Gaming News

Dune: Spice Wars - More Info On the New Grand Strategy Game Based On Frank Herbert's Famous Universe

The cutthroat competition, politics, and warfare in Frank Herbert's Dune novels are a natural fit for strategy games, and Northgard developers Shiro Games are looking to capitalize on that with their upcoming RTS/4X, Dune: Spice Wars. Releasing into early access next year, Spice Wars will have us using guile, military might, and careful management of resources to control Arrakis as a number of different factions representing the Great Houses and other important groups from the setting. The action will take place on a circular map representing Arrakis' North pole, and we'll have the option to roll up a randomized version or use an "official" configuration that is very faithful to the description in the books. While the whole planet...

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Crusader Kings 3: Royal Court: The First Preview

I have long pictured my embattled monarchs in Crusader Kings 3 perched on some kind of fancy chair while the affairs of the realm are brought before them for consideration. With next year's Royal Court expansion, I won't have to imagine any more. We're getting full, 3D throne rooms for kings and emperors of feudal and clan realms, a grandeur system that expects more powerful realms to have nicer clothes and more servants, and the return of the inventory system from Crusader Kings 2: Monks and Mystics that lets you nab anything from a sharp new sword to religious relics. And all of these little pieces fit in so well that they feel like they should have been here all along, which is refreshing when some of Paradox's older strategy games...

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Ubisoft Announces Splinter Cell Remake

Ubisoft has announced that it has greenlit the development of a remake of its stealth classic, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Announced on Ubisoft's website, the remake will be developed by lead studio Ubisoft Toronto, and will be built from the ground up using the Snowdrop engine, which is the tech being used for The Division games and the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora game and Ubisoft's as-yet-untitled Star Wars game. This story is breaking... Continue reading...

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Exclusive: Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Arcane Crossover Cards Revealed

The contents of Magic: The Gathering's Secret Lair crossover with Netflix’s Arcane were technically revealed a couple of weeks ago, but we’ve got an exclusive look at the final two “hidden” cards that have yet to be shown off. The Arcane Secret Lair is spread across two drops, one that features seven reskinned reprints of existing cards and the other with one of each basic land card, all of which use scenes from the TV show itself for their art. Each drop will also include one hidden card not listed in its contents: Gromp for the reprinted card drop and Summoner’s Rift for the land drop, which are reskinned versions of Spore Frog and Command Tower, respectively. You can click through the gallery above to see both the two hidden...

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STALKER 2 Blockchain Project Will Offer NFT That Makes You an In-Game NPC

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl developer GSC Game World has announced that its upcoming sequel will be supported by a range of linked NFTs when it launches in 2022. While details surrounding the majority of these have yet to be shared yet, the studio has revealed information about one specific NFT which will come will allow the owner to become the “first-ever metahuman” (AKA an NPC in the game). As detailed in a report by The Verge, GSC Game World has announced the STALKER Metaverse, will “use blockchain technology to let the community own a piece of STALKER 2.” While the developer has stated that it will be creating a number of NFTs linked to the game, The Verge's report focuses on a particular token will allow its final owner the...

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Sifu Hands-On: Where Age Affects Gameplay in a Unique Way

My first hands-on with an early demo build of Sifu ahead of its February 8, 2022 release confirmed one thing that had been on my mind ever since the very first reveal trailer: that yes, Sifu’s combat is as fun to play as it is to just look and marvel at. It’s just as precise, fluid, impactful, and dynamic as the trailers have portrayed. Its combat is structured similarly to the Batman Arkham games, Sleeping Dogs, and several other games of that ilk, but it became apparent within just seconds after throwing my first couple of punches, kicks, and perfectly timed blocks and counter attacks that there’s a certain authenticity to Sifu’s Kung Fu that feels unprecedented in this space. The demo that I got to play covered the Club level...

