Elden Ring: Nightreign is the newest game from developer FromSoftware, the studio behind the Dark Souls series and 2022's Elden Ring. Nightreign takes a multiplayer spin on the Elden Ring formula, and it's causing a rift among fans of the original game.

Nightreign is a multiplayer roguelike game that takes place on an island in the Lands Between, the setting for Elden Ring. Instead of exploring a big world full of monsters, giant bosses, and deep lore, players need to survive three in-game days in a rush to defeat the Nightlord in order to have a successful run.

Gamers have been buying the game in huge numbers so far. The official Elden Ring X account posted that as of May 30, the game's official launch day, two million copies of Nightreign had already been sold.

However, not everyone who buys the game is happy with it. While critics have been positive about it, giving it an aggregate score of 78% on OpenCritic, those who bought it are saying otherwise.

On Steam, players have shown their dissatisfaction with the game, resulting in a "Mixed" rating based on more than 31,000 reviews. Players have had issues with the incredible difficulty of solo runs, the inability to find teammates through matchmaking, and the lack of an option for teams of two.

Fortunately, those are issues being addressed by FromSoftware and the community.

FromSoftware sent out a couple of tweets regarding two of the issues players are having. For those who want to play solo but find it too tough, the developer says patch 1.02, coming out next week, will allow players to revive automatically during gameplay, and more runs will be rewarded per match.

Runs are used to level up a character. As for matchmaking, FromSoftware also gave some tips on adjusting the network settings in case players can't find others to team with.

One game modder already worked on adding a duos option to the game, at least for PC players. The Seamless Co-Op (Nightreign) mod is available for download so players can team up with one person and begin a match instead of trying to find a third.

What is Elden Ring Nightreign?

Nightreign takes the combat from Elden Ring and makes it a fast-paced multiplayer title.

Players pick from one of eight Nightfarers, who each have their own strengths and weaknesses. The Recluse is a powerful magic user who can do huge damage, but won't be able to survive many hits during battle. On the other hand, the Raider is a character who can take the punishment from enemies, but he's very slow when attacking.

Whether it's solo or with a team, the goal is to defeat a Nightlord, a special boss that is very difficult to beat. To reach the Nightlord, players will have to survive three in-game days. They'll be dropped onto the island of Limvel where they will have to gather equipment and level up their characters. Both of these can be done by taking on bosses found all across the map. Each run will have a slightly different map and bosses.

As the day progresses, this takes around 14 real-time minutes, a storm circle will close in, forcing players to move to avoid the storm or else take on continuous damage. When night comes, the players will have to defeat a night boss, which can be difficult if they don't have the right equipment or a high enough level.

Once that boss is defeated, the storm circle resets, and players can explore the island again until the next storm begins and they face the second night boss. If they survive the second boss, players will be transported to an arena to fight the third boss.

As players defeat more bosses, they'll be able to unlock other characters, better relics to equip before a run, and learn more about each Nightfarer.

Elden Ring: Nightreign costs $40 and is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series consoles.

More from Laptop Mag

• Elden Ring: Nightreign actually runs on your old GPU, and more AAA games need to follow its lead
• I played Elden Ring: Nightreign on the RTX 5090, Intel Arc 140V, and AMD Radeon 8060S — here’s what happened
• I ditched my rig for GeForce Now: Here's what the experience is really like.

Cyber Monday is over but Microsoft Cyber Week deals continue to offer big savings. Extended Cyber Monday deal you can still get is the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller (Red) for $95. Typically $139, that's $44 in savings and one of the lowest prices we've seen for this top shelf Xbox controller. 

So if you missed all the Black Friday/Cyber Monday hoopla, this Xbox controller Cyber Week deal is your second chance at savings. See Microsoft's Cyber Week Xbox Deals event for more gaming discounts.

Today's best Xbox Elite Series 2 deal

Microsoft's Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is the ultimate pro level gamepad. The Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 has a soft-touch finish, smooth-gilding metal analog sticks, and snappy buttons. Interchangeable thumbstick and paddle shapes along with custom profile settings let you tailor it to your unique gaming style. 

Beyond customization options, it features a built-in rechargeable battery and Bluetooth for easy pairing to your gaming laptop, iPhone or iPad for Apple Arcade games. Additionally, you can fully remap every button, adjust the sensitivity of the sticks or triggers, and so much more with the Xbox Accessories app,

The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller works with Xbox Series X, Xbox One and Windows computers. 

Microsoft's Cyber Week sale ends soon, so I recommend you act fast! 

Update July 18 at 3:13 p.m. ET: This deal ended. As an alternative, Amazon offers the Xbox Box Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 for $110 ($19 off)

Microsoft's Xbox Elite Series 2 wireless controller is cheaper than ever, Just in time for the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale. If you were on the fence about picking up this gamepad due to price tag, we bring you good news.

Currently, Walmart has the Xox Elite Wireless Controller 2 (Red/Black) on sale for $98. It usually cost $140, so that's $41 in savings and its highest discount yet. This is the Xbox Elite Series 2's lowest price ever and one the best gaming deals of the summer.  

Microsoft's Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is the ultimate pro level gamepad. Interchangeable thumbstick and paddle shapes along with custom profile settings let you tailor it to your unique gaming style. 

Besides enhanced customization options, it has a built-in rechargeable battery and Bluetooth for easy pairing to your gaming laptop, iPhone or iPad for Apple Arcade games. 

The Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 has a soft-touch finish, smooth-gilding metal analog sticks, and snappy buttons. At just 12 ounces, it feels solid and every bit as premium as it looks. It ships with a carrying case to protect the controller when it's not in use without obstructing the USB-C charging port.

With the dedicated Xbox Accessories app, you can fully remap every button, adjust the sensitivity of the sticks or triggers, and so much more. The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller works with Xbox Series X, Xbox One and Windows computers. 

Xbox deals this good don't last too long, so we recommend you act fast!

You have to hand it to publisher Devolver Digital for giving unconventional games from promising yet unsung developers a platform. Thankfully, WolfEye Studios, made up of the team behind Arkane Studios’ smash hits Dishonoured and Prey, fits that profile to a tee, and its wonderfully unique take on the wild western frontier is the developer’s triumphant example.  

A good ‘ol fashioned western’s greatest strength is the vast potential it can take in its story. Anything can happen in the unforgiving deserts with questionable law, and Weird West takes this to an exciting, supernatural level. Going into the top-down immersive sim with action-RPG elements, I didn’t have a clue what I was in for. How could I? It’s hardly the specific genre gamers come by very often, if at all — but by George is it refreshing.

From outlandish stories about monstrous Sheriff's feasting on wrongdoers and poetic pigs to the level of freedom in nearly everything you interact with, Weird West takes top-down action RPGs and even twin-stick shooters to a new standard. But there are a few tumbleweeds blowing around its otherwise enthralling world, including its combat encounters resorting to feeling mechanical and quests that have you slowly jumping around its expansive map. Regardless, if you’re ready for weird, prepare for this peculiar take on the west.

Weird West is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and definitely deserves a place on our list of the best PC games you can play. 

Attention to detail  

True to its word, Weird West really is an immersive sim. The freedom of tackling every scenario is thrilling, and Weird West encourages you to experiment in the mayhem you cause. Didn’t like the long-winded stealth approach? Go in guns ‘a blazin’. While combat is satisfying, especially with the destructive, punchy sounds of iron hitting gunpowder, it's also a thrill to use your noggin. At first, it’s just the usual well-placed barrels standing next to an oblivious goon, but you soon spot other environmental death traps you can set up yourself. 

Every object interacted with has a purpose, right down to a seemingly random oil lamp on a bunch of crates. During a stealth run, I switched it off because, well, I could. But I then saw a goon come by to switch it back on — now ripe for taking out. To get the attention of six thugs camping inside a house, I mounted a horse and set it free, kicking up a commotion to lure someone outside. It’s the little things in a life sim that make the experience feel grounded, leaving me impressed with Weird West’s attention to detail. 

What’s this? A barrel leaving a trail of oil as it rolls? Sounds like the perfect opportunity for a pyromaniac. An open chimney leading straight down to a sneaky spot that’s perfect for an ambush? I’ve become a maniacal Santa. But these nitty-gritty details aren’t just in combat. From breaking a shovel when digging up a grave for loot or gaining a drop of health by piercing a cactus to drink from it, nearly everything has its place. 

