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Yesterday, Nintendo announced that it had finally turned its baleful gaze on Palworld, and would be pursuing legal action in the Tokyo District Court against developer Pocketpair over alleged patent infringement. But which patents? Nintendo's press release accuses Palworld of infringing on "multiple patent rights," but Pocketpair says it doesn't know which patents it's supposed to have violated, and Nintendo hasn't elaborated. While we wait for more specifics on the lawsuit, I've been digging into patents held by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to see where Mario's lawyers might be anchoring their case. After a ****** course in patent research, I've got a strong suspicion that Nintendo's bringing Pocketpair to court over Poké ******... Read more.View the full article

The creation of Stalker 2 is genuinely remarkable, and not just because the newest addition to a notoriously weird, janky shooter series has somehow become one of the most anticipated games of the year. It's the circumstances of its development that are especially notable: Developer GSC Game World has continued to work on the game even as its home country of Ukraine has struggled to fend off a full-scale Russian invasion that began in 2022... Read more.View the full article

As one of the most balanced heroes currently available in Valve's Deadlock, Kelvin's best build works with his ability to wall enemies and support allies. Equipped to forge ice paths to safety and regenerate health under shelter, the hero shines in a team, but he can hold his own just as easily. With the proper build, his support skills are balanced with max damage output. View the full article

Every Thursday we share the weekly Famitsu sales charts, which tracks physical boxed game sales and hardware sales in Japan. ... Read more View the full article

Getting enough heatstamps in Frostpunk 2 can be a bit of a challenge. This new resource represents a currency grounded in heat—that's right, things have gotten so bad in the eternal winter that New London has started monetising warmth and exchanging it for goods and services. You'll need heatstamps to do just about anything; from building a district to researching new tech in the ideas tree... Read more.View the full article

Struggling with workforce in Frostpunk 2? This is an all new resource for the snowy survival city-builder and represents the percentage of your population that are ready and raring to do some mindless labour. Workforce is necessary for just about every building, but if you over-invest, you'll quickly find yourself with pressing resource needs but no more workers... Read more.View the full article

Want some Frostpunk 2 tips to help you begin? In many ways, the sequel to the popular post-apocalyptic city builder is even ******* than the first game. For the original, all you really had to worry about was producing resources, looking after your population, and ensuring all your buildings were snugly tucked beneath the generator. Now, though, your people have their own ideas and a big part of Frostpunk 2 is trying to stop them implementing their stupidest ones... Read more.View the full article

Can't work out how to build the Research Institute in Frostpunk 2? After you survive the prologue and its whiteout, you'll find yourself back in cheery New London. However, all is not well, and the city is currently experiencing a ******* of turbulence as coal stocks diminish and the weather is getting worse... Read more.View the full article

Overwatch 2 is known for having some of the most iconic crossovers when it comes to Blizzard titles, and the newly-announced World of Warcraft collaboration should see its fans diving into the world of Overwatch. World of Warcraft is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, and Blizzard isn't holding back on the festivities. View the full article

GTA Online is no longer officially supported by Steam Deck, thanks to the introduction of some anti-cheat software which can, in fact, be made compatible with Steam Deck. Say what now? Read more View the full article

The director of 2023'****** action title ***** of P has shared new music and a new piece of concept art for the game's DLC as part of a director's letter. ***** of P is a Soulslike game based on the classic tale of Pinocchio, set in a gloomy steampunk-inspired Victorian city named Krat. Not only was it one of 2023's best Soulslike games, but ***** of P is widely considered to be the best Souls game not made by FromSoftware, the acclaimed studio behind Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. View the full article

