Gaming News

Indie Game Roundup – October 2023

October’s indie games are absolutely stacked. Seriously, the list this month is longer than usual because whittling it down anymore was causing us the kind of psychological pain you’d normally only endure when your two-year-old discovers the Baby Shark videos and throws a tantrum whenever the video ends. Is that good parenting? Maybe! Is it […] The post Indie Game Roundup – October 2023 appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog. Continue reading...

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Cricket 24 Review

Between the launches of Major League Cricket in the United States and the Women’s Premier League in India, and Ben Stokes’ Bazballing Brits putting bums on seats in the Test arena, the past couple of years has been an exciting period of expansion and evolution for the sport of cricket in all of its forms – well, except for one. Cricket 24, the latest video game version of the most beer-friendly of summer sports from developer Big Ant Studios, finds itself stuck in the past like a handlebar moustache on an Aussie fast bowler – offering a brand of bat-on-ball gameplay that’s almost indistinguishable from the now two-year-old Cricket 22. A sprinkling of new and only partially implemented player licences, slight visual improvements, and the...

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Minecraft Players Trying to Stop Mob Vote With Propaganda Posters and More Than 220,000 Signatures

Since 2016, Mojang has been hosting an annual mob vote that lets players choose the next creature it adds to Minecraft. In recent years, though, players have grown increasingly unhappy with the tradition, and this year they've taken to "unionizing" to express their disappointment. Last Thursday, the team behind Minecraft revealed 2023's mob vote and its three options: a crab that drops claws that can boost a player's reach when placing blocks, an armadillo that drops scutes which can be crafted into wolf armor, and a penguin that boosts the speed of nearby boats. However, quite a few players have become disillusioned with the idea of a company as large as Mojang scrapping two of these already fleshed out ideas to focus on adding only...

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Activision Blizzard Shares Xbox Game Pass Plans, Leaves Door Open for Diablo IV on Game Pass in 2024

Activision Blizzard has given the first glimpse of their plans for Xbox Game Pass once the Microsoft deal has closed, saying they expect to start bringing their games to the service next year. Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to close this Friday. Even still, in a statement on X/Twitter today, the company said not to expect titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Diablo IV to hit Game Pass this year. "As we continue to work toward regulatory approval of the Microsoft deal, we’ve been getting some questions whether our upcoming and recently launched games will be available via Game Pass," says the statement. "While we do not have plans to put Modern Warfare III or Diablo IV into Game Pass this year...

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The Best Aussie Amazon Prime Day 2 2023 Deals

Welcome back, shoppers, to the sequel to 2023's Amazon Prime Day—Amazon Prime Day 2. It's one of the biggest events this side of Boxing Day, to the point where it deserves a subtitle like ": Prime Harder" or possibly ": The Savening". Awful ideas aside, I've created an evolving list of excellent discounts that you should definitely bookmark and return to throughout this relatively short event. You've got until the end of October 11th to snag a bargain. One important note before we get to the best picks on Amazon devices, games, controllers, monitors, wireless headphones, SSDs, and much, much more. To take advantage of most of these deals, you're going to want to (freely) sign up for Amazon Prime. Additional incentive: said...

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Halo Infinite Season 5 Brings New Arena Maps and the Return of a Halo 4 Game Mode

Halo Infinite Season 5 is arriving just in time for the multiplayer's second anniversary and it's bringing a whole lot of new content and quality-of-life updates for players to sink their teeth into. The new season, Reckoning, is bringing new maps, modes, and a new battle pass with Flood-themed cosmetics when it launches on Oct. 18. Reckoning's biggest adds are its two Arena Maps, which are both completely new. Forbidden is a straight-forward, symmetrical map that prioritizes short and mid-range combat while Prism is set in the same mines where the Covenant harvests crystals for The Needler, one of the Halo franchise's most iconic weapons. It's also strewn with environmental hazards and old mining equipment and seems well-suited for...

