One that immediately springs to mind has to do with sandworms. You know, the massive subterranean creatures that rise up and eat you, causing you to lose all of your gear so far – the Shai-Hulud, as the Fremen call the wriggling beast. After 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:mysteriously disappearing from the survival MMO last week following reports of buggy behaviour, sandworms re-emerged from the sandy dep♔ths of Arrakis, much to players' dismay.

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They didn't just come back, however. They returned with a vengeance, apparently, and the ability to soar into the sky to snatch unsuspecting ornithopters down into their gaping, toothy maws. As one player reports on alongside an unfortunate clip showing their mid-air demise, a sandworm destroyed them, and the "Assault Ornithopter we just made [was]🐈 lost." Nobody seems to know whether the sandworm's ability to fly is a bug, either.

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"They do jump out of the sand aꦛ little," comments another player – but "this is way more than I've seen a worm jump," so it's "probably a bug." Another says they're "uncertain" whether it's a bug or not, as Funcom supposedly "confirmed" sandworms will attempt to snag people mid-air by "emerging higher from the sand." There are plenty of other posts showcasing the erratic fꩵlight-y sandworms, too, though.

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One amusing thread on sees its poster write that "Shai-Hulud will leap out of the sand like Free Willy and blow you up," along with a video of said scenario playing ou൲t – from "mine and friend's perspective." The chaos doesn't end there. Elsewhere, another Redditor simply that the "Sha𒁃i-Hulud can fly" and posts a clip of their own loss, admitting that "it is very disappointing to lose the progress of my team" like that.

While, as a fellow player myself, I do find the posts depicting soaring sandworms funny, I'd definitely be devastated to lose my ornithopter like that. I already have to look both ways before crossing the sand, after all – now I have to mid-air?

Wondering what we think about the game? Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dune: Awakening review for more.

"A few years ago, certain circumstances led me to play the original 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Final Fantasy Tactics game," in an interview. "It was my first time playing the game since it first released all those years ago, an🔯d I got to experience its brilliance all over again, from i𒁏ts outstanding design that still holds up today even among modern games, to its deep narrative."

It wasn't just a personal trip down memory lane. As Maehiro replayed the classic, he realised something was missing for everyone else, namely, a way to play the game at all on newer hardware. "However, there was no way to play the game on the current generation of consoles. I really wanted the younger𒅌 generation of players who didn't get to experience the original release to be able to play this incredible game. That's why w🥂e started developing this title."

With that, the team set out to bring Final Fantasy Tactics to a new audience. But almost immediately, they hit a wall that no amount of technical know-how could fix: the building blocks of the game had simply vanished. "There weꦿre a number of major challenges, but all of them stemmed from the fact that the master data and source code from the o𝓡riginal game no longer existed," Maehiro admits.

It wasn't about neglect, just a sign of the times. "This isn't to say that they were mishandled or poorly managed or anything like that, keeping that kind of data wasn't a normal thing to do at the time," he says. The technology and workflows of the era weren't built for long-term preservatওion. "In those days, we didn't have the sort of robust resource-management tools that exist today, and on top of that, the production workflow of the game was such that the Japanese version was produced first, and then we would create localised versions by overwriting the data with that of other languages, including English."

Even patching or updating after release simply wasn't a thing. "There was also no such thing as online p☂atches or updates, so unless there was any major reason to do something different, once you'd made the game, that was it." It all added to a perfect storm: a beloved game ready for a comeback but without a technical foundation to build on.

"So, I think it's fair to say that developing this game without any master data or source code was th𓂃e biggest challenge."

The solution? It wasn’t easy, or glamorous, and when asked how they solved the problem, Maehiro laughs, "Put simply: by sheer force." With no shortcuts available, the team went into detectivওe mode, scouring existing versions🐷 and piecing things together line by line. "We analyzed a number of existing versions of the game and reconstructed the programming of the original, but there were also times where we played the original and it worked out by feel alone…"

That process wa💜s painstaking and, at times, downright unpre🦂dictable. "The entire process was the result of cumulative hard work, on the one hand working to implement new features, while behind the scenes our work was similar to porting an old arcade game to the NES."

In the end, it was all about teamwork and perseverance. "The staff who worked on this game were real lifesavers. ൩I can’t thank them enough."

So, the next time you load up Final Fantasy 🐟Tactic🐠s – The Ivalice Chronicles on a modern console, remember: it's more than just a port. It's a labour of love, built piece by piece from the ground up, driven by a director's rediscovered passion and a team that simply refused to give up, even when the original map was nowhere to be found.

A Final Fantasy Tactics remaster appeared in the Nvidia giga-leak nearly 4 years ago, so with The Ivalice Chronicles announced I'm staring extra hard at the Final Fantasy 9 Remake that was also mentioned.

Maehiro explains: "I and other members of this development teꦓam were not directly involved in the War of the Lions, but I do believe that the content in that game did fully meet expectations for players at that time."

He adds, "during the creation of this game, we asked ourselves what our team – those who created the original Final Fantasy Tactics – could do to bring this game to a new generation of players. It was through considering this question that we came to the conclusion that the most appropriate path for us was to pay respect to the🐻 original game's experience and recreate that in the best form possible."

The interviewer then a𒐪sks if some of the War of the Lions-exclusive content would be retrofitted into Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, such as the inclusion of characters like Luso and Balthier (from Tactics A2 and Final Fantasy 12 respectively), or the Onion and Dark Knight jobs. However, while it was considered, the team decided against it, saying making major changes would "be a loss for not only fans of the 💎original game, but also those new to the title."

Maehiro says that "our first step in reviving Final Fantasy Tactics in the present was to adherﷺe to the original and put a spotlight on the original game’s characters and jobs, as well as the original gameplay experience."

One remnant of War of the Lions will be appearing in the game, as the original version of the game will also be included in The Ivalice Chronicles alongside the enhanced version, featuring the updated translation from the 2007 PSP release. I don't know if I'm just cynical after seeing Persona 3 Reload 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:adding updated version content through DLC, bu🅷t perhaps War of the Lions' added extras could appear later down the line as DLC.

Don't feel bad if you fell for Final Fantasy Tactics' viral "penalty for a crime" meme, the OG strategy RPG's director says "it certainly sounds like something I would have written."

The elaborates that "we have a huge slate of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:post-launch content planned, including free content drops and updates," while the explains what's to come in the more expensive versions of the game with one of💎 those tables that break down everything.

The Deluxe edition comes with the Bounty Pack Bundle, which includes "four unique areas, missions and bosses" and "vault card with unique challenges and rewards" along wit🌼h cosmetics and weapons. Meanwhile the more exp๊ensive edition comes with the Vault Hunter Pack, which seems more in-line with a full-blown expansion, with new vault hunters, map regions, and story missions being added.

A fan on Twitter pointed out that the Bounty Pack Bundle sounds similar to the Headhunter Packs from Borderlands 2, which were small DLC packs that added little missions to the game along with a fܫew cosmetics. And yes, these are going to be similar to Headhunter Packs.

"Bounty Packs are going to be similar to Headhunter Packs from Borderlands 2 with Vault Cards and extras!" it writes. "We'll be talking about this and the rest of our post-launch plaไns prior to launch!"

Of course, when you look at the cost of the Borderlands 2 Headhunter Packs, they were $2.99 each, so all𒆙 five of those were just under $15 in total. So forgive me for saying that four Headhunter Pack equivalents for Borderlands 4 being $30 on top of the game sounds like a real bad deal. I'm sure Gearbox expects that the "real fan" will gladly go all-in on it, but if we're talking about the sam🎃e scale as Headhunter Packs, $5 extra for each pack seems a bit much.

Borderlands 4 is "turning out to be better" than Borderlands 3 "by every measurement we have, including subjective ones," Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford teases.

In on Twitter, Momot's reaction is enthusiastic from the start. "That's it for Clair Obscur. I'm not going to be original here when I say we NEED more games like this," he writes, summing up the feeling many players have after finishing something special. The fact that someone who'𝐆s been involved with some of gaming's biggest titles feels this way says a lot.

But it isn't just a vague endorsement. ꦍMomot breaks down exactly what makes Expedition 33 stand out to him. "Such a great🏅 story from start to finish, super likeable characters, fun and engaging gameplay and don't even get me started on the music," he says. It's clear he connected with both the narrative and the cast, while also being swept up by the game's fantastic soundtrack.

The praise doesn't stop there. "Brilliant! It has to be in the💎 GOTY talks!" Momot adds. Coming from someone at CD Projekt Red, that's not the sort of compliment that gets handed out every day.

With this kind of buzz coming from industry insiders, it's no wonder 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is suddenly on 🐼a lot more people's radars. Whether it ends up in the official Game of t🙈he Year conversation or not, it's already earned a place on the must-play lists of gamers who value strong stories, memorable characters, and a little creative magic.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 studio already has "great ideas for the next game" after its debut release "smashed our forecasts pretty fast"

Kojima's love of relatively small teams is well-known. He previously said he doesn't really want more than 150 people working on games like Death Stranding 2, for example.

"When I first started, it was like a team of six. You could do everything yourself," Kojima now says in a roundtaജble interview attended by . "Now, it's expanded. You can't really control each employee, so you delegate. But sometimes, the idea doesn't really work out because it's a bigger t🗹eam."

Looking to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive, Kojima says: "They only have like 33 team members and a dog," adding: "That's my ideal when I create some🍰thing with a team."

It's important to note that while 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:there were around that many core st⛦aff, there were also contractors and partners listed in the game's credits – so 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:more than 33 people worked on t✨he game.

"Creation has now become much bigger," Kojima says. "Big companies, like 600, 1,000 peopl🐎e, they're full of toꦛtally different teams. Everyone's concentrating on their work and then combining together."

While many hands make light work, I can see why some developers would prefer smaller teams, especially those with more directorial desires such as Kojima. It's possible for things to feel like they've been designed by committee when you've g⛄ot a large group of people to work with.

Still, needs must, and sometimes you just need bodies. "During the pandemic… It was over 200 people [working on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Death Stranding 2]," Kojima says, but he "couldn't tell that t🎐o George [Miller]."

Miller, director of Mad Max and Happy Feet (the man𒐪's got range), told Kojima that nomadic sheep herders kept their flock to 150 sheep, as it's hard for humans to track more than that. Although Kojima says he told Miller "I went a little over 150, and we laughed about it."

While you wait for Death Stranding 2 and think about sheep, check out all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming games of 2025 that you have to look forward to.

You'll have to make smart use of your 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FBC Firebreak Crisis Kits to clear the sector of sticky notes, while also defending your allies from Shufflers – humanoid monsters made entirely of sticky notes. If you want to complete the Paper Chase job in FBC: Firebreak, then here's how to destroy the sticky notes and defeat Sticꦑky Ricky.

How to destroy Sticky Notes in FBC: Firebreak

There are several ways to destroy sticky notes in FBC: Firebreak, but some methods are much more efficient than others. While you can shoot and melee the piles of sticky notes on the gro𝔍und, you won't make any real progress that way.

Your team's Crisis Kits are the best tools for cleaning up sticky notes. The Splash Kit excels at washing away sticky notes, and it can also clean any sticky note build up on y𝄹our teammates. Firebreakers with the Repair and Jump Kits should focus on keeping the lights on and charging up BOOMboxes and other environmental hazards to clear sticky notes and keep the Hiss hordes at bay.

Shooting Shufflers will also reward you with huge chunks of sticky notes, so try to nail as many of them as possible. They go down with regular gunfire, but they're much less threatening when they're wet. Explosives are perfect for dispatching Shufflers and clearing huge patches of♏ sticky notes if y𝔍ou've got them.

You'll lose a life if you get completely engulf♑ed in sticky notes, so stick close to an ally with a Splash Kit or jump in the shower to wash them off before your screen gets fully covered. Simply stepping on a pile of sticky notes is enough to add more to your screen, so move carefully throughout the office.

How to beat Sticky Ricky in FBC: Firebreak

Threshold Entity 14-N – also known as Sticky Ricky – is the final boss of Paper Chase in FBC: Firebreak. Your regular 🧸weapons aren't very effective against this massive mountain of🎃 sticky notes, so you'll have to use the environment to deal some real damage.

To defeat Sticky Ricky in FBC: Firebreak, work with your team to repair the water and electrical systems surrounding the monster. A Fix Kit and Jump Kit wi♉ll make things significantly easier, so be sure your team has those equipped.

Once the pipes are fixed and the generators are powered on, you can pull the nearby swꦦitch to soak Sticky Ricky and then electrocute him with shock damage. Sticky Ricky is vulnerable when electricity is flowing through him, so unload on the beast while you have the chance.

Be careful not to fall into the pit with Sticky Ricky, and watch your step to avoid sticky 😼note buildup. You should also be prepared for Sticky Ricky's big sticky note spray attack. Even though he rotates to cover most of the arena during this attack, you can easily avoid it by backing up as far as you can until it's over.

Repeat this▨ process a few time▨s and you'll be home free. All that's left to do after the boss battle is head to the elevator for extraction.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The Fix Kit, Jump Kit, and Splash Kit serve wildly different purposes, but they're all equally impor🃏tant. You can freely swap between Crisis Kits in the loadout menu, though, and there are even points during missions where you can change your active Crisis Kit as needed. To find out more, here's what you need to know about FBC: Firebreak Crisis Kits.

Looking for help with the first two jobs? We've got separate guides for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FBC Firebreak Hot Fix and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FBC Firebreak Paper Chase to get your started.

How to use each Crisis Kit in FBC: Firebreak

There are three Crisis Kits in 🔯FBC: Firebreak to choose between: the Fix Kit, Jump Kit, and Splash Kit. They can eventually be upgraded with Devices and Parautility unlocked via Requisitions, but🦋 their base functions remain the same.

FBC: Firebreak Fix Kit

The Fix Kit is used to repair items during jobs, and anything marked with a wrench icon can be repaired with the Fix Kit. Some objectives can be completed without the ꧃help of a Fix Kit, but anyone trying to do manual repairs by hand c🐠an become afflicted with shock, fire, or other negative status effects. Make sure you have someone with a Fix Kit equipped to avoid these scenarios.

In addition to tinkering with objectives, you can also use the Fix Kit to build things like Swivel Turrets to꧑ help your team fend🗹 off the hordes of Hiss. The Fix Kit's wrench can also be used to bash enemies away from you in a pinch, but it's not a great source of damage on its own.

