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It's starting to look like a good time to be a fan of Western games, and the latest reveal could be the best Red Dead Redemption 2successor yet. While living up to the legacy of Rockstar's defining Western is quite a challenge, there's plenty of space in the genre for other titles to try something new. View the full article

Slitherine, the publisher of the Panzer Corps series as well Warhammer 40,000 games like Battlesector and Gladius, has picked up the rights to publish the Blood Bowl series of fantasy sports parodies... Read more.View the full article

Capcom has announced that Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the upcoming action-adventure sequel for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2, will now be released earlier than previously guided: it will be available on September 4 rather than September 25. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is the first series entry in 20 years; Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams released for PS2 in 2006. IGN awarded it an 8.8 out of 10 review score. Way of the Sword, meanwhile, is set in Kyoto during the early Edo *******, and we were quite impressed by it in our recent hands-on session at Summer Game Fest. A demo for Onimusha: Way of the Sword is available now for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (on both Steam and the Epic Games Store). Those who play the demo (and, crucially, have save data on their hard drive) and then buy the game will receive a Kubi Akari charm in the full release. Onimusha: Way of the Sword looks to continue a big 2026 for Capcom, who enjoyed great reviews and huge sales numbers for Resident Evil Requiem earlier this year. Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our semi-retired interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan. View the full article

Destiny 2's Monument of Triumph update is the gift that keeps on giving, and this week there is a new armor set that is very easily farmable, but it can't exactly be done solo. One of the perks of Destiny 2's Monuments of Triumph update is that players don't have to fear massive nerfs or changes to their gear anymore, which means that what is good now will be good for as long as the servers are online. Obviously, the main issue with this is that the game will no longer receive content updates and even patches. View the full article

Steamusers may have a massive selection of free games to choose from on the platform, but that doesn't necessarily mean these are all high-quality selections. In fact, finding a top-tier free game can sometimes be a challenge amid the load of free-to-play titles available, given the fact that dozens of new games are added to the collection every week. View the full article

College Football 27 is coming to PCs and consoles worldwide, and you can get up to seven days of extra gameplay. This time, there’s no midnight launch that allows you to use the New Zealand trick on consoles. However, you can still get extra days of gameplay by picking the correct version. To get the earliest start, you’ll want to first understand how the MVP+ membership system works this year. Table of contentsHow to play College Football 27 in early accessHow to play College Football 27 early with MVP+ membershiphttps://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15 How to play College Football 27 in early access College Football 27 releases worldwide on July 9 across PC and consoles. However, this is only applicable for those who get the Standard Edition. There’s an early access ******* available for those who choose to spend extra. If you opt for the Digital Deluxe Edition, you’ll get up to three days of early access. Instead of having to wait until July 9, you can begin your annual grind from as early as July 6. This is available for both PC and console users. If you still want to play earlier than that, you’ll have to go for the MVP+ membership. Which school will be your first Dynasty? Reply with your answer and #CFB27Sweepstakes for a chance to win a game code! [Hidden Content] — College Football 27 (@EASPORTSCollege) July 1, 2026 How to play College Football 27 early with MVP+ membership The premium membership is available to users on consoles (both PlayStation and Xbox). It’s an annual subscription that offers you the deluxe edition of both College Football 27 and Madden NFL 27. This includes all entitled benefits, premium currency, and early access. However, you’ll get seven days of early access (instead of the standard three days that comes with the Deluxe Edition). If you opt for this membership, you can start playing as early as on July 2. You won’t also require to own separate copies of the game, and the membership also comes with plenty of extra benefits. However, this membership is only available for those on consoles. If you want to play the game on PC, the only early access is the one starting on July 6. /wp-content/themes/destructoid2025/assets/img/icons/likes-off.png0 The post How to play College Football 27 early? MVP+ membership explained appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

