For mobile gaming news this week, Apple Arcade has revealed a wealth of updates to their mobile titles with three new title announcements, and mobile darling Genshin Impact is finally heading to Xbox.
Mobile gaming has had yet another busy week in August, with Gamescom ONL 2024 launching a wealth of news on the gaming landscape for fans to dive into. Probably the most surprising is Genshin Impacthas received a release date of November 2024 for Xbox. However, no release has been announced yet for the mobile Nintendo Switch despite HoYoverse announcing it for Switch way back in January 2020.
Aside from that, Apple Arcade has upped its offerings with three new titles launching in September 2024, which were announced this week, and a boatload of updates for its existing titles.
This Week in Mobile Gaming For August 24
Apple Arcade has Announced Three New Titles For Mobile!
Monster Train+ by Good Shepherd Entertainment – Good Shepherd Entertainment is bringing their lightning-in-a-bottle title to Apple Arcade from Steam, making it a true mobile gaming experience. Players must defend the burning pyre from the celestial forces of heaven as monsters would. This title functions as a roguelite deck-building game and introduces a new strategic layer with three vertical playing fields to defend. The ‘plus’ version for Apple Arcade also includes The Last Divinity DLC, adding a new clan and challenges to the fray.
NFL Retro Bowl ’25 by New Star Games – Retro Bowl is coming back to mobile gaming, and it’s exclusive to Apple Arcade in NFL Retro Bowl ’25. The newly revamped title brings full NFL licensing to the title, allowing NFL fans to utilize their favourite athletes in the game, just like Madden 25‘s Franchise Mode, Retro Bowl allows NFL fans to create their own dynasty by choosing their favourite official NFL teams and taking them the distance.
The last new game announced for Apple Arcade is Puzzle Sculpt by Schell Games, an Apple Vision Pro and Apple Arcade exclusive that brings coziness to an already cozy space of a living room. Players can look around and solve puzzles while completely relaxed in this new title. There are many puzzles to solve and challenges to overcome with an ever-increasing difficulty that ramps with the player’s skill.
Other Mobile Gaming Updates Coming to Apple Arcade
Vampire Survivors+ Introduces a new stage called Room 1665, doubling as a Challenge stage made of 16 rooms that will challenge players to fight the floors as a crucible. This update also adds two new character skins — ‘Unbinded Imelda’ and ‘Retired Poe’ — with new Darkanas modifiers.
TMNT Splintered Fate now lets players pair four controllers to enjoy four-player couch co-op on the same device. With new cross-platform support, four-player online co-op can now happen on any platform.
Temple Run: Legends introduces customization with new unlockable Outfits and a new Outfit System. Outfits also grant wearers buffs during specific runs, proving that the sneakers matter when foot racing.
SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit adds the conclusion of the latest Tales of the Deep called Inner Machinations of the Thoughtless Mind.
Simon’s Cat – Story Time lets players try out the new Summer Search Party event to earn daily rewards for finding beach balls in the gardens.
Fruit Ninja Classic+ blasts off a Jetpack Joyride 2-themed in-game event, where players can earn the Jetpack Blade and Moon Tombs Dojo from joyride, but in Fruit Ninja Classic+.
A Slight Chance of Sawblades+ celebrates International Dog Day (August 26) with an all-new canine character and dog-themed background.
Disney Coloring World+ lets players join the Muppets in a new colouring pack.
Mobile Gaming news hasn’t wrapped just yet. Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition also brings the new free and paid expansion to mobile devices this week, capping off A Rift in Time (and Jaffar’s time as the big bad). With that, though, mobile gaming news ends this week. Fans looking for all of the additions and where to check them out can visit the official Apple Arcade website.
Fan Expo Canada 2024 had a great variety of cosplayers, activations, shopping, panels and guests throughout the convention weekend.
This year was star-studded and packed with so many great guests! Fan Expo Canada 2024 kicked off with many attendees flocking to the Toronto Metro Convention Centre. CGMagazine was able to capture the most important part of the show: the fans! The fans brought a great assortment of cosplay clothing, offering both sophisticated looks and zany ones. Many of them ranged from some of the hottest anime series, TV/film, comics, video games and more.
Studio Imugi has given fans a brief glimpse at their new upcoming title, Bonaparte, which answers the question ‘What if the French Revolution had Steampunk Gundam?’
Studio Imugi has finally unveiled their debut strategy simulator, Bonaparte, an homage to the former Revolutionary’s skill in identifying weaknesses in opposing battle plans, placing the player firmly in control. My knowledge of the French Revolution comes from two sources: college history courses and the 2006 film Marie Antoinette. This means I know practically nothing.
However, one thing is certain—France did not have ‘steampunk Gundams’ as their main force. This is where Bonaparte introduces a paradigm shift to the French Revolution formula. Studio Imugi has also released a trailer to coincide with their announcement, which you can view below.
Bonaparte places the player firmly in the commander’s seat, allowing them to not only make battlefield decisions but also wield a politician’s greatest weapon: diplomacy. The trailer showcases an in-battle scene where Céline Bonaparte discusses her allegiance—whether to the subjects of France or the mighty monarchs—adding a notable Fire Emblem feel to the turn-based combat. These decisions will likely lead to battles playing out differently, considering “Rewrite History” is central to Bonaparte‘s identity.
What sets this strategy simulator apart is the reliance on advanced machines to decimate the enemies of France, we are talking Steampunk-humanoid-shaped vehicles that use weaponry (similar to Code Geass‘s nightmare frame, or Neon Genesis Evangelion units) to rule the battlefield. This title allows the player to enter the capable boots of either Céline or César Bonaparte and change the course of history by siding with notable historical figures (like Marie Antoinette) or taking up arms against them.
Bonaparte launches at a TBD date in 2025, and fans can check out their Steam page for more info.
Rotten Tomatoes is a trusted source that aggregates all review scores for film and TV and this week, they announced a change in the site’s viewable ratings.
First off, for the uninitiated, Rotten Tomatoes serves the internet as a source to head to when looking for not one but multiple reviews on a hit TV show or film that has been released. The site even goes as far back to show how older films have done in the past, with review aggregations of films like 1994’s The Crow letting fans compare it to the recently released film also called The Crow (with a new ensemble). The site focuses on giving critics a communal voice, certifying whether films are ‘fresh’ or ‘rotten,’ hence Rotten Tomatoes.
This week, the review site underwent a drastic change that has watered down its audience score system. The new system is referred to as ‘The Popcornmeter’. The new designations show films branded with “Verified Hot,” “Hot,” or “Stale,” depending on the feedback of the Verified Audience. The new Verified Hot rating will be reserved for films and TV that score 90% or higher initially, and it will stay hot until the score falls below 80%.
How does one become a verified audience member? Rotten Tomatoes says they will verify the audience in attendance by using Fandango ticket purchases. It’s worth mentioning that RT is owned by the US Fandango platform. With this move, it appears the site favours the Fandango ticketing service due to their connection, but RT is working on collaborating with other platforms to verify purchases as well.
Recently, ‘review bombing’ has gone mainstream. Angry fans have taken to Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, and other sites to unleash their fury when things don’t go their way. The steep difference in scores between RT’s Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s critical review and audience review could be one instance. Other instances show fans openly and brazenly targetting titles like Helldivers 2 on Steam and blasting the ‘1-star’ button due to behind-the-scenes operations (in this case, Sony requiring PC players to need a PS Network account to play the title). In this sole case, they walked back the decision and Helldivers 2 can be played on Steam without the need for a PSN account.
Either way, implementing the new rule stifles the audience score for better or worse. Fans can check out the rules rollout on the official Rotten Tomatoes website.
For the first time in World of Warcraft history, Blizzard has given both tickets to Beta and early access periods to War Within Epic Edition buyers, and the early access has just begun!
The early access period for the World of Warcraft: The War Within has begun, and players who have purchased either the physical collector’s edition or the Epic Edition digital bundle can dive right into the action four full days early. World of Warcraft launched a specialized cinematic trailer to prep Azeroth inhabitants for the upcoming expansion, which can be seen below.
World of Warcraft: The War Within Key Features
Explorers will be able to head to the new continent of Khaz Algar, which lies off the western shores of Pandaria. Within the continent lies the surface-level city of Dornogal, which will serve as the new main city hub of the expansion. Expeditious adventurers can explore what dwells beneath the surface of the city in the lava-fuelled forge of The Ringing Deeps, the Hallowfall, and the Nerubian society monument, Azj-Kahet.
Hero Talents will be introduced in The War Within. They are a new class feature that allows more levels of class specialization customization. Hero Talents are modelled after well-known archetypes from the Warcraft universe, including Dark Ranger, Farseer, and more.
A new world content feature is being added to World of Warcraft, and it is called Delves. These are small adventures seamlessly integrated into the world (similar to delves in The Elder Scrolls Online), which scale to support 1-5 players and offer a new rewards track in the Great Vault.
Introduced as dragon riding in Dragonflight, the function will be expanded into sky riding, allowing a larger number of mounts to be used. This system will allow more mount types to be used in mid-air, and the previous flight system will now be referred to as steady flight.
World of Warcraft: The War Within launches globally on August 26, but for those who have early access, It starts today. More info can be found on the official website.
Avowed & Obsidian Entertainment’s Art Director, Matt Hansen took to the Iron Lords podcast to reveal some “juicy” information about the upcoming title.
Obsidian Entertainment’s next title, Avowed, is coming out this February 2025. Ahead of the big release, Obsidian Entertainment’s Art Director Matt Hansen and Production Director Ryan Warden have jumped onto the IGN Iron Lords podcast to reveal some upcoming information about the title.
Hansen explains that Avowed development is focusing on getting the title to run at a crisp 30fps and getting to 60fps would be a hard task even for the more robust Xbox Series X console. He even goes so far as to say that as a first-person single-player title, “you don’t necessarily need that 60 frames.” Below is the latest story game trailer revealed by Obsidian back at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024.
Hansen continues with an explanation of how smooth gameplay is paramount to the overall experience, which is why they’re targeting 30fps. He says “[The 30fps] allows us to get a lot juicier with VFX and lighting and all this other stuff. It’s a trade-off we opted to make relatively early, and we’re really happy with that. The game’s running pretty smooth for how visually dense it is, and that was always our goal.” The notion is that Obsidian would rather have Avowed run excellent at 30fps than choppy at 60fps. The recent single-player release of Black Myth Wukong has also been said to run smoothly at 30fps.
Other Xbox-published titles like Starfield and Hellblade 2 have launched at 30fps as well, to help avoid input or performance issues they could trip on. While Starfield has since seen an update that brings the performance near 60fps, Hellblade 2 still has yet to receive an update, but this means Avowed can also launch at 30fps and get an update later on to boost visual fidelity.
Avowed launches on February 18, 2025 for Xbox Series S/X and PC.
South Korean publisher KRAFTON is probably best known for titles such as PUBG and The Callisto Protocol. Recently, however, in an effort to bolster their gaming portfolio, they’ve turned heads by saving studio Tango Gameworks from being shut down by Microsoft. With that goal in mind—to expand on their offerings—KRAFTON has been hard at work on inZoi: a life simulation game developed using Unreal Engine 5 and boasting a variety of creative tools. If this brings The Sims to mind, you’d be encouraged to know that the inZoi team is well aware of the comparison, the overall goal for their virtual world being to combine Sims and SimCity and add some innovative features to boot.
Having spent 5 hours playing an early build of the game, I found that what they’re trying to do rightfully sounds too good to be true. With some more polish and work on tightening its elaborate systems, inZoi might just rise up to its lofty ambitions and carve a place for itself within the genre. Nevertheless, on start-up, inZoi begins with the explanation that the player is working as a “trainee god” for an in-game tech giant.
“For now, despite some frustrations, inZoi is largely an enjoyable experience.”
According to the tutorials, referred to in-universe as the “onboarding”, being a said trainee god involves creating Zoi, the game’s name for the inhabitants of its digital world, and ensuring that they have good relationships with others and the environment. Failure to do so would result in “a meeting with the CEO”.
With this warning in mind, I began work on my Zoi in earnest, trying my hardest to make the perfect digital version of myself. The final result, I think, looks more like YouTuber hasanabi than me, but that’s not the fault of the character creation tool, which is genuinely amazing. Beyond getting the basics right, inZoi’s character creator is mindful of the details. This might not sound like a big deal at first, but put together, these small choices make for a customisable experience that already makes inZoi stand out from the rest.
This dedication to the minutiae can also be seen when it comes down to the city-building element. Whereas not as elaborate as something like SimCity, I was pleasantly surprised by what inZoi allowed me to do. To give just an extreme example, I decided that the main park in town should have a high density of cats, pandas and…crocodiles. To my great disappointment, the crocodiles, from what I could tell, had no effect gameplay-wise as they were simply content meandering here and there. In any case, after maybe 3 hours of fine-tuning, it was finally time for some action.
What took me by immediate surprise when taking control of my Zoi was that I was able to maneuver him as if he were a character in a third-person action-adventure game. I still had to issue other commands with a click of the mouse, but still, this added to my immersion. This being said, inZoi was dropping frames left and right and continued to do so during my time with it despite running it on a decent PC.
Another issue was the overall game logic, as all the Zoi I encountered were often making inexplicable decisions. My Zoi, when left to his own devices, was obsessed with deep cleaning his house even though it was brand new and squeaky clean.
To test the AI further, I decided to see how easy interactions with other Zoi were and, to my amusement, I was able to get the character I created married to someone he had just met and spent the last half of an in-game day (or about ten real-life minutes) complimenting. Now, I’m not necessarily opposed to love at first sight, but the ease with which I made this happen reminded me of the OG Sims, which reflects a bit badly on inZoi.
“Whereas not as elaborate as something like SimCity, I was pleasantly surprised by what inZoi allowed me to do.”
For now, despite some frustrations, inZoi is largely an enjoyable experience. The team over at KRAFTON have a lot of work left, yes, but what I’ve played so far is encouraging. My hope for the game, which is set to release in Early Access later this year, is that the developers remain committed to seeing through their ambitious vision. Time will tell if that will indeed be what happens.
Behaviour Interactive and Supermassive Games’ team-up title, The Casting of Frank Stone continues an exciting reveal spree, and a new trailer has come out of The Fog revealing new exciting features not seen in a Supermassive game before.
Gamescom 2024 continues to steamroll ahead and at the Xbox Gamescom Broadcast 2024, The Casting of Frank Stone has walked straight out of The Fog and into a new trailer. The new trailer presents new features not seen before in a Supermassive Games title, and even implements some of the tried and true mechanics (albeit loosely) from Dead by Daylight. The trailer can be seen below as shown at the showcase.
The Casting of Frank Stone New Features
Supermassive games open the Cutting Room Floor. Fans can sit in the director’s chair and revisit key story decisions. This also allows fans to seek missing collectibles or relive thrilling moments without starting a new game. The Cutting Room Floor opens by purchasing the Deluxe Edition or completing the narrative of The Casting of Frank Stone.
Twitch Integration will let streamers and audiences experience The Casting of Frank Stone together. With Twitch Integration, viewers can vote on each choice throughout the game (similar to the poorly received Silent Hill: Ascension project from 2023). Votes will be placed into the streamer’s hands and they will have a limited number of vetoes to override a decision, if they dislike the audience’s direction.
Plunderer’s Instinct makes its way to The Casting of Frank Stone from being a Dead by Daylight perk and allows the player to see the aura of any Trinket Chest that may have been missed.
Up to four-player couch co-op allows fans to share the experience in the same room. Fans can pass the controller back and forth as the character perspective changes throughout the game, and it cohesively immerses the audience into the storyline with a group of friends.
The Casting of Frank Stone will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on December 3. Fans can check out the official Supermassive Games website in the meantime for more information.
EA Sports has announced the newest cover athletes for the upcoming NHL 25, and it’s a family affair. The Hughes brothers (Quinn, Jack, and Luke) become the first set of brothers to grace the cover of the annual hockey title.
NHL 25 marks the second time in three years that the yearly hockey franchise has placed more than one player on their cover, with NHL 23 featuring Trevor Zegras and Sarah Nurse, and the NHL 24cover featuring Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar.
Quinn Hughes, the oldest of the three brothers, was drafted 7th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the leagues best rookie in 2020 and is the most recent recipient of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the leagues best defenseman.
Jack Hughes was drafted 1st overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, just one year after Quinn. Jack has earned himself 3 consecutive All-Star Game selections and was nominated for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (awarded to the player that shows the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct) for the 2022-2023 Season.
Luke Hughes, the youngest of the three brothers, was drafted 4th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, joining older brother Jack on the team. After a stellar rookie season in 2023-2024 that saw him set a new franchise record for points by a rookie defenseman, he was named as a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the leagues best rookie, and was subsequently voted to the All-Rookie Team unanimously.
More details were also shared about the annual hockey title, too. NHL 25 will be powered by a brand-new gameplay intelligence system called ICE-Q, and is designed to give the player the space and ability to be in control of every inch of ice there is. Player skating has been completely revolutionized by the Next-Gen Vision Control system, which allows you move easier on the ice, creating opportunities, walking the blue line, squaring up on an opponent, and a whole lot more.
The CPU Player system has also been improved by Empowered AI, allowing the CPU to execute intricate and authentic plays, make smart decisions off the puck, leading to more opportunities on the powerplay.
In addition, a wealth of new gameplay modes and structures have been implemented, namely a revamped Franchise Mode, HUT Wildcard Mode, and a single-path XP progression system that is shared across HUT. Last but not least, the introduction of Sapien Technology to NHL 25 brings player likenesses to the next level, meaning your favourite players will look a whole lot more like your favourite players.
NHL 25 is now available for pre-order with a Standard Edition and a Deluxe Edition available. Pre-ordering the Standard Edition will get you 500 NHL Points, a HUT NHL Player Pack, WOC Battle Pass XP Boost (x2), and an immediate reward in NHL 24 with a digital pre-order (Choice of Quinn, Jack or Luke Hughes at 99 OVR).
Pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition will get you 7-days of Early Access, including a head start in the initial HUT campaign and WOC season, 4600 NHL Points, HUT NHL Player Pack, HUT “Hockey is Family” Objectives Choice Pack (x2, 82 OVR), HUT Cover Athlete Choice Pack (85 OVR, 1 of 8), HUT Wildcard Starter Choice Pack (84 OVR, 1 of 6), WOC Battle Pass XP Boost (x2), WOC Season 1 Premium Battle Pass, Exclusive WOC Player Set, Immediate Reward In NHL 24 (Choice of Quinn, Jack, or Luke Hughes at 99 OVR).
NHL 25 should be released later on this year, though a specific date has yet to be announced by EA.
Lionsgate decided to pull down the trailer for their new film, Megalopolis after fans figured out the trailer quoted falsified reviews for the Director’s previous films.
To say Megalopolis had a rocky production is putting it mildly. Director Francis Coppola (known for award-winning films like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now) has been trying to get the film made for many years, even fronting $120 million to foot the production costs. But today, Lionsgate has decided to pull the new trailer off the internet due to reports suggesting the trailer used fake quotes coming from Coppola’s earlier films.
The trailer was released Wednesday morning, and it didn’t take long for people to figure out that the ‘bad reviews’ quoted in the trailer from films like The Godfather were fictional, it’s also worth mentioning a critic themselves noticed they didn’t write what was quoted in the trailer.
This is after the film has gotten questionable attention, specifically from The Guardian where Coppola himself suggested he was going to make “a really s*****, embarrassing, pompous film on an important subject, and I am doing it,” and the report further alleges the Director mismanaged time and wasted a lot of production hours. The report continues with allegations the Director acted inappropriately with female extras on set, claiming he was “trying to get them in the mood.”
The trailer could have been meant to show former bad reviews for Coppola masterpieces, to insert Megalopolis into the same camp as the films that were shown to have said bad reviews. Variety critic, Owen Gleiberman, was cited in the trailer as saying Bram Stoker’s Dracula is “a beautiful mess” where he himself suggested that wasn’t the case.
Gleiberman said “Even if you’re one of those people who don’t like critics, we hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths. Then again, the trivial scandal of all this is that the whole Megalopolis trailer is built on a false narrative,” continuing with the notion he wishes he said Dracula was ‘a beautiful mess,’ as it “sounds kind”.
