Gaming in Australia. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

Pokemon TCG sales have suffered since the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, according to store owners. This is blamed on multiple factors, including the economy and series popularity.

This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.

This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.

Activision has said it’s committed to supporting Call of Duty Mobile with new content on a seasonal basis as Warzone Mobile’s release nears.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s lukewarm reception seems to have had an impact on Pokemon TCG sales, which have dropped since the latest Pokemon entries were released on the Nintendo Switch in 2022. Fans were less than thrilled with Game Freak’s latest monster-gathering JRPGs, as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet quickly became some of the lowest-rated mainline Pokemon entries despite their record-breaking launch. Players even started review-bombing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet for various reasons, including their many performance issues.

2K officially announced in January that the TopSpin series would be returning after its long hiatus with Mafia 3 developer Hangar 13’s TopSpin 2K25. Now, following that initial teaser announcement, the game has been fully unveiled. Check out its reveal trailer below.

TopSpin 2K25 will release in April, publisher 2K has announced, and will include over 24 playable pro tennis stars.

Tom Clancy’s The Division Resurgence by Ubisoft has delayed its launch yet once again. The third-person shooter was supposed to roll out later this month, but that’s not happening now. The launch date has now been pushed to December 2024. I know, it’s quite a drag!

Priority orders have come down from Super Earth high command (developer Arrowhead Game Studios), calling all available Helldivers to arms in response to the surprise, cowardly, and entirely predictable assault on the foundry world of Tien Kwan, located in the Theseus Sector. Until Liberty and Democracy are restored, production of the EXO-45 Patriot exosuit has been halted, effective immediately, in a masterful piece of marketing and propaganda from Arrowhead.

A series constant, Final Fantasy's Moogle is a familiar sight to many, and along with the Chocobo, serves as a mascot of sorts for the franchise. But the busted-looking Moogle we got in the recently released Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has been rejected by a particular segment of the community, who are convinced the gritty redesign looks more like Matthew McConaughey playing a drug mule named Miguel than a fantastical portmanteau of mole and bat.

Former WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon remains embroiled in a sexual misconduct lawsuit alleged by former employee Janel Grant. As a result, 2K has decided to partially censor McMahon's face in WWE 2K24, in archival footage featured in the game's Wrestlemania Showcase mode. While McMahon denies Grant's allegations, which include sexual assault and trafficking her to secure wrestling talent, he resigned from WWE as CEO the day after the federal lawsuit was filed.

While today's top story remains the Liberation of Tien Kwan, Super Earth high command (developer Arrowhead) has revealed the Cutting Edge Premium Warbond, giving all loyal Helldivers a glimpse of the arsenal on the way to the forces of Democracy. Expect distribution to begin on 14th March in exchange for a lifetime of service and an appropriate amount of Super Credits.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed is an upcoming 3D action platformer and the sequel to the latest animated film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, picking up the story several months later. It's due out on PS5 and PS4 in Q4 of 2024, and we got our first glimpse of it in screenshots and learned more about the game's structure.

Legions of Elden Ring fans have been scouring The Lands Between in recent weeks ever since director Hidetaka Miyazaki let slip that something (secret, reference, or otherwise) remained to be unearthed. A newly discovered link between a shield in the base game and enemies in the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has been found and may indeed be that missing link.

The eagerly anticipated New Game+ update is now available in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. It adds plenty of additions players have been asking for, and at least one no one had on their bingo card: access to a developer debug menu that messing around in could potentially corrupt your saves and disrupt Trophy progress.

The year kicked off with a bang, with the eagerly anticipated Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the ninth mainline entry in developer RGG Studios' long-running crime melodrama, released in January. We loved it, and it was so crammed full of content that it always felt like there was something new to do or see. The game's chief producer, Hiroyuki Sakamoto, agrees, reflecting on the game now that things have settled down a little.

