Joining me today are returning-from-holiday editor-in-chief Martin Robinson, who tells us all about Splatoon 3, which he just reviewed. Why didn’t he give it an Essential like all the other Nintendo games he reviews, hmm? With the help of news reporter Victoria Kennedy, we put him on the spot. Elsewhere, I talk about A Plague Tale: Requiem, which I played a healthy chunk of and have reservations about, though I’m still looking forward to it coming out next month....

What’s clear is that the reality of AMD’s products did not live up to the pre-launch hype delivered by leakers who clearly were not in possession of much in the way of actual facts. Talk of 2x performance boosts and ‘almost 4GHz GPUs’ clearly let down some fans and rather unfairly, took the sheen away from AMD’s actual achievements, which are highly impressive in many ways. For example, an additional 50 to 70 percent of performance is, by and large, exactly what Nvidia achieved with RTX 4090....

Winter, as Paradox explains in its latest developer blog, is intended to make the world of Crusader Kings 3 an even harsher place, and will gradually blanket the world in snow - a change clearly visible on the map - as the seasons progress and temperatures plummet. Paradox says winter will arrive in three different variants - mild, normal, and harsh, all easy to spot at a glance - and will affect all parts of the map just as you’d expect it to in the real-world....

While this Water/Ground-type Pokémon may not be particularly fishy — we expected the Water Fish to be one of the actually-fish-shaped Pokémon out there — Wooper and its evolution Quagsire do see use in some corners of Pokémon Go thanks to its impressive bulk. However, the real draw for this week’s Spotlight Hour is the special bonus that runs alongside the event – the double catch Stardust bonus. On this page:...

For the uninitiated, the aim of Wordle is to work out a daily five-letter word within six guesses. The fewer the guesses, the better - and if you fail to guess it at all, you’ll break your streak. The latter is why working out today’s Wordle answer is such a priority, as players pride themselves on keeping their streak going. So why gamble on a risky final guess when you can learn a few clues and, failing that, get the definitive answer?...

For the uninitiated, the aim of Wordle is to work out a daily five-letter word within six guesses. The fewer the guesses, the better - and if you fail to guess it at all, you’ll break your streak. The latter is why working out today’s Wordle answer is such a priority, as players pride themselves on keeping their streak going. So why gamble on a risky final guess when you can learn a few clues and, failing that, get the definitive answer?...

Spencer also suggested Activision studios such as Crash Bandicoot 4 developer Toys for Bob would also be released from its recent retooling to become cogs in the Call of Duty machine. “I was looking at the IP list, I mean, let’s go!” Spencer told The Washington Post. “‘King’s Quest,’ ‘Guitar Hero,’… I should know this but I think they got ‘HeXen.’” On the topic of developers like Toys for Bob, Spencer said his team would talk to studios about working on games from Activision Blizzard’s franchise history....

If you’re interested, there are also some bundles available - and these may be a good backup choice if the console alone sells out. Right now we can see two game bundles in stock: one with the Series X and Back 4 Blood for £475, and the other with the Series X and Far Cry 6 for £488. Both are good recent games at a fair price, so they’re not a bad option if the non-bundled Series X sells out by the time you read this....

The live event will be broadcast on Thursday, 30th September at 6pm Japan time (that’s 10am here in the UK) but focus on “regionally relevant updates on previously announced games coming later this year”, Microsoft has now said. Importantly, “no new global debuts should be expected”. In other words, don’t expect Microsoft to suddenly reveal Halo Infinite 2, or that it’s pocketed Nintendo. As I wrote earlier in the month when Xbox announced this livestream, it is always worth managing expectations for Tokyo Games Show appearances....

Speaking in an interview with Easy Allies (and reported by TheGamer), Yoshida was asked about whether the game will come to Microsoft’s console. Though he wasn’t able to share any details, it seems conversations are ongoing. “I feel bad for saying the same thing every time, but we are still in discussions with Microsoft, and I feel like our conversations are going in a positive-like tone,” he said. “I don’t want to say we do not have an Xbox version, but I’m hoping that the timing will be very soon that I will have some kind of update to the players....

The Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 launches on the 27th of October and includes 60 games- that’s 20 more than the first edition and includes some Sega CD titles. The price, however, has gone up by £35, bringing the cost to £105. It also comes with one less controller, but the three-button controller from the original Sega Mega Drive Mini is apparently compatible, so you’re alright if you have one of those!...

Perhaps, first, a quick introduction for those who’ve yet to experienced the marvels of Guildford High Street for themselves; it’s the epicentre of a small town situated around 40 miles south-west of London that just so happens to be a thriving hub for the UK’s game development scene. Poke around and you’ll find the likes of Supermassive, Media Molecule, EA, Room developer Fireproof Games, Criterion, Ubisoft - and, of course, No Man’s Sky developer Hello Games....

ACE Team bet big and the gamble paid off, as sales have allowed for a sequel, which was announced recently. This promises greater exploration, more RPG elements and an expansive, open-ended world. But ACE Team hasn’t finished with Zeno Clash 1, with extra content set to arrive soon and the possibility of an enhanced Xbox Live Arcade port. At least, that’s what Carlos Bordeu - one of three founding brothers of ACE Team - told Eurogamer....

After this morning’s Season Two update for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War went live, players noticed new challenges for calling cards. Some of these calling cards challenge the player to kill zombies in Warzone. Here’s what I spotted in Black Ops Cold War today: So, not only are zombies coming to Warzone, but you’ll be able to kill them. Players have long-suspected the arrival of zombies in Verdansk....

This isn’t the first delay for Star Wars: Hunters, of course; announced back in February 2021 for Switch, iOS, and Android, the game was originally expected to launch later that year, but eventually saw its full release pushed into 2022. Zynga has, however, managed to soft launch the game in select territories in the interim, so there are at least some players who’ve had the opportunity to try it in that time....

Firewall Ultra So far details are light on what Firewall Ultra, the PSVR 2 exclusive follow up to Firewall Zero Hour has to offer in terms of new gameplay. However, the original was one of my all-time favourite PSVR titles and this tactical shooter delivered some superb Rainbow Six Siege style gameplay that just felt phenomenal to experience in VR. The sneak peeks of gampelay we’ve been shown in recent trailers have sent my anticipation levels into overdrive though....

The two companies have been working together since 2018 to provide Halo designs, including Master Chief and the Arbiter. Now that selection will include Master Chief from Halo Infinite and Halo: Reach Spartan Catherine-B320 (Kat). Limbitless Solutions is a nonprofit based at the University of Central Florida that creates bespoke 3D-printed prosthetics for children with limb loss based on major entertainment franchises, as well as teaching how to use them and other support....

(There’s a demo on Steam here.) The concept behind it really makes you wonder why no one has made a game like it before - the ideas are familiar, but not the tone. In the demo I played as part of a preview event, you, the captain of a spaceship, come to, only to realise you are the spaceship, a fully sentient AI only represented through a human, which you then get to design yourself in a character creator....

The logo, which looks like a rip-off of the euro sign, will be on the famous Italian club’s training gear from the beginning of next season. The players wear the training kit during sessions at the Milanello Sports Centre and before every fixture in domestic and international competitions. They of course wear the proper AC Milan kit while they’re playing matches. Konami hasn’t got its eFootball logo on that - yet....

Across each division under the Activision Blizzard umbrella, there has been a fall in players. In December 2021, Activation saw its player count fall from 119m to 107m, while Blizzard’s numbers went from 26m to 24m. This follows a previous trend that saw the developer’s MAUs fall by 13 percent in November 2021. On the flip side, Square Enix has seen its figures rise again over the last quarter. This is thanks to a substantial growth in Final Fantasy 14 subscribers, merchandise sales and expansion packs for its MMO games (via Daniel Ahmad)....