Timeline
Tuesday9th Jul 2024
News Retro GBA RPG Shmup Sigma Star Saga Is Making a Comeback
It's the WayForward
Here’s a deep cut for the Game Boy Advance enthusiasts among you: retro RPG-cum-shmup mash-up Sigma Star Saga is plotting a comeback on modern platforms. While no specific consoles have been announced just yet, this is part of Limited Run Games’ Carbon Engine initiative, so it seems fairly safe to assume that at least PS5...
News PS Stars Is Back Online in Europe, Asia, Australia So Far
North America still to go
Sony's PlayStation loyalty program, PS Stars, has made its return in several major regions. Fans residing in Asia, Australia, and Europe should now have access to the service once again. The Americas still appear to be offline, but should follow suit soon. PS Stars went offline over a month ago, with Sony engineer
News Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Won't Leave Its Licensed Music Behind
Gone Guru's back, baby
The opening beats of Gone Guru by Lifeseeker as you step out into Leisure Park has to be one of the most iconic bits of the original Dead Rising, and thankfully, that moment of dread as the criminals aboard their jeep come speeding at you won't be lost in this year's Deluxe Remaster. Capcom has revealed the licensed music will...
News Relief as Helldivers 2 Players Unearth Anti-Tank Stratagem That Isn't Mines
RIP MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines
In the process of unearthing plans for an interplanetary battle station that could change the Galactic War's face forever, Helldivers 2 players have unwittingly stumbled upon a fearsome new anti-tank support stratagem. Early testing seems to indicate the MLS-4X Commando Rocket Launcher is quite a cracker, but mostly,...
News CYGNI: All Guns Blazing Set to Light a Fire Under Shoot-Em-Ups on PS5
Scottish dev's debut launches in August
CYGNI: All Guns Blazing takes flight on PS5 next month, promising high-octane bullet hell action for players starved of shoot-em-ups. Offering classic arcade thrills with modern production values for one or two players, we got a PS5 "immersion" trailer to whet our collective whistles. Taking advantage of the...
News BioShock Developer 'Ramping Up' for Next Entry in Series
A decade on from BioShock Infinite
Cloud Chamber, the studio tasked with continuing the legendary BioShock series, is now "ramping up", with over 30 positions open at the 2K developer. Work on a BioShock successor has been shunted about for over a decade now, stopping and starting work at multiple development studios. On LinkedIn, senior cinematic...
News The First Descendant's In-Game Icons Seem Strikingly Similar to Those of Destiny 2
"Barely-changed" icons raise eyebrows
The First Descendant has barely been out a week, but it didn't take that long for players familiar with Bungie's Destiny 2 to see some striking similarities between the in-game icons used in both games. Forbes writer Paul Tassi (thanks, VGC) highlighted the issue, as well as n
News German Dev Piranha Bytes Latest Studio to Close Under Embracer
Unable to find a partner, the studio was in a "difficult situation"
German developer Piranha Bytes is the latest studio to close under Embracer, and it is best known for RPGs like Gothic, ELEX, and Risen. The closure comes less than six months after the studio took to Twitter to seek a publisher for its next title as it worked through a "difficult...
Monday8th Jul 2024
News EA Sports College Football 25 May Just Be PS5's Next Best Sports Game
Touchdown
EA Sports’ old NCAA Football franchise holds a special place in the hearts of sports gamers because, freed from the NFL license, it allowed the publisher to experiment – ending up with some outstanding games. It’s been over a decade since the last instalment, but with EA Sports College Football 25 the company has really taken its...
News May 2024 USA Sales: Sucker Punch Classic Ghost of Tsushima Jumps 70 Places to Top Charts
Jin and tonic
It may be an indictment of a particularly slow period for big new releases, but it’s still no less impressive to see Ghost of Tsushima top the USA sales charts for the period spanning 5th May through 1st June. The legendary Sucker Punch title jumped 70 places month-over-month on the back of the game’s PC release, proving Sony’s...
News Apex Legends Demands More Cash in New, Dodgy Battle Pass Strategy
Now you can buy two every season
Instead of just one premium Battle Pass, how would you feel about paying for two... per season? Oh, and you can't use the currency accused from the previous Battle Pass to buy it. That's the new strategy Apex Legends is taking from the beginning of Season 22, which has drawn heavy criticism from the Battle Royale's...
Random PS5 Dev Kit Thinly Disguised as 'Pizza Kit' Sells on eBay for $6,500
Pizza time
A PS5 development kit, under the guise of pizza-cooking equipment, has been sold on eBay for €6,050 — about $6,500. First brought to light by X user consolevariations, somebody has sold off a PS5 dev kit for a handsome sum, dressing it up as some sort of kitchen appliance. As you can see in the below image, the dev kit's V-shaped...
News Indie Hit El Paso, Elsewhere Revealed for PS5, Out This Year
With a physical version to boot
Developer Strange Scaffold has announced it's porting last year's indie favourite El Paso, Elsewhere to PS5, with a view to launching the new version later this year digitally on the PS Store and physically with a boxed copy. The new physical version will include the game on a disc along with an exclusive poster and a...
Feature Serving Up Aloy of Food with the Official Horizon Cookbook
Making a meal of it
There's a surprising number of cookbooks based on popular video games. Drawing inspiration from some of the biggest and best series in the medium, these instructional tomes extend their world-building into reality. These 4D experiences can transport your tastebuds to the frosty Norse landscapes of God of War, Stardew Valley's...
