A new trailer reveals Aliens: Fireteam Elite as the new title Of the upcoming action game formerly known as simply Aliens: Fireteam. It also reveals a release date, saying the game will come to PC and consoles on August 24th. Pre-orders are now under way on this website, and the description of the video explains the incentives for this advance commitment:

Pre-order any edition of Aliens: Fireteam Elite and receive the Hardened Marine Pack, which includes the Bandana Head Accessory, Digital Red Weapon Camo, 3 Weapon Decals, and Chestburster Emote.

Set in the iconic Alien universe, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a cooperative third-person survival shooter that drops your fireteam of hardened marines into a desperate fight to contain the evolving Xenomorph threat.

Face off against waves of terrifying Xenomorph and Weyland-Yutani Synthetic foes alongside two players or AI teammates, as you and your fireteam desperately fight your way through four unique campaigns that introduce new storylines to the Alien universe. Create and customize your own Colonial Marine, choosing from an extensive variety of classes, weapons, gear, and perks, battling overwhelming odds in this heart-pounding survival shooter experience.

Continue here to read the full story.

Scarlet Nexus is due on Friday, but reviews of the action RPG are rolling out today. Here's a roundup:

• Scarlet Nexus Review – Anime Ascendant - Game Informer.
• Scarlet Nexus review: “A brilliant battle system let down by underwhelming side content” - GamesRadar+.
• Scarlet Nexus review -- Our powers combined, I am Captain Karen - PC Invasion.
• Scarlet Nexus review: a surprising gem - Polygon.
• Scarlet Nexus review: slick anime action with a double-edged story - Rock Paper Shotgun.
• Scarlet Nexus review - Anime combat paired with multiple seasons worth of anime story - VG247.
• Scarlet Nexus Review - Don't Take Your Hands off the Red Strings - Wccftech.

Steam Database tweets about the discovery of a change in how Steam handles changing the country listed on your account. This is to impede manipulation to take advantage of regional pricing:

In a further crack down on people buying games in cheaper regions, Valve added a limit on how often you can change your Steam account's country.

Country may not be updated more than once every 3 months. Purchases can be completed using a payment method from your current region.

Out of Line is now available for Windows on the Epic Games Store, GOG.com, Humble Store*, and Steam, offering an action/platformer developed by Nerd Monkeys and published by Hatinh Interactive. Word is: "Inspired by Studio Ghibli, modern philosophy and impressionist art, the game depicts protagonist San’s journey of self-discovery. As players assist the young man in recovering his memory and escaping an oppressive factory regime, they’ll uncover existential themes that relate to their own lives." As you can see in the Launch Trailer, the game features lush, hand-painted graphics. Here's why you will be a stan for San:

Players will use San’s spear to climb walls, activate switches, operate platforms, halt machinery and more across a variety of landscapes. As they navigate past puzzles and mechanical hazards in order to gather the young man’s memories, they’ll unravel the mysteries of his world and discover the power of hope in the face of tyranny.

Key Features

• Enjoy dozens of visually impressive puzzles
• Learn to master the mechanics of the spear
• Interact with beautiful hand-drawn environments
• Learn from extraordinary characters
• Discover what San’s story means to you

Continue here to read the full story.

A free update is now available for Just Die Already, the senior citizen sandbox game. This adds the promised new player-versus-player mode in what is described as "the first free update of many." Those who own the Windows edition should get this automatically through the Epic Games Store or Steam. Here's more:

In the new PvP mode, it’s time to give the boomers what they deserve by having them fight for their lives! Compete against your other old friends, playing in four new arenas where the goal is simple: survive the onslaught from your elderly assailants and start ripping their limbs off.

The new PvP mode includes:

• A brand new game dubbed ‘Farm’: A cat and mouse type affair where one player takes the role of a farmer trying to stop the apple thieves with his shotgun and the others set about lifting that fruit.,
• Battle arenas where players will duke it out using the array of weapons and tools scattered around the level. Players can choose between a variety of settings such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Stock, Time Limit, and King of the Hill to tweak their battle to their liking.

Gaming's Viking trend shows no sign of slowing down as publisher SimulaM and developer LothbrokStudio announce Viking Berserker, A Norse berserker game coming to Steam. Here's the Official Trailer and a chunk of the description:

In the Old Norse written corpus, “berserkers” were those who were said to have fought in a trance-like fury.
Now, it’s a time for you to become one of them - to be a great Viking warrior, you need to learn how to be a Berserker.

Dark forces have opened the sky and come to our world, and it will be your job to stop all of them and send them back to where they came from.
Your journey will be full of different types of monsters and enemies!

