The tower will feature a line of balconies slanting up its western faadeThe public roof gardenThe 'undercroft' public realm space beneath the towerThe 'Sanctuary' space on the 35th floorA new image of the scheme released by the City showing the tower in front of the Walkie Talkie1/7show captionThe City of London has approved 3XNs plans for a 36-storey office tower at 60 Gracechurch Street.Councillors voted to back the planning officers recommendation to approve the proposals at a committee meeting this morning despite concerns from heritage groups over the schemes impact on a neighbouring grade I-listed church.Designed for developers Sellar and Obayashi, the tower will contain around 52,000 sq m of office space and sit above a sheltered undercroft public realm area leading off the street.It will also contain a free to access evening destination on the 35th storey called the Sanctuary and a public roof garden offering views to the west over the City.The new tower will replace the sites existing nine-storey Allianz House, a mid-1990s building containing 13,300 sq m of office space.A new image of the scheme released by the City showing the tower in front of the Walkie TalkieThe City has praised the sustainability of the scheme, which has sought to minimise carbon emissions by avoiding basement excavation and committing the new building to 100% operational energy.Shravan Joshi, chairman of the councils planning and transportation committee, said the proposals align perfectly with the Citys climate strategy and its Destination City programme, which aims to boost the Square Miles retail and leisure offering.> Also read:City set to approve 3XNs 36-storey office tower next weekHe also talked up the schemes approval as an example of how the City remained an active part of Londons commercial development market after the latest Deloitte crane survey showed a decline in office starts over the past six months.It is no coincidence that the City is bucking the global trend of rising office vacancy and stalling construction activity, Joshi said.With a dedicated, solution focussed planning department, combined with clear policy and strategy, we are creating an environment in which developers and investors can help us create a vibrant, thriving Square Mile, for all to enjoy.The application was opposed by Historic England, Historic Royal Palaces, St Pauls Cathedral and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets due to the schemes proximity to heritage assets including the grade I-listed St Mary Woolnoth church.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has also notified the application to Unesco and is set to submit a report in the coming days to the United Nations World Heritage Centre on the impact which the Citys tower is cluster is having on the Tower of London world heritage site.The project team includes executive architect Adamson Associates, cost consultant Turner & Townsend Alinea, project manager Gardiner & Theobald, structural engineer Arup, planning consultant DP9 and transport consultant Velocity.Meanwhile, the City has approved a 191m funding package to support critical repairs and upgrades at the Barbican Centre.The package will fund phase one of the Barbican Renewal Programme, a five-year project of works at the grade-II listed site.Work will include upgrades to the Barbicans brutalist foyers, lakeside terrace and conservatory as well as making major sustainability improvements to ensure net-zero commitments are met.The 191m represents around 80% of the amount needed for the phase of work with the remainder, around 48m, due to be raised under a major fundraising campaign to be launched by the Barbican Centre next year.The Barbican Renewal Programme design process is being masterminded by Allies and Morrison, Asif Khan Studio and Buro Happold. Construction is slated to begin in 2027 with the first phase of work due to be completed in time for the Barbicans 50th anniversary in 2032.

