August 2022

The new Marvel Snap season, Heroes for Hire, went live just yesterday, and Second Dinner certainly didn’t waste time in pushing out the next round of balances and updates for the current collection of cards. There are a couple of big things to take note of: first, Jane Foster is now available for free for all players. If you created your account after the patch, you’ll have a chance of getting her in the Pool 3 Collector’s Caches and Reserves. In addition to that, if you spent any amount of Gold on the Nexus Events, you’ll be refunded completely.

Secondly, Wave is also now available in the Pool 3 collection track. She was the featured card in the game’s first season, Atlantis Beach Club, and quickly proved to be a pretty critical piece in ramp decks. If you’re in Pool 3, you’ll also have a chance of obtaining her through Caches and Reserves.

Aside from that, Second Dinner has also issued out a round of nerfs and buffs for various cards. This time around, discard and collection decks have been hit rather hard. Hell Cow is now a 4/6 card, Colleen Wing is now 2/4, and Sword Master is now 3/6. The power values of the latter two cards don’t seem quite as insanely high as they used to anymore, and it’ll also be a little more difficult to use Hell Cow now.

Nakia’s also been hit. The previous patch saw Okoye get bumped to a 2/2 card that gave +1 power to the deck, and this time, Nakia’s been nerfed to just giving two cards in your hand +2 power instead of the entire hand. Here are the changes:

BitSummit, Japan’s leading indie games event, was held over the weekend in Kyoto, and among the games showcased was one called Tokyo Stories that has really got my attention.

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Overwatch’s Loot Boxes may not have been the first in video game history, but they quickly became one of the most important. We were sick of them as early as June 2016, which was...one month after the game’s release.

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Released just last week, Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey is already making waves all over mainstream media. The Predator franchise has been languishing for years, but with Prey serving as a prequel and a reboot of sorts for the series, we may be seeing a comeback.

Notably, Hulu has confirmed via Variety that Prey is officially the most watched movie ever on its streaming platform, “among all TV series and movies.” Within its first three days, the movie had racked up the most viewing hours ever on the platform, which is honestly pretty impressive and surprising, when you consider the fact that Predator really hasn’t been relevant in a very long time.

According to the report from Variety, Prey was also the most-watched film premiere on Disney+ and Star+ in Latin America.

The movie is set in the Comanche Nation and revolves around protagonist Naru –played by Amber Midthunder– a warrior who resolves to protect her people when the terrifying Predator itself threatens her lands. The movie was a little slow-paced in its opening act, but quickly ramped up the tension and served as a reminder of why the Predator was regarded as one of the scariest and deadliest beings in horror movie history.

Because the Star Wars franchise has been ongoing for more than forty years, some question if the series will ever end. So, to answer this inquiry, we’ve analyzed its history and multiple interviews with the President of Lucasfilm. We will also discuss the future of the legendary Skywalker Saga and how the company will move on from this famous storyline.

Will Star Wars Ever End?

Due to the massive success of the franchise’s many movies, TV shows, books, games, and merchandise, the Star Wars universe seems to have no end in sight. During an interview with Variety, the President of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, explained that the galactic saga could go on forever as long as there are good storytellers to expand the vast mythology that George Lucas has created.

You can watch the full interview at Star Wars Celebration here:

A new cheat has been discovered for 1994 Super Nintendo game Super Punch-Out, allowing two players to duke it out in PVP mode. Discovered by the Twitter account Unlisted Cheats, which specialises in unearthing previously unknown cheats for classic games, the two-player mode consists of two newly-discovered cheat inputs.

As Unlisted Cheats explains, only two cheats were previously known for the game, a sound test and a mode that allowed Japanese name input. Each cheat requires a combination of just two buttons. The account found a new cheat which would put the player in a "free play" kind of mode, allowing them to select which of the game's rivals they want to face. If this mode is selected, a second combination of buttons will allow the second gamepad to control the rival character normally controlled by the CPU.

