Blizzard announces that, despite launch difficulties, Overwatch 2 has reached 25 million players in the 10 days since the launch of the free-to-play shooter sequel. This notes that this is almost triple the number of players than the original Overwatch reached in the same time span (though, of course, you had to actually pay for that one). There are also more details on the promised compensation for those aforementioned launch issues:

As a thank you to players for their enduring support, any player who logs in from October 25 through to the end of Season One will receive an all-new Cursed Captain Reaper Legendary skin and a Health Pack Weapon Charm! Additionally, players can expect to earn double match XP on the following weekends:

• Starting October 21 at 11:00 a.m. PT, ending October 24 at 11:00 a.m. PT
• Starting October 28 at 11:00 a.m. PT, ending October 31 at 11:00 a.m. PT
• Starting November 24 at 11:00 a.m. PT, ending November 28 at 11:00 a.m. PT

Trifox is now available on Steam, offering an action/adventure for Windows from developer Glowfish Interactive and publisher Big Sugar. This post announces the news, illustrated by the previously released Release Date Trailer. And there's a playable demo if you'd like to try Trifox. Here's more:

Trifox is a colourful and cartoonish action-adventure featuring a phenomenal fox with a multitude of talents! Choose from a trio of classes – Warrior, Mage, Engineer – or mix-and-match abilities to create a tailor-made hero! Inspired by the golden age of 3D platformers.

After his home is attacked and his TV remote stolen, Trifox sets out in pursuit of the mysterious looters in an action-packed adventure.

Use magic, might, and marvelous gadgets to outfox foes across four danger-filled worlds as you fight your way to a final showdown at Villain HQ!

Continue here to read the full story.

This tweet announces that HEROIC ASSAULT is coming to Gotham Knights on November 29th, adding a free four-player co-op mode to the superhero action/RPG. These FAQ entries have details on the new mode. Here's word:

Heroic Assault is an upcoming gameplay mode that is separate from the main story campaign. The standalone mode supports up to four players in online co-op and provides a dedicated arena-like environment with specific objectives to complete and enemies to defeat on each floor (30 floors total).

• Day of the Devs 2022 (pay what you want and help charity).*

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

• CMA unswayed by Microsoft's arguments for Activision Blizzard acquisition.
• Is Game Pass’ dominance a hurdle to the Activision acquisition?

Official patches.

• Black Skylands - The AERIAL UPDATE is Now Available.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator Update 11 Beta Release Notes [1.29.22.0].

Thanks Ant.

• The Last Oricru – Lightning Cosplay – Live Action Trailer.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Abandoned by Rockstar - The Tragedy of Red Dead Online - GVMERS.
• RetroAhoy: X-COM.
• Epic dance off in the PUBG lobby - Viva La Dirt League.
• The Console Wars Dating Show.

• Steamworks Development - Seasonal Sale Discounting Tool is now open.

• Who will take the lion's share of the $100K Call of Duty League Resurgence Fortune's Keep prize pool this weekend?

• GamesBeat Summit Next 2022's packed agenda -- 103 speakers and a troublemaker.

• Dead Space hands-on details – Upgraded and expanded horror gameplay.

• Welcome to The Darkest Tales! Now Available on Xbox.

• Intel Embraces an Internal Foundry Model. Thanks Hypothermia.

• The Mormon Church has been hit by a major cyberattack.

• Shein owner Zoetop fined $1.9m over data breach response.

• Dyson Sphere Program is Now Available with PC Game Pass…

Obituary: Robbie Coltrane: Harry Potter actor dies aged 72.

A new Trademark Registration filed by Valve Corporation seeks to protect the title NEON PRIME. It's not clear what this is for as this lists the primary international class of the application as "Electrical Apparatus, Machines and Supplies." But the heading makes more sense, saying this is "intended to cover the categories of computer game software, electronic game software, video game software, computer game programs downloadable via the internet." The latest is that this is still in the works:

The trademark application has been accepted by the Office (has met the minimum filing requirements) and has not yet been assigned to an examiner.

