Helldiver’s 2 players will be able to access new weapons in the battle against the Terminid and Automaton hordes in the acclaimed game.

Those loyal to the fight for Super Earth will get not one, but two new heavy weapons to add to their arsenal.

Helldivers adds new content

The co-op game from Arrowhead Studios has added another supply drop in the form of the LAS-99 and the MG-101 joining the armory. The official X account posted:

Helldivers, support has arrived! The LAS-99 Quasar Cannon and the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun are available now for use against the Automaton horde. pic.twitter.com/EZSzXJWSPn

— HELLDIVERS 2 (@helldivers2) March 28, 2024

The two new weapons mark a busy week for the studio as Arrowhead published an article looking at the previous patch for the game. Patrik Lasota said “I’m responsible for how Arrowhead listens to feedback and balances its games. I’d like to talk about the changes we made in this patch and why.”

Latosa is the Head of Product Testing (HPT) at Arrowhead and was also a designer on the original Helldivers game.

He broke down the weapons, nerfs, and fantasy and a few of the key supporting pieces that help Helldivers on their missions.

”All too often in the games industry the core fantasy, and what makes a weapon feel good and fun, is ignored for the sake of Balance,” Latosa said of finding harmony in the game.

Feedback is incredibly important to the method Arrowhead adopts and can be seen in the HPT’s views on game design. “It is extra important to us to tread carefully so that we don’t ruin fantasy and fun when we do nerfs. We hope you, our players, will tell us when we cross that line inadvertently.”

Arrowhead dropped game content earlier this month in the form of the Warbond upgrades. “Helldivers… we need your help. The brainiacs in Super Earth Research & Development have some cool experimental armor ready to be field-tested. This is where you come in, you’re just the right people for the job,” said the Sony blog post.

The content drop was well received off the back of a massive update patch that brought fire tornadoes and meteors to the co-op shooter, as well as stabilization and balancing fixes.

Arrowhead continues to impress with its player and content-focused updates to the game. We await what is next for the saviors of Super Earth, but knowing the tongue-in-cheek studio they will probably drop a few hints.

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In an effort to cut costs, Sega announced that they will be laying off 240 staff across three subsidiary companies as well as selling Relic Entertainment to an external private investor.

The job losses will be spread across three of Sega’s subsidiaries: Sega HARDLight (responsible for multiple Sonic The Hedgehog franchise games), Sega Europe, and Creative Assembly (developers of the popular Total War series).

Relic Games stated in a post on X that they plan to continue to support Company of Heroes 3 and that they view the transition from Sega subsidiary to an independent development studio as a positive one.

Important Update from Relic Entertainment pic.twitter.com/nCcF8olDaC

— Relic Entertainment (@relicgames) March 28, 2024

Why is Sega conducting layoffs and selling subsidiary companies?

According to the press release from Sega, it has been forced to perform layoffs due to the “rapidly changing” business environment, citing a “reactionary decline from the stay-at-home demand in COVID-19 and the economic downturn due to inflation,” meaning that “profitability has been lowered.”

Eurogamer was able to see an internal email from Jurgen Post, European managing director at Sega, which confirmed that some laid-off staff members found out about the layoffs from social media before they were informed personally.

“Due to the nature of this announcement and our legal obligations in Japan, we were unable to share any detail with you until now,” Post wrote. “That is far from ideal and means some of you may have read about this in the media or via social networks before seeing this email. If that is the case, I’m sorry.

“I want to sincerely apologize for the worry and understandable distress this news will cause, particularly for those directly affected,” Post continued. “These decisions have been incredibly tough to make, and they follow meticulous consideration and deliberation with leadership teams across the business.

“Change is necessary to secure the future of our games business, and to ensure that we are well-placed to deliver the best possible experiences to our players going forward.”

It has been a tumultuous day for the games industry. As well as Sega selling Relic, it was also announced that Embracer Group plans to sell Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive. It’s a period of flux for the industry as a whole.

Featured image credit: Relic Entertainment

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Embracer Group has announced plans to divest Gearbox Studios in a sale to Take-Two Interactive valued at $460 million to be made up entirely of newly issued Take-Two shares. Take-Two has confirmed that Gearbox is working on a new Borderlands game.

According to a press release from the video game holding company, it is divesting Gearbox Software, Gearbox Montreal, Gearbox Studio Quebec, and the franchises Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms, and Duke Nukem.

The divested properties will join Take-Two’s 2K division, which has long been a publishing partner of Gearbox. They have published the successful Borderlands games franchise since the first one in 2009. Gearbox will continue to be led by its founder and CEO Randy Pitchford.

The sale does not include studios that were purchased by Embracer through Gearbox, including Cryptic Studios, Lost Boys Interactive, and Captured Dimensions. It also does not include Gearbox Publishing in San Francisco, publishers of Remnant 2, and owners of the publishing rights of several upcoming titles, including Hyper Light Breaker.

The end of Embracer’s restructuring?

This divestment marks the apparent end of a planned restructuring which resulted in over 1300 layoffs at Embracer-owned companies.

“Today’s announcement marks the result of the final structured divestment process and is an important step in transforming Embracer into the future with notably lower net debt and improved free cash flow. Through the transaction, we lower business risk and improve profitability as we transition to becoming a leaner and more focused company,” says Lars Wingefors, co-founder and CEO of Embracer.