Resurgent developer and publisher Capcom has announced that it will increase the salary of starting employees in Japan by more than 25%, beginning at the start of its fiscal year 2025. In addition, current employees will receive a pay rise and a bonus as the company seeks to further invest in its most valuable resource.

Amazon's upcoming TV take on Fallout continues to look incredible, and we appear to be on the precipice of a bold new world in which video game adaptations, like HBOs The Last of Us, don't have to be terrible. Over three minutes, the insanity and «vibe» of the bizarre post-apocalyptic setting are damn-near perfectly captured, and we can't help but get our hopes up for this one.

TOHO animation has announced a P.A. Works-produced anime adaptation of the Edelweiss-developed farming action game Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. It will air in 2024.

Microsoft has admitted that a January cyberattack allowed hackers to eventually gain access to the company's «source code repositories and internal systems.» Microsoft says the attack was carried out by hacking group Midnight Blizzard, which is supported by the Russian government.

To the surprise of its users, Microsoft Rewards has undergone some unexpected price changes in the past few days related to gift cards. This change by Microsoft is only one of many made to the program within the last year that users found out about the hard way.

Fans are wondering if and broke up due to rumors about the same hitting the internet. Here is all you need to know.

The official full trailer for upcoming horror film Late Night with the Devil has dropped, and it looks like a mix of The Exorcist and retro late-night talk shows. 

Xbox Game Pass has confirmed another day-one game for 2024 in the form of The Alters. The next title from award-winning developer 11 Bit Studios is still without an official release date, although the Polish company committed to bringing it to PC, consoles, and Xbox Game Pass sometime this year.

Pre-orders for an unannounced PS4 collection of beloved post-apocalyptic PC S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are currently live in Japan, indicating that the atmospheric shooters could be headed to console for the very first time. Spotted by the ever-watchful Gematsu, pre-orders are currently available at Japanese retailers like Biccamera, Neowing, and Rakuten Book.

With the preview embargo lifting ahead of Dragon's Dogma 2's 22nd March release, the internet is awash with answers to our burning questions about Capcom's imminent action RPG. If that wasn't enough, courtesy of PS Underground, we've got 18 minutes of developer-led gameplay, with director Hideaki Itsuno illuminating us on many aspects of the game and showcasing the Magick Archer vocation.

MultiVersus was the biggest game in the world for about a week, before an iffy Battle Pass and tardy updates plunged its appeal, and prompted Player1stGames to unexpectedly pull the whole thing offline. The release was never meant to disappear entirely, of course, and the developer has been beavering away on some important updates behind-the-scenes. Now it appears it’s finally poised to return.

Horizon Forbidden West is coming to PC in the form of the Complete Edition on 21st March, where an entirely new audience of players can experience one of PlayStation's modern classics in even greater fidelity. Sony has released a trailer detailing some of the features, and some of Nixxes additions, which already has us considering a double dip.

Hot on the heels of yesterday's gameplay reveal, we've learned more about Funcom's upcoming MMO, Dune: Awakening, which remains shrouded in mystery. Crucially, we knew the story would take place in an alternate universe set a few years before the events of the Frank Herbert books or Dennis Villeneuve films and would ignore one of the most critical aspects of its universe, religion, for undisclosed spoiler reasons. Now you've got our attention!

Holdfast, Helldivers, developer Arrowhead Game Studios has confirmed the EXO-45 Patriot Exosuits have passed preliminary testing with flying colours. These colossal weapons of war represent a bold new phase in the ongoing struggle, giving our mobile infantry tried-and-tested armoured support, which passed all tests with flying colours in preliminary deployments across the galaxy.

Epic's plans to launch a version of its Epic Games Store on iOS in the EU have stalled after Apple terminated its developer account, calling the company «verifiably untrustworthy» — and the much-trumpeted return of Fortnite to iOS has been impacted too.

Australian studio Torus has laid off its team and will be on a hiatus for the foreseeable future.

Player First Games has hinted that a new MultiVersus announcement is coming soon, as fans wonder when the fighting game will finally return. The recent tease follows a previous leak, which hinted that MultiVersus' full launch is approaching.