Developer Ebb Software and publisher Kepler Interactive today heap scorn on gamers with the promised release of Scorn for Windows via the Epic Games Store, GOG.com*, and Steam as well as on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass. The Launch Trailer shows off this horror-themed first-person shooter's Giger/Alien vibe. Here's the deal:

Scorn is an atmospheric first-person horror adventure game set in a nightmarish universe of odd forms and somber tapestry.

It is designed around the idea of "being thrown into the world". Isolated and lost inside this dream-like world, you will explore different interconnected regions in a non-linear fashion. The unsettling environment is a character itself.

Every location contains its own theme (story), puzzles and characters that are integral in creating a cohesive world. Throughout the game you will open up new areas, acquire different skill sets, weapons, various items and try to comprehend the sights presented to you.

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

With the game now available, as noted above, reviews of Scorn are rolling out. Here's some heaping of praise and scorn on the new release:

• Scorn Review - It's a Game. Whatever - AGC (NSFW video).
• Scorn review: Bold psychological horror game is only half-formed - Digital Trends.
• Scorn review - beautifully grotesque puzzle-horror that doesn't quite congeal - Eurogamer.net.
• Scorn Review - Gaming Nexus.
• Scorn Review - GameRant.
• Scorn Review - Pound Of Flesh - GameSpot.
• Scorn Review - GamesRadar+.
• Scorn Review - GameRant.
• Scorn review – Giger-inspired horror puzzler is a revulsive but rewarding nightmare - Games - The Guardian.
• Scorn Review - IGN.
• Scorn review – Game Pass’ most gruesome puzzle game - The Loadout.
• ‘Scorn’ review: stranger in a strange land - NME.
• Scorn review - PC Gamer.
• Scorn review: Xbox’s horror exclusive fails to elevate its Giger visuals - Polygon.
• Scorn review- a staggeringly impressive horror world with messy combat - Rock Paper Shotgun.
• (989) I strongly recommend- Scorn (Review) - Skill Up (video).
• Scorn Review: A Bleak, Beautiful, And Grotesque Mess Of Hopelessness - TheGamer.
• Scorn review: An immersive, visceral horror experience that takes environmental storytelling to the extreme - VG247.
• Scorn wraps a jaw-dropping world inside a frustrating game - VGC.
• Scorn review: A sometimes-too-grotesque horror game - The Washington Post (may require registration or subscription).

NVIDIA announces it has heard the complaints about its naming conventions. Admitting having two 4080 cards with different GPUs doesn't make sense, word is the 16GB card will continue to use the name, while the 12GB edition, which has a different processor as well as less RAM, will be renamed. No new name is supplied yet, but it doesn't seem farfetched to speculate it will become the 4070. Here's word:

The RTX 4080 12GB is a fantastic graphics card, but it’s not named right. Having two GPUs with the 4080 designation is confusing.

So, we’re pressing the “unlaunch” button on the 4080 12GB. The RTX 4080 16GB is amazing and on track to delight gamers everywhere on November 16th.

If the lines around the block and enthusiasm for the 4090 is any indication, the reception for the 4080 will be awesome.

This Steam Listing reflects a name change for Overprime, a third-person MOBA announced early this year (thanks PureDMG). This is being developed with assets from Paragon, the free-to-play MOBA that ended in 2018, less than two years after its launch. Now word is Epic has granted Netmarble the rights to use the Paragon name, so the game's new title is Paragon: The Overprime. This post announces an event kicking off today to celebrate the news. Here's the announcement with a new trailer and some details:

We have received official permission from Epic Games to use [PARAGON] as part of our new name.

Therefore, we have decided to give the original [PARAGON] new life with [OVERPRIME] as [Paragon: The Overprime].

Overprime's official website, Steam, Discord, and various social media platforms will be changed following the name change.

We are working hard to ensure that Prime's battlefields are worthy of [Paragon: The Overprime] and its Warriors.

Continue here to read the full story.

Steam now offers Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova for (checks bottom of page) Windows, and this Trekkie action/adventure is also available for PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. This is based on the animated Star Trek: Prodigy series, as seen in the Launch Trailer. Here's word on this chance to boldly go in solo or co-op:

Play as Dal R’El and Gwyndala, and rescue their scattered crew. Play solo or in 2-player cooperative mode in this exciting action adventure.

