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NBA 2K25 announced that a new and futuristic Gravity Ball mode has been added to the game. This new mode in NBA 2K25 is a fast-paced multiplayer online mode that takes players into a low gravity setting, but costs an additional $8 to play. View the full article

It might be a while before a new Animal Crossing title hits store shelves, but one game that just launched to an enthusiastic reception could be the perfect alternative. Although Nintendo franchises tend to spawn countless imitators, there isn't much that's ever recaptured Animal Crossing's unique brand of charm. The recent popularity of the cozy game genre certainly bears some similarities, but Animal Crossing is a lot more than just cozy, and the appeal of its atmosphere, aesthetic, and memorable social interaction is hard to find elsewhere. View the full article

A new ***** from Genshin Impact is giving fans their first look at the home of Natlan's Flower-Feather Clan, set to be introduced to the game during the Version 5.2 update. The massively popular RPG from HoYoverse has given players a plethora of new content to explore with the launch of its newest region. Natlan added a variety of new landscapes to the game from its winding valleys to volcanic chambers, alongside the latest expansions of the game's Archon Quest and multiple playable characters. Now, fans are getting their first teaser about the region's next new clan. View the full article

We all have our favorite Call of Duty multiplayer map, but which ****** Ops multiplayer map do the developers of the game keep returning to in their spare time? IGN sat down with senior Call of Duty ****** Ops developers, many of whom actually created some of the most popular Call of Duty maps of all time, to answer once and for all which multiplayers maps truly are the best. Just a note before we begin, this list will only cover multiplayer maps that have appeared in the ****** Ops series, meaning you won’t be finding maps that appeared in the Modern Warfare games. Apologies to fans of ******. Nuketown (Call of Duty: ****** Ops) No list of ****** Ops multiplayer maps can exist without Nuketown. Perhaps one of the most popular multiplayer maps in the entire Call of Duty franchise, this desolate test site for nuclear missile testing first appeared in the first Call of Duty: ****** Ops. Since then, some version of the map has appeared in every Call of Duty ****** Ops game ever since, speaking to its status as a perennial favorite. On creating the map that started it all, expert level designer Adam Hoggatt says he has more fond memories of making the map than actually playing it, saying it wasn’t an idea that was pushed forward by the studio, but instead a passion project that was started up for fun. From there it just snowballed into what is now Nuketown: “We all just put all the most fun things we could think of into the map. There’s the doomsday clock, an engineer helped ***** up the first mannequin Easter Egg, and the audio department said, ‘Hey, we have this Rolling Stones song that we licensed and don’t have anywhere to use it,”’ so we put that in there. The rest is pretty much history.” Raid (Call of Duty: ****** Ops 2) Another popular map as chosen by the developers is Raid. Set in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, the map is a *******'s paradise and perfect for long-range weapons. Regarding its development, Hoggatt calls it almost the opposite of Nuketown because unlike the natural creative process behind Nuketown, Raid “started off a little bit rough.” “It actually went through several complete redesigns,” he says. “But each time we iterated, something interesting from the previous iteration was carried over into the new one,” resulting in the fan favorite map. Carrier (Call of Duty: ****** Ops 2) Set atop a large military aircraft carrier, the appropriately named Carrier is associate creative director Miles Leslie’s favorite map, which is high praise considering he says he “literally worked on every single multiplayer map since World at War.” Carrier is very much a different ****** than Raid, with obstacles scattered across the deck preventing most long-range combat. Instead, close-quarter combat is required, and players will usually come out of the map with a large killstreak if they’re skilled enough. “We knew going in it was going to be a super tough design because no one would ever make a multiplayer map on top of a Carrier,” says Leslie, “Because it’s flat.” But like Raid, Carrier underwent numerous iterations and ideas before finding its final form. One unused idea according to Leslie was that players could hop into a plane and use it to ***** missiles. Sad we missed out on that one. Kowloon (Call of Duty: ****** Ops) Another of Leslie’s favorite maps is Kowloon from the first Call of Duty: ****** Ops. Inspired by what the single-player team was doing with the famous Hong Kong walled city, Leslie says Kowloon was another fun map to design because of the challenge it posed the development