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  • The Mystery of Santa Water Ends Here! Dive into Vampire Survivors’ Free Cart-Racing Update

    The Mystery of Santa Water Ends Here! Dive into Vampire Survivors’ Free Cart-Racing Update

    Last night, at the IGN x ID@Xbox Digital Showcase, Vampire Survivors revealed a new free update called Laboratory (yes, with two ‘r’s). It brings in a bunch of cool stuff like a new character, a secret character, weapons, stages, and even a go-cart racing stage.

    But what’s got everyone curious is why it’s called Santa Water. This has been a big mystery, and now Poncle says they’ll finally spill the beans. I’m personally intrigued because, despite the name, there aren’t any vampires in this game. Strange, right?

    Poncle calls this Laboratory update their first “AAAA” update, set in a creepy science lab. Now, you can open doors in the game, and those doors are fully animated.

    What’s behind them? Who knows, but in the new stage, it seems like everything is out to get you, especially those narrow corridors. So, opening doors might lead you into rooms filled with lizard soldiers and spikes. Scary stuff!

    Read More:

    The new character, Santa Ladonna, comes with some neat abilities like a cooldown bonus and a special attack when low on health. And that’s not all – Poncle teased that there’s “absolutely nothing else” to Ladonna’s description, with some mysterious eye emojis.

  • Is This Hell or High Water? Helldivers 2 Update Makes Friendly Fire a Nightmare

    Is This Hell or High Water? Helldivers 2 Update Makes Friendly Fire a Nightmare

    Helldivers 2 players are facing some unexpected challenges with ricocheting shots, but there’s a bit of a mystery behind it.

    Recently, a big update for Helldivers 2 changed a bunch of weapons, including how ricocheting shots work. Now, shots bouncing off tough enemies can hit the player who fired them. The patch notes even warn players to be careful with their trigger fingers.

    A video clip started circulating showing a player supposedly getting hit by their rocket bouncing off an enemy’s shield. But another player pointed out that the explosion in the clip came from behind the player, not the ricocheted rocket. They even tried to recreate the ricochet with no luck – the shield didn’t bounce the rocket back.

    No, automaton shields do NOT “reflect missiles”.
    byu/Shard1697 inHelldivers

    Despite the confusion, it’s clear the developers did change how ricocheting works. Some players claim they’ve been hit by rebounding rockets, while others disagree.

    One thing we do know is that using a certain weapon with a shield can be dangerous. Firing the Punisher plasma through the shield causes an explosion that can seriously hurt the player. It’s like a scene from Dune – do it twice and you’re done for.

    The ricocheting rockets might just be a bug, affecting some players but not others. We might have to wait for the developers to explain before we understand what’s going on.

  • Escape From Who? New Ultra-Realistic Shooter Heats Up As Tarkov Stumbles

    Escape From Who? New Ultra-Realistic Shooter Heats Up As Tarkov Stumbles

    Escape From Tarkov is facing some tough times lately, with players not happy about the new EFT Unheard Edition from its creator, Battlestate Games. But while that game deals with criticism, another one is stepping up with its launch date.

    This new game, Gray Zone Warfare, is a realistic FPS game with a big focus on tactics. It’s set in a fictional place called the Democratic Republic of Lamang, which has been evacuated and quarantined.

    The map is huge and detailed, inspired by the Pacific region. You play as part of a military group sent to take control of the area.

    In Gray Zone Warfare, you’ll face both other players and computer-controlled enemies. Strategy is key here – you have to move carefully and work with your team.

    The game’s gunplay is realistic, so making noise can alert enemies, and getting hit in different body parts affects you differently. Plus, you have to treat wounds differently depending on where you got hit.

    After a long testing period, Gray Zone Warfare is finally launching on Steam early access. If you’re looking for something different from Escape From Tarkov or other shooters like Call of Duty Warzone, you might want to check it out. The release date is Tuesday, April 30th.

  • Twice the Mystery, Twice the Fun: Lost Records: Bloom and Rage Splits in Two, Inspired by Thrones

    Twice the Mystery, Twice the Fun: Lost Records: Bloom and Rage Splits in Two, Inspired by Thrones

    The makers of Life is Strange have a new game coming out called Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, and it’s going to be released in two parts. This is because the director wanted to bring back the feeling of waiting for the next part, like in Game of Thrones.

    The game will be similar to their other games, with a story that unfolds in episodes. Michel Koch, the creative director, says they made this choice so players can have a break between the two parts to think about what happened and talk about it with others.

    He mentions how in the past, people used to chat about TV shows like Game of Thrones after each episode, and he wants to bring back that excitement.

