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"Steam Charts don't measure fun" - Splitgate Arena Reloaded developer responds to concerning PC launch numbers

Splitgate Arena Reloaded developer 1047 Games has shared some words regarding how its rereleased and repackaged game is doing over on Valve's PC platform, stating: "Steam Charts don't measure fun."

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The 50 best games of 2025, ranked

It's been another strange, difficult, and yet somehow also brilliant year for video games in 2025. Triple-A releases have been sparse again, compared to the boom times of old, with a great big GTA 6-shaped hole left in the final few months of the year. And yet once again, every gap left by the established order has been filled twice over with something brilliantly new.

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The Grand Strategy and Space Extraction Era: Epic’s First Weekly Drop of 2026

The holiday sprint has officially cooled down, and Epic is swapping the daily chaos for a much more manageable weekly rotation. Yesterday’s final 24-hour gift, Chivalry 2, is no longer up for grabs, but the replacement is a heavy-hitting double feature. From today, January 1, until January 8 at 11:00 AM ET, you can claim both Total War: THREE KINGDOMS and the sci-fi newcomer Wildgate for zero dollars. This shift signals a return to form for the storefront, moving away from “mystery” reveals back into a predictable schedule that actually gives you time to play the games you’re hoarding.

Total War: THREE KINGDOMS

This is arguably the most polished entry in the long-standing strategy franchise, set during the legendary collapse of the Han Dynasty. It isn’t just about moving thousands of soldiers across a map; it’s a character-driven epic where personal rivalries and diplomatic betrayals dictate the fate of ancient China. The “Romanticized” mode turns your generals into superhuman warriors capable of taking on entire units solo, while the “Records” mode keeps things grounded in historical realism. If you happen to miss the free week on Epic, the Steam Store is currently running an 80% discount through January 5, and the G2A Marketplace (affiliate link) often has keys for roughly $9.00, making it a resourceful pickup even after the giveaway ends.

Total War - 3 Kingdoms massive straegy picture
Total War – 3 Kingdoms massive straegy

Wildgate

Providing a sharp contrast to the slow-burn strategy of the Three Kingdoms, Wildgate is a 2025 arrival that focuses on high-stakes PvPvE extraction in deep space. You and your crew are dropped into hostile sectors where you have to balance hunting for ship upgrades against the threat of rival players and lethal environmental anomalies. The combat is a hybrid of first-person shooting and tactical ship-to-ship maneuvering, requiring genuine coordination to survive the extraction phase. While the Epic giveaway is the best current deal, the Steam Store has it for 60% off until next week. If you’re looking for a second chance later, G2A typically lists keys around $1.80, which is basically pocket change for a modern sci-fi title.

Wildgate - Multiplayer FPS Adventure picture
Wildgate – Multiplayer FPS Adventure

A Resourceful Start to the Year

Securing these two titles adds over $90 of retail value to your library for nothing, covering both the grand-scale strategy and the competitive shooter niches. Total War provides a campaign that can easily eat up a hundred hours of your January, while Wildgate offers a fresh loop for your weekend squad sessions. Make sure you hit the claim button before the next rotation on January 8 to start 2026 with a significantly more valuable library.

Wildgate - Gameplay screenshot picture
Wildgate – Gameplay screenshot

The post The Grand Strategy and Space Extraction Era: Epic’s First Weekly Drop of 2026 appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

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PlayStation Holiday Sale: Massive Discounts on 2024 Hits

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Sony has officially launched its massive holiday sale, and it is a complete blowout. For those who skipped the release-day prices, the PlayStation Store has slashed costs on some of the biggest games of the year, alongside a mountain of older classics. Most discounts are sitting comfortably between 50% and 75%, with a few standout titles dropping as low as 85% off.

This is a deep sale that covers hundreds of titles, so whether you are looking for a massive RPG to sink your winter break into or a quick indie hit, the value here is hard to ignore.

