You probably already know that humans like Stray, informally known as “the cat game,” very much. The more pressing matter is this: How do cats feel about it? Though it’s only been out for a matter of hours, purrliminary evidence so far suggests they’re quite taken with it.
Some games hide mystery in their titles, practically begging for every narrative thread to be pulled on to discover the secrets behind those words. PowerWash Simulator is not like this. Its direct name reveals that it is exactly what you think it is: the chance to live out your fantasy(?) as a water gun for hire, moving from job to job until all the dirt is blasted into oblivion. There's not a great deal of variety in such a career, and monotony can sink in, but a fundamentally simple yet satisfying style of gameplay provides a great way to chill out across numerous generously sized levels. Yes, it is just simulating the usually mundane act of hosing down your patio once a year, but PowerWash Simulator elevates itself above what could so easily become tedium by subtly gamifying the chore and shoving the most annoying parts under the rug. Anyway, let's try not to get too philosophical about it: Here's my review, in which I analyse a game about washing a 30-foot high shoe.
Today, the creators of The Dragon Prince revealed that fans will be able to get a special first look at Season 4 if they are one of the lucky few that can get into the panel that is happening during San Diego Comic-Con. The news was announced a bit earlier today on Twitter, as the official account encouraged fans to spread the word about the upcoming event.
Join us this Thursday at #SDCC for an exclusive FIRST LOOK at footage from Season 4 of #TheDragonPrince!
https://t.co/Nnb17bXSfn
July 21 @ 4:45pm PT
Room 6BCF
We'll have over 2000 seats available for fans and press. RT to spread the word, and we hope to see you there! pic.twitter.com/OOGoJuRkti
Bandai Namco released another character trailer of its upcoming fighting game JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R.
This time around, we get to observe Esisisi, taking a look at how the antagonist from the second arc Battle Tendency can heat up his own blood to devastate his enemies.
You can watch the trailer below.
Arkane Studios’ back catalogue shows a team that's constantly growing, changing and learning from their past – something that has never been clearer than in their most recent game, Deathloop. The studio’s latest feels at once unique and distinct – and yet clearly carries that Arkane DNA, which has been fine-tuned with each successive release. It's an ethos encapsulated by the game’s own time loop, in which protagonist Colt Vahn relives the same day again and again as he searches for a way to break free of it - an idea that was, among other things, designed to encourage something hardcore Arkane fans had been doing already – replaying the game over and over again.
While Dishonored had gently suggested repeat playthroughs with its kill/non-lethal runs, plenty of players still called it a day at the end of their first playthrough. Deathloop needed a more direct approach, its developers tell us.
Wondering why you can’t access PlayStation Plus? In this guide, we’ll explain whether or not PlayStation Network is down and how to check if PlayStation Network is working.
At the time of writing of July 19th, 2022 PlayStation Network is currently down with many gamers currently unable to access PlayStation Plus. Although there’s speculation on Twitter that downloads of Stray have been a contributing factor.
Neither PlayStation or Sony have offered an explanation for what’s caused the issue but in the meantime we’ll take you through how to check if PlayStation Plus is working.
The first step you should take is to go to Settings on your console to access a tool that will let you check whether PSN is down. On the settings menu select ‘Network’ and click on ‘View Status of PlayStation Network Services’
Selecting this option will open the web browser and load up the PlayStation website with a full breakdown of PSN services. This service will provide information on whether the service is up and running with a full breakdown of any issues encountered. It will also provide information on how Sony is responding to potential issues.
The next step is to check your own internet connection for any potential issues which you can do via the ‘Test connection’ option. Failing that you should visit either PlayStation or Sony’s Twitter accounts to make sure that they’re aware of ongoing issues.
Today both the Japanese and western arms of Capcom released new gameplay of the upcoming dinosaur shooter Exoprimal.
We get to see a PvP mission both in English and in Japanese. They’re slightly different, so we included both below.
The third video, also from the Japanese arm of Capcom, shows more gameplay from the closed beta build. The closed beta still has two sessions to go on July 25 and August 7.
You can check the video out below.
Legendary game maker John Romero - best known for his work on developer id Software's seminal run of 90s shooters including Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake - has announced he's working on a new FPS in collaboration with an as-yet unnamed "major publisher".
Romero shared the news in a statement posted to Twitter, revealing the project is being handled by Romero Games - which most recently worked on mafia strategy title Empire of Sin for publisher Paradox Interactive - and that it would be built around an "original, new" IP.
