Motion Twin and Evil Empire announce the Return to Castlevania DLC for Dead Cells is coming on March 6th to the roguelite action/platformer for Windows, Xbox, and Switch. The news comes with a new DLC Launch Date Gameplay Trailer to whet your appetite. Here's what to expect from the clip:

Front and center in today’s trailers are the inhuman enemies that The Beheaded will face down. Werewolves, blood-suckers, spooky scary skeletons and more are in the way of brand-new loot. Thankfully, Richter and Alucard have given our hero some new toys and abilities that make quick work of these formidable foes. Use Castlevania’s iconic weapons, including the Throwing Axe and Vampire Killer to dispatch monsters, all while teleporting behind enemies with a swing of Alucard’s sword.

However, you’ll need more than fancy tools when facing off against some of Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania’s bosses, including Dracula and Death himself, who players will be able to face for the first time in 15 years. In these battles across two new biomes and featuring a host of new weapons and enemies, players will need to use their wits and calm their nerves to achieve victory against some of humanity’s greatest enemies.

Continue here to read the full story.

Bandai Namco Entertainment busts out its busted caps lock and announces WE LOVE KATAMARI REROLL+ ROYALE REVERIE, a remastered KATAMARI DAMACY game coming to PC and consoles on June 2nd. An Announcement Trailer takes a look at how this differs from the original action/adventure, which rolled out on PlayStation 2 in 2005. Here's word:

WE LOVE KATAMARI REROLL+ ROYAL REVERIE brings the offbeat and inventive KATAMARI DAMACY franchise back to current and new-gen platforms, where players can experience a faithful yet updated version of the original game. The new title will add quality-of-life enhancements and new modes such as Selfie Mode and Eternal Mode, which introduces casual play with no time limits. In addition, five new challenges themed around the story of the young King of All Cosmos have been added to the remaster, along with all new collectibles to roll up.

"With whimsical and still novel gameplay, a memorable soundtrack, and an unforgettable cast of characters, WE LOVE KATAMARI REROLL+ ROYAL REVERIE rolls up everything that made the series one of the most beloved into a new experience that newcomers and long-time fans can appreciate,” said Carolyn Chang, Associate Brand Manager for Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. “We’re thrilled to bring back this broadly acclaimed series and introduce a new generation of gamers to the inventive gameplay and engaging game world of KATAMARI DAMACY.”

Continue here to read the full story.

Don't Nod announces Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, an adventure game the French developer plans to launch this June on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch. This boldly promises a "unique narrative experience." Here's an explanation: "Each action players take, as Polly or Harmony, will affect both worlds and open up different narrative paths. Players can see into the future with the Augural, a game board and visual representation of Polly's gift of foresight. There they can explore the outcomes of possible choices, giving them visibility and agency to decide the fate of humanity. This unique narrative mechanic also gives the game a high replayability factor." Check out the Reveal Teaser Trailer, and read on for details:

In the very near future... MK, a mega corporation, is using its power to control the population of the Mediterranean city of Alma. Polly returns home to search for her missing mother after a few years abroad and soon discovers that her hometown has changed for the worse.

She quickly realizes that she has a gift of clairvoyance that connects her to another world, Reverie, where the Aspirations of Humanity live: Glory, Bliss, Power, Chaos, Bond, and Truth. In Reverie, Polly becomes Harmony, a goddess who has the power to choose the Aspiration that will ultimately rule. There is a delicate balance between our world and Reverie that grows more precarious. It is up to you, as Harmony and Polly, to restore the balance between the Aspirations’ world and ours.
Humanity is at stake. To which destiny do you aspire?

Continue here to read the full story.

They're shipping the demos out a whole new door!