The Big 2024 Newcomers

The most notable part of this sale is the aggressive pricing on very recent releases. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, which has been praised for its immersive realism and full Czech dubbing, is already at 50% off. You can find that same 50% discount on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, making it a great time to jump into feudal Japan.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Beauties of Japan
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Beauties of Japan

If you are after a unique RPG experience, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is currently 20% off and even includes Czech subtitles. Other major newcomers on sale include Battlefield 6 at 30% off, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered at 33% off, and the psychological horror of Silent Hill f at 40% off.

Catching Up on the Classics

The discounts keep climbing from there. Cyberpunk 2077, which has become a masterpiece after its recent updates, is 55% off. For horror fans, Alan Wake 2 is a steal at 70% off. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly pick Hogwarts Legacy is available for a fraction of its original prices.

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 - Cyberpunk 2077 Gallery Feature Picture
Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 – Cyberpunk 2077 Gallery Feature Picture

A Massive Catalog to Browse

The sale is far from limited to these headlines. Deep discounts are also live for Astro Bot, Baldur’s Gate 3, Space Marine 2, and Star Wars Outlaws. Whether you’re hunting for a 100-hour epic or a casual co-op game, this is likely the best time to buy before the new year.

The post PlayStation Holiday Sale: Massive Discounts on 2024 Hits appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

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The Light on the Horizon Goes Dark: A Tribute to Vince Zampella (1970–2025)

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The world feels a little quieter today, and the screens we retreat to feel a little colder. On Sunday, December 21, 2025, the heartbeat of the modern shooter stopped. Vince Zampella—the man who spent three decades teaching us that a game could be more than just pixels, that it could be a visceral, heart-pounding extension of our own reflexes—passed away at the age of 55. As reported by Game Informer, this isn’t just the loss of a corporate executive; it feels like losing the captain of the ship. Zampella was the architect of our digital camaraderie, the man who understood that a “game” only works when it respects the player’s time, skill, and passion.

Vince Zampela tragicaly killed in car accident picture
Vince Zampela tragicaly killed in car accident

The Midnight Silence on Angeles Crest

The tragedy that claimed his life is a jarring contrast to the high-octane worlds he built. According to primary reports from NBC4 Los Angeles and the California Highway Patrol, the incident occurred at approximately 12:45 p.m. in the rugged beauty of the San Gabriel Mountains. Zampella was driving a Ferrari 296 GTB on the Angeles Crest Highway when the vehicle veered off the road at mile post 62.70. The car struck a concrete barrier and was consumed by fire almost instantly.

Terrifying moment of Vince Zampella’s deadly crash. RIP:(. Beware of mature content

Zampella died at the scene, and a passenger—a soul whose identity remains shielded by the privacy of a grieving family—succumbed to their injuries later at the hospital. The Straits Times notes that while investigations are ongoing, the gaming community is less focused on the mechanics of the accident and more on the massive, hollow space his absence leaves behind. It is a cruel irony that a man who mastered the art of “controlled chaos” on our screens lost his life to the unpredictable reality of a mountain road.

Vince Zampella Died Battlefield.jpeg picture
Vince Zampella Died Battlefield.jpeg

The General Who Redefined the Frontline

Vince didn’t just make games; he set the tempo for an entire industry. His career began with a refusal to accept the status quo. At 2015, Inc., he gave us the storming of Omaha Beach in Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, a moment so cinematic it felt like the screen was sweating. But he was just getting started. When he co-founded Infinity Ward, he didn’t just create Call of Duty; he created a language. The “hitmarker,” the snap-to-aim, the prestige system—these weren’t just features; they were the new DNA of interactive entertainment. As The Game Business highlights in their career retrospective, Zampella took the chaos of war and turned it into a finely tuned instrument. If you’ve ever felt the rush of a “Level Up” guitar riff, you were experiencing the mind of Vince Zampella.

