Wreckfest gets a free update today that’s fueled by nostalgia for the car combat games of old. In this case, Carmageddon is making a grand comeback in the form of a new tournament themed after the cult favorite series.

It’s a fitting marriage. Both franchises are all about smashing opponents to bits in violent high-speed races (although one has significantly more cows involved). The month-long Carmageddon Tournament kicks off today and features two big events alongside a pair of new tracks. 

Carnage Accumulator takes place in Carmageddon’s Bleak City map. This free-roaming mode challenges racers to mow down zombies and destroy AI racers to rack up the highest score possible with a three-minute time limit. 

Death Race is a weekly event set in either Bleak City or Devil's Canyon, another classic Carmageddon track. The objective is simple: race through various checkpoints using Carmageddon: Max Damage’s Eagle R vehicle and cause as much wanton destruction as possible along the way. Players also receive the Eagle R as a free reward just for playing.

Can you believe we're over halfway through 2021? If like me, you have a huge backlog of this year's games to catch up on, there are some great Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox titles dropping down in price right now.

To help you find the cheapest offers, we've rounded up a selection of some of the best games you can grab for £30 or less. If you can't find the game you're after in our roundup, we've also noted where you can shop the latest sales - that way you can check if it's also been reduced.

Currys has added quite a few games to its clearance page with some fairly decent price cuts:

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Xbox is no stranger to offering a wide variety of controller options with unique colors and designs. That being said, the newly revealed Aqua Shift Special Edition Xbox wireless controller may just be the most beautiful peripheral revealed for this gen to date.

It's shimmery, it's a calming blue, and it's coming out soon with the newest Xbox wireless controller being added to the lineup. In addition to the Design Lab's return that allows Xbox fans to create their own unique designs, this special edition Aqua Shift design is a cool blue with notes of icier tones and smooth purples. With a similarly colored palette of triggers, joysticks, and buttons, the entire design of the latest controller may just be lovely enough to curb some of that rage quit buildup. Maybe. 

According to the official Xbox blog post revealing the newest controller, "Aqua shift features a surreal, color-shifting blue shimmer that you need to see to believe. Playing with the way the prismatic color moves across our controller, you’ll feel like Aqua Shift comes to life in your hands. Inspired by the fantasy that gaming brings into our lives, we know this mystical beauty will add that magic your controller collection needs."

Medabots S will have new robots designed after MegaMan.EXE, Roll.EXE, and Bass.EXE.

The post Medabots S Mega Man Battle Network Collaboration Will Appear Soon appeared first on Siliconera.

Tencent stock fell as much as 11 percent today after a Chinese economic paper blasted gaming, referring to it as “spiritual opium” and “electronic drugs.”

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After just four months, Grand Theft Auto V is getting delisted from Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s games-on-demand service. But its big shoes are getting filled by some heavy hitters, including the one-and-only Hades. Here’s everything coming to Xbox Game Pass in the coming weeks.

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PlayStation 4 Rainbow Six Siege players in Japan have said the game is being ruined by what have been dubbed AFK "bouncers".

Players of Ubisoft's competitive multiplayer shooter have complained they are constantly joining matches where other players are exploiting the way the game works in Japan to farm for in-game currency.

This in-game currency, known as Renown, is earned primarily by completing matches. You can also earn some extra Renown from daily challenges and from Ubisoft Connect, which is Ubisoft's cross-platform social and loyalty hub. Players use Renown to unlock operators, weapon attachments and customisation items.

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About two weeks after launch, Pokémon Unite is getting its first real patch on August 4. Before you ask, yes, the character select menu will still have a heart attack every time you sort through your monsters. There’s nothing in the patch notes addressing the fact that the most unstable part of the game is looking…

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With the recent Halo Infinite Flight test, the next step of Master Chief's journey is on a lot of our minds. To celebrate all of the Halo Infinite talk, the navigation app called Waze is offering a special Halo-themed update for its service. Yes, that means you can get directions from Master Chief himself. 

The Halo-themed update for Waze includes both Master Chief and the Banished War Chief Escharum as voice options. This is only for a limited time so if you're looking to take that Halo love to a new level, you're going to want to do so fast. 

