A brand-new co-op horror game on Steam called Shift at Midnight was released on July 22, and has already received plenty of rave reviews from fans of the genre. The game had attracted a ton of attention before its official launch, making it one of the more anticipated co-op horror releases on Steam. View the full article
At San Diego Comic-****, Amazon Luna and Warner Bros. unveiled Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles, a new exclusive game for Amazon Prime members at no additional cost. The game launches July 31 alongside the Season Two premiere of the acclaimed Batman: Caped Crusader animated series on Prime Video. Both the game and the new season of the hit show will be available for Amazon Prime members at no additional cost. It’s about time we had a day-and-date launch of a TV show and a game together. Amazon said players get to “play the series.” But of course it is exceedingly rare because games and shows operate on different development cycles. The Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles is an example of what can happen when a big company like Amazon coordinates with partners and its own divisions on a transmedia strategy. It’s an example of different parts of a company working together, said Jeff Gattis, head of games at Amazon, in an interview with GamesBeat. [Hidden Content] Gattis said that when you go to your Prime Video app, there will be a games tab at the top where you can access the Luna content. “That’s a big deal when you think about hundreds of millions of people watching video on Prime. We think it’s great for driving awareness of Luna,” Gattis said. Not to mention the fact that’s free for Prime members. He added, “This is not unique to us. But I think this notion of TV and movies and video games becoming more integrated as an overall thing adds value.” The Caped Crusader is back. Source: Amazon And one good idea is that games can align with Prime Video shows. As a hypothetical, Gattis said, “When Tomb Raider launches as a game, you might have a Tomb Raider page where the show exists, the movies exist, the video game exists. There’s a merchandise by Tomb Raider merchandise. I think those this is where you’re starting to use the powers of Amazon to do some really unique things.” Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles is a cooperative crime-solving party game for up to 4 players. As a crew of detectives, you’ll step into the dark, noir-soaked streets of Gotham City to become part of a special GCPD task force and Batman’s inner circle. Alongside Detective Montoya, you’ll interrogate, investigate, and deduce your way through 11 episodic missions, each featuring a distinct sleuthing minigame that tests your detective skills. Working together, you’ll foil Batman’s Rogues Gallery of villains, including Babyface, Scarecrow, Dollmaker, and even The Joker. [Hidden Content] The game is part of Amazon Luna’s growing roster of games, turning smartphones into controllers for an easy-to-access party gaming experience. Stream the game and start playing with the devices you already own; no additional controllers or hardware required. The game will also feature Hamish Linklater (Batman) and Michelle C. Bonilla (Detective Montoya) reprising their roles from the hit series in Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles, with additional voice talent to be announced ahead of the game’s July 31 launch. Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles Coming Exclusively to Amazon Luna. Source: Amazon Amazon Luna is Amazon’s game streaming service that Prime members can enjoy at no additional cost, with no downloads or dedicated gaming console or PC required. Prime members have access to a wide variety of games on Amazon Luna, including the BAFTA Award-winning story-driven superhero comedy Dispatch; EA Sports FC 26; the zany Courtroom Chaos starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; and the roguelike co-op deckbuilder Masters of the Universe: Legends Unite. More details The Batman game is a cooperative party game for one to four players. You and your crew will step into the noir-drenched Gotham City of Batman: Caped Crusader the animated series, where every alley hides a secret and every case leads deeper into the shadowy depths of the city’s criminal underworld. By playing alongside “Detective Montoya” as part of “Batman’s” inner circle and GCPD taskforce, players will decode evidence, chase leads, and confront iconic DC Super-Villains across 11 gripping episodes. Along the way, each episode serves up new sleuthing minigames that will put your detective skills to the test. Investigate, interrogate and deduce your way through the tangled crime webs woven by Gotham City’s most devious criminals. To offer fans the ultimate connection between the show and the game, series stars Hamish Linklater and Michelle C. Bonilla reprise their roles as Batman and Detective Montoya in Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles. Season One of Batman: Caped Crusader struck a chord with audiences, climbing as high as No. 1 on Prime Video’s global Top 10 list. With anticipation for Season Two running high, and Batman’s following as strong as it’s ever been, Amazon Luna and Prime Video created an opportunity for fans to inhabit and play inside Gotham City, as well as watch it. Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles is a major new addition to GameNight, a growing collection of games only available through Amazon Luna and free for Prime members. Designed to make group play easy, Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles will turn game night into a Gotham City stakeout, all enjoyed on the biggest screen at home. Your phone is your controller. No extra hardware. No downloads. No skill gap. Whether it’s family or friends on game night, everyone can jump in and play, from first-time players to seasoned detectives. Launching in Multiple Countries On July 31, Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles will be available to Prime members and Luna subscribers on the Luna app in the U.S., ***, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Portugal, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Grab your crew, put on your detective hat, and get ready — Gotham City’s case files are about to open. The post Amazon Luna unveils Batman: Caped Crusader – Chronicles as free game for Prime members appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article
We chat with Japanese developer and publisher Sting about its self-publishing efforts, challenges, PC ports, the importance of Steam, the possibility of localizing Baroque Syndrome, Switch physical releases, coffee, and more. View the full article
Halo: Campaign Evolved players are finally diving into the remake and seeing what's so different from the original Halo: CE from back in the day. If you're really eager to see how things have changed, you don't have much of a choice other than to start tracking down some Skulls, seeing as these are how just about all the new features in the game are accessed. View the full article
Nearly two years after release, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is about to get a brand-new single-player mode that completely transforms the arena fighting game. A successor to the classic Budokai Tenkaichi series, Sparking! Zero has enjoyed significant post-launch support, even as publisher Bandai Namco turns its attention toward the next Dragon Ball game with Xenoverse 3's new saga. A new game mode called Limit Breaker Journey will build on Sparking! Zero's incredible success, and it's right around the corner. View the full article
The first review scores for Halo: Campaign Evolved have now arrived from media outlets across the globe, with most responses trending in a positive, if mixed, direction so far. Halo: Campaign Evolved is the long-awaited remaster of 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved. View the full article
AI vibe coding has done the impossible: make Nintendo fans unexcited for Mario Kart Wii on PC. A new static recompilation project promises to give us a fresh way to play one of the best Wii games of all time, but as with many similar projects, the sentiment soon soured once prospective players realized it was built using AI. "Announcing Mario Kart Wiicompiled," developer patchzy exclaims in a tweet alongside a teaser trailer for the project. "The first static recompilation of a Wii game: Mario Kart Wii, rebuilt for PC. Releasing in beta this August, with online play and optional Retro Rewind support, bringing over 200 tracks!" Wii games finally getting the static recompilation treatment would be reason enough to get excited, since that would, in theory, open the door for many more Wii titles to become playable on PC. Decompilations and recompilations have been a rallying point for the communities around many classic games, as with the upcoming Spyro project – whose developers proudly proclaim that "no AI" was used in its making. [Hidden Content] But, as Time Extension notes, there are no such promises for Mario Kart Wiicompiled. In fact, the project's Discord explicitly confirms that AI was used "for code" – though "no ai art or assets were generated." That's a distinction that might satisfy some players, but you can just scroll down through the responses to the original tweet to see there are plenty more ready to reject a AI vibe-coded project outright. Only time will tell if Mario Kart Wiicompiled will actually play well, but many members of the various fan development communities are ready to dismiss vibe coding completely. Such is the case for PS3 emulator RPCS3, whose developers are begging contributors to "stop submitting AI slop code." It's also a key point for the developers behind Donkey Kong 64: Recompiled, who announced their project early in an effort to get out ahead of a vibe-coded rival. A poorly-made AI project can discourage traditional developers from putting in the effort to do it right, and that's a fear hanging over many potential PC ports for classic games in this new vibe coding era. "It creates lesser games": Indie game studios are supposed to love generative AI, so why do the 25 devs I spoke to avoid it? [/url]View the full article