The Resurrection of the Shooter

Perhaps the most inspiring chapter of his life was his “second act.” After a messy, public split from Activision in 2010 that would have broken a lesser creator, Vince didn’t retreat. He built Respawn Entertainment from the ashes. He gave us Titanfall, reminding us that we could touch the sky, and Apex Legends, a masterclass in surprise and precision. Even when he stepped into the Star Wars universe with the Jedi series, he treated it with the reverence of a fan and the skill of a master.

Most recently, he had become the “fixer” for Battlefield, leading the franchise back to its former glory. Just ten days before his passing, Zampella appeared at The Game Awards 2025, where Battlefield 6 took home the trophy for Best Audio Design—a final, poignant reminder of his obsession with quality. We didn’t know it was a farewell.

A Legacy Measured in Muscle Memory

To describe Vince’s impact through a clinical table of dates feels insufficient for a man who lived with such intensity. His 55 years were a relentless pursuit of the “perfect feel.” Born in 1970, he spent over thirty years evolving from a developer to the visionary leader of Respawn and the savior of Battlefield. He wasn’t chasing trends; he was the one the trends were trying to catch. His work earned him countless Game of the Year honors, but his real trophy is the muscle memory of millions of players worldwide.

The industry tributes have been a tidal wave of grief. Electronic Arts (EA) confirmed the news to PEOPLE, calling it an “unimaginable loss,” while long-time friend Geoff Keighley spoke of a man who gave developers the “freedom and confidence to be great.” But for the players—the ones who feel the weight of his absence every time they fire up a console—the tribute is simpler. We play on. We defend the points he designed, we master the movement he perfected, and we remember that the light on the gaming horizon is a little dimmer today.

Rest in peace, Vince. You didn’t just change the game; you became the standard.

The post The Light on the Horizon Goes Dark: A Tribute to Vince Zampella (1970–2025) appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

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Resident Evil Meets Neon-Punk: Today’s Epic Mystery Game is ‘Sorry We’re Closed’

If you were hoping for another gritty shooter or a mainstream AAA title, today’s reveal might surprise you. Epic is continuing its streak of “hidden gem” picks with Sorry We’re Closed, a 2024 survival horror title that feels more like an underground art project than a standard video game.

Sorry We Are Closed Survival Horror picture
Sorry We Are Closed Survival Horror

Forget the tired tropes of the genre; this is survival horror with a high-fashion, punk-rock soul.

The Premise: A Literal Race Against Hell

You play as Michelle, a woman living a fairly mundane life until she is cursed by a powerful archdemon. You have exactly three days to find a way to break the curse or face eternal damnation. It’s a tight, stressful narrative where your dialogue choices and actions directly influence which of the multiple endings you’ll hit.

Why It’s a Great Grab

  • The “Third Eye” Mechanic: Michelle can open her “Third Eye” at any time to peer into a twisted, demonic version of her world. This isn’t just for show—it’s how you find secrets, solve puzzles, and reveal the literal hearts of your enemies to hit their weak points.
  • Old School Meets New School: The game uses the classic fixed-camera angles of Silent Hill and Resident Evil, but shifts into a slick, first-person arcade shooter perspective when you aim your gun. It solves the “clunky combat” problem of retro horror while keeping the cinematic tension.
  • Arthouse Aesthetic: The visuals are a wild mix of low-poly PS1 models and vibrant, neon-soaked colors. It looks like a “Club Kid” fever dream, making it one of the most visually distinct games Epic has given away this year.
Sorry We Are Closed - Gameplay kills picture
Sorry We Are Closed – Gameplay kills

Last Thoughts

Sorry We’re Closed usually goes for $20. It’s short, punchy, and perfect for a weekend playthrough. If you want something that prioritizes atmosphere and unique storytelling over budget-bloat, this is a must-add to your library.

You have until December 22 at 11:00 AM ET to claim it for free

The post Resident Evil Meets Neon-Punk: Today’s Epic Mystery Game is ‘Sorry We’re Closed’ appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

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Survival of the Deadest: Why Today’s Freebie ‘Blood West’ is a Must-Grab on Epic

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The Epic Games holiday marathon continues, and if you were expecting another flashy, neon-soaked adventure like yesterday, think again. Today, December 20, Epic is taking us into the dirt, the dark, and the downright cursed with stealth FPS Blood West.

