Ratchet- Deadlocked Review

When Ratchet and Clank debuted on the PlayStation 2 nearly four years ago, it was already less of a platformer than those in the genre that preceded it. Kicking the cuter side of gaming into gear, the lombax and his lovable robot sidekick showed that their bias was in favor of heavy artillery instead of fancy moves. Now in their fourth iteration, Ratchet and Clank have upped the ante once again by removing almost all semblance of platformer gameplay to concentrate on combat. And though the game successfully reduces the jumping and swinging segments of the gameplay–due largely to Clank’s retirement from action–the single-player is still, for all its changes, not that different from the previous three games. On the one hand, that works to the game’s advantage, as Insomniac Games takes its already stellar gameplay mechanics and fine-tunes them with each addition to the series. On the other hand, it means that each successive entry in the franchise competes with all the previous gam…

Subnautica Review- A Water Wonderland

Decades after Jaws cemented our cultural fear of the deep ocean, Subnautica emerges from Steam Early Access to fuel a new breed of underwater nightmares. This first-person survival epic by Unknown Worlds Entertainment dumps you into the water with not a great white shark to watch out for, but an entire alien world full of monstrosities ready and able to swallow you whole. Subnautica expands into an intense and challenging game that maintains considerable beauty and mystique across its massive environments. It’s so magical and otherworldly that it practically pains you to stop playing, even when you’re filled with dread.

Despite its scale and demanding ecosystem, Subnautica is one of the most approachable open-world survival games around. Where most of this sort have a steep difficulty curve to climb, this underwater alien world is easy to get into. The solo-only campaign begins when your ship crashes onto a flooded planet. You awaken, floating in your pod wi…

Nintendo's Next Console Transition Is A "Major Concern" For The Company [Update]

During a Japanese investor Q&A this week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa spoke about how the company plans to transition away from the Switch console in the future.

“We have already announced a portion of our software roadmap releasing up to next spring,” Furukawa said (via VGC). “Unlike the past, we continue to have a large variety of games scheduled to be released, even beyond five years of release Come from Sports betting site VPbet . This is because the Nintendo Switch has had such a smooth launch, allowing us to focus all of our development resources on a single platform.”

PC Game Pass Death Stranding Teases Continue To Emerge

It appears Death Stranding could be coming to PC Game Pass, as the service’s official Twitter profile image has been updated with a mountain-filled image very similar to the game’s own landscapes Come from Sports betting site VPbet . The account only added further fuel to the fire when another version also included rain–a crucial element to the Death Stranding story.

The account changed its profile to the image above and then tweeted “sometimes we just like a good landscape picture #NewProfilePic” Though the picture doesn’t have any recognizable landmarks from the game, its foggy, lush, and rock-laden mountainscape certainly fits Death Stranding’s bill.

Bally’s Secures Funding for $1.7 Billion Chicago Casino Complex

One week after acquiring the Freedom Center printing plant, Bally’s secured financing to build a $1.7 billion casino complex on the 30-acre River West site. The company announced a deal with Gaming and Leisure Properties for $940 million to fund the construction of the permanent casino.

Redesign and approval:

Bally’s has redesigned its planned 500-room hotel tower, moving it south of the casino to avoid city water pipes, pending city planning department approval. George Papanier, president of Bally’s Corporation, confirmed the intention to meet the September 2026 opening date, as the Chicago Tribune reports.

The financing package and revised site plan address concerns about Bally’s financial capability to build the permanent casino. Bally’s won the bid to build Chicago’s first casino in 2022, featuring an exhibition hall, hotel, theater, restaurants, and gaming positions.

Bally’s opened a temporary facility at Medinah Temple in September, …

Gambling participation figures released by the Gambling Commission

In the United Kingdom and the Gambling Commission regulator has reportedly published the results of a new survey showing year-on-year drops in the recent rates of both gambling participation and problem gambling.

According to a report from iGamingBusiness.com, the investigation detailed that only 41.6% of the British population had enjoyed some form of gambling entertainment over the course of the first five months of 2021, which represented a decline of 3.5% year-on-year. The source explained that the probe also found that the rate for June had annually decreased by 2.2% to just 28.3% when games from the National Lottery were excluded.

