Tag Archives: Video Games

Ports-a-plenty, a zen garden creator and other new indie games worth checking out

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Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. This week saw the arrival of some fairly high-profile ports, a relaxing garden creation game and much more. I've even managed to tear myself away from Football Manager 26 for long enough to tell you about some of them.

Barely a week goes by without a fun theme event taking place on Steam and one that runs until November 10 is also going down on the Nintendo eShop. The Metroidvania Fusion Festival is a celebration of — what else? — the broad spectrum of Metroidvania games. It features 245 projects, including upcoming games and demos, and a sale with discounts of up to 90 percent. 

I've grabbed a few demos to check out this weekend, including Key Fairy (a pacifist bullet-hell game that sees you grappling and dancing your way around enemies), Echo Weaver (a time-loop puzzler that I've mentioned before) and 2D platformer Little Ghost, in which you explore a mixed media world as a cute specter.

In terms of deals, Blasphemous is 75 percent off, Blasphemous II is half off, 2D action game Gunbrella (which I've had on my wishlist for years) is 65 percent off and body horror delight Carrion is 22 percent off. I can wholeheartedly recommend Turbo Kid, a quasi-sequel to one of my favorite films of the same name. That's 35 percent off in this sale.

Elsewhere this week, I read a solid profile of developer Lente Cuenen in the The New York Times. Cuenen is the developer of Spilled!, a relaxing waterway cleanup game I've been meaning to check out for a while. The piece is an intriguing look into the life of Cuenen, who makes games about boats while living on her boat in the Netherlands.

New releases

A couple of notable indies made the leap onto Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 this week, including 1000xResist. This narrative-driven sci-fi adventure from Sunset Visitor and publisher Fellow Traveller Games earned widespread acclaim when it debuted on Steam and Nintendo Switch last year, particularly for its storytelling, visuals and how it explores various themes. It won a Peabody Award too.

I have yet to dive into 1000xResist, even though it's been on my PC and Steam Deck for months. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players now have the chance to jump in as well. What's more, 1000xResist is on Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

A little over a year after releasing the full version of the Satisfactory on PC, Coffee Stain Studios and Coffee Stain Publishing have brought the multi-million-selling factory builder to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. You can play solo or with friends as you construct factories on an alien planet. You'll explore the planet to find resources and maybe even engage in a little combat.

In general, both critics and players have rated Satisfactory highly. Some might say it’s more than satisfactory.

Pools was one of my favorite games of last year. It's a disquieting walking simulator, an eerie journey through a liminal space. I could almost smell the chlorine as I explored the mazy swimming pool-inspired environments. It's more eerie than downright scary. Developer Tensori brought the experience to iPhone, iPad and Mac this week. The iPad version also works on Apple Vision Pro. 

To that end, a virtual reality version of Pools is coming to PS VR2 on November 25. You'll be able to check it out in flatscreen on PS5 on the same day.

Thrasher is the latest title from Brian Gibson, the artist and composer of the intense rhythm game Thumper (and also the bassist for the noise rock band Lightning Bolt). The arcade action game debuted on Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro last year. It made the leap to Steam (and SteamVR) this week, so you can now play it on a flatscreen for the first time.

Thrasher is a very trippy-looking game from developer Puddle and publisher Creature Label. It seems like quite the wild ride and it was named Apple's Vision Pro game of the year for 2024. For what it’s worth. the team behind Thrasher says that the game runs at 90 fps on Steam Deck.

Here's a completely different change of pace. Dream Garden is all about creating a relaxing garden space for yourself. You can use hills, rivers, ponds and pebbles to shape the landscape, then add decorations. With the rake tool, you can trace patterns in the sand. 

There are no limits or timers in this Japanese-inspired game from the duo at Campfire Studio. Dream Garden is out now on Steam.

The Falconeer first took flight five years ago — it was an Xbox Series X/S launch title, fact fans. A new edition for Steam called The Falconeer: Revolution Remaster is a complete rework, as solo developer Tomas Sala rebuilt the game from the ground up. It features new tech, overhauled and expanded environments, gameplay upgrades and all of the previous DLC.

I'm glad to hear that Sala has improved the flight mechanics. I found it a bit tough to get to grips with the aerial combat when I played The Falconeer back in 2020, but I enjoyed it otherwise. 

The remastered version (which looks much grander in scope than the original game) is available as a free upgrade for existing owners on Steam. Everyone else can hop in for free until 1PM ET on November 10. While the remaster is now the default option, you'll still be able to access the original version of The Falconeer via a dedicated Steam branch, Hooray for game preservation!

Upcoming 

It wouldn't be an edition of our weekly indie roundup without a dog game, would it? You can play Sheepherds! solo, but Ultimo Disco primarily designed it as a party game for couch co-op or online multiplayer. 

