Everything

The Callisto Protocol is a game with a myriad of inspirations and references within its design, but on the technical front it is most certainly a leader. Striking Distance is a relatively small, and certainly new studio, filled with a mix of veterans and new members who have collaborated to create one of the most forward-looking games of this generation. But before I get into that, I need to note that while the game is cross-generation, our review code only had access to the new-gen consoles and later the PC version. Game Modes The PS5 and Xbox Series X both have two modes: one is the default, which you could call a Quality mode or Ray Tracing mode, which runs at 30fps and has a dynamic scaling resolution with counts ranging from 3456x1944 to 2304x1296, effectively 90% to 60% of 4K. This is then improved, I suspect, by Unreal Engine’s TAAU to up-sample that back to 4K as often as possible. The image treatment here from that lower base is staggering, and I would not be shocked to le...

Primitive, an Unreal Engine 5-Powered First-Person Survival Game, Announced for PC

Developer Games Box S.A. has announced Primitive, a new Unreal Engine 5-powered first-person survival game set in a hostile open-world Stone Age. It's in development for PC, though no release date has been set. "The project is still at its early development stage. Thinking of similar games, Primitive is close to such titles as Far Cry Primal, yet our concept focuses more strongly on showing the primal character of a real world from many thousands of years ago, where it all boiled down to raw power, as well as a fight for dominance and survival," says Tomasz Supeł, CEO of Games Box S.A. A third-person view will be available in addition to first-person, while you'll face off against not just the elements, but also rival Neanderthal tribes, Sabretooth Tigers, and Wooly Mammoths. You'll also need to build your shelter, while dynamically changing weather will also throw a wrench into your best-laid plans for survival. If you're interested, you can wishlist P...

Marvel Snap Combo Raises Black Panther's Power to Over 600,000

Marvel Snap players have found a legitimate way to raise Black Panther's power level to over 600,000, practically breaking the game in the process. As reported by Polygon, who encountered the combo first hand, combining Black Panther with Wong, Ironheart, Odin, and the Onslaught's Citadel location brings its power level to 689,730. That's at least the number Marvel Snap landed on after it freaked out a little, and even then its numbers showed up completely stretched out and outside the allocated space. For those unfamiliar, Marvel Snap power levels usually range from single digit totals to potentially 20 or 30 if a card is very good, making the 600,000 number an eye-watering amount. The combo isn't even particularly hard to pull off, you just need the right cards and location. Black Panther's ability doubles his current power when he's revealed; Ironheart adds two power to three random teammates; and Wong triggers reveal abilities twice. The Onslaught...

Best Xbox Series X/S Gaming Headsets for 2022

Microsoft’s latest Xbox consoles, the Series X and the Series S , deliver not only stunning, high-resolution visuals but improved spatial audio and support of the newest surround sound technologies like Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic, and DTS Headphone: X. To take advantage of this new technology and even get a leg up on your opponent thanks to improved sound cues, you need to grab a quality gaming headset for full immersion in the action. And you also won't annoy your roommate or family by blasting your game through a soundbar . There’s a mind-boggling amount of gaming headsets for the Xbox Series X/S, but not all are worth the investment, so we’ve helped narrow your search. All our picks pair perfectly with the latest Xbox consoles and some even tote Xbox Wireless for a super simple connection. Plus, we were sure to include plenty of options that connect with other devices, support the newest surround sound tech, and offer noise cancellation to make the most of your investment. ...

EA Teases Battlefield 2042 Season 4 and Confirms a Season 5 Without New Operators

EA has teased what's coming in Season 4 of Battlefield 2042 and confirmed that a Season 5 is also on the way, though the latter won't feature a specialist. Season 4 is set to launch in early 2023, according to a new blog posted on EA’s website . The season will bring with it a new recon Specialist and Battle Pass, fresh hardware, re-worked environments, and new maps, one of which will heavily reference Battlefield 4. Developer DICE has promised the Season 4 map will be a “smaller, shorter, and linear” close-quarters affair, which sounds like a change of pace from the sprawling environments on offer at the moment. Season 5 will offer a similar amount of content to previous seasons - with the introduction of another map, new hardware, and a new Battle Pass - but no new Specialists. Previous games will also be an inspiration, as Season 5 will “lean into previous games and how they can show up in the world of 2042”. The map will be a “forgotten battleground” from the Batt...

