Gaming News

First Three Yakuza Games About to Disappear From PlayStation Plus Games Catalogue

Sony has revealed the modern console versions of the first three Yakuza games — Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 — are about to leave the PlayStation Plus Games Catalogue. As reported by Push Square, the PlayStation 5's Last Chance to Play section has been updated to reveal 10 new games leaving the service on August 15. This includes Borderlands 3, Nidhogg, DCL - The Game, GRIP, The Crew 2, 8-Bit Armies, Carmageddon: Max Damage, and the three Yakuza games. The removal of these games doesn't bode well for the remaining Yakuza games on the PS Plus Games Catalogue, though Sony is yet to confirm whether or not Yakuza 3 through Yakuza: Like a Dragon will also be removed. The August end date will mark one year since the first...

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Remnant 2 Developer Confirms Console Versions Include 60FPS Performance Mode

Remnant 2 developer Gunfire Games confirmed its upcoming project includes a 60 frames per second Performance Mode on consoles. The news comes from Gunfire Games president David Adams, who took to Twitter to invite fans to ask him a question, and he would pick which ones to answer. Adams decided to answer a few, revealing the option to turn off motion blur, plans for post-launch content, and confirmation that the console versions of Remnant 2 will include a Performance Mode that will allow players to play the game at 60fps. "Yes. There is a 60fps performance mode on console XSX and PS5," Adams tweeted. "It may dip occasionally, but it's overall pretty solid." A sequel to 2019's Remnant: From the Ashes, Remnant 2 is a co-op looter...

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Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart PC Requirements Revealed, Does Not Demand an SSD

Sony has revealed the PC requirements for Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, which does not require an SSD to run despite this being a central part of the original PlayStation 5 version's marketing. Julian Huijbregts, online community specialist at porting studio Nixxes Software, announced the requirements on the PlayStation Blog. To run Rift Apart on Very Low settings (720p and 30fps), users will require an Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 3100 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon RX 470 GPU, and 8GB of RAM. Rift Apart can also be run from 75GB of HDD space on these settings, but the Recommended and higher specs all demand 75GB of SSD space. Running on a HDD at all is a stark difference from how Sony originally marketed the game...

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EA Sports Calls FC 24 on Nintendo Switch a ‘Huge Achievement’

EA Sports has called the Nintendo Switch version of FC 24 a “huge achievement”. FC 24 on Nintendo Switch runs on the Frostbite Engine, a first for EA’s football franchise. It means EA isn’t simply releasing a rebranded “legacy” version of FIFA 19 again this year. Switch players also get an expanded Ultimate Team mode on par with the Ultimate Team seen in other versions of the game. Ultimate Team in the Nintendo Switch version of FIFA was severely limited. Nintendo Switch owners have heavily criticised EA for releasing legacy editions of FIFA on the console. IGN awarded the original FIFA 19 a 5/10, and FIFA 20 (which we said offers "nothing but a barebones roster update") a 4/10. FIFA 21, FIFA 22, and FIFA 23 earned just a 2/10 each...

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EA’s Message to People Upset Women Can Play With Men in FC 24 Ultimate Team: Kick Off Mode Is Right There

EA Sports has defended its decision to let men and women footballers play together in FC 24 Ultimate Team mode, and said it’s using new tech to combat toxic behavior online. FC 24, EA Sports’ first post-FIFA football game, lets male and female players play with and against each other in Ultimate Team, the game’s most popular and most controversial mode. Women players are not at a natural disadvantage in Ultimate Team, either. If a male and female player have the same attributes (stats), the same height, and the same mass (governed by weight), the outcomes on the virtual pitch are exactly the same. Attributes are relative to the competition the player plays in. This means Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr brings her 91 overall rating...

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EA Sports FC 24: Brand New Name, Same Old FIFA

EA Sports has unveiled FC 24, its first non-FIFA football game following last year’s breakup between the two once famous friends. But don’t expect a revolution on the virtual pitch to accompany this big-budget rebrand. Instead, expect welcome quality-of-life improvements, a few positive gameplay tweaks, and a significant change to Ultimate Team that could dramatically shake up the competitive online meta. After extensive hands-on time with FC 24, it’s safe to say this year’s game looks and feels like what you’d expect from a FIFA 24. There are loads of new animations - there always are loads of new animations - for FC 24 and you do notice them during gameplay. Erling Haaland’s stunning karate kick goal for Man City against previous...

