Jake Solomon's decision to move from making some of the best strategy games ever to an ambitious life sim was a perplexing but exciting one. Spinning up a new studio, Midsummer, he pitched it as "a life sim that really tries to elevate the choices the player makes in their life" when he spoke to us back in 2024. Inspired by The Sims, this would open up an even wider narrative sandbox than Maxis' iconic series. However, the former XCOM and Civilization developer has confirmed that Midsummer is closing its doors, and that the new game (titled Burbank) will never see the light of day. As a parting gift, he's shared a first look at what the game could've been, and the biggest surprise is that its narrative and dialog is AI-powered.
Jake Solomon, a decorated game designer known for his work at Firaxis on games like XCOM and Marvel Midnight Suns, has announced that his studio Midsummer is going to close. In doing so, he also shared a pre-alpha look at the "Life Sims + The Truman Show" game the studio was making, called Burbank.
Skyblivion, the massive mod remake of Oblivion in Skyrim's engine, won't be making its previously announced 2025 release goal, the team behind it have confirmed. Instead, the mod'll be coming out at some point in 2026, giving the team behind it extra time to overcome the final few hurdles and get it polished up.
This news comes a few months after ex-Skyblivion level and world designer Dee Keyes called the 2025 release goal the mod's team set in 2023 "pointless and unachievable". Keyes also accused Skyblivion project lead Kyle 'Rebelzize' Rebel and implementation lead Heavy Burns of rushing the project out the door and mismanaging communication within the team, subsequently sharing more of his perspective on the project in a video interview with RPS sister site Eurogamer. In a response to Keyes' original claims, Heavy Burns asserted that "many of the statements in his post are either misrepresented or just untrue".
Right, so. There's Oblivion Remastered, the official Oblivion remaster which released earlier this year. There's Skyblivion, the fan-made Oblivion remake mod which still currently looks due out relatively soonish, despite its release window having been a source of drama a few months ago. There's also Beyond Skyrim: Cyrodiil, another massive Skyrim modding project, but this time seeking to re-create the province in which Oblivion's set as it might be at the time The Elder Scrolls five takes place. Simple. The last one of those has just released a fresh teaser.
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2K Games and Hangar 13 are rolling out their major “Free Ride” update for Mafia: The Old Country. Available across all platforms, this free addition to the crime sim prequel is chock full of new features, including a new, more open-ended way to experience one of 2025’s most overlooked video games.
The titular “Free Ride” mode, will allow players to immerse themselves in the criminal underworld of Sicily’s Valle Dorata as they complete a series of combat, stealth, and racing challenges away from the linear narrative campaign of Mafia: The Old Country. Completing these challenges will earn you Dinari which can then be used to purchase new outfits, weapons, vehicles, and charms that can be used in both Free Ride and the main campaign.
But that’s not all, other key features from today’s update include:
First-person driving for petrolheads who admire the game’s garage of vintage vehicles and dry-by vistas.
A dedicated photo mode feature for snapping cinematic in-game moments, character portraits, and gorgeous period environments.
Classic difficulty for made men seeking the ultimate challenge.
The all-new Cinema Siciliano mode that transforms Mafia’s visuals into a classic black and white movie, complete with an authentic-sounding audio filter.
Overall, the Free Ride update for Mafia: The Old Country introduces a clever remix of gameplay elements that will certainly help add some longevity to what is the shortest Mafia game in the franchise. And while it doesn’t transform the prequel into a full open-world experience, the new Free Ride game mode will meet some of those Mafia purists half way.
According to Take Two Interactive, Mafia: The Old Country has exceeded the company’s expectations and, despite being snubbed by The Game Awards, it has received a generally positive reception from fans and critics. Hopefully, the game’s success will signal the viability of smaller, lower budget AAA games within the market that don’t all have to chase the same open-world or live service formulas.
At the tail end of 2024 the original PlayStation turned 30 years old. While the Xbox 360 is only hitting 20 and it's not an industry shaker to the degree the PS1 was, there's no doubt it earned its place as one of the most important consoles of all time. Xbox managed to challenge Sony in the traditional home console space the PlayStation had dominated with PS1 and PS2, and the console's brilliant line-up of games played a major role in that.
Back in 2007, I was taking my A-level exams. For both English Literature and Drama, I came out with A*s. I'm still quite proud of this, which you can probably tell from the fact I'm bringing it up all these years later - but there's a reason I'm bringing this up beyond the chance for a belated humble brag: I owe my full-scoring papers, weirdly, to BioShock.
2K Games and Hangar 13 are rolling out their major “Free Ride” update for Mafia: The Old Country. Available across all platforms, this free addition to the crime sim prequel is chock full of new features, including a new, more open-ended way to experience one of 2025’s most overlooked video games.
The titular “Free Ride” mode, will allow players to immerse themselves in the criminal underworld of Sicily’s Valle Dorata as they complete a series of combat, stealth, and racing challenges away from the linear narrative campaign of Mafia: The Old Country. Completing these challenges will earn you Dinari which can then be used to purchase new outfits, weapons, vehicles, and charms that can be used in both Free Ride and the main campaign.
But that’s not all, other key features from today’s update include:
First-person driving for petrolheads who admire the game’s garage of vintage vehicles and dry-by vistas.
A dedicated photo mode feature for snapping cinematic in-game moments, character portraits, and gorgeous period environments.
Classic difficulty for made men seeking the ultimate challenge.