It is, as the name suggests, a sheepherding game in which you'll corral flocks of sheep to shear their wool. You can earn cosmetic items and outfits for your pooch, and bump up the difficulty with optional challenges if you like. Sheepherds! is coming to Steam on November 17.

We're big fans of the Playdate around these parts and it's always fun to learn about new games that are coming to the wonderful little handheld. Panic held a showcase this week to shine a spotlight on some upcoming games, as well as others included in the fall sale that runs until November 13.

Fauna is Cadin Batrack's follow up to Playdate comics The Botanist and To Dust. It's choose-your-own-adventure visual novel with a branching narrative, this time set in a near future in which large language models have advanced to the point where humans can talk to animals. The animals use their newfound communication skills to seek equal rights. Fauna seems pretty interesting! It's coming to Playdate soon.

Zachary Snyder's Diora is a puzzle adventure that tasks you with discovering a "mysterious force that is manipulating structures and the people around them." At first glance, it reminds me a bit of Fez and the Monument Valley series. Diora will hit Playdate on December 16.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ports-a-plenty-a-zen-garden-creator-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-120000091.html?src=rss

Bioware says next Mass Effect is still in development despite turmoil at EA

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Development on the next Mass Effect is still underway, Mass Effect executive producer Mike Gamble confirmed in a blog post celebrating the series' "N7 Day" fan holiday. Bioware shared that it had started work on the new game in 2020, but Electronic Arts' decision to go private have naturally called the future of the series into question.

Gamble's blog post doesn't share many details about the new game beyond the fact that Bioware "is heads-down and focused exclusively on Mass Effect." What does seem more clear is that the game could have some kind of connection to the Mass Effect TV show currently in development at Amazon. "The writers room is going strong, and we’ve got a lot figured out about how it fits within the Mass Effect canon, and where it sits in respect to the new game," Gamble says. Notably, the series is set after the events of the original trilogy of games, and follows a new story in the universe's timeline. "It won’t be a retread of Commander Shepard’s story." 

Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Bioware's last game, was not the smash hit EA apparently wanted it to be, and Bioware has appeared to go through a period of contraction in response. High-profile senior staff were let go in January 2025, and even before the game was released, EA began moving Bioware developers to other studios. EA itself may also be adjusting its larger game development strategy. Following its proposed acquisition, the publisher announced a partnership with Stability AI in October to create new AI-powered tools to better streamline its development process.

The Mass Effect series is beloved, and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, the 2021 remaster that packaged all the trilogy's DLC and games into a single package, was a great reminder. With a new entry and a TV show in the works, Bioware seems poised for a comeback. It just needs to survive EA until then.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bioware-says-next-mass-effect-is-still-in-development-despite-turmoil-at-ea-200000050.html?src=rss

Blizzard confirms it’s adding a virtual currency for World of Warcraft

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Ahead of its 21st anniversary, World of Warcraft is dealing with some controversy around its latest update. Developer Blizzard has confirmed that WoW is introducing a new "Hearthsteel" housing-related virtual currency with its upcoming Midnight expansion, and users are worried that it could become a microtransaction trap on a game that already costs $15 a month to play. 

In its post, Blizzard said the aim of the new currency is to allow players to purchase "multiple items at once" while offering "financial protections" for the parties involved. "You may want a full set of chairs to place around a dining table, multiple place settings for your invited guest [or]... many candles," the company wrote. "Using an in-game currency can help make the process of obtaining many of these types of inexpensive items more efficient."

Blizzard clarified that players will be able to buy Hearthsteel with their Battle.net balance and in-game gold via WoW tokens. It will also keep the catalog of Hearthsteel items small relative to what you can earn through gameplay. "Housing items tied to core fantasies of a player's race or class, or that already exist in Azeroth, won't be sold in the shop," the blog post states. "Thematically important decor that players know and love will also not appear in the shop."

The Hearthsteel currency was first uncovered by dataminers, and now that Blizzard has confirmed it, players are concerned. "It's not even about the currency," said one WoW Reddit user. "It's about a large, dedicated portion of the player base crying out for years that we don't want the game to head this direction and here it is."

It's hard to look at the new currency and not think of Microsoft's recent edict to its Xbox division. Last month, the software giant reportedly implemented an "across-the-board goal" of 30 percent profit margins for its gaming division, which it internally called "accountability margins." That's a huge amount above Xbox’s own average in the last six years of between 10 and 20 percent.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzard-confirms-its-adding-a-virtual-currency-for-world-of-warcraft-133007304.html?src=rss

Grand Theft Auto VI is delayed to November 19, 2026

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Fans will have to wait a bit longer to return to Vice City. Rockstar Games has announced that Grand Theft Auto VI has been delayed once again to November 19, 2026. The open world game was previously delayed from its 2025 launch window to May 26, 2026 earlier this year.

