Where You Buy Your Computer Cases?

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Gamescom 2024's Opening Night Live was a lacklustre event - but one announcement changed everythiong. As the event moved into its final few minutes, new footage of the extremely promising Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was shown, with an announcement that the game arrives in December, followed by a PlayStation 5 launch in Spring 2025. It signals a clear intent from Microsoft for Xbox to embrace a multi-platform future - and the response was mixed, to say the least. Change is always accompanied by uncertainty, but the Xbox strategy is coming into focus now and I think the choices are sound. However, questions surround the role of the Xbox itself - as a console - as the firm moves ever closer to full multi-platform publishing.


This change is driven by necessity and the reality of games development and publishing. On a general level, all of the major platform holders are grappling with the stark reality that the overall console audience has plateaued and in terms of the number of actual players, not much has changed since the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 generation. Meanwhile, the cost of making games has ballooned massively, with triple-A titles often requiring blockbuster movie-level budgets. From the cost of the Xbox Live subscription, through season passes, micro-transactions and Game Pass/PlayStation Plus, the industry has been able to increase revenues from those same players - but the cost of doing business continues to rise regardless.


This is one reason why Microsoft expanded the Xbox platform to encompass PC (a logical progression bearing in mind its Windows stewardship), while Sony has blurred the lines with first-party exclusivity with PlayStation titles, where - again - PC is seen as a lucrative growth prospect. Both firms are also invested to varying degrees with cloud gaming. Microsoft is taking things further though: the Indiana Jones PS5 announcement signals that Xbox games now operate on a timed window of exclusivity. Messaging from Phil Spencer suggests that more games will arrive on more platforms and I wouldn't be surprised if that's all of them in due course.

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Two and a half years after announcing The Witcher 4 - or rather the "the first instalment in the new Witcher saga", as it's now more officially known - CD Projekt has confirmed pre-production is almost over and that full production on the game will begin "soon".


CD Projekt's joint CEO Michał Nowakowski shared the news in a press release outlining the studio's work so far in 2024, explaining development on the new Witcher game (codenamed Polaris) is "nearing a major milestone which will mark the end of the pre-production phase".


In an earnings video accompanying CD Projekt's latest financial results, chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz expanded on Nowakowski's comments a little, saying, "The Polaris team, working on the next game in The Witcher saga, made substantial progress, which will soon enable us to wrap up pre-production and take this project to the full production phase."

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Beloved 1997 3D platformer Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is being remastered for PC and consoles, and it's coming from a newly revived version of originaly developer Argonaut Games.


Argonaut was founded by Jez San in 1982 and would go on to release the likes of Starglider and Birds of Prey before teaming up with Nintendo to create 1993's classic on-rails space shooter Star Fox. A second Nintendo partnership resulted in 1994's Stunt Race FX, and the studio would go on to release games for another decade before it closed amid financial troubles in 2004 - with many of the team ending up at Batman Arkham developer Rocksteady Studios.


20 years later, Argonaut Games is being resurrected as a "boutique publisher" by new co-CEOs Gary Sheinwald and Mike Arkin. And while San doesn't appear to be involved with the revival, he does pop up in the announcement press release to say, "Argonaut was always about pushing the boundaries of what's possible in gaming, and I'm excited to see how the relaunched Argonaut Games builds on that legacy, starting with the Croc: Legend of the Gobbos remaster."

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Earlier this year, Chris Barrett, a senior figure at Bungie and the project lead on its Marathon reboot, was reported to have left the studio - and a new report has shed fresh light on his departure, claiming he was ousted after an internal investigation into inappropriate behaviour.


Back in March, IGN reported former Valorant game director Joe Ziegler had taken over Barrett's role on the Marathon reboot as part of a creative leadership shake-up at Bungie. Now, however, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier claims Barrett was fired from the studio this spring, after being accused of inappropriate behaviour by "at least eight" female employees.


Speaking directly to some of the women who had originally filed complaints against Barrett, alongside a number of employees involved in Bungie's investigation, Bloomberg reports Barrett repeatedly befriended women at the studio then subjected them to "a barrage of text messages that blurred the lines between professional and personal". Texts seen by Bloomberg - described as "unwanted" and "uncomfortable" by the women that received them - included "flirtatious messages... and requests to hang out".

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As another month rolls around and the nights start creeping ever so slightly in, Sony has revealed its monthly PlayStation Plus games for September.
From 3rd September, all PS Plus members will be able to get their hands on the following titles:
In Quidditch Champions, as you may have surmised, players will be able to hop onto a broom and take to the skies to play a match or two with their friends and family (or mortal enemies, whatever works for you). MLB The Show 24 is another sports-based game, and will allow players the opportunity to live out any unrealised baseball dreams they may have.
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A little over a week ahead of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2's 9th September arrival on PC and consoles, developer Saber Interactive has whipped the cover off its post-launch roadmap, promising the likes of new missions, new modes, and new enemies, all for free.


Space Marine 2 - which charts the continuing adventures of Ultramarines Space Marine Lieutenant Titus - was announced back in 2021, but following a substantial delay and an unfortunate leak, it's finally almost upon us and looking very promising indeed.


So if Saber can stick the landing, there should be plenty of interest in what's coming to Space Marine 2 after launch, which starts with a free "Season 1" update sometime this September, bringing the Battle Barge Sparring Arena, private PvE lobbies, and ultra wide support.

