Ever since Persona transformed the RPG into a wonderfully voyeuristic Japanese tourism simulator, I’ve had an appetite for games that let me experience living on the other side of the planet. Whether it’s roaming the streets of Osaka in Yakuza or trudging across the dung-filled fields of Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s medieval Bohemia, there’s something satisfying about picking up a controller and being given a window into someone else’s life.Yet since Persona offers a disappointingly linear Tokyo to traverse, I’ve been left pining to get lost in a truly sprawling virtual metropolis. Thankfully, it turns out my oddly specific prayers have been answered. Welcome to the slick and exciting new anime open-world RPG from Hotta Studio, NTE.Hot-ta GoDeveloped by the creators of the 2021 hit, Tower of Fantasy, NTE is a fully open-world anime brawler made using Unreal Engine 5. Putting players into the near-future city of Hethereau, anime-styled characters are free to roam the futuristic metropolis as they see fit. Feeling like a blend of Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo, Hethereau is fully explorable in its gargantuan glory – and it finally satisfies that free-form slice of life itch.It helps that the city of Hetherau looks absolutely stunning. As crisp character models are brought to life with expressive animations, Lumen lighting tech brings street lamps and puzzles shimmering to life with impressive reflections. In a nice touch, exploring this cityscape feels pleasingly kinetic. From sprinting across packed plazas to sipping coffee at a quiet cafe or fighting anomalies in back alleys, there’s an impressively vast map begging to be explored. As you hop into a car and crash into incoming traffic, chat to overly excitable citizens and then head into a portal to slice up some dudes, it’s hard not to feel like you’re playing a Shonen Jump twist on GTA.Real-time weather helps to keep your time in Hethereau feeling fresh - no matter the forecast. Whenever you boot up NTE, you never know what kind of day awaits, with your daily adventures shifting from sun-soaked ambles across packed city streets to racing across town with snowflake-laden windscreen wipers. It’s all surprisingly well realised and immersive stuff, with snow even affecting NPC behaviour. Pedestrians leave snow prints as they go about their days, and heavy snowfall even brings traffic edging to an authentic standstill.
Anomaly of a FallStill, it’s not all a breezy good time here - there is an existential threat facing humanity, after all. With people around the world suddenly mutated by thick goo falling from the sky, a hyper vortex has corrupted and maddened once ordinary citizens, and it’s up to the authorities to try and contain this horrific anomaly before it spreads. As a member of the Anomaly Control's Containment Unit, it’s up to you to help keep citizens safe.Much like in the games that inspired it, there’s a murky distinction between regular city life and the action-packed showdowns with anomalies. In NTE, the vast city of Hethereau shimmers with a surrealist quality, seamlessly blending day-to-day city life with reality-bending sci-fi. Divided into two main sections, the city’s Frontworld is a meticulously ordered, seamless open-world cyberpunk metropolis where players can explore and progress the story, while the Backworld – you guessed it – is littered with local urban distortions caused by those pesky supernatural anomalies.
The sun-soaked streets of the Frontworld offer a nice contrast to the murky, horror-tinged encounters that define the anomalies. One such section saw me roaming an eerily abandoned school. With its glistening corridors devoid of life, and a pulsating crimson oozing out of the windows, these spooky sections are nice and atmospheric – a welcome change from simply being dumped straight into combat.Speaking of combat, NTE offers unique mechanics depending on your character, such as character-specific Critical Dodge Counterattacks and Parry Attacks, which add fresh layers of strategy and style to enemy encounters.Grand Theft AnimeIn a Michael-Scott pleasing touch, urban exploration comes with a parkour twist, allowing players to navigate the sprawling urban metropolis by sprinting, jumping, and climbing their way across the packed city streets. If that all sounds far too exhausting, you can instead opt to simply hop on the subway, chatting to the locals for new leads on anomaly locations, or to engage in some enjoyably silly side quests. If parkour doesn’t float your proverbial boat, you can always take to the sky, hopping on a zipline to speed across the neon skyline and uncover the city's hidden corners.
