TheSixthAxis News, Tips, Tricks, Ideas

Microsoft has confirmed the games that will be added to the Xbox Game Pass library this month, with a variety of different titles to choose from. It all kicks off from today with Superhot: Mind Control Delete making its return to the library’s digital shelves. That leads the pack with seven other games following closely behind.

Nightdive Studios has announced that it is releasing PO’ed Definitive Edition for PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. PO’ed first released in 1995 and is essentially a DOOM clone, though the character in PO’ed is a chef who has crash landed on an alien planet. You can see the game in action in the announcement trailer below.

It feels strange coming back to Star Wars Battlefront after all these years. After EA’s closure of Pandemic Studios, after the disappointment of the Star Wars sequel film trilogy, and after the rollercoaster that was EA’s Battlefront reboots, having the chance to step back to the early 2000s of Star Wars shooters had an immediate appeal to it.

It’s always a good week when there’s a bank holiday involved, but the Easter Weekend gets the special bonus of being a double bank holiday. I’ve no doubt many of you have some big games that you’re planning to tackle today and through the weekend, but let’s look back on the week that was and what we’ve been playing first.

Developer Pieces Interactive has released its first Alone in the Dark update since the horror remake launched earlier this month.

It took Ubisoft nine years, but they finally gave us a sequel to Valiant Hearts: The Great War. Debuting on Netflix Games last year, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home has now been released on everything a video game can be released on in 2024. Finally I can at last finish the narrative adventure that so moved me back in 2014.

Torn Away is a video game from another era. Not in terms of its World War 2 setting, but rather this game seems purpose-built for the iconic handheld of yesteryear, the Nintendo DS. Ostensibly a 2D Narrative Adventure, Torn Away is packed with 3D analogue-driven mini-games; from opening cupboards to lighting fires and repairing battered boots. Frequently, during such interactions, I felt the nostalgic need for a stylus and touch screen. Problematically, they were nowhere to be found, instead, my trusty gamepad would have to suffice.

Two new weapons have been added to Helldivers 2, with players now able to grab themselves a new Heavy Machine Gun and powerful new Quasar Cannon as support weapon stratagems.

Alongside the announced acquisition of Gearbox by Take-Two Interactive, publishing subsidiary 2K Games has also confirmed that the next Borderlands game is in active development.

Reports have emerged from that a new Spyro game is in development at former Activision studio Toys for Bob.

Sega has announced another 240 job cuts for its UK-based studios, and is selling off Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment, with the studio now going independent.

A good few months after a sale was first reported to be on the table, Embracer has now confirmed the sale of Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive for $460 million. This brings Gearbox in house with long term publishing partner 2K Games, who still had publishing rights to the Borderlands franchise, even with the developer under Embracer’s ownership.

The Aplril 2024 PlayStation Plus monthly games have been confirmed, with Sony pulling together a trio of games for all PS Plus subscribers – Essentials, Extra and Premium. Headlining this month’s selection is the magic-infused FPS Immortals of Aveum, but what else is coming down the pipe?

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has suggested that Microsoft would be willing to open up their console platform to third party storefronts. Could with see the likes of itch.io and Epic Games Store on Xbox in future?

The original Fight Crab answered a question I never even knew I needed the answer to: what if someone made an an anime arena fighter with hilariously unreliable individual-limb controls, and also every character was a crab? It’s a ridiculously stupid combo, but in the best kind of way – it’s the sort of irreverent, dumb fun that throws every rule of video games out the window for the sake of making you grin from ear to ear. Fight Crab 2 ups the ante with not only with a wider variety of selectable shelled warriors and ridiculous weaponry, but also a new kind of campaign mode that answers an even sillier question: what if it was also like Monster Rancher too?

Millennia looks takes a different approach to the passage of time and the evolution of civilisations, nations and empires, building its retelling of history around the concept of Ages. That’s far from the only difference to its peers in the 4X strategy genre, but it’s certainly one of the most distinctive, as you explore ‘what if?’ scenarios across 10,000 years of history.

A successor to The Falconeer, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is the second of three games to be set in universe created by developer Tomas Sala. Where you might expect it to follow in The Falconeer’s slipstream as an aerial combat game, Bulwark takes a much steadier approach, revisiting the vast watery expanse of the Ursee for a more sedate city builder.

Remedy Entertainment has shared details on Project Condor, it’s upcoming multiplayer spin-off from the shared universe of Control and Alan Wake 2.

Solo developer Tomas Sala has announced that The Falconeer and Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles will be followed by a trilogy-ending game – Project: Ancient Waves.

LEGO Fortnite is getting updated with version 29.10, which has been named Mechanical Mayhem. This new update is bringing vehicles to the game, including three free vehicle builds. Those are the Speeder, the Offroader, and the Hauler. Players will also be able to build their own customised vehicles, and there will be new toys too such as wheels, seats and power centers. A new item called the Compost Bin is being added, which will allow resources to be recycled to create Biomass, Fertilizer, or Soil. Biomass will need to be used to create Power Cells.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail will release on July 2nd, Square Enix has confirmed. Dawntrail will release with new story content, the two new viper and pictomancer jobs, new dungeons, new encouters, and the level cap increase to 100. Pre-order and collector’s edition details have been confirmed too.

The South Park gang is back and this time, it’s a Snow Day! Taking a departure from the two previous entries’ RPG venture, the most recent being The Fractured But Whole, South Park: Snow Day! sees Cartman and crew enter the roguelike adventure territory with mixed results.

Following a few days of speculation after Larian boss Swen Vincke announced that the studio’s next game will not be Baldur’s Gate 4, he has clarified that the reason for this new direction was all about Larian wanting to take a new direction, and not because of changes at D&D owner Wizards of the Coast.

Highwater is a story-driven tactical strategy game set in a ruined and flooded world. You play as Nikos as he sets off in his dinghy to try and reach Alphaville, where he plans to sneak onto a rocket that the ultra rich are using to escape the ruined Earth they destroyed. While it might be a premonition from the future and it looks good on a surface level, there is a lack of polish and depth here that undercuts the game’s better qualities.

Capcom has revealed their plans for the first patches to Dragon’s Dogma 2, with a 30fps cap on consoles and the ability to start a new game two of the highest priorities for the RPG.

Rockstar Games has dropped a new Red Dead Redemption 2 update, as fans still hold out hope for a PS5 and Xbox Series X|S re-release.

Which games are leaving PlayStation Plus in April 2024? It has been confirmed that no fewer than 11 titles will vanish from Sony’s massive on-demand library.

It’s that rare part of the year for avid European Formula 1 fans where we’re faced with the decision of setting alarm clocks and getting up at awful time of the morning to watch the Australian Grand Prix. Given the absolute dominance of the sport that we’ve seen in the past 18 months, I was not in that number for Qualifying this morning, but then, what was that I spied in the replay a few hours later? The glimmers of an interesting race? Well, now I’m wondering if I really want to set my alarm for 4AM tomorrow…

Another hectic week is in the bag, and I’ve been playing Dragon’s Dogma 2 so I could collect the video footage for our review and obviously not for any kind of enjoyment. It is definitely very, very fun though, even if you have to look out for the odd disappearing Pawn on PS5. Other than that it’s been New Star GP, Unicorn Overlord, Street Fighter 6, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and some Songs of Silence for my gaming week.

Having received glowing reviews from the press, Dragon’s Dogma 2 has been hammered by Steam users who got their hands on the game overnight. The reaction has been so bad to elements including game performance, the use of Denuvo copy protection and inclusion of microtransactions that Capcom has issued a hasty statement of apology and explanation.

After the smashing success of Baldur’s Gate 3’s full release last year, the immediate expectation would be that Larian Studios’ would now be hard at work on DLC or a full sequel. However, that’s not happening. Larian Studios’ next project is specifically not Baldur’s Gate, or even anything Dungeons & Dragons.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has been announced by Skydance New Media and Marvel, taking players back to World War 2 and the origins of Hydra. The story focuses on both Captain America and Black Panther, who in this game is T’Challa’s grandfather Azzuri, who are both fighting the Germans. They also have a conflict with each other with different methods and goals to reach, which puts them on a head on collision.

The religious themed INDIKA will be available on May 8th, 11 Bit Studios has confirmed. The game has been developed by Odd Meter Studio. INDIKA is puzzle based narrative game where players take on the role of Indika who may have the power to change God’s plan, though the question will be are her actions actually having any impact.

A new project has been announced by Toukana Interactive and popular animation house Kurzgesagt – best known for their long-running YouTube channel. What will Project Mango be? That’s anyone’s guess at this stage with just a short teaser trailer for something only expected to release in 2025.

Red Thread Games and their publisher Spotlight by Quantic Dream have announced that Dustborn will launch on 20th August 2024 across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC. Check out the new gameplay trailer.

Puppets have been a mainstay of horror films for many years and they’re about to get their own game in the shape of Puppet House. Will it include dead-eyed puppets who want to stab you in the chest? Of course it will.

Harold Halibut has taken his time to arrive, he was announced at E3 2021 and development has taken more than ten years in total, but at last the game will launch on April 16th 2024 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X.  It will also be part of Xbox and PC Game Pass and the same day.

Dead Island 2’s second DLC expansion, SoLA, is going to be released on April 17th, Deep Silver has announced. The new content will take players to the the one of the biggest music festivals in California, whose soundtrack has changed from raving beats to the sounds of the undead. The content includes the new location, a new enemy types, and new legendary weapons.

Chrono Studio has revealed a new trailer for the MMORPG Chrono Odyssey which is due to be released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game has got a trailer at GDC 2024 and it has been confirmed that Chrono Odyssey will be running on Unreal Engine 5. The cinematic trailer can be seen below, which shows the kind of world players will be able to explore.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth update 1.020 is out now on PS5, bringing new graphics options and improvements to visual quality in general.

2K Games has confirmed the full launch roster for TopSpin 2K25, which will include tennis stars from the 1980’s, 1990’s and the modern era. 25 names have been announced, though these 25 will not be the final tennis players available in the game, with 2K stating there are more to come later on down the line, who will likely be DLC.

Rise of the Ronin is an ambitious game, and the first time Team Ninja has set its sights on creating a fully open world. The setting is a time where Japan is on the precipice of change, in the years leading up to the Meiji Restoration. In real life, this was the end of the Shogunate era and the opening of up of Japan to the world. In Team Ninja’s vision, this time period is a good ‘what if?’ scenario. You can choose to align with the Shogunate or the Anti-Shogunate faction, but there’s little black and white clarity in this complex political and societal upheaval. Also, there is lots of combat.

There’s nothing quite like a night at the theatre. The escapism, the fantastical narratives, the impressive stage design; all of this awaited Princess Peach as she was invited to the Sparkle Theater for what promised to be a wonderful evening in Princess Peach: Showtime!. However, rather than having to put up with someone talking throughout, or a screaming child in the front row, Peach has to deal with Madame Grape and the Sour Bunch invading the building and corrupting everything.

The next big video game movie adaptation could be The Sims, with Electronic Arts partnering with LuckyChap – the production company of Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerly, Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr – and Roy Lee and Miri Yoon of Vertigo Entertainment to make it happen.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has been announced by Skydance New Media and Marvel, taking players back to World War 2 and the origins of Hydra. The story focuses on both Captain America and Black Panther, who in this game is T’Challa’s grandfather Azzuri, who are both fighting the Germans. They also have a conflict with each other with different methods and goals to reach, which puts them on a head on collision.

Alpha Protocol is returning to PC with full compatibility for current PCs, a licensed soundtrack, and performance improvements. Alpha Protocol was delisted in 2019 from all digital storefronts due to the music rights expiring.The revival has come about with SEGA, Obsidian, and GOG all working together, with the soundtrack having a new license.

Chrono Studio has revealed a new trailer for the MMORPG Chrono Odyssey which is due to be released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game has got a trailer at GDC 2024 and it has been confirmed that Chrono Odyssey will be running on Unreal Engine 5. The cinematic trailer can be seen below, which shows the kind of world players will be able to explore.

Alone in the Dark is the definition of slow burn horror – something that’s pretty much a given when playing, reading, or watching anything that takes heavy inspiration from the works of H.P. Lovecraft. A modern take of the 1992 classic created by Infogrames, it’s easy to see why THQ wanted to take a punt at reanimating the series, especially when you consider the back-to-back successes Capcom has enjoyed with its recent string of Resident Evil remakes. After all, it was Alone in the Dark that inspired Shinji Mikami in creating the very first Resident Evil all those years ago. Both games took place in a sprawling manor complex teeming with jump scares and puzzles, though Alone in the Dark veered more towards the occult and committing to a period setting.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is finally here after a full 12 years after the release of the first game. We’re now two console generations on from the original’s release, Skyrim has been re-released roughly 27 times, and the media landscape is even more about IP hoarding and franchises. So, it’s quite novel to boot Dragon’s Dogma 2 up and find that the title screen doesn’t seem all that interested in telling you that this is a sequel. It makes a bit of sense, when awaits you as you set foot into this expansive open world is clearly so much more than just a straight successor to what went before.

