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Viewership of Dota 2‘s The International has dived for the third straight year, with stats indicating a drop of 17 percent for 2024’s premier tournament despite a near-identical peak in yesterday’s epic grand final between Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators. Liquid finally broke Gaimin’s stranglehold over the pair’s Dota 2 head-to-head record in yesterday’s TI 2024 grand final, ending a remarkable loss streak that stretched five finals in two years. A touch over 1.4 million Dota 2 fans tuned in to catch the grand final according to Esports Charts, and while this number matches that of 2023’s final between Gaimin and Team Spirit, viewership over the course of the tournament was far below par. View the full article

With Serperior the next seven-star raid boss for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Tera Raids, just three more non-Paldean Starters are still in the running for the next few Unrivaled events. Seven-star Serperior Tera Raids are set to appear in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet starting Sept. 20 to 22 and again from Sept. 27 until 29, according to Serebii. It’ll have the Grass Tera Type to give it an extra boost to its Grass-type attacks and there’s a high possibility of it running its Hidden Ability, Contrary. In other words, the serpent’s strategy might be to spam powerful Leaf Storms while boosting its Special ******* each time. As usual, we won’t know the full details until the event begins, but it sounds like another battle that can quickly get out of hand, like Incineroar’s raid. View the full article

Diablo 4 players who experienced season six’s PTR have been left unconvinced the boring, lacklustre Runeworlds system is going to do enough (or be creative enough) to really increase power when it arrives in the Vessel of Hatred expansion update. Runewords are returning to the Diablo franchise in Diablo 4 Patch 2.0, but it could be to little fanfare, with players now debating the effectiveness and playability of the system. Many believe the current system is just another boring way to add power creep; it all boils down to there being no point in having fun and getting creative with the runes because only a few combinations are truly valuable, and they, of course, push the “deal more damage” playstyle. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

A recent Starfield data mine revealed two potential upcoming vehicles to be added to the game and could be introduced with the forthcoming Shattered Space DLC that releases on September 30. While the prospect of being able to choose from more than one space rover initially got me excited, upon further thinking, it made me realize what a missed opportunity the REV-8 is in its current state. View the full article

It's Monday again, which means welcome back to the salt mines (but also a ton of savings with yours truly). Personally, I'm gravitating to that ongoing PS Publisher on PC ***** and a new Penguin/Batman-centric one that popped up over the weekend. Beyond that, I'll leave you to dig through my very eclectic, but most definitely curated, list of stuff worth scoring. In retro news, I'm breaking out the ****** bread Jill sandwiches for the 22nd birthday of Resident Evil [remake] on GameCube. One of the first reduxings of its kind, this set the bar for what the modernisation of a game ought to be. I day-one adored it for a ********* puckering "One Dangerous Zombie" mode, which only unlocked after clocking it twice with Chris and twice with Jill (!!!). The reward for my dedication: being hunted throughout Act 1 by a kamikaze ***** Zombie (ex-S.T.A.R.S. officer Forest Speyer). ****** or stab him, and the whole ******* mansion goes up. Game Over. Amazing. This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games. - Resident Evil (GC) 2002. Redux - Drawn to Life (DS) 2007. Ebay - Stranglehold (X360) 2007. Get - Super Paper Mario (Wii) 2007. Sequels - Hyrule Warriors (WiiU) 2014. Redux - Destiny: Rise of Iron (PS4,XO) 2016. Get - Switch Lite console release, 2019. Get Table of ContentsNintendo SwitchPCXboxPlayStationLEGOThe Weekly Top 10Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (-65%) - A$24.48Joy-**** Pair (-17%) - A$99.95Spyro Reignited (-29%) - A$50Minecraft Legends Del. (-15%) - A$64 Expiring Recent Deals Wreckfest (-40%) - A$36Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (-15%) - A$68Princess Peach: ********* (-19%) - A$64****** Bandicoot 4 (-50%) - A$35Valkyria Chronicles 4 (-80%) - A$12.79 Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card. Switch Console Prices How much to Switch it up? [/url] Back to top Purchase Cheap for PC Logitech G733 Headset ($144 off) - A$155**** of War (-60%) - A$25.78Horizon Zero Dawn Comp. (-78%) - A$16.12Batman Arkham Col. (-85%) - A$13Gotham Knights (-82%) - A$14.79 Expiring Recent Deals Helldivers 2 (-31%) - A$41.36Ghost of Tsushima Dir. (-31%) - A$65.33Days Gone (-78%) - A$16.12The Last of Us Pt. 1 (-48%) - A$48.99Spidey Remastered (-48%) - A$48.99 Or just get a Steam Wallet Card. PC Hardware Prices Slay your pile of shame. [/url] Back to top Exciting Bargains for Xbox Star Wars Jedi Survivor (-57%) - A$47Avatar: FoP Gold (-57%) - A$68Park Beyond (-77%) - A$9Soul Hackers 2 (-81%) - A$19 Expiring Recent Deals The Crew 2 (-98%) - A$1.40XSX Console ($81 off) - A$719Riders Republic (-24%) - A$38Aliens: Dark Descent (-56%) - A$28TB Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX (-31%) - A$159 Or just invest in an Xbox Card. Xbox Console Prices How many bucks for a 'Box? [/url] Back to top Pure Scores for PlayStation Tekken 8 (-34%) - A$79Elden Ring (-30%) - A$59Lords of the Fallen (-60%) - A$47Red ***** Redemption II (-44%) - A$28FFX|X-2 HD Remaster (-35%) - A$26 Expiring Recent Deals Dying Light 2 (-80%)↗ - A$19Mortal Kombat 1 (-25%)↗ - A$57Need for Speed Unbound (-83%)↗ - A$19Armored Core VI (-57%)↗ - A$47NBA 2K25 (-11%)↗ - A$96.95 Or purchase a PS Store Card. PlayStation Console Prices What you'll pay to 'Station. [/url] Back to top Legit LEGO Deals Mercedes-AMG F1 (-17%) - A$249Architecture: Notre-Dame ($52 off) - A$297Icons: Plum Blossom (-22%) - A$39 Expiring Recent Deals City: Emergency Ambulance (-47%) - A$16Avatar: Payakan (-34%) - A$105Star Wars R2-D2 (-28%) - A$144 Back to top The Top 10 Games in Australia (According to IGEA and Game Sales Data.) W/E: Sep 1 Star Wars OutlawsVisions of ManaHogwarts LegacyKingdom Come Deliverance R.E.GTA VRed ***** Redemption 2It Takes TwoKingdom Come Deliverance Tiny Tina's WonderlandsCivilization VI 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]