Did we mention that it will be super difficult? If not, please keep in mind that you’ll need to use all your skills and learn new ones to reach the end.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Humble Epic Games Store Bundle (pay what you want and help charity).*
• Save 30% on Hardspace: Shipbreaker + OST Bundle on Steam.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Hardspace: Shipbreaker - 0.5.0 Update - The Pretty Rad Update.

• When a death knight does side quests. Thanks Ant.

• Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem -- Development Update - June 2021.

• Graveyard Keeper: Game of Crone DLC Available Now - Xbox Wire.
• Infinitrap- Rehamstered Now Available - Xbox Wire.
• TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2- Bush Rescue HD Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• Order Of Battle- World War II Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• Worms Rumble Is Now Available For Windows 10, Xbox One, And Xbox Series X-S (Also Included With Xbox Game Pass).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead (2108.210621-2200). Thanks Console General.

• NVIDIA Canvas App Launches in Beta.
• Seagate Announces FireCuda 530 PCIe 4.0 SSD at SG21.
• Buffett has now given half of his Berkshire shares to charity, announces resignation from Gates Foundation. Some people claim there's a woman to blame. Oops, wrong Buffett. Thanks RedEye9.
• Rembrandt's Huge 'Night Watch' Gets Bigger Thanks To AI. Thanks Acleacius.
• Building a Keyboard 2: Epomaker GK96S Kit, Akko Macaw Keycaps, Gateron Ink Switches.

• Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak’s wheel also works for video games…

Last Link of the Day:

Obituary: John McAfee: Anti-virus creator found dead in prison cell. Thanks Neutronbeam.

As the summer sale continues on GOG.com, the DRM-free marketplace rolls out another giveaway. For the next 48 hours everyone is entitled to pick up a copy of ARMA: Cold War Assault for free. This may not actually be related to the sale because the giveaway is also underway on Steam. Wherever you pick up the game, it will be a permanent addition to your library as long as you act in time. Here's word on this re-release of Operation Flashpoint, Bohemian Interactive's debut first-person shooter:

The horrors of WWIII are imminent. There are clashes over the Malden Islands from dusk to dawn and you are caught in-between. You must use all of the available resources in your arsenal to hold back the incoming darkness. When Victor Troska came back to Nogovo, he thought the pain of war was left buried in his past. But his dream lies broken now. His worst nightmare returns when military forces lands near Nogovo.

ArmA: Cold War Assault includes Bohemia Interactive's debut game published by Codemasters as Operation Flashpoint in 2001 and its expansion -- Operation Flashpoint: Resistance. This game is a genre-defining combat military simulation and was a bestselling PC game. It has won many international awards, including “Game of The Year” and “Best Action Game.” Over 2 million copies of Operation Flashpoint have been sold since its release.

Bethesda announces the exclusive DOOM Eternal GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Demon Slayer bundle. This includes DOOM Eternal, some special physical rewards, and an unobtanium-powered GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card. Since state-of-the-art video cards are almost impossible to find these days, there will be a drawing to see who is entitled to purchase one of the 300 bundles. Here are the details:

Because of extremely high demand, a select number of those interested in this bundle will be selected randomly to win the opportunity to purchase. After the deadline, the Gear Store will reach out to the lucky chosen few via email with a purchase link, with any unclaimed bundles redistributed to new winners. To enter for your chance to pick up this limited-offer item, just sign up using your region’s link below.

NA LINK
EU LINK

For more information, including the full rules and eligibility of this offer, please check your region’s Bethesda Gear Store site. Good luck to everyone entering – we can’t wait for you to experience DOOM Eternal running in all its gorgeous, RTX ON glory!

This Means Warp is a roguelike space ship management and combat game for one to four players in the works at two-person developer Outlier. The plan is for this to launch on Steam early next year, but its closed beta test is getting underway on July 2nd. Those interested in taking part can register on this page. Here's a new Gameplay Trailer along with some details:

Play solo or work together with up to 3 crewmates as you make your own destiny in a procedurally generated universe. Purchase new weapons/systems for your ship, battle increasingly challenging enemies, and choose your path through a wide array of varied and dangerous encounters. The stakes are high - if your ship is destroyed, it’s game over!

Continue here to read the full story.

Developer Cordens Interactive and publisher Deck13 Announce a July 30th release date for Vesper, a puzzle/platformer coming to Windows (it is also a dangerous cocktail invented by Ian Fleming). In the meantime there is a playable demo on Steam. Here's an Official Release Date Trailer along with some details on the game and its inspiration from the past:

Vesper mixes the gameplay of classic 90's atmospheric platformers with newly inspired mechanics. Use the Drive Gun to wield the light in order to overcome obstacles, take control of your enemies and turn them against each other.

The game offers you a variety of different solutions for every encounter, allowing you to hide in the shadows to avoid contact or to engage enemies head-on. Choosing a path that fits your play style is the core design philosophy of Vesper.

Continue here to read the full story.