Of course, it wouldn’t be GTA-like without, well, some grand theft auto. Just like in Rockstar’s flagship franchise, vehicles in Hethereau can be commandeered under Anomaly Control's Containment Unit (more on them later) authority via Requisition gameplay, allowing you to peacefully take over any car if it will help you keep the city safe. If, however, you step out of line and attack fellow citizens, you’ll trigger a Wanted level, with the Security Office putting out a warrant for your arrest and chasing you down. Continuing to break the law will increase your wanted level with escalating consequences based on the severity of your offence. The more you attempt to escape or the more wanton destruction you cause, the higher the said wanted level. GTA VI, eat your heart out.And if that wasn’t enough law-flaunting for you, you can also team up with friends to try out street racing challenges, competing with crews from various districts in high-octane multiplayer races. If you fancy testing your driving skills, Hetherau’s streets are littered with fast and furious drivers, all itching to put the pedal to the metal and helping you try out all manner of torque-testing new rides. Just be careful in bad weather: the snow might be immersive and realistic – with snowflakes organically blowing in the wind and the snow getting deeper in real time – but rain or snow means slippery roads and a greater chance of you dramatically spinning off track.In NTE, you’re an anomaly hunter, with the game’s core missions revolving around hunting down said anomalies. Story beats are punctuated with gorgeously rendered cutscenes, leaning fully into their anime inspirations, as devious plot twists and turns are delivered with pleasing cinematic flourish.
Beta Than ParadiseWhether you’re cruising down the streets in your sweet new ride or clambering up the side of buildings, NTE is a surprisingly varied and feature-packed game. I was pleasantly surprised by the open world’s scope, with developer Hotta Studio promising that players will be able to choose how they mould their own destiny - yet it was too early to tell how these choices will ultimately pan out.If the year-long wait for GTA VI has got you down, and modern gatcha games aren’t doing it for you, you can always take a trip to Hethereau when NTE comes out on PC, mobile, and PlayStation 5. The NTE beta on PC is available now until July 16th, and you can register your place here...
Walmart's biggest sale of the year (so far) kicks off alongside Amazon Prime Day on July 8. While you don't need a Walmart+ subscription to shop the discounts during Walmart's sale, members get five-hour early access starting July 7 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET. Ahead of the sale, Walmart is offering a 50% discount on a full year of Walmart+, dropping the price to only $49 (was $98).The free shipping on online orders is similar to Amazon Prime. Orders are typically delivered within two days, though one- and even same-day delivery are regular occurrences.The free delivery from local stores perk is an even larger benefit, depending on your proximity to a brick-and-mortar store. Many subscribers can get their entire grocery orders delivered. But even if your Walmart doesn't have a full supermarket, it's still nice to be able to get free delivery on random products you'd normally have to drive to the store to buy. Local delivery is often fulfilled the same day you place your order, and you can schedule the time slot when making your purchase.If you're a Paramount+ Essential subscriber, you're likely spending more money on that subscription alone than you would by gaining access via Walmart+.Other perks include 10 cents off fuel, free pharmacy deliveries, 25% off Burger King orders every day, free online pet care via Pawp, free automobile tire repair, 5% back in Walmart Cash on travel via Expedia, and the ability to return unwanted purchases from home. And if you do still find yourself in your local Walmart after getting a subscription, you can use the app to scan your items as you shop, which allows you to skip the normal checkout process. Walmart Deals 2025 runs from July 8-13, whereas Amazon Prime Day 2025 is July 8-11. Amazon's sale is geared toward Prime members, so many of the deals are exclusive to subscribers. If you're new to Prime, you can get your first 30 days--or six months, if you qualify for Prime Young Adults--at no cost.Prime members can take advantage of a wide assortment of early deals ahead of the official start date. There are two notable subscription deals for Prime members, too: Amazon Kindle Unlimited and Audible Premium Plus. New subscribers can get their first three months of the digital reading and audiobook memberships for free...
