But is the newly-minted EA FC 24 more than just a name change and roster update? Well, having laid our hands on the pre-beta build of EA FC 24 and later, the closed beta build of the same game, it is. Thanks to the good folks at EA Sports, we were recently in Sydney for the franchise’s special showcase which allowed us access to EA FC 24 and FC Mobile producers.

If you’ve seen many of EAFC’s promotional materials, you would instantly realize the theme of triangles. According to EAFC24 Senior Producer Samuel Rivera, the three key elements which separate EA FC 24 from its predecessors are the Volumetric Capture, Opta Analytics which influences individual players’ playstyle and the enhanced Frostbite Engine.

Enough with the big words. What do these bombastic terms mean for players, then?

As a package, each of these elements work together to present a distinct EA FC 24 experience for those who have grown accustomed to FIFA23.  In EA FC 24, each of the eleven players under your control feels unique from one another which will drastically change how you approach the game. Sure, in the past some superstar players feel a little overpowered but now with a wider variety when it comes to the in-game player’s traits, 1v1s on the field feel less lopsided compared to the past.

“We started testing this (Volumetric Capture) in 2018 but the technology, console and of course artificial intelligence weren’t ready,” said Rivera.

Those coming straight from FIFA23 would instantly feel the game pace in EA FC 24 to be slightly slower and more methodical than the game it is replacing. While it isn’t intentional according to Rivera, he suggests that the game now feels more authentic as each player’s characteristics reflect real life.

It’s In The Game?

Based on the closed event as well as the Closed Beta build which we have gotten our hands-on, the varying styles of player gait make a whole lot of difference when executed properly. For example with Liverpool, Luis Diaz’s smaller strides make him brilliant in changing directions on the fly in the wing while with Cody Gakpo, you can easily leave the defenders in the dust with a quick change of pace.

Opta Anaytics now plays a larger role too on how certain players can impact the game on the fly. With player traits based on their real-life statistics from the most recently completed season, one can expect to make a defence-splitting through ball with Kevin de Bruyne which is otherwise impossible to pull off with Fred, for example.

With sliding tackles, defenders now have a higher chance of retaining the ball instead of seeing it roll away as frequently experienced in FIFA23. As a result, the controversial auto-tackling feature has somewhat benefited from the Volumetric Capture too. Larger but slower defenders now have a fighting chance against smaller yet nimbler wingers who have always tormented them in previous games. Dribbling past defenders now require a more precise run and one of the most effective approaches to capitalize on these new mechanics introduced in EA FC 24 would be to bait defenders into making the first tackle.

We also spoke to Producer on FC Mobile, Timo Mueller who promised a new approach in shooting the ball when using touchscreen controls. By quickly flicking their finger across the screen, players are able to execute the Power Shot feature which is synonymous with the console and PC versions. A risk vs reward feature, all the benefits and setbacks from trying to pull off the Power Shot are also brought to mobile giving players a closer playing experience to that of their console peers.

Clearly aware of the unique nature of mobile gaming where players have differing device specs, Mueller said “We are pushing the visuals in the gameplay to higher heights than ever before but at the same time we have to make sure it applies to any user regardless if they have the iPhone 14 Pro Max or a lower-spec Android phone. We always think about how we can optimize the features in FC Mobile no matter what device the player is using”.

“We actually made specific changes for FC Mobile to actually raise the lower graphic quality to (allow them) to enjoy these new features” he added.

Ultimate Team Upgrades

One major feature which will totally set apart the EA FC brand from the FIFA franchise it is replacing would be the inclusion of female professional players in the Football Ultimate Team (FUT) mode. Having tried it via the closed beta build, female players tend to be zippier on the field but can be neutralized by overtly physical counterplays. Imagine how you would neutralize the opponent’s Raheem Sterling and you should have a rough picture of how female pros such as Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler handle in-game.

Another interesting feature would be “Player Evolutions” which allow FUT players to give players in their squad unique stats growth characteristics. That way, even though you and I have identical teams with identical players, our squads’ actual qualities differ due to differing principles in how we “grow” and nurture players in our respective squads.

However, we definitely require more hands-on time with these new modes and changes so we can’t reveal much about EA FC 24 until we’ve had a thorough experience with the final build. But from our initial experience, EA FC 24 feels distinct from FIFA23 on gameplay and in-game experience.

There’s definitely a lot to unpack as we move closer to the game’s release but what we can say for now, is that EA FC 24 is much, much more than merely a rebrand or a roster update. EA FC 24 will be out for consoles and PC on 29 September.

The pre-show begins at 11 pm GMT+8 on Tuesday, 22 August 2023, while the main Showcase will start on Wednesday, August 23, 12 am GMT+8. After the Showcase, the live post-show will begin with a roundtable discussion about what to expect in the coming year for Destiny 2. For anyone watching on Twitch, Bungie has enabled Twitch Drops, gifting viewers an exclusive emblem if they watch for 30 minutes any time from the start of the Showcase until the end of the post-show.

