Latest news with #FromSoft
Tom's Guide
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I've played the Switch 2 for over a week and it's missing these key games
I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Nintendo Switch 2. From snappier Joy-Cons to improved performance, there was a lot to get hyped for. But now, over a week after its official release, I'm at odds. While I think the improvements are promising, especially the larger and more vibrant screen, it's the software that's taken the most enormous misstep. It's owed largely to the fact that the Switch 2 launched with just one main first-party game in Mario Kart World. The rest are third-party titles that launched years prior, including Cyberpunk 2077, Split Fiction, Street Fighter 6, and Hogwarts Legacy. Don't get me wrong, these are fantastic games — Cyberpunk being one of my all-time favorites — I wish the Switch 2 had a bit more going for it. Especially given its exorbitant price tag. Surprisingly, Nintendo didn't have more Mario games up its sleeve for the new hardware. You'd think Nintendo would want to come out with a bang, highlighting major features using its very bread and butter with something like a Mario Odyssey 2 or even a Super Smash Bros sequel. Instead, we got Mario Kart World, a rather lackluster experience in terms of overall content. You can have a blast so long as you have a good crew to play with, but beyond that, it's a pretty limiting title and really comes down to your enjoyment of racing games to begin with. You could point out some of the incredible visual and performance enhancements available for more well-known titles, like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. But it's a significant drag that older Nintendo games are being put on a pedestal. I know some games are releasing in the coming months that could put these woes to bed, like Donkey Kong Bananza and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Still, Nintendo should have launched with more first-party experiences to make up for the already limited lineup, like a revamped Mario Party, Luigi's Mansion, or Mario Golf. I can't lie, FromSoftware is one of my favorite video game developers. That's why I was let down by the fact that the Switch 2 edition of Elden Ring didn't launch along with the system, and there's no real understanding of when it might release. The Nintendo website says it's supposed to release this year, but it's still unclear when that might be. That's a massive release for Nintendo and works to get some extra fans interested in FromSoft games ahead of the launch of Duskbloods on the Switch 2 next year. That's why I wish more FromSoft games were launching on the system. Instead of just Elden Ring, why not bring over some of the additional Dark Souls series of games to the platform? The original Switch already has access to Dark Souls Remastered, and it's not like Dark Souls 2 or 3 would be too intensive for the refreshed hardware. A full Dark Souls trilogy available on the Switch 2 from the outset would have been huge for fans of the developer. You could even throw in Sekiro, which is one of its most beloved experiences and even won Game of the Year in 2019. That would make for a killer software suite and probably wouldn't take too much effort to put together. As of writing, FromSoftware fans just have Dark Souls Remastered to play around in on the Switch 2 as they wait for Elden Ring and Duskbloods, which is a tad unfortunate, seeing as it's pretty much dead in terms of co-op and PvP invasions. Although it is a family console, the Switch 2 is missing out on more horror titles. If you're a fan of killer thrillers and terrifying horror experiences, you're largely stuck with the games that already existed on the original Switch. I'm a huge horror fan, and it's a bit of a drag to see such a minimal offering in this category. Just take a peek at the official Nintendo online eShop for its Switch 2 titles, and you'll see that horror isn't even an option in its genre selection. Again, I understand this is more of a family console, and horror probably isn't the most-searched genre on Switch, but the variety would be a welcome change for the platform. Nintendo could have tapped some heavy hitters for a well-rounded third-party horror selection, including Dead Space remake, Metro Exodus, Still Wakes the Deep, and Slitterhead, to name a few. Maybe it's the fact that horror is just too niche for the Switch to begin with, but I'd like to see a wider offering on the more adept hardware. Especially given that beloved horror franchises in Silent Hill and Resident Evil are basking in the limelight with massive hits on the horizon. If you are one of the few looking for some horror games on the Switch 2, I recommend playing Observer, Fatum Betula, Signalis, and World of Horror. They don't put the new hardware to the test, but they are nail-biting as ever.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
It took mere hours, but Elden Ring Nightreign already has duos in development thanks to the modding icon behind Dark Souls and Armored Core co-op
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The modding icon who added seamless co-op to several FromSoftware hits - including Dark Souls Remastered, Armored Core 6, and the base Elden Ring - has now turned their gaze to the developer's new multiplayer-focused game, Elden Ring Nightreign. Elden Ring Nightreign squeezes the open-world epic into tight, 45-minute-ish rounds designed around co-op play. But at the time of writing, you can only enter The Lands Between solo or in trios - there isn't an option to start a round with only two players. Hypothetically, the only way to play duos is to begin a match with three people and hope one of them leaves. Enter modder Yui, who got a two-player Elden Ring Nightreign session up and running just hours after the game's mammoth launch. In the description for the short demonstration of the in-development mod, Yui mentions that the mod "runs without connecting to the matchmaking server, [so] it is possible to use additional mods during gameplay." The modder also says they "made it for fun," but hopefully it sees a proper release some day - if FromSoftware doesn't add a duos matchmaking option first, that is. Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki recently admitted the team somewhat "neglected the duos aspect" while making the game since everyone was so focused on balancing trios to a tee. The lack of duos hasn't gone unnoticed, though, as Nightreign's Steam user reviews are the second-lowest in FromSoft history. Of course, simply adding a two-player mode and balancing the game around two players are different things entirely (the latter probably takes a lot more time to get just right), but I can imagine it's worth it for the couples who want to spend their date nights in Elden Ring Nightreign without getting interrupted by a third-wheeler. For now, you can check out Yui's other swell co-op mods on NexusMods. Stay prepared with our guide on all Elden Ring Nightreign classes and tier list