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Gritty Action RPG, ASTRA: Knights of Veda, To Be Featured During Steam Next Fest (October 9th-16th)

ASTRA: Knights of Veda is a brand new 2D action RPG that was just announced by publisher HYBE IM and developer FLINT will participate in this year’s Steam Next Fest from October 9-16. The story-driven title was introduced at gamescom 2023 to over 2,000 players for limited playtesting, but now a full demo will be featured for all to try during Steam’s event. While you may not have heard of HYBE and its subsidiary HYBE IM before, the company is best known as a global entertainment lifestyle company. This is their first venture into game publishing. ASTRA: Knights of Veda is a 2D side-scroll type game with modern elements that promises engaging, real-time tactical combat against gargantuan beasts and relentless undead as well as 200...

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Game Reviews and The Impossible Problem of Bugs

When I reviewed Star Wars Jedi: Survivor back in April, I gave it a 9 after playing through its campaign on PlayStation 5 without major issues… only to wake up the next day to hear horror stories of the PC version performing terribly. (This gave me flashbacks to when the same thing happened with Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015). The same month, Luke Reilly had to hit Redfall hard in his review with a score of 4 after numerous bugs drained the lifeblood out of what was already not a great time. At a glance, this certainly could give the appearance of reviewers being inconsistent: why does one game with a reputation for bugs get raked over the coals while another “gets a pass?” Like so many other things it’s not nearly that simple, and to a...

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Starfield Update 1.7.36 Out Now — Here’s What It Does

Bethesda has released a fresh update for Starfield, which brings the game up to version 1.7.36. It's the third update since Starfield came out at the beginning of September. The update includes changes to Settings that allow for players to adjust their FOV (field of view) as well as some other performance and stability improvements. There’s not much else to the update, which makes modest changes to the space role-playing game. Here are the Starfield update 1.7.36 patch notes in full: GENERAL FOV: Sliders are now available in Settings that allow players using first person or third person to adjust their FOV. PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY [PC ONLY] Improved stability for Intel Arc GPUs. Various additional stability and performance...

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New Report Makes Disturbing Allegations Against the Lord of the Rings: Gollum Developer

A fresh report on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum developer Daedalic Entertainment has made a number of disturbing allegations about the company, including reportedly enforcing uncompensated overtime, allegedly trying to pay staff below minimum wage, and a toxic work environment cultivated by an alleged abusive leadership. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is one of the biggest video game flops of 2023. IGN’s review, which returned a 4/10, said it was “filled with dull stealth, bad platforming, and a pointless story, and does little to justify why anyone should take the time to play it”. Following its disastrous release, during which it was panned by critics and players and met with low sales, Daedalic Entertainment shut down its internal...

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Genius Baldur’s Gate 3 Player Uses Sheep Magic to Recruit the Evil Minthara During Good Playthrough

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game jam-packed with consequences. Make this decision here, expect to see its effect there. It had been thought that recruiting one particularly evil character during the first act of the game was incompatible with a good playthrough, but one genius player came up with a workaround — using sheep magic. Baldur’s Gate 3 spoilers are ahead. Will you press on, desperate for knowledge, or turn back, safe from the horror that awaits? [Spoken in the voice of the Narrator, for emphasis]. Let’s start with some background. Minthara is a ruthless Drow encountered in Act 1 and found in the Shattered Sanctum, inside the Goblin Camp. She’s one of three Goblin leaders, and is desperate to assault the nearby druid Grove, which...

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PS Plus Extra October Games Leaked

Reliable PlayStation Plus leaker billbil-kun has revealed the next batch of games coming to the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium game catalogue in October. This partial leak reveals eight of the games set to join PS Plus Extra on October 17. They are: Gotham Knights The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Disco Elysium The Final Cut Far: Changing Tides Gungrave G.O.R.E Elite Dangerous Dead Island Definitive Edition Alien Isolation Disco Elysium The Final Cut launched last year, and saw a 10/10 review score from IGN. “The Final Cut elevates Disco Elysium from an already phenomenal RPG to a true must-play masterpiece,” we said. IGN’s Gotham Knights review returned a 5/10. “Gotham Knights is a co-op-centric caped adventure...