To get fans hyped, Bungie released the Destiny 2 Showcase tune-in trailer that highlights reactions to Destiny’s story over the years:’

Building on the legacy of the Modern Warfare series, Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is the direct sequel to the record-breaking Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2. Players will experience a rich and immersive campaign with unprecedented player choice, picking up directly after Modern Warfare 2, all-new open-world Zombies set on the largest Call of Duty Zombies map ever, and one of the greatest collections of Modern Warfare multiplayer maps ever assembled, both fan favourites and all new ones.

All 16 launch maps from the original Modern Warfare 2 (2009) have been modernized with new modes and gameplay features and will be available at launch. For the first time in Call of Duty‘s history, a vast amount of content from the previous Modern Warfare II game will transfer—or “carry forward”—and be available in the next Modern Warfare title. All weapon and Operator content that has been previously unlocked or is currently available to players in Modern Warfare II, will carry forward between Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III.

Modern Warfare III expands the universe for players, with much more to come in post-launch plans, including over 12 new core six-versus-six maps that will fuel post-launch live seasons and new Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile experiences when it launches.

Check out the trailer below:

Specifically for the ones who pre-ordered the game, of course. This means lots of people will be taking a crack at Mortal Kombat 1 for the first time. Here’s a move list for the four playable characters so far: Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Kenshi, Kitana. There’s even a primer video for Li Mei (new to this beta) made by Mortal Kombat pro player Ketchup. We’ll add Johnny Cage later when their move lists are available.

For now, it’s Kombat Time!

Liu Kang

Kenshi

Kitana

Sub-Zero

Li Mei

According to the folks at Remedy, they’re all about spreading the gaming love. They mentioned that October is like the ultimate game-packed month, so this delay should hopefully give everyone more breathing room to soak in all those game releases. Plus, they’re pretty stoked to unveil what our favourite novelist is getting up to in the Dark Place during Gamescom. Just a week more to go, and they’re sending out thanks for our patience – which is pretty cool.

An update from the Alan Wake 2 team: we're moving Alan Wake 2's launch from October 17 to October 27.

October is an amazing month for game launches and we hope this date shift gives more space for everyone to enjoy their favorite games.

We can't wait to show you what everyone's… pic.twitter.com/GpLxyr2xvY

— Alan Wake 2 (@alanwake) August 17, 2023

Oh, and remember when Remedy told us Alan Wake 2 would be digital-only? Turns out, a bunch of players are shifting away from physical game copies, so no discs this time around. And they’re totally keeping the price tag in check: US$59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99 for consoles and US$49.99 / £39.99 / €49.99 for PC. Plus, they’re all about giving us a seamless experience, so no shipping a disc and then needing a download. Kudos to them for thinking about our convenience.

And wait, there’s even a fancier option for the big spenders among us. There’s a Deluxe Edition up for grabs, going for US$79.99 / £64.99 / €79.99 on consoles and US$69.99 / £54.99 / €69.99 on PC. It’s time to make some choices, folks – the gaming buffet is officially open!

Pitching itself as an approachable, third-person multiplayer open-world survival craft game with a key focus on pushing player creativity over violence, The Signal is Goose Byte’s contribution to moving the genre forward.

The Signal – which is being developed in Unreal Engine 5 for unspecified consoles and PC – is built upon the three key pillars of exploration, invention, and survival. With a focus on user-generated crafting content, the game’s unique recipe-sharing system and sustainability theme set it apart from the wealth of quality titles operating in this space.

Theodor Diea, CEO and founder of Goose Byte, said:

“We’re really excited about the world we’re building for The Signal. We want to take players on a journey: as you step out onto this uncharted planet you are faced immediately with an environment that is as mysterious as it is beautiful. This planet is teeming with unknown flora and fauna across multiple, massive biomes. But not everything is as it seems. The planet is fully aware of your actions and, the longer you spend exploring, the more it starts interacting and messing with you.”

In The Signal, you will venture onto an alien planet featuring multiple biomes littered with strange structures and a sentient ecosystem that seems to react to your every move. You can play alone or with up to 16 players on player-hosted dedicated servers on this unique expedition through a one-of-a-kind planet.

Touching back on the theme of environmental awareness, Theodor asks:

“What if we could re-roll the choices we’ve made here on Earth? Are we, as humans, capable of learning from our past mistakes? The choice is left to you and how you decide to play The Signal.”

The Signal is in development for unspecified consoles and PC. More details will be revealed in the months ahead.

In the meantime, check out the trailer below:

2019’s search action game Blasphemous garnered a lot of attention for its stark and gross imagery and gothic themes, filled with grotesque moments. Underneath it all is a solid game that almost misses the perfection mark when it comes to delivering a meaty 2D action experience.

