Sony president Hiroki Totoki in a Q&A session with investors was asked about the failure of Concord, which was shut down less than two weeks after it released.

"Currently, we are still in the process of learning," said Totoki (via VideoGamesChronicle). "And basically, with regards to new IP, of course, you don’t know the result until you actually try it.

"So for us, for our reflection, we probably need to have a lot of gates, including user testing or internal evaluation, and the timing of such gates. And then we need to bring them forward, and we should have done those gates much earlier than we did.

"Also, we have a siloed organisation, so going beyond the boundaries of those organisations in terms of development, and also sales, I think that could have been much smoother.

"And then going forward, in our own titles and in third-party titles, we do have many different windows. And we want to be able to select the right and optimal window so that we can deploy them on our own platform without cannibalization, so that we can maximize our performance in terms of title launches. That’s all I have."

Sony senior vice president for finance and IR Sadahiko Hayakawa discussed the success of Helldivers 2 and the failure of Concord.

"We launched two live-service games this year," he said. "Helldivers 2 was a huge hit, while Concord ended up being shut down. We gained a lot of experience and learned a lot from both.

"We intend to share the lessons learned from our successes and failures across our studios, including in the areas of title development management as well as the process of continually adding expanded content and scaling the service after its release so as to strengthen our development management system.

"We intend to build on an optimum title portfolio during the current mid-range plan period that combines single-player games – which are our strengths and which have a higher predictability of becoming hits due to our proven IP – with live-service games that pursue upside while taking on a certain amount of risk upon release."

Concord released for the PlayStation 5 and PC on August 23, and it was shut down on September 6.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463026/sony-discusses-what-lessons-can-be-learned-from-the-failure-of-concord/

EA Sports FC 25 has debuted in first place on the Canadian charts for September 2024, according to data from Circana (formerly The NPD Group) reported by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESA).

There were four other new releases in the top 10 with NHL 25 debuting in second place, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom in third place, Astro Bot in fourth place, and NBA 2K25 in 10th place.

Star Wars: Outlaws is in fifth place, Hogwarts Legacy is in sixth place, and Madden NFL 25 is in seventh place. God of War: Ragnarök is in eighth place following the release of the PC version and Elden Ring is in ninth place.

Top 10 best-selling games in Canada:

1. EA Sports FC 25 - NEW
2. NHL 25 - NEW
3. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom* - NEW
4. Astro Bot - NEW
5. Star Wars: Outlaws
6. Hogwarts Legacy
7. Madden NFL 25
8. God of War: Ragnarök
9. Elden Ring
10. NBA 2K25* - NEW

*Digital sales not included

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463027/ea-sports-fc-25-debuts-in-1st-on-the-canadian-charts/

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has remained in first place on the Australian charts, according to IGEA for the week ending November 3, 2024.

There were three new releases in the top 10 this week with Dragon Age: The Veilguard debuting in second place, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered in fourth place, and Life Is Strange: Double Exposure in ninth place.

Hogwarts Legacy is up one spot to third place, EA Sports FC 25 remained in fifth place, and Super Mario Party Jamboree dropped from second to sixth place.

Red Dead Redemption is in seventh place, NBA 2K25 is in eight place, and Battlefield 2042 rounds out the top 10.

Here are the top 10 best-selling titles in Australia for the week:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Dragon Age: The Veilguard - NEW
3. Hogwarts Legacy
4. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered - NEW
5. EA Sports FC 25 
6. Super Mario Party Jamboree
7. Red Dead Redemption
8. NBA 2K25
9. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure - NEW
10. Battlefield 2042

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463028/dragon-age-the-veilguard-debuts-in-2nd-on-the-australian-charts/

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has remained in first place on the New Zealand charts, according to IGEA for the week ending November 3, 2024.

There were two new releases in the top 10 this week with Dragon Age: The Veilguard debuting in second place and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered in fourth place.

Hogwarts Legacy is down one spot to third place, Grand Theft Auto V is up three spots to fifth place, and NBA 2K25 climbed from ninth to sixth place.

