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Dumpster divers find all kinds of things in the trash. From a full pallet of cold brew coffee to hundreds of metal tins for Yu-Gi-Oh cards, there’s no shortage of cool stuff buried in the heaps of garbage you’ll likely find in the bin. But while some of it may be useless, redditor Rydirp7 took the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” to heart and built a whole PC out of discarded computer parts.
It’s no secret that electronics aren’t as recyclable as other materials, like certain types of fabrics, glass, metals, and plastics. According to a 2019 UN report, about 50 million tons of electronic waste (e-waste) is produced every year globally, with only 20 percent of it formally recycled. This means the other 80 percent—which equals an annual value of $62.5 billion—either gets shipped off to a landfill or is “informally recycled,” the process of throwing away unwanted things in the trash that can end up in poorer communities, which results in environmental contamination and hazardous health impacts. This is where dumpster divers, or folks who dig through the garbage to find cool or interesting stuff, can alleviate the strain by repurposing what was unused into something actually usable.
Rydirp7 did just that recently, posting his trash PC build on the popular subreddit r/DumpsterDiving and revealing that he only bought two components for the custom-built machine. The rest, from the graphics card to the processing chip, were found in a local dumpster. One redditor said it was “amazing.” Another user said they have “mad respect for people” like him. Most in the comments simply congratulated him on the build and hopes he keeps it up. Kotaku reached out to Rydirp7 to learn about the process behind building a trash PC and the benefits of looking in the garbage for gaming setups.
Rydirp7, who is a resident of South Dakota, said he was inspired by the stuff he heard about dumpster diving online, and in the summer of 2022, thought he’d give the activity a shot. He visited a local computer store in his town “in the middle of nowhere” to see if he could find some things and was quite surprised by his discoveries.
“There was some stuff there,” Rydirp7 told Kotaku in a phone interview. “Ever since, I occasionally check the store’s dumpster and yeah, with that PC that you saw in the Reddit post, it was built almost entirely using parts pulled out of that dumpster over the course of like six or seven months.”
The only components he bought were the power supply and RAM, which came out to approximately $120 in total. Rydirp7 said these two parts were already in his possession as he purchased them for a different computer but figured he’d reuse them for this build since they were just lying around his home. Interestingly, he ran into an issue with the graphics card he found, as it was a 10-year-old EVGA GeForce GTX 570. While it “runs games decently,” he had to extensively troubleshoot it because “the drivers wouldn’t install correctly.”
After countless hours of trying to fix the graphics card, he decided it was time to just bake the thing in the oven. Seriously. This is known as the oven trick in the PC community and, as Rydirp7 put it, the card’s been working fine ever since.
“Essentially what the oven trick is is you take off pretty much everything from the graphics card,” Rydirp7 said. “The heat sink, the shroud—basically, you strip it down to the bare PCB and then what you do is wrap it in aluminum foil to help protect some of the more sensitive components on the PCB. You preheat the oven to somewhere around 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then put the graphics card, or whatever electronic it is that you’re trying to fix, in the oven. It’s typically like 8 to 12 minutes for a graphics card, I believe. But yeah, that’s basically the oven trick. I’ve done this on two different graphics cards: The other one was a GTX 240 and then this GTX 570, and the trick has worked both times for me.”
Baking the graphics card like a cookie in the oven works because faulty connections due to loose or old soldering joints are re-melted, allowing the power to reconnect and flow back through what are likely broken points.
Rydirp7 admits he’s “a bit of a hoarder when it comes to PC parts,” so this trash PC was actually the second one he built out of garbage components. The first one—which had an AMD FX 6300 CPU, 8GB of RAM, that GTX 240, and a 500-watt power supply—went to one of his friends a while back. While he said his first attempt at a trash PC was perfectly serviceable this second one is “quite a bit better,” because it houses double the RAM and outputs more power. However, one of the most challenging components to find for the build was the 256GB SSD.
“The SSD was the last part I found,” Rydirp7 said. “I had been checking the dumpster for months and months but couldn’t ever find anything. When there was something, it was like a hard drive that was already disassembled. Initially when I found this SSD, I thought it was a new one that didn’t have any data on it. But when I got the SSD hooked up to the system to install Windows 10, it turned out that it actually wasn’t new and had someone else’s data on it. So what I do when I find a part that has someone else’s data on it is immediately wipe it for the privacy of the previous owner because it’s none of my business.”
Meanwhile, the Dell OptiPlex 9010 motherboard was one of the first components Rydirp7 pulled out of his local computer store’s garbage. Unlike the graphics card and SSD, this part worked fine and didn’t need to be tinkered with. He said the store, which he wouldn’t disclose the name or location of for privacy reasons, “mostly throws out older hardware” that’s still functional. It’s thanks to this store that he was able to build what has become his “main rig.” While he doesn’t play a whole lot of games, he listed a few that he plays regularly, noting that his trash PC “can get a little warm” when he’s gaming.
“It could probably play Crysis,” Rydirp7 said. “But yeah, I don’t actually play a whole lot of games. The only stuff I really play is Minecraft, Roblox, and Scrap Mechanic. That’s about it, and my PC runs all of those games fairly well.”
Building trash PCs is one way for combatting the roughly 70 percent of e-waste that Americans produce, Rydirp7 said, acknowledging the frequency with which most people’s old electronics end up in landfills.