The sites existing 1930s building would be torn down under the redevelopment plans and replaced with a 10-storey office and retail blockSave Britains Heritage are calling for urgent reform to national planning policy following Angela Rayners short-sighted decision to approve Marks & Spencers plans to redevelop its flagship Oxford Street store.The campaign group which led the fight against the Pilbrow & Partners-designed proposals in a 2022 public inquiry said the high-profile case had revealed gaping holes in the UKs national planning policy on embodied carbon emissions.The proposals, which were first approved by Westminster council in 2021 before becoming embroiled in a three-year planning battle, will see the sites existing 1930s building torn down and replaced with a 10-storey office scheme.Save had objected to the plans on heritage grounds but also on their carbon impact and the precedent this would set for future demolish and rebuild projects.> Also read:Heritage, sustainability, and dysfunction: the lessons of the M&S decision> Also read:Rayner backs M&Ss Oxford Street plan to demolish flagship storeThe group said: Its time policy caught up with widespread public and industry opinion. There is still no national policy on embodied carbon emissions from buildings, despite the built environment accounting for a quarter of the UKs total greenhouse gas emissions and the UKs legal commitment to reducing emissions.We need clear rules and a level playing field so that building owners or developers think twice before demolishing reusable buildings. Many developers see the potential of re-using buildings, but want clear guidelines and parameters not a policy vacuum.Aerial view of Pilbrow & Partners plans for the redevelopment of the Marble Arch branch of Marks & SpencerThe charity is calling for reforms to national planning policy which would strongly prioritise reusing historic buildings, end permitted development rights that allow speedy demolition permits and require projects to count carbon emitted during the construction of buildings.Save Britains Heritage director Henrietta BillingsEmbodied emissions from the demolition and construction of buildings equates to 40 to 50 million tonnes of carbon each year, which is more than emissions from aviation and shipping combined.Save director Henrietta Billings said: These are big numbers that can be tackled. Rethinking our wasteful knock-it-down-and-start-again approach to development and reusing and updating existing buildings like M&S Oxford Street is a win-win. Its good for the planet and its good for our towns and communities.She added: No-one is suggesting these buildings are pickled in aspic its a pro-growth approach. Restored and transformed buildings have turbo-charged regeneration all over the country, everywhere from Tate Modern in London to former department stores in Bournemouth, Bristol, Edinburgh and Gloucester.Meanwhile, Tyler Goodwin, founder and chief executive of developer Seaforth Land, said he saw clear commercial benefits in reusing historic buildings.Saves M&S campaign has been a defining case for the property industry at a critical moment in history, he said. Tenants are relying on their office space to win the war for talent and to earn their commute back to the office, and we are seeing a material shift in demand for best-in-class buildings that can offer a unique, authentic, and sustainable office experience that a generic glass box just cant provide.Pilbrow & Partners proposals for the Marble Arch branch of Marks & SpencerRayners decision, announced yesterday, was welcomed by M&S chief executive Stuart Machin who said it came after three years of unnecessary delays, obfuscation and political posturing at its worst.Pilbrow & Partners founder Fred Pilbrow added: Naturally, Im delighted by a decision which is manifestly long overdue. As Stuart Machin commented, we can now get on with the job of helping to rejuvenate the UKs premier shopping street. This is a positive result for M&S, for regeneration and for environmental sustainability.Former communities secretary Michael Gove called in the scheme in June 2022 and finally rejected it in July the following year. This was appealed by M&S and the application went to the High Court, which quashed Goves refusal in March this year, when it was sent back to the office of secretary of state now held by Rayner.

Rayner ruled on Thursday (5 December) that the retailer could press ahead with its plan to replace the iconic building with a 10-storey office scheme by Pilbrow & Partners.Her Tory predecessor, Michael Gove, had blocked the plans but his decision was quashed by a High Court judge in March this year.The court ruling meant the case had to be returned to the secretary of state to be redetermined. With the change of government, the final decision fell to Rayner, who waved the scheme through.AdvertisementPilbrow & Partners founder Fred Pilbrow told the AJ yesterday that his practice was delighted by the decision, describing it as long overdue.He added: In [M&S chief executive] Stuart Machins words: we can now get on with the job of helping to rejuvenate the UKs premier shopping street through a flagship M&S store and office space, which will support 2,000 jobs and act as a global standard-bearer for sustainability.Machin, who previously expressed fury at Goves decision, said he was also delighted by the approval, after what he described as three unnecessary years of delays, obfuscation and political posturing at its worst under the previous government.But others have exhibited dismay and desperation over Rayners ruling.Bennetts Associates co-founder Rab Bennetts said the decision misses a golden opportunity to set the strategy for a confused industry.AdvertisementHe explained: It