 Frogwares have released a new video for The Sinking City, a story-driven investigation game set in a twisted universe inspired by H. P Lovecraft, which serves as a warning of what's to come, but you must first solve a puzzle to see it. Take a look at the image above and think hard about the next paragraph.
If you think you've got it, head on over to their Facebook page and comment only your answer. If you're correct, you'll be sent a private message with a link to the video.
The Sinking City releases 27 June on Xbox One, PS4 and PC, with a Switch version to follow later in the year. Can you solve the puzzle? Let us know if you were successful below or over in the forums. Synth Riders giveaway24/6/2019 
We have 5 Steam keys for VR rhythm game Synth Riders - playable on Oculus Rift, HTC VIVE, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets - up for grabs in our giveaway this week!
 After a successful launch on Steam last year, Manufacture 43's "retro futuristic" shoot 'em up is coming to Switch and Xbox One.
Axo's ship, the Chukaru, can heal itself, deal extra damage or power up a super attack by using a certain type of weapon against a corresponding enemy type, a feature known as the "Trinity Mechanic."
Pawarumi is available now on Steam and comes to Switch and Xbox One on 24 July. What do you think of the game? Let us know below or in the forums.  Monster Hunter World, now Capcom's best-selling title, is expanding in September with the Iceborne DLC. PS4 players can try some of the new features early as two betas are planned for this month. PS Plus members can jump in 21 - 24 June and a second beta, for all PS4 players, takes place 28 June - 1 July.
The betas will allow players to get to grips with all 14 weapon types in the training area and any of the three missions. Upon completion of each quest for the first time, hunters can earn a total of three item packs containing helpful consumables that will be available to use in the full version of Iceborne when it releases later in the year.
Some gameplay options, such as Slinger tools and weapons, will be available right off the bat, however, the added quests will require players to have completed the main story through Hunter Rank 16. More info about new monsters and features will be revealed in time. Iceborne launches 6 September on PS4 and Xbox One, with a PC release to follow in the winter. Are you looking forward to the Iceborne beta? Let us know below or over in the forums. ENDED: 15 GBP Xbox Gift Card giveaway17/6/2019 
This week’s giveaway winner is Jamie Spensley (@jamie_jammas)!
 Carbon Studio have unveiled a new expansion for their virtual reality title, The Wizards.
Dark Times releases on Steam sometime next year and is available to wishlist now.
Currently, there’s no indication the expansion will be coming to PS VR, a platform which recently received an enhanced edition of the main game that Sam described as “an intoxicating realisation of… long-held magical fantasies” in his review. Did you play The Wizards? Looking forward to the new content? Let us know below or in the forums. Nintendo round-up | E3 201912/6/2019  While Mario himself was fairly quiet, there was plenty of news from Nintendo’s special Direct for E3. Here are all the biggest announcements.
Ghost-busting with Gooigi Luigi is back in the torchlight once again with Luigi’s Mansion 3. His customary poltergust now has some new abilities like slam, which can throw ghosts overhead to deal damage to them and nearby enemies, and suction shot, which lets you take ghosts’ shields from them, lowering their defences. The playful Nintendo visuals are in full effect in this new title, and reach their peak in the globular form of Gooigi, an all-green copy of our protagonist who is controllable remotely or by a co-op partner to solve puzzles or tackle enemies - just keep him away from water. There’s also an out-and-out online multiplayer mode, The ScareScraper, where up to four Luigis (and another four Gooigis…) must clear rooms, save lost Toads and solve puzzles in a spooky hotel. Get away from it all with Nook Inc. There was finally more news for Animal Crossing fans as well, as we got a first proper look at Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This latest chapter puts you on a deserted island in a tent to build up your town from scratch. You can have friends along this time too, with up to eight islanders able to explore the world at the same time and take part in a whole host of island activities. Crafting makes its debut in the series and elements seen in mobile titles are being included to make this what looks like the most comprehensive Animal Crossing entry to date. Fans will have to wait a little bit longer to get their hands on it however, as the game now comes out next year, on 20 March. The bear and bird come to Smash Bros. The Hero from Dragon Quest was confirmed to be entering the fray in Smash Bros. Ultimate (appearing as a number of forms drawn from across multiple entries in the series) and there was another Smash surprise in store: Banjo-Kazooie are raring to go. Rising to prominence in the title of the same name back in the 90s, Banjo and Kazooie have long been fan-requested combatants, and finally those wishes have been answered. The reveal showed off a few of their moves as well as a stage based on Spiral Mountain, the hub area for Banjo-Kazooie itself, and an ultimate move featuring the colourful critters the jinjos. The hits keep on coming Elsewhere, we got a first proper look at Link’s Awakening, a remake of the Legend of Zelda title released on the Game Boy back in 1993, which will return with a cheerful new art style on 20 September. We also saw the official, on-camera introduction of new Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser, complete with a suitably corny chit chat with his fire-breathing namesake. There were a slew of JRPGs including Trials of Mana, Collection of Mana, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, as well as the return of Travis Touchdown in No More Heroes 3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is on its way to the Switch, along with a number of other ports, including Resident Evil 5 and 6 and dozens of indie releases. Finally, there were highlights like Astral Chain from Platinum games, a remake of Panzer Dragoon and, for all the sports fans, Mario and Sonic are teaming up again for the 2020 Olympic Games. If you want to learn more, Nintendo will likely be sharing more information and gameplay footage on a number of the above titles as part of their Treehouse Live E3 coverage, which draws to a close tomorrow. Did you check out the conference? What are you most excited about so far? Let us know in the comments, and, from me and all of the team, thank you for checking out our E3 coverage.
