Gaming in Australia. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

If you were concerned that the PS5-exclusive Stellar Blade, out 26th April on PS5, might run afoul of Sony's censors, fear not. Developer ShiftUp is advertising that the game will remain entirely uncensored in all regions, including Japan.

Microsoft has announced another edition of the ID@Xbox Digital Showcase, its annual event focused on indie games, which is returning a week from now, on April 29, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST.

It seems the protagonist of Konami's Silent Hill 2 remake, currently in development at Bloober Team, has received a quiet redesign or perhaps had a face-lift. It's unclear whether this change comes in response to fan feedback from the trailer shown during the State of Play showcase held earlier this year, the negative response to which Bloober subsequently blamed on Konami.

Last week, Square Enix unveiled the official PC benchmark and accompanying trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV expansion, Dawntrail. The trailer gave fans glimpses of new in-game areas, enemies, and combat upgrades. While that all went over rather well, the game's decade-old character creation engine is drawing ire this time and the eyes of character models, in particular.

It seems we aren't the only ones counting down the hours until the release of the PS5-exclusive Stellar Blade. Developer ShiftUp has posted an impossibly drawn-out clip of the «secrets» contained within the game's PS5 physical box, which, as far as we can tell, amounts to a reversible cover/dust jacket and a download code for some cosmetic goodies.

If you've been eager to watch the animated Ark: Survival Evolved TV series, but your attempts have so far been thwarted by your failure to live in the US or Canada, there's some good news: it's now officially available in 11 other countries, including the UK, via Paramount+.

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has terminated the working contracts of five wrestlers from its roster of superstars, including former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal (real name Yuvraj Singh Dhesi) and his two companions from the all-Indian-descent faction Indus Sher. Mahal became the 50th man to hold the title of WWE Champion on May 21, 2017, and is also the first wrestler of Indian descent to win that title.

Catch up on all the latest World of Warcraft news from the last week—take a tour through The War Within in the WoWCast developer chat, pre-purchase the World of Warcraft®: The War Within™ 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition, get a closer look at the new Warbands System, and more! 

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It has been a while since we last saw an updated TopSpin game. The last time 2K released a tennis game in their signature style was in 2011 when we all enjoyed Top Spin 4. In the meantime, WWE, NBA, and even LEGO have had their moment in the limelight, while tennis went unappreciated. If you have been sitting around waiting for a 2K tennis game, your time is now. 2K is almost ready to release TopSpin 2K25, and here is everything you need to know about it.

Insomniac's excellent Ratchet & Clank reboot, released in 2016, has received a surprise update. The update adds a fan-favourite weapon for free, just in time for the eighth anniversary of the game's launch. If you already own the game, simply navigate to the PSN store page, and you can play around with the Bouncer.

For all the positive things players have to say about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, one aspect of the game which we've seen nothing but ire directed towards is its confusingly worded retry screen, which players will be hit with in the event of a Game Over. Thankfully, this issue has been quietly addressed in the game's most recent patch, which fixed Platinum Trophy progression, making it at least slightly less confusing now.

Two years after debuting in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it seems a Hollywood leading man of sufficient talent has finally been found to portray the edgy Shadow the Hedgehog. Keanu Reeves, who needs no introduction but will get one anyway, is the star of film franchises like The Matrix and John Wick, and, of course, Cyberpunk 2077, has been confirmed to play the part.

Star Wars Outlaws has been in the headlines recently for some less-than-ideal reasons. Still, one thing we are genuinely looking forward to is the inclusion of Sabacc, the blackjack/poker hybrid popular among rogues like Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. Strangely, despite the rules being first revealed in 1989, its inclusion will mark the first time Sabacc has ever graced a video game.

Following the incredibly strong launch of Amazon's critically acclaimed adaptation of Fallout, lapsed fans craving some V.A.T.S. have returned to the series in droves, proving there is still an insatiable demand for the series. According to <a href=«https://twitter.com/SteamDB/status/1779459741984379079?ref_src=» https:>SteamDB

UK studio and publisher Kwalee has revealed recent staff cuts were made to «reshape» the company's business around «significant growth opportunities.» The company has layed off approximately 10% of its workforce, around 40 people, in recent months. Despite that, Kwalee stressed it expects to grow its headcount (currently about 400) to somewhere between 410 and 420.

The immortal SEGA brawler Golden Axe is being resurrected as a comedic animated series, of all things. Ordered by Comedy Central and produced by CBS Studios in collaboration with Sony Pictures, the series will undoubtedly feature buxom men and women battling dragons and various beasts, and presumably, hilarity will ensue.

