Jul 15, 12:00

PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 11:29 AM
     Steam's hottest free battle royale adds a new weapon and mystery balls

Naraka Bladepoint is the hottest ticket in free-to-play battle royale games right now. While it might still be yet to reach quite the heights of PUBG Battlegrounds and Apex Legends on Steam, Naraka Bladepoint has comfortably eclipsed its previous player count peak after becoming a free game, and developer 24 Entertainment is already making moves with a big Naraka Bladepoint update.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best fantasy games, Best battle royale games, Free PC games
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 10:42 AM
     Cut Halo content turned into brand new open-world level

The original Halo now has a playable campaign level that brings cut content from the FPS game's RTS and third-person concept days to the forefront of the experience, after a group of modders started showing off work they've been doing with 343 Industries to restore over two decades of lost content to Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary review, Halo 3 review, Best FPS games
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 9:42 AM
     Assassin's Creed Mirage lets you feel the violence in real life

Assassin's Creed Mirage promises to be a return to the action-adventure game roots of the series, with plenty of thrilling rooftop chases and frantic sword fights on the streets of Baghdad. But what if you could actually feel every crunch, every slash, every thud as they land? How about the wind rushing across your body as you leap between buildings? Ubisoft is partnering with haptics specialists OWO to bring the sensations of Assassin's Creed Mirage to real life.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Assassin's Creed Mirage release date, Best stealth games, Best RPG games
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 9:14 AM
     Forget The Elder Scrolls 6, where in Oblivion is the Morrowind remake?

Skywind is a fan-made project combining my two favorite Elder Scrolls games: Morrowind and Skyrim. It has officially been in the works now for over a decade, and given the scale of the project, there's still no word on a possible release date. I have spent the better part of my teenage years and now my young adulthood tracking the project, hoping to see news of the RPG game's launch. There are only so many visual overhauls and mods I can add to the vanilla game, and I'd rather experience Morrowind in its true, uncanny glory, modernized graphically yet still nostalgic at its core - and only Skywind can provide that.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Skyrim mods, Elder Scrolls 6 release date, Games like Skyrim
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 7:58 AM
     New Minecraft Creeper mini fridge keeps your drinks explosively cool

The Minecraft Creeper mini fridge is now available, and it takes the iconic sandbox game enemy into all-new territory while looking pretty cool at the same time. The Minecraft merch is the perfectly chill addition to a home, and not something I'd ever expect to see in real life.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 7:07 AM
     WoW Night Elf Heritage Armor uncovered in patch 10.1.7 PTR

World of Warcraft Night Elf Heritage Armor has been the talk of the town ever since the launch of WoW Dragonflight. Now it seems that we're finally on the cusp of seeing one of the most beloved World of Warcraft races finally get their iconic cosmetic look. As we all know, there's nothing more important in any MMORPG than good fashion, and World of Warcraft is no exception, so start planning your looks now.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: WoW Dragonflight tier list, The best WoW addons, WoW Dragonflight review
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 8:11 AM
     Grab this 9 out of 10 RPG game for free while you wait for Starfield

Wasteland 3 is currently available as a free RPG game, with us at PCGamesN previously giving inXile's post-apocalyptic RPG an incredibly high score, making it the perfect way to wait out the imminent Starfield release date this year. If you want a truly brilliant turn-based game with deep lore and characters, Wasteland 3 is for you.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Wasteland 3 review, How long is Wasteland 3?, The best RPG games on PC
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 6:52 AM
     Project Polaro codes July 2023

July 15, 2023: We added two new codes to our Project Polaro list.

What are the new Project Polaro codes? Project Polaro is a Pokémon-inspired Roblox game which sees you collecting adorable pocket monsters and battling them, as well as taking on gyms and trainers to gain EXP, badges and money.

Trainers are searching for the latest Project Polaro codes, and we've found all of the currently active ones so you can gain free spins, rare pocket monsters, and more. If you're looking for other Roblox freebies, we also keep regularly updated lists of the latest Blox Fruits codes, Project Slayers codes, and Anime Adventures codes so you can get the most out of your time in the Roblox games.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 5:57 AM
     Diablo 4 hotfix disables its greatest PvP prize

A Diablo 4 hotfix has just been released by Blizzard, temporarily removing one of the most potent farming tools in the RPG game. If you're a Diablo 4 PvP master storming the Fields of Hatred, you're going to find yourself missing out on its greatest prize for a while, as the Hatred's Chosen buff has been stripped from Diablo 4 for the time being.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Diablo 4 builds, Diablo 4 review, Diablo 4 classes
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 5:38 AM
     BattleBit dev thinks EA can still make a

BattleBit just keeps on getting bigger, as the colossal FPS game from a tiny team is currently one of Steam's greatest success stories. With loads of content and post-launch support planned, one of the BattleBit developers takes to Reddit to answer some player questions, with Battlefield naturally coming up.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: BattleBit guns, BattleBit codes, BattleBit servers
PCGamesN Saturday, July 15, 2023 6:54 AM
     AUT codes July 2023

July 15, 2023: We searched for new AUT codes to add to our list.

