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Gaming
Releases, platforms, and the people making the games.
267 stories archived
We haven't heard anything for months about The Duskbloods and Elden Ring coming to Switch 2, but FromSoftware's owner insists they're still coming out this year
We haven't heard anything for months about FromSoftware's Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods and the Switch 2 version of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, but apparently they're both still down for release this year. That's according to FromSoftware's owner Kadokawa, which listed both games in its financial report as "slated for a 2026 release for Switch 2". Read more
Baldur's Gate 3 modders remaking the original Baldur's Gate show off a revamped Candlekeep as a taste of how their work's evolving
A group of Baldur's Gate 3 modders taking on the task of remaking the original Baldur's Gate as a custom campaign have shown off one of the first major milestones since their ambitious quest kicked off in earnest. They've gone back and revamped Candlekeep, the library-fortress that served as the location of an inital demo published last year. Read more
After a bit of a false start The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is absolutely, definitely getting a digital home release next week
After early reports of an imminent home release for The Super Mario Galaxy turned out to be false, Universal has officially announced the film is making its digital download debut next week. Those interested in watching Mario and co's latest animated outing from home can download it this coming Tuesday, 19th May. Read more
"I cannot condone piracy, but I get why people do" - Subnautica 2 lead designer airs frustration at 'flagrant' pirates
Subnautica 2 is finally here, and while the vast majority of fans are playing - and paying - their hearts out, a few have taken to a different ocean. And the game's design lead has now pushed back against these flagrant pirates. Read more
Marathon "overwhelming" for newcomers, director admits as plans for PvE and PvP-lite modes revealed
Marathon game director Joe Ziegler has shared some of Bungie's plans to improve its divisive extraction shooter, which include the introduction of PvE and PvP-lite game modes as alternatives to the "overwhelming" core experience. Read more
Subnautica 2 is Steam Deck Verified, as is Forza Horizon 6, Mina the Hollower, and Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
An unusually busy May for game releases is turning into an unusually bounteous month for the Steam Deck, with Valve granting their seal of handheld PC approval – Steam Deck Verified status – to a wave of new and upcoming games. Among these are the early access version of Subnautica 2 , which finally launches this week after what feels like eons of legal sniping, as well as open-world racer Forza Horizon 6 and caped minifig crusade Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. Read more
Arc Raiders will get major updates every six months going forwards, with the next one set to roll out the shooter's largest map yet
Arc Raiders is switching up its update cadence, with developers Embark having decided that dropping a major set of additions every six months is better for the shooter's long-term health than sticking to a monthly update grind. The first update set to be released under this new modus operandi's also been revealed: it's called Frozen Trail and will include the game's biggest map to date. Read more
Invincible Vs Review
The sentence: "An Amazon television show video game tie-in" is about as big a red flag as a two star hygiene rating on a kebab van. You would not be at fault for looking at Invincible Vs with narrowed eyes. However, would you believe it, Invincible Vs is an exceptionally enjoyable game. Not only does it do wonders as an adaption, it might just be one of the best fighting games released in recent years. Read more
Alabaster Dawn is the kind of 2.5D action-RPG spectacle that makes you question the need for "true" 3D
One of the grievous burdens the Heroic Videogames Journalist must shoulder is seeing a couple dozen Cool New Games each week, and only having the time to write about two or three. Sometimes, however, the Heroic Videogames Journalist takes a Valiant Stand against Inconstant Fashion, and decides to write about a videogame that came out in the Dark Ages of Last Week. On which note: have you played action-RPG Alabaster Dawn? It launched in early access on 7th May and still has a demo. Based on 30 minutes or so, it's very good. Read more
What we've been playing - "Asking what the point of playing it is would be like asking why you should bother seasoning a meal"
Hello and welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little about the games we've been playing. This week, Victoria almost sleeps through a foundational child-powered gaming moment; Bertie sounds a bit like a grumpy old man; Chris has a few more thoughts about Mixtape; and Connor plays a game that isn't RuneScape would you believe it. Read more
Lenovo’s most powerful RTX 5090 gaming PC just dropped to a record-low price
Lenovo's highest-spec variant of its Legion Tower 7i Gen 10, gaming PC packs in some real top-tier components to the point it reads more like a veritable wishlist for most folks - an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processsor and an RTX 5090, plus 64GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2TB SSD, which probably make up more of the cost of this machine than you might expect in the current climate. Usually, this powerful PC carries a hefty $6899.99 retail price, although with coupon code GAMEON10, it knocks over $2000 off the list price, making it $4657.49 from Lenovo directly. It is still a hefty cost in any case, but if you want to configure a PC yourself using similar components, than you're looking at nearly $6000 - the 5090 and the RAM make up around two-thirds of the price of the configured spec here, and cost nearly as much as the entire pre-built PC. In the UK, this PC is still nearly £5000, and not on any form of discount, unfortunately. The important thing to note also is that you shouldn't click the 5% off clickable coupon on the product page, as it removes the auto-applied coupon we want, meaning you'd end up paying more for the same prebuilt. Read more
"We are not trying to dismiss handmade work or disrespect creators" - studio behind popular party game Party Animals backtracks after AI video contest outcry
Recreate Games has apologised after an AI-focused video contest for its popular casual brawler Party Animals drew significant community criticism, insisting it was "not trying to dismiss handmade work or disrespect creators". Read more
Forza Horizon 6 review - the king is dead, long live the drift king
I blast out of Tokyo, off into the countryside. At first, the roads run alongside waterlogged rice paddies, through flat and open country. Soon, though, I hit the coastal highway which winds its way over deep blue sea and past fishing villages. Carving north, I navigate snaking passes straight out of Initial D and slide upwards through their narrow switchbacks. Then, as I climb, everything opens up again. Wide alpine roads sweep past green hills offering a spectacular view of Tokyo far to the south, the snow-capped peaks to the north, and Mount Fuji sitting stoically to the west. For a moment, it reminds me of the fabled alpine spaghetti you can find if you tour central Europe’s most breathtaking regions. Continuing my ascent, I soon hit snowy ski trails, steep stretches encased in permafrost and banked by looming snowdrifts. Read more
Subnautica 2's early access roadmap is here
Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds has outlined what to expect in the early to mid-term of its early access release. Read more
Lovecraft gets the Indiana Jones treatment in Call of the Elder Gods, but is something missing in this Call of the Sea sequel?