Superstar veteran Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu simply refuses to close the weight tome that is his glamorous League of Legends, teasing a possible return to professional play after he serves his compulsory military service for South Korea that starts next year. Deft, now 27, has been a regular fixture in Korea’s domestic LCK competition and the international League stage since 2013. He ranks as one of the best AD carries to have ever touched the Riot Games title, solidifying his status as one of the all-time greats in 2022 when he led DRX on a miracle run all the way to the World Championship. That event was originally thought to be his “Last Dance,” though he squeezed one more campaign out in 2024. View the full article

The cleric subclass in Baldur's Gate 3 is the least popular choice among players for their custom characters. This might stem from the class having a certain unfounded reputation for being a pure support role, or from the fact that one of the earliest companions the player can unlock is already a cleric. And Shadowheart, the amnesiac follower of Shar, sets a very poor example of how effective a cleric can be. This largely stems from the subclass that Shadowheart uses by default: the domain of trickery. View the full article

The world of Valheim is massive, with tons of unique locations to discover, vast landscapes to explore, and many dangerous monsters to encounter. With such a giant procedurally generated world, it can be easy to get lost during travel, especially during no-map challenge runs. Fortunately, some players have discovered a hidden detail that makes navigating this expansive world much easier, and said helpful hint is much closer than many players might initially realize. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

A reliable source in the Genshin Impact community delivers an exciting overview of Mavuika's ability kit, as the Pyro Archon prepares for her playable debut in Version 5.3. While Genshin Impact has had its fair share of popular characters, it could be argued that the Archons are on a tier of their own. An Archon of Teyvat is viewed as both a personification of their nation, and as the poster character of their region. The latter is especially true for Furina, who has relinquished her divine authority to Neuvillette. View the full article

****** Myth: Wukong has a lot of ways for players to customize their build, giving them a great sense of control over each aspect of The Destined One. One such customizable part of Wukong is the gourds, which can be equipped with soaks and drinks that greatly alter their effects. For example, soaks could give the gourd the ability to increase the player's damage resistance or poison resistance. View the full article

If you’re not an ********* or familiar with popular tourist destinations in Nevada, you may not know about the “Nevada city near Lake Tahoe,” which is a clue from today’s NYT crossword puzzle. This clue’s five down in the Sept. 16 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle. And luckily, even though I don’t live in America, I’ve watched Sister Act, so I know the answer to this clue. View the full article