But it isn’t all hunky-dory. While I enjoyed how each character had a stylish portrait, the characters themselves are simply designed. Sometimes, the portrait didn’t match the character standing before me at all. I also wasn’t too keen on the inventory system, especially having to go into it every other minute after gunning down an opponent and taking their loot. You soon find out not everything is worth carrying, but the limited space fills up quickly, especially when you need the cash. That said, I'm a fan of the easy way to dismantle weapons to gain extra ammo on the spot, instead of having to dive into the inventory menu to do it. 

NPCs also have a habit of doing their own thing. This is both a pro and a con: while it’s nice to see a fellow bounty hunter sit down on the closest bench because they’re tired, it’s annoying to see bounty catches stand idle — leaving me unsure if they are supposed to follow me or if it’s a gameplay mechanic where I need to threaten them to keep up. Result: it's a bug, they’ll follow to the next area anyway. This is only a minor issue, however, and is largely expected in immersive sims. 

The sense of realism plays in travelling, too. It takes hours, if not days, to get to places on the world map. This means if you take too long getting places, some missions — such as bounties — will no longer be available. Plus, there’s a real choice in knowing what needs doing. Should I kill the bounty and just report back to the Sheriff at my leisure or have the handcuffed crook tag along in my wild adventure before handing them in? That could be a movie in itself, and actually is (3:10 to Yuma, anyone?).

This semi-realistic traversal also lets the game down. It can take a while to get to different towns or points of interest, especially if they’re at the other end of the map. It almost counts as a loading screen of sorts, which isn’t ideal when you’re being pinged around the place. Sometimes, I needed to go to a location to talk to someone, only for them to tell me where I actually needed to go. It can get tiresome, especially since you need to go to the edge of an area in order to travel — and characters aren’t exactly fast on foot. Luckily, you can get a horse to make getting around faster, but they come with a high price tag. 

Poetic pigs, suicidal trees, and more 

You’re thrown into the game not knowing what’s going on, being branded by a cult leader and beginning your journey as one of five heroes. Well, I’d use “heroes” loosely, as this is an immersive sim, after all. 

There are five characters to play as, including Bounty Hunter Jane Bell, Pigman Cl’erns Qui’g, Protector Across Waters, Werewolf Desidério Ríos, and Oneirist Nell Bitterleaf. Each character’s story is engaging in its own right, often looking at moral parallels such as revenge vs forgiveness, corruption vs integrity, and more. I did find that while playing as the heroes, I couldn’t connect with their journeys as much as the story wanted me to. This is due to them being mostly silent, leaving it up to me to decide if they were likable or not via dialogue choices.

There isn’t just one story in Weird West, as there are several characters with their own bizarre stories. These aren’t just one-shot novels, either. Each character is part of an overarching story that links each of them together, meaning the path you lead as one character will affect the others in their own storyline. You can even meet up with past heroes you played as throughout Weird West, picking up unused Golden Spades or Nimp Relics and recruiting them into your posse. Although, you’ll also experience the wrath of those you wronged in past playthroughs. I was generally good as Bounty Hunter Jane Bell, meaning my Pigman Cl’erns Qui’g gained a trusted ally — who can also die if you’re not careful. 

The crossover doesn’t end there. Other familiar faces pop up from time to time, with some understanding that there’s a link between the heroes you play. These random encounters while traversing the map are entertaining, as you’ll sometimes meet a mysterious little girl calling you “The Passenger,” knowing all too much about you and mocking you for being oblivious to your weird as heck circumstances. 

You meet an assortment of interesting characters along the way. One that stood out was called Snack, as he was literally a walking snack for the Stillwater gang and the creatures to nibble away on. It’s a weird arrangement that he doesn’t seem too worried about but prefers the kind of people that don’t want to chip away at him. Although, he refuses freedom as he doesn’t mind being snacked upon (poor soul). That’s just one example of what makes Weird West weird, but it's the developers' writing chops that make each encounter so engaging. There’s also a Soul Tree worshipped by a witch who feeds pigman souls that no one can hear except you, and it actually hates its life, swears a lot, and tried to hold its breath once for an entire century so it could finally pass on. Not something you’d expect from a worshipped tree, which is exactly the strangeness many gamers will be intrigued by.

I was always engaged with each story being told, and even more intrigued by how the story would come together during the final, satisfying playthrough as the Oneisrist. WolfEye states it should take around 20 to 25 hours to finish the main campaign, but I was well past 30 hours once Weird West came together — and it’s a treat. 

Unchained combat 

Combat in immersive sims can sometimes feel a little janky as anything is possible in a world’s set limits, but Weird West does an excellent job of delivering satisfying, chaotic action. However, once you know what method works, encounters eventually start getting repetitive. 

Weird West tries to change up the formula with its five various characters, all equipped with three or four unique abilities, and some that are shared. For example, the Bounty Hunter can turn foes into allies and slow down time, while the Pigman can become invulnerable to bullets and leave a trail of poison in his wake. These abilities are a blast to use and can change the tide of battle in your favor. Shared abilities come down to weapons, which is a huge plus if you prefer a particular style of gameplay. My favorite is the bow and arrow, as it appeals to my stealthy approach in encounters. While every character starts with a different weapon, it doesn’t take long to find and equip the one that appeals to you most and start maxing out its abilities.

These abilities can be bought with Nimp Relics, which are randomly scattered throughout the world. They allow you to get the ability you want, such as a deadly stealth shot with a rifle, applying electric damage to revolver shots, or ignoring armor with an arrow. While I didn’t use these as much as the unique abilities, they are fun to mess around with in different scenarios.

Characters also share perks, which carry on to each character. These can be upgraded by Golden Spades that are also randomly picked up. Acting as passive abilities, these perks can increase maximum health, give you better discounts at stores, move faster in stealth, and more of the usual passive abilities found in action RPGs (although I found one perk that makes you jump higher to be useless). One ability that all characters share from the get-go is a bullet-time dodge, which brings Max Payne-esque gameplay to Weird West — and I adore it.

Weird West can be challenging at times, especially if you’re not prepared with limited ammo or specced-out weaponry. But I loved knowing that I could try a different approach if one narrow-minded method of just attacking didn’t work. Using the environment was helpful, but I found the best way to go around dealing with the many humans and monsters you encounter is by sneaking up behind them and knocking them out. But that’s the problem; I quickly found that stealth was my best friend, as there was no point wasting ammo and health potions in an encounter that would quickly be followed by another. I would pick off foes one-by-one and if I get spotted, deal with the rest of them with a quick hail of bullets.  Freedom became a method, and it doesn’t help that quite a few enemies can be taken out the same way.

Don’t get me wrong, enemies are varied. There’s everything from sirens, cultists, and zombies to outlaws and towering cave dwellers. There are even wraiths that summon the undead. However, a quick bonk to the head, well-aimed shots, and a bit of dynamite all puts them “under snakes,” as Weird West’s expression for death goes.

Weird West also lets you pick up other outlaws to form your own ragtag posse, but it’s not just a throw-away feature. These sharpshooters come with different strengths, abilities, and quips. That last one I enjoyed the most, as my first recruiter, Deputy Monte Clasp, would either complain about how “it’s too early to be bothering folk” or spit on the ground in territories of rich snobs. Each will also have different bills of health, and while it can be upsetting if they die, you can make sure they're in tip-top shape by equipping them with the best equipment or constantly healing them up. 

But this is the Weird West, and that means supernatural beings come with the territory. It isn’t as if the creatures are some rumor; they're out in the open, reported on in daily papers, and bring about new products for gunslingers to use as they please. By products, I mean bizarre weaponry. Things like a Bioshock-esque “lightning in a bottle’ electric grenade or amulets that offer special perks like resistance against the elements or simply moving faster during windy weather. Most of the time, however, you’ll be relying on good old-fashioned repeaters, double-barrelled shotguns, and punchy revolvers. 