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Halo Infinite Adjusts Battle Pass Challenges Again To Improve Progression

343 Industries has once again tweaked Halo Infinite's battle pass challenges in order to further improve the game's multiplayer progression. Changes include adjustments to the weighting of individual challenges, a number of mode/activity-specific challenges removed entirely, and a collection of new challenges and playlists. As per a blog post on Halo Waypoint, 343 has announced that it has added a collection of brand new challenge types that players will be able to complete across a span of new playlists; Team Slayer, Free-for-All, Tactical Slayer (SWAT), and Fiesta. The new challenge types are: Personal Score – Accumulate personal score in the specified playlist to complete Kills – Earn the required # of kills in a specific...

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Halo Infinite Campaign Spoilercast – Unlocked 524

Now that Halo Infinite's campaign has been out for a little while, it's time to go into full spoiler mode and discuss our thoughts on the story! Find out what we thought of the (Legendary) ending, Cortana, Master Chief, The Pilot, The Banished, and more! WARNING: Do NOT listen to or watch this episode if you haven't finished the Halo Infinite campaign yet/don't want to be spoiled. Or just skip ahead to the 1:14:30 mark to avoid Halo Infinite spoilers and go right to our recap of Xbox-centric announcements from The Game Awards. Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our new YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our latest IGN Unfiltered interview, where Joseph...

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Aussie Deals: Amazing Preorder Price for Forsaken, New DualSense Colours, and More!

If you saw the recent footage of Forspoken and thought it was looking the goods, like I did, Amazon has got a deal for you. Impressive introductory discount aside, today is also the time to put your hand up for a fancy coloured DualSense. Last but not least is my personal recommendation: Alien Isolation going for 80% off on PS Store. It's still one of the most bunghole puckering experiences gaming ever saw. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam's an Aussie deals wrangler who ruined many a N64 controller playing Mario Parties. He lurks @Grizwords Continue reading...

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Ringu Is Dead By Daylight's Latest Horror Collaboration

Sadako Yamamura, better-known as that very creepy girl from Ringu, is invading Dead by Deadlight as part of the franchise's later horror collaboration. Announced earlier today, the new collaboration will be based on Koji Suzuki's novel and the original film adaptation. It will "merge the eerie and melancholic world of Ringu, with the twisted fantasy of Dead by Daylight." Ringu joins a lengthy run of collaborations that includes Halloween, Left 4 Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Resident Evil, and Hellraiser. They feature both heroes and villains from their respective franchises, each with their own unique powers. Ringu was originally a novel released in 1991, with the film adaptation appearing in Japanese theaters in 1998. It...

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Inscryption's 'Mini-Expansion' Kaycee's Mod Lets You Play its Roguelike Deckbuilder Endlessly

Inscryption just got a surprise free "mini-expansion" available now in beta. Entitled Kaycee's Mod, it's effectively an endless version of the roguelike deckbuilder that's at the heart of Inscryption's first act. Kaycee's Mod effectively turns the cabin Inscryption takes place in into an endless, increasingly challenging roguelike, effectively extending "Part 1" of Inscryption infinitely. Players can work their way through Challenge Levels, unlocking new cards and challenges as they go, as well as "dev logs" from Inscryption character Kaycee Hobbes that shed more light on Inscryption's story. The expansion is currently in beta and freely available to anyone who opts in via Steam, with instructions on how to do so in the announcement...

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Century: Age of Ashes Review

An itch I didn’t know needed scratching was a dogfighting flight game where instead of controlling some boring starfighter or airplane, I get to ride a fire-breathing dragon into battle. Century: Age of Ashes flies in to deliver some magnificent scaly reptiles torching each other with fire vomit, which always made me laugh hysterically until someone did the same to me. That part was less funny but still looked cool. It’s a bit short-lived due to the tiny number of maps and a glaring balance problem for its main mode, but this free-to-play, dragon-centric dogfighter largely succeeds in fulfilling the fantasy of riding atop the most legendary of flying beasts. Age of Ashes is a team-based competitive multiplayer game where you take on...

