Author: News Room
I repeatedly asked myself one question while playing Hotel Barcelona: Why?Why is the demonic spirit of a serial killer possessing a timid US Marshal? Why is the promising-looking combat so bland? Why is the storytelling so half-baked? Why does the game look as though it emerged from a time capsule from the mid-2000s? I don’t have the answers to most of these questions, but I know one thing: This collaboration between White Owls, the studio led by Deadly Premonition mastermind Swery, and Suda51 of Grasshopper fame, is a bad time. It also encapsulates the main critique of both creators’ works:…
Summerfall Studios (a developer founded in part by Dragon Age writer David Gaider) made its debut with Stray Gods, a musical game starring modern-day adaptations of the ancient Greek pantheon. Its next game, Malys, is a massive departure in both tone and gameplay. Earlier this April, Summerfall announced a Kickstarter for this new project, but unfortunately, it failed to reach its funding goal. However, the game still entered early access this past June, and now, just a few months later, it’s hitting 1.0, launching on Steam on October 24. This deckbuilder tells the story of Noah, a demon hunter, on his…
After a few years in a console’s life cycle, its common to see dips in price for its older games and hardware, but in 2025, the opposite has been true. The latest culprit of the rising cost of gaming is Xbox Game Pass, which we learned today would be getting new features, but a massive increase in monthly fees. Ultimate, the highest tier of the service, will cost 50 percent more, going from $19.99 a month to $29.99 a month. A breakdown of the new tiers is included below. Click image to enlarge Game Pass Essential – $9.99 a month50+…
Harmonix has announced that Rock Band 4 is being delisted from digital storefronts due to expiring music licenses. The removal will occur on the day of the game’s 10th anniversary.On October 5, Rock Band 4 will be pulled from PlayStation and Xbox digital stores. Harmonix posted a message on its Discord explaining that this is due to the game’s original licenses to the core 65-song soundtrack expiring. Those who own the game will still be able to download and play it, and any purchased music can still be downloaded and played on any compatible devices.Here is Harmonix’s full message:On Sunday,…
Following the lackluster reception of Battlefield 2042, which I described in my original review as “full of almost as many bugs as bad pilots,” you might be surprised to learn Battlefield 6 seems primed for success. However, if you’re paying attention to online chatter or are involved in various multiplayer communities, you’ll sense a rising fervor for Electronic Arts’ upcoming shooter. The recent open beta garnered over 521,000 concurrent players on Steam, beating Call of Duty’s all-time peak at 491,670 simultaneous users, according to SteamDB. Multiple factors, including the public’s poor reception of Black Ops 7’s early marketing push, are…
Hideo Kojima’s studio, Kojima Productions, has released a new teaser trailer for its in-development horror game, OD. It features Sophia Lillis (It, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) lighting some strange, seemingly ritualistic candles while an ominous knock sound echoes throughout the mostly empty apartment. Kojima first revealed OD way back in 2023 by bringing out acclaimed Get Out, Us, and Nope director Jordan Peele on stage during The Game Awards that year. The two indicated that they were working on a cloud-based horror project called OD for Xbox Game Studios, which would feature Lillis and Hunter Schafer (Euphoria). However, this…
Hot off the heels of announcing the 1.0 launch window for Palworld, developer Pocketpair has announced a new spinoff called Palworld: Palfarm. As the name suggests, it’s a farming simulator featuring the titular Pals.Although Palworld already has farming elements, Palfarm solely focuses on this aspect. Players move to an island to work alongside Pals to till fields, grow crops, craft tools, and cook dishes. Crops and other crafted goods can be sold or purchased at a market. Some Pals offer unique skills to assist with farming, and players can increase their bonds with the critters by giving them gifts or speaking…
PlayStation has announced that a State of Play will air tomorrow, September 24, with 35 minutes of reveals and announcements from its first-party studios and partners around the world. It will air at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET. In the blog post for this announcement, PlayStation says the State of Play will feature an “extended look” at Returnal developer Housemarque’s next game, Saros. It also says it will share updates from its first-party studios as well as from its third-party partners alongside new looks at anticipated indie titles, too. While waiting for tomorrow’s State of Play, check out the reveal trailer…
Kojima Productions has unveiled an animated film set in the Death Stranding universe called Death Stranding: Mosquito (working title). According to a Kojima Productions press release, the upcoming movie “will chart a bold, original story within the surreal and emotionally resonant world Hideo Kojima created.”A teaser trailer shows two porters embroiled in a fight, one of whom seems to have taken a tar creature as a pet. The film is directed by Hiroshi Miyamoto of ABC Animation and written by Aaron Guzikowski, creator of the HBO series Raised by Wolves. Guzikowski’s other writing credits include the 2013 film Prisoners and…
I spent the majority of my time reviewing Baby Steps in various states of anger, ranging from mild annoyance to controller-throwing rage, but when it intends to make me feel this way, it’s hard to deny that Baby Steps is effective. “Ragebait” games like this one are supposed to elicit that response. I appreciate how Baby Steps commits to the bit by making the player the brunt of the joke, along with its surreal story. Still, its frustrating difficulty, paired with occasionally poorly designed levels, kept me from laughing alongside it. In the opening cutscene, Nate, a pathetic man who…