Destructoid

Welp, the mad people over at the Heroes of the Storm Reddit did it: they predicted the next character with blazing accuracy.

Although the recent unexplained bout of in-game snow could have been teasing any number of chilly heroes, Mei was the top guess, backed by the "same snowflake theory." That was all spot on, as Blizzard has confirmed to Destructoid that Mei is coming, and will be live on the PTR today in fact. Described as a "versatile warrior," she'll also be accompanied by a new Nexus Anomaly (read: temporary or long term rulesets that change the game) that involves weather alterations.

Each battleground has a temporary weather effect that can buff heroes, and given that her character is well-versed in climate changes, it makes a lot of sense. Nexomania, the wrestling-themed event that Heroes held in the past, is also making a return, with Mal’gaucho Mal’ganis at the helm.

The addition of Mei is a monumental event for Heroes. We haven't had a new hero reveal since October 2019, and we haven't had a new Warrior in a long, long while. This game is still very much alive, and if Blizzard can get more lapsed Overwatch fans to check it out, it'll be bumping for the rest of the summer. Mei will make her proper debut in the live version of Heroes on June 23.

You can find her full ability and talent rundown below!

This strange "non-E3" season is now fully underway, with heavy hitters such as PlayStation and the PC Gaming Show already resting up after a weekend of exciting news. There are still plenty of publishers waiting to bear all, however, and perhaps none more ferociously than the bad folk at Devolver Digital.

While the curator of the weird and wonderful is yet to announce a specific date for its annual presentation, a tweet posted yesterday suggests that the team is aiming to take to the digital stage mid-July, and is currently scurrying to complete production work on its latest nightmare fest. Devolver has won acclaim in recent years for its irreverent, batshit, and bloodstained E3 presentations, but it's understandable that 2020 has put significant hurdles in the way of many companies' plans.

But it's fine. The indomitable, nay, unstoppable Nina Struthers is always worth waiting for.

Devolver Direct conference being planned for mid-July [PC Gamer]

As far as I can remember (which is the alpha for Destiny 1), the Destiny series has had wonky PVP in some form or another.

Whether it's balance issues, a lack of variety or matchmaking woes, Destiny 2 continues that legacy; though Bungie is finally going to do something to fight back against the latter complaint. Taking to their blog recently, the Destiny 2 team explained that they altered the way Crucible (PVP) matchmaking works. From this day forth, "matchmaking based on player skill has been removed from all playlists except Elimination, Survival, and Survival: Freelance. Trials of Osiris will continue to be matched based on the number of wins on your Passage"

According to Bungie, these changes were requested from a large percentage of the community, and will end up shortening queue times, improving connection quality and make Crucible "more bombastic and frenetic." Reading between the lines: these changes were made to prevent queue times from getting out of control. Players used to joke that they could make lunch by the time matchmaking did its thing for each match, but based on my tests, Crucible queues are drastically reduced as of this past weekend.

Whether the lack of skill-based matchmaking will be healthy for the game long term is undecided (many players aren't happy with it and report strings of stomps or uneven losses). Either way, developers sometimes alter queue times when populations are low, and there aren't enough players of different skill levels on during the same times. At the very least, Elimination, Survival, Survival: Freelance and Trials of Osiris still use it if you want it.

This Week at Bungie [Bungie.net]

Over the many decades I've been playing video games, I've owned enough books on the subject to fill a small library. As years have passed and space became more limited, many of these tomes went the way of friends, eBay, and charity stores. But there's one book that I've never considered selling. One of my favourite video game book of all time. I'm talking about Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984.

Authored by American writer Van Burnham and published by MIT Press, Supercade is a glossy and stylish compendium of images from gaming's golden era. Formatted in a classy, museum-style layout, Supercade boasts over 400 pages of colourful and exciting images of screenshots, photographs, flyers, and more - all taken from an era where gaming exploded onto the scene and took the entire planet by storm - right before the crash came and ruined the party. It's a treasure trove of arcade history.

