Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy will set sail for incredible adventures! After meeting with the Egyptologist Sophocles Sarcophagus during a Mediterranean cruise, the famous reporter decides to investigate the Pharaoh Kih-Oskh’s tomb. What terrible secret does the tomb hide? From Egypt to India and Arabia, Tintin and Snowy will follow a lead on narcotics trafficking all the way to the far east.
This new adventure game will immerse players into the captivating comic book’s universe and make them the heroes of an epic action adventure masterpiece. With an art direction faithful to Hergé’s drawings, this game is lining up to be a jubilant adaptation!
– Faithfulness to the comics seriesFeaturing all the facets of the Tintin universe and with a story full of twists making part of Hergé’s great creative legacy, the game plunges you into the heart of mysterious Egypt and other lands of infinite beauty. “Cigars of the Pharaoh”, the 4th album of the series was prepublished in December 1932 in the youth supplement “Le Petit – Vingtième”.
– A lot of adventures to liveJoin Tintin in a series of action-packed puzzles as he tries to solve an international drug trafficking case by exploring the Orient, but also an ancient temple, a desert the depths of a lush jungle and other magnificent but challenging locations.
– Many different gameplays to masterA unique and innovative gameplay combining all the key elements of adventure and investigation video games. A game that puts you in a reporter’s shoes, searching for clues, infiltrating hostile places and solving puzzles with the help of investigative dialogues sumptuously enriched with breathtaking video sequences.
NO DEMO AVAILABLE FORTintin Reporter – Cigars of the Pharao
Tintin Reporter – Cigars of the Pharao IS COMPATIBLE WITH STEAM DECK (Playable)
Niantic has announced the sale of its gaming business to Saudi-owned mobile gaming specialists Scopely in a deal worth $3.5 billion. This brings Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now and more into Scopely’s portfolio, which also includes the likes of Monopoly Go!, Star Trek Fleet Command and Marvel Strike Force.
The deal will keep all the current developer teams together to continue working on the AR gaming hits, while Niantic is transitioning to being “a geospatial AI company”, seemingly looking to use all their experience with augmented reality technologies (including something called Gaussian splatting) for more general purposes.
Announcing the change on the Pokémon Go website, Ed Wu, head of Pokémon Go said, It’s been an incredible joy to serve hundreds of millions of Trainers in our real-world community for the past 10 years, and I truly believe the best is yet to come. Our mission remains clear: to inspire people to discover Pokémon in the real world together. With Scopely’s full commitment, experience, and resources, we’re going to make Pokémon Go the very best it can be – from incredible battles for thousands of Trainers at a time at our live events to new ways to connect to your friends and community. Most importantly, we’ll remain focused on the excitement and experience of discovering Pokémon in the real world.”
Scopely was founded in 2011 and has its headquarters in Culver City, California. it had its initial success with its series of … With Buddies games in 2012, before pushing into licensed IP for games like The Walking Dead: Road to Survive, Star Treck Fleet Command and Scrabble Go. In April 2023, Saudi PIF group Savvy Games Group bought Scopely for $4.9 billion, adding to its portfolio of owned companies and investments across the games industry.
We’ll have to wait and see what influence Scopely has on Niantic’s games, with the outgoing company often having a fractious relationship with its fanbase. After its breakout success in 2016, Niantic regularly sought to tweak and adjust how in-game items were used and available, often to the chagrin of the player base as this affected their ability to play – most notable, perhaps, was how Niantic made changes in 2020 to enable more distant playing through lockdowns, and then rolled them back at still contentious moments.
Pokémon Go was a huge success for the company, and remains the best example of its augmented reality game style, while they’ve struggled to adapt it to other IP. A Harry Potter game came and went, while Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter now haven’t hit the same heights. They’ve also created companion pieces like Campfire to add a new social avenue for playing their games, instead of seeing people resort to other platforms.
