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Civilization 7 is making major changes to its game's model, and I think that it might undercut one of the things I like about the franchise the most. I've thought about it a lot because I wanted to give Firaxis Game veterans who have worked on Civ the benefit of the doubt about their recent decisions to change underlying aspects of the Civ games. The main issue arguably causing the most controversy is the severing of ties between civilizations and their leaders. After all, this is a Civilization game, and previous iterations would have their most memorable (or infamous) real historical figure(s) tied to the civilization they influenced in real history. View the full article

I'm always looking for a new excuse to glove up, grip some wheel, and get back into my favourite racing sims. The other week, the universe handed me two compelling reasons to do so. For starters, Thrustmaster asked if I wanted to put its T818 setup through its paces. For seconds and as if on cue, Sony also had the good sense to release an adapter to allow my PlayStation VR2 headset to work on PC. As we all should know by now, racing games + any VR helmet placed upon one's petrolhead = a match made in heaven. With the phantom jolts of a recent Moza R12 Wheel experience still ringing faintly in my forearms, I cleared my test desk and set to building a whole new endorphin-delivering ecosystem. The list of the specific components I cobbled together is ***** out below. You can skip that eye-watering window shopping by clicking here to jump to my continued thoughts. Thrustmaster T818 Test SetupFeatured in this article Thrustmaster Cockpit Mount - $89Thrustmaster T818 Wheel Base If you're looking to up-shift into a wheel ecosystem that delivers a realistic driving experience and a wrist-taxing degree of force feedback, veer towards the T818, Thrustmaster's current and highly impressive flagship wheel base. Though you can find slightly wilder Direct Drive motors out there that deliver 12nm (think: the Moza R12), the beefy 10nm offered here still provides smooth, angular acceleration and instantly communicated force effects. If you're a rookie coming to this class of steering wheels from the non-DD generation, the sensations awaiting you will feel mind-blowingly, price-justifyingly better. If you're a DD veteran, like me, you'll find the T818 is a competitively priced unit that capably qualifies for its place in the grid of premium peripherals. Speaking of steep entry price, let's not forget that this unit is just the foundation for a pick 'n' mix proposition of BYO pedals, wheels, shifters, etc. The brilliant news, then, is that Thrustmaster is uncommonly dedicated to ensuring a great many of same said components—past, present, and future—are compatible with the T818, thanks to the two "quick release" connectors included. Aesthetics-wise, this base is definitely a bit more “Capital G Gamer” chic when compared to some of its closest price range competitors (like the Moza R line and the Logitech G Pro Wheel). That being said, the more overt facets of this design—like the ********* outer plates and the LED disco lighting around the wheel connection—can be either parted out (extra cost) to more **** metal plates or disengaged in the software, respectively. Personally, I like the option to have a splash of colour and a bit of show ponying going on with my peripherals. I see those as total positives, unlike the slightly bulbous, 19.2 x 22.4 x 18 cm (WDH) appearance of this base (which could just be me being spoilt by the diminutive Moza R12 which somehow delivers more grunt via a svelter package). I came to love the look eventually, though. Thrustmaster EVO 32R Wheel As I mentioned,before, if you're already a Thrustmaster customer, chances are very high that your existing wheel will fit and place nice with the T818's ridiculously back-compat friendly quick-release system. That being said, if you wish to modernise your wheel as you upgrade the base, I'd highly recommend you look into the EVO 32R, a synthetic leather-clad, 320mm offering that's built to satisfy a wide range of racing disciplines, be it GT, rally, oval, drifting, or off-road. In terms of compatibility, it's also worth noting that this isn't just a T818 proposition—the EVO 32R can interface with PlayStation bases (T-GT I/II and T300) or Xbox ones (TS-XW, TX). The versatility continues with the EVO 32R offering the ability to mix 'n' match paddles shifters and rims. You can also give it a less dramatic makeover by using a torgque screwdriver to massage the position of its two top thumb button modules to a better position. That's pretty handy stuff (literally speaking) if you're jumping between disciplines and you want your inputs just so. I think Thrustmaster found a pretty great balance here between durability, comfort, and cost. The top-mounted 7-bar LED works fine and adds some extra visual info, and I couldn't find a bad egg with any of its many inputs (a 4-way dpad, 9 buttons, and 4 rotary encoders with push-button functionality). Likewise, the magnetic sensored shifters feel precise, nicely and sizeably curved, and don't come with an overly jarring metal-on-metal retort that some of its competitors deal in. Thrustmaster T-LCM Pedals Last but not least, let's move downwards to the rootstem of this package—Thrustmaster's T-LCM Pedals. As the more learned simmers among you may have guessed, that acronym stands for Load Cell Magnetic, the technologies chosen to deliver ultra-precise braking. To cut a long science lesson short, load cell mechanisms will more reliably transmit your braking intensity to the game, and magnetic Hall Effect tech is far less prone to mechanical wear and tear. Obviously, if you like to put the boot in—or you heel and toe shift with cold ferocity, like a Tofu driver possessed—then you're going to want that durability in the long run. Better yet, you can quick-configure these pedals with the six included springs that provide ******* or softer resistances. Standard worked just fine for most of my purposes. Some other things I liked about this product include its large, non-slip base with an alluring textured finish and three generously sized (and adjustable) pedal faces. 5kgs definitely feels like the sweet spot between them feeling premium / heavy duty but also being easy to scoop up and stow away. Finally, I'm all about their multi-platform nature—you can expect these incredibly well-built pedals to work with your PC, PS4/5, Xbox One Thrustmaster setups. All in all, these are indeed a sizeable step up over Thrustmaster's previous, pentiometer-based effort, the T3PAs. All Together Now Before we continue, let's take a moment to detail the games I used in testing. Most of them are VR-enabled racing titles by default (but some require unofficial mods) and I found they all played very nicely with the T818: Assetto Corsa / CompetizioneDirt Rally 2.0iRacingProject CARS 2Wreckfest So, did the above mentioned setup deliver the goods? The short answer is this: I was highly taken by the little T818 ecosystem I'd built for myself, both in terms of its responsiveness and in its accuracy when communicating a ton of racing detail through my wheel of choice. The aforementioned components provided an impressive degree of grip/surface information, heightened immersion, and wrist-rattling feedback—almost overwhelmingly so, to the point where rookies will probably want to build up to the 10nm peak offered. If you're looking to dip a lead toe into your first DD experience and you want to feel some Gs—or you're a veteran chasing respectable performance without spending the sticker price of an actual car to get it—then this Thrustmaster ecosystem is well worth making the pitstop for. Back to top Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

