Gaming

After Ghost of Tsushima‘s huge success, it was evident that we were closing into a sequel. That is why Ghost of Yotei was announced in the recently concluded PlayStation’s State of Play. However, this time fans will be going beyond the story of Jin Sakai and the Tsushima island.

The game will have a new protagonist and a new location as well in feudal Japan of the 17th century. Huge hype surrounding the game is surging day by day. There is another game by FromSoftware that is also based on Japanese history. However, there is a catch that might keep the Sucker Punch title ahead.

In Ghost of Yotei, we are going to see a new samurai warrior, Atsu. This new hero will conceal her face behind the ghost mask as she embarks on her journey in feudal Japan in the year 1603.

This story plots 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima, where we will find ourselves in the vicinity of Yotei Mountain, which is a towering peak in the heart of Ezo (presently Hokkaido).

This area is outside the rule of Japan and far from the organized samurai clans of Tsushima. The game will feature the 17th century’s Ezo as a land full of grassy plains and snow-covered tundra.

Now the whole storyline of the game is based on true events. That is why we might also predict who is going to be the potential villain of Atsu. As the game is based on 17th-century Japan, there will be no more Mongol invasions for sure.

So, portraying the real saga of feudal Japan, that too in the parlance of the Ghost franchise, is going to be exciting for sure. It will also critique Japan’s colonial past in a way only a non-Japanese studio can.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is another popular game that is based on the feudal Japan of their colonial period. However, there is a twist. The story of Sekiro is actually based on the imaginary world of the director of FromSoftware, Hidetaka Miyazaki.

In this game, players fill in the shoes of Wolf, a shinobi who will battle against Genichiro Ashina, the leading member of the Ashina clan, to rescue his lord. The game takes place in the fictional world of Japan during the Sengoku period, set in the late 1500s.

Despite being set in a fantasy world, the game was well acclaimed by the players, as it drew over 108,000 concurrent players on Steam at the time of its launch, which was the highest for any Japanese game in the platform’s history. Still, it will fall short of Ghost of Yotei, as the game will portray the actual saga of then-feudal Japan.

What’s your opinion on this? Let us know your views in the comment section.

To be fair, Square Enix absolutely set Foamstars up to die regardless of platforms.

First they had the brilliant idea to release Final Fantasy Rebirth’s demo on the same day as Foamstars. This essentially took all of the attention off of it in a way that is entirely avoidable.

From there it was a rather lacking experience. I don’t just mean in terms of modes/maps, though it was there as well, I distinctly remember there being nothing to really chase besides season pass levels. Everything else was just time served by playing as X character, or Y number of matches. Some of the choices were also so unfathomably bad I legitimately don’t understand the logic.

This was something I initially mentioned in my review. The main free reward players could chase after was a solid silver skin for playing 333 matches, and a gold version for 777 matches. I followed up when another update hit with a separate article because they added a pink metallic skin for 1,500 matches. I don’t think I did it for the last one, but they also added a black metallic skin for 3,000 matches. Mind you, each are per character, so you’d need 33,000 Foamstars matches to have every skill. You’d also have to play another 3,000 matches each time a new character releases, and a match only counts if it’s as a player you don’t have the skin for in question.

Even the paid side was set up to fail. They did FOMO costumes, which can be a motivator for some, but then they made later costumes palette swaps. I could get the trench coat, and top hat skin for one of the characters anytime in red/black, white was only offered for the first season, purple is “limited,” black with gold flourishes was also in season one, with black/silver being a standard product. I also remember from my follow up post some of the details were deceptive. Seasons would add “over 20 skins,” but things like the aforementioned Pink Metallic skin was among them. This meant every season after the first would have 8/2X of the skins simply be those versions.

Finally, the seasonal set up is designed to churn players. Players were given I want to say five weeks to finish a season, and I think the highest I ever made it was 30 out of 40 ranks, and even that took something crazy like 20 hours. I remember calling it a subscription, because it essentially was. And given the high expectations, and extreme FOMO, it makes sense most players walked away.

Among the few requirements needed to access the highly acclaimed Elden Ring DLC, one of the things FromSoftware demands is that players defeat one of the optional bosses within the game.

Mohg, Lord of Blood, is the optional boss. One of the peculiarities of this boss is that he is located in the same area where you can later access the new map of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

One of this boss’s standout features is that he has an astronomical amount of health, making him one of the most challenging fights in the entire game. This is a guide on how to defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood, in Elden Ring.

This boss is a much more powerful version of Mohg, The Omen. He is one of the bosses that players encounter near the end of the average Elden Ring journey.

