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With only compass directions to use, you may find yourself going in circles in Welcome To The Dark Place. If you ever want to leave whatever hellscape you've accidentally landed in, then you've got to pay attention to where you're going. With only words and audio to make sense of your surroundings, understanding the layout of the Dark Place will help you activate the Dragon and return to the Cloud in no time. Here is our map of Welcome To The Dark Place. We hope it helps. Welcome To The Dark Place: Locations and key items Image by Destructoid Unless you've got an excellent memory that can recall every step and direction you take in Welcome To The Dark Place's complicated Forest, it's almost guaranteed that you'll forget where key locations are. Thankfully, the Dark Place actually holds its shape, almost in a grid-like design woven into the Forest trees. No matter how many times you fall from the Cloud, everything you read and hear will appear in the same exact position. Some locations must be visited in a particular order, especially if you want to see everything (or more accurately, read everything). Below, we'll detail where you can find all locations in Welcome To The Dark Place, if there are puzzles/riddles, what key items you can pick up there, and whether that particular location houses an ending. This article is a work in progress. We're looking to fill in the gaps on our map and table as we discover more. Join us in our journey through The Dark Place and let us know in the comments about any exciting locations you've found that we may have missed. PlaceLocation (direction)Key items/puzzles/riddlesThe CloudStarting pointRules of The Dark Place.Tree with holeNorth of starting pointEnding.Bleeding treeEast then north of starting point-StreamNorthwest-Telephone BoothFar northwestPuzzle (requires Coin).ChurchSouth from Telephone Booth (follow the cable)CoinLampNortheastPuzzle.DocksWestShed Key.Shine LakeWest-Tall buildingWest then southMedicine.HoleSouth then east The Undergoing.HouseSoutheastBasement Key and Car Key.LawnmowerSouth (near Mailbox)-MailboxSouthVacuum Tube or ending.SwingSouth (near Mailbox)Undergoing.ChairSoutheastDon't trust chair (ending).Telephone lineSouthwest-Cement buildingSouth then eastDragon and Fuses.FactorySouthwest perimeter-Craggy MazeSouthern perimeter-Mango villageEast from Corn FieldEnding.Corn fieldEast-DinerWest of north Corn Field-Parking lotSouth of Diner-Post OfficeSouth of Parking lot-DaggerSoutheast from RainforestEnding.Paper HouseSouth of Dagger (follow Train Tracks)-CottageEast of Dagger-Spike fieldFar northeast-RainforestNortheast perimeter-Savanna and DesertSpanning across the north-eastern perimeter, above Rainforest-Dusk/HorizonPerimeter of Dark PlaceEnding.DimloseWest of Savanna and east of ChasmEnding.BenchBetween Dimlose and Savanna-WaterfallWest of Bench-TunnelNortheastRequires key item to navigate (Lighter?)Mine fieldNortheastSudden ending.Bear trapSoutheastSudden ending.Toy BoxSouthwestEnding.BloodNorthwestSudden ending (if you fail the encounter).ChasmFar northEndings.Library (red brick building)Northwest of ChasmShotgun and ending.Train PlatformNorthwest perimeter-CaveAcross Chasm bridgePuzzle.LighthouseSouth-west from ChasmRiddle and ending.WagonWest from ChasmEnding.CampsiteNorth-west (follow the smoke)-MansionNorth off dirt path, west of CampsiteEndings, Gloves, and Gold Key.SwampFar westEnding and Log Cabin.Large BuildingNorthwest from SwampRooftop access (needs Ladder Key).SupermarketSouth from Large BuildingYellow Dice and Ladder Key.Millington GroveSouthwest-Picnic TableSouthwest-FactorySouthern perimeter-HighwaySouthwest perimeterEnding.Fake picnicSoutheast perimeter- Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post Welcome To The Dark Place map: All key locations and items appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

ARC Raiders will receive several "*******" updates before the end of 2025, Embark Studios said. The promise was offered as part of a broader teaser of the developer's "ambitious" post-launch plans for the game, which will soon be formalized in the form of a proper ARC Raiders content roadmap. View the full article

Escape From Duckov might look like a goofy riff on Escape From Tarkov, and that's because it is one. But it's also a righteous way to breathe in the extraction shooter hype without all the hardcore PvP, and players are flocking to give it a shot. Today on Oct. 26, that number hit a screaming high of over 300,000 simultaneous players, according to SteamDB... Read more.View the full article

We've rounded up the best deals for Saturday, October 25, below, so don't miss out on these limited-time offers. Save $10 Off Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was one of 2025's most anticipated games for many, as it marks a major return to the MGS franchise for Konami. This weekend, you can save $10 off the release for either PS5 or Xbox Series X. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, "Between its old-school stealth-action gameplay and engaging spy-thriller story, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater largely succeeds as a faithful, visually impressive remake of the 2004 classic." NBA 2K26 for $49.94 NBA 2K26 is on ***** this weekend for $49.94, just in time for the start of the NBA season. Play kicked off this week with the OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets, and if you haven't yet picked up 2K26, this deal can make every day game day. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Ball Over Everything” is a fitting description for NBA 2K26. The smooth on-court action is better than ever and MyCareer’s excellent started-from-the-bottom journey to the pros story make it so the imperfections are easier to ignore." Save on Xbox Ally X Best Buy has open box models of the ROG Xbox Ally X already on *****, allowing you to save on this brand new device. The Xbox Ally X is an excellent choice if you're looking to take your Xbox experience with you wherever you go, as you can instantly access your library and Xbox Game Pass with the press of a button. Alan Wake 2 for $39.88 Alan Wake 2 is one of the best games of the last decade for many reasons, and the Deluxe Edition is the perfect way to dive in. This package includes the base game, the two DLC expansions, and deluxe cosmetics. If you're keen on adding this beloved game to your collection, this weekend is a great time to do so. Madden NFL 26 for $49.94 PlayStation 5 copies of Madden NFL 26 are available for $49.94 this weekend at Amazon. This latest entry brings new updates that make a noticeable difference, particularly when compared to entries of the last few years. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, "There’s always room for improvement, but it’s hard to overstate what a leap Madden NFL 26 feels like both on and off the field." Apple AirTag 4-Pack for $64.99 Apple AirTags are some of the best products out there for numerous reasons. While they aren't necessarily exciting, AirTags can make your life so much easier. Throw one in your luggage, backpack, or even Nintendo Switch 2 case for easy tracking. Logitech G502 Gaming Mouse for $37.99 The Logitech G502 Gaming Mouse has been around for a long while, but it's still one my favorite gaming mice on the market. Some of its best features include a Hero 25K sensor, an adjustable weight system, mechanical switch button tensioning, and a total of 11 customizable buttons. This is an amazing mouse for competitive games, single player games, and even just daily web browsing. Save $30 Off Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 This weekend, you can score Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 for $39.99. You can play solo or with two friends in three player co-op. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, "Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 may not break the third-person shooter mold, but it looks amazing, makes good use of its Warhammer lore, and has brutal combat that just feels great." Save 50% Off the Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Power Station There is nothing worse than losing power due to a storm or outage at a critical moment. A full backup generator can be very expensive to install, but Anker has a portable solution on ***** this weekend for $397.99. The SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Power Station has a 2,000W power output, which is perfect to set up as a UPS. With 100% battery available in under one hour of charging, this can be a game-changing device to your home. Logitech G515 Lightspeed Gaming Keyboard for $109.99 This weekend, you can score the Logitech G515 Lightspeed Gaming Keyboard for $109.99 - that's 31% off the MSRP! This TKL keyboard is quite slim, making it fit into any setup with ease. The Red Linear switches with double-shot PBT caps offer durability and performance, with a 1.3mm actuation distance. View the full article