After the Protostar picks up strange readings from a dying star, Dal R’El and Gwyndala race against time to save their friends, their ship, new alien species and an entire planetary system before a supernova destroys them all!

Explore the alien worlds of Orisi, Mirios and Taresse, each with its own hostile environments, puzzles, challenges and mysteries.

Continue here to read the full story.

Fore! 2K and HB Studios now offer the release of PGA TOUR 2K23 for Windows and consoles, teeing up the latest installment in this professional golfing simulation. The PC edition is on Steam as a Standard, Deluxe, or a Tiger Woods edition (which presumably makes driving more difficult). There's also a Tiger Woods Signature Sunday Pack DLC with some outfits you can wear on Sunday, even if you don't make the cut. Here's an Official Launch Trailer featuring some familiar faces and showcasing Tiger's driving accuracy. Here's more:

AUTHENTIC PGA TOUR MyCAREER
Take your skills, and your swag, on the PGA TOUR and become the next FedExCup Champion. Compete against other TOUR pros with your MyPLAYER and establish new rivalries.

PGA TOUR PROS AND LICENSED COURSES
For the first time, play as male and female pros including Tiger Woods, in online and local play! PGA TOUR 2K23 features multiple licensed courses, including East Lake Golf Club, St. George’s Golf and Country Club, TPC Scottsdale, and TPC Sawgrass to name a few.
Continue here to read the full story.

Attention all ball breakers, DRAGON BALL: THE BREAKERS is now available on Steam. This follows a weird recent trend of Steam selling games with no platform listing, but the Windows system requirements at the bottom of the page reveal this secret. The game is also out on PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. THE BREAKERS is an asymmetrical multiplayer action game pitting seven "ordinary citizens" against a Raider who hunts them. The Launch Trailer shows off gameplay featuring familiar characters from the Dragon Ball IP. Here's more:

DRAGON BALL: THE BREAKERS is an online asymmetrical action game in which a team of 7 ordinary citizens tries to survive the Raider (a classic DRAGON BALL rival such as Cell, Frieza, and Buu), who will hunt them down and evolve during the game into an unstoppable force. Escaping won’t be so easy!

• Escape as a team... or on your own!
Cooperate with others while there is still time, but the Raider or other Survivors' decisions might force you to go at it alone. What will be your playstyle?

Continue here to read the full story.

• Gore weekend Sale on GOG.com.*

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

Official patches.

• Minion Masters - Patch 1.40 - TORMENT.
• Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - Steam Workshop Support.
• Overwatch 2 Retail Patch Notes - October 13, 2022.
• Saint Kotar - Free The Ritual DLC is now live.

• Overwatch 2 devs respond to rubberbanding & hit registration issues.

Official trailers.

• Dead Space - Extended Gameplay Walkthrough.

• 'Strange things began to happen'—how a Ukrainian studio lost its game, saw it botted to hell, and saved it - PC Gamer.
• Dead Space interview: Fleshing out the USG Ishimura and defleshing Necromorphs - VentureBeat.

• V Rising - Halloween Video Contest.
• The Scottish Game Awards has announced its nominees. If it's not Scottish…
• Square Enix announces NieR-Automata Fan Festival.
• League of Legends Ranked Rewards 2022.
• Kwalee announces the VS Game Jam, with a $500,000 install bonus for the winner.

• Mahou Senshi Cosplay Club by Saulo Camarotti — Kickstarter. "Where Cosplaying and Magical Girls meet and merge into this amazing turn-based RPG."

• Modern Warfare 2 how to rank up fast.
• Dwarf Fortress Getting A Tutorial After 20 Years Of Development. Would be awesome if it was super graphics heavy.

• Dead Space Remake Hands-On Preview - IGN.
• Dead Space hands-on: Remember to stomp on the bodies - VentureBeat.

• EA SPORTS NHL 23 Introduces Women’s Players to Ultimate Team and Makes Players Greater Together, Now Available.
• Nintendo has taken Switch Sports offline due to an update bug.
• Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 17 to 21.

