The Maw - 4th-9th March 2024
Our weekly news liveblog, with this week's most appetising videogame releases
New week, new videogames, new newsblog. It's another relatively quiet week for big name PC releases - no mega-sequels or adaptations, unless you're seriously into the Moomins - but if 2024 has taught me anything it's that a breakout hit can come from anywhere, and I will accordingly be watching this week's new games with deep suspicion and barely constrained panic.
Here are the ones that seem most promising, at the time of writing: Warsaw-set magician RPG The Thaumaturge (4th March); spacey cube-obsessed factory sim Sixty Four (4th March); all-terrain open-worlder Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (5th March); co-op-skewed laboratory gorefest The Outlast Trials (5th March); circus horror Reveil (6th March); Sonic-maniac platformer Berserk Boy (6th March); Shadow of the Octopus 'em up Chasing The Unseen (7th March); storybook puzzler Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley (7th March); XCOM-meets-Baldur's-Gate-alike Zoria: Age of Shattering (7th March).
As ever, this list is sponsored by the Maw, that convoluted and churning force of cosmic greed, which we strive ever to keep stuffed full of videogame news, lest it guzzle down what we are pleased to call our reality. It's an incomplete, working list of recommendations - if we've missed something you're looking forward to, it's absolutely because we despise it, and are secretly out to punish you for ever liking it. I mean, it's because I ran out of time. Feel free to suggest games for coverage in the comments along with any breaking news we should pounce on. Have a good week!
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
IT IS MAWNDAY
FEED THE MO!
Starfield's SteamDB listing has been updated with an "unknown app" - folk speculate that it's a sign that the game's first major DLC Shattered Space is imminent.
EA's Star Wars strategy game is still in development, despite last week's layoff announcements and cancellations - thanks VGC.
Ready your hoverboots and hip-firing sniper rifles - Tribes 3 hits early access on 12th March.
Strange Loop Games have outlined plans for Eco's 1.0 release - Eco being a rather giant simulation in which people "work together to advance society and stop a meteor, all without destroying the ecosystem in the process."
Deep Rock Galactic's Season 5 updates will include a new mission, new enemies, new overclocks, new dance emotes, DLSS3 integration and the possibility of playing through stuff from old seasons, as detailed on Steam.
N64-ass 3D metroidvania Pseudoregalia has received a big update with a visual map, time trials, outfits and various other tweaks.
An On says: What happened to The Sunday Papers?
Me and Ed Thorn were away on Friday and Alice B was off sick, so we didn't quite have the personpower to put that feature together this weekend. Apologies!
Seems that last week's Epic games hack may have been a fraud, as suggested by Epic, but the waters remain murky.
Might And Delight are about to implement a new combat system for their lush-looking "tiny MMO" Book Of Travels, which I've long been a fan of.
kaickul says: Really liked Book of Travels and played for a couple of hours maybe. It wasn't playable beyond that due to constant bugs and glitches unfortunately. Perhaps it is time to give it another chance? On a different note, today there will be trailers for Dune : Awakening, I wonder how that's going to be. Nightingale seems to not delivered on its premise...
BOT is one of those games I love to just go for a stroll in. The knot-language stuff and teahouses are wonderful too.
Microsoft are screening an Xbox Developer Direct on Wednesday, 6th March at 10am Pacific time, 1pm Eastern time and 6pm UK time. Highlights include new footage of Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess and The First Berserker: Khazan - here's the official blog post with more.
As Edwin mentioned earlier, the former XCOM devs over at Bit Reactor have confirmed their Star Wars strategy game is "unaffected" after EA cancelled Respawn's first-person shooter amid mass layoffs. Respawn are collaborating on the mysterious strategy project.
Upcoming Dune MMO Awakening will let you lure other players using The Voice, sell your most impressive base creations and drink blood-water to survive - but you won't be able to kill or ride sandworms (yet), say devs Funcom.
Synduality is like Armored Core as an extraction shooter, with a promising look, closed beta later this month and gameplay trailer than left me utterly exhausted.
Suika Shapes adds co-op multiplayer and a polygonal twist to the viral Watermelon Game, plus a whole lot of other modes and modifiers to play with.
IT IS TUESDAW
FEED THE MAY!Crema have written a long post about the past and future of monster-catcher Temtem, in which they announce that they're doing away with all of the game's microtransaction systems. There's a lot to consider through the jump.
Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has said there's no end in sight for Stardew Valley development after update 1.6. "I feel like I’m the boy who cried wolf, because I’ve said [this is the last update] many times myself and I always end up making another Stardew Valley update," he told Polygon. "So it’s like, I’ll just say, who knows? I don’t think I’ll ever officially close the book. The book is always open."
Epic are teasing the next season of Fortnite by means of a massive hand with a box chained to it. Shoot the box enough times and it opens, creating a pillar of flames. Curiosity vibes.