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Terminator Dark Fate: Defiance Brings The Terminator to the RTS Genre

During its Home of Wargamers live event today, RTS publisher Slitherine announced that it's working on a new game in the Terminator universe, entitled Terminator Dark Fate: Defiance. Defiance is the result of a collaboration with Skydance, which began when Slitherine approached them prior to the announcement of the film Terminator Dark Fate. As Slitherine marketing director Marco A. Minoli explains, the publisher had noticed its core strategy gaming audience was a lot of folks in their 30s who had grown up with sci-fi classics, making the territory fertile ground for licensing deals. They already had deals in place for a Battlestar Galactica game and Starship Troopers, so Terminator felt like a logical step. Of course, Skydance was...

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Alan Wake 2 Will Feature The Original Game's Actors

Remedy Games director Sam Lake has confirmed that the original actors from the first Alan Wake game will be returning in Alan Wake 2. Ilkka Villi and Matthew Poretta will reprise their roles as the eponymous protagonist, with the former portraying the character's model and the latter portraying his voice. It's interesting to note that Villi also played Doctor Casper Darling in Remedy's other game, Control. Additionally, Lake has confirmed that Alan Wake 2 will be in a third-person perspective, similar to both of Remedy's previous two games, Control and Quantum Break. The game is using the same in-house engine as Control, the Northlight game engine, as well. Alan Wake 2 was announced at the 2021 Game Awards and is set for a 2023...

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Silent Hill Creator Thinks Remaking His Horror Classic Would Be More Difficult Than Remaking Resident Evil

Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama has said that he thinks remaking his horror classic would be more difficult than remaking a Resident Evil game. During an interview with VGC, Toyama was asked whether the idea of Konami remaking a Silent Hill game would interest him - given that Capcom has seen great success out of its Resident Evil (known as Biohazard in Japan) remakes. “I think it would be harder to remake than Biohazard gameplay as a concept is a little older,” Toyama said. “It’s not an action game where you can just refine the action as in Biohazard. To bring Silent Hill up to current standards or to polish up the graphics, the fans wouldn’t be satisfied." “That’s not what it was about – how beautiful it was. I think you’d...

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New Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Screenshots Reveal FF1 Characters and Locations

New screenshots and details from Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin have revealed some of the game's modern-day reimagining of classic characters and locations from the first Final Fantasy game. As revealed on the Square Enix blog, Stranger of Paradise will see you travel to the Western Keep, Crystal Mirage, and The Flying Fortress. These are all locations from the very first Final Fantasy game (although back then the Crystal Mirage was known as the Mirage Tower). On this journey, you'll also come across Astos, the king of the dark elves, who lives in the Western Keep. That's exactly where he was fought as a boss in the original Final Fantasy. Also joining the returning cast is Tiamat, a multi-headed dragon who was fought at...

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Some Halo Infinite Players Are Suffering a Save-Wiping Glitch

A number of Halo Infinite players have reported coming across a save-wiping glitch in the game, affecting both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. As reported by players on resetEra and Halo Waypoint (and spotted by VG247), Halo Infinite appears to contain a bug that is causing players to load into the game from a third-person perspective before breaking their save files completely. The issue itself is reportedly affecting both Xbox and PC payers and seems to be caused by a login-related bug. resetEra user 99humanity reports that after launching the game they would load into the campaign in third-person mode with Master Chief clipping through the floor. When attempting to head back to the menu and relaunch their progress, the...

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Aussie Deals: The Hottest Picks From Every Summer Sale Worth Watching!

Being a short-timer for this holiday break, you're gonna want some new games. The more the merrier. The higher acclaimed the yet merrier. The cheaper the merriest. As per usual, I've cherry-picked the stuff I know is worth pinging coin at, but I'll also list the wider sales that are out there. PlayStation is doing an [Up to] 75% Off End of Year, GOG is doing a Winter Sale, Humble Bundle have a weird but welcome RPG Fixation, and Steam seems pretty intent on murdering the price of Assassin's Creeds. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam's an Aussie deals wrangler who lives and breathes The Video'd Games. Continue reading...

