TheSixthAxis News, Tips, Tricks, Ideas

Naughty Dog has released a new The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered update for PS5. Available to download right now, this latest patch includes a spread of fixes and improvements, as well as a small nugget of new in-game content.

Arrowhead Game Studios has released another patch for Helldivers 2, with update 1.006 now out on both PC and PS5. The patch aims to fix a few troublesome game crash bugs, while also laying the groundwork to resolve the persistent matchmaking and server issues that players have experienced since launch last week.

Arrowhead Games has released Helldivers 2 update 1.005 across both PC yesterday and PS5 today, aiming to squash some pesky bugs leading to server capacity and player progression issues. Unfortunately, this update has had to be rolled back on PC, as it introduced more performance problems!

How we relate, share and cooperate is central to the human experience. Without these connections most of us can’t function, and the resulting loneliness and isolation can often only have one outcome. That’s a bleak start for a video game review, but Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a bleak game. It’s one that’s built upon human connections, but where there’s love, there’s also manipulation, where there’s care there’s also control, and where there’s life there’s also death. While there’s love, affection and tenderness here, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden certainly has more than enough death to balance against it.

The eccentric and not at all serious golfing game What The Golf? will be released for PS5 and PS4 on March 14th, Triband has announced today. This version of the game will contain over 300 levels, including content from recent updates including the Among Us inspired Among Golf. Triband has confirmed that there will be more future content coming too. Instead of serious golfing, What The Golf? mixes up genres and includes parodies of sport and side scrollers.

Arrowhead Games has released Helldivers 2 update 1.005 across both PC yesterday and PS5 today, aiming to squash some pesky bugs leading to server capacity and player progression issues. Unfortunately, this update has had to be rolled back on PC, as it introduced more performance problems!

Something hella strange is going on in Splatoon 3: Side Order, and that’s saying something for a game series that has some of the weirdest lore in video games. Heading back to Inkopolis Square, digital disruption scatters across the screen, and you wake up in a world that’s been mysteriously drained of all its colour – an absolute travesty considering how vibrantly colourful Splatoon has been for all this time.

Ahead of a “business update” from Xbox this week, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has privately been reassuring employees that Microsoft is not planning to exit the console manufacturing business, while some of the original leakers that suggested that Starfield and other exclusives will be coming to PlayStation 5 have walked back their rumourmongering.

Microsoft has confirmed that the anticipated Xbox Business update will be coming on Thursday, and will be presented through the Official Xbox Podcast. Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty will be letting everyone know what the future of the Xbox brand is. The podcast will be available to listen to at 12PM PT/ 3PM ET/ 8PM GMT.

The eccentric and not at all serious golfing game What The Golf? will be released for PS5 and PS4 on March 14th, Triband has announced today. This version of the game will contain over 300 levels, including content from recent updates including the Among Us inspired Among Golf. Triband has confirmed that there will be more future content coming too. Instead of serious golfing, What The Golf? mixes up genres and includes parodies of sport and side scrollers.

With Foamstars, Square Enix is taking yet another swing at creating a popular live service title, heavily inspired by the ongoing hero shooter boom as well as Nintendo’s ultra-fun Splatoon series.

If I were to invent a genre name for Trepang2, beyond being a first person shooter, I would call it a FEAR-like. It’s immediately clear that it’s very strongly influenced by that series’ whole schtick. It’s got more slow motion gunplay and supernatural creepiness than you’ll know what to do with, and then it throws in the ability to go invisible for good measure. Why not, right?

Ahead of a “business update” from Xbox this week, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has privately been reassuring employees that Microsoft is not planning to exit the console manufacturing business, while some of the original leakers that suggested that Starfield and other exclusives will be coming to PlayStation 5 have walked back their rumourmongering.

Ed, the next fighter for Street Fighter 6’s growing roster, will release on 27th February as part of the Year 1 Character Pass. See some Ed gameplay in the latest trailer for the character:

Things have kicked into gear as we move into February, and all eyes are on Microsoft ahead of their upcoming announcement on the future of Xbox. Whilst there’s plenty of rumours swirling about, we’ll just have to wait and see what Phil Spencer’s announcement holds next week.

