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Who is Sierra in Overwatch? Sierra, formerly known as Hero 51, has been officially revealed with the release of the Summit Breach trailer, giving us a first look at the newest character in Season 2. As a member of Helix Security, Sierra utilizes a large plasma rifle and a bird-like drone to protect the world from evil forces. While the Overwatch trailer didn't reveal as much as we would've liked, there has been a leak that confirms some suspicions people have about her kit. With Season 2 set to launch on April 14, we won't have to wait long to see where Sierra fits alongside the best heroes on the Overwatch tier list. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Overwatch's Anran finally gets her glow-up. "Playful" is out, "sincere" is in, but is it enough? Overwatch's Mizuki gets a surprise face update, while Anran's much-requested rework is nowhere in sight The Overwatch devs think you're banning the wrong heroes View the full article

Project Zomboid developer The Indie Stone has confirmed that it has identified and taken action against a series of mods for the zombie game that were "creating malicious files outside of the Project Zomboid directory." The mods in question were add-ons for the popular 'True Moozic' soundtrack expander and were unrelated to its original creator. They have been removed from the Steam Workshop and the perpetrator has been banned, but The Indie Stone encourages anyone who thinks they might have been affected to take action. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Dev behind new 'GTA-like' crime ****** Samson admits it "released a game with flaws" A brutal, single-player twist on Escape From Tarkov, Road to Vostok has finally launched Slay the Spire 2 is cooking a "competitive" mode, but I'm most excited about its new short-time format View the full article

The Working Together quest is Pocahontas' second friendship quest in Disney Dreamlight Valley. You'll automatically unlock this quest once you've hit a level four friendship, and you'll need to initiate it by talking to Pocahontas to accept the mission. Before it shows up though, you'll need Cogsworth and Stitch unlocked in your valley too... Read more.View the full article

The GLaDOS effectView the full article

Five independent game studios – including the developers of the upcoming Replaced and the team behind the upcoming Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era – have joined forces in a sort-of co-op in order to support each other with development and marketing, with an aim to eventually create their own co-owned publishing label. Sad Cat Studios (Replaced), Unfrozen (Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era), Weappy (This Is the Police), VEA Games (Nikoderiko: The Magical World), and Game Garden (Farmdale) aren't merging; they will each remain independent studios. However, the goal of Nova Assembly is intended to be a backstop against layoffs and increasing development and publishing uncertainty in the gaming space by sharing resources in mutually beneficial ways. Unfrozen founder Denis Federov, who will be the CEO of Nova Assembly, said, “The formation of a single holding structure bringing together five commercially successful and highly promising game studios will not only enable creators of ambitious gaming projects to share invaluable expertise accumulated over years of experience, but will also allow for more efficient and strategic use of shared resources. And all that without compromising creative independence, which ultimately remains the key driver of competitiveness in today’s challenging market.” “In a world where we increasingly give over control to algorithms, we're uniting with like-minded people to reinforce the human element: to exchange human ideas, offer each other human support, and make human decisions together,” added Weappy co-founder Ilya Yanovich, who will be Nova Assembly's Creative Director. The studios posted an open letter on the Nova Assembly website, which said in part, "We will support each other with resources. If one team has just launched a successful game while another needs financial backing, we can resolve the matter internally – and avoid making ruinous compromises. "We will support one another with knowledge and technology. If a team requires a specialist with a specific skillset to tackle a particular challenge, it's far more sensible to temporarily bring in someone from another team, rather than scrambling around for outside assistance. If a team has developed a flexible dialogue editor or devised a clever process or optimization, everyone should be able to benefit. "We intend to build our own publishing arm. We value all the partners we currently work with, but looking forward, we want to be the ones deciding how we market and release our games. We want to establish a direct line of communication with our audience and with the various gaming platforms. "And surely the most important point: making games is hard; making games is daunting; and there's nothing more valuable than the sense you aren't alone in the endeavor. It's always a joy to share success with friends – but it's far more crucial to know that there's someone willing to share the burden of your mistakes and missteps – so we can be bold enough to take creative risks. Replaced (wishlist it or play the demo on Steam if you're interested) is due out on PC and Xbox (including day-one on Game Pass) on April 14. Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era (wishlist it or play the demo on Steam if you're interested) is due to launch into Early Access on April 30. The Eternal Life of Goldman (wishlist it or play the demo on Steam if you're interested) has no release window as of yet. Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our semi-retired interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan. View the full article

