There's a preview of Lies of P: Overture on VGC, discussing the upcoming expansion that's a prequel to the puppet-infested soulslike. Somewhere along the way this was unsurprisingly confirmed for PC, and its Steam Listing is online. VGC includes a video with an extended look at 4K gameplay. There's more on the plan on TechRadar, which says in addition to new content in the add-on, a content update is coming to the base game adding two new difficulty levels for all players:

That's because Lies of P is also set to receive a free update that will be made available to all players - irrespective of whether you're buying the Overture expansion or not.

The update is bringing two new difficulty modes to the game. These are Butterfly's Guidance and Awakened Puppet, both of which provide a more story-focused, easier difficulty for those not used to the intensity of soulslikes. The default difficulty that's in the game right now is being renamed 'Legendary Stalker.'

Regulators, mount up! Because Regulators is now available for Windows, macOS, and Linux on Steam, giving rise to this tactical top-down shooter from Orangpixel. This puts you in charge of a squad of trigger-happy mercenaries, as shown in this trailer, which also revels in some seriously throwback graphics. The launch comes with a 15% discount, and there's a playable demo to help with your buying decision. Here's more:

REGULATORS puts you in charge of a small squad of mercenaries hired to clear the city from mutating villains in this top-down tactical shooter game. Enter buildings from the streets, rooftops or sewers, and complete mission goals to locate the scientist commanding the mutating villains. And take them all out!

An Asteroid crashed in the city, and an Alien substance called the Ooze started seeping out of it. It was quickly discovered that the Ooze had great drug potential, and it had mutating powers to who-ever Oozes up on it! Sadly you are NOT immune to the effects of the Ooze, but it does come with some handy super powers..

• Looks like Ubisoft is giving Rayman an "AAA" revival after last year's "exploration phase" - Eurogamer.net.

• Save 40% on Expeditions: A MudRunner Game on Steam.
• Save 50% on Galactic Civilizations IV on Steam.
• Save 70% on The Crew Motorfest on Steam.
• Save 80% on WRATH: Aeon of Ruin on Steam.
• Save 50% on ReSetna on Steam.
• Save 50% on ReSetna on the Epic Games Store.
• Team 17: Chains of Command (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Stomp & Chomp Bundle (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*

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

• Helldivers 2 Sees Player Count Surge Alongside Heart of Democracy Update - IGN.

• Home - Going Postal: The Legacy Foretold Documentary. Shockumentary arrives on May 30th.
• John Wick's Ballerina Is Coming To Call Of Duty - GameSpot.

Official patches.

• Overwatch 2 Retail Patch Notes - May 20, 2025.
• Seven Cities - Syncfall - Major Update 2.

• Retro Classics Brings Over 50 Titles To Xbox Game Pass - OUT NOW.

• How Elden Ring Nightreign's Combat Designer Aimed to Speed Up the Action – IGN First (video).

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone Season 4 — full details, live May 29 – PlayStation.Blog.

• Mario Kart World Was Too Much For The OG Switch, Says Nintendo - Kotaku.

• Energy efficiency rollbacks could cost Americans $43 billion in higher utility bills - The Verge.

• Apple legend Jony Ive takes control of OpenAI’s design future - Ars Technica. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard. - MIT Technology Review. Thanks Slashdot.
• Google has a new tool to help detect AI-generated content - The Verge.

• I thought my favorite browser blocked trackers but this free privacy tool proved me wrong - ZDNET.
• Microsoft: Over 394,000 Windows PCs infected by Lumma malware, affects Chrome, Edge, Firefox - Neowin.
• Coinbase confirms insider breach affects 70,000 users • The Register.

Last Link of the Day: New species of space-adapted bacteria discovered on China's Tiangong space station - Space. The Andromeda Strain.