This is the fourth game in the lineup, and it further cements the fact that the “mainstream blockbuster” leaks were way off the mark. Instead, we’re getting a gritty, low-poly masterpiece that feels like a lost artifact from the late 90s.

Blood West - Retro graphics picture
Blood West – Retro graphics

What is Blood West?

Imagine if the original Thief games had a baby with S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and then that baby was raised in a haunted version of the Wild West.

You play as an undead gunslinger—literally brought back from the dead by mysterious spirits—to “clean up” the frontier. But this isn’t a power fantasy. In the Barren Lands, everything wants you back in the grave, and usually, it only takes a couple of hits to put you there.

Blood West - Killing spree picture
Blood West – Killing spree

Why It Stands Out:

  • Methodical Stealth: This isn’t a “run and gun” game. If you try to play it like Call of Duty, you’ll die in seconds. You have to scout environments, crouch through the brush, and pick your shots carefully.
  • The Voice of a Legend: Fun fact for stealth fans—the protagonist is voiced by Stephen Russell, the same legendary voice behind Garrett from the original Thief series. It adds a massive layer of “immersive sim” credibility to the atmosphere.
  • Eldritch Horror: You aren’t just fighting outlaws. You’re up against wendigos, bird-men, and Lovecraftian abominations. The “Weird West” vibe is thick, dark, and genuinely unsettling.
  • RPG Depth: It features a deep perk system and inventory management. You’ll spend just as much time weighing the benefits of a cursed artifact vs. a silver-plated revolver as you will actually pulling the trigger.

The “Ugly-Beautiful” Aesthetic

Don’t let the “retro” graphics fool you. The low-poly, pixelated look is a deliberate choice that makes the lighting and shadows feel much more oppressive. It’s “boomer shooter” tech used to create a survival horror experience that feels massive, with three huge open-ended maps to explore.

Blood West - Naked Zombiewoman picture
Blood West – Naked Zombiewoman

How To Get It

Blood West (usually $24.99) is free on the Epic Games Store right now. You have until December 21 at 11:00 AM ET to add it to your library.

If you’re tired of modern games holding your hand with quest markers and regenerating health, this is the challenge you’ve been looking for. Just remember: in these lands, ammo is more precious than gold.

The post Survival of the Deadest: Why Today’s Freebie ‘Blood West’ is a Must-Grab on Epic appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

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Destiny 2: Shooter Looter Chaos and Companionship

I still remember the sentiment surrounding my joining the world of Destiny 2 and the impressions I had framed in my mind. I remember the storyline of the game and the characters that came with it. I remember the planned group activities with friends where I would come for the game and laughter, and enjoy the melting pot of cultures that I would experience. Dystopia would contribute to the cultural side of the game. I would remember the game for the positive memories of the friends I would meet.

We've finally one-phased the raid boss, a perfect symphony of debuffs, buffs, and sustained heavy weapon fire.

I would experience the game for the people's memories, for the friends I would meet. Madness in the romance, I would only be in for the people. There is madness in the romance; I would only be in for the people. There is madness in the game; I would only be in for the people. suger

A Game of Two Halves: Wonder and Frustration

Spectacle is Destiny 2’s calling card, and there is no better place to see that than in the stark and beautiful war-torn zones of the game. The blend of the celestial and the terrestrial is well balanced. The game’s environments ooze atmosphere, whether you are in the crumbling and scarred landscapes of the EDZ or in the illusory woods of Nessus. The game does well to instill in you the perspective of the vast and indifferent universe that surrounds you, the little spark-wielding guardian, the universe that surrounds and watches you.

The new dungeon's secret chest requires a perfectly executed platforming puzzle off the main path.