I'm not even that far into my first ever playthrough of Grim Dawn and I can already see why I've heard people praise this game for the last 10 years. It's old, sure, but it's a surprisingly tight action RPG that despite its age hasn't been left to rust... Read more.View the full article
PlayStation might make the growing $7.2 billion second-hand games market shrink down to roly-poly size once it officially abandons physical discs in 2028, analysts say. A CNBC report cites data from market researcher Dataintelo describing the video games resale market as worth $7.2 billion in 2025, though experts anticipated in March that it would expand to $13.8 billion by 2034. But that estimate might look dramatically different now that PlayStation has decided to stop feeding it. "Brick and mortar game retail is doomed," Wedbush Securities managing director of strategic planning Michael Pachter tells CNBC definitively. He explains that at least one-third of sold games are used, and these sales help fuel new game purchases, too. Fewer discs from PlayStation lead to fewer opportunities to purchase games in general, whether new or old. Morningstar equity research director Kazunori Ito likewise imagines the secondhand games market will "keep shrinking and eventually disappear" once Sony makes the transition to digital-only. PC games are already there with the help of major online shops like Steam, Epic, and GOG, and while Xbox technically hasn't renounced game discs yet, it's apparently headed that way, and it's practicing by testing a feature that digitizes entire disc collections. Without new PlayStation and Xbox games to keep it freshly stocked, the secondhand games market will grow stale. We'll all be passing around the same 5,000 copies of Cabela's Monster Buck Hunter until they'll rot, and then I'll really have no chance at securing one of the world's highly coveted Silent Hill 2 discs for less than $300. Ito adds, "There is an important difference between players accepting that shift [to digital] because they see value in it, and having it effectively forced on them by taking away the alternative." But it doesn't seem to matter to PlayStation. PlayStation killing discs is bad for everyone, whether you care about physical games or not. [/url]View the full article
A brand-new indie game on Steam called Scratch the Cat has caught the attention of 3D platformer fans with its ****** Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon vibes. There is no shortage of 3D platformers on Steam, with plenty of options for fans of the genre, including many that are completely free to play. Still, there is always a demand for a retro-style title that can capture the same "mascot platformer" feeling as genre staples like ****** Bandicoot and Spyro. View the full article
Tim Cain knows better than nearly anyone that the earliest computer RPGs – like Fallout, which he helped create – had a huge advantage over their feeble brethren on consoles, which were afflicted with hardware limitations for at least two decades. After that, we were living in a post-Morrowind society. "In the '80s, console RPGs were incredibly primitive. I'm talking, stone knives and bear skins," Cain says on his YouTube channel in response to a fan question wondering about how consoles changed the RPG market over time. "I mean, tabletop RPGs were really the way to go if you wanted really in-depth rules, but even computer RPGs had more complex rules than console RPGs, because everything from the graphics, to the system mechanics, and sound effects all had to be really, really simplified and reduced to fit in that very limited memory storage that it had, and CPU bandwidth." "To me, console RPGs were kind of like toys that you could kind of play," Cain continues. Their controllers demanded select screens rather than the point-and-drag you could accomplish on PC, and checkpoint saves were a necessity for preserving their limited storage. But "all of this changed in 2002," when Bethesda launched The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. [Hidden Content] "Morrowind came out on the Xbox. It was an open-world Western RPG that felt like it had none of the limitations of previous console games," says Cain. "It was a PC game playing on an Xbox." "It stunned me when it came out, because I remember thinking, 'This…this is it,'" he adds. "Not so much because of what the game was, but what it represented, which was – from now on, there's going to be a lot