TheGamer News, Tips, Tricks, Ideas

Earlier this year, Xbox announced it was bringing four exclusives to other consoles, those being Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. But it's not stopping there, as Microsoft is reportedly discussing the idea of bringing Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 to PS5 as well.

After the recent announcement that Xbox is closing down Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall developers Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, it feels as though no studio is safe from being shuttered at the moment. Hi-Fi Rush was critically acclaimed, beloved by many, and won more than a few awards, but Tango was shut down a little under a year and a half after launch, giving off the perception that the only thing Xbox really gives a damn about is a game's sales.

Hades 2's final boss battle has an unexpected easter egg that stops you from pausing the game, with an incantation even becoming available later that stops a certain big bad from messing with you.

13 years after the release of Skyrim, developer Slavic Magic is keeping its janky spirit alive. As one Reddit user discovered, if you walk on fallen logs inside of a burning building in Manor Lords, you'll be propelled into the atmosphere as though an overly protective giant just clubbed you.

Xbox rocked the games industry earlier this week by closing down Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, two developers responsible for beloved titles such as The Evil Within series, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and the Prey reboot. Pretty much everyone was surprised by the announcement, including the people at Tango and Arkane Austin themselves, who were reportedly in the middle of pitching new projects to Xbox before being shut down.

Xbox fans were dealt some devastating news earlier this week, after the company announced it would be shutting down multiple developers, including Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. It was claimed by Xbox that this was done so it could funnel more funds into "high-impact" titles, likely referencing big games currently in development, such as The Elder Scrolls 6.

So much has happened since its release, it feels like Tears of the Kingdom has been around for years. Truth is the newest Zelda game isn't even a year old, not quite anyway. Tears of the Kingdom will turn one this weekend and to mark the occasion, BlackMilk has added an official range inspired by the game to its already expansive The Legend of Zelda collection. The line includes everything from t-shirts to leggings, and it's all available now ahead of the game's first anniversary.

MultiVersus developer Player First Games has finally revealed the game's first new character since Marvin the Martian back in 2022, as the completion of a MultiVersus ARG has revealed that Batman's arch-enemy The Joker is joining the roster.

An update to the Rockstar Games website suggests that several new screenshots for GTA 6 are going to be shared in the near future, likely before Take-Two's investor call.

Pokemon kicked off its year in Funko Pops by revealing it would be releasing six new pearlescent figures, presumably throughout 2024. Lucario was the first of those figures to be revealed, but Pokemon left it up to our imaginations when it comes to the other five. Rumors suggested that the next shiny Pop! joining Pokemon's ranks would be Pichu, and not only has Pokemon finally confirmed those rumors to be true, but the Pokemon Center exclusive Pop! is available to buy right now.

Fortnite only just added the Yoda Backbling to the game last week and it's already been removed by Epic due to it causing crashes in Battle Royale matches.

Four years ago, Microsoft announced that it was working on a Perfect Dark reboot, finally bringing the cult classic FPS to modern audiences. A year later, it revealed that it was partnering with Crystal Dynamics on the project, but in 2022, the studio lost nearly half of its staff--including senior writers, the technical director, and the lead gameplay engineer to name a few. Things looked bleak, but two years on, it's reportedly not gotten any better.

MultiVersus fans think that an ongoing ARG that's scheduled to end at some point today is going to reveal the next big character coming to the game - The Joker.

Have fun playing Hades 2 or whatever other new games you're enjoying at the moment as before you know it, anything anyone in gaming is talking about again will be Elden Ring. The 2022 Game of the Year's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion will be released on June 21 and if its reveal trailer is anything to go by, the DLC will almost double the game's scope. To celebrate Shadow of the Erdtree's release, Bandai Namco is running a competition, and the grand prize is a lifesize statue of Messmer the Impaler.

Hades 2 was shadow-dropped a couple of days ago, and despite launching out of nowhere two years after being announced, it has already more than doubled its predecessor's concurrent player record.

Two new figures of Sora and Roxas have been revealed for the Ichiban Kuji Kingdom Hearts Linking Hearts Kuji Game. If you aren’t in the know, Ichiban Kuji are lottery prizes in Japan, meaning these figures are exclusively available as part of a lottery.

