2D Boy has gotten goo everywhere, as 2D platformer sequel World of Goo 2 is now available on new platforms. The PC edition, already on the Epic Games Store for Windows and macOS, is now also on GOG.com,* Humble Store,* and Steam with each also listing Linux support. The game's console reach oozes beyond Switch to PlayStation 5, and there are also now versions for iOS and Android. This is considered the full official release of the game, which comes with new features and refinements. There's a launch discount, as well as a loyalty discount for owners of the original. Here's a trailer celebrating the occasion, and here's word from a previous update on what's new:

World of Goo 2 is coming to Steam on April 25! There will be three ridiculous new levels, designed especially for the most clever, the most hardcore, the most goo-imbued players. (Even some of the development team have been unable to complete them.)

Updates will include:

• Three new extremely difficult challenge levels.
• Over 30 Extra Fabulous Achievements.
• A Brand New Options Menu! Never before included in a 2DBOY or Tomorrow Corporation game.
• A bunch of bug fixes and more.

As the late Eddie Money sang: "I feel a hunger, it's a hunger!" An Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer from HUNGER unveils this upcoming PvPvE extraction shooter from the developers of Hell Let Loose. The clip shows off a semi-historical setting with enough anachronisms it surely qualifies as somethingpunk (we'll go with mudpunk for the moment). It can now be wishlisted on the Epic Games Store and Steam where it is expected to enter Early Access later this year. Here's the description:

War has ravaged Europe - but something far worse now grips the continent. A Bacterium of unknown origin has twisted the land, leaving behind only ruin, fear, and something far more sinister. In this PvPvE first person extraction RPG, players will scavenge a decaying world, face unspeakable horrors, and outlast rival survivors in desperate, high-risk expeditions where every step could be your last…

DAIMA: Character Pack 1 is now available for PC and consoles as new DLC for DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO, the anime fighting game. The Windows edition is on Steam, where reviews are not kind. It requires the base game, and comes with a 25% launch discount, but it's also part of the Season Pass, so be sure not to buy it twice. Here's a Character Pack 1 Trailer with a look, and here are some details:

Dragon Ball DAIMA: Character Pack 1 adds eight new fighters to the existing roster of 193 playable chracters and features favorites from the Dragon Ball DAIMA original animation series. The roster additions include Goku (Mini), Super Saiyan, Vegeta (Mini) and his Super Saiyan forms, Glorio, Panzy, and Majin Kuu. Players who purchase the Dragon Ball DAIMA: Character Pack 1 will also receive the Goku (Mini) Technique-Changing Outfit: a brand-new costume that, when equipped, transforms Goku (Mini)’s Ultimate Blast into a new in-game Aura Impact effect.

• EA Sports College Football 26 release date and Madden NFL 26 release date both confirmed - VGC.

• Ace Attorney dev suggests it may never have become a series these days because the first game was a ‘failure’ - VGC.

• Save 75% on CARRION on Steam.
• Save 30% on Sins of a Solar Empire II on Steam.
• Save 90% on The Long Dark on Steam.
• Save 60% on Melvor Idle on Steam.

• "Destroy everything you have" on Fallout's development, Interplay told creator - Rock Paper Shotgun.

• Well-known role-playing video game helps players cope with mental health challenges - Tech Xplore.

Official patch.

• Civilization VII - Game Update Notes version 1.2.0.

• Report: Meta has laid off over 100 Reality Labs employees - Game Developer.
• Sci-fi spaceflight VR sim Remnant Protocol debuts in Q4 on Meta Quest Store and Steam - VentureBeat.

• Hunt: Showdown 1896 -- Developer Insight – Tips for Hunt Dollars.

Official trailer.

• Double Dragon Revive - Enemy character trailer.

• How FragPunk's Shard Cards Are About to Break the Rules for First-Person Shooters - Xbox Wire.

• Switch 2 publishers quietly step away from "real" physical game carts - Opinion - GamesIndustry.biz.
• Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 513- Doomed Days – PlayStation.Blog.

• CarPlay just added three new features with iOS 18.4 - 9to5Mac.

• Trump DOJ goon threatens Wikipedia - The Verge.
• Google is killing software support for early Nest Thermostats - The Verge.
• Kanye West joins streaming service Twitch — gets banned after seven minutes - The Independent.

Thanks Console General.

