PC Gamer *********** editor Shaun Prescott hates Styx, the diminutive goblin "********," but he quite likes the Styx videogames, and so he was suitably pleased when Cyanide and Nacon announced earlier this year that a third game in the series, Styx: Blades of Greed, was set to arrive later in 2025. But now it's December, and with just 31 days remaining before the deadline hits, the dev team says they're not going to make it... Read more.View the full article
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. G.A.M.M.A. is a big mod for the already big standalone experience of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly and now easier to install thanks to GOG. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article
Depending on who you talk to, beat ‘em ups are either repetitive, button-mashy coin munchers or a deceptively simple vehicle for absolute combat mastery. Me? I’m in the latter camp. But how do you get people who aren’t sickos like myself interested? How do you lure them into taking the first steps down Sicko Road? This year’s Absolum tried by merging a mechanically excellent beat ‘em up with a middling roguelite. Marvel Cosmic Invasion developer Tribute Games – the cats behind Shredder’s Revenge, the best TMNT game since Turtles in Time– takes a different approach. It looks to the Marvel vs. Capcom fighting games of old and asks one of the boldest questions I’ve seen a beat ‘em up pose in a New York minute: what if it was a tag game where you controlled multiple heroes? The answer, as it turns it, rules, even if the actual execution of Cosmic Invasion doesn’t quite live up to that concept. I’ll be real with y’all; I’m not a Marvel guy. My dad’s into comics, and he got me into them, but DC was always his bag (he owns every Wonder Woman comic ever published, and no, that’s not an exaggeration), so I’m a DC kid at heart with a soft spot for indie comics. But I love the weirder parts of Marvel, especially the million conflicting X-men timelines and the cosmic stuff. It’s not the most popular thing Marvel publishes (that is and always will be Spider-Man, though X-men is no slouch), but it’s the most interesting. Give me that over the MCU stuff any day. If the title didn’t give it away, that’s what Marvel Cosmic Invasion is about. The story here is real simple, almost like it has been ripped straight from the pages of a multi-issue event series. Big Bad Annihilus’s Annihilation Wave (listen, it’s comic books, okay?) is sweeping the galaxy! All life hangs in the balance! So it’s up to a rag-tag assortment of Marvel heroes, whether Earthborn or cosmic in origin, to bring him down. That’s all you gotta know. And you know what? It works. A lot of it comes down to the team of 15 heroes that Tribute Games has assembled. Yeah, you’ve got the icons, the regulars who absolutely, positively accept-no-substitutes gotta be there. You know the ones: Storm, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain America. Then you’ve got cats that were B-listers before the movies elevated them to prominence: ****** Panther, Iron Man, Rocket Raccoon, She-Hulk, Nova, Phoenix, Venom. And then there are the weird and wacky inclusions. Thor isn’t here; instead, you get Beta Ray Bill. Real ones know. How do you feel about Cosmic Ghost Rider? Then there’s my girl Phyla-Vell. Oh, and because this is cosmic Marvel, the Silver Surfer is also here, and he is caked up. To the Silver Surfer degenerate at Tribute Games: I see you, and I appreciate you. Everyone looks stunning because the spritework is absolutely gorgeous. But the reality is that everyone here looks stunning because the pixel art spritework is absolutely gorgeous. Whether it’s Phyla-Vell’s hair blowing gently in the wind, how Wolverine always looks like a coiled spring, or the subtle transformations that sometimes reveal Eddie Brock beneath the symbiote as Venom, Cosmic Invasion captures the essence of these characters, right down to their voices. Go ahead and watch one the videos on this page, tell me that doesn’t sound exactly like the way Wolverine or Storm or Iron Man sound in your head. True believers, the vibe is immaculate. Structurally, Cosmic Invasion is a pretty standard beat ‘em up. Not counting the tutorial, there are 15 stages, including old Marvel standbys like New York City, Wakanda, the Savage Land, and Genosha, as well as more exotic environs like Fort Galactus, each with a fun little sub-description (Genosha’s is Heavy Metal; the Savage Land’s is Rumble in the Jungle). Stage selection is mostly a straight line, but occasionally the path will split before reconverging and you’ll have to complete both branches before moving on. Levels themselves are good but unremarkable beat ‘em up fare with the occasional environmental hazard. There is a collectible to find to liven things up, as well as three challenges in each stage – two are hero specific, such as defeating a certain number of enemies with a certain character’s special attack, while the final one is related to the stage itself. All of this is good: the challenges encourage you to use new characters and learn the intricacies of each arena, and stages are well-designed, snappy (each one takes around 10-15 minutes), and visually distinct in cool ways – you’d never mistake Savage Lands for Klyntar or Genosha – but nothing here is going to redefine your expectations for what a beat ‘em up can be. What makes Cosmic Invasion special is its characters. Up to four people can play Cosmic Invasion at once, each controlling two characters, and it’s impressive how different each character is, even if they might not feel that way at first. Take Nova and Iron Man; sure, both of their unique attacks are ranged energy blasts, but Nova’s