It’s frustrating to see the wide gaps in the lore after seasonals and plot drips. It’s like trying to complete only one half of a jigsaw puzzle, and the rest is in a completely different house. My background in the genre as a traditional JRPG player made the gaps hard to appreciate. Destiny 2 does not have storylines that are traditional, and that’s one of the things that has to be appreciated most: the ambition. Unfortunately, the game does not seem to provide the lore or the rich storytelling to back that ambition up to the extent that a player deserves.

Weapons and Loot: The Double-Edged Sword

Ah, the loot. It’s the carrot on the stick that keeps Guardians grinding through strikes, raids, and gambit matches. But here’s the thing: not all loot is created equal. The doubtless lucrative rewards complain. When Early Destiny 2 started, it lacked truly enticing pieces. Yes, there were a few outstanding weapons and some sets of pieces of armor, but more often than not, after a long, exhausting activity, I’d receive a piece of gear that was.

I'm running triple Shotgun with the Tractor Cannon for a meme build that's somehow working in the Crucible.

Bungie, to some extent, has resolved this issue. These weapons, more than tools of killing, are statements. Yet there’s room for more. Destiny 2, for all its outstanding gear, still lacks top-tier enough high-end gear to truly reward its most loyal followers who buy cheap PS4 games. There are far more hours than I’d like to admit spent chasing God Rolls than there are high-end pieces of loot to reward that effort. Available loot should match the depth and complexity of the gameplay.

Social Glue Destiny 2

Destiny 2 without its social aspects? No thanks. It wouldn't even be enjoyable. This game is, no doubt, about its community. Be it a raid, nightfall, or just crucible, gameplay is enjoyed even more with a friend or group. Numbers do change the fun, but it is still the moments in gameplay, or the Leviathan in my case, that stick with you. Six hours, dying and laughing, with a group, only to win in the end, the value is in the collective enjoyment, even in defeat. Little moments create and force repetitive gameplay. They make you do it. They bring you back.

The Trials of Osiris match is 4-4, and it's all down to my last-gasp snipe in a one-versus-one scenario.

Adversely, social aspects can be a burden. Group content boundaries mean the best parts of the game for solo players are lost. Solo gameplay has its own content and parts to engage with, if you buy PS5 shooter games that are action role-playing first. It wouldn't be unreasonable to give more ends and means to the lone Guardians in the endgame. They should be able to engage and appreciate the boss or grind. It isn't just the friends that count.

The Road Ahead

Destiny 2, like any live-service game, is still a work in progress. Its first year was rough, marked by questionable design choices and a community that felt increasingly alienated. But there is one thing that Bungie has proven. They will listen. The Year 2 expansion, Forsaken, reworked systems and breathed new life into the game. Even with the stumbles, there is a commitment from the developers to evolve the game.

My vault is a disorganized mess of 598 out of 600 items, filled with rolls I'm "saving for later."

Destiny 2: Beyond Light

At this time, the primary story campaigns have been made free, but the high-level, permanent activities like Raids and Dungeons are bundled in "Packs," so you will still have to get one of those. Destiny 2: Beyond Light, released in 2020, the fifth extension, introduces the Stasis subclass, the first ability set tied to the Darkness. The endgame content is packaged in the Beyond Light Pack (a paid purchase), which includes the Deep Stone Crypt Raid, certain Nightfall Strikes (The Glassway and Proving Grounds), and access to over 15 Exotic weapons and armor pieces associated with the expansion.

Destint 2: Shadowkeep

In 2019, we had Destiny 2: Shadowkeep extension, the fourth major expansion for Destiny 2, marking the game's Year 3 content. The endgame content is packaged in the Shadowkeep Pack (a paid purchase), which includes the Garden of Salvation Raid, the Pit of Heresy Dungeon, the Scarlet Keep Nightfall strike, and access to over 15 Exotic weapons and armor pieces associated with the expansion. The endgame content is packaged in the Shadowkeep Pack (a paid purchase), which includes the Garden of Salvation Raid, the Pit of Heresy Dungeon, the Scarlet Keep Nightfall strike, and access to over 15 Exotic weapons and armor pieces associated with the expansion.