With the release of Patch 7, Larian Studios included a multitude of new endings for Baldur's Gate 3. Evil playthroughs received criticsim for lacking content and to remedy this, Larian Studios not only included a collection of Tav and Dark Urge evil endings, but also a unique evil ending for each of the six Origin characters. The darkest possible outcome for the Origin cast can now be experienced, allowing the player to see just how evil some of the kindest characters can be. View the full article

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is adding horror-themed maps named Drive Thru and **** Cow in Season 6. The Haunting has become somewhat of a tradition for Call of Duty players, as it adds plenty of spooky festivities for players to enjoy. The Halloween-themed addition first appeared in ****** Ops Cold War and Warzone in 2021, so the Modern Warfare 3 iteration of this event will be its third edition so far. This seasonal event could show up at some point in ****** Ops 6, but that is not confirmed yet. View the full article

Those REKA villagers are restless and hungry, desperately searching for a wandering witch to satiate their hunger, and that’s where you come in. We promise that keeping your neighbors fed brings rewards you don’t want to miss out on. Here is everything you need to know about cooking recipes in REKA. View the full article

In ****** Myth: Wukong, players can find and use Spells, Transformations, and Spirits to ****** against enemies. Eight Spells are found throughout the games six chapters, and players can equip up to four Spells at a time. Of the eight Spells, some are better than others. A favorite among players seems to be the Somersault Cloud Spell. View the full article

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is seemingly designed with co-op at the forefront, especially in its Operations game mode. When a mission is selected, the game automatically starts looking for two more players to fill in the squad, and each person must use a different Space Marine class. Even the main campaign is fully playable in co-op, with friends taking control of brothers Gadriel and Chairon. Even in Operations, though, sometimes it's nice to cut through the Xenos hordes playing solo, without worrying about coordinating with others. View the full article

