Gaming News

Hades, 2020 Game Award winner for Best Action Game, finally has a release date for Apple devices via Netflix Games. According to Netflix, the Greek mythology action-roguelike is set to release on March 19 and is available for pre-registration today.Hades, developed by Supergiant Games, follows Zagreus the son of Hades (the God) as he battles his way out of the hellscape of Hades (the place) to meet his estranged mother, Persephone. As is the case with most roguelike games, Zagreus engages in fast-paced action, dies, and washes down the River Styx, perilous trek out of Hades again. Hades however, spices things up by drip feeding some tantalizing story beats in between runs and having Zagreus's well-off family members — like the god of...

Helldivers 2 gets reinforcements soon, developer Arrowhead has said, and they come in the form of big, stompy mechs.“HELLDIVERS! The EXO-45 Patriot Exosuits are in full production in the factories of Tien Kwan. Ready for deployment on the battlefield soon!” reads a tweet from the official Helldivers 2 page.Before Helldivers 2’s explosive launch, Arrowhead and publisher Sony had signaled mechs would arrive at some point after the game came out. Since then, Helldivers 2 has seen a glut of gameplay leaks showing off officially unavailable stratagems, including the upcoming mechs. The community has a number of explanations, one of which is that cheaters are unlocking the ability to use these unreleased stratagems in live lobbies by...

Team Suneat, the developers of Blade Assault, proudly reveal Dragon Is Dead, their new side-scrolling action-RPG that blends Dead Cells, Diablo, and Castlevania. It's due to launch into Steam Early Access on June 7.As you can see in the first trailer above (and in the first screenshots in the gallery below), Dragon Is Dead blends the side-scrolling gameplay as well as the retro look of Castlevania with the skill tree upgrade system of Diablo and the combat of Dead Cells. The developers say, "Dragon is Dead will test your reflexes, strategy, and creativity as you battle with demons, monsters, and giant foes that Guernian has created. Choose from different characters, each with their unique skill trees and playstyles. You can kit...

Developers at Funcom, the studio behind upcoming massively multiplayer online game Dune: Awakening, "sort of sidestep religion" in their take on the beloved science fiction universe.Speaking to Eurogamer, Funcom chief creative officer and Dune: Awakening creative director Joel Bylos said the team ignores a major part of the Dune universe but, ironically, it seems to be all for the sake of preserving beloved lore.Dune: Awakening takes place a few years before the story fans of the books and films will be most familiar with, but still in an alternative universe where certain decisions are made differently."Things are slightly different in our universe," Bylos said. "Many events are still the same, so it's not like we've gone all...

Horizon Forbidden West launches on PC in a couple of weeks, and ahead of its release date, developer Nixxes Software has unveiled the system requirements needed to run the port.In a new PS Blog post, Nixxes Software Online Community Specialist Julian Huijbregts said the PC version of Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition is optimized to run "on a wide variety of PC hardware," including portable gaming devices such as handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck. This is unsurprising from Nixxes, given its track recording for porting games to PC."This allows gamers with the latest hardware to push their systems while also providing a great experience on less powerful PCs," Huijbregts explained. The blog post offers an overview of...

Microsoft has announced the first wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in March 2024.Out today, March 5, is Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (Cloud, Console, and PC). This boomer shooter take on Warhammer 40,000 got a 7/10 from IGN’s review: “Retro-shooting and fast-paced arenas suit the Warhammer 40K setting nicely, but Boltgun falls short of greatness because its ideas peter out too quickly. Some good level design and nice environments make up for a lack of variety.”PAW Patrol World (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass on March 7. Then, on March 12, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated (Cloud, Console, and PC) launches on Game Pass. IGN’s review returned a 5/10: “SpongeBob: SquarePants: Battle for Bikini...

Remember Temtem? Four years before ‘Pokémon with guns’ game Palworld exploded onto the scene, massively multiplayer creature-collection adventure Temtem came out alongside similar comparisons. Now, its developer has issued an open letter to players signaling the end of support and teased what’s next.In the message, posted to the Temtem Steam page, developer Crema addressed what it said was an “uptick” in community concern about Temtem following the announcement of Temtem: Swarm, a “survivor-like bullet heaven” spin-off due out later this year.Crema started its message by discussing the mismanaged expectations that came from Temtem being tagged as an MMO on Steam when the plan was for it to be an MMO-lite. Trying to make Temtem more...

