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Anyone who had an original Game Boy Camera remembers how bulky it was. Nintendo has always been known for some incredibly interesting peripherals over the years. But, very few rise above to be remembered as fondly as the Game Boy Camera. The bulky Game Boy Camera looked right out of an early 1990s sci-fi flick, plugged directly into the Game Boy, and completed with a bulbous camera right on top. It took archaic, black-and-white pictures, allowed you to add frames and customization, and even worked alongside the Game Boy Printer to print them out. But, as iconic as the Camera was, modern times call for modern measures. Earlier this year, modder and photographer Christopher Graves showed off a beautifully modded Game Boy Mini Camera. The Game Boy Camera photographer wanted something more compact than the stock option, so the Mini Camera became the end result. The Game Boy Mini Camera does everything like the original but now fits perfectly into a normally shaped, normally sized Game Boy cartridge. That means that it’s half the size and easily half the weight, for easy travel. The Mini Camera mod does make a few changes. First, it uses an iPhone lens. It still uses the original Camera’s imager, but the new lens gives it a slightly sharper look. The Verge has been playing with one that was sent to them, which they made work perfectly in the Analogue Pocket, a console that we’re a bit of a fan of here at GameCrate. But, it also offers a hidden notch so it works in even the original Game Boy. Sadly, since the lens is built directly into the cartridge, not unlike a smartphone, you can’t swivel it like the original bulb Camera could. However, the best part about all of this is that you can make one yourself now. It’s not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but the files, boards and instructions are all on the modder’s website. It’s not cheap to craft and it involves a ton of intricate things, so be careful. The good news is that Graves is offering a commission option for those looking to have one, but may not have the capacity to do it themselves. Over on his Ko-Fi, you can get Graves to make you either a flashable ROM chip or stock ROM chip options, both for $179. The commissions are super limited until he gets the hang of doing them. I’m not saying I need one of these, but I need one of these. See, it was totally worth keeping your Game Boy all these years after all. Or you can upgrade to an Analogue Pocket when they’re available. Do you have any thoughts about the Game Boy Mini Camera? Tell us in the comments below, or talk about it on X, Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Instagram, and HIVE Social. Don’t forget to tag us in the discussion! And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly Patch Notes!

Honestly, there are a lot of great dark and scary games out there. It’s less than a week from Halloween. Maybe you have nothing to do over the weekend or on the holiday itself. Maybe you’re just a little too old to go out trick or treating or want to stay in. You’ve already watched all the spooky movies you had on your list throughout the month. Why not pick up some cheap games to play instead? Here are seven amazing options for you to play now without breaking the bank a week before rent is due but will give you the scare factor you crave. Diablo IV Let’s start off with a game series that is near and dear to a lot of people’s hearts and had a triumphant return this year. Diablo IV brings you back to Sanctuary, a world full of darkness and monsters. In the game, you can choose between five classes, upgrade them and their equipment, and face off against the demonic Lilith. If you didn’t pick it up when it came out last June, now is a great time to grab it and play for the spooky season. You can find it on Newegg for only $47.49 (down from the usual $59.99) with code TECCX24255. The Last of Us Part I The Last of Us has become a modern classic. Stuck in the aftermath of the end of the world, Joel and Ellie learn to trust each other and become the family that both of them need. But, it’s not just a soft, heartfelt story. You have to make your way across the American heartland while fighting zombie-like Cordyceps-infected people and other survivors who want you dead. You can grab the remaster of the game on PC right now, which includes the prequel story, Left Behind, as well, for only $42.99. Batman: Arkham Knight If you’re looking for a great game to play over the Halloween weekend, the Arkham series of Batman games is always worth your time. Batman: Arkham Knight is the final game in the trilogy and, while it’s normally $39.99 for the Premium edition, you can grab it right now for only $4.79 on PC. As the name suggests, you play as the dark knight himself, Batman, as he deals with the repercussions of the previous two games. All the while, he’s taking down various members of his rogues gallery and facing off against the mysterious Arkham Knight. It’s dark, gritty, and just deep enough to get you hooked without being all about the scare factor. The Premium Edition includes both the main game and the entire season pass. It’s not exactly a “new” game at this point. But, if you’re looking for a cheap gaming fix and