Review News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Fallout 4’s next-gen update suffered a troubled launch, but it was PC players of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic role-playing game that endured the most issues. Now, some of the most popular mods for Fallout 4 let players “downgrade” the game to a pre-patch point.

It took a good friend of mine three episodes of the Apple TV Plus show Sugar before he texted me to say that he thought he knew the big twist the series was hiding and that it was “so insane” he had “no choice but to respect it.” Intrigued, I dove into Sugar myself, and three episodes in, I came to the exact same conclusion — but I’m not going to share it with you here because you really need to see it for yourself.

Here is more on Fractured Sky: Rift:

Microsoft has announced the first wave of games coming to Game Pass in May 2024. Highlights include Little Kitty Big City, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

We review HeroQuest, the updated version of this classic dungeon crawling classic. Published by Hasbro, this new version of HeroQuest reprints this long sought after grail game.

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island has received a new update on Switch, Spike Chunsoft has confirmed. The update brings quite a bit of new content to the game, including dojo challenges, a new playable character, new Sacred Tree dungeons with six new modes though the sixth is a mystery. A further content update is due in the summer too. The content update notes are below.

Worlds worth getting lost in are the bread and butter of gaming. This month is all about celebrating that, kicking off with a look at FromSoftware’s hefty expansion for their unique take on open worlds, Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree.

The Fallout TV adaptation continues to go from strength to strength as Amazon has revealed the series has received 65 million viewers, making it the second most-watched show in the streaming service's history. It's also the most popular series on the platform since The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted in 2022.

Promise Mascot Agency! has been revealed by the Paradise Killer developers Kaizen Game Works. Promise Mascot Agency! is an open world mascot management crime drama, where you play as a disgraced Yakuza lieutenant called Michi. He is sent to the bankrupt agency and is tasked with turning it into a profitable business.

Bandai Namco has released a brand new trailer to showcase Tekken 8’s season 1, confirming a new stage, mode and fighter. First off the trailer confirms that there will be a battle balance update released, which will tweak various elements for the fighters, though no release notes have been released yet.

Sonic Superstars is down to just £12.32 on PS5 right now at Amazon in the UK. It's also down to £12.35 on Xbox, a pretty hefty discount for a £54.99 game that only came out in October of last year. Still, Sonic fans, if you haven't yet got around to playing it, this is likely the cheapest it's going to get so check out the deal ASAP while it's still in stock. We'll leave a handy link just below!

A new Dead Island 2 NVIDIA DLSS 3 mod is now available for download, bringing significant performance improvements to the second entry in the series developed by Dambuster Studios.

Escape from Tarkov has come under fire over the last week for its $250 Unheard Edition which includes an exclusive PvE mode. Anger has been bubbling on the subreddit, and it's gotten so bad that even Helldivers 2 is in on the drama.

Bandai Namco has revealed its roadmap for Tekken 8 throughout the rest of 2024, including the game’s second DLC character, new story, and plenty more.

On one end of the gaming mouse spectrum, you have mice specialising in lightweight, low-latency capabilities that are purely built to be as fast and reliable at aiming and clicking as possible, and on the other it’s all about having unique ergonomics, as many buttons, and as much configurability as possible, weight and wires be damned. I’ve mostly preferred the latter category over the last few years, and it’s hard to imagine going any other way after I’ve gotten used to the convenience of a super customisable mouse. Spending time with the Corsair M75 Air has me reconsidering my needs, and I’ve been surprised at how a difference a lightweight wireless mouse makes in my day-to-day.

The weekend is here, and there are loads of exciting deals you do not want to miss! This Saturday, new deals on some amazing video games, technology, and devices have appeared, and we've rounded up our picks. The best deals for Sunday, April 29, include the Glorious GMMK 2, Tekken 8, 2024 MacBook Air, Armored Core 6, Apple Watch Series 9, and more.