Replica Teams are an easy way to get wins in Pokémon Champions if you're not getting the hang of things. These are pre-made teams that you can use to build your own lineup. Not only can you use teams of other community members, but this can also include pro players from the VGC scene. The first 24 hours have already sprung up some great Replica Teams to use. Table of contentsBest Replica Team codes in Pokémon ChampionsHow to use Replica Teams in Pokémon ChampionsBest Replica Team codes in Pokémon Champions The table below has complete information about a few amazing codes that I found. I will add more codes to the table once they pop up on social media. Replica Team CodeCreatorFeature Pokémon and Held ItemsQGYAG5WE3CLenVGCCharizard (Charizardite Y) Venusaur (Focus Sash) Garchomp (Lum Berry) Milotic (Leftovers) Gardevoir (Choice Scarf) Incineroar (Sitrus Berry)K5N29KPU9TNatusPKMNMeganium (Meganiumite) Archaludon (White Herb) Basculegion (Choice Scarf) Maushold (Focus Sash) Politoed (Sitrus Berry) Talonflame (Lum Berry)HH3MF048VVIts_WDMichaelHatterene (Fairy Feather) Oranguru (Mental Herb) Golurk (Golurkite) Clefable (Focus Sash) Hydreigon (Choice Scarf) Torkoal (Charcoal)9QTFUT56VMWiltankFroslass (Froslassite) Palafin (Mystic Water) Incineroar (Sitrus Berry) Sylveon (Fairy Feather) Kingambit (****** Glasses) Sinistcha (Leftovers)GLYXPJELWFmattyivgcCharizard (Charizardite Y) Incineroar (Sitrus Berry) Venusaur (Focus Slash) Whimsicott (Occa Berry) Sneasler (White Herb) Hydreigon (Choice Scarf)FMWQQ1N1YNsarapoke0914Charizard (Charizardite Y) Incineroar (Sitrus Berry) Mamoswine (Soft Sand) Whimsicott (Focus Slash) Archaludon (Leftovers) Drakloak (WhiteHerb)How to use Replica Teams in Pokémon Champions Head to the Train section from the home screen, and you'll find the section to use Replica team. You can use the teams listed here by entering the correct code. Once done, you'll need to save the squad to an empty slot. Screenshot by Destructoid Here's the catch: you'll need to own the Pokémon and the correct held items. If you have a missing item, you'll need to purchase it. If you have a missing Pokémon, you'll have to get lucky with Recruit or seek an alternative. If your chosen Pokémon has different moves, you can always train them to change their moveset. The post Best Replica Team codes in Pokémon Champions and how to use them appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences and DC Studios announced today a new live gameplay attraction called Superman Experience: Defenders Unite. Launching on April 18, Superman Day, the experience uses first-person gameplay, 3D glasses and real sets and props to put players in Metropolis with the Man of Tomorrow. The experience is on Stage 5 of the Warner Bros. Studio Lot and presented by its Studio Tour Hollywood. In the experience, guests are recruited by Superman and given Kryptonian superheroes to help him on a mission. They’ll visit iconic locations from the character’s lore and visually inspired by the 2025 film, including the Kent farm, the Daily Planet and the Fortress of Solitude. .memberful-global-teaser-content p:last-child{ -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); } This article is free — just create an account Join GamesBeat to read this story and almost everything else on the site. No credit card, no catch.Start Reading FreeAlready a member? Sign in The post Warner Bros. announces Superman Experience: Defenders Unite appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