The simplicity of men seems to be such a captivating thought that merely giving people the chance to play as a beer-chugging, chain-smoking dad is enough to spawn a phenomenon. And when you make that co-op and add some mundane tasks to the mix, you get RV There Yet. Which is now, unsurprisingly, one of the most played games on Steam, having crossed over 100,000 concurrent players as of this article (thanks SteamDB). It's a worldwide comedic fest, allowing up to four players to speak to the middle-aged dad within them and go around driving a semi-functional RV, getting bitten by snakes, cracking open a cold one (or few, probably many), and solving issues that unerringly crop up every time you want to have some fun. The game almost invites you to make up a problem just so you can solve it. Screenshot via Nuggets Entertainment But problem-solving is part of the dad routine. A flat tire, a truck stuck in a pit, venom coursing through your veins, the procurement of alcohol, a cabin that needs fixing. All of these, and many other issues, come as part of the dad package, and really shine through RV There Yet and its laidback, colorful, and entirely unserious art style. The game doesn't even have much of a gameplay loop. There's no ultimate goal, at least not an apparent one, because taking in the moment and pulling a drag from last night's stogie smoldering in the tray is more than enough. You're there with your pals, out in the wilderness, trying to make the most of life, because life, as we all know, is all about the little things. Sure, I didn't have as much fun in it as when I was building cabins and shelters in Sons of the Forest, but it did let me communicate with that part of any man that just wants to hang with his friends watching a big boulder stumble down a hill, and unanimously exclaiming: "Hell yeah!," when it splashes into the river below. It's that kind of game, really, and no wonder it's attracted so many people thus far. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post A game following a group of dads in an RV hits huge numbers on Steam, because life is all about the little things appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The Max 88 Base Hero Upgrade SBC is now live in FC 26, and you can secure a brand new Hero item for your Ultimate Team squad. While similar in nature to past SBCs, the Max 88 Base Hero Upgrade SBC offers better rewards. EA Sports has included the 88-rated Hero items into the reward pool for the first time. Let's look at all the possible cards that you can obtain before investing your hard-earned fodder towards completing the challenge. Complete list of FC 26 Max 88 Base Hero Upgrade SBC The Max 88 Base Hero Upgrade SBC includes Base Hero cards rated up to an overall of 88. The list starts from cards rated 85, which are essentially items that you'll want to avoid. Gervinho LW 85Peter Crouch ST 85Victor Ibarbo RW 85Clint Dempsey CAM 85Noor CAM 85Al Owairan RW 85Tim Howard GK 85Doumbia ST 85DaMarcus Beasley LM 85Tim Cahill ST 85Alex Scott RB 85Joan Capdevilla LB 86Jerzy Dudek GK 86Ramires CDM 86Williams CM 86Ludovic Giuly RM 86Ledley King CB 86AL Jaber ST 86Sonya Bompastor LB 86Risse LB 86Dirk Kuyt CAM 86Blaise Matuidi CDM 86Guti CM 86Smolarek ST 86Govou ST 86Solkskjaer ST 86Ljunberg LM 86Jaie Carragher CB 86Robbie Keane ST 86Park Ji Sung LM 86Tomas Rosicky CAM 86Kanu ST 86Landon Donovan CAM 86Dimitar Berbatov ST 87Campos GK 87Hidatoshi Nakata CAM 87Stephen McManaman RM 87Thomas Brolin ST 87Ivan Cordoba CB 87Harry Kewell LW 87Rui Costa CAM 87Georges CB 87Joe Cole RW 87Ze Roberto LM 87Claudio Marchisio CM 87Japp Stam CB 87Marek Hamsik CAM 87Yaya Toure CDM 87Javier Mascherano CB 88Rafa Marquez CB 88Jerry Litmanen CAM 88Gabriel Milito ST 88Nadine Kessler CM 88Jay-Jay Okocha CAM 88Fiego Forlan ST 88Carlos Tevez ST 88Maicon RB 88Paulo Futre LW 88Mario Gomez ST 88Wesley Sneijder CAM 88Ricardo Carvalho CB 88Enzo Fracescoli CAM 88Antonio Di Natale ST 88Bixente Lizarazu LB 88Vincent Kompany CB 88Eden Hazard LM 88 Several cards in the reward pool aren't worth the price of completing the challenge. Only attempt the SBC if you have disposable fodder available in your card, and you're willing to take the risk. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post All FC 26 Max 88 Base Hero Upgrade SBC rewards appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The Pending Connection Failure error can be a frustrating experience for RV There Yet players if you're playing with your friends. Typically, the indie title is best played with friends, with one of you acting as the host. If you or any of your friends see the Pending Connection Failure error, you will be disconnected immediately. Let's look at how you can avoid the problem in the first place. RV There Yet Pending Connection Failure error fix The Pending Connection Failure error typically pops up when you're at a party and playing with your buddies. The error will usually occur when you can't connect to the servers, but it can also appear if the host has lost their connection. Typically, one of your party members will have to host a game that you can join. RV There Yet supports parties of up to four players. If the host loses connection with the server, the session will end for all of you. In return, you'll get the Pending Connection Failure error pop-up on all of your screens. Screenshot by Destructoid The best way to avoid the problem is to ensure that neither you nor the game host loses their connection. I haven't found a viable way to rejoin the servers once you get this error. The only alternative is to start a fresh round and invite your friends to play. If you're repeatedly getting this error while starting a fresh round, chances are that your game is missing certain key files. Open the game's Properties menu in the Steam Library, then run an integrity check. This will automatically download any missing file that's vital for RV There Yet to run properly. Hopefully, you won't see any false cases of Pending Connection Failure once you have fixed the missing files. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post How to solve Pending Connection Failure error in RV There Yet appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The post-apocalyptic lands in Misery have plenty of artifacts for you to find and equip, and all of them have mysterious effects. Artifacts in Misery act as magical items with unique effects. This includes stat boosts and other valuable attributes that can help you survive the hazards and dangers of the wastelands. This guide will help you figure out all the artifacts and their in-game effects, along with how you can find them. All artifacts in Misery The table below has information about every artifact and how they work in Misery. ArtifactProsConsCalculatorProvides increased Stamina, which is tied to performing any kind of action. You'll move quicker, fight harder, and survive stronger enemies. Your hunger will be massively boosted, so you'll always want to keep food items in surplus. ClocksAllows you to perform unique movements that allow you to perform unique actions, ifts, and swings that are otherwise not possible. Thanks to its unnatural movement, overusing the Clocks artifact will eventually affect your limbs and make them numb at one point. DosimeterRemoves the effects of radiation on your body and also protects you from significant exposure. It's perfect for high-tier loot areas since you can retrieve valuable items without risking radiation exposure.No significant negatives.GP-S FilterRemoves active radiation from your body. Has a permanent burn effect and slows the rate of healing. IronRegenerates tissue at a faster rate and allows for better healing from any kind of damageIncreases the need for food resources as they're required to complement the better healing rate. NevalyashkaThis unique artifact provides temporary boosts to almost every stat as you'll perform every action better while regenerating your health quicker. The boost duration is short, and you'll consume extra resources in the boosted state. Rubik CubeAllows you to stave off hunger for more extended periods, allowing you to preserve food resources. Your physical fatigue generation will increase, while recovery will be slower. Jewelry BoxAllows you to stay alive without the need for food. Energy depletion is quicker, and you'll have increased hunger once the effects wear off. SoapTemporarily reduces hunger and minimizes the impact of radiation from ingestion.Causes indigestion and also causes a temporary stamina reduction. StarReduces the effect of pain and panic, and allows you to keep moving despite injuries. Raises the chances of infection once its effects wear off. TruckYou'll be able to bypass your physical limitations when it comes to speed and movement. Your muscles will develop micro-tears faster, resulting in longer recovery times. VolchokProvides a temporary boost to stamina.You'll feel weak if you don't eat enough food. How to find artifacts in Misery It's pretty hard to find artifacts, but you can make your life easier by having a Busel Detector. The Busel Detector's arrow will oscillate when you're close to an artifact in any location. You can obtain the Busel Detector from high-tiered loot areas. Alternatively, you craft the item with the correct resources to add to your inventory. You'll need to equip it to turn the detector active and help you find all the artifacts. