Star Wars Outlaws is set to bring an immersive open world experience for the first time to the
franchise. The gameplay showcased during the Ubisoft Forward event notably highlighted the visual quality enabled by the Snowdrop engine. More recently, Ubisoft held an in-person preview event for press and content creators with extended hands-on gameplay showcasing the open world across multiple planets. This, combined with the virtual previews we are currently holding, is the biggest preview event for press and content creators ever held at Ubisoft. The game has gone gold and is set to release on August 30.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the next flagship title in the franchise is set to release on November 15 and is the most ambitious Assassin’s Creed yet. It comes with dual protagonists, a stepchanging innovation for the brand offering two completely different playstyles and perspectives to the story, providing a deeper immersion and enhanced gameplay variety. The content showcased also highlighted the dynamic world set in feudal Japan, including the shifting seasons and weather system enabled by the all-new generation of the Anvil engine technology.

TactiCon is a digital convention hosted on Steam celebrating strategy video games.

TactiCon highlights the brilliant and creative minds who develop strategy games and gathers the players who love them.

Juno is one highly mobile Martian 🛸👩‍🚀

💥 Primary Fire: Mediblaster
🎯 Secondary Fire: Pulsar Torpedoes
💫 Abilities: Glide Boost & Hyper Ring
🚀 Ultimate: Orbital Ray

Check out her kit and try it out for yourself during her limited-time trial July 19 through July 21 ✨

An adaptive apex predator hailing from the jungles of Nahantu will soon join the fight against darkness. The Spiritborn is an entirely new class in the Diablo® series, that calls upon the unique strengths of Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede Spirit Guardians to overcome any nightmare the Burning Hells throws their way. The Spiritborn class will be arriving on October 8 as part of the Vessel of Hatred™ expansion.

Spiritborn are versatile warriors who fuse devastating three-hit-combo attacks and acrobatic fluidity into a potent display of their ferocity. They are masters of hand-to-hand combat, doling out lethality at close range through the ability to extend their wrath with the aid of spirit energy and their favored demon-slaying implement, the glaive. Their physical prowess allows them to block or dodge incoming strikes, absorbing this power for themselves or redirecting it back at their aggressors.

Registration is open now for the following Steam Sales and Fests (sorted by date):

• Real-Time Strategy Fest: January 20 – 27
  Idler Fest: February 3 –10
• Couch Co-Op Fest: February 10 –17
• Steam Next Fest: February Edition: February 24 – March 3
• Visual Novel Fest: March 3 – 10
• Steam Spring Sale: March 13 – 20
• City Builder & Colony Sim Fest: March 24 – 31
• Sokoban Fest: April 21 – 28
  Wargames Fest: April 28 – May 5
  Creature Collector Fest: May 12 – May 19
• Zombies vs. Vampires Fest: May 26 – June 2
  Steam Next Fest: June Edition: June 9 – 16
  Fishing Fest: June 16 – 23
• Steam Summer Sale: June 26 – July 10

Lead your Space Commandos in a revival of turn-based squad tactics inspired by UFO/XCOM, Space Hulk, and Aliens, featuring in-depth skill & combat systems and multiple game modes. Discover the truth behind the demise of colony MC83-A and join the USC in defending humanity!

USC: Counterforce is a retro-inspired turn-based squad tactics game set in a tense sci-fi atmosphere. You control a strike team of commandos sent out to planetary body M-8322 to investigate and neutralize the remains of a still mostly unidentified alien threat. But what you find there may very well change the course of history...

Take on the role of Sam, a former rootin’, tootin’ Wild West gunslinger who escaped his day-to-day of murder and mayhem and realized, after a hundred years or so, that there’s a whole lot more to unlife than blood, lace, and leather. Dragging himself from the quagmire of the Old West, Sam teams up with a 3000-year-old vampire living in Europe that’s willing to show him the therapy ropes.

Immerse yourself into this alternate world and meet your clients: self-hating vampires, agoraphobic social media addicts, supernatural narcissists, and victims of centuries-old capitalistic systems. You can’t fix the world, but maybe you can help other vampires accept it.