It's taken a couple of years, but Samsung has now finally announced that it's joining the likes of Corsair and Crucial in the PCIe 5.0 SSD club. The new Samsung PM9E1 promises speeds of up to 14.5GB/s, and the company is also making some big claims about its power efficiency and battery life. Could this finally be a PCIe 5.0 M.2 Samsung SSD that can be practically used in a laptop, and doesn't need a ridiculously massive heatsink? Disappointingly, Samsung hasn't mentioned any details about thermal performance yet, but if the company could nail PCIe 5.0 SSD performance in a power-efficient drive that doesn't run overly hot, then it could have the best SSD for gaming of the future in its hands. This is the first proper M.2 PCIe 5.0 Samsung SSD to go into mass production, as while the Samsung 990 Evo ostensibly uses the PCIe 5.0 interface, it only uses two lanes, which means it's no faster than a PCIe 4.0 SSD. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Logitech G915 X Lightspeed gaming keyboard hands on Best CPU coolers in 2024 Logitech G502 X Plus aluminum hands on - the gaming mouse not for you View the full article

Where can you find Dr. ***** chests, Avengers Chests, or Stark Industries chests in Fortnite? There are now three types of special chest in Chapter 5 Season 4 of Fortnite, but they're not always easy to find. We've explored the entire map to uncover every special chest location in Fortnite, so you can soon equip Avengers, *****, or Stark Industries gear to dominate the battlefield. With Fortnite's special items becoming so powerful they can take down even Dr. ***** at his most powerful, these chests are highly sought after, so make sure to take some of the best Fortnite weapons with you to these Fortnite map locations in case of conflict when you arrive. A tip though - the Stark Industries, or Iron Man chests, are the easiest to get as not everyone knows where they are just yet. We've got you covered, though. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Save up to $34 on this Fortnite Razer gaming mouse, if you're quick Is Fortnite shutting down in 2024? Fortnite NPC locations and character items View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

If you've been hoping to see a Hi-Fi Rush sequel, 2024 has likely been a real roller coaster of emotions. The closure of its developer Tango Gameworks by Xbox in May seemed to spell the end for the excellent rhythm action game. That all changed a month ago, however, when PUBG Battlegrounds and InZOI studio Krafton announced it would be purchasing Tango Gameworks, along with the rites to the Hi-Fi Rush series. In a new interview, Krafton CEO Changhan 'CH' Kim speaks to the creative aspirations of the team, noting that inventiveness is more important than aiming for a "big hit." Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Hi-Fi Rush bows out with final Steam update, thanks fans for support Hi-Fi Rush is getting review bombed on Steam, sort of Grab these eight amazing Steam Deck games for just $12 View the full article

Oooo, pretty! | Image: Microsoft Before Sony went all in with a pricey mid-cycle console refresh by announcing its upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro, Microsoft ***** out plans for a premium console with aesthetics at the forefront. The 2TB “Galaxy ******” special-edition Xbox Series X is mostly the same as the standard Series X, but it features a double-capacity SSD and a slick paint job. We’re inching toward its October 15th release, and interested parties willing to pony up the $599.99 asking price can already preorder one at Best Buy and directly from Microsoft. Those who crave the pricier Xbox are primarily getting three unique things for their money: 2TB of built-in storage, which is twice the amount available on the standard $500 Xbox Series X (which can still be... Continue reading… View the full article

When the original ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro was first doing the rounds, AIO liquid coolers didn't even exist, and even heatpipe-equipped heatsinks were still relatively new. The original Freezer 7 Pro was great, offering decent cooling for under $20, and enabling people to bin their CPU's stock cooler and get lower noise levels and better cooling. Can its replacement, the new ARCTIC Freezer 7 X, repeat this achievement? I've put it to the test to find out. At $22.99, the ARCTIC Freezer 7 X is slightly more expensive than the original Freezer 7 Pro, but not by much, and that's still an amazing price for a third-party CPU cooler if it can deliver. We're not expecting it to be the best CPU cooler ever, but if this cheap cooler it can perform significantly better than a stock cooler, while remaining quiet, then it will have achieved its aims. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: How to apply thermal paste View the full article

Between Sons of the Forest, Soulmask, the ongoing popularity of Rust, and dozens of other new contenders, it's been a busy time for survival games. In 2013, when Bohemia launched the early version of DayZ, the whole genre felt fresh and original. Now, competition is tough and the field is packed - but the creator of the original zombie survival shooter, and the super realistic military sim Arma, is very much still in the ******. Five years after it first launched, Bohemia's ambitious, brutal survival game Vigor is finally here on PC. This is the full version, and it's available to play completely free. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: DayZ dev finally reveals when survival game Vigor will be free on PC DayZ dev's free looter shooter hits Steam and actually costs $20 Arma and DayZ creator is finally bringing its huge free shooter to PC View the full article

