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A few months ago HyperX announced its first ever line of gaming monitors to add to its lineup of PC gaming hardware, with the Armada 25 and 27 screens. This brand has been putting out some absolutely stellar pieces of kit in the past year, like the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless headset which is our current top pick for a wireless PC gaming headset. It's a brand that's branched out into all sorts of peripherals in recent years, and has certainly given us reason to take notice.
HyperX often adds a bit of a personal gamer focussed touch to the equipment it offers, be it a 300 hour battery in a headset, or a budget friendly streamer mic complete with RGB. Adding monitors to the lineup is the logical next step in dominating a gamers setup, and after seeing them in action at PAX Aus, it's clear that this gamer focussed mentality is present once again.
The specs of HyperX's Armada screens are clearly targeted at gamers, with the 25 prioritising refresh rate over resolution, and the 27 going for a more immersive experience. It's a fairly standard affair, and they looked good on the show floor, but it's hardly a place to really judge the fidelity of a gaming monitor. Instead, I was completely enamoured by their stands.
These new monitors from HyperX have ditched the common table stand and instead come with really lovely looking VESA mounts. Using this standard monitor support style means they'll work with other screens too, even ones you already have. They clamp onto the back of a desk, freeing up your desktop for more important things like literally anything else. PC mounts aren't new, but releasing a gaming screen with them as default, feels like an absolute game changer.
Screen queens(Image credit: Future)
Best gaming monitor: Pixel-perfect panels for your PC
Best high refresh rate monitor: Screaming quick screens
Best 4K monitor for gaming: When only high-res will do
Best 4K TV for gaming: Big-screen 4K PC gamingBut I figured these things aren't often the cheapest solution, so I wouldn't expect much from ones that come with monitors. Especially because the prices of the new screens sit at $449 USD or $719 AUD for the HyperX Armada 25 and $499 USD or $779 AUD for the 27. It doesn't feel like you're paying much of a tax to get a mount included, so I expected them to be bare bones and maybe even a bit cheap. Instead, after seeing them in person, the VESA mounts provided with these new screens are just lovely, and I'm mad everyone isn't doing this.
The mounts I experienced on the show floor were incredibly robust. They consist of a clamp to the desk, which raises up into the main stand. From there you can add multiple arms for multi monitor setups. One stand can carry two of the larger monitors, or four of the smaller if you've got enough arms and they're just so smooth to use, even with many screens.
Image 1 of 2This monitor was pulled forward and twisted into a vertical profile. (Image credit: Future)HyperX VESA mounts bundled with Armada screens
Image 2 of 2Thicc metal (Image credit: Future)The thick metal is surprisingly easy to move while still feeling super strong and solid. They make the monitors feel like they weigh nothing as you spin them around into different positions effortlessly. You can rearrange your work station on the fly, and there's basically no desktop footprint. Plus if you do upgrade, it's fairly likely you can keep your setup mostly the same and just switch out the screen. You probably won't need a pesky standard screen stand again, and you certainly won't want one.
After seeing how good these looked and felt to use, it's baffling to me that mounts aren't more common. Walking around the floor and looking at other monitors on stands made me feel sorry for them, and a little bit angry. Though I did see some absolutely bonkers PC builds. I'm glad HyperX has seen the light on this one, and I really hope more brands start to consider that mounted monitors are the true future for PC gaming.
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Two Overwatch 2 heroes have been temporarily pulled from the game as Blizzard works to fix some major bugs. Both Bastion and Torbjörn are "taking a quick trip to the workshop", with Bastion suspended from all modes, and Torbjörn absent from all but quick play.
Bastion's emergency holiday is for pretty obvious reasons: the charismatic robot was able to call down an obscene amount of artillery strikes, or in Jon's words, "as many [artillery strikes] as you can click for in the limited time window that Bastion's new ultimate allows". A lot of fun? Definitely. Fair? Unfortunately, no. There's some collated footage here and it's good for a laugh.
It makes sense that Bastion has been pulled from the game entirely, given the severity of the bug. As for Torbjörn, it's a little less exciting: apparently his Overload ability can receive double duration if the button press is timed right, meaning he can run faster, receive more damage, and deal more damage for a lot longer. Given he'll stick around in Quick Play, it must be a rarely implemented exploit.
No indication was provided regarding the length of their suspension. Maybe once they're back, new players will have learned to play the objective.
These are some pretty innocuous bugs compared to the launch problems Overwatch 2 experienced, such as long matchmaking queues and an 'auto-purchase' glitch. Some players are also, understandably, annoyed by the need to attach a phone number to their Battle.net account, a big problem if you use a pre-paid phone. That functionality is also coming to Modern Warfare 2.
Still, it's early days, and what's a live service game without a parade of teething problems? Tyler's review-in-progress expresses mixed feelings.
QUICK PSA Bastion and Torbjörn will be taking a quick trip to the workshop while we iron out a few bugs in their ability kits! 
Bastion will be unavailable in all modes during this time, while Torbjörn will still be playable in Quick Play. pic.twitter.com/ghjLL5KV7bOctober 10, 2022See more -
New Blood teased a new CRPG back in June that's very deliberately taking cues from the original isometric Fallout games. Not only does the project boast two veterans of the Fallout modding scene, but original composer Mark Morgan will provide the soundtrack.
It's clearly a homage, but it isn't a copy. The still untitled game will deviate from the original games in at least one obvious way: the combat. In a Twitter thread, New Blood head Dave Oshry offered a rare update on the project, which will not be playable or even fully revealed "for a long time" (consider what you know and have seen of the project officially unrevealed, then).
"Surely the biggest complaint about classic Fallout games has always been the slow n' clunky nature of the turn based combat," Oshry wrote. "While we're still keeping things turn based, by switching up the style and perspective more akin to classic dungeon crawlers, we find it much more engaging."
See it below. As Oshry notes, it's first-person, but a boomer shooter it ain't. Most striking is the art of Alexander 'Red888guns' Berezin, who worked on the popular Fallout Sonora and Olympus 2207 mods.
Since today marks the 25th anniversary of #Fallout, maybe it's time we show you how we're changing the perspective of combat in @NewBlood's CRPG - and how it differs from our main inspiration. pic.twitter.com/ytFau23hqcOctober 10, 2022
See moreThe 30 second snippet also confirms some other features (albeit features you'd expect from a Fallout homage). Dialogue options range diplomatic through to cheeky, there's an action log, and the user interface is very much in keeping with the golden era of '90s CRPGs. The first-person view itself is very charming.
Still, given this game isn't even "revealed" yet, things will likely change between now and whenever it becomes an actual game we can play.
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Fatshark has released another video and developer update about the Veteran, a class in the upcoming cooperative horde shooter Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Specifically, we got a look at the Veteran's Sharpshooter class. This is one of the classes, Sharpshooter, inside the broader Veteran archetype.
Last week Fatshark let out the first look at a Darktide archetype, zooming in on the cultist-carving Zealot: Preacher. Fatshark says this is the halfway point on class spotlights, and has clarified that means each class will have one archetype at launch, with further classes for each archetype coming post-release.
As you might guess from the name, the Sharpshooter is a ranged combat specialist. They focus on using the lasgun and autogun, which are laser and bullet rifles respectively, and use something humble in melee: Like a knife, or shovel. The debut trailer also shows a Veteran using a heavier, much bluer-and-glowier, plasma gun.
Fatshark says that the Veteran: Sharpshooter may well be the best choice for those who're unfamiliar with their style of horde shooter, where melee combat is a big option, as it "leans heavily into the standard shooter trope." Certainly, the abilities emphasizing headshots and a frag grenade that makes a big boom are the things you'd expect from that.
The veteran's activated ability slows their movement, but gives them better weapon accuracy and handling alongside a big increase in damage when hitting vulnerable spots like the head. That's on top of their already-increased damage to weak spots, an innate passive power.
Their other passive power is increased ammo capacity for their weapons. Their bonus for keeping coherent with the team is a chance to not use any ammo while firing. (Love those, brilliant design idea for a shooter like this.)
You can read more about the class, and some nice lore, on Fatshark's character spotlight post for the Veteran: Sharpshooter.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is hotly anticiapted by two groups: Those who love the Left 4 Dead-style cooperative shooter formula, and those who love the Warhammer 40K world. Fatshark's past games in the genre, set in the Warhammer Fantasy world, Vermintide and Vermintide 2 are both superb. You can read everything we know about Darktide right here.
Darktide will have a beta this monthfollowing its delay to a November 30 release. In a hands-on with Darktide earlier this year, our Wes Fenlon said it "absolutely rules."
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Elongated letters and a colorful palette herald the rebrand of the studio formerly known as Square Enix Montréal, now Studio Onoma. The studio has rebranded, a name change necessitated because it is no longer owned by Square Enix.
The studio was behind innovative mobile-PC crossovers like the Hitman, Lara Croft, and Deus Ex GO games, brilliant minimalist puzzles that worked both as part of their own franchise and within the broader brand they were made from. Studio Onoma has since worked on the Hitman Sniper spinoff series.
Onoma is currently working on two mobile-first games: Tomb Raider Reloaded and Avatar Generations, based on Avatar: The Last Airbender.
A lot of stir went up when Embracer Group, the fast-growing Swedish games holding company, purchased all of Square Enix's Western studios at the end of August for a cool $300 million. That included Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montréal, and Square Enix Montréal. Those three companies constitute the Eidos Interactive Corporation, its own group of companies descended from the Eidos Interactive, a popular publisher in the late 90s and early 2000s most famous for originating the Tomb Raider series.
The studio apparently started the rebranding about five months ago, in May. The announcement on Studio Onoma's website is actually quite interesting if you're the kind of dork who, like me, finds the inner working of complex institutional processes like branding and graphic design fascinating.
The news post goes into details about how the team wanted a brand that wouldn't alienate any segment of gamers, and that could survive future changes in ownership or direction without needing further change. They created a custom font for the Onoma logo, and the elongated O in the center is intended as a standalone symbol which can be used across many pieces of advertising and kinds of products.
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Hello psyop123,
Welcome to UnityHQ Nolfseries Community. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
psyop123 joined on the 10/11/2022.
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The PC version of Persona 3 Portable will hit Steam and Game Pass early next year on January 19th, 2023. That's alongside the release of Persona 4 Golden on Game Pass, though its very well-received PC port surprise released on Steam back in 2020.
Special Announcement! 
Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden release for modern platforms on January 19, 2023! #P3P #P4G pic.twitter.com/OrAx46j8XGOctober 8, 2022See moreIn addition to Steam and Game Pass, the two much-beloved Persona titles will also come to the Microsoft Store.
Persona 5 Royal and Persona 3 Portable coming to PC caused quite a stir around the PC Gamer offices earlier this year during the not-E3 celebrations. I believe that our Mollie Taylor used the words "everyone shut the hell up," and she definitely said "I'm not screaming and crying, you are" in her article announcing it.
The Persona games are uniquely interesting for their emphasis on time-management and an in-game calendar that asks you to plan how you spend your days and nights. Strengthening your bond with your schoolmates and party members is often as important as training your own body, all of which is preparation to delve into strange and upsetting mind-palace-dungeons filled with demons of the id.