Do you trust politicians? No matter - Realpolitiks 3 will put you in power. Prove your political brilliance in a grand strategy like no other: pick any contemporary country, set up your government and navigate the pitfalls of domestic and international politics. A glorious destiny awaits - the domination of not just the Earth, but the whole Solar system!

To achieve this ultimate goal, you will have to carefully consider a myriad of decisions, starting with the choice of a country you wish to lead. Taking control of any contemporary nation in order to fulfill your ambitions: from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and everything in between.

• StarMetal Crusaders on Steam (Windows). "Lead a motley crew of mercenaries through the dangerous and intriguing universe of the Zeta Sector in this Unique RTS Fighter!"
• Tempest Rising on Steam (Windows). "Command distinct factions in a desperate struggle for power and resources in Tempest Rising - a classic RTS set on Earth after a nuclear war."

Embark on an Evil pursuit against the formidable Dwarven Queen Brynnhild through the untamed West in five new missions. New dwarven units like the Pistolero, Machine Dwarf and Crack Shot, armed with powerful dwarven weaponry, add a fresh layer of tactical evilness, while Thalya goes full Wicked Wild West, bringing new passive skills into the fight against the Good.

Steam locomotives rumble across the land, brimming with dwarves armed with dynamite and guns, led by Brynnhild and her fearsome steel train, bringing hope to the forces of light and goodness—how revolting! But fear not, for you, with Thalya and your new arsenal, are the key to turning the tide in favour of Evil.

Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks, the free-to-play multiplayer combat racer, is set to enter Early Access on Aug. 6 for its first season. It´s time to rev your engines and unleash the Speedwaaagh. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2078450/Warhammer_40000_Speed_Freeks/

Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks will enter Early Access for a limited time as the development team prepares for the full launch later this year, marking the start of Season 1.

• Counter-Strike co-creator says he's happy they sold the game to Valve—'They have done a great job of maintaining the legacy' - PC Gamer.

• Epic Games Summer Sale. Just a sale, no coupons or anything this time.
• Poser 12 - 3D Character Design Pack (pay what you want and help charity).*

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

• European game sales down just 1.6% during the first half of 2024 - European Monthly Charts - GamesIndustry.biz.

• Paramount+ has cancelled its Halo show after 2 seasons - VGC.

• Borderlands 3 - Free Heroes of the Borderlands cosmetics for Borderlands 3.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator - July 18th, 2024 - Development Update.
• Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur Patch Notes - Content Update 3.25.0.
• Team Fortress 2 Update Released.

• Alchemist Shop Simulator - Announcement Trailer.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III - New Season 5 Multiplayer Cel-Shaded Maps.
• For Honor - Content Of The Week - 18 July.
• Harvest Days - Five Things To Do (When Not Farming).
• Monster Jam Showdown - Challenge.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• The Rise and Fall of Motorstorm - GVMERS. Thanks Ant.

• World of Warcraft — Season of Discovery Phase 4- World Bosses Now Live.

• The Sims 4: Lovestuck’s funniest, wild new additions - Polygon.

• Landnama - Console Announcement Trailer.
• 【English Trailer】 Touhou Hero of IceFairy.

• Ubisoft delays Rainbow Six Mobile and The Division Resurgence beyond March 2025 - Eurogamer.net.

• NoScript version 11.4.31. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• TSMCs Q2'24 Results- Best Quarter Ever as HPC Revenue Share Exceeds 52% on AI Demand.
• Windows 11 Update 23H2 is now in broad deployment after fixing critical bugs - Tom's Hardware.
• DDR5 vs. DDR4 in the Latest PC Games - TechSpot.
• 7 nifty Windows File Explorer tips to keep under your belt - PCWorld. Under your belt?
• MPC-HC Release 2.3.3 · clsid2-mpc-hc · GitHub. Thanks Ant.
• StreamFab 6.1.8.9. Thanks Console General.

• Judge mostly tosses SEC claims against SolarWinds security • The Register.
• Kaspersky responds to US government's Kremlin-ties concerns • The Register.

Maid of Sker is a first-person survival horror, set in a remote hotel with a gory and macabre history from British folklore. Armed with only a defensive sound device, you’ll utilise stealth tactics to avoid death amongst a cult of sound-based AI enemies.