Lionsgate has also issued an apology via Variety, saying “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We screwed up. We are sorry.” after the trailer’s removal today.
At gamescom 2024, Xbox has come to the event with many game announcements but they’ve also pulled the curtain back to reveal hardware additions to their lineup.
Xbox was given a big platform at gamescom 2024. This is considering Sony and Nintendo did not attend nor make any announcements at the event, and they’ve brought hardware updates to the showcase aside from their announced software on gamescom 2024 ONL. Big Xbox software announcements so far include Masters of Albion from Fable co-creator Peter Molyneux, the previously Xbox exclusive Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to PS5, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 showcased new gameplay.
But that’s not all they have in store for fans in the coming months, as new hardware updates are coming for the Xbox Series console lineup. Xbox has also revealed notable accessibility innovations with a new adaptive controller lineup to make gaming more accessible for all gamers.
gamescom 2024 Xbox Series Hardware Lineup
The Xbox Series S now comes with 1TB of onboard memory in the original Robot White colourway. It will be made available in October 2024 for $349.99.
The Xbox Series X will be fashioned into a 1TB Digital Edition (as leaked earlier in the year) and will be the first time the Xbox Series X comes in Robot White. It will be available October 2024 for $449.99.
The last hardware upgrade is an Xbox Series X in a lucrative 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition and includes a matching Xbox Wireless controller with a Galaxy Black D-pad and Velocity Green back case. The new console will be available in October 2024 for $599.99.
gamescom 2024 Xbox Adaptive Controller Additions For Accessibility
The Xbox Adaptive Joystick is an affordable entry-level wired joystick designed to meet the needs of players with limited mobility, and to make things easier it can be used as a companion for the Xbox Adaptive Controller and other Xbox controllers. The Xbox Adaptive Joystick will be launching in early 2025 for $29.99.
Xbox Design Labs is allowing the use of 3D printable files for adaptive thumbstick toppers. The service is offered free of charge with Xbox Design Labs and it allows players to configure six different 3D printable thumbstick topper designs for the Xbox Adaptive Joystick, the Xbox Wireless Controller, or the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. Xbox Design Lab outputs the design files that players can 3D print or take to any 3D printing service. The 3D printable files for adaptive thumbstick toppers are available now with Xbox Design Lab.
The Designed for Xbox Proteus Controller has been unleashed by Xbox partners at ByoWave and revealed at Gamescom 2024. The Proteus is a modular adaptive kit that gives those with disabilities a more accessible way to play (similar to the PS5 Access Controller). The unique modular video game controller kit features ‘snap and play’ parts that connect together easily and the device comes with everything gamers require to play their favorite Xbox games on console and PC right out of the box. The ByoWave Proteus Controller is now available in select markets worldwide.
Lastly, Xbox showed the designed for Xbox Lite SE 2.4G Wireless Controller at Gamescom 2024. Another third-party controller by 8BitDo is a compact and lightweight controller designed for gamers with limited mobility, featuring low-resistance buttons and Hall Effect joysticks with greater sensitivity. The 8BitDo Lite SE 2.4G Wireless Controller is now available in select markets worldwide for $59.99.
That just about wraps the new hardware additions unveiled for Xbox at Gamescom 2024. Fans looking for more coverage on gamescom 2024 can see the rest of our coverage here. Fans looking for more info on everything Xbox can head to their official site.
Star Wars Outlaws is the latest game that takes place in the Star Wars universe right in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The story follows a scoundrel named Kay Vess as she makes a name for herself as an outlaw—and her loveable pet, Nix. For the first time, players will be diving into an open-world Star Wars game with Star Wars Outlaws, and they’ll be doing it as a woman.
CGM got to sit down with two women taking the lead with Star Wars Outlaws, Humberly González and Nikky Foy. González, known for her roles in Ginny & Georgia on Netflix and more recently, Tarot, is the voice of Kay and handles all the motion capture for the role. Foy is the Lead Scriptwriter for Star Wars Outlaws at Ubisoft Toronto, which means not only do we have a woman as the face of the game, but we have one narrating it, too.
We talked with Foy and González about what it means to work on such a beloved property, how being women and having women take the lead has influenced Star Wars Outlaws, and what that means to them. Seeing women as the faces and storytellers behind these epic tales is something every girl needs growing up, and that knowledge was not lost on the pair while working on Star Wars Outlaws for the last several years.
I read you both worked on Far Cry 6. Did your paths cross while working on it, or did you recently meet on Star Wars Outlaws?
Nikki Foy: Well, recently is…
Humberly González: The last couple of years, yes!
Nikki Foy: ForFar Cry 6, we didn’t really work together. I was mostly doing the villain DLC stuff.
Humberly González: Right. And I played Jonrón, which wasn’t a part of that. We don’t often get to interact with everybody. Sometimes, you’re a part of a project, and there are so many humans attached.
And non-humans in the case of Star Wars Outlaws [Nix].
Humberly González: And then non-humans! It’s kind of cool that we both come from the same projects and now we actually get to interact so often.
Nikki Foy: Yeah, I think, too, as a writer, you see more of the actors than they see of you, right? So, on Far Cry 6, I definitely knew who Humberly was and all her work and stuff. When we were casting this, that was all in there for sure.
So our nerdy fandoms, especially things like Star Wars, present very male-dominated, whether that’s the creative team or the fans. What’s it like to lead the charge on this both as the creative team and as the voice and the body of Star Wars Outlaws? To lead this male-dominated universe and have it be women first right now.
Nikki Foy: It’s a really great opportunity, I think, for not just individuals but for the brand as a whole. I was just talking about how I was at Galaxy’s Edge for the first time in my life and just cried the whole time because I couldn’t believe it. And I was building a lightsaber in that experience, which was so cool. But next to me, there were two sisters, and they were probably six and eight, building one next to me. And I just felt so…
And now I’m crying. I have kids that age.
Nikki Foy: I just cried very hard the whole time because it was just like this brand meant so much to me, and I didn’t have someone like Kay to really see myself in. I loved Princess Leia, but I wanted to be Han, right? And I think getting to bring that to life is so special. And our whole team, really, that’s been the goal from the beginning. It’s been really special.
Humberly González: Yes, to be a leading woman not just in a Star Wars story but in the video game industry, which also tends to have a lot of limitations and misogyny and kind of in-and-out politics of who can be a part of it and who you want to play as. I am incredibly proud of the team having chosen someone like me, but also only me, that there isn’t a male counterpart to the story of Star Wars Outlaws that we are focusing on a female point of view of a scoundrel story because we’ve only really ever seen males in a scoundrel position.
So the representation is incredible for me as an immigrant Latina in Canada to bring, to even get to speak about my country, about Venezuela, about what it means to me as an artist that I followed this dream not having any of my family here, not having a lot of mentors in my family or anyone to look up to or content to look up to. Even in Star Wars, you know, there aren’t a lot of Latinas in this space. And so, for me, I knew that this was going to mean a lot, not just to me and my community and my family, but to everybody else who’s watching it too and playing it.
“Seeing women as the faces and storytellers behind these epic tales is something every girl needs growing up, and that knowledge was not lost on the pair while working on Star Wars Outlaws for the last several years.”
When they go, “Oh, this is a cool character, I wonder where they’re from?” and then they do the research, I just want people to feel seen and if I can be in any of those categories as a woman, a woman of colour, as an immigrant, as a Latina, any of those are so meaningful for someone who enters a franchise as big as Star Wars.
So for the next generation, for those little girls in Galaxy’s Edge, for the little girls watching, for anyone back home, for me, if they just simply get to see someone like them on screen, it means something to them. Feel inspired, feel strong, feel seen, feel represented. That, to me, is the goal. It’s incredible because it really is beyond just me.
Nikki Foy: Yeah, and I think, too, there’s an empathy element to it that I really love to think about. When I was a kid, I think there’s been a lot of research about this, and people who are talking about it talk about it. But I think, too, it’s easy for young girls to empathize with male characters. It’s something that we’ve always been taught. And I think having this female character who everyone can love and see parts of themselves in is so exciting and fun, too.
It’s made me emotional. I have a five-year-old daughter and then a nine-year-old son, so seeing him see her, see that it is possible in Star Wars Outlaws.
Nikki Foy: Yeah, that’s incredible.
Leaning into that, a lot of the time, people will say being a woman is a weakness. We’re emotional. We’re not tough. We’re not as strong as the male heroes. So, did you need to find a balance with Kay in Star Wars Outlaws, both in writing and acting, in terms of her femininity and her strength? Or do you think that her femininity is her strength?
Nikki Foy: Yeah, I don’t know if we’ve thought about it in terms of that. I remember early on writing this huge document about the way in which female protagonists are different from male protagonists. And not in the way of worse or better, but to me, that point of view really infuses the how of things. Often, the why is the same for characters.
Like survival, for example, right? Female characters often are shown surviving in a different way. Maybe a cool, charming female character, she’s going to use her feminine wiles to get something done, or she can pretend to be weak, and whatever. And I made this list of things that I was like, “I don’t want Kay to ever do any of these. I don’t want her to ever pretend to be weak. I don’t want her to ever pretend to be weak. I don’t want her to ever use her femaleness to get something.”
So that was always on our mind. But in terms of, “Oh, how does she treat this?” Or “How does she approach the situation as a female character?” Once we got who Kay was, it was very much like, “How does Kay approach this?” And once we created this character and cast Humberly and got this great vulnerability and real humanity to it, it became so easy to just make choices based on that.
Humberly González: I mean, to step into a character that was made, and then I had to literally give her a soul, and a heart, and a conscience. So knowing that I’m like, “Oh, okay, here’s the character, now bring her to life, quite literally breathe life into her.” I can’t help but bring my heart. I can’t help but bring my vulnerability.
So, if I think of Kay as a mirror to me, and what femininity means to me, and what my strengths are, I do believe that my vulnerability is a strength. I think that women are resilient. We are troubleshooters and protectors, and there’s this nurturing, and I think you get to see some of those traits with Kay and Nix, you know, Nix is her family, and you see her go above and beyond for him and for a partnership, what loyalty means, what it means.
There are a lot of themes in there. I think she’s a scoundrel with a bit of a chip because she is vulnerable and she is flawed. In the end, that’s also what brings her ahead. You always say this line, it’s like failing forward. She isn’t afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. There’s no relying on this ego or overly confident like I got it all figured out.
I wasn’t afraid to bring those aspects to her that may seem weak, but really, in a way, it’s her just navigating her growth. It’s her navigating right from wrong, and what she wants to do, and being autonomous in her own choices in this vast galaxy full of danger. She is naive and a rookie, but those could be her strengths too because, at the end of the day, sometimes not knowing takes you further because she’s not relying on fear and not thinking that she can’t do something. She really believes in herself.
That’s something I have a lot as a person, as Humberley. I believe in my dreams, and I believe in myself. I know my worth. I infused Kay with that. So, you know, if that is something that makes me female or whatever, then great. I want to be that person anyway.
Absolutely. You’re talking about breathing life into this character in Star Wars Outlaws, and doing that in a video game is one thing. Doing that through MoCap is another, but you’ve also been on stage, live-action, and just regular voice acting. Do you feel like you’re breathing life into characters the same way or in those other mediums, you are the character?
Humberly González: I have to say, ever since doing motion capture—and I’ve worked with Ubisoft for years and years since, like 2016—I believe my first video game was Starlink, which was a video game from the ground up with Ubisoft. I feel like I have a lot more room and depth to bring into the other mediums of the industry that aren’t motion capture because there’s so much detail that comes with only being a voiceover actor. I think it is actually quite vulnerable to be a voice actor. You are not relying on your face or your mannerisms.
Even right now, I’m talking with my hands but it’s just my voice. How do I convey the real meaning of what I mean if I can’t use everything else? These are all tools that I possess in my being. Motion capture has allowed me to have more awareness of my body. Therefore it infuses my other work. I’m really grateful for this this part of my job. I really love it.
Now, obviously, Star Wars, wow!
Humberly González: That’s it. Wow.
What kind of preparation went into Star Wars Outlaws, and what level of excitement, fear, and nervousness goes into prepping from the ground up and stepping into this role? Especially knowing that there areso many sections of Star Wars and thatyou are creating your own little pocket.
Nikki Foy: Yeah, I think it’s so weird to have a job where the thing that you should do is consumeStar Wars media.
Humberly González: Gotta do it for the job!
Nikki Foy: I remember when I got hired or when I got told, “Yeah, you’re gonna work on this [Star Wars Outlaws].” I didn’t know what to do. So I just, because I was so overwhelmed, I just opened the Clone Wars show on my iPad and had it next to me while I was cooking dinner in a haze and I was like, “I’m working right now. This is part of my job now. I just get to be inspired by all this media that I already love.” So that was what, really, I spent a lot of time-consuming media that I’d already seen, but just with this lens of like, “Oh, okay, Outlaws, scoundrel, underworld.”
Does that change the way you look at it, though? Once it goes from “This is my love” to “This is my job.”
Nikki Foy: Absolutely! It does, but not in a way that turns it into work. It was more like I was paying attention to things that I wasn’t paying attention to before. I remember even in that example when I was cooking dinner, there was a scene where Ahsoka was in a nightclub in Clone Wars, And I was like, “Oh cool, Kay could be in a nightclub!” I was watching it a lot more actively, I think.
From then, with that going on, I really tried to just catch myself thinking. If I’m walking somewhere and my brain is just off, I’ll try to focus on thinking about Kay. Thinking about her relationships. Thinking about the people in her life. I’m listening to a song. It’s like, “Oh, think about how Kay would feel if this and this and this happen,” you know? So I think that combination is really how I approached starting to write this stuff.
Humberly González: Yeah, I mean, honouring what someone has created, and not just this team, but the franchise itself, knowing that it was between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I think one of the first things I did was that I’m going to watch the movies and imagine myself in this world and the tone of it, you know? What people are scared of, what’s out there?
And at the end of the day, it’s also a new story. We have not seen a story where this character isn’t a part of the big rebellion and a Sith or any of this. She is from Canto Bight. She is a young girl who is a thief who’s resilient. She’s surviving. So, there weren’t a lot of examples for me to draw from.
I had to really rely on instinct, asking the writers, asking the directors, like, “Hey is this somewhere where she would be? Is this a thought she would have?” And I think, for me, the work started when I actually got to know more of the story. I think that before, it was just exciting. Anytime I saw anything Star Wars or listened to the theme song or anything, I would just get goosebumps and be like, “Oh, I’m in this! I’m in this!” It just has a different meaning now that I’m forever immortalized in this franchise.
But growing with Kay, it’s like knowing her backstory and why she says the things she does and why she acts the way that she does, that has been the most joyous part of my job because I love backstory. I mean, for an actor, it’s like, “What’s my motivation here? What am I doing?” And knowing that it has been created specifically for her and therefore me, it was just such a special thing that I’m like, “No one has ever said these words. No one has stepped into…” I am literally walking in her shoes! And so it’s really special to really step into something that’s never been done.
I want to know, in one word, your favourite thing about Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws. What is her trait that we should pay attention to? Sorry, I was wondering if
Humberly González: What is a word for not quitting?
Resilient?
Nikki Foy: Yeah, resilient is really good.
Humberly González: She does not give up, man. That girl will try and try and try and try in every single way, and she’ll get it. She gets it!
Nikki Foy: Kay’s quality that I love the most is—it is resilient adjacent—but it’s like this whatever effect of “That’s fine.”
Humberly González: Surrender.
Nikki Foy: It’s more active than that. If anything happens, it’s like water off a duck’s back. No matter what’s going on, the worst situation that could happen.
Humberly González: She doesn’t sweat it.
Nikki Foy: She’s just like, “Okay.” And when she is upset, it’s for such a fair reason. And it usually comes from a place of hurt and history and stuff. But otherwise, she’s just rolling with the punches, and I love that. I want to be more like that.
Mountaintop Studios and popular creator and former Counter-Strike and Valorant pro, Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek have brought a contender to the F2P multiplayer tactical FPS genre. Mountaintop hopes to make a big break with Spectre Divide, as they are an independent studio composed of veterans from Respawn, Epic Games, Riot Games, Bungie, and the like. Spectre Divide features a unique art style for the genre with sci-fi comic book art and the classic Japanese cel animation of the ’90s—a little reminiscent of Rollerdrome or the No More Heroes games. What is more distinct about this game is its gameplay gimmick.
At first glance, the concept of controlling two characters simultaneously does not seem like something that should work in a relatively fast-paced competitive shooter game. Yes, there is some time to strategize around the map and jump-peak or use utility to gain information. However, adding a new concept, like having a second body, appears to be a dynamic addition.
The function of what the devs call ‘Duality’ allows players to control their ‘Spectre’ or second body, as well as their main body. Players can swap between the two bodies. The coolest part is that players can open up their map to lay out their two bodies during the Buy Phase/Pre-round Phase—including having the bodies face a certain direction. Moving characters around via clicking the map looks so choppy and jarring, but once the pre-round timer is up, this function ceases.
Having the second body can be super helpful. If a player’s unused body is idle, it can still give information that an enemy is near or if an enemy is in sight through danger indicators. Additionally, the unused body goes into a crouch position, making it harder for enemies to spot when placed correctly. Or it can be great to have it crouched slightly, peeking as a decoy at strategic angles.
The unused body can also be moved through the ‘pucking’ action, with some delay depending on the distance. This is the primary function so when the main player dies, they are not stuck trying to run all the way from where they had their Spectre setup. Like the game’s name implies, it is relatively smart to divide the Spectre from the main body.
Spectre Divide has utility skills, which are very similar to various Hero skills in Overwatch or Agent utility in Valorant. Another important distinction with Spectre Divide is that there are no Champions, Heroes or Agents; there are Sponsors. Sponsors work in place of roles, such as Assault/ADC/Dualist or Support/Healer in other games. Having a good balance of Sponsors can easily make or break a victory in this game, with the various assortment of utility skills—including recon.
A big question many new players who came from other FPS games asked was what the spray/recoil patterns for each gun, aiming, and ADS aiming were like. For the first part, every fully automatic and semi-automatic gun had a random spray pattern. This is an interesting feature because it means it is not something someone can particularly get used to, like a Vandal spray pattern in Valorant or an AK-47 spray and recoil pattern in CS2 or CS:GO.
“Another important distinction with Spectre Divide is that there are no Champions, Heroes or Agents; there are Sponsors.”
It means that players should practice their ADS firing since the accuracy is pretty near to one-hundred percent. There is also no bullet punch when taking damage, so players do not have to worry about suddenly aiming at the sky when getting shot at. Single-tap or burst-fire skills are more important in Spectre Divide for the guns that require it, otherwise ADS-ing and spraying is the way to go. And like Apex Legends, running in this FPS tac-shooter is encouraged.
What irked me and my teammates the most is the fact that enemy colour highlights are insanely non-user-friendly. It took a few games for us to not accidentally shoot at one of our teammates or teammates’ idle body. Eventually we got used to it, but it was not as distinguished as other FPS games.
The things that will have many Spectre Divide players divided will probably be how overstimulating it can be to jump into a match at first, as well as how many guns they will have to know the names of. The Duster RX6 plays like a Desert Eagle or Sheriff; the M67 Reaver plays like an AK-47, dishing out great range and damage; and the Harpe and Prototype-OP play very much like a high-powered sniper in most FPS games. One shot to the head at any range, one kill, baby!
The gun buys are interesting in Spectre Divide, sort of a mashup of Call of Duty multiplayer default loadouts. Guns are bought in pairs and distributed to the player and the Spectre. Interestingly enough, when one of the characters one player controls dies but the other lives, there can be special economic buys for keeping the same pairing of guns in the next round.
Based on a lot of feedback from other players I talked to from games and my own teammates, I have gathered that this game comes off as something for those who already have put in some if not countless, hours into other FPS games. Spectre Divide is easily an amalgamation of games like Valorant, Apex Legends, Overwatch, Halo, amongst many more. This makes sense since a lot of Mountaintop Studios’ team used to work at the companies that made many of those titles.
There are a lot of fun mechanics to try and experiment with in Spectre Divide, such as using Ghostlink Collective’s Dupe ability while pucking away or using it and running with the decoy body. Another cool thing we found out was how Ryker Industries’ Wave Scan could scan the whole map if you throw it while pucking away.
