Feed aggregator

Celeste Dev's Canceled Game Lives On, Sort Of

Game News - Wed, 03/12/2025 - 01:46

The Celeste dev's next game, Earthblade, was canceled back in December 2024. While players now won't get a chance to check out the game, its composer uploaded several songs that were supposed to be part of its soundtrack.

The collection of songs is titled "Across the Bounds of Fate," and it runs for about 30 minutes and costs $7. It's composed by Lena Raine, the same composer behind Celeste. "Because we’ll never get a chance to tell that story in game form, I decided to cobble together every bit of music I’d written for the game to the point of its cancellation in order to tell my own version of it," Raine explained on her Bandcamp page.

She said that Across the Bounds of Fate is a concept album and highly dynamic, similar to what she composed for Celeste. She also explained that its overall sound was inspired by older animation and film, such as the Yamaha synths of used by Vangelis, famous for Blade Runner's music.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Battlefield Dev Reacts To Game's Many Leaks: "I Am Not OK With Leaks"

Game News - Wed, 03/12/2025 - 01:37

The first Battlefield Labs test took place recently for Battlefield 6, and while participants were prohibited from sharing footage publicly, that's exactly what happened. Lots of gameplay footage and new information emerged. Battlefield lead producer David Sirland has now reacted to this, saying he is "not OK" with leaks.

"I am not OK with leaks; they are dealt with accordingly as well," Sirland said on social media when asked for his thoughts.

A new Battlefield feature, the ability to drag a downed teammate to safety, was among the many things that leaked out of the early tests. Sirland said this will be a "key feature in the revive loop," going on to say he's expecting to see "some interesting use" in the next test.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Cthulhu Keeper Revitalizes Classic PC Game Genres Through A Lovecraftian Lens

Game News - Wed, 03/12/2025 - 01:30

Some hardcore PC game genres have had a renaissance in recent years. Baldur's Gate 3 reinvigorated love for the CPRG, while Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 tapped into a communal love for hardcore first-person RPGs that hadn't been satiated in a while. Not all classic PC gaming genres have been so lucky. We've yet to see a new stealth-tactics game like Commandos or a dungeon management game like Dungeon Keeper become a breakout hit. That's not for lack of trying, as games like Desperados 3 and Evil Genius 2: World Domination have kept the legacy of these genres going, albeit in a way that has stayed niche. Kuuasema's Cthulhu Keeper aims to resurrect these struggling genres and become that surprise success.

Cthulhu Keeper is a real-time tactics game split into two parts: One half sees players building up their home base of operations and defending it from intruders, while the other sees the player command cultists and Lovecraftian monsters with special abilities to complete stealth missions. I had the chance to go hands-on with Cthulhu Keeper exclusively following its reveal last month, and I found it to be an entertaining hybrid of those classic PC game genres.

The version of Cthulhu Keeper I played didn't have much narrative content, although the eldritch theming still emanated from everything I played. There's no shortage of Lovecraftian video games out there, but the distinct perspective of Cthulhu Keeper helps it stand out. As I hear my subjects say, "Yes, master" after I give them commands during stealth missions and slowly amass power by building my cult's compound, I feel like a puppet master in the way Cthulhu and other horrors often are in Lovecraftian tales.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

30 Years Later, Chrono Trigger's Defining Feature Still Can't Be Topped

Game News - Wed, 03/12/2025 - 01:30

Chrono Trigger is celebrating its 30-year anniversary today, March 11, 2025. Below, we explore how its innovative New Game Plus feature set it apart as an all-time classic.

I spent almost an entire summer vacation repeatedly replaying Chrono Trigger. At the peak of the dog days, when I was content to stay indoors with the air conditioning (and my parents were content to let me), I was completing a full playthrough every few days. This was a welcome proposition thanks to New Game Plus, which still stands as a major part of Chrono Trigger's legacy and a critical, irremovable piece of its brilliant design.

Chrono Trigger was not the first game to feature an optional way to continue playing after beating the game. Other games, like The Legend of Zelda, featured second quests or post-credits challenges. But Chrono Trigger did coin the term New Game Plus, and it popularized the idea as it's currently understood. As opposed to an extra challenge for those who had mastered the game, Chrono Trigger's NG+ allowed you to start the game again with all of your experience, skills, and any items or equipment that wasn't critical to the plot. Rather than challenge you to complete a second quest with your newfound mastery, it rewarded you by making the game easier and faster--a breezy romp through a story you already knew and probably loved.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

REPO Has Come Out Of Nowhere On Steam, Topping 145,000 Concurrent Players

Game News - Wed, 03/12/2025 - 01:12

In less than two weeks, a new cooperative horror game called REPO on Steam has gone from 7,000 concurrent players to hitting over 145,000 users on Valve's platform (per SteamDB). To call the online-multiplayer experience a surprise hit is probably an understatement. This is only the second title from developer Semiwork, which previously created Voidigo.

