So, you're playing V Rising for the first time. You've got yourself the foundation of a nice little vampiric castle on the go; plenty of crafting stations, resource refineries, and maybe even a little crypt where your coffin is securely stowed. The problem is you're struggling to upgrade your castle heart through the main tutorial questline... Read more.View the full article
Back in the late 90s when all of you NORMIES were playing Diablo, I was playing a little-known Konami ARPG called Azure Dreams, which has alas never escaped PlayStation prison. It's a grid-based, upwardly mobile roguelitey dungeon crawler set in a big tower, each floor a semi-randomised maze of monsters, traps and pick-ups, where players and creatures take turns to move and act simultaneously. Effort Star's Enter The Chronosphere doesn't have grids or monster capturing, that I know of, but it taps into a comparable vein of diorama-sized frantic-yet-laidback challenge, with characters, foes and projectiles frozen in time till you give a command. There's a demo on Steam as part of the platform's Endless Replayability Fest, which I encourage you to try, whether you are one of the COOL KIDS who played Azure Dreams or not. Read more View the full article
Hades 2 has quickly proven popular, and it's clearly gotten people in the mood for the original, as the 2020 roguelite has also seen a strong boost on Steam. Last week, Supergiant decided to bless us with a surprise Hades 2 early access drop, so obviously we all immediately put down whatever we were playing and hopped straight into it. The sequel quickly shot up to Steam's top sellers pretty much straight after it was released, and if your timeline has been anything like mine, has rapidly taken a hold over every ****** person under the sun. What's most impressive is that much like the first one, Hades 2 is just in early access, and yet it's already managed to hit more than double the original games all-time concurrent player count peak, amassing more than 100,000 players when it launched. However, clearly people are fancying more than what the sequel offers, as the first Hades has seen a big player count increase of its own over the weekend. Previously, the game's concurrent player count record was 37,749, which it set back when it was released in 2020. However, over the weekend the game managed to climb up to a new record of 54,240 players, so clearly there will have been some returning and presumably new players all hopping back in off of the popularity of its sequel. I can't exactly blame them, Hades truly is a stellar piece of design, and has a story captivating enough to keep you moving throughout those occasionally brutal runs. Read more View the full article
A recent change to how EA Sports FC 24 is distributing some Champions Player Pick rewards hasn't gone down well with a lot of Ultimate Team players. The backlash to the tweak EA made over the weekend has seen folks accuse the developer of deliberately making it ******* for them to acquire a couple of new Team of the Season cards, with some even announcing their intention to boycott buying FC points. The cards at the centre of this fracas are the Ligue 1 TOTS versions of PSG stars Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, with players reporting that they'd been earning more very good items like those two by playing through the game's most recent weekend league than is normally the case. After a lot of folks had blazed through to earn these plum rewards (thanks VGC), EA tweeted that it had tweaked an issue with them, posting: "We have identified an issue where the Champions Player Pick rewards were providing unintended results. This has been corrected in-game." Read more View the full article
There aren't many ways left to put a twist on Stardew Valley, but suffixing it with "in space!" oughta do it. Little-Known Galaxy is out in a week, and currently has a demo on Steam, where you can sample many of the delights that you're used to from a Stardewlike when you're new in town: meeting the locals, growing potatoes, and tidying up the place. Also, raising alien pets, seeking out new life, and new civilisations... It all takes place on a spaceship, you see, and this has some ramifications to playing the game beyond reskinning everything to be shiny metal instead of picturesque mud. It's an intriguing proposition. Read more View the full article
Cheese and loyal pets (two important items on Maslow's hierarchy of needs) have been added to the co-op survival crafting game Abiotic Factor. The dairy product manifests as various suspiciously ********* cheese wheels which you can cook and eat, while loyalty comes in the form of freakish pets that can now follow your every move. The pets themselves are technically not new to Abiotic Factor, but their player-tracking behaviour is. "There is, as far as we know, no limit to how many pets can follow you at once," say the devs. Hmmm. I wonder if any scientifically minded folks will test such a hypothesis. Read more View the full article
Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: MTG is 3 times more attractive to women than men think, survey finds Legendary White Dwarf editor Paul Sawyer has terminal brain ******* Superb kitbashed Warhammer 40k army brings Genestealer Cults to life View the full article