In addition to Chief and Escharum's voice commands, the ability to change your car's icon to a Spartan super-solider or alien war chief is also available, as well as different profile "moods" to either mainstay character. According to the official blog post revealing the new promotional package, "Join the UNSC and the legendary Master Chief to help humanity tackle every obstacle thrown at them — whether it’s an interstellar alliance or rush hour traffic. Spartan-117 has dismantled the Covenant, turned the tide against the Flood, and battled the Banished — with that kind of experience in your corner, the mission of successfully making that dinner date will be no problem. Of course, having an all-terrain terror like the Warthog doesn’t hurt either."

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin takes the top spot as the most downloaded game for the Nintendo Switch in July 2021.

The post Monster Hunter Stories 2 Is the Most Downloaded Switch Game in July appeared first on Siliconera.

Today, J.Allen Brack stepped down from his role as president of Blizzard Entertainment and is leaving the Overwatch and World Of Warcraft developers "to pursue new opportunities". While the company don't make any explicit mention of it in the announcement, this move comes just two weeks after it was made public that Activision Blizzard were being sued for allegedly harbouring a company culture that creates "a breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women".

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It's a new month, which means new games are joining the ever-growing Xbox Game Pass library. This month's additions for those that have Xbox Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate includes two different Skate titles, the beloved Hades, and more. 

 Before diving into which new games are coming to the Microsoft subscription service, here is a brief overview of what Game Pass even is. The Xbox Game Pass library continues to change with new titles being added. From day one launches of hit games to indie treasures that deserve their stage time just as any other game, the Game Pass membership allows Xbox fans a chance to have instant access to an eclectic library without having to shell out $60 for each experience.

Now, let's get into which games are on the way: 

Blizzard president J. Allen Brack has exited the embattled developer, Activision Blizzard has announced.

J. Allen Brack is "leaving the company to pursue new opportunities", Activision Blizzard said.

Activision Blizzard has made Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra "co-leaders" of Blizzard.

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Who says water goddesses have to be kind and motherly?

The post Anahita Will Freeze Your Enemies in SMT V appeared first on Siliconera.

Activision Blizzard has today announced that effective immediately, J. Allen Brack is stepping down from his role as president of the company to “pursue new opportunities.” In his place, Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra have been appointed co-leaders.

Brack has been Blizzard’s President for three years, though he has been with the company since 2005. He was previously its production director before becoming the executive producer and VP for World of Warcraft in 2014.

A press release today highlights his replacements are “both are leaders of great character and integrity.”

Oneal is an 18-year company veteran and the former head of Vicarious Visions studio. As Executive Vice President of Development at Blizzard, she has provided senior development leadership and support to the Diablo and Overwatch franchises.

Ybarra, meanwhile, has been in the technology and gaming industries for over 20 years, including 7 years as a senior executive at Microsoft’s XBOX division. Most recently Mike was Executive Vice President & General Manager of Platform and Technology at Blizzard overseeing Battle.net and Blizzard’s development services organizations.

Late July saw the details concerning a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard by the state of California go public, sparking a global outcry from the gaming community. Allegations include instances of gender discrimination, workplace abuse, sexual harassment, and a culture that contributed to one employee ending her life. As both the industry and the gaming community call for change, the company has announced that Blizzard president J. Allen Brack is leaving the company, and Game Informer was told by a source close to Activision Blizzard that this is one of several moves in place, adding that this ousting "feels rushed" and "thoughtless." 

[UPDATE]: 4:58 p.m. Central 8/3/2021 - Game Informer has also confirmed that Jesse Meschuk, Activision Blizzard's head of global human resources (HR)  has also departed the company after being referenced in conjunction with the ongoing labor lawsuit. 

The announcement of the leadership shakeup comes via Blizzard itself. In a public statement, it was said that Brack is stepping down, effective immediately, with Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra taking over as co-leaders moving forward. Oneal joined the company back in January as executive vice president of development, providing leadership to both the Overwatch and the Diablo franchises. Ybarra comes from a background in leadership at Xbox, having joined Blizzard back in 2019. 

The film features actors who worked on Gundam, Seraph of the End, The World Ends With You and more.

The post Netflix Confirms Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild Japanese Cast appeared first on Siliconera.