Randy Pitchford said that despite being a long-term shareholder in Embracer Group, he believed that this was the most positive outcome for Embracer, Take-Two, and Gearbox. “My primary interest is always Gearbox, especially our talent and our customers. I want to personally assure fans of our games that this arrangement will ensure that the experiences we have in development at Gearbox will be the best they can possibly be,” he said.

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GameSir announced the X2s a few weeks back and it certainly raised a lot of interest. An upgraded version of the X2 from a couple of years ago, especially now new iPhones all rock a USB-Type C port having ditched the Apple Lighting port opens up a whole new audience as well as the Android crew who could already utilize a device such as this.

Combine this with an increased interest in mobile gaming, and a wider offering with things such as Xbox Cloud Gaming, could mean that the stars align for little hand-held controllers like this that you can just throw in your bag and whip out when you need to.

GameSir sent us over an X2s for review, so we didn’t need to stump up the £50 asking price, but we will get into that later on. First, the controller itself.

So, what is the GameSir X2s?

There are lot of nice things about the X2s, despite its small appearance the body stretches out to fit a mobile phone up to 168mm long in between its buttons.

My phone is an iPhone 15 Max Pro which is around 160mm long. Throw on an Apple case for another couple of millimeters and I am getting towards the top end of tolerance.

The USB connection is at one side, so, orientating my phone that was and fitting it in was a little fiddly. The connector moves up and down (deliberately on sort of a rocker mechanism, which is quite cute, but with it moving while I was trying to connect didn’t make things easier.

Having inserted the USB as best I could I stretched out the other side to fit my iPhone in which was a push. I did accidentally let go before it was in properly and it snapped closed again, but that was my fault. The spring, after a few goes doesn’t seem quite so violent, either that or I just stopped being stupid, and now connection is a breeze.

Once you have a solid connection the only real indication that things have gone to plan is a tiny LED that will light up showing that the unit is drawing power from your phone. There are no batteries here so using it will drain your phone battery.

Thankfully it does have a USB passthrough connector on the bottom of the controller so you can always throw a charger or power bank in there as you play.

How does it feel?

Gaming with the X2s was a really pleasant experience to be fair. The joysticks are Hall-Effect switches, meaning they have magnets inside that measure resistance and are far more accurate and sensitive than what we normally get on this type of device. Also, they should not suffer from any dreaded Stick Drift and would be a welcome addition on the next set of Joycons Nintendo comes up with.

The buttons themselves are very small, those of us with big fingers may not enjoy fighting games on the X2s, but if you are looking to play racers, shooters, or even platformers you will be well served here. Just maybe avoid anything with a tricky combo.

The X2s in truth is barely bigger than my smartphone so is easy to just have with you for all the times on the bus or train you might feel like playing a game properly. The controller is responsive and it doesn’t seem as though it is a big battery hog. It just works, I was looking for some indication that it was even connected and operational, but once I loaded a game everything was seamless.

It has a retro styling like an old Nintendo handheld but the grey and lilac color scheme may not appeal to everybody. We think it still looks great though. Its biggest selling point is definitely the joysticks, which even come with rubber caps (and a spare set at that) to make it a bit more grippy.

Conclusion

At £50 it is not a throwaway purchase that a casual mobile gamer is likely to make to see if they like it. You are paying for a very neat little technology package but you have to be in the market for a good mobile controller.

Having said that other offerings from the like of Razer have been considerably more expensive, but you can still get a legit Xbox controller for less, although granted it doesn’t offer the same handheld convenience.

If you want to get in on the handheld gaming craze, don’t want to drop big money on a Switch, ROG Ally, or a Steam Deck, and want to utilize that stupidly powerful computer you carry around in your pocket every day instead, the X2s will certainly not let you down. Playing games console style is a huge step up from touchscreen controls and it is unlikely that if you buy this, you won’t come to love it very quickly.

It just depends on what you play and how often. You can order the X2s direct from GameSir’s website.

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Credible leaks from the Honkai: Star Rail 2.2 version beta are coming thick and fast now. One of the latest is that players will receive a free Light Cone, an ATK, DEF, and HP boosting weapon when the patch drops.

The free Light Cone will be called For Tomorrow’s Journey and is a 4-star weapon. It’s a Harmony Path weapon so only Harmony characters will receive the passive bonus granted by the item.

2.2 Free 4 star Harmony LC
byu/ukrisreng inHonkaiStarRail_leaks

What are the stats on the free Light Cone in Honkai: Star Rail 2.2?

For Tomorrow’s Journey is the name of the free weapon and its detailed stats are:

• Path: Harmony
• Rarity: 4-stars
• HP: 952
• ATK: 476
• DEF: 330
• Bonds (Harmony Path users only): Increase the wearer’s ATK by 16%. When the wearer uses their Ultimate, increase their DMG dealt by 18% for one turn.

There is a lot of speculation online about what this Light Cone is designed for. Being an offensive Harmony path Light Cone suggests that it could be designed for Robin, an upcoming 5-star Harmony character who uses physical damage. It is rumoured that Robin will release in 2.2, alongside this Light Cone.

What are Light Cones in Honkai: Star Rail?