Further light has been shed on the mysteries of the Helldivers 2 universe, in which those titular heroic troopers spread Democracy to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, crushing both Bugs and Bots under polished jackboots. What insidious intelligence directs these loathsome foes of Freedom and Liberty, you ask? An Arrowhead Game Studios employee named Joel.

The Spice is undoubtedly in the air, with Part Two of Dennis Villeneuve's Dune film adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi series now in theatres. Striking while the iron is hot, we also got a stunning gameplay trailer from Funcom for the upcoming survival MMO Dune: Awakening, which was revealed in August 2022 and prophesied to come to PS5 someday.

The recently revealed Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is out on PS5 and PS4 this June, when PlayStation players will get a chance to experience the demonic RPG, once exclusive to Nintendo Switch. Along with an extended cut trailer, Atlus has revealed the fancy physical editions fans can now pre-order for PS5 (PS4 pre-orders will be digital only).

Italian publisher 505 Games has shuttered several of its European offices in France, Germany, and Spain, the result of a business review conducted in September. Just yesterday, we told you that Remedy Entertainment had acquired full publishing rights for Control back from 505 Games.

Synduality: Echo of Ada is getting a closed beta on PS5, allowing players a chance to pilot armoured mechs to become Drifters and face off against the xenomorphic threat of the Enders after the world was washed away by a poisonous rain known as «The Tears of the New Moon».

Unicorn Overlord is the visually stunning strategy RPG from developer Vanillaware, which we are confident will be one of the year's best games. You can try it now for free in an incredibly generous demo, with progress transferring to the full game, which releases next week on 8th March. In the meantime, publisher Atlus has released a trailer teaching potential players how the game's complex, real-time battle system works.

Rumours that the recently released Persona 3 Reload would be getting The Answer (previously only playable in the Persona 3 FES iteration) began swirling last month and look increasingly likely to be correct. Now that the game has been in players' hands for a while, further evidence has emerged that there is still more SEES action to come. Warning: vague item description spoilers for Persona 3 Reload incoming!

Atlus has announced that the Persona series has slid past 22 million copies sold, releasing a special Persona 3 Reload trailer, «Promise», to celebrate. It's an impressive milestone, one which demonstrates how vast the gulf between the various players in the space remains; Final Fantasy, for comparison, has sold more than 180 million units across its admittedly much more extensive catalogue, and Dragon Quest racking up some 88 million, with both IP owned by Atlus competitor and OG RPG publisher, Square Enix.

Sora, the spiky-haired protagonist of Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series, has briefly surfaced to congratulate fellow spiky-haired protagonist, Cloud Strife, on the (largely) successful launch of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

In strangely fascinating news, the release of long-in-development piracy simulator Skull and Bones has caused a significant, sustained spike in the number of players revisiting Ubisoft's earlier effort, the corsair-filled Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

Developer Remedy Entertainment has announced it has acquired the full right to the Control IP, something it previously shared with publisher 505 Games. Remedy reportedly paid 17 million euros for the privilege; however, 505 Games will remain publisher throughout 2024 while the transition takes place.

It's been a little quiet on the GTA 6 front, with Rockstar presumably enforcing a strict no-speak policy. NDAs, however, don't apply to actual rockstars like rapper ScHoolboy Q, who appears to have confirmed his musical return for the eagerly anticipated Grand Theft Auto sequel, which analysts don't expect to release before April 2025.

Arthur Morgan actor Roger Clark will narrate an upcoming audiobook called Red Dead's History, written by historian Tore Olsson, which looks at the history of the American West through the lens of Rockstar's masterful Red Dead Redemption series. Clark will narrate the book as the character of Arthur Morgan, which sounds fantastic.

