Thrasher on Meta Quest 3

Most of the time, single-player games on VR platforms can feel quite structurally restrictive. If you’re going down the narrative-based route, you’re pretty much limited to a first-person viewpoint, pigeonholed into either action or exploration. Finding a way to actually stand out in an inherently niche part of gaming is no easy feat.

Thrasher, the latest game from Thumper developer Puddle, manages to wildly subvert standard VR game expectations. Its gameplay is fluid and challenging, with a visual design quite unlike anything else I’ve played before. If your VR library is lacking something a bit whimsical and singular, look no further than Thrasher.

The cover athletes for NBA 2K25 have been revealed, with NBA and WNBA stars co-headlining the box art for the first ever time. This year, the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson earn their spot on the All-Star edition of the basketball game’s box. Alongside that, 2K Games has revealed all of the other editions, and the iconic players gracing their covers.

Tatum, Wilson, and Carter Are Your NBA 2K25 Cover Stars

The most exciting development for this year of NBA 2K’s box art is the dual promotion of NBA and WNBA players on the All-Star Edition. Coming off the back of the Celtics’ Championship win, Jayson Tatum features on both the aforementioned All-Star Edition and is the sole athlete on the Standard Edition box.

Pocketpair’s monster-catching RPG Palworld was one of the early 2024 breakout hits, enamoring players with its blend of Pokemon-style mechanics and gun-toting action. In the six months since its overnight success, the devs have been working on the new Sakurajima expansion, which has finally landed. While most of the attention focuses on its new Pals, bosses, and region, some eagle-eyed players prefer the smaller changes it adds.

Are You a Fan of the Palworld Sakurajima Update’s New Changes?

Over on the Palworld subreddit, fans are chatting about some of the lesser-known changes added in the Sakurajima update that caught their eye.

Netflix is no stranger to propelling a random movie or TV show to worldwide notoriety practically overnight. The likes of Under Paris or 365 Days never would’ve blown up without a healthy push from Netflix’s algorithm, shoving them onto subscribers’ front pages. Recently, it seems like the same phenomenon has happened all over again – but this time, it’s a movie you’d never expect.

Dracula Untold Flies Up the Netflix Top 10

Without much rhyme or reason, Dracula Untold, a 2014 retelling of the iconic vampire story starring Luke Evans as the eponymous blood-sucker, currently sits at #3 on Netflix’s worldwide movies chart, as per FlixPatrol.

More than two years after the base game released, we’re now within a week of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Billed as a major new expansion with a whole new region to explore and plenty of grueling bosses, fans are chomping at the bit to dive in. That said, you may want to be careful on social media, with spoilers and leaks now running amok.

PSA: Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Has Leaked

Posting on the game’s X page today (June 17), FromSoftware shared a message advising players to be cautious of Shadow of the Erdtree spoilers across social media.

If you’ve got nothing but fond memories of the plethora of licensed tie-in games from the noughties, rejoice. A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead has been officially revealed by Saber Interactive, continuing the story told in the two horror movies from director John Krasinski and its upcoming prequel.

Developed by Stormind Games, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a first-person survival horror game due to release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Details are still fairly slim plot-wise, but you play as a young woman surviving despite both the sound-sensitive creatures that wreaked havoc on civilization, and memories of deep interpersonal wounds with her family. As a plot-driven single-player game, you can expect both intense horror and character-driven narrative to occupy your time with the game.

Taskmaster VR Review for Meta Quest 3

Taskmaster is easily one of the most watchable shows on TV. Each 40-minute episode melts by like candy floss on your tongue, a dizzying succession of one wacky task after another. For a lazy Sunday spent sitting on the sofa or a breezy laugh after a long day, nothing does it quite like Taskmaster.

Incredibly, Taskmaster VR manages to perfectly capture that improvisational magic and fully immerse you in it. Even the most hardened skeptics will be left feeling like they’re part of the show thanks to its wacky tasks, hugely engaging gameplay, and unfalteringly faithful recreation of the show’s locales. It’s a staggering feat and the best VR game I’ve played.