Braid: Anniversary Edition has been hit with a brief delay, but the blow was softened by the news that the anticipated package will come packing some 40 additional levels. Developer Jonathon Blow revealed that the anticipated enhanced re-release will now arrive two weeks later than anticipated, on 15th May for PS5 and PS4.

In a game of exceedingly well-written characters like Baldur's Gate 3, the sadistic and sexually suggestive vampire spawn Astarion manages to stand out. But despite developer Larian Studios clearly signalling that it is moving on from the game and away from the series, Astarion actor Neil Newbon isn't quite ready to follow suit.

The actor behind the incredibly memorable Fallout 3 radio host, Three Dog, is interested in appearing in Amazon's excellent TV adaptation. Erik Todd Dellums, who lent his voice to the character in Bethesda's 2008 game, says he's got «something darker than Three Dog, but just as funny and alluring» cooking, and we'd quite frankly love to see it.

Indie slam dunk Vampire Survivors has officially been confirmed for a PS5 and PS4 release and is expected to enthral millions when it arrives this Summer. Trophy Hunters will be glad to know the devs have confirmed a Platinum Trophy awaits those willing to undergo a true nightmare to obtain it.

Stellar Blade is just around the corner, with the eagerly-anticipated action game arriving exclusively on PS5 on 26th April. If the wait is proving too much to bear, we've been given a glimpse at some of the game's fearsome Naytiba, which will serve as climactic boss encounters in the game.

Baldur's Gate fans, new and old, will remember where they were when they first heard that dark horse Larian Studios would not be developing the next game. How could any dev walk away from an achievement like Baldur's Gate 3, a masterpiece which teased a vanishingly rare «10» out of this stingy scribe, one of only two ever given? Sadly, this is the reality in which we live, and IP-holder Wizards of the Coast has already moved on, actively courting other developers, with RPG studios lining up to throw their hats in the ring.

Sadly, February marked the passing of Yoshitaka Murayama, the legendary creator of Suikoden and its spiritual successor, Eiyuden Chronicle, with Hundred Heroes releasing on PS5 and PS4 next week. Developer Rabbit & Bear Studios has announced its intention to proceed with the series, but what form that takes will depend on how its impending and eagerly anticipated JRPG is received.

Amazon's excellent adaptation of the Fallout series for TV is available in its entirety now, and we loved it. However, not every Fallout fan is happy with how it seemingly rewrites what was thought to be established series lore, apparently retconning the ending of beloved black sheep, Fallout: New Vegas. Obviously, major spoilers for both New Vegas and Amazon's show to follow!

Helldivers 2 players have been issued a new directive as the Galactic War effort again devolves into a grinding stalemate. The Automatons have deployed increasing numbers of Factory Striders to break the impasse, but for now, the line holds. To amass the necessary fuel to fire a Super Earth counterattack, billions of Terminids must die to acquire enough of that sweet, sweet oil E-710.

A rumour is currently doing the rounds, suggesting that we could learn more about 2K's plans for the Mafia series' future (or perhaps past) in the days ahead. A new game was confirmed to be in development back in 2022, potentially a prequel, and we've heard virtually nothing since. But the source says the reveal could just as easily involve a next-gen update for Mafia: Definitive Edition, so we'll have to wait and see.

Amazon's genuinely great adaptation of Fallout really seems to have struck a chord, with fans flocking back in unprecedented numbers to various games in the series and theories and speculation already running rampant. It should also come as no surprise that at least one fan of the mechanically-heavy Fallout franchise has a working theory of what level protagonist Lucy should be by the end of the events of the first season and even what Bethesda ruleset the show might be operating on. We'll keep spoilers as vague as possible; fear not.

Square Enix is a famously hard master to please, and eagle-eyed fans interested in industry analytics will have noted that despite launching over a month ago on 29th February, exclusively on PS5, hard sales figures for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are yet to be released. Considering it took just three days for the firm to trumpet Remake's success during a similar period and six days for Final Fantasy XVI, it should be no huge surprise that the sequel is underperforming in some sense.

News has been quiet on the acquisition front in recent days, at least when it comes to video game IP. However, according to a new report, Sony is currently in talks with a monied ally to acquire storied picture-house Paramount and all the cross-media potential such an addition would bring.

V Rising is an enormously popular vampire RPG currently in Early Access on Steam, where even in its currently unfinished state, it enjoys Very Positive reviews overall. Announced for PS5, we got a better look at the kind of gameplay particularly bloodthirsty players can look forward to sinking their teeth into.