Mohg, Lord of Blood, becomes a necessary boss and one of the requirements for accessing the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Once you’re in the expansion, you’ll be facing bosses like Ymir, Mother of Fingers. Before facing this boss, you should be at least level 100, as he is one of the toughest and most difficult enemies in the base game.

Mohg, Lord of Blood is located in Mohgwyn Palace, which will be key to entering the new Shadow of the Erdtree map. However, locating this boss can be quite challenging, so it’s advisable to have a high level of experience.

Before reaching Mohg, you’ll have to kill many enemies along the way. There are several ways to access this palace, but it depends on how much time the player wants to invest in it.

Firstly, to locate this boss, concentrate on completing all the quests associated with White Mask Varre. This series of quests will earn you the Pureblood Knight’s Medal, which will instantly teleport you to the area where Mohg is.

This series of missions is also useful for invading other players or even farming a significant amount of experience along the way. These particular quests are the fastest way to reach the Mohg location. You can also find a portal to Mohgwyn Palace at the edge of the Consecrated Snowfields.

Once you’ve fulfilled all the prerequisites to reach the powerful Elden Ring boss’s area, it’s advisable to equip two specific items.

First, you’ll need the Purifying Crystal Tear, which will cure you of the curse that Mohg inflicts during the battle, saving your healing items for later. Additionally, you should have Mohg’s Shackle.

This item allows you to stun the enemy multiple times, giving you the chance to deal more damage and finish his first phase faster.

These items are crucial for saving health and dealing significant damage to the boss. These items are recommended, especially in the first phase of Mohg, when you can deal a ton of damage.

The most important thing to keep in mind when facing this boss is to try to deal as much damage as possible during his first phase. Avoid his blood flames, as they will instantly curse you.

In the first phase, Mohg barely moves except for a few spear attacks, making it relatively easy to hit him. Key attacks to watch out for are his vertical and horizontal blood throws. To dodge them, roll forward and to the side respectively.

Be cautious about avoiding the curse marks, which will come into play in the second phase. You cannot dodge this attack, and it will drain your health, healing Mohg in the process.

However, if you wait long enough, the effect will eventually disappear. These curse marks also serve as indicators for his giant blood spear. If you dodge them, you can attack him from behind and deal significant damage. Fortunately, the Purifying Crystal Tear will cure you of this curse, saving you from major health loss.

To reach the second phase of Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring, you’ll need to stay focused on dodging as many attacks as possible to avoid unnecessary damage.

The best strategy is to remain close to the boss’s area so you can dodge his strikes and then land several powerful hits. That’s why it’s important to always stay alert to his winged attacks, which will eventually give you enough time to lock onto the boss and deal critical blows.

Like any other second phase of a final boss, all of his attacks will deal more damage and be far more lethal. That’s why you need to keep moving constantly and avoid getting too far from Mohg. Most of his moves are the same. They just look a bit flashier but can be dodged in similar fashions.

As mentioned earlier, you’ll need Mohg’s Shackle, which will be crucial for landing a critical hit during the first phase when the boss’s health is almost at its maximum.

The second phase will begin when the boss’s health is about halfway down. Once defeated, you will receive the following rewards: Mohg’s Great Rune, Remembrance of the Blood Lords, and 420,000 Runes.

What’s your favorite boss in Elden Ring? Let us know in the comments!

Astro Bot’s intergalactic soundtrack, consisting of 87 different songs, is now available to stream across platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and others. The music was worked on by Kenny C M Young alongside help from Hirofumi Sasaki, Tadashi Yatabe, Kemmei Adachi, and Sachiko Miyano.

As reported by VGC, the official playlist includes music from Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Astro’s Playroom, and the latest in the mascot bot’s adventures.

Astro Bot saw a ton of marketing by Sony following the reveal during the May State of Play. The game, developed by Team Asobi, saw great praise. Smash Jump’s Sam Flanagan said: “Astro Bot is nothing short of a delight. It takes everything that made that small tech demo a hit and builds on its best parts while improving on the shortcomings.”

Arrowhead Game Studios is determined to make Helldivers 2 popular again and so far, the studio has managed to improve many elements of the game. The game was losing its fanbase at an alarming rate, so Arrowhead came up with a 60-day plan to completely fix the game using players’ feedback.

Well, the battle to make Helldivers 2 better continues for Arrowhead as players have found another issue in the game. A player on Reddit has complained that some Terminid missions suffer from a problem called “quiet extracts.” After completing objectives and clearing the map, players have to wait three minutes for extraction, making things less chaotic than they were.