Weird West PC performance  

Weird West is by no means a graphically demanding game, and hasn’t reached next-gen standards (yet) seeing as it’s only available on PS4 and Xbox One. That’s good news for PC users that don’t have the latest specs in their gaming laptops, but you’ll still need some power to get it running. 

I played Weird West on PC, with my Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2021) sporting an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and dual 1TB PCI m.2 SSDs. This is more than enough to handle the game’s requirements.

The recommended PC requirements include an AMD Ryzen 7 2700 or Intel Core i7-6950X CPU, AMD Radeon RX 460 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU, and 12GB of RAM. Minimum requirements include an AMD FX-6100 or Intel Core i5-2380 CPU, AMD Radeon HD 7770 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti GPU, and 6GB of RAM. 

Bottom line 

The west is more weird and wonderful than ever before in WolfEye Studios’ first attempt at a top-down immersive sim with action RPG elements, and its story and characters made me want to dive deeper into the unique world the developers created. There’s clearly a lot of attention to detail in just about everything you do, and this shines through with the bizarre character interactions, expansive gameplay options, and twists in its mysterious story.

There needs to be more variations in encounters and a different way of traversing the world so quests don’t feel as tedious. Otherwise, Weird West is another excellent entry in Devolver Digital’s catalog of unconventional games that many gamers yearn for. I’d love to see upcoming top-down action RPGs and shooters take a few notes from Weird West, as it will turn them into something more than just a loot ‘n shoot from a different perspective. If you’re after a supernatural immersive sim with a western twist, Weird West will satisfy your curiosity. 

In 2004, we saw the release of the cult-classic, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Based on the tabletop game of the same moniker, the title allowed PC players to live out their vampiric fantasies. Unfortunately, it was a commercial flop due to technical issues and having to compete with the likes of Half-Life 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Halo 2. But like the undead monsters which inhabit its world, the franchise returns from the dead 16 years later with Hardsuit Labs’ Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2.

First revealed during E3 2019 with a follow-up trailer during the May 2020 Inside Xbox event, Vampire: The Masquerade 2 introduces a new setting, clans, powers, gameplay mechanics, and more. Considering the current popularity of Urban Fantasy and gamers’ desire for richer RPG experiences on next-gen systems, this sequel has a good chance of becoming successful.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 release date

Originally set to release in 2020, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will now release sometime in 2021 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5. However, we can’t say when in 2021 it’ll release. After all, it already suffered two delays. But considering how technical issues marred its predecessor (not to mention the recent Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco), it’s better to be delayed for a third time rather than release it as a substandard product.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 story and setting

The game takes place in modern-day Seattle during the holiday season after an event called the Mass Embrace. This event sees many rogue vampires turn citizens into “thinbloods,” i.e., half-human, half-vampire hybrids. As a thinblood yourself, you must use your supernatural powers and abilities to navigate through an underworld inhabited by supernatural entities such as vampires, werewolves, demons, and more. Considering the various factions in play, things will not be easy, even for a powerful undead being.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2: Be a vampire

Developer Hardsuit Labs wants to provide an enjoyable and immersive experience. After all, players want to feel that they are living the life of a vampire. The game does this, but in more ways than simply sucking blood from helpless humans.

“From the player’s perspective, there should always be a sense of supernatural power – even for a fledgling, or relatively weak vampire,” said Ka’ai Cluney, Creative Director at Hardsuit Labs in a developer diary post. “Features and systems should always be evaluated against this; dialogue and interactions should always reflect this. The relationship between the player and citizens of Seattle should always be evaluated as a relationship between a hunter and prey, be it through feeding systems, combat, or dialogue. This also pertains to what might threaten a vampire. How do you scare a monster?"

He continued, “In a practical sense, ‘Be a Vampire’ – among other things – guides our approach to how the player moves through the world, both in terms of player systems such as traversal, how we support those systems through level design, and how we communicate all of that to the player through other devices, such as Lighting or User Interface. A player that moves through the world unconventionally needs to learn how to read that world unconventionally, and a lot of effort is made to make sure the player really does start to think like, and be, a vampire.”

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 clans and disciplines

Vampires are not a homogenous group. Like the humans they feast on, vampires have their own distinct groups vying for control. As a thinblood, you’re free to join any of the available clans. Of course, siding with one clan will inevitably place you in conflict with its rivals. But that’s also part of the fun of Bloodlines 2. The first five clans are as follows:

The Bruja clan are loud and brash attention-seekers who resolve conflicts through violence. On the opposite end is the Venture clan, who are all about using diplomacy and deception to get their way. The Tremere clan wields vampiric blood magic that makes even fellow blood-suckers tremble. Toreador clan are beautiful vampires who use their looks to seduce both friend and foe alike. Lastly, the Malkavians can see glimpses of the future, though this causes many of the clan to become insane.

In addition to clans, there are several disciplines (vampire powers) to choose from. This includes abilities that let you turn into a bat or ones that give you telekinetic powers. Some disciplines are exclusive to clans while others are available no matter which clan you side with. As a thinblood, you’re technically weaker than a full-blooded vampire. However, you’re also able to possess various abilities full-bloods cannot. This gives you an edge over your more powerful brethren.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 gameplay

Like the tabletop game that spawned it, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is a deep and complex Role Playing Game. As you level up, you’ll gain points you can then assign to different skills and attributes depending on your preferred playstyle and clan affiliation. Combat-focused players will want to dump points into weapon accuracy and agility while diplomatically-minded players will choose to add points to charm and speech skills. Although you’re locked to certain abilities based around your clan, you’re still free to choose your character’s evolution to an extent.

“Players should always be faced with choices,” Ka’ai Cluney said. “Sometimes, they should be confronted with choices where there is no right thing to do or times where they’re forced to choose between two equally unsavory options. As players make decisions, the world and gameplay experience must reflect these choices, be it through reactive dialogue, reactive story events, or even how players decide to build and grow their character."

He goes on to say, “This applies directly to our decision-making process as well. For example, we decided early in development that every player build must have access to – though not necessarily equal ability in – powers that have applications for combat, dialogue, and traversal. This means that players who prefer combat characters can certainly build to their preference, but always have options as to how and when to deviate from that archetype."

No matter what route you decide to take, you’ll need blood to level up. You’ll obtain blood from blood banks, rodents, and of course, humans. Equality important are the Masquerade and Humanity meters. Hiding your actions and remaining in the (metaphoric) shadows will raise the Masquerade meter, whereas taking more overt and aggressive actions will raise the Humanity meter.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 minimum and recommended requirements

At the moment, we do not have Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2’s official minimum and recommended requirements for PC. We do know it’ll have ray tracing when played using an NVIDIA RTX card. We’ll update this segment when the official specs are released.

This Black Friday weekend retailers everywhere are offering all the bargains deals any gamer could ask for. Microsoft is joining the Cyber Monday bonanza with a steep discount on its swish Xbox Elite Controller Series 2.

Right now, you can pick up the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 with a staggering $40 discount from Microsoft. With a $179.99 retail price, Xbox and PC gamers will be thrilled to know they can save big and grab the premium controller for just $139.99. With the holidays around the corner, this is an excellent gift for any gamer (or an even better gift for yourself). 

• More: Best Xbox Cyber Monday deals 2021: Games under $10, console restocks
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The Microsoft Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is the ultimate premium gamepad flex. Now at $40 off the asking price, this is a stellar Cyber Monday deal any gamer should check out.

Over its predecessor, it has more customization options, a built-in rechargeable battery, impulse Triggers, and adjustable tension thumb grips. Unlike the standard Elite Controller, it supports Bluetooth. This enables easy pairing to your gaming laptop, iPhone or iPad for Apple Arcade games. 

The Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 has a soft-touch finish, smooth-gilding metal analog sticks, and snappy buttons. At just 12 ounces, it feels solid and every bit as premium as it looks. It ships with a carrying case to protect the controller when it's not in use without obstructing the USB-C charging port.

With the dedicated Xbox Accessories app, you can fully remap every button, adjust the sensitivity of the sticks or triggers, and so much more.  The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller works with Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Windows 10 machines.

Cyber Monday is here and we’re seeing tons of deep discounts on today’s most coveted tech. Visit our Black Friday 2021 hub for the best deals happening right now.

This is not a drill: Halo Infinite multiplayer is available to download and play on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC starting today!