The all-new Cinema Siciliano mode that transforms Mafia’s visuals into a classic black and white movie, complete with an authentic-sounding audio filter.
Overall, the Free Ride update for Mafia: The Old Country introduces a clever remix of gameplay elements that will certainly help add some longevity to what is the shortest Mafia game in the franchise. And while it doesn’t transform the prequel into a full open-world experience, the new Free Ride game mode will meet some of those Mafia purists half way.
According to Take Two Interactive, Mafia: The Old Country has exceeded the company’s expectations and, despite being snubbed by The Game Awards, it has received a generally positive reception from fans and critics. Hopefully, the game’s success will signal the viability of smaller, lower budget AAA games within the market that don’t all have to chase the same open-world or live service formulas.
I’ll be blunt: if you’re waiting for Mafia: The Old Country to flip the whole genre upside down or set a new bar for storytelling, you’ll walk away empty. The game feels like it slipped between the pages of the past, parked in a familiar playbook where the moral map is printed in black and white and the biggest twist is which of the big bosses gets dumped in the river. The scenery is gorgeous, the cars and suits gleam like museum pieces, and the shooting and driving still hum the right vintage tune. But the story is so carefully hemmed in that even the sturdy ma like Godfather would raise an eyebrow and mutter “let loose a little.”
I can’t deny it feels warm, like sliding into a diner booth that still has the same vinyl menu. Yet, among today’s Haunting, year-long character arcs and villains you can’t even high-five in the mirror, the chapter-long saga of who-stabbed-who feels like a love letter you tuck away rather than write back to. The game is a big bowl of mac and cheese: you feel full for a few minutes, but unless you’re the sentimental sort, the whole plate is out of your head by dessert.
A Spot-on Route Through Pretty Streets
The tale travels a road so worn the kids could follow it in slippers. You step into Enzo’s slightly scuffed loafers: a junior muscle with a conscience stitched into his suit. Right away, he’s learning the difference between “Capisce?” and “Why the hell?” and you know he’ll test the difference soon. Each mission, each shady midnight phone call, clicks into place exactly where the genre manual indicates. Betrayals, blood feuds, and a weekly pasta dinner in the sour underbelly: check, check, check. A curveball would feel nice, but the steering wheel won’t budge.
The engine purring under this well-sealed hood is Enzo’s soft-eyed crush on Isabella, the Don’s only rose. They meet in forbidden gardenia-scented glances and turtlenecks, assuring us the growth of a mighty personal storm while the timer on the hit squad ticks. Yet her emotional dial barely nudges beyond “mysterious sigh.” You nod, you root, you politely eye the door for something risqué like subplots or flashbacks. When the hazy slow-motion “no, Enzo, don’t shoot!” finally rolls, the buttoned-up fireworks fizzle out like soggy caps. You’re happy for the characters, but the story’s voice is more soap opera rerun than opera beneath the stars.
A World Worth Wandering, Even Sans a Mission
The standout triumph of this game is the stunning visual feast it lays before you. Hangar 13 has crafted the most richly detailed game world they’ve ever made, and it shows on every screen. Nineteenth-century Sicily springs to life with a diligence that borders on the obsessive. You can practically see the hand-stitched wool of the character suits, the tiny flecks of rust glinting on the period cars, and the gentle curves of the buildings that only a true historian would think to get exactly right. The artists behind the scenery have poured their hearts onto the canvas, and they deserve every round of applause they’re going to get.
The bad news is that players who buy cheap PS4 games can no longer enjoy this saga. The good news is that the team brought back the beloved “Explore” mode, so you can wander the world without the undercooked story dragging you along. This free-roaming option is easily the game’s crown jewel. You can glide through the countryside, duck into a sun-soaked village square, and pause to listen to the soft clink of coins or the distant chatter of townsfolk. In these still, unhurried moments, the game lifts its head and flexes its highest production value. The world doesn’t just exist—it hums.
Dull Steel: The Tedious Reality of Knife Combat
The new knife combat system was supposed to be a highlight, but it ended up being a letdown. On standard difficulty, the blades feel like butter—just hammer the attack button and watch the enemies drop. There’s no planning, no timing, no risk—just swing, swing, swing.
The only part that tries to be tricky is the resharpening mechanic, which forces you to reload your knife’s edge after every few stealth takedowns. Instead of clever enemy design or layered combat choices, you get a menu prompt that reminds you it’s a game. The mechanic is meant to feel authentic, but it lands like a speed bump, disrupting the flow without adding any real tension or reward. You’ll use the knife in every boss fight, and it works, but it’s also forgettable—competent to the point of being invisible.
The Verdict: Style Over Substance
Mafia: The Old Country is full of contradictions. Its world is one of the prettiest and most detailed I’ve seen in ages, yet the story rides the rails of old clichés instead of charting a new course. The combat is polished enough to get the job done, but it feels like a greatest-hits playlist of choices you already know. The cities you roam feel alive; the choices you make don’t.
Longtime fans who buy PS5 adventure games will smile at seeing younger versions of characters they’ve missed and will enjoy hunting for hidden callbacks. The Deluxe Edition does reward that curiosity, since the digital artbook is a treasure trove of stunning concept art. Still, I can’t shake a feeling that this lavish package is a shell, polished outside and strangely empty inside. The game is solid, polished, and polite, but that’s all it wants to be— a dutiful, loving encore for a series that once dreamed of grander heights.
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