Steam

It's easy to forget, given that Half-Life 2 Episode 3 never actually surfaced and probably never will, but Valve had plans that actually went beyond it. Half-Life 2 Episode 4 was on the cards for a while, under multiple studios. The first was Junction Point, which was founded by the father of immersive sims, Warren Spector, in 2004. Like so many Half-Life projects, unfortunately, it never saw the light of day... Read more.View the full article

Once Human: Way of Winter introduced new content, including exploring new locations. Along with the new locations come new mystical crates. Mystical crates contain many goodies players will want to get their hands on, including rare weapons, armor blueprints, and other valuable loots. View the full article

***** has announced they’ve sold off Amplitude Studios to members of its internal team, making the studio go independent once again. Originally founded back in 2011 by former Ubisoft employees Romain de Waubert de Genlis and Mathieu Girard, Amplitude Studios was eventually acquired by ***** 2016 and was part of its ***** Europe branch. “Our […] Source View the full article

Have you tried different forms of transport while traveling in San Francisco? Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue is “Car puller in San Francisco,” which asks you to find an eco-friendly and old transportation system in the ******* States of America that is a nostalgic part of San Fran’s public transit system. If you can’t find the right word for today’s NYT Mini Crossword, you can use our hints and answers to breeze through the word game. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

There’s a line in our Dragon Age: The Veilguard review that has stuck with me throughout my own playthrough: “It’s hilarious that no one ever says the word ‘Veilguard’ out loud across the 100 hours I played of this dialogue-packed campaign, exposing a last-minute marketing pivot for what it was.” While I’m nowhere near the 100-hour mark myself, that line is so far proving true – not a single character has mentioned The Veilguard. My team of D&D archetype oddballs may collectively be known as such in all the marketing, online articles, and the physical box itself, but within the world of Thedas they’re none the wiser. Imagine Tony Stark and Steve Rogers having no idea the world called them Avengers… that’s how odd it is. A name that Rook, Varric, Harding, and the rest of the gang definitely do know, though, is Dread Wolf – the mythical moniker of former Dragon Age companion, Solas, as well as the original subtitle for this fourth entry in BioWare’s fantasy series. While ultimately it really doesn’t matter what this game is called, the more I play The Veilguard, the more it feels like it’s awkwardly in conflict with itself, torn into pieces that reflect two very different intentions – one a sequel to a decade-old RPG, the other a fresh beginning with no ties to what came before. Many aspects of The Veilguard point to it being something of a soft reset or even spin-off from the main Dragon Age series. Set in the northern Tevinter region, it leaves behind the saga’s original southern home of Ferelden, along with all its characters and politics. Dragon Age has always started afresh with each new game as, unlike Mass Effect, there’s no persistent protagonist across the series as each instalment tells a brand new story. The shift to Tevinter is perfectly in keeping with Dragon Age’s history, then, but The Veilguard isn’t a typical Dragon Age game. It is its first direct sequel – a continuation of Dragon Age: Inquisition, which dedicated its post-credits and Trespasser DLC to setting up Solas as the villainous Dread Wolf. And this is where it all starts to feel a little messy. So much of The Veilguard is dedicated to Solas. Its opening sees him performing a dangerous ****-unleashing ritual, and the world is littered with quests that explore his history and relationship with those dark deities. There may be no mention of the word “Veilguard” anywhere, but everyone is talking about the Dread Wolf. Why isn’t that the name of the game again? Rather than take his place as the villain Trespasser promised, Solas is usurped by a much more newcomer-friendly option But while Solas may take up considerable space, the Dread Wolf has weirdly been relegated to the position of fantasy Hannibal Lecter, trapped in dreams where he appears only to offer advice. Rather than take his place as the villain Trespasser promised, he’s usurped by other dark elven gods who don’t demand any significant prior knowledge – a much more newcomer-friendly option. I’m left with the impression of an antagonist who was robbed of his big bad status somewhere along The Veilguard’s infamously rocky development journey. As our review says, you can “practically smell the rewrites.” But despite his shift from villain to condescending informant, the story is still dedicated to him in a manner that never feels like a true fit for a game that elsewhere is so clearly attempting to be a fresh start rather than a direct sequel. While I’d rather we got a more clear-cut successor to Inquisition, I think the game we’ve ended up with would be better for cutting Solas loose entirely. Sure, the lack of answers to one of the greatest twists in RPG history would be frustrating, but Solas’ fate feels divorced from the story that established him. That’s because none of the world-altering choices you made across the Dragon Age series are reflected in The Veilguard. Unlike its predecessors, there’s no way to import or recreate your save games and world state aside from three basic and largely interchangeable decisions made in Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC. Speaking to IGN earlier this year, creative director John Epler told us “among many reasons why we moved to Northern Thedas is it becomes a little bit more