Beyond that, details are thin - the official FAQ says "it's way too early to share any other information" - with the remainder of the announcement only noting Romero Games is currently hiring across a range of positions for its new FPS, and that it's particularly keen to hear from those with experience using Unreal Engine 5.
Want to know how to scratch the vinyl in the club of Stray? We’ve got you covered in this guide about what you must do to receive the game’s Scratch Trophy. So, here’s everything you need to know about this adorable achievement.
At the end of Chapter 10 of Stray, you’ll be able to go into the NightClub of Midtown, which is the crucial area for the Scratch Trophy. To ensure that you earn this achievement, here’s a step-by-step guide on what you’ll need to do:
The only way to get in is through the building window, where you must speak with a robot named “Alex” to be allowed inside.
After Alex lets you in, go inside to explore the club, and you’ll see tables with drinks and robots near them. The record can be found on top of one of them near the left corner of the club, where you must pick it up and carry the item with you.
Today Level Infinite and Hotta Studio revealed another trailer of the upcoming online RPG Tower of Fantasy.
This time around the trailer focuses on introducing several characters that will appear in the game.
Below you can find a description for each.
Blizzard Albany, previously known as Vicarious Visions, is the latest Activision studio to launch a unionization effort. Roughly 20 quality assurance staff at the office which remastered Diablo II last year have called on the publisher to voluntarily recognize the union, calling it “a seat at the table for negotiating…
Warner Bros MultiVersus looks set to be the next big platform fighter to hit consoles and PC later this year. Players can now hop in and check out the MultiVersus open beta, giving them full access to the whole game. In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about signing up for the MultiVersus open beta so you can see how Tom and Jerry fare against Scooby Doo’s Shaggy, Batman or Bugs Bunny.
There are currently two ways you can get access to the Multiversus beta. These are by getting a Twitch drop, or by purchasing one of the Founder’s Packs. We’ve outlined the process of doing each of these methods below:
The easiest way is to just purchase a Founder’s Pack, but this does require you to spend your hard-earned cash on what is essentially a free-to-play games.
Lego has officially announced an Atari 2600 set in celebration of Atari's 50th anniversary. More details of the set have been released, following from rumours first reported on in April.
The main component of the set is the life-size replica model of the console, but that's not all.
The 2532-piece kit will also include a joystick, three game cartridges, and a small diorama display for each of the games included.
Today Screen Australia along with the minister of the arts, Hon Tony Burke MP announced that the Games: Expansion Pack fund will donate AU $4 million ($2.7 million) to indie games creators.
The government funding organization announced the program back in March and said that it will commit up to AU $6 million ($4.1 million) across two years to support games developers.
"The Australian Government is committed to supporting the Australian digital games sector - to create, innovate and flourish and achieve its full potential," Burke said.
If you’re wanting to beautify some wool, you’ll need to use dye. Not all dye is easy to find, some truly require a hunt. However, we know of exactly how to get one that should make that easier. Here’s how to get Green Dye in Minecraft.
As far as the various dyes in Minecraft, this one isn’t so bad.
How to Get Green Dye in Minecraft
How many you break is up to you, but the process of getting green dye is 1:1 so if its a big project, you’ll want plenty of cactus blocks.
File this one under funny or sad. Or both. Anthem, BioWare’s doomed loot shooter from 2019 can now be purchased used for very cheap. Like one penny cheap if you’re in the right place. Or, if you’re like TikTok user ClockLava, you might just get it for free from a generous GameStop employee who spots you that single…
If you’re looking to get the purrrfect Platinum trophy in Stray, you’ll need to browse through all TV channels in order to get the ‘Tele a Chat’ trophy. The problem is, that there could be hundreds of TVs in this cyber city, so you’ll need to know exactly which one to track down and interact with.
This is a really easy trophy to get if you know where to find the TV in question. For this one, you need to head to the rooftop by Doc’s library. If you don’t know where this is, it’s to the east of Momo’s flat if you’re standing on his balcony looking out.
When you reach here, you should spot the television set and a sofa on a nearby rooftop. All you need to do now is climb up onto the sofa and you should be able to interact with the remote to change the channel. Do this four or five times and you’ll successfully browse through all TV channels.
We learned in April that the Switch-exclusive No More Heroes 3 was expanding its horizons to other platforms, but now we know Travis Touchdown’s latest adventure makes the move in October.
A flashy new trailer reveals that on October 11, No More Heroes 3 migrates to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. These versions take advantage of their more powerful homes by boasting sharper HD visuals, improved framerates, and faster loading.