I'm using a sword to perfectly "skate" across the Vow of the Disciple opening section, leaving my team behind.

Destiny 2: Years 5 to 8

The Witch Queen (2022, Year 5) proposes the confrontation with Savathûn, the Hive God of Cunning, and the introduction of the Light-wielding Hive and the new weapon crafting system.

Lightfall (2023, Year 6) is a chase after The Witness to Neptune, uncovering the hidden city of Neomuna, and the introduction of the new Strand Darkness Subclass.

The Final Shape (2024, Year 7) is the epic conclusion to the "Light and Darkness Saga," as Guardians enter the Traveler to face The Witness. It introduced the Prismatic Subclass.

The Edge of Fate (2025, Year 8) is the most recent "medium-sized" expansion, which began a new saga for the game. It is part of Bungie's new content release model of two expansions per year.

There is so much potential with so many ideas that feel just shy of fully realized. As someone who has fallen in love with this game, Bungie is a developer that I hope will balance ambition and execution. Until then, I’ll be there chasing the next raid clear, the next legendary drop, and the next moment that makes it all worthwhile.

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Luna Abyss: FPS Bullet-Hell

Kwalee and internal studio Kwalee Labs have unveiled “The Eye Has Opened,” a new atmospheric trailer for Luna Abyss, their upcoming first-person bullet-hell action-adventure launching in 2026 on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The single-player, story-driven experience features fluid platforming and intense combat as players uncover mysteries within a mimic moon’s depths.

Luna-Abyss

Prisoner Protagonist Framework

Players assume the role of Fawkes, a Luna prisoner caught between cryptic prophecy and prison sentence whilst exploring a derelict megastructure sprawling beneath the mimic moon’s surface. The artificial prison guard Aylin oversees every move as Fawkes recovers forgotten technology from within the Abyss and the lost colony it consumed.

This prisoner framework justifies dangerous exploration whilst establishing antagonistic relationship with the overseer AI monitoring progress.

Luna-Abyss

Environmental Storytelling Through Ruins

Centuries-old ruins echo with maddening secrets of once-prosperous Greymont and its terrible fate. The Scourge, All-Father tenets, Collective choir, and Abyss voices whisper strange missives creating layered mythology revealed through exploration rather than expository dialogue.

“Don’t be afraid, little wanderer. You need only go deeper, the better to be seen by us. The slumbering silent one breathes deep and waits. All we need is the key. All we need is you.”

This cryptic communication style suggests cosmic horror influences where complete understanding remains elusive whilst fragments coalesce into disturbing implications about the colony’s downfall and Fawkes’ prophesied role.

Luna-Abyss

Fluid Platforming Through Brutalist Architecture

Sprint, jump, and dash mechanics enable fluid first-person traversal through the brutalist alien megastructure. This movement emphasis distinguishes Luna Abyss from static FPS experiences, requiring spatial awareness and timing precision across forsaken chasms.

The platforming integration creates pacing variety between bullet-hell combat encounters whilst leveraging architectural verticality for environmental puzzle navigation.

Bullet-Hell Combat Design

Corrupted souls and twisted cosmic horrors populate Luna Abyss with weapon-based confrontations demanding mastery, on-the-fly adjustment, and survival through overwhelming projectile patterns. The bullet-hell designation indicates screen-filling attacks requiring precise movement and situational awareness beyond typical FPS gunplay.

Tool mastery suggests weapon variety or ability combinations creating strategic depth through loadout choices appropriate for different enemy types and encounter scenarios.

The demo introduces multiple locations whilst facing corrupted enemies and cosmic horrors, providing hands-on evaluation before the 2026 release. This pre-launch sampling allows assessment of whether the platforming and bullet-hell combination resonates with individual preferences.

Luna Abyss targets FPS enthusiasts seeking atmospheric exploration with challenging combat when it launches next year.