Meanwhile, Persona 5 Royal will impact Steam with the force of a thousand anime suns, juggernaut of the JRPG world that it is, later this month on October 21st.
While the Persona titles are thematically related, you can play them in any order. Dedicated Persona-heads will probably tell you to play them in release order, however, so if that's your preference wait until January to pick them all up. Or subscribe to Game Pass for a while, I guess.
Should be a healthy 400 hours of gaming in there for you either way.
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Remember this nightmare fuel? Well, it's finally coming out. Train-based open world survival horror game Choo-Choo Charles will make its debut on December 9th, 2022, via Steam. It'll come to consoles at a later date.
A horror game where you navigate an open-world island in an old train, upgrade it over time, and use it to fight an evil spider train named Charles. Wishlist Choo-Choo Charles on Steam to be notified when it releases on December 9, 2022! (Link in comments) pic.twitter.com/ff7ZWgitWXOctober 8, 2022
See moreWe first reported on Charles, who to be clear is an evil train locomotive with a clownish nightmare face and spider legs, last October. At the time, gifs of the train horror went viral all of the normal places people post images and videos of train horrors and video games. At the time, I speculated that Charles may or may not lay eggs. You know, like a spider.
Folks, there are monster eggs in the trailer.
Choo-Choo Charles will be a survival horror game where the player must scavenge parts and upgrade their old locomotive into a mobile war-vehicle capable of taking on and taking down the unrepentantly vicious train-beast that is Charles. The trailer shows off rocket-propelled grenades, heavy cannons, flamethrowers, and machine guns as part of the Charles-fighting arsenal. The trailer also includes spooky people wearing Charles masks, which I can only assume are either a defense mechanism or a Charles-worshipping cult.
Choo-Choo Charles developer Two Star Games is in truth just Gavin Eisenbeisz, a starry-eyed youth who's developing it in Unreal engine and has been very open about the process, posting update videos to YouTube every few months. "It's been a little bit stressful, although I think the stress is mostly adrenaline," he told PC Gamer at the time of Charles' viral debut.
You can find Choo-Choo Charles on Steam, and you can find Two Star Games on both Steam and Itch.io and at a buncha other places via its linktree.
Two Star Games' older works include My Beautiful Paper Smile, a hand-drawn horror game, and the free surreal exploration adventure Cloud Climber.
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If this article was just going to be the best FIFA 23 players in terms of pure stats, then you'd be looking at an incredibly samey list of amazing centre forwards and pacey wingers. Instead, this guide will go through the 11 best players in the world based on their position. The qualifier? This is based on FIFA 23's stats, and not my highly biased real world opinions—nor those you'd find on Sky, BT or ESPN Sports.
Goalkeeper
(Image credit: EA)Thibaut Courtois
Rating: 90An absolute monster of a keeper, and proof positive that goalies can individually win you big finals. Has there ever been a better, more convincing display in Courtois' position than the Champions League final last season against Liverpool? His shot-stopping isn't just off the page, he's a mentality monster, too. Go back over thirty years of European football, and you'll struggle to find a better, big game keeper.
Centre-back
Virgil Van Dijk
Rating: 90The most supremely confident centre half in world football over the last decade, and it's not all that close. Liverpool made the best, most canny signing of their modern history when they bought Virgil for a reasonably paltry fee from Southampton all those years ago. Almost unbeatable in the air, and hugely composed on the ball, until a certain William Saliba this season, VVD has set the bar for all EPL defenders.
(Image credit: EA)Ruben Dias
Rating: 88A transformative central defensive signing for the already absurdly good Man City, Dias is one of the most composed centre-backs ever to grace the English Premier League. Like in real life, Dias is incredibly assured on the ball in FIFA 23. His passing stats are also through the roof, making him almost as much of a Kevin De Bryune as he is a Tony Adams or John Terry.
Left back
(Image credit: EA)João Cancelo
Rating: 88Another FIFA 23 entry, another Man City player. Yawn. Also, look away for non-Citizens, because this list is only going to get more tiresome. It's like Pep Guardiola is the best manager in world football or something, because here's another unbelievably good FIFA 23 player who just so happens to reside on his books. In terms of creativity, you'll struggle to find a better LB than Cancelo in FIFA 23.
Right back
Kyle Walker
Rating: 85He might have been around since the days of the GTX 970—and actually, decidedly longer—but City's trusty RB is rapid beyond his years. A natural athlete with seemingly untapped reserves of speed, there's almost no other right back we'd rather sign in FIFA 23 than the former Tottenham ace.
Defensive midfielder
Casemiro
Rating: 89He just provided Ronaldo with his 700th club career goal, but we think we'd still rather start McTominay. Jokes! The five times Champions League winner may not be getting any younger, and his wages will cost you a silly amount in FIFA 23's Career Mode, but DMs don't come any more experienced or classier than Casemiro.
Central midfielder
(Image credit: EA)Kevin De Bryune
Rating: 91The best creative midfielder in the history of the Premier League… and he's still got a lot of years ahead of him. Old Kev has probably been the most consistent player in world football for the last decade. Not only is he ruthless in front of goal for a midfielder, his assist ratio is unparalleled. Judging by how many times he's set up Haaland already this season—and yes, it is absurd FIFA's stats game excludes the Norwegian hitman from this list—De Druyne will probably end the year on thirty league assists.
Left winger
Neymar Jr.
Rating: 89The Brazilian who has gone for all the transfer fees in the past is a serial winner. A certain FIFA 23 male cover star may slightly be stealing his spotlight at the moment, but make no mistake: Neymar is an absolute killer. Pacy, and a devastating dribbler, you won't find many more effective attackers in EA's final FIFA than this Samba star.
Right winger
(Image credit: EA)Mohamed Salah
Rating: 90Poor Mo is probably glad his FIFA 23 numbers are based on his 2020/21 stats. Over the last year, Salah has almost stunk out the joint in the English Premier League. Thankfully, FIFA has a longer memory, and Mohamed remains pretty much the most dangerous right sided attacker in virtual world football. Just don't mention the recent Arsenal game where he got subbed off after 60 minutes.
Second striker
Kylian Mbappé
Rating: 91FIFA 23's main male cover star is—alongside Erling Haaland—a once in a generational talent. While his goals record may not quite compare to the Norwegian assassin, he's a better athlete to watch in full flight. Let off the leash in either FIFA or real life, the lighting fast PSG forward is the next coming of Thierry Henry.
Central striker
Karin Benzema
Rating: 91It's absolutely absurd Benny is on this list. Despite being 34, the Real Madrid striker has just enjoyed one of the best European campaigns in the history of the Champions League. With over 40 club goals to his name last season, while he pretty much dragged Madrid to a historic 14th European Cup by himself, Karin is currently redefining what a striker can do in his mid-30s at a truly elite level.
The top 20 players this year
Some of these positions are out of date compared to what's going on in the world of football right now, but that's FIFA and overly leaning on legacy players for you. Putting that aside, these are the 20 best players you can currently sign or play with in FIFA 23.
Rank Player Club Position Overall 1 Karim Benzama Real Madrid CF 91 2 Robert Lewandowski FC Barcelona ST 91 3 Kylian Mbappe PSG ST 91 4 Kevin De Bruyne Manchester City CM 91 5 Lionel Messi PSG RW 91 6 Mohamed Salah Liverpool RW 90 7 Virgil Van Dijk Liverpool CB 90 8 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United ST 90 9 Thibaut Courtois Real Madrid GK 90 10 Manuel Neuer FC Bayern Munich GK 90 11 Neymar Jr. PSG LW 89 12 Heung Min Son Tottenham Hotspur LW 89 13 Sadio Mane FC Bayern Munich LM 89 14 Casemiro Manchester United CDM 89 15 Joshua Kimmich FC Bayern Munich CDM 89 16 Alisson Liverpool GK 89 17 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur ST 89 18 Ederson Manchester City GK 89 19 N'Golo Kante Chelsea CDM 89 20 Jan Oblak Atletico De Madrid GK 89 -
The nature of the internet is that an amazing piece of information can be out there for decades, before the right person shares it and everyone's slightly gobsmacked we missed it for so long. This is hardly the most consequential of tales, but it was first shared by software engineer Joel Spolsky way back in the year 2000 in a post about the chicken and egg problem for platform and software developers.
A few days ago Kal Yoshika, a podcaster and game developer, read the blogpost and shared this story about Sim City (and the tweet was subsequently picked up by outlets including RPS) that's just been out there in the wilds for the past twenty years.
Spolsky is writing about how important backwards compatibility was for Microsoft, and how the success of Windows 3, in Spolsky's interpretation at least, could in part be put down to how well it ran older software. Thus we move onto Windows 95…
"Windows 95? No problem," writes Spolsky. "Nice new 32 bit API, but it still ran old 16 bit software perfectly. Microsoft obsessed about this, spending a big chunk of change testing every old program they could find with Windows 95.
"Jon Ross, who wrote the original version of SimCity for Windows 3.x, told me that he accidentally left a bug in SimCity where he read memory that he had just freed. Yep. It worked fine on Windows 3.x, because the memory never went anywhere."
On a different operating system, however, this bug could stop the game working altogether: and SimCity was a very popular game indeed.
"Here’s the amazing part," writes Spolsky. "On beta versions of Windows 95, SimCity wasn’t working in testing. Microsoft tracked down the bug and added specific code to Windows 95 that looks for SimCity. If it finds SimCity running, it runs the memory allocator in a special mode that doesn’t free memory right away. That’s the kind of obsession with backward compatibility that made people willing to upgrade to Windows 95."
These days every game receives post-launch support but, back then, whatever bugs a game shipped with would be a part of it forever. The industry as it was didn't have post-launch support as a high priority, and it was out of the question that the SimCity developers would fix this bug: so Microsoft built a whole little system that temporarily runs your PC in a new manner to countervent it. It's one of those heroic programmer moments where no-one would ever have known about this if not for Spolsky's post, because it did the job.
Yoshika's initial sharing of this led to some others chiming in with their favourites. The superbly named code_and_beer points out that the PC version of Final Fantasy VII "will outright die if it sees it's running on Win NT instead of Win95, so Windows lies based on the presence of some files." That is, NT tells FF7 it's running on Windows 95, even though it's not, just so Square Enix's magnum opus runs. Brilliant.
SimCity programmer Jon Ross would go on to work on the series for many years, and is responsible for one of the silliest game easter eggs ever. It will (probably) make you laugh though.
Fun fact about SimCity 2000: If you sit through the entire credits, the game feels pity on you and gives you an easter egg in the form of Jon Ross's (the DOS programmer) favorite joke. pic.twitter.com/3lWoFnRiUIDecember 13, 2018
See moreJoel Spolsky is now retired after a long and extraordinary career in software, during which he worked on world-famous products and founded multiple companies. His personal website is infrequently updated but absolutely rammed with his thoughts on technology and the wider issues the industry faces.
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If you’re lucky enough to be able to play FIFA 23 on PC this year, you’ll need some tips for soccer success. As online play is so unpredictable, and Ultimate Team more than a little objectionable with its focus of pay-to-win, good old fashioned Career Mode is the best place for me to offer advice.
