Start SlideshowStart SlideshowImage: The Pokémon Company, Arrowhead Game Studios, Blizzard, The Pokémon Company, Screenshot: Capcom / Samuel Moreno / Kotaku, Bethesda / Brandon Morgan / Kotaku, Nintendo, Bethesda / Brandon Morgan / Kotaku, Capcom / Samuel Moreno / KotakuYou know what we all need sometimes? A little advice. How do I plan for a future that’s so uncertain? Will AI take my job? If I go back to school and use AI to cheat, will I graduate and work for an AI boss? We can’t help you with any of that. But what we can do is provide some tips for Helldivers 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, Oblivion Remastered, and other great games. So, read on for that stuff, and maybe ask ChatGPT about those other things.Previous SlideNext SlideList slidesDon’t Rely On Ex Pokémon In Pokémon TCG Pocket AnymoreImage: The Pokémon CompanyDuring the initial months of Pokémon TCG Pocket, ex monsters dominated the competitive landscape. These monsters are (usually) stronger than their non-ex counterparts, and they can come with game-changing abilities that determine how your entire deck plays. In the past, players could create frustratingly fearsome decks consisting of two ex Pokémon supported by trainer and item cards. However, unless you pair together very specific ex Pokémon, you’ll now find yourself losing nearly every game you play. - Timothy Monbleau Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesPlease, For The Love Of God, Defeat All Illuminate Stingrays In Helldivers 2Image: Arrowhead Game StudiosYou know what? Screw the Illuminate. I played round after round trying to get the Stingrays, also known as an Interloper, to spawn at least once, and those damn Overseers and Harvesters kept walking up and rocking me. In the end, I was victorious. A Stingray approached the airspace with reckless abandon, swooping in with practiced ease as it unloaded a barrage of molten death beams upon my head, and you know what happened? I died. A few times. But eventually, I managed to pop a shot off and I quickly discovered how to defeat Illuminate Stingrays in Helldivers 2. - Brandon Morgan Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesDefeating Monster Hunter Wilds’ Demi Elder Dragon Might Be The Game’s Hardest Challenge So FarScreenshot: Capcom / Samuel Moreno / KotakuAlthough Zoh Shia is the thematic boss of Monster Hunter Wilds, other beasts can put up a tougher fight. Gore Magala (and especially its Tempered version) are easily in contention for being the most deadly enemies in the game. Not much is more threatening than their high mobility, powerful attacks, and unique Frenzy ailment that forms the basis for your Corrupted Mantle. - Samuel Moreno Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesDon’t Forget To Play ‘The Shivering Isles’ Expansion In Oblivion RemasteredScreenshot: Bethesda / Brandon Morgan / KotakuWhether you’ve played the original Oblivion or not, chances are you’ve heard tales of the oddities awaiting you in the Shivering Isles. This expansion—the largest one for the open-world RPG—features a land of madness under the unyielding control of Sheogorath. It’s a beautiful world, yet so immensely wrong. But that’s why this DLC is one of the best in the franchise, so no matter how many hours you may have already put into the main story and the main world, you don’t want to miss this expansion. - Brandon Morgan Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesHow Long Of A Ride Is Mario Kart World?Screenshot: NintendoThe Mario Kart franchise has been entertaining us all for decades—even with sibling fights and fits of rage over losing a race from a blue shell at the last second—but Mario Kart World is the first game to go open world. There hasn’t been a truly new entry in the series since 2014's Mario Kart 8, so being stoked to dive into this exciting adventure is perfectly reasonable. Equally reasonable, especially given the game’s controversial price tag, is to wonder how long it’ll take to beat and what type of replayability it offers. Let’s talk about it. - Billy Givens Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesMario Kart World Players Are Exploiting Free Roam To Quickly Farm CoinsGif: Nintendo / FannaWuck / KotakuMario Kart World is full of cool stunts and lots of things to unlock, like new characters, costumes, and vehicles. The last of those requires accumulating a certain number of coins during your time with the Switch 2 exclusive, and while you could do that the normal way by just playing tons of races, you can also use the latest entry’s open world to farm coins faster or even while being completely AFK. - Ethan Gach Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesOblivion Remastered’s Best Side Quest Is A World Within A WorldScreenshot: Bethesda / Brandon Morgan / KotakuIt’s been a long time since I kept a spreadsheet for a video game, or even notes beyond what I need for work. I had one for the original Oblivion run back in my school days. Back then, I knew where to find every side quest in the game. There were over 250. Still are, but now they’re enhanced, beautified for the modern gamer. One side quest retains its crown as the best, despite the game’s age. “A Brush With Death” is Oblivion Remastered’s best side quest by far, and here’s how to find and beat it! - Brandon Morgan Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesDiablo IV: How To Power Level Your Way To Season 8's EndgameImage: BlizzardWhether you’re running a new build, trying out a new class, or returning to Diablo IV after an extended break, (a break in which you were likely playing Path of Exile 2, right? I know I wasn’t alone in farming Exalted Orbs!) Whatever the case, learning how to level up fast in Diablo IV should help you check out everything new this season, along with hitting endgame so that your friends don’t cruelly make fun of you! - Brandon Morgan Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesThe 5 Strongest Non-Ex Pokémon To Use In Pokémon TCG PocketImage: The Pokémon CompanyIt’s official: ex Pokémon no longer rule unchallenged Pokémon TCG Pocket. While these powerful cards are still prevalent in the competitive landscape, the rise of ex-specific counters have made many of these monsters risky to bring. It’s never been more vital to find strong Pokémon that are unburdened by the ex label, but who should you use? - Timothy Monbleau Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesSome Of The Coolest Monster Hunter Wilds Armor Can Be Yours If You Collect Enough CoinsScreenshot: Capcom / Samuel Moreno / KotakuIt goes without saying that Monster Hunter Wilds has a lot of equipment materials to keep track of. The Title 1 Update increased the amount with the likes of Mizutsune parts and the somewhat obscurely named Pinnacle Coins. While it’s easy to know what the monster parts can be used for, the same can’t be said for a coin. Making things more complicated is that the related equipment isn’t unlocked all at once. - Samuel Moreno Read More