has already been shown that this site can still be developed whilst retaining the best of the existing property, so there was no need to opt for the maximum development instead of something more reasonable.As a result, it remains to be seen how regeneration through the planning process can support the unavoidable path to low carbon.Earlier this year the AJ and SAVE Britains Heritage (SAVE) ran the re:store design competition to look at progressive options for the M&S buildings reuse and adaption.Connolly Wellingham Architects was one of the six teams who pitched their concepts for how the 1929 building could be repurposed. Practice founder Fergus Connolly described Rayner's decision as a disappointing development from a government that promises so much change.He added: The need for a forthright shift to reuse and retrofit remains exciting, essential and yet somehow infuriatingly elusive.Large scale flagship projects such as M&S Oxford Street may not speak directly to the majority of more typical projects. They do, however, send an important message. And the message right now is worryingly tone deaf: its business as usual.Others, however, have hailed the decision as a positive step forward for the industry.'Logic and common sense have prevailed'Developer Stuart Lipton, co-founder and partner at Lipton Rogers Developments, said Rayners was a sensible answer and a step forward for Oxford Street, which had become a street of shame. He told the AJ: In a world where everything is going up, the cost of planning, the Section 106 costs, finance costs, construction costs, we need some assistance.The real question on carbon is a sensible balance. Where theres a clear, long life then, by all means, keep the building. On the other hand, if its a short life [such as retention for just another 30 years], whats the point?And if we cant support something decent, by a decent company who have responsibility, what can we support?Alistair Watson, UK head of planning and environment at law firm Taylor Wessing, said: To riff off one of the quotes from legendary football manager Bill Shankly, the trouble with some politicians is that they know the rules but they do not know the game of planning. The [previous] secretary of state Gove didnt get it. This secretary of state clearly does.The secretary of states decision to agree with the inspectors recommendation and the High Court to provide a planning permission for M&S is as straightforward as it comes. This is a major development scheme which has a variety of economic, social and environmental benefits, all of which were backed up with expert evidence in a full public inquiry. Logic and common sense have prevailed over political ideology. The planning system at its best.The decision provides the certainty that the industry has been crying out forStephen Springham, head of UK Markets at Knight Frank, said the decision provides the greater certainty around the retrofit-versus-rebuild debate that the industry has been crying out for.He added: Taken in conjunction with new guidance at local authority and regional level on when it is appropriate to permit demolition, we are starting to gain a better understanding of the grounds upon which future decisions will be taken. Consistency is vital for the UKs economic recovery and inward investment.Charles Begley, chief executive at the London Property Alliance, said: I hope with this decision we can finally end the uncertainty which has acted as a drag on investment, damaging growth and the jobs that go with it. It is disappointing it has taken so long, which sends a negative message to those willing to invest in London and beyond.The government now needs to ensure that planning reform supports sustainable redevelopment, and whilst giving stronger guidance to local councils, needs to set itself strict timelines to deal with contentious decisions once it intervenes to prevent a repeat of this long-running saga.The fact that the property industry had been waiting the outcome of this case for clarity is clearly a failure of national policy. The application itself had unfortunately become a lightning rod for the retrofit v redevelopment debate, but we need to recognise that a more nuanced approach is needed and policy must allow and support a range of interventions on a case-by-case basis.

Senior ministers have set out ambitious targets to get more housing and civils schemes underway The Labour government recommitted to its election manifesto pledge of building 1.5 million homes and said it would also decide 150 applications for infrastructure projects before the next general election.These were among six milestones announced by prime minister Keir Starmer in a set-piece speech in Buckinghamshire yesterday (5 December).He said: Mission-led government means doing things differently, and a decade of national renewal will require the skills and determination of us all.AdvertisementMeanwhile deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said decisions on vital infrastructure had been unnecessarily delayed in the past year.She added: Our Plan for Change will stop this and drive real improvements in the lives of working people.Were already taking decisive action by transforming the planning system and bringing forward the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation, and alongside this uplift in infrastructure, we will unlock long-term economic prosperity for every part of the country.The government said, during the previous Parliament under the Conservatives, just 57 decisions on big civils schemes were made.It added that it would simplify the consenting process for major infrastructure projects.Meanwhile, the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill will pave the way for critical schemes to be