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“Embark on an extraordinary adventure through the perished world of Penumbra to explore unique temples filled with increasingly difficult 3D platforming challenges, diverse enemies, quests, collectibles, and more,” say the developers of Robi Studios. I tried to pick a screenshot up there that captures how snappy its movement looks, but a still image just doesn’t do it justice. Catch this here new trailer for a look at it. Sure enough, Blue Fire looks to have all the platform-y things one would expect....

The Def Ed is AOE3 but with support for modern resolutions, new UI options, multiplayer spectator support, and other conveniences. Along with including the original expansions, it adds two new civilisations (the Swedes and Inca) and two new modes. It’s coming from Forgotten Empires and Tantalus Media, the folks who did AOE2 Def Ed, so I’d broadly expect the same. Age Of Empires 3 Definitive Edition is available now on Steam and Microsoft’s Store for £15/€20/$20....

Inevitably, though, time does get the better of us sometimes (or, in my case at least, maybe my eyes are just too big for my gaming stomach), and certain games end up slipping further and further down our to-do lists until they eventually fall away entirely. Not through any fault of their own, mind. Just… time. But as a final parting shoutout for 2022, I wanted to memorialise all the games that fell of my personal to-do list this year and say, “I’M SORRY, I DIDN’T MEAN IT, I PROMISE!...

In addition, FSR is now available to developers in a beta version of Unity Engine, and via a number of patches that will soon be integrated into the stock Unreal Engine. It’s everywhere. For players, it means there’s at least a chance you’ll have an easy performance upgrade built directly into your game going forward. Unity and Unreal covers a lot of ground. That’s probably the biggest, long-term boost for everyone who just wants better performance at a decent resolution (me!...

Get the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X for £200 (RRP £420) I ran the 5800X myself for a while before jumping ship for Intel when 12th-gen arrived. The 5800X is a good CPU, running a little hotter than the 5600X but also delivering better performance. Its eight core, 16 thread design makes a lot of sense for a wide range of tasks, and it matches those of the current-gen consoles, and is a good match with a mid-range to high-end GPU....

“Set in the desolate landscape of the Algerian desert, the game will focus on new character Tasi Trianon as she sets out on a harrowing journey through devastation and despair, personal terror and pain, while exploring the limits of human resilience,” Frictional said in their formal announcement. Creative director Thomas Grip expanded on that on the PlayStation Blog. “We’ve had to twist expectations, refine old features, and up the ante on everything you’ve seen from us,” he said....

In the spirit of my barnstorming PvP days, then, I am going to give you some weapons-grade tactical insight into the new mega zombos, or “Riddens”, appearing in Left 4 Dead’s upcoming spiritual successor, Back 4 Blood. Admittedly, I’ve not played the game yet. I’ve not even watched the footage from my colleagues who have played (and you can find their full Back 4 Blood open beta report right here)....

According to the official post from the Tower Of Fantasy website, “the problems related to queuing, disconnection and inability to register and login have all been fixed. Other problems will be fixed within the next 48 hours.” They also note that they are “aware that some content will need to be optimized in the future,” although details are scarce there. People who were affected by the previous server disconnections and failed logins will receive in game currency as compensation sometime within the next 24 hours....

Those comments came during a Reddit Q&A earlier this week, in response to a particularly heated comment about the lack of LTMs (limited-time modes) and the admittedly-sluggish battle pass. While there are other reasons for not pushing more LTMs (with the director noting a “severe falloff” in new modes after a few days), Grenier noted that the slower pace comes, in part, from a refusal to overwork the game’s developers....

The ApeLegs crew took to an anniversary devstream earlier today to fawn over the last 12 months of murderdiving, before filling us in on the thickest slice of beef this side of the final frontier. Jimmy “Forge” Beefcakes - real name unconfirmed - is a five-time space-MMA champion with a hatred of shirts and a shoulder pad that’d make Rob Liefeld blush. He’s also a total sell-out, working under sponsorship from giant robot firm Hammond Robotics, the folks wot build all the titans in Titanfall....

