Yesterday, Xbox announced that they were spinning off five major studios in the course of the latest round of "historic" restructuring , with 1600 jobs instantly chopped and 1600 more layoffs to follow over the next financial year. It's the latest in a string of failures on the p
Yesterday, Xbox announced that they were spinning off five major studios in the course of the latest round of "historic" restructuring, with 1600 jobs instantly chopped and 1600 more layoffs to follow over the next financial year. It's the latest in a string of failures on the part of Xbox leadership, who have repeatedly butchered the division after an evidently overambitious acquisition spree that dates back to the 2010s. It has, at least, not yet resulted in any outright studio closures.
Double Fine and Compulsion are going indie again with a little funding from Microsoft, keeping ownership of their games. Ninja Theory and Undead Labs have been sold to unnamed new owners. And then there's Dishonored and Marvel's Blade developers Arkane, whose fate is still being negotiated.
If you've never played the Happy Death Day-eque video game, Deathloop , now's the time as you can score a generous 82% discount over at Fanatical, bringing the price down to less than $11 / £9. Deathloop cleverly weaves exploration, puzzles, and stealth into a unique and innovati
If you've never played the Happy Death Day-eque video game, Deathloop, now's the time as you can score a generous 82% discount over at Fanatical, bringing the price down to less than $11 / £9. Deathloop cleverly weaves exploration, puzzles, and stealth into a unique and innovative time-looping narrative, which, despite repetition, never gets boring. It's an artfully crafted sandbox of strategy and discovery that's worth diving into.
Epic's game giveaways aren't quite the whiz-bang thrillers they used to be—after six years of freebies, it's all become a bit routine—but every now and then it still manages to hit one out of the park. Today is one of those days, because today, and until June 12, you can pick up
Epic's game giveaways aren't quite the whiz-bang thrillers they used to be—after six years of freebies, it's all become a bit routine—but every now and then it still manages to hit one out of the park. Today is one of those days, because today, and until June 12, you can pick up Arkane's excellent Deathloop for the low, low price of absolutely zero dollars... Read more.
Ever since the days of Doom and Quake, we've seen FPS games come up with all manner of creative ways to build on the core run-and-gun gameplay. Even before them, Ultima Underworld established the fundamentals of the more open-ended immersive sim, later popularized by Thief and De
Ever since the days of Doom and Quake, we've seen FPS games come up with all manner of creative ways to build on the core run-and-gun gameplay. Even before them, Ultima Underworld established the fundamentals of the more open-ended immersive sim, later popularized by Thief and Deus Ex. Arkane proved itself a modern master of the format with Dishonored and Prey, and then built upon those ideas for its magnum opus, Deathloop. It won our GotY gong in 2021 and now, thanks to the latest crop of Epic Games Store free games, you can snag a copy completely for free.
It's not every day you can get a bona fide game of the year for absolute peanuts. Even by Fanatical's standards, the Winter Superstars Collection is an embarrassment of riches, offering Deathloop , Fallout 76, Dying Light, and plenty more in a custom package for the grand total o
It's not every day you can get a bona fide game of the year for absolute peanuts. Even by Fanatical's standards, the Winter Superstars Collection is an embarrassment of riches, offering Deathloop, Fallout 76, Dying Light, and plenty more in a custom package for the grand total of $28.
Think you can stop the devs from breaking the time loop? Jump into DEATHLOOP at 10 AM ET for a chance to have some PVP action against Arkane Lyon! The image below has a list of names to be on lookout for.
Think you can stop the devs from breaking the time loop?
Jump into DEATHLOOP at 10 AM ET for a chance to have some PVP action against Arkane Lyon!
The image below has a list of names to be on lookout for.
