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One missed in the inbox of no return from last week. The next-generation SDL 3 is closing in on a proper stable release now with the SDL 3.1.3 Stable ABI Preview now available for game developers. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

If you’ve always wanted to decorate your VALORANT weapons with spooky cute accessories, you’ll love this year’s unique Halloween bundle. The Troublemaker collection is all set to drop in the VALORANT shop’s featured section, but guess who the showstopper of the bundle is? It’s the mysterious and talented headshot-only “demo guy” from all those skin showcase videos. But that’s not it. Proving those who believed it was a pro player wrong, Riot Games finally revealed the demo guy had been an adorable kitty all along. View the full article

Valve released another smaller Beta update for Steam desktop and Steam Deck with even more bug fixes. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Why, Hawthorne, must you put in me a position where I have to balance my love of woodland fantasy against my complete exhaustion with chopping things down to build other things? There are two scurrying mammals wearing robes inside of me, and they both love Redwall, Mice And Mystics, and Mouse Guard, but might spontaneously combust if they have to craft another hatchet. A trailer, eh? Is...is that a mouse and an otter dancing on top of a table, each grasping a mug of ale of their tiny paws and dancing to fiddle music? Fine! Fine! I’m not happy about this, but Fine! Read more View the full article

Making your way through the dangerous city in Silent Hill 2 comes with many risks, but there are memories you need to track down. A major one is the many Strange Photographs, each with a distinct memory of Mary for James. The locations of these Strange Photos can be tricky to find. Not only do you need to be looking for them at the correct location, but you might be barred from seeking them out as you navigate through Silent Hill. You want to ensure you grab them all before you move on and reach the end of the game. Here’s what you need to know about where to find all Strange Photo locations in the Silent Hill 2 remake. View the full article

In his novel Beyond the Throne: Epic Journeys, Enduring Friendships, and Surprising Tales, Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn attributed World of Warcraft to helping him detox and kick his ***** addiction. The Hodor actor revealed in his autobiography that he fell in love with a person who had a ***** addiction, which, in turn, led to him abusing narcotics. But after a nearly fatal experience, the actor headed to a bungalow at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Ireland, where he detoxed from drugs while playing World of Warcraft “from dawn till dusk.” View the full article

Our LoLdle quote for today is another short one, but that doesn’t make guessing this League of Legends champion easier. So, here’s the answer to the Oct. 9 LoLdle quote. Who says, ‘****** by steel’ in LoL? The LoLdle quote on Oct. 9 is, “****** by steel.” The League champion who says this line is Olaf. View the full article