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Everything Joining and Leaving Xbox Game Pass Late July to Early August 2023

Microsoft has revealed every game joining and leaving Xbox Game Pass from late July to early August 2023, with the addition of Celeste and removal of Marvel's Avengers headlining the changes. Announced on Xbox Wire, nine games will be added to the service by August 1. Toem, The Cave, and a Game Preview of Techtonica will be available on July 18, Maquette on July 19, Figment 2 and The Wandering Village on July 20, Serious Sam on July 25, Venba on July 31, and Celeste on August 1. Check out the full list of games joining the service and their respective platforms below: Toem (Cloud, Console, and PC) – July 18 The Cave (Cloud and Console) – July 18 Techtonica Game Preview (Cloud, Console, and PC) – July 18 Maquette (Console and PC) –...

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Modders Remaster ‘Portal Prelude’ with NVIDIA RTX Remix

Nvidia announced Portal: Prelude RTX, a new remaster of a popular 2008 mod that includes updated visuals in addition to support for raytracing and DLSS 3. Nvidia said Portal: Prelude RTX is one of the first games (along with the PC port of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart) to use RTX Input/Output (RTX I/O), a new GPU-accelerated storage technology that supports Nvidia's RTX GPUs aimed at reducing the time it takes to load large amounts of data like game assets and textures into memory for real-time rendering. Portal: Prelude was released back in 2008 and served as an unofficial Portal prequel that included a new story with fully voiced NPCs along with new gameplay mechanics. Portal: Prelude RTX is the first RTX-enhanced remaster made...

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Cities: Skylines 2 has Prison Labor and Welfare Offices

Paradox Interactive has doubled down on realism when it comes to Cities: Skylines 2, with the reveal that telecom infrastructure, welfare buildings, and prison labor are coming to the highly anticipated management sim, alongside a range of other features and upgrades. The gameplay additions were revealed in a new blog post, which shone a spotlight on the mechanics that will exist to look after and reform your digital populace when things inevitably go wrong. Anyone who played Cities: Skylines will know it is near impossible to keep everyone in your city happy. Any number of factors can influence a citizens’ well being, from a lack of energy to unemployment, pollution to crime. Thankfully, the new welfare office building operates as a...

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Microsoft Reportedly in Talks to Extend Deal Deadline to Ensure Activision Isn’t Wooed by Another Buyer

Microsoft is reportedly in talks with Activision about extending the deadline for its $69 billion buyout of the company. The deadline is currently set for today, July 18, with Microsoft oblidged to pay Activision Blizzard a $3 billion reverse termination fee if it fails to close in time. The expiration of the contract would let either Microsoft or Activision walk away from the deal. While this is unlikely given both parties’ desire to complete, Microsoft wants to extend the contract “to ensure Activision is not wooed by another potential acquirer or has a change of heart”, Reuters reported. Microsoft and Activision have yet to comment on the claim. Yesterday, a judge for the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) paused Microsoft's...

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Activision Confirms Modern Warfare 2 Weapons, Bundles, and Operators Will Carry Over Into Call of Duty 2023

Activision has confirmed Modern Warfare 2 weapons, bundles, and operators will carry over into Call of Duty 2023. Following a period of extensive leaks relating to this year’s game, expected to be Modern Warfare 3, the official Call of Duty Twitter account posted a poll that left fans in no doubt about the transfer of their digital items. Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games, which is leading work on this year’s game, retweeted the post. Typically, items bought for a mainline Call of Duty game do not carry over to the next entry. But Activision was criticised when it announced cosmetics would not carry over from battle royale Warzone to its sequel, Warzone 2.0. Modern Warfare 3 is set to continue the story set out by last...