In Honkai: Star Rail, Light Cones are a kind of weapon, ranging between 3- and 5-star rarity, which characters can equip. They all provide a variable boost to HP, ATK, and DEF, and have a passive ability that will activate if the Cone is equipped by someone of the same path.

Light Cones can be leveled up and enhanced by consuming other Light Cones or Light Cone EXP Materials. The six Ascension phases mean they can be leveled to 80.

Light Cones can also be Superimposed, which increases its passive ability’s level. Superimposing is done by consuming an identical Light Cone. The rank of the Cone and the one being consumed by the Superimposition are added together during the process and this can be done to a maximum of level five.

Honkai Star Rail version 2.1, Into the Yawning Chasm, is now available across all regions, and 2.2 is expected sometime in May. Find out more about what’s in Honkai: Star Rail version 2.1 here.

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No Man’s Sky, alongside Cyberpunk 2077 is a gaming rarity in that it launched to a sea of derision, but is now so highly thought of in gaming spheres that it is up there with the best games of the last decade.

Unthinkable as that was back in 2016 when it launched, the team at Hello Games stuck to the task and tirelessly crafted and molded it into the game that was promised.

Now we are getting another of the frequent massive updates taking the game to v4.6. This one is called No Man’s Sky Orbital and sees a huge revamp of space stations in the game, along with a host of new starship customizations.

There is a ton of other stuff in the patch but below is the juice we are really interested in.

As with all NMS updates, we don’t need to wait, they launch as they are announced so you can jump in and get going on this one immediately. We are off to load it up right now.

What’s new in 4.6 No Man’s Sky Orbital

Space Stations

• Space stations have been completely overhauled and refreshed.
• Station exteriors now come in a huge array of procedurally generated shapes and colors, as well as at an increased scale.
• Space station interiors are now procedurally generated.
• Space station interiors now have a huge amount of lighting and visual variation.
• Station interior designs now reflect the race of the local system authorities.
• The various key space station merchants and interactions have all been visually refreshed.
• Players can now use the Quick Menu to switch their docked ship while aboard the space station, provided the ship in question has functioning launch thrusters.

Starship Customization

• A new interaction, the Starship Fabricator, has been added to the space station.
• The fabricator allows you to build your own custom fighter, hauler, or explorer starship.
• When salvaging a ship, the process can now be targeted at specific visuals, e.g. reclaiming the wings or thruster array specifically. These harvested components can then be combined to create a brand-new ship.
• Purchase starship reactors from space station technology merchants to determine the stats and class of your new starship.
• The fabricator also allows you to choose unique colors and paint styles for your new ship.
• Starships salvaged from the wild or purchased from another pilot benefit from universal authentication, granting them a bonus to future trade-in values.

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Xbox Insiders can start testing out mouse and keyboard support within Cloud Gaming from this week across Edge, Chrome, or the Xbox app on Windows PCs.

This Monday (Mar. 25) Microsoft released the news addressing the Insiders as they can start running this new support almost two years after the company first announced it was working on this addition to the service.

In a YouTube video titled ‘Xbox Game Streaming: Reducing Latency and Optimizing for the Best Mobile Experiences’ published a year ago, software engineer Morgan Brown said: “Xbox has been supporting keyword and mouse for a few years now, and we’re working on adding it to streaming for PC users.

“But you can start adding it to your game right now and your console keyboard and mouse users will appreciate it…”

For those on browsers, Microsoft says the “game stream needs to be in full screen mode to work with mouse and keyboard. Players can hold the ESC key at any time to exit full-screen mode.”

“The player must then click on the game stream element explicitly for it to capture your pointer. Otherwise, the mouse input won’t be sent to the game. Players can press F9 to exit mouse and keyboard use for the game.”

Some games will display controller UI elements, but this will be adapted to the sought-after mouse and keyboard input after the player has started to use this to interact with the game.

Mouse and keyboard to be available in numerous games

Not all games will be supported, at least to begin with. The currently supported titles include:

• Fortnite (browsers only)
• ARK Survival Evolved
• Sea of Thieves
• Grounded
• Halo Infinite
• Atomic Heart
• Sniper Elite 5
• Deep Rock Galactic
• High on Life
• Zombie Army 4 Dead War
• Gears Tactics
• Pentiment
• Doom 64
• Age of Empires 2

Featured Image: Photo by Onur Binay on Unsplash

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The multi-award-winning rhythm shooter, Metal: Hellsinger is being rebuilt for VR and will arrive this year for Quest 2, Quest 3, PCVR, PSVR2, and Quest Pro.

The original version which had you “slaying to the beat” of the pounding metal music, timing your demon-killing gunshots to the rhythm of the drum garnered over three million players as it smashed its way to 96% positive rating on Steam when it was released.

A VR incarnation has been highly requested by the community and the VR version includes the game’s legendary original score, with artists like Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Matt Heafy (Trivium), Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Randy Blythe (Lamb of God), and more.

“Metal: Hellsinger in VR is a match made in heaven, or should I say hell,” said Funcom’s Chief Marketing Officer, Erling Ellingsen. “Even when we were working on the original, we fantasized about how thrilling it would be to play in VR and many fans have been saying the same. Now that fantasy is coming true and there is no doubt: slaying demons to the rhythm of epic metal tracks, all in full-motion immersive VR, is just as incredible as we imagined it.”

