Gaming News

Not to paint things dystopian, but the cost of living sure is ridiculous right now. If you're doing life on hard mode right now, I reckon you could do with some dirt cheap entertainment that dispenses multi-hour escapism. Enter: video games. More specifically, the discounted gems I've curated below—like an overloaded Animus worth of Assassin's Creed adventures, low cost preorders, and more!In retro news, I'm celebrating the 26th birthday of Wario Land II, a top ten Gameboy Color great that I sacrificed many a AA battery to. Over the course of its 50+ levels, it impressed with diverse boss battles and a surprisingly complex web of hidden exits, secret paths, and alternate endings. But the guiltiest pleasure I got from it came from the...

It’s best not to put too much stock in Gundam Breaker 4’s name. Despite its title, it’s not the fourth game in the series. That honor goes to New Gundam Breaker, which Bandai Namco prefers to overlook due to its middling reviews and overall poor reputation with the fanbase. Instead, Gundam Breaker 4 will be the fifth console release in the now decade-old series, and what Bandai Namco hopes will be a fresh start for the franchise overall.In an exclusive interview with IGN, Masanori Tanaka says that the team collected “a lot” of feedback from New Gundam Breaker before heading into Gundam Breaker 4. The main takeaway? Fans were confused about the number. But more importantly, they wanted the series to get back to what it did best...

Dead by Daylight turns eight today, and to celebrate the milestone, Behaviour Interactive held its anniversary stream to share new details on updates headed to the asymmetrical horror game. This includes an official reveal of a new game mode, details on the previously teased D&D chapter, and updates on its upcoming spinoff projects.But if you missed it, don't worry. We break down every announcement from the Dead by Daylight 8th Anniversary Stream below:Dead by Daylight's 2V8 mode officially announcedDead by Daylight fans, your wish has been granted: a 2V8 mode is coming. As the name implies, this game mode will have two killers facing off against eight survivors, and will include a larger map to accommodate the increase in...

This week, Microsoft and Bethesda announced that they would be closing down multiple game development studios under their umbrella. These include Alpha Dog Games, maker of Mighty Doom, and Arkane Austin, developer of the disastrous Redfall among others. In the gaming industry, the conventional wisdom has long been held that bad games sink you and great games save you, which would lead many to drawing an unfortunate line between Redfall’s reception and Arkane Austin’s closure — but immediately stops supporting that conclusion when you get to Tango Gameworks.Founded in 2010 by Shinji Mikami, the studio was largely known for horror games like Evil Within until last year. As part of a shadow drop release, the cool rhythmic action title...

Developer 1M Bits Horde and Meta Publishing (who also published Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous) are announcing Nested Lands, a new medieval-set, "brutally challenging" multiplayer survival RPG in which the world has been ravaged by a plague. Check out the first trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below.1M Bits Horde describes Nested Lands as such: "In Nested Lands, you’ll start from nothing, rising to overcome monumental challenges and make your fame echo across the kingdom. Craft all the tools and resources you need to survive a harsh, highly interactive environment, build a settlement from the ground up, battle vicious foes, and recruit allies to help you. The unpredictably harsh weather and the coming winter...

Shin Megami Tensei 5 will be removed from the Nintendo eShop on June 13, 2024 ahead of the release of expanded edition Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance.Publisher Atlus confirmed the takedown in an X/Twitter post, making clear that all digital editions of the game, including the Standard and Deluxe, as well as all downloadable content will be unavailable ahead of Vengeance, which launches June 21, 2024.Players who already own either the physical or digital versions of Shin Megami Tensei 5 will be able to continue playing after the takedown date, or redownload it if necessary.Vengeance is a revamped version of the original available across all platforms, meaning PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series, PC via Steam, and Nintendo...

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass May 2024 Wave 2 lineup of games, headlined by Ninja Theory’s Hellblade 2.First up on May 15 is puzzle adventure game Chants of Sennaar (Cloud, Console, and PC). Then, on May 16, EA Sports NHL 24 will be available with Xbox Cloud Gaming via EA Play. Also via EA Play, on May 16 single-player, first-person magic shooter Immortals of Aveum (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) hits PC Game Pass and Ultimate. IGN's Immortals of Aveum review returned an 8/10. We said: "Immortals of Aveum is an impressively confident first-person shooter with a hearty solo campaign and fast-paced, spellcasting combat that’s spectacular to watch."This month’s big release is undoubtedly Hellblade 2, which launches...