Star Wars Outlaws' planets offer a wealth of intriguing secrets to uncover and locations to discover. From caves ******* deep in the Tatooine desert to camps tucked away between the densely packed trees of the Akiva jungle, Star Wars fans will stumble across all manner of fun things before the credits roll. However, some may have already found metal fences scattered all over the place that are barring them from accessing these wonderful secret locations. View the full article

Surprise, people who remember the late 1990s, or are somehow really passionate about a time during which they were just a glint in their father's eye or an actual foetus. PlayStation's revealed the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection. This is your chance to try and own a retro-liveried version of either the base PS5 or PS5 Pro everyone thinks is a bit pricey, plus some cool accessories/bits for it. Read more View the full article

Grand Theft Auto 6 might be the most eagerly anticipated videogame in history. Yes, we're keen for a new Elder Scrolls, the return of XCOM, and - dare we dream? - Half-Life 3, but with the return to Vice City confirmed by the first GTA 6 trailer and Rockstar turning its attention to the sequel now in earnest, despite all the memories, we're ready to leave Grand Theft Auto 5 and Los Santos behind and depart for sunnier sandbox climes. In the meantime however, if you want another great open-world ****** game, one that's flown a little under the radar, then for just $2 you can get a great, retro-style GTA-like which also has a super-promising semi sequel in the works. It's not Grand Theft Auto 6, but it scratches the ***** for now. Read the rest of the story... View the full article

If the news of Civilization 7 has your 4X muscles twitching, a new update for fellow historical strategy game Old World might be just what we need. Created by Civ 4 lead designer Soren Johnson, built by his team at Mohawk Games, and published by indie strategy experts Hooded Horse, Old World is rippling with pedigree. Its blend of classic 4X design and more intimate character-driven storytelling in the style of games like Crusader Kings 3 ensures it's well worth a look, and a free update has just made it ******* and better than ever before. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Best Civilization 6 rival deepens gameplay with huge new DLC out now Civilization 6 rival unveils huge new DLC full of stress and opulence 10 top games to grab during the Steam Spring ***** 2024 View the full article

Logitech has just unveiled the G Pro X Superlight 2 Dex, a new version of its Superlight 2 gaming mouse that takes on a new curvy shape that's aimed at appealing to gamers that aren't so keen on the flatter, straighter-style of symmetrical mice like previous G Pro iterations. I went hands-on with the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 Dex to see if it's set to be a new gaming mouse revolution. The Superlight 2 currently sits on our best gaming mouse guide as the best wireless ultralight gaming mouse, thanks to its comfortable symmetrical shape, very light weight, and excellent overall performance. So, can the new ergonomic version of this Logitech rodent perform as well? Let's take a look. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Logitech G915 X Lightspeed gaming keyboard hands on Logitech G502 X Plus aluminum hands on - the gaming mouse not for you These new Genshin Impact Logitech gaming mice are actually gorgeous View the full article

The release date for Two Point Museum has been revealed by *****. The third game in the Two Point series of humorous simulations will be released on March 4, on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Players who pre-order the game will get a Sonic themed Pre-Order Pack, which includes a variety of Sonic items and cosmetics. Read More... View the full article

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will officially launch on November 19th, 2024. | Image: Microsoft Preorders are now open for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 through the Microsoft Store. The next installment of the franchise will launch on Xbox and PC on November 19th, with updates that include new aircraft like hot air balloons and a more realistic-looking simulated earth. But the most welcome upgrade could be a much smaller installation size. The current version of Microsoft Flight Simulator needs over 130GB of storage, but that’s just for the base version of the game. Players can enhance their experience by downloading additional aircraft or installing world updates that bring more details to local scenery and airports, but that can gobble up even more storage. Those playing on the Xbox Series S, which only offers players 364GB of... Continue reading… View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

