October 2022

In the past year, Bungie has put in much effort in their war against cheaters in Destiny 2, from implementing Anti-cheats to going as far as to go head to head in a lawsuit against a cheating company. However, while the effort has made significant progress overall, recently, some Destiny 2 players were wrongfully banned in-game due to a new cheat detection system. Here’s an official statement from the Bungie Help page on Twitter:

The new cheat detection was meant to trigger a report based on a player’s connection to combat net limiting. For those unaware, Net Limiting is a form of cheating where a player can intentionally slow down their internet to create a lag in the game. The lag would then cause numerous issues and essentially allow said player to defeat a boss instantly, for example. However, this “human error” wrongfully banned some players who weren’t using Net Limiting but had poor connection troubles.

Since Google announced they were giving up on Stadia last week, some developers and publishers are taking steps to ensure players don’t lose their progress when the platform shuts down in January. So far, Bungie, IO Interactive and Ubisoft have issued statements to reassure Stadia users that they’re investigating ways to salvage their saves. It’s a welcome development following Google’s sudden shutdown revelation.

Read more

The highest praise I can lay on Cookin' with Coolio: Five Star Meals at a One Star Price is that when I went to look for my copy the other day I realised I'd leant it out to someone and would probably never see it again.

This is the life of cook books, isn't it? When they aren't in the kitchen, getting splattered with hot sauce or providing a resting place for wooden spoons, they're loaned around, pages marked, moving between hungry friends: you must read this! You must make this!

Cookin' with Coolio is where my mind went when I woke up one morning last week and learned that Coolio had died. Being a 90s person, I think this news would always bum me out. But having read and loved Coolio's cook book, I'm ashamed to say it all struck a bit deeper. Over the following days when all these stories started to come out about how brilliant Coolio was - how kind, how thoughtful and perceptive and funny - none of that was really a surprise? Why? Because I had read Cookin' with Coolio.

Read more

You didn't hear it from me first, but Overwatch 2 is not Overwatch 2. It is Overwatch 2.0, a free-to-play rejig of the celebrated 2016 hero shooter with rebalanced characters, a sprinkling of new faces, modes and maps, and a predictably tedious seasonal Battle Pass system whereby unlocks are either paid for or ground out through match XP.

Spend an hour with it and, tuned-up visuals notwithstanding, you might struggle to notice any difference beyond the charmless new monetisation elements. There's the same delightful range of MOBA-ish abilities, the same awkward pivot between cultural archetype and dodgy stereotype in the character and cosmetic design, the same sunny ambience and brilliant tactical audio, and the same rousing premise of corpo-progressive Pixar Avengers murdering each other for possession of small wagons and courtyards.

Many of the game's headline new bits are still to be developed or added, including the majority of new heroes and various much-trumpeted Player versus AI modes. I've not had much time with what does exist: the review period began in mid-September, but Eurogamer's code arrived late last week, and my existing PS4 account hasn’t transferred over to the PC review build - obliging me to jump in as a First Time User and so, limiting my access to the game's already-tiny pool of pre-release players. But enough of my petulant fist-waving! I’ll have a full review in a week or so - here are some provisional notes from the trenches.

Read more

Like many other Star Wars titles, Andor references events from other periods on the Star Wars EU timeline. The Rakatan Empire was a recent reference from episode 4 of the show, and many fans from a galaxy far, far away won’t recognize it. Here’s everything you need to know on what the Rakatan Empire in Star Wars is.

The Rakatan Empire, Explained

Retro Star Wars fans will recognize the Rakata from Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR), an Xbox console exclusive from 2003. The Rakata were a power-hungry species, who look like Mon Calamari, that conquered many worlds with the help of the Star Forge. The Star Forge is a planet-sized factory that drew on Force energy and a nearby star to churn out unlimited ships and droids and repair itself. The Star Forge corrupted the Rakata and led to the downfall of their Infinite Empire thousands of years before Andor.