While the core gameplay has changed bit by bit over the years, EA’s last licensed game with the FIFA name isn’t really all that different. So if you want to bag more virtual league titles than Pep Guardiola with a chequebook that would make Jeff Bezos wince, here are your top tips for winning FIFA 23 games in Career Mode.
(Image credit: EA)Switch to 'Semi' whenever you can
FIFA has long been a strange beast when it comes to handing over total control to its players. Like an extra obsessive Guardiola, FIFA 23 loves to take the reins by default. On normal settings, the game will more or less put you in the back seat for every major on-pitch moment. Don’t let this happen. To wrestle back more agency, and a more satisfying level of control, go to 'Customise Controls' from the main menu, then switch most of the main options from 'Assisted' to 'Semi'.
By switching Ground Past Assistance, Shot Assistance, Lob Pass Assistance, and Lobbed Through Pass Assistance to Semi, you’ll automatically feel in more control of passing, shots and through balls. This not only gives you a greater level of precision in big moments of matches, it makes you feel more control during every minute of play.
Play on the counter
Like many past entries in EA’s series, the through ball is king in FIFA 23. Canny use of one-twos with your wingers, while also looking for that cutthroat final ball to your striker, usually pays dividends if you get your timings right. Most of the AI teams in Career Mode play compact and with a deep block, so it can be incredibly difficult to pass through them during normal phases of play.
The good thing is, at World Class difficulty and above, even the lesser teams will really go at you in FIFA 23’s Career Mode. Be on your heels, get the ball to either wing with a cutting through pass from one of your full backs, and—one more well timed through ball later—you can often find your forward in a one on one with your opposition’s keeper.
(Image credit: EA)Play on World Class difficulty or above
Actually, just play on World Class difficulty. If you’re a semi decent FIFA player, this is the absolute sweet spot when it comes to eking out a satisfying challenge. Of the seven difficulty levels, World Class offers the best balance between challenge and fun. At the default Professional difficulty or below, you’ll probably steamroll teams with a half decent side in Career Mode. But on World Class, while the goals may flow, you’ll still need a high level of consistency to win whatever given league you’re competing for.
Example? I’m currently first after 20 league games played in the EPL while playing as Arsenal. My Lead? An incredibly slender point to a monstrous Manchester City side who have already beasted me 3-1 at the Emirates in the one match we’ve played against each other so far. While goals can flow at this level if you’re a decent player, expect most teams on World Class to still outpass you, and hold more possession. It means counter attacks remain crucial, at this difficulty setting and beyond.
(Image credit: EA)Don't rely on crossing to score
Just don’t. In previous seasons, old FIFAs would quite happily let you outstrip a winger, ping an early ball into the box, then be greeted by the sight of your striker greedily nodding in a free header. This year, those days are done. In dozens of Career Mode games, I’ve scored exactly zero headers in FIFA 23—they’re no longer an effective tool.
Same goes for corners. They’re utterly toothless in FIFA 23. In over thirty online, exhibition and career games, I’ve yet to once seriously test a keeper from one. If you’re lucky enough to beat the first man via a corner in FIFA 23, the resulting ball will usually be gobbled up by a centre half at the front post. Your best bet for actually doing something with a corner? Use the 'Call a Second Player' command—by default LT/L2—to coax one of your players into playing it short, whereby some neat passing around the opposition box may reward you with a clear strike on goal.
Fiddle with customisation settings
By default, the AI in FIFA 23 is a bit of a cheat. Hell, it always has been. Playing at the default 'Professional' level and above, you’ll find even the most journeyman centre backs can keep pace with Man City Norwegian Terminator, Erling Haaland. That’s why you’re more than entitled to level the playing field a little.
Head to both 'User Gameplay Customisation' and 'CPU Gameplay Customisation' and give your players 52 for both Sprint Speed and Acceleration, while also setting the CPU’s same stats to 48 apiece. Tweaking these settings will stop the AI immediately catching up with your players, and if you’re playing with a side with elite forwards like Salah or Jesus, this tiny change will let you stay in front of defenders who would never have a hope of catching these players in real-world football.
(Image credit: EA)Forget about scoring from range
Goals from more than 20-odd yards out in FIFA 23 are seriously uncommon. Harry Kane has more medals in his trophy cabinet than the average player at EA’s latest will notch up in out-of-box screamers. Cautious build-up with neat passing and the eye for a defence-cutting through ball on the wing are the way to go. AI defenders close in on your players when they’re about to shoot with embarrassing efficiency, so resist the urge to blast in on from 35 yards. Work the space, get in the box, and try to get your striker in and around the penalty area before you waste a potentially well worked team goal for a long-range stinger that will inevitably ping off an opposition defender’s shin.
(Image credit: EA)Pass relentlessly between your back five if you’re hanging onto a win
If you need to embrace the absolute dirtiest side of The Force by challenging your inner Mourinho when a victory is almost upon the cards, then by all means do it. At 'Legendary' and 'Ultimate' difficulties, the AI can be a beyond ruthless finisher. If there are only a few minutes on the clock and you’re desperately hanging on for the win, ditch all notions of expansive football. Even at the highest difficulty, FIFA 23's AI will only push so high for so long. If the clock hits 85 minutes and you’re nervous but leading, play short possession football between your goalie and back four, and the slightly cynical win should come.
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Prime Day GPU deals(Image credit: Future)
Jump straight to the deals you want...
1. US GPU deals
2. UK GPU deals
3. GPU benchmarksAmazon Prime Early Access graphics card deals are real and here right now. It may feel like an age since we've had graphics cards costing less, let alone approaching their MSRPs, but it appears that some normality is returning to proceedings. The death of Ethereum GPU mining and new graphics cards from Intel and Nvidia, with AMD's RDNA 3 not far behind, have led to some healthy reductions. Particularly when it comes to AMD's Radeon RX 6000-series GPUs.
The fact that we do have new graphics cards coming does have us recommending some caution when it comes to the more expensive cards. There may be some serious reductions on the likes of the RTX 3090 Ti and Radeon RX 6900 XT, but if you find yourself looking at over $1,000 still, then you may be better served waiting for the newer cards—they simply promise far better bang for your buck than the current generation.
The only potential problem with holding out for the new cards is down to the fact that supply always tends to be very tight for a new generation of cards—you may have to wait to get your hands on the newest, shiniest thing. And as we saw with the current generation, other factors could mean that you could be asked to pay over the odds as well. Hopefully, the various retailers have learned some tricks to discourage unscrupulous resellers this time around, though.
If you're not an Amazon Prime subscriber already, you can join Amazon Prime to get access to the Prime Early Access deals. Amazon Prime costs $139 for a one-year membership or $14.99 per month. Amazon offers a 30-day free trial, so you can try it out before fully committing.
It's worth noting that we expect the rest of the industry to want a slice of Amazon's action here too, and expect discounts from all usual suspects.
If you're after a full machine, the Amazon Prime Early Access gaming PC and Prime Early Access gaming monitor deals will give make life less stressful. There's also a page with our top picks, and the full selection of Amazon Prime Early access PC gaming deals around today, from TVs to peripherals, and more.
Where are the best Prime Day graphics card deals?
- Amazon - Save up to $200 on current-gen Nvidia & AMD graphics cards
- Best Buy - The only place to reserve Nvidia cards at MSRP
- Walmart - RTX 3070 discounts up to $200
- B&H Photo - Discounts of up to $500 on select GPUs
- Newegg - Save over 20% on the list price of AMD graphics cards
Amazon Prime Early Access graphics card deals
Gigabyte Eagle Radeon RX 6600 | 8GB GDDR6 | 1,792 stream processors | 2,391MHz Boost |
£399.99$239.99 at Best Buy (save $160)
The Radeon RX 6600 makes a lot more sense at this price point than it did at its peak. You'll enjoy smooth 1080p gaming with the settings cranked up pretty high, and the triple fan cooler will ensure the card runs cool and quiet too. There are more powerful cards out there, but this offers impressive value for money all the same.View DealGigabyte Gaming OC Radeon RX 6650 XT | 8GB GDDR6 | 2,048 stream processors | 2,694MHz boost |
$319$284.99 at Newegg (save $35)
This doesn't sound like such a crazy price from the Newegg listing, but trust me, it's possibly the best we've seen in, literally, years. The original version of this card launched for $379, competing with the RTX 3060 Ti and RTX 3060. Today, the slightly faster RX 6650 XT version is less than the price of most RTX 3050s. Let that sink in for a moment. And it's a triple-fan cooler from a trusted manufacturer.View DealGigabyte Eagle Radeon RX 6650 XT | 8GB GDDR6 | 2,048 stream processors | 2,635MHz boost |
$339.99$284.99 at Newegg (save $55)
There's also the Gigabyte Eagle version on sale for the same price. Slightly slower boost clock on this one, however. Still, a formidable price tag for a capable 1080p and 1440p graphics card. View DealXFX Speedster RX 6900 XT MERC319 | 16GB GDDR6 | 5,120 shaders | 2,365MHz Boost |
$899.99$699.99 at Amazon (save $200)
Sitting somewhere between the RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3080 in terms of performance, the RX 6900 XT's sale price makes a lot more sense these days. I mean, it's still a big chunk of cash for a graphics card, but if you're going to buy a high-end GPU today this is genuinely a decent deal. It's a shame AMD's RDNA 2 isn't a bit better at ray tracing, but that's the only downside at this price.View DealGigabyte RTX 3080 Gaming OC | 10GB GDDR6X | 8,704 Shaders | 1,800MHz Boost |
$839.99$759.99 at Newegg (save $80)
This is the original take on the RTX 3080, which means you get 10GB of GDDR6X and 8,704 CUDA Cores—256 less than you get with the slightly newer 12GB version of the GPU. Importantly, you can max everything out with this card, even at 4K, and enjoy some serious high-end gaming. Make sure to use the code FTSBUAA696 at checkout the an extra $40 off.View DealASRock RX 6800 XT Phantom | 16GB GDDR6 | 4,608 shaders | 2,310MHz Boost |
$639.99$549.99 at Newegg (save $90)
When they first launched, the RTX 3080 and RX 6800 XT went head-to-head and could barely be separated. That means, so long as ray tracing isn't right at the top of your must-have list (it really shouldn't be) then opting for the cheaper AMD card is possibly the smarter choice.View DealXFX Speedster RX 6800 XT MERC319 | 16GB GDDR6 | 4,608 shaders | 2,250MHz Boost |