A bunch of Amazon devices are already discounted to official Prime Day 2025 prices, including the priciest electronic reader in the ubiquitous Kindle lineup. The newest Kindle Scribe has received a massive $140 price cut, dropping the hybrid ereader and journaling e-ink tablet to its best price since launching last December. But you can save even more--up to $220 total--by opting for the Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle.New Kindle users will almost certainly want to go with the bundle, but if you're upgrading to a new Kindle, you might want to skip the bundle due to a trade-in deal outlined below. The Kindle Scribe deals are exclusive to Prime members.See all Kindle Scribe Prime Day DealsBrowse Prime Day Kindle Book SaleSee all Kindle Scribe Prime Day DealsBrowse Prime Day Kindle Book SaleAudible Premium Plus Deal - Get 3 Months FreeKindle Unlimited Deal - Get 3 Months FreeAmazon Echo Buds with ANC -- $45 ($140)If you take advantage of the Kindle Scribe deal and have never tried Kindle Unlimited, you can get your first three months for free, which grants access to a library of over 4 million books, comics, graphic novels, manga, and more.Some Kindle Unlimited titles also include audiobook versions that can be listened to on your Kindle. But for even more audiobooks, you'll want to check out Audible Premium Plus, especially since the $15/month subscription program is free for your first three months, too. With Audible Premium Plus, you'll be able to claim and keep one audiobook of your choosing. New releases and even preorders are eligible, so Prime members shouldn't miss out on this offer.Amazon is already offering steep discounts on Kindle ebooks ahead of the July 8-11 sales event, so you can pair your new ereader with some cheap books.And if you plan on listening to audiobooks on the Kindle Scribe, Amazon's Echo Buds with active noise cancellation are on sale for only $45, down from $140. These Bluetooth earbuds can sync wirelessly with Kindle ereaders as well as other Bluetooth-enabled devices...
Nintendo has rolled out new updates for both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom. The latest patches are fairly minor, primarily addressing a few issues related to the Zelda Notes service for the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of both games.According to Nintendo's patch notes, the new updates resolve a bug that can occur when attempting to use certain Daily Bonus perks. Specifically, Nintendo says it has "fixed an issue in which the player was unable to use the Daily Bonus effects 'Health Recovery' or 'Hearty Meal' if they had increased their hearts to the maximum number."The updates also resolve "several other issues related to Zelda Notes," although no specific details were provided beyond that. Both games have also gotten other minor fixes "to improve the gameplay experience." You can read the full patch notes for each update below.You'll need to install the latest patches in order to continue using the Zelda Notes service. The updates should download automatically when your system connects to the internet, but you can manually initiate the download by highlighting the game's icon on the home menu, pressing the Plus Button, and selecting Software Update.Zelda Notes is a companion service available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Players who own the Switch 1 versions can purchase upgrade packs for the games through the eShop. Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers can also download both upgrade packs for free, although it may not be immediately clear how to.The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Ver. 1.8.2 Patch NotesNintendo Switch 2 Edition: Fixes related to ZELDA NOTESFixed an issue in which the player was unable to use the Daily Bonus effects "Health Recovery" or "Hearty Meal" if they had increased their hearts to the maximum number.Several other issues related to ZELDA NOTES have been addressed.*The latest update data is required to play elements related to ZELDA NOTES.GeneralSeveral issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience.The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Ver. 1.4.2 Patch NotesNintendo Switch 2 Edition: Fixes related to ZELDA NOTESFixed an issue in which the player was unable to use the Daily Bonus effects "Health Recovery" or "Hearty Meal" if they had increased their hearts to the maximum number.Several other issues related to ZELDA NOTES have been addressed.*The latest update data is required to play elements related to ZELDA NOTES.GeneralFixed an issue in which the background music would not be played correctly in certain battles in the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.Several other issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience...
A new Resident Evil game is in development, and it'll be putting a strategy twist on the franchise. In production at JoyCity Corporation, the mobile game is being developed in close collaboration with Capcom, and it's titled Resident Evil Survival Unit. Announced at Anime Expo, the full reveal for the iOS and Android game will be held on July 10 at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET.JoyCity Corporation says that it's aiming to appeal to both longtime fans and new players to the franchise, and it has reimagined the survival-horror aspects of Resident Evil into a real-time strategy experience optimized for mobile devices.Beyond this new venture into mobile gaming, the Resident Evil series will also return next year with a new entry in the mainline series on PC and console. Resident Evil Requiem was revealed last month, and the game features a new protagonist, Grace Ashcroft.The daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from the franchise's first multiplayer game, Resident Evil Outbreak, Grace is tasked with investigating a mystery that ties into the overarching narrative that began with the original trilogy of Resident Evil games.Her investigation leads her to Raccoon City--the infamous city that was destroyed in a missile strike to contain the T-virus outbreak--where she'll have to confront the ghosts of her past...