 In Andor, Luthen Rael hands Cassian Andor a Kuati Signet, a mix of a Kyber crystal and white sky stone, that celebrated resisting Rakatan rule. It’s a cool piece of in-universe history and certainly fits with Rael’s cover as an antiquities dealer. Maybe Andor will receive the Mandalorian armor in Rael’s shop or another valuable item as his payment for stealing the payroll records on Aldhani.

YouTuber Colour has spoken about the effect Stadia's death will have on many of the people he met while playing almost 6000 hours of Red Dead Online.

He also voiced his frustrations towards Rockstar, which is currently keeping quiet about whether character transfers will be available for the game.

Last week, Colour shared a screenshot of his playtime in Red Dead Redemption 2 on Stadia on Twitter. In a follow-up tweet he tagged Rockstar, asking for a character transfer.

Read more

Pokémon Go maker Niantic has warned fans to expect in-game price rises in Ireland and mainland Europe from tomorrow, due to Apple's previously-announced Eurozone price hike.

The pound, mercifully, is not yet affected - but many other countries will be. These include Poland, Sweden, Chile, Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea and Vietnam, plus Pokémon's homeland of Japan - a core market for Pokémon Go.

And while the change is driven by Apple's action, Niantic has said it will raise its prices in-game whether you use an iPhone or not.

Read more

We do not yet have the full roster for this month's selection of Xbox Game Pass titles, but we do now have at least one more confirmed.

Yes, medieval multiplayer Chivalry 2 is making its way onto Microsoft's subscription service today.

"Chivalry 2 is coming... and you're gonna need a battlecry," Microsoft proclaimed via its Xbox Game Pass Twitter account, alongside a short clip showing off some of the in-game shenanigans you too will be able to take part in. This includes running into the fray clutching a chicken and launching yourself off battlements.

Read more

WWE 2K publisher Take-Two Interactive - as well as the WWE itself - have been ordered to pay damages to a tattoo artist whose designs appeared in multiple wrestling games.

A jury has decided the companies must pay $3750 to Catherine Alexander, who designed tattoos for pro wrestler Randy Orton, after their likenesses appeared on Orton's character in WWE 2K16, 17 and 18.

Alexander had pushed for a higher amount, including a share of profits from the games, Reuters reported. Still, the decision appears to mark a landmark judgement that may affect future usage rights in other games in future.

Read more

For the 20th anniversary of the Naruto anime, Studio Pierrot uploaded an almost 10-minute long video titled “Road of Naruto.” As you may guess from the title of the video, it showcases Naruto’s journey from the beginning of the series to the end. Not only did Studio Pierrot re-animate key scenes and fights from the show, but it also features some iconic opening themes.

It starts with Naruto’s final showdown with Sasuke, before the video delves into a montage from the series. The fight against Haku, for example, uses new animation that was not in the show. Songs that you can hear include “Haruka Kanata” (the second opening), “Go!!!” (the fourth opening), and “Blue Bird” (the third opening of Shippuden).

You can watch the Road of Naruto video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKELA1qBAKA

A British media conglomerate, Sky, has just made a complete ass of itself on Twitter, after attempting to hang wiv da cool kidz while promoting its new partnership with David Beckham’s eSports company, Guild. Asking followers of the [checks notes] technical support account to tweet a screenshot of their “favourite…

Read more...

Sci-fi gacha MMO Tower Of Fantasy is heading to Steam on October 20th, the same day as its Version 2.0 Vera update arrives. The update adds the realm of Vera, where you’ll find the Gobby desert (really) and its cyberpunk city of Mirroria. Watch the very neon and sandy trailer below.

Read more

Folks, it’s officially the spooky season and you know what that means! That’s right, it’s time to take stock and relax with some of Hollywood’s finest scariest horror movies. And today, we may have the perfect spine-chilling tale just for you. Lots of guts and gore? Check. Bursting with body horror? You betcha. Lots and lots screaming? Bingo. So, what is this horror movie, specifically?