The full game (minus a few features) is still coming on December 8, but as a surprise for Halo's 20th anniversary today, the company publicly released the beta for anyone to try. Oh, and all progress carries over when you download the full game (via The Verge).

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The game is available either on Steam or via Game Pass, the latter, of course, requires a subscription. But at this point, if you have an Xbox console it's hard to imagine not subscribing to Game Pass.

The Halo Infinite multiplayer beta is free to play right now via Steam, just hit that link and you can play or pre-order the game immediately. 

On Game Pass you won't be able to miss it, Halo Infinite multiplayer should be front and center as soon as you fire it up on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, or PC.

As you might imagine the servers are getting hit pretty hard right now, so some users are reporting blue screens and other errors, so you may need to be a bit patient. While it may not be the full Halo Infinite experience, it's a nice surprise that should help get diehard Halo fans through the next few weeks of waiting.

Another year, another entry to the Call of Duty franchise. Since 2005, an annual game has been added to the series, taking gamers on blockbuster adventures spanning across the gritty battlefields of World War II to imagined futuristic warfare. Despite these vastly different settings, each Call of Duty is praised for and guilty of one thing: familiarity.

This is no different with Sledgehammer Games’ latest entry to the series, Call of Duty: Vanguard. From the action-packed campaign and viciously fast-paced multiplayer to the weird yet wonderful addition of Zombies, Vanguard has Call of Duty written all over it. If you’ve come for engaging first-person shooter action with satisfying gameplay and striking visuals, you don’t need this review to tell you ]what’s in store in Vanguard. So, how does Call of Duty’s latest WWII entry stand out from the pack?

A quick trip to McDonald’s will help answer this. Whether you go for the Big Mac or Bacon Double Cheeseburger, Mickey D’s will always deliver its signature taste — one just has more bacon than bun. The same can be said about Call of Duty, and Vanguard just has more “World War II” than “Modern Warfare.” With a lackluster single-player campaign and a generic Zombies mode, it’s a shame Vanguard isn’t the standout WWII title the franchise has sorely been missing. Is Vanguard still worth sinking a considerable amount of hours into? Let’s find out. 

Campaign: Glimpses of glory

Ever since learning about the numbers Mason has to deal in Black Ops, I’ve been a fan of Call of Duty’s campaigns and the unique missions that make them memorable. Vanguard sets up an engaging story that has all the makings of being a campaign to remember, but only offers moments of spectacle in a series of abrupt or sluggish flashbacks. 

The rain hitting down on a Nazi-occupied train with a burning Hamburg in the background is an enticing opening scene, as players are quickly introduced to the band of merry bandits, a.k.a. Task Force One, and each of their somewhat stereotypical action movie personalities. There’s gung ho pilot Wade Jackson, snarky explosive expert Lucas Riggs, vengeful sniper Polina Petrova, and aspiring leader Arthur Kingsley — a bit too on the nose with that last one, Sledgehammer.

As you might expect, there’s plenty of bombastic cinematic action, with players using tanks on trains to take out nearby turrets with someone saying a witty one-liner as a form of kudos. Further along, we meet Hermann Freisinger, a racist, mocking and bratty nazi who is the perfect villain to set up the rest story. From here, the campaign shifts gear for the worse, leaving us with origin stories rather than progressing from the opening scene.

While Vanguard’s campaign feels scattered, it still has its shining moments. During Kingsley’s mission in Merville, France, the graphics and scenery were top-notch. From the burning planes casually combusting in midair to the grenades booming in the background causing frightening blinks of explosive light, Vanguard knows how to create a tense WWII setting. Kingsley’s mission to take down anti-air artillery is thrilling, especially as he makes his way through the blacked-out trenches. but it’s cut too short, much like the rest of the missions. I’m made wanting to continue these scenic missions, but it’s all too abrupt. Characters like Kingsley and Patrova have exciting backgrounds, but they're quickly forgotten about in the grand scheme of the story. 

Call of Duty games tend to add unique sections in their campaigns that aren’t found anywhere else. Sometimes these are done brilliantly, like in Infinite Warfare’s exciting zero gravity gameplay, but in most cases, they feel out of place, like with Wade’s Midway plane mission in the Pacific. Controls are stiff and it’s a bore to slog through, and that quickly becomes apparent once Wade takes off. Vehicular combat has never been a point in Call of Duty, so I’m always left confused why fighter pilot sequences are added. Wade isn’t the most interesting character of the bunch either, yet players are seemingly put in his shoes more than the other characters. What’s worse, his stealth mission was more of a walking simulator than anything else, and I didn’t find the random “focus” ability particularly useful or interesting.

Early on in the campaign, Riggs asks a fitting question: “We’re not even from the same continents, why are we tasked with this mission?” He’s right, it doesn’t make sense that this small group of select individuals would be pulled from their globally divided divisions and forced to work together. In fact, the majority of time they are untrustworthy of one another. Besides Petrova, who is known as “Lady Nightingale” due to her skill with a sniper rifle, there isn’t a good enough reason why these characters are considered the best people to steal secret Third Reich plans known as Project Phoenix. As each flashback shows, this ragtag group is filled with lucky survivors, not the finest of the crop.

That said, Vanguard’s campaign is still enjoyable to play through, even though it isn’t as deep as previous campaigns. While a linear storyline focusing on one character would have been far more enticing, along with a longer runtime (takes around five hours to complete), the campaign impresses.

Multiplayer: Fast food fun

The last time Call of Duty delved back into World War IIwas a largely forgettable experience. That isn’t the case with Vanguard. From how the weapons look and sound to the various environments, each of the game’s 20 maps, Vanguard is easily a more memorable World War II shooter than its predecessor. If you’re a fan of 2019’s Modern Warfare and Black Op Cold War, expect the same fast-paced multiplayer madness with a WWII skin. 

Bringing the graphics engine from Modern Warfare (2019) offers an upgrade in immersion, from the shining night lights of the surrounding city in Hotel Royal to blowing up doors or walls into smithereens thanks to the destructible environments. I mainly used the M1928 Tommy gun throughout my playtime, and I adored the sound, look and feel. Even the hard clanging noise of reloading a clip sounded authentic, and that’s just a minor feature in multiplayer.

Quick Play is the go-to option to get your multiplayer fix. I got into matches in a snap, only waiting a few minutes before being thrown into a randomly selected map. I’m a fan of the filter system that allows players to pick and choose what pacing they want to see more of and which game modes they prefer to play, but it also means getting a taste of maps and game modes that just don’t mix. For example, playing Patrol in Du Haus with Assault pacing is atrocious, as the tight setting turned the game into more of a boring bloodbath.

Still, playing modes such as Domination with Tactical pacing can be extremely thrilling, while Team Deathmatch with Blitz pacing on a map like Red Star is tremendous fun. In this scenario, you’ll find snipers on the higher ground picking off troops as they sprint across the snowy landscape to blast their way through enemy territories. All the 20 maps currently available are rich in detail and have been well thought out to appease all play styles (though some more than others). I enjoyed playing on each map, wanting to familiarise myself with each layout, but it made me realize that it may have been better to have a select group of maps dedicated for certain game modes rather than having them mix and match.

This leads me to Champion Hill, another great addition to multiplayer. Like the Gulags in Warzone, players are pitted against another group of duos or trios in various camps and must eliminate the enemy without losing all their respawns in a tournament-style series of deathmatches. Players also get the chance to buy upgrades and equipment between rounds with cash they collect from winning, offering further strategy when heading into the final rounds. It’s thrilling to be on your last leg in the final rounds of the mode, not knowing how the opposition will engage and yet somehow flawlessly annihilate them. 

The Gunsmith customizations is a high point in multiplayer, with more than enough weapons to tinker and toil with. From changing the muzzle off the tip of an assault rifle to switching to a leather grip on an SMG, there are many attachments that not only change the look of a firearm, but also transform its capabilities. Seeing the different effects of how the barrel of a weapon can deal far more damage to an enemy but completely throw the recoil is captivating, and there’s a touch of strategy in balancing out each stat (Firepower, Speed, Accuracy and Ammo) to create the perfect gun for your play style.