To enable the cheat, which can be used on an original SNES copy of the game with no modifications, players have to hold Y+R on the second gamepad while on the title pad, then use the first gamepad to press A or Start. This will take you to the character select screen.

Before Your Eyes is a game about blinking as life flashes, well, before your eyes. You witness a collection of moments from the life of a talented artist, with a few twists along the way, but one of its most effective mechanics comes from outside that core blinking mechanic.

Spoilers follow.

This is a spoiler for a specific mechanic in Before Your Eyes, so tread lightly, but one of the most effective late-game moments during the extended conclusion of the game are a handful of sequences where you must hold your eyes closed and just listen. The change in gameplay is incredibly effective and forces you to focus wholly on the narrative in a new way. We recently spoke with game director Oliver Lewin and creative director Graham Parkes about brining Before Your Eyes to mobile devices, care of Netflix, and during that conversation we dove deeper into that specific mechanic, how it came about, and why it's a high compliment to be told something you made is sad.

The mechanic where you close your eyes for extended periods of time and just listen--how did that come about?

Lewin: We developed the game over quite a long span of time and I remember very early on Graham [Parkes] had the idea of just holding your eyes closed to have this glimpse into another reality or hearing someone's voice or something. But it was one of those features that we really struggled to find the right place for in the game.

President Joe Biden is signing the CHIPS and Science Act today. This piece of legislation is meant to invest in the manufacturing of semiconductors in the United States, which in turn could alleviate the supply issues with video game consoles.

According to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee's website, the CHIPS and Science Act will increase the production of American-made semiconductors in order to tackle the country's supply chain vulnerabilities.

"This legislation represents months of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations. The majority of this bill is made up of bipartisan provisions that started in the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology—which I am privileged to lead," says Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.

She continues, "We’re building a diverse STEM workforce ready to tackle the challenges we face, we’re strengthening our manufacturing capabilities, we’re revitalizing American science and innovation, we’re fighting the climate crisis, and so much more. And we’re doing it all with the needs of each and every American in mind."

Spider-Man Remastered's PC version will be released on August 12 for most regions (August 13 for others), on Steam and the Epic Games Store. The PC port includes the base game, as well as Marvel's Spider-Man DLC called The City Never Sleeps.

Check out the below regional times for when you can launch the game.

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered PC Unlock Times

• LA: August 12, 8 AM PT
• New York: August 12, 11 AM ET
• London: August 12, 4 PM BST
• Berin: August 12, 5 PM CEST
• Dubai: August 12, 7 PM GST
• Tokyo: August 13, 12 AM JST
• Sydney: August 13, 1 AM AEST
• Auckland: August 13, 3AM NZST

Ahead of the launch, Nvidia's latest GeForce Game Ready Drivers can take Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered to the next level on your PC with things like ray-traced reflections, image quality boosts, and higher resolution for shadows and details.

You can now watch the Rocket League World Championship through Fortnite from August 9 to August 14.

To watch the Rocket League World Championship in Fortnite, you'll need to visit the discovery page and enter the code: 8205-6994-2065. Then you'll join the island built by Fortnite Creators 404FNC and FiveWalnut. Once the code is entered, you'll be put into a Team Rumble match, and your gameplay will be directly affected by whichever team wins in the RLCS.

Before entering each match, you'll select which Rocket League team you want to support. You'll receive a power-up on the island every time your team scores a goal. The more your team scores, the more power-ups you'll receive. In addition, once a Rocket League match ends, the Team Rumble match will begin, and whoever selected the winning team will start the game with upgraded weapons.

Epic has also introduced a new Fortnite special quest to celebrate the Rocket League World Championship. The following items will be rewarded upon completion:

Overwatch is on the way out, to be replaced October 4 by Overwatch 2. But Blizzard has given its first shooter a proper sendoff with its various Anniversary Remix events over the course of 2022, the third and final of which is live now until August 30. Anniversary Remix Vol. 3 once again brings back all of the game's past seasonal event brawls and cosmetics alongside another chance to earn a few previously one-time-only challenge skins.

