Timeline
TodayMon, 14th Aug 2023
Team was in tears
Gacha game Genshin Impact has gone on to become one of the most profitable projects on the planet, but this wasn’t always the case. Back when it was first announced, its comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild seemed so strong that many accused it of being a copycat. While these turned out to be surface...
News Final Fantasy Creator Believes Latest Instalment Is Ultimate Entry in Franchise
Levelled up
Final Fantasy 16 attracted plenty of plaudits and critical acclaim, but series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi may have endorsed it with its most important yet, describing it as the “ultimate” entry in the franchise. The ex-Square Enix director – who left the company in 2003 – posted the comments on Twitter, which will come as music...
News Texas Chainsaw Massacre's PS5, PS4 Adaptation Won't Get Gutted Like Friday the 13th
No slashed expectations
Friday the 13th, the asymmetrical adaptation of the classic slasher horror franchise, is at the end of its life, with the developer even unlocking everything for all players before the title is delisted. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, however – due out later this week on the PS5 and PS4 – will not fall to the same fate...
News Gritty Strategy Game Gord Gets Dark Fantasy Gameplay Trailer
Gord-amn
Gord is a grimdark "adventure-strategy" game coming to PS5 on 17th August, and we got a new look at it in motion, thanks to an Xbox-flavoured gameplay trailer. We see the kind of horrors (inspired by Slavic folklore) that will inevitably assail our cheerful townsfolk once the sun goes down. The settlement management in Gord looks...
News Scintillating PS5 RPG Black Myth: Wukong Will Allegedly Feature Heavily at Gamescom
Fully playable on dozens of machines
German convention Gamescom is just days away, but there’s still strong speculation about what will be on display at the show. Black Myth: Wukong, a previously announced “next-gen” action RPG from Chinese developer Game Science, is one such title setting tongues wagging; according to Insider Gaming sources,...
News Tekken 8 Boss Katsuhiro Harada Hits Back at 'Silly Threats' from Irate Eddy Gordo Fans
For every action, a reaction
Veteran developer of the series and director of Tekken 8, Katsuhiro Harada, has spoken up about the toll trolling and harassment takes, causing real damage to team morale and even incurring additional financial costs on the larger FGC (fighting game community) in extreme cases. Harada shared an image where one...
News Rockstar Hires Team of Previously Banned GTA 5 Modders
The ultimate heist, that of the mind
Rockstar Games has taken to X to announce the hiring of Cfx.re, the team of modders behind Grand Theft Auto 5's popular
News Overwatch 2 Swiftly Branded Steam's 'Worst Game of All Time'
That was quick
Overwatch 2 was released on PS5 and PS4 back in October of 2022, and the shift to free-to-play drew massive crowds initially, but deeper issues were quickly discovered. The player base has been declining ever since, which is fairly normal for service games, but what's new for Blizzard is the great equaliser: Steam. Launching i
News Larian Studios CEO Responds to ‘Raised Standards’ Concerns: ‘Standards Die Every Day'
"In video games there's so much free space to explore, still, in the creative tree"
Baldur's Gate 3 represents a shift for AAA RPGs that's hard to put into words without sounding overly trite but needs must. If Breath of the Wild was an event horizon for exploration in open worlds, then BG3 does the same for depth and character choice in RPGs. It's...
YesterdaySun, 13th Aug 2023
Guide New PS5, PS4 Games This Week (14th August to 20th August)
Expansive interest
What new PS5 and PS4 games are releasing in physical retailers and as part of the PS Store update this week? The big new release this week is an annual one, in Madden NFL 24. Consider this the calm before the storm. Click through the links for a full list of all new PS5 games release dates in 2023, all new PSVR2 games release...
News Amid Ongoing ActiBlizz Acquisition Saga, Modern Warfare 3 Will Be Playable First on PS5, PS4
Marketing win
In an amusing but inevitable twist considering Sony still holds the Call of Duty marketing rights, the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 will be playable first on PS5 and PS4 – despite Microsoft’s ongoing attempts to acquire publisher Activision Blizzard. By the time the title launches later this year, many are expecting the ink to be dry...
News PS5 Designer Mark Cerny Nerds Out About New Dolby Atmos Addition
Letter to Digital Foundry digs into the details
Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5, has sent a candid letter to tech experts Digital Foundry, explaining exactly how Dolby Atmos works with the system’s upcoming firmware update. Fans had been hoping for the surround sound functionality to be supported from day one, but Sony instead emphasised...
Saturday12th Aug 2023
News Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy PS5, PS4 Co-Op Trailer Shows Some Unlikely Alliances
Getting a pizza the action
If you need a fourth member for your weekly Trine team, maybe don’t rely on the pizza delivery guy. That’s the unlikely alliance depicted in this awkward Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy trailer from the THQ Nordic livestream earlier this week. The video is designed to underline the game’s capacity as a couch co-op...
News South Park: Snow Day! Is Not the PS5 Game You Were Expecting
Snow way
Back when THQ Nordic announced it was bringing South Park back to consoles, many fans perhaps expected another RPG in the vein of Stick of Truth. However, that’s not what developer Question has cooked up: this is instead a 3D four-player co-op game. Needless to say, we’re not all together convinced. “Join Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and...
News Gritty TMNT: The Last Ronin PS5 Trailer Is a Teaser in Every Sense of the Word
Shell, then - we're waiting
There’s really not a lot we can say about this TMNT: The Last Ronin trailer, which debuted during THQ Nordic’s showcase yesterday. The game, which had previously been teased as influenced by favourites like Sony Santa Monica’s recent God of War reboot, is being developed by Destroy All Humans!’ Black Forest Games,...
