If you're a fan of the Mega Man Zero series but always thought it was a tad slow, you'll want to keep an eye on Berserk Boy. The action-platformer from the appropriately-named BerserkBoy Games is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC on March 6. 

Ahead of its release, the devs have shared a new trailer that confirms the launch date and shows off a bunch of fast-paced action. Throw in a mix of Saturday morning anime cinematics and you have a pretty compelling reason to go berserk yourself.

Berserk Boy is Mega Man meets Sonic the Hedgehog

True to its inspirations, which appear to range from the Mega Man series to Sonic the Hedgehog, Berserk Boy ticks all the expected bullet points. There's jumping, dashing, and sliding. There are different abilities to harness and toggle between, including Lightning, Fire, Earth, Air, and Ice. There's even a mad scientist and his "army of darkness" to contend with. I'm a simple man, I don't ask for much more of a setup than that. 

The tunes have a solid pedigree to them, too. The Berserk Boy soundtrack comes from Tee Lopes, known for work on Streets of Rage 4, Sonic Mania, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, and more. The real standout for me, though, is the speed. It looks like there's a nice mix of combo-chaining, acrobatic challenges and, of course, rail-sliding. We'll see if it lives up to all the games that paved the way for it when Berserk Boy lands this March.  

The post Berserk Boy looks like a high-speed spin on Mega Man Zero appeared first on Destructoid.

Originally released in 2022, Stray's tale of friendship and a search for home captivated the collective attention of the gaming world and the internet at large. Initially, that was all thanks to its biggest hook — playing as a cat. A nameless, adorable stray that had many charmed before it'd even launched.

Stray's just saw macOS port in December 2023, and has a movie on the way, bringing the tale to the big screen. Though it's still early days, Annapurna Animation's lead, Andrew Millstein, explains that the the game was chosen for adaptation because "it is just wildly popular." In an interview with Swann Martin-Raget from BlueTwelve Studio, Destructoid discussed the world of Stray and what's to come next.

Stray — On the big, the small, and the fuzzy

Destructoid: Stray mostly takes place in Walled City 99. Its cyberpunk aesthetic is beautiful but dystopian, with some inhabitants doubting whether it is even possible to leave the abyss they dwell in. By the end, the game offers a hopeful answer. Was the plan always to make a hope-inspiring game? 

Martin-Raget: What we really tried to do is to not add a moral point of view to the themes we're approaching in the game. We're only showing possibilities through the eyes of a very neutral character without taking sides between good or bad and we let the players decide what to make of it and if they think it's overall a sad or hopeful message.

Destructoid: The game relies a lot on environmental storytelling, and it is led by a protagonist who can't speak. Did you find this style of storytelling a challenge? 

Martin-Raget: It’s definitely a wide-reaching constraint that changes a lot of things in how you approach the storytelling and the world building. But we also found that it opens up a lot of very interesting possibilities and it’s super helpful to “show and not tell” when we want to leave some room for the player’s imagination to fill the gaps. Creatively it ended up being something really inspiring and motivating for us.

Destructoid: As an occasional Mac player, I'm quite pleased that Stray has made its way to the platform, as it is often neglected. What was the motivation for the port? 

Martin-Raget: As game creators, our goal is always to have as many players as possible being able to enjoy our game and visit this world we made with our hearts. So we were really happy to have this opportunity to allow Mac players that are as avid and passionate as the others to experience and enjoy Stray.

The post Catching up with BlueTwelve and the world of Stray, right meow appeared first on Destructoid.

The long-awaited Version 2.0 update of Honkai: Star Rail is just around the corner! An announcement on YouTube delivers details regarding banners and new content coming to the game. If you missed it, or don’t have time to sit through an hour-long presentation, here’s a summary for you!

Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.0: If One Dreams at Midnight will be live on February 6 and last for seven weeks.

2.0 livestream Stellar Jade codes

TT9S28LK4QHP
EA8BKR4JL93T
LTQA2Q5249KF

Redeem these codes either in-game or on the official site. Each code grants 100 Stellar Jades as well as a few other materials. They expire about a day after the stream, so redeem them now!

New characters

Three new characters will be joining the Star Rail roster:

Black Swan is a 5-star Wind Nihility character specializing in damage over time using tarot cards.

Sparkle is a 5-star Quantum Harmony character. She can restore Skill Points for your team while also buffing their damage.

Misha is a 4-star Ice Destruction character. He is a hotel employee who deals AoE damage to enemies using guests’ luggage.

Version 2.0 banners

The first half of 2.0 will consist of the 5-stars Black Swan and Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae with the 4-star Misha. The Light Cones Reforged Remembrance (Black Swan’s signature) and Brighter than the Sun (DHIL’s signature)

The second half will feature the 5-stars Sparkle and Jing Yuan. Their respective signature Light Cones, Earthly Escapade, and Before Dawn will also be available. Going by the seven-week update schedule, these banners should go live on early March

New content

Version 2.0 has Trailblazers heading to a new world: Penacony. Penacony is a luxury hotel with a unique connection to dreams, enabling visitors to explore certain shared Dreamscapes while asleep. A new Trailblaze mission will accompany the new region, continuing the main story of Honkai: Star Rail.

New events include Hanu’s Prison Break, from which they can claim a 4-star character of their choice as a reward. Other events include Dreamchaser Bulletin, Dreamjolt TV, and Penacony Food Fest. There will also be two login events that grant a total of 20 pulls.

There will also be two new Relic sets and new Ascension materials for the new characters. New Light Cones will also be available in the Manifest store. 

We can also expect various quality-of-life upgrades, including a visual representation of past stories, more support character options in your profile, and a more streamlined Relic upgrade system.

We also got a tease of some real-life Star Rail events on the horizon, including carnivals and concerts.

It looks like there’s a lot to look forward to in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.0. I’ll see you all in Penacony!

The post Honkai: Star Rail announces next banners and Version 2.0 date appeared first on Destructoid.

Announced in September, we've been awaiting confirmation as to when the Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition would launch on PC. Today, Sony gave us our answer.

The Complete Edition dropped for PlayStation 5 on October 6. It brought with it a slew of bonus content on top of the revered Burning Shores expansion. All of this will be included within the PC Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition, now slated to release on March 21.

The majority of the PC Complete Edition's content is similar to that of the PlayStation 5 version, But the PC port has some additional bells and whistles that will excite those with more heftier hardware. PC players will have the option to unlock frame rates, personalize their graphics settings, and enjoy advanced performance features like NVIDIA's DLSS 3 upscaling and frame generation.

As for monitors, ultra-wide support has been implemented so that PC players can enjoy all of Forbidden West's incredible environments. You'll have the ability to go as far as a triple monitor setup, with resolution options including 21:9, 32:9, and 48:9.

Mouse and keyboard controls are fully customizable, of course. Steam Input support is implemented so that you can remap your controller of choice. Including the PlayStation DualSense which allows PC players to enjoy Guerilla Games' use of the controller's haptic feedback abilities.

As for the Complete Edition's bonus content, there are a handful of new outfits and weapons that will be available for download. Also included are a resource pack, an Apex Clawstrider Machine Strike Piece, and an exclusive Photo Mode pose and face paint that's only in the Complete Edition. You can get the full breakdown over on the PlayStation Blog.

PC players can begin playing the Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition on March 21. If you've yet to check out Forbidden West, you should. It's pretty great.

The post Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition ventures onto PC in March appeared first on Destructoid.

While I wouldn't say I'm bad at games by any stretch, I know a game I'll be bad at when I see one. NanoApostle is one such game, and the frenetic boss rush actioner from developer 18Light Game (Pronty) is due out on PC in summer 2024. 

Who cares if I'll be bad at it, though. You might not be! It certainly seems exciting enough, and the intense boss battles at its core are on full display in the announcement trailer from publisher PQube. 

NanoApostle puts you in the role of a nanomachine-augmented child named Anita. As she attempts to escape a top secret facility, she comes face to face with a bunch of cybernetic experiments that certainly seem to have "gone wrong." Or maybe they've gone exactly as their creator intended? Either way, she has to beat 'em all up using a "Destruction Point" battle system. As the name implies, this involves using Anita's Apostle nanites to identify structural weaknesses in enemies and land decisive hits.