• When a disappointing E3 is a good problem to have.
• An E3 that happened - Podcast - GamesIndustry.biz.

Publisher Headup announces a July 15th release date for Lost At Sea, the seafaring adventure game in development at Studio Fizbin. Here's last year's gamescom 2020 Trailer to show this off. Here's the course the game will follow:

Lost At Sea tells the story of Anna, who, in the later stages of her life, has come to be alone. To live her new future, she will first have to take stock of her past. Construct her memories by finding objects and solving puzzles on a strange island, and face the question we all face eventually: “Did I do it right?”

In Lost At Sea players experience poignant moments in Anna’s life, moments that we can all relate to, moments that make us all wonder how life can suddenly take a hold of us, instead of the other way around.

Continue here to read the full story.

Publisher Assemble Entertainment and developer Grimbart Tales announce ITORAH, calling it a "genre-blending" action/adventure title ITORAH. This will come to Windows via Steam later this year. The Announcement Trailer shows off the game's hand-painted environments inspired by Mesoamerican culture. Here's more on this project's inspirations:

ITORAH harkens back to the Nintendo Gameboy titles that inspired the team at Grimbart Tales. A loveable and scrappy cast of characters, a looming evil that threatens a colorful fantasy land, and of course, progressively more difficult platforming elements are but a few of the genre hallmarks awaiting players when the game drops later in 2021. As Itorah journeys through the world of Nahucan, she’ll meet a colorful cast of quirky companions, including her chatty and loud-mouthed weapon, which also serves as a guide to understanding the events of the past. She’ll need all the help she can get in order to make her way through the winding paths of Nahucan on her quest to save the land and battle the malignant contagion that threatens it!

Continue here to read the full story.

Publisher Gameforge and developers Wangyuan Shengtang & Aurogon announce a release date for Swords of Legends Online, Saying the MMORPG will launch on July 9th. A new Release Date Announcement Trailer celebrates the news with a look at the inspiration the game draws from Chinese mythology. Here's more:

In just a few weeks, players will be able to immerse themselves in the rich, expansive, visually stunning world and delve into the mystical story told through fully voiced cutscenes. Legendary warriors will play as one of six initial classes and embark on incredible quests, join forces with formidable allies to take down challenging foes, and rest their weary heads in a home among the clouds—easily accessible thanks to their trusty flying mounts!

Based on the legends that inspired the multi-award-winning television series, several movies, novels, and a series of games including the recent MMORPG Gu Jian Qi Tan Online—which first launched in China in July of 2019—Swords of Legends Online introduces a fully remastered edition of the popular AAA saga to a whole new audience in Europe and the Americas, presented in glorious, high-definition visuals. Following a successful Beta phase where players were able to test the waters, MMO fanatics in North and Latin America and Europe will soon be able to jump into the action themselves and explore a fascinating and strikingly gorgeous world steeped in and inspired by the poetic lore of ancient Chinese culture.

Continue here to read the full story.

• GTFO - Rundown 005-Rebirth gets EXTENDED, adding five new expeditions.
• Outriders has been updated + Legendary Drop Changes.

• Warzone players are glitching underneath Red Door loot rooms.

• Quake 25th Anniversary Multiplayer with Viewers. Thanks Gethyn.

• Cloudscape by Konitama — Kickstarter. "An action-adventure farm-life survival game for PC and console, with a Switch Physical Cart! Regrow not just your farm - but the world."

• Pizza Hut returns to streaming as Twitch Rivals partner.
• Esports Entertainment Group Named Official Esports Tournament Provider of the New York Rangers.

• Is It OK To Commemorate One Of Iraq's Bloodiest Battles In A Videogame?

• Sonic the Hedgehog: 'I'd never seen anything like it in a video game.'
• Nintendo will shut down the Splatoon 2 Online Lounge in July.
• Bitmaster Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• Empire Of Angels IV Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• Introducing Space Jam- A New Legacy - The Game and Three Exclusive Xbox Wireless Controllers.

• Electronic Arts Acquires Playdemic, Makers of the Highly Successful Golf Clash Mobile Game, From Warner Bros. Games and AT&T.
• Samsung’s Watch Active 4 leaks in new renders.

• Mozilla Firefox 89.0.2, See All New Features, Updates and Fixes. Thanks Frans.

• Windows 11 vs. Windows 10 Performance: Gaming and Applications - TechSpot.
• Using AI to Build Better Processors- Google Was Just the Start, Says Synopsys.
• Biggest Mining Gear Maker Halts Sales Amid China Crypto Crackdown.
• New FTC chair Lina Khan is Big Tech’s biggest nightmare. Thanks A51Abductee.
• Canon Uses AI Cameras That Only Let Smiling Workers Inside Offices. Which is why employees are not allowed to own Canon printers. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• This should be illegal… - Manufacturers are swapping SSD components (video). Thanks The Flying Penguin.