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post All Artifacts in Misery and how to find them appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The Outer Worlds 2 very much sticks to the established Obsidian formula and follows a strong trend in contemporary RPGs that revolves around finding and recruiting a bunch of companions. There are a handful of them you can encounter and subsequently add to your roster, taking them along on adventures and fulfilling their unique quests that grant one-of-a-kind rewards. So, here are all The Outer Worlds 2 companions and how you can recruit them. Table of contentsThe Outer Worlds 2 companion list, locations, and ways to recruit themNilesV.A.L.E.R.I.E. (VAL)InezMarisolAzaTristanThe Outer Worlds 2 companion list, locations, and ways to recruit them Niles Screenshot by Destructoid Niles is one of the first two companions and is available right off the bat. As soon as you start the game up, you'll have a chance to meet, talk, and play alongside him, and there is no special circumstance or quest you have to do to get him into your roster. Niles, unlike most other companions, has an ability and a bonus perk, but can still be upgraded with six more perks when you reach levels 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30, like all the rest. Ability: Spread Out, I'll Hold 'em! - Niles shoots three times at a select enemy and taunts it into attacking him instead of you. All companion abilities in the game have to be fully charged to be used. Additional Perk: Last Defender - Niles becomes near-invulnerable, negating all incoming damage after you use his ability. First Trait: Field Tinkering - Niles acts as a portable workbench and can upgrade companions and equipment on the go. Second Trait: Reflex Amplified - Grants Niles enhanced evasion and damage negation. V.A.L.E.R.I.E. (VAL) Screenshot by Destructoid Like Niles, VAL is available from the very start of the game and does not have to be unlocked. VAL only has an ability and no additional perks. Ability: Emergency Protocols - VAL shoots a load of healing syringes at you, boosting your HP recovery and significantly reducing enemy damage to you. First Trait: Life Injection Module - VAL heals you or a companion low on HP, but this has a cooldown. Second Trait: Integrated Bypass Repair - VAL gives you a chance to not spend a Bypass Shunt when hacking. Companion traits only affect you if you have the related companion in your party, and you cannot have more than two companions active at a time. Inez Screenshot by Destructoid Inez is the first unlockable companion in the game and is available rather early, during the initial hours of your playthrough. She is an Auntie's Choice corporate soldier who carries a "graft" on her arm, a mark of her time as a member of Auntie's elite squad that attempted to augment humans with various animal parts. Her strongest point is her ability to improve your overall healing, boosting your Inhaler, adding extra charges to it, and throwing healing mists to recover your HP. Finding her is super easy, as you'll only have to follow the main quest in Fairfield on the moon Eden. The best way to approach this is to take up Milverstreet's offer in Fairfield and subsequently bring Inez back to him, convincing him to let her fix her graft. You'll get a companion quest afterward that'll improve Inez's overall abilities. Here's what she can do: Ability: The Magic Bullet - Depends on her companion quest; we'll not divulge that information to avoid spoilers.First Trait: Combat Drugs - Enhances Inez's rate of fire and weapon accuracy.Second Trait: Unlicensed Chemist - Grants additional Inhaler charges to you. With level-up perks, Inez can become a healing powerhouse, making her a vital member of any party. Just make sure you don't go around murdering Auntie's Choice folk in front of her. Marisol Screenshot by Destructoid Marisol is a lethal, unpredictable, and downright scary and mysterious woman who locks herself inside a room in the Zyranium Manufactory VII, located on Golden Ridge, moon of Dorado. This is the second area of the game, and a big one at that. Playing through it, you'll be granted a quest regarding the Manufactory, which will lead you to Marisol. Merely complete the quest line, making sure you help Marisol uncover the truth about what had transpired at the Manufactory, then speak to her and allow her to join your party. Here's what she can do: Ability: Torpifying Blast - Marisol incapacitates a target, making every shot against them turn into a critical strike instead. First Trait: Gadget Optimization - Increases your energy generation rate. Second Trait: Threat Analyzer - Buffs the N-Ray Scanner with additional information, revealing numerous aspects of any enemy you come across while using the gadget. Aza Screenshot by Destructoid Aza, like Marisol, is located on the Golden Ridge and is much easier to recruit than her counterpart. She is located on the top floor of the Decommissioned Autonomous Extractorium, itself sitting south of the N-Ray Range. The Extractorium is packed with Glorious Dawn cultists, which you will have to fight or sneak by to reach Aza, who is locked in a room above the main chamber. After coming up to her, simply exhaust her dialogue, making sure you don't insult her, and try to offer her help. Aza will want to return to the N-Ray Range to find those who betrayed her; the outcome of this will be different if you've approached her after beating everyone inside. Accept her offer anyway, and she'll be added to your squad. Aza is quick, nimble, and lethal, preferring melee encounters, flanking, and sneaking up on enemies. These are her ability and traits: Ability: Spread the Message - Aza shoots an explosive to a target location, which explodes in a cone, dealing tons of physical damage to any enemy hit. Those affected are also stunned for a duration.First Trait: A Chaotic Purpose - Aza's ability is recharged more quickly and has an extra charge. Second Trait: Hidden in Palin-Sight - Aza makes it harder for factions to think you are an Outlaw.Tristan Screenshot by Destructoid An Arbiter of the Protectorate and a stern personality through and through, Tristan is found in the most unlikely scenario and location for one of his number: the Free Market Station. This derelict ship hosts a lot of content, among them Tristan Rao himself, who is found bickering in a bar on the station. Walking up to him and the bartender will put you in a dialogue, where you should offer your assistance and assurance to the bartender. This will start a quest, leading you to Golden Ridge, where you will have to help Tristan investigate the site of a horrible attack. After completing the assignment, head back to Free Market Station, and Tristan will offer himself up to be recruited. His skills are: Ability: Judgement - Tristan rushes an enemy and smashes them with his hammer, knocking down the target and those close to it. Additionally, Tristan taunts nearby enemies to attack him instead of you. First Trait: Supreme Arbiter Hammer - His hammer acts not only as a melee weapon, but can also be a grenade launcher. Second Trait: Observant Adjudicator - Tristan gives you a chance to reveal hidden items during exploration, but only if you don't have the skill to reveal them on your own. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post All The Outer Worlds 2 companions and how to recruit them appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Games continue to evolve in a way that enhances storytelling capabilities and the creative ecosystem, said Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Games, in a panel this week. Accompanied on the panel by Tim Schafer, founder of Double Fine Productions, Spencer pointed to Schafer’s newly released Keeper — a game where you play as a walking lighthous — as a source of inspiration for Microsoft’s creative teams, which have grown to vast numbers in recent years. .memberful-global-teaser-content p:last-child{ -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); } Read This Article Free Get instant access by joining the GB MAX Access tier — it’s free to sign up and unlock premium content.Join Now to Start ReadingAlready a member? Sign in The post Phil Spencer and Tim Schafer on balancing game creativity and risk in the AI age appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

