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Stick with me, here. Mere hours after first playing FBC: Firebreak, I found myself mouth-to-dough with a delicious cream cake. Unfortunately, because I’m a clumsy bastard who can’t be trusted with anything nice, a dollop of that cream landed directly into my blood orange ********* and melted into it. I stared at the swirling momentarily and found myself transported back into the halls of the Federal Bureau of Control as I fired white hot bursts of liquid into the glowing red enemies that stalk its hallways. It’s this sort of twisted leap of logic that a trip to Remedy’s headquarters does to a brain. Remedy is a studio with an eclectic library of games – some are horror, others sci-fi or neo-noir detective fiction. But what I've always loved about the Alan Wake and Max Payne developer is that it's unafraid to be silly. Firebreak, the studio’s latest project and its first foray into both first-person shooting and co-op multiplayer action, is very silly. Over the course of a two-hour play session, I found time to both obliterate everyone around me with a murderous garden gnome and wage war against a 30-foot-high sticky note behemoth. All this was enough for me to be convinced that if anyone can stand out in the crowded, often very serious online shooter space, it's Remedy and its unique desire to inject the weird into everything it makes. Set six years after the events of Remedy’s 2019 single-player hit, Control, Firebreak’s setting of The Oldest House will be familiar to those who played through Jesse Faden’s story. Both the broad strokes and little touches remain, whether it be the severity of its brutalist pillars and walls or the Finnish folk music spilling out of its bathroom speakers, making for a comforting, if slightly uneasy, return. Firebreak tasks squads with reentering this X-Files-like government building to deal with localised outbreaks of the Hiss, Control’s inter-dimensional threat that embodies living and non-living entities alike. You, and up to two teammates, are essentially this universe's Ghostbusters, just armed with double-barreled shotguns instead of proton packs. The twist, though, is that here, crossing the streams is heavily encouraged. Let me explain. Outside of your standard arsenal of pistols and rifles, you can pick from three different “kits”. Essentially Firebreak’s classes, each kit aids the team in different ways, both offensively and defensively. The Fix Kit, for example, allows you to quickly mend machines such as ammo stations and healing showers (FBC employees top up their HP by getting drenched with water – I did say this was all very silly). The Splash Kit, meanwhile, arms you with a hydro cannon that can both restore teammates’ health bars and douse enemies in water. And finally, the Jump Kit comes with a short-range Electro-Kinetic Charge Impactor that can shock foes and stop them in their tracks. Each kit has its individual uses, but when combined, they conjure up devastating results – you can likely already imagine what sending a high-voltage bolt of electricity into a soaking wet mob might achieve. Although the whole game is playable solo, it’s clear that the intention is for three players to come together. Teamwork and communication are key in Firebreak, then, because although the whole game is playable solo, it’s clear that the intention is for three players to come together, especially when things really start to get hectic. All of FBC: Firebreak’s missions (known as jobs) ultimately use the same structure: get in, achieve your objectives, and then return to the elevator you entered the level in. My first assignment was simple: my team had to fix three faulty heat fans in the building’s furnace while dealing with waves of enemies before swiftly retreating back to the safety of the elevator. But as I said earlier, things get hectic. Up next was “Paper Chase”, a mission involving the destruction of thousands of scattered sticky notes, and it was an entirely different experience from our breezy fan maintenance job. Only once the target number of notes had been removed from the office floors and walls could we exit the area and claim victory. The problem was that hordes of Hiss would turn up at regular intervals to halt our progress, and the notes themselves could attach themselves to us and inflict damage. Never has the phrase “a death by a thousand paper cuts” been more appropriate. The evil notes could be destroyed by a simple melee attack, but they were much more efficiently disintegrated with a quick soak and spark - another smart use of Firebreak’s elemental kit systems. That kind of multiplayer synergy is supported by solid gunplay, so there’s always something you can do without relying on another player. I quickly honed in on the machine gun as my tool of destruction – I enjoyed mowing down glowing red ghouls, which satisfyingly burst into the oily haze synonymous with Control. The third mission took place in The Oldest House’s ****** Rock Quarry and required the most teamwork of the bunch. Shooting squelchy leeches from the cavernous walls grants you lethal radioactive pearls that need to be contained in a shuttle. Safely locked up, these can then be moved along a track to deeper areas of the quarry. It was the most challenging mission of the set, and really did stress the need for good communication. The need to take regular shower breaks to rinse off the radiation, droves of enemies, and instakill astral spike entities all hindered our progress. I did still manage to have fun, even if it got incredibly hectic at times. While I’m reasonably satisfied by the mission objectives, I do find myself torn when it comes to Firebreak’s approach to map design. In Control, The Oldest House was a devilish labyrinth of morphing corridors and secrets, but the map layouts here are less complicated. This is probably for the better, as tighter, more linear spaces make for a kinder area to navigate in first-person (even if with no minimap me and my teammates still got occasionally lost, despite their small size). But I do feel like the Federal Bureau of Control’s headquarters has lost some of its unpredictable charm as a result. Don’t necessarily go in here expecting something as wondrous as the Ashtray Maze, for example. Instead you’ll find simpler, more grounded surroundings. These missions may sound straightforward, but after completing them you unlock clearance levels for each, which add further objectives and result in much lengthier excursions. The maps open up on subsequent revisits, adding extra chambers of activity as well as more complex objectives and foes. Just like in Control, bosses gate your progress through certain areas, effectively causing a lockdown. These range from bullet sponges with drastically larger health bars to more interesting beasts like a giant sticky note monstrosity that slammed my team with its giant yellow fists. I found the latter far more exciting, as taking it down required the elements of communication and teamwork that I enjoy in co-op shooters. Part puzzle boss, part damage dealing, it reminded me of the final stretches of some of Space Marine 2's expeditions, where your brawn and shooter skills must occasionally make way for pockets of brainwork. These monsters made out of everyday objects are some of my favourite elements of Control, so I'm glad to see some of that weirdness make its way over here. This is further explored through randomly spawning corrupted items, none of which I sadly saw during my playtime, but they remain a tantalising prospect (a rubber duck that can redirect all enemies your away so others can focus on objectives did spawn, but due to its small size none of us found it - an unfortunate instance of readability that the development team assured us they're looking into fixing before launch). Another item detailed to me was a large set of traffic lights, where being caught in its red gaze can result in a heavy amount of damage coming your way, which effectively brings a dash of Squid Game colour to the otherwise grey brutalist surroundings. There are strong foundations here, but my small number of concerns all boil down to readability. It's these unreal Remedy flourishes that give Firebreak a chance to stand out from the crowd. They are further explored in your loadouts, too; completing missions grants you unlock tokens that can be used to acquire suitably zany new tools. These include ultimate abilities such as the Splash Kit’s Teapot that burns up any enemy unfortunate enough to collide with its superheated globules. Then there’s the Jump Kit’s erratic garden gnome, which conjures up a destructive electrical storm that strikes anyone in its zone. That ability, in particular, ensured chaos often reigned during my time with Firebreak. Most of the time it's good fun, with swarms of enemies destroyed through chaotic scrambling and juggling of abilities. Sometimes, though, there's just too much going on on screen and it all becomes a bit indecipherable. There are strong foundations here, but my small number of concerns all boil down to readability. Sometimes it’s unclear where you should be heading on the maps. Other times it’s working out how to avoid hosing your allies down with friendly fire damage, or picking out who exactly the boss is amidst a horde. There’s simply a lot going on here, and with bursts of colour popping off everywhere, it can be a little overwhelming when trying to play tactically and precisely. This is a concern I’m assured that the Firebreak devs are well aware of, though, and they plan to make active improvements to the shooter’s overall readability before its June 17 launch. Firebreak will feature five jobs at release, with two more promised before the end of 2025. That may not seem like very many, but game director Mike Kayatta tells me that Remedy considers them “more like game modes” than missions. I can see that, with each offering replayability and depth due to their multiple clearance levels and evolving objectives. Combined with the fact that it will cost $39.99 / €39.99 / £32.99 (as well as being included on both Game Pass and PlayStation Plus), I think there’s enough value in here to keep both Control veterans and new fans looking for a fun shooter entertained for many hours. The always online co-op shooter road is a daunting one for any developer to choose to walk right now. But after playing Firebreak, I’m confident that there’s a strong foundation here, and when combined with injections of Remedy’s unique quirky personality I think it can carve its own niche in the space. Much like that dollop of cream carved its own space in my *********. I still drank it all. Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

