TheSixthAxis News, Tips, Tricks, Ideas

EA and Codemasters have announced F1 24 will launch on 31st May 2024, coming out across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC. A full reveal will come in April.

Games that pitch themselves as challenging experiences are a common occurrence these days, and Slave Zero X is one of them. Within that challenge, though, there has to be balance and a way for players to overcome them, combining growing player skill with levelling up, better equipment and more. At times Slave Zero X walks that tightrope, but at other time it feels so grossly imbalanced that all sense of any fun trying to beat the challenge is taken out of it.

Here are the latest games leaving PlayStation Plus as we look at the list of departures for March 2024. There’s a small cluster of favourites being yanked from Sony’s more premium tiers, including a recent Bethesda open world horror and arguably one of the best indie gems of the past decade.

The Pokémon Company has announced the next spin-off game in the Pokémon series, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, set to release for Nintendo Switch in 2025.

Sony has announced mass layoffs across PlayStation Studios with 8% or around 900 people set to be made redundant across their worldwide studios. This will include the complete shutdown of London Studio, while Naughty Dog, Insomniac and other studios are affected as well.

It’s been just over a year since Inkulinati first went into Early Access, and the time since has been well spent with continual improvements and additions to make the full release a real strategy treat. The main concept – turn based strategy taking place on medieval manuscripts – remains as fun as it is distinctive and the depth of approaches and options elevate it even more. While it is the iconic manuscript characters that take centre stage, it is the balancing and challenge that will have you coming back for more.

Skull and Bones has been a long time coming. First announced way back in the simpler times of 2017, it’s now finally seeing release a whopping seven years later. With numerous delays throughout its lengthy development, it’s safe to say that interest in the title has waned. The initial response was positive, but that has since shifted to ambivalence and borderline antipathy. I’ll admit I approached playing Skull and Bones with little to no excitement, so imagine my surprise when I found myself thoroughly enjoying my time with the game. After many hours of play, Skull and Bones has well and truly got its cutlasses stuck into me. However, my recommendation does come with some serious caveats.

It’s been a pretty busy week, with a small flood of announcements and trailers coming around the Nintendo Direct stream, and then the big review for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – easily one of the most highly anticipated games of the year!

Dicefolk is an incredibly cool roguelike, but I don’t think it makes a great first impression. Upon booting the game up and jumping into your first run, you’re presented with the adorable art style, sure, but the first turn of combat simply presents you with some dice and three little dudes. It’s all a bit baffling, but there’s something special here once you learn what it all means.

For the first anniversary of the PSVR 2 headset, Sony dropped a PS Blog post making five big announcements for games that are coming to PlayStation VR 2 in the coming months. Heck, there was even a game launch and a free DLC update included for good measure!

I owe you an apology, mister Shiren the Wanderer, because I wasn’t really familiar with your game before now. Sure, I’ve played a few mystery dungeon games in my time – your Pokémon Mystery Dungeons, and your Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!, but while I liked them, they never really got their claws into me. Even with my growing urges to play roguelikes, I never found myself a good enough reason to dip into the franchise that started it all until now, with Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island. I’m so happy I did, because it’s my new roguelike obsession, and the game that finally made mystery dungeons click for me.

Here are the latest games leaving PlayStation Plus as we look at the list of departures for March 2024. There’s a small cluster of favourites being yanked from Sony’s more premium tiers, including a recent Bethesda open world horror and arguably one of the best indie gems of the past decade.

On the first anniversary of the PlayStation VR 2 launch, Sony has announced that they are testing PC support for their second generation VR headset.

A hot new update for Helldivers 2 has dropped just in time for the weekend, and it’s a big one. Helldivers 2 update 1.000.12 is all about raising the server cap to allow for more concurrent players, hopefully putting the ‘Servers at capacity.’ errors and waiting queues to bed over the next few days.

The weather outside’s been frightful for most of this week, so while my step counts have suffered, I’ve been getting plenty of gaming in. And it’s been Helldivers 2 that’s really sunk its claws into me, despite having to be a little bit patient to log in and to deal with a few gremlins along the way. It’s just a whole lot of fun, and really enjoyable for both short and sharp bursts with randoms and longer play sessions with friends.

A hot new update for Helldivers 2 has dropped just in time for the weekend, and it’s a big one. Helldivers 2 update 1.000.12 is all about raising the server cap to allow for more concurrent players, hopefully putting the ‘Servers at capacity.’ errors and waiting queues to bed over the next few days.

On the first anniversary of the PlayStation VR 2 launch, Sony has announced that they are testing PC support for their second generation VR headset.