World of Warcraft Dragonflight is winding down, with its final patch, 10.2.7, being live since May 7. WoW players are now looking back at the expansion as a whole, and many believe it will go down in history as one of the best ones. According to a post on WoW’s subreddit on May 12, Dragonflight definitely had its flaws—bugs, balance issues (I’m looking at you, **** comp), overtuned dungeons in the early stages of new seasons, and lackluster story development. But the expansion also introduced a ton of updates to gear progression with Crests and the Great Vault, as well as new talent trees, an exciting Mythic+ dungeon rotation that changes every season, and, of course, Dragonriding. On top of all of this, Dragonflight received a new patch every two months, meaning there was a continuous flow of new content to run. View the full article
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Another week brings another Pokémon Go datamine with new details highlighting massive changes to Necrozma ahead of its debut during Go Fest Sendai on May 30. As reported by the good folks over at PokémonGoHub, three huge changes were recently introduced in a small update for Necrozma. The changes include tweaks to its moveset, how fusions work, and the costs for fusing Necrozma with Solgaleo or Lunala. View the full article
Pokérogue is a new Pokémon fan game taking the internet by storm. It combines Pokémon battles with endless waves of Roguelike elements such as permadeath, random item rewards, and difficult gameplay—if you can figure out how it works. At the start of the game, you choose a team of Pokémon to go against endless waves of battles. If a Pokémon ***** in battle, you can revive it, but finding a revive is incredibly difficult as there are no Pokémon Centers or places to take a break on your journey. You have to take on each battle creatively, using a Pokémon’s strengths and weaknesses to survive as long as possible. One wrong step, and it’s back to the beginning. View the full article
h, Cyberpunk 2077—it's incredible to think that a game that launched so disastrously it prompted a class-action lawsuit is, years later, being praised as one of the best RPGs you can play right now. At least if its currently 'Overwhelmingly Positive' recent reviews on Steam are anything to go by... Read more.View the full article
It's looking like Microsoft is gearing up for a new ***** reveal, as a new report touches on the potential sequel following the closure of two beloved studios. Last week, Microsoft made the quickly unpopular decision to shut down both Redfall and Prey developer Arkane Austin, as well as The Evil Within and Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks. Weirdly enough, this announcement actually led to both Hi-Fi Rush and The Evil Within being positively review bombed on Steam, as sure a sign as any that people really love these games. A report from The Verge gave a pretty comprehensive overview of everything going on at Microsoft and Xbox at the moment, going into some of the conversations happening behind the scenes. For one, there's apparently been lengthy discussions as to whether Call of Duty should be put on Game Pass or not, or whether this might undermine the game's revenue. There's also been talks of raising the price of Game Pass Ultimate again, but currently nothing is set in stone for either point. The Verge also looked at what ***** ahead for Xbox, like the upcoming Hellblade 2, as well as Starfield DLC, Avowed, and that Indiana Jones game. Notably, though, also hinted in the report is the arrival of another title in a beloved franchise - *****. We've heard before about a potential new ***** game titled Year Zero, but it hasn't been officially revealed just yet. It's sounding like Microsoft is ******** on some big new announcements to move away from all the negative PR it's been getting recently, however, there's still a big question around that possible new ***** game: will it come to PS5? Read more View the full article
There's been a bit of a stir recently with the release of the Stellaris: The Machine Age DLC, as Paradox Interactive put up an AI statement on Steam that the developers have now attempted to give more info on. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article
There are plenty of operation modifiers in Helldivers 2 that spice up the game. But while some modifiers are genuinely fun and add something unique, others make the game more frustrating than it should be. Helldivers 2 players agree AA Defenses is the worst operation modifier in the game, and often a reason to immediately leave the mission and do something else. “I do not understand why you would add this effect and arbitrarily force players to disengage with a core mechanic,” a Helldivers 2 fan wrote in a Reddit thread on May 12. The modifier reduces your total Stratagem slots by one, which is never fun, especially on high-difficulty missions. View the full article