• Watch out: profile images on Steam could contain malware.
• Peloton Treadmill Safety Update Requires $40 a Month Subscription. Pay up or the kid gets it!
• IT leaders say cybersecurity funding being wasted on remote work support: survey.
• US government blocks Iran-affiliated news websites.
• How Cyber Sleuths Cracked an ATM Shimmer Gang.

• Pokemon Sword & Shield Leakers Have To Pay Nintendo $150,000. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Apple defends the App Store ahead of antitrust debates.
• Supreme Court says school can’t punish student for profane Snapchat post.

• Laptop: Razer Blade 14 Ryzen 9 Laptop Review- Blade Pro 17 Performance At Half The Size - NotebookCheck.net Reviews. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• RAM: T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB WHITE DDR4-3600MHz 2x16GB Kit - BabelTechReviews.
• SSD: Silicon Power UD70 2TB & US70 2TB NVMe SSD Review - Silicon Power UD70 2TB NVMe SSD Neoseeker.

• EA changes executive compensation scheme, cuts execs' 2021 pay. Bobby Kotick will have to find other poker partners…
• "Final Fantasy IX" Turns Into Animated Series. Thanks Ant…
• Feel the summer breeze on GOG GALAXY Day…
• Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass- Gang Beasts, Limbo, Prodeus, and More…

I've been struggling to make updates here since being rendered one-handed by my car accident. But even though I feel a little better everyday, today was by far the most frustrating battle with my computer. Windows has two different voice programs built in. One is Windows speech recognition which is activated with an icon. The other is the voice dictation app that comes up when you hold the Windows key and hit H. They both have their foibles, but I find the former tends to lock up my computer, and the latter is easier to work with. Unfortunately, the latter is the one that doesn't work very consistently on my set-up. I've managed to get it working again several times by rebooting my system. But as you can imagine that's not super-practical. I'll mess around with this a bit further today to see if I can figure out why it's so inconsistent. Maybe I just need to get a third-party voice recognition app.

Unrecognizable Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Story

• This Buddhist monk has rescued thousands of animals in China. Thanks Acleacius.

Science

• NASA and Tide team up to do laundry in space

Media
Thanks RedEye9.

• Former Army Intel Director Breaks Down Spy Satellite Scenes From Movies & TV.
• Video shows herd of cows running loose in California neighborhood. Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak.
• This is an Euler's Disk.
• Obstacle Challenge CAT vs DOG.

Follow-up

• They Relied on Chinese Vaccines. Now They’re Battling Outbreaks (may require registration or subscription). Thanks Kxmode.
• Drinking coffee may cut risk of chronic liver disease, study suggests. Thanks Slashdot.

Blizzard tweets that the promised crossplay support is now available in Overwatch. This post includes a FAQ explaining everything you need to know about multi platform support in the multiplayer shooter. Remember, "everyone who logs in to Overwatch by the end of 2021 will receive a Golden Loot Box to celebrate." Here's the announcement tweet:

Cross-Play has arrived. You can now group up with friends across the globe on PC, @xbox, @playstation and @nintendo.

Link your console to your http://Battle.net account and play with your friends!

Season Three is now underway in Sea of Thieves, kicking off the Pirate's Life in Rare's seafaring adventure game. This includes the chance to sail alongside Captain Jack Sparrow, so, you know, hide the rum. Xbox Wire has the details:

Like previous Seasons in Sea of Thieves, Season Three comes free of charge to all players and includes 100 levels of rewards to be earned by sailing the seas and steadily increasing your Renown. Time-limited Events can boost your Renown, as can Trials: wide-ranging sets of Deeds refreshed for Season Three as you take on incoming adversaries and Tall Tales. Season Three’s Plunder Pass is available to buy separately, adding all-new premium treasures to the Seasonal reward pool! Learn more in our Seasons Explained and Plunder Pass Explained articles.

Adventure with Jack Sparrow
At the heart of Season Three is Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life – a collection of five carefully crafted Tall Tales forming an original story where Jack Sparrow stars alongside our pirate crews. Players will journey to strange, ethereal realms and dive deep below the waves on their quest to defeat the nefarious Davy Jones, who has pursued Jack to the Sea of Thieves and threatens to destroy the pirate life unless his schemes can be stopped.

A new update on the Steam Blog outlines the top releases for May 2021 on Valve's digital store. As always, there's also this page with links to purchase the various games discussed in the post. Here's part of what this has to say:

Multilingual Gaming
No matter how many times we watch these Top Release lists come together, we're amazed by the consistent representation of games from developers around the world. It's never been easier for players to find familiar themes, locales, and cultural nods that resonate with them. Rather than siloing these experiences to certain segments of the Steam audience, developers are mindful of incorporating localized interfaces and announcements, while also adding subtitles and audio tracks for a increasing number of languages. This was on full display in May, as Top Releases supported an average of 9 languages each, with more than half offering multiple audio options. So no matter where you are reading this from, check out the full list for all the details.

