ArtPlay and 505 Games unveiledBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementduring Sony’sState of Playthis week, and the game looks a whole lot like its predecessor,Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. As in that 2019 game, The Scarlet Engagement will have players exploring a 2.5D,Castlevania-inspired world, fighting big monsters, and chowing down on rice dishes they pull out of treasure chests. In fact, it’s so similar that it highlights just how much the ground has shifted for the genre in the six years since its predecessor’s launch....

Unfortunately, as expected,MindsEyeis off to a pretty rough start. A lack of reviews ahead of its launch, coupled with higher-ups leaving the studio with days to go until release, had people worried MindsEye might have issues. Now it’s finally here, and it has taken a single day for some of its players to start asking for refunds. While most players issued refunds haven’t shared the platform on which they’ve been playing MindsEye, it’s the ones who are claiming they’re getting their money back onPlayStation, and sharing the evidence to prove it, that will be the most concerning for the game’s devs....

If theNintendo Switch 2’s divisive C Button is getting in your way and accidentally forcing you to use GameChat, don’t worry, as there’s actually an easy solution to the problem. Although Nintendo has been accused of not being innovative enough with the Switch 2(especially compared to consoles like the Wii and original Switch), the successordoeshave some interesting new additions.While the mouse control and generally higher powerare the easy winners so far,Nintendo’s put a lot of stock into one feature in particular - GameChat....

Noted CRPG enthusiast Josh Sawyer—who directedFallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity and Pentiment—recently gave an interview toPC Gamerwhere he delved deep into the “crunchiness” of RPGs, a term used to describe games laden with tweakable statistics, i.e. lots of gear options and room for optimisation. Sawyer made an interesting point regarding the accessibility of these more complex RPGs, saying the key to making an accessible RPG was not simplified mechanics, but difficulty options....

WhenOverwatch 2first launched Stadium mode back in April, it felt like Blizzard was flipping the playbook. Sitting alongside Quick Play and Competitive came something fresh: a round-based competition with RPG-style progression and customizable hero loadouts, all viewed through a third-person camera. It was competitive, but weirdly welcoming. Two months later, Stadium isn’t just holding on,it’s hitting its stride. With Season 17, the mode has gotten its most significant shake-up yet: three new heroes joining the pool, two brand-new maps, and a powerful new tool called Stadium Forge that’s giving players more control than ever over how they approach each match....

Summary FormerPlayStationexecutive Shuhei Yoshida has commented on the new trend of $80 games and said that they’re a “steal” for “top-quality” games and that he doesn’t think people should be complaining. Video games are undeniably better than they’ve ever been, with misses and critical flops being a lot rarer this generation than in previous ones. That being said,video games are also undeniably moreexpensivethan ever, with recent price hikes from nearly all of the big playersmaking this hobby seem like it’s going down a dark and costly path....

Summary Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket’slatest expansion,Celestial Guardians, has already set the cat among the pigeons from a competitive perspective, and players are still getting to grips with all 239 new cards. Rare Candyarguably forced the scene into its biggest shake-up, giving Stage 2 ex cards a chance to shine, but a new, seemingly innocuous card came andeffectively ended the two ex/18 Trainer meta. 24 hours after its release, another Trainer Card has been stirring things up, as players have discovered it has the ability to knock out Pokemon, and effectively win games, without actually attacking....

Summary One thingPokemon Trading Card Game Pocket’slatest expansion,Celestial Guardians, has been excellent at is letting lesser-known/not-as-well-liked Pokemon step into the spotlight. Oricorio came in and completely blew the game’s meta apart,invalidating some of its most powerful decks, and other Pokemon, like Passimion and Wishiwashi,got stunning rainbow-bordered ex cards. Now, as first spotted byReddituser Phailups, another ‘filler’ Pokemon may be stepping into the limelight, filling a role that’s been held by Druddigon for a number of months....

Summary FromSoftwareis known for its brutally challenging titles with brutal boss encounters that range from thesomber Great Grey Wolf Sif to the enchantingly devastating Malenia fightthat will have you wanting to quit gaming forever on your 20th attempt. But we keep coming back for more because we love every second of it. But which one of these excellent titles is the hardest to do everything there is to do in them?...

Summary Despite bothResident Evil 7andVillagebeing first-person games, Resident Evil 9 will reportedly buck that trend and be played in third-person like the recentResiremakes. Ever sinceCapcomfinally started hitting on all cylinders with Resident Evil,there’s been a clear pattern when it comes to games in the series. Starting with Resident Evil 7 and its big reinvention of the series,mainline games with a number at the end have all been in first-person, while theremakes of Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 have all had third-person perspectives....

Summary You may remember theSplitgate 2announcement from Summer Game Fest – Some dude in a MAGA-style “Make FPS Great Again” cap moaned about first person shooters and went on to show the most generic looking battle royale game. 1047 Games' CEO, Ian Proulx thought the stunt would create waves, but all it has done isdivide his own fanbase and made the game a laughing stock. Things got worse for Proulx when Splitgate 2 opened to Mixed reviews on Steam, with manyplayers complaining about the expensive microtransactions and underwhelming gameplay....

Summary NateTheHate, a well-known and reliable leaker, has suggested that the decision to portStarfieldto PlayStation 5 has already been made. “Starfield is coming to PlayStation 5 and the intent should be announced this year,” they write. “It’s just a matter of when the announcement will happen.” Ports Galore It should come as no surprise that Starfield is coming to PlayStation 5, as Xbox has made no secret of its new strategy of releasing first-party titles on PlayStation 5....

Arc Raidersdid not get shadow-dropped during Summer Game Fest. My day is ruined, my disappointment—immeasurable. Despitethe horoscopes aligning perfectly,cryptic teasers counting down to the show, and even Scrappy the chicken appearing front and centre in SGF promo material, Arc Raiders isn’t out. It’s not out for another five months. This all seems just a little bit mishandled by Embark Studios. I haven’t seen hype around a game quite like the explosive outpouring of love after Arc Raiders' previous tech test — a relatively small test that a bunch of people didn’t even get a chance to play— in alongtime....