Helldivers, in response to the increased threat presented by the massive, seemingly unstoppable Automaton invasion fleet pointed directly at Super Earth, requisition of Level 4 Super Destroyer Modules is now available. The added edge these permanent ship upgrades give might be enough to stem the mechanized tide.

The release of Amazon's adaptation of Fallout has sparked a resurgence in the series and increased focus on the alt-history that binds it all together. Some fans recently raised concerns that events in the TV show seemingly retconned the events of the black sheep of the Fallout family, New Vegas, developed by Obsidian Entertainment. Vague spoilers for New Vegas and Amazon's show to follow!

ATLUS has revealed plans for what it is calling the «ATLUS Exclusive: Metaphor: ReFantazio» broadcast, with the publisher/developer promising approximately 30 minutes of never-before-seen gameplay. How's that for something to look forward to?

Helldivers 2 players have recently managed to blunt the advance of the oncoming Automaton invasion fleet, with the conflict again devolving into a grinding stalemate. However, it seems the machines never rest on their laurels, as reports of the lumbering Factory Striders being deployed in unprecedented numbers begin to trickle in.

After LawBreakers developer Boss Key Productions shut down following the game's poor performance, it was thought that would be the end of the gravity-defying FPS. So traumatic was the entire ordeal that Cliff Blezinski, studio founder of Gears of War fame, swore off making video games for good. Now, years later, fans have managed to resurrect servers, even getting the much-coveted nod of approval from Cliffy B himself for keeping the dream alive.

We doubt we were alone in wondering whether some kind of transmogrification system could reach fashion-conscious Helldivers 2 players grasping hands, but sadly, that won't be the case. Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt put this particular pipe dream to bed, definitively stating, «We are not doing transmog.»

Since unveiling the eye-watering $130 Ultimate Edition of Star Wars Outlaws last week, Ubisoft has been under fire from fans furious a full-priced single-player game would even warrant a Season Pass in the first place. Worse, acquiring the Season Pass is the only way to «play the exclusive Jabba's Gambit mission at launch».

<a href=«https://twitter.com/sweetpotatoes/status/1778099089344757944?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweethttps://twitter.com/sweetpotatoes/status/1778099089344757944?ref_src=» https:>Immortals of Aveum

Capes is a turn-based superhero tactics game set in a world where the villains have already won. We've had our eye on this one for a little while now, as it looks like it could be quite special. Here's hoping it won't be received as tragically as Firaxis' excellent Marvel's Midnight Suns when it hits on 29th May on PS5 and PS4.

A talented Pokemon fan and artist has unveiled two new fan designs for Jirachi, the mythical Steel/Psychic Pokemon originally released as part of the game series' third generation. The recently-released designs envision Jirachi with two brand-new type combinations, showcasing the potential that future regional variants could still hold for it.

Nintendo has announced a new Indie World Showcase for April 17. The Indie World Showcase has historically featured announcements and updates for indie games coming to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo usually gives around 20 minutes to go over the assortment of indie game news.

If you’re one of the millions of fans of the Australian kids’ animated series Bluey, you’ll be aware that the show’s third season, which began airing in early 2021 in Australia, just concluded with an epic 28-minute special episode called “The Sign.” (Episodes are usually seven minutes long.) You’ll also be aware that the episode, and the lead-in to it, sent Bluey fandom into a tailspin of speculation that this was the end for the beloved show.

Word on the street is that Nintendo won’t release the long-awaited successor to the Switch until next year. As such, the company needs to let fans know what they'll be able to play on the current console over the coming months. To help pad out the schedule, Nintendo has a bunch of indie game releases lined up. We will find out what some of those are during the next Indie World showcase, which is set for April 17 at 10 AM ET.

Nintendo has announced a new Indie World Showcase for April 17th at 7 AM PT, featuring roughly 20 minutes of announcements and updates on upcoming indie games for the Nintendo Switch in 2024.

Nintendo will broadcast a new Indie World presentation on Wednesday, April 17, a showcase that promises “roughly 20 minutes of announcements and updates on indie games headed to Nintendo Switch in 2024,” the company said in an announcement Tuesday.

Major updates are coming to soon, and these changes might be enough to get more players interested in the game again. In 2016, became a cultural phenomenon, with millions of players venturing outdoors eager to catch Pokémon and battle friends and strangers, but its popularity slowed over the years. With a lack of interesting updates and everything seeming to go wrong with , many fans stopped playing and uninstalled their games.

A pair of scientists working in the Antarctic have managed to get their remote research station added as a location in Pokémon Go.