team. “If you look at the real Kowloon, the buildings are separated. How can you have a separated giant ***** in the center of a multiplayer map?” The solution was introducing the first zip lines in a multiplayer map ever, solving the layout issue and creating a crazy fun map to zip around in the process. Evac (Call of Duty: ****** Ops 3) Not a map that’s often thrown around when discussing best multiplayer maps in Call of Duty, Evac is a personal favorite of Leslie’s thanks to how it incorporates Call of Duty’s advanced movement system. Set in an abandoned evacuation zone on top of a flooded quarantine zone in Singapore, Evac is a “playground of fun” according to Leslie, who recalls how he and the team spent countless hours playtesting the map and immediately adding any fun idea they had into the finished product: A map where players can combo wall jumps and runs together into an exciting, parkour-heavy multiplayer map. Deprogram (Call of Duty: ****** Ops Cold War) One of the newer maps on the list, lead game designer Joanna Leung says her favorite multiplayer map is Deprogram from Call of Duty: ****** Ops Cold War. Set inside the fragmented mind of Adler, this small map is primarily for close-quarters combat, though there are fun secret areas perfect for snipers if you can find them. “I’m a SMG player at heart and I love getting up close and personal with my enemies while I ***** them… So I love that map for that reason,” says Leung. Standoff (Call of Duty: ****** Ops 2) True to its name, Standoff from Call of Duty: ****** Ops 2 is a map where two sides face-off to see who controls the center of the map. With snipers on either side, there’s not a lot of safe spaces in this map, which was inspired by a small border town between China and Kyrgyzstan. But if you’re able to find your way through the small flanking routes in the side, you’ll find that you can get the drop on snipers and take them out. “It’s such a satisfying experience because I now get a leg up on those guys who kept sniping at me, and basically ******* them from behind.” Cracked (Call of Duty: ****** Ops) One of the ******* maps in rotation, Cracked lent itself to the larger-than-life feel and big-scale action that Call of Duty is known for. It’s also the favorite map of Raven Software lead designer Damon Shubhastari. “There was just a lot of internal playtests with Cracked that I felt like I had so much playing, especially when the RC XD came online. Cracked was just a very intense map, especially in Domination.” ******* Range (Call of Duty: ****** Ops) Many popular maps get reimagined or remastered in later ****** Ops games. For example, there’s ******* Range which was originally imagined as a military training facility before getting reskinned as a Hollywood backlot set, a change that Shubhastari particularly enjoyed. “The fun was already there, in the map, we knew it. It was a classic fan favorite, but when the team remodeled [******* Range] as a studio backlot I just thought it was super fun to play.” Satellite (Call of Duty: ****** Ops Cold War) Another recent map from Call of Duty: ****** Ops Cold War, Satellite is one of Matt Coutras’ favorite maps. A senior level designer at Treyarch, Coutras’ favorite map is actually Raid, but Satellite is another of his top hits considering he was involved with designing the map from start to finish. One goal for Coutras with Satellite was to lean into the natural King of the Hill type gameplay of the map. “I tried to make it so all different types of gameplay styles could be used on that map. So if you want to snipe, you could go out to the dunes. If you wanted to run and **** with a shotgun or an SMG, you could go right down the dry riverbed and try to flank around to get upon top of the hill with a satellite.” The Pines (Call of Duty: ****** Ops Cold War) Another Cold War map, The Pines is set in a fictional New Jersey mall that was going to have its grand opening before being taken over by Perseus. The mix of suburban America and military gunfights is reminiscent of the classic film Red Dawn, and is another of Coutras’ favorite maps purely for nostalgia. “It reminds me of the mall where I grew up on the East coast and it has an interesting design choice,” he says. “In the center of the map you have the high side versus the low side and it makes for some really interesting engagements.” Express (Call of Duty: ****** Ops 2) Based on a currently non-existent, California High-Speed Rail terminal, Express takes the classic three-lane map structure and dials up the intensity and fun, according to Jake Harley, associate lead audio designer at Raven Software. “It’s a twist on traditional three lane map design where there are the parts that you could walk up and over on the stairs to over the train, as well as some sections on the side of the map that would go down into the terminal area.” Those are the favorite Call of Duty ****** Ops Multiplayer maps according to the developers. Let us know what your favorite Call of Duty ****** Ops maps are in the comments. View the full article