It's hard to believe that Control is nearly six years old. It left an indelible mark on the gaming industry and helped propel Remedy Entertainment further into the spotlight. Alongside Alan Wake, the studio seems to have another major IP to keep returning to. Enter FBC: Firebreak. View the full article

Sandisk has launched its brand-new WD ****** SN8100 SSD, boasting to be the "world's fastest" Gen 5 gaming drive.View the full article

Rift Riff is all about jumping through portals (okay Rifts, whatever) and extracting precious juice. Monsters don't like you doing that though but the juice must flow. It's out now with Native Linux support. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Sony is reportedly considering increasing the price of the PS5 in response to US tariffs on foreign countries, especially impacting technology sectors. In addition, the company is also weighing-up the possibility of manufacturing consoles in the USA, in order to avoid the fiscal burdens tariffs apply. Read more View the full article

I’ve seen new Genshin Impact 5.7 leaks, and I’m convinced I know what element Dainsleif will use once his playable version is released, if it ever comes out. Version 5.7 is the next big patch for HoYoverse’****** action RPG, though it is still a few weeks away as Version 5.6 has just commenced. However, the Version 5.7 beta tests have also started, and, with them, a series of leaks about the update’s contents are starting to emerge. So far, the leaks have revealed details like the character banners in Genshin Impact 5.7, which contain new units and anticipated reruns. View the full article

