With Nightdive Studios having recently released The Thing: Remastered back in December, the studio has now released a new update for the title. Numbered at patch 1.1, the update brings with it a host of bug fixes for various aspects of the game, including crashes, gameplay bugs, and display-based bugs.Among the fixes to the game are one for the Steam Deck, where the frame rate used to be locked to half of the systems screen refresh rate when the title was played with the Vulkan renderer outside of the Steam client. Other fixes include one for weapon firing rates not being respected, the direction Blake faces in the ending cutscene for the weather station level, and the addition of a Most Recent button in the load game menu.The Thing: Remastered is, as you might have presumed from the title, a remastered release of the classic 2002 shooter The Thing. Much like the classic movie it is based on, The Thing: Remastered features plenty of body horror, along with Fear/Trust mechanics to keep players on edge, as well as squad-based shooter gameplay.For more details on The Thing: Remastered, check out our review. In the mean time, you can find the patch notes for the latest update below.The Thing: Remastered Patch 1.1 Notes:General:Fixed the Conspiracy Theorist achievement. Old saved games are retroactively fixed!Updated Colins Fate achievement description.Fixed a softlock where Stolls would stop running to the black tech lab door.Fixed a crash after detonating the C4 on the airstrip level.Fixed a rare intermittent crash when fighting Thing beasts.Added a Most Recent button to the load game menu, so its easier to load your latest save.Autosaves now contain the name of the level they were saved on, instead of just Autosave.Fixed a bug where characters would sometimes become unable to step up onto higher surfaces after falling off of the curbs in the roadway tunnel.Fixed a crash when quitting the game.Fixed a bug where bindings would be missing from the input options on first launch.Fixed a crash in Strata Medibay when Fisk dies before telling you the code.Fixed Blakes hand clipping with his sleeve in the first cutscene with Faraday.Fixed a bug where the second camera angle would fail to activate during the weather station cutscene, allowing you to interrupt it and recruit yourself.Improved performance when querying dynamic game options.Moved the game version information to the options menu, off of the interstitial screen.Decreased the visibility of the game version information so it is less intrusive.Reimplemented the pan upwards when the game over screen is visible.Added support for autoexec.cfg, allowing users to customize console variables not usually marked as saved to kexEngine.cfg.Gameplay:Fixed an oversight where weapon firing rates were not properly respected when mashing the fire button. Excluding the pistol.Ammo and health dispensers now dispense fewer clips and medipacks depending on the difficulty. This can be changed at any time during game play.Marked some grenades as volatile so that they explode when damaged, like the original game, to fix a quirk where grenades placed for cinematic purposes would not explode.Changed the direction Blake faces after ending the cutscene in the weather station level.Levels:Fixed an oversight where an explosive barrel would explode when passing through the tripwire of an already exploded trip-mine charge in the penultimate level.Hid the out of bounds Back Door Key item that looked like a document in the submersible level.Fixed inaccurate collision in the first level, where characters would appear to sink into the snow.Fixed collision in the watchtower on the third level where you could get stuck in the handrail.Renamed Carter in the Strata Medibay level to Hawk, to utilize a set of unused voice lines.Added the missing green light to a save terminal in the third level.Fixed two computers in the weather station level that did not have an ID set for the Conspiracy Theorist achievement (given automatically to old saves).Shimmied a medipack dispenser down in the level following Strata Medibay that was WAY too high up.Fixed bad collision on the external stairs in the weather station.Flipped a few ammo boxes which were facing the wrong direction.Fixed several collision bugs in the Norwegian outpost where you could fall off of the world and walk underneath the building.Fixed sounds across several levels that would duplicate forever, causing the game to eventually fall silent.Display:Fixed the depth of field effect sometimes creating bright flickering pixels.Fixed the glass on the doors in the submersible being opaque.Improved normal maps on many posters and boards.Gave Whitley new trousers.Changed the on-screen watermark in the editor build, so it doesnt confuse people.Performance improvements when using the D3D11 renderer.Sound:Fixed a bug where speech audio would sometimes not follow the speaker.Steam Deck:Fixed the framerate being locked to half the screen refresh rate while using the Vulkan renderer, when launched outside of the Steam client.

While Dishonored 2 was a critically acclaimed title, according to former designer at Arkane Lyon, Julien Eveill, the studio might not have survived the games lack of commercial success if it werent for the fact that Arkane had good standing when it comes to designing games.In an interview with PCGamer, Eveill spoke about how expensive the game was to make, and the reputation of refined video game releases that the studio had. Interestingly, Eveill also reveals that Dishonored 2 cost more to develop than The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.It was a bit strange and weird, said Eveill. I think when Bethesda was looking at the numbers, they thought, OK, Skyrim sold so much. And it cost less than Dishonored 2 to make. So they were asking questions. From an executive spend standpoint, it makes sense to ask those questions of, Why should we keep going with you? But we knew that we had a kind of seal-of-quality protection, making what would maybe be considered the most refined games of the whole Bethesda catalogue.Eveill went on to reveal that Arkanes reputation for developing refined titles kind of saved the studio. He also spoke about the departure of studio founder Raphael Colantionio, and how studio director Dinga Bakaba was able to take control of the studio. All of these actions ended up contributing to the future success of the studio.While Arkane Lyon hasnt released any single-player titles in quite some time since the release of Deathloop, the next major game by the studio will be Marvels Blade. The game was unveiled back in December 2023 with a trailer. While few details about Marvels Blade have been revealed, we do know that it will feature a third-person camera, which will be a departure for a studio known for making first-person games.Since its originally announcement, art director Sebastien Mitton has posted a few pieces of concept art for the upcoming game. While not indicative of exactly what we can expect from the game, the concept art does indicate that Marvels Blade will take place in Paris.Arkane hasnt yet announced the release date for Marvels Blade yet, but rumours from December 2023 indicate that the studio is internally aiming for a 2027 release. The rumours did indicate that 2027 was the earliest timeframe for release; if more development time is required, the release window could get pushed back further. For context, the last major title by Arkane Lyon, Deathloop, was released back in 2021.Back in May 2024, when Arkane Austin was shuttered due to the poor sales of Redfall, Arkane Lyon director Dinga Bikaba had taken to social media to talk about the closure, and asked executives to not throw us into gold fever gambits, among other things. Bakaba did, however, confirm that Arkane Lyon was safe.For more details on Arkane Lyons previous works, check out our reviews of Deathloop and Dishonored 2, the latter of which has been critically acclaimed since its release thanks to its impressive stealth mechanics and level design.

As part of its ongoing desire to expand the userbase of PlayStation Network users amongst PC gamers, Sony has now enforced the need for a PSN account Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition on PC. As a result of this move, the game has now been locked out of access for players from a host of different countries.The list of countries all coincide with areas where Sony hasnt yet begun supporting with PlayStation Network yet. The whole list, which you can catch on SteamDB, now matches that of the region locking seen in Helldivers 2, which saw a similar move and a wave of controversy when it enforced a PSN account requirement.It is notable, however, that Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition has no multiplayer component, and enforcing the need for a PSN account is a strange move. The most recent changelog for God of War Ragnark, for instance, also indicates that Sony might be getting ready to introduce region locking through a mandatory PSN account there as well.For context, Helldivers 2 was de-listed from more than 170 countries back in May 2024. This came about due to Sony wanting to enforce PSN accounts for the multiplayer title, but also not supporting the existence of PSN in these countries. Before the region-blocking happened, however, there was plenty of backlash when developer Arrowhead Games and Sony had announced that PSN accounts would be mandatory.Despite this, however, Helldivers 2 has gone on to do quite well, selling more than 12 million copies as of May last year. The game has since seen quite a bit of support in the form of constant updates that fix issues and re-balance gear, as well as the addition if new content, including mech suits that can be piloted by players.As for the PC release of Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition, you can check out our coverage of the title through our review, as well as our graphical comparison between the PC and PS5 release. The PC release of the game did well enough to push it into the US best-selling charts when it came out last year.