“This tactic of building trash PCs from garbage components keeps perfectly usable electronics from going into landfills,” Rydirp7 said. “It can be easy for someone to build a computer with little to no money invested in it.”
As far as the viability of the trash PC, well, it depends on what you can find and how you’re going to use it. It’s more than capable of performing your everyday tasks, like writing emails and watching YouTube, another thing Rydirp7 said he frequently does on this computer. But as my colleague Claire Jackson said, “In 2010, this was a nice rig!”
In 2023, these aren’t the ideal components for playing more modern games with 4K visuals and ray tracing. Rydirp7 may be able to get away with running Crysis on his trash PC, especially since Crytek’s sci-fi FPS has been optimized to run on the Nintendo Switch these days. But it’s highly unlikely he could play Cyberpunk 2077 or any of the PlayStation games—like Days Gone or God of War—that made the jump to PC.
Still, to each their own. And you can’t complain much when you’ve only spent a cool $120 on something that could run most indies and Xbox 360-era games. That’s not a bad trade-off, especially if you don’t play that many games to begin with. You can check out Rydirp7’s trash PC specs below:
While it may not be the most powerful PC in the world, what actually makes this PC stronger than most is the fact that it was built sustainably in the most literal definition of the phrase. By recycling and reusing old computer components, turning them into a functional Frankenstein PC, Rydirp7 has has figured out a way to reduce his overall environmental footprint. I can’t speak to his energy consumption’s impact on the world, but building trash PCs could go a long way in minimizing global e-waste.
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Levi Winslow
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Bungie is cracking down on Destiny 2 players using third-party peripherals to cheat in the game’s competitive and cooperative modes.
The studio is following Call of Duty: Warzone’s example, which implemented a similar ban at the beginning of April, and is now monitoring when players use devices to get the leg up against others. Bungie outlines its policy in a blog post on its website, but stops short of naming any specific software or hardware because it “simply [doesn’t] want to offer a bigger spotlight than necessary.” But broadly, the post lists things like “programmable controllers, keyboard and mouse adapters, advanced macros, or automation via artificial intelligence” meant to let the user use inputs in a way that goes beyond what the game or player is typically capable of.
Bungie makes a distinction between things like external accessibility aids that make the game playable as intended for people with disabilities and third-party peripherals maliciously designed to give the user an advantage over others. Because Destiny 2’s PvE content also affects things like races to finish the game’s raids at launch, Bungie is extending these rules to cooperative modes, as well.
“Simply using an accessibility aide to play Destiny 2, where a player could not play otherwise, would not be a violation of this policy,” the post reads. “Using these tools to mitigate challenges all players face, such as reducing recoil or increasing aim assist, would be a violation.”
Moving forward, Bungie says it will be monitoring for violations, with plans to issue warnings, restrictions, or outright bans depending on the situation. Cheating in online games is as old as the medium, but what that means and how it’s detectable varies from game to game. Valve recently caught and banned over 40,000 cheaters from Dota 2 and then publicized the move as a threat to would-be cheaters.
While third-party software and peripherals are one part of the conversation, some competitive communities are deciding for themselves what cheating looks like. The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competitive scene has been dealing with an in-game strategy that was deemed unfair involving the character Steve. Since then, some tournament organizers have made the decision to ban the character outright, rather than having to vet suspect players at events.
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Kenneth Shepard
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Liftoff FPV Drone Racing game is a thrilling and immersive experience that allows players to enter the exciting world of drone racing. Developed by LuGus Studios, this game offers a realistic simulation of flying a racing drone through challenging courses, performing stunts, and competing against other pilots from around the world. Liftoff FPV Drone Racing game offers a variety of gameplay modes, including single-player, multiplayer, and freestyle. In single-player mode, players can practice their skills and compete against AI opponents on a variety of racecourses, each with its own challenges and obstacles.
Multiplayer mode allows players to compete against other pilots from around the world in real-time races. Players can create their own custom races or join existing races, using their skills and experience to climb the global leaderboard.Freestyle mode offers a more relaxed experience, allowing players to fly their drones in open environments and perform aerial stunts and tricks. This mode is perfect for pilots who want to practice their skills or showcase their creativity.
The game’s physics engine is designed to simulate the real-world dynamics of racing drones, including factors like wind resistance, gravity, and thrust. This provides a realistic and challenging experience for players, requiring them to master the intricacies of drone flight to succeed. One of the standout features of Liftoff FPV Drone Racing game is its advanced customization options. Players can choose from a wide range of racing drones, each with its own unique characteristics and performance metrics.
1 :: Operating System :: Windows XP/7/8/8./10.
2 :: Processor: Intel 8th gen / AMD Ryzen 1st gen – 2.4GHz or faster.
3 :: Ram :: 4 GB RAM
4 :: DirectX: Version 11
5 :: Graphics:: Geforce GTX 960 / AMD Radeon HD 7750 – 2GB VRAM or more.
6 :: Space Storage:: 20 GB space
Turn Off Your Antivirus Before Installing Any Game
1 :: Download Game
2 :: Extract Game
3 :: Launch The Game
4 :: Have Fun 🙂
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Skring
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Sony has released the launch trailer for Horizon Forbidden West DLC Burning Shores.
Out on April 19, the Burning Shores expansion finds the Nora hunter pursuing a sinister threat in the wilds of volcanic Los Angeles, wracked by violent tectonic activity.
The story picks up where Horizon Forbidden West left off, and to enter it, you must complete the main quest up to and including the final quest in the main game.