Within five minutes of starting Death’s Door I knew I was going to love it. The combat was basic but weighty. The visual presentation was sparse but bespoke. Its music, sometimes pastoral and serene, sometimes grim and despairing, made no secret that something special was going on, and my love for the indie action-RPG…

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Update: Blizzard Entertainment president J. Allen Brack is leaving the company to "pursue new opportunities." His departure was closely followed by that of Sr. People Officer Jesse Meschuk. ...

I’ve been mentally categorising some games as “for my Steam Deck” recently, and I think skateboarding game The Ramp will be one of them. It’s been developed as more of a toybox than a game, with the developer Paul Schnepf focusing on the flow of the sport rather than earning points and upgrading your character. He’s very keen you should know that, so for today’s launch he's put together a trailer that explains it all in 90 seconds. It looks pretty Deck worthy to me.

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Participation in the event will reward players with a unique Skyward Sword theme.

The post The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Theme Available in Tetris 99 for Limited Time appeared first on Siliconera.

J. Allen Brack, the President of Warcraft and Overwatch studio Blizzard Entertainment, is leaving his position less than two weeks after an investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing made public explosive allegations of harassment and discrimination within the company.

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Leafing back through my life, I realise I've never held a hedgehog before. I've locked eyes with one, though, as it scurried across the garden. For a couple of seconds, we were just bros being bros, then it moved on to eat worms or kick dirt or whatever hedgehogs actually do. I hope wherever that hog is now, it's doing well.

Whenever I've watched a Springwatch presenter hoist on into their arms, I always imagined a hedgehog weighs as much as maybe two sun-dried tomato, feta, and salad pasta pots. So fairly light, then. But having played Sonic Colours: Ultimate for preview, my theory has been trashed. Sonic's a weighty hog, which is something I hadn't expected.

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Want to learn how to master Seer and his abilities in Apex Legends? Seer is Season 10's addition to the Apex Legends roster, and his abilities are absolutely fascinating - not to mention extraordinarily powerful. He is a true recon character in that he can reveal enemies nearby to help pin them down, but his manner of doing so is completely unique.

Learn all about Seer's abilities below, along with his backstory and some useful tips and tricks to get the most out of this top-tier Legend.

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Additionally, the game will feature a color customization system.

The post Melty Blood Type Lumina Kohaku and Hisui Will be Able to Fight as a Pair appeared first on Siliconera.

Yesterday, Take-Two Interactive published their quarterly earnings report, which is chock-full of info only a shareholder would care about. However, these reports often have little titbits that fans might find interesting, and this time around the company have revealed that Borderlands publishers 2K Games will be revealing a new game this month that will launch sometime between now and April 2022.

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Second Life developer Linden Lab will no longer allow content creators to utilize 'gacha' mechanics to sell items. ...

Charizard and Talonflame are getting some pretty hefty buffs, while Gengar is getting a nerf to its Hex ability.

The post Pokemon Unite Update Will Nerf Gengar, Buff Charizard, and Fix Bugs appeared first on Siliconera.

Tencent will further restrict how young children engage with its games after Chinese state media described online gaming as 'spiritual opium.' ...

These new Swacchao! Nendoroids can also be placed on the edge of desks and include a tiny chair for the figures to sit on.

The post New My Hero Academia Nendoroid Swacchao figures include Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki appeared first on Siliconera.

Who knows how long we'll be waiting for the release of The Elder Scrolls 6, so here's yet another fantasy RPG to add to your waiting list, as a studio led by former Elder Scrolls devs has unveiled its upcoming game.

The Wayward Realms is an open-world RPG being made by a team that includes Ted Peterson, Julian LeFay and Vijay Lakshman (who all worked on the Elder Scrolls series). Developer Once Lost Games describes it as a "new class of game" called "the Grand RPG," promising in-depth class and combat systems, complex faction dynamics, and "choice and consequence... experienced on a scale never attempted before".

"The Wayward Realms is set on a group of over one hundred islands, ranging from small to massive, known collectively as the Archipelago, where scores of factions vie for influence and power," says the official game description. "Dynasties strive to maintain the status quo, upstarts seek to earn their place at the top, and intriguing power-houses set generational plots into motion.

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As part of its 50th birthday celebration, McDonald's Australia designed a custom PlayStation 5 DualSense controller internally, which was scrapped during the planning phase.

