Weekend Headlines Jan 20th-22nd Part 1: Patches Galore, Announcements and Dates

By Rebecca Smith,

The weekend is obviously the best time to update a game. Amongst the news of many, many updates, there were also announcements, trailers and character reveals. There was so much news that we've had to split the article into two parts. The first part covers all of the new game announcements, updates, patches, future DLC and release dates. Take a look at what you missed below:

Announcements

Darknet is a strategy/puzzle game that uses Playstation VR to increase players' immersion. You are an elite hacker who is tasked with retrieving data from the world's most secure networks. You'll need to install viruses, inject code and dive directly into nodes to complete your task, but you must avoid detection if you're to succeed.

Graceful Explosion Machine is one of those games that was revealed by the sudden appearance of a random trailer. Players control a "powerful, yet agile" Graceful Explosion Machine. This attack ship offers precision control and multiple weapons systems to help players to take down the multitude of neon-coloured space baddies that get in their way. The game will arrive on Playstation 4 early this year.

The Deep End Games' narrative-focused horror adventure game Perception puts players in the shoes of Cassie, a young blind woman who is gifted with extraordinary hearing and razor-sharp wits. Unfortunately, she is also haunted by the abandoned Echo Bluff Estate that focuses heavily in her dreams... and her nightmares. Using echolocation, players will be able to build up a picture of the estate and enable Cassie to solve its mysteries, as well as evading The Presence that seeks to cause her harm.

Full Kiss Semispheres is a product of the Ludum Dare 30 game jam in 2014. The jam's theme of connected worlds means that dual realities are extremely important to the 2D puzzle title. Each analogue stick controls a different avatar in two different environments that initially appear to be identical, but the subtle differences are crucial for players to progress. The avatars can enter the other's world through portals when necessary, especially if they need to avoid the sentries that guard the two worlds. Can you resynchronise the worlds when the game is released next month?

You'll likely have heard of the successful board game Talisman. Well, developer Nomad Games is bringing the board game to Playstation 4 and Vita in the form of Talisman: Digital Edition this spring. The title will support cross-play. Up to six players head out on a magical quest across a dangerous land to be the first to claim the Crown of Command. This artefact can destroy all rivals and designates the bearer as the true ruler of the kingdom. The game will include online play, leaderboards and detailed tutorials, the latter of which is likely to be a relief to the uninitiated.

Aksys Games and Nihon Falcom have teamed up to bring Tokyo Xanadu (Asia) (Vita) Trophies and Tokyo Xanadu eX+ (Asia) Trophies to the west. Tokyo experiences a colossal earthquake that causes devastating damage and changes the lives of the city's inhabitants. Over the course of the next 10 years, life begins to return to normality, but a sinister secret threatens to change all this. Because it wasn't a normal earthquake that damaged Tokyo — it was the emergence of a lethal shadow world that is known as Eclipse. If peace is to be maintained, players must defeat the legions of Eclipse. Take a look at the Special Editions that will be available for each title:

The PS4 box contains: 9? Deluxe White Shroud Statue, Blade Card Game Deck, 60 page Art Book, CD Soundtrack, Collector’s Box

The Vita box contains: 5? Deluxe Morimaru Plush, Blade Card Game Deck, 60 page Art Book, CD Soundtrack, Collector’s Box

Uncanny Valley is a pixelated survival horror game that aims for old-school survival horror, where players need to explore for optional story content, solve puzzles and get involved in a bit of action while they're at it. Publisher Digerati Distribution has called the video below a launch trailer, but the game won't be arriving until February 7th in North America and February 8th in PAL regions. You can grab it on Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita.

Unearthing Mars is a Playstation VR title that has already been released in Asia — it makes its way to the west in the "very near future". As the title suggests, players explore Mars as they work out how to navigate a landing craft, drive the Mars Rover, solve puzzle, and battle an alien alliance.

Use Your Words! is a successful Kickstarter from May 2016, but the game has only just been confirmed for Playstation 4. The party game is billed “for funny people and their unfunny friends”. Presented with a prompt that could potentially set up a joke, players must either write the funniest punchline that comes to mind or use one of the house answers as a decoy. Players vote for their favourite answer with points awarded to the winners. Vote for a decoy, however, and you'll lose points. Who will be the winner? You'll find out when the game releases this March.

