Category: Video Gaming

Any thought that Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney might quit while he was ahead in his long-running disputes with Apple and Google went out the window earlier this week when Epic sued Google, again, and took a swing (figuratively, of course) at Samsung for good measure. Reinforcing that point, Sweeney said at the Unreal Fest in Seattle yesterday that he has no intention of easing up until Epic has claimed a clear-cut victory against everyone. 

It’s been four years since Epic first picked a fight with Apple over alleged “anti-competitive restraints and monopolistic practices,” after which it quickly followed up with similar action against Google. Subsequent years of legal wrangling have seen some unexpected wins for Epic: A jury sided with Epic over Google in 2023, finding that Google “wilfully acquired or maintained monopoly power by engaging in anticompetitive conduct,” while new regulations in the European Union requires Apple to allow third-party marketplaces on iOS devices.

Warning: Spoilers for the main quest of Starfield’s Shattered Space DLC lie ahead.

STOP. Can you NOT touch things in here and maybe just THINK about p**sing off? They keep telling me this, in pretty huffy tones, their spooky ghost people faces made of slightly wiggly light scrunching up into cyber-frowns.

It’s not enough. I hunger to wander into the places. I yearn to touch the things. This is what I am, it’s all I can ever be, and my curse is that nothing can stop me in my being this way.

I am the stuff interacter, and I am doomed to fondle the universe’s inanimate objects, relentlessly and forever.

I’m not sure if they get it. I’m not sure if I get it, to be honest. But, as I pull out my gun again, after asking them if I can just have the thing, I’m starting to think that this might be the closest we’ve come.

I kill them over again. I move on, because there are things to be touched, but not felt. This time, in Starfield, on the far flung planet of Va’ruun’kai which houses the Shattered Space DLC that I’m working my way through, the thing to be touched is a thingamajig. The entities trapped in here with me, the great and terrifying interacter, don’t want me to touch it, to take it into my possession, to continue building the world’s most depressing Katamari and rolling it about a bleak galaxy.

I have to touch it. Sadly, that is how these things work, and it feels like Bethesda might finally have realised that, and started to play with it in an interesting manner here. It’s probably not the first time it’s happened, during this quest, but in my return to a game I once roleplayed as Santa in, for some reason it sticks out more than usual.

Starfield is a game about hoarding. That’s nothing new. We’ve all hoarded things in it and previous Bethesda games, and the litany of other titles guilty of giving you an imaginary – or literal – backpack and allowing you to pick up stuff to fill it with. Useful stuff, useless stuff, it all goes in the bag and gets carried about, just in case you need it. We all rightly laugh about it, giggling as we realise ‘oops, I’m over encumbered again’, and we’re right to, because it can’t be helped.

There are other things going on too, both in Shattered Space and in the base game. Lots of other things, designed to suit whatever you might want to do, but rarely given much depth, or exploration of the meatier human elements behind them. That’s the thing though, none of that’s the point. It never has been. Starfield, rather than being a game that doesn’t know what to say, that doesn’t know what tale it wants to tell, has been busy telling an anti-tale.

It lets you, the player, do things, because things must be done. It doesn’t judge you any more than it has to. It’s got to try, just to maintain the illusion a bit. But it can’t get quite as far as setting things up in a way that’ll make you properly care about a lot of the stuff that’s going on, aside from the occasional bit of marvelling at a detail that its developers have clearly put a lot of research into. It knows you’re just doing what you’ve got to do. A lot of the time, it’s a video game about the act of playing a video game.

This Shattered Space quest, Exhuming The Past, a simple mission about going to a dam and retrieving a science thing because you’ve been told it might be useful to the putting together of a pile of stuff that’ll allow you to get into a currently magic barrier sealed-fortress that’ll assuredly contain more stuff, is the point. There’s some story going on, about a guy who’s voice you can hear. He’s been trying to talk to a giant snake. It’s an inherently interesting concept, but I’m still struggling a bit to feel like it’s properly hooking me in as much and as easily as it should.

As you move through the dungeon, there’s a bit of light hazard negotiation as you figure out how to make your way past floors flooded with acidic water. As you progress, and get closer to the thingamajig, the ghosts – a few House Va’ruuners who’ve been turned into spectral energy guards for the place by experiments that happened there – keep stopping you and telling you to stop being in their place, touching their place’s things.

Every time, there’s one more to deal with, as things gradually escalate. They really don’t want you to touch this thing. But you have to. Eventually, you do. You touch their thing. As it turns out, there’s another thing to touch, if you feel like it. One of them tells you that if you touch it, some bad stuff might happen to some farmers. If you’re anything like me, you touch it anyway, just to see what that stuff might be. It kills the ghosts. Their corpses flop into being on the floor in front of you, like discarded action figures.

There’s some fairly decent loot on them.

Then, you leave. On the way to deliver the thingamajig to the entity that dispatched you to investigate the dam and see if there were any useful thingamajigs – or thingamajigs with useful info about thingamajigs – there, if you’ve picked the choice I have, you’ll be given the option the check on the nearby farm. One of the farmers there will tell you they’re not very happy because their town’s now flooded, thanks to you.

It’s one short conversation, and it doesn’t exactly do much to emphasise why what you’ve done is so catastrophic. Actually going there at all is an optional objective. Then, you head back to the main city, and go on with finding more things to touch. Admittedly, I’ve not quite gotten to the end of Shattered Space as I write this, so there’s a chance someone might pull me up on it further on in the main quest. I really hope they will.