FBC: Firebreak Jump Kit

The Jump Kit emits jolts of electricity, that can be used to power things up during jobs. It's great for quickly powering up certain objectives, and it can💜 also be used to improve showers and ammo benches so they're more usef💫ul for your allies.

The Jump Kit's electricity can also apply thಌe Shock status effect, which deals damage to enemies that are Wet. One of the Jump Kits best features is the ability to charge up BOOMboxes, which attract crowds of enemies before exploding.

FBC: Firebreak Splash Kit

The Splash Kit is one of the most versatile Crisis Kits in FBC: Fi♐rebreak. It's 🌱essentially a souped-up water gun that applies the Wet status effect to enemies and surfaces, so it pairs nicely with the electrified Jump Kit.

The Splash Kit also cleans off allies and removes negative 🎃status effects like radiation and fire. It's the closest thing the game has to a dedicated support role, so make sure to stick close to teammates equipped with Splash Kits. The second job in particular – Paper Chase – is the perfect playground for Splash Kit mains since th🧜ey can wash away sticky notes with ease.

Mastering all three Crisis Kits is important, so try to get a feel for each of them before moving on to higher difficulty levels. Rememb൲er that you can change your Crisis Kit at certain points during missions as well, so don't be afraid to change things up if your current approach isn't working.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

FBC: Firebreak is a spin-off of Control, Remedy's psychic powered Metroidvania. There, you explore an extra-shadowy government agency tasked with investigating paranormal phenomena, like a fridge that slaughters you if you stop staring at it for a split second. Intriguing, but the game's main hook is the fun supernatural abilities you get to pl🌌ay with, like telekinesis and mind control. FBC: Firebreak's riskiest move is to take all those fun powers away. You're a lowly working stiff at the bureau now, buddy. Be grateful you even get a firearm.

Making a Splash

In teams of three, ideally, you embark on 'jobs' that play like a more regular shooter than Control. Each member of the team gets a choice of gun, grenade, and can either pack a jump kit, fix kit, or splash kit. Fix kit has a wrench that can fix stuff with a couple of quick bashes. Jump kit can charge up electronics with several jolts ꦰfrom their electro-gun. And splash kit can make things wet. Surprisingly, that might be the most useful of the three.

Jobs alternatꦰe between charmingly bizarre, ඣlike cleaning out an office full of hostile sticky notes, and disappointingly routine, like fixing a bunch of massive fans. A lot of these are simply window dressing on things you've done countless times in other team shooters. Get resource into X device, fix Y broken machines to open Z, etc. All livened up by the waves of horrible monsters that keep spawning to stop you, naturally.

For a while, that window dressing is just about interesting enough. Activating igniters to slowly take out frost anomalies is pretty tedious, but t𒀰hrowing skier mannequins on a mystical ski lift to proceed is pleasingly odd. Other quirks include restoring health by taking a shower, and there's even achievements for dying in the shower ('Hitchcock Moment') and for the whole team taking a shower together. Awww!

Shields only regenerate when you're near teammates which discourages being a lone wolf jerk and rewards working as a team. Apex Legends' excellent 'ping' system, which lets you highlight points of interest to the team, is here instead of voice chat. That's an odd choice, especially since this Metroidvania spin-off doesn't have a map, as Remedy ༒wants finding the healing showers and ammo stations to be part of the challenge.

Fine, but they've prioritized confusing office verisimilitude over intuitive level design, so I was constantly smacking into dead ends and wandering into the toilets by mistake when all I wanted to do was get back to my team. It's hard to get across 'no no no not that way you oaf' with the ping system. If it's meant to be deliberately frustrating, congratu🌄lations, I guess?

At first I thought fire was completely broken, which at least was appropriate to the game's title. Get set alight and I either had to hope someone's playing as the person who can shoot water over you, or desperately find a shower. Often fire took me out so quickly that it felt like I was better off just giving up and hoping someone resurrected me when I was downed. But it's also possible to catch fire yourself from helping a downed teammate. So much for teamwork. Is the moral of FB♍C: Firebreak that we should let our friends burn to death?

But the more I played, the more I discovered other ways of dealing with my burning issue. Lobbing grenades around the office sets off the sprinklers, giving me another crucial source of water. Jumping on a zipline also moves me fast enough to remove fire. Stillও, helpful as these discoveries were, all they really did was make fire slightly less irritating.

I was thrilled when I finally unlocked a perk that let me remove status ailments by jumping, particularly because it's fun to imagine other online players wonܫdering why I suddenly won't stop jumping up and down. But making perks like this something to aspire to feels like an admission that these ailment systems aren't much fun or interesting to engage wi♏th in the first place.

Odd Jobs

The guns are nothing to write home about either. You could be really generous and see that as encouragement to use more n💖ovel offensive tactics, like soaking enemies in water and then electrocuting them. It encourages jump kit and splash kit players to work together, but we've been pulling off tricks like this since Bioshock. It's not nearly as satisfying as telepathically ripping chunks out of walls and buryinꦏg them in enemy's faces like you did in Control proper.

The main problem is that too many of these jobs feel like, well, work. Take the one where you have to clear out the hostile sticky notes. You do this by shooting them, which has to be the most inefficient way to clean an office short of using dynamite. Except when you do shoot the sticky notes they spray everywhere, and if enough of them stick to you, you have to hop in the shower and sloooowly wait for them to be washed off before they kill you. To counter this, you can make the sticky notes wet first, either by 🌜playing as the character who can spray water, or setting off the sprinklers. I unlocked a perk which made my machine gun bullets wet which helped massively here.

But even with that perk it's still such a chore. A machine gun is just the completely wrong tool to make this a satisfying job, and God help you if you opted for the revolver. This is crying out for a gadget swiped from 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:PowerWash Simulator.✨ Waves of enemies showing up to attack the team should fill us with dread, not relief that we get to shoot something more interesting for a while. Monster men made out of sticky notes are more fun to fight in later sections, but why does it have to be such a slog to get to them?

Overworked

Even the slightly better jobs, like shooting gross leeches that eject neon gunk in the hopes of them also dropping nuclear pearls, are made dull by the way the game escalates. Complete a job and you'll unlock the next level of it. Each level adds fresh challenges, which is good, but also demands you clear vastly inflated goals, which is appalling. You seriously want us to shoot 50000 sticky notes to see the next bit? That would get repetitive in a game that had made tha🃏t task fun, let alone this one.

Control was no masterpiece, but whenever I was about to give up on it, it would sucker me in with a fun set-piece or new superpower. That floating orb which heals enemies was an abso𝕴lute nightmare until you could mind control it into healing you instead. And flying suicidal explosive enemies became a highlight once your tel𓃲ekinesis was strong enough to pluck them out of the sky and use them as organic grenades. But in FBC: Firebreak you can usually only shoot them, which feels like a major step backwards. This bestiary isn't nearly as satisfying to fight with these guns. Maybe a hero shooter would have been a better fit for a spin-off of a game all about playing with amazing powers?

There's a horrible screaming monster, which is invisible until it's about to attack you, only weak to attacks from the front, and sprays a near-lethal attack at you from said front. It came close to ruining Control and I think it's succeeded in ruining this. It is just no fun at all to fight without Control's dodge 𝄹move, and has been responsible for losses on so many teams I've played with. Suddenly the pinging system's presence here makes sense, because if voice chat was on the swearing alonꩵe would become a jump scare.

What's frustrating is that occasionally it does work. At one point my team was pursued by a sentient traffic light which would occasionally pick on one of us and turn red, meaning a deadly punishment if that player dared move. Your teammates being forced to cover you while you stand stock still and stare at that horrible traffic light longing it to turn green is wonderfully tense, and shows a Control multiplayer shooter is an idea with great potential.

One unlockable skill lets you tempora♔rily tape a piggy bank to the end of your melee weapon. Bash an enemy with it, and it creates a tornado of broken porcelain and loose change. Yes, more of this please! But that's a rare treat, and soon you're back to a disappointingly bland FPS. A repetitive team shooter releasing in a competitive field with too little in it to recommend. Maybe the bureau's next assignment should be investigating what on Earth happe♕ned here.

FBC: Firebreak wꦑas reviewed on PS5, with a code provided by the publi🌸sher.

Want something else to play with a pal? Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best online games list!

How to Repair the Transfer Fans in FBC: Firebreak

There are only a handful of transfer fans in need of repair, but your team will need to use each of their Crisis Kits in order for things t▨o go as smoothly as possible.

Each transfer fan is marked for the entire team. You'll proceed t൲hrough the area and hit them one by one, battling Hiss along the way. Anyone can interact with a transfer fan to initiate the repair process, but doing things manually causes you to take damage. Instead, you should use the matching Crisis Kit depending on the type of repair.

For example, the Jump Kit can quickly recharge the batteries for each transfer fan, and the Fix Kit's wrench can smack a transfer fan into shape with just a few swings. Some of the repairs have to be done inside scorching hot tunnels, but a Spꦿlash Kit can easily cool off anyone who can't handle the heat. Think of Hot Fix as a mini tutorial for 🤡the game's Crisis Kits.

Since Hot Fix tries to teach you all about Crisis Kits, there are a bunch of goodies scattered throughout the sector that you can use your tools on. The Jump Kit can power on explosive BOOMboxes and boost the healing capabilities of showers, while the Repair Kit can build Swivel Turrets at designated locations among other things. Keep an eye out for water, lightning, or wrওench icons to see where you can use your Crisis Kit.

As you move between transfer fans, you'll encounter many different types of Hiss. Armored enemies are particularly weak to shotguns and bolt action rifles, 𝓡while the standard Hiss enemies can be shredded with submachine guns and other weaponry. Watch out for armored hiss with glowing red weak spots growing out of their backs, too. You won't see anything too crazy unless you're playing on higher difficulty levels, but you still shouldn't let your guard down.

Occasionally after repairing a fan, a powerful enemy will spawn. They don't have any special poಌw꧅ers, but they do have much more health than the standard Hiss units. Focus them with your teammates, but take care to avoid getting overwhelmed by their goons. Take them down to lift the sector lockdown and continue on with the mission.

Once you've repaired every transfer fan, you can head to the elevat𒐪or for extraction. That's all there is to this job! You can move on to other missions or replay Hot Fix in FBC: Firebreak on higher difficulties for even more rewards.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Zantara's Head is one of these contracts, and it has the entire Dune Awakening playerbase stumped. The reward for ജtaking down Zantara and delivering proof of his death is a whopping one million Solaris, which is more than enough to set someone up for life on Arrakis. Zantara is the guy that's been helping you since your crash la🍷nding at the start of the story, though, so many players are also wondering if it's even worth trying to cash in this bounty.

How to Start Zantara's Head Bounty

You can accept the Zantara's Head bounty as soon as you arrive at Griffin's Reach Tradepost. This is the first trading outpost that you'll visit as a part of the onboarding quests, and if you need help finding it, we've actually got a guide on the location of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dune Awꦕakening Griffin's Reach Trad🧔epost.

Zantara claims he'll meet you there, but he's nowhere to be found once you finally make the trip. At this point in the 🀅game, the contract cannot be completed. It's just a piece of worldbuilding to explain why Zantara isn't accompanying you at this part of the story. A million Solaris would be immensely helpful for new players, but you can't get it no matter how hard you try.

Dune Awakening Zantara Location

Zantara is quite an elusive figure, and locating him in the wide-open desert is easier said than done. Zantara does come back up later in the game, though, so just keep playing Dune: Awakening if you want to find him. Get through the Trials of Aql and hunt down the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dune Awakening Third Trial location, and work through the main story quests to get closer to your reu𓄧nion with Zantara.

Later on, you can kill Zantara and take his ring as proof of his demise. You won't be able to claim the bounty reward if you try turning it in, though. It'll be removed from your contraꦿct list and technically mar🐲ked as "complete," but it won't make you any richer.

The 🎉Zantara's Head bounty really is just there for worldbuilding purposes. You can't even pick it up if you miss it the first time around at Griffin's Reach, and you can also a🐽bandon it early without any penalties. Other contracts can be picked up later or restarted if canceled, but Zantara's Head is a special exception.

Thankfully, the other bounties in Dune: Awakening don't work this way. Unlike Zantara, other bounty targets and contract objectives will always be marked on your map with a blue icon. While they won't make you a millionaire overnight, contracts are still the best way to make money on Arrakis when you're first starting out. The road to Zantara is long, so you'll need all the Solaris you can muster to gear up a😼nd prepare for the scorching sands ahead of you.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The remake was announced way back in 2020 and was originally supposed to come out the following year, but its development was met with various hurdles leading to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:a complete reboot in 2023.

After a period of silence, Ubisoft revealed right about a year ago that 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:the game had✅ ente𓄧red full-scale production and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:was set to release in 2026.

Then, more silence.

Per , Ubisoft technically broke i🌜ts silence earlier ﷺthis month when it mistakenly posted a For Honor tease to the official Prince of Persia Twitter account, deleting the post shortly after but not before sending the Prince of Persia community into full-blown desperation for updates on the remake.

Well, now the developer has officially, intentionally broken its silence on the project, seemingly with a peace offering to its fans. "Yep, we're still deep in the game — exploring, building,𒀰 and ensuring the sands move with purpose," reads the tweet.

"This game i🅰s being crafted by a team that truly cares, and they're pouring their hearts (and a lot of coffee) into every step. Thank you for sticking🎐 with us."

Of course, there's not a whole lot to mine from this, and it probably wouldn't have even been posted if it weren't for Ubisoft's flub from earlier this month, but I think it was the right move for the studio to say something as a gesture of goodwill to a group of🔜 people who have been🅺 waiting for this damn remake for five years now.

I loved The Sands of Time as a kid, but for the sake of my mental health, I can't be bothered to hold 🍌my breath for updates on the remake anymore. I hope it sticks the landing in 2026, but I'm not expecting to hear anything else about it for some time.

After all, there's a pretty long list of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming Ubisoft games we know are also in development.

In a real Avengers-style crossover moment, Yoshida sat down with former Nintendo employees Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang for the latest episode of their Kit & Krysta podcast (), ♋and Yoshida was asked how the higher ups at Sony view Nintendo as a competitor. His answer was essentially, they don't, not outside Japan at least.

"Their perception of their competition is always♍ Xbox,♛" said Yoshida. "They see Microsoft as being their competition, because Xbox is very similar performance hardware. You know, high-end console, mature games. And Nintendo is very different. Family friendly, games for everyone. Not about technologies, more about having fun with friends and families ... So, inside Sony, even when they do a business analysis, Nintendo doesn't show up even."

