May 09, 20:00


Kotaku Monday, May 9, 2022 7:50 PM
    

The video you're about to see is not camera footage of the Etchū-Daimon train station in Japan. It is a video made by 3D artist Lorenzo Drago.

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Kotaku Monday, May 9, 2022 5:20 PM
    

Whatever your opinions of Halo Infinite, you can rest assured knowing you won't take a financial hit for airing them. The same can't be said for one of the best Halo players on the planet, who was recently fined after he shared some pointed criticism of the game's ballyhooed season two update.

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Kotaku Monday, May 9, 2022 4:15 PM
    

As part of a larger blog reiterating the Final Fantasy XIV team's disapproval of mods following their prevalence in a high-profile raid event, producer and director Naoki Yoshida promised to improve the massively popular game's HUD to match the functionality of these unofficial tools.

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Kotaku Monday, May 9, 2022 2:40 PM
    

Babylon's Fall, the troubled live-service action-RPG from action game luminaries Platinum Games, has seemingly hit life support. After two months on the market and a lukewarm reception at launch, Square Enix's latest effort was reduced to just one player on PC last week. They revealed themselves on Twitter after VGC

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Kotaku Monday, May 9, 2022 2:11 PM
    

Quick, without thinking too much, describe Left 4 Dead in only a few words. You probably came up with something like "a co-op zombie shooter." Or perhaps "an online co-op FPS zombies game from Valve." Point is, zombies would almost certainly be in there. Even so, back during Left 4 Dead's development, Valve president…

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Kotaku Monday, May 9, 2022 1:35 PM
    

What started out as a casual ironic viewing of the NBA playoffs has quickly shifted into an unironic obsession, with the games becoming a must-watch priority in my life. Why the sudden change, you ask? I realized that the NBA is eerily like the many anime series I've watched.

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Kotaku Monday, May 9, 2022 1:20 PM
    

Why can't far-right provocateurs just be good at anything? Acquitted, an action-shooter game by first-time developers, Nordic Empire Games, is intended to be a provocative celebration of the acquittal of teenager Kyle Rittenhouse. Instead, it's a very poorly made zombie shooter, without even a glimmer of the courage…

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Kotaku Monday, May 9, 2022 12:44 PM
    

The Overwatch 2 technical beta started on April 26, and players have already started mining the build for content. One player even made a side-by-side lighting comparison video of the differences between the beta and the original game, which recently took off on Twitter. The two video captures appeared to be nearly…

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PCGamesN Monday, May 9, 2022 6:01 PM
     How the pandemic has changed videogames marketing

If you've heard about an upcoming PC game, it's probably thanks to the work of an enterprising PR person somewhere in the world. At the inaugural W.A.S.D. event in April, a trio of public relations wizards sat down to talk about the business of games marketing, and how it's changed over the course of two years of COVID-related lockdowns and working from home.

We've been busily uploading all of the W.A.S.D. discussions and talks to our YouTube channel, so if you weren't able to attend in person, don't worry - they've all been saved for your viewing enjoyment. This one features Super Rare Games head of PR Ryan Brown, Sega Europe's Jasmine Koolhoven, and Jon Wilcox from Team17 talking with our very own strategy editor Joe Robinson.

As the panel discusses, videogame PR companies had to quickly work out new ways of getting their clients' games in front of the public. That can be challenging in the best of times for smaller indie games, but it gets even tougher if you're representing a small indie studio.

RELATED LINKS: Best indie games, What is W.A.S.D.?, Upcoming PC games

PCGamesN Monday, May 9, 2022 4:22 PM
     Summer Games Done Quick to end with two Elden Ring speedruns

Gee, what's happened since Awesome Games Done Quick wrapped up back in January? Well, an obscure little RPG game called Elden Ring launched, for one thing - and speedrunners promptly figured out how to break it and beat it in just a handful of minutes. This year's Summer Games Done Quick is set to kick off in June, and the week of extremely efficient gaming will be capped off by not one, but two Elden Ring speedruns.