Rest assured, I’ll let you know if that happens, but regardless, I think Exhuming The Past is my favourite quest of the DLC so far. Whether accidentally or on purpose, it’s a fun bit of commentary on what so much of Starfield feels like, outside of those brief moments when everything sings and meaning doesn’t feel a bit lost in the game’s struggle to feel like it’s offering an experience that accomplishes the tough task of properly capturing something tangible and human.

It’s a game about doing things, as all of them are. And it’s nice when stuff like your weird ghost parents are telling you to keep your grubby space toddler hands to yourself in this shop they’ve ended up in is there to bring that to life a bit.

Undisputed launches October 11 on PS5, and has been in development for nearly five years, starting as the humble Esports Boxing Club and then evolving into the first major boxing game in over a decade. With over 70 of the most prestigious prizefighters on the roster, including Canelo Álvarez, Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Roy Jones Jr. and Joe Frazier, it was our priority to make sure that they not only looked amazing, but that they moved in their own, unique, signature ways too.

From scan to sculpt

How do you get the longest reigning super middleweight world champion, Joe Calzaghe, to look as authentic and life-like as possible? It all starts with the scanning process. We work with a variety of scanning studios all over the world to create the most accurate reference images for us to work from. The Steel City Interactive art team then use this to sculpt the in-game models, recreating every muscle, vein, hair, and bead of sweat.

For our boxing legends, we also have a de-aging process. Players want to experience these fighters in their prime, so we try to recreate exactly what they looked like at that time.

“One of the most challenging parts of bringing characters from the past to life is the de-aging process. Lots of things usually change with age: eye shape, lip volume, cheekbones, body fat, even ear size, but my aim is to get them back to their fighting shape, recreating the look of their greatest fights. First, I collect a lot of references from every possible angle to have an overview of what I want to achieve. Then, I check the model to understand what to keep and what to change according to the pictures and footage. I then work on the tone and symmetry, removing some fat, wrinkles, and imperfections from the body and face. After this, I sculpt the main muscles and tweak the facial features. Eventually I get to a point where the boxer is recognizable both from a distance and up close. When I’m happy with the result, I proceed to fix the textures as well.”

– Francesco Primiceri, 3D character artist at Steel City Interactiver

Motion capture

We also try to get as many fighters as possible into our motion capture suits, so we can record their unique footwork, punches, slips, dodges – and even taunts! When you play as Oleksandr Usyk, we want it to feel like you are Oleksandr Usyk, so our art and animation teams spend days processing the output from the motion capture and then applying that to our detailed character models.

British and Commonwealth Super-Lightweight Champion, Dalton Smith, was one of the fighters we worked closely with to capture his boxing style. He also helped mimic some of the fighters who are no longer with us, studying their movements then performing them so we can immortalize them in Undisputed.

“I am used to boxing in the ring or the gym, but throwing punches in a motion capture suit is a whole different ball game. I got suited up and spent a few days working with the team at Steel City Interactive to capture not only my own personal in-ring moves, but those of some of the old school boxers as well. You don’t realise how intense and detailed the process is until you’re throwing the same punches and performing the same blocks over and over again until it’s captured from every angle. Seeing the results in-game is incredible – my avatar really does look like me.”

– Dalton Smith, British and Commonwealth Super-Lightweight Champion

Styles (and stats) make fights

There’s a saying in boxing that ‘styles make fights’ and we think it’s really important that those styles are backed up with real life statistics too. There’s no point in having the undefeated legend of boxing, Rocky Marciano, in the game if we don’t also give him the punching power and stamina he was known for.

That’s why we work with CompuBox to define each fighter’s ratings, statistics and behaviours. When you’re playing as a boxer with a fantastic knockout ratio, like Deontay Wilder, his ability to land KO’s in the game is boosted. And this works the same for the AI version of them too; each fighter has their own skills and abilities – taken from their real-life fight records – that will change the outcome of the fight in a meaningful way. It’s your job to figure out how to counter that!

Rule the ring

Undisputed has the most expansive and authentic licensed fighter roster of any boxing game yet, and we’re excited for you to experience that.

You can pick up the Undisputed Deluxe WBC Edition on October 8 on PS5 and play three days early. Undisputed Standard Edition launches on October 11 on PS5.

Look. Having basically sold both of my best standing legs to buy more Kingdom Death Monster expansions, I can’t bemoan anyone spending silly amounts of money on whatever plastic tat makes them happy. But I love Baldur’s Gate 3, and it makes me sad to see all the wonderful art, writing, and acting that went into its characters reduced to $6 miniatures that look like their limbs would melt if I rubbed them between my thumb and forefinger.

As spotted by PC Gamer, WizKids have recently opened pre-orders for a set of greasy pre-painted fetishes based on Larian’s RPG. WizKids, of course, being the maker of supermarket-discount-aisle-ass toys but, ah, they’ve got a base on them so we can pretend they’re proper models and charge you accordingly. Moaning about toys now, are we Nic? Is this what the profession has been reduced to? And to that I say: videogames are toys anyway, they’re just slightly better at hiding it. Also, several of them are worth owning.

Look how they plas-acred my boy:

Okay, sure. The sculpts aren’t totally terrible in terms of silhouettes and detail, but at $25 for four randomised figures, I expect something a bit more, uh, good. Astarion above is from the bigger box set, which features all six origin characters, plus withers, for $50, or about £38. You’d have to go to a third party retailer, admittedly, but you could buy an entire 40K Kill Team for that. Don’t like Warhammer? Fine. You know who’d look much, much better on your D&D table, and also comes with four miniatures for about the same price? This guy:

This is Boris The Bunny Summoner from Moonstone, and he is but one of many beautiful miniatures they sell. Don’t like Boris? That’s fine. For the same price, you could get six halfling shieldmaidens riding walruses from TT COMBAT. You cannot tell me this wouldn’t be a more fun dungeon encounter than Karlach’s evil, waxy twin busting through a wall.