The weekend is officially here, and we've rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, September 15, below: Save $450 Off This ASUS ROG Strix Gaming Desktop Walmart has a great deal this weekend on this ASUS ROG Strix Gaming Desktop. Packed in is the Ryzen 5 7600X, alongside the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti DUAL. Additionally, you'll have access to 32GB of DDR5 RAM, a 1TB PCIe G4 SSD, and more. One of the best features of this desktop is the case, which has a built-in handle just in case you need to transport it somewhere. With the very expensive PS5 Pro just announced, this can be a great option for just a few hundred dollars more. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance for $29.99 Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is at a new all-time low price this weekend! SMT V: Vengeance is an enhanced version of the former Nintendo Switch exclusive SMT V, launched in 2019. The biggest feature available in this upgraded re-release is the all new Canon of Vengeance route, which is essentially 40 hours of new story content. At $29.99, this is a steal for what will likely end up being one of the most popular RPGs of the year. Anker MagGo Power Bank for $29.99 This Anker MagGo Power Bank is perfect for charging your phone on the go, wherever you are. The MagGo has support for Qi2 Certified Charging, allowing your iPhone to charge at 15W. The adjustable angle also allows for you to sit the device on a desk and charge it without the need to prop it up. You can expect around 50% battery life in just 45 minutes of charge with the MagGo. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete 4K Blu-ray for $15.50 Yesterday marked 19 years since the original release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. This 4K Remaster of the Complete edition packs in multiple bonus features, in addition to the revised cuts and over 25 minutes of added content throughout the movie. Advent Children is a critical piece in the Final Fantasy VII Remake project, and there's never been a better time to check it out. Starfield Special Edition 2TB External HDD for $79.99 This Special Edition Starfield 2TB External HDD is perfect for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and even PC. File sizes for games have grown drastically over the last few years, as you can now quickly fill your internal storage with minimal effort. An external hard drive can allow for all sorts of games to be offloaded or stored directly on the device. This drive specficially is themed after Starfield, with a custom logo and RGB lighting. Guilty Gear -Strive- GG 25th Anniversary Edition for $69.99 Next up, Woot has the Guilty Gear Strive 25th Anniversary Edition for $69.99, which is $40 in savings. This package includes the Guilty Gear Strive game for PS5, the first three seasons of DLC, a digital soundtrack and artbook, the original soundtrack on CD, a tin case, and a special 25th-anniversary box. If you've yet to ***** into Guilty Gear's latest entry, this is the perfect package for you. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 for $19.99 Great news for stealth action fans: Amazon has Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 available for $19.99, which matches the previous low we've seen since this game released. This is a great package with the first three Metal Gear Solid games, in addition to Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. If you've yet to play through the Metal Gear series, the Master Collection is how to do so on modern platforms. 32" Samsung Odyssey G80SD 4K OLED Gaming Monitor + Free 27" Monitor for $999 This Samsung Odyssey monitor is one of the best on the market, with a 4K UHD OLED display. A 240Hz refresh rate is even supported, and you can get up to 250 nits of brightness. In addition to $500 worth of savings, Samsung is bundling in a free 27" Samsung Odyssey G3 FHD monitor if you purchase the G80SD. Logitech G915 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard for $159.99 Amazon has the Logitech G915 keyboard on ***** for $159.99 this weekend, marking a $90 discount. This full size keyboard is extra slim, offering a wireless experience without the bulkiness that some gaming keyboards bring. The G915 uses GL Linear switches, which have the same speed, accuracy, and performance as standard mechanical switches at half the size. As for battery life, you can expect around 30 hours on a single charge. Save $10 Off the 8BitDo Pro 2 Wired Controller This 8BitDo controller is perfect for Nintendo Switch, PC, and other devices. Some of the features included with this controller include two pro back paddle buttons, custom profile switching, custom button mapping, modifiable vibration, adjustable hair triggers, and more. If you're looking for a new controller that won't break the bank, the 8BitDo Pro 2 is perfect for you. Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition for $18.99 The Nintendo Switch version of Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition is available right now on Amazon for just $18.99. There is easily over 100 hours of content in this package, with plenty of mayhem to be had with friends. The game itself runs quite well on the Switch, with only occasional FPS drops in high-volume areas. If you haven't yet played Borderlands 3, this is the perfect time to do so. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel has launched its newest limited-time "Duel Trial" event, giving players the chance to try out the decks used by the game's 2024 World Champions. The massively popular digital trading card game from Konami has experimented with a wide variety of different events, offering unique gimmicks and deck building restrictions. Master Duel's "Duel Trial" events often feature *****-sized objectives, granting one copy of the newest Selection Pack as a reward for achieving three wins. The newest event is putting the spotlight on the game's recent World Championships. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Ubisoft's free-to-play platform fighter Brawlhalla announced another Capcom collaboration, adding the iconic Mega Man as a crossover skin for later this September. Brawlhalla is a platform fighter similar to Multiversus and Super Smash Bros., with the goal being to knock the opponent off the stage. Like the latter two games, Brawlhalla has seen all sorts of crossovers ever since its initial October 2017 launch. While Brawlhalla has a roster of 61 different playable characters, Ubisoft has added skins for these fighters based on all sorts of properties. Past collaborations include the likes of Steven Universe, Halo, the WWE, and Star Wars. View the full article