Paradox Interactive and developer C Prompt Studios have announced that their upcoming historical 4X strategy game Millennia will be releasing on 26th March 2024. Check out the latest trailer:

Paradox Interactive and developer C Prompt Studios have announced that their upcoming historical 4X strategy game Millennia will be releasing on 26th March 2024. Check out the latest trailer:

Final Fantasy VII Remake was undoubtedly a huge success, somehow pulling off a complete remake and partial rewrite of one of the most beloved games in history. There are a lot of dyed in the wool fans, not only of this franchise but of Final Fantasy VII in particular, and to say they are heavily invested would be an understatement. As good as Remake was, there was one key criticism that was always circled back to: linearity. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth goes a long way to address this core complaint. If anything, there’s been a sharp overcorrection.

THQNordic have delved in to their vast back catalogue and picked the classic Epic Mickey as their next remake, and its coming to all consoles this time, not just Nintendo.

The cosy musical adventure of Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley will be coming out for PC and Nintendo Switch on 7th March, Hyper Games and Raw Fury have announced. An iOS and Android is also planned.

Remasters of the original Star Wars: Battlefront games are coming to modern platforms, with Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection out for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC on 14th March 2024.

Microsoft has confirmed that Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded and Sea of Thieves are all coming to PlayStation 5 (and some to PS4), as part of the planned release of four Xbox exclusives on rival console platforms. Earlier today it was also announced that Pentiment and Grounded are coming to Nintendo Switch.

THQNordic have delved in to their vast back catalogue and picked the classic Epic Mikey as their next remake, and its coming to all consoles this time, not just Nintendo.

The cosy musical adventure of Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley will be coming out for PC and Nintendo Switch on 7th March, Hyper Games and Raw Fury have announced. An iOS and Android is also planned.

There are few western gaming icons who can boast the same prestige and cultural impact as Lara Croft. The famed archaeologist turned gun-toting adventurer has a storied mythos spanning multiple reboots and film adaptations, becoming one of the most recognisable faces in video games.

Remasters of the original Star Wars: Battlefront games are coming to modern platforms, with Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection out for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC on 14th March 2024.

FromSoftware has given us the big reveal of the much awaited Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and you can watch the gameplay trailer below. The DLC expansion is coming out on 21st June 2024.

Prison Architect 2’s parole date has been pushed back from 26th March until 7th May, with developer Double Eleven needing a little more time to polish up the game.

Microsoft has confirmed the first two games in their new push for more cross-platform gaming, with Pentiment and Grounded both set to release for Nintendo Switch.

People have posted the first pictures of the cast of the Borderlands movie and they’re looking rather good. The first image shows Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, and Florian Munteanu along with Claptrap, who is voiced by Kevin Hart.

There is a new Rainbow Six game coming, and it is exclusively for mobile. That game, announced by Ubisoft, is Rainbow Six: SMOL and it is being published by Netflix. That means you will need a Netflix account to access the game as it is only available exclusively through the streaming company’s own service. It is also available now.

Little Devil Inside has been popping in and out of the news for a few years now. The game was last showcased during Sony’s State of Play in October 2021, and since then there has been radio silence. That is until today when developer Neostream released some new footage of the game, as well as giving a brief update on the state of the team and progress.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is going to be released on June 4th, Illfonic has confirmed. It will be released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game will be available to pre-order from today, and those who do will get one week advance access to Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game, so the actual release date is May 28th.

FromSoftware is gearing up to deliver the big reveal of the much awaited Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and you can watch the trailer below at 3PM GMT… but has the DLC release date already been leaked?

Arrowhead Game Studios has released the first patch of the week for Helldivers 2, once again looking to patch up some crashes and improve the game’s embattled servers to help with Quickplay matchmaking, capacity and more. As always, though, the game servers are totally filled, with the now familiar “Severs at capacity. Please try again later.” error.

CNBC have been talking to some analyst who have suggested there is a firm belief that Sony will launch a PlayStation 5 Pro model in the second half of this year.

Arrowhead Game Studios has released the first patch of the week for Helldivers 2, once again looking to patch up some crashes and improve the game’s embattled servers to help with Quickplay matchmaking, capacity and more. As always, though, the game servers are totally filled, with the now familiar “Severs at capacity. Please try again later.” error.

Once again Peach takes to the stage as the hero of her own tale, and this time there are no tears or tantrums to be seen! Ahead of its release on 22nd March, I had the immense pleasure of going hands on with a few levels from Princess Peach: Showtime!

Need for Speed Unbound’s year two roadmap has been released, with EA confirming that the content will be taking inspiration from past games of the series, and there will be four volumes of content released over the next year. Each volume will consist of at least one major new game mode or feature, two customisable cars with body kits, and speed pass unlockable content, including premium optional tracks.

There is a new Rainbow Six game coming, and it is exclusively for mobile. That game, announced by Ubisoft, is Rainbow Six: SMOL and it is being published by Netflix. That means you will need a Netflix account to access the game as it is only available exclusively through the streaming company’s own service. It is also available now.