A bunch of great tech deals are popping up ahead of next week's Prime Day sales event at Amazon, including a massive price cut on the Samsung 990 Evo Plus 4TB SSD. With this high-capacity NVMe SSD now up for grabs for its lowest price ever of $235 (was $328), this is a great opportunity to upgrade your storage on PC or PlayStation 5.While the Samsung 990 Evo Plus 4TB SSD is one of the best early Prime Day storage deals, it’s not the only SSD seeing a discount. For example, the Crucial P310 1TB is just $60 (was $74.80), and it’s fully compatible with PS5 (though it too needs a separate heatsink). But with speeds up to 7,100 MB/s, it’ll get you solid performance and save you a few bucks compared to the 1TB 990 Evo Plus.We’ve pulled together a few of our favorite PS5 SSD deals below, so be sure to give them a look before making a purchase. All of these exceed PlayStation's minimum requirements and also work on PC.Prime Day 2025: NVMe SSD Deals at AmazonCrucial P310 1TB SSD (7,100 MB/s) -- $60 ($74.80)Samsung 990 Evo Plus 4TB SSD (7,250MB/s) -- $235 ($328)Samsung 990 Evo Plus 2TB SSD (7,250MB/s) -- $140 ($177)Samsung 990 Evo Plus 1TB SSD (7,250MB/s) -- $80 ($110)Crucial P310 1TB SSD (7,100 MB/s) -- $60 ($74.80)WD Black SN7100 500GB SSD (6,800 MB/s) -- $60 ($77)WD Black SN7100 2TB SSD (7,250 MB/s) -- $140 ($160)WD Black SN850X 2TB SSD (7,300 MB/s) -- $163.60 ($190)WD Black SN850X 1TB SSD (7,300 MB/s) -- $110 ($130)...
In 2020, Ubisoft chief creative officer Serge Hascoët and vice president of editorial and creative services Tommy François stepped down from the company following abuse allegations. Francois and Hascoet were arrested three years later following an investigation by French authorities. Now, the trial is over and Francois and Hascoet have both been convicted alongside another former Ubisoft executive, former games director Guillaume Patrux.All three men were sentenced to suspended prison terms for their roles in "enabling a culture of sexual and psychological harassment," as reported by Courthouse News Service. Francois was also convicted of attempted sexual assault and given a three-year suspended sentence. During the trial, it was reported that Francois sexually harassed female and male employees, including attempts to grope their genitals.Hascoet was handed a shorter suspended sentence of 18-months, while Patrux was given a 12-month suspended sentence for personally bullying members of his team. All three men were also ordered to pay fines, including a 45,000 euro fee for Hascoet, 30,000 euros for Francois, and 10,000 euros for Patrux.Although the trio are no longer Ubisoft employees, the company has struggled in the last few years. The company's French workers rebelled over a return-to-office order, and allegations of abuse emerged at one of Ubisoft's support studios. Earlier this year, Ubisoft formed a partnership with Tencent to guide three of the company's top franchises: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Ubisoft also recently delayed multiple games and will not host Ubisoft Forward this summer...