Following the events of Singularity, Aloy will receive a call over her Focus, beginning the DLC. She will then travel to the dangerous regions south of the Tenakth Clan Lands.
Here, you are met with a new storyline featuring new characters, machines, and adventures.
Burning Shores will be released exclusively for PS5.
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Stephany Nunneley-Jackson
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Touhou Mystia’s Izakaya is a unique indie game that captures the essence of Japanese folklore and traditions. This pixel art game, takes players on a journey through the mystical land of Gensokyo, where they can enjoy the cuisine of the Touhou series’ bird youkai, Mystia Lorelei. The game’s pixel graphics are stunningly beautiful, capturing the essence of classic retro-style games. The pixel art is well-executed, with bright, bold colors and detailed backgrounds that immerse the player in the game’s world.
The characters are well-designed and animated, with distinct personalities that come through in their movements and expressions. Overall, the pixel graphics of Touhou Mystia’s Izakaya are a delight to behold and add to the game’s overall charm. Players must manage the timing of Mystia’s cooking, ensuring that the dishes are cooked to perfection before serving them to customers. The more customers Mystia serves, the more money she earns, which she can use to buy new ingredients and upgrades for her izakaya. The game’s difficulty increases as the player progresses, with more customers to serve and more complex dishes to cook.
However, Mystia faces a challenge from a rival izakaya, run by the mischievous tanuki, Danuki. Danuki’s izakaya is more popular than Mystia’s, and Mystia must work hard to improve her cooking and make her izakaya more appealing to customers. As the player progresses through the game, they can unlock new storylines and discover more about the world of Gensokyo, its inhabitants, and their folklore. The game’s music and sound effects are excellent, adding to the game’s overall charm and atmosphere.
1 :: Operating System :: Windows XP/7/8/8./10.
2 :: Processor: Intel Pentium G5500 / Core i3-6100 / AMD Ryzen3 1200
3 :: Ram :: 8 GB RAM
4 :: DirectX: Version 11
5 :: Graphics:: NVIDIA GTX 750Ti / AMD HD 7790
6 :: Space Storage:: 1 GB space
Turn Off Your Antivirus Before Installing Any Game
1 :: Download Game
2 :: Extract Game
3 :: Launch The Game
4 :: Have Fun 🙂
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Skring
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Rounding off our best of 2023 (so far) coverage, I’ve put together a list of the best Steam Deck games of the year. These include new games, ports of console games, remakes, and more. If you’ve not kept up with the Steam Deck and our coverage, Jared recently reviewed the WaterField Steam Deck case, and I’ve been writing about all the best games through reviews and more. Check out all our Steam Deck coverage here. As usual, the list is in no particular order.
Hi-Fi Rush
Bethesda’s rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush impressed the hell out of me right from the start when it was released earlier this year. I played it all the way on Steam Deck more than twice, and have been slowly making my way through a fifth playthrough on Xbox Series X. I love the characters, music, and amazing combat in Hi-Fi Rush. This is definitely my favorite Bethesda game ever, and an essential on Steam Deck if you enjoy rhythm games and action games.
Like a Dragon: Ishin
Like a Dragon: Ishin is a blend of a remake and remaster of Yakuza Ishin that was released only in Asia and Japan on PS4 and PS3 many years ago. The spin-off was enhanced and updated for all current consoles and PC, and it is brilliant on Steam Deck. While it has many character likenesses from prior Yakuza games, Like a Dragon: Ishin has a standalone story, and it is one of the best in the series. If you enjoy the series, this is a must buy. There are better entry points though if you’re new, like Yakuza 0.
Dead Space Remake
This year’s Dead Space remake is one of the most visually impressive games in a while, and it looks and plays surprisingly well on Steam Deck. Despite a slightly rough launch day, Valve’s Proton fixes have made Dead Space a survival horror essential for Steam Deck owners, and a true tech showcase for the platform. It is stunning, and was amazing to play on both PS5 and Steam Deck when it was released. Hopefully we see the sequel remade in the future.
Octopath Traveler II
When the original Octopath Traveler hit PC platforms following its Switch exclusivity, the HD 2D aesthetic benefited a lot from higher resolutions and frame rates. Fast forward to Octopath Traveler II hitting PC, Switch, PS5, and PS4 simultaneously, and it delivers superb visuals at 60fps on Steam Deck without any compromise. I’ve played Octopath Traveler II on all platforms, and it shines on Steam Deck for sure. It is one of Square Enix’s best games of all time, and an essential JRPG.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Resident Evil 4 Remake is another big budget horror action game that surprised me with how good it plays on Steam Deck. It is also the only portable experience for the remake right now. Having now played it on PC, PS5, and Steam Deck, the DualSense features definitely make the PS5 version my favorite, but Resident Evil 4 Remake is so good on Steam Deck, and it plays without issues from the get go. The game itself has a few frustrating moments, but it still gets my highest possible recommendation for Steam Deck owners hoping to experience the reimagining of a classic on the go.
Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society
You might be wondering why this is in both our Switch and Steam Deck lists for the best games of the year so far. Well, Labyrinth of Galleria is a special game, and it is worth your time and money if you have even the smallest interest in dungeon RPGs. While it was very good on Switch, it is perfect on Steam Deck with absolutely no issues. You can even experience it at 1440p without issues over HDMI like I did in my testing. The story, characters, and tons of depth in Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society make it one of the best games of the year so far on any platform.
