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Obsidian Entertainment debuted its special The Outer Worlds 2 Direct today, revealing a planet-sized presentation full of gameplay with new details about its 2025 sequel. The 30-minute showcase gave players a tongue-in-cheek look at how Obsidian is building on the foundation laid by its original 2019 space adventure RPG with tweaks to existing mechanics as well as completely new gameplay features. It was also all hosted by comedian and Sonic the Hedgehog movie voice actor Ben Schwartz, who helped keep The Outer Worlds 2 Direct going with plenty of skits in between the nitty-gritty details. From wacky new Flaws and planets to a fresh perspective on player choice, we’ve collected all of the highlights from today’s The Outer Worlds 2 Direct and shared them below. Also, as announced at the 2025 Xbox Games Showcase, The Outer Worlds 2 now has a release date of October 29, 2025. You can read up on everything announced at that show here. Exploring Space as an Earth Directorate Agent Players are dropped into The Outer Worlds 2 as an Earth Directorate Agent. Obsidian describes these do-gooders as “space cowboys or space sky marshals” or “good guys that go in to places and fix everything that’s wrong.” How you build out your character and experience from here, though, is up to you. Filling out your character’s story means choosing things like a Background and Traits, with the latter setting the foundation for how you approach gameplay throughout the story. You can be Brilliant, Heroic, Innovative, Lucky – or Dumb, if that’s your thing. There are also skills, which have been refined this time around, and perks, which are heavily inspired by the system used in Fallout: New Vegas. One example of a perk shown during the Direct is Assassin, an ability that grants a movement bonus after a stealth kill. More Guns, More Choice The Outer Worlds 2 is about expanding the universe Obsidian created in 2019, and that means introducing vast improvements to the gameplay across the board. There are more guns with more unique animations to be found here, with many of them shown off during the Direct. It’s all very Borderlands, as some weapons carry unique traits. Rookie’s Reward is a great example of what’s in store, as this firearm slowly levels up with the player as it's used through the game, celebrating each new level with a confetti and fireworks show. There’s also the Pop-Up Gun, which distracts enemies with pop-up ads projected by a pesky drone. Another highlight is a music-infused sword that rewards players who smack enemies to the beat of a song. Much of this creativity was carried over into the new throwable tools. Grenades, for example, can trigger a simple explosion, or players can use science grenades that suspend foes with zero-gravity technology. As for movement, Obsidian says it’s revamped its approach to exploration, too. That means more freedom to run, jump, slide, and parkour around Arcadia as they find valuable loot. You’ll also be able to take advantage of both first- and third-person perspectives after the option was absent from the original game. Flaws Are Back and Better (and Worse) Than Ever One beloved elements from the original The Outer Worlds were Flaws, a feature that gave players the option to take on negative attributes in exchange for other perks. We got to see four Flaws as part of today’s presentation: Bad Knees, Kleptomaniac, Sungazer, and Overprepared. Bad Knees gives players, well, bad knees, allowing them to move quicker in exchange for joints that pop (and alert enemies) when leaving the crouching position. Kleptomaniac grants higher selling values for stolen items while occasionally forcing players to nick some items against their will, while Sungazer causes permanent vision damage in exchange for a daytime healing passive and increased weapon spread. Overprepared is a Flaw for the kind of player who is always cautiously reloading, granting them increased magazine sizes with a penalty if a clip ever organically runs out of ammo. Factions and Companions To no one’s surprise, The Outer Worlds 2 is populated by an army of key factions and individuals to help and halt your journey. The Protectorate, for example, is described as an authoritarian group in the isolated colony of Arcadia. “Their dictatorship is thematically based around the question of how much freedom people will give up for security and luxury,” Obsidian describes. “For Protectorate subjects, unfortunately, that answer is ‘everything.’” There’s also the Order of the Ascendant, an offshoot of the Order of Scientific Inquiry from the original Outer Worlds that also has past ties to The Protectorate. These major factions and more have been made to have close ties to the story and themes of The Outer Worlds 2, but they’ve also been made to be even more absurd as Obsidian aimed to expand the humor. Additionally, players can expect to listen to a Fallout: New Vegas-inspired radio system, which features stations from each major faction, with each carrying around 20 original songs. Factions have been fleshed out and improved for The Outer Worlds 2, and Obsidian says companions, of which there are six, have received the same treatment. Niles, an Earth Directorate agent whose story can be shaped by the player’s action, is the first companion you’ll meet. Today’s Direct also showcased the “somewhat cute” automech drone, who helps Niles, named Val, as well as the deadly assassin and mathematician Marisol, the cultlist Aza, a combat medic who survived experimentation named Inez, and Tristan, a heavily armored Protectorate arbiter. The Bridge Obsidian wants players to know that they’ve got options when it comes to how they choose to experience The Outer Worlds 2, and the best example of player choice is an early mission called The Bridge. It’s all about finding ways to lower a bridge, with players able to take more straightforward options like convincing The Protectorate to lower the bridge themselves, sneaking to the control room, and going in guns blazing. Obsidian takes the options a step further, though, giving players the choice to use a shield that protects against poison gas to get around dangerous areas or jump boots that offer more traversal options. You can even sacrifice a companion in order to gain bridge clearance. This is the kind of freedom the team says players can expect from The Outer Worlds 2. As today’s Direct came to a close, Obsidian shared its thoughts on the sequel, saying, “The Outer Worlds 2 is really the biggest game we’ve ever made.” As we move closer to its newly announced release date, it’s easy to see why. For more on The Outer Worlds 2, you can read up on its October release date announcement. You can also check out more information on its price, which is confirmed to be $80, as well as our talk with Obsidian's Marcus Morgan at IGN Live. Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). View the full article