No More Heroes 3 first arrived on Switch in August 2021. Former GI editor John Carson scored the game a 7.75 out of 10, writing in his review:
“My time with No More Heroes 3 jumped between the short highs from entertaining bosses and cutscenes to long, ugly stretches in the world. Much of the design is dated, and I wanted to drop it after a few bosses to avoid the mundanity, but I’m happy I saw it to completion. There are many fun moments, and I love how unafraid it is to be strange or referential. Those who are already invested in the tale of Travis Touchdown should be right at home in this new No More Heroes. Still, I’d insist newcomers try out previous entries before diving into this Garden of Insanity.”
During your time in the Midtown region of Stray, you’ll need to reach Clementine’s address in order to meet Clementine, the last Outsider you’ll need to track down. As is the case with most things in this feline-based adventure, though, things aren’t just spelled out for you. You’ll need to use some clues in order to find your way there, and it all starts with the photograph given to you by Zbaltazar.
Clementine’s address is written on the back of the photograph you have in your possession from the very start of the game.
In a vaguely Yakuza sort of way, we've been treated to our first glimpse of what's likely to be Yakuza 8. First spotted by Japanese video game magazine Famitsu, MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura and his team posted a video of them touring Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's offices before he gets his face scanned by a wall of cameras. But before the face-scanning, they record snippets of the Yakuza: Like A Dragon lads having a heated discussion in a small apartment. Ichiban has a ponytail! Apparently, there's a new town? And I got my mum to translate some bits. Sorry mum.
PowerWash Simulator recently left Early Access on Steam and came to Xbox via Game Pass. Looking at the recent numbers and charts, it seems more people than ever before are entering the satisfying world of digital power-washing. But while it might be fun and oh-so-satisfying to clean dirt using high-powered water…
We already knew No More Heroes 3 was heading to PC this year, but now we finally know when: October 11th, according to new trailer from publisher XSEED. So pop it in your calendars, folks, and have watch of Travis Touchdown's latest zany adventure below.
Early in Stray you will find yourself unable to progress until you figure out a code for an apartment door. Thankfully, you won’t have to wander too far to find it. Here’s what the digicode is to leave the apartment in Stray.
After you’ve entered the city proper at the start of the game you’ll be in the apartment where you meet B12 for the first time. After a short puzzle to get B12 up and running, you then get to make your own way out. However, the only exit is locked by a door keypad.
What you’ll want to do is enter the dark room from the same hallway with the locked door. You’ll want to turn on your flashlight (2 on keyboard, Up D-Pad for PlayStation) to navigate the dark room.
Above some shelves, you will see an arrow pointing to the word “CODE.” You’ll want to jump up on the shelves and swipe the items off covering the code. As you can see below, the code is 3748. It’s not randomized so this code should work for everyone.
Today, video game developer John Romero revealed that he’s working on a new FPS title and that his studio, Romero Games, is looking for “talented people for all positions and at all experience levels, particularly those with Unreal Engine 5 experience. It’s also important to note that the tweet states that the team is working with a “Major publisher,” though they don’t state which one.
Romero is well-known in the video game industry, especially when it comes to the first-person shooter genre. He’s best known for co-founding and designing many of the games for id Software, including Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Doom II, and Quake, and is also credited with coining the FPS term deathmatch.
In a blog post on the official BioWare website, Star Wars: The Old Republic's creative director, Charles Boyd, announced his departure. Despite the sad news, the studio announced its commitment to the space opera franchise commending other leaders on the design team, from narrative director Ashley Ruhl to lead producer Eric Musco, and stating that the remaining developers will "carry forward our vision for the game."
The blog post ended with a few heartfelt words from Boyd:
Announced during a 2021 Nintendo Direct, Star Wars free-to-play multiplayer game called Star Wars: Hunters for Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android devices has been delayed to 2023, Zynga have announced.
This isn’t the first time that Hunters has been delayed, initially due to release in 2021, Zynga pushed it into 2022. The game has been soft launched in some territories around the world, so some players have at least been able to play it, and we’ve also seen a glimpse of the gameplay in the ‘Enter the Arena’ trailer found below.
Explaining its decision to delay Hunters a second time, Zynga shared the following message on Twitter:
“We are working tirelessly to achieve our vision for Star Wars: Hunters. Our ambition is to create a competitive battle arena game that will entertain for years to come. To ensure we meet the high expectations we are setting for fans globally and ourselves as developers, we have made the decision to delay the worldwide launch of Star Wars: Hunters.
We invite all players to join us on Vespaara when Star Wars: Hunters launches in 2023 on Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android devices.