Like its predecessor, Falcoms The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 has received a demo before launch. However, NIS America has confirmed not one but two demos for its story and battles. Theyre available now on PS4 and PS5. Check out the release trailer below.The Battle demo lets you choose from two different parties and battle through the Mrchen Garten, a virtual simulation with various locations and threats across the story. It plays a key role in the story, not unlike the Reverie Corridor from previous titles. On the other hand, the Story demo contains the beginning of the game, allowing one to experience the plot early.Progress from the second demo can transfer to the second game when it launches. The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 is available on February 14th for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Check out our review of the first game we gave an eight out of ten.

With the release of Monster Hunter Wilds being just over the horizon, developers of the title have been revealing more and more details about the upcoming game. In an interview with IGN, director Yuya Tokuda has revealed that the monsters in Wilds will feature larger health pools and higher flinch thresholds than weve seen in World.According to Tokuda, this is because the studio wants players to make frequent use of the games new Focus Strikes mechanic, which essentially allows players to do massive damage to monsters by exploiting the wounds they accrue throughout a fight. Owing to this mechanic, despite monsters having more health, the duration of hunts wont be too different from what players are used to from previous titles.Its not as if that was our intention from the start, but health did end up being a little bit higher than World once we thought about maintaining appropriate playtimes and player satisfaction, compared to past titles, explained Tokuda. Elements like flinch resistance are also higher, but this doesnt mean that hunts will be tedious. Part of the purpose of Focus Mode is to allow players to feel more accomplished through shorter loops. We tried to design it so that the time they spend hunting is even more concentrated than before.Tokuda spoke quite a bit about Focus Strikes, explaining that the studio wanted to make sure that each weapon type feels unique with the mechanic. This led to the studio making unique Focus Strike animations for each weapon. He did, however, admit that Focus Strikes may have been a bit too strong from the beta tests back in November.For Focus Strikes, we wanted to have animations that show each weapons uniqueness, said Tokuda. But I admit that this also created a variation between weapons during the open beta test where some were far too strong, while feeling the strengths of others was difficult. Though we do allow differences between weapons in order to give them personality, we dont want the disparity between weapons to be too extreme, and so were tuning them to be more standardized for the official release of the game.Earlier this month, Tokuda had also spoken about how Capcom decides which old monster to bring back for its new title, and how much of the roster should consist of new monsters. Ultimately, rather than having some sort of quota, the studio instead focuses on what would be an ideal experience for the player, as well as how a monster would fit into the ecology of the world created in the new game.Tokuda also explained that it designed new monsters by taking into account how it would affect the ecology of the zones it is being designed for. Providing the example of Monster Hunter Wilds cover monster Arkveld, Tokuda mentioned that the developers had to consider things like where the monster would sit in the hierarchy of monsters that would be predators and prey, among many other things.Monster Hunter Wilds is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on February 28.

Assassins Creed Shadows creative director Jonathan Dumont has revealed that the studio decided to make the open-world in the upcoming title leaner, with less clutter than previous games in the franchise. Speaking to GamesRadar, Dumont spoke about how visiting Japan to do research on Assassins Creed Shadows changed the developers minds on how to tackle things in the game.When you go on location, theres always something that even if you looked at all the books, the movies, everything, you say oh man, thats surprising,' said Dumont. It was the density of the trees and the forest and how much there was. You had a lot of little mountains that created overlapping views that typically we didnt quite get.Dumont talks about the studio needing to focus on crafting a world with an immense level of fidelity even at smaller scales, thanks to having their perspectives changed after seeing a Japanese castle fortress in person.And the scale of castles and things like that. Castles are big, you know, the castle fortresses holy crap, when you go there, its like I didnt expect that,' he said. So we had to adjust to sort of wrap our mind around, well, we needed much more fidelity on the scale.Owing to this, the studio is working on making sure that players will feel a similar level of awe, which can only be achieved when they arent constantly being bombarded by new points of interest.The travel time is a little different its not a point of interest [followed immediately by another] point of interest, [every] 50 meters, explained Dumont. Theres more open, natural landscaping that will be a little bit longer to travel, but when you get to a place theres a lot more to it. The scale ratio changed from Odyssey, and what we had done before, and then just the fidelity of trying to make incredible attention to detail in the environment, so that we craft the crap out of it.After facing quite a few delays, Assassins Creed Shadows finally got a release date of March 20. Game director Charles Benoit revealed that, in this latest delay, the studio isnt working on overhauling any of the games major mechanics. Rather, the studio is spending the extra time to polish whats already in the game.Adding on to this, Benoit also mentioned that a key area of polish in the upcoming title is its parkour system. Since the roofs of the buildings of Feudal Japan tend to be more complex than the places weve previously seen from the franchise, extra work was needed to make sure that protagonists Naoe and Yasuke will be able to run up and down these buildings without looking awkward.Assassins Creed Shadows is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Pre-ordering the game also gets players the Claws of Awaji DLC, which will feature an additional 10 hours worth of content, complete with a new zone and new equipment for players to find. The DLC is slated for release later in the year.

After years of silence and a name change, Ubisofts Animus Hub will launch on March 20th. It unifies contemporary Assassins Creed titles from Origins to Shadows under a single platform with narrative files to unlock, missions to complete, and rewards to earn.Of course, there are still questions, but Ubisoft clarifies much in its new FAQ. Despite what was initially assumed, Animus Hub isnt a standalone launcher its integrated into Assassins Creed Shadows, and there arent any plans to make it separate.Those with Origins, Valhalla, Odyssey or Mirage installed can launch them from within the Hub, though physical owners must insert the disc. Titles released before Origins are not supported. Furthermore, the missions within the Animus Hub, aka Anomalies, are playable only in Shadows.Ubisoft also reiterates that the Animus Hubs content is free and unlocked when playing the game. Additional missions and updates will also be free. The Keys used to earn rewards from The Exchange cant be purchased with real money and are only available by completing Anomalies.What happens if youre offline? Memories will remain available, but you cant access The Exchange, Projects or The Vault.As for the future, Ubisoft touts ambitious plans and wants to create new opportunities to tie together the Assassins Creed universe, our Modern Day story, and your favorite Assassins Creed games.Launching within Assassins Creed Shadows is merely the first step of a long journey together. The Hub will continue to evolve and grow with new features, content, and rewards rolling out in the months and years to come.Assassins Creed Shadows launches on March 20th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out the story trailer, learn more about the Claws of Awaji expansion or read the PC requirements here.