If you’ve never played Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the prospect of getting into it can seem pretty daunting. This is a game, after all, with 30+ years of history. That’s more than three decades of cards and mechanics, worldbuilding and lore. If you’ve ever lived and breathed a live service video game you’ll know just how much energy and time it can take simply to keep up. Constant new releases and updates that drive an ever-evolving meta mean it can be tricky to be even a casual fan… let alone finding your feet as a completely new player. Magic: The Gathering definitely has many of the same challenges, but it also has more ways to interact with its cards and its history and its gameplay on your own terms. The fact that it’s mostly played as a physical game, for instance, means that it doesn’t necessarily matter what the best decks are, and what the most competitive players are doing. If you have a bad but fun deck and I have the same, we can still play and have a good time. Wizards of the Coast has also been doing “Universes Beyond” content for more than five years now, and many of these releases essentially act as an onramp to Magic. Are you a fan of Final Fantasy? The Lord of the Rings? Avatar: The Last Airbender? There’s a Magic set for that. While many of these sets do have ramifications for the wider player base, they can be self-contained for those that simply want to try out MTG, without having to know any of the official lore or characters. A standalone Universes Beyond set is a pretty good place to start for the curious. Magic’s gameplay still has a learning curve, of course, and every set is likely to have cards that require either a knowledgeable friend or a quick Google to decipher. Even so, a standalone Universes Beyond set is a pretty good place to start for the curious. All of which brings us to Marvel Super Heroes, the latest such release. Super, Thanks for Asking As an entry point for Marvel fans, this is about as welcoming as it gets. A great heaping helping of heavy hitters from the Marvel universe are here… in card form: Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Doctor Doom, The Scarlet Witch, ****** Widow, Daredevil, Thanos, ****** Panther, Elektra, Ant-Man, Loki, Thor, Storm, Wolverine, Jessica Jones and Nick Fury, the list goes on. The themes and mechanics are built to resonate with these characters and the settings they’re from too. There are Hero and Villain creature types, each with tribal synergy (meaning that heroes often get bonuses for fighting alongside other heroes, and villains have the same). There’s a keyword called Teamwork, which lets you utilise members of your team (i.e. creatures you control) to activate an additional effect. Some characters - both good and bad - can “Power-up” once per game to trigger a strong additional ability. When “Thanos, the Mad Titan” powers up, for instance, not only does he get a stat bump, but you can choose odd or even and then destroy every other creature with a mana value of the chosen quality. Snap! A small subset of characters come on dual-faced cards. On one side you might have Bruce Banner, the flipside, The Hulk. On this side Peter Parker, the reverse, Spider-Man. Each has value and you can choose which side to play, but you can also transform them mid-game, so Tony Stark can become Iron Man just in time to turn things around. And no superhero set would be complete without villainous plots, which is where Plans come into play. These have conditions that typically take multiple turns to be met, but the longer the build-up, the ******* the pay-off. “Doom Reigns Supreme”, for instance, lets you play a couple of your opponent’s cards for free, while “Construct a Cosmic Cube” helps you spawn token creatures and eventually lets you take over and play your opponent’s turn! Another villainous mechanic in Marvel Super Heroes is “Connive”. This is drawing then discarding a card, and can help you boost a creature’s stats, cycle through your deck, trigger “second card draw” effects, and synergise with discard mechanics. All these gameplay elements fit neatly into the Marvel world, and the way many of the characters - and their abilities, backstories and gear - have been implemented is pretty fun. Take “Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor”. This Legendary Artifact is powerful in and of itself, but in a cool twist, a creature must be “worthy” in order to equip it. So yes, Captain America can wield Thor’s hammer. As can… Agent Phil Coulson?! Love it. Captain America can wield Thor’s hammer. As can… Agent Phil Coulson?! Marvel fans will also dig a lot of the art. It’s cool to see iconic characters and scenes through the eyes of the incredible stable of MTG artists. And as always with Magic there are countless slick variations to collect. The cards featuring source material art - from a wide array of eras and artists - are particularly eye-catching, whether that’s a three panel card showing a scene, a card presented like an actual comic book cover, or just a super slick borderless presentation. That said, we’re delving into the collectable side of the game here, and that’s not really the purpose of this piece. This article is about whether this set is a good entry point for Marvel fans curious about MTG, and if so, what the best way to get started is. The answer, for me, is yes, and the best way to get started is to ignore the collecting side of things. Why? Because you need to learn to walk before you can run. There’s little point spending money on regular booster packs before you understand the core mechanics, how different colours play, what the different archetypes are and - above all - how to identify strong cards and build a rounded deck. Where to Start Learning how to play with as little complexity as possible (although there’ll always be some) is where Jumpstart comes in. The idea is that you buy two Jumpstart booster packs and combine them to create a deck. It’s a low friction way to start playing immediately, and if you’re playing against a friend doing the same thing, chances are the power levels of each deck will be reasonably close. This is a good option to start getting a feel for the game, although you’ll only get very basic instructions in the pack so will still need to consult an online resource (or friend) if you’re completely new. In fact, if you’re genuinely starting from zero, the Beginner Box should probably be your first purchase. This contains eight Jumpstart half-decks, but crucially, it also contains two tutorial decks with instructions that you literally follow step by step. The tutorial is simple but it introduces the basic turn flow, mechanics and highlights some stuff you should be thinking about in combat. The box also has two playmats so you can see how to arrange your cards, and a rules reference guide to consult if you get stuck on a keyword or interaction… although chances are you’ll still need to Google some stuff as you go. Once you’ve done the tutorial you can then switch across to Jumpstart and muck around with different colour combos and archetypal strategies. With 51 different Jumpstart booster themes, some are definitely better than others, and you’re very much playing in the shallow end of the pool, but it’s a good way to start and from here you can always pick your favourite Jumpstart deck and modify it. Once you understand the basic mechanics and gameflow, another good option for beginners is to play Commander using preconstructed decks. Commander is a format where you build a deck of 100 cards, with no duplicates (other than basic lands, which are used to create mana). As a result, every game is completely different, but the twist is that you pick a legendary creature (it can also be a handful of other things) to be your commander, and rather than having to draw that card, it sits to the side from the start and can be summoned into battle from there. Each time it dies you can return it back to that zone, but it costs more to call back into play. It’s a cool concept and the right commander can give you a powerful engine, despite having a deck with so many different cards. There are four of these preconstructed Commander decks available for Marvel Super Heroes, each with its own theme. Avengers Assemble, for instance, is a red, white and blue deck using Captain America (naturally) or Nick Fury as its commander. Cap buffs himself and other heroes as they enter, as well as letting them attack and defend straight away. Nick Fury, meanwhile, is a commander that lowers the cost of hero spells to cast, as well as letting you sift through your library to find hero cards. The four colour Fantastic Four deck is even more versatile, as you can choose between any of the Fantastic Four to be your commander. Each has the same condition to activate their core ability, but the effects are all different and so too are their bonus effects. This deck is all about choosing the commander that best suits your play style. What’s great about Commander is that it’s a friendly format that’s about fun first and foremost. It can also be played with up to six players. Three or four is optimal, though, and adds a whole new layer of strategy and alliance forming as you can choose who to attack or target each turn. The downside of Commander is that these precon decks aren’t exactly cheap, retailing for around AUD $140 each. On the other hand, the Beginner Box is more like AUD $65 and individual Jumpstart booster packs (for which you need two to make a deck) are AUD $12.95 each. Whichever way you choose to go, there’s a reason Magic has been around for so long - it’s an infinitely playable game, and it’s a great excuse to hang out with friends or go make some new ones at a local Magic event. And for Marvel fans? It seems likely that there’s more Marvel Magic to come. Unlike most Universes Beyond sets, which are one and done, we’ve already had last year’s Spider-Man, and given that release debuted The Soul Stone and this one includes The Mind Stone… well, it seems likely this infinitely playable game could get itself an Infinity Gauntlet. Excelsior! Marvel Super Heroes is out now and you can find out more about it here. Cam Shea is a former IGN staffer, now freelance writer and craft beer evangelist. View the full article