• How to Buy a Steam Deck in Australia.
• Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection PC Is Verified For Steam Deck.
• E-waste: Five billion phones to be thrown away in 2022. Two phones for every three people on Earth? Is that possible?
• The Pixel Watch doesn’t support wireless charging for a reason.

• Elon Musk says SpaceX cannot fund Starlink in Ukraine 'indefinitely.' Cannot, or will not? Thanks Matthew.
• Google Fiber Gaining 5 Gbps and 8 Gbps Internet Tiers in Early 2023.
• How TikTok swept the internet.
• Tor Browser 11.5.4 (Android, Windows, macOS, Linux). Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

Thanks Neutronbeam and Console General.

• Microsoft: DirectStorage 1.1 with GPU Decompression Finally on Its Way.
• Gigabyte Publishes Specs for All 13th-Gen Intel Core CPUs.
• Don't Undervolt the RTX 4090 - Optimum Tech (video). Thanks Simon.
• Is Google Hitting Dolby with Royalty-Free Competition?
• Microsoft Offers Possible First Look at Future Windows UI Design.
• Clockwork-Like 'Computer' Discovered Inside Brainless Microscopic Organism. Thanks Max.
• How Palantir's tech patriotism became a multi-billion dollar idea.
• 5 Must-Have Audacity Plugins You Can Download for Free.
• LibreOffice 7.4 Community- Release Notes. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Stardock Start11 version 1.3.
• Visual Studio Code v1.72.2.

• This unusual ransomware attack targets home PCs, so beware.
• This flash drive will self-destruct (if you want it to).

• Elon Musk under federal investigation over Twitter deal.

• FIFA 23 Review: EA's last ever FIFA game isn't quite a clinical finish - VG247.
• PGA Tour 2K23 Review - IGN.

• Case: Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Review - TechPowerUp.
• Case Fan: Cooler Master Mobius 120 und 120P ARGB - OCinside (German).
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X review- Performance that’s great but a price that isn’t - Ars Technica.
• Graphics Card: Nvidia RTX 4090 review: a hair-raising new bar for PC graphics performance – with hefty costs attached - VG247.
• Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE TOXIC AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT 16GB Limited Edition Graphics Card - Nikk Tech.
• Headset: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Review - TechPowerUp.
• Laptop: Corsair Voyager a1600 Gaming Laptop Review - TweakTown. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Mini PC: ECS LIVA One H610 Barebone - Mad Shrimps.
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B660-I Gaming WiFi Review - APH Networks.

I'm getting near the end of my rope with one of our next-door neighbors. I've admitted to him in the past that I'm jealous of how handy he is after seeing him cutting tile, working on his own brakes, and other skilled labor. But at this point I'm contemplating a plan to break in and steal his circular saw. We've been living here around three years now, and I'd estimate he's spent the day sawing wood for a couple hundred of those thousand days. And when he's at it, it's like 10 hours straight of sawing. And it's right outside the door to my office, which is more than a little grating after a while. We live in townhouses, and it's hard for me to imagine him being able to even walk into his unit if it's actually filled with all his handiwork. At this point he must have three layers of hardwood flooring on every surface in the house and every wall covered with shelves with one inch between them to have made use of so much cut lumber. Weird, to say the least.

Lumbering Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Breakfast Link

• Busting 5 common myths about water and hydration.

Stories

• Alaska snow crab season canceled as officials investigate disappearance of an estimated 1 billion crabs. Thanks Boing Boing.

Science

• A California project would store solar energy to use when the sun goes down. Thanks RedEye9.
• Matter Ejected From Crashing Neutron Stars Appeared to Break Light Speed. Always wear a seat-belt. Thanks Max.
• The Great Lakes have a plastic pollution problem — could robots help clean them up.

Image

• Misha the giraffe "kissing" her newborn calf. Thanks Kxmode.

Media

• Batman: The Silent Motion Picture (First 8 Minutes). Thanks Boing Boing.

Auction

• 19th-century Levi's jeans found in mine shaft sell for over $87,000. Only going to wear those for fancy formals.

Follow-up

• Why There's No Such Thing as a Good Billionaire (NSFW video). Patagonia climate story debunked. Thanks Boing Boing.
• British rocket startup Skyrora fails on 1st space launch attempt.