Dredge
For some reason, Dredge wasn’t on my radar until closer to launch when a friend told me what it was. Being told something feels like Disco Elysium with fishing is probably the easiest way to get me interested in anything. Dredge is a fishing adventure game about going outside your comfort zone, exploring the unknown, Lovecraftian horror, and being at zen. I played it and loved it on Xbox, but it feels perfect to experience on the go, and I’ve been replaying and adoring it on Steam Deck. Dredge is easily one of the best indies I’ve played in a long time.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure
When writing about why The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is one of the best Switch games of the year so far, I covered how it and Trails from Zero form a fantastic duology of essentials for any JRPG fan. The Switch version was a big step up over the PS4 release, and the Steam Deck version can take things even further if you play handheld and docked through HDMI. The PC version is definitive, and it shines even at higher resolution and frame rates on Steam Deck. Trails to Azure is sublime on both Switch and Steam Deck.
Pizza Tower
The fast-paced 2D platformer Pizza Tower feels like a modern take on Wario Land with its amazing pixel art, platforming, and catchy soundtrack. I love the humor, aesthetic, and it is the perfect game to play on the go. Right now Pizza Tower is only available on PC, so it being this good on Steam Deck is as good as a slice of pepperoni. I’ll be surprised if Pizza Tower isn’t on my best games to play on Steam Deck list in December. If you don’t like how it looks and think it isn’t for you, at least listen to Pizza Deluxe from the soundtrack.
Bonus:
Chained Echoes
Yes, Chained Echoes didn’t come out in 2023, but it released very close to the end of last year, which was too late for me to have played enough for our lists back then. I’ve owned it on PC since day one, and recently got into it on Switch as well. Shaun said Chained Echoes was “absolutely incredible”, and he was right. Chained Echoes gets it. I see tons of “throwback JRPG” like indie games, but few manage to actually deliver. Chained Echoes perfectly adds its own charm and ideas to what I love about JRPGs. I won’t even hesitate to say Chained Echoes with its gorgeous world design, unique mechanics, and great music is an essential on both Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch. Truly a gem.
I’m sure there are a few more games I didn’t get around to playing on Steam Deck this year, so feel free to let me know if there’s something you think I should play or missed out in this feature. Thanks for reading.
Interested in more Steam Deck coverage? Check out our Steam Deck recommendations!
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Mikhail Madnani
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EA has announced a new game slated for this summer titled Immortals of Aveum.
Published under the EA Originals label and developed by Ascendant Studios, a new studio made up of BAFTA and Game of the Year award-winning industry veterans, the game is set in an original fantasy universe full of magic and conflict set of the edge of the abyss.
The story-driven, single-player game takes place through the eyes of Jak, as he joins an elite order of battlemages. These ages are versed in the three colors of magic – blue, green, and red – used to decimate legions of enemies with chained attacks and counters.
Here’s the storyline:
“Having grown up powerless and destitute, Jak is what’s known as an Unforeseen – someone who unexpectedly manifests magical abilities later in life. With his newfound potential, Jak is recruited by General Kirkan to join the Order of the Immortals and is reluctantly thrust into mankind’s endless war for the control of magic. With powerful magic-wielders and legions of soldiers on both sides of the Everwar, Jak and his elite order of Immortals must uncover the mysteries of Aveum’s troubled past, if there’s any hope for saving its future.”
The single-player, first-person magic shooter, will be released on July 20, 2023, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via the EA App, Steam, and Epic Games Store.
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Stephany Nunneley-Jackson
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With a lot of big games checked off the list already, it feels like Hamster is circling back around and filling out the ACA NEOGEO line with titles from the earliest era of the console’s life. This week saw the release of yet another one of those games, this time the ninja-flavored beat-em-up Ninja Combat ($3.99). It’s one many of you have likely played at some point, but is it any good? Was it ever? Shaun investigates.
Honestly speaking, there isn’t a whole lot to say about Ninja Combat as a game. It’s not very good, especially in the sober light of retrospect. It has a few interesting ideas, some good and some bad. Having your characters toss shuriken instead of using their fists or feet as a basic attack was unusual, and it accidentally robs the game of those nice oomphs and thwacks that drive a lot of the satisfaction in brawlers. It has unlockable additional characters that you’ll get access to as you play the game, which helps keep it fresh all the way through even if those other characters aren’t very cool. In general it tries to be different, and I think that’s where it often trips over its feet.
Hamster has done its usual job here, with the same extra modes and options we’ve seen in all of the ACA NEOGEO line. That means you get external controller support, which isn’t a bad idea at all here. You’ll need external controllers to play in two-player mode, which is local only. Online leaderboards are here, even if this isn’t really the sort of game where score attacking is much fun. If you’re stuck with touch controls it isn’t the worst thing in the world. You can credit feed your way all the way through after all, and it doesn’t take a lot of finger wizardry to play a beat-em-up this basic.
Well, let’s digress a little. Ninja Combat, as it turns out, was not a launch title for the NEOGEO console in Japan. It was very close. Close enough that it made it for the North American launch a few months later. And that’s why I tend to think of it as a launch title. When the NEOGEO launched in the West, I was about eleven years old. I was spending a lot of time at arcades with my friends, and I remember the first time we entered our usual arcade and heard those booming speakers on the NEOGEO MVS. I don’t remember all four of the games loaded on there, but I do know that Ninja Combat was one of them.
