Helldivers 2 tackles grief kicking in its massive August update: if you get kicked, you'll be the host of a new session with all of the team's loot intact - games news - NewsLocker (2024)

A new Helldivers 2 update is making changes to counteract the ongoing issue of "grief kicking" in the third-person shooter.Arrowhead just announced Helldivers 2's huge Escalation of Freedom update, boasting new enemies, mission objectives, a higher difficulty level, and more, and it's out next month on August 6. Alongside that update is a quality-of-life change specifically intended to counter "grief kicking."Katherine Baskin, social media and community manager at Arrowhead, writes on the PlaySt

My favorite Star Wars game gets an HD re-release after 22 years, and thankfully it's miles ahead of the janky Star Wars Battlefront collection

The 2002 Jango Fett story Star Wars: Bounty Hunter has found a new life on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC thanks to a new HD re-release from Aspyr in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, and early reviews and comparisons confirm that it's head and shoulders above the maligned Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection from earlier this year.Star Wars: Bounty Hunter follows ol' Jango through a galaxy-spanning conspiracy that sets up his role in the events of Episode 2: A

We're finally getting a Civilization 7 gameplay reveal at Gamescom, and a whole "20+ minute deep dive" at that

The first Civilization 7 gameplay is being shown at this month's Gamescom Opening Night Live, Firaxis has revealed.The long, long-awaited sequel to 2016's Civilization 6 was announced at this year's Summer Game Fest in June, and almost three months later it'll get its first gameplay showcase. Firaxis revealed the news in a tweet, promising over 20 minutes of gameplay and a "deep dive" into the sequel."Civilizationis a game that is as wide as it is deep, covering the span of human history a

Win a Blu-ray of Sting!

If you’re an arachnophobe, you might want to get a friend or loved one to hold your hand while you watch Sting... And maybe have a comfortable space behind the sofa prepared.
Written and directed by Kiah Roache-Turner (who previously brought us the Aussie post-apocalypse Wyrmwood), it centres on a 12-year-old girl who makes a pet of a strange little spider. Unfortunately, this mysterious arachnid then grows at a monstrous rate – as does its appetite, leading to the disappearance of n

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We're Delightfully Baffled By Squirrel With A Gun | New Gameplay Today

Squirrel with a Gun is an evocative title, and this wacky sandbox platformer by Dee Dee Creations lives up to its namesake. You do, in fact, control a seemingly ordinary squirrel who wields human-sized guns (and other weapons like a rocket launcher) to blast shady government agents while bouncing around a physics sandbox. It's a strange and silly game, and you can watch editors Marcus Stewart and Charles Harte attempt to rationalize this exclusive gameplay montage.Head toGame Informe

Marvel's most unlikely super team is back to clean up the mess left after Blood Hunt in Blood Hunters #1

Marvel's big Blood Hunt summer event may have just come to a close, but the Blood Hunters team that formed during the event is sticking around to stake all the vampires still roaming the Earth even after the failure of their insurrection.Written by Erica Schultz with art by Robert Gill and colorist Rain Beredo, Blood Hunters #1 has the unlikely team of Dagger (of Cloak and Dagger), Elsa Bloodstone, Yelena Belova/White Widow, Hallow's Eve, reconvening to take down the remaining members of the Blo

Bungie reportedly shelving "the next Destiny" indefinitely following another brutal wave of layoffs

For years, rumors and purported leaks have claimed that Bungie is working on a would-be Destiny 3, and those claims have only escalated in recent months following the end of Destiny 2's 10-year Light and Darkness saga with The Final Shape expansion. Reputable insider Jeff Grubb now reports that, following shocking layoffs at Bungie cutting 220 people alongside Sony integration shifting 155 more, "the next Destiny" is "going on the shelf" indefinitely.Grubb discussed the impact of the Bungi