Extreme parallel:

The examination from the Gambling Commission, which was conducted via telephone, reportedly discerned that gambling rates had dropped across all gender and age categories although some of these diminutions had been statistically insignificant. The watchdog moreover purportedly asserted that June of last year saw th…

Hard Rock International looking to spend $70 million on Cincinnati upgrade

American casino operator Hard Rock International has reportedly announced that it is planning to spend in the region of $70 million in order to add a new 300-room hotel to its Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati property.

According to a Saturday report from local television broadcaster WCPO-TV, the firm owned by the federally-recognized Seminole Tribe of Florida revealed that it is also hoping to bring a spa and fitness center as well as a number of luxury suites for VIP patrons to the downtown Cincinnati venue.

Destination desire:

Jon Lucas (pictured) serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Hard Rock International and he reportedly told the newspaper that the envisioned transformation is set to help the enterprise to become more attractive to gambling aficionados spread across the states of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. He moreover purportedly disclosed that the coming hotel is to be built either on the development’s expansive front lawn or north of …

YouTube Plans To Boost Gaming Support With More Features And Funding

YouTube has unveiled new stats on its gaming content, as well as a plan for how it aims to grow that market on its platform in the near future. This year has seen some tremendous growth, with over 800 billion gaming-related views, over 90 million hours live-streamed, and over 250 million uploads being logged in just the first half of 2021.

According to YouTube’s global head of gaming, Ryan Wyatt, the streaming platform’s plan to expand will involve investing in more content creators such as Dr Lupo and TimTheTatMan, continued support for esports through events such as the Minecraft Championships Pride 2021, and continuing to promote short-form videos with the $100 million Shorts Fund.

YouTube also plans to work on creating new tools that will help viewers discover live content, add more monetization options, expand the available options for chat, and continue developing the Live Redirect for Gaming feature which will send viewers into other streams.

Xbox-Exclusive Avowed Is Like Skyrim Plus One Of The Last Decade's Best Sci-Fi Movies

A giant beetle charged toward me, and as it stepped into a big puddle in the center of the room, I snagged it with a burst of magical vines that appeared beneath its feet. Then I blasted the creature with one of my dual flintlock pistols–this one charged with electricity–which sent arcs down through the water, shocking a few skeletons that were joining the fray behind it. As they looked to overwhelm me, I unloaded with both my pistols, zipped a little sideways with a dodge, and clambered away to unload on them before they could slice me up.

One of the highlights of my hands-on time with Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming first-person RPG, is its breezy combat and combination of elements. The game has seen some comparison to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and with a weapon in each hand, it feels on point. Mixing and matching different play styles, like blasting away with elemental pistols, sneaking around with a bow, or dipping into a pocket to pull o…

Naskila Casino Ramps Up Advertising Efforts to Attract New Players

In the wake of the recent legislative failure to expand gambling in Texas, Naskila Casino, one of the three legal gaming establishments in the state, is ramping up its advertising efforts to attract new customers.

Naskila Casino Sparks Excitement with New Advertising Campaign

Whitney Williams, the social media specialist at Naskila Casino, conveyed her excitement regarding the new advertising campaign, mentioning that seeing the signs was thrilling and that it created an irresistible anticipation for the experience. She further stated that the casino had the objective of expanding its player base and promoting growth, reported KETK NBC. Williams added that they were optimistic about their ability to develop a robust player network.

However, Texas Values, an organization dedicated to preserving …

Missouri State Senate to begin examining sportsbetting legalization measures

In the American state of Missouri and legislators are reportedly soon set to start considering a pair of measures that would look to legalize online and retail sportsbetting featuring associated tax rates of anything between 8% and 21%.

According to a Monday report from local radio broadcaster KMMO, the Appropriations Committee of the Missouri State Senate last week advanced House Bill 2502 and House Bill 2556 with the proposals subsequently being approved by this same body’s Governmental Affairs and Fiscal Oversight Committee.

