Gaming News

 

The Crush House Is a Playable Version of a ‘90s Reality TV Show With a Dark Twist

When I was a kid, I removed the ladder from my Sims' pool while they were blissfully doing their morning laps. They drowned, as expected, and drama ensued. I didn't do this to be mean, but to tug on my Sims' attachments to develop a tragic story. Though those stories are easier to manufacture in today's iterations of The Sims, few other games allow you to put personalities together and shake them up to see what happens. Enter The Crush House. Like The Sims, The Crush House allows players to engineer drama by casting four people with defined strengths and flaws to star in a 1999 reality TV show. Unlike The Sims, The Crush House's gameplay is more passive in how you directly impact the character's interactions as you take the role of the...

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Flint: Treasure of Oblivion First-Look Preview: Bringing the Pirate Life to a Tactical RPG

Even with Sea of Thieves and Skull and Bones out there, the pirate setting for video games still feels woefully underutilized. But now, another game aims to blend the big stakes and dangers on the high-seas conceit with a narrative-driven tactical RPG framework. The upcoming Flint: Treasure of Oblivion looks to bring that pirate fantasy to life in an interesting new way by leaning into the mystique and intrigue of living life on the high seas. In this first look at the upcoming CRPG, I got to see Flint's approach to a swashbuckling tactical RPG in action. It's all about building up a trustworthy crew and exploring the port towns and dangerous waters during the rebellious golden age of pirates. As the debut game from developer Savage...

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Unemployable Dragon's Dogma 2 Pawn? Capcom Has You Covered

Dragon's Dogma 2 features a sly method of ensuring even the most unemployable pawns get hired and thus don't deprive the player of valuable resources. As reported by Eurogamer, Reddit user MrFoxer noticed the existence of "fake players" who hire pawns no one else will. Pawns, non-player characters which join the player on their adventures, will keep themselves busy by picking up work from other players while their own is resting at an inn or house. This earns the pawn (and thus the main player) valuable resources like Rift Crystals, which are used to upgrade the NPCs or summon new, more powerful ones. Only a close inspection reveals how employable a pawn actually is though, as players' only indication their sidekick was hired by a...

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Dishes Out Free Outfits for Logging on Every Day This Week

Rocksteady is running a spring-themed promotion for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League that gives free outfits for logging on every day this week. The free outfits are available for each member of the squad during the promo, which kicked off on April 3 with a fresh outfit for Captain Boomerang, and runs until this Sunday, April 7. The promotion comes hot on the heels of the release of Kill the Justice League Season 1, which added Joker as a playable character. Check out Joker’s cutscene and gameplay in the video below: Season 1 launched just under two months after Rocksteady’s embattled live-service looter shooter came out, and just a month after Rocksteady parent company Warner Bros. Discovery admitted Suicide Squad: Kill the...

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Modern Warfare 3 Dataminer Reveals Get High, a Call of Duty Parkour Map That’s Trippy as Hell

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is set to receive a trippy parkour map called Get High as part of an upcoming 4/20 event. Following this week's release of the Season 3 update, dataminer @BobNetworkUK unearthed the map and even published gameplay showing how it works. Get High is a neon-drenched parkour map made up of shifting platforms and treacherous balance beams that challenges the player to complete the increasingly high course under the clock. It’s about as far removed from your standard 6v6 Call of Duty map as we’ve seen from Modern Warfare 3. There’s no release date for this map or its accompanying event, but we do know it starts “in-season”. April 20 feels like a safe bet! Season 3 already added a number of 4/20-themed...

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Sea of Thieves on PS5 Has Progress and Item Transfer, and PlayStation-Only Servers

With Sea of Thieves set to launch on PlayStation 5 on April 30, developer Rare has answered a number of questions about how the soon-to-be former Xbox exclusive works on PlayStation. The highlights here are that progress and items transfer from the Xbox version to the PS5 version, there are PlayStation-only servers with the ability to disable crossplay, and performance options match the Xbox Series X version. Elsewhere, the PS5 version has 60 base Trophies and a Platinum Trophy called Pirate Perfectionist. In a blog post, Rare said there are some PlayStation-exclusive cosmetics, including the Ruby Viper cosmetics or Dauntless Adventurer Closed Beta rewards, which are exclusive to the PlayStation pre-order campaign. These won’t be...