aren’t necessarily into being scared, it’s worth the price. The Quarry Maybe zombies aren’t your thing. Maybe classic movie monsters or bat-based superheroes just don’t do it for you. You want your horror to be more like 1980s slasher flicks. The Quarry will fill that void in your life. Your choices matter. Your decisions will change the course of the game. Play alone or team up with your friends to tell a story that you’ll never get out of your nightmares. This deal comes in a couple of options. You could grab the standard version of The Quarry for $13.99. But, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t spend just a couple more bucks on the Deluxe Edition at $16.49. The Deluxe Edition includes additional 1980s-themed costumes for the camp counselors, more ways to play, and additional filters to make the game feel like it belongs on a VHS tape in a Blockbuster Video. BioShock: The Collection I have no words for this absolutely amazing game series. If you played the original BioShock when it was new, it was such a beautifully made, subversive story and game that other games have tried to ride its coattails for a decade and a half. While BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite weren’t nearly as groundbreaking, they each still had their moments to shine. If you never got a chance to play this trilogy (or even if you did), you can pick up all three titles in BioShock: The Collection for only $10.99 right now for Steam PC. I’m jealous of anyone experiencing a Big Daddy for the first time in 2023. You’ll thank me later if you’re new to this series. How to Survive 2 How to Survive 2 is another game on our list that just isn’t new, having come out originally in 2016, but is still fun to play from time to time. Team up with other survivors in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-ridden wasteland and, well, survive. As this game is older, it normally runs at $14.99. But, you can grab the version for Steam PC for only $2.99 right now. Dead Rising 4 The Dead Rising series is one that you play when you just want to turn your brain off and kill zombies in crazy ways. The original game is near and dear to my heart, just like a machete sticking out of a zombie’s chest. This sequel is set at a zombie-infested Colorado shopping mall. But, as for Dead Rising 4, you just can’t go wrong for only $6.99 right now for the PC version, down from $29.99. That’s a fantastic bloodfest for not a lot of money. You can find a ton more creepy games (among other things) over on Newegg’s Halloween Sale right now. You’re bound to find some games that’ll interest you there, no matter your taste. Disclaimer: GameCrate is published by and is a subsidiary of Newegg Commerce Inc. Do you have any thoughts about spooky games to play this Halloween? Tell us in the comments below, or talk about it on X, Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Instagram, and HIVE Social. Don’t forget to tag us in the discussion! And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly Patch Notes!

If you’re a fan of classic Nintendo games, The Meating is both bovine and divine. The Meating (which isn’t a typo, trust me), a game about a ghost Minotaur named Kon out for revenge after getting butchered into some of the toughest meat out there, is part of a new Kickstarter starting October 27th, just in time for Halloween. After his untimely and mysterious demise, the former gladiator (and formerly living) Kon is given a second chance by the god of meat, Gyros. Yes, everything is a meat pun. The difficulty levels in the game are “Veal” and “Raw.” Based on the gameplay trailer, the game is an action-puzzle platformer that looks ripped straight out of the classic NES. In fact, The Meating is what happens when weirdos that like classical mythology grow up playing the original Ducktales and want to make a game. The Meating rocks 40 levels as you collect your body parts scattered across the game. As you bully your way through each level, you fight enemies, avoid falling meat, and take down beefy bosses. While you’re at it, you can find secret meat, hidden somewhere in every level. I wonder if there’s going to be wall chicken somewhere. There’s gotta be at least one wall chicken. As you progress, you can use your ghostly powers like possession, pyrokinesis, and incorporeality to take on new challenges and enemies as you find out the secret of why you got the axe in the first place. As mentioned, the Kickstarter begins on Friday, October 27th. As with other Mega Cat Studios games of the past, this one has the opportunity to get it on a Wagyu Limited Edition NES cartridge. For those that don’t have the classic NES, no worries. The Kickstarter will offer Nintendo Switch codes, as well as other goodies like posters. For more information, this Grade-A Kickstarter will be live tomorrow. You can sign up here to get notified when it does. As far as I can tell, and based on Mega Cat Studios’ previous games, The Meating is going to be… well-done. Do you have any thoughts about this topic? Tell us in the comments below, or talk about it on X, Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Instagram, and HIVE Social. Don’t forget to tag us in the discussion! And don’t forget to subscribe to our Patch Notes newsletter!