Not all video game remakes are recreated equally. For every genuinely game-changing Final Fantasy VII Remake or Metroid: Zero Mission, you have comparatively more surface-level restorations like 2018’s Shadows of the Colossus or 2020’s ******** All Humans! that transplant most of the original material into a new game engine that looks nicer but doesn’t really change how it works. Until Dawn fits firmly into that latter camp. Its colourful cast of ****** teenagers and spooky snowy mountain setting have never looked better, but its gripping, life-or-****** decision-based gameplay is more or less identical to how I remember it from the 2015 original. The general lack of gameplay improvements and noticeable performance problems are a poor trade-off for what it offers, and that makes it tough to recommend, particularly since its premium price makes Until Dawn seem less like a must-have bit of moonlit ******* and something closer to a case of daylight robbery. Here’s what our reviewer said in her review of the 2015 original: Until Dawn (2015) Review “At its best, Until Dawn is a gleefully cheesy homage to horror movies, set in a world built by a developer that clearly adores the genre. Although its thrills are tempered by a lack of story cohesion, its robust choice-and-consequence system and keen eye on horror’s most ridiculous tropes makes Until Dawn ultimately worth playing.” – Lucy O’Brien, August 25, 2015 Score: 7.5 Read the full review here [/url] That sentiment still largely rings true – it’s basically the same game, after all. While Supermassive’s subsequent choose-your-own-misadventure horror stories, like 2021’s The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes and 2022’s The Quarry, have come close to matching it, Until Dawn still ******** the most well-rounded ********** of the choice-and-consequence-heavy formula that the developer has made its own. Its schlock horror story is crammed with entertainingly gory scenarios inspired by the likes of Saw, The Descent, and Poltergeist, and its cast is headlined by strong performances from Hayden Panettiere, Peter Stormare, and Rami Malek, whose characters remain just as engaging today as they were nine years ago – even in spite of the occasionally cringe-inducing dialogue. Back in Blackwood While the cast and remote Blackwood Pines setting remain the same, everything has been rebuilt on an entirely new engine (Unreal 5) for this remake, and it shows in ways both good and bad. There’s no question that the higher-quality textures and dramatically improved lighting combine to give this interactive slasher film a considerably more realistic edge, and there are a number of welcome environmental touches, like snow that visibly crumples underfoot and the rays of a setting sun reflected in the window glass of a gondola. However, these enhancements come at the cost of a frame rate that’s often every bit as shaky as the freaked-out teens onscreen, and at its worst this rebuilt Until Dawn is also prone to coming apart completely like a serial *******’s victim on the sharp end of a saw blade. I managed to make it through my full playthrough without ever being unceremoniously bumped out to the PlayStation 5’s home screen, but another member of IGN’s staff reported no fewer than six crashes within the eight-hour story’s opening half. Until Dawn is supposed to be about preventing its cast of characters from meeting a sudden end at the hands of an unspeakably evil presence, not an indecipherable Sony error code. These enhancements come at the cost of a frame rate that’s often every bit as shaky as the freaked-out teens onscreen. Whereas the original Until Dawn is experienced mostly from fixed camera perspectives, the 2024 version – for the most part – favours an over-the-shoulder, third-person view not unlike the recently released Silent Hill 2 remake. There are definite benefits to this manual camera control system, both in the sense that it allows you to better observe the heightened detail in the creepy environments around you, and also swivel your viewpoint around to identify the small number of new areas to explore off the beaten path. For instance, you’ll find a car park outside the ski lift station in the story’s opening hours that wasn’t there before. However, there’s not much of interest to find in this handful of new locations, and I can’t help but feel that the new camera system works against the overall cinematic presentation. Until Dawn’s consistent close-up chase cam meant it felt less like I was puppeteering the characters in an interactive slasher movie and more like I was sauntering my way through a survival-horror shooter, ****** the actual combat. It’s also a strange choice that developer Ballistic Moon has scrapped the ability to walk faster in this remake. Characters will automatically break into a sprint during quick-time event-heavy chase sequences, but otherwise there’s no longer the option of speeding the exploration of environments up a bit with the press of a button like you could previously. Combine that with a distinctly ******** sluggishness to character movement that sees them stumble a few steps too many in one direction after you’ve changed to another, and Until Dawn is now slower and clumsier to control than it used to be, which is not exactly ideal when you’re trying to herd a group of hapless teenagers towards surviving the many horrors of the night. Teenage Future Injure Totems The sloppier movement also makes it more of a chore to scour your surroundings for totems. Collecting these scattered Native ********* artifacts once again gives you brief glimpses at potential character fates, which provide some foresight into your decision-making, only this time their placements have been reshuffled – presumably to make finding them more of a challenge for returning players. That’s all well and good, but I wish that actually triggering the premonitions hadn’t been turned into such a fiddly process. In the original Until Dawn you found a totem, flipped it over to see a character’s potential ******, then moved on. Now you have to pick the totem up, then slowly shift it up and down and swivel it left and right before a tiny glimmer of light appears somewhere on its surface and the vision is finally revealed. It just feels annoyingly unwieldy, like trying to retrieve a pick from an acoustic guitar after you’ve accidentally dropped it into the soundhole, and really only serves to needlessly drag out what was previously a fairly immediate and straightforward process. This token totem twist is pretty much the only new gameplay mechanic of note. Aside from a slightly lengthened prologue and a new post-credits scene that hints at the possibility of a sequel, Until Dawn otherwise features all the same choices, quick-time events, and potential character fates that it did previously, and the crowd-friendly, pass-the-controller co-op gameplay introduced in later Supermassive Games adventures sadly hasn’t been retrofitted in here. It is slightly more tailorable to personal preferences, though, so if you find that your hands are too shaky for the ‘Don’t Move’ sequences that instruct you to keep the controller as still as possible, you can just go ahead and disable them from the pause menu, for example. Overall, however, this Until Dawn remake ******** a pretty hard sell given that right next to its listing on the PlayStation Store is the PlayStation 4 version, which still looks sharp and runs at a smooth 60fps on the PlayStation 5 at only a fraction of the cost. The new Until Dawn costs over four times as much as the original (at least, here in Australia), and there’s no upgrade path for existing owners of the PS4 version like there has been previously with other first-party Sony games like the PS5 ports of Horizon Zero Dawn and The Last of Us Part II. To be fair, those were technically remasters rather than remakes (The Last of Us Part I is a remake that also had no upgrade path from the PS3 or PS4 remastered versions), but I’d argue that the improvements to Until Dawn are so superficial that it feels much closer to a remaster than a remake anyway. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Sony has unveiled the file size for LEGO Horizon Adventures on Switch and PC, detailing that the game's file size will be 5.9 GB and 30 GB, respectively. Based on the Horizon series developed by Guerrilla Games, LEGO Horizon Adventures will land on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC on November 14, 2024. View the full article