$719.99$619.99 at Amazon (save $100)
This isn't as good a deal as the ASRock RX 6800 XT from Newegg, but we've already seen that go out of stock a few times recently. And it's still a lot cheaper than the cheapest RTX 3080 we've seen and can deliver the same level of gaming performance, too.View DealAsus TUF RTX 3070 Ti | 8GB GDDR6X | 6,144 shaders | 1,815MHz Boost |
$689.99$659.99 at Newegg (save $30)
At this price, the RTX 3070 Ti starts to look like a much more tempting purchase. This is the full-fat GA104 GPU and comes with speedier memory than the standard RTX 3070. But it does trail the RX 6800 XT in terms of performance, so if the prices are close enough for you not to worry about the extra, the AMD card is the one to go for.View DealXFX RX 6700 XT Speedster Qick | 12GB GDDR6 | 2,560 shaders | 2,622MHz Boost |
$549.99$429.99 at B&H Photo (save $120)
The Radeon RX 6700 XT is a great mid-range offering that can take the fight to the RTX 3060 Ti and win, or be close enough as to not matter, excluding ray tracing at any rate. Given this tends to be cheaper than Nvidia's card, this is where the sensible money is. Not a huge saving here, but it all helps.View DealPNY GeForce RTX 3070 XLR8 Gaming Revel Epic-X RGB Triple Fan Edition | 5,888 cores | 8GB GDDR6X | 1,725MHz Boost |
$699.99$499.99 at B&H (save $200)
Phew, that's one heck of a name. But look past its absurd title and you'll find a hefty triple-fan GPU with plenty of performance to offer at 4K and below. It's not a bad get right now, though the next generation is just around the corner.View DealGigabyte RTX 3070 Vision OC LHR | 8GB GDDR6 | 5,888 cores | 1,815MHz Boost |
$729.99$549.99 at B&H Photo (save $180)
Of all of Nvidia's GPUs, it's the RTX 3070 that is often closest to the MSRP. To the point that there was a time where you could get an RTX 3070 for less than some RTX 3060 Ti cards. This snazzy-looking Gigabyte card is a case in point. You're looking at a triple-fan beast that can handle 1440p with ease and 4K is possible too. View DealGigabyte RTX 3070 Gaming OC | 8GB GDDR6 | 5,888 cores | 1,815MHz Boost |
$599.99$549.99 at Newegg (save $50)
This is an Nvidia card getting closer to its MSRP in factory overclocked guise. That makes it a rather rare beast indeed and a great little GPU to boot. It's comfortably faster than the last-gen $1,200 card, and it's only a little more than the cheapest RTX 3060 Ti deals today.View DealXFX RX 6700 XT Speedster SWFT309 | 12GB GDDR6 | 2,560 shaders | 2,581MHz Boost |
$519.99$419.99 at Amazon (save $100)
I am so over XFX's naming scheme for its graphics cards, but suffice to say that this is almost identical to the one above, but with a slightly lower Boost clock. Though how much difference that will make in gaming will be negligible. This one's cheaper though, which is always important.View DealGigabyte RTX 3070 Gaming OC | 8GB GDDR6 | 5,888 shaders | 1,815MHz Boost |
$599.99$549.99 at Newegg
This is an Nvidia card getting dangerously close to its MSRP in factory overclocked guise. That makes it a rather rare beast indeed, and a great little GPU to boot. It's comfortably faster than the last-gen $1,200 card remember, and it's only a little more than the cheapest RTX 3060 Ti deals today. Use promo code FTSBUAA695 for the full discount.View DealGigabyte RX 6700 XT Eagle | 12GB GDDR6 | 2,560 shaders | 2,581MHz Boost |
$549.99$449.99 at Newegg (save $100)
This RX 6700 XT is $50 cheaper than the lowest cost RTX 3060 Ti we've found, and delivers the same rasterized gaming performance. Ray tracing, it's admittedly slower, but honestly, you're probably not going to want to turn RT on with the Nvidia card, either. This is a quality mid-range card, with a serious triple-fan cooler to boot.View DealGigabyte RTX 3060 Ti Eagle | 8GB GDDR6 | 4,864 shaders | 1,695MHz Boost |
$549.99$449.99 at Newegg (save $50)
This is as cheap as we've found the RTX 3060 Ti anywhere this Prime Day, but with the highest boost clock of any. The price is still frustratingly above MSRP, but this is still a great graphics card right now, and won't let you down even up to top 1440p settings.View DealMSI Mech RX 6600 XT | 8GB GDDR6 | 2,048 shaders | 2,602MHz |
$349.99$339.99 at Newegg (save $10 after rebate)
Again, the smart money is buying AMD graphics cards at the low end of the GPU market. The RX 6600 XT is both cheaper and faster than the RTX 3060, despite losing out on the memory front. Don't be fooled by that 12GB vs. 8GB thing.View DealGigabyte Eagle OC RTX 3060 | 12GB GDDR6 | 3,584 shaders | 1807MHz|
$409.99$379.99 at Newegg (save $20)
This is a solid price on an RTX 3060 with a decent boost clock and 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM. If you need a strong GPU for your new rig or your existing one, it's a fine choice. Pop in coupon code VGAEXCGBET253 to save an extra $10.View DealPNY RTX 3060 XLR8 Revel Epix-X | 12GB GDDR6 | 3,584 shaders | 1,777MHz Boost |
$459.99$384.99 at B&H Photo (save $75)
This compact RTX 3060 would be a great option for that mini-ITX build you've been planning, but couldn't find a graphics card to fit. Or even one you could afford. At just $55 over the original MSRP it's not a bad price for the lowest-spec Nvidia card we'd recommend today.View DealAmazon Prime Early Access UK Graphics Card deals
Gigabyte RTX 3080 Ti Vision OC | 12GB GDDR6X | 10,240 shaders | 1,710MHz Boost |
£1,389.99£1,019.99 at Amazon (save £370)
The RTX 3080 is our main recommendation for this generation, but if you need more raw grunt, then the RTX 3080 Ti provides it without going completely over the top in the way the RTX 3090 does. This is still very much excessive, but at least it looks really cool with its massive white triple-fan, triple-slot cooler. View DealGigabyte RX 6800 XT Gaming OC | 16GB GDDR6 | 4,608 shaders | 2,285MHz Boost |
£818.99£749.99 at Overclockers (save £69)
The RX 6800 XT is a powerful GPU, offering comparable performance to the GeForce RTX 3080 in loads of games. The only caveat is ray tracing still heavily favours Nvidia's offering. Importantly you're not going to see an RTX 3080 for this sort of cash, making this Gigabyte card the power play for serious gamers. You'll enjoy 4K performance happily enough with this for sure.View DealPowerColor RX 6600 Fighter | 8GB GDDR6 | 1,792 shaders | 2,491MHz Boost |
£289.99£259.98 at Ebuyer (save £30)
The Radeon RX 6600 isn't a bad GPU for the right money, and this reduction to below £260 makes this one of the cheapest options around. The performance isn't far off Nvidia's RTX 3060, which means you're hitting silky smooth frame rates at 1080p without having to hack the settings. This is a quiet running card too.View DealZotac RTX 3080 Trinity LHR | 12GB GDDR6X | 8,960 shaders | 1,725MHz Boost |
£1,169.99£788.99 at Overclockers UK (save £370)
This is the slightly newer take on the RTX 3080 that has an extra 2GB of GDDR6X to call its own. There's a nominal bump to the sticker price because of this, but given the state of the market, it's almost impossible to detect. What you do get for the money is a powerful GPU capable of 4K gaming with all the effects maxed out. Even reduced, this is still pricey, but it's oh so powerful.View DealGigabyte RTX 3080 Gaming OC | 10GB GDDR6X | 8,704 shaders | 1,800MHz Boost | £799.99 at Amazon
This card represents the original take on the RTX 3080, so it only seems fair that it's the most affordable of the three RTX 3080s here. For £780 you get 10GB of GDDR6X and 8,704 CUDA Cores—256 less than you get with the slightly newer 12GB version of the card. Importantly, you can max everything out with this card, even at 4K, and enjoy some serious high-end gaming.View DealZotac RTX 3060 Twin Edge | 12GB GDDR6 | 3,584 shaders | 1,777MHz Boost |
£409.99£375.63 at Box (save £34)
Admittedly this isn't the biggest saving you'll see this Amazon Prime Day, but it still makes for the cheapest RTX 3060s we can find right now. You get a quality cooler for your money that runs cool and quiet and you get to hit smooth frame rates at 1080p and even 1440p if you're prepared to tweak the settings. View DealGPU benchmarks
Every new GPU generation offers new features and possibilities. But rasterized rendering is still the most important metric for general gaming performance across the PC gaming world. Sure, Nvidia GPUs might well be better at the ray tracing benchmarks they more or less instigated, but when it comes to standard gaming performance AMD's latest line up can certainly keep pace.
It's also worth noting that the previous generation of graphics cards do still have something to offer, with something like the GTX 1650 Super able to outpace a more modern RTX 3050 in most benchmarks.
We're not saying you should buy an older card in 2022, but it's worth knowing where your current GPU stacks up, or just knowing the lie of the land. But there is also the fact there will be gaming rigs on sale with older graphics cards over the next few days, and if they're cheap enough they may still be worth a punt as a cheap entry into PC gaming.
We've benchmarked all the latest GPUs of this generation, and have tracked their performance against the previous generation in terms of 3DMark Time Spy Extreme scores. Where we don't have the referential numbers for an older card we have used the average index score from the UL database. These figures track alongside an aggregated 1440p frame rate score from across our suite of benchmarks.
(Image credit: Future) -
Overwatch 2 Twitch drops are a decent way of getting fun in-game stuff without having to shell out your hard-earned cash. Though not quite free—since you'll be paying for them with your time—they are convenient for those who'd be watching streams anyway, or who are open to starting. That said, you could also just open a stream in a separate tab and mute it if you just want the stuff.
If you're unfamiliar with Twitch drops, they are rewards you get for watching Twitch streams of a particular game, in this case, Overwatch 2. If you watch enough, you can even unlock a Legendary skin for the new character, Kiriko, as well as some other in-game cosmetics and a special voiceline. In this Overwatch 2 Twitch drops guide, I'll explain how to activate Twitch Drops, when you'll need to watch, and how to claim them once you're done.
How to set up Overwatch 2 Twitch drops
(Image credit: Blizzard)In order to be eligible for Overwatch 2 Twitch drops, you need to link your Twitch and Battle.net accounts. Even if you've done it before, you're going to have to re-link them for it to work with the new game. Here's how to do it:
- Log in to Battle.net launcher
- Click the top left Battle.net symbol and select 'My Account'
- Click 'Connections' on the left side then press the +Connect next to Twitch at the bottom
- Log in to your Twitch, click 'Authorise', and then click 'Continue'
Now your accounts are linked and you can start getting your Twitch drops.
How to get the Legendary Kiriko Sukajan skin
Image 1 of 3The Legendary Kiriko Sukajan skin (Image credit: Blizzard)Image 2 of 3The Donut weapon charm (Image credit: Blizzard)Image 3 of 3The Razor Sharp Kiriko spray (Image credit: Blizzard)The first two Twitch drops on offer are the Legendary Kiriko Sukajan skin and her extra "I take care of my friends!" voiceline. In order to get both of these you're going to have to watch any Twitch stream in the Overwatch 2 category for six hours between October 7 at 2pm PDT (10pm BST, 5pm ET) and October 16 at 11:59pm PDT (7:59am BST, 2:59am ET). After you watch for two hours you'll unlock the voiceline to claim on Twitch, but then you'll need to watch a further four hours to get the Sukajan skin.
