The Game Awards is generally known to showcase some pretty major announcements over the years when ads aren't playing. But this year will reportedly have "at least two" moments that may leave you shouting "holy sh*t." Who knows? Maybe it won't be some Kojima thing this time.

As spotted by VGC, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier says that The Game Awards 2024 is shaping up to have some major reveals. In a recent Kinda Funny Games Daily video, Schreier reports that people will swear like sailors at their screens during the show.

"There are at least two things that will make you guys reacting say ‘holy sh*t, I can’t believe it’s here’,” he told host Tim Gettys.

Maybe it'll be Bloodborne 2, obviously

Schreier's claim is the kind of thing that should raise eyebrows. The show has played host to many WORLD PREMIERE trailers that took the stage by storm. In 2020, Microsoft showed up to reveal a new Perfect Dark game. The following year, Remedy unveiled Alan Wake 2, a sequel over a decade in the making (and my 2023 GOTY), along with the Elden Ring story trailer. Hades 2 and Death Stranding 2 were announced in 2022, and Monster Hunter Wilds was revealed last year.

If what Schreier said is true, then expectations should now be set fairly high for The Game Awards 2024. We don't really know what's in store until the show, which starts on December 12 at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Players will no doubt speculate. Undoubtedly, there are many people crossing their fingers for one particular From Software franchise. Folks have been begging for a Bloodborne remaster or sequel for ages, and show no signs of slowing down. But we may also finally hear more about Beyond Good and Evil 2, though it may take an act of the divine for that to happen.

We won't know for sure until the show kicks off. Stay tuned to Destructoid for all our coverage of The Game Awards 2024.

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Inti Creates is great at pumping out fun and attractive 2D action games, and 2023's Gal Guardians: Demon Purge cemented that notion further. Now a date is in place for the sequel, which PQube will publish on March 27, 2025. 

Titled Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark, the next entry is on the way to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. The followup was originally revealed in September, promising more cooperative action ahead of its Tokyo Game Show appearance later that month. 

This time around, the setting shifts from a single castle to the wider demon world surrounding it. Player characters Kirika and her younger sister Masha each have different abilities, making it essential to switch between them as you explore. In addition to the single-player swapping, online co-op is available for those who would rather explore simultaneously with a friend. 

You can see the demon maid sisters in action in the release date trailer below.

Known in Japan as Grim Guardians, the first entry had to change its name in the west due to a legal claim from the owners of fantasy series Grimguard. While the western release is listed as digital-only for now, Japan is getting a physical edition in April. The limited edition version packs the game with an art book, an acrylic chain, and a two-disc soundtrack CD. 

Fitting for its expanded scope, PQube describes the sequel as a "fully-realized Metroidvania," complete with the ability to switch between Casual, Veteran, and Legend styles. Kirika and Masha's sub-weapons and abilities can be used to unlock different routes throughout the world so it should be fun to experiment with exploration when this one launches early next year. 

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Another update, another hiccup in Destiny 2. The Dawning event, the winter holiday event for the game, began on December 10, and while its new dragon-themed armor was getting the initial attention, Bungie accidentally made the event's optional paid event card free for players to claim.

The studio was quick to correct its mistake, but it's just yet another glaring issue added to the steady stream of bugs and missteps that have plagued Episode: Revenant.

During the Dawning, the Tower gets decked out in lights, Eva Levante shows up to help Guardians bake cookies, and snowballs appear in certain activities. While many players will spend their time baking, the cosmetic rewards are the real draw of the holiday. Alongside the new draconic appearance, Bungie also offered its typical paid event card, but it was accidentally made free for those who were quick enough before the studio swooped back in to disable it.

Bah humbugs

While it doesn't reward any gear or upgrade materials, the premium event card for the Dawning does offer exclusive access to certain event-specific cosmetics. When players upgrade to the premium Dawning event card, they'll immediately unlock a holiday-wrapped present-themed sparrow called Gift Wrapped, a blue and purple shader that perfectly compliments the dragon-themed cosmetics, and the Cozy Cat Emote that lets Guardians sit by a fireplace with their pet cat. Additional rewards are available through the premium event card, but those must be unlocked with Event Tickets earned by completing Event Challenges.

Once Bungie realized the premium Dawning event card was bugged to be freely given to early players, the studio quickly removed the entire event card system from Destiny 2. While this was only temporary, and both the free and premium event cards are now available again, there was a period where player participation was not tracked toward appropriate Event Challenge progress. That said, players who lucked out will not lose what they gained. "Players who obtained the Dawning Event Card Upgrade while it was incorrectly listed at no cost will keep it. Bank error in your favor - Happy Dawning," the studio commented.

More coal in your stocking

A wonky event card is one thing, but that's not all that's wrong with 2024's Dawning holiday. Bungie has confirmed several issues, including Dawning weapons not being focusable or rolling with the intended double Perks. Some holiday-related Triumphs are also seemingly broken, and players have both become stuck during the initial Dawning Quests or have been unable to start the event with additional characters after initially commencing the Dawning with a different character.

Episode: Revenant was already messy between Weightgate and the recent Tonic controversy. Now, the Dawning is here and stuffed with bugs and issues, too. It's just further fuel on the fire for Bungie's already precarious predicament, and the Destiny 2 community is reaching its wits' end. Destiny 2 content creator RickKackis said, "The Dawning Event Card is Glitched and ends up being removed[,] Double Perks on Dawning Weapons don't work[,] If you switch characters your quest progress is lost Bungie, just give the damn Event Card to Every Destiny 2 Player. There's not many players left. Treat them well."

Bungie has been communicative since the start of the Dawning, noting and following up on each identified issue as solutions are reached. The studio has shared that the Dawning event card is working back in-game and that weapon focusing should be working as intended. As for the other issues plaguing the event, hopefully, Bungie can right the ship before it saps the holiday spirit and goodwill out of the players sticking around.

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Pokémon has just announced a brand-new partnership with Aardman Animations, the legendary British studio behind several stop-motion classics, like Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and Wallace & Gromit.

The brief but charming trailer released alongside this announcement shows two red and white balls joining to form a stop-motion Pokéball, and it's accompanied by a message that confirms this project is coming in 2027. Aardman revealed a bit more about this collaboration on its official website, with a statement that claims the studio is "bringing its unique style of storytelling to the Pokémon universe in brand-new adventures."

Aardman's managing director, Sean Clarke, stated that "Aardman and TPCi share an emphasis on heritage and attention to detail as well as putting our fans and audiences at the heart of what we do, which we know will steer us right as we together create charming, original and new stories for audiences around the world." Lastly, The Pokémon Company's vice president of marketing and media, Taito Okiura, said, "This is a dream partnership for Pokémon. Aardman are masters of their craft, and we have been blown away by their talent and creativity."

So what are Pokémon & Aardman going to work together on?

Neither company has revealed whether they're working on a show, a movie, a stop-motion video game, or something else entirely. The Pokémon IP is no stranger to stop-motion animation since Netflix released Pokémon Concierge in early 2024. While Dwarf Studios animated that show, it's possible that Aardman may assist in the production of its second season.

However, it's unlikely that The Pokémon Company would partner with an animation studio as prestigious and renowned as Aardman for something as minimal assistance on the second season of an existing show. Considering that TPCi has been further adapting its flagship IP into other forms of entertainment over the last few years, like live-action movies and TV shows, it's possible that its project with Aardman may end up being way more ambitious than we initially thought.

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Monolith Software, creators of the excellent Xenoblade Chronicles franchise, is one of the biggest developers that's working closely with Nintendo nowadays. The company's higher-ups were very much aware of this valuable partnership, seeing as the Big N now fully owns the studio.

Per Automaton Media, Monolith Soft recently updated its official Japanese website, and now it lists Nintendo as owning 100% of the studio. This is especially interesting because, back in March 2024, Monolith Soft released a company brochure that revealed that its founders, Tetsuya Takahashi, Yasuyuki Honne and Hirohide Sugiura, shared 4% of its ownership. So it seems that they transferred this percentage over to Nintendo, so now the gaming giant can have full control of it.