VR and Metal: Hellsinger could be a match made in heaven, especially with the Quest 3 performing so well – yeah the music will certainly not be to anyone’s taste, but if the idea of a sort of rhythmic Doom aesthetic appeals then this will definitely be worth keeping an eye out for. The VR version is being handled by Lab42 who have previously worked on Crusader Kings III (hey, it’s all games right?) and Forza Motorsport.

Metal: Hellsinger VR comes to Meta Quest 2 & 3, Meta Quest Pro, PS VR 2, and Steam in 2024 – nothing more specific than that, and can be wishlisted now.

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The Final Fantasy series is bursting with larger-than-life characters that defined generations of fans and the game’s story.

One of the fan-favorites of the series is Vincent Valentine, who could be missed in the earlier incarnation of Final Fantasy 7. In this most recent take on the Square Enix series, he features later in the main storyline.

According to the official Final Fantasy Rebirth site, Vincent is a “self-proclaimed security guard who hibernates in a coffin deep below Shinra Manor. This man of mystery is swathed in a red cape and boasts the genes of a monster as well as a hidden connection to Sephiroth.”

How to find Vincent in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Vincent is in Chapter 11: The Long Shadow of Shinra and meets the party in the depths Shinra Manor. In the original game, Vincent can be seen hibernating in his coffin. Players had to solve a puzzle to have this companion join them in their travels.

This time around the meeting with the dungeon-dwelling man of few words is part of the main storyline. Players must go through Sinra Manors depths to find him and work hard to add him to the group.

The party will take on Vincent in a boss battle when he is in his Galian beast form. After he has been bested Cid offers the sullen red-eyed character a chance to join them. Vincent will refuse and sulk back to his shadowy lair until later in the Chapter.

Once Chapter 11 progresses after a series of tricky battles, Vincent will appear yet again. When players go back to characters Cid and the Tiny Bronco, Vincent will then agree to join the party as a story character.

The fact that Vincent isn’t a playable character has disappointed some fans picking up the game. The third installment of the Final Fantasy VII remake will give players the chance to enter into his gold-clad boots.

Who voices Vincent Valentine in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth?

Vincent is voiced by Matt Mercer in this incarnation of the Final Fantasy universe. Mercer is part of the Critical Role series of Dungeons and Dragons adventures. Mercer voiced Minsk in Game of the Year Award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3 and is a pillar of the pop culture surrounding anything with a twelve-sided dice.#

Image: Square Enix.

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Video game retailer GameStop has seen a major decline in revenue in the fourth quarter and say they’ve had to cut an unspecified number of jobs as a result, report Reuters.

As of February 3, the company had around 8,000 full-time salaried and hourly associates and between 13,000 and 18,000 part-time, hourly associates located worldwide. The amount of jobs cut isn’t yet known.

The fourth quarter revenue was reported as being $1.79 billion which is lower than last year’s $2.23 billion. Share prices have fallen by 16% in extended trade too.

Other cost-reduction measures are said to include an exit from operations in Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria.

A Wedbush Securities analyst, named Michael Pachter, gives Reuters a possible reason for the decline: “An increasing mix of digital downloads is hurting physical retail, and there is simply no reason to go to the store if a consumer can just order a game and download it immediately…

“I suspect that they will keep trimming costs to generate breakeven or better, but it is inevitable that their sales will decline to an unsustainable level.”

This news comes in sharp contrast to 2021 which was a wild year for the company as it became one of the most popular meme stocks in the world.

On the back of this, the GameStop NFT marketplace was launched in 2022 but this was wound down earlier this year. The company cites “the continuing regulatory uncertainty of the crypto space” as the reason behind this.

Gamers reactions to the GameStop market

People have taken to Reddit to share their thoughts about the Texas-based company from the sidelines.

One user suggests a shake-up is needed: “As a business, I still think GameStop could thrive, especially here in Canada, but not with the CEO they have now.

“Too many terrible decisions are being made. Video games are being overrun by Funko Pop stock.”

Other Redditors, like ‘AuthenticatedUser,’ suggest the format of the shop is causing the loss: “It’s because they don’t stock anything. It’s their policy now to not stock anything aside from pre-orders and AAA games…”

Featured image: Image by Sergei Tokmakov on Pixabay

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One of the world’s best-known streamers and Fortnite legend Tyler Blevins, aka Ninja has posted on his account on X that he is being treated for a type of skin cancer that has been found on his foot.

Posting the following message, Ninja urged his followers to get any skin spots they were unsure about checked out by a doctor:

“Alright, I’m still in a bit of shock but want to keep you all updated. A few weeks ago I went into a dermatologist for an annual skin/mole check that Jess proactively scheduled for me. There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that they wanted to remove just to be careful.

“It came back as melanoma, but they are optimistic that we caught it in the early stages. I had another dark spot appear near it, so today they biopsied that and removed a larger area around the melanoma with the hopes that under the microscope they will see clear non-melanoma edges and we will know we got it. I’m grateful to have hope in finding this early, but please take this as a PSA to get skin checkups.”

The 32-year-old streaming sensation from Detroit has almost 20 million followers on his Twitch channel so his message to get checked out will go far and wide.