more parity between these two things. GamesRadar+'s Morrowind review apparently published in 2006 frothily declares "a new standard in role-playing games. [Morrowind is] astonishing in its depth and detail, and also sets a new benchmark in graphics." Morrowind was an in-depth spectacle – and not easily replicated. Cain thinks that buggy launches became more common for console games by at least the mid-2000s, once the Xbox 360 and PS3 had established digital storefronts where people could directly buy and download their games, which "meant it was also easy to patch them." "Maybe this was a coincidence, maybe it wasn't," Cain says generously, "but, suddenly, console games seemed to ship with bugs in a way they had never shipped with bugs before. They weren't as tight. Then, by the 2010s and 2020s, it felt like parity had been established and reached between PCs and consoles." With both of them covered in bugs, PC and console had reached equality at last. "Unconscionable": The day of Bethesda's Fallout reveal explosion, its laid-off Montreal devs were told they "would receive the smallest severance legally possible" and "immediately" lose health insurance benefits, union says. [/url]View the full article
Halo: Campaign Evolved has ten core Missions in total, plus three unique Bonus Missions, all of which contain three collectible Skulls hidden somewhere across the map. The Silent Cartographer is easily one of the most recognizable and fan-favorite Missions from the original Halo: CE, and while it will look very familiar to the original map, the Skulls are found in very different locations. View the full article
While we're still waiting for Netflix to drop the next season of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, fans havebeen treated to several new releases that can help pass the time until we get to see the rest of Johnny's adventures in Steel Ball Run. As a legendary anime franchise with countless examples of video games, anime, and merchandise to enjoy, JoJo's has had more than a few strange releases over the years. View the full article
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has revealed its first Year 1 DLC character alongside its opening movie during a panel at San Diego Comic-**** 2026. The first DLC character for the upcoming fighting game is Phoenix Cyclops, voiced by Ray Chase. Chase voices Cyclops in Disney+ show X-Men '97 and hero shooter Marvel Rivals. Phoenix Cyclops is due out fall 2026 as the first of four DLC characters and one new stage due out in the game's first year. Marvel Tōkon Fighting Souls has revealed its first year one DLC character at #SDCC Phoenix Cyclops, voiced by Ray Chase [Hidden Content] — IGN (@IGN) July 23, 2026 Meanwhile, we have the Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls opening movie below. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article
Amelia's Escape, a story-based escape room puzzle game from a solo developer, releases today on Meta Quest and SteamVR. This follows a playable demo featured in June's Steam Next Fest. Amelia's Escape follows the titular Amelia, a teenage girl kidnapped by a time-travel obsessed scientist. Here is the trailer: Amelia's Escape was built by a single developer studio, Reality Syndrome Symphony, over several years with an emphasis on immersive environmental puzzles. This is Symphony's debut title. I played the demo during Next Fest and found it promising with a minimal amount of "grab jank," a common issue with escape room games in VR such as this that do not lean on a telekinetic grab system like the I Expect You To Die games. The demo is still available on Steam for anyone curious. I am currently playing the full game and will have a full review soon. Amelia's Escape is out now on Steam and Meta Quest for $15.99. View the full article
Even Ubisoft seems surprised you all wanted classic-style Assassin's Creed back this bad. Assassin's Creed ****** Flag Resynced has sold 3.5 million units in 14 days, already beating the publisher's internal sales projections for the full year. "The strong launch of Assassin's Creed ****** Flag Resynced in early July by Vantage Studios is an encouraging proof point" of Ubisoft's new corporate structure, CEO Yves Guillemot says in the company's latest financial report. That same restructuring has also cost numerous developers their jobs, including many of the very people who brought ****** Flag Resynced to life. ****** Flag Resynced is the first Assassin's Creed game to reach over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam. According to Ubisoft, "this translated into a historical proportion of sales for the franchise on PC, led by the US and ******** markets." As part of today's financial report, Ubisoft announced net bookings of €256 million for the first quarter of the fiscal year, "down 9% year-on-year and slightly above guidance." Notably, that does not include