    Lost Records: Bloom & Rage follows the story of four friends from childhood who reunite after 27 years to deal with a secret from their past. It’s set in 1995 and promises to be a treat for fans of Life is Strange.

    Read More:

    The game is expected to come out in late 2024 and will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. So, get ready for a new adventure with Lost Records: Bloom & Rage!

  • Control 2 On Hold, But Codename Condor Soars into Full Production!

    Control 2 On Hold, But Codename Condor Soars into Full Production!

    Alan Wake 2 just came out a little while ago, but Remedy Entertainment, the folks behind it, are already almost done with their next game. But if you were hoping for Control 2, well, it looks like you’ll have to wait longer, maybe over a year.

    Control 2
    Control 2

    Remedy recently talked about their plans in a financial report. They said a game called Codename Condor, which is connected to Control, is almost ready. They’re doing big tests to make sure it’s fun to play. They call it a multiplayer spin-off of Control, but we don’t know much else about it.

    As for Control 2, it’s still in the early stages, just figuring out if it’ll work. And they’re also working on remakes of the first two Max Payne games. Those are moving along too, with one starting full production soon. But they didn’t say when any of these games will come out.

    The report also talks about how Remedy is doing financially. They bought all the rights to the Control series recently.

    They also said Alan Wake 2 sold a lot of copies and they’re still making extra stuff for it. Overall, they made more money this year compared to last year, but spending on game development went up, mainly because of the Max Payne remakes.

  • Elder Scrolls 6 & Fallout 5: Relief! Todd Howard Promises Bethesda is Speeding Up Game Releases

    Elder Scrolls 6 & Fallout 5: Relief! Todd Howard Promises Bethesda is Speeding Up Game Releases

    Todd Howard from Bethesda says they’re trying to get their games to us faster.

    Waiting for new Bethesda games, like The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5, feels like forever. Even though I’m still young, waiting for these games makes me think about how time passes by. Bethesda games take a long time to make.

    The Elder Scrolls 6 Sidesteps PS5

    We know The Elder Scrolls 6 is being worked on, and it might come out in 2026. But what about Fallout 5? We haven’t seen much about it, and it feels like it’s going to take forever. A Bethesda game designer, Emil Pagliarulo, recently said we won’t be playing it anytime soon.

    But there’s a glimmer of hope. Todd Howard, another big name at Bethesda, talked about it. He said they’re trying to speed things up.

    He spends his weekends playing Bethesda games like Starfield, Fallout 76, and Fallout 4. He knows they take a long time to make, and they’re working on making them faster without sacrificing quality.

    It’s good to hear Bethesda admitting that their games take too long to come out. The last main Elder Scrolls game came out 13 years ago. If the next one comes out as soon as possible, it’ll be 15 years between releases. That’s just too long to wait! It’s nice to know they’re trying to fix it.

  • Fallout of Love: Bethesda’s Next-Gen Fiasco Makes You Want to Crawl Back in the Vault

    Fallout of Love: Bethesda’s Next-Gen Fiasco Makes You Want to Crawl Back in the Vault

    This past week, Battlestate Games, the folks behind Escape from Tarkov, upset a lot of players by offering a super pricey $250 package for a game that’s not even finished. It caused quite a stir and made people question their choices.

    But guess what? Another gaming company, Bethesda Game Studios, joined the club by doing something pretty unnecessary.

    They decided to update Fallout 4, a game that’s been around for nine years and still has a huge fan base making cool mods.

    Fallout 77 Update Version 1.7.9.7
    Fallout 77 Update Version 1.7.9.7

    But get this: the update they rolled out didn’t change much. It broke a bunch of mods, which upset a lot of players. And the new stuff they added? Well, let’s just say it didn’t impress anyone.

    They fixed some bugs, which is good, but then they added “ultrawide support” which messed up the game’s interface.

    Plus, they didn’t do anything about a problem that’s been crashing the game on certain fancy graphics cards for six whole years. And to top it off, there were no cool graphics upgrades for PC players, not even a little bit of ray tracing.

    They threw in some extra stuff from their Creation Club, but that just made people mad because they had to give up a ton of free mods for it.

    Many modders are now working to fix their mods, but this mess could’ve been avoided if Bethesda had talked to them before releasing the update. And why force everyone to get the update? They could’ve tested it out first with a beta version.

    Some people say this update is mainly for consoles, to make Fallout 4 run better on the newer ones.

    But why should PC players suffer for that? It seems like a sloppy move to make things worse for us just to help out console players. And to make matters worse, even console players aren’t happy with the update.

