Gaming News

Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure Expansion Announced, Arrives in March

Playground Games has announced that the Rally Adventure expansion will be the second piece of major DLC for Forza Horizon 5. Announced on Forza's YouTube channel, the expansion arrives on March 29 and includes a whole new rally career mode. A brief trailer for the expansion (below) also showed off new gameplay and teased some features that players can enjoy in the Rally Adventure DLC. Playground also revealed some new customisation options coming to Forza Horizon 5, promising that players can "build a rally monster". The first expansion was announced last June and reintroduced Hotwheels to the Forza Horizon world. The over the top toys were added to the game's open world Mexico map and let players race through all sorts of...

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – Get a Little Help From Your (AI) Friends | IGN First

While Cal Kestis was part of a crew in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – exploring the galaxy in the Stinger Mantis ship with his mentor, Cere Junda; its captain, Greez, and (eventually) his former bitter enemy turned bestie, Nightsister Merrin – once he was boots on the ground planetside, it was largely a fairly lonely adventure. Outside, of course, of the companionship of the ever adorable BD-1. That changes in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor thanks to the addition of Bode Akuna, a new character in Jedi Survivor, played by Noshir Dalal, who can be seen in the reveal trailer lending a hand to Cal both in a cutscene and in gameplay where he executes a cool tandem finisher on a Scout Trooper. But Bode’s presence as a companion character goes far...

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John Romero and Mabel Addis to Be Recognised at Game Developers Choice Awards 2023

Legendary video game industry figures Mabel Addis and John Romero are to be honoured at this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards. Addis is recognised as the first female game designer and, having passed away in 2004, will posthumously receive the Pioneer Award which honours breakthrough in business, tech, and game design milestones. Back in 1964, Addis lead design on The Sumerian Game which included innovative features including game updates, narrative experiences, and early versions of what would become cutscenes. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will then be granted to Romero, who’s perhaps most famous for his work on genre defining games including Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. Romero has published more than 100 games...

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Xbox Game Pass Is Having its Best Stretch Ever

The detractors of Xbox Game Pass are running out of goalposts to move. One of the last remaining legitimate gripes against Microsoft’s game-subscription service is that it’s been more like basic cable rather than HBO. In other words, plenty of good stuff, but very little content that’s truly top-shelf. But just two months into 2023, that argument seems toast too. Take a look at the roll that Xbox Game Pass has gotten started, and how long it’s set to keep going: Hi-Fi Rush (January 25) – Many pixels’ worth of well-deserved digital ink have been spilled writing about Tango Gameworks’s viral, shadow-dropped hit. Microsoft didn’t just release a first-party game out of nowhere, it released a much-needed amazing first-party game out of...

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Shinji Mikami to Leave Tango Gameworks After 13 Years

Famed game developer Shinji Mikami, well known for directing the original Resident Evil and The Evil Within, is leaving Tango Gameworks after 13 years. Confirmed in a tweet from Bethesda (below), Mikami will be leaving the studio — which he founded in 2010 — in the coming months. "We can confirm that Shinji Mikami has decided to leave Tango Gameworks in the coming months," the post said. "We thank him for his work as a creative leader and supportive mentor to young developers on The Evil Within franchise, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and, of course, Hi-Fi Rush. "We wish Mikami-san well in the future and are excited by what lies ahead for the talented developers at Tango." No reason for his departure was given, and Mikami himself is yet to...

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Aussie Deals: Up to 82% off Assassin's Creed Titles, Ishin Prices Go Inchin' Downwards and More!

It's an awful thing to start a working day without coffee in the house, so I'll keep this brief. Honestly, the only thing lower than my blood sugar right now are the low, low prices of today's gaming deals. Found a whole bunch for you. Nothing but stuff that I would absolutely buy myself, but probably already own. Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Expiring Recent Deals Back to top Purchase Cheaply for PC Expiring Recent Deals Back to top Exciting Offers for XO/XS Expiring Recent Deals Back to top Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Expiring Recent Deals Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays at ludicrous difficulties on YouTube. Continue reading...