Red Dead Redemption is in seventh place, Borderlands 3 is in eight place, Battlefield 2042 is in ninth place, and EA Sports FC 25 rounds out the top 10.

Here are the top 10 best-selling titles in New Zealand for the week:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Dragon Age: The Veilguard - NEW
3. Hogwarts Legacy
4. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered - NEW
5. Grand Theft Auto V
6. NBA 2K25
7. Red Dead Redemption
8. Borderlands 3
9. Battlefield 2042
10. EA Sports FC 25 

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463029/dragon-age-the-veilguard-debuts-in-2nd-on-the-new-zealand-charts/

Inti Creates has made a living creating 2D side-scrolling action-platformers. So when it officially revealed Card-en-Ciel, a dungeon-diving, roguish card-collector that draws its inspiration from games like Slay the Spire and Mega Man Battle Network, it turned some heads. Indeed, this latest production represents a fairly significant departure for the independent developer, even as it embraces a familiar philosophy when it comes to art direction, music, and character design. The question remains: is this the start of something special for Inti Creates or still a work in progress?

The story in Card-en-Ciel takes place in the not-too-distant future, where citizens increasingly turn to "full-dive" games, fully immersive virtual reality experiences. As these games became more popular and ubiquitous, criminal activity within the virtual space exploded. This activity, referred to collectively as "full-dive crimes", became such a problem that ordinary citizens took it upon themselves to fight back. One such crusader is Neon Nanashiki, the self-described Gaming Chair Detective. When Neon receives a suspicious email with the subject line "Please save the world", he logs into the virtual space, which turns out to be the back-end of the full-dive game Rust Tactics. There he meets a strange girl named Ancie, who explains that data from some game worlds is leaking into others, creating monsters and dungeons. Soon, Neon and Ancie team up to resolve the errors and anomalies.

Despite a very promising premise, Card-en-Ciel doesn't do enough with its story. Ultimately, it's difficult to get invested in the stakes or the characters. Neon is your boilerplate archetypal hero, Ancie is frustratingly submissive, and the mystery villain generic and forgettable. There's also a some fan service here, which feels out of place. To be fair, there are some amusing conversations inside dungeons where Neon and Ancie talk about the type of game they're exploring, leading to several self-deprecating meta jokes at Inti Creates' expense, but for the most part there isn't a lot to latch on to. It hurts also that the studio dropped the ball in terms of visual storytelling. You select dungeons from a menu list, instead of traveling to them physically, and each dungeon — despite representing a wildly different game and genre — has roughly the same layout and look.

It's strange that dungeons are so alike, because every one of the 300 collectible cards is entirely unique, with its own statistics, portrait art, and voice sample. As a result, collecting and experimenting with different cards is quite fun. Clearly, a lot of time, energy, and attention-to-detail went into the audiovisual design of each and every card.

The same can be said for the card-battling mechanics. Inti Creates obviously took the time to sort out the various rules and synergies of each card type, allowing for many different approaches and strategies. At the simplest level, each card can be used to produce an effect or for movement along each battle map's 6x3 grid. The effects fall into three general categories of break, damage, and support. Using a card with a break effect will reduce a monster's attack power and chip away at its balance. If you reduce the enemy's balance to zero, it will enter breakdown, rendering it unable to act for one turn and opening it up to double the output from damage cards. In addition, triggering a breakdown will recover your cost by one. You only have three cost (action points) at the start of each turn, and each card has an individual cost between zero and three.

Things get even more interesting with the introduction of muse cards and special skills. Once you recruit a muse card, you can activate it by fulfilling certain conditions, for example by forging three zero-cost cards. The muse will then begin their performance, bestowing unique effects during battle. Not only that, but the performance will award Neon Special Skill energy, which allows him to convert any card to a significantly more powerful variant for a turn. Consequently, in each dungeon it's important to unlock muses and then recruit cards likely to trigger the muse and/or reap the rewards of a performance. When you do this right, and lay waste efficiently to the monsters and bosses in a dungeon, it feels amazing.