• AMD patches critical Zen 5 microcode bug — partners deliver new BIOS with AGESA 1.2.0.3C - Tom's Hardware.
• Microsoft launches Recall to Windows 11 general availability — Click to Do and Improved Search also coming - Tom's Hardware.
• Looming tariffs are making it extra hard to be a tech geek - Ars Technica.
• Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.5305 (Beta Channel) - Windows Insider Blog.
• StreamFab version 6.2.3.2.

• How to watch LlamaCon 2025, Meta's first generative AI developer conference - Engadget.
• Mike Lindell’s lawyers used AI to write brief—judge finds nearly 30 mistakes - Ars Technica.

• How Android 16's new security mode will stop USB-based attacks - Android Authority.

• TP-Link under DOJ investigation for alleged predatory pricing practices and national security concerns - Tom's Hardware.

Obituary: Lulu Roman death: 'Hee Haw' star, gospel singer was 78 - USA Today.

Funcom announces a "large-scale beta weekend" for Dune: Awakening will take place May 9-12, broadening access to the upcoming multiplayer survival game set on Arrakis in an alternate timeline from the Dune books and movies. This will not be an open beta, but it sounds like a lot of applicants will be selected, and there will be no NDA, so we can expect previews to follow. Signups are underway on Steam. There will also be a Global LAN Party Broadcast during the test on May 10th. Here's a brand-new Official Story Trailer, and here's more on the broadcast and how to get in on the test:

From May 9 until May 12, the largest Beta yet will take place, with a huge number of new players joining compared to previous closed Betas. Players can get a taste of both spice and story in the large-scale Beta weekend, featuring the first 20 hours of the game and most of Act 1 of the story. Unlike previous Betas, this one has no NDA, meaning all information is open to share, and the game can be streamed for all to see.

Players have a chance to get access to the Beta weekend by going to Dune: Awakening’s Steam Page where they can wishlist and request access, or by getting one of tens of thousands of Beta codes that will be given out during the Global LAN Party Broadcast on May 10 All you need to do is watch!

A post on the PlayStation.Blog by Hugo Martin of (Microsoft-owned!) id Software previewing DOOM: The Dark Ages, the next installment in the first-person shooter series. The project's game director also appears in the accompanying First Reveal Trailer that introduces the game's Cosmic Realm. Here's a bit on this new environment, and how it impact gameplay:

One of them is totally unique for a Doom game, a space we’ve never been to but a world we’ve wanted to incorporate into the Doom universe for a while: the Cosmic Realm. You will bear witness to the cyclopean architecture of this Lovecraftian dimension as you explore its darkest secrets and battle its most insane enemies.

An unholy union between Hell and the Cosmic Realm has been formed. You’re going to have to experience the story to find out why—but this partnership has given birth to a new host of adversaries for the Slayer to confront.

A post on X has word that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has managed to sell 500,000 copies since launching just yesterday. French developer Sandfall Interactive takes it in stride, but thanks everyone for making the game such an instant hit:

A milestone for us, reached sooner than we'd ever imagined.

Thank you all.

The Grind: Vol 1 on the EA Website has a progress report on skate., the upcoming skateboarding game. The post confirms Early Access will begin this year, and discusses the process of improving gameplay through beta testing. There's also a FAQ with a confirmation that the game will have as much offline support as its title has capital letters, which is none:

Will skate. have an offline mode?

The simple answer: No. The game and city are designed to be a living, breathing massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox that is always online and always evolving. You’ll see bigger things evolve, like changes to the city over time, as well as smaller things, like live events and other in-game activities. In order to deliver on our vision of a skateboarding world, the game will always require a live connection. That is probably not much of a surprise if you’ve been in our playtest.

Breath of Fire IV is now available on GOG.com,* where this turn-based RPG is now available to play on modern Windows PCs. It was originally released by Capcom for consoles in 2000, and according to Wikipedia it came to PCs in Japan in Europe in 2003, so this marks its North American PC debut. The relaunch is credited to the efforts of the Good Old Gamers community, who sent the game up to the top of the GOG Dreamlist with over 23K votes. It is now part of the GOG Preservation Program, so it will continue to receive unofficial support going forward. Here's the Intro Trailer, and here's more:

In a far-away world, two continents float, separated by a vast swamp-land. For eons, no contact existed between the two continents because ships couldn’t sail across the expanse. At last, when the historic first contact was made between the two powers, war erupted!

After long and costly fighting between the Fou Empire in the west and an alliance of countries in the east, both sides exhausted all their strength and resources. With no other alternative, the two powers agreed to an armistice.