Yes, the pic in question is 2008’s The Ruins, which has somehow managed to claw its way back into Netflix’s Top 10 most-viewed movies right now. Per FlixPatrol, the mysterious horror thriller has nabbed the ninth spot on Netflix’s global charts. Not too shabby for a horror b-movie, eh?

Narratively, The Ruins focuses upon a group of friends who’re on their way to sunny ol’ Mexico for a fun-filled holiday. Everything is hunky dory until they stumble upon an ancient archaeological dig. (DUN-DUN-DUUUUN!) Suddenly, things start going… awry. Yeah, let’s go with that. I mean, you know the drill by now, right?

While Wordle may be a guessing game, you will have a better time if you approach it with a little strategy.

Sony might be interested in helping produce movies and television shows based on From Software games. 

This news comes by way of a new interview between Reuters and PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst, in which Hulst explains PlayStation's investments into its PC and mobile efforts as of late, as well as its recent investment into Elden Ring developer From Software. According to Hulst, "further investments in areas that will strengthen the expansion on to PC, on to mobile, and into live services" is definitely a possibility for PlayStation. 

However, more interesting to From Software fans perhaps is Hulst's answer when asked about Sony's investment in the studio. 

"You should think of collaborations on the game development side first and foremost, but it's also not unthinkable with our PlayStation Productions efforts that we explore opportunities," he said. 

Bloober Team has announced that its 2021 psychological horror game, The Medium, is getting a TV adaptation. 

The studio announced this in a new blog post today, as translated by Bloody Disgusting, which reveals Tomasz Bagiński, an executive producer for Netflix's Witcher series, and Bloober Team's own Piotr Babieno will oversee the show. 

"Both the film industry and the video game industry are close to my heart, and I am very happy that there is finally an opportunity to bring them both together," Babieno writes in the blog post, according to Bloody Disgusting. "The story we told in the game was appreciated by players, and now more people will be able to hear about it. The latest hits of streaming platforms based on games such as Cyberpunk: Edgerunners or Arcane have shown that this is the perfect time for such productions." 

Sony has said it's "not unthinkable" it will now develop film or TV versions of FromSoftware games following its recent increase in ownership of the Japanese developer.

At the end of August, both Sony and Chinese publisher Tencent increased their shareholding in the Elden Ring and Soulsbourne studio. Sony now owns just over 14 percent.

Now, speaking to Reuters, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst has said the purchase opened up the possibility of FromSoftware properties getting the PlayStation Productions treatment.

Read more

Classification ratings for a new edition of The Outer Worlds have been found on the website for the official Taiwanese ratings board.

The Outer Worlds released in 2019 for PS4, Xbox One and PC, and was followed by a Switch port the following year.

The ratings for the new edition of the game, subtitled Spacer's Choice Edition, reveal it will release for PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC (spotted by VGC).

Read more

Following investigations, the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) has found that Activision Blizzard withheld raises for the QA testers at Raven Software campaigning to form a union.

Per The Washington Post, Activision Blizzard and the QA testers from Raven Software will now continue on with their negotiations to agree a collective bargaining agreement.

However, if the two parties can not settle upon an agreement, the NLRB can issue a complaint against Activision Blizzard. Another option would be for the NLRB to prosecute the case before a federal judge should the company refuse to settle, although this is deemed unlikely.

Read more

UPDATE 5pm UK: EA has now officially confirmed it will reveal its new Need for Speed game this Thursday, at 4pm UK time.

A trailer will go live detailing the game - we'll have all the details then.

ORIGINAL STORY 12pm UK: EA has a new Need for Speed game due out this year, but as of today, with less than three months of 2022 left, we've seen nothing of it.