The newest Genshin Impact 5.2 character banner leaks are worrying me about the chosen rerun units. Version 5.2 is still weeks away from being implemented into the action RPG by HoYoverse as the title has just entered Version 5.1. This is a patch that has added more Natlan Archon Quests for players as they help Mavuika fend off the Abyss incursion on the Nation of Pyro. During Version 5.1, players can also pull for Xilonen in Genshin Impact, and, if they are lucky enough to obtain her, they can use the Geo support unit to substantially enhance the teams power. View the full article

In Metaphor: ReFantazio, players ****** for the chance to be chosen by the people as the next monarch. In the quest for the throne, players must focus on important stats to prove they have what it takes to lead. The Royal Virtues are one of these qualities and come in a set of five: Courage, Wisdom, Tolerance, Eloquence, and Imagination. View the full article

The future looks bright for Nightingale. It's never nice to see a game face a troubled launch, especially one as spectacular to look at as Inflexion Games' Victorian gaslamp fantasy world. Fortunately, the survival game has seen a gradual and continued recovery from its rocky start with the dramatic Realms Rebuilt overhaul, and it looks to have paid off. Now, it's focused on the future, and that starts with one big upgrade to base building as the developer returns to working on a larger city environment that reaches back to its original MMORPG roots. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Survival game Nightingale has plenty more plans after Realms Rebuilt overhaul Nightingale focuses on the fantasy as huge Realms Rebuilt update lands Nightingale's upcoming update solves its most pressing problem View the full article

The moment you look at Travellers Rest, it's easy to see how Stardew Valley inspired it. The top-down perspective, gorgeous pixel art, an array of colorful NPCs, and, of course, the farming. At this point, Stardew Valley has birthed an entire genre that's recognizable in the blink of an eye, but Travellers Rest is different. Instead of growing a farmstead, you're managing a bustling tavern. Crops and agriculture are part of the equation, sure, but the experience of your patrons and the health of your business are paramount. So if you're bored of Pelican Town and fancy something new, Travellers Rest has just had yet another sizable update with loads more still planned. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Indie tavern management game Travellers Rest now has a city to explore Stardew Valley inspired indie rebounds on Steam with big discount Grab a free Steam key for this new Stardew Valley-like innkeeper sim View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Players can find an Easter Egg in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero that references the lovable Launch, a mostly forgotten but classic character from the original manga and anime series. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero finally launched earlier this October, after much anticipation and hype. Just like the original Budokai Tenkaichi games, many gamers are enjoying how it's a massive love letter to Dragon Ball's history. View the full article

Have you ever been to a volleyball match? I have, and I’m always amazed by the players’ lighting-fast reflexes to win points. Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue, “Net flicks?” tests your ability to read through the clever wordplay and decipher a popular move in sports. If today’s NYT Mini Crossword’s wordplays leave you puzzled, then you can use our hints and solutions to solve the word game. View the full article

In space, no one can hear you scream. Well, apart from the pilot, the guy fixing the engine, and your gunner of course. Okay, you might not be facing down a Xenomorph, but the co-op roguelike Void Crew is still about as chaotic. Managing a spaceship while darting between fires, failing systems, and your disorganized crewmates doesn't exactly sound like fun on paper, but Void Crew manages just that. If the Settled Systems of Starfield feel too empty, or the overcomplicated ships of Star Citizen make you nervous to even attempt space travel, these are the wacky antics for you. Best of all, Void Crew is about to make the jump to 1.0, and you can snag it at a discount before then. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Co-op roguelite Void Crew overhauled with new bosses and upgrades View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The roguelike action of Vampire Survivors took the world by storm, rocketing up the Steam charts and helping to popularize a new breed of 'bullet heaven' horde-based games. Since then, we've seen others adopt the wave-based ARPG style, whether they favor auto-casting skills or offer more control in the vein of games like Diablo. Achilles: Survivor builds on the format, quite literally, with the ability to construct defensive towers to help you hold out in a world inspired by Greek mythology, and you can try a free demo right now on Steam. Read the rest of the story... View the full article

