gaming

Veteran game developer Ken Levine stepped away from the BioShock series after 2013's BioShock Infinite, and while the series is going ahead with BioShock 4 , it's doing so without him. Why did Levine step away to work on a different game, Judas , instead of sticking with the series he created? Speaking to IGN , Levine said BioShock remains "very important" to him and that he feels "incredibly fortunate" to have worked on a franchise that means so much to so many people. However, he opted to step away in part because he "didn't have a lot else to say in that world." He also reflected on how working on established franchises can be something of a trap. "A franchise is an interesting thing because it can come to own you if you're not careful. It can define you. It was scary and risky and crazy to walk away from a very successful franchise. I didn't [walk away] because I didn't love the franchise," he said. "I wanted to step away and challenge myself in a different way, and challenge a team in a different way. Things can own you if you hold them too tightly rather than the other way around. I will always love [BioShock] and I can't wait to see what they do with it." Continue Reading at GameSpot

Deadzone: Rogue 2 has officially been announced by developer Prophecy Games, with the studio promising a sharper follow-up to the 2025 roguelite first-person shooter. Prophecy Games says that the core gunplay and foundation of the original game have been kept intact, but it's aiming to deliver an experience that's deeper, more flexible, and feels more rewarding to master. A demo for Deadzone: Rogue 2 will also go live in June 2026 on PC, showcasing how the sequel has evolved the concepts of the first game. As for those changes, Prophecy Games added that Deadzone: Rogue 2 will feature an expanded progression system that gives players greater control and build variety across various abilities, weapons, and run modifiers. New zones and environments will be introduced, and an expanded collection of enemies and bosses will keep players on their toes in the heat of battle. The "core feel" of Deadzone's gunplay will remain intact, but Prophecy Games says that it has been "refined and sharpened" across the board. Continue Reading at GameSpot

Nintendo has promised to provide "a robust software line-up to enhance the Switch 2 ownership value" following the Switch 2 price increase (from $449.99 to $499.99) announced last week. Read more

Wordle. A lot of people play it. In turn, a lot of guides writers at sites across the internet have to play it as part of their jobs, so that they can provide that big bunch of players with answers and helpful hints. It's relentless work that's invaluable in helping keep the likes of us full-time newsers and critics in jobs and one that might now end up leading these talented folks to have to bravely do something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy - watching a TV show about regular people solving word puzzles that's being made in partnership with Jimmy Fallon’s production company. Read more

I can still clearly remember the first time I watched Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark with my brothers. I was young and nestled between them, and I felt safe in the knowledge they would protect me from anything too scary for five-year-old me. I also had my teddy just in case. I needn't have worried, though. Within moments, I was transfixed, partly by the sweltering Peruvian jungle but mostly by the handsome man in a fedora with a whip. I wanted to be just like him. I wanted his confidence, his strength, his sense of adventure, and I wanted his wardrobe too. Read more

The Gunstar Scimitar, one of the few battleships to escape the Cylon attack on Caprica, has a problem. Yes, it is the only military vessel standing between a pursuing robot army intent on wiping out the last of humanity and an unarmed civilian fleet, but the safety of the civvie ships that cluster around the Scimitar like pilot fish to a whale shark isn't the immediate worry. Nor is it the imposter robot hiding among the command crew, planting bombs across the fleet and sewing seeds of discontent at every opportunity. It's STDs. The colonial marines crewing the gunship are riddled with them. Charitably, you could say the soldiers saw it as their duty to restart the human race. Whatever the case, as the commander of the Scimitar, I have to choose whether to spare the marines their blushes and let the infections continue to spread or step in with some prophylactics and a lecture on safe sex. If you choose to avoid embarrassment, the healthcare level of the entire fleet will drop, as infection spreads unabated through the amorous crew. Step in with condoms and talk of birds and bees and your relationship with the now-chastened military will deteriorate. Not every decision in Battlestar Galactica : Scattered Hopes, the roguelike FTL take on the sci-fi TV series, is to do with the nighttime antics of your crew, but they do all carry consequences. Read more

Earlier this month, Stop Killing Games, the campaign group seeking to prevent online games being rendered unplayable when publishers shut down their servers, threw their support behind a Californian bill aiming to put a requirement that studios either take action to keep games running after server shutterings or provide full refunds into law. As said bill - dubbed AB 1921 - continues to meander through the lawmaking process, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) have come out in opposition of it, arguing the proposal "doesn't reflect how games actually work today". Read more

Leon S. Kennedy might be pushing 50 in the world of Resident Evil, but that doesn't seem to be slowing him down, if his action hero hijinks in this year's Resident Evil Requiem - including that motorcycle scene - are anything to go by. And Requiem game director Koshi Nakanishi reckons Leon would still make a compelling addition to the series as a 70-year-old. Read more

Fallout 4 is a game that contains games. Little holotape games you can collect and give a go if you get bored of running around post-apocalyptic Boston. Well, a modder's now used that framework to get both the original Fallout and Morrowind running on the RPG's Pip-Boy and terminals, just in case you want the extra layer of firing up Fallout 4 next time you want to head for Vault 13 or Vvardenfell. Read more

KILL THE THINGS, BLOKE WITH NICE HAIR. Ok, Capcom, he'll kill the things in the new game mode your latest update adds to Resident Evil Requiem . YES, LEON MUST DIE FOREVER. Indeed, it's a name that's arguably a bit on the nose, but it certainly does the job. Read more

Resident Evil Requiem has a new game mode, which is out now for free for all those who have made it through the main story and want to keep flexing their survival muscles. Read more

Pragmata has sold another 1m copies, bringing its total sales figure up to an impressive 2m since its release last month. Read more

What're ya buyin'? As soon as you read or hear those words, you know exactly who I am talking about. It's the catchphrase spoken by Resident Evil 4 's mysterious Merchant, who Leon can get weapons and upgrades from as he battles his way through the Las Plagas-riddled villagers. Read more