Neural Newscast

[00:00] Announcer: From Neural Newscast, this is Nerfed, where games, culture, and strategy intersect.
[00:08] Adriana Costa: From Neural Newscast, I'm Adriana Costa.
[00:14] Daniel Brooks: And I'm Daniel Brooks.
[00:16] Adriana Costa: Nearly a year since we first stepped into feudal Japan with Assassin's Creed Shadows.
[00:21] Adriana Costa: Ubisoft is marking the occasion with update 1.1.18, which part
[00:26] Adriana Costa: which finally addresses one of the most persistent requests from the player base.
[00:31] Adriana Costa: If you have the Advanced Parkour setting toggled on,
[00:34] Adriana Costa: you now have access to a manual jump button,
[00:37] Adriana Costa: a mechanic that returns from the earlier titles in the franchise.
[00:41] Adriana Costa: It is a small change that fundamentally alters how players navigate the world, accompanied by a new detailed stat page for build analysis and improved critical hit visuals.
[00:53] Daniel Brooks: The timing is interesting, Adriana, because this looks like the only major update on the Winter Roadmap before the game hits its official anniversary on March 20th.
[01:00] Daniel Brooks: While fans are getting the jump button, there's a growing conversation about whether Shadows
[01:05] Daniel Brooks: is getting the same level of long-term support we saw with Valhalla.
[01:09] Daniel Brooks: We know the clause of Awaji expansion is coming to the Switch 2 on March 10th, but reports
[01:14] Daniel Brooks: suggest Ubisoft recently scrapped a planned multiplayer DLC that would have concluded
[01:18] Daniel Brooks: the season-pass narrative.
[01:19] Daniel Brooks: It leaves the future of Shadows feeling a bit leaner than its predecessors, though rumors
[01:24] Daniel Brooks: of a Black Flag remaster later this year are keeping the community on edge.
[01:28] Adriana Costa: While Ubisoft is trimming back, Daniel, Obsidian is leaning in for the one-year anniversary
[01:34] Adriana Costa: of Avowed.
[01:35] Adriana Costa: Patch 2.0 just went live, and it is a massive expansion for those returning to the Living Lands.
[01:41] Adriana Costa: The headliner is character variety.
[01:44] Adriana Costa: Players can now choose to be dwarves, Orlins, or the towering Almawa.
[01:48] Adriana Costa: Each comes with specific stat bonuses, like the Almawa, receiving a plus 2 to Might.
[01:53] Adriana Costa: It adds a much-needed layer of replayability, especially with the introduction of New Game
[01:58] Adriana Costa: Plus which lets you carry over your unlocked abilities and unique gear into a more challenging
[02:03] Adriana Costa: version of the world.
[02:04] Daniel Brooks: That new Game Plus mode introduces elemental modifiers for enemies, making them immune to certain damage types like fire or poison.
[02:13] Daniel Brooks: Obsidian also added a quarterstaff weapon and custom difficulty sliders that let you fine-tune everything from merchant prices to the parry window.
[02:21] Daniel Brooks: It is a robust way to keep a single-player RPG relevant a year after launch.
[02:25] Daniel Brooks: However, the broader industry news isn't as celebratory.
[02:30] Daniel Brooks: Ten Chambers, the studio behind Den of Wolves, just announced a significant restructuring
[02:35] Daniel Brooks: that includes layoffs and the departure of several co-founders.
[02:38] Daniel Brooks: It is a stark reminder of the volatility currently facing even established development teams.
[02:44] Adriana Costa: From Neural Newscast, I'm Adriana Costa.
[02:47] Daniel Brooks: And I'm Daniel Brooks.
[02:49] Daniel Brooks: Join us again next time for more on the shifting landscape of global gaming and technology.
[02:54] Daniel Brooks: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[02:58] Daniel Brooks: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.
[03:02] Announcer: This has been Nerfed on Neural Newscast, where games, culture, and strategy intersect.
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