Read more

Studio Khara announced that the new Evangelion 3.0+1.11 Blu-Ray and DVD set will release on March 8, 2023 in Japan. The consumer release of the 2021 movie will include the newly-edited Evangelion 3.0+1.11 Thrice Upon a Time, as well as never-before-seen bonus footage. The set will also include various other bonus items depending on the Japanese retailer. There is no confirmation of an international release.

If the titles are a bit confusing, here's a refresher. The original theatrical release of the movie is titled Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. However, Studio Khara later released a partially-edited version under the title Evangelion: 3.0+1.01, which also later appeared on streaming services and international theaters. The upcoming Evangelion: 3.0+1.11 version features further additional edits to the movie.

https://twitter.com/evangelion_co/status/1577131561924689922?s=20&t=IDm9NVtEcQRTdEbb3E3ptA

Today PlatyinumGames released a video and a blog post penned by acclaimed character designer Mari Shimazaki focusing on the game’s art.

We get to see how Bayonetta Herself got a full makeover, on top of a look at her casual outfit.

The new character Viola was born from the idea of creating a character that is a little different from Bayonetta, but features the same individuality and uniqueness.

Both character’s individuality is reflected in the equipment they wear, as you can see in the video below, that also showcases character renders inspired by Shimazaki-sensei’s art,

Bayonetta 3 will release exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 28, 2022.

The game was originally announced all the way back in the fall of 2017, which means it’ll finally release a whopping five years after its reveal.

Riot Games has today revealed the details of Patch 5.07, which is set to go live tomorrow. As expected, the update brings a major overhaul to Fracture, rebalancing several of the map’s chokepoints. Elsewhere, there are big changes to the way the flashes of several notable Agents work, including KAY/O, Skye, Yoru, and Reyna.

All the changes have been trialed on the game’s public beta environment (PBE) server over the past week, and Twinfinite has already discussed how the Agent changes are likely to impact the meta in a detailed feature.

Let’s check out the confirmed patch notes in full below:

AGENT UPDATES

Dan “penguin” Hardison, designer at Riot Games explains that the changes are intended to rebalance the Agents according to better fit their roles as initiators and duelists:

We believe that Initiators should still be able to make solo plays, but they should ideally be weaker than their Duelist counterparts in these scenarios“

Skye

Guiding Light’s destructibility didn’t feel like meaningful counterplay, instead overtly punishing when Skye tried to throw them at a longer range. By increasing the top-end output and rewarding Skye for bending her birds into the right spots, we intend to foster more teamwork and differentiate her Guiding Light from other flashes in the game—especially when compared to Duelists.

The fourth season of Bungo Stray Dogs is still a ways away, but the anime has received a new piece of key art to tide fans over with.

Released on Oct. 4 via the official Bungo Stray Dogs website, the key art offers a glimpse at what the impending conflict between the Armed Detective Agency and the Hunting Dogs will entail. Both factions can be seen diving into a fight, with the Armed Detective Agency on the left and the Hunting Dogs on the right.

Something that stands out immediately is the makeup of those fighting for the armed detective agency. While mainstays like Nakajima Atsushi and Kunikida Doppo are fairly prominent, Dazai is noticeably absent from the fray; most likely due to his arrest in the season’s first teaser trailer. Likewise, theorganization’s leader Fukuzawa Yukichi can be seen entering the battle, hinting that he may play a more prominent role in this arc.

The key art also provides a fuller glimpse at members of the Hunting Dogs, with four key members shown off in all their glory. Most notably, every member of the Hunting Dogs is wearing a red cape and a decent number of them wield swords. This includes their commander Ōchi Fukuchi, who appears to be the only one not actively diving into the fray and stands with a cocky smile on his face.

Most notable of all, however, is that the Port Mafia is completely absent from the fracas. Why this is, and where they’ll fall in the wider season, remains to be seen.

There’s plenty more that can be gleaned from this key art, especially for eagle-eyed fans. The visual can be viewed in its entirety down below.