Poll Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for August 2023?
Another 17 games added
It's time once again to weigh up another batch of games coming to PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium. 17 titles are making the jump to Sony's more expensive subscription tiers, and we'll go right ahead and say that there's a lot of variety to this month's selection. From super promising indie RPG Sea of Stars — which debuts...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 489
The beautiful gaming
A partial heatwave and the return of Premier League football should make for a big weekend here in the UK — but that certainly won't stop us from squeezing in some quality gaming sessions. Aaron Bayne: This weekend I’m heading to the Lands Between for a solid session on Elden Ring with some friends. Editing through our...
Friday11th Aug 2023
News Video of New PS5 Slim Model Posted Online
Not actually slimmer*
Update: A video has now been uploaded to Twitter that shows the new PS5 model in all its glory, complete with a slim slit on both sides. As the casing is shown, the disc drive gives the design a much more significant bulge than the original model. It's possible this could still be a fake, but video footage lends more weight to...
News DIY Arcade Racer Wreckreation Shows Off Crazy Customisation in New Trailer
Staying on track
We haven't seen Wreckreation for almost exactly a year, but THQ Nordic has just released a new trailer for the upcoming arcade racer. Developed by Three Fields Entertainment, the game's big USP is the ability to create wild custom courses, and you can edit them in real-time while you and your buddies are driving. The new video...
News PS5's Gothic Remake Tours the Valley of Mines in New Trailer
No release date yet
THQ Nordic has shared a new trailer for the PS5 remake of Gothic it has in development at studio Innos, but there's no release date to speak of yet. Footage provides a tour of the Old Camp in the Valley of Mines, which is where you'll meet the locals and see some noteworthy landmarks. Check it out above, but nobody seems very...
News Titan Quest 2 Brings the ARPG Back to Greek Mythology on PS5
Watch the announcement trailer
THQ Nordic has just announced Titan Quest 2, a sequel to the well-regarded ARPG from 2006. Developed by SpellForce 3 studio Grimlore Games, the title returns to a Greek mythology setting, with top down action akin to Diablo. The announcement trailer sets up the story, in which Nemesis corrupts the Threads of Fate and...
News Outcast: A New Beginning Is All About Reviving an Interconnected World on PS5
Not just climbing towers
Outcast: A New Beginning — which has dropped the '2' from its title, by the way — is an open world sci-fi adventure that's aiming to buck some trends. Playing as Cutter Slade, stranded on the alien planet Adelpha, you ally with the world's inhabitants as an invading force threatens them. Through a truly open structure...
Feature Saints Row Expansion Pass Review - Is It Worth Buying?
A look at all three expansions
Is the Saints Row Expansion Pass worth buying? With the reboot's DLC plans having now come to an end, we wanted to take a look at the sandbox's additional offerings and attempt to gauge whether the aforementioned pass is worth the price of entry. With that goal in mind, we recently played through all of the Expansion...
News Alan Wake 2 Scheduled for 'Brand New Reveal' at Gamescom Opening Night Live
Geoff, you tease
Hype merchant Geoff Keighley is currently building up towards his next major gaming showcase. Later this month, on 22nd August, he'll be hosting Gamescom Opening Night Live, which will feature updates and announcements on various upcoming titles. The teases have begun in earnest now, with Keighley enticing horror fans with the...
News New Balls, Please! Tennis On-Court Serving Up on PSVR2 in October
Anyone VR tennis?
Certain things go hand-in-hand with VR, including racing, horror, and racquet sports. It's the latter of these we're being treated to here, as Tennis On-Court is heading to PSVR2 later this year. Developed by Decathlon Games, the game is a first-person tennis sim with various ways to enjoy the sport. You'll be able to customise...
Mini Review Moving Out 2 (PS5) - Chaotic Co-Op Capers in Safe But Solid Sequel
F.A.R.T.ing around
Moving Out 2 is your typical sequel — a bit bigger, a bit better, but ultimately quite familiar. Taking the act of moving belongings in and out of buildings and turning that into a chaotic co-op game, this is largely the same as the original Moving Out, but mixes things up in some fun ways. The gameplay is super approachable...
Random We Never Thought We'd See Armored Core Advertised on a Bus, But Here We Are
We've come a long, long way
The year is 2023, and niche mecha series Armored Core is being advertised on the side of buses in the UK. Indeed, as reposted by Bandai Namco Europe on Twitter, the upcoming action title is getting a marketing push that would make most AAA releases blush — and it's just crazy to see. If you're anything like us, you'll...
Guide PS Stars Guide: All Campaigns and Solutions (August 2023)
Your ultimate guide to Sony's loyalty scheme
PS Stars, or PlayStation Stars, is a free loyalty program for PS5 and PS4 which enables you to earn PS Store credit, free games, and Digital Collectibles. If you're a PS Plus subscriber, then you'll earn additional Points based on each PS Store purchase you make. In this PS Stars guide, we're going to...
News The Last of Us' Neil Druckmann Confirms He's Writing, Directing New PS5 Game
And also running the company
While it was never really in doubt, Neil Druckmann has confirmed he’s writing and directing an unannounced PS5 game. Shuffles within Naughty Dog’s executive ranks recently saw The Last of Us creator promoted to co-studio head, but it looks like he’s going to retain a highly creative role within the company, as he...
Reminder 10 Excellent PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Leave Next Week
Three Yakuza games included
17 new PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium games will be made available on Tuesday, but don't forget that is the same day a separate 10 titles will be saying their goodbyes. Games on the two tiers of the service are no longer playable once they depart, so unless you buy them, you'll lose access to the following on Tuesday: