Unlike the Closed Network Test that allowed a number of lucky individuals to trial some early areas of the game back in November 2021 with five pre-selected and pre-buffed builds, this latest - and last - Elden Ring preview allowed us to choose from any of the ten starting builds that will likely be present in the final game. These are: Prisoner, Samurai, Prophet, Astrologer, Bandit, Hero, Warrior, Vagabond, Wretch and Confessor....

Warden of the Coast is heavily inspired by the game mechanics of Mass Effect and Dragon Age, with a storyline featured around stopping a Daedric Lord from entering the world from Oblivion. All nine companions have their own unique loyalty questlines and of course are fully voiced. Most importantly, it wouldn’t be a Bioware game without some lovemaking, so the mod also has seven romance questlines. The main story has five different endings and will take 10-15 hours to complete....

But then I played the game, and it opens with the sight of two Loftwings flying to an island that floats in the sky. The music is lush and full and symphonic - even a bit Hisashi? A bit Laputa, a bit Nausicaa? - and then it goes quiet as we see Zelda, who begins to play a harp and sing. It’s The Ballad of the Goddess (which is Zelda’s Lullaby but backwards), and it’s beautiful - sweet and true and somehow familiar, like a memory caught on the wind....

Before we get into the deeper technical changes, let’s cover the basics. All current-gen console versions use a dynamic resolution, maxing out at 4K on PS5 and Series X and 1440p on Series S. Minimum resolutions were measured at 1440p on PS5, 1656p on Series X and 864p on Series S - although 1080p is more typical. So far, so standard, but then this base resolution image is cleaned up with post-processed AA, rather than a more standard TAA....

The two faced each other while playing for their respective national teams in the World Cup final on Sunday, with the result securing Messi as one of the greatest footballers of all time. But it also brought on a headache for the young Mbappe who scored a hat-trick in the match. Now the two will fly back to Paris to play together once again, and some have wondered what the changing room talk might be like....

We were expecting to see more of Sonic Frontiers at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live ceremony tonight. Instead, a Japanese trailer briefly popped up this morning - though it has now been pulled offline. Regardless, the internet never forgets. And, as shared by Nibel, the 8th November release date is now out in the wild. Sonic Frontiers has raised eyebrows for its open world approach to Sega’s classic platforming series - though some more traditional areas will be included....

The first episode will be shown on Saturday 10th December at 3pm UK time (10am EST) in Sonic Speed Simulator, developed by metaverse gaming company Gamefam. It will be available to watch until 16th December, by which time the series will have launched on Netflix (15th December). Watch on YouTube Sonic Prime | Official Trailer Sonic Speed Simulator launched March 2022 and was the biggest game launch in Roblox history, surpassing 275,000 concurrent players in its first week....

A short video shared on the film’s official Twitter account revealed the title - the somewhat predictable, unimaginative but nevertheless brilliantly evocative Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It shares its name with a certain video game sequel, of course, which many consider the high point of Sega’s iconic series. It certainly seems there’ll be some similarities between the two, as those who’ve seen the original will know. SPOILER WARNING A post-credits scene for the original movie sees Robotnik banished to a mushroom world, where Jim Carrey’s transformation into the eccentric villain appears complete, while meanwhile back in our world a portal appears through which steps Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, the sidekick first introduced to the series in 1992’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2....

Numerous users reported via social media that they had been told they would have to pay up for any difference in pricing - achieved via stacking or from redeeming discounted PlayStation Plus offers - for the full term of their remaining subscription balance. It was a situation that left some with eye-opening charges to suddenly cough up. Now, following general confusion and a good deal of online backlash, Sony has finally acknowledged the situation and termed it as a “technical error” which “has been fixed”....

In October, Sony launched a revamped web and mobile store that ditched PlayStation 3, PSP and Vita games, themes and avatars. Sony also discontinued the wishlist feature and signalled all items currently on your wishlist would be deleted. However, after this closure, fans were able to access the old web version of the PlayStation Store - and their associated wishlists - via a region-specific URL that meant people were still able to make PS3, PSP and Vita game and DLC purchases....