Sales of video game consoles have seemingly been on a downward trend. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, gaming hardware sales in December 2024 have fallen by 29 percent, with spending totalling up to $1.1 billion.When it comes to individual console sales, the PS5 sales fell by 18 percent when compared to December 2023, while Xbox Series X/S and the Nintendo Switch each declined by 38 percent. For context, gaming hardware spending back in December 2023 was at $4.9 billion.Piscatella goes on to comment about how this decline in console hardware shouldnt be too surprising, since all currently-available gaming consoles have been out for long enough that their peak sales periods are well behind them. He also comments on how hardware sales throughout 2024 were still generally higher than in the past.No question video game hardware had a rough one, posted Piscatella on BlueSky. But it was expected with Switch being in market for so long and both PS5/XBS past their selling peaks. Total 2024 hardware spend of $4.9B is still significantly higher than the $3.9B seen in 2019. Shrug.Piscatella then also explained that, when it comes to lifetime sales in the US market, the PS5 has been doing slightly ahead of the PS4, whereas the Xbox Series X/S have been trailing behind Xbox One. This takes into consideration sales from the 50 first months of the consoles launch.Through 38 months in the US (through Dec 2023), PS5 led PS4 by 6% while XBS trailed XBO by 13%, explained Piscatella.Going by the trends of gaming console releases from the last couple of generation, we would currently be on track for a hardware refresh. We recently saw this with the more powerful PS5 Pro from Sony, while Microsoft has yet to make any announcement regarding a new console in the Xbox Series line-up. Nintendo, on the other hand, is seemingly going by its own schedule, getting ready to launch the Switch 2 later this month.For more details about the Switch 2, check out our coverage of its original announcement from earlier this month. And as for the PS5 Pro, check out our coverage of the best games enhanced for the console here.No question video game hardware had a rough one. But it was expected with Switch being in market for so long and both PS5/XBS past their selling peaks. Total 2024 hardware spend of $4.9B is still significantly higher than the $3.9B seen in 2019. Shrug.[image or embed] Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) January 23, 2025 at 9:20 PMThrough each consoles first 50 months in the US market (life to date ending Dec 2024 for both XBS and PS5), PS5 lifetime unit sales are 7% ahead of PS4s pace, while Xbox Series trails Xbox One by 18%. Through 38 months in the US (through Dec 2023), PS5 led PS4 by 6% while XBS trailed XBO by 13%. Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) January 24, 2025 at 12:19 AM

The Spring Festival, better known as Chinese New Year, is in full swing, and many titles, like Palworld, are celebrating. Pocketpair has added five new skins to the title, which all players can equip on Cattiva, Lyleen, Chillet, Lyleen Noct, and Chillet Ignis.The update otherwise features changes and adjustments, like summoned Pals targeting the nearest enemy and large Pals functioning similarly to smaller ones at base. This should ideally prevent them from getting stuck in narrow spots or colliding with ceilings. Killamari now has the Water element and can handle watering crops, while Mammorest and its Cryst variant get the Earth element.There are also balance adjustments, including the Oil Rigs large treasure chest, which no longe awards an Uncommon Plasma Cannon blueprint. Less Plasteel is required to craft gear, while the crude oil extractor should produce crude oil more quickly.Check out the full patch notes below for more details. Palworld is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Head here for Pocketpairs latest roadmap, outlining upcoming content and features (including the ending scenario).https://t.co/oODXFkklRc Palworld (@Palworld_EN) January 24, 2025

While Assassins Creed Shadows has seen quite a few delay, game director Charles Benoit has revealed that the latest one, which was announced earlier this month, was due to the studio wanting to further polish up the games parkour mechanics.In an interview with IGN, Benoit revealed that, while there werent any changes to the games major systems, the delay was mostly due to the nature of the roofs of the games Feudal Japan setting and how these roofs interacted with the games parkour system.The Japanese architecture, the roofs [are] super complex, said Benoit. Probably the most complex thing that I ever worked with if we compared to Odyssey and Syndicate. We needed specific codes and specific animations to support something super fluid, changing the transition of the parkour to make it even more fluid. So thats one of the specific feedback that we heard that we wanted to address, and it really improved since the last few months.Aside from this, Benoit mentioned that the studio was working on a couple of things in progression to make it more engaging, also balancing a bit more.More recently, Ubisoft had revealed the hardware specs that would be required to play Assassins Creed Shadows on PC. Among the specifications, Ubisoft listed hardware options for a variety of settings, ranging from selective ray tracing, standard ray tracing, and extended ray tracing. Interestingly, no ray tracing was not an option.Aside from that, players will will need, at minimum an Intel Core i7 8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB, an AMD Radeon RX 5700 8GB, or an Intel Arc A580 8GB GPU, and 16GB of RAM. Interestingly these lowest specs would not be capable of pushing too much on the ray tracing front, and will only help run the game at 1080p and 30 frames per second with visual settings on low.Aside from the hardware specs, Ubisoft has also confirmed that Assassins Creed Shadows will feature plenty of extra options for PC players to tinker with, including support for Nvidia DLSS 3.7, AMD FSR 3.1 and Intel XeSS 2. The game will also support ultrawide displays, and will feature a benchmark mode to allow players to further tune in their settings.While the title itself hasnt been released yet, Ubisoft also confirmed its first DLC, dubbed Claws of Awaji, with a trailer. The DLC will be part of the pre-order bonuses for Assassins Creed Shadows, and will feature more than 10 hours of content, including a host of new gear, as well as an entire new zone for players to explore. The DLC was confirmed earlier this week, shortly after being leaked thanks to an errant listing on the games Steam store page.Assassins Creed Shadows will revolve around dual protagonist in Naoe and Yasuke, and takes place in Feudal Japan. The game got a story trailer earlier this week where we saw the dynamics for the two characters, as well as their relationship with Oda Nobunaga.The game is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 20.

Team Ninja and PlatinumGames surprised everyone by announcing Ninja Gaiden 4, the first new mainline title in the series since 2012. However, the gameplay showcased looked extremely polished. As it turns out, the two studios have been working together for years in secret on the sequel.Speaking to Xbox Wire, PlatinumGames director and producer Yuji Nakao revealed that the title is currently 70 to 80 percent complete with the team entering the polishing phase. Well continue to work closely with Team NINJA, ensuring every detail meets the expectations of fans. More details will be revealed to help players understand just how fun and exciting this game is, so stay tuned.Interestingly, there may be a chance for hands-on time gameplay before launch. Team Ninja head Fumihiko Yasuda said the team is looking into ways to give you opportunities to get hands-on experience. A pre-release demo be far-fetched Nioh 1, Nioh 2, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty all received the same. Rise of the Ronin also received a demo, though that was post-launch.Ninja Gaiden 4 launches this Fall for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC while coming to Game Pass on day one. Team Ninja also shadow-dropped Ninja Gaiden 2 Black today for Xbox Series X/S and Game Pass. Head here for more details.

