Surviving Mars - which challenges players to rejuvenate the wastes of the red planet, eventually transforming the world into a thriving colony of shimmering domes - initially launched in 2018, and received its last major expansion, Green Planet, the following year. All’s been quiet since then, but development has now resumed under the watchful eye of Abstraction, which is taking over from Surviving Mars’ original creator Haemimont Games. The first fruits of Abstraction’s labours will arrive in the form a free new update for Xbox One, PS4, and PC this Monday, 15th March, which revamps Surviving Mars tourism systems....

The company shared the news in a short press release headlined “Crystal Dynamics takes control of its most beloved games”. “We are excited to inform you that Crystal Dynamics has taken control of several game franchises - including Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain - from the games’ previous owner, Square Enix Limited,” the PR reads. “As a result of this change, Crystal Dynamics (or its affiliate) is now the owner of these games and the controller of the gameplay and personal data related to them....

As you’d expect, Evil Genius 2 follows a similar formula to its 2004 predecessor, tasking players with managing the day-to-day operations of an evil lair and helping their international super villain of choice achieve global domination. The bulk of the ensuing action is focussed on base building and defense, as players carve out an underground lair suitable for their villainous needs, boss around minions, and attempt to stave off attack from do-gooders determined to thwart their evil schemes....

UK US See deal See deal See deal See deal See deal See deal See deal See deal There are some surprising discounts on PS5 games, including Horizon Forbidden West for half price. You can also find quite a few PS5 titles under £30 such as Deathloop for £21 and Resident Evil Village for £26.61. UK US Although there may no longer be a PS4 console deal in sight, you can find plenty of PS4 game deals this Cyber Monday....

Details on Cyberpunk 2077’s paid story expansion have remained limited following CD Projekt’s decision to switch its development focus to fixing the base game in response to its disastrous launch at the tail-end of 2020. The developer had originally intended to discuss its expansion plans prior to the game’s release, meaning additional information is long overdue. Mentions of Cyberpunk 2077’s expansion have been sporadic at best since launch, but it seems CD Projekt is now ready to discuss it in slightly more definite terms, with the developer confirming, unsurprisingly, that it’ll feature a “new storyline”, and that it’ll be launching in 2023....

We start with the behemoth that is Cyberpunk, which finally came out this week eight years after it was announced. It’s a mega hit - that kind of rare, all-encompassing video game hit that dominates all before it. But it has launched with some remarkable issues. Glitches here, hilarious bugs there, and on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One a mess of low framerates and resolutions. We ask, should CD Projekt have cancelled Cyberpunk 2077 on last-gen consoles, and waited to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in 2021?...

Update (Oct 12): The Das Keyboard store is selling the MacTigr for $179 for a limited time. Article continues: First, my credientials: as someone that splits their time between Windows and MacOS, I’ve long been agitating for a proper dedicated MacOS keyboard to swap to. For too long Mac users have been lumbered with the runts of the litter when it comes to keyboards - the current selection is generally awash with non-mechanical options with mushier keys and less consistent key action - and even Apple’s own Magic Keyboards aren’t all that magic....

Since its launch, over 10 million players (or Porters) have set foot in Hideo Kojima’s apocalyptic version of the United States and taken on the role of courier Sam Bridges. These latest figures take into account all platforms the game is available on, as well as those users that played through subscription services. Sharing this news, the developer thanked all those who had tried out Death Stranding so far for their support....

This mode will unlock once you have built a race track, allowing you to participate in a series of time trials, some of which pit you against high scores of other players. Doing this also allows you to unlock the Roadster - a new vehicle which, while impractical on the rocks and mountains which make up most of the game’s landscape, is a speedy and stylish vehicle if you can find some flat terrain to drive it on....

Set in the Cosmodrome, it has players delve into the secrets of the once infamous loot cave and find Bungie-themed loot. The dungeon is also tied to the return of the Gjallarhorn - which has its own quest to complete. On this page: From there, you must start the Gjallarhorn quest And Out Fly The Wolves. To do this, you must complete a round of the Dares of the Eternity event (which will begin the first time you start the game after purchasing the DLC), then talking to Xur, where you can pick up the quest on the second page....