For the next few days, trainers in Pokémon Go have the chance to take part in another time-limited event, with this one being themed around Team GO Rocket and Shadow Raids, which from now on will be remotely raidable forever. On top of the debut of Shiny Dilage, there are a host of research tasks and other things to do before the event ends on May 18, midnight local time, including fighting Team Go Rocket, which will appear more frequently at Pokéstops and in balloons. You can also use Charged TM to help a Shadow Pokémon forget Frustration during this event window, giving it another move with all of the Shadow Pokémon benefits. Here is a full list of all the new stuff you can look forward to seeing this time around. New Shadow Pokémon In EventPokémonCan it be Shiny?DialgaYesSlakothYesVigorothYesSlakingYesInkayYesMalamarYesTyruntYesTyrantrumYesAmauraYesAurorusYesEvent-Specific Raid BattlesPokémonRaid RankCan it be Shiny?MagnemiteShadow ☆YesCyndaquilShadow ☆YesMurkrowShadow ☆YesSpoinkShadow ☆YesLaprasShadow ☆☆☆YesPiloswineShadow ☆☆☆NoGurdurrShadow ☆☆☆NoCrown Clash: Taken Over Premium Timed ResearchTaskRewardCompletion RewardExplore 1kmhttps://www.serebii.net/pokemongo/pokemon/079.shtmlSlowpoke Encounterhttps://www.serebii.net/pokemongo/pokemon/031.shtmlNidoqueen Encounter, Premium Battle PassCatch 15 Pokémon[Hidden Content] EncounterDefeat 3 Team GO Rocket membershttps://www.serebii.net/pokemongo/pokemon/495.shtmlSnivy EncounterPurify Shadow Pokémonhttps://www.serebii.net/pokemongo/pokemon/624.shtmlPawniard Encounter2 / 2Explore 1kmhttps://www.serebii.net/pokemongo/pokemon/287.shtmlSlakoth Encounterhttps://www.serebii.net/pokemongo/pokemon/034.shtmlNidoking Encounter, Premium Battle Pass, Super Rocket Radar Catch 15 Pokémon[Hidden Content] EncounterDefeat 3 Team GO Rocket membershttps://www.serebii.net/pokemongo/pokemon/393.shtmlPiplup EncounterPurify Shadow Pokémonhttps://www.serebii.net/pokemongo/pokemon/624.shtmlPawniard EncounterCrown Clash: Taken Over Special Research TaskRewardCompletion RewardCatch 15 PokémonPinap Berry x51500 XP, Stardust x500, [Hidden Content] EncounterPurify 2 Shadow PokémonPoke Ball x10Defeat 3 Team GO Rocket GruntsMysterious Component x12 / 5Catch 20 PokémonPinap Berry x52000 XP, Stardust x1000, [Hidden Content] EncounterPurify 5 PokémonGreat Ball x10Defeat 6 Team GO Rocket GruntsMysterious Component x33 / 5Defeat Team GO Rocket Leader Arlo2500 XP2500 XP, Stardust x1500, Super Rocket RadarDefeat Team GO Rocket Leader Cliff2500 XPDefeat Team GO Rocket Leader Sierra2500 XP4 / 5Find the Team GO Rocket BossHyper Potion x103000 XP, Stardust x2000, Pawniard EncounterBattle the Team GO Rocket BossUltra Ball x10Defeat the Team GO Rocket BossMax Revive x65 / 5Claim RewardStardust x15006000 XP, Stardust x5000, Fast TM x3Claim RewardStardust x1500Claim RewardStardust x1500Team GO Rocket Boss Pokémon TeamPokémon 1Pokémon 2Pokémon 3PersianNidoking Kangaskhan RhyperiorDialga The post Crown Class: Taken Over event guide – Timed Research, Exclusives, and more appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Roblox Absolvement races are relatively balanced against each other and all of them can be good. However, there are still more flexible and better race options for a wider variety of builds and some just offer better buffs or more forgiving debuffs. Here's my Absolvement race tier list and guide. Table of contentsAll Absolvement Races RankedS-Tier Absolvement RacesA-Tier Absolvement RacesB-Tier Absolvement RacesC-Tier Absolvement RacesBest Race in Absolvement - Quick GuideHow to Change Race in AbsolvementAll Absolvement Races Ranked Image via Destructoid Since the testing *******, Roblox Absolvement race usefulness and power is determined by how flexible and powerful their buffs are for different builds. Also, how forgiving or negligible their debuffs are. They are mostly balanced out on paper, but in reality some are just better for a wider variety of builds. That's why I personally don't prefer Harmonite because you can't make interesting builds around them since they're a jack-of-all-trades master-of-none. Let's dive into ranking explanations and mini-guides for each race. S-Tier Absolvement RacesRaceRanking ExplanationRace Stats CraggCragg is universally the most useful race in the game for raw defense without any experience needed. They don't deal the most damage since they don't have Skill specific damage boosts but you won't have to worry much about your HP. The walkspeed and mana regen debuffs make kiting harder but not game breaking. Overall, you'll always be pretty happy with Cragg on all builds unless you're going Poison or Shadow (Check A-Tier if you are).Buffs: • +12.5% Max Health • +10% Global Damage Resistance Debuffs: • –10% Mana Regeneration Speed • –15% Walk speed KatiyrSpeaking of kiting, Katiyr