Like previous Anniversary events, you will simply need to play a set number of matches each week to earn event challenge player icons, sprays, and skins. There are even a few event-exclusive recolors of existing legendary skins up for grabs, though you'll have to either purchase them with in-game currency or get lucky and earn them in a loot box. Speaking of loot boxes, August 30 will be your last opportunity to buy them. Though they can still be earned through gameplay prior to the arrival of Overwatch 2, once Blizzard's sequel arrives, it will be ditching loot boxes in favor of a battle pass and the ability to buy cosmetics directly. All skins and cosmetics earned in the original Overwatch will carry over into Overwatch 2.

Gamescom Opening Night Live will kick off the annual European gaming convention once again on August 23. The event will be hosted by Geoff Keighley, who has teased over 30 world-premiere announcements throughout the event.

Opening Night Live 2022 will be the first live in-person ONL presentation since 2019, following two years of online-only livestreams. Tickets are available for those attending Gamescom in Cologne, Germany at the event's official website.

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022 start time

The Opening Night Live stream begins August 23 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET. The live stream, according to the above Tweet from Geoff Keighley, will showcase "30+ games" in a two-hour show. Previous ONLs have featured announcements during a half-hour pre-show as well, but a pre-show has yet to be confirmed for 2022. Opening Night Live will broadcast live in multiple countries in English, but subtitles will be available.

Over the past year, HexGaming has released a variety of customized PS5 controllers aimed at competitive gamers. I tested a couple of early models, and while they were good, it was hard to recommend spending close to $300 on a controller. The latest edition, the Rival Pro, somewhat remedies this issue, as the controllers start at $200. Granted, only the matte black color scheme is available for this price--others are quite a bit pricier. For instance, the "White Wave Red" model I tested is $290. In terms of feel and performance, the Rival Pro is just about as good as the Scuf Reflex Pro, our pick for the best PS5 Pro-style controller. The Rival Pro is a great PS5 controller for multiplayer games thanks to its mappable rear triggers and its improved grip. However, if you're up for the task, you're better off modding your own DualSense controller. In fact, you can make your own Rival Pro.

While it's not made apparent on the controller's Amazon page, HexGaming is owned by ExtremeRate, a controller components company that sells parts so players can mod their own controllers. As such, HexGaming PS5 controllers are modded DualSense gamepads that use parts that are available separately on Amazon, too.

Loot boxes in Overwatch will no longer be available for purchase following the conclusion of the game's Anniversary Remix Vol. 3 event on August 30, Blizzard has confirmed.

While players won't be able to purchase loot boxes directly after the aforementioned date, loot boxes can still be earned through leveling up and other in-game activities for the next few months, a Blizzard blog post states. All loot boxes in a player's inventory will automatically open prior to the launch of Overwatch 2 on October 4.

The news comes as part of the shooter's final Anniversary Remix event, which is now live. Like the two previous Anniversary Remix events, Vol. 3 brings a rotation of all the game's seasonal event brawls, exclusive recolors of various skins, and a return of formerly one-time event skins that can be earned by playing matches.

FFXIV's entire 6.X storyline will center around the thirteenth shard, as confirmed by Naoki Yoshida. Players have guessed as much since 6.1, Newfound Adventure, teased the appearance of a mysterious voidsent, but Yoshida's interview confirms that the 6.X arc will focus on what happened to the thirteenth shard, as well as the memories of feelings of those who were once human, but are now monsters.

The thirteenth shard is the first word the Ascians tried to rejoin, but unfortunately, through their efforts, everybody in that world became voidsents. Yoshida says in an Famitsu interview, with translation by Twitter user Audrey (@ aitaikimochi), "Patch 6.1 asks…'since we have already traversed to the world of the First, what would the other shards look like?" That's the starting point of the 6.X storyline.