Destined to die

The stages themselves are something you'll have to contend with, too. Some of the environments will warp and advance as bosses become more aggressive. As one might expect from a game like NanoApostle, it results in the need for a lot of well-timed dodging and parrying. You'll also need to be strategic with the way you utilize skill points to decide upon your personal approach to combat. 

It all looks and sounds very cool, even if it smacks of a game that I'll pick up and get frustrated with almost immediately. For a lot of folks, that's a key selling point, and I can't say I'm not immediately drawn in by the promise of any game that falls in the Oops! All Bosses! category a la Furi. Hey, why not, bring on the punishment.

The post Sci-Fi boss rush game NanoApostle looks tough as hell, launches this summer appeared first on Destructoid.

Dejobaan Games and Petricore Inc. have announced that the remaster of their 2009 indie classic, AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! Remastered, has launched today on PC.

For those keeping score, this is actually the second remake of AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity. The first time was back in 2011 with AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome. AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! Remastered is a heck of a lot shinier than the last time around, benefiting from over a decade of base-jumping advancements.

If you’re unfamiliar, the AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! series is about base-jumping, but rather than just put you in some boring city, you’re dropped in abstract spaces populated by floating buildings and other pieces of debris. It plays a bit like a rail shooter, with gravity pulling you forward. You amass points by flying as close as possible to the structures. You need to flip some groups of fans off while giving others the thumbs up. It’s neat.

I was actually there on day one for AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, having pre-ordered it before launch. It may be hard to believe now, but back in those days, it was a lot more feasible to keep up with new releases. Marketplaces had yet to be flooded with bad imitations and straight-up trash games. The indie market was a lot smaller, and it was easier to stand out.

I loved the game when I played it. What I found most interesting was the storyline that it built around its abstract premise. It had this weirdly cohesive absurdity that captivated me. I did, at one point long ago, try to draw inspiration from it in my writing, but it requires more of an organic approach. If you try to replicate it with intention, it just won’t work. You’ll look like you’re trying too hard.

Anyhow, I’ll be checking out this remaster. I may have drifted away from Dejobaan’s orbit over the years, but I wouldn’t mind revisiting the simpler times.

AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! Remastered is available now for PC.

The post AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! Remastered has dropped onto PC appeared first on Destructoid.

It may be approaching nine years old at this point, but fans of Until Dawn may wish to know that Supermassive's interactive horror game could be coming to PS5 and PC. That's according to at least one report so far.

In a recent story from Billbil-kin over on Dealabs (as translated by IGN), an announcement could be arriving soon regarding a modern port of Until Dawn. It's also possible that the rumored enhanced version of the game has been in development for "at least a year."

At the time of writing, there's been no official confirmation from developer Supermassive, Sony, or any other company officially associated with the game. What's interesting is this comes just a week after it was revealed Until Dawn was being adapted into a movie.

Isn't it basically a "movie" already?

If you've never played the game before, it's essentially an interactive slasher film in which you're tasked with navigating characters to safety from a serial killer. It was quite a horror hit when it launched in 2015. Sadly, it was only available on PS4 at the time, so a PlayStation 5 and PC version would be welcomed.

We actually think of it as one of the best horror games from the PlayStation 4 era, up there with the likes of Alien: Isolation and SOMA. Okay, some might not be a fan of its minimal interaction – largely reduced to quick time events – but it was offering something a little different in the genre.

As I said, we don't know whether there will be an enhanced version of the game yet. This is just a rumor, so hopefully we'll get some feedback on whether this is true or not.

The post Until Dawn may be coming to PS5 and PC, ahead of the feature film appeared first on Destructoid.

We all know cats have nine lives, but Umbraclaw is on the way to prove they also get successively cooler powers each time they die. The latest side-scrolling action game from Inti Creates (Azure Striker Gunvolt, Blaster Master Zero) is set to launch on consoles and PC on May 30, 2024.

Specifically, Umbraclaw is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. A demo is on the way to the February 2024 edition of Steam Next Fest, and you can see how much ass this little cat kicks in the release date trailer below. 

Umbraclaw follows a house cat named Kuon, who awakens in the Soulplane after dying in our world. In order to return home, she'll have to brave this realm of the dead, which has a really cool art style to it. While cats do have nine lives, those lives come and go rather easily. Whenever Kuon takes a hit she dies; simple as that. Thankfully, she has an "Anima Revive" power that can bring her back to life with a new skill each time, paving the way for different play styles and leading her toward multiple possible endings. 

Some of those skills are animal transformation skills like the Crow, Tyrannosaurus, and Elephant (take that, Mario). Kuon can also change into a humanoid form for "full fighting action," switching the focus from enemy avoidance to direct combat. Blaster Master Zero director Satoru Nishizawa is at the helm for this one, and hopefully, it's as fun to play as it is to watch. We'll see how the sampler pans out next month ahead of the May launch. We'll also find out more about the other mystery game Inti Creates is working on During PAX East 2024!

The post Inti Creates’ Umbraclaw proves cats have nine lives AND rad powers, launches this May appeared first on Destructoid.

Whether you simply forgot that the character was coming, or, it snuck up on you (because that's what he does), Solid Snake makes his Fortnite debut today.

We've known the character was coming since the Fortnite Chapter 5 launch trailer dropped in early December. But today, we now know exactly what the tactical espionage expert brings along with him.

With the character's inclusion, Fortnite will also be adding EMP Stealth Camo as a new item. It can render players nearly invisible for a brief amount of time. You can activate it as often as you like, though there is a cooldown timer you'll have to wait through in between uses.

When the EMP Stealth Camo is disabled, an EMP pulse is discharged that will damage nearby shields and bring any vehicles in the area to a screeching halt. You can find the cool new item in chests, on the ground, or by purchasing it directly from Snake himself with gold bars in-game.

Also being introduced to the battle royale is Snake's iconic cardboard box. These empty boxes are littered throughout the island. Some of them may contain special forces NPCs. Others will just be empty for you to take along with you. Just like the EMP Stealth Camo, you can find the cardboard boxes across the island randomly, in chests, or via purchase from Snake.

What Snake skins and items are in Fortnite?

As far as outfits go, we're getting ones specifically for Solid Snake's character. The standard Solid Snake skin is unlocked pretty early by completing page one of Snake's Quests. With it, you get the character's iconic look and can choose to toggle Snake's night vision goggles on or off. Completing page two of Snake's Quests will grant you the Old Snake skin from Metal Gear Solid 4.

Outside of skins, players can earn Snake's Stun Knife Pickaxe, Solid Profile Spray, ! Emote, and ! Banner. There's also an awesome-looking Tactical Advantage Loading Screen that fans are sure to love.

On top of those items, you can also collect the Metal Gear Mk. II Back Bling, Hidden? Emoticon, the really cool-looking Slider Glider, and a Snake Skin Wrap. The requirements of each can be found in the most recent Fortnite blog post.

Today's newest trailer also hints toward Raiden's upcoming inclusion to the Fortnite roster. There have been leaks recently suggesting as much, and the character can be seen towards the beginning of today's new footage as he snipes from afar protecting Snake.

If you have the latest battle pass, sneak on over to Fortnite and start working toward unlocking the greatest spy of them all. Solid Snake Quests end on March 8.

The post Solid Snake heads to Fortnite today – cardboard box included appeared first on Destructoid.

If you've been itching to see retro games be given a bit of a pep in this modern gaming world, Nvidia's RTX modding toolkit is already realizing that dream. With the open beta now out, prepare yourselves for an upscaled return of some classics.

In a rather lengthy post, Nvidia has outlined exactly what the RTX Remix software is capable of. In a nutshell: it's a "cutting-edge modding platform" that allows for games from a bygone era to be given a bit of a remaster.

The above video shows what it can do. In this instance, we can see ray-tracing versions of Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind and Half-Life 2, complete with higher definition assets. We're already seeing it in the likes of Tomb Raider and Vice City, so expect a lot more to come out of the woodwork now Remix is out in beta.

Also comes with DLSS 3.5 and Ray Reconstruction

I suppose one of the questions modders may have is: will RTX Remix be compatible with any game? While it's designed to work with a lot of different titles, Nvidia says its "level of compatibility may vary depending on the complexity of the game’s assets and engine."