In a year overflowing with great-looking Metroidvanias, Minishoot' Adventures popped out to me for the sheer oddity and novelty of its premise. It's a top-down twin-stick shooter where you play as a small spaceship in a bright, colorful world under attack from a shadowy villain called the Unchosen. And I do mean you play as a spaceship, not someone piloting a spaceship, which really adds to the charm of the world. I've only played the opening act, but it's officially my next weekend game, because it's immediately clear why it's been so well-received on Steam, with over 1,500 97% positive user reviews at the time of writing. 

The weekend is here, and there are loads of exciting deals you do not want to miss! This Saturday, new deals on some amazing video games, technology, and devices have appeared, and we've rounded up our picks. The best deals for Saturday, April 27, include Tekken 8, 2024 MacBook Air, One Piece Odyssey, Apple Watch Series 9, and more.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Review:OnePlus has become a trusted smartphone brand with promising performance, striking design, and specifications. Over the years, we have seen several feature-filled flagship models to mid-range range smartphones by OnePlus with a number of user base. However, in recent years, OnePlus smartphones have faced some challenges when it comes to performance and the green light appearance in the display. Yet, the brand has managed to maintain its image with new offerings.

Ah, the Commonwealth. A great example of dense open world design, Fallout 4 still has its charms almost a full decade after its original release in 2015. We've spent a good ten hours or so with the game's freshly launched PS5 version, and we're here to report on our findings with regards to technical performance. For the record, we'll be doing a full review in the near future as well — but for now, consider this an appetiser.

Ori maker Moon Studios is trying something different with its new, upcoming title No Rest for the Wicked, an isometric action RPG that can be just as colourful as it is dark. The game is slated to launch for PS5 when it reaches a 1.0 state, but until then, an early access phase is being conducted on PC, where its initial release has been met with positivity.

Stellar Blade, the latest PS5 exclusive, is out now on Sony's current-gen console. This is a big budget, out-and-out action game — something of a rarity these days — and it's been met with a slew of high scoring reviews. Needless to say, a lot of PlayStation fans have been waiting for this one.

Sony has confirmed that the Stellar Blade in-game art alluding to a racial slur will be patched out with a day one update, saying it was «unintentional.»

The Knuckles series is out now on Paramount+, and some viewers have already made their way through all six episodes. However, few are impressed, as Sonic fans complain that Knuckles barely features in his own show.

Stellar Blade is out, and it has been met by a largely positive reception — but many are wondering who plays Eve, as much of the discourse has centred on her.

Sony and Shift Up have put out a new Stellar Blade trailer to mark the PS5 exclusive's launch, with the release date set for tomorrow, 26th April 2024. Like a lot of launch trailers, the two-minute slice of footage features a lot of cutscenes and stretches of gameplay we haven't seen before, so you might want to skip it given the full launch is so close. Still, you can catch it above.

Stellar Blade is Korean developer Shift Up's console debut, focusing on buxom heroine Eve in her battle against the nefarious Naytibas. Available from 26th April 2024 on PS5, we awarded the outing an 8/10 in our Stellar Blade review. «Eve’s inaugural outing is largely excellent across the board, and destined to become a firm favourite among PS5 enthusiasts,» we concluded.

The new Netflix live-action anime adaptation, Parasyte: The Grey, has surprised everyone with its rave reviews. Despite meticulous attention to detail, the series seems to have overlooked a crucial element tied to its most anticipated cameo.

The gaming tech universe is incredibly competitive these days, but there’s always room for new and innovative entries from creators around the world. Hong Kong-based PB Tails are entering the controller arena with the Crush, a Bluetooth 5.0 enabled pad compatible with PC, Switch, iOS and Android. Fully customisable, it boasts Hall Effect sticks and triggers which will last you well into the next generation.

We’re only one night's sleep away from the release of Bandai Namco’s new RPG based on the late Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s underappreciated wasteland series, Sand Land. To celebrate the occasion, the game’s developers have shared a message written by the renowned manga creator before his passing in March.

I wasn’t expecting to love Stellar Blade. From the overly sexualised outfits that dominated its pre-release discourse, to the boss battles that looked a bit too difficult for my liking, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I bounced right out of it after a few minutes.