Making History
May also saw releases from several big name franchises that have us looking back fondly at years of unforgettable characters and thrilling stories. As one of the most recognizable names in entertainment, Resident Evil Village marks the 25th anniversary of this legendary CAPCOM horror series. Saints Row & Mass Effect have been fixtures on Steam for more than a decade, so it's only fitting that their remastered editions are Top Releases all these years later. Fans of Shin Megami Tensei & MechWarrior have to look back even further, as these franchises debuted more than 30 years ago. Take a look at the full list of May's Franchises to pick your favorite.

PULSAR: Lost Colony is now out of Early Access and officially available for Windows, macOS, and Linux on Steam (thanks Ant). PULSAR is a starship simulation from Leafy Games that puts you in control of the various systems of your ship. It includes support for VR headsets and cooperative multiplayer. The game has been through a rigorous early access, and currently boasts over 2800 very positive reviews. Here's a Launch Trailer, a version 1.0 video blog, and the version 1.0 release notes. Here's more on this chance to boldly go:

Team up to operate a starship and explore a randomized galaxy falling into chaos. Each player assumes a role aboard the ship: Captain, Pilot, Scientist, Weapons Specialist and Engineer. Coordination between your crewmembers is essential to survive the perils that await you.

Control the various stations that run your ship. Reroute power between ship systems, operate turrets, run powerful programs, scan enemy vessels for information to give you an edge in battle, or start up the warp drive to escape a fight you cannot win. The strategies you use are up to you—or your Captain.

Continue here to read the full story.

Early Access to Hello Engineer is now available exclusively on Google Stadia. This is a multiplayer machinery-building construction game set in the Hello Neighbor universe. Word is: "Scavenge, craft, and overcome challenges in the sandbox world of the mysterious Golden Apple amusement park, originally built by Mr. Peterson himself." There's no word on how long this Stadia exclusivity will last. Here's an Early Access Trailer and here is more:

Using frame parts, gears, engines, wheels, weapons, and even jet engines from the amusement park scrap you scavenge, you can build different vehicles that suit your ever-evolving needs.

There are several advanced features such as electrical circuits and smart modules that allow skilled engineers to build self-driven mechanical vehicles or even creatures.

The most important ingredient is your creativity. There is no right or wrong way to complete objectives and how you progress through each level is entirely up to you!

Continue here to read the full story.

• Team Fortress 2 Update Released.
• VALORANT Patch Notes 3.0.

• There's no pause button in Dark Souls. Thanks Ant.

• Inside the groundbreaking 1997 all-women Quake tournament. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Wingspan Coming To Xbox Today With 10 Add-ons.
• Cyberpunk 2077 Expanded Refund Policy on Xbox Ends in July.
• Graveyard Keeper Ultimate Collector's Edition Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• Farming Simulator 22 Is Now Available For Digital Pre-order And Pre-download On Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.

• Verification Is Dead. It’s All About Super Followers on Twitter, Now.

• Evernote version 10.16.7. Thanks Console General.

• GameStop Just Made $1.1 Billion Selling Off Its Meme Stock…
• Borderlands movie wraps filming, shares first image of Claptrap…

Last Link of the Day: Honest Trailers - The Fast & The Furious.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance Is now available for PC and consoles. You can pick up the Windows edition on Steam without even needing to roll a D20. Here is the Official Launch Cinematic Trailer (accept no substitutes). The first reviews for the D&D action/RPG started rolling out yesterday, and you can find a roundup of those in this thread. Here's word on the game:

Featuring real-time combat and dynamic co-op gameplay, Dark Alliance pits Drizzt Do’Urden and his legendary companions – Catti-brie, Bruenor, and Wulfgar – against some of the most iconic monsters from the Forgotten Realms of Dungeons & Dragons. Frost Giants, Beholders, and White Dragons roam the frozen tundra of Icewind Dale in search of the Crystal Shard— and it’s up to the companions to muster the strength to stop them from claiming and using it to destroy their home.

Continue here to read the full story.

Advanced Micro Devices has officially launched AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution, which promises framerate boosts and high-quality high-resolution gaming experiences thanks to the use of "cutting edge" upscaling technologies. You can find all the details on what this involves in this press release and this blog post. Here's word on what this supports to start with, and plans to expand the program in the future:

Today, AMD launched FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), its cutting-edge, open-source spatial upscaling technology, designed to boost framerates and deliver a high-quality, high-resolution gaming experience.

