As promised, here is the full Resident Evil Village demo which was released last night on Playstation 5 exclusively. The size of our video is pretty close to the size of the demo itself, so you can easily imagine that quality is great. We'll start with an SDR video but we're encoding some HDR gameplay too. Just don't expect this second video to be ready anytime soon.
Update: After a bit more than 4 hours of encoding, the HDR version is up!

Hitman 3 is now available on almost all platforms so we can share this long HDR video of the Xbox Series X version of the game. We apologize for not giving you a partial translation of our French review of the game, but it was a bit complicated to do so this time. All you need to know is that this last episode in the trilogy is just as good as the others, but that it won't be more convincing to you if you didn't enjoy the first two. Our only regret with it if we had to name one is that the last mission isn't a real "Hitman 2016" level and that it's closer to Absolution in the way it proposes a very linear experience. It's not a bad way to finish the game mind you, but it would have felt better if it had been the 7th mission than the 6th, as it means only 5 open maps are available in this final chapter. That being said, Hitman 2's opening did not feature a very big level either.

The Pathless came out alongside the PlayStation 5 in North America, but it was also available on PS4 for us Europeans at the time and those who purchased it for its release were able to continue the adventure on Sony's new console a week or so later. We were very interested in the game but sadly didn't manage to get a review code to give it some well-deserved coverage. Thankfully, a French PR team eventually was able to provide us with a code. It only happened recently, and Cyberpunk 2077 was around the corner, so we had to postpone our video coverage of Giant Squid's new game. Now that the coast is clear, here are the first 18 minutes of what is for us an excellent title. If you haven't played it yet, you know what to ask for Christmas! By the way, the team would like to thank you all again for your support, we hope you can enjoy a merry Christmas despite the Covid-19 situation. Stay safe and play well!

In the '70s/'80s, textual adventures were riding high and no self-proclaimed guardian of the temple would dare to discuss their video game status. A few decades and absurd debates later, this genre has become more confidential but some studios still strive for it, and it's a good thing. Today, we've chosen to focus on Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest, though we realize we're clearly behind schedule as this review was originally intended to be posted in late October.

Visage received a pretty warm welcome when it was released but we've only had a chance to give the game a try recently. To be honest, our very first contact was probably not the best as we found its introduction unnecessary disturbing and shocking, but we started playing and we understood why people enjoyed the spooky ride. It's clearly reminiscent of P.T, the demo teasing the sadly cancelled Silent Hills, but it gives you a bit more freedom as you can play the different chapters in the order you wish, each of them focusing on one particular family. Exploration is key, with random paranormal activity that can get in your way and the obligation to stay in the light as much as possible to preserve the main character's sanity. Not everyone will like the fact that you need to find exactly what to do to trigger the next script and unfold the story, but it means it's more than a mere walking-simulator where you just have to move forward. Backtracking might also be a problem to some, but if you're looking for an atmospheric and very spooky game, you should give it a try. If you're still unsure, why don't you check our lengthy gameplay videos?
Note: The first 3 minutes or so of the first video are to be skipped if you're the sensitive type.

Needless to say that 2021 will most certainly see some more Cyberpunk 2077 coverage on Gamersyde as more patches will be made available to improve the overall experience, much like The Witcher 3 in its days. That being said, we wanted to finish this year's coverage with a bang with no less than 5 more videos in what is actually the 22,000th news article on the website since its creation. On the menu, bits from a mission recorded on PS5 in SDR, 2 new HDR videos (one on Sony's new console and the other on Xbox Series X in quality mode) and finally a big one on PC, with different resolutions and settings, always using DLSS (most of the time in performance mode rather than auto or quality).
PC used for capture: i9 9900K, RTX 2080 Ti and 16 GB of RAM (DDR4).
Note: What we call "Optimized settings" are those given by Digital Foundry in their latest Cyberpunk video.

If you've already played the excellent Monument Valley 1 and 2 on mobiles, then you must know ustwogames, a gaming studio based in the United Kingdom. With Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, the developers aim at offering us a soothing experience whilst teaching us a bit about wildlife and ecology. The game is set on a sunny and peaceful island where Alba goes on vacation to join her grandparents and it is clearly the kind of title that will appeal to your kids (we've tested it on the GSY children and they simply love it) or anyone willing to enjoy a deliciously charming little game. For now it is available on PC and Apple Arcade but there are plans for a console release too.

Our coverage of the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077 will have to wait a bit more as we're not truly satisfied with the performance we get with our usual rig. Until then, here is finally some HDR footage running on Playstation 5 with no less than 13 minutes of various clips. Needless to say encoding took forever, so enjoy it now it's available!

For some reason, the Playstation 5 version of Cyberpunk 2077 does not feature 2 graphics modes like on Xbox Series X. The only possibility left is to play the game at 60 fps with a rather blurry image, which becomes more visible when the draw distance is more important. On the bright side of things, we have found the 60 fps experience smoother than on Microsoft's latest console. On Series X, we indeed witnessed a few hiccups when walking around Night City or even in some indoor locations where there were more NPCs or effects (like the bar at the end of the Corpo intro for example). Inside, you will find the introduction when played as a Corpo as well as another quick stroll around Night City, on foot and by car.

Nobody expected it, most didn't even know it existed, Shady Parts of Me has just been announced during the Game Awards and it is now available on PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4 (it goes without saying that the game also runs on Series X/S and PS5). The good news is that it's not just a nice title, it's simply excellent and we urge you to check it out.