OneState, a mobile game focused on social role play, debuted globally today with its global launch version update (1.0) for Android and iOS devices. This launch includes major updates introducing a fully rebuilt open-world map, deeper role-playing systems, new animations, parkour mechanics, and significantly improved onboarding to deliver the immersive living city experience the community has helped shape. .memberful-global-teaser-content p:last-child{ -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); } This article is free — just create an account Join GamesBeat to read this story and almost everything else on the site. No credit card, no catch.Start Reading FreeAlready a member? Sign in The post Chillbase unveils global launch version of OnState social role-play mobile game appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

Wargaming today announced that World of Tanks: Heat, its new standalone free-to-play tactical vehicle shooter, will enter closed beta from April 16 through April 20. The beta will take place across PC (Steam and Wargaming Game Center), Steam Deck, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nvidia GeForce Now. .memberful-global-teaser-content p:last-child{ -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); } This article is free — just create an account Join GamesBeat to read this story and almost everything else on the site. No credit card, no catch.Start Reading FreeAlready a member? Sign in The post World of Tanks: Heat closed beta launches April 16 appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

Capcom and Square going cheaper for Switch 2 won't dissuade Bandai NamcoView the full article

Konami is celebrating a major milestone for eFootball by releasing a time-limited take on its classic Master League mode. The free-to-play football game – the successor to Konami’s previously annual Pro Evolution Soccer / Winning Eleven series – recently passed 1 billion downloads across all formats, Konami says. To mark this, a new in-game campaign called Master League Sprint has been launched today, offering players an experience similar to the Master League mode in previous Pro Evolution Soccer games. Read More... View the full article

With this, the first four Final Fantasy games are playable on Xbox Game Pass. View the full article

A year on from the release of The First Berserker: Khazan, the action RPG set in the Dungeon Fighter Online universe, Nexon has reportedly reassigned a large portion of its production staff due to alleged poor performance. That's according to Yonhap News, which reports that a Nexon official has revealed that despite hitting a Steam concurrent peak of just shy of 33,000 players at launch, sales "declined and fell short of market expectations." This, coupled with licensing delays in getting the game out in China, has resulted in around 100 members of Khazan's team being told yesterday, April 8, that they have now been moved to the "R Team," a reassignment division at Neople (thanks, GamesRadar). It's true that player numbers have fallen — SteamDB suggests the highest concurrent peak of the last 24 hours is just 1013 players — but it sits on a 'Very Positive' Steam score, with 85% of all Steam reviewers leaving a positive review. It also secured a respectable 78 on Metacritic, and publisher Nexon said back in May that the game had "achieved our objective as a strategic first step in a multi-year plan to introduce Dungeon&Fighter IP to a global audience," albeit admitting Q1 revenue was "below our outlook." "As the roadmap for the large-scale Kazan Project enters its completion phase, we have decided to separate the organization responsible for completing the remaining missions from the personnel assigned to other projects that require a concentration of human resources," a Nexon spokesperson told the outlet (as translated by machine). "We plan to actively support the personnel with the expertise who led the completion of a global AAA title through the Kazan Project so that they can be assigned to projects where they can utilize their respective experience and capabilities." The company insists the team has not been disbanded entirely, but it leaves plans for DLC plans or future ports beyond its current availability on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S in limbo. The First Berserker: Khazan is described as a “hardcore action role-playing game” with a 3D cel animation graphical style and a dark fantasy setting. It returned a 'Great' 8/10 in IGN's review, where we described it as a "brutal but impressive soulslike that makes pushing through its devastating bosses worth the effort." Earlier this week, the action RPG celebrated its one-year anniversary, awarding players with an anniversary armor and weapon set called Immortal Fury that includes the Greatsword of Chronicles, Dual Wield of Immortal Adamantine, and Sanguine Vanguard Spear. Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

Listings for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 appeared on retailers' websites over the weekend. The prices suggested that the CPU would cost around $1,000, which turned out to be $100 more than the official MSRP. Read Entire Article View the full article

Despite The Last of Us Part 3 still not being officially confirmed, recent comments over the past months from Naughty Dog top dog Neil Druckmann indicate a trilogy is all but guaranteed. Druckmann has made it clear there is a future for the story, but players remain split over what that may actually look like and, more importantly, who it's going to include as its main characters. View the full article