While developer Sandfall Interactive finally announced a release date for its upcoming RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the studio CEO and creative director on the game Guillaume Broche also revealed some more details about the title in an interview on Xbox Wire.Broche talks about wanting Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to feel like a real game rather than just being something that looks pretty. Because of this, characters in the game all play differently, and players also have the choice to make use of their unique mechanics and skill trees to figure out their own playing style.We didnt want the game to just be a pretty face, said Broche. We wanted it to be like a game that feels like a real game. So every character has their own playstyle and you can really play them in a lot of different ways but they also feel very different from each other, and they all have their unique mechanics and their unique skill tree.Broche also spoke about some of the games character customisation and playstyle, which was also showcased during the recent Developer_Direct. Broche explained that players will end up changing the equipment on their characters quite often, and all the Lumina that players accumulate will ultimately allow them to pull of interesting combos and crazy builds.The example used was that of character Lune, whose core gameplay mechanic revolves around accumulating a resource called Stain by using skills. This resource can then be used in fights to empower her abilities, but players will still have plenty of choice in how they use the Stain and buff up Lunes capabilities.So whats very cool is that, when you play through the game, you will change your equipment a lot and you will get more and more Lumina and at the end of the game you have a full list of passives that you can either activate or deactivate, and this allows some crazy build opportunities, he explained. This is where we really make some crazy combos, and this is where we expect players to really break the game and we hope they break the game, because its made for that!Speaking about the games mix of real-time elements with turn-based combat, Broche also spoke about some of the design decisions taken with the game, such as the fact that players cant simply rely on parrying all enemy attacks, and that dodging will also be an incredibly important mechanic to master, especially on harder difficulties.So youre not supposed to parry everything, of course, that would be far too hard, explained Broche. So we have difficulty options in the game, and depending on the difficulty options the parry window and dodge window will be bigger or smaller if you are playing in Hard mode, and you dont dodge at least 50% of the attacks, you will have some trouble. If you are in Normal, its a bit more [forgiving] than that, and if you are in Easy if you build your characters correctly, at least, you will go by without having to be a master dodger.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is slated for release on April 24, and will be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Ninja Gaiden 4 was perhaps the standout announcement from the Xbox Developer_Direct, and its out later this year with its teams currently in the polishing phase. While the gameplay fit the high-speed standard that defined the series, theres plenty of new features to look forward to.Along with sticking to the dark atmosphere that defined the series, Tokyo presents some stressfull scenarios. With the miasma rain causing significant destruction, you run into collapsing buildings while grinding on rails as newcomer Yakumo. Exploration yields hidden items, challenges, and more, so its worth going off the beaten path.Fiends and other enemies return alongside 1v1 battles with enemies that can block your attacks. Searching for the right moment to attack is important, but Yakumos skills truly shine when fighting crowds. While he has the Raven Style, the Bloodraven Form is perhaps the most intriguing element.Utilized to fight off multiple enemies, PlatinumGames director Yuji Nakao described it as a technique that manipulates the blood of oneself and enemies, transforming it into a massive weapon capable of slicing through multiple foes at once.Yakumo fights using Bloodraven Form, and when certain conditions are met, he can unleash a move called Bloodbath Kill, which instantly bisects enemies in one strike. These large-scale, high-damage attacks allow for turning the tide instantly against multiple enemies.Of course, classic moves like the Flying Swallow and Izuna Drop return, which both Yakumo and Ryu Hayabusa can utilize. However, there are also fresh moves appearing for the first time in the series. Fans can also expect new and returning characters.Ninja Gaiden 4 launches in Fall 2025 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It will also be available for Game Pass.

With developer Compulsion Games having taken the stage at the recent Developer_Direct to announce the release date for South of Midnight, the studio has also made the game available for digital pre-order.While players can pre-order the standard edition of the game and get access to it when it comes out on April 8, there is also a Premium Edition that comes with a host of goodies, as well as 5 days of early access to the game before its release date. Grabbing South of Midnights Premium Edition will allow players to start playing on April 3.Along with the game itself, the South of Midnight Premium Edition also comes with a digital art book, a digital comic book, a digital copy of the games original soundtrack, a music video, and a documentary about the title. The Premium Edition of South of Midnight is priced at $49.99, while the standard edition is priced at $39.99.The soundtrack of the game, composed by Olivier Deriviere, will include music by Southern artists. The music itself will range from soulful blues to honky-tonk music. The soundtrack has been composed to evoke the cultural history of the games primary setting.The comic book, titled The Boo-Hag, features writing and art by Rob Guillory. The full-colour comic will revolve around protagonist Hazels encounter with a mythical creature from the Deep South mythos.The documentary, titled Weaving Hazels Journey, Directors Cut, revolves around the development of the game. The documentary also goes into detail about how the games world was created, and the kinds of inspirations that the titles artists, designers and writers were able to draw from.Compulsion Games recently released a gameplay trailer for South of Midnight, which alongside letting us see Hazels combat and exploration capabilities, also gave us a look at some of the titles earlier story. The game will feature a host of different zones, each of which will be filled with unique enemies, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.The studio had revealed back in November that South of Midnight would be quite an adventure, and will take players anywhere between 20 and 25 hours to finish it. The studio hasnt revealed, however, if this playtime estimate is for players that would just be focusing on the story, or if it also includes side-quests and other content.South of Midnight was first unveiled back in June 2023. The game revolves around 19-year-old protagonist Hazel, who finds herself becoming chosen by the magical world around her to become a Weaver. The story will involve Hazel taking on different enemies, all based off of folklore and myths of the Deep South area where the game is set.For more details about South of Midnight, check out a trailer that was released back in June 2024 that gave us a solid look at the titles various combat and exploration mechanics, all of which will have Hazel use her Weaver abilities to the fullest.South of Midnight is coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S on April 8.

id Software loves to push the envelope with itsDOOMgames technical ambitions, andDOOM: The Dark Agesis looking like another graphical powerhouse. Its not too surprising, then, that the upcoming first-person shooters newly revealed PC requirements are looking quite steep, even on the lowest setting.To run the game at 1080p and 60 FPS on minimum settings, youll need either an i7 10700K or a Ryzen 7 3700X, along with either a GeForce RTX 2060 Super or a Radeon RX 6600, and 16 GB of RAM. On recommended settings, to play the game at 1440p and 60 FPS, youll need either an i7 12700K or a Ryzen 7 5700X, along with either a GeForce RTX 3080 or a Radeon RX 6800, and 32 GB of RAM.Finally, for Ultra settings, to run the game at 4K and 60 FPS, youll need either i7 12700K or a Ryzen 7 5700X, and either a GeForce RTX 4080 or a Radeon RX 7900XT.Across all setups, youll also need an SSD and around 100 GB of free storage space. You can check out the full system requirements below.DOOM: The Dark Ageslaunches on May 15 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

DOOM (2016)andDOOM Eternal were both billed first and foremost as single-player experiences, though they did also have multiplayer components that a fair few players played and enjoyed. Withthe series next instalment, however, developer id Software has made the decision to focus all of its energies on the single-player experience.Speaking in a recent Q&A session with the media attended by GamingBolt, executive producer Marty Stratton confirmed that DOOM: The Dark Ageswont have multiplayer.We made that decision really from the jump, Stratton said. We wanted to basically free ourselves to create things like the Atlan and the mech experience and the dragon experience. Those are both almost like mini-games within the game. We know that our campaigns are to a great extent what people come to the modern DOOMgames to play, so we decided to put all of our efforts behind that and really create the biggest and bestDOOMgame weve ever made.In a separate Q&A session (via Eurogamer), director Hugo Martin echoed Strattons statements and explained that the decision to drop multiplayer and focus only on the single-player campaign allowed id Software to include the games much-touted Atlan mech and dragon sections.Thats why we were able to put the dragon and the Atlan [mech] in, he said. I mean, these are things we wanted to do in the game for, like, multiple games now, but couldnt, because we had a multiplayer component which we loved but really, it was meant to just focus on the single player campaign and just level up that experience for players.Of course, withDOOM: The Dark Agesconfirmed to be id Softwares largest campaign ever by a good bit owing to its semi-open world nature and expanded focus on exploration its fair to say that it wont be lacking in content, multiplayer or no. Additionally, the shooter will also receive post-launch campaign DLC, its been confirmed.DOOM: The Dark Ageslaunches on May 15 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out its PC requirements through here.

id Softwares DOOM: The Dark Ages has finally received a release date, launching this May for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. However, for those who want to start slightly earlier, its confirmed that pre-orders willr eceive two days early access.They also get the Void Slayer Skin, which coats the Slayers armor in a silvery black. While the Standard Edition retails for $69.99, theres also a Premium Edition for $99.99. It includes the same benefits but also packs a soundtrack, art book, and the Divinity Slayer Pack containing skins for the Slayer, Dragon, and Atlan mech.Players will also receive the upcoming campaign DLC, though it will be revealed and released later. Game Pass players can upgrade to the Premium Edition for $34.99 and avail the same benefits.For physical collectors, theres the Collectors Bundle for $199.99 (payable in four interest-free installments). It contains the Premium Edition, a SteelBook Case, a 12-inch DOOM Slayer statue with shotgun and flail accessories, and metal red key card replica.DOOM: The Dark Ages launches on May 15th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out the PC requirements or head here to learn how its id Softwares biggest campaign yet.

