Activision Xs the announcement that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the "biggest ever Call of Duty 3-Day Opening weekend ever." A graphic shows Black Ops 6 is number one in total players, hours played, and total matches. It's not stated if it surpassed the $800 million earned by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II during its opening weekend, but availability on Game Pass increases engagement at the expense of sales. Here are quotes on the milestone from the brass:

Here's what Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, said in their first quarter earnings call today:
"Last week’s launch of Black Ops 6 was the biggest Call of Duty release ever, setting a record for day one players, as well as Game Pass subscriber adds on launch day. Unit sales on PlayStation and Steam were also up over 60 percent year-over-year."

Matt Cox, SVP, GM of Call of Duty had this to say about the launch:
“Thank you to our players around the world for making Black Ops 6 the biggest Call of Duty launch ever. Our goal from the start has been to bring this great game to as many players as possible wherever they are, however they play. Black Ops 6 is an amazing game, and the response from the Call of Duty community has been incredible. This is only the beginning. Nuketown is only days away and Season 1 is right around the corner. We’re just getting started.”

505 Games and One More Level celebrate the first anniversary of the launch of Ghostrunner 2, the cyber-ninja first-person slasher sequel. This post has details on a gift for all players as well as the release of a new Anniversary Pack on the Epic Games Store, GOG.com,* and Steam, said to be the game's final DLC. Each includes a different collection of in-game cosmetics. The Anniversary Pack is included with the Season Pass and the game's Brutal Edition. Here's the Anniversary Pack Trailer that also looks at the free update. Read on for more:

Happy Anniversary, Ghostrunners! It’s been four adrenaline-pumping years since the Ghostrunner franchise first unleashed its fast-paced, brutal combat and iconic cyberpunk visuals. Over the years, Ghostrunner has grown into a world of high-stakes action and razor-sharp gameplay, and now, with Ghostrunner 2, we’re celebrating all that you, our incredible community, have made possible.

To mark this milestone, we’re thrilled to unveil the Ghostrunner 2 Anniversary Pack, packed with exclusive skins to celebrate the spirit of speed, skill, and survival that defines the franchise. Watch the new trailer below to see the content in action!

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

A Steamworks Development Update explains the role of a new tag developers must apply to games sold on Steam that anti-cheat software (thanks Neowin). Word is: "players have been requesting more transparency around the anti-cheat services used in games, as well as the existence of any additional software that will be installed within the game." Use of the new tag is just a suggested best practice for run-of-the-mill anti-cheat solutions, but is considered mandatory for any game that installs kernel-level anti-cheat software on the client side:

Going forward, when you submit a new game to Steam, if your game installs a client side, kernel mode anti-cheat, you will need to fill out this new field. We will be going through old games and contacting partners with games that fall into this category.

If your game contains a client or server based anti-cheat that is not kernel based, submitting the field is optional but we generally think that any game that makes use of anti-cheat technology would benefit from letting players know.

Calling all vampire hunters, grab your crosses and your holy water and head over to Steam for the launch of Vampire Hunters, a first-person shooter from Gamecraft Studios. For the record, you can probably leave those accoutrements at home, as the Launch Trailer clearly indicates that you'll be using and arsenal (simultaneously!) of handguns to dispatch the denizens of the night. Here's word:

Vampire Hunters is a unique FPS that combines the adrenaline-pumping action of classic shooters with the innovative mechanics of the beloved Survivors-likes.

Unleash your firepower as you stack up to 14 different weapons and craft absurd, impossibly awesome builds to mow down legions of vampires, demons, and other supernatural foes.

Control unique hunters — each with different abilities - and choose insane-yet-useful upgrades as you survive through the onslaught in this retro-inspired Bullet Heaven FPS.

Continue here to read the full story.

Bandai Namco announces DEATH NOTE Killer Within, confirming a rumor about plans for a game based on the Death Note manga series. This social deduction game for PC and PlayStation will launch on November 5th, and the Official Website and the Steam Listing are here with images and details. And many bats were sacrificed to bring us the batshit Announcement Trailer. Here's word:

DEATH NOTE Killer Within is an online social deduction game with cross-play support, where up to 10 players face a choice between life and death. Players join one of two teams and must uncover each other’s identities to eliminate the world-renowned detective L or seize the Death Note from Kira, the student who discovered it. Kira and L are equally matched, each hiding their true identity while battling for control over the game. Engage in a game of wits, joining either Kira or L’s team to find the hidden Death Note, and leading to a thrilling showdown of truth and deception until one team prevails.