We may never live in a world where Pokemon are real, but on the bright side, there are a lot of ways The Pokemon Company has brought them into the real world. Whether that be via Funko Pops, plushes, or action figures. Its latest venture technically falls into the plush category even though their primary function is furniture as Gengar, Lechonk, and Jigglypuff have all been turned into massive beanbags.

Helldivers 2 has a bunch of powerful weapons you can use to dish out some serious firepower, and just as many big beasties to use them. On the Terminid front, you'll find no foe scarier than the Bile Titan, a huge mass of pointy bits that loves nothing more than to spit massive globs of horrible goo all over players.

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf appears to be the next big title from developer BioWare and publisher EA, though we've heard very little official information about the title ever since its name was revealed. Things have been heating up in recent months though, with BioWare promising more news about the title this summer, and now EA seems to have all but confirmed the title will be launching within the next 12 months.

News regarding the Nintendo Switch 2 has been agonizingly thin on the ground as of late, but Nintendo finally gave us an official update earlier today by announcing that the console will be revealed within the current fiscal year. That's led to renewed excitement about the system, and Nintendo insider TvPH has used that excitement to get word out about the features that the console will have.

In the Fallout TV series, it's revealed that Vault-Tec is willing, and even planning, to drop the bombs themselves as they have invested everything in the apocalypse. It has to happen or they will collapse, so they invite some of the biggest corporations in America to a shadowy meeting where they discuss how to bring about the apocalypse from which they will all rise as unstoppable monopolies.

Earlier today, it was announced that Xbox will be closing multiple studios under its umbrella, including Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. Despite having made several high-profile titles between them, including Hi-Fi Rush, Ghostwire: Tokyo, The Evil Within series, Prey (2018), and Redfall, Xbox explained that it will be shutting the studios to funnel more cash into "high-impact" titles from Bethesda.

Four months into 2024 and there have already been a lot of big games we'll continue to talk about and play throughout the rest of the year and beyond. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is unquestionably one of those games, not only because its story and side content comfortably provide players with more than 100 hours of things to do, but because its characters are some of the most beloved in all of gaming. Bring Arts models of some of those characters have now found their way onto Amazon, and the wait you'll have for them to arrive further demonstrates we'll be talking about Rebirth for a while yet.

Hades 2 eventually lets you summon animal familiars who can help you in battle, which lets you turn your froggy best friend into a powerful ally in battle.

Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty has announced the shutdown of Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks amidst huge cuts at Bethesda.

In Hades 2, you come across a god called Narcissus. If his name doesn't give it away already, he's a deity known for his beauty who is so narcissistic that he fell in love with his own reflection and became entranced.

Helldivers 2 dropped to 'Mostly Negative' this weekend after announcing that players would have to link their PSN and Steam accounts to keep playing, making it so that the game couldn't be accessed in over 150 countries. This was partly spurred on by community manager Spitz, who mysteriously disappeared from the Discord server on Saturday.

Play any RPG from the past 40 years and you'll come across XP. It's the universal abbreviation of experience points that has become so ingrained in the gaming lexicon that it even broke the barrier and became widely understood beyond the medium. As it turns out, we have Baldur's Gate 3 principal narrative designer Lawrence Schick to thank.

Nintendo just announced the Switch 2 in the most casual way possible. Tweeting on the Japanese account, Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed an announcement would arrive "within the fiscal year", while also revealing a new Direct is due to take place in June. However, the Switch 2 will not be at this Direct, as it will focus only on the second half of 2024 for the original Switch - right now, Nintendo's upcoming roster looks very empty, possibly due to the hole created by the Switch 2.

Dragon's Dogma 2 has come and gone, leaving behind a fairly mixed reception that ballooned during release but slowly deflated as the weeks rolled by. A lot of that will be down to players making more progress, thus spending more time in the game, all the while its slight annoyances build up more and more. However, there appears to be one big sticking point with fans, regardless of their feelings about Dragon's Dogma 2 as a whole, and that's the game's anti-climactic finale.