A post from DICE on X announces a 72-hour "pre-alpha" Battlefield Labs server test will get underway on Friday. Testing for "the future of Battlefield" will take place in Europe, North America, and "select areas of Asia." It is invite only, so those who have previously signed up should keep an eye on their inboxes. If you want in but haven't registered, word is: "If you're interested in helping us test our server performance and stability in the coming week, be sure to sign-up for Battlefield Labs now. Read our FAQ if you’d like to learn more, and join the official Battlefield Discord for the latest news and community discussion." Here's the plan:

Our primary focus for this test will be to verify server performance and stability with increased player counts throughout a full weekend. During this time we will have a select group of maps and modes available for play.

The server performance test will conclude in all regions after 72 hours, upon which game access for participants will be revoked.

A post on X from Bethesda offers a thank you to the over three million players who've gone to Hell in DOOM: The Dark Ages, the latest installment in id Software's classic first-person shooter series (thanks Frans). It says the game hit this milestone seven times faster than DOOM Eternal, though it fails to mention that last week's launch of DOOM: The Dark Ages included Game Pass, while DOOM Eternal did not come to the subscription streaming until several months after its release. But counting Game Pass, word is this is the biggest launch in id Software history:

Thank you for making DOOM: The Dark Ages the biggest launch in id's history - 7x faster to 3 million players than DOOM Eternal.

If you smell burning rubber, that's because JDM: Japanese Drift Master has launched worldwide for Windows PC, offering the chance to get sideways in a selection of cars from the Japanese domestic market. It's available with a 15% launch discount on the Epic Games Store, GOG.com,* and Steam. Although this is an official launch, rather than Early Access, the news comes with a roadmap laying out a three-phase plan for new content and improvements. Here's Release Trailer with a look, and here's more:

Discover Japan’s legendary car culture in JDM: Japanese Drift Master! Take on challenging roads with refined simcade physics, immerse in the story through manga pages, and explore an open world inspired by stunning real-life areas. Every turn invites you to master the art of drift.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

Monster Train 2 has rolled out of the station for PC and consoles, and the Windows edition of this Story Lord-free deckbuilding roguelite is now available on Steam and Game Pass. This post on Steam discusses the game and the accompanying supporter pack with some extra non-game content. Train your eyes on the Official Launch Trailer for a look and read on for more:

You’re in command! Choose from a selection of five brand new clans, each with its own unique strengths and gameplay to forge strategies fitting your personal playstyle. With three vertical levels to defend against dangerous new enemies, you’ll need to recruit powerful new units, upgrade cards, and experiment to survive. Can you defeat the all-new and ultra-challenging Titans?

Steam now features Early Access to Bonaparte - A Mechanized Revolution, a turn-based strategy game set in an alternate history 18th century where you play as Céline or César Bonaparte commanding forces that include giant mechs, because giant mechs. This may sound slightly nuts, but a look at the Early Access Launch Trailer will reassure players that it's actually completely nuts. Here's more on the game and its creative take on both the French and Industrial Revolutions:

1789, Paris. Take Napoleon’s place in an alternate history as Céline or César Bonaparte in this ideology driven, turn-based strategy journey. Defend, reform or oppose the monarchy and write your own alternative history by combining cunning political skills and tactical military prowess.

Amenti Studio offers an Official Launch Trailer for The Book of Aaru, saying this roguelite action/RPG set in ancient Egypt will arrive for Windows on May 27th. A demo, which is still available, arrived just last week. Here are details on what to expect from the developer's debut release:

Embark on an epic journey in The Book of Aaru, an action-packed rogue-lite game with RPG elements. Discover a world where ancient Egypt has evolved beyond expectations, merging history, mythology, and advanced sci-fi technology. Play as fictional character Emily Sands, a daring explorer who mysteriously vanished while searching for the temple of Osiris in 1926. Cursed and stripped of humanity, you’ll navigate through intricately hand-crafted trap corridors, each presenting a unique challenge that demands diverse skills, precise timing, and adaptable strategies. Will you choose a dangerous path filled with treasures or a safer route with fewer rewards? The choice is yours!

