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Baldur's Gate 3 is almost here, launching on August 3 for PC, after a couple years in early access. The game looks like a true next-gen PC RPG, combining the classic turn-based gameplay Larian Studios is known for with absolutely stunning visuals I've never seen in an isometric CRPG. Because the game has been out in early access for a while now, we have a pretty good idea of how it will run, and even though the game looks way better than Divinity: Original Sin 2 , the system requirements aren't actually that steep. Instead, this will be a game that's all about scaling from low-end hardware to the very best graphics cards on the market right now. Baldur's Gate 3 System Requirements Baldur's Gate 3 has had official system requirements for both Windows and Mac for a while now. The minimum requirements are extremely reasonable, requiring only an Nvidia GTX 970 (an 8-year-old graphics card) and an Intel Core i5-4690. Both of which were mid-range parts nearly...

Teenage GTA 6 Hacker Accused of Blackmailing Rockstar With Releasing Sequel's Source Code

Grand Theft Auto VI is one of the most anticipated games ever. Its notoriety has also made it a big target for hacking. According to a recent Reuters story, this includes a hacker sending a message to all Rockstar staff members on the company's Slack threatening to release GTA VI's source code. According to Reuters , the accused hacker is Arion Kurtaj, a teenage member of the Lapsus$ hacking group. He is facing 12 charges total, including three counts of blackmail, two counts of fraud, and six charges under the U.K.'s Computer Misuse Act. On top of Rockstar, Kurtaj is also accused of targeting companies including Revolut, Uber, and Nvidia, and of blackmailing the British broadband provider BT Group and demanding a $4 million ransom. Kurtaj has been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. In 2022, Rockstar Games suffered an a "network intrusion" resulting in a host of unfinished gameplay and assets being leaked across social media. Rockstar moved quickly to re...

What's the Worst Case Scenario for Nintendo's Next Console?

This week's column comes by way of a Question Block asked during the most recent episode of Nintendo Voice Chat (NVC 670, if you're reading this in the distant, or not so distant, future). I like the question a lot, because it dovetails nicely with the subject of last week's column, where I went through my list of wants and "don't wants" for Nintendo's next console. Via the unofficial NVC Facebook group, Sam Roberts asks: "What is the worst case scenario for the 'Switch 2?' A question with infinite answers, honestly. Creating a console made entirely of diamonds, for example, would price it out of range of all but the richest kings of Europe. Inventing organic game cartridges with chimeric DNA that scream every time you put them into the console is another worst-case, but rather than focus on the limitless - but completely unlikely - scenarios, I'm going to instead focus on missteps well within the realm of possibility. Worst Case S...

Watcher of Realms: Can Your Heroes Withstand Thousands of Enemies?

Watcher of Realms is a next-gen fantasy RPG with a big focus on collecting and upgrading heroes that will take to the battleground and fight for you. There are over 100 unique heroes to collect across 8 factions and over 30 races, and each one has unique talents and skills that pack a whole new wallop with every upgrade they get. The Envoy has an inexhaustible supply of chaos to sow, meaning you need to push back even harder with stronger, smarter soldiers. Rot runs deep in the world of Watcher of Realms, where the Tides of Darkness break down everything merciful and just. The Tides of Darkness are orchestrated by the Envoy, a living corruption that spreads madness and aggression to "season" the world for the Ancient God that would consume it. Proof of the God's feast can be seen in the chaos overtaking the continent of Tya, including Akkadia, its capital city. You make your last stand to defend Akkadia as Commander Aurion, a brave fighter who falls nonetheless. Yo...

The Last of Us Composer Suggests a New Release of Part 2 Is Coming

The Last of Us Part 2 may be getting a new, enhanced release according to series composer Gustavo Santaolalla. During an interview with Blender , Santaolalla teased his cameo appearance in The Last of Us Part 2 will be expanded upon in "new editions" of the game. “In the new editions you can make me play certain themes and well, I can't tell you anything else,” he said. Santaolalla originally appeared in-game as Gustavo – a survivor of the Cordyceps infection outbreak who resides in Jackson. This small cameo, in which he plays the banjo, seems to be getting expanded in the supposed new versions of the game, with Santaolalla hinting that players will be able to make Gustavo play songs from the game’s soundtrack. This is far from an official announcement, however, as it's the first we’ve heard of any new editions of The Last of Us Part 2. It’s perhaps likely the popular sequel will be heading to PC like its predecessor, though the game so far only exists on PlaySt...