The post Luna Abyss: FPS Bullet-Hell appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

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Here's that noir thriller built in the original Half-Life engine you asked for

There's been a surprisingly strong run of Half-Life total conversions of late, by which I mean there have been two of them. November brought us Diffusion, a massively ambitious sci-fi adventure with some truly eye-popping environment design, especially considering the age of its tech. Yes, it featured some terrible AI generated text-to-speech. But its creator is working on fixing that and recently revealed some of the human cast for its English dub.

Now, the GoldSrc engine has been given a lick of black paint in the pulp noir thriller The Last Goodbye. Created by Half-Life mod team Guild of Inventors, The Last Goodbye puts you in the stiletto heels of Lucille, a gun-for-hire nicknamed The Banshee who takes on a job to assassinate the deadliest gangster in the City of Prava, a cigar-chomping criminal mastermind known as Bullseye. Between you and your target is an army of pipe-wielding, pistol toting goons desperate to wrap their lips around the barrel of your shotgun.

While The Last Goodbye clearly has Half-Life in its DNA, its creators say the mod is as much of a puzzle and exploration game as it is a shooter. The Last Goodbye places a big emphasis on storytelling, featuring both in-game dialogue and cutscenes relaying the tale. The latter have a hyper-specific inspiration, namely Tele-snap reconstructions of missing Doctor Who episodes.

Naturally, though, the game sees you get involved in plenty of scrapes, using pistols, shotguns, and even dynamite to thin the ranks of Bullseye's henchmen. Combat's designed to be challenging, with Lucille lacking the protection afforded Gordon Freeman by his HEV suit. Lucille seems a bit more nimble than Gordon, however, and is also capable of socking enemies in the jaw with her fists.

The trailer above shows the mod in action. I'm a big fan of the Tim Burton-era Gotham City vibe that Prava has to it, a moodily-lit blend of Victorian gothic townhouses and art-deco skyscrapers drenched in sultry neon lighting. I'm also impressed the modders managed to create a convincing looking cat out of GoldSrc-era graphics. Hammering those polygons into place must've taken some effort.

You can download The Last Goodbye on ModDB, although currently the build only includes one of a planned three acts. The modders say that development of act two is "already well under way, with levels and models being prioritised at the moment", and will bring three new enemy types and two new weapons.

And if act one of The Last Goodbye isn't enough to satisfy your cravings, you could always give Bloodlines 2 a shot. While The Chinese Room's sequel isn't a great RPG, it does spin a compelling noir detective yarn, with your Malkavian brain-companion Fabien proving excellent company even in the game's weakest moments. Alternatively, you could just play Max Payne 2 again, which is never a bad decision.

Best laptop games: Low-spec life
Best Steam Deck games: Handheld must-haves
Best browser games: No install needed
Best indie games: Independent excellence
Best co-op games: Better together

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Valorant's latest update adds a new pistol to spice up early rounds, as Riot plans to take 'a holistic look' at the shooter's arsenal through 2026

When Valorant launched back in 2020, it was pitched as Counter-Strike with added superpowers, a combination that proved irresistible for shooter expert Morgan Park in PC Gamer's Valorant review. Over the last few years, however, the emphasis has gradually shifted to the point where Valorant has turned into superpowers with added Counter-Strike.

This problem came to a head last year, with Riot promising to cut back on supplementary utility powers to reorient Valorant back around gunplay. This initiative is set to continue through 2026, with Valorant's latest patch introducing a new gun as Riot promises more extensive weapon reworks in the future.

That new gun is called the Bandit, a semiautomatic pistol designed to fill the gap between the silenced Ghost and Valorant's high-powered revolver, the Sheriff. The Bandit gives players a higher rate of fire than the Sheriff and superior damage compared to the Ghost, able to deal instant kills on headshots against lightly armoured players. Riot believes this should add some extra spice to those early, pistol-heavy rounds.

While the Bandit's addition is the only major weapon change in the update, Riot says it's indicative of the studio's broader plans for Valorant in 2026. "Since we started putting the emphasis on gunplay in 2025, we're going to use 2026 to take a holistic look at our arsenal and core combat loop, to make adjustments where needed," says Riot's product manager for Gameplay, Tiffy, in a video detailing the update.