Strategy games and first-person shooters - these are the genres that define PC, from its very beginnings up to the modern day. Doom was a breakout moment. Half-Life remains one of the defining PC games of the '90s. But now you can get some of the best modern classics, and some go
Strategy games and first-person shooters - these are the genres that define PC, from its very beginnings up to the modern day. Doom was a breakout moment. Half-Life remains one of the defining PC games of the '90s. But now you can get some of the best modern classics, and some golden almost-oldies, for a seriously big discount. Perhaps you've not played the incredible Robocop Rogue City or Trepang2. Maybe you've steered away from Far Cry 6 so far, or never ventured into the mind-mashing world of Deathloop. Thanks to a new Humble deal, if you want to try some of the best FPS games ever, for cheap, now is the time.
If you ever feel like too many games slot too neatly into one category - this one's a platformer, this one's an RPG, this one's a city builder - it's because combining tropes and layering mechanics on top of one another is riskier than just making a straight genre piece. We know
If you ever feel like too many games slot too neatly into one category - this one's a platformer, this one's an RPG, this one's a city builder - it's because combining tropes and layering mechanics on top of one another is riskier than just making a straight genre piece. We know what an FPS is. But an FPS mixed with time travel, immersive sims, stealth games, and a roguelike? That's trickier. Nevertheless, it's these genre mashups that are normally the most compelling games. Published by Fallout, Starfield, and Skyrim legend Bethesda and developed by Dishonored's Arkane, Deathloop is one such example. Our own GOTY for 2021, it's now available cheaper than ever.
Steam, Xbox Game Studios, and Bethesda have a sale on right now, creating deep discounts from many of the top releases from the two publishers. Among the fine choices from franchises like The Elder Scrolls and Halo, one you should definitely not gloss over is Deathloop , the bril
Steam, Xbox Game Studios, and Bethesda have a sale on right now, creating deep discounts from many of the top releases from the two publishers. Among the fine choices from franchises like The Elder Scrolls and Halo, one you should definitely not gloss over is Deathloop, the brilliant timeloop immersive sim from Arkane Studios.
Between Doom , Half-Life, BioShock, and dozens more, what I love about FPS games is how their simple mechanics - you aim, you shoot, you try not to get shot in return - can be modified and malleated into myriad different setups and circumstances. The principles remain the same, b
Between Doom, Half-Life, BioShock, and dozens more, what I love about FPS games is how their simple mechanics - you aim, you shoot, you try not to get shot in return - can be modified and malleated into myriad different setups and circumstances. The principles remain the same, but developers can bend them around subjective visions and new, imaginative, additional mechanics. From Arkane, the creator of Dishonored, Prey, Dishonored 2, and this year's Redfall, Deathloop remains one of the best examples of how the simple systems of the shooter can be reworked into a grander, completely unique, new type of game. Published by Bethesda, and recipient of PCGamesN's Game of the Year for 2021, you can now get Deathloop for free with Prime Gaming.
Deathloop: Now there's one that came and went. Though the game was received very positively and many still swear by it now, personally I haven't played anything so irritating in recent memory: The way the characters yap constantly, the graffiti all over the place, the completely
Deathloop: Now there's one that came and went. Though the game was received very positively and many still swear by it now, personally I haven't played anything so irritating in recent memory: The way the characters yap constantly, the graffiti all over the place, the completely unfulfilled promise of time-travelling flexibility… yeah, OK, it didn't land for me... Read more.
lmost immediately after the release of Deathloop in 2021, fans began theorizing that it might somehow be connected to Dishonored , Arkane's previous game series. The two games are very different in many ways, but there are quite a few shared elements too, some overt and others qu
lmost immediately after the release of Deathloop in 2021, fans began theorizing that it might somehow be connected to Dishonored, Arkane's previous game series. The two games are very different in many ways, but there are quite a few shared elements too, some overt and others quite subtle. Today, Deathloop creative director Dinga Bakaba made it official during an Xbox podcast: Deathloop is "one of the futures of the Dishonored world.".. Read more.
Check out the full patch notes for the GOLDENLOOP Update, which includes a new weapon, a new power, new enemies, crossplay and more. Learn more about the GOLDENLOOP Update in our in-depth feature . NEW CONTENT - Added a new ability, Fugue Slab: Stun and confound your foes with th
Check out the full patch notes for the GOLDENLOOP Update, which includes a new weapon, a new power, new enemies, crossplay and more. Learn more about the GOLDENLOOP Update in our in-depth feature.