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Saturn Mini Console Would Be Difficult to Create, Sega Boss Admits

Sega has released two mini versions of its Genesis / Mega Drive console, leaving some fans wondering which classic piece of hardware the company will make mini next. The Saturn, which followed on from the Mega Drive in 1994, seems like the logical choice. But it sounds like turning the Saturn into a mini console would be difficult for Sega to achieve. “The development of hardware up until now has occurred when the internal and external conditions have happened to align,” Sega chief Yukio Sugino said in an interview with Famitsu, translated by IGN. “The Sega Saturn has surprisingly high performance, so the difficulty (of creating a mini version) is also high.” While Sugino’s comments cast doubt on the likelihood of a Saturn mini...

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BattleBit Remastered Devs Share Update Plans and When It Might Leave Early Access

Battlebit Remastered may not seem that impressive with its blocky visuals, but it's quietly been one of the most successful games of 2023. What's more, its development team is far from finished. In a Reddit AMA, the Battlebit Remastered team answered fan questions about the visuals, future game modes, and more. Battlebit's team also reflected on its outsized success, which saw it suddenly explode in popularity en route to sell nearly 2 million units. "This is just wild. I don't even think anyone of us has realized what we actually have done now," TheLiquidHorse wrote. 'The competitive community is already screaming for it' Talking about what to expect in the future, the Battlebit Remastered team addressed questions about the...

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Analysis: Could Halo Have Changed the FTC's Fortunes at the Microsoft Trial?

The Microsoft-Activision deal is almost upon us. Though the FTC presented several games, like Starfield and Redfall, to prove its antitrust case, one key game that was curiously missing from notable testimony: Halo. Microsoft’s first-party exclusive may be made in-house — which could’ve potentially kept it from being named extensively in the evidence — but the title actually began its history at Bungie, before Microsoft purchased the company. Couldn’t Master Chief Save the FTC? Very bizarrely, there’s a portion of the judge’s opinion where she says that Zenimax titles Starfield and Redfall being exclusive to the Xbox platform shouldn’t be compared to Call of Duty, as these games are fairly different. She writes about how Starfield...

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Ubisoft Has No Plans for Assassin's Creed Mirage DLC After Launch, at Least for Now

Ubisoft Bordeaux has no plans to make DLC or post-launch content for its upcoming project Assassin's Creed Mirage - at least not at the moment. During an AMA with the developers in the Assassin's Creed subreddit, Stephane Boudon, the creative director for Mirage, responded to a question about whether or not the next major installment in the franchise will have a post-launch update that will allow players to replay a specific mission or quest. "For now, Mirage has no plan for DLC or extensive post-launch," Boudon replied. "For now, Mirage has no plan for DLC or extensive post-launch." Assassin's Creed Mirage was announced last year at Ubisoft Forward and focuses on Basim, a street thief who becomes a full-fledged assassin in...

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American Hero, the Restored 90s FMV Choose-Your-Own Adventure Game, Is Now on IGN Plus

If you've ever wished for a choose-your-own-adventure full-motion video (FMV) game send-up of 80s action-hero tropes, I have great news for you. American Hero seems tailor-made to your bizarrely specific fantasies, and you can grab a copy of the GOG version right now as part of IGN Plus. Plus members - get your GOG key for American Hero here on its IGN Rewards page. Not a Plus member? You can easily become one by checking out the IGN Plus page. What is American Hero? American Hero was originally being developed in the 90s, commenting on the ridiculousness of 80s action tropes. The protagonist, Jack Devon, is tipped off that a chemical attack is being planned by Kruger, an old nemesis. Furthermore, Jack's former flame is missing and...

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EU Says Handheld Consoles Must Have Replaceable Batteries Starting 2027

The next iterations of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck could come with replaceable batteries thanks to a new EU regulation. As reported by Eurogamer, the Council of the European Union has unveiled a new regulation that forces all devices, including handheld games consoles, to come with replaceable batteries by 2027. Nintendo's current console, similar to the Steam Deck and other already available devices, likely won't be affected, but the regulation could affect development of next-generation systems like the Switch successor. While companies could push back against the regulation, the EU said the 2027 timeframe gives "sufficient time for operators to adapt the design of their products to this requirement". It also shared a brief...