    All in all, it’s been a rough week for gaming companies making questionable decisions.

  • Victory Turns Volatile: Helldivers 2 Must Destroy Their Anti-Bug Masterpiece

    Victory Turns Volatile: Helldivers 2 Must Destroy Their Anti-Bug Masterpiece

    Surprise! In a big twist, players of Helldivers 2 are now being asked to destroy something they helped create not long ago. About seven weeks back, players were given a mission to switch on the Terminid Control System.

    Helldivers 2 Player Unlocks Game-Changing Stratagem Trick
    Helldivers 2 Player Unlocks Game-Changing Stratagem Trick

    The plan was to lock up the pesky bugs forever. It worked out fine, kinda. But now, as many players guessed, things have taken a turn.

    A new mission in Helldivers 2, starting on April 29th, wants players to wreck the Terminid Control System. The game says bugs are causing trouble on some planets despite efforts to get rid of them.

    Players must go to Erata Prime, Fenrir 3, and Turing to smash the Control System on all three planets. They’ll earn 50 Medals for each. Plus, there are new missions on these planets, a bonus from the game developers. It softens the blow of undoing their earlier work.

    Just before this new mission, players completed another task. They got a fancy weapon called the Airburst Rocket Launcher.

    But it came with a sad twist. An entire planet got messed up to unlock this weapon. To make up for it, the government sent “potato baskets” to the families of those affected.

  • Will Helldivers 2’s Stratagem Gamble Pay Off? Arrowhead Makes a Bold Move

    Will Helldivers 2’s Stratagem Gamble Pay Off? Arrowhead Makes a Bold Move

    Arrowhead Studios thinks having to choose between Helldivers 2 stratagems is exciting for the game. In the co-op shooter, players have to make tough decisions about which rewards to unlock.

    Right now, the game’s major order tasks players with freeing two planets, Choohe and Penta, by a certain date. Each planet offers a different stratagem: the MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines and the RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher. But players can only get one stratagem from the planet they free first.

    Helldivers 2 Players Spot Warbond Armor
    Helldivers 2 Players Spot Warbond Armor

    Some players worry that this could lead to toxic behavior among players who want different rewards. But the community manager, Thomas ‘Twinbeard’ Petersson, doesn’t think so. He believes players will find it exciting to have to choose. However, if toxicity does arise, they’ll learn from it and make changes.

    This choice is part of the game’s evolving narrative, and while some players may be disappointed if they don’t get the reward they want, it’s what makes the game special. Helldivers 2 isn’t just about winning all the time; it’s about the struggle and the losses that make victory feel even sweeter.

    Both the mines and rocket launcher will be useful in the game, and Arrowhead Studios might introduce the other reward later on. So, even if players miss out on one for now, they might get another chance in the future.

  • Grand Theft Auto on a Budget: Will GTA 6 Cost More Than GTA 5?

    Grand Theft Auto on a Budget: Will GTA 6 Cost More Than GTA 5?

    GTA 6 is one of the most anticipated games in the action-adventure genre. People are curious about how much it will cost for PS5 and Xbox X/S consoles.

    Did you know that GTA 5 made over $815 million in sales within 24 hours of its release? In just 3 days, it reached $1 billion in sales. So, it’s expected that GTA 6 will do even better when it officially releases on PS5 and Xbox X/S.

    Rockstar Games said that GTA 6 will take place in the state of Leonida, featuring Vice City and more. This shows how much effort and money they’ve put into making it a top-notch open-world game.

    Some rumors say GTA 6 could cost $150, which is quite high. But leaks suggest that it’s being made with a budget of $1 billion to $2 billion, making it one of the most expensive games ever. It’s expected to come out worldwide in the first quarter of 2025.

    However, there are other rumors saying that GTA 6 might cost $70, which is the new standard price for AAA games according to the CEO of Rockstar’s publisher. Other AAA games like NBA 2K24 have been priced at $70, but it’s hard to predict GTA 6’s price for sure.

    Considering its high-quality graphics and immersive gameplay, GTA 6 could be priced between $70 to $80 for the Standard Edition. The Deluxe Edition might cost $90 to $100, and a Collector’s Edition could go up to $150 to $200.

    Given the huge budget for GTA 6, it’s likely to be more expensive than previous GTA games like GTA 5, which was priced at $59.99.

    Pre-orders for Rockstar games usually start a few months before the release. So, we can expect GTA 6 pre-orders to begin around October 2024. The actual pre-order date and bonuses will be announced by Rockstar Games.

