Despite plans to release in the coming months, the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake isn't going to be at The Game Awards.
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A new report has dug into the alleged Rockstar Games Discord and message that led to the controversial firing of 34 employees.
The post Leaked Discord Messages Reveal Why Rockstar Fired 34 Employees appeared first on Insider Gaming.
Do you know that moment when playing a game and your mouth opens widely and you say, “This is what next-gen gaming is meant to be like?” Exactly what happens about five minutes into Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. From the first rift you leap through, you realize it’s not just another platformer. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, despite its age, is one of the games you can totally play today because it remains one of the most polished, visually stunning, and fun action-platformers on PlayStation.
The game starts with a hero's celebration gone wrong—an oldie but goodie cliché that Insomniac Games somehow still manages to make fresh. Dr Nefarious, the fabulously deranged villain of the franchise, returns with this plan so over-the-top that it practically winks at you. Through a malfunctioning dimensionator, this sends our Lombax hero Ratchet and his trusty robot buddy Clank hurtling into an alternate reality. And just like that, you're off on a whirlwind journey through universes teaming with personality and surprises.
This is a gameplay that is so madly polished that you will be sitting on the edge of your seat. You are dodging laser beams in a grimy cyberpunk city one second and riding a giant space dragon through a prehistoric jungle next. Every rift you open feels like pulling the pin on a grenade full of endless possibilities.
The Topiary Sprinkler turns enemies into shrubbery mid-fight, and I’m not gonna lie; when I saw a robot sprouting leaves for the first time, I laughed out loud. The Ricochet gun is equally satisfying, with each bounce of the projectile landing with a smack that’s practically tactile. Each weapon has its own personality, and upgrading them in the game’s skill tree feels like opening presents on Christmas morning.
This isn’t just some gimmick here to attract players who buy cheap PS4 games; it becomes way more than that. You can feel every single pull of those triggers, every step that Ratchet makes, or any dimensional shift, whether big or small. It is difficult to describe but impossible to ignore the subtlety in the triggers when you are swinging across gaps on Ratchet’s tether.
And then, we have Rivet, a Lombax from another dimension who becomes the star of the show. His attitude is somewhat sarcastic and tough, while remaining highly sensitive in a way that makes him adorable on sight. The world that Rivet lives in has been plunged into dark times as it undergoes resistance against Emperor Nefarious (yes, two Nefariouses), which sounds just as mad as it really is. The shift between Ratchet and Rivet throughout the narrative doesn’t simply seem seamless; it seems like a must.
As for visuals, Rift Apart is absolutely stunning, one of the best among PS5 adventure games. It’s not just “pretty” for a video game; it’s “stop dead in your tracks because it could be an animated Pixar film”. Each of these worlds brims with colour and intricacy. Busy neon-lit streets of Nefarious City feel very much alive with NPCs and vehicles whizzing about. In contrast, Sargasso’s dense alien foliage almost whispers to you to slow down and take it all in. It feels magical to watch new places appear without any loading screens whatsoever. This isn’t merely some kind of technical display but rather something fundamental to the pace and enthusiasm of this game.
The completionists will be rewarded by Rift Apart. The major storyline lasts between 15 and 18 hours, but Challenge Mode can keep you coming back for more. This mode allows you to restart the game with all of your weapons and upgrades already unlocked, but enemies become more challenging. Golden bolts to armor sets that change your stats or look are sprinkled generously throughout the worlds. There’s also no overlooking pocket dimensions – bite-sized platforming puzzles that are as sweetly satisfying as they are rewarding.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is unique not just because of its gameplay mechanics or stunning visuals, both of which it has in spades; it’s got heart. Late in the game, Rivet and Clank share a quiet conversation about their fears and failures. It’s unadorned and unguarded, surprisingly human. Amidst all these mind-blowing sequences and fun gadgets that are hardly logical, those silent beats still echo at the end of time.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is not just a game; it is an experience. It is a tribute in the form of a platformer, a demonstration of possibilities on PS5, and another emotional story that brings tears to your eyes. If you are new to the series or have been following it for a long time, this will be one journey that should never be missed. While it shares some similarities with Astro Bot—like colorful worlds, playful tone, and clever use of the DualSense controller—Rift Apart is a much larger, story-driven adventure with deeper combat and exploration.