South of Midnightgot an impressive new gameplay showcase at Microsofts recent Xbox Developer_Direct presentation, with a release date also being announced. Alongside that, developer Compulsion Games has also now revealed the full system requirements for the upcoming action-adventure titles PC version, courtesy of its Steam page.Unlikely fellow upcoming first-party Xbox releaseDOOM: The Dark Ages,South of Midnightsrequirements are relatively much more reasonable. On minimum settings, the game will require either an i3-8100 or a Ryzen 3 1300X, along with either a GeForce GTX 1060 or a Radeon RX 580, and 12 GB of RAM (erroneously written as MB on the Steam page at the time of writing).Meanwhile, on recommended settings, youll need either an i5-7600K or a Ryzen 5 1600X, along with either a GeForce RTX 2060, a Radeon RX 6600, or an Arc A580, and 16 GB of RAM. Regardless of setup, youll also need an SSD and roughly 55 GB of free storage space.South of Midnight is due out on April 8 for PC and Xbox Series X/S. Premium Edition owners will get early access starting April 3.

Sonys first-party output has had a relatively spotty track record the last couple of years, but theres no doubting that PlayStations first-party portfolio is its biggest strength. After all, even the aforementioned period of last couple of years has brought us spectacular games likeMarvels Spider-Man 2andAstro Bot. And with Sony having confirmed that it intends to resume normal service in 2025, with major annual AAA single-player releases back on the menu, it looks like theres reason to be optimistic for fans of the PlayStation Studios lineup.And what exactly has that lineup got cooking? Thats the question were here to answer. A number of first-party Sony studios has officially confirmed what theyre working on, others have teased out potential hints and details, while in some cases, leaks have also potentially shed light on what some of these teams could be working on. Either way, theres no shortage of information on what to expect from the future of PlayStation Studios at large, and here, were going to take a look at the lineup one studio after another.Lets kick things off with the big one.NAUGHTY DOGThe complete lack of Naughty Dog on PS5 outside ofThe Last of Usre-releases has been a big source of disappointment for many, but in December, the studio finally announced its next big project. Working on a new IP for the first time in over a decade, Naughty Dog has unveiled the space-faring sci-fi action-adventure gameIntergalactic. The studio has shown off little of the game so far, but has already captured the attention of the masses so far with what little has been revealed.Intergalactichas been in development since 2020, so its possible that we see it in 2026 or 2027 (though the former might be a bit optimistic).Of course, Naughty Dog has previously confirmed that it has multiple AAA single-player titles in development. In all likeliness, the second game isThe Last of Us Part 3, which is presumably further out thanIntergalactic. In all likelihood, thatll be a PS6 title instead of a PS5 release (unless, of course, its cross-gen, though that would depend entirely on when it releases).SIE SANTA MONICA STUDIOGod of War Ragnarokwill be three years old this November, which means questions about Sony Santa Monicas next game are only going to grow louder. WhateverGod of War (2018)director Cory Barlogs next project is, wed wager that thats what the studio is going to come out with next. Leaks and speculation have suggested that Barlog is leading a new IP behind-the-scenes, which has the makings of an exciting announcement, if theres any truth to it.But of course,God of Waris nowhere close to being done yet. We dont know what the future of the series looks like, but we do know the Norse saga is done, which means were probably moving on to a new mythological setting sooner rather than later. But might we perhaps also expect a spinoff starring Atreus as its protagonist? After all, the Norse saga itself does still have plenty of unresolved plot threats left. Hopefully, 2025 will bring some clarity about what the future holds for Sony Santa Monica.INSOMNIAC GAMESWere approaching the four-year anniversary ofMarvels Wolverine,and so far, weve seen nothing of it other than its brief announcement teaser. Leaks have claimed in the past that the game is targeting a 2026 release, and if thats true, this would be the year that we begin seeing more of the game. Given Insomniac Games track record, especially with Marvel titles, theres every reason to be excited aboutMarvels Wolverine.Of course, the studio has other irons in the fire as well.Marvels Spider-Man 3is inevitable, even if it hasnt been officially announced yet, while past leaks have also suggested that the studio has aVenomspinoff in development. Those same leaks also claimed that a newRatchet and Clankgame is also in the pipeline, though wed suspect that one is probably several years off yet.GUERRILLAGuerrilla has fully dived intoHorizonby now, and it seems the franchise occupies the entirety of the studio at this point. Journalist Jason Schreier claimed last year that the third mainlineHorizongame was several years off and unlikely to be the studios next game, but wedoknow that the sequel toForbidden Westis nonetheless in the works. WhatisGuerrillas next game though? Well, thatd beHorizon Online, or whatever it is that the developer ends up calling the co-opHorizontitle that it has had in the works for several years at this point. We wouldnt be surprised if it ended up announced sometime this year, in fact.SUCKER PUNCHWe all know what Sucker Punch is working on. In 2024, the studio announcedGhost of Yotei,the sequel toGhost of Tsushima, starring a new protagonist in a new era and new location of Japanese history.Ghost of Tsushimawas a spectacular game, and arguably the best game to have been developed by Sucker Punch, so its no surprise that expectations from its sequel are high. Whether the studio intends to support the game with post-launch content the way it didTsushimaremains to be seen. The fans, of course, would absolutely love to see more of that, especially if it meant something similar toGhost of Tsushima: Legends.BLUEPOINT GAMESUntil not that long ago, we would have been willing to bet anything that the studio behind the excellent Shadow of the Colossus and Demons Souls remakes will be revealing its game sometime this year. Alas, Sonys poor decision-making has cost the company again. Reports have revealed that the game Bluepoint had been working on for years was a God of War live service title of all means, and that that project has now been cancelled. What the studio will work on next is anyones guess, but clearly, we wont be learning much about it anytime soon.SIE BEND STUDIOLike Bluepoint, Sony Bend also saw its project recently cancelled. The studio has endured several years of bad luck with its projects now, and after four years of having a new live service open world IP in development, it has now had that project shelved. On one hand, were glad to see Sony rethinking its misguided live service push. On the other, however, we cant help but lament the absolute waste of time that these last few years have been for several first-party PlayStation studios. What will Bend work on next? We have no earthly idea, thanks to the fact that the last few years of work by the studio are going into the dumpster, with a new project set to start from scratch at some point in the future.HAVEN STUDIOSHaven StudiosFairgame$was announced a couple of years ago now, but this games future is looking more than a little shaky in spite of how little we have seen of it. The multiplayer first-person shooter was announced as part of Sonys big push into the live service space, but that push has largely failed over the last couple of years, and hit its lowest point yet in 2024 with the absolute failure ofConcord. Of course, what happened toConcorddoesnt necessarily have to happen toFairgame$,but the game wasnt inspiring much confidence to begin with, and now, in a post-Concordworld, its chances of succeeding are looking even slimmer. Hopefully, when we see it next (with actual gameplay this time), itll leave a much stronger impression.FIRESPRITEFiresprites rumouredTwisted Metalrevival was supposedly the studios main project until not that long ago, but it ended up being one of several live service cancellations as part of PlayStations widespread layoffs in early 2024. So what does the studio have in the works now? Well, official details continue to be scarce (after all, Twisted Metalwasnt officially known either), but as per leaks, the studio is working on a sequel toUntil Dawn. The horror title received a remake in 2023 and is also receiving a movie adaptation soon, so clearly, Sony intends to keep expanding on the IP.HOUSEMARQUEHousemarque hit an entirely new level withReturnalin 2021, which means there are more eyes on studio and what it has cooking up next than ever before. Little is known about Housemarques mystery project, other than the fact that it is another new IP, and that it is going to be another AAA production likeReturnalwas. Hopefully, the developer will be ready to share more details soon, especially withReturnalnow close to four years old.MEDIA MOLECULEMedia Molecule swung for the fences withDreams, and even though the game wasnt nearly as successful as it should have been, the studio continues to be one of PlayStations biggest assets. A couple of years ago, the developer announced that it had a new project in the works, with support forDreamshaving been brought to an end, and last year, it was confirmed that that new project was going to be yet another new IP. Theres little else that we know about it, but given how experimental Media Molecule loves to be, were excited to see what shape it takes. Presumably, however, itll be some time before we get any concrete details.POLYPHONY DIGITALGran Turismo 7is three years old now, so the only question to be asked here is- how long until the nextGran Turismogame? Post-launch support forGT7is continuing with impressive momentum, and it doesnt look like Polyphony Digital is going to slow it down anytime soon. That would suggest that the nextGTis still years away- though then again, Polyphony Digital has traditionally followed a pattern of twoGran Turismoreleases per console. That might suggest that the studio could maybe release a cross-genGT8for PS5 and PS6 in a handful of years- though thats all purely speculative at this point.TEAM ASOBIThe delightfulAstro Botisnot even a year old yet, which means its probably too soon to start talking about Team Asobis next game right now. Will it beAstro Bot 2? Will it be a new IP? Whatever it is, we hope the studio can put it out as swiftly and efficiently as it didAstro Bot, which was put together in the space of three years by a team of less than hundred people and turned out to be one of the best and most prominent releases of its year.