With GTA 6 still far off on the horizon, almost certainly a no-show on PC for 2026, there's a natural appetite for possible alternatives. Samson, a new crime game that follows the eponymous anti-hero's return to the streets of Tyndalston where he was raised, has the kind of gritty New York vibe that scratches the same itch as GTA 4. Unfortunately, its launch has landed to a decidedly mixed response so far, with players bemoaning crashes and performance issues, alongside a general feeling that the action wasn't quite what they were hoping for. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Project Zomboid bans rogue mods deploying "malicious code" to players' PCs A brutal, single-player twist on Escape From Tarkov, Road to Vostok has finally launched Slay the Spire 2 is cooking a "competitive" mode, but I'm most excited about its new short-time format View the full article

World of Warcraft's housing system has become a beacon of creativity since arriving with Midnight, not that I'm surprised considering just how expansive the toolset is. From roving houses that may as well have been plucked from Howl's Moving Castle, to holes in the ground where I suspect Hobbits may dwell, the MMO's playerbase has already showcased some incredible builds. One creator has gone even further afield for inspiration, taking Counter-Strike's most popular map, Dust 2, and rebuilding its A Site with mesmerizing detail. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: You can now play Counter-Strike 1.6 in VR thanks to the modders who already gave Half-Life and Doom the same treatment Development of a Counter-Strike 1.6 remake has been "frozen" as Valve silence leaves its future in doubt Counter-Strike Source soars to 13-year Steam high, and GMod may be the culprit View the full article

The Xeno Arena update fits the request perfectlyView the full article

Pocahontas is still hard at work finding new ways to prepare for the Celestial Celebration she's planning, which means she regularly comes to you with new ideas in Disney Dreamlight Valley. This time around, she wants to find some Glowing Algae in the A Little Algae Problem quest. You set off on an adventure away from the valley in this mission, which means you're in unfamiliar territory for most of it, making things rather tricky. If any part of this task leaves you stumped, here's a complete walkthrough for the A Little Algae Problem quest in Disney Dreamlight Valley. Table of contentsHow to complete A Little Algae Problem in Disney Dreamlight ValleyAsk some Villagers to help gather the Glowing AlgaeUse the boating gear in Pocahontas's Yehakin to go to Moontide IslandClear the rocks on Moontide IslandGather Glowing Algae by digging around Moontide IslandGather materialsHow to complete A Little Algae Problem in Disney Dreamlight Valley Screenshot by Destructoid Ask some Villagers to help gather the Glowing Algae First up, Pocahontas is hoping some other villagers are willing to help you out, as she wants to return to Moontide Island, the location where you first met her, to hunt for the Glowing Algae. She asks you to talk to some villagers on her behalf, so seek out Jasmine, Cinderella, and Mother Gothel to see if any of them are up for the task. Use the boating gear in Pocahontas's Yehakin to go to Moontide Island After getting answers from all three villagers, head over to Pocahontas's Yehakin, wherever you chose to place it in your village. Once you're inside, interact with the white sparkles on the ground by the wooden oars to use the boating gear to travel to Moontide Island. After landing on the island, chat with Pocahontas to see what you should do first. Clear the rocks on Moontide Island A storm made quite a mess on the island while you were away, so before you can set up camp with the group, you need to clear the rocks on the island. Equip your Royal Pickaxe and get rid of six rocks around the beach area. Talk to Pocahontas when you're done. Screenshot by Destructoid Gather Glowing Algae by digging around Moontide Island Now that the camp is set up, it's time to gather Glowing Algae around the island. Equip your Royal Shovel and explore the island in search of sparkling dig spots. In total, you need to find and dig up five pieces of Glowing Algae. All five dig spots are on the beachy part of the island. The easiest way to find them all is to make a loop around the entire outer edge of Moontide Island, as you'll naturally come across all of them by doing this. Once you have five pieces of Glowing Algae, talk to Pocahontas to pass them to her. Gather materials Pocahontas's next quest for you is to gather an array of materials for the camp you've set up on Mootide Island. All of the items she tasks you with gathering are as follows. 15 Softwood – Can be found on the ground near trees throughout some biomes. Regions you can check for it include the Plaza, Peaceful Meadow, Forest of Valor, and Glade of Trust. With the A Rift in Time DLC, you can also check The Docks, The Courtyard, The Overlook, and The Ruins.10 Hardwood – Can be found on the ground near trees throughout some biomes, including the Forest of Valor, Glade of Trust, Sunlit Plateau, and Frosted Heights. If you have the Wishblossom Ranch DLC, you can also find it throughout Pixie Acres.Six Clay – Can be found by digging in certain biomes, including the Glade of Trust, Sunlit Plateau, Forgotten Lands, and Pixie Acres.Four Glass – Can be crafted using five Sand and one Coal Ore. One Special Resin – Can be found inside Pocahontas's Yehakin. You must leave Moontide Island temporarily to grab it. It's sitting on the ground near the back right corner of her house, close to the drum. Screenshot by Destructoid This guide is a work in progress and is receiving live updates as we work through this quest. The post A Little Algae Problem quest walkthrough in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