of a clean slate for us. There's not as many decisions you have made up to this point that have an impact on what's happening in Northern Thedas. And we don't have to speak directly to things like who is the Divine? Because again, that's happening in the South.” But the South is where we made our home and our ties to this world, and so this move means that the Thedas that we helped influence and shape across dozens of hours is not the same Thedas that’s currently at stake. With The Veilguard’s elven gods representing not just the greatest apocalyptic threat Thedas has ever faced, but also the culmination of the Inquisition storyline, then surely it's more important than ever that the stakes are our own, personal version of this world? I do sympathise with BioWare – Dragon Age wasn’t developed as a trilogy in the same way as Mass Effect, and so the choices have been on very different scales that must be incredibly difficult to implement into successive games. But those choices being wiped entirely results in something that feels like an opening trying to be a finale. It’s a situation only further strained by the fact that The Veilguard’s version of Thedas is so tonally different from the one established in the previous Dragon Age games. Its grand Necropolis and floating Minrathous fortress feel divorced from the earthier lands of Inquisition and a far cry from the darker regions in which this saga began. Veilguard is a whole new world untouched by players and that clashes with its insistence on continuing Solas’ story in a roundabout way. If BioWare really needed to leave our choices behind, or if it really needed to start afresh for a new era, then going the Mass Effect: Andromeda route of an entirely new story, characters, and setting would have been the cleaner choice. The Veilguard crew all appear to be likeable people, but it feels as if I’m being blocked from forging true bonds with them. And so we come back to that history-avoiding title. When Dragon Age: Dreadwolf became Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare’s general manager Gary McKay explained the new name was chosen to reflect the “really deep and compelling group of companions.” It’s an unsurprising shift, moving away from Solas’ decade-old story that perhaps too few players will actually care about in favour of a direction clearly inspired by the phenomenon that is Baldur’s Gate 3’s beloved party. But, frustratingly, I don’t think The Veilguard does the intention of its new title justice. Across the first 15 or so hours, during which you put together a ****-******** team Mass Effect 2-style, there’s rarely the option to have a proper back-and-forth conversation. There’s a tendency to favour cutscenes or pre-scripted chat over traditional RPG dialogue choices, resulting in the feeling that characters are talking at you rather than with you. Very few party members can be spoken to at length following their initial recruitment, and this lack of introductory getting-to-know-you feels antithetical to a design that expects you to quickly forge bonds and trust with your team. As time goes by there are more opportunities to direct the flow of conversation yourself, but they frequently lack the multi-tier dialogue trees that really allow you to delve deep. It was only after unlocking the dragon-hunting Taash that I was presented with a conversation in which I was able to cycle through multiple tiers of responses at every stage of the dialogue. It was the first satisfying conversation I’d had in 17 hours of play, and I’m baffled as to why I hadn’t had the same experience with every other character I’d met. The Veilguard crew all appear to be likeable people, but it feels as if I’m being blocked from forging true bonds with them. That especially goes for Varric. What is arguably Dragon Age’s best-ever character has been imprisoned in his bedroom, consigned to spouting incidental dialogue that you can’t engage with. His sidelining is yet another example of The Veilguard’s uneasy relationship with its predecessor, but unfortunately the frustrating treatment of its new cast means it’s also difficult to fully embrace the story’s fresh faces. As I enter The Veilguard’s second half I have begun to appreciate its unique approaches. The knotty, secrets-filled Crossroads region is fun to explore. The action combat is really robust, particularly when enhanced by the well-considered skill tree. But at every turn you can feel the toll of that long, rocky development timeline. There’s a solid **** of War-style action game in here, but its sharp battles, linear-ish level design, and explosive cutscenes clash with the more traditional RPG that’s also fighting for air. Those level layouts throttle the quest design, action always takes precedence over conversation, stealth, or diplomacy, and the companions are more like NPCs than party members – Atreus over Astarion. The overall result is that Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn’t the golden era BioWare game that I had hoped it would be. Torn between continuing its traditional role-playing legacy and starting afresh as a modern action RPG, the end result is an awkward sequel trapped in a cage made of reboot ideas. After years and years of faltered steps I understand why BioWare landed on this particular, very mainstream AAA formula, but I wish it had been inspired by the undying mass popularity of The Witcher 3 – a full-on nerdy RPG – rather than veer closer to Sony’s palatable RPG-ish approach for modern **** of War. But that ill-defined shape is often what uneasy development cycles get you. Thankfully The Veilguard’s launch has seemingly gone well for EA and BioWare, which hopefully means Dragon Age will continue. Let’s just hope next time it’s not just the name that’s got a bit of Baldur’s Gate in it. Matt Purslow is IGN's Senior Features Editor. View the full article

