It’s looking like a good Game Pass harvest this year, especially because Microsoft’s backlog of big first-party Xbox games like Doom: The Dark Ages and Fable are coming in 2025. But tons of other cool stuff is headed to the subscription service as well, and a bunch of them were announced during the company’s ID@Xbox showcase on Monday.
The Best Reveals From The Game Awards 2023
The event was an indie cornucopia of new game, trailer, and release date announcements, including a bunch of cool-looking stuff that will be included day-and-date in Game Pass Ultimate and PC in the weeks and months ahead. Here’s everything new announced for the Netflix-like library of games today:
33 Immortals – March 18Descenders Next – April 9Blue Prince – April 10Tempopo – April 17Revenge of the Savage Planet – May 8Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault – TBD 2025Tanuki: Pon’s Summer – TBD 2025Ultimate Sheep Racoon – TBD Echo Weaver – TBD
New Game Pass additions weren’t the only interesting news out of the event. Other noteworthy announcements included 2024 hit poker roguelike Balatro joining Game Pass today, as well as the top-rated multiplayer gambling horror game Buckshot Roulette joining the service when it gets ported to Xbox in the near future.
We also got new release windows. Hotel Barcelona, the 2.5D action-platformer collaboration between legendary designers Suda51 and Swery, got a release window of 2025 while Ratatan, the spiritual successor to Patapon, is coming this year too. In the near-term, Tron: Catalyst, the upcoming isometric action game from Bithell Games, announced a release date of June 17, with Herding, the atmospheric puzzle game from the FAR: Lone Sails team following soon after.
Meanwhile, the beautiful solarpunk road trip van sim Outbound will launch in 2026, which is also when slice-of-life record store sim Wax Heads is scheduled to arrive. Oh, and the ever beautiful-looking Woodo, a cozy game about diorama puzzles, will hit Xbox alongside its PC release.
Finally, the latest ID@Xbox event also had two new premieres. The first was for Rockbeasts, a narrative-driven music RPG about managing a band of ‘90s up-and-coming rock stars who are also animals. The second was for The Lonesome Guild, a party-based action-RPG in which you play a ghost guiding a group of whimsical adventurers through a crumbling world.
But the game that most caught my eye during today’s showcase was Echo Weaver. The 2D “Metroidbrainia” was first revealed back in 2024 and it continues to look very neat. You have to uncover secrets and manage the clock to liberate yourself from a glitched time loop. It’s the next game from the creators of the beautiful puzzle adventure The Wild at Heart and it looks like it could be something special.
The US video game market experienced a significant downturn in January 2025, with overall consumer spending dropping 15% year-over-year to $4.5 billion. This decline, however, was partly influenced by the fact that Circana’s tracking period for January 2025 was a week shorter than the five-week span of January 2024. Even with this consideration, spending across multiple segments struggled to maintain last year’s levels.
Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Climbs the Charts Following Steam Launch
One of the biggest shifts in the gaming charts came from Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, which surged to the No.3 position following its Steam debut. This resurgence came after Square Enix had previously stated that the game’s initial release in February 2024 underperformed compared to expectations.
Additionally, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack saw a dramatic rise, catapulting from a distant No.265 to No.16 in the top 20 rankings. The Steam release provided a crucial boost to the game’s overall performance, drawing in players who may have waited for its PC availability.
Top Performers and New Entrants
Despite these shake-ups, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 continued to dominate as the best-selling game for January, holding its No.1 ranking on PlayStation’s individual chart and securing the second position on Xbox Series X|S. Meanwhile, Madden NFL 25 retained its No.2 position.
The only major new release of the month, Donkey Kong Country Returns, debuted at No.8 in the overall rankings. It performed exceptionally well on the Nintendo Switch, taking the top spot on the platform’s individual sales chart.
Mobile Gaming Landscape
In the mobile gaming sector, Monopoly Go led the charts, followed closely by Roblox and Candy Crush Saga. Pokémon TCG Pocket saw a slight dip, dropping three positions, but still managed to achieve its second-highest revenue week in late January after a significant update.