Developer The Game Kitchen fixed all that with its eventual sequel Blasphemous 2, and Lord almighty, it’s a helluva upgrade.

Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned….

Blasphemous 2 puts you in the shoes of the Penitent One as they explore the messed-up world they’re in -Cvstodia- to find out why there’s a godly baby being born out of the sky. You also have to stop a bunch of people who defected from your order as well; hunt them down, and eventually find a way to get to the top. Blasphemous lore hounds will find a lot to love here, particularly how cryptic it gets with its story. But the gist is you have to kill a bunch of bosses, then open up more sections and defeat a few more to access the top.

In standard search action format, you have to find new powerups to access previously-barred areas. You start off with a dash/dodge and any of the three weapons you get to pick. Yes, the weapons system is brand-new to this series, and it’s definitely a cherished addition. You’ll unlock more tools of destruction, with each of them having their own fighting style and obstacle-solving applications. You have the standard sword (Ruego Al Alba) that has a downward stab that destroys certain barricades, the dual rapiers (Sarmiento & Centella) that can be used onto teleportation mirror-things, and giant chained mace (Veredicto) that can ring bells that creates makeshift “water” platforms.

Blasphemous 2 requires you to switch between weapons for some of its platforming sections, some of them being more tricky than others. You have to switch from the mace to ring the bell, make platforms appear, then switch back to the rapiers to elevate and launch yourself to the finish line, for example. It’s devious and reflex-heavy, but fun all the while. If the weapon-switching gets tough, note that you can switch the order of the weapons so it can be slightly convenient for you while in the heat of the jumping bits.

And if you die? Well, you basically get a penalty in the form of Guilt. See the blue bar below your red health bar? That’s Fervour, which you need to cast Prayers (spells and powerups like your projectiles and buffs). That gets shortened the more times you die. You can go collect your afterimage from the spot you died at when you respawn, though it won’t clear all your Guilt. You need to head to the hub area’s local confessional booth to clear it out. Speaking of town hub, there’s a central area where you can buy passive equipment in the form of rosary accessories (5 slots, unlockable if you find beads all over the map).

You can also equip Blasphemous 2’s new equipment feature called Altarpieces; you can unlock up to eight spots for Altarpiece figures you can equip for passive boosts, be it extra damage for your sword attacks, bigger window for your block/parry, or buffs for your prayers and elemental attacks. It’s meant to cater to your playstyle while you’re fighting in Cvstodia. Equipping a pair of Altarpiece figures of the same family will boost certain attributes for your weapons or spells further, so it’s pretty important to find as many of these via the game’s many sidequests and secrets. Other collectibles can also unlock fast travel between save points, and more to make your search action exploration and 100%-ing all the more convenient, provided you put the work in.

Plus, there’s even a skill tree that needs upgrading via Marks of Martyrdom that open up new skills for your weapon(s) of choice, like a “Devil Trigger” mode for your Ruego, lunge attacks for your Sarmiento/Centella, and instant-charge flame properties for your Veredicto. I did unlock half of these, and they’re useful, though you are free to use the bare minimum to get through all of the game’s major challenges.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done On Earth…

Speaking of which, the boss fights are just as epic as the last game. Rather than the majority of them being monstrosities, most of your fights are with warriors who look similar to The Penitent One. These battles are more like duels, where you have to figure out their patterns and methods before conquering them. The big bads you fight here seem “cleaner” and more orderly compared to the last game. You still fight some nasty Catholicism-themed giant freaks (one of them’s a multi-headed coffin priest hybrid) but given Blasphemous 2’s holy order context, the majority of your duels are with people similar to the Penitent One. You will need to time your evades and parries -a staple in Dark Souls-like titles- to stand a chance against the “holy” order of fiends and giants.

My favourite fights are a duo who are so contrasting with each other, yet when they attack me together in the third bout of the fight, I was definitely paying attention. It’s a similar dynamic as that one famous Dark Souls boss fight with the fat and skinny knights, but in 2D form. Long story short, you’re not going to be forgetting these memorable duels anytime soon, especially with how visually arresting some of these encounters can get. Case in point: the giant reverend with glass shards on his back, the swordsman with the portable millstone, and the aforementioned coffin priest-thing.

If I had to nitpick certain aspects of Blasphemous 2, is that some tutorials for certain moves do not pop up earlier as intended. I’ve been stuck in a particular section with specific barricades for 30 minutes, but only solved it out of sheer luck. Within a couple of screens later, the tutorial to clear those barricades popped up. I’ve had the tools all along; the game just cued me on its barrier-destroying use a little too late. Arguably, I may have broken the game’s intended progression sequence, but this is a minor game design issue I just had to mention.

