Kane99

ShantyTown is an upcoming city-block building game where the intention is to build a town brick by brick. It's solely developed by Erik Rempen for his studio Silk Softworks. It's said to be releasing sometime in late 2025 for PC. So far it is only releasing on PC, not sure if it'll release on consoles.

Monster Train 2 is a sequel to the popular strategy deck builder. Has anyone here played the original game? I've never played a deckbuilder before, are they any fun? You can play a demo for the new game right now on steam here - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2742830/Monster_Train_2/ there isn't an official release date yet, but so far it seems to be coming out for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and the Switch. Seems to be skipping last gen.

The Executive - Movie Industry Tycoon is a new sim style strategy game where you're tasked with running your own movie studio. The point is to make movies, but you also have to take on the backend responsibilities like hiring talent, writers, and other staff along with making important decisions in the movie industry. I'm big into movies, so I might have to check this one out. Has anyone here played it yet? It's out right now on PC via Steam and GOG.

Rabbit Raid is a new arcade style platformer that seems very similar to Super Mario Bros. 2. The main gimmick seems to be that you can pick up veggies and use them as projectiles to take out enemies. Which was a feature in Super Mario Bros 2, albeit with more options. Seems like Rabbit Raid is pretty simple in its controls otherwise. For $10 though, I don't think it's expected to be a big game. I hear it's also very short as well, so that's something to take into account if you play it. It looks like it's available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and the Switch. I don't see any PC release though.

Has anyone here played Balatro? I've been wanting to check it out, but I hear it's like fast paced poker or something, is that true? I see on the steam page it says it's a poker roguelike. I really wish I knew how to properly play Poker, but I am curious if playing this I'd learn the basics of poker, do you think I could? Is it worth playing? It's been out for a year now, and has become quite popular.

Well you think EA one days does something good like releasing source code for the command and conquer series, but then blow that goodwill away when they decide to then delist a bunch of games on the Steam store without any warning to gamers. According to this article here - https://tech4gamers.com/ea-delists-multiple-codemasters-games-steam/ EA recently delisted 6 Codemasters developed games with no explanation or warning as to why, those games being; Damnation Hospital Tycoon Maelstrom Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising RIse of the Argonauts Toybox Turbos These were titles that Codemasters developed and published before EA bought them up. EA owns the entirety of Codemasters catalog I hear, so who knows how many more games they will remove. I think it's wrong to not give a warning about these games being removed. They could have put out a tweet or something signifying that the games will be removed soon and to buy them quick. Hell, they could've done a quick sale before they took the games down. What do you think about this news?

This is a big reason I don't like playing older games online anymore, especially on console as so many of them are full of hackers and cheaters. This gamer alleges that he was banned on Xbox Live after entering a hacked lobby in Call of Duty Black Ops. He said someone in the lobby used a hacked menu that unlocked the games achievements for everyone in the lobby. Due to this, it seems the user was banned. The unlocking of the achievements is probably what got him banned, probably some automated ban if anything. The player tried to appeal it, but it was auto rejected. And now they have chosen to file a complaint with the BBB in regards to it, as there's no other way for the gamer to get a hold of anyone about this. The support team doesn't have access to account suspensions/bans, and you can't reach out to anyone on the enforcement team. But yeah, Black Ops is likely a hacked mess at this point, much like a lot of those earlier COD games are. I stopped playing COD 4, MW2, 3, and various other COD titles because hackers eventually take them over. Anyway, do you think this user will get access back to their account? Source of story here - https://twistedvoxel.com/player-xbox-digital-library-permanent-ban-modded-lobby/

ROBOBEAT is a new rhythm based first person shooter from Simon Fredholm. It kind of reminds me of that Super Hot game, but more faster paced. idk, maybe it's the movement that reminded me of it. But in this, it looks like you have to play in sync with the beat. I also read you can use your own music in the game, so I'm kind of curious about that. It's been out on PC for a while now and on consoles since earlier this year. Has anyone here played it? The gameplay looks really smooth.