BrokenLore: DON'T WATCH is now available for Windows on Steam, giving rise to a survival/horror game from Serafini Productions and Shochiku. This features thrownback graphics and a lot of slicing up eyeballs (I want you to know), as seen in the Official Launch Trailer. Word is that if you find this extra-disturbing, that's because the developers put in extra effort to unsettle you: "Developed in collaboration with a professional psychologist, the game artfully delves into themes of anxiety, isolation, and the unyielding cycle of societal judgment while delivering an experience that’s as engaging as it is thought-provoking." There's a playable demo, and the game is on sale for 10% off for the next two weeks. Here's more:

Set mostly within a claustrophobic six-square-meter Tokyo apartment, DON'T WATCH follows Shinji—a young man who has shut himself off from the outside world. In an effort to escape the overwhelming societal pressures, he becomes the embodiment of the hikikomori phenomenon - a state of extreme social withdrawal. His isolation, however, is challenged when a nightmare unfolds: a relentless, all-seeing terror from Japanese folklore.

Indie developer Kintendo announces Scribble Wolf, a social deduction game where players draw their characters using familiar paint app tools, and then control their creations in the game. It's expected to launch in Q3 for Windows, macOS, and iOS, and this trailer takes a look a the type of chaos to expect. The Steam Listing is live, and it is accepting signups for open beta testing if you're interested in participating. Read on for more:

The scribble you drew becomes a character "Scribble Wolf" is a Werewolf game (or social deduction game), in which you can control the character that you have drawn. Up to 10 people fight online, divided into Townsfolks and Werewolves. (Townsfolks start the game not knowing who their team mates are) Each time the players start the game, they draw their own character. The drawn scribble can be controlled as a player character in the game.

Draw tracing of other player and Disguise yourself Werewolves can draw tracing of a Townsfolk, and disguise themselves as it. Do something bad while disguising and frame the Townsfolk!

• Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 on Steam (Windows). "Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is 'committing to the bit' so hard that it hurts. It's a sequel to a game series that doesn't exist, complete with lore and a fictional development team. It's a game where match-3 is used not just for combat, but for lockpicking doors, debating robots, and swallowing a bunch of diamonds in front of a notorious gem thief so that he can't steal them first. It is, all genre elements considered, a match-3 survival horror comedy RPG metroidvania, and it's rad as hell." Carries a 30% launch discount. Here's a trailer.

• Crescent Tower on Steam (Windows). "Aspire to reach the top of Crescent Tower that appears just once every 50 years! An authentic 8-bit style dungeon crawler RPG with a retro level of difficulty, where you repeatedly explore, level up, and traverse dungeons!" Here's a trailer.
• Presidential Rise on Steam (Windows). "You are president of a rising nation! Balance your economy, policies, and popularity. Manage requests, enact laws, tackle corruption, and grow your country while navigating political challenges."

• Split Fiction Movie to Star Sydney Sweeney, Directed by Jon M. Chu.
• How Saudi funds brought Cristiano Ronaldo into a fighting video game - NPR.
• 'Until Dawn' Review: A Grab-Bag Slasher Movie with Nothing at Stake - Variety.
• Sea of Stars: The Symphonic Score by Evelyn Sykes - Rich Carlson.

Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• Oblivion Remastered modder has already fixed its awful levelled loot system, after very reasonably blacking out in an 'incomprehensible fury' - PC Gamer.
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Mod Removes 30 FPS Cutscene Cap, Fixes Ultrawide Resolutions FOV Issues, and More - Wccftech.

• New Free Horrifying PCVR Demo Available NOW news - THE DESCENT VR - IndieDB.

Thanks Ant.

• AION Classic 3.7- Wrath - Trailer.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• DOOM (acapella). Thoroughly awesome.
• Trauma dumping in video games - Viva La Dirt League (NSFW).

• Atomfall might have been an apocalyptic classic if it weren’t for all the walking - The Guardian.

• After 25 hours of the Dune: Awakening beta, I'm sold on it as a survival game but still a bit iffy on the MMO parts - PC Gamer.

• Hitman: World of Assassination: Signature Edition - Official Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Order Trailer.
• Next Week on Xbox- New Games for April 28 to May 2 - Xbox Wire.

• Google Messages Sensitive Content Warnings for nudity rolling out - 9to5Google.
• The Apple Watch Just Turned 10. Here’s How Far It’s Come - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• A $20,000 electric truck with manual windows and no screens- Meet Slate Auto. - Ars Technica. The flip phone of EVs.
• Apple Aims To Produce All US iPhones In India By 2026 End - Report - Wccftech.
• Once Human x Ed Stafford丨 Mobile Global Relese [sic] Trailer.
• SD Gundam G Generation ETERNAL - Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Recollection Trailer.