Chudo-Yudo Games are working on Machine Mind, an interesting mixture of strategy and action genres blended together. There’s a demo available to try with Linux support, along with an expanded playtest.
Set on a barren world after some sort of nuclear war following a virus that swept the planet (that sounds familiar…), Earth has become a wasteland filled with raiders. Your ship has crash-landed, and now you have to survive. Here though, your consciousness was stored in some sort of computer system, so you take control of a customizable vehicle and go on your way to build it up and create a base of operations. The game appears to be about you surviving long enough, so that you can launch yourself back into space.
Check out the trailer:
There’s a lot of customizable vehicle action games, but not many blend in the strategy side of it like this too. An interesting mixture that I’m definitely keen to see more from and the demo worked great.
Highlights:
Crafting: Create weapons, modules and equipment from the resources you gather to improve your vehicles and fortify your base.
Building: Reconstruct dilapidated bases, build fortifications and facilities to ensure your survival in the dangerous environment.
Fighting: Join exciting battles against raiders and bosses by using advanced weapons and combat modules.
Modular machines: Build and modify your rovers using various modules to attune them to different tasks, from resource gathering to fighting.
Tactical control: Plan your actions and assign roles to your vehicles to maintain your strategy.
Automation: Assign transport rovers to complete various objectives like gathering, building and defence by using strategic game mechanics.
Survival in extreme conditions: Face not just your enemies, but forces of nature, such as sandstorms and radiation.
Exploration of different biomes: Navigate various locations, from deserts to abandoned factories, each full of resources, enemies and secrets.
Iron Man’s Repulsor Blasts are getting nerfed in the new Marvel Rivals patch. Human Torch is getting a buff to his primary attack damage output and Ultimate Ability. Developers are balancing hero abilities with adjustments in the mid-season patch.
NetEase is aiming to release a new patch for Marvel Rivals later this week, and this aims to nerf a hero that shouldn’t have gotten a buff in the first place.
The hero I’m referring to is none other than Iron Man. The character’s Repulsor Blasts are getting a significant nerf, which makes them less effective.
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Ubisoft Hero Shooter “Project U” Opening Cinematic Leaks, But Can It Take On Marvel Rivals?
Ubisoft is said to still be developing its hero shooter with the codename “Project U,” and more leaks are said to be on the way.
The mid-season balance patch for Season 1.5 will drop on March 13 on all platforms according to NetEase. The main hero changes here include a buff to the Human Torch, a nerf to Iron Man, and an adjustment to Cloak & Dagger (again).
Duelist
Human Torch
The fiery hero is getting a boost to his primary attack damage output and Ultimate Ability, enhancing his solo takedown potential.
Increase Fire Cluster projectile speed from 120m/s to 150m/s and projectile count from 12 to 14. Increase the energy cost of Supernova (ultimate ability) from 3400 to 4000; Increase activation wave damage from 70 to 80 and Flame Tornado damage from 100 per/s to 120 per/s.
Iron Man
The Armored Avenger will see slight adjustments to his primary attack in both states, balancing his mid-range offensive capabilities.
Decrease Repulsor Blast stage 1 and 2 direct hit damage from 55 to 40; Increase spell field damage from 35 to 50. Decrease stage 3 direct hit damage from 65 to 50; Increase spell field damage from 40 to 60. Decrease Repulsor Blast (Armor Overdrive) direct hit damage decreased from 55 to 50; Increase spell field damage from 55 to 65.
STRATEGIST
Cloak & Dagger
The duality duo will see improvements in their healing abilities, making them more versatile for various team compositions.
Increase the healing effect from Lightforce Dagger on hit allies from 10 to 16; Reduce the spell field healing amount generated by the hit from 18 to 16.
Overall, these seem like good changes by the developers. Iron Man’s Unibeam buff and coupled with the character’s Repulsor Blasts made him a wee bit too powerful in almost all skirmishes.
