The ESRB how has a ratings page for Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, revealing an unannounced sequel to Daybreak's third-person co-op survival shooter released in 2021 (thanks Reddit). Information suggesting such a follow-up emerged last year, and this seems like a confirmation. Here's what the listing reveals:

Platforms Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series

Assigned Rating Info Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is rated M for Mature 17+ by the ESRB with Blood and Gore, Strong Language, and Violence.

GOG.com announces the Crysis Remastered Trilogy is now available on GOG.com,* and the Windows first-person shooter bundle carries a 65% discount for the next two weeks. And while the trilogy includes the remastered versions of the games, the DRM-free store also announces the original Crisis* is now part of the GOG Preservation Program, entitling customers to ongoing support from GOG, ensuring the ability to test the question "can it run Crysis" into the foreseeable future. Here's word:

We’re thrilled to announce that the Crysis Remastered Trilogy has joined our catalog, and the original Crysis is now part of the GOG Preservation Program, ensuring it will always run hassle-free on modern systems!

Each remastered title is available separately as well, DRM-free and at great discounts, so that you can experience the evolution of one of gaming’s most iconic shooters, from the jungles of the Lingshan Islands to the streets of New York City, in their definitive modern form.

KIB Games announces VOID PRIEST a detective game steeped in Lovecraftian psychological/horror coming to PC via on Steam with a "to be announced" release date. Players will take on the role of the game's titular priest "unwillingly bound to an Elder God." With the goal of maximizing immersion, this will not include traditional menus or a HUD, as shown in the gameplay featured in the Teaser Trailer. Here's the description:

Independent developer KIB Games has launched the Steam page for VOID PRIEST, a Lovecraftian psychological horror detective game that removes all traditional HUDs and menus for complete immersion. Players step into the role of the Void Priest, unwillingly bound to an Elder God, and must uncover mysteries, perform rituals, and survive their unraveling sanity.

Guided only by symbols, relics, and light, players investigate eldritch crimes, decipher forbidden texts, and connect fragments of evidence on their investigation board. Instead of combat, survival is achieved through knowledge, rituals, and endurance against madness.

Tarba Paul Cornel and Galactic Crows, announce Netbreak, a found-footage horror puzzle game set in the frightening environment of the dark web. It's coming to Steam on October 31st, promising a short gameplay experience of about 90 minutes to two hours. Check out the Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer for a look, and read on for more:

When a mysterious USB drive lands on your desk, curiosity becomes a curse. You must find six hidden hashes across dark web sites, decrypt them, and infiltrate the vault of Killbyte, a clandestine snuff marketplace. But not all clues are real, and not all adversaries are human.

As you dig deeper, four terrifying antagonists – The Hitman, SWAT, Dan, and Maria – begin to hunt, mislead, and manipulate you in real time. Every action becomes part of their twisted broadcast.

• '83 on Steam (Windows). "'83 is a 40v40 squad based, objective focused online tactical first person shooter set in a Cold-War-Gone-Hot scenario. It's designed with 'accessible realism' for the most enjoyable, but still hardcore experience that gets you to the action fast, without losing the lethality of war."
• Cockblaster Tournament on Itch.io (Windows). "Grab your blaster and get ready for the most ridiculous chicken-shooting tournament in gaming history! In a stylish cartoon optic and with loads of funny jokes inside." Is the title one of the funny jokes?
• Finch And Archie Demo on Steam (Windows). "An episodic co-op noir murder mystery. Play as one half of a crime-fighting duo: the detective Jack Finch and his police dog, Archie. Use your deduction skills and sense of smell to find evidence, interrogate suspects, and catch the culprit in a gritty story set in the Great Depression."
• GNAW Demo on Steam (Windows, macOS, Linux). "Something’s rotten in New Dino City, and it’s up to you to solve the mystery in GNAW. In this metroidvania, explore a pre-apocalyptic saurian civilization hurtling toward self-annihilation. Meet strange characters, fight off twisted critters, and rescue your beloved city from extinction."
• Magic Forge Tycoon Demo on Steam (Windows). "Craft enchanted weapons, experiment to improve quality, trade resources, and shape rival kingdoms’ destinies in this relaxed fantasy tycoon. Fulfill contracts, upgrade your forge, and choose whether to keep peace or stoke war to become Korendor’s most renowned blacksmith."
• Sucks To Be In The Sticks on Steam (Windows). "An interview with a vampire from a decaying post-Soviet town. A cursed life simulator: scrub floors, brew moonshine, follow strange routines - and drink blood as your sanity unravels. The world is broken. Can you find out why?"

