Shogun is brave, bold, and a must-watch TV epic for the ages

As someone who has always taken an interest in Japanese history, James Clavell’s 1975 novel Shōgun is one of my all-time favorite books. It’s an enticing premise: the story of the first Englishman to reach Japan and his experiences within the country. A fight for survival leads to an actual important role, our adventuring lead ultimately rubbing shoulders with some of Japan’s most important and elite historical figures.

It’s an intriguing adventure that masquerades as a history book - or perhaps it’s the other way around?

The truth is, Clavell played fairly fast and lost with the actual history. Shogun’s protagonist John Blackthorne is directly based on William Adams, who was the first Englishman to reach Japan. Adams was an important figure - but Clavell takes it quite a bit further.

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Farewell, Freedich: ArcheAge will sail off into the sunset on June 27 when servers close in Europe and North America

Kakao Games will shut down European and North American servers for ArcheAge on June 27.

Released in both regions in 2014, servers for the open-world MMO are closing due to the decline of active players and users.

“After discussing the performance of ArcheAge with XL Games at length, we have concluded that we’re no longer able to provide the MMORPG we envisioned,” reads the notice. “The declining number of active players means the game’s content is no longer accessible in the way it used to be, and the experience of it is different from what was originally intended. In light of this, we’ve made the difficult decision to terminate the live service of ArcheAge in Europe and North America.

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I went into No Rest for the Wicked completely blind, and that absolutely worked in its favour

I haven't spent more than a few hours with No Rest for the Wicked yet, but it already feels like something special, and I wholeheartedly believe Moon Studios made the right call with an early access launch.

Looking at the Steam reviews, this may be a bit of a hot take, but I'm not afraid to say it: No Rest for the Wicked could very well be the 'big refresh' that Soulslikes (we're in dire need of a proper name for these) have been needing for a while. Mainly because it's both a ruthless follower of FromSoftware's teachings and an isometric action RPG with crafting elements that isn't just another riff on Diablo.

I'd only really paid attention to No Rest for the Wicked's striking reveal trailer, which painted a far more traditional (despite the unique visuals) picture of the game than the previews released in the lead-up to the big early access launch which I unconsciously avoided. The thing is that, despite the firm isometric view and some surface-level similarities, I never expected Moon Studios' post-Ori project to behave like a fast-and-furious action RPG.

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Life Eater is a short, gripping 'kidnapping sim' that’ll have you questioning everything you believe in

Life Eater caught my eye the moment it appeared on my Twitter feed, having described itself as a ‘horror fantasy kidnapping sim’. My initial thought was “oh, God no,” as I immediately worried just how sadistic a game like this could get in our current climate. But, while it is somewhat sadistic, it also has plenty of heart.

And considering the game was developed by the likes of Strange Scaffold - the brilliant minds bursting with bizarre ideas such as neo-noir shooter El Paso: Elsewhere (which is soon being adapted into a film) and market tycoon, Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator - it really comes as no surprise that Life Eater is as strange a concept as it is, while feeling incredibly hearty.

Describing a kidnapping simulator as ‘hearty’ definitely doesn’t feel quite right, but it’s that thought - that jarring feeling - in and of itself that makes Life Eater stand out to me amongst other games. As you kick things off, you’ll be stepping into the shoes of a druid, Ralph, who must navigate your typical day-to-day life while completing annual sacrifices to his dark God, Zimforth.

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Hear me out. After the Fallout TV show I don't want a new Fallout FPS - I'm fiending for a top down RPG

That Fallout Amazon show is really popping off huh? Following its conclusion we've seen millions of interested players new and old flock to the games as a result. Fallout 4 is hitting player peaks not seen in years, and even Fallout 76 is basking in the glory. So obviously everyone is seeing this excitement, and is looking to the future. Fallout 5 is on everyone's mind; Bethesda's own take on the wacky post-apocalypitc wasteland. But what I want is a return to the roots of Fallout 1 and Fallout 2. The time is ripe for another Fallout CRPG.


Let's not beat around the bush here - Baldur's Gate 3 has laid the roadwork for such a venture. The Fantasy RPG blew away the gaming public, winning the full suite of major industry Game of the Year awards at events such as GDC, DICE, and The Game Awards. It's about as close to a uncontestable game of the year statement as you can get. Millions of people either experienced the joys of a well-made, narrative CRPG can bring, or get a familar blast of the good stuff. The player numbers and awards are proof enough there's a real appetite for big IPs viewed through an eagle-eyed perspective.


Fallout used to provide exactly this. The original two games are old now so maybe you've not given them a go, but they're dope! Playing them these days has you struggle through dated controls and graphics to get to the juicy centre that built a franchise. A truly iconic setting was established here, a distinct and often brutal sci-fi locale you could gorge yourself on. Bethesda took the reins with Fallout 3 and drastically shifted the form in which Fallout was presented to players, and that's proven to be a fruitful move throughout the years when you look at the swarms of vault dwellers who hopped onto the Fallout train while it was Todd's baby.


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After the Helldivers 2's community's latest victory, here's more good news - those "impossible" citizen evac missions will be adjusted soon

Helldivers 2's most recent Major Order really came down to the wire, but the community managed to pull out a victory that's really impressive - given how dire the situation looked earlier this week. The celebrations haven't ended there either, with Arrowhead having indicated that some evac missions which've been proving near impossible should be adjusted soon.

Yup, after plenty of arguing about the difficulty hardcore players were having in trying to convince all of their casual pals that they needed to pitch in, the same tenacity that killed a bunch of bugs the other week helped folks successfully defend ten planets. And their nightmares might not features as many evac mission flashbacks in the near future. You love to see it.