Just over a year ago, Tango Gameworks and Xbox released Hi-Fi Rush, a musical delight that seemed to come out of nowhere. Hi-Fi Rush received almost universal acclaim – it was wholly unique, polished, and tightly paced. It was also like nothing developer Tango Gameworks had ever made before, and seemingly made explicitly for Xbox Game Pass. It followed closely in the footsteps of games like Psychonauts 2 and Pentiment, neither of which match the profile of the big, blockbuster AAAs that move millions upon millions of copies, and yet they were beloved anyway. Taken as a whole, they lent credibility and prestige to Xbox Game Pass as an accessible library of well-supported, beautifully crafted art.Now, just over a year later, Xbox has...

While Sony has said there are no plans to release sequels in its major franchises this financial year, ruling out new games in the Spider-Man and God of War series until at least April 2025, we do know of one new first-party PlayStation game coming out this year: Concord.Announced during Sony’s May 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Concord is a new PVP multiplayer FPS from Sony-owned studio Firewalk Studios set for release on PlayStation 5 and PC at some point in 2024.During a financial call focused on the investment community, Sony listed Concord as a live service game coming out in 2024 alongside Bungie’s Destiny 2 expansion The Final Shape. That’s a commitment to the new IP launching during what looks like a particularly quiet...

Aiming to be one of the most realistic FPS entries on the market, Gray Zone Warfare is an intense genre offering that combines MMO, PvP and PvE elements to create a sense of scale quite unlike any other tactical shooter on the market as players choose from a selection of PMCs (Private Military Companies) and […]Continue reading...

PlayStation’s first half of 2024 has been quietly successful without necessarily setting the world alight. Helldivers 2 proved a surprise megahit in both a critical and commercial sense, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is one of the best RPGs of the year so far – even if it hasn’t quite sold the number of copies both Square Enix and Sony may have been hoping for – and, as recently as a few weeks ago, both Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade launched, bringing with them exciting brands of sharp action.These exclusives have been bright spots in an industry otherwise plagued by layoffs and studio closures (of which Sony has played no small part in), but when it comes to what else to expect to play on your PS5 in the back half of 2024, there’s a...

Square Enix has admitted Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Final Fantasy 16, and Foamstars failed to meet its expectations.In a financial call reported by Bloomberg, Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu told analysts that sales for all three games failed to hit expected revenue and profit, resulting in an overall hit to operating income for the business.Square Enix announced launch sales of three million for Final Fantasy 16 after it went on sale in June 2023, but it has yet to announce a follow-up figure since. According to Bloomberg, while this initial momentum was in-line with expectations, sales have slowed.It’s a worse story for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Initial momentum failed to reach Square Enix’s target, Bloomberg said. Tellingly...

Helldivers 2 sold over 12 million copies in its first 12 weeks on sale, making it PlayStation’s fastest-selling game of all time, Sony has announced.Speaking during an investor call, Sony said Arrowhead’s PlayStation 5 and PC live-service shooter exceeded its expectations, hitting the impressive sales milestone on May 5, 2024. Helldivers 2 beats out Sony Santa Monica’s God of War Ragnarok, which hit 11 million copies 75 days after launching across PlayStation 4 and PS5 in November 2022.Helldivers 2 launched on PC and PS5 at the same time with cross-play fueling its co-op PVE action. You play a Helldiver who fights against alien robots and bugs across a number of players as part of a Galactic War, with Arrowhead pulling the strings...

Let's dispense with the pleasantries and cut to a deal that's close to my heart. You'd be nuts not to go buy Broforce for 80% off and under a fiver. It's like a side-scrolling Expendables film—but not rubbish—that includes OTT gore, a who's who pun-ification of every action star that matters, and 4P co-op. I'm also all about that dirt cheap Pokémon Pearl and a cool 144 bucks off a Switch OLED.In especially topical retro news, I've baked a cake with a big 15 on it for Pokémon Platinum. Part of the DS Gen IV series, this sprawling Sinnoh shenanigan served as a third version to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. My memories of it include a gleeful hunt for the 59 extra Pokémon added, and dipping into the new M.C. Escher-esque Distortion World...

Rumors that a new Doom game is on the horizon are heating up thanks in part to a new trademark filing (via Eurogamer).The pending U.S. trademark filed by Microsoft’s ZeniMax Media is for a project called “IDKFA.” Longtime fans of developer id Software will recognize the string of letters as a famous cheat code for the original Doom that grants players access to all in-game weapons and keys with full ammo and armor.To be clear, it’s possible the trademark isn’t related to a new Doom game, but there are a few reasons to hold out hope that a fresh installment may soon be announced. Microsoft has already revealed plans to hold its major games showcase on June 9, meaning we’ll learn more about upcoming Xbox games in only a few weeks...

