Julius

TWO. WEEKS. REMAIN.* *in Europe to be fair to those over the pond though, I imagine the election has accelerated their aging by at least a week, so I'll give it 'em Yeah, exciting times! Doubt I'll check out much more of the hardware stuff now as we're so close and will want to experience it myself (read: I'm lying through my teeth and will absolutely be watching further impressions, and I will justify this by saying it will help me set my own up as fast as humanly possible). Also, being only a week out from launch in the US and some other countries (note: must be nice), I don't think it's that far of a stretch that we might start to see game review embargoes come to an end tomorrow either. About a week out for major titles - launch titles especially - would seem about right to me, though I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to break this up somewhat, with one of the reviews for Miles Morales or Demon's Souls coming tomorrow, and saving the other until next Tuesday (for the Xbox launch to try and grab some of that next gen buzz, though I don't think it's necessary).

Nintendo's FY3/Q2 2021 report is out, covering the period of 1st July 2020 - 30th September 2020. The big takeaways - 6.85 million units sold this quarter between the Switch and Switch Lite. Lifetime sales for the console now stand at 68.5 million units sold. This means sales for the Switch halfway through the Financial Year stand at 12.53 million units sold - with the busiest quarter still to come! Year-to-date sales stand at 15.82 million units sold (3.29 million units were sold in Q4 2020). - On the back of this, hardware forecast sales for the year have been increased to 24 million units sold. This is in line with previous reports from the time of their last financials, which outlines Nintendo would be increasing production to 25 million units for the Financial Year. - In terms of new games this quarter, Paper Mario: The Origami King has sold 2.82 million units since launch, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars has sold 5.21 million units since launch (yeah, for the latter it's worth noting that's only in the space of two weeks). - Other games of note: Ring Fit Adventure at 5.84 million units sold, Xenoblade Chronicles now at 1.40 million units sold, and Clubhouse Games is at 1.81 million units sold. - Pokémon Sword & Shield have passed 19 million units sold, making them the first games in the series to do so since Gold & Silver. - Mario Kart 8 (including both sales of Deluxe and the original Wii U version of the game) is now the best-selling game in the series, with lifetime sales of 37.44 million units sold compared with Mario Kart Wii's 37.38 million units sold. It's possible that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe could surpass this mark individually down the road. Top 10 best-selling Switch games as of 30th September 2020 1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 28.99M 2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - 26.04M 3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 21.10M 4. Breath of the Wild - 19.74M 5. Pokemon Sword/Shield - 19.02M 6. Super Mario Odyssey - 18.99M 7. Pokemon Let’s GO - 12.49M 8. Super Mario Party - 12.10M 9. Splatoon 2 - 11.27M 10. New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe - 8.32M Personal Note: Animal Crossing: New Horizons could potentially surpass Mario Kart 8 Deluxe over the next quarter and become the Switch's best-selling game. Based on it's current pacing, New Horizons should surpass the 30 million mark in 2020 sales alone. Based on their current growth rates, New Horizons would be projected to come in next time around at just passing that 30 million mark, whilst Mario Kart would be in the 31 - 32 million mark, though this is only based on quarter-to-quarter growth comparisons, and it would be expected for both games to perform even stronger next time around due to it being the busiest quarter of the year.

Yeah, both accessories and games are releasing on the 12th, even the PS5 exclusive games. I think it got bumped up a few weeks back? It looks like ShopTo are getting all of their accessories and games ready to start processing on the 10th, so wouldn't be surprised if some turn up on the 11th. Not that it matters until the console arrives it's going to be a very long week of holding the DualSense and watching that UI video over and over I've seen some hoping elsewhere that due to lockdown there might an earlier launch, but everyone seems much more prepared now than they were back then, so unfortunately I'm not expecting it to hapoen. A repeat of the FFVII Remake situation we got earlier in the year due to lockdown would be nice, but like with that game, feel it would only make for a bit of a weird launch!

Someone from Portugal already has their Series X, 6 days early! And someone over in Canada has just received their Series S, and have confirmed that there will be 364 GB of available storage. Not long until next gen now folks!

I meant it as more of a tongue in cheek rhetorical, but yeah, you're absolutely right. And it's disgusting. I guarantee if Jesus were to come back today, they'd denounce him and treat him in just as toxic a manner - perhaps even more so - as they do minorities and anyone considered their "opposition" today. It really drives me up the wall, especially as someone brought up with Christian values (as I imagine would be the case for most here at some point or another). How they aren't viewed the same way as extremist groups of other religions (especially with what happened over the summer) is beyond me. Meanwhile, they're over there marginalising people of colour/different religions/genders/sexuality. It's infuriating too, because even though I'm not American, and I know most of us are based in or originally from the UK, social media makes the struggle over there more accessible. I've lost count of the times I've been fuming at videos showing some of the things that go on over there, and I guess that our empathy (and their apparent lack thereof) makes the gap all the wider. They seriously need a wake-up call. Even if Biden wins, I don't think that's going to be it.