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Gameplay for Canceled ‘Nolanverse’ Batman Game That Became Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Unearthed

Gameplay and images for the canceled ‘Nolanverse’ Batman game that was once in development at Monolith Productions have emerged online. Before it released the much-loved Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor in 2014, Warner Bros.-owned studio Monolith worked on a game codenamed Project Apollo that was intended as a Nolanverse Batman game based on the version of the Caped Crusader played by Christian Bale. Liam Robertson of DidYouKnowGaming? has reported that director Christopher Nolan himself may have killed the game because he wanted to focus on The Dark Knight Rises, the third and final movie in his Batman movie trilogy. Project Apollo was said to feature the genesis of the Nemesis System Monolith later used with great effect in Shadow of...

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Gamers Mostly Played Older Games like GTA 5 and Fortnite in 2023

Spider-Man 2, Starfield, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom all launched in 2023 but these blockbusters didn't stop Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch players from spending most of their time with older games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Fortnite. As reported by Kotaku, video game market analyst Newzoo released a report which revealed 66 titles accounted for 80% of overall playtime in 2023. Of that number, a huge 60% of playtime was spent with games released six years ago or more. Newzoo ranked games on each platform based on their monthly active users across 37 markets, with the exception of Switch which only used data from the U.S. and UK. Not one new release breached the PC list, while only EA Sports FC 24 made it...

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Some Helldivers 2 Players Are Threatening to Teamkill Anyone Who Wears the New Malevelon Creek Cape — but the Community Is Fighting Back

This week, Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead released a new cape, free to all players, to mark what it’s called 'Malevelon Creek Memorial Day.' Now, a subset of the game’s community is threatening to teamkill players who wear it, seemingly because they don’t like the focus on Malevelon Creek itself. First, some background: on April 1, Arrowhead delivered a new Major Order to Helldivers 2 players giving them a 24-hour window to finally take back Malevelon Creek, the Automaton map dubbed ‘Space Vietnam’ by fans. The planet was liberated in only about five hours. Then, on April 2, Arrowhead launched a new Major Order to fend off the Automaton counterattack. This includes two new and terrifying Automaton enemies, dropped into the game...

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Palworld’s Big 0.2.0.6 Update Adds First Raid Boss, Improved Building, and Loads More

Palworld developer Pocketpair has released the biggest update to the game yet, adding its first raid boss, called Bellanoir, alongside a long list of new content. Palworld update v.0.2.0.6, out now on Steam and coming soon to Xbox, lets players summon Raid Boss Pals by using slabs at the new Summoning Altar. Pocketpair warned that Raid Boss Pals summoned by slabs are “very powerful” and cannot be captured. The developer recommended players work alongside their base Pals to take on these powerful foes. There’s even an “extreme” version of the Raid Boss that Pocketpair described as “incredibly powerful and difficult to defeat.” Pals Eggs can drop after defeating Raid Boss Pals. Elsewhere, a number of new items are added to the game...

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A $58 Super Mario on Switch, Palworld Discounted, Tekken 8 Low Punched by 40 Bucks, and More!

Let's cut the preamble and get right to the good stuff—the discounts of the day! Cream of the crop deals include a historical low on Super Mario RPG, a decent chunk off the GOAT that is The Last of Us Part I, and No Man's Sky went half off in time for its Orbital update. Gaming's greatest comeback story, that one. You love to see it. In retro news, I'm celebrating the 31st birthday of Final Fight CD, arguably the best home version of Capcom's touchstone beat 'em up. Way more faithful than the SNES and Mega Drive versions—or the iffy Amiga one I was raised on—this must-own was scarfed by game starved Mega-CD owners, quicker than a free oil drum chicken. This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games. - Final Fight CD (MCD)...

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Everything New in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III - Season 3

Season 3's update hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone today and there’s a lot of new content. There are new game modes, the return of Rebirth Island, new Perks, new weapons, and so much more! Here’s everything you need to know that’s new in Season 3. Multiplayer Updates New Game Modes Modern Warfare 3 dropped four new game modes in Multiplayer: Capture the Flag, One in the Chamber, Minefield, and Escort. CTF and One in the Chamber are available at launch with Minefield and Escort dropping mid-season. Minefield will be a variation available in Kill Confirmed, Domination, and Hardpoint. In Minefield, dead players will drop a Proximity Mine that will be deadly only towards their own teammates. Escort is a pretty...