Alright I’m still in a bit of shock but want to keep you all updated. A few weeks ago I went in to a dermatologist for an annual skin/mole check that Jess proactively scheduled for me. There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that they wanted to remove just to be careful. It…

— Ninja (@Ninja) March 26, 2024

Ninja was one of the first streamers to pick up on Fortnite Battle Royale when it was first released and has gone on to cement his spot as one of the most famous internet personalities of our time.

He has previously raided money for children’s hospitals, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, using the reach of his platform for good causes.

It is hoped the illness has been caught early enough and highlights the need to be self-aware if you see new blemishes on your skin.

Featured Image: via Ninja on YouTube

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Marvel Rivals has been doing the rounds on social media after a series of leaks showed off some of the in-game content.

With the release trailer set to drop later today the comic giant will be unhappy that this new venture has hit the headlines before the developers could officially tell the world about the title’s features.

The only official statement comes from Marvel Games, which teases a reveal at “8 AM PT/11 AM ET,” the post says that an “evil experiment has caused a unique disruption in the timestream. Who will be pulled into this epic showdown?”:

An evil experiment has caused a unique disruption in the timestream. Who will be pulled into this epic showdown?

Get ready for an exciting reveal tomorrow at 8AM PT/ 11AM ET! pic.twitter.com/o0YblUHxUA

— Marvel Games (@MarvelGames) March 26, 2024

Marvel Rivals leaks on social media

Multiple users on X have used the social platform to spread the leaks of the upcoming game’s roster. Spider-Man, Magneto, and the Hulk all make an appearance. User @BoujeeDaddy has shown off the presumed roster:

#MarvelRivals will be announced today. A new Hero Battler (al la Overwatch) for Console/PC. Color me Stoked! pic.twitter.com/LRyOVat6PL

— Boujee Dad (@BoujeeDaddy) March 27, 2024

So we know that the below superheroes will be taking part in this new battle arena brawler:

• • Bruce Banner
  • The Punisher
  • Loki
  • Storm
  • Doctor Strange
  • Mantis
  • Rocket Raccoon
  • Black Panther
  • Groot
  • Magik
  • Luna Snow
  • Iron Man
  • Spider-Man
  • Magneto

Twitter user @Sanchowest showed off the X banner for the upcoming shooter and this can also be seen on a dormant ‘Marvel Rivals X account:

The new Marvel Rivals art from their Twitter banner…..

I'm in. pic.twitter.com/5t1xwMoEjk

— SanchoWest (@SanchoWest) March 27, 2024

The game is in the same vein as Overwatch and according to multiple reports, the developers are most likely Net Ease Games, who were responsible for Marvel Super War. This title would be Marvel’s first Multiple Online Battle Arena (MOBA) according to the developer.

The comic company recently announced Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra at the State of Unreal during this year’s Games Development Conference. The Epic Games event displays the games that have been developed and produced in Unreal Engine 5.

This comic book game follows Steve Rodger’s Captain America and the World War 2 version of the Black Panther, Azzuri as they fight to overthrow the Axis in occupied Paris. It is unknown which consoles will run the title, but it will most likely need to be a powerful device to run the Unreal Engine-developed adventure.

Marvel Rivals looks to be a competitor for the mobile gaming market in contrast. Games like Valorant and Overwatch have seen a surge in popularity, so this 6v6 battle arena title looks set to enter the fray to challenge the established games that have defined the genre.

We will have all the details when the trailer drops later today, so stay tuned true believers!

Image: Marvel Games.

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F-Zero remains the Nintendo franchise that so many people want to see rebooted properly and yet, nothing. Still, at least we have F-Zero 99 we can play on the Nintendo Switch for those times we don’t want to play its other famous racer Mario Kart.

F-Zero back in the day on the Super Nintendo was a phenomenon and is still much loved to this day. There were a few newer versions along the way and now we have F-Zero 99 paying homage to the old school but every addition to the racer’s back catalog is welcome.

This week Switch Online will get F-Zero: Maximum Velocity which made its first back on the Game Boy Advance.

Nintendo announced the arrival on it’s official X account:

“Calling all speed demons!

The Game Boy Advance classic F-Zero: Maximum Velocity races onto #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack this Friday, 29/03!”

The arrival of F-Zero advance means we now have three of the four mainstream games on Switch online, the original, F-Zero X from the N64, and now this. So at some point, we will probably get the missing Gamecube game, F-Zero-X to complete our collection (which we don’t own because they are part of a subscription service, but hey-ho).

Meanwhile, F-Zero 99 also gets a new mode and some updates, Steer Assist will arrive as a feature for players who struggle with some of the cornering, as the game will get a new Practice mode as well, so that you can hone your skills without taking on the risk of losing real races on tracks you are unfamiliar with, In terms of new content the Knight League is getting a new Mirror Mode Grand Prix. This mode will be coming to the King and Queen Leagues at some point in the future.

All in all if you are F-Zero fan, get ready for Friday.

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Phil Spencer, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft Gaming believes that the habits of Gen Z individuals have led to the recent business decisions by the company.

Speaking in an interview with Polygon, Spencer would explain the moves by the gaming arm of Microsoft and give perspective to the ‘pivot’ that the company has made in making as many games as possible multiplatform and cross-device compatible.

