When I first played Tales of the Shire back in September 2024, I left the experience disappointed yet hopeful. It had a lot of issues, yes, but it also had a lot of potential. There was a clear reverence for both Lord of the Rings and the life-sim genre on display, and considering the game had been delayed until the following year, it felt like both the developers and I were on the same page when it came to the game being undercooked. Imagine my surprise, then, when I booted up the launch version of Tales of the Shire and found the experience more or less unchanged.

Wētā Workshop's Tales of the Shire feels incomplete. Gameplay is limited and monotonous, its story and characters are forgettable, performance is very rough, and while there's some charm to the game's clunky-looking world and the hobbits who inhabit it, more often than not, the visuals come across as low-quality and dated rather than whimsical. Despite playing it on two different consoles--Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck--both experiences suffered from numerous bugs and visual hiccups. While its mechanics are fine enough and there are some cute ideas nestled within, Tales of the Shire is regrettably unpolished and unengaging--and considering how populated the cozy game genre is, you'd be hard pressed to find a reason to play it in its current state.

Set in the village of Bywater (though it should be noted that the "village" part is hotly contested by its residents and serves as the crux of the game), Tales of the Shire sees you take on the role of a hobbit leaving the town of Bree to start a new life somewhere peaceful and pastoral. Though the game's character creator is not particularly robust, it's also not egregiously limited, and allowed me to create a charmingly plump hobbit with a mess of dark, curly hair, thick lashes, and two minimally hair-covered feet. Using the game's suggested hobbit names, I named my maiden fair Jessamine--a clever play on my own name– and climbed aboard the carriage of a lanky, bearded wizard who was definitely not Gandalf--wink wink. From there, we rode in what would be the first of the game's many awkward quiets to Bywater.

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The Witcher 4 has big shoes to fill, as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was a critical and commercial success, winning rave reviews and selling more than 60 million copies. Narrative director Philipp Weber was asked in a recent interview how CD Projekt Red can top The Witcher 3. Weber replied, "I'm like, 'Yeah, how are we going to do that?'"

Weber went on to tell GamesRadar that a video game, like any creative endeavor, is "subjective," so instead of trying to outdo The Witcher 3, the team is trying to do justice to The Witcher 3 by embracing the vibes of how the game was made. He said the studio wants to "take the philosophy we had during The Witcher 3--how to make a game, how to really care about these things, how to tell stories--and keep that philosophy."

The Witcher 4 is a "true sequel," so CD Projekt Red will also trying to answer "new questions." Otherwise, The Witcher 4 runs the risk of "just redoing what we did before," Weber said.

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Scream is undoubtedly one of the most popular horror franchises to ever hit the big screen, spanning six films (with a seventh planned for 2026) that have grossed over $910 million since the series began in 1996, and influencing a litany of other slasher series--not to mention quite a few spoofs as well. Anyone curious about how the original movie came to be will want to check out the upcoming book, Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror, which launches on August 19. This expansive book covers everything you'd ever want to know about Scream--from details on the making of the film and behind-the-scenes interviews, to its impact on the industry. If you're interested in checking it out, preorders for the paperback edition are available for $22 at Amazon.

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror $22 | Releases August 19

Written by Ashley Cullins, a prominent entertainment journalist, and published by Plume (an imprint of Penguin Books), Your Favorite Scary Movie details the original 1996 Scream's creation and production process, as well as in-depth looks at the ways it changed the horror movie genre in ways that are still felt today. The book also features interviews with cast members Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, as well as screenwriter Kevin Williamson and other key members of the production staff and beyond. This is shaping up to be the most comprehensive history on the fan-favorite horror film--In fact, Kevin Williamson, the creator and screenwriter of Scream, has already called it "the definitive story of Scream."

Preorder at Amazon

If you need some more horror movie reading material to keep you busy until the new book on August 19, consider checking out The Definitive Guide to Horror Movies. Just released on July 15, the 400-page hardcover explores how the horror genre has evolved over the decades, with in-depth looks at over 300 notable movies and TV series from the genre's history.

Scream fans can also pick up Scream: The Game, which is a fun party board game that's themed after the Scream movies, where 3-8 players try to survive against Ghostface in fast-paced matches. The game is on sale for just $11.49 (was $20) at Amazon.