Bloomberg says this support for additional drives will come alongside a firmware update that unlocks higher cooling fan speeds to prevent the console from overheating. Next generation games for PS5 can only be run from the console’s internal storage, which makes just 667GB available for game installs. When you consider the install size of some games, such as Call of Duty, the PS5 can fill up fast. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that currently, there’s no way to move PS5 games off the SSD....

The legal claim is led by ex-managing director of Which UK Alex Neill and was filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal last week. It claims by charging a 30 percent commission on digital games and in-game purchases on the PlayStation Store, Sony is in breach of competition law. Watch on YouTube Eurogamer Newscast: What does Embracer’s Lord of the Rings buyout mean for Middle-earth games? Sony is accused of abusing market power by imposing unfair terms and conditions on game developers and publishers, forcing prices up for consumers, reports Sky News....

Since launching on Friday, the game has sold 3.45m copies in Japan both physically and digitally. It proves how popular the game is in Nintendo’s home market and how important the Splatoon IP is, outselling even Animal Crossing: New Horizons which had the previous best launch in Japan. Watch on YouTube Splatoon 3 - Nintendo Switch - The Digital Foundry Tech Review Elsewhere its impact isn’t quite as high. The game is currently number one in the UK boxed charts, according to GamesIndustry....

The same Integrum Masterpiece cloud edition is £80 in the UK, although is currently on sale for £64 if you pre-purchase it before release. Alternatively, you can buy cloud versions of Kingdom Hearts 3 for £50 (or £40 via pre-purchase), 1.5 & 2.5 Re mix for £33 (or £26.39 pre-purchase), and 2.8 for £40 (or £32 pre-purchase). ORIGINAL STORY 18/1/21: The Kingdom Hearts series comes to Nintendo Switch next month on 10th February via cloud-only versions of various games - and at a price....

Stardew Valley: The Board Game, a co-operative experience for 1-4 players, is a collaboration between Barone and Cole Medeiros (previously responsible for board games Web of Spies and GUBS) and has been in development for over two years. As detailed on the official website, participants will need to work together to complete objectives, restore the Community Center by gathering resource bundles, and fend off the Joja Corporation - achieved by expanding their farm, growing crops, raising animals, and befriending villagers to earn hearts and reveal hidden goals....

The platform saw a new record of 120.4 million monthly active users during 2020, fuelled by people staying at home and playing video games amid the coronavirus pandemic. “While Steam was already seeing significant growth in 2020 before COVID-19 lockdowns, video game playtime surged when people started staying home, dramatically increasing the number of customers buying and playing games, and hopefully bringing some joy to counter-balance some of the craziness that was 2020,” Valve said....

I’m in love a bit. The game plays out on a series of procedural battlefields. There’s a grid and countdown timers, but enemies don’t wait for you to take a turn to take one themselves. Everything is forewarned, but it can still give you that panicky sense that real-time tactics game deliver so beautifully. I fret endlessly as I move around the grid, switching between dash and handgun and a sort of magic explosion, juggling my own timers and trying to stay alive....

One of the things I’ve only realised recently is how double-As like to find a groove to settle in en-masse. For a while this was “third-person shooter with a gimmick”, so you got Fracture and its terrain deformation, or Red Faction with all those walls coming down. Then we had open-worlds, whether you were a Saint or in a UFO, and endless cover shooters, with stuff like - well, there were a lot of cover shooters indeed....

At the time of writing, there are 34,139 players on Steam making their four-legged way around Stray’s environments, with an overall peak of 62,963. Figures posted by Steam tracker Benji-Sales show a launch far higher than other recent Annapurna titles. Meanwhile, over on Twitch, the game currently has 79,200 viewers and 10,000 followers. Turns out, we just can’t get enough of that adorable feline content. Eurogamer gave Stray a Recommended badge earlier this week, with Lottie praising the game’s “fantastic cat exploration”....

The programme, which began last year, aims to support creators from underrepresented groups on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook Gaming with a 12 month career accelerator. That includes money towards equipment and tools, advice from industry experts, a dedicated success manager for mentorship, and media training. Those underrepresented groups include - but are not limited to - Black, People of Color (PoC), Women, LGBTQ+, and individuals with disabilities. “The Creator Diversity Program was inspired by the adversity many marginalised groups face in the games and livestreaming industry such as harassment and limited access to guidance, gear, and support,” said Kacie Harold, StreamElements’ creator diversity program manager....