Elsewhere, the update brings a substantial overhaul to one of Valorant's maps, Breeze. Riot says that player feedback indicated Breeze's open design was a little too open, so the developer has sprinkled in more cover and closed off some of its larger spaces to tighten up combat encounters. Two other maps, Haven and Corrode, have also been tweaked slightly to make wall penetration more predictable.

The update also introduces a new, temporary mode with the highly inelegant name "All Random One Site". This appears to be designed as a fast-paced, highly reactive mode, with players spawning as random characters and battling in small, closed off areas of each map.

The last major change Riot highlights is to Match Making Rating, or MMR. While Riot doesn't go into too much detail here, it says the changes are designed so MMR will more accurately reflect player skill, therefore helping ensure that matches have better balance for 2026.

I certainly prefer it when shooters put the shooting front and centre, rather than relying on secondary gimmicks to power the experience, so these changes sound like the right call to me. But if these tweaks are tempting you back into Valorant, make sure your motherboard BIOS is up to date first, otherwise you might find yourself unable to play due to Riot's latest anti-cheat measures.

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Valorant and LoL begin new seasons, Apex Legends has a Winter Wipeout, Overwatch 2 shares mid-season plans

Who’s ready for a big chonky pile of Not-So-Massively game news pieces? You must be since you clicked here, so welcome! Pull up a chair. Read through about some of the most recent updates to the smaller scale multiplayer games in our orbit. Have a cranberry scone and maybe some of this chai. It’s pretty […]
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The PvPvE extraction shooter where you build and drive a huge stompy mechanical base across a ruined planet gets a Steam release window

I love the idea of building a huge mechanical mobile base and using it to stomp my way around a post-apocalyptic landscape on giant metal legs. Throw in a PvPvE system where I can battle other players' bases and raid ruined cities for resources, and set the whole thing in an "industrial alternate history of 1910" ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire... yeah, Sand: Raiders of Sophie is ticking a lot of boxes for me.

The open world FPS from Ukrainian developer Hologryph has been on my radar for a while (it was just called Sand until late last year), but I've stupidly managed to miss all of the playtests it's had during development. It won't be much longer until I finally do get to try it out, though: Sand: Raiders of Sophie is stampeding its way onto Steam for a release in March. There's a new trailer to gawp at, too.

I've never been much of an extraction shooter guy, but games like Tarkov and Arc Raiders don't have giant steampunk bases I can build and pilot, do they? In Sand they're called Tramplers, by the way, and they look and sound awesome.

"Tramplers, your most loyal companion, act as a mode of transport, a main base, primary storage, protection from the elements and most formidable weapon for its captain and their crew," say the devs. "You can build your trampler from the ground up, customizing the size, layout and placements of its engine, compartments, storage and mortal weapons."

According to Sand's official site, you can even fold up the legs of your Trampler, turning it into a metal ship that can cross the water, though I don't see evidence of that in the trailer above. Sophie mostly looks like a desert world.

As you stomp around you'll battle with other players, competing for resources in the wastelands of a fallen planet. "The cities left in ruin upon Sophie hold untold riches, but danger lurks around every corner. Sail the world, scour the abandoned streets, monuments and wrecks, recover valuable loot, weapons and resources and fight off rival pirates before extracting with your spoils."

I've heard enough and I'm ready to do a bit of trampling. You can find Sands: Raiders of Sophie on Steam.

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Like Birds – Beta Sign Up

Like Birds is a singleplayer first-person shooter that strips away unwanted modern features, delivering a pure FPS experience with no microtransactions, lootboxes, or forced online services.

In Like Birds you are the last man standing after a helicopter crash in hostile territory. Enemies swarm your crash site as you hang on until help arrives, eliminating threats with limited equipment and picking up weapons from fallen … Read More

The post Like Birds – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

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