Turn 10 Studios has revealed more about how they are overhauling car progression in Forza Motorsport – one of several areas that players have criticised since the game was released last year. The changes are expected to roll out with Update 6 in March 2024.

The Knuckles spin-off TV series from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies will debut on 26th April across the Paramount+ streaming service. Check out the new trailer for the six episode season:

It’s been another cold week, and one that’s proven perfectly suited to wrapping up and playing video games. I’ve been working my way through Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, and we’ll have the review for that one on Monday. Other than that, there’s been a chunk of Suicide Squad, a heap of Naruto X Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, a spot of Granblue Fantasy Relink, a smidgen of Dave the Diver and a soupçon of Street Fighter 6 as well.

The original Earthlock was an unashamedly old-school JRPG that played well but offered little in the way of innovation. However, the game benefited from a pretty major overhaul in 2018 when the development team at Snowcastle Games added a load of extra features for the Switch port. Adding these all onto the original version as a free upgrade was a move that generated a lot of goodwill and therefore the announcement of a sequel was met with plenty of excitement. Earthlock 2 is due in 2024 but to tide us over we have a surprising spin-off in the form of Ikonei Island.

Ed, the next fighter for Street Fighter 6’s growing roster, will release on 27th February as part of the Year 1 Character Pass. See some Ed gameplay in the latest trailer for the character:

The Final Fantasy XIV Online open beta will begin on February 21sts, Square Enix has confirmed. However, it is only open to new players who have not played Final Fantasy XIV Online before, meaning players with existing accounts on other platforms will not be able to log into this version of the game until after it has fully launched.

Turn 10 Studios has revealed more about how they are overhauling car progression in Forza Motorsport – one of several areas that players have criticised since the game was released last year. The changes are expected to roll out with Update 6 in March 2024.

My introduction to the Momodora series came all the way back in 2016, with the fourth entry in the series – Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight. Despite jumping in at game number four, I didn’t feel lost at all – in fact, the lack of context made my journey with the game and its world even more impactful. In the time since that game, there’s been a parallel entry in the series named Minoria, but no direct sequel until now. With Momodora: Moonlit Farewell, plot threads I’m very familiar with, and ones I’ve never even experienced, all come together in a conclusion to the series that isn’t just a culmination of the biggest narrative moments, but also a delightful culmination of the best ideas and mechanics of the five games that came prior.

First impressions count, and the Final UX2000 certainly makes a good first impression. A wireless, hybrid ANC, Bluetooth 5.3-equipped over-ear headset, it’s perfect for mobile, Nintendo Switch and PC, with a spot of 3.5mm wired action on PS5 and Xbox Series X. It’s also amongst a heady new lineup of budget-focused headphones that punch well above their diminutive price tag, with very few concessions.

Homeworld 3 will not be released on March 8th as originally planned, Gearbox Publishing has announced. A new release date of May 13th has been given instead, following feedback from players who have played the demo of Homeworld 3. Developer Blackbird Interactive will be taking that feedback to make changes and improvements to the game.

Zenless Zone Zero is coming to PlayStation 5, HoYoverse has confirmed, alongside previously announced platforms of PC, iOS and Android.

Disney have had tried getting in to gaming multiple times but, after buying studios and releasing games, they always ended up closing the studios. They currently license out their properties to anyone who will pay them, Indy is with Xbox, Spider-Man and Wolverine are with Sony and there’s multiverse projects like Speedstorm, which features characters from many franchises.

If you were hoping Naughty Dog would spill the beans on The Last of Us 3 in its newest documentary, then we’ve got bad news. Hot on the heels of their The Last of Us 2 PS5 remaster, the studio has released a two-hour behind-the-scenes video that looks at how the gritty survival horror sequel was made.

