We played Valve’s secret new shooter, Deadlock on The Verge spills beans about Valve's testing of a project called Deadlock on Steam that's gotten tongues wagging. The post notes the author is not under an NDA, but it apparently sparked some backlash, causing the outlet to be banned from the test. The report includes a video and here are some of the beans it spills:

It’s a 6-on-6 shooter, like the original Overwatch, where your team of heroes attempts to dominate a map by slowly wearing down the opposing team and pushing them back. But you’re also leading an army of NPC grunts down four different lanes to destroy the opposing team’s stationary defenses, a little like Dota 2 or other MOBA games.

There’s no downtime. It’s a constant war between your team’s Troopers (the grunts) and the enemy team’s Troopers, which keep respawning and advancing on enemy positions, wave after wave. But they can’t break through unless the human-powered heroes lend them a hand with powerful weapons, abilities, and upgrades.

Continue here to read the full story.

Early Access to Stormgate has now entered the free-to-play stage on Steam and GeForce NOW following a couple of weeks of paid extra-Early Access to this "next-gen" RTS game from Frost Giant Studios. The announcement also looks forward to the game's future: "Early Access is just the beginning of our journey, not the end. We’re committed to making Stormgate a game shaped by our community’s feedback and passion,” said Tim Morten, Frost Giant Studios’ CEO and Production Director. “The progress we’ve made so far has been a direct result of the collaboration with our players, and we’re excited to continue this journey together. Early Access is an opportunity for us to listen, learn, and evolve the game alongside our community, and we can’t wait to see where this adventure takes us." A new Welcome to Stormgate Early Access Trailer is here with some hospitality for new players. Read on for more:

Stormgate players will wage war on post-apocalyptic Earth in a new science-fantasy universe, where humanity remains under siege after a cataclysmic invasion by demonic forces. Players can choose to command one of three highly asymmetric factions: the Vanguard, a resilient human defense force deploying rocket-powered mechs and faithful robot dogs; the Infernal Host, a demonic army with war-mongering brutes and pestilence-spewing dragons; and the Celestial Armada, a mysterious faction of angelic Biosynths with its deadly Machine Legion. Each faction offers unique gameplay mechanics, units, Heroes, and strategies for players to explore. Epic real-time strategy battles await!

Continue here to read the full story.

A Black Myth: Wukong Benchmark Tool is now available on Steam, offering a free system check for Windows based on the upcoming action/RPG. This post explains that this accompaniment to the game's system specifications is not playable: Here's the explanation of how the famed monkey king can evaluate your rig:

This tool allows you to preliminarily check your PC's hardware performance and system compatibility for running the game. You can customize benchmark settings to preview game visuals and performance for different graphics options.

This tool is a PC benchmarking application specifically developed for "Black Myth: Wukong". It is separate from the game itself and is non-playable.

We have ensured that benchmark results closely approximate expected performance when playing "Black Myth: Wukong", however, due to the complexity and variability of gaming scenarios, test results may not fully represent the actual gaming experience and final performance at the time of the game's release.

Steam now offers Early Access to Level Zero: Extraction, an asymmetrical PvPvE multiplayer shooter for Windows (as well as words you never want to hear from your dentist). Doghowl Games and tinyBuild provide an overview of its survival/horror gameplay in the Steam Early Access Trailer. There are three different editions with three different launch discounts, along with a supporter pack, and more. The description has details:

Developed in Unreal Engine 5 by Ukraine-based studio DogHowl Games, Level Zero: Extraction blends the heart-pounding tension of asymmetric survival horror with the high-stakes showdowns of extraction shooters to create a brand-new immersive multiplayer experience. Embark on dangerous scavenging raids – solo or with friends – where multiple mercenary teams compete for valuable loot, all while another two players hunt the humans from the shadows as deadly alien monsters that can only be killed with light.

Experienced by over 300,000 players earlier this year, Level Zero: Extraction’s hugely successful Open Beta was the second-most played demo during Steam Next Fest in June 2024. Debuting today with over 400,000 wishlists on Steam, the game will continue to evolve throughout early access with new features and improvements driven by community feedback.

Continue here to read the full story.

Marvelous Europe and Knights of Borria have released Leximan on Steam, offering an adventure for Windows where you wield the magical power of words. A new release trailer is here to cast you under its spell. The description of "using words and incompetence to solve bizarre problems" sounds oddly familiar to a webmaster, but this is apparently about sorcery:

Embark on a brilliant adventure, using words and incompetence to solve bizarre problems and unravel a surprisingly wholesome story about embracing and empowering the real you while you bother a chaotic cast of characters, from potion witches and sweaty musclemancers, to a bombastic policewoman and a pyromancer who's just fed up, to be honest. There are also hat goblins - give hats to the hat goblins, please and thank you.

Continue here to read the full story.