“The ultimate judgment of Spectre Divide is how it may not be as inviting to newer FPS gamers.”
Hopefully by launch, there will be better aesthetic additions to the game—here is hoping there will be a way to do Fortnite-adjacent dances in the team lobby. The sprays and gun buddies could also be improved upon, but again, that may come with more time and players making memes and/or pro-player and community involvement to grow the fan base of Spectre Divide.
The ultimate judgment of Spectre Divide is how it may not be as inviting to newer FPS gamers. Even someone who is well-versed in other FPS titles will struggle a bit getting used to pucking around their Spectres, and learning more about the advantages and disadvantages of things like guns or Sponsors.
There are a lot of extra keybinds to learn and re-map, too, but the tutorial does a decent enough job explaining it all. The economy catch-up system is great, too, since two losses allow the losing team to get a free light shield. But it could be good for newer players ithe a sense that they can build the proper game sense tailored to this game versus carrying over irrelevant habits from other FPS games.
Spectre Divide will not be out on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles at launch, but devs have stated that they have “future plans for consoles.” There is also no release date for PC yet either.
Opening cases in CS2 is one of the most exciting aspects of the game, offering players the chance to snag rare and valuable skins. But with the rise of third-party sites, many players wonder: is it really worth it to open cases in CS2, or should you turn to these alternative platforms? Let’s dive into the pros and cons of both, and see how they stack up.
Opening Cases in CS2
First, let’s talk about the experience of opening cases directly in CS2. There’s something undeniably exciting about the anticipation as you watch the spinning wheel, hoping for that rare drop. It’s a core part of the game, deeply embedded in the CS2 culture.
Pros of Opening Cases in CS2:
Official and Secure: When you open cases in CS2, you’re dealing directly with the game developers. This means there’s no risk of scams or losing your hard-earned skins.
Game Integration: Skins obtained from CS2 cases are immediately available in your inventory, ready for you to show off in your next match.
Authenticity: There’s a certain pride in knowing your skins came directly from the game itself.
However, while the official route offers security and authenticity, it also has its downsides.
Cons of Opening Cases in CS2:
Cost: CS2 cases and keys can be pricey, especially if you’re chasing after rare skins.
Limited Bonuses: Unlike third-party sites, CS2 doesn’t offer many promotions, bonuses, or gifts.
No Extras: The experience is pretty straightforward, lacking the added excitement of case battles or other fun features offered by third-party sites.
Exploring Third-Party Case Opening Sites
Now, let’s examine what third-party case-opening sites offer. These platforms have gained popularity due to their enticing bonuses, promotions, and unique features that spice up the case-opening experience.
Advantages of Third-Party Sites:
Bonuses and Promotions: One of the biggest draws of third-party sites is the variety of bonuses and promotions they offer. Many sites give you extra credits, free cases, or significant discounts, making your money go further. Whether it’s a welcome bonus for new users or regular promotions for loyal customers, these perks can make a huge difference in your case opening journey.
Gifts and Rewards: Beyond bonuses, many third-party sites offer gifts and rewards. This could be anything from free skins to exclusive items not available in CS2. It’s like a constant stream of surprises that keeps the experience fresh and exciting.
Case Battles: If you’re looking for extra fun, case battles are a feature you won’t find in CS2. These battles pit players against each other to see who can pull the best skins from their cases. It’s a competitive twist that adds another layer of fun and can lead to some impressive wins.
Diverse Case Selection: Third-party sites often have a wider variety of cases to choose from, including custom cases created by the community. This means you can find cases tailored to your specific preferences, whether you’re hunting for a particular type of skin or just looking for something new and different.
Risks and Considerations:
While third-party sites offer many advantages, they also come with their own set of risks and considerations.
Security Concerns: Not all third-party sites are created equal. It’s crucial to choose reputable sites to avoid scams or losing your items. Look for sites with strong user reviews, secure payment options, and transparent policies.
Withdraw and Deposit Issues: Some sites may have complicated processes for withdrawing your skins or require you to deposit items before you can start opening cases. Make sure you understand these procedures before diving in.
Fairness and Transparency: Ensure the site you’re using has transparent odds and fair gameplay. Some less reputable sites might manipulate odds, making it harder to get valuable skins.
Is It Worth Opening Cases in CS2?
The answer ultimately depends on what you’re looking for in your case opening experience.
If you value security and authenticity, stick with opening cases directly in CS2. The official route guarantees that your skins are legitimate and safely stored in your Steam inventory. It’s a straightforward, no-frills experience that’s integrated seamlessly into the game.
If you want more excitement and value for your money, give third-party sites a try. With their generous bonuses, diverse case selection, and unique features, CS2 case battle sites can make your case-opening journey much more interesting and rewarding. Just be sure to do your research and choose a reputable site to avoid potential pitfalls.
Conclusion
As much as opening cases in CS2 can be a very enjoyable game, third-party sites offer compelling alternatives thanks to their bonuses, promotions, and added features they provide. When you weigh the pros and cons of both options, you will be able to determine which route is best. It is always important to approach each case opening with a sense of fun and adventure, regardless of whether you stick with CS2 or venture into the world of third-party websites. Have a great case opening, and may your next spin lead to the skin of your dreams.
I was particularly interested in Ravenswatch because Passtech Game’s Curse of the DeadGods was something that caught me completely by surprise—initially hooking me with an art style evocative of Darkest Dungeon and then reeling me in with an incredibly deep and satisfying gameplay experience.
Passtech established itself as a confident crafter of captivating roguelike experiences, so naturally, CGM jumped on the opportunity to get an early look at Ravenswatch. Despite the preview being hands-off, the game and world that was presented definitely got me ready to play.
In Ravenswatch, players enter the world of Reverie, where horrific creatures known as Nightmares are spreading across the land. To stop them, the Witch of the Forest, Baba Yaga, forms the Ravenswatch—a group of folk heroes dedicated to battling the Nightmares and restoring peace.
“One of Ravenswatch’s key selling points is its cast of heroes, all drawn from mythological figures.”
One of Ravenswatch‘s key selling points is its cast of heroes, all drawn from mythological figures. While some characters are based on well-known figures, the team at Passtech wanted to ensure these heroes stood out on their own and included lesser-known mythological characters.
This includes characters such as Scarlet (Little Red Riding Hood), Beowulf and Alladin but extends to characters like The Pied Piper, Sun Wukong and Melusine—who the Lyon-based Passtech felt it especially appropriate to include as a character from French folklore. The team specifically stated they wanted to include a wide array of folklore from various cultures to create a diverse cast and open players up to these unique figures.
This idea was further explored when we were given a sneak peek at the character of Carmilla, who was revealed during Gamescom 2024. Passtech explained that including a vampire in their world was thematically fitting. Still, they specifically wanted to focus on a lesser-known character, as most people typically think of Dracula when it comes to famous vampires.
“While many games borrow heavily from successful predecessors in the genre, it’s refreshing to see a game take unique approaches and interesting risks.”
This not only adds to the game’s unique storybook feel but also allows each hero to fill a specific role based on their characterization. Scarlet, for instance, is a unique warrior who embodies both Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, capable of transforming into a lycanthropic form to deal massive damage. Conversely, Gepetto functions as an engineer, creating puppets to fight for him and assist in battle.
One of the more interesting aspects of Ravenswatch mentioned during the event is that, despite being a roguelike, the game will feature four different difficulty modes. I’ve long moved away from the notion that games, even roguelikes, should be punishingly difficult just for the sake of it—especially since roguelikes are often associated with games like Dark Souls, which emphasize extreme difficulty.
While I was initially hoping Ravenswatch would offer optional difficulty settings, Passtech clarified that players will start at the lower difficulty level, unlocking harder ones with each successful run. They’ve implemented this in a particularly clever way: only four characters are available at the start of the game, with a new one unlocking each time players defeat the final boss. This provides a tangible incentive to improve, as the game becomes more challenging as you learn and grow.
With its dark comic book style, support for up to four-player co-op, and a development team actively tweaking the game based on player feedback, Ravenswatch is shaping up to be an excellent new addition to the roguelike genre. While many games borrow heavily from successful predecessors in the genre, it’s refreshing to see a game take unique approaches and interesting risks.
Ravenswatch will launch for PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on Sep 26th, 2024 but will see a later release on the Nintendo Switch.
Announced last month at the game’s own convention, TennoCon, The Lotus Eaters is a short, solo-only quest following the events of Whispers in the Walls, last December’s epic addition to the main questline. Its official description warns that “The Man In The Wall does not sit idly by, Tenno.”
Representatives of Warframe developer Digital Extremes are currently at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany—the next stop on their “world tour” which will also take them to the Tokyo Game Show in Japan next month.
“Launching [The Lotus Eaters] update alongside our Tenno across Europe on the opening day of Gamescom is just wild,” said Creative Director Rebecca Ford. “Players have been clamoring for another taste of The Lotus in the story and this bite-sized quest might just offer a tad more insight into her role here.”
At the behest of the Lotus (or “Space Mom,” as she’s known in the Warframe community), players will “investigate a strange but familiar sound that is intrinsically tied to the monumental year of 1999,” before seeking out Albrecht Entrati in Warframe 1999‘s alternate vision of our own history later this year.
In addition to the quest, The Lotus Eaters update brings another revamped Warfame, Sevagoth Prime. After crafting this Warframe or unlocking it through the market, players can use his unique skillset to Reap the souls of the dead, Sow death seeds, or drill a well of Gloom. If all else fails, transform into his Exalted Shadow form to tear your opposition apart in melee.
Rounding out today’s update are the newest Prime companion, Nautilus Prime; the Epitaph Prime, a wrist-mounted sidearm; and plenty of new TennoGen cosmetic items for the “FashionFrame” community. These include a wave of cosmetics inspired by the Jade Shadows update, as well as a deluxe Ares skin for Styanax.
The Lotus Eaters may not be the only update before the long-running free-to-play game time travels back to 1999. Digital Extremes will pull back the curtain on another expansion, tentatively called the “Unannounced Fall 2024 Update,” in their showcase at Tokyo Game Show. Among its contents will be a host of quality-of-life updates and the next Prime Warframe, Caliban.
Then in Winter 2024, Warframe 1999 will take players back to the heyday of boy bands and dial-up internet to explore the Protoframes, the progenitors of many iconic Warframes. The expansion has a star-studded cast including Final Fantasy XVI‘s Ben Starr as Arthur “Exalibur” Nightingale, Cyberpunk 2099‘s Alpha Takahashi as Aoi, and Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Amelia Tyler.
In a Wednesday blog post, BioWare revealed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a dedicated force behind its PC development with over 200,000 hours of playtesting done.
Today, BioWare let out a massive blog post that outlines their ongoing development for their upcoming fourth entry in their high fantasy RPG series,Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and specifically how they’re placing special care on development for PC. The blog post starts with “The Dragon Age franchise started out on PC, and we wanted to make sure PC is a great place to play our game. Many of us at BioWare are PC players ourselves, and when testing, PCs made up 40% of our platform testing effort, with over 200,000 hours of performance and compatibility testing.”
The amount of testing that has gone into the new title is staggering. Bioware explains that the importance of getting everything ‘just right’ is paramount to the overall gameplay experience. The UI has been tweaked over thousands of hours of gameplay to ensure that players of all persuasions — whether they play on Xbox, PlayStation, PC or all three — including keyboard and mouse fans, can enjoy a comfortable experience. All three controller inputs: Xbox, Dualsense and KBM will also be available for PC. Going one step further, fans will be able to customize their character’s keybind to make the gameplay as smooth as possible for Warrior, Rogue and Mage players.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard PC Features
Full Steam Nativity, including full Steam Deck verification—Cloud saving allows you to pick the game up on the Deck and seamlessly play it on PC, and vice versa.
Display Features for PC – Full Support for 21:9 Ultra Wide Resolutions, Ability to Uncap Frame Rate, HDR Support, Optional Upscaling (DLSS 3, FSR 2.2, XeSS), NVIDIA Reflex, DLSS 3 Frame Generation and Optional Dynamic Resolution Scaling are included.
A huge level of graphic scaling to ensure the game runs great no matter what rig you’re playing on, a small vignette of how the graphics will increase (or reduce) in clarity can be seen on the right.
It’s worth mentioning the sheer amount of turbulent launches the PC has seen since 2023. One of the most widely complained about being The Last of Us Part I, reported to feature staggering performance issues when it launched on PC. CGMagazine’s review of the port said “The Last of Us on PC feels like an infected facsimile of a dearly departed friend.”
At least fans can rest assured Dragon Age: The Veilguard will run smoothly on PC and console when it launches in October this year.
Jackbox is back with the new Jackbox Naughty Pack. Jackbox has long been a go-to party game for anyone looking for a good laugh. Their games are interactive, thus letting the players fill out the provided material, which means that you can play the game over and over again with many different results. This is also true of the group that is playing. A combination of adults and kids produces a much different game than an adults-only game, and this is who Jackbox is playing to with their latest pack, the Jackbox Naughty Pack.
The Jackbox Naughty Pack is the company’s first pack directed solely to adults and has an M rating. The games themselves, despite having slightly different names geared towards the tone of the pack, are games that exist within the Jackbox universe already. The difference lies with the questions and prompts that move the game along. According to Creative Director and Product Manager at Jackbox Games Brooke Breit, “The tone of the questions inform the level of spicy answers.” Of the impact that the mature content has on the game, Breit added, “The tone feels very Jackbox. It is our voice but for a more mature-related game.”
One obvious question was raised during our preview event with Jackbox Games, “Isn’t any Jackbox game a mature game depending on the people playing it?” The CEO at Jackbox Games, Mike Bilder, sort of agreed, saying, “If you’ve played a game of Drawful without any kids around, it can get pretty blue. This is just us leaning into that.” He reiterated Breit’s comments on the questions and prompts, leading you into that tone of gameplay.
There are three games in the Jackbox Naughty Pack:
Fakin’ It All Night Long, a game where one person (The Faker) is answering different questions than the rest of the players and needs to justify why their answer works for their question.
Dirty Drawful, which is Jackbox’s Drawful, but dirty. You are given a prompt and your goal is to correctly guess other people’s prompts based on their drawing and ensure people vote for yours when your drawing comes up.
Let Me Finish, which tests your skills as a talker when the game asks the tough questions, like “Where is the Mailbox’s butt?” You circle where you think it is and justify your choice to the other players. The winner of each round is the one with the most votes.
With games working with this subject matter, Jackbox Games wanted to be sure that their own staff assigned to the game was comfortable working with that material. “We made sure folks who were working on the title were comfortable working on the title,” said Bilder, who also noted that the sensitivity level of the work varied over different areas of the game’s development.
We had the opportunity to play a couple of sample rounds of the games during the preview and the same fun of your everyday Jackbox game is there with questions that sometimes make you say, “Wow, they went there?”
The Jackbox Naughty Pack releases on September 12 on Steam via the Jackbox Picker, Xbox, Playstation and the Nintendo Switch. Expect a full review to come in a few weeks, but prepare for a game that may give your dirty mind a run for its money.
In the competitive world of online streaming and content creation, standing out and making money requires strategic planning and relentless effort.
Streaming has become a viable way to make money and turn a passion for gaming into a profitable endeavour. But it takes time and effort, and it can be really hard work for the streamer. Platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Kick, and TikTok offer a variety of methods to monetize content and build a following. Simply publishing content and live streaming every day doesn’t guarantee success. Below, we look at seven tips and steps to take to help explode your viewer figures and earnings.
Pick A Popular Niche That Isn’t Overly Competitive
The list of most-viewed games on Twitch and YouTube consistently includes games like Grand Theft Auto V, League of Legends, and Valorant. These games are hugely popular with viewers, but their ongoing popularity also means they are popular with streamers. The competition for views is huge, and new streamers, especially, can struggle to get eyes on their content. Research niches, find something you like, and try to stay away from overly competitive channels.
There are active audiences for most genres as well as first-person shooters and online multiplayer games. Show off your speed runs on arcade titles or help others with strategy guides for RPGs. Share your performance on casinos and sites like stake.com. Sports betting specialist Jonathan Askew points to the wide range of games that these sites have available, and not only does this benefit players, but it gives streamers a chance to offer diverse content, too.
Choose Your Content Type
Video game streaming is popular because viewers can pick up tips, watch interactions, and see other players play the games. But streaming is just one possible content format you can use. Other content types include:
Reviews – New games come out on mobile, game consoles, PC, VR headsets, and in other formats every day. Stick close to your niche and review new titles as they launch. You can include in-game footage of your endeavours highlighting your personal opinions.
News – Game news is very popular with gamers in every genre and on every platform. Let your viewers know when your favorite title is releasing an update, or even if a player has just posted a new speed run time for others to beat.
Tournaments – Esports is a booming industry, with teams like FaZe Clan and Team Liquid bringing in viewers from around the world. And you can find tournaments for the most popular games. If you can’t find a tournament, set one up yourself. You could even invite viewers to take part or get other streamers involved as a way to attract new viewers from other channels.
Highlights – Streaming requires a massive commitment with the most popular streamers posting tens of hours of content every week. Not everybody has the time to commit to creating and publishing that much content, but you can still make money posting in-game footage by putting together highlight reels and posting a few shorter videos several times a week.
Experiment With Platforms
There are a ton of streaming and content-sharing platforms available. Twitch is great for live streaming, YouTube for sharing videos of recorded footage, and TikTok is the perfect platform for sharing short clips that are funny or informative. The best platform for you will depend on the type of content you create as well as the audience you’re looking to attract.
Some of the most successful streamers are those that break the mould. Just because YouTube streaming doesn’t work for everybody doesn’t mean you can’t make it a success. Experiment with different platforms to see which brings you the most viewers and revenue.
Repurpose Your Content
Repurposing your content is a great way to optimize earnings from your gaming sessions. If you live stream five hours of your most recent Rocket League matches on Twitch, condense that down into four 20-minute videos to share on YouTube. Clip some of the funniest moments or your best goals and share these on TikTok. Don’t forget to link between your accounts to get your numbers up on all the platforms.
Use A Variety Of Monetization Methods
Getting viewers might be your immediate goal, but your ultimate goal is to make a profit. There are various ways to monetize your content, including the following:
Donations – Most streaming platforms, including Twitch, have a donate button that allows viewers to donate money to the channels they view. Donations can be taken in fiat or cryptocurrency, while some platforms use other methods. Tips can be good for the income of novice streamers, but they typically only make up a small portion of experienced streamers’ income.
Subscriptions – Subscriptions mean regular revenue from viewers. You will need to post regular, high-quality content to attract subscribers and keep them, but it is worth the effort. Subscriptions can form the basis for content creation revenue.
Ad Revenue – Platforms like YouTube embed video ads in content, and the content creator typically gets just over half of this amount. You do have some degree of control over the ads that are shown and how often they are shown, but the platform has the ultimate say in this.
Sponsorships – Once you have viewers, sponsored posts and in-post sponsorships can add a serious revenue stream to your content production. Make sure you negotiate every sponsorship deal that comes in not only to ensure you make a decent profit from the deal but also to ensure that the sponsorship is in line with your brand and channel values.
Affiliate Sales – With affiliate sales, you make a portion of sales when viewers click through links you post or use a promo code you provide in videos. You can even add QR codes to your streams to make it easier for viewers to follow the link and earn you revenue.
Launch Your Own Merch – Once you have a serious following and a large audience, you can create and sell your own merchandise. You don’t have to pay to have hundreds of items produced, either, as there are services that manufacture on a per-sale basis.
Engage, Engage, Engage
The most successful streamers and content creators are those that engage with the audience. It makes viewers feel like part of the channel, which not only keeps them coming back, but it means they are invested in your success. They will be more likely to click links, scan QR codes, and even promote your content for you.
Engage in live streams by thanking new subscribers. Engage in comments on your videos. Claim your social media profiles, and engage with viewers on these channels, too.
Be Consistent And Persistent
The early days of content sharing can be very difficult. Recording footage, editing, and uploading one hour of content can take several hours, and if you want the greatest chance of success, you need to post this kind of content regularly. You will also need to put in extra work to promote your channel, agree deals with sponsors, and engage with your audience. That time commitment is one of the reasons that many unprepared content creators suffer burnout.