NEW CONTENT
- Added a new ability, Fugue Slab: Stun and confound your foes with this ability and it’s 4 upgrades - Added a new weapon, HALPS Prototype: Use it to fry your enemies - Added 2 new enemies: Face off against the armored Garbage Collector and the dangerous Paint Bombers - Added an extended "Break the Loop" ending - Added 4 upgrades to the Masquerade ability: Customize Julianna’s Masquerade Slab with new Trinkets while protecting the timeloop - Added new Double Trinkets: Enhance yourself with 19 new two-in-one trinkets - Added 11 new Trinkets and 4 new Weapon Perks - Added a new explorable area to Karl’s Bay - Added new player idle animations: Show off your mastery of weapons and slabs by doing nothing at all!
CROSSPLAY MATCHMAKING
- Added new cross-platform invasion option across PSN, Xbox, Steam, Epic, and the Microsoft Store environments. You can set your Cross-Platform Matchmaking to a setting of Any (all platforms) or Same (just your platform). You can also set your Cross-Platform Matchmaking controller also to Any (all controller types) or Same (just the one you are using)
GAME UPDATES / TWEAKS
- Refined “Hacker” and “Trinket Creator” side missions - Refined rewards for several side missions - Added more Trinkets to the loot pool (drops from enemies) and placed in some areas in levels - Refined the Delivery Booth by adding a clear confirmation message and turning on the Delivery Booth screen so the status of orders can be checked immediately - Added photos of the four HZN doors to the knowledge cards for “Julianna’s Lead: The Hunt” - Moved throwable bottles away from health pickups - Replaced art for the completion card for the Lead “Rise to Power: Infusion” - Clarified Egor’s Visionary and Golden Loop marker in Updaam (evening) so they are consistent with Wenjie’s in Updaam (evening) and with Egor’s in The Complex (evening) - Added a new Battery Station at near Aleksis' mansion in Updaam. Find it behind the statue, near the cliff - Tweaked some Accessibility options: Renamed “Combat Difficulty” to “Loop Stress”, removed “Lock Loop Stress” and added “Loot Quality” - Made miscellaneous improvements to text localization
CONTROLLER IMPROVEMENTS
- Added Inner and Outer deadzone adjustment in options menu - Added Axial Damping (corrects vertical inputs to help looking straight up or down) adjustments in options menu - Added Camera Acceleration in options menu - Added Camera sensitivity (speed) in options menu
BUG FIXES
- Fixed an issue that could cause the player to be stuck in menus - Fixed an issue that could cause the player to be stuck in connection queue after failing to connect to a friend invasion - Fixed several random crashes and stability issues - Made miscellaneous bug fixes
s part of a Tokyo Game Show presentation, Xbox has announced that Deathloop will come to Game Pass on September 20th alongside its release on Series X|S. With that debut comes Goldenloop, a free update that adds a new weapon, ability, enemy, and more to the time looping action-mu
s part of a Tokyo Game Show presentation, Xbox has announced that Deathloop will come to Game Pass on September 20th alongside its release on Series X|S. With that debut comes Goldenloop, a free update that adds a new weapon, ability, enemy, and more to the time looping action-murder-puzzle immersive sim... Read more.
One of the big things about Deathloop is that it looks extremely cool at all times. The FPS game was our pick of the year in 2022 , and in addition to featuring two memorably cool playable characters, there's a groovy and striking visual style throughout. Now you can show that of
One of the big things about Deathloop is that it looks extremely cool at all times. The FPS game was our pick of the year in 2022, and in addition to featuring two memorably cool playable characters, there's a groovy and striking visual style throughout. Now you can show that off with precision, thanks to the addition of a new photo mode in the latest Deathloop update, which also adds an impressive suite of new accessibility features.