An interesting new entrant in the mobile gaming space was ReelShort – Short Movie & TV, which made its way into the top ten. The app, a hybrid between streaming content and interactive story games, saw a sharp rise in popularity over the past two years, highlighting the growing trend of entertainment and gaming convergence.
Declining Spending in Key Areas
Content spending in the video game industry fell by 12% year-over-year, despite some areas showing resilience. Subscription services that exclude mobile platforms saw a 13% increase, and mobile gaming spending grew by 2%. However, these gains were insufficient to counterbalance the overall downturn in content-related expenditures.
Hardware sales suffered the most significant decline, plummeting 45% from the previous year to $205 million, marking the lowest January total since 2020, when sales hit $131 million. All major platforms saw steep drops: PlayStation 5 sales fell by 38%, Xbox Series X|S by 50%, and Nintendo Switch by 53%.
While game sales showed some bright spots with Steam-fueled surges and continued strength from major franchises, the overall picture reflected a weaker start to the year. With declining hardware sales and shifts in consumer spending habits, the industry will be looking toward upcoming releases and potential hardware refreshes to reinvigorate growth in the coming months.
If you noticed an odd bug in Destiny 2 recently, don’t worry about it, because Bungie isn’t fixing it on purpose.
There are lots of things that separate games from other mediums out there, but I think one of the biggest are bugs and glitches. The closest thing you could maybe find elsewhere is in live theatre, because accidents can happen, but it’s not exactly the same given the way games work. Sometimes, little bugs can find their way into games and just get embraced by the devs, like how in Celeste players discovered certain walls of spikes had single-pixel-wide windows you could dash through, and the devs added in a custom animation to show you’re doing the trick right. It’s neat! And while Bungie isn’t going quite that far with Destiny 2’s latest bug, it is still embracing it.
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In recent weeks following Heresy’s launch, some players noticed that three exotic glaive weapons, the Edge of Intent, the Edge of Concurrence, and the Edge of Action, amongst others, which were typically class-specific could be used on any class. And, as it turns out, Bungie has been “seeing some great celebrations with the removal of these constraints,” as it explained in a blog post last week.
“Our first reactions were focused more towards fixing the issue as we want to retain strong class-based fantasies within Destiny, and the removal of class locks muddies the water a bit,” Bungie continued. “As an example, it’s a bit weird to see a Warlock or a Hunter spawning a mini-bubble or seeing a Titan running like a ninja. After some discussions between team members, we’ve arrived at a new decision: we’re going to let this ride. A fun example of a bug becoming a feature.”
Now, one thing Bungie did want to note is that some animations might not look right given that certain combos aren’t meant to happen. On top of that it found from talking amongst the team, “class-based Glaives open up some interesting new buildcrafting opportunities. In the future, we will be keeping a close eye on how these Glaives are performing across all three classes.”
Bungie did also make it clear that it “won’t always look at weird bugs and decide to support them as a feature,” but this one “felt appropriate”, so don’t pointlessly hope that it’ll keep the next weird bug that rolls around (even though you probably will).
The iconic soundtracks of the Tomb Raider series have etched themselves into the memories of gamers worldwide.
Now, with the recent releases of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft, and that of the even more recent drop of Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, it’s time to delve into the sonic world of Peter Connelly.
From the haunting melodies of “The Last Revelation” to the orchestral grandeur of “Angel of Darkness,” Connelly’s compositions have shaped Lara Croft’s adventures. We sat down with the legendary composer to discuss his involvement in the remasters, his creative process, and the evolution of his iconic scores.
Join us as we explore the journey behind the music, from Abbey Road Studios to the digital realms of today.
And if you want to know even more, enjoy our exclusive chat with Aspyr too.
Sitting down with the mind behind Lara’s iconic sounds
Can you please introduce yourself?
Hi. My name is Peter Connelly, Composer and Sound Designer mostly known for my work on Tomb Raider 4 “The Last Revelation”, Tomb Raider 5 “Chronicles” and Tomb Raider 6 “Angel of Darkness”.