delivered more quickly and easily by removing planning red tape, according to ministers.AdvertisementOver the summer, Rayner set out reforms that included reintroducing mandatory housing targets and asking local authorities to earmark sites for housing within the so-called grey belt less useful or environmentally friendly sections of urban development buffers.But a think-tank report this week warned that even if housebuilding hit post-war highs in all regions of England, the 1.5 million homes target was likely to be missed.Melanie Leech, chief executive of developer body the British Property Federation, described the governments Plan for Change as a welcome statement of its housing, infrastructure and planning ambitions.She added: The government has gripped the nettle of planning reform in ensuring each local council has a local plan in place, which is welcome. If we are to deliver 1.5 million homes, however, further measures will be necessary, to increase the pool of skilled labour, upscale the materials we need to build homes and ensure more land, including public land, is available for housing delivery.Hand-in-hand, there will need to be funding, both access to mortgages, but also public and private investment in affordable and market rental housing.The government will need to be bold, for example providing a truly long-term rent settlement would attract more private sector investment into affordable housing. We look forward to supporting the governments commitment to get more homes funded and built.2024-12-06Greg Pitchercomment and share

When a new Call of Duty zombies map arrives, rest assured it comes with a new banger tune to jam out with as you slay hordes of the undead -- but there's always a secret way to get the music pumping. And that's true with Black Ops 6's newest zombies map, Citadelle des Morts.Activision-owned developer Treyarch has previously collaborated with famous artists like Eminem and Avenged Sevenfold for its zombies map Easter egg music, but the new Citadelle des Morts map includes a song from one of the most frequent Call of Duty zombies musical artists: Kevin Sherwood.If you want to trigger the new Easter egg song in Black Ops 6 zombies, you'll have to interact with three items hidden around the map. Here's where to find them.Read more: Everything Coming in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Warzone Season 1 ReloadedFinding the three pairs of hidden headphones on Citadelle des MortsIf you're trying to start the new song, Slave, you need to find three pairs of headphones scattered in and around the castle. Here's where they are -- ordered in closeness to the map's player spawn area.First pair of headphones The first pair of headphones can be found right by where you spawn in. ActivisionThe first set of headphones is easy to find, since you don't need to open any doors to hunt them down. Right in front of the player spawn, you'll find a tavern with an upgrade station, a workbench and an armor upgrade.On the first floor of the tavern, across from the armor wall buy (the chalk-outlined armor purchasing section), the headphones are sitting on a small table. You'll know that you've successfully interacted with the pair of headphones if you hear a high-pitched chittering noise -- then you can move on to the next pair.You can find the first pair where the player icon is on this map: ActivisionSecond pair of headphones The second pair of headphones is found in the castle's courtyard area. ActivisionTo find the second pair of headphones, you want to buy the door on the right side of your spawn. After fighting your way up the alley and past the Speed Cola machine, you'll need to buy the portcullis that's keeping you from the courtyard.Run up the ramp and hook a right in the lower courtyard area. If turning right takes you to the door-buy for the room with the Melee Machiatto machine, you went too far and need to double back toward the castle entrance.In the small alcove overlooking the portcullis you just bought, you'll find the second pair of headphones for the Easter egg.You can find the second pair of headphones where the player icon is on this map: ActivisionThird pair of headphones You'll have to head deep into the castle to find the third pair of headphones. ActivisionThe third and final pair of headphones is in the castle. That means you need to turn the cannon up on the parapets and fire it at the main hall before you can finish the music Easter egg.Once you're in the castle, you want to buy the door on the left. This will lead you into another room with a second door-buy that funnels you down into the castle's catacombs.Once you reach this area, you'll find a charred corpse sitting on a couch, right next to a table with a walkie-talkie and a chessboard. If you look on the floor on the left side of the couch, you'll find the final pair of headphones necessary to activate Kevin Sherwood's new song.You can find the third pair of headphones where the player icon is on this map: The map is layered for different floors of the castle, so this picture will make a lot more sense once you buy the door to the catacombs. ActivisionAfter you activate the third and final headset, the Easter egg song should automatically begin playing for you as you continue to fight off the zombie horde.If you want to know what else was added to the zombies mode in the Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded update, we have a summary of the patch notes for you here. Watch this: Best Gaming Consoles of 2024 03:37

