MenuHomeNewsHardwareGamingMobileFinanceDealsReviewsHow ToWccftechGaming7.0South of Midnight Review Boring Combat Drags Down A Beautiful And Emotional StoryDavid Alexander Carcasole Apr 3, 2025 at 12:00 PM EDTCopy ShortlinkGame InfoSouth of MidnightApril 8, 2025PlatformXbox Series X/S, PCPublisherXbox Game StudiosDeveloperCompulsion GamesSince December, or more accurately, since the release of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, theres been a feeling that Xbox has turned a corner for the better. Following up MachineGames' excellent Indiana Jones adventure was Obsidian, with a more than solid outing in Avowed. Which, in a few days from the time of publishing, will be followed up by Compulsion Games latest, South of Midnight, which hopes to keep that momentum going.South of Midnight is the third game in the studios history since its founding in 2009 and the first full game the team has made primarily under the Xbox banner after it was acquired by Microsoft in 2018. After the studios last batch of DLC for We Happy Few, the six years since have been spent crafting Hazel and her mother Laceys story, complete with stop-motion animation. The Southern gothic tale begins with a hurricane far worse than anyone in her small fictional town of Prospero could have predicted and a fight between Hazel and Lacey.After storming out of the house, Hazel looks on in horror as she watches the hurricane take her home, with her Mom in it, down the river. While chasing after the floating house to try and save her Mom, Hazel is chosen to become a new Weaver. A Weaver is a person who is able to see the strings and strands that make up what the game calls the Grand Tapestry. Basically, it is the fabric of life and the world, and its now Hazels job to help untangle the knots caused by the tragedy and pain we experience in life, either by choices of our own making or at the hands of evil people.The story in South of Midnight is a bit of an odd thing. Hazels journey toward understanding her Mom better and how their story plays out is kind of the least interesting part. At the same time, the games story is one of its strengths, and that all comes from the people you meet along Hazels journey to finding her Mom. South of Midnights story constantly surprised me because, from the outside, you wouldnt guess that this game is nearly as dark or serious as it is. In each chapter, youll be charged with helping someone put the pain of their worst memories to rest by untangling the knot the bad parts of their lives caused.And in each chapter, I was taken aback with just how intense and tragic all of these memories were. It was actually what helped to keep the story grounded, especially in the moments where Hazel is wall-running on a floating wall that looks like its been ripped off the side of a building.Thats not to say the relationship between Hazel and her Mom was boring or entirely uninteresting, just that it was out-shined by every other story told, whether in a short scene of a memory you witness or an old journal entry you find along the path. It also didnt help that, more often than not, Hazels first words just after witnessing the memory of an extremely tragic event rarely fit the moment, with too many of her lines sounding like generic barks you might hear in any video game where the protagonist is constantly commenting on the world around them.But there are a few moments of real, excellent storytelling with strong performances from the entire voice cast, including the voice behind Hazel, Adriyan Rae. This only made it all the more upsetting when Hazel would have a line that felt like she wasnt paying attention to the events she just witnessed. Still, even with those disappointing moments, South of Midnight delivers an emotional story that packs a heavier punch than its bright visuals and stop-motion animation might have you expect.Speaking of its visuals, the art design and the look of South of Midnight is arguably the best part of this game. I dont mean that as a slight towards other aspects, or that its not worth playing. It often feels like if the best thing you have to say about a game is that it looks nice, then it probably has little to offer beyond that. Not the case with South of Midnight, as it definitely brings more to the table, but the design of this game and the detail poured into every corner is absolutely spectacular.Unfortunately, the stop-motion animation effect did not agree with my eyes, and I did have to turn it off after playing the opening few chapters with it. I think your mileage with that effect may vary since my issues with it could also be traced to the number of stuttering bugs I witnessed during my playthrough. I was playing an early build of the game on my Xbox Series X that did not include the day-one patch, so I can only hope that the issues I have will be sorted by the time everyone else can jump in for themselves.Speaking of jumping, good as the story and performances are, the main gameplay of South of Midnight is whats unfortunately lacking. The platforming isnt bad. But it also isnt great, and even though it evolves somewhat throughout the 14 chapters of the games story, particularly with the sections that have you running from a dark fog, it only starts to get interesting by the time youre on the last couple of chapters. And by that point, these sections had been so repetitive that I was more peeved than excited to go through another one. Even if the design of these sections was starting to get