EA Sports FC 24 on Nintendo Switch Will Use Frostbite Engine for First Time

EA Sports FC 24 on Nintendo Switch will run on the Frostbite Engine for the first time, meaning EA isn't just releasing a rebranded version of FIFA 19 again this year. Following the game's full reveal on July 13 , Nintendo revealed the rebranded FIFA will finally move Switch players along from the years of essentially reskinned Legacy Editions. The Frostbite Engine promises to bring "immersive detail" to the Switch version of FC 24, especially when paired with the game's new PlayStyles technology that "heightens the realism and individuality of each player". Switch players will also get to fully enjoy what's easily FIFA's (and now, presumably, FC's) most popular mode in Ultimate Team, where players can develop their own teams of football legends, now including both men and women. Previous FIFA games on Switch included just a limited version of this mode. These updates are a stark difference to EA's prior treatment of the Switch ver...

FTC's Latest Attempt to Pause Deal Denied as Microsoft Weighs Potential CMA Solution

Not only has the request by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to temporarily halt Microsoft's $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard pending its appeal decision been denied, but Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are also reportedly considering selling off some of their UK cloud-gaming rights to appease the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). As reported by Reuters and Bloomberg, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, the same judge who denied the FTC's preliminary injunction request against the massive deal, also denied the FTC's request to stop the deal until the Ninth Court of Appeals has made its decision. "The FTC asks this Court to enjoin the merger at issue pending resolution of the FTC’s appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The motion is denied," Corley wrote. Corley's decision to deny this motion and the FTC's preliminary injunction was due to many factors, with one of the main reasons being Call of Duty. "M...

Call of Duty 2024 Leak Appears to Confirm New Main Character and Gulf War Setting

More details about Call of Duty’s 2024 entry appear to have leaked from an actor who claims his likeness is being used for the game’s main protagonist. First spotted by Insider Gaming , actor and singer Luke Charles Stafford reportedly posted on Facebook saying that Activision is using his likeness for the main character, which he says is named “Ratcliffe,” in a Call of Duty game that is scheduled to release next year. "Activision decided to adapt their next main character, 'Ratcliffe' for Call of Duty off my face/likeness, and I am elated," Stafford reportedly said in the post, which has been screencapped but is no longer on their Facebook page. "To all of my college roommates back at Anderson University and those years in Smith Hall Playing Black Ops 2...next year, we can beat the snot out of each other again, but I want to play as me." Insider Gaming reports that Stafford also shared several images and videos of himself on set with a body scanning ...

Xbox Thinks Game Pass Can Help Offset Tens of Millions in Lost Starfield and Indiana Jones Sales

A new court document in its ongoing battle with the FTC reveals how Microsoft believed it could use Xbox Game Pass and console sales to help offset the losses it would incur from making Starfield and Indiana Jones console exclusives. In a new document focused on the FTC's final findings of fact, the FTC cites Microsoft Gaming Chief Financial Officer Tim Stuart's testimony, stating that Microsoft had forecasted "more than 10 million" sales on PlayStation "for both Starfield and Indiana Jones," before it decided to make both games exclusive to Xbox. Microsoft announced its plans to acquire ZeniMax back in 2020, and outside of honoring the timed-exclusivity deals PlayStation previously inked with ZeniMax for timed console exclusivity for Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, projects coming from developers under the ZeniMax umbrella have been announced as a console exclusive for Xbox consoles, including the previously mentioned Starfield and Indiana Jones. Xb...

PlayStation's Horizon Franchise Will Continue 'For a Very Long While'

The PlayStation exclusive Horizon franchise will be around "for a very long while" according to Guerrilla Games, which has plans for Aloy and friends way beyond a Forbidden West sequel. As reported by Games Radar , studio director Jan Bart van Beek spoke during the game developer conference Develop:Brighton and revealed that Guerrilla has 16 plans for future developments. "We're going to be continuing it for a very long while," he said. "As people probably already know, we're also going to be working on a multiplayer game," something that's "a massive shift for the studio, almost on the same level as doing the first Horizon". Van Beek added: "Building this all out to a multiplayer experience is a whole new challenge for the studio." Guerrilla confirmed the existence of this long-rumoured multiplayer game in December 2022, revealing through a job listing that it will feature a brand new cast of characters and a new art...

Team Fortress 2 Just Smashed Its All-Time Concurrent Player Record Following Major Summer Update

Valve’s 16-year-old multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2 just broke its all-time record for concurrent Steam players following the release of a major summer update. Team Fortress 2 is currently being enjoyed by 247,449 concurrent players, making it the third most played game on the platform behind only Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (925,156) and Dota 2 (468,947) according to engagement tracking website SteamDB . This week’s figure, which is still climbing at the time of writing, dwarfs Team Fortress 2’s previous concurrent player record of 167,951 set back in December 2022. The recent surge in interest coincides with the release of a major summer update earlier this week which brought a wave of new content and tweaks to the game. Summer update for @TeamFortress is out, and the game has broken its concurrent player count record, currently at 226K pic.twitter.com/awZyASp8rH — SteamDB (@SteamDB) July 13, 2023 Earlier this year Valve announced that it had big plans for this ye...