are the best at it so this is also another form of defense. Their movement speed buff and lower roll cooldowns make them perfect for players who struggle to kite. Like Cragg they're useful for any build and this flexibility and power buffs make them S-Tier. The lower resistances are almost neglibile.Buffs • +15% Walk speed • +20% Faster Roll Cooldown Debuffs: • –15% Water Resistance • –10% Disease Resistance FacadeFacade are S-Tier only if you're tanking and are skilled at avoiding other damage types apart from the one you're tanking. You can reach up to 50% damage reduction from a single element but if another damage type hits you, you take more damage. If you can master tanking then Facade are one of the most powerful races in the game.• Buffs: • +15% Holy Damage • When you take damage from a single damage type, take progressively less damage from that type (Up to 50%) Debuffs: • When your damage reduction buff is active, if you take damage from another damage type, you take 10% more damage from that new damage type • +10% Skill Cooldown Time A-Tier Absolvement RacesRaceRanking ExplanationRace Stats VoidtouchedThe A-Tier is mostly about powerful races with specific builds and we start of with the best race for a Shadow skill build, the Voidtouched. These guys are a sort of glass cannon with Shadow damage and the Mana Cost reduction makes low-cost skills amazing for spamming. One of the two best damage races in the game.Buffs: • +20% Shadow Damage • –1 Mana Cost of Skills • +8% Crit Damage Debuffs: • –10% Max Health AranaeAranae are similar to Void Touched and also quite powerful but they're all about Poison damage with increased attack speed. They're also kind of like glass cannons since you'll have to watch out for stuns since they last longer on you. Overall, Voidtouched and Aranae are the same power level and potential with their respective Skill trees. One of the two best damage races in the game.Buffs: • +20% Poison Damage • +10% Attack Speed Debuffs: • –2.5% Global Damage Resistance • Stuns on you last 25% longer GelidiumWhile you do take more damage from Fire, you have amazing kiting potential since you slow down enemies that hit you. Plus that stun reduction is amazing in the mid to late game. More of a defensive option whereas Voidtouched and Aranae are more offensive. That said, Cragg and Facade are better defensive options.Buffs: • –25% Stun Duration • When you take damage from an enemy, they lose 30% of their movement speed for 5 seconds Debuffs: • –25% Fire Resistance • –5% Global Damage Dealt B-Tier Absolvement RacesRaceRanking ExplanationRace Stats CalvarCalvar are the best race in the game against damage-over-time effects but that's quite situational and not as powerful as you think. Still, it's a nice defensive buff but if we're talking B-Tier races I prefer Kix'xm.Buffs: • +30% Disease Resistance • +30% Poison Resistance • +30% Bleed Resistance Debuffs: • –15% Regeneration Speed • –5% Global Healing Received Kix'xmOne of the best support-oriented races since that Mana Regeneration speed goes a long way for healing and support skills. It's also universally pretty decent for all builds so it's my favorite B-Tier race and I might put it in A-Tier if it had just one more universal buff.Buffs: • +15% Mana Regeneration Speed • +20% Nature Resistance Debuffs: • –10% Fire and Frost Resistance • Debuffs on you last 25% longer FeriunThe increase to your mana pool is pretty good but overall the race is quite niche and doesn't offer anything noteworthy besides being able to cast a few more cheaper skills while at max mana.Buffs: • +25% Fire Resistance • +7 Mana Debuffs: • –25% Frost Resistance • –10% Holy Resistance C-Tier Absolvement RacesRaceRanking ExplanationRace Stats HarmoniteHarmonite is by no means a weak race to play. The fact that you get no debuffs is a buff in itself. I just put it in C-Tier because they don't have any potential for great DPS of utility builds since they're bland. If you like oatmeal by all means go ahead but Harmonite isn't a master of anything and therefore turns out pretty mid.• No debuffs • No buffs Best Race in Absolvement - Quick Guide Above we go in detail for every race in Absolvement but if you just want a quick run down of the best races here's one: Best races for damage: Voidtouched (Shadow) and Aranae (Poison).Best race for defense: Cragg and Facadae.Best utility races: Katiyr (Movement speed) and Gelidium (Kiting enemies). How to Change Race in Absolvement Unfortunately, you cannot change your race in Absolvement after character creation. Once you lock in your choice when making your character for each slot, you cannot change it in-game. That's why I would consider the tier list above and all the race options depending on what you want to build. If you want to build Shadow go