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elden Ring Nightreign patch 1.01 is out even if the game isn't – and welcome back FromSoftware, these patch notes don't tell us a darn thing
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. No matter where you live or play, it's not Elden Ring Nightreign release time just yet, but that hasn't stopped developer FromSoftware from releasing the game's first patch. Elden Ring Nightreign patch 1.01 is rolling out ahead of release, and in classic FromSoft form, we barely know anything about what it does. This is one of those patch note stories where I can very easily share the entire list of contents verbatim: Improved handling of playable characters Soundtrack addition and adjustments Text adjustments Balance adjustments Added character scenarios Bug fixes Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki recently told us that he and the team have been working on game balance "until the last minute," and the "handling of playable characters" and miscellaneous "balance adjustments" sound like they'd fall under that category. The text and soundtrack stuff, along with general bug fixes, is more generic still. "This update aims to improve gameplay and stability," the patch notes add. Good news, I suppose. Ahead of launch, the 1.01 patch notes have also included a small advisory for PC gamers, who will get access a few hours early. "If issues such as being unable to start the game occur on the PC version, they can sometimes be resolved by performing the following steps in Steam," FromSoftware advises. Just double check "Verify Integrity of Game Files" in your Steam library properties. Additionally, "we have confirmed that some PC configurations using the latest graphics cards may experience frame rate drops," the patch notes read. "We are currently investigating the cause." I'm now nervously eyeing my new 5080, which I assume falls under "the latest graphics cards" mentioned here, but thankfully FromSoftware has a possible solution: turn your graphics settings down. Thanks, FromSoftware. The director of Elden Ring Nightreign has been thinking about this game since Dark Souls 3, and "seeing the scope of Elden Ring" finally made it click in his mind. We've collected all the details in our Elden Ring Nightreign live coverage.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elden Ring Nightreign Metacritic score sets it as the lowest-scored FromSoftware game in 7 years and ties a 25-year-old PS2 platformer nobody remembers, but that's before the multiplayer buff sets in
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Elden Ring: Nightreign metacritic score is in, and while it's the lowest-reviewed FromSoftware score in years, that's still a very high bar to clear. The Elden Ring: Nightreign Metacritic score currently sits at 78. That matches up exactly with its PS5 score, although the PC score sits a little higher at 81 - more PS5 reviews mean the average will skew slightly lower. Clearly, that's a pretty solid score, but it's not one that matches up particularly closely with FromSoftware's recent efforts. Elden Ring itself, for instance, boasts a 96. Shadow of the Erdtree sits a little lower, while Armored Core 6 is in the low-to-mid 80s, depending on platform. Sekiro sits around the high-80s/low-90s bracket, and every major Soulsborne game has a score of at least 85. By contrast, the Elden Ring: Nightreign Metacritic score of 78 might be a little disappointing, but it's worth remembering that it's still a pretty solid launch amid an almost generational run of amazing titles. A re-release and a VR exclusive aside, you've got to go back to 2013's Armored Core: Verdict Day to find a major FromSoft release that scored less than 80 on Metacritic. Elden Ring: Nightreign's Metacritic score has been matched by two other FromSoftware games. Not only the studio of dark fantasy and massive mechs, in 2000, it put out The Adventures of Cookie & Cream, a couch co-op spin on Crash Bandicoot-style platforming. In the same year, it netted the same score for Armored Core 2, which I'd argue has a more impressive legacy, but either way, Nightreign's in some interesting company. In our own Elden Ring: Nightreign review, Will said that it was an "uncharacteristically frantic" take on the Elden Ring experience, and that the Soulslike elements that have been cut have been replaced by "surprisingly competent roguelike components." The suggestion that "Nightreign is Elden Ring at arguably its most brutal" is a little worrying, but I'm certainly still keen to dive in. The Nightreign team has been hard at work on balance all week - so much so that it's already nerfed bleed builds.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.02 will arrive next week, and it'll make things much easier for solo players
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Elden Ring Nightreign patch 1.02 is on its way next week, making some improvements to the solo experience that should make it much easier for those playing on their own. In a tweet, the official Elden Ring account said that Elden Ring Nightreign patch 1.02 will be released next week, "and will include several bug fixes as well as improvements for solo expeditions." More info is coming next week, but FromSoft has offered a few details about those solo offerings. For instance, you'll now get an 'Automatic Revival Upon Defeat' option, allowing solo players to revive once per night boss battle, for a total of three revives over the course of an expedition. In addition to that, you'll get more runes in solo, but we've not got a sense of quite how many more runes - presumably it won't be triple, but you'd hope that it'll be worth the while of those players who do make the choice to play on their own. As of now, however, there's no word on duos - Elden Ring Nightreign's Steam reviews are some of the lowest that FromSoftware has ever had, and one of the biggest concerns is the lack of two-player options. FromSoft has said it's considering a two-player mode for post-launch support, but that's likely to be some way down the line. Thankfully, there is one option - a two-player Elden Ring Nightreign mod from the creator of Dark Souls and Armored Ring multiplayer mods - but that's only useful for PC players who are happy to tinker. By the way, if you're wondering why this is Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.02 and not 1.01, that's because the latter has already been released. Elden Ring Nightreign patch 1.01 dropped before the game was even out, but it was a relatively vague mix of character improvements and balance adjustments, and we don't yet actually know what it changed. Check out our Elden Ring Nightreign review.