Publisher ATLUS confirmed that they will be bringing two titles from AQUAPLUS to the west. Known as Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen in Japan, Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is a visual novel/strategy RPG that begins atop a snowy mountain. The game's protagonist Haku wakes up in unfamiliar surroundings while wearing nothing but a hospital gown. He's rescued by a girl named Kuon and together, they will travel across Yamato while encountering new characters, building relationships and battling enemies. Players will be able to try the title this spring. While few details were offered, the game's sequel Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth will also be released later this year.

Publisher Focus Home Interactive has teamed up with White Wolf Publishing to create a game based on the latter's World of Darkness universe; more specifically, the game will bring to life Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Cyanide is trusted with development duties for the game that sees players become a werewolf that belongs to the Garou tribe. They are a tribe that is opposed to urban civilization and the supernatural corruption that comes with it, both of which will eventually cause an apocalypse. Platforms have not been confirmed beyond "consoles", but we should be getting more information during the “le What’s Next de Focus” weekend in Paris on February 1st-2nd.

Updates and Game Patches

The latest update for ARK: Survival Evolved introduced five new creatures, two new expansive underwater environments and Procedurally Generated Maps that allow players to generate an infinite number of ARKs to experience. This brought the console versions up to scratch with the PC version of the title. Click on the spoiler below to find more details on each of the five new creatures and take a look at the rest of the update in the trailer:

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***Cnidaria Omnimorph: A combination of everything good and bad about various species of Jellyfish, the Cnidaria is too simple to tame or train, but tribes keep schools of them around for their bioluminescence and their ability to sting. Containing them in pools around a camp is a great way to make a barrier of swimming, stinging security that also illuminates the night. They also drop a special biotoxin which can be used to create shocking torpor darts and is 2x as powerful as regular ones.

Troodon Magnanimus: Outside of human beings, the Troodon might just be the most clever creature on the islands. You don't "tame" a Troodon, you earn its loyalty through its social nature and love of the hunt. While Troodon is considered a smaller relative of the island's Raptors, they are no less dangerous, especially with their love of hunting at night.

Pegomastax Fructarator: Life ain't easy when you're at the bottom of the food chain on carnivore-filled islands, just ask the Pegomastax. This is a relatively harmless herbivore who prefers to live alone and gorges on just about any plants it can find. Far from the definition of "pretty," Pegomastax features a nasty looking beak (with tusks for extra effect!) and feathers, making him a unique sight on the island. Some tribes keep a few Pegomastax around, as they are excellent scavengers who collect an extraordinary quantity of seeds and berries, while also handily gathering the rare Flowers, Mushrooms, and other ingredients necessary to cook up unusual concoctions.

Tusoteuthis Vampyrus: A monstrous relative of the vampire squid, Tusoteuthis bears a closer resemblance to giant squids. It may be slow, but the aquatic Tusoteuthis is a horrific threat to anyone who dares get too close, using its tentacles to first grab, then crush...and then syphon the blood out of its hapless victims. Tribes will sometimes tame this nightmare of the deep in order to extract its unique ink, which contains oils that can be processed into fuels.

Therizinosaurus Multiensis: Built like a T-Rex, but completely tameable and a herbivore to boot, the Therizinosaurus is one of the strangest dinosaurs on the islands. Its claws allow it to perform both brute-force or delicate actions; from taking down enemies (though it would prefer to just leave them alone) to plucking leaves from a particularly tasty bush. Because of this ability, Therizinosaurus are always handy to have around for harvesting specific resources, or, when needed, decimating enemies in combat.

We had already covered Battleborn's Winter Update in great detail, but now players can actually experience all of the additions and improvements. You can read the full patch notes here, but again, it is a lengthy read.

