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The Elder Scrolls 6 may be the next big brand new video game announced by Bethesda to be in the works, but Fallout is the franchise the studio is doing the most in right now, Todd Howard has told IGN. Fallout Season 2 is set to hit Prime Video this month, and while Bethesda has a new Fallout: New Vegas bundle, there’s no word yet on a Fallout remaster or a Fallout: New Vegas 2 to capitalize on the surge of interest in the franchise. There was no mention made during the recent Fallout Day broadcast of a Fallout: New Vegas remaster, which some (including Danny Trejo!) had called on Bethesda to develop. Indeed, there were no new Fallout games announced at all. Find out everything announced during the Fallout Day broadcast here. But there are all sorts of rumors floating around about potential Fallout remakes now that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is out the door (Fallout 3 Remastered was leaked back in 2023, but those plans may have changed). And we know Bethesda wants to eventually get to Fallout 5, albeit after The Elder Scrolls 6. The last we heard on Fallout 5, by the way, was back in June 2024, when Todd Howard said he wasn’t interested in rushing it out the door. Fast forward a year and a half, and IGN had the chance to quiz Todd Howard on all things Fallout, alongside Kevin Beatty, Head of Product for Samsung Gaming, Interactive Experiences, and Emerging Tech (Bethesda and Xbox recently announced a partnership with Amazon and Samsung to stream Season 1 for free on Samsung TV Plus ahead of Season 2). In the interview, Howard remained coy when asked directly about a number of unannounced projects, but did offer a tantalizing tease that should get Fallout fans excited. We started by asking Howard if the explosive success of the Fallout TV show had caused Bethesda to alter its plans for new Fallout games, either creatively or timeline-wise. Howard denied that, saying Bethesda already had a plan for the Fallout games it wanted to make. “No, it hasn't,” he replied. “We had a plan for the games we were going to make. The TV show was part obviously of our Fallout plan as far as a franchise. And in a lot of ways, I view it as an entry, as a game entry. Games are one lens into the world, the TV show is another lens into the world. “The one thing it has led us to do is people are coming back to the games that are already available. So, you're seeing record numbers again back in Fallout 4, from the first season, again, in this season. Fallout 76 obviously is a game that we've continued to update for the last seven years. So that's probably the one where we really see engaged audiences. “So, the one thing it's made us do is lean into that. We know that we have an audience there in that game in particular. And the Burning Springs update that just came out, and having Walton Goggins in the game is The Ghoul, just there's some really, really good opportunities there.” We then asked Howard if Bethesda being owned by Microsoft had made it likely that the company might partner with, for example, Obsidian, developer of the original Fallout: New Vegas, or Wasteland developer inXile — both of which are Xbox studios — on a new Fallout: New Vegas game while fans wait for Fallout 5. Again, Howard was coy in his response. “We've had a long-term plan for Fallout, and so I wish I could talk about all those today,” he said. “I'll just say this, it's the franchise that we're doing the most in right now.” That cryptic tease at the end will be of interest to The Elder Scrolls fans patiently waiting for The Elder Scrolls 6 to come out. While that game is clearly of a big focus internally at Bethesda, it’s interesting to learn that there’s a lot more going on for Fallout. And finally on this topic, we asked Howard if the success of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which has seen over 4 million players since it shadow-dropped earlier this year, was a repeatable trick for a Fallout 3 Remastered. Howard once again kept his cards close to his chest, and reiterated a point he’s been making a lot in interviews lately. “I will just say that the Oblivion Remaster, we're really, really pleased with how well it did, it was a very long project too, and not just in how it was received, the ability to shadow drop it, and the response to doing that,” he said. “I like to do that with games as much as possible. I love the moment that you find out about a game.” Howard continued: “And I like to think about when somebody presses play, what is in their head? What do they think? What is their expectation? What's their excitement level? What do they think about the thing they're about to play? And so, I like to back up from that moment with how we talk about it, and sometimes there are big gaps.” Big gaps indeed. The last mainline Fallout game was Fallout 4, which was released in 2015. DLC content for the entry was steadily released for PC and consoles over the next year, and in 2018, Bethesda launched its multiplayer-centered offshoot, Fallout 76. While fans flocked to the West Virginia-set open-world RPG over time (and after a rocky launch), it wasn’t until the premiere of Prime Video’s Fallout TV show that the Bethesda series leveled up in terms of attention. Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

It’s time for The Game Awards again, with the next end-of-year extravaganza set to take place in just a matter of hours. Every year The Game Awards celebrates the best games of the last year, while also looking forward to the future with new game reveals and trailers for the games we’ll be playing in 2026 and beyond. Before the show has even started Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has already broken a record after receiving 13 award nominations, the most in the show’s history. Read More... View the full article