Deathloop's new photo mode includes an impressive array of options for setting up your perfect screenshot. In addition to the usual positioning controls for the camera, you also have options for the visibility of the player character and NPCs - you can shut those off if you're just interested in scenery shots. Colt and Julianna can also be posed, and you'll have access to all the unlockable outfits included in whichever edition of Deathloop you own.
The accessibility options can be found under a new category in the main menu, which itself has been streamlined for more accessible navigation, particularly with the keyboard and directional buttons. Accessibility options are grouped into four categories: visuals, gameplay, interface, and menus.
Deathloop, for me, was one of the most stylish games of 2021. Though firmly set as a shooter on a little dystopian island, there was something very Met Gala about a man in hot pink trying to kill you as you run away screaming. The fashion of the characters and NPCs is something s
Deathloop, for me, was one of the most stylish games of 2021. Though firmly set as a shooter on a little dystopian island, there was something very Met Gala about a man in hot pink trying to kill you as you run away screaming. The fashion of the characters and NPCs is something special, as is the highly stylised world they inhabit, so it's only natural that Arkane has finally introduced a photo mode along with other accessibility options in a recent update... Read more.
Following its reveal earlier this year, AMD FSR 2.0 has finally arrived in on the gaming PC scene, with team red hoping its revamped upscaler can usurp Nvidia DLSS from its throne. This launch is limited to Deathloop in terms of supported titles, but more will arrived "in the com
Following its reveal earlier this year, AMD FSR 2.0 has finally arrived in on the gaming PC scene, with team red hoping its revamped upscaler can usurp Nvidia DLSS from its throne. This launch is limited to Deathloop in terms of supported titles, but more will arrived "in the coming months."
In case you missed the memo, AMD FSR 2.0 is a much improved version of FidelityFX Super Resolution. It swaps out the spatial upscaling approach of old for a temporal one, allowing you to boost fps with decidedly higher fidelity images. Better still, the technology is still GPU agnostic, meaning that you don't need one of Nvidia's best graphics cards to use it.
However, AMD has recommended using more powerful pixel pushers to run AMD FSR 2.0 and so some ageing systems may fall behind. That said, as AMD and Nvidia GPU prices edge ever closer to MSRP, this may be as good a reason as any to upgrade your system.
DEATHLOOP’s third major update is now available on PC! Game Update 3 introduces a brand-new Photo Mode, added accessibility options, and more, all for free. Check out the full patch notes for Game Update 3 here , and read on for highlights on Photo Mode and the new accessibility
DEATHLOOP’s third major update is now available on PC! Game Update 3 introduces a brand-new Photo Mode, added accessibility options, and more, all for free. Check out the full patch notes for Game Update 3 here, and read on for highlights on Photo Mode and the new accessibility options, with insights from members of the team at Arkane Lyon.
Photo Mode
Express yourself with a wide variety of filters, stickers, poses and other customization options in DEATHLOOP’s brand-new Photo Mode. Available only in single-player, Photo Mode is accessible through the Pause menu in any map or by activating the Photo Mode shortcut (set to “P” on PC keyboards by default).
“This Photo Mode is such a great way to allow our players to get creative by using the unique art and levels of DEATHLOOP,” says Producer Jeremy Leulier. “The only creative limitations are defined by our players’ imaginations. We’re very excited at Arkane to see how deep the players will dig into all of the different options and what they will come up with.”
In addition to being able to select your filters and angles like a photography pro, you can swap between Colt and Julianna, change out your outfits and weapons (including the specific weapon variation and skin), and drop into over a dozen share-worthy poses.
“One of our biggest challenges was to adapt Photo Mode for a first-person shooter where your character isn’t displayed apart from the hands and weapons,” explains Leulier. “We wanted to offer the best possible experience for this mode and took the time to playtest it thoroughly and even asked for insight from players who are experts in using different Photo Modes in games. We took so much pleasure testing Photo Mode that we added a lot of relevant options for the player to make it even more fun and funnier to use.”
“Each time we release a game, Photo Mode has been one of the most requested features by the players,” adds Studio Director Dinga Bakaba. “Seeing how virtual photographers were able to make incredible shots in our worlds without one, we can't be more thrilled to empower the entire community with these tools.”