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Star Wars: Outlaws Isn't Going Down the Procedurally-Generated Worlds Route

Star Wars: Outlaws developer Massive Entertainment has revealed more about the game's open world and declared it isn't going down the Starfield-esque procedurally-generated route. Speaking to Edge Magazine, creative director Julian Gerighty said Outlaws, the upcoming sci-fi adventure set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, takes a more "handcrafted" and "manageable" approach to the open-world formula. "It's a crude analogy, but the size of one planet might be [equivalent to] two of the zones in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey," said Gerighty. "It could be two to three zones. But it's not this sort of epic 'the whole of England recreated' approach." These zones seemingly refer to the regions that make up Odyssey's...

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Call of Duty Fans Flock to Xbox 360 Classics Like Black Ops 2 and Modern Warfare 3 Following Apparent Server Update

Classic Call of Duty games on Xbox 360 appear to be enjoying a second wind after a server update sparked renewed interest in online play. Reports indicate thousands of people were online over the weekend playing the likes of Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 3 (2011) and Treyarch’s Black Ops 2 (2012). Even the groundbreaking Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare from 2007 saw a boost. These older Call of Duty games, while playable online still a decade after launch, were riddled with hackers, boosters, and cheaters. But reports emerged last week that some unannounced work was done to improve matters on Xbox 360 versions of the games, and, when word got around stable online play, thousands of fans ended up jumping in. These older Call of Duty...

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Viewfinder Review

It’s not often that a first-person puzzle-platformer comes along with a new mechanic that’s as brain-breaking as Portal, but Viewfinder deserves to be put on that same high shelf. This game gives an inventive new meaning to the term ‘point and click adventure’ by arming you with an old-school instant film camera that doesn’t just allow you to snap a photo of your surroundings, but physically bend and break them to your will in order to forge new paths towards each level’s goal. It’s an ingenious, perspective-based puzzle-solving tool that constantly evolves over the course of the six-hour journey, and one that kept me hooked all the way through, despite the fact its story never developed quite as sharply as one of its freshly shaken...

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GT7 Downshifts to $38, Ragnarok axed to $69, Cheap Wheels and More!

Welcome, friends, to another week of not paying much for things that usually cost more. Today, I'd like to steer / pun you towards a sub-$40 Gran Turismo 7. Switch fans should also take note of that 47 buck Metroid Dread. Lastly, lovers of OG gaming ought to click into the arcade-centric Humble Bundle. That Indy Pinball game is primo, and it's a nice companion piece for anybody coming straight from Dial of Destiny. (Ditto for the discounted Lego Indiana Jones on Xbox.) This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games and hardware - Gran Turismo Concept (PS2) 2002. - Secret Agent Clank (PSP) 2008. - Echochrome (PSP) 2008. - Sonic Mania Plus (NS,PC,PS4,XO) 2018. Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Nice...

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Xbox Has Signed a 'Binding Agreement' to Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation After Its Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Xbox head Phil Spencer has revealed that Microsoft and PlayStation have "signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard." Spencer took to Twitter to announce the news and share that he is looking forward to a future where players have more choice as to where they want to play their games. "We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard," Spencer wrote. "We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games." No further details about the "binding agreement" were shared by Spencer, so it's unclear...

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Fable Narrative Lead Anna Megill Leaving Playground Games, Says a 'Heroically Talented Team' Remains

Fable narrative lead Anna Megill has announced she will be leaving Playground Games in August and that a "heroically talented team" will continue working on the much-anticipated reboot. Megill became the narrative lead on Fable in July 2022 and has been with Playground Games since February 2021 when she joined the team as Fable's lead writer. Working on Fable has been a "dream come true" for her, and she had nothing but positive things to say as she announced her departure. "Friends, I have news," Megill wrote on Twitter. "In August, I’m stepping away from my role as Narrative Lead on Fable. I’ve had several wonderful years scribbling away in my fairytale cottage, but the time feels right for new challenges. "Working on Fable was a...