• Devil Jam - Release Date Trailer. November 3rd.
• Magic Forge Tycoon - Official Prelaunch Trailer - November 18th on Steam.

• Battlefield 6 Physical Copies Leak, as Servers Are Said to Be Up Already - MP1st.

• Metal: Hellsinger Developer The Outsiders Shut Down As Part of Funcom Layoffs - Wccftech.

• Monster Hunter Wilds' Steam reviews absolutely tank as players lose patience with its technical woes- 'Every time the game gets updated my performance decreases' - PC Gamer.

• Developer recreates classic shoot 'em up Zaxxon as a UEFI firmware — isometric arcade game coded in x86 assembly for no-OS represents 'total freedom from big tech' - Tom's Hardware. Just needs a mom-and-pop x86_64 machine with UEFI firmware.

• SEGA Teams up with the International Olympic Committee on a New Multi-Year Licensing Agreement Celebrating the Olympic Brand.
• PlayStation Cancels Most Of Its Concerts Without Explanation - Kotaku.

Official patches.

• Granvir - Update 2.1.0- Pre-Mission Testing.
• Legends of Dragaea- Idle Dungeons Prelude - Update v0.9.7.

• Call of Duty Updates on X: RICOCHET Anti-Cheat Update- Black Ops 7 Early Access Beta.

• After telling Borderlands 4 player to 'game that sh*t', Randy Pitchford finds out that you cannot, in fact, game that sh*t—says 'well, sh*t', confirms it's a bug and that it'll be fixed 'within the next two weeks' - PC Gamer.

• Skipping all Baby Steps' cutscenes unlocks a secret, 28-minute punishment cutscene - PC Gamer.

Official trailers.

• '83 – Steam NextFest Trailer.
• GNAW - Official Announcement Trailer.
• Overkill Squad Trailer.
• Ranger's Path: National Park Simulator – Gameplay Trailer.

• Amid Rumors, Microsoft Reaffirms Next-Gen Xbox Console Plans - MP1st.
• Battlefield 6 "Covert Operations" & 120fps for Consoles Touted by EA - MP1st.

• Here's how Android's new app verification rules will actually work - Android Auto.
• Elon Musk tries to make Apple and mobile carriers regret choosing Starlink rivals - Ars Technica.

• Paramount To Buy The Free Press; Bari Weiss Named Editor In Chief At CBS News - Deadline.
• Can Cory Doctorow’s Book ‘Enshittification’ Change the Tech Debate? - The New York Times (free account required).
• Trump Presses YouTube TV To Restore Univision: 'Bad For Republicans' - Deadline. There is no quiet part anymore.

• AMD and OpenAI Announce Strategic Partnership to Deploy 6 Gigawatts of AMD GPUs.
• Scientists race to make 'living' computers powered by human cells - BBC.
• Intel's upcoming Panther Lake family will reportedly feature new -Core Ultra X- branding for fully-spec'd iGPU configs - Tom's Hardware.
• AI data centers are swallowing the world's memory and storage supply, setting the stage for a pricing apocalypse that could last a decade - Tom's Hardware. Thanks Simon,
• Vibe Coding Is the New Open Source—in the Worst Way Possible - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• Opera wants you to pay $19.90 per month for its new AI browser - Bleeping Computer. Bass-ackwards. Charge for a no-AI browser and the world will beat a path to your door. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• OpenAI, Jony Ive struggle with technical details on secretive new AI gadget - Ars Technica.
• OpenAI and Jony Ive’s secret device won’t be ‘your weird AI girlfriend’ - The Verge.

• If you can get past the terrible logo, Audacity 4 looks pretty great - The Verge.

• US government fibbing over FEMA security failings- • The Register.
• Google CodeMender can automatically fix security vulnerabilities in your code - Neowin.