• Dust & Neon (Windows). "Dust & Neon pits a single cowboy against an army of robots in this fast-paced, roguelite action twin-stick shooter, set in a futuristic Wild West."
• Highwater (Windows). "Earth has flooded, and the planet is doomed, but there’s still time to enjoy the view. Guide Nikos and friends through the flooded world of Highwater and beyond in this turn-based strategy adventure game, where they’ll have to fight for their chance to escape."
• The Last Case of Benedict Fox (Windows). "Take on the last case of Benedict Fox and dive into a twisted world of secret organizations, forbidden rituals, and cold-blooded murders. Explore the memories of deceased victims as you search for clues and fight demons in this fantastical Lovecraftian Metroidvania."
• My Summer Adventure: Memories of Another Life (Windows). "A strange incident turns the life of an ordinary young man upside down when, having fallen asleep on a regular train commute, he wakes up in another country... in a body of a Japanese student! An unforgettable summer adventure awaits, promising many fateful meetings and momentous occasions."
• Suffer The Night (Windows). "The envelope is just the beginning. Burn it. Destroy it. Don't play his game. When you see the pale man, it’s already too late. SUFFER THE NIGHT is a first-person survival horror experience. Play chapter one now for FREE."

• Total War Warhammer 3 has three “new experiences” coming this year.

• Love is in the Air (pay what you want and help charity).*
• Save 25% on Gungrave G.O.R.E on Steam.
• Save 40% on Stoneshard on Steam.
• Save 70% on Not For Broadcast on Steam.

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

• Ex-Ubisoft devs lead Krafton's new AAA studio in Montreal.

Official patches.

• Pixel Piracy - 1.2.7 Patchnotes.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Receives 3 GB Update Following Recent GTA Online Hacking Concerns.
• War Thunder - Update 2.23.1.13.

Official trailers.

• Brawlhalla - Valhallentine's 2023 - Launch Trailer.

• I will survive: Resilience strategies for game studios.
• How the Ubisoft Developers Conference Helps Shape Ubisoft’s Culture.

• Apex Legends - Revelry Shakes Up the Party with an Anniversary Celebration and New Season of Content.

• Forge Your Path in Season 02 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty Warzone 2.0, Launching February 15.

• The making of surprise hit Hi-Fi Rush - The Verge. Thanks Neutronbeam.

Thanks Console General.

• Metroid Prime Remastered Rolled out in Latest Nintendo Direct, Available Now for Nintendo Switch.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha (2303.230206-2200).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead (2308.230205-2000).

• Erasing Authors, Google and Bing’s AI Bots Endanger Open Web.
• Warner Bros. Discovery May Not Combine HBO Max With Discovery Plus After All (UPDATED). Thanks Reddit via Ant.
• Disney+ Lost 2.4M Subscribers Last Quarter.
• Netflix password-sharing crackdown launches in four countries.

Thanks Neutronbeam and Console General.

• Quantum breakthrough could revolutionise computing.
• Intel Says Goodbye to Rocket Lake CPUs.
• Be right back, just downloading some headphones.
• Microsoft PowerShell v7.3.2.
• Microsoft PowerToys v0.67.1.
• Evernote v10.53.2.
• San Francisco’s Public Transport Is Still Using Floppy Disks.

• ChatGPT is a data privacy nightmare, and we ought to be concerned. Big tech only gets this worked up over privacy nightmares.
• Google's AI bot mistake wipes $100bn off shares. Woops.
• How the US Can Stop Data Brokers' Worst Practices—Right Now (may require registration or subscription).
• Cops Accidentally Mistake Nintendo Direct For Bomb Threat. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• 3 former Twitter executives testifying at House hearing over handling of Hunter Biden laptop story.

Last Link of the Day: Floor796. Thanks Donovon.

NVIDIA now offers new version 528.49 WHQL-certified Windows drivers for GeForce graphics cards. These include DLSS upgrades for Hello Neighbor 2 and PERISH, the addition of NVIDIA Reflex to World of Warcraft, and support for new GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptops. This page has downloads and patch notes. Here are the highlights:

This new Game Ready Driver provides the best day-0 gaming experience for the latest new games supporting NVIDIA DLSS technology including Hello Neighbor 2 and PERISH. Additionally, this Game Ready Driver supports Company of Heroes 3 and the latest update for World of Warcraft which introduces support for NVIDIA Reflex.