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You Can Play Sonic the Hedgehog in Teslas

Tesla cars just got a little bit faster, as the electric car company has a new partnership with Sega to bring the Blue Blur himself to its line of vehicles. Sega and Tesla announced that 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog is coming to Tesla's in-car gaming system. To play games on the Tesla in-car screen, owners just need to plug in a USB controller. Just don't try to play while you're driving. Sonic the Hedgehog joins Tesla's growing lineup of games, which includes Cuphead, and The Witcher 3 on the new Tesla Model X and Model S cars. Sonic the Hedgehog was originally released for the Sega Genesis in June 1991. Sonic was designed as a competitor for Nintendo's Super Mario Bros., and the game was known for high-speed gameplay and Sonic's...

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Keanu Reeves Says He Never Played Cyberpunk 2077 Despite CD Projekt's Earlier Claims

Cyberpunk 2077 star Keanu Reeves says he's never actually played Cyberpunk, despite previous confirmation from CD Projekt itself that he loved playing the game. During an interview with The Verge for The Matrix Awakens, Reeves was asked if he played video games at all. He responded that he did not. When asked about Cyberpunk, Reeves said, "no, I mean I've seen demonstrations, but I've never played it." Last year, during a CD Projekt earnings call, CD Projekt President and Joint CEO Adam Kiciński said Reeves had been playing Cyberpunk 2077. According to a transcript of the meeting from Seeking Alpha, Kiciński said Reeves, "played the game and he loves it." Reeves stars in Cyberpunk 2077 as Johnny Silverhand, who is with the main...

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Eivor and Kassandra Will Meet Face-to-Face In a Free Event Coming to Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Valhalla

Ubisoft is supporting Assassin's Creed Valhalla with a second year's worth of content, and it kicks off later this week with a big crossover event featuring the return of a fan-favorite character from the Assassin's Creed franchise. A free content update is coming to Assassin's Creed Valhalla, as well as the previous game in the series, Assassin's Creed Odyssey on December 14 that unites the two timelines. Odyssey protagonist Kassandra will cross paths with Valhalla protagonist Eivor in a new event called, Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories. The event includes a new quest in both Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Assassin's Creed Valhalla where the encounter between the two characters will be a playable quest. This crossover event means...

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Assassin's Creed Valhalla Turns You Into Odin In New Expansion 'Dawn of Ragnarok'

For the first time, Ubisoft is supporting an Assassin's Creed game with a second year of paid and free content, as the developer has revealed big plans for Assassin's Creed Valhalla. In addition to a newly announced crossover event featuring two Assassin's Creed protagonists, a major paid DLC expansion is coming to Assassin's Creed Valhalla next year. Titled Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok, the story expansion is coming to the game on March 10, 2022, and it will take Eivor to the realm of Norse mythology as the character embraces a new role as the Norse God Odin. Developed by Ubisoft Sofia, who previously worked on 2014's Assassin's Creed Rogue and The Curse of the Pharaohs DLC for Assassin's Creed Origins, this new DLC...

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Forspoken: Hands-Off Preview

Regardless of how you felt about it, Final Fantasy 15 was certainly an eccentric take on the classic JRPG series when it combined hallmarks of the fantasy genre with an American road trip. The developers behind FF15 are now working under the banner Luminous Productions, and are taking a similar, genre-bending approach to their next game, Forspoken. Luminous Productions was founded in 2018 and is primarily staffed by the developers of Final Fantasy 15. A rare internal studio within Square Enix’s many development teams, it was formed to create games that push the boundaries of the Luminous Engine. Enter Forspoken. In a hands-off presentation, IGN was able to get a better sense of what Forspoken is. And, to be perfectly frank, it looks...

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Keanu Reeves Thinks 'It’s Nice' People Tried To Mod Cyberpunk 2077 So They Could Have Sex With Him

Keanu Reeves has said that he thinks "it's nice" that people attempted to mod Cyberpunk 2077 so that they could have sex with his character. During an interview with The Verge for The Matrix Resurrections, the actor was asked about his experiences with Cyberpunk 2077. While Reeves admitted that he hasn't played the game in which he stars as Johnny Silverhand, he seemed genuinely happy to learn that players had tried to mod the game in order to get down and dirty with his character. When Reeves found out that players had been modding the game to sleep with him, he fist-pumped the air in joy while receiving a pat on the back from his Matrix co-star Carrie-Anne Moss. When asked how he felt about that kind of attention, Reeves said "Oh...