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Call of Duty Fans Are Already Worried About Cheating in the Modern Warfare 3 Beta

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 held a PlayStation-exclusive beta over the weekend, and already fans are worried about cheaters. Twitter user @Duqysss posted a number of clips, below, showing apparent wall hacks and aim bots at play in the PlayStation 5 version of Modern Warfare 3. The videos are damning, showing clear cheating. What is unclear is the extent to which cheating went on over the weekend, or the nature of the cheating itself. However, Duqysss’ videos were widely shared yesterday across social media, within Call of Duty Discords and on subreddits, sparking concern from players about the future of competitive play in Modern Warfare 3. Call of Duty has had a rough time from hackers and cheaters in recent years, with some...

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Mass Layoffs at Cyberpunk 2077 Developer CD Projekt Prompt New Union Formation

A new Polish game developer union has formed following three rounds of layoffs at The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 studio CD Projekt. Polish Gamedev Workers Union was founded by current CD Projekt staff, gameplay QA analyst Paweł Myszka and gameplay programmer Lev Ki, aiming to represent all those working in game development in Poland. They said they started talking about unionising after the 2023 wave of layoffs that saw nine percent of CD Projekt Red staff (roughly 100 people) let go. “This event created a tremendous amount of stress and insecurity, affecting our mental health and leading to the creation of this union in response,” Polish Gamedev Workers Union said. “Having a union means having more security, transparency, better...

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Meet the Starfield Player Who Surveyed All 1,000 Planets

Ahead of the launch of Starfield, Bethesda chief Todd Howard said there were over 1,000 planets to explore in the science fiction role-playing game. "From barren but resource-heavy ice balls, to Goldilocks planets with life,” Howard said during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase in June. “And not just this system, but over 100 systems — over 1,000 planets, all open for you to explore." It was a number that would go on to dominate pre-release discussion around Starfield. How could any game have so many planets for the player to fully explore? How could such a thing be fun? Bethesda's answer came in the form of procedural generation. Not all 1,000 planets would be hand-crafted by developers at Bethesda. A small portion would be. In...

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage Interactive Map and Collectible Locations

Despite offering a more condensed experience, Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s vast and vibrant city of Baghdad is teeming with things to find and explore. Quests and Contracts, Gear Chests, Enigmas, Historical Sites, and even Mysterious Shards are just some of the many things scattered across the city to uncover. That said, not all of these activities and collectibles are marked on your world map, which makes tracking them down much more difficult. Thankfully, IGN's Assassin’s Creed Mirage Interactive Map makes things easier, as our map has all essential map points plotted to help guide you through your journey across Baghdad. See the full Assassin’s Creed Mirage Interactive Map for all locations and collectibles. Assassin’s Creed...

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The Best Word Puzzle Games to Play in 2023

From Scrabble to Wordle, word puzzle games have been a favorite amongst gamers around the world forever for their mind training capabilities and the sense of pure elation when you nail your lexicon mastery. Whether you simply love a good brain teaser, or enjoy adding new words to your vocabulary, these are some of the best word puzzle games we could find in 2023! All 10 of the games on this list are available on your mobile device or via a web browser, you should be able to play them on the go or at home. Wordle It goes without saying that the most viral word game of them all debuts this list: Wordle. With a new word for you to guess each and every day, you’ll always be exposed to a new challenge whenever you play and you can then...

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10 Games Like Minecraft Worth Playing in 2023

Minecraft is a worldwide phenomenon that most gamers around the world have tried at least once, but what if it didn’t quite click with you? Or what if you can’t get enough Minecraft and are looking for something in a similar vein? Never fear, as we’ve collated some of the best games similar to Minecraft that you can play right now! All 10 of these games like Minecraft have some sort of element that relates directly to Minecraft gameplay. Whether you're looking to build worlds and survive or just enjoy a relaxing crafting experience, there's something here for everyone. Roblox Roblox is an incredibly popular game platform and game creation system, and whilst it doesn’t have the standard crafting and survival experience of Minecraft...

