A new Star Wars Outlaws: Galaxy Teaser Trailer offers a look at some of the planets and moons in Star Wars Outlaws, teasing flora, fauna, as well as cities and settlements. There's also a new Official PC Gameplay Trailer that actually focuses more on PC graphics features. And with the launch of the open-world sci-fi action/adventure just two weeks off, Ubisoft isn't through, providing this post with details on PC features and a set of PC specifications. Word is: "And if you're getting ready to navigate the dangers of the criminal underworld on PC, you'll be able to take advantage of a wealth of features including support for ultrawide and multi-monitor setups, uncapped frame rates, image upscaling, and more. Keep reading to see a list of PC features, and a range of specs to help you get the best performance possible from your hardware." The specs are provided in a low-res image that can run on a potato:

Continue here to read the full story.

Boom! EA SPORTS kicks off Madden NFL 25, the latest installment in the long-running tackle football simulation. It's available for PC and consoles, and the Windows edition is found on the Epic Games Store and Steam. The Official Launch Trailer is here with a quick hit about the game's hitting. Put down your boomstick and read on for more about hit stick:

The newest iteration of FieldSENSE™ and all-new BOOM Tech** – a dynamic physics-based tackling system that unlocks the reengineered Hit Stick and a new level of ball carrier control – gives players the ability to dominate the gridiron like their favorite NFL superstar. Completely refreshed visuals and presentation on PS5®, XBOX Series X|S and PC, including two new commentary teams, deliver new levels of NFL authenticity and immersion through every mode of play, and post-launch live service updates across the game will bring fresh and fun content all year long.

“Madden NFL 25 is here and hits harder than ever with BOOM Tech bringing players new levels of realism and control years in the making, along with a new look, sound, and feel across the game,” said Seann Graddy, Executive Producer, Madden NFL. “The launch of Madden NFL each year is a milestone in the sports landscape that signals football season is upon us, and Madden NFL 25 is a place for fans across the world to immerse themselves in the sport and master the new kickoff rules before the regular season kicks off next month.”

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Love, Ghostie is now available for Windows on Steam, kicking off a supernatural love story that doesn't involve learning pottery or the Righteous Brothers. In this you play as a ghost who helps the living find love, with your clientele including animals, dinosaurs, and robots. The Launch Trailer shows off a cute animation style that would make Casper crowd (okay, no more dated references). Here's how this works:

Step into the spectral shoes of Ghostie, an adorable matchmaking ghost with a flair for romance. From a moonlit walk through the park to catching the latest screening at the theater, your role is to decode love languages and craft perfect moments to help the residents find the right partner. With over 60 combinations of couples, you can always test the waters with other relationships to find the perfect match.

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• Many of Epic's exclusivity deals were 'not good investments,' says Tim Sweeney, but the free games program 'has been just magical - PC Gamer.
• Swen Vincke was worried that the 100-hour Baldur's Gate 3 would be too short, which is why Larian made a ton of extra areas they wound up cutting: 'I've notoriously always been bad at judging the length of our games' - PC Gamer.

• Tower Defense (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Far Cry Franchise Sale on Steam.
• Save 66% on Sally Face - Episode One on Steam.
• Get up to 85% Off Need for Speed Games on Steam.
• Save 75% on Moving Out on Steam.

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

• Ubisoft cuts 45 jobs across Cary and San Francisco teams - Game Developer.
• Iron Galaxy co-CEO Adam Boyes to exit after 8-year stint - Game Developer.

• Valve's not-so-secret game Deadlock is a bold experiment in soft-launching - Opinion - GamesIndustry.biz.
• Hunt Showdown 1896 is being review bombed on Steam already.

Official trailers.

• A Sierra Reunion - It finally happened!! - MetalJesusRocks. Thanks Ant.

• TerraStorm by GameLoad — Kickstarter. "TerraStorm is a survival city builder set in an alternative timeline. Build a bastion for humankind and save tomorrow. In TerraStorm's alternative timeline, the War has ended over 70 years ago with the discovery of Viribus." Here's a Gameplay Trailer.

• The Evolution of Assassin's Creed's Eagle Vision - Ubisoft.

• Nintendo News: Experience Emio – The Smiling Man- Famicom Detective Club Early with Free Episodic Demo for Nintendo Switch Starting on Aug. 19.
• Share of the Week- Essential Items – PlayStation.Blog.
• Magical Delicacy - Out Now on Nintendo Switch Trailer.
• Cooking - Release Trailer - Nintendo Switch.