People have posted the first pictures of the cast of the Borderlands movie and they’re looking rather good. The first image shows Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, and Florian Munteanu along with Claptrap, who is voiced by Kevin Hart.

I don’t think Sigmund Freud was much of a gamer but if he were, Alisa would probably be his favourite game. Freud’s seminal discussion of the Uncanny remains one of the clearest accounts of what makes certain things incredibly creepy to us – and chief amongst his examples is the animated doll. Alisa takes this creepiness and puts it centre stage, taking an intricate love letter to the origins of survival horror and replacing the zombies with dolls. It makes for a timely and appropriate change of focus.

Times & Galaxy has been revealed by publisher Fellow Traveller and developer Copychaser Games, and it places players a robot intern at a galaxy spanning news outlet. The game has been developed by former journalists, and in it players will be sent off to find stories, chase leads, and interview people. You will also be able to create the headlines to try and make a big of a splash as possible.

CNBC have been talking to some analyst who have suggested there is a firm belief that Sony will launch a PlayStation 5 Pro model in the second half of this year.

Sker Ritual is a big shift from the atmospheric stealth horror Maid of Sker that came out a couple of years ago. Designed to be played either solo or in online co-op, Sker Ritual takes the setting and backstory of the original game and completely reimagines the gameplay and atmosphere by making it a wave based FPS with score bonuses, upgrades and even some roguelike aspects. Having spent some time in the Early Access version and tried out the different maps, here’s what I think so far.

Nintendo has announced that there will be Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase is going to be taking place on February 21st at 6am PT/ 2pm GMT. The showcase will last approximately 25 minutes and it will not be a live one. The focus of this Nintendo Direct will be games coming to Switch during the first half of 2024 from partners.

Nintendo has announced that there will be Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase is going to be taking place on February 21st at 6am PT/ 2pm GMT. The showcase will last approximately 25 minutes and it will not be a live one. The focus of this Nintendo Direct will be games coming to Switch during the first half of 2024 from partners.

As gaming grows ever bigger, in some ways the most interesting battles aren’t the obvious ones between Sony and Microsoft or Quest 3 and PSVR 2, it’s the steadily building war between peripheral manufacturers. Just when you think someone has perfected a controller’s form or a headset’s audio, another company comes along and makes an even better one. The original eSwap X Pro was one of the best Pro-styled controllers out there, and now Thrustmaster are back with the second iteration, looking to firmly cement their professional-level device in your hands. They’ve done an excellent job.

Could some of you stop playing Helldivers 2, please, so I can log in and blast some bugs for a bit? The popularity of the bug-blasting co-op shooter has continued to outpace the expectations of developer Arrowhead Game Studios, and the servers are totally overloaded right now.

Times & Galaxy has been revealed by publisher Fellow Traveller and developer Copychaser Games, and it places players a robot intern at a galaxy spanning news outlet. The game has been developed by former journalists, and in it players will be sent off to find stories, chase leads, and interview people. You will also be able to create the headlines to try and make a big of a splash as possible.

It’s safe to say that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has made a lasting impression on us. Effortlessly reinvigorating a franchise on life support, Ubisoft Montpellier brought the Prince back from his recent lacklustre misadventures in 3D to return him to his glorious origins of 2D; crafting a sumptuous metroidvania in the process. With an intricate world to explore, precision platforming, vast double-hard bosses, and kick-ass combat, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown wowed upon release. It wasn’t just the gameplay that scored big though, it was also the authentic manner in which Persian folklore and history were weaved into proceedings. Indeed, Persian Mythology and Culture seemed to have a much greater influence on The Lost Crown than in previous games in the storied history of the Prince of Persia franchise.

Withering Rooms, a 2.5D horror RPG, has been announced for PC and consoles with a release date set for April 2nd, 2024. It’s the debut game from Seattle-based studio, Moonless Formless, and will also be getting a physical PS5 launch in May courtesy of Perp Games.

Reports have emerged that the planned launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 has been pushed back from 2024 to Q1 2025.

Could some of you stop playing Helldivers 2, please, so I can log in and blast some bugs for a bit? The popularity of the bug-blasting co-op shooter has continued to outpace the expectations of developer Arrowhead Game Studios, and the servers are totally overloaded right now.

It’s been a strange week in the games industry’s big three. After far too much speculation and back-and-forth reports, Microsoft had their “business update” podcast that was about as restrained as you should have expected this whole saga to be. Then Sony suggested that the next year could be quite quiet from their first party studios (if you’re a sequel-liker, that is), and now there’s reports that the Switch 2 isn’t coming until 2025.