Hot on the heels of the leaked Hi-Fi Rush cross-platform cosmetics, there’s further reports and rumours that Microsoft are planning to bring more Xbox exclusive games to PlayStation 5 in the coming months and years, including Starfield, the upcoming Indiana Jones game, Halo and more.

C-Smash VRS is coming to Quest 2, Quest 3 and PICO 4 headsets on 4th April 2024, smashing through the blocks of PlayStation VR 2 exclusivity to reach as much broader VR gaming audience.

Following a weekend of reports and rumours about Xbox going cross-platform with PS5 ports, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has posted to Twitter to announce a “business update” that will reveal Microsoft’s “vision for the future of Xbox.”

Microsoft has confirmed the next batch of games that will be added to Xbox Game Pass this month. The games include the remake of Resident Evil 3, EA Madden NFL 24, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Train Sim World 4, A Little to the Left, PlateUp!, Return to Grace, and MLB The Show 24. The first game of the February update is out now, and that is Anuchard, which is available on PC, console, and Cloud.

With just weeks to go before the release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, we’ve had our second hands on and now, on the eve of the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo’s appearance on PS5, we can finally share our thoughts from the first few hours of the game.

A Hi-Fi Rush launch on PS5 and Nintendo Switch could be imminent, following a recent leak. Currently an Xbox console exclusive, in-game files accessed by dataminers reveal new assets that seemingly confirm previous rumours of the game’s arrival on other platforms.

Update: As expected, the State of Play stream featured a good long look at new gameplay from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and saw the release of a demo for the game. The demo features the opening chapter of the game right now, but more content will be unlocked on 21st February.

When it launches later this month, Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered will land on PS5 missing one fan favourite feature. You see, despite the trio of games promising a collective bounty of more than 300 trophies, the PS5 versions of these remastered classics are all missing their respective platinum trophy.

The Knuckles spin-off TV series from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies will debut on 26th April across the Paramount+ streaming service. Check out the new trailer for the six episode season:

Imagine a world where ice hockey was a central part of your country, where everything revolves around it. So it is in the magical land of Zambonia, where everyone lives, breathes and plays ice hockey. It’s the setting for Goons: Legends and Mayhem, part arcade sports, part beat-em-up, and part exploration game, mixing together traditional ice hockey with challenges and boss battles.

The Ultimate Ninja Storm games sit in my gaming happy place. CyberConnect2 has been perfecting their 3D anime arena brawling over the past fifteen years, securing them firmly in the Naruto pantheon alongside the original manga and anime. Now we arrive at the needlessly verbose Naruto X Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, and can gaze lovingly into its Sharingan eyes while wondering where the last fifteen years have gone. Seemingly, it’s not gone into revolutionising this particular fighting series.

There is going to be a Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play, Sony has confirmed, and it is set to take place on February 6th. Not much detail has been given of what will be shown from the game, but it will be extended look so returning characters, locations, and combat will likely compromise the majority of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play.

Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have released Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty update 1.27, just in time for the launch of the game’s beefed up Complete Edition.

Paradox Interactive’s The Sims rival, Life By You, has been delayed once again, with the new Early Access release date now set for 4th June 2024.

The turn based strategy game Classified: France ’44 will be released March 5th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, Team 17 has revealed. Set during WWII in Nazi occupied France, players control a squad of Jedburghs, members of the French Resistance. The game will feature an RPG system so you can specialise your squad as they fight to liberate France.

Microsoft has confirmed the next batch of games that will be added to Xbox Game Pass this month. The games include the remake of Resident Evil 3, EA Madden NFL 24, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Train Sim World 4, A Little to the Left, PlateUp!, Return to Grace, and MLB The Show 24. The first game of the February update is out now, and that is Anuchard, which is available on PC, console, and Cloud.

Crusader Kings III’s 2024 plans have been unveiled by Paradox Interactive, kicking off with the announcement of Legends of the Dead. This is a new expansion pack that will be releasing on March 4th. This pack will add Court Chroniclers who will be able to produce propaganda that can strengthen the power of your bloodline. However, that very bloodline will be under threat from the spread of the Black Death, which will spread through the world.

