Gaming News

Elden Ring Gets an Official Manga - and It's a Comedy

An official Elden Ring manga has been released, featuring characters such as Melina, Radahn, and Malenia, but instead of following a deep and dark story akin to the game, the comic is actually a comedy. As reported by PC Gamer, the manga is available for free online in 12 languages and published by FromSoftware's parent company Kadokawa. It follows Asea, a wretched Tarnished (the naked starting character from Elden Ring) as he navigates the weird and wonderful world of The Lands Between. While just two chapters are available now, the manga will evolve over time with the release of new episodes on the fourth and 19th day of each month. It's written by Nikiichi Tobita, the artist behind another gag manga called A Cursed Sword's Daily...

View full article »

The Division Heartland: New Details Go Live a Little Too Early

New details about Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland have emerged on an Ubisoft Store listing, revealing more about the free-to-play shooter and its various game modes. Twitter user Unknown1Z1 posted a video of the game listing together with a link to the page for it, which now returns a "404 - Page not found" error. The same information, however, appears on another page on the Ubisoft Store that spotlights several in-game images as well as new details about the different gameplay features and character options available to players. The game's product description promises "massive PvEvP" 45-player Storm Operations that will see players fight against "a group of dangerous Rogue agents, an aggressive faction known as the Vultures...

View full article »

Xbox Exec Wants to Show Fable Now, But the Developer Wants It to Be Ready First

Head of Microsoft Studios Matt Booty already wants to show off Fable on the Xbox Series X but developer Playground Games has refused to do so until it's properly ready. Speaking at PAX West 2022, Booty said that Playground is doing so many cool things with the next generation Fable game that he asks them to share it every time he sees it: "Part of my job is giving air cover to the team," he explained. "They don't want to show stuff early before it's ready to go, but if there's one game where that's kind of flipped around, where every time I see something I say, 'We should show this', it's Fable. Because there's a lot of cool stuff." That being said, "the team has made it very clear that I am not going to be able to show anything...

View full article »

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader’s Combat Promises To Be a Strategy Masterclass

The Warhammer 40,000 universe isn’t known for being shallow. It is chronicled across hundreds of different novels, lore articles, and rule books, each drilling deeper into the histories and abilities of the 41st millennium’s many factions. With that in mind, Owlcat Games - creator of the incredibly layered Pathfinder series - is the perfect developer for a 40k CRPG. And after seeing just 30 minutes of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, it seems as though Owlcat is well underway creating a dizzyingly deep and complex game that’s totally authentic to the setting. At Gamescom 2022 I sat down with game director Alexander Gusev to watch him play through two combat scenarios against a crew of Drukhari warriors (sadistic space elves, for anyone...

View full article »

UK Daily Deals: Gotham Knights Preorders Down to £47.95 Right Now

Gotham Knights is set to release on October 21, 2022, and if you were thinking about preordering, I've got an excellent deal for you to check out right now. You can preorder Gotham Knights for just £47.95 on both PS5 and Xbox. This is around a £17 discount overall, a far-flung difference compared to the £65 it was it's been listed at when preorders went live earlier in the year. The deluxe edition on PS5 is also down to £59.95 (was £79.99), if you're interested in the few extra digital items. Other deals today include TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection dropping to just £27.95, alongside Switch Sports for £29.99.. You can also get £5 off a £15 spend or more for select Amazon users, or even an extra £5 when you top up £60 at Amazon right...

View full article »

Aussie Deals: $9 FIFA, Lowest Last of Us and Splatoon 3, $150 off a Forza Horizon Bundle!

What's the best salve for the start of a week and some jerk saying "Case of the Mondays" in your vicinity? A cheaply purchased video game and the promise of a vigorous evening play. As a special case, I'd recommend today's Shadow of Mordor purchase for anybody watching LOTR: The Rings of Power. Celebrimbor features heavily in both media. Plus, the Nemesis system is still absolutely orcsome to this day. Truly, this game and its sequel have aged like a fine elf. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays games at ludicrous difficulties on YouTube. Continue reading...