VP, or Victory Points, is the main currency in Pokémon Champions, and you'll need to earn a lot of them. You'll need the currency for doing almost anything in the game, and you'll feel the pinch once you're a few hours in. Thankfully, there are some key ways to earn them in an efficient fashion. Best ways to farm VP in Pokémon Champions While this is not a farming method per se, your first task should be to complete all the available tutorials. This includes the advanced ones that teach you about concepts like Status Effects. Complete them, and you'll get a total of 20,000 VP without spending any real-life money. This is a nice boost to have at the start of your adventures. The initial fight tutorial grants you 10,000 VP. To get the rest, head to Training and then select Battle Tutorials. Some of them will offer VP, so you should complete those first. The others are also important, as you'll get free Mega Stones and other freebies. Complete the dailies without any failure. You need to complete any three of your preference, and you'll get a total of 500 VP. Do this daily over a month, and you'll have 15,000 VP in a month (assuming there are no changes to the rate).Log in five times in a week, and you'll get 2,000 VP (you can repeat this four times a month, earning 8,000 VP).Win ranked battles to get more VP every week. Winning games also fetches you more VP compared to losses, and that's also something to keep in mind.Other weeklies include tasks like completing Mega Evolutions, recruiting more Pokémon, etc. Screenshot by Destructoid There's another bonus way of obtaining more VP if you've Pokémon HOME installed. If you transfer a Pokémon from HOME to Champions, you'll get 3,000 VP. This is a one-time reward only, but it's another reward you won't want to miss out on. Finally, you'll get most of your VP by simply winning games. Even completing matches earns you VP, but winning gives you much more. Moreover, there's no daily or weekly cap on the amount of VP you can earn from Ranked games. Hence, you should aim to use the best possible Pokémon to increase the chances in your favor. The post How to get more VP fast in Pokémon Champions appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Gunzilla Games, the blockchain game development studio co-founded by Neill Blomkamp, hasn’t paid staff for “many months”, it’s been alleged. Gunzilla Games is the creator of NFT battle royale game Off The Grid, and blockchain platform Gunz. The studio has the backing of Hollywood director Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie), who is credited as co-founder and Chief Creative Officer on the company’s website. Paul Creamer, a VFX, cinematic and gameplay animator who joined Gunzilla in March 2025 and left a year later, has posted a message on his LinkedIn page claiming that he hasn’t paid by the company for months and isn’t the only one this has happened to. Read More... View the full article