You’ve never played a twin-stick shooter quite like ***** Knight. This relentlessly intense action game may indeed be based around ******* off a steady stream of projectiles as enemies swarm in, forcing you to dodge and shimmy your way to every corner of the game’s tightly enclosed arenas, but you also wield a sword – which itself feeds into the game’s (at least initially) overwhelming set of mechanics. ***** Knight is a densely layered twin-stick shooter, in other words, but it’s been designed that way with a very clear purpose – to sort the wheat from the chaff. This is a return to old school arcade sensibilities; a straight-up high score chaser anchored in twin-stick shooter traditions, but also owing a lot to the likes of Dark Souls, Hyper ******, and ***** Eternal. It is ruthlessly exacting, but never unfair, with over the top action and a skill ceiling that seemingly reaches up forever. It’s also, thankfully, a whole lot of fun. The learning curve is undoubtedly steep, but I found myself quickly sucked in by the chunky, satisfying feel of ***** Knight’s frenetic combat – not to mention its elegant interlocking mechanics, striking lo-fi brutalist aesthetic, grim mood and ******* soundscape. Playing ***** Knight is a whirling dervish of ******, a high-speed mix of swords and gunplay, counters, and supercharged screen clears. It is a game in which wave upon wave of enemies constantly crowds in, forcing you into perpetual motion, dashing to reposition, lining up your most powerful attacks and kiting mobs to create just enough breathing room to clear them out. ***** Knight has no procedural randomness, so each of the five levels (or Eldritch Layers, as the game rather poetically calls them) unfolds the same way each time, playing host to the same overwhelming horde in the same order. They’ll spawn in different places depending on where you are on the ******** floor, and you don’t necessarily need to complete a wave for the next one to start (there are key targets that act as triggers). The action never feels rote, but for the purposes of a high score competition, it’s exactly where it needs to be. Ensuring you’re always slightly off-balance, the arena itself reconfigures under your feet in a way that’s reminiscent of Aussie indie classic ******** Android Cactus. You’re constantly on the back foot, and simply surviving the many waves – let alone dominating them – really forces you to engage with all the combat mechanics. And boy, there are a lot of them. Ensuring you’re always slightly off-balance, the arena itself reconfigures under your feet in a way that’s reminiscent of Aussie indie classic ******** Android Cactus. In fact, even with the tutorials, there’s only so much it’s really possible to understand out of the gate. To improve, you need to play and play some more – many, many times over. By doing so you’ll gradually getting a feel for this game’s destructive dance, and the role your three core weapons – pistols, sword and heavy – all have to play. The pistols are your baseline damage dealers, but really come into their own once you’re in the rhythm of using the game’s active reload system to “overdrive” their firepower. This is mechanically similar to the Gears of War series, but different pistols have different perks for successfully timing your active reload. The Revolters (yes, that’s what they’re called) give your bullets pierce, letting you line up and mow down columns of enemies, whereas the Exhausters have a spinning spread shot burst. Tap a different button, meanwhile, and you can use overdrive in other ways. Why not overdrive your sword for a dashing slash or a spinning ******* that would make the hero of Hyrule proud? The sword is an interesting inclusion. In moment to moment combat it’s more of a utility than anything else – not particularly powerful, but any ****** you net will restore your heavy ******* ammo. This means that part of ***** Knight’s rhythm is using your sword to farm the weakest mobs and ensure your powerful heavy ******* is online. Using the sword also builds a surge meter over time that gives you access to a screen-clearing super. ****** designs lean into the many mechanics too, encouraging specific tactics. Foes with a demonic carapace (essentially a glowing purple shield) will explode when hit with a wrath blast (yet another mechanic; I’ll get to it in a moment). Other enemies will charge up, giving you a window to “pulse counter” them and even slow time, while enemies with weak points can be stunned and then *********. It’s a heady mix of systems. Utilising every inch of the arena is critical to survival, as is taking advantage of the brief ******* of immunity while dashing. Almost all the mechanics have a push/pull element to them. Enemies, for instance, drop blood gems, but these can be used in two distinct ways. One is to simply walk over them to boost your movement speed and ***** power. The other is to hit the right bumper to ***** them in and convert them to wrath, which then powers a special ******* called