good, which shouldnt be the case in chapter 12 of a 14-chapter game.The combat is, unfortunately, the worst part of the gameplay. Put simply, its boring and repetitive, and it wouldnt detract from the game so much if you werent thrust into a combat arena every five minutes. The small skill tree you work through never adds to the combat in interesting ways; the best part about upgrading your skills is that it can help you move through these sections faster. A key issue is that theres no flow to combat. Hazel doesnt have a parry or a block mechanic, so all you can do is dash and dodge away from incoming attacks, which means youre constantly pulling yourself out of the action in order to stay alive. And whether youre locked on to a single enemy or not, the camera is awful at keeping pace with the combat, so youre almost surely going to take a few hits that you just couldnt prepare for because you didnt see them coming.Even when an enemy is in front of you, some attacks are more telegraphed than others, and you can only knock an enemy out of an animation by performing a ground-pound attack. It also doesnt help that when you do take a hit, the knock-back effect makes Hazel so slow to react that youre likely to take another hit before you can dodge to safety. Thats also where all the challenge in the combat lies, not dying from hits you cant see coming. Which makes any deaths you suffer frustrating for the wrong reasons. Even when you are performing well and not dying, the feedback on your attacks doesnt feel satisfying, as you repeat the same set of animations again and again. And while the look of each enemy is interesting, what each of them adds to combat doesnt evolve it in interesting ways or make you change your approach. This then feeds into the other issue that you dont really get many different ways to approach combat. Youre mashing attack and dodge ad-nauseam, and when its over, you get a tragic, emotional scene about something awful that happened in a characters life. The actions couldnt feel more disconnected if they tried, which adds to combat feeling like a slog.South of Midnight would be a tighter, more interesting game if the combat sections were instead replaced with gameplay akin to that of an adventure game or puzzle game, where youre piecing together the past events to properly untangle what has become knotted. The gameplay there would also more easily weave into the games narrative instead of feeling like its trying to be an entirely different kind of game the moment combat starts.If there are any combat sections I could call out as good, it would be the few boss fights scattered throughout the game. But those sections arent good because the combat suddenly becomes fun, theyre good because of the scale of the bosses youre fighting, and how well executed the presentation of each set piece is. So even though getting through to the end of a chapter isnt all that fun with how many combat sections you have to get through, at least the set piece at the end was always visually stunning and a fun spectacle.Thats also why Id say the best of these chapter-ending set-pieces is actually one that members of the press, including Wccftechs own Kai Tatsumoto, got to experience in previews. How the music tied in with the story you had just witnessed, and the complete understanding you have about this giant tree that youre climbing, still sticks out in my mind, days after seeing the credits roll. It was really beautiful, and I wish more of the game was able to weave gameplay and narrative as strongly as it was done there.Lastly, speaking of the music, that is the final aspect of the storytelling that really makes South of Midnight special. The original songs written for each of the key characters from Prospero that you meet and help out are all so well done. Its something you really have to experience for yourself, and its a big part of why Id still recommend that you play South of Midnight. On top of the other visual and storytelling aspects Ive already talked about, the music wraps it all together so beautifully.Overall, South of Midnight has excellent storytelling, excellent artistic and visual design, a wonderful cast of characters and voice actors, and an original soundtrack that punctuates each big narrative beat in a way that will stay with you long after you put the controller down. Unfortunately, the same creativity that went into the rest of the game is missing in its combat and platforming, and Compulsion Games does itself no favors by launching you into the same boring combat scenarios again and again in each level.Reviewed on Xbox Series X (code provided by the publisher).7.0WCCFTECH RATINGSouth of MidnightSouth of Midnight has some incredibly strong storytelling chops, brought together by its stunning visual design and excellent soundtrack. Unfortunately, the experience is bogged down by boring, repetitive combat and lackluster platforming, but it's worth rushing through those parts to experience everything else South of Midnight has to offer.ProsAmazing visual designStrong storytelling with a solid cast of charactersGreat performances from the voice actorsOriginal music that punctuates the storytelling in a unique way that stays with you ConsBoring and repetitive combatLackluster platforming that doesnt begin to get interesting until the very endA number of bugs that may or may not be ironed out in the day-one patch Buy for from AmazonThe links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com mayearn from qualifying purchases.Deal of the DaySubscribe to get an everyday digest of the latest technology news in your inboxFollow us onTopicsSectionsCompanySome posts on wccftech.com may contain affiliate links. 