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Astra: Knights of Veda Review

You died. That much is obvious in the opening moments of Astra: Knights of Veda, which drops you straight into a war, clashing swords with strangers in suits of armor. Suddenly, just as it starts to seem like this will be another standard medieval hack-and-slash, the warriors around you fall to their knees and transform into grisly, undead versions of their former selves. The zombie-infested battlefield that eventually kills you does a good job of teasing the mystery about to unfold, setting the stage nicely for your resurrection into this tragedy-stricken kingdom. But while Knights of Veda’s detailed world, heart-racing drama, and challenging combat show promise, its overly aggressive grind and unnecessarily complex progression systems...

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Audio Files Reveal Hidden Bloopers

If you are a fan of Rockstar Games, you probably know how secretive the publisher is about sharing behind-the-scenes looks at some of its most beloved games. Fortunately, one fan has unearthed a hidden audio file in Red Dead Redemption 2, revealing audio bloopers during the game's production. A new video uploaded by the YouTube channel Red Dead Redemption Stories reveals that the fan found four audio clips containing bloopers and mistakes. The audio files are part of a scene that appears at the start of the Chapter 2 mission, A Quiet Time. In one audio blooper, you can hear the voice actors walking across the stage, the creaking sounds of the floor, and an echo in some lines. Another audio blooper revealed that voice actor Benjamin...

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One of the Best Power Banks for Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally Is on Sale Today

Today, Amazon is offering the powerful and high capacity Anker Prime 20,000mAh USB Power Bank for only $89.98, a hefty 31% price drop from its original $130 MSRP. This is the successor to the Anker 737 that we deemed the best Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally charger. It boasts an absolutely massive 200W of USB power delivery to charge all of your mobile devices simultaneously. Anker Prime 20,000mAh Power Bank for $90 with 200W of USB Type-C Power Delivery The Anker Prime can be used like any other power bank; it does a fine job of charging any of your standard mobile electronics. However, its main purpose is to charge more power hungry devices like laptops, portable gaming systems, and high end phones. It has two USB Type-C ports and...

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Homeworld: Vast Reaches Has the Homeworld Vibe Down Pat

When Homeworld 3 was first announced, I kept hoping for a VR mode announcement that never came. Wouldn’t it be great to see all of the iconic ships flying around, dogfighting and exploding all around your head? It’s a no-brainer! It turns out that the lack of VR support wasn’t because Homeworld 3’s developers at Blackbird didn’t see the potential; it was because there was another studio, FarBridge, working on a parallel Homeworld game that’s built for VR – specifically the Meta Quest 2 and 3 – from the ground up. It’s called Homeworld: Vast Reaches (see what they did there?) and, as coincidence would have it, after Homeworld 3’s delay to this coming May, both will launch very close together. When I first put on the headset, the look...

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Ex-Rockstar Dev Finally Explains Why Small Planes Randomly Crashed in GTA San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto fans who played San Andreas might be familiar with the random glitch of sorts that occasionally caused small airplanes to crash. While many believed this was deemed a myth by the community due to Rockstar Games never explaining why this happened, a former developer who worked on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has finally offered an explanation. In a post on X/Twitter, Obbe Vermeij, who worked at Rockstar for over 10 years before departing in 2009, said issues with the planes spawning and the code itself occasionally caused the planes to perish. "Before creating the plane, my code looks for obstacles in its path," Vermeij explained. "It scans a number of lines in the forward direction of the plane. These scans are...

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With Call of Duty Black Ops Gulf War Waiting in the Wings, Treyarch Confirms It Has Moved on From Modern Warfare Zombies Development

Modern Warfare Zombies developer Treyarch has confirmed it has moved on from development for the mode, leaving Sledgehammer Games to wrap up the remaining story. Treyarch told CharlieIntel its team has shifted "focus to something exciting on the horizon", which is perhaps a nod to this year’s as-yet unannounced Call of Duty game, Black Ops Gulf War. The confirmation is perhaps unsurprising given the lack of content Modern Warfare Zombies has received in recent months. Indeed today’s Season 3 update contains little for Zombies fans to get excited about, whereas Multiplayer and battle royale Warzone are in-line for a content-filled season. In February, Zombies fans declared the mode “dead” just three months after Modern Warfare 3...