We are approaching the middle of December, and it's prime time for the Fortnite Winterfest 2025 to arrive with its usual share of gifts. If you've been a veteran, you'll know exactly what to expect. If you're new, then the Winterfest will be your best source of finding some amazing rewards during the Chapter Seven Season One. But first, we will have to wait for the event to begin. While Epic has yet to confirm the official dates, a few predictions can be made based on when the event has been released in the past. Fortnite Winterfest 2025 expected release dates Before we begin our speculation, here's a list of dates when Winterfest was released over the last few years. Dec. 13 in 2017Dec. 19 in 2018Dec. 18 in 2019Dec. 18 in 2020Dec. 16 in 2021Dec. 13 in 2022Dec. 14 in 2023Dec. 20 in 2024 Last year, we received the Winterfest celebrations on a Friday. The same pattern should repeat this year, especially since Epic has been releasing in-game events on Fridays. We should be getting Fortnite Delulu on Friday, Dec. 12, according to the schedule revealed by Epic at the start of Chapter Seven Season One. Screenshot by Destructoid Hence, it's pretty likely that Winterfest 2025 can come out tomorrow, Dec. 12. If not, then the next likely date will be Friday, Dec. 19. I feel that Dec. 19 could be a likelier date since the event will then overlap with Christmas celebrations, allowing more players to try and obtain all the rewards. As for the launch time, it should happen at 8am CT. It's the same pattern that Epic has been following recently when it comes to in-game events. There's no reason to believe that the launch timings for Winterfest 2025 will change. Once we have confirmation about the dates, we will have a countdown to help you keep track of the upcoming festivities. The post When will Fortnite Winterfest 2025 begin? Expected date and time appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The Mega Dimension DLC in Pokémon Legends Z-A has added a layer of baking to the base game, and you can craft the Sparkly Occa Meringue donut to raise your chances of catching a shiny. Finding a shiny variant in Pokémon Legends Z-A isn't easy. New ones have also been added to the Hyperspace Wild Zones, but it eventually boils down to luck. Thankfully, you can tilt the tides in your favor using the Sparkly Occa Meringue donut. This guide will list the recipe along with the ingredients that you'll require. How to make Sparkly Occa Meringue donut in Pokémon Legends Z-A The Sparkly Occa Meringue donut has the chance to grant you Sparkling Power that applies to all types. The outcome will depend on your luck, but having more Sparkling Power for all types will raise the chances of you encountering a Shiny in the wild. To start the process, head over to Hotel Z, where you'll find Ansha. Proceed with your order, and then add the following Hyper Berries. Four Hyper Occa Berry (60 Sweet, 5 Bitter, and 25 Fresh)Three Hyper Chople Berry (55 Sweet, 5 Spicy, 15 Sour, and 25 Bitter)One Hyper Occa Berry (60 Sweet, 5 Bitter, and 25 Fresh) Confirm your order by picking the Make Donut option to begin the process. The Sparkly Occa Meringue donut can have the following properties. Sparkling PowerHumungo PowerCatching Power There's also a chance for this donut to have Alpha power, according to some players. Ultimately, the final outcome will have different possibilities even with the same layout. Nevertheless, the Sparkly Occa Meringue donut appears to be the best shot if you're looking to raise your chances of finding shiny variants. Image via X/trzef There are plenty of special donuts to bake in Pokémon Legends Z-A. Some like the Bad Dreams Cruller is required to complete a quest and move along the DLC storyline. Then there are the Old-Fashioned donuts that allow you to unlock special boss fights against Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza. Ultimately, baking the special donuts will require patience since getting all the Hyper Berries won't be quick. The post How to make Sparkly Occa Meringue donut in Pokémon Legends Z-A Mega Dimension (Shiny boost chances) appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The Old Peace update has added to the list of available Arcanes in Warframe, offering new options for all. The latest Warframe update has added plenty of content to explore for the players. The highlight is The Old Peace quest, along with a couple of new game modes. One of those involves the Descendia in The Dark Refractory section, and you can buy the new Arcanes among other offerings. Table of contentsAll new Arcanes in Warframe The Old PeaceHow to obtain new Arcanes in Warframe The Old PeaceAll new Arcanes in Warframe The Old Peace Here's a list of all the new Arcanes in Warframe, along with how they work. Primary Bulwark: Stacks of +1% damage for every unit of Armor past 1,000. Goes up to a max of +500%.Primary Overcharge: Gain 35% of Max Energy as Multishot when you're at or above 90% Energy. Capped at 100%.Arcane Expertise: 100% Ability Strength Modifiers, which are also applied to max Shields.Arcane Persistence: Removes all Shields. Cannot be hit for more than 500 Damage/s if the Armor is above 700.Melee Careen: x2.50 Melee Damage against Frozen enemies. On Roll: Frozen enemies in a 5.5m radius with a 2s Cooldownx2.50 Melee Damage against Frozen enemies. On Roll: Frozen enemies in a 5.5m radius with a two-second cooldown.Arcane Circumvent: Roll through enemies to steal 50% of their defenses. Stolen Armor lasts for 15 seconds.Secondary Irradiate: Deal 180% damage of the hit damage to enemies within seven metres who are afflicted by 10 stacks of Radiation.Arcane Concentration: +60% Duration of casted Ability for three seconds.Primary Debilitate: If an enemy has 10 stacks of a combined Status Effect, inflicting the same Status Effect again has a 100% chance to inflict one of the base Status Effects it is composed of. How to obtain new Arcanes in Warframe The Old Peace All the new Arcanes can be found from Roathe in his shop. To buy the Arcanes, you'll need something called Maphica. This brand-new currency is part of the Descendia game mode, which you can access through The Dark Refractory. Screenshot by Destructoid You'll also have to reach the final floor of Descendia to defeat Roathe before he becomes available in La Cathedrale inside the Sanctum Anatomica. You can also get all the components for Uriel via the same method. Every Arcane costs five Maphica to purchase, and you'll need 21 to max out a single one. Obtaining the required amount of Maphica can take a fair amount of time since they're not exactly common. The post All new Arcanes in Warframe The Old Peace and how to obtain them appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