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Lies of P DLC Seemingly Confirmed

It sounds like the Bloodborne-like, dark Pinocchio fantasy Lies of P might have DLC on the horizon, according to a recent job posting. X (formerly Twitter) user Okami Games first pointed out the listing earlier today, which is from a post on the company's official job board. The post itself is in Korean, but IGN has confirmed that the listing is for a quest planner role for a Lies of P DLC, with one of the bullet points on the listing directly stating that the DLC is in development. IGN has reached out to Neowiz for comment on the listing. While it's not immediately obvious from the listing what such DLC might entail, there's one major theory fans have based off the game's post credits scene. We're about to discuss it below, so if...

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A Bakery Has Made an Incredible, Terrifying The Last of Us Clicker Out of Bread

A California bakery has crafted an astonishingly lifelike, spine-tingling Clicker sculpture made entirely out of bread. Spotted first by Eater San Francisco, One House Bakery in Benicia has crafted a bread sculpture of a Clicker, one of the infected enemies found in Naughty Dog's hit franchise The Last of Us. It was created by Catherine and Hannalee Pervan, the mother-daughter duo that also co-owns the bakery. The detail is astounding, as seen in the images below. If you are unfamiliar with the Clicker enemy, it represents one of the stages of a cordyceps infection in The Last of Us. A Clicker reaches a prolonged exposure to the cordyceps infection; it loses its sight, gains enhanced hearing, and makes a rapid croaking and clicking...

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Remedy Opens Up About Challenges Developing Alan Wake 2 for Xbox Series S

Earlier this month, developer Remedy confirmed the Xbox Series S version of the hotly anticipated Alan Wake 2 lacks the 60 frames per second performance mode the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions launch with later in October. The news was the latest in a string of rough headlines for Microsoft’s cheaper console, which is at the heart of split-screen issues that have held up the Xbox launch of smash hit Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has insisted games launch across the more powerful Xbox Series X and the less powerful but cheaper Xbox Series S, both of which are approaching their third year on sale. But the underpowered Xbox Series S represents an intensifying headache for...

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What Spider Man: Miles Morales Gets Right About Cultura and the Authentic Puerto Rican Experience

Spider-Man: Miles Morales opens with a smooth rumble of the Dual Sense controller and into 125th Street subway station, Harlem. The follow-up to 2018’s Spider-Man, knows exactly where it needs to place Miles to set the stage for a world that celebrates its title character’s culture. As Miles sets foot into the neighborhood he will soon fight to protect, we immediately see what sets this Spider-Man apart. Effectively known as the “Main Street” of Harlem, this neighborhood is known as a center of commerce, brimming with cultural significance. It’s where we first see Miles Morales take center stage. We’re greeted with the ice and snow-packed streets of New York at Christmas, and a thumping beat that Miles bops his head to. There is a sense...

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Redfall's Latest Update Finally Adds 60FPS Mode on Consoles

When Redfall launched earlier this year, one of the most highly requested features was adding an option to play the Xbox Series X/S version at 60 frames per second - and that request has finally been granted. In a new blog post, publisher Bethesda Softworks revealed all the new additions and changes introduced in Redfall's second game update. The most notable addition includes a Performance Mode on consoles, allowing both Xbox Series X/S owners to play the game at a higher frame rate. The addition is much needed following a dwindling player count in recent months and controversy ahead of release that the console versions would be locked at 30 FPS. Redfall's second major update also introduces improved performance and stability across...

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Over 100 Developers of Just Cause, Contraband at Avalanche Studios Have Unionized

Over 100 developers at Avalanche Studios Group, the studio behind the Just Cause franchise and upcoming Xbox-exclusive Contraband, have joined Swedish trade union Unionen. And now, they are bargaining with Avalanche management over their contract. IGN confirmed the news today with an Avalanche Studios union representative, as well as a representative of Unionen and Avalanche PR. Of roughly 500 employees at Avalanche, over 100 of them are members of Unionen. Earlier this year, these members formed a "club," or local union board, in order to bargain directly with Avalanche management over specific benefits. Negotiations began last week and are ongoing, and additionally include employees who are members of a different union, Sveriges...