Dragon Quest Builders, which originally released in 2016, is coming to PC on February 13th, Square Enix has confirmed. The game will be available exclusively through Steam, and completes the franchises presence on the platform. Dragon Quest Builders 2 is already available on PC, with those who own it available to get the original at a discount.

Horror as a mode or genre encompasses a vast range of styles and approaches from the quiet and creepy to the over-the-top splatterfest. As a self-confessed horror fan, I’m generally pretty open-minded when it comes to different iterations of the form. The one exception to this, however, is the seemingly ubiquitous ‘YouTube’ horror game which relies almost entirely on jump scares and is mostly pitched towards overly performative streamer reactions. That being said, there are some excellent games within this rough genre, with the Amnesia series and Alien: Isolation standing supreme so I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised by Evil Nun. In the end, what I got was perhaps the very definition of an empty streamer experience.

There’s nothing better than a new game announcement – well maybe a new game release – but as we love to look to the horizon the latest title to appear on it is Dungeonborne, an extraction dungeon crawler made with Unreal Engine 5 and set in a gritty medieval world.

The start to 2024 for those working in the games industry has been a difficult one, and this week has been no different with Microsoft making a huge number of people redundant across their gaming businesses.

Ubisoft has announced one final open beta test for the upcoming piratical adventures of Skull and Bones, as well as detailing year 1 of their post-launch roadmap.

Ubisoft has announced one final open beta test for the upcoming piratical adventures of Skull and Bones, as well as detailing year 1 of their post-launch roadmap.

Apple has announced that iOS and iPadOS 17.4 will introduce support for developer app sideloading and third party app stores in the EU, complying with the incoming Digital Markets Act (DMA). But there’s an awful lot of caveats to this, with the iPhone maker determined to keep as much control and make this as awkward, fussy, and costly as possible.

We’ve been having a busy time here at TSA, and it’s safe to say that 2024 is suddenly in full swing, with the release schedule picking back up after a few weeks off. I’ve had the chance to play Tekken 8, which is a real heavyweight hitter, while I’ve started on our review for Granblue Fantasy Relink. Besides that I’ve played New Cycle for some bleak city-building, waded through some more Asgard’s Wrath 2, and taken a look at Palworld too.

The Pokémon Company has issued a statement about “another company’s game released in January 2024”, a thinly veiled reference to the breakout hit Palworld, AKA “Pokémon with guns”. Is a copyright infringement suit coming at Palworld developer Pocket Pair? Well, maybe?

Sony has announced that Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition will come out on PC on 21st March, with pre-orders going live today.

Apple has announced that iOS and iPadOS 17.4 will introduce support for developer app sideloading and third party app stores in the EU, complying with the incoming Digital Markets Act (DMA). But there’s an awful lot of caveats to this, with the iPhone maker determined to keep as much control and make this as awkward, fussy, and costly as possible.

It might be a bit of a controversial take, but I’ve always preferred the Ace Attorney games with Apollo Justice over those with Phoenix Wright. That’s not to say the Phoenix Wright originals are bad, but I just found Apollo a far more relatable and likeable character. That probably says a lot about me, but it’s why I’m so happy that Capcom  has finally graced us with a collection of Apollo’s various Chords of Steel workouts with the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy.

As part of major changes to Apple’s App Store policies to comply with EU regulations, the company has also announced that game streaming apps are now to be accepted on the App Store for the first time. This opens the door for Xbox Game Pass, GeForce Now, PlayStation Plus, Amazon Luna and other game streaming subscriptions to have dedicated apps on iPhone and iPad – they were previously only accessible via built-in web browsers.

Sony has announced that Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition will come out on PC on 21st March, with pre-orders going live today.

Microsoft is the latest big tech and gaming company to announce a sweeping wave of layoffs across the company, with around 8% of Microsoft’s Gaming group to be affected. That might not seem too awful, but with around 22,000 employees across Xbox, Activision Blizzard King and ZeniMax, it will add up to around 1,900 redundancies.

