Timeline
Wednesday11th Oct 2023
News PS5 Slim's Digital Edition Gets a Stealth Price Increase in USA
Play more, pay more
Sony is using the opportunity of the PS5’s smaller, slimmer relaunch to stealthily bump the price of the Digital Edition in the United States. While we already know you’ll need to pay extra for a standalone vertical stand, the organisation has also made the decision to hike the overall cost of the non-Blu-ray unit by $50...
News Rocket League to Jettison Player-to-Player Item Trading in December
Epic?
Developer Psionix has announced that the rocket-powered Rocket League will be doing away with player-to-player trading from 5th December in order to better "align with Epic's overall approach to game cosmetics and item shop policies". The feature was introduced back in 2016, allowing players to trade certain items with one another, a great...
Review Honkai: Star Rail (PS5) - Impeccably Executed Live Service Where the Best Is Yet to Come
Honkai dory
Genshin Impact sent ripples through the gaming industry in 2020, and Honkai: Star Rail has already successfully repeated the same feat. Currently the biggest gacha game on the planet per Sensor Tower revenue rankings, this turn-based RPG takes many of the same systems from HoYoverse’s fantasy open world and bends them into a more...
News Spooky Jack Skellington, Alan Wake Skins Might Give You Fortnitemares
This is Halloween
The spooky season must be upon us because, ready or not, Epic's seasonal Fortnitemares event is back. This year, fan-toms can look forward to wearing the skin of the Pumpkin King himself, Jack Skellington, as well as that of famed horror writer Alan Wake, for whom this kind of thing is commonplace. Michael Myer said he's stopping...
News Prescient RPG Long Gone Days Tackles the Horrors of Modern War on PS5, PS4
What is it good for?
Long Gone Days is a turn-based RPG with visual novel elements that explores the horrors of modern war, and it's out today on PS5 and PS4. It's been in development for years, with a demo first emerging on PC back in 2016. The official description reads as follows: "A modern-day RPG that imagines a world of war. Overcome language...
News Super Popular Free-to-Play RPG Honkai: Star Rail Is Out Now on PS5
Choo choo
Honkai: Star Rail has arrived on PS5, and we wouldn't like to guess how many people are hitting the download button right now. In case you don't know, this is another incredibly popular gatcha-based, free-to-play title from HoYoverse — the developer behind the colossus that is Genshin Impact. Honkai: Star Rail's been available on mobile...
Tuesday10th Oct 2023
News Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn Goes Big on Side Quests, Character Reunions, and Rebuilding
Rise again
A new trailer for Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn has arrived. The expansion is out in just under a month, and as the name suggests, it depicts a world that's busy rebuilding after the events of the main game. This latest video shows a bit more of what you'll be doing in the DLC outside of its central story, with quests that detail the...
News Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash Is Yet Another Japanese Game Launching in Early 2024
Same day as Persona 3 Reload
What's with Japanese publishers and early 2024?! At this point it's becoming a bit of a joke, because we've got yet another Japanese game coming to PS5 and PS4 in the first quarter of next year. Launching on the same day as Persona 3 Reload — that's the 2nd February — is Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash. The date's been...
News PS5 Slim Doesn't Come with a Vertical Stand, Needs to Be Bought Separately
$ony's at it again
The newly announced PS5 redesign — which everyone is casually referring to as the 'Slim' — will not ship with a vertical stand, it seems. This means that, unless you're okay with just balancing your console on its base — that's assuming this model is completely flat at the bottom — you'll need to buy a separate stand...
News PS5 Slim Officially Unveiled, Attachable Disc Drive, Launches November
There it is
Sony has announced and revealed the long-rumoured new PS5 model. Launching in November 2023 in the United States with other countries to follow, this updated SKU has a smaller form factor and, as expected, a disc drive which can be bought and attached separately. The new PS5 has been reduced in volume by over 30 per cent (so it is...
News Tekken 8's Upcoming Beta Will Boast Impressive AI Ghost Battles
Last chance to sign up
Set to begin on the 20th October, the closed beta test for Tekken 8 will be used to showcase the game's unique 'Super Ghost Battle' mode. First explained during a Tokyo Game Show presentation last month, these AI-based fights sound pretty cool, as player data is used to create incredibly accurate 'ghosts' that anyone can fight...
News Pac-Man Goes Battle Royale in Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs
Chows down early 2024
Bandai Namco has announced Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs, which is essentially a battle royale spin on its iconic arcade series. While Pac-Man 99 has sort of already done that, this is a new take on the formula that's coming to a wider range of platforms — including PS5 and PS4. In this version, a group of 64...
Rumour PS5's Early 2024 Release Schedule May Get Even More Ridiculous Thanks to Elden Ring
DLC reportedly drops in early Feb
If you haven't been keeping an eye on early 2024, we'd encourage you to do so. The current release schedule is, quite frankly, absurd. In the space of just under two months, we're getting: Alone in the Dark - 16th January Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown - 18th January Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - 26th January
News UFO Robot Grendizer Brings Classic 1970s Mecha Action to PS5, PS4 Next Month
A grend old time
UFO Robot Grendizer is a classic sci-fi mecha anime that dates all the way back to the 1970s — and it's being revived as an action game in the very near future. UFO Robot Grendizer: The Feast of the Wolves lands on PS5 and PS4 on the 14th November, and going by its first proper gameplay trailer, it just looks like a damn fun time...
News Ubisoft Shooter XDefiant Delayed Once Again to Address 'Inconsistencies'
Preseason pushed back after public playtests
XDefiant just can't catch a break, can it? Ubisoft's upcoming free-to-play arena shooter seems like a promising game, but after a new round of public playtests, developer Ubisoft San Francisco has decided to push back the game's preseason to iron out some issues. The team released the following statement...