While Xbox Game Pass subscribers are no doubt trying to play some of the bigger releases of April, those wanting to experience an exceptional roguelike that didn't receive the hype that he deserved should keep their eyes peeled for the end of the month. With major Day-One launches like the JRPG and the sleeper early-access hit , April has proven to be an especially successful month for Microsoft as its catalog of offered games grew with some excellent titles. To cap off such a big month, an excellent indie gem is exactly what users need.

Earlier this year, famous mangaka and Dragon Quest co-creator Akira Toriyama passed away at the age of 68. But before he did, he had the chance to try out the new Sand Land game, based on his one-shot manga series from 24 years ago.

A new Dragon's Dogma 2 patch is now live on PC and consoles, introducing some gameplay tweaks and fixes.

Stellar Blade is only a couple of days out from release, and if you're hoping to go into the game as fresh as possible, this is the most dangerous time to be browsing social media. Just like with most games of Stellar Blade's magnitude, it seems as though the street date has been broken, and physical copies are already making their way into the hands of eager fans.

Lords of the Fallen developer Hexworks has revealed the final free content drop in its post-launch roadmap will take the form of a roguelite modifier system, and it's available on PS5 today. When beginning a fresh playthrough or jumping into New Game+, you'll now have the chance to change the way the game plays and operates across seven modifiers.

As we continue to see walls being torn down between platforms, more people are getting exposed to former exclusives than ever before. On the PlayStation side, we're getting our first look at Grounded, formerly only available to Xbox and PC players for the last four years. If you're not in the Xbox ecosystem, you might not know much about the game, so allow us to get you up to speed: Grounded is a highly involved cooperative survival game that will encapsulate you and your friends as you endure the horrors of being the size of a bug.

Originally published all the way back in 2000 as a standalone manga, it's strange, but not unwelcome, to see Sand Land be revived as both an anime series and a video game almost a quarter of a century later. Authored by the late and legendary Akira Toriyama, Sand Land is an incredibly charming story about a post-apocalyptic world, where a cocky demon prince is roped into helping out what's left of humanity.

Sony and Shift Up have published an online comic book for Stellar Blade that appears to serve as a quick prequel to the events of the main game. Available to read through this link, it sees protagonist Eve and another character called Tachy sparring together, and then speaking of an upcoming mission to reclaim Earth. This is what you shall be doing in Stellar Blade once it hits PS5 on Friday.

PS Plus Extra has delivered the second of three PS5 games it has slated to arrive on the service the moment it releases across April and May 2024. Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is rolling out now across the UK, Europe, and the USA. Dave the Diver was already made available with the general April 2024 service refresh, then the third day one title Animal Well launches on 9th May 2024.

Prior to release, all indications were that Stellar Blade would be an unusually technically polished current-gen launch, with the game’s demo leaving many impressed. But, of course, demos aren’t always indicative of the final game, with devs sometimes taking a thin slice of gameplay and give it more polish than the rest of the game. Well, the review embargo for Stellar Blade has arrived, and it seems it’s not only a good time in terms of action (check out Wccftech’s positive review here) but according to the tech heads at Digital Foundry, the full game is every bit as technically sound as the demo. You can check out Digital Foundry’s full video analysis below, provided you have around 20 minutes to spare, or you can scroll down for our rundown of the salient points.

is the latest indie release from developer and publisher, Aggro Crab. In this Soulslike crab game, players will take on the role of Kril the Hermit Crab as he embarks on a life-changing journey across a polluted ocean to get back his home, encountering over 50 shells and various referential costumes. Though the enemies are tough, Kril will face an even greater struggle in comprehending the state of the world around him and his role in it.

UK antitrust scrutinises Amazon, Microsoft AI deals; India leads global AI implementation, finds NetApp report; Profluent unveils AI-generated OpenCRISPR for tailored disease cures; Adobe's AI tool transforms blurry videos into HD quality- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

After months of controversy and discourse, the Stellar Blade reviews are finally in. As of writing, it has an aggregate score of 85 on OpenCritic, earning it the 'Mighty' badge. Critics praise its "fast-paced combat", "beautiful" visuals, and "captivating story", and some even argue that it's one of the best PS5 exclusives on the market.