PC and PS5 gamers can get the best noise-canceling gaming earbuds for a terrific price thanks to Amazon's early Prime Day 2025 deals on Sony Inzone gear. The Sony Inzone Buds are up for grabs for $158 (was $200). You can choose between a white/black model that matches the PS5 console color scheme or an all-black edition similar to PlayStation's Midnight Black collection. Amazon is also offering a $100 discount on the Sony Inzone H9, a premium over-ear wireless headset with ANC, and a nearly $400 discount on Sony's M10S 27" OLED Gaming Monitor.See all Sony Inzone Deals at Amazon Sony Inzone Gaming Earbuds & Headsets Deals for Prime DayMade by Sony, not PlayStation, the Inzone lineup is geared toward PC gamers, but the headsets and earbuds take full advantage of the PS5's audio features. Here's a quick rundown of all of the Inzone audio products receiving discounts at Amazon.Sony Inzone Buds - Noise-Canceling Wireless Gaming Earbuds (White) -- $158 ($200)Sony Inzone Buds - Noise-Canceling Wireless Gaming Earbuds (Black) -- $158 ($200)Sony Inzone H9 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headset (Black) -- $198 ($300)Sony Inzone H9 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headset (White) -- $198 ($300)Sony Inzone H5 Wireless Headset (White) -- $128 ($150)Sony Inzone H5 Wireless Headset (Black) -- $128 ($150)Sony Inzone H3 Wired Headset (White) -- $58 ($100)Sony's Inzone lineup includes gaming headsets and monitors for PC and PS5 users.Prime Day Deals: Sony Inzone Gaming MonitorsYou can also get the newest additions to Sony's gaming monitor lineup for nice discounts. Sony's 27-inch OLED Gaming Monitor is nearly $400 off. This deal is so good that it's actually cheaper than the 27-inch 4K Inzone Monitor, which normally costs $300 less than the OLED.Sony Inzone M10S 27-Inch OLED 1440p Gaming Monitor -- $714 ($1,100)Sony Inzone M9 II 27-Inch 4K Gaming Monitor -- $760 ($800)You can read more about Sony's Inzone Buds and H9 Wireless Gaming Headset below. And if you want gaming earbuds that are also compatible with Xbox, check out the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, which have received rare discounts ahead of Prime Day 2025...
Mecha Break is a free-to-play multiplayer shooter that offers a ton of content and customization for the various mechs you can unlock. Of course, some of that content is locked behind an in-game paywall, as is standard with the free-to-play model of video games. However, Mecha Break takes things a step further than a single universal currency, as there are three different currencies you can earn during your time as a mech pilot.Below, you can see what the three currencies are, how to earn each one, and what you can spend your currency on in Mecha Break. If you're just hopping into Mecha Break, make sure to also check out our full Striker tier list so you know which mechs are best to unlock first.How to get more Corite in Mecha BreakThe first currency we'll talk about is Corite, which is the premier currency that you'll always be chasing in Mecha Break. Corite is used for a majority of the microtransactions in the game, and, as you might expect, can be purchased using real-life money through the in-game store.Corite can be purchased in the following amounts:100 Corite - $0.99515 Corite - $4.991,060 Corite - $9.992,180 Corite - $19.993,360 Corite - $29.995,405 Corite - $46.99The Corite purchasing menu in Mecha BreakAside from purchasing Corite with cold, hard cash, you can also earn some by joining the official Mecha Break Discord server. If you join and link your account in-game, which can be done right as you load into the main menu by selecting the "Link Discord" option in the pop-up window, you'll be eligible to earn Corite through daily drops.In the Discord server, navigate to the "giveaways" text channel and click on the "Daily Check In" box at the top of the channel. This rewards you with random loot that is transferred to your linked Mecha Break account. While Corite isn't always a reward from the daily drops, it's a possibility.The daily drops yield a much higher success rate of earning Corite than selling items on the Matrix Marketplace. This is in the in-game marketplace for Mecha Break, allowing players to buy and sell items they've earned. If you have a desirable item but want Corite for it instead, you can place the item on the Matrix Marketplace for a certain amount of Corite. Then, another player can buy the item with Corite of their own, essentially transferring their Corite to your inventory.This system heavily relies on players obtaining desirable loot and other players dishing out Corite for the item. You can sell any item you receive in Mecha Break, and each one has a minimum listing price of 180 Corite.How to get more Matrix Credits in Mecha BreakYou can spend Matrix Credits on a variety of itemsSpeaking of the Matrix Marketplace, it's called that for a reason, and that reason is that you can earn a steady amount of Matrix Credits there. Matrix Credits is the most common currency you'll see in Mecha Break, and it's used for a variety of different things. Namely, you can purchase new mechs and other customization options with Matrix Credits.On the Matrix Marketplace, you can immediately cash in an item you put up for sale for 900 Matrix Credits rather than waiting for another player to spend Corite on