• Amazon’s drone expansion plans spur pushback from Texas residents - CNBC. Thanks Matthew.

• Smart sous vide cooker to start charging $2-month for 10-year-old companion app - Ars Technica.
• MrBeast’s YouTube channel bleeds views & subscribers as allegations rage on - Dexerto.

• Single-command Windows 11 system requirements bypass trick for unsupported PCs blocked - Neowin.
• Arm reportedly developing gaming GPU in Israel to compete with Nvidia and Intel - Tom's Hardware.
• Intel's Arrow Lake chips may have lower clock speeds than previous CPUs — Core Ultra 9 QS achieves 5.7 GHz boost and 5.4 GHz across all P-cores - Tom's Hardware.
• Blue PHOLED is the next big upgrade for TVs — here’s when it’s coming - Tom's Guide.

• Social Security Numbers and Personal Data of Billions Breached in National Public Data Cyber Attack. Here’s What You Need to Know - CNET.
• Florida data broker says it was ransacked by cyber-thieves • The Register.

• FTC cracks down on fake reviews - Boing Boing.
• FCC Makes Statement About Value of Universal Service Fund, Opposing Court Ruling - Telecompetitor. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Popular AI “nudify” sites sued amid shocking rise in victims globally - Ars Technica.

Last Link of the Day: Woman Arrested For Scheme to Steal Elvis Presley's Graceland - Newsweek. Damn! Thanks Matthew.

A Roadmap to Black Ops 6 Launch from Activision discusses what to expect leading up to the October launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Word is to expect a final open beta to begin on August 30th. There's also news that this marks the decoupling of Call of Duty Warzone from the annual mainline installments in the military shooter series. Word is that going forward, the free-to-play multiplayer component of the series will soldier on alone:

To give players more control over what they’re downloading, we are decoupling the download of Call of Duty: Warzone from other titles. When you purchase an annual title, you will only download the files for that game by default.

On the free-to-play side, players can “opt-in” to get Call of Duty: Warzone when they’re downloading a new annual title or simply download it separately at any point in time. The choice is yours.

Flexibility and choice matter. We want to give players the choice to download each Call of Duty, including Call of Duty: Warzone, when and how they wish.

The winds of change are blowing on Steam, where the new Winds of Change DLC is now available for Regiments, the Cold War real-time tactics game from Bird's Eye Games and MicroProse Software. This adds more of the globe to the global conflict, calling in reinforcement regiments from France, Holland, Canada, and Czechoslovakia. A new Launch Trailer takes a look at which way the wind blows with a look at the new additions. Here's word:

Navigate the unpredictable war paths of all-new procedurally-generated Operations. Lead a selected Regiment through dozens of battles, evolve its organization, overcome challenges, lament your losses, fight, survive, and if it all comes crashing down, try again.

Lead one of the many new French, Dutch, Canadian, or Czechoslovakian regiments as they enter the fray. Experiment with new tactics as additional air assets such as heliborne infantry redefines the very shape of the battlefield!

Continue here to read the full story.

Revolution Software announces the chance to visit Paris next month with the launch of Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged on September 19th, about a year after the remake of the first Broken Sword was announced. This is coming to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch, and a new Release Date Announcement Trailer celebrates the news. Here's a bit on how this improves upon the 1996 original:

A substantial enhancement of one of the most popular adventures of all time, Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged was revealed to much fanfare back at Gamescom 2023 in Köln. Standing as a completely revitalised and ‘reforged’ version of George and Nico’s original globe-trotting adventure, players will be taken from the atmospheric avenues of the French capital to the mystery-laden mountains of Syria, the sun-soaked coastline of Spain and a whole host of stunning locations in between.

The backgrounds have been repainted from the line art originally drawn by Don Blooth layout artists, the sprites have been reanimated and the audio has been enhanced to bring new levels of fidelity to the speech and the legendary soundtrack composed by the late great Barrington Pheloung.