As folks celebrated over on the Helldivers 2 Discord server, community manager Twinbeard provided them with even more reason to get hyped. "To all of you offering feedback on how the bot citizen evac missions are $€@!£X@&! impossible on higher difficulty levels," they wrote, "We agree 100 % and will therefore adjust these in the near future!"

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Sand Land review – an imperfect, but worthy, final game from one of the best to ever do it

As every Dragon Ball fan will know by this point in time, Akira Toriyama sadly passed away in March of this year. I won't spend too much time eulogising him, many others closer to him have put it much better than I ever could, but it was obviously a monumental loss for the world of anime and manga. And games, too.



There quite literally is no Dragon Quest or Chrono Trigger, amongst so much else that his work inspired within video games, so Sand Land – based on one of his own worlds and stories – finally getting its due in both the form of a film (later released as a series in the west) and as a video game felt more than appropriat. It felt like it was always meant to happen. The final result isn't perfect, granted, but I came away loving it specifically because of how strongly the themes you find in Toriyama's work come through. Before we get ahead of ourselves though, let's set the scene.



Sand Land is a much lesser known manga title from Toriyama's catalogue, originally releasing in the year 2000, only consisting of a single volume following Beelzebub (the prince of all demons), Rao (the aforementioned old man), and Thief (another demon that serves as a guide to Beelzebub). The game and series actually added a fourth member to the crew, Ann, a mysterious young woman and mechanic whose story ventures into spoiler territory. They all reside in Sand Land, a desert area ruined by climate disaster and war, and the main setting for the game which you traverse around as you set off on a quest to find a Legendary Spring so that the country's people have easy access to water again.


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BlizzCon 2024 canceled without a definitive explanation, but Blizzard vows the celebration will return in the years to come

Blizzard has announced that after “careful consideration over the last year,” it will not host BlizzCon 2024 this year.

According to the company, the “decision was not made lightly,” as BlizzCon “remains a very special event” for the studio, and it knows that many people look forward to it.

“While we’re approaching this year differently and as we have explored different event formats in the past, rest assured that we are just as excited as ever to bring BlizzCon back in future years,” said the firm in a statement.

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Shogun has concluded and despite fans yearning for more, the creators aren't sure a second season is needed - and we agree

The FX limited series Shogun ended on April 23, and fans of the ten-episode drama are clamoring for a second go-round; however, that’s not likely to happen, according to showrunner Justin Marks and writer Rachel Kondo.

This is because the series was based on the novel of the same name by the late James Clavell, who didn’t write a sequel. Set in 17th-century feudal Japan, it tells the story of shipwrecked English navigator John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) who spends the rest of his days in the country. Blackthorne’s character was based on the real-life William Adams who, in 1600, became the first Englishman to reach Japan and became a key advisor to the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Despite Clavell's other works having minor ties to Shogun (The Asian Saga), the novel concludes the story of Blackthorne and his relationships with the main players. That said, producer and co-star, Hiroyuki Sanada (John Wick 4, Mortal Kombat, Westworld) who plays the powerful busho Yoshii Toranaga, feels that while there is a history within the book, and “real history models,” a second entry or related series “depends on the audience’s reaction,” which as we know has been very positive.

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Escape from Tarkov's community goes up in flames over the most expensive edition's pricing and content changes

The Escape from Tarkov community hasn't received well the news of a brand-new most expensive edition replacing the old one and barring them from a previously promised DLC, among other things.

While it's been continuously praised over the last few years as one of the best online FPS games on the market and the king of the 'extraction' subgenre, Escape from Tarkov's approach to pricing and paid upgrades has always been iffy to say the least, and the Unheard Edition's announcement might've been the straw that breaks the camel's back.

According to developer Battlestate Games, the Unheard Edition gives players "access to PvE co-op mode with persistent progression... enhanced stash size (10x72), unique in-game ID, armband and many more features." As far as we can tell, this new co-op mode isn't the same as the 'Practice' one already being sold as an upgrade for 10 euros or around $10.70 (regional pricing may vary).

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Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is bringing General Grievous back, and there's a great explanation behind it

Wait, didn't General Grievous perish in Revenge of the Sith? Are they bringing another dead villain back? No, don't worry. It's just that he's a key part of the Nightsisters' fall, and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire will be exploring that event as the most crucial one in Morgan Elsbeth's life.

The six part animated mini-series, which will drop all its episodes on May the 4th, was a surprise announcement. While fans were waiting for new 'seasons' that followed the Tales of the Jedi format, we didn't know for sure what that would be or when it would arrive. Now, we know that it's right around the corner and that it'll flesh out the individual stories of Ahsoka baddie Morgan Elsbeth and Jedi-turned-Inquisitor Barriss Offee.

The second surprise is that Tales of the Empire won't be filled with stormtroopers and all the Imperial stuff we're quite tired of at this point. Instead, it'll focus on two overlooked characters whose lives completely changed due to the Empire's creation. And in the case of Elsbeth, her 'defining moment' happened way before meeting Grand Admiral Thrawn. More specifically, when she watched most of her people die at the hands of General Grievous near the end of the Clone Wars.

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Don't Starve studio's co-op roguelike Rotwood sprouts on Steam Early Access: Jump into a world of monstrous encounters for less than a value meal

Klei Entertainment’s upcoming roguelike online co-op game Rotwood has entered Early Access on Steam.

In Rotwood, you will take on many challenges against corrupted monsters living in the woods. Luckily, you don’t have to go it alone, unless you want to, because three friends can come along for the ride.

The goal is to get better and stronger to take on challenges once thought impossible. This is possible thanks to varied fighting mechanics, upgradable gear, weapons, and skills.