In DEATH NOTE Killer Within, players can assume one of four roles - Kira, Kira Follower, L, or Investigator, each offering unique gameplay characteristics. With each assigned role, players can develop a wide range of strategies, as randomized scenarios evolve into high-stakes games. Additionally, players can customize their nameplates, in-game avatars with up to seven types of accessories, and special effects displayed during key gameplay moments.

Continue here to read the full story.

Karate Survivor is now available for Windows on Steam, kicking off an action roguelite that will allow your show off your martial arts chops. This also involves more than a few opponents and more than a few makeshift weapons, as seen in the Launch Trailer. Here the description waxes on about the game's influences:

Step into the shoes of a martial arts master in a thrilling survivor-like roguelite inspired by action movies of the ‘80s. Use the environment and improvised weapons, master new techniques, and create devastating combos to fight off relentless goons and bandits! Karate Survivor delivers intense, fast-paced combat where improvisation and creativity are key to surviving the streets.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection Launcher on Steam (Windows). "The legendary action game Valis: The Fantasm Soldier appears on Steam! Please note: This is only the game launcher and does not include the games themselves."

• Ubisoft's recovery from weak half-year to involve 'addressing polarized comments' about company - Game Developer.
• Ubisoft confident of avoiding further Assassin’s Creed Shadows delay - VGC.

• Save 70% on Transport Fever 2 on Steam.
• Save 40% on Brotato on Steam.
• Save 75% on Gord on Steam.
• Save 25% on ServiceIT- You can do IT on Steam.
• Dark Pictures and Little Nightmares- A Halloween Horror Collection (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Microids Mystery Menagerie (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*

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

• UBISOFT REPORTS FIRST-HALF 2024-25 EARNINGS FIGURES.
• Ubisoft 24-25 half-year results plummet as Star Wars Outlaws "underperforms" - GamesIndustry.biz.
• Microsoft (MSFT) Q1 earnings report 2025.
• Nightingale dev Inflexion Games lays off staff as UK office shuts down - Game Developer.

• How the World Is Showing Up for The Club Through the First 25 Days of Worldwide Launch for EA SPORTS FC 25 - Business Wire.

• Lionsgate and Red Barrels are bringing 'the Outlast Universe' to the big screen - PC Gamer.

• Shop Titans - The Veteran Update.

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

• First Red Dead Redemption Mod completely unlocks the framerate - DSOGaming.

• PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for November- Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged, Ghostwire- Tokyo, Death Note Killer Within - PlayStation Blog.
• Microsoft forecasts slower cloud business growth in second quarter - Reuters.

Official trailers.

• Little Nightmares III – 'You're Being Watched' Trailer.
• PAYDAY 3: Year 1 Edition - Launch Trailer.
• Tales of Graces f Remastered – Gameplay Trailer.

• How the Crew Keeps Growing - Ubisoft.

• Nintendo Music, a New Smart-Device App for Nintendo Soundtracks, Is Available Today! - Business Wire.

• Facebook Is Auto-Generating Militia Group Pages as Extremists Continue to Organize in Plain Sight - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• ‘We Were Wrong’- An Oral History of WIRED’s Original Website - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• AMD's Dr. Lisa Su predicts AI GPU market will grow to $500 billion by 2028 or 'roughly equivalent to annual sales for the entire semiconductor industry in 2023' - PC Gamer.
• Intel hasn't sold a single Arrow Lake CPU at Germany's largest retailer — Core Ultra 200S sales stagnate after just one week - Tom's Hardware.

• Meta is working with US government to use Llama AI - The Verge.
• Google CEO says over 25% of new Google code is generated by AI - Ars Technica.
• Elon Musk’s Criticism of ‘Woke AI’ Suggests ChatGPT Could Be a Trump Administration Target - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• Ex-Disney techie arrested for potentially deadly menu hacks • The Register. Thanks Max.
• Android Trojan that intercepts voice calls to banks just got more stealthy - Ars Technica.
• Windows Themes 0-day opens door to NTLM credential theft • The Register.

Last Link of the Day: Marvel Studios - Look Ahead - Disney+.

A new Announcement Trailer introduces Exoforge (no relation), a science fiction first-person shooter coming to PC Early Access early next year from solo developer Lofty Robot. An unveiling came well before this trailer dropped, as there's a playtest on Steam accepting applicants if you're interested. Here's more on this co-op FPS:

Exoforge is a cooperative Sci-fi action game where players band together to explore unique worlds, and mine vital resources while engaging in thrilling third-person combat against diverse enemies. Use what you gather to craft tools, items, gear, upgrades, and power-ups. Need a ride? Get behind the wheel with your squad in customizable vehicles to traverse rough terrains and take the fight to the enemy or resources back to base! Not the driver? Then ride along as a passenger with mounted guns to protect your cargo.

