Gaming in Vatican. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

Witchfire, the new grimdark (that’s an official description) shooter from The Vanishing of Ethan Carter developer The Astronauts, launches in early access today. Much like Ethan Carter, Witchfire uses photogrammetry to deliver a strikingly-detailed dark world, although this time around, walking-sim-style adventure gameplay has given way to intense first-person shooter action. You can check out a lengthy overview trailer for Witchfire, below.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle revealed that Marios Gavrilis is playing the game's villain, Emmerich Voss. During the recent Xbox Developer Direct, MachineGames offered a look into the villain.

Fans who were eagerly awaiting new information to emerge on the MachineGames Indiana Jones title were finally treated to a deep dive yesterday. We got our first look into the upcoming title during the Xbox Developer Direct. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle had a decent showcase where we got our first look into the gameplay and even some narrative storyline premise. While we’re still waiting for the official release date to be finalized, the new website hosted under Bethesda unveils more details on what we can expect from this game. 

MachineGames revealed the first look at its upcoming title, at Xbox's Developer Direct 2024 showcase. The Xbox Series S/X and PC exclusive title was announced back in January 2021, but the showcase finally gave players their first look at gameplay and provided some insight into the story, and when it takes place on the wider timeline.

MachineGames unveiled Indiana Jones and the Great Circle during yesterday's Xbox Developer Direct with a rather impressive presentation. The developers also seemed genuinely psyched about the project, believing it to be a great match for their own game-making chops. Speaking to the Bethesda blog, Senior Animator Rebecca Elfstrӧm Hidén said:

As part of the latest Xbox Developer_Direct stream, MachineGames has shared a look at Indiana Jones and the Great Circle with behind the scenes developer chat and a first gameplay reveal. It’s confirmed that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2024, with a day one release straight into Xbox Game Pass.

From its hand-to-hand combat and its fully simulated whip to its focus on cinematic set pieces and the fact that it’s going to be a primarily first-person experience, there’s plenty about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle that has been revealed by developer MachineGames, though some questions have still yet to be answered. For instance, how is the game going to be structured? Is it going to be a linear experience, as you’d expect from a cinematic action-adventure game such as this one, or will it afford room for open-ended exploration?

MachineGames has given us our first look at its Indiana Jones game, now officially called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (as suspected). And that's not all! We officially now know it is coming this year. Get your fedoras at the ready, our beloved professor will be whipping his way onto Xbox Series X/S and PC, including Game Pass, in 2024.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the now-confirmed name of the adventure game in the works at Wolfenstein studio MachineGames under the watchful eye of Bethesda and executive producer Todd Howard, is set between the plots of the first and third films. 

Back in 2024 Microsoft and Bethesda announced a new Indiana Jones game was coming our way courtesy of producer Todd Howard and Wolfenstein developer MachineGames, but since then, very little else has been revealed. Rumors that the game may be launching this year have been making the rounds, but it’s been radio silence from Microsoft and Bethesda themselves.

It's official: we've finally gotten our first look at the upcoming Indiana Jones game from Wolfenstein developer MachineGames: it's called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and it's out later this year.

Machine Games’ Indiana Jones game received an official name and got its first gameplay showing during today’s Xbox Developer Direct. We also learned that it’s launching later this year. EW.com also confirmed that though Harrison Ford's likeness will appear in the game, he will be performed by Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite).

MachineGames has shown the first full trailer for its Indiana Jones game, revealing that Harrison Ford will reprise his role as the hero – in likeness at least.

After having showcased the likes of Avowed and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Microsoft chose to close its second Xbox Developer_Direct presentation with our first official look at MachineGames’ Indiana Jones title, as previously confirmed, revealing a host of new details on the highly anticipated title.

As part of the latest Xbox Developer_Direct stream, MachineGames has shared a look at their Indiana Jones game with behind the scenes developer chat and a first gameplay reveal.

A new trailer for the video game was finally revealed at the Xbox Developer Direct 2024 event, showing the famous archaeologist in action. The new game, titled, is developed by MachineGames and LucasFilm Games, and published by Bethesda Softworks. It tells an original story that has never been explored in the movie franchise starring actor Harrison Ford. Nevertheless, the title still follows Indy on a new adventure around the globe. Little was known about the game so far, but this new trailer sheds some light on what players can expect.

The teaser video was then followed up with a secondary tweet, which revealed that the currently unnamed Indiana Jones game is being developed by MachineGames - the team that has brought us the Wolfenstein series. 

Today, December 14, there were some interesting reports coming from the artificial intelligence (AI) space. Ahead of the 57th anniversary of World Day of Peace, Pope Francis urged world leaders to ensure that progress made in developing AI tools “will ultimately serve the cause of human fraternity and peace”. In other news, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared briefly lost for words when he met with an AI-generated version of himself. This and more in today's AI roundup. Let us take a closer look.

Blizzcon is never boring, especially with all the activities you can find! Diablo will have plenty of opportunities, including Photo Ops, the Museum of Sanctuary, Mountain Dew Quest, and more. Take a look at Blizzard's official guide to Diablo 4 at Blizzcon blog post to find out more. Blizzcon Broadcast Schedule Blizzcon Campfire Chat Content Creators at Blizzcon

The fiery basin of the Burning Hells crackles and sparks in yearning—BlizzCon 2023 will soon be upon us! On November 3–4 in-person attendees can meet their favorite content creators, get a Hell’s Ink flash tattoo, receive a signature from members of the development team and more. For those tuning in from home, we’ll be broadcasting a special Diablo IV Campfire Chat live from the BlizzCon show floor and multiple Diablo-partnered content creators will be livestreaming, which can also be viewed in person by attendees.

Dark Souls, and indeed, the rest of the FromSoftware’s hits, take dozens of longstanding game mechanics – like enemies that consistently respawn and the risk of losing all your XP when you die –  and combine them into a new genre, the soulslike. Doom Eternal, meanwhile, is the high watermark for fast-paced, customization-driven FPS games, as you blast myriad demonic mobs and slowly improve your weapons, suit, and semi-supernatural abilities. Blending both these games, and also some elements from BioShock and Hunt Showdown, Witchfire, now available in early access through the Epic Games Store, is an imaginative roguelike shooter from The Vanishing of Ethan Carter dev The Astronauts, and it’s showing serious promise.

We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. Apply or nominate today!

Martin Scorsese has spoken a little more about his idea for a movie about Jesus Christ – and he wants to be in it. 

Todd Howard reveals the first real bit of information concerning the upcoming Indiana Jones game that players have heard for months. 

The Pope's Exorcist, one the year's most divisive horror releases, is the new number one movie on Netflix in the US.

I'm not really sure why it works this way, but the Catholic church has released a statement previewing the message that Pope Francis is due to deliver on World Peace Day on 21 September this year. And the Pontiff, clearly having seen the faked image of him in a puffer jacket, is having none of this AI nonsense.

In 2023, we have seen just about everyone come out and take a stand, either for or against, the global phenomenon of artificial intelligence. From the godfathers of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio, and Yann LeCun, entrepreneurs such as OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk, to Hollywood celebrities such as Tom Hanks and Christopher Nolan, this disruptive technology has impacted professionals from all walks of life. And it seems even the clergymen cannot stop themselves from worrying about its potential danger. On Tuesday, Pope Francis issued a warning against the dangers of AI, highlighting its “disruptive possibilities and ambivalent effects”.