Baldur’s Gate 3 Shoots Up Steam Top-Sellers List After Bear Sex Reveal

Last week’s Baldur’s Gate 3 showcase propelled the fantasy role-playing game up the Steam top-sellers list. The Panel From Hell livestream revealed players can have sex with a Druid in bear form . Clips of the cutscene went viral on social media, and even caused TikTok to pull the showcase halfway through. The Druid in question is called Halsin, an NPC and potential companion who can be rescued from a prison. Halsin can temporarily 'wildshape' into a bear, and if you play your cards right he does this during a romance cutscene. You can see it in the tweet video below: So Baldur's Gate 3 is a 10/10... this is the proper D&D experience. #baldursgate3 pic.twitter.com/HEi2PJRLLu — Vaughan (@vaughandavies97) July 7, 2023 In an interview with IGN, Larian boss Swen Vincke called Baldur's Gate 3's bear sex scene “hilarious”. “Every single person who’s seen it is like, 'oh my god.' But it’s funny.” It didn’t take long for Baldur’s Gate 3 to shoot up St...

Microsoft Defeats the FTC: Our Reactions – Unlocked 603

The moment we've all been waiting for has arrived: the verdict is in for Microsoft vs. FTC, and Team Xbox has won! We spend the entire show discussing the massive implications of the ruling, which seems to have set the stage for Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard to finally go through. We talk about the games we might see out of it - particularly from Raven Software - the very serious matter of how Xbox boss Phil Spencer must take steps to clean up the toxic workplace culture at ABK, whether or not Microsoft (and Sony) are done making big acquisitions, and more! Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel , or grab an MP3 of this week's episode . For more awesome content, check out my recent interview with Todd Howard, who discussed the realization of his vision for Starfield after eight years, how Red Dead Redemption 2 was something of an inspiration, what his future holds, and more! For more next-gen coverage, make ...

Gex Is Coming to Modern Consoles

Gex Trilogy – a collection of Gex, Gex: Enter the Gecko, and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko – is officially coming to modern consoles, Limited Run Games announced during a livestream today. The snarky lil gecko will be hitting the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. The stream didn’t announce a release date or show off any gameplay, but it did note that it’s being remastered with the Carbon Engine. Gex was first released all the way back in 1995 for the EDO and later ported onto the original PlayStation, the Sega Saturn, and PC. It spawned sequels in 1998 and 1999, but publisher Square Enix hasn’t released any new entries since. Fans have long hoped for a return, though. The games were heavily inspired by American television, and the wise-cracking character nabbed some solid names for voicework. Comedian Dana Gould voiced Gex in the North American edition, actors Leslie Phillips and Danny John-Jules were in the UK edition, and Mitsuo Send...

Final Fantasy XVI DLC Might Happen After All Based on New Naoki Yoshida Interview

Square Enix is considering adding DLC to Final Fantasy XVI after all. This comes after comments from Square Enix earlier this year that there were no current plans to add any more content. “As you know, going into FFXVI, the one thing we wanted to do is create a full complete story, something you can enjoy from beginning to end one hundred percent without any DLC. And I think we were able to do that,” producer Naoki Yoshida said in a new interview. “But now we understand that we’re getting feedback from players that have played the game and a lot of players want to see more and we know that and understand that,” he continued. “For us, we’re taking that and then thinking about our options moving forward, so hopefully in the near future we can have something that we can give to you all.” Yoshi-P says they are thinking about their options moving forward regarding FF16 DLC and will hopefully have something to give us in the near future! 🔥 #FF16 pic.twitter.com/3E4Fm8GItK — Genki✨ ...

Xbox is Making it Easier to Clip Audio to Report Inappropriate Voice Chats

Microsoft is rolling out a new safety feature on Xbox consoles, allowing players an easier way to report inappropriate voice chats. In a new blog post , Xbox Player Services Dave McCarthy wrote that this new feature will allow players to "capture and report inappropriate voice activity on any multiplayer game with in-game voice chat on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One." McCarthy also confirmed that the feature would support thousands of games that offer multiplayer voice chat; this includes Xbox 360 games that are backward compatible. The new feature will allow Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One players the option to capture a one-minute video clip of in-game audio that they deem is both inappropriate and violates Xbox's Community Standards. The clip will then be submitted as evidence to the Xbox Safety Team, which will review the evidence, and the player will be notified about whether or not Xbox took action. "With reactive voice reporting, Xbox continues to help players...

What's Next for Xbox After the FTC Trial Verdict? We Asked the Experts