Eventually, everything becomes crabs. Even cosmicubes. A new update dropped yesterday for Among Us and it’s everything fans have been waiting for. Welcome to The Fungle. We got fun and games. The Fungle map has the crewmates crash into a deserted island and the focus is to repair communications. But, as always, the impostors are working against your mission. Innersloth gave us not only a brand-new map but a ton of additional deserted island goodies. You can expect to find a new type of sabotage, for instance. Additionally, there are a ton of new tasks to try, such as playing frisbee, fishing, roasting marshmallows, lifting weights, and more not mentioned in the update. The official post about the update also mentions ziplines and a new ejection animation, as well as a mention that The Fungle works great as a Hide n Seen mode map. When Among Us drops a map, it’s more than just a map. But, I know why you’re here: cosmetics. The Cosmicube is crab-shaped to go with the island theme. For those unaware, Cosmicubes are how you unlock new cosmetics and pets. As the map’s “The Fungle “name suggests, mushrooms play a part in the island and that shows in some of the cosmetics as well. But, the majority of them are things like bucket hats, fishing hats, sand castle molds, and more outdoorsy, island gear. Oh, and yes, you can get a crab. I would name mine “Pinchy.” A free wallpaper shows off the new zipline mechanic. New community fan art has also been released. It’s all worth checking out if you’re already a fan of the game. Additionally, Innersloth fixed a ton of bugs and made a bunch of minor tweaks to the gameplay. If you’re an avid player, some changes might affect what you normally expect. They also immediately found a ton of bugs that were listed from The Fungle map, which they’re already hard at work trying to fix quickly, which they list in their post. Innersloth also felt the need to talk a little bit about their reporting system. No, not like reporting an impostor during an emergency meeting. I’m talking about reporting, as in keeping the game safe and friendly for anyone to play. They explained that a real person reads every report and they take them seriously. It’s nice to know a well-known, popular game has an actual human touch like this. You can check out the new The Fungle trailer. But, if you haven’t grabbed Among Us yet, it’s on sale right now for only $2.99 on Steam. Find Among Us plushes and merch on Newegg. (Disclaimer: GameCrate is published by and a subsidiary of Newegg Commerce Inc.) Do you have any thoughts about Among Us and the new The Fungle map? Tell us in the comments below, or talk about it on X, Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Instagram, and HIVE Social. Don’t forget to tag us in the discussion! And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly Patch Notes!

Though they haven't reinvented the wheel, this racing game is still a fun drive. If you're like me, you might be getting a bit tired of everything getting rebooted whether it needs it or not (I'm looking at you, Magnum P.I.). And if so, I have some good news: The supposed "reboot" of the Forza Motorsport series? Yeah, not a reboot. With all respect to Turn 10 Studios and Xbox Game Studios, Forza Motorsport (Xbox Series X/S, PC) is not a do-over, a reinvention, or a new beginning for this racing game; it's just an evolution of what they did in Forza Motorsport 7. But considering how great that game was… For those who've never had the pleasure, the Forza Motorsport series has you driving real racing cars, muscle cars, high-end sports cars, and the kind of cars you'd drive to the supermarket in multi-lap races on professional race tracks. It also has an immense amount of depth and customization when it comes to the races and the cars. For instance, in a car's "Tuning" section, you can adjust the tire pressure, tire alignment, and suspension geometry, among other performance aspects. What sets this series apart…is that you can employ assists for the braking, acceleration, steering, traction, and stability. Though you can, if you prefer, skip a lot of the minutiae. In a car's "Performance" section, you can figure out what new part to install and not to install, or you can hit a button and let the game be your mechanic and make these decisions for you. What sets this series apart — or at least, what did until every racing series started copying it — is that you can employ assists for the braking, acceleration, steering, traction, and stability. By doing so, you can decide whether you'd prefer Forza Motorsport to be a realistic simulation or more like an arcade-style racing game, or something in-between (though, admittedly, this never gets as arcadey as, say, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). Visually speaking, the Forza Motorsport games have always been gorgeous, nearly photo-realistic, and the same is true of their sound effects and design. Even the music in Forza Motorsport isn't half bad, which is actually something new for this series. As for what else is new, well, aside from how multiplayer is structured, and the competency of your competition (both of which we'll get to in a moment), the other improvements in Forza Motorsport are small details you might not notice. For example, instead of one point of contact, tires now have eight. Also, the temperature of a track can impact how much a tire grips it. Neither of which you'll probably notice unless you're a gearhead with all of the assists turned off. Forza Motorsport à la Mode Not surprisingly, Forza Motorsport's mechanics work the same regardless of whether you play on your own or against other people. In the game's career mode, "Builder's Cup," you partake in a series of class-based, multi-race events. It is here that the game truly shines, as these events — of which there are 25 with five races each — really show off the game's depth by having you race numerous types of cars on equally varied (and nicely curved) tracks from around the world, and under a good mix of conditions that include weather, time of day, and number of laps. What makes Forza Motorsport's career mode so compelling is how your competition is, well, competitive. But what makes Forza Motorsport's career mode so compelling is how your competition is, well, competitive, thanks to a change in the AI to one based on machine learning. Unless you play at a difficulty well above or well below your skill level, you'll always feel challenged, and never like you're driving a 1974 Toyota Corolla SR5 while the rest of the field are in 2021 Lamborghini Essenza SCV12s. Or vice versa. Solo players can also take on challenging races in "Rivals," in which you race against the ghost of another driver. As for those who play well with others, multiplayer in Forza Motorsport has been revamped. Rather than have you just race against random people online, you instead engage in multi-race events that have been set up at specific times, and with specific conditions, including the kind of cars involved, the weather, etc. To enter, you just show up at the right time. Or, if you prefer, you can set up your own "Private Multiplayer" races, in which you choose the car class, track, conditions, and competitors. Harsh Road Conditions Ahead As much fun as Forza Motorsport is to dive, though, it's not without its issues. In