Win a Blu-ray of The First Omen

If you’re a big horror fan, you’ve surely seen Richard Donner’s 1976 shocker The Omen, in which an American diplomat gradually comes to the realisation that his son, Damien, is the prophesied Antichrist. The film has inspired three sequels, a remake, and now a prequel.Set in Rome in 1971, The First Omen centres on Margaret, an American novitiate (played by Game of Thrones’s Nell Tiger Free), who’s sent to work at a Catholic orphanage; there she uncovers a conspiracy

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Avowed reportedly delayed to early 2025 as Xbox moves the Obsidian RPG out of the way of Stalker 2

A new report suggests that Xbox and Obsidian are preparing to announce a delay for Avowed in an effort to move the upcoming RPG out of the way of Stalker 2.That's according to Tom Warren of The Verge (paywalled), who writes that with Stalker 2 delayed to November, Xbox feels that its holiday offerings for Game Pass are looking pretty stacked. Avowed is "in good shape," according to Warren, so the delay is more about giving the game "breathing room" outside of a busy release season for Game Pass.

The biggest tabletop event of the year is underway, and D&D has kicked things off by dropping an avalanche of reveals. Actually, developer Wizards of the Coast flooded Gen Con 2024 with info in a press panel that detailed everything from the game's new virtual tabletop to the 2024 rulebook revamp.Because there's so much to dig through, I've rounded up everything you need to know about the D&D reveals at Gen Con in digestible, bite-size chunks. That includes info on how the long-awaited '

I've been waiting over a year for this adorable 3D Stardew Valley-like life sim to launch, and its full release is finally here

Song of the Prairie is one of many games like Stardew Valley, but it stands out as one of my personal top favorites - and it just released out of early access today.Once in a while, an indie gem drops and steals my cozy game-loving heart for hours on end - Song of the Prairie is one of those. The Droplet Studio's stunning farming sim first surfaced as an early access title last spring, featuring all of the Stardew Valley-esque essentials like harvesting, mining, and of course, romance. Since the

"Just to shame my garbage friends," Elden Ring player beats Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss without getting hit using 40 different weapons and counting

One determined Elden Ring player is soloing bosses purely to shame their "garbage friends," and they've slaughtered Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss without taking a hit with 40 different weapons to date.Lu Win Kre is the YouTuber who's truly gone and above and beyond in shaming their friends. They started soloing Elden Ring bosses over a year ago without taking a hit, beginning with Malenia in the base game, and branching out to Shadow of the Erdtree bosses just over a month ago, taking down

"Xbox is mistaken," says indie publisher teasing "what's next" for its mega-hit biking roguelike, because "Descenders 2 does not exist"

Descenders, the extreme free riding roguelike, is getting a follow-up of some kind, even as its publisher insists that "Descenders 2 doesn't exist."Publisher NoMoreRobots' company director Mike Rose announced the yet-unnamed sequel in an interview earlier this year with PCGamesN, affirming that original studio RageSquid is back in the development chair. "They're just three guys and it's been played by 20 million people or something like that," Rose said at the time.Originally pitched as a spin o

The ultimate hitman comes out of retirement in a new Netflix anime that begs the question: What if John Wick worked in retail?

Netflix already has us looking ahead to 2025 with the trailer for new hitman anime Sakamoto Days – and it’s giving us John Wick vibes.Based on an ongoing manga by Yuto Suzuki, the anime revolves around Taro Sakamoto, a one-time legendary hitman who is now seeing out his days as a portly shopkeeper, surrounded by his family.As the trailer (which you can see above) shows, Sakamoto was once a swaggering, co*cksure killer. However, he retired, got married, and left the assassin game behi

Batman: Caped Crusader star talks crafting a Harley Quinn without the Joker and what that season 2 tease could mean for her villain

Warning - the following features spoilers for Batman: Caped Crusader...When you think of the Joker, another character probably comes to mind - Harley Quinn - and the same is also true vice versa. However, Harley Quinn doesn't need no damn man to captivate our imagination as Prime Video's new animated series Batman: Caped Crusader further proves.Here, Jamie Chung voices Harleen Quinzel, a.k.a. Harley Quinn, in a season that notably doesn't feature Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime (well, mostly, mor

