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Announced during Opening Night Live at Gamescom, the highly anticipated ARPG Path of Exile 2 from developer Grinding Gear Games revealed it will release in early access on November 15, 2024. Path of Exile 2 is the sequel to the popular dark fantasy Diablo-style title that originally launched in 2013, and while it was initially intended to be merely an expansion to the first game, the studio decided to change the game's course by turning it into its very own standalone title instead. View the full article

At Gamescom 2024, Everspace 2 developer Rockfish Games revealed the next chapter in the space shooter-RPG’s story. Titans is the game’s first paid add-on, and it brings something we’ve strangely never seen before in the game. The DLC expands the scale of Everspace 2 in some exciting new ways, offering massive new encounters, and it will be available for purchase in September. Read more View the full article

If you have experience of the London rental market, there is but one way you can react to a game – a French game, no less, the cultural product of a country where two-bed apartments apparently grow on trees – that promises to maroon you in a sprawling labyrinth of flats. “Haha, alright for some!” you chortle despairingly, after freeing yourself from the laundry basket and retrieving your trousers from the fridge. “I bet labyrinths have more than one window,” you ****, as you yet again tackle the problem of opening the front door without becoming part of the wall. If you have have experience of the London rental market, you are probably reading this and thinking: “He’s got a front door? Such extravagance. I live in a folded umbrella.” Touché, my friend. I guess it’s just as well we have spaciously proportioned first-person puzzle adventures to console us in our time of compound elbow bruises, rising damp and preposterous financial debt. On which note, Looking For Fael seems fun. Read more View the full article

Pokémon Go trainers weren’t impressed by this year’s Ultra Unlock events, with multiple players feeling let down by the content on offer after Go Fest 2024: Global concluded. In previous seasons, Ultra Unlocks released a new region or features and Pokémon to excite players. However, this year’s Ultra Unlock only gave us a handful of new Pokémon and a single new shiny—far from the fanfare of previous years. View the full article

Lo, a ripple in the release date sands. Stand still a moment while we study this phenomenon. Yes, yes, it is the unmistakable rumble of a large survival MMO pondering its release date. Dune: Awakening is having a think and has decided "early 2025" is a good non-specific time ******* to come out in early access. That could mean January or February. Or March, I guess. April? Now don't be silly, that's spring. Not April, surely. This ****** seems hungry. It will eat before then. I have foreseen it. Mostly by watching the trailer that dropped at Gamescom. Read more View the full article

The 103003 error code in Escape From Tarkov is notorious, so if you’re struggling to load into a raid because of it, you likely aren’t the only victim. Luckily, our guide to fixing it should be of help here. Online video games are always prone to hiccups, but some errors can be annoying, thanks to how vague they are. The 103003 error code, for example, announces it’s a launch error and denies access to the Escape From Tarkov servers, leaving players no clue what to do. View the full article

******** gaming giant NetEase has taken to Gamescom 2024 to announce its latest title, Floatopia. The newly unveiled game promises to expand the selection of Animal Crossing-like life sims on both PC and consoles. View the full article

Marvel Rivals is heading to the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on December 6 after a Gamescom Opening Night Live announcement trailer launched on Tuesday. This trailer also revealed that stars and stripes himself Captain America and Bucky, also known as The Winter Soldier, are joining the game as playable characters. If that's not enough good news, we know that all heroes in Marvel Rivals will be free. View the full article

****** Myth: Wukong saw a jaw-dropping number of players immediately after its release on Aug. 20, with its peak player count reaching 2,223,179. But after nighttime in China, the player count dropped considerably. Wukong reached its peak player count around 8am CT. China has a few different timezones, and Wukong’s numbers spiked at 10pm in its capital, Beijing. It’s hardly surprising to see so many ******** players tuning in to ****** Myth: Wukong at that time, and given roughly 90 percent of its players are in China, the drop-off isn’t surprising, either. View the full article

A newly shared *********'s Creed Shadows clip shows how the game makes a witty change to the iconic "Leap of ******" when performed by protagonist Yasuke. Although *********'s Creed Shadows isn't the first in the series to feature dual protagonists, it takes the concept much further with distinctive playstyles for Naoe and Yasuke, with the former being more stealth-focused and the latter offering more combative and action-oriented gameplay. View the full article