I’ll be blunt: if you’re waiting for Mafia: The Old Country to flip the whole genre upside down or set a new bar for storytelling, you’ll walk away empty. The game feels like it slipped between the pages of the past, parked in a familiar playbook where the moral map is printed in black and white and the biggest twist is which of the big bosses gets dumped in the river. The scenery is gorgeous, the cars and suits gleam like museum pieces, and the shooting and driving still hum the right vintage tune. But the story is so carefully hemmed in that even the sturdy ma like Godfather would raise an eyebrow and mutter “let loose a little.”
I can’t deny it feels warm, like sliding into a diner booth that still has the same vinyl menu. Yet, among today’s Haunting, year-long character arcs and villains you can’t even high-five in the mirror, the chapter-long saga of who-stabbed-who feels like a love letter you tuck away rather than write back to. The game is a big bowl of mac and cheese: you feel full for a few minutes, but unless you’re the sentimental sort, the whole plate is out of your head by dessert.
The tale travels a road so worn the kids could follow it in slippers. You step into Enzo’s slightly scuffed loafers: a junior muscle with a conscience stitched into his suit. Right away, he’s learning the difference between “Capisce?” and “Why the hell?” and you know he’ll test the difference soon. Each mission, each shady midnight phone call, clicks into place exactly where the genre manual indicates. Betrayals, blood feuds, and a weekly pasta dinner in the sour underbelly: check, check, check. A curveball would feel nice, but the steering wheel won’t budge.
The engine purring under this well-sealed hood is Enzo’s soft-eyed crush on Isabella, the Don’s only rose. They meet in forbidden gardenia-scented glances and turtlenecks, assuring us the growth of a mighty personal storm while the timer on the hit squad ticks. Yet her emotional dial barely nudges beyond “mysterious sigh.” You nod, you root, you politely eye the door for something risqué like subplots or flashbacks. When the hazy slow-motion “no, Enzo, don’t shoot!” finally rolls, the buttoned-up fireworks fizzle out like soggy caps. You’re happy for the characters, but the story’s voice is more soap opera rerun than opera beneath the stars.
The standout triumph of this game is the stunning visual feast it lays before you. Hangar 13 has crafted the most richly detailed game world they’ve ever made, and it shows on every screen. Nineteenth-century Sicily springs to life with a diligence that borders on the obsessive. You can practically see the hand-stitched wool of the character suits, the tiny flecks of rust glinting on the period cars, and the gentle curves of the buildings that only a true historian would think to get exactly right. The artists behind the scenery have poured their hearts onto the canvas, and they deserve every round of applause they’re going to get.
The bad news is that players who buy cheap PS4 games can no longer enjoy this saga. The good news is that the team brought back the beloved “Explore” mode, so you can wander the world without the undercooked story dragging you along. This free-roaming option is easily the game’s crown jewel. You can glide through the countryside, duck into a sun-soaked village square, and pause to listen to the soft clink of coins or the distant chatter of townsfolk. In these still, unhurried moments, the game lifts its head and flexes its highest production value. The world doesn’t just exist—it hums.
The new knife combat system was supposed to be a highlight, but it ended up being a letdown. On standard difficulty, the blades feel like butter—just hammer the attack button and watch the enemies drop. There’s no planning, no timing, no risk—just swing, swing, swing.
The only part that tries to be tricky is the resharpening mechanic, which forces you to reload your knife’s edge after every few stealth takedowns. Instead of clever enemy design or layered combat choices, you get a menu prompt that reminds you it’s a game. The mechanic is meant to feel authentic, but it lands like a speed bump, disrupting the flow without adding any real tension or reward. You’ll use the knife in every boss fight, and it works, but it’s also forgettable—competent to the point of being invisible.
Mafia: The Old Country is full of contradictions. Its world is one of the prettiest and most detailed I’ve seen in ages, yet the story rides the rails of old clichés instead of charting a new course. The combat is polished enough to get the job done, but it feels like a greatest-hits playlist of choices you already know. The cities you roam feel alive; the choices you make don’t.
Longtime fans who buy PS5 adventure games will smile at seeing younger versions of characters they’ve missed and will enjoy hunting for hidden callbacks. The Deluxe Edition does reward that curiosity, since the digital artbook is a treasure trove of stunning concept art. Still, I can’t shake a feeling that this lavish package is a shell, polished outside and strangely empty inside. The game is solid, polished, and polite, but that’s all it wants to be— a dutiful, loving encore for a series that once dreamed of grander heights.