The second set of Twitch drops include the Razor Sharp Kiriko spray, and the Donut weapon charm. For the first you'll have to watch any Overwatch 2 stream for two hours between October 17 at 11am PDT (7pm BST, 2pm ET) and October 24 at 12am PDT (8am BST, 3am ET). If you want that Donut Weapon Charm as well, you'll need to watch for a further three hours, for five total.
It's worth noting that you don't need to watch the same channel the entire time to earn your drop, so you can progress towards it by watching multiple streams a bit at a time if you choose.
Once you've watched enough to earn the drops, you can claim them in your Twitch Drops inventory page. You can also find a full breakdown on the official Blizzard blog post, including which regions can participate in the drops.
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Best of Minecraft(Image credit: Jupitess / Mojang)
Minecraft skins: New looks
Minecraft servers: Online worlds
Minecraft commands: All cheats
Minecraft mods: Beyond vanilla
Minecraft shaders: Spotlight
Minecraft seeds: Fresh new worlds
Minecraft texture packs: TransformBringing together your own personal list of the best Minecraft mods for a brand new world? When you want more options than the standard Minecraft playthrough has on offer, mods catapult you into a new world of voxel options. From the simplest quality of life changes to complete game overhauls, mods can expand Minecraft's prodigiously sized sandbox into an infinite one. For you that could mean revisiting your favorite Mario memories, or even just Minecrafting with enormous numbers of other players.
Minecraft 1.19 is settled, and the latest Minecraft mob vote is here. As mod creators toil in the mines to craft compatibility updates for Minecraft's latest version, you may be waiting a bit before your favorite mods are brought in line. But since some mods are so comprehensive that they're basically a different game, bundles of mods for older versions are worthy of investigating.
We've chosen all the finest mods that will make your next world more convenient, more magical, or way more complicated—no matter what your preference is.
This list of the best Minecraft mods has been updated for 2022, with all the best modpacks and standalone mods you can play right now.
Best Minecraft modpacks
If you want to overhaul your Minecraft experience with super deep tech trees or quests or even Pokémon, modpacks can do that. Instead of making your own mods list and checking for compatibility and version updates, modpacks give you a whole new suite of selections that have already been curated. All of these packs can be played through the launcher specified, which means it's super quick and breezy to install and get playing.
SkyFactory 4
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.12.2
Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download hereAs pretty much the ultimate evolution of the skyblock style of modpack/map, SkyFactory 4 gives some serious quality of life improvements to the experience. No longer will you toil for Minecraft-years on some parts of resource gathering, like sieving. SkyFactory 4 also automatically tracks what you’ve accomplished in an advancement system (without locking you into following it), and adds a new "Prestige" system that lets you unlock new mods and tech in an open progression system that ports across your different worlds.
FTB Revelation
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.12
Play it on: Feed The Beast LauncherAn enormous kitchen sink style pack, Revelation has a bottomless well of mods of all kinds. If you want to sort through a near-endless pile of options for your experience, Revelation brings in everything from magic mods like Botania and Thaumcraft to technology in Immersive Engineering and EnderIO, and combines them with quality of life and other mods both obscure and popular. In total, Revelation is the largest pack on the Feed the Beast launcher, and you can easily get lost in it.
Engineers Life 2
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.16.5
Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download hereFocused on using fewer mods with more impact, Engineer’s Life 2 centers around the excellent Immersive Engineering mod (which you’ll find out more about in our individual mods). It adds a variety of quality of life improvements, quests, things to explore for, and revolves around creating interesting looking technology-focused builds at your own pace. It also contains some additions for the explorer that lives in us all, with refinements on underground dungeons and mob spawners and quest-based progression.
Roguelike Adventures and Dungeons
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.12.2
Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download hereDo you prefer to live life dangerously, seeking the next horizon or chest full of loot? Roguelike Adventures and Dungeons is focused on getting you out and exploring and risking your blocky neck instead of trapped in your dirt hovel browsing complicated recipes. With multiple mods introducing other dimensions like Twilight Forest, Aether, and Betweenlands, and others adding new structures and dungeons to the overworld, you’ll never be without new sights to see. Thankfully, whatever you find there, you can also carry with you thanks to Improved Backpacks, before finding just the right biome for your trophy room with Nature’s Compass.
SevTech Ages
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.12.2
Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download hereSimilar to the ages of a game like Civilization, SevTech Ages drops you into the world with barely the ability to bang rocks together. As you begin to figure out the basics, SevTech lets you progress through massive tech trees of achievements, gradually unlocking more and more useful features and recipes (and the diverse mods they draw from) as you master each set of tools or blocks. It’s a wonderful slow burn pack to tackle with friends or alone, as long as you enjoy progression at a slower pace.
Pixelmon
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.16.5
Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download herePokémon has reached down to the Minecraft world in the form of the Pixelmon mod, and the Pixelmon modpack optimizes it with a few select additions. Here, you can search the world for rare and unusual Pokémon, capture them with pokéballs that you purchase in towns or make yourself, breed Pokémon to optimize them, and battle against other players, NPC trainers, or boss/mega evolved Pokémon in the wild. Supremely open ended and the perfect playground to create a multiplayer server (or just mess around living your best trainer life) Pixelmon is a supremely unique experience that captures some of the best of the Pokémon games.
Best Minecraft Mods
Minecolonies
(Image credit: Mojang, modded by Let's Dev Together)Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Minecolonies is a huge mod that essentially turns Minecraft into a town management simulation. If you're more about exploring than building, but still want to feel like you've really left your mark, maybe become the caretaker of a Minecraft colony. You'll manage NPC village workers, plan the location on structures, and direct security against monsters. It even works in multiplayer, so you can set this one up on a server with your friends.
Biomes O'Plenty
(Image credit: Forstride)Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Since the 'Update That Changed The World' in late 2013, there's been a bit more diversity in Minecraft worlds. But Biomes O'Plenty adds vastly more—75 to be exact—from brushland and coral reefs, through lavender fields and ominous woods, to tundra and wasteland. Freshly updated for 1.19, Biomes O'Plenty is still adding new regions to wander on your next trek. You'll need to create a new world to use it (make sure to select the 'Biomes O'Plenty' world generation option), but it's worth it to see corners of Minecraft that you've never seen before.
Journeymap
Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Maps are great for trying to keep a rough idea of where you are or where you’re heading. That said, there’s always room for improvement.
Imagine Google Maps, only for Minecraft and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what this mod does. Specifically, it lets folk view a more real-time map in-game, and on the mini-map, as well as being able to view the map online via a web browser. Already compatible with 1.19, then this mod is a must if you're planning a lengthy journey to find a new mangrove swamp to make your own.
Twilight Forest
Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Love adventuring? This mod adds a new, densely-forested dimension shrouded in perpetual twilight that hides both valuable treasures and dangerous monsters. Throw a diamond into a pool of water surrounded by flowers to create a portal there, then spend a while roaming around. You'll find hedge mazes, hollow hills, enchanted groves, glaciers, lich towers and more with rich rewards for those that delve the deepest.
Pam's HarvestCraft 2
Minecraft version: 1.18.2 | Download link
Pam’s HarvestCraft 2 is the sequel to the extremely popular original, and it’s split itself into four separate—but directly related—mods. Above all else, Pam's HarvestCraft succeeds at making your Minecraft world feel more vibrant and alive. It introduces countless new foods you can find or create, new crops to grow, and dozens of new types of fruiting trees to the landscape. Minecraft with Pam's HarvestCraft sketches your world in shades of Stardew Valley and lets you become an expert chef making everything from mac & cheese to jelly donuts.
Fire and Ice: Dragons
(Image credit: Raptorfarian and Alexthe666)Minecraft version: 1.16.5 | Download link
Raptorfarian and Alexthe666's Ice and Fire: Dragons is a mod that adds a whole load of fantasy creatures into the base game. The list is huge, including the likes of hippogryphs, gorgons, dread liches, sea serpents, hydras, pixies, cyclopes, trolls, death worms, and ghosts. Dragons are the highlight of the mod though, letting you train, ride, and hunt the mythical beasts. You can craft dragon equipment, find dragon eggs, and explore dragon caverns where special loot lies.
Create
(Image credit: Create)Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Create focuses on automation and takes Minecraft mechanisms to the next level. It's all based on rotational power and kinetics so a range of gears and cogwheels have been introduced and are waiting for you to experiment with. Of course, gearboxes, chain drives, conveyor belts, clutches, pulleys, and levers are also there to help bring your weird and wonderful creations to life.
Botania
(Image credit: Vazkii)Minecraft version: 1.18.2 | Download link
Some Minecraft mods add powerful magical items. Others add intricate machinery. Botania just adds flowers—but wow, what flowers. Flowers that heal you. Flowers that feed animals. Flowers that turn hostile mobs against each other. Flowers that eat cake. Oh, and did I mention that you've can also use flowers to create a magical portal to a world of elves? If you want to try something wildly different from most other mods, Botania is it.
Astral Sorcery
(Image credit: Mojang)Need More Cheat Sheets?(Image credit: Rockstar Games)Fallout 4 cheats: Nuclear codes
Minecraft commands: Unblocked
RDR2 cheats: Most wanted
GTA 5 cheats: Phone it in
The Sims 4 cheats: Life hacks
Ark cheats: Expedited evolutionMinecraft version: 1.16.5 | Download link
Whether you’re really into astrology or just like staring at the night sky, Astral Sorcery has you covered with an incredible suite of magical options. Based around stars and constellations—with all of its major constructions and rituals happening at night—this adds much needed depth to Minecraft’s dangerous dark hours. Astral Sorcery’s structures are also some of the prettiest in Minecraft, with beautiful marble fountains and ritual platforms, plus it lets you set up a stellar travel network to move between locations instantly: an amazing boon for multiplayer servers.Nature's Compass
(Image credit: Mojang, modded by Chaosyr)Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Nature's Compass solves a classic Minecraft adventuring problem: you desperately want to explore a specific biome, but you don't want to have to wander across miles of procedurally-generated ground to find it. With Nature's Compass, you can craft a compass that'll orient itself towards a biome type of your choosing—and it's compatible with modded biomes, too.Witchcraft & Wizardry
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.16.5 | Download link
While Witchcraft & Wizardry is actually an incredibly impressive custom map and not a mod, it sure does feel like one. The entire thing recreates the Harry Potter world with such precision and creativity that it’s an amazing choice to play through, either alone or with some friends. It feels like a genuine RPG with quests, puzzles, and your own story of becoming a Hogwarts student.
Additional Structures
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Additional Structures functions as a much-needed cosmetic toolbox for Minecraft, adding everything from simple logs, rocks, and bushes to ruined builds, dungeons with traps and treasure, and much more. All told, 155+ new structures spawn in your world with Additional Structures, and really diversify the landscape—even in 1.19's revamped swamps. Best of all, it plays really well with Traverse, Biomes O' Plenty, and Biome Bundle, which are all excellent mods that add more biomes to explore in your worlds.Immersive Engineering
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Most tech mods in Minecraft seem somewhere between sci-fi futuristic and black box technology, with red pipes and single blocks that spit out resources or control vast functions. Immersive Engineering takes a totally different approach, basing its methods in a more realistic look and process. Power is carried by wires you string, can light up your bases and power your new machines, help you break down ores to get more resources or dig up new ones, mass produce items, and also happens to look amazing with its windmills and power lines.Trumpet Skeleton
(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft version: 1.16.1 | Download link
Survive the coming skeleton war. Embrace the DOOT.