Tell us a little more about the projects you have been involved with over the years. Any highlights you can share with us?
Sure, I’ve been fortunate enough to land some really cool gigs. Highlights include “Tomb Raider”, “Driver: San Francisco”, “Assassin’s Creed Identity”, “Watch_Dogs”, “The Crew”, “Stumble Guys”, “Project Cars 2”, and “South Park: Fractured but Whole”.
You originally worked as composer on all three of the Tomb Raider games; games that land in the release of Tomb Raider IV – VI Remastered. How are you involved this time around?
Minimally, I was helping them retrieve assets, but I do have some rather cool ideas I presented to them. Whether or not they use them, we’ll know in future updates or patches.
If we head back in time, how did you approach creating the score for each game in such an iconic series?
For me it’s about “feeling” the mood and / or the narrative. I like to experiment with playing and sonic textures and, once an idea aligns with the visuals, I’ll expand upon that.
In 2002 you recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra whilst working on Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. Tell us more about what must have been an incredible experience.
Working with the LSO at Abbey Road Studios was a highlight and, as everything happened really fast (there was a lot to do), including the excitement of being at the studio in front of the world’s finest players, I probably didn’t have enough time to sit back and truly appreciate the experience.
I do remember their café though, which is quite probably the only time we could properly wind down.
Iconic Lara
Years later you returned to the world of Lara Croft with The Dark Angel Symphony. How did this project come about?
Way back in 2014, I had some ideas to rework my music and, after talking to other TR peeps (mainly Ash Kapriyelov) about the possibility of making it happen, it gradually became a reality.
We knew it was a MAMMOTH task as the infrastructure in planning it was immense. It was actually a commercial flop… for various reasons I’ll not get into… but overall, I am glad we did it and we are all hugely proud of what we achieved.
Anticipation for Tomb Raider IV – VI Remastered has been building, how are you feeling about it?
They’re here now and I am still processing the reality that they’ve actually happened. Waiting for the feedback is as it was when they were first released, i.e. I’m feeling a little nervous and anxious, but I feel more confident in its reception because anything that needed resolving has been addressed AND we have patches… something that wasn’t a possibility back then.
This may be a difficult question, but out of the three games bundled here which is your personal favourite and why?
I am fond of Tomb Raider 5 “Chronicles”. TR4 was my first TR project (apart from the boss music I composed for TR3), but as I was new to the team and learning the ropes, it felt that all eyes were on me to deliver so I was more focused on getting the process right.
By the time I worked on TR5, I kind of knew the setup so was able to enjoy the ride without worrying too much.
Which is your favourite Tomb Raider?
What other projects are you currently working on? Anything you can share with our readers today?
I am currently responsible for anything and everything on Stumble Guys by Scopely.
Sure, I need a bigger audio team and there is a lot to resolve to align it with where I want it to go but, overall, it’s an honour and a pleasure to work on… it’s going from strength to strength.
If you had to choose just one musician or band, who would you say has been the biggest inspiration for you and your work?
Pet Shop Boys. My daughter, Cara, every time she hears “Left to My Own Devices,” she tells me it sounds like Angel of Darkness which blows my mind, but I don’t have the heart to tell her that it’s probably the other way round, lol.
Incidentally, the legend that arranged and conducted the orchestra on “Left to My Own Devices” (and Grace Jones “Slave to the Rhythm”) was the arranger and conductor for The Dark Angel Symphony. I approached Richard Niles and asked if he wanted to be involved, based purely on these two tracks.
And finally, what would be your dream project to work on which you haven’t had the opportunity to already?
It would be great to produce at the same level as “Angel of Darkness,” I feel that was pretty much as far as it could go so, if I were given that opportunity and budget, I could only expand upon from where I left off.
The Project doesn’t matter, it’s the possibility that entices me.
Embrace the darkness
From reminiscing about the London Symphony Orchestra to his current work on Stumble Guys, Peter Connelly’s passion for music and sound design remains as vibrant as ever. His insights into the creative process, the challenges of remastering classic scores, and the enduring legacy of his Tomb Raider work provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of game audio.
Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC, and Connelly’s reflections remind us of the power of music to transport us to other worlds.
We thank Peter for sharing his time and experiences, looking forward to hearing the echoes of his iconic scores once more.
Pick up Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered from your favourite digital storefront right now. We’ll point you to the Xbox Store.
There exists a class of games I call indie indie games. They are like Gone Home, games not for the average player, but a certain group of player to slobber over. The Little Moon is in that class. It has retro pixel graphics, a nonsensical cutesy plot and really boring game play. I guess I’m describing Undertale more than Gone Home, but the same idea applies. These games are not for the average player, but for a specific kind of player to fawn over.
The Little Moon is an game in early access somewhere(Britain I think) and it shows. You’re this girl in the little universe where you fly among planets using a hook to grab things, then refine those things into jet pack fuel, The you jump and use your jet pack to fly between planets. On the planets, you walk around and talk to things and get quests, like finding a tulip or talking to crabs. I got as far as having to find this octopus’s home and quit, never to return. Not far at all, but enough to be utterly bored. Here a video of an early section:
Early access is tricky. I understand why developers do it, it funds development while developing the game. However, you need a game engaging enough to keep you coming back for more. The Little Moon is not that game. I played it for fifteen minutes and ran screaming. What is it? What’s the purpose? Where’s the fun? This is a game for a certain group of people that are not me. And that’s fine, but I’m not sure who this is for. As its early access and I cannot even download in the US, I’m not even going to give it a verdict or a standard table at the bottom. Just know when It does come, it better have a lot more than this to show for it.
Overall: The Little Moon is an early access game that is for a very specific audience to fawn over, but there’s nothing here for anyone else.
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Marvel Rivals is already growing in popularity each day as NetEase adds more characters with every update from the iconic Marvel comics storylines. The free-to-play shooter brings iconic heroes and villains together in a complex multiverse where they need to battle two Dr. Dooms and Dracula on the battlefield.
However, it’s not just the characters in the roster that keep players hooked on to the game for hours, rather it’s the upcoming leaked heroes that make them keep coming back. Some of these leaks include iconic heroes like Blade, Hit Monkey, The Hood, and everyone’s favorite mutants, the X-Men.
While the arrival of X-Men was merely a leaked rumor, now actual voice lines of an interaction between three mutants have been revealed that suggest an iconic team-up is arriving in a future update very soon.
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Marvel Rivals leak reveals interaction voice lines with upcoming mutant Emma Frost
Popular Marvel Rivals leaker X0X leak has released a 12-second clip containing voice lines featuring Wolverine and Psylocke in an upcoming update. However, the character they are interacting with is the rumored mutant Emma Frost who leakers believe will be added soon.
Wolverine and Psylocke have voice lines with Emma Frost. Image by VideoGamer.
In the video clip, the voice lines spoken by Wolverine and Psylocke feature different scenarios, for instance when they eliminate Emma Frost, when she is in their team and eliminates an enemy, and when they see her get eliminated from their team.
🎮 Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson 🎙️
Here are the voice lines for each character referring to Emma Frost:
Wolverine to Emma Frost after eliminating her: “Never really trusted you in the first place Frost”
Wolverine to Emma Frost after he sees eliminating an enemy: “I’ll admit, you made that look good Emma.”
Wolverine to Emma Frost after she’s eliminated from their team: “Never liked you Emma, but we sure could’ve used ya.”
Psylocke to Emma Frost after she sees eliminating an enemy: “As cold-hearted as your name suggests Frost.”
To those unknown, Emma Frost is an enemy of the X-Men and has a legendary rivalry with Professor X, Wolverine, and their team in the comics. Emma Frost was also featured in Fortnite Chapter 4 as a boss NPC and a character on the island.
Players are hoping her appearance in Marvel Rivals also features an ability where she can turn her body into diamonds and shield herself from incoming fire. However, sadly her abilities and kit haven’t been leaked as of yet.
