May 2023

Prison Architect has received "the Sunset Update", which developers Double Eleven say is "focused on improving the player experience as much as possible." That's because it's their last update to the prison simulator originally created by Introversion Software. The update was also released alongside a trailer thanking fans for supporting the game, which also seemingly teases a 3D sequel.

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American Truck Simulator's first released version included only the state of California, and its developers have been working their way eastward with each new state added via DLC. Work is currently ongoing on both Oklahoma and Kansas.

SCS Software have got better at replicating the long roads and countryside of the United States, however, so they've also been going back periodically and revamping their very first. Five cities in northern California were updated last year in a second update, and work is ongoing on a third phase of revisions that should arrive soon. SCS Software this week shared screenshots of their new Santa Cruz, which has been "revamped from the ground up".

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I have a soft spot for Overdungeon, a maximalist real-time mashup of tower defense and collectible card game, and I sang its praises three years ago. Its developers, Pocketpair, haven't updated it since, instead pouring their work into similarly expansive "everything game" Craftopia and the Pokémon-alike (but with guns) Palworld.

Now Pocketpair have released a content update for Overdungeon and say that previous radio silence was because they were "a bit tired and struggled with our contract with the publisher."

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Metal Gear is my favourite series of all time - in any medium. The games seamlessly blend comedy, melodrama and filmic elements while still pushing gameplay to the forefront, unlike many other film-like games. I would consider myself to be an unabashed fan of Hideo Kojima's work. Even the unfinished Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Death Stranding - a game about parcel delivery - I adore, and consider to be two of the most interesting games made in the last decade. The former has a bottomless dedication to player expression, while the latter is one of the most bizarre and idiosyncratic blockbusters ever released for a multitude of reasons - and in an era where blockbusters were playing it safer than ever.

So it embarrasses me to say that I had never played Snatcher until now. After tracking down a copy of this super-hard-to-find game (that Konami flatout refuses to re-release), I've finally played Kojima's second game as a director (after the original Metal Gear). It's safe to say I was missing out.

Brace yourself, Spartans – Infection mode is finally coming to Halo Infinite.

"Infection returns in Season 4," 343 Industries announced via a simple tweet posted to the official Halo social media channels. "The fight to survive starts on June 20."

Infection – a zombie PvP mode that sees infected Spartans seek out and infect their healthy comrades – has long been a Spartan staple but was notably missing from Infinite when it launched back in 2021.

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Sundays are for sinking into a couch. Before you put your legs up, let's read this week's best writing about games (and game related things).

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With otome games flourishing in popularity outside Japan, it means sometimes we see a surprise release worldwide. Dormitory Love was an indie otome project. One single person by the name of Mirin did it all, then released it as a browser-based affair. Shockingly enough, it ended up localized and released worldwide on the Switch. While it’s a very barebones sort of story with only basic elements, it’s still an example of what early steps and someone’s early, solo attempts can look like.

Nightdive Studios has dropped a first-look teaser to get you excited for System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition.

The studio has also confirmed that the game will now also be coming to current-gen consoles – so not PS4 or Xbox One – and feature reworked co-op.

"System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition was created with the goal of reverse engineering the original code to port SS2 to the KEX Engine and made available on next-generation consoles for the first time," explains the video's description.

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You have got to love a video game developer that gives players the option to play its games in both flatscreen and VR. It's an admirable design choice that I hope becomes way more commonplace and, despite the fact that Humanity's VR mode is little more than an optional novelty, its inclusion is still hugely appreciated by the VR community.

Now, if you've already read through Chris Donlan's wonderful review, you'll know that he was only able to test out the flat screen version of Humanity. The reverse is true for this week's VR Corner though (above). I haven't had a chance to try out pancake Humanity yet as I've been exclusively playing the VR mode on PSVR2 (Humanity can also be played in PC VR).

For those who aren't aware, Humanity puts you in the paws of a ghostly Shiba Inu dog who must guide an endless stream of humans from one side of a hazardous environment to the other. Presumably so that they can get raptured or something. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure, me and metaphors don't work well together.