A viral post on the r/Helldivers2 subreddit has pointed out that Helldivers 2 has become less chaotic. The player claimed that Terminid missions on level 10 become boring after calling in extraction. While waiting for three minutes, there are no bugs to kill apart from the ones that are guarding any locations, making the game less chaotic. The rest of the community also shared its input on the matter.

Quiet extracts are really disappointing
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Indeed, chaos made Helldivers 2 a very exciting game. However, Arrowhead Game Studios has not tweaked this gameplay element since its release. The only reason why Terminid units spawn less while waiting for extraction in some missions is because the extraction is close to the map edge. It has been like this since February 2024.

At one point, Helldivers 2 was one of the most popular games in the world, but very soon, the game lost most of its fanbase. The lack of new content and unnecessary nerfs frustrated the community, even the hardcore fans. To undo the damage, Arrowhead Game Studios came up with a 60-day plan to fix the game.

As for quiet extracts, if players are looking for action, then they should do more Automaton missions as they show no mercy. There are rumors about a new unit joining the Automaton faction, so things are about to get a lot more chaotic.

Arrowhead has improved many fan-favorite Stratagems and weapons. By giving these weapons a buff, the game is slowly becoming how it initially was and that’s exactly what the community wants. As of now, it’s safe to say that Arrowhead is on the right path and they have promised to do more in the future.

Would you like to see more chaos in Helldivers 2? Share your views in the comments!

Three new that Google announced earlier this year have reportedly started rolling out on Android. The tools — Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock and Remote Lock — are aimed at giving users a way to quickly lock down their devices if they’ve been swiped, so thieves can’t access any sensitive information. Android reporter shared on social media that the first two tools had popped up on a Xiaomi 14T Pro, and said some Pixel users have started seeing Remote Lock.

Theft Detection Lock is triggered by the literal act of snatching. The company said in May that the feature “uses Google AI to sense if someone snatches your phone from your hand and tries to run, bike or drive away.” In such a scenario, it’ll lock the phone’s screen.

Offline Device Lock, on the other hand, can automatically lock the screen after a thief has disconnected the phone from the internet. You can already remotely lock your phone with Google’s Find My Device, but the third feature, Remote Lock, lets you do so without having to scramble to figure out your Google account password. All you’d need for this is “your phone number and a quick security challenge using any device.”

Valorant is right now one of the most-played gaming titles in the world. Released in 2020, this game has garnered a huge fanbase. Its unique and intricate maps, team-based tactical gameplay, and superb optimization on any system made this game a world-beater.

This game is always busy bringing much-needed updates along with new content like agents and maps. However, as things stand, we are going to get a bigger upgrade, which the game has never received. The closest competitor of this Riot shooter also tried an overhaul upgrade but failed miserably. Is that going to happen with it as well?

Since its release, Valorant has been dominating the scene on Unreal Engine 4. Now, after quite a successful period, Riot Games has decided that the game will be shifted to Unreal Engine 5.

This decision might be about ensuring a safe future for the game, as most of the titles these days are built on UE5. Recently, the Senior Vice President and Head of Valorant Studios, Anna Donlan, has recently confirmed the game’s shifting to UE5. She stated:

She has also said that this upgrade is not going to be an easy one as it will take a lot of effort to put this overhaul change in the game as this is a live-service title. This upgrade is not going to change the looks or gameplay of the game immediately. This shift is more of a future enhancement rather than an immediate transformation.

Putting the game in UE5 will give the developers more space, freedom, and opportunity, as well as better tools to develop and experiment. However, we are yet to witness the actual potential of UE5 in the game or any confirmed date from Riot Games.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can easily be regarded as the most popular title of this generation. The craze regarding the game was unmatched until the biggest upgrade in Counter-Strike history surfaced. On September 27, 2023, Counter-Strike 2 was released, which was a huge technical leap from CS: GO.

From new smoke mechanics to a complete UI overhaul, from upgraded maps to new models and cosmetics, the updated game has it all. But the biggest change in the new game has to be its shift from the aging Source Engine to the more contemporary Source 2. However, things didn’t go as they were supposed to.

The game deteriorated heavily after this overhaul upgrade, with hoards of bugs and glitches. There was one bug in the game that even restricted players from scoping in. The new game was poorly optimized, with movement feeling awfully slow and constrictive. 

Valorant is slowly beginning its new chapter. We just hope it doesn’t follow the same path that led to Counter-Strike‘s downfall. What’s your opinion on this? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.