Yeah, this. It's a bit closer I think even without the mail-in votes, though, which is why I think there's a bit more concern right now. Plus, it's always scary to see it looking this close, even if it won't be in the end (though it does look like it's going to be stupidly close). It was said before that Biden should pull ahead as more votes are counted and the actual numbers start coming in, as it's exactly why Trump wants them to stop counting in every state other than Arizona (which had a ridiculous mail-in turnout, and is dependable because counting started in advance of last night/today - you know, how it should have been done!). I mean, you can look at their supporters and handily guess who is a democrat and who is a republican based on whether they're wearing a mask or not. Like you said, it's why Trump has been trying to cast doubt over a mail-in ballot these last few weeks due to the potential for voted fraud (despite the fact that it is estimated to only impacted some 0.009% - or something like that - of mail-in votes?). A lot of Biden supporters voted a while ago, and were careful about it. You know, the expected response during a pandemic which the US has dealt with much worse than less able countries. America is such a strange place sometimes. But still, I do think it's incredibly disheartening that some 65+ million Americans have still voted for Trump. I mean, he didn't even deliver on The Wall™, and he doesn't have any other bright ideas he's been touting, so I don't even know what it is that they're supporting? Do they just like his haircut? The guy just tried to tear apart democracy on live television, for goodness sake! It just shows how divided America is, and I think even if Biden wins, the last 4 years has set up a lot of toxicity and hatred in the coming months and years. Genuinely wouldn't be surprised if this turns out much worse on the streets than the BLM protests earlier in the summer, which is a frightening thought. Urgh. Plus, you know, it'd be nice to have a President over there who wasn't denying climate change when we're at the tipping point.

Jesse Harlin, composer for Republic Commando, has teased that Vode An is going to be used in an upcoming Star Wars project. Hell yeah. Question is, is it Mando S2, The Bad Batch, both (?), or something else? Do I dare to wish for a Republic Commando remake or an Imperial Commando game? Probably not, because watch it be for a Star Wars video game complication soundtrack Vode An, for those who have no idea what I'm talking about: Man, it's so good. That game has a really solid OST, probably some of the best non-JW stuff in the 2000's. Need to play that game again at some point!

My bad. Yeah, HDMI 2.1.

HDMI 2.1 confirmed. While I think there was nothing to be worried about personally, HDMI 2.1 has not been confirmed previously, and the lack of confirmation I feel is what caused some concern amongst some online. Nice to have the clarification at least!

Been a very hectic time at work these past few weeks in the build-up to payment holidays ending on the 31st...and now that's all up in the air while we wait for clarification on the FCA putting forward an extension of the deadline. Great times. Moved to a different team at the start of September with a few core members from my team. Same department, but it means doing a lot more manual work vs things coming in on the dialler, which is a huge win. Long-term, eventually, once this whole COVID thing is over, it should mean being assigned 'cases' and being in regular contact with the same customers, having time to look over their accounts before calling them, arranging call backs, etc. Seeing as I was already doing this before, it seems a natural fit for me! Only downside to the manual work is seeing just how incompetent a number of the other employees are at times (I work for a massive international bank), especially those who process actions taken on the account. The number of times I see notes saying that a plan has not been agreed and then them processing a plan and sending a letter to the customer for a plan is honestly quite frightening. It honestly takes a bit of a toll starting to think that, on average, people just aren't doing their job right (and I mean the basics, taught in day 1 of training - you know, the "you MUST do this" sort of stuff?). I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm getting paid and to slow down and take my time, but yeah. It is what it is. I was also ill a couple of weeks back (again, yay) and came back to a meeting with my manager where I was advised that my bonus should be quite decent come the end of our work year in March. Unfortunately, in a meeting my manager and another, we learned that we wouldn't be getting bonuses this year. Makes sense because of COVID, and I hadn't hung my hat on it, but considering the sheer workload my team in particular has had to work through since we started working from home in April (some of us, myself included, have been doing additional tasks too, such as helping in development for those new to the role, as well as taking on work from every corner of the company), it's still a bit of a bummer. Our 'ratings' will now only be used for potential transfers to other departments/roles, which is still something, but when the bonuses can typically be 10% - 25% of your annual salary, it's nothing to scoff at. And only stings much more because my manager wasn't aware of us not having them this year! Oh, and I also had to resolve something for a customer over the phone the other day for an account type which I have worked once, maybe twice, in the last 12 months, through a program which I did not have access to. It's great that my manager trusts me to do this, but honestly? It was not a fun experience, and was honestly a bit concerning. I want to do my job to the best of my ability, and while it went well in the end, I could tell I was much more anxious than I normally would be, not having the immediate security of up-to-date data to back me up. To end on a positive: still working towards a pay rise which would come into effect in April, and very grateful to still have a job. It's really funny every time I have a meeting with my manager, or speak to any manager really, though, because I've made it clear that I don't see this as a long-term job for myself. As a result of COVID I might have to change my plans and delay things here and there, I can only roll with those punches and the financial security is nice, but my goal is still to study again and go to university in a few years' time. Just a reminder to those who now find themselves working from home, it's worth checking if you're eligible for tax relief while working from home! It's not much, but over the course of the year it adds up - especially if you've been forced to work from home for a while now, it could average out as potentially covering one of your smaller fixed costs.