A release date for may finally be on its way. News surrounding the Metroidvania's DLC-turned-sequel had been scarce for over two years after footage was shown during Xbox and Bethesda's Summer Game Fest event in 2022, showcasing its new combat style, heroine, and more years after its initial announcement back in 2019. This even prompted its developers, Team Cherry, to reassure fans that the game was still in production after delays and an already lengthy development. Recently, things seem to be picking up speed, however, as a Microsoft Store page appeared for the game, and now, yet another country has rated the game.

Gaming giant Nintendo recently filed trademark applications for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, suggesting that the popular Wii U Kirby game may be added to the growing list of older games ported to the Switch. Whether it could be among the retro titles on Nintendo Switch Online or fully remastered remains unknown, but the trademark filings may be promising for fans of Kirby and the Wii U.

We’ve been starved for Hollow Knight: Silksong news for what’s felt like an eternity, but several recent developments have indicated that that could be changing soon. Earlier this month, the game’s official Xbox Store page went live, which was accompanied by ratings by the ESRB in North America and the GRAC in South Korea.

The highly-anticipated and long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong has been rated in Australia, which is just the latest encouraging update for the Metroidvania game. The original Hollow Knight game was a big success, earning widespread positive reviews for successfully blending the exploration elements of the Metroidvania genre with the tough-as-nails boss fights associated with FromSoftware's Soulslike games.

Hollow Knight fans parched for more Silksong news are no strangers to disappointment when it comes to the big trailerthon showcases, but this week's Triple-I Initiative stung extra hard.

At this point, most of us have some kind of VPN installed on our home PCs. Once the sole preserve of the nerdiest and most paranoid internet users, VPNs are now entirely commonplace. 

Just days away from its premiere, the Fallout TV show continues to receive criticism. Finally, Ella Purnell stepped in to address some of the useless criticism aimed at the show and share her thoughts.

There’s been no shortage of recent indications that Star Wars Outlaws is going to release sooner than many expect. In addition to age ratings going up in Brazil, Australia, and South Korea, promotional pre-order material for the game has also been spotted in the wild, while leaks have previously claimed that the game is due out in the first half of the year. Now, a release date has leaked, and though it’s not quite in the first half of 2024, it’s still not terribly far away.

Star Wars Outlaws will hit the market on August 30 following a short early access period. Ubisoft itself accidentally leaked the game's release date while making preparations to debut the Star Wars Outlaws story trailer on April 9.

Rolling Games just soft-launched a new game on Android called Cooking Wonderland Global. If you’re in Australia, The Philippines, the USA, Brazil, India or Malaysia, then you can get your hands on this game from the Play Store.

Since our last content update, players have delved into the Age of Unmaking, discovered a new chapter in Deckard Cain’s storied past, and tested themselves with Oblivion Pillars. This upcoming content update introduces the Season 25 Battle Pass, a new Events Center, and two new endless modes in Survivor’s Bane.

Rumblings around Star Wars Outlaws have been growing increasingly louder in recent days. Recently, Ubisoft revealed that it would be premiering a new story trailer of the open world action-adventure title on April 9, and with many hoping that the trailer comes with a release date announcement, it’s now also looking like pre-orders for the title will be going live soon as well.

Marketing for Star Wars Outlaws is about to kick off in a big way, with the world premiere story trailer slated to air on Tuesday, April 9 at 9 AM Pacific Time/noon Eastern Time/6 PM Central European Time.

Fans of a galaxy far, far away are finally getting the games they’ve always wanted. After the less-than-ideal handling of the Star Wars franchise by EA up until the two Star Wars Jedi games, fans have been eager to explore new stories in this vast universe, as well as lore that isn’t addressed in the films.

Earlier today, Ubisoft revealed it is not waiting for the recently announced Forward event (slated to air on June 10 live from Los Angeles) to show off Star Wars Outlaws again. The game in development at Massive Entertainment is getting a new world premiere story trailer next week, on Tuesday, April 9 at 9 AM Pacific Time/6 PM Central European Time.

Ahead of its Ubisoft Forward showcase on June 10th, Massive Entertainment’s Star Wars Outlaws will receive a new story trailer. It premieres on April 9th at 9 AM PST/6 PM CET.

Looking for a new way to soup up your Steam Deck? WWE superstar Xavier Woods has a unique portable setup you might want to try.

The long-serving top producer of legendary RPG series Dragon Quest has stepped down from the role, according to sources that spoke to RPS Maw tribute site Bloomberg. Yu Miyake, who has been involved with numerous DQ games since he joined Enix in 1989 as marketer on DQ books, is moving on to head up Square Enix’s mobile games.