View full article »

Hogwarts Legacy Won't Feature Playable Quidditch

While Hogwarts Legacy is aiming to let you live your wizarding world dreams, one thing it won't let you do is play the magical sport of Quidditch. Quidditch's absence from Hogwarts Legacy has been confirmed on the game's official FAQ page. Fortunately, Hogwarts Legacy will still feature a ton of flying on brooms to give you that feeling of soaring through the sky. "Quidditch is not playable in Hogwarts Legacy," the official FAQ reads. "However, broom flight for traversal and broom race challenges are part of the game. Players can also fly brooms to explore new and familiar locations surrounding Hogwarts Castle. " Playable Quidditch has been a thing in the past, and the sport has even had its own game in Quidditch World Cup. The...

View full article »

The Callisto Protocol Director Glen Schofield Apologizes for Possible Crunch Comments

The Callisto Protocol director Glen Schofield has apologized for his previous comments that hinted at a possible crunch culture at his studio Striking Distance. As spotted by those like Ian Walker, Schofield tweeted out a statement that he and his team are working 6-7 days a week for 12-15 hours each in order to finish The Callisto Protocol. While he wrote that no one was "forcing us" to do this, a lot of the problems in studios experiencing crunch stem from the top and can create a silent expectation for others to work as much as they do. "I only talk about the game during an event," Schofield wrote in the now-deleted tweet. "We r working 6-7 days a week, nobody's forcing us. Exhaustion, tired, Covid but we're working. Bugs...

View full article »

Ooblets Review

Have you ever moved to a new town and, what do you know, there’s an abandoned farm ready for you to claim and revitalize all on your own? With adorable creatures to collect and eccentric townsfolk to befriend, Ooblets doesn’t follow a completely unfamiliar formula. But while the unique twists it adds to that structure aren’t very deep, they did keep me smiling for the roughly 30 hours it took to finish the main story. You arrive as the newest citizen of Badgetown, a down-on-its-luck community you immediately start working to improve that lives in harmony with charming creatures called Ooblets. Though they’re all little and very cute, their designs vary pretty widely. You have Ooblets like Dumbirb, an actual small birb… bird friend...

View full article »

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist Wants You to Game Its Decade-Long Groundhog Day for Happiness

The first hour of I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is dictionary definition coziness, by and large. There are vague hints of outside or future threats to the space colony on the planet Vertumna, but within the walls of the colony my 10-year-old protagonist is safe in a world of cotton candy trees, gentle guidance from adults, simple school lessons, and low-stakes interactions with peers. I chose to fill my days with sports, digging in the fields to help the colony, and occasionally studying engineering. And then, one of my friends died – suddenly, seemingly unpreventably. I was crushed. They had been a favorite character of mine so short a time in. And from there, the pastel loveliness of the colony dimmed a bit, and the world of Vertumna...

View full article »

New to Prime Video in September 2022: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Goodnight Mommy, and More

Middle-earth fans, rejoice! For, September has arrived and will bring with it the long-awaited arrival of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Set thousands of years before the events of Frodo and the fellowship of the ring, this new series will tell a new story featuring new faces and familiar ones, like Galadriel and Elrond. If that isn't enough Middle-earth for you, Prime Video subscribers will also be able to stream all the films in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy if they find the wait between episodes of The Rings of Power too much to bear. September will also see the arrival of Goodnight Mommy, a film starring Naomi Watts that follows twin brothers who arrive home and find their mother with surgical...

View full article »

Fortnite Built Destiny’s Javelin-4 Using Only Assets From the Game

From Spider-Man swinging across the map to players using Dragon Ball Z's famous Kamehameha attack, Fortnite's collaborations have only gotten more elaborate over the years. Witness Fortnite's recent collaboration with Destiny, which includes a full-blow recreation of the famous Javelin-4 map from the game's Crucible mode. In a brand-new interview that you can see above, IGN was given a tour of Fortnite's version of the Javelin-4 map, which was meticulously recreated within the Unreal Engine. According to Bungie lead concept artist Dima Goryainov, the map was built entirely with existing assets from Destiny. "The creation of Javelin-4 was a collaborative process between Bungie and Team PWR. Bungie provided visual guidance, while Team...