EA Sports has announced a new server maintenance on Dec. 11 that will span across multiple titles, including FC 26, for a few hours. This is the first major maintenance to take place in December, and it arrives ahead of the Unbreakables promo launch. As usual, the servers will be offline while the maintenance is on, and several game modes will be completely unavailable. This guide will inform you of all the details related to the maintenance, including when the servers will be back to normal. FC 26 server maintenance details (Dec. 11) As usual, EA Sports has informed us when the maintenance will begin and when it will come to an end. The latest maintenance begins worldwide on 10:30pm PT(Dec. 10)/12:30am CT/1:30am ET/6:30am UTC, and last for approximate five hours. Unless there are any more delays, the server maintenance will end at 3:30am PT/5:30am CT/6:30am ET/11:30am UTC. There's a chance for the maintenance to be extended, and we will update if something like that happens. Typically, the maintenance should end a few minutes before the end times mentioned here. [Hidden Content] While the server maintenance commences at 12:30am CT, matchmaking will be disabled 30 minutes prior to that. Once the matchmaking is disabled, you won't be able to play any kind of matches that require online connectivity. The entire Ultimate Team mode will be disabled as long as the maintenance is live. Even modes like Squad Battles, where you play against AI-controlled opponents, will remain unavailable. You'll either be unable to log in to Ultimate Team, or the matchmaking will result in an error. Either way, don't worry because this is entirely normal during routine server maintenance. While the online modes will be out of order, you can check out other content, like the Manager Career. There are specific objectives as well that you can grind to advance your Season 3 progress, which will unlock new items and rewards. The post FC 26 maintenance (December 11): When will the servers come back appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

After a long, difficult fight to take over hell a ****** needs a break. Beebz and crew put in serious effort during three separate adventures in ****** Turf and its DLC, and now they've set sail under blue skies and wide-open seas to Ragnar's Rock. Technically it's a work excursion, but with all that sun and sea it's hard not to feel the mental batteries recharging. Much more chill and someone's going to end up running a store selling cozy trinkets to the quirky furry natives, but thankfully the ship is attacked before that can happen. View the full article

За прошедшие с релиза 14 лет портирование культовой фэнтезийной ролевой игры The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim на новые платформы для фанатов уже превратилось в шутку, и разработчики из Bethesda Game Studios это тоже понимают.View the full article

Supergiant Games has shared a live recording music video for Mountain of the Gods from Hades II. View the full article

Digital Extremes shares the launch trailer and reveals what's next for Warframe The Old Peace. View the full article