IGN reveals that one of the games from yesterday's news of two new Halloween games is a throwback 16-bit platformer. We're just going to go ahead and assume it's not the one using the Unreal 5 Engine and John Carpenter's input. The reveal from Boss Team also unveils a new Ash vs Evil Dead with a similar style will arrive at the same time, with both falling under the heading RetroRealms. Here's the RetroRealms: Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead - Announcement Trailer along with some details:

"Everyone at Boss Team Games are huge fans of horror, and getting to work with these legendary properties is a dream come true," Boss Team Games' CEO Steve Harris explained in a press release. "It has been an amazing experience collaborating with WayForward, and our licensors to create not one, but two, fast-paced 90's arcade style games while remaining true to the original Halloween film and 'Ash vs Evil Dead' series. The trailer dropping today gives fans a taste of the gore-filled gameplay and fast-paced action and we can't wait to show more!"

Both RetroRealms: Halloween and RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead, as depicted in the announcement trailer, are 16-bit platformers. Both games are coming to PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox on October 18. Both games can be purchased separately via a digital storefront for $24.99 each, or you can purchase a physical Double Feature bundle, which will retail for $49.99.

Continue here to read the full story.

• KIBORG: Arena on Steam (Windows). "Fight for cash and glory in a prison planet’s Coliseum in this free prologue to KIBORG, the fast-paced action rogue-lite with brutal, cybernetic-enhanced combat."

• Obsidian's Feargus Urquhart: The Outer Worlds II "is going really well" - Neowin.

• Save 50% on Cult of the Lamb on Steam.
• Persona Franchise Sale.
• Save 91% on Bakery Simulator on Steam.
• Cat Awareness Feline Sale 2024 on Steam.

• Borderlands 3 Surges In Popularity After Movie Bombs At Box Office - GameSpot.

Official patches.

• Disney Speedstorm Community Pit Stop – Season 9 Patch Notes.
• SCS Software's blog- Euro Truck Simulator 2 - 1.51 Update Open Beta.
• FOUNDRY - Update 1- Cables & Creations is LIVE.
• World of Warcraft 11.0.2 Updates—Now Live.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes- August 13, 2024.

• Helldivers 2 - The message to the community from our game director - Reddit.

• What are the legal risks of using generative AI in games development? - GamesIndustry.biz.

• Police Simulator- Patrol Officers – Ultimate Fleet Pack Trailer.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• The Design of Dredge - Noclip Documentary. Thanks Ant.

• Concord- Launch and the adventure ahead – PlayStation.Blog.

• Google Chrome drops support for the most popular ad blocker, leaving over 30 million users stranded - Windows Central. Thanks Max.

• Were we wrong about Zen 5? - TechSpot. We should meditate on the question. Thanks The Flying Penguin.
• AMD 7900X3D and 7950X3D Core-Parking problems FIXED once and for all! - JayzTwoCents (video). Thanks RedEye9.

• Six 0-Days Lead Microsoft’s August 2024 Patch Push – Krebs on Security.

• FTC Outlines Remedy Concerns in Amicus Brief After Jury Finds Google Illegally Monopolized App Store. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• UAW files federal labor charges against Donald Trump and Elon Musk after threatening workers on X interview - CNN Business.
• 5th Circuit rules geofence warrants illegal in win for phone users’ privacy - Ars Technica.
• Elon Musk went judge shopping in ad lawsuit and didn’t get the judge he wanted - Ars Technica.

Last Link of the Day: Most Gaming Consoles Connected to a TV - Guinness World Records. Thanks Ant.

The Red Dead Redemption PlayStation description does not include any mention of a PC edition of the first game in the western shooter series. But it did, according to the reliable Wario64 on X, who offers a shot of the listing that seems to clearly confirm that a long rumored PC port of the 2010 FPS is on the way. In this now-removed description of what PC players can expect:

Featuring the complete single-player experiences of both games, including bonus content from the Game of the Year Edition, Red Dead Redemption features all of the 2023 console version upgrades plus PC specific enhancements including support for increased resolutions and framerates, multiple displays, and other accessories, plus spatial surround sound.*

Firestone Games reveals REKA will enter Early Access on September 12th, hoping this witchcraft adventure game puts players under its spell. The announcement also includes the news that the lead writer on this project is Rhianna Pratchett, reknowned for her work on Overlord, Mirror's Edge, and Tomb Raider and more. Hopefully she was hired before this news, because it takes more than a month to write a game. Here's word:

Fireshine Games is also delighted to announce that award-winning writer Rhianna Pratchett is collaborating with Emberstorm Entertainment as the game’s Lead Writer, lending her talent of storytelling to enrich REKA’s magical tale and tell an unforgettable story of witchcraft and wonder.

REKA’s adventure begins on September 12th, when players can experience the game’s opening chapters and discover their newfound powers of witchcraft to set out on an unforgettable journey with their walking, chicken-legged cottage companion. Additional content and story updates will be introduced throughout the game’s time in Early Access.