With seamless drop-in/drop-out multiplayer, Exoforge is the co-op experience you have been waiting for!

Continue here to read the full story.

These Doomed Isles is officially available on Steam following an Early Access run for this survival city-builder from Triplevision Games Limited and Fireshine Games. Here's word on what's new: "Today’s 1.0 release introduces a brand-new Campaign Mode, featuring unique missions for each of the game’s four playable gods, alongside an overhaul to the game's progression system, letting players earn Miracle Credits to unlock powerful new cards and build out their godly deck across each run." A new Out Now Trailer shows of the game's throwback graphics and roguelike deckbuilding gameplay. Here's the overview:

Play god in this survival city-builder with roguelike deckbuilding mechanics. Harvest cards to raise land from the sea, build settlements for your followers and rain fire upon waves of invaders. Choose from 4 gods with unique cards, playstyles and abilities to lead their civilisations to victory in strategic run-based gameplay! We plan to add more gods, cards and enemies to the game throughout early access, as well as continuing to iterate on the game based on community feedback.

Continue here to read the full story.

Magic Pie announces a first closed alpha test for POLYARIS, the upcoming first-person skiing/survival game coming in Q1 of next year to Steam. To request access, put on your long underwear and head over to the game's Discord and introduce yourself. The previous Official Announcement Teaser Trailer is here to get your modem all fired up, and a new trailer shows off 10 minutes of alpha gameplay. Here's a rundown of what is and is not included in the alpha:

What’s in the alpha:

• Immersive first-person player controller
• Skiing mechanics (still a work in progress)
• Survival mechanics (cold weather, clothing, hunger and thirst, day/night cycle, and weather changes)
• Portable radio mechanic
• 4 onboarding quests to get you started
• A 2 square kilometer Arctic island as the starting area for the game’s story
• Melee and ranged weapons
• Enemies to challenge you
• Crafting and fishing systems

What’s NOT in the alpha:

Continue here to read the full story.

Slitherine is offering Early Access on Steam to Scramble: Battle of Britain, a turn-based World War II aerial dogfight simulation, recalling prehistoric tabletop games from before the era of personal computing. Here's an Early Access Gameplay Trailer offering a look at this in action along with an explanation of what Early Access pilots should expect. Here's word:

Scramble: Battle of Britain is a tactical dogfighting game that thrusts players into the High-Octane chaos of the 1940 summer skies. Set in a dynamic 3D airspace, this simultaneous-turn-based game embraces the intricate details of aerodynamics and physics-based simulation unique to the piloting experience while minimizing time and reflex demands. Players lead their squadrons through intense aerial battles as Luftwaffe and RAF fighters clash over the English Channel. Through each gameplay phase—Planning, Simulation, and Review—players strategize and command aerial maneuvers, witness simulation outcomes in real-time, and rewind the action to analyze battle damage using detailed camera tools.

Continue here to read the full story.

• “I think this industry is finished”- not quite Disco Elysium spin-off studio Summer Eternal on the chances of things getting better for game devs - VG247.
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard Has Breakout Potential, Says EA CEO - Wccftech.

• Ex-King CTO and Havok Co-Founder Steve Collins Will Join Unity As New Chief Technology Officer - Business Wire.

• In an attempt to win back players, WB Games has added $30 skins to MultiVersus that are gone forever once its Halloween event ends - Reddit.

• What Is Prime Video's 'Secret Level'- Here's Which Video Games Will Feature in Each Episode? - Collider.
• 'Tomb Raider'- Sophie Turner & Lucy Boynton Testing For Lara Croft - Deadline.

Official patches.

• Dying Light 2 Stay Human- Reloaded Edition - Patch 19 and a New Episode of Dying 2 Know More.
• The Political Machine 2024 - Pre-Election Update Released.
• World of Warcraft — Hotfixes- October 29, 2024.

• PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Weekly Bans Notice (10/21~10.27).

• November’s PlayStation Plus Essential games have been announced - VGC.

Okay, so let's make it a section then. Hope you like the implications of the title.

• Ubisoft's got yet another NFT project, and man do I feel bad for the artists whose great work is being wasted on this garbage - PC Gamer.
• Xsolla to Launch Xsolla ZK, Advancing Web3 Adoption for Video Games - Business Wire.