Not to be outdone by his one-time rival, Sonic’s new racing game takes the fight to Mario with genuinely surprising mechanics we've not seen before in the genreTech20:00, 07 Jun 2025Where will you end up?Who doesn’t love a kart racer? The trouble is, they’ve started to fall into a pretty staid rhythm now. You battle it out for lap one, everything sort of settles down in lap 2, and then lap 3 can be similarly formulaic if you don’t get hit by a power-up or two.While Nintendo Switch 2's launch title Mario Kart World has moved to change this with a system that links tracks together, iconic hedgehog Sonic is doing something a little different with his return to karting.‌Not only does it make for much more chaotic racing, but there’s more going on under the hood than it first seems.‌Tracks are varied, making jumping from one to the other very excitingSonic Racing CrossWorlds initially starts off like most other kart racers. Players pick their character from a starting roster of 23 characters, pick their vehicle, and then head off.And, while the first lap plays out as you’d expect, whoever is winning gets to pick lap 2’s location, meaning racers drive through a Travel Ring and end up on a different track, before coming back for lap 3.Article continues belowGetting ahead of another vehicle so you can pick a track you know better for the next stage of the race is great, as are the ‘Rival’ you’ll be assigned at the start of each Grand Prix.Not only do these racers react more aggressively to you, but they’ll also offer unique dialog when you appear out of nowhere to overtake them, hit them with an item, or fall behind the pack.This track sees you travel through a Dragon‌Once the Grand Prix is done, there’s a chance to secure further points by racing across each track from the prior Grand Prix in a sort of three-lap sprint.In my limited playtime, I was locked alongside my rival for points before pulling out the win thanks to that final spring.More competitive racers may baulk at such randomness creeping into tracks they’ve rehearsed, but it’s a breath of fresh air for the genre and stops those middle laps feeling too predictable.‌Each vehicle can be customised furtherAside from the Travel Rings, it doesn’t hurt that Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is a fantastic racer in its own right.Drifting to earn a boost and pulling off tricks to zip past rivals is great fun, although it did take a moment to knock me out of my Mario Kart muscle memory.‌Vehicles fall into a variety of categories, and each has customisable paint jobs, too, letting you make each feel bespoke. Want a purple car for Big the Cat? Go for it. Looking to add some colour to Shadow’s vehicle? You can do it.There are also gadgets you can use to tie into your playstyle, like hoovering up rings from further away, or simply improving your smallest boost.Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a hedgehog with a driver's licence!‌The game also brings back the “Land, Sea, and Air” transformation modes for vehicles, meaning one minute you’re driving, then sailing, and then flying.The latter is particularly enjoyable, letting your character of choice navigate jump hoops and tight turns, while there are secrets to find throughout each track to encourage replayability.Sonic’s video games feel like they’re in a pretty good spot at the moment, and CrossWorlds looks to be another fine addition.Article continues belowMuch will hinge on how fun its tracks are, but early signs are very, very promising that this will be a racer that shakes up the genre just as well as anyone else can.Previewed on PS5. Preview access provided by the publisher.‌‌‌

F1 25 is a near-perfect mix of realism and playability that offers much of the drama from the real-life sport and a sprinkling of fiction and, uh, Brad Pitt just becauseTech18:11, 02 Jun 2025This year's game looks better than everIn many ways, writing an F1 25 review should be the easiest of this year’s critical assessments. Codemasters is legendary for its commitment to digital recreations of automotive competition (I’ve been playing its games since TOCA on the PS1 ), and having the F1 licence means it’ll always be cutting-edge in terms of racers, tracks, and more.If you’re an F1 fan, you’ve almost certainly already bought it, and while non-fans of sports games will baulk at paying for a “roster update” each year, Codemasters simply refuses to coast, keeping its foot firmly on the gas and moving from last year’s podium finish to Championship-winning form with this year’s entry.‌Conditions can be treacherous‌Last year’s F1 24 was easily one of the most impressive games to look at on PS5 Pro, and while Codemasters had talked a good game about visual fidelity , I wasn’t sure it would be able to take much of a realistic step beyond.And yet, F1 25 is frequently stunning. In motion, it’s hard to see anything wholly new, but that’s more down to the speed at which you’ll be taking corners of meticulously detailed tracks. Slow things down a tad, though, and you’ll find things a little less sterile than they had been.Whereas F1 24 circuits felt a little too clean at times, there’s a little more dirt here and there, more wear on the track, and even correctly identified tree species in tracks that have been scanned via LiDAR.Article continues belowIt’s likely an ongoing process, with Bahrain, Miami, Melbourne, Suzuka and Imola getting the scanned treatment so far, but it’s an impressive taste of what’s to come and could mean upcoming games look even better.On track, the handling model feels much breezier. You can still crank up the difficulty by leaving the assists in the pits, but cars feel more responsive than ever.You’ll need that, too, because some tracks can be driven in reverse (complete with mirrored pit lanes).‌You can still race, but you'll pick one of your stars to "follow" for the weekendThe crown jewel of this year’s entry, however, is My Team. The mode has always been solid, but lacking in ambition, but this year sees Codemasters really go to town on its underlying machinery.While you’ll no longer be some team owner/driver hybrid superstar like Tony Stark in Iron Man 2, that adds an interesting new flavour to the mode. You’ll start as boss of an existing team or form your own, and then hire drivers, work to improve your car, and try to woo sponsors.