As the mysterious World of Warcraft Guest Relations event rolls on, Blizzard steps in to help some WoW secret hunters that accidentally stumbled into a clue earlier than expected. Thinking about the fact that WoW is 20 years old has me a little weak in the knees, but The War Within has restored its reputation to stand alongside FF14 as the reigning MMORPG champions even among challenges from the likes of Throne and Liberty, or the upcoming Ashes of Creation. A particular puzzle in the WoW 20th anniversary celebrations, however, has players stumped for now. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The best WoW addons November 2024 WoW 20th anniversary celebrations kick off with class balance chaos World of Warcraft just launched its weirdest collab in 20 years View the full article

Updated Nov. 9, 2024: Added new codes! I still see your shadows in my room. Those shadows are the highly anticipated Anime Shadows—the Roblox experience where you can unlock your favorite anime heroes and defeat raid bosses with ease using Anime Shadow codes. View the full article

Deciding to slap your hard-earned cash down on a new game is always a little scary, so taking advantage of a free weekend is a great way to try out something you've had your eye on. First launched in 2021 by RocketWerkz, the studio founded by DayZ creator Dean 'Rocket' Hall, survival game Icarus has come a long way since then. To celebrate its latest update you can play it for free right now, with a big Steam ***** discount making it cheap to keep if you like it. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Icarus update adds insured drops to make permadeath more forgiving Icarus review - survival stories Icarus devs targeting daily updates for the survival game following bumpy launch View the full article

According to the FBI, malicious actors are increasingly targeting government and law enforcement emails, using them to obtain sensitive information by sending fraudulent emergency data requests (EDRs) to tech companies. While users should always maintain strong cybersecurity practices, robust data policies are even more critical for officials and companies, which... Read Entire Article View the full article

Narrowing down what leader to play during a Sid Meiers Civilization 6 campaign can be hard, especially considering the range of gameplay approaches and independent characteristics. Choosing the right leader for the right strategy can be a crucial component of victory, serving as one part of the strategic depth that makes Civilization 6 stand out as a great strategy game on the Nintendo Switch and other modern platforms. Starting with the right leader matters, shaping the rest of the game for players. View the full article

A Slow Poison is a side quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard that gives more insight into how The Butcher sees the people of Treviso. It also gives a hint or two on the mystery surrounding the Antaam invasion. The Antivan Crows, known for their espionage and intelligence gathering, suspect a traitor within the city walls, aiding the Antaam in their swift takeover. The player character, alongside their companions, is tasked by the Crows to uncover the truth. View the full article

Tony Todd, the voice of Spider-Man 2's Venom among many other roles, has ***** at 69. Deadline was the first to report the news. Todd appeared in numerous roles across a long career dating back to the 1980s, including Platoon, Final Destination, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he played Worf's lost brother, Kurn. Todd's career in horror, which included a title role in 1992's Candyman, earned him a Lifetime Achieveement Award at the New York City Horror Film Festival. More recently, Todd had a starring role in Insomniac's Spider-Man 2, and we spoke to him about embodying the essence of Venom ahead of last year's release. Todd also hinted that Insomniac had only used 10 percent of his character's dialogue, setting off speculation of a DLC that ultimately never materialized. Insomniac wrote in a statement released shortly after Todd's ******, "Insomniac Games is heartbroken by the passing of our friend Tony Todd. He brought so much joy to our studio during the production of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and to many fans around the world with his inimitable voice and presence. We are Venom... forever." [Hidden Content] — Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) November 9, 2024 Other fans also paid tribute to Todd, calling him a "horror legend" as well as a terrific character actor. ******* Disgusting Editor in Chief John Squires wrote, "The loss of Tony Todd is a monumental loss for the horror world. One of the all-time greats. We say it a lot. Horror icon. Horror legend. He embodied all of that. Made every movie he was in better. A staple of the convention scene. A true member of this horror family. Deeply sad." Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot. View the full article