For years I've hoped that we'd see a sequel, focusing on the re-birth and boom that took place in the video game industry after said crash. And now, almost 20 years after Supercade was first published, Van Burnham is ready to pen such a sequel.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a Spider-Man sequel! No wait, it's a standalone spinoff thingie like those inFamous DLCs and Uncharted: Lost Legacy. It's a...oh I give up.

Whatever the case may be, artist BossLogic created their own take on the PS5 hardware. It not only morphs the white PS5 into a black design, but also "Spideys it up" with that iconic character logo on the side of the machine. BossLogic also topped things off with a sleek logo on the "DualSense" remote too: which I will never not call at DualShock 5 in real life.

If you're struggling to remember where you've heard the name BossLogic from lately, they were the artist responsible for the time-lapsed Assassin's Creed: Valhalla art reveal. As for this PS5, I would buy this bundle immediately.

BossLogic [Twitter]

Nightdive Studios has released an Alpha demo for its upcoming remake of sci-fi horror shooter System Shock. The demo is available to download now on PC via Steam and GOG.com.

The demo will give fans the chance to get their first look at the remake, as they pick their way through the dingy corridors of Citadel Station, a huge interstellar complex under the command of creepy rogue A.I. SHODAN. Fight off technologically advanced security bots and terrifying mutants on a mission to reach SHODAN and shut it down for good.

Last week, the existence of a new Star Wars game leaked via a listing from Xbox.com. Shortly following that snafu, EA came out and just confirmed its existence, teasing a full reveal stream for this morning. Well, that just happened!

Star Wars: Squadrons is indeed a thing, and will seemingly focus on moments involving both the Empire and the Rebel Alliance: "five pilots from the galaxy's finest" on either side, framed around 5v5 dogfights. EA says that the story will take place after Return of the Jedi during the decline of the Empire.

Naturally, because this is an EA game, there is cosmetic pre-order content involved (suits, ship skins and decals). VR support for the "entirety of the game" is confirmed for PC and PS4, with full cross-play (including VR). We'll get more gameplay during the EA Play event on June 18.

An October 2, 2020 release date for the PC, PS4 and Xbox One platforms is a go for Squadrons, and you can find a landing page for the game here. Several platforms do not have pricing info, but the Xbox One store confirms that a "pre-order edition" will be $39.99.

Believe it or not, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is back on top of the UK Charts. The 2017 Switch racer returned to the number one spot in a week that saw continued success for Nintendo, whose titles occupy over half of the current Top Ten.

Following Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is fitness software Ring Fit Adventure at number two, with social sim Animal Crossing: New Horizons still enjoying comfortable sales at number five. The Switch edition of Minecraft returns to the upper echelon at number seven, with Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics nestled at number nine and Luigi's Mansion 3 rounding out the Top Ten.

If you've been part of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons community for a bit, you've probably heard of the real-money transaction (RMT) ring that is currently running rampant.

In short, if people want a certain villager, sellers offer the ability to either buy them with in-game money (either millions of bells or Nook Miles Tickets) or real-life money. The median price range is $10 (these are sold listings by the way), but popular villages like Raymond (in the center, above) can go for as much as $25 or more in package deals. It's a practice that's been going on since launch, but only just now is Nintendo going to actually start looking into it.

Speaking to J-Cast, Nintendo explains that selling content for real life monetary gain is a violation of their terms of service, and they will take action accordingly if they see it happening. Nintendo isn't threatening legal action here, to be clear: it seems like they're just going to be banning or suspending accounts for now (both buyers and sellers are mentioned specifically).

How they'll actually enforce this is anyone's guess, but Nintendo re-iterates that it will be on a case-by-case basis at the very least. Good luck!

Animal Crossing [J-Cast via Nintendo Everything]

In a surprise drop, Humble Games' award-winning One Step From Eden is now available to purchase on PS4. Having previously found fame on PC and Nintendo Switch earlier this year, the deck-building roguelike is now available to download on the PlayStation Network, priced around $20.

Picking from a selection of attractive and colourful characters, One Step From Eden tasks players with leading their chosen charge to the titular promised land, (although in this case "Eden" represents futuristic salvation for a post-apocalyptic world, rather than Adam and Eve's famed sanctuary).

