Game News

Game News

Minecraft is getting an archaeology update in its next patch

0 238
minecraft archaeology update 1.20

Minecraft developer Mojang has provided more information on the sandbox game’s upcoming patch. Dubbed 1.20, this update will introduce archaeology into Minecraft. The patch itself isn’t expected for a little while but you’ll be able to try out a snapshot of it “very soon”.

Players can start their archaeology journey by heading to any nearby desert. These sandy biomes will spawn new blocks close to temples. This new block is called suspicious sand which behaves like no other block in Minecraft. Rather than breaking it and picking it up, you need to use a brush to discover its secrets.

The brush is a new tool in Minecraft that allows you to extract suspicious sand. Extracting the new block will reveal whatever is hiding within. The contents include anything from pottery shards to random objects. It’s these pottery shards that Minecraft players are going to want to find to get the most out of the archaeology update.

Once you’ve collected four shards you can combine them to create a pot. Every pot will have unique patterns that differ from one another. This is fantastic for decoration on all sorts of builds. It’s always welcome to see more blocks introduced that allow for the creation of more spectacular structures.

The archaeology update is just the beginning

minecraft archaeology pots

Truth be told archaeology as it stands isn’t anything spectacular. It’s mostly just a nice piece of side content for players to come across in their travels. However, Mojang developer Ulraf stated in 2020 that archaeology would have suitable rewards.

Given Ulraf’s comments it’s hard to imagine that the reward he was talking about was a nice-looking pot. We expect that this archaeology update is just the beginning for Minecraft and more will come. It probably won’t ever be a core part of the game’s progression but further updates on it seem likely.

Game News

Gran Turismo 7 was always built for PSVR2 says its director

0 261

We recently found out that Gran Turismo 7 will be PlayStation Virtual Reality 2 compatible. This has led some fans to be skeptical of how well a non-dedicated VR game will work with the new hardware. But according to Gran Turismo 7 director Hiroshi Yamauchi, the racing sim was always designed with PSVR2 in mind.

During CES 2023 some details regarding PSVR2 were revealed. CES is an annual trade show where a ton of interesting information is revealed on a variety of consumer electronics. The big reveal for PlayStation was that Gran Turismo 7 would have VR support across the entire game. Originally, it was thought that only the racing itself would be supported.

In a follow-up interview with GTPlanet, Yamauchi provided some insight on Gran Turismo 7. According to Yamauchi, it was decided early on that the entirety of Gran Turismo 7 would be playable in PSVR2. He states that this decision was made shortly after finishing Gran Turismo Sport, released in 2017.

The main motive for doing so was that it just made sense for such a technologically advanced game to support VR. After all, Gran Turismo 7 already has native support for 4K/60 frames per second. The biggest obstacle with porting a game to VR is that VR requires high frame rates and a high resolution. But since both of those requirements were already fulfilled making GT7 VR compatible was “very easy”.

True immersion

PSVR2 promotional image sony

Several media outlets were given an early look at how PSVR2 works in Gran Turismo 7. The overwhelming consensus is that it’s incredible and perhaps the most impressive VR racing game on the market. It can’t be overstated how much virtual reality can help improve immersion in a primarily first-person genre. If GT7’s VR support is as good as critics are saying it could be a huge reason to shell out the $550 required for a PSVR2 headset.

Game News

Knockout City is shutting down as Velan shifts focus

0 204
knockout city shutting down june 2023

It’s not been a good week for Electronic Arts. Earlier this week it was revealed that a single-player Titanfall game had been sneakily canceled. Following that is today’s news that Knockout City will be shutting down later this year. The decision was made by developer Velan Studios as it looks to shift its focus elsewhere.

The announcement was posted on the official Knockout City website. Here its developer confirms that Knockout City’s servers will be closed down on the morning of June 6, 2023. After this, the only way to play the game will be through pirate servers on the PC version of the action sports game. Unfortunately, Console players will have no way to play Knockout City once the servers are taken down.