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Black Myth: Wukong won't begin monkeying around until Monday, but reviews for the action/RPG based on Chinese mythology are showing up today. Here's a roundup:

• Black Myth: Wukong (PC) Review - CGMagazine.
• Black Myth: Wukong review- a fierce beast of its own - Digital Trends.
• Black Myth: Wukong Review - GameRant.
• Black Myth: Wukong Review - Monkey Business - GameSpot.
• Black Myth: Wukong review – -A great action RPG that feels like God of War for Chinese mythology- - GamesRadar+.
• Black Myth: Wukong review for PC, PS5 - Gaming Age.
• Black Myth: Wukong Review - Hardcore Gamer.
• Black Myth: Wukong Review - IGN.
• Black Myth: Wukong review - PC Gamer.
• Black Myth: Wukong review – a GOTY contender of epic proportions - PCGamesN.
• Black Myth: Wukong is a confounding and spectacular saga - Polygon.
• Black Myth: Wukong review- a refreshing adventure after Elden Ring's knotty DLC - Rock Paper Shotgun.
• Black Myth: Wukong Review- The Soulslike Action Hype Train Is A Little Off-Rails - ScreenRant.
• Black Myth: Wukong is a Gorgeous Chinese Epic - Siliconera.
• Black Myth: Wukong review – an excellent, approachable Soulslike with fresh ideas - Sports Illustrated.
• Black Myth: Wukong review- monkey business - TechRadar.
• Black Myth: Wukong Review - On Like Wukong - TheGamer.
• Black Myth: Wukong Review - More Than Just Another Soulslike - Twinfinite.
• Black Myth: Wukong Review - A Compelling Journey Into Chinese Tradition - Wccftech.
• Black Myth: Wukong review — It's good, but it could have been great - Windows Central.
• Black Myth: WuKong' - Worthplaying.

North Beach Games announces Stranded Deep 2, saying it is in development at North Beach Games Prague, a new studio in Prague. The original Stranded Deep is credited to Beam Team Games, and the new developer's CTO is former Beam Team game designer Sam Edwards. There's not much about the sequel for now, as the announcement concentrates on the team's bona fides:

North Beach Games Prague is based in Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, and is led by Chief Technology Officer and acclaimed survival crafting game designer, Sam Edwards (Beam Team Games, creator of Stranded Deep), and General Manager, Tomáš Pšenička (Keen Software House, creator of Space Engineers). The core development team will operate primarily on-site at the new studio facility, while also supporting some staff working remotely from around the globe.

The initial focus for the studio will be to create and support new games within the survival crafting space, a genre that the collective global team has forged with the release of genre-defining games such as Stranded Deep, 7 Days to Die and The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria™. North Beach Games now reunites with Sam Edwards, co-creator of the multi-million unit-selling survival crafting hit, Stranded Deep, to develop the long awaited sequel - Stranded Deep 2.

No lie! Steam now features the launch of Artifice: War Tactics, a turn-based roguelike for Windows from Silvine Game Studios. This post celebrates the launch with patch notes for those who played the beta and an Official Launch Trailer with a look at gameplay. Here's the big picture:

A turn-based strategy set in a medieval fantasy world where victory is earned through cunning tactics and skillful execution. Outwit your enemies by avoiding their deadly traps and unleash devastating combos with allies. Survive waves of relentless foes and conquer strongholds by defeating their powerful bosses.

Continue here to read the full story.

The Crimson Diamond is now available for Windows and macOS on Steam, offering a time machine to take us back to the days of EGA text-parser adventures (thanks Indie Retro News). The Launch Trailer takes us back to the thrilling days of yesteryear when such games were state-of-the-art. Here's word:

The Crimson Diamond is an EGA text parser mystery adventure game where you play as amateur geologist and reluctant detective Nancy Maple. Nancy is born and raised in Toronto, Canada, where she works as a clerk for the Royal Canadian Museum. She dreams of attending university to study geology and mineralogy, and she's prepared to venture into the unknown to achieve her goals!

Continue here to read the full story.

• Alchemist Shop Simulator on Steam (Windows). "Run your own magic business! In Alchemist Shop Simulator you can trade magical wares, brew potions and take on special orders, meet many quirky clients, grow your ingredients in your garden, restock your shelves and manage prices. Keep expanding your business as you gain experience and wealth!"
• It's Only Money on Steam (Windows). "The mayor of Rockhaven threw you down a hole into the Undercity. Why? Net worth too low. In this 1-4 player low-life simulation, emerge to the surface to steal from the rich, fight tycoons and reclaim the city block by block. Buy houses, businesses and whatever your materialistic heart desires!"

GameMill Entertainment and Miraculous Corp announce Miraculous: Paris Under Siege, a rated-E action/adventure based on Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, an animated French television series. The Official Announce Trailer sets the stage for this Incredibles-adjacent superhero story. Here's word:

Embark on a thrilling adventure where heroism, acrobatic combat, and stunning parkour collide as Shadow Moth unleashes a wave of villains across the city. It’s up to Ladybug and Cat Noir to save the day!