Build a deck of powerful spells, tools, and attacks while battling it out with a host of opponents and boss characters in strategic, grid-based warfare. Master the art of movement, upgrade and enhance your abilities, and be prepared to adapt your battle plan at the blink of an eye if your character is to see victory. Anyone familiar with Capcom's Mega Man Battle Network series should feel right at home.

[Update: Bandai Namco has announced that Jump Force Deluxe Edition for Switch will launch in North America on August 28.]

Bandai Namco has announced its anime crossover fighter Jump Force is finally coming to Nintendo Switch this summer. Jump Force Deluxe Edition will launch in Japan on August 27, while the European release date is set for August 28. No doubt North America will receive the re-release within a similar time frame.

Jump Force Deluxe Edition will contain the base game, all updates, and all nine DLC characters from the fighter's first Character Pass. The Switch edition will offer online communication battles for two players, and also support offline battles for a whopping six players on one console.

Jump Force Deluxe Edition launches on Nintendo Switch in Japan August 27 and in Europe on August 28. Pre-order customers will bag themselves some exclusive avatar items for use in the game's lobby. You can check out all of the cool bonus characters and new features in the trailer below.

A few weeks ago we checked in on the new story mode in Apex Legends Season 5, the "Broken Ghost." And the verdict there could be distilled to "neat, but shallow." Still, the model appears to be working well for Respawn, as it has reported its best player retention rate yet for the battle royale. Requiring players to log in and play on at least five separate days (or pay extra) in order to keep up with the weekly episodic narrative has had its intended effect. I can personally attest: it has changed my habit to a nightly jaunt into King's Canyon where it was previously just a weekend binge.

And for what it's worth, the story missions have gotten better over time. After completing the first one, it felt like a proper introductory mission, laying out the structure and keeping it fairly easy without throwing in too many twists. And I could imagine each episode being roughly the same, just with the difficulty tweaked upward once players had a handle on it. Thankfully, it has exceeded those expectations, if only by a bit.

KFC is no stranger to dumb gaming stunts. Hell, I'm no stranger to reporting about their dumb gaming stunts. I consider this my personal editorial beat.

Fresh off the heels of a render-heavy Xbox Series X event and a despicably Silent Hills-less PlayStation 5 reveal, KFC has thrown their hat into the ring with the KFConsole. Yes, the KFConsole.

Summer in Mara captured my imagination right away with its promise of farming, crafting, and island hopping in a tropical archipelago setting. Talk about a fun idea for a game. Its alien-looking inhabitants caught my eye, as did its kid-hero protagonist. Their illustrated portraits are downright gorgeous.

I think a lot of us are in a frayed state of mind right now. We're seeking games that can let us unwind and give our worried brains a rest, if only for an afternoon. Summer in Mara is that kind of chill game.

You can pet the dogs. You can feed the pigs. The wholesome vibes run deep.

Despite a feeling that EVO Online isn't quite the real EVO, having a game featured as an official headlining title will do wonders for its visibility. And with the tournament being free-to-enter and no travel expenses to worry about, the only cost to joining EVO this year, even in virtual form, is the cost of the game itself.

Potential champions can enter open tournaments for Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath,  Killer Instinct, Skullgirls, and Them's Fighting Herds. These are four titles that were not part of the original EVO 2020 lineup. The former EVO headliners are now exhibition matches, except for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Of the four headliners, two are older and established games, with dedicated player bases who never left when the spotlight on them moved on. The other two are newer releases, though Mortal Kombat is a storied series. Them's Fighting Herds is the freshest face of the four, coming from developer Mane6 after a rollercoaster ride starting life as My Little Pony: Fighting is Magic, to a cease and desist from Hasbro, to collaborating officially with Lauren Faust to become its own original property.

I've been counting the days until Beyond Blue's PC and console release since it showed up on Apple Arcade back in April. This soothing, somber, immersive oceanic adventure game just seemed like something I'd want to experience on a larger screen, you know? I'm glad I held off for the PC version.