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade PC System Requirements Revealed

Square Enix has announced the system requirements for its upcoming PC release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. As per Twitter, the publisher has announced both the minimum and recommended requirements for the PC port of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, which originally released as a PlayStation 5 upgrade of the PlayStation 4 original. While the title may be a bit of a handful, thankfully the game's specifications aren't too bad. As per the tweet above, players will be able to get by on 8GB RAM, an i5-3330 or AMD FX-8350 processor, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 graphics card (or equivalent). While the game's 100GB storage is a little more demanding, overall the game's requirements don't appear to be too intense for those...

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Best High-End Gaming Headset 2021

You may not want to go with a gaming headset that's just $20, as you can wind up with weak audio, an awful mic, and an uncomfortable design. But, it's safe to say that there are some actually decent options in the $50 ballpark, and even a few wireless gaming headsets at a slight premium over that. But, if you care about sound and comfort as much as you care about visuals, there's still a lot to be gained from going with a high-end gaming headset. You'll find many designs that incorporate a good bit of metal to lend them serious durability, but don't worry about that making them uncomfortably heavy. The best high-end headsets don't skimp on memory foam cushions, so you can get a high level of comfort even if they are heavy. Generally...

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Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon Review

Shovel Knight is everywhere these days. He’s in fighting games, rhythm games, 3D platformers, 2D platformers, and so much more, but a puzzle game is certainly new for the blue-clad shovelrous knight. Enter Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, a wonderful spin-off of the Shovel Knight series that manages to successfully merge the characters, villains, and enemies of the classic 2D platformer with finely tuned puzzle and roguelite mechanics that make it hard to put down. Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is a block-matching-puzzle-adventure-roguelite, which I know sounds like I just reached into a bucket, pulled out a handful of unrelated genres, and mashed them together – but somehow developers Vine and Yacht Club Games managed to make this...

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Best 1080p Gaming Monitors 2021

Don't let anyone tell you 1080p monitors aren't worthwhile. 4K gaming monitors and 1440p models may be able to give you more detail in terms of resolution, but those higher resolutions can put a strain on even the best graphics cards, and that can leave you missing out on another big piece of game detail: motion. The simple fact is that 1080p is always going to be easier for your computer or console to render than high resolutions, and that means you can get higher frame rates and smoother visuals. That's no small concession. At 1080p, you can get very affordable monitors that'll deliver a 144Hz refresh rate for smooth gaming. But, 1080p monitors can still go a lot faster than that. There's no shortage of 165Hz options, and even 240Hz...

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Halo Infinite Multiplayer to Get Slayer, Fiesta, Free-For-All, and SWAT Playlists Next Week

343 Industries has confirmed that Halo Infinite's multiplayer will not only get Slayer, Fiesta, Free-For-All, and Tactical Slayer (SWAT) playlists on December 14, but there will also be changes to make challenges less frustrating. Halo's community director Brian Jarrard shared the news on Reddit, confirming that the much-requested Slayer playlist will be available to all Spartans very soon. Jarrard notes that the "team's original plans for a Slayer playlist included a variety of new variants that weren't going to be ready in time to deploy before the holiday break." In the meantime, players will still be able to enjoy a "basic Slayer offering to start and [the team] will look to bolster and expand with more variants in a future...

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Best Microphone 2021

A good gaming headset may have all you need to chat with teammates in games or have the occasional video call without worrying about the audio from your computer feeding back into the microphone. But, if you want to get into some more serious production, such as streaming or podcasting, you've got good reason to get a dedicated microphone. For many headsets, a microphone comes second fiddle to the speakers – hearing quality audio is important after all. But, when you want to share your golden voice with a streaming or podcast audience, the important thing is no longer the sound coming through your headphones speakers but instead the sound coming through the audience's speakers. That means you suddenly need a microphone that can match...

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