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Manor Lords is 2024's must-play strategy game, even in early access – and a massive win for Game Pass

One year of in-game time into Manor Lords, and I ran into a big problem. A gang of thugs and raiders threatened to invade my shoddy-but-growing demesne, and since I had invested approximately no resources into military defense at that point, things weren’t looking good. I had no money, either, and suddenly had to start raising taxes, throwing all those who work into a bit of a tizzy.

Technically, I could’ve done this earlier, but I had no idea my grungy little burgh was advanced enough to build a manor yet. We’ll get to that later. Anyway, the point is, the peasants were p**sed. My approval rating among the lowly was dropping fast, so – with the future of my treasury and the prospect of attracting newcomers at stake – I did what any good medieval lord would do. I built a church. Then I went real fancy, and upgraded it with clay roof tiles.

Everyone liked that. Not so much that they didn’t hate me a little when the first of the month rolled around, but I guess the ringing bells and holy, holy, holy distracted them enough to where they didn't care. Tax revenue and new villagers with their taxable income flowed in, just as I planned. I still had my lordly posterior handed to me when the bumpkin raiders did finally show up, but that’s mostly ‘cause the game’s combat tutorials – and basically all the tutorials – are kind of vague and tough to parse right now.

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Stellar Blade review: Having its cake, and eating it

Hey pal, grab a chair. Sit down a while. I've spoken to your parents, and they're worried about you, mate. They've been telling me that you're thinking about buying Stellar Blade on the PS5 - don't get up! It's okay, this is a no judgement zone, bud. Don't look embarrassed, it's just me and you having a conversation here. Now, let me tell you something...


Ignore those bozos. Stellar Blade is a downright shocker of a release. An uppercut to the "best games coming in April" videos who could not see past feeble aesthetics to the pack-a-punch action extravaganza behind Stellar Blade, like a fool hiker missing the forest for the trees. Stellar Blade asks a question that sat steadfast in even Plato's mind: "Can too much cake ruin a party?"


For those blissfully unaware of what I'm waffling about, Stellar Blade is a third-person action game made by South Korean developer Shift Up. With roots firmly buried in the mobile market, the studio is taking a Fenway Park level swing at a true triple-A experience. We're talking PS5 console release, shiny graphics, and money splashed all over the place.


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Quentin Tarantino has changed course on his final film, but it sounds like it would have been a meta, cameo-filled oddity

Quentin Tarantino recently announced he's no longer making The Movie Critic as his final film, but some details about it have now come to light.



Last week, Tarantino put The Movie Critic on the chopping block after previously stating it would be his 10th and final film. Details about the film are slim, though it had been reported that Brad Pitt would return as Cliff Booth from the 2018 Tarantino-directed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but it was unclear in what capacity. Now, a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, has offered some more details on what the film might have been like, painting a clearer picture as to how Pitt's character would have been involved.



According to sources familiar with the project that spoke with THR, The Movie Critic would have been somewhat of a meta, crossover kind of film that would have placed Tarantino's films within the 70s, as if they had been made then, allowing the director to bring back some of the big names he's worked with over the years to reprise their characters in "movie within a movie" moments. This potentially would have had the actors playing fictional versions of themselves as the actors who played those characters.


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Steam just changed its refund policy, but it shouldn’t affect you too much – unless you were gaming the system

Steam’s refund policy remains the best in the industry, and today, Valve made a small change to how it considers a certain tier of games. In recent years, more and more major releases have started allowing customers to play early.

Usually, this window is two to four days, and players get it by buying (or upgrading to) a deluxe, ultimate or other kinds of more expensive editions. Previously, however, Steam’s refund policy did not consider this - until now.



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Fallout season 2 will feature, er, that iconic location, but you don't need to worry about your headcanon

Amazon's Fallout show set up a fan favourite location from the games, though it's sounding like you don't need to worry too much about your own headcanon.



Big spoilers ahead for the end of the Fallout series.



With the knowledge that the Fallout show would be set in what once was California, fans were of course wondering if one particular area from the games would show up or not - that being New Vegas, obviously, given that they're neighbouring states. And as shown right at the end of the series, Lucy's dad Hank has stormed his way over to New Vegas in a piece of power armour, presumably setting up that we'll be seeing a lot of the locale in season 2 (which was confirmed last week). If you were one of those people making that presumption, you'd be right! As co-showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet recently spoke with GQ, where they briefly spoke about New Vegas as a season 2 setting.


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5 years on from Mortal Kombat 11's series high-point, the games industry seems intent on making it the last MK I'll ever love

Mortal Kombat 11 is five years old today. Although the 11 at the end of the title might suggest otherwise, this was actually an unusual game in many ways. As much as it represented the final chapter in a long-running story, I like to also think of Mortal Kombat 11 as the last game of its kind from developer NetherRealm.

No, it wasn’t its last fighting game, or even the last Mortal Kombat. But, as I look back at how the studio (and the industry at large)has changed its output in the half-decade since, I can’t help but lament what we’re stuck with today.



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If you loved Your Name, you should probably get excited about the first film from one of its animators

A unit director and key animator from Makoto Shinkai's hit film Your Name is making his own directorial debut soon, and it's looking beautiful so far.



Yoshitoshi Shinomiya isn't a household name, but he has worked on some projects you've likely heard of, namely the 2016 film Your Name. Now, as reported by Variety, he's looking to make his own claim in the world of directing with the upcoming anime film A New Dawn. At this point in time, there's no trailer just yet, but a few stills from the production have been released and they certainly look like they'll be offering a unique visual treat. The film is apparently quite a personal one for Shinomiya, as it is inspired by how the Japanese landscape changed following the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.



The film specifically follows Keitaro, a young man who has lived in an inactive fireworks factory for the past four years that is about to go into administrative action. There, Variety writes that he chases "the illusion of a father who vanished years before. The location used to be nestled in a lush forest, but the surrounding area has recently been redeveloped by the city, which covered the land with solar panels. Only a scant bit of greenery around the factory remains amongst the sea of panels."