Like most kids born in the era I was born in, I thought ninjas were just about the coolest thing ever. Not real ninjas, of course. But the silly superhero-ish ninjas that pervaded pop culture in the 1980s. So the twin protagonists of Ninja Combat, with their Day-Glo outfits and complete lack of stealth, appealed greatly to me. I thought it was cool that they threw shuriken instead of punching. There was a button that made them do backflips! There are so many weapons they can pick up, too. And heck, look at the way they walk. Carefully putting one foot in front of the other, as ninjas do.
Perhaps because I didn’t have access to NEOGEO games at home, a couple of these early games really stuck in my brain, and Ninja Combat and Cyber-Lip were probably the two biggest. I would daydream about them. I would draw the characters on the back of school worksheets. To me, these games were among the very best one could find anywhere. When they were shuffled out of the MVS’s rotation for keeps, I mourned them. I waited for ports to the Super NES or Genesis. I mean, we got Fatal Fury. We got Art of Fighting. We got World Heroes. Surely those ports of Ninja Combat and Cyber-Lip are coming. But they didn’t. At that time, I really couldn’t figure out why. Eventually they faded considerably from my brain. Street Fighter II, you understand. Mortal Kombat. Easy to move on.
I didn’t get the chance to play these games again for well over a decade. Ah, time to play Cyber-Lip and Ninja Combat again, those fantastic arcade classics of my youth. It didn’t take long with either title for me to realize why they hadn’t been ported. Why almost no one else talked about them. Why no other kid around me had been obsessed with their characters and gameplay mechanics like I was. These games were not good. They were not good at all. They weren’t memorably bad, either. They were plain toast. An unsalted cracker. As consequential to the NEOGEO as half the songs on the average pop music album were to the person who bought it. They filled the slots, grabbed a few coins from people gawking at the new cabinet, and faded away when it became clear they weren’t catching as much attention as other games.
Why on Earth would anyone play Cyber-Lip instead of Metal Slug? Who in their right mind would play Ninja Combat instead of Sengoku 3? The lies that nostalgia likes to tell were laid bare once I had fired up those games again and memory clashed with reality. Bad games. Boring games. Boo. Another one for the pile with Bubsy the Bobcat, Road Runner’s Death Valley Rally, and The Rocketeer for the NES. The fool loves of a fool child whose imagination could fill in any gaps left by an over-worked development team.
And yet, and yet. And yet I still buy Ninja Combat and Cyber-Lip when they are made newly available on a console or device that I own. I know exactly what kinds of games these are now, and I know I’m not going to have an overly good time playing them again. But I buy them, and I play them, not exactly fully sure as to why. Probably chasing my childhood, like many of us do. Perhaps hoping to find something good to latch on to, so that I might tout them as a hidden gem in some sort of fancy list of games where I’m trying to look like an iconoclast. But there just isn’t that sort of thing in Ninja Combat. Nothing but a pair of Day-Glo ninjas awkwardly swinging clubs at considerably less snazzily-dressed opponents, their hair flapping in a perfect rhythm as their bodies heave with each breath.
I buy, I play. And so I have again. And it’s here in this meandering essay that I say the only reason you should pick up Ninja Combat ACA NEOGEO is if you, too, are affiliated with this particular shade of times gone by. I can’t imagine most other people getting much out of it, as it may well be the blandest NEOGEO beat-em-up of them all. So yes, this one is only for Shaun and people who have read all of these words and nodded their heads to at least half of them. The rest should simply wait and see what next Wednesday brings instead. Maybe Cyber-Lip?
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Shaun Musgrave
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Super Replay returns, and we’re checking out Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts! Join us today Friday on Twitch at 1 p.m. Central as we kick of the adventure, which will continue each week until we roll credits.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was released for the Xbox 360 on November 11, 2008. The third (and, so far, final) entry in Rare’s beloved platforming series centers on vehicle creation, where players collect and slap together hundreds of parts to assemble their own wacky contraptions to explore. The bevy of possible combinations and emphasis on player choice and creativity was largely unprecedented at the time, paving the way for future games such as the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. However, this direction would divide fans due to how much it strays from the traditional Banjo formula. So where will I land on it? Let’s find out.
Join me, Marcus Stewart, alongside Kyle Hilliard as we explore one of the Xbox 360’s biggest hidden gems to see whether it holds up or falls apart like a poorly constructed doohickey.
If you enjoy our livestreams but haven’t subscribed to our Twitch channel, know that doing so not only gives you notifications and access to special emotes. You’ll also be granted entry to the official Game Informer Discord channel, where our welcoming community members, moderators, and staff gather to talk games, entertainment, food, and organize hangouts! Be sure to also follow our second YouTube channel, Game Informer Shows, for to watch other Replay episodes as well as Twitch archives such as Replay, GI Live, and more.
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Marcus Stewart
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The Terminator films lay out a pretty grim prospectus for the future of humanity in the face of AI run amok. “Defense network computers. New. Powerful. Hooked into everything, trusted to run it all. They say it got smart. A new order of intelligence. Then it saw all people as a threat, not just the ones on the other side. Decided our fate in a microsecond. Extermination (opens in new tab).”
That’s not ideal! And so, perhaps hoping to get ahead of all that, the US Department of Commerce has begun the process of establishing guidelines (opens in new tab) to ensure that AI systems do what they’re supposed to—and, perhaps more importantly, do not do what they’re not supposed to.