This isn't much of a surprise, however, because Nintendo actually bought Monolith Soft back in 2007, but it still had to share part of it with the previous owner, Bandai Namco, until it raised its stake to 96% later, in 2011. But now, the Big N finally has complete control, and it seems like the perfect time for this acquisition, considering that Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is coming out in March 2025.

Monolith Soft already did a lot for Nintendo anyway

This full acquisition was both inevitable and crucial for Nintendo. For starters, Monolith Software is entirely responsible for every single Xenoblade Chronicles game, including multiple remasters and expansions. This is one of the highest-quality and most beloved modern JRPG franchises, and the fact every single entry is exclusive to a Nintendo system has certainly helped the brand.

But if that wasn't already enough, Monolith Soft also functioned as a supporting developer in many other big Nintendo games that have nothing to do with the Xenoblade Chronicles IP. Its developers assisted in the development of Pikmin 3, Splatoon 3, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and more. But their most important contribution was their assistance in the making of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the most ambitious, successful, and influential video games that Nintendo has ever released. Needless to say, Monolith Soft is very important for this gaming giant, and hopefully, its developers will get to work on many other exciting projects now that Nintendo owns 100% of it.

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The surprise Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.2 has arrived, expanding character customization options, adding more vehicles, and giving you a chance to ride alongside your buddy Johnny Silverhand. There are also bug fixes and Photo Mode changes, including a way to display your best shots in your apartment.

The update probably won't light too many fires under the butts of those done with the game, but the changes were requested by the community at large. Those still tearing up the streets of Night City should be pleased with what Update 2.2 brings to the table.

What's included in Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.2

A standout feature introduced by the update is the ability to scan vehicle colors and apply them to the vehicle you're driving. Using Kiroshi optics, you can scan a vehicle and buy its color for your own. Based on the patch notes, it sounds like the swap can be done on the fly and can be used to drop your wanted level. If that's the case, it's a big step up from going to a Pay 'n' Spray. CrystalCoat tech covers additional vehicle models such as the Herrera, Mizutani, and more.

While driving, Johnny can now pop up to ride shotgun. He chills on the side, reacting and making comments as you drive. Hopefully, he doesn't criticize your driving too much. Knowing me, he'll have a lot of harsh things to say.

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.2 adds more features to the Photo Mode. Shutterbugs will now have increased camera range, Full Collision and camera lock options, a characters tab, an Effect Intensity Slider, and more. You can also hang your favorite images in your apartment using SmartFrames picture frames.

Customization options have also been expanded with over 100 more options, ranging from nail color to makeup. CD Projekt Red added a new slider called Plain-to-Punk, which automatically ramps up the emo look the further you go.

There's plenty more to parse in the patch notes, including bug fixes and quest changes. Give it a look before returning to the streets.

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I think it's fair to say that Starfield is a decent game, pretty vast in scope, but it didn't quite reach the lofty heights Bethesda was hoping for. Still, it's a year and a bit later, and it's managing to draw people in, but it's unfortunately struggling to shake off that "Mixed" review score on Steam.

However, that won't deter the modding community, the tenacious and ambitious bunch that they are, and this new one combines the world of Starfield with the carnage of modern Doom. Over on the Bethesda Creations site, "At Hell's Gate" is now available to play for free. Check out the brief trailer for it below.

The description has this to say about it:

A band of mercenaries has narrowly escaped an encounter with something that can only be described as beyond evil. Investigate this mysterious happening and prevent a vile force from invading your universe.

DoomField! (Puns are easy)

The mod – which is available on both PC and Xbox Series X|S versions of Starfield – also comes with some tasty bonuses after you complete the new quest. Once done, you'll get access to a spacesuit that's based on Doom's Praetor Suit, the Super Shotgun (natch), and the Crucible Blade.

There are also six plushies that can be crafted if you wish to decorate your Starfield outposts and homes. When you download "At Hell's Gate," you can start the mission by "approaching an SSNN broadcast pillar in any of the major cities, such as New Atlantis, Cydonia, Akila City, or Neon."

This official Creations mod comes from the minds of Kinggath Creations, the team that's also responsible for the "Bard's College Expansion" and "East Empire Expansion" quests for Skyrim, as well as Sim Settlements 2, the rather vast sequel to the city-building project that you can download for Fallout 4.

So, you know, these guys weren't just banging rocks together when they decided to blend Doom with Starfield. They seem to know what they're doing.

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Valve's Steam Deck is easily the most popular modern PC gaming handheld, and that's for good reason. Sure, it's not the most performant of the bunch, but it's got excellent software and community, and a relatively low asking price. The latter is now better still, with refurbished OLED Steam Decks.

That's right: whereas Valve's official Deck refurbishment program only stocked the original LCD Steam Deck models, it has now been expanded to support the superior OLED models as well. This is an entirely new development that wasn't previously announced in any meaningful capacity, but calling this move welcome would be a severe understatement. The price drop on refurbished models is steep, and if you're in the market for a Steam Deck, I genuinely believe there's no reason to purchase an LCD model off of Valve any longer.

Get a Steam Deck OLED on the cheap via the official Valve refurbishment program

As per Valve's latest announcement, you can now purchase a refurbished Steam Deck OLED directly off of Steam without any need for third-party suppliers/retrofitters. This offer is only valid for US, Canada, UK, and European Union markets, but it's a phenomenal deal regardless.

All Steam Deck models available via Valve's official refurbishment hug page come with a special "Valve Certified Refurbished" tag that means you're getting a working unit no matter what. "Each Certified Refurbished Steam Deck has been thoroughly tested to the same high standards as our retail units," says Valve. "Every device goes through a complete factory reset, software update, and an extensive examination involving over 100 tests at one of Valve's facilities. Among the tests are all controller inputs, the audio system, the screen, and the internals. Battery health is also assessed to ensure proper functionality and longevity."

Now, the obvious caveat is that VCR Steam Decks "may have minor cosmetic blemishes," but Valve guarantees a "reliable, high-quality gaming experience," at a lower cost.

And this is where the crucial kicker lies: the cost is substantially lower. The factory-new 512 GB OLED Steam Deck will set you back a substantial 569,00€ in the EU, for example, whereas the same VCR model will only cost 459,00€. That's right, we're looking at a drop of over 100 euro per unit. The 1 TB OLED Steam Deck, on the other hand, costs 679,00€ factory-new, while the refurbished model comes in at a lovely 549,00€. Talk about savings!

And if you're worried about losing out on goodies that you get with a brand-spanking-new Steam Deck, don't be. Every single Valve Certified Refurbished device comes with:

• A full one-year warranty package (equivalent to that of a factory-new Steam Deck)
• A refurbished power supply that's been fully tested, but may have cosmetic blemishes.
• The usual carrying case and quick-start guide package.

It's an excellent deal, in other words. You only have to be okay with getting a potentially slightly scuffed Deck, though I'd like to point out that this doesn't seem to be a huge concern. Users have reported getting devices that look essentially brand new, so you should be good to go, too.

One thing worth pointing out is that refurbished LCD Steam Decks are fully out of stock as it stands, and it'll be curious to see if they do get re-stocked in the end. Remember: only the 256 GB LCD model is now sold, with the rest of the spectrum covered by the higher-grade OLED Decks.

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Team17 has announced that they’re teaming up with Radical Forge to trim the greens for Golf With Your Friends 2, a follow-up to Team17 and Blacklight Interactive’s 2020 (technically 2016) party golf game. It’s planned for release in 2025 on PC and console.

Where’s Blacklight Interactive? I dunno. I’ve done some legwork to find out, then I followed-up with Team17’s PR. If I find out, I’ll let you know. It is important to note, however, that Team17 lent quite a lot of support to the development of the first game, as much as it was often said to be the work of three people.