it. You can also exchange Corite for Matrix Credits if you want to go that route, but that's going to be a foolish decision most of the time, given how rare Corite is.The Matrix Marketplace in Mecha BreakIn addition to the marketplace, Matrix Credits can be earned by doing just about any content in Mecha Break. Completing operations, events, and missions all reward you with Matrix Credits. You can also farm more Matrix Credits by purchasing the Matrix Contract Battle Pass, which offers a slew of the currency via Supply Crates. This costs $13, though.How to get more Mission Tokens in Mecha BreakFinally, we arrive at Mission Tokens, which is the currency you'll use the least in Mecha Break. However, that doesn't mean you don't want to have Mission Tokens, as they're used to unlock some specific content.Inferno costs 15,000 Mission Tokens to unlockRight off the bat in Mecha Break, you'll have access to 500 Mission Tokens (through a sign-in bonus). This isn't nearly enough to purchase everything behind the currency, though. Mission Tokens can be interacted with in the top-right of the main menu, and once you view its menu, you'll see everything you can unlock with the tokens. This includes a few of the Strikers in Mecha Break, such as Inferno and Serenith, and each one costs 15,000 tokens. Along with them, other beacons and access cards require Mission Tokens as well.You can earn Mission Tokens through playing all three game modes in Mecha Break, completing missions in each game mode, and by claiming daily sign-in bonuses. Also, purchasing the Matrix Contract Battle Pass offers Mission Tokens as well, but as we said before, it costs $13.Mission Tokens are considered the grindiest of all the currencies in Mecha Break, and you need a ton of them if you want to unlock every Striker and item in the game...
It's starting to feel a little bit like Fortnite is overrun with different battle royale modes. We already had the standard BR that everyone knows, along with OG and Reload, each with no-build variants. Then, just a few weeks ago, Epic tossed in the new mobile-oriented Blitz Royale, a mini battle royale with 32 players, for good measure. Can all these different modes continue to live alongside each other?I think they can, so long as they each have a niche they can carve out among the greater Fortnite audience. Regular Battle Royale is the catch-all for general audiences, OG is for the folks who prefer a stable experience that rarely changes in major ways--or just those who have nostalgia for the Fortnite of yesteryear--Reload is for the sweats, and Blitz Royale, though it might seem extremely swift and sweaty at first glance, is actually the more casual alternative to all of those existing modes.If you only played Blitz Royale right when it launched, you may not see it. When the mode initially dropped, it was pretty intense and full of sweaty folks, which was to be expected for an entirely new mode that everybody was trying out for the first time. But it didn't take long for things to mellow out as the player count normalized.Since Blitz Royale was created to capitalize on Fortnite's return to iPhones in the US, the matches are very short, taking five minutes or less for the winning player or team, and matchmaking has to happen quickly. And with Fortnite, quick matchmaking usually means more bots in place of human players. It's certainly proven to be true with Blitz, which has typically populated my games with what seems to be eight human players alongside a pile of bot players--and that ratio tends to hold up whether I play solo, duos, or four-player squads. I've even had a bunch of squad rounds in which my team never seemed to encounter any human players at all--this has happened about every four or five rounds of Blitz Royale squads that I've played.I'm not trying to drag the mode over this, though. Most casual players don't care if they're fighting bots or human players, and they definitely aren't playing Fortnite to test their gaming skills against the best opponents available. For most players, the game's mix of skill-based matchmaking and a generous population of bots is the formula for a fun, casual game that's more about TikTok dances than cranking 90s. Likewise, somebody playing Blitz Royale on their phone while they ride the bus to work is probably just looking for a way to pass the time. For these folks, the inclusion of a bunch of bots is not a drawback at all.Realistically, too, everything about Blitz Royale that makes it palatable for mobile play--the short matches, the lack of builds, the gimmicky stuff like weekly themed loot pools and medallions--also make it more fun for a casual audience that just wants to pop online and shoot something. You barely have to even do any looting, since Blitz starts you at half shields and will just give you an exotic or mythic weapon a minute or two into the round. With its fast-encroaching storm, small map, and bevy of overpowered weapons that simply appear in your inventory, Blitz Royale is really just Fortnite at its least complicated.The Blitz Knight outfit can be earned in Blitz Royale.And having Blitz as essentially the casual mode makes it easier for the other battle royale modes to cater to a different audience, since they wouldn't need to be as accommodating to every type of player. Reload, in which players will automatically respawn