2024 was a successful year for Sega, to say the least, and sure enough, the company is continuing to reap the profits of those efforts.Sonic X Shadow Generationsgot off to a blistering start upon its release, with a million units sold on launch day. Within the next month, it had sold another additional half a million units. Now, its passed another milestone.Sega has announced thatSonic X Shadow Generationshas sold 2 million copies across all platforms since it launched in October. That means the expanded platforming remaster has sold another 500,000 units over the course of the last two months, maintaining solid momentum. Sega released a DLC pack for the title in December that added a new level and featured voice acting for Shadow by Keanu Reeves, which may have helped bump up the sales.In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, With an enhanced version of one of the series best 3D outings to date, as well as a legitimately great brand-new adventure starring a returning fan-favourite, Sonic X Shadow Generations is well worth a look for fans of Segas platforming franchise. Read the full review through here.Sonic X Shadow Generationsis available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

If theres one game I enjoyed immensely last year and yet begrudgingly forced myself to endure, its Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. No, not because of the story, changes, mini-games or any other complaints others may have had (though some issues annoyed me more than others). It was purely due to the visual quality and performance on PS5.As much as I was looking forward to Performance mode delivering 60 FPS, I also mentally prepared for some hits to the graphical quality. They were far more drastic than imagined, though, and while Square Enix did improve several aspects at launch and after, the fidelity wasnt doing it for me. Its a shame because of how great the environments, cutscenes, and battles looked.While it received an update on the PS5 Pro, utilizing PSSR to achieve a 4K output while hitting 60 frames per second, Rebirths PC version is what I truly looked forward to. Would it finally showcase this visual masterpiece in all its glory? Would Cloud and friends look even better than before? Could it be the definitive way to experience the sagas continuation, following up on Final Fantasy 7 Remakes excellent port?Now that its almost here, the answer is yes, for the most part. Some aspects could still do with improvements and further optimization but as it stands, Square Enix has delivered. Lets jump into everything you should know about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirths performance and graphical fidelity on PC as well as how it compares to the PS5 version.Graphics Settings and Test RigThe graphics settings for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PC are pretty standard fare. Graphics quality falls into three presets Low, Medium, and High but you can customize separate options for minimum and maximum Dynamic Resolution Scaling, background model detail, ocean detail, character model detail and effect details.Texture resolution, shadow quality, fog quality its all here, and there are even options to adjust the number of characters displayed and their shadow distance. A separate font is also available for better text legibility when playing at lower resolutions. The anti-aliasing is intriguing because it offers three options TAA, TAAU and DLSS.There are no separate upscaling options for DLSS like Quality or Performance, much less the ability to select AMD FSR or Intel XeSS. Square Enix never really said it was implementing the latter, but not even having different modes for DLSS is odd. Heres hoping it arrives sometime after launch if only to provide those in need with the option.Our test rig consisted of an AMD 5950X, a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 64 GB of RAM, and an NVMe SSD PCI-e 4.0. Aside from 50 percent minimum Dynamic Resolution Scaling, all settings were on High with DLSS anti-aliasing, 38402160 resolution and 90 FPS enabled. Characters displayed is set to seven, while their shadow display distance is set to eight. So, how does the game fare on PC compared to the PS5 version on Quality Mode?PC vs PS5 Quality ModeBeyond resolutions up to 4K, DLSS, 120 FPS and adjustable displayed characters, Square Enix touts other improvements with the PC version. These include significantly improved lighting, allowing for more clarity, higher texture density and a bump to the background polygon density.The PS5 version of Quality Mode targets 30 frames per second and around 4K with a dynamic resolution. While the image clarity is generally decent on the console, its not as sharp as the PC version. It does stick close to the 30 FPS target, which is much better than dealing with the inconsistent Performance Mode. However, the fidelity is better overall on PC.The lighting alone presents a noticeable jump, coming across as more natural, while shadow edges look smoother and less blurry than on PS5. Perhaps the only real downside is the noticeable pop-in, especially in the open-world environments. The PS5 version had this too, for sure, but the increased fidelity and image quality make it all the more noticeable. Then again, its distracting when foliage is loading just a few feet away.Be that as it may, the PC version is still pretty stunning, with the high-resolution assets and lighting shining throughout.PC PerformanceSquare Enix recommends an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X or an Intel Core i7-10700, a Radeon 7 5700X or GeForce RTX 4080, and 16 GB RAM for 2160p/60 FPS on High settings. Our testing rig falls short in that regard, but we still achieved some pretty good performance. It was fairly consistent at 90 FPS, sometimes dropping to 85 before jumping back up again. Strangely enough, the same difference occurred when playing at 60 FPS, with frames occasionally dropping to 55. Though some of the busier fights and a few scenes in the first hour led to these frame drops, the PC version is otherwise strongly consistent.On my own set-up consisting of a Core i5-11400, 32 GB DDR4 RAM, and a GeForce RTX 4060, performance was pretty solid. When dropping to 1080p from 1440p, it felt more consistent even with pretty much everything set to High (Square Enix recommends Medium, so your mileage may vary). The same frame drops would occasionally occur, but once again, it didnt impact my enjoyment of the title.ConclusionFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth is unarguably one of 2024s greatest games and an exceptional follow-up to Remake, warts and all. The graphical issues on PS5 did it no favors, and you really have to wonder how many didnt jump in at launch because of the same. Even with the PS5 Pro offering improvements, dropping $700 to experience one game in better detail isnt exactly fiscally responsible.The PC version isnt perfect by any means. Between the pop-in, slight frame drops and lack of DLSS options, theres room for improvement. Id also like to see additional options in the future to fine-tune the fidelity even further.However, this is still a quality experience and represents the first step to really doing justice to Rebirths art direction, environments, cutscenes, characters, and so much more. Though Square Enix could probably offer even more customization in the future, the lighting improvements are an unexpected but welcome surprise that makes the world feel more vibrant and alive. Of course, the keyboard and mouse support isnt too shabby either and being able to assign functions to multiple keys and mouse buttons is nice.If youve been waiting to play Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on hardware that can truly make it shine, the PC port is definitely recommended. Heres hoping that the development team continues to refine and improve it, further enhancing what is currently the best way to experience Cloud and companys journey.