Square Enix round-up | E3 201911/6/2019  Square Enix took to the stage early this morning to show us what we've got to look forward to over the next couple of years.
The game is said to feature “two Blu-ray discs” worth of content, hinting that it might be split into two parts, the first of which will be set in Midgar and present a "fully standalone gaming experience." Three editions of Final Fantasy VII Remake are available to pre-order ahead of the early 3 March 2020 launch on PS4, which you can learn more about here. Other platforms, presumably PC and Xbox One, will follow at a later date. A trailer for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered - not to be confused with the above Final Fantasy VII Remake - was also unveiled, showing off the game’s newly-rendered visuals. It pales in comparison to the work being lavished on FFVII, but fans will no doubt be happy for the opportunity to play FFVIII on modern systems when it hits Xbox One, PS4, Switch and PC later this year. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is debuting on PS4 and Switch, 15 years after the original. New areas have been added inside dungeons and you can enlist the help of friends in an online multiplayer mode for up to four players. Final Fantasy XIV's Shadowbringers update is due to go live on PS4 and PC on 2 July. A brand new story sees the Warrior of Light embrace the dark and embark upon "an adventure that transcends worlds." Expect to see new areas, tribes, challenges, jobs, races and an updated battle system. Three all-new games set for 2020 One of the more tantalising reasons to tune in was the reveal of Marvel's Avengers. It all begins on A-Day, with Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor unveiling their high tech H.Q, and a heli-carrier powered by an experimental energy source. Of course, it all goes belly-up and the Avengers, blamed for the massive devastation, disband. Five years later, after inviting trouble by outlawing Superheroes, the world is in danger and the Avengers must... be… put back together, in some way. There's a lot of talent on board as Marvel, Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, Crystal Northwest, Square Enix and Nixxes are all collaborating on the project and supporting it with post-release content free of charge. Some of that will be exclusive to PS4, presumably being a crossover with PlayStation game Marvel’s Spider-Man. Avengers launches 15 May 2020 on PS4, Xbox One, Stadia and PC. People Can Fly (Gears of War Judgement, Bulletstorm) are partnering with Square Enix External Studios to bring us Outriders, a dark sci-fi shooter. "Outriders is a very exciting project for us at Square Enix External Studios. We’re focusing on giving players a true AAA co-op shooter with a deep feature set and strong narrative,” said Jon Brooke, Co-Head of Studio at Square Enix External Studios. “The team at People Can Fly really know how to make gunplay feel tight and powerful and we can’t wait to show you more later this winter.” Outriders will launch summer 2020 on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The release date for Tokyo RPG Factory's RPG adventure, Oninaki, was also announced with a new trailer. In the game, players will assume the role of a Watcher, moving between the Living World and the Beyond, guiding the souls of the Lost in a story of life, death and reincarnation. It's coming to PS4, Switch and PC on 22 August. A touch of déjà vu Following on from all the Final Fantasy remakes and remasters, The Last Remnant Remastered is a spruced-up version of the original RPG which launched in 2008 - it’s available now on Nintendo Switch. Romancing SaGa 3 and SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions have both been released before, but never in the west. Romancing SaGa 3 is launching on Xbox One, PS4, PS Vita, Switch, PC and mobile. Scarlet Grace is only making its way to PS4, Switch, PC and mobile. Let us know if anything caught your eye below or over in the forums.
Ubisoft round-up | E3 201911/6/2019  Ubisoft opened with a customary musical performance, except this time it was the orchestral melodies of the Assassin’s Creed Symphony, instead of the energetic pop of Just Dance kicking things off. Fans of the latter need not be disappointed, however, as Just Dance 2020 made its exuberant appearance later in the show, dancing pandas and all!