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Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Season 3 Patch Notes Reveal Significant Gameplay Improvements, Big Fixes, and More

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Season 3 kicks off today, April 3, and Activision has released patch notes revealing what to expect. The patch notes, by developers Sledgehammer Games and Treyarch, include detail on the six new 6v6 multiplayer maps for Modern Warfare 3. Three of these maps are brand-new locales and layouts, while the other three are fresh yet familiar experiences. The Emergency 24/7 Playlist launches with the start of the season. New modes include Capture the Flag and One in the Chamber, while the battle pass unlocks four base weapons, including the MORS sniper rifle and BAL-27 assault rifle from 2014’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. There are eight new aftermarket parts, two new equipment items, new perks, new...

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Helldivers 2 Dev Gives All Players a Special Commemorative Cape for ‘Malevelon Creek Memorial Day’

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has given all players a new cape to celebrate what it’s called 'Malevelon Creek Memorial Day.' "By Presidential Decree, the President of Super Earth has officially recognized this day as Malevelon Creek Memorial Day," reads an in-universe statement. "This week, in remembrance, all Helldivers will be issued a special commemorative cape, so they may carry the memory of their fallen companions into battle." The cape, called Fallen Hero’s Vengeance, features the skull that displays on-screen when a Helldiver bites the dust (it happens a lot!). There are no additional bonuses, so this cape is all about showing respect. The cape and accompanying message to players is all part of Helldivers 2’s Galactic...

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Diablo 4's First Public Test Realm Let's Players Try Season 4 Early

Diablo 4 players impatiently waiting to try Season 4 can now do so thanks to Blizzard releasing the game's first Public Test Realm (PTR). Blizzard initially announced the PTR in late March, revealing that it would run for a limited time, starting on Tuesday, April 2, and concluding on Tuesday, April 9. However, a week-long PTR is not the only thing limiting this PTR, as Blizzard already confirmed in the same announcement that it would only be available to players with a PC Battle.net account. Nevertheless, if you are eligible for the PTR, you will gain access to test updates and features before Season 4 officially launches. Alongside allowing certain players itching to try the new season, this PTR will also allow the development team...

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Sand Land: Here's What Comes in Each Edition

Sand Land will come out on April 25 on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The RPG, from the creator of Dragon Ball, is set in a world where water is severely limited. You play as Prince Beelzebub and build vehicles to trek the desert world, with the goal of finding The Legendary Spring’s water to hydrate Sand Land. Preorders are now available (see it on Amazon). Sand Land (Standard Version) PS5 Get it at Amazon - $59.99 Get it at Best Buy - $59.99 Get it at GameStop - $59.99 Get it at Target - $59.99 Get it at Walmart - $59.99 Get it at PS Store (digital) - $59.99 PS4 Get it at Amazon - $59.99 Get it at Best Buy - $59.99 Get it at GameStop - $59.99 Get it at Target - $59.99 Get it at Walmart - $59.99 Get it at PS Store...

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Steam Deck 512GB Back in Stock and Discounted for Limited Time in the UK

The 512GB model of the Steam Deck is back in stock via trusted retailer The Game Collection on eBay, and what's more, you can pick it up for just £360 with the code CLEARANCE20. Not only is this a tremendous discount, but it's also the best place to buy the portable PC right now, considering the 512GB model is currently out of stock directly through Steam as well. This new deal is part of a new clearance sale for retailers via eBay, which isn't as sitewide as previous promo codes, but still includes some reasonably notable offers. This includes Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth down to just £47.96 right now, and Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology (PC) preorders for £38.36. This code is the latest in a series of eBay codes, but this one only...

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Atari Buys RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Publishing Rights for $7 Million

Atari has bought the RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 publishing rights from Frontier Developments for $7 million. Atari, which has a long-term RollerCoaster Tycoon licensing agreement with franchise creator Chris Sawyer, said it is now the sole publisher of all major titles within the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise, including Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic, Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, Rollercoaster Tycoon Deluxe, Rollercoaster Tycoon Joyride, Rollercoaster Tycoon World, Rollercoaster Tycoon Puzzle, and Rollercoaster Tycoon Touch. The hugely successful Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 was developed by Frontier Developments, the UK studio behind Elite: Dangerous and Zoo Tycoon, and released in 2004. It’s available now on PC, Mac, iOS...