Aniplex has announced a team-up between Resident Evil Survival Unit, the mobile strategy game co-developed with Joycity, and Capcom’s Monster Hunter series. The event begins today and will be available for a limited time worldwide. First released in 2004, the Monster Hunter series is a globally popular hunting action franchise in which players cooperate to track and defeat massive creatures across expansive natural environments. The series is widely recognized for establishing cooperative multiplayer hunting as a core gameplay experience and has built a dedicated worldwide fanbase. This collaboration introduces Monster Hunter–inspired gameplay elements into the post-apocalyptic world of Resident Evil Survival Unit, highlighting tactical mind games with iconic monsters and a wide variety of event content that deliver a new level of cooperative and competitive gameplay. Monster Hunter Collaboration Event Details [Hidden Content] During the event *******, players will encounter iconic monsters from the Monster Hunter series within Resident Evil Survival Unit. Featured content includes: Hunt Rathalos, the King of the Skies Take on mission-based battles featuring Yian Kut-Ku Repel the Silver Rathalos (Rare Species) through high-intensity strategic exchanges In addition, the collaboration introduces special event content and minigames inspired by Monster Hunter, offering new gameplay experiences beyond the core strategy system. To celebrate the collaboration, players can participate in limited-time events to earn exclusive rewards. Key rewards include: Two collaboration-exclusive Hunter characters, available for free Limited-time customization items such as Base Skins and March Skins These rewards expand both collection elements and strategic gameplay options. The event will go from July 2 to July 29. The post Resident Evil Survival Unit teams up with Monster Hunter appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

This update is for the Steam Deck Beta and Preview channels, and includes new features that are still being tested. You can opt into this in Settings > System > System Update Channel. Note: This beta contains changes that were simultaneously released to SteamOS stable channel as 3.8.13, noted below General The Steam Machine splash screen/logo now appears much more quickly after device startup Add option to reset all audio configuration and settings to system defaults under Settings -> Audio Fixed 20-30s startup delay in some games on non-Valve devices with no audio sources Fixed a regression with some MSI Claw devices on newer firmware losing access the Guide and Quick Access Menu buttons. Fixed a regression with Legion Go 1 models on older controller firmware where gyroscope would fail to initialize. Fixed a regression on OneXPlayer F1 models where rumble was being blocked and the joystick poll rate was low. As a consequence, the M1 (left) extra shoulder button is no longer able to function. Added controller support for missing OneXPlayer F1 and OneXPlayer 2 special edition models. Fixed in 3.8.13 Fixed an issue causing controller firmware updates to fail on certain Steam Deck models View the full article