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As Fallout: London's former release date passes by, its lead laments the effects of Bethesda's apparent next-gen update silence

Today, April 23, was orginally supposed to be the release date of Fallout: London, with the massive mod being pencilled in for St Georges's Day following a delay late last year. However, Fallout 4's long-awaited next-gen update ended up putting pay to that idea, given its potential to break several elements of the mod just two days after its planned release.

If you're out of the loop, Fallout: London's a full conversion mod for Fallout 4 that's set to let us explore a post-apocalytic version of the English capital, complete with fresh factions and quests. We've been getting regular updates from the team behind it over the past couple of years, but its release date is now up in the air due to Fallout 4's next-gen update being set to drop on April 25.

After outlining how the update would affect the mod's release plans in a video just over a week ago, Fallout: London's project lead, Dean 'Prilladog' Carter, has now provided a bit more insight into the effects the changes the update's neccessitated have affected things via an interview with the BBC. He also went a little bit more in-depth regarding Bethesda's apparent lack of communication with the mod's team regarding the update - something he touched on in that initial video.

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Amid Fallout TV show fever, Nexus Mods says it's been dishing out as much data as downloading Skyrim "twice per second" would involve

While Fallout 4's next-gen update hasn't even dropped yet, Amazon's Fallout TV show has already been driving droves of players back to the series. Naturally, a lot these returning wastelanders have been grabbing mods to spice up their experiences - about two Skyrim's per second worth, actually.

Yup, as they fill the void of not having a second season to immediately binge - though one is very much on the way - people have been busy downloading plenty of overhauls, weapons, and even Walton Goggins billboards.

As outlined in a new post by community manager Demorphic, modding site Nexus Mods has basically been struggling to keep up with that demand for the past little bit.

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Illaoi finally gets gameplay showcase ahead of 2XKO Evo Japan demo

Illaoi has finally gotten a dedicated gameplay trailer and explainer, ahead of a new 2XKO demo available to play at Evo Japan. The character, first revealed during the game's free-to-play announcement is the fifth to be fully playable by members of the public.


The video in question, released on 2XKO socials and viewable below, comes alongside commentary by Caroline Montana Riot Shyvana who designed the champion alongside a dedicated development pod, and explains that this bruiser is a hard-hitting brawler who makes good use out of her infamous tentancles to extend combos and apply additional pressure.


Back when we first got a peak at Illaoi through a dedicated design blog on the Riot Games website, we knew the team wanted to go heavy on the character fantasy of big hits and tentacle assists. In this final version of the character, it looks like the team ended up on a summonable tentacle system, in which you can actively bring them out and trigger their attacks to nearby enemies. It's worth noting that Shyvana also emphasises that Illaoi isn't a "puppet character" like you'd see in other series like Blazblue, but rather a bruiser who's at their best when applying pressure with tentancles set up.


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EA Sports F1 24 preview - Yes, it might even give you a reason to actually drive the Williams

No matter whether you're a big car nerd who loves playing around with setups, or are just hopping in for a quick race against your mates, how the cars feel to drive in an F1 game is pretty key. After all, what you're hoping for in both cases is to get a taste of the same sensation the likes of Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton enjoys as they sweep through turns and blast down straights.

We recently had a chance to see what EA Sports F1 24, the latest game in Codematers' long-running series, has to offer in this regard, via a hands-off preview. And, at least in theory, the changes sound like they should satisfy both hardcore petrolheads, and those who're mainly in it for the high-speed drama.

During the preview, Codemasters' senior creative director Lee Mather and Casey Ringley - the latter of whom serves as both a senior game designer and vehicle handling lead on the game - talked through F1 24's "EA Sports Dynamic handling model" - a raft of tweaks designed to be a "culmination of several significant updates to the series".

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Deadpool & Wolverine's first full trailer finally shows a very sad, but faithfully dressed Hugh Jackman

The first full Deadpool & Wolverine trailer is here, and yes, even though you've probably already seen it, the trailer finally shows what Hugh Jackman looks like in that iconic suit.



Back in February, when the teaser trailer dropped for Deadpool & Wolverine, it only offered us Jackman's shadow, suggesting that Marvel wasn't quite ready to give everyone a look at that classic yellow suit in action just yet. Of course, most of us had already seen it thanks to set photos being shared around, but still, today the first full trailer for the upcoming MCU movie does reintroduce Wolverine and what he's been up to. Which, seemingly, is a whole lot of drinking. Yeah, Logan is doing a bit worse for wear, with his universe apparently having gone to the dogs slightly, though it's unclear whether he's from the original Fox produced universe, or just another one where he looks the same.



Unsurprisingly, the titular characters don't appear to get along so well, though Deadpool seemingly needs Wolverine's help to save his own universe for reasons that I'm sure will become clearer in the film itself. Interestingly, it seems like the villain this time around will be Cassandra Nova, aka Professor Xavier's evil twin sister. Again, whatever she's up to in this particular MCU outing wasn't really covered, but we did see some of her powers on display at the very least.


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Anticipated indie hit Manor Lords is everyone’s most wanted Steam game, so it’s a good job it’s coming to Game Pass

Why is everyone so interested in Manor Lords? The game, an ambitious city builder/RTS hybrid, attempts to simulate how medieval towns were constructed by embracing organic layouts and doing away with the grid systems common in the genre. And, today, it hit 3 million wishlists on Steam – that's no mean feat. It's currently above even Hades 2. That's impressive.


Its trailers have been attractive, interesting, and intriguing – but there's something else to the game's rampant success. It's 2022 demo managed to persuade half a million people to wishlist the title alone, and since then that base of interest has swelled even more.