The new skin for Fortnite's November 2025 Crew Pack has just been unveiled, along with its alternate styles and a few accompanying cosmetics. While the upcoming Fortnite x Simpsons crossover will likely be the talk of the town next month, November's FortniteCrew skin is one of the strongest offerings in a little while. View the full article

I try a lot of games for both work and pleasure, and sometimes one grabs me so immediately and completely that I just want to shake it around and shout about it. The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles is one such release. Indie developer Fix-a-Bug's dungeon crawler is one of the best RPGs to cross my table in a while; I was totally sold ten minutes in, and another hour had melted away before I even realized it. Combining D&D-style classes with a unique combat system and an unserious attitude that calls Undertale to mind, it's free to try thanks to a robust Steam demo, and a bargain price if you want the full thing. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: My favorite love letter to '90s Resident Evil is back in Tormented Souls 2, and you can try it for free Town to City's gorgeous twist on Minecraft's blocky aesthetic just became a must-play with new animal-themed update ******-exorcising roguelike deckbuilder Malys hits 1.0, and it's got the sinister vibes to stand out from the pack View the full article

The Rise from the Grave Evolution has been released ahead of Halloween in FC 26, and it could be your best option for improving one of your defenders. This specific evolution targets the LB position and costs 30,000 coins to unlock. Since your selected item will get plenty of stat boosts, new roles and playstyles, it's essential to make the best choice possible. Table of contentsFC 26 Rise from the Grave Evolution requirementsFC 26 Rise from the Grave Evolution upgradesBest players to use in Rise from the Grave EvolutionFC 26 Rise from the Grave Evolution requirements Here are the requirements of Rise from the Grave in FC 26. Overall: Max 82PlayStyle: Max 10Not Rarity: World Tour Silver StarsPosition: LBFC 26 Rise from the Grave Evolution upgrades The evolution has four levels of upgrades, and there are certain conditions to fulfil. Level 1 upgrades Overall: +6|84Pace: +8|84Agility: +5|84Balance: +10|84PlayStyles: Jockey|5Roles: Fullback+ Level 2 upgrades Passing: +8|78Aggression: +10|80Dribbling: +10|82Jumping: +5|78Stamina: +15|88Strength: +10|80 Level 3 upgrades Ball control: +10|80Heading Acc.: +5|78Interceptions: +10|84Def. Aware: +5|84Slide Tackle: +10|84Stand Tackle: +10|8 Level 4 upgrades Reactions: +10|84Composure: +10|84Weak Foot: +1|4PlayStyles: Relentless|5Roles: Wingback++ Level 1 upgrade requirements Assist 1 goal in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game.Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game. Level 2 upgrade requirements Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game. Level 3 upgrade requirements Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game.Win 1 match in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game. Level 4 upgrade requirements Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game.Best players to use in Rise from the Grave Evolution Here are some of my best recommendations for inclusion in the evolution. Destiny UdogieAntonee RobinsonOla AinaJorel HatoCrystal DunnMilos KerkezFerland MendyThiago CorreiaFran Garcia While the upgrades are minor, you will be able to include these cards in future evolutions to create a chain and upgrade their stats further. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post Best players for FC 26 Rise from the Grave Evolution appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