‌Because you’re no longer racing yourself, there are more magnanimous decisions to be made about car parts. Research costs time, manufacturing costs money, and then you’re left to decide which of your racers gets the added boost.Consistently upsetting one can see them look elsewhere, while you can plan for next season’s drivers right from the off, making a Lewis Hamilton-esque switch to a rival a pressing concern throughout the year.While much of My Team takes place in menus, they all feel dynamic enough to feel much more enjoyable than you might expect, and while it doesn’t get quite as deep as F1 Manager, it’s still full of potential.‌You can even sneak some star power onto the grid, too, taking the reins of Brad Pitt’s racing team from the upcoming F1 movie , or signing iconic former drivers to build a dream lineup.As an aside, I love that EA is experimenting with things like this in its career modes, especially since EA FC added Icons to its own version. Long may it continue.Konnersport are now vying for titles(Image: EA)‌Another big return this year comes from Braking Point , marking its third instalment. The mode that essentially condenses a season’s worth of drama into playable chunks with a healthy dose of inspiration from Netflix ’s Drive to Survive is back as part of its “one season off, one season on” cadence.It’s packed with sporting cliches and no small amount of cheese, but it humanises a sport that can sometimes feel more focuses on cutting seconds off a lap than it can the drivers doing that work.After years of building a team, Konnersport is finally competing for the Championship, and players can switch between their driver roster to achieve different objectives, and there’s an alternative ending for those willing to commit.Article continues belowF1 25 is the best entry in years, with changes big and small piling up to offer a truly immersive and feature-packed title.My Team will get the plaudits (and rightfully so), but Braking Point’s return and Codemasters’ continued commitment to realism shouldn’t be forgotten.Reviewed on PS5 Pro. Review copy provided by the publisher.‌‌‌

Despite its appearance as just another arcady sandbox game, Deliver At All Costs is shockingly story-minded. So much so, that its constant focus on narrative might deter those just looking for some dumb fun. And after seeing the narrative through to the end, I wouldn’t blame them, given how hard the game tries to be a grand tapestry of storytelling excellence. The adventure is structured into three acts, each with a unique town to explore and complete missions in. One act even features a time skip accompanied by a moment of no return. So even if you just want to ignore story and focus on acing deliveries and causing mayhem in the streets, you still have to go through some cutscenes and narrative progression to unlock the next towns and side missions.   "The majority of the side content in Deliver At All Costs isn’t very enticing." Not that the side missions are worth doing anyway. The majority of side content in Deliver At All Costs isn’t very enticing. The rewards aren’t worth it and the fetch quest design doesn’t warrant the effort. I’d only recommend going out of your way for the side content if you’re already keen on exploring the various maps. The treasure chests and small boxes hidden throughout the game give cash that is used on materials for vehicle upgrades; however, a majority of upgrades can be purchased from the main story mission rewards anyway. I expected to have fun with the vehicle upgrades, but ended up sorely disappointed in their limited application. This is because upgrades cannot be used outside of curated story missions; bummer. Not that the crane attachment or extreme hauling capacity upgrade aren’t fun to play with; they are rather fun, but exclusively used for their particular missions. Again, if you’re expected a zany vehicular sandbox with a lot of options and unlockables, Deliver At All Costs isn’t that. The reason I keep associating the game with sandbox playability is due to its map design. It has an old-school 2D Grand Theft Auto style of isometric driving. In between story missions, you’re given the leisure to roam around town freely. All of your driving and running around is done through a top-down isometric camera angle that gives the environments a nice diorama look to them, and what’s more, you can move the camera between two different angles in case it’s difficult to see something. "Speaking of scenery, there’s a surprising amount of activity going on while you’re driving around delivering stuff." All the unique shops and landmarks of this diorama give off a classic vibe well. Oh, and the soundtrack fits the setting wonderfully. Lounge jazz and instrumental surfer rock accompany your deliveries, and it rarely gets repetitive. Tying it into GTA even more is the radio, with infrequent broadcasts that add flavor lore to the setting. Each town has multiple districts, each with their own theme, which helps vary up the scenery just that much more. Speaking of scenery, there’s a surprising amount of activity going on while you’re driving around delivering stuff. NPCs go about their business, birds glide across the sky, and plenty of vehicle traffic accompany the streets. In fact, there’s often a tad too much activity. Streets are so packed with cars and people that collisions are unavoidable. "NPCs roam the streets and become aggressive when threatened." I like how populated the game is, but it’s tuned a bit too high, getting in the way of enjoyability a lot of the time. Perhaps, it would have been better balanced to up the street traffic the further you get into the game, especially since the towns progress from rural to metropolitan through the course of the narrative. At the very least, there’s an attractive mini-map with well designed labels and indicators. Navigation is aided with helpful arrows showing the way to a mission destination too. But you aren’t merely delivering parcels to a destination in a given time limit; there’s a variety of ways the game mixes up its missions. Part of the game’s initial draw is its physics-based driving, which manifests in hilarious ways. One of the first missions tasks you with delivering a truck full of rotted watermelons. The first step is to bring them to a sanitizer, then you paint them so they look presentable, all while avoiding traffic and trying not to knock them over as they roll around in the back of the truck. It’s one of the enjoyable missions in the game, and one that demonstrates the physics gameplay best. I like how the