REPOre stands for retrieve, extract, and profit operation. As such, up to six people work together in the online cooperative game to attain valuable items as quietly as possible. That's easier than it sounds in the physics-based horror game, especially in a group setting with a "grabbing tool." But there are monsters listening and waiting to make everything even more chaotic.

Semiwork has called the burst in popularity for REPO "quite the experience," as it's the first time the studio has utilized the Unity engine as well as made an online multiplayer game. The developer is busy with new features, enemies, and levels for the horror game--as well as addressing bugs. Additionally, Semiwork is trying to figure out the best way to address hackers without implementing anti-cheat systems, since that could negatively affect players using mods.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Disco Elysium Studio's Next RPG Is A Paranoid Spy Thriller

Game News - Wed, 03/12/2025 - 01:00

ZA/UM, the studio behind Disco Elysium, announced the first details of its next game, an espionage RPG called Project C4. The first teaser trailer set the tone, which--true to the studio's pedigree--seems like a role-playing game with significant psychological elements.

You're an Operant working for a global superpower, and your missions will be clandestine attempts to uncover secrets and gain influence, all while running the risk of death or exposure. ZA/UM emphasized the mental strain of spycraft in the announcement, saying that your character can use psychoactive substances to erase, change, or alter the violent events of the real world. To that end, the dialogue in the trailer seems to suggest heavy psychological elements and exploring what spycraft does to a person.

The studio said gameplay consists of tense dice rolls and weighty dialogue choices, and it wants players to feel "the stench of failure," as shared in a presentation. The game is said to make failure a part of gameplay to honor player choice.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Monster Hunter Wilds' Breakout Success Is Because Of Its Story, Producer Claims

Game News - Wed, 03/12/2025 - 00:56

Monster Hunter series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto has credited the story of Monster Hunter Wilds as being one of the primary factors behind the Capcom game's breakout success.

Tsujimoto, who was recently promoted to become Capcom's Chief Product Officer, stated this in an interview with Nikkei, a Japanese publication. Automaton then reported his comments, which explained that Tsujimoto believed players enjoyed how Monster Hunter Wilds emphasized its story more than previous Monster Hunter games and how its immersiveness was heightened as the game was fully voiced. He also credited cross-play with drawing many people to the game and getting them to stick around.

Monster Hunter Wilds launched on February 28 and sold 8 million copies during its first three days on the market. On March 10, Circana's Executive Director Mat Piscatella confirmed on Bluesky that Monster Hunter Wilds had the highest launch-week dollar sales for any game since Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and that it ranked 1 in weekly dollar sales across all three platforms it was available on.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Lego Could Make A Big Change To Future Video Games

Game News - Wed, 03/12/2025 - 00:31

According to the CEO of The Lego Group, the company may begin developing some video games internally. Niels Christiansen, who has been Lego's CEO since 2017, said in an interview that the company is ramping up to make some games in-house.

"We can definitely say as long as we're under the Lego brand we can cover experiences for kids of all ages, digital or physical. [Games development in-house] is something we're building up," he said in an interview with FT.

Many of the existing Lego games are made by external studios via a licensing arrangement. For example, Lego works with the UK studio TT Games on the popular Lego games based on brands like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

World Of Tanks Studio's Next Game Will Enter Early Access In April

Game News - Wed, 03/12/2025 - 00:07

Wargaming, the developer behind World of Tanks, confirmed that its new mech shooter Steel Hunters will enter early access on April 2.

Steel Hunters was revealed at The Game Awards 2024. It's quite different from the military-focused multiplayer games Wargaming is best known for, such as World of Tanks, World of Warships, and World of Warplanes. Steel Hunters fully embraces sci-fi as a mecha game that blends elements from hero shooters, battle royales, and extraction shooters. Five teams of two players fight each other to collect a resource called Starfall on Earth, and players can win by killing all of their opponents or successfully extracting.

When Steel Hunters enters early access, it will include seven different "Hunters" for players to choose from: Razerside, Heartbreaker, Fenris, Ursus, Trenchwalker, Prophet, and Weaver. Three maps scattered around Earth--Crimson Ridge, Maryland Heights, and Stonecutter Keeper--will also be part of Steel Hunters from the start of Early Access.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Last Of Us Season 2 Brings Back Spores For A "Dramatic" Reason

Game News - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 23:46

The Last of Us Season 2 releases this April, and the sophomore season will up the ante in terms of how the deadly fungus spreads--and this will include by way of airborne spores.