We know it works on older games because we've already seen it in action. The software "works best with DirectX 8 and 9 games with fixed function pipelines." Things like Hitman 2, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, and Call of Duty 2 should work, as well as the aforementioned ones.

Whether you're sick of remasters, remakes, reboots, and other "re-" words or not, RTX Remix is probably going to see a boon in unofficial remasters of video games from yesterday that have been given a shiny new coat.

The post Nvidia RTX Remix beta now out, expect shiny remasters of classic games appeared first on Destructoid.

If you've stepped into the gaming world for even a yoctosecond these past few days, you'll have heard of Palworld. Maybe it's a bit cliché to say it's taking the industry by storm, but the data shows just how massive it's been in such a short span of time.

We've already spoken about how the game has been smashing Steam records, but the numbers just keep going up and up. At the time of writing, not only has Palworld surpassed 1.8 million players within the last few minutes, but it's also become the second-most-played Steam game ever, according to stats from SteamDB. This puts it ahead of Valve's own Counter-Strike 2.

On top of that, a recent tweet from the developer says the game has now sold more than six million copies. That's in the space of four days, remember?

Let me catch my breath, please!

I seriously can't keep up with the figures. Between pitching this story and writing these very words, Palworld seems to keep breaking expectations. By the time this article gets published, I'm anticipating news about how it's elevated itself above human comprehension and has taken over the very cosmos.

But how long can something like this last? It's not even been a week, but the number of people playing has exceeded what anyone could have predicted. It's knocked the Steam Deck off its number one spot, which is something that even the most hyped-up games struggle to do.

And the best part is, it is still in Early Access. It's pretty bug-ridden (it's straight up crashed my Xbox twice already, to the point where I thought it had bricked the console at one point), but there's something about a "Pokémon-with-guns" game that's got everyone talking. Surely the bubble will burst soon, yeah?

The post Palworld just keeps hitting milestone after milestone appeared first on Destructoid.

One might say that Steam has something of a reputation when it comes to video game sales. We get quite a few of them throughout the year, and this latest one will appeal to your inner pirate (and ninja. Don't forget the ninjas).

As of January 22, the Steam Pirates vs. Ninjas Fest began, providing a host of discounts on all things related to the aforementioned buccaneer and/or stealth assassin lifestyle. The best way to get an idea of what exactly is in the sale is to open the link above, but the video below gives a quick overview of what to expect.

You'll find games like Sekiro, Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, Pillars of Eternity II, Secret of Monkey Island, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, and may more as part of the event. Essentially, if it's a pirate or ninja-themed game, it's probably here.

From laissez-faire economics to bootleggin'

Personally, I'm tempted by Monkey Island, as it's still something I haven't got round to playing yet. From the ninja category...well, you can't go massively wrong with the original Shadow Warrior. Ah, 3D Realms. Whatever happened to you? Oh, yeah. You were acquired by Embracer Group.

It feels like we've had one Steam sale event already since 2024 began. That's because we did. The Capitalism and Economy Fest was just a couple of weeks ago. These things tend to come around pretty quickly, I find.

Anyway, the Steam Pirates vs. Ninjas Fest is ongoing until Monday, 29 January. So the standard week-long event for these types of sales. Blow me down, me hearties, etc.

The post Have you checked out Steam’s swashbucklin’ Pirates vs Ninjas Fest yet? appeared first on Destructoid.

If you feel recent roguelite games have been missing that platform fighter touch, Spiritfall is here to answer the call. Developer Gentle Giant's action game takes notes from Super Smash Bros., Brawlhalla, and similarly hectic platform fighter fare, and it's set to launch in full on February 28, 2024.

Spiritfall has been available in Early Access since April 3, 2023, and has garnered 'Very Positive' reviews from players in the months since. The release date news came along with a new animated trailer that shows off some slick cinematics and a sample of the fast-paced action at the heart of it all. 

When Spiritfall shared its Early Access update roadmap back in November, the devs detailed a few of the additions on the way to the full version. These include the final region and boss fight along with a new optional boss, fifth alternate weapon form, all challenge levels, and "more surprises." Gentle Giant has stayed pretty active in updating the game since it became available, knocking out 10 monthly content updates on top of the usual intermittent hotfixes. 

Even if you haven't played it for yourself yet, you can certainly see that platform brawler style at work in the trailer. Spiritfall combines that frantic fighting with roguelite features such as randomly generated maps and the ability to unlock new powers, upgrade skills, and gather a bunch of weapons to make the going a little less tough for each successive run. Brawlhalla by way of Dead Cells will no doubt be enough of a hook for most to at least dip their toes in what this one has to offer.  

The post Smash Bros-inspired roguelite Spiritfall leaves Early Access on February 28 appeared first on Destructoid.

WWE 2K24 is strutting down the entrance ramp and headed toward the squared circle. 2K Games announced this morning that the next iteration of the wrestling sim is headed to consoles and PC in early March.

The developer also showcased the theme for the 2024 version of the title. It will revolve around this year being the 40th anniversary of WrestleMania and will showcase the "Immortals" that have made an impact on the event throughout the last four decades.

As highlighted in the Finish Your Story trailer, Cody Rhodes will don the game's cover when it releases on March 8. For the Deluxe Edition, former WWE Women's Champions Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley have earned that honor.

WWE 2K24 will incorporate a bunch of new features to separate itself from previous entries. This year's Showcase mode is entitled 2K Showcase…of the Immortals and will highlight the biggest matches that took place at "the granddaddy of them all" over the last 40 years.

There are four new match types being implemented this year. These include an Ambulance Match, a Special Guest Referee Match, a Gauntlet Match, and a Casket Match. The latter of which can be spotted in today's trailer with The Undertaker doing the dirty work, of course.

The devs say that there will be over 200 wrestlers to choose from in 2K24. They're also promising better animations, "over 90% of facial expressions updated", and the ability to finally transition the in-game camera during live gameplay. As for the dozens of other changes and additions, 2K Games has a full list of what's included on its website.

The WWE 2K series as a whole seems to be on an incline. After the disaster that was WWE 2K20, WWE 2K22 got modest reviews. Then last year, Destructoid gave WWE 2K23 a solid 7.5. Let's hope the series continues the upward trend toward a championship effort.

WWE 2K24 is set to release on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on March 8. The Deluxe Edition will launch a few days earlier, on March 5.

The post WWE 2K24 pins down early March release date appeared first on Destructoid.

You may have noticed that at the bottom corner of your screen in Palworld, there is a string of numbers indicating what version you're playing. Steam and Xbox Game Pass have different versions, and here's why.

A report from Windows Central highlighted comments from Pocketpair reps in the Palworld Discord server. There, Pocketpair's community manager, Bucky, explained a bit about what's going on with the different versions. The problem is that every game's version has to go through Microsoft's certification queue. This is something Pocketpair has no control over, though the team is "desperately trying to speed up," it highlights on Discord.

It's argued that Xbox isn't necessarily "behind," but yet it is. Our list of differences demonstrates that this is the case. Nevertheless, you can enjoy the game on Xbox Game Pass without really noticing you're playing an earlier build.

Until features parity is reached, keep collecting Pals, building weapons, and having fun with this survival game that shocked the world by being one of 2024's first hits.

The post Palworld on Xbox and Steam have different versions – Here’s why appeared first on Destructoid.

It turns out that the idea of "Pokémon with guns" appears to be pretty popular. Pocket Pair, the developers behind Palworld, have announced that their fledgling title is already selling incredibly well.

How well, you ask? Well, the team revealed that sales for the newly released game have already crossed the million copies sold mark - and that was in just eight hours.

Described by the development team as a "monster-catching, survival and crafting game", Palworld just launched yesterday on Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview. It's also available for Xbox Game Pass, though the subscription service isn't typically accounted for in sales figures.

Momentum was strong for Palworld leading up to its release. The night before launch, the game was ranked third on Steam's Wishlist page. On top of that, the hodgepodge project is currently trending on X at the time of this article being published.