Set in 1898 and inspired by the haunting Welsh tale of Elisabeth Williams, this is a story of a family empire driven by torture, slavery, piracy and a supernatural mystery that suffocates the grounds of the hotel.

Created and developed by Wales Interactive with a plot crafted by the writing talent and designers behind the likes of SOMA, Don’t Knock Twice and Battlefield 1.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a bold new Action-RPG taking place in a beautiful yet perilous world where magic and gunpowder collide. Players will control Nor Vanek, alongside her mystical companion, Enki, and find themselves in a relentless battle against the gods and their menacing Army of the Dead. They must hone their combat skills using an enthralling mix of gunpowder and magic to reclaim the lost City of Dawn as the world around them plunges into chaos. Explore unique locations with Nor’s explosive powder-based abilities and Enki’s magic, liberate besieged hamlets to restore order to the world and discover and upgrade powerful gear with unique perks and abilities in your path towards vengeance. As the gods seek to rule over everything they call home, Nor must become more than a soldier if she’s to save humanity.

Alex Dracott, CEO and Creative Director of Ironwood Studios, said, "We are blown away by the response to Pacific Drive. This isn’t a milestone we expected to reach when we first started working on it, it’s a dream come true for us. It is a testament to the hard work of everyone at Ironwood Studios. We are deeply thankful to our community for believing in our vision and joining us on this journey. None of this would be possible without their support, and we’re thankful for the chance to continue supporting Pacific Drive and improving their experience."

This is the first free content update for Pacific Drive bringing a range of new content and features such as the highly anticipated Photo Mode and quality of life improvements like PS5 Performance Mode which provides an even smoother experience for PlayStation players. A paid cosmetic pack is also available for $4.99 / £4.99 featuring cosmetic items themed around everyone’s favorite friendly dumpster.

The Empire has fallen, leaving in its place multiple successor kingdoms. The lords and ladies of these petty kingdoms squabble for control and influence – whether with cloak and dagger or sword and shield, families feud amongst themselves and against each other as greater threats cast a shadow across the land. Famines wreak havoc on the lives of the peasantry, warfare and disunity threaten the social order, noble families fall to decadence and hedonism, and beyond the borders of the old Empire, great armies of pillage and destruction form under the banners of invader-kings.

Welcome to Hinterberg, a new tourist hotspot in the idyllic Austrian Alps! You play as Luisa, a burnt-out law trainee taking a break from her fast-paced corporate life to conquer the Dungeons of Hinterberg. There are plenty of dungeons to find and adventures to be had in Hinterberg – will Luisa be sent packing on her first day, or remain to become a Master Slayer? Only one way to find out…

Snowboard down a glacier, zipline through the forest, climb a mountain, or have a coffee by the lake... There’s no shortage of places to discover while you’re out looking for your next dungeon!

Players will take on the role of Earl, a former pest controller turned, well, pest controller. Only now the pests are flesh-eating mutants hell-bent on the destruction of humanity. All that can stop them now is a few gallons of gasoline, dual machine guns and a whole lotta bullets.

Perfect for fans of Vampire Survivors, this epic adventure transports players from dingy dungeons to the rolling hills of post-apocalyptic America. Starting in their very own destructive 4x4, players will be able to steal cars from the captains of the undead and tear around a variety of maps, unlocking new abilities and changing how they play with boosters, drones, lasers and even levitating sawblades. Eradicating irradiated baddies has never been so fun!

A schim is the soul and spirit of an object, thing, or living being. Everything in the world has one. A schim should never be separated from their thing! This does happen to your schim, this schim who is attached to a human being is separated from them early on in the game.

Can you get back to them before it's too late?

• Smells Like a Mushroom on Steam (Windows). "Boomer jokes ✅ Vegetable puns ✅ Strange characters ✅ Join the Aveggers to fight through the solar system in a dynamic third-person platformer shooter and defeat the mushroom invasion. 99% silly, 100% vegan!"
• Gorble by LeafyGames. "Gorble is a short marble-based dungeon crawl. You are a marble and you explore a dungeon and fight enemies." Here's a trailer. Thanks Ant.