The decision to discontinue the development of Knockout City wasn’t an easy one. Velan Studios is shutting down the servers for Knockout City to allow it to focus on other projects. In the blog post, Velan explains that due to its team being so small it can’t afford to support the game whilst also working on other projects. Rather than sink resources into Knockout City it would rather start over on a new game.

Although its numbers have dwindled Knockout City had an impressive launch. Despite being a niche indie sports game, it managed to attract over five million players at launch. That is an incredible feat for a new IP created by a small studio.

What’s next for Velan?

knockout city gameplay 4k no hud trailer

With the servers for Knockout City shutting down Velan will now be able to focus its efforts elsewhere. In the blog post, Velan doesn’t confirm anything but hints at possible “continuations of Knockout City,” plus other “innovative multiplayer experiences”. Given this, we can expect Velan to come back stronger than ever and deliver another great game that stands out from the crowd.

Game News

Xbox Games with Gold for February 2023 have been revealed

0 284
XBOX GAMES WITH GOLD FEBRUARY 2023 free games

Microsoft has revealed what Xbox Live Gold members can access for free next month. In February 2023, the Xbox Games With Gold service will add two new offerings for subscribers to enjoy. These are For the King and Guts N Goals. These games have a combined retail price of $40 making this month’s offering decent value.

From February 1 to February 28 Games With gold will introduce For the King. For The King is an open-world strategy game that was first released in April 2018. It is developed by IronOak Games and published by Curve Games. For The King is a popular game having ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Steam as well as an impressive 79% on Metacritic. Although given it often goes on sale for less than $5 the listed retail price of $25 is misleading.

Joining For The King is Guts N Goals. Guts N Goals is an arcade-style soccer game that was first released in August 2021. It will join For The King as one of the Xbox Games With Gold for February 2023 on February 16. Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able to pick it up for free until March 15. It’s worth checking it out as its unique gameplay can offer a lot of fun, especially with friends and family.

It’s worth keeping in mind that it isn’t only Xbox Live Gold subscribers who can access these games. Those who have a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will also receive the same benefits. That’s in addition to access to the entirety of the Xbox Game Pass library which features over 300 games.

An okay month

XBOX GAMES WITH GOLD FEBRUARY 2023 for the king guts n goals

All in all, February doesn’t look to be the best month. When compared to some other months Xbox Games With Gold has had February 2023 isn’t anything special. Even so, both games being offered have been well received and are generally considered worth playing. Hopefully, March steps things up and we get some better offerings.

Game News

The Crew 3 leaks as Motorfest with a reveal expected soon

0 274
the crew 3 leaks as motorfest

Another day another big leak in the games industry. This time around data miners have discovered leaks for The Crew 3, an upcoming sequel to Ubisoft’s popular open world racing game. However, the next The Crew game won’t follow in the footsteps of its predecessors and will instead look to rebrand.

The leak was first shared by Twitter user ScriptLeaksR6. According to this post, Ubisoft’s new racing game will be called The Crew Motorfest. This new The Crew game will shift its focus to becoming more of a direct competitor for the Forza Horizon series. This means a shift in focus from open-world exploration to open-world racing is expected.

This new approach isn’t overly surprising given who is responsible for The Crew Motorfest. According to the leaks, The Crew 3 will once again be developed by none other than Ivory Tower. Made up of primarily ex-Eden Games employees, Ivory Tower is best known for the Test Drive Unlimited series. Unlike The Crew, Test Drive Unlimited was always just as much about the racing as it was about its open-world exploration and progression.

Speaking of Test Drive Unlimited, much like Eden Games’ most iconic project The Crew Motorfest is rumored to be set on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. This hasn’t been confirmed yet but it does make sense. After all, Ivory Tower has already had success with the setting in its past life.

The Crew 3 is not DLC

the crew 2 gameplay mustang gt laguna seca

When leaks of The Crew 3 first surfaced it was thought to be a DLC for The Crew 2. However, that is no longer the case. Even though The Crew Motorfest began life as a DLC it has since been expanded into its own thing. Unfortunately, a release date for Motorfest is still unknown and likely some way off. Although if rumors of an official announcement as early as next week are to be believed that could change soon.