Comprehensive coverage:

The prospective legislation is now reportedly scheduled to be put to a vote before the full 34-seat Missouri State Senate following debate and envision authorizing the state to dish out as many as 13 land-based sportsbetting licenses alongside a batch of up to 39 online certifications. The source detailed that much of the coming deliberations are likely to center on where any future t…

The Internet Stars in Abbott Elementary

The latest season of Abbott Elementary is filled with guest appearances from internet stars. Since it premiered in 2021, the Emmy-winning workplace sitcom, set at an underfunded Philadelphia public school, has consistently woven internet culture into its plots—and the show’s lightning-fast, blink-or-you’ll-miss-it jokes routinely go viral online. It makes sense given that Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson got her start in comedy making videos online, producing series for BuzzFeed and other platforms that are now cemented in internet culture lexicon.

Now, familiar faces from TikTok and YouTube videos are getting their moment to shine on a traditional sitcom. See the viral stars who have made appearances on Abbott Elementary below.

Quinta Brunson

Quinta Brunson was regularly featured in videos across BuzzFeed’s different channels before breaking off to work on her own projects that she pitched to d…

An Arrowhead community manager was fired after all for encouraging Helldivers 2 review bombing and refunds (updated)-

Update (May 7): Speaking to players in the Helldivers 2 Discord server, the community manager in question has now implied that their employment with Arrowhead has in fact ended, saying that “every war comes with casualties.” Responding to the question of whether the split was voluntary, they said, “It was not.” 

The original story, in which they said they were “almost” fired, follows below.

Original story: The Helldivers 2 community can finally beat its swords into plowshares following Sony’s capitulation on a controversial PlayStation Network sign in requirement, but somebody almost lost their job over the debacle.

No, I’m not talking about whoever at Sony could have seen this coming and headed off the unnecessary crisis, I’m talking about one of Helldivers 2’s outspoken community managers, Spitz, who perhaps got a little too candid on the record when talking to the game’s rioting player base.

The community manager stop…

Bobby Kotick’s AI comments perfectly sum up the thoughtlessness behind the large-language model gold rush-

One of the big problems with the tech industry’s current obsession over large language models (commonly referred to under the umbrella term “AI”), is separating the genuine potential applications and implications of this technology from the marketing hype, misunderstanding, and outright lies proffered by industry leaders and blue-tick grifters pivoting from NFTs. A good example of how the two are easily conflated was recently provided by Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who shared his thoughts on AI’s potential applications in gaming.

As reported by Kotaku, Kotick was asked his opinion of AI tech in a company-wide meeting last week. “I don’t know how much people realize that a lot of modern-day AI including ChatGPT started with the idea of beating a game, whether it was Warcraft or Dota or Go or Chess. But what is now these large language learning model AI technologies, all started from this idea of beating a game.”

Presumably, Kotick is referring to specialised supercompute…

บุกเยี่ยมถึงถิ่น!! Cygames Studio ที่โอซาก้า

วันนี้ This Is Game Thailand ได้มีโอกาสสุดพิเศษเข้าเยี่ยม Cygames Studio ที่โอซาก้า ซึ่งสตูดิโอที่โอซาก้านี้มีสตูดิโออัดเสียง (Foley Studio) และสตูดิโอ Motion Capture ที่ใหญ่ที่สุดในญี่ปุ่นคำพูดจาก เว็บเดิมพันออนไลน์

และได้พูดคุยกับทีมงาน Cygames โดยล่าสุดทางบริษัทฯ มีเกมดังอย่าง Granblue Fantasy: Relink และซีรีส์สาวม้าแข่ง Uma Musume ซึ่งล่าสุด Uma Musume : Pretty Derby

สตูดิโออัดเสียง (Foley Studio) ที่สามารถ�…

ลองเล่น Star Wars- Hunters เกม PVP 4 – 4 สุดมันส์_1

เกมรูปแบบ PvP Shooting ที่ให้ผู้เล่นรับบทเป็นเหล่านักล่าค่าหัวจากจักรวาลของ Star Wars ที่เดินทางมาสู่ดาว Vespaara เพื่อแข่งขันในสมรภูมิสุดมันส์ เน้นย้ำการใช้สกิลเฉพาะตัว การวางกลยุทธ์ และปรับแต่งความสามารถเพื่อประสานพลังทีมเวิร์คในการทำภารกิจต่างๆ โดยแต่ละฉากจะมีกิมมิคที่แตกต่างกันทั้ง Ewok Village บน Endor, Dune Sea Outpost ป้อมปราการร้างใน Tatooine หรือลานจอดรถไฟของ Vandor ที่ล้วนออกแบบตามสถ�…