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Activision-Blizzard Buyout Drama Heats Up – Unlocked 583

Microsoft makes 10-year deals to bring Call of Duty to other platforms with not one but TWO different companies in an effort to get regulators to approve the Activision-Blizzard acquisition. We discuss how Microsoft might be nearing the endgame of this corporate chess match. Plus: we're stoked for the Diablo 4 beta, Ubisoft makes a puzzling statement about attending E3, and more! Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our interview with Todd Howard, who answered all of our Starfield questions after the big reveal at the Xbox Showcase: For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series...

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Microsoft's Activison Blizzard Acquisition: The Complete Timeline of the News So Far

It’s been a little over a year since Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard. Since then, what looked to be another blockbuster acquisition appears far more uncertain as regulators in multiple countries scrutinize a deal that could potentially upend the video game industry. While legal experts have maintained that the Activision Blizzard acquisition doesn’t constitute a monopoly (more on that later), it still marks a seismic shift in the video game landscape – and warrants an appropriate level of examination. But how did another day in the increasing mergers-focused industry become such a regulatory landmine? Read on for a full breakdown of how we got here. January 18, 2022 - Microsoft Announces It Will...

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Assassin's Creed Syndicate Update Will Fix a Persistent PS5 Issue

Ubisoft has announced a new update for the PlayStation 4 version of Assassin's Creed Syndicate that will finally fix the game's flickering issues when playing on PlayStation 5. Assassin's Creed Syndicate first launched for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2015. But, when playing the game on PS5, fans noticed a flickering issue during gameplay with seemingly no solution. Reddit conversations about the issue date back over five months, with the issue becoming a bigger problem after the game was noticed by more people through PlayStation Plus' Extra tier. Now, thanks to the Title Update 1.53 coming tomorrow, players will be able to enjoy the game flicker free. Syndicate was the last traditional Assassin's Creed game before Ubisoft...

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Will the FTC Block Microsoft From Acquiring Activision Blizzard? Legal Experts Are Divided

Ever since Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in an unprecedented $69 billion deal, it’s felt like the news around regulators swarming to slam on the merger brakes hasn’t let up. There are pages of arguments, tweets and interviews and quotes from executives, and plenty of internet chatter about what’s happening and why. From the outside looking in, it can be tough to sift through what’s important and what’s not, and who’s speaking from a position of expertise and who’s just guessing at the outcome. Regardless, this deal has the potential to impact gamers more than any other merger to date, so it’s important to be informed on how and why governments look at this stuff, how unprecedented this is exactly...

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Genshin Impact Developer Subpoenas Twitter to Uncover Leaker Identities

Genshin Impact creator miHoYo has officially subpoenaed Twitter in an attempt to discover the identities of three prevalent leakers. As spotted by Axios, the subpoenas were issued on miHoYo’s behalf by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and targeted the individuals behind the Twitter accounts XWides, Merlin Impact and Genshin World. The legal documents demand that Twitter hand over a range of information including the telephone numbers, emails, and names of the leakers, along with their IP and real world addresses. Earlier this month miHoYo’s Cognosphere division requested that Twitter delete posts from each of the above accounts on the grounds that the content infringed its copyright. However...

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Valve Tricked 40,000 Dota 2 Cheaters Into Exposing Themselves Then Banned Them

Valve has permanently banned over 40,000 accounts in Dota 2 using third-party software to cheat over the past few weeks. These players used software to look at internal data in the Dota client that isn’t ordinarily visible during gameplay. Valve’s priority was to fix the issues that allowed for cheating in the first place. However, Valve also took the extra step to get rid of these players. “With that goal in mind, we released a patch as soon as we understood the method these cheats were using,” Valve said in a statement. The company continued, “This patch created a honeypot: a section of data inside the game client that would never be read during normal gameplay, but that could be read by these exploits. Each of the accounts banned...