Okay, one more. Check out this Owlbear from Zealot Miniatures.

Now look at this actual bear from Wizkids:

Yes, yes. Paint and glue. I know. Point still stands. This bear looks like it came from a bucket on the counter of a museum gift shop. If anyone from WizKids reads this then… 1. It’s satire. I’m writing about your stupid, defective products satirically, and 2. Do NOT send me any bears to try and prove their worth. I know where they’ve been.

If you thought it was too early for this game to go on sale, guess again. Woot! (owned by Amazon) is offering The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for Nintendo Switch for only $51.99. This is a good deal only if you’re an Amazon Prime member because you get free shipping. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay an additional $6 for shipping, which makes it just a few dollars cheaper than buying it elsewhere.

This is a physical copy and includes a 90-day Woot! warranty. Woot! mentions that copies may or may not be imported, but all Nintendo Switch games are region-free so you’ll be able to play the game regardless. Also, you won’t have to worry about language either, since that setting is determined by your Switch console.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Nintendo’s holiday console bundles for 2024 are now available at Walmart, Target, and other major retailers. You have two choices (so far), both of which include Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a Switch Online membership. For the first time, the familiar Mario Kart bundle can be purchased with the Nintendo Switch OLED for $349. The regular Switch bundle, which has been offered each holiday for a few years now, is once again going for $299.

Amazon doesn’t have the 2024 Switch holiday bundles yet, but considering the retailer isn’t carrying new Nintendo game releases, we would be a bit surprised if Amazon gets these value bundles. That said, you can purchase the Mario Red Switch OLED for $55 off at Amazon. This drops the price of one of last year’s holiday consoles to $295. You can make your own bundle for $345 by pairing it with this discounted physical version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The only thing that’s missing is the Switch Online membership.

$349

The Nintendo Switch OLED Mario Kart bundle comes with the console with white Joy-Cons and matching white docking station, 12 months of Switch Online, and a voucher to claim Mario Kart 8 Deluxe from the Nintendo eShop. You’re getting $80 worth of additional content compared to buying the console ($350), Mario Kart ($60), and Switch Online ($20) individually.

Along with the sharp, larger OLED screen, you’re getting numerous quality-of-life upgrades compared to the base model. The Switch OLED has a wider, better-designed dock with an ethernet port, improved speakers, and double the internal storage space (64GB). Plus, the built-in kickstand is significantly improved for tabletop mode.

You can buy the bundle at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and GameStop. Walmart is selling the bundle for $1 less than the other retailers.

$299

There’s also a $300 version of this bundle that includes the base model Switch, but the OLED version is well-worth the extra $50, as the more-advanced screen makes a huge difference when you’re playing in handheld mode.

The regular Nintendo Switch bundle is available for $299 at Walmart and $300 at Target, Best Buy, and GameStop.

As for the included game code, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the top-selling Switch game of all time–though this record does include previous console bundles. First released on the Wii U and then later ported to Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has greatly expanded over the years with a series of DLC tracks. If you’re buying the console bundle as a gift, we’d recommend picking up the Booster Course Pass for $25, as this adds 48 tracks to the game, effectively doubling its size.

The 12-month subscription to Switch Online also broadens your gaming options, as it lets you access online multiplayer, store game save data online, and unlocks a growing library of NES, SNES, and Game Boy games. While details on the Switch successor are expected to be revealed by next year, there are still plenty of exciting games coming to current Switch consoles throughout the rest of 2024 and next year.

If you’re interested in the smaller, portable-only Nintendo Switch Lite, Nintendo released the new Hyrule Edition handheld alongside The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom on September 26. You can buy the Zelda-themed Switch Lite for $210. It doesn’t come with the game, but you will get a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, which grants access to even more retro Nintendo games.

We are thrilled to invite Xbox Insiders on Xbox Series X consoles to join Off The Grid – Pioneers starting today. But wait, don’t chop your arms and legs off yet. There are a few things for you to know before jumping into the action. Read on for full details on how to get your free ticket to Teardrop Island.

About the Game:

Dive into the most extreme Battle Royale ever created! Three global gaming companies have set aside their differences to develop the ultimate adrenaline rush for pro gamers on a dystopian tropical island scarred by a history of corporate warfare. 

With a seamless blend of PvP and PvE elements, this cyberpunk Battle Royale envisioned by Neill Blomkamp (District 9) will set a new standard for the genre. 

Experience the Off The Grid: Pioneers as we release our first locations, weapons, limbs and game modes and prepare yourself for an immersive narrative campaign on Teardrop Island while simultaneously surviving a Battle Royale — no problem for an elite gamer such as yourself, right?

Build your ultimate character by extracting high-value gear from the Island and empower them  with unique abilities by modifying your body with cybernetic limbs during the gameplay session. 

If you want to learn more, please visit the Off The Grid Official Website.

Key Features:

Cyberlimbs
During play, players can loot unique cyberlimbs, granting powerful abilities to aid in combat. But here’s the kicker, you can swap limbs anytime during the game to adapt your playstyle. You can even shoot them off and steal them from your opponents. Unique abilities include toxic gas, trip mines, increased running speed, auto-missiles, jetpack jumps & much more.

Teardrop
Welcome to the star of the show and the centerpiece of everything the game is about. Teardrop Island. Players will be able to explore the following regions.