Being a Helldivers 2 fan has been an absolute rollercoaster over this past weekend, with the game being the most loved live service game out there, to the most hated, and back again over the course of just a few days. Most of you will know that this was down to Sony's sudden implementation of its PSN account system, requiring Helldivers 2 players on Steam to sign up for the PlayStation Network if they want to continue playing.

Hades 2 is finally out now in early access, giving us all the chance to jump in and give protagonist Melinoe a spin for the first time. Of course, Hades 2 isn't fully feature complete yet, with multiple big updates planned for later this year and in 2025, so questions have been raised as to exactly how much Hades 2 we'll get to play before we hit a wall. Thankfully, developer Supergiant is on hand to clear that up.

Fallout 4's big next-gen update dropped a couple of weeks ago, and in true Bethesda fashion it was a bit of a disaster. While some couldn't access the update if they owned Fallout 4 via PlayStation Plus, it was PC players who ended up drawing the short straw, as all the update really did was break most existing mods for the title and implement a horribly stretched out widescreen feature, adding very little in the way of actual improvements.

Helldivers 2 announced over the weekend that players would soon have to link their Steam accounts to PSN to continue playing, a move that drew so much backlash that Sony completely walked back the announcement mere days later. However, it wasn't quick enough to stop a review bomb that tanked the game's overall score.

Hades 2 has removed one of the first game's most powerful Gods, although there's a good story explanation for why she's not offering her infamously Boons in the sequel.

Hades 2 lets you bathe with your companions at The Crossroads once you have a good enough relationship with them, although the scenes aren't always as romantic as you'd expect.

Supergiant Games has confirmed that Hades 2 will be in Early Access until "at least" the end of 2024, although there are some big content updates planned before its full release.

Hades 2 has been taunting us with its "Coming Soon" release date on Steam for two years after being announced at The Game Awards in 2022. Out of nowhere, the wait is finally over as Supergiant Games just launched it into early access.

Up until very recently, it has felt like the X-Men were lying dormant. Right up there alongside Spider-Man for a while during the early 2000s, Marvel's resident mutants have been overlooked for a while due to them not being included in the MCU. That all changes this summer via Deadpool & Wolverine, and thanks to the combination of that movie and X-Men '97, the X-Men are back, and yet another Wolverine Funko Pop! to celebrate that is being released today.

Over the weekend, Helldivers 2 announced that players will soon need to sign into the PlayStation Network to keep playing on PC.

Even though Nintendo still hasn't confirmed it will be releasing the Switch's successor in 2025, one look at its 2024 slate serves as relatively concrete evidence that's the case. There are still games coming, but there's an argument to be made that the last tentpole release on the Switch was Super Mario Bros. Wonder. A game famed for turning Mario and his supporting cast into elephants, and fans in Japan were lucky enough to then see Elephant Mario turned into a plush soon after.

Lego did a lot during the build to May 4 to celebrate this year's Star Wars Day, but the Star Wars celebrations for the toy bricks makers aren't over yet. 2024 marks 25 years since the first ever Lego Star Wars sets and the ways in which Lego wants to mark the occasion will continue. Next up is an Imperial Star Destroyer set that's already available on Amazon, and one of the Minifigures included is the long-rumored Cal Kestis one.

Last year, months before Homelander was even revealed, Antony Starr confirmed that he wouldn't be voicing his iconic The Boys character in Mortal Kombat 1.

Glory to Democracy! Sony's controversial decision to make Helldivers 2players on Steam link their accounts to PSN has been reversed. The decision was met with a lot of backlash from players, which seems to have pressured Sony to cancel the update.

Silent Hill is a pretty iconic title, what with it being the start of one of the most iconic horror franchises of all time (even if Konami constantly disappoints fans). Unfortunately, the older games in the series haven't exactly aged gracefully, and even the biggest fan of the original Silent Hills has to admit they're about as easy to control as a fighter jet.

Baldur's Gate 3 has 11 species, from human to drow to dragonborn, but with how extensive Dungeons & Dragons is, it was only inevitable that some fan-favourites wouldn't make the list.