Interactive writer Adam Burt has made a free text game you can play in browser, called Applying For Game Dev Jobs Simulator. It's in the same sort of spirit as The Writer Will Do Something (which is nearly ten years old, God), but less complex and more depressing.
Via Kotaku, it's rumoured that Gravity Rush 2 is coming to PC. The peddler of this rumour is Team Alua discord server member Orangee, who has a decent track record for Gravity Rush gossip, having previously leaked news of the movie adaptation. Orangee says the PC version will be announced in May. I loved Gravity Rush 2 on PS4, and would love an excuse to warble about it on here.
Fantasy fort-builder Cataclismo (created by the Moonlighter devs, with input from RPS scribe Brendan Caldwell) is launching on 16th July 2024.
Steam's new privacy settings are out of beta, allowing you to render invisible any games you buy or play that you might not want your followers to see in your library, for whatever reason. No judgements here.
Diablo 4's new weekly non-linear dungeon the Gauntlet goes live today.
Helldivers 2's long-teased mechs look to be ready soon, according to an official tweet.
Oculus accounts are going to be deleted on March 29th, and so you've got until then to migrate them over to Meta accounts. If you don't do it, you'll lose all attached games, credits, and friends lists.
Chivalry 2's latest update adds a feature every online multiplayer game should have: unofficial server support.
March brings another round of new games to Microsoft's Game Pass subscription service, including farming sim-with-mechs Lightyear Frontier, Warhammer 40,000 boomer shooter Boltgun, and Control Ultimate Edition.
The official MultiVersus account is teasing something, presumably a return for the fighting game which was postponed until 2024 after an open beta back in 2022.
IT IS MAWEDNESDAY
Synergise the core competencies! Think outside the box! Think inside the box, but with more passion and a holistic approach to moving the needle! FEED THE MAW.
Defying gods and men, Warner Bros CEO of global streaming and games JB Perrette has reiterated the publisher's focus on live service games and free-to-play with regard to four big licenses: Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, DC and Harry Potter.
El Paso, Elsewhere and Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator developers Strange Scaffold have unveiled Life Eater, a "horror fantasy kidnapping simulator" set in suburban America.
No Rest for the Wicked designer Thomas Mahler is in a feisty mood today.
Oh boy, a major update for Hunt: Showdown, with new equipment and balancing adjustments.
The Outlast Trials is out of early access - here's the 1.0 changelog. Highlights include full controller support, crossplay and *checks notes* crushing or burning the sex toys.
Arrowhead's boss has shot down a rumour that the Helldivers 2 developers are to be acquired by PlayStation.
PlayStation are showcasing five games from Indian developers as part of their India Hero Project. These include Meteora, in which you are a meteor racing through the cosmos, Mukti, a first-person adventure about human trafficking that is set in a museum, and Suri: The Seventh Note, a rhythm-driven 2D action-platformer.
The just-announced Merchants of Rosewall is about being a shopkeeper in an RPG world. You'll try to build a commercial empire while forming relationships with your clientele and investigating a mystery.
As reported by Mp1st, an old Battlefield 2142 faction may be returning in Battlefield 2042.
A Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut PC port appears! It's out in May.
I wrote about Helldivers 2's latest balancing patch and Arrowhead's overall approach to weapons balancing earlier. The developers have now published a full blog post about the latest changes, penned by head of product testing Patrik Lasota.
Tails Noir developers Eggnut are cancelling their current project and closing doors due to funding difficulties. Best of luck all.
Revealed during tonight's Xbox Partner Preview stream, stealth-action deckbuilder Sleight of Hand looks like a noir spiritual successor to Metal Gear Acid from the developer behind puzzle gem Framed. Moody!
Almost three years to the day after it was revealed, Frostpunk 2’s release date brings a frosty survivalist chill to this summer, hitting Steam and PC Game Pass from day one in July.
Persona 3 Reload adds FES expansion The Answer as its ‘final chapter’ DLC in September, as the last wave of a three-part expansion pass throughout the year.
Reappearing almost four years after it was announced, Unknown 9: Awakening has given us a first look at its mix of Psi-Ops powers and Assassin’s Creed action-adventure, ahead of its release this summer.
Also seen at tonight's Xbox Partner Preview, we got a look at the blend of real-time strategy and action combat in intriguing - and wonderfully colourful - yoaki-battling Capcom game Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.
There was also a gameplay trailer for The First Berserker: Khazan, which I can only describe as "Dark Souls but for edgy teens".
I don't know if the racing and arena trick-scoring of Monster Jam Showdown is my, uh, jam, but I did enjoy seeing a SHARK MONSTER TRUCK.
In an inspire bit of art-inspires-life, Chucky of Child's Play fame is headed to Roblox to presumably terrorise a bunch of unsuspecting kids.
Promising Metroidvania Tales of Kenzera: Zau continues to look fabulous, too.
Here's some new gameplay from the This War of Mine devs' sci-fi base-management The Alters to round things out.