I describe Palworld as a hodgepodge project because it seems to borrow lots of different ideas from other notable games. In his recent impressions of the Early Access build, Destructoid's Eric Van Allen noted that on top of there being similarities to the Pokémon series, there are also elements of Breath of the Wild, Rust, Valheim, and Monster Hunter incorporated throughout too.

Again, Palworld will remain in an Early Access/Game Preview build for at least a year according to its Steam page. There are plenty of additions and changes that Pocket Pair plans to implement in the coming months. Amongst them will be new monsters to catch, new areas and dungeons to explore, fresh buildings and items for survival, and more. The development team also noted that they "are also considering incorporating entirely new game systems based on player feedback and ideas."

The post Palworld hits 1 million copies sold in just 8 hours appeared first on Destructoid.

I keep hitting refresh on the SteamDB page of Palworld. Each time I do, the numbers keep shooting up. Despite the fact that Pocketpick's new game has only come out today – in Early Access as well – the numbers suggest it's going to be a big hit.

When the third-party Steam tracking website posted on Twitter/X earlier, it said Palworld had already reached over 110,000 concurrent players. At the time of writing, that number has gone up to 329,563.

The Top Sellers list on Steam shows it's shot to the number two position (behind the Steam Deck, natch). While this isn't too unusual for a brand-new game that's got some hype behind it, it could well be a sign of things to come for the cute, Pokemon-inspired survival game.

What exactly is Palworld?

If you haven't heard of or are familiar with Palworld yet, don't worry. I wasn't until literally two days ago. If you want a nice breakdown of what the game's like and how it plays, a couple of our writers took a quick look at it.

The Steam page has this to say about it:

Fight, farm, build and work alongside mysterious creatures called "Pals" in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!

It has a little bit of everything, from what I can tell. Well, maybe not everything, but certainly enough for most gamers to get into. I must admit, I'm quietly curious myself. To such an extent that I'm currently downloading it through Xbox Game Pass. May as well, right?

The post Palworld is already seeing over 300,000 concurrent players on Steam appeared first on Destructoid.

Genshin Impact’s Special Program for Version 4.4 is here, detailing all the new areas, events, characters, and banners coming in the next update. Here’s a summary of all the new content coming to Genshin Impact Version 4.4: Vibrant Harriers Aloft in Spring Breeze!

Version 4.4 is expected to drop on January 31st (or the evening of January 30 for most Americans).

4.4 livestream Primogem codes

BBQ8AZHUH2CZ
MT88AYHCZ2UR
FA9QAGYDZJEV

Each code grants 100 Primogems and various other materials. Redeem them either in-game or on the official site. They expire about a day from when the Special Program aired, so be quick!

4.4 new characters: Xianyun and Gaming

Xianyun (aka Cloud Retainer) is a 5-star Anemo Catalyst user who buffs plunge damage. Her Burst increases the jump height of your entire party, allowing anyone to become a plunge DPS. She grants buffs to her party’s Plunging Attacks and deals a bit of damage of her own. On top of unlocking a new playstyle for every character, Xianyun’s Burst also offers healing, making her a great potential partner for Furina. Xianyun’s Skill is a unique triple jump that ends with a dive bomb Plunging Attack.

Gaming is a 4-star Pyro Claymore user and a Wushou dancer. He appears to specialize in Plunging Attacks with his Burst and Skill, allowing him to take full advantage of Xianyun’s plunge-oriented kit. His Skill has him rush toward an enemy, then leap into the air, from which he can execute a special Plunging Attack that consumes some of his own HP. Gaming’s Burst summons a little suanni pet that runs some distance from him after using his Skill combo. When the pet runs back to Gaming’s location, his Skill cooldown is reset, allowing him to spam Skills and Plunging Attacks as quickly as he can retrieve his pet.

4.4 banners

The first half of 4.4 will feature the 5-stars Xianyun and Nahida, as well as the 4-star Gaming. The weapon banner will consist of Xianyun’s signature weapon, Crane’s Echoing Call, and probably Nahida’s signature, A Thousand Floating Dreams.

The second half Version 4.4 will feature Xiao and Yae Miko. They will likely be accompanied by their signature weapons: Primordial Jade Winged-Spear and Kagura’s Verity.

New area: Chenyu Vale

A new explorable area is being added to Liyue: Chenyu Vale. Chenyu Vale has been teased as a mystical area known for its high-quality tea production. Baizhu’s lore in particular is tied to Chenyu Vale, as this is Changsheng’s homeland.

Chenyu Vale is a verdant, mountainous landscape with rivers flowing between them. Qiaoying Village and Yilong Wharf are the primary human settlements. The people of Chenyu Vale seem to have a unique culture somewhat distinct from the rest of Liyue. While most of Liyue sees Rex Lapis as the land’s sole ruler in its antiquity, Chenyu Vale’s residents recall a time when other gods and adepti protected their ancestors.

There will also be a new world boss in Chenyu Vale: the Solitary Suanni. It appears to have Anemo and Hydro elemental attacks in its arsenal. Given the new characters coming this patch, I would expect either Xianyun or Gaming to use materials from this boss.

4.4 events

It’s that time of year again, and this year’s Lantern Rite event is called Vibrant Harriers Aloft in Spring Breeze. There will be three minigames as part of this event. Participation will reward you with a free Xingqiu skin and your choice of any 4-star Liyue character. The 4-star character selector includes Gaming, so if you can’t pull on the new banners, you can still obtain Gaming for free!

There will also be a login event where you can claim a total of ten Intertwined Fates. We’ll be receiving an additional three Intertwined Fates via in-game mail.

A cooking event called Receiver of Friends from Afar has Travelers playing minigames to cook meals, then decorating the dishes to serve to our friends.

Journey through Hiligmatic Terrain is a two-part event. One part is a stealth mission where you use a special device to follow hilichurls and infiltrate their camps. The other part is a combat domain where you face off against a giant samachurl boss.

Triumphant Frenzy is a combat event using trial characters only. It looks like we’ll be able to choose two to four trial characters from a randomly selected pool to complete combat challenges.

Finally, Overflowing Mastery makes a return with double drops for Talent books.

New skins for Xingqiu, Ganyu, and Shenhe

Xingqiu, Ganyu, and Shenhe are receiving new skins! Xingqiu looks quite dapper in a more Western-style outfit, while Ganyu and Shenhe are dressed in sleek black outfits.

Xingqiu’s skin can be obtained for free during Version 4.4 by participating in the Lantern Rite event. After the end of Version 4.4, we can expect it to be included in the store for Genesis Crystals for those who missed it.

Ganyu and Shenhe’s skins will be sold in the in-game store for Genesis Crystals. For the duration of Version 4.4, these skins will be discounted.

Other additions in Version 4.4

Genius Invokation TCG is receiving another update, adding cards for Sayu, Thoma, Cryo Hypostasis, and Millennial Pearl Seahorse. 

A fast equip function is being added for artifacts, which we previously covered in detail.

A new collaboration was announced with OnePlus, with a Keqing-themed phone coming in late February. More details will be provided via OnePlus’ official channels.

The second Fontaine OST, “Pelagic Primaevality,” will be released sometime during Version 4.4.

As always, there’s lots to look forward to in Genshin Impact. Best of luck to everyone, and happy Lantern Rite!

The post Genshin Impact announces 4.4 release date, banners, characters, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

Oh, Starfield. We all had such hope for you. You're not a bad game, of course, but there was definitely some lost potential there. Still, you won a Steam award which is nice, and you're kicking off the new year with the game's first major update.

Originally due to come out on Wednesday, Bethesda released a major patch for Starfield to Steam Beta yesterday, which aims to fix a number of bugs. If you take a look at the official website, you'll see exactly what version 1.9.47.0 comes with.

A quick scroll down the list shows there's been a boatload of fixes to the game. There's some general stuff, such as patching out corruptions to save files on PC, improvements to things like reflections and shadows, and some much-needed tweaks to quests and "random encounters."

But is it enough?

Bethesda says this latest update comes with "over a hundred fixes and adjustments" with some quality-of-life shenanigans thrown into the mix as well. The post on the Starfield website also asks fans to keep sharing feedback on the off-chance a particular fix people have been waiting for isn't in this version.

While squashing bugs is always appreciated in games, it's probably going to take a lot more than that for people to start taking an interest in Starfield again.