Marvel Rivals
Platform(s):
macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
Genre(s):
Fighting, Shooter
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Remember when I announced that one of the best homebrew developer’s of Sarah Jane Avory, was working on a new Commodore 64 RPG that is inspired by the classic of Ultima? Well I’ve just looked through the Commodore 64/128 Facebook group, and have just found out that that not only is this Commodore 64 game now called ‘ Kouyate ‘, but there’s been some new footage teased with additional in game music by @nordischsound.
Here’s the latest from Sarah, who was also behind games such as Soul Force, Zeta Wing, Briley Witch Chronicles. “Ever since the 80s I’ve always wanted to create an Ultima-style RPG for the C64, so I’ve started creating one! This is the 5th video clip, and shows some combat, showing melee weapons, ranged weapons, a few NPC’s, graphics designs by @mementomoree.bsky.social and finally new music by@nordischsound.
UPDATE : If you’re looking for the latest news on this rather awesome looking CRPG, then make sure to check out the two new teaser videos that have been added to the article above. While I’m unsure when the game will see a final release, she was quoted as saying for one of the videos however “My new #C64 #RPG: for those that like pirates, here’s another YouTube video showing the WIP pirate’s town, plus a little bit of sailing”.
And that’s all I know so far, but as soon as the game is worthy of yet another big announcement, I will let you all know 🙂
Progressing the main storyline of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will let players find a companion to bring to the wedding. It is essential for the Miller’s path to reach the wedding, and before players can get to the wedding, they will have to find several items for the companion. These items include a dress, a wine, and a perfume. Out of all the items, the perfume can be the hardest because purchasing a Mintha can be expensive. In this guide, we will tell you how to get Mintha Perfume for the companion for free in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
How to Get Mintha Perfume for the Companion in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
During the Opus Magnum quest, you will get the objective of getting some Mintha perfume for the companion. There will be two locations appear on the map to get the Mintha perfume. One will be a trader who will sell you the Mintha, and the other one will be a search location. If you have the money, you can purchase the Mintha and give it to the companion to progress in the quest. However, if you don’t have the money, then you will have to search around the Inn location. Luckily, getting the Mintha for free is not that difficult.
Here are a few simple steps that you can take to get the Mintha perfume for free.
Go to the Innkeeper during the daytime.
Head inside the Inn and look for Innkeeper Betty.
Follow her to the kitchen and then rob her to get the Keys.
After that, go to the pantry and head upstairs.
Go to the right corner to find a chest with a Hard lock.
Use the keys to open the chest and you will get the Strong Mintha perfume.
TIP: There is a slight chance that Innkeeper Betty might also have a Mintha perfume in her inventory.
Once you have got the perfume, leave the inn and travel back to Nomads Camp. Find Enneleyn at the camp and talk with her. Give her the perfume to fulfill the objective.
That is all related to how to get Mintha Perfume for the companion in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
A new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mode has arrived in Black Ops 6 Zombies but fans of the game aren’t all happy with its inclusion.
If you’re yet to drop into Season 2 Reloaded in Black Ops 6, you’ll find there’s plenty of content awaiting your return.
Perhaps the biggest push from Treyarch this mid-season update revolves around the new TMNT collaboration, which brings with it new skins, modes, and even a special event pass.
But over in Zombies, the new Cowabunga Cranked game mode isn’t to everyone’s taste.
The Issues With Cowabunga Cranked
Over on the Call of Duty Zombies subreddit, users are complaining about the new Cowabunga Cranked TMNT mode in Black Ops 6.
The mode itself is a take on the classic ‘Cranked’ mode, which requires players to continually eliminate zombies to reset a timer before it ticks down to zero.
This time around though, players can collect unique TMNT-themed Power-Ups, or equip Pay-to-Win Turtle cosmetics to help them complete the Easter Egg Main Quests.
However, fans are already calling the new Turtle-themed experience ‘unplayable and not fun at all,’ after encountering issues with the game mode.
Reddit user glo0blE refers to the mode as ‘horrible,’ claiming that the Main Quests are nearly impossible without high-tier GobbleGums, due to the timer shortening dramatically at high rounds.