The creative director of Samson has promised the team is "committed to the future" of the game despite launching to a 'Mixed' reception on Steam amid complaints about performance, gameplay, optimization, and more. Samson released just yesterday, April 8, and is currently the third-lowest-rated game of 2026 according to Metacritic, with a score a full 15 points lower than the beleaguered Highguard, which was taken offline just six weeks after launch. Steam reviews complain of broken car chases, input delays, issues with animation, and poor optimization, with one writing: "The combat is 9/10, but the optimization is a 4/10. Samson has amazing bones and the dynamic mechanics are a blast, but it's currently crying out for patches. Once the devs fix the graphical issues and stability, this will be an easy recommendation. Wait for an update before jumping in." Another reported: "Samson had the potential of being a pretty good noir action-adventure, but it’s currently a broken, repetitive grind." "It's just not good," added someone else. "The game feels heavily unfinished and extremely repetitive. The map is the size of a basketball court. The missions are the same things recycled over and over and over. The dialogue is very cringe and predictable. The driving is abysmal. Evading the police is just a chore because the game scans and plants cars in your routes that wouldn't be there without magical power. The combat can be cheesed simply by hitting the evade button over and over making it impossible for NPC to hit you. You can't car jack people in their vehicles, which makes no sense. Just wait for this game to be five bucks. Anything else is a personal evasion of your wallet." Now, in a letter posted to Steam, the founder of developer Liquid Swords and creative director, Christofer Sundberg — who also founded Just Cause studio, Avalanche — said the team had been "having a lot of fun watching folks have fun with the game," adding: "We released a game with flaws for a number of reasons." "Early impressions are mixed and many of you are experiencing game-breaking bugs and performance issues," Sundberg continued. "That’s unacceptable, and we are listening to everyone’s feedback and are hard at work to deliver the game we spent years of our lives developing. Launching a game is a ton of work and I'm proud of the effort our team has put into seeing Samson from its initial concept, through release. "We are committed to the future of both Samson and Tyndalston and this game will grow over time on all fronts; quality, gameplay and content. Thank you all for supporting us and sticking with us this super exciting launch day. We will continue to keep our ears to the ground and improve the game with your support." A patch, expected to release tomorrow, April 10, will address a number of key issues, including several performance and ****** fixes, as well as several fixes for "mission and progression related issues." Here's the full patch notes: Samson Update 1 patch notes: Performance Several performance fixes focusing on PSO related hitches (fixes stuttering related issues)Fixed some misses with SlateFixed landscape RayTracingDynamicGeometry missesbIgnoreMaskMateria & bRequireRTDynamicGeometryUpdate was not set correctly from landscape PSO precache dispatch since 5.7NaniteLumenCard & NaniteShading missesFixed PSO misses due to FStaticMeshComponentHelper::CollectPSOPrecacheDataImpl fetching materials from LOD levels depending on MinLOD even for Nanite-enabled meshes which will render with LOD 0 materials ****** fixes Several ****** fixes related to audio, animation and GPU****** fix for clearing UseDestructionHelp for vehicles with a timerFix for potential case where attempting to update a failed dispatch when losing warp governance could clear the callback lambda as it was being executed, causing a dangling this pointer and ******Fixed various audio-related crashes, including one when closing the gameAvoid race conditions caused by writes to bIsCachedRayTracingInstanceValid and bDynamicRayTracingInstanceCachedDataDirty from parallel tasksForce separate storage unit between ray tracing and non-ray tracing bitsForce separate storage unit between bIsCachedRayTracingInstanceValid and bDynamicRayTracingInstanceCachedDataDirty Mission Several fixes for mission and progression related issuesIce Fish – NPCs spawned in the Beatdown are no longer only Level 1Thrill of the Fight and Running on Fumes – now functional after save/continueSuzy Red no longer gets multiplied during "Stitches for Snitches" mission completionHit 16 (No Return Fare) – passenger now gets into the cab at the pickup locationDave Shultz Tailing Job – Dave now spawns close to player, avoiding near-instant fails for being too far awayStory Chapter – No Whisper Dealers – no beatdown triggers when eliminating enemies, preventing mission failureHot Iron – fixed issue where the fail radius for the reach dealer objective was too smallDay 3: Oonagh Welcome Home – call now comes after story mission Blood on Tap rather than Dirty Scripts General Gameplay Several fixes for gameplay related issuesNPC fall damage added as a failsafe for dropped NPCsDay 3 Pickups – raised interact range to allow easier pickup if an item is dropped under a bodyLet outsiders check if the driver can be pulled out of the vehicleFixed issues where enemies were not advancing towards you in group encountersFixed issues with AI running onto roads to inspect dead bodiesFixed issue where police siren sometimes did not work Polish Several updates for general polish across various parts of the gameFixed smoker alignment in Double Tap and Suzy'sFixed vehicle voicesAdded a dedicated "remote dialogue" bucket for voice lines without a visible speaker (e.g. phone calls or police radio chatter)Added separate dialogue buckets for police vehicles and remote dialogueFixed door kick spam[Audio] New day stinger now plays before dialogueIncreased volume for NPC vehiclesPrevented corpses from popping back up or being launched into the air after takedowns, hazards, or railing interactionsImproved lean-on-wall alignmentBlocked bark gestures or one-offs during ranged combatFixed Vivian holding a folder in the doctor's office instead of nothing[Audio] Added "outside vehicle" dialogue lines to NPC non-combat effortsFixed several grammatical errorsFixed missing translations Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