Rhinotales announces Critical Shift, a turn-based tactics game in a science fiction setting coming to PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. The Steam Listing says a release date is "to be announced," but we're told to expect it later this year. Steam also offers signups to playtest if you're interested in helping this across the finish line. There's a look at gameplay in the Announcement Trailer, along with a cinematic including the most Freudian gun since From Dusk Till Dawn. Here's more:

In Critical Shift, players command a team of elite agents, equip them for the mission, and combine their unique abilities to adapt to ever-changing threats. Combat hinges on strategic positioning, weapon range, and dynamic tactics-requiring constant movement, gear adjustments, and attack-style shifts to survive. Penned by Guilty Three, the acclaimed writer behind the hit web novel Shadow Slave, Critical Shift delivers a chilling, immersive narrative filled with mystery, deadly foes, and unexpected twists.

Montraluz and Tlön Industries announce Playrooms, a new expansion coming to Dreamcore, the Windows and console psychological/horror adventure. Dreamcore is presented as a body-cam game, though as seen in the Playrooms teaser trailer it does not feature the realism typical of the found footage subgenre. The add-on will arrive on June 17th, and while word is the game's modest base price will ramp up as new content is added, add-ons like Playrooms will be a free for everyone who owns the base game. That base game is available on Steam and there's a playable demo to sample. Here's more:

Currently Dreamcore costs $8.99 on all platforms. While it will increase in price as more episodes are added, they will remain free updates to anyone who has already purchased the game. Beyond Playrooms, two more Dreamcore chapters are planned to follow in the next year.

Playrooms is a massive new expansion placing players in an eerie rec room combining cloudy recollections of nurseries, play pens, gymnasiums, and preschools. It combines the jungle gyms, paintings, and play structures of one’s earliest years, rearranged into something quietly uncanny and utterly unsettling.

• Kick'n Hell on Steam (Windows). "Kick, climb, fall, rage… Rise to the top and take on Satan, or fall like the rest. Beware, there’s no mercy in Hell."

• Provoron on Steam (Windows). "Provoron is a hand-drawn 2.5D adventure game about the different ways one can look at things—or choose not to look. It's about the demons in our minds and the desire to save the world. Well... or at least change it a little... or maybe it's much simpler to stop being a white crow and just blend in with the crowd?"

• Wrap House Simulator launches on May 29th on Steam.

• Star Citizen Loses 'Integral Staff' Responsible for Server Meshing - Insider Gaming.

• That rage-inducing Borderlands 4 price tweet hasn't stopped Randy Pitchford posting, as he declares an indie game is "cheaper than a point of meth" - VG247.

• Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Common Stock.

• Star Wars Battlefront 2 Player Count is Way Up - GameRant.

• Overwatch players freak out over supposed Widowmaker butt nerf, proving that Marvel Rivals gooner skins have wound back the clock 10 years - PC Gamer.

• Hollywood Figured Out How to Adapt Video Games. I Wish It Hadn’t. - The New York Times (free account required). Intellectual approach to a dumb premise.

• Bubble Ghost Remake 2.0: New Story Mode, Shield System & Balance Tweaks.

• PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Weekly Bans Notice (05/12~05/18).

• Coming to Game Pass- Metaphor ReFantazio, The Division 2, Tales of Kenzera- Zau, and More - Xbox Wire.
• Xbox May Update- Retro Classics Come to Xbox Game Pass, PC Gaming Updates, and More - Xbox Wire.

Official trailers.

• Albion Online - Abyssal Depths Update Introduction.
• Call of Duty: Warzone & Black Ops 6 - Season 04 Launch Trailer.
• Fortnite Party Up - Celestial Strike- Unlock the Iridia Vayne Outfit.
• Mandalorian Rising - Fortnite Galactic Battle Gameplay Trailer.

• Funcom announces showcase of Dune: Awakening Mid-to-Endgame.
• Krakow - the capital of gamedev. Digital Dragons Conference 2025 has come to an end.

• PlayStation Stars coming to a close as SIE evaluates new ways to evolve future Loyalty Program efforts – PlayStation.Blog.
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Comes to PlayStation 5 This Summer.
• Mukti PS5 gameplay revealed – PlayStation.Blog.
• Fruitbus - PS5 Release Date - Announcement Trailer.
• Knock on the Coffin Lid - Console Release Trailer.