Radical Forge seems like a reasonable substitution, as their previous game was Bright Paw, and they’ve been working on Southfield. The latter title was delayed from its Early Access release this past June due to performance concerns with a new release date not yet set. Picking up work from another publisher may be a way of making ends meet while getting their other project off the ground, or it might just be a cool opportunity. I don’t know! Just speculating here.

Anyway, Golf With Your Friends is actually more of a mini-golf game where you and as many other people as you can rope in compete to put balls in holes. The twist is that you’re all teeing off at the same time and trying to brute force your way to par. Courses also tend to twist reality in ways that it wasn’t supposed to bend.

I never played Golf With Your Friends because I don’t meet the requirements outlined in the title. It got lukewarm reception from critics, but everyone I’ve talked to who have played it always said good things. Maybe all critics are like me and have trouble getting anyone to sit in the same room as them. Or maybe it’s just the sort of thing that is more fun when you aren’t taking it too seriously. Speculating again.

Golf With Your Friends 2 looks like more of the same, as far as I can tell. The trailer doesn’t really show gameplay; just a short skit followed by a slow pan of a course beneath the logo. Screenshots also just show courses. We’ll have to use our imaginations to visualize balls. It will be starting in Early Access, and is said to be planning a six-month stay there. It will start at two courses, and by 1.0 release will have six.

Golf With Your Friends 2 is coming to PC and “consoles” sometime in 2025.

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Well, the time has come. Rocksteady confirmed what some have assumed: Season 4 of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be the end of the line. As the team steers toward moving on from the game, it has included an Offline Mode and a new playable character.

Deathstroke is joining the game as its last playable character. He joins the crew just as they roll up to Brainiac for one last party. This all culminates in Season 4: Episode 8 in January, when the story concludes.

"With Deathstroke joining the roster, the Suicide Squad’s crusade against Brainiac is drawing to an end," Rocksteady wrote in the announcement post. "Season 4 will finish up with Episode 8, which is scheduled to be released in January 2025, and that will serve as the last seasonal Episode for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. While Season 4 Episode 8 will mark the final battle against Brainiac, all online features will continue to be available, so you’ll still be able to enjoy co-op with friends, as well as all previous seasonal/episodic content."

Suicide Squad Season 4 adds Deathstroke and Offline Mode

It does feel somewhat inevitable to see Suicide Squad finally getting ready for the big sleep. The game cratered after launch, falling from its peak of over 13,000 players to under 1,000 in less than a month. Publisher Warner Bros. has expressed disappointment with the game, and news of reported layoffs at Rocksteady later followed. The new character and Offline Mode have barely made much of a blip at SteamDB. It's a shame, but it wasn't hard to see the end approaching. Such is the way of the live service industry.

Offline Mode went live with Season 4 Episode 7 on December 10 for all players, allowing game owners to experience the game without being tethered to the internet. The mode lets you play all the game's content, ranging from the main story campaign to the additional story missions introduced by the seasons. You can access it with a new character or copy an online profile. Rocksteady has released an FAQ about how it all works.

Season 4, Episode 7 is just starting and is adding more weapons and locations. It includes a medieval Elseworld region, reimagining Smallville as, erm, ye olde Smallville. Charming. You can take the fight to Brainiac using new weapons from Gorilla Grodd's Infamy Set. If you ever wanted to use a hairy sniper rifle with a gorilla face, boy, do I have some news for you.

Check out the rest of the Season 4 notes for more.

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In a parallel universe, Marvel Rivals and Concord might have been distant competitors, but in our reality, the two titles have had contrasting fortunes.

While the hero shooter containing superheroes and villains from the Marvel universe is off to a flying start, Concord's launch was disastrous, to say the least. Much has been made about why Sony's mega project didn't manage to get a strong reception from the audience, and it appears that Thaddeus Sasser, who is the game director of Marvel Rivals, has two key points as possible reasons.

Marvel Rivals director believes Concord didn't offer unique value

In a podcast with VideoGamer, Sasser shared his insights about why Concord might have failed to lift off. This podcast happened before Marvel Rivals launched, and Sasser believes that there wasn't anything in Concord to make players forego the resources they might have invested in similar titles like Overwatch.

There's a switching cost,

I've already invested in Overwatch, I've got 15 skins for Pharah, I'm not going anywhere."

Sasser was pretty cautious about his predictions for Marvel Rivals back then, emphasizing the relatively uncertain nature of the video game industry.

The truth is that I don't think anybody can accurately predict this or the game industry would be radically different today. There's a lot of games that come out that people are like 'it's going to do well' then it flops or people come out and go 'it's going to flop' and it succeeds amazingly. So, I think it's really hard to tell ahead of time and you're always worried about that."

On the podcast, Sasser was hopeful that fans would be able to share the same love he has about the project, with the Marvel characters being the highlight. One week later, it's certain that Marvel Rivals has been getting the love of the community.

Be it the Steam reviews or concurrent player count on PC alone, Marvel Rivals has managed to become an instant hit with the fans. It's not only about the characters, as the roster offers decent variety. The microtransactions are truly optional, and players don't miss out on any key gameplay component if they choose not to spend.

Concord, on the other hand, had a poor launch, and it proved to be fatal for the project. While the developers did continue to make updates to improve the situation at hand, Sony decided to pull the plug on the project, and there's no way of knowing if the IP has any future at all.

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It feels like it wasn’t so long ago that I was playing Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, but already we’re hearing of a new game from Happy Broccoli Games, Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping. It’s coming in 2025.

Oh, right. I just remembered what “glamping” is: glamorous camping. The opposite of roughing it. This time around, things get a little supernatural, as the detective investigates a haunting at the campgrounds. The trailer also makes a big deal about his bread addiction and related divorce. Poor guy. How else is he supposed to make sandwiches?

As the name implies, you play as a duck P.I. named Eugene McQuacklin, who investigates things. You gather clues, then put them together to make a clear picture of what went down and make some “deducktions.” Last time, it was an office theft that blew up into a bigger case, which is relatively mundane compared to hauntings. I’m wondering if it’s going to be one of those rubber mask Scooby Doo situations.

To be honest, I didn’t dig The Secret Salami all that much. It was fine. Mostly, I felt that the worldbuilding, characters, and dialogue could have been better, which is all things that can be improved in a sequel. It’s not surprising to see one so soon since it’s likely that Happy Broccoli Games have all their tools together and learned lessons from the last project. I’m just hoping that The Ghost of Glamping has a bit more meat on its bones.

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping will release on PC sometime in 2025.

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Rafael Grassetti, a seasoned artist who worked as an art director in both God of War (2018) and its sequel, God of War: Ragnarök, has recently made a surprise announcement on his personal Twitter/X account.

That's right, with a cryptic but exciting message that simply says "New chapter", Grassetti officially announced that he has joined Naughty Dog, the famous Sony developer behind great games like Uncharted or The Last of Us. While he didn't specify what his new role at the studio is, he's most likely going to keep working as an artist, possibly even as an art director, in one of its upcoming games.

After all, Grassetti has not only worked as art director in the two most recent God of War games (Both of which were constantly praised for their beautiful art), but he also worked as a character artist in multiple other projects, like The Order: 1886, Killzone: Shadow Fall and Mass Effect 3. His personal LinkedIn also reveals that he left Santa Monica Studio back in May 2023 before joining Netflix's failed AAA game studio, which shut down back in October.

Fortunately for Grassetti, he was able to return to another one of Sony's many subsidiaries. Considering that people often praise Naughty Dog's games for their excellent art direction and that Grassetti has proven how talented he is over and over, he seems like a perfect fit for the studio, and whatever project he'll eventually work on will certainly benefit from his skills.

So, what exactly is Naughty Dog working on now?

Rafael Grassetti's new position at Naughty Dog is exciting, but it also left us with one big question: What exactly is he going to work on now? After all, the studio has focused mainly on the The Last of Us IP in the last few years, including a PS5 remake of Part 1 and a PS5 remaster of Part 2 that came out in January 2024. The series' creator and director, Neil Druckmann has even hinted that he's already working on a potential The Last of Us Part 3.