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Demonschool - the upcoming RPG inspired by Persona and Italian horror films - has been delayed.
The game was initially meant to release next month, on 13th September. However, after careful consideration, the team has decided to postpone the launch to ensure it reaches a higher standard.
"You never want to delay a game, but Demonschool means a lot to us. We've really put everything we have into this project, and as we got closer to release we realised that meeting the 13th September deadline would necessarily mean a game with less content than we originally envisioned," developer Necrosoft Games said today.
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After a long period of dormancy, the Legacy of Kain franchise is poised to make a return as a prequel graphic novel.
This graphic novel is known as Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - The Dead Shall Rise, and earlier this week Crystal Dynamics revealed the project had surpassed $1m in Kickstarter funding.
"This is more than just a milestone - it's proof of the power of this community," Crystal Dynamics celebrated on social media platform X. "We're beyond grateful. Let's keep the momentum going!"
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If you are looking to get a bite sized portion of narrative-driven horror into your evening, you can now give The Casting of Frank Stone a quick whirl thanks to its free demo.
The Casting of Frank Stone is the upcoming interactive game set in the world of Dead by Daylight, and a collaborative effort between slasher aficionados Supermassive Games and Behaviour.
Its demo acts as a prologue to the main game itself, and plops players down at the Cedar Hills Steel Mill. Taking on the role of Sam Green - who is described as a "determined" policeman - players will then start investigating the rather sad case of a missing child.
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The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 team has laid out those all important PC requirements, ahead of the game's release this autumn.
Those jumping in on PC will need a minimum of 8 GB RAM, although Activision recommends 16 GB.
Players will additionally need an SSD with a minimum of 149 GB available space on the game's launch. Activision notes that it comes down to 78 GB if COD HQ and Warzone are already installed on your PC, however.
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The battle music in Metaphor: ReFantazio is incredible. Urgent, insistent chanting builds tension over dramatic string stabs before a glorious brass fanfare emerges with choral harmonies. It's as grand and operatic as the game as a whole. It's also diegetic - not just a background score but summoned into the game world by the player character's fairy companion to inspire. Music is - quite literally - magic.


A soundtrack of bangers won't come as a surprise to fans of Atlus' previous RPGs - the Persona games in particular are known for their jazzy funk tunes. Here, the switch to rich classical orchestration presents a new style but a familiar reliance on catchy earworms.


And that's emblematic of Metaphor as a whole. Structurally and gameplay-wise it's somewhat familiar, yet smart changes and a shift to high fantasy ensure this is a fresh experience and the next step in Atlus RPGs. It's far more than just Persona in fantasy clothing.

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It's fair to say Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 caught the eyes of many - myself included - when it was revealed during the Summer Game Fest Xbox Showcase. Here, among the multiple sequels and remakes of familiar franchises, was something completely fresh: a turn-based RPG in a Belle Epoch setting to pull the genre into a modern era.


"It was very overwhelming," creative director Guillaume Broche tells me of the attention the game has received. "I was expecting turn-based fans to stand up and say 'oh this looks cool', but I wasn't expecting this community to be that excited actually. It's like we awakened a sleeping dragon."


Indeed, it's the game's turn-based combat with action elements that's turned heads most of all. Not since Xbox 360 exclusive Lost Odyssey has there been a "big realistic" AAA turn-based game, says Broche. And while Sandfall Interactive's game isn't AAA in budget, it's certainly aspiring to that look and feel.

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Let's lay out the facts of the case: Eisuke Saski, a high schooler, has been found strangled by a pumping station outside of the city. The object used to kill him is missing, but the true oddity is the paper bag with a grinning face drawn upon it placed over his head. A regular high schooler no more, this bag connects Eisuke to an uncaught serial killer from 18 years ago, who did the same thing to their victims. The twist? All three of those original victims were teenage girls. (Here's where the 'dun dun' would go if this was a Law and Order episode.)
It's for this reason Inspector Kamada has asked the Utsugi Detective Agency to assist with the investigation. Alongside the stern Detective Kuze and slightly careless Detective Kamihara, you'll use your little grey cells to discover why Eisuke was in such a remote location, who killed him, and if his death is truly connected to the unsolved murders from so long ago - even if Kuze, somewhat suspiciously, would really prefer if you were off the case.
This isn't all you'll have to contend with, however. Something spooky is afoot, for that paper bag ties the case to the urban myth of Emio, the Smiling Man. He appears in front of crying girls and promises to give them a smile. A permanent one. If the girl laughs then Emio walks away, but if she doesn't… Well, she doesn't have anything to smile about.
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Konami has announced the Castlevania Dominus Collection, a re-release of classic games from the series that originally launched on Nintendo DS.


As revealed during yesterday's Nintendo Direct, the collection features Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. In addition, two bonus games are included: Haunted Castle (the arcade version of Castlevania) and Haunted Castle Revisited (a reimagined version).


The collection is available now for Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (Steam).

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Unionised staff at Raven Software have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after claims both Activision and Microsoft are stalling over contract negotiations.
Workers from the studio, which is known for its contribution to the Call of Duty series, filed the complaint last Friday. As reported by Game File, the complaint alleged "Refusal to Bargain/Bad Faith Bargaining" in relation to ongoing efforts to reach a collective bargaining agreement.
"After Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that they would progress quickly to a first contract at Raven Software," Communication Workers of America president Claude Cummings Jr. told Game File following the filing. "Unfortunately, that has not happened."
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