News Arcade Racer Distance Launches This Week on PS5, PS4 After 10-Year Wait
Step on the gas
We sort-of already knew this was coming, but now we have a firm release date for Distance, the racing game announced for PS4 almost a decade ago. As spotted by Gematsu, the intense arcade racer is scheduled to launch on both PS5 and PS4 on 9th July 2024. It's very nearly here. Announced at the tail end of 2014
News Cities: Skylines 2 PS5 Delayed Further to Meet Stability, Performance Aims
There are "unresolved issues" remaining
Paradox Interactive has made the decision to push the console versions of Cities: Skylines 2 even further back — likely into 2025 — in order to meet the stability and performance targets it has set for itself. Detailed in a post on the studio's forums, it's revealed the devel
News Bullet Hell Meets Tactics in Touhou Spell Carnival on PS5, PS4
A fine blend
An unexpected blend of genres will headline Touhou Spell Carnival on PS5 and PS4 later this year, as the release fuses bullet hell chaos with cerebral tactics. The press release reveals: “Touhou Project is a bullet hell shoot-’em-up game created by ZUN’s group, Team Shanghai Alice. Set in the isolated land of Gensokyo, various...
News Gundam Breaker 4's Pac-Man Event Is Unexpectedly Awesome on PS5, PS4
Pac it up
The fun thing about long-running franchises is they often have a license to go a little crazy. Collaborations are common, because they pull in punters and get eyeballs on a game that may have otherwise been looking elsewhere. Take, for example, this crossover between arena mech battler Gundam Breaker 4 and legendary arcade game Pac-Man...
News Next Like a Dragon Title a Surprise for Fans, RGG Studio Teases
In terms of "what kind of game it is"
RGG Studio has teased the next instalment in the Like a Dragon series will come as a surprise for fans in terms of "what kind of game it is", fans attending an Anime Expo panel report (via VGC). Fans at the Essence of Fandom event tweeted that the developer said: "We can't tell you what kind of game it is but I...
News Huge Gran Turismo 7 Update Coming 25th July, Adds New Track and Cars
Patch 1.49 for PS5, PS4 teased
Polyphony Digital teased a significant Gran Turismo 7 PS5, PS4 update for the GT World Series livestream over the past weekend, and it delivered: update 1.49 is bringing a new track, lots more cars, new physics, and expanded GT Sophy AI compatibility to additional circuits. You can see all of it in action in the...
Random You've Been Pronouncing Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's 'Scadutree' Wrong
Which is why we say "Skibidi Fragments"
We regret to inform you that you've most likely been incorrectly pronouncing the name of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdrtree's controversial Scadutree scaling mechanic. The Scadutree Fragments scattered throughout The Shadow Lands are essential in powering up your charac
News Ubisoft Unveils Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition's Physical Offerings
The Collector's Edition comes fully stacked
The anticipated remaster Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition is out now digitally, and we quite enjoyed it. However, if you demand a physical copy, preorders for both disc copies and its elegant Collector's Edition open in just a few short days, on 12th
News 'Unannounced Remake' In Development at 2K Has Fans Clamouring for the Classics
Like BioShock, or Spec Ops: The Line
2K is working on an "unannounced remake", spurring speculation about its identity. That's according to the LinkedIn profile of a motion capture animator currently employed by the studio. Spotted by MP1ST (thanks, Eurogamer), the developer in question cites experience working on a bunch of AAA titles that you'd...
News Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail Puts Up Biggest Player Numbers Since A Realm Reborn
An MMO Rennaissance
The future seems incredibly bright for Final Fantasy XIV. Dawntrail hype caused a record number of players to swarm back to the game, with Square Enix boasting its most significant player count since its 2013 relaunch, A Realm Reborn. Spotted by IGN, director Naoki Yoshida thanked players for their continued support in a
News Official Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Strategy Guide Now Available for Preorder
Seek audience with the Three Fingers
Players currently struggling through Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion can look forward to a new volume in Future Press's Books of Knowledge series, FromSoftware's officially licensed line of hardcover strategy guides. The base game warranted two books of its own,
Sunday7th Jul 2024
News Barmy Katamari-Style Neptunia Spin-Off Revving Up Western PS5, PS4 Release in 2025
What the Nep?
The outlandish – and, frankly, off-the-wall – Hyperdimension Neptunia spin-off game, Neptunia Riders vs Dogoos, will release physically and digitally in the west next year for PS5 and PS4. The game – which is already available in Japan – takes the series in an unexpected direction, where you use a motorcycle to gather...
News Celebrate the Summer with Massive New Open World Map in Genshin Impact on PS5, PS4
Hot and bothered
It’s become something of a summer tradition for Genshin Impact to beat the heat with a time-limited map, and this year is no different. As part of the Summertide Scales and Tales update, due out on 17th July, developer HoYoverse will be sending Travellers to Simulanka – a new time-limited realm populated by origami animals and...
Saturday6th Jul 2024
News Gacha Sensation Zenless Zone Zero Surpasses 50 Million Downloads Across All Platforms
There are free rewards for everyone
Chinese juggernaut HoYoverse has another hit on its hands: Zenless Zone Zero has surpassed 50 million downloads since launching earlier this week, on 4th July. That number is accurate across all platforms, so includes PS5 as well as PC and mobile. The game did have 40 million pre-registrations prior to launching...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 536
Rest period
The video game release schedule continues to slow while the sun just about hangs in the sky for some acceptable UK temperatures this weekend, so it should come as little surprise that we don't have much going on in the industry right now. Our own pre-season, if you will. Still, we've managed to find one or two games to pass the time...
News Bleach: Rebirth of Souls Announced for PS5, PS4, and Yes, It's an Arena Fighter
It's about time
Despite its overall popularity, Bleach has always been severely underrepresented in video games — especially compared to the likes of Naruto and One Piece. That's about to change, however, with Bleach: Rebirth of Souls. Freshly announced at Anime Expo 2024, this adaptation covers a good chunk of the source material, through to the...
