Feb 24, 22:00


Kotaku Thursday, February 24, 2022 7:10 PM

Kotaku Thursday, February 24, 2022 5:50 PM
    

I ran into my first Elden Ring trap. It was designed to look like a treasure chest, nestled safely in a low-level area of FromSoftware's latest action RPG, but it took me on a whirlwind journey through some of the nastier parts of the game's crumbling world.

Read more...


Kotaku Thursday, February 24, 2022 3:15 PM
    

Early Elden Ring players were shocked when an NPC in the closed network test called their character a "bit player" who should "die in a ditch somewhere." His outright and immediate hostility was seen by some as a personification of the Souls-like genre's brutal difficulty, but I'm here to report that, for better or…

Read more...


PCGamesN Thursday, February 24, 2022 7:00 PM
     Elden Ring reaches 600k Steam players one hour after launch

The Elden Ring release time has arrived, and players are already pouring in by the bucket full. It's already From Software's biggest Steam launch, and one of the biggest games on Valve's platform - ever - beating out some of the most venerable live service games to get there.

Elden Ring reached a concurrent PC player count of 616,891 one hour after launch, as SteamDB shows, and that number continues to rise. It reached 149,702 players just 20 minutes after launch, making it the biggest From Software game on Steam in the span of about two Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Most of Steam's biggest games - like PUBG, Dota 2, or CS:GO - are either inexpensive or free-to-play. The biggest premium launches on the platform include New World, which reached 913,634 concurrent players on launch weekend, and Cyberpunk 2077, which reached 1,054,388. To date, only five games have crossed the million-player threshold.

RELATED LINKS: Elden Ring system requirements, Elden Ring has the best demo, Elden Ring's four pre-order editions

PCGamesN Thursday, February 24, 2022 5:54 PM
     Elden Ring (and most of the Souls series) is Steam Deck Verified

If you want to play Elden Ring on the go, Valve has you covered. It should be no great surprise at this point, given how wide-ranging compatibility on the device aims to be, but Elden Ring is officially Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve expects it to play great on the handheld. And if that wasn't enough, pretty much the entire Souls series is Verified, too.

Elden Ring's got full checkmarks across the board for Valve's compatibility metrics. That means "this game's default graphics configuration performs well on Steam Deck", " all functionality is accessible when using the default controller configuration", "this game shows Steam Deck controller icons", and "in-game interface text is legible on Steam Deck," as you can see on SteamDB.

Each of From Software's Souls games is playable on Steam Deck, too, as Wario64 notes on Twitter. Sekiro, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, and Dark Souls III are all Verified, meaning they meet the same compatibility requirements that Elden Ring does. Dark Souls: Remastered is listed as 'playable', while the original version of Dark Souls and Dark Souls II are untested.

RELATED LINKS: Elden Ring system requirements, Elden Ring has the best demo, Elden Ring's four pre-order editions

PCGamesN Thursday, February 24, 2022 4:45 PM
     Terraria gets yet another update before Labor of Love

Terraria has now reached the stage where it's had so many final updates that even the jokes about them are getting exhausting. But hey, I'm not going to complain about further Terraria updates. The 1.4.4 patch, dubbed the Labor of Love update, is still on the way, but before then the developers have another, smaller update, sprucing up the game for Steam Deck compatibility and making some additional changes.

"When we sat down to enjoy Terraria on the Steam Deck for the first time," the devs say in the announcement, "we immediately realised that we needed to make a few tweaks to fully take advantage of all that this new system has to offer." To that end, they've built a default control setup for the Deck - which you're free to customise as you like, of course. If you're curious about battery life, the devs say they "typically get between 3.5 and 5.5 hours of playtime between charges - depending on brightness settings as well as the intensity of action in the game".

But 1.4.3.3, which is live now, isn't purely about Steam Deck optimisations. You can follow the link above for the full details, but the highlights include a big rebalance for the Deerclops, and some changes for NPC happiness, which should make it a bit easier to keep your AI friends pleased.