I think it has something to do with the high degree of historical authenticity, and the pleasing rags-to-riches premise that the whole thing is built around. Right now, in today's world, social mobility feels a bit stuck – and we all feel a bit hemmed into whatever monetary situation we're in. Manor Lords gives us a fantasy in which we can own land – imagine that! – and lift ourselves out of serfdom.


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The first 4 episodes of the Knuckles TV series feel like a fever dream – for better, and for worse

We all know Sonic the Hedgehog loves chilli dogs, right? That’s not some weird deep cut from the 90s multimedia Sonic takeover that I’ve just internalised, is it? It feels like canon to me: the blue blur loves to eat, and specifically, he loves chilli dogs. You can collect them in some of the more obscure games as collectibles, and the social media posts are full of them. It’s well established, both in universe and outside of it.

But did you know that Knuckles loves Doritos? Cool Ranch, specifically. Because he does. He even wants to visit said ‘cool ranch’ someday. You can tell this from the series, because there’s a lengthy, very well-lit and well-considered shot of the red echidna munching on a pack of them and extolling their virtues.

Later on, for some reason, there’s a vaseline-coated soft focus shot of him in a diner car park, having a heart-to-heart with best friend-cum-student, with a big ol’ packet of branded potato chips right there in the foreground with him.

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There's over 700,000 possible builds in Mario Kart 8, and science has determined the best one

You might have your favourite combination in Mario Kart 8, but science has determined the selection that is statistically the best.



There are a whole lot of combinations in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. As it turns out, there are specifically 703,560 possible ways to mix and match characters, karts, wheels and the like, a number so large it would probably take you too large a portion of your life to get through them all. The meta for Mario Kart 8 has changed over the years, and it had a bit of a shakeup thanks to an update that came alongside the DLC tracks that were added to the game. Now, as spotted by Eurogamer, data scientist Antoine Mayerowitz has figured out which is the best possible combination you could pick to help you nab that number one spot.



Right off the bat, Mayerowitz narrowed down the combinations to just 25,704 options, as a lot of them are just copies of one another. Of course, there are different builds you might want depending on whether you favour speed, or acceleration. To figure out which is best, Mayerowitz used a method devised by economist Vilfredo Pareto. This method outlines that Bowser and Wario are fastest, but Baby Peach has the best acceleration, with Cat Peach being pretty much in the middle of both. Though, there are also the karts themselves, alongside the wheels and glider option, that you also have to consider.


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Dragon's Dogma 2's next update will tone down Dragonsplague, so you can stop complaining about it now

Dragonsplague annoying you in Dragon's Dogma 2? The game's next patch will make it slightly less frequent, and a bit easier to spot.



Dragon's Dogma 2 is very much a game that is doing exactly what it wants to do, even if it is a bit player hostile sometimes. One such bit of design that has caused a number of players some friction is dragonsplague, an illness that pawns can contract that in one part makes them stronger and more effective in combat, but on the other if left to fester those same pawns might go on to kill entire villages. It's actually quite a cool bit of design, with the disease spreading amongst pawns from save file to save file thanks to the game's online capabilities, though some have taken to creating mods that make it easier to determine how infected a pawn is.



Thankfully, as laid out in patch notes for an upcoming update, it seems like the disease won't be quite as infectious as it currently is. As shared on the game's Twitter, the next update will "reduce the infection frequency of dragonsplague" and adjust "infection signs to be more visible." An example of this is that "when infected, glowing eyes will be more noticeable." There's also an option being added that lets you zoom in on the faces of your own player character, as well as pawns, so hopefully that will let you more easily see if they have dragonsplague.


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What's next for Helldivers 2? Making it "the best live service game you've ever played"

As with any live service game, plenty of Helldivers 2 players have differing opinions, but no matter what Arrowhead wants to do just one thing: make the best live service game ever.



No one really expected Helldivers 2 to blow up as much as it has, including developer Arrowhead. That much was evidenced by the myriad of server issues the game suffered from at launch, as well as some other bugs along the way (and I don't mean the ones you're tasked with killing). So, with a whole load of players, comes a whole load of people saying the game should do this or that. A recent post on the Helldivers subreddit from a user by the name of TheGentlemanCEO went into their own problems with the rest of players, talking about how some players wish Arrowhead would focus on bug fixes before adding more Warbonds, saying that Sony would mind if Arrowhead didn't do so (thanks, PCGamer). However, frequent poster and Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt offered some context and clarity to what the situation at the studio is actually like.



"I appreciate your sentiment and post," wrote Pilestedt. "Let me add some context. Arrowhead is independently owned by people working at the studio and not swayed by shareholders in the traditional sense. Of course we are in a great partnership with Sony where we agree on targets to hit etc. But there isn't a forcing function or requirement per se.


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LittleBigPlanet 3's servers are staying offline "indefinitely" meaning more than a decade's worth of user-made levels are gone for good

It's a sad time for LittleBigPlanet fans, as the third game's servers are now "offline indefinitely" meaning a large portion of the series could be lost forever.



Back in January, the servers for LittleBigPlanet 3 went down due to some technical difficulties, though they were meant to come back at some point. Unfortunately, the official LittleBigPlanet Twitter account shared today that the servers are being kept offline "indefinitely," meaning more than a decade's worth of user-made levels are now probably lost forever. "Due to ongoing technical issues which resulted in the LittleBigPlanet 3 servers for PS4 being taken offline temporarily in January 2024, the decision has been made to keep the servers offline indefinitely," reads the statement announcing the servers are being kept offline.



"All online services including access to other players' creations for LittleBigPlanet 3 are no longer available. User generated content (UGC) stored locally on your PS4 will remain available. Any new UGC you create can be played on your PS4 but not shared. Offline features such as the campaign will remain playable. Thank you for your support."