Helldivers 2 is getting a new Warbond next week, as the Polar Patriots Warbond looks set to add some juicy weapons, as well as some stylish capes, armor, and emotes to flaunt on the battlefield. The announcement of a new Warbond is usually cause for celebration among the Helldivers 2 community, but this one is being treated with suspicion, as some believe it's teasing the introduction of one of the first game's most terrifying bugs.

The latest gameplay trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has seemingly confirmed that Grabs are returning alongside the iconic Sonic Sway counter move from Budokai Tenkaichi 3.

A new trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 has given us a very brief glimpse at Homelander, including showing off his two fatalities and letting us hear his voice for the first time. No, we're not sure if it's Antony Starr, either.

I've been wishing I could be Spider-Man for as long as I can remember, but the closest I've come to replicating that fictional feeling is by swinging around New York as the web-slinger in Insomniac's Spidey games. The idea of actually being able to fire webs from my wrists was an unattainable goal since, well, radioactive spiders aren't a thing, and if they were, being bitten by one probably wouldn't result in the development of superpowers. Kids today won't need to rely on that impossibility as Hasbro has created real-life Web Blasters, no radioactive spider bite needed.

Helldivers 2's creative director and CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, Johan Pilestedt, has revealed that he doesn't know what players affected by the game's removal from Steam can do next.

The latest trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has shown off a bit of a redesign for Future Gohan, one that has received mixed responses from fans.

A report from DidYouKnowGaming has revealed that Vicarious Visions, the developers behind Skylanders, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, and the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, pitched a 3D Donkey Kong game to Nintendo that ultimately got rejected.

A YouTuber has managed to get their hands on the art book for Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2, which has seemingly confirmed that the game will feature a PvP mode.

PlayStation's controversial announcement that Helldivers 2 players on PC would be required to sign in to a PSN account (which will make the game unplayable for some) has led to the game being delisted from Steam in over 100 countries.

We all know that Persona 5's Joker is a gamer at heart, regularly retiring to his room for a session of Punch Ouch or Train of Life on his secondhand retro console. He views his own physical and mental health as stats to increase, you don't get much more gamer than that. He's clearly a connoisseur of the classics, and a new mod for Persona 5 Royal is finally giving him access to one of te most iconic retro games out there - Doom.

Fallout fever is at an all-time high thanks to the new Amazon show, so much so that it's bleeding into other games.

Fallout has its fair share of terrifying, monstrous, and downright disturbing enemies for players to come across throughout the series, whether it be the lethal Deathclaws or the humble Bloatfly. However, there are some enemies from the series that have a special place in the hearts of fans due to how incredibly annoying they are to run into across the Wasteland, whether it be due to how dangerous they are, or just how much they creep you out.

Pokemon is a multimedia juggernaut and its the various forms it comes in that have made it so massively popular for more than two and a half decades. However, you would think, considering how important an arm of the Pokemon machine it is, that the anime would be easier to watch from start to finish. With its 25 seasons shared between multiple streaming platforms, watching 'em all not only requires thorough research, but it can get pretty expensive too. Hoopla has entered the anime fray to help Pokemon fans on both those counts as the free service is now carrying eight seasons of the show.

It's Star Wars Day and if you're planning on celebrating your fandom by playing some video games set in a galaxy far, far away, you've got a lot of options. If you'd prefer to do that without spending any money, you still have options, and they're better options than you might think. Whether you game on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or both, each platform has offered up the chance to take two of the very best Star Wars games for a spin this weekend to celebrate May 4.

Ed Boon has revealed that Mortal Kombat 1 is adding a skin for Scorpion based on his appearance from the iconic 1995 movie, with more possibly on the way for other fighters.

Fortnite players aren't too happy about this year's Star Wars event, as they think that there's not enough content added to the Battle Royale mode compared to how much has been put into Lego Fortnite.

The second closed beta test for Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link has revealed a brand new character called Nept, and fans already have a few theories about who he could be.

Helldivers 2's Steam page has taken an absolute beating over the last 48 hours, with 68,000 recent reviews causing it to drop to a "Mostly Negative" rating thanks to the PSN sign-in controversy.