Multiplayer first-person combat and portal-hopping movement is back in Splitgate 2 - now bigger and better than ever. Three unique factions grant players the ability to choose and progress based on their preferred gameplay style or competitive strategies, while a large variety of arenas, weapons and modes keep things fresh. You can join the fight at any skill level - alone or with friends.

Today’s announcement trailer showcases the game’s faction-forward gameplay, tying in multiple playstyles and loadouts for strategic team setups. The trailer gives players a glimpse of what to expect when Splitgate 2 launches in 2025 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.

In Kiopioke!, you take control of a determined bird whose dreams of flight seem shattered by a broken wing. But fear not! This plucky protagonist discovers a unique way to overcome this obstacle. By poking into walls, building tension, and launching yourself into the air, you'll find a whole new way to soar. This innovative mechanic turns every wall, ledge, and obstacle into an opportunity for creative problem-solving and exhilarating platforming action.

• NetherRealm's Mobile Games In Danger as Layoffs Strike - TechRaptor.

• Check out our Turn Based Promo! - GOG.com.*

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

• New Borderlands Comic Revealed Ahead Of The Movie's Release - GameSpot.

• Expeditions- A MudRunner Game - Co-op release.
• These Doomed Isles - Deckbuilder Update Patch Notes- 0.1.153.

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

• The Force Engine version 1.10.000 update for Star Wars: Dark Forces. Thanks fakespyder.

• GFN Thursday: GeForce NOW Summer Sale Live - NVIDIA Blog.

• Blizzard Apologizes For "Lapse In Communication," Rolls Back Unexpected WoW Classic Changes - GameSpot.

• Retro Revengers - Trailer.
• Amber Isle - Nintendo Switch Release Date Announcement Trailer.

• Boost Mobile puts a new spin on EchoStar's wireless ambitions - LightReading. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Purgatory - Preorders on iOS Trailer.
• Google Messages could soon let you send higher-quality images over RCS.

• “The internet has become a massive web of surveillance-” Firefox defends its decision - Cybernews.
• SeaMonkey 2.53.19 Beta 1 is out. Thanks Ant.

• The Blurred Reality of AI’s ‘Human-Washing’ - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Dyson's OnTrac headphones ditch the Zone's air purifier for 'audio-only' use. Do not ditch Dyson's always ambitious pricing. Thanks David.
• Goldman’s Top Stock Analyst Is Waiting for AI Bubble to Burst. We've all seen this movie before.

• Critical Cisco bug allows crims to change admin passwords • The Register.

• Conscript PC Review - GameWatcher.
• Dungeons of Hinterberg review - PC Gamer.

• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: Phanteks Glacier One 360 T30 Gen2 - 360 mm AIO cooler - Guru3D.
• Headset/Earbuds: Audeze MM-500 Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones Review - TechPowerUp.
• Laptop: Galaxy Book 4 Edge review- Samsung laptop delivers power but not battery life - Samsung - The Guardian.
• Monitor/Projector: KTC G27P6 OLED gaming monitor review - Eurogamer.net.
• Sound Card/DAC: Creative Labs Sound Blaster GS3 - Christ Centered Gamer.
• SSD: Crucial P310 SSD review- More speed for M.2 2230 - Tom's Hardware.

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

Stories

• New 'Butter' Made From Carbon Dioxide Tastes Like the Real Dairy Product, Startup Says - Smithsonian. I can't believe it's not exhaust! Thanks Boing Boing.
• '24' Film in Early Development at 20th Century - Variety. Hopefully with an intermission around the 12-hour mark.

Science

• Five people infected as bird flu appears to go from cows to chickens to humans - Ars Technica.
• To Find Alien Life, We Might Have to Kill It - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Blood-thinning drug heparin may stop snakebite victims losing limbs - New Scientist.
• Common Sedative Could Break Consciousness by Tipping Your Brain Into Chaos. Can also kill pop stars.

Media

• Sci-Fi Short Film - "CONTACT."
• When Movie Scenes Were Improvised on the Spot.
• Dune: Prophecy - Official Teaser 2 - Control - Max.
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Official Trailer 2.

Creature Features

• Silly goats caught dancing on top of car when they think nobody is watching (video) - Boing Boing. Living the popular quote.

The Funnies

• Sharks and Lightning - Savage Chickens.