What are the new AUT codes? If you're trying to get ahead of the competition in A Universal Time, we've collated all the latest codes for free skin crates. We'll also run you through exactly how to redeem all the active A Universal Time codes and where you can find more for the action-packed, anime-themed hit.

A Universal Time has been around for a while, but it's erupted in popularity recently following a major update. If you're searching high and low for further Roblox freebies, we also keep regularly updated lists of Blox Fruits codes, Project Slayers codes, and even Anime Adventures codes. Now, let's run through all the A Universal Time codes and the rewards they'll net you.

Continue reading AUT codes July 2023
MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes
Siliconera Saturday, July 15, 2023 9:00 AM
    

Alchemic Cutie Doesn't Feel Quite Ready for the Switch

Sometimes a game premise seems really good! Alchemic Cutie is one I've kept an eye on over the years. However, platforms and work obligations often meant I never had a chance to check it out. Once Alchemic Cutie headed to the Switch, I had an opportunity, but it feels like recurring issues still aren't exactly ironed out.

In Alchemic Cutie, players follow Yvette. Immediately after becoming an alchemist, she gets to work assisting at her family's Jelly (slime) farm on Wimba Island. Your goal from here is to take on quests that assist your neighbors, fulfill jelly bean (Jelly poop) orders for the farm, collect and breed Jellies to get certain types, and unlike new areas of the island. You can take part in minigames with slimes, or use the alchemic flute to transform items you find.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Q3Z7Zhm5s&t=6s&ab_channel=Xbox
It's a very relaxed experience! Like simulations such as Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, there is a day-night structure and seasons change as time goes by. The pacing isn't too hectic, with requests being fairly easy to fulfill. Most days involve tending to the Jellies you have, hunting for the ones you don't and need to fulfill orders, and potentially take advantage of slimes to reach new areas. It's continually building upon itself. However, that gameplay progression does hint at its eventual tedious nature, this is a giant fetch quest of a game.

The thing about Alchemic Cutie is both that it doesn't exactly run well on the Switch. And even when it does, the game still feels like it is an "early access" build. Sometimes both the audio and general gameplay can just… stutter. The framerate can abruptly dip, and in some cases it happened even when there weren't a lot of slimes or NPCs around to cause it. Worse was when it outright froze up on me, because then I'd actually need to go to the Home menu, close, and restart to get back to business. However, there is an autosave function, so at least I could resort to that.

But the real trouble is that Alchemic Cutie can seem a bit pointless. It's like I was working a job, rather than escaping to a fun, colorful rendition of a "job" to get away from the actual daily grind. I mean, there is a "goal." You get missions. You need to collect jellies, feed them to get their beans (poop) to fulfill requests from a board. This involves getting wild jellies, breeding them, and hopefully getting the products you need. Except the amount of effort and time that goes into it isn't satisfying. Especially since the NPCs you're interacting with fall flat beyond initial interactions. In games like Stardew Valley or Slime Rancher, I feel motivated to explore the world because the rewards are good, the characters are fun, and there's a clear sense of progression and growth. There isn't that same pay-off here.
[caption id="attachment_972401" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Alchemic Cutie Doesn't Feel Quite Ready for the Switch Image via Vakio and Viridian Software[/caption]
A part of that stems from the lack of information. There's a lot going on. Different items have an effect on a jelly when it eats it. You need to be careful, because it's a few seconds difference between petting jellies and releasing them. If you decide to venture too far from home (and food sources) for jellies, then they will be starving while you're off checking new areas. Using your flute and powers of alchemy can trigger not only one, but multiple transformations for items. You should always have a jelly with you, and be taking them to talk to NPCs for training. It's just a lot to take in, so much so that it's overwhelming to deal with traits and other elements while also trying to find specific products. So even though this is all just a series of fetch quests, making sure you have what you need to keep doing them might get to be a lot.

Some of Alchemic Cutie's Switch issues are ones that might be remedied by a series of patches. In which case, it'd be a thing to try if you like titles that see you collecting characters, breeding them, and dutifully turning in requested items regularly. The lack of information is a little harder to overcome, however. So is the general nature of this being a series of fetch quests one-after-another. But it is pleasant enough, and with some updates could prove worth someone's time.

Alchemic Cutie is available for the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

The post Alchemic Cutie Doesn't Feel Quite Ready for the Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

WGB, Home of AWESOME Reviews Saturday, July 15, 2023 8:41 AM
     Microsoft's plans for industry domination continue to grab the headlines. Now, only the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) stands in the way of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. However, Microsoft does not need the approval of the CMA and can actually close the deal as it stands.