I'm ashamed to say I felt safest in the tallest part of the Tormented Souls 2 Convent, where rusty cages and bird ****** cover every inch of the once sacred and glorious bell tower. Unlike other Tormented Souls 2 puzzles that have you searching high and low for key items and backtracking until you know the map like the back of your hand, the bell tower puzzle solution thankfully takes place in the same room—and the reward is an absolute game-changer. Why nuns have a Shotgun lying around is unfathomable. This weapon is a must-have, yet it's encased in glass that cannot be broken by hand, and has received better treatment than the Convent's Bibles. So what are the singers, and how do we make them sing? Table of contentsTormented Souls 2 bell tower puzzle solutionHow to get the Double-barrel ShotgunTormented Souls 2 bell tower puzzle solution Screenshot by Destructoid We love the occasional puzzle where you don't have to go anywhere. All you need to do is ring the bells outlined by the inscription on the Shotgun case. The order to ring the bells is as follows: Victor: Medium bell, to the right of the ladder. Big Joe: Largest bell, to the left of the ladder.Little Claudio: Smallest bell.Elias: Large bell, opposite the ladder (slightly smaller than Big Joe's). With a new weapon in hand and a bell tower to descend, you best keep your eyes on the stairwell as monsters are heading your way. There's never been a better time to test out that new friend of yours. Video by Destructoid How to get the Double-barrel Shotgun Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid You can pick the Shotgun up relatively early on in your playthrough, but you won't get the Metal Pipe until your first encounter with the Other Side. To get here, you must first find the Cursed Book in the Crypts via the Prison and deliver it to Joseph. This lets you access the Torture Museum, where you must light the candles on the mirror on the basement level, near a torture table that has a corpse and rusty wheel on it (this is relevant for the Double-barrel Shotgun). Light the candles surrounding the mirror with Caroline's Lighter: top left, bottom left, bottom right, and light the two candles above the bottom right candle. The Other Side is now open. Venture inside and turn the wheel at the torture table that now has a scarecrow atop. The scarecrow snaps, letting you return to the real world, where the corpse is split in half, offering the Metal Pipe for you to combine with the Shotgun. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post How to solve the Tormented Souls 2 bell tower puzzle appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

I'm not one to get engrossed in a virtual world unless the narrative and worldbuilding are extremely captivating. While I have my go-tos when it comes to indie horror, there's one dev in particular that always gets me excited. From the horrifying IT STEALS and the hilarious Lethal Company, Zeekerss has gone and done it again—and this time I'm all in. Released on Oct. 25, Welcome To The Dark Place is a text-based choose-your-own-adventure horror game. After falling from the Cloud following what I can only assume to be a devastating car ******, Welcome To The Dark Place literally throws you into the darkness, where you must get on a distant train that may never reach its destination. Image by Zeekerss I've welcomed the Dark Place as if it's my own internal struggle. The intro is effortlessly cool, like I'm looking directly into Zeekerss' mind. It wasn't until I landed repeatedly in the Dark Place that I started to believe something could change for me personally, that there is a way out, even though the game makes me repeatedly question whether escape is truly possible. At times, the main menu communicates as if some omniscient force is testing my knowledge or mocking my futile attempts. Welcome To The Dark Place is proof that Einstein's Theory of Insanity isn't true, that doing the same thing over and over again isn't madness, for trial and error makes this indie horror work so damn well. It's got to the point where I'm recording my gameplay, taking notes, and making a map of the Dark Place just to see which gaps need filling. The world is like a bestiary of creepypastas, where the darkness consumes the sanity of most caught brazenly traversing the forest until eventually losing sight of why they arrived, becoming just another shape against the sea of trees. Screenshot by Destructoid I honestly don't know how Zeekerss does it, but there are moments of genuine terror that penetrate my very soul and make me crave more like some twisted mind desperate for feeling. The effective use of spatial audio keeps me on edge, and the occasional but extremely creepy pixelated visuals of a door opening or when I plunge into the stressful Undergoing makes me hold my breath like submerging into water. You'd be surprised how creepy Welcome To The Dark Place actually is, and it's all because it has Zeekerss' signature pixelated aesthetic that worms its way into your mind. Lovecraftian both its narrative and design, my imagination runs wild to fill the ****** screen with images and color, just to try and make sense of this surreal and unforgiving world. The Dark Place feels equally full of life, hopelessness, and dread, where wandering around the seemingly infinite forest pulls you in with an investigative and curious eye. Screenshot by Destructoid Like listening to a Stephen King audiobook, the sound design makes me panic, squirm, and talk aloud as if I, too, fell into the Dark Place. There are rules to follow, yet curiosity had me often ignoring them—after all, over 100 endings await. Certain moments left me in awe, in disbelief that I could be this captivated by a ****** screen and directions. It's addicting to go back in and try something new, or revisit a location to pick up whatever dignity I had left behind from failed attempts—yeah, there might be something wrong with me. It's consuming my every thought like I'm transported back to SOMA, Funeralopolis, Who's Lila?, and SIGNALIS. I'm thankful Zeekerss dropped this passion project after eight years of development, and I would have gladly paid money because I'm having too much fun in this bizarre, terrifying world, and I know Welcome To The Dark Place will be one of those games I mourn when it's all over. The post Forget Balatro and CloverPit—I’ve found my new obsession and it’s spookily awesome appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Twelve years on from its full launch, Path of Exile 3.27 marks a new frontier for one of the best RPGs on PC; a game beloved by its hardcore community for the level of depth and creativity in every update. The new seasonal league, Keepers of the Flame, is the first time developer Grinding Gear Games has delivered a direct sequel to one of its old mechanics, and it's picked a big one. Breach, which first appeared in 2016, is a simple but satisfying stalwart that was one of the systems hand-picked to make the jump to side-by-side sequel Path of Exile 2. So, ahead of the new PoE update, I spoke with game director Mark Roberts to ask what inspired the choice, bolstering quality of life, and how dual development is going. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Path of Exile 3.27 adopts Elden Ring's most grotesque mechanic for the free ARPG's first-ever sequel league Path of Terraria turns the indie game into an ARPG with a story and endgame maps Path of Exile dev "deeply sorry" for disrupted service during new league launch View the full article