Elden Ring developer FromSoftware has unveiled a new Bloodborne-like enemy that is set to appear in next month’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and fans are already talking about how it will terrorize fellow Tarnished.The studio pulled back the curtain on its latest nightmare on X/Twitter today. An image of the currently unnamed creature reveals a cloaked, cane-wielding being with a glowing head. The Bloodborne comparisons come from its tentacle-like face, giving the enemy an almost Lovecraftian flair.“The abandoned and tragic who forage beneath the umbra pray for the embrace of a new master,” FromSoftware’s post says.Fans were quick to compare the creature to Bloodborne enemies like Winter Lanterns and Garden of Eyes, which...

In 2022, fans of the 1990s adventure series Monkey Island finally got another game with Return to Monkey Island, which notably marked creator Ron Gilbert's first time directing a Monkey Island project in 30 years. Now, it looks like Gilbert has another project up his sleeve that's due out just two (or maybe three) years later.As pointed out by Time Extension, Gilbert has been sharing progress on an untitled RPG that's described as "classic Zelda meets Diablo meets Thimbleweed Park," according to studio Terrible Toybox's website.Screenshots of the game shared on Gilbert's Mastodon account show off a top-down pixel art style reminiscent of classic Zelda titles, flaunting a few quaint houses in a woodsy area as well as some classic...

Bethesda has unveiled its first Fallout 4 patch since the big next-gen update released last month, including some new graphics and performance option settings and a few other fixes.The studio had said the update was coming last week, and today rolled it out across Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4/5, and PC. The most important parts are those aforementioned graphics and fidelity options, with the Frame Rate Target now allowing you to choose between 30, 40, and 60 (default). As Bethesda notes, your display must be able to support 120hz if you choose 40.You can also choose between Visuals and Performance while trying to maintain framerate, with Performance being recommended for 60 FPS.The update also includes a short list...

Star Citizen just received its latest update, Alpha 3.23: Adventure Beckons, which adds the space sim's first native animals, new hoverbikes, FPS upgrades, and more.Alongside the game’s first native wildlife are massive terrestrial mission hubs, FPS and UI enhancements from single-player story spin-off Squadron 42, as well as quality-of-life improvements and new features, such as what’s called Star Map 1.0, which adds a full 3D view of the system, and new cloud and water tech. Elsewhere, there are new Master Modes for more intense space fight combat.Developer Cloud Imperium Games said Alpha 3.23: Adventure Beckons (yes, Star Citizen is still in alpha) is Star Citizen’s largest patch to date, adding the first native wildlife for the...

A dedicated Baldur's Gate 3 fan has recreated the Mysterious Artefact in real life, and it doubles as an Xbox controller to play the game with.Twitch streamer Rudeism shared a video on X/Twitter, below, of the artefact's creation and use, showing off its complete functionality as a working Xbox controller that can fully control Baldur's Gate 3 (or Forza Motorsport, Starfield, or any other Xbox game).Each side of the Mysterious Artefact is a separate Xbox button like A, B, Right Trigger, and so on, while the thumbsticks are simulated using motion controls from inside the controller, meaning Rudeism has to turn the device itself to move their character around.The project took nearly five months to complete, as Rudeism had to design...

Ever since Sony’s PC and PlayStation 5 co-op shooter Helldivers 2 came out earlier this year, fans have suggested it would be perfect for a Star Wars crossover. Now, one mod team has gone ahead and built just that.Prolific mod content creator Toasted tasked his mod team with creating a Star Wars Clone Wars mod pack for Helldivers 2, and has published the results in video form with the help of @SWBFUpdates, @StayBombastic, and @OzzyOVLD.The mod pack, built by modders Kboy and @irastris, swaps out Hellidvers for playable Clone Troopers from the 501st Legion, including Captain Rex, Commander Cody, and Sergeant Hunter, with Automaton enemies redesigned as Separatist Droids. There are B1-series battle droids, B2-series super battle...

The developer of Marvel Rivals has apologized for having a clause in its content creator contract that blocked streamers from criticizing the game.Marvel Rivals, a Marvel-themed take on team-based hero shooter Overwatch, was recently made available to some content creators as part of a closed alpha test. Amid positive feedback, it emerged that the contract that creators had to sign to gain access to the game included a number of clauses that prevented any disparaging comments.As streamer and retired professional Overwatch player Brandon Larned, aka Seagull, revealed on X / Twitter, the non-disparagement clause in the contract prevented creators from posting negative reviews, or even comparing it to competitors, such as Blizzard’s...