Alongside its new story trailer, Assassins Creed Shadows has received several hands-on impressions, previews, and details, including the reveal of its first expansion. Ubisoft has also detailed the PC requirements, and though it doesnt outline the amount of installation space, a solid-state drive is mandatory.The other notable aspect is that ray tracing is on across the board with Selective, Standard, and Extended categories (applying to global illumination and reflections). The resolution, frame rate and quality settings will vary based on your hardware, though the requirements are all based on dynamic resolution and upscaling. Yes, even playing at 4K/60 FPS on Ultra with Extended ray tracing.Thankfully, Shadows packs tons of features on PC. The in-game benchmark returns for measuring performance and ultrawide resolutions are supported. You can also leverage Nvidia DLSS 3.7, AMD FSR 3.1 and Intel XeSS 2 alongside uncapped framerates, HDR, AMD Eyefinity, Nvidia Surround, and dynamic resolutions.Assassins Creed Shadows is out on March 20th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

With Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth having just come to PC (check out our review), series producer Yoshinori Kitase and game director Naoki Hamaguchi have started talking about the much-anticipated third part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy. In an interview with Famitsu, Kitase confirmed that the story for the third part is complete, and that development on the title is moving ahead without any delays.Im very satisfied with it, so Im sure the fans will be satisfied with the final chapter, said Kitase when asked about progress on the story for Final Fantasy 7 Remake part 3. The duo havent revealed any more details about the third title, however, and with development still underway, we likely wont get to see the game for quite some time.Hamaguchi, on the other hand, spoke to Automaton in another interview about the new features in the PC release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and how PS5 players have also been asking for some of these features. He specifically points to the ability to speed up through cutscenes.Nowadays, many people watch videos and movies at double speed. I myself have little time, so I often use the speed-up function, Hamaguchi said. I think we are in an age where we should let the user decide what kind of experience they have. Rather than letting (long cutscenes) become an obstacle that prevents people playing the game, I think we should incorporate such (time-saving) functions more and more.Ultimately, however, Hamaguchi did not elaborate on when we would see these features in the games PS5 release.For those not in the know, the PC version of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth comes with quite a few features, including more technical ones like support for Nvidias DLSS, as well as support for mouse and keyboard. The PC version also supports features of the DualSense controller. These features were revealed with a trailer released earlier this month.If you are interested in picking up the title on PC, Square Enix had revealed the specs that would be required to run the game back in December. On the low-end side of things, players will need at least an AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core 14-8100 CPU, a Radeon RX 6600, Intel Arc 580 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 2060 GPU, and 16GB of RAM.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a sequel to 7 Remake, and picks up right where the first game left off. The party, consisting of Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Barrett and Red-XIII must now set out to stop Sephiroth from completing his plan that might potentially pose a threat to the entire world.In a change from the original, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has much larger wide-open spaces where players can explore, hunt fiends, and even complete sidequests. The title also has plenty of minigames, each of which even has its own story-based sidequest to complete for special rewards.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was originally released on PS5 back in February 2024. For more details, check out our review of the original PS5 release.

After almost a year of waiting, Square Enixs Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is finally available on other platforms. No, not Xbox Series X/S (at least, not yet), but PC. Check out the launch trailer below.Available at a 30 percent discount until February 5th, the critically acclaimed RPG is the follow-up to Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It follows Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII outside Midgar and into the wider world, exploring locations like Junon, Costa Del Sol, and The Forgotten Capital. Alongside larger environments and new activities, it sports improvements to combat, including new Synergy skills.The PC version packs several graphical options, like three presets and supports resolutions up to 4K and 120 frames per second. The lighting has also been revamped, and players can adjust the number of displayed characters alongside their shadow distance.Head here for our graphical analysis and how it compares to the PS5 version. You can also read our review of the PC version here.

Mortal Kombat 1 players have seemingly deduced how to finally face off against legendary secret challenge opponent Floyd. A self-confessed Floyd chaser, TheThiny, took to social media platform X to post a video of a fight against Floyd.According to TheThiny, the way to get Floyd to fight against you is to keep completing Floyd challenges, which then make him appear. The video posted by TheThiny was seemingly captured by another player who managed to trigger the fight against Floyd in Mortal Kombat 1s Tower game mode.TheThiny themselves have been quite active in the datamining community for Mortal Kombat 1, and has since also posted an entire shared doc that outlines the challenges players will have to complete to start a fight against Floyd. These challenges range from completing matches without taking a single hit with specific characters, to winning a match using not but throwing attacks.While several players have since been able to take on Floyd, the character is still shrouded in quite a bit of mystery. Players are now trying to figure out Floyds moveset, which seems to have quite a bit of range. Floyd also uses a host of different elemental attacks, including lighting and fire. Defeating Floyd for the first time also comes with an extra reward in the form of a new stage.Before Floyd was finally discovered by the Mortal Kombat 1 community, Ed Boon himself had been teasing the character earlier this month. Boon took to X to post about lyrics from the song Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd, and referring to these lyrics as part of the ninja oath. Assets for Floyds existence in Mortal Kombat 1 were also discovered, lending further credence to the character being in the game somehow.Boon had also revealed earlier this week that Mortal Kombat 1 had been quite successful, having sold more than 5 million copies. The game was also in the top 15 of the most-played PS5 games.More recently Mortal Kombat 1 is gearing up to have Conan the Barbarian join its roster in a DLC slated for January 28. Developer NetherRealm Studios released a trailer showcasing Conans moveset, which is just as violent as you would expect. The DLC of the planned content roadmap for Mortal Kombat 1 will bring T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day to the game.Rmours from back in November, however, have indicated that the release of T-1000 would mark the end of post-launch content support for Mortal Kombat 1. According to these leaks, a host of content, including a story expansion as well as a Kombat Pack, have all been cancelled.Since its release, Mortal Kombat 1 has seen one story expansion and two Kombat Packs, which brought a host of new additions to the games roster. The studio itself has been quiet about whether the game will get more post-launch support after the current slate of releases comes to an end.For more details on Mortal Kombat 1, check out our review, and here is our speculation on what went wrong with the game.Another Floyd in the Wild!! https://t.co/hLwsoPXJf9 thethiny a floyd chaser (@thethiny) January 23, 2025The Floyd Excel Sheet is now complete with all 37 challenges!There might be some mistakes as I continue to monitor feedback and listen to others playthrough, but in general the sheet should be fine!Read the conditions on the right.https://t.co/SQA8m1bqhv pic.twitter.com/NlFpZgOK6K thethiny a floyd chaser (@thethiny) January 23, 2025