We understand game delays are frustrating, however, our top priority is ensuring players will have the best possible experience in the Arena.”
Love Doom? Like Quake? Tolerate Daikatana? Well then, you’ll be chuffed to hear that Romero Games is hiring for a new first-person shooter project that has the involvement of legendary FPS maestro John Romero. The company says they’re now “100% focused” on the genre, and they’re making a game with a major publisher using Unreal Engine 5. That’ll make the shotgun blasts look extra kerblammerific.
Once you reach the Slums in Stray, you’ll likely stumble upon a musician called Morusque who has a safe just beyond him. If you’re wondering what the mysterious safe password is in Stray, we’ve got everything you need to know right here.
As you might have guessed, you’ll have to do some more exploring in order to actually find the password itself. B-12 will tell you that you can decipher a code on a piece of paper, which if you take to Elliot, will reveal where you can uncover the password.
Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed Odyssey feature stunning open worlds based on Egyptian and Greek history, with a fanatical attention to detail - and now it's possible to experience those worlds on console at 60fps, double the frame-rate of the initial releases. Harnessing the power of the new machines for smoother gameplay definitely sounds appealing, but with the massive scale and complexity of these titles, is a stable 60fps really achievable?
Going back to test these 2017/2018 releases, Origins and Odyssey still visually impress. Lighting is beautifully saturated, with strong volumetrics and great global illumination, while while cutscenes feature a solid depth of field that cascades into beautiful bokeh shapes, all aided by a stable temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) that gives the titles a clean, filmic quality. Even against contemporary open-world titles, there's little to complain about - perhaps some spotty texture work in places, but that's a minor blemish on an otherwise spotless work by the developers at Ubisoft.
The move from 30 to 60fps is the headline feature here, and it is delivered with surprising reliability. In most circumstances, Series S, X and PS5 all hug that 60fps line perfectly, without any dips or deviations. There are some exceptions though, and curiously most of them apply to all current-gen machines, from the powerful PS5 and Series X to the more constrained Series S.
Prospective cultists will enjoy the latest trailer released by Devolver Digital today for the upcoming indie Cult of the Lamb. The trailer introduces several of the woodland friends you will meet early in your journey of the game.
The first helpful friend introduced in the trailer is Ratau, who was once a vessel for the red crown. He serves as a guide and mentor. Next is Clauneck, keeper of the tarot cards that guide you. You can meet with him to choose between two tarot cards to aid you in your quest.
Another character introduced in the trailer is Kudaai, a friend who supplies you with weapons and curses you can use to fight. Next up is Helob, a spider who traps unsuspecting animals to sell to the highest bidder; you can recruit them to your cult if you wish.
Finally, we are introduced to the Fisherman who shows you the way to Pilgrim’s Passage. He asks you to fish the beasts of the deep and will reward you greatly. The trailer emphasizes that he is definitely a man, and definitely not a fish.
These are just some of the many characters you will encounter throughout Cult of the Lamb. If you aren’t familiar with the game, the concept involves starting your very own cult of adorable animals in a world where false prophets try to stop you. It’s up to you to build your loyal group of worshippers and spread the word of your cult.
Cult of the Lamb releases on August 11 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. You can watch the new character trailer below.
Today Sega and Creative Assembly announced a slew of content coming to Total War: Warhammer 3 at the same time as Immortal Empires’ beta in August.
First of all, the first paid DLC Champions of Chaos Lords Pack will include four legendary lords, each aligned with one of the Chaos Gods.
The first to be revealed is s Azazel, Prince of Damnation, aligned with Slaanesh.
The package includes the following
CAMPAIGN
BATTLE
They will have their own campaign mechanics centered around the ancient city of Zanbaijin, allowing players to fight for chaos gifts, occupy dark fortresses, and vassallize Norscan tribes.
We’re also getting tons of new units which you can find listed at the bottom of the post.
The DLC will release on August 23 at the same time as the Immortal Empires beta.
On top of this, the Blood For The Blood God III DLC will also come, bringing its blood and gore to the battlefield. It’ll actually be free if you own one of the previous DLC of the same kinds for Total War: Warhammer or its sequel.
As usual, a free DLC will accompany the paid one for everyone, and it’s “Marked Chaos Warriors” including the following variants:
You can enjoy the trailer below.
Seeing as the new Apex Legends Gaiden event will be somewhat anime themed, a new animated trailer has dropped to get you in the mood for it. The mode is set to release at 10am PT, which is less than two hours away at time of writing.
You can watch the beautifully animated trailer below, and It’s seriously cool.