But, the problem is that Naughty Dog has most likely been working on a third entry in the The Last of Us franchise for a very long time. Considering that art direction is usually one of the first steps of the game development process, it's extremely unlikely that the studio exclusively hired Grassetti so he can work on the art of The Last of Us Part 3, meaning that it's possible he's already working on its next big project.

What is this video game going to be? Nobody knows, but many people have accused Naughty Dog of focusing too much on the Last of Us series since at least 2020, so maybe it's time for it to unveil a brand-new IP, not to mention that Druckmann has already hinted that this is exactly what they're doing. After all, this is the studio that brought us classic franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter and Uncharted, so it would be both fascinating and refreshing to see what its developers can do now, especially with a talented artist like Grassetti in the art director's chair.

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After a successful Early Access launch weekend, Path of Exile 2 developer Grinding Gear Games has posted an update on the ARPG's official forums highlighting an imminent update aimed at fixing a lot of the early frustrations players are having. As part of the update, the hotly debated topic of loot drops and plenty of QOL changes will be implemented.

A successful Early Access launch

Despite a rocky launch day where the servers for Path of Exile 2 where the servers struggled to handle the hundreds of thousands of players all trying to login at once, the rest of the launch weekend has gone rather smoothly for the Early Access launch of the highly anticipated ARPG. However, as players put some serious time into their characters over the weekend and completed the two campaign playthroughs required to unlock the ARPG's endgame, some started to see some potential issues.

The major point of contention I've seen from players has been about the amount of loot—or rather, the lack of it—throughout the campaign and even into the endgame. For comparison, reaching the endgame in PoE features simple rare monster kills resulting in literal loot explosions that require loot filters to hide a majority of the useless loot.

As it stands in Path of Exile 2 at the moment, that's far from what players can expect. In fact, many players have reported going through an entire map, the endgame form of content, and only receiving a couple of Currency drops and worthwhile items to even bother picking up. That being said, Path of Exile 2 as a whole is a much more methodical and tactful version of its predecessor, which has caused a debate about whether loot drops really are too low or if that's simply how this new version of Path of Exile is intended to be played.

It's all about the Loot

With the upcoming changes in the first update, it looks as though the truth is somewhere in the middle. According to Grinding Gear Games, players currently feel as though the game is simply not rewarding enough. The team was quick to point out that overall it's an area in which they have to be very careful when adjusting as it's very hard to in turn reduce drop rates after they've been increased as once players feel a certain level of increase, they never want to go back from it. This is an issue that over the years has really ballooned the current Path of Exile into the state its in now after a decade of updates.

Here are the major loot changes GGG is planning with the update:

• Rare and Unique Monsters will drop more and better loot based on difficulty.

  • Rarity bonus per rare mod has been doubled
  • +10% Quantity bonus per rare mod
  • Increased the chance of rare monsters inherently having more modifiers as you progress through endgame

• Currency will drop more

  • Regal orb drop rates increased around 40%
  • Disenchanting of six mod rares to give two regal shards instead of one.
  • Lesser Jewellers orbs drop rates increased around 33%
  • Reduced the drop rate of Chaos Orbs slightly as they are less valued and so that it doesn't consume so much of the "rare currency" drop pool. This causes currency such as Exalted Orbs to increase somewhat.
  • Gemcutter's Prism drop rates increased by 500%
  • Gemcutter's Prisms now increase quality on gems by 5% instead of 1%

• Higher Map Difficulty will lead to more drops

  • Rarity mods have been increased by 2.5x
  • Quantity mods have had extra rarity added to them (This is now in a later patch)
  • We removed the bottom tier of some mods
  • You are much more likely to roll modifiers that affect drops or pack size rather than less useful mods

• Unlucky Drop Protection added

  • No more than 50% of an Unique monsters drops can be gold
  • Act Bosses and Map Bosses will always drop at least 1 rare

Overall, these seem like very simple yet effective ways to increase the overall rewards players are receiving. As a longtime player of PoE, I can appreciate the limited loot drops in PoE2. But at the moment, it certainly does feel too reserved. I recently reached the end game and through my first 10 maps, I only received a few pieces of lower currency items and not a single item drop that was an upgrade, and only a few even worth bringing back to sell or disenchant. It felt like I didn't progress at all after those 10 maps and was rather just doing them to do them. These changes will certainly help that.

Putting Quality in Quality of Life

While the loot changes are the biggest part of the update, there are some big quality-of-life changes coming as well. For starters, the dodge roll is being changed slightly. Player sizes will now be zero instead of one while dodging, meaning that while players can still get trapped, it shouldn't happen often. And smaller monsters can now be pushed out of the way when dodge rolling instead of acting like an impenetrable barrier.

Another big quality-of-life update is to how Checkpoints work. At the moment, they only exist as a respawn point for the most recently reached Checkpoint. With the update, you will now be able to click a checkpoint you've already visited to teleport to that Checkpoint. Furthermore, Checkpoints have been added to all entrances and exits of ones, as well as to the midway point of the long and arduous Dreadnought area. This will allow players to more easily maneuver the game as they progress.

As a whole, these are promising early updates to Path of Exile 2. Grinding Gear Games has always been quick to respond to player feedback, and I'm happy to see that process continue right out of the gate for the new ARPG.

The post Path of Exile 2 First Update brings much needed loot and QOL changes appeared first on Destructoid.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is the most highly anticipated video game that's currently in development, and its eventual release is likely going to change the industry forever. With Rockstar currently aiming for a 2025 release, this gaming juggernaut is understandably intimidating many other companies.

Anonymous sources from competing video game publishers talked to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier and confirmed that these companies are waiting as long as possible to see when Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch before they announce a specific release date for their own products. They're especially concerned because Rockstar still hasn't announced an official date for the game, and nobody is really sure if it's going to make its deadline or if the studio will delay it to 2026.

The concerns of these competitors are 100% justified because Grand Theft Auto 6 will inevitably become the biggest game of whatever year it comes out in. Almost everyone will be playing it and talking about it on social media for at least a few weeks after its launch, so releasing another high-budget video game around the same time would be a death sentence, no matter what IP it belongs to.

You can expect multiple game delays the moment Rockstar announces its concrete release date. Nevertheless, the fact that GTA 6 is having this big of an effect on the entire industry is undeniable proof of how excited consumers are about it. After all, they have been waiting for this game for over 10 years, seeing as GTA 5 came out way back in 2013.

Is Grand Theft Auto 6 actually coming out in 2025?

At the end of the day, that's the real question. Rockstar released the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer a little over a year ago (which quickly became one of the most watched game trailers in YouTube's history) that confirmed that it's going to come out sometime in 2025 but hasn't revealed much more information about the game since.

In the span of a year, there have been multiple rumors about the potential release of a second trailer, but it hasn't materialized yet. To make things even worse, Rockstar's parent company and GTA 6's publisher, Take-Two, laid off 400 employees back in April, which many fans saw as a bad sign. On the bright side, the CEO of the company, Strauss Zelnick, said that Rockstar delayed the game internally because it "seeks perfection" and that, fortunately, Take-Two is confident that Grand Theft Auto 6 will come out in the Fall of 2025.

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If I received a penny for every time I did a post about a Doom or Doom 2 mod, I'd probably have enough to buy at least a loaf of bread. That may not sound impressive, but bread can be expensive these days, so that would easily equate to a couple hundred posts. It's still a fair amount for one person.

The point is that I've found another one. This one hits closer to home, as it pertains to a dystopian version of my home country, England. Also, the dystopian premise. That checks out as well. Over on ModDB, user chazlee is bringing us "Bolero," a dark take on ol' Blighty, with plenty of "urban dismay and raw insanity" to boot.