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No Rest for the Wicked makes a killer first impression, but I’m worried about all the crafting and survival guff

Explaining what kind of game No Rest for the Wicked is, is going to prove challenging. After spending a few hours with the - clearly very divisive - Steam Early Access launch build, I don’t think I’m closer to quite nailing the answer down, yet. I can tell you, however, that I just can’t stop playing it.

No Rest for the Wicked is the new game from Moon Studios; the studio behind the Ori games. Not only is this the team’s first Early Access launch, it’s also not a platformer that tugs at your heartstrings every few minutes. It’s a punishing action RPG with demanding combat, set in a brutal world that adds a new perspective to the team’s superb artistic talent.



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Michael Douglas requesting Hank Pym to be killed off in Ant-Man 3 highlights the MCU's recent lack of stakes

Deadpool & Wolverine looks fun enough, and at least The Fantastic Four appears to have a very specific pitch in mind to wow us come 2025, but can Marvel Studios fix its current lack of soap opera dynamics and high-stakes drama?

We'd be lying if we claimed Phase 4 and 5 entries such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever didn't pack an emotional punch, but it's all feeling a bit weightless and disjointed since Tony Stark's sacrifice and Thanos' defeat, isn't it?

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“We put everything into this expansion” - Final Fantasy 16’s DLC director speaks on the game’s final content drop

With the release of Rising Tide, the world of Final Fantasy 16 is now complete. A game about elemental gods that in the past have been known as Espers, Summons, Eidolons and more, one element was mysteriously missing from FF16’s narrative. Now, with Rising Tide, the Eikon of Water joins Clive’s fight.

“You can really feel that they’ve all powered up,” enthuses Takeo Kujiraoka, the director of Final Fantasy 16’s DLC. Power creep is common in games, of course - satisfying progression practically demands that characters become ever more powerful, until you’re swatting away previously deadly enemies. But Kujiraoka isn’t talking about Clive and Jill, FF16’s handsome leads - he’s talking about the development team.

Kujiraoka has stepped into the director’s chair for the post-launch period of Final Fantasy 16, taking over those duties from Hiroshi Takai. Placed in charge of finding new adventures for Clive and new challenges for players, one asset was the most invaluable of all: the team was pumped up and ready to deliver.

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Sony is reportedly looking at making another acquisition, and this time it involves Halo

Sony, yes, the company behind PlayStation, is reportedly considering making a bid to buy Paramount, the massive media that currently has the likes of Nickelodeon and MTV, as well as Paramount Pictures and Paramount+ - though you might well have been able to guess those latter two - under its umbrella.

This is according to reports from The New York Times and Bloomberg, which claim that Sony and an investment firm called Apollo Global Management, are considering making a joint offer to acquire Paramount, though no such proposal has actually been submitted as of yet. Both add that Paramount is currently still in exclusive talks with another company Skydance Media, about a potential merger.

The addition of Sony to the process would seemigly make Paramount less concerned about the cash behind any bid, with this being cited as a concern it had with a previous $26 billion bid from Apollo on its own, thanks to the gaming giant's "deep pockets".

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Worried about Fallout 4's next-gen update messing with your mods? Nexus Mods is taking steps to help you out

It's now less than a week until Fallout 4's long-awaited next-gen update drops on April 25, bringing with it a bunch of tweaks for different platforms and some fresh goodies you can grab for free. If you're on PC the only issue with that is that updates - especially big ones - tend to play havoc with mods when they first drop, but modding platform Nexus Mods is taking some steps to try and make that transition a bit less of a headache.

It's good news, because you probably aren't alone if you've felt unable to stop yourself kicking off a frssh modded playthrough of Fallout 4 after watching Amazon's Fallout TV show, which is now confirmed to be getting a second season. So, while this won't cover Fallout: London, which is a bit different, here's what things'll likely look like modding-wise when the update drops.

In a new post, Nexus Mods community manager Pickysaurus has shared a bit of a rundown of the issues this Fallout 4 update will likely cause when it comes to modding, and a couple of handy steps that that the site's taking to help you muddle through the initial aftermath of its arrival.

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No Rest for the Wicked has players divided, as it launches to Mixed Steam reviews and plenty of complaints

The launch of No Rest for the Wicked hasn’t gone as smoothly as many had hoped. While there were no server issues to contend with, or severe optimisation and game stability problems, the reception has so far been mixed.

The problems mainly revolve around the state of the Steam Early Access build, but once you get past that, so many of Moon Studios’ design decisions have left players surprised and often annoyed.



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Wahey, Amazon's Fallout TV show season two is now officially confirmed, just in case there was any doubt

You there! Stop playing through through Fallout 4 again! Amazon's Fallout TV show is now officially confirmed to be getting a second season, as pretty much all of us had hoped following the stellar reaction to its debut series.

Yup, after increasing everyone's appreciation for Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell's ability to say 'okey dokey' in about fifteen different tones, as well as providing loads of fun little references and easter eggs to dissect, the show's set to continue. To be fair - spoilers - you probably guessed that it would likely be doing so when you saw how it ended.

A tweet from the show's official account first revealed this good news, slap bang in the middle on the night UK time. "Wouldn't want to keep you on the edge of your seat, now, would we?", the slightly sarky post read, "See you back in the Wasteland for SEASON 2."

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 continues the realism-obsessed RPG series - and is set to release later this year

After a successful first outing, Czech game developer Warhorse Studios is back with a sequel to Kingdom Come: Deliverance - and fans will be able to play it later this year.

Simply titled Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, the new title promises to be another realism-focused action RPG - set against the backdrop of a chaotic civil war raging across 15th Century Bohemia - the historic region of the world that encompasses much of the modern-day Czech Republic.