SteamOS 3.8.13 has just been released for all users with the following changes: General Fixed an issue causing controller firmware updates to fail on certain Steam Deck models Fixed an issue causing game crashes and launch failures with certain titles such as FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH View the full article

To call the state of the games industry "turbulent" is a drastic understatement in July 2026, with layoffs, studio closures, and game cancelations showing no signs of slowing down, but even in that dire context, Destiny 2 and Marathon developer Bungie is having a rough go of it lately. After seemingly putting all of its eggs into Marathon's basket, Bungie's new sci-fi FPS – although critically well-received – hasn't reached the commercial success needed to supplant the enduring popularity of Destiny 2, which ended active development last month. Meanwhile, massive layoffs at Bungie have impacted "most" of the Destiny team as well as a portion of the Marathon crew, with the studio admitting the MMO "fell short of expectations these past several years." That said, Destiny 2 is still playable and presumably will be for the foreseeable future – and in fact experienced a post-mortem surge in players last month – which of course means players continue to report issues with performance and bugs. Although the feedback isn't falling on deaf ears, the skeleton crew at Bungie working on Destiny is scrambling to push out updates at a comparable cadence to before the mass layoffs. Shortly after news of Bungie's downsizing broke last week, the developer took to Twitter to announce the delay of Destiny 2's new patch, originally scheduled to go live this week. "We will provide more information when we can," the studio said. The Destiny community reacted with skepticism on Reddit, with the top comment reading: "I have a rather unfortunate suspicion that this will be one of those 'delays' that last forever." However, in a response from the official Destiny 2 Team Reddit account, Bungie assures the patch will eventually be released and asks for grace as some members of the dev team who were working on it have since been laid off. (Image credit: Bungie) "Not a forever delay. We will get this out when possible. Handful of fixes in this delayed patch were from impacted team members. "When this ships, please show love to the team, past and present," the studio implores fans. In a separate Reddit thread reporting issues with PC performance, the Destiny account responds by requesting "videos or examples" of specific problems, adding, "While we can't promise a fix, we'll see what we can do." Cyberpunk 2 lead says "some days I feel our industry is imploding" as Destiny 2 studio Bungie is hit with mass layoffs: "Teams and game projects are getting slaughtered" [/url]View the full article

The official Destiny 2 account on Twitter shared a post about two armor sets being disabled to prevent issues, and they may never be re-enabled again. Destiny 2 is, unfortunately, facing permanent end-of-service after its final hotfix, presumably coming on Tuesday, July 7, which also happens to be Bungie Day. The patch was scheduled to be delivered this week on June 30, but the layoffs at Bungie made it tough to make any final changes to the game on time. View the full article

We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel. Steam Input Steam Controller: The Gyro Calibration Threshold has been set to 50% of the previous value so that it is less likely to trigger while in hand. Steam Controller: Gyro Calibration threshold is now available in Steam->Settings->Controller->Details->Calibration & Advanced (Open)->Gyro Calibration. Steam Controller: You can choose to disable hardware calibration and rely on the standard Steam Input Gyro Calibration tools instead, by using the "Enable Software Calibration for Steam Controller" toggle. View the full article

The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes: Big Picture Mode Fixed style regressions in the Quick Access menu Voice chat controls tab. Steam Input Steam Controller: The Gyro Calibration Threshold has been set to 50% of the previous value so that it is less likely to trigger while in hand. Steam Controller: Gyro Calibration threshold is now available in Steam->Settings->Controller->Details->Calibration & Advanced (Open)->Gyro Calibration. Steam Controller: You can choose to disable hardware calibration and rely on the standard Steam Input Gyro Calibration tools instead, by using the "Enable Software Calibration for Steam Controller" toggle. Fixed Steam Controller glyphs in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Remote Play Fixed software encoding on macOS and the steamrt3 Linux beta View the full article

s a survival game, Windrose is an extremely forgiving one. Your weapons and gear never degrade. If your pirate ship sinks you can rebuild it with a mere 20 pieces of wood. You can't die of hunger or thirst, and your NPC pirate crew, well… they can't die at all... Read more.View the full article