Taking on "Cannibals, Cultists, Nazi Bikers," and more in this Doom 2 mod, this is very much going for a leather-clad 1970s vibe, which is not quite my era, but I'm here for it all the same.

Dance, dance the Bolero

Sadly, "Bolero" is not yet out, with the download page simply having it down as TBD for its release date. For now, the images on ModDB will have to suffice, although it's hard to know what to expect from screenshots. But I do like the dark purple sky and biker gang vibe I get from what I assume is a title image.

Hopefully, it won't be too long until it's out. We all know the old Doom games inside and out by now, so it's always interesting to see the ways in which the fan base keeps tinkering with the original. It's no wonder we keep talking about the games. Or at least I do.

Add onto that all the bizarre ways Doom has been ported, which includes a version of it on Nintendo's Alarmo device and even placed within the cutesy world of Stardew Valley. Seriously, if I ever get sick of talking about the mods for these classic id Software games, know that I have been taken over by some sort of sentient amoeba*.

^{*"So what else is new!" Says the funniest person in the room.}

The post This Doom 2 mod will turn the game into 1970s dystopian England…with cannibals appeared first on Destructoid.

After 12 years of waiting, fans must have been quite delighted to see Path of Exile 2 finally drop on PC and console the other day. According to the game's Steam page, Grinding Gears' follow-up to its popular action RPG is going down a storm so far. In fact, it's hitting some pretty big numbers, according to recent data.

As always, we turn our attention to SteamDB – the third-party website that tracks all things related to Valve's gaming platform. Despite the fact that Path of Exile 2 has only been out a few days, it's already racked up 578,569 players on PC, with over 498,000 getting involved in the past 24 hours.

This is even more impressive when you realize the game's out in early access. Of course, it's been on more than a few people's radars, so it stands to reason that hype may be part of the reason we're seeing such impressive figures so soon after the early access launch. To say nothing of the number of console players who must have logged in.

The path continues

At the time of writing, Path of Exile 2 is at the number two spot on Steam's Top Sellers chart, though this is pretty typical for new releases. However, I'm pretty sure I saw it at number one yesterday, having temporarily knocked the Steam Deck from its pedestal. But it seems normal service has resumed.

Work is obviously still ongoing, and the developer recently said in a post on X that a hotfix is on the way. This small update will make it so "Raging Spirits can only summon 5 Raging Spirits per cast at all levels." The team also says it will be "making adjustments to other Trigger Meta-Gems," so keep an eye out for that.

Another post on X says Grinding Gears has been keeping an eye on feedback, and has been pleased with how the launch over the weekend went. Keep doing what you're doing, I guess, if you're currently playing and enjoying Path of Exile 2.

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Even though we’ve just said goodbye to the massive Halloween Event, Dress to Impress certainly isn’t taking it easy for the holiday season. The new Winter Update is on its way to the dress-up game, and it’s one for the ages. 

The Winter Update and Winter Event will bring a whole host of new content for players to enjoy when it kicks off. We’re here to give you all the details we know so far about the Winter Event in Dress to Impress.

When does the Winter Update begin in Dress to Impress

The update will take place on Saturday, December 14 at 11 AM EST. This is not only when the game will undergo the large update, but also when the Winter Event itself will begin.

The event is currently scheduled to finish at 12 PM EST on Tuesday, January 14 according to the event page on Roblox. This is standard for Dress to Impress events, where players will have a month to explore the event and unlock all the content that it has to offer. Make sure all of your DTI codes are entered!

What’s new in the Winter Update in Dress to Impress

As per usual for each update, fashionistas will be getting plenty of new items to dress up with, including:

• New hairstyles
• New clothing
• New makeup
• New poses

The new clothing will include a Santa-themed hat and dress, as shown in the official teaser:

As well as this Ice Queen set, including outfit and shoes:

Both of these sets are confirmed to include a few toggles, to further customize the outfits. We’ve seen some sneak peeks of other new additions, notably colored fishnets. This item has been long requested by the player base, so it’s nice to hear the DTI team listening to feedback.

We’ve also gotten a look at some festive new makeup from Asaqin, one of the digital artists who works with the team:

There will be plenty to check out once the update hits, so we’d recommend hopping into Freeplay mode to give yourself a chance to check it all out 

New gameplay in Dress to Impress Winter Update

Along with all the new items, we’ll also be getting some updates to the game itself. A new lobby will be put in place, themed for Christmas, just like the massive Halloween lobby that was available for the October event.

There will also be functional ice skating, where you can glide around a rink dressed in your favorite outfits. We’ve got a sneak peek from developer M0TOPRINCESS that gives us a look at the ice rink:

It’s been confirmed that there will also be an event calendar that rewards you for logging on throughout the holiday season. We don’t know much about how the event calendar will work, or what the prerequisites will be, but we do know that some of the new makeup will be a part of this calendar.

Finally, as is expected for an event, we’ll get a new loading screen and logo to enjoy for the duration of the season.

There’s plenty more to look forward to for the Winter Update for DTI, and new information and sneak peeks are released regularly on the official DTI Discord. Check it out if you’re eager for more news. 

The post Everything we know about the Dress to Impress Winter Update appeared first on Destructoid.

After less than a week, Infinity Nikki has already hit over 10 million downloads, and the developer wants to celebrate with free special bonuses.

Everyone who has made at least some progress in the game is eligible for the rewards. The developer on X announced the news but warned players that they must have the Pear-Pal feature unlocked first. For those just starting, I suggest giving our guide on how to claim rewards in Infinity Nikki a read.

"Infinity Nikki has reached over 10 million downloads worldwide," the developer wrote on X. "On this whimsical journey, take each step with confidence and embrace the brilliance of every moment. Let's set forth toward a bright and sparkling future!"

Rewards for Infinity Nikki 10 million downloads

Developer Infold Games is offering two bonuses for its millions of fashion-friendly players. The rewards include:

• 10 Free Draws
• 10 Resonite Crystal

Nothing should get a gacha player's interest higher than bonus draws, right? Infinity Nikki is a free-to-play game that makes its cash with a gacha system. The game revolves around gaining outfits that grant special abilities. Some outfits are doled out as part of the story and others are purchaseable, but the super rare drip can be earned by pulling the crank. The 10 Resonite Crystals mentioned as part of the rewards also go toward the Resonance system that controls the whole machine.

While it's up to the players to decide if they want to spend any cash, the multitude of outfits you get in Infinity Nikki can be pretty stunning — and useful. Many free outfits grant special abilities such as floating, animal grooming, fishing, and more.

Infinity Nikki isn't the only game joining the 10 million club this month. Marvel and NetEase celebrated 10 million Marvel Rivals players this week. Also free to play, Marvel Rivals lets you play as your favorite Marvel character in a multiplayer hero shooter arena.

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Night City isn't done with you yet. Developer CD Projekt Red is showcasing a surprise update for Cyberpunk 2077 in a new stream on December 10. Update 2.2 includes bug fixes and "new features" to the game. No, it's not a PlayStation 5 Pro patch. Stop asking.

Word on what the surprise Update 2.2 will bring to Cyberpunk 2077 soon will be a mystery until its contents are revealed. CD Projekt Red announced via X that it's lifting the veil on the patch tomorrow, December 10, at 5 p.m. CET during a live stream on Twitch and YouTube.

"Join us for a new episode of #REDstreams, where we'll dive deep into the new features Coming Soon TM for Cyberpunk 2077 in Update 2.2," the company wrote on X. "See you tomorrow at 5 PM CET on our Twitch and, for the first time ever, simultaneously on our YouTube channel."

Cyberpunk 2077 surprise update brings new things, but not that

The news of another patch wasn't expected, especially since it hasn't even been a week since the last one. Update 2.1 arrived for players on December 4 with additional fixes, features, and vehicle options. Perhaps something needed more work and got delayed for a few days. Who can say?