As I sat down to write this review, I saw that Stellar Blade developer Shift Up had officially announced that the game would be “uncensored” in all regions. Predictably, there was much rejoicing from folks who had been drawn to Stellar Blade protagonist EVE’s shiny buttocks like moths to a flame. To be honest, I can’t blame them; she’s a shockingly attractive virtual person, a trait she shares with pretty much the entire cast of the game, who are all either incredibly hot, badass cyborgs, weird fleshy monsters, or a particularly delectable combination of two or even all three elements. However, as someone who had finished the game earlier that afternoon, I couldn’t help but laugh my sadly unshiny butt off.

No Rest for the Wicked's director has cited Baldur's Gate 3 and Hades 2 as examples of how early access launches can be fantastic, and said releasing in early access is "one of the best decisions we could've made."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is a gaming Trojan Horse. I don’t mean to suggest that, instead of the beloved heroes in a half-shell, this 2D side-scrolling beat ‘em up stars a squad of teenage mutant wooden horses. Rather, Wrath of the Mutants has used a cunning disguise to sneak past the discerning gamer’s ‘bad game’ sonar, just as the Greeks cunningly snuck into Troy all those centuries ago. This console release rides on the coattails of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, but while the two games share many similarities, Wrath of the Mutants pales in comparison.

, developed by Rabbit & Bear Studios and published by 505 Games, is a game that knows what it wants to do. A love letter to the series with the promise of more modern technology to produce it (even while deliberately sticking to the same familiar aesthetics and systems) sounds good on paper — in execution, however, it's a lot more of a mixed bag, with some downright maddening or baffling decisions that hamper an otherwise decent game.

We review Apiary, a worker placement board game published by Stonemaier Games. In Apiary, players are using familiar mechanisms to try and score the most points.

No Rest for the Wicked developer Moon Studios has released the biggest update yet for its action role-playing game as it battles to improve its ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam.

Every time you boot up Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, you're met with a dedication that reads: «With our appreciation to all JRPG fans», which we take as a declaration of intent. Hundred Heroes is a triumphant return to the golden age of esoteric PS1 JRPGs; equipped with a few modern conveniences but designed for an old-school mindset. Visually stunning, with an incredibly vast cast of voiced characters to collect, the game nails the tension of a political thriller and epic of war, but the pace of play, and — at times — lack of direction, can sometimes grate.

There's something about playing Tales of Kenzera: ZAU that never feels quite right. Whether it's the slow, sluggish controls or frustratingly frequent one-hit kills, reaching any sort of flow state where you're vibing and jiving with the latest EA Originals title is nigh-on impossible. It's a very stop-start experience at odds with the usual hallmarks of the Metroidvania genre, instead spotlighting a touching, personal tale of parental loss. Such a heavy narrative focus is no bad thing, but with little gameplay satisfaction to count on between plot points, it feels so lopsided that anything else comes across as an afterthought.

Tekken 8 recently added a battle pass which locks new content behind a paywall, despite the base game retailing at $69.99 with a $30 season pass. It immediately proved controversial, dragging the Steam score down to 'mixed', and things have only gotten worse in the weeks since as it now sits at an even lower 'mostly negative'.

The release calendar for major PS5, PS4 titles is still a little dry at the moment, so if you're anything like our editorial team and range of freelancers, you'll be diving into indie hits, catching up on your backlog, or enjoying the Fallout TV show. Here's what's occupying our time this weekend.

The Vision Pro saw daylight last year at the WWDC event, but it took its sweet time to hit the shelves as the company was creating the necessary hype and preparing developers to create proper use cases for the headset. While the reviews shared positive feedback, the possibilities for the device are endless as developers work to expand the Vision Pro's applications in the real world. We are now hearing that an orthopedic surgeon in Brazil used the Apple Vision Pro to successfully perform surgery on a patient's shoulder.