Not many League of Legends champions are sharp-minded and possess the incredible business acumen to make their enemies bend to their will, making your daily Loldle easier to narrow down to a few champs and find the answer. However, if you’re struggling to find the champion, we’ve got you covered. Who says, ‘I used to have rivals, now I have business partners’ in LoL? The LoLdle quote on Oct. 19 is, “I used to have rivals, now I have business partners,” and the League champion who says this voice line is Renata Glasc. View the full article

Publisher ***** and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio revealed a new release date for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii alongside new gameplay for the spinoff sequel in their popular Like a Dragon series. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is in development for Windows PC (via Steam and the Microsoft Store), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and PS5 […] Source View the full article

Indie developer Thunder Lotus Games has announced a delay for 33 Immortals, their new Biblical roguelike inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. 33 Immortals will forgo its previously planned 2024 release for one sometime next year, in 2025. When the holy roguelike does launch it’ll be available for Windows PC (via the Microsoft Store and the […] Source View the full article

One of the first major decisions you'll need to make in Throne and Liberty is which weapons you will use for your character. This choice will also determine your character build, defining the skills you will have access to and the role you will play when you party up with other players to take on difficult bosses and participate in dungeons. View the full article

Epic Games Publishing and developer Remedy Entertainment announced a release date for Alan Wake II downloadable content expansion “The Lake House.” The second expansion for Alan Wake II “The Lake House” is set to launch on October 22nd and will be exclusive to the game’s Deluxe Edition. Here’s a brief blurb on the content, plus a trailer: The […] Source View the full article

Have you ever been stuck in a ****** to get your favorite movie tickets? Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue, “Awaits a final judgment,” tests your patience and tasks you with finding a word that would suggest something ongoing. If today’s NYT Mini Crossword has you scratching your head, our hints and solutions are here to help you breeze through the puzzle. View the full article

Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3 is filled to the brim with choices, but there's one junction point that happens on a uniquely large scale. After finishing up the party's business in the Emerald Grove and nearby Goblin Camp, the time eventually comes to move on to a new area, and two paths offer divergent methods of kicking off the journey toward the city of Baldur's Gate. The Mountain Pass and the Underdark both sound threatening in their own ways, but both the hazards and rewards of taking either approach are ultimately radically different. View the full article

Publisher 505 Games and developer Remedy Entertainment have announced FBC: Firebreak, their previously announced co-op spinoff game set in the Control universe. Originally known as Project Condor, the new cooperative spinoff game will launch for Windows PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 sometime in 2025. The game will also launch […] Source View the full article

Publisher 505 Games and developer Leenzee shared new gameplay for WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, their new soulslike ARPG set in feudal China. Here’s a rundown on the game, plus the new trailer: WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is a soulslike, action RPG set in the land of Shu during the dark and tumultuous late Ming Dynasty, plagued with warring […] Source View the full article

Metaphor: ReFantazio launched to an incredibly positive reception, with many fans and critics alike calling it their personal Game of the Year. This may come as no surprise to Atlus enthusiasts who have been lucky enough to experience their previous works of art, including the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series. However, what may come as a surprise is just how quickly Metaphor sold its first million copies and became Atlus' fastest-selling title ever. View the full article

A supa exciting adventure based on the incredible *********** book series by Dav Pilkey, Dog Man: Mission Impawsible takes the beloved illustrated world of the Dog Man literary series to new heights - or platforms. Developer Floor 84 Studios will take players on an exciting quest to retrieve the key to the city from a "supa bad guy" who is using it to open the prisons and let out all the evil-doers. This quirky puzzle-platformer looks like a great game for families to enjoy together. View the full article

Dave the Diver creator and Mintrocket CEO Jaeho Hwang has discussed the studio's plans for the future of its smash hit IP, stating that he wants to "expand" with new games focusing on different characters. Dave the Diver burst onto the scene in 2023 when it was released for PC in June, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in October and a PlayStation version in April 2024, and has since launched multiple DLC expansions with even more content still to come. View the full article

Valve updated Proton Experimental again for running Windows games on Linux desktop and Steam Deck. Here's what's changed for the October 18th update. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article