Yoshida added that, at least during his time at Sony, PlayStation was happy to see Nintendo ൲succeed because it meant more people were playing games, and that opened up the potential for PlayStation to take a cu๊t of that market share.

"Nintendo is bringing a younger audience into gaming, and some of them when they grow up, might graduate into more mature systems like PlayStation or Xbox," said Yoshida. "Of course, they have huge respect𒉰 for what Nintendo does in terms of how Nintendo should be doing in the industry. We all felt like it's great to have Nintendo to continue to be successful so that we can continue to grow the industry."

Yoshida also noted that Sony's perception of Xbox as its "primary competitor" applies t🌜o markets outside Japan, because, "In Japan, Nintendo is hugely strong and Xbox almost doesn't exist." Ellis and Yang both co-signed that statement, saying, "facts."

Of course, none of this is going to be hugely surprising to even casual observers, but it's really something else hearing it 🐓from a group of people with unique insights into the inner workings of both Sony and Nintendo, respectively.

With the Switch 2 specs no𝔍t even rivaling the lightweight Xbox Series S on paper, and also by virtue of it being a handheld console, it doesn't look like Nintendo's aiming to shift its place in the market in this generation, which absolutely makes 𝔉sense following the generational success of the OG Switch.

Speaking of: Switch 2 is Nintendo's fastest-selling console despite high prices, former Nintendo marketing leads say "you're basically teaching them that they can continue to do this"

You take control of a tiny alien commando, who wanders through what he perceives as a strange and hostile alien wilderness, but which actually looks like an insect eye's view of a rural patch of grass here on Earth, complete with some very unpleasant ants and a watch♑ful crow. While you're free to do battle with wild creatures, 🅷they're not the main focus of the combat. Instead, there's a cadre of robotic enemies known as Hunter Gatherers, or HGs, which are launching in on little dropships and setting up militarized bases across the landscape.

Small soldier

You're equipped with traditional guns like pistols and SMGs, but it's the jetpack that gets me excited as I take 🍸my first steps into a hands-on demo guided by the developers. You can shoot up into the air at the press of a button, and hover around to get a better view or rain down fire on the enemies below. Your ability to float isn't limitless, as you've got a meter governing your jetpack power, but it refills on a quick cooldown so you're never grounded for long.

There's a lot of freedom to move around the big, open-ended levels - the devs tell me this isn't a full open-world game, but the scale of the environments means that it can pass for one at a glance - which is good, because the HGs can be just as mobile. The highlight💟 of the demo was a big shootout with a couple of locust-like bots that remained constantly on the move through an intricate base full of labyrinthine walkways and shipping containers, where I found myself flying in and out of cover, dashing around barriers to pop off quick shots before the enemies could return fire.

And this is where that Binary Domain reference at the top - which I'm sure at least three of you reading this are very excited about - comes in, because you can blast apart these enemies piece by piece. Shoot a leg and they'll have their mobility greatly limited, crawling around on a single appendage to try and take a shot at you. Watching the enemies react so directly to the damage you're dealing is really satisfying, and the devs tell me that later enemies will have more and more discrete ♉parts to be disabled, letting you, say, knock off a gun arm to destroy their ability to attack at range.

While combat seems a big part of Infinitesimals, you'll also have the option to sneak into various bases if you don't want to go guns-blazing. The devs explicitly evoღked Deus Ex when describing how these segments play out, as you'll have various paths toward your objective, whether tha𝐆t means hacking doors or crawling through vents. They were also quite excited to show me a fully modeled power system, implying that you'd be able to selectively disable certain base defense systems as you infiltrate, but I didn't get to play around with that option during the brief demo.

I have a lot of questions about In🐟finitesimals: How deep will the stealth be? Will the enemies be varied enough to keep the combat interesting over the entire game? Will the sandbox offer the right amount of wrinkles to keep you from just using the same solutions over and over again♏? But among the many, many games I played at Summer Game Fest, it's one that I keep finding myself thinking about even now, days and days after the event. If it delivers on even a fraction of the promise I've seen in this demo, we're in for one hell of a unique shooter.

Check out all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming PS5 games and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming Xbox Series X games you need to know about.

MindsEye hasn't had the best start. After devs asked streamers to hold off on their release day streams until the official launch time, players quickly discovered that the game was full of bugs. Meanwhile, certain sponsored streams didn't go to plan, with one content creator failing to suppress laughter while🐼 ☂promoting the game. Now, the game has appeared right at the bottom of

It's worth keeping in mind that on this Metacritic list, any game t🔯hat has fewer than seven reviews from critics will be excluded. Therefore, there could be ♌other lesser-known games with worse average ratings, but they ultimately didn't receive enough reviews from different outlets to be included here.

doesn't have that many reviews – it has eight with scores, ranging from 20/100 to 50/100 in their ratings. That's still enough to get it onto Metacritic's big 2025 roundup, though, landing in 184th place overall – a far cry from the likeꦫs of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Split Fiction, and Blue Prince nearer the top.

To be fair to MindsEye, developer Build a Rocket Boy has already outlined plans to improve the game, having 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:announced a number of hotfixes to tackle everything from performance issues to crashes. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:first one of those arrived last week.

Will hotfixes be able to move MindsEye away from the bottom of Metacritic's best 2025 games list, though? Well, that remains to be seen, but complaints about the game stretch beyond its bugs. In our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:MindsEye review, we criticized its "mediocre story a🧔nd lackluster gameplay," calling the game a "resoundingly disappointing action-adventure that's neither satisfying as an old genre throwback nor presents a confident foundation for others ꧒to build upon."

That's generally not the sort of stuff you see remedied in a post-launch update, but there's no doubt Build a Rocket Boy will be scrambling to rectify 📖the overall situation the best it can.

MindsEye's launch "hasn't been without its challenges," says ex-GTA lead's studio, and the action game is set to get a "series of updates aimed at enhancing your experience."

Last week, fans 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:called for Funcom to ♛"fix the Landsraad" after reporting Dune: Awakening "unfairly favors large guilds" online. There was plenty of discussion regarding the game's late PvE content and how it doesn't feel fair or rewarding – and it seems t🌟he discussion isn't quite over yet. Now, players are growing more 🐠concerned with the MMO's other flavor of endgame content: its PvP gameplay.

A recent thread sums up the situation neatly, with the original poster dubbing engame content in Dune: Awakening "a total mess." They highlight various points in their rundown of the late game's problems, but they almost all pertain to PvP. First, "nobody fights on foot" – and if you try, you'll be ram🔯med by your enemies' ornithopters. Everything also comes with a "high risk," but "tiny reward," according to the post.

Why? Fans "risk all your current equipment and vehicle to get barely any reward." It's hard to get anything worthwhile, as the poster explains, "if you manage to down someone and they la🌊nd on rough terrain so you can actually loot them," they only drop part of their inventory – 🎃and it's generally not the part one would seek, like more advanced gear. Players also cite a "global PvP imbalance," making things feel even less fair.

from

Another thread on outlines similar issues with the PvP in Dune🦋: Awakening. The OP specifically calls for Funcom to quickly fix respawn times "ASAP," as "even when you win a long-winded battle, the losing team will just re-spawn instantly in the local area." With such fast respawn times from enemies, the longest reported by the poster being 12 seconds, a team will always win as🌌 long as it's larger.

"As it currently stands, even if you have the better team and beat the odds, the larger group will always win as they can just keep chucking bodies at it till the other team gives up or their gear breaks," as the poster puts it. Fans offer solutions, like longer respawn times or respawns that are further away, and ♚surprisingly, Funcom has actually responded. Creative director Joel Bylos can be found in the comments on the thread, in fact.

"We are working on a bunch of changes/fixes to these things," writes Bylos. "Please bear with us." While he doesn't expand on those fixes or give any upcoming patch dates, it's good news – and the community agrees. "It's awesome that you guys are willing to listen to the feedback and at least try and make changes," replies one player. "Thanks for working on this so dil✃igently and taking in feedback," the OP chimes in.

It's certainly a step in the right direction for Dune: Awakening, which already boasts 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:"Very Positive" reviews on Steam overall. Once Funcom irons out the MMO's quirks and the , it's safe to say it'll stand as one of this year's most exciting 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games.

Wonder what we think about the game? Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dune: Awakening review for more.

These days, it's common for a developer to know exactly what DLC it's got in the works before a game is even out – it does take years to make, after all. In total, there are currently six planned DLC packs that you can either 🔯buy now as part of the game's special editions, or yoꦆu can get them individually once the game is out.

The Deluxe Edition – which will set you back $100 – has four of these six packs i♏n what's called the Bounty Pack Bundle. They'll have new areas to explore, new missions to tackle, and more loot to get your h𒁃ands on.

The Super Deluxe Edition costs a not-so-super $130 and has two more DLC packs – which combined a⛦re called the Vault Hunter Pack. Each contains a new story, Vault Hunter, map regions, and more loot.

We don't yet know wh🌳en any of these DLC are going to launch, and it's important to note that e🐻ven when we do get a release date, it could change – video game development is volatile.

There's no need to panic pre-order the Super Deluxe Edition just yet. All the bundles and individual DLC will be available for purchase once the game launches on September 12, 2025, but we don't know what the separate prices will be. Ifꦓ you want to, though, you can pre-order Borderlands 4 on your pr൲eferred platform, .

In the meantime, check out all the other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming games of 2025 so you know what else there is to look forward to.

Tekken's lore is a magical thing, the 30-pluﷺs year saga of guys throwing their sons off cliffs, the sons then throw🅰ing their dads into volcanoes, the dads retaliating by sending his son, grandson, and father into space strapped to a rocket – you get the gist. But the fighting game genre has never been the most effective at telling stories, so a lot of the Tekken lore is found outside of the core gameplay, such as on series producer Katsuhiro Harada's Twitter account.

Over the last few days Harada has been sharing stories about the Tekken lore on Twitter, answering fan questions about a variety of the series' characters. Some of these tales have explained just small details in Tekken history, such as the Tekken team's failed plans to during the Armor King t🐻railer, or the fact that and aren't those charac💮ters' real names.

However, Harada shares is a big one. It has to do with Heihachi Mishima (who 澳洲幸运5开奖ꦅ号码历史查询:Harada establish꧃ed as having 25 kids back in 2011), and why tﷺhe dude has an army of Mishima children primed to be thrown off a cliff.

Heihachi originally threw Kazuya off a cliff to test whether he had inherited his mother's Devil Ge﷽ne, since, due to the Mishima clan's history of slaying demons, Heihachi .

"Heihach💧i has fathered numerous biological children in an effort to prove his hypothesis that the Devil Gene does not originate from the Mishima bloodline. In addition to this, he has pursued every possible avenue of genetic research," says Harada.

Harada then explains that Lars' moꦍther was a researcher who was working alongside the Tekken Force, which is why Lars has no demonic abilities. But then there's Reina – the latest of Heihachi's kids to appear – whose mother is someone Heihachi had identified as having the Devil Gene, which comes to light at the end of Tekken 8's story mode. However, despite not being raised by Heihachi or her mother, "in the Mishima bloodline’s long history of intergenerational conflict, Reina and Heihachi are – at least for now – the only parent-child pair to have a genuinely positive relationship."

"I didn’t have a single ally": Tekken 4's negative reception put series boss Katsuhiro Harada under so much stress that he left Namco for a year.

Ahead of Borderlands 4's release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on September 12 (the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Switch 2 version still doesn't have a full release date), publisher 2K has confirmed that the standard edition of the game will cost $70, comiไng in $10 shy of the price tag every൲one had begun to dread.

That's not to say that you can't spend more on the game, with the Deluxe Edition (which includes four post-launch DLC packs with new missions, weapon🐲s, cosmetics and more) costing $100, and the Super Del෴uxe Edition (with all the aforementioned DLC as well as two Story Packs and some skins) going for $130.

Let's face it, though, we've been faced with pricey deluxe editions of games for years – it's the standard price that everyone was most interested in, thanks to Pitchford's now-infamous "real fan" comments. Last month, r♛esponding to a fan who was concerne꧋d that Borderlands 4 would cost $80, Pitchford stated that, although the price is "not my call," ultimately, "if you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen."

Understandably, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:this didn't go down particularly well, and while Pitchford did later acknowledge that "nobody likes being taken for granted and it was not my intent" (before quickly addingಌ that "regardless of where the price lands, it's going to be worth it and then some"), the backlash has been dominating discussion about the game since.

P𒁏itchford was about the fact that there's "no price increase for Borderlands 4" today, adding: "Standard Edition launches not at $80, but at $69.99! They're showing you, so please show them." I'm sure he won't be the only one at Gearbox likely hoping that the price comment controversy will blow over now that the looter shooter is officially $70.

Borderlands 4 is "turning out to be better" than Borderlands 3 "by every measurement we have, including subjective ones," Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford teases.

In a tweet posted on the official Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Twitter account today, Sandfall Interactive teases that it's considering a number of differﷺent ideas for its JRPG love letter going forward. "We're currently exploring a wide range of future improvements – from accessibility features to new content and all sorts of bits and bobs we're actively assessing," it writes. "Naturally, this also includes expanded localization options!

"While we don't have specific💃 timelines or confirmed languages to share just yet, we wanted to let you know that it's very much on our radar," it continue🗹s, before channelling its inner Esquie: "Wheee!"

Sandfall Interactive has already released a handful of updates for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with the most recent one allowing you to 💜rematch the RPG's to🎉ughest post-game boss and add new Act 3 challenge modifiers to increase the health of enemies. One of them even gives foes 100 times more health than usual, which is wild, especially with no pre-patch Maelle to obliꦺterate 🧸everything in her path.

At this point, Sandfall Interactive isn't giving us any hints as to what this newly teased fresh content could be – I'm sure the most dedicated RPG players out there would probably appreciate even more challenge modifiers. Personally, though, I'd love some more 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Gestral Games to dive into.

Turns out you can ruin some of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's most impactful moments and fights with a funny costume secret – or enhance them, depending who you ask.

That's right – as if it wasn't impressive enough that, as 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:director Junya Ishizaki stated h💖imself, it's "very possible" to complete a full run and defeat all of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring Nightreign bosses alone, people are now actually doing it without taking any damage either. Content creator "LilAggy" proves as much in his own run, just yes𒊎terday. "I NO HIT AN ENTIRE NIGHTREIGN EXPEDITION," he writes.