But in a statement to IGN, McDonald's Australia stated that "the image was provided to media in error and there is no commercial relationship between McDonald's Australia and Sony PlayStation."

The controllers were covered with a motif of the brand's signature Big Mac and Fries, with yellow-coloured buttons and a massive McDonald's logo centred on the touchpad, just to remind you who your fast-food overlord is.

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Apex Legends' new season Emergence kicks off later today, and Respawn Entertainment have now officially revealed all the little changes, buffs and nerfs on the way. The biggest tweaks come to Fuse and Caustic to help make their kits more useful, plus it's time to say goodbye to the Spitfire LMG as it swaps places with the Prowler SMG in the game's supply drops. Finally, my favourite gun will be available on the floor again and… oh no, they've nerfed the Prowler and done away with the Select Fire hop up. Respawn, why?

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Unfortunately, you may not be able to turn yourself or others around you invisible, but you'll certainly smell nice.

The post Smell Like Tamayo or Akaza With Demon Slayer Perfume appeared first on Siliconera.

A fan-made Half-Life 2 remaster could be heading to Steam. The "Half-Life 2: Remastered Collection" was spotted by data mining site SteamDB last year, but at the time, it was flagged as “not Valve related”. However, according to another, more recent leak from Tyler McVicker, the mod and a half has now been sanctioned by Valve, and will be coming to Steam “soon”. But what is it?

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Consider eFootball's early autumn launch as "basically a demo", Konami has said.

Addressing questions about the game in a Twitter thread, Konami asked itself: "is early autumn launch basically a demo?"

"In many ways, yes," Konami said. "We want people to get hands-on with eFootball as soon as possible, so we will launch with a limited number of teams and modes. Exact details to follow."

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South Korean publisher Netmarble has fully-acquired mobile casino game developer SpinX Games for $2.19 billion. ...

The Fortnite 17.30 update has just arrived, adding a new Burst Pulse Rifle weapon, a slew of new cosmetics and LTMs, and given Human Bill a fresh new look.

The news comes via popular dataminers iFireMonkey and HYPEX over on Twitter. Most interesting of the additions that have been uncovered so far is the Burst Pulse Rifle. This, as the name suggests is a pulse rifle that’s been modified for burst firing. Aiming down sights allows you to fire off slower and more accurate shots, or you can spray from the hip.

That’s not the only new weapon to arrive in this update. The Grab-itron has also arrived, allowing players to grab items and send them flying in another direction. The short trailer for the weapon below best highlights how the weapon can be used.

Tribes of Midgard is probably one of the best co-op multiplayer games we’ve seen in 2021 so far. Players can either play solo, or get in groups of 10 to explore a gorgeous world while scavenging for resources and protecting their village from incoming Helthing invasions. The game’s seen quite a bit of success since its launch last week, as it’s now surpassed 250,000 players.

According to Norsfell, more than 250,000 players have jumped into the game in an attempt to hold off the Jotunns, and more than 40,000 Giants have already been slain since its launch. That’s a pretty impressive number, especially when you consider how threatening the Giants can seem during a first playthrough.

The PlayStation Now subscription service might have had a rocky launch, but it’s gotten steadily better as Sony’s improved its offerings over the course of the past couple years. Announced via the PlayStation Blog today, the PS Now lineup is about to get even better with three new games getting added on Aug. 3.

The three games getting added this week are NieR: Automata, Undertale, and Ghostrunner. Ghostrunner is a very frenetic, fast-paced action game where you must make your way up a tower while slicing through foes with a stylish-looking katana. You can take down enemies pretty easily, but you’re also fairly fragile yourself.

NieR: Automata was released back in 2017 to critical acclaim, and is widely regarded as one of the very best games released that year. It follows the story of an android named 2B, whose job is to rid the Earth of machine lifeforms so that humans can return to Earth from the moon. There are, of course, twists and turns in the narrative, supplemented by a fun combat system from Platinum Games.

And finally, Undertale needs no introduction at this point. It’s developed a very hardcore fan following since its release a few years back, and is constantly praised for its sense of humor, excellent soundtrack, and incredibly heartwarming story and unique narrative techniques.

All three games will be made available via PS Now on Aug. 3.