Elden Ring Mechanics, PvP and Crafting

17 minute breakdown of Elden Ring demo

FromSoftware gave a 17-minute behind closed doors presentation of Elden Ring at Gamescom, and Fextralive has summarized it, talking about the new mechanics, PvP, crafting, and of course the game world.

If you want to go in blind when Elden Ring finally launches, you should probably steer clear of the video, but if you're hungry for some details then you're in for a feast.

• Elden Ring is out for PC and consoles on January 21st, 2022
• Author George R. R. Martin co-wrote the lore
• No official plans for a public gameplay presentation yet
• Only possible to invade co-op sessions right now

Systematic: Fextralife's video talks about player attributes, skills, spirit summoning, armour sets, magic types, stealth, NPCs, mounted combat, map functions, dungeons, multiplayer, and much more.

Timestamps: “Elden Ring feels like Dark Souls, there is no denying it, but it's a form of Dark Souls that is nearly perfected,” according to Fextralife. The 23-minute video has plenty of timestamps so you can concentrate on the parts you're interested in.

What company initially published Psychonauts for Double Fine?

a) Majesco 
b) THQ
c) Nordic Games
d) EA

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today's issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.

The Medium now terrifies PlayStation 5

Square Enix's RPG Bravely Default 2 is out for PC this week, while Bloober Team's previously Xbox exclusive The Medium brings some horror to PlayStation 5. If you just want to go vroom in the last days of summer, WRC 10 offers plenty of that.

Wednesday – September 1st

• Lake for PC, XBO

Thursday – September 2nd

• Bravely Default 2 for PC
• Demon Gaze Extra for NS, PS4
• Kitaria Fables for PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX
• WRC 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX

Friday – September 3rd

• Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions for PC, NS, PS4, XBO
• The Medium for PS5

McCree will be getting a new name

Activision Blizzard is still embroiled in an epic legal battle with the state of California, and in its continuing effort to not look like a total den of scum and villainy, the Overwatch team has announced that revolver-toting gunslinger McCree is getting a new name.

McCree was named after a recently disgraced former employee, who Activision Blizzard clearly wants a bit of distance from. That means Overwatch's next story arc will be delayed since McCree plays a central role in it. To fill the gap, a new FFA map will be released while Blizzard completes the name change.

Epic cleansing: Blizzard is changing names in other games as well, such as characters in World of WarCraft named in honor of team members. That's not the only historical revisionism going on either: Activision Blizzard was recently accused of destroying documentation critical to the lawsuit.

No real names: Activision Blizzard has also decided that “in-game characters will no longer be named after real employees”, and that the company will try to be more “thoughtful and discerning” when making real-world references. That probably means McCree will not be renamed Cosby.

Brave Browser rewards you for surfing

Maybe your internet connection is fast, but what about your browser? The Brave Browser is built from the ground up for speed, privacy and providing an ad-free Internet.

You can opt-in for ads that respect your privacy, and even earn rewards. It’s quick and easy to use, featuring the same comforts and conveniences you expect from a modern browser.

Captain ToonHead gameplay trailer

Teravision Games has released a new gameplay trailer for Captain ToonHead vs the Punks from Outer Space, an over-the-top tower defense game where you play a janitor trying to save Earth. The game will support Oculus, PlayStation VR, Vive and Valve Index.

Jurassic World Aftermath: Part 2

The second chapter and conclusion to Jurassic World Aftermath arrives on September 30th for Oculus Quest. If you like the idea of getting freaked out by dinosaurs in virtual reality, then look no further. Life finds a way, and that means the dinosaurs will find you.

Green Hell VR coming to PSVR?

Open-world survival game Green Hell VR is coming to Oculus Quest and other PC VR platforms, and the team hopes they can bring it to PlayStation VR as well. That could mean the developers are talking to Sony about bringing the game to the next-generation PlayStation VR for PlayStation 5.

• The Skate Twitter account confirms PC version with a short live action clip saying “PC_confirmation.exe”
• You can watch Pokémon episodes now on Switch via the Pokémon TV app, which will also feature “exciting matches”
• Netflix rolls out mobile games to Polish subscribers, starting with Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3 for Android
• Second trailer for Metroid Dread shows off some brand-new abilities and lurking terrors
• Overcooked! All You Can Eat on PlayStation Plus from September 7th alongside Hitman 2 and Predator: Hunting Grounds

What company initially published Psychonauts for Double Fine?

ANSWER: Majesco!

Psychonauts eventually turned into a cult classic and firmly established Double Fine as a top-shelf developer, but the launch was very much a commercial failure. Publisher Majesco had already racked up an impressive record of financial failures, and the Psychonauts launch on PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox quickly became another one.

Psychonauts sold less than 100,000 units in its first year on sale, and Majesco was forced to cancel two of its upcoming releases – Demonik and Taxi Driver – because of cash flow problems. Majesco eventually recovered somewhat, and Double Fine went on to do great things, like buying back the Psychonauts license and revealing that the original had gone on to sell 1.7 million copies. 

Today's issue of DailyBits was written by Gavin Herman, Erlend Grefsrud, Simon Priest, and Jamie Davey. If you have any feedback or news tips for the team, please email us!