“Responsible AI systems could bring enormous benefits, but only if we address their potential consequences and harms,” said Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and an administrator at the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is leading the effort. “For these systems to reach their full potential, companies and consumers need to be able to trust them.”
The NTIA said that, just like food and cars, AI systems should not be released to the public without first making sure that they’re not likely to result in widespread death and dismemberment. As a first step toward making that happen, the agency is now seeking input from the public on possible AI regulation policies, including:
Machine apocalyptica is the “fun” outcome of an AI catastrophe, but Davidson said during a presentation at the University of Pittsburgh (opens in new tab) earlier this week that the real worries, at least in the short term, are more mundane: Things like hidden biases in mortgage-approval algorithms that have led to higher rates of denial for people of color, algorithmic hiring tools that discriminate against people with disabilities, and the proliferation of deceptive and damaging deepfakes. Davidson called those examples “the tip of the iceberg” but said he remains optimistic about the future of AI because regulators are getting on top of things much earlier than they did with previous transformative technologies.
“In 2021, there were 130 bills related to AI passed or proposed in the US (opens in new tab),” Davidson said. “That is a big difference from the early days of social media, cloud computing, or even the Internet.
“The experience we have had with other technologies needs to inform how we look ahead. We need to be pro-innovation and also protect people’s rights and safety. We have to move fast, because AI technologies are moving very fast.”
Historically, regulation has lagged well behind technological advancement, and it’s focused on use rather than development, which—again, without wanting to lean too much into end-of-the-world scenarios—may not be of particularly great value on the AI front. It also remains to be seen how genuinely committed to AI regulation the US will be when faced with competition from other national powers: This is, after all, a country that got around its own laws regarding the treatment of prisoners by simply shipping them off to places (opens in new tab) with more permissive attitudes about torture and abuse.
Davidson is certainly correct about regulators being quicker to react to the potential impacts of AI development, but at this point I’m having a hard time seeing how the ultimate outcome will be significantly different than it has been in the past. Technology will advance, governments will struggle to keep up, and we’ll all do our best to keep our heads above water as we swim around in the mess.
For now, though, if you’d like to contribute to the NTIA’s efforts to cook up a regulatory framework for AI development, you can submit your thoughts at the AI Accountability Policy Request for Comment page (opens in new tab).
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andy.chalk@pcgamer.com (Andy Chalk)
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Remedy Entertainment has revealed a new company logo, and fans of the letter R are sure to be pleased as punch.
It’s been 20 years since Remedy updated its logo, but above is the image that will appear on the studio’s projects going forward. That includes Alan Wake II, a yet-to-be-revealed Control sequel, a Control multiplayer title, and remakes of Max Payne 1 and 2. The previous logo was pretty much just the letter R too, but this one has a different font and kind of hurts our eyes looking at it.
In a blog post, Remedy gives its simple rationale for the update:
“The bullet in the letter R in the old logo represented the era of Max Payne, but the Remedy of now is much bigger than a single game; we have a whole portfolio of games, new and old.
It was time to update and redefine our visual identity to bring more consistency, showcase our evolution over the years, and better express our vision of today’s Remedy.”
So there you have it. What do you think of Remedy’s new logo? Let us know in the comments.
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Marcus Stewart
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Last week, we asked you to share eye-catching shots of Resident Evil 4’s dependable hero Leon S. Kennedy using the #PSshare and #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
groovy_snake Leon performs a roundhouse kick
ujb3310 Leon serves a brooding look while wearing a winter hat
Blakers549 Leon wears a mafia-inspired suit while holding the Chicago Sweeper
Leon_REBH Leon wears an eye patch with a blue jacket on
Chitochi222 Leon with his gun drawn bathed in red light
JoeCapri Leon in a red suit of armor holding a rocket launcher
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Sports
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 19, 2023
Next week we’re getting competitive with awesome sports moments. Share moments that capture the essence of playing a sport from the game of your choice with #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
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O’Dell Harmon Jr. (he/him)
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I’d planned on starting with a line about how Loretta is an exception to how psychological horror games are about trudging around an abandoned mental hospital with the worst torch in the world until the girl from Ringu menaces you. It was already interesting and good enough pretty much right away to earn a recommendation, but after one of what will definitely be several playthroughs, leaving my praise that faint would do it a terrible injustice.
Loretta is goddamn excellent by any standard. Where other games use the mentally unwell narrator to explain everything away with “turns out you’re secretly crazy”, it’s instead just one layer of a complex horror mystery with splashes of drama and noir, whose surprises I’m straining not to spoil.
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Sin Vega
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In this week’s episode of The Game Informer Show, special guest and freelance journalist Sarah Thwaites joins us to discuss our Diablo IV cover reveal and Minecraft Legends review, the latter of which Thwaites wrote for Game Informer. Kyle Hilliard returns from California with hands-on impressions of the magic-wielding first-person shooter, Immortals of Aveum. Meanwhile, Marcus Stewart returns from vacation to discuss Meet Your Maker and The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Sarah Thwaites (@sarahathwaites)
The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host Alex Van Aken every Thursday for a chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Jump to the timestamps to get to a particular point of discussion:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:05:49 – Sarah Thwaites Aussie Indie Game Dev Feature
00:10:08 – Cover Story: Diablo IV
00:25:21 – Minecraft Legends
00:43:55 – Immortals of Aveum
00:54:23 – Disney Illusion Island
01:03:09 – Meet Your Maker
01:12:59 – The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
01:20:15 – Housekeeping
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Alex Van Aken
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Horizon Forbbiden West gets a big story expansion called Burning Shores next week, and the game’s launch trailer sets the table for Aloy’s dangerous excursion to the remains of Hollywood.