Create a schedule that you can stick to, and then post consistently. And remember that persistence really does pay off. You might not make any money for the first few months, and when you do start to earn a few dollars, it will feel like a slow trickle, but you need a trickle for it to turn into a torrent.
After recent confirmation that Indiana Jones and The Great Circle would be Xbox console exclusive, Xbox Head Phil Spencer explains why it’s now coming to PS5 after Xbox.
On Tuesday, Xbox confirmed that Indiana Jones and The Great Circle would no longer be an Xbox console exclusive, and it would be coming out on the PlayStation 5 platform. This is after the Xbox Head, Phil Spencer himself, said on an Xbox podcast episode back on February 15 that the title would be an Xbox exclusive. On that same podcast, Spencer revealed other Xbox-developed titles would come to the PlayStation platform, leaving Indy as an Xbox exclusive. Today, on a stream at Gamescom 2024, Phil Spencer backtracked Xbox exclusivity when asked to comment on the PS5 release announcement.
Phil Spencer said, “Going to the PlayStation announcement, obviously, last spring we launched four games – two of them on the Switch, four of them on PlayStation – and we said we were going to learn,” continuing with, “I think at the showcase I might have said that from our learning, we’re going to do more” regarding the PS5 Indiana Jones announcement. That announcement can be seen below, courtesy of Bethesda.
Phil Spencer explains that the gaming industry’s pressure, including the obscene amount of layoffs that have happened since the beginning of 2024, has forced gaming companies to run more like “a business.” Spencer then says, “I think for us as fans and players of games, we just have to anticipate there’s going to be more change in how some of the more traditional ways that games were built and distributed – that’s going to change for all of us” concluding with “But the end result needs to be better games that more people can play. If we’re not focused on that, we’re focused on the wrong things.”
Phil Spencer said:
They learned from the first 4 games. They run a business and player numbers on Xbox are higher than ever. The industry is under pressure and it will be change for all of us. pic.twitter.com/qc2tGZQzSS
Overall, Xbox appears to be rethinking its strategy when it comes to console-exclusive releases, even when it comes to titles they’ve previously announced as Xbox console-exclusive, in favour of an approach to make games more accessible by launching them on as many platforms as possible which echoes the “every screen is an Xbox” statement made by Sarah Bond also ironically on February 15, the same day Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was announced as Xbox exclusive.
Yesterday at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Peter Molyneux announced a new game, and today he confirmed that Masters of Albion will be set in the same world as Fable.
Gamescom ONL 2024 was filled with surprises and new announcements, probably none more surprising than the co-creator of the Fable franchise, Peter Molyneux, taking the stage to announce Masters of Albion. This new “open world god game” is being made by a small team of creators (including Mark Healy, Russell Shaw, and Iain Wright), with Molyneux himself scorning his past decision to move to mobile development, saying, “After messing around on mobile — what the hell was I doing? — I thought to myself, ‘I need to come home to PC and console,” after developing Godus with 22cans.
Molyneux’s return to PC and console development has been expanded on today in a new interview with IGN, suggesting the new title doesn’t just share a name with the world the Fable universe is set in. It is indeed the same world. Molyneux first explains the basic gameplay loop of Masters of Albion, saying, “We’ve got this very simple mechanic where by day everything’s peaceful, you can explore, you can plan, you can build, you can create,” with “And then by night, everything will attack everything you own” similar to Team17’s Gorn.
However, Molyneux then drops the bombshell that Masters of Albion and Fable are both set in Albion, clarifying with “But it’s not actually Fable 5 or anything like that,” with “But if you’ve played Fable, then definitely Masters of Albion will be familiar to you. One of the things that we have got, and we absolutely wanted a nail, was the humour. I think in the Fable games, it’s not so much about telling jokes, it’s more about giving you, the player, the ability to do ridiculous and funny things.” He refers to Albion as an old name for England and Wales, suggesting that no companies can copyright the name of a country.
It’s worth mentioning that Peter Molyneux has made promises regarding game development that have not come to fruition, like the social experimental game Curiosity, which was intended to let the winner be a god in his previous god title, as recorded by Eurogamer. The winner of Curiosity, Bryan Henderson, didn’t attain any winnings because Godus was not profitable, and being the god of the universe never happened as Molyneux suggested it would.
While Molyneux says Masters of Albion will be a hybrid between the Fable we knew and god games like Black&White, fans should temper their expectations until more is shown regarding this ambitious title.
Another summer of gaming wraps up with the Gamescom ONL 2024. The largest international gaming event kicked off in Cologne, Germany, with beloved industry figure Geoff Keighly taking to the stage to announce some new games, including Borderlands 4 and new looks at already announced titles. Here’s everything that was announced at Gamescom ONL 2024!
Borderlands 4
The latest installment in the Borderlands franchise, premiered at Gamescom ONL 2024, showcased a wild, reality-bending trailer, promising more looting and shooting. While no specific release date for Borderlands 4 was provided, the game is tentatively scheduled for 2025..
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Players got an extended look at the new campaign mode for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 during ONL 2024,which featured a mixture of action and espionage. Players can also join in chat as creators get hands‑on gameplay experience with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at this year’s Call of Duty NEXT. on Aug 28th, 2024
Goat Simulator Remastered
Revealed at Gamescom ONL 2024, the remaster of the original Goat Simulator offers gamers a unique blend of video game tropes and gags. While no official release date was announced, Goat Simulator Remastered is set to arrive in 2024.
Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis / The Answer
During Gamescom’s Opening Night Live 2024, ATLUS announced that a special challenge battle will be added to Persona 3 Reload next month as part of Episode Aigis -The Answer-. This final content release for the Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass is set to launch on Sept. 10, 2024.
Dying Light: The Beast
Techland announced Dying Light: The Beast During Gamescom ONL 2024, an 18-plus-hour standalone zombie adventure set in the post-apocalyptic Castor Woods. Later this year, Techland plans to reveal more details, including the release date.
Black Myth Wukong
The official launch trailer for Black Myth Wukong was shown off at Gamescom ONL 2024. Showcasing much of the game’s intense soulslike action. Black Myth Wukong releases Aug 20th 2024 ,you can check out our review of the game here.
Dragonball: Sparking Zero
At Gamescom ONL 2024, a new trailer for the highly anticipated Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO showcased more of the story mode and action, introducing the main protagonists of the Buu Saga, Ultimate Gohan and Super Buu, to the expansive roster of 163 characters. Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is set to release on Oct. 11, 2024.
King of Meat
In a bizarre turn of events, Geoff Keighley was transported into the world of King of Meat during a segment of ONL 2024, where players can create their own dungeons and compete with others for ultimate bragging rights. No release date has been set for King of Meat.
Lynked: Banner of the Spark
Fuzzybot debuted the reveal trailer for their combination dungeon-crawler and town-builder, Lynked: Banner of the Spark. The game will release in Early Access on Oct. 22, 2024.
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
Gamers received an extended look at the upcoming narrative experience from DON’T NOD during Gamescom ONL 2024, which highlighted the emotional and surreal journey of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage.
No More Room In Hell 2
Next at the ONL 2024 showcase, a new gameplay trailer for No More Room in Hell 2 highlighted the game’s approach to cinematic horror, featuring unique stealth mechanics and haunting new map areas. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, this co-op game with consequences is set to enter Early Access on PC this Halloween.
Arc Raiders
At Gamescom ONL 2024, Embark Studios broke the silence on ARC Raiders—the upcoming PvPvE third-person action-survival shooter—via a brand new trailer announcing the game’s launch in 2025, along with a playtest this fall. ARC Raiders will launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2025.
Infinity Nikki
A new trailer for Infinity Nikki, the latest installment of the beloved Nikki series, debuted today at Gamescom’s ONL 2024. Registration for Infinity Nikki’s global Closed Beta Test and mobile pre-registration are open now.
Predecessor
Revealed at Gamescom ONL 2024, Omeda Studios has built upon Paragon‘s existing visual assets, overhauling the game’s maps, gameplay mechanics, characters, and more to create something new and improved that stays true to the heart of Paragon. Predecessor is available for free download on PC, PS4/5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Path of Exile II
Path of Exile 2 is a next-generation free-to-play Action RPG from Grinding Gear Games, featuring co-op for up to six players. Excited players will get to experience the Early Access release of the game on Nov 15th, 2024.
Dune Awakening
At Gamescom ONL 2024, players got an extended look at the extensive gameplay and RPG mechanics of Dune: Awakening. Highlighting the game’s unique combat mechanics, crafting system, and intense survival elements, Dune: Awakening is set to be released in early 2025.
REANIMAL
A horrific new look at the newest game from Little Nightmare creator Tarsier Studios. Featuring similar gameplay and equally terrifying enemies. No release date was set for REANIMAL.
Genshin Impact
The widely popular MMORPG Genshin Impact showed up at Gamescom ONL 2024 to show off the newest area: Natlan, as well its release on Xbox Series X/S coming Nov 20th, 2024
Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom took to the stage at Gamescom OLN 2024 to show off new monsters, gameplay, a small glimpse of the new HUB area—and, of course, a new meat-cooking animation! Monster Hunter Wilds will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows in 2025.
Naraka Bladepoint X Tomb Raider
Lara Croft is coming to Naraka Bladpointas an exclusive outfit for Matari. The DLC will be available on Aug 28th, 2024.
Fatal Fury City of the Wolves
A new look at the iconic Mia Shiranui both in combat and in her iconic outfit. FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves will be released on April 24, 2025, on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
Mecha Break
Amazing Seasun Games just revealed Mecha BREAK’s newest trailer, plus a few important updates. Additionally, Mecha BREAK’s first-ever Xbox Closed Beta test will be live from August 25-27.
Monument Valley III
The newest installment to the acclaimed Monument Valley series, which looks to feature more artistry and even more mind-bending puzzles. Monument Valley III will be released exclusively on Netflix Games on Dec 10th, 2024.
Civilization VII
Firaxis’ Ed Beach took to the stage to discuss what makes CivilizationVIII so special, saying it’s the biggest and most ambitious Civilization to date. The gameplay shown demonstrates a much more expansive and active game than its predecessors. The game will be released on February 11th, 2025.
Starfield
The newest addition to Starfield, the Rev-8, is an all-terrain vehicle (quite literally). This free update came in addition to a small glimpse of the Shattered Space DLC, which will be released on September 30th, 2024.
Marvel Rivals
Showcasing two new heroes, Marvel Rivals showed off gameplay for Captain America and The Winter Soldier to their upcoming hero shooter. The latest map, the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, was also unveiled. Marvel Rivals launches on Dec 6th, 2024.
Secret Level
A new anthology series from the creators of Love Death and Robots based on several video games such as Sifu, Megaman, Concord, and more. Secret Level comes to Prime Video on Dec 10th, 2024.
Age of Mythology Retold
Developed by World’s Edge and Forgotten Empires and published by Xbox Game Studios, Age of Mythology Retold is a remastered version of the original Age of Mythology. It will be released on September 4th, 2024.
Towerborn
The upcoming free-to-play side-scrolling action-adventure game developed by Stoic and published by Xbox Game Studios. While no release date was given, players can expect it in 2025.
Kingdom Come Deliverance II
Gamers got an extended look at the gameplay for Kingdom Come Deliverance. The game also recieved an official release date of Feb 11th, 2025.
Zenless Zone Zero
Hoyoverse debuted the newest area to the intense ARPG Zenless ZoneZero: New Eridu showcasing the new cityscapes, monsters and combat. No release date was set for the latest expansion.
Honkai Star Rail Chapter
Hoyoverse announced the “Tales of the Luofu: A New Chapter” for Honkai Star Rail, featuring the forthcoming character Feixiao, a formidable female warrior from the Xianzhou Yaoqing, set to become playable in version 2.5. Additionally, new details about the exciting collaboration with the Fate/Stay Night anime have been revealed.
Batman Arkham Shadow
Gamers got their first look at the gameplay for Batman Arkham Shadow, the newest VR experience where players can really feel like Batman. Featuring a mixture of combat, gadget use, and investigation, Batman Arkham Shadow will be released for Meta Quest 3 in October 2024.
Little Nightmares III
Supermassive Games showed off more of the cooperative gameplay for Little Nightmares III, featuring some mild combat and the physics-based puzzle-solving fans have come to love from the series. Little Nightmares III will launch on PC and consoles in 2025.
Herdling
Announced today at Gamescom ONL 2024, Okomotive announced Herdling, where players shepard a mysterious herd of animal companions while exploring gorgeous landscapes in this single-player adventure. Herdling will be released in 2025 on PC and consoles.
Masters of Albion
In a surprise announcement at Gamescom ONL 2024, Masters of Albion was revealed as a combination of world crafting and third-person combat. The game allows players to create almost everything, often with hilarious results. During the day, players will craft their idyllic fantasy town, and at night, defend it from monstrous creatures. No release date has been set for Masters of Albion.
Squid Game Unleashed
In what looks like Fall Guys meets the critically acclaimed show, Squid Game Unleased pits players against each other in deadly games, both new and familiar. Players can play it “soon” on the Netflix App; however, no official release date was set.
Unkown9 Awakening
Developed by Reflector Entertainment and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc., Unkown 9 Awakening is an action-adventure game that mysteriously twists a journey to find powerful knowledge hidden within the Fold. The game will launch on October 18th, 2024.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
The upcoming DLC for Diablo 4 showed off the new Mercenary companions as well as the Spiritborn class. Brent Gibson took to the stage to talk a bit about the Mercenary companions as well as two new dungeons coming to the Vessel of Hatred DLC—the DLC launches Oct 8th, 2024.
The First Berserker: Khazan
NEXON and Neople released a brand-new cinematic and gameplay trailer for The First Berserker: Khazanat Gamescom ONL 2024. The trailer focuses on the title’s intense battle scenes and storyline. The game will be launching in early 2025 for Windows PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S
ARA History Untold
Ara: History Untold delivers an evolution in turn-based historical grand strategy, where player choices will define the world you create, your experience, and your legacy. The game will be released on September 24th, 2024.
Delta Force
The Gamescom ONL 2024 trailer showcases the new extraction map Brakkesh, and the weapons arsenal. During the trailer, Team Jade also announced that they updated the name of the game simply to Delta Force. Ahead of early access, players can expect Delta Force at Steam Next Fest in October with new reveals and gameplay details.
Dark and Darker Mobile
The unforgiving hardcore fantasy FPS dungeon PvPvE adventure from IRONMACE comes to mobile with pre-registration starting now.
Floatopia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9gLtSRnyWQ
showcased at Gamescom ONL 2024, NetEase’s upcoming game combines all the beloved elements of life simulation games—farming, fishing, logging, and decorating your dream home. Players can enter a whimsical world filled with toys, travel, superpowers, and floating islands. Here, you can enjoy a carefree vacation where you can relax, daydream, and fill your days with fantasy and laughter. Floatopia will launch on all consoles in 2025.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Taking to the Gamescom OLN 2024 stage, players got to see a bit of Troy Baker’s performance as the iconic Indiana Jones, as well as an expanded look at the combination of action and exploration gameplay. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle releases Dec 9th, 2024 and will be released for PS5 in the Spring of 2025.
Mafia: The Old Country
Set in 1900s Sicily, Mafia: The Old Country goes back to the origins of the Mafia. Although little detail was shown for this reveal at Gamescom ONL 2024, work has begun on this project, which hopes to capture what players love about the Mafia franchise.
Blizzard has announced the global release of World of Warcraft: World Within, along with teasers for upcoming events to celebrate the anniversary and a new trailer for Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred.
Taking the stage at Gamescom 2024, Blizzard unveiled numerous details about the global release of World of Warcraft: World Within, teased anniversary events, and showcased a gameplay trailer for Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. Before diving into the news, here’s a breakdown of everything that has been announced!
World of Warcraft: World Within and Anniversary Celebration
The first announcement is the global release date for World of Warcraft: World Within, set for August 26, 2024, with early access available on August 22 for die-hard fans. To celebrate Warcraft‘s 30th anniversary, Blizzard will host a special event in October 2024, offering players the chance to earn in-game rewards. More details about the anniversary celebration will be shared later, with the first World of Warcraft Direct scheduled to go live toward the end of the year.
Attendees at Gamescom can also stop by the show floor for a VR experience, where they can enjoy the thrills of skydiving through Dalaran and experiencing the invasion of the fabled city—a thrilling and immersive adventure.
Overwatch joining the fun to celebrate Warcraft’s 30th Anniversary!
Overwatch 2 will be releasing a skin in celebration of the World of Warcraft anniversary. Releasing in September, Blizzard has shown a sneak peek of the upcoming skin for Widowmaker as she will be showing her allegiance to the Hordes as Sylvanas Windrunner.
But alongside the celebration of the World of Warcraft anniversary, Overwatch will be in a joint stand with Porsche to highlight their collaboration with a life-size D.Va statue modelled after the all-electric Macan and a real-life rendition of an iconic map that fans can enter.
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred – The Mercenaries reveal trailer
With Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred releasing on October 8th, 2024, Blizzard has shared the Mercenaries trailer to introduce the new characters to fight alongside you and highlight the latest features.
From the trailer, you fight alongside Guardian, Redemption, Vengeance, and Rage in a group called Pale Hand against the hordes of enemies in a team and never alone. The mercenaries are nothing but ordinary characters with remarkable skills, as they can be hired to fight alongside you in Hell. Not only can you fight alongside a mercenary, but you will be exploring a new multistage dungeon called The Kurast Undercity and a new co-op PvE dungeon called The Dark Citadel. Lastly, those who pre-purchase the expansion pack will instantly unlock the new Demon Wings cosmetic and receive a one-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
With everything announced from Blizzard at Gamescom 2024, are you excited about the upcoming events and expansions?
Peter Molyneux appeared at Gamescom 2024’s Opening Night Live to reveal Masters of Albion, a project he’s been quietly working on for the last six years with a small team.
“After messing around on mobile — what the hell was I doing? — I thought to myself, ‘I need to come home to PC and console,” Molyneux explained.
Not only is he returning to consoles, but he’s also enlisted some veteran collaborators among the 20-person team behind Masters of Albion. Molyneux specifically mentioned Mark Healy, Russell Shaw, and Iain Wright, who worked with him on classics like Fable, Black & White, and Dungeon Keeper.
Monsters of Albion tasks players with building up a settlement called Oakridge. During the day, players will gather resources, earn money, and building the town up; during the night, they must defend it from monsters. In the process, players can design anything from the town’s buildings to the clothing and diets of the villagers, using a “god mode” hand.
“There is a strategy behind every creation,” Molyneux teased.
God mode isn’t the only way to play Masters of Albion. Characters can be “possessed,” changing the perspective to third-person so the monsters can be fought on the spot. Should that prove overwhelming, players can return to god mode and drop some divine fury.
From this brief overview, Masters of Albion seems to have the usual Molyneux humour and character. Through the design process, it’s possible to make swords out of bread, for example, while at one point, the god mode cursor picks up a random, hapless villager and drops them out of the sky for a laugh. There’s a little bit of everything from (the better part of) his corpus on display, right down to the god mode of Godus.
Time will tell where this new project leads, but for now, Molyneux is writing some modest cheques for Masters of Albion, which should prove easier to cash than some of the other projects he’s overhyped over the years. (And no, this does not immediately appear to be connected to the Fable games, which previously took place in a setting of the same name.)
Executive producer and leather jacket aficionado Todd Howard has long wanted to make an Indiana Jones game. In partnering for it with MachineGames, who, given their work on the new, mostly critically acclaimed, batch of Wolfenstein shooters, have experience in Indy’s favourite pastime, punching Nazis, it would seem that Howard has picked the right people for the right job. And, yet, even after attending an hour-long digital event for what has been titled Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, I am still unsure that giving the reins to MachineGames was the best call to make. But, before I go more in detail with my impressions, let me give the rundown of what was presented to me.
Days before its showing at gamescom ONL 2024, I was fortunate enough to attend an online preview for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle led by game director Jerk Gustaffson and creative director Axel Torvenius. Half of this preview consisted of a gameplay presentation, which will also be shown on the show floor during gamescom, whereas the other was dedicated to a Q&A session with the two.