Game News

Forspoken raises all kinds of red flags as PC review codes aren’t sent

0 305
forspoken pc review codes missing 4k screenshot

Forspoken is the big release of January 2023. Square Enix’s new action RPG is set to launch tomorrow and reviews of it are starting to pop up. In general, the reviews are mixed but it’s the lack of PC reviews that has fans confused. It turns out that Square Enix hasn’t sent out any PC review codes for Forspoken.

A publisher choosing to not send out review codes is a worrying sign. It usually means that it is hiding something or isn’t confident about the state the game is in. If a specific platform doesn’t receive review codes it likely means that the platform’s port is in a bad state. A bad port can be a dealbreaker for many and so it’s in the publisher’s best interest to not bring attention to it.

Critics not receiving PC review codes for Forspoken is not a first of its kind. Most infamously, in 2020 CD Projekt Red chose to not send out review codes for the past console generation versions of Cyberpunk 2077. When players finally got their hands on Cyberpunk, they were shocked at how poorly optimized it was. On Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Cyberpunk 2077 would regularly dip as low as 10 FPS which just isn’t playable.

Forspoken following the same pattern on PC is worrying. Especially given the PC requirements that were revealed last week. For just 30 frames per second at 1440p Forspoken recommends an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070. Meanwhile, a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB will only manage 30 FPS at 720p. That’s a video resolution that was created in the 1990s.

Will Forspoken suck?

forspoken gameplay boss fight steam screenshot

Truthfully, we don’t know exactly how bad Forspoken’s PC port will be. However, it is rare that a situation like this happens and the end product doesn’t have some fatal flaws. Tomorrow, we find out why Square Enix wasn’t willing to send out PC review codes for Forsaken. In the meantime, all we can do is wait and hope that we’re all overthinking things.

Game News

The AYANEO Slide is the handheld PC you didn’t know about

0 473
ayaneo slide revealed presentation youtube

Thanks to Valve’s introduction of the Steam Deck handheld PCs are growing increasingly popular. But Valve doesn’t have a monopoly on the industry and more competitors are popping up. Most recently the AYANEO Slide was formally revealed following a crowdfunding campaign in May 2022 that raised over $3 million.

The Slide was technically first announced alongside its crowdfunding campaign but the specifics weren’t clear. In a YouTube hosted presentation, AYANEO went into further detail breaking down its future plans and overall strategy. Within this presentation was some vital information on what fans can expect from the Slide.

One key difference between the Slide and the Steam Deck is that the former will have a full QWERTY keyboard. This allows for tactile typing which simply isn’t possible with a strictly digital keyboard as is on the Steam Deck. Also, as its name would suggest the AYANEO Slide comes with a slidable screen which is fantastic for ergonomics.

When the screen is slid down the Slide acts a lot like its competitors. However, it can be partially slid up to reveal a keyboard and even slid up further to become a notebook of sorts. This versatility helps it be more than just a gaming PC on the go. The Slide will also function perfectly well as an all-purpose computer suitable for work and browsing the web.

AYANEO’s other offerings

ayaneo slide air plus product showcase

The AYANEO Slide wasn’t the only product announced in the presentation. There was also the Air Plus, a Windows-based machine that will be available for pre-order on February 5. Unlike the Slide, the Air Plus is expected to use an Intel CPU whilst the Slide will use a Ryzen 7000 mobile APU. Unfortunately, we don’t yet know when the Slide will release or its price. More information on pricing is expected in the near future.

Game News

Motorsport Games stock plummets as staff threaten to leak code

0 332

Racing game developer Motorsport Games has had a rough week. After allegations of unpaid staff and the Formula 1 champion speaking out against them, it now has to deal with threats from its employees. These events combined have caused Motorsport Games stock to plummet.

The most recent development in the ongoing crisis is related to the studio’s failure to pay its staff. Allegedly, Motorsport Games has failed to compensate several members of its team. This has led to one employee blackmailing the rFactor 2 developer. This employee has threatened to leak the source code for four of its games online for everyone to see.