A new ***** from Genshin Impact is teasing a major change coming to the Version 5.1 update to the Spiral Abyss game mode, hinting at tougher enemies for players to challenge. HoYoverse has added a wide variety of permanent content for players to engage with after completing the game's story, ranging from challenging battles to entirely new mini-games. Spiral Abyss and the recently added Imaginarium Theater serve as Genshin Impact's main endgame content, while Genius Invokation TCG offers players a fully playable card game based on the RPG. Now, one endgame mode is set to receive a major change. View the full article

Xbox Game Pass is losing FIFA 23 and five more games later today. This imminent wave of departures mostly consists of titles that were day-one Xbox Game Pass releases. View the full article

The Wealth Hand is back in the Persona 3 Reload DLC, Episode Aigis: The Answer, and it only has one weakness you can exploit to beat it. A mainstay ****** in Persona games, this variation of the Golden Hand Shadow can quickly run away if you can't take it down fast but offers a great set of rewards in return. You'll need to have Personas and squad members ready to hit its weakness from the get-go to trigger All-Out Attacks for a fast takedown. View the full article

Toby Fox, director of Deltarune, gave fans an update about the game's fourth and fifth chapters on Undertale's ninth anniversary, stating that Chapter 4 is essentially complete, and Chapter 5 is the "main focus" right now. Unlike Toby Fox's previous work, Deltarune is an episodic RPG that has had its release spread out over the last few years. The first chapter was shadow-dropped in 2018, with its second chapter having a similar surprise release in 2021. Currently, fans are anticipating the release of Deltarune's next set of chapters, which are Chapters 3 and 4 at the same time. View the full article

Multiple Magic: The Gathering variants for the Duskmourn: House of Horrors set are included in Collector booster packs. Here are the pull rates for the most expensive cards in the Standard-legal set. The Duskmourn: House of Horrors set contains five products: Commander Precon decks, Play boosters, Collector boosters, bundle, and Nightmare bundle. Both Collector boosters and the Nightmare bundle contain the best chase cards from the Standard-legal set. View the full article

For most fans, it seems pretty obvious that Hogwarts Legacy desperately needs a sequel. Not only do players want to be whisked away back to Hogwarts, free to roam its gorgeously detailed halls, but there's a lot that the sequel could do to improve upon the overall experience. Big changes need to be made, including more roleplaying opportunities, so that players can have the ultimate Harry Potter experience. View the full article

The 2025 Pokémon season is kicking off with Baltimore Regionals, and it’s been an incredible showcase of many ‘mon you wouldn’t have expected to succeed in Scarlet and Violet VGC. If there’s anything we’ve learned at Baltimore Regionals (Sept. 14 to 15), it’s that any Pokémon has the potential to shine in Regulation H, a format without Legendary and Paradox threats. On the first day of the event, we saw Hisui Pokémon like Sneasler and Ursaluna rise in usage, and there was even a Scyther that blew everyone away in an amazing stream match. View the full article