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Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has confirmed that whilst "enthusiastic" about the emergence of AI technology, he doesn't think "advances in AI will make it easier to create hits".

The comments came during a recent Take-Two earnings call, in which Zelnick was asked how AI could impact Take-Two's game development.

"As you know I'm usually a sceptic when others engage in hyperbole, [but] in the case of AI I'm pretty enthusiastic," Zelnick told investors (thanks, PC Gamer).

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Elden Ring has won the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing.

Elden Ring beat off competition from Pentiment, Journeys through the Radiant Citadel, Stray, Vampire: The Masquerade – Sins of the Sires, and Horizon Forbidden West to secure the highly regarded accolade.

The Nebulas are awarded by the Science Fictions & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to celebrate the genre's best writing across a range of media, including short stories, novels, movies, video games, although the latter category was only introduced in 2018.

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Toho Animation uploaded a second trailer for Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. Like the previous one, as well as the key visuals for the second season, it focuses on the flashback arc for Gojo and Geto. You can also hear the new opening in this trailer. It also notes the Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 release date is July 6, 2023

Sakurai Takahiro narrates the season 2 trailer, showing that rumors about his departure from the show as a result of his infidelity scandal were false. Toji is also a prominent figure in the video, with some quick scenes of his fight against Gojo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6qVieflwqs

Takehito Koyasu will voice Toji. Some of his previous roles include Jade from Tales of the Abyss and DIO in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Anna Nagase will portray Riko. In the past, Nagase appeared as Ushio Kofune in Summer Time Rendering.

Kitani Tatsuya is the singer of the opening, which is titled “Blue House.” In his comment on the Jujutsu Kaisen website, Kitani indirectly states that the song is about Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo’s relationship. This friendship will be a key point in the flashback arc, since we will get to see what happens between them.

Like most healers and shielders in Genshin Impact, Baizhu scales off of his HP, which means that his Artifacts and weapons should improve on that. Even without improving on his Talents or having Constellations, he is a very good healer who can help to facilitate Dendro Elemental Reactions. While it’s totally possible to gear him up as a sub-DPS, his kit makes him more suited to act as a support healer.

Here are the Best Weapons Baizhu Can Use in Genshin Impact

Because Baizhu heals based on his Max HP, he can use any Catalyst that other healers such as Barbara or Kokomi can. His signature weapon, Jadefall’s Splendor, is his best weapon because its main stat is HP and it can restore Energy every time he uses his Burst. He doesn’t need to remain on-field for this either. Other weapons you can consider are:

Your wish has been granted. A Plague Tale: Requiem released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S in late 2022 - a true next generation project with a huge leap in visual quality over the original 2019 game. A game that pushed developer Asobo Studio's in-house engine with vastly higher quality materials, lighting, and scene detail - even boosting the number of rats from 5,000 to a tidal wave of 300,000. It remains a real showcase for newer consoles, but for many, the discourse online was side-tracked by the fact it ran at just 30 frames per second on PS5 and Series X. Or, at 40fps if you happened to run the game with a 120Hz display connected. Still, it's 30fps for a majority of people and crucially a step back from the original game's 60fps performance when played on these consoles.

Enter patch 1.5 then, and Asobo finally has a response. This new update adds a 60 frames per second performance mode, next to the existing 30fps resolution mode - and it genuinely works. At last, the game's action, its combat, the camera motion all flow at a silky smooth 60fps. In fact on both PS5 and Series X I've barely spotted a single drop underneath on this new performance mode. As an aside, Series S sadly receives no upgrade here whatsoever, and that version sticks to 30fps as usual. But there is a catch for the two premium consoles as well.

A screenshot and its filename has ignited rumours that Bloodborne: The Old Hunters Edition is fully playable on PC.

As spotted by dataminer Lance McDonald and shared on ResetEra, screenshots from a From Software environment artist have filenames hinting that they were taken from a native PC build of the game.

"I've just noticed something cool," McDonald said, referencing images uploaded to Bloodborne's Fandom wiki.