While the future of the Resident Evil franchise is still shrouded in mystery, rumours have begun popping up for what Capcom might be planning for the next entry in the series, which is speculated to be Resident Evil 9.According to the latest set of rumours, courtesy of industry insider AestheticGamer, Resident Evil 9 will not feature Jill Valentine in a major role. AestheticGamer also refers to rumours about a hospital setting as false. He goes on to state that just about every rumour about Resident Evil 9 that might be floating around is wrong, and that Capcom is likely going to officially announce the game after Summer 2025.Wait for actual RE9 news, nearly every RE9 rumor thats been floated around has been bullshit, posted AestheticGamer. Whats not bullshit is Silent Hill f did get rated in Korea today, and thats exciting.Rumours from back in November indicated that Resident Evil 9 would feature dual protagonists in Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine. For context, Leon joined the cast of primary protagonists in the series back in Resident Evil 2, and Jill has been in the franchise as a playable character since the very first Resident Evil.According to rumours from November, Leon in Resident Evil 9 is expected to look similar to how he did in 2012 animated movie Resident Evil: Damnation. Jill, on the other hand, will have her appearance based on 2023 movie Resident Evil: Dead Island.The game is rumoured to be set between the events of Resident Evil Village and its Shadows of Rose DLC, and will continue the storyline revolving around the Megamycete that was first kicked off in Resident Evil 7 Biohazard. The leak also indicated that players would be able to freely explore an island, complete with various spooky structures like a hospital, and an abandoned factory.While Capcom itself has been quiet about the next Resident Evil game, the company revealed back in July 2024 that Resident Evil 9 would be helmed by the director behind Resident Evil 7 Koshi Nakanishi. Rumours have indicated that the title has been in development since 2018, and that it will be making use of Capcoms in-house RE Engine, which weve seen power a host of games, including Monster Hunter Rise, Street Fighter 6, and Dragons Dogma 2. The engine has also powered a few Resident Evil games, including a remake of 2, 7, Village, a remake of 3, and most recently, a remake of 4.The next major title from Capcom that will use the same engine is going to be Monster Hunter Wilds, which is slated for release on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on February 28. If the rumours of a more open-world approach in Resident Evil 9 are true, Monster Hunter Wilds will likely serve as a way to test the engines capabilities in this regard.In the mean time, players can still enjoy the most recent release in the Resident Evil franchise: Resident Evil 4. The game was released back in 2023, and saw widespread acclaim both critically and commercially. For more details, check out our review of Resident Evil 4. And in the mean time, here are 10 of the biggest rumours about Resident Evil 9.Wait for actual RE9 news, nearly every RE9 rumor thats been floated around has been bullshit.Whats not bullshit is Silent Hill f did get rated in Korea today, and thats exciting. AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem (@AestheticGamer1) January 22, 2025The two tests youre refering are fake BS from the internet, and I think as of right now RE9s announcement is later than this summer (Ill keep posted before SGF if that holds true). AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem (@AestheticGamer1) January 22, 2025

Earthblade, the next game from the team behind the acclaimed Celeste, has been cancelled. Announced in 2021, it was slated for release last year before a delay.Extremely OK Games founder and R&D director Maddy Thorson and programmer Noel Berry decided on the same late last month. It all started when Thorson and Berry disputed with art director and co-founder Pedro Medeiros regarding Celestes IP rights.We eventually reached a resolution, but both parties also agreed in the end that we should go our separate ways, Thorson wrote. Medeiros has since co-founded Coldblood Inc. and is now working on a new title, Neverway.While it wasnt the sole factor for cancellation, Thorson said it prompted the duo to take a serious look at whether fighting through to finish Earthblade was the right path forward. The project had a lot going for it, but, frustratingly, it was also not as far along as one would expect after such a protracted development process.Though she believes Earthblade could have been great if they soldiered through, Thorson and Berry were conflicted, and the pressure from Celestes success didnt help. Noel and I also began to reflect on how the game has felt for us to work on day-to-day and realized that it has been a struggle for a long time. Sure, working on one project for so long is bound to become a slog, but this feels like a deeper problem.Celestes success applied pressure on us to deliver something bigger and better with Earthblade, and that pressure is a large part of why working on it has become so exhausting.Pedro isnt to blame for this in fact, the split with him has given us the clarity to see that we have lost our way, and the opportunity to admit defeat. I feel many ways about it, but one big feeling is undoubtedly relief. Thorson also said that the decision and responsibility for the cancellation rested with her and Berry and that Pedro and his team arent the enemy.As for whats next, the duo wants to take the lessons learned, wipe the slate clean, and refocus ourselves back to smaller-scale projects. Were prototyping again and exploring at our own pace, and trying to rediscover game development in a manner closer to how we approached it at Celestes or TowerFalls inception. Of course, the team still hopes to collaborate with composer Lena Raine, Power-Up Audio, artist Amora Betanny, and others.Scaling the core team up post-Celeste has ultimately been a failure, and thats okay. We gave it all weve got, and life goes on. We are happy to return to our roots, reclaim some joy in our creative process, and see where that takes us. Stay tuned for updates on the teams next projects.

During this years Taipei Game Show, Gust dropped a new overview trailer for Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land. It covers various aspects of exploration, including Energy. Check it out below.As previously outlined, protagonist Yumia can scale buildings, double jump, and even ride a motorcycle. However, Energy is what allows for cutting fall damage and enabling the synthesis of simple items. Its also key for exploring Manabound Areas where powerful foes and rewards await. Some points of interest will augment Energy in exchange for Prisms, increasing its limit, improving gathering, and reducing consumption from fall damage.Other notable aspects of exploration include ruins with valuable treasures and materials, the return of automatic synthesis, and stunning enemies in combat to inflict more damage. Using enough items in battle lets you activate Mana Surge for extra-flashy attacks.Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land launches on March 21st for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Marvels Spider-ManandRatchet and Clankdeveloper Insomniac Games is seeing some notable changes with its leadership. Ted Price, who founded the studio in 1994 and has served as its CEO for more than 30 years, has announced that he will be retiring and leaving the games industry at the end of March.Despite a challenging 2024, Insomniacs stayed fully focused on building games for our fans, Prices announcement reads. As a result of the teams persistence and collaboration, were in one of the strongest positions weve experienced in years, with each game in development looking beautiful and playing fantastic.Therefore, last week, I felt comfortable announcing to the Insomniac team that after having been incredibly fortunate to enjoy such a fulfilling career in games, Ill be retiring from the industry at the end of March. Today, Im sharing this news more broadly.I actually made this decision last year. For me, after over 30 years of leading Insomniac, I felt it was simply time to step aside and let others pave the way for our team.During the past year, I had the opportunity to work with the senior leadership team at Insomniac to create a succession plan that I know will provide the continuity, stability and strong leadership necessary to deliver more of what our fans cherish over the next several decades.Price is being replaced by three new co-leads who will now lead Insomniac Games. Namely, theyre Chad Dezern (formerly the Head of Creative), Ryan Schneider (formerly the Head of Brand and Leadership Strategy), and Jen Huang (formerly the CFO).In a lengthy message published on the official PlayStation Blog, the studios incoming trifecta of new co-heads has spoken about the outgoing CEOs work and legacy. The three also say Insomniac will continue to work on the kind of titles that the studio has come to be known for.Our shared intention is to preserve what has made Insomniac special for 30-plus years while exploring how we can strategically evolve to succeed for decades to come, they said. Well continue prioritizing our studio culture, built around transparency and collaboration. We strive for a workplace where employees can do the best work of their careers.What does all this mean for our players and fans? Were going to keep making the games you love, while taking care of the people who make them. This aligns with our studio vision of making a positive and lasting impact on peoples lives.Insomniac Games is currently working onMarvels Wolverine.Announced in 2021, the game reportedly saw a recent change in creative leadership. Reports have alleged it will launch sometime in 2026.Meanwhile,Marvels Spider-Man 2,currently available for PS5, launches for PC on January 30.

Microsoft recently revealed the next wave of games that will be added to Game Pass in the coming days. With the likes of Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, Sniper Elite: Resistance, Eternal Strands, Far Cry New Dawn,and more included in that lineup, theres plenty for subscribers to look forward to. However, it seems that wont be the extent of it.As per Insider Gaming,February will also see Microsoft continuing its rollout of Activision Blizzard titles for the Game Pass catalog. Allegedly joining the services library next month are acclaimed platformer Crash Bandicoot 4: Its About Timeand Blizzard Entertainments MOBAHeroes of the Storm.The two will also be joined byMadden NFL 25,which will be available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers via EA Play, its claimed.Presumably, Microsoft will be officially announced this in the final days of January. February will also see the Game Pass launch of Obsidian Entertainments fantasy action RPGAvowed.