missions get progressively more wacky and clever as you progress too. You even become a UFO hunter during one late-game job. It’s just too bad the very high traffic and wonky controls hamper the overall experience. "I like how the missions get progressively more wacky and clever as you progress." The driving controls are rather simple. Just aim in the direction you want to drive and hold the accelerate button. It’s the high sensitivity of the acceleration and the hard braking and turning that contribute to a somewhat frustrating experience. The high traffic just further compounds the controls to make for a somewhat clunky driving experience. Vehicles don’t differ in how they drive either, though you really only have the one truck for a large majority of the game anyway, so it doesn’t really make a difference. And the cars aren’t great to look at either. Heck, nothing looks particularly nice in the game, especially the characters. Facial animations are frankly bad and the bland art style doesn’t make up for the graphical shortcomings. What’s worse is there’s still some pretty substantial load times in-between regions, which hurts the flow of the open-world. But the element that gets hurt from graphics the most is the mixed story. It’s hard to take the drama seriously when its presented so poorly. There’s an attempt at cinematic camera angles during cutscenes, but textures are featureless and close-ups of people’s faces are serious PS1 quality stuff. Thankfully, a handful of characters are quite likable despite what their low poly models suggest. Winston’s delivery mates have surprising depth and a good amount of backstory. And Winston himself is a fully fledged personality and someone you can imagine working with. "Winston’s delivery mates have surprising depth and a good amount of backstory." Characters like Norman are instantly likeable while Winston’s arch-nemesis and hardline boss, Donovon, is perfectly punchable. I’m also impressed with a majority of the dialogue writing. Characters speak with a down-to-earth tone and level of informality that makes them realistic, even if they look like untextured Unity assets. Going back to where I started the review, the game goes surprisingly hard on the story axis, but it doesn’t fully land for me. The wacky yet earnest tone is great, but the execution of the plot doesn’t wrap up in a satisfying way. Winston’s mysterious past and the true motives of the delivery company’s executives had so much potential for an intriguing narrative thread. But alas, the finale just kinda falls flat without the payoff that the game was teasing. "The game goes surprisingly hard on the story front, but it didn’t fully land for me." As a whole, Delivery At All Costs delivers a zany and fun, though frustrating, isometric delivery experience with a story that tries a bit too hard. I can easily see this game being a cult classic, but for a majority of gamers, it won’t deliver a truly stunning experience. If you’re looking for a game with a wacky and inventive premise that experiments a bit, and don’t mind gameplay and graphics from three generations ago, give Deliver At All Costs a try and it might just deliver. This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Just a day after its release, FromSoftware announced a crucial patch for Elden Ring Nightreign players who prefer to solo queue. The game's developer posted on X that Patch 1.02 will be released next week, delivering some bug fixes and "improvements for solo expeditions." More specifically, FromSoftware will add the effect of “Automatic Revival Upon Defeat” that allows a self-revival once per night boss battle for solo expeditions. Players will also get more runes, which should provide a more balanced gaming experience when venturing alone. This news of this patch follows several criticisms of the game being poorly optimized when playing solo, versus in a party of three as it was designed for. FromSoftware's titles have a reputation for being difficult, but early reviews pointed out that Nightreign offers poor scaling with certain mechanics, abilities and boss fights that cater towards a full party. Despite the millions of copies sold on the first day, Nightreign holds a "mixed" Steam user review rating thanks to the solo queue issues, along with a lack of communication tools, cross-platform play and less replayability than other Souls titles. For FromSoftware, Elden Ring Nightreign represents a stylistic shift into the roguelike genre based on its best-selling predecessor and it might still be working out some of the kinks. The game's director, Junya Ishizaki, told IGN in an interview that jumping into an expedition as a duo was “overlooked during development” but is something that the developer is looking at and considering for post-launch support. Some players are also having issues with matchmaking itself, where FromSoftware recommends restarting the process to get into an expedition. As for rebalancing for solo play, FromSoftware said that more details about this upcoming patch will come next week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/elden-ring-nightreigns-next-patch-will-make-gameplay-easier-for-solo-players-183644323.html?src=rss

to a T – what a strange thing to happen (Annapurna Interactive) Having your arms stuck in a permeant T-pose leads to a wonderfully surreal narrative adventure, in this new indie treat from Katamari creator Keita Takahashi. Keita Takahashi seems to be a very nice man. We met him back in 2018, and liked him immensely, but we’re genuinely surprise he’s still working in the games industry. He rose to fame with the first two Katamari Damacy games but after leaving Bandai Namco his assertion that he wanted to leave gaming behind and design playgrounds for children seemed like a much more obvious career path, for someone that absolutely doesn’t want to be stuck making sequels or generic action games. That’s certainly not been his fate and while titles like Noby Noby Boy and Wattam were wonderfully weird and inventive they weren’t the breakout hits that his bank balance probably needed. His latest refusal to toe the line probably isn’t destined to make him a billionaire either, but we’re sure that was never the point of to a T. Instead, this is just a relentlessly sweet and charming game about the evils of bullying and the benefits of being nice to people. It’s frequently surreal and ridiculous, but also capable of being serious, and somewhat dark, when it feels the need. Which given all the signing giraffes is quite some accomplishment. The game casts you as a young schoolkid whose arms are permanently stuck in a T-pose, with