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NetEase revealed the six skins that will be available when the Angels of Death crossover event goes live in Identity V. Some of the skins will be available in the Essence (gacha). You will be able to get the Gray skin for free by completing quests though. As well, the Zack skin will be in the shop as a package.

The Angels of Death characters that will appear as skins in Identity V are:

• Cathy: Coordinator
• Danny: Professor
• Eddie: Axe Boy
• Gray: Lawyer
• Rachel: “Little Girl”
• Zack: The Ripper

[gallery columns="6" link="file" ids="964320,964318,964319,964321,964323,964322"]

This will be the first A-tier skin for the Professor character, who debuted as a Survivor version of Evil Reptilian in 2022. Of all these skins, only the Zack skin for Ripper is an S-tier. More details about whether or not they will have unique animations will come out in the future. For reference, Perfumer’s Mio Amakura skin gave her a unique Camera Obscura effect when she uses her Euphoria. That skin was from the Fatal Frame event, which NetEase initially announced along with the Angels of Death one.

Remember when we confirmed the devastating news that no, you cannot pet the dog in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Well, it seems like some pooch-loving players are determined to prove otherwise.

That's right. Despite there being no formal or programmed way to physically pet Link's canine companion, players have developed strange and wonderful ways to do it anyway.

Take QuillerKween. Taking "you cannot pet the dog in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" as a threat, they set out to show us that you can. Well. Kinda.

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Blizzard is celebrating one whole year of Diablo Immortal with a Diablo 4-themed crossover.

The Merciless Monstrosity event will roll out next months, June 2023, and ushers in new quests, cosmetics, and a completely new zone and class, too.

"The creation of Sanctuary by Inarius and Lilith is a storied tale; its impact can still be felt today," Blizzard teases. "The Merciless Monstrosity event, Children of Lilith Battle Pass, and Hatred’s Heritage Phantom Market will be experienceable expressions of Sanctuary’s matriarch. Your opportunity to let sin flow freely will arrive in early June."

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Enjoyment of a series can often depend on how successful an author is at getting you to connect with certain characters. In the case of Aka Akasaka’s manga, the stakes are high in the first volume because of how it portrays Ai Hoshino. Given the way the story goes and the parts her children Aqua and Ruby Hoshino will play over the rest of the series, it’s critical to establish why not only they love her, but we should too. It’s wonderful to see firsthand exactly how it accomplishes it.

Editor’s Note: There are Oshi no Ko volume 1 spoilers regarding Ai Hoshino below.

Before we even get to meet Ai Hoshino in Oshi no Ko volume 1, the manga kicks off by letting us see why others care so much about her. In the case of Sarina, we see the hope that she offers. Even though that young girl was sick, she was essentially able to live vicariously through the idol by watching her performances. With the doctor Gorou, there’s the initial connection due to his patient, but then we also see how he appreciates her talent.

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, better known as C2E2, was held a few weeks back and brought in nearly 100,000 attendees over its three days.

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A Highland Song is the new game from Inkle, the acclaimed storyteller responsible for Heaven's Vault, 80 Days, Overboard!, Pendragon and the Sorcery! adaptations. And for this adventure, the genre has changed again. It's still a narrative game at heart but it's wrapped in a platforming shell. You play a young lady called Moira who yearns to see the sea and so runs away from home and into - and over - the Scottish Highlands in pursuit of it. You control her running and jumping and climbing, and at points, do so in time to folk music that sporadically bursts from the game.

It's a game inspired by, I believe, the real-life walking adventures of Inkle co-founder Joseph Humfrey, who was once lost out in the Highlands. But it's also inspired by the many literary people who've tried to capture the magic of the Highlands, and of walking, over the course of many, many years. In this piece, Christian Donlan and I play the game and talk about our experiences of it.

A Highland Song is coming to PC and Nintendo Switch "soon" - presumably this year although that has not been confirmed.

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PlayStation head Jim Ryan believes Sony's current strategy of releasing games on PC several years after their console launch is working well, and fans find the extra wait for a PC port "acceptable".