December 6, 20243 min readWuhan Virologist Says Lab Has No Close Relatives toCOVIDVirusShi Zhengli, the virologist at the center of COVID lab-leak theory, reveals coronavirus sequences from the Wuhan instituteBy Smriti Mallapaty & Nature magazineChinese virologist Shi Zhengli has presented evidence that her lab has not worked with close relatives of SARS-CoV-2. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty ImagesAfter years of rumours that the virus that causes COVID-19 escaped from a laboratory in China, the virologist at the centre of the claims has presented data on dozens of new coronaviruses collected from bats in southern China. At a conference in Japan this week, Shi Zhengli, a specialist on bat coronaviruses, reported that none of the viruses stored in her freezers are the most recent ancestors of the virus SARS-CoV-2.Shi was leading coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a high-level biosafety laboratory, when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in that city. Soon afterwards, theories emerged that the virus had leaked either by accident or deliberately from the WIV.Shi has consistently said that SARS-CoV-2 was never seen or studied in her lab. But some commentators have continued to ask whether one of the many bat coronaviruses her team collected in southern China over decades was closely related to it. Shi promised to sequence the genomes of the coronaviruses and release the data.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The latest analysis, which has not been peer reviewed, includes data from the whole genomes of 56 new betacoronaviruses, the broad group to which SARS-CoV-2 belongs, as well as some partial sequences. All the viruses were collected between 2004 and 2021.We didnt find any new sequences which are more closely related to SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2, said Shi, in a pre-recorded presentation at the conference, Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Evolution, Pathogenesis and Virology of Coronaviruses, in Awaji, Japan, on 4 December. Earlier this year, Shi moved from the WIV to the Guangzhou Laboratory, a newly established national research institute for infectious diseases.The results support her assertion that the WIV lab did not have any bat-derived sequences from viruses that were more closely related to SARS-CoV-2 than were any already described in scientific papers, says Jonathan Pekar, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Edinburgh, UK. This just validates what she was saying: that she did not have anything extremely closely related, as weve seen in the years since, he says.The closest known viruses to SARS-CoV-2 were found in bats in Laos and Yunnan, southern China but years, if not decades, have passed since they split from their common ancestor with the virus that causes COVID-19. Shes basically found a lot of what we expect, says Leo Poon, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong.Longtime collaborationFor decades, Shi collaborated with Peter Daszak, president of the EcoHealth Alliance, a New York City-based non-profit organization, to survey bats in southern China for coronaviruses and study their risk to humans. The work was funded by the US National Institutes of Health and the US Agency for International Development, but in May this year, the government suspended federal funding to EcoHealth because it had not provided adequate oversight of research activities at the WIV. Those activities included modifying a coronavirus linked to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), to study the potential origins of this type of virus in bats.Over the years, the collaboration between Shi and Daszak collected more than 15,000 swabs from bats in the region. The team tested these for coronaviruses, and re-sequenced the genomes of those that tested positive. The collection expands the known diversity of coronaviruses. She found sequences that can at the very least provide more context to our understanding of coronaviruses, says Pekar.In a larger analysis of 233 sequences including the new sequences and some that had previously been published Shi and her colleagues identified 7 broad lineages and evidence of viruses extensively swapping chunks of RNA, a process known as recombination. Daszak says the analysis also assesses the risk of these viruses jumping to people and identifies potential drug targets; information of direct value to public health.Daszak says the team has experienced delays in submitting the work for peer review, owing to funding cuts, challenges working across regions and several US government investigations of EcoHealth. However, the researchers plan to submit the analysis to a journal in the next few weeks.This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on December 6, 2024.

December 6, 20243 min readWhy Tipping Points Are the Wrong Way to Talk about Climate ChangeA new paper warns the concept of tipping points doesnt do much to encourage climate action from laypeople and policymakersBy Chelsea Harvey & E&E NewsMeltwater drips from ice at an exposed portion of the Aletsch glacier on August 22, 2019 near Bettmeralp, Switzerland. Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | Unstoppable ice loss in Antarctica. Irreversible permafrost thaw in the Arctic. The shutdown of a gigantic Atlantic Ocean current.Scientists have warned that these and other tipping points in the Earths climate system lie ahead if global temperatures continue to rise unabated. But theres still great uncertainty about how and when the planet might cross these dangerous thresholds.And without clearer public communication about what exactly a tipping point is and what can be done to prevent it the entire concept might not be that useful when it comes to promoting climate action.