both stretched out 90° from his torso. If you’re waiting for an explanation as to why then we’re afraid we can’t tell you, because your character (who you can customise and name as you see fit, along with his dog) doesn’t know either. You find out eventually and the answer is… nothing you would expect. This has all been going on for a while before the game starts, as you’re by now well used to sidling through doors and getting your dog to help you dress. You’re also regularly bullied at school, which makes it obvious that being stuck like this is just a metaphor for any difference or peculiarity in real-life. Although the specific situations in to a T are fantastical, including the fact that the Japanese village you live in is also populated by anthropomorphic animals (most notably a cadre of food-obsessed giraffes), its take on bullying is surprisingly nuanced and well written. There’re also some fun songs that are repeated just enough to become unavoidable earworms. The problem is that as well meaning as all this is, there’s no core gameplay element to make it a compelling video game. You can wander around talking to people, and a lot of what they say can be interesting and/or charmingly silly, but that’s all you’re doing. The game describes itself as a ‘narrative adventure’ and that’s very accurate, but what results is the sort of barely interactive experience that makes a Telltale game seem like Doom by comparison. There are some short little mini-games, like cleaning your teeth and eating breakfast, but the only goal beyond just triggering story sequences is collecting coins that you can spend on new outfits. This is gamified quite a bit when you realise your arms give you the ability to glide short distances, but it’s still very basic stuff. One chapter also lets you play as your dog, trying to solve an array of simple puzzles and engaging in very basic platforming, but while this is more interactive than the normal chapters it’s still not really much fun in its own right. More Trending Everything is all very charming – the cartoonish visuals are reminiscent of a slightly more realistic looking Wattam – but none of it really amounts to very much. The overall message is about getting on with people no matter their differences, but while that doesn’t necessarily come across as trite it’s also not really the sort of thing you need a £15 video game, with zero replayability, to tell you about. It also doesn’t help that the game can be quite frustrating to play through, making it hard to know what you’re supposed to do next, or where you’re meant to be going. The lack of camera controls means it’s hard to act on that information even if you do know what destination you’re aiming for, either because the screen is too zoomed in, something’s blocking your view, or you keep getting confused because the perspective changes. As with Wattam, we don’t feel entirely comfortable criticising the game for its failings. We’ll take a game trying to do something new and interesting over a workmanlike sequel any day of the week – whether it succeeds or not – but there’s so little to the experience it’s hard to imagine this fitting anyone to a T. to a T review summary In Short: Charming, silly, and occasionally profound but Keita Takahashi’s latest lacks the gameplay hook of Katamari Damacy, even if it is surprisingly well written. Pros: Wonderfully and unashamedly bizarre, from the premise on down. A great script, that touches on some dark subjects, and charming visuals and music. Cons: There’s very little gameplay involved and what there is, is either very simple or awkward to control. Barely five hours long, with no replayability. Score: 6/10 Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: £15.49Publisher: Annapurna InteractiveDeveloper: uvulaRelease Date: 28th May 2025Age Rating: 7 Who knew giraffes were so good at making sandwiches (Annapurna Interactive) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

What we've been playing - co-op adventures and unfolding ideas A few of the things that have us hooked this week. Image credit: FromSoftware Feature by Robert Purchese Associate Editor Additional contributions by Christian Donlan, and Ed Nightingale Published on May 31, 2025 31st May Hello and welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing. This week Bertie has mixed feelings about Split Fiction, Ed discovers he really likes Elden Ring Nightreign but wants more from it after the campaign, and Donlan appreciates a game unfolding before him. What have you been playing? Catch up with the older editions of this column in our What We've Been Playing archive. Split Fiction, PS5 Split Fiction. I'd quite like to read a dual-perspective fantasy and sci-fi story, actually. Wait, did I just describe Star Wars?Watch on YouTube I've been eager to try this for a while. I was fond of It Takes Two and the reception around Split Fiction has been enormously enthusiastic. Also, I love that there's a studio like Hazelight dedicating itself to making co-op games - not just games that can be played in co-op but games that require it. It's weird that it should be an unusual thing these days, but it is and I'm totally here for it. I like it - I like the game. In parts, I love it, and I think I'd expected this reaction more. The parts I love: its fluidity. This is a colder, technical thing to praise, but it makes the game so invitingly touchable and toylike because of the way it responds and moves. Big tick. Two: the set-up for the game works superbly in that having two writers' stolen stories to choose from, Hazelight gives itself a potentially bottomless source of ideas to hop between without lingering in one for too long. It's perfectly fine for one world to contain only one idea, which many of them do. And who doesn't want to play on a level where you surf around on a sand shark? But what I struggle with also relates to this. There's a thinness, sometimes, to the game; a feeling that ideas are cycled through so quickly they're not given enough time - or developer investment - to breathe or be developed as fully as they could. You kind of skim through them and it can lead to repetitiveness as the game bumps back into ideas it's already used, or a sense of pointlessness as it scrambles to come up with ideas it hasn't used before. Look, overall, brilliant: it's a joyous collection of co-op ideas delivered with tip-top technical nous, and not a small amount of charm and style. But I'm waiting for it - and really willing it - to take off. -Bertie Elden Ring Nightreign, PS5 All aboard the Souls train!Watch on YouTube I've been having a very Soulsy time of it