From unlocking a selection of gun attachments and perks after each round to scoring a massive killstreak that gets the adrenaline pumping, it’s easy to get hooked on Vanguard’s multiplayer. It’s easily the mode many players, including myself, will stick with months after the launch of Vanguard, especially if the developers continue to make new maps and modes. 

Zombies: Run of the mill

Zombies mode has been a mainstay in virtually every Call of Duty game since Call of Duty: World at War. Bringing Ron Pearlman, Heather Graham, Jeff Goldblum and Neal McDonough together in Black Ops 3 was a series high, especially with its difficulty, power-ups and plentiful secrets. When Vanguard announced it would be bringing a “franchise-first” Dark Aether storyline with developers Treyarch at the helm, I was eager to see the final product. So far, the “Der Anfang” quest is little more than just a bland mix of repetitive objective-based missions and bullet-spongy minions. 

Gamers can expect the same wave-based onslaught of zombies across a massive map, but this time, the main location is more of a simplified hub zone used to upgrade weapons with pack-a-punch, buy armor and equipment, boost your stats by drinking from cult-like shrines and picking up random weapons. From here, players can enter portals to travel to various maps in order to complete mystical objectives, which comes down to timed survival, an escort mission, and powering an obelisk by collecting artifacts dropped by zombies. Once you complete an objective, you return back to the main hub, upgrade and head back through another portal. Rinse and repeat.

Players also start out with one of four special abilities, which include an energy mine, invisibility, a damage enhancer for the party, and a frost vortex that damages and slows enemies down. It took me a while to figure out how to use it, but once I did, I didn’t feel as if I needed it in order to survive. Still, I won’t say no to anything to give me the upper hand in Zombies. Another interesting addition to this Zombies is Covenants, where players get an assortment of buffs to use by trading in a sacrificial heart they get once they complete an objective. These buffs can be extremely useful, as they can passively freeze enemies, boost your damage if you stand still, and so on. These work hand-in-hand with the special abilities, with the freeze ability getting me out of a bind more than once.

The survival-based objective is akin to classic Zombies, but once you survive the allotted time, you’re safe. The other two objectives get repetitive fairly fast, as there isn’t any sense of emergency when fending off zombies to complete these tasks.

While I was expecting there to be a learning curve on surviving the onslaught of zombies, I managed to survive 20 rounds on my first try. After completing four objectives, players can decide to keep on going or initiate the final mission, kill a whole bunch of zombies and get out of there. It all finishes on an anti-climatic note — there are currently no easter eggs or a complete story to the hyped Dark Aether storyline. The main quest is expected to arrive at a later date, so I hope Treyarch adds a deeper system, more objectives and a few more mysteries soon. Right now, Zombies feels more like simple DLC rather than the full-blown game mode Call of Duty players have come to expect. 

Call of Duty: Vanguard PC performance

I received a copy of Call of Duty: Vanguard for PC, and was blown away by its graphics and performance. Of course, an RTX 3080 GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU and 32GB of RAM on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 is the real reason I didn’t encounter a drop in performance and was able to crank up settings to Ultra. Plus, a 360Hz refresh rate means performance mode during multiplayer is super smooth. 

The good news is you don’t need these specs to play Vanguard, as there are four tiers of requirements: minimum, recommended, competitive and ultra 4K. The minimum requirements for Vanguard are an Intel Core i3-4340 or AMD FX-6300 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon RX 470 GPU, at least 8GB of RAM and 2GB of video memory.

As for the recommended requirements, this includes an Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580 GPU, 12GB of Ram and 4GB of video memory. Interestingly, these PC requirements are lower when compared to Battlefield 2042's minimum and recommended specs.

For those looking for peak performance during competitive gameplay, the competitive PC requirements include an Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 1800X CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070/RTX 3060 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700XT GPU, 16GB of RAM and 8GB of video memory.

Finally, to crank up those graphics settings to max, the 4K Ultra requirements include an Intel Core i9-9900K or AMD Ryzen 9 3900X CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT GPU, 16GB of RAM and 10GB of video memory.

Bottom Line

Call of Duty: Vanguard excels at being, well, Call of Duty, for better and for worse. Set in a spectacular World War II setting and offering minor yet significant tweaks to gameplay to make firing off a bullet in the chamber feel that much smoother, the game inherently feels like many other Call of Duty titles we’ve seen over the past few years. Sure, don’t fix it if the formula ain’t broke, but that also means Vanguard can easily fly under the radar as being another generic Call of Duty entry.

While not a standout in the series, especially due to a campaign that falls just short of flat and an underwhelming Zombies mode, anyone who picks up Vanguard will get a kick out of its addictive multiplayer, satisfying gameplay mechanics and ease of access. Once Zombies gets the proper Dark Aether storyline players deserve for a full-priced game, along with the additional features sure to come thanks to the Battle Pass, Vanguard will start appealing to more first-person shooter fans instead of being known as a WWII reskin. For more of the best PC games to check out right now, we’ve got you covered. 

“Oh, **** off you stupid monkey.” I never thought I would stoop to the level of George Taylor damning apes in the classic Planet of the Apes. But here I am, cursing at a colorfully animated monkey in an indestructible zorb-like ball in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania. 

Previously, I had only ever known Super Monkey Ball as the unique arcade-style party game used by practicing surgeons to hone their precision skills and warm up before an operation. Seriously, this is a game that has been tested on by professionals in the medical field, and it has now been deemed “effective for laparoscopic skill training,” otherwise known as keyhole surgery. 

That’s an impressive feat for a game about a monkey in a ball, but the latest entry, Banana Mania, won’t be offering any new insights into these studies. That’s because this is the same Super Monkey Ball we’ve seen since it first debuted back in 2001, except now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The game is an enhanced remaster of the first three console entries, bringing 300 stages from Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2 and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe.

Despite being on the latest generation of consoles, developers Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio haven’t messed with the formula much to make Banana Mania a standout remaster. Super Monkey Ball fans can expect the same infuriatingly fun levels to conquer and a slight boost in visuals. Just don’t come in hoping for the next generation of Super Monkey Ball.

On a (monkey) roll

Super Monkey Ball became a game to remember due to its unique concept, creative stage design, and tight controls. Oh, and the cute and cuddly monkey in the ball himself, AiAi. These all make a grand return in Banana Mania, allowing newcomers to the series to understand why the original was so well-received by fans. That said, this game is celebrating its 20th anniversary, so the overall concept won’t be as ground-breaking or long-lasting as it was back then.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania has plenty of game modes and options for players to check out, including a story mode, challenge modes containing all the levels from the first and second game, practice modes, and world rankings to test your skills against other players. Stages are unlocked as you make your way through the story mode, but you can easily skip each one and unlock them all thanks to the “mark as complete” option. 

Super Monkey Balls’ bread and butter is a blast. Controls take time to get used to, but once you learn how to maneuver the map to make precise turns or to speed down a platform at satisfying speeds, you’ll be rolling along the edge of stages like a master monkey baller — I do wonder if that’s what these aforementioned surgeons like to be called.

But mastery over movement is only the first step, as there is also time management, frustratingly creative obstacles to maneuver past, and a bucket load of bananas to collect in each stage. Bring all that together and you’ll slowly start to lose your monkey marbles. For example, in World 1, Stage 9, there is a stupidly fast spinning top with bananas along the edges. How on earth is any monkey in a ball supposed to ride along the outsides of a gigantic spinning top? The good news is that players don’t have to figure this out, as they can just cross the finish line without collecting those bananas. The option to take on a challenge or not is a highlight of the Super Monkey Ball series. 

Each stage runs for 60 seconds, which means it could take just ten minutes to get through one of the 10 worlds in the main story mode. That seems almost disappointingly short, but this works in the player’s favor. Super Monkey Ball is all about speed and precision, and it can be painstakingly difficult to clear a stage in the fastest time possible and retrieve the collectible bananas. The level designer in charge of banana placement is evil incarnate, especially during some of the later stages in the game. I mean, who decides to put bananas on the edge of a downhill half pipe when you’re at peak speed? 

But these are the types of challenges avid Monkey Ball veterans enjoy, and it’s satisfying to swipe a banana with a perfect tilt while going 100km/h (the speedometer at the bottom left of the screen is a nice touch) and cross the finish line in the nick of time.