• Nexus Mods updates its stance on paid mods for the first time since Bethesda's latest attempt at them, says it believes "modding should be a pursuit of passion first and foremost" - VG247.

Official trailers.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - The Replacer "Complex."
• The Division 2: Year 6 Season 2 - Shades of Red Official Launch Trailer.
• Palworld - Halloween Skins Trailer - Pocketpair.
• Sea of Legends Official Trailer.

• Derek Yu's vision for a human-driven games industry in the story of UFO 50's development - GamesIndustry.biz.

• The PC Gaming Show- Most Wanted returns to reveal the 25 most-anticipated PC games this December - PC Gamer. Can't wait to find out what we can't wait for.

• Titan Quest II - Combining two masteries to form a class.
• Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered launches tomorrow- Nixxes details the collaboration that upgraded Aloy’s first adventure – PlayStation Blog.

• Concord's Initial Development Deal Was $200 Million, But It Wound Up Costing Sony Much More - Report - IGN.

• Nintendo Switch Update Fixes Nasty Sleep Mode Bug - Kotaku.
• Stardew Valley Dev Finally Finishes Playing The Game, Says 1.6 Update Is Coming To Console Next Week - GameSpot.
• SlavicPunk- Oldtimer - Xbox & PS5 Combat Teaser #2 - Coming on Nov 06, 2024 - Trailer.
• Bottle- Pilgrim Redux - Launch trailer - PlayStation & Xbox.

• M2 and M3 MacBook Air models get bumped to 16GB of RAM for no extra money - Ars Technica.
• Premium Samsung phones in the future may ditch the 'Galaxy' branding - Neowin.
• Waymo wants to use Google’s Gemini to train its robotaxis - The Verge.
• Tesla Using 'Full Self-Driving' Hits Deer Without Slowing, Doesn't Stop - Jalopnik. Thanks RedEye9.

• 'We were just trying to get it to work'- The failure that started the internet - BBC.
• Election Fraud Conspiracy Theories Are Already Thriving Online - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• How X users earn thousands from US election misinformation and AI images - BBC.
• Reddit is profitable for the first time ever, with nearly 100 million daily users - The Verge.
• Internet Archive back in action - Boing Boing.
• The Amazon Echo graveyard - The Verge.

Thanks Console General.

• Inside Intel, CEO Pat Gelsinger fumbled the revival of an American icon - Reuters. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• AMD confirms its next-gen RDNA 4 GPUs will launch in early 2025 - The Verge.
• AMD rakes in cash with best quarterly revenue ever amid datacenter business rise, but gaming business craters - Tom's Hardware.
• Boston Dynamics’ new video shows that its humanoid robot doesn’t need a human - The Verge. Wonder who this is for?
• Intel rolls out microcode fix for crashing 13th-14th Generation processors through the Linux Kernel - Tom's Hardware.
• Visual Studio Code version 1.95.0.
• Evernote version 10.113.5.
• DVDFab version 13.0.29.
• 5 Interesting Things You Can Use Your Old Desktop PC For - How-To Geek.

• OpenAI reportedly builds custom AI chips as it embraces AMD — company also abandons plans to build its own fabs - Tom's Hardware.
• Elon Musk is doubling the world's largest AI GPU cluster — expanding Colossus GPU cluster to 200,000 'soon,' has floated 300,000 in the past - Tom's Hardware.
• OpenAI’s Transcription Tool Hallucinates. Hospitals Are Using It Anyway - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Robert Downey Jr. Says He'd Sue If Marvel Copied Him With AI - Kotaku.
• AI push makes Python the most popular language on GitHub - TechRadar.

• Here’s the paper no one read before declaring the demise of modern cryptography - Ars Technica.
• FBI suspects China-linked hackers accessed officials’ call logs and SMS messages, report says - Engadget.
• Change Healthcare Breach Hits 100M Americans – Krebs on Security.
• QNAP patches worrying NAS security flaw, so update now - TechRadar.

• The US government has new laws on sharing data across departments - TechRadar.
• Russia has fined Google $2,500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or more money than actually exists on Earth, all because it's upset about some YouTube channels - PC Gamer.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Call of Duty- Black Ops 6 PC Benchmarks & Performance Analysis - DSOGaming.
• ‘Dragon Age- The Veilguard’ review- excellent combat, inconsistent story - NPR.
• EA's BioWare Needs a Hit With New Dragon Age Video Game - Bloomberg (may require registration or subscription).
• Life Is Strange- Double Exposure Review- A Worthwhile Sequel - Kotaku.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Case Fan: TRYX ROTA Pro 120 mm Fan Review - TechPowerUp.
• Keyboard: Keychron Q5 HE review - PC Gamer.
• Laptop: Ninkear A16 Pro laptop review- Affordable, powerful and quiet during use - NotebookCheck.net Reviews.
• PSU: be quiet! Pure Power 12 850W ATX 3.1 Power Supply Unit - Nikk Tech.