More than 40 developers plan to support and integrate FSR into top titles and game engines. And beginning today, FSR is available in seven exciting titles: Anno 1800, Evil Genius 2, Godfall, Kingshunt, 22 Racing Series, Terminator: Resistance and The Riftbreaker, with additional games expected to provide support by the end of 2021.

FSR is supported on more than 100 AMD GPUs and processors, as well as on competitive graphics solutions, to benefit all gamers. Providing up to 2.4X higher performance at 4K across select titles compared to native resolution, FSR was designed for easy integration into new and existing titles across a wide range of platforms.

Continue here to read the full story.

Speaking of AMD, AMD Support now offers new version 21.6.1 Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition drivers for AMD graphics cards running under Windows. The Release Notes offer complete details. Here's a handy summary:

This release adds updated support for Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance™, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) support for select titles and AMD Radeon™ RX 6800M Graphics.
This release contains stability improvements for end user reported issues.

Likewise, NVIDIA Support now offers new version 471.11 WHQL-certified Windows graphics drivers for GeForce graphics cards. These include support for raytracing and NVIDIA DLSS for Lego Builder's Journey. Word is: "LEGO Lego Builder’s Journey is the world’s first Unity game with ray tracing. LEGO Builder’s Journey is an aesthetic and atmospheric geometric puzzle game set in a completely LEGO brick-based environment. DLSS improves performance by up to 92% in the game." These drivers will also add the same support to DOOM Eternal, that will be in a week, sadly missing the 25th anniversary of Quake by that much (*holds fingers really close together*). Here's more on what it will add to latest installment in id Software's shooter series:

DOOM is a storied game franchise, and DOOM Eternal launched last year to critical acclaim and the adoration of fans. Powered by idTech, id’s incredibly fast game engine, DOOM Eternal is pushing the visual boundaries even further by adding ray-traced reflections and performance enhancing NVIDIA DLSS. This continues the winning streak for NVIDIA DLSS and ray tracing. DOOM is another huge game franchise, and DOOM Eternal is another Triple-A game that has turned to NVIDIA-pioneered gaming technologies to take their performance and image quality to new heights.

The Unreal Engine Website announces that Epic is now offering its anti-cheat software and its cross platform voice chat solution as free giveaways for developers. Here's word on how players will be able to chat with their friends on other platforms after they've been banned for cheating:

When Fortnite players are able to chat with their friends while playing, we see a huge uptick in player engagement. What if you could supercharge community engagement like this for your own game?

Now you can, with the launch of a new free cross-platform voice communication service from Epic Online Services. Voice is a platform-independent solution that connects your community with in-game voice chat across all stores and platforms.

On top of that, Epic Online Services is offering the industry-leading anti-cheat solution to all developers for free. Easy Anti-Cheat is a powerful feature necessary for the smooth running of any online game with players on PC. These services empower developers to launch, operate, and scale great games like never before.

Phantom Abyss is now available in Early Access on Steam, offering the chance to jump into this massive asynchronous multiplayer game From publisher Devolver Digital and developer Team WIBY. This allows you to raid procedurally generated dungeons like any respectable archaeologist —  armed with a whip. The twist here is that only one player will successfully complete each dungeon. And viewing phantom recordings of failed runs by other players will help clever adventurers succeed. Here's the Launch Trailer with a look and here are more details:

Phantom Abyss casts players into trap-laden, procedurally-generated temples, and tasks them with retrieving the sacred relics hidden within their walls. Dodge scores of hidden traps, leap treacherous chasms and flee relentless guardians through branching paths until one of the relics are claimed or the devices of death overwhelm them. The most cunning explorers will use the phantom runs of failed attempts from other players to their advantage and avoid the missteps and mistakes that led to their doom, but be warned - you only get one attempt at each temple, and failure or settling for a lesser relic means you will never see that temple again...

Continue here to read the full story.

Rebellion announces the release of Abaddon Asylum on Steam as a new Season 3, Pack 2 DLC for Zombie Army 4: Dead War. This adds a new campaign mission, a WW1 Josiah outfit, weapon bundles, and more to the zombie-infested shooter. There is now a total of $370.30 worth of DLC available for the game. But it's not all about paying for that new pool. There's also a new free DLC pack that adds the survivors from the original Left 4 Dead to the game's playable characters. Here's a new trailer and here's more:

Renowned zombie slayers Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey from the Valve smash hit, Left 4 Dead, are tooled up and ready to take on a new horde as they join ZOMBIE ARMY 4: DEAD WAR as brand new playable characters in the latest free DLC in Season 3 - which is available now. In addition to the free characters, Season Pass owners can now visit the spine-chilling Abaddon Asylum in a new campaign mission which is also available as standalone DLC.