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This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI), a major retailer of servers and liquid-cooled AI racks, is surprisingly still up 6 percent so far this year, despite the ongoing carnage across the tech avenue. It is hardly a surprise, therefore that Goldman Sachs recently crowned SMCI as the "best performing stock" in the hardware sphere. Today, Super Micro Computer is out with another stellar development, this time touting the AI performance leadership of its cutting-edge systems that are based on NVIDIA's B200 GPU.To wit, Super Micro Computer is now claiming that its "4U liquid-cooled and 10U air-cooled systems," based on NVIDIA's HGX B200 8-GPU, "demonstrated more than 3 times the tokens per second (Token/s) generation for Llama2-70B and Llama3.1-405B benchmarks compared to H200 8-GPU systems."The company went on to note:"Within the operating margin, the Supermicro air-cooled B200 system exhibited the same level of performance as the liquid-cooled B200 system."Super Micro Computer's NVIDIA HGX B200 systems feature newly developed cold plates and a 250kW coolant distribution unit. These new designs feature vertical coolant distribution manifolds that no longer take up valuable rack space, enabling "eight systems, comprising 64 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs in a 42U rack, and up to 12 systems with 96 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs in a 52U rack."The company added:"The new air-cooled 10U NVIDIA HGX B200 system features a redesigned chassis with expanded thermal headroom to accommodate eight 1000W TDP Blackwell GPUs. Up to 4 of the new 10U air-cooled systems can be installed and fully integrated in a rack, the same density as the previous generation, while providing up to 15x inference and 3x training performance."For the benefit of those who might not be aware, U is a standard measurement of server heights, where 1U equals 1.75 inches.Loop Capital recently disclosed that Apple has officially entered the "large server cluster Gen AI game," with the "Siri kerfuffle" prompting a strategy change at the company that now seemingly favors NVIDIA's commercial GPUs:"AAPL [Apple] is in the process of placing orders for ~$1.0B of GB300NVL72s (or ~250 servers at $3.7M - $4.0M each) comprised of both SMCI [Super Micro Computer] & DELL."This order represents another win for Super Micro Computer and Dell, both of whom are currently the leading suppliers of AI server racks.Deal of the Day

Amazon has revealed the PC games that'll be coming to Prime Gaming in April, and this month, there's a rich selection of gangland drama, sci-fi adventues, and fashion crimes to check out. In total, there'll be 23 games on offer this month. As a reminder, all of the free games that you claim through Prime Gaming are yours to keep forever, even if your subscription expires. If you aren't a member, you can sign up for Amazon Prime for as little as one month to take advantage of the subscription and the freebies offered through it. Sign up for Amazon Prime One of the highlights this month is Mafia 3: Definitive Edition. Compared to the previous Mafia games, Mafia 3 offers a busier sandbox to explore while you embark on a tale of revenge. After his surrogate family is wiped out by the Italian Mafia, protagonist Lincoln Clay embarks on a mission to take down the Mafiaso responsible, while building a new family and crime syndicate in the process. The Definitive Edition comes with a lot of post-launch story content and various cosmetics bundled in as well.With the Minecraft movie launching this week, you can also check out one of the spin-off games through Prime Gaming. Minecraft Legends is an action-strategy game that places a heavier emphasis on story, multiplayer, and tactics. While the combat mechanics can be a little rough, the attention to detail, cute character designs, and environments will likely make it a hit with younger members of the family looking for more Minecraft entertainment.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Every now and then, GTA Online players get to suit up as a rare sasquatch, and Rockstar Games revealed the April 3 update adds the option to do so once again.Rockstar has released a new update for GTA Online, bringing new shop discounts, nightclub bonuses, and the chance to shapeshift into the game's elusive Sasquatch. This is not an opportunity that happens often, but for a limited time, players can once again find the psychoactive peyote plants in GTA Online.For those unfamiliar, a special Peyote Plant can be found in the hills above Grapeseed and allows players to morph into the elusive Sasquatch, assuming all of the weather conditions and prerequisites are met.Continue Reading at GameSpot

After what feels like a lifetime of hearing various rumors and leaks, it's finally been confirmed that Elden Ring is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 this year. Officially titled Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, this Switch 2-exclusive version comes with both the award-winning base game and last year's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, giving players roughly 150 hours of premium FromSoftware content to play through on their shiny new Nintendo handheld.