Tomorrow is Halloween, so I guess today is All Hallows' Eve Eve. Our preparations were complete so long ago, I'm not sure they're still complete. By that I mean that we've been doing more than a little raiding of the candy supply we picked up weeks back. With the festivities almost upon us, I'm going to have to do an inventory and decide if I need to make a run to the store to replenish the dent we put in our stash. Don't judge us. Yes, we're adults, but c'mon, it's Halloween!

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

Breakfast Links

• We Ranked the 25 Jump Scares That Still Make Us Jump - The New York Times.
• A candy engineer explains the science behind the Snickers bar - Ars Technica.

Story

• Japanese Americans play historic baseball games at prison camp to recall a pastime — and a lifeline - NBC News.

Science

• Thin skin significantly blunts injury from puncture, study finds - Phys.org.
• We Finally Know Why Ancient Roman Concrete Was Able to Last Thousands of Years - ScienceAlert. Concrete answers.
• Some Geologists Argue Earth Has Less Than Seven Continents - The New York Times. Not to correct the old gray lady, but it's "fewer than seven."

Media

• A perfect day of work at OSHA - FanARose.
• Man in China uses fireworks to fight off bulldozer sent to demolish his building - Reddit. Pew pew! Thanks The Flying Penguin.

Follow-up

• We Finally Know Why Ancient Roman Concrete Was Able to Last Thousands of Years - ScienceAlert.
• Throw Out Your Black Plastic Spatula - The Atlantic (may require registration or subscription). Seeing the way they melt should be enough to convince anyone.

Sony officially confirms the closure of Concord is permanent, and the 5v5 shooter will not be coming back online. Polygon quotes an internal Sony memorandum. "The PvP first-person shooter genre is a competitive space that’s continuously evolving, and unfortunately, we did not hit our targets with this title," explains CEO Hermen Hulst. "We will take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to advance our live-service capabilities to deliver future growth in this area." There's confirmation that the report is accurate in a farewell message from Firewalk Studios, which reveals that Sony is closing down the game's developer. Here's a bit from them on the experience:

We took some risks along the way – marrying aspects of card battlers and fighting games with first-person-shooters – and although some of these and other aspects of the IP didn’t land as we hoped, the idea of putting new things into the world is critical to pushing the medium forward.

The talent at Firewalk and the level of individual craft is truly world-class, and teams within Sony Interactive Entertainment and across the industry will be fortunate to work with them. Please reach out to Recruiting at PlayStation for inquiries, and thank you to all the very many teams, partners and fans who supported us along the way.

Activision announces the first content drop is already live in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 with the launch of the zombie-infested Infected Mode and word that the latest version of the venerable Nuketown map will arrive on Friday. The Nuketown Launch Trailer is here with an explosive introduction to the map, and here's word on Infected mode:

Infected makes its Black Ops 6 debut just in time for Halloween! With the new Omnimovement system in place, this Party Mode takes on a whole new life… for the living and the undead. Cheat death — or add to the undead ranks — with the most fluid movement mechanics to date.

For new and returning players, an Infected match begins with one player randomly assigned as the starting infected. The infected player’s goal is to eliminate all other players. Each time a survivor is eliminated, they will join the ranks of the undead, while the remaining survivors must keep the horde at bay until the match timer runs out.

Continue here to read the full story.

Square Enix announces Life is Strange: Double Exposure is now officially available for PC and consoles, following a brief Early Access for Deluxe Edition purchasers. The Windows edition of this supernatural adventure sequel is on Steam as a Standard, Ultimate, or Deluxe Edition. Here's the Launch Trailer and here's the strange tale:

LIFE IS STRANGE: DOUBLE EXPOSURE is a direct sequel to the original LIFE IS STRANGE game released in 2015. In the game, players will explore Max Caulfield’s newly evolved power to Shift between two parallel timelines. In addition, the new Pulse ability will allow Max to glimpse the opposite timeline before jumping through and overhear conversations happening on the other side, which is the perfect supernatural tool for an amateur sleuth.

Players can experience both aspects of Max’s new power to solve her friend Safi’s murder. As Max Shifts back and forth between two increasingly different timelines, her power will allow the players to complete unique puzzles, navigate complex campus social dynamics, and explore all the mysteries that Caledon University has to offer.