Breakpoint’s starring antagonist, TV’s John Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Punisher), was joined on stage by a dog as he discussed Colonel Cole D. Walker’s rogue army from the latest Ghost Recon. The Wolves, as they’re known, are made up of former Ghosts who inhabit the fictional island of Auroa. With their lethal technology and spec-ops training, it sounds like they’ll prove more formidable opposition than Wildlands’ Santa Blanca cartel and Unidad army. Further reveals included AI teammates for solo players, a community feedback program, and confirmation of a beta taking place 5 September. Post-launch support will include free updates and more crossover events, including a Terminator one (just like in Gears 5) that was hinted at during last night’s presentation. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is out 4 October on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Gods, monsters and more Tom Clancy There was also new content announced for The Division 2. Episode 1 arrives in July and takes players on missions outside the Washington D.C. city limits as they track down a rogue ally, take on a dangerous outcast leader in a zoo and try to find a missing convoy. The latter takes place in Kenly College, and is said to be home to an “entirely new gameplay experience.” Episode 2 arrives later in the year and features more main missions, this time set in the Pentagon, and adds another 8-player raid. Episode 3, meanwhile, arrives early next year and brings back the New York City setting from the first game. Finally, it was confirmed that Netflix will be making The Division movie, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain. New games announced during the show were Rainbow Six Quarantine and a new IP called Gods and Monsters. The former releases early next year and sounds like an extended take on Siege’s Outbreak mode, which saw players fighting their way through levels infested with monsters. In Quarantine, players will take on a “devastating parasite” with their operators in cooperative action. The trailer, while light on details, at least looks impressive. Check it out below. We were also only treated to a vague cinematic trailer for Gods and Monsters, a new title from the makers of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The game tells the story of a “forgotten hero on a quest to save the Greek gods.” It sounds like it’ll be an open world affair, with players able to fight mythical creatures and “explore a beautiful fantasy world where tricky trials, treacherous dungeons, and heroic feats await.” Gods and Monsters is out February next year on Xbox One, PS4, Switch and PC. Keep rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ Another new IP revealed was Roller Champions, a “skill-based team PvP sports game that is as fun to watch as it is to play.” From the gameplay seen in the trailer, it looks like players race around an oval track on skates while trying to shoot a ball into a goal, as the opposition attempts to stop them. A pre-alpha demo is available to download now from Uplay on PC. Uplay takes on Xbox Game Pass Speaking of Uplay, Ubisoft announced a PC-only subscription service in Uplay+ during last night’s show. Players will be able to enjoy 100+ games through the service, including early access to the full versions of every new Ubisoft game, including premium editions and all their expansions. It’ll cost $14.99 (or regional equivalent) a month and launches this September. It’ll also be available through Google Stadia. What did you think of Ubisoft’s E3 presentation? Let us know below or over in the forums.
 The mania of Devolver Digital returned for a third year running and there were fistfuls of games on display at the PC Gaming Show. Here are some of the highlights.
What follows is a deeply surreal journey through game announcements and other self-referential snark which all takes place within Nina’s head. We’d highly recommend watching the video to see for yourself, along with the previous two to brush up on your Devolver lore. In terms of actual announcements though, Devolver did have a few things to share, including Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout from Mediatonic, a colourful every-blob-for-itself party game, Devolver Bootleg, which is a meta rip-off of Devolver’s own catalogue, and even an honest-to-goodness Enter the Gungeon arcade cabinet. PC Gaming Show brings a whole host of games At the PC Gaming Show, an altogether more sedate affair, but one which feels less showy than other high-budget presentations, there were tons of games on show. First up was a trailer for Rebellion’s Evil Genius 2: World Domination, a follow up to the long-dormant Bond villain management game which is set for Steam. In terms of high profile announcements, we had a release date - and Epic Store exclusivity - for Shenmue 3, which will debut on 19 November and feature martial arts training on a boat...  Elsewhere there was a Q&A with Borderlands 3 Creative Director Paul Sage, who gave us a few nuggets and expanded on things we already knew about the game, which comes out on 13 September. Badass ranks have been expanded to become guardian ranks, which allow for endless character progression over time, regardless of standard level, and will unlock bonus skins. This time Vault Hunters will have 50 levels to play with at launch, with familiar mechanics like golden loot boxes and shift codes returning for the game. There’ll also be “some PvP type stuff”. Baldur’s Gate III, which had its teaser trailer release a few days before, didn’t have much new to offer despite being saved for the end of the show. The strongest message was an important one - the game will be released when it’s ready, so the team aren’t committing to a specific ship date at the moment. Become a creature of the night There were plenty of other games on show as well, perhaps most notable among which was long-anticipated sequel Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. The gameplay reveal showed a darker version of our world where vampires must keep themselves a secret and “maintain the masquerade” in order to survive. Players will be able to see the mood potential blood-sucking targets are in, so, whether they’re filled with feelings of fear or desire, they’ll give you different buffs when you devour them. Turning won’t be a quick and easy process either, with you needing to adapt to your new life as a member of the undead and maintain fragile relationships with your former friends and family, dependant on your desire to put them at risk. Lots of new indies are coming Also announced were: Starmancer, a space station sim from Chucklefish with a 16-bit isometric viewpoint; Chivalry 2, a collaboration between Torn Banner and Tripwire coming in early 2020, aiming to bring Game of Thrones-style battles to life; and Midnight Ghost Hunt, a riff on Prop Hunt from Gary’s Mod where the props fight back. There was also a surprise from Funcom, who revealed the game they teased back on April Fool’s Day, Conan Chop Chop, is in fact a real thing. Not only that, but the Zelda-esque roguelike is coming to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 3 September. Did you check out the PC Gaming Show? Were you amused by Devolver’s insane antics? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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