GamersHeroes Saturday, October 19, 2024 3:10 PM Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales are making their way to the PC with the release of Nixxes Software, Insomniac Games, and PlayStation Studios' Marvel-Spider Man 2 on January 30 for both Steam and the Epic Games Store. The post Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Coming to PC January 30 appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Saturday, October 19, 2024 10:00 AM The Best Weapons In Helldivers 2, The Must-Play Demos At Steam Next Fest, And More Tips For The Week  Steam Next Fest is happening now, which means there are more demos for upcoming games available this weekend than you can possibly hope to play. We're here to help, with recommendations for which demos you should absolutely give a shot before the festival ends. We've also got pointers on the best weapons to take into… |
Kotaku Saturday, October 19, 2024 9:00 AM  Well, kids, it's been a week. From a popular Twitch streamer getting banned for racist remarks to a huge leak of one of Nintendo's biggest properties, there's been a lot going on in the gaming world. We also got a warning from an ex-PlayStation boss about the future of the industry and a short but sweet Xbox Showcase.… |
PCGamesN Saturday, October 19, 2024 1:02 PM  Choosing to launch your new PC game without including a Steam version can feel like a scary prospect. The Valve storefront maintains a seemingly unassailable cultural presence, even as the likes of GOG, the Epic Games Store, and Microsoft's Xbox App offer alternatives. Dark fantasy FPS Witchfire did just that, and having now launched on Steam following a year of EGS exclusivity, the game's developer The Astronauts says it's extremely happy with the results. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best FPS games, Best fantasy games, Best roguelites |
PCGamesN Saturday, October 19, 2024 12:51 PM  I can't quite believe it, but Fallout New Vegas is 14 years old. It's by far the best game in the series, with some truly sublime world building and decision making. After all this time it's safe to assume that, if you're reading this, you've seen all the RPG has to offer. Every rock, casino chip, and line of dialogue has been exhausted, so you won't miss anything if you race past it. That's why the newest mod I've spotted is oddly fitting, because whatever your plans are to celebrate the game's birthday, you're not going to have time to stop and smell the sarsaparilla. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Fallout New Vegas mods, Fallout 5 release date, Best RPG games |
PCGamesN Saturday, October 19, 2024 11:50 AM  One of the only things that's more satisfying than building a masterpiece in the best sandbox games is then destroying your creation in spectacular fashion. Besiege is a game that excels at both sides of the coin, as its 'overwhelmingly positive' 95% Steam rating attests, and developer Spiderling Studios has just dropped a surprise update with some incredible changes. A huge wealth of new objects for the level editor, a dramatic upgrade to the size of multiplayer maps, and an alternate camera mode are the highlights, but there's even more to look forward to - and there's even a Steam sale discount if you're new. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best sandbox games, Best building games, Best medieval games |
PCGamesN Saturday, October 19, 2024 11:41 AM  Automation is mesmerizing. After hours of putting your nose to the grindstone, it's rewarding to step back and listen to the whirring of your industrial megalopolis. You can turn an urban area into a well-oiled machine in Cities Skylines, watch resources float on by in Satisfactory, and even create redstone contraptions in Minecraft - but the universal scale of Eden Crafters is totally new. Thrust onto a barren planet, it's your job to navigate the landscapes and turn them into a habitable, automated heaven. After a popular Steam demo the full, early access launch is finally here, and you can get it slightly cheaper right now. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best co-op games, Best survival games, Best sandbox games |
PCGamesN Saturday, October 19, 2024 10:43 AM  The arrival this week of Once Human update The Way of Winter sees the sci-fi survival game climbing again on Steam. The new PvE scenario has brought the game back above 100,000 concurrent players for the first time in October, threatening to reclaim its crown from returning champion Rust, but has come with a number of additional bugs and other issues. Developer Starry Studio has been busy gathering player feedback since the update landed on Thursday October 17, and has now deployed a whole host of improvements. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best sandbox games, Best open-world games, Best survival games |