It's not the absolute best the genre has ever seen – Endless Ocean and Subnautica still top that list for me – but there's a lot of merit to its education-focused approach, and the swimming is gratifying.

E-Line Media collaborated with BBC Studios, Blue Planet II, and OceanX, so not only will you get to go on chill dives, you'll also have a chance to watch documentary footage and interviews with scientists and activists that reflect what you've been up to in the game. Our boy James Cameron even shows up!

Although it was only given a scant 30-second window during yesterday's PC Gaming Show, ColePowered Games' Shadows of Doubt was one of the more interesting titles to be showcased in the two hour-plus live stream and as such bears closer inspection.

Shadows of Doubt is a neo-noir mystery game set within a highly-industrialised 1980s, where information is currency and a solid living can be made doing some serious snooping. Players will take up the role of such a snooper and will be offered full freedom to explore a huge, living city. Explore hotels, bars, apartments, casinos and more while gathering evidence and solving cases. But beware, with a serial killer on the loose, you might find yourself making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Command & Conquer represents a watershed moment in the strategy genre. There had been titles of its kind before, but Westwood Studios' military base-builder was, undeniably, a key moment in opening the niche genre up to a more mainstream audience. Thus, for many, Command & Conquer was the first strategy game they had ever played.

Originally, C&C was an alternate take on Westwood's previous release, Dune II, having repurposed many gameplay elements and mechanics from the 1992 DOS classic. But in the ensuing decades, C&C has written its own legend, thanks in no small part to its fast-paced gameplay, tongue-in-cheek FMV sequences, hard rockin' soundtrack, and ready availability on consoles, a market often shied by the majority of map-based strategy titles.

Swiftly learning that fantasy was key to inviting in a wider audience, C&C gradually shifted from standard "grunts 'n' tanks" action to scenes of warfare that included missile-firing dolphins, psychic schoolgirls, screaming mechanical spiders, and Jenny McCarthy as a top-tier Black Ops commando. It's C&C's universe now, we're all just living it.

But today we return to a quainter time – when the series was still finding its footing – courtesy of the recently released Command & Conquer Remastered Edition. This double pack features fresh takes on the series' first two entries: Command & Conquer (1995) and Command & Conquer Red Alert (1996). Let's find out if these classics still deserve the Nod of approval.

Bandai Namco has released the first DLC fighter for its anime adaptation My Hero One's Justice 2. Pro Class hero Hawks is now available to download in-game for the slim price of around $4 or comes included as part of the game's season pass.

At 23 years of age, Keigo Takami is one of the more mature members of the My Hero Academia roster. This seniority, combined with his handsome visage and skill in combat, makes Hawks a supremely confident - even arrogant - hero. But despite his brash personality, Hawks is expertly capable of handling himself and his fellow team-members in battle, very much a man to have on your side when the odds are against you.

Draw Distance has revealed a sequel to its 2017 murder-and-mop-'em-up Serial Cleaner. The naturally titled Serial Cleaners was revealed during yesterday's Future Games Show and is set push your viscera-wiping abilities to the limit.

Moving on a couple of decades from the original game, Serial Cleaners is set at the tail end of the 1990s, right on the cusp of the new millennium and all of its exciting promise (Yeah, I got some bad news for y'all). Once again players will be tasked with sneaking around brutal claret-covered crime scenes, removing as much evidence as possible with the aid of a squeegee and a few bottles of Dettol.

You ever have a cherished old game right on the tip of your tongue? As a '90s PC kid I got a million of 'em. Thankfully, my memories are often so vivid, that I can remember where I was when I played them, as well as details like the box (usually borrowed jewel case) art.

Urban Assault, a 1998 FPS/RTS hybrid, is one of those games that I bring up often; but no one has ever really seemed to share my passion for it. It was there that my fascination with the overlapping genres began, which had a handful of dalliances over the past few decades.

Disintegration is another brave soul that attempts to meld the two genres, but like its predecessors, it ends up juggling too much.

Cblogs Recap: Week 24

-Lord Spencer reviews Disruptor as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.