Chatting to Famitsu (via IGN), Ryan said Sony understood "the importance of PS5 exclusive titles" such as last year's God of War Ragnarök, and as such dismissed the idea of launching games on PC at the same time as their console counterparts. "PlayStation Studios' main responsibility is to make games for the latest PlayStation hardware that players will enjoy," Ryan explained. He went on to state the company is increasing its PS5 exclusives and "staggering the release of the PC versions".

This comment from Ryan echoes those of PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst, who previously stated that the company's first-party releases will likely take "at least a year" to launch on PC, with the possible exception of live-service games.

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A new item duplication glitch has been discovered in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and it's pretty simple to pull off.

This is by no means the first duplication glitch found in the game - and Nintendo is yet to patch them out.

This new glitch, shared on reddit, allowed the poster to get 20 diamonds in under 30 seconds, so it's real game-breaking stuff.

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Nintendo's blockbuster fighting game franchise Super Smash Bros. isn't a good fit for online play, its creator Masahiro Sakurai has said.

Speaking in his latest YouTube video on game development, Sakurai discussed the addition of online play to the series in Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. In it, he lined out why he believed the series was better suited for local competition - for both philosophical and technical reasons.

Indeed, Sakurai addressed Nintendo's often shaky online servers, saying that "network lag tends to make the game a pretty choppy experience". Ultimately, though, it sounds like adding online play was something he had to do: "when it comes to technical issues, it doesn't really matter what I personally think," he said. "If my job is to do it, I'll do it."

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NetherRealm CCO Ed Boon has explained why the recently announced Mortal Kombat 1 has that name.

The most recent numbered game in the series was Mortal Kombat 11, so some fans are confused by the return to Mortal Kombat 1.

While this new game is a reboot of the series, it's not a remake of the 1992 original.

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Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S
Platform: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Thunderful
Developer: Wishfully
Release: May 23, 2023
Rating: Everyone 10+

Since the release of Limbo in 2010, cinematic puzzle platformers have relied on capturing players’ attention and imagination with beautiful art directions and compelling, often enigmatic storytelling. As typically brief experiences, the moment-to-moment puzzles must hit hard with clever, memorable obstacles and not meander by rehashing familiar mechanics too often. Planet of Lana almost hits this sweet spot by boasting a gorgeous presentation, but trekking through this strange world doesn’t always inspire the same awe.  

Planet of Lana has all the hallmarks of a story-rich platformer. Across its six-hour run time, you'll encounter a string of environmental puzzles, an evil plan concocted by a group of baddies, a rich orchestral soundtrack that swells at all the right moments, a cute animal companion, and a gorgeous world that needs saving.

On paper, it has everything you could possibly want from this kind of game, but in practice, it can also be Lana's undoing at times. It does everything well - admittedly some much better than others - but it feels like this sci-fi tale is missing something. That gut punch, that sigh of relief after a thrill, that unexpected surprise... You know, that extra edge to really make it sing. It’s still a very enjoyable adventure, but its lack of emotional highs means it doesn't linger long in the memory once you've seen the credits roll. Is that a roundabout way to say that Planet of Lana is a solid 7/10? Maybe, but we don't do that here.

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Add another one to the list of weird and delightful ways to play ye olde Doom: teletext. A new mod converts Doom to a teletext signal, letting you play the seminal shooter rendered in blocky teletext art on a telly. You can even control it with your TV remote. Have a look in the video below! I really, really like the smiley face replacing Doomguy's gurn.

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Information on the first major patch update 1.1 for Honkai Star Rail will appear on May 26, 2023. "Galactic Roaming" seems to be the title of the next patch. You can watch the stream from 7:30pm CST, which will be 4:30am PT/7:30am ET. It will be available on both YouTube and Twitch.

If the Honkai Star Rail special program follows the same pattern as Genshin Impact ones, then we will also receive gift codes. These will give rewards such as Stellar Jades. Aside from limited-time rewards, this event should tell us more about upcoming banners and events, as well as tease what’s coming next in the Honkai Star Rail storyline.