Learn more about the new Photo Mode (including a complete breakdown of all of the options) in the full patch notes for Game Update 3.
Accessibility Features
“We are truly grateful to the players and the ally community who gave us so much feedback when DEATHLOOP was released,” says Lead UI/UX Designer Yoann Bazoge. “We took the time to read all of the accessibility reviews and watch the videos of players explaining why they couldn’t play DEATHLOOP. We then worked on a document listing all of the feedback and drew up a roadmap of what the additions would be for Game Update 3.”
Game Update 3 introduces over 30 improvements and added accessibility options, from menu navigation improvements and interface options to a host of new gameplay options. The update also adds a dedicated Accessibility category, which can be found in the options menu. This new menu wraps up the existing options as well as many of the new options available with this update, including:
- New gameplay settings that allow players to further customize combat in Single-Player Mode (most are not available for Online or Friends modes). This includes increasing or decreasing combat difficulty, adjusting number of Reprises and slowing game speed. - New HUD and subtitle options, such as customizing the size, opacity and color of various text and graphical elements - Easier menu navigation, allowing for the use of directional buttons on the controller to navigate up and down menu lists. The cursor speed can also now be adjusted in settings to help with navigating the settings with a controller.
"One of the things we didn't expect when starting on accessibility features was how some of these options can be useful and fun for everyone,” says Bakaba. “My favorites are slow-mo, which enables everyone to make otherwise nearly impossible chain of actions, and Reprise count, which allows you to experiment without consequence with the infinite setting. On the contrary, you can use the Reprise count to make the game more challenging by turning Reprises off entirely."
See the full list of accessibility options included in Game Update 3 here.
“Accessibility in games is a complex subject,” says Bazoge. “We estimate that over 400 million players need some additional assistance when playing. That’s a lot of people that can feel left out without some of these options. When we began discussing it with our teams, people were very motivated about the idea of developing all of this.”
*Arkane Lyon would like to thank Joshua Straub of Apex Access ([@JoshPStraub and Jérome Dupire of CapGame (@AxGameDesign) for helping us improve accessibility in DEATHLOOP. We are also grateful to Ludovic Helme (@shinobi_space) for his tireless work on our new photo mode. Thank you!*
Check out the full patch notes for Game Update 3, which includes a new Photo Mode, a slew of accessibility options and more. Detailed descriptions of the accessibility options have been provided by Elisabeth Whyte, Senior User Researcher (Accessibility). For more details on Game
Check out the full patch notes for Game Update 3, which includes a new Photo Mode, a slew of accessibility options and more. Detailed descriptions of the accessibility options have been provided by Elisabeth Whyte, Senior User Researcher (Accessibility). For more details on Game Update 3, including insights from members of the team at Arkane Lyon, check out the in-depth feature here .
PHOTO MODE
Game Update 3 introduces a new Photo Mode allowing players to take their own stunning in-game screenshots.
- Players can access Photo Mode from the Pause menu in any map of the game - Player can also access it by activating the Photo Mode shortcut - Available in Singler Player mode only - "Camera” options:
Mode
Third -person view
First-person view
Player (show/hide)
NPCs (show/hide)
Floating Messages (show/hide)
Field of View
Tilt
Blur Intensity
Autofocus
Focus Min Distance
Focus Max Distance
Flash Intensity
Flash Color (7)
Grid (Add grid for picture composition)
- “Filters” options:
Filters (17)
Filter Intensity
Exposure
Saturation
Contrast
Vignette
Chromatic Aberration
Sharpen
- “Characters” options:
Character (Colt or Julianna)
Outfit (12 for each characters + Deluxe Edition outfits)
Weapon (14 weapon poses for each character)
Weapon Variation
Weapon Skin
Pose (dozens of poses for each character)
X offset
Y offset
Z offset
Rotation
- “Stickers” options:
Possibility to include up to 4 stickers (40 stickers available)
Frame (14 frames available)
*Note: All base game outfits, weapon skins and weapon variations will be automatically unlocked for Photo Mode even if you haven’t unlocked them in the game. However, Deluxe Edition outfits and weapons will only be available if you have Deluxe Edition. The Arkane Outsiders exclusive outfit and unique weapon are also unavailable unless you join the Arkane Outsiders, which you can still do to receive the “Eternalist Colt” outfit and “Ever After” unique weapon in-game!*
ACCESSIBILITY
DEATHLOOP’s third major update also includes new accessibility options, from a new “Accessibility” category to the menu and menu navigation improvements, to gameplay accessibility and difficulty options and more.