We've been told by the developer that new implementations and features are coming at some point – including new ways of traveling – so that's something to keep in mind as we barrel on into 2024. But it's tough to say whether any and all improvements will be able to rescue Bethesda's new game from disappearing into the proverbial black hole.

Starfield version 1.9.47.0 patch notes

FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS

ANIMATION

• Fixed player character’s eyes remaining closed instead of blinking in third person view.
• Addressed rare cases where small animation pops could be seen in third person.

CREATURES AND ENEMIESs

• Fixed incorrectly invisible creatures on some planets.
• Fixed an issue that could occur on some enemies causing them to stand instead of falling to the ground.

CREW AND COMPANIONS

• Fixed crew members and companions positioning near the cockpit after fast traveling to the ship.
• Companions: Fixed a possible control-lock when talking to a companion without entering a dialogue while simultaneously trying to exit the ship.

GENERAL

• Fixed an issue that prevented Windows users saving if their username featured certain characters (PC).
• Fixed rare save game corruptions on PC (MSS and Steam).
• Fixed an issue that could lead to a control lock or a crash after loading a quicksave while in the targeting mode.
• Fixed player marker following the camera on the surface map.
• Fixed a rare issue that could prevent access to the main menu on when prompted to “Press any button to Start” (Xbox).
• Body type should no longer reset to default when loading a Starborn save from the main menu.
• Fixed flickering on Neon’s Trade Tower elevator panel.
• Improved the appearance of the Ryujin Kiosk material during nighttime.
• Fixed rare issue with how Cydonia’s panel could display the hours without incident.
• Added Optimizations to cloud syncing of save games (MSS/Xbox).
• Improved how crowds behave when desired target is reserved.
• Fixed an issue that could cause airlock doors to sometimes appear floating in sky when arriving at locations.
• Fixed unintended text appearing on the shipbuilder’s UI.
• Fixed game session not properly resuming from shutdown in Energy Save mode (Xbox).
• Various stability improvements.

GRAPHICS

• Improved widescreen support (32:9, 21:9 and 16:10).
• Added support for stars displaying sun disk geometry.
• Shadows can now be seen on planet rings from planet surface.
• Improved eyes and skin on crowd characters.
• Improved reflection on water.
• Improved contact shadows on character skin (Xbox and PC Medium/High/Ultra).
• Improved contact shadows on character cloth (PC High/Ultra).
• Improved contact shadows on first person (PC Ultra).
• Improved lighting in character generation menu.
• Reduced the appearance of some minor artifacts during cutscene camera transitions.
• Fixed flickering on a number of VFX (Sandstorm, corrosive liquid pools, waterfall).
• Fixed a rare issue where the camera would lock while in handscanner mode whenever watching flying fauna (Xbox).
• Fixed potential control lock when opening a game menu a moment before triggering a dialogue with another character.
• Addressed various shadow popping, flickering and artifact issues.
• Improved the visibility of the sun’s lens flare during sunrise and sunset.
• Fixed a rare issue where foam or grime would not show up.
• Fixed rare flickering VFX that could occur in space (Xbox Series S).
• Fixed rare hair flickering (Xbox Series X/S).
• Fixed occasional flicker on digiframes and TV screens.
• Adjusted the appearance of bloom when activating the handscanner.
• Improved the appearance of clouds during weather transitions.
• Fixed rare cases where alignment of grass and wind could appear disconnected. 
• Reduced bloom intensity effect while motion blur is active (PC).
• Addressed issues with concealment effect not always applying when using the handscanner.
• Fixed visible edge of the ocean in the distance when seen from a very high point of view.
• Fixed rare white flickering dots around characters' hair during cut scenes.
• Fixed a readability issue in the Starmap when using large menu font mode.
• Fixed inventory menu occasionally failing to generate previews when using a mouse (PC).
• Fixed a brief Depth of Field issue that sometimes occurred when aiming, alt-tabbing or leaving a dialogue screen. 
• Fixed occasional lighting transition issues after loading or exiting a location.
• Fixed an issue that could cause intermittent bands to appear in distance fog.
• Fixed a rare issue that could cause fog color to appear inconsistent.
• Fixed a rare issue that could cause rocks to disappear near the player on the surface of a planet.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when switching to DLSS with dynamic resolution active (PC).
• Fixed flickering and delayed shadows sometimes occurring after unpausing the game.
• Fixed various FSR2 and DLSS artifacts (noise, black dots, ghosting).
• Fixed flickering when using the handscanner with DLSS enabled.
• Fixed initial lighting conditions when landing on a planet.
• Improved lighting at 73 locations.
• Fixed various geometry, texture, and ghosting issues.

OUTPOSTS

• Fixed a rare missing terrain issue that could occur after fast traveling to an outpost near New Atlantis.
• Fixed an issue that could cause bulldozed objects to reappear when returning to an outpost.
• Fixed an issue that caused hazard damage to remain even when the hazard was removed by bulldozing in outposts.
• Fixed an issue where outpost’s cargo links would be removed from the terminal list if connected, disconnected, then reconnected to another cargo link during the cargo ship landing sequence.
• Fixed an issue where weapon cases built by the player in an Outpost would populate with weapons and ammo after reloading the game.

POWERS

• Fixed a rare issue that could cause the Phased Time power to remain enabled.
• Fixed the extreme speed that could occur in zero G when using the Phased Time power.
• Solar Flare Power now accounts for critical hits.

QUESTS AND RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

• Absolute Power: Fixed missing slate in the safe preventing from completing the optional objective “Locate Evidence to Extort Ayumi Komiko”.
• Background Checks: Fixed possible control-lock that could occur if caught by security.
• Derelict Ship: Fixed an issue preventing the player from reaching the pilot seat if they did not have access to advanced locks.
• Drinks on the House: Fixed rare occurrence where the door to Sub 12 could remain locked.
• Echoes of the Past: Fixed Delgado getting stuck at bottom of stairs during "Continue Exploring the Lock" that could occur if The Lock was left during Delgado's history dialogue.
• Echoes of the Past: Resolved an issue that could cause Mathis' and Delgado’s guns to be invisible.
• Eye of the Storm: Fixed an issue that could cause data transfer to not start after placing the Data Core.
• Eye of the Storm: Fixed an issue where the docking prompt would be missing on the Legacy ship if the player undocked with the Legacy and then reloaded a save before having started the mission.
• Executive Level: Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on a chair in the Ryujin Industries HQ conference room.
• Failure to Communicate: Fixed an issue that prevented the player from finishing the quest if they downed all the members of the defense pact (Alban Lopez, Jacquelyn Lemaire, and Chanda Banda).
• Further Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare crash that could occur when trying to dock with The Eye.
• Groundpounder: Fixed an issue where the door to Lezama could sometimes be locked if the player left the location during the quest and came back later.
• Hostile Intelligence: Fixed blocked doors in the Steam Tunnels room where the Terrormorph transformation occurs.
• Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare issue that could prevent the quest from starting after completing The Old Neighborhood.
• Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare issue where a Temple location might not populate when receiving the “Go to” objective.
• Legacy’s End: Fixed an issue that could prevent interacting with Delgado when he was behind the glass inside in the command center of The Key.
• Legacy’s End: Fixed a debris pile where to player could become stuck while trying to reach the Mess Hall.
• Missed Beyond Measure: Fixed a dialogue between Sarah and Walter not playing at The Lodge.
• No Sudden Moves: Fixed companions not following player during personal quests.
• On The Run: Fixed various issues related to Mei Devine becoming inaccessible the objective updated to “Listen to Mei Devine’s Introduction”.
• On The Run: Fixed a possible control lock when sitting at the table to talk to Jade MacMillan.
• One Small Step: Fixed a rare issue that could prevent Lin / Heller from exiting the airlock.
• Operation Starseed: Fixed a bad view that could occur if the Beagle was boarded after a long idle.
• Power From Beyond: Fixed an issue that caused missing Starborn temples and scanner disturbances that could prevent obtaining all Starborn powers from that universe.
• Rough Landings: Resolved an issue that could occur during the “Meet up with Milena Axelrod” objective that could prevent ships from appearing at the desired location.
• Shadows in Neon: Fixed an issue that could occur when repeatedly using the door to Jaylen Pryce's office before he progressed to Neon Core.
• Supra et Ultra: Fixed a control lock that could occur when entering the Flight Simulator while a guard is attempting arrest.
• Tapping the Grid: Fixed inaccessible junction boxes that could occur after the Hunter attacks the Lodge.
• The Best There Is: Fixed an issue that could prevent objective from advancing when talking to Naeva and Jasmine in the engineering room.
• The Empty Nest: Fixed and issue that could cause Sam Coe’s gun to be invisible when inside Jacob’s house.
• The Heart of Mars: Fixed another location that could potentially prevent recovering The Heart of Mars.
• The Pale Lady: Fixed rare case of inaccessible ship crew log data slate making it impossible to complete the encounter.
• Top of the L.I.S.T.: Phil Hill should now accept survey data for Sumati.
• War Relics: Resolved an issue that could prevent Kaiser from moving to the mission site.
• Where Hope is Built: Fixed a crash that could occur with a specific set of player behaviors.