• Bluesky is back up after a major outage - The Verge.

Thanks Console General.

• Nvidia's budget RTX 5060 GPUs rumored to launch on May 19th - Tom's Hardware.
• Gigabyte addresses RTX 50-series thermal gel leak, blames over-application in early production units - Tom's Hardware.
• Microsoft kills Windows Maps app - Neowin.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader DC 2025.001.20467.
• StreamFab version 6.2.3.1.

• ChatGPT is getting a ‘lightweight’ version of its deep research tool - The Verge.
• Intel's AI PC chips aren't selling well — instead, old Raptor Lake chips boom - Tom's Hardware.
• Behold the Social Security Administration’s AI Training Video - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Microsoft is paying out some huge rewards for spotting AI security issues - TechRadar.
• An AI-generated radio host in Australia went unnoticed for months - The Verge.

• If your Oblivion Remastered save files are mysteriously disappearing or not syncing between devices, don't worry- PC Gamer.
• TSA Warns That You Shouldn't Try to Fly With a Call of Duty Zombies Monkey Bomb Figurine - IGN. Protip.
• Americans Believe Russian Disinformation ‘To Alarming Degree’ - Forbes. Thanks Reddit.
• Why the road from passwords to passkeys is long, bumpy, and worth it - probably - ZDNET.
• How to prevent your streaming device from tracking your viewing habits (and why it makes a difference) - ZDNET.
• Darcula adds AI to its DIY phishing kits • The Register.

• Tabletop game companies sue Trump to stop tariffs - The Verge.
• The Cybercriminals Who Organized a $243 Million Crypto Heist - The New York Times (free account required). Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Epic Games sued over Ariana Grande and Travis Scott concerts - Polygon.

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Performance Benchmark Review - 33 GPUs Tested - TechPowerUp.
• Elder Scrolls IV- Oblivion Remastered Review - GameSpot.
• Iron Saga VS - Christ Centered Gamer.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: Valkyrie V360 ARGB Lite Black AIO Liquid CPU Cooler - Nikk Tech.
• PSU: Cooler Master V 850 SFX Gold ATX 3.0 power supply review - Tom's Hardware.
• RAM: Crucial Pro Overclocking 64GB DDR5 2x 32GB DDR5-6400 Speicher - OCinside (German).
• RAM: Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5-8400 2x24GB Review - APH Networks.
• Speakers/Soundbar: Morel Biggie Bluetooth Speaker Review - WIRED.
• SSD: Crucial T705 1 TB NVMe SSD review - PC Gamer.
• SSD: WD Black SN7100 1 TB NVMe SSD review - PC Gamer.

We're in the midst of the annual NFL Draft. I've frequently spoken about my enthusiasm for the event, and it occurs to me that this is a reflection of an optimistic streak so pronounced that I get kidded about it. I'm pleased my Giants were smart enough to go with the chalk with the third pick. But their trade back into the first round to pick a QB who isn't named Shedeur Sanders is fascinating. Neon Deion's kid is the boom-or-bust prospect of the draft, so here's hoping their thinking in making the biggest "reach" in the draft was clear. As always, only time will tell.

Obituary: Lar Park-Lincoln Dies- 'Knots Landing' Actress Was 63 - Deadline.

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

Stories

• Dog Owner Orders Pet's Final Meal and Is Shocked By Restaurant's Response - People. Sniff.
• Pet owners preparing class action against osteoarthritis drug maker over dog deaths - ABC News.
• Bone collector caterpillar adorns itself in insect body parts - Ars Technica.

Science

• Major Breakthrough: Non-Toxic Alternative to “Forever Chemicals” Discovered - SciTechDaily.
• Smart Brain Implants Can Now Adapt to Optimize Parkinson's Treatment - ScienceAlert.
• Great Thinking Is Supposed to Make Your Brain Hurt - Psychology Today.

Media

• The Greatest Reflexes Caught On Camera. The baseball and baby catches win. Thanks VideoSift.
• 20 Minutes of Savage and Sassy Megatron Roasting Guests at Universal Studios.

Creature Features

• Similarities and differences between dog–human and human–human relationships - Scientific Reports.

Follow-up

• Scientists Find Measles Likely To Become Endemic in the US Over Next 20 Years - WIRED (may require registration or subscription). Infectious Jurassic Park