One perk of modern gaming is the ability to play multiplayer with friends or strangers worldwide. Going into Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2, many might not realize this game has a multiplayer feature because it isnt there from the beginning. Instead, players must unlock the multiplayer feature to be able to play with others. Fortunately, once unlocked, players can choose between two multiplayer modes: a PVE mode called Operations and a PVP mode called Endless War. View the full article

**** of War Ragnarok has several great armor sets that sport several unique traits. Many of them can be acquired in different, unique ways, and this is especially true for the Fallen Stars armor set. Here’s how you acquire the Fallen Stars armor in **** of War Ragnarok. View the full article

There's a lot of blog posts and news articles being written right now centred around Microsoft's plans for updates to Windows 11, and potential kernel changes, with some thinking this means big things for Linux gaming. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Deadlock is still early in development, so some players have been able to play however they like without any kind of punishment - but the newest update should stop that. Valve is working on a brand new shooter, one of the hero variety, if you hadn't heard, but it being still in the testing phase means that Deadlock doesn't quite have all the kinks worked out yet. However, when it comes to things like players just abandoning matches for no good reason, there wasn't a system that disincentivized such behaviour. As part of the game's September update, this has now been changed, with some punishments coming into effect in certain instances. For example, if a player has exhibited bad behaviour or abandons games too often, they can now be placed in a secondary ****** that's less likely to find a match. If they want to be freed from this low priority ******, they'll have to play a few rounds before being put back into normal matchmaking. On top of this, it's now possible for players to also lose access to matchmaking altogether, as well as being able to talk in voice and text chat, pausing, or reporting other players for ******. It's incredibly important for online games to have punishments in place to discourage players with bad behaviours from doing things that cause other grief, as shooters aren't exactly always known for their kind and welcoming communities. Read more View the full article

The original Flappy Bird creator, ***** Nguyen, says that he has nothing to do with the game's upcoming return. The famous indie developer also distanced himself from a key technology that could be driving the planned Flappy Bird comeback. View the full article

Thanks to the Stellar Crown expansion set, the Pokémon Trading Card Game has been flipped on its head in the competitive world. The introduction of Stellar Tera-type ‘mons to the game has been turbulent, to say the least—and there’s a turtle at the root of this. Here are the best Terapagos ex deck builds for the Pokémon TCG, including the standard deck list and our improvements upon this Stellar Crown star. View the full article

Fortnite is teasing the addition of a new LTM to the popular battle royale, with leaks suggesting that the new game-mode will be associated with the ongoing Marvel collaboration. With the battle royale's wide-reaching popularity since its initial launch, Epic Games has introduced a plethora of different ways to play the game throughout its life. Fortnite has featured multiple different LTMs and permanent game modes added to the game, including popular permanent modes like "No Build" and "Reload" among others. Now, Epic Games is hinting at its next LTM with a popular crossover reportedly connected. View the full article

The classic mobile game Flappy Bird was announced to be making a return this week, except it's not quite the comeback you think it is. I'm not going to ask you if you remember Flappy Bird, because of course you do, everyone does. It was a very OK mobile game that went viral about a decade ago in a way mobile games just can't really do anymore, that eventually led to its creator ***** Nguyen removing it from the App Store completely due to the stress of its popularity and a concern over players becoming addicted to it. Earlier this week, a surprise announcement revealed that Flappy Bird is coming back, with a group called the Flappy Bird Foundation leading the charge on its return. This group claims to be a "new team of passionate fans committed to sharing the game with the world" (via IGN), and that this new version of the game will have new modes, characters, and massive multiplayer challenges. Kek, the developer of a game called Piou Piou which Flappy Bird may or may not have copied, is also involved, but notably Flappy Bird's creator Nguyen isn't. As it turns out, it appears that Gametech Holdings, the company that now owns the trademark to Flappy Bird, essentially just took it as it was deemed abandoned, filing against Nguyen and taking it without having to pay the developer anything. Read more View the full article