Voidtouched, for Poison go Aranae, for general usefulness go Cragg or Katiyr, etc. That's it for our Absolvement Race tier list and guide. Stay tuned to our Absolvement Codes page for upcoming free goodies on launch. The post Ultimate Absolvement Race Tier List and Guide appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Many of the Star Path duties you'll come across in Disney Dreamlight Valley are designed to test your Disney knowledge. One of these tasks asks you to give any restaurateur in the valley their favorite gifts. This duty may seem tricky if you're not sure who qualifies as a restaurateur. It's not a term that's been used to describe any villagers before, so it's entirely up to you to make the right connection for it. It can be decently tough to solve, so here's how to give any restaurateur in the valley their favorite gifts in Disney Dreamlight Valley. Table of contentsWho are the restaurateurs in Disney Dreamlight Valley?Give any restaurateur in the valley their favorite gifts in Disney Dreamlight ValleyWho are the restaurateurs in Disney Dreamlight Valley? Screenshot by Destructoid The restaurateurs are Tiana and Remy in DDV. This phrase refers to individuals who own restaurants, and in DDV, there are only two characters who fit this title. Tiana runs Tiana's Palace while Remy can be found running Chez Remy. A few characters around the valley run food and drink stalls, so you might be tempted to consider them for this quest too. Gaston runs a meat stall and Mulan runs a tea stall, but neither of these is an actual restaurant, so they don't count for the purposes of this task. Give any restaurateur in the valley their favorite gifts in Disney Dreamlight Valley To complete the give any restaurateur in the valley their favorite gifts quest for the Garden of Whimsy Star Path event, you need to give Tiana and Remy 10 of their favorite items of the day. You can give all 10 gifts to only one of the two characters or give some to both. The process can be broken up however you like, as long as a total of 10 favorite items are gifted to these two villagers. Remy and Tiana only have three requested items per day, so it takes a minimum of two days to finish this task. Some other Star Path event duties, like the one that asks you to give gifts to a blonde, allow you to gift any items to make progress. This quest specifically includes the word "favorite," though, so only presents requested by Tiana and Remy count. There are two different methods you can use to find out what these characters want. Talk to Tiana or Remy and select the "I have something to give you!" option. Your inventory opens when you say this, and all three items requested by the character you're chatting with are displayed in the bottom right corner. If you don't already have the items they want, just back out of the conversation to go get them. Open the Collection page and navigate to the Characters tab. Hover over Tiana in The Princess and the Frog section or Remy in the Ratatouille section to see their three preferred items for the day. Giving Tiana and Remy a total of 10 gifts gets you 20 Tokens to spend in the Star Path event. It's a pretty decent amount for the effort you put in, so it's certainly worth getting done. You may need more Tokens to get the reward you're after, though, so consider finishing some more duties like mining for square Gems, chatting with a curious young villager, and digging up a root vegetable with many eyes. The post How to give any restaurateur in the valley their favorite gifts in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Here's a great opportunity to bag yourself a speedy DDR5 gaming RAM upgrade for under $100, while also getting a fancy RGB lightshow behind your PC case window. You can currently get a 32GB (2 x 16GB) 6,400MT/s Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 RAM kit for just $95.99, saving you 20% on the usual price, which is a bargain for the speed on offer. We were impressed by this memory in our Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 review, particularly thanks to the flexibility of the RGB lighting, which features ten individually-controllable LEDs that you can customize using the excellent Corsair iCUE software package, as well as the modules' relatively low profile. This memory is one of the best gaming RAM kits you can buy today, so it's great to be able to get it for a cheap price. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Save a massive $70 on my favorite gaming keyboard, the Corsair K70, but be quick Save a massive $60 on this superb Corsair wireless gaming mouse Grab this awesome Corsair K70 Pro Mini gaming keyboard for less than half price View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Prepare to defend the very Heart of DemocracyView the full article