Silent Hill's fog was famously inspired by a hardware limitation. The short draw-distance of the original PlayStation, combined with a fondness for Stephen King's The Mist, led to a town covered in clouds of fog that hid distant detail. This handily masked the limitation, but also meant that you heard monsters before you saw them—footsteps or wingbeats suggesting their presence before they appeared. The designers leant into this, adding a radio that buzzed with static when the reality-defying monsters were close, and cementing a formula for effective dread that carried over multiple sequels... Read more.View the full article

“Far from over?” is the tricky three-down clue from today’s NYT Mini Crossword puzzle. And if you’re over trying to guess the answer, you’ll find it below. ‘Far from over?’ Oct.9 NYT Mini Crossword clue hints and answer This clue is three down. Screenshot by Dot Esports via the NYT Hint 1: It starts with a “U.” Hint 2: It ends with an “R.” Hint 3: It rhymes with “plunder.” Hint 4: It contains two vowels. The answer to the “Far from over?” clue from the Oct. 9 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle is “UNDER.” This clue is pretty straightforward: if something isn’t going over, it’s likely going under. View the full article

As you investigate Bluecreek Apartments and work through the Clock puzzle doors in Silent Hill 2 Remake, you'll stumble upon a Seesaw puzzle in Room 210. Presenting a game of balance, there are two platforms on which to place items and notches to help you distribute their weight evenly. To solve the puzzle, you'll need to balance the seesaw just so by using figurines collected from the surrounding rooms. View the full article

I enjoy a good NYT Mini Crossword puzzle challenge, and today’s clue, “Synonym for ‘close,'” is the clue for one across and eight across, making it a tough one to ******. So, here’s the answer to both clues. ‘Synonym for close’ Oct.9 NYT Mini Crossword clue hints and answer This clue appears twice! Screenshot by Dot Esports via the NYT Hint 1: One-across starts with an “S.” Hint 2: Eight-across begins with an “N.” Hint 3: One-across ends with a “T.” Hint 4: Eight-across ends with an “R.” The answer to the “Synonym for close” one-across clue from the Oct. 9 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle is “SHUT.” And the “synonym for close” eight-across clue answer is “NEAR.” Close is a homograph. Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. View the full article

mong the many games on the February 2025 videogame calendar is Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a Like a Dragon spin-off featuring fan favorite Goro Majima dressing as a pirate and fighting his way across Hawaii. Yet, as wild as that idea seems, we could have had an even stranger spin-off... Read more.View the full article

A new report alleges that Roblox has been artificially inflating its player count numbers. This follows after Roblox self-reported major financial losses despite alleged player growth. View the full article

Some Diablo 4 players have encountered multiple issues preventing them from making Spiritborn characters, though most of the problems are easily fixable. By ensuring they have bought, registered, and installed the appropriate version of Vessel of Hatred, most Diablo 4 fans should be able to start their adventures in Nahantu using the new Spiritborn class. View the full article

New Genshin Impact 5.1 leaks have emerged ahead of the update and they prove I was correct about Capitanos intentions for Natlan. Capitano is one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers and he is portrayed as an antagonist in the campaign. So far, he has challenged and dueled against the Pyro Archon Mavuika before leaving after being injured in the battle. The Fatui Harbinger has made it clear that he is there to defy Mavuikas reign over Natlan, though Capitanos true intentions in Genshin Impact are still unknown, even if there have been hints at a possible resurrection rite for Signora. View the full article

The Steam Deck Client Beta has been updated with the following changes: Broadcasting Fixed a ****** while broadcasting introduced in the last beta Game Recording Added error messages when trying to load a H265 clip or background recording w/ GPU acceleration or HW video decoding disabled Steam Input D-Pad directions and Right Joystick can now be used to activate Mode Shifts Increased maximum sensitivity of Joystick Mouse mode. Remote Play Fixed the cursor being too small when streaming from a PC with desktop scaling enabledView the full article