Yoshida also adds that patch 7.0 is also in development simultaneously with patch 6.X, and depending on how 6.X shapes up to be, patch 7.0 could look very different. Players should expect to see some hints as to what 7.0 will contain in patch 6.5.

The Xbox Game Pass library is a massive catalog of content to dive into, but if you're feeling up to the challenge of only focusing on a single game and you're looking to devote dozens of hours to that soulmate of a title, then you can't go wrong with a good ol' open-world sandbox. You can find plenty of them in the Game Pass collection, but which ones are the best? That's tricky, as some people like to explore ancient cities, others prefer a more peaceful approach, and some people would rather break traffic laws with reckless (and wrecked) abandon. We've gathered up a list below of the best open-world games on Game Pass from across a wide variety of genres, studios, and publishers, which should help you pinpoint which game is best for your specific tastes. As a reminder, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $15 a month and offers access to Xbox-exclusive titles on day one in addition to many third-party games.

Iron Galaxy has relieved more information about its upcoming free-to-play game Rumbleverse. New modes such as duos and playgrounds will be available for players at launch.

Duos mode will play as it traditionally would in most battle royales, where teamwork and communication are crucial to winning. When players load into a duos match, they'll start with only eight slots for their stats and have reduced health. They also won't have access to the Superstar Comeback system. If their teammate gets eliminated, they'll receive additional health and another stat slot, and if you run out of health in duos, you won't get knocked out immediately.

When your teammate does run out of health, they'll be downed and in need of help. The first time your teammate falls, you'll have 30 seconds to pick them up, but the more they go down, the less time you'll have to get them.

In Playground Mode, you can play it solo or with a friend and thoroughly explore the city. There'll be training modules and robots, making it a potentially great way to improve your skills. If you do happen to get eliminated while playing to respawn, all you need to do is press the option button.

The option button will also give you access to the map, and the locations of all the Equip Up zones. You'll also be able to turn Combat Mode on and off by using the map screen in-game. Season One will begin on August 18. The Season One battle pass will feature 100 different rewards for players that can be unlocked by earning fame. The battle pass will feature accessories/accessory sets, title cards, emotes, and more. You'll need to buy 1,000 Brawl Bills to purchase the battle pass.

Rumbleverse is scheduled to come out on August 11 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

Hello! Welcome back to a stray installment of our occasional series, Someone Should Make a Game About. This week Alexis looks at the glory days of pop.

“Imagine [Jedward] coming up against All the Things She Said - it’s like David vs. Goliath if David lost,” -- Cian Maher

In the third year of the pandemic, I hit upon, quite arguably, the greatest idea I’ve had in my life: a fantasy fighting league made up of your favorite 90s/00s pop bands. I’m not talking about a DDR-style or rhythm game that involves matching beats – I’m talking about a Blaseball-style league where you can draft t.A.t.U. to beat the living heck out of prime-era PJ and Duncan with power combos-based music video choreography. No, really, think about it, then think about it some more.

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Preloading for Tower of Fantasy is open now for Android, iOS, and PC, and players can download the latest MMORPG title from their official website. After a successful installation, however, the game will return an infamous error called ‘Server Under Maintenance.’ If you’re also tired of this annoying error, then here’s all you need to know about fixing the Tower of Fantasy Server Under Maintenance error.

Red Nucleus is one of the rarest currencies in Tower of Fantasy, and getting them is no easy feat. That’s where we come in, however, and we’ll break down exactly how you can obtain them as an F2P or paid player.

Tower of Fantasy is the latest shared open-world game from Hotta Studio, and while it might look a lot like Genshin Impact on the surface, it also has a much larger focus on multiplayer components to help set it apart. Let’s get into it.

Getting Red Nucleus in Tower of Fantasy

There are only three main ways of getting Red Nucleus in Tower of Fantasy, as listed below:

• Purchasing them with real money.
• Purchasing them with Dark Crystals in the HOT shop.
• Obtaining them via special events.

We’ll go over each of these methods in more detail down below.