News PS1 Cult Classic Hogs of War Is Bringing Home the Bacon with a Crowd-Funded Remaster
Hogs of War Lardcore trotting to PS5, PS4
Hands up: who remembers Hogs of War? Published by Infogrames late in the PS1's life, this was a 3D, military-themed, turn-based strategy game, only instead of human soldiers, it was pigs at war with each other. Playing a little bit like a 3D Worms (before Worms 3D existed), it secured cult hit status thanks...
News UK Sales Charts: Assassin's Creed Mirage Sneaks Up on FC 24, But Doesn't Make the Kill
October madness begins
October's wave of new releases has begun in earnest now, with Assassin's Creed Mirage launching at the end of last week. It climbed near the top of the UK's boxed games chart, making a number two debut behind the predictably popular EA Sports FC 24. It isn't the only new release in the top 10 — Nintendo's Detective Pikachu...
News Sushi Ben to Serve Up Surreal Sushi Action on PSVR2 in the Future
From the creator of Hatoful Boyfriend
Sushi Ben is a narrative adventure game in VR that tasks players with saving a beloved local sushi bar from dastardly land sharks via outrageous minigames. It releases this month on Meta but has been confirmed for a PSVR2 launch at a later date. Earn the trust of eclectic townspeople by helping them out of...
News Unity CEO John Riccitiello Retiring from Role Following Pricing Debacle
Effective immediately
Unity's audacious plan to charge developers for the privilege of players installing their games has hit an unforeseen snag, with the announcement that CEO and architect of the scheme, John Riccitiello, will conveniently be retiring, effective immediately. The news was announced today in a statement, which proclaimed Riccitielo...
News Meet Persona 3 Reload's Takoyaki-Loving Huntress, Yukari Takeba
Ooh yeah, Da-dada-dada, dada-dada
Atlus, true to its word, has released the next in a series of Persona 3 Reload character trailers, making good on last week's threat. We're introduced to the inimitable Yukari Takeba, the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad's ghost-fearing sharpshooter. We've inevitably come around on Persona 3 Reload,...
News Alt-History RPG The Thaumaturge Would Like to Ask a Few Questions in 2024
Salutor to you, sir
The Thaumaturge is an isometric narrative RPG set in Warsaw in 1905, and it has been announced for a PS5 release in Early 2024. It features turn-based combat and an intriguing supernatural setting, and we got a decent look at it in an official gameplay trailer. Thaumaturges are people capable of taming Salutors, spirit-like...
News Report Alleges Abuse at Gollum Developer Daedalic Entertainment
And that ChatGPT was used to write the apology letter
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will live long in infamy as a terrible game, but as is often the case, it seems there was more to the story than simple mismanagement. An investigative report into the title's chaotic development from German outlet Game Two describes "an atmosphere of fear" at...
Monday9th Oct 2023
News Sandbox RPG Fans Will Definitely Want to Keep an Eye on My Time at Sandrock
Take your time
My Time at Sandrock is sequel to the fairly popular My Time at Portia, and it's looking rather promising in its latest gameplay overview trailer. As you'd expect, the video covers a broad range of topics, explaining how the title's shaping up to be an intriguing mix of role-playing, sandbox exploration, storytelling, monster-whacking...
News RoboCop: Rogue City Is Much More of an RPG Than You Might Think
Dialogue choices! Skill trees! Detective work!
When RoboCop: Rogue City was announced and then we got our first glimpse of gameplay, we assumed that it was little more than a mission-based shooter. But no, there's actually a lot more to it, as the title's newest trailer shows ahead of its 2nd November release date. RoboCop's got a branching skill...
News Square Enix Gets Creepy with PS5 Horror Adventure Little Goody Two Shoes on Halloween
Oh goody
Square Enix Collective, the publisher's indie-focused label, will be dropping Little Goody Two Shoes on PS5 this Halloween. The 'horror narrative adventure' title boasts an eye-catching 90s anime art style, although the game itself is filled with lovingly crafted sprites. Honestly, this one's got potential. "One day, Elise discovers a pair...
Mini Review Cricket 24 (PS5) - A Below Par Score on a Flat Batting Pitch
Not so Stoked for this one
With 2023’s Cricket World Cup kicking off in India this month, Big Ant Studios has taken the opportunity to release Cricket 24 alongside. Similarly with EA Sports FC for football and MLB The Show for baseball, Cricket 24 is a yearly instalment in cricketing video games but on a much lower budget than its stablemates. In...
News Even Without the FIFA Name, EA Sports FC Snags Over 11 Million Players in First Week
Also an increase in new players, apparently
It seems FIFA will always be FIFA, despite not being called FIFA anymore. There was some concern over EA Sports FC 24 and its ditching of the deeply ingrained branding, but evidence is piling up to suggest that EA's football sim is still just as popular as ever — or thereabouts. Indeed, the publisher...
News The Crew Motorfest Will Be Free to Try for 10 Days This Month
Test drive limited
There are so many great games to play at the moment, but you can't say no to a freebie, surely? If you've yet to take The Crew Motorfest for a spin, Ubisoft is bringing back the free trial period, letting to play the full game for a limited time. The publisher's latest open world racer launched last month, and when it did, it was...
News Major Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Spoilers Have Started Flooding Online
It begins
How about a healthy dose of caution to kickstart the week? Insomniac Games warned that it was probably coming, and it has: major spoilers for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 are now doing the rounds online. At this point we've seen numerous screenshots and even a few videos across social media and various gaming forums, so if you're looking forward...
Strash and burn
Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is a game of two halves: a surprisingly simplistic action RPG and an endless barrage of static, visual novel-style cutscenes. It bears the name Dragon Quest and is published by Square Enix, yet it feels entirely barebones; with basic gameplay and a poorly presented story, we're left...