Summer Games Done Quick runs June 26 - July 3, and the finale will begin July 2 around 7:25pm PDT / 10:25pm EDT or July 3 at 2:25am GMT / 3:25am BST. The first run will be by Czech speedrunner catalystz, who currently holds the record for all boss runs in both Dark Souls and Dark Souls Remastered. catalystz is also the current record-holder for the all-remembrances run in Elden Ring on PC, which they pulled off in well under the two hours allotted for the all remembrances run at SGDQ.

Remembrances are unique items held by a specific set of powerful Elden Ring bosses. To complete the all remembrances run, catalystz will have to defeat not only all of the main story bosses (like Malenia and Radahn), but also several optional bosses, like the Regal Ancestor spirit.

RELATED LINKS: Best Elden Ring settings, Elden Ring bosses guide, The best Elden Ring classes

PCGamesN Monday, May 9, 2022 3:09 PM
     Minecraft-like Hydroneer update overhauls co-op and vehicles

Minecraft effectively spawned an entire sub-genre of sandbox games where you were let loose in a world you could shape as you like by digging, building, and crafting. If you're after a bit of sandbox escapism like Minecraft, Hydroneer update 2.0 launched yesterday - and it's the "biggest update we've ever made", according to the developers.

Hydroneer isn't as complex as Minecraft, as rather than tasking you with travelling through different dimensions, you just need to make money. Head out into the world and look for gold, sell fish you catch, and earn cash however you can manage. As with many of these building games, it starts off simple enough, but things ramp up as you buy new machinery and create your own mining operations.

The latest update, Hydroneer 2.0, adds in hundreds of new items, a "complete rework" of the codebase to make things more stable, an overhauled vehicle system - including the patch note that "trucks no longer fly off into the atmosphere" - and even the first iteration of multiplayer via splitscreen and Steam Remote Play. It's worth noting that some users are saying the multiplayer is a bit janky at the moment, but it doesn't seem to be the case across the board.


PCGamesN Monday, May 9, 2022 1:06 PM
     The new Eve Online heraldry system will be a big deal

From the outside looking in, adding new custom ship skins to the massively multiplayer space game Eve Online might not seem like a particularly noteworthy change - sure, it's nice to be able to personalise your avatar and spaceship, but certainly not essential, right? But in Eve Online, identity drives everything - who you are, what you've done, and the groups you belong to are critically important to the experience and fantasy. The upcoming heraldry system that CCP Games announced at Fanfest 2022 will finally make it official and allow players to establish distinct visual identities for themselves and their corporations and alliances.

It's obvious how important heraldry is to Eve players the moment you walk into an event like Fanfest: the throng of players is peppered with custom-printed alliance T-shirts, jackets, and flags. Those icons are common sights on Eve streams and in forums, but the new heraldry system will make them usable within Eve, too.

The heraldry system isn't just about showing allegiance to a group, however. The new system includes visual modules and add-ons for ships, killmarks, and holograms that will change and grow along with your achievements.

RELATED LINKS: Play Eve Online for free, Eve Online Beginners guide, Space games

PCGamesN Monday, May 9, 2022 12:53 PM
     Best computer speakers in 2022

The best computer speakers aren't intrinsic to every gaming PC setup, especially since the best gaming headsets can give you the edge in FPS games. Of course, injecting your ears with gaming sounds comes with the caveat of being tethered to a desk. And while the best wireless gaming headsets can provide you with a degree of freedom, there's nothing quite like filling your gaming cave with high fidelity audio.

Speakers are commonplace within many of the best gaming monitors and laptops, but convenience usually comes with compromise. While integrated speaks work just fine, they often produce tinny audio and a distinct lack of clarity and definition in comparison to good quality, standalone computer speakers.

Naturally, there are a wide range of specs and price points to consider when it comes to computer speaker sets. Whether you're looking for a cheap set of speakers, the best soundbar, a surround sound extravaganza, or you're looking to upgrade to true audiophile sound quality, we've rounded up the top speakers to sit on the best gaming desk. There are even some with RGB lighting if that's your bag.

RELATED LINKS: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Monday, May 9, 2022 12:51 PM
     Gotham Knights co-op is

May 9, 2022: Warner Bros confirms Gotham Knights only has two-player co-op, but doesn't rule out extra modes - and a new reveal is coming tomorrow.