We don't know what's inside Update 2.2 for Cyberpunk 2077, but we know what it will not bring. The company has no plans to ship a PS5 Pro patch for the game. CD Projekt announced the news in November, but that didn't stop folks on X from asking about it. Several times. The game also won't get a New Game Plus mode, as doing so would "break the way the game is constructed," according to its lead quest designer.

All we know is that it'll bring more "cool" features and break all of your mods. But according to the team on X, "It will be worth it."

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Beyond Good & Evil 2 remains one of the most infamous unreleased video games in recent years. This is because Ubisoft announced it more than 15 years ago, later re-announced it a few years ago, and yet the game still hasn't come out without any real explanation for its constant delays and disappearances.

But now we have at least one explanation, because Michel Ancel, the game's former director and the creator of the Beyond Good & Evil franchise, recently did an interview with the French website Superpouvoir (that VGC partially translated into English) in which he discussed different aspects of his extensive career at Ubisoft, including many of the issues behind the development of Beyond Good & Evil 2.

The messy and controversial development of Beyond Good & Evil 2

According to Ancel, he felt like there were too many clashes between different managers at Ubisoft that kept further extending and delaying the development of the game. "Passion is a fabulous energy, but it can also lead to clashes between enthusiasts. On Beyond Good & Evil 2, for example, there were too many problems between managers", said Ancel on the matter.

Different developers in leadership positions kept changing elements of the project, like the art director wanting to redo everything over and over again, or the game director wanting to make a game with generated dungeons while he actually wanted to make the space adventure he always dreamed of. Ancel states that all these different developers and managers simply couldn't agree on anything.

"In this type of situation, the teams are thrown around and don’t even know who’s in charge and who’s making the decisions. The producer is supposed to bring order to the situation, but that didn’t happen" said Ancel. And it's evident that the development of Beyond Good & Evil 2 got extremely messy, because at some point even the CEO of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot, had to go down to the studio in order to try and get it back on track.

Michel Ancel's involvement with this infamous video game

"In the end, all this is a matter of passionate managers who did not get along (...) These management problems are of course very damaging for the teams. All this goes to show that it’s not an easy job (lots of egos and lots at stake) with clearly room for improvement in terms of human management" concluded Michel Ancel. All of this is especially interesting because he kept alluding to a "game director" who wanted to change things, while he himself was the director of Beyond Good & Evil 2 at that time. That's right, it seems that Ancel is implying that he was part of the problem.

But he also went out of his way to point out that he did not question any of the other manager's decisions, and that he felt frustrated when the French newspaper Libé accused him of hindering the game's development by cultivating an abusive and toxic environment. This happened back in 2020, right around the time he left Ubisoft in order to work on wildlife sanctuary. Ancel responded to these claims and defended himself on his personal Instagram account.

So, who is really responsible for all of these issues?

However, in this new interview, Michel Ancel also admitted that he shares part of the responsibility and claimed that he should have been more vocal about defending the project. "There wasn’t just one big villain, but a whole series of key issues that remained unresolved at management level, including myself", he revealed. This makes sense because AAA video games like this one take a lot of time and money to make, so it's not always easy to pinpoint just one person who's entirely responsible for its delays.

The truth is that we can't really know what exactly happened at Ubisoft right around the time, but Ancel's interview gave us some insight into the multiple clashes between managers and creatives within Ubisoft (himself included) that are affecting the development of Beyond Good & Evil 2. To make things even worse, its creative director, Emile Morel, suddenly passed away in 2023 and Ubisoft assigned Fawzi Mesmar to that same role very recently, in October of this year. Beyond Good & Evil 2 is clearly going through a very messy and complicated development, and many fans believe that it's never coming out and/or that Ubisoft should cancel it.

The post Beyond Good & Evil 2 was delayed due to artistic clashes between its managers, according to the series’ creator appeared first on Destructoid.

Itch.io has taken to Bluesky today to report that their domain was taken down by Funko, creators of the ubiquitous Funko Pop toys. However, the domain was later reinstated by the registrar. This was allegedly caused inadvertently by Funko’s use of AI-powered anti-phishing software called BrandShield.

The post specifically refers to the software as “some trash ‘AI Powered’ Brand Protection Software called Brand Shield” and reports that it “ created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar, iwantmyname.” They also state that the registrar ignored their response to the software’s claim and disabled the domain. Something tells me that once they regain control of their domain, it’s going to be transferred to a different registrar.

BrandShield is a service that “proactively monitor(s) digital landscapes for trademark infringements, phishing attempts, brand abuse, and counterfeit activity.” If itch.io’s allegations are accurate, then the service is accusing them of appropriating Funko’s name to try and scam people who think they’re purchasing from Funko. Which, to a human like you or me is ridiculous. A toaster, on the other hand, could be fooled. Clearly.

As itch.io is a rather open indie-game marketplace, it’s possible that a game on it references Funko either directly or indirectly, which may have drawn the attention of the BrandShield refrigerator. That seems to be the case, since in a follow-up post on Twitter, itch says that they reacted to the claim by taking down the “disputed page” as soon as they got the notice. The suggest that the takedown was done by the registrars automated system, “since no one read our confirmation of removal.”

The situation ticks off a lot of boxes on the nausea card. You have a corporate giant built on the back of functionless gewgaws attacking a small, barely-for-profit marketplace for independent creators. You have AI working outside of legal norms on behalf of that corporation. And then, just to top the whole thing off, you have a company turning a deaf ear to one of their customers and acting without due consideration.

However, the happy ending (I guess) is that the site wasn’t down for long. After several hours, the registrar responded to the notice and reinstated the domain. As of right now, the site is once again accessible. Neither company has released a statement about the situation since the site returned.

Human error is a hell of a thing, but at least there are repercussions for the person responsible. AI and similar automated services are like a child that the parents refuse to discipline. Their behavior is not corrected, nor do they face any scrutiny. The people holding the leash just shrug and let their little monster become everyone's problem. But at least itch got their domain back.

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Marvel Rivals came out 3 days ago, and it already accumulated a surprisingly gigantic player base. SteamDB already reported over 200,000 concurrent players a few hours after it went live, but now the game's official accounts are giving us a much clearer picture.

That's right, Marvel Rivals reached more than 10 million players all over the world in 72 hours, which is really impressive for a brand-new free-to-play multiplayer title like this one. What's even more interesting is that this announcement indirectly confirms the total number of players across all four platforms that the game is currently available on: Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

It seems people are playing Marvel Rivals on different home consoles and not just on PC, which is quite understandable, considering that the game has cross-play across all platforms. However, it wouldn't be surprising if NetEase Games decides to port it over to other devices in the near future, like smartphones and the Nintendo Switch's successor.

Will Marvel Rivals retain all these players in the next few years?

In just a few days, Marvel Rivals became a huge success and there are already many gamers claiming that it should be the new standard for free-to-play multiplayer experiences, mainly due to the fact that it has 33 unlocked characters from the start, its gameplay is very accessible, and its monetization can be easily ignored.

However, as impressive as these 10 million players are, it's crucial for NetEase to actually retain their attention for the next few years, which is not always easy to do. As long as they keep adding more modes, arenas, and characters, Marvel Rivals will likely keep amassing new players without any issues. Fortunately for both the company and fans, the Marvel universe has a huge cast of iconic superheroes, super villains, and locations to choose from, so keeping this huge player base engaged for many years shouldn't be that hard, as long as NetEase doesn't make any questionable decisions that may enrage them.

The post Marvel Rivals reaches over 10 million players worldwide in 72 hours appeared first on Destructoid.

Oh boy. If you were struggling to make sense of what GSC Game World was doing when balancing STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl's weapons, I can tell you now that chasing realism wasn't it. Datamining has shown that this game's guns make absolutely no sense whatsoever, as many have suspected.

Choosing the right gun in STALKER 2 is no mean feat. Not only will you have access to a select few low-tier armaments early on, but it now turns out that you won't even be able to stick with your trusty AK for long, either. According to SMGJohn_EU's findings while data-mining the game, STALKER 2 is way more of an RPG when it comes to gun and weapon progression than I expected it to be. In other words, the fact that Skif's Makarov fires 9x18 Doesn't matter at all for balancing purposes. It just hits harder than many other guns do! Fun.