• The sandy shores of OCIO
• The urban neighborhood of Little Kyiv
• The construction sites and cranes of Stork City
• The lush greenery of the Marshlands
• The desalination plants of Saltie

Customization
Off The Grid provides a wide range of weapon and attachment customization options. It also offers up to 3 free loadout slots to accommodate your unique preferences and playstyles.

How to Participate:

1. Sign-in on your Xbox Series X console and launch the Xbox Insider Hub app (or install the Xbox Insider Hub from the Store first if necessary)
2. Navigate to Previews > Off The Grid – Pioneers
3. Select Join
4. Wait for the registration to complete and be directed to the Store and install Off The Grid – Pioneers

NOTE: Matchmaking is available daily from 6PM CEST (9AM PT / 12PM ET) to 2AM CEST (5PM PT / 8PM ET)

NOTE: Limited space is available and offered first-come first-served.

NOTE: This playtest is only available on Xbox Series X consoles.

NOTE: This playtest is only available for Xbox Insiders in the regions below.

• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Mexico
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Saudi Arabia
• Slovakia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• The Netherlands
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States

How to Provide Feedback:

Jumping into the playtest means you’re stepping into a version of Off The Grid that is still evolving. You might run into the occasional bug or see something that’s not quite finished – and we welcome all the feedback you’ll send our way about your experience. Our teams will continue packing in features and improvements to craft the most exciting and innovative battle royale ever!

If you experience any issues while playing Off The Grid, don’t forget to use “Report a problem” so we can investigate:

• Hold down the home button on your Xbox controller.
• Select Report a problem.
• Select the Games category and Off The Grid – Pioneers subcategory.
• Fill out the form with the appropriate details to help our investigation.

The Community:

Want to join the conversations with the Off The Grid community and share your experience? Join us on any of our social channels: X/Twitter || Instagram || Tiktok || Discord

Other resources:

For more information: follow us on X/Twitter at @XboxInsider and this blog for announcements and more. And feel free to interact with the community on the Xbox Insider SubReddit.

The release of Silent Hill 2 is just around the corner on October 8. We’re honored to be able to share detailed information about Silent Hill 2 with PlayStation players. Konami and Bloober Team have focused on respecting the original 2001 Silent Hill 2’s storyline, emphasizing the emotional expressions of each character through the highly skilled performances of their respective actors, and modernizing the overall gameplay. We hope that this very clear comparison will show you which aspects of the original the production team has respected and emphasized, as well as which aspects have been improved upon.

Spoiler Alert: This article and video reveal some narrative and gameplay surprises within Silent Hill 2.

For this episode of PlayStation Underground, Bloober Team partnered up with the SIE crew to bring you an exclusive look at James’ confrontation with Flesh Lip inside Brookhaven Hospital, presented in a head-to-head comparison with the same boss battle as it appears in the original game.

Caption: Join Bloober Team’s Mateusz Lenart, Creative Director, and Andrzej Mądrzak, Lead Writer, for a look inside Brookhaven Hospital.

In many ways, this boss fight, alongside its accompanying cutscene, exemplifies the approach we took when reimagining Silent Hill 2. It shows our reverence for the original game by staying true to its original design, while also expanding upon it using modern technology that allows players to feel more in control of James.

As you can see, the general set-up for Laura’s cutscene that predates the battle and the Flesh Lip encounter itself are quite faithful to the original game, but with a few key changes that enable us to take full advantage of current storytelling and combat design techniques.

Caption: Comparison between 2001 Silent Hill 2 and the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake 

Familiar characters come alive

For Laura’s cutscene, the interaction between her and James maintains the same story beats as in the original. Both James’ and Laura’s personalities have been preserved, with the most significant changes coming in the form of more involved camera work and top-notch voice acting.

Caption: The full cutscene between James and Laura from the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake, without commentary.

Full-body motion capture, used in conjunction with detailed animation, has allowed us to make these characters come alive through subtle facial expressions and gestures. The performances of the actors were key in this respect, with both Evie Templeton and Luke Roberts really embodying the characters of Laura and James, respectively.

When it comes to the script itself, we wanted to avoid changing things for the sake of changing them. While minor deviations from the original game’s script can be expected, our main objective with this cutscene and all others was to capture the complex character dynamics that made the original Silent Hill 2 such a landmark in the history of interactive storytelling.

Caption: Comparison between 2001 Silent Hill 2 and the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake

A boss battle for the ages

The encounter with Flesh Lip is one of Silent Hill 2’s most startling moments. With its unique and unnerving look, Flesh Lip was groundbreaking in terms of integrating symbolism into the design of a monster. Doing this boss battle justice in the new game was a challenging but ultimately rewarding task.

Unlike the fixed camera system in the original Silent Hill 2, adopting an over-the-shoulder perspective brought with it a series of changes to the encounter’s design. For instance, the scale of the room where the fight occurs has been expanded to allow players more space to roam.

Caption: Comparison between 2001 Silent Hill 2 and the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake

But the biggest change in the design of the boss fight has to do with Flesh Lip himself. Instead of facing two of them right from the start, the battle now begins with a single foe, but one who can dynamically move through the ceiling, ready to pounce on James at any point.

Caption: The Flesh Lip battle takes on a new shape in the Silent Hill 2 remake

Moreover, once players manage to bring Flesh Lip down to the ground, he unveils his second phase, adopting a menacing spider-like pose that greatly enhances his speed and range of attack. To counteract this, players will have to use a combination of melee and ranged attacks, while also dealing with Flesh Lip’s terrifying scream, which can temporarily stun them during the fight.