Although this is bad it isn’t what caused the studio’s stock value to plummet. Instead, that was triggered by Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen labeling the recent Le Mans Virtual event a “clown show”. It’s not exactly a good look to have the most influential man in motorsport criticize your sim racing event. Naturally, this caused investors to panic and the stock value of Motorsport Games to collapse.

A leaked source code is about the worst thing that can happen to a game studio. When a game’s source code is leaked it becomes extremely easy for hackers to infiltrate the code and prepare cheat software ahead of time. Even worse, those with malicious intent can use the code to create malware copies of it. Distribute this copies in the right place and some real harm can be done.

Those stocks aren’t looking healthy

rfactor 2 4k gameplay screenshot classic indycar

The stock value of Motorsport Games is extremely low right now. Over the last few months, it has varied between $2.70 and $5.51. Neither of these is a good sign. To put those numbers into context in February 2021 the studio’s stock value was $326.50. That’s just over 80 times higher than what it’s currently valued at!

Game News

The Gears of War Remastered Collection has not been cancelled

0 310

Last year it was leaked that a Gears of War Remastered Collection was in the works. The collection was leaked to feature four games: Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3, and Gears of War Judgment. News of the remaster had since gone quiet but now a reputable insider is doubling down on it still being a thing.

Nick “Schpeshal” Baker has reassured fans that the collection is still in development. The co-founder of Xbox Era is a well-known insider who has broken countless stories. Baker did not break the original story of there being a collection but he’s convinced that story was and is still true. He posted on his personal Twitter account that he “won’t back down,” and insists the collection is still happening.

The Gears of War Remastered Collection was leaked via 4Chan in May 2022. The leak detailed an upcoming collection that would feature four Gears of War games. The fan favourite Gears of War 2 would receive a full remaster build from scratch. Meanwhile the other games would be updated with new controls, better frame rates, and more content.

Sound familiar?

gears of war 3 gameplay 4k screenshot

Xbox fans may have noticed that this leaked collection sounds similar to something else. Back in 2014 Xbox Game Studios release Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This collection featured four Halo games with one being fully remastered. It was later ported to PC and is available on Steam for $39.99.

Assuming that Baker is correct it would appear as though Microsoft was happy with how The Master Chief Collection performed. It is looking to repeat that success with the Gears of War Remastered Collection. Given that Gears of War is arguably the second most iconic first party Xbox franchise it has been a long time coming. Hopefully, this leak ends up being true and we get the opportunity to play some these classics.

Game News

A newly discovered Warzone 2 glitch turns trucks into submarines

0 331
warzone 2 trucks underwater glitch sk

Warzone 2 truck glitch

Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is by no means a bug free game and we can see this on Warzone 2 truck glitch . Activision’s latest battle royale has had a variety of bugs since release with several still being present. Even so, few are quite as hilarious as the latest discovery. A newly discovered glitch in Warzone 2 is transforming cargo trucks into submarines.

There is a spot in Al Mazrah near Port where you can drive a truck off the edge into the water. This alone isn’t particularly interesting or unique but what happens after certainly is. Normally, the truck would breakdown and you’d begin to drown. However, in this particular spot your truck will continue functioning allowing you to drive on the seafloor.

This hilarious bug is quite strange and the cause of it is completely unknown. Nothing like this was present in the original Warzone and the trucks in Warzone 2 are largely identical. How Warzone 2 has birthed a new glitch that lets trucks go underwater is beyond anyone’s understanding.

Unfortunately, there is a dark side to this glitch. With certain circles it is going to be fairly easy to exploit and potentially even ruin games with. Just drive the truck to where you think the final zone will be and sit underwater where nobody can kill you. On the bright side, Warzone 2’s new fuel mechanic does limit how long you can drive vehicles for until they stop moving.

Will this bug be fixed?

warzone 2 trucks underwater glitch port ledge location

Call of Duty developers don’t exactly have the best reputation when it comes to fixing bugs quickly. This has some players worried that the Warzone 2 underwater trucks glitch won’t be fixed. It’s difficult to say when it will be fixed and how big of a problem it will be. Either way, all we can do is hope it doesn’t end up being game breaking and developer Raven Software addresses it soon.