Datamining of STALKER 2 shows that GSC Game World wasn't trying to create a tactical shooter at all

Slowly but certainly, we're learning more and more about STALKER 2's backend and production. In some ways, this dispels certain myths that might've developed around its release, but it also helps the community set the right expectations.

For example, we now know for sure that all guns aren't made to be equal in STALKER 2, and that you absolutely need to be moving on from one gun to the next as you trudge through the Zone. As SMGJohn_EU's comprehensive weapon datamining shows, there is a surprisingly (and annoyingly) linear line of progression when it comes to weapons, and you cannot realistically expect Valik Lummox's AK to be able to take on high-tier Monolith troopers. This particular weapon is, in fact, substantially weaker than even the baseline AKM rifles you'll find off of random dead Stalkers.

Kind of ridiculous, isn't it?

As per the data mine, GSC Game World actually wants you to slowly but certainly make your way towards high-tier, exotic armaments regardless of your preference. When it comes to 5.56 weapons, for example, the 416 is a "low-tier" variant, the GP-37 is a mid-tier option, and the Kharod is a top-end choice bar none. In reality, all three of these weapons should be effectively the same outside of handling characteristics and ergonomics.

Now, to be perfectly fair, something similar was in play with the old STALKER games of yore. Though they felt extremely tactical and realistic back in the day, they too had low, mid, and high-end choices for all available calibers. Players were expected to move on from one tier to the next as they progressed. Really, it was just the mods for the old STALKER games, like Call of Chernobyl, that tuned its guns to be more varied and less RPG-ified. This makes STALKER 2 seem downright old-school in the balancing department.

Further, having a baseline sense of progression from one weapon type to another does have merit from a gameplay point of view. STALKER 2's default balancing makes it so that Skif is always on the hunt for a better gun, which guarantees variety for the average player. If you know something about how guns and ammunition work in reality, though, this whole reveal is bound to make you cringe.

Even with all of this in mind, I do still think STALKER 2 is an excellent game. Not necessarily excellent in much the same way as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which is taking the world by storm, but regardless. Whereas Indy is releasing in a polished and delightful state, STALKER 2 is going to need months (if not years) of additional development and a whole posse of modders before it achieves its true greatness. That's okay, I suppose. As long as I have a gun balancing mod of some sort, everything else seems more manageable in the grand scheme of things.

The post STALKER 2 datamining reveals entirely nonsensical weapon balancing appeared first on Destructoid.

Kazuki Yao, the talented voice actor who voices Franky (and many other characters) in the Japanese version of One Piece, recently announced on his personal Twitter/X account that he's stepping down from his most iconic role after many years.

In this bittersweet announcement (which @newworldartur translated into English), Yao explains that it's finally time to say goodbye to Franky after spending over a quarter of a century with him and that he "decided to get off the (Thousand) Sunny." He also revealed that, even though he feels frustrated and sad over this decision, Toei Animation has already found a "SUPER" replacement who will be revealed on December 22, during the upcoming Jump Festa 2025. The official One Piece account also revealed that this was a decision that Yao made after "lengthy discussions" and that Shueisha would hold a graduation ceremony for him during said event.

This is a very sad announcement for One Piece fans, who flooded Yao's social media with pictures of his characters and thank you messages, but this wasn't much of a surprise for most of them. Back in October, the official One Piece accounts announced that the anime was recasting the character of Jango for one episode due to concerns regarding Yao's health.

While he didn't specify why he decided to step down from the role of Franky, it's most likely that he had to do it due to these aforementioned health concerns, especially after many fans noticed that the character's voice had been sounding more strained in the past few years. It's important to keep in mind that the One Piece anime is currently airing a remastered version of the Fish-Man Island Arc while the current Egghead Arc is on hiatus, so we won't get to hear Franky's new voice until April 2025.

Kazuki Yao's departure from One Piece is more important than you think

While it's nice that Kazuki Yao is able to retire without straining his voice any further, his departure from the show is quite sad. After all, One Piece fans were hoping that all the members of the main cast would be able to reach the show's long-awaited conclusion together. This situation is especially unfortunate for Yao because, unlike most other Japanese voice actors, the series' author, Eiichiro Oda, created Franky specifically for him to voice.

Yao began working in One Piece back in 2000 when he portrayed the hypnotist Jango during the Syrup Village Arc. He later went to voice one of the most bizarre and beloved One Piece characters, Bon Clay, who debuted during the Arabasta Arc and made multiple subsequent appearances after that. But, when it was time to design the future shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates, Oda created Franky with Yao's unique voice in mind, which is a testament to his talent and how perfectly he fits the series' goofy and lighthearted tone.

Franky was created specifically for Yao, not to mention that he also brought two other iconic characters to life, so his departure from One Piece is even more unfortunate and important than you may initially think. While his replacement is most likely going to do a great job in the role, this show won't be the same without Kazuki Yao, and all fans will certainly miss him.

The post Legendary One Piece voice actor retires after 24 years appeared first on Destructoid.

Fortnite may have added plenty of new content over the years, but the Ballistic mode could be a breath of fresh air for the community to enjoy.

So far, Epic's battle royale has stuck closely to the genre despite all the community-created content that can be enjoyed at any given time. Ballistic will be something completely different, and it's going to be the first 5v5 FPS mode. The developers have allowed some important information about the upcoming mode, including what to expect and when it will go live.

Fortnite Ballistic release date

The Ballistic mode will have 5v5 contests with a focus on FPS rather than the traditional third-person viewpoint. The mode will launch in early access on December 11, and Epic has given out brief details regarding how the mode will work.

Fortnite Ballistic mode explained

As already mentioned, Ballistic will be a FPS mode that will pit two teams of five players against each other. It will launch with the Skyline 10 map, a limited number of items, and a starter set of weapons. As expected, it will be a no-build mode, and all your saved presets from the Locker will carry over. Any item that you have unlocked over the years, like outfits, emotes, and more, won't be supported.

Every contest will have one team playing the role of attacker, with the other being the defender. The Attackers will have to plant the Rift Point Device, while the Defenders will have to defend it before the device activates. There will be two regions across the map where players can plant the device.

The teams will switch their roles after every 6 rounds, and the one to win 7 rounds will win the contest.

Every player will start with a Ranger Pistol and 800 Credits. Players will earn credits by eliminating enemies and planting the Rift Point Device. If they manage to survive a round, they will keep all their gear and shields. Players can also help their teammates with consumables and other gear items.

Each player will also begin their journey with one of the five Flex Gadgets, and they can have a maximum of two of these items for any round. Players can't pick up the Flex Gadget of another teammate. When used strategically, the Flex Gadgets can completely change the tide of a round and the battle as a whole.

The Ballistic mode will have Ranked and Unranked, and you can choose to play the mode you like. Ranked will be much more competitive, and you'll be hit with a penalty if you leave a contest prematurely. All matches will be based on the average rank of your party to keep the contests fair for all.

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Beast Games is a popular show on Prime to watch, but what if you could also join but from the comfort of your own home? Mr Beast is coming to Roblox with Beast Games, and here is everything we knowso far.

When are Beast Games coming to Roblox?

Officially, the Beast Games will start on Roblox on Roblox on December 19, 2024 at 9 AM PT or 6 PM CET. However, the game is already open and you can go inside and explore. Follow the link below to play the game before the official start.

• Beast Games game link

If you go into the Beast Games before the official start on December 19, you will get the Hype Beast badge. This badge signifies that you enter the game during early access and that you will get Beast Bucks once the games start based on your time spent in the game.

Considering that the game is in early access, there isn't much you can do inside. All of the challenges are closed or under construction at the moment. You can go around and talk to the NPCs standing in front of the games and get some funny interactions like '''We forgot how to play chess''. Don't worry, Chess NPC, I also regularly forget how to play it.