The 2025 World Video Game Hall of Fame has revealed their 12 finalists for the year. They are; Age of Empires Angry Birds Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Defender Frogger Goldeneye 007 Golden Tee Harvest Moon Mattel Football NBA 2K Quake The Tamagotchi Today was actually the last day to vote on the ballot. I can't seem to find a way to vote, so I assume it's ended. If you want to try yourself, you can look here - https://www.museumofplay.org/exhibits/world-video-game-hall-of-fame/ And the finalists can be found here - https://www.museumofplay.org/exhibits/world-video-game-hall-of-fame/finalists/ You can also see the already inducted games here - https://www.museumofplay.org/exhibits/world-video-game-hall-of-fame/inducted-games/

There's been rumors of Microsoft working on an Xbox handheld for ages now, and it seems we're getting closer to a possibility of that if this news happens to be true. I'm hearing that Asus is working with Xbox on a possible handheld console in order to compete with the Steam Deck. The Xbox handheld would have a Windows OS, likely Windows 11. The codename for the new handheld is "Project Kennan" and could release in late 2025. Now if they can make this handheld work with Steam, it would be a gamechanger. Well, we do already have alternatives to the Steam Deck that uses Windows and likely work with Steam as well, but I think an Xbox handheld could do more. But, we'll see how this all plays out. Read more about this news here - https://www.tomsguide.com/gaming/handheld-gaming/xbox-handheld-reportedly-being-made-with-asus-all-to-take-on-steam-deck Do you like that Microsoft is working with Asus to make a handheld?

ORDER 13 is a new horror game where your only task is to work in a warehouse packing orders all the while there is something or someone else in the warehouse with you. It seems pretty barebones, but for $8.99 I don't expect it to be a long game. One reviewer on Steam said it took them 2 hours to beat. And another person mentioned it was kind of a relaxing game once you know what to do. It just came out a few days ago on PC. Has anyone played it? You can find it on Steam here - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2259310/ORDER_13/

That or a new game in the series? Capcom recently put out a trademark for Dino Crisis earlier this month. Some are saying it could be a Dino Crisis remake, or it could even be a sign of a reboot for the series. I'd be happy with either or. What about you? I want to see a lot of these classics make a comeback, if it's via a remake or a complete reboot, it's good to bring this franchise to a new generation of gamers. More news here: https://tech4gamers.com/capcom-trademark-dino-crisis-remake/

So I've noticed this from time to time, but my phone will do this update thing where it says "Setup complete" for my phone every once in a while. And each time it does this update, it sometimes installs a game, or multiple games. Like yesterday, it installed 4 mobile games on my phone, and I don't quite understand why. I am on an android phone, a Samsung one to be specific. I assume I have a setting checked somewhere that lets them install games, but I have no idea where it'd be. I assume it's on the Samsung side, but honestly couldn't tell ya. I did check Samsung settings, even looked at my Galaxy store to find ways of blocking that, but I can't seem to stop it. Any suggestions? I looked online, but it seems you have to block permissions and I don't necessarily want to do that. I guess I can just live with it, as I always just remove the games they install anyway, it's just a tad bit annoying that it even happens.

This is really cool. I guess some of the Square Enix staff recently discovered an old storage container that's been closed up for up to 20 years now, and it's said that some of the games are older than 30 years old. Some of the games found were for consoles like the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, DOS computers, N-Gage, Nintendo Wii, Amstrad CPC and more. The staff has stated that employees can take whatever they want from the storage unit, and the head of the studio Lee Singleton said he is in talkes with a museum about preserving some of the games as well. Check the article below for what kind of games they found, including some images of what was found. I think this is cool, because it means there could be all kinds of storage containers out there with brand new games still. Hell maybe there are stores with boxes full of old games still out there. Ya never know what could be found. https://www.timeextension.com/news/2025/03/square-enix-staff-discover-cache-of-pristine-retro-games-some-of-which-date-back-30-years

Still Seed is an upcoming sci-fi stealth action adventure from the people at Storm in a Teacup. I like the futuristic setting. I also like that it looks like stealth is a big thing in the game, but you can do combat if needed. It will release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on April 10th 2025.

Here's something I never would have expected to see, but Acclaim Entertainment has been revived as an indie game publisher that will focus on original IPs. Acclaim went out of business over 20 years ago, back in 2004. And this new Acclaim is founded by a team of industry veterans, those including; Russell Binder, Mark Caplan and even pro wrestler Jeff Jarrett. As well, Graffiti Games CEO Alex Josef was appointed as Acclaim's new CEO. I can't say I expected someone like Jeff Jarrett to help revive an old gaming brand like Acclaim. What do you guys think of this? What kind of games can we expect to see published by this new publisher? News here - https://venturebeat.com/games/acclaim-entertainment-reborn-as-indie-game-publisher-focused-on-original-ip/

Wanderstop is a narrative driven cozy game where you run a tea shop with some elements of farming. It's from the team at Annapurna Interactive, and is from the makers of The Stanley Parable and the Beginner's Guide. Check out the trailer below. It's coming out for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC tomorrow.