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New World Switching to Seasonal Model, Free and Premium Season Pass Announced

Amazon Games has announced that its MMORPG New World is switching to a seasonal model and will be getting a free and premium Season Pass as a result. The seasonal model will come into effect on March 28 and Amazon has promised it will allow for more frequent content drops with the likes of new features, gameplay experiences, and more. Seasons will last three months and Amazon said players can expect further unique additions to New World as each one rolls in. The Season Pass will work more like a Battle Pass from the likes of Fortnite or Call of Duty: Warzone, in which players will gain levels and rewards by completing certain tasks in-game. Players can stay on the free track if they like, but upgrading to the premium version will...

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Honkai: Star Rail Aims to Double Down on Genshin Impact's Success

One success story in a live-service game market where big names are being shut down is Genshin Impact, an open-world action game with quality ongoing additions and updates despite implementing microtransactions in the hopes of potentially unlocking new characters to use. Developer HoYoverse seems to be doubling down on Genshin’s success with Honkai: Star Rail, which shares many similarities with its predecessor while also having enough to differentiate itself from its best-known game. After spending plenty of hours in its closed beta, Honkai: Star Rail seems like it’s shaping up to be another success for HoYoverse – even if there are a few things that may initially overwhelm and intimidate players. Honkai: Star Rail is technically a...

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Amazon Games Adds the Long-Delayed Throne and Liberty to Its Lineup

Amazon Games has revealed its latest online collaboration, confirming that it will team with NCSoft to bring Throne and Liberty to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox Series X|S in North America, South America, Europe, and Japan. Originally envisioned as a sequel to Lineage, Throne and Liberty has gradually morphed into an entirely new franchise over the course of its many years of development. It joins Amazon's growing portfolio of online games, which also include Lost Ark and New World. In announcing the deal, Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann praised NCSoft and said would online games would continue to be a big part of the company's strategy going forward. "Publishing games that live and grow over time remains a critical piece...

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Elden Ring Sells 20 Million Units

Elden Ring has officially sold over 20 million copies in less than a year according to Bandai Namco and developer FromSoftware. The announcement came just days before Elden Ring’s one year launch anniversary on February 25 in a tweet from the game’s official account (below), and an accompanying statement on Bandai Namco's website. "Our heartfelt thanks for your support and companionship on this journey," the post said. We last heard of Elden Ring sales figures in June last year when it had sold 16.6 million units, but the holiday push and perhaps the slew of Game of the Year awards pushed it over the 20 million figure. The figure also comes without any major expansion as no story DLC has yet been announced for Elden Ring, though...

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Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars - Exclusive Preview of the Jedi: Survivor Prequel

The critically acclaimed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is getting a sequel dubbed Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. But that game only tells you part of the story. The saga of Cal Kestis is also expanding into the Star Wars novel line with a new book called Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars. Written by Sam Maggs, this book will bridge the gap between the two games and chronicle another adventure for Cal and the crew of the Stinger Mantis. When Cal and friends encounter an Imperial Stormtrooper looking to defect, they catch wind of a powerful weapon that could deal a major blow to the Empire. The only catch is that pursuing this mission will once again put them in the crosshairs of the Sith Inquisitorius, and Fifth Brother is itching for a fight...

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No Man’s Sky Fractal Update Adds PlayStation VR2 Support and More

No Man’s Sky’s Fractal Update is adding full PlayStation VR2 support, a new starship, Expedition, and more when it launches today, February 22. While PSVR 2 support was already confirmed for the game and virtual reality was already available on other devices, Hello Games has promised that a completely refreshed and upgraded VR experience is arriving in the Fractal update, or version 4.1. The PSVR 2 version specifically adds reflections, terrain tessellation, increased draw distance, denser foliage, and ultra high quality textures and refraction in game, while the tech also includes headset vibrations, 3D audio technology and intelligent tracking, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers from the PSVR 2 Sense controllers, and more. The...