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While NetEase hasn’t announced anything yet, Season 2 should be announced soon, and this means we are once again getting a new batch of heroes and villains to play around as.
In other Marvel Rivals news, if you find yourself being dropped out of levels by Jeff the Landshark, the character’s creator has a tip for you: git gud. No, really, she says to just get better and that it’s likely a skill issue.
Don’t be surprised to see Marvel Rivals crossover with other entertainment properties as welll, since NetEase themselves confirmed it in the company’s latest earnings report.
You know how Epic Games added shoes to Fortnite last year? With Kicks, you can put Jordans on Zuko or slippers on Darth Vader. It only makes sense that Epic Games added Crocs — the “squishy orthopedic shoe,” as Vox put it — to the game. So yeah, if you ever wanted to see Crocs on Godzilla, this is your moment.
Epic Games’ Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 is getting updated tonight, which is when the developer will officially drop Crocs into the Fortnite Item Shop. There are four styles: white classic Crocs, pink classic Crocs, and two funky Crocs, in black and grey. You can choose to flip on Jibbitz or not (no extra cost!) and choose sport mode, if you please. Good luck keeping those things on while sprinting through Outlaw Oasis.
Frankly, I think I’ll hold off on the in-game Crocs until Epic Games is brave enough to add platform Croc heels. Then again, I used to say I’d never wear my Crocs out of the house… and, well, look at me now.
Xbox has not been quiet about its plans to enter the handheld space lately. While it hasn’t revealed concrete plans about what form the handheld will take or when it might come out, Xbox head-honcho Phil Spencer has openly discussed the idea, although at the time he indicated they were still years away from launching it.
However, a new report suggests an Xbox handheld device might be launching as early as this year.
Jez Corden from Window’s Central has the pertinent information. He reveals that Xbox is working with a third-party to launch an Xbox branded handheld, with a release date pencilled in for this year.
Asking AI to predict what an Xbox handheld could look like is always fun.
“Codename ‘Keenan,’ this gaming handheld will look unmistakably ‘Xbox’ we’re told, complete with an official Xbox guide button, and Xbox design sensibilities,” said Jez.
He goes on to explain that the device will likely be more PC orientated, along the lines of a Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally.
“Given that this is a partner device, similar to Lenovo’s SteamOS partnership with Valve, I expect this handheld to be more PC-oriented. It’ll most likely run full Windows, putting the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass front and center, alongside the ability to install things like Steam,” Jez says.
This ties in with previous Windows Central reporting by Samuel Tolbert, who wrote in December of 2024 that Microsoft was apparently considering 3rd parties to make Xbox branded devices.
“We’ve even heard that Microsoft is exploring options around letting third-parties build Xbox-branded devices, something that could extend as far as letting them directly use the Xbox operating system,” wrote Tolbert.
It’s not just Xbox, either, as Sony is also reportedly working on a handheld based on their Portal streaming device.
Naturally, the report by Jez seems to conflict with what Phil Spencer said, but in his reporting Jez comments on this year’s planned handheld as being a different device to Xbox’x own internally developed machine.
“For now, I understand that Microsoft’s next-gen hardware plans include a premium successor to the powerful Xbox Series X, alongside its own Xbox gaming handheld, and several new controller options,” said Jez. “Tentatively, these new console devices are slated for 2027.”
Jez is, of course, also openly discussing Xbox’s plans for a new generation console as well, something which the company has openly confirmed it’s already working on. Usually news that a company is working on its next console is barely worth talking about because it’s a given – hardware developement is a near-continous thing, after all – but with Xbox shifting over to third-party publishing on multiple platforms, there’s a lot of questions about what the future of Xbox is going to be. Jez’s reports might help alleviate some fears that Xbox will abandon the hardware space entirely.
Some Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 fans have strong opinions about how Zombies mode reuses assets from previous titles.
The COD Zombies franchise has been through more than a few evolutions since its debut in 2008’s World at War.