recently. Last week I wrote about how Sekiro was causing me existential fury, and I'm pleased to say I broke through that to finally beat the game and see the credits, and that I don't have to play it any more. In its place, I've been playing another tricky game: FromSoftware's new Elden Ring spin-off Nightreign. Go it alone and it's one of the studio's most challenging games; but with others it's an exhilarating experience, as I wrote in our review. And despite finishing the game for the review, I still want to carry on playing it. I still haven't mastered each of the eight Nightfarers and I'm keen to play it more with friends now it's officially been released. But I do feel the game has finite appeal. Once the Nightfarers are beaten and all the character stories have been completed, Nightreign - as much as I loved it - doesn't have the replayability other multiplayer games do. Yet what FromSoftware has created is so heavily structured, it could easily add more building blocks to extend the game. There's DLC on the way at least but there's potential for a full live-service game of seasonal events on its map, with additional bosses and characters and costumes. It doesn't have to be a free-to-play, microtransaction mess, but just give it some regular support. Nightreign is something I'd happily play for months if it was regularly refreshed. Of course, this would likely be at the expense of whatever big new single-player game Miyazaki is working towards, and there's still The Duskbloods coming to Switch 2 next year to satisfy any lingering multiplayer desires. At the least, I love that FromSoftware has the capability and flexibility to experiment with this sort of spin-off. It might not be to everyone's taste, but it's left me wanting more. -Ed Öoo, PC Öoo. What does that mean in ghost speak I wonder?Watch on YouTube Here's the latest game by the creator of ElecHead, that brilliant and ingenious blend of puzzling and platforming. ElecHead was all about electricity. This time it's all about bombs. At least in the current Steam demo it is. You're a caterpillar who can create bombs, and those bombs? Early on they can send you shooting upwards to catch high ledges. But maybe they can shunt you across gaps too? Uh-oh, what do you do when the walls and ceilings have spikes, and what do you do when there's a big frog blocking your path? The pleasure of a game like this is partly the sense of watching an idea unfold itself, as the designer slowly discovers all the possible consequences and wrinkles and inversions. It helps that the game looks so beautiful and dinky and strange, with those progress-blocking frogs, yes, but also walls that seem to have the folds of brain tissue. I am playing the demo very happily and I suspect I'll replay it many times before the final game is out. It's lovely to be at the start of something like this, where the ideas are new, but the contours of thought behind it all seem to be warmly familiar. -Donlan

Remedy's surreal take on co-op with FBC: Firebreak Game director Mike Kayatta discusses Remedy's approach to multiplayer titles, and how it balances appealing to fans and appeasing casual co-op players Image credit: Remedy Entertainment Feature by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on May 29, 2025 Much like Remedy's narrative-driven single-player games, FBC: Firebreak is a step into the unknown. Not for the player, but for the developer itself. Firebreak not only marks the first time that Remedy has developed a multiplayer game, but it's also the developer's first foray into a first-person shooter. But a project focused on session-based gameplay runs the risk of alienating fans of Remedy's lore-heavy third-person games, while potentially dissuading casual players from checking out its impressive back catalogue if the game doesn't click. Mike Kayatta, Remedy Following a hands-on preview of the game, GamesIndustry.biz spoke to Firebreak's game director, Mike Kayatta, to discuss Remedy's approach to developing its first co-op FPS title. He also explained how the studio balanced appeasing longtime Remedy fans while attracting seasoned co-op players unfamiliar with Firebreak's surreal world. Firebreak is a spin-off of 2019's Control, which follows Jesse Faden – the director of a secretive government agency known as the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). Its headquarters, known as the Oldest House, is a shifting, paranatural building that holds all sorts of otherworldly entities contained by the organisation. Control sees the Oldest House under lockdown following the invasion of a hostile force known as the Hiss. Firebreak takes place six years after the events of Control, and the lockdown is still in place. Maintaining a balance Right off the bat, there's a hurdle of not overloading players new to Remedy with so much lore that they'll feel like they need to play Control to play Firebreak. As Kattaya explains, the studio prioritised not overwhelming those unfamiliar with its universe and appeasing fans that will be on the lookout for connections to other Remedy titles. "We set the game during a lockdown, which creates a narrative bubble for the FBC that also helps us create a bubble around the world itself," Kayatta notes. "So, if you know Control, then you might be interested in seeing what was going on in the Oldest House six years after the first game. And if you don't know Control, then you can step right into this moment and get a contained experience." Firebreak may be a spin-off, but Kayatta affirms it is firmly set within Remedy's connected universe (RCU) – which links the Control and Alan Wake franchises together. "Of course, we are set firmly within the RCU timeline and canon, so there are connections," he explains. "But we're very focused on protecting Control players who might not want to switch genres to get the 'whole story', and protecting co-op players who might not want to fire up an old game to get the full experience out of Firebreak." By maintaining this balance, Remedy has made a game that potentially encourages fans to step out of their comfort zone while also enticing less familiar players to dive into Remedy's back catalogue if the world intrigues them. Internally, Remedy also faced the task of producing a game in a genre it's not developed for before. Still, it has over two decades of experience in developing narrative-driven, immersive single-player titles, which offered the studio some advantages. "Even though games like Alan Wake and Control aren't all that similar to Firebreak in terms of genre and gameplay, they do all share a focus on immersive worlds and impactful narrative