Minecraft Utility mods
(Image credit: Mojang (modded by Mezz))Optifine
Minecraft version: 1.7.2 - 1.19.2 | Download link
Minecraft doesn't scale too well to the power of fast or slow machines. It runs surprisingly poorly on low-end laptops, and a high-end rig can't do much with its extra oomph. Enter Optifine—a mod that not only makes Minecraft run faster but also look far better. It supports HD textures, smooth lighting, and more, and framerate doubling is not uncommon. It's one of the first things we usually add when installing Minecraft.Just Enough Items (JEI)
Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Just Enough Items is the successor of the older NotEnoughItems mod that lets you search for materials in-game and see all of its recipes. It's often included in modpacks, helping you learn the recipes for new items you're not yet familiar with.Jade
Minecraft version 1.17 - 1.19 | Download link
Jade is a fork of the discontinued mod HWYLA, which itself was a fork from the old popular utility What Am I Looking At. Among other things, it shows a tooltip with the name of the block or object your cursor is pointing at. This is another utility that's often included in modpacks, and we'd recommend including it in your own mod collection if you're constantly scratching your head wondering what that block you've never seen before is.GraveStone
Minecraft version: 1.19| Download link
Death happens in Minecraft’s survival mode, whether you slipped off a mountainside while exploring, got cornered in a cave, or simply got distracted. It can be devastating to lose the entire contents of your inventory simply because you couldn’t find your chalk outline fast enough. With GraveStone, you’ll drop a grave block when you die—labelled with your name—that you can break to get your stuff any time you’d like. Life after death!Storage Drawers
Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Do you have untamed chests? Is your storage system more of a storage disaster? Nothing will ever compare to the feeling of having all your item storage perfectly sorted and tidy. In vanilla Minecraft, this is an uphill task, and often one where it feels like you’re pushing a boulder. Storage Drawers eliminates all of the worst parts of the hassle, and does it with style. You can make quartered, halved, or full sets of drawers in a variety of wood types, and it even displays the contents and capacity on the front. Neat freaks and the messy types can finally coexist with ease.How to install Minecraft mods
How to install Minecraft mods
We’ve thankfully moved away from the days when mods required complex rituals to install. Modpack launchers have made trying out new collections easier than ever. Of course, if you’d like a more custom experience, you can still install mods manually, you’ll just need to be mindful of version compatibility with your Minecraft install. Many older mods don’t get updated, or have passed on to new keepers to update, mod managers like MultiMC are a huge help.
Alongside this is Fabric, which is required for many other mods alongside Fabric API. In fact, some of the mods below will require them. And be aware, you may have to go back to older versions of Forge to run some mods, as they may not run on the newest version of Minecraft. If you need help, this guide for how to install mods on older versions of Minecraft should be useful.
Minecraft mod managers
MultiMC
For the best level of control over your Minecraft mods and instances, MultiMC is the way to go. You can keep different groups of mods separate from one another, for instance, if you have a few different configurations you enjoy playing. It's also an umbrella launcher that gives you easy access to installing modpacks from CurseForge, Feed The Beast, Technic, and more.CurseForge
If you just want to play some of the best modpacks on this list, or quickly join a server that's using one, the CurseForge launcher will let you do so. It's an easy to use mod launcher that handles mods for lots of other games, so you may already be using it. There are tons of modpacks for all versions of Minecraft on CurseForge, so you can find just about anything you're looking to try.Feed The Beast
Feed The Beast is another platform full of great modpacks and using its own launcher is the way to go if you're only interested in loading up something like FTB Revelation or FTB Infinity. New modpacks get added to FTB pretty regularly, so it's a handy way to try out new ways to play without managing your own mods list. -
Conquer Viking purgatory with these Valheim guides(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)
Valheim Mistlands: What we know
Valheim boss: Summon and defeat them all
Valheim workbench: How to build and upgrade it
Valheim food: Recipes and combos
Valheim dedicated server: How to get one working
Valheim commands: Handy cheat codes
Valheim mods: The best player-made additionsWhile you're running around in co-op Viking survival game Valheim, you might find yourself mobbed by greylings and skeletons—usually when you're trying to concentrate on gathering or building. One at a time they're not fearsome enemies, but if you're exploring a burial chamber or wander too near a greydwarf nest, you may get overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. That's where the Valheim Stagbreaker comes in.
It's good to have a weapon that does area-of-effect damage, like a big honkin' two-handed war hammer covered in spiky deer antlers. One smash will do damage to every enemy in the radius of the hammer, often knocking them back and staggering them, giving you a few moments to strike again. Or run away, like the brave Viking you are. Before you go running for safety though, take note: It's really fun hitting things with a giant hammer. I recommend it.
The war hammer's name is Stagbreaker, and here's how to craft yourself one. You'll never leave home without it.
How to craft Stagbreaker in Valheim
First, you'll need to visit the Black Forest. Outside of your starting biome, The Meadows, it's probably the first new biome you'll encounter. Look for pine trees and fir trees, and cut them down with your axe.
Gather core wood from fir and pine trees
The fir and pine trees will give you a different type of wood than you've been collecting in The Meadows. It's called core wood.
Just gathering your first pieces of core wood will give you the recipe for Stagbreaker:
- 20 core wood
- 5 deer trophies
- 2 leather scraps
Once you've got enough core wood from the Black Forest, the other ingredients are easy and can be collected in The Meadows. You've probably been killing deer and boars for meat and leather, and you'll know they sometimes also drop trophies. You'll need 5 deer trophies and 2 leather scraps to complete the recipe.
You'll also need an upgraded, level 2 crafting table. As we mention in our Valheim tips guide, you can craft a chopping block using flint and place it near your workbench, which will raise it to level 2.
That's all you need to craft Stagbreaker! Enjoy smashing the hell out of things in Valheim with your spiky new war hammer.
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The latest EA Originals title, it must be said, is stretching the latter term, and not even for the most obvious reason. Wild Hearts, in development from Koei Tecmo's Omega Force (best-known for the Dynasty Warriors series), is fairly obviously a direct competitor to, and highly inspired by, Capcom's Monster Hunter series. But it's also Omega Force's second bite at this particular cherry, following the demon-slaying Toukiden series.
Which is all to say that a lot of Wild Hearts will look familiar even if, in the hands, it has more than a few interesting tricks up its sleeve. The game was first shown at an EA Originals preview showcase introduced by Yosuke Hayashi, interesting because he's the head of Team Ninja rather than Omega Force, who studiously avoided drawing any comparison to Toukiden while saying Wild Hearts is the result of four years of development (Toukiden 2 came out in 2016). The game represents, in Hayashi's words, the development team returning to "unfinished business in the hunting game genre".
So the basic pitch is hunting, crafting, and various types of gadgets called 'karakuri'. The latter is what sets Wild Hearts apart from the competition, as these devices are constructed in realtime at your command, there are a tonne, and they can be combined. Many focus on manoeuvrability, with a simple example being a big ol' tower with a ladder which you can build next to a monster, sprint up, and jump off to attack. You slap them down, they quickly build in a Fortnite-aping animation, and off you go.
You craft karakuri through gathering (plentiful) materials. Other types include springboards that yeet your character into the air while providing a glider for some falling with style, zip lines, and human catapults. They're not all movement-focused, though a lot are purely because the game is composed of four huge open world areas (plus a hub town, naturally), which are intended to be places where players spend a lot of time wandering (rather than simply visiting for individual missions). Oh that's another karakuri you can build: a camp.
As well as combining with each other, karakuri have bespoke interactions with each of the game's eight weapon types. Some of these are exactly what you'd expect: a big katana, a whacking great hammer, a bow… we've been here before, and in similar fashion. Others are more curious: there's a bladed umbrella that looks like something out of Bloodborne, and the whole schtick of the karakuri staff (which sadly I didn't try out) is that it can transform into five weapon types.
You'll need that kind of flexibility because an instantly striking aspect of Wild Hearts is that these beasts (their lore name is 'Kemono') are absolutely gigantic. One of the earlygame monsters you'll fight is a big boar and it's just so massive you're almost taken aback: Monster Hunter does scale well enough, but you start small, whereas right out the gate here you're fighting something bigger than a fire engine.
The game's mechanics lean into this, and particularly neat to see is the ability to clamber on the Kemono to reach those especially stab-worthy areas. While a lot of this game is going to sound like Monster Hunter, it doesn't really feel like Monster Hunter in action.
This is a more arcadey hunt, to use a depressingly archaic term, where the combat feels a little faster and looser than the anchored precision hunters may be used to. Sometimes it does feel a little off, and in this early build the camera does lose track of the action at times, but this is a game of high-octane spectacle. There are also these moments where it goes all-out in amusingly unexpected ways: such as everything stopping to end each hunt with an OTT 'finisher' blow.
Yes, you carve the monsters when they're dead and, yes, you make things out of them. A bunch of kemono have been shown including a plant-infused squirrel, the giant 'Kingtusk' boar, a nasty looking wolf, and a fire monkey who looks very angry that he's on fire. As is standard in the genre, they'll have variants with early ones returning in later, deadlier forms. Epic 'boss-style' hunts are also promised alongside the standard hunts.
Wild Hearts can be played singleplayer or co-op: though with multiplayer, it goes for a maximum party size of three. During development the team apparently started with the default of four but, over time spent playing, realised that parties of three players were the sweet spot and simply, in an EA rep's words, "more fun".
This side also ties in with the different open world atmosphere the development team is going for and, although they're wildly different games, what this ended up reminding me of was Phantasy Star Online 2. The whole fun of that game was dropping in for a couple of hours with mates, choosing a zone to play in, then rushing around the place blasting away and hoovering up the loot.
That's the vibe here, supported by drop-in crossplay and dynamically scaling difficulty that allows players to join in at any time (loot is rolled randomly for each player at the end of fights, so there are no worries about everyone getting their rewards). One more nice touch in this respect is that there are karakuri that seem purpose-built for chilling: you can stick down a bench to sit on with your mates, and why not build a lantern next to it.
Another surprising game that came up in this preview session was Death Stranding, of all things. I'm not fully sold on this but the comparison was made in relation to the 'dragon' karakuri, which are permanent structures that quickly accumulate in number as you move around the open environments: but they stay persistent in the host's world. I guess the idea is that building a load of contraptions with other players and then coming across them later is vaguely strand-like but… yeah. It's a cool feature. I'm not sure it's much more than that.
Except… there is one interesting element in this persistence, and that's what some of these karakuri do. One for example is an automated paddle scoop that you stick in the water, which then goes around 'fishing' on your behalf. Another karakuri will automatically cook ingredients. As well as being hunting tools these things seem to automate a lot of the busywork for players, which is an interesting concept, though some players may feel that an activity like fishing should be an occasional break and diversion rather than a grind.