-Lord Spencer reviews Gex: Enter the Gecko as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.

-Black Red Gaming sheds a light on the release of Gunfire Reborn and the development of the System Shock remake.

-Blanchimont reviews Phantasy Star Online 2 on the PC.

-Rabite ranks a selection of portable systems.

-Kerrik52 reviews Tales of Xillia as part of his Traveler in Playtime blogging series.

-Sam van der Meer talks about Killer7 in its 15th anniversary.

-Boxman214 predicts what would have been revealed in this year's E3.

-Nior continues his retrospective on the Command & Conquer series by focusing on the unfortunate death of the franchise. Is this the end for the famous RTS series?

-Black Red Gaming predicts what would have been the big reveal in this year's E3.

The PlayStation 5 has revealed itself, and I'm just wishing it didn't pop the collar while wearing all white before doing so. Terrifying aesthetics and mental imagery aside, we also got to see a ton of games! From surprises and obvious sequels to even dinosaurs in high school.

Truly, the future of gaming is bright and still manages to include Grand Theft Auto V in the UK sales charts for years to come. So, sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds (in 4K no less) of Justin and myself recapping the event itself and what we think so far!

Well this was completely unexpected, even for us: and we knew about this announcement ahead of time!

Atlus has revealed that Persona 4 Golden will arrive on PC via Steam today: something they've been able to somehow keep under wraps in this age of leaks. We've played it, so read on for impressions.

But before we get to that, I just have to say it: another Vita exclusive bites the dust!

There's something so weird about seeing a lot of these events on-stage for so many years, then shifting to perfectly planned out digital streams. It's jarring, because they are inherently less jarring. I'll explain.

Watching the game-by-game reveal session from Sony recently for the PS5 event was strange, because it wasn't constantly cutting back to awkward live camera angles and cringeworthy presentations filled to the brim with weird jokes. Remember when Sony teased Last of Us Part II once with a venue change from a tent to the theater? E3 is wild sometimes.

But today we didn't get to see off-the-cuff odd chiding from PC Gaming Show host Day9. Instead, it was a much more chill, highly produced video with a robot sidekick shtick. It was kind of nice in theory, even if a ton of the game reveals were old hat.

Once again pacing was a weird problem for the show, as it would spend an inordinate amount of time on games that were previously announced (with no new info to boot), then zip by (or not show) some of the more interesting projects. Mistakes happen, but two hours and change is a lot to ask for a random non-E3 Saturday.

There's nothing to really judge it against since the 2020 June landscape is so weird, but I dug the effort at the very least when it came to the presentation: I'll take another buddy-robot skit and green screens over a stage show in 2021. Props to PC Gaming Show for at least pivoting into this format amid all of the chaos.

Either way, we watched it so you didn't have to. Here's a full recap of all of the major PC Gaming Show happenings!

Right at the tail-end of today's PC Gaming Show, retro enthusiasts New Blood Interactive presented a trailer for its grim and gothic FPS title Gloomwood.

As you can tell from the video below, Gloomwood is a grim-looking Victorian adventure which almost immediately recalls the aesthetic of Looking Glass Studios' Thief series from the late '90s, complete with rooftop prowling, stealth action, doorway-peeking, and fierce hand-to-hand combat.

Unlike Thief, however, Gloomwood is also packing heat, and we get to see our protagonist popping lead at some gruesome-looking assailants with a variety of old-school firearms. With this arsenal of weapons, some smart stealth tactics, and the alternate routes and hidden passages strewn around the city, Gloomwood looks to be a surefire hit with anyone who holds a candle for the FPS genre's pioneering titles.

Gloomwood is coming soon to PC. You can check out a demo now on Steam.

The Outlast Trials is going to be very scary, that much is a given. But, maybe it'll also be very wince-inducing, the kind where you tense up your whole body and then realize your jaw is clenched way too tight.

We don't know a ton about The Outlast Trials apart from its December 2019 reveal. Here's what we know: It has optional four-player co-op, it's set during the Cold War, and it's not a VR game. That last bulletpoint might be tough to grapple with because the trailer makes it seem like a VR headset is put on the escaping protagonist. Nope, normal video game!