The long-awaited follow-up to the hit Obsidian space adventure is finally here, and The Outer Worlds 2 is quickly becoming as popular as the original among players and critics alike. As players get started exploring Paradise Island and beyond, they'll quickly learn there are countless ways to build a character and customize them based on preferred playstyles. View the full article

Pints of beer after work in a cosy London pub. A glass of wine in the evening at a villa in the Sunset Marquis hotel, West Hollywood. A phone call in the dark outside a ******** restaurant in Windsor, England. These three disparate scenes, all more than 5,000 miles from Sony's headquarters in Tokyo, were backdrops for a decision that helped define the PlayStation 2, Sony's landmark console that celebrates its 25th anniversary today. It's the best-selling console of all time for well-documented reasons: its massive library, its headstart on the Xbox, its mid-life price cut, and its affordability as a DVD player. But the deal that brought a trio of Grand Theft Auto games – GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas – to the PS2 before any other platform was also vital. They collectively make up three of its top six sellers. Some people bought the PS2 just to play GTA and if you didn't have one, you were nagging a friend who did. Chris Deering, the then-president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, estimates the deal boosted console sales in Europe by a fifth – a huge margin. We've heard snippets about this deal and about that key meeting at the Sunset Marquis before. But IGN has now spoken to four people at the centre of it all who can tell the story in more detail than ever. They reveal previously unknown twists and turns in negotiations: how Sony nearly missed out on exclusivity in the US, how Take Two got cash and a discount on production costs from Sony, and how Microsoft could've derailed the whole thing. The original 2D, top-down GTA games sold decently but scored middling reviews, and Deering's interest in GTA 3 was only sparked by a chance conversation. "We used to have these company pub nights," he says. "It gave me a chance to deal with people I would never talk to and ask them some dumb questions." He asked one such dumb question to the "very sharp" Sarah Thompson, who oversaw a Sony team evaluating third-party games. "I said: 'You seen anything?' She said: 'Yeah, GTA is looking really cool.' It put it at the back of my mind." It was actually a contractor called Andy Macoy who had first flagged a GTA 3 test build as impressive. As well as being filed in Deering's brain, it sat on the team's shortlist of games that Sony might want to secure as an exclusive at E3 2000, according to the then-vice president of publisher and developer relations at SCEE, Zeno Colaço, who was Thompson's boss. Deering went to LA that June knowing he needed exclusives in order to win a second console generation in a row. Microsoft’s Xbox was on the horizon and Bill Gates had showed off a prototype in March. "They get a billion dollars a year from Windows licenses. They can do anything they want – they just have to want," he says. "How do we get out ahead of this? That was in the back of my mind. I didn't want them to come in and take away the chance of getting two console [generations] in a row. It was almost like a personal, I don't want to say vendetta, but it could have rained on my parade. So that was a hidden motivation." Sony needed it more than we did. Deering and David Reeves, then head of marketing at SCEE and later Deering's replacement as president, met various publishers at a villa in the Sunset Marquis hotel. Take Two, the owner of Rockstar Games, was on the list. Every person at that meeting tells a slightly different version of the story. Non-disclosure agreements obscure some of the details and the intervening 25 years have clouded memories. It's not clear what was negotiated in the room and what was handled in follow-up phone calls. But we know at least six people attended. From Take Two it was Kelly Sumner, who led the company outside of the USA and would become CEO in 2001, and Gary Lewis, who was COO and later president of international. From Sony it was Deering, Reeves, Colaço, John Brunning from the legal team, and possibly also Jim Ryan, who later led Sony's gaming division. Colaço claims Sumner initiated the meeting "to complain that another one of Take Two's games was getting a knock back from our content group" – the same group that had earmarked GTA 3 as a winner. He thinks that game may have been State of Emergency, which Sony thought was "gratuitously violent". "Anyway, we listened to their complaints," he says. "I explained our position and thoughts of what adjustments might be an acceptable compromise." Then, "to smooth the meeting over and throw them a bone, we asked them whether we could do an exclusivity deal on GTA and another game, with the background knowledge that GTA was doing something original". Sumner rejects this version of events. "I'm not saying we were happy about the approval process" for games, he says, but any discussion of that was not linked in "any way at all" to the GTA deal. Exclusivity would never have been used as any kind of "sweetener" for Take Two, he says, because "Sony needed [it] more than we did". (It's also worth pointing out that Deering intended to bring up exclusivity at the meeting anyway, and that Lewis, from Take Two, also says he doesn't recall what Colaço describes). In any case, the starting point of the offer, Colaço says, was "co-marketing" for GTA 3. Basically, Sony would match $1m of Take Two's marketing money. It offered the same deal for another Rockstar game, but he doesn't recall which one. There were at least two other elements to the deal, although they appear to have been negotiated after that initial E3 meeting, likely back in the *** between Deering and Sumner. First, cash up front. Second, what Sumner describes as a "reduction on production costs". "In those days, production costs were really, really expensive," he explains. "Basically for the right to buy a disc and have it packaged and delivered to your warehouse, I think in around 2000 is about $11 per disc… And when you're selling millions and millions of discs, which hopefully we were, any reduction on that is very nice, thank you very much." He won't say how much of a discount it was, but Deering says it was "in the neighbourhood of a couple of pounds a unit, maybe $3". GTA 3 sold 8.5 million copies on PS2 – which, at $3 a unit, would represent more than $25m in potential savings for Take Two and Rockstar. Take Two also negotiated incentives in exchange for, among other things, Sony getting the rights to sell exclusive software bundles that would include GTA, Colaço says. And as for the cash, Sumner recalls Sony agreeing to pay a "significant amount of money" up front – back then, Take Two was not the mega multi-billion dollar company that it is today, and "any millions that were coming in were gratefully received at that stage". We were keen to get into bed with Sony. Neither side characterises negotiations as tough. "It wasn't like the United Nations, it was more, 'Would you like another glass of wine?'" says Deering. "It wasn't intense." "There's very few formal meetings with Chris [Deering]," adds Sumner. It'd be a mistake to think that this deal was purely about money. From speaking to all sides, it's clear that these men got on well, respected each other, and shared a common outlook on gaming's future. Deering wanted more "mature" games on PS2 to make the console more relevant to adults – Rockstar fit the mold. Take Two, for its part, knew the PS2's power could match Rockstar's creative ambitions. It also knew that Rockstar's games were edgy and, at times, controversial, so it needed a company that understood its vision and wouldn't meddle. Sony, which had experience managing stars like Mariah Carey, were ideal, says Take Two's Lewis. "So we were keen to get into bed, so to speak, with and work alongside Sony. And interestingly enough, they felt the same," he says. "You sit down sometimes, if you're lucky to do so, with certain people in a room and you realize, okay, we're comfortable with this deal… we knew we could work with them." "Everyone knew what they wanted from it," says Sumner. Sony was "massively supportive… and we just absolutely believed in what they were going to deliver." Sumner couldn't sign the deal off alone, though: he needed his CEO and, crucially, Rockstar to agree. It felt like a "massive, massive bet" to cut off Xbox and to focus on the PS2 as a platform. "It had to be a team decision… but Sam [Houser] and the guys were like, 'Well, if we want to deliver what we really want to deliver, we can't keep on PS1. And it has to be PS2.'" The deal for GTA 3 to have two years of console exclusivity with PlayStation was finalized with an evening phone call. "I was standing outside a ******** restaurant in Windsor and doing the final negotiation," Sumner says. "The deal was done at eight or nine o'clock at night, out in the dark, in Windsor." Does it look like a fair deal looking back? In a 2013 interview with Eurogamer, David Reeves described it as "remarkably cheap". Sumner chuckles at the notion. "I think that's in hindsight, either that or he's the best poker player in the world. He certainly squeaked a bit when we did the deal," Sumner says. "We were very, very happy at the time. And I think Sony were very happy as well. Yes, it was cheap from what we now know… I wish I could go back in time and renegotiate it and get a few more quid," he says, chuckling again. "[But] also, it was more beneficial for Take Two and Rockstar than we thought it was going to be. So everyone won." Deering, for his part, says he does not think it was cheap, and that it was broadly in line with other exclusive deals negotiated at the time – including securing Tomb Raider as a PS1 exclusive. The concept of the deal, he says, was to "make up what they would've made by having the other versions". But that wasn't the end of the saga. There were conversations about doing something with Xbox. But that just didn't seem right. This deal only secured exclusivity in Europe: in the US, Sony was "not as massively supportive" of it, Sumner recalls. In fact, GTA 3 could've easily launched in October 2001 as a PS2 exclusive in Europe only. That would have, theoretically, allowed it to release on Xbox in the US far earlier than its eventual November 2003 arrival. The US "were ambivalent at first," Deering says. "I don't think they were focusing on the franchise, and hadn't had that same tip from their third party team on the rumoured power of the game. "Then word got out around the industry that this is going to be a good game," he says. "And finally, I think at the very last minute, the US came in and joined on. 