Image 1 of 3(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)Image 2 of 3(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)Image 3 of 3(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)
On those open worlds, the idea is they embody the seasons. So spring is all cherry blossoms, with the game's overall visual style being Japanese in theme, while summer is a gorgeous island surrounded by shimmering ocean. Autumn gets a bit grimmer, featuring an enormous war-torn fortress carpeted in the season's brown leaves, and winter is a castle that's been split in two by a giant kemono and frozen.The hub world, Minato, can be improved by the player over time and has quest-givers, etc. Though in terms of just being in the open world, there are plenty of karakuri designed explicitly so you don't have to go back. So you can trigger hunts in the world, upgrade and craft by building a workbench, access the map to choose new targets, switch between solo and co-op on-the-fly, and so on.
The customisation options sound vast, though obviously this wasn't reflected in the demo: there are apparently over 200 variations of the weapons, plus cosmetic variations of weapons and armour, a sliding scale to make things more animal or more human in appearance, and a transmogrification system for stats. The endgame stuff wasn't really touched on during this session, beyond the guidance it takes "roughly 30 hours" to complete the singleplayer story but then "there's a lot more content after that".
The endgame, and Wild Hearts' post-launch support, will determine whether or not this is a serious competitor to Monster Hunter. The surprising thing is that, when you strip back the many points of comparison, it doesn't play like that game. This is a more action-oriented take on the genre, but these moments of action go hand-in-hand with a focus on exploration and persistence that Capcom's game arguably lacks. It's a stranger twist on the formula than it looks and, even if it doesn't offer an endgame to keep you playing forever, I'd wager those thirty hours are going to be pretty good. Perhaps this is an original, after all, even if not at first glance.
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Intel has confirmed that its proprietary UEFI code for its 12th Gen processors has been leaked. The 6GB file, published to 4chan and Github, contains information regarding the creation and optimisation of BIOS code for Alder Lake chips, however, Intel does not suspect this will expose any new security vulnerabilities.
The source code to the Intel Alder Lake has been leaked online.* Alder Lake CPU was released November 4, 2021* Source code is 2.8GB (compressed)* Leak (allegedly) from 4chan* We have not reviewed the entirety of the code base, it is massiveOctober 8, 2022
See more"Our proprietary UEFI code appears to have been leaked by a third party," an Intel spokesperson says to Tom's Hardware.
"We do not believe this exposes any new security vulnerabilities as we do not rely on obfuscation of information as a security measure. This code is covered under our bug bounty program within the Project Circuit Breaker campaign, and we encourage any researchers who may identify potential vulnerabilities to bring them our attention through this program. We are reaching out to both customers and the security research community to keep them informed of this situation."
It appears as though Intel's strategy is to avoid having any 'secret code' as a part of its processor security. I imagine that's to primarily avoid a situation like this one today, where said code could, if in the wrong hands, make mincemeat of its processor security. The company does sound quite confident that this leak shouldn't pose any security threat as a result.
Intel's statement suggests a third party is responsible for the files getting out there, rather than a hack of its own internal systems. As Twitter user SttyK and the Tom's Hardware report note, the Github repository was created by an employee at LC Future Center, a China-based laptop manufacturer, and parts of the code mention Lenovo, one of LC Future Center's clients. However, this connection has not been confirmed by Intel or elsewhere.
The exposed UEFI files will still cause concern to security researchers, even if ultimately Intel feels its CPUs will still be safe from nefarious actors. The UEFI works in tandem with the OS to deliver on fundamental security principles within Windows and to ensure that exploits don't gain access to private information. It already appears that security researchers are paying close attention to the leaked files to see what they can uncover.
Those that uncover any vulnerabilities in the code may be in line for a cash reward, too. Intel mentions that the code is covered by its Project Circuit Breaker campaign, which is another name for its bug bounty program. There's a specific "Code Challenge" in place for this particular BIOS leak. It's called "Alders & Seekers".
Your next upgrade(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest"Due to the unauthorized disclosure of Intel’s proprietary UEFI code for Alder Lake we are opening the private Alders & Seekers bug bounty campaign to all security researchers. In addition, we have extended the end date of this campaign from October 15, 2022 to 9AM US eastern time on January 20, 2022. The standard Intel(R) Bug Bounty Program policy applies to this campaign."
So if there are any holes in Alder Lake's security that arise from this leak, here's hoping they'll be patched up before they're more widespread as a result of the bug bounty. These programs can pay handsomely, depending on the severity of the bug, which often attracts some skilled security experts into helping out.
In the meantime, this shouldn't be cause of any immediate concern for PC gamers rocking an Intel Core i9 12900K or other 12th Gen processor. So don't fret. If there is any such cause for concern in the future, making sure you've kept your system up to date and running the latest mitigations will often prove the best defence against these sorts of exploits.
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The Valheim spice rack was one of the new additions in the Hearth and Home update. Not only did the last major update overhaul the food system, but it also added new cooking stations to prepare the new dishes. The spice rack is a cauldron upgrade, but if you want to go all out, you can make a stone oven to bake bread, too.
Crafting a spice rack and placing it near your cauldron will allow you to unlock additional recipes for various foods. It doesn't need endgame resources either, though unlocking the recipe can be tricky if you don't know what to look for. Here's how to make a Valheim spice rack to upgrade your cauldron, including the best placement for it.
How to upgrade your cauldron: Crafting a spice rack
The cauldron works fine on its own and can be used to make helpful meads and nutritious soups. If you decide to upgrade it with a spice rack, however, you'll unlock even more recipes.
The spice rack is located under the Crafting tab when you have the hammer selected in the crafting menu. If it's not there, make sure you've "discovered" all of the items needed to craft it.
Here's what you need:
- Dandelion x3
- Carrot x2
- Mushroom x5
- Thistle x3
- Turnip x3
- Workbench
Dandelions and mushrooms can be found in the Meadows biome, though mushrooms generally grow around more wooded areas. You can find thistle in the Black Forest, and it's easy to spot by its blue glow. And finally, both carrots and turnips need to be grown from seeds—carrot seeds are found in the Black Forest (look for white flowers), while turnip seeds are located in the Swamp (yellow flowers).
There are two additional upgrade levels for the cauldron. As well as the spice rack, you'll need the Butcher's Table and Pots and Pans to upgrade it fully. You'll find the materials needed for these as you progress into the tougher areas—namely the Mountains and Plains, respectively.
(Image credit: Iron Gate Studios)Valheim spice rack placement: Where to hang it
Placing the spice rack can be a little trickier than it might first appear. It needs to be close to your cauldron, which itself requires a fire beneath it, so you're slightly restricted in where you can hang the spice rack.
You can't attach it to a wall either; it needs to hang. The best way around this is to place a beam vertically from the roof—if you have a high ceiling—or horizontally to make a surface the spice rack can be attached to. A well-placed shelf could also work if you can hang it from the bottom.
The proximity to the cauldron is quite restrictive, too. If you're having trouble, try rotating the rack or adjusting the height of the surface it will hang from.
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The Overwatch 2 Halloween event is still a fair way off, but we already know a bit about what to expect from season one's spooky celebrations. Junkenstein's Revenge: Wrath of the Bride will reprise the popular event from the first Overwatch game, but with new characters, skins, and an updated mode to try.
It's been a pretty troubling launch for Overwatch 2 with long queues and a lot of confusion over providing phone numbers to play the game. But by the time all hallows eve rolls around later this month and the event kicks off, hopefully things will have settled down. In this Overwatch 2 Halloween event guide, I'll run through when the festivities start, which characters will be playable in the special game mode, and who's getting new spooky skins.
When does the Overwatch 2 Halloween event start?
(Image credit: Blizzard)The Overwatch 2 Junkenstein's Revenge: Wrath of the Bride event takes place from October 25 - November 8. In the first game, this yearly Halloween event added a variety of seasonal skins, and a special four-player PvE mode, but it sounds like Blizzard are changing things up a bit in its newest iteration.
The official battle pass blog post mentions a new “Wrath of the Bride” Junkenstein event. If the accompanying screen is anything to go by, it looks like players will be venturing into some kind of haunted castle or gloomy crypt to fight Zomnics instead of the Adlersbrunn map from previous years. Sombra will also be appearing as the big bad. There are no exact details on what the mode will involve yet, but chances are it will be a co-op PvE activity.
Overwatch 2 Halloween event: Playable characters
(Image credit: Blizzard)The four playable characters in the Overwatch 2 Halloween event mode will be Sojourn, Junker Queen, Kiriko, and Ashe. You can see them all in the season one trailer. Presumably you won't have to unlock the characters through the battle pass first in order to use them in the event mode, but that hasn't been confirmed just yet. Luckily, it's pretty easy to unlock heroes like Junker Queen and Sojourn, since they are free.
Overwatch 2 Halloween event: Skins
The three new season one heroes are unsurprisingly the ones who'll definitely be getting new skins in the Overwatch 2 Halloween event. Sojourn looks to be a futuristic film noir detective, Junker Queen is dressed like some kind of wasteland/Mad Max character, while Kiriko has a witch skin. All of these were shown off in the battle pass blog post, but it's also likely that Ashe is getting a new skin too. In the season one trailer, you can see Kiriko's witch skin in action, but it also shows Ashe with a different looking outfit when it displays the event dates.
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Each hero in Overwatch 2 has their own crosshair that's used for the majority of weapons, but did you know you can customise the reticle to your liking? If you want to get that extra edge in Overwatch 2's ranked competitive mode, fiddling with even the most basic of settings to get a setup personal to your tastes is crucial. In this guide, I'll talk you through where to find the crosshair settings so you can make a few quick changes.
Overwatch 2: How to change crosshair settings
Overwatch 2 guidesBefore entering a match, head to settings and the controls page. In controls, you should see a section called reticle, which will let you change your crosshair settings. You can do more than decide if you want it to be a big or small circle, though. Alongside deciding whether you want a dot, circle or a combination of both, you can change the reticle's colour, thickness, opacity, center gap and even length, so you can tailor the design to your exact needs.
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard))You can also check out the accuracy of your new crosshair, which is better than finding out the hard way in a ranked match. You can also make specific crosshairs for particular heroes by using the change hero function to the right of the controls page. You can undo any changes you make easily if you feel you've somehow made them a lot worse. Remember to try any new crosshairs in the training range, even if you checked the accuracy when constructing the crosshair. Our CS:GO crosshair guide explains the importance of solid reticle management if you need more of an explainer on why it's a good thing.
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Become a Los Santos kingpin with these GTA 5 guides(Image credit: Rockstar North)
GTA 5 cheats: Every cheat code and vehicle spawn
GTA 5 money: How to make the big bucks
GTA 5 cars: The fastest in the game
GTA 5 mods: The best visual and gameplay tweaks
GTA 6: All the rumors in one placeGTA Online's Halloween event is back for another year and you can grab some suitably ghoulish goodies over the next few weeks. Between the return of three unique Halloween vehicles, a handful of cosmetic items, and a spooky Judgement Day Adversary mode, you'll soon get into the spirit of the season.
The Halloween event started on October 6, so you can jump in now to reap the rewards, and it runs until November 1, 2022. It's likely that Rockstar will add more Halloween-themed items in the next few weeks too, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime though, here's what's currently included in the GTA Online Halloween event.