Marvel Rivals has announced that it will be bringing back the Season 0 battle pass for a limited time from May 15 through May 29, which has surprised and delighted a large portion of the community. Season 2 of Marvel Rivals is well underway, and many players are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the villain Ultron as a playable character. While there's no release date for the villain yet, he is confirmed to be a Strategist that will appear alongside a major mid-season update. View the full article

Sony has forecast an operating income of 1.38 trillion yen ($9.4 billion) for the current fiscal year. That's an 8% year-on-year increase, but there was a caveat: US tariffs on ******** goods could reduce the figure by 100 billion yen, or around $680 million, which would leave profit growth flat. Read Entire Article View the full article

Details from 89 million Steam accounts have reportedly gone up for ***** on the dark web. Since RPS's dedicated tech team have just informed me that the dark web is not the thing you get when you click 'incognito tab' and is actually potentially much scarier than that, you might want to consider changing your password. Or maybe not. As I say, it's all alleged at this point. Read more View the full article

Hold me closer, ****** blasterView the full article

No more "trippy" visual glitchesView the full article

Eagle-eyed Helldivers 2 fans have spotted what looks like a leak from PlayStation that suggests players will end up fighting back against the Illuminate on the streets of Super Earth. This week, developer Arrowhead launched the full Illuminate invasion, adding new enemy types in the process. The in-universe wording of the invasion suggested the Illuminate were heading straight for Super Earth, and now a leak coming out of the official Czech Republic Threads account suggests that the Illuminate will not only make it to our home planet, but we’ll have to fight them off there. Redditor xTekshi spotted the now-deleted post, which spoke of a "Heart of Democracy" update coming on May 20. While Heart of Democracy is referenced in the official working around this week’s update, neither Sony nor Arrowhead have confirmed it in relation to a May 20 release. Adding further fuel to the fire is the fact a May 20 release would fit with the timing of the end of the current Major Order. Official Playstation account for the Czech Republic dropped info on the next title update. "Heart of Democracy" - May 20th#Helldivers2 [Hidden Content] — IronS1ghts (@Iron_S1ghts) May 13, 2025 This all feels pretty much inevitable, and that’s the wording Sony and Arrowhead have used for this update (“High Command believes this Fleet's ultimate objective to be the invasion of Super Earth itself” and “Battle on Super Earth is inevitable”). So, fans think the Czech account accidentally leaked Helldivers 2’s next major update, and with it plans to fight on Super Earth itself. If true, this would be a significant upgrade for the explosive third-person action game, which currently includes alien planet maps only. Playing on Super Earth would certainly offer something different. Warning! Spoilers for Helldivers 2 follow: Now, in a recent development, gameplay of Super Earth Mega Cities has leaked online, via social media account IronS1ghts and their YouTube channel. The gameplay shows Super Earth as a destination in Helldivers 2. You’re able to choose from a variety of city missions, as you can on other planets (“York Supreme” is a city in North America). On the surface we see future Earth urban areas, with the Illuminate invasion ongoing. SEAF (the equivalent of the national guard or militia) soldiers are fighting alongside the Helldivers. For me, this reminds me a lot of Halo 3: ODST, with the Covenant invading Earth. How is this gameplay possible? Apparently the Super Earth content is in the Helldivers 2 game files already, waiting to launch. While we wait for an official announcement, check out the details of this week’s update. 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