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Exoprimal Review in Progress

For a game with “Dino Forecasts” that warn of thousands of dinosaurs raining out of portals in the sky, what’s surprising about Exoprimal is that it’s somehow even stranger than that premise would suggest. It’s a competitive hero shooter – that’s also occasionally cooperative – which pits two teams of five players against each other in dino-hunting war games, where they compete indirectly – but also occasionally directly – in separate parallel universes to see who can complete a grab bag of objectives faster. It takes a lot of familiar elements from team-based multiplayer games like Overwatch and Team Fortress 2, and combines them with wave-based survival elements to create an experience that feels wholly unique, and a lot of fun if...

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How To Build a PC For Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 is almost here, launching on August 3 for PC, after a couple years in early access. The game looks like a true next-gen PC RPG, combining the classic turn-based gameplay Larian Studios is known for with absolutely stunning visuals I've never seen in an isometric CRPG. Because the game has been out in early access for a while now, we have a pretty good idea of how it will run, and even though the game looks way better than Divinity: Original Sin 2, the system requirements aren't actually that steep. Instead, this will be a game that's all about scaling from low-end hardware to the very best graphics cards on the market right now. Baldur's Gate 3 System Requirements Baldur's Gate 3 has had official system...

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Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for July 14-18

The bathrobe boy, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get you some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further. Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians. We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP. Where Is Xûr Located Today? Xûr's location can be found at...

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EA Says Don’t Worry About the Player Faces in FC 24, the In-Game Visuals Will Be 'Amazing'

The player faces in EA Sports FC 24 will be “amazing”, EA has insists, after the cover of the game was widely ridiculed on social media. This week EA pulled back the curtain on FC 24, its first post-FIFA football game, and in doing some revealed the cover of the Ultimate Edition. This cover, which is a sort of football version of the cover of The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, includes a number of players, active and retired, standing together for a club photo. The group photo shows legends including Pelé, Zinedine Zidane, and David Beckham alongside current stars such as Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, and Sam Kerr. It didn’t take long for the memes to come flooding in, with the virtual faces for Bukayo...

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Assassin's Creed Mirage to Get Official Gaming Suit That Lets You Feel Parkour and Punches

Ubisoft has partnered with OWO to create a haptic feedback vest that will allow wearers to physically feel the actions of protagonist Basim as he parkours, and fights his way through ninth-century Baghdad in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. “By leveraging OWO’s ground-breaking technologies and expertise, we are able to immerse players in the world, sounds and sensations of Assassin’s Creed Mirage in an innovative and enhanced way,” said Fabian Salomon, lead producer at Ubisoft Bordeaux. “We can’t wait for our players to discover and enjoy the coming-of-age story of Basim with the power of OWO.” The Assassin's Creed Mirage Edition of the OWO Haptic Gaming System includes the patented OWO Skin, 20 gel pads, an ‘OWO device’, and a game code...

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EA Sports FC 24 on Nintendo Switch Getting Ultimate Team and Frostbite Engine for First Time

EA Sports FC 24 on Nintendo Switch will include Ultimate Team and the Frostbite Engine for the first time, meaning EA isn't just releasing a rebranded version of FIFA 19 again this year. Following the game's full reveal on July 13, Nintendo revealed the rebranded FIFA will finally move Switch players along from the years of essentially reskinned Legacy Editions. The Frostbite Engine promises to bring "immersive detail" to the Switch version of FC 24, especially when paired with the game's new PlayStyles technology that "heightens the realism and individuality of each player". Switch players will also get to enjoy what's easily FIFA's (and now, presumably, FC's) most popular mode in Ultimate Team, where players can develop their own...

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Price Drop on a Stick Drift Thwarting Switch Peripheral, Left Over Prime Day Deals, and More!

Thank your own personal deity, it's Friday. If you've got the Prime Day blues this morning, don't despair — there are still discounts aplenty. This is also the day to celebrate the 28th birthday of Street Fighter Alpha. Quick history lesson: it was a major revamp of Capcom's seminal series, and it featured one of the oddest, Schwarzenegger-esque announcers ever. His distinct pronunciation of "Stweet Fightah" was pahwfect. This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games and hardware - Street Fighter Alpha (ARC) 1995. - Super Monkey Ball Adventure (PS2) 2006. Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch Hardware Watch How much to make the switch to Switch? Back to top Purchase...

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