"ZERO HITS (& ZERO DAMAGE – NOT EVEN A SINGLE STORM TICK) FROM THE START OF DAY 1 ALL THE WAY TO DOWNING LIBRA," concludes LilAggy. For those unfamiliar, "Libra" is the final boss and Nightlord in the "Equilibrious Beast" expedition. It's absolutely a wildly difficult accomplishment, and what's more, it's not even the ဣonly one to date – others have successfully pulled off zero hit runs, too.

YouTuber "eauvni" posted his own yesterday, showing him tackling a "world's first" no-hit run as Ironeye, one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring Nightreign Nightfarers. Unsurprisingly, fellow fans of the multiplayer spin-off are taking to the c🎐lip's comments to share their awe – awe that I feel myself watching eauvni play. "Absolute legend," writes one impressed player. "Insane skill," admits another. "Great job, dude."

It's nothing new for the Elden Ring IP – after all, the original game's community boasts the likes of the famous 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:no-hit saxophone player doing it all via a real-life instrument and another player who completed a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询ꦗ:no-hit run at uncapped 🅷New Game+1,000. It's certainly still a feat to write home about, however. After all, as our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring Nightreign review puts it, "reaching any of the Nightlords is difficult, and beating any of them is even tougher."

Here are some of the other most exciting 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games this year and beyond to keep an eye on.

It's impossible to overstate how much of a love letter to the Dune series this game is. Iconic moments, from painful encounters with Bene Gesserit truthsayers to cruising above th🦂e desert in wildly flapping ornithopters – it's all here and waiting for you to take the stage. Your created character must venture ever-deeper into the planet, using spice, completing missions, undergoing spiritual trials, and, eventually, taking part in the Landsraad. At least, that's the ཧcase if you're willing to play through a fairly plodding tutorial.

Without rhythm

You see, the game has inherited onಌe other aspect of Dune: ponderousness. It's a slow burn of a game and the first few hours, where you'd hope that it would hook you, are overwhelmingly tedious.

After being freed from captivity, your protagonist is let loose in the sandy, windblown wastes. You have no tools, and you must build: get ready to mine some granite! So, you build a little shelter, but then you need to wander off into the desert to go to a trading post, or raid a downed ship for valuable components. So you need to walk across miles of featureless desert, hoping th🎉at a sandworm doesn't hear you and snatch you up for dinner. As in the wider franchise, sandworms detect rhythmic sounds, like steps, but you'reౠ not able to walk without rhythm. You have two options available to you: walk normally and pray to your particular Dune deity that you'll make it across the sand in time, or inch your way across, offering a negligible advantage but taking far longer.

The scope of the world is very impressive – each section of the map is enormous, but on foot, it's just not fun to explor🐟e. Worse still, if a sandworm eats you, you can't retrieve your gear – it's just gone. This led, in one arresting incident, to me running around the world in my pants shivving scavengers for any components that they had, which leads us into another problem: the combat. It's just not particularly engaging. Enemies are frequently equipped with Holtzmann shields, which block projectiles and fast melee attacks. So instead, you just need to hold your mouse click to do a slow attack. That's the high drama inherent in taking on a shielded enemy. They're often paired with unshielded enemies, too, who you typically want🐼 to take out with firearms, so you need to do some ungainly weapon swapping on the fly, swapping floaty melee for unsatisfying guns.

The enemies all look like, well, Dune characters – flowing robes and st🙈illsuits. There's very little to distinguish between different enemy types, which makes quests that task you with killing a specific enemy more of a guessing game than anything else. I essentially never knew that I'd killed my target until I got a little quest pop-up. This, combined with the tedious nature of combat and AI that is almost terminally stupid means that it just feels like a chore. Instead of mining granite, you're now mining human souls directly out of a body, and your cutter ray is now a gun. Enjoy.

While walking across the desert may be dull, there's a level of verticality to Dune: Awakening that feels unmatched by any other MMO. When you're in the middle of a canyon, sheer rock walls looming atop you, you can, at any point, climb directly up the walls like a sandy Spider-Man. I even got an achi𓂃evement for climbing a particularly large rockface, and the sense of height is fantastic – you really do feel like you're on top of the world. If you have a suspensor equipped, you can bowl yourself merrily into the yawning chasm below, 💦safe in the knowledge that you won't take fall damage.

Once you build a sandbike, the world opens up considerably. You'll need it to cross into the second zone, and des🌞pi🅘te some clunky handling, it makes jetting across the desert extremely satisfying. You're fast enough to avoid sandworms for the most part, which takes the pressure off, letting you really savor the differences between each area.

Moving out of the starter area was where Dune: Awakening really started to get its hooks into me. Here, you gain access to iron, and more and better tools to help you survive. It's where the game started to feel like it understood the survival game rhythm, one where you should always be either gathering or refining resources and where ther💙e's always something you needও to be doing to help you stay alive.

Tooled Up

Let's talk about the game's deep and almost fetishistic🎃 love of tools. You may think that each tool could serve several purposes, and sure, ther💃e do tend to be multiple modes, but you're still going to be carrying around enough tools to make Home Depot turn green with envy. You've only got eight hotkeys, too, and one hotbar. You will, after a handful of hours, need to decide whether to leave some at home or fill up your inventory with items that you might not use. Some items, like the handheld resource scanner, feel distinctly useless, destined to sit in storage forever like a half-forgotten pepper at the back of the fridge.

You may be wondering why, as I'm sure you're aware thanks to your eagle-eyed observation of the review score, I still quite like this game. I've not done much but complain about it so far, and it's true, there are a lot of annoyances. But when the game comes together, it nails a sense of scale and place better than most other games could dream of. The map is gigantic, but all of that would be for naught if it weren't for the fact that the baking heat and shifting sands are palpable. You must manage hydr🧜ation and keep out of the sun during the day, while avoiding Sardaukar patrols at night. It's a dangerous, deadly place, and it feels every bit of it.

There are tons of small hideouts to explore, and the survival game treadmill of learning new recipes, crafting items, then using them to craft ever more, is incredibly compulsive. It doesn't always work, and there are times where you effectively are just doing hydration admin, which feels pretty dull, but the majority of my time, after the first area, was very absorbing. It's certainly true that some recipes require an absurd amount of variousꦦ materials. The Ornithopter, for instance, needs vast amounts of aluminum, and you need that to access the Deep Desert, where the game's politics and PvP pop. It feels like there's two different games here, one that is moജre like EvE Online and another that is more like a gentler Rust.

I can't speak much to the late-game politicking, for two reasons: firstly, I was playing solo, and secondly, I had a deadline to hit, and this is a game that is gigantic and, as mentioned, ponderous. However, if you make it into the Deep Desert, you'll find a system that entrusts you with serving either House Harkonnen or House Atriedes and doing various missions to gain points. The top five guilds of the house with the 🀅most points then vote on which reward to take, called decrees, which change the shape of the world. These range from increasing melee or ranged damage to making the Deep Desert even more dangerous, with the Right of Salvage decree making you drop all items when killed in the Deep Desert. However, the survival-crafting is mostly strong, even when hindered by obtuse menus that make finding various projects on the tech trees and placeables an exercise in frustration.

It's interesting to note that, as with all things in life, the Deep Desert is ever-shifting. Monstrous sandstorms, called Coriolis Storms, wreak windy vengeance on the map once per week. These wipe out any player-made structures in the area and refresh resources and dungeons, etc. This essentially means that any well-armed and suitably motivated group will be able to make out like bandits and use 🎀the Deep Desert to its fullest, rather than having🤪 larger groups simply squat in an area.

Scraping an existence in Arrakis can feel both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time. Building your own fiefdom from a single room into a multi-level fortress is a deliciously promising prospect, and it is good fun to stroll around your palatial halls, noting ornamentation that can range from terraria to statues. The process to get there, specifically, isn't a problem – building a new wing is cheap and easy to achieve, it's the rest of the crafting that gets trickier, especially when you start needing water to refine your resources. The treadmill that you run on throughout🧔 the game oscillates between a good pace and a sloth-like crawl. It's no wonder, then, that the game's progression feels artificially-inflated, like the game has a pace in mind and wants you to run through it at that exact speed, revealing, all too often, that you are effectively just running through logistical mazes.

The yin and yang of Dune: Awakening are charm and frustration, both in balance with neither overwhelming the other. If you are a huge fan of Dune, it's going to be ea𒁃sy for you to overl🦄ook those issues. If you're not, or just have a passing interest in the lore, you may find it's just too difficult to get into. It's a game that is capable of fantastic moments, marred by irritations and a feeling of bloat that ultimately holds it back from being truly great.

Dune: Awakening was reviewed on PC,✤ with a code pr🎃ovided by the publisher.

After move survival? Take a look our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:games like Valheim recommendations!

But it makes me wonder, is that really the best we can do? Because the best thriller-killer movies aren't about two murderers working with each other, but against each other, playing cat and mouse from the shadows. For a ♌long time now, Hitman games have had a pseudo-competitive element ⛦wherein players cleanly speedrun missions for the highest point total, but I think the concept has further to go...

Mr and Mrs 47

The obvious idea would be to have two agents just trying to kill each other, but I don't really think that's the best way to encourage comedy or creativity. Hitman's mechanics are too tied into the behaviour of NPCs and the skill needed to evade and manipulate them. Removing or downplaying that element risks compromising a large part of what makes Hitman so fun to play. If you don't have to worry about stealth or disguises, or what the bots think about you, that's about half the game's systems out 🐽of the window.

Instead, I'd 🎃suggest something that's more like a race, or treasure hunt – both players rushing to find and kill the same targets before the other can do so, trying to remain anonymous the whole time, and even attempting to pick off each other to send them back to a random spawn or temporarily put them out of action.

What I'm imagining is something l𝔍ike the early Assassin's Creed multiplayer, operating꧒ in disguises early on as you try to suss out the target without making it obvious. And look, there's another figure near them, moving suspiciously… another hunter, or just a drunk local? Will you risk your cover and your reputation to kill what might be just an innocent man?

Then, once you find the guy who needs his brains redistributed, it's about trying to work out how to get the best possible kill before your competitor can find and do the same. Shove them off a balcony with a well-placed elbow? The old reliable food poisoning/toilet swirlie combo? Or just put a bullet in them and stuff the carcass into a picnic hamper before walking away with an innocent whistle? However you kill them, you get points according to the neatness of the kill and a new target is sent to both of you, beginning the cycle anew. Except wait, that's not an NPC looking at me from down that corri–BLAM.

Of course, things may be more urgent overall. Maybe you're lining up a sniper shot and see your enemy assassin creeping up on your kill with garrotte wire. Your hand forced, you blow the target's head off, losing the chance to hide the corpse, but depriving your opponent of any pointsꦦ at all. A C+ for you is still better than a perfect score for them.

Obv♏iously there's a lot of things that would probably need tweaking from the core game, but ideally it should all be to preserve enoug𒉰h of the core Hitman experience and stop the whole thing from devolving into simple deathmatch shootouts. For one thing, there's already enough games like that, and secondly, watching two killers trying to sabotage each other is going to be endlessly more entertaining and fit the dark comedy tone that Hitman has mastered than just blasting assault rifles at other professional murderers.

They're favorites of mine, but did the recent Hitman games make it onto our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Stealth games?

At the end of last month, Nightreign debuted on Steam with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FromSoftware's second-lowest reviews, quickly dropping from Mostly Positive to Mixed at release. One of the main complaints was the co-op action RPG's lack of two-player support – although you and a friend can team up with a stranger to take on the various tough Nightlords, it is kind of weird that you can't just run out into Limveld as a duo. Before launch, the game's director even admitted it was overlooked during development.

Since then, FromSoftware still hasn't actually added duos to Nightreign – although it has 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:confirmed that the option is on the way – but that's clearly not been enough to continue holding the game back. As it stands, 80% of Nightreign's 71,000+ reviews on Steam are now positive, with many more recent ratings giving a thumbs up and "I liked it both solo and with friends," and, uh, (To be fair, as bo✤th a Fortnite and Nightreign player I totally understand where they're coming from.)

Nightreign is very different to the traditional Dark Souls and soulslike experience from FromSoftware – co-op focus aside, the fast pace you have to play at and its roguelite elements change the feeling drastically from, say, taking on an 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring boss alongside your friends. Perhaps it's just taken players a while to adjuᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚst to the changes and accept Nightreign for what it is?

We'll just have to wait and see how the g♐ame's further updates impact its rating – with duo support on the way eventually, hopefully that can only help improve things further.

While you're here, be sure to check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring Nightreign review, as well as our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring Nightreign tips to help you beat the Nightlords.

The developer is now using Unreal Engine 5 to make The Witcher 4 instead of its bespoke RED Engine, and Charles Tremblay, vice president of technology at CD Projekt Red, tells Digital Foundry that since it had problems in the past going PC-first and then scaling down for console, "this time around we really want to be more console-first.🍒"

It's aiming for 60fps on console, and even showed off a Witcher 4 demo on a PS5 to prove that it's possible. Unlike Cyberpunk 2077, which only had PC review copies av💃ailable and then initially ran like cold sludge on consoles, this game should hopefully be different.

But what about the less-powerful Xbox Series S? Microsoft requires parity across its Xbox Series range, and this has proved troublesome before, with the Black Myth: Wukong developers blaming the budget-friendly Series S for a delay in the Xbox port of the action RPG.

𓄧"I wish we did a lot of work already on that, but we did not," admits Tremblay. "So, this is something that is next on our radar for sure. [﷽...] 60fps will definitely be extremely challenging on the Series S. Let's just say that it's something that we need to figure out."

Microsoft has allowed games to launch on the Series consoles without parity before though. Baldur's Gate 3 came to Xbox because Larian and Xbox boss Phil Spencer "found a solution": it dropped split-screen on the Series S.

So, Microsoft might be willing to drop that parity requirement for a game as highly anticipated as The Witcher 4 if it guarantees more people can buy💯 it on Xbox. But hopefully CD Projekt Red manages to get the game to 60fps on Series S without compromising it too much.

While you wait, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Xbox Series X games you can play today.

Back in April, Dawntrail finally saw its reviews rise to "Mixed" on after eight months of sitting at "Mostly Negative" due to feedback surrounding the expansion's story and content – but now, it seems they've fallen back down after Patch 7.25. While Dawntrail's overall reviews remain Mixed, it's safe to say that the new patch, which adds the new Field Operation, Occult Crescent, and other fresh features to the MMO, isn't being received well by all players, despite Square Enix saying developers 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:took past feedback into account while designing it.