career mode, for instance, you can run practice laps on the track before you drive the actual race. The problem is that you can't set the game to automatically skip them; you have to start the practice run, pause, and then skip it. And you tediously have to do this before Every. Single. Race. Because events in multiplayer are scheduled, you have to wait for them to start, sometimes as long as 15 minutes. Similarly, multiplayer events require you to drive three qualifying laps, though these don't actually determine if you qualify, just where you'll be placed in the starting grid. More egregiously, because events in multiplayer are scheduled, you have to wait for them to start, sometimes as long as 15 minutes, with another 10 between each of the races. Both of which drive home (pun intended) how much this really needs a regular online multiplayer mode. Then there's the aforementioned "Rivals," which is initially engaging, but fast becomes rather samey. It also doesn't help that, in every mode, some of the text is too small, which makes it hard to see what lap you're on or where you are in the standings when you're in the middle of a race. The white type is also hard to read on foggy days or when it's raining. Despite these issues, though, Forza Motorsport is still an exceptional racing game. The tracks are nicely curved, the controls are smooth and intuitive, and the competition — be it online or against the machine — makes this challenging but not frustrating (or frustratingly easy). All of which puts this on par with such other excellent racing games as, well, Forza Motorsport 7, Forza Motorsport 6... Do you have any thoughts about Forza Motorsport? Tell us in the comments below, or talk about it on X, Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Instagram, and HIVE Social. Don’t forget to tag us in the discussion! And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly Patch Notes!

It looks like they’ve got a new VelocityOne Flightstick coming too. Turtle Beach, the maker of some very fine audio equipment, also makes some really nice gaming controllers. While various models have different uses and quality, the one that always stands above the rest is their Recon controller line. If you’re looking for a solid controller, the Recon is always top-notch. But, it’s always felt like it was lacking a couple of things, like a wireless capability. Turtle Beach sent out a “For Your Consideration” deck for the holidays to the press, as a way to show off everything they have available. It even includes the REACT-R controller colors that were officially released literally yesterday. I’ve tried or owned a large portion of their catalog, as it stands. But, there are some silhouetted sneak peek shots of items that have not actually been announced yet at the end. The Turtle Beach VelocityOne line appears to be getting a throttle. One is clearly a controller and one is clearly part of the VelocityOne Flightstick line. Both are different than previous iterations and I want to speculate, based on my knowledge of the brand and its history. The VelocityOne Flightstick immediately sticks out here. The current Flightstick has a completely different configuration of buttons and the screen on the tip is designed differently, sticking off of the top as opposed to being integrated into it. This is definitely a new model. Directly next to it is a new item altogether, what appears to be a VelocityOne Throttle module. This throttle joins items like the Rudder as another permanent part of your desk. It’s definitely speculation here, but I believe it’ll be separate from the new Flightstick update. However, they may sell it as a bundle. Is that a new Recon controller that I spy with my little eye? But, the new controller in the image caught my attention the most. The design gives off Recon vibes with the design of the grips. The REACT-R line doesn’t have any grips, and that exact shape is Recon-specific. But, the glowing colors are new. While this could just be an aesthetic choice by an artist, they didn’t do anything like that for the VelocityOne equipment, keeping their LEDs accurate to the real product. Another quick detail to add to the evidence is the tiny bar of light, in the same coloring as the rest, directly below the Xbox dome button. That isn’t on current Recon models. I believe this controller to be fully RGB LED lit. With Turtle Beach’s acquisition of ROCCAT in 2019, it has been interesting to see how long they divorced the technologies from each other, almost as if they were keeping the brands entirely apart. It was only a matter of time before they started melding together. So, let’s look at this picture as a whole. Turtle Beach headsets have generally been pretty straightforward in terms of colors and lighting. But, ROCCAT headsets offer full RGB LED lighting that connects directly to their AIMO Intelligent Lighting system on ROCCAT Swarm. It would make sense for Turtle Beach to use this technology that they own in anything designed for gamers. Gamers love RGB. Could we finally be seeing Turtle Beach’s first wireless controller? I think we’re not only seeing the first Turtle Beach RGB controller but also that it’s wireless and Bluetooth. This one would be another first for Turtle Beach. Might as well do it all at once and see what sticks. ROCCAT devices also, in recent years, have been including two ways to connect their peripherals to a system: a built-in Bluetooth and a wireless dongle of some sort. For instance, the ROCCAT Vulcan Mini Air, an item also on this same Turtle Beach holiday guide, is one of their newer keyboard options. It offers on-board Bluetooth, as well as a dongle option to connect quickly, in any way you need. It allows you to connect to a PC, console, or mobile device, however you see fit. This also brings up the thought that the Recon Cloud controller is meant to be replaced with this new controller, as well. The Recon Cloud was, as the kids would call it, “mid”. I did a full review at KnowTechie recently regarding the Recon Cloud. It did mobile connectivity really well but failed to cater to the PC and console market it had built up for years. If this new controller is what I think it could be, it could be a much-needed love letter and apology to the Recon fanbase. The actual news is less fun without some speculation sprinkled in. But, of course, all of that is speculation. The only actual news is that there seems to be a controller that is "Made for Xbox" and a new flight stick setup in the works sometime before the fast-approaching holiday season. Take anything else that I said with a grain of salt until they make any announcements. But, feel free to bookmark this page to tell me how right or wrong I am afterward in the comments. In the meantime, enjoy the entire “For Your Consideration” holiday catalog from Turtle Beach below (sans any impertinent information and slides). (Editor’s Note: Some of the affiliate links, such as Amazon, may give us money if you make a purchase through them. We thank you if you do.) Do you have any thoughts about the new Turtle Beach products? Tell us in the comments below, or talk about it on X, Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Instagram, and HIVE Social. Don’t forget to tag us in the discussion! And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly Patch Notes!