The latest major expansion in Fallout 76, entitled Skyline Valley, is finally out now. While previous seasons have consistently added new quests, weapons, and NPCs to the game, it’s the first time the Appalachian wasteland has been expanded. Yet while the new map area provides plenty of new land to explore, some players are dissatisfied with the rewards they get for doing so.

Are Fallout 76’s Season 17 Rewards Up to Scratch?

Over on the Fallout 76 subreddit, fans are debating whether or not the new scoreboard rewards are worth the grind. That’s not due to how much effort it requires to unlock them – in fact, some are repeatable – but due to their seemingly juvenile design.

For Call of Duty fans, the dedicated Black Ops 6 reveal was the best part of the recent Xbox Games Showcase. While we saw plenty of other exciting titles like DOOM: The Dark Ages and Gears of War: E-Day, there’s nothing quite like a new CoD game. As such, it’s not a surprise to see which older Call of Duty games have shot up the Xbox charts since.

With Black Ops 6 taking all the headlines, both Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 3 have skyrocketed up the most popular paid charts on Xbox’s digital storefront. Neither of these games ever fade out of public discussion for very long. However, now is the perfect time for players to brush up on the Black Ops franchise’s finest entries.

New Destiny 2 expansions and widespread server outages go hand-in-hand. With The Final Shape finally out now and gradually rolling out after 24 hours of downtime, a few lucky players are getting to experience the new content first-hand. For everyone else, however, there’s little to do aside from poking fun at the outage.

The Final Shape Players React to Destiny 2 Outage

Over on the Destiny 2 subreddit, aggrieved players are passing the time by coming up with their own takes on what The Final Shape means. For user Hypersonic-Rogue, perhaps the real ‘final shape’ is the error logo denoting server downtime:

Asymmetrical horror games are one of gaming’s biggest modern trends. If you can think of a renowned horror IP, there’s a good chance it’s got a video game adaption. In the past two years alone we’ve seen games based on Evil Dead, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Ghostbusters, all within the asymmetrical multiplayer subgenre.

Next on that conveyor belt is Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game. Developed by IllFonic, it takes the cult 80s horror movie and spins it into its own multiplayer experience. Does it have what it takes to distinguish itself in a reasonably bloated subgenre, or will it go the way of Friday the 13th and Evil Dead by taking an early closure?

I was terrible at Frostpunk 2. Prior to my two or so hours of hands-on playtime, I’d been warned by other journalists and creators to expect something brutally difficult. In fact, going into the play session without prior experience of the first game was basically a cardinal sin. I’d heard all about how the game consistently teeters on the precipice of a game-over screen at all times, I was both apprehensive and curious as to whether it could truly be that hard.

Having now played more than two hours of Frostpunk 2’s story mode, I completely get it. It’s the most in-depth and engrossing city-builder I’ve ever played, with a difficulty spike that’s definitely noticeable, but never feels unfair.

Fortnite turns seven years old later this year, and over that time it’s amassed one of the largest fanbases in all of gaming. There are always topics cycling in and out of discussion, from the return of God of War’s Kratos skin to the presence of the mysterious megalodon shark. With the launch of Chapter 5 Season 3, it seems the latter urban legend has finally been resolved.

The Megalodon Finally Arrives in Fortnite

The Fortnite megalodon myth started with the YouTuber Jimbothy way back in December 2017. In a video that has now amassed over 1.5 million views, he spoofs viewers by providing (fake) instructions to encounter a shark roaring up from the coast. Ever since then, it’s been a common in-joke in the Fortnite community.

Going into my hands-on play session with 11 Bit Studios’ The Alters, I truly had no idea what to expect. First announced at the 2022 PC Gaming Show, it’s quite a significant step away from the games that put the Polish studio on the map. If you’re familiar with Frostpunk and its upcoming sequel, The Alters will definitely subvert your expectations – but that’s absolutely a good thing.