To date, there have been over 35 maps for players to enjoy, as well as frequent re-releases of popular round-based experiences.
But despite Zombies mode regularly bringing back familiar maps throughout its long history, Black Ops 6 fans are taking issue with just how much content they believe is recycled.
Black Ops 6 Zombies Fans Tired of Reused Content
Black Ops 6 fans are growing restless waiting for next season’s Zombies map – despite the fact that one is yet to be confirmed!
Recent leaks indicate that we’ll be heading to the Liberty Falls mansion alongside the recently delayed launch of Season 3, and we already have a full list of all content dropping alongside the new update.
But fans are frustrated to see just how much of the new content is being recycled from older titles.
Not only are we heading back to Liberty Falls, but dataminers discovered references to the Double Tap Perk, the Frost Blast Field Upgrade, and the Shatter Blast Ammo Mod in the game’s files.
All of these items are returning content from previous COD Zombies titles, and the upcoming Wonder Weapon allegedly isn’t a unique one either.
As seen in the Liberty Falls intro cinematic, it appears that the Wunderwaffe DG-2 will be featured in the mansion map.
That’s Enough Old Wonder Weapons
Since appearing in Shi No Numa back in World at War, the Wunderwaffe DG-2 has cropped up again in Call of Duty: Black Ops 1, 3 & 4, as well as Vanguard and Modern Warfare 3.
“If the wunderwaffe comes back then at this point we’ll have 3 maps with reused wonder weapons and only 2 with original ones,” Reddit user Wooden_Gas1064 complains.
It’s safe to say that fans are more than a little tired of seeing it – and it’ll be the fourth returning Wonder Weapon in Black Ops 6! The Beamsmasher and Bastard Swords were excellent new additions to the Wonder Weapon roster, and fans would no doubt like to see more creativity from Treyarch in the future.
It’s not just the Wunderwaffe that players can look forward to either, as the Ray Gun Mark II (which first appeared in Black Ops 2 Zombies) has also been found in the game files.
On top of that, Black Ops 6 repeatedly reuses Special and Elite enemies in each of its maps.
Players are sick of Amalgams in particular, and it appears that Manglers could be returning in the upcoming mansion map too!
But Black Ops 6 can’t afford a sub-par update right now. After all, Call of Duty just hit a record-low player count on Steam, and it needs an exciting season to bring the players back.
Of course, the return of Verdansk to Warzone will definitely be the highlight of the season. But many COD fans who don’t care for the battle royale title are already rooting for Verdank’s return to fail.
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The latest expansion for The Sims 4, Businesses and Hobbies, has introduced a major wrinkle to the 11-year-old game in the form of a system that allows players to design and customize their own businesses from scratch. This expansion takes building blocks laid down by a pair of older expansions–the retail businesses and other active careers of Get to Work, and the restaurant businesses of Dining Out–and makes something totally new and much improved out of them, enabling you to mess around and make money in many new ways
If you want to make an ice skating rink with a bar in it, you can do it. If you want to set up a laundromat where you relax in hot tubs while the laundry runs, you can do it. Basically, if your basement or yard is big enough to fit the thing you want to do, you probably can do it.
But that immense level of customization means there are a huge number of options to deal with, as well as a lot more granular details to sort through than we usually have. When you’re designing your business, you can choose up to five activities that customers will participate in–but you’ve got more than a hundred activities to choose from, most of which won’t make any money directly. And then you have to hire, manage and pay employees, market to a target audience that makes sense for your business, build the business itself, and then actually engage with it; just like any active career in The Sims 4, like being a scientist, you’ll need to do your job if you want to earn.
While it’s not exactly difficult to make money in Businesses and Hobbies, the large breadth of options means it can take longer than usual to understand how everything interacts. But that’s what this article is for–we’re going to go step by step through the process of developing your small business. By the time you finish reading it, the big picture of The Sims 4: Businesses and Hobbies will be a lot clearer.