The problem, as mentioned before, is that each dungeon feels like the exact same thing. Apart from a specific final boss, who represents the protagonist of the fictional game world, almost everything is identical. Neon crosses the same generic square rooms & bridges and fights the same monsters over and over. It just gets boring after a while. Inti Creates really should have designed each dungeon with a layout and aesthetic unique to the IP on display.

Then there's the issue with Grand Battle dungeons. These are climactic dungeons at the end of each chapter where you face off against the mystery villain. Regrettably, the rules here are different. No cards and muses can be obtained in these areas; rather you bring with you every card and muse you've accumulated to that point. The problem here is threefold: one, it removes the rogue-like flavor of standard dungeons, where you need to build a powerful deck from square one; two, it creates a lot of bloat in your deck; and three, it opens up the opportunity for irksome chain reactions, where a single card might trigger a half dozen muse performances one after the other.

Card-en-Ciel partially makes up for some samey, tiresome dungeons with a huge amount of replay value. Indeed, the game is incredibly generous when it comes to content and replayability. Not only are there 300+ cards to collect, but there are 12 total main dungeons, each of which can be experienced at 11(!) different difficulty levels. And once you beat the game, you'll begin to unlock four secret dungeons. Moreover, there are daily & weekly dungeons, plus online network battles where you can fight opponents from around the world using a randomly generated starting deck. If you're someone who loves the core gameplay, you could spend dozens of hours with Card-en-Ciel. If you're more of a one-and-done sort of player, expect roughly 15 hours. Note: Inti Creates announced last week that the game will receive new content, including post-game dungeons, each month for at least five months starting this November.

For a new IP, Card-en-Ciel shows potential. The premise is intriguing, the core rules and mechanics provide a strong foundation for tactical decision-making, and the replay value is absurdly high. Regrettably, the campaign that houses everything is a slight letdown, due to clichéd storytelling, forgettable characters, and generic, tedious dungeons. By retaining the core card-collecting system and enhancing the narrative and structural pieces, Inti Creates could have something special on its hands. 

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/462883/card-en-ciel-ns/

tinyBuild has announced Hello Neighbor 3 for PC via Steam.

View a developer log below:

Read details on the game below:

Arriving in Raven Brooks as a stranger with no ties to this place, you find yourself in a forgotten, half-abandoned town where every citizen has relations, desires, and goals. Your actions will ripple through the town, changing the course of events…

• Simulated town - Raven Brooks as a sandbox simulated in real-time. Residents act based on their personalities and circumstances.
• Every decision is the right one - The system-based nature of the game allows for complex ways of achieving your goals.
• Cozy yet eerie adventure - A fading half-abandoned town in early spring, tangled with overgrowth and memories.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463030/hello-neighbor-3-announced-for-pc/

Nintendo announced it will host a Super Nintendo World Direct livestream on Monday, November 11 at 2:00 pm PT / 5:00 pm ET. You will be able to watch it on YouTube.

The Direct will be roughly 10 minutes and feature the Donkey Kong Country area of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463031/super-nintendo-world-direct-set-for-november-11/

ublisher Bethesda Softworks and developer MachineGames have released a gameplay deep dive video for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle that is nearly 15 minutes in length.

"From locations and puzzles to gear and combat, MachineGames Audio Director, Pete Ward, takes us on a whirlwind journey through the world of The Great Circle," reads the description to the video. "Get ready for launch with this look at Indy’s grand adventure."

View the gameplay deep dive below:

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will launch for the Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass on December 9.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463033/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-gets-gameplay-deep-dive/

Neowiz announced it has signed a global publishing rights partnership with Warsaw, Poland-based developer Zakazane to publish the first title from the studio. The game from Zakazane is a single-player noir western RPG.

Zakazane is led by Jan Bartkowicz, Piotr Chomiak, Radosław Gwarek, and Marta Sobek, and features developers who previously worked at central European game companies, including  CD Projekt RED and 11 bit studios.

"Neowiz is committed to delivering remarkable, story-driven games that resonate with gamers worldwide, and we’re actively searching for talented developers with a passion for well-crafted narratives,” said Neowiz co-CEO Seung-Cheol Kim.

"When we first met Zakazane, we felt an immediate kinship around their passion for developing projects that profoundly captivate audiences. Their upcoming neo-western RPG will be a key addition to our portfolio and reflects our ambition to build lasting franchises across PC and consoles. Together, we will create a brand that unites quality and storytelling for gamers to cherish for years to come."

Zakazane CEO and co-founder Jan Barkowicz, "We found a great understanding of our vision with Neowiz, who got excited about our debut title the minute we showed them the demo. In conversations that followed, they never tried to steer us away from our principles but rather to make sure we stick to our guns. It’s clear both sides understand that games can become important to people on a personal level, making them both valuable works of culture and good business."

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463035/neowiz-to-publish-western-rpg-by-poland-based-developer-zakazane/

Microsoft and several retailers are currently running a promotion for the standard Xbox Series X in the US.

The Xbox Series X is available for $449, a $50 discount, at the Microsoft Store, GameStop, and Best Buy. It isn't known when this deal will end.

The recently released 1 TB All-Digital Robot White Xbox Series X, 2TB Disc Drive Galaxy Black Xbox Series, and the two Xbox Series S SKUs have not been discounted at this time.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463036/xbox-series-x-discounted-by-50-to-449/

Following a tease, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have announced Spyro Reignited Trilogy will release for Xbox Game Pass tomorrow, November 12.

VGChartz staff gave Spyro Reignited Trilogy an 8 out of 10 and stated, "it was wise to steer away from marketing the collection as a remaster because that label undercuts the developers’ level of dedication and investment in revitalizing these games."

Read details on the trilogy below:

Remade from the ground up, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy features all three of the original games that started it all – Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, amazing for the original fans and new players alike.

Spyro the Dragon

Our new favorite little purple dragon starts on a quest to rescue his dragon friends who have been turned into crystal by the villain Gnasty Gnorc (what an unfortunate and yet apt name!). Spyro explores vibrant Dragon Realms, collects gems, and flambés his enemies, all while learning to how breathe fire and glide.

Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!

Spyro finds himself in the magical land of Avalar where he is trying to save the realm from the evil sorcerer Ripto and his minions. Along the way, he befriends new entirely new allies, overcomes challenges, complete tasks, and unlocks even more powers to take down Ripto and restore peace.

Spyro: Year of the Dragon

In Spyro: Year of the Dragon, Spyro finds out that the Dragon Eggs have been stolen by the devious Sorceress, sending him on a new mission to recover the eggs and save the dragon population. Our favorite purple dragon meets new friends, learns new abilities, all while exploring more vibrant realms with challenges (and treasures!).

Xbox players have been able to explore the Dragon Realms with Spyro since 2018 with the release of the Reignited Trilogy, and now we’re excited to invite our community to jump into these incredible adventures once again and relive the fun and nostalgia that only Spyro can bring.

Available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass Ultimate, and PC Game Pass, for cloud, console and PC, it’s sure to ignite some serious fun. Let’s go save the Dragon Realms!

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463034/spyro-reignited-trilogy-headed-to-xbox-game-pass-tomorrow-november-12/

Publisher Kasedo Games and developer Beard Envy have announced he roguelite spaceship repair simulation game, Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop, has been delayed to December 5. It will launch for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

View the release date trailer below:

Read details on the game below:

Come on down to Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, for all your roguelite spaceship repair simulation needs! Wake up, clock in, fix ships, make friends and enemies, pay R.E.N.T., upgrade your workshop, ponder the futility of your existence, go to bed and then do it all over again the next day.

On an asteroid-bound service station in an unfrequented space lane, Wilbur carves out a paltry living as a mechanic, repairing as many ships as he can to afford the ever-rising R.E.N.T payments to his corporate overlord, Uncle Chop. Where most of his customers find meaning in pastimes like worshipping deranged space gods, feeding random crap to a sentient black hole, endlessly digging for The Treasure™ or mentally enslaving donut shop workers, Wilbur lives a more humble life, fixing the galaxy’s ills one broken ship module at a time.

Fix Stuff