Red, Nebula, and Pixel Green join the lineup of Turtle Beach REACT-R controllers. Turtle Beach generally makes pretty good hardware, even when it isn’t audio-related. They have two controller lines out nowadays and one of them, the REACT-R, got a handful of new colors out today. The new colors are really nice, too. You can now get their REACT-R controllers in Red, Pixel Green, and Nebula. The Red option is what I like to call “Turtle Beach Standard Red”. Give it long enough to get popular and, as long as it isn’t a headset, the product will eventually get a version in this same red color. Needless to say, as just the color red, it’s the most boring out of today’s new selection. Pixel Green looks like you just need to paint two big black square eyes and a scowling mouth on it to make it a Creeper from Minecraft. The black buttons almost handle that part on their own. The green and pixel design of the “Pixel Green” invokes a very classic gaming feel, almost leaning into a not-quite-digital-camo-esque print. By any stretch, this feels like a color that people will likely snap up when they see it. Nebula is, well, spacey and pretty. As a fan of purple, I may be biased here. But, it’s the most unique looking of the bunch. The purple and pink of Nebula swirls into a starry abyss and would definitely stand out in your collection of controllers. These three controllers join the existing REACT-R lineup, which consists of a slick Black option and “We’re totally not riffing on the Super Nintendo” White/Purple. As a Nintendo fan growing up, I see you, Turtle Beach. Considering the colors on the buttons and the general scheme of the controller invoke the American Super Nintendo Entertainment System. But, those are old news, coming out over the past year or so. Today’s controllers add a splash of much-needed color to the expanding line of cheap options. I’m a big fan of color options on my hardware, personally, like the recent Transparent line of Analogue Pocket handhelds. As mentioned, they’re one of two lines of PC and console-capable controllers from Turtle Beach. The other main line is the Recon controllers which offer more options for audiophiles. The Recon line is all on sale right now, likely due to the new REACT-R color options releasing, for $44.99. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative with some razzle-dazzle, still want to potentially utilize Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing, and don’t need to connect your headset as much, the REACT-R line is a great option at $39.99. (Editor Note: The links to Amazon are affiliate links. If you make a purchase using that link, we may earn a small portion of your purchase. We highly appreciate it.)