'Can we hitchhike on this deal?'" He claims they did so "reluctantly." Colaço says it may have even been after GTA 3's initial release. Sony Computer Entertainment America "only really got on board when they saw GTA’s sales impact and the relationship we had established with Take Two flourishing," he says. As the Xbox's release approached, Sony and Take Two's partnership was tested again. Microsoft has previously revealed that, in 2001, it rejected Rockstar's pitch to put GTA 3 on the console. It's not clear how an alternate version of events would've jived with Sony's exclusivity deal, but Sumner believes that, ultimately, a deal with Microsoft was "never going to happen" even if it was "ridiculously large". "There were conversations about doing something with them. But that just didn't, in my mind, my memory, didn't seem right," he says. "They weren't heavy and they weren't aggressive about it, Microsoft, but… we were happy with the bed we're lying in. And there was no reason to change and also, you know, PlayStation were doing better than Microsoft at that stage." He also claims Microsoft just "didn't understand what made us tick". "Sony made you feel warm and in my memory, that's not what we got with Microsoft. They weren't aloof, but they just really didn't get it. I don't think they really understood the market. And they weren't certainly putting their arms around us. You do business with people you like, or you trust. And that's what we did. We just trusted [Sony], absolutely trusted them." He was serenading the whole hotel… And he's not a bad singer, to be fair. That trust, and those flourishing relationships, glued Take Two and Sony together, says Lewis. "You could ring any of the senior management there and they would answer your call and they would listen to what your concern was, whether it be getting approval for the game, whether it be production and marketing, whatever it is… I was speaking to someone from Sony probably daily." Sony also helped on the development side, recalls Obbe Vermeij, who was then a technical director at Rockstar North. GTA 3 famously began development on the Dreamcast, and while he was initially sad to leave it behind, Sony made the switch easy by sending 20 PS2 dev kits, which were rare. Sony didn't lend Rockstar engineers but it did have what Vermeij describes as a "weird room full of electronics" at its London HQ, where third-party developers could test their games. "They would be able to find the bottlenecks and tell you, at a very detailed level, these instructions [to fix it]," he explains. "Sony were just super supportive whenever we asked for something, they would give it to us." Deering and Sumner's relationship was particularly strong. They only have good things to say about each other, and, Sumner says, still occasionally meet for beers. "I have very fond memories of Chris Deering singing outside my hotel in Reykjavik at four o'clock in the morning. He was serenading the whole hotel… And he's not a bad singer, to be fair." But those trips – those "jollies" – weren't nearly as important as the support Sony provided. "They really went out there to support the company... and I hate to say, in my opinion, unlike Nintendo, unlike Xbox, and unlike *****," he says. "It felt like someone putting their arm around you and saying, actually, guys, you're part of the team. I mean, it sounds like I'm in the Sony fan club. And I'm not saying that just because it's about PlayStation 2, I actually truly believe it." That trust lasted far beyond GTA 3. It's not clear when timed exclusivity discussions for GTA Vice City and San Andreas began. Deering remembers the initial agreement as a "three-game deal." Sumner says each of the games was negotiated separately. Colaço says it was when SCEA joined the GTA 3 exclusivity deal. There was, at the very least, a renegotiation of terms following GTA 3's release, Colaço says. "Once the game came out and was a success, much ******* than anyone expected, then to maintain the arrangement the financial numbers went up considerably." Take Two, he says, made the argument that losing out on sales on other platforms was becoming more and more costly as GTA's popularity surged. He says that was "partially true", but that Take Two also enjoyed being a close partner with Sony. "So the conversations became much more about becoming strategic partners than transactional ones." That includes, he says, discussions about exclusivity for future GTA games. While we don't know the terms of the Vice City or San Andreas deals, it's safe to say they were far ******* than GTA 3's. And, as we know, the exclusivity periods shrunk with each new game. Sony secured a full year for Vice City, but just seven months for San Andreas – both down from GTA 3’s two years. As time went on, the people attending meetings "changed a little as discussions were more global and the financial numbers dwarfed the original deal," Colaço says. Sam Houser and others were all like, 'Oh my God, it's not doing well.' The impact of GTA 3 on wider gaming culture and on the PS2's sales was not immediate, nor guaranteed. Before release, Rockstar was worried that GTA 3 wouldn't cut through, Vermeij says. "At the last E3 show before [release], maybe six or eight months before the game came out, it had a really poor showing. People weren't really that interested. I remember the guys in New York, Sam Houser and others, they were all like, 'Oh my God, it's not doing well.' "But of course, we did know that Sony were into it, and they promised a lot of marketing and they totally delivered on that." It wasn't until six months after release that its success was obvious, he says. "Typically a game would sell well for three or four months and then it would just die out. With GTA 3, it wasn't like that. It sold okay, but then it just didn't die out. It just kept going because people told their friends and it was just picked up organically. It just kept going." Sumner and Lewis both say Take Two played into that by keeping the product "tight": if demand was one million units, they'd ship 600,000. "People were saying it was going to be banned. It was never ever going to be banned, but people believed that, and so what we did is we kept the product really, really tight, so when you saw it in Electronics Boutique, you had to buy it, because if you didn't buy it they may not be here tomorrow,” Sumner says. Grand Theft Auto was soon a phenomenon with cultural cache. Sumner, who had moved to New York, was called onto ********** TV shows to defend GTA's violence. He also recalls putting a music budget together of $600,000, only for Tommy Matola, the head of Sony Music Entertainment, to say he'd do it for free. "He said, 'I will get you the tracks, I just want to release the CD.' That was the power of Grand Theft Auto." Lewis recalls the joy of success following GTA 3's release. "You get a sigh of relief, I think is fair to say initially, and then this euphoria, because it keeps happening. We really had arrived when these products continued day in, day out, to sell… every 100,000 new PS2s we could pretty much say, 'Well, we got to sell another 10,000 GTA 3s.'" It's impossible to say exactly how much GTA exclusivity contributed to the PS2's success, but everyone agrees it helped. "Of course they would have been successful [without it]," Sumner says. "Would they have been as successful without Grand Theft Auto? Probably not, because the amount of coverage and the desirability of that product just sucked people in at a ridiculous rate. "Sony delivered a great platform but it's a piece of plastic unless you have something like Grand Theft Auto on it and that was fundamental to people's understanding or awakening to the opportunities, cultural opportunities that the PlayStation could deliver." Deering adds that, in Europe, "all things considered, recognising and trying to be self critical and not inflating everything, we probably did 20% more than we would've without it, at least through PS2 and 3." Not bad for what started as evening drinks at a Los Angeles hotel. "They came to the Sunset to complain," says Colaço. "They went out with $2m they weren't expecting. And we did the best exclusivity deal of all time!" Samuel Horti is a journalist with bylines at the BBC, IGN, Insider Business, and Edge. View the full article

