Coming to PC, PSN, and XBLA Focus Home Entertainment announced a new game today calledObscure. It’s being developed by Mighty Rocket Studios, and looks to be a fun 2.5D side-scrolling shooter. The game will feature four player co-op either locally or online, and it’s not exactly a straight up shooter like sayContra. Obscureencourages combos, close melee attacks, and whatever else you can do to break scores. There’s some role-playing game elements thrown into the mix too, as you can level up and unlock new weapons, skills, and abilities as you complete objectives in the big non-linear levels....

The new trailer forPlants vs Zombies, which you can see after the jump, confirmed for me that this game is going to rank as one of my most wanted summer titles — it just looks too funny. It was also brought to my attention that PopCap has added a zombie avatar generator to their Web site for the game, called aZombatar, so you can make an icon for your personal use....

Gandhi is pleased Many empires have risen and fallen throughout the history of mankind. What once stands as a towering achievement to human ingenuity and engineering soon becomes rubble, dust, and bones. The cycle repeats and history moves on; nothing demonstrates that formula so well asCivilizationdoes with each new game. I mentioned in mypreview articlethatCivilization VIfeels like a new beginning for the series. I still believe that is true, but I can’t say the final product hasn’t left me a tiny bit disappointed....

What to know about Ubisoft Quartz and Digits Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently told investors that the company wants to be “one of the key players” in blockchain gaming, and today, Ubisoft announced Quartz — its approach to NFTs in games you’ve actually heard of. First up,Ghost Recon Breakpoint. The announcement trailer runs down the high-level pitch for the Ubisoft Quartz beta, and there’s alsoa dedicated sitethat gets into the nitty-gritty of Digits, which is what the NFTs are called....

Thanks to Drifter Entertainment Back in 2017, Epic Games, pre-Fortnitecraze, dropped a little ol’ VR project on the Oculus storefront calledRobo Recall. It was fun, irreverent, and totally ahead of its time: if you have a headset I highly recommend you give it a shot. It’s getting another lease on life too, as Oculus has announced that Drifter Entertainment (a studio with Epic Games alumni) did the heavy lifting involved to bring it to the upcoming Oculus Quest....

Promoted from our Community Blogs! [Save Stateis a new Community Blog series started by taterchimp as an homage to Dtoid’s ownMemory Cardseries. Since this first blog was posted, several new ones have been shared, and several other Dtoiders have joined the cause. Want to get involved? Join theSave State Google Group! –Mr Andy Dixon] As a male gamer, there are certain privileges that I have: I can play online without prejudice, I can project onto 90% of the protagonists I play as, and I am constantly marketed to....

Blackbird’s Kraken adds 30% more content, game is now 30% off [Update: Reader MikeShadows pointed out that the original story was potentially misleading. Sorry about that! To clarify, theBlackbird’s Krakencampaign forSlime-sanis available on Steamfor a price as a stand-alone gameor asfree add-on if you by the fullSlime-sanpackage.] Looks like we can add another one to the ever growing list of Rags-to-Switches indie success stories. The Switch version ofSlime-san, a wacky 5-color platformer, featuring cameos fromSlugcatandmany other lovable gaming underdogs, has “…absolutely sold better than the Steam version”according to developer Fabraz....

If you’ve pre-ordered, you’ll still get to play in 2013 Chucklefish cites the unpredictability of game development for the delay, though many following along have predicted exactly this scenario. On the bright side, any whopreorderare eligible for the beta, so those with the most anticipation will get to playStarboundin some capacity before January. With this new release clarification, I’m still expecting the beta to release some time during the second half of December....

Slowly but certainly, Valve continues its long trudge towards makingSteamOSthe very best gaming-focused operating system. SteamOS 3.6, specifically, is now available in the Steam Deck’s ‘Preview’ update channel, and everything suggests it’s an absolute hoot in regards to performance and stability. The full list of improvements on offer is substantial indeed, but some of the highlights include an update of SteamOS to a more recent Arch Linux base, improved display uniformity, a more up-to-date GPU driver, and unlocking of the LCD Steam Deck’s BIOS overclocking capabilities....

Street Fighter: 2nd (and 3rd, 4th, & 5th) Impact Among the core mechanics of Capcom’s new scrapperStreet Fighter 6, one of the most important to get to grips with — even in the early going — isDrive Impact(commonly abbreviated to “DI”). This hybrid defensive/offensive tool is a key part of the SF6 meta, and as such is a vital element of gameplay. Drive Impact is somewhat similar toStreet Fighter IV‘sFocus Attack, though is arguably more powerful on defense and more devastating on offense....

It looks like fromhere on out, Sony-published PS3 games will require players to enter a single-use code to play online. People who buy their games used will likely have to purchase a code separately to get online. Some say it’s bad news but fair play, as Sony is only asking for players to directly contribute to paying for their servers if they plan on using them.Othersare against this idea on principle, while still others are just mad that they may have to pay to play used PS3 games online at all....

The Squid Sisters are drifting apart In case you haven’t heard, Nintendo is officially filling us in on the story betweenSplatoonandSplatoon 2, framed around the relationship of the Squid Sisters. In what basically reads like a script from a network drama, we’re slowly learning how their relationship (or any relationship really) is unraveling. In the third chapter we find Marie out on the town, hamming it up with Crusty Sean (who was in the original) while Callie happens upon their meeting....

Soul Reaver 1, 2, and Defiance This past week I was thinking how much I wanted a sequel to theBlood Omen/Soul Reaversagas. That may never happen, but the arrival of theSoul Reaversaga on Steam is the next best thing. Soul Reaver,Soul Reaver 2andLegacy of Kain: Defianceare all available right now for $9.99/€9.99/£6.99 each. Now theBlood Omengames just need to be released on Steam so they can all be one happy blood sucking family....