any boost from ****** Flag Resynced sales, which launched just after the start of the second quarter. Instead, those first quarter revenues were "driven by a record performance for Invincible: Guarding the Globe," an idle RPG for mobile. Clearly, though, Ubisoft expects investors to be pleased with the performance Resynced is going to show next quarter. "The game is the highest-rated Assassin's Creed title since the original ****** Flag, and we are very pleased with the praise it received from players," Guillemot continues. "Two weeks in, the title has already exceeded the annual expectations we had. I would like to warmly thank the teams whose talent and dedication brought it to life. This launch illustrates the enduring appeal of the Assassin’s Creed brand, as well as the early benefits of our ongoing transformation and commitment to delivering very high-quality experiences." Ubisoft CEO says ditching physical games "helped" PC gaming, and PlayStation ending discs won't "disturb" the industry much anyway. [/url]View the full article
Halo: Campaign Evolved is broken up into ten total missions, much like the original Halo: Combat Evolved, and while many of these missions will be familiar for players who remember the original game, there are some key differences as well. One the main differences is the location of hidden Skull collectibles across each map. View the full article
Gearbox has officially revealed the second DLC story pack for Borderlands 4, featuring the return of fan-favorite Vault Hunter FL4K. Borderlands 4 DLC Story Pack 2, titled FL4K and the Last Resort, launches on September 10 along with a brand-new Vault Hunter, Loveless the Hacker. This story pack follows up on the Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned DLC that released back in March of this year. View the full article
Woot, which is owned by Amazon, is offering an outstanding deal on this popular Logitech racing wheel bundle: New (Open Box) Logitech G29 Racing Wheel and Pedal Set for PS5 and PCNew (Open Box) Logitech G Driving Force Shifter The bundle is just $155.99 when you apply the 22% off coupon code "LOGITECH22". Amazon Prime members get free shipping, otherwise you pay $4.99 for the delivery fee. The items are all open box models that are nonetheless in new condition and include a 90-day Woot warranty. You would normally pay $380 to get this set brand new, so this deal saves you you 60% off the list price, making it the lowest price I've personally seen for this set. 60% Off Logitech G29 Racing Wheel Set and Driving Force Shifter New (Open Box) If you're a big fan of racing games like Gran Turismo or Forza Horizon 6 and you've been using a DualSense controller or gamepad this entire time, then this price drop might be the excuse for you to step up your immersion to the next level. The G29 and G920 were already one of the best racing wheels under $300, and definitely the best racing wheels under $200. Standout features include a gorgeous hand-stitched leather steering wheel with 900 degrees of rotation, sturdy metal base, durable steel ball bearings in the shaft, gear-driven dual-force motor feedback, stainless shifter and pressure-sensitive pedals. The force feedback does an excellent job of simulating providing force and resistance and certain adds to the immersion; if you want something better than this, you'd have to shell out a lot more money for a direct-drive or belt-driven wheel, like Logitech's own $1,000 G Pro direct-drive racing wheel we reviewed. If you're a PC user and wondering which model to get, PlayStation's G29 model is actually a bit nicer than the Xbox's G920 variant. The G29 has LED shift lights located on the top of the wheel's spokes. These LEDs light up progressively as the car's RPMs rise in-game. The G29 also has a rotary knob on the wheel that can be customized to different functions, like traction control, brake bias, or split differential. Forza Horizon 6 is out for PC, and it's a Masterpiece IGN's Luke Reilly awarded the recently released Forza Horizon 6 a well-deserved 10/10 "Masterpiece" review. The latest iteration of the open-world arcade racing franchise allows you to traverse the varied vistas of Japan, from the snowswept mountainous paths of the Japanese Alps to the concrete jungle of the Tokyo Expressway. The game launches with 550 cars for you to customize and tweak, and dozens of single-player and online challenges for you to flex your skill, including the return of the Eliminator battle royale mode. How to Follow IGN Deals Recommendations The IGN Deals team has over 30 years of combined experience finding the best discounts and preorders available online. If you want the latest updates from our trusted team, here’s how to follow our coverage: Sign up for our IGN Deals NewsletterSet IGN as a preferred source in GoogleShop on our Amazon StorefrontFollow us on social mediaIGN Finds on XIGN Finds on InstagramIGN Finds on FacebookIGN Deals on Tiktok[/url] Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time. View the full article