space," Kayatta says. "That sort of thing comes through lighting, audio, world design, and more somewhat direct crossovers. "When we look at what's different [about Firebreak], it's the perspective, the social nature of the game, and driving gameplay through systems. It's a combination of previous work experience outside of Remedy, personal experience as gamers or solo projects, and transference of other practical design skills into a new vision." Kayatta continues: "We do have a lot to learn and definitely face the task and players with a lot of humility, but there wasn't really a point where we felt like we didn't know how to go about something fun." Overcoming development obstacles Remedy also had to contend with approaching the game from a different perspective during the development process. Kayatta says the making of Firebreak differed in "so many ways" compared to Alan Wake 2 or Control, but that overall, every Remedy game release "is a miracle and Firebreak is no exception." "Even things as simple as playing the game suddenly takes three times the number of people," he emphasises. "Lots of typical production processes remain the same, but the rest has been a lot of adaptation and learning on the fly." This included playtests. Remedy has conducted a lot during Firebreak's development, even as recently as a couple weeks ago to test various game mechanics and matchmaking. The game is constantly changing – I'll have a totally different experience playing with friends post-release than I did during my playtest, and the devs were busy polishing things then, too. "Sometimes making games feels like nothing but overcoming obstacles," Kayatta laughs. "Honestly, it's been [like that] every single day. Sometimes it's about absorbing the pain, learning lessons, and pushing through to the next milestone. Other times, it's about seeking help from experts across the studio. Every single game released is a miracle and Firebreak is no exception. "Then, creatively, a lot has been shifting the mindset of what's the most valuable [aspects] to players and learning to let go of the control you have over players when making a single-player experience." Image credit: Remedy Entertainment Unlike Alan Wake 2 and Control, Remedy aren't guiding players through narrative cues. There are suggestions and hints of what needs to be done in a given situation, but players are given much more agency and control over how they approach obstacles with the arsenal they're given. As for the FPS aspect – there are plenty of guns to fire in Firebreak, but it's the 'crisis kits' that are the focal point. "Every single game released is a miracle and Firebreak is no exception" These three loadouts are tailored to a specific skill – one is electricity-focused for field control, another is impact-focused for problem solving, and one is water-focused for manipulating conditions like controlling flames and cooling down team members. Players aren't limited to what they use, either. All three players in a session can use the same kit, or they can plan who will use which kit to maximise the effects of teamwork during a session. The kits are also where Remedy's kookiness shines. Each kit has a tool related to its theme, whether that's a massive wrench or a hydro-cannon. Paranatural items known as 'Altered Augments' can be attached to these weapons, which provide bizarre – and at times chaotic – effects to give players the upper hand against enemies. For example, a paranatural teapot can be attached to the hydro cannon to super heat water globules into molten lava. Experimentation is key Giving players a varied loadout of guns and tools enabled Remedy to make Firebreak something newcomers to the FPS co-op genre could enjoy. This was achieved by providing the ability to adjust components to meet players needs and a progression system that doesn't focus on "power ramping." "Like most games, we front load a lot of the extremely impactful long-term progress, such as unlocking critical gear and abilities," Kayatta says. "And the 'mid-game' (if you want to call it that) is about getting your power up and upgrading what you like to use." Kayatta also clarifies they didn't want newer players to be locked out of the experience when playing with those who are familiar with how multiplayer FPS games work. "[Firebreak] doesn't dwell too long in the 'power ramping' phase and quickly shifts into promoting experimentation and forming playstyles," Kayatta notes. "We've also added things like the resonance system which can let players with access to strong builds actually share those abilities to anyone (so long as they stay close)." Speaking of progress, Kayatta notes that Remedy made it a priority for Firebreak to "feel like a fair experience for everyone" – whether you're playing for long or short periods of time. "For this, we made sure that the longer-term progression focuses more on unlocking options rather than raw power," he explains. "That players can create their own end-game challenges by adjusting threat, clearance, and corruption [levels] to meet their capabilities." Threat, clearance, and corruption control the difficulty of a job, with rewards scaling up accordingly based on the level of challenge. These aspects also enhance replayability – particularly corruption, which enables 'corrupted items' that modify the environment and enemy behaviours. Remedy's approach to microtransactions There's also a perk system that provides unique gameplay effects, which are achieved by levelling up or using in-game currency known as 'lost assets'. Players can also use in-game currency to purchase 'requisitions' – cosmetic items including armor sets, sprays, and weapon skins that have no effect on gameplay. Some requisitions are 'classified' meaning that players will need to spend real-money to unlock them. "We tried to think of ourselves as gamers and what we would want out of a game" When asked why Remedy went down the route of locking only cosmetics behind a paywall as opposed to a pay-to-win system like some other multiplayer titles, Kayatta says the team thought of what they would want out of Firebreak as players. "[This approach] is not a direct response to any particular mechanic or game, but it is different from many that you see in the multiplayer space," Kayatta explains. "Mostly, we tried to think of ourselves as gamers and what we would want out of a game. "Maybe it's a bit of a nostalgia, old man, 'kids-these-days' sort of thing to say, but dang. I miss games like Left 4 Dead 2 where you could just buy the game and play it when you feel like playing it. It felt easier to get friends on board and easier