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Resident Evil 4 Remake's VR Mode Will Be Free DLC

Capcom has confirmed that Resident Evil 4 Remake's virtual reality mode will be free DLC for PlayStation 5's PSVR 2. Revealed on the Japanese Resident Evil Twitter account (below), Capcom first announced that development has now begun on the VR mode before following up with confirmation that it would be free DLC. Given that the virtual reality version has only just started development, it's unlikely that it will be released alongside the main game on March 24, though this follows suit with VR additions to other recent Resident Evils. Resident Evil Village, for example, is only getting its virtual reality mode today, February 22, to coincide with the launch of the PlayStation VR2 headset, despite the main game having launched in May...

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EVO 2023 Lineup Announced: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Returns, Street Fighter 6 Debuts

The 2023 roster for this year’s Evo fighting game tournament has been revealed, with Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 set to make its debut in the wake of its official launch this June and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 making a high-profile return. A total of eight fighting games will be featured in competition at Evo 2023, and are listed below: Street Fighter 6 - PS4 (Capcom) Guilty Gear Strive - PS4 (Arc System Works) Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate - PS4 (Warner Bros. Games) Tekken 7 - PS4 (BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment) The King of Fighters XV - PS4 (SNK) Melty Blood Type Lumina - PS4 (Lasengle) Dragon Ball FighterZ - PS4 (BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment) Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 - PS4 (Capcom) “We are excited to once again feature an...

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Aussie Deals: Cheaper Steam Decks, 49 Buck Metroid Prime and PSVR 2 Enhancing Discounts!

Today is a day of casting aside reality. Awful, boring, stinky reality. More specifically, the PlayStation VR2 is now available to buy. I've ripped and torn my way through a ton of indie third-party games for it (see: this heads-on guide). Better yet, I have the cheapest prices on two of the biggest drawcard triple-As that may push some of you off the edge and into a purchase. Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Back to top Purchase Cheaply for PC Back to top Exciting Offers for XO/XS Back to top Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays at ludicrous difficulties on YouTube. Continue reading...

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Exclusive Hands-On Preview | IGN First

As a fan of Star Wars, Soulslikes, and big-budget single-player action games, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was a game that spoke to me on multiple levels. It successfully merged the risk/reward elements of From Software’s Souls series with the power fantasy that inherently comes with being a Jedi. That said, it wasn’t a perfect combination. Backtracking without any means of fast travel was annoying, exploration was rewarded primarily with underwhelming cosmetics, and I couldn’t help but wish I could do more with my powers than just push, pull, and slow. I say all of this because my main takeaway from roughly five hours with the upcoming sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, is that it felt like I was systematically crossing off the issues...

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Destiny Developer Bungie Wins $4.3 Million Anti-Cheating Lawsuit

Bungie has achieved a legal victory in its attempt to stop Destiny 2 cheat sellers, as a judge ruled that cheat maker AimJunkies violated Bungie's copyright through the creation of its aimbots. Reported by Eurogamer, Bungie has won $4,396,222 in damages and legal fees. The anti-cheating legal battle has been going on for nearly two years. Bungie first filed the lawsuit against AimJunkies in April 2021, saying that AimJunkies violated its copyright laws by producing cheats. The case was originally dismissed in May 2021 when a U.S. District Court Judge said there wasn't enough evidence to prove copyright infrigements. Bungie filed a new complaint just a few weeks later. Last August, AimJunkies' parent company Phoenix Digital Group...

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Sony Announces PlayStation State of Play Event for This Week

Sony has announced that a PlayStation State of Play event will take place on February 23 and share new details on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and more. Announced in a tweet (below), the event will take place at 1pm Pacific / 4pm Eastern / 9pm UK (so 7am AEST on February 24) and can be viewed on PlayStation's YouTube and Twitch channels. Though it didn't say exactly what it would be showing, Sony has confirmed that five brand new PlayStation VR 2 games will be shown off at the State of Play alongside indie and third party reveals. The main attraction will perhaps be a 15 minute gameplay showcase from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League though, which will share new game mechanics and updates on Rocksteady Studios'...