Every retailer insists the big sales are done for the year. Yet every time I blink, another discount swan-dives into my feed like it never got the memo. That being said, I've gone and scooped up the best deals still lurking in the wild. Get 'em before they're goneski. Contents RetroNintendoXboxPlayStationPCPC GearLEGOThis Day in Gaming In retro news, I'm using the chain-reaction detonation of a **** crate to light a 16-candle cake baked for Angry Birds, the original poultry-flingin’ puzzler that created an empire. I still remember playing it on my original iPhone 1 during morning train rides; the addictive sling-and-smash gameplay loop grabbed me harder than my previous iOS obsession: Paper Toss. What really cracked me up back then was how Angry Birds basically set up a permanent nest atop the iOS charts. It felt like every commuter in the country was sneaking in a cheeky fling or two between stops, and the sales numbers backed it up as it perched defiantly at number one. Then came the merch, the cartoons, the spin offs, the film deals... before long, a simple pig-abusing time killer had evolved into a full-blown cultural kaiju. Aussie birthdays for notable games. - ****** Bandicoot 3: Warped (PS) 1998. Redux - Angry Birds (iOS) 2009. Sequels - Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PC) 2011. Get - Terraria (PSV) 2013. eBay - Rune Factory 4 (3DS) 2014. Get - Earth Defense Force 5 (PS4) 2018. eBay Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch Look, Nintendo discounts are rarer than a Joy-**** that drifts in a straight line, so when they show up you grab them with both hands and maybe your feet too. Here’s the cream of the crop. Super Mario Bros. Wonder (-20%) - A$64 A colourful platformer so charming it could convince Bowser to pursue therapy. Great for families, speedrunners, or anyone who loves to punch question blocks.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (-24%) - A$84 An explosive mash of Zelda lore and chaos. Perfect if your favourite part of the franchise is absolutely deleting hordes with godlike nonsense.EA Sports FC 26 NS2 (-55%) - A$49 The yearly footy fix at half price. Great for anyone who enjoys spreadsheets disguised as sports or wants to relive their five-a-side glory days.Everybody's Golf Hot Shots (-33%) - A$47 An absurdly fun swing-em-up that lets you whack ****** in ways your real-life golf coach would frown at. Ideal for competitive couch chaos.Civilization VII (-37%) - A$57 Turn-based empire building that steals hours like a hungry time gremlin. One more turn? Sure. One more after that? Obviously.Overcooked! All You Can Eat (-75%) - A$14.20 The greatest relationship test disguised as a cooking game. If you survive this with friends, you can survive anything. Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card. Switch Console Prices How much to Switch it up? [/url] Back to top Exciting Bargains for Xbox Xbox players get wild discounts so extreme they feel like accounting errors. Ride the chaos while it lasts. Resident Evil 4 (-46%) - A$32.10 A horror classic rebuilt with enough polish to blind a Ganado. Gorgeous, tense, and tremendously replayable.The Crew Motorfest (-81%) - A$19 A massive open-road holiday where speeding is encouraged and consequences are fictional. A bargain for anyone with a need for speed and no actual licence.NBA 2K26 (-59%) - A$49 This year’s basketball juggernaut with enough stats to make a mathematician weep with joy. No actual cardio required.Grand Theft Auto V (-67%) - A$29.60 Somehow still alive, still kicking, still iconic. If you haven’t played it by now, the universe is giving you a very pointed nudge.Metal: Hellsinger (-75%) - A$14.90 Rip and tear to the beat. A rhythm-shooter hybrid that turns every firefight into a metal album cover come to life.Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 (-85%) - A$11.90 Tiny toy cars, big energy, absurd fun. Pure childhood joy without having to pick toys off the carpet. Or just invest in an Xbox Card. Xbox Console Prices How many bucks for a 'Box? [/url] Back to top Pure Scores for PlayStation PlayStation deals hit that perfect sweet spot of prestige gaming and wallet relief. Peak fancy, minimal damage. The Outer Worlds 2 Premium Ed. (-27%) - A$109.90 Sci-fi satire with big personality and ******* lasers. If you love decision making and space capitalism takedowns, hop in.Armored Core VI (-72%) - A$28 A glorious mech brawler with the subtlety of a brick. FromSoftware chaos, now with extra rockets.Elden Ring (-62%) - A$38.20 The open world adventure that made everyone feel brave until they met a dog. Essential if you enjoy triumph through suffering.Sackboy: A Big Adventure (-67%) - A$36.20 Adorable platforming that feels like a warm hug made of yarn. Family friendly, dopamine rich.NBA 2K26 (-59%) - A$49 All the hardwood action without any sweaty laundry. Deep, flashy and dangerously bingeable.Hades (-60%) - A$15.90 The king of roguelikes. A repeated escape attempt that somehow feels like a date night with the Greek underworld. Or purchase a PS Store Card. What you'll pay to 'Station. [/url] Back to top Purchase Cheap for PC PC deals continue to be unhinged in the best possible way. Steam discounts hit harder than gravity and twice as often. Hi-Fi Rush (-40%) - A$26.90 A rhythm action delight so joyous it feels ********. Bright, bouncy, and perfect for music tragics.Lies Of P (-50%) - A$44.90 A gorgeous soulslike where Pinocchio absolutely throws hands. Stylish, punishing and deeply moreish.Children Of Morta (-85%) - A$5.30 A heartfelt family of monster hunters with excellent storytelling. Huge value for the price of a servo sandwich.Yoku's Island Express (-90%) - A$2.80 A pinball metroidvania that should not work but absolutely does. Big charm, tiny price.The Stanley Parable: Ultra Del. (-60%) - A$13.90 A meta-comedy masterpiece that mocks you lovingly while you explore it. Impossible to spoil, essential to play.Sea Of Stars (-35%) - A$33.10 A modern RPG with retro spirit and immaculate vibes. Great writing and even better combat. Or just get a Steam Wallet Card PC Hardware Prices Slay your pile of shame. [/url] Legit LEGO Deals Just like I did last holiday season, I'm getting festive with the LEGO section. In Mathew Manor, my sons and I are again racing this year's batch of LEGO Advent Calendars. Basically, we open the City, Harry Potter, Minecraft, and Star Wars on the daily and compare the mini-prizes for "Awesomeness" and "Actual Xmas-ness". 2024's winner was the Lego Marvel one, but, weirdly, there's no 2025 equivalent. So it's anybody's race this year. Here are the cheapest prices for the four calendars we're using. Score them yourself or just live vicariously through our unboxings. LEGO CIty Advent 2025 - A$59.95 $45LEGO Harry Potter Advent 2025 - A$59.95 $45LEGO Minecraft Advent 2025 - A$59.95 $45LEGO Star Wars Advent 2025 - A$59.95 $45 Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that's worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube. View the full article

Potions: A Curious Tale, a potion-crafting adventure from women-led developer Stumbling Cat, conjured surprise console launches with new endgame content today on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. It was revealed during today’s Women-Led Games Showcase: The Game Awards Edition. .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 Potions: A Curious Tale conjures a launch on the game consoles appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

"We wanted to build the the greatest game we could imagine playing, and generations of players have kept it alive"View the full article