Some of the latest re♔views on Steam highlight fans' problems with 7.25, with one writing that "the spark is gone" and "the formula is stale." Another explains that new additions like Occult Crescent are "boring" right now, with "too much repetitiveꦜ grind with not much to do." In fact, the most recent of Square's Field Operations is cited by others, too, as having "so many issues" and feeling like "recycled Bozja and Eureka" content.

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A thread discussing the expansion's Steam reviews and the🔯ir drop from "Mixed" to "Mostly Negative" echoes this sentiment. "Was personally hoping that 7.2 would be an indicator of a rebound, but [7.5] is starting to look like a cycle of 'It's so over' and 'We're so back,'" reads the original post. "Occult Crescent has disappointed man꧃y people," despite the fact that "the critical engagements are nice."

It simply isn't enough to carry the rest of the content and other complaints, as the poster says, like those revolving around the player limit per instance and "being unable to effectively organize 48 players into the same group." It seems Occult Crescent and its "questionable design choices" are sadly falling short of♚ impressing the community – and as a longtime fan myself, I have to admit I also haven't exactly felt excited about diving into Patch 7.25.

Final Fantasy 14 devs once thought Field Operations would only "resonate" with select fans of the MMO, but now "it feels like even more players than we expected are looking forward to the next piece"

With a far larger playspace to explore, mounts impacting the way you build, traverse, and fight across the open world with your friends, and a suite of quality-of-life improvements to core crafting and survival systems, there are plenty of areas for Obsidian to target as it c𒁏onsiders the Grounded 2 early access roadmap. Speaking with game director Chris Parker𓂃, he tells me that the studio has identified narrative as a core focus moving forward.

Looking Ahead

"We have a lot of learnings on how to craft a survival experience that is fun and interesting, but also how we could add some narrative flair to that," Parker says, speaking to the challenge the original Grounded team encountered when trying to merge Obsidian's ꦰlegacy as an RPG creator with the genre trappings of survival games. "I think the Grounded 1 team always wished – and to be clear, I don't think that they were unhappy with what was there, the team was excited about it – but they always wished they could have gone deeper with the narrative and developed it more."

"So, that was something we wanted to establish right from the beginning," says Parker. "The way that we were able to develop Grounded 2, because we ♏have the foundational base that we built with Grounded, means that we are able to take on these sorts of challenges earlier. Whereas with the first game, the team was really figuring out how to make the survival mechanics feel really awesome."

Grounded 2 is set two years after the events of the original game. Pete, Max, Willow, and Hoops return as four playable characters, teenagers who are once again shrunk to the size of insects after an explosion at Brookhollow Park ruins an unveiling ceremony ✨of a statue in their hono﷽r.

Obs🦋idian s🙈ays that the whole story won't be there from day one – just enough to start uncovering mysteries – but promises that story will be a bigger part of updates moving forward. "Grounded 2 is a great opportunity to hit the narrative right out of the gate," says producer Miles Winzeler.

"We'll have act one ready for the early access launch, which will be its own self-contained chapter. That can help us inform how we handle larger updates down the line, and define how we move between Poin🦩t A and Point B of both the gameplay and 💖narrative changes at each beat."

Speaking of beats on the roadmap, Parker says Obsidian learned a lot of lessons through the original Grounded in early access, and is making changes to the way it deploys updates. "When we started with Grounded 1 in early access, we were trying to do almost monthly updates. That was a hassle and it didn't work. It didn't make the community happy and it didn't make the team happy. So we are looking at longer, meatier updates that are in the four to five🅰 month rang🍰e."

We want to be able to deliver big chunks of content, just like we were doing later on in Grounded. Where the team was getting out a huge chunk of whatever area of the yard, with all-new creatures, armor, new equipment, new mec🐟hanics, or whatever it might have been. With Grounded 2, we want to bring all of these pieces into a content update so that the community can experience an entire chunk of the park and provide feedback on it as a whole piece of the game, which is really important to us."

Obsidian is yet to release the full Grounded 2 early access roadmap, although the studio has committed to being more transparent about its plans for the sequel.🌠 We're expecting to learn more on that front on July 29 – when Grounded 2ꦆ lands in Game Preview/Early Access for PC, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass.

Grounded 2 lands in Game Preview/Early Access for PC, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass on July 29, 2025.

This renewed focus shines through in a lot of different 🎉ways, but it's perhaps best evidenced in the ways in w🐟hich stealth has been made a viable playstyle. Game director Brandon Adler tells me that "Fallout: New Vegas and the Deus Ex games were a big inspiration", which is clear in the synergy The Outer Worlds 2 presents between this wildly expansive approach to character building and more complex, interlocking environments.

Play Your Way

Let's start with the world you'll be exploring, because I think this is one of the most significant improvements that I noticed after my time playing The Outer Worlds 2. Setting out into a mysterious research facility, the variety of pathways towards my objective does summon fond memories of Eidos Montreal's Deus Ex games. There's locked doors and ventilation shafts, hackable electronics, and secret routes waiting to be found if you're willing to tease the camera above th🅰e centre point of the screen.

"We've tried to make sure that we have good stealth paths through most of the environments," says Ad✨ler, who explains that Obsidian has introduced throwable distraction devices and takedowns to "make it easier for players to understand" that stealth is truly viable.

"Even as we're closing production of the game down, we have a strike team that is going through every major place of interest, room-by-room, to see if we can stealth properly through e♎ach✱ location. And if we can't, well, what are the adjustments? Can we change a patrol here to linger longer, not facing you? Can we place some distraction devices? We're doing a lot of that type of stuff right now, because we want to offer this type of experience for the players who want it."

More complex environments and t𝔉he addition of takedowns alone does not make for a compelling stealth game. Thankfully, Obsidian is matching its ambitions in this space to some really complex character building opportunities. Traits (both positiv♔e and negative) give you the ability to really lay the foundation for your fantasy.

Skills like 'Lockpicking' (lowering the difficulty of locked doors and increasing your invasion chance) or 'Sneak' (increasing stealth attack damage while decreasing the NPC awareness detection rate) allow for further specialisation. And combinations across the perk tree not only unlock new abilities but cha✃nge how the entire world reacts and responds๊ to your character.

Given the scope of these intertwining systems, it's difficult for me to even convey just how many options you'll have here to play your way. Say you want to build a stealth assassin, then the combination of the 'Nimble' Trait, skill point investment into 'Sneak', and the Assassin 'Perk' mean you'll eventually end of moving faster when crouched than you would while standing, with your moveღment speed increasing dramatically every time you chain kills from stealth.

You can no doubt imagine how a combination like this would make you move like a force of nature through environments. Furthering the fun, perhaps you imbue this character build with a Flaw like 'Ba🦂d Knees' which dramatically ꦿimproves your base movement speed, but creates a cracking sound every time you stand from a crouch – alerting enemies in the vicinity to your location. There's an exceptional amount of depth, and that applies beyond the stealth playstyle focus I'm taking here.

"One of the biggest pieces of feedback we received for The Outer Worlds was around the moment-to-moment gameplay," says executive producer Justin Britch. "We're on a journey to make this nirvana RPG experience. We want everything to feel rea🌃ctive; from the moment-to-moment gameplay, the dialogue choices you make, to the way yo꧅u solve problems in the game," he says, adding, "we can't wait to see what players come up with in The Outer Worlds 2."

The Outer Worlds 2 will release on October 29, 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. It'll also be available through Game Pass on day one.

Philipp Weber's first "professional" job was as a quest designer on The Witcher 3, the game that made CDPR a household name globally, after a background of modding the older Witcher games for fun. (Talk about manifestation.) But in a recent chat with Gam🌳esRadar+ about the RPG's 10th annive♐rsary, Weber revealed that things weren't as rigid as you might expect from a developer 🔯so big.

"I came in with super high motivation, loving the Witcher," he said, explaining that CDPR has a habit of hiring modders like hꦍimself. "I💞 think the secret behind The Witcher 3 was that I wasn't an exception – that was the case for so many people."

You see, at the time, CDPR employed around 160 people and the energy was quite "scrappy." So, Weber's first task was sim🌠ply to open a GDoc, brainstorm ideas, and then chꦿuck whatever potential quests he could think of into the document. It was admittedly "a little bit vibe-based."

"Do it immediately, do it fast, do it dirty," he said of the studio's winning philosophy, which starts with random ideas in a GDoc and ends with detailed side quests littered all around a fant💯asy world. "We check it and start iterating [...] we keep that iteration going until the end – we're never happy with the result until it's too late and the game has to be out."

The Witcher 4's narrative lead is holding onto some of his earliest Witcher 3 feedback for the RPG's sequel: "We don't do fetch quests"

Mojang Studios broke down the 'Vibrant Visuals' update, coming June 17, i🌄n a new video that also shows side-by-side comparisons of the game before and after. The main differences are that shadows now move organically and are cast by the sun, fog plays a much bigger role, water looks absolutely lush, and biomes feel a lot more distinct.

More importantly, however, is that every new effect has been slightly pixelated so it all still feels recognizably Minecrafty, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:as the studio had promised before. Mojang has also apparently added more than 3,000 new textures and the devs seem very proud that 𓂃you can actually tell how rough or shiny or metallic every material is just by looking at them. Color isn🃏't the only thing that separates your blocks anymore.

"We didn't want to take away from what makes Minecraft Minecraft, so everything we added needed to feel really natural - a natural evolution of what players w🏅ere already used to," lead rendering engineer A.J. Fairfield said.

"Even though you have this modern look and feel, it's also very familiar glimpses of the regular Minecraft that you know," Vibrant Visuals lead Dejan Dimic added🀅. It's certainly a sweeping, handsome update, without making the now-iconic game look uncanny. So, mꦍission accomplished?

Minecraft's redone visuals will be available in the Bedrock Edition later this month and will be turned on by default. Don't worry, though! You can toggle it off in the menus, and the update will also be coming to Java Edition at some point in the fuꦿture.

OK, that makes sense – based on the information in the above paragraph I fit the motive of someone who would enjoy a game like this. But those of you who have thumbed my character profile, studied the deep lore, will know that I really did not like developer Micro✱ids Studio Lyon's last game, Agಌatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express – in particular how it adapted the central mystery and modernized it for its 2023 setting. What's changed?

Disco fever

I don't want to say it's all to do with the '70s setting. But it does have a lot to do with it. Why has the seemingly unchanged moustachioed detective suddenly been transplanted into the '70s when we last saw him in the p🌜resent day? I know we're playing detectives here but maybe with this🦄 one let's not ask a gift horse too many questions.

As Poirot struts his stuff into the Chez ma Tante nightclub, his walk cycle giving plenty, it just🍸 works. He's friends with the nightclub owner, and makes a point to order a hous𒅌e cocktail – the 1957 – that's named after the year the club was founded. Yes, it'll be a clue later. There's a botched wedding proposal to a business woman. The ring has been stolen. It's tutorial time!

This fresh twist on the opening scenes to Death on the Nile really work well here, the tutorial a simple mystery that's compelling to unravel. There's a bit ღof a looser feeling to how Poirot assembles his mind map of mysteries too, where it feels easy to review character profiles and evidence, but not too ဣpushy with how you should do it. Maybe this is just a well-spun tiny mystery to get me started, but I'm much more compelled by this one than the early hours of Murder on the Orient Express.

Whether Death on the Nile can keep up the momentum is another question, but the opening does serve to introduce us to all the major players of the mystery to come – and I feel positive about them at least so far. It also neatly introduꦰces us to Jane Royce, another detective following in Poirot's footsteps. She's an immediately more likeable presence than Orient Express' Joanna Locke, and her presence seems to be more elegantly weaved into the story.

Despite not loving Locke, or a lot about how the Orient Express mystery was adapted and extended in the last game, I did think the dual-protagonist mechanic𒊎s showed a lot of promise during the very end of the game. Death on the Nile teasing an expansion and evolution of that set-up definitely has me curious. But for now, I'll have to wait and see when our murderous cruise will set off down the famous river. , PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

This Steam Next Fest demo mixes Journey with The Last Guardian, having me run through gorgeous fields with my fluffy herd

After 15 entire years, Wiethoff finally decided to pick up the controller and play Red Dead Redempꦆtion for the very first time for our enter﷽tainment, all while giving us little behind-the-scenes anecdotes. But in a recent stream, insteaℱd of reminiscing, Wiethoff took a few moments to tease the audience about something coming in the future.

"I've got such exciting news," he said in the clip embedded below. "I can't share it with you right now, and it's absolutely killing me. By the end of this week, hopefully sooner... definitely before Friday. Oh my goodness! The news that I have to share, and I won't be the only one sharing it. I cannot wait for you to know what's going on, and that's all I can say. That's the only thing I can think about right now, and you'𒅌ll know soon enough. I can't wait for you to know."

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Of course, that could be about anything, but then, the actor went on to say that he "cannot think about anything else, especially playing this game, I can't think of anything else."

That last bit gave some fans hope that whatever's coming next for Wiethoff could be something Red Dead Related or, at least, cowboy adjacent. My best guess is as good as yours, though. A next-gen update for Red Dead Redemption 2 is well overdue, I guess, alongside a potential 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 port. That aside, I can't imagine Rockstar Games has space for a big new project in the lead up to the behemoth that is GTA 6.

Don't write off a Red Dead Redemption 2 remake or remaster, Arthur Morgan actor says: "We've already started to see it for GTA 5 and the original"

Grounded was one of the first titles from Xbox Game Studios to go multiplatform, part of a new initiative at Microsoft Gaming to 🦩make its output more widely accessible to players. Grounded made its way to PS4, PS5,♑ and Nintendo Switch last April following four years of console exclusivity on Xbox, spurring the survival-adventure on to reach more than 25 million players worldwide. A big achievement, one I expected Obsidian would want to repeat should the studio ever break ground on a sequel.

Humble Beginnings

Speaking exclusively with GamesRadar+, Feargus Urquhart tells me that Grounded's success on platforms outside of the Xbox ecosystem didn't guarantee that its sequel would do the sa🌳me. "It really is on a title-by-title basis," says Obsidian's studio head and CEO.

"The simplistic way of looking at Grounded 2 is that it's all about being in Game Preview and Early Access. It's about building the core. We got Grounded into the player's hands and then we could see what they li꧟ked and what they🍒 didn't like, and you don't want to complicate that by having tons of different SKUs."