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has dropped to just $29.99 at Best Buy right now (see here). That's $20 off the MSRP and well worth the price of admission. While Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown sales numbers haven't been released just yet (among plenty of other Ubisoft games), it did receive some glowing reviews and seems to be one of the better games released so far this year.For $30, you could be bagging an absolute bargain -- the deal is also available on all console platforms including PS5, PS4, Switch, and Xbox, so you've got the pick of the bunch. It's also a great game to play on the go, so opting for the Switch version could be the move. This is also one of the best Switch deals going right now as well, so it's well worth...

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has a release date for Season 1 and the arrival of Joker as a playable character: March 28.As already announced, Rocksteady won’t release a patch for Suicide Squad this week in order to focus on getting the game ready for the launch of Season 1 later in March.Season 1 launches just under two months after Rocksteady’s embattled live-service looter shooter came out, and just two weeks after Rocksteady parent company Warner Bros. Discovery admitted Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League "has fallen short of our expectations".Speaking during a financial call, Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Financial Officer, Gunnar Wiedenfels, said Rocksteady’s $70 game hadn’t done the business the company had...

Helldivers 2’s galactic war against the bugs and bots continues, with hundreds of thousands of players bravely laying down their lives for democracy. But, what if you could simply hug it out instead?That’s exactly what some players are doing after a killer new strategy emerged that revolves around hugging.Really.As most Helldivers 2 players will know, there are a number of fun emotes in the game. One such emote is a hug. With your arms outstretched, another player can come in for a squeeze. That, you would think, would be that. But, it turns out, there’s a very real and useful application for hugging on the battlefield, and I can only imagine how confused the Terminids and Automatons find it.Here’s how it works. As we know...

If you've not yet caught on to the Helldivers 2 hype, we've got some good news: it's on sale. A $39.99 price tag is already pretty amazing for one of the best games of the year, but if you're looking for a cheeky little discount on PC, then here's the rub.All you need to do is use code MAR17 at trusted online seller Green Man Gaming to get the game for just $33.19 instead (see here). It's not a gargantuan discount by any means, but for such a massive game, it's well worth shouting about. Before you ask, yes, this is a Steam code -- go spread some "managed democracy".We saw a similar deal in February on the game, but that promptly sold out, so it's good to see the game back in stock and available to buy with a new promo code. (For...

MudRunner and SnowRunner may share the word we apply to humans and animals moving as quickly as they physically can but, rest assured, nothing about this series is rapid. That is, if you do find yourself moving particularly fast in these excellent, deliberately slow-paced, sandbox-style off-road driving simulators, there’s a strong chance it’s only because you’re tumbling down a mountainside.Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is no different in this regard; it’s all about trundling over the terrain at turtle speeds. Victory is earned by staying upright and clawing your way through punishing environments that want nothing more than to tug your trucks deep into the ground – or topple them over. Where Expeditions is different is in the more...

If you've been holding off on taking the PS VR2 plunge, today's the day to leave crappy old crud-reality behind. 132 bucks off the headset, Sense Controllers and one helluva good showcase title for the tech is a very enticing deal. Take it from the guy who's played everything worth playing on the system—it's awesome and well worth a spot in your collection.In retro news, I'm celebrating the 19th birthday Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, a criminally underplayed third-person platformer / FPS hybrid. The titular Stranger was a unique and unorthodox bounty hunter who opted to use aggressive mini-critters as ammo in lieu of bullets. Visionary creator Lorne Lanning not only considers this adventure to be “the best game he's ever made,” but...

The pressure of an annual release schedule can be a curse for big sports series like WWE 2K - look no further than the maligned 2K20 to see why, a game so rough it actually forced publisher 2K to take two years off and regroup, which led to the redesign that got it to the much better place it’s in today. In many ways, WWE 2K24 seems like the final form of this new vision for the series. Some nagging bugaboos persist, like this year’s Showcase mode that suffers from the inability to recreate genuine moments in wrestling history in video game form, while also trying to rewrite that history. And yet, It’s marginally better in almost every other way than the last two, touting small but smart additions to well-tested systems and modes as...

AMD might finally be leaning towards AI in its gaming devices, as one company executive touts that 2024 will be a "huge year" for the GPU and CPU maker.In an interview with the No Priors podcast, AMD CTO Mark Papermaster said that over the last several years, the company has been working on developing its hardware and software capabilities for artificial intelligence, with its gaming hardware finally set to implement AI."Well, this is a huge year for us because we have spent so many years developing our hardware and software capabilities for AI," Papermaster explained. "We've just completed AI enabling our entire portfolio: Cloud, edge, PCs, embedded devices, our gaming devices. We're enabling our gaming devices to upscale using...