Withering Rooms, a 2.5D horror RPG, has been announced for PC and consoles with a release date set for April 2nd, 2024. It’s the debut game from Seattle-based studio, Moonless Formless, and will also be getting a physical PS5 launch in May courtesy of Perp Games.

Depending on where you are, it’s been half term this week. That means that your delightful children/siblings/distant cousins are at home and potentially getting in the way – I mean, spending quality time with you doing a variety of thoroughly lovely activities. Hopefully, that’s included some video games, though I’ve been playing Banishers which is not suitable for the small people in my house. I’ve also played some more Granblue Fantasy Relink, clocked up yet more hours on Monster Hunter Rise, and taken a look at a few other titles along the way.

Reports have emerged that the planned launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 has been pushed back from 2024 to Q1 2025.

Publisher Firenut Games has announced its upcoming PS5 exclusive horror game titled Shines Over: The Damned. There’s no confirmed release date yet though we can expect this one to launch some time in Spring 2024 according to the announcement. You can check out the first trailer below.

Arrowhead are burning the midnight oils well into the weekend, it seems, as they fight persistent server issues and bugs with Helldivers 2 update 1.009. The patch is out now for both PS5 and PC, with a focus on stability and matchmaking.

Train Sim World 4 is, you’ll be surprised to hear, a train simulator game. With that revelation out of the way, you’ll likely know already whether or not you are interested at all, and if you’re okay with putting up with some awkwardness in favour of a faithful train simulation. If that’s the case, then Train Sim World 4 is for you, provided you’ve got plenty of cash to set aside for train simulators.

Hello Games has launched the No Man’s Sky Omega update, introducing even more ways to experience the ever-growing spacefaring sim. The UK-based developer also revealed a free trial for the game that is now live on all platforms and will be available until February 19 at 18:00 GMT.

Hello Games has launched the No Man’s Sky Omega update, introducing even more ways to experience the ever-growing spacefaring sim. The UK-based developer also revealed a free trial for the game that is now live on all platforms and will be available until February 19 at 18:00 GMT.

Publisher Firenut Games has announced its upcoming PS5 exclusive horror game titled Shines Over: The Damned. There’s no confirmed release date yet though we can expect this one to launch some time in Spring 2024 according to the announcement. You can check out the first trailer below.

Xbox are set to make some big changes to their business strategy, and while they’re bringing some of their previously exclusive games to other platforms, they’re continuing to build on the popularity of their Game Pass service in the most obvious way possible, by bringing Activision Blizzard games to the service. That starts with the release of Diablo IV on March 28th.

Rare have attempted a Valentines poem which included  rather blatant hint that Sea of Thieves would be heading to PlayStation and Switch. “Rowboats are red, And sometimes they’re blue, Other times they’re green, Occasionally they can be white…” they tweeted.

The next batch of games coming to Sony’s premium subscription services, PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium, have been revealed.

Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty have hosted the latest official Xbox Podcast which was trailered to announce an “Xbox Business Update”. This follows days of speculation that many Xbox exclusive games might be going multi platform, such as Sea of Thieves, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Starfield. There were even suggestions that Xbox legends such as Halo could be heading to PlayStation!

Xbox are set to make some big changes to their business strategy, and while they’re bringing some of their previously exclusive games to other platforms, they’re continuing to build on the popularity of their Game Pass service in the most obvious way possible, by bringing Activision Blizzard games to the service. That starts with the release of Diablo IV on March 28th.

Rare have attempted a Valentines poem which included  rather blatant hint that Sea of Thieves would be heading to PlayStation and Switch. “Rowboats are red, And sometimes they’re blue, Other times they’re green, Occasionally they can be white…” they tweeted.

Time manipulation is almost always cool in games, especially when it’s tied into puzzle design or combat. Lysfanga is the latest game to utilise this mechanic, this time in a Hades-esque isometic hack and slash format, though it quickly distances itself from that resemblance. Rather than the frenetic and fast-paced gameplay of Supergiant’s smash hit, Lysfanga requires a more strategic approach, featuring levels that escalate in complexity as the game develops.

Sony’s latest financial report saw the company revising expected PlayStation 5 sales downward for the coming year, with Sony Group President Hiroki Totoki saying that they “do not plan to release any new major existing franchise titles next fiscal year.”

Do you have what it takes to defend the Freedom, Justice and Liberty of Super Earth? To fight back the rampaging hordes of chitinous Terminids and the implacable robotic Automatons to defend our home? Do you want to see exotic new planets, and smash them into submission with high explosives? Then Helldivers 2 is the game for you!

The next batch of games coming to Sony’s premium subscription services, PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium, have been revealed.

Sony’s latest financial report saw the company revising expected PlayStation 5 sales downward for the coming year, with Sony Group President Hiroki Totoki saying that they “do not plan to release any new major existing franchise titles next fiscal year.”