Xbox Chief explains business pivot

Spencer has had a busy 2024 so far and at the first-ever Xbox partner preview, he laid out some of the cross-platform decisions by Microsoft such as HiFi Rush, Starfield, and a host of other titles leaping to rival PlayStation.

“I will say, every decision we make today and tomorrow is for the better of Xbox,” Spencer would candidly approach the moves made by the gaming company. “I know sometimes things get weaponized, that there’s some evil in the background that’s making us do things — ‘Phil hates exclusives and that’s why we’re like PlayStation and Switch now.’ Every decision we make is to make Xbox stronger in the long run. It doesn’t mean everyone’s going to agree with every decision we make. But it is fundamental for how we make decisions.”

These decisions have led to gamers seeing Xbox exclusives like Sea of Thieves sail over to the Sony console and Spencer is content with the new approach to how Xbox is viewed.

The CEO said “This notion that Xbox can only be this one device that plugs into a television isn’t something we see in the Gen Z research. Because nothing else is like that for them.”

The Gen Z market enjoys cross-console and mobile gaming as a whole, Spencer made light of this by saying “Some of them (Gen Z players) will have an iPhone, some will have an Android, but all the games and everything is the same. I can still get to TikTok on both of them, at least for now.”

Phil Spencer and Xbox’s decisions to release on rival consoles could be seen as an attempt to wring out the value of existing titles that have an untapped audience.

It can “cost $300 million to build a video game these days,” said Spencer, and “(continuing Xbox console and Game Pass) exclusivity gets pressured as the cost of the game goes up,” he would say of ring-fencing games to a particular console audience.

PlayStation console owners now have exclusive titles such as Spider-Man 2 and God of War, but now can anticipate the Microsoft studio slowly releasing exclusive games at a later date.

This seems like the best of both worlds for those who thought games like Bethesda’s upcoming titles would mean having to invest in a new console.

Phil Spencer’s ‘money-for-old-rope’ approach to the existing catalog of Microsoft games will be a smart move for the company, but those loyal to the brand will possibly rethink their device choices shortly as ‘exclusivity’ isn’t in the business plan for Microsoft moving forward.

The post Xbox boss Phil Spencer says Gen Z market research has led to Xbox business decisions appeared first on ReadWrite.

So the Dragon’s Dogma 2 journey has started for you and you want to try and get some kind of handle on how long it will take to max out your character. For a game that is a follow-up to one that was last seen 12 years ago, and we might not see another for a further decade, as you can imagine, reaching the top level in DD2 is not going to be easy, but what exactly are we up against here?

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Max Level

Going into Dragon’s Dogma 2 we already knew that the original DD had a max level cap of 200 so we were always expecting it to be around this or somewhere north of that number. Not the case. The max level you can reach in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an astonishing Level 999. And no, that is not a typo.

Whereas games such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are happy with their max levels around the 70 mark, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is going to make you grind for a living if you are one of those obsessive types who simply have to max out your Arisen.

Pawns also have a max level of 999 so, let’s be honest, for most people getting anywhere close to these numbers is going to take months if not forever and many will not be bothered. However, if you are one of the brave few who give it a go, we will see you next winter.

Max Vocation Rank in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Each vocation also has a top cap as well but thankfully this is not anything killer. Every Vocation’s top rank is 19m and climbing the ranks relies on you gaining Discipline Points (DP) which are mainly obtained by winning fights, making scrapping an important part of your rank climb.

Other Dragon’s Dogma 2 pages you may like

• All Dragon’s Dogma 2 vocations you can play
• How to get out of jail in Dragon’s Dogma 2
• How to get the Two-Hander Greatsword
• How to fast travel
• Dragon’s Dogma 2 System Requirements
• How to level up fast in Dragons’s Dogma 2
• How to make a bunch of flowers in DD2
• How to increase Stamina in Dragons Dogma 2
• Best Mods for Dragon’s Dogma 2

The post What is the Max level in Dragon’s Dogma 2? appeared first on ReadWrite.

Everybody loves a good mod and the fact we can get great ones for games such as Horizon’s Forbidden West and now, Dragon’s Dogma 2 makes us very happy.

The modders have been busy since launch making the game even better so we have hand-picked some of our favorite mods for DD2 right here. Mods are arriving all the time so we shall, of course, keep this page updated if anything better comes along, but for now, if you are serious about your Dragon’s Dogma gaming, get these installed!

Dragon’s Dogma 2 mods

Crazy’s Shop

In your face Capcom. Add lots of essentials as microtransactions on Steam. Sure, go ahead, the modders will fix that. With all the items Capcom is selling for extra in the game, albeit rare drops, this mod will allow you to get more of them easily from vendors in Vernworth.

The mod adds x255 Elite & Explorer Camp Kit, Wakestones, Rift Crystals, Farrystones, Beetles, and more to the shops in Vernworth and restocks every day. That’s way more than you will ever need but saves you the mental trauma of whether you need to spend extra to enjoy your game that bit more.

BetterUI – Colorful Map Icons

It seems we aren’t the only ones who struggle to make out some of the icons on Dragon’s Dogma 2’s map. This nice and simple mod replaces the oh-so-beige stick icons with ones that pop a little more, making it a bit easier on tired old eyes like ours.