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Thats the warning presented in a new perspective paper, published Tuesday by a group of scientists, policy experts and communication specialists in the journal Nature Climate Change. Tipping points have captured the publics imagination for years now, they argue but its not clear the concept is driving any meaningful policy changes.Thats partly due to widespread confusion about what a tipping point actually is, the paper suggests.Early scientific literature on the subject presented the idea that certain aspects of the Earths climate system could have physical limits and once the point of no return is crossed, these systems fall into a death spiral of unstoppable and irreversible change.Studies suggest, for instance, that enough warming and drought in the Amazon could cause the ecosystem to tilt into an uncontrollable transformation from lush rainforest to dry grassland.But over the years, as the concept has grown more popular, researchers have begun to apply the tipping point framework to a variety of other scientific and social systems. Papers have begun to suggest that there are tipping points in everything from energy pricing systems to humans eating habits.Uncertainty over the likelihood of climate tipping points is another source of public confusion, the authors suggest.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.N.s leading authority on climate science, has warned of a variety of possible tipping points in the Earths climate system. But some are more likely than others, and many are shrouded in uncertainty in other words, scientists dont know how close we are to toppling them.That makes it hard to communicate the seriousness of tipping point threats or to inspire near-term action to prevent them.If scientists knew for certain the Antarctic ice sheet would experience rapid and uncontrollable melting with exactly 1.5 degrees of global warming, policymakers might be more inclined to implement emergency measures to keep temperatures below that threshold.But almost all global tipping point thresholds come with a wide range of uncertainty about when theyll actually occur if ever.Instead, the authors argued, more tangible and immediate climate emergencies such as extreme weather events, which are worsening around the globe as temperatures rise may be more likely to inspire a greater sense of urgency among policymakers and the public.That doesnt mean tipping points cant still be a useful concept in public messaging about climate change, the authors added. But scientists should communicate more clearly about their definitions and uncertainties.That's because climate tipping points are still a major threat even if their exact thresholds are still uncertain.A major report last year with contributions from more than 200 scientists warned of 26 possible tipping points around the globe, affecting systems from ice sheets to tropical cloud cover.Its an issue that urgently requires more research and understanding, the report warned.We know enough to identify that the threat of Earth system tipping points demands an urgent response. Indeed, our best models likely underestimate tipping point risks, it stated. The world is largely flying blind into this vast threat.Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2024. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

90s platformer remaster Croc: Legend of the Gobbos delayed into next yearSnap decision.Image credit: Argonaut Games News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Dec. 7, 2024 If you'd been hoping to round out your 2024 with a solid blast of 90s nostalgia, there's some bad news; Argonaut Games' Croc: Legend of the Gobbos remaster - previously scheduled to release this month - has been delayed into "Q1" next year.Croc: Legend of the Gobbos initially launched for PlayStation 1 some 27 years ago, taking players - in the role of the titular reptile - on a platforming adventure through Gobbo Valley in a bid to free their friends from the evil magician Baron Dante.Argonaut announced it was resurrecting its beloved 1997 3D platformer back in August - news that was doubly surprisingly given that Argonaut itself hadn't existed since it closed amid financial troubles in 2004. However, the studio has itself now risen from the ashes of the past as a "boutique publisher" under the watch of new co-CEOs Gary Sheinwald and Mike Arkin.Croc Legend of the Gobbos trailer.Watch on YouTubeThe revived company's Croc: Legend of the Gobbos remaster was originally due to launch for PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC (via GOG) this month, but Argonaut has now pushed its release back into early 2025 in order to "add the final touches to ensure the game meets the high standards that we aspire to and which you deserve.""We understand that after 27 years of waiting, this news might be a little disappointing," it continued, "especially with the festive season coming soon. However, our goal has always been to deliver a game with the quality and polish that will truly delight. We appreciate your patience and support as we work to bring Croc back in the best possible way."Argonaut's Croc: Legend of the Gobbos spruce-up promises enhanced high-definition graphics, updated modern control mechanics, and a "nostalgic, fun, and authentic gameplay experience". It'll also include the Crocipedia, a "curated digital museum" incorporating the likes of game design documents, concept art, animation tests, and team member interviews.When Croc: Legend of the Gobbos eventually shows up next year, its digital edition - available on all platforms - will cost $29.99 USD, while a PS5 and Switch physical edition is priced at $39.99. But if you're absolutely wild with nostalgia, a $129.99 Collector's Edition is also available, packing in the remaster, a full-colour manual, a four-disc soundtrack featuring over 100 tunes, a key chain, sticker sheet, poster, premium box, and eight-inch resin Croc statue.