Fixed Bugs

• Adobe Bridge stability issues with 528.02 [3957846]
• Disable Hitman 3 Resizable Bar profile on Intel platforms [3956209]
• Discord update causes GPU memory clocks to drop to P2 state [3960028]

BBC News has details on a deal with local British law enforcement to directly report potentially dangerous chat within Ubisoft games. Word is hardly any cases the Northumbria Police tackle require direct intervention. So hopefully this won't just turn into a SWAT fest. Here's word:

Firstly, it sees specialist officers share their knowledge and expertise on harmful online interactions with the 200-strong team working at the centre in Newcastle, who then apply that training to their daily work.

Secondly, an agreement is in place so that in extreme cases, where there is a threat to life or potential serious harm spotted, staff can fast track the information to police.

They will then decide whether or not to act.

Denuvo announces a partnership with the Esports Integrity Commission to bring anti-cheat software to esports tournaments. Denuvo states its anti-cheat solution does not impact game performance. This is similar to how it presents its DRM software, though many gamers insist Denuvo DRM does negatively affect games. Besides promising to not harm the gameplay experience, the announcement makes bold claims on how well this will detect cheating:

Denuvo Anti-Cheat is developed by security experts who are gamers themselves and the solution has no negative impact on in-game performance. Unlike many other anti-cheat solutions on the market, Denuvo operates on the binary, not the source code, making it very easy to add to games used in tournaments. It integrates directly into the product build process and does not require APIs or SDKs, which means fewer tools for build engineers to manage and fewer tools for developers to install. Denuvo Anti-Cheat provides unique proactive cheat monitoring in real-time while detecting all cheats, not just the easy ones. Unlike other anti-cheat solutions, Denuvo provides comprehensive and transparent data to the game publishers, supplying them with insights on cheats and game cheating. Denuvo cheat data is fully available and owned by the game publisher – an unusual practice compared to other game protection providers.

The weird public spat between gamers and developer Fntastic continues, as development does or does not (depending on who you ask) progress on The Day Before, its planned open-world MMORPG. The studio recently released gameplay footage intended to quell accusations of fakery. But there are skeptics who say this video is faked as well. It's not clear if this is related to the video and its reception, but a new tweet from Fntastic strikes back at "disinformation." The company offers neither details nor alternative information to counter this unspecified slight, but says it plans to take a leadership position on the topic down the road:

We all live in a time of disinformation and lack of fact-checking. Anyone can say anything for views, and everyone will believe it. Disinformation needs to be dealt with as it can harm not only us but also other indies and small/medium studios. It also has a mental impact on the members of such teams. After the release of The Day Before, we'll think about how to help novice developers deal with fakes and allocate resources for this.

Destroying is easy. Creating is difficult.FNTASTIC

Moving right along with more demos:

• Bike Mechanic Simulator 2023 (Windows). "Repair, service and build bikes. Become a bicycle mechanic and make your workshop a real empire on two wheels. Show off your precision and put equipment to a test. From city bikes to high-performance road and MTB models. It's time for cycling madness!" Here's a trailer.
• Builders of Greece (Windows). "Immerse yourself in the beautifully recreated golden age of Hellenic city-states. Builders of Greece is a city management game which lets you display your strategic and economic mastery." Here's a trailer.
• Dark and Darker (Windows). "An unforgiving hardcore fantasy FPS dungeon PvPvE adventure. Band together with your friends and use your courage, wits, and cunning to uncover mythical treasures, defeat gruesome monsters, while staying one step ahead of the other devious treasure-hunters."
• Sherlock Holmes The Awakened (Windows). "Experience a nerve-racking Lovecraftian adventure, rebuilt from the ground up with modern graphics and gameplay. Become Sherlock Holmes, and find yourself at the heart of the terrifying Cthulhu Mythos as you investigate a series of mysterious disappearances in Europe and the US."