4 years after Ark 2 was announced, Xbox announces a playable demo at Gamescom only to immediately un-announce it

Ark 2 debuted with a Vin Diesel-led trailer back in 2020, but since then we've seen almost nothing of the highly anticipated survival game. It briefly looked like that was finally about to change when Xbox said it was going to host a playable demo for Ark 2 at its Gamescom booth. Now, however, the company says that announcement was made in error."The Xbox booth will also have playable titles from our third-party partners," the publisher initially said in a blog outlining its Gamescom plans, "inc

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Preview - An Overdue Retrial

Platform:PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher:Capcom
Release:September 6, 2024
Rating:Teen The Ace Attorney series spends the vast majority of its games following defense attorneys like Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice, but there are a few games where this isn't the case. After all, the word "attorney" can also refer to prosecuting attorneys, like Miles Edgeworth, star of the upcoming Ace Attorney Investigations Collection. Capcom has been on an Ace Attorney remaster streak these pas

Former GTA leads' new open-world game isn't as mysterious if you pay attention to their audio series: "A lot of the questions could be answered by listening"

After departing Rockstar Games, former Grand Theft Auto leads Dan Houser and Lazlow Jones set off to found Absurd Ventures - a studio that now boasts an audio fiction series called A Better Paradise, and soon, a new open-world game.Speaking in an interview with IGN, Jones reveals what this "open-world action-adventure game" could be - or at least where fans can find answers to their burning questions about the game. "We've confirmed that we're working on a game that's in the A Better Paradise un

Batman: Caped Crusader star says chasing Kevin Conroy's voice was an early mistake and reveals his pick for who should be James Gunn's live-action Batman

With new series Batman: Caped Crusader, actor Hamish Linklater was faced with an impossible task - following in the footsteps of the late icon Kevin Conroy, the man behind the voice of the Dark Knight in various media including the much beloved Batman: The Animated Series.Naturally, this was very much on the mind of Linklater as he signed up to play Bats in the brand new Prime Video show, feeling the weight on his shoulders. Speaking to GamesRadar+ and other press at a roundtable at SDCC 2024, L

FromSoftware games come full circle as ingenious Elden Ring players use fire to cheese a tough Shadow of the Erdtree fight without even entering the boss arena

If Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC bosses have been kicking your ass, then this cheesy strategy to defeat one of the hardest ones without even entering the arena is a great way to get revenge, with a method that's very reminiscent of an old Demon's Souls trick.The boss in question is Rellana, Twin Moon Knight – the fast, powerful foe waiting at the end of Castle Ensis. With a sword in each hand and the ability to blast you into oblivion with some seriously strong magic, she's defini

As mass layoffs ravage the industry, this free Pikmin-inspired indie game is here to let you fling co-workers at management in an effort to unionize

When you stop to think about it, Pikmin's brand of minion-throwing strategy lends itself quite nicely to games about power dynamics. Overlord had you cosplay as an unstoppable evil boss who uses pesky goblin critters to do his bidding, for example, but one new indie game reverses the trope.Inspired by Pikmin, Labor Power is the free, browser-based, pixel art strategy game about unionizing an entire office. One day, your character decides he doesn't want want to wait another 45 years to reach ret

Helldivers 2 dev was "surprised and delighted" players didn't sacrifice some kids for a new Stratagem, so good on you for not doing that

Helldivers 2's developer "thought players would pick the mines" over saving the children in an in-game Major Order.Back in June, Helldivers 2 players were charged with either unlocking a new Stratagem, or saving a bunch of children in a particularly cruel Major Order. Super Earth's finest actually rallied to save the children, pushing aside the promise of new mines, and it turns out that collective decision surprised developer Arrowhead."In truth, I think we thought players would pick the mines,