ARC Raiders has been a massive success for Embark Studios and the company is looking to capitalize on the unique playstyles of its massive player base by asking for feedback on the current maps in the game. Having only been out for 6 weeks so far, ARC Raiders has left a big impression on players, including many who may not be too keen on the extraction genre the game currently occupies. For many live-service titles, player feedback is a critical component and Embark now wants to hear from its players. View the full article

Rich Keeble has some stiff competition in the supporting actor spaceView the full article

Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Cygames' Granblue Fantasy: Relink, and The Gentlebros and Kepler Interactive's Cat Quest III are three RPGs joining the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog this month. View the full article

Many profile badges on Roblox will be going away in 2026, and some fans are worried that the feature will be eliminated altogether. Official messages from Roblox staff seem chipper and optimistic about the upcoming changes, but the response from the players has been anything but happy. View the full article

The pitch for Unbeatable is an enticing one: a visually striking rhythm-adventure hybrid about a punk rock rebellion in a dystopian city where music is ******** – kinda like Jet Set Radio meets a more story-focused Taiko no Tatsujin, which is great in theory. But the promise of that concept doesn’t always line up with the disjointed yet heartfelt mess we actually got. Unbeatable positions itself as a mix of both story-driven exploration and pulse-pounding musical battles, but what that means in practice is a conversation-heavy walking simulator with occasional rhythm segments and a few genuinely brilliant moments awkwardly wedged in… plus an endless arcade mode that has some real promise. That’s where the rhythm game “meat” is hidden away, and it’s decently fun for a few hours with a great selection of tracks and plenty of challenges to unlock, though it’s a shame part of its selection is locked behind day-one DLC. Welcome to a world where music is ********, nobody remembers what it is, and, miraculously, you’re the only one who can bring it back! The story mode follows the vocalist Beat and her bandmates as they fight against HARM – a police force defending the music ban with lethal imprecision. The musical names and quirky characters would be charming if the writing supported them with consistent cleverness or emotional weight. Instead, what you get is a script that infrequently touches on what it really feels like to try and become a musician in a world that barely has space for you. The rest of it reads like a long back-and-forth Discord conversation between teenagers who think random equals funny. It works well in short bursts, but gets tiresome across the roughly eight-hour campaign. It’s a shame that there’s this much filler between the parts that are genuinely moving, especially towards the end. But even during those latter parts, Unbeatable lurches from location to location with minimal clear connective tissue. One moment you’re talking to a guard in prison, the next you’re suddenly in the prison cafeteria with no transition or explanation. Then the camera cuts again and you’re asleep. Then you’re in the factory doing work detail. Now you’re skateboarding on a pair of headphones through an entire platoon of guards. There is some logic behind these transitions, but most of the time, Unbeatable’s zones are disorganized – its story feels like a cassette tape of vignettes that just teleport you between scenes, doing the bare minimum to show you how you got there, and that happens constantly throughout. It's disorienting in the worst way – not as an artistic choice, but as a failure of basic storytelling. There are even a few drawn-out dialogue sequences that repeat themselves multiple times – you’ll literally see the exact same cutscene or conversation recycled for no clear reason. But what’s most shocking about Unbeatable is how little rhythm gameplay actually exists in the story mode before the final chapter. You'll spend the vast majority of your time running through empty environments, talking to poorly-written NPCs, and participating in mandatory minigames that have nothing to do with the core rhythm gameplay found in the arcade mode. For instance, there's a bartending minigame with obnoxiously loud jazz providing sound cues. There's a batting cage that appears out of nowhere. You'll close sluices in a sewer in a "puzzle" that has you running back and forth while your incompetent bandmates keep turning valves back on as a "joke." Even when rhythm sections do appear, they're sometimes completely disconnected from what's happening in the story – you might be mid-conversation, and suddenly you're in a yard fighting someone with no setup or context. Thirty seconds later, it’s over and you’re back in your bunk talking about something else. The message it's trying to communicate takes itself too seriously to lean into its absurdity effectively. The story itself centers on bringing music back to the city by being punk rock rebels, which is a perfectly serviceable concept. But the execution is often so shallow and heavy-handed that it hardly feels like anything real is at stake until the emotional payoff at the very end, after the credits are already rolling. The villains are also written like annoying teenagers rather than any kind of credible threat. It's trying desperately to be edgy and rebellious, but never actually lets you in on what you're rebelling against or what rebellion truly costs in this world. As a result, that world feels less like a believable dystopia and more like a caricature designed solely for game mechanics to happen in. Everything is music-themed to an absurd degree – you tie headphones to your feet to