The first season of live support for Skull and Bones, called Raging Tides, is now live, introducing an armada of plague-ridden corsairs led by Pirate Lord Phillipe La Peste for players to contend with. In addition, expect dynamic world changes, new events, legendary rivals, and more ships, weapons and cosmetics to be introduced to Ubisoft's vibrant maritime world over the next 12 weeks, all for free.

For those too young to remember, the Year 2000 Problem, also known as the Y2K scare, was a brief, glorious bit of chaos enjoyed in the late 90s when fears of a catastrophic computing apocalypse were rampant, a total collapse predicted because of differences in dating systems. We got to relive some of that magic today, as publishers EA and Square Enix were caught wrong-footed by the extra day in February, leading games from both to be temporarily rendered inoperable.

In addition to being Rare's first PlayStation game in its incredible 39-year history, Sea of Thieves will require PS5 players to sign up for a Microsoft account to play. Then, progressive players ready to face this brave new world can link their PlayStation and Microsoft accounts (!) in what will undoubtedly be a strange, landmark moment for gamers on both sides of this historical divide.

With the initial battle to keep servers online seemingly over, developer Arrowhead Game Studios must focus on a new and insidious threat that seeks to undermine the intergalactic war effort — from within. We are talking, of course, about Helldivers 2's inevitable cheaters, who have somehow managed to find all-new ways of being annoying, an astonishing feat in a game that openly embraces friendly fire.

In celebration of cosy farming sim Stardew Valley's eighth anniversary, sole creator Eric «ConcernedApe» Barone has revealed roughly when we can get our dirt-smeared hands on the game's eagerly anticipated 1.6 update, which is shaping up to be a real doozy.

Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann doesn't think he will be in the business of making video games forever, at least not at the scale we would expect from the storied creative. He is best known for his work on both Uncharted and The Last of Us; in fact, it was the experience of adapting the latter for HBO, something he «really enjoyed», along with moving into a stage of life where «your kids are number one», which prompted thoughts of a sea change.

Despite only just getting the eagerly-anticipated Final Fantasy VII Rebirth out the door, Square Enix is already hard at work on the conclusion of the Remake trilogy. And while we wouldn't expect to hear anything substantial for a few years yet, we're already anticipating what comes next, and it seems we aren't alone in these.

Tekken 8's upcoming Tekken Shop will include both paid and free content, Bandai Namco has confirmed, with the premium stuff using a currency called (creatively) Tekken Coins. The Tekken Shop will be refreshed monthly, and the developer insists the move is more about keeping the competitive fighter fresh with customisation items than for grubby monetary reasons. Still, there's no reason why it can't be both.

It's hard to believe it's been two years since one Elden Ring player rose above all others, proving their right to the throne of Elden Lord through repetitive ritual combat. Let Me Solo Her, as this jar-clad hero would come to be known, would dutifully slay the game's most brutal boss for players single-handedly, becoming an enduring legend in the process.

With Helldivers 2's servers having finally reached some level of stability, the developers at Arrowhead Game Studios can turn their attention to other matters, like clarifying what does and does not actually harm the ongoing, intergalactic war effort. Today's bugbear? Farmers — those players who efficiently join for quick missions, acquire resources, and leave before the operation is complete, repeating the process ad infinitum.

Legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu says he probably won't compose the score for another complete game; instead, he prefers to spend his time on compositions or his band Uematsu Nobuo conTIKI. Amongst his long list of notable achievements, in addition to being the primary composer of the Final Fantasy series, he single-handedly composed the soundtracks of the first nine games.

Helldivers 2 players can always use more firepower with which to bring Freedom to the ends of the galaxy. Developer Arrowhead Game Studios said that armoured mechs would be added to the game for free soon after launch, and judging by leaked gameplay surfacing on social media sites, it looks like some of that much-needed heavy armour support is currently en route.

The official MultiVersus X account has posted its first update in over eight months, seemingly hinting at plans to launch the game soon.

Long-running Australian studio Torus Games is "hibernating" but not closing down.