The Callisto Protocol Review

A proper remake might be rising from the grave next year, but the festering corpse of Dead Space has come lurching back to life early in the form of The Callisto Protocol. This spiritual successor to the sci-fi survival horror series recreates the haunting blood-streaked hallways and space zombie-slaying hallmarks first established on the USG Ishimura back in 2008, and injects the gore with more awe than ever before thanks to some strikingly detailed splashes of blood and guts. Unfortunately, while the mutant dismemberment has never been more vivid, The Callisto Protocol’s shortcomings appear just as clearly. Occasional control annoyances, imbalanced combat, and a general absence of innovation result in a roughly eight-hour massacre that’s gratifyingly gruesome, but never quite as great as the series that inspired it. Catastrophe has struck the Black Iron Prison facility on the moon of Callisto, and the convicts are revolting; not just in the sense that they’ve escaped their cell...

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Review in Progress

Most recent World of Warcraft expansions started with a tightly scripted, story-heavy, and somewhat bothersome on-rails scenario. Dragonflight seems to have remembered that this is an MMORPG and I should be deciding what kind of adventures I want to go on. Right off the boat onto the expansive, beautiful Dragon Isles, you'll be met with only minimal handholding and four huge, new zones to explore. It's like Blizzard finally learned to trust us to find the fun without supervision, and they're letting us have the run of the world again. I still have a lot of this expansion left to play, but it’s already so refreshing. As of now, I've leveled from 60 to 67 and quested through two of Dragonflight's four major zones. They really fly by – pun intended – which is a bit of a disappointment. I'm much more of a, "The journey is more important than the destination," kind of player than one who thinks the "real" game only begins at max level. The new...

Monster Hunter Rise Is Coming to Xbox Game Pass Next Month

Monster Hunter Rise is making the move to all consoles, as the previously Switch-exclusive game will soon be available on PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows. Plus, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can look forward to Rise joining the service for consoles, PC, and cloud at launch. Capcom announced the game's multiplatform release is set for January 20, 2023. Monster Hunter Rise originally launched exclusively on Nintendo Switch in March 2021, before it came to Steam earlier this year. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak — the major expansion already available on Switch and Steam — is coming to all platforms sometime next Spring. Unfortunately for hunters who have already poured hundreds of hours into Rise on Switch or Steam, cross-save and cross-play is not planned for the Xbox or PlayStation releases. This means if you want to play on these platforms, you'll have to start from scratch. Fans requested cross-save and cross-play leading up to Monster Hunter Rise...

Marvel's Midnight Suns: How The Combat Works

There’s a tricky, but boundlessly creative combat system powering Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a tactics game from XCOM developer Firaxis. It relies on drawing and playing Marvel character cards, making it different enough from the studio’s traditional team tactics formula, but not as close to Marvel Snap’s turn-based deck-building as it may initially sound. It’s a new twist on familiar concepts, combining to create something truly unique, but it does take a little getting used to. In order for you to make the most of its intricate systems, discover some crafty combos, and pick your perfect team, here’s a brief guide to how combat works in Marvel’s Midnight Suns. In the Mission Each mission requires you to bring in three different superheroes, chosen from the likes of Blade, Ghost Rider, Captain Marvel, and many others. Each is equipped with a pool of signature ability cards which act as their special moves from the comics and films, with Iron Man shooting repulsor beams or Doctor Stra...

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Patch Arrives as Nintendo Promises to Take Tech Problems Seriously

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's first post launch patch has arrived alongside a promise from Nintendo to take the games' tech problems seriously. Patch notes released on Nintendo's website for version 1.1.0 of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet say that the broken music during the Elite Four and Top Champion battles has now been fixed, alongside a vague confirmation that "other select bug fixes have been made". The patch, available now, also kicks of Season 1 of Ranked Battles. Nintendo also committed to improving the performance of the first open world Pokémon games and apologised for the various issues that are present in the launch versions. "We are aware that players may encounter issues that affect the games' performance," Nintendo said. "Our goal is always to give players a positive experience with our games, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We take the feedback from players seriously and are working on improvements to the games." ...

Quantic Dream Doesn't Have Plans to Adapt Any of Its Games for Movies or TV

If you’re expecting any of Quantic Dream’s cinematic games to jump to the big screen, don’t. Company president David Cage says the studio isn’t actively pursuing selling the rights to its games for movie adaptations. But that doesn’t mean Quantic Dream is ignoring movies and TV altogether. Cage says he’s actively following the rise of interactive TV, similar to what Netflix did with Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch. “[I]f it’s about selling the rights to one of our games to a movie company so they make a movie, it’s not necessarily something we’re actively pursuing,” says Cage in an interview with IGN Japan . However, Cage says whether Quantic Dream is interested in the TV medium is a separate question entirely. “It’s also interesting to see what Netflix is doing and what other people are doing, experimenting with interactive TV shows. Because it’s really mainstream, it’s about talking to non-gamers, to anyone, and giving them access to the possibility to change the course of the stor...