The fight against the Ullo Sar faction has heated up in Diablo 4 Season 14, and you can participate in Pandemonium Ruptures to win some wonderful rewards. This is a brand-new type of rupture that appears in different difficulties. You can fight in them for as long as you can, and defeating more enemies will help you get better loot. Let’s find out more about how these ruptures work. How do Pandemonium Ruptures work in Diablo 4 Season 14https://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15 Pandemonium Ruptures typically appear near other ruptures that appear on the map. These ruptures are typically identifiable by three devotees who worship a big skull. To begin the ritual, you’ll have to eliminate them. Screenshot by Destructoid Pandemonium Ruptures come in three different difficulties. Normal: Spawn anywhere on the map. Surging: They typically only spawn when Helltide is live. Colossal: Only spawns in the world boss arena in Zarbinzet (Fields of Desecration). They spawn with an interval; if a round is over, you’ll need to wait for at least 10 minutes. Pandemonium Ruptures feature Risen enemies. Defeating them will help you progress towards the Glints of Hope event that features plenty of rewards. You’ll gain caches, experience tomes, and more as you move to the upper ranks. Screenshot by Destructoid Your aim is to stay inside the circle of a Pandemonium Rupture and kill as many enemies as possible. If you’re playing Surging or Colossal Ruptures, you can spawn a Realmwalker (guaranteed if it’s Colossal). Realmwalkers are elite enemies that are difficult to defeat. However, defeating them grants you plenty of rewards, and access to Deathtoll Chamber. The latter are mini-dungeons that spawn only if you defeat a Realmwalker. Screenshot by Destructoid Enter the dungeon, and you’ll be able to spawn more enemies. Clear the dungeon, and you’ll earn more loot. While you can defeat the Realmwalker with other players, Deathtoll dungeons are solo activities. You should always aim towards clearing these ruptures if one is active during Helltide. They’re great for completing several seasonal quests that are also active throughout the course of the season. /wp-content/themes/destructoid2025/assets/img/icons/likes-off.png0 The post Diablo 4 Season 14 Pandemonium Ruptures guide appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Netflix has, on occasion, added genuinely incredible video games to its catalog. Shifting through an array of mid games filled with AI images are brilliant works of art such as IMMORTALITY, Before Your Eyes, and OXENFREE. But these aren’t original Netflix Games. The corporation, having a bit of an identity crisis with its serial killer and true crime obsession, has released a video game inspired by the very things it keeps shoving in front of its younger audiences. With a ******** cast and the real horror of a home invasion as its selling points, I went into Unhinged expecting something similar to ****** Mirror‘s Bandersnatch. While that was a mixed bag of tricks, I was completely wrong to believe that Unhinged would be any different. And it’s a right shame when the story was crafted by OXENFREE‘s Night School Studio. In the midst of a storm, where warnings of a hurricane have seen people evacuate for the night, Ava wakes to a phone call from her friend, Claire. The stairwell doors are locked thanks to the superintendent, and the power is off, meaning the lift is out of order. So when Ava goes out to check on her friendly neighbor, only to discover the door to her apartment seemingly unlocked itself, Ava realizes she isn’t alone tonight. [Hidden Content] Now I started this review laying into Netflix, but don’t get me wrong, Unhinged has a few great things going for it Screenshot by Destructoid In fact, Unhinged has a lot of potential. For starters, it has the interesting mechanic to make yours and Ava’s phone one and the same. This immersed me in the setting immediately as I scoured her messages for juicy lore and called the police the moment I got the chance to. It invites experimentation, but it’s surface level at best. Night School Studio does a great job at establishing relationship dynamics with as few words as possible, but there wasn’t enough time to care about what was happening on-screen. I was hoping for backstory and lore outside of a few trivial messages that are a skeleton of what video game lore should be. I hoped for something similar to Life is Strange: True Colors in how it was handled, but it was far from being anything more than telling us what characters we could expect to show up. While the phone mechanic had some cool ideas, especially the visual changes it goes through throughout the story Screenshot by Destructoid The phone could have been amazing. I half-expected there to be moments where the phone would ring, and I had to drop the call, else I’d be killed. I wanted pure anxiety from turning the flashlight off when the attacker was nearby. We should have relied on the phone more, with it being the primary mechanic in Unhinged; alas, it was sadly underutilized. Unhinged was easy to control, and the calibration worked most of the time. But where it falters is the creation of tension, which was manufactured and manipulated with the illusion of choice and a timer. Nothing you choose in this game actually matters beyond choosing the correct option. There are often only two choices laid out in front of you; one being right, the other wasting your time so the timer runs out faster. The illusion of freedom and choice in this game is shoddy and infuriating. Dealing with the enemy came down to waiting for him to leave the room for no reason beyond Ava’s plot armor. The game holds your hand the entire way and pretends you’re making the decisions. Choice-based games offer replayability, a reason to go back in and try again, and provide a sense of autonomy that’s missing in other genres. Unhinged offers none of that. Screenshot by Destructoid Instead, Unhinged plays as a bite-sized kind of creepy experience where you’re forced onto this linear path that pretends you’re going down branches which are really just dead ends. I tried my darndest to choose differently in both playthroughs. I prayed something else would happen. I’d repeatedly hang up a phone call, ignore the on-screen prompt when it forced me to take action, try to call the police whenever possible, or explore a large room with nothing going on in it. The only changes Unhinged provided were in dialogue, where subtle differences appeared depending on the information you gathered earlier in the game. But the graphics are amazing, the lighting is immaculate, and the voice acting is great (as expected from a ridiculously high-budget cast). Unhinged‘s biggest strength lies in its sound design. Though it doesn’t fit the setting nor story particularly well, the sound design is creepy, uncomfortable, and I felt tense in those slow-down moments that put a little stutter in my step. It paired extremely well with the suffocating setting, heavily inspired by cat-and-mouse symbolism, and all too obvious references to remind us that Ava is trapped. Still, it did a damn good job at establishing an atmosphere. While I enjoyed the claustrophobic setting and the intense and clever use of lighting from the storm to create dread, it wasn’t enough to impress or scare me beyond thinking “oh that’s cool.” That’s because the story is subpar. Though I enjoyed the slight paranoia I had over characters, you can guess exactly where the story is heading, including the “reveal.” I didn’t mind the endings, but I hated unlocking them Screenshot by Destructoid As there are no real choices in Unhinged, because the game is just about surviving the night and nothing more. The endings are split at the very last choice you make in the game. Yes, Unhinged is short, but without any differences in what happens, why would you play the entire game again just to see a cutscene with different dialogue? Like watching the Stranger Things finale, my time was wasted all over again. I’m frustrated because Unhinged looked really promising and could have been awesome. Marketing this Netflix Game as an interactive story all about reflexes is a white lie to the consumer who wants to make quick decisions in an anxiety-inducing setting. Unhinged had potential if only it actually was the very thing it sold itself to be: A game of choice. The post Unhinged review – Trapped in linear, under the guise of choice appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