Anyway, Red Barrels knows how to make horror games and this seems like no deviation from that. The Outlast Trials is expected in 2021. We don't know anything about platforms apart from PC.

Surgeon Simulator 2 is coming to the Epic Games Store in August 2020. You can pre-order the game now in order to receive access to the closed beta. Also announced today was the inclusion of a new creation lab which will allow users to create their own medical situations that you can attend to with all the fragility that a hacksaw can afford.

By name alone, Metal: Hellsinger is not a game I have any interest in. I'm not a fan of heavy metal music -- despite the efforts of one community moderator -- because I generally don't enjoy an album that's 50 minutes of people screaming into a microphone. However, if there is one place the music does speak to me, it's in my demonic first-person shooters. Doom is a great vessel for metal music, but Hellsinger looks to take it even further by tying its shooting mechanics to the music itself.

During the PC Gaming Show 2020, we got a look at how it will play from "pre-pre alpha" footage and I have to say, I'm ready to grow my hair out and start dressing exclusively in black. 

When will Escape from Tarkov come out? Probably never, if they can keep hyping the game up on Twitch.

Today during the PC Gaming Show the game's developer Battlestate Games popped in to let people know that they still intend on making money on the survival-heavy shooter, and will implement a 12.7 "technical-centric" patch soon.

More importantly, the game is getting its "biggest and most detailed map" soon, which you can check out below. The aim is to make it look like a dilapidated and kind of creepy apartment complex: so mission accomplished there. Given that it looks way better than the current in-game arenas, I might actually hop back in once it hits.

Curious what Amazon's video game development arm has been up to all these years? Plunk down some cash if you wanna find out first-hand.

Amazon's New World is getting a closed beta that starts on July 23 ahead of its August 25 launch. There's only one way to get in: Pre-order the game. It's a $40 purchase. Here's the Steam page.

There's some lukewarm buzz around Amazon's action RPG MMO. Some people think that the combat feels good. There's some excitement around the territory control systems and the big-scale battles. New World probably won't suck.

But, it also kind of feels like the beta needs to sell people on the game. Instead, the idea of the game has to sell people on New World so that they can check out the beta. That's probably backward for a new MMO that needs to convince people why it's worth a $40 price tag.

DontNod is still beavering away at its split-personality murder mystery Twin Mirror. The developer released an intriguing new story trailer during today's PC Gaming Show.

As a quick refresher, Twin Mirror follow the adventures of an investigative journalist, Sam, who returns to his woody home town for some R 'n' R, but unfortunately finds himself waking up in bloodied clothes, and with the cops on his case. Yep, it's that chestnut again and in a "Twin Peaks" setting to boot!

Determined to get to the bottom of this amnesiac mystery, Sam explores his old hometown, meeting with the locals, asking questions, and collecting clues. Not alone on his adventure, Sam will be helped - or is that hindered? - by The Double, essentially a far more prickish version of himself, who awaits within a dimension buried deep within Sam's psyche: The Mind Palace.

You can check out the new trailer below. Twin Mirror is coming to PS4, PC, and Xbox One "soon". Originally planned to be an episodic title, it now appears it will be a singular release.

We're just a few week away from the North American release of Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town. The game, a remake of the Game Boy Advance original, has been announced for Nintendo Switch for quite some time. But during the PC Gaming Show, publisher Xseed revealed it's also getting a release on Steam the very same day as its Switch debut.

Friends of Mineral Town originally released back in 2003 and is one of the more celebrated entries in the franchise. This remake will include updated graphics, same-sex relationships, and a completely new translation.

Think you could walk a kilometer in Pablo Escobar's shoes? Do you have what it takes to bump other kingpins off their coca-leaf-lined perch? Step up and take on the stress of running an empire.

TinyBuild's newest game is the Moon Moose-developed Cartel Tycoon, a management sim for entrepreneurial drug trade. This strategy game is set in Colombia in the 80, and has players handling all the logistics of running a coke and weed empire. Farming, production lines, smuggling, selling, money laundering -- it's all the day-to-day that you have to manage. Oh, and then rival cartels try to murder you.