The presentation began with a montage of footage edited together from previous trailers, upon which Gustaffson and Torvenius revealed the first concept art created for the title. They said that they and their team knew from the get-go that they wanted the player to visit major sites like the Vatican and the Himalayas and that they wanted to include Gina Lombardi, a wholly original companion for Indy.
The overall goal behind Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, they continued, was to ‘strive to make the gameplay experience as authentic as possible and to make something that will evoke a sense of curiosity.’ As an example of how to best do so, they spoke about how the team at MachineGames looked at drawings and renditions of Thai landmarks such as Wat Si Sawai from around 1937 – the year that The Great Circle was set. Nevertheless, they also created their own points of interest, such as temples meant to host numerous well-guarded secrets.
“The overall goal behind Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was to ‘strive to make the gameplay experience as authentic as possible and to make something that will evoke a sense of curiosity.'”
Next, I was shown gameplay from the main chamber of, presumably, one of the said temples. At this unspecified point in the story, Indy had just gotten his hands on what I think was a statue of the Egyptian goddess of war, Sekhmet. He then proceeded to break this statue to acquire the next clue necessary for his adventure.
Upon doing so, however, the temple started to crumble, and the chamber he found himself in was rapidly filling up with quicksand. Following this turn of events, the HUD appeared on screen, showing Indy’s stamina bar and the icons for a whip and a pistol, the latter two being part of Indy’s trusty arsenal. Gustafsson and Torvenius had mentioned before that the whip could be used in both traversal and combat, but this was my first time seeing Indy use it to orchestrate a dashing escape.
The next scene I was made privy to flung me back to the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s story, which starts one fateful night in 1937. After falling asleep at his desk inside Marshall College in Boston, Indy was unceremoniously woken up by an intimidating man who proceeded to rob the museum college of a priceless relic. This event sets the stage for a grand conspiracy which features Indy’s main rival, one Emmerich Voss, a Nazi psychologist who is plundering sites around the globe in search of mysterious artifacts.
To help in the fight against Voss, MachineGames emphasized that players must employ Indy’s resourcefulness and, therefore, find clever ways to deploy each of the hero’s many tools. Take the camera, for one, which can be used to snap photos, which will, in turn, reveal clues and insights. These clues and insights are used to inform Indy’s personal journal, which is blank at the start of the game but will eventually contain the records of his adventure.
After demonstrating the journal and the camera, MachineGames returned to the whip, which they described as “the most important tool in Indy’s Arsenal.” The subsequent clip showed Indy in a temple picking up a nearby trident and then throwing it at a nearby cliff, creating a swing. With the trident firmly affixed to the cliff and his whip in hand, Indy was able to use the swing to cross a dangerous chasm.
In the next segment, it was time for a showing of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s combat system. The directing duo made it very clear here that the key to the game’s combat lies in deciding whether to ‘outsmart or overpower’ Indy’s enemies. This being said stealth is possible and perhaps the first option to consider in most cases. ‘What we’ve tried to do is make sure that you understand that there are stealth options,’ Gustafsson said when asked about approaches in combat. ‘It is stealth, the hand-to-hand and the whip that are the go-to’, he stated.
“The transition from Wolfenstein to Indiana Jones was described by MachineGames as a ‘big step’ and their ‘biggest project yet.'”
Fittingly, I then got to see a bit of stealth in a passage of play that had Indy infiltrate the Vatican. To do so, he wore a clerical outfit as his disguise and carefully evaded the gaze of patrolling guards. Moments later, in a different combat encounter entirely, I saw Indy pick up and throw bottles to distract his enemies, eventually subduing them while remaining completely unnoticed.
Moving on from the Vatican, the final piece of footage I got to see was of Indy engaged in a series of fights inside and around the Great Pyramid of Giza. These fights showcased that not only is Indy able to throw combos and whip his enemies, but also that he is capable of using whatever he finds in the environment: sticks, bricks, barrels, etc., to gain the upper hand.
Something that I haven’t mentioned yet, and that changed the tide of a fight that I was shown, is the fact that Indy also has an array of unlockable abilities. The one ability MachineGames showcased was called “True Grit”, which essentially allowed Indy to restore a modicum of health and continue the fight, even though his health bar has just previously been depleted.
MachineGames elaborated that “True Grit” and other abilities can be unlocked using “adventure points,” which the player can earn by taking part in activities such as snapping camera photos and completing optional missions. Gustaffson and Torvenius were coy about giving more details about these optional missions other than suggesting that some locations are more open than others, which would allow players to deviate from the golden path.
The Giza scenario concluded the gameplay portion of the presentation, which was followed by a series of questions from fellow journalists and me. To quickly summarize some of the more salient points covered here, I’ll suffice to write that Gustaffsson and Torvenius spoke about the transition from Wolfenstein as being a “big step” for MachineGames and that The Great Circle, which they confirmed is still slated for this year, is ‘by far the biggest’ project for them yet.
Lastly, and more interestingly to me, when asked whether they ever considered making Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in the third person, Gustafsson responded that ‘first person was the obvious choice for us’ and that it represented something ‘very important for us and for the way we make games in general.’
This last quote by Gustafsson strongly indicates to me that MachineGames is sticking to their guns and to what they do best, which would be rather commendable if it didn’t make me nervous for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. This is because, ultimately, I’m not convinced that an unabashedly MachineGames title is a right fit for a franchise like Indiana Jones. To be clear, everything I’ve been shown at this digital event suggests that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be a great entry in the studio’s portfolio, but I am unsure whether or not it will prove to be the kind of game that the typical Indiana Jones fan expects.
“As of right now, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle seems like a gamble, especially at a time when both the storied franchise and Xbox Studios are looking for a surefire hit.”
Speaking for myself, when I think about Indiana Jones video games, I think first and foremost about Emperor’s Tomb, which was created with an entirely different set of guiding principles than Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I suppose, then, that the million-dollar question here is: will players, myself included, accept a different kind of Indy experience? Even after a lengthy preview, I’m still not sure that the answer is a definitive yes. As of right now, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle seems like a gamble, especially at a time when both the storied franchise and Xbox Studies are looking for a surefire hit.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to release on Dec 9, 2024 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Steam. Available day one for Game Pass subscribers. A Playstation release was also announced today, for spring 2025.
Prime Video Announced at gamescom ONL that they are set to launch Secret Level, an anthology series that brings life to some of the gaming world’s most beloved titles.
Secret Level, created by Tim Miller of Love, Death & Robotsfame, promises to bring some of gaming’s most beloved titles to life in a fresh and innovative way. The series, set to premiere on Oct. 6, will feature a collection of animated shorts based on popular video games. The selected games were chosen for their unique art styles and compelling narratives, which are expected to be beautifully translated into animated form.
Below is the incredible list of games that inspired the 15 epic stories found in Secret Level.
● Armored Core
● Concord
● Crossfire
● Dungeons & Dragons
● Exodus
● Honor of Kings
● Mega Man
● New World: Aeternum
● PAC-MAN
● PlayStation (Highlighting various PlayStation Studios beloved entities)
● Sifu
● Spelunky
● The Outer Worlds
● Unreal Tournament
● Warhammer 40,000
While brief, the trailer for Secret Level, revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live, offers an exciting preview of the visual feast awaiting viewers. Each short seems to capture the essence of its source material while adding a new layer of depth through animation. From the whimsical, hand-drawn style of Cuphead to the more realistic renderings of other games, the variety on display is impressive.
Much like Love, Death & Robots, Secret Level distinguishes itself with its commitment to preserving each game’s unique qualities while exploring new storytelling possibilities. The anthology format allows for a range of tones and styles, reflecting the diversity of the indie game scene. This ambitious project aims to bridge the gap between interactive and passive entertainment, potentially introducing these beloved games to a whole new audience.
It’s great to see Tim Miller at the helm. Known for his work on Deadpool and the aforementioned Love, Death & Robots, he brings a level of talent to the project that signals the quality viewers can likely expect from Secret Level. The series has the potential to become a new favourite for fans of adult animation and a must-watch for gamers eager to see their favourite titles brought to life in a new medium.
While the final product is yet to be seen, Secret Level already appears to be a unique addition to Prime Video’s lineup, promising to take viewers on an unforgettable journey through some of gaming’s most imaginative worlds.
Creative Director Ed Beach took to the stage at Gamescom 2024’s Opening Night Live to pull back the curtain on Civilization VII today, promising an ambitious new installment in the beloved strategy franchise. We also got some details on the launch, including a release date and platforms.
Previously announced (earlier than planned) at Summer Game Fest, Beach called Civilization VII the “biggest, most ambitious game Firaxis has ever made”—which is certainly a huge claim. This new installment offers a gorgeous new art style and new gameplay features “designed to immerse you in your own journey through history.”
Beach announced that Civilization VII will launch February 11, 2025 on all major platforms. This is huge news for fans of the series’ console iterations, as traditionally Civilization has been a PC-first franchise.
A first-look trailer celebrated the series’ roots with quick callbacks to previous games, including the 1991 original and (personal fave) Civilization IV. Narration from series creator Sid Meier recalls the premise that originally inspired them: “let’s put the entire history of the world into a game, and make it fun.”
From this first glance, Civilization VII promises all of the elements that fans will expect, showing glances at the various eras through early history to the nuclear age. The art style looks very classic, whether it’s the tiny buildings sprouting up and evolving, to tiny workers darting across a map, to the interpretations of Caesar and Cleopatra bickering.
After the tremendous success of Civilization VI, Firaxis certainly has big shoes to fill. The storied studio is hosting an additional gameplay showcase after Opening Night Live, where they will also announce the game’s new narrator—a prestigious role previously performed by Leonard Nemoy and Sean Bean.
Civilization VII will arrive February 11, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.
Funcom has unveiled Dune: Awakening, showcasing the beloved world and the gameplay players can expect in the survival MMO, which is expected to be released in 2025.
Fans of the Dune franchise can rejoice as more details about Dune: Awakening have been revealed in a new trailer. The release date is set for early 2025, with the console version to follow later. An exclusive five-minute gameplay trailer was showcased at gamescom 2024, featuring characters crash-landing in the desert and fighting to survive the harsh environment.
From the Dune: Awakening trailer, we learn three rules we must follow. The first rule is to survive, as the sun is scorching hot in the desert and avoid being attacked by colossal sandworms. The second rule is to expand your influence from combats, spice flow, building and upgrading bases, crafting vehicles, and trading as you develop your character as the Mentat, Trooper, Planetologist, Swordmaster, or Bene Gesserit. The final rule is to control the spice to hold the powers as guild intrigue and warfare rage, as you will need to join a guild to align with House Harkonnen or Atreides and clash against other guilds involving vehicles, tech, and specialized combatants.
Funcom is working closely with Herbert Estate and Legendary. Awakening is set in an alternative history where Paul Atreides was never born. As it takes place in its own universe, the players will have the chance to put Arrakis’ future in their own hands.
With the five-minute gameplay of Dune: Awakening being revealed at gamescom 2024, many content creators, including Sacriel, Alphacast, and Mowky, will livestream an extended 30-minute presentation over the next few days. Alongside the extended presentation, journalists and creators will have the chance to play the Dune: Awakening demo behind closed doors to share their impressions with the public.
As the exclusive gameplay was showcased during gamescom 2024, the third Dune: Awakening Direct will air on August 29. Soe Gschwind returns as the host and will present more gameplay and details.
As of now, Dune: Awakening will be launched on PC in early 2025 and will arrive on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S at a later date. In the meantime, be sure to wishlist the game on PC and console, with a chance to enter the closed Beta by signing up on the official website.
If you’re like me, you have watched a challenge gameshow and thought, “I could do that!” Gameshows like Ninja Warrior, Takeda’s Castle, or Spike TV’s Most Extreme Elimination Challenge instantly come to mind as these types of entertainment, with obstacles ranging from the absurd to incredibly challenging stunts, and some even doubling as true feats of strength and daring. That’s exactly what Amazon Games and Glowmade have in store for fans in King of Meat.
King of Meat drags contestants to the world of Loregok, where the biggest obsession is the obstacle-laden game show, King of Meat, and it’s up to you, the contestant, to stay interesting enough to keep the crowd raging. This game show is brought to audiences everywhere by Amazon and Glowmade. It puts a spotlight on the entertainment aspect of the show, allowing fans to build their very own dungeon challenges, compete in countless arenas, and win glory in front of the masses of Loregok. Think SmashTV, but with a lot more smashing.
“In King of Meat it’s up to you to be as interesting as possible for the masses of Loregok or die trying.”
In King of Meat it’s up to you to be as interesting as possible for the masses of Loregok or die trying. Afterall, combatants are revered as celebrities here, and entertainment is paramount to everything everyone does. King of Meat doesn’t appear as a gameshow as much as a religion for Loregok. Everyone here is a carnivore and equally ravenous. After exploring a bit of the hub world (AKA The Iron Law Plaza), three combatants and I — dressed in equally as zany costumes, I sported a particularly angry Eagle head — dove straight into the Meat.
In King of Meat, starting a match or challenge run is simple, and a small loading screen reminiscent of a Gears of War multiplayer map voting appears. On this screen, members of your troupe get a choice to vote for the next challenge arena your party is going up against, and popularity numbers are shown. These can range from challenging platforming sequences to battling many creatures that swarm the battlefield and everything in between. Aside from the boundaries that keep contestants caged in the fray, there are (almost) no rules in King of Meat, but having a good time is paramount for the audience.
The dungeon selection screen is incredibly varied and is populated by Glowmade creations. But the game developers have something else entirely in store for players: you will be able to build your own challenge dungeon runs. Although I did not get a chance to explore the building component of King of Meat, Glowmade has some members on board from Lionshead Studios, and drawing a bridge between the challenge dungeon builder components and the now cancelled Fable Legends announced in 2013 was easy.
That title provided gameplay where a villain (also controlled by the player) plays the style of 1 vs. 4. You want to make a fun experience as a Dungeon Master of sorts (the builder IS the villain in King of Meat), and like a solid Super Mario Maker level, you want the celebrity contestants to fall to your challenging wit. This is reality TV at its finest.
As a celebrity contestant in King of Meat, the name of the game is to line your pockets with treasure while making it to the end without losing all your team’s lives. That’s right, teamwork does make the dream work in Loregok. Your four team members have to share four communal lives, and if all lives are lost, it results in failure and boos, and worst of all, no glory. Dungeons are loaded with hazards ranging from skillful sequences to fundamentally destructive. After we chose a dungeon that looked particularly heinous, our courageous party members dove in with reckless abandon for glory.
This Komstruct Koliseum (the fancy name for arenas) was filled with levers and exploding barrels. While traipsing the landscape, pulling the levers and exploding boxes jammed in the level’s gears were key to moving forward through the dungeon. The Koliseum, this time around, featured many spiky floors, spinning platforms, timed barrel explosives and enemies attempting to shorten your life. One thing is for certain, King of Meat goes heavy on the chaos. While each stage was incredibly varied, Glowmade’s dungeon designs in this pre-alpha stage are inspired and fun to tackle. King of Meat was created by people who wanted to play King of Meat, and it shows.
“One thing is certain: Amazon Games and Glowmade have created a unique title with King of Meat.”
Speaking of, the entire world of Loregok is fleshed out excellently. Propaganda akin to the Fallout series litters the landscape in hopes celebrities would buy their products. In between game sessions, characterized loading screens pushing products like “Mom’s Spit” (minus the Hawk Tuah) to shine armour are shown, giving an extra layer of immersion in King of Meat.
One of these products, a meat phoenix contraption, operates as the title’s respawn mechanism. When you think of the phoenix, you probably think of it as glamorous or beautiful. This phoenix type is gross and sheathed in what one would imagine being born from a sardine tin would feel like. Everything in King of Meat is filled with character, and the developers are not afraid to go off the deep end.
Our fearless party continued to venture forth through the dungeon and happened upon a broken wall. In King of Meat secrets also litter the landscape like the wall chicken in Castlevania. Hitting walls does sometimes yield results and treasure beyond. The third person point of view in King of Meat is precisely what the doctor ordered and is the best option for this level of chaos.
Combatants have the typical fare of light and heavy attacks, with a sprint button and special attacks. When breaking items, defeating enemies in unique ways, or collecting treasure, a meter at the top of the screen acts as a multiplier. You can go from 1x which is like ‘Great’ all the way to 5x which says “YAAASSSS”. These multipliers allow you to earn more treasure per run, and dying or getting hit reduces the multiplier.
All these moving pieces combined amount to great chaotic fun. Going through each dungeon with a team of strangers assures you will leave with three new friends. Swarms of skeletons and challenging sequences will create a strong bond among celebrities, and during dungeon runs, we quickly found that deploying a gross burp called “Glory Attack” can send each other flying. While that was not its intention, constantly messing teammates up was a joy, adding another layer of unintentional fun to the mix. King of Meat doesn’t have a script, but it sure makes contestants think outside the box to have fun.
Another glory attack had a horse leg stomp out of seemingly nowhere, to which I thought out loud, “I’m glad that horse is on our side.” Glowmade appears to want fun and chaos to happen first and everything else second. Combatants are dolled out in customizable clothing options, ranging from the aforementioned giant eagle head to big robot arm gloves, meaning contestants will likely not look the same with the amount of character creation screen options.
The treasure you earn in the dungeon can provide you with a loaded coin purse to purchase more outfits for your avatar, assuring that your time spent entertaining the masses is well spent on zany outfits. Glowmade implores you to make an absolute abomination, and I answered the call.
One thing is certain: Amazon Games and Glowmade have created a unique title with King of Meat. The fun first—everything else second approach is readily apparent, as the developers appear to have made King of Meat with the notion of wanting to play exactly that. King of Meat is dripping with chaotic fun and antics that would make any TV producer glee with joy, and Glowmade may have a winner on their hands. Just make sure to bring sanitizer.
A new trailer for Infinity Nikki, the upcoming “whimsical open-world dress-up adventure” from Infold Games, was shown at Gamescom Opening Night Live—announcing that registration for its closed beta period is now open.
Originally debuted at PlayStation’s May State of Play, Infinity Nikki invites players to explore as the titular stylist and her feline sidekick Momo. Nikki can customize colourful outfits for each occasion that don’t only look stylish, but can be customized to enhance her abilities. There’s more to it than glamour, however, as it also offers cozy open-world exploration with platforming and puzzle-solving, overseen by The Legend of Zelda assistant director Kentaro Tominaga (who previously directed Breath of the Wild‘s Expansion Pass and sub-directed A Link Between Worlds and Twilight Princess).
To achieve her stylish ends, Nikki will harness the power of Whim, the source of all magic in the world of Miraland. Stylists use this power to style and craft sketches anytime, anywhere. These outfits include the Floating Outfit for leaping across ruins, or the Gliding Outfit for coasting over the landscape, while the Shrinking Outfit shrinks Nikki down so she can explore tiny, crystal-filled caverns.
The trailer showcased Infinity Nikki‘s cute side with a spritely musical number from the various adorable animals that live in Miraland. The world’s “coziest open-world game” also teased some of the grand adventures our heroine will embark upon, as she solves intricate puzzles and ward off the darkness the bubbles under the world’s adorable surface.
Registration for Infinity Nikki’s global Closed Beta Test and mobile pre-registration are open now. The official launch will feature text support for about a dozen languages and audio support for English, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese. The initial release is planned for PlayStation 5 and the Epic Game Store.
Meanwhile, mobile players can find Infinity Nikki on the App Store or Google Play to pre-register. Players will receive rewards upon the game’s launch depending on how many preregistrations it scores.
Activision has unveiled a sneak peek into the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 mission Most Wanted, which features sneaky yet explosive action.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops 6releasing in October 2024, Activision has shown a sneak peek of a mission called Most Wanted, showcasing the level playthrough as the characters use stealth before going all out. From the gameplay, we are shown a glimpse of the story as it takes place after the Cold Wars, a bit of the new Omnimovement system, and ends with a bang.
Right from the start, the character is shown trying to blend in to get closer to the Senator with nothing but his fist to take down his securities and a camera to capture pictures of the Senator to receive sensitive information. Despite being a stealth section, it seems to be quite thrilling and very action-oriented until you reach a section requiring the use of your camera to gain access to a room. At this point, reaching the top from the basement is gun-blazing.