View full article »

Check Out 18 Minutes of Gameplay From New Tales From the Borderlands

At PAX West, Gearbox Software revealed the first extended look at the gameplay for New Tales From the Borderlands. While Gearbox is committed to the narrative style pioneered by Telltale Games, there are plenty of surprises in store for this revival. As revealed last month, Gearbox and key alumni from Telltale Games who worked on the first Tales From the Borderlands, are working on a spiritual successor to the series. New Tales From the Borderlands will follow a new cast of characters on a new adventure set sometime after Borderlands 3. The gameplay reveal at PAX West showcased a lot of familiar elements. Players will still have to make choices that will impact the way the full story will unfold, and decisions could reverberate and...

View full article »

Forza and More Xbox Games are Becoming IHOP Menu Items, for Some Reason

Xbox announced a partnership with IHOP where players can redeem new Xbox-related prizes through the restaurant’s International Bank of Pancakes rewards program. As for the kinds of rewards players can get, they include a 1-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial, a full game download code for Grounded, and the Forza Horizon 5 Premium Add-Ons bundle. For a limited time, IHOP will also have three Xbox-inspired meal combos. Party Animals includes a pancake combo with 2 cupcake pancakes, pork sausage links, hashbrowns, and 2 eggs over medium. Grounded includes the Big Brunch Steakburger with bacon, fried egg, a crispy potato pancake, American cheese, IHOP sauce, and a side of buttermilk pancakes. Last but defintely not least is the...

View full article »

Splitgate Devs End Development on Popular Shooter to Focus on Unreal Engine 5 Sequel

Developer 1047 Games announced that it will be ending development on future features for Spligate and will be creating a new game in the Splitegate universe using Unreal Engine 5. “After careful consideration and much deliberation the 1047 Games team has determined that in order to build the game fans deserve - and to build it in a way that isn’t trying to retrofit and live operate an existing product - we are ending feature development on Splitegate,” the studio said in a statement. The team emphasizes that the next game will be a shooter and it will still have many portals, as well as be free-to-play. 1047 Games continues, “We want to be clear that Splitegate will remain online as will your items and progression. In fact, we will...

View full article »

New to Disney+ in September 2022: Star Wars: Andor, Thor: Love and Thunder, Disney+ Day, and More

September is one of the biggest months of the year for Disney+ as it will see the arrival, once again, of Disney+ Day. On September 8, ahead of finding out more about the future of the streaming service, subscribers will be treated to Thor: Love and Thunder, Cars on the Road, Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return, the live-action version of Pinocchio, The Simpsons short called Welcome to the Club, a new episode of She-Hulk, and so much more. There is even more to look forward to in September, as Star Wars: Andor will make its long-awaited three-episode debut on September 21 and tell a story leading up to the events of Rogue One focused on Diego Luna's Cassian Andor and the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance. Alongside the new season...

View full article »

You Can Get Sorted Into Your Hogwarts Legacy House Right Now

Hogwarts Legacy may have been delayed until early next year, but if you are itching to get a head start and get pre-sorted into your Hogwarts house, now you can! A new blog post on WizardingWorld.com notes that you can link your WB Games and Harry Potter Fan Club and transfer all your data, such as what house you were sorted into. Once the game is released, you will get an account link prompt at launch where you can either scan a QR code or visit the website that appears on the screen. Once you link up everything, you will be set to go. In addition to carrying over your Harry Potter Fan Club data, WizardingWorld.com members will also receive two in-game rewards: a Beaked Skull mask and a House Fan-atic School Robe. Set long before...

View full article »

Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for September 2-6

The swag chaffeur, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get your 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 Today? Xûr's location can be found at Winding...