Helldivers 2 has turned out to be something of an anomaly, not only because it’s become a far bigger success than Sony or developer Arrowhead Game Studios had anticipated, but also because it’s selling at a rate that is unprecedented for the overwhelming majority of major new releases.

In what promises to be one of the most talked-about weddings of the year, the impending nuptials of youngest son,, to industrialist daughter, kicked off with a star-studded pre-wedding celebration in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. The extravagant celebrations started off on March 1st and wrapped up on March 3rd.

The morning started with a message from a friend: “I used your photos to train my local version of Midjourney. I hope you don't mind”, followed up with generated pictures of me wearing a flirty steampunk costume.

Electronic Arts has released its upcoming title, Plants vs Zombies 3, the latest entry in the tower defense strategy franchise, for early access on Android and iOS in multiple regions. Right now, early access is available in the Philippines, Australia and the United Kingdom, with more regions expected down the line.

Balatro publisher Playstack Games has taken to social media to defend its poker roguelike after fans noticed it had been removed from certain stores.

Alibaba unveils EMO AI tool that converts photos to lifelike talking, singing videos; Leonardo CEO highlights concerns over human 'Stupidity' in AI use; Kara Swisher unveils new book on AI generated scams amidst global concerns; Meta's resistance and the rising AI threat: Challenges to journalism in Australia- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

Playstack says its roguelike card game Balatro has run into a ratings problem resulting in it being "temporarily removed from sale on a number of digital stores in some countries on console platforms."

Scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to reveal a new form of aggressive prostate cancer which they said could help thousands of lives by revolutionising how the disease is diagnosed and treated in the future.

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Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is gearing up for a worldwide release on March 21, marking the end of its limited beta phase through 2023. This highly anticipated free-to-play game will be accessible on both iOS and Android platforms, offering an immersive experience with iconic maps such as Verdansk and Rebirth Island. Developed by Activision, the studio recently acquired by Microsoft for $69 billion, the mobile version promises a seamless shared progression with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone on PC and consoles.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile will be released worldwide on March 21, 2024, Activision has announced.

Today I'm all about discount deals and democracy manifest. Though discounts on it are scarce (beyond this 17% off one with the code OMEN17), Helldivers 2 still holds my attention like the vice-like pincers of a terminid warrior bug. Why? Because even in a squad of randos, you can experience heroic, heart-in-your-mouth moments like these.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, the iOS and Android version of Activision Blizzard's battle royale hit, is officially getting its worldwide launch on 21st March following a limited release in select counties over the course of the last year.

In the early hours of this morning, a ransomware group claimed to have hacked into Epic Games, taking personal data, such as names, payment details, and passwords. However, the Fortnite and Unreal studio has since responded to concerns that anyone has gained access to files, saying it’s investigating but hasn’t found any evidence so far.

Fans are wondering if auditioned to play in the. If yes, then why the Reacher star did not join the? Here is all you need to know.

New research by academics based in Norway has found evidence that children and teens can face bullying from their peers if they refrain from buying skins, gear, and other items in free-to-play games like Fortnite. As the gaming industry has evolved, free-to-play games and microtransactions have become a bigger part of the experience for many players. This has prompted debate among gamers and industry observers about the ethics of these business practices and their impact on children who play games like Fortnite.

Warner Bros.‘ free-to-play platform fighter went offline last year with the promise of a full launch in early 2024. Now it seems like the game’s relaunch is coming soon as the previously leaked MultiVersus and McDonald’s collaboration has been confirmed on the fast food giant’s website.

Multiple signs indicate that MultiVersus may be returning soon. Fans have patiently waited for the full launch of MultiVersus, which has not been playable for months.

Free-to-play crossover fighting game MultiVersus may be preparing for its comeback, according to McDonald’s Australia.

Call of Duty: Warzone's newest edition, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, is expected to be released worldwide soon, and a new gameplay video has shown off its impressive graphics. The new version of Call of Duty: Warzone has been available for some time in certain regions, but Call of Duty's biggest regions have been left out of the picture so far.