Inkulinati, from indie developer Yaza Games, is a turn-based battle game with a one-of-a-kind concept, unique visuals, and plenty of strategy. The public demo is live on Steam and you should definitely try it out. The idea behind the game was so good that I was hooked from the very beginning of the demo, and the gameplay kept me engrossed until the end. It’s an instant wishlist game for me, and here’s why.

Inkulinati Concept

Inkulinati is based on the illuminations and illustrations in the margins of medieval manuscripts. You control a Tiny Inkulinati who uses Living Ink to draw Beasts. These Beasts battle alongside your Tiny Inkulinati against your opponent and their army of Beasts, each of whom has unique abilities and powers. 

Getting some help when trying the Wordle challenge is always a good idea, especially if you are struggling with certain combinations of letters.

Free to play fantasy MMO RPG Lost Ark has shared a sneak peek at the new classes and raids coming to the game up until the end of the year. Following on from September introducing Lost Ark’s very own Iron Man in the form of the Machinist advanced class, expect two more classes to arrive between now and the start of 2023, taking the roster to 21. October is all about raids though, and this month sees the arrival of the limited-time Mystic Abyss raid.

Read more

Believe it or not, this month marks 25 years since Fallout brought its take on post-apocalyptic survival role-playing to PC. Bethesda are making Fallout 76 free to play for a week, starting today, to mark the occasion. There’s a bunch of other things happening during the rest of October to celebrate the Wasteland too, ranging from events in Fallout 76 to long overdue updates to Fallout Shelter.

Read more

Orton features as a playable character in WWE 2K meaning his entire likeness has been recreated in-game. This includes body art designed by Alexander - tribal tattoos, skulls, a bible verse, and a dove and rose - which prompted her to file the lawsuit in 2018.

The case sets an interesting precedent for sports sim creators, who regularly recreate tattooed athletes. While the atheletes themselves may consent to being recreated in-game, tatooed artwork on their bodies may now be deemed to require extra permissions.

The first batch of Xbox Game Pass games to come during the spookiest season of the year have been unveiled. A Plague Tale: Requiem headlines the line-up, accompanied by fellow new title Scorn along with Chivarly II. Read on to find out what’s coming and what’s leaving Game Pass in the coming week, and check out our linked reviews for each title.

What's Coming To Xbox Game Pass

Chivalry II (Console, PC, Cloud) – Today

Medieval Dynasty (Xbox Series X/S) – October 6

The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (PC) – October 6

The Walking Dead: Season Two (PC) – October 6

Costume Quest (Console, Cloud) – October 11 | Our Review

Eville (Console, PC) – October 11

Dyson Sphere Program (PC) – October 13

Scorn (Xbox Series X/S, PC, Cloud) – October 14

A Plague Tale: Requiem (Xbox Series X/S, PC, Cloud) – October 18

Nintendo has revealed the first look at its upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie. 

Don't get too excited just yet – this first look isn't a trailer. But it is a new image showcasing our first look at the famed plumber in the Mushroom Kingdom of this movie, which is being made by Minions studio Illumination Entertainment. This image accompanies the announcement of a Nintendo Direct happening this Thursday, October 6, all about the movie. Nintendo specifically points out that there will be no video game news, however, so don't expect anything more than Super Mario Bros. 

Tune in at 1:05 p.m. PT on 10/6 for a #NintendoDirect: The Super Mario Bros. Movie presentation introducing the world premiere trailer for the upcoming film (no game information will be featured).

📽️: https://t.co/I868SmSpV2 pic.twitter.com/hqlO0SfLbe

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 4, 2022

Here's a better look at it, too, courtesy of the film's first poster:

There are only a few months left to wait before we get our hands on EA Motive's Dead Space remake.

In anticipation of this release, we now finally have our first look at some gameplay, including seeing weapons such as the series' plasma cutter in action. Oh, yes, and there are also lots of gloriously detailed mutated human corpses littering the scene. Godspeed to you Isaac Clark!

You can see this new trailer for yourself below.

Read more