As they move on to the next section of the mission, the characters are shown taking down the enemies and uniting with Adler for more manpower. While progressing to the elevator, an enemy with a machine gun arrived to stop the team from going any further, giving us a glimpse at how the Omnimovent works as the character is shown diving backward and running to the sides before releasing an RCXD to take down the enemy.
Right at this point, the mission progresses normally, with a few hiccups as the elevator explodes, and it fast-forwards to everyone shooting against the enemies as they escape riding on the motorcycle. Quite a thrilling and blood-pumping mission!
For those looking forward to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, be sure to mark your calendar on August 28th as Call of Duty NEXT will be making a return!
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be released on October 25th, 2024 for the Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4|5, and PC! Be sure to keep your eye peeled in the meantime before the release!
Demon’s Mirror is an upcoming roguelike game from developer Be-Rad Entertainment. “Great! Another roguelike game!” you might exclaim in exasperation. Don’t worry, though, because Demon’s Mirror offers an additional twist, one that sees the genre combined with deckbuilding reminiscent of Slay the Spire and match-3 or, in this case, chain-3 gameplay, akin to Puzzle Quest.
I had a chance to check out a hands-off preview of Demon’s Mirror. I joined Brad Johnson, the founder of Be-Rad Entertainment, as well as folks from publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment. While I only saw a brief glimpse of the characters and mechanics, I was still very much intrigued by tactical intricacies.
Demon’s Mirror features three heroes who have been trapped in a dark realm. Only two were available in the demo, Wulf and Draga, though it was easy to see their unique perks and card abilities. For instance, Wulf gets a free chain point, whereas Draga can lower the cost of chaining and cards by a point. Sounds a bit confusing? Well, then, I’ll go ahead and explain the mechanics…
As mentioned earlier, Demon’s Mirror combines deckbuilding and chain-3 gameplay. During your character’s turn, you can use action points to either chain tiles on the board or play the cards in your hand. Chaining essentially means drawing a line across multiple symbols of the same type, such as swords to deal damage, shields to block damage, or essence (i.e. green orbs) to buff cards. There’s even another resource called willpower (i.e. purple gems), which gives three potential effects to choose from.
“Demon’s Mirror offers an additional twist, one that sees the genre combined with deckbuilding reminiscent of Slay the Spire…”
Naturally, the more symbols and the longer the line you chain, the stronger the effect. This is where your tactical acumen comes into play since you need to ascertain whether it’s better to deal damage to a foe, empower your next action, or block an oncoming hit. Another cool tidbit is that there’s an accessibility setting that automatically shows you the longest line you can trace, in case that’s the action you want to do during that turn.
As for the card-based gameplay in Demon’s Mirror, those in your hand are refreshed each turn, allowing you to make use of various abilities and quirks. For instance, one card might deal flat damage to all enemies, while another has a bigger boost against a single target. The most useful, as I’ve seen, is the card that swaps tiles that are next to each other. It’s another layer of strategy for those who really want to create the longest chain on the board.
Similarly, the foes you battle can place their own enemy tiles, which automatically deal damage to your character after a few turns. When this occurs, you have to prioritize destroying that tile or at least prepare to take the brunt of the hit. As you plan your moves, you also have to consider your chosen character’s unique perks as they relate to the action economy.
“…with each run in Demon’s Mirror, you could find yourself completing objectives or tallies, allowing you to unlock modifiers for future attempts.”
I asked Be-Rad Entertainment founder Brad Johnson how he conceptualized Demon’s Mirror, especially since it combined the three genres of roguelike, deckbuilder, and match-3/chain-3. According to Johnson, it was a challenge to try and balance all three genres. However, the team did obtain a lot of feedback after doing two beta tests, the second of which had over a hundred testers. I was told that the team is confident that Demon’s Mirror will be “more accessible, fun, and balanced” due to the preparations that they’ve made.
I should also mention the roguelike aspect since your journey in Demon’s Mirror requires you to clear three zones. Each zone’s map has icons representing enemies, elites, bosses, shops, campsites, and even random events. (Regrettably, I’ve been told that there are no multi-stage event sequences or secret outcomes as of this moment.)
With each attempt, your character’s cards are randomized from a pool of those that you’ve unlocked. Likewise, the icons on the map will have randomized positions, too, which means the path you take to your goal will be different. Lastly, with each run in Demon’s Mirror, you could find yourself completing objectives or tallies, allowing you to unlock modifiers for future attempts.
All in all, Demon’s Mirror is shaping up to be a promising title that offers a unique mishmash of mechanics from different genres. The game will be available soon on Steam. We’ll keep you posted once a definite release date has been announced.
There’s nothing better than gaming with a group of friends, especially in the sweltering heat of Toronto’s late summer. That’s where the Intel-sponsored Gaming Garage at the CNE makes an ideal spot for anyone looking to beat the summer heat for the second year in a row! The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), affectionately known as “The Ex” to locals, is once again hosting Intel’s CNE Gaming Garage. This year, it’s bigger, better, and more immersive than ever.
Now in its second year, the Intel-sponsored Gaming Garage has expanded from a modest 6,400 square feet to a sprawling 9,800 square feet of pure gaming excitement. It’s a testament to the success of last year’s debut and the growing appetite for interactive tech experiences at one of Canada’s largest annual fairs.
Images taken at Intel’s CNE Gaming Garage 2023
Intel’s Marketing Director for the Americas, Asma Aziz, explains: “Intel’s involvement in the CNE Gaming Garage is about showcasing the power of our technology, from the hardware to what it enables as a platform. Gamers will have the chance to see how the latest Intel processors, graphics cards, and other high-performance components ensure a seamless, immersive gaming experience, forming the backbone of the gaming setups and premium PCs available in the Gaming Garage.”
The Gaming Garage is packed with the latest Intel-powered gaming rigs, lifestyle PCs and AI-enhanced machines from a who’s who of tech giants. Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, iBUYPOWER, MSI, Lenovo and Samsung have all brought their A-game, giving visitors the chance to get their hands on hardware many have only dreamed of.
But perhaps most exciting of all is the massive 2,100-square-foot free-play area at the heart of Intel’s CNE Gaming Garage. Here, visitors can sit down and immerse themselves in their favourite titles, all running on systems that would thrill even the most hardcore PC gamer, and it’s all powered by Intel. It’s the perfect respite for parents needing a break from the carnival atmosphere or for kids wanting to show off their skills on machines that don’t require a pocketful of change—bringing back memories for those who recall the joys of arcades.
Images taken at Intel’s CNE Gaming Garage 2023
Speaking of arcades, for those who prefer their gaming with a side of nostalgia, the GOES Retro Arcade is back. It offers a trip down memory lane with classic consoles and, for the more adventurous, Virtual Reality stations that promise to transport players to whole new worlds. It’s a range of gaming that goes beyond the typical PC experience, and Intel’s CNE Gaming Garage manages to pack it all into one place, ready for families and friends to enjoy.
As if that were not enough, Intel has you covered for those who love competitive play as well. Esports takes center stage—literally—on a 54-foot-wide main stage that dominates the space. This year, over $25,000 in prize money is up for grabs across three tournaments, including the new CNE Master Clash featuring TEKKEN 8. It’s a national throwdown that’s seen preliminary bouts in Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Montreal, with the finals set to electrify the CNE crowd on August 25th.
TEKKEN 8 isn’t the only game being showcased. The CNE Gaming Garage powered by Intel will also host The CNE Showdown. Sixteen teams will compete for a chance at part of the $8500 prize pool. You can sign up for the The CNE Showdown: League of Legends brought to you by Alienware and The CNE Showdown: VALORANT hosted by ASUS ROG at their respective links.
Images taken at Intel’s CNE Gaming Garage 2023
The CNE Gaming Garage is designed to appeal to people of all ages. New for 2024 is a dedicated 1,500-square-foot Kids Zone featuring child-friendly games on Intel-powered laptops and a variety of tech-focused activities. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., it provides a much-needed digital playground for tech-savvy tykes. This is the perfect way to introduce your kids to the joys of PC gaming without concerns about games being too adult or worries about the internet and its many issues.
For those more interested in the creative side of gaming, the Student & Indie Game Showcase offers a glimpse into the future of the industry. Local student developers and independent creators will be showcasing their latest projects, giving attendees a chance to play tomorrow’s hits today. It’s a heartening display of grassroots innovation that stands in stark contrast to the polished AAA titles running on nearby machines.
For those who love tech beyond PCs and gaming, the annual FIRST Robotics competition returns to Intel’s CNE Gaming Garage for the Robots@CNE weekend with this year’s game, CRESCENDO. Teams work together to collect note rings, amplify their speakers, and harmonize by hanging on an elevated chain to score points. It sounds like an exciting showcase—who can say no to robots?
Images taken at Intel’s CNE Gaming Garage 2023
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Gaming Garage is its “try before you buy” concept, which goes well beyond what you’d find at a typical store. Attendees who get excited about a particular setup can purchase it on the spot from Canada Computers and Best Buy booths conveniently located within the Garage. It’s a savvy move that transforms the space from a mere exhibition into a potential launching pad for back-to-school shopping or holiday wish lists.
As the CNE prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors from August 16 to September 2, the CNE Gaming Garage powered by Intel stands as an oasis of digital entertainment amidst a sea of traditional fair attractions. It’s a bold statement about the evolving nature of public events and the increasing integration of technology into our leisure activities. This is an opportunity to explore gaming in a safe, controlled environment and see first-hand “Why Intel?” when it comes to gaming laptops, PCs and more.
To celebrate Intel’s second year at the CNE Gaming Garage, we’re teaming up with them to give away five pairs of tickets to the CNE in Toronto so you can check out the Intel Gaming Garage for yourself. Head over to Gleam via this link for multiple ways to enter, and don’t forget to come back every day for daily entries! Tickets include one day’s admission to the CNE between 16th August and 2nd September, including all-day ride passes! Good luck to all!
Images taken at Intel’s CNE Gaming Garage 2023
As summer winds down and the back-to-school season looms, the CNE Gaming Garage offers one last hurrah for tech enthusiasts, young and old. Whether you’re there to compete, play, shop or simply marvel at the wonders of modern computing, Intel’s digital playground promises to be a highlight of this year’s CNE. Just remember to save some energy for the midway—after all, you can’t spend the whole day gaming. Or can you?
Fan Expo Canada is quickly approaching, and the convention has added a couple of new guests to its slate of gaming stars. This includes general manager of Diablo at Blizzard Entertainment, Rod Fergusson, as well as Victor Lucas, creator of Electric Playground.
Ferguson is attending just a couple of months before the launch of Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, the game’s biggest expansion yet. Vessel of Hatred brings a brand new story to the game, the all-new Spiritborn Class, a new jungle region of Nahantu, a PvE co-op challenge mode, and more.
Fan Expo Canada takes place on August 22-25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, ON. You can head over to the official website to purchase tickets for all four days of the show. A 4-day pass will cost $140, although you can also purchase individual days if you want as well. Fan Expo also has scaling options for Family Passes, Youth, and Child tickets.
The pair joins a sizable list of guests attending the show already, particularly for gaming. There have been a few cancellations, unfortunately, with Don Bluth, Keith David, and Roger Craig Smith no longer attending, but here’s every confirmed gaming guest at Fan Expo Canada 2024.
Cameron Monaghan – Cal Kestis from the Star Wars Jedi Series
Of course, there are plenty of other guests attending Fan Expo Canada as well from across comics, TV, film, cosplay, anime, and more. A few of the highlights include Alan Tudyk, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ashley Eckstein, Giancarlo Esposito, and Dee Bradley Baker.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is BioWare’s first new game in five years since the disastrous launch of Anthem. The live-service shooter was a baffling turn for the studio, which up until then had focused almost exclusively on epic single-player RPGs like Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, and Knights of the Old Republic.
Just two years after launch, EA and BioWare shut Anthem down, and it appears the studio learned from the whole process. In a new interview with Edge magazine (via 80lv), Dragon Age: The Veilguard creative director John Epler explained the tough lesson that Anthem taught BioWare.
“We’re a studio that has always been built around digging deep on storytelling and roleplaying,” Epler says “I’m proud of a lot of things on Anthem — I was on that project for a year and a half. But at the end of the day, we were building a game that focused on something we were not necessarily as proficient at.”
It’s clear to see the effect that Anthem has had, as BioWare has expressed multiple times that The Veilguard is getting back to what the studio is good at, focusing on storytelling, world-building, and dynamic companions.
At one point, Dragon Age 4 was supposed to feature a multiplayer component, but back in 2021, a report from Bloomberg stated the multiplayer mode had been removed entirely and the game, at that point called Dragon Age Dreadwolf, would be a single-player RPG. That change is echoed in the Edge interview.
“We tried a bunch of different ideas early on,” says Epler. “But the form The Veilguard has taken is, in a lot of ways, the form that we were always pushing toward. We were just trying different ways to get there. There was that moment where we really settled on, ‘This is a single-player, story-focused RPG — and that’s all it needs to be.”
The Veilguard is going to feature a few first for the Dragon Age series. It’s the first true action RPG of the franchise, not allowing players to control their companions. It’s also the first time we’ve travelled to the Tevinter Imperium, a highly advanced empire ruled by powerful mages. We also know all seven companions can be romanced and will apparently be able to romance each other if the player doesn’t.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard launches Fall 2024 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Gaming has certainly come a long way since the “good old days” of Pong and Super Mario! With advancements in technology, today’s gamers can immerse themselves in incredibly realistic virtual worlds that magically transport them into another dimension. From stunning graphics and lifelike character movements to intricate storytelling, game developers constantly strive to push the boundaries of what is possible.
But one aspect has been somewhat lacking in these virtual experiences—audio. While visuals have evolved significantly, audio has often taken a backseat.
Not anymore. Thanks to the advent of True 3D audio and high quality headphones, gamers can now enjoy an unprecedented level of realism and immersion that adds a whole new dimension to their gaming experiences.
The Evolution of Audio in Gaming
For the longest time, game audio primarily relied on stereo or surround sound systems to create the illusion of three-dimensional audio. While these techniques do heighten the gaming experience to some extent, they fail to accurately recreate how sound behaves in the real world. “Old school” audio systems typically represent sound sources as fixed points in space. This means that when a player moves around the virtual world, the sound remains constant and does not change based on their position or orientation. This limitation compromises the overall sense of immersion and realism that gamers seek.
But with the introduction of True 3D audio, game developers can now create a more accurate representation of sound in virtual environments. By simulating how sound waves interact with the virtual surroundings and the player’s ears, True 3D audio adds an extra layer of realism previously unattainable.
Understanding True 3D Audio
True 3D audio—a.k.a. spatial audio—is a technology that mimics the way sound propagates in the real world. It takes into account things like distance, direction, and environment to reproduce sound accurately in a three-dimensional space. Instead of relying solely on speakers to deliver audio, True 3D audio uses advanced algorithms and specialized headphones to create an immersive auditory experience.
One of the key features of True 3D audio is its ability to accurately position sound sources in relation to the player’s position and movements within the game.
Example: If an enemy approaches from behind, the player will hear the sound gradually move from the back to the front. This creates a heightened sense of situational awareness. This level of precision and realism adds an extra layer of immersion, improving gameplay and making the virtual world feel more authentic.
The Benefits of True 3D Audio
True 3D audio provides a wide range of benefits that enhance the gaming experience. Let’s explore some of them.
The new True 3D audio technology featured in the latest gaming systems allows players to become more deeply immersed in virtual worlds than ever before. This groundbreaking audio innovation provides pinpoint-accurate placement of all sound sources within the game environment, creating the sensational illusion that you have literally been transported inside the onscreen world.
Every subtle audio detail, from gentle ambient nature sounds (like leaves softly rustling in trees) to dramatic booming explosions during combat sequences, is precisely localized in a three-dimensional sound space. This unprecedented level of audio immersion leads to breathtaking realism that high-definition visuals alone cannot achieve. Wandering through photorealistic in-game forests, players can feel transported into the natural space, surrounded by the gentle sounds of wildlife and vegetation in the breeze.
Likewise, chaotic warzone firefights become more intense and lifelike, where the player feels physically present within the virtual battlefield, with explosions detonating and bullets whizzing past them from every direction. With True 3D audio, games are no longer limited to visual realism—players can now become fully present within once-intangible worlds, leading to unprecedented immersion.
The implementation of true 3D audio in video games has led to improved spatial awareness for players. (Spatial awareness refers to a player’s understanding of where objects, teammates, enemies, and other audio sources are located around them in the game world.) With advanced 3D audio technologies that accurately emulate directional sound propagation, players gain a better sense of their surroundings. They can more easily pinpoint the origin of footsteps, gunshots, or other audio cues. This gives players a tactical edge. Why? They can quicker ascertain the presence of threats or opportunities and react accordingly. Their decision-making and response times benefit from the increased perception granted by 3D audio.
Ultimately, this heightened spatial awareness gives players more agency and control. It empowers them to better leverage the audio information available to achieve objectives and succeed in the game. The level of immersion also feels more advanced, with a detailed soundscape that faithfully represents what they might hear in the real world.
Engineering Improvements
Realistic and immersive soundscapes are a key component of modern video games that help to transport players into intricately crafted virtual worlds. With advanced True 3D audio technologies, game developers now have unprecedented capabilities to engineer deeply resonant acoustic environments filled with echoes, reverberations, premium HD sound, and directional sounds that mimic reality.
Whether it’s hearing the subtle echo of footsteps ricocheting off the stone walls of a medieval castle corridor or feeling enveloped by the bassy, rumbling sound effects of explosives detonating across an active warzone battlefield, True 3D audio adds an extra layer of depth and suspension of disbelief.
Every minute sound detail can be rendered with precise spatial positioning, distance attenuation, and geometric occlusion modelling to fully convince the auditory senses that the video game world stretches out organically in all directions. As virtual reality platforms grow ever more visually realistic, 3D soundscapes with advanced physics and propagation are imperative to completing the immersion illusion. True 3D audio ultimately helps facilitate deeper emotional connections and richer experiences as players explore and interact within credibly crafted virtual environments.
Finally, traditional stereo or surround sound systems have limitations regarding lateral sound movement. But with True 3D audio, sound can move smoothly and easily from one speaker to another, creating a more fluid and natural audio experience. The dynamic movement of sound adds an extra dimension to the gaming experience, making it feel more organic and realistic.
Rather than sound jumping abruptly between speakers, True 3D audio allows for gradual and subtle shifts in the soundscape as the action moves across the gaming environment. Thanks to these smooth audio transitions, players can pinpoint sounds in a game with greater precision. This makes for a deeply immersive experience that feels natural and responsive. By overcoming the spatial restrictions of old audio setups, True 3D audio brings lateral sound movement to the next level.
True 3D Audio: The Future of Gaming
As technology continues to advance, True 3D audio is expected to become the new standard in gaming. With its ability to provide an unmatched level of realism and immersion, True 3D audio has the potential to revolutionize the way gamers experience their favourite titles. Developers are increasingly adopting this technology and incorporating it into their games to deliver truly unforgettable audio experiences.
True 3D audio is a game-changer for the gaming industry. Its ability to accurately reproduce sound in a three-dimensional space adds an entirely new level of immersion and realism to virtual worlds. Whether it’s getting fully immersed in the ambiance of a detailed game environment or being able to locate enemies with precision, True 3D audio heightens the overall gaming experience in ways that were previously unimaginable.
Get ready to strap on your headphones and embark on an auditory adventure like no other with True 3D audio!
The Call of Duty train shows no signs of stopping, as this year’s release returns to the beloved Black Ops franchise. After 2020’s Black Ops Cold War, Treyarch is returning with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, a massive entry that could bring some meaningful change.
Revealed with a Call of Duty Direct, we already know quite a bit about Black Ops 6, and the months leading up to release will only see more information given out.
With that in mind, here’s everything we currently know about Black Ops 6, with details on the campaign, multiplayer, and, yes, zombies.
Black Ops 6 Release Date and Platforms
As revealed during the Xbox Summer Showcase, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be releasing on October 25, 2024 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It’s developed by longtime Black Ops studio Treyarch, with the assistance of Raven Software.