PlayStation may have leaked the reveal of Gotham Knights co-op expanding to feature four players at once, similar to its fellow DC superhero game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Warner Bros confirms to PCGamesN that campaign co-op is still just two-player as announced previously, but doesn't rule out the possibility of a new multiplayer game mode for four players - and a new Gotham Knights gameplay reveal is coming tomorrow.

Gotham Knights was always a co-op game but was announced as only having support for two players at once - despite including four playable characters and Rocksteady's similar Suicide Squad featuring four-player co-op. The game was originally announced for 2021 but was pushed back to 2022, and won't now release until October.

It's possible developer Warner Bros Montreal used this extra time to add support for four-player co-op. According to the recently updated Gotham Knights' PSN store page (thanks, SuspiciousTension19), the game offers support for up to "4 network players" at once. However, the description still states that Gotham Knights can be experienced "in solo-play or with one other hero". If both are accurate, then WB Montreal could be adding a separate mode with four-player support outside the main open-world game.


PCGamesN Monday, May 9, 2022 12:31 PM
     Best sniper Warzone Pacific: the best sniper rifle Season 3

Want to know what the best sniper rifle is in Warzone Pacific? There are plenty of options to pick from in the battle royale game, but there's nothing quite as satisfying as a sniper rifle. While this weapon type used to be a sure-fire pick for players back when Verdansk was around, that hasn't been the case since new Warzone map was introduced. That's not to say sniping is dead, far from it, but you do have to think carefully about your surroundings before calling in the best Warzone loadouts.

The latest Warzone Pacific Season 3 update drastically changes how one-shot kills work. Warzone now uses damage range to calculate each bullet's total damage when it hits an enemy player. As a result, you should avoid picking rifles without any potential for headshot kills with a single bullet, as they cannot compete with the best snipers in Warzone.

There are a lot of factors to consider, including which attachments you choose to equip your chosen Warzone sniper with, how confident you are at judging travel time, and what your peeking skills are like. We've analysed the lot to give you the definitive answer on which Warzone Pacific sniper is best for your playing style.


PCGamesN Monday, May 9, 2022 12:23 PM
     Grab 41% off this 360Hz Alienware gaming monitor

A 360Hz gaming monitor might sound a bit like a novelty, but it could be a game-changer if you're into the best FPS games. Sure, you'll have to stick with 1080p rather than an illustrious 4K resolution, but if you're looking to shoot first and ask questions later, you'll want to prioritise refresh rate. While these screens can come with a premium price tag attached, it's possible to find a deal from time to time, and you can grab over $250 off Alienware's speedy 360Hz panel.

Over on Amazon US, the 24.5 inch Alienware 360Hz Gaming Monitor is down from $627.89 to $367.99, thanks to a 41% discount. While this panels high refresh rate is the star of the show, the screen also packs nifty features like Nvidia G-Sync certification, which should help prevent any screen tearing during Call of Duty: Warzone and Halo Infinite matches.

While gaming monitors are the opposite of a mullet, the business at the back of Alienware's 360Hz panel should help keep your cable party more organised. Two HDMI ports, a display port, and four USB 3.0 ports occupy the back of the panel, meaning you can hook up the best gaming keyboard, mouse, and even a game console alongside your gaming PC.

RELATED LINKS: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Monday, May 9, 2022 12:13 PM
     This player did a glitchless KOTOR speedrun in under 2 hours

Statement: a player has broken the KOTOR speedrun world record with a time of under two hours, which was an Any% run without any glitches or mind tricks used - so, they just played through one of the best Star Wars games on PC and managed to complete it in less time than most of us spent on Taris alone.

It's one of the best RPGs on PC, and with the upcoming Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake still on the far horizon, we can understand fans wanting to play the original game. However, others are using the time to speedrun Bioware's massive space game, and these runners are now managing to complete KOTOR in under two hours.

The current world record holder is Seraphim (thanks, TheGamer), who managed to clear KOTOR in a glitchless Any% playthrough in just one hour, 51 minutes. It took them just 23 minutes to clear Taris, one hour and 17 minutes to reach the iconic Revan reveal, and less than two minutes to beat Darth Malak.

