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Monster Train, the acclaimed roguelike deckbuilder from developer Shiny Shoe, is making its way to PlayStation 5 today, 25th July, some four years after its original release.

Monster Train sees players attempting to restore Hell’s inferno after it freezes over – a task requiring them to ride a train carrying a burning pyre deep into the heart of Hell.

At first glance, it’s all a bit Slay the Spire, with branching pathways providing choices on how to progress and level up each run. But the proper fun comes in combat, where the real-time card battling sees players unleashing their hellish minions against the forces of heaven – gradually moving between multiple floors of the titular train as they try and defend the pyre on top to win.

Monster Train – PS5 Launch Trailer

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The development team behind Assassin’s Creed Shadows has apologised for elements in the game’s marketing campaign so far that have jarred with some Japanese fans – and said the game will “keep evolving” as it heads towards launch in November.

Ubisoft’s statement, released via social media today in both English and Japanese, is fairly unspecific about what exactly it is apologising for – other than noting that “some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community”.

Earlier this month, Ubisoft apologised for artwork featured in the game’s Collector’s Edition that included the logo of a modern day re-enactment group.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Official Gameplay – Combat and Stealth Evolved | Ubisoft Forward

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The Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were the biggest setbacks in development of Baldur’s Gate 3, said CEO Swen Vincke.

Speaking to Edge magazine, Vincke discussed how Larian closed a studio in St Petersburg, Russia, and was “fighting with embassies” to relocate staff.

“I had already thought about what we were going to do if it actually happened,” said Vincke. “So the decision was instant: we can’t stay there. We needed to move people away because, as these things go, you can almost predict that eventually there’s going to be a mobilisation, and that meant that all my team was going to go to war.”

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Let Me Solo Her has once again changed their name as part of an effort to help other players defeat Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree’s final boss.

Last week, the legendary player changed their name to Let Me Solo Him to help with a certain boss encountered around halfway through the DLC.

Now they’ve turned their attention to the notoriously tricky final boss that’s had players stumped. Spoilers follow.

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Following Microsoft’s announcement it’s teaming up with Amazon to bring Xbox games to Fire TV devices via cloud streaming, the initiative is now live for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

Getting set up for console-free gaming with Fire TV is relatively straightforward; just download the Xbox app to a compatible device – Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max are both supported – then sign in with an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate account.

That’ll give you access to Microsoft’s streamable Xbox Game Pass library (a 20 Mbps internet connection over 5GHz Wi-Fi is recommended for play), with the last step being to connect a Bluetooth-enabled controller. The likes of the Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, and PlayStation DualSense are all supported.

Newscast: With the death of Keystone, will Xbox give up its streaming console plans forever?

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UPDATE 7/7/24: Nintendo’s transcript of the question is reported accurately below per the company’s own translation, but it appears the company censored the question itself – which specifically related to a Mario cosplayer in Japan accused of sending lewd images to minors – alongside minor changes to others in its recent shareholder Q&A. (Thanks, OatmealDome). The original article follows.

ORIGINAL STORY 5/7/24:
Nintendo has responded to concern over the inappropriate use of its characters online and said it would take “appropriate action” against anything that would make some players “feel uncomfortable”.

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was recently questioned by a shareholder who said they had “come across cases on social media where Nintendo IP and games are used inappropriately”. This “inappropriate” use of Nintendo’s characters “poses the risk of damaging” the company’s brand, the question continued – so what was Nintendo planning to do about it?

In response, Furukawa said Nintendo’s management policy was to “bring smiles through entertainment” (but presumably not the kind of smiles generated by “inappropriate” use).

Newscast: With…

October’s Prime Gaming content refresh is here, offering a slew of suitably spooky games this month, including BioShock Remastered, Doom Eternal, Death’s Door, Scorn, DreadOut 2, and Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Ecto Edition.
Also up for grabs are Hive Jump 2: Survivors, Scarf, and Tomb Raider: Legend.

Let’s Play Scorn Gameplay – The First 45 Minutes Of Scorn – IT’S ONLY GOOD IF YOU LOVE BUM HOLES.

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October’s PlayStation Plus additions for Premium and Extra subscribers have been revealed, and there’s a bunch of seasonally appropriate spookiness – Dead Island 2 and Dark Pictures: The Devil Within, for starters – alongside the likes of Return to Monkey Island and Gris.

In total, October brings 10 new PlayStation Plus catalogue additions for Premium and Extra members, and there are a further four Premium-exclusive titles – including cult-classic PS2 horror Siren – which combine to look like this:

Dead Island 2 (PS4, P55)
Two Point Campus (PS4, PS5)
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me (PS4, PS5)
Gris (PS4, PS5)
Return to Monkey Island (PS5)
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (PS4, PS5)
Firefighting Simulator The Squad (PS4, PS5)
Overpass 2 (PS5)
Tour de France 2023 (PS4, PS5)
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands (PS4)
The Last Clockwinder (PS VR2 – Premium only)
Dino Crisis (PS4, PS5 – Premium only)
Siren (PS4, PS5 – Premium only)
R-Type Dimensions EX (PS4 – Premium only)

Let’s Play Dino Crisis – Late to the Party

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Epic Games is now “financially sound” after shedding around 830 staff during last year’s mass layoff, founder Tim Sweeney has said.

Speaking last night during a stage presentation at Unreal Fest, Sweeney briefly acknowledged the job losses as the show opened, before going on to mention last year’s high watermark of engagement with the hugely-lucrative Fortnite, that featured a massively successful throwback “OG” season.

“Last year’s Unreal Fest began with some sad news,” Sweeney said. “The company had to get its finances in order, and we just had some major layoffs. We spent the last year rebuilding and also really executing solidly on all fronts.

Unreal Fest Seattle 2024 | Opening Session

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If you’ve always thought Tekken’s roster was lacking something but couldn’t put your finger (lickin’) on it, Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada knows – it’s Colonel Sanders.
Despite his best efforts, however, Harada hasn’t been able to convince KFC to give the all-clear to include Sanders as a fighter – or, indeed, fashion a Waffle House-inspired fighting stage.

Eurogamer Newscast: When it costs £700, who exactly is the PS5 Pro for?

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