There are many things that will change with Path of Exile 2's first major patch since its early access debut, coming out tomorrow with the new Dawn of the Hunt release alongside the new Huntress class, several Ascendancies, and much more. As is customary for action RPGs, Path of Exile 2's Dawn of the Hunt update will come with a balance pass to the current items, skills, and classes while also adding several more (namely, 5 Ascendancies and over 100 Unique Items, as well as Support Gems). What is unusual is that existing elements are outright removed, but this is the case for one Skill Gem that was previously one of the best in the game, if not the.

The Nintendo Switch 2, unveiled April 2, takes performance to the next level, powered by a custom NVIDIA processor featuring an NVIDIA GPU with dedicated RT Cores and Tensor Cores for stunning visuals and AI-driven enhancements.With 1,000 engineer-years of effort across every element from system and chip design to a custom GPU, APIs and world-class development tools the Nintendo Switch 2 brings major upgrades.The new console enables up to 4K gaming in TV mode and up to 120 FPS at 1080p in handheld mode. Nintendo Switch 2 also supports HDR, and AI upscaling to sharpen visuals and smooth gameplay.AI and Ray Tracing for Next-Level VisualsThe new RT Cores bring real-time ray tracing, delivering lifelike lighting, reflections and shadows for more immersive worlds.Tensor Cores power AI-driven features like Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), boosting resolution for sharper details without sacrificing image quality.Tensor Cores also enable AI-powered face tracking and background removal in video chat use cases, enhancing social gaming and streaming.With millions of players worldwide, the Nintendo Switch has become a gaming powerhouse and home to Nintendos storied franchises. Its hybrid design redefined console gaming, bridging TV and handheld play.More Power, Smoother GameplayWith 10x the graphics performance of the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch 2 delivers smoother gameplay and sharper visuals.Tensor Cores boost AI-powered graphics while keeping power consumption efficient.RT Cores enhance in-game realism with dynamic lighting and natural reflections.Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) via NVIDIA G-SYNC in handheld mode ensures ultra-smooth, tear-free gameplay.Tools for Developers, Upgrades for PlayersDevelopers get improved game engines, better physics and optimized APIs for faster, more efficient game creation.Powered by NVIDIA, Nintendo Switch 2 delivers for both players and developers.