“We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve,” Rockstar said on its official X account. The new launch date delays the hotly anticipated game by a whole six months from its previous date.

Take-Two, GTA VI’s publisher, does not appear particularly worried about the delay. “We said when we set the last date, if a game requires more polish to be the best possible version of itself, then we will give that game more time,” Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said in an interview with The Game Business. “We feel really good about this release date. It’s in the same fiscal year, it happens to be a great release window, and naturally we’re really supportive of Rockstar’s approach.”

GTA V was originally released in 2013, and has been rereleased multiple times in the years that followed for two generations of consoles. The games remains incredibly popular, which is part of the reason Take-Two seems so certain about the sequel. It helps that Grand Theft Auto Online, a multiplayer mode for GTA V that can also be downloaded as a standalone game, is itself a hit. “We continue to supply content to GTA Online, and in fact we’ve had terrific results there. And GTA+ continues to grow its membership. In fact, it’s had 20 percent growth year-over-year. And GTA V has sold in more than 220 million units,” Zelnick said.

The long wait for a new GTA hasn’t been without controversy. The game leaked extensively in 2022, revealing that it would feature a female protagonist, a fact that was later confirmed in the first official trailer. And while Rockstar Games has reportedly attempted to improve its company culture since GTA V came out, the developer is currently being accused of union busting in the UK.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/grand-theft-auto-vi-is-delayed-to-november-19-2026-211848530.html?src=rss

A Ball x Pit animated short answers some key questions about our roguelite obsession

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Devolver Digital had a lovely little surprise up its sleeve this fine Thursday. The publisher released an animated short for Ball x Pit, the roguelite mashup sensation that’s put a serious dent in the productivity levels of several of the Engadget crew. The funny four-minute clip, which comedy animation house Mashed created, clears up some key questions about the game.

To set things up, Ball x Pit is set after a cataclysmic event wipes out the city of Ballbylon. A pit is all that really remains, and hunters descend into it to find treasure and resources to build New Ballbylon. In the pit, you fire an array of balls (a bit like in Breakout) to destroy enemies that move incessantly toward you (like in Space Invaders). There are bosses and characters with special abilities and powerups you can merge and evolve to devastating effect. There’s a base-building side to the game too that sees you bouncing the hunters around New Ballbylon to obtain resources and build structures. It’s a very good video game.

The short features two residents of the town joking about some of these hunters during a celebration called Hero Day. The pair ribs the base character, The Warrior, for being a bit basic. When it comes to the second hero — the Itchy Finger — we find out just how the heroes fire the balls. Heads up: it’s a little gross.

One of the things I wished Ball x Pit had more of is lore, and I love that we get some of that here. This is a fun short that makes some lighthearted jabs at the game while describing some of its features and oh no I’m probably going to sucked back in to playing it again — even before developer Kenny Sun adds some extra stuff to it at some point.

Ball x Pit is out now on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. It’s available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-ball-x-pit-animated-short-answers-some-key-questions-about-our-roguelite-obsession-180528272.html?src=rss

Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s first DLC launches on December 10

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The first paid DLC for Pokemon Legends: Z-A arrives on December 10, which is a mere seven weeks after the game originally hit store shelves. Mega Dimension costs $30, which might pour more gasoline on the "Nintendo charges too much" fire. However, there's plenty of neat stuff coming with this update for Switch and Switch 2. 

First of all, there's a sizable post-game story. The current title isn't completely devoid of post-game content, but doesn't have much by way of story. This will be a good way to get back in touch with the various denizens of Lumiose City. Speaking of, the trailer shows an iconic character or two returning from Pokémon X and Y who were missing from Z-A.

The story looks to involve travel to an alternate dimension of some kind, thanks to the legendary Pokémon Hoopa. This means that players will traverse a different version of Lumiose City, complete with plenty of new Pokémon to catch. These include creatures that aren't actually native to the region, including standouts like Baxcalibur and Corviknight.

Pokémon will also be able to beef up past level 100 in the DLC, giving players another reason to grind beyond shiny hunting. We don't know if the interdimensional Lumiose City will include new collectibles, like an updated batch of hidden Colorful Screws. I sure hope so. I love parkouring around the city.