Menu navigation improvements
- Menu navigation has been improved with support for keyboard and directional buttons. This is in addition to the previous support for mouse and controller analogue stick navigation. This improvement should make it easier to navigate the menus, particularly for players using a controller.
First launch accessibility improvements
- Players can now change the subtitle color when first launching a new game with a new save
- This first launch menu also now includes a preview of the subtitle formatting. This preview will show the impacts of the size, color and opacity choices on the subtitle display.
Accessibility menu category
- A new dedicated Accessibility category can be found in the options menu, including both existing options and new options available with this patch. The accessibility menu includes four categories: Visuals, Gameplay, Interface and Menus.
- All settings in the Accessibility category are duplicated in other menus. For example, the HUD accessibility options are also available in the Interface category. We hope this allows players to easily find relevant options.
Gameplay accessibility options
- Number of Reprises
Players can now choose between 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or infinite reprises (Single Player only)
Increase or decrease the difficulty of the game by choosing how many times Colt can die before the loop is reset. For example, zero reprises means that the loop will reset the first time Colt dies.
Online or Friends modes will always require the 2-reprise default setting
- Aim assist lock
Full aim assist lock on NPC, Camera, and turrets is now available when enabling this setting (Single Player only)
When this setting is enabled, using the controls to aim a weapon (for most weapons) will cause the crosshairs to snap to the target and lock on. This can improve targeting enemies during in gameplay and is disabled by default.
- Hacking mode
Players can now change the input for hacking from a Hold (default) to a toggle
When set to a toggle, pressing once will begin the hacking and will auto complete after the timer has completed. Pressing a second time before it completes will cancel the hack.
- Aim mode
Players can now change the input for aiming down sights from a Hold (default) to a toggle
When set to a toggle, pressing once will enter aiming down sights and pressing a second time will stop aiming down sights
- One shot kills
When this new setting is enabled, all enemies (NPC, cameras, turrets) are killed instantly when hit with a weapon shot, machete or grenade (Single Player only)
- Combat difficulty
Three preset combat difficulty options are now available: Lenient, Default and Harsh (Single player only)
On higher difficulty settings, enemies attack more often and are more accurate
Only the Default setting is available for Online or Friends modes
- Lock loop stress
Enabling this new setting will remove the difficulty increase linked to the loop stress augmentation system
When this option is disabled, the game will automatically adjust difficulty based on the player’s success in killing visionaries, leading to increased difficulty when multiple visionaries have been killed in the same loop. This setting is set to disabled by default.
- Adjust Game Speed
This new setting will reduce the speed of the game, from default (100%) to either 75% or 50% speed (Single Player Only)
Combat, player movement and enemy animations are all impacted by this setting
- Adjust Game Speed mode
When the Game Speed is set to either 75% or 50%, this new setting allows players to choose whether the mode is set to Always or Toggl
View the binding for this toggle in the Controls menu for both keyboard and controller
- Pause game while wheels active
Enabling this new setting will cause the game to pause when a player activates the weapon wheel (Single Player Only)
- Tag multiple enemies
Enabling this new setting will tag multiple nearby enemies in a radius around the player or in line of sight (Single Player Only)
When this setting is disabled, only the targeted enemy will be tagged
ADDITIONAL GAME FIXES
- Level design:
Global bug fixes and improvements
- Narration:
Various text updates to support Photo Mode, accessibility and new options
Various Localization fixes
- PC only:
AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution (FSR) 2.0 Support