CachyOS, a customizable Linux distribution based on Arch Linux, has a new release available which brings with it an experimental edition for the growing list of PC gaming handhelds like the ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion GO, MSI Claw and coming soon to Steam Deck too. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article
EA has been facing heightened criticism over the weekend following suggestions that the developer wants to introduce advertisements inside games like EA FC 24. Comments from CEO Andrew Wilson saw an admission that EA is working on inserting more “dynamic” ads into AAA titles, which came ahead of a weekend where EA FC 24 players encountered numerous issues. View the full article
Tracking down Nibbles the Putrid Rat in V Rising is one of the most confusing tasks you're likely to encounter early on. Unlike other V Blood carriers—what the game calls its bosses—you can't simply select Nibbles then head to his location. Usually, you can follow a blood trail that leads you directly to their front door. For Nibbles, however, you simply get a few question marks... Read more.View the full article
Few things bring a smile to the face of long-time techies over 30 (or thereabouts) quite like the mention of floppy disks. The earliest, 8-inch models (80KB capacity) arrived in the 1970s and were popular among enterprise users, with 5.25-inch (360 KB double sided) designs the common format for home... Read Entire Article View the full article
The developer of NonSteamLaunchers got in touch to mention that a Steam Deck (Decky Loader) plugin is now available for testing, plus the latest release pulling in a handy tool for being able to Remote Play Together anything. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article
Brass-blasting rhythm game Trombone Champ honked its way into our hearts when it released in 2022. Since then, it's garnered a dedicated fanbase that have kept its *****-valve full to bursting with creations like this Final Fantasy 7 mod. Trombone Champ mods are special among rhythm games for consisting of two elements: the button-tapping composition of the song itself, and the background visuals. You *****-tap away while unicorns or giant close-ups of full English breakfasts cavort in the background. Although, if your breakfast is cavorting, you probably want to cook it a bit longer. Read more View the full article
Survivor-likes, bullet-heaven horde-games are everywhere after Vampire Survivors showed up and now one developer is attempting to do the same with a typing game in Glyphica: Typing Survival. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article
Following last week’s big news that Microsoft was shutting down several studios under its umbrella and all of the interesting things its executives have said since that point, folks have dusted off old documentary clips that they reckon illustrate some of the issues with how Xbox handles the studios it buys. As a refresher, MS recently made headlines due to the pretty shocking decision to shut down a bunch of Xbox studios, including Hi-Fi Rush maker Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. Especially given just how good the first of those is, it’s a move that’s unsurprisingly left a lot of folks pretty miffed. Enter a clip from Double Fine PsychOdyssey, the making-of documentary series that follows Double Fine’s efforts to make Psychonauts 2, and includes some interesting sections about the aftermath of Microsoft’s acquisition of the studio in 2019. The main section that’s caught people’s eye sees Xbox’s Matt ******, who’s caught a lot of flak for some of his statements around this latest batch of cuts. Read more View the full article
Now, straight up, let me just say, I might be in love with the BenQ X500i. It's true, I've tested a huge amount of projectors and monitors in my time, but the X500i hits the sweet spot for pretty much everything. Price, performance, image quality, form factor, it ticks all the boxes. It's perfectly balanced, and if you're looking for one of the best gaming projectors with 4K out there right now, there's no doubt in my mind that this could well be it. It's close to convincing me that I need to sling my 21:9 ultrawide monitor away for good, it's that impressive. It's not flawless. It has a few minor issues, but on the whole, for a fairly respectable $1699/£1,499 fee, what you're getting for that investment is seriously epic. Let's take a step back for a moment though. If you're new to the projector scene, I'm guessing your first question is going to be "Well why?", why get a projector to begin with? It is without a doubt, a luxury item. If you've already picked up the best gaming monitor, then going for something like a projector isn't warranted. These are halo products, for nerd dens, and evenings with your buds or your family, sitting back, enjoying your beverage of choice, and just crashing out with a bit of casual gaming, or movie entertainment on a 150-inch display. It is, just such an absolutely enjoyable thing to be able to do. Before you make this your primary display for all things, bear in mind you will still find better specs with dedicated gaming monitors and displays. After all, projection has come a long way, but so too have PC screens, and it's hard to compete with the refresh rates, ****** accuracy, and pixel densities dished out by some of the latest and greatest OLED tech. But, both of these products are designed with very different use cases in mind, and that's ok. One thing to add, like most things in the PC space, the more you invest, usually, the better the product. But there is a sweet spot, that some (not all) projectors inhabit, and thankfully I can say the X500i sits itself in that gap quite nicely. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Best gaming projectors 2024 Asus' ROG Ally X is going to struggle against the Steam Deck OLED Nvidia RTX 5090 and 5080 will be announced at same time, says leaker View the full article