as long as at least one member of their team remains alive, has been a great example of counterprogramming since it launched its new Squid Game-themed map last week. While I've had pretty long matchmaking times for Zero Build Reload matches, often taking more than two minutes to get me a round, the games themselves have been amazing. Just about every round of Reload I've played recently has been a barn burner.The thing is, for a game of Fortnite's scale, matchmaking speed is everything. The longer it takes to get a match, says the conventional wisdom, the more likely that a player trained on modern trends of instant gratification will change their mind and not play at all. But with Fortnite now being more of a platform than an individual game, they can mix it up by providing their own alternatives. Don't wanna wait two minutes for a Reload match? Then play Blitz Royale or regular Battle Royale instead. Since Reload's matchmaking times are longer, it's not impossible to imagine that you could pull a win in Blitz Royale before you'd have landed from the bus in Reload.With each of these battle royale modes attracting folks from across a spectrum of niches, they can target specific audiences more effectively. If most of the folks who care about matchmaking speed are playing Blitz, for example, then there won't be much need to speed up Reload's matchmaking by adding more bots. It's not splitting the audience so much as it is catering more specifically to the sort of experiences each player is looking for.As it stands right now, Blitz Royale is slated to only stick around until mid-August. Presuming the player count stays healthy, though, it'll likely return sooner than later, giving more casual players a deceptively laidback mode built for them first and foremost...
EA has announced that Anthem servers will be sunset on January 12, 2026, effectively making the game unplayable."Anthem was designed to be an online-only title so once the servers go offline, the game will no longer be playable," EA said in an update. "If you previously purchased Anthem, the game can still be downloaded from a digital library and played until January 12, 2026."Anthem will also be removed from the EA Play playlist on August 15, 2025, and EA says that the sunsetting of the game has not led to any layoffs at developer BioWare. Anthem joins a growing number of live-service games that have had the plug pulled on them. Other high-profile games that faced a short shelf-life included Marvel's Avengers, Battleborn, and Super Bomberman R, and in an extreme example, Sony's Concord, which was pulled after a disastrous two weeks.Anthem struggled at launch back in 2019, and according to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, it was because the game attempted to appeal to two different audiences. Despite its middling reception and dwindling player numbers, developer BioWare has kept busy since interest on Anthem died out.Times are tough for the revered studio as its last game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, failed to meet EA's expectations and it's estimated that fewer than 100 staff members are left, down from its peak of over 400 employees. The studio's next game is a new entry in the Mass Effect series, which is being developed by a "core" team...
Veteran actor Michael Madsen, who played Toni Cipriani in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto III and was known for his work in numerous Quentin Tarantino films, has passed away. He died today, July, 3, and was 67.Madsen was found unresponsive at his Malibu home and was pronounced dead at 8:25 AM PT, a spokesperson for the LA County Sheriff's Department told The Hollywood Reporter. His rep Liz Rodriguez told the site, "We understand Michael had a cardiac arrest."In the world of video games, Madsen is known for playing the mobster Cipriani in GTA III. Danny Mastrogiorgio portrayed him in GTA Liberty City Stories. He also had roles in True Crime: Streets of LA, Driver 3, Dishonored, Dishonored 2, and most recently Crime Boss: Rockay City in 2023.Madsen began acting in the '80s and has nearly 350 acting credits on his IMDB page. He appeared in The Natural, Thelma & Louise, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and the James Bond movie Die Another Day. He's also known for his starring role in Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and his appearances in numerous other films from the movie director, including The Hateful Eight and the Kill Bill series."In the last two years Michael Madsen has been doing some incredible work with independent film including upcoming feature films Resurrection Road, Concessions and Cookbook for Southern Housewives, and was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life," managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith, and publicist Liz Rodriguez, said in a statement to NBC LA. "Michael was also preparing to release a new book called Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, currently being edited."Madsen was born in Chicago and joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. One of his first prominent movie roles was in 1983's sci-fi film WarGames."Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood's most iconic actors, who will be missed by many," his representatives said.Image credit: Getty Images/Phillip Massey...