Players are once again cast as Henry of Skalitz - the returning protagonist from the first title. Henry’s story continues - and the developers promise hours more cutscenes than in the previous game, a more epic story, and a significantly larger open world for Henry to explore. In an introduction given to media, the game's developers boasted the word was double the size. See the debut trailer for yourself below.

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Apple is staying in the space business, as For All Mankind gets a season 5 renewal plus a spinoff

For All Mankind is one of those long-running prestige TV series that everyone seems to greatly enjoy, but struggle to make an impact on the mainstream conversation. However, it appears that Apple is more than happy to keep it going and even give it a companion spinoff show.

The tech and media giant is all in on sci-fi and space-related shows, it seems. From Foundation to For All Mankind, and also including more recent stuff like Constellation, Apple has been spending the big bucks on those genres, quickly making the Apple TV+ service the go-to streaming destination for those in love with outer space and high-concept science fiction.

For All Mankind's season 5 renewal confirmation comes straight from Apple (via Variety), which is already calling it "a universe" instead of a single alt-history series. "There is so much to explore and, we along with our partners at Sony, can’t wait to dive into this next chapter of the engrossing ‘For All Mankind’ universe," said Matt Cherniss, head of programming for the Apple TV+ platform.

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The American Oldboy remake turned out horrible, so they're making a TV series next

Almost everyone loves Spike Lee, but almost everyone also agrees that his Oldboy remake wasn't good. Somehow, we now find ourselves looking at the prospect of an Oldboy TV series.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate Television announced on April 17 that they're partnering with Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, the man behind the original 2003 masterpiece, to develop a new "English-language adaptation of the story."

It's important to remind yourself that Oldboy already was a loose-ish adaptation of the 1990s Japanese manga of the same name written by Garon Tsuchiya and lovingly illustrated by Nobuaki Minegishi. Park Chan-wook gave it a voice of his own so strong that it quickly became the must-watch South Korean action-thriller movie for most people, only amplifying that status over the years. If the tentative TV series looks at the manga for inspiration instead, there might be a slim chance of America actually cooking this time around, but we're definitely not holding our breath.

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Somehow, Hades 2's new character art has left fans even hornier than the first game, and you can't really blame them

Warning: Spoilers for Hades 2 may lie ahead.

Did you play the first Hades, and then spend several years worth of your time salivating over the beauty of the Greek gods it kept thrusting onto your screen as you tried to concentrate on escaping the underworld? Well, it looks like Hades 2 has you covered and then some, if a fresh gameplay showcase is anything to go by.

If you're out of the loop, we've had a bit of a surge in Hades 2 activity since Supergiant suddenly announced a technical test for the game earlier this week, ahead of its launch in early access soon. The latest of these is a fun gameplay stream of that test build that the developer's done, showing off some new additions and, er, women with muscles.

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Quentin Tarantino walks back final film plans that would've included a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood character

It's been 13 months since Quentin Tarantino set The Movie Critic in stone as his tenth and final film, and now he's walking back those plans.

The Hollywood Reporter has the details on the renowned filmmaker moving away from the long-anticipated project, but it's unclear why exactly he's had such a radical change of heart this late into the process.

Before The Movie Critic, there was a Star Trek idea Tarantino had been kicking around for a while, in hopes of turning it into a film, but that didn't come to fruition either. He's spent more than a few years now saying he wants to "go out on the top of his game," a reasoning that's been confusing to say the least, given his love for the medium and the fact most legendary directors never really walk away from making films. Hell, Ridley Scott (86 years old now) is still putting out a major feature per year on average. "I want to stop at a certain point. Directors don’t get better as they get older. Usually the worst films in their filmography are those last four at the end. I am all about my filmography, and one bad film f***s up three good ones," Tarantino told Playboy in 2012.

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Todd Howard steps in to double down that yes, Fallout: New Vegas is canon to Amazon's Fallout

This news article contains a major spoiler for Season One of Prime Video's newest hit, Fallout: The Series.



Because of this, it may be wise to move along and read something else if you haven't finished the season just yet… like your's truly, who is only on episode four and now knows how the season ends. Oh well. Such is life, we reckon.



Anyway, if you wish to stay on this page, well, don't say we didn't warn you.


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PlayStation Plus is about to suffer a big Final Fantasy exodus, but that pales in comparison to the real tragedy

Hello there, a whole bunch of games are set to leave Playstation Plus next month. There are 25 of them, to be exact, and some pretty big names are on that list. A smorgasbord of Final Fantasy titles, for example. Though, that's not what you should be most concerned about. Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 is leaving too, and to be honest, I don't think the service will ever recover from that.

First, the rest of them (thanks, PushSquare). If you're itching to play Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 8, Final Fantasy 9, Final Fantasy 10/10-2, Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age, and Final Fantasy 15: Royal Edition, all of which I can confirm are Final Fantasy games, you'll have to do so prior to May 21.

Look, I know Final Fantasy titles have some amazing stories and characters in them, and you're now looking Monster Jam Steel Titans 2's Metacritic and saying to yourself 'this looks really mid, even for a racing game'. But does FF have Grave Digger in it? Does it let you pop a wheelie or do a flip in a big, silly toy that's designed to look like a big bull's head, or an alien spaceship, or a zombie?

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Watch today's Nintendo Indie World Direct right here

Nintendo is hosting its first Indie World Direct of the year today, April 17, and you can watch it right here with us.



As Nintendo continues to put off announcing its obviously impending Switch 2 reveal, it has at the very least decided to grace us with a Nintendo Indie World showcase today. Announced yesterday, the digital presentation promises "roughly 20 minutes of announcements and updates on indie games headed to Nintendo Switch in 2024." Unsurprisingly there was zero indication as to what we might actually see during the Direct, but you won't be surprised that pretty much everyone is asking the same question - will Holly Knight: Silksong be there?