PCGamesN Saturday, October 19, 2024 10:09 AM  Long Deadlock queue times should now be a thing of the past. If you've been twiddling your thumbs for upwards of 20 minutes for games in Valve's new MOBA, the team has now made some adjustments to bring wait times right down. A better "concentrated" set of playtime hours has been implemented, so even more players can attempt to match up at once. Deadlock is still raking in the player numbers, mind you, but now getting into matches will be even smoother than before. Continue reading Long Deadlock queues should be a thing of the past, thanks to Valve MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Deadlock release date , Deadlock crosshair, Deadlock characters |
PCGamesN Saturday, October 19, 2024 10:51 AM  October 19, 2024: We've added two new Monopoly Go dice links for free dice rolls. How can I get Monopoly Go free dice links? The household favorite board game has been reimagined as a free-to-play app on smartphones, allowing everyone to experience the thrills of Monopoly on practically any device. Everything that makes the board game special is here in Monopoly Go, so you'll be collecting properties and building hotels as you go around the board, and there are a variety of multiplayer minigames to get through along the way. You're going to need to get your hands on Monopoly dice rolls, but they are difficult to come by no matter how far you are into the board game. There are ways to earn additional dice rolls, including logging into the game every day to collect daily bonuses, progressing further in the game, and inviting friends to try Monopoly Go. While you can also spend real money to unlock more dice rolls, you may want to give our list of Monopoly Go dice links a try instead, especially if you're waiting for the next Monopoly Go Golden Blitz event. Take a look at all the currently active Monopoly Go free dice links for today. Continue reading Free Monopoly Go dice links October 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
PCGamesN Saturday, October 19, 2024 1:00 PM  The moment you look at Travellers Rest, it's easy to see how Stardew Valley inspired it. The top-down perspective, gorgeous pixel art, an array of colorful NPCs, and, of course, the farming. At this point, Stardew Valley has birthed an entire genre that's recognizable in the blink of an eye, but Travellers Rest is different. Instead of growing a farmstead, you're managing a bustling tavern. Crops and agriculture are part of the equation, sure, but the experience of your patrons and the health of your business are paramount. So if you're bored of Pelican Town and fancy something new, Travellers Rest has just had yet another sizable update with loads more still planned. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best farming games, Best management games, Best indie games |
PCGamesN Saturday, October 19, 2024 12:58 PM  In space, no one can hear you scream. Well, apart from the pilot, the guy fixing the engine, and your gunner of course. Okay, you might not be facing down a Xenomorph, but the co-op roguelike Void Crew is still about as chaotic. Managing a spaceship while darting between fires, failing systems, and your disorganized crewmates doesn't exactly sound like fun on paper, but Void Crew manages just that. If the Settled Systems of Starfield feel too empty, or the overcomplicated ships of Star Citizen make you nervous to even attempt space travel, these are the wacky antics for you. Best of all, Void Crew is about to make the jump to 1.0, and you can snag it at a discount before then. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best co-op games, Best roguelike games, Best space games |
Siliconera Saturday, October 19, 2024 3:00 PM
I was excited when Yen Press announced it picked up the manhwa series Finding Camellia, because the initial description made it sound empowering. It suggested it followed a young woman who was stolen from her mother as a child by her father's wife and forced to grow up and live as a young man as an additional heir as she took back her power and become her true self again. However, at least in the initial volume, Camellia being such a passive character that is often relegated to the background kept me from enjoying the story.
Editor's Note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Finding Camellia manhwa below.
Finding Camellia begins with Camellia's abduction to turn her into "Camellius." Her mother Laura was a maid in the house of her father, Marquis Gilliard Bale, who ended up in some sort of relationship with him and pregnant. The Marquis' legitimate child Kieran suffers from an illness that only seems to grow worse. In fact, Laura fled the house with "Lia" when an incident made it seem like she was responsible for Kieran getting worse. So Gilliard's wife Anastasia hunted down Laura and Camellia, abducted the girl, and because Gilliard considered a young woman useless, chopped off the child's hair to raise her as a younger son named Camellius.