    Fans are eagerly waiting for more information about GTA 6, including its price, release date, trailer, and gameplay details. We’ll have to wait for an official announcement from Rockstar Games to know for sure.

  • Manor Lords Fuel and Firewood Guide: Keep Your People Toasty

    Manor Lords Fuel and Firewood Guide: Keep Your People Toasty

    In the game Manor Lords, firewood is super important, just like food. It keeps your people warm and helps run many of your city’s buildings. During winter, you’ll need even more firewood because it burns faster.

    But the game doesn’t tell you how to get firewood, so lots of players get confused. Don’t worry, it’s easy! Here’s what you do:

    1. Build a Woodcutter’s Lodge near some trees. It’s cheap and easy to make, just need 1 timber. You’ll find it in the Gathering tab of the Construction menu.
    2. Assign a family to work there. They’ll chop down trees and turn them into firewood.
    3. You can tell your woodcutters where to work by selecting the Woodcutter’s Lodge, going to Advanced, and clicking “Limit work area.” This way, they won’t cut down too many trees or harm other things like berry bushes or animal homes.
    4. You’ll need a place to store all the firewood and distribute it to your people. Build a Storehouse and a Marketplace for this.

    As your city grows, you’ll need more and more firewood. You can speed up production by assigning more families to work at the Woodcutter’s Lodge or by building a second one. You can also make charcoal from firewood using a Charcoal Kiln, which doubles your fuel supply.

  • Homelander Takes Flight! Brutal First Look At The Boys’ Supe Arrives in Mortal Kombat 1

    Homelander Takes Flight! Brutal First Look At The Boys’ Supe Arrives in Mortal Kombat 1

    Mortal Kombat 1 has been adding new characters slowly after its release. Recently, they introduced Ermac, and now they’ve teased the next addition: Homelander.

    In a short video, we see Homelander having a chat with Lui Kang before a fight. But we only glimpse him, and there’s no actual gameplay yet. He looks quite similar to his appearance in The Boys, though older.

    The conversation in the video seems very one-sided, with Lui Kang throwing some insults but Homelander doesn’t reply.

    This has sparked some questions about who will voice Homelander. Fans hoped it would be Anthony Starr, who plays Homelander in The Boys, but he confirmed that he won’t do it. It’s unclear why he wasn’t asked or why negotiations fell through.

    We don’t know if Homelander’s lack of response in the teaser is related to the voice actor issue or not. We’ll have to wait for more gameplay to see if Anthony Starr is voicing the character or if they’ve chosen someone else. But it seems like we won’t have to wait too long to find out.

  • Calling All Budget Gamers! Steam’s Got 6 Free Games to Snag Before May

    Calling All Budget Gamers! Steam’s Got 6 Free Games to Snag Before May

    Steam is offering six new games for free at the end of April. With so many games coming out in 2024, it’s hard to keep up. I’ve been busy playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Dragon’s Dogma 2, but Balatro and Botany Manor caught my attention too.

    Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5
    Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5

    If you’re looking for something new and free, these games on Steam might be just what you need. Let’s take a look:

    1. Smelogs Playground – It’s an action-RTS game that’s a bit like a simpler version of League Of Legends.
    2. Unbreaded – This is a 3D platformer where you play as a gingerbread man trying to escape from a kitchen. It looks really cute.
    3. Akatori: Chapter One – A stunningly beautiful 2D Metroidvania game. I’m interested in this one.
    4. Rent A Car Simulator 24: Prologue – Ever wanted to experience the exciting world of car rental? Well, now you can.
    5. Gym Manager: Prologue – Managing a gym sounds tough, but this game lets you attract more clients by investing in equipment, keeping the place clean, and even sabotaging your competitors.
    6. Evil Sinister – Despite the scary name, the reviews for this game might be scarier. But who knows, you might like it.

    So, there you have it. Some interesting new games to try out, and they won’t cost you a penny. Give them a go and see if you like them. But remember, I’m not in charge of your gaming choices!

  • World of Warcraft Rocks the Foundations: Earthen Allied Race Gets Stunning Abilities and Class Options!

    World of Warcraft Rocks the Foundations: Earthen Allied Race Gets Stunning Abilities and Class Options!

    World of Warcraft has introduced a new group of characters called the Earthen Allied Race in The War Within Alpha.

    These sturdy dwarves are available for both the Alliance and the Horde factions and come with lots of cool customizations like different beards, gemstones, and skin colors.

    In the latest alpha build, players can finally play as the Earthen, checking out their unique racial abilities and appearance options. They have some neat passive bonuses that boost their armor and gathering skills, and they even gain extra experience from exploring.