Abaddon Asylum is the second mission in the ‘Return to Hell’ campaign, following the events of Terminal Error where you uncovered information about the location of Baron Umbra, the mastermind behind the dastardly occult scheme. You will have to fight your way into the Asylum before tracking down Baron Umbra and taking him out once and for all.

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. The promised Africa DLC is now available for Planet Zoo, adding exotic new items and wildlife to the theme park simulation. You can find this on Steam, but remember it also requires the base game. Speaking of which, the DLC comes alongside a new patch that updates the base game to version 1.6. This post has all the details on the new patch. Here's an Africa Pack Launch trailer, and here's more on the updates:

Get ready to welcome five new iconic animals to Planet Zoo, including the curious Meerkat, the endearing Fennec Fox and the striking Southern White Rhino. Zookeepers can care for their latest inhabitants and welcome guests to a rich and vibrant zoo with over 180 new scenery pieces, creating a paradise for both animals and guests alike! Players can also test their zookeeping skills with a fresh new challenge: a timed scenario taking place in a picturesque oasis bazaar.

Update 1.6 brings a range of extras and improvements to the game, including behavior updates, habitat webcams, vista points and a free Timed Scenario set in gorgeous Guatemala.

Continue here to read the full story.

LEGO Builder's Journey is now available on Steam, offering a puzzle game based on the enduring popularity of LEGO bricks. Here's word on the joy of building with LEGO without fear of losing any pieces, much less stepping on them:

LEGO Builder’s Journey is an atmospheric, geometric puzzle game that asks us to sometimes follow the instructions… and sometimes to break the rules.

Take your time to experiment with free-form puzzle solving while immersing yourself in a poetic world of LEGO® bricks. Throughout the narrative, there will be ups and downs, challenges, and celebrations. Figuring out who we are and what we become is the Builder’s Journey.

The breathtaking LEGO brick world is brought to life with the most accurately rendered LEGO elements yet to feature on screens, including stunning ray tracing elements.

Open beta testing for Kingshunt is now underway on Steam, offering a first chance to check out this third person multiplayer action game from Vaki Games. Testing will run from now until Friday morning, and you can get in by requesting access on the game's Steam Listing. Here's the previously released Official Alpha Trailer along with what to expect:

Kingshunt combines the genres of tower defense and hack-and-slash. Join the fight and carve a path of destruction across the battlefield in a game that mixes strategy with fast-paced hero combat.

In Kingshunt play as a hero that best fits your style and utilize their own unique mastery of skills and abilities. Calculate your opponent's moves to unleash devastating counterblows.

This new beta version of Kingshunt will introduce new utilities, towers, a new hero, tutorial, map, and exciting new game mode updates.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Fortnite v17.10 Update- What’s New on the Island.
• She Will Punish Them - Major Update Is Live In The Test Build.
• Steam Client Beta.

• Fallen Aces E3 2021 Trailer.
• PUBG - Mysteries Unknown- Birth of the Battlegrounds. "By Grabthar's Hammer, what a savings!"
• Starbase - Station Siege Feature Video.

• Sea of Thieves team: "We changed everything to keep the Pirates of the Caribbean expansion a secret" - GamesIndustry.biz. Like the Manhattan Project of cross promotion.
• What Is Blue Box? Gamers Believe It's Hideo Kojima's Silent Hill - Bloomberg (may require registration or subscription).

• Plot of the Druid by Yakir Israel — Kickstarter. "Go on a quest to prevent the world from going crazy, a mystical comedy adventure with irreverent British wit and shapeshifting." Here's an Official Trailer.

• Inside Xbox Series X-S Optimized- Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition.
• Dark Alliance Is Now Available For Windows 10, Xbox One, And Xbox Series X-S (Also Available With Xbox Game Pass).
• Introducing New Designed for Xbox Monitors Unlocking the True Power of HDMI 2.1 on Xbox Series X-S.
• This Week's Deals With Gold And Spotlight Sale Plus The Ubisoft Forward Sale.
• Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• Alex Kidd In Miracle World DX Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• KeyWe - Early Bird Pack Is Now Available For Digital Pre-order And Pre-download On Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• Xbox Focuses on Diversity with New Games and Plans on the Way.
• How to set up a VPN on Xbox One, Xbox Series X-S.

• Why You Suddenly Need To Delete Google Maps On Your iPhone. Thanks Ant.
• A Single Drone Has Harmed A Generation Of Wildlife. Thanks RedEye9.

• Resolution Games no longer participating in Oculus in-headset ad test.
• China tells banks to stop supporting cryptocurrency.
• Bitcoin Price Drops Below $30,000 – Will Analyst Fears Of Massive Crash Materialize?
• Hawaii’s Remote Workers Discover Challenges and Rewards (may require registration or subscription). Sounds like work all right. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Tinder boss says Covid changed how we swipe right.

Thanks Ant.

• AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution - preview - FidelityFX Super Resolution - Guru3D.
• AMD FSR FidelityFX Super Resolution Quality & Performance Review - TechPowerUp.
• Testing AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR)- Image Analysis and Preliminary Performance - TechSpot.
• AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution: Team Red Begins Fighting NVIDIA DLSS - TweakTown.
• GlobalFoundries To Build New 450K Wafer-per-Year Fab in Singapore.
• AMD Moves GCN 1, 2, & 3-based GPUs and APUs To Legacy; Also Drops Win7 Support.
• Windows 11 event: what to expect from Microsoft.
• Macrium Reflect v8.0.5994. Thanks DSLReports.
• Glary Utilities..V.5.168.0.194. Thanks DSLReports.

Thanks Ant.

• South Korea’s nuclear research agency breached by North Korea-affiliated cyberattackers, says malware analyst group.
• Average time to fix critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities is 205 days: report.
• Report: CVS Health Exposed Search Records Online. Thanks DSLReports.
• All the Ways Amazon Tracks You—and How to Stop It (may require registration or subscription).
• QAnon Isn't Dead. It's Evolving Into Something Far Worse.
• Have we reached peak ransomware? How the internet's biggest security problem has grown and what happens next.
• Hackers are trying to attack big companies. Small suppliers are the weakest link.
• Malwarebytes 4.4.0.177 - CU 1.0.1344. Thanks DSLReports.

• Former NASCAR driver sues Virginia over 'skill game' gambling ban.
• Google’s ad tech services hit by formal EU antitrust investigation.

• A remake made with love, for better and worse - Alex Kidd In Miracle World DX - Indie Showcase (video).
• Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe - Christ Centered Gamer.
• Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance Review - IGN.
• Edge of Eternity Review - Overclockers Club.
• Legend of Mana Review - IGN.
• Legend of Mana Review - SaGa of the Mana Tree - Wccftech.

• Case: SilverStone RM42-502 Review - Rackmount & Mid-Tower Server Case - TechPowerUp.
• Case: XPG Starker Review - Neoseeker.
• Graphics Card: ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 6700 XT OC Edition Review - The FPS Review.
• Keyboard: AZIO IZO Keyboard Review - Typing on Candy! - TechPowerUp.
• Mouse: ASUS ROG Keris Review - TechPowerUp.
• Mouse: Logitech G502 HERO High Performance Gaming Mouse Review - The FPS Review.
• SSD: Lexar NQ100 480GB SSD Review - Modders Inc.
• SSD: Patriot Viper VP4300 2TB M.2 SSD Review - TweakTown.
• SSD: Silicon Power XPower XD80 2TB M.2 SSD Review - TweakTown.

• Join us in celebrating 25 years of Quake…
• Disney Plus could lead to new Disney video game adaptations…
• Tencent now owns majority stake in Spec Ops: The Line studio Yager…
• Bloodborne was the most-played PlayStation Now game on PC this spring…

Well, today is one of those anniversaries that is making my brain hurt. It was on this day in 1996 that Quake was first released. That's right, id Software's first-person shooter turns 25 years-old today. Just about every year I celebrate the occasion by playing the game on my current PC. Sadly, there will be none of that for me this time around, as the splint on my left arm has me on the gaming disabled list for the foreseeable future. Anyway, it certainly is hard to wrap my mind around Quake turnng 25. For perspective, it launched in 1996. At that time, a 25 year old game would have come out in 1971. The big computer game that year was Oregon Trail, which is quite a leap. On the other hand, fighting the Strogg is no picnic, but it does beat dysentery!

Quaker Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Breakfast Link

• Can ‘The Mandalorian’ Save ‘Star Wars’? (may require registration or subscription). Thanks Digg.

Story

• When an Eel Climbs a Ramp to Eat Squid From a Clamp, That’s a Moray (may require registration or subscription). Mic drop headline. Thanks RedEye9.

Science
Thanks Max.

• No More Left Turns: Why Science Says We Should Eliminate Them (may require registration or subscription). I would have agreed even prior to my traffic accident.

• What's at the Center of the Milky Way? Nougat topped with caramel, right?
• Genetically engineered nanoparticle delivers dexamethasone directly to inflamed lungs.

Image

• Windows-Through-The-Ages.

Media

• Let Blaine Die (NSFW).
• Space Sweepers - Official Trailer.

Follow-up

• Covid delta- WHO says variant is the fastest and fittest and will 'pick off' most vulnerable. Thanks Slashdot.
• Delta COVID variant: Does Johnson & Johnson vaccine work against the new coronavirus strain? Thanks Acleacius.

The Funnies

• Pet Adoption Climbed In COVID Times. Here's What Dogs Need Now. Thanks RedEye9.
• Bears and Spiders.