When𒈔 Urquhart refers to "SKUs" here, he really means platforms. For a video game tha🍃t's all about quick iteration, Obsidian says there's benefit in keeping the scale smaller as its development teams build an early access roadmap and adapt it through ongoing conversations with the community.

"Adaptability and reacting to what players are asking for helps inform how we will evolve the game," says Mar🐬cus Morgan, executive producer of Grounded 2. "That was the spirit of everything we did throughout the development of Grounded🅰, including the expansions to new platforms."

Morgan tells me that Obsidian had long wondered whether the original Grounded could ever exist outside of the Xbox ecosystem, as players spent years com♕menting that they "wanted to play this game with their friends on PlaySation and Nintendo" – but there were never any guarantees. "We were thinking, yeah, let's try to see if that works within the broader Xbox strategy to make that happen, to connect players together. That process played a role in how we thought about expanding Grounded."

I have spoken to multiple developers and decision makers at Obsidian, and they all maintain that a limited 🙈early access release for Grounded 2 has been the plan from the beginning. I asked Morgan whether the success of Grounded on PS5, PS4 and Switch – production was already underway on the sequel by the time it arrived – made Obsidian consider a wider day-one release for Grounded 2.

"Even before we headed to new platforms, there was already a vision for where we wanted to take Grounded going forward. So while the influx of new players certainꦇly didn't hurt – and neither did making more money – we were already on the road long before that even happened. We knew what we wanted t🤡o do, and there was already excitement and support across the Xbox organization to go out and keep growing this franchise."

So, does that mean that Grounded 2 will eventually launch on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2? It could 🐼depend entirely on whether that's something players actually want. "You know, there are pros and cons of doing an early access game," Morgan continues," and one of those things is that you're releasing a game that is intentionally unfinished so you can build on it with the community."

"Starting with that as a baseline initially helped us make Grounded 🌞successful, which is the only reason we're here for Grounded 2🦩. Our focus is just on what our players are enjoying, and what's satisfying is that we can do that in a sustainable manner," he says. "That's the approach that we'll take going forward, and we'll see what happens in the future – with regards to how it grows and how it expands."

Grounded 2 lands in Game Preview/Early Access for PC, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass on July 29, 2025.

"The starting point for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Grounded 2 in early access is the same size as the entirety of Grounded 1.0," says executive producer Marcus Morgan. "One reason for that is: this is Grounded 2, right – obviously it's got to be bigger! But the more important reason is that it facilitates the Buggies, which are our mounts. We really had to push to 🌌redesign the entire world, because now that you have mounts you can navigate the world much more quickly. That decision has actually changed the way we design all of our areas in Brookhollow Park, both above and below ground."

Brave New World

While Obsidian (and Deus Ex developer Eidos Montreal, who is partnered on production of this sequel) is yet to settle on a final size for Brookhollow Park, it's expected to be roughly three times the size of the original game's backyard by the time Grounded 2 eventually emerges from early access. Part of the challenge here, says game director Chris Parker, is in making this new setting feel distinct. "The challenge with a sequel – and this is certainly something that we think about a lot – is that there can be this perception that Grounded 2 looks a lot like Groun𒊎ded 1."

"We've tried to make everything more beautiful," says Parker, speaking to the shift to Unreal Engine 5. "The areas that are essentially grass, which there are a lot of in Grounded, have new creatures and new elements about them which work to refresh those areas and make them new, but then we al🐼so have completely new biomes too." Brookhollow Park is this vibrant, nostalgia-soaked suburban wilderness that offers far more variance – expanding your options in exploration, building, and survival.

Producer Miles Winzeler tells me that "the change of locality" was driven by Obsidian's desire to look beyond new featuresets ♎like the Buggies, refreshed combat, and a suite of mechanical improvements. "Outside of the map-size changing, the move from a backyard to a park has been huge for us."

"We've kept the organic parts of Groꦕunded, as they were essential to the survival elements, but these changes open the door to a lot of new situations in more man-made structures. Areas like the Ice Cream Cart and the🔜 Barbecue which are built for public consumption. This is a natural progression for Grounded, and a great blank slate for us to build on through early access," says Winzeler.

Making sure that Grounded 2 feels like a true sequel is clearly something Obsidian and Eidos Montreal is wary of. It's why I ask Morgan whether the studios ever considered expanding the player count beyond four in co-op to match the expanding scope of the world. "The shaꦅred-world nature and the intimacy of playing with your friends is a really, really important part of what made Grounded feel special and unique. We identified areas we could build upon – the new mounts, world, story, and plenty more – but that part we wanted to keep the same. There's an intimacy to that."

Morgan adds: "The relationship you build with your friends, and the camaraderie you have in doing this all together, was something we wanted to retain.ꦫ So that's a component of why✤ we didn't go to like a 60-player server, because it would have undermined what Grounded was really about. Grounded is about going on this nostalgic adventure with your friends, and we want to keep that spirit alive as we move into Grounded 2."

Grounded 2 lands in Game Preview/Early Access for PC, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass on July 29, 2025.

That surprise you're picking up on isn't because I think developer Obsidian Entertainment isn't capable of greatness – the studio is, after all, undoubtedly responsible for some of the best RPGs of the last 20 years. Role-playing games, not shooters – there are sharp degrees of expertise required to succeed in either landscape. But the studio has clearly set itself exceptionally lofty targets here, with big ambitions fueling what could be itsꦛ most definitive title to date.

A True Evolution

The Outer Worlds 2 is a substantial evolution over its predecessor, designed to be more reactive and intricate in all that it does. Obsidian has drawn from 💟the legacy of Fallout: New Vegas to help inform The Outer Worlds 2's complexity. There are more varied flaws and traits, and over 90 perks – even from a brief time poking 👍through the menus, it's clear that there's a dizzying variance to character creation and expansion. Stealth has been carefully overhauled, and there's a dynamism to speech that demonstrates growth over similar systems seen in Obsidian's Avowed and Bethesda's Starfield.

Which is all to say that The Outer Worlds 2 is really shaping up to be a pretty exceptional RPG…but let's get back to that shotgun. The one adorned in shards of ice. The one which blasts enemies back with this shatteringly concussive force. I haven't stopped thinking about the reload animation, as individual shells are slotted into place before the barrel is cocked back into position with a satisfying snap. It speaks volumes that, while exploring a sprawling environment 🀅full of branching paths, locked doors, and ventilation systems, I feel so inclined to charge into enemy encounters with this thing in my hands. This isn't how I'd traditionally play a video game like The Outer Worlds 2, but I can't help myself.

For a studio like Obsidian, with decades of experience and expertise in the RPG genre, I was keen to understand how it is deliveri☂ng gunplay th🤡at could legitimately outshine dedicated shooters. Brandon Adler, game director of The Outer Worlds 2, was only too happy to answer: "Even before The Outer Worlds shipped, that was one of the things we knew we wanted to improve when it became time to target a sequel."

Adler tells me that this process included the design team completing a "full breakdown of Destiny" for inspiration, and a masterclass with another key team from the Xbox Game Studios network. "Another big aspect was talking to the Halo folks. We asked them: 'What do you guys do? How can we improve this, and what are we doing wrong?' They gave us this huge list of stuff and said that we should target these types of things, add this to our weapons configur𒉰ations🎉. So we did all of that."

He also points to the decision to bring in dedicate♒d combat and weapons designers into development early, and the impact increased resources can have on a production – the original game was published by Private Division, rather than Xbox Game Studios. You can feel this flood of expertise in the way the guns handle; the personality inherent in every reload, the unique recoil patterns attached to every weapon class, and the sharp snap into ADS.

Which is all to say that The Outer Wor꧅lds 2 is shaping up to be a compelling prospect, regardless of whether you're coming to it for the most in-depth RPGs of the year or have typically leaned towards more traditional shooters in the past. There was always going to be this need for The Outer Worlds 2 to prove 𝕴itself on a larger stage than the 2019 original.

It'ౠs the first t♏itle out of Xbox Game Studios to be priced at $80, and another would-be Xbox exclusive that's set to land on PS5 from day one. It's difficult to know whether Obsidian is truly ready for the scrutiny that's about to follow. But what I do know is that after three runs through a small slice of The Outer Worlds 2, I'm absolutelꦍy desperate to carve my own path through Arcadia.

The Outer Worlds 2 will release on October 29, 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

The Witcher 3 is now one of the most revered, well-known games in the entire RPG genre, having sold over 😼60 million copies and counting, but there was a time when CD Projekt Red was a relatively niche studio. Sure, The Witcher 1 and 🐓2 definitely had solid fanbases and good ideas - The Witcher 3 is what turned CDPR into a household name, though.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Witcher 4's narrative director Philipp Weber recalled, in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:an interview with GamesRadar+, th🌞at that shift began happening when a working demo for the threequel started to gain traction at E3, courting fans from another massive fantasy ꧟epic.

"There was this feeling that it was going to be bigger," Weber remembered. "Skyrim was the open world game, and we could feel that sudd💟enly a lot of people who loved Skyrim started p✅aying attention to The Witcher 3. We could kind of feel this… big wave, touching us. There was an excitement, where we could tell that the general public was taking notice. It was a very interesting thing to see."

The rest is history. The Witcher 3 launched to rave reviews, countless awards, and a decade later, CDPR even went back to add just "one more patch" bringing mods to ꧅cꦡonsoles for the first time ever. To no one's surprise, it's also inf♏luencing the dire꧃ction the studio takes with The Witcher 4.

Here's some other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games of 2025 and beyond.

Grave Seasons has been on my radar for a while, and it's all down to the game's irresistible set up. It's essentially a farm-n-life sim in the vein of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Stardew Valley that looks super wholesome and cozy, except for the fact that there's a su♌pernatural serial killer on the loose who can kill all the NPC villagers you might hope to romance. Or maybe you want to romance the killer, which you can (and I will.)

Horror movie studio 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:turned horror game publisher Blumhouse released a new trailer for the dark murder mystery earlier this week alongside a 2026 release window for PC, PS🏅5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

The juicy t♒railer down below has just the right amount of jolly crop-growing, NPC chitchatting, and bloody murder to ཧget me really excited.

shares a few more clues, too. "After a treacherous escape from jail, you've made it to your new home in Ashenridge, an idyllic town with some seriously unsettling vibes." That's when the murders start happening, meaning you'll need to st🥂op them before everyone starts suspecting the new ex-convict in town.

The farming stuff isn't just ta♛cked on, either. When you've deduced who the next victim might be, you can craft specific items to save them and ward off the supernatural killer. I imagine by the end of the game mine and your towns might look drastically different depending on who lived or died. It's a really exciting 🉐twist on the genre, I think.

GamesRadar's Ashley Bardhan had very good things to say about the game's berry-picking gameplay and, err, visceral viscera depiction in our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Grave Season hands-on impressions.

Here are some other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming indie games of 2025 and beyond to keep you occupied until then.

That's something that can't be said of There Are No Ghosts at The Grand, from new studio Friday Sundae and Null Games. It's the kind of game that stands out immediately with its vi🐠brant colours and textures. But it's the content itself that makes it leap out from the bunch.

Checking in

In No♍ Ghosts At The Gr♔and, you play as Chris David, an American who's traveled to England because he's inherited an old, dilapidated hotel called The Grand in his father's will. We're introduced to The Grand's caretaker, who… starts singing.

That's because No Ghosts at The Grand is a freaking musical. A musical! I could never have predicted that the Xbox Games Showcase would be unveiling a game with full musical numbers, and as a passionate devotee of the musical genre, it's a thrill to see. It's not the first game to have songs in it, of course — our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Stray Gods: The𒈔 Roleplayin🍌g Musical review is a testament to that, and recently we've had澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: Baldur's Gate 3 and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty play around with incorporating musical numbers. But No Ghosts At The ⛄Grand is taking things to the next level with songs sung by characters throughou🌠t the game.

That's just the first surprise the trailer for No Ghosts at The Grand has up its sleeve. During the caretaker's song, he hands David a gun; not a gun for viol𒅌ence, m🔴ind you, but a gun for fixing things! It has a charming built-in digital assistant, and you're tasked with fixing up the hotel.

You ca🍒n put the grand back in The Grand by painting the walls, moving furniture, and more. Yes, that does mean that No Ghosts At The Grand is also a riff on PowerWash Simulator. I love a blood-drenched shooter as much as the next guy, but the idea of restoring this funky hotel to its former g🔯lory and cleaning up the surrounding village is my idea of a truly fantastic time.

A powerwash-musical hybrid would be enough to entice the heart and mind of any joy-loving human, but No Ghosts at The Grand isn't done there. Halfway through the reveal trailer, there's a twist: David hasn't just come to The Grand because of his father's will. He's trying to uncover a supernatural mystery that's been lying dormant in this quaint little village. By the sounds of it, finding the truth will have serious consequenceღs: "If they find out, they will Wicker Man your ass," a voice warns, one of the many ominous yet hilarious lines delivered in the trailer.

This means that No Ghosts at The Grand isn't just a powerwash sim with a musical bent. It's a *deep breath* musical me♊ets powerwash simulator meets supernatural mystery, complete w🗹ith fighting off giant spiders and some sort of tentacle monster that looks like it's taking over the village.

Brave new worlds

It🐟's thrilling to see a game that isn't just excited to take risks, but those risks feel baked into its very DNA. If this fantastic trailer is any indication, There Are No Ghosts at The Gr✤and doesn't just exist to defy expectations of what a video game can be. It's also going to be a heck of a lot of fun.

Plus, as an animal lover and parent to two lovely ca🎐ts, the fact that a feline has a central role in No Ghosts at The Grand is very exciting indeed. reported that the cat is named Mr. Bones the Bastard, as if the anticipation couldn't be any higher. And he talks! "In this place, the only one you can really trust is me," Mr. Bones says, and I'm inclined to believe him. There's 𒐪also a shot of David riding a bike with Mr. Bones in the basket, which is enough for me to anxiously await the game's release.

Bring on 2026, because I am ready to clean houses, vanquish killer spiders, and watch people sing and ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚdance in There Are No Ghosts at The Grand.

There Are No Ghosts at The Grand is one of many 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming Xbox Series X games on the horizon

Philipp Weber joined The Witcher 3's team as a quest designer early on in development and, in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:an interview with GamesRadar+, he recalled that the earliest bit of feedback he received from the studio was that "We don't do fetch quests." Hear, hear. Now t🌳hat Weber's leading the narrative on The Witcher 4 a decade later,🍰 he told us it's a rule he's holding on to for the open-world RPG sequel.