    As stone beings, they don’t eat food but instead benefit from a constant Well Fed buff, which they can change by eating gems. Their most exciting ability is Azerite Surge, a powerful skill that deals damage, heals allies and hits enemies hard.

    Earthen characters can choose to be Paladins or Shamans, getting special totems and a unique charger mount. Although the mount isn’t in the alpha yet, fans can catch a glimpse of it through data mining.

    At first, players weren’t too hyped about the Earthen, but their strong abilities and interesting backstory are winning people over. To unlock them, players need to finish the main story and some specific Earthen-related quests.

    But wait, there might be more! Some fans think another Allied Race called the Harronir could be on the way.

    These creatures, resembling a mix of Night Elves and Trolls with quills like porcupines, have caught players’ attention with their potential for customization and animations. While nothing’s confirmed, many are crossing their fingers to see these mysterious beings in the game soon.

  • Fallout 4: RTX Meltdown! One Setting Makes Your Powerful GPU Cry

    Fallout 4: RTX Meltdown! One Setting Makes Your Powerful GPU Cry

    The Fallout 4 next-gen update is out now, but not everyone is happy about it, especially on PC. While the update makes some improvements to the game, it also causes problems. Many mods are broken, and support for ultrawide displays isn’t great.

    But the biggest issue is that the game won’t work on Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards if a certain setting is turned on, even though Bethesda has known about this problem for years.

    Most modern graphics cards can handle Fallout 4 well, but if you want the best graphics, Nvidia cards are recommended. However, it’s ironic that the exclusive features of Nvidia cards are what cause the game to break on RTX cards.

    The problem stems from a setting called ‘Weapon Debris’, which enhances how weapons affect the environment. It only works on GeForce cards, but newer RTX cards can’t handle it, leading to crashes.

    I experienced this issue myself while playing Fallout 4 on a GeForce RTX 4090. After the update, I turned on ‘Weapon Debris’ to the highest setting, but it caused frequent crashes.

    It’s puzzling that Bethesda hasn’t fixed this bug, considering how long it’s been known. There are mods to fix it, but they might not work with the latest update.

    But the problems don’t end there. Players with ultrawide monitors have a stretched user interface, and the game doesn’t run well above 60fps. Even the Fallout 4 Steam Deck version has issues.

    This isn’t just a problem with Fallout 4; even older games like Fallout 3 have issues. It’s understandable for older games, but it’s still disappointing.

    PC players deserve better, and hopefully, Bethesda will release more patches to fix these problems. But that might cause more issues for mods like Fallout: London.

    For now, if you have an Nvidia RTX card, it’s best to keep ‘Weapon Debris’ off. But you can improve image quality with a Fallout 4 DLSS mod if it still works after the update.

  • Did Sony Step In? Stellar Blade Petition Demands Uncensored Release

    Did Sony Step In? Stellar Blade Petition Demands Uncensored Release

    A petition about the game Stellar Blade is getting a lot of attention on Change.org. This game, only available on PlayStation 5, has been getting a lot of buzz.

    One thing that stands out about it is the way it shows its characters, especially the main one, Eve. Players can dress Eve in outfits that show a lot of her body, like her cleavage or butt.

    Players have a lot of choices for how to dress Eve, and some outfits make her look very sexy. Some players say that the game’s makers changed some of these outfits with an update on the first day the game came out. They say that the game used to show more skin, but now it’s different.

    Director’s answer to the change in the outfit[VIDEO]
    byu/HeavyMachinegan instellarblade

    People have shared pictures and videos online to compare the outfits before and after the update. Some also say that the violence in the game was toned down from what was shown in trailers. Because of this, some fans are upset and think the game makers are trying to censor the game.

    A person named Mark Kern started a petition asking the game makers to change the outfits back. The petition, called “Free Stellar Blade,” has gotten a lot of signatures very quickly. However, we can’t be completely sure that the outfits were changed by the update. Some online evidence supports this idea, but some say it’s not true.

    The bunny suit was changed, just before the day 1 patch
    byu/SkyHiighGroundLow instellarblade

    Even if the outfits were changed, it’s not clear if it was because of censorship. There are still some very revealing outfits in the game. Also, a video online shows the game director talking about the changes, but we can’t confirm if the translation is correct.

    If Sony, the company that published the game, made the game makers change their outfits, that would be censorship. But if the game makers changed the outfits on their own, it’s just a creative choice, even if some fans don’t like it.

    Despite the controversy, the update also added a new mode to the game called New Game+. This was planned for later, but it’s nice that players got it right away. This should make the game more fun to play again after finishing it once.