Fortnite has announced that players now have the ability to participate in a new round of Twitch Drops, which will reward fans with the Retropack back bling and Nightblade pickaxe through June 15. Epic Games recently concluded its largest collaboration between Fortnite and the Star Wars franchise by launching a live event that saw players sabotage the Death Star. View the full article

The next Tales of series remaster project will be announced this Summer as revealed in a teaser posted by the official series account. View the full article

First announced in 2012, Mewgenics is almost upon usView the full article

Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2 is Xbox’s first $80 game, it’s been confirmed. Following Xbox’s Games Showcase on Sunday, store listings confirmed the higher price point for the RPG. A Premium Edition, which includes early access and a DLC pass, will release for $100. Microsoft announced plans last month to raise the prices of its Xbox consoles globally, and announced that it would charge $80 for games starting later this year. Read More... View the full article

If you've started playing Dune: Awakeningand are eager to hop in a vehicle as soon as possible, you'll have to wait a bit if you follow the progression missions exactly. However, there is a trick to unlocking and crafting a Sandbike early on, which is the first vehicle available in the game, and it will make traveling around for various missions much easier. If you're experienced in the survival genre, I highly recommend you take this route. But if this is your first time playing an open-world survival game, you're better off following the main progression. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

High on Life 2 has been announced with the sequel to the over-the-top first-person shooter set to arrive this winter as a day one Xbox Game Pass game. High on Life 2 was always to be expected after the runaway success of the first game. The original High on Life earned somewhat mixed reviews at the time of its release, but its over-the-top, Rick and Morty-style sci-fi humor and its availability as a day one Xbox Game Pass game made it a fan favorite. View the full article

PlayFusion's newest trailer for Ascendant has arrived at the PC Gaming Show 2025, and it gives us a quick look at what we can expect from the chaotic multiplayer shooter—with tanks, weapons, and some funky hairdos all making an appearance... Read more.View the full article

"An endless Cat Breeding RPG from the creator of The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy!" so reads the Mewgenics Steam page blurb... Read more.View the full article

After providing a go-to place for very big and very buggy Fallout 4 mod Fallout: London last year, GOG have just announced that they're expanding their efforts to be a go-to place of you want to easily play high-profile or must-have mods for certain games. The old and also new game merchants have revealed a new initiative aimed at offering "seamless mod integration", as well as announcing that they'll be hosting Skyblivion - the modding project remaking Oblivion in Skyrim's engine that currently targeting a release this year - when it arrives. Read more View the full article