Source - https://mp1st.com/news/xbox-gamers-banned-for-vpn-on-store So it seems that Microsoft is cracking down on people who use a VPN to buy foreign games cheaper from the official store. I know some people who have used VPNs in the past to buy games cheaper in another location. As well, I know some people use VPNs to redeem foreign game codes as well. But I don't think that is getting users banned. Seems to just be tied to the official Xbox store. I don't think there was a rule about this before, so I guess people expected it was fine, but it sounds like Microsoft is taking this seriously. How do you feel about this? I'm not against using a VPN to buy games cheaper, because even though it's saving some money, it's still money going to MS and these companies. But, I get where Microsoft is coming from here and I imagine they have a right to block VPN use in that regard.

Has anyone here played this game? It's a story driven survival horror that looks somewhat like an old PS1 game, but seems to mix the camera angles from third person to first person at times. The art style looks to be very inspired by PS1 games and their graphics. But I really like the art style. It's out on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and just released on the Switch today.

Source - https://kotaku.com/playstation-studios-visual-arts-layoffs-cuts-last-us-1851767734 It's almost daily now that we hear of more layoffs in the gaming industry. For an industry that is making billions upon billions, they sure find it hard to actually pay the employees who put their heart and soul into the video games they make or work on, all for a paycheck that probably doesn't pay the best to begin with. Anyway, it seems Sony has decided to lay off more of their employees, this time it's the team at Visual Arts who are being let go. They haven't revealed the amount of people being laid off, but I'm guessing the whole team at Visual Arts is out. Do you ever think we're going to see a slow down on the constant layoffs? Or is this a trend that will continue on for years to come?

So the next Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is said to be coming out for current gen consoles only. Which likely means PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Maybe Switch 2 if the console comes out in time. But with that being said, it looks like COD is finally skipping out on last gen consoles, which many have been expecting to happen for a while now. Do you like this move? I'm honestly surprised they haven't done this sooner considering how long the current gen consoles have been out now. More on this news here - https://twistedvoxel.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-4-current-gen-only-release-developed-on-next-gen-xbox/

This is really cool. I guess modders have found a way to recompile Xbox 360 games and make them playable as native PC ports. They started with Sonic Unleashed with a version called Unleashed Recompiled. And before anyone says this sounds illegal, you still need to own the actual disc copy of the game in order to play the recompiled version of the game as none of the assets are included with the recompiled version. This is probably a good means of stopping piracy. But I do wonder if Microsoft or Sega will come down on them for this. But since you have to own the game before doing anything, you may be fine. To find out more about this news and how they did it, you can read the article here - https://twistedvoxel.com/modders-created-tool-to-recompile-xbox-360-games-to-native-pc-ports-sonic-unleashed/

Activision just can't catch a break when it comes to this generative AI business. A while back they got flack for using generative AI to promote a Call of Duty holiday event or something along those lines. The image showed a zombie wearing a santa suit, but the hand coming out shows 6 fingers, which is why many speculated they used AI on the graphic. I believe they later revealed it was made by AI. Even going so far to say they used generative AI for certain assets in COD Black Ops 6. But recently they got into more hot water because of a promotion showing off a new Guitar Hero Mobile game, but the graphics shown were made completely with generative AI. Some fans even speculating that the game is probably not even real. It seems that wasn't the only game they mentioned recently, other games were mentioned, like; Call of Duty Zombies mobile, Call of Duty: Sniper, and a Crash Bandicoot Brawl concept. All of which was said to have used generative AI to create concept images I guess. They were too lazy to hire actual artists to create these ideas. Check out the link below to see some of the images in question. https://www.ign.com/articles/activision-once-again-under-fire-over-alleged-generative-ai-use-now-for-a-fake-guitar-hero-game

As much hate that EA gets these days, it's something like this that sort of restores some faith in them. I know EA has been sort of known to allow people to download and alter older titles. Some people have kept their classic titles alive with their own servers and work. But now it seems EA has gone even further by releasing the source code for multiple Command & Conquer titles, those titles include: Command & Conquer (aka Tiberian Dawn) C&C Red Alert C&C Renegade C&C Generals - along with its expansion pack, Zero Hour Some of the games even received Steam Workshop support, with some also getting a modding support pack. More on this news here: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-releases-full-source-code-for-multiple-command-conquer-titles/1100-6529779/ As well, you can find the source code for these games via EA's github here - https://github.com/electronicarts I wonder if we'll see more EA games added, and maybe other developers and companies releasing their own source codes.

I think it would be great to see the Russo Brothers working in the gaming industry, especially if it brings us more story driven super hero movies. Especially Marvel themed. Anyway, would you be into the Russo Brothers jumping into video games? It's being said they'd like to develop a game on the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars movies. What are your thoughts on this news? Story here - https://comicbookmovie.com/avengers/avengers-doomsday/the-russo-brothers-express-interest-in-developing-video-games-tied-to-avengers-doomsday-and-secret-wars-a216570#gs.k6hwhx