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PlayStation has revealed this month's batch of free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers. All PS Plus members will be able to claim a trio of freebies starting August 5: Lies of P, DayZ, and My Hero: One's Justice 2. If you haven't claimed July's PlayStation Plus free games yet, make sure to do so before next Tuesday.

Will we ever get a Bloodborne remaster or a sequel? Who knows, but Lies of P is the next best thing. Heavily inspired by the From Software classic, the game puts a dark spin on the tale of Pinocchio and complements it with polished gameplay that'll appeal to fans of the souls-like genre. An expansion for it called Overture launched in June, adding a great story and even more challenging enemies to this stylish game.

DayZ has been around for quite a while, and in case you haven't checked it out yet, this is a hardcore dive into the survival genre. Set inside of a massive world, the only thing more dangerous than zombies are your fellow players.

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The official Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal is coming up soon, and some bad actors are trying to capitalize on the hype with scams. As noticed by Battlefield Bulletin, there are scams on Instagram currently that ask people to click a link to join a playtest on Steam for Battlefield 6.

The ad looks somewhat legit, but it is not. Clicking the link is a bad idea and could jeopardize your Steam account, apparently. As usual, official announcements about playtests will come directly from an official Battlefield or EA-related account.

NOTICE: If you're receiving this message while scrolling Instagram, DO NOT CLICK on the link. It's a scam, an attempt to steal your Steam account. pic.twitter.com/tXdIu1Ltot

— Battlefield Bulletin (@BFBulletin) July 29, 2025

This scam is popping up just ahead of the official Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal on July 31. This event follows on from the campaign reveal that showed off all-out war on a global scale.

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Until Dawn for PS5

$30 (was $60)

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With horror season creeping up on us, now is a great time to score a bargain on some spine-tingling entertainment. Amazon and Walmart are currently offering the Until Dawn remake on PS5 for 50% off, which is the best discount yet for the interactive horror game. If you thought the remake was too expensive when it launched last October for $60, now's your chance to add it to your collection for $30.

Until Dawn for PS5 $30 (was $60)

Until Dawn is a complete remake of the original game that was originally released in 2015. Developer Ballistic Moon added a reworked prologue and adjusted the story's pacing so that several characters were given more screen time, threw in new collectibles to discover, and added several accessibility settings. Visually, the game also has updated character models, environments, visual effects, and animations alongside new interactive props and artistic changes that heighten the spooky atmosphere.

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Until Dawn's live-action movie adaptation released in April and finished its theatrical run with over $53 million worldwide. Not exactly a smash hit, but it brought in more than three times its $15 million budget. It's a fun horror movie and a solid take on the source material with some clever new ideas mixed in. Until Dawn's 4K Blu-ray edition released earlier this month for $50. Along with the 4K UHD disc, you'll get a standard Blu-ray disc, a code to redeem the digital edition, and a number of bonus materials that explore how this gruesome film was produced.

Until Dawn (4K Blu-ray + Blu-ray + Digital)

$50

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Here's the full list of Until Dawn special features:

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Nintendo has rolled out a new update for Switch 2, making that two hardware patches in July. However, don't expect to notice anything major with version 20.3.0 for the hybrid system.

The patch notes only detail "general system stability improvements" that will benefit Switch 2 owners, per Nintendo's website. This is pretty common language for a Nintendo system update, even when there are more specific changes. For instance, earlier this month, a previous Switch 2 update addressed issues with internet network searching and the transfer of parent control settings--as well as stability improvements.

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A new update for Assassin's Creed Shadows is here, mostly consisting of some general fixes and tweaks, but there are a couple of bigger changes too. First up, as detailed in a blog post from Ubisoft, the game now has a new game plus mode. As you'd expect from such a mode, you'll be able to start a new playthrough bringing over all of the skills, gear, allies, and hideout progression you've achieved in your previous playthrough.

This can apparently be started from the memory menu in the Animus once you've wrapped up Naoe, Yasuke and Junjiro's stories. If you manage to beat new game plus too, you'll receive the new legendary long katana Whisper Gold and regular katana Dragon's gold, both of which have unique perk engravings. Apparently, you'll be able to go through new game plus up to eight times, with each iteration offering stronger foes and harder challenges than the last.