RELATED LINKS: Terraria Journey's End release date, Best games like Minecraft, Best survival games

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, February 24, 2022 7:01 PM
    

Instantly beautiful, fast and playable, Grid Legends provides the perfect counterpoint to serious sim racing. It is very clearly similar to 2019's Grid reboot, although there is immediately one thing that's changed that makes this offering worth the upgrade. No, not the added story mode, it's more fundamental than that; it's the handling. It just didn't feel quite right in the last game, whereas here it's arguably the most playable handling system of any modern racer that doesn't have 'Kart' in its title. Even though your car slides at every opportunity, it's actually disguising the fact there's a great deal of grip here, making for an enjoyable experience whatever your skill level.

Read more


Twinfinite Thursday, February 24, 2022 8:40 PM
    

Star Wars The Old Republic: Legacy of the Sith on PC Back in July 2021, BioWare unveiled Star Wars The Old Republic: Legacy of the Sith – a brand new expansion that celebrates the first 10 years of the MMORPG while also getting fans ready for the next decade worth of content. Alongside a new […]

The post SWTOR: Legacy of the Sith Review – Quite the Disturbance appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Thursday, February 24, 2022 7:41 PM
    

Today third-party developer Reg Designs announced another important airport coming for Microsoft Flight Simulator as an add-on.

The post Microsoft Flight Simulator Toronto Pearson International Airport Announced; Trailer Coming Tomorrow appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Thursday, February 24, 2022 6:58 PM
    

Koei Tecmo is celebrating the release of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, Koei Tecmo in Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation.

The post Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Launches Atelier Sophie 2 Crossover appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Thursday, February 24, 2022 4:53 PM
    

Today third-party developers released new add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator, on top of sharing new reveals.

The post Microsoft Flight Simulator Wellington Airport Gets First Screenshots; Puerto Plata Announced; Rome Fiumicino & Speck-Fehraltorf Released appeared first on Twinfinite.


Destructoid Thursday, February 24, 2022 7:00 PM
    

It's time for Squidward's revenge Mods are some of the most fun ways for fans to put a new spin...

The post This SpongeBob Doom mod takes you on a romp through Bikini Bottom appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Thursday, February 24, 2022 6:00 PM
    

It's time to complete your SteamWorld collection We're nearing a new month, and that means it's time to hear about...

The post Amazon Prime Gaming has seven free games to claim in March appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Thursday, February 24, 2022 5:00 PM
    

This post contains major spoilers for the Uncharted movie. If you still want to be surprised, come back to this...

The post I have mixed feelings on the Uncharted movie appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Thursday, February 24, 2022 4:15 PM
    

There's a storm brewing… One of the finest arcade shooters of all time, Atari's Tempest, will be getting another lease...

The post The Claw Returns: Tempest 4000 hits Switch next month appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Thursday, February 24, 2022 3:30 PM
    

It's easily one of the most fun solo mechanics in a From Software game in years Elden Ring spirit ashes...

The post Here's how Elden Ring spirit ashes (NPC summons) work appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Thursday, February 24, 2022 3:00 PM
    

The Flame in the Flood is worth trying If you've got Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate, here's your...

The post Xbox Games with Gold is giving out SpongeBob and Sacred 2 in March appeared first on Destructoid.