a wrath blast, which is both devastating and your only source of health orbs… which, given how punishing ***** Knight is, can be essential to survival. Combat, then, is an ever-evolving puzzle as you scramble to prioritise targets, make the most of your arsenal, dodge damage, and try to avoid being overwhelmed by the incessant onslaught. Urgency is part and parcel of play too, as you’re chaining together ****** to grow and maintain your score multiplier. Go a few seconds without a ***** and you’ll lose it – and can most likely kiss the leaderboards goodbye. That’s not the only way to pile on points, either. The difficulty you play on determines your overall score bonus (ranging from no bonus up to +30% on the highest difficulty – unlocked only after beating the truly punishing layer 5). The pace ramps right up as you crank the challenge. Nailing ****** with more advanced mechanics (such as pulse counters or executions) nets you carnage points which also contribute to your overall score, while picking up health orbs when already at full health gives you bonus points as well. Making the most of all these systems will ultimately be what gives the very best players the edge over everyone else. I’ve already mentioned that you can swap equipment, but unlocking new gear is gated behind objectives (optional sub-quests during normal play) which are designed to prove your mastery of ***** Knight’s systems. At launch, the game will have five pistols, five heavy weapons, five swords, and five armour sets, as well as 10 items to choose from in the gem slot. There are some pretty distinct options in the mix that really shake up the gameplay. Do you want a super-targeted shotgun blast for your heavy *******, or a cannon that shoots large shells that explode on contact? (And for that matter, what type of wrath burst do you want? That’s also decided by your heavy ******* choice and ranges from a bazooka-like blast to an AOE around the player.) Do you want a fast-slashing sword or one that shoots out a radial spray of ground projectiles? Do you want to drop to only one dash charge in exchange for taking less damage, as well as doing damage and knockback when dashing? Or perhaps you want three dash charges but are willing to cop increased damage? Figuring out which builds are most satisfying, or tailoring builds to specific layers will all be part of the fun. It’s also worth pointing out that the development team’s goal is for there to be “no fluff”. They want every single piece of equipment to be viable. The ambition, then, is for any build to have a shot at the leaderboards, and for there to not be a “best build” or narrow meta around how to play. That’s a tricky thing to accomplish but certainly a worthwhile goal. At a baseline, the spread of options will let you find a play style that works for you, and also gives you other approaches to try if you’re ******** your head against a layer and simply can’t beat it. The development team’s goal is for there to be ‘no fluff’. They want every single piece of equipment to be viable. This is PlaySide Studio’s first console release, which is kind of bonkers for a studio founded in 2011, but understandable given that its heritage is in the mobile space (and, more recently, in the world of PC gaming). Even so, with ***** Knight, the venerable Aussie outfit is throwing down a (medieval, but also eerily eldritch) gauntlet that showcases the talent they have in-house, and just how much they can deliver on a truly laser-focused vision. Because ultimately, that’s what’s so impressive about ***** Knight. This game is instantly iconic. From the ****** neon brutalist visual aesthetic and low poly character models through to the absolutely ******* score and overall audio design, there is no mistaking it. The gameplay, too, takes elements that are familiar and reshapes them into something new and utterly compelling. Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay ***** Knight is that this is not the kind of game I ordinarily play, and yet, I’m obsessed. I find it intensely challenging, but every day I get a little bit better. I master new skills, I find new lines, I anticipate more of what’s being thrown at me. How far will I go? It’s hard to say, but for the gaming savant the crowning achievement will be Sever mode, ***** Knight’s final coup de gras. This pits you against remixed versions of all five layers in one unbroken sequence. That’s going to be the preserve of the truly skilled and bull-headed, and it’s going to be interesting seeing just how far players can push such a gruelling challenge. All of the above is just a roundabout way of saying that I’m expecting ***** Knight to absolutely pop off when it releases on October 3rd for PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox, so don’t sleep on this one. It’s a stone-cold *******. Cam Shea is the former editor-in-chief of IGN AU, and now spends most of his time immersed in Australia’s craft ***** scene. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]