SHIPS AND SHIP CUSTOMIZATION

• Fixed another case that could cause an asteroid to follow a ship in space.
• Fixed ship hatch being marked inaccessible after swapping to a new home ship.
• Fixed an issue where the ship could end up in an unintended state by simultaneously attempting fast travel during a grav jump.
• Fixed a view issue that could occur when fast traveling during ship targeting mode.
• Fixed an issue that could occur when entering Ship Targeting mode immediately after selecting a Grav Jump.
• Fixed an issue that caused non-functional ladders to appear when the player modified their ship with a Taiyo All-In-One Berth Top A and a Deimos 1x1.
• Fixed an issue where the Legendary ship could take too long to resume firing after the weapons were repaired.
• Space combat should now match ground combat difficulty increase with successive trips through the Unity.
• Fixed an issue where loading an exit save made while docked to a space station could cause names of ships to change.
• Fixed marker not pointing to the current home ship after performing a save/load between different ships.
• Fixed in issue that could cause the Frontier to incorrectly appear if a non-home ship was removed from a landing pad.

SKILLS

• REJUVENATION: Rejuvenation skill VFX no longer replay whenever the handscanner is opened in third person.
• SURVEYING: Fixed surveying challenge progress issue with mineral resource.
• TARGETING CONTROL SYSTEMS: Fixed inconsistencies with level 3 and 4.

WEAPONS AND ITEMS

• Fixed incorrect reload amounts that could occur when consuming a Trauma Pack.
• Fixed FOV and zoom issues with weapon scopes.
• Fixed weapon sound effects occasionally continuing to play after killing an enemy.
• Fixed turret state not being restored properly after and save and load.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the helmet light to not reappear in third person after a save and load.

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Much like with Street Fighter 6 in Season 2, one of the big selling points of Exoprimal Season 3 is the Monster Hunter collaboration that Capcom has been promoting. The new season launches today, and it incorporates a pretty meaty amount of content.

Ryozo Tsujimoto, series producer of both Exoprimal and Monster Hunter, released a developer commentary video breaking down the collaboration of the two beast-battling titles.

The highlight of the new content for most is likely the inclusion of Rathalos. The wyvern is sort of the Monster Hunter mascot at this point. The monster has been in every game of the series and was even featured as a boss and assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Exoprimal players who gather enough monster tracks can trigger a special mission that brings the iconic creature into the game for battle. The flying wyvern will have an exosuit designed after it too.

"So, we designed the Rathalos boss fight in a way that maintains the King of the Skies’ characteristic behaviors while also empowering it with the fortitude to take on 10 Exofighters," Exoprimal director Takuro Hiraoka told us in an interview about bringing Rathalos to Exoprimal.

Other than Rathalos, players can also obtain more of the usual in Monster Hunter style; skins, decals, emotes, charms, and stamps. One of the exosuits being introduced is an homage to another iconic Monster Hunter beast, Rajang. There will be exosuits of Kirin and Nergigante too.

The Exoprimal x Monster Hunter collab is only available for a limited window. You'll have to gobble up everything you can prior to the event ending on February 12. But there is more than just the cross-Capcom content to look forward to.

What else is in Exoprimal Season 3?

Season 3 is broken down in detail on the Exporimal site, but highlights include a new 10-person co-op Final Mission against a new Neosaur: the Neo Triceratops. As well as four new beta variant exosuits to try out.

Also in Season 3 is a new Jungle field location that can be found deep within Bikitoa Island. A new stealth rig is being introduced too which turns players invisible for a limited time. There are a pair of new campaigns on the way this season to be excited for. The Lunar Campaign runs January 31 through February 12 and the Chocolate Campaign will span February 13 through February 29.

Enjoy the new content while you can. Season 3 as a whole will conclude on April 17.

The post Exoprimal x Monster Hunter collaboration launches today with Season 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

If you've been hankering for a new tactical mech shooter, the first game from KEK Entertainment fits the bill. Armor Attack is in the works at a team comprised of former EA and Ubisoft devs, and it's due out sometime this year.

Armor Attack is billed as a crossplay game with PC, Mac, iOS, and Android listed as its starting platforms. A console release is planned for an as-yet-undetermined date, and you can see how it looks in action in the announcement trailer below. 

At a glance, customization is going to play a large role in the tactics at hand. Each vehicle has its own advantages and disadvantages, and you can tweak your loadout in different ways depending on the desired playstyle. Abilities, weapons, talent systems, and other aspects will lend themselves well to certain objectives, and this combines with the different styles inherent to the three main factions. Naturally, everybody wants to rule the world, so these factions are all about trying their best to control the last remnants of a wartorn Earth. 

The key styles at play are defense, damage, and battlefield exploitation, the latter of which sounds like it might have something to do with the "game-changing mechanic" on each map. These range from changes to the overall layout to large boss enemies and the availability of vantage points that offer a competitive edge. KEK Entertainment CEO and co-founder Georgy Egorov says they want to offer the "ultimate mecha shooter experience for friends to enjoy across PC, mobile, and consoles without sacrificing caliber." We'll see how that pans out soon. 

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Just over a week ago, I mentioned how Nvidia was launching three GPUs in the new RTX 4000 SUPER range. Now, the first one of the bunch has been released, offering a bit of a performance boost compared to its predecessor.

The 4070 SUPER came out yesterday, and it already appears to be fairly popular. While sites like Newegg do have models from ZOTAC, GIGABYTE, ASUS, and more, there are quite a few that have sold out. Amazon UK appears to have limited stocks at the time of writing. A report from Videocardz points to a few brands that are already out of stock, so it seems like you might want to get in quick lest supplies run out.

Prices for the SUPER graphics card can be as low as $549 and as high as $759 (if not more), depending on where you get it from and which model you opt for.

Compare and contrast

Showing up to 14% improvement over the non-SUPER variant, the RTX 4070 SUPER is what you would expect from a somewhat souped-up version of a modern graphics card.

While it still retains 12GB of GDDR6X of memory – similar to the regular 4070 – it does boast more CUDA cores and a slight increase in its clock speed. It also has a higher TGP, now requiring an additional 20W of power.

It also appears as though the RTX 4070 has been given a price drop, so if you're not in the mood for a new-new graphics card from Nvidia, you could always go for the standard variant. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER and RTX 4080 SUPER are due to release on January 24 and January 31, respectively.

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Fate/Samurai Remnant has been out since September 2023, but it only recently received a demo to entice players who haven't touched the amazing game yet.

The demo gives you a small slice of what the whole game possesses. It's pretty long, so for some, it won't be enough to fully grasp it. Nevertheless, if you were on the fence about this title, the demo should convince you if it's worth your money.

I tried out the demo on the Steam Deck, and it's not different from what you're getting in the full game, which should be good news for completionists. It's also worth mentioning that your progress in your demo playthrough can be transferred to the full game.

The demo comes after it receives a teaser trailer letting players know DLC is on the way, and it'll feature characters, including Servants, servants from the main game.

In my review of the game, I praised it and highlighted how it's inviting to both longtime franchise fans and newcomers. With the free demo, Omega Force has given you yet another reason to try this title.

The post Fate/Samurai Remnant receives demo appeared first on Destructoid.