Fae Farm promises a magic-infused spin on the farming sim, but instead makes me wonder if the genre is out of magic altogether. I love farming sims. At least I thought I did. Maybe it’s not entirely Fae Farm’s fault, but it’s the game that made me question if my love for the genre belongs in the past tense. The second game from Dauntless developer Phoenix Labs, Fae Farm is in many ways a prototypical farming sim in the vein of Stardew Valley. While Fae Farm removes a lot of friction from the farming sim formula, it doesn’t add much to it. You show up in a new town where you’re granted a plot of land and spend the rest of the game farming, raising animals, befriending the locals, and battling monsters in a dungeon that’s so perilously close to town someone should really have done something about it by now. The core gameplay of Fae Farm feels pretty competently done, but that’s about all the enthusiasm I can muster. In some ways, it improves on the classics of the genre, at least in terms of making them more convenient. For instance, you automatically select the tool you need for most jobs, so you can chop wood, pull weeds, and water crops without messing around in your inventory to swap what you’re holding. Fae Farm also gives you much more mobility than typical farming sims, letting you leap off cliffs and later even sprout fairy wings to make getting around town significantly easier. Where’s the magic? While Fae Farm removes a lot of friction from the farming sim formula, it doesn’t add much to it. As you may have guessed from the mention of fairy wings, what Fae Farm purports to add is a touch of magic. But in practice, its mystical premise is little more than aesthetic. Your arrival to Fae Farm’s island of Azoria comes after you’re shipwrecked by a magical whirlpool and one of the first quests you take grants you a magic wand to destroy enchanted vines that are springing up around town. In the town’s dungeon, the enemies you fight are everyday objects brought to life by magic. All this gives the impression that mysticism will suffice your experience in Fae Farm, but the everyday work of farming ends up being decidedly unmagical. The everyday work of farming ends up being decidedly unmagical. With all the magic at your disposal — and Azoria, we’re told, is absolutely bursting with magic — all your powers seem capable of speeding up the monotony of manual labor just a tiny bit. Each tool has a magical ability that unlocks after a few upgrades, but all that adds is an area of effect, letting you chop multiple trees or smash multiple rocks at once. Other than that, magic is mostly confined to a few rather uninspired spells and potions that are only used in combat. And here, it turns out, is where most of Fae Farm will be spent. Despite its cozy feel and commendably inclusive character designs, Fae Farm isn’t quite as laid back as it might seem. Like Stardew Valley before it, Fae Farm requires you to sometimes delve into the local dungeon to find new materials, particularly various types of metal and minerals. Each level of the dungeon is a small area full of rocks to bust up for their precious ores and enemies eager to put the hurt on any would-be adventurers who cross their path. To unlock the door to the next level, you’ll need to find a switch buried under a random rock, meaning if you’re unlucky, just making your way from one floor to the next can be a dull experience of thwacking every rock in sight, made worse by your small starting inventory needing to be emptied out frequently. Just unlocking a floor won’t let you return there the next time you enter a dungeon. By default, you’ll start at the very first floor each time you return. To teleport back to a given floor, you’ll first need to craft and place a dungeon seal, made up of materials you’ll find in the dungeon. But you can’t craft seals while you’re in the dungeon and the type you need changes every few floors, meaning you’ll have to constantly return to your farm to craft new seals during any long dungeoneering expedition. Stuck in a rut The whole process of exploring dungeons is, to put it mildly, tedious. And to make matters worse, it’s absolutely necessary. One of Fae Farm’s most conceptually interesting systems revolves around furnishing your home. Certain types of furniture grant you “cozy points.” As you gain more points by decorating your home, you’ll gain more health, energy, and mana. The whole process of exploring dungeons is, to put it mildly, tedious. A huge selection of items grants cozy points, so you won’t be forced into one aesthetic just to boost your stats. But these furniture pieces, like every other recipe in Fae Farm, are locked behind a massive number of resources in the game. It takes hours upon hours to unlock even a few recipes, and they’ll stay out of reach forever if you don’t dive deep into the dungeon. The ruthless recipe restrictions are the most irritating aspect of Fae Farm for me, followed closely by the shallowness of its social aspect. You’re able to befriend and romance a selection of characters around Fae Farm, but the NPCs in Azoria are among the dullest I’ve seen in a game like this. I had a hard time telling them apart from one another, even after ranking up my relationship with several of them, since all of their dialogue is dry and nearly identical. Even stranger, you can’t date any of the shopkeepers or artisans in the game, who at least have a little more personality. Despite how many colorful characters populate Azoria, their lack of personality makes the island feel utterly lifeless. You’re able to befriend and romance a selection of characters around Fae Farm, but the NPCs in Azoria are among the dullest I’ve seen in a game like this. What makes Fae Farm so frustrating is that it probably wouldn’t be that bad a game in a vacuum. It’s got a downright adorable art style packed with customization options for your character and your homestead and modernizes the basic systems of farming sims in some pretty clever ways. The problem is that farming sims are a dime a dozen these days, and Fae Farm has nothing to recommend over any of the others. It doesn’t commit to its magical premise or the genuinely cool cozy points system and ends up feeling nondescript. If you just need a new hangout game for low-stress multiplayer sessions, I imagine you’d find a lot to like in Fae Farm. But if you’re looking for the next big farming sim, you’re not going to find it here. Do you have any thoughts about Fae Farm? Tell us in the comments below, or talk about it on X, Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Instagram, and HIVE Social. Don’t forget to tag us in the discussion! And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly Patch Notes!