Neil Druckmann confirmed this during a SXSW panel recently, saying the reason the team decided to do this in Season 2 was for dramatic purposes. "Everything has to be drama. There had to be a dramatic reason of introducing it now. And there is," he said (via IGN).

In The Last of Us game series, the outbreak spreads from spores, but Season 1 changed things up and had the fungus spread via cordycep tendrils. There was a fan backlash against this.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Fallout Season 2 Leaks Reveal More New Vegas Locations

Game News - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 23:28

The first season finale of Amazon's Fallout TV series wasn't ambiguous about where the show was going next. Season 2 is heading to New Vegas, the bombed-out remains of Las Vegas that featured in 2010's Fallout: New Vegas. Now, a pair of leaked videos from Season 2 has demonstrated how Fallout will bring New Vegas to life.

Via Kotaku, Tiktok user Onzo1313 shared a few videos from just outside of the Fallout Season 2 set. The first video has a very brief glimpse of the Vegas strip that has a sign for the Lucky 38 casino, which is controlled by Mr. House in Fallout: New Vegas. Another video features the worn-out "Welcome to the Strip" sign that looks very true to the way it appeared in the game.

These aren't the only New Vegas leaks we've seen since Season 2 began filming. Other locations from the game that will appear include the Dinky the T-Rex and the rinky-dink desert hotel it resides on from the outskirts of New Vegas. Pictures of Rita's Cafe and the Atomic Wrangler have also been shared by leakers.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Overwatch 2 Collaborates With K-Pop Group LE SSERAFIM On New Skins

Game News - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 23:17

Blizzard has announced that it is collaborating with the K-pop group LE SSERAFIM again, giving players new skins to purchase for a select few characters. The collaboration will run between March 18-31.

There are new FEARLESS Legendary skins for Mercy, D.Va, Illari, Ashe, and Juno, as well as Blue Flame recolor skins for Kiriko, D.Va, Sombra, Tracer, and Brigitte. Players can purchase each skin individually or all 10 of them together in the Ultra Bundle. There will also be challenges for players to take on to earn more rewards, including the Legendary Fawksey James Junkrat skin.

It's unclear how much each skin costs, but individual skins in previous LE SSERAFIM collaborations were 1,900 Overwatch Coins, which comes out to a little less than $20 (the 2,000 coin bundle is $20)

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Time Flipper

New Releases - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 18:00

Odinfall

New Releases - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 18:00

Battlefall: State of Conflict

New Releases - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 18:00

Maliki : Poison Of The Past

New Releases - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 18:00
In the near future, humanity is teetering on the edge of extinction, subjugated by the fearsome Poison, a plant monster that alters the space-time continuum. Led by the enigmatic Maliki, a handful of temporal survivors have joined forces and are coordinating their efforts from the Domaine, a haven outside of time that is so far safe from the threat. Play as Sand as you travel through the ages to repair the continuum. Use your Chrono Pack to manipulate time, fight the monsters that have infested past worlds alongside Becky, Fang and Fenimale, a wacky and slightly magical band of characters. Wage strategic battles altering time to trigger devastating joint attacks with your teammates.

Who Wears The Crown?

New Releases - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 18:00

Centum

New Releases - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 18:00
You're a prisoner in a cell. You have to escape. But is that really the goal? Centum challenges traditional gaming conventions by weaving an intricate narrative where reality is as fluid as the mind of its narrator. Navigate a series of daunting scenarios, each shrouded in uncertainty and enigma. Every click and decision is remembered, forcing you to grapple with the unreliable nature of the narrator's hints and guidance. There is no singular protagonist in Centum; instead, players shape the behavior of an artificial intelligence through their choices, guiding it towards different outcomes and experiences. Engage in conversations that influence the characters' ego states and alter the course of the narrative. With hidden variables persisting between game runs, each playthrough offers new twists, ensuring that no two experiences are alike.

Wanderstop

New Releases - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 18:00
Wanderstop is a narrative-centric cozy game about change and tea. Playing as a fallen fighter named Alta, you’ll manage a tea shop within a magical forest and tend to the customers who pass through. But Alta does not want to be here. And if she gets her way, the tea shop will be nothing but a brief and painful memory. Grow and harvest the ingredients needed for tea, and then mix them together in an unusual tea-making contraption. Along the way, speak with the many travelers who pass through the shop, learn their stories and make tea that’s just right for them.

Alchemist Shop Simulator

New Releases - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 18:00

Pages