Helldivers 2 has been one of the surprise hits of 2024 since launching in February, topping the charts on Steam and reportedly selling around 3 million copies. And according to at least one analyst, it's still growing.Writing on X/Twitter, Circana executive director Mat Piscatella compared Helldivers 2 to a "rare and amazing bird," saying that Helldivers 2 sales have continued to rise in its third week on the market. It is experience what he describes as an "inverse delay curve" — technical jargon for game sales growing rather than declining after release."Normally, sales are biggest for a new release during week 1, and fall over time," Piscatella explains. "With an 'inverse decay curve' the trend reverses. It's rare, particularly...

In a video game industry that often feels like it’s bloating into a monolithic, unsustainable beast propped up by annual staples and once every generation blockbusters, a small silver lining is that it’s still big enough for games like The Thaumaturge to exist. This mid-size RPG may not match the jaw-dropping scale of a game like Baldur’s Gate 3, but it’s still packed with atmosphere and good ideas that are mostly well executed. Aside from some buggy movement and odd voices, the turn-based combat is full of interesting strategic choices, and its great writing and story manage to punch up tried and true point-and-click clue finding and lore gathering.You play as the eponymous Thaumaturge, a sort of Witcher/John Constantine mash up of...

We already knew that Norwegian game developer Funcom is working on an open-world survival MMO game set in the Dune universe. And today, the developer has provided a new look at Dune: Awakening, including a glimpse into Arrakis along with some gameplay footage.As part of Dune Direct, a nearly 25-minute digital showcase to provide new details on Dune: Awakening, Funcom concluded the presentation with a new gameplay trailer subtitled "Survive Arrakis." The trailer, which you can check out below, is visually stunning.Powered by Epic's Unreal Engine 5, the latest trailer for Dune: Awakening shows the extreme conditions on planet Arrakis, from the harsh climate to gigantic sandworms emerging from the sand and evading hostile enemies. The...

Unreal Engine-powered first-person action-RPG VOIN is being created by one solo developer named Nikita Sozidar. It's a fast-paced, retro-themed dark fantasy melee combat game that might remind you a bit of Raven Software's classic Hexen (albeit with much faster movement). It's in development for PC, with a public playtest beginning on March 8. Check it out on Steam if you're interested.A representative for VOIN described it as such: "Imagine DOOM, Diablo, and Neon White having a baby at a goth rave party." Quite the elevator pitch, isn't it? Check out gameplay footage in the trailer above, and you can see more in screenshots in the gallery below as well.Expect enemies by the hundreds, along with plenty of challenging boss battles...

The Xbox retail version of Baldur’s Gate 3 comes on a whopping four discs, developer Larian Studios has clarified. It's the first Xbox Series X game to release on so many.The sprawling Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game was set to arrive in physical form on Xbox Series X over three discs, but that figure has been revised after Baldur’s Gate 3 came in just 500MB over the limit.“The Xbox retail version of Baldur’s Gate 3 will indeed have four discs, since we’re 500MB over the limit for three, " Larian director of publishing Michael Douse confirmed in a tweet. “Only option would have been to cut some content out but that didn’t make sense, so confirming four.”As a result, the Baldur’s Gate 3 Xbox physical wave one March 25...

Microsoft has announced its next Xbox Partner Direct scheduled for Wednesday, March 6th, at 10am PT / 1pm ET.In a new Xbox Wire post, Microsoft revealed that its second Partner Preview event will be roughly 30 minutes long and will focus exclusively on third-party games from publishers, including Capcom, EA, and Nexon. So do not expect any first-party games to appear at this showcase, such as Playground Games' upcoming project Fable, The Outer Worlds 2 by Obsidian, or Arkane Lyon's Blade game.While no specific games were revealed, a few upcoming games from the publishers mentioned in the Xbox Wire post include Capcom's Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, which was revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase last summer, and Tales of...

Calling all Guardians; in preparation for The Final Shape (the conclusion to the Light and Darkness Saga), Humble is offering a The Story So Far bundle that includes the last five years' worth of expansion content for Destiny 2.Price of entry for all six DLC is $40 / £31.50, including Destiny 2: Lightfall and the Annual Pass, The Witch Queen, Beyond Light, Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack, Shadowkeep, and Forsaken. The only catch is this bundle will expire before the end of today (March 4), so get a wriggle on to make sure you don't miss out. We'll include a link to the Humble Bundle just below as well.It's a pretty huge saving, and the perfect collection deal for anyone who hasn't been keeping up with every single DLC or expansion...