Using Real Money

Tower of Fantasy is a free-to-play gacha game, which means that you can expect there to be tons of microtransactions and premium currency packs that you can buy with real money. This is for the whales and dolphins out there who want to hoard currency as quickly as possible.

Being a shared open-world game, you might be wondering whether the chests you find in Tower of Fantasy are shared among players as well. Here’s everything you need to know.

Developed by Hotta Studio, Tower of Fantasy is a free-to-play open-world game that certainly bears a lot of similarities to miHoYo’s Genshin Impact, but with a few key differences. The focus on the multiplayer aspect definitely sets it apart, which will become apparent as you play.

Are Chests Shared in Tower of Fantasy?

The short answer is, yes, some chests are indeed shared in Tower of Fantasy. Specifically, the common green chests that you see spawning in the open-world are shared. If another player gets to it first, no other player in your server will be able to snag the rewards inside.

An enormous cache of cut content from Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has been posted online, detailing developer Treyarch's early plans for a campaign mode.

Gameplay details, screenshots and design documentation are all included in a post on the infamous GamingLeaksAndRumours reddit by user Purpletoaster20, who states that it is the culmination of "months of research and discussion" with those who knew about the mode before it was ditched.

The post also comes ahead of a 30-minute video on the mode, which the user says they intend to post online next week.

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The Pokémon anime special The Arceus Chronicles is set to receive its English language debut at the Pokémon World Championships in London on 19th August.

Following on from the success of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the anime sees Ash and co defeating the remnants of Team Galactic after receiving a message from the Mythical Pokémon Arceus.

It also features a topless Brock, if that's your thing.

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A new trailer has been released for monster catcher-battler Temtem that shows off new content coming in its Version 1.0 launch.

That's set for 6th September across Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam).

The big new addition is Tamer's Paradise, a brand new island coming to the game's Airborne Archipelago. Check it out below.

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Blizzard has announced an end date for the sale of Overwatch loot boxes - after one final in-game loot box event to sell lots of them beforehand.

The option to buy loot boxes will be removed from Overwatch at the end of the game's current Anniversary Remix event, which wraps up on 30th August.

In a blog post on the event, Blizzard noted that its loot boxes have a chance to contain rare items from previous Anniversary and seasonal events, and told fans not to "wait too long to snag those skins you've been eyeing for the past year".

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The next chapter coming to Dead by Daylight, Project W, is a second dose of Resident Evil that adds Wesker as a new Killer.

Yesterday he was added to the Public Test Build of the game, giving us a first look at his arsenal of abilities.

It seems Behaviour hasn't hit a bum note with this one.

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Capcom officially revealed a host of new content that will appear as part of the first Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak free title update. In addition to new locales and the start of weekly event quests, it is also adding four new monster variations to fight, including the return of the Gold Rathian and Silver Rathalos variations. The free title update is available now.

Previously, Capcom announced the first title update would add the Lucent Nargacuga and Seething Bazelgeuse variations, both of which appeared in previous Monster Hunter titles. Now we know that the Gold Rathian and Silver Rathalos variations will also join the list. Players must be at least MR 10 to take on these hunts. What's more, the new trailer for the title update also shows off the new Forlorn Arena area. This new area is apparently "teeming with rare monsters" and is likely where some of the new monsters will appear.

https://twitter.com/monsterhunter/status/1557079377908744193?s=20&t=y7fMExlkQKUCOUWmpe6FqQ

Anime fans hungry for a new fantasy show have a new treat to gnaw on. Studio Trigger, of Kill la Kill and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners fame, is animating Delicious in Dungeon. The announcement was made after Trigger opened an official website and Twitter account for the show. Fans could also read the news on a wraparound banner included with the 12th volume of the manga, on sale in Japan.