First revealed during the 2022 Game Awards, Burning Shores unfolds after the events of Forbidden West as Aloy travels to the ruins of Los Angeles. The untamed area has become a seismically unstable, volcanic archipelago where a new menace and never-before-seen machines await Aloy, who’s now joined by a mysterious new companion.
Burning Shores is only available on PlayStation 5 and cost $19.99. Players will need to have completed the entirety of the main campaign to start the expansion. Once they have, Aloy will receive a call on her Focus which will kick off the DLC.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores launches on April 19. You can read our review of the base game here.
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Marcus Stewart
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A legendary collaboration is happening for the next Splatoon 3 Splatfest competition. The theme will involve teams based on the Legend of Zelda series to celebrate the release of Tears of the Kingdom in May. This Splatfest asks “Which do you seek: Power, Wisdom, or Courage?”
These Splatfest teams represent the three pieces of the Triforce that the three main characters of the Legend of Zelda series hold. Specifically, the evil Ganondorf holds the Triforce of Power, Princess Zelda holds the Triforce of Wisdom, and our hero Link holds the Triforce of Courage.
Splatoon 3 players will be able to vote for which team they like the best and battle it out in Turf War matches to win the Splatfest.
This time, the Tricolor Turf War matches (which take place during the second half of the competition) will be held on a modified version of the Scorch Gorge stage. This is the portion of the Splatfest in which all three teams are represented in a match to battle it out.
You’ll be able to pick your team about a week before the Splatfest actually begins. In the week leading up to the competition, you can earn conch shells for each catalog level you achieve during the voting period and during the actual Splatfest.
The number of conch shells each team earns is one of the factors that decides the Splatfest’s winner, so it’s important to win as many as you can. These conch shells can also be traded for in-game rewards such as locker decorations and banners.
This Splatfest comes after the previous one that took place in April in which Team Nessie beat Team Aliens and Team Bigfoot.
The Legend of Zelda Splatfest will run from Friday, May 5 at 8:00 pm ET through Sunday, May 7 at 8:00 pm ET, so you have some time to decide if you will join team Power, Wisdom, or Courage.
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Rebecca Stone
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Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
Ayre and the Crystal Comet – April 17
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
The open skies await as you take on the role of a wandering dragon rider in search of a lost civilization. Presented in a nostalgic low-poly art style and allowing total freedom of flight from the beginning of your journey, Ayre and the Crystal Comet is a chill experience designed for exploration and discovery, without the pressures of combat or complex stat management. Search a vast open world from atop your dragon, or land and investigate locales on foot.
God of Rock – April 17
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
The mysterious God of Rock has revived the souls of the universe’s greatest musicians to clash for his entertainment. Blending rhythm-based gameplay with fighting game mechanics in tense 1v1 matches, choose from a dozen unique fighters, each with their own design, mechanics, and harmonic attacks. Soften up your opponent by executing normal moves and building meter by hitting notes to the beat of the song, then spend your meter to unleash EX and special moves do damage and add complexity to their tracks.
Disney Speedstorm (Early Access) – April 18
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Disney Speedstorm is the ultimate hero-based combat racing game, set on high-speed circuits inspired by Disney and Pixar worlds. A thrilling arcade racing experience where players will need to master each character’s unique skills on the racetrack and claim victory. Available for pre-order across three Founder’s Packs: Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate.
Minecraft Legends – April 18
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass: The piglins are threatening to consume the Overworld. Are you the hero this gentle land needs? Explore lush biomes to make alliances with new friends and familiar mobs, then face the piglins in epic battles. But be warned – they always fight back. Playable on Cloud, Console, and PC.
The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story – April 18
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
In the kingdom of Demacia, the Mageseekers hold the power to oppress magic-using citizens in the name of public order — by inducting and indoctrinating them, locking them away, or driving them into hiding. As Sylas, a spell-stealing mage who has just broken free of his unjust captivity, you will wield the chains that once bound you and liberate your homeland from tyranny, one Mageseeker at a time, in this action RPG that takes place in the League of Legends universe.
Secret Agent: Cold War Espionage – April 18
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Get ready for a wild ride, spy-lovers! As a top-secret agent, you’ll embark on thrilling mini missions to stop an evil mastermind’s plan for global domination! With seven pulse-pounding missions to complete, you’ll jet-set to exotic locations all over the globe, from luxurious hotels to swanky casinos, all while hot on the trail of the infamous Royale Diamond.
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly – April 19
Xbox Play Anywhere / Game Pass
It’s time to revisit your favorite late-night coffee shop and reconnect with your fantasy friends over a warm drink or two. You are a barista, and your customers aren’t always humans, listen to their stories and influence their hearts with a warm cup of coffee or two.
Tin Hearts – April 20
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Guide a troop of mischievous tin soldiers through a magical toy-filled world using a variety of whimsical and inventive contraptions to bounce, shoot and glide them to their goal. March through 40+ levels of time-bending, soldier-routing riddles, forge new paths for your toys to follow, and solve increasingly elaborate puzzles to unravel the emotional, thought-provoking story, of Albert J. Butterworth, a genius inventor of Victorian times. Try the demo here.