Elden Ring's combat system includes unique damage types referred to as "status effects" comprised of seven different "conditions" that affect players and NPCs in various ways, and Shadow of the Erdtree expanded on these status effects by adding new items and areas. Tarnished will encounter these unique status effects as they explore the Lands Between and the Shadow Realm. The effects build up over time on a status bar and start to inflict damage after reaching the threshold. Status effects can be used to the Tarnished's advantage depending on the type of Buffs/Debuffs and other gear they have equipped. View the full article

Climbing the Competitive ladder in Overwatch 2 can be difficult, and a developer has given players an idea of which ranks are the most toxic. Overwatch 2 is in Season 13: Spellbinder, and these recent comments could give Competitive grinders an idea of what ranks might prove the most of a slog to make it through. View the full article

Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games confirmed four new playable characters for the upcoming Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles remaster: Rifle Droid, Staff Tusken Raider, Ishi Tib, and Mercenary. Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles was originally released back in 2000, and is set in the same time frame as The Phantom Menace. It was originally developed by LucasArts and released for the original PlayStation and later the Dreamcast. It is a mixture of a platformer and beat-em-up, featuring two-player co-op multiplayer as well. View the full article

Zombies has made a well-received return in Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6. The two launch maps, Terminus and Liberty Falls, have been favorably reviewed by fans and critics alike. Comparisons have been made to the subseries' greatest hits, like ****** Ops 2's Zombies, resulting in a return-to-form for the game mode after a few underwhelming years. Both of the launch maps benefit from some updates to the core mechanics of ****** Ops 6, such as the fluid omni-movement system and the Arsenal ******* upgrade machine, making the game feel vastly different to older iterations. View the full article

The first season of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is underway and includes a 6v6 mode, additional broomstick skins, and a host of technical updates. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions was released in September 2024 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, and PS5. A Nintendo Switch version, along with physical editions of the game, were released on November 8, 2024. View the full article

The Slayer Build in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a specialization for the Warrior class that is a relentless, damage-focused powerhouse. This essentially sacrifices defensive capabilities in favor of maximizing offensive potential. This makes it great for players who don't want to deal with all the strategies and just want to defeat an ****** in just a few blows. This is a change in what the Reaver class was, and it was more like a class that caused enemies to get hurt when they tried attacking the player. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can claim Intertwined Fates, Primogems, and more Genshin Impact rewards starting from Version 5.2 onward. Genshin Impact is landing on Xbox Series X/S on November 20, which coincides with the games next update. View the full article

A new class action lawsuit has been filed against Intel, alleging that the company knowingly sold 13th and 14th gen Raptor Lake CPUs that were prone to instability issues and degradation. The instability issues caused a great deal of controversy for Intel through 2024, as the company conducted extensive investigations to find the exact cause. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel. General Fixed a case where WiFi power management settings could fail to be applied at startup. Game Recording Fixed an issue with the layout of the recording player in Big Picture. Steam Input Fixed a case where a controller could not show up in the UI the very first time it was connected for an account.View the full article

The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes: General Fixed a potential startup ****** on systems with an AMD GPU. Game Recording Fixed an issue with the layout of the recording player in Big Picture. Updated the Game Properties Game Recording tab to more accurately reflect the current state of the Game Recording feature. Steam Input Fixed a case where a controller could not show up in the UI the very first time it was connected for an account. Steam VR Fixed an issue with certain keys on the keyboard causing unexpected behavior. Restores single-click Exit VR functionality Fixed an issue where the Linux VR interface would show the incorrect UIView the full article

Genshin Impact has revealed a new wind glider that players will be able to claim for free in celebration of the game's release on Xbox. Genshin Impact originally arrived for PC, Android, and iOS devices in 2020, with the PlayStation version released the following year. View the full article

Mass Effect 3 focuses a large portion of the main plot on building the Crucible as a ******* to use against the Reapers. Unfortunately, the way the Crucible was introduced and used sparked a lot of hate from players, as it was quite obviously used as a deus ex machina plot device. However, with the feats that Shepard and others perform throughout the series leading up to their last stand against the Reapers, the Crucible doesn't seem like the necessary ******* that the game tries to convince players it's supposed to be. View the full article

MAETH and Rogue Games, Inc. have announced that the Steam FPS game, Sprawl, will be coming to consoles sometime in the future. Steam has a plethora of first-person shooters available to purchase, from the likes of AAA titles like Call of Duty, Halo, and Titanfall, to various indie FPS games like Forgive Me Father, Ion Fury, and Ultrakill. These indie titles sometimes take inspiration from some of the classics, like ***** and Quake, Sprawl being no exception. View the full article