The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Hogwarts Legacy will include sharper visuals, faster loading times, and make use of those all-new mouse controls, too. As demonstrated in an all-new comparisons teaser trailer, while players of the original game had to sit through loading screens when players moved in or out of Hogsmeade, the Switch 2 version enables players to transition seamlessly from area to area. That's not all, either. Playing on the Nintendo Switch 2 also boosts frame rate, textures, shadows, and even the color saturation of Hogwarts and its surroundings — you can see it for yourself in the trailer below: As for mouse controls? We're intrigued, too. For now, though, developer Warner Bros. isn't ready to expand on that, but we wonder if the new mouse functionality could be used while spell-casting perhaps. Much like other Switch 1 games, players with Hogwarts Legacy on the OG system will be able to upgrade to the new, improved version for $10. Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, action, open-world role-playing-game set in the 1800s wizarding world. Beginning as a fifth year, players embark on a journey through new and familiar locations, explore and discover magical beasts, craft potions, master spell casting, upgrade talents, and customize their character to become the witch or wizard they've always wanted to be. It's coming to Nintendo Switch 2 the same day the console releases, June 5. We had an amazing time with Hogwarts Legacy, awarding it 9/10 in the IGN Hogwart's Legacy review, writing: "in almost every way, Hogwarts Legacy is the Harry Potter RPG [we've] always wanted to play." Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

We've all had a bit of time to digest GTA 6's second trailer now, so naturally a fan's had a go at re-creating it in GTA 5 for laughs. Cool. Nice. Oh, wait, their otherwise pretty funny video of Michael and Trevor filling in for Jason and Lucia features voices and a cover of Hot Together that sound suspiciously AI-ish. Read more View the full article

The founder of gaming accessibility charity AbleGamers has been accused of abuse and financial mismanagement. Speaking to IGN, former employees who worked at AbleGamers alleged multiple instances of sexist and emotionally abusive behavior, financial mismanagement, as well as aggressive, racist, and inappropriate remarks by founder Mark Barlet. Barlet denies the allegations. Read more View the full article

A Switch 2 release could help make the RPG even more of a hitView the full article

Steam is one of the most popular platforms on PC, but it’s also been among the most secure. Unfortunately, it looks like one vendor that Valve may have worked with at some point has suffered a data breach, which has compromised the credentials of over 89 million users. Read more View the full article

Speedy fender-bender 'em up Wreckfest 2 has added two new cars to its roster of smashmobiles alongside two new tracks, including one track from the first game that's been given a "makeover". The racing game is still in earliest of access, so this only brings the total number of vehicles up to six, and the selection of tracks is still limited too. But it's the start of what developers Bugbear see as steady progress, with more cars and courses set to come next month. Read more View the full article

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 is set to release on July 11, and as we crawl closer to a release date more skaters are being added to the lineup. We've even seen a couple of secret skaters get confirmed now too, giving you all the more reason to test your skating abilities in timed challenges around a variety of different locations to try and unlock them... Read more.View the full article

Thomas "GloriousEggroll" Crider has released GE-Proton 10-1 bringing over all the changes from Proton 10 Beta to this community-made compatibility layer, along with lots of specific game fixes for Linux / SteamOS + Steam Deck. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article