A year ago the Ryzen 9800X3D beat Intel's Ultra 285K by 24%. With 200S Boost overclocking on the table, we are retesting to see if one click tuning can close the gap. Read Entire Article View the full article

I'm really glad we got Tormented Souls 2. The first installment in the series is probably the most impressive homage to old-school survival horror that I've seen. Developer Dual Effect wears its inspirations on its sleeve; most notably those first three Resident Evil games, but with influences from several of the other best horror games of the era, including Alone in the Dark and Silent Hill. Tormented Souls is a game that clearly understood why those worked, embracing the limitations of the fixed-camera perspective and the inherent terror of the unseen that it creates. Now, it's back for a second round. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Town to City's gorgeous twist on Minecraft's blocky aesthetic just became a must-play with new animal-themed update ******-exorcising roguelike deckbuilder Malys hits 1.0, and it's got the sinister vibes to stand out from the pack After three years in early access, Farthest Frontier is the city builder that's tearing me away from Manor Lords View the full article

There's a saying that people show who they really are at their worst moment. Unfortunately for the denizens of Torque Borg, that worst moment has passed, and the aftermath is much worse than any of them can ever imagine. Barren wastelands savaged by horrifying mutants and savage thugs, each more than ready to show you who they really are. If you've ever wanted a Mad Max style TTRPG with the vehicular chaos of Twisted Metal, this is right up your road. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: "Typefaces carry meaning": Why rebellious tabletop RPG MÖRK BORG ditched Russian fonts for its Ukrainian edition Indie tabletop RPG Mörk Borg gets an ultra-silly Jurassic Park inspired spin-off The coolest tabletop RPG ever comes to PC in "apocalyptic" action game View the full article

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Every young Harry Potter fan dreamed of the day they would get that letter from Hogwarts. Heck, it didn't even have to be Harry Potter fans. Whether it's Winx Club or Percy Jackson, the idea of a fantasy school just sparked imagination. However, an oft-underdiscussed aspect of these fantasy schools are how dysfunctional they would actually be. Wizard Community College tackles the everyday troubles these schools would actually bring. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: This Star Wars inspired solo TTRPG fulfills your bounty hunter fantasy Explore the magic of ADHD as a witch in this cozy neurodivergent board game The team behind Gay Sauna reveals its lewdest party board game yet: Soggy Biscuit View the full article

Marvel Rivals sees its player base surge following the recent Halloween update, which added a highly requested PvE-specific game mode. Following the launch of Season 4 and the additions of Dardevil and Angela, Marvel Rivals is leaning into one of its most popular limited-time events in a long time. View the full article

Jaime Griesemer, level designer on the original Halo: Combat Evolved, has criticized the upcoming Halo: Campaign Evolved for some of the design decisions in the remake. Early gameplay of Halo: Campaign Evolvedhas left Griesemer frustrated enough to voice his opinion on the remake's choices, specifically surrounding some of the work he did on the original almost 25 years ago. View the full article