GTA Online Judgement Day Adversary mode
This new mode pits a team of Riders against a team of Hunted. Riders start each round on an LCC Sanctus motorcycle and have a double-barrel shotgun and a Stone Hatchet at their disposal. The Hunted, on the other hand, need to survive as long as they can, playing a terrifying game of hide-and-seek with their pursuers. Riders also gain additional abilities when near their vehicle, such as a brief heartbeat sensor, thermal vision, and health regeneration.
To keep things a little fairer, the Hunted can pick up weapons that Riders don't have access to. If the Hunted can survive until dawn, they will win. It's worth noting that the only way to revive a Hunted teammate is to take out a Rider, though Riders will respawn automatically when taken out. The only exception to this is during the final minute when nobody will be able to respawn or be revived.
During the first week, you can earn double GTA$ and RP for taking part in Judgement Day and you'll nab a GTA$300,000 bonus if you manage to win three rounds.
(Image credit: Rockstar)What GTA Online Halloween vehicles are available
It wouldn't be Halloween if you didn't have the best set of wheels to cruise around in during the spooky season and GTA 5's 2022 event is no exception. Three Halloween vehicles have returned to San Andreas and you can find them listed below, along with their prices:
- Albany Franken Stange: $550,000
- Albany Lurcher: $650,000
- LLC Sanctus motorcycle: $1,995,000
Each of these vehicles can be bought from the Southern San Andreas Super Autos in-game website until November 1.
(Image credit: Rockstar)GTA Online: Take a Short Trip and claim the Gray Vintage Frank Mask
It's time to team up with a friend and complete one of the Short Trip side missions. These are co-op missions and you can find them on the Jobs Menu—and no, you no longer need to complete The Contract to gain access to them. Head to Play Job > Rockstar Created > Missions to find them.
Completing one of the Short Trip missions before October 13 will net you the Gray Vintage Frank Mask.
How to claim the Halloween War Mask and GTA+ subscriber goodies
The GTA Online Halloween War Mask is free to anyone that logs into the game before October 13, so you haven't got long. Once you've logged in, look for the notification which should confirm that the item has been delivered to your collection.
Additionally, GTA+ subscribers will be able to claim the Gray Cracked Puppet Mask, Grimy Stitched Mask, the Pumpkin Hoodie, and the Mummy Outfit if you log in at any time before the event ends on November 1.
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September saw the unsurprising news that Babylon's Fall, a live service game developed by Platinum Games and published by Square Enix, was to be shuttered after less than a year. The game is no longer available for sale, and has stopped sales of premium currency, though the servers remain live until February 27, 2023.
The game was, and I say this with the sadness of a Platinum devotee, a disaster. It launched to a barrage of criticism over its looks and minor re-use of assets from other Square Enix games, but the problems were more than cosmetic: the game didn't feel good in the hands and, for a live service game especially, there just wasn't much content. "There isn't even enough not to like," our reviewer noted on the way to awarding it a 45. "There's just not enough full stop."
It's been another misfire for Platinum Games and any fan of blistering action experiences must hope that the studio can get back to the glory days. The studio's CEO Atsushi Inaba, a developer of the highest pedigree with an incredible track record, knows things didn't go well with this one. Due to the nature of the deal between Platinum and Square Enix, however, he can only say so much.
"The only thing we can comment on here in terms of the closure of the Babylon’s Fall service itself, is that this unfortunate conclusion might have been something that had triggered some disappointment, perhaps maybe even anger, to our dedicated fans and players," says Inaba in a new interview with VGC.
"And any disappointment that we might have caused for our fan base is something we feel extremely sorry about, the fact that we led our dedicated fans to feel that way as a developer. Providing any sentiment other than enjoyment and fun in our creations to players is something that we’re not very happy about at all as a developer."
Inaba goes on to say that the studio is still planning to make live service games and, in his explanation of what matters about such products, one can read between the lines to get a sense of what he thinks went wrong here.
"The first is just the sheer fun of the core game mechanics that you have in the live service game and secondly, performing the live service itself," says Inaba. "I think these two pillars are values that need to be strongly connected internally, and need to be viewed, treasured, and valued by the same people, on the same team, at the very same company.
"Otherwise, if one of these is valued over the other or if they’re not connected, things usually don’t turn out the way we would have wanted them to."
So: the core loop wasn't fun, and there may have been some disconnect between what Platinum was trying to do and what the live service elements of the game were set up to achieve. Inaba doesn't discuss monetisation but it seems clear he feels that there is failure on both Platinum's side and that of the publisher: "If we hypothetically were to do everything on our own to develop the game, with full control, then if we failed it’s pretty much 100% on us and if we succeed it was basically on us."
"But I think this whole 'frustration' story is something that we should not deny," concludes Inaba, "but rather admit the fact and make this end result clear, move on, and connect this experience to our efforts moving forward. This is the only way to not feel frustrated in the long run."
Two of Platinum's current projects are known. Bayonetta 3 carries the hopes of hack-and-slash fans everywhere, though that will be exclusive to Nintendo Switch. While the original Bayonetta is now on PC, the two sequels have been bankrolled and published by Nintendo so, sadly, don't expect a port anytime soon. The other game is Project G.G., which is said to be a continuation of the spirit of director Hideki Kamiya's Viewtiful Joe and The Wonderful 101, but nothing firm is known of it: and if this one's live service, I'll eat Joe's backwards baseball cap.
The fall of Babylon's Fall illustrates a wider industry trend, of companies looking at the big-hitters and rushing towards the live service without, perhaps, a full appreciation of the development resource and time that these games require to be even vaguely competitive. Making a game like Destiny 2 that can be played endlessly is, surprisingly enough, not easy. There's no doubting that Platinum is stacked with talent but, with this one, it definitely bit off more than it could chew.
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The embattled launch of Overwatch 2 appears to have solved at least one of its issues, with Blizzard's latest hotfix putting an end to a bug that was causing players using the in-game chat to make accidental purchases in the game's store. The bug was brought to public attention by Dracyoshi, a Reddit user who found themselves inexplicably buying Junker Queen's Plutonium Skin while using chat in the game's hero gallery.
Dracyoshi reckoned that the bug happened because the game misinterpreted text written in its chat as menu navigation inputs. While it might sound like an excuse cooked up after a bout of buyer's remorse, quite a few other commenters came forward with similar stories. Blizzard seems to have agreed there was a problem because a hotfix it put out on Friday seems to have fixed the problem.
Dracyoshi reached out to Blizzard support to try to get a refund for the erroneous purchase, but was told that Blizzard is unable to offer "refunds or any compensation for unlocks made with in-game currency in Overwatch".
That sounds pretty bleak, insofar as affected users' chances at a refund goes, but I wouldn't give up just yet. The support rep told Dracyoshi to provide further feedback if they "believed there was a problem with the game that caused [their problem] to happen". Well, there was, wasn't there? And if Blizzard has acknowledged that problem by fixing it in a patch, it would be a self-inflicted PR wound not to reimburse affected parties.
Then again, it's not like Overwatch's public image is at peak strength right now. The auto-purchase bug is just one in a string of troubles that have affected Overwatch 2 since its launch on October 4. Players have been stuck in lengthy queues, there's still confusion over the game's SMS Protect system and prepaid phones, and the game even came under a sustained DDOS attack around its release (which explained some of those queues, at least). Not refunding a few hundred legacy credits to impacted players seems like a headache Blizzard could do without right now.
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Google is in advanced talks with the English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur FC, as reported by The Athletic, for a potential megabucks deal that will see the London side's new and advanced stadium named after the internet behemoth. The figures involved are not specifically cited but will be eye-watering: Tottenham's stadium, which is swish as hell and boasts footie scran like no other, is estimated to have cost over $1 billion total.
The stadium opened in 2019, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy saying at the time the club was interested in securing a naming rights deal for "the right money". And of course if there's one thing Google isn't short of, it's cash.
Any potential deal would see Google's branding appear prominently on the building and in broadcasts for the Premier League, the Champion's League (this season at least), and various other sporting events hosted there (it's just held an NFL match of all things, but also hosts boxing matches, rugby, and concerts).
Sporting sponsorships aren't new for Google though this would probably end up as the biggest yet. It has existing sponsorships in the NBA and MLB, and earlier this year struck a deal with McLaren in Formula 1.
With Spurs it is all about the team's prominence in major competitions rather than its chances of winning anything: Tottenham's most recent honour was the League Cup in 2008, while you have to go back to 1961 for the last time the club won the league (though it did finish in 2nd place in 2016/2017). The team is both famous for its attacking play and infamous for its soft centre but, regardless of the spiderwebs in the trophy cabinet, remain one of the world's most prominent and valuable football clubs.
For the moment, the stadium remains the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. I've reached out to Google for comment and will update with any reply.
Now you can sync your Nanoleaf lights with your Corsair iCUE kit
in Gaming News
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Being a PC gamer often means having a bunch of different kit that comes together to complete a set up. At the very least you're going to need a PC, but from there the world is your oyster when it comes to choices for peripherals. Not only do you have your keyboards and mice, but headsets, speakers, microphones, and lighting are all things you may want to consider. There are different styles for all of these things, not to mention different brands so this can all get to be a bit of a pain in the butt, especially if you want stuff to work together.
While frustrating in some ways, competition is generally speaking pretty excellent for consumers. It can drive innovation and advancement, push down prices, and generally challenge the status quo. It can even make brands form partnerships, which has just happened with Corsair and Nanoleaf. Now Corsair's iCUE RGB software has been integrated to work with Nanoleaf products, joining the likes of Razer's Chroma, and Secretlab's Magnus.
Nanoleaf is one of the biggest names when it comes to RGB lighting in the gamer home. You've likely seen the wall mounted LED shapes behind streamers online which the brand is most famous for. Those can be quite expensive, but it also offers other light themed products like the essentials range which was quite impressive for its price in our reviews. You can have a whole room set up with various Nanloeaf products like LED strips, bulbs, wall mounts, back lights, and all sorts and it should all work together nicely – which is one of the biggest selling points of the brand.
PC peripherals are a bit of a different kettle of fish, and tend to need their own proprietary software to configure their LEDs. In Corsair's case this is called iCUE, which spans its profile of products like headsets, liquid coolers, keyboards, mice, and even cases like the Corsair iCUE 5000T RGB mid-tower PC case. The iCUE app is also one of the nicer options out there, so it's definitely a welcome addition to the Nanoleaf compatible lineup. It's worth noting that iCUE is also supposed to work with Hue lights like the Loupedeck, So don't go throwing them out yet either.
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The setup video for configuring iCUE and Nanoleaf products to work together seems fairly simple, and looks like it's mostly done through the iCUE app. Again, this is a blessing not only because the iCUE app is generally quite nice, but also because the Nanoleaf one often isn't. It can be sluggish and often unresponsive in my experience, so it could be that managing this through a different app may help with some of those problems.
What this means for gamers is there's one extra option to really get your station pulsing with matching RGB auroras. Between Corsair and Nanoleaf there are tonnes of ways you could kit out your room with blazing lights that should all work together from trusted brands. Even more if you consider the Razer or Hue integration too. As more of these products work together, It's getting even easier to turn your study into the cyberpunk glowfest of your dreams with more choice than ever before.
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