The voice actor for Batman in Arkham Origins, Roger Craig Smith, has hinted that he's returning to the role for the recently revealed Batman: Arkham Shadow.

It's a pretty exciting time to be a Starfield fan at the moment, with Todd Howard revealing that the game's Shattered Space DLC will release this Fall, and that land vehicles are finally being added at some point in the near future. However, Bethesda may have also accidentally shown us something it didn't mean to in that same video, as there's a brief moment in which story details for Shattered Space may have been revealed.

Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has revealed in a recent interview that Shadow of the Erdtree will be about as difficult as the second half of the main game.

Helldivers 2 has been one of 2024's most beloved titles ever since launch, proving that live service titles can be extremely popular if they're properly supported and fans are properly respected. Unfortunately, Arrowhead is now throwing a lot of that goodwill into the trash, as players recently found out that they'll need to sign up to a PlayStation Network and link it to Steam if they want to continue playing the game past June 4.

When it comes to Baldur's Gate 3's more eccentric characters, you'll be hard-pressed to find one quite like Astarion. Not only is he initially rather hostile, coming at you with a dagger when you first meet, but the whole vampire thing definitely makes him one of the more unique party members in terms of character and his story.

An upcoming update for Helldivers 2 will require PC players to link to their PlayStation Network account, which has caused an uproar from some fans.

It's 7 am on a Friday, you know what that means. It's time for another Insert Coin drop. The video game clothing store has already added Cyberpunk and Witcher lines to its website in 2024, and last week it gave The Last Of Us fans the chance to round out their Joel look by releasing a jacket that looks just like the one the complicated protagonist wears in Part 2. Today's drop is also headlined by a jacket, but the first Shenmue item at Insert Coin is quite a bit different from the brown Joel jacket added to its storefront last week.

A dataminer has found evidence that confirms previous leaks revealing who the next three characters coming to Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections are.

Fortnite's yearly Star Wars update is here and it brings with it a new Wookie Bowcaster weapon, Lightsabers in Lego Fortnite, and a Yoda Backbling, but the real highlight is the return of the Olympic Mythics.

A reliable Capcom insider who originally reported that Resident Evil 9 might have been hit with an internal delay has now suggested that's not the case and that it should still be releasing in 2025.

Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite had more than a few problems when it launched back in 2017. It was fun enough to play, but it has a less than stellar story, it was updated with DRM years after launch, and it's missing popular characters such as the X-Men. However, the biggest problem that faces the title is how badly it's aging, as despite only being seven years old, it's art style and graphics leave an awful lot to be desired.

Star Wars is an absolutely massive franchise, spanning hundreds of projects ranging from movies and video games to comics and short novels. It can be difficult to fit all of those projects into one established canon, which is why older titles such as the beloved Star Wars FPS Republic Commando can fall by the wayside a little bit.

The recent Master vs. Apprentice gameplay trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has finally outright confirmed that the game will feature alternate costumes. The hope for Vegeta's Badman shirt is still alive, folks.

It seems like every time a new Fortnite crossover is announced these days, you'll find a gaggle of angry fans complaining about its pricing not too far behind. Last month, it was the price of Fortnite's avatar collaboration skins that got fans fired up, and now they've taken aim at the game's upcoming collaboration with Star Wars, once again due to the pricing.

Ubisoft's upcoming multiplayer arena shooter XDefiant has bravely positioned itself as a potential rival to Call of Duty, though it feels like it's been in development for a century. After several test sessions and community feedback, Ubisoft has finally announced a release date for the title, as we'll finally be able to hop into some fast-paced multiplayer action when the game drops later this month on May 21 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

Fallout's grip has been extended beyond the gaming world alone for the first time ever thanks to the adaptation of the show on Amazon Prime. Watched by more than 65 million people in its first 16 days, there's no doubt the show has been a big hit. Its success has also been driving more people to the games. If TV and video games aren't enough forms of media to satisfy your Fallout needs, you can now pre-order a special edition vinyl OST which includes the music from the show.