Also known as Dungeon Meshi, Delicious in Dungeon is a manga created by Ryoko Kui. It follows a party of adventurers exploring the depths of a dungeon located on a remote island. Due to hunger stemming from a loss of their supplies, the party is defeated by a massive red dragon. With one member stuck in the dragon's belly and no money to buy supplies on the surface, the party resorts to desperate measures. They choose to kill and eat monsters in the dungeon itself to save money while they go back to rescue their missing companion. Along the way they meet new friends, make new enemies, and learn about dungeon ecology, to boot.

So far the only look at the new Delicious in Dungeon anime series is a piece of teaser art showing the members of the party camping in the depths of the dungeon.

We learned in June during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase that Persona 5 Royal would be coming to Xbox consoles alongside Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable. 

With an official Xbox Series X/S version of the game coming out on Oct. 21, and the remastered version set to hit other consoles then too, we’re just a few months away from seeing what the full JRPG looks like running on a new-gen console. Now we have our best look yet, featuring Persona 5 Royal running at 60 FPS on an Xbox Series X, thanks to Faz on YouTube, as reported by Video Games Chronicle. 

Check it out for yourself below: 

FromSoftware games are known for being opaque, but sometimes it’s legitimately just a bug. Case in point: the Opaline Hardtear, a minor bullet point in Tuesday’s enormous PVP-centric Elden Ring patch.

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Today Warner Bros. Games released a brand new trailer of the upcoming action game Gotham Knights.

We get to see how Red Hood fights in the game, alongside a more cinematic look at his outlook in this specific setting in which Batman is dead.

This follows more character trailers that introduced Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl.

You can check him out below and enjoy the new look at Gotham Knights.

Gotham Knights releases on October 25 for PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. If you want to see more, you can enjoy another trailer focusing on the Court of Owls and the original reveal.

Ranked games are at the core of the Valorant experience, and when so naturally, when they’re not available to play, everyone is wondering why the competitive Valorant queue is disabled. Here’s what we know about the issue, which is currently preventing anybody from playing the game’s competitive mode.

Here’s Why Competitive Valorant Queues are Disabled

Valorant’s competitive queues are up and running normally at the time of writing. They were, however, down for a short time across a number of different regions. The issue seems to have been resolved now and they are back to normal operation.

Before today, the last time the Valorant servers went down was as part of the roll-out of the game’s latest update, Patch 5.07. They are expected to go down in around two weeks’ time with the launch of Episode 5’s final Act.

As always, players aren’t able to queue Competitive while this is occurring. Just so you know for next time, the generic times for each region’s server maintenance during patch deployment are as follows:

Asia Pacific: 14:00 PDT
Brazil: 06:00 PDT
Europe: 20:00 PDT
Korea: 14:00 PDT
Latin America: 06:00 PDT
North America: 06:00 PDT

If you’re wondering what PDT is to your local time, use a converter such as this one.

How Long Is Valorant Server Maintenance? Answered

When it comes to server maintenance for updates, the servers will be down for just a short period of time, no longer than three or so hours.

All signs point toward streaming as the video gaming platform of the future, prompting investment from publishers outside the typical industry sphere already tooled up with infrastructure to distribute them. Netflix is one such publisher, the American VOD giant with a whopping 221 million subscribers worldwide, which last November launched a catalog of games to keep users entertained in between watching shows. It’s a catalog the company has plans to double in size before year’s end, even despite the fact that, for now, user engagement with them hasn’t been especially positive.

In a recent report from CNBC, data via app analytics company Apptopia highlights that Netflix’s games have been downloaded just 23.3 million times and average only 1.7 million daily users, a total that represents less than 1% of Netflix’s 221 million subscribers.

It’s worth noting none of Netflix’s games are established gaming IPs; most of them are adaptations based on popular Netflix shows such as Stranger Things, with designs inspired by popular card games, like “Mahjong Solitaire” and “Exploding Kittens.”

Earlier this year in an earnings call to investors, however, Netflix chief operating officer Greg Peters mentioned the company’s plans to license popular IPs for future games.

“We’re open to licensing, accessing large game IP that people will recognize,” he stated. “And I think you will see some of that happen over the year to come.”