The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes: Music Player Fixed a playback of .WAV sound track files Broadcasting Fixed a ****** while broadcasting introduced in the last beta Game Recording Added error messages when trying to load a H265 clip or background recording w/ GPU acceleration or HW video decoding disabled Fixed a case where non-Steam games would show results from other games in the screenshot section Steam Input Added support for wired XBox controllers on macOS Sequoia Fixed the "Turn off Controller" action causing Steam to launch BPM if the main window was focused D-Pad directions and Right Joystick can now be used to activate Mode Shifts Increased maximum sensitivity of Joystick Mouse mode. Remote Play Fixed the cursor being too small when streaming from a PC with desktop scaling enabled Fixed using software encoding instead of hardware H.264 when HEVC is enabled and unavailable.View the full article

Another day, another video game adaptation has been announced. This time, it's *****'s Shinobi series. Universal and ***** announced Tuesday that they're developing a film adaptation of the hack-and-slack video games, and they've found a director appropriately well-versed in action to take the helm. Sam Hargrave, a stuntman and filmmaker best known for directing the Chris Hemsworth-starring Netflix movie Extraction, is on board to direct. Ken Kobayashi will write the script. Plot details haven't been revealed yet, but the Shinobi series largely followed the ninja Joe Musashi as he fought evil. The first Shinobi game originally launched in arcades in 1987, with Musashi becoming one of *****'s flagship characters. The series spans 14 games and in an unexpected announcement at last year's Game Awards, ***** revealed that a new Shinobi game is in development (alongside new entries in other ***** series like Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, and Golden Axe). It's only the latest video game to get the adaptation treatment, and Universal itself has found massive success with other ones in the past. The studio's Super Mario Bros. Movie is the second-highest-grossing film of last year (after Barbie), and still holds the distinction of being the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time. A follow-up was officially announced in March, which is set to arrive in April 2026. Universal also had the Five Nights at Freddy's adaptation (through Blumhouse Productions), which found enough success to merit a sequel as well. Not to mention, another ***** property, Sonic the Hedgehog, has also sped onto the big screen to franchise-making success for Paramount Pictures. Notably, Toru Nakahara, who produced the Sonic movies as well as the Knuckles spinoff series, is among the producers of Shinobi for *****. Further details, including a release window and the wildly important casting of Musashi, have not yet been announced. For more in the meantime, check out our roundup of every upcoming video game movie and show. Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons. View the full article

Remember Cruelty Squad? The dystopian ********* game whose visuals and especially sounds gave you an instant headache and made you want to throw up? Well, if you're a glutton for that kind of punishment, Cruelty Squad's creator Consumer Softproducts will have more of it for you in 2025... Read more.View the full article

We all know just how hard it is these days for new free-to-play, live service, competitive multiplayer games - muscling in with the Counter-Strikes and CODs of the world is a tall order. Even those that appear to have got most things right on paper, such as new 3v3 tactical shooter Spectre Divide, aren't immune from this struggle. Developer Mountaintop recognizes this, and just over a month on from the game's launch, it's penned a new blog talking about its future plans, a time frame for launching its vital first season, and why it "isn't going anywhere" despite claims of it being a dying game already. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Free-to-play CS2 challenger Spectre Divide just got even faster Surprise, Spectre Divide just dropped its ranked mode early Free CS2 contender Spectre Divide lowers MTX prices after mixed launch View the full article

Destiny 2‘s second episode, Revenant, gives players the chance to become akin to a vampire hunter—tonics, poultices, and mysterious concoctions included. Unlocking new Tonics can boost your rewards or your abilities, gaining an edge in the ****** against Fikrul. Making Tonics is one of the core elements of Episode Revenant. It’s where you can choose specific weapons or drops, and since some of them are on a timer, you can even put your skills to test to clear as many activities as you can before they run out to max your rewards in Destiny 2. View the full article

Genshin Impact is introducing Ochkanatlan in Version 5.2, and a recent ***** teases the exact size and shape of the new map expansion. While Version 5.1 will only feature the Archon Quest, Genshin Impact is expected to add two new regions to Natlan in the subsequent two patches. Notably, the Flowerfeather Clan and the Masters of the Night Wind will make their debut in Version 5.2, and will thus allow players to unlock the Natlan reputation glider. View the full article

I can't imagine ten million of anything. It's a ******* number, it's so big it might as well be imaginary. So when the Quantic Dream CEO announces that Detroit Become Human has sold over ten million copies, it's hard to comprehend just how huge that number is. What's a more manageable figure is how many people are currently playing the game on Steam, which still falls into the bucket marked 'good news', with a new record high number of concurrent players on the platform. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Star Wars: Eclipse is officially the Detroit: Become Human devs' next game Heavy Rain studio may be working on a Star Wars game Detroit: Become Human, Heavy Rain, and Beyond: Two Souls hit Steam in June, demos now View the full article