When did you last bash your TV remote on the couch to fix it? Never? Well, maybe that’s just how I try to fix it. Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue, “one end of a battery,” calls out your scientific aptitude and tests your high school science knowledge. ‘One end of a battery’ NYT Aug. 21 Mini Crossword hints and answer Left or right end? Screenshot by Dot Esports Hint 1: Don’t think literally about the clue; think science. Hint 2: The five-letter word appears in the chapter- Electrolysis. Hint 3: It starts with the letter “A.”Hint 4: The anagram for the solution is “EDNAO.” Beyond this line ***** the golden treasure. Here’s the answer. View the full article

EA continues to support College Football 25 by helping the revamped franchise enjoy a long and fruitful season courtesy of the Aug. 19 update and patch notes. The official patch notes have not been released by EA; however, thanks to the power of the College Football 25 community, the key changes have been identified and we have everything for you right here. View the full article

The Game Awards 2024 has been set for Thursday, December 12, the event’s organisers announced on Tuesday. The event’s 10th anniversary gala celebration will again take place at its traditional venue of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, and be streamed live on various platforms. Public tickets for The Game Awards 2024 will go on ***** on November 1. Read More... View the full article

Star Wars Outlaws is one of the year’s most anticipated games, bringing a new adventure in a galaxy far, far away. And if you want to know when the game’s review embargo will lift to see how it’s shaping up, we have the answer. The journey in Star Wars Outlaws is the first open-world experience in the illustrious franchise, and it doesn’t directly follow the Jedi or the Sith. Instead, the story is set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. View the full article

****** Myth Wukong sees you trample through lush forests, sandy deserts, and rocky mountains, defeating all manner of foes in a fairly linear path. But, just off the beaten track, you’ll find minibosses, each granting their own rewards. Some rewards, like the boss’ Spirit, may not be acquired early in ****** Myth Wukong. Imagine spending countless deaths ******** an early-game miniboss only to find that you can’t reap the rewards. ***** not—the solution isn’t too far ahead! View the full article

VALORANT fans in EMEA have some updates to look forward to this fall as Riot Games is introducing its first VCT OFF//SEASON Spotlight Series. This new mixed-gender tournament promises to be the next step towards a more inclusive competitive scene and will see over 50 players compete for a hefty prize pool. The VCT OFF//SEASON Spotlight Series kicks off online from Oct. 10 to 16, with the grand finale set to take place in LAN at the Paris Games Week on Oct. 24. Paris Games Week, one of Europe’s largest gaming events, will host the finals on its Main Stage, which can accommodate up to 2.000 spectators, making this one of the biggest stages where Game Changers players will compete on. The tournament will feature 14 invited teams from the VCT and Challengers circuits, competing for a share of a €30.000 ($33.366) prize pool. View the full article

Kingdom Come: Deliverance ******** a unique proposition in modern AAA game development. While medieval RPGs aren’t new, the sensibility behind the development of the game set it apart from modern Western RPGs. Now, after three hours with the sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, while the game is slightly more in line with modern standards, the unique quirks and love-it-or-hate-it combat system are back. This makes for a sequel that will likely thrill fans who have waited half a decade for the follow-up, and more than likely draw in new fans put off my the original game’s… eccentricities. Read More... View the full article