Continue here to read the full story.

Stellaris: Grand Archive is now available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, launching the latest story pack for Stellaris, the grand strategy game set in space, where no one can hear your running jokes. It's on GOG.com* and on Steam and it is the final release in the Season 08 expansion pass, so make sure not to buy it twice. Here's the grand Release Trailer of the Grand Archive, and here's word:

In the Grand Archive Story Pack, uncover and showcase the rarest treasures across the cosmos—both living and inanimate. Amass an unparalleled collection of xeno-geological artifacts, relics of forgotten civilizations, and untamed space fauna in your Grand Archive, a groundbreaking new megastructure.

Will you become the galaxy’s greatest curator or sell your finds for untold riches?

Harness advanced gravity snare technology to safely capture and study space fauna. Clone these creatures to create fleets of formidable fauna customized through genetic mutations. But tread carefully—two new deadly species, the asteroid-dwelling Cutholoids, and the sinister Voidworms, now roam the galaxy.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

• Ubisoft Just Quietly Launched a Full-Blown NFT Game - IGN. We're all okay with just skipping these, right?

• Electronic Arts Reports Strong Q2 FY25 Results - Business Wire.

• EA Earnings- The Sims 4 Manages to Adds 15 Million New Players in 2024 Despite Being More Than 10 Years Old - IGN.
• As Apex Legends engagement declines, EA suggests it’s not planning ‘Version 2’ - VGC.

• DOOM Eternal Slayer Statue – Official Bethesda Gear Store.

Official patches.

• Hearthstone 31.0 Patch Notes.
• Hollowbody - The Restoration Update - New Content - Hollowbody Patch #6.
• Crime Boss: Rockay City Update 12 is OUT NOW! on XBOX SERIES S|X, PS5, STEAM AND EPIC GAMES.

Official trailers.

• Crime Boss: Rockay City Update 12 is OUT NOW.
• Disney Dreamlight Valley - 2024 Showcase.
• The Division 2: Year 6 Season 2 - Shades of Red Official Launch Trailer.
• Flint: Treasure of Oblivion - ESRB Gameplay Sneak Peek.

• The Day Before studio now asking community to design maps for free in newly launched "contest" - Eurogamer.net.

• 13 years after Shadows of the Damned's notoriously difficult development with EA, Suda51 has fully healed from the 'injury' of rewriting the game 6 times: 'I actually have a lot of really fond memories of the experience' - PC Gamer.

• Police Simulator: Patrol Officers- Nintendo Switch Edition - Release Trailer.
• Phasmophobia - Console Launch Trailer.

• Tor Browser version 14.0.1. Thanks Console General.

• TikTok founder Zhang Yiming becomes China's richest man - BBC.
• HWiNFO version 8.14. Thanks Console General.
• clsid2-mpc-hc Release 2.3.7 · GitHub. Thanks Ant.

• ChatGPT creator OpenAI is reportedly earning $80 million a month—and its sales could be edging high enough to plug its $540 million loss from last year - Yahoo! Finance. Thanks j.c.f.

Obituary: Teri Garr Dead: 'Tootsie,' 'Young Frankenstein' Star Was 79 - The Hollywood Reporter.

Rockstar Games announces the Windows edition of Red Dead Redemption is finally available, 14+ years after launching on consoles and almost five years after the sequel arrived on PC. This includes the inevitable zombie DLC and is available on Steam. There's no discount off the USD$49.99 MSRP, but a bundle with the sequel is 10% off. This post discusses PC-specific features and more on how this differs from the original release. Here's the Launch Trailer and more:

This product includes the digital version of Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare for PC.

Featuring the complete single-player experiences of both games, including bonus content from the Game of the Year Edition. Red Dead Redemption does not feature multiplayer content.

Experience the story of former outlaw John Marston as he tracks down the last remaining members of the notorious Van der Linde Gang in the PC debut of the critically acclaimed predecessor to Red Dead Redemption 2.

Continue here to read the full story.

Early Access to Speedball is now live on Steam, kicking off Rebellion's return to the futuristic bloodsport invented in the 1980s by the Bitmap Brothers. This is set in 2038, which is more than twice as close to the present day than 1988 launch of the original game or its even better-received 1990 sequel. The Early Access Launch Trailer introduces this violent sportsball game and its aggressive combatants. Here's word:

A brand new entry into the legendary Bitmap Brothers series! Venture into the grim future of 2138 where mega-corporations use Speedball to distract the downtrodden masses from their miserable lives.