Graven has been in the works for what feels like a very long time, this dark medieval fantasy immersive sim turning heads when it originally released in Early Access back in 2021. While the game has grown on its path to a full release, it brings me no pleasure to report that it still feels like a lot of work is needed to make this even close to the experience that is promised to be.

We’re in an incredible stacked period for fighting games, and I couldn’t be happier. Capcom titan Street Fighter 6 is barely half a year old, while Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is delivering an incredible experience and promising crossover DLC characters. Then you’ve got the gargantuan release of Tekken 8 approaching in mere days – but it isn’t alone. Amongst all of these impressive sequels, another is dropping this week. The UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH series has long been the best-kept secret of modern fighting games, boasting some of the most fluid, dynamic, and hype-building gameplay in any fighter. UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes is all that and then some.

Nintendo has confirmed the date and time of the online multiplayer server shutdown for Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS for 8th April.

The Pokémon Company has issued a statement about “another company’s game released in January 2024”, a thinly veiled reference to the breakout hit Palworld, AKA “Pokémon with guns”. Is a copyright infringement suit coming at Palworld developer Pocket Pair? Well, maybe?

While I’ve been a fan of fighting games since I was ten years old, Tekken is a series that has always taken a back seat for me. That’s not because I thought Tekken was bad, but it didn’t interest me as much as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. Tekken 8 has completely changed that.

Arrowhead Studios has released a new Helldivers 2 trailer that’s all about the Galactic War campaign gameplay, detailing how missions work on a planetary and galactic scale. The co-op third person shooter is set to release for PS5 and PC on 8th February 2024.

Nintendo has confirmed the date and time of the online multiplayer server shutdown for Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS for 8th April.

A new trailer for Princess Peach: Showtime! has arrived, sharing a couple more of the costumed transformations that Princess Peach can undergo on her upcoming adventure. Princess Peach: Showtime! is set for release on 22nd March.

Nintendo has announced that the Splatoon 3: Side Order DLC will be released on 22nd February, rounding out the game’s Expansion Pass with a fresh single player campaign.

VR gamers have been crying out for big gaming experiences for years, and Vertigo 2 is a game that promises exactly that. Originally released for PC in early 2023, this shooter takes inspiration from Half-Life’s structure and style, and was quickly called one of the best VR games out there. Now it’s out for PlayStation VR 2, so it’s time to see what all the fuss it about.

Realm of Ink first crossed our path in November, its art style and showcased gameplay looking both incredibly artistic and fast-paced. Having now had some hands-on time with Realm of Ink, the game shows a lot of promise. At its most basic, Realm of Ink sets out its stall like Hades but instead of fighting through the underworld gaining the favour of gods, you’re fighting through a storybook aiming for freedom.

There’s a big new update for RoboCop: Rogue City, with developer Teyon bringing a New Game Plus option, new difficulty level, and more to the throwback 80’s action shooter.

Square Enix has confirmed that mobile title NieR Re[in]carnation will be shutdown on April 30th, 2024. This will follow the conclusion of the game’s story, with the final part of that being released on March 29th. That will essentially give players just the month to play through the final part of NieR Re[in]carnation.

A new trailer for Princess Peach: Showtime! has arrived, sharing a couple more of the costumed transformations that Princess Peach can undergo on her upcoming adventure. Princess Peach: Showtime! is set for release on 22nd March.

Freedom Planet 2 will launch on April 4th GalaxyTrail and Marvelous Europe has confirmed today, with the game set to be release for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch. The new trailer shows the four protagonists that players can play as, and these include Lilac, Carol, or Milla, and a new playable character called Neera.

There’s a big new update for RoboCop: Rogue City, with developer Teyon bringing a New Game Plus option, new difficulty level, and more to the throwback 80’s action shooter.

The enduring popularity of the Where’s Wally books tells you one thing: people love to find things. That probably doesn’t extend to your keys, matching socks, your mobile phone, or a clean spoon, but Hidden Through Time 2: Myths and Magic poses an interesting question: what if it was a goblin’s spoon?