If the Steam homepage has looked a little different to you lately, there might be a reason for that, and I'm not talking about the Steam summer *****. Last month, Valve changed the requirements for a game to break into Steam's "Popular Upcoming" feed, which is coveted among indie developers as a way to gain visibility on the store and reach more players. Spending a few days or weeks in this feed can lead to big jumps in wishlists and eventually sales. Multiple estimates indicated that where games would only need about 7,000 Steam wishlists to enter this feed previously, they now need about 100,000 as Valve prioritizes the biggest upcoming games. Several smaller developers despaired, bracing for a dip in Steam reach, but indie expert Chris Zukowski says another Steam feature has picked up the slack of Popular Upcoming and even benefited indies overall. In a recent blog post, Zukowski highlights a Steam feature that impressed me last year and which I've used regularly ever since: Personal Calendars. Steam now shows you a customizable, chronological selection of recently released and upcoming games based on your interests and wishlists. (I recommend bookmarking the calendar page and limiting it to a 250-game view.) This calendar, Zukowski finds, "is great and an incredibly positive boost for indie game devs and is a welcome addition." Multiple developers submitted data which shows a strong influx of wishlists driven by calendar presence. "In the old days, Popular Upcoming would earn your game about 1000 wishlists per day. At best you could get 1 or 2 days on the list," he explains. "Now we are seeing 300-3000/day for the personalized calendar AND it can last for 2 months before launch AND a month after launch." Game devs still need to build wishlists to tap into this kind of Steam visibility – Zukowksi estimates it's 8,000 to 30,000 for the calendar – but they may also reap greater rewards for pulling it off. Because the personal calendar is more tightly curated and personalized, Steam users are more likely to click with, and indeed click on, the games it shows them, whereas the Popular Upcoming feed was more of a shotgun blast of disparate games. Two developers found that the clickthrough rate of personal calendar promotions, or how many people visited a game's page after seeing it promoted, was over 30 times higher compared to the Popular Upcoming feed. "Indies always want 'exposure', or 'visibility.' But raw visibility to everyone on Steam is worthless," Zukowski reasons. "Gamers really have a preference about genres they like and those they don’t. You are not trying to convince someone to like your game. You don’t hard sell them. You don’t trick them into liking your game. Instead you are trying to find the people who are predisposed to liking your game and proving to them that your game matches their tastes." "Life changing": Gorgeous Metroidvania hits 150,000 Steam wishlists, enlists Nier Automata and [/url]View the full article

There aren't many Diablo 4 builds so powerful that they cause the game's servers to lag, but the Rogue has an S-Tier build that does just that in Season 14. Like in the previous season, Diablo 4 Season 14 sees the Rogue once again at the top of the meta. However, this time, the best build for Rogues is even more potent thanks to the change to Mythic Uniques this season. View the full article

Stardew ValleyandDave the Diverare both titans of the pixelated world, so it only stands to reason that someone would mash them together eventually. Both games feature management sim elements focused on the loop of daily life, with Stardew Valley settling into daily life and Dave the Diver balancing marine exploration and restaurant operations. View the full article

Shawn Layden recently shared a few interesting insights about the now-concluded initiative focused on bringing original PlayStation games to PC. Layden suggested that bringing PlayStation games to another platform was essentially a marketing strategy rather than an attempt to generate significant additional revenue. Read Entire Article View the full article