Square Enix has announced a significant company reboot amid tumbling profits.Reporting its financial performance for the financial year ending March 31, 2024, sales in the Digital Entertainment segment, which includes video games, rose by 2.6% but profit fell by 15.8%. This despite the sale of Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Foamstars, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Specifically on HD games, the subcategory Square Enix uses to encompass all the above games, the company saw a significant operating loss of ¥8.1 billion (approximately $51.9 million).Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth both launched as PlayStation 5 exclusives, and while Square Enix has announced a sales figure for Final Fantasy 16, it has yet to...

Welcome to yet another week of paying a little for a lot. The Microsoft and PlayStation stores are starting to warm up with a bunch of decent sales events—the pick of which are represented below. I'm also keeping an eye on Amazon for any sign of extraordinarily early EOFY deals as well. Not much doing there. But I'll be ready to holler if and when they appear.In retro news, I'm celebrating the 32nd birthday of Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, a game whose industry impact cannot be overstated. Obviously, 1991's World Warrior was the opening jab, but the Champion Edition revision was a $2.3 billion knockout cross that put Capcom in the top three highest grossing arcade games of all time list. Nineties gaming gromets like myself...

Happy Mother's Day! This Sunday, all kinds of exclusive deals are now available at retailers you might not be aware of! We've compiled the best deals in games, tech, and more to make your Sunday as relaxing as possible. The best deals for Sunday, May 12, include Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Octopath Traveler II, Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Edition, Dead Space, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, and more.Save Up to 60% Off Like a Dragon: Infinite WealthLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the latest title in the long-running RPG series. Kiryu Kazama returns following the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, uniting with Ichiban Kasuga in a wild adventure you won't forget anytime soon. While you should absolutely try to...

Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt has taken to X/Twitter to seemingly share a first look at the cape design that was inspired by the review bombing on Steam following the PSN account linking fiasco.The image, which you can see below, is only a small tease of what's to come as we only get a look at the bottom right of the cape. However, that hasn't stopped fans from getting very excited.@MadeByKoobi was one of the many who can't wait for this cape, and they shared the always-wonderful Jurassic Park meme of Dr. Ian Malcolm saying, 'You did it. You crazy son of a bitch, you did it."Countless others praised the team for actually making this a reality, and this first look follows many designs created by fans themselves after Sony...

It's Saturday, and plenty of deals are now available at retailers you might not be aware of! Today, we've compiled the best deals in games, tech, and more! The best deals for Saturday, May 11, include Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Edition, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, and more.Save Up to 60% Off Like a Dragon: Infinite WealthLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the latest title in the long-running RPG series. Kiryu Kazama returns following the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, uniting with Ichiban Kasuga in a wild adventure you won't forget anytime soon. While you should absolutely try to play through the series in order, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth can be played and enjoyed...

Last December, Ubisoft announced it was delisting its MMO racing game The Crew from all digital storefronts but shutting down the servers on March 31, 2024. Weeks after the servers were slated to shut down, Ubisoft began notifying players who owned a copy of The Crew that it was removing it from their Ubisoft accounts.Though Ubisoft is not the first company to shut down servers for an online-only game, the recent closure of The Crew’s online servers has inspired one individual to push for legal and government intervention to address the ever-growing industry trend. It's a trend that has sparked even debate in the industry after Microsoft announced the closure of Arkane Studios, the developer behind Redfall. This decision has led to...

iFixit might be a familiar brand name for you from all of the helpful teardown videos of various electronics that they host on YouTube. Well, they also sell an awesome toolkit that helps you do the same. Amazon is offering the iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit for electronics, smartphones, gaming consoles, PCs and laptops, tablets, and more for only $59.96. It normally retails for $75 and we haven't seen a price drop for this kit in over a year. In fact, it wasn't even discounted on Black Friday. This is one of the very best tool kits you can buy for disassembling and repairing your electronics -- including your Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck -- without spending hundreds of dollars on a commercial kit.Save 20% Off the iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit...

After Helldivers 2 was removed from Steam for 177 countries following the recent PlayStation Network account-linking debacle, fans have been eagerly awaiting updates, especially after Sony reversed course on the account-linking decision. A couple updates did come in today — but not ones that fans were hoping for.Firstly, Helldivers 2 added the Baltics to its restricted countries, as recorded on its SteamDB page. But, more significantly, Ghost of Tsushima has also been restricted in countries where PSN is not available, leading to the same purchase restrictions as Helldivers 2.Both games are now restricted in Etstonia, Lithuania, and Latvia in addition to the 177 other games on the list.The development comes just days after Ghost...