The Witcher 3's side quests really made the game stand out in a crowded genre, whether they were funny 10-minute distractions or multi-quest, extraordinarily detailed, hour-long endeavours that wouldn't look out of place in the main story. Pawel Sasko - also a quest designer at the time, now the director of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cyberpunk 2 - said "the goal" was🌄 to replicate the f🦂eeling of putting down a good book.

Filling a massive world with so many juicy stories is no easy fe🤪at, though. Weber remembered that every designer wrote "10 times as many ideas as those that landed in the game," so there's tons of brainstormi🐽ng that takes place before the team lands on something as interesting and now-iconic as the Bloody Baron questline, for example.

CD Projekt Red developers are definitely taking what worked in The Witcher 3 and sprinting with them in The Witcher 4, but the studio's also been outspoken about the fact that 🧸it can't "copy our own tricks all over again and ag𓃲ain." Here's hoping the team can strike a nice balance be🌺tween old and new 💃stuff.

The Witcher 4 lead is "pretty confident" about the series' new saga: "We know how to handle it [...] we made it popular"

In an era where first-party studios are still grappling with how best to support live-service ventures, it's surprising to see Grounded 2 emerge so s⭕oon. Its p✤redecessor burrowed out of early access in 2022, and led Microsoft Gaming's multiplatform initiative when it leaped onto PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch last spring. Obsidian tells me that over 25 million players have sought to survive the backyard. With this momentum established, why start over?

Big Ambitions

"One argument for Grounded 2 was that the original worked on Xbox One. It would have been very hard to continue working on that platform – to continue expanding the world and do everything that we wanted to do," says Chris Parker, game directo🌟r of Grounded 2. "These sorts💖 of technical limitations are solvable, so long as you're willing to deal with whatever the ramifications are."

Obsidian was not willing to accept creative limitations as it considered Grounded's evolution. The widening playspace is a fantastic example of this. Brookhollow Park is now large enough to accommodate mounts (known in-game as Buggies), which Parker says the original backyard was too small to support – despite being a heavily requested feat💫ure from the community. "The Grounded team did experiment with mounts back in the day," he says, "but they quickly realized that it just wasn't something that was going to work well with the game that they had designed."

Mounts help you build, battle, and survive in ways you couldn't do in Grounded, and from what I've experienced of them so far I don't think folks are going to be disappointed. Leaping onto a Red Ant Buggy, skittering around the undergrowth at speed, is just really fun. There's a purity to it that ignites the imagination. It's a reminder that even seemingly small additions can have a really transformative effect on the way we interact with virtual worlds. Buggies bring a new dimension to both combat encounters and resource collection, which is vital in a park thℱat's packed with dangerous new critters.

"Creatures are the lifeblood of Grounded," s🍸ays Marcus Morgan, executive producer of Grounded 2. "It's so important every time we put a new creature into the mix, and we've gotten making them down to a bit of a science. There's a new scorpion, a blue butte🏅rfly, a caterpillar, and a snail," he says, chuckling – a reminder of the simplicity behind the core premise. "And we have reworked and retouched every creature that existed in Grounded that is being reincorporated back into the sequel."

It's clear that every returning aspect has been reassessed for Grounded 2. The Omni-Tool combines your axe, hammer, shovel, and wrench into an all-purpose tool that's more intuitive to wield; it also saves precious backpack space, reflecting an overall effort to r✅efine inventory management and streamline the survival experience. Work has gone into refining the first and third-person camera perspectives. Co-op remains locked to four-players but steps have been taken to further integrate narrative elements, the original crew returning two years wiser than in their last adventure. Combat has been given a bit of a glow up too, with Grounded 2 introducing a new dodging mechanic that helps to battle bugꦦs that are undoubtedly more tenacious.

Grounded 2 is clearly larger than what came before, but it's smarter and sharper too – a suite of quality-of-life improvements underpin an effort to establish more robust foundations. "There were things we wanted to do the first time around that we couldn't accomplish, just because of the way we designed the world," says Parker. "Grounded 2 is an opportunity for us to rebuild fromཧ the ground-up, give the game some longevity, so that we can continue to add in new elements and support the game – not j꧋ust through early access, but beyond it."

Grounded 2 lands in Game Preview/Early Access for PC, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass on July 29, 2025.

We sat down with IO Interactive's 007 franchise director Jonathan Lacaille during 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Summer Game Fest 2025, and he opened up a little about the unique relationship dynamic between this game's James Bond and his Quartermaster, who fans of the film series will remember as Bond's sometimes father figure and supplier of state-of-the-art gadg♔ets.

(The below quote has been lightly edited for clarity.)

"The Bond that we h🧸ave today is not tuxedo Bond, the classy Bond with the martini and so on, said Lacaille. "He's young, he's not the suit guy yet. But Q is more the classy gentleman with a lot of taste, and he will teach Bond what he should wear, manners, you know, why he needs to wear a nice watch and things like that."

It's ironic that my first thought after hearing that was, 'oh so kind of like Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan from Uncharted' because I specifically made the point recently that 007 First Light in fact isn't an Uncharted-style action game based on comments from this 💟same interview. Well, haven't I made myself look like🍬 a fool?

Anyway, I'm encouraged th�😼�at IOI isn't going the safe route and just adapting the most instantly recognizable Bond. Sean Connery was pretty young when he was introduced as Bond at 32 in Dr. No, but even then he very much embraced the archetypal Bond that Lacaille is describing, so it'll be refreshing to see a scrappier, less elegant Bond.

007 First Light devs chose a James Bond origin story to help be "more relatable" to a "younger audience maybe than the Bond franchise is used to"

Lies of P, which previously 澳洲幸🥂运5开奖号码历史查询:nerfed a bunch of bosses s♕hortly after launch, straight-up 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:has an easy mode now. And if that wasn't easy enough, developer Neowiz is also already plann🐼ing to tone down some infamous sections of the game🌄's new DLC, Overture.

FromSoftware boss and Elden Ring maestro Hidetaka Miyazaki, widely and fairly regarded as Father Souls himself, previously argued that games lik𒊎e Elden Ring hav⛄e to be hard in order to convey the intended vision and experience. "If🤪 we really wanted the whole world to play the game, we could just crank the difficu🧜lty down," he said.

I think Miyazaki is absolutely right. If that's the vision of the devs, they can very well stand by it. But the FromSoftware way is not the only way to make and balance games like this, and clearly the makers of Lies of P – a game which is notably less flexi🌃ble than Elden Ring, and closer to the Sekiro school of thought where the final exam is 'learn this play style or prepare to die' – were happy to make the game more approachable. And they're not the only ones.

On June 11, The First Berserker: Khazan creative director Junho Lee . A coming update, he said, is packing highly requ⛎ested gear and inventory quality-of-life features, the tutorial has been improved, and balance changes will continue to support a range of play styles to avoid the spear's "Trance spam" build sucking the air out of the room.

The headliner, though, was a set of "Difficulty System Improvements." Not nerfs, improvements. We'll come back 💝to that. For now, here's everything that's changing:

• Current "Easy" difficulty renamed to "Normal"
• Current "Normal" difficulty renamed to "Challenge"
• New difficulty below Easy, "Beginner," added
• New difficulty above Challenge, "Hardcore," unlocked by beating the game on Challenge

I played The First Berserker: Khazan on what used to be normal mode because it was the highest of the two difficulties available, but there are suddenly a stonking four options to choose from. The difficulty gradient has doubled in si🌃🎉ze, giving players more ways to pick their preferred level of punishment.

Not only that, Hardcore will hide enemy HP and stamina gauges, disable support systems like the AI summons, and (this actually sounds un-fun) remove your handy Phantom Form. There are also new "balance settings and a unique camera lock-on perspective." It is, you could say, hardcore. The devs are even taking the demo down briefly since "the gameplay experience bet🃏ween the demo version and the full game has grown significantly different."

With cha🐻n🤡ges like this, rather than undermining one intended experience, it feels like Lies of P and Khazan are focusing on helping a range of players define their own optimal experience. I don't think either approach, the FromSoftware vision or this adaptive one, is wrong. I enjoy both.

Difficulty is relative; Challenge mode in Khazan may give me the same level of resistance that Easy will give someone who's less experienced with this type of game. We're both getting our ass kicked at the end of the day. And for the folks worried about their Gamer Cred, you can always say 'I beat it on Challenge' if you absolutely must.

That said, I don't think the difficulty-adjacent 'play it for the story' argument matters that much here. Lies of P has an interesting enough world, though I was really only in it for the combat and music, but playing The First Berserker: Khazan for its story would be like𒐪 going to a fancy restaurant and ordering their finest dishwater.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is the hardcore Soulslike you'd get if you tried to turn Sekiro into Chinese Dark Souls 3, and that devotion to FromSoftware is exactly why I like it.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:I🌃've learned to respect their dedication, even if I'll never share it despite loving these games myself. But to this day, my response to some alleged FromSoft feats is true disbelief. People do, after all, make things up on the internet. We should all doubt things online a little more. So when I learned of a Japanese player claiming to have killed Malenia and Promised Consort Radahn, respectively the most difficult bosses in Elden Ring and its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, tens of thousands of times, I had my doubts.

That player is , whose Twitter bio boasts of 21,420 Malenia kills and 13,260 Consort Radahn kills in some 9,500 hours played. I'm spotlighting their story for a reason, having found ShoulderCoffin on every platform I could and spoken to them directly, but I also want to walk you through my doubts here, because I was convinced there must at least be some fuzziness to these numbers.

Everything I've seen suggests ShoulderCoffin genuinely is extremely devoted 🌟to co-op boss kills. They insist they've not "exaggerated" their boss kill counts, even if their hours played were surely smudged by some AFK time.

Elden Ring was released on February 25, 2022. That was about 1,200 days ago at the time of writing. For these stats to hold up, ShoulderCoffin would have to have averaged just under eight hours of Elden Ring every single day since launch. Some people have played games even more intensely than that, to be sure. I've spoken to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Let Me Solo Them, a 5,300-ho♍ur Elden Ring devotee who can absolutely back up their claims, multiple times. But I s🌞till had my reservations. So, I asked Shou𒀰lderCoffin.

Via (perfectly readable but seemingly translated) responses, ShoulderCoffin explained that until the release of Shadow of the Erdtr💫ee, they were mostly either working, sleeping, or fighting Malenia. "That's my lifestyle for two years," they said over Discord.

ShoulderCoffin , cosplaying as Elden Ring community hero Let Me Solo Her – not always,🦋 and with no great meaning behind it beyond respecting the legend, they suggest – in 2022. The second video on their channel, from November 18, 2023, claims to show their 14,460th Malenia kill. Why are there no records of previous kills? They say they don't have any footage of older kills. They said they previously posted a record of 7,500 kills on Reddit, but it was removed by moderators.

What they do have is YouTube, , and video posts chronicling thousands upon thousands of Malenia and Radahn fights going back years. 𓂃Their Twitter record is especially meticulous. Sometimes it's singular fights, and sometimes it's compilations of multiple finales. With some basic scrubbing, I couldn't fi𒈔nd any obvious or even suspicious repeat fights used to pad their claim.

Most of these videos have relatively few views – they wouldn't be the first player s▨laving away while almost ✅nobody notices – but several of ShoulderCoffin's posts do have replies from other players saying that they were able to overcome these bosses, especially Consort Radahn, with their help. And all of these videos make it very clear that they've mastered the fights i🐼nside and out.

from

In lengthy strategy breakdowns that I didn't even request – I only shared my email address for possible future inquiries – ShoulderCoffin goes into extreme detail on how they formulated strategies to maximize their boss success rate in co-op. They're fond of status effects like poison, rot, bleed, and frostbite, as well as HP-shredding effects like the Black Blade Incantation. The blood dagger Reduvia i🦩s a mainstay. They previously used the spell Impenetrable Thorns, as I did, to delete bosses. It wasn't until several days after our initial conversations that they asked if I was familiar with Elden Ring – I'm on NG+5 – and everything they've said about the game's mechanics checks out.

When I added them as a friend on PlayStation to confirm their play time, Elden Ring wasn't displayed at first. An eyebrow went up. But ShoulderCoffin quickly updated their privacy settings, and sure enough, their account shows ✱over 6,600 hours of Elden Ring played on PS5 alone. They started on PS4, they sa♉y, hence the 9,500-hour claim. And the rest of their profile checks out; they're every bit the FromSoft fan they claim to be, with plenty of hours logged in Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Armored Core 6, as well as a range of other games.

They say they got into co-op bosses because they wanted rematches but Elden Ring doesn't have Sekiro's boss do-over feature, and it seems they stuck with it for the long, long haul for the thrill. "I wanted perfection, like one swing of a katana from a master samurai, perfect♐ straight fist puncꦇh from a karate master," they said of their Elden Ring history, adding that Malenia was the trigger. "I wanna catch up with her, the very best dancer in [a] video game I've ever seen." Thousands of kills later, Consort Radahn came along, putting Malenia's once-staggering difficulty curve to shame.

"I decided to fight the final dlc boss anyway," ShoulderCoffin says. "Fighting Malenia was a gift and blessing as a video gamer, I thought whoever I fight, It will be Malenia 2.0 or something, and I was completely wrong. I spent two whole days defeating PC Radahn. Almost no opportunity to punish, fast, tough. No doubt FromS▨oftware threw everything they got."

After checking every post and platform I possibly could, I can't say I've seen every last purported boss kill, but I am confident that ShoulderCoffin is one heck of a passionate gamer with near-peerless ꦗElden Ring achievements und🤡er their belt. Countless videos and screenshots back them up, and their story of devotion isn't the first I've heard from FromSoft diehards, though it may well be the most intense.

ShoulderCoffin says they've finally had their fill, though. "I'm done. PC🔯 co-op consume my soul and ... it's pure nutcase and unbelievable," they concede.

For another standout player, meet Elden Ring's new community hero, the Elder Lord, a 72-year-old gamer with over 700 hours and New Game+7 beaten: "It was impossible, but I did it anyway"

We sat down with CDPR veteran and The Witcher 4 narrative director Philipp Weber to mark 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Witcher 3's 10-year anniversary, and he gave us something of a peek behind the curtain at what the vibe's like at the studio. The Witcher 4 has b꧃een in full-scale production since November 2024, and although it won't be out until 2027 at the soonest, it soundsಌ like CDPR is firing on all cylinders at this point.