can pass through and hit multiple targets at once. Iron Man’s don’t. Nova’s special attack is an energy field that only hits foes at close range, while Iron Man’s giant, Marvel vs. Capcom 2-esque laser can hit anyone standing anywhere on-screen, but it does require you to line up your enemies and aim well. Levels themselves are good but unremarkable beat ‘em up fare. Meanwhile, Rocket is a ranged powerhouse, but his charged heavy attack does massive damage, while Phyla-Vell’s, who is more melee focused, can stun – and no one else has anything like her sword, which she can throw and then teleport to in order to start combos and then keep them going across the screen. Beta Ray Bill and Cap can both throw their weapons, too, but Cap’s shield returns to him automatically; Bill’s will spin in place, potentially juggling anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with it until you manually call it back. Even She-Hulk and Wolverine, both up-close-and-personal bruisers, play differently. Logan is faster and all about chaining long stabby-stab combos together, while Jen is a powerhouse who focuses on short combos that launch her victims into the air for potential follow-ups. They both have grabs, but they operate in very different ways. Some characters have dodges, while others can block and parry if they time things right, opening up more defensive options. Characters that fly have a much easier time dealing with winged foes than those who don’t, and it’s easier for them to avoid stampedes. Everyone is a little different, and that can have a massive impact on how they play. What’s really cool, though, are the tag team elements. You only actively control one character at a time, and you can summon your tag partner for various assists to keep laying on the hurt, opening up cool new offensive possibilities – that could be a launcher, a standard combo, their unique ability, their metered “I want these guys dead” special attack, and so on. Figuring out the best combinations and how movesets interact is a lot of fun, especially since you don’t start with everyone unlocked. It’s possible to lose a character mid-level (they have separate health bars), but even then, all isn’t lost. You continue on with your remaining hero, and if you stumble upon some floor food, a time-honored beat ‘em up tradition, they’ll come back with a little health. Characters also level up as you use them, gaining more health, passive abilities, and so on, encouraging you to experiment, especially in co-op. I played the whole game with my wife (a single run through the campaign took three hours), and while I think Cosmic Invasion is a good time solo, like basically every beat ‘em up, it’s better with friends. If this beat ‘em up has any ****** eyes, it’s the lack of enemy variety. You’ll see the same core cast of baddies a lot in Cosmic Invasion, and while that’s not a huge problem (this happens in most beat ‘em ups), it can get a little old. It’s also hilariously obvious when you’re fighting a boss that will become a playable character later on because it feels like you’re fighting someone you’ll be able to play later. It can lead to some really funny moments, like when we were fighting the Silver Surfer on an elevator and kept knocking him into the abyss. Eventually, he’d levitate back up to us for more, only to get knocked down again. It wasn’t bad, but it was as goofy as Rob Liefeld-drawn feet or pouches. If you get bored of beating on Annihilus’s minions, you can head to the Vault, where you can see each hero’s progress in the Hero Lab, learn about their history and the history of your foes in the Nova Corps Files, and listen to some of Cosmic Invasion’s excellent tracks. You can also spend Cosmic Cubes you earn to unlock nodes in the Cosmic Matrix for more color palettes, hero profiles, tunes, and Nova Corps Files. It’s a cool little system, and it even doubles as a neat way to make art if you unlock the right nodes in a way that forms a pattern. I made an adorable little bug, and I’ll miss him when I fill everything out and he’s gone. View the full article
Where Winds Meet is rolling out a vehicle-crafting mechanic that looks a lot like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Ultrahand ability. The RPG has exploded in popularity since its global release, thanks largely to a mountain of in-game content, while being free to play. Now, Where Winds Meet is giving players even more to experiment with by taking inspiration from another wildly successful open-world game. View the full article
Marvel Cosmic Invasion review: "Excellent '90s-tinged superhero brawling across a punchy campaign falls just short of arcade bliss"View the full article
"THIS BOOK IS AN EXTENSIVE SUPPLEMENT TO EBERRON: RISING FROM THE LAST WAR." That's the first sentence you'll read in D&D's newest book, Eberron: Forge of the Artificer. The block capitals are Wizards of the Coast's stylistic choice, not mine. From the get-go, this "companion" book wants to make something clear (something that, in my opinion, was not crowed about quite enough in the marketing). This is not a complete guide to the Eberron setting. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Rock out to an epic musical D&D campaign for 75% off this ****** Friday Opinion: No, the new Eberron Dragonmark feats aren't going to ruin Dungeons and Dragons Does D&D's new Eberron book nerf the worst type of Artificer? View the full article
Ever since the jump, I have been interested in Marvel Cosmic Invasion. The roster alone had me intrigued, as allowing Venom to battle it out with Wolverine by their side is something you don't always get to see, especially in the era of the MCU. View the full article