Once an underground sport reviled for its brutality, Speedball has risen to unprecedented heights of popularity and profitability.

It is the only sport that allows two cybernetically augmented teams to go head-to-head at levels of speed and violence beyond human limitations, where any moment could be a player’s last.

Continue here to read the full story.

A new video from Grinding Gear Games announces the grind towards the release of Path of Exile 2 will take three weeks longer than previously expected. Jonathan Rogers, game director on the action/RPG sequel, apologetically reveals the "really bad news" that the launch is now coming on December 6th, explaining the extra time is not actually required for game development, but rather to ensure that none of the existing PoE playerbase gets cheated out of items they have paid for:

Unfortunately, I have some really bad news. We have to delay early access for three weeks. The new date is the December 6. I’m really sorry about this one. People plan time off and things like that around our launches, but we just have to do it. So what happened? Well, it turns out it isn't really the game itself that we're behind on. It's a bunch of server side infrastructure work that has taken us a lot longer than we expected.

Now, one of the key promises we made is that all your microtransactions will work across both PoE 1 and 2. In order to do that, we have to integrate the account systems for not only PoE 2 and 2, but also for the console realms as well. This meant changing a lot of things. Not only do we have to create a bunch of new systems, we have to make sure that only old data is backwards compatible with them as well. And when you start migrating databases that are this old and with this much data, you find all sorts of strange demons in there. How do multiple accounts get the same name? How do multiple accounts get the same email address? How do multiple accounts have the same steam IDs? Why is this person’s account name just random gibberish that doesn't even decode?

Continue here to read the full story.

Japan Fishing Reserve is now available on Steam, add a new locale to Call of the Wild: The Angler, the Windows sport fishing simulation. Also available for consoles, the DLC adds new story missions and fish to catch along with the setting. There's co-op support, and this can be played as long as one player in the party owns a copy. Here's a Release Trailer looking to hook new players, and here's word on the DLC and an accompanying update to the base game:

Welcome to Kamuibetsu National Park! In this sprawling ecosystem full of gorgeous autumnal lakes, forests, springs, rivers, and even a volcano, you’ll search for the perfect fishing spots while taking on new angler challenges, tracking down hidden caches and collectibles, and capturing Hokkaido’s most majestic vistas on camera in the new photo mission. Japan Reserve owners can even invite friends who own the base game to experience the new DLC together in co-op for free!

But that’s not all! A free update released for all players last week introduced new variations for a variety of fish species, including the Burbot, Wels Catfish, and Kokanee Salmon, featuring different colorings, scars, and more. In addition, Call of the Wild: The Angler’s Halloween event is now live through November 8! Players can check out the suddenly spooky Golden Ridge Reserve for a new themed mini-game and a range of seasonal cosmetics.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Monster High Skulltimate Secrets on Steam (Windows). "Save Monster High and join the Boo Crew by creating your authentic monster self in this spooktacular mystery adventure!" Here's the Launch Trailer.

• -80% Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space on GOG.com.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 developers strike over office working policy - Eurogamer.net.
• SAG-AFTRA signs agreement with AI-powered voice company Ethovox - Game Developer.

• Capcom has sold more units on PC in the first half of FY25 than on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox combined - DSOGaming.

Official patches.

• Armored Warfare - The Shockwave Update is now available.
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - Title Update 1.11.
• DAVE THE DIVER - 10-28 (Mon) Hotfix.
• Gearbox has removed Denuvo from Homeworld 3 - DSOGaming.
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 - Year 6 Season 2- Shades of Red.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: October 28, 2024.

• Save 25% on Muscle Ninja VR on Steam. There's a playable demo and here's a Launch Trailer.

Official trailers.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - The Replacer "Snack Analyst."
• Metal Slug Tactics - Ikari Warriors Gameplay Preview.
• FAIRY TAIL 2 - Opening Movie.

• CarlJr Claims His Sixth World Championship Title at Paris Games Week 2024 - Trackmania. Thanks Frans.

• World of Warcraft — The Mythic Dungeon International returns November 1.

• Way Of The Hunter - Wild Expeditions Announcement Trailer.
• Xenoblade Chronicles X- Definitive Edition Brings an Expansive Sci-Fi Adventure to Nintendo Switch on March 20 - Business Wire.
• Sonic X Shadow Generations Review (Switch) - Nintendo Life. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• EVE Galaxy Conquest launches.

Thanks Frans.