Retro Gamer Celebrates 20 Years Of The PSP

The latest issue of Retro Gamer looks at the 20th anniversary of Sony’s first gaming handheld – the PlayStation Portable.The creators of high-profile PSP games like God Of War: Chains Of Olympus, OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast and Sonic Rivals explain what made Sony’s handheld so special and why it’s still worth playing two decades after its release.“Being able to play games such as WipEout alongside more traditional handheld games, albeit very polished ones, like Lumin

2024’s D&D Player’s Handbook is set to deliver plenty of refreshes and rebalances of our Fifth Edition favorites, with new options that aim to enrich the processes of character creation and play. However, despite the fact the OneD&D PHB is set to upgrade your experience as a player, that doesn’t (and shouldn’t) translate to a hike in your character’s power level.Sure, it’s fun to have a character that’s so OP they cut through dungeon encoun

Florence Pugh reacts to co-star Sebastian Stan praising her performance in Marvel’s Thunderbolts and admits she had no idea about Robert Downey Jr.’s return

Florence Pugh is returning as Yelena Belova in Marvel’s upcoming anti-hero team-up Thunderbolts*. Fans at San Diego Comic-Con were treated to the first look at the trailer, as well as some teases from the cast.At one point Bucky Barnes star Sebastian Stan was asked what the stand-out of the upcoming Marvel Phase 5 movie was, and he pointed at Pugh. Speaking to GamesRadar+ after, the Black Widow tells us she’s "chuffed" with the praise."I was very, very chuffed that he said that

Invincible creator explains why every episode of season 3 will feel like a finale: "The stakes are really high"

When teasing Invincible season 3 earlier this year, creator Robert Kirkman said that every episode will "feel like a finale". Now the show’s return is on the horizon, he elaborates a bit more on what he means about that, as well as why season 3 will be the darkest yet."The stakes of the season are really high and the content of the season is really dense," Kirkman says at a roundtable attended by GamesRadar+ at San Diego Comic-Con. "So we've set up a lot of stories in season 1 and season 2

"I lost three saves": The Sims 4's latest post-Lovestruck bug is corrupting fans' "favorite" legacy files

What should be an exciting time for The Sims 4 community, with the recent arrival of EA's spiciest expansion pack yet and a long-awaited update, has been soured by bugs - including one that completely corrupts players' save files.Fans have been describing the new free base game update as a "total mess" - and it's not all that surprising considering the problems that came alongside it. From "overly mean Sims" to literal incest, it's been a wild bug-ridden ride recently - but the worst has only ju

Star Wars Outlaws' lead says "bad faith" discourse discussing protagonist Kay's looks are "not worth engaging with"

The creative director of Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws has said bad faith discourse is "not worth engaging with."Speaking to The Washington Post, Star Wars Outlaws creative director Julian Gerighty commented on the detractors of Ubisoft's new game, specifically those pushing a narrative that its protagonist, Kay Vess, isn't attractive enough, part of an online movement of commenters degrading female-led games in general."Kay is meant to be approachable, a petty thief who ends up barreling through

Batman: Caped Crusader star explains why her mother-in-law was the biggest inspiration for her gender-flipped Penguin

Following in the footsteps of Batman: The Animated Series is no easy task, but Prime Video's new series Batman: Caped Crusader has pulled it off with style, already earning rave reviews (including from our own critic) and a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.Something that has drawn much acclaim is the show's rogues' gallery, as several iconic Batman villains appear as you have never seen them before. Easily one of the stand-out baddies is actor Minnie Driver's gender-flipped Penguin, a.k.a. Oswal

Star Wars Outlaws sidesteps Resident Evil 4 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's yellow paint discourse by making it optional

Star Wars Outlaws' developer has come up with a solution to sidestep that never-ending 'yellow paint' discourse.Bright yellow paint - or any sharp coloured paint - shows up in many games to guide players to points of interest. In Uncharted, paint markings might alert you to a windowsill you can clamber onto. In Resident Evil 4 Remake, yellow paint signals breakable boxes. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the same divisive markings signpost climbable ledges and whatnot, but all examples attract some p