can partake in is back from the older games. Joining them is the