I guess I’ll just play games on my actual Game Boy Color and be sad about it. The Analogue Pocket lineup had a fantastic new set of color options that came out today. Unfortunately, I can only show you pictures of it because they sold out so quickly that we never really stood a chance at getting one. Four days ago, on Monday, Analogue announced the Transparent Limited Edition line of their Pocket console. This type of coloring is sure to tantalize the senses of anyone who grew up in the 1990s. If you didn’t grow up during the era of transparent colors, you’d see this type of plastic look in everything from CD players to your Apple computers. But, it really hit the gamers the hardest, being the style of choice from controllers to memory cards to entire consoles. One of these, of course, was the Game Boy Color, the Analogue Pocket’s granddaddy. The 90s were a very colorful time. Analogue has made an amazing name for itself with callbacks to the forgotten eras. They recently dropped the radioactive-looking Glow-In-The-Dark Analogue Pocket that we talked about the day it dropped (and about 10 minutes after it sold out). If you’re unaware of the console, the Analogue Pocket is a high-quality, high-resolution handheld console that allows users to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games. It also offers adapters to play cartridges from the Sega Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and more. It’s become a really good tool for those designing Game Boy-style games, as it connects easily to a computer, as well as for chiptune composers. The Transparent Limited Edition Analogue Pocket line included 7 color options: Clear, black, red, blue, orange, green, and purple. They were available in such a limited quantity that all of them sold out entirely in under 10 minutes, even with their $250 price tag. Engadget used a single word to describe it, as well as every Analogue drop prior, as “frustrating”. The Glow-In-The-Dark version sold out in just as much time if not quicker, earlier this month. The company seems to thrive on scarcity, as eBay scalpers already have a ton of them available and sold for around $400 (a full $150 higher than they were this morning), just hours after they sold out. As all of the “limited” options are sold out, as well as the normal versions at the moment, it’s hard to say if they plan to put them out again or in waves. But, if their history is anything to account for, probably not. Maybe one day, I can get my hands on a purple one. Until then, color me jealous of those that did.

Alan Wake II looks to be another scary trip to the country. In anticipation of Alan Wake II being released on October 27th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, the good people at Remedy Entertainment and Epic Games Publishing recently held an event. It was held at Los Angeles' City Market Social House where journalists got to play parts of this upcoming survival horror game. And if that time is any indication of the final game, Alan Wake II will both delight and surprise fans of the original. For those who never played the first game — or haven't since it came out thirteen years ago — 2010's Alan Wake was a scary third-person shooter in the vein of Dead Space if instead of a mechanic on a spaceship blasting zombies, you're a trigger-reluctant writer looking for his wife in Bright Falls, Washington, a small town in the Pacific Northwest populated by possessed locals. But unlike Alan Wake, in which you only played as the titular author, Alan Wake II also has you visiting Bright Falls as FBI agent Saga Anderson, who's sent to investigate some ritualistic murders. Alan Wake II: The Saga Begins It was with Anderson that we began our time in Bright Falls; specifically, her third chapter, "Local Girl." In it, you're looking for the keys to a trailer, which takes you to an abandoned amusement park. But while the original Wake was combat-focused, this sequel's more of a Resident Evil 4-esque survival horror game in that you also have to explore your surroundings, talk to people, sift through clues, and solve situational puzzles. Alan Wake II even expands on how Bright Falls is constructed, as the town is more open and multi-pathed, kind of like the one in Resident Evil: Village. That said, Alan Wake II does have the same unique combat as the original. Before you shoot someone, you have to cleanse them of darkness by using flashlights or other sources of illumination, which adds an interesting layer to these gunfights. Not surprisingly, the gunplay works the same whether you're playing as Anderson or Wake. This quickly became apparent when we switched over to play Wake's fifth mission, "Room 665." In it, Wake is tasked with locating a hotel in a city located in the Dark Place, the alternate dimension where we left him at the end of the first game. Alan Wake II: Electric Light Boogaloo But while Wake has to explore and solve puzzles, he's also armed with a lamp that can capture or release light in certain places, changing their layouts. For instance, a blocked path to a darkened subway platform becomes an open and well-light stairway. It's like when you flipped between the past and present in Titanfall 2 or between realities in Starfield. So, how well did this all work? If the two hours we spent with Anderson and Wake are any indication, this sequel is going to be as scary good as the first one, but deeper and more varied. And should be even more interesting when we can decide when to switch between Anderson's and Wake's worlds (which you can do when you're in a safe space). We'll find out for certain when Alan Wake II is released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 27th. Do you have any thoughts about Alan Wake II? Tell us in the comments below, or talk about it on X, Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Instagram, and HIVE Social. Don’t forget to tag us in the discussion! And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly Patch Notes!