Just yesterday, we brought you word of a commemorative cape being issued to all Helldivers 2 players in honour of the tragic loss and subsequent triumphant liberation of the Automaton-infested meme world, Malevelon Creek. But there's a darker side to this all-too-human story of victory, and what was supposed to be a symbol of remembrance has become a flashpoint for a militant faction in the community; veterans of Malevelon Creek, dubbed «Creekers», are being targeted by cowardly comrades for wearing the Fallen Heroe's Vengeance cape into battle.

Helldivers 2 players are currently fully committed to Operation Swift Disassembly, a surgical campaign to eradicate the Automaton threat once and for all. The situation on the ground remains extremely fluid; following the successful liberation of Malevelon Creek, a symbolic victory for the forces of Super Earth, developer Arrowhead updated the game, which was apparently the signal for Automaton forces to unleash fresh hell, as some extras not listed in the patch notes began to make their presence known.

Sea of Thieves sails into uncharted waters on 30th April, when the formerly Xbox-exclusive pirate simulator catches stranger tides and arrives on PS5. In terms of performance, it will offer parity with the Xbox Series X version (60fps, 4K), and for those jumping ship or turning coat, Xbox players can transfer their progress and items over to PlayStation.

Developer Arrowhead Game Studios has officially honoured the brave sacrifice and noble fallen of Malevelon Creek. The pivotal battle against the Automatons marked the community's first significant loss, which was recently avenged as a part of the ongoing Operation Swift Disassembly. To celebrate, 1st April will henceforth be known as Malevelon Creek Memorial Day, which should be spent in pensive reflection while simultaneously mainlining Helldivers 2.

In February, we brought you word of a group of Google engineers who, apparently just for fun, managed to hack Sony's streaming PS Portal to run emulated PSP games offline. Being courageous White Hat types, the group «responsibly reported» the issues to Sony. The exploit was quietly fixed in patch 2.0.6, which also seems to have improved video quality significantly, despite neither being listed in the patch notes.

Outspoken Tekken 8 director Katsuhiro Harada has made a bold claim that is unlikely to ruffle any feathers in the broader audience: younger gamers prefer team-based games because they can blame, at least partially, any losses on their teammates rather than having to take sole responsibility for losing on themselves.

Helldivers, additional help is on the way in the form of the Democratic Detonation Warbond, which comes loaded with the latest peace-keeping/pacification implements imported fresh from the forges of Super Earth, along with all-new armour sets. It drops next week, on 11th April.

Embattled developer Bungie will showcase The Final Shape, Destiny 2's latest, last, and perhaps most important expansion, next Tuesday, providing an update on the in-development project. The Final Shape was originally supposed to launch in February 2024 but was hit with a delay alongside last year's layoffs.

Roblox is genuinely breaking brave new ground, enticing users to «make anything you can imagine» using the in-game development tools provided and finding massive success in the process. It seems Sony really was onto something with Dreams, but it stumbled in the execution. The Roblox platform currently boasts an astonishing 66 million users globally, and part of the appeal is the tantalising prospect of those users creating a game, monetizing it, and publishing it for other players to enjoy, all of it in-app. But with more than 3 million «Roblox developers» already, many of them seemingly younger, accusations of child exploitation have been brewing for some time.

Reports from some familiar faces suggest that Sony still has some «smaller» PS5 exclusives set for the tail end of 2024. Insiders and various industry types agree that they'll likely be seen at next month's rumoured PlayStation event. The consensus seems to be that the long-awaited Silent Hill 2 remake will be one, and the rumoured standalone Astro Bot game will be another.

No Man's Sky has become synonymous with ambitious developer overreach, a cautionary tale of what can happen when publishers do nothing to reign in out-of-control hype. When the game was released in 2016 and failed to meet sky-high expectations set in no small part by Hello Games director Sean Murray himself, fan backlash was the stuff of legends. But ever since, the developer has set about making amends.

They say that no news is good news, but in the case of the carbonite-encased Knights of the Old Republic remake, apparently languishing in development hell, we'll take whatever scraps we can get. Now an independent entity free from the imploding Embracer Group, developer Saber Interactive's CEO, Matthew Karch, has acknowledged the project, albeit briefly.

Stellar Blade is launching exclusively on PS5 at the end of the month, on 26th of April, and anticipation is high amongst enthusiasts for the appealing action RPG. We love what we've played so far. Still, not an insignificant amount of attention is directed at the game due to its more aesthetic attributes and the many eye-catching outfits on offer for protagonist Eve.

Another region has published their rating for Massive Entertainment’s upcoming bounty hunter simulator, Star Wars Outlaws.