Fluffy’s Mod Manager

One of the more complex mods behind the scenes at least is perhaps the simplest to explain what it does. Fluffy’s Mod Manager allows you to install and uninstall as many mods for DD2 as you like without messing around manually installing PAK files. Take the main out of improving your game and install Fluffy’s Mod Manager today.

Stutter & FPS Fix

This mod is a remarkably simple registry tweak that should help you experience less stuttering in towns and cities, even on older CPUs. If this is a problem your game is beset with, it may well be worth checking this one out.

Other Dragon’s Dogma 2 pages you may like

• All Dragon’s Dogma 2 vocations you can play
• How to get out of jail in Dragon’s Dogma 2
• How to get the Two-Hander Greatsword
• How to fast travel
• Dragon’s Dogma 2 System Requirements
• How to level up fast in Dragons’s Dogma 2
• How to make a bunch of flowers in DD2
• How to increase Stamina in Dragons Dogma 2

The post Best Mods for Dragon’s Dogma 2 appeared first on ReadWrite.

We haven’t had an Indiana Jones game in some time now, and even less 3D variants, really showing that this franchise hasn’t fulfilled its potential in the video game space. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle looks to change that and with Bethesda at the wheel, it could be the best officially licensed product ever released.

If this has piqued your interest, we’ll be revealing all that we know on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, including its potential release date, any associated trailers, what platforms it is on, and much more.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle release date

It has been a long time coming, but the Indiana Jones and the Great Circle release date is 2024, with sadly no more specifics beyond this.

MachineGames is the Bethesda studio that is taking on this project and if we were to go off its previous releases, it may launch earlier than the usual Holiday period. For example, the majority of its Wolfenstein games have launched between May and July, so we very well could see it in late Q2, or early Q3.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle trailers

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been under wraps for some time, being announced to the world way back in 2021, and then completely going dark. However, when 2024 hit, we got two trailers for the game, showcasing different elements.

The first trailer is actually longer than you might expect. At over three minutes long, you’re able to see what kind of graphics you can expect, as well as a sneak peek at some gameplay.

The second trailer is a full deep dive into the gameplay, showcasing even more mechanics and the areas you will be traversing through. The best parts about this trailer though are the developer insights, providing much more flavor on why certain design decisions were made.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle platforms

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will release on Xbox Series X|S and PC only. This is unsurprising since Microsoft acquired Bethesda recently and thus all its future titles will not only be releasing on Xbox platforms but may also be exclusive.

However, while this is the case right now, there hasn’t been a definitive message to say that the Great Circle won’t come to PS5 later down the line. Licensing a franchise like Indiana Jones isn’t cheap, and there could be costs to recoup if sales are lacking.

Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Game Pass?

Yes, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a day-one Game Pass release meaning you’ll be able to get it downloaded as soon as it launches if you have an active subscription.

This may not be a shock considering the aforementioned Bethesda acquisition, but it’s great to know that it will in fact be a day one release and not something that you’ll have to sit and wait for until it appears on the service.

When is the game set?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set in 1937, between the events of the Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade movies.

By the youthful-looking Indy from the trailers above, you may have guessed that it wouldn’t have been in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull era, but it’s good to get a definitive answer all the same.

It’ll be Indy in his prime, with his whip-cracking skills in full flow, and hopefully avoiding any more snake traps.

Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle first-person only?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a predominantly first-person game, with the majority of the actual ‘gameplay’ being in this format.

Where the title will enter third-person states is when you enter cutscenes or environmental traversal. Apart from that, you’ll be in that first-person perspective, feeling every whip crack and gunshot as you go.

Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle open world?

Sadly, for those who wanted a completely open world Indiana Jones game, the Great Circle is not it. Instead, it is more of a linear single player experience with “open-area” maps allowing for some exploration and secret hunting.

This kind of format lends itself quite well to the world of Indiana Jones as you will be visiting different areas, and likely even different countries, so having an open world region would have probably been very limiting.

Who plays Indy?

The all-important question – who is taking up the mantle of Indiana Jones in the Great Circle? Well, Indy’s voice actor is the one and only Troy Baker, video game performer extraordinaire.

While you might be a little disappointed by the fact that Harrison Ford isn’t reprising the role of the famous adventurer, let’s face it, it would be incredibly expensive to get him onboard and would be difficult scheduling-wise since he has no plans of retiring from acting in movies.

Featured image: MachineGames

The post Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Release date, trailers, platforms, and everything we know appeared first on ReadWrite.

The Star Wars franchise is one that has received many video game adaptations (and some cancellations), but Star Wars Outlaws is set to take things to a whole new level. Instead of the traditional good versus evil, the waters are a little more murky with this one as you travel around the galaxy stealing your way to a living.

Here, we’ll reveal all we know on Star Wars Outlaws including release date, any trailers, platforms, and much more so you’re informed as possible when the game launches.

Star Wars Outlaws release date

The Star Wars Outlaws release date is simply 2024 at this moment in time, sadly no month or day has been announced. However, since we’re already part way through the year, we anticipate that it will launch at the end of Q3 to the start of Q4.

This will coincide with the traditional Holiday period that studios love, and something that Ubisoft has adhered to in its past releases such as the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry franchises.

Star Wars Outlaws trailers

Even though Star Wars Outlaws will be released this year, there have only been two trailers so far. The first of these was a fully rendered look at the game rather than gameplay, showcasing key characters and the feel of the world.