It’s totally, definitely a new game. See, there’s a 2 at the end and everything. When a game is as popular as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the developers tend not to want to make too many changes over time. However, after 11 years of CS:GO, it was time to give it a bit of a facelift with modern technology. Counter-Strike 2 was suddenly released today as both a replacement and sequel to Global Offensive. If you go to your game on Steam, it’s now very clearly Counter-Strike 2. Anyone who’s been paying attention to the game already knows that the sequel was in the works. It was treated as an update for a limited technical playtest for a while now. In fact, they announced it back in March for a summer release, albeit without an official date for launch. But, the game itself looks leaps and bounds better than its 2012 iteration. I jumped into a few matches, where it was still apparent that you definitely need your own set of cheats and aim-bots set up in order to even make a dent in the competition. The top player in my first match had 67 kills total in the match, with 67 headshot kills. I can’t be mad, though. The game is free and looks great for being a new paint job on such an old game, as well as the performance upgrades under the hood. Plus, it’s as chaotic as ever. If you’ve had the game for years, you earned some new goodies in your inventory, so check those out. It’s nothing special, but the music track kit and medal are nice for those who played prior to today. I’m sticking with my Halo: The Master Chief Collection music though. Nothing weirder and more chaotic than hearing the Halo soundtrack coming from the wrong game. NVIDIA and AMD have both given their thumbs up on the new Counter-Strike 2 update as well. After my matches earlier, I can say that the game runs smoothly on my slightly older AMD gaming PC. If you are looking to give Counter-Strike 2 a (CS) go, it’s free on Steam. If you already have Global Offensive, look for it in your library instead.

Despite some of the quality-of-life improvements made to the framework of Payday 2, this title needs a lot of work. I was really excited about Payday 3. Now I’m just sad, pissed off, and confused. Upon hearing previously in some news about the game that it was to be “online only”, I automatically got worried. I’m not a big fan of always-online titles because you have to not only rely on a server connection to play the game but also that once those servers are gone, the game is too. So what is Payday? It’s a crime game series where you and three other serial criminals team up and try to pull off heists in order to score big money. These heists can involve robbing an armored truck, a jewelry store, nightclubs, or even an assortment of banks. While the first Payday title was a ton of fun, the second one is where the series exploded in popularity. So expectations were definitely at an all-time high for Payday 3. To this day, I really enjoy playing Payday 2. It has plenty of content, lots of great heists to do, and different builds to make for jobs whether they be loud and wild or quiet and stealthy. Progression in Payday 2 feels good. Also, it actually works. Now I wasn’t expecting Payday 3 to match its predecessor in terms of quality right off the bat (and let’s be fair, Payday 2 is a much different animal today than when it launched), but even with my expectations lowered a bit, I was still pretty disappointed with what we got. Matchmaking failed So, why am I upset at Payday 3? Well, there are a few reasons. The first one is that for the first few days of attempting to get into a heist to play the game, it took forever to connect to a server (and a lot of times it just wouldn’t at all). My first attempt was about 45 minutes of waiting before it finally let me join a heist. What I got from the first heist was a mixed bag of emotions. For one, I was happy that the gunplay felt much smoother and responsive this time around, but the framerate didn’t share the same smoothness. I had a lot of weird framerate dips no matter what settings configuration I chose, so I just dealt with it and soldiered on. Another odd thing I noticed is that there was no voice chat in the pre-heist lobby. In Payday 2 there was a planning phase where you could talk to teammates and plan everything before you started, so you could decide on going loud or quiet and talk about everyone’s roles in the job. Now that doesn’t seem to be a thing. Which is a bizarre omission in my opinion. I also noticed that when playing with bots, the AI still doesn’t do anything to help with objectives. I know that some players might like this since they can just do everything themselves and use their teammates as bag holders, but it would have been nice to see them do more than just stand around. The same can be said for the police force that’s trying to stop you, they behave almost identically as they did in Payday 2. They just stand out in the open and shoot at you while some of the specialty police will try to tase, snipe, or pressure you with shields. However, please bear in mind that I wasn’t able to play on any difficulties beyond Normal on Payday 3 yet, so they might function much better in those settings. Not the challenge I was looking for There was also a user interface issue I had with the primary and secondary weapons. Let’s say you want to purchase a shiny new secondary weapon. If you click the secondary slot and select “Purchase weapon” you should be shown only secondaries to purchase, right? Nope. Instead, it shows you all of the available weapons for both primary and secondary slots for purchase so you don’t know which is which. This doesn’t make any sense to me. I also really wish I could tell you all about the progression system in the game and how good or bad it is, but honestly, I don’t know how it is. Why? Well, because I was only able to complete the first three heists before the game crashed and as a result, completely locked me out of playing. To say this was frustrating is an understatement. I really feel for all of the players out there who have already put down up to $90 for this game only to have an unfinished (and a lot of the time unplayable) product. So while I would much rather leave you with a detailed and thorough review of Payday 3, I’m just going to have to leave it the way it was released: unfinished. I can’t recommend this game in its current state, but maybe one day it will be better. Payday 2 has improved a lot over the years. But, even with that being the case, I can’t excuse Payday 3 for releasing this way.