• Midweek Sale: hunt awesome deals up to -80%! - GOG.com.*
• Roadwarden with a highest ever -28% discount for the next 48 hours! - GOG.com.*

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

• UK regulator opposes Microsoft deal to buy Activision.
• CMA Provisional Findings Identify "Substantial" Anticompetitive Risk of Microsoft-Activision Deal, Microsoft Publishes Response.
• UK regulator suggests removing Call of Duty from Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition.
• Hogwarts Legacy player counts are now available, thanks to a community member for gifting the game.

Official patches.

• Core Keeper - Core Keeper's Quality of Love Update is LIVE.
• PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS -- PATCH NOTES – UPDATE 22.1.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: February 7, 2023.

• New Xbox Game Pass titles for console, PC and Cloud have been announced.

• Forspoken Developer Confirms New Update In Works For Performance, Graphics Fixes.

• WILD HEARTS CG Trailer - Tame a World Gone Wild.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Michael Scott in Mass Effect.

• Noble Intention Event Launch - Halo.

• Geneforge 2 - Infestation by Spiderweb Software — Kickstarter. "The indie cult classic, totally remastered! Open ended fantasy role-playing fun with your own army of custom-made mutant monsters." Check out the Kickstarter Trailer.

• 5 Ways Minecraft Legends Twists PvP into a Brand New Action-Strategy Experience - Xbox Wire.

• Cities: Skylines Console Remastered I Announcement Teaser Trailer.
• Journey to Deep Space with the Stellar Shift Special Edition Wireless Controller.

• OnePlus confirms there won’t be a OnePlus 11 Pro, but it’s streamlining the wrong series.

• CA woman realizes she had been billed for EarthLink internet service she hadn't used for 13 years (video). Wait until she gets that bill from Prodigy. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explains how Bing with AI is better than Google. The Zune of search.
• Microsoft finally has a fix for Edge's oversized menus.
• People are 'Jailbreaking' ChatGPT to Make It Endorse Racism, Conspiracies.
• What's Next for the ATSC 3.0 Transition. Thanks Ant.

• Intel Arc Graphics - Game On Driver - Hogwarts Legacy.
• NVIDIA Studio Driver - version 528.49.
• Intel's next-gen Arrow Lake CPUs rumoured to be massively faster than 12th Gen Alder Lake.
• PowerColor Liquid Devil RX 7900 XTX 'Guarantees' Ultimate Overclocking.
• 3 radical new products that make building PCs dead simple. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Health Care Bias Is Dangerous. But So Are ‘Fairness’ Algorithms (may require registration or subscription).
• OnePlus unveils its first mechanical keyboard- Mac layout, custom switches.

Thanks Ant.

• Vulnerability Summary for the Week of January 30, 2023 - CISA.
• Researcher breaches Toyota supplier portal with info on 14,000 partners. Thanks DSLReports.
• Clop ransomware flaw allowed Linux victims to recover files for months. That's customer service! Thanks DSLReports.
• Scammers steal $4 million in crypto during in-person meeting.
• Researchers Decrypt Coded Letters Written by Mary, Queen of Scots. Cryptography catches up with the 16th century.

• Biden’s SOTU- Data Privacy Is Now a Must-Hit US State of the Union Topic (may require registration or subscription).
• Suspect in psychotherapy hack-and-leak scam arrested.

• Toaplan didn't just make SHMUPS! - Spy Bros. (Pipi & Bibi's DX) - Indie Showcase (video).

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Case: Thermaltake Ceres 500 TG ARGB Review - TechPowerUp.
• CPU: Intel Core i5-13400 Review- Gaming Dominance at $200 - Tom's Hardware.
• CPU/AIO Cooler: MSI MAG CORELIQUID C360 CPU Liquid Cooler Review - TweakTown.
• Headset/Earbuds: Anker Soundcore Space A40 Review- Great Budget Wireless Earbuds - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Headset/Earbuds: Bowers & Wilkins Px8 review- Incredible sound comes at a cost - Engadget.
• Keyboard: Building a Keyboard 12- MOONDROP Switches, Akko MOD 004 Kit, Epomaker Sailing Keycaps - TechPowerUp.
• Laptop: Gigabyte Aorus 17H (2023) Review, Ada + Raptor Lake - KitGuruTech (video).
• Laptop: Mobile GeForce RTX 4080 debut- Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 laptop review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews.
• Laptop: MSI GT77 Titan (2023) review- faster than most gaming desktops - Digital Trends.
• Laptop: Razer Blade 16 review: the RTX 4090 is a powerful, very expensive chip - The Verge.
• Laptop: Razer Blade 18 Review- An 18-Inch Gaming Laptop for Big Screen Dreams - CNET.
• Mouse: Logitech G502 X Plus Review - IGN.
• RAM: V-Color Manta XSky 32GB DDR5-6600 Memory Kit Review - ThinkComputers.org.