Once Flesh Lip is defeated, players will likely breathe a sigh of relief. But that’s when the battle’s final surprise arrives. A second Flesh Lip appears and instantly grabs James by the neck, dragging him further into the underbelly of Brookhaven Hospital. This functions as both a jump scare in its own right, and also as a kind of easter egg for fans of the original game. They will likely be taken aback by the appearance of a second Flesh Lip just as the battle wraps up.

Caption: Comparison between 2001 Silent Hill 2 and the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake

Final thoughts　

As the new Silent Hill 2 remake inches ever closer to release on October 8, we wanted to take the time to present a head-to-head comparison depicting one of the game’s defining moments. We hope this manages to convey our approach towards the whole game, which emphasizes the original’s strengths and seeks to expand upon them while staying true to the game’s spirit.

EA Sports FC 25‘s second title update is here, but it’s only released on PC to start off with, with cross-play between that platform and consoles now being on hold until Xbox and PlayStation folks get it too.

So, if you were hoping to get into a match with your mate who’s on the opposite side of the fence tonight, and have them carve up your defense by unleashing the bizarrely world-class pace and dribbling skills of some 62 overall right back, it looks like you’ll have to wait.

“Please note that once this TU is released, cross-play on PC will be unavailable until this TU comes to other platforms in the near future”, EA writes in the notes for title update number two, which is now available to download on PC.

In case you’re wondering, these are the issues it adresses, with the game modes the different fixes affect in bold, because formatting.

General, Audio, and Visual:

• Sometimes button inputs were not being registered when performing actions in the menus.

• Controller compatibility issues when using Steam Input.

• Steam Input now needs to be enabled before launching EA SPORTS FC 25 to have it work as intended.

• Stability issue occasionally happening in all Online modes.

Ultimate Team:

• Stability issue when accessing Squad Battles.

• Addressed instances of stability issues while in the Store.

• Unintended UI elements sometimes displaying on the screen.

• Adjusted the message that displays when confirming to start an Evolution.

Career:

• Addressed instances of stability issues within Manager Career.

So, there you go.

We’ve got a bunch of great guides that can help you take on FC 25, including an upgrade tracker for Road to the Knockouts UT cards and the best young stars to sign in career mode. So, make sure to check those out if you haven’t already, as well as what the game’s first title update rectified.

I liked the shared-world puzzle game Islands of Insight quite a bit when it came out in 2023, and so did some of my PC Gamer compatriots. Alas, it wasn’t able to find an audience, and today publisher Behaviour Interactive announced that, like so many other online games, the servers will be shut down at the end of August. But the good news is that even without remote servers, you’ll be able to keep on playing.

An offline mode was released in July that keeps the game world intact, with the same biomes, respawning puzzles, and daily quests, without requiring an internet connection. Social functionality isn’t available, of course, but that’s not really a huge loss because interactivity with other players was never all that great in Islands of Insight anyway—one of the notable weaknesses in an otherwise very good puzzle game.

On October 31, Starship Troopers: Continuum will be released on PS VR2. This multiplayer co-op shooting game is the first to recreate Starship Troopers in virtual reality. This blog will explain what the game’s name actually means. But first, please welcome a very special guest! The face of FedNet, hero of Klendathu, General Johnny Rico!

A word from Casper Van Dien

“I guess I’m the closest thing Starship Troopers has for a hero. My character, Johnny Rico, has been with me for nearly 30 years. He spends most of the first movie surrounded by death. He’s responsible for a death in training. He’s mistakenly K.I.A on Klendathu. He’s promoted when Troopers die around him, falling upwards through the ranks. 

‘A citizen accepts personal responsibility for the safety of the body politic, defending it with his life; a civilian does not.’

In the end, Rico’s changed. He takes that quote to heart and becomes willing – even keen – to die for the cause. He becomes harder, stronger, more pragmatic… but at what cost? 

In Starship Troopers: Continuum, Rico’s a figurehead for FedNet’s ‘Klendathu 25’ celebration. I’m helping recruit new meat for the grinder, and you’re the meat. You play Mobile Infantry Troopers as they battle the opposing Arachnid force. Thousands will die on both sides. You’re disposable. Mobile Infantry does the dying, and that’s what this game is all about. 

VR puts you right there, on the battlefield with your squad, facing big, fast, mean and lethal bugs. Like Rico, you’re surrounded by death. So eyes front, Trooper! It’s your duty to take responsibility and defend the Federation with your life! Or do you wanna live forever?” 

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Authenticity evolved

In developing Starship Troopers: Continuum, we at XR Games wanted to capture the essence of Starship Troopers. As Casper says, that’s the meat grinder. This war is dangerous, and the bugs are lethal. You will die. 

Then accept your rewards, choose a new Trooper, and start again. Kill bugs, earn money, gain EXP. Survive long enough and you can retire your Trooper into citizenship, with the extra bonus that brings. Or don’t, and die, and try again. This is the meat grinder.

Of course, you bank your progress. You earn new perks and guns to arm your next Trooper with. You get to make a stronger build. The mechanism by which you do this is called the Continuum. 

Enter the Continuum

Remember Cyrano the ferret?

Starship Troopers: Continuum takes place 25 years after Klendathu, and there’s been a breakthrough in psychic research – the Continuum. This technology creates a psychic interface through which soldiers called PsyCommanders can control other human beings, like Cyrano in the movie.

In Starship Troopers: Continuum, the moment you don your VR headset, you’re connected to the Continuum in the role of a PsyCommander. You control one Trooper at a time. Die, and you can immediately take a new Trooper. Your goal is to keep them alive… but accidents happen!