For all its rip-roaring Indiana Jones adventure, its ancient civilisations, and pulpy supernatural peril, Call of the Elder Gods' true heart is perhaps its tatty leather-bound journal. That won't be a surprise to anyone that's played Call of the Sea, its well-received predecessor, but it's gratifying to see that - for all this follow-up's bigger, bolder ambitions - the original's first-person narrative adventure charms and smart, deductive spirit remains. Read more
"A great score is not heard" - From Indiana Jones to Star Wars, musical legend Gordy Haab on becoming a caretaker of some of video games' most prolific franchises
American composer Gordy Haab is a force to be reckoned with, pun absolutely intended. His catalogue of video game work includes composing scores for the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Star Wars Squadrons and, most recently, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. He is arguably our generation's John Williams, perfectly encapsulating everything we have heard and loved from those iconic scores gone before, but with that extra dash of Haab seasoning. Read more
"It's a UGC platform, there is always going to be dog s***" Garry's Mod creator says as S&box's latest update aims to punish AI-generated thumbnails
S&box, Facepunch Studios' open source game development platform/spiritual successor to Garry's Mod continues to fight a battle against AI-generated games early doors. After Facepunch founder Garry Newman was quick to confirm the studio would be "taking action to promote human creativity and push obviously AI-created slop off the main page" following S&box's launch to mixed reviews, the game's latest update has taken aim at punishing creations with AI-generated thumbnails. Read more
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II releases next week, strategically spicing up Warhammer Skulls' barrage of battletool bignumber news
In good news for fans of little painted fellas who stand about menacingly, Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II finally has a proper release date. It's out on May 21st, arriving alongside the annual Warhammer Skulls showcase that typically offers a range of updates on games you have to decide whether to write out the number 40,000 in full when covering. Read more
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies review
One of the first things I learn about myself in Zero Parades is that I'm a fuck-up – an omnishambling bad omen with cropped hair and unfair cheekbones. Before I was put on ice, I was supposedly one hell of a spy. But that was then, and this is now. The veteran spy fallen from grace is not a new story, but in careful hands, it is almost always a great one. There are so many tiny little things that go right and wrong for an agent in the field: an indifferent tsunami of luck and skill and wildcard entropy that keeps going until the last plastic domino lands on the worst outcome. This is how I end my story as Cascade, an operant who looked her mistakes square in the eye, and believed that maybe, just maybe, the dice and the stars would align for her. They didn't. Read more
"We will probably get some flack": Subnautica 2 may feel polished for an early access game, but it was important for the team it launched unfinished
It's been more than a decade since the original Subnautica dove into early access. The deep sea survival game spent four years there as developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment added new features, biomes, and polished the whole thing up with the game's players. It may be difficult to remember just how incomplete it was in 2014. As Subnautica 2 releases into early access today, its developers are very aware that players may be expecting a game much closer to completion than they'll get their diver's gloves on. Read more
As the Stop Killing Games initiative advances, blocky racing game Lego 2K Drive is being delisted tomorrow
The Stop Killing Games initiative, which is fighting against the full termination of games, recently made it to the European Parliament and has pushed publishers like Ubisoft to make their games accessible when the servers are shut off - The Crew 2 is the most recent win. Now, 2K games is delisting casual racing game Lego 2K Drive this week, but it'll remain playable online for another year and work offline once support ends. Read more
Bungie set a date for Marathon season 2 and ramp up the challenge for the end of the current one
In the blink of an eye, Marathon season 2 is almost upon us. Bungie have shared more concrete words of what to expect in the upcoming season, titled Nightfall, mostly related to how the big reset will work, but also how this season will be wrapping up too. Read more
"Predatory as hell" Subnautica 2 EULA sets $50 max damage payout limit, bans VPN use, and has fans very concerned
Subnautica 2's EULA - that’s end-user license agreement - has been picked apart by curious fans, who have discovered a handful of eyebrow-raising clauses such as a ban on VPN use as well as a maximum payout of $50 in the case of a user suffering damages. Read more
No, Mixtape will not be delisted "due to music licenses expiring"
Mixtape publisher Annapurna Interactive has laid out in no uncertain terms that no, Mixtape will not be delisted "due to music licenses expiring". Read more