Black Ops 6 Gameplay Improvements
There’s one major thing Black Ops 6 is bringing to the Call of Duty franchise, and it could change the series forever. Omnimovement allows players to sprint, slide, and dive in any direction, Max Payne style. It’s a huge change that seems like it could integrally change the core gameplay of Call of Duty and will likely take a bit of getting used to. However, it certainly makes Black Ops 6’s shooting feel faster than ever and opens up a wealth of new strategies.
Activision has also confirmed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will have 16 brand new multiplayer maps at launch, with 12 core 6vs6 maps and four smaller Strike maps. What’s especially interesting, however, is that each map is a unique location that will apparently have its own story that’s set after the main campaign.
Beyond all that, we also know Classic Prestige and Theatre Mode are returning.
Black Ops 6 Story and Campaign
Black Ops 6 looks to continue the heavy espionage and spy thriller themes of past games, this time pushing the story into the 1990s. We already know a few details about how the story will play out, with the camping tackling the aftermath of the Cold War.
In the story, the CIA has been infiltrated by some mysterious force, causing many of the operatives to go rogue after mistakenly being branded as trailers. This includes returning characters Russell Adler and Frank Woods, who assemble a team of agents to discover the truth.
The reveal trailerfeatured some prominent world figures, including former president George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Saddam Hussein. This means the story likely involves the Gulf War but could also integrate real-life figures in some way.
Black Ops 6 Zombies
Unsurprisingly, the incredibly popular zombies mode is returning once again for Black Ops 6, with a brand new story and round-based experience. This time around it takes place on Terminus Island, and will continue the Dark Aether story introduced in Cold War.
We know a few little details about Black Ops 6 Zombies, including that it will feature two maps at launch, Terminus and Liberty Falls. Mystery Boxes will return, the currency in the mode is called Salvage, and you can even choose from a few different HUD layouts. Activision has said more info on the mode will be revealed on August 28 during Call of Duty Next.
The Borderlands film adaptation helmed by Eli Roth still has one day before it lands in theatres but reviews have come out, and it’s not scoring well.
There was some hope — despite trailers raising even more questions on how the adaptation would play out — remaining among fans of the Gearbox gaming franchise that the Borderlands film adaptation would embrace the zany spirit that made the games so popular. But now that reviews are out, it appears critics have condemned the film. CGMagazine’s review from Shakyl Lambert scored the film an abysmal 2 out of 10 and claims even the A-list group of actors didn’t help the issue. He states “Cate Blanchett is one of the best actresses of our time, but you couldn’t tell here with the way she phones it in as Lilith, a character whose personality in the film can be reduced to “active disinterest.”
Other critics have also blasted the film, with Metacritic sporting a very low 32% out of 18 reviews, with only a single positive review. Rotten Tomatoes paints an even worse picture, with an astoundingly low 3% out of 30 critical reviews (also with only one positive review). Borderlands, even when compared with other video game film adaptations still doesn’t do much better. The poorly received Super Mario Bros. live-action film from 1993, received a higher score, sporting a 35% among critics on the Metacritic website. The universally (by fans and critics alike) condemned Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (which came out in 2009) still holds a worse critical score of 17%.
While critical reviews are still coming out for Borderlands, the film releases globally in theatres tomorrow August 9. Until then, fans can join the conversation over on the official BorderlandsReddit, where fans have taken to discuss the critical reception thus far.
The hit title developed and published by poncle, Vampire Survivors, is finally making its way to the PlayStation family of consoles this month.
The BAFTA ‘Best Game’ award winner, Vampire Survivors has seen a release on many platforms including smartphones, and today the developers at poncle have announced it is PlayStation’s turn. Vampire Survivors and all of its post-launch updated content is coming to the PlayStation family of consoles on August 29. On the Steam platform alone, poncle’s breakout title still sees thousands of daily players (according to SteamChartz) and has garnered over 200,000 positive Steam reviews.
The Roguelike title puts players behind the capable pixels of one of the many cast of characters tasked with pushing back the hordes of the night. It’s worth mentioning all of the previously released DLC (including the Among Us Emergency Meeting! mashup) will be launching at the exact same time, so fans can get a full fix of poncle’s offerings. CGMagazine’s review of poncle’s breakout title says “It never feels like you’re playing the same game twice. Whether you’re trying to hit the 30-minute mark, completing missions to unlock new characters or items, or upping the difficulty to really challenge yourself, there is always something exciting to do.”
— Vampire Survivors PlayStation 29th August (@poncle_vampire) August 8, 2024
Vampire Survivors($4.99/€4.99/£3.99)
Legacy of the Moonspell DLC ($1.99/€1.99/£1.59)
Tides of the Foscari DLC ($1.99/€1.99/£1.59)
Emergency Meeting – Among Us DLC ($2.49/€2.49/£1.99)
Operation Guns – Contra DLC ($2.49/€2.49/£1.99)
To absorb all of the available content available, fans will have to shell out just under $14 to snag all of the content poncle has released since Vampire Survivors launched back in 2022, where it was only available on Steam. Now, the title is available on nearly every platform, with the PlayStation family of consoles letting the night into their ranks on August 29.
To increase profitability, Disney Plus has announced price hikes and password-sharing crackdowns this week, with the latter scheduled to start in September 2024.
Disney Plus is launching a new wave of price hikes this year and they’re set to go off on October 17th. The same goes for its affiliated streaming platforms, ESPN and Hulu. The pricing for each of the monthly, and annual plans are all getting markups according to The Verge. On a side note, during Disney’s annual earnings call, CEO Bob Iger laid down plans to start password sharting crackdowns on a global level after the beginning rollout in June was deemed successful.
The last Disney Plus price hikes were deployed in October 2023, a year before these will start to go into effect. Below are the streaming services under the Disney Plus banner, and their new pricing will be effective on October 17. It’s worth noting that Disney wants consumers to shift to the ad-based tiers considering there’s over a 50% increase between the ad-tier and the ad-free tiers.
Regarding password sharing, CEO Bob Iger said “We’ve been talking a lot about adding the technology features that we need to basically make it a higher return, higher margin business, and a more successful business. And we’re doing that right now,” and referred to the previous June 2024 rollout of password crackdowns as a success. He mentioned the global launch of password sharing will begin “in earnest” in September.
Disney Plus and other streaming services offered by Disney will face price increases on October 17, and the service will institute a password-sharing crackdown sometime in Spetember beforehand, so subscribers should take note of when these things happen.
Mindscape has announced the partnership with Dav Pilkey to bring a lovable dog from the best-selling comics to the video game world, Dog Man: Mission Impawsible!
From being the best-selling graphic novel to a video game, Dog Man will be receiving his first game titled Dog Man: Mission Impawsible for the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. The game will be a 2D side-scrolling platformer with nothing but fun and engaging puzzles, visiting iconic locations from the Dog Man universe, and plenty of levels to fuel the excitement!
Created by bestselling author and award-winning illustrator Dav Pilkey, the graphic novel series was launched by Scholastic in 2016, selling more than 60 million copies in print and translated into 47 languages. As of March 2024, the latest entry to the beloved series, Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder, was released with huge success as it became a #1 bestselling book overall in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and was the #1 bestselling children’s book in the UK. With Dog Man: Mission Impawsible, the game will provide another way for the fans to engage with the comic universe as it will soon join the theatrical release from Dreamwork/Universal.
Dog Man: Mission Impawsible will be a 2D side-scrolling platformer with plenty of fun and engaging puzzle mechanics. As you embark on an adventure across 50 levels spanning five different worlds, you must pursue a thief who stole the key to the city. Players will explore eight iconic locations from the belovedcomic universe, including the City Hall, the Giant Marshmellow Factory, and many jails. However, to ensure the gameplay is action-packed and entertaining for the fans, each location will offer unique platforming challenges and puzzle-solving opportunities.
Are you excited to explore many iconic locations in the Dog Man: Mission Impawsible? If so, be sure to keep your eye peeled for the game release as it will be available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S!
I’ll be honest when I was given the option to preview Beyond Galaxyland I kind of assumed it was going to be a vastly different game than what I got. With a name like that, I figured it was going to be some sci-fi-themed Roller Coaster Tycoon—which would be awesome by the way. Once I looked into it further, I got an interesting and fairly unique turn-based RPG.
Beyond Galaxyland is the second game developed by Sam Enright and bears a lot of similarities to his previous title, The Greater Good. Enright has clearly found a solid foundation to build from and I definitely won’t fault the guy for developing from a familiar place—if you can do something well, then do it. However, there’s definitely a lot more going into Beyond Galaxyland.
When talking about the game, Enright said, “I’m a huge fan of classic turn-based RPGs from the mid and late 1990s and some of my favourites, such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII, have provided me a galaxy’s worth of inspiration when developing Beyond Galaxyland.” He continued, “I wanted to make a game that felt uniquely cinematic while being within a familiar genre. I hope when gamers play it they’ll appreciate how Beyond Galaxyland’s pacing will often feel closer to a movie than a videogame.”
“…worlds in Beyond Galaxyland are expansive and richly detailed.”
And that feeling is definitely present within the game. From how it starts with a bit of a mysterious misdirection to how it proceeds, the way the story unfolds in a way that’s slow-paced but high-drama. The story begins properly with a teenager named Doug getting whisked away to Galaxyland: an idyllic menagerie of planets run by the supposedly benevolent DreamCore.
Despite being told that Earth was destroyed by a cataclysmic force known as “The End,” Doug is determined to return home, and before long, he is whisked away on a sci-fi adventure—flying between the various planets of Galaxyland, meeting new friends and allies, and potentially learning the truth behind The End and Dreamcore’s true intentions. This is rounded out by a unique cast of characters that run the gamut from mysterious and alien to downright adorable—like Boom Boom, the semi-sentient Guinea Pig.
Enright’s inspirations really stand out in the combat in Beyond Galaxyland, which is a unique blend of action turn-based and active turn-based with a few clever twists to shake things up. The basics are fairly common—players wait for their turn with different status effects potentially affecting speed, and attacking and defending require players to make some precise button inputs—it combines familiar elements of classic turn-based RPGs but finds a multitude of ways to stand out on its own.
“Enright’s inspirations really stand out in the combat in Beyond Galaxyland…”
For starters, players have the ability to scan enemies while exploring each world in order to get an advantage during combat—allowing them to see enemy health and elemental weaknesses. Furthermore, players are given a pool of Ability Points, which can be used for each character’s unique Special Attacks, but there’s a bit of a twist. Standard attacks have a certain number of uses, which can be sacrificed for more Ability Points, while missing an opponent during a standard attack will actually drain ability points.
It adds a unique layer to the combat I can’t say I’ve seen before and makes each fight feel much more tense and tactical. On top of this, Enright adds Pokémonto the combat, both in theme and application. Doug has the ability to capture weak creatures—literally using a drone that almost resembles a Pokéball—which can then be summoned during combat for unique elemental attacks. Summons can be levelled with repeated use and more battles, so there’s an incentive to experiment and go into every battle as prepared as possible.
But what genuinely surprised me was how the game looks and plays. Despite having several worlds that require exploration, Beyond Galaxyland moves along a two-dimensional plane—while allowing players to jump between foreground and background. Despite this restriction, worlds in Beyond Galaxyland are expansive and richly detailed. This is helped in large part by the visuals, which land somewhere in the middle between the hyperdetailed 16-bit style of games like Blasphemous or Narita Boy, and old 90’s MS-DOS games like King’s Quest.
Beyond Galaxyland looks primed to be a breakout hit when it releases later this year. Sam Enright has clearly put his whole heart into this, and it shows—especially after releasing a demo during Steam Next Fest and implementing changes based on player feedback. This is a passion project with an emphasis on passion and I get the feeling more players than I will agree.
When it comes to open-world action RPGs, Genshin Impact is a name to reckon with. It is one such game that is catering to millions all across the world. The features and the gameplay it offers set it apart from the rest of the game, thereby making it unique and distinctive not only in its own genre but across all formats.
Genshin Impact is an RPG game that transports you to the enchanting realm of Teyvat. It is a free-to-play game with additional features like stunning visuals, an engaging story, a dynamic combat system, and much more that you can explore as a player. In this article, we will teach you all about Genshin Impact, including important facts you should know!
What Are the Key Features of Genshin Impact?
The features set a game apart from others. It is a game known for the features it offers. Here are some of the key features of Genshin Impact.
1. Vast Open World
There is a lot to explore. It is a vast open world where the entire space is divided into seven distinct regions. Each region is bestowed with its own unique culture, landscapes, and challenges. There is something new and exciting waiting for you the moment you transit from one region to another.
2. Elemental Magic
The elemental magic is yet another feature that makes the entire gameplay engaging and immersive. It consists of seven different elements and you are at liberty to master the power of seven given elements to unleash devastating attacks and solve puzzles. This feature keeps you hooked up and makes the gameplay immersive and exciting.
3. Diverse Characters
The characters are not alike and similar. It hosts a wide range of characters, each different from the other. You can collect a roaster of colourful characters, each with its own unique abilities and personalities.
4. Engaging Story
The story is quite engaging and interesting for the reason that you keep on unraveling the mystery of Teyvat and the fate of your lost sibling. You always have a thing or two in hand and can hardly get off track from the gameplay. The moment you get to play the story, you hardly care about anything coming your way.
5. Co-op Play
Playing games with friends is fun and joyful. And when a game supports this feature, nothing excites more than the said feature. And it is aptly true about Genshin Impact. The gameplay allows you to team up with your friends to tackle the challenging dungeons and bosses. You play and enjoy the game together.
How to Make Genshin Impact Engaging & Exciting?
Genshin Impact has a lot to offer to you. It has all that a player looks for in a game. However, you always tend to ignore some vital elements of the game that you should not otherwise for the fact that it makes the game more thrilling and fun. Here are some of the important determinants that make Genshin Impact exciting and engaging.
1. Exploration
There is a world to explore. All you need to do is explore by soaring through the skies, climbing through the mountains, and discovering the hidden secrets. You will find something new that will keep you hooked up with the game, and your interest will not sway away. You can use Genshin Impact top-up to get more benefits in the game. This will make your gameplay even more fun and interesting.
2. Combat
Winning a game requires both the tools and strategy. And when it comes to combat in Genshin Impact, it is something to look out for. Engage in the fast-paced battles using elemental combinations and character switching.
3. Character Progression
To advance your game, you have to pay special attention to character progression. And to level up your characters, you have to equip them with powerful artifacts and weapons. Don’t forget to unlock the new abilities that will make your gameplay even more dynamic and interesting as well.
4. Gacha System
The Gacha system is an important tool that helps you in obtaining new characters and weapons. It adds certain new features to your game and helps you in getting new weapons and other tools which are important to take forward the gameplay and keep on improving your gameplay at the same time.
It can be summed up by saying that Genshin Impact’s breathtaking landscapes, coupled with its immersive story and engaging characters, create an unforgettable experience. It goes without saying that the game has something to offer to one and all, be that a seasoned RPG player or someone who is new to the genre. This magical world has something on the platter for you, don’t wait, go get your hands on this game and have fun.
Fortnite and Epic Games have dropped some news today that may split its fanbase: they’re changing the rules surrounding item exclusivity in the Battle Pass.
Many fans of Fortnite have been vocal over the years regarding item exclusivity in previous battle passes. Fan favourites like God of War‘s Kratos have been rumoured to receive rereleases, and other incredibly rare skins like the Golden Agent Peely haven’t been available since its release back in Chapter 2, Season 2. But today, all of this may have changed. Epic Games has announced a fundamental change to its battle pass offerings. They will offer exclusive items from retired battle passes in the item shop.
Golden Peely Fortnite Skin
Epic Games has posted a change of policy on their official site, saying battle pass exclusives, all of the battle pass exclusives, “can” appear in the item shop after 18 months have elapsed since the battle pass has concluded. It’s important to note, that just because the new policy includes “all items” from previous battle pass offerings, Fortnite could decide to keep some outfits locked away in the vault.
The same can be said for the alternate versions of items. Usually, battle pass offerings come with two variants of specific character outfits — the Golden Agent above also comes in a tuxedo variant — and Epic bluntly stated that if a certain item is included, it does not mean that the other variant will be included or ever offered. It’s worth mentioning that if a certain skin has a LEGO variant, that LEGO variant will be included also.
Incoming Battle Pass update:
Items in future Fortnite Battle Passes may be offered for purchase in the Shop after 18 or more months from a Battle Pass’ expiration.
Lastly, Fortnite mentions that even though a battle pass has concluded, it doesn’t mean that exclusive items will land in the item shop. It just means that the items can be offered 18 months after the battle pass has expired. Fans on the X (formerly Twitter) post have largely applauded the decision, with most saying a resounding thank you to the change in policy, and even some fans have requested Fortnite to bring back some of the retired passes altogether. With this new shift in policy, anything could be possible.
While it remains to be seen who will be the first offering to the item shop, all of those ‘Kratos is coming back’ rumours can now continue all over again, but instead of if, the question is when.
As far as I have seen, no company has released a complete line of products all at once, allowing you to be fully broadcast-capable on day one. Companies have taken products that they have made separately and sold them as a combo after the fact, but until now, there has been no effort to create a complete ecosystem in one launch. Elgato, a pioneer in all things for content creators, has done it again with the Elgato Neo series. What’s most interesting about this move, though, is that it is not only a perfect starter set for any creator but also a total setup for a home office, and it is simple enough for either to use.
The Elgato Neo series is a collection of slightly scaled-back versions of some of the products that made them famous, including the Elgato Facecam Neo, Stream Deck Neo, Wave Neo, Key Light Neo and Game Capture Neo. All of the Neo products are designed to be one aesthetic that, for the most part, is prettier than their original versions. They are generally specced down, but that is not to say they are inferior products. Rather, they are no more than someone purchasing products at this level may need.
The Elgato Facecam Neo has a more rounded design for the webcam than their Facecam Mk. 2 or Facecam Pro, both of which have sharper lines. It comes with a slightly smaller sensor than the Facecam Mk. 2 and a slightly smaller field of view at 77 degrees, but still offers a 1080p/60fps resolution at a price where most webcams wouldn’t offer more than 30fps. The Facecam Neo sports a privacy shutter for its lens and a 1/4“ mount to attach either to its provided mount or anything else with the correctly sized screw. Quality-wise, it’s perfectly serviceable, particularly if you are well-lit.
True HD image with smoother motion: Capture more detail in ultra-sharp 1080p video while moving naturally with less motion blur in 60 fps
Seamless Plug-and-Play Functionality: Ready out of the box with no software setup required. Ultra versatile, it works on laptops, desktops, setups with extra monitors, and in the apps you love
Speaking of well-lit, that brings us to the Elgato Key Light Neo, a beautifully diffused and simple to use light with, unlike any other light Elgato offers, controls on the light itself which are easy as pie. With buttons to turn the light on/off, change colour temperature and a dial to adjust brightness all on the front of the light for easy access.
“There are huge savings for a complete set, making the Elgato Neo line the best option for a complete beginner’s setup.”
Since it is a much smaller light than the original Elgato Key Light (or the Key Light Air, for that matter), having it too close to your face will be a little more spot-light-like than you want it to be. It is perfect as a head-on camera light to give you some nice, even lighting or as a fill light if you want to get into specific lighting design, but the Key Light Neo equals the excellence in quality that made its predecessors the standard among many setups.
The product with the least similarity in look to its original is the Elgato Wave Neo, their latest microphone and the first USB microphone to be released by the company since 2020. The clean pill design is gorgeous, and its single LED light/capacitive mute button is a beautiful highlight. The condenser microphone has a bit depth of 24 bits and up to 96kHz sample rate. With its raised mic stand and ability to mount to a mic arm, you can get the mic as close to your face as your specific needs dictate.
Sound Pro: Minimize distortion often associated with built-in microphones or ear/headphone mics, ensuring clear and pristine audio quality
Seamless integration: Ready out of the box with plug ‘n play functionality, and ultra versatile compatibility with laptops, iPads, PS5, iPhones, and more, all controlled effortlessly through the Stream Deck app
The foam pop filter is even replaceable with different coloured pop filters to better match your setup’s overall look. I’d say that, out of the whole Elgato Neo line, this is one of the products that is potentially a total improvement over its original.
The other device that I would call an improvement is the Stream Deck Neo. While it has fewer buttons than the original Stream Deck (although more than the Stream Deck Mini) with only 8 buttons, the Stream Deck Neo includes capacitive page navigation buttons that let you easily work your way through your options.
Add to that the folder structure that you can create, and you can organize your way to near-unlimited button options. Also available on the Stream Deck Neo is a feature that exists on the Elgato Stream Deck +, but no other iteration of the device, is a beautiful, customizable display across the bottom. No part of the Stream Deck Neo feels like a cheaper version of the original.
“No part of the Stream Deck Neo feels like a cheaper version of the original.”
Lastly, we have the Elgato Game Capture Neo, a capture card which is in line with Elgato’s sleek, compact designs of the company’s external cards. With a status light on the front and well-organized I/O in the back of the device, the Capture Card Neo is capable of 1080p/60fps capture and 4K/60fps passthrough. It is even capable of connecting directly to an iPad for play and capture. The overall quality of the Game Capture Neo is on par with previous Elgato capture cards with similar specs, but it would be a lite version of most of their latest releases. It is also the most affordable capture card on offer from Elgato which contains a passthrough solution.
Compact and powerful: Easily set up your gaming experience with premium Elgato Capture hardware, no larger than a smartphone, connecting your console, gaming screen, and computer or iPad effortlessly
Seamless integration: Enjoy super compatibility with the ability to capture gameplay from PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, or any console, coupled with zero limitations such as no time constraints, watermarks, or subscriptions
The best part about all of these devices is that you have full access to Elgato’s software solutions, giving you the best control over your devices possible. The same Stream Deck App, Camera Hub, Wavelink Software, Control Center, and Capture Utility that are available to their highest-end products are available for the Elgato Neo series. So if you buy a Stream Deck Neo and then, some time down the road, decide to upgrade to a Stream Deck +, you already know the software and the transition will be seamless.
“The Elgato Neo Series also has the same level of connectivity to each other as is expected of all true ecosystems.”
The Elgato Neo series also has the same level of connectivity to each other as is expected of all true ecosystems. Your Stream Deck Neo, via the Stream Deck app, comes ready with controls for all of the other apps listed above. You can control your camera, microphone lights and capture card all from one place, and because they are built for each other, it will be a seamless operation. Nobody has come close to Elgato in terms of creating an ecosystem for creators and creating this simplified, more affordable version of a complete setup with the Elgato Neo lineup; it has become more accessible than ever before.
No matter what combination of products you get from the Elgato Neo line, you are getting solid products from a company that consistently delivers at a price point that few can beat. I’ve called this a beginner’s setup which, for a creator who may want to grow in the future, is true, but for people who stream for fun or anyone working from home, the Elgato Neo lineup is your one-stop shop.
Son professionnel : limitez la distorsion souvent associée aux micros intégrés ou aux micros des casques et écouteurs, pour une qualité sonore impeccable.
Intégration parfaite : prêt à l’emploi, avec fonctionnement plug-and-play et compatibilité ultra polyvalente avec les ordinateurs portables, iPad, PS5, iPhone et plus encore, tous contrôlables facilement via l’application Stream Deck.
After what the internet considered ‘nearly endless patch notes,’ Diablo IV‘s 5th Season of the Infernal Hordes has now been unleashed.
After weeks of teasing and patch notes providing pages of balance changes, the fifth season of Diablo IV, Season of the Infernal Hordes, has gone live. To prep wanderers for their escapades across the hellish landscape of Sanctuary, Blizzard has provided a launch trailer that showcases all of the big changes friends and foes alike will have to contend with when jumping back in. The brief trailer can be seen below.
The latest chapter in Diablo IV brings a new questline for wanderers to contend with while also bringing back the honour system from the Iron Wolve’s Encampment from the previous season. While the new season brings a new mode, the Infernal Horde. Players can earn or craft Infernal Compasses to access the Infernal Hordes, which drop from the various end-game content throughoutDiablo IV. Infernal Compasses (like the nightmare dungeon sigils) scale by tier levels to increase Infernal Horde strength. Since the title’s launch, this is the first time the seasonal horde content has also been available to access in the Eternal realm.
Infernal Hordes drop incredible loot called the Spoils of Hell, and these can include notable Masterworking materials to strengthen your character even further. At the end of every Infernal Horde run, the Fell Council will contend to meet with you, and three of the five bosses will attempt to end your life. These Battle Fell Priests have plagued Sanctuary since Diablo II, and each comes with their own abilities and attack patterns to send you to Hell.
And that’s not all. Season of the Infernal Hordes also grants access to over 50 new unique weapons with abilities and strengths to send the hordes of hell back to where they came from. As previously mentioned, the new season comes with a wealth of patch notes, including a list of how unique items will be overhauled this season and general balance changes to Sanctuary. The notes can be found on the official Blizzard website.
Fans looking to dive back into Sanctuary can now do so in the new Season of the Infernal Hordes, it’s live now, waiting for wanderers to contend with Hell.
The market for foldable smartphones has exploded, with every major manufacturer offering its own take on the concept. While Samsung led the pack when it first introduced the Galaxy Z Fold to the world, things have gotten a lot more competitive recently, with brands like OnePlus offering better value for money with the OnePlus Open for people looking to make the leap to a foldable device. Now, months after its initial launch, the new OnePlus Open Apex Edition is here, and even in this competitive market, it manages to hold its own as a great option for people looking to make a foldable phone their next investment.
Starting things off, the OnePlus Open Apex Edition is a special version of the OnePlus Open inspired by the iconic Hasselblad 503CW 60 Years Victor Red Edition. It features a premium vegan leather back with a diamond pattern, complemented by bold orange accents on the Alert Slider. The changes don’t stop there, though; it also features 1TB of storage, compared to the 512GB on the standard edition, and will feature VIP Mode, a special mode that also allows you to cut off access to the camera and microphone, at the same time you mute sound.
First and foremost, even though this is the top-of-the-range edition of the OnePlus Open, the Apex still manages to match Samsung’s $1,899.99 price tag for their base model of the latest Z Fold 6. If you can do without the special extras the OnePlus Open Apex offers, the standard edition with 512GB of storage will set you back $1,699, $200 less than Samsung’s base model. That’s no small chunk of change, especially when you consider that the Open comes standard with 512GB of storage, compared to the Fold6’s 256GB. More bang for your buck right from the start.
The differences only grow from there, because the Open isn’t just about being cheaper. OnePlus has packed this thing with some seriously impressive hardware that, for most of what you do on your phone, rivals Samsung’s offering. The foldable inner screen is a gorgeous 7.82-inch OLED panel, which is brighter and sharper than the 7.6-inch screen on the Fold6. When unfolded, you’re treated to a mini-tablet experience that feels more expansive and immersive.
“The OnePlus Open Apex Edition is a special version of the OnePlus Open inspired by the iconic Hasselblad 503CW 60 Years Victor Red Edition.”
Even the display on the outer cover is impressive: at 6.31 inches, it’s a hair bigger than the Fold 6’s and has a more traditional smartphone aspect ratio. This makes the Open feel much more like a ‘normal’ phone when folded. No more awkwardly stretched apps or cramped typing. As someone who has bigger hands, this has made it possible for me to actually use the OnePlus Open, while I found the Z Fold tedious and annoying for doing quick tasks.
Turning to the SoC, this is the one area where the OnePlus Open falls a little behind Samsung’s Fold6, but not by much. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip—the same silicon found in early 2023 flagships, including the Z Fold5 (which is currently priced at $1919.99 USD for the 512 GB model, a $220 difference). It’s not quite as cutting-edge as the Fold6’s Gen 3 processor, but real-world performance is still blazingly fast, with gaming and productivity comparing very well for most tasks. Couple that with a generous 16GB of RAM (4GB more than the Fold6), and you’ve got a multitasking powerhouse that can be used for everything from content creation to gaming with little issue.
Even with the slightly less modern SoC, battery life is another area where the Open manages to keep pace and even surpass Samsung’s foldable flagship. Its 4,805 mAh cell edges out the Fold 6’s 4,400 mAh battery, but the real kicker is the charging speed. The Open supports 67W fast charging, juicing up from empty to 100% in just 42 minutes. The Fold 6, meanwhile, is still stuck at 25W charging speeds that feel downright sluggish by comparison.
“The OnePlus Open boasts a versatile triple lens setup, headlined by a 48MP main shooter.”
For creators, OnePlus brings one of the best foldable camera systems to the party, with three solid rear cameras all ready to take on a variety of tasks. The OnePlus Open boasts a versatile triple lens setup, headlined by a 48MP main shooter. Early reviews praise its image quality as being on a par with, if not better than, the Fold 6 in many scenarios. The 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom is particularly impressive, offering more reach than Samsung’s 3x telephoto.
To be fair, the OnePlus Open falls short in a few areas, even if it excels in others. Samsung still has a few tricks up its sleeve with the Fold6. Its IPX8 water resistance rating trumps the Open’s IPX4 splash resistance. The Fold6 also supports the S Pen stylus, which could be a big draw for productivity-minded users. There’s no denying that Samsung has more experience in folding games, which could translate into better long-term durability.
“For those on the fence about taking the foldable plunge, the OnePlus Open Apex is an enticing proposition, especially with the new additions the phone brings to an already great device.”
Even with that, OnePlus makes a solid case for the Open Apex, thanks to the advantages the phone brings to the market, especially if you want your phone to be more than a device you show off at parties. OnePlus has crafted a device that feels like it was built from the ground up to be a foldable, rather than a regular phone that happens to bend in half. The hinge mechanism is smooth and sturdy, with a barely perceptible crease when unfolded.
For those on the fence about taking the foldable plunge, the OnePlus Open Apex is an enticing proposition, especially with the new additions the phone brings to an already great device. It delivers flagship-level specs and performance in an innovative form factor, while undercutting the competition on price. The OnePlus Open proves that you don’t have to empty your wallet or make major compromises to get in on the foldable action.
Of course, personal preference will always play a role in smartphone choice. Some users may prefer Samsung’s more established ecosystem, the Fold 6’s specific feature set, or even its new AI capabilities. But purely from a value and capability perspective, it’s hard to deny that the OnePlus Open has set a new standard for what we should expect from a premium foldable device.
The OnePlus Open Apex is undoubtedly a stunning piece of technology, offering some solid additions to an already impressive package. As the foldable phone market continues to heat up, competition like this can only be good news for consumers. It pushes manufacturers to innovate faster and offer better value for money. The OnePlus Open isn’t just a great phone in its own right; it’s a wake-up call to other companies to do better, and the Apex only pushes this further.
On Monday, co-founder of Arkane Studios and the current WolfEye Studios President revealed a smidge of what their second title will be like.
Since the release of their debut title, Weird West, in March 2022, WolfEye Studios has remained incredibly tight-lipped about their future plans. This is until Monday, when the Creative Director and President of the studio, Raphael Colantonio, let out a small tidbit about what their next game can look like. Below is an X (formerly Twitter) post from Colantonio that alludes to their next game.
We’ll reveal a bit more about our next game in a few days… Fans of the previous 1st person games I was involved with (Dishonored and Prey) will be happy.
Colantonio says, “Fans of the previous 1st person games I was involved with (Dishonored and Prey) will be happy.” Considering the Creative Director said specifically 1st person, it’s almost an announcement that WolfEye Studios’ next game will be from the first person POV. Although the same studio developed both titles, Dishonored and Prey featured vastly different gameplay mechanics, storyline elements, and characters and couldn’t be more different outside of the general FPS gameplay.
It’s worth mentioning that WolfEye Studios’ previous title, Weird West was from a Diablo IV-like viewpoint and featured werewolf transformations. Underneath the post, Colantonio does expand on what he meant with his comparisons to Dishonored and Prey. A fan, MonokumaGK replied to the post asking “Why you did not mention Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah as “previous 1st person games (you) were involved with”?” Colantonio replied, “I could have mentioned them too. But only so many characters in a tweet.”
Outside of confirmation that WolfEye Studios is indeed working on a new title, Colantonio has only revealed that their next game will likely be from a first-person perspective. Fans should note that WolfEye Studios still hasn’t made any formal announcements regarding the title, so fans should take this news with a grain of salt until further information is released.
Like many others, my exposure to the long-running and legendary Warhammer series has been primarily through its videogame adaptations that have graced PC and consoles over the years. In fact, the original Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine was my first experience with the franchise back when I played it on the PlayStation 3 in 2011.
With the imminent release of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 more than a decade later, the sequel has a lot to prove in terms of modernizing its tried-and-tested approach to a third-person shooter.
Thankfully, from my 4-5 hours with the preview build of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, I can safely say that fans of the original, or even fans of just over-the-top action shooters, are in for a treat. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 elevates things up to 11, bringing with it what appears to be a solid story campaign on top of a fun multiplayer mission mode, reminiscent of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide’smission-based structure.
For the uninitiated, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 once again places players back into the mud and blood-caked boots of Captain Titus of the Ultramarines unit, this time tasked against fighting a splinter scourge of Tyranids. In the preview demo I was given access to, I got to play the opening mission of the campaign alongside two others, as Space Marine 2 allows for full co-op action.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 features six distinct classes to pick from during missions. Campaign levels instead assign the party leader to play as Titus, who in-game is classified as an Assault unit, which, as far as gameplay mechanics are concerned, gives the player access to a heavy Thunder Hammer melee weapon, a booster pack which allows for a devasting ground pound special attack, along with a decent amount of verticality thanks to being able to jump around and get to higher elevation quickly.
The other five classes become available when playing the mission mode present in Space Marine 2, which unlocks after completing the first campaign level This ends with a fun boss encounter against the Chaos Sorcerer — a Psyker-adjacent powered-up magic caster that highlights Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s potential for enemy variety.
“Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 elevates things up to 11.”
Progressing through the campaign unlocks access to the main area of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, which allows the player to customize their own Ultramarine unit, choosing from the six available classes, gradually unlocking new modifiers and cosmetics, along with character-specific skills that help distinguish each character class.
If you’ve played Warhammer 40,000: Darktide before, the approach to missions and the multiplayer lobby in Space Marine 2 will feel very familiar to returning players. Outside of the Assault class, Space Marine 2 features the Tactical, Vanguard, Bulwark, Sniper and Heavy classes to pick from. Starting with the Tactical unit, players can expect a similar feeling range of melee prowess to the Assault class, replacing the hammer with a chainsword alongside the Auspex Scan ability, which highlights enemies hidden in the environment and temporarily makes them susceptible to bonus damage.
“…at least during this small, early look at Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, I can safely say that the variety in abilities and weapon loadouts feel good and work excellently together.
Conversely, the Vanguard is a bulkier unit equipped with a combat knife that dishes out chip damage when combined with the Grapnel Launcher ability, which can launch the player towards a target, quickly closing the gap, allowing to get in those extra hits hasten the proc for finishing moves.
The heaviest two units present in the game, however, would be the Bulwark and the aptly named Heavy Unit. The Bulward features a large shield capable of mowing through hordes of enemies, along with the Chapter Banner unique ability that casts an AoE buff, restoring all player shields. In contrast, the Heavy unit, instead, features a powerful shotgun-like Heavy Bolter weapon along with the Iron Halo ability, a bubble shield that protects against ranged attacks.
Finally, the Sniper unit features, as the name may suggest, a solid range-focused Bolt Sniper Rifle, the combat knife and the ability to go invisible for you and your squad before attacking, making it viable to single-out and stagger larger enemies before mopping up the minions.
Although not as drastically different in how the classes feel, when compared to something like Darktide, at least during this small, early look at Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, I can safely say that the variety in abilities and weapon loadouts feel good and work excellently together. They create a sense of synergy between you and your squad mates, particularly during boss encounters, which can really test your mettle.
“The core gameplay loop in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 will feel familiar to third-person shooter fans…”
The core gameplay loop in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 will feel familiar to third-person shooter fans and, of course, to those who played the first entry into the series. Thankfully, outside of a gigantic leap in graphic fidelity, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 fixes one of the most significant issues of the first game: taking damage during prolonged animations, such as when performing an execution move.
Speaking of execution moves, this was one of the most satisfying elements for me during my time with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, to the point where I found myself trying to cherry-pick kills from my friends in the hopes of getting that sweet, sweet execution to proc. In fact, I hope the addition of team-based executions is something that may be in the game once it finally sees release in September.
Overall, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is shaping up to be a solid entry into the rich world of the Warhammer franchise and a worthy sequel to the 2011 original. It is worth keeping on your radar for both fans of the source material and TPS fanatics.
Minecraft is touted as one of the best creative and expressive games around the world, due to its incredibly open ended sandbox, allowing players to build anything they can think of in this blocky world.
You will usually find players occupying public servers with their own modicum of problems. However, playing on a privately hosted server can streamline and rectify the experience.
In this article we will consider how a hosted Minecraft server can provide a more stable and customizable experience, as well as mention some hosting options to consider for you and your friends.
Creating a Unique World Together
One of the most compelling aspects of Minecraft is being dropped into a world and making it your own. When playing on a privately hosted server, there is a level of customization that allows you to fit the game to your preferred way of playing.
With a hosted server, you can install different mods and plugins that create custom game modes and quality of life improvements. This flexibility will make experiences for you and your friends more memorable, as you can organize special events as well as challenges and other activities, allowing players to grow together.
Advantages of Hosted Servers for Friends
There are many benefits offered by servers, hosted by providers. We will mention just a few reasons below.
Secure and Private Space
When you play on a hosted server, you can feel safe knowing that this server is private and secure. Public servers are usually overcrowded, accompanied by the occasional griefer or troll.
With a hosted server the admin has control of who they allow to join the server, ensuring that only your friends will be able to join. Knowing that you have joined a server that is privately secure, it’s easy to relax and enjoy the game without disruptions you’d find on public servers.
Access to Exclusive Mods and Plugins
An awesome benefit of a hosted server is the ability to install add-ons, different mods and plugins.
These mods and add-ons can introduce new items as well as new mechanics and features that are not available on public servers.
From texture packs, creating new visuals, as well as new gamemode plugins and quality of life features, you will be able to keep your game of Minecraft new and fun for your players who join your server.
Public Servers vs. Hosted Servers
Now, we will consider some of the challenges experienced on public servers and the solutions that privately hosted servers offer.
Challenges of Public Servers
Public servers can be a good method to meet players and band together with them, these servers also come with commonly experienced challenges.
Public servers often suffer from performance issues, like lag spikes and crashes, which disrupt the gameplay. While there are usually friendly players, sometimes you may run into a griefer, a troll or even a hacker, disrupting the experience.
On public servers, you do not have much privacy, with a lot of players sharing the same space, you most likely will not be able to find a safe area to build and play.
The Benefits of Private Hosted Servers
With a privately hosted server, you can enforce rules with administrative control that allow for a positive and respectful player experience.
If a reputable host provider is chosen to run the server, you will have reliable server performance with low amounts of downtime and minimal lag.
These factors make certain that you and your friends will experience an uninterrupted, smooth experience, with few technical issues to ruin gameplay.
Exploring Server Hosting Options
When it comes to choosing a hosted server, there are several options available, including free server hosting, each with its own set of benefits and considerations.
We will mention 3 of the more popular options below.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is a cost-effective option where multiple servers share the same physical hardware.
This can be a great choice for smaller groups of friends who want to enjoy a private server without a significant financial investment. However, shared hosting can sometimes lead to performance issues if the server becomes overcrowded.
Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
This option offers more control over the server settings as it is set on a virtual server. This solution offers greater control over server settings than shared hosting to boot, offering dedicated resources to the virtual server.
This hosting solution is also ideal for groups between 6-8 players who are looking for stable server performance.
Dedicated Server Hosting
For the ultimate Minecraft server hosting experience, a dedicated server provides the highest level of performance and reliability of all the options mentioned.
You have access to a physical server with dedicated hosting, ensuring maximum performance with the server hardware and many options for customization.
This is the best choice for large groups or those who want to run a heavily modded server.
Conclusion
Using a hosted server for you and your friends will allow you to experience the game in a unique way, allowing you to customize and modify the game the way you want to.
You will have the ability to build and craft in a private world with the benefit of improved and stable performance and security making it a great option for those looking to build their community in a safe and controllable space.
So why wait? Gather your friends, set up a hosted server, and start building and bonding in the world of Minecraft today.
Přihlásit se
