The Maw - 22nd-27th April 2024

Microsoft just held its latest ID@Xbox, a digital showcase showing many fantastic indie games headed to Xbox and PC. From existing games getting updates, such as Palworld and Vampire Survivors, to new details on existing indie games, like 33 Immortals and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, today's showcase likely had a game for just about every type of player.

New week, new videogames! When will it end, etc. There aren't many obvious headliners out in the next few days, but there are a lot of tantalisingly bleak games. Let's see here, we've got a survival shooter that's essentially set in Black Mesa, a sardonical adventure about questing Russian Orthodox nuns, a game about running the company that starts the zombie apocalypse, and a cosy village grower with an atypical emphasis on disease and death. Lovely!

May is fast approaching, and with it comes a fresh new slate of exciting movies and TV to watch. As we while away the last days of April, let’s take stock of the best movies on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and more that are leaving services this month.

It can be difficult keeping track of the various comings and goings in the games industry, which is why we compile them in semi-regular round-ups.

PlayStation 5 update 24.03-09.20.00 is available to download right now. Like all modern gaming systems, Sony's PlayStation 5 is updated on a regular basis. The scope of these PS5 updates varies dramatically. There are times when the update patch notes are vague and there are no really discernible differences, but there are other times when the PS5 console updates are more substantial.

Singularity Six has revealed a plethora of new content coming as part of Palia's new April update. Patch 0.179 marks an exciting time for Palia fans, with the game receiving several quality-of-life improvements as well as game-enhancing features.

Yet another update is readily available for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 players to download right now. Insomniac Games has released multiple updates for Spider-Man 2 since first launching the game last year. Spider-Man 2 earned rave reviews from fans and critics alike at the time of its release, but there's always room for improvement, and Insomniac has definitely improved the game with the various updates it's released so far.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has received a new update that adds a 40 FPS mode for players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. Ubisoft's latest open world adventure game, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was released just before the end of 2023 and has mainly been praised for its stunning first-person visuals. Set in the timeline of the blockbuster films, Frontiers of Pandora gives players control of a young Na'vi as they escape and fight back against the RDA.

Google is pushing out a fresh update for its Pixel lineup to tackle cellular network problems that some users have been facing. The out-of-cycle over-the-air (OTA) update aims to enhance network stability and performance.

Looking for a new smartphone? Now might be the perfect time to make that purchase. In a bid to attract more buyers, major smartphone manufacturers like OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Apple have decided to reduce the prices of their mid-range Android phones. Here's a rundown of five smartphones from OnePlus that have seen a significant drop in price this April.

16 more games are heading to PS Plus through the Extra and Premium tiers this month, and as is often the case, there's quite a lot of variety on show. April's offering is headlined by not one, not two, but three brand new releases on PS5 and PS4: the incredibly highly rated Dave the Diver, the promising Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, and Animal Well. Although technically, ZAU is out a little later in the month, and Animal Well is out in May.

A new took place today, April 17, 2024. Viewers were treated to a plethora of upcoming indie games for the Nintendo Switch, most of which are due to launch in 2024. There were some expected updates, a couple of surprises, and even shadow-dropped games.