It's about to kick off in the centre of Kuttenberg, the sprawling medieval city at the heart of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Menhard the sword master has offered to teach protagonist Henry of Skalitz a few tricks with the blade, but the lesson has been interrupted by Kuttenberg's official fencing guild. They won't let Menhard teach so much as a pommel strike, despite him having a charter from King Wenceslas to do just that. Moreover, they're going to fine the old Fechtmeister for breaching their rules. Things are getting heated, with the chance of a real swordfight breaking out growing by the second. But Henry has an idea. "Menhard wasn't teaching me anything," he blurts out. "We were duelling because I insulted his honour!" Unconvinced, the guild master asks what the duel was about, at which point I'm given an array of choices for Henry to respond with. Reacting quickly, I decide to have Henry say that he slept with Menhard's daughter. I don't know whether Menhard has a daughter, but it seems like the sort of thing medieval people would get into a duel over, so I roll with it. The guild master buys my bald-faced lie and waives the fine... It works. The guild master buys my bald-faced lie and waives the fine, though Menhard is still prohibited from teaching longsword in the city. With a ****** avoided, I turn to Menhard expecting him to be grateful. Instead, he's furious. It seems Menhard really does have a daughter, and the very idea of Henry sleeping with her has genuinely insulted his honour. Oops. With their relationship damaged, Henry must desperately placate the raging swordmaster before they can focus on more important matters, like plotting how to get back at Kuttenberg's fencing guild. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is shaping up to be an even ******* RPG than the original, a 100+ hour epic featuring massive battles, sweeping Bohemian landscapes, and a fully simulated medieval metropolis. But at Warhorse Studios' preview event hosted in the real-life city of Kutná Hora (the modern Czech name for Kuttenberg) it was this throwaway detail that stuck with me the most. Warhorse claims every choice the player makes in its RPG will feel like it matters, and this dramatic response to a decision I barely thought about was the first (but not the last) indicator that KCD2 could well deliver on this promise. It'll be several hours before KCD 2 opens-up to you in this way, however. Warhorse provided access to two separate chunks of the game, the first of which took place right at the beginning. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 opens in medias res, with an explosive castle siege where you defend the ramparts with crossbow and longsword. Warhorse says KCD 2 will feature substantially larger battles than the previous game, and this initial sequence was an impressive taster of playing at a larger scale, from booting down siege ladders from the castle wall, to ******* crossbow bolts into a crush of ****** soldiers as they come barrelling through the gate. Following this exciting opening, KCD 2 rewinds to connect with the end of the first game, as we rejoin Henry and his friend and liege lord Sir Hans Capon on a mission to deliver a letter to neighbouring lord Otto von Bergow. This initial hour is strictly linear and heavy on cutscenes, but it keeps you engaged through the feelgood vibes of Henry and Hans' friendship. Like the first Kingdom Come, the sequel is written in a very humanistic style. Henry ******** a deeply affable, fish-out-of-water protagonist, while his position as Sir Hans' squire leads to an interesting blend of camaraderie and tension between the two. Together, the pair have big "lads on tour" energy, clearly revelling in the rare freedom their position and assignment affords them in medieval society. It isn't all fun and games, however. An encounter with a retinue of Bergow's knights emphasises the danger that lurks around every corner, as the two have to convince the armed horsemen that they aren't bandits. It's the first of many elaborate dialogue sequences, with numerous player choices and a lot of exposition. Indeed, while KCD's conversations are generally interesting, I did wonder if they might benefit from some sterner editing at times. KCD2 is built to be played with no foreknowledge of the original. As such, the opening hours fold in several refresher tutorials, such as Henry and Hans having a friendly duel that reintroduces you to KCD's unique swordfighting system. This has been refined for the sequel, reducing the number of directions you can swing your sword from five to four, and making actions like parrying and riposting easier to pull off. While it's been years since I played the first game, I was nonetheless able to hold my own against Sir Hans after a few minutes of instruction, suggesting that Warhorse's changes have indeed made the system easier to grapple with. The sequel also introduces bespoke fighting systems for certain non-sword weapons like maces, letting players who don't fancy mastering the blade to adopt the simpler approach of cracking skulls. KCD2 is built to be played with no foreknowledge of the original. The introduction culminates in Henry and Hans taking a bath in the river, followed by a goofy scene where they sneak through the reeds along the riverbank, drawn by the sound of peasant women singing nearby. The scene quickly takes a darker turn, however, as the pair's camp is attacked by bandits, whereupon they're forced to flee into the woods wearing nothing but their pants. It's a sequence that shifts between dramatic and comedic multiple times, and the game handles those tonal changes well. Through a series of unfortunate events, Henry and Hans end up in the care of a local peasant woman, where we get a chance to see the quieter side of KCD2. One of the original’s strengths was how it strived to immerse players in moment-to-moment play, and KCD2 seems just as indulgent in this regard. Simple actions like eating stew from a **** and picking herbs to make potions are depicted with intensely detailed first-person animations, while the Bohemian forests you explore are verdant and alive with birdsong. There's a chance to experiment with the updated alchemy system, which is even more tactile and involved than the first game, with you sprinkling ingredients into a big cauldron, before adjusting its height with a lever to change the heat level. Later, when Henry has to ****** and ***** a couple of bandits who come looking for him, an optional objective unlocks to bury the bodies away from the peasant woman's home, and you can go through the entire process of putting these wayward souls to rest. Everything in this initial demo suggests KCD 2 will retain the original’s capacity for letting players steep in its medieval setting. What it didn't show was anything wildly new. For this, the second demo was more promising. This fast-forwarded the campaign to the 50-hour mark, where Henry arrives in Kuttenberg. This medieval metropolis is the largest urban space seen in the series yet, a bustling environment where every NPC has their own daily routines and behaviours. It's here where Henry encounters the swordmaster Menhard and becomes embroiled in the dispute over who has the rights to teach longsword in the city. To settle the disagreement, Menhard hatches a plan, and asks Henry to steal the fencing guild's official sword and hang it on the wall of the Rathaus (the town hall). This, Menhard explains, is the formal way of issuing a challenge of arms to the town, a challenge which Menhard could then accept to prove his martial superiority. Of course, this means sneaking into a guildhall filled with master swordsmen, which Menhard wisely suggests you do at night (though you are free to try it in the daytime if you wish). Yet even in darkness, clandestine activities are a risky business in Kuttenberg. Anyone walking around at night is expected to carry a torch, and not doing so will get you in trouble with the guards. Having successfully evaded the city watch, I then have to climb over the wall of the guild house, pick the lock on one of several potential entrances, find the sword, and escape. Here, the open-ended nature of KCD 2 becomes much more apparent, with the quest feeling closer in spirit to a game like Dishonored than the more directed sequences of the early game. The first time I attempt the theft, things go south quickly. I pick the lock but attract the attention of one of the nightwatchmen, who relocks the door after searching for me. I pick the lock again, and proceed three steps into the building before I'm rumbled. I try to ****** my way out with fisticuffs, managing to knock out one of the nightwatchmen, but another has roused the town guard, who come barrelling in with swords drawn to quickly cut me down. The quest can alter in multiple ways depending on your actions, both in narrative choices and general play. In my second attempt, I'm more careful, and succeed in lifting the sword unnoticed and hanging it on the wall of the Rathaus. This would be a natural endpoint for the quest, but it proves to be far from over. Succeeding in the theft leads to a multi-stage longsword tournament between Menhard and the swordmasters' guild, and you can choose to be sworn in under Menhard's stewardship and ****** for his honour and right to teach longsword in the city. Moreover, the quest can alter in multiple ways depending on your actions, both in narrative choices and general play. If you steal the sword but are spotted doing so, for example, the guild will accuse you of the theft when Menhard accepts their challenge. Consequently, the swordmasters' guild is given heavier armour during the tournament, making the ****** more difficult on your end. This elaborate structure isn't entirely surprising; quest design was one of the first game's strengths too. Nonetheless, it certainly feels like the sequel is operating at a higher level amid the busy streets of Kuttenberg. And if Menhard's quest is reflective of the sequel's 100+ hour total, then Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 could end up being something rather special indeed. View the full article