The Nintendo Switch Online classic games catalog has today been updated with three more titles, including arcade favorite Pac-Man. Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can access the three new (or rather, old) titles via the Nintendo Classics NES app now, and play Pac-Man, Mendel Palace and The Tower of Druaga. Pac-Man needs little introduction, as this is the classic experience from the yellow hero's arcade days. Chomp pellets, avoid ghosts, and gobble up Power Pellets to turn the tide. Should you risk getting all the fruit too? Yes, yes, you should. Prepare to be a-maze-d! #NintendoSwitchOnline members can now enjoy three more classic #NES games: PAC-MAN Mendel Palace THE TOWER OF DRUAGA [Hidden Content] — Nintendo *** (@NintendoUK) April 9, 2026 Mendel Palace, meanwhile, is a puzzle game originally released in 1989 by a small team known as Game Freak — yes, the same developer that would later go on to make Pokémon, a franchise you're more likely to have heard of. Mendel Palace is an unsurprisingly simpler affair, which asks you to flip panels to ward off enemies and activate special effects. Last but not least is The Tower of Druaga, the Namco action RPG originally released in arcades all the way back in 1984. Amusingly, the game has been described as a "fantasy Pac-Man", with knights, wizards and locked doors arranged in somewhat similar-looking mazes. Can you reach the tower's top? Anything take your fancy? If not, IGN has a full list of every other game already available via the Nintendo Switch Online classic game catalog, across every platform from Game Boy to GameCube. Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social View the full article

Valve, the company behind the popular digital distribution platform Steam, is reportedly working on an internal AI-powered tool called SteamGPT. This development is significant for the gaming community, particularly in the Middle East where Steam has a substantial user base. The primary goal of SteamGPT is to assist Valve’s support team in managing customer inquiries and enhance the anti-cheat system in Counter-Strike 2 (CS2). The introduction of SteamGPT is aimed at streamlining Valve’s customer support process. By leveraging AI capabilities, SteamGPT is designed to help address customer support tickets more efficiently, potentially reducing response times and improving the overall user experience. Additionally, SteamGPT will play a role in bolstering the anti-cheat measures in CS2, a move that aligns with Valve’s ongoing efforts to maintain a fair and secure gaming environment for its users. Implications for the Gaming Community The development of SteamGPT reflects Valve’s commitment to enhancing its services and ensuring that its platforms remain secure and user-friendly. For gamers in the Middle East, this could mean faster support responses and a more robust defense against cheating in games like CS2. While the specifics of SteamGPT’s capabilities and rollout schedule are not yet detailed, its potential impact on the gaming experience is noteworthy. The emergence of SteamGPT underscores the evolving role of AI in gaming and customer support. As Valve continues to develop and refine this tool, gamers can anticipate improvements in their interaction with Steam’s support systems and potentially a cleaner, more competitive environment in games that implement advanced anti-cheat technologies. View the full article

Pals in space, perhapsView the full article