Guayota is now available for Windows on Steam and for Switch, offering a puzzle/adventure game from Dear Villagers and Team Delusion. A new Launch Trailer is here with a look at gameplay that seems serene until the traps start trapping, and there's also a playable demo to check out. Here's what to expect:

Inspired by legends related to the Canary Islands and the Guanches mythology, Guayota depicts the story of a group of explorers, sent by the Spanish Kingdom to find the legendary Saint Brendan’s Island. As the protagonist, you will soon understand that this island, said to be paradise on Earth, might actually hide darker secrets.

Continue here to read the full story.

• The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer cancellation reportedly wasn't a "bloodless endeavour" - Eurogamer.net.
• 'We're currently choking to death'- Glow Golf developer Alex Johansson says the industry must engage new audiences - Game Developer.

• German games market slips into the red in the first half of 2024 - Business Wire.

• Borderlands grosses $16 million globally, leaving it roughly $60 million shy of breaking even—and that's before the theatres - PC Gamer.

• Necesse - The Necesse Graphics Update is out now! - Steam News.

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

• Torchlight- RTX Remix Path Tracing Demo Available for Download - DSOGaming.

• Metal- Hellsinger VR – Meta Quest Pre-Order Trailer - Funcom. What's with that audio mix?
• VR studio Archiact is shutting down - Game Developer.

Official trailers.

• Dark Sky - Release Date Trailer. September 24th.
• The Legend of Heroes- Trails through Daybreak - Accolades Trailer (Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC).

• Jordan Mechner: "This October marks the 35th anniversary of Prince of Persia's first release. I thought today's game developers might enjoy seeing what I wrote in my journal during those final months of development." - Mastodon.ART. Thanks Ant.

• Apple approves iDOS 3 following emulator rule change - The Verge.
• Disposing of an old Windows laptop? Here's the safest way to erase your personal data (for free!) - ZDNET. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Huawei Said To Be Exploring Ways To Reduce Its Tri-Fold Smartphone’s Costs, New Rumor Claims Commercial Units Could Be Priced More Than $4,000.

• Firefox 129.0.1, See All New Features, Updates and Fixes. Thanks Frans.
• Why is Elon Musk's X struggling with technical problems? - BBC.

• DLSS 3 Available Now In Level Zero- Extraction; Warhammer 40,000- Speed Freeks & Hunt- Showdown 1896 Launch With DLSS Super Resolution.
• NVIDIA RTX Remix Creator Toolkit Open Source Available Now - GeForce News - NVIDIA.
• NVIDIA Blackwell AI Servers Exposed To -Component Shortage-, Limited Supply Expected In Q4 2024 - Wccftech.
• ChatGPT unexpectedly began speaking in a user’s cloned voice during testing - Ars Technica. Thanks Max.
• MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle explores "artificial intimacy" - TED Radio Hour - NPR. Thanks RedEye9.

• Polish billionaire plans to sue Meta over fake advertisements - Yahoo! Finance.

• AMD won’t patch Sinkclose security bug on older Zen CPUs • The Register.
• Chrome and Edge users infected with malicious browser extensions that steal your personal data — what to do now - Tom's Guide. Thanks Max.
• Vulnerability Summary for the Week of August 5, 2024 - CISA. Thanks Ant.
• 'Digital arrest' scams are big in India and may be spreading • The Register.
• Who uses LLM prompt injection attacks- Job seekers, trolls • The Register.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: The Noctua NH-D15 G2 LBC Cooler Review- Notoriously Big, Incredibly Good - AnandTech.
• Laptop: Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge review- beauty before brawn - The Verge.
• Microphone: Antlion Audio ModMic USB 2 and UNI 2 - LanOC Reviews.
• Monitor/Projector: Xiaomi G34WQi 34-inch 180 Hz gaming monitor review- Good color and contrast for a low price - Tom's Hardware.
• VR/AR HMD: TCL RayNeo Air 2S AR smart glasses review- Stellar sound, static sight - Laptop Mag.

Okay, confession is said to be good for the soul, so here goes. It's time to tip the hat to those who laughed at me four years ago when I spoke of picking up a giveaway elliptical machine from a neighbor. I was optimistic about this whipping me into shape, but there were many jokes about how these things end up being coatracks. Now in fairness, this was a pretty crappy unit (hence the giveaway), but that was not nearly the obstacle my laziness was. So the good news is that it didn't cost me anything to learn that those of you who predicted it would get no use were correct. We had some junk hauled off the other day, and the elliptical was part of the purge, drawing this fiasco to a close.

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

Play

• Test Yourself on These Video Games Adapted From Novels - The New York Times. Painfully easy.

Breakfast Link

• 2024 Hugo Award Winners - Glasgow 2024. Trying to move past the scandal.

Stories

• The era of freeloading is officially over - CNN Business.
• These American cities are heating up the most - CNN.

Science

• Washing Fruit Before Eating Doesn't Remove Pesticides: Study - People.
• Traces of Dinosaur Catastrophe Found in Genes of Today's Birds - ScienceAlert.
• How to observe Mars and Jupiter as they pair up super close this week - NPR.

Media

• Craziest Golf Shot of all time. Thanks VideoSift.
• Pwnie Awards 2024 - Crowdstrike President Accepts “Epic Fail” Award - AC.