to kick back and enjoy things." Kayatta continued: "I don't like the stigma that comes with multiplayers today. I don't like how guarded I feel when I hear something is going to be supported after release. Support after release should be an awesome, exciting thing. So why, so often, does it make me feel worried somehow?" The future of Firebreak With that in mind, Remedy has implemented a solid roadmap to support Firebreak post-release. It launches with five jobs, with two additional jobs planned for this year and more to come in 2026. "It's always hard to predict the future, especially before we've released the game and gotten the chance to hear from players," says Kayatta. "We know we are going to support the game, we know we want to make it bigger this year, at least. "And going into next year, we want to know what's going to add value for players and do that. Is it more jobs? Could be, in which case that will be the plan. Is it something else? Let's see and then try to do that if it makes sense." "We're a small team with limited resources. We're trying to be super careful about where we put our attention" Remedy is steadfast on putting the players' needs first. All post-launch content will be free, and will be catered to what fans want out of the game they're spending their money and time on. "Ultimately, we're a small team with limited resources," he adds. "We're trying to be super careful about where we put our attention." As for the future of co-op games at Remedy, Firebreak sets a precedent for potential games set around its other franchises. So has the experience of developing Firebreak inspired the devs for similar games in the future? "Oh boy," Kayatta laughs. "The only future on my mind right now is getting Firebreak to players on June 17, then supporting them as best I can. As for anything else, to quote the wise Magic 8-Ball: 'Ask again later'."

Monster Train 2 is a superlative sequel that takes everything that made the first game great and amps it up with smart new systems and even more replayability - here are our thoughtsTech17:09, 27 May 2025Ready to get back on the track?There’s nothing quite like a good roguelike deckbuilder . Whether you’re into Slay The Spire, Inscryption, or Monster Train, you’re not short of options either.So, how does a studio brute force its way into the conversation? By dropping not only a sequel to one of the aforementioned holy trinity , but also by making it possibly the best example of the card-based genre in years.‌Monster Train 2 is that rare sequel that expertly weaves new ideas into the fine-tuned locomotive engine of its predecessor, all while keeping many of the original parts. The result is one of the most moreish games of 2025, and even the last half-decade.‌This time, we're working upwardMonster Train debuted back in 2020, and its appeal came from its much more expansive art style than its contemporary, Slay The Spire’s simpler art direction, as well as the fact that its ludicrously-addictive card-based combat loop works on multiple levels (literally).Racking up the units to protect the top tier of your train added an element of positioning and a layer of tactility to combat, while also providing foes with an opportunity to outplay you.Article continues belowThankfully, Monster Train 2 doesn’t so much change that system as it buffs it to a shine while adding a whole host of small tweaks around it.There's a seemingly infinite amount of build diversityThis time around, your train isn’t headed for hell, but is instead sent speeding into the heavens as you plot your route and pick your battles, unlocking cards as you go and using them to see how long you can keep your violent voyage going.‌That simple change of direction from the deepest depths to the highest heights means you can now pick your crew from angels, demons, and everything in between, and it’s all done with just as much charm (and a little more character) than it was in the first game.Enemies arrive, and you funnel them through your train while protecting the heart of the engine with card-based attacks that you level up and collect over the course of a run. Do you go all out to protect the top level, or aim to wear down the foes at the base level first? Cards can be played on multiple levels, and that means there’s much more choice at play than in similar titles.It may look like Monster Train 1, but there's more going on‌With cards to play, units to assemble, and many of them having unique interactions, it’ll be a long, long time before you’ve seen everything Monster Train 2 has to offer, which will be mana from heaven for anyone still logging into the first game five years after its launch.That’s before we get into more complex systems, too, like which items to grab and when, or whether your equipment cards are best served to power up your own cleaving commuters, or to be dropped onto your foes to debuff them.With primary and secondary factions to choose from, each with their own starting units and customisation options, Monster Train 2 is the kind of game one could feasibly start playing at 9 AM and keep chipping away at until the small hours of the next day. In fact, that’s exactly what happened more than once in my playtime, especially since it’s a model citizen on the Steam Deck.‌We won't spoil the surprise, but the clan variety is amazingWant to hoard gold to be able to splurge on reinforcements? The dragons are your best shout, but you can also use the Underlegion to essentially outnumber your foes with the power of, um, fungus.The Lazarus League, on the other hand, are like a hand grenade that’s just as liable to go off in your hand as it is to do damage to your opponents, bringing units back to life with randomised bonuses that can make or break a run.‌Mixing a pair of these factions together and attempting to essentially break the game’s carefully measured combat system with a mix of random card additions, buffs, and plain old luck is a rush that saw me racking up the runs night after night.Then there’s Endless Mode, which lets you take your custom deck from a winning run and keep testing it. In essence, you just keep going, battling until your Pyre Heart goes out, but with positive and negative modifiers to keep adding more and more layers to its delicious mix of mechanics.The VerdictArticle continues belowMonster Train 2 is a game that will sap your free time if you let it, and if you have a Steam Deck, we’d give it a 6 out of 5 if we could.It really is that good, that addictive, and that fun that we may struggle to go back to the incredible original–high praise, indeed.Reviewed on PC. Review code provided by the publisher.‌‌‌