• Apple and Samsung users in UK may be due share of £480m payout - BBC.

• Twinkleby - Christ Centered Gamer.

• Motherboard: ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review - ThinkComputers.org.
• SSD: Crucial X10 2TB Portable SSD Review - MADSHRIMPS.

• Incessant gamer reaches fabled edge of Minecraft map after more than 14 years — has been walking towards mythical 'Far Lands' since 2011 - Tom's Hardware…

Rebecca Heineman, an important figure in video game history, reveals she has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer called adenocarcinoma in her lungs and liver. This terrible news that comes not much more than a year after the untimely death of her spouse Jennell Jaquays, another gaming legend. According to her quick autobiography: "I'm Rebecca Ann Heineman. The very first video game champion, creator of Bard’s Tale 3, Dragon Wars, and one of the founders of Interplay Productions and MacPlay. Creator of Sailor Ranko the webcomic and software archivist." That's just the tip of the iceberg, and Wikipedia has a detailed outline of her extensive achievements. Here's her situation: "Insurance is helping, but some of my treatment are out of network so I’m getting huge bills." So a GoFundMe Fundraiser is now live, collecting donations to help her cover the gap. The latest news on her treatment is she's getting a port installed today to begin chemotherapy. All our hopes and thoughts are with her in hopes of a full recovery.

Obituary: Ike Turner Jr. Dead: Grammy Winner and Son of Ike and Tina Turner Dies - The Hollywood Reporter.
Obituary: Jilly Cooper Dies: British Novelist Behind Disney+'s 'Rivals' Was 88 - Deadline.

Crisis Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Breakfast Link

• Trump reveals date for White House’s UFC fight- His 80th birthday - The Hill. President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho.

Science

• Autism Is Not a Single Condition and Has No Single Cause, Scientists Conclude - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Interstellar comet 3I-ATLAS may come from the mysterious frontier of the early Milky Way, new study hints - Live Science.
• Women outlive men by 5 years. Here’s how to close the gap. - NPR.

Media

• ONE YEAR of Work for TEN SECONDS of Film - Corridor Crew.

Follow-up

• Amazon Prime Video Scrubs Gunless James Bond Artwork After Backlash - Deadline.

Early Access for preorder customers has concluded in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta, and this chance to sample the next installment in the military shooter series is now open to all who want to play. It's available for PC and consoles, and you can download the Windows client via Battle.net and word is it should be on Steam as well. This previous post has details on the test, which will run until midday Wednesday. Here's an overview:

It’s time to jump into the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Multiplayer and Zombies Survival Beta! Whether you’ve played Black Ops in the past or it’s your first time with a Call of Duty game, this guide will take you through everything related to the Beta, including a full list of what you’ll unlock along with links to our guides for the various maps, modes, and more!

The Black Ops 7 Beta takes place Oct. 2–8, with more maps and modes being introduced throughout the play period. Keep this Blog page bookmarked for all the intel on additional maps, modes, and progression releasing throughout the Beta.

A playable demo for In The Black is now available for Windows on Steam, giving the chance to test fly this space combat game from Impeller Studios. This shows where things stand after 12 years of development for this game announced as Starfigher Inc. before that was retconned into a working title. The team boasts a veteran development team, which calls the game "a true passion project." The demo is part of next week's Steam Next Fest: October 2025 Edition, but word is it will remain available "indefinitely" to lead up to an Early Access launch later this year. Here's word:

The Early Access launch timing will be shaped by player feedback from the demo, as the team works closely with the community to refine balance and features. The demo also includes an in-game feedback system, and the team maintains an active Discord community where players can engage directly with the developers: https://discord.com/invite/intheblack.

Developed over more than a decade as a true passion project, In The Black delivers intense, science-driven space combat built by a veteran team behind classics like X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, Far Cry, and Crysis.