One of my favorite levels was Gravity Slider, which could simply be seen as a massive ramp that has your monkey kicking it into sixth gear. That’s extremely fun to go down, but there are still all those bananas to claim, and they’re placed frighteningly far from the safety of the platform. There’s a rush in trying to grab them while still landing on a platform and crossing the finish line. That’s true Monkey Ball.

If you’re playing Super Monkey Ball for the story, you may not be aware of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Deathloop or any other game that you could play instead. Jokes aside, Banana Mania’s Story Mode is irrelevant, as all you’ll find is a colorful animation of the group of monkeys watching TV before the evil Dr. Bad-Boon (gotta love it) disrupts their day with a maniacal plan involving bananas and bombs. There may be a fantastic premise in there somewhere, but it's not in the game. 

There are plenty of options in the start menu, but a majority of them will go unused. Being able to view the stage from a spectator's perspective is great for viewing the layout of a level, but I could barely zoom in or out to fully gauge it. The controls in photo mode don’t fare any better, as it was difficult to maneuver the camera to get a picturesque shot. 

I know by playing countless titles that you should always check behind you for hidden items or neat Easter eggs. Banana Mania has this on every stage, and it’s always three to four bananas. For banana collectors, this sly tactic gets old fast. It throws off the pacing of the game, knowing you’ll always have to pull back your thumb to roll backward. We know they’re there, and they aren’t exactly hard to get, either. 

Mini-game madness

The first Super Monkey Ball introduced a slew of mini-games like Monkey Billiards, Monkey Bowling and Monkey Golf, along with more unique party games including Monkey Race, Monkey Fight, and Monkey Target. Expect them all to make a mediocre return, along with other short-lived party games such as Monkey Tennis, Baseball, Soccer, and Monkey Shot, Monkey Boat, and Monkey Dogfight. 

The 12 mini-games vary, as a majority of them are just a Super Monkey Ball spin on classic sports games. Some seem to force the “Ball” aspect of Super Monkey Ball in them, like when the monkeys hold tennis rackets and hit a ball despite being in a ball themselves. Many mini-games were poor attempts on classic party games, including the rail-shooter, while others were just outright broken, such as Monkey Boat. In Monkey Boat, players are required to press L1 and R1 alternatively to control their boat, but I found pressing them alternatively fast enough meant blazing past the competition. In fact, my monkey AiAi ended up T-posing instead of rowing. 

Still, some mini-games such as Monkey Race, Monkey Target and Monkey Billiards were a lot of fun to play, especially with others. These provided the Super Mario Party mini-game level of fun, but it would have been nice to see a few more special mini-games like the ones found in Banana Blitz, such as Whack-a-Mole or Space Monkey Attack. Games such as Bowling and Golf are nice additions, but they’re nothing special. 

Is that you, Sonic?

This time around, it isn’t just AiAi, MeeMee, Baby, GonGon, and the rest of the monkey crew making a grand return, as the developers are bringing an all-star cast of Sega characters, too. Some fantastic additions include Sonic and Tails (of course the Blue Blur would make an appearance in a game about speed), Morgana from Persona 5, Beat from Jet Set Radio, and even Kiryu from the Yakuza series. It doesn’t take much effort to unlock these characters either, as I quickly collected enough in-game currency to use them and unlock different game modes by playing through the story mode. 

Speaking of characters, each brings something slightly different to the table. From all-rounder AiA and lightweight Baby to the heavier GonGon. I didn’t find the different characters changed my playstyle completely, but it added an extra layer of thought when going through stages. As for the special guests, expect unique character animations and different collectibles to grab: for example, you’ll find rings instead of bananas when playing as Sonic or Tails.

The different game modes to unlock offer fun spins on the typical Super Monkey Ball formula, which should have been available from the get-go so they don’t get overlooked. Unlockable game modes including Golden Banana Mode, which has players collect all the bananas on different stages, and Dark Banana Mode, which brings rotten bananas to the stage that players must avoid, breathe new life into the game. Having to think of new strategies to roll around a stage is something the series will need when looking forward, as players can only tilt a stage for so long before the repetitive gameplay of Super Monkey Ball gets tedious. With the different game modes and leadership boards to conquer, however, those who have the itch to become master monkey ballers will find near-endless replayability in Banana Mania. 

Bottom line

Dare I say Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is the Dark Souls of arcade-style party games? The enticing difficulty and fun, unique gameplay make it seem so, but it would be unfair to include the 20th anniversary remaster of a classic in this category. Banana Mania is a collection of the best Super Monkey Ball has to offer, which long-time fans of the series should be excited about. With new characters, game modes, and 300 stages to conquer, there’s more than enough monkey business to keep players entertained.

That said, the lack of modern updates means the classic is starting to show its age. Being able to bounce, tilt, and roll on the latest generation of consoles is a treat, but this isn’t a revitalized Super Monkey Ball; it's more of a revisit. While other additions such as the different mini-games are a nice touch, many aren’t up to scratch when compared to the countless sports games gamers can get today.

Still, Banana Mania is priced at $39.99/£34.99, and fans of the series will get a lot of value out of its replayability. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania will launch on Tuesday, October 5, and will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, and PC.

The thing that immediately drew me to developer Nerd Monkeys’ upcoming game, Out of Line, is a tree. There’s nothing particularly special about the tree our main protagonist San quickly stumbles across (except for these bizarre floating cubes that have made it their home), but on closer inspection, you’ll notice subtle brushstrokes that bring the tree to life.

Out of Line’s entire environment is made up of these beautifully hand-drawn objects and landscapes, which impressed throughout my roughly 45-minute playthrough of the developer’s preview build. From the rigid metallic gears churning in a dreadful factory to the port-apocalyptic scenery overgrown with green foliage, Nerd Monkeys added tons of detail into the environments.

What other classic side-scrolling puzzle platformers offer so much detail? Playdead’s Inside and one of the best games of 2020, Moon Studios’ Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Out of Line was inspired by these two stellar titles, and it shows. Oh, and there’s a dash of Studio Ghibli thrown in there for good measure, too. 

What is Out of Line? 

Put simply, Out of Line is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer based in a hand-drawn 2D world. Gamers are put in the shoes of San, a child (who I’m convinced is a robot) who gets woken up by a mysterious floating golden cube.

It playfully leads San to the aforementioned tree housing other blue cubes, only to be disrupted by a freaky metallic arm oozing a purple aura. Before catching San, the gold cube transports the child to safety, and from there, players guide San through strange areas filled with various puzzles and more scary metal arms. 

There’s no talking or text boxes filled with dialogue, just atmosphere, setting, and a few cheerful waves from San. In my first few minutes with the game, I got the general gist of San’s situation, but there’s still an air of mystery about who San is and why there are cubes floating all over the place.

According to Nerd Monkeys, there will be different friends our cheery protagonist will meet, some of which I encountered during my playthrough. They included cute Ghibli-like critters and, erm, other Sans. It will all lead to San being one step closer to uncovering one of life’s greatest lessons. 

Out of Line’s gameplay is sweet and simple 

The central mechanics of Out of Line revolve around San’s spear. A spear, yes, but not used in the general sense. Instead of using it as a weapon, the golden spear is effectively used to conquer different puzzles.

San picks it up very early on, and while I was scratching my head as to how to use it to cross a platform, I soon realized it can be used to stick to walls, which I could then use as a platform to climb over walls. This mechanic is the bread and butter of the platformer, and I loved the way San could spring from the spear to gain extra height. Simple, yet effective. 

Even better, it uses the same mechanic as God of War’s Leviathan Axe — giving you the ability to throw and call it back. So far (as the trailer for Out of Line shows), I’ve thrown the spear to disrupt machinery so I didn’t get crushed, recalled it to turn off switches, and turned it into a lever to operate platforms. There’s no combat, but the spear is put to better use to avoid trouble instead of confronting it.

Puzzles are engaging, and require players to think on their feet if they don’t want to be taken by evil metal claws or fall to their doom. Luckily, I experienced fairly quick restarts, and checkpoints typically bring you back to what you were just doing. I didn’t die often, and I’m glad I didn’t have to redo certain actions I had already accomplished before slipping up.