Things begin with the desperation Camellia clearly feels. She's desperate to see her mother again and keeps asking. However, she's only 12. She passively takes part in lessons. She's put forward and forced to learn to fire a gun. We watch as Anastasia and Gilliard talk about her being a stopgap in case Kieran doesn't get better, even after he's sent away for the sake of possibly improving by living in another region. Her servant Betty lies to her about "her ladyship" being honorable and allowing her to return to Laura if she does what she says. Lord Claude Ihar, Kieran's friend and another noble, intimidates and teases her. She's berated and abused for an accident that occurs when she's forced to try shooting.
So throughout the first 169 pages of the manhwa, I felt completely let down by the first volume of Finding Camellia. We don't get to see any inner monologue from Camellia explaining how she's going to fight back. There's no passion or fire on her part. It's like she's a doll tossed around from scene to scene. acting as a plot device for other people. I suppose I could see some reasoning for it. It certainly establishes a tragic backstory for her. Maybe even the goal on Jin Soye's part was to leave people frustrated and angry on her behalf.
But the thing is, I expected things to get better once I hit page 170 and the timeskip to a 16-year-old Camellia/Camellius. She's about to be shipped away to an academy in the city to study. Except the initial sentiments about this instead has her lamenting not hearing from her brother Kieran or Lord Claude in the past few years. It is only at page 192 that we see any sort of outrage or passion on Camellia's part. It's the first hint that she might actually do anything for her own sake and strike back. Yet a few pages later, in interactions with Eddie, Camellia's father Gilliard, Prince Wade, and Lord Claude, we're right back to her being at the whims of others again.
I can only hope that Finding Camellia picks up in later volumes, because Camellia doesn't get to take charge at any point in the story so far. It feels like other people are constantly making decisions for her and pushing her around, with none of her actions actually decided for herself. The lack of agency is annoying and even infuriating, and I think I'd find it difficult to continue reading if things don't change by the second volume.
Volume 1 of the Finding Camellia manhwa is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on December 10, 2024.
The post I Wish Camillia Wasn't so Passive in the Finding Camellia Manhwa appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Saturday, October 19, 2024 12:00 PM
When you find a manga about new stepsister and stepbrother who are the same age living together, odds are it seems like it'd be romantic in nature somehow. While volume 1 of Days with My Stepsister does tease that possibility, with even Yen Press' official description for the manga suggests it the new relationship could involve "simple admiration, familial love, or something more." However, what makes this series appealing is watching teenagers who grew up with trauma due to their family life learning to recover and reach out to others again.
Editor's note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Days with My Stepsister manga below.
In the case of new stepsiblings Yuuta Asamura and Saki Ayase, each one is dealing with trauma and unresolved issues that come from their home lives prior to the start of their story and interactions with other people. As we're initially seeing things from Yuuta's perspective, his are more obvious. His parents constantly fought. His mother cheated on his father, resulting in their divorce. Throughout the entirety of the first volume of the manga, his mother is absent. So must so, she doesn't have a name. There are suggestions she was verbally abusive.
As such, we see a number of ways in which Yuuta adjusted his life and personality to avoid those sorts of situation and that kind of trauma again. In addition to deciding to avoid women and romantic interactions, it seems he avoids people in general. We really only see one friend of his, with Yuuta mentioning he doesn't have many. Is he protecting himself? Absolutely. Is it healthy? No.
In the case of Saki, it isn't as immediately obvious that she's suffering from similar issues. However, after the first meeting and an agreement to respectfully coexist, but not expect anything from each other, it becomes obvious she's dealing with similar problems. After all, her reactions to simple kindnesses like assistance unpacking, a tub being refilled for her. Once school starts, we see that there's not only the hurt caused from her own past family life with an absent father who cheated on her mother and a mother who had to be constantly working to support them affected her deeply.
That, paired with people making negative assumptions about Saki based on her appearance, leads to her being in a situation similar to Yuuta at the outset. She also doesn't expect anything from anyone and seems detached. She's learned from experiences with her family and with strangers that misjudge her that it might not be possible to connect with others. So, like Yuuta, she strives for independence.