Dead Island 2 – April 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
The much-loved zombie saga is back with a unique formula of horror, dark humor, and over the top zombie-slaying, spanning an epic pulp adventure. Dead Island 2 is a thrilling first-person action RPG that’s stylish, vibrant, and flooded with zombie infection. Explore iconic, gore-drenched Los Angeles. Meet larger-than-life characters. Slay countless foes in exquisitely bloody detail. And evolve to become the ultimate zombie slayer!
Homestead Arcana – April 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere
Become an all-powerful witch and wield nature’s magic to heal the world. Tap into the strength of nature to craft spells and ready yourself for the mysterious challenges ahead as you work with your friendly cat familiar, Huckleberry, to beat back the deathly Miasma that’s corrupting the land.
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Pokémon Squishmallows are now technically available, and definitely adorable, but surprising no one, these plushies have sold out just about everywhere. However, we’re keeping an eye on stocks at various retailers and clueing you into some tips that just might help you bring one of these precious round-boys home.
So far, only Gengar, Pikachu, Snorlax, and Togepi have been released, but Piplup, Teddiursa, and Clefairy are set to become available later this year.
If you absolutely need to bring home today, you might be able to find some third-party listings on Walmart or eBay, but these tend to fluctuate pretty wildly in terms of their pricing and availability.
For anyone looking to put in some additional legwork, there are resources available that provide alerts for when these prized commodities get restocked. For that, we’d recommend following Squishalerts on Instagram and Twitter. You can also download the Squishalerts App for Android and Apple devices. Another option includes following Wario64 on Twitter, who provides updates on restocks of popular products like the PlayStation 5, but frequently highlights alerts for other high-demand items.
Alternatively, there are plenty of other oversized plush Pokémon currently in stock at Target and GameStop, and while they aren’t official Squishmallow-branded products, they’re still just as cute.
Update (April 14): The 14-inch Pikachu Squishmallow was back in stock at Amazon, but it quickly sold out.
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Alice Newcome-Beill
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Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball during the modern era. A true trailblazer in many areas, including sports, media, and the civil rights movement.
Jackie stood for class, the love of the game, and equality. He was a powerful force of positive change that changed the landscape of sports and the world today.
As has been tradition each season since 2004, MLB will celebrate the anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s historic MLB debut as he broke baseball’s color barrier throughout the league on April 15, 1947.
In partnership with the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Sony Interactive Entertainment, The Players Association, and Major League Baseball you can purchase the Jackie Robinson Foundation Charity Pack ($4.99 USD, from April 14, 2023 through April 29, only on US digital platform stores where MLB The Show is sold). PlayStation and San Diego Studio will donate 100% of the proceeds* from this pack after store platform fee deductions are applied to the Jackie Robinson Foundation. These donations will continue to support the JRF/PlayStation-MLB The Show Scholars Program to help reduce the achievement gap in higher education.
Your purchase of the Jackie Robinson Foundation Charity Pack grants you: 5,000 Stubs, Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) bat skins, Jackie Robinson Day profile icon and a Jackie Robinson profile banner icon for use in MLB The Show 23
Jackie Robinson played a pivotal role in societal change as a champion of racial equality and social justice. In turn, the Jackie Robinson Foundation continues that legacy as one of the best scholarship and leadership development programs for students from underrepresented groups for the past 50 years.
We’re now in our third year of this groundbreaking partnership with the Jackie Robinson Foundation. We’d like to introduce you to our first cohorts of JRF/PlayStation MLB The Show Scholars:
Kevin Evans
Cedar Hill, Texas
University of Texas at Austin
Computer Science
Class of 2026
Select High School Accomplishments:
Asim Arnold
Dacula, Georgia
Georgia Institute of Technology
Computer Engineering
Class of 2026
Select High School Accomplishments:
Dominic Bruce-Moore
Springfield, Massachusetts
Northeastern University
Communications and Media Studies
Class of 2026
Select High School Accomplishments:
Collin Jones
North Plainfield, New Jersey
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Game and Interactive Media Design
Class of 2026
Select High School Accomplishments:
Lance Rodgers
Oxon Hill, Maryland
University of Maryland – College Park
Computer Engineering
Class of 2026
Select High School Accomplishments:
Daisha Lafford
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
North Carolina A&T University
Computer Graphics
Class of 2026
Select High School Accomplishments:
Exposure and the lack of career readiness programming to the industry is one of the biggest hurdles facing underrepresented talent seeking to join the gaming industry. It’s why our partnership with the Jackie Robinson Foundation is so important.
We want to realize the power of education and career opportunities and allow for better economic equality and equity. Bringing more diversity into our communities, our products, and our games. We couldn’t be happier to continue our partnership with the JRF and Jackie’s family as we strive to achieve these goals.
In addition, anyone with MLB The Show 23 and an internet connection can play the Jackie Robinson’s Storyline which sheds more light on Jackie’s illustrious career that started with the Kansas City Monarchs. Upon completion of Jackie’s Storyline, you unlock his Sanford Green Card.
We’ll also be supercharging the Sanford Greene Jackie Robinson card to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day.
MLB The Show 23 is available now on PS5 and PS4.
*PlayStation will donate 100% of the proceeds (minimum of $3.49 USD per pack) sold will be donated. To (See console’s online stores for details) the JRF Foundation after store platform fee deductions are applied. This purchase is not tax deductible.
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Ramone Russell
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