I’ve been watching Archipel for a couple of years now, but I was prompted to write this post by the stellar final episode of their Caravan series. It features Isamu Kamikokuryo, art director of multiple Final Fantasy games, taking the viewer on a tour of some of the places that inspired him throughout his career. You don’t hear the documentary makers at any point, just Kamikokuryo as he reflects on his career, his life, his work on Final Fantasy, his choice to go freelance in 2017, and his relationship to the striking and beautiful places he takes you....

Holiday Ops has been an annual tradition in the game for years, and it’s one that runs from the start of the festive season throughout the New Year. In the event, players will get the opportunity to decorate a virtual village, and as they level it up, earn in-game prizes. Quite heart-warming for a game where you blast people to bits. The previous year, developers Wargaming added Chuck Norris to their Holiday Ops event, and obviously Arnold is the most natural successor....

You certainly fear the worst at The Siege Of Paris’s outset: it’s another of Eivor’s viking pals asking you to visit another farflung region where another local despot is bumping heads with the invaders. That the main story consists of similar regional yarns means any DLC excursions slot neatly into the whole, but it also results in repetition. Go to a place, learn the stakes, make a decision, go home....

Should you pick male or female Eivor? Animus option explained When will the Animus switch between male and female Eivor? How to change gender Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: should you pick male or female Eivor? There are very few differences between the male and female versions of Eivor in Ubisoft’s new viking RPG. Besides the obvious change in appearance, there are some minor details that change in certain conversations. If you are planning on playing Valhalla as one character the whole way through, choose whatever you want, as it won’t really affect the story at all....

In this Assassin’s Creed Valhalla guide: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: should you spare or kill Leofrith? Hunted mission Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: should you spare or kill Leofrith? Poor Leofrith. He’s dedicated himself to protecting his king at all costs, but is unaware of the shady dealings that have been going on in the background. After beating him in a one-on-one fight, you’ll get the chance to kill or spare him. You should spare Leofrith, as he will give you the location of a very valuable document....

From Vikings and stabby men, to aliens and fear - quite the genre leap, but Valhalla was pretty darn good, so that at least bodes well. Eric Baptizat has now updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect what he’s up to with Motive: “game director - Dead Space”. Baptizat previously worked as lead designer on Assassin’s Creed games like Origins and Black Flag, before becoming game director on Valhalla. He’ll be joining a couple other Ubisoft veterans, including Roman Campos-Oriola, ex-creative director for For Honor (who’s now creative director on Dead Space), and Philippe Ducharme, former senior producer on Watch Dogs Legion (now senior producer at Motive)....

On this page: How to get Underworld Crystal What’s it used for? Atelier Ryza 2: how to get Underworld Crystal To get Underworld Crystal you’ll need to make your way to the Ethereal Dragon’s Coffin. It’s a late-game area that is the very last dungeon you’ll come across. You’ll need to bring an axe with you, and look out for pink/purple crystals that pop up around the map. There are a few enemies that will also drop Underworld Crystals when you defeat them....

This does at least narrow Atomic Heart’s release date to the final four months of the year. And in the meantime, there’s plenty of weirdness to pick apart in the trailer: moustachioed androids, giant drill worms, a flying city, and that pyromaniac nan from the E3 2022 trailer. Not to mention some fresh looks at Atomic Heart’s combat, which blends axes and AK-47s with the the superpowers of “the Glove”....

Despite not having a roaring crowd sat behind them, the speedrunners still put on an excellent show from the comfort of their own homes. Here are a few of my fave runs from the week. To start with, speedruns of Hades are great to watch because it’s one of the only games at AGDQ that runners just play normally. There are no glitches or exploits, no clipping through walls or flinging yourself across the map - they’re simply playing the game as intended, but really bloody quickly....

Water’s a strange thing, really. We all know what it’s supposed to look like, how it’s supposed to act, but it’s routinely one of the hardest things to really nail down in a videogame. In 2017, Barr’s v r 3 museum collected dozens of different water samples from the Unity Asset Store - motivated by the absurdity of discovering the “Pro Water” addon. “It really is impressive water,” Barr reflected, “and the fact that one can be impressed by water interests me”....