Act Of Contrition

Blasphemous 2 is a lovely search action game made for anyone who wants a challenge, an R-rated experience, and a good mix of combat and exploration. For veterans, this sequel fixes a few of the problems from the first game so that it seems less cheap and buggy.

Those well-versed with late 90s and 2000s 2D platformers and search action games might bring up the fact that Blasphemous 2 feels like the gothic stepchild of the Megaman Zero and ZX series. This is because of how it plays, how it feels control-wise, and how much the sword feels like Zero’s Z-Saber and air dash to an extent. Hell, there’s even a boss that emulates the “recall dead enemies” ability from Dr Weil’s penultimate form in Mega Man Zero 4’s climactic final fight; The Game Kitchen’s influences are clear as the blood and gore on-screen.

You won’t forget the Catholic gothic imagery from the twisted minds of The Game Kitchen once you’re done with 14 hours of this lovingly-crafted title. Believe me, I still have that image of a woman’s arm slowly being mutilated by tiny cherubs bit by bit as the story progresses with a grotesque final form seared in my mind. And also that one giant bearded guy breastfeeding his baby. That’s a sight that will haunt me in my sleep.

Pros

• Memorable, if disturbing, pixel art and imagery.
• Haunting and beautiful soundtrack.
• Great action and exploration combo.
• Bosses are fun to fight.
• Main character feels good to control, and comes with new equipment/buff systems.

Cons

• Some protips about main character’s skills pop up later than sooner.
• Minor graphical glitches.
• Guilt system isn’t too taxing or punishing enough.

Final Score: 90/100

Review code provided by Team17.

2023 has been a fantastic year for PS5 so far, with plenty of games to keep players entertained, including recently released blockbuster titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Final Fantasy 16, as well as virtual reality experiences like Horizon Call Of The Mountain, Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village on PlayStation VR2, PlayStation’s newest virtual reality headset.

The RM220 off PS5 promotion will be available at participating retailers (https://www.playstation.com/local/retailers/).

Check out all the offerings below:

Made by Digital Eclipse who also created the awesome Atari 50 game-slash-documentary hybrid interactive title, The Making of Karateka will be out on 29 August for US$19.99 for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. The game will bring up the origin story of Jordan Mechner, featuring design documents, playable prototypes, and all-new video features. And the original 1984 game of course. Check out the feature list and trailer below:

About

Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner was a college student when he created one of the biggest-selling games of 1984: Karateka. Now, in a new interactive documentary from Digital Eclipse, the story of how a teenager with an Apple II created one of the most groundbreaking, influential games of all time.

The Origin Story of a Legendary Game Creator

Discover how Karateka was made through an exhaustive archive of design documents, playable prototypes, and all-new video features. Like walking through a museum, you can explore the interactive timelines at your own pace.

Play the Acclaimed Originals

Enjoy pixel-perfect versions of the original Karateka games and a variety of never-before-seen early prototypes, with rich quality-of-life features like save anywhere, rewind, chapter select, and director’s commentary.

Two Remastered Games

Karateka Remastered is an all-new version of the original game featuring cutting-room-floor content, commentary, achievements, and more. Deathbounce: Rebounded is a fast and frantic twin-stick shooter based on Jordan’s unpublished prototype.

A Groundbreaking Masterpiece

Discover how Karateka became one of the first games to include cinematic scenes, a moving original soundtrack, rotoscoped animation, and a Hollywood-style love story, influencing the decades of games that followed.

The Gold Master Series

New from Digital Eclipse (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration), the Gold Master Series presents iconic games in an innovative “interactive documentary” format, putting the shared history of games and their creators into one comprehensive package.

Following a series of leaks, the publisher officially announced Modern Warfare III last week. Activision plans to reveal the game on 17 August during a Call of Duty: Warzone event starting at 10:30 AM (PT) / 1:30 PM (ET) / 6:30 PM (BST). For us Southeast Asians, that’ll be 1:30 AM (UTC+8).

Players who participate in the Shadow Siege Limited Time Event will unlock various rewards for completing objectives, including a new base weapon that will be immediately available in Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare II.

Gear up for Shadow Siege, Operators ?

Take part in the Modern Warfare III Reveal Event on August 17 at 10:30 AM PST and earn special rewards for your contributions to the battle in Al Mazrah #MW3

? Call of Duty: Warzone pic.twitter.com/mrxswGxQJu

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 15, 2023

They’ll also be available in Modern Warfare II when it’s released, as most collected Modern Warfare II content will carry over to the sequel.

Activision has said that this week’s reveal event will feature an airborne-to-ground assault of the Konni-occupied Zaya Observatory.

Modern Warfare III will be released on 10 November for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One and PC. It will be priced at US$70 on current-gen consoles, and PlayStation players are expected to receive first access to an upcoming beta test.

Microsoft recently signed a “binding agreement” with Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation if the Xbox maker completes its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.