I did, though admittedly the main reason for me noticing was that I was in a dark room and the change made me a little bit nauseous when it happened

Some details on a chapter being cut from the game, where Tifa would have been front and centre: Okay Square Enix, now I want two things: a Final Fantasy I - VI Collection, and a Tifa Chapter in Remake Part II

Confirmation that it will be a PS5 exclusive from Insomniac: No surprises there!

Well, it's November! Not too long now...

Best of luck @drahkon, I'm sure you'll kill it!

@stuwii (and anyone else who order for in-store pickup from GAME)

Hell yeah, Hero is back!

Honestly, feel like it might be worth contacting the store for updates on what they'll do (either directly or through Twitter or something) if non-essential retail does close again. I would be really surprised if they didn't offer the option to either change it to be delivered to your home, or dropped off at a collection point which would be considered essential (i.e. a Sainsbury's or somewhere like that), because at the end of the day, they're going to be losing customers and trust if they can't offer a decent alternative. Good luck, hopefully they can sort something out for you!

Finally got the chance to dig into Chapter 9 of The Mandalorian earlier this evening. I was up and ready to watch it at 07:00, but knew it would just distract me when I started working First, the stuff that doesn't spoil anything. Soundtrack is still solid. Costumes look great. Sound design and effects look great. But boy oh boy did some of those wider tracking CG shots look rough, much more noticeable and much more frequent than it was even in Chapter 1. A case of budget and time going elsewhere, I'd imagine, but I was really surprised by it, considering just how much they nailed it by the end of Season 1. Solid way to open up the season, look forward to seeing where it goes next week!

Yeah, holy smokes. What's that, 7 seconds from a cold boot (that's the impression I get seeing as it goes into the menu, at least), and a 2 second load of the save, which wasn't even long enough to feel like a fade to black? If that was a cold boot like we seem to think, then yeah. Ho-ley smoked mackerel, that's very exciting!

Oh dang, that would be huge considering that they already own Funimation! Might lead to a better chance of certain shows getting a dub that hadn't already (or being dubbed earlier than they otherwise would have been) down the line. Very interesting.

It's always a weird day when anime/manga turns up on the front page of the BBC website, but hey, at least this time it's with good reason: Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train (that will never not be fun to type) has absolutely killed the Japanese box office. And all this with COVID (cases rising by about 200 per day at the moment in Tokyo). From Siliconera: Crazy! Good for them, I don't doubt in the slightest that it deserves it. Looking forward to the release over here next year!

A better look at the White Snow Edition:

I'm hoping to set it up on a lunch break and have everything downloaded so I can start playing once I finish work that day, though I imagine I'll still want to snoop around the settings because that's one of my favourite parts of getting new hardware to play with! Have been seriously considering playing Astro's Playroom first, seems like a game you could knock out and Platinum (if it has one?) in an afternoon, and I really want to get a good idea of what they've got going on with the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. At the same time: Spider-Man. So who knows? Yeah, as great as it is to hear all of these great impressions of Astro's, my biggest concern with this direction is if it does end up getting that support. SixAxis and the Touchpad went widely under utilised this gen, which is a shame, because I feel like there were good applications of both, but mainly in first party titles; namely, shaking the controller in The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II when your flashlight starts flickering out, and the many awesome uses of the Touchpad in Ghost of Tsushima. But at the end of the day, I guess it's on third parties wanting to support it, and it's not an easy sell to them when these are going to be changes made exclusively with one console in mind. At the very least, we'll have first party titles. Cannot wait to call back the Leviathan Axe in God of War: Ragnarok, that's for sure! Genuinely think Xbox should have jumped on this bandwagon too, because considering how much work Cerny puts into communicating with third parties, I have to imagine this is a choice made with their desires in mind more so than PlayStation's.

PS3 vs PS5 comparison by ElAnalistaDeBits: Awesome. Though I like the cinematic look of the new camera, the option to play with the original camera angle is probably going to be the way I end up playing. Not that it doesn't look great with the cinematic camera, just feels a little too close to the action, and being slightly off-set too makes me think I might have a better time with the original one. Maybe