PC Invasion - FeedDDD Thursday, February 24, 2022 7:01 PM
     Grid Legends Review Pc Stock Car SunsetWhen I tried the preview version of GRID Legends a few months back, it only took a matter of minutes for me to know that the full version would be quite the package. Now, with over a dozen hours of track time accounted for, it's safe to say that Codemasters' latest project has passed all of the dynamo tests, wind tunnel calculations, and crash course preliminaries. That is to say, this sleek speedster collection has a lot of things going for it. For myself, traditional circuit racers don't particularly grab me as much as they used to. So, I find it remarkably impressive that GRID Legends has actually managed to sweep me away with a tight driving model and gameplay mechanics that are a textbook example of a racing title that fits the "simcade" moniker to a T.   Stories of slipstreams GRID Legends has some neat ideas when it comes to its mix of gameplay offerings. For a full single player experience, there's a dedicated Story Mode and a single ...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Thursday, February 24, 2022 6:30 PM
     Knockout City Free To Play Self Published FeatThe arena dodge ball game Knockout City will be free to play once Season 6 goes live later this spring. To celebrate, developer Velan Studios is knocking out Electronic Arts as the game's publisher. Okay, not really. But the studio is set to soon begin self-publishing the game, which should happen not long after the launch of Season 6. "From the day we founded our studio, we've worked to deliver revolutionary new game experiences to you, our amazing community of players," Velan wrote in an update. "We couldn't have introduced Knockout City to the world without the incredible support of EA Originals, but now as we switch to free-to-play, the natural next step is for us to take over publishing responsibilities and work even more closely with our community. We have exciting plans for Knockout City, and bringing publishing in-house will allow us to fully realize our vision for the long-term future of this game."   Going free to play and moving toward s...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Thursday, February 24, 2022 4:45 PM
     Elden Ring Rennala Queen Of The Full Moon Boss GuideIf you managed to find the Academy Key, then you'll be able to explore the facility built and protected by magic. This is the Legacy Dungeon in the Liurnia of the Lakes region in Elden Ring. After a little romp, you'll finally have a chance to battle a major boss. Here's our Elden Ring guide to help you defeat Rennala Queen of the Full Moon in the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Note: For more information, check out our Elden Ring guides and features hub.   Elden Ring boss guide – How to beat Rennala Queen of the Full Moon in the Academy of Raya Lucaria Phase 1 Rennala Queen of the Full Moon might be one of the easiest bosses in Elden Ring… if you're a melee or ranged fighter, that is. If you're a spellcaster, then you'll soon realize that she's extremely resistant to magic. Whoops! In any case, here's our goal for the Rennala Queen of the Full Moon boss fight in Elden Ring: During the first phase, Rennala is floating in th...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Thursday, February 24, 2022 4:15 PM
     Elden Ring Academy Key Glintstone Dragon Liurnia Of The LakesAfter clearing Stormveil Castle and defeating Godrick the Grafted, you'll be able to head to Liurnia of the Lakes in Elden Ring. This region is plain swampland as far as the eye can see, and we need to find something that allows progression. Here's our Elden Ring guide to help you obtain the Academy Key and defeat the Glintstone Dragon in Liurnia of the Lakes. Note: For more information, check out our Elden Ring guides and features hub.   Elden Ring Liurnia of the Lakes guide – Getting the Academy Key and beating the Glintstone Dragon From the mountain pass in Stormveil Castle, follow the path until you reach Liurnia of the Lakes. You should eventually see a sector called Laksyar Ruins. Dozens of mobs will emerge from the putrid depths, and many of them will lob orbs that track you down. Ideally, you'll want to lose aggro by running to the western end. Then, turn back and look for a gazebo with a portal. This portal will take you to the front gate of th...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Thursday, February 24, 2022 4:00 PM
     Fallout New Vegas sequel gunOf all the Fallout games that have come out since Bethesda acquired the IP, Fallout: New Vegas tends to receive the most praise from diehard fans. Notably, developer Obsidian made this entry rather than Bethesda, giving the game a unique flavor that overall seems to have resonated with fans more than Bethesda's efforts. Although Fallout: New Vegas did not escape the criticisms commonly levied at the modern Fallout titles, such as their technical issues, many still see it as one of the best western RPGs around. With this in mind, talk surrounding a potential Fallout: New Vegas sequel may have started not too long ago. This report came from GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb, who discussed it on his paywalled news show, Grubbsnax. Supposedly, both Microsoft and Obsidian remain in "very early" talks regarding this possible sequel, and, at this stage, it has not evolved into anything more than an idea. According to Grubb, it will likely take years before such an idea comes ...

Tabletop Gaming News Thursday, February 24, 2022 6:00 PM
    

Tabletop Gaming News Thursday, February 24, 2022 5:00 PM
    

Tabletop Gaming News Thursday, February 24, 2022 4:00 PM
    

Latest Games on Play iDev Games Thursday, February 24, 2022 9:52 PM
     Your Mission : Kill the Cannibal Cult leader deep in the Jungle Destroy His Compound Make it out alive !!!...

Pivotal Gamers Thursday, February 24, 2022 8:16 PM
     Hello fellow gamers. We have another great offer from itch.io for Portal Dogs. This is what they say. Get Portal Dogs for FREE! A few words about Portal Dogs In the puzzle platformer Portal Dogs, a horde of dogs are following their king through the portal world. The catch: you play with all dogs simultaneously. http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/256775683/movie480.webm Details about the ...