View full article »

Star Wars: Republic Commando's Battle Droid Gets an Impressive Black Series Figure

Fans of 2005's Star Wars: Republic Commando are still waiting for a sequel, but there is one ray of light on the horizon. Hasbro is immortalizing one of the enemies from that video game as part of the Star Wars: The Black Series action figure line. The Republic Commando Battle Droid is the latest entry in Hasbro's "Gaming Greats" lineup, which has previously covered iconic titles like Knights of the Old Republic and Jedi Fallen Order. This Battle Droid variant is the first Republic Commando-inspired figure to join the Black Series. Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive first look at the figure: While not the first time Hasbro has tackled the Battle Droid in the Black Series line, this particular version features a...

View full article »

Cyberpunk 2077 Stream Will Reveal What's Next for the Game

A Cyberpunk 2077 stream next week will spell out what’s coming up for the sci-fi RPG. The next edition of Night City Wire will give us a glimpse of what’s on the horizon for Cyberpunk 2077 as well as discuss the upcoming anime, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. It looks as though the upcoming show might be getting a little in-game love, too. The upcoming stream is going online on September 6 at 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern / 4pm UK, but with the announcement came a brief teaser… and it might just have tipped its hand a little bit. “Choooom! There's something new on the horizon – a special episode of Night City Wire,” CD Projekt Red revealed via Twitter. “We will talk about our upcoming anime Cyberpunk: #Edgerunners and what's next for...

View full article »

IGN UK Podcast #660: Bat Family Ties

For the first time since early 2020, the IGN UK Podcast comes to you from the comfort of the IGN UK studio. That means professional-grade audio recording technology is perfectly blended with unmissable chat about video games. Cardy, Joe, and Matt discuss upcoming Batman game Gotham Knights, plus the final highlights of Gamescom: the soulslike/God of War mashup Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, miniatures game Moonbreaker, and the Lovecraftian horror lurking in the waters of Dredge. Plus, there's first thoughts on Immortality, the new FMV game from Her Story and Telling Lies creator Sam Barlow. All that, PLUS a session of The Endless Search and your feedback. Got a game for us to play or some feedback you'd like read out on the show? Why...

View full article »

Different Strokes’ Enchanting Approach to Collaborative Art Creation

I approach the picture frame within the clean, white, minimal gallery space. I pause in front of it, taking in what can only be described as the crude scrawls of a child. A manchild, more likely. “They call this art?” I think to myself, as there’s no doubt about what the squiggles in front of me are depicting - meat and two veg, if you catch my not-so-subtle drift. Thankfully, a sign beneath the frame exhorts me to “please fix this!” and so I do. Well, I try to at least. I’m no artist, so turning an eyesore into eye candy isn’t very likely, but at least it won’t be a plonker portrait anymore. Different Strokes’ setting is an art gallery in which the visitors create the art. More than that, however, each piece is a collaboration...

View full article »

Aussie Deals: Score Free Tomb Raider and Mafia Titles, Plus a Bunch of Crazy Franchise Sales!

Thank your own personal deity—possibly Týr—it's Friday! Come this arvo, it'll be time to load up some (cheap) games, de-pants and spend two glorious days avoiding the sun's rays. That could just be a me thing, though. If you need inspiration for what to play, I'd steer you to that quality-fest of a Rockstar sale and that decent gaggle of PC freebies. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays at ludicrous difficulties on YouTube. Continue reading...

View full article »

The Last Worker Preview: Welcome to the Jüngle

A very neat and cool thing about being a millennial is watching an endless parade of news headlines revealing that the dystopian novels I read in high school are effectively a day-to-day reality now. It’s understandable, then, that in answer to that our own generation’s artists have turned around and upped the ante on dystopian fiction by satirizing these horrors that now exist to new levels, whether in an effort to spread awareness or simply out of reasonable fury. Which is, I suppose, how I ended up both playing and loving The Last Worker – a narrative game that takes capitalism to its worst, most fearsome extremes while laughing sardonically at the result. I played two segments wearing the cap of protagonist Kurt, the titular “Last...