• Fortnite back on US Apple app store after ban lifted - BBC.
• Mattel Unites Its Iconic Brands for First Time Ever in a Mobile Game With ‘Mattel Match- Toybox Unlocked’ in Partnership With Uken Games.

• AMD’s $299 Radeon RX 9060 XT brings 8GB or 16GB of RAM to fight the RTX 5060 - Ars Technica.
• Microsoft Store expands opportunities for Windows app developers - Windows Developer Blog. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Plex Media Server version 1.41.7.9799. Thanks Console General.
• Hasleo Backup Suite version 5.2.2.3. Thanks Broadband Bulletin via Ant.

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says U.S. ban on AI chip exports -a failure,- says spread of U.S. chips vital to competitive advantage - Tom's Hardware.
• NVIDIA and SAP Bring AI Agents to the Physical World - NVIDIA Blog.
• Turns out asking AI chatbots for answers in a specific way can be like leaving them with the key to Trippy McHigh's magic mushroom farm - PC Gamer.

• THX Announces THX Spatial Audio+, a New Feature-Rich Immersive Audio Platform for Laptops, Headphones, Soundbars.

• Vulnerability that allows full admin takeover found in premium WordPress theme - TechRadar.

• 3 Teens Almost Got Away With Murder. Then Police Found Their Google Searches - WIRED (may require registration or subscription). Thanks The Flying Penguin.
• U.S. college student pleads guilty in data breach that affected North American schools - CBC News. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Delta’s lawsuit against CrowdStrike given go-ahead • The Register.

• Blades of Fire Benchmarks & PC Performance Analysis - DSOGaming.
• Blades of Fire Review - IGN.
• JDM: Japanese Drift Master review - PC Gamer.
• Monster Train 2 Review - IGN.
• Monster Train 2 review - PC Gamer.
• Monster Train 2 review - Rock Paper Shotgun.

• Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 5060 8GB - Guru3D.
• Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 5060 Review - Nvidia Didn't Want You to See This - Hardware Unboxed (video). Thanks Simon.
• Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 review- passable GPU, shame about the drivers - Rock Paper Shotgun.
• Headset/Earbuds: Logitech G522 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset- gaming just got louder - PC Gamer.
• Mouse: ENDORFY LIV Onyx White Gaming Mouse Review - MADSHRIMPS.
• PSU: Raijintek AMPERE 1200 W Review - TechPowerUp.
• RAM: Team Group T-Force CKD XTREEM DDR5-8800 48 GB CL42 Review - TechPowerUp.
• SSD: Solidigm D5-P5336 122.88TB Enterprise SSD Review - High Capacity = High Efficiency - TweakTown.

I am on sportsball pins and needles as the Knicks and Pacers get set to tip off the Eastern Conference NBA finals this evening. The team made strides last year, but this is the first time they've been this deep into the playoffs this millennium, so I'm quite out of practice at dealing with this. And that last finals in 2000 was a loss to these same Pacers, led by Reggie Miller, who will be in the Garden tonight broadcasting the game on TNT. That's a lot of history crammed into one game.

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

Stories

• 6 Wienermobiles Will Race for Glory at the Indy Motor Speedway This Friday - The Drive. Thanks brother19.
• Members of Japan's Yakuza crime syndicate arrested for operating office too close to library - Euronews.

Science

• Next-Gen Painkiller Blocks Pain Without the High - Neuroscience News.
• Insomnia Isn’t Just About Sleep, Your Personality Plays a Role - Neuroscience News.
• Physicists determine how to cut onions with fewer tears - Phys.org.

Media

• The Bear - Season 4 Official Trailer - Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach - FX.
• 3 Cars Vs Mountain! Extreme Downhill Racing Chaos. Most important gravity research since Newton (surely they cleaned up after). Thanks VideoSift.
• Man flees from charging polar bear on snowmobile. And now the polar bear has a rifle! Thanks Boing Boing.

Auction

• This Plymouth Superbird Sold for $1.65M in 2022. It Just Brought $418,000 at Auction - The Drive.

Follow-up

• Under RFK Jr., COVID shots will only be available to people 65+, high-risk groups - Ars Technica.