Every new Crownfall Act has introduced exciting new content like quests, minigames, and skins—and the anticipation for Crownfall Act four’s release in Dota 2 increased tenfold after Valve confirmed the new hero’s launch will be tied to the event. Valve recently abandoned the traditional battle pass system introduced around The International yearly to focus more on Dota 2 gameplay updates. The Crownfall event kicked off in April and was set to have multiple acts over several months. Now, shortly before The International’s grand final, the developer confirmed Kez—the game’s next hero—will be released with Dota 2’s Crownfall Act Four, leaving many to wonder when the final act will unlock. View the full article

It seemed almost unimaginable that a Warhammer 40,000 game as comprehensive as Space Marine 2 would come along, and yet it's finally here, with players culling hordes of Tyranids as the indomitable Titus and battling it out against the Chaos in PvP. Space Marine 2 manages to cram as much lore and story as it can into its relatively short campaign, but there's still plenty that's missing. This has led fans to wonder whether a DLC could be on the way and what it should include. View the full article

Now the Summer Olympics in Paris are all said and done for 2024, it can be hard to remember the names of specific athletes in fields you may not have watched. This is why today’s NYT Crossword clue, “Olympic sprinter Lyles,” might be tough to ******. This Olympic clue is from the Sept. 16 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, and if you’re unsure who this star athlete is, don’t worry; I’ve got the answer. View the full article

The first major Pokémon event of the 2025 season just wrapped in Baltimore, and it ended with an epic final showdown between a VGC legend and a player attending his very first regional. The Pokémon VGC community couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season with Baltimore Regionals (Sept. 14 to 15). The entire tournament was filled with new threats like Hisui’s Sneasler and Basculegion as well as weird off-meta picks like Scyther, Volbeat, and Toedscruel. To top it all off, we got to witness what caster Aaron “Cybertron” Zheng called “one of the most phenomenal runs [he’s] seen from a player in VGC history.” View the full article

There is so much to do and see in Fallout 4 that it's extremely easy to miss a lot of it. In fact, players with upwards of 1,000 or more hours in the game are still missing some minor and even major features and quests. It's incredibly impressive just how much has been crammed into Fallout 4, so much so that dedicated fans can easily miss out on a lot of it. View the full article

Capcom recently acknowledged issues regarding Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics' launch, specifically the rough state of its online environment. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics launched its digital version earlier this September, giving fans the opportunity to play a whole lineup of classic crossover fighting games. This collection includes a whole host of arcade classics, like the earliest entries in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. The game is currently only available digitally, with physical versions coming later in November. View the full article

Fortnite has revealed the next ICON series skin that will be released in the game, and it is none other than the popular Spanish content creator El Rubius. The Fortnite ICON skin was revealed as part of his special stream today, where players also got a chance to claim some free and exclusive in-game rewards via Twitch drops. View the full article

n indie action RPG has a cool twist on the genre, having your character as a starship with parts and a crew to be upgraded rather than the normal single warrior and their inventory of random stuff. Starcom: Unknown space looks like just that, a more low-key but still very enjoyable action take on the space sandbox genre that also blends in narrative events as you land on and explore new planets... Read more.View the full article

Custom armor can be unlocked in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 to change your character's appearance with new colors and accessories. Sets of armor from different Astartes Chapters each have unique looks to represent the massive lore of the Warhammer universe. By playing different in-game modes, you can gain additional customization options to create an aesthetic that appeals most to you. View the full article

new narrative-driven indie exploration game has some really neat stuff going on, playing out like a narrative mix of exploration and story somewhere between a modern Zelda game, ****** Stranding, and indie darling A Short Hike. It's a nonviolent game focused on traveling, exploring, meeting characters, and using tools to solve puzzles... Read more.View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

A veteran Minecraft player showed off their 12-year-old world online, giving everyone a look at how much they have accomplished in the game after over a decade of work within the same setting. The player's world spans across multiple Minecraft biomes and consists of a wide array of highly-detailed builds they have amassed since they first started the world 12 years ago. View the full article

Never in doubt, right? Ultimately, a 3-0 sweep decided the fate of the Aegis of Champions in a topsy-turvy iteration of The International in Copenhagen, where Team Liquid capped off their dominant run in imperious fashion to make Neta “33” Shapira the first-ever player to win TI with two different teams. In the end, only Team Spirit found a way to lay a glove on Team Liquid—but only in the group stage. From that point onwards, Nisha and co. went from strength to strength with every passing round in yet another dominant year for ********* Dota. View the full article

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]