Alpha Protocol is returning to PC with full compatibility for current PCs, a licensed soundtrack, and performance improvements. Alpha Protocol was delisted in 2019 from all digital storefronts due to the music rights expiring.The revival has come about with SEGA, Obsidian, and GOG all working together, with the soundtrack having a new license.

A full remake of the 1997 puzzle game Riven is going to be released on PC, consoles, and VR latest this year. Cyan Worlds has brought the original creative team back together to work on the Riven remake, and the game is being developed using Unreal Engine 5. You can see the new trailer for Riven below.

Valve has unveiled a new Steam Families system, looking to overhaul how household game sharing works within Steam, with the end goal being to replace the existing Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View systems.

One of the best games of 2023, Hi-Fi Rush is out now on PS5. It’s the latest step in a four game plan to bring formerly Xbox exclusive games to rival consoles, but put all the business to one side for a second, because this is a fantastic mash-up action game that deserves to be played.

A full remake of the 1997 puzzle game Riven is going to be released on PC, consoles, and VR latest this year. Cyan Worlds has brought the original creative team back together to work on the Riven remake, and the game is being developed using Unreal Engine 5. You can see the new trailer for Riven below.

A lot of video games, media and works of art took on a whole new meaning in the 2020s, despite not directly addressing the global pandemic that blighted the start of the decade. Themes of isolation and societal collapse are common in fiction, but revisiting games about stories like that is a bit more harrowing after living through something felt so similar. Very few games directly tackle the idea of life after COVID lockdown, and the fact that Mediterranea Inferno does just that is only one of several reasons why it’s the most unorthodox, unique, and unforgettable visual novels I’ve ever played.

The PlayStation 5 Pro specs have potentially leaked, by way of Tom Henderson and Inside Gaming, giving more credence to previous rumours and reported that the PS5 Pro is coming out in 2024.

SNK has announced the return of Fatal Fury, coming 26 years after the series’ last release. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will be coming in 2025, though platforms are yet to be confirmed. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will also have English voice acting. SNK had first teased a new Fatal Fury in 2022, but had not given any details outside of some artwork.

Valve has unveiled a new Steam Families system, looking to overhaul how household game sharing works within Steam, with the end goal being to replace the existing Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View systems.

SNK has announced the return of Fatal Fury, coming 26 years after the series’ last release. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will be coming in 2025, though platforms are yet to be confirmed. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will also have English voice acting. SNK had first teased a new Fatal Fury in 2022, but had not given any details outside of some artwork.

The fighting game scene is going through a true renaissance right now, with Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat 1 and Tekken 8 making sure that brawlers aren’t just part of the conversation, they’re leading the way in competitive gaming. Retaining their arcade roots, the scene’s technological component has seen manufacturers like Mad Catz, Nacon and Qanba offer their own arcade sticks, attempting to give the best players an even finer edge. Victrix doesn’t just want to be part of the crowd though, they want to be the only fight stick manufacturer players go to. The PDP Victrix Pro FS is the fight stick that can make that a reality.

If there’s one thing PlayStation Plus Premium is missing it’s a good library of PS2 classics. Since Sony relaunched PS Plus in 2022 with multiple tiers, it feels like those paying top whack for the online service have been short-changed when it comes to the lineup of older PlayStation games being emulated on PS4 and PS5.

The PlayStation 5 Pro specs have potentially leaked, by way of Tom Henderson and Inside Gaming, giving more credence to previous rumours and reported that the PS5 Pro is coming out in 2024.