Just as Stellar Blade will get NIKKE-themed DLC on June 11, NIKKE will launch a Stellar Blade crossover event on the same day. View the full article

As a part of the newest Xbox summer showcase we got our first ever look at Mudang: Two Hearts, a new stealth action thriller set in modern-day South Korea. With some serious Ghost Recon vibes, and even a bit of what looks like Kojima-inspired sci-fi thrown in, Mudang is already shaping up to be one to watch. Read the rest of the story... View the full article

Xbox just closed out its latest summer showcase with a colossal reveal. Call of Duty ****** Ops 7 is real, and you can get your first look at a cinematic for the game below. Read the rest of the story... View the full article

I wasn't expecting Grounded 2 to arrive so soon after the first, but I'm already quite excited to delve into the undergrowth. The original is a delightful spin on survival games, and teaming up with friends to overcome the threat of giant ladybugs and spinders ended up being one of my surprise favorite co-op experiences in recent years. Now, it's back, and the sequel is arriving via Xbox Game Preview very soon. Read the rest of the story... View the full article

Back in March, we outlined six features we wanted to see on what was then just a rumored Xbox-branded, Windows-powered handheld gaming device. Today, Microsoft's announcement of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally hardware line looks like it fulfills almost all of our wishes for Microsoft's biggest foray into portable gaming yet. The Windows-11 powered Xbox Ally devices promise access to "all of the games available on Windows," including "games from Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net, and other leading PC storefronts [read: Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, etc]." But instead of having to install and boot up those games through the stock Windows interface, as you often do on handhelds like the original ROG Ally line, all these games will be available through what Microsoft is calling an "aggregated gaming library." Microsoft promises an "integrated library" can be used to access Windows games across a variety of launchers. Credit: Microsoft A tap of the Xbox button brings up the Game Bar for quick access to many functions and settings. Credit: Microsoft Asus and Microsoft are stressing how that integrated experience can be used with games across multiple different Windows-based launchers, promising "access to games to can't get elsewhere." That could be seen as a subtle dig at SteamOS-powered devices like the Steam Deck which can have significant trouble with certain titles that don't play well with Steam and/or Linux for one reason or another. Microsoft also highlights how support apps like Discord, Twitch, and downloadable game mods will also be directly available via the Xbox Ally's Windows backbone. Read full article Comments View the full article

Grand Theft Auto has some infamously difficult entries in the franchise to 100% due to complex or time-consuming challenges that most people simply don't have the patience, time, or willpower to finish. If you're looking for a challenge and trying to get your GTA fix before GTA 6 launches next year, these GTA games will absolutely keep you busy for a while. While some of these games are hard to reach 100% completion for due to their complex or overly challenging missions, others simply require tedious fetch-and-find tasks that present a different sort of challenge to a player's fortitude. View the full article

The wait for Endless Legend 2 is no longer without end. Developers Amplitude and publishers Hooded Horse have announced that the 4X strategy game will release into early access on 7th August 2025. Read more View the full article

Today's Xbox Games Showcase gave us a new look at Gears of War: Reloaded, the remake of the 2006 original that kickstarted the series and made good on all of Xbox 360's HD promises. I don't particularly follow Gears but I have a lot of love for the first game in the series, which was simply a blast to play through in singleplayer, and had a genuinely great multiplayer mode that took full advantage of those slick-as-hell movement and combat mechanics... Read more.View the full article