escape prison, Beat stops every few minutes to argue with another character about the specifics of being in a band, and every named NPC you meet is vaguely named after musical terms. It's aesthetic-driven to the point of parody, but the message it’s trying to communicate still somehow takes itself too seriously to lean into that absurdity effectively. The silver lining is that if you’re big into music, you’ll appreciate a lot of these references, but Unbeatable tragically struggles to decide on a tone. It's simultaneously trying to be an irreverent internet-humor comedy and a heartfelt story about found family and artistic expression. Those two approaches could theoretically coexist, but Unbeatable rarely demonstrates the writing chops to pull it off. The result is a game that hamfists its themes into each interaction with breathless exposition and forced drama, with cutesy characters who desperately want you to think they're clever. When Unbeatable actually lets you play its rhythm game, you can get through it by pressing exactly two buttons. You're either hitting ground opponents or jumping to hit aerial enemies, all synced to the beat. It's functionally similar to Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. To its credit, the rhythm synchronization at least works well – this review was played on PC at 1440p with a 180Hz G-Sync monitor, and the beats lined up perfectly with the refresh rate. The problem is that, with only two real inputs, Unbeatable has nowhere to go for additional difficulty except "more notes, faster." On Normal difficulty, songs are almost laughably easy. Crank it up to Hard or Expert, and suddenly the screen is filled with so many simultaneous inputs while the camera shakes, zooms, and bounces around that it becomes overwhelming without necessarily being rewarding. You're just trying to parse visual chaos. That said, there is at least a welcome option to turn off the VHS filter enabled by default, which just makes everything look unnecessarily glitchy, as well as a reduced camera motion option, which is a good accessibility feature given how much it can bounce around during rhythm sections. Drop the “adventure” and the arcade mode is where the real game lives. The music selection itself is at least decent overall. The story mode is a bit more middling; aside from the main themes and songs played by the virtual band, the campaign’s filler tracks feel like what people imagine Portland's indie music scene sounds like when they're making fun of it. But the saving grace is that Beat’s band puts out a few bangers before the end of the story. The arcade mode also has good music from top to bottom, which goes a long way toward making it a lot more fun to play than the story itself. There are tracks from artists like Alex Moukala and Peak Divide that are genuinely great. It’s a little questionable that some of them are locked behind day-one DLC, but you don’t need to pay extra for plenty of excellent beat maps that come along for free. The arcade mode is structured like a proper rhythm game with unlockable songs, an expansive and fun-to-complete challenge board, leaderboards, and a good selection of difficulty tiers ranging from Beginner up past Expert and beyond. It has the replayability and polish that the main story mode completely lacks. Drop the “adventure” and that's where the actual, complete game lives. One thing Unbeatable does nail is its looks, with a strong punk rock aesthetic and standout anime fusion art direction. The 2D character cutouts layered into cartoonish 3D environments look great, especially in locations like the town and beach, where the late afternoon light dances off the ocean. The pause menu also has this cool scratchy vinyl aesthetic that really sells the punk vibe. When you pause a session, there's a neat record-scratch effect. These are the moments where you can see the vision underneath Unbeatable’s jank. But strong art direction can't save poor game design. For instance, the camera is frequently positioned in ways that make navigating each level confusing. You'll often need to run toward areas of the screen that are partially obstructed by walls to trigger the camera to pan to the next room, leading to constant moments where you're just wandering around trying to figure out where you're supposed to go. And these environments feel empty and lifeless, more like stage sets than actual places. Perhaps most frustrating is that certain moments really do show promise. The UX is similarly messy. At first, it looks pretty clean due to a straightforward menu system and sharp dialogue boxes that have a cool, comic-book-inspired vibe to them. The rhythm gameplay cues are solid in the main rhythm game (the one you play during key story moments and in the arcade mode), but are totally incoherent in some of the minigames, like the game where you have to do quality control for bombs in the prison or mix drinks to screechy jazz music. And more than once, dialogue boxes will pile on top of one another or slide to the bottom corner of the screen as NPCs run straight into the camera or off-camera entirely. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Unbeatable is that there are moments that really do show promise. There’s a train sequence where your band is playing music while fighting enemies that’s genuinely cool, but it doesn’t arrive until several hours in. These highlights come way too late, and are immediately followed by more filler. It's almost like the entire game was built around the most promising sections of Unbeatable’s impressive demo from back in 2021, padding them out with fetch quests, repeated cutscenes, and unnecessary minigames rather than making more of what actually worked. That demo framed these moments as representative of the full experience when they're actually the exceptions amidst hours of aimless wandering. View the full article