RELATED LINKS: Best Star Wars games

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, May 9, 2022 5:24 PM
    

The RTX 3080 12GB is a little-known variant of the RTX 3080 released late last year. As well as coming with the same memory subsystem as the RTX 3080 Ti - 12GB of GDDR6X attached to a 384-bit interface - it's also faster than the vanilla 3080, with more CUDA and RT cores.

That performance normally comes at a steep premium, but today an MSI Ventus 3X RTX 3080 12GB model is going for a low price over at Newegg. They're asking $810 for the graphics card after a $30 rebate, some $450 below the GPU's ludicrously high MSRP. That makes this model actually cheaper than almost all RTX 3080 10GB cards on the market, and a worthy deal for our hallowed deal archives.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, May 9, 2022 2:21 PM
    

Crucial make some of the highest-performance and best value SSDs on the market, and today in the UK three of their best offerings are discounted at Scan. These are the Crucial X6, a 540MB/s portable SSD in 1TB and 2TB sizes, and the Crucial P5 Plus 2TB, a PC and PS5-compatible PCIe 4.0 internal SSD that offers blistering read speeds of up to 6600MB/s.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, May 9, 2022 12:29 PM
    

I'm testing an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti this week. No fully-formed, review-style thoughts on it yet, though after an unusually stressy installation I do have a question: does it need to be so god-damned big?

"Yes, because heat" is probably the answer, as when you've got as many processor cores as the RTX 3090 Ti, running at such high clock speeds as the RTX 3090 Ti, and with as much memory as the RTX 3090 Ti, it's a bad idea to try building an RTX 3090 Ti that's the size of a postage stamp. But the best graphics cards aren't huge as a rule, and when it's got to the point where new GPUs can't easily fit into a standard mid-tower PC case, it might be time for some course correction.

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Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 6:58 PM
     Today Final Fantasy XIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida released a long statement about the use of third-party tools in the game.

Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 5:08 PM
     Today is a big day for Microsoft Flight Simulator, as one relevant third-party addon has been released, alongside a couple of juicy news.

Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 3:57 PM
     Today, Stardew Valley revealed in an official press release that the game has officially crossed the milestone of 20 million copies sold across all platforms since its original release. Alongside this news, it was also stated that 13 million of those came from the PC version of the game alone. You can check out the […]

Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 3:14 PM
     The schedule for the annual Summer Games Done Quick speedrunning charity event has been revealed, including both new and old games for the week-long marathon. The upcoming event will kick off on Sunday, June 26 with a pre-show followed by a boss rush run of the PlayStation 4 version of Shadow of the Colossus, and […]

Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 3:06 PM
     If you've ever wondered what playing Animal Crossing New Horizons looks like from the perspective of Tom Nook and all the villagers, then you've got to check out this new short that Youtuber Densle has just created. In the video below, we see a calamity of hilarious things that only Animal Crossing players truly can […]

Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 1:33 PM
     At Fanfest 2022, developer CCP Games hosted an EVE keynote presentation. Within the presentation, they teased two upcoming projects both set in the universe of their MMO, EVE Online. The first of these two projects is an online tactical first person shooter being developed by CCP Games London Studio. This game will be set in […]

Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 1:28 PM
     The final season of Attack On Titan is set to premiere in 2023, and longtime fans are sad to see the show's end. Now is a great time to look back on the story overall and catch anything we might have missed while we wait for the finale. As you reminisce through each season, it […]

Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 1:16 PM
     Today, Ubisoft revealed the roadmap for the newest season of The Division 2, Season 9: Hidden Alliance. Fans won't have to wait long to get their hands on the newest update, as it was also unveiled that the update will go live this Thursday, May 12. Alongside some quality of life changes, the update will […]

Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 1:00 PM
     Various kinds of supposedly gaming energy drinks have flooded the market in the past few years, but "gaming sake" is a bit more peculiar.

Twinfinite Monday, May 9, 2022 12:32 PM
     Apex Legends Season 13: Saviors goes live tomorrow, May 10, so Respawn has just released the full list of patch notes to accompany the new season. This patch mostly focuses on weapon adjustments, but there are also some notable Rampart buffs and a Valkyrie nerf that players probably saw coming. Starting with the two characters […]