Microsoft’s fondness for special edition Xbox consoles continues with a SpongeBob SquarePants Xbox Series X.The Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Special Edition Bundle includes a custom-designed console inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants himself, “showing off his iconic smile, Krusty Krab uniform, and ecstatic arms,” Katie Schroder, Xbox Channel Marketing Director, America, said in a post on Xbox Wire.The bundle also contains an Xbox Wireless Controller featuring SpongeBob and friends, including Squidward, Gary, and Mr. Krabs, in a collage of cartoon characters, as well as a digital download of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2.But, as is also Microsoft tradition at this point, you can’t simply buy the SpongeBob SquarePants Xbox Series X...

Roger Clark, who plays Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2, is set to narrate an audiobook that looks at American history through the lens of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption games.Clark narrates historian Tore Olsson’s ‘Red Dead’s History’ in character as Arthur Morgan, protagonist of Rockstar’s critically acclaimed open-world epic.Red Dead’s History explores the “wildly dramatic and gritty world” of America from 1870 to 1920. 2010’s Red Dead Redemption and its prequel, 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2, set in 1911 and 1899 respectively, were praised for their authentic portrayal of life during the decline of the American frontier. In the book, Olsson digs into the detail presented in the games and adds context from real-world...

If you’ve read the last 10 issues of my Forgotten Gems column, you’ve probably noticed a pattern. I pick a game that may either spark some recognition and you’ll go “oh, yeah – what happened to it?” – or you’ve never heard of the game I’m profiling and you google what year I was born so that you can rest easy that it’s not you, it’s me. Inevitably, the column turns gloomy. An awesome-sounding sequel was planned, but never made. Or, somehow, an entire series of games is no longer accessible to play.Not today, friends! Today’s Forgotten Gems has a happy ending. As of March 7, 2024, three classic SNES racers are back on the track, broadly available to play on Xbox One, Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC...

College history professor Tore Olsson taught the world's first Red Dead Redemption American history class in 2021, at the University of Tennessee, using Rockstar's open-world epics to engage students on one of the most tumultuous periods in North American history. The class is a huge success, so much so that Olsson was inspired to write a book to bring his work to a global audience. Out in August, Red Dead's History looks like it could be a hit, and Roger Clark, who plays Red Dead Redemption 2 protagonist Arthur Morgan in one of the all-time great video game performances, has signed on to narrate the audiobook.In an interview with IGN, Olsson discusses the book and delivers his verdict on Red Dead Redemption 2's historical...

It’s fair to say that before Red Dead Redemption 2 came out in 2018, most gamers hadn’t heard of Roger Clark. Six years, 61 million sales, and numerous awards later, the 45-year-old Irish-American actor can afford to be picky with roles. His performance as Arthur Morgan, the protagonist of Rockstar’s Wild West epic, is considered by some as one of the greatest in video game history. But Roger’s overnight stardom came after five grueling years in Rockstar’s New York motion capture studio and a contract that gave him the kind of financial security most jobbing actors only dream of. In truth, Arthur Morgan has remained part of Roger’s life ever since. Indeed, he is set to (kind of) reprise the role by narrating the upcoming audiobook of...

With all of the gory appeal of a cheesy horror movie, The Outlast Trials works even better than it did when I played it in Early Access last year. There’s just something magical about hiding with your besties in wardrobes and under beds as a deeply rude lady with a power drill for a hand hunts you down. What better way to spend a Friday night with the lads? Each of its death games is unique and filled with devilish and gruesome horrors, including formidable killers with cunning and lethal AI, and upgrading your character’s abilities and gadgets is a fantastic reward for surviving all those bloody corridors. Its biggest weakness is that there just aren’t that many levels to play, which isn’t a great feeling when matches are supposed to...

2023 was a year filled with some incredible horror games, and the Dead Space remake was one that was included in many best-of lists at the end of the year. It was even included as a runner-up in our article on the best horror game of 2023. If you've been waiting for an opportunity to pick it up for yourself, you can now grab a physical copy for PS5 or Xbox Series X at a fantastic low price.These versions are discounted right now at Best Buy to just $29.99. That's 56% off their usual price of $69.99, so well worth picking up! Check out these excellent deals at the link below.Get 56% Off Dead Space at Best BuyBack when it was released, we gave the Dead Space remake a 9/10. In our Dead Space review, we called it a "labour of love...

The creators of the upcoming Prime Video Fallout TV show have likened it once again to Fallout 5, calling it a “non-interactive version” of the future video game.In an interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar), executive producer Jonathan Nolan said the project is "almost like we're Fallout 5". "From the first conversation with Todd [Howard, Bethesda development chief and executive producer on the show] we were most excited about an original story."Fallout, in my career, is closest to the work we did in adapting Batman, where there’s so much storytelling in the Batman universe that there is no canonical version of it, so you’re free to invent your own."Each of the [Fallout] games is a discrete story – different city, distinct...