IT IS THAWSDAY
The hills are alive with the sound of videogames journalism! FEED THE MAW.
As passed on by PCG, Owen Deery is making his game Small Radios, Big Televisions free to download from his website after Warner Discovery announced plans to "retire" it from Steam and PS4.
Not a new release, but seems worthy of sharing: Liquidum is an aquarium-themed spin on puzzle game Picross.
cpt_freakout says: Classified: France 44 might be a game that interests the Tree. Mostly XCOM mentions in the Steam reviews, but someone mentioned Silent Storm... a job for Sin Vega, perhaps?
Does look quite tasty! I'll have to try the demo.
The Last Epoch has received another patch, encompassing "a bunch of fixes for controller, UI, skills, and more."
Warner Bros. Discovery are closing down Rooster Teeth - the entertainment brand who came to fame as the creators of the Red vs Blue Halo machinima - and laying off 150 people, as reported by GI.
Gamesradar has a cool feature on the design of Cyberpunk 2077's metro system.
Helldivers 2 is getting a new Warbond, aka more guns and gear. Highlights include experimental armour, a new stun grenade, and a lightning launcher.
Automaton has a good Dragon's Dogma 2 interview from which I have plucked some thoughts about the affinity system.
Deus Ex: Makind Divided will soon be free to keep from the Epic Games Store.
The Fallout TV series will launch on Amazon Prime on April 11th. Its latest trailer looks... good? It looks pretty good.
Overwatch 2 is getting a bunch of Cowboy Bebop skins and the trailer, which recreate's the anime's intro, is great.
A bunch of older EA games have surfaced on Steam, including overlooked mostly black-and-white open world World War 2 action game The Saboteur.
IT IS FRAWDAW
FAWD THAW MAW.Funcom have issued a little public comment on Dune: Awakening's handling of religion and thus, inadvertently painted the picture of an MMO in which every player is the Messiah.
Arrowhead say that if you want mechs in Helldivers 2 you'll need to liberate the planet that produces them. I am having On-Going Thoughts about how this game blends the experience of a Forever-War with the mechanics of updating a live service game.
You can now download the Dragon's Dogma 2 character creator ahead of release for free.
There's a beta underway for Tactical Breach Wizards, the new game from Heat Signature dev Suspicious Developments (whose founder, Tom Francis, used to be a writer round these parts).
Sticking with the magic theme, GBA-style spellcard strategy game Dream Tactics has a release date - 17th April. I've not played the demo but it looks fairly swish.
Vermintide 2's long-awaited versus mode is live in public alpha.
New Soulslike klaxon! Say hello to The Night Wanderer from Polish developer Mighty Koi. It's based on a novel by Jarosław Grzędowicz and is a gloomy sci-fantasy affair set on a planet that resembles Scandanavia.
Akira Toriyama, the hugely influential mangaka behind Dragon Ball mangaka who went on to design characters for Chrono Trigger and create Dragon Quest’s iconic Slime monster, has died at age 68.
Fortnite’s Myths & Mortals season lets you wield godlike powers and bullet-bend as avatar Korra later today, though you'll need to wait a few extra hours after Chapter 5 Season 2 was delayed due to an "unexpected issue".
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, sequel to the decade-old World War I adventure game, has escaped mobile and Netflix exclusivity onto PC.
Remember when they announced a Watch Dogs film? I sure didn't! Anyway, a decade on, they’re still trying to make a Watch Dogs movie - but now it has a director, writer and star attached.
A Container article from Matteo Lupetti about the Italian travelling videogame festival Zona Warpa. "We looked for zones of freedom in cities designed for those production and consumption cycles that are jeopardising the future of human and non-human life. And there, game developers, musicians, and visual artists were able to create, play, travel, eat, sleep, dance and imagine and practise new ways of living together."
!
Well, I guess I spent several hours writing more about Warner Bros. Discovery delisting Adult Swim Games. Soundodger+ and Fist Puncher are added to the list of games to be removed, alongside the previously confirmed Small Radios Big Televisions, but several other developers are now in a panic as they wait to be contacted.
If I hadn't spent all my time writing that, I might have also covered that WWE 2K24 came out yesterday and has had a rough launch, as reflected by its 'Mixed' reviews on Steam. It's a 2K joint, so the complaints are the same as every other 2K sports game: the servers don't work, DLC is expensive and can't be accessed, progress got wiped, and so on.
Good news! Classic car smash 'em up FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage is now FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage Collector's Edition, and the update on Steam includes the removal of Games For Windows Live DRM, bug fixes, new translations, and Steam Deck verification.
There's new Beat Saber DLC and it's a Daft Punk music pack. We rarely write about DLC packs, but DLC packs rarely let you swing your arms around to Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. I might dig the VR headset out for this.
I feel bad that I only wrote one full story tonight, but the Maw is fed, and hopefully a thousand words on why Warner Bros. Discovery suck keeps the peace until Monday. Night all.