There were a few head-scratching moments during my playthrough, but nothing too difficult. For example, there are more spears to play around with later on in the game, and these return to their original position after a certain amount of time. Puzzle platformers that see their otherwise simple game mechanics evolve into more complex are the ones to look out for, and I’m intrigued to see the different ways San’s spears are used further along in the story. 

The team behind Out of Line 

Nerd Monkeys, an indie studio based in Lisbon, Portugal, has an interesting backstory for Out of Line. According to the developers, the game was first a school project from Franciso Santos, who was later joined by João Genebra. It caught the attention of PlayStation and won a PlayStation Talents Award in 2017.

Nerd Monkeys brought in the two, and the team started working on what is now Out of Line. As mentioned, the game is hand-drawn, with inspirations from the animation of Studio Ghibli films, painting movements like impressionism, and modern philosophy.

The game seems to wear its heart on its sleeve, too, as it also draws inspiration from other notable games like Limbo, Inside, and Ori and the Blind Forest. These are all hit indie titles, and from what I’ve played through so far, Out of Line could very well be next in line.

Outlook 

I’ve enjoyed my time so far with Nerd Monkey’s beautifully drawn Out of Line, though I’ve only played through the first 45 minutes or so. The game moves along swiftly, and the puzzles were engaging but not too complicated so I never lost interest in what I needed to do next.

Out of Line is expected to launch on PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch this summer, and on PS4 and Xbox One later in 2021. In the meantime, check out all the best PC games you can play right now.  

Microsoft's dream of turning the Xbox One into the main multimedia device in your home has come to an end as the console maker is quitting its foray into live TV casting this May. 

The Verge confirmed that Microsoft's TV dreams would be ending soon. However, users will still be able to use an HDMI passthrough to view live TV on Xbox. Microsoft's Jonathan Hildebrandt said, "based on customer usage and feedback, we're constantly evolving the Xbox experience. To that end, beginning this May, we'll be sunsetting live TV listings for OneGuide on Xbox One."

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OneGuide, which first appeared on the Xbox One, was first considered a clever move by Microsoft because it created an overlay that went around your cable box to let you access TV content via your console. This gave users one multimedia device that could handle the job and activities of several, freeing up space in the living room. 

Microsoft's initial idea was to create a multimedia entertainment center around the Xbox experience. Sadly, this concept is coming to an end with the death of the Xbox OneGuide. 

So you just got a new gaming laptop and want to start gaming right away because you are bored while staying at home. If you prefer a controller over a mouse and keyboard, you have the option to use an Xbox One controller. And, since Windows 10 natively supports the Xbox One wireless controller, setup should be easy, right?

It wasn’t that long ago that trying to connect a controller to your laptop in Windows was a major hassle, or you needed plenty of wires and cords. The good news is that new technology has made it easier to connect your Xbox One wireless controller to a Windows 10 laptop with just a simple press of a button and a couple of menu tweaks. 

Syncing your Xbox  controller to your laptop via Windows 10 isn’t too complicated. Just follow these steps and you’ll be gaming with your controller in no time. The great thing about the Xbox controller is that Steam and most other PC games work naturally with it. That means you don’t have to worry about downloading a controller remapper.

And if you’re in the market for a gaming PC, be sure to check out our best gaming laptops and best cheap gaming laptops pages.

How to use an Xbox One wireless controller on a Windows 10 laptop

Step 1: Make sure you have the right Xbox One wireless controller. The right controller has the Xbox power button embedded into the matte black plastic unlike older controllers that do not. Or you can use an Elite Xbox One controller to eliminate any confusion.

Step 2: Turn on your Xbox Wireless Controller by pressing the Xbox button.

Step 3: Press and hold the Bind button on your controller for three seconds. You will see the Xbox button start to flash rapidly. 

Step 4: On your PC, press the Bluetooth button in the taskbar area, then choose Add a Bluetooth Device.

Step 5: Turn on Bluetooth and select Add Bluetooth or other devices > Bluetooth. Your PC will begin searching for your controller.

Step 6: Select Xbox Wireless Controller > Done.

Forget controllers-- the future of gaming could be all about wearable tech. Your future video game console may integrate with glasses that would be just as crucial to gameplay as your controller. At least that’s what Sony and Microsoft are hoping to accomplish. A recent patent filed by the PS4-maker described a set of 3D glasses that can track your head movement and adjust light based on the ambient lighting conditions within the gaming environment.

Following a very similar patent from Microsoft, Sony’s invention would involve 3D illuminated glasses that work in conjunction with a motion-controlled camera similar to the Kinect. The two devices would capture the player’s movement and feed the information to the console. The patent notes that users would be able to control the game using just the wearable device or both the 3D glasses and a traditional controller.

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For example, the glasses would detect when a player swings his or her head from side to side while playing a game. If the lights in the room are dimmed, the game console would send a wireless signal to the glasses to adjust lights embedded within the wearable peripheral. These tracked head movements could also be used as inputs to the game to render 3D images, according to Sony.

“Head tracking can be critical for games that render based on where a user’s head is,” Sony writes in its patent.

Sony says that head tracking can create a more immersive gaming experience by making movements and interactions more lifelike. For example, the head monitoring tech can be used to make it seem like a user is actually moving closer to a person or object within a video game as he or she steps toward the television.

“There exists a need in the art for more robust head tracking that is not too expensive for the average consumer,” Sony writes.

Although there’s no telling when such a device would launch or if Sony will ever bring this tech to the market, the fundamental elements are already present in Sony’s PlayStation 4. The controller for the PS4 comes with a light bar that works in conjunction with the console’s camera system known as the PlayStation 4 Eye. This gauges depth and how far the player is from the system. Sony’s patented glasses appear to be a more evolved version of this technology, which will probably provide more robust ways to interact with the console through motion.

Microsoft and Sony have been neck and neck when it comes to the console war, and this competition is likely to continue in the wearable tech space. Microsoft recently filed a patent that details 3D glasses that could bring augmented reality to the Xbox.

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Microsoft is jumping on the wearable display bandwagon, but don’t expect a Google Glass competitor. This week the company patented a head-mounted display aimed at bringing augmented reality to gaming.

The patent describes a heads-up display that would allow players to invite their friends to participate in a game by using the device. The drawings included in the application show a pair of glasses with sensors along the side and on the front for locating users and tracking gestures. The game-oriented goggles would be able to receive voice commands, monitor your eye movements and recognize the faces of fellow players, as shown in the illustration.

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The patent’s language describes a system in which the glasses would obtain information from one user, such as facial recognition, eye-tracking information and voice data to create a visual representation of that user when sending the invitation to a friend.

“The invitation from the user may be associated with the potential player using the eye-tracking information, the depth information, the facial recognition information, the potential player head-mounted display information, and/or the potential player voice data,” the document reads.

The eyewear looks awfully similar to Microsoft’s alleged “Kinect Shades” that turned up when a reportedly leaked internal document made its way onto the Web last year. The paperwork, which dated back to 2010, details Microsoft’s plans for the future of its Xbox line.

The document specifically mentioned that 3D augmented reality glasses could hit the market by 2015, although Microsoft never confirmed the paperwork. Still, the leaked plans were spot on when it came to certain facts about the Xbox One. For instance, the 56-page document said that the next Xbox would launch in 2013 for $299 and would come with a second-generation Kinect included — which aligns with what Microsoft announced when the Xbox One was unveiled on May 21.

This new patent is one of several clues pointing to Microsoft’s future plans for augmented reality integration. At the end of July the company also patented designs for a futuristic laptop with a transparent display, and before that we heard whispers of a 3D holographic system for Skype calls via a Microsoft job posting. 

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• Guide to Gaming

Back in May, Electronic Arts gave gamers a sneak peek into their take on next generation of gaming with titles such as "NBA Live 14" and "FIFA 14." But EA is more than sports titles during its E3 press conference the company showed off an impressive cache of games spanning many different genres including racing, first-person shooters and RPGs. Whether its questing your way through a mythical land awash in chaos or racing down a highway at breakneck speeds, Electronic Arts has you covered. The following recap is a glimpse into the beginning of the future of next-generation gaming, 

The sequel to the popular "Plants vs. Zombies" is on the horizon, but in the meantime, PopCap Games has a few more tricks up their green sleeves. The new "Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare" takes the PvZ gameplay we all know and love and turns it on its head. Instead of a single player sowing a field to stave off the zombie horde, "Garden Warfare" recruits up to four people in the war against the undead. And instead of a static board, "Garden Warfare" renders the plants in 3D and places player in a third-person perspective. Plants like Sunflower and Peashooter are just cute as ever and boss fights such as the Disco Zombie look challenging yet fun.