Being forced into a situation in which they learn to connect and consider another person feels like it could be healing for them. They go in expecting nothing from each other. However, they immediately start showing each other common consideration. They agree to avoid each other at school and pretend they aren't related, but talk in secret. When Saki is looking for a well-paying, part-time job and mentions it to Yuuta, he immediately starts helping her find a solution. Already, in a single volume and short span of time, the two are gradually growing and helping each other start to recover by forming a more positive relationship built on mutual respect and understanding.
I mean, those following the Days with My Stepsister light novel will know where the manga is heading and what will happen between Yuuta and Saki. Still, the progression and character development keeps this from feeling like a contrived situation. What's happening her feels more meaningful. The characters aren't just typical teenagers or enamored with the situation. This really is about growth and a possible genuine relationship.
Volume 1 of Days with My Stepsister is now available, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on January 21, 2025. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll. Yen Press also published the light novel outside Japan.
The post Days With My Stepsister Manga Starts With Teenagers Recovering From Trauma appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Saturday, October 19, 2024 9:00 AM
Moss and Moss: Book II remain these constant VR staples, even years after the original 2018 release. We see both entries show up on new platforms, years after their launch. After all, both only just made their PS5 debut in 2023. Most recently, alongside the Meta Quest 3S launch, both games ended up getting additional improvements and updates in September 2024. After going back and playing them after said update, it's easy to understand why.
Part of it is the premise of both Moss and Book II. These aren't VR games that attempt to put you firsthand in the experience of a massive adventure game or action-RPG, though the scope is admirable. You're a person who follows alongside a mouse named Quill and assists her as she first attempts to save her immediate home in the first entry, then save the world of Moss as a whole in the second.
As such an assistant, it means there is a lot more freedom to explore and handle puzzles. After all, we're trusting and replying upon Quill, our partner, to help with some of the lifting. So we aren't necessarily going through actions or activities that could result in motion sickness or unpleasant effects. We're allowed a little more freedom with our actions and don't need to worry about demanding precision, since we're assisting in puzzle solving and progression.
This leeway allows for range of approachability and accessibility that not every VR game offers, which works in favor of Moss and Book II. The genre is one that is generally very well accepted on the platform, since adventure games do generally allow players more time to react and puzzles are welcoming to anyone. It not demanding many sudden movements or major activity means someone new to VR or gaming in general could easily get adjusted. Since we're working alongside a heroine who can provide us insight and hints, but who isn't holding our hands as we go through it, it's also a comfortable way to ease into the experience and allow for more character and storytelling.
It also helps that Polyarc does continue to improve the Moss and Book II experiences. The most recent update alongside the Meta Quest 3S launch is a perfect example. It features both visual updates and fan-requested features. As I played the original games before, heading back and being able to completely turn off combat was quite a boon. Not that it is bad, as I appreciate how it is handled, but it is another good option both in terms of accessibility and approachability. It allows someone to return and, as a result of that stressor being removed, be able to appreciate other elements of the games. Plus the additional visual improvements mean that it does keep looking crisper, better, and more in line with what we expect from VR games as technology improves.
Moss and Moss: Book II always feel like they remain relevant VR games, and a few hours spent with each reveal why. The nature of both adventures show how welcoming they are to both newcomers to gaming in general or VR headsets. The fact that Polyarc also keeps considering what players might want and updating it goes even further to ensure they remain staples even six years after the original's debut.
Moss I and Moss: Book II are available on the PS VR and PS VR 2 for the PS4 and PS5, Meta Quest headsets, and other VR headsets via Steam.
The post Moss I and Book II Remain Solid VR Staples appeared first on Siliconera. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, October 19, 2024 3:54 PM A trailer was also released. The post Eternal Strands Coming to Xbox Game Pass Day One appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, October 19, 2024 3:20 PM A console release date trailer was also released. The post Phasmophobia Console Release Date Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, October 19, 2024 2:59 PM A new trailer was also released. The post Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Coming to PC Next Year appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
MonsterVine Saturday, October 19, 2024 1:00 PM Silent Hill 2 feels a modern experience in many ways. The combat doesn't have the depth you might hope for in a modern horror game, and its survival aspects feel trivial, but the exploration, puzzles, and story are all top of the class. The horror of Silent Hill 2 doesn't feel like it's lost a […] |