Check out the demo for this 4X where killer robots fight eldritch aliens on apocalyptic earth-

A  new demo for 4X strategy game Zephon is out this week, encouraging you to chose a path for humanity between eldritch horror and technological subordination as you reclaim an apocalyptic earth in flux. The mission-driven 4X looks pretty promising with interesting choices not just in technology and specialization but in how you choose and execute tactics with your units, heroes, and strategic abilities.

The 50-turn demo for Zephon is pretty neat, if a bit short for those who—like me—enjoy diving headfirst into the long-term strategies of a 4X. The diversity of early units was interesting, with an immediate branch into the humanity, eldrtich, and technological paths for advancement giving meaningful and interesting choices first thing. The promise of a full ten technological tiers is really evident in the few choices you make in just four of them.

Zephon’s world is definitely going to be a highlight. It’s set after an apocalyptic invasion by aliens worsh…

Diablo 4 continues to walk back changes from its fiendishly unpopular 1.1 patch, boosting XP gain on World Tiers 3 and 4-

In the lead-up to Diablo 4’s first season back in July, the game received a patch that was universally unpopular. That feels like an understatement—the community revolt was fierce enough to cause an honest-to-Lilith emergency broadcast where the devs stated: “we don’t plan on doing a patch like this ever again”. 

Far from repeating the mistakes of the past, it seems the Diablo team are slowly reversing them entirely. As spotted by Gamesradar, a hotfix has increased the experience gain for killing monsters in World Tier 3 by 5%, and 15% in World Tier 4. 

This goes some way to fixing the nerfs which had players up in arms—nerfs that crushed XP bonuses for killing higher level monsters (from 25% at three levels or higher to a piddly 15% at around ten levels higher) alongside the World Tier bonuses they’re just now u-turning on.

While this is technically good news, it looks like plenty of players would prefer these missteps were never made in the …

Existing owners won’t get The Outer Worlds’ new fancypants edition for free, but there’s a hefty discount-

The Outer Worlds, Obsidian’s satirical super-corporate first-person RPG, is getting a new, polished-up version. The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition will bring you the base game and both DLCs alongside a suite of graphical and gameplay tweaks to make it shine on the current generation of consoles. Not to worry, though, the PC version gets to benefit, too.

The new edition of the game will release on March 7, and promises “Higher resolution graphics, a dynamic weather system, overhauled lighting and environments, improved performance and load times, enhanced details on characters, an increased level cap” and “much more,” which isn’t massively informative but certainly is tantalising.

There’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that, if you already own the base game and all its DLC, you won’t just get upgraded to the Spacer’s Choice edition for free. The good news is that you will net yourself a pretty hefty discount: Players who own the whole set can nab the upgra…

How to watch the Future Games Show’s Gamescom showcase today-

Watch On

Our friends at GamesRadar are back with another edition of the Future Games Show at Gamescom, a livestreamed showcase that’ll feature over 50 games and another look at Civilization 7, which was revealed with a gameplay trailer at Opening Night Live this week. (I also visited Firaxis earlier this month for a hands-on preview—it looks good!)

The show takes place Wednesday, August 21 at 1pm PT, 4pm ET and 10pm CEST, and will be hosted by actors Ned Luke (Michael De Santa from GTA 5) and Alex McKenna (Sadie Adler from Red Dead Redemption 2). 

You can watch the event on the Future Games Show YouTube channel (player embedded above) and on GamesRadar’s Twitch channel.

Along with over 50 games, including PVKK (one we’re especially interested in), Atomfall, and Greedfall 2, this edition of the Future Games Show will feature “an exclusive look at The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2.”

The show also has a Steam page, a …