This week the big question has been just what the hell Warner Bros. have managed to do with the Arkham/Batman franchise after the unsurprising failure of Suicide Squad to revive the series’ fortunes. For the record, Suicide Squad is well worth playing just to experience the storyline and the characters, but as a long-term live-service game it leaves a lot to be desired. It’s clear that live service is no longer the golden goose the industry thought it was, and with more games battling for our multiplayer hours, including a batch of thoroughly great free-to-play titles, the outlook has to change. Hopefully it’s in the player’s interests, rather than in the shareholders’.

The sun is out and shining in my part of the world, with a lovely spring day coinciding with the end of this year’s Six Nations. It feels like a foregone conclusion that Ireland will wrap things up against Scotland, but maybe I’m just trying to jinx them for a surprise final day turnaround that sees Scotland, France or England win it instead? Imagine the drama!

The fan-pleasing launch of Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection has descended into despair, as gamers eager to enjoy the early 2000s multiplayer games once more on modern systems have instead found the game’s launch to be plagued by server issues and other troubles. Aspyr has quickly addressed some of the issues, and issued a statement on the problems the game faced.

Ubisoft Montreal has released For Honor update 2.5, with Year 8 now underway. Announced last week, For Honor Year 8 will introduce even more content to the popular cross-platform fighting game including new maps, modes, and of course, heroes.

If there’s one thing PlayStation Plus Premium is missing it’s a good library of PS2 classics. Since Sony relaunched PS Plus in 2022 with multiple tiers, it feels like those paying top whack for the online service have been short-changed when it comes to the lineup of older PlayStation games being emulated on PS4 and PS5.

The fan-pleasing launch of Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection has descended into despair, as gamers eager to enjoy the early 2000s multiplayer games once more on modern systems have instead found the game’s launch to be plagued by server issues and other troubles. Aspyr has quickly addressed some of the issues, and issued a statement on the problems the game faced.

Embracer Group has announced the $247 million sale of Saber Interactive to Beacon Interactive, a new parent company that is owned by Saber co-founder Matthew Karch.

There’s a huge amount of nostalgia for classic side-scrolling platformers like Mega Man X and Sonic, but that means there’s also countless games that have struggled to capture that same energy and appeal. I was worried Berserk Boy would be another one of those, but despite wearing it’s Mega Man X influences on it’s sleeve, there’s more to this game than meets the eye, and it’s easily one of the most impressive platformers I’ve played in recent memory.

Cygames has released Granblue Fantasy: Relink update 1.1.0 across PS5, PS4 and PC, adding a brand new quest for players to enjoy, as well as some new premium emotes and microtransactions.

The first thing that’s sure to grab you about Ascendant Infinity is just how 80s everything feels. This is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the end of the world didn’t happen now in our time of rapidly advancing AI and robotics, but rather saw the last vestiges of mankind put into a cultural stasis in the era of cheesy sitcom title music, ludicrously big hair, synths and bumbags. Also, wildly advance biotech

There’s a new system software for your PS5, as Sony has released version 24.02-09.00.00 to the masses. But what does it do?

Embracer Group has announced the $247 million sale of Saber Interactive to Beacon Interactive, a new parent company that is owned by Saber co-founder Matthew Karch.

Dedicated spreaders of Managed Democracy have started to report sightings of new flying Terminid bugs – possibly called “Shriekers” – but these reports have sparked a rapid pushback from Arrowhead’s CEO Johan Pilestedt, who has branded those players as “bug sympathizers”.

Cygames has released Granblue Fantasy: Relink update 1.1.0 across PS5, PS4 and PC, adding a brand new quest for players to enjoy, as well as some new premium emotes and microtransactions.

Deceit 2 is going to free to play and will also be launching PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, from April 3rd, World Makers has announced. Along with the announcement of going to free to play, the first DLC for Deceit 2 has been confirmed too. That DLC is The Werewolf DLC, adding a new terror to the game since it was released.

New studio Critical Hit Games has announced the noir detective game Nobody Wants To Die for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, coming out later in 2024. The game is set in a future dystopian New York, the year 2329, where immortality is available for those that can afford it, able to swap bodies as they age. Essentially, it’s quite a bit like the novel and Netflix series Altered Carbon – the cinematic reveal trailer shows its own peculiar twists, though.

Dedicated spreaders of Managed Democracy have started to report sightings of new flying Terminid bugs – possibly called “Shriekers” – but these reports have sparked a rapid pushback from Arrowhead’s CEO Johan Pilestedt, who has branded those players as “bug sympathizers”.