What is it? Whats the formula, the secret ingredient to make a VR game bring pure excitement and adrenaline to the players? How can we make them smile and go wow after they take off the headset? For us devs at Something Random working on Harpagun, it all comes down to a few simple elements. Lets take it from the top.Play VideoMovement that matters: Speed, control, and immersionAction games are all about movement. An issue mostly already solved in flat screen games but still problematic in VR. Some forms of locomotion allow for precision but are pretty slow and unresponsive. Others let you zoom around the locations, but can be uncomfortable. Those that are, are limiting or take you out of the illusion of being there.In Harpagun we needed a system with a clear set of goals: comfort, simplicity, responsiveness, speed and immersion. In a proper arcade game players have to be able to react in a blink of an eye, immediately focus on whats the most important, change their position to avoid danger or get a better shot at an enemy.We managed to achieve that with our pylon and anchor system. Players move between sets of points with their eyes anchored to points of interest such as a path forward or center of the combat area. The movement is smooth but fast enough to be comfortable while allowing for total control of the battlefield.Grab, smash, throw: The power of the Magnetic RayThe first thing everyone wants to do in VR is to grab something and throw it. Sadly it requires the player to come very close to an object and can sometimes be very finicky and actually ruin the illusion of presence due to the limitations of the medium (mass of objects, pressure on hands etc.). But you need to do it. You need that interaction with the world and enemies, thats what VR is for. So how can we have a cookie and eat a cookie? Use a Magnetic ray of course. (not for the cookie, for the interactions).Distance grabbing is a well-known concept in VR at this point so the challenge here was to make it as juicy and essential to the gameplay as possible. You can use it on enemies and each will react differently. Some may be squashed on the ground, others reveal their weak point or may part with parts of their bodies. The ray can also grab projectiles, move around elements of the environment from as small as tin cans to as big as fridges and tractors. Of course all of them can then be used to smash some more enemies.Juice it up: Impact, chaos, and a soundtrack that slapsIt wouldnt be much fun if you zoomed around and squashed grey boxes in grey locations now, would it? You need juice, a lot of it. Animations that show personality and intent. Hit reactions give you a sense of impact and power of weapons. Splashes and explosions telling you that an enemy turned into a pile of marmalade under a falling sentry turret. Add to that audio and music. A proper squeak of an alien jumping on your face, followed by a thud of a tv set hitting it and a splat when it, well, splats all over the place. In terms of music for Harpagun we settled with a mix of army marches, jazz, balkan beats and a touch of slavic folk. Hey, stop, dont close this page I assure you, it all works the soundtrack slaps.A quirky universe to unravelTwo important elements of the experience a what? and where? If you want players to continue playing beyond the first few minutes you need to give them a reason. Places to discover, people to meet, quest to complete. Going too over the board wouldnt serve an action game though. Who wants to read lengthy lore snippets when there are enemies to unalive? You might want to make it a bit simpler, something like a team of space junkers wanting to strip an abandoned planet from natural resources loses contact with an expedition member and sends a deck hand on the planet to check it out. Seems basic enough.Now lets add to it alien plant-mushroom-creatures, Slavic retro-futurism, dark humour, incompetent crew helping the hero, some happy-go-lucky attitude and voila. A world full of quirky characters and colorful locations is ready and waiting to be discovered. Smacznego.Stir it up and serve hot! Smacznego!Pretty simple, isnt it? Just follow those few steps for three years working hard, putting effort and love into what youre doing. Then, hopefully, youll end up with an action game that VR enthusiasts enjoy and cherish as much as you do.Incidentally weve just made a thing like that its called Harpagun and youll be able to play it as soon as April 10 on PlayStation VR2. Give it a go and tell us if any of our theories are actually true. See You Space Junker!

In the lead-up to the release of the Shining Revelry expansion for Pokmon TCGPocket, the developers touted additions like shiny Pokmon and a new Ranked mode. But on Thursday, the developers added a time-limited feature called sneak peek that improves Wonder Pick in a big way so if youve been accumulating Wonder Hourglasses, now is a great time to do a whole bunch of Wonder Picks.The Wonder Pick feature in Pokmon TCGPocket allows players to look at the cards opened from packs of their friends and random people online and pick one from it at random. Usually, you just tap on the back of one of five cards, and hope you get the card you want. However, the new Sneak peek campaign changes the process so you can look at a card before you select one to keep. The event started on Thursday, April 3, and will run until Thursday, April 10. Throughout the sneak peek campaign, you get an extra guess when you select a card. So when you load up a pack for Wonder Pick, you get to tap one card and the game will reveal which card it is. If its a card you want, you can tap it again and add it to your collection. If not, you can pick one of the other four options to try and get the card you want.The event effectively ups your odds whenever you do a Wonder Pick. Instead of a one-in-five chance of picking the card you want, this event ups it to two-in-five (which is pretty dang good). Additionally, you dont need to do anything special to activate this feature, just Wonder Pick as usual while the event is active and itll give you a sneak peek.The one catch is that the game might not give you the sneak peek every single time and its unclear how often it applies to your Wonder Pick.To test it out, I Wonder Picked three times, and got a sneak peek every single time. However, a Polygon colleague also Wonder Picked three times, and only got a sneak peek two of those times. The event language says that players will get a chance at getting a sneak peek, but the developers werent transparent about how often this applies, and info about the event said that availability periods and details are subject to change without warning.Regardless, its definitely a solid reason to pay closer attention to Wonder Picks for the next week since it can drastically help increase your odds. And after its done, who knows, maybe this will become a regular thing like the Drop Events and other Wonder Pick events.