Team Spirit and CS2 star player donk made the spotlight in February after winning IEM Katowice. The 17-year-old shocked the world with his skills, but it’s no wonder he’s so good considering his staggering practice regime. Being a pro player is no easy feat. Spirit undergo daily in-game training and theory sessions. But that’s not enough for donk, who says he put an exhausting amount of time into extra solo practice. View the full article
Square Enix has announced a significant company reboot amid tumbling profits. Reporting its financial performance for the financial year ending March 31, 2024, sales in the Digital Entertainment segment, which includes video games, rose by 2.6% but profit fell by 15.8%. This despite the ***** of Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Foamstars, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Specifically on HD games, the subcategory Square Enix uses to encompass all the above games, the company saw a significant operating loss of ¥8.1 billion (approximately $51.9 million). Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth both launched as PlayStation 5 exclusives, and while Square Enix has announced a sales figure for Final Fantasy 16, it has yet to do so for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second game in the company’s trilogy of Final Fantasy 7 remakes. In its financial report, all Square Enix would say is it has suffered from an “incomplete journey to better profitability in HD game development”, and that it had “launched many titles but some ******* to live up to profit expectations, especially outsourced titles and some AAA titles.” It seems likely Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, at least, is included in that. In response to the tumbling profits, Square Enix announced what it calls “Square Enix Reboots, and Awakens”, a three-year plan for rebooting for long-term growth. This involves a rethink across all parts of the business, but the highlight is a “shift to a multiplatform strategy." Square Enix said it will “aggressively pursue a multiplatform strategy that includes Nintendo platforms, PlayStation, Xbox, and PCs.” Note the wording here of “Nintendo platforms”, with Nintendo set to announce its Switch successor console before April 2025. As part of this multiplatform push, Square Enix said it will "build an environment where more customers can enjoy our titles in regards to major franchises and AAA titles including catalog titles." The suggestion in all this is mainline Final Fantasy games will ditch PlayStation exclusivity going forward, although Square Enix has yet to announce specifics beyond Final Fantasy 16's upcoming launch on PC. There’s also a shift from quantity to quality, Square Enix said, and a bid to deliver “ensured fun.” Square Enix has been accused of pumping out too many Final Fantasy games in too short a timeframe, so perhaps this means the release of major Final Fantasy games will be spaced out a bit more. Overall, it’s a tough time for Square Enix, which had already absorbed ¥22.1 billion (approx $140.9 million) in what it called “content abandonment losses” ahead of today’s financial report. Square Enix did not name the canceled or rescoped in-development titles. Looking ahead, Dawntrail, the expansion for ongoing MMO Final Fantasy 14, launches in late June. Square Enix also has Kingdom Hearts 4, the third game in the Final Fantasy remake trilogy, and Dragon Quest 12 in the works. In February, Square Enix director and president Takashi Kiryu reportedly told analysts about plans to create a new company structure following falling sales in its digital entertainment business, despite the release of Final Fantasy 16 in June. Square Enix said the PS5 exclusive sold three million copies during launch week. A PC port is in the works. In January, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida said it might be time for a younger generation to lead the franchise and helm Final Fantasy 17. Wesley is the *** News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article
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So, you're playing V Rising for the first time. You've got yourself the foundation of a nice little vampiric castle on the go; plenty of crafting stations, resource refineries, and maybe even a little crypt where your coffin is securely stowed. The problem is you're struggling to upgrade your castle heart through the main tutorial questline... Read more.View the full article