To pass the time, you can also jump around the many trampolines placed around the area and glide. You can get inside the manor this way if you want to explore it, but again, there is nothing really to do other than laugh at the guy stuck in the balloons.

The tower above the Beast Games portal seems to have become the unofficial hangout spot for those in early access who want to farm as much money as possible before it starts. Use the trampolines to reach the top, then just hang out.

You can chat with the other players, or just go AFK. That was the option I went for. If you do the same, just make sure to move every once in a while or do an emote so that Roblox doesn't kick you out.

However, once the Beast Games start, you will be able to compete against others, earn money through challenges which change every week, buy vehicles, pets and much more at the shop.

For more information on other Roblox experiences, you can check out our entire Roblox section right here on Destructoid.

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Following its bombastic success during The Witcher 3's heyday, Gwent kind of fizzled out in popularity even though the developer CD Projekt RED did invest in its standalone offshoot. Now, though, a physical edition of the game is on the horizon, and it looks very neat indeed.

Developed by No Loading Games and officially licensed by CDPR, Gwent: The Legendary Card Game is an all-new physical tabletop experience slated to launch in 2025. Whereas the standalone digital version of Gwent is now under the players' control and a far cry from the game's original Witcher 3 version, this appears to be a love letter to the legacy version specifically. This, too, makes perfect sense when you consider that the project is being produced to celebrate The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's 10th anniversary, though it comes with its own set of caveats.

No Loading Games' physical edition of Gwent is coming out next year

While not everything is yet known about Gwent: The Legendary Card Game, No Loading Games has already confirmed that it will specifically "stay true to the original in-game experience." This is an important point to make, as the standalone and post-launch versions of Gwent ended up going in wildly different directions in the end. To say nothing of the Thronebreaker version of the card game.

No Loading Games has also said that Gwent will feature all five core factions and a board, so it's going to be a full package right off the bat, ready for playing. It's also going to be available in a variety of languages, with German and French already confirmed.

It's worth pointing out that Gwent: The Legendary Card Game won't be immune to "post-launch DLC," as it were. No Loading Games has already invited potential players to subscribe to a newsletter to receive a free Legendary booster pack containing alternative artwork featured in the Ballad Heroes DLC for The Witcher 3. No telling yet whether more art-packs of its type might be planned further down the line.

Since No Loading Games made a point of highlighting the fact that this is going to be a Witcher 3 version of Gwent, specifically, it makes sense that any bonus booster packs would simply contain alternative artwork. Another reason why this is important is that some players felt that the original Witcher 3 version of the card game was the most fun, even though it was also rather poorly balanced in some ways. For example, the Monster and Scoia'tael decks were (in)famously underpowered compared to the three main faction decks.

This will, then, serve as an appropriate celebration of one of the most widely beloved and successful mini-games ever conceived. What more could a Gwent fan wish for?

The post Witcher 3’s Gwent card game gets a physical edition in 2025 appeared first on Destructoid.

There are plenty of One Piece inspired games on Roblox like Blox Fruits, Fruit Battleground and more. However, now we also have the One Piece licensed game on Roblox, and if you're wondering how to play it, check it out below.

Where to play the official One Piece Roblox game

You can play the official One Piece Roblox game through the Roblox platform on PC, mobile, PS4 and PS5.

• One Piece Grand Arena Game Link

What is the One Piece Grand Arena Discord server?

As with other Roblox experiences, the official One Piece Roblox game has its own One Piece Grand Arena Discord server. This is the place where you can keep track of all updates as well as check out sneak peeks posted by the developers.

The best reason as to why you should join the Discord is the fact that you can chat with other players, discuss best skills, ask questions that confuse you and brag about your conquests and amazing bounty as you level it up.

What is One Piece Grand Arena?

One Piece Grand Arena is a Roblox battle royale game where you will fight against up to 20 players to increase your bounty. Your goal is to get the same bounty as the King of the Pirates Gold Rogers, which you can accomplish by defeating other players or by opening chests on different stages.

The game has plenty of Stages which you can fight on, including Drum Island, Alabasta, Sky Island and more. The Skills allow you to transform into various One Piece characters like Luffy, Zoro, Mihawk, Robin and more, and use their powers to take out the enemies.

Completing missions gets you Diamonds which you then use to pull on the Gasha machine next to Franky while in the Lobby of the game. By pulling, you will get more Skills to choose from in order to improve your gameplay, battle strategy and become the Pirate King.

If any of your favorite characters and even locations are missing, don't worry. There are plenty of opportunities for them to be added with future updates.

For those who want to play other One Piece Roblox games, check out our Blox Fruits and Fruit Battleground sections right here on Destructoid.

The post One Piece has a licensed game on Roblox – Play here appeared first on Destructoid.

Open-world survival phenomenon, Minecraft, is set for its own D&D style Table Top Role-Playing Game (TTRPG) penned by Marvel Multiverse TTRPG author Matt Forbeck. There are scant details about how the game will play, but it looks as though it will primarily be a solo adventure that will see the hero battle to take on a mob of illagers to save an isolated Minecraft village.

Due for release in July 2025, the game will include four dice. Buyers also get an adventure book that includes an extensive bestiary and adventure locations as well as a removable character sheet and a quick rules reference.  

The Minecraft phenomenon

The full version of the Minecraft video game was launched in 2011, after two years of development based on forum feedback. The voxel crafting game lets players destroy and build any blocks in the game to adventure, fight mobs, and craft new equipment.

In 2014, Mojang, the Swedish studio behind the game, was purchased by Microsoft for $2.5 billion. The game has enjoyed ongoing updates and improvements since its launch, and the title not only garnered positive reviews from most critics but has gone on to become one of the best-selling and most widely played games of all time. It is the best-selling game of all time and even 13 years after its full release, Minecraft still attracts 170 million monthly active users.

Minecraft has also become a merchandising phenomenon with novels, LEGO sets, and a host of other items proving very popular. And, in 2025, we will see the launch of A Minecraft Movie starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Emma Myers, and Jennifer Coolidge. Ravensburger has also produced at least four tabletop board games as well as expansions.

Minecraft: Roll for Adventure: The Temple of the Charged Creeper

Although Minecraft itself has included a Dungeons & Dragons crossover and the idea of a tabletop roleplaying game has been mooted on forums and blogs, there hasn’t yet been a direct Minecraft TTRPG. But, thanks to Matt Forbeck, and his son Marty, that will change next year.

Minecraft: Roll for Adventure: The Temple of the Charged Creeper is written by Matt Forbeck and Marty Forbeck and published by Penguin Random House. It is available to preorder from a host of online and offline stores, including directly from Penguin and is slated for launch in July 2025.

According to the game’s description, an isolated village is being raided by illagers. Illagers are hostile enemies from the Minecraft universe and were featured in Forbeck’s Minecraft Dungeons: The Rise of the Arch-Illager novel in 2020. Players are called upon to help defend the village. According to the game’s listing, players receive four dice which will be used to determine the results of adventuring, battling, and crafting. The listing also suggests that the removable character sheet enables another person to act as narrator, suggesting that the game will be a solo title.

Matt Forbeck

Forbeck isn’t new to the world of tabletop design. As well as being a New York Times best-selling author, he designed and created the Marvel Multiverse system. Marvel Multiverse uses a three-dice resolution system, with two dice of one color and another dice of another color. Players can create and level up characters, and the character development is diverse and robust.  

There is no doubting Minecraft’s popularity, and its merchandise tends to do very well. This is a solo adventure that seems to be geared towards younger players, with a basic role-playing rule set that could offer a great way into the tabletop world for young adventurers.

Forbeck certainly has a pedigree for sympathetically and accurately translating existing IPs into different formats, and for creating TTRPG systems, so Minecraft: Roll for Adventure: The Temple of the Charged Creeper could prove a big success. And there are enough colons in the title to suggest there will be further adventures and scenarios to come.

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