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage Looks Backwards When It Should Leap Forward

A hidden blade in the crowd was, from the very start, the core fantasy of Assassin’s Creed. Across 16 years of iteration and innovation it has remained the series’ soul. Despite the focus drifting into an action-oriented design, a silent kill using that iconic retractable wrist blade has always been its crown jewel. Even Valhalla’s Eivor, a viking warrior, uses the hidden blade. But it’s no secret that stealth in Assassin’s Creed is not what it used to be, and that’s what made Mirage such an enticing prospect: a chance to get back to what Assassin’s Creed was made for. Mirage did just that. But it perhaps took the mission brief a little too literally. Rather than embrace modern stealth design and make a sneaky Assassin’s Creed for the...

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The NVC Crew's Must-Play Nintendo Switch Games You Might Have Missed

The Nintendo Switch will be an astounding seven years old in March, which is kind of hard to believe. Its longevity and its popularity means it has one of the best, if not the best, libraries of games in history. With so many incredible games to choose from, we turned to the members of the NVC cast, past and present, to come up with Switch hidden gem recommendations. There's almost certainly something in this article you'll love. Logan Plant Game List The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker The Touryst Paper Mario: The Origami King Mario Tennis Aces Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido Everyone knows the name Phoenix Wright, but for some reason no one seems to pay attention to the other entries in the Ace...

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Metal Gear Solid Voice Actress Jennifer Hale Says She Was Paid $1,200 For Naomi Hunter Role

Metal Gear Solid voice actress Jennifer Hale has said she was paid $1,200 for her role as Naomi Hunter in the original 1998 game. As spotted by Genki on Twitter, the voice actress confirmed the amount on the My Perfect Console podcast while sharing her desire for video game voice actors to earn residuals. Hale was recorded as saying in a 2011 New Yorker article that Metal Gear Solid made $270 million, though said on the My Perfect Console podcast (released October 3, 2023): "the figure I heard actually was $176 million." While the exact profit is unclear, the original Metal Gear Solid sold more than seven million copies and is considered a monumental success that spawned a franchise still going strong 25 years later. Hale's...

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CD Projekt Spent Roughly $125 Million Turning Cyberpunk 2077 Around Post-Launch

CD Projekt spent $125 million on Cyberpunk 2077 post-launch, repairing the game's reputation with the Edgerunners and Update 2.0 patches alongside the well-received Phantom Liberty expansion. CD Projekt announced on October 5 that the expansion starring Idris Elba cost a hefty 275 million Polish Zloty (around $62.7 million) to develop and approximately 95 million Polish Zloty (around $21.6 million) to market. Chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz also said during the CD Projekt Investor Day presentation that bringing Cyberpunk up to next-gen console standards, presumably including the game-changing Update 2.0, cost 178 million Polish Zloty (around $40.9 million). The three figures together, combining the cost of Phantom Liberty...

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Stardew Valley Developer Concerned Ape Reveals Four New Haunted Chocolatier Screenshots

Stardew Valley developer Eric 'Concerned Ape' Barone has celebrated reaching one million followers on social media website X by releasing four new screens for his upcoming game the Haunted Chocolatier. The new stills show off Barone’s distinctive pixel art style while highlighting a series of in-game environments, including a wooded area in which a familiar red-coated character can be seen firing an arrow at a monster, and a quirky saloon/homely interior. We also got a look at a library hosting a spooky skeleton and four books that positively reek of mystery, as well as a closer view of the town square glimpsed in the October 2021 reveal trailer, which features an ornate mermaid fountain. “Loving the style,” wrote Redditer darkest4...

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Tim Sweeney Admits Epic Games Had 'Financial Problem' 10 Weeks Prior to Studio Layoffs

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has admitted the company was grappling with a "financial problem" 10 weeks before announcing sweeping layoffs, in an unexpected admission during Unreal Fest earlier this week. In a post on the social media platform X (spotted by Polygon), user @ImmatureGamerX uploaded a video recorded during one of the sessions available on the first day of the annual conference focused on Unreal Engine. However, this session is not included in the live streams available to the public. Sweeney elaborated more on Epic's financial woes that led to the company laying off 830 employees late last month. Sweeney explained that management became aware of how dire their financial difficulties were just 10 weeks before the...

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