It's been a while since I've felt as genuinely mixed over a game as I have for Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. Coincidentally, the last game I felt this conflicted over was Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, but for dramatically different reasons, as the only things they have in common are the IP and unstable performance.

While the 2022 title was a horde shooter, Owlcat's take on the 40,000 universe is the first CRPG entry. It shares a lot in common with the developer's previous Pathfinder games but stands out in the library. Again, that's in positive and negative ways.

Rogue Trader is a brilliant game, but it could've been fantastic, and that's what's frustrating about it. For every shining quality, there's usually something tacked on detrimental to the overall experience. It's a grim, haunting journey for all of the right reasons given the universe, but a few tedious encounters and bugs made for some extraneous misery along the way.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (PC [reviewed], PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Owlcat Games
Publisher: Owlcat Games
Released: December 7, 2023
MSRP: $49.99

A gothic interstellar adventure

Rogue Trader's premise sees players take on the titular title after inheriting it from a distant relative, Theodora. While the story initially has you tracking down Theodora's supposed killer, this deviates into a tale of life as a Rogue Trader.

Much of the plot after the first chapter revolves around humanity's conflicts with various Xenos species and the protagonist protecting their colonies. Rogue Trader's writing is by far its strongest trait, but it feels oddly paced as the story shifts from its initial premise for dozens of hours.

And while some of that drags, Rogue Trader does excel in its moment-to-moment writing, like in your interactions with Kronos Exapanse's inhabitants and other characters. Humans, like Argenta and Hendrix, who zealously serve the Imperium, do so with different approaches. While the former is gleefully devout, the other is coldly brutal, but what's clear is their dedication.

Even Xenos companions like Yrilet do a wonderful job coming off as truly alien beings despite being humanoid. As my primary romance, Yrilet led me down a surprisingly emotionally charged arc about breaking down cultural barriers and living with the grief of a life you can never return to. It's her little touches, along with phenomenal and distinct voicework from the cast, that really make Rogue Trader sing.

Supplemental details filling in what players can't or won't witness are woefully enchanting. When I'm not shown something happening, text descriptions weave their own flavorful tales that do the job just fine. Rogue Trader's most brutal scenes are often conveyed through text, and it serves its cruelty far better than any images of gore and violence would.

The mini-text adventures play with writing styles, framing my character's deeds and personality from several angles. For instance, one casts me as a powerful figure incapable of wrongdoing, while another voice seeks to turn me into prey. Seeing a massive passage ahead is always a treat, even if I do long for more voiced dialogue.

With the flexibility the Rogue Traders themselves have, some still feel railroaded down particular paths and assigned boxes — that's thanks to labeling certain choices Dogmatic, Iconoclast, and Heretical. Picking these options enforces the protagonist's worldview, with certain dialogue options opening up once far along these paths.

Those paths boil down to exactly what their names infer, too. Dogmatic choices reflect zealotry, while Heretical ones dictate clear rebellion. Iconoclast decisions reflect Heretical ones in that they deviate from norms, but typically for more selfless reasons. It's the path I went for since I tried to play as an outlaw who broke conventions for altruistic reasons.

It's akin to Mass Effect's Paragon and Renegade system, sharing its same ups and downs. After exploring all my options, there isn't much of a reason to deviate from the one ideology. If I stray too far, I risk endgame choices for little benefit. Conceptually, it's neat to tie that morality to gameplay, but yet again, it's limiting and robotic in practice.

Fighting in the Imperium's name!

As with Owlcat's previous games, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader uses turn-based combat, with all combatants using movement and action points. Managing your resource pool between choices to move around and attack grows more complex over time, as you're only allowed a single attack until later levels permit more.

The number of attacks also varies depending on a character's Archetype, Rogue Trader's class equivalents. While there are only a few, character backgrounds and skill variations within an Archetype offer significant flexibility. Those evolutions make characters shine, even if sharing some choices. The scoundrel Jae and voidship navigator Cassia might start as Officers ordering others around, but one can evolve into a frontline commander, while the other remains in the back focusing on buffs.

While that draws some parallels to Owlcat's Pathfinder games, Rogue Trader meaningfully expands on those efforts, particularly when it comes to positioning. You'll need to note strategic spots for cover and weapons with picky ranges. I've learned that the hard way with my powerful Operator sniper, who grows more useless the closer enemies get.

The only real drag when it comes to battles were space combat sessions, as the player's voidship is pretty weak starting out. As the game progresses, however, the inverse slowly happens. Some on-foot battles remain fun and fast, but boss encounters became increasingly frustrating. Although I rarely died more than once in a fight, several bosses were miserable.

One particularly egregious fight sent me against someone taking extra turns when his minions were attacked. I managed to beat him on the second try, but it was irritating to the point the strategic intrigue no longer mattered — I just wanted to speed through for the story. It was an optional fight, sure, but I had to do it for the Psyker Idra's companion quest.

Meanwhile, ship battles improve as you gain new allies and gear, but the challenge heavily pivots into non-existent. It's not bad, but Rogue Trader struggled to find its sweet spot, a balance somewhere to feel like I'm improving and rising to the occasion. It's all good stuff, but there are little layers of irritation. I ultimately enjoyed these encounters, but when it drags, it really suffers.

Is the Warp distorting reality, or is that a bug?

Despite some encounter ups and downs, Rogue Trader never failed its settings. Most of the game finds players in human worlds, where you can smell the dirt and grime of places like Footfall. Contrast this with the player's voidship, whose gothic and industrial aesthetics make it oppressively regal, and you've got something truly impressive in its scope and contrast between locations.

Part of that setting owes its stellar ambiance to its music and general sound design, too. The voidship theme shines as particularly haunting with its low choir, and serves as something appropriately unwelcoming to the hub. Other tracks gently fade into the background, or rely heavily on ambient sounds, but they all read as thoughtfully crafted for each scene.

And while art style really drives Rogue Trader's moody setting, texture quality is truly lacking, especially frustrating with how it runs. Performance is surprisingly unstable on a decent gaming PC, with the framerate often dipping below 60fps with DLSS enabled. It's not a big deal with a game like this, but it's never fun seeing performance abruptly tank in basic areas like the voidship. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous had similar performance issues for me, and it's a shame to see them carry over.

Even more bizarre are the bugs present and how they worsened the longer I played. While the performance hiccups prevailed throughout my playthrough, by hour 45 it wasn't uncommon to see NPCs t-posing, and on one nasty occasion, everyone just stopped moving and forced me to restart. Owlcat is patching Rogue Trader, but I can't help but feel like I'm witnessing its reality collapse in on itself.

Despite the deep issues I have with Rogue Trader, I can't help but love it for what it is. The servitors in my voidship might be perpetually t-posing, but the gothic spaceship remains an amazing hub. Late-game fights can become a slog, but the synergy amidst my party delivers endless satisfaction when builds come together.

Rogue Trader is gargantuan and annoying on occasion, but haunting and wonderful through and through. It captures what makes Warhammer 40,000 so captivating and horrifying through its presentation, setting the mood in a way that keeps me enthralled through the worst of it. If Owlcat is anything, it's a studio that creates RPG diamonds. It hasn't made one without rough edges just yet, though I hope it eventually perfects its craft.

[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]

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At some point today, Bethesda was scheduled to roll out a big update for Starfield, complete with bug fixes a-plenty. However, there's been a slight change to that, as the studio has had to delay the patch, but hopefully not by much.

According to a recent post on Twitter, the team has "discovered an issue we want to address" before the Starfield update can see the light of day. It doesn't say what this issue actually is, but Bethesda evidently needs a little more time before it can be sent out.

However, it doesn't seem as though we'll be waiting too long. The tweet goes on to say that the developer is "aiming to release it later this week," but they'll "confirm timing when we know for sure."

Delays can be good, right?

Considering the patch was supposed to be out today, and we're already on Wednesday, you'd be forgiven for thinking Bethesda might miss the boat for this week. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though.

Microsoft already wanted the release date for Starfield pushed back a few months, presumably so it could be polished to a more suitable standard. What we got was, what some might consider, one of the least buggy Bethesda games in a long time. Though that might not be the flex it initially sounds like.