If you haven’t watched it yet, here is your first look:

The follow-up trailer was revealed at Ubisoft Forward 2023 and gets into the good stuff – actual gameplay. In this one you get the chance to see various parts of the game, including some very Splinter Cell-esque stealth segments, and even some speeder bike action.

It is a whopping 10 minutes long so if you’re looking to avoid any potential spoilers, maybe hang fire for the game’s release.

Star Wars Outlaws platforms

Star Wars Outlaws will be released on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC only, skipping any previous generation’s consoles.

This is to be expected if you pair what you would expect of a 2024 release with the power of today’s tech but for those who haven’t upgraded to the newer consoles, it’s disappointing all the same.

Who is the Star Wars Outlaws main character?

As shown in the above trailer, the main character in Star Wars Outlaws is Kay Vess, a scoundrel always looking for her next score from an unsuspecting citizen.

From the Canto Bight Worker’s District on Cantonica, she is looking to make her way onto the galaxy’s most wanted, fighting against crime syndicates and securing precious loot.

Nix is her creature companion who goes anywhere and everywhere, integral to giving her the edge in many sticky situations.

It doesn’t appear that Kay has any force powers but we will know more on her strengths when get hands on with Outlaws.

When is Star Wars Outlaws set?

As always, with any Star Wars media released comes the question of where it sits in the convoluted timeline. However, the devs have stated plain and simply that the game is set “between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi”.

For those who haven’t seen the films or know the order, this is between Episodes 5 and 6 when the Rebels escape the clutches of The Empire but at some cost when fellow scoundrel Han Solo succumbs to the hands of the enemy.

This makes it a poignant time for the protagonist as both Bounty Hunters and The Empire are on the hunt to rid the universe of her ilk.

Is Star Wars Outlaws open world?

Yes, Star Wars Outlaws is the “first-ever open world Star Wars game”, bettering Star Wars Jedi Survivor’s semi-open-world mechanics.

This is extremely exciting for fans of the franchise, enabling exploration throughout the rich universe that the movies and TV shows only scratch the surface of. You’ll be hopping from planet to planet, taking on various missions, all to secure more funds and basically, survive.

Does Star Wars Outlaws have space combat?

Yes, Star Wars Outlaws does have space combat, where you’ll be fighting against The Empire and anyone else on your tail.

You’ll be piloting a ship called The Trailblazer which will likely be able to be upgraded in various aspects allowing for increased speed, evasion, and weapons as you progress through the adventure.

Does Star Wars Outlaws have Jedi?

Star Wars Outlaws is focused on the criminal underbelly of the galaxy with Kay Vess’ main goal being the biggest heists in history. Because of this, it is very unlikely that any Jedi will be at the forefront of the story and instead, it’s far more likely that there will be an abundance of bounty hunters instead.

This is not to say that you may not come across any Jedi hiding from The Empire, but due to the time the game is set, and the themes it is focusing on, it’ll probably be a one-off occurrence or not at all.

Featured image: Massive Entertainment

The post Star Wars Outlaws – Release date, trailers, platforms, and everything we know appeared first on ReadWrite.

The wait is almost over for Honkai Star Rail 2.1 “Into the Yawning Chasm”, and with it comes new characters and evolution of the story. Players will be able to take on new missions and embrace new adventures with the arrival of Acheron and Gallagher in the latest edition of the role-playing gacha title.

Image credit: HSR/X

The post Honkai Star Rail 2.1 release time and date countdown appeared first on ReadWrite.

One of the more frustrating mechanics in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is stamina. With such a big open world to traverse, and Fast Travel opportunities being at a premium, the fact that Stamina is so limited, and therefore the chance to run around and get to places faster is gated behind leveling up, can get quite tedious, quite quickly.

How to give your stamina a boost

There are a couple of methods you can use to ease the pain a little, but ultimately, the biggest gains you can get to your Stamina stat only come from increasing your level. We assume by the time you get to the max level on 999 you can basically start running an Ultra-Marathon across the land.

While you are undertaking this leveling up however you can try a couple of different things that give you a small bonus.

Firstly, don’t overburden yourself. Doing so is disastrous to your stamina stat and will really hold you back, so do not carry any more than you absolutely have to at the start of the game. We know it is easy to just collect everything you see but this is a fool’s errand. Use your Pawn as a packhorse, or just leave less essential stuff behind in the first place.

Secondly, whenever you see a Golden Trove Beetle, collect it and it will buff your carry capacity, meaning you can lug more around before getting overburdened and running out of stamina quickly.

You can collect around 80 or so of the 120 in the game to buff your carrying capacity to its max level.

Beyond that, just follow our tips for leveling up quickly and you will soon stop noticing that your wheezing carcass has run out of stamina again.

Other Dragon’s Dogma 2 pages you may like

• All Dragon’s Dogma 2 vocations you can play
• How to get out of jail in Dragon’s Dogma 2
• How to get the Two-Hander Greatsword
• How to fast travel
• Dragon’s Dogma 2 System Requirements
• How to level up fast in Dragons’s Dogma 2
• How to make a bunch of flowers in DD2

The post How to increase Stamina in Dragons Dogma 2 appeared first on ReadWrite.