Still tip-toeing around a reported retreat from PC releases of PlayStation games, Sony leaders recently highlighted plans to reach players outside the console-standard living room by selling them PC-adjacent products and peripherals, seemingly in place of actually letting them access the company's games outside its consoles. This week, Sony released a translated Q&A with joint comments and responses from three presenters: Sony president and CEO Hideaki Nishino, studio business CEO Hermen Hulst, and senior vice president of finance and corporate development Lynn Azar. Asked how PlayStation can attract gamers "who migrated to gaming PCs during the COVID *******," Sony agrees that "PlayStation has long been strongly associated with the idea of playing in the living room." Rather than the rise of PC gaming, the platform showing the most growth in many regions and the greatest diversity of top-selling games globally, Sony focuses on how, "in recent years, more users globally have been using personal monitors." This, apparently, is more like where it hopes to meet PC gamers. "In response, we are selling peripherals such as monitors and speakers to break away from the fixed perception that 'PlayStation equals the living room' and to broaden usage scenarios," Sony says. "For the next-generation platform, rather than simply serving as an alternative to PCs, we aim to deliver value that is unique to PlayStation. This includes not only technological advancements but also an expansion of usage styles, enabling a seamless experience that can be enjoyed naturally beyond the living room." Separately, Sony examines the position of PC gaming. "Creators may push to expand titles to other platforms such as PC to maximize reach, while our responsibility is to take a broader view and optimize total value for SIE, avoiding sub-optimization," it says. "We engage in constructive dialogue to ensure all our decisions are based on clear logic and rationale." (Image credit: Sucker Punch) Former PlayStation head Shawn Layden has wondered what logic Sony is following in its approach to PC gaming, arguing that PC ports weren't cannibalizing console sales. Another questioner argued that "it seems logical to expand content across platforms and evolve beyond a console-centric business," but Sony was reserved. Pertinently, protecting the appeal of its consoles is said to be a key driver of its revised PC strategy, to say nothing of reportedly disappointing returns on some investments. The company's answer stresses that "the value of our proprietary device lies in the experience, not the hardware itself," with PlayStation hardware providing "seamless, immediate access to content" whereas "general-purpose devices" put "multiple layers before gameplay." Sony does acknowledge that "most of the value of our ecosystem is driven by third-party publishers" and "this supports a shift toward a true digital platform business." But while "opportunities exist beyond console (e.g., mobile and PC), we aim to proceed carefully, ensuring we are not constrained by our own hardware ecosystem. Overall, we see expansion potential over the next five years." A key note in the reports of Sony pulling back from PC was the exception of live service games, which would still be multiplatform even if the big single-player games remain console exclusives. This is mentioned in passing in this meeting: "In some areas, such as live service games, broader platform expansion can make sense." Of course, the focus this week is a distinct shrinking of PlayStation, namely the impending end of physical games on the platform. Come January 2028, PlayStation games will be digital-only. Alongside this, we've learned that the PS3 and Vita digital stores will also shut down – as soon as next month in some regions. A PS6 handheld is seemingly on the table as PlayStation CEO says Sony will be "leveraging technologies that can be used in various forms and locations." [/url]View the full article

The one-two punch of Destiny 2’s support coming to an end and a vast majority of the staff who worked on the game being laid off has left gamers devastated. For many, there is simply going to be no replacing Destiny, as its world, art, gameplay, characters, and community became a fixture of their lives. Still, with Destiny 3 supposedly not in the works, there’s a very real chance the franchise has come to an end, meaning the search for an alternative of some kind is now a must. And while some may look to Bungie’s extraction shooter, Marathon, to fill the void, or the excellent and ever-evolving Warframe, Call of Duty: ****** Ops 7 may be the best substitute of all. View the full article

LinoN's song is now available for digital purchases and streaming in the real world. View the full article