For those who have paid attention to other fictional drug yarns, Cartel Tycoon seemingly pays homage to Breaking Bad by saying it enables "[establishing] ... legal goods like chicken, spices, and vegetables to hide narcotics for smuggling." The truck better say Pollos Hermanos.

Cartel Tycoon starts slinging in Quarter 4 on PC. You can get a taste today though with a free demo that's on Steam. The first hit's always free.

This past March Shadow Man: Remastered was announced, which takes the original Acclaim classic from 1999 and brings it into a new era.

But back then we were merely greeted with a static image that it existed: that changes today. Revealed through this year's PC Gaming Show, we now have our first good look at the remaster by way of a roughly two minute trailer.

It sure looks like Shadow Man to me! It doesn't look like it's going to get a massive upgrade on paper, but Night Dive Studios promises 4K visuals and the inclusion of content that was not included in the original.

As a lover of strategy games, you can rest assured that I love economic games like Recettear and Moonlighter. So when I saw Potionomics was another game in the still new-enough-to-be-unique item shop owner RPG genre, it had me at first glance.

You play as Sylvia, a witch that needs to pay off her debtors and the only way to do it without resorting to turning people into frogs for ransom money is to sell potions to adventurers going on quests. Looking to combine economic management with visual novel elements, Potionomics also has a glut of charm and cute character designs.

Potionomics has no release window as of yet, but is confirmed to be releasing for PC only at this point.

Are you still playing Dauntless? I remember months ago when that game was everywhere. The Monster Hunter-killer they called it. If you've fallen off it in recent weeks, the Call of the Void update seen above is a good reason to jump back on.

Not only can you experience the new content of the update, but you can also grab yourself some free stuff. Use the code "PCGamingShow2020" to grab some exclusive items. Dauntless is now available for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, with a mobile release still to come.

[Update: You can find an updated version of the trailer below from the PC Gaming Show, as well as an extended gameplay section featuring boss battle footage.]

Well, RIP to that ambitious endeavor. It may or may not be impossible to get through a whole post about Mortal Shell without once bringing up Dark Souls. I wouldn't know because I blew it in the headline.

As part of this afternoon's IGN Summer of Gaming stream, developer Cold Symmetry gave us another look at Mortal Shell. Jordan first wrote about it in April when he noted that Mortal Shell makes a great first impression, especially as we patiently wait for From Software's Elden Ring. As someone on ResetEra says, it looks like "the Dark Souls of Dark Souls." That's a perfect description considering Souls games are so highly-regarded and influential that we just spent a decade bending over backward to compare them to any action RPG or difficult game.

As for the RIP in the first sentence, well, that plays a big role in Mortal Shell too. The hook here is that you're "an empty vessel" and you possess dead warriors while assuming their combat capabilities. That's one way of suddenly becoming much much stronger. If you can't beat them, possess them.

As the Mafia remake barrels toward its August 28 launch, developer Hangar 13 is giving us more information about this project.

During this afternoon's PC Gaming Show, we got a new narrative trailer for Mafia, which first released in 2002. There was also an interview with the Hangar 13 CEO who gave some new details about the scope of this remake. Every cinematic was reshot, all the assets were remade, all gameplay was completely redone. However, all the story beats are the same. In other words, it's a proper remake.

If you want all the nitty gritty on Mafia, watch the full interview below:

During today's PC Gaming Show presentation, developers Cyanide and Leikir Studios revealed a very early build of its new roguelike Rogue Lords, which mixes a narrative adventure with turn-based combat, all dressed in Tim Burton-esque gothic horror.

Taking the role of the Devil himself, players will recruit disciples - each equipped with unique abilities and attacks - then utilise these powers to wreak havoc on your enemies and all those foolish enough to oppose you. Of course, being the fella from Down Below, the devil has some special skills to help turn battles in his favour, including messing with the battle mechanics themselves. Naughty.

Rogue Lords is currently in development for a 2021 PC release.