Ubisoft has release Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora update 3.2, bringing with it a 40 FPS performance mode for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. A potential downside to the update on PC is the removal of AMD FSR 3 support, while Ubisoft work to fix artifacting issues with FSR 3 Frame Generation. Generally only seen in PS5 exclusive games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, 40 FPS modes are a great halfway house between 30 FPS quality modes and 60 FPS performance modes. However, using them requires having a TV or monitor that supports 120Hz gaming and/or VRR, to ensure that frames can be delivered at regular inter ..read more

CI Games and Hexworks have released Lords of the Fallen update 1.5 – Master of Fate. This free update for the Soulslike action RPG is the last in a sequence of rapid updates after a troubled initial launch, but also a new Advance Game Modifier System that can twist the game into being more of a Roguelike, even. This is the culmination of 30 updates since Lords of the Fallen launched in October last year, with CI Games working to bring significant stability, performance and balance improvements to the game. There have also been new questions, including Season of the Bleak, Trial of the Three S ..read more

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is a gaming Trojan Horse. I don’t mean to suggest that, instead of the beloved heroes in a half-shell, this 2D side-scrolling beat ‘em up stars a squad of teenage mutant wooden horses. Rather, Wrath of the Mutants has used a cunning disguise to sneak past the discerning gamer’s ‘bad game’ sonar, just as the Greeks cunningly snuck into Troy all those centuries ago. This console release rides on the coattails of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, but while the two games share many similarities, Wrath of the Mutants pal ..read more

First days on the job are always hard to deal with, but Nowa is absolutely thrown in the deep end at the start of Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes. Our hero is drafted into a joint military operation between their nation and the Empire, but before too long they’re raising an army for the resistance against imperial invasion. Along the way you’ll meet and recruit more than one hundred heroes (hence the name) to bolster said army. Here lies the first problem with the game, and I’m gutted that I’ve reached grievances this early. The number of heroes sounds impressive, and it is, but it means l ..read more

Microsoft and IGN have announced the IGN x ID@Xbox Digital Showcase, which will be taking place on April 29th. It will be commencing at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST, and will have updates from various projects including Vampire Survivors, Dungeons of Hinterberg, 33 Immortals, and Lost Records Bloom & Rage. Other games will be showcased too, including Palworld and what players can expect next for that. As this is an indie focused show, do not expect announcements on franchises such as Halo, Gears of War, Fable, or Forza. Microsoft has listed where you will be able to watch the showcase ..read more

Tales of the Shire has been officially revealed by Private Division and Wētā Workshop, with the game adapting the Lord of the Rings IP to a cosy life simulator. In the game, you are a Hobbit living in Bywater, where you will make friends, go fishing, visiting the shops, and working towards throwing the Bywater Festival. “We’re excited to provide players with the opportunity to fulfil their fantasy of living their own humble Hobbit life in the Shire,” said Kelly Tyson, Head of Product at Wētā Workshop. “Tales of the Shirebrings a cosy new dimension to the way fans can experience Middle-earth ..read more

When it launches in just over a month, F1 24 will bring with it a significant overhaul to the series’ physics and handling. Codemasters says that every year, granted, but this year they really mean it with a bit year-on-year update that introduces new suspension kinematics, revamps the tyre model, adds rake to the aero model, puts more ERS control in the hands of the player, and more. When most developers talk about suspension, it’s generally the necessary suspension of disbelief that a gamer needs to really invest themselves in a game’s narrative. For racing games, though, it’s all about the ..read more

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is an ambitious. This is a Metroidvania not content with only including the usual genre constants of an underpowered protagonist, plentiful power-ups, and a vast labyrinthian land to explore. Instead, developer Surgent Studios has woven the theme of grief throughout everything the player does and experiences. From the visuals, to the combat, to even the rhythm and pacing of exploration; grief underpins it all. The only problem with this is that, so intent were the developers in building a palace of elaborate emotional adornments, they seem to have forgotten about some of ..read more

After a thirteen year hiatus, the TopSpin series is back with TopSpin 2K25, and with the weighty moment-to-moment gameplay still at its core, it’s a tennis game revival that doesn’t disappoint. TopSpin’s gameplay has always stood out among the bevy of tennis games available, with its weighty movement and ball smacking mechanics that just get better the more you practise – something I absolutely needed after not playing a tennis game since the early 2010s. To help players get back into the swing of things, TopSpin 2K25 comes with an excellent Academy mode. Tennis Legend, John McEnroe guides yo ..read more

Embracer Group has announced its intent to split into three separately listed companies through 2024 and 2025 in the most drastic restructuring effort since the company fell into financial hardship last year, and bringing an end to the megalithic IP and studio acquisition project of the last decade. Asmodee Group will split off this year, with “Coffee Stain & Friends” and “Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends” then splitting up in 2025. These latter two company names will be decided in due course, with “Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends” being a part of the remaining Embracer struct ..read more