The next Dragon’s Dogma 2 update will not address the performance issues plaguing the game, instead focusing on gameplay adjustments.

Greetings, Polygon readers! Each week, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.

On April 15, Discord’s new Terms of Service changes went into effect, and there’s one major addition: an arbitration clause. What does it mean for users? It’s an important change easily lost in the fine print for anyone on Discord — and those in the know have a chance to opt out of the new agreement before May 15.

If you’ve ever wanted to see how good you are at tower defense games, now is your chance to do it for free. In the Defense Zone trilogy, you have to build defenses and place towers smartly to eliminate waves of enemies. Read on to learn more about the three games that make up the series!

Fallout's first season has gone down a treat with most fans, giving us eight episodes of Fallout goodness that some even consider to be a rather unorthodox sequel to the game series. However, between all the glowing reviews and excited praise, there are a certain section of fans that are unhappy with some of the changes to the lore that the show made, particularly regarding the NCR and the canon status of Fallout: New Vegas.

Capcom has detailed an upcoming patch for Dragon’s Dogmas 2 that makes a number of changes and fixes, but there’s no mention of the performance mode so many players are waiting for.

From the looks of it, former PlayStation console exclusive Kena Bridge of Spirits is coming to Xbox Series consoles.

We rather liked Toy Trains when we reviewed it earlier in the year — a cute, if slight, experience all about putting together little tracks to deliver materials around each level. It won't be quite so small soon, though, as a massive free update is set to seriously scale things up.

Harold Halibut is a bit like visiting an aquarium for the umpteenth time — yes, it's visually interesting, offering a glimpse into a submerged alien world, but once the initial intrigue is gone, you're essentially on a long, and quite dull, walk. This narrative-focused sci-fi adventure starts off with a promising premise and enchanting art style, but it doesn't take long before the facade falls to reveal what is ultimately a protracted and shallow game.

If Dave the Diver proves anything, it's that one shouldn't make judgements based on appearances. Not only does the loveable lead character exceed the expectations of his cohorts at every turn, but the game itself goes well beyond what it looks like. At a glance, this is a charming adventure about exploring the sea, catching fish, and running a sushi restaurant. It is all that, but it also refuses to settle, constantly evolving the experience in surprising and compelling ways.

What new PS5 and PS4 games are releasing in physical retailers and as part of the PS Store update this week? It's another extremely slow week, with Broken Roads perhaps being the biggest highlight. Click through the links for a full list of all new PS5 games release dates in 2024, all new PSVR2 games release dates in 2024, and all new PS4 games release dates in 2024.

V Rising is an enormously popular vampire RPG currently in Early Access on Steam, where even in its currently unfinished state, it enjoys Very Positive reviews overall. Announced for PS5, we got a better look at the kind of gameplay particularly bloodthirsty players can look forward to sinking their teeth into.

Formerly known as Cat Quest: Pirates of the Purribean, but now renamed Cat Quest 3, the third game in developer The Gentlebros' charming series is sailing to PS5 and PS4 on the 8th August. The title also has a new trailer that's stuffed with fresh gameplay footage — and if, like us, you're a fan of the first two games, then you'll likely think it looks fangtastic.

The second and final expansion for Final Fantasy 16, titled The Rising Tide, is out now on PS5 — and if you can believe it, we're fast approaching the base game's first anniversary. But such a realisation has made us wonder… Are you returning to Final Fantasy 16 in order to play through this new DLC? Or could it be that the expansion is arriving too late for your tastes?

Synth Riders' impeccable slate of DLC just doesn't seem to have an end in sight, does it? Well, here we are once again, as the team at Kluge Interactive has cooked up something really special for this latest DLC: 80s Mixtape — Side A.

If you're looking for a quick and gorgeous game, one you can polish off in a couple of relaxed afternoons, Planet of Lana fits the bill. Previously an Xbox console exclusive, it's come to PlayStation now, and will speak to anyone who enjoyed the likes of Limbo or Inside.

The developers behind cozy management sim Minami Lane have gotten candid about indie game development and revealed they have no plans to "milk" their game despite its success.