2026 marks Sonic the Hedgehog's 35th anniversary, and at Summer Game Fest, I got the chance to play maybe the most unusual part of *****'s celebrations: Sonic Pico Park, a co-op puzzle platformer that once again puts *****'s iconic blue blur in the hands of beloved indie devs. It's a sign of an evolving game industry, and the developers bringing Sonic Pico Park to life know that Sonic's continued evolution is key to the character's long-term survival. My hands-on time with Sonic Pico Park is equal parts delightful and frustrating – pretty much as you'd expect for an indie couch co-op game. Just like the rest of developer Tecopark's puzzle platformer series, you and your fellow players take control of an array of boxy little characters and cooperate to work your way through challenges custom-built to ruin relationships. Co-op for devs and players alike (Image credit: *****) The difference here is that there are now Sonic-influenced twists to all the levels. You can spin dash through cracked walls, run through big loops, and bounce off of strategically placed springs. Naturally, these elements play into the puzzle design, too. You can collect rings which, in true Sonic fashion, will save you from a single hit – which means you need to strategically choose who takes each ring to survive the death traps that'll follow. In one instance, you need to build a wall that one player can spin dash their way up. In another, you'll need a Tails player to fly the whole group across a big gap. The joy is in the discovery, so I won't spoil too many specific puzzle solutions, but it's all great fun. Of course, you'll already know the basics if you've played any of the Pico Park games before, but Tecopark sought out this collaboration in part because it wants to bring in new fans. Pico Park is already wildly popular on its own merits, having sold some 8 million units. Creator Shunsuke "Teco" Miyake wanted to expand even further, however, and in 2021 formed a company to help the property reach the next level. "We really wanted to start expanding on Pico Park as an IP," as producer Shintaro Shimazu tells me via translator. "It was really popular with casual gamers, but we wanted to reach out and get even hardcore gamers and other people excited." Shimazu explains that "we really thought we need to start collabing with IP," and since Miyake once worked at *****, it was an obvious first choice. "Sonic is a great IP to collab with. It's got tons of appeal. People love it worldwide. Let's go to *****. I doubt they'll ever let us even do this, but let's at least pitch it to them and see what they have to say. Maybe we'll get a skin or something small. To all of our disbelief, ***** was like, 'Actually, this is a great idea. Let me introduce you to the Sonic team, and let's start talking about doing a Sonic and Pico Park collab game together.'" (Image credit: *****) Summer Preview 2026 (Image credit: PlayStation, Xbox, Amazon, Rockstar) Our Summer Preview 2026 special is here to spotlight the biggest games of the year with hands-on impressions, dev access, and more! For Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka, seeing the beloved hedgehog and pals take on such a different type of gameplay was something of a shock, but *****'s previous big indie collaboration gave him confidence that it would work out. "When I first saw the concept and the whole idea, I was kind of like, 'Is this gonna be a Sonic game?'" Iizuka tells me. "Like, 'I don't know how this collab is going to work.' But our experience working with the Sonic Mania team – they were also an indie developer, and they also had these ideas and kind of core beliefs that they wanted to execute on creatively." While an eight-player co-op game was "something we on the Sonic Team side had never made before," that type of gameplay "was something that the team at Pico Park was really passionate about making." Iizuka did have at least one big suggestion for Tecopark, however: all the Sonic characters should have unique abilities. "It totally breaks the core game design of Pico Park," Iizuka admits, "but the team at Pico Park were really skilled at understanding the request, and then building around it." Sonic madness meets Sonic Mania (Image credit: *****) ***** has now let indie developers make their own Sonic game multiple times, and it's not alone. We've gotten games like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, The Rogue Prince of Persia, Cadence of Hyrule, and even the upcoming Castlevania: Belmont's Curse thanks to established publishers being open to allowing other developers to use their IP, and the results have largely been excellent. What's made it possible for these sorts of collaborations to happen in the modern era? "I can't really speak for the other companies and maybe what they're thinking, but you know, from a ***** perspective, we do realize that making our big titles, it takes a lot of time, a lot of money," Iizuka explains. "It's a huge investment of, you know, the staff and the resources that we have, and then once you've invested all that time and energy into something, you really need to sell a lot of units in order to survive in the industry." Indie developers, meanwhile, "have an idea, and they'll very quickly create that idea – that game experience – and then they'll continue moving forward and making more stuff. That's one thing that larger companies really can learn from the indie development scene – just how quickly they can take an idea, capture that, and put that into a game experience. It's really stimulating working with those indie developers." Iizuka believes this is a lesson Hollywood is already learning, and that AAA game studios should follow suit. (Image credit: Paramount) Partnering with indie studios also gives companies like ***** a chance to work with the very people whose love of video games was sparked by their characters. "I grew up in a household where we had a Super Famicom, but I was asking for a Mega Drive," Shimazu says. "My brother wanted a PlayStation, and I wanted to play Virtua Fighter. So I've always been that ***** fan at heart." Key info Developer: Tecopark, ***** Platforms: PC, others TBA Release date: TBA Of course, Shimazu was a Sonic fan, too, and has watched the character grow from a platformer protagonist to a multimedia mascot just like many of us have. "It was this really cool, unique character that I got to play with, and I really appreciated and enjoyed that time with the games," he says. "But when we look historically at what Sonic has been and where Sonic is going – Sonic's in movies, Sonic's in lots of different media. All these different ways of presenting Sonic to lots of people, I think, has been one of those ways to help Sonic survive." Sonic's survival wasn't always assured. A decade ago, ***** had the character on the chopping block. But Iizuka thanks the fans for keeping the series alive even now, 35 years later – not to mention making sure that ***** stays on the right path. "I'm sure you guys remember the Sonic 1 movie trailer that went out there. The fans really said, 'We don't like this, and we want things changed.' The teams listened to that, and they changed the design of Sonic for the movie. We're always constantly listening to the fans when we're thinking about the next game we want to make. Because the fans are there and they have been supporting us so much, we want to take the time – for the past 35 years – and really listen to what they want and deliver something that they're going to enjoy." Gotta go fast to our list of the best Sonic games of all time. [/url]View the full article