This rifle combines a Gundam inspired aesthetic with an aggressive frame that is both hard hitting, and easy to handle. It strikes a near ideal balance and can be strong in PvE (player versus environment) modes, and a game changer in PvP (competitive). This page will detail how to get Mechabre in Destiny 2, and which Machabre god rolls you should pursue for maximum effect. On this page: As with all of the Festival of the Lost weapons, you will need to particiate in the event in order to receive Mechabre....

Though previous Destiny expansions have offered campaign missions, this time you can expect a more traditional progression, and an optional higher difficulty level to put you and your fireteam to the test. The Legendary campaign rewards sound well worth it from the outset - provided you can stomach the Legendary level requirements and rewards thrown your way. On this page: That said, it only matters as a requirement. Each mission will have an effective max power cap, and if you are under that level, things will be more challenging....

There is a lot to looking forward - the new Throne World destination, a Void 3.0 subclass revamp, a new raid, a Legendary campaign difficulty and much more. But there’s plenty disappearing, too - including Forsaken’s campaign, the Tangled Shore destination and the bulk of Year 4’s seasonal content - including the fan-favourite Presage and Harbinger missions. Even if you have played all the activities you need, there are some housekeeping worth doing ahead of the expansion - including turning in soon-to-expire materials....

Similar to Glimmer, XP can be earned across the game regardless of how you play, but there are reasons why you’ll want to earn it faster - perhaps to level up your artefact, or to unlock the final few tiers of the season pass before it expires. This page explains our XP farm suggestions in Destiny 2, as well as a list of XP boosts you can employ across the game....

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, a sequel to developer Troika Games’ much-loved 2004 cult-classic RPG, was initially announced for PC and consoles back in 2019, when it was expected to release the following year. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the project to run into trouble and, later in 2019, Hardsuit Labs announced the first of several delays. By the end of 2020, lead narrative designer Brian Mitsoda and creative director Ka’ai Cluney had been fired from their roles, senior narrative designer Cara Ellison had quit the project, and Paradox had revised Bloodlines 2’s release date once more, pushing it into 2021....

I’d recommend watching the video through because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, kicking off with the delay behind Arc. We spoke to Petersen back in August last year, expecting Arc to arrive in Q1 this year - the perfect time for a new force to enter the graphics market, adding much needed volume during the crypto era… but it never happened, leading some to pronounce the death of Arc in its entirety....

Available only for those on PC, this test is the first of at least one other alpha, so if you struggle to get access in this first round, don’t fret - other opportunities await. Participants will be able to record, capture and stream their footage - so either way, expect a sizable look at the game once the alpha goes live. This page explains the Diablo 2 alpha times and alpha sign up access for the weekend ahead....

On iOS it currently sports a miserable 0.5 out of 10, whilst for PC, it’s even lower: 0.2. Metacritic - which pulls together the scores of both professional critics and everyday players - ranks Diablo Immortal PC’s release 12451 out of 12451, making it the most unpopular PC game on record (thanks, VGC). When compared with other mobile games it fares a little better, but not much: there, it’s 1903 out of 1921....

The Soulsborne series has had a mixed showing on the tabletop so far. Arguably the series’ most popular entries before the release of Elden Ring earlier this year, the original Dark Souls and cosmic horror Bloodborne, have both seen full-blooded board game and card game adaptations, with Dark Souls also making a recent leap into a D&D-like tabletop RPG. Until Elden Ring inevitably gets its own tabletop outing, the Soulsborne board games are well worth revisiting when you need a moment to stop dying to Malenia and unwind with some good ol’ fashioned cardboard for a couple of hours....

It’s been six year since Disgaea 5 debuted on PlayStation 4 (it’s made its way to Switch and PC since then), and Disgaea 6 arrives with a few notable changes, the most immediately obvious being a new art style that trades the appealing 2D character sprites of old for 3D models. Disgaea 6 follows the adventures of new protagonist Zet, a teenage zombie on a quest to defeat a powerful god, and it’s his unique ability - known as Super Reincarnation - that ushers in one of the game’s most significant mechanical additions....