A post on Steam announces the release of Update 8 for Millennia along with the bad news for players that this will be the final patch for this historical turn-based strategy game from Paradox Interactive and C Prompt Games (thanks Reddit). So while the game "will remain available to play indefinitely," players should no longer count on Paradox for support going forward. Far from lasting a millennia, the game launched in May 2024, and got a paid expansion not three months later. Now that it's done, there's no word on refunds, but the game and expansion are both now discounted. Here's the farewell message:

With this patch, we are sadly coming to the end of an age. This will be the final patch for Millennia, thanks to C Prompt for their work and support of this game. We at Paradox will no longer be active on community platforms for Millennia, but you can continue counting on us for support needs, and the game will remain available to play indefinitely.

We want to thank all of you for joining us on this journey, to everyone who played and supported our game. You've been with us from the dawn of Ancient Worlds through your wildest Atomic Ambitions, and it's been an experience for the ages.

• Ashen Dungeon Demo on Steam (Windows). "A world without hope—Warriors defy fate in a desperate struggle! Assemble your expedition team, explore dungeons, and secure survival through logging & mining. But fate will test you—your choices shape destiny. "️Expedition Dungeon ⛏️Farming&Crafting ⚔️Turn Combat Dice Rule""

• Rust - META SHIFT plans. Thanks PC Gamer.
• HOTEL BARCELONA - Statement on AI use in Hotel Barcelona. Thanks Reddit.

• 500,000 copies of CloverPit sold in 8 days since launch! We also just hit a new Steam concurrent player peak record today, thank you thank you!
• Hades 2’s Metacritic Score Dethrones #1 ‘Clair Obscur- Expedition 33’ - Forbes/

• 'Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter' Shows Solution to Gaming's Remake Problem - Rolling Stone. Thanks Reddit.

• Manor Lords - New experimental BETA finally arrived (0.8.035 beta).

↑ Official patches. ↓ Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• Massive 169GB Final Fantasy 7 Remake Mod Replaces All Textures with 4K and 8K Versions - DSOGaming.

Content creator videos. Thanks Ant.

• Enotria: The Last Song Developers React to 28 Minute Speedrun.
• Act 3 is TIGHT - Expedition 33 Ending - Carbot.

• Inside the astonishing development of 1999's The Wheel of Time FPS: 'The fact that we shipped anything at all is kind of a miracle - PC Gamer.

• Why Are Car Software Updates Still So Bad? - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• 1 to 2 Starlink satellites are falling back to Earth each day - EarthSky. At least something is lowering the chance of the Kessler syndrome.
• Snapchat is going to charge for storage — here’s how to save your Memories for free - TechCrunch.

• The age of silicon and software began 75 years ago with the patenting of the transistor - Tom's Hardware.
• Windows 11's annual '25H2' update arrives, and it's a weird one - PCWorld.

• The AI revolution is "oversold" says OutSystems CEO as it launches new Agentic AI platform - TechRadar.
• Nintendo issues surprise denial to Japanese politician’s AI claim - VGC.
• Bay Area university warns over man using Meta AI glasses on campus - SFGate.

• Amazon’s Ring plans to scan everyone’s face at the door - The Washington Post. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Following cyberattack, Japan is days away from running out of country's favorite beer - TechSpot. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• California regulators threaten to revoke Tesla's insurance license for mishandling claims - Engadget.

• Mouse: Logitech MX Master 4 Wireless Mouse - Nikk Tech.

Happy James Bond Day! Though I probably don't have to admit that on some level, every day is James Bond day at the BlueTower. Now where's my martini?

Obituary: Kimberly Hébert Gregory Dies: 'Vice Principals' Actress Was 52 - Deadline.

Orbital Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Brunch Links

• Americans increasingly see legal sports betting as a bad thing for society and sports - Pew Research Center.
• The around-the-world cruise that is yet to set sail - BBC.

Stories

• China Is Leading the World in the Clean Energy Transition. Here's What That Looks Like - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Mark Sanchez Arrested After Being Injured in Stabbing Incident in Indianapolis - People.

Science

• Space-Time Does Not Exist – Here’s Why That Matters - SciTechDaily.

Media

• She taped everything that aired on tv for 40 years to fight the rise of false news. Thanks VideoSift.
• How to Build the Fastest Truck in the World - Jerry Rig Everything.

Creature Features

• Baby Beaver Found In a Field Dances With Joy - Cuddle Buddies.