Nintendo’s popular hybrid console has become a go-to for many when it comes to relaxing adventure games, but is stray coming to Nintendo Switch? Here’s what you need to know.

Is Stray Coming to Nintendo Switch? Answered

Unfortunately, the answer is no. While Stray does indeed seem like the perfect fit for the console, it’s only available on PlayStation and Windows platforms. There are currently no plans to bring the game to Nintendo.

Stray was actually first teased during a PlayStation event, and it’s likely the game has some form of limited-time console exclusivity to PS4 and PS5 systems. Based on what we know about those sorts of arrangements from other games gone by, they typically last a year or so at a minimum. That means there’s still a chance Stray could see a Switch launch in the future, but if that was the case it would be unlikely to release until the tail end of 2023.

For now, that’s everything there is to know about whether Stray is coming to Nintendo Switch. We’ll be sure to keep you posted with any new information we hear moving forward.

Until then, be sure to keep Twinfinite’s related Stray content in mind, including a bunch of useful guides you can see below. For those who aren’t able to play the game until it launches on Switch, though, torture yourself by watching cute kitties staring at their digital counterparts in one of our latest features!

We'll soon return to the weird and wonderful world of Cosmo D's Off-Peak City, with the next game in the series today announcing a shiny release date of September 9th. Betrayal At Club Low is the name, and an RPG infiltrating a former coffin factory-turned-nightclub is its game. This time, Cosmo D says he's inspired by one-shot indie RPGs as we roll dice, bake pizzas, and try to help an undercover agent escape.

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Splatoon 3 just got a serious deep dive thanks to this afternoon's Nintendo Direct, revealing new levels, new weapons and an all-new approach to Splatfests that will introduce three-way fights into the series for the first time.

Three-way fights come as part of the returning Splatfests, with matches during the special timed events being split into two halves, with the first part a traditional 4v4 face-off while the second sees a 4v2v2 fight for territory.

There'll be a chance to sample this particular new flavour of Splatoon during a Splatfest World Premiere that's taking place on 27th August - effectively a free demo where players can sample Splatoon 3 for a limited period, choosing to fight for rock, paper or scissors (it's worth noting that the demo will be playable from 25th August , giving a small window for practice before the Splatfest World Premiere itself).

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A free demo is now available for the next big Square Enix strategy game: The DioField Chronicle.

First announced at the PlayStation State of Play in March, the game is set for release on 22nd September across consoles and PC.

The demo is likewise available on all platforms and includes the game's first chapter, with all progress transferring to the main game once purchased.

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Hello! I'm a cult leader these days. Let me tell you what I've just been doing.

I woke early and cooked some food that gave everyone diarrhea. Then I gave a quick sermon to cheer everyone up. I planted some seeds so I could make some more food that gives everyone diarrhea, disappeared for a bit to play a dice game, donated some mushrooms to an old pal in the woods, and caught up on my fishing before heading over to the Gold Guy. I bought some Tarot cards that were going cheap, one of which promises a lovely health boost whenever it gets dealt. I went on a mission and murdered a lot of nasty things in the woods, harvesting resources and whatnot as I went. I killed a boss, working my way up through a sort of watery forest to the next mega boss. Back to the camp after that to clean up all that diarrhea, build a few beds because my followers are sulking, water and fertilise some seeds, knock up a scarecrow so birds don't eat my seeds, make myself a nice new fleece with lovely perks and then catch the rising sun and do it all over again. I'm tempted, you know, to take up smelting.

Cult of the Lamb is a management game and an action roguelite in which you play an evil sheep. It's astonishingly systems-heavy. You can build dozens of structures to look after your flock, and your flock can grumble and sicken and die and preach behind your back in dozens of ways. You're always after new cult members, each with their own quirks, and you're always after the resources to keep everyone happy, because happy cultists in turn give you the resources to make them even happier - and grow more powerful when you set out on action roguelite runs, working your way through minor bosses to middle-management bosses and then hopefully whoever's at the top.