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Nightdive’s Next Updated Retro Video Game Is Not One You’d Expect

Fresh from bringing back classics such as Star Wars: Dark Forces, Turok 3, and Quake 2, Nightdive Studios has announced its next restoration — and it’s a game no-one expected. You’d be forgiven for having not heard of PO'ed. It was developed and published by Any Channel Inc. initially for the 3DO in 1995, with a PlayStation port released in 1996 courtesy of defunct publisher Accolade. In the game you play a chef who tries to escape an alien world. It’s very mid-90s video game! Here’s the official blurb, courtesy of Nightdive: PO'ed: Definitive Edition is an updated version of the 1995 first-person space shooter, and it’s coming soon to PC and consoles. The Definitive Edition features updated visuals, antialiasing, increased...

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15 Buck Historic Low on a 2021 GOTY, Cheap Tears of the Kingdom, FF7 Rebirth, and More!

Celebrate hump day by paying chump change for good games. Top of that list has to be It Takes Two, surely one of the most delightful two-player co-op games you can buy that centres on divorce. Speaking of co-opportunities, an 85% descent on the RRP of The Ascent is amazing. Lastly, the continuing deals on Elden Ring and FC 24 are still welcome here (while they last). In retro news, I'm celebrating the dual 21st birthdays of Metroid Prime and Pokémons Ruby and Sapphire. The former looms large in our modern memories thanks to a remastering that proved how timeless Retro Studios FPS / puzzler was. My overriding memory of it was the mind-blowing moment when I noticed the right amount of light would cause Samus' face to reflect on-screen...

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Once Human Preview: Hands On With Steam’s 11th Most-Wanted Game

In my Once Human demo, things got really weird when I wanted to ride the bus. And that's because the bus had legs. In a post-apocalyptic open world where an outbreak of cosmic energy called Stardust has sent everything a little wacky, even the public transport is bonkers. Once Human is currently Steam’s 11th most-wishlisted game – a multiplayer open-world survival game in which players can battle creatures or each other, build and defend shared territories, indulge in OTT combat or just chill with friends at their base. Ahead of its final closed beta test (which starts April 3) and planned Q3 launch, the development team at Starry Studio gave me a private glimpse at what’s to come. But first, back to the bus. Once Human’s monsters...

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Saber Interactive CEO Says KOTOR Remake Is 'Alive and Well'

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake is one of gaming's most elusive projects. Announced in 2021, the long-awaited remake has changed hands multiple times, seemingly stopped development and restarted again, and after six years of development has yet to manifest. Fortunately, we finally have a real, concrete update on what's going on. Saber Interactive is still working on it, and according to the CEO, it's "alive and well." Speaking to IGN in an interview today, Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch confirmed that the company took KOTOR with it during its split from Embracer Group, and that the game is still in active development. "It's clear and it's obivous that we're working on this," he said. "It's been in the press...

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Nightmare Kart, the Game Formerly Known as Bloodborne Kart, Officially Has a Release Date

Nightmare Kart, which was known as Bloodborne Kart until its creator scrubbed the branding in 2024, officially has a release date. Developer Lilith Walther, aka PSX Bunlith, announced on X/Twitter that the "legally distinct" kart racer will be releasing on May 31 on Steam and Itch.io. The announcement touts 20 racers, 16 maps, a full campaign mode with boss fights, and a versus battle mode. It also includes a short trailer that you can watch below. In addition to the release date, Bunlish shouted out Bloodbo... ahem, Nightmare Kart's soundtrack, which was composed by Evelyn Lark. To celebrate the release date announcement, Lark posted a sample of the title screen theme as well as a link to a video featuring the full song...

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Friday the 13th: Resurrected Is a Mod That Aims to Revive Delisted Horror Game, Release Date Coming Soon

Despite its delisting and the impending shuttering of its servers, fans of Friday the 13th: The Game have reason to rejoice, thanks to a fan project. Friday the 13th: Resurrected is a free-to-play modded build of Friday the 13th: The Game, and the team behind the project announced yesterday that it plans to reveal the release date for the mod on Monday, April 15. Along with providing dedicated multiplayer servers, Resurrected also promises to introduce a roster full of exclusive fan-made content, such as new characters and skins. Last year, publisher Gun Interactive announced it was delisting the game on December 31, 2023, due to the publisher losing the Friday the 13th license. While the servers are still up and running, the same...

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