As a PsyCommander, you have access to perks via the Continuum. As you level up, you gain access to more perks and super-perks, which can be injected into your Trooper to improve their performance. As your Trooper ranks up, they can take on more perks simultaneously, allowing for build combinations to tune your play. For instance, equip Psychosis Blast to add damage to your dash ability, then complement it with Adrenaline to reduce your dash cooldown time. Throw in Tactical Relocation – move faster as you kill more – and you have a speed build! 

Plus, the more you use your perks, the stronger they get. Even if your Trooper dies, a future Trooper can take on that perk at its advanced level. This is the meaning of the Continuum. Even as Troopers die, the Continuum becomes stronger, justifying every Trooper sacrificed on the battlefield, redeeming every drop of blood that’s shed!

Build your Trooper, form your squad

Starship Troopers: Continuum is an online multiplayer game, great with 1 to 3 players. So build complementary Troopers for battlefield dominance! 20+ weapons and 40+ perks allow you to create a different Trooper every time. Keep them alive, hit the criteria for citizenship, and gain big bonuses that’ll make you even more powerful. But don’t underestimate the bug! They’re fast and lethal, with some tricks you’ve not seen yet!

I’m doing my part! How will you do yours?

Starship Troopers: Continuum for PS VR2 is released on October 31.. 

There are many other ways to kill bugs this October! Starship Troopers: Extermination, the 16-player co-op FPS developed by Offworld Industries and published by Knights Peak, will arrive on PlayStation 5 on October 11.

Starfield Updates Since Launch

Starfield has continued to evolve significantly in the year since its release, bringing quality-of-life updates, new player systems and more.

A major update brought significant improvements to surface maps, making it easier for players to navigate cities and settlements, as well as see where they are and what’s around them. Icons to show the locations of vendors have also been added, which also allow players to fast travel straight to them – a massive time-saver for the explorers among us that are constantly overburdened by loot.

If you’re looking to add a personal touch to your travels, Starfield now allows deeper customization options for your ship’s interior, including the ability to design a room from scratch, so you can bring your own unique flair wherever you roam.

Additionally, the recently-added REV-8 Planet Rover now allows for speedy traversal across the surface of planets, making exploration on those unfamiliar worlds a breeze, whether you’re surveying wildlife, or trying to outrun it. It’s a free update – all you’ll need is a few credits to pick one up from any Ship Services Technician located in Starfield’s major landing zones, such as New Atlantis, Akila or Neon.

New display settings were also added,  letting you choose between 30, 40, 60 or an Uncapped frame rate on VRR displays. If you do not have a VRR display running 120hz, you will still be able to select from 30 or 60.

The world of Starfield is constantly evolving, so whether you’re taking flight for the first time or returning for a new adventure in Shattered Space, there’s plenty of new things to discover. And even outside of Bethesda Game Studios’ own additions, Creations allow the community to keep adding to this wide-open galaxy. Creations allow players to purchase community-created missions, gear, skins, weapons, and more – and Bethesda handpicks monthly featured Creations that are available for free.

Shattered Space arrives for Starfield today, September 30, and is available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S and PC. Players that own Starfield Premium Edition will gain access to the expansion for free.

When the trailer for steampunk RPG New Arc Line released in April, I was immediately taken in by its premise. To my shame, I’ve never gotten around to the social tensions and magic-meets-technology world of Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. A newer, shinier journey to a similar setting sounded like just the ticket. After spending a few hours with the preview build, I do have at least one bit of very positive news to share: I’m definitely going to play Arcanum now, because despite some fetching environments and potentially interesting social systems, New Arc Line just isn’t doing it for me.

If you missed that trailer, the setup here is that you’re an immigrant travelling to New Arc – a supposed shining beacon of progress that’s actually rotten at the core with corruption, danger, and prejudice. The trailer opened with a vignette showing an elven mother escaping captivity with her sick child, but my own entrance to the city was a lot less fraught. A customs officer in a bobby hat warned me about magic (magic I’d later cast openly on the streets to no reprisal – Athkatla, I miss you everyday). Then he told me how nice he thought elves were, and sent me on my merry way. My first quest: find my suitcase. Love a bit of luggage-based questing, I do.

But first: character creation. The preview build features two species (elf and human), and two classes – ‘diesel engineer’ or, uh, ‘voodoo shaman’. I went with the second because I liked the coat, chose elf, and proceeded to create the character I always do when out of better ideas: Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie with ridiculous conversation stats. I picked the ‘outsider’ trait for stronger magic and because the wording – “your debts in this world grow faster” – was suitably mysterious. You’ll allocate starting points to stats – constitution, strength etc – and skills, which are the more nuanced, interesting bits like survival and observation. I went hard on charm until I noticed a skill named ‘mockery’. Truly, the curse of the hack critic runs deep.

Before you enter New Arc proper, there’s a bit of in medias rice krispies. Elf Bowie finds himself in a crumbling city reeling from a dragon attack, in a hospital gown, and you have to very slowly stagger out. Remember when Phantom Pain did this and it was a touch tedious but ultimately effective because it’s a third person action game where you’re given a real sense of your character’s ailing physicality? Well, remove that physicality and you’re just left with tedium, I’m afraid. Plod plod. The wrecked city is striking, at least; immediately conveying that split between nature and industry, all strewn massive coggery and luminous, reptile-skinned flora. Unfortunately, I can’t fully appreciate it because the camera keeps getting snagged on things.