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Re:Call’s Memory Manipulating Puzzles Are Snappy, Smart, and Truly Standout

When I first started playing Re:Call, I was wearing green overalls and I had a cup of tea on the table next to me. Or, wait. Maybe I was wearing blue overalls and I was drinking cocoa. Or could they have been pink overalls, with a cup of coffee? That’s the kind of twisty, recollection labyrinth you’re playing with in Re:Call, a game about rewriting memories to become true history. You play not as any of the game’s protagonists, but as a ghostly entity who, when partnered with a person, gives them the ability to change how things previously happened simply by relating them in different ways to listeners. This premise blossoms immediately in Re:Call’s early hours into a delightful puzzle game, where a man named Javier writes and...

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Marvel's Avengers: Former Creative Director Apologizes For the Game

Marvel's Avengers' previous creative director, Virtosu Cezar, has apologized for how the game turned out and cited a "challenging production" for it not becoming what it could have been. Speaking to Edge Magazine (via GamesRadar), Cezar didn't go into much detail about the problems that led to the decision to end development on Marvel's Avengers just a little over two years after it launched, but he apologized for it nonetheless. "It was a challenging production, let's say," Virtosu told Edge. "I apologize for that." Virtosu left Crystal Dynamics in 2020 for Hexworks and is now the creative director on The Lords of the Fallen, the reboot of 2014's Lords of the Fallen that got its first gameplay trailer at The Game Awards 2022. The...

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Company of Heroes 3 Review - Single-Player Campaigns

Note: This review covers only the single-player modes of Company of Heroes 3. The multiplayer review will follow shortly after launch. Writing this review hurt my feelings. The Company of Heroes series is near and dear to my heart – all three of them are real-time strategy games that cut to the core of the genre, focusing on overarching strategic decisions coupled with tactical troop movements and a battlefield that truly matters. I'm pleased to say that Company of Heroes 3 implements those series fundamentals quite well in a gentle remix that brings the series to diverse theaters of World War 2 that it hadn't touched yet. What I'm very displeased about is that the ambitious Italian campaign mode is incredibly disappointing. While...

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Battlefield 2042 Season 4 Brings New Specialist, Map, and More This Month

Battlefield 2042’s fourth season. called Eleventh Hour, will bring a wave of fresh content to the shooter including a new map, hardware, and a recon specialist when it launches on February 28. The new map, Flashpoint, will have a South African setting and features a variety of interior spaces that encourage frenetic close quarters combat, while the surrounding rocky terrain is likely better suited to sniper and tank-based warfare. The sprawling Discarded map, which is set in an abandoned Indian shipyard, is also set to get a rework. Season 4 also adds a new recon specialist to 2042’s roster in the form of the “ambush expert” Camila Blasco, whose deployable X6-infiltration device prevents enemies from locking on to nearby friendlies...

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Kerbal Space Program 2: Finding Fun in Failure

Kerbal Space Program 2 made me feel as dense as its layered gameplay systems in the best way possible. Before my two hours hands-on with the sequel to the beloved whimsy-infused astrophysics that is Kerbal Space Program, I hadn’t played a minute of the engineering/management/space sim series. Always fascinated by it, yet daunted at the prospect of giving it a go, I was fairly hesitant ahead of jumping in. However, I’m happy to report that I had a highly enjoyable time with KSP2, finding myself pleasantly surprised by its welcome approachability. Despite it certainly being a complicated beast to grapple with at times (this is rocket science after all), I managed to find joy in small victories and plenty of fun in my many, many failures...

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Atomic Heart Review

There’s a lot to be said about unapologetically single-player games like Atomic Heart: its entire focus is on creating an intricate world for us to explore and discover for ourselves. An eye-catching blend of super-powered shooting and first-person puzzling, this is a lengthy, tough, and terrific-looking shooter that has us bathing in the blood and gears of elaborately designed enemies both biological and robotic and dispatching them with an impressive set of combat options. Granted, it’s not as clever as it thinks it is when dealing with melee combat or its typical fetch quests, and the story doesn’t quite stick its landing, but the journey from point A to point B is a sight to behold. Atomic Heart is an alternate-history shooter cut...

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