You play as Jan Dolski, an interstellar miner hopping across planets to harvest their resources. My preview opened with Jan in a significant spot of bother: the planet he’s on is tearing apart at the seams, his crew is missing, and he’s got to escape. In a fit of desperation – and under the influence of a mysterious faceless agent persuading him – Jan begins cloning himself, working alongside a crew of his alternate versions to find salvation.

The latest title from Punishing: Grey Raven developer Kuro Games, Wuthering Waves, has finally released. It’s one of the most anticipated mobile games of 2024, but players are already noticing a few differences compared to closed beta builds. Notably, the game’s much-heralded 120 FPS option appears to have disappeared.

Where Has The 120 FPS Option in Wuthering Waves Gone?

As per u/SuspiciousJob730 on the Gacha Gaming subreddit, the FPS toggles in Wuthering Waves no longer include a 120 FPS option. That seems to be the case for both mobile and PC versions of the game, with the latter available via the Epic Games Store.

EA’s annual football game may have a different name, but EA FC 24 is still much of the same for longtime fans of the franchise. Underneath the rebranding and fresh coat of paint are the same modes, teams, and microtransactions we all love and hate. Let’s look at the best teams in EA FC 24.

What are the Best Teams in EA FC 24?

Each season a small group of teams get 5-star ratings and a significant advantage in game modes like Kick Off and Seasons. However, EA’s football games don’t always feature a team’s best line-up as its default option. It’s frustrating and can often lead to gamers missing out on having a big star in their squad.

Ever since the shock announcement of the Fortnite x Fallout event due to land in Chapter 5 Season 3, fans have been speculating on what the crossover may evolve. After all, it’s a far cry from the Greek Gods theme of Season 2, meaning some huge shake-ups are on the way. Fortunately, some eagle-eyed Reddit users may have landed on some big scoops.

Flamethrowers May Be Coming in Fortnite x Fallout

In a post on the Fortnite subreddit from user IRS_Agent-636, they labeled a new teaser of the Fortnite Power Armor skins with the Fallout weapons they seem to resemble. You can check out the post here:

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Review for Switch

Ask any Mario fan which of the plumber’s back catalog they most wanted to be remastered, and the chances are they’d say Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. When it debuted back on GameCube 20 years ago, it hugely deviated from what big-budget standalone Mario games could be and earned itself a flawless reputation.

Sure, it took after 2000’s original Paper Mario for the N64, but The Thousand-Year Door upped the ante in every way. Larger, more varied areas to explore, a sweeping story, and combat that built on the action commands of the first game but added new features like audience reactions, style finishers, and environmental hazards to avoid mid-battle.

After one of the most popular closed beta periods in mobile gaming history, Solo Leveling: ARISE is finally out worldwide. Based on the beloved manga-turned-anime, this expansive mobile game takes the 3D action formula of Tower of Fantasy and Honkai Star Rail and adds its own monster-slaying spin.

As someone who rarely plays mobile action games of this nature, I was impressed by just how good the game looks. While Solo Leveling: ARISE isn’t a proper open-world experience, the small combat arenas and hub worlds you explore are lavishly detailed in 3D and stand a step above what most mobile games can offer. The cel-shaded designs are timeless and suit mobile displays well, and while the art style isn’t especially close to the manga or anime, it’s exactly how you’d want a Solo Leveling game to look.

The first-ever console and PC game based on the beloved light novel series That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime has been revealed by Bandai Namco. Entitled That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles, it’s slated to release on August 8, 2024 for PC and major consoles.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles Slated for Summer

Taking place alongside the events of the light novels and anime that followed it, players assume the role of Rimuru. She’s the leader of the Jura Tempest Federation, which you’ll grow in size and population during the game’s story. This story is taken directly from the source material, so existing fans will already know what to expect narrative-wise.