It's giant robots versus humans in Remedy Software's "Titanfall". This first-person multiplayer shooter combines the bulk and might of robotic mechs called titans against the speed and maneuverability of the human pilots in a global battle. The in-game demo showed pilots jumping out of planes and running through buildings using stealth and speed to win the day. The titans aren't slouches however. Called the "evolution of a battle tank" by the Remedy team, the mechs are agile and pack some big guns.

Got an itchy lead foot? Then you'll want to check out "Need for Speed: Rivals," the latest installment of the popular racing series. "NFSR" keeps the familiar cops and racers chase dynamic, but adds a few wrinkles. The new online-exclusice AllDrive feature enables two single-player races to merge into one. Even better, a friend (or rival) can supply helicopter support using a tablet. These nvw features adds a level of unpredictability that's sure to keep gamers revving their engines for a long time to come.

BioWare chose to keep things short and sweet. Set to launch in Fall 2014, "Inquisition has been called a new RPG experience, players will be tasked with leading an inquisition to "restore order to a world in chaos." The new title will feature open-world exploration across a vast world. In addition player choices and actions will affect both the world around them and the overall story. BioWare GM Aaryn, also promised that "Dragon Age" fans will encounter complex characters both new and old throughout the game.

You scream, I scream. We all scream for...Star Wars? A quick trailer of a crashing Ebon Hawk was all it took to get fans of the force wild with applause. Little is known about the Frostbite 3-powered title, but if the raucous applause from the audience is any indication, this a title you'll want to keep your eyes on.

Utilizing EA Sports new BounceTek technology, "NBA Live 14" has gained something previous titles have lacked: realistic ball handling. After bringing on Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving to the stage, we watched a side-by-side demo of the point guard dribbling in real life next to his digital avatar. Thanks to the new technology, players can create their own moves. Even better, the game will update player stats an hour after every game delivering a new experience every game.

If "Madden NFL 25" plays as good as it looks, gridiron fans will have something to cheer about this year. The 25th anniversary edition of the Madden showed off realistic facial expressions and clothing. The demo also demonstrated two new technologies. There's Player Sense, which allows players to scan the environment and react on the fly. We also saw War in the Trenches, which makes the offensive and defensive lines act intelligently and dynamically. EA Sports also debuted the new cover art featuring Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

Who knew that rapper Drake was such a huge FIFA fan. The Young Money artist was on hand to introduce the demo for "FIFA 14. We couldn't help but be impressed by the precision movement and improved team intelligence featured during the demo. The game also has real ball physics which means that players can strike the ball with greater accuracy.

For an announcemnt this big, you've got to bring out the heavyweights. UFC owner Dana White took the stage flanked by heavyweight champion Jon White and lightweight champion Benson Henderson to debut the MMA title. Boasting MMAi technology, the game will feature intelligent movement for more realistic and unpredictable movesets. And to give the game the visceral experience of the sports, EA Sports has added full body deformation. That means that you'll see the impact of every backhand punch and roundhouse kick up close and very personal.

Bigger and better explosions, That seems to be the name of the game for DICE's next iteration of the "Battlefield" series. We saw a 60 story building demolished by enemy troops as an example of the developer's highly destructible environments called levolution. The game can support up to 64 players in multiplayer mode and no part of the world will be left untouched. We saw the battle go from the ground, to an aerial battle with a helicopter that culminated with sea battle. Players that don't feel like getting their hands dirty in the field can direct traffic with the new Commander mode. The new feature which can be accessed via tablet, gives gamers a bird's-eye view of the battle enabling the commander the ability to send troops to where they're needed most.

Faith, the parkour heroine of the critically acclaimed "Mirorr's Edge" made an appearance at the end of the show. During the demo, we got a first-person perspective of Faith's world including running at exhiliarating speeds and taking out hostiles with a few well-placed punches and kicks. We also watched as Faith got some new tats for her highly anticipated return.

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The big news at Microsoft's E3 event may have been all of the games, but the company also revealed some interesting new functionality for its SmartGlass app. Originally available for the Xbox 360, the new version of SmartGlass for the Xbox One, will offer enhanced features including the ability to stream games to a second-screen device such as the Microsoft Surface.

During a stage demo, Microsoft showed a player streaming Crytek's new game "Ryse: Son of Rome," to a Surface tablet, allowing the player to enjoy the game as if she were playing it on her Xbox One. The new app will also allow gamers to play single-player games, while looking for multiplayer matches in the background.

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A demonstration of this showed the same player running through a demo of "Ryse: Son of Rome," only to receive a message that the Xbox One's Smart Match feature had found an online match for her to join for the game "Killer Instinct." Instantly, SmartGlass transitioned to the new game without a hint of lag.

In addition to the second-screen experience and the ability to setup online matches while you're playing a single-player game, SmartGlass will also allow you to record your games and share them online using the Twitch video service, giving gamers the ability to host a live stream of their favorite games that their friends can comment on in real-time. 

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From the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to all of the new PC and mobile games you can handle, E3 2013 is sure to be the biggest in years. In preparation for the gaming event to end all gaming events, we sifted through all of the information on the intertubes and sorted through what we already know to come up with this list of five things we expect to see at E3. And don't forget to check back with us starting June 10th for all of our coverage from the show floor.

PlayStation 4 Finally Revealed

When Sony unveiled its PlayStation 4 back in February, the company blew us away with all of the features the console is expected to come packing with as well as killer PlayStation 4 games. Content sharing via the new Share button on the redesigned DualShock controller was a big draw, as was the planned integration of cloud gaming. Sony did, however, leave out a few key details, including pricing and availability, not to mention what the system looks like. We're expecting the company to let fly with all of these details and more during its massive press event on June 10th. And we'll be bringing you all of the news live.

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Xbox One Pricing and Availability

Unlike Sony, Microsoft went all out with the Xbox One's reveal. Not only did Redmond show off its console, but it gave those in attendance a taste of what it has to offer including live TV integration, social integration and interactive NFL game fun. But Microsoft didn't let all of the details slip. The company is still holding out on pricing and availability for its latest console. Microsoft also announced during its initial reveal that the Xbox One would launch with 15 exclusive titles, and we expect to get a good look at each of them during the show.

Microsoft's event is a big moment for the Xbox One. Many analysts and gamers were disappointed with the system's May unveiling due to the company's decision to position the console as an entertainment system rather than a pure gaming platform. We'll see if Microsoft can get its gaming swagger back during its press event on June 10.

Games, Games and More Games

What's a video game conference without video games? We're expecting to see a bonanza of new titles from AAA publishers and indie developers that will melt your face. So far, we know we'll be seeing games like "Destiny," "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," "Batman: Arkham Origins" and "Watch Dogs." These games will be landing on everything from consoles to PCs and are sure to get the throngs of E3 goers (and those following along at home) frothing at the mouth.

More Focus on Mobile Gaming

Mobile gaming is the biggest thing going, and we're not just talking about Nintendo's 3DS or Sony's PlayStation Vita. We're talking about titles for Android, iOS and Nvidia's Tegra Zone. We're expecting to see a variety of games being ported to mobile, or developed specifically for the aforementioned operating systems and stores. A great example is the recently announced "Halo: Spartan Assault" for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 tablets. We'll be sure to get some hands-on time with as many of these games as possible.

Indie Titles Galore

Thanks to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade, Steam and Sony's PlayStation store, indie gaming has been catapulted into the mainstream. Superb titles such as "Super Meat Boy," "Journey," "Braid," "Hotline Miami" and others have helped gamers realize that indie games can have as much of an impact as any title from a major developer. With the popularity of indie games at an all-time high, it stands to reason that we'll see a large amount of fresh options debut on gaming's biggest stage next week.

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