View full article »

River City Girls 2: First Look Preview

The highly influential Kunio-kun beat-'em-up RPG series initially made its debut in arcade cabinets and Apple II computers alike – all the way back in 1986, predating both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Streets of Rage, if you can believe it – and since then, it’s gradually built up quite the storied legacy, spanning over 20 game releases in Japan. Though far fewer have made their way to the west. But recently, developer ArcSys streamlined Kunio-kun’s beat-'em-up RPG formula with the help of 2017’s River City Ransom: Underground and its sequel, 2019’s River City Girls. The latter was especially well-received for its slick combat, fun soundtrack, and robust level design. And now, three years on, developers WayForward and ArcSys are at...

View full article »

Warner Bros. Discovery Confirms DC FanDome 2022 Isn't Happening

DC FanDome has been one of the biggest entertainment events of the past two years, but it looks like Warner Bros. Discovery is retiring its streaming event focused on DC movies, games, and television, at least for this year. DC confirmed that DC FanDome would be taking a break in a statement to Popverse: "With the return of in-person events, Warner Bros. Discovery is excited to be able to engage with our fans live at numerous comic-cons around the world and will not be scheduling DC FanDome for 2022." That means Warner Bros. won't be on hand to promote its upcoming array of DC projects, which include Gotham Knights, Black Adam, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. But with several DC projects being delayed or canceled outright, it's not...

View full article »

Microsoft is Testing a Feature That Lets You Manage your Xbox Subscriptions in Windows 11

Microsoft is testing a new feature that will allow you to manage your Xbox subscription through the Settings app in Windows 11. In a new blog post, Microsoft notes that it has begun rolling out the feature to Windows 11 Insiders. Those with access to the feature will be able to check information and details on their subscriptions to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass, or Xbox Live Gold through their settings. Users can check billing recurrence and the type of benefits and perks included in their current Xbox subscription. Microsoft also confirmed that Xbox subscription management will allow users to manage or upgrade their Xbox subscription plan, redeem gift card tokens, and "be up to date on any actions required...

View full article »

Prey Director Says Arkane Was Forced to Use that Title: 'It’s Gross... Not What I Wanted to Do'

Prey director Raphaël Colantonio has said developer Arkane Studios was forced to use the Prey name by Bethesda, despite his disagreement and feeling "gross" by using it. Speaking on AIAS Game Maker's Notebook podcast (and spotted by Kotaku), Colantonio said that using this name was disrespectful to 2006's Prey - which was a completely different game made by a completely different team and company. "Calling Prey Prey, that was very very hurtful to me. I did not want to call this game Prey, and I had to say I wanted to anyway in front of journalists," Colantonio said. "There is a bit of the artistic, the creative side that is insulted when you tell this artist: 'You know your game? It's going to be called Prey.' And you go like, 'I...

View full article »

AirportSim's 3 Game Modes Let You Live Life as an Airport Ground Crew Member

Sure, Microsoft Flight Simulator did a great job of simulating life in the cockpit of a myriad of real-world planes at 30,000 feet up. But what about the other half of that equation? AirportSim, an Xbox Series X|S console exclusive due out next year (it's also coming to PC at the same time), aims to show you what life is like for the ground crew who are so essential to any and all air travel. The new trailer for AirportSim, which you can watch at the top of this page (with screenshots to click through below), shows off the three main game modes: Free Roam, Scenario, and Challenge. Each showcases life as a vital ground crew member at one of many real-life airports. You'll drive the baggage cart, refuel the plane in freezing...

View full article »

Second Developer in a Week Calls Out Publisher PQube

AeternoBlade II developer Corecell has called out publisher PQube for not paying out the entire minimum guarantee in the game’s publishing agreement. It's the second developer to draw attention to the publisher in a week. “PQube has published AeternoBlade II on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One in Europe since October 2019 under a publishing agreement with us and agreed to pay a minimum guarantee to us, “ Corecell says in a statement on Twitter (below). “However, PQube only paid a small part of the minimum guarantee of the signing milestone by the time we sent them the game and they never paid the remaining milestones.” Corecell claims that it tried to resolve the situation with PQube amicably, but both parties could not reach a...

View full article »