• Website Targets Streamers Playing Hogwarts Legacy. Thanks James…

I'm in the midst off my auto accident story. Previously, on Blue's Accident Recap.

Part Two: Rehab
After weeks in a splint I went to physical therapy, or occupation therapy as they call it for upper-body injuries. At this point I had less than 90 degrees of motion in my arm. This was all in the middle of the normal range, so I couldn't straighten it entirely, nor could I bend it very far. I was told by my therapist that most people with my type of break never completely regain the ability to straighten their arm 100%. So doing so became my goal. I told her this was going to put us on the cover of the New England Journal of Medicine. In good news, I was told to do all the typing I could manage as therapy, so I was able to start updating with two hands again. This was still quite slow at first because a side-effect of my injuries was swelling in my left hand. Though it had no specific injuries, it remained stiff and sore, to the point where I could not even make a fist. I worked very hard, and slowly regained motion in my elbow. But my hand showed no improvement. Trying to play games illustrated the problem. My hand would end up extremely sore and partially numb after even short sessions. More depression. At this point I took up the meme gacha game Raid: Shadow Legends as a way of doing some one-handed gaming. Want a challenge? Get to the endgame on a P2W game without spending any money! In case the comments about rehab don't indicate it, I'm a bit of a grinder.

That therapy grind was twice a week for over six months, and the elbow steadily improved. My doctor eventually prescribed a round of oral steroids for my hand swelling. This worked incredibly well, and I was finally able to pry my wedding ring off my swollen finger. The bad news is some stiffness and swelling returned after I was done taking them. It was still an overall improvement, but it was like two steps forward, one step back. Over the course of my rehab I ended up taking two more courses of those steroids, with the same improvement followed by some backsliding, and I finally got to the point where I could make a fist again. I eventually stopped going to rehab when my determination started to backfire. I began showing first signs of tennis elbow from overwork. The treatment for that is the opposite of the treatment I was getting, so it was time to back off and let nature do the rest. And it did. Time may not heal all wounds, but the remainder of my recovery just required waiting. In the end I achieved my goal, and I can extend my left arm completely straight again. Strangely, the Journal of Medicine people have not contacted me about the cover yet.

Tomorrow: Part Three: Insurance

Therapeutic Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Breakfast Link

• How to help earthquake survivors: A guide to selecting a charity.

Stories

• Fawlty Towers: John Cleese to revive series with daughter Camilla.
• Mysterious Russian satellites are now breaking apart in low-Earth orbit.
• How would a gas stove ban affect wok cooking and the Asian American community. Thanks Max.
• MedMen, California's 'Apple Store of weed,' is about to fail.

Science

• Scientists Discover Molten Layer of Rock Beneath Earth's Crust.
• Some Astronomers want open access to data from James Webb Space Telescope.
• Psilocybin might help reduce rumination and suppressive thoughts in depressed patients. Thanks Acleacius.

Media

• Robot Chicken: A Godzilla's Training Day (NSFW).
• Sarcastic Weatherman Goes Off. Thanks VideoSift.

Creature Features

• Wolves of the wilderness are calling. Will your dog answer? Thanks Max.

Follow-ups

• A Crucial Group of Covid Drugs Has Stopped Working.
• CTE found in nearly 92% of former NFL players studied by Boston University.

The Funnies

• Savage Chickens - This Chart.