Cyberpunk 2077 trading card game, new collector's set, and discounts revealed to celebrate the game's 5th anniversary. View the full article

Intelligent, stylish, and brutally hands-off, Routine is one of the most terrifying — and at times terrifyingly frustrating — horror games I've played for some time. Confident and cruel, it's a masterclass in show-don't-tell horror that freaked me out far more than I'd like to admit… and that's coming from a bona fide horror veteran. All five of my senses are permanently on high alert. My ears constantly strain for the sound of stomping footfalls and humming electronics. My eyes dance about in the darkness, looking for a place to hide. My hands — misshapen and perma-clawed from clutching the controller so tightly — genuinely ache from stress. And yes, I can almost smell it here, too. Dust. Decay. Decades-old recirculated air lying over an unmistakable note of fried circuits. When I feel this overwhelmed, I'd typically cower behind a Pause screen to bring my blood pressure back down, but I can't even do that: bringing up the menu doesn’t actually pause anything, which means you can die — and I have — while adjusting your settings. Thanks, Dead Space. There are only two horror games I've never been able to complete: Alien: Isolation and the very first Outlast game. Both scare the bejesus out of me, chiefly because there's no way to predict when a jumpscare is coming, but also because I absolutely hate being chased by things I can't kill. Routine delivers all of this and more, ratcheting up the fear through the very clever, very intentional design choices it makes, such as manual save points (NO!), randomized puzzles so you can't cheese them or look stuff up (ARGH!), and some truly devilish creature design that feels as though it's been plucked directly from my own nightmares (HELP ME). Announced way back in 2012 — two years before the release of Creative Assembly's aforementioned Alien: Isolation, with which it shares much of its DNA — Routine is one of the most atmospheric games I've played in ages (and I do mean all games, not just horror ones). You, a software engineer dispatched to resolve a malfunctioning security system, arrive at Union Plaza, a tourist resort on the Moon, although there are no tourists, no staff, and barely even a functioning facility left. And despite the technical accomplishments that apparently got us to the Moon, everything in Union Plaza is gloriously old-fashioned. Like The Jetsons or the original Alien movie, it presents a dated, almost naïve vision of the future, with green-hued CRT terminals, limited technology, and fabulously 70s-esque patterned wallpaper. Take your trusty CAT, aka your Cosmonaut Assistance Tool. Yes, it lets you overload electronics, track clues, see in the dark, and gain important security clearance, but it's also a boxy gizmo that kinda looks like an 1980s video camera, complete with a cripplingly bleak battery life. Using it requires manual interaction — modules need to be physically slotted into place, and connecting to the short-span wi-fi requires a manual button press. All of it is delightfully fiddly, right up until you realize you may need to manually change out your modules while a Type-05 (a deeply unpleasant mechanical facsimile of a humanoid) is gunning for you, or you can't save until you find a wireless access point, which may or may not have a murderous robot patrolling just in front of it. And Routine gives nothing away. Absolutely nothing. No hints, no clues, no flashing items, no "Stuck? Click here!" lifeline. Admirably reserved, it's content to leave you fumbling in the dark for hours if need be, utterly unfazed by your frustration until you, say, accidentally spot a vent you somehow didn't notice before. It's deliciously cunning game design that I hate every bit as much as I admire, only elevated further by its careful use — or sometimes lack thereof — of sound effects and unsettling bangs and thuds in the distance. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, there's also no HUD. You never really know what state your health is in, which means you’re never certain how many times one of the creepy automatons can grab you before it's game over. You only know how many shots you have left in your CAT by "physically" picking it up and looking at the battery life. You don't helpfully zoom in when you're reading a dimly backlit screen, which can make reading memos and emails on flickering displays pretty tricky. Logging into things takes time you may ill afford thanks to 1980s engineering and a groaning dial-up system… especially when you learn that, yes, enemies can drag you out of your hiding place if they see you get into it. It's those emails and memos that really flesh out the story here, though, which is surprising given how missable they are (and how easy it is to get turned around and think you've already explored somewhere that you haven't). I can't say I thought it all made sense, or was wonderfully satisfactory or unique at the end — too many loose ends and unanswered questions meant it didn't quite stick the landing for me — but Routine's curious story certainly kept me hooked. But even for me — someone absolutely terrified of being stalked in the dark by unkillable machines — Routine loses a little of its luster partway through its roughly six-hour campaign. What once freaked me out began to wind me up instead. Manual saving is novel right up until, say, your PC crashes, and the hands-off puzzling is impressive all the way until you're fully, palpably lost and have no idea how to progress. You cannot reacquaint yourself with your current objective unless you are at a save station, or choose when to activate your flashlight, or even carry a spare battery with you. There's no map which, for someone with the directional sense of a turtle spinning on its back — also me! — is woefully cruel. And not being able to pause is an interesting wrinkle right up until you get an important phone call or the dog stands in front of the TV. From this point on, even the Type-05s feel a little humdrum. The stomping of their feet means it's impossible for one to sneak up behind you, and they're outrageously stupid, often unable to find you even if they chase you into an open elevator and you're crouching behind a box six inches away. Half the time, all they do is interrupt you, like a puppy with a new ball. That doesn't mean I don't often wish I could permanently disable them — knocking them temporarily offline just doesn't make me feel safe enough, which is obviously why permakilling them isn't an option — but there's so much "ammo" around (read: batteries) that you can often neutralize them and slip away without incident. Nor does it mean they don't freak me out (they do) or that I got acclimated to the tension (I didn't), but given that the enemies just aren't that clever, they're pretty easy to lose. (That said, I can't help but wish for a SOMA-esque 'Safe' mode to allow me to explore to my heart's content.) As for the puzzles? Few stumped me for long — it's fear that held me back, not the puzzle design — but I think some will be confused by them, not least because developer Lunar Software's lack of signposting means it's easy to overlook clues. If you take nothing else from my words today, though, you owe it to yourself to try to get through as much of Routine as you can without succumbing to a guide. Most puzzles are logical, sometimes maddeningly so, and it's always a rush when you realize the solution can be found by fiddling with the settings on your CAT. And that's what I loved best, I think. Those intelligent puzzles, intuitive tools, and a deeply unsettling atmosphere may not work for all, but they sure did impress me. View the full article