As much as Path of Exile 1 was lauded for its seemingly bottomless character customisation and its ability to keep voracious action role-playing game players fed, mentally, for months on end, there was no denying it could be a pain to get into. Playing it could feel like giving someone made entirely of elbows a hug. You'd get used to it in time - you'd even come to find the feeling comforting - but there's no question the series could use an update. Path of Exile 1 is over a decade old; it's time for something new.Path of Exile 2 early access review-in-progressDeveloper: Grinding Gear GamesPublisher: Grinding Gear GamesPlatform: Played on PCAvailability: Out now in Early Access on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/XThat something - Path of Exile 2 - is finally here, at least in early access, and understandably there's tremendous excitement for it. A decade of success has turned its predecessor from being a nobody to a title contender. But where there's increased excitement, there's also increased expectations, and the sequel will be measured by a different yardstick - a Diablo 4 yardstick, perhaps. Say what you will about Diablo's merits, but its production values and new player onboarding are second to none. Will Path of Exile 2 compete?Spoiler, yes, but a quick caveat: this is an early access release so Path of Exile 2 isn't finished, and Grinding Gear Games has said it will take at least six more months of development to finish it, if not more (these things usually end up taking longer than expected). Nevertheless, this is far from a sketchy early access release. The experience I've had, albeit on quiet, press-intended pre-release servers - which have now been wiped as Grinding Gear prepares for the public early access stampede - has been rock solid. There were a couple of inexplicable quits-to-desktop, but they were tiny hiccups in what has otherwise been a smooth and sturdy experience (though we'll have to wait and see how the public servers fare over the weekend to see if this sentiment holds true).The early access release trailer for Path of Exile 2. There's an understated beauty to it. Watch on YouTubeThose elbows of Path of Exile 1 are broadly gone - or they're so soft now it's more like hugging a lumpy duvet than an elbowy... goblin. The game plays much more like you'd expect a modern game to: you move with WASD keys and mouse-around to aim, and there's full controller support, though it's still not seamless switching between the two - you still need to quit out to the main menu to alternate. Similarly, the game's more unusual systems remain, such as the way abilities belong to equipment rather than the character. But they're much better organised now so it's clearer how they work and what you've got to do. The onboarding is smoother, too, and while I'm sure there's another onboarding pass to do before the game's full release, it's already welcoming enough should you be intrigued to give it a go (we have some Path of Exile 2 tips to help you if you do).It helps that the game looks very smart now, of course - you can really feel the additional money and time and people Grinding Gear Games has had available while making the sequel. Environments and characters are rich with detail, and the animation is superb. It's in little touches that you feel it, like freezing someone and seeing spokes of ice form behind them - as if underlining the momentum of the blast, a bit like seeing a wave frozen in extreme weather. Or it's in moments of well-observed movement, such as when my monk dashes forwards, palm outstretched, to steal living essence from floundering foes - smack! There's heft behind each blow, crunch and connection, and I love that as a player - the moment to moment feel of Path of Exile 2 is great. Luxurious. Expensive. Look, it's hard to take screenshots and play the game, OK? | Image credit: Eurogamer / Grinding Gear GamesIt's this framework that provides the ideal platform for the game's best stuff - the series' best stuff - to come through. Path of Exile is known for challenging players - it's not unlike the Souls series in that regard - and the sequel revels in this. Even in the game's opening areas, packs of enemies are quick to surround you and take you down if you underestimate them - or if you overestimate yourself. Similarly, bosses are tough and uncompromising. Again, even as soon as the first boss you meet, you'll be given a tough lesson in dodge-rolling and attack-pattern recognition - a lesson in 'this is how the game does bosses'. But there's more to it than just unflinching difficulty: there's a sense of pleasure in the challenge, both on your side and the developer's. Enemy composition probes your composition, looking for weaknesses and gaps, and bosses are the game's centrepieces, chock full of imagination and personality.One boss ran away from me, which I didn't expect and it made me laugh. Then when I chased them down, they transformed, we fought, and they ran away again! This time though, they ripped a huge bell from some scenery to mash me with during the third and final phase of the battle - brilliant, unexpected stuff. Another boss housed in a mausoleum unexpectedly summoned the spirit of their lover from a different mausoleum to help them, then when I went to the other mausoleum, the boss there did the same thing in reverse. Connection, story - something to help the encounters stick in the memory rather than drift by in the endless flow of combat. Look at that skill tree! | Image credit: Eurogamer / Grinding Gear GamesThere's charm even in the rote enemies who shamble around the in-between parts of the game. I'm currently very fond of a gangly enemy in the graveyard area who lugs around a huge stone plinth, or tombstone, to whack me with. I can feel the