“I keep dying on about round 18 because it goes down to a 5 sec timer and I can’t find zombies quick enough as the rounds change,” user Luigi2198 writes.
It should be noted that Treyarch is now selling powerful GobbleGum packs in the in-game Store, including the new Time Out GobbleGum which pauses the Cranked timer whenever you choose.
But if you don’t want to buy that, you’ll need to finish the Easter Egg quest as fast as possible, to avoid the rounds getting too high.
Is the Reward Even Worth It?
Meanwhile, other fans are slamming the Cowabunga Cranked Main Quest reward as being ‘lazy.’
The Easter Egg quest, which is still completable inside the Cranked variant mode, offers a new Calling Card to those who manage to complete it without their timer running out.
Unfortunately, that Calling Card is the same as a map’s original Main Quest card – only with a small turtle shell in the corner!
It’s hardly the TMNT-themed Calling Card many were hoping for – but it’s still a mark of pride for those who want it. Cowabunga Cranked likely won’t be remaining forever, so if you want to show off your skills, you’ll need to do so before the event comes to an end on March 13.
2019’s Stygian: Reign of the Old Gods was a promising CRPG that featured some neat madness mechanics and a tone and atmosphere that perfectly suited its Lovecraftian influences. It did, however, suffer from some difficulty spikes and a few terrible bugs that have never been fixed. I was therefore surprised to see another game in the series appear, especially given that it comes from a completely different developer and takes on an entirely new gameplay style and perspective. The old-school top down approach has been replaced in Stygian: Outer Gods by a first-person view that provides a more immersive and, dare I say, modern experience.
My time with the demo – which will be available as part of Steam Next Fest from Monday 24th February – began with a mysterious vision in a strange otherworldly environment before reverting to the familiar setting of an office stacked with esoteric items. This is textbook Lovecraft and reminded me of the likes of Call of Cthulhu and The Sinking City. Similar to those titles you soon find yourself stranded in a coastal town with a mystery to solve and dangers to overcome.
Before you set out on your investigation, however, you can customise your character by interacting with the mirror in your bathroom. A series of questions are posed and your answers affect various character stats, from your occult knowledge to your lockpicking skills. The latter proved a little unhelpful in my playthrough as every attempt to pick a lock failed, despite that being my chosen skill. Hopefully these aspects will be refined for the final build although I quite liked how the effects of the dialogue choices weren’t spelled out for you.
The atmosphere of Stygian: Outer Gods is on point with derelict buildings and a stark coastline setting the scene and items that are clearly visible for the most part. There wasn’t a lot of variety in enemy design in this, but this isn’t surprising for what amounts to the game’s prologue. Audio design is also good and the otherworldly noises disturb and unsettle you.
The section contained in this build featured a mixture of stealth and combat, but it is clear that the final game is not going to be all-out action. Even single enemies will quickly kill you if you try and take them on toe to toe. Sneaking around them or using thrown bottles to distract them is far more effective, whilst manipulating the scenery is important to survive any unavoidable fights. Fortunately the AI is pretty easy to abuse, with knee high fences coming in clutch to protect you from damage. The demo features a few different melee weapons, with firearms being seen in preview footage of later areas.
Exploring the town is made necessary as you must find three panels for a locked gate in order to gain access a large mansion which seems to be the source of the mystery. This is a standard survival horror puzzle but feel somewhat out of place here given the game’s adoption of some immersive sim elements. Whilst exploring the town you’ll be blocked by a series of fences, but stacking boxes against them can create steps that allow you to bypass them. I was never entirely sure how intentional these moments were, although more traditional area blocking is achieved through boards that you can only break once you find an axe. The question remains, why couldn’t I just prop some boxes up against the gate and climb over it?
That kind of interior logic breaking aside, Stygian: Outer Gods is a promising stealth horror title that showed enough in the demo to both pique my interest and leave me wondering what other gameplay elements it’ll introduce. If Lovecraftian horrors are your bag of tentacles then make sure to wishlist this particular cosmic horror ready for its release – first with PC early access this year, and a full release in 2026.