There’s a few introductory skill tests as you make your way through the wreckage. A dwarf plummeted to his death when I lost my grip on the stretcher he was hanging on to, a couple jumped to their deaths when I failed to convince them life was worth living, an impaled human bled to death when I failed to find him help – tragic events of that nature. At one point, I got attacked by a lad accusing me of having caused the current chaos, and this came up again in another conversation. Ah, so this is all my fault? Interesting.

I eventually limp my way to safety, and it cuts to a scene between my character and a judge. I’m being interrogated for possessing agitprop. This scene sets up the political situation of the world quite well, although some of the writing and subsequent choices are less on-the-nose than they are up-the-nostrils: “Is it fair to mistreat someone just because they’re different?” reads one option. Must we really kick a homeless orphan in the face just because the system has deemed them a scruffy no-coin?

I’m going to skip ahead here, because the writing really is the soul of any good CRPG, and this is where New Arc Line most failed to grab me. The prose itself is quite good! I slapped a bystander to alertness at one point and the description of how his spittle soothed the burn on my cheek from the cigarette he’d also spat at me was nicely vivid. There’s some cute accented flourishes, too: “my sniffer feels like a plate of mashed taters”.

The issue, for me, was in the character archetypes. Aforementioned mashed-nose is a beefy bruiser-type that joins your party early, and there’s nothing to him really. He’s big and likes hitting people and sniffing magic cocaine and probably pronounces ‘thug’ as ‘tug’ and that’s about it. To gain access to a new area, I have to endear myself to a theatre troupe, and the playwright is every lazy, vaguely homophobic trope of an overly precious, flamboyant and effete artist you could fit on a plate of mashed taters. I’m supposed to help prompt his real script to his actors after they’ve been given an edited version stuffed with syndicate propaganda, and he trill-ingly refers to the syndicate leader as “a douchebag who never even had a manicure”. I feel like I’ve heard every line before it comes out of his mouth.

That quest is interesting, by the way. As the play goes on, I’m given sets of choices between lines and have to identify the original script from the syndicate propaganda. It’s not too taxing, sure, but I appreciate what it conveys about the stranglehold that the syndicates have on art in this world. Not something I’ve experienced before, if terrible memory serves.

Let’s wind back a bit. Before I meet the playwright, I have to find my suitcase with the help of my bruiser mate. Along the way, I discover a fun, risk-reward pickpocketing minigame, and also loot a few suitcases right next to their owners to no reaction. Occasionally, the game performs perception checks automatically. I’m not entirely sure what they actually do, but I think it’s loot related. I follow an objective marker to where my suitcase is supposed to be, some rodents-of-unusual-size jump out from a bin, and it’s time for combat.

Tradition dictates that a description of combat gets its own paragraph, but if you’ve played any turn-based combat with action points before, it really doesn’t need one. A slight twist here is that everyone gets an armour bar above their health that restores to full every turn automatically. I can perhaps see this becoming interesting later on, maybe offering the chance to spec out aggro tank characters, or force you to keep a certain level of agression up to avoid losing momentum. As far as these early combat encounters go, however, all it does is make them drag out an age – especially noticeable as you have so few options this early.

And that, eventually, was why I ended up quitting the preview build instead of poking around for secrets and sidequests, as I’d originally planned. I got into a fight with some tech zombies, there were five or so of them, and each one was taking me multiple turns to put down. I was already souring on the thing due to the writing issues mentioned earlier, and because I’d nicked a very elaborate hammer right in front of the carnival barker running the hammer game and he said absolutely nothing to me. The drudgery of combat was the last straw. The game launches soon enough in early access, anyway, so you won’t have to wait too long to play yourself. Early access is a smart move, and I do think the bones are here for a decent CRPG in a potentially interesting setting. Me? Arcanum, here I come.

If you haven’t picked up a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, you now have more places to buy it from. The brand-new Switch exclusive wasn’t available to preorder at Walmart or Amazon, but it’s finally available at both retailers. Walmart has Echoes of Wisdom online and in stores. Amazon’s listing(s), meanwhile, are for imported, region-free editions. At the moment, the online retailer doesn’t stock Nintendo’s releases in North America. But Amazon has made the prospect of buying an imported game, in this case from its official UK Global Store, a bit more enticing by offering a 10% discount on Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

$54 for region-free UK edition at Amazon

In addition to Walmart, Echoes of Wisdom is available for $60 at Best Buy, Target, and GameStop. All of those retailers will send you the North American physical edition, while Amazon will shave your total price down to $54 for the UK edition.

Amazon US does not officially have Echoes of Wisdom, but Amazon UK does. Thanks to Amazon’s. UK Global Store, you can purchase the import just like you would any other item. The Switch isn’t a region-locked console, so games from other regions work the same (as long as they support English). The only difference you’ll see is the rating boards logo in the lower left-hand corner on the box.

At the moment, Amazon has two listings, one of which is shipped and sold by Amazon’s UK Global Store. You’ll get free shipping and save some cash in the process, as the UK edition is going for $54.24. You’ll still be backed by Amazon’s return policy, and customer service is provided by Amazon US.

If Amazon sells out of that one, the second listing has Echoes of Wisdom listed for $58.

$210

Nintendo released a limited-edition Switch Lite to commemorate the launch of Echoes of Wisdom.

The Hyrule Edition Nintendo Switch Lite is available at Target, Best Buy, and GameStop. It doesn’t come with the game, so you’ll need to buy a copy separately. But you are getting one-year of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which normally costs $50. You’re essentially getting the membership for $10.

The limited-edition console features a gold color scheme with black accents and has the Hylian Crest on the back. It also has a small Triforce beneath the right thumbstick.