Baldur's Gate 3has patched a lot of its most infamous exploits over time, but a new workaround brings back one of the most powerful lost opportunities. The Sussur Blooms featured in Act One have the ability to neutralize some incredible enemy abilities, emanating an anti-magic field that shuts down magic from any source. Unfortunately, Sussur Blooms typically wilt when taken out of the Underdark, making it impossible to use them against some of the game's most threatening foes. View the full article

It's not nice, but it sounds trueView the full article

We test The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition for Switch 2 going over visuals, performance, load times, upgrades over Switch 1, Steam Deck, and more. View the full article

Gyre Prime is the latest Prime to be added to unvaulted access in Warframe, along with the launch of The Old Peace Update, and this guide will help you find all its parts. Of course, you can spend real-life money and buy Gyre Prime from the shop as she's part of the latest Prime Access bundle. However, you can obtain the parts for free (without spending Platinum), but the method is extremely RNG-reliant. This guide will provide you with all the details required for you to farm Gyre Prime parts from the Relics. All Gyre Prime relics in Warframe The Gyre Prime Warframe has four different parts. Gyre Prime SystemsGyre Prime NeuropticsGyre Prime ChassisGyre Prime Blueprint Here's the list of all the Orokin relics that you're going to require for all the parts. Gyre Prime Systems: Common drop from Meso V14 RelicGyre Prime Neuroptics: Rare drop from Lith G14 RelicGyre Prime Chassis: Uncommon drop from Axi T13 RelicGyre Prime Blueprint: Uncommon drop from Neo T10 Relic Screenshot by Destructoid The spot for farming relics, thankfully, hasn't changed, and the preferred nodes remain pretty much the same. Meso Relics: If you manage to reach Round 2 in the Disruption node, Olumpus, on Mars, you're guaranteed a Meso drop. Ukko in the Void is another great spot, and arguably the quickest one in terms of time required. However, you can also obtain a Neo relic from this spot after capturing the target.Neo Relics: The node of Ukko mentioned above is fantastic, but you can also try at Ur in Uranus.Axi Relics: The best spot to find Axi Relics is the Lua Disruption node on Apollo. Defend two conduits from Round 4 onwards, and you're guaranteed an Axi drop.Lith Relics: The Olympus node on Mars is an excellent spot for guaranteed Lith drop from every rotation. There are more ways to obtain Relic Packs if you want to try your luck with them. There are plenty of vendors that sell unlimited Relic Packs, but the exact availability will depend on your standings with all the open-world factions and neutral Syndicates. Screenshot by Destructoid You can also find Relic Packs from Teshin in exchange for Steel Essences. Try to farm and purchase Lith G14 the most since that has the only Rare component you'll want to complete Gyre Prime. The Warframe will remain in the unvaulted pool for a long time based on older trends that Digital Extremes has followed. Of course, you can also try out Uriel, who is the 63rd Warframe to be added to the game. The post All Gyre Prime Relics in Warframe and how to farm them appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

ARC Raiders is looking to tackle the "wipe" problem that games in its genre experience by making it optional for players to participate in. It's called the Expedition Project, and the game's first iteration is happening soon. Especially considering the fact that ARC Raiders is probably the first extraction shooter for many players, a lot of gamers are somewhat oblivious to the Expedition Project and what it means. And that's largely due to the fact that it's not very evident in-game. Image via Embark Studios Today, a Reddit user called out the fact that it's mainly been posted about and discussed on social media channels like Discord and X/Twitter, which is a fairly good point. In order to even find the Projects page in-game, players need to navigate to multiple menus, and there's no in-game notification or marker anywhere to point to it. Because of this, the main gist of the upcoming Expedition Project seems to be flying under the radar for a lot of players, especially when it comes to the requirements for earning extra skill points, which may be the biggest draw to wiping your stash and starting over. This optional inventory wipe features some steep requirements to begin with to reach the final phase, which begins in a week on Dec. 17. But then, the main reason to start over is the skill points, which are pricy: when the Expedition Project takes off, players can earn up to five permanent skill point unlocks, and they cost one million overall stash value per point. "None of my friends had any idea when I told them yesterday," one gamer said. "Now none of them wants to do the Expedition." "When the Expedition departs, all items in your Raider’s stash will be contributed toward it," Embark explained in a blog post this past week. "Your next Raider can earn up to five skill points based on the total value of your Stash and Coins at the time of departure." Opting in to the Expedition will unlock some exclusive cosmetics, 12 more slots for your stash, and some temporary buffs. These rewards are nice, but moving forward, having those extra skill points and tacking them on to your build at each reset will be what sets most players apart. And it appears that many have no idea that it's a thing because there's nothing about it in the actual game. Some sort of in-game announcement would be a good first step in making sure that all players are prepared for the Expedition to begin in a week. There's only a week long ******* where players can do so, too, so that only makes the need for better communication on the subject more pertinent. Since the Expedition itself is quite an undertaking for casual players, I'll be very curious to see how many players actually take part in it and how Embark will handle the mechanic moving forward after this initial try. The post ARC Raiders’ inventory wipe incentive is a mystery to ‘the majority of the player base’ due to how inconspicuous it is in-game appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article