Rescue Paris from the clutches of Shadow Moth, controlling the ruthless Stormy Weather who has harnessed ancient Egyptian powers to take over the city! Battle against akumatized villains from the series as the heroic Ladybug and Cat Noir in an all-new original story. Use unique abilities, master epic combos and traverse the city of Paris with parkour finesse on your own – or with seamless drop-in, drop-out local co-op with a friend.

Continue here to read the full story.

• 'Assassin’s Creed Shadows' and How ‘DEI’ Became Gamergate 2.0’s Rallying Cry - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• Last of Us Abby TV actress Kaitlyn Dever needed extra security while filming season 2, co-star claims - VGC.

Official patches.

• Full details on Marvel x Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 5 Season 4- Absolute Doom, live today – PlayStation.Blog.
• Vampire Survivors - Patch 1.11- The Darkasso.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: August 15, 2024.

• GTA San Andreas VR Delayed 'Indefinitely' As Meta Focuses on Other Projects - IGN.

Official trailers.

• League of Masters - Progression System and Features.
• Slitterhead - Story Trailer.
• SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream — Leafa Trailer.

• Joshua Boyle and Mike Rubits on their favorite weapons in DOOM + DOOM II - Deep Dive Interview - Nightdive Studios (video).
• Tim Sweeney: "No regrets" on Fortnite app store drama, as Epic Game Store launches on mobile in Europe - Eurogamer.net.

• SunnySide Official Console Launch Trailer.

• AltStore PAL drops its annual subscription thanks to a grant from Epic - The Verge.
• Fall Guys - Mobile Launch Trailer.

• Arm reportedly spooling up major new GPU architecture to take on Nvidia - PC Gamer.
• Are Hallucinations Popping the AI Bubble? - Sabine Hossenfelder (video). Thanks The Flying Penguin.
• Microsoft is finally removing the FAT32 partition size limit in Windows 11 - The Verge.

• A 'very large percentage' of Pixel phones have a hidden security vulnerability - ZDNET.
• Crypto-gram- August 15, 2024 - Schneier on Security. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro Controller - Christ Centered Gamer.

• Flash Drive: [M] KIOXIA TransMemory U202 USB 2.0 Flash Drive - Mad Shrimps.
• Keyboard: SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless - OCinside.
• Mouse: Logitech G G309 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse Review - Portable Gaming Performance - TweakTown.
• Mouse: Turtle Beach Burst II Air Review - APH Networks.
• Sound Card/DAC: iFi audio iDSD Diablo 2 Ultra-Res Portable DAC - Headphone Amplifier With Lossless Bluetooth Review - Nikk Tech.
• SSD: Kingston XS1000 external SSD review - DVHARDWARE.

Well the door guys finished their work, though it seems like the storm door doesn't open wide enough, so I won't rule out a return visit after I discuss this with high command. This gives me small project, literally, as the process allowed in a few flies. I managed to get one so far... I swatted it, went to get something to clean it up, and it was gone when I returned, so it totally pulled a Jason on me. When it returned there was considerably more authority for my second swat (think Jackson Pollock), so yuck. A couple of the others seem to be basically superflies, though (apologies to Curtis Mayfield), as they seem to be able to elude any attempts to murder them, with supernatural reflexes to avoid being hit, and shocking flying power when trying to get them with the vacuum. This has me considering one of those electric tennis racket bug murderer dealies, but it's hard to justify more e-junk for a one-off problem. But this is getting to be like that episode of Breaking Bad, so it may come to it.

Obituary: Rapper BeatKing Suffers Fatal Pulmonary Embolism, Dead at 39 - TMZ.

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

Stories

• Woman Sentenced to Nine Years for Stealing $1.5 Million in Chicken Wings - The New York Times. That's not chicken feed.
• Nicolas Cage to Play NFL Icon John Madden in David O. Russell Biopic - Variety.

Science

• An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, not a comet, new study finds - Ars Technica.
• Plastics turned into a material that's 200x stronger than steel - Interesting Engineering. Thanks Max.
• The Real Cause of Alzheimer’s Might Not Be Amyloid- Groundbreaking Discovery Challenges Decades-Old Theories - Science Daily.

Image

• Thousands of Sharks Found Sleeping 'Like a Carpet' on the Ocean Floor - Gizmodo.

Media

• Elektra Pitch Meeting.
• The world's most powerful tidal turbine - but can our grid handle it? Thanks VideoSift.