• How the Trump and Harris Campaigns Are Chasing the Gamer Vote - TIME.
• Turmoil continues to swirl around Verizon-Frontier deal - Light Reading. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Mozilla Firefox 132.0, See All New Features, Updates and Fixes.
• Mozilla Firefox ESR 128.4.0, See All New Features, Updates and Fixes.
• Mozilla Firefox ESR 115.17.0, See All New Features, Updates and Fixes.
• Mozilla Thunderbird Version 132.0 Release Notes.
• Mozilla Thunderbird Version 128.4.0esr Release Notes.

Thanks Max.

• DLSS 3 Accelerates Performance In Dragon Age- The Veilguard, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and Red Dead Redemption This Week - NVIDIA.
• A single thin film perfectly absorbs all electromagnetic waves - EurekAlert. Next-gen tinfoil hats to be much more comfortable.
• China tightens export controls on rare earth metals used for chipmaking — Tom's Hardware.
• A Running List of the Tech CEOs Donald Trump Claims Are Calling Him to Suck Up - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• Apple Intelligence Isn't Driving iPhone 16 Sales the Way Apple Hoped, Analyst Says - Gizmodo. Same hype, different train. Maybe if it was 3D? No wait! Something something metaverse!
• AI Slop Is Flooding Medium - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• Horror Video Games for Halloween Week- Mouthwashing, Until Dawn and More - The New York Times. Thanks Neutronbeam.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 245K Processor Review - Team Blue Has Seen Better Days - TweakTown.
• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: iBuyPower AW4 AIO Review- Thermal domination on a budget - Tom's Hardware.
• Headset/Earbuds: Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Headset Gen 3 Review - Big Sound, Innovative CrossPlay Feature - TweakTown.
• Keyboard: Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE Wireless Keyboard Review - TechPowerUp.
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 APEX motherboard - Guru3D.
• Motherboard: Biostar X870E Valkyrie Motherboard - Wccftech.
• Sound Card/DAC: TOPPING D90 III Discrete DAC + A90 Discrete Amplifier Review - TechPowerUp.
• SSD: Crucial P310 1TB PCIe M.2 2230 SSD - OCinside (German).
• SSD: Samsung 990 Evo Plus Solid State Drive Review - ThinkComputers.org.
• SSD: Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD review- The real EVO drive is here - Tom's Hardware.

I had a fun experience yesterday, and just in time for Halloween, it was also a bit eerie. A noise at the front door turned out to be an adorable little doggo who had come a-knocking. Opening the door did not startle him, and it was obvious he already considered us close friends. It turns out he wasn't a neighbor's, he had makeshift super-leash leading to the end of our block where there is some work going on. The contractor told me his little buddy is around a year-and-a-half old, but is already mature enough to take along on jobs like this. But as I said, this was a little spooky for me. This pooch is almost the spitting image of my dear departed buddy Jedi the Jindo. He's only about half Jedi's size, and his ears are a bit pointier, but his face, coloring, curly tail, lean physique, and more are all identical, so the resemblance was striking. Now to be fair, both dogs came from the Spitz family, so there's an obvious explanation for this. But looking him in the eyes was so familiar it was difficult to shake the uncanniness. Combine that with how he singled me out for a visit and acted like we were already besties only added to the slightly supernatural feel of it all. Oh, and did I mention that Jedi's passing was 19 months ago, right around the time of this little guy's birth? I'm not planning on holding any séances, or anything, but the whole encounter was more than a little spooky.

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

Stories

• Appalachian Trail, slammed by Hurricane Helene, faces months of repairs - The Washington Post.
• ‘Grate Cheese Robbery’ Scams Company Out of 22 Tons of Cheddar - The New York Times. Police trying to get Gromit to testify against Wallace.
• Lost Mayan city found in Mexico jungle by accident - BBC. People get lost, not cities.

Science

• Scientists make incredible breakthrough to address 'critical' metal shortages- 'A pivotal advancement' - Yahoo! Tech.
• How bubble curtains protect porpoises from wind farm noise - BBC.
• Beneath the Ice: Titan’s Six-Mile-Deep Methane Crust Could Rewrite Planetary Science - SciTechDaily.
• High school students who came up with 'impossible' proof of Pythagorean theorem discover 9 more solutions to the problem - LiveScience. Thanks Matthew.

Image

• Miami Heat unveil D-Wade's statue outside Kaseya Center. Wow! Glad I'm not a fan.

Media

• Cops Bust Elaborate Fuel Stealing Scam. Thanks The Flying Penguin.

Creature Features

• Boy's Rubik's Cube Fascinates Monkey. Hopefully the boy's handlers gave him a treat. Thanks VideoSift.