Weber told us there's the same "scrappy energy" at the studio that there was when he first joined as quest designer on The Witcher 3 in 2013, a 🗹time of "good creative chaos" where a lot of tasks were "a little bit vibe-based" in the sense that developers were just doing what needed to be done regardless of their specific job titles.

"Sometimes I like to just say, 'Get it 🌸done. Do it dirꦇty. Do it the way we used to do it!" Weber said.

This may sound potentially disorderly, but there's an intention behind this philosophy that's defined by CDPR's appreciation and respect for The Witcher 3's legacy as one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best RPGs of all time.

"The way we want to do justice to [The Witcher 3's] legacy is to take the phᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚilosophy we had during The Witcher 3 – how to make a game, how to really care about these things, how to tell sꦦtories – and keep that," said Weber.

At the same time, "the♌re are [also] new questions we want to answer, because this is supposed to feel like a true sequel, not just redoing what we did before. And I think it's really [about] trying to have that healthy mix of moving forward and also trying out some new things."

CDPR unleashed a stunning 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:tech demo for The Witcher 4 earlier this month filled with dramatic valleys, enchanting forests, and plen⭕ty of grit and gristle that characterizes the medieval age for many of us. Whatever chaotic energy is driving the sequel's develღopment behind-the-scenes seems A-okay to me if that's the res𓂃ult.

The Witcher 4 setting could be the never-before-seen region of Kovir, as Ciri journeys to the far north in CD Projekt's new tech demo

What are FC 25 Shapeshifters items?

FC 25 Shapeshifters see popular players moved to different positions, and given stats upgrades as well as fresh Roles and PlayStyles. Some of these are fairly logical: moving Diego Maradona (Icon, 98) to LW, or enabling Michael Olise (FC Bayern, 97) to play up front. Others waver between the sublime and the ridiculous: for instance, both Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool, 95) and Vincent Kompany (Hero, 95) see themselves reinvented as goalkeepers. It’ll certainly make for an eventful summer. If you need gameplay help with these guys, dip into our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FC 25 tips and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FC 25 meta guides.

Who is in FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 1?

FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 1 arrived on Friday, June 13, bringing an end to the beloved 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FC 25 TOTS tracker. Unlike 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FC 25 FUT Fantasy FC there are no dynamic items here, but that’s hardly an issue – almost all the cards on offer will march straight into your Division Rivals or weekend league team. Maradona is the t🌱op-rated on 98, a figure he shares with Konate, Kane, and Antoine Griezmann (CAM, Atletico Madrid). They’re just ahead of Patrick Vieira (ST, France), Mia Hamm (CM, USA), and a bunch of contemporary players who all earn scores of 97.

What is the FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 release date?

The FC 25 Shapeshifters Team 2 release date is Friday, June 20, and we’ll have the full set of new cards added to this guide shortly afterwards. We’re also expe✃cting the Road To Glory promo for the women’s Euro 2025 tournament to land in late June, or early July.

What’s all this about an FC 25 Shapeshifters David Beckham Icon leak?

The big story in the build-up to the promo was an൲ apparent David Beckh♋am SBC leak. It was proven to be correct, with the former England captain getting a new 96-rated card whose default position is RM. You need to submit xxx puzzles to get him. As of Friday, June 13th it costs around xxxxx.

Where is the full FC 25 Shapeshifters cards list?

The full FC 25 Shapeshifters cards list, correct as of the promo’s Friday, June 13th launch date, is below. Players with one asterisk are Icons, two asterisks denote a Heroes item, while three asterisks mean you can earn that card from the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FC 25 Season 8 Ladder Players list.

• Diego Maradona (RW, Argentina) - 98*
• Patrick Vieira (ST, France) - 97*
• Mia Hamm (CM, USA) - 97*
• Cafu (CDM, Brazil) - 96*
• Jay-Jay Okocha (CDM, Ligue 1) - 95**
• Vincent Kompany (GK, Premier League) - 95**
• Diego Milito (LW, Serie A) - 94**
• Antoine Griezmann (CAM, Atletico Madrid) - 98
• Harry Kane (CM, FC Bayern) - 98
• Ibrahima Konate (GK, Liverpool) - 98
• Martin Odegaard (LW, Arsenal) - 97
• Michael Olise (ST, FC Bayern) - 97
• Marcus Rashford (CM, Aston Villa) - 97
• Romelu Lukaku (CB, Napoli) - 97
• Marco Reus (CM, LA Galaxy) - 97
• Endrick (CAM, Real Madrid) - 97
• Kadidiatou Diani (CAM, Lyon) - 97
• Rafael Leao (ST, AC Milan) - 97***
• Giorgi Mamardashvili (CB, Valencia) - 96
• Klara Buhl (ST, FC Bayern) - 96
• Mallory Swanson (RB, Chicago Stars) - 96
• Ruben Loftus-Cheek (CB, Milan) - 96***
• Ainsley Maitland-Niles (LM, Lyon) - 96***
• Conor Gallagher (ST, Atletico Madrid) - 96***
• Sandro Tonali (LW, Newcastle United) - 96***
• Riccardo Calafiori (ST, Arsenal) - 96***
• Nico Schlotterbeck (ST, Dortmund) - 95
• Francesco Acerbi (ST, Inter Milan) - 95
• Mapi Leon (CM, Barcelona) - 95
• Naomi Girma (CDM, Chelsea) - 95
• Pedro (LB, Napoli) - 95***
• Alexis Sanchez (CAM, Udinese) - 95***
• Fikayo Tomori (CDM, AC Milan) - 95***
• Robin Le Normand (CM, Atletico Madrid) - 95***
• Douglas Luiz (CB, Juventus) - 95***
• Yan Couto (LW, Dortmund) - 95***
• Samuel Lino (RW, Atletico Madrid) - 95***
• Granit Xhaka (CM, Bayer Leverkusen) - 95***
• Jorginho (CAM, Arsenal) - 95***
• Martin Zubimendi (RW, Real Sociedad) - 95***
• Jan Oblak (CB, Atletico Madrid) - 95***
• Mike Maignan (CM, AC Milan) - 95***
• Gregor Kobel (ST, Dortmund) - 95***
• Nordi Mukiele (LW, Bayer Leverkusen) - 94
• Karen Holmgaard (RW, Everton). - 94
• Kristin Kogel (RB, Bayer Leverkusen) - 94
• Haji Wright (CAM, Coventry) - 94
• Stephan El Shaarawy (ST, Roma)  - 94***
• Vincenzo Grifo (LB, Freiburg) - 94***
• Giacomo Bonaventura (LW, Al-Shabab) - 94*
• Ciro Immobile (RB, Besiktas) - 94***
• Andrea Belotti (CDM, Benfica) - 94***

The field boss in question is the Bell Bearing Hunter, who, although you can sometimes encounter as a Night 1 boss, you can also occasionally find while wandering the map during the day. He's a beefy, big dude, can take loads of hits before going down, and also hits like a truck, making for a foe that might make you want to turn around and look for something else a bit squish🌜ier to fight (and there's no shame in that).

However, as highlighted by Reddit user oopskeedoop, the Bell Bearing Hunter may have a weakness. The player shares a clip of them staring down the boss, guarding with their weapon, as the seemingly confused foe slowly advances towards them, not attempting to fight, as the rest of the player's team merci🐻lessly slam him with all the attacks they can. And when the guy starts trying to target someone else? There's an easy solution – just walk in front of him and block his path again.

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"Was testing out the 'draw enemy aggression while guarding' Relic rite," the player explains. "Did𒈔n't seem to work quite as intended."

They explain further in the thread: "I had the Relic equipped on my Executor. [...] Wasn't really [planning] to body-block🌌 cheese him in any way. Not sure if I misunderstood how the Relic functioned or if [Bell Bearing Hunter] was prioritizing the people actually damaging him."

As they mention, however, it definitely doesn't seem intentional, and the player themselves doesn't "really think this iꦐs a viable strategy. Nor did I have any idea it was rep💞eatable!"

✃So, maybe don't expect this one to keep working, even if it does for now – it might be worth a shot if you've been struggling to beat the guy otherwise, though.

While you're here, be sure to check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring Nightreign review, as well as our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring Nightreign tips if you want some pointers to help you through the co-op action RPG.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Obs꧂idian co-founder and Grounded 2 director Chris Parker explains why the sequel happened, as opposed to building on the original game. "Grounded worked on Xbox One, it was very hard to continue working on that platform and continue to expand the world and do everything that we wanted to do. And so there's that sort of technical limitation." This explains why the game is launching exclusively for💫 Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Granꦇted, Parker admits it would've been theoretically possible to deal with the technical limitations, but "there were just things that we wanted to do that I think the original team couldn't accomplish, just because the way that they designed the world didn't work for it."

Ultimately, Parker said that this fresh start will allo🍸w the game to be supported for even longer, while keeping with the ambitions of the studio. "When we started Grounded 2 it was like, hey, this is our opportunity to build the world from the ground up and kind of give it the legs you're talking about, so that we can continue to add into it, support it, not just through early access, but beyond that as well."

Grounded 2 will follow its survival game predecessor's early access window, but the downside is "the game's not done and it's out to the world," which makes for horrifying bugs like this reverse face

The Guardian is the bird-headed tank class in Nightreign. I think the discourse surrounding his usefulness ultimately comes down to without getting the ꦦurge to run in and start whacking things. As one player puts it, "Guardian is the best character when used in the right hands."

Another redditor , "If I waste my stamina attacking, I won't have enough left to block anything." This is an archetype that requires patience and teamwork. With the right relics, you can use The Guardian to aggro enemies and simply block all their attacks while your teammates go to town on them. "Big bird doesn’t get the 🍨respect he deser꧟ves," another.

If your friends die, The Guardian's ultimate will send them flying into the sk꧂y before ဣthey crash back down, dealing area of effect damage to foes and simultaneously reviving your team. It's the kind of ability you don't think about until you really need it, then you'll wish you had it on your side.

All that being said, no one wants to rely on their teammates sucking for their own character to be useful. And you could argue that it's better to simpl✱y deal more damage to bosses than it is to distract them, so I can see why the community is so split on this.

One player likes to use two-handed thanks to the strength bonus and its scaling. They claim it makes it better than any halberd, The Guardian's weapon of choice, so maybe give that a go if you're struggling to get utility out of the characteꦜr.

People are 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:beating the game using just bare 💎fists, though, so clearly The Guardian has to be at ♏least somewhat good.

Check out our own 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring Nightreign tier list if you want an idea of which class to try out next.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码𝐆历史查询:Silksong is due this year, for real this time, so some devs, especially those preparing similar games, are being cautious. That inclu🐟des Fallen Tear: The Ascension developer Winter Crew Studios, which is holding out hope that Silksong isn't delayed again and promptly clears its landing zone.

"Hey guys! I hope you hav🍃en't forgotten about us," Winter Crew boss Stephen Manalastas said , home to all search-action enthusiasts. "I am sharing our Summer Showcase Trailer here. We are really close to our finish line, and the game will be released in Q1 of 2026. and I hope Silksong will release this year coz we are avoiding them."

Fallen Tear's new trailer is a one-minute look at the key points of the game – including some of the same points that first 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:grabbed my at🔜teꦏntion as early as 2023, when the devs half-jokingly said they may have "the Elden Ring of Metroidvan൩ia in terms of map size" on their hands. At all times, the game's vibrant, hand-animated aesthetic shines.

I've had this game in my sights, and on my Steam wishlist, for some time, and it continues to look quite good. It's a 2D, lavishly animated action-platformer with a Metroidvania-standard focus on finding hidden paths via new exploration✅ abilities. Shapeshifting hero Hira takes on multiple forms as you progress, and his abilities are also shaped by the companions you meet and the relationships you form, which is where the JRPG blood mentioned on the game's Steam page comes to the fore.

When Winter Crew says JRPG-inspired, it's really talking about Suikoden and Valkyrie Profile. In Fallen Tear, you'll meet seemingly several dozen companions whose character traits directly affect gameplay based on the buffs or actions they provide when added to your active party. You're still p🎉laying as Hira, but with backup dancers, basically.

ꦚIt sounds like a fun mix of mechanics I've historically enjoyed, so I'll keep my eye on it as that Q1 2026 launch approaches. It's targeting ༒PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.

Knight: Silksong dev simultaneously backtracks and doubles down on possible DLC, thinks "DLC is likely" despite his last apparent teaser being a joke.

In a series of Reddit posts, r/Boring_Corpse shared the tale of how their Adoring Fan "asexual𒁏ly reproduced" and left them with some scars you can't easily get rid of. Essentially, their first Adoring Fan mysteriously vanished, never to return, so♌ the player used console commands to get the annoying little git to spawn again.

"Then I fast travelled, and there were suddenly two of them," the continues. "Even worse, one looked consistently angry. Like, the facial expression was somehow just mad and stuck that way. So I guess this is an evil twin scenario? Adoring Fan and Disparaging Hater? I don't know, but I couldn't get rid of the extra one. They operate as a singular entity when told to wait or leave. Out of curiosity, I killed one, but the other was so horrified that I fel𓆏t ꦰguilty and reloaded. Then they both had permanent angry face and I lost track of which one was the evil one, so, f**k. Everywhere I went, they surrounded me, staring with their beady little (allegedly) adoring eyes. And then, just like that, they both randomly vanished into thin air again as I was traveling."

Adoring Fan and Disparaging Hater might be gone, but they're definitely not forgotten. "I now live in fear that they will return. I can still feel their eyes on me. I can still feel the he♌at of torches that aren't there. I swear in the darkest hours of the night, I can feel grubby little hands reaching for my shoulders to proffer a backrub that vanish as soon as I turn around."

R/Boring_Corpse didn't try to summon them again out of fear that three supposed 'fans'⭕ might appear this time, even though I'd probably kill (in-game) to see a village of freaky, identical Adoring Fans gathering like some kind of worship cult.

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You can see the cursed duo in the Reddit post embedded above and, yes, Adoring Fan(s) looks a little different here. "First of all, yes, I did install a mod that makes the Adoring Fan a twink, and frankly, it's weird that you didn't. Let he who is without kink ca🎃st the first downvote."

If you'd al🌠so like to turn Oblivion Remastered into the scariest horror game of the year, then maybe downloading that Twinky Fan mod (I tౠhink is the one) is the best place to start to reproduce the bug. You can also download it if you'd just like a marginally more attractive version of him - I'll only judge you a little bit.

This Oblivion Remastered mod lets you keep everything from mudcrabs to trolls as pets, making Bethesda's RPG a little less lonely and a lot more Pokemon-y