Ang Lee's Son Will Play Bruce Lee in New Biopic

Hollywood's favorite martial arts legend Bruce Lee is getting the big screen treatment at Sony. Ang Lee, renowned for his work on movies like Life of Pi and Brokeback Mountain, is directing the biopic, and his son, Mason Lee, is attached to star in the film as the Chinese American star. According to Deadline , the film is currently in development at Sony's 3000 Pictures with Dan Futterman adapting the script from Jean Castelli, Alex Law and Mabel Cheung and Wells Tower's earlier screenplays. Futterman's previous writing credits include hits like Capote and Foxcatcher. “Accepted as neither fully American nor Fully Chinese, Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Gung Fu to the world, a scientist of combat and an iconic performing artist who revolutionized both the martial arts and action cinema,” Ang Lee said in a statement. “I feel compelled to tell the story of this brilliant, unique human being who yearned for belonging, possessed treme...

Cyber Week Deal: All Harry Potter Illustrated Edtiion Hardcover Books on Sale, Including Order of the Phoenix

For Cyber Week, Amazon is offering the best prices we've seen on every Harry Potter Illustrated Edition Hardcover book, thanks to a combination of instant discounts and a clippable $5 coupon right on the product page. This includes the newest Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix that was released last month. You can get all 5 books for under $100! This deal wasn't around on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. It's definitely going to be a popular seller for Christmas gift shoppers, so jump on thesnow before they sell out. The Harry Potter Illustrated Edition Hardcover books are the nicest and most coveted physical Harry Potter books you can get your hands on. These aren't just "regular' hardcovers with only a few sparing pages of art; instead, each book is replete with numerous full-color illustrations. Currently only five of the books have illustrated editions: Book 1 (Sorceror of Stone), Book 2 (Chamber of Secrets), Book 3 (Prisoner of Azkaban), and Book 4 (The ...

Overwatch 2: Sojourn the Main Target of Nerfs in Season 2 Update

Blizzard Entertainment has revealed what we can expect from Season 2 of Overwatch 2 , including balancing updates, limited-time events, skins, and more ahead of its December 6 launch date. Alongside the introduction of the new Omnic revolutionary tank hero Ramattra and the winding Shambali Monastery Escort map, Season 2 is also bringing some important balancing changes, according to Blizzard Entertainment’s official blog post . Most significantly, Blizzard Entertainment has moved to nerf the damage hero Sojourn , who according to a blog post on the company’s website has been dominating the high-skill competitive scene in recent weeks, while “remaining a challenge for players without the same mechanical skills”. To address the issue, the developers announced that they would be “focussing on the lethality of her Rail Gun at distance for Season 2”. This has been done to encourage players of all skills to use Sojurn’s mobility and her power slide to “close the distance for more deva...

Bethesda Is Working On Another Mobile Game

Starfield developer Bethesda is currently working on a new mobile game, though it's unclear which of its famous franchises it's based on. Speaking to Lex Fridman on the latest episode of his podcast , Bethesda executive producer and Starfield director Todd Howard revealed that the Elder Scrolls and Fallout developer has another mobile game in the works. Talking about the conceptual differences between designing a console game versus one for mobile, Howard said plainly: "Well we've done a few things, and we have a new mobile game that we're working on that we haven't announced yet that I am in love with." He didn't give anything else away regarding its genre, release date, and so on, but did allude that it would be a more in depth experience rather than a game intended to be played in short bursts. "We have found with our games, particularly Fallout shelter, people will sit there for an hour or two. They will just sit there and play it. Larg...

The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR Is a PlayStation VR2 Launch Title

Supermassive Games has revealed that The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR will launch as a day one title for the PlayStation VR2 on February 22, 2023. As reported by Eurogamer , developer Supermassive Games has announced the release date and pre-order bonuses for Switchback VR , its upcoming action-horror shooter set in the same unsettling universe as The Man of Medan and other Dark Pictures titles. According to its PlayStation Store page , customers who purchase the title early for $39.99 will be rewarded with a number of cosmetic items including the Demon Handgun, a premium skull and bones cart, a skull bobblehead, and a special edition gold gun. Switchback VR will see players subjected to a horror-themed on-rails shooter steeped in content from The Dark Pictures games. Generally speaking, Switchback looks to offer a similar experience to the developer’s 2016 rollercoaster spin-off Until Dawn: Rush of Blood . This time around the developers have made use of the PSVR2’s eye-tracking...

Marvel's Midnight Suns Review