One of my favorite things about today’s LoLdle quote is it’s so mysterious, especially because there’s only a few keywords we can use to uncover the League of Legends champion who says the voiceline. Tough, right? Who says, “Mother Tree used to have so many flowers. I hope you meet her one night, dream” in LoL? The LoLdle quote on Aug. 21 is, “Mother Tree used to have so many flowers. I hope you meet her one night, dream.” The League champion who says this line is Lillia. View the full article

Call of Duty fans got their first look at the ****** Ops 6 campaign yesterday in a preview during Gamescom 2024, but amidst the chaotic gunfight which featured former U.S. President Bill Clinton and riding motorcycles through buildings, eager players are losing their minds over a new piece of tech—a homing ******. The Homing ****** is a new piece of kit coming with ****** Ops 6, with the player seen whipping it out mid-mission and throwing it at a group of enemies. Time slows after the ****** is thrown, and the player can be seen controlling the direction of the ****** before it explodes. The clip abruptly ends as the mission fast-forwarded for the preview, but the glimpse at the Homing ****** is enough to send the CoD community into a frenzy. View the full article

Riot Games has driven a dagger straight through one of the League of Legends community’s longest-held beliefs: That the developers purposefully ignores champions deemed “balance pillars” to build the metagame around them. In theory, the massive League roster—there’s nearly 170 playable characters these days—having several core champions Riot can use as wayfinders makes a little sense; grounding the game’s constant balance patches would help design philsophy. In practice, however, there’s no such thing as “balance pillar” champs, with Rioter GalaxySmash ********* down the claim when it was mentioned after Patch 14.16’s big release. View the full article

Players can now explore planetary environments in speed and style, all free as part of the game's August update. View the full article

Some of these mercenaries possess unique ******* types, abilities, and spells that even players don't have access to. View the full article

Four long and arduous years since it first launched on mobile, Genshin Impact is finally coming to Xbox consoles, and it’s being packaged with a preorder pricetag. While rumors have circulated over the past few years that Genshin would be coming to Xbox eventually, it wasn’t until a post on X (formerly Twitter) by gaming leaker Wario64 on Aug. 20 that these rumors were confirmed. As reported by VGC, this news was also announced during Gamecon’s Opening Night this week. View the full article

Live the life of Henry once more, who is now officially a knight. View the full article