With your Switch Online membership, you’ll be able to play a wide assortment of The Legend of Zelda games on this appropriately themed console. With Switch Online + Expansion Pack, you’ll gain access to over 100 of the best games for SNES, NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 64.

The Switch Online retro libraries include a bunch of Zelda games to play on your shiny new gold handheld:

• The Legend of Zelda (NES)
• Zelda II: Link’s Adventure (NES)
• A Link to the Past (SNES)
• Ocarina of Time (N64)
• Majora’s Mask (N64)
• Link’s Awakening DX (GBC)
• Oracle of Ages (GBC)
• Oracle of Seasons (GBC)
• The Minish Cap (GBA)
• A Link to the Past and Four Swords (GBA)

The Hyrule Edition is arguably the best Switch Lite “deal” right now, but it’s also worth noting Target still has its exclusive Switch Lite bundle featuring an Animal Crossing-themed console and a digital copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for $200. And if you want to play Zelda on your TV, the Mario Red Nintendo Switch OLED is discounted to its best price yet at Amazon.

Echoes of Wisdom is a pivotal entry in the beloved Nintendo franchise. For the first time in the franchise’s nearly 40-year history, the namesake steps. into the leading role. Well, it’s not technically the first time Zelda has been playable, but Nintendo would probably want fans to forget Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda’s Adventure, two infamous Philips CD-i games, exist at all.

Thankfully, Echoes of Wisdom is a triumph, an inventive combination of modern and classic Zelda formulas. The sprawling top-down adventure features traditional dungeons of old while giving players the freedom to approach puzzles in many different ways. For more on how Zelda’s debut adventure succeeds, check out our 9/10 The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Echoes of Wisdom is the fifth(!) mainline Zelda game to receive a physical release on Switch, and you can save big on a few of Link’s adventures, too.

Numerous The Legend of Zelda Amiibo figures are back in stock for retail price at major retailers. In Echoes of Wisdom, you can use Amiibo to get extra crafting materials. You can also unlock three outfits for Zelda. These outfits are available in the game, so you won’t miss out by not having any figures to scan, but you’ll get an alternate version of the three outfits with select Amiibo. Here’s a list of the Amiibo available for retail price that will unlock these optional variants:

Unlock Blue Attire with:

Unlock Red Tunic with:

Unlock Black Cat Costume with:

The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, September 29, below:

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $49.99

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most impressive games ever made. It features three distinct layers of its map, with Hyrule, the Depths, and the Sky Islands, which opens up the world in ways never thought possible in Breath of the Wild. Right now, you can save on Tears of the Kingdom at Woot, where the game is only $44.99. Don’t miss your chance to experience one of the best games of the past decade.

Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package for $35

Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package – PlayStation 4

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If you’re itching to start a new series, Kingdom Hearts is one of the best out there to jump into. From Tetsuya Nomura, Kingdom Hearts mashes together the worlds of Disney and Square Enix to tell the tale of light and darkness. This All-in-One package contains a total of ten games, with everything up to Kingdom Hearts III included. Now is the perfect time to get caught up before Kingdom Hearts IV, so pick up the All-in-One bundle today and jump into Sora’s journey.

CRKD Nitro Deck for $59.99

CRKD Nitro Deck Limited Edition with Carry Case

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The CRKD Nitro Deck is the ultimate Nintendo Switch accessory. You simply slide the console into the Nitro Deck, which then offers an ergonomic grip and feel around the system. By far, the best feature of this accessory is the Hall Effect Thumbsticks, which guarantee zero stick drift. This is easily one of the best Nintendo Switch accessories you can buy.

Apple Watch Ultra (Premium Refurbished) for $449

Apple Watch Ultra [GPS + Cellular 49mm] Titanium Case with Midnight Ocean Band (Premium Refurbished)

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Amazon has the Apple Watch Ultra for $449 today. This is the premium refurbished model, but most often, these watches have zero scratches or signs of use at all. If you’re interested in the Ultra line but don’t plan to spend $799 for a new watch, this is a fantastic alternative.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R for $29.99

Star Ocean: The Second Story R (PS5)

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Star Ocean: The Second Story R (NSW)

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Star Ocean: The Second Story R is an HD-2.5D remake from Square Enix. Taking the HD-2D sprite style found in titles like Octopath Traveler II, this game adds a 3D camera and 3D environments. There are a total of 99 different endings for you to discover, which makes this adventure one that can last for dozens of hours! Explore the world with fantastic quality-of-life updates, new battle mechanics, and more in this gorgeous remake of Star Ocean 2.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 for $39.99

Luigi’s Mansion 3 – Nintendo Switch

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Luigi’s Mansion 3 is available this weekend at Woot for only $39.99. This is one of the best games available on Nintendo Switch, filled with charm and all sorts of fun puzzles. With October right around the corner, there’s never been a better time to pick up the game if you haven’t already!

Octopath Traveler II for $29.99

Octopath Traveler II – PlayStation 5

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Octopath Traveler II – PlayStation 4

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Octopath Traveler II was one of the standout RPGs of 2023. Featuring eight different characters, this HD-2D release depicts an expansive story told from the perspectives of these characters. Each traveler has unique abilities, making for a new and exciting experience with each story. This is one RPG you do not want to miss, especially for this price.

Indiana Jones: The Complete Collection Vinyl for $213.95

Indiana Jones: The Complete Collection [10 LP Boxset]

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Finally, this Indiana Jones: The Complete Collection Vinyl Box Set is on sale at Amazon for $213.95. This collection includes the soundtrack from each of the five Indiana Jones films on vinyl! A total of 10 LPs are included, making this the ultimate collector’s item for any fan of John Williams.