effort involved as they drag it across the grassy lawn, churning up the earth. Elsewhere, there are cultists and hags and rabid dogs and spiny burrowing creatures - it's a varied menagerie you're confronted with and I like how they all fit with the dark tone of the game. And while I have absolutely no idea what's going on in the story - I'm not ashamed to admit it! - I've grown genuinely intrigued by the characters I've met in the game. They're unassuming and gently handled so as not to interrupt you or grandstand you with exposition. Instead, it's bit by bit - they inch into view, with an elegance and sorrow I really admire, which feels like a strange thing to say. It all speaks to an expertise and confidence I think you can feel pulsing through the experience, even early on.The depth is still dizzying - you need only tab through the active-ability lists to see how many are available to you. As a monk, I'm not bound only to quarterstaff abilities - I can venture into spells just as easily, or other kinds of weaponry, doubling or tripling (or more) my possibilities. And the passive skill list is as outrageously extravagant as it ever was in the first game; it will make your eyes pop the first time you see it. It's so large it doesn't fit onto one screen, even zoomed right out - there must be several hundred passive skills there. For a theorycrafter such as I like to think I am, it's heaven. Image credit: Eurogamer / Grinding Gear GamesWhat impresses me more about the approach to abilities in the game is the way Path of Exile 2 wants me to use all of them in overlapping ways. There's no waste, so to speak, no superfluous thing. I was just adding abilities willy-nilly to begin with, only to realise later they all work, in some small way, together. A palm-strike attack will kill an enemy who is glowing blue, for instance, but it will also steal essence that will power up another ability elsewhere. They're little things to keep you active, keep you leant forwards, and stop you drifting away - to stop this becoming a kind of Cookie Clicker experience.This is a long way of saying that initially, I'm very impressed. Path of Exile 2 is flexing its blockbuster chops here, and showing it's worthy of all the expectation heaped upon it, and capable of confronting the biggest action RPG titans head-on. Of course, there's much more to unpack here, and much more to see - which I'll be digging into next week with a more fully-formed early access review. But I already feel confident in saying that if you've ever been on the fence about Path of Exile, umming and ahhing about whether to jump in, then your opportunity has come.A copy of Path of Exile 2 was provided for review by developer Grinding Gear Games.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereThe chapters for Dead By Daylight this year have largely been excellent. Dungeons and Dragons, CastleVania, Tomb Raider, and Alan Wake were all great, as were The Unknown and Sable Ward. Unfortunately, in comparison to these strong DLCs, the year has ended on a bit of a downer with the arrival of The Houndmaster. Fortunately, BeHaviour has confirmed bug fixes and adjustments are coming very soon to help fix DBD Chapter 34. Make sure to grab all 1,500,000 Bloodpoints available this month through daily logins, and be ready for Bone Chill and the new map to arrive next week as per the December 2024 roadmap. As for the new year, it kickstarts with a Junji Ito collaboration, and leaks have revealed the name and power of the licensed killer set to arrive in March. Next year should be fantastic for Dead By Daylight, but, right now, BeHaviour are planning to deliver fixes for DBD Chapter 34 in an effort to hopefully sway the negative reception. Dead By Daylight patch coming next week BeHaviour Interactive has confirmed on the official DeadbyDaylight X account that a patch is coming next week. This confirmation comes in response to fans wanting BeHaviour to fix bugs and issues with The Houndmaster killer. Bugfix patches typically come out on Wednesday as illustrated with update 8.2.1 on September 4th, 8.2.2 on September 11th, and 8.3.1 on October 16th. There are a few exceptions such as how update 8.3.2 was delivered on Monday, November 4th, but at least we know the Chapter 34 patch is coming between December 9th and 13th. In addition to a patch coming next week, BeHaviour has said another one should follow shortly after. This doesnt provide a specific week or date, but, on the BeHaviour Interactive forums, community manager, Mandy, has said both patches will arrive prior to the holiday break. Unfortunately, we dont know what exact fixes will be delivered. All we know is that there will be bug fixes along with power adjustments for The Houndmaster. There has been no mention of adjustments for Taurie Cain as of writing. We previously reported that the reception to Chapter 34 was overwhelmingly negative, and right now its slightly bumped up to mostly negative on Steam. The Houndmaster certainly looks cool, but fans are unimpressed with her perks, and she is suffering from a lot of bugs. Many of the negative reviews on Steam echo sentiments such as its messy, buggy, and the dog has terrible animations. One user posted, This killer legit just doesnt work. Her power is controlling a dog, but the dog will either get stuck on any task you tell it to, not go where you command it to, or when used to grapple survivors, will just clip straight through them and miss. For more Dead By Daylight content, check out ourranking of the top 10 DLC expansions to buyalong with a ranking of thebest killer perksandbest survivor perks.Dead by DaylightPlatform(s):Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Action, Survival Horror7VideoGamerSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share