Whether you're picking up Marvel Cosmic Invasion day one or playing it through Xbox Game Pass, there are a ton of different heroes to play, spanning the entire universe of Marvel. View the full article
Where Winds Meet players have discovered a major exploit that allows them to gain quest rewards without lifting a finger. NetEase's wuxia-inspired open-world RPG launched last month to widespread player disbelief: many were shocked to discover that a game so big and so expansive was absolutely free. View the full article
Starting today, VGC is kicking off a Patreon Christmas pledge drive to expand our festive content more than ever, and offer plenty of fun bonuses for our community. By contributing to [Hidden Content], the VGC community will fund and unlock some of our most-requested future videos, shows, and more. Here’s how it works: in December, each new, gifted, or upgraded membership will contribute points to an overall total. Read More... View the full article
If you've been waiting for the right time to bulk up your gaming library, now's your chance. Massive Cyber Monday deals from Nintendo, Xbox, and Amazon are still live following ****** Friday. In addition, PlayStation also has many great discounts available on games, accessories, and even PS5 consoles. While it's worth checking your wishlist and doing some scrolling, as a starting point, we're seeing great discounts for anyone looking to start or fill in the gaps on a Final Fantasy collection. Final Fantasy Games on ***** for Cyber Monday Overall, you’ve got options. The PlayStation Store offers the best discounts on the FF7 Remakes, but Amazon is actually offering physical copies. It really comes down to how much you care about having those games lined up on your shelf vs. sitting in your digital library. If you’re on the PC side, Steam is also running a PlayStation publisher ***** that includes roughly the same discounts. The Final Fantasy Pixel Collection is pretty unreal bang for your buck. It includes the pixel remasters of the first six Final Fantasy games for just $40 total with the current price drop, making it a great choice for something you can really dig into over the holidays. The discount also applies to the Nintendo Switch version. While we wait for news on the third and final part of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, you can pick up the first two games at a discount. Remake Intergrade (Intergrade just meaning the PS5 version) has dropped to $19.99 for physical and $14.99 for digital. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, released just last year, has dropped to a whopping $29.99 for the physical copy on Amazon and $34.99 through PlayStation. Michael Higham's 9/10 review of Rebirth for IGN describes how it "impressively builds off of what Remake set in motion as both a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenge and depth, and as an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long." The most recent mainline release, Final Fantasy XVI, has dropped to its lowest ever price on Amazon, which happens to be $5 cheaper than you can find it on the PlayStation Store. More PlayStation Cyber Monday Deals PlayStation has knocked $100 off both its PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles, the only real console deals we'd seen this year up until a surprise Cyber Monday discount on the Switch 2. There’s also PlayStation Plus discounts and a spread of DualSense controllers on *****, including my personal favorite, the limited edition Ghost of Yotei version. Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles. View the full article
IO Interactive is busy working on James Bond video game 007 First Light, but it has said it also has plans to release Hitman 4. In an interview with Variety, CEO Hakan Abrak said “of course there will be more Hitman.” But it may be some time before Hitman 4 comes out. Abrak said that any talk of a Hitman 4 announcement will have to wait until Hitman co-op arrives in World of Assassination, which continues to enjoy support via DLC from the studio. “So of course there will be more Hitman,” Abrak said. “But right now, I think we need to get to the other side of this year and next year you’ll get more news about Hitman co-op, because I think co-op is a really, really good extension to the universe, and will introduce very interesting mechanics and combinations in World of Assassination. But we will, after that, be talking about the next Hitman — because, of course, there’s going to be a next Hitman.” The Hitman franchise kicked off in 2000 with Hitman: Codename 47. Hitman 2: Silent Assassin followed in 2002. Hitman: Blood Money came out in 2006, and served as the third game in the original Hitman trilogy. Hitman: Absolution followed in 2012, before Hitman, which acted as the first installment of the World of Assassination trilogy, came out in 2016. Hitman 2 followed in 2018, then Hitman 3 in 2021. IOI has three main productions right now: ongoing work on Hitman: World of Assassination, 007 First Light, and a new fantasy IP appropriately codenamed Project Fantasy. “It’s not announced yet, exactly what it is, but it’s a multiplayer fantasy project, which is extremely ambitious and really cool and is something else than a gun in a suit,” Abrak teased. “So that’s also good to have something new within the creative outlook here.” Will Hitman 4 have to wait until all three projects are wrapped up? Abrak didn’t say, but you can see why the studio would want to return to the franchise with a brand new sequel: overall, Hitman has had more than 85 million players and over 25 million copies sold. Each more, more than a million people play Hitman, Abrak added. As for 007 First Light, that’s due out March 27, 2026 (a release date that looks all the more lucrative now GTA 6 is delayed to November). In the shorter term, the latest Elusive Target arriving in Hitman World of Assassination is rap star Eminem, who recruits Agent 47 to take down his dangerous alter ego Slim Shady. The mission is live now for free on all platforms. Cyber Monday is your last chance to secure the best offers of the year before the holidays. If you're on the hunt for some last minute deals, we're actively rounding up the strongest Cyber Monday discounts, and you can all our top picks and price drops in IGN's comprehensive Cyber Monday hub. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article