No one knows for sure if it will be or not, Team Cherry has been much too quiet to get any kind of real indication on that front, but it was recently rated by the Australian ratings board, obviously fueling speculation of an imminent release date reveal. If you're eager to find out for yourself, you can watch today's Indie World showcase on Nintendo's YouTube channel when it goes live at 3pm BST/ 4pm CEST/ 7am PT/ 10am ET, or you can watch it on the livestream itself above right here.


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The best game where your family DITCHES you? The Best Games Ever Podcast episode 95

Inspired by the (frankly excellent) Fallout TV show, this week on VG247's Best Games Ever podcast I've tasked my colleagues with finding the best game where a family member ditches you. With the prerequisite understanding that none of them are allowed to pick Fallout 3, the quintessential "dad's buggered off" simulator.

As it turns out, being forsaken by a family member is a fairly common scenario in video games, especially if you widen the concept of family out to any sort of fraternity or gang. Which didn't stop racer-obsessed Mark trying to crowbar in a Burnout game, of all things. Or Tom from bringing up the usual guff. To find out which specific guff, you'll have to watch or listen to this, which is presumably what you're doing here in the first place, which means I've essentially wasted the last five minutes of my life typing this out. Thanks for that. Thanks. I could have spent that doing something nice, like cradling my laughing child, or eating crisps, or any number of things that we do while the reaper waits.

Anyway, watch Fallout, it's good.

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Best Games Ever Podcast - Extended Edition Info Page

Hello there. If you can see all of this page then we thank you for being a member. You can now enjoy The Best Games Ever Podcast created by VG247 with a cheeky extra section on the end - in both audio and video form! How smashing. If you can't see all of this article, then, "boo, hiss," etc, as you aren't a paid-up member. There's a button to do that under this.




All we're asking for is £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year to get your mitts on the extended show. That is a bargain, I hope you'll agree. I'm not paying it as I work here and star in said podcast, but if I didn't do those things I've be rummaging in my wallet for my debit card instead of writing out these words.




Each week as part of the Extended Best Games Ever Podcast you get to hear what our host, Jim Trinca, picks. Chances are it'll be Sleeping Dogs, something sci-fi (maybe Star Trek), or a game only five other people who have ever lived actually like. If that sounds like you're thing, go ahead and treat yourself to a membership.



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Good news, Helldivers 2's latest patch ensures the Ground Breaker armour's no longer a victim of accidental false advertising

It's another day, so here's news of another Helldivers 2 patch that does things. What are those things? Well, a lot of the usual kinds of fixes, plus a passive swap that stops one of the latest warbond's armours from accidentally being a magnet for buyer's confusion, if not buyer's remorse.

If you're out of the loop, the Democratic Detonation Warbond arrived in-game last week, bringing with it a bunch of useful tools to help you continue to battle the returned automatons, even if you can't afford the latest ship module upgrades. Sadly, up until this latest patch arrived, if you bought one of the armour sets on offer, you weren't quite getting what you paid for.

As detailed in the notes for patch 01.000.203, the main thing it does is resolve a bit of a mixup regarding the CE-27 Ground Breaker armour. You see, it'd accidentally shipped with a 'servo-assisted' passive, instead of the 'engineering kit' one it was advertised as featuring.

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Sonic 3 reportedly nets the ultimate life form, Keanu Reeves, as Shadow the Hedgehog

After months of rumours, speculation, and fan castings, it finally seems like the one and only Keanu Reeves has been cast as Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic 3.



Many loved the idea of The Batman's Robert Pattinson as Shadow, others hoped that rumour about Anakin Skywalker himself Hayden Christensen taking it on was true, but somehow the casting gods have given us an even better result: Keanu Reeves. This comes from sources that spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, so it's not outright set in stone just yet, but THR has a long history of accurately reporting on behind the scenes news in the film industry so it's a safe bet. The casting also follows on from last week's CinemaCon, where Paramount showed off some footage of the upcoming sequel exclusively to attendees.



Footage apparently showed a depressed and out of shape Dr. Robotnik, once again played by Jim Carrey, as well as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all fighting against Shadow. Another scene also showed Sonic fighting Shadow one on two, the second part of Shadow being a motorbike, an iconic vehicle of his from his PS2 solo game. We don't actually know all that much about this threequel aside from Shadow being the new protagonist, aside from the fact that it will feature the series' best song. Outside of Carrey, we do also know that Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) and Cristo Fernandez (Ted Lasso), as well as others, have joined the cast.


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Remember Fallout 3's Three Dog? You might get to hear a "darker" DJ voiced by his actor in future Fallout TV series episodes

While Amazon's Fallout TV show crammed in more than enough references, easter eggs, and cameos - to the extent that a lot of us are still digging through them nearly a week on - there's still plenty left on the table for future episodes. Assuming a second series does go ahead, as we expect, you might get to hear a familiar voice from the Capital Wasteland take on an interesting new role.

Which voice, you ask? Well, remember when you had to do a bit of satelite dish maintenance in order to learn some more info regarding what on earth the Lone Wanderer's dad had been up to after he skedaddled out of Vault 101? Yeah, the guy that gave you that little mission.

Yep, it's everyone's favorite Galaxy News Radio personality, Three Dog, eeeeeoooooowwww (sorry, had to). Responding to a tweet from a fan suggesting they'd have loved to have heard him in the first series of Fallout, (thanks, TheGamer), Erik Todd Dellums, the Fallout 3 radio host's voice actor, has suggested he'd be open to making a cameo, but not as Three Dog.

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