As for the game itself, well...things aren't going great for Todd Howard's dream project. Over on Steam, reviews stand at "Mostly Negative" for recent scores and "Mixed" overall. There's every possibility Bethesda can make something of a U-turn, but the (now-delayed) update is going to have to be a very good omen of things to come.

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HoYoverse has released a new Developers Discussion previewing some new quality of life changes coming to Genshin Impact Version 4.4. One of these is a new artifact loadout feature that, while exciting at first glance, might not be what players expected.

Not the loadouts we’re looking for

From very soon after the launch of Genshin Impact, players have voiced the need for artifact loadouts. By this, they meant a system similar to Honkai 3rd’s Plans that allows players to save a character’s equipment set, making it easier to switch builds on the go. Genshin Impact characters often have multiple builds or share gear with other characters, so an artifact loadout system has been a common demand within the community for the past three years.

Instead, it looks like the loadouts being implemented in Version 4.4 will consist of artifact recommendations using the artifacts in your inventory. The “quick loadout” recommendations will be based on user data, but you can also customize your criteria to some degree with “custom loadouts.” No matter which method you use to generate your recommended set, there is no mention of being able to save your equipped set or saving multiple sets of gear.

It’s worth noting that Honkai 3rd, another HoYoverse game, has had its Gearing Plans system since April 2019, more than a year before Genshin Impact’s release.

Even if it’s not what veteran players wanted, the quick loadout function could still be useful for casual players. If nothing else, it lets us quickly equip our characters with something usable while using minimal brainpower. I imagine it’ll be nice to have a character fully geared up with one click. 

The custom loadout function looks like it requires a few more brain cells to set up though, and those who really care about min-maxing their artifacts probably already use Genshin Optimizer or other calculators.

Various other quality of life upgrades

Aside from artifact loadouts, it looks like we’ll be getting plenty of other general system upgrades. 

The Encounter Points system was added in Version 4.1, allowing players to bypass daily Commissions. Starting in Version 4.4, you’ll get a reminder alert to talk to Katheryne to claim additional daily rewards. Apparently, many players were forgetting to talk to Katheryne after doing their dailies, myself included.

The number of party slots you can save will be increased from 10 to 15. Additionally, when completing character trials, you can now start the next character’s trial immediately without having to exit back to the overworld. If you’re playing on a PC, there will also be a new setting for borderless windowed mode. 

There will also be a new “Dynamic Character Resolution” function that dynamically changes the details of character models to maximize performance. I can’t see much of a difference between HoYoverse’s example images, but the edges of Aether’s ring-shaped ornament and pauldron do seem a bit smoother after optimization.

Serenitea Pot optimizations

The Serenitea Pot will be receiving some updates too. Certain furnishings will be recategorized for more intuitive searching. After placing a furnishing, your place in scrolling menus will be remembered so that you’re not automatically booted to the start of the list. Companions will show their Friendship Level in the Companions menu. 

There will also be some ordering changes to the images for the furnishing Lingering Moment. This furnishing is a framed photo that showcases each ending for character Hangouts. Starting in Version 4.4, the furnishing will prioritize images from Hangouts you’ve already completed. This part of the Developers Discussion is worded a bit confusingly, so we might have to wait for more details during the Special Program.

When can we expect these updates?

All of these changes are slated to go live in Genshin Impact Version 4.4, which is expected to drop on January 31st. A Special Program has been announced for January 19 at 7:00 AM (UTC-5), which will detail all of the new characters, events, and other content coming in the next version update.

Regardless of their exact implementation, I’m still glad to see the Genshin Impact team continuing to roll out quality of life updates. Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll have the artifact loadout system we really need.

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The multiplayer hit The Finals is still receiving new content, this time in the form of an update and a new gameplay mode.

You can expect plenty from the new update as well as, for the first time, a limited-time game mode. In this mode, called Solo Bank It, you compete in a 12-player PvP on a quest to obtain a total of 40,000 Cash wins. Sound like your kind of thing?

The game mode comes alongside update 1.5.0 which features several improvements to make life easier for players. Perhaps most importantly, you get a security update to improve "anti-cheat and fair play." While this is beneficial, it should be noted that Easy Anti-Cheat is the reason why the game can't be played on the Steam Deck.

Update 1.5.0 also brings a store update, balance changes, and bug fixes, which you see more of in the trailer below.

The Finals hit the world stage with a surprise drop at The Game Awards. SteamDB reveals that while the game has had its highs and lows, it maintains popularity with an all-time peak of 242,619 concurrent players in December 2023.

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Morrowind is just one of those games I'll always go back to. While Skyrim reigns supreme as the most successful Elder Scrolls game, the third installment in Bethesda's series still draws me in. And that's to say nothing about the mods that keep it alive.

For example, if I wanted to release my inner creativity, I could opt for "Write Books and Scrolls," a seemingly simple download that lets you loose on the blank pages of Morrowind.

Brought to us by Nexus Mods user MomokeCome, it allows players to write their own scrolls and books within the world of TES3. Blank versions can be purchased from sellers, at which point you can put quill to paper and "write your own title and text."

Eat your heart out, Salman Rushdie

Okay, maybe I'm over-romanticizing it a bit. But when it comes to fantasy RPGs, not many people think to allow someone to become an in-game writer. We're all about having immense stories with rich lore, but this mod gives us the chance to craft some of our own.

The download page doesn't say whether the blank scrolls and books come with character or word limits, though. Anyone who's played Morrowind and has checked out the sheer breadth of literature available will know that some novels and history books can go on for a few pages.

I could wax lyrical about how I would use the mod to pen the great Elder Scrolls tale. Truth is, I'd probably just use it to remind my character to pick up more ash yams while in Balmora.

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A week ago, I told you about how MIS was the next tech firm to be gunning for Steam Deck's title in the portable PC market, with a device called The Claw. Well, it seems the company is thinking long, long term, with some newer versions of this yet-to-be-released system on the horizon.

In a recent interview with IGN, System Product Managing Director Clifford Chun discussed The Claw, saying that MSI began developing it two years ago. Additionally, this is just one of a possible four models of the device that are "already in the pipeline."

Details are scarce, as you would imagine, but it seems the team is anticipating the release of numerous versions as the technology allows for it. When asked about potential release dates, Chun says it "depends on, for example, the CPU or a graphic upgrade down the road," adding that we should anticipate what MSI will release next.

Has anyone made a Liar, Liar joke yet?

While it's tough to say whether Valve should be quaking in its proverbial boots, The Claw is yet one more in a line of Steam Deck competitors.

We've already had offerings from ASUS with its ROG Ally, and Lenovo released its Legion Go last November. Where The Claw may differ slightly is in its hardware, which is actually making use of the Intel Arc GPU technology.

Whether this will set it apart from the others remains to be seen at this stage (it's still using Windows 11, much like the ROG Ally and Legion Go). The Claw is set to release sometime this year. Who knows what other companies will be preparing their own mobile PC device by then. Oh wait.

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It's a shame Arkane Studios' Ravenholm was cancelled. That would have definitely filled the large Half-Life hole us fans have felt for some time. However, a modding team has been on the case with a custom story that lets us experience the creepy mining town some more.

From the people that brought us the Raising the Bar project – an overhaul of Half-Life 2 that breathes new life into the iconic FPS – comes Raising the Bar: Salvation. In this mod, we fill the shoes of Father Grigori, the pastor of Ravenholm who watches over Gordon Freeman in the official game, as he continues his story.

We get to trek back through the abandoned location, in which the devout man intends to burn the entire place down. You can download the mod here. The above video says you'll also need to install the Division 2.1 file from the Raising the Bar: Redux mod in order for Salvation to work.

The holiest shotgun-wielder around

What makes this slightly intriguing is its approach to combat. The team has said that resources are a bit more scarce, and players will only have a limited amount of supplies. With just a shotgun, custom mines, and a Duke Nukem-style kick, it becomes more about picking one's battles.

Father Grigori was definitely one of the most interesting characters in Half-Life 2. While only in the one section of the game, and not always visible on-screen, his presence is often felt by the player, as gunfire and manic laughs are heard in the distance.

He's part of what makes the Ravenholm chapter such a standout. While we may never know what happens to Gordon Freeman in any future Half-Life installments, Salvation at least fills in some of the side narrative. And isn't that just as important?

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