Lego's previously rumoured Pac-Man arcade machine model is the real deal.

Set to launch on 1st June for Lego VIP members, or 4th June for the rest of us, this new model will cost you a pretty penny. Its recommended retail price is £229.99, or $269.99 / €269.99 for those outside the UK.

The set is a collaboration between Bandai Namco and the Lego Group, released to celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Pac-Man. It features the upper half of a Pac-Man cabinet. Along with the cabinet half itself, which is interactive, there are also Lego models of Pac-Man and two of its ghosts - Blinky and Clyde, to be precise.

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There's plenty of iconic music in the Final Fantasy series, but perhaps no jingle is as memorable as the battle fanfare.

Its style - instrumentation, arrangement - differs across the series, reflecting the world and characters of each game.

In Final Fantasy 16, the battle fanfare has (for the first time outside Final Fantasy 14) lyrics and is sung by a choir. Not only are those lyrics in Ancient Greek, they're a major plot spoiler for the game.

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What is the essence of Final Fantasy? It's a question that has frequently come to mind during the preview period for Final Fantasy 16, due out next month.

While the game returns to a medieval setting and retains certain hallmarks of the series, it's also something of a departure with its action combat and streamlined modernisation. Some fans have lamented the lack of turn-based combat; others feel this game just isn't the Final Fantasy they know and love.

At a recent hands-on preview, I had the chance to interview producer Naoki Yoshida, art director Hiroshi Minagawa, and localisation director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, so I had to ask them this question.

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Alan Wake's voice actor has said we should expect to see Remedy's long-awaited sequel this October. Just in time for some Hallowe'en thrills, and perhaps even some spills.

Matthew Porretta, who also plays Control's Dr. Casper Darling, appeared on YouTube podcast Monsters, Madness, and Magic over the weekend. There, he casually revealed Alan Wake 2 is "supposed to come out in October".

"I've been working on it," Porretta said, when the topic turned to Remedy's nightmarish 'my manuscript has come to life and everything is trying to kill me' thriller sequel. "That's supposed to come out in October. We're in the middle of working on it now."

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Last week, Sony announced it'll be jumping the E3 season gun with a PlayStation Showcase this Wednesday.

With an hour of promised new games for PS5 and PSVR2, we'll hopefully get a good look at some new exciting stuff. So, what are you hoping will make an appearance?

I'll get the obvious answer out of the way. It's the year for Bloodborne to make a comeback - Bloodborne 2, Bloodborne on PC. It'll happen this time for sure. No, I'm definitely not in denial.

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All Elite Wrestling fans have anxiously awaited the company’s first video game AEW: Fight Forever, since its announcement in 2020. That wait finally comes to an end next month.

As announced by AEW star and executive VP Kenny Omega in the trailer below, Fight Forever is launching on June 29. Developed by the former long-time maker of WWE games Yuke’s and published by THQ Nordic, the game serves as a throwback to the ‘90s-era AKI-engine arcade-style games like WCW/nWo Revenge and WWF No Mercy (even enlisting the expertise of No Mercy director Hideyuki “Geta” Iwashita).

Fight Forever includes over 10 gameplay modes, including a Career Mode, online play, and a full customization suite that lets players create wrestlers, teams, move sets, entrances, and arenas. Match-types include: 

Platform: PlayStation 5
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release: June 22, 2023
Rating: Mature

I played Final Fantasy XVI during a recent preview event in February, but it was focused almost entirely on combat. I enjoyed the combat a lot – you can read my thoughts here – but my latest hands-on with the game happened during my cover story trip to Square Enix’s Tokyo, Japan, offices. I played a few hours of the game, which is what everyone who’s part of this latest wave of previews played, and that’s what I’ll be talking about here. 

GameStop’s customer loyalty program is getting a huge makeover in June, according to screenshots of internal corporate training materials shared with Kotaku. The existing PowerUp Rewards membership will see its name changed to GameStop Pro, with the price going up from $15 a year to $25 in exchange for bigger…

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