Obtaining an Ornithopter will be key to fast travel in Dune Awakening, but obtaining the first one can take plenty of time. An Ornithopter is not mandatory for fast travel, but it makes your life easier. This guide will provide you with all the required steps for crafting your first Ornithopter, followed by the tools needed for fast travel. How to craft the Ornithopter fast in Dune Awakening Screenshot via Funcom TaskHow to CompleteSetting up a baseYou can set up your base at any part of your world, but you should aim for the Eastern Shield Wall as the best location. There's one simple reason: you'll get every required resource easily from this location. Get water, and a lotYou're in a massive desert, so water isn't going to be easy to obtain. You can craft the Blood Extractor Mk2, which allows you to convert the blood of fallen enemies into water. If that's not enough, set up a Windtrap to generate water passively at your base.Obtain Complex Machinery and Cobalt PasteYou'll need 88 Complex Machinery and 134 Cobalt Paste. You'll need them first for Vehicle Fabricator and Ore Refinery, which are required for producing Ornithopter parts and also refining Aluminum. The easiest way to get Cobalt Paste is by mining Etyrite Ores. Complex Machinery can be obtained by looting inside mining outposts and enemy outposts.Refine AluminumUse the Medium Ore Refinery to refine Auminum Ingots. For this purpose, you'll need a lot of Aluminum Ores. You will find plenty of ores near the Wreck of Alecto at the Western Shield Wall. Get Carbide Scraps and DiamondineHead to Mysa Tarill to find Diamondine and Carbide Scraps. These items are located in chests you come across in the ruins. To be precise, you need 7 Carbide Scraps and 14 Diamondine Dusts. Get the remaining itemsGet Advanced Servoks (46), Particle Capacitors (30), and Industrial Pumps (8). Keep looting Testing Stations to get Particle Capacitors and Advanced Servoks. If you're having a hard time finding Industrial Pumps, go and loot shipwrecks or try The Crossroads Tradepost for obtaining them. Once you obtain all the items, you can produce all the parts (based on the type of Ornithopter you're trying to create) and use a welding torch to assemble them. You'll need more items from the ones mentioned above, and you'll also know about the exact quantity. Go with the Scout Ornithopter as your first. How to fast travel in Dune Awakening Screenshot by Destructoid As I said, you don't need an Ornithopter to travel fast. Instead, focus on the Touch of the Civilisation quest to regroup with Zantara. You'll also receive the A Wider World side quest, which involves chatting with an Ornithopter pilot at the Griffin's Reach Tradepost. The pilot will be willing to take you to new locations, including The Exchange. Until you get your own Ornithopter, you'll have to head to a tradepost to find the Ornithopter pilot. The pilot also requires Solaris for their services, and will keep asking for more and more over time. Hence, putting in the hard yards and getting your own Ornithopter as early as possible in Dune Awakening is better. The post How to obtain your first Ornithopter and fast travel in Dune Awakening appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

n awful lot of games turned up during today's big Xbox Games Showcase, but one game did not, and its absence has fans pretty unhappy. Yes, I'm talking about Starfield, whose complete lack of visibility at the event did not go unnoticed—or unmourned—by the community... Read more.View the full article

But still no full release date - yetView the full article

Epic Games has given players a fresh look at Chapter 6 Season 3 of Fortnite, which has brought iconic characters like Superman and Robin to the popular battle royale. Fortnite recently concluded its Galactic Battle mini-season, which featured the Death Star Sabotage live event that ushered in some significant changes to the game's map. View the full article

I don't have children, but if I did, I'm pretty sure I'd love Gears of War more than them. That was always because of the campaigns and horde mode, but I'm still up for a few rounds of deathmatch—and if you're as eager as I am to revisit the gory glory of the Xbox 360 era, you won't have to wait long... Read more.View the full article

Fans of Pokemon and Palworld will definitely want to check out the new open world free-to-play game Aniimo. Aniimo was one of the big announcements at this year's Xbox Games Showcase, an event that was full of exciting reveals of games that are currently in development for PC and the Xbox family of consoles. View the full article

During the opening seconds of this Pizza Bandit trailer, which debuted at the PC Gaming Show 2025 today, I thought I was looking at a gritty, neo noir take on the shop sim genre: there's a big guy making pizzas in a pizza restaurant, after all. Great, I thought: time to make pizzas. Time to decorate my pizza restaurant. Time to innovate new pizza toppings... Read more.View the full article