This isn't the only DLC available for the game. Game Freak actually just dropped a little free update with a new sidequest. Use the game's Mystery Gift function to unlock it.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A is legitimately a fun game, despite what folks on the internet want you to think. They aren't completely in the wrong. It can be buggy. The graphics don't exactly scream "AAA title in 2025" and the tutorial section is pretty annoying. The city could use a bit more life and the map can be confusing. It's still super fun, even if Wild Zone 17 will likely haunt my dreams for years to come.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pokemon-legends-z-as-first-dlc-launches-on-december-10-162144665.html?src=rss

Overcooked 2 drops for Switch 2 today and it makes full use of Camera Play

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The Switch 2 edition of Overcooked 2 drops today, which is something we've known was coming since September. Now it's here and ready to ruin relationships and friendships.

The developer promises "enhanced graphics in-line with PC" and 4K 60 fps gameplay when docked. This should be a night-and-day graphical upgrade when compared to the original Switch version.

Perhaps the biggest news here is Camera Play integration. This is a feature exclusive to Nintendo's new console and it leverages a connected camera to throw up the faces of players under their avatars. Overcooked 2 is already a frantic experience, but now you'll be able to see the look on the faces of your friends as you royally screw up a burger order.

It's worth noting that the Switch 2 doesn't come with a camera, but the company offers one as a standalone accessory. It also integrates with many USB-C cameras, including this Mario-themed work of art.

The Switch 2 version also works with Game Share, which lets people hop onto a multiplayer match without actually owning the game. Basically, the person who owns the game "shares" it with someone who doesn't.

It's also cross-platform with the original Switch, which is neat given the massive user base. Upgrading seems like a simple affair, as DLC, save files and star ratings all carry over. This upgrade costs $10 and buying the game outright costs $30. However, there's a 20 percent discount for the first week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/overcooked-2-drops-for-switch-2-today-and-it-makes-full-use-of-camera-play-140021993.html?src=rss

Pac-Man and other Namco games are coming to Atari 50 as part of a paid expansion on November 13

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Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is a fascinating journey through the history of Atari, but that timeline couldn't be truly rounded without the inclusion of some Namco classics like Pac-Man and Galaga. To remedy that, Atari and developer Digital Eclipse are releasing another paid expansion for the retro collection. It’s called The Namco Legendary Pack and it will be available on November 13 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam for $8.

The DLC adds a new interactive timeline that will take you through the history of Namco games on Atari systems, with the help of video interviews with developers and archival materials including photos and other documents. The expansion features versions of Pac-Man for Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit. Pac-Man was the best-selling game on Atari 2600, but it's safe to say that version doesn't exactly hold up. 

The Namco Legendary Pack also includes the US arcade versions of Dig Dug and Xevius. In addition, you’ll get home console versions of those two games, Galaga and Galaxian.

The DLC will make Atari 50 even more of a comprehensive overview of the company's history. An expansion that arrived last November charted the rivalry between Atari and Intellivision, aka the first console war. Atari finally brought that to a decisive end when it bought the Intellivision brand last year.


This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pac-man-and-other-namco-games-are-coming-to-atari-50-as-part-of-a-paid-expansion-on-november-13-175131686.html?src=rss

An official Nintendo Store app hits iOS and Android

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Nintendo has been a bit more focused on mobile apps in recent years, having released the likes of Nintendo Today! and Nintendo Music (not to mention games like Fire Emblem Shadows). Its latest one is Nintendo Store, which is out now on iOS and Android. This is a reimagining of the My Nintendo app the company debuted in Japan in 2020. 

You can use the app to browse consoles, physical and digital games, accessories and merch. To complete a purchase, you’ll need to tap through to the product page on an in-app browser. 

Nintendo says the app will keep you up-to-date on news about games, events and more. It can notify you when items on your wishlist go on sale too. If you go to a physical Nintendo store or event, you can use the app to check in and receive rewards. 

There’s another intriguing feature here: a way to view your play time for any game across Nintendo’s last few consoles, including the 3DS and Wii U. You’ll have to link your Nintendo Network ID to your Nintendo Account to see your Wii U and 3DS data, but play activity on those systems after February 2020 isn’t factored in.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/an-official-nintendo-store-app-hits-ios-and-android-151733629.html?src=rss

The best Nintendo gifts for the 2025 holiday season

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There isn't a console hotter in 2025 than the Nintendo Switch 2. Whether you picked one up already or you're looking to get one during the holiday season, know that you're in for a fun ride once you finally get to play exclusives like Mario Kart World. But maybe you or someone on your list has been a Nintendo fan for years and you're looking for other Nintendo swag that you can add to the collection. Nintendo has a ton of fun stuff that makes great gifts for others — or for yourself if you're feeling indulgent. So to help you figure out the best gifts for the Nintendo fan in your life, we've put together a big list of our favorite products that will give anyone a power-up this holiday season. Of course, if none of these quite fit the bill, you can also head over to our full list of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories for even more ideas.

Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-best-nintendo-gifts-for-the-2025-holiday-season-110057620.html?src=rss