The Witcher 4 was first officially revealed a year ago now at The Game Awards 2024, and since then, hype for the next installment in the epic fantasy RPG franchise has reached all-time highs. Players will be excited to learn that we may not have to wait that long, despite the game being incredibly ambitious. View the full article
BEEP's Ys Legacy Collection ~Ys I&II&III For X68000 Z~ will release this April in Japan for the dedicated retro PC game emulator console. View the full article
A bit of gaming history returns to modern platforms with the release of Exodus: The Colonization of Space now available on Steam. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article
Easily one of the best ways to try out a form of Arch Linux, the popular EndeavourOS has a new release with Ganymede out now. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article
The Battle Bus is decommissioned as of writing in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1, but it's all set to return soon. While the Battle Bus has been an iconic element of the battle royale title, Chapter 7 Season 1 witnessed it being destroyed. However, the Battle Bus is returning soon, and this guide will provide you with all the relevant details. When will the Battle Bus return in Fortnite The Battle Bus has been absent since the Zero Hour season finale event that took place earlier on Nov. 29. This was followed by the start of Chapter 7 Season 1, but the bus has been replaced by a surfboard. That said, we will go back to the normal start of a round when the Battle Bus returns on Dec. 4. [hurrytimer id="1149596"] The countdown above will expire when the Battle Bus returns to Fortnite. It's based on the following timings. 6am PT8am CT9am ET2pm GMT3pm CET Once the Battle Bus returns, we will get the second phase of the Battle Bus quests. The first phase is active as of writing. While most of the tasks are simple, finding the custom bus parts and the wheels can be tricky. These items are spread all over the map in specific locations. We will all have a 50% chance to spawn on the tsunami at the start of a round after the Battle Bus returns. There's no way you can choose how you spawn, since it will be completely random. Dec. 4 will be a big day for Fortnite fans in general, as we should also witness the resumption of modes like Reload and Blitz. This will be followed by OG Fortnite, which goes live on Dec. 11. I am also expecting the Winterfest to begin on the same day, so there's plenty of content coming our way in a week or so. The post When will Battle Bus return in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1? Exact date and time appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1 has added plenty of ways to revive yourself and your allies once they're knocked down, allowing new strategies to evolve on the battlefield. One of the coolest additions of the new season is the introduction of the self-revive item. Whether you're out of help from your buddies or playing solo, this item allows you to revive yourself. The Reboot Van has also been given a major tweak, which changes how they used to work. Table of contentsHow to self-revive in FortniteHow to use a Reboot Van in FortniteHow to self-revive in Fortnite To revive yourself in Fortnite, you'll need to find something called a Self-Revive device. This device doesn't have a fixed location, and they're typically obtained from regular chests. You can also find one from the Supply Drops sent by the Rift Anomaly Care Package. I have also found them from Mending Machines, but they're very expensive. Image via Epic Once you've added the item to your inventory, it will stay there until you're knocked out. You can't equip it beforehand, and the object also doesn't occupy any space. When you're knocked, you'll get the option to revive yourself. While the revival takes time to complete, you can roll yourself to a safe distance. This is tough if the enemy chooses to track you. You'll revive with just 30 HP, so try to heal yourself as quickly as possible. If you're in a squad, you can also revive yourself with the help of the Reboot Vans. How to use a Reboot Van in Fortnite Some of the Reboot Vans in Chapter 7, Season 1 are completely drivable. However, you can buy a Reboot Card of a downed ally and use it to reboot them when the van isn't moving. You can also self-revive by entering the back of the van or having a teammate throw you when you're down. [Hidden Content] If you choose to opt for this method, the van doesn't have to be stationary. Once you're healed, you can sit on any of the free seats. The Reboot Vans not only allow you to recover, but you can also move with your team around the map. If the van has clamps instead of wheels, it can't be driven (however, it can still be used as a regular Reboot Van). The post How to self revive and use Reboot Vans in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1 appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
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The new sandbox game arrives next monthView the full article