Dex (Vita) received a small patch that fixed a few bugs. Here are the patch notes:

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Patch 1.12 arrived for Don't Starve Together: Console Edition (PS4). Although it fixed several things, the patch also comes with a warning. Developer Keli Entertainment found a bug after the patch had been sent to Sony for approval, so they're recommending that players do not use firecrackers near ice hounds. A patch to fix this bug is on its way. In the meantime, check out the notes for the current patch below:

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Next month, DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 (PS4) will receive free DLC and a free update to go with it. Available through the game's season pass or individual purchase, the DLC will add a new scenario quest where players will face the 6th universe warriors. There will be two more characters — Champa and Vados -and a new stage, new attacks, new costumes, a new vehicle and more. The free update will add new costumes, accessories, attacks, a new level cap, new world tournament rules and more.

Patch 3.5 finally arrived for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (PS4). The patch notes for The Far Edge of Fate are quite comprehensive and include details on new playable content, the battle system, new items and recipes, resolved issues and those issues that are yet to be fixed. You can check out the full notes here.

Killing Floor 2 received its first free content pack in the form of the Tropical Bash content pack. Players got a new tropical map "ZED Landing" and a new Berserker melee weapon, Bone Crusher. Those who don't fancy the blunt weapon could instead get the Gorefiend, a dual-bladed version of the Gorefast ZED. There are new emotes and, finally, there is the new Dual Perk system, which allows players to equip weapons in more than one Perk class.

Last week, Minecraft received an update on Playstation 4 and Playstation 3. This week it was the turn of Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition (Vita) to get the same patch. Just to remind you, these are the all-to-brief patch notes:

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End received a live update that fixed a couple of things server side. Here are the differences that you may have noticed:

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Warframe (PS4) started 2017 with an update titled The Glast Gambit. Check out the spoiler and the trailer below for the update's main features:

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Finally, the latest patch for 7 Days to Die (PS4) has been submitted to Microsoft for approval. The release date for Patch 7 hasn't been revealed yet, but we do have the patch notes in the spoiler below.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***Signs

Player signs are player customizable blocks in the game. They allow users to type custom messages for all other players to see. Similar to secure crates, they have the capability to be locked, unlocked, and have a passcode applied
*Note* Signs will only be editable in online multiplayer and single player games because the virtual keyboard is disabled in local multiplayer

Gameplay

Fixed an issue that would prevent horde difficulty from adjusting correctly for parties with multiple players close together
Fixed an issue that prevented mushrooms from spawning in caves on Random Gen worlds
Fixed an issue that would sometimes stop interaction prompts from appearing when the player would die with a crossbow equipped and then respawn
Fixed an issue that would cause Air Drops to disappear when a host re-entered a game
Fixed an issue that would cause using a wrench on a Shopping Basket to yield 2 Shopping Baskets
Fixed a bug that allowed the item “Banditgloves” to be obtainable in game
Fixed an exploit that allowed pressure plates to be destroyed for more resources than it took to make them

Art/Audio

Fixed an issue introduced in Patch 5 that caused the grass to be greener than it used to be
Fixed an issue where the sound effect for closing a container was playing when a container was opened

System/Stability

Fixed a crash that would occur if player 1 would quit the game right after player 2 selected a character
Fixed a crash that would occur when joining a game from the console main menu after booting it up from sleep mode
Fixed an issue that would occasionally result in the corruption of player save data, resetting character data, and wiping inventory. Note: This fix will only prevent the issue from occurring in the future. It will not fix saved games that have been impacted by this bug up to this point.
Fixed an issue where, if the player fell far enough out of world, it would corrupt the save game
Fixed an issue that would cause an unresponsive state when a wireless controller was reconnected while the game was loading up
Fixed an issue that allowed the player to pull up the virtual keyboard in split screen local multiplayer

Release Dates

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls isn't a visual novel as most may think. Instead, players take part in action packed battles between Komaru Naegi, Toko Fukawa, and the Monokuma robots. You'll be able to play this spin-off from the main series when it arrives in the west on June 23rd in PAL regions and June 27th in North America.

Finally for part 1, GOD WARS Future Past will be coming to Playstation 4 and Vita on March 31st in all regions.

Look out for part two coming shortly, which includes trailers, screenshots and other miscellaneous details.

Written by Rebecca Smith

Rebecca is the Newshound Manager at TrueGaming Network. She has been contributing articles since 2010, especially those that involve intimidatingly long lists. When not writing news, she works in an independent game shop so that she can spend all day talking about games too. She'll occasionally go outside.