Pokmon Gos Stunning Styles event runs from April 3-7 and focuses on Pokmon with various forms (or styles, I guess). Paldean Tauros is making its debut with its three different types of breeds, and Pokmon like Shellos, Burmy, and Castform (all of which have different forms) are featured as part of the event.During the event, XP gained from catching Pokmon is doubled and players will have a higher chance to find shiny Shellos.Additionally, the event adds free Marshadow Special Research so players who missed out on it from 2024 Go Fest can grab one now. More steps have also been added to the seasonal Might and Mastery research as well.Below we list all of Pokmon Gos Stunning Styles event features, including the two types of Timed Research, boosted spawns, and event Field Research.Pokmon Go Stunning Styles event Timed Research and rewardsYep, again there is both a free and a premium paid Timed Research for this event. As usual, youll need to finish the research and claim the rewards before April 7 at 8 p.m. in your local time. We list both of the research below.Stunning Styles free Timed ResearchOnce you complete this research, youll get some extra bonuses: one additional candy per Pokmon catch, and an increased chance to find candy XL per catch.Step 1 of 1Win 3 raids (Espurr encounter)Evolve 5 Pokmon (Clamperl encounter)Catch 30 Pokmon (3,000 XP)Power up Pokmon 10 times (3,000 XP)Rewards: Morpeko encounter, 1,500 Stardust, 10 Kubfu CandyStunning Styles premium paid Timed ResearchIs the Stunning Styles premium research worth buying? Meh. Technically yes, you are getting your moneys worth in raid passes alone, but I personally wouldnt buy this pass unless youre running low on passes or if you need the other form of Shellos.Shellos various forms are regional, so if youre missing the blue East Sea form or the pink West Sea form, this could be a good way to get what youre missing. (Note that both forms do share one Pokdex entry, so if you have one, you dont need the other one to get the Platinum Sinnoh Medal.) They have been both made available through other events (2023 Go Fest, Go Tour: Sinnoh, among others), so theres a pretty high chance they will be available worldwide again outside of this paid ticket, though.Step 1 of 2Explore 1 km (Espurr encounter)Catch 15 Pokmon (2 Golden Razz Berries)Complete 5 Field Research Tasks (1 Lucky Egg)Spin 10 PokStops or gyms (Shellos [East Sea] encounter)Rewards: 2 Premium Battle Passes, 1,500 Stardust, 3,000 XPStep 2 of 2Explore 1 km (Espurr encounter)Catch 15 Pokmon (2 Silver Pinap Berries)Complete 5 Field Research Tasks (1 Star Piece)Spin 10 PokStops or gyms (Shellos [West Sea] encounter)Rewards: 2 Premium Battle Passes, 1,500 Stardust, 3,000 XPPokmon Go Stunning Styles event Field Research and rewardsSpinning a PokStop during the event period may yield one of these tasks:Catch 10 Pokmon (Snorunt or Lechonk encounter)Evolve a Pokmon (Clamperl encounter)Power up Pokmon 5 times (Litleo encounter)Win a raid (Morpeko encounter)Pokmon Go Stunning Styles event boosted spawnsThese Pokmon will spawn more frequently during the event period:CastformBurmyPokmon Go Stunning Styles event raid targetsThe following changes to theraid schedulewill take place as part of the event:One-star raidsThree-star raidsShellos*Paldean TaurosEspurrDecidueyeRockruffHisuian Decidueye*These Pokmon have an increased chance to be found shiny.