The Gaiden event will feature 40 new cosmetics with unlocking/purchasing them all granting players the Apex Commander Prestige Skin for Bangalore. The previous Prestige Skin for Bloodhound featured a series of evolving skins that players could unlock in sequence through doing damage as Bloodhound.
While the Apex Commander Bangalore skin isn’t yet available, it’s a safe bet it will operate roughly the same. All Prestige Skins are also able to be traded for Heirloom shards, for those who don’t want to drop the money on 40 cosmetics worth of Gaiden event packs.
It’s been rumored since April, but today Lego has confirmed the Lego Atari 2600, and it is beautiful. They also revealed it in the sweetest way.
Today German game developer InnoGames revealed a new salary transparency report - becoming the first gaming company in the country to do so.
The report details 80% of the firm's staffers and their earnings across job type and position.
"Salary transparency is a matter of fairness - towards your employees and your applicants," said Co-Founder and COO of InnoGames Michael Zillmer.
It’s been a hot minute since a cute animal adventure scarred me for life. Ever since the first Shelter game where my sweet baby badger got snatched up by the claws of a giant eagle, I’ve learned that these adorable animal games can be pretty ruthless. It’s the maternal connection that gets me, the pang of loss for something you were supposed to protect. It shoots right between the ribs and straight into the heart. Ow.
Endling - Extinction Is Forever is one such game. You play as a fox mother trying to keep her four cubs alive in a post-apocalyptic world, and from that premise alone it definitely feels like developers Herobeat Studios are deadset on making me cry. After playing through the game in two evenings, Endling didn’t end up being the emotional gut punch I had braced myself for, but its story of scrappy survival did have me reaching for the tissues by the closing credits. What can I say, I see an animal in distress and I’m a weepy mess.
Mario Strikers: Battle League’s first big update will add a character fans have clamored for since before launch: Daisy. Yeah, yeah, the update also introduces some other stuff, but c’mon! Daisy!! Finally!!!
No More Heroes 3 will (Travis) touchdown on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (both supported with Smart Delivery), PlayStation 5, PS4 and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Windows Store on 11th October.
The launch of the game on these devices will bring with it improved HD visuals and framerates, with faster loading times to "keep players dishing out eye-popping ultraviolence" throughout (how lovely).
To accompany this announcement, we also got a nice shiny new trailer to pour over. This is full of beam katanas, a general sense of mass destruction and Travis' cat Jeane - what's not to love?! You can check it out for yourself below.
Ghostbusters fans are adding Winston Zeddemore to the 1990 Sega Genesis game, after the fourth Ghostbuster was omitted from the original.
As reported by Ghostbusters News (and spotted by Kotaku), Zeddemore was left out as a playable character despite featuring in the first two films and The Real Ghostbusters animated series by the time the game arrived.
The project is being created by modders Danilo Dias, BillyTime!Games and Master Lunkeui, who shared a first look at the mod on Twitter (below), showcasing Zeddemore in a variety of suits and poses.
Winston in SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis Ghostbusters???THE MOST WANTED ROM HACK EVER!!!
-Winston is stronger and jumps higher
-New custom palettes:
-Ghostbusters 1 Khaki uniform
-Ghostbusters 2 Dark Blue uniform (my fav one)
Follow the author @BillytimeG
for more! https://t.co/fkfsxpNRRe pic.twitter.com/Enb6ZGdmq0
Mario Strikers: Battle League players will be treated to the game’s first free update on Thursday, July 21. A pair of new characters will step onto an arid new pitch outfitted in medieval threads.
Princess Daisy struts her stuff as a new player with the ability to withstand knockdowns. She’s joined by Shy Guy, who serves as a flexible all-rounder to fulfill any role you see fit. Knight Gear will become available, letting players outfit their team in shiny armor that improves strength and shooting. Lastly, the Desert Ruin arena has three variations and can be used in quick matches or set as your club stadium.
For more on Mario Strikers: Battle League, read our review.
Today sees the launch of As Dusk Falls, a narrative-driven game published by Xbox and developed by Interior Night -- the UK studio founded in 2017 by former Quantic Dream designer Caroline Marchal.
Marchal -- who led game design for the likes of Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls -- told GamesIndustry.biz back when the company first opened doors that her intention with Interior Night was to bring the Breaking Bad audience, fans of prestige television, into video games.
When we catch up with Marchal at this year's Develop:Brighton, it's clear that goal has not changed. She speaks of trying to reach older and lapsed gamers, core players' partners and families, and people who think games are not for them.