It is always great when a new free game launches on Steam, as it gives those of us who've either spent all their money on a recent *****, or simply can't afford the latest games releasing, a chance to still try out something new and build up our libraries. Steam is absolutely packed with free titles, many of which are actually worth the little effort required to download them, and they seemingly get better and better with time, with those launching today offering an abundance of content for literally no cost. View the full article
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot seems largely in Sony's corner regarding the scheduled end to physical PlayStation games, going to bat for some advantages of an all-digital future. Guillemot fielded a question about the January 2028 discontinuation of physical PlayStation games during Ubisoft's financial call earlier today. One caller asked how Ubisoft feels about Sony's decision and if it has any worries about its direct or indirect effects, such as the end of the used games market which can enable gamers to pawn games and use those funds to buy new games. "What we saw on the PC is that it helped to grow the market," Guillemot replies. "There's also some pressure for the future on the cost of machines, and being able to be only digital will help to have a more accessible machine, I would say. As you said, there are pluses and minuses. But we think it will not disturb, too much, the industry." There are a couple of points to unpack here. PC gaming has been functionally digital-only for decades, and the popularity of Steam proves that a lot of people don't have a problem with digital games, even if that means licensing rather than owning them. However, other storefronts are also available on PC, whereas PlayStation only has the PlayStation Store. Additionally, since Steam isn't built for any one hardware specification, it won't up and vanish alongside aging, unsupported hardware the way the PS3 and PS Vita stores will soon enough, and even if it did, we'd still have the likes of GOG. And as general use machines, computers make it much easier to back up and preserve games, so in digital game debates, PC and console aren't perfectly equal. (Image credit: Future) We have seen digital-only consoles used as a way to lower price points, and with AI data center-induced component droughts continually pushing platform holders to raise console prices, almost anything that can lower entry points will be welcomed as we stare down an increasingly likely $1,000 console generation. But the idea of losing physical games to the AI ***** has not gone down well with many. Digital-only PS5s are outselling disc versions today, according to analyst Daniel Ahmad – but roughly 70% of PS5s sold do have a disc drive. Likewise, many of the games that are actually available physically see much greater diversity in digital and physical sales split compared to the lopsided, collective figures that Sony touts as evidence of the shrinking physical market. Two truths exist: physical copies are important and can sell well, and relatively few people buy physical games globally. People have already voted with their wallets in the enormous shift to digital games, but a relevant audience of physical buyers remains – it's just not relevant enough in Sony's eyes. Nintendo is now selling some digital Switch 2 games $10 cheaper than physical versions – building out a more enthusiast market for the ********* of people who do want boxes – but it's unclear how Sony's digital future could see savings handed down to players, if at all. Frankly, I wouldn't bet on it. The games industry's got multiple fires to put out and taking less money from players is generally not high on the to-do list. GTA 6 is digital-only, for instance, but it's still $80. It's not just savings, either. Sony – and, let's not forget, publishers like Ubisoft – will earn more per copy from digital games, so it stands to earn a lot more if all game sales become digital, even if it does lose some users by abandoning discs. Obviously, this is also another reason digital PS5s are sold cheaper: Sony makes less up front, but much more off game sales, so it wants the digital option to be appealing. Only 7 PlayStation games have sold over 100,000 physical copies in the US this year, says analyst, as commenters demand discs without buying them. [/url]View the full article
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A brand-new co-op horror game on Steam called Shift at Midnight was released on July 22, and has already received plenty of rave reviews from fans of the genre. The game had attracted a ton of attention before its official launch, making it one of the more anticipated co-op horror releases on Steam. View the full article