Are you going to buy any games in 2023? Or are you just going to boot up the Xbox Game Pass tab every time you sign onto your console and have a little browse? Because I know, in the middle of a cost of living crisis, how little I can afford on brand new $70 games multiple times per year. To that end, Xbox Game Pass feels like an absolutely essential part of my gaming setup....
June’s Xbox Games with Gold have been announced, and the games are Destroy All Humans, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, Sine Mora, and Coffee Talk. Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse will be made available on Xbox June 1-30, and Coffee Talk will arrive on the service June 16. It will remain available until July 15. For Xbox One and Xbox 360 users with gold, Destroy All Humans becomes available on June 1....
There’s a pernicious rumour going around that the humble Xbox Series S, the cheapest next-gen console on the market, is somehow causing other, better machines to be compromised with unnecessary framerate caps. Quite how the rumour started is a little convoluted, but I’ve explained all in the accompanying video. And, look, here’s the thing: it’s a load of rubbish. If anything, if the Series S was responsible for reducing the overall complexity of next-gen games compared to what they could achieve were it not a factor, then the big boy machines – it stands to reason – would have plenty of headroom left over for performance boosts....
But we don’t remember all that when we think of Spec Ops: The Line. Instead, it’s the game’s view of war through the lens of video games, its understanding of player agency, and its commitment to saying something at a time when games were just starting to experiment with embedding messages in their narratives that most really think of when the game comes up. Few people have kept up with the goings-on at Yager since, in part because the developer abandoned the limelight of AAA development and took matters into its own hands, opting to focus on interesting prototypes and see them to fruition....
The Additional Challenge Expansion Pack has been announced for Yakuza: Like a Dragon and it contains New Game Plus and a higher difficulty mode, limited to a second playthrough. According to the announcement (thanks, Gematsu), more information will be provided at a later date. We assume this means pricing, release date, and additional details. Whether the content will also be paid DLC for the game’s western release remains to be seen....
A standalone version of Insomniac’s Spider-Man Remastered is now available to buy on PlayStation 5. As spotted by Twisted Voxel, this updated version of the game will set you back $40 and was previously only available for PS5 as part of the Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition bundle. If you own the original PS4 game and its season pass, however, it seems that you can’t buy this standalone version of Spider-Man Remastered for PS5....
After the ordeal of that bloody stealth segment, you part ways with your wayward and cowardly Goron friend (he’s no Darunia, but he’s okay) and glide down to the surface of Divine Beast Vah Rudania’s back. How is it that the paraglider didn’t dissolve in flames? Ah, forget it. Remember that while the inside of this dungeon is apparently air conditioned, you’ll need to chug an elixir or equip anti-fire gear any time you step onto the outside of the beast....
This news comes from commercial leader at Activision Blizzard Jon Spector, who posted the long-awaited update on Twitter earlier this week. Their return comes alongside Junkertown, a map that was also removed from the game earlier in the month due to bugs that caused graphical performance issues. With this comeback, it looks as though a handful of the major issues in the game are getting resolved at last. As you can imagine, emotions are high among dedicated hubs for these characters....
The developer, which is now under the Sony Interactive Entertainment umbrella thanks to a hefty $3.6 billion cheque from the industry giant, immediately made several key assurances to the world in a post on the official website and social media platforms. These include Destiny 2 remaining multi-platform, Bungie remaining creatively independent, and all players having the same experience regardless of where they play. There is, however, a considerable level of scepticism from a portion of the players - especially those who have been around since the PlayStation exclusives back in 2014 - at the long-term prospects of the deal, in spite of what the statement is saying....
Fifty-nine games released in 2021 received nominations with Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart recieveing nine nominations, followed by Deathloop with eight nominationsm. Inscryption and It Takes Two earned six nods each, and Returnal recived five niminations. Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Resident Evil Village each have four nods. Game of the Year nominuees are Deathloop, Inscryption, It Takes Two, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal. Below you will find the full list of nominees....
More than 85% of the money spent on video games in the UK last year was splashed on digital products. That’s according to data from the Entertainment Retailers Association – as spotted by GamesIndustry.biz – which says that 85.4% of consumer spending on games was for digital titles. In total the games industry raked in £4.4 billion, an increase of 17.7% year-on-year. Games made up 48% of entertainment spending – £7....
Broadly, this is a golf game like every other: you must hit a ball through an environment, eventually landing on a green, then putting the ball into the hole. It’s golf by any definition. What A Little Golf Journey doesn’t worry about too much is the stuff that usually goes hand in hand with all that - the stuff that might put some people off the sport. There’s no club selection here....
Nintendo of America has taken to Twitter to reveal that the next DLC fighter coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be during today’s The Game Awards presentation. So far, there’s no indication of who the new character will be, but that hasn’t stopped fans all over the internet speculating about who’s going to throw their metaphorical hat into the already-bustling ring. The next DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros....
The latest round of freebies offered through the Epic Games Store are now live. One of the titles is A Plague Tale: Innocence. If you are unfamiliar with the action-adventure stealth game, it follows Amicia and her younger brother through a plague-infested France. During their journey, they will have to contend with rats, the Inquisition, angry locals, and the British army. You will meet others on your journeys, such as thieves, alchemists, and more who will teach you new skills....
Following much discussion about its effects on the experience, we’ve gotten word from several members of the development team on what players can do right now to combat this issue, and future plans to tackle it further. The first public statement came from Halo community manager John Junyszek on Twitter, who openly discussed the team’s approach to the issue through candid words. “Unfortunately, cheating is a natural part of supporting a F2P PC game and it’s one we anticipated....
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, three dozen employees have been let go by the company while around 40 others have been disciplined since misconduct allegations and instances of sexual harassment came to light after California filed a lawsuit against the company. Word of actions taken against employees was scheduled to be released by Activision before the winter holidays, but CEO Bobby Kotick felt the information would make issues the company was facing seem larger than what is already public knowledge....
As a remaster and not a remake, if you go into the game having not seen the original for over a decade it’s easy to think not much has changed. Things look as I remembered them, although my brain knows the Xbox 360 game didn’t render at such a high resolution - I’m playing on Xbox Series X. Look closer and compare to the original, though, and there are clear improvements, most notably in character models, objects, and textures....
As long as Blathers has opened up his museum on your island, you can take part in the Stamp Rally to celebrate International Museum Day. The event runs from May 18 - 31 so there’s plenty of time to collect your stamps. You’ll need to visit your bug, fish and fossil exhibits to find the stamp machines, but don’t worry if you haven’t finished filling your museum - you can still collect all of the stamps....
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a wealth of items players can buy and trade. From the cosmetic like clothes and furniture to the more practical like recipes - there’s plenty to hunt for. New Horizons encourages trading with a bigger focus on multiplayer, but you don’t have to wait until someone who has what you need visits your island thanks to Nookazone, a new marketplace for New Horizons players to buy, sell and barter for anything they want, including villagers....
Ark: Genesis is the next chapter for Ark: Survival Evolved, and part one of the expansion will be released on February 25. The expansions contain new biomes and a new mission-based game mechanic along with new creatures. You can also expect new enemies and environmental dangers and of course new gear and structures to craft. Announced in August, part one of Genesis will release simultaneously on PC, PS4, and Xbox One....