In case you missed it, Warframe will be releasing its 60th playable warframe later this month, on March 19. It’s a frame like no other, packing a horrific infested guitar, various spikes and other sharp pointy bits, plus a protoframe user that bares a striking resemblance to David Bowie. It’s the MMO’s first rock star, unapologetically loud and brash.
But how did this character come to be? Well, it may surprise you to know that this musical warframe, releasing alongside the upcoming musical update – Warframe 1999 Techrot Encore – has been bubbling away in sketches and design docs for a while. To fill me in on how this new frame – dubbed Temple – came together design-wise, I chatted with Warframe’s weapon art lead Kaz Adams, who was responsible for bringing the idea of Temple to digital life.
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VG247:How did the Temple design come about?
Adams: “This was like an off-hours sketch kind of thing. A lot of people at DE are inspired by the game we’re working on, so in the back of their mind they’re like ‘if I could make a Warframe, what would it look like?’. I have a folder with loads of ideas in there. This one in particular was one of the most self-indulgent, coolest sets of things I could put into a Warframe. I was like, it has to be rock ‘n roll, and I also had a whole bunch of extra ideas we ended up pulling out.
“Originally it had ball joints and a puppeteering sub-theme, and demon-summoning. So that was too much (laughs), so we scaled it back from there. Back then, the sketch wasn’t really in a place where I could use it that well. So I kept reworking it and reworking it, and as my skill level increased and my tastes got better, it just became closer and closer to something that I could see actually existing in the game. I’m glad it took that long! I’m so much more competent nowadays.
“Once we started ideating for Warframe 1999, and we knew there would be a boy band, I was like well there’s a boy band, can there be a rock ‘n roll character too! Of course, Rebecca had the same thought. She was like, ‘We’re putting this on the schedule!'”
VG247:When did you first pitch the Temple design to the rest of the Warframe team?
Adams: “It was in 2018, I was going to Japan for the first time ever and I was full of all kinds of ideas. I pitched it to Jeff Hartling and Steve Sinclair, and the original version was based on a bunch of 80s Rock bands I suppose. The helmet had a top hat kind of thing, I was basing that off Slash. But at that time, we had just put out a tall hat – I think it was Revenant. Steve’s advice was that the guitar wasn’t weird enough. So I made it infested instead.
“Then Steve said, what if it turned into a gun? (laughs) That was all early advice, and Temple kinda evolved from there. Rebecca told me it looked too deluxe in the very early [designs], as I had a lot of stuff sticking out of it. But that’s what you do when you have a blank canvas, you go ‘I’ll add this thing! I’ll add this thing!’ But the better direction is to start taking away stuff and seeing what you miss.”
VG247:Which specific bands inspired the design?
Adams: “For me, I was listening to a lot of 70s stuff, so Ziggy Stardust is the biggest visual inspiration there because of the pinstripes and the colour pallete too. But I used some inspiration from non-rock stuff too. One of the biggest breakthrough moments for me when I was coming up with the visual elements was a suggestion from Nikita Leshakov to [emphasize] a spike that was on the thigh a little more. I did and it started to remind me of a dragonfruit, so I started adding those in other places and arrived at the look. For the last element, I really like guitars.”
[Kaz proceeded to show me one red guitar she describes as Iceman-ish, as well as a white Fernandes]
VG247: We’ve got to talk about the guitar! How did you arrive at this wild, infested guitar Temple has?
Adams: “Well, you do a lot of really gross messy sketches for a while and figure it out. It’s one of those things that’s really nuanced for answering. It seems like a thing that’s a fine line to walk, but there’s a lot of ways to do that. I started out thinking I could put it on the character, like on both arms. But it didn’t look like a guitar anymore, it was too wide. So, what other arrangements could work if it were bisected like that? Well, then I thought of like a Michael Angelo Batio double guitar – that’s cool right? But I see a lot of guitars in other games, and they all look like regular guitars. I was thinking, what if I could base it on one of these crazy guitars instead.”
The leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants has been in the fight for a long time, using his power over all things metal to turn humanity’s tools against them. Whether fighting for mutant survival or against other heroes, one thing is certain; they will tremble in fear before him.
Stomp Your Foes & Look Fly Doing It With This Marvel Snap Deck
Magneto is one of the mainstays of the Vanguard class, with a focus on tanking, defending locations and allies, shielding himself, and dealing lots of damage, particularly when teamed up with his daughter Wanda. You’ll need to have good aim and manage your metal ring resource well, while dealing with his limited mobility (compared to Dr. Strange, the other main tank in Rivals). If you can, you’ll find a very rewarding character with lots of room to show off.
What are Magneto’s Abilities?
Screenshot: NetEase / Kotaku
Iron Volley (Primary Attack – Left Click / Right Trigger) – Your primary attack. Solid damage which is influenced by how far it flies before it hits your enemy.
Meteor M (Ultimate – L3+R3) – Magneto flies up into the air, drawing in all projectiles to feed “the sphere,” hit the button again to unleash it on your enemies and make them rue the day they crossed the Master of Magnetism. It will explode if you charge it too long, but it’s not a big problem as you’ll often be trying to use the ability quickly.
Metallic Curtain (LT) – Creates a large wall of magnetic force that blocks projectiles. Use it when your health is getting low to protect yourself and nearby allies. Your main damage-mitigating ability, use it often, particularly if you and your allies need breathing room.
Metal Bulwark (Right Click / RB) – A shield Magneto can give to his…less sturdy allies. Use it to save a key Dualist or Strategist from being knocked out, and claim any damage they take to feed the rings on your back, empowering Mag-Cannon.
Iron Bulwark (B / Circle) – Magneto creates a shield around himself, and converts any damage taken during its duration into metal for the rings on his back. A great way to prepare your Mag-Cannon and mitigate damage. Use it every time it’s available during combat to make life easier for your healers (and yourself).
Mag-Cannon (LB) – After charging up the rings on his back, Mag-Cannon unleashes them in a targeted attack, dealing more damage the more rings there are. The fully-powered version knocks enemies back several yards as well. Great for picking off enemies with low health, particularly Strategist characters and Dualists.
Magnetic Descent (Passive) – Hold the jump button to float down instead of falling.
Metallic Fusion (Team-Up Ability: Y / Triangle) – Teaming up with his daughter, the Scarlet Witch, Magneto gains the ability to power his Iron Volley with a massive sword, dealing more damage.
How Should I Play Magneto?
Magneto is a solid, all-around tank who moves slowly and more deliberately, but who also has several special moves that help him protect himself and his allies, as well as prepare to deal small bursts of damage afterwards. He is a fantastic choice for a Vanguard character, rewarding those who put in the time to truly master his skills.
Screenshot: NetEase / Kotaku
Three chevrons near the middle of the screen represent the rings on Magneto’s back, so keep an eye on them. When they are completely filled and purple, he gains a relatively hard-hitting secondary attack in Mag-Cannon. Use it to pick off low-health healers and DPS to help your team establish dominance in the contested area.
Keep an eye on your healers and DPS teammates and use your shield to protect vulnerable healers first, particularly when enemies are attacking them in the back of your team. If they are in a good state, you can use the shield on yourself to give the healers more breathing room—particularly if they are Mantis or Loki, who benefit greatly from the extra time to set up damage buffs, deal damage, and create clones, respectively.
Screenshot: NetEase / Kotaku
Use your ultimate when you want to scatter the enemy group, or as a counter to powerful ultimates like Cloak and Dagger, Invisible Woman, or Punisher. Since it absorbs projectiles, it is a great way to turn the tides, particularly if it also nullifies an enemy ultimate (and potentially the enemy who used it).
With all these tips in hand, you are prepared to become a true master of magnetism. Good luck!