The other big part of the update is an increased level cap, going from 60 to 80, "meaning tougher foes with enhanced tactics and awareness." In turn, the knowledge rank system now goes up to rank 10, "allowing players to unlock and develop a broader array of skills, passives, and combat techniques to become even more masterful." There's also a few new trophies that come with these changes, one for reaching level 80, one for reaching knowledge rank 10, and one for obtaining the new katanas at the end of new game plus.

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News about the future of Diablo 4 doesn't sound like it will be coming soon, as Blizzard has said it will next update the community on what's next for its ARPG around the launch of Season 10.

In a reply to a fan on X asking for Diablo 4 updates, Diablo's director of social and content marketing Adam Fletcher said the following.

We are in between seasons so nothing to share yet. Next update around PTR for S10/S10 Launch.

— Adam Fletcher (@PezRadar) July 24, 2025

"We are in between seasons so nothing to share yet. Next update around PTR for S10/S10 launch," Fletcher said.

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8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard - Xbox Edition

$70 at Woot | $98 at Amazon (was $120)

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Retro R8 Mouse with Charging Dock - Xbox Edition

$60

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The 8BitDo Retro 87 Mechanical Wireless Keyboard is on sale for only $70 (was $120) at Woot. Amazon also has a limited-time deal that drops the price to $98. Your order from Woot could very well ship from the same warehouse, and you can use your Amazon account to make your purchase. Officially licensed by Xbox, the transparent green gaming keyboard is inspired by a popular special-edition model of the original Xbox. It launched in January alongside the matching 8BitDo Retro R8 Wireless Mouse. In May, the accessory manufacturer released an Ultimate 3-Mode Controller with the same color scheme.

8BitDo Xbox Edition Accessories (Transparent Green)

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This fall, Predator: Badlands will shake up the Predator franchise by putting one of the title creatures in the leading role in the film. Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) isn't like any of the Predators who have previously appeared, but gamers are probably very familiar with the video games that director and writer Dan Trachtenberg used for inspiration.

"There's a few [video games] that have influenced me over the years and definitely come together in this," Trachtenberg told IGN. "One would be the combination of Half-Life 2, when you meet the robot dog, it's like your pet, but you befriend it. And the reboot of Prince of Persia and Uncharted where it's like having the companion along with the journey makes it that much more rich and entertaining. And then of course, the 2018 God of War. All of that influenced the nature of Dek and Thia in this movie, along with many other things."

Thia is the android character played by Elle Fanning, and she provides a link to the Alien franchise because she was built by the Weyland-Yutani corporation. During Badlands, Dek will carry Thia around on his back, which he noted was inspired by Chewbacca holding C-3PO on his back in The Empire Strikes Back.

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An open beta for Battlefield 6 has been confirmed. In fact, Battlefield Studios announced the open beta even before revealing the game's first trailer. More information about Battlefield 6 will be revealed during the multiplayer unveiling on July 31, and it's also possible we'll learn more about the beta at this time.

For now, however, here's a rundown of everything we know so far and what we expect from the open beta.

When is the Battlefield 6 open beta?

There is no release date yet for the Battlefield 6 open beta, but online speculation suggests it will begin in early August.

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Atari has announced that it will become the majority owner of Thunderful Group, the company behind the SteamWorld games. This deal will see Atari purchase 82% of Thunderful's shares, and is valued at $5.18 million.

"This transaction marks another important milestone in Atari's development with the expansion of its publishing and development capabilities in the European region," Atari CEO and chairman Wade Rosen said in a press statement. "Thunderful is recognized for publishing and developing critically acclaimed games, and with the announced transformation plan, as well as the quality and commitment of Thunderful's teams, we are confident that Thunderful will be returning to a profitable growth path while helping to further develop Atari operations in Europe."

Thunderful has faced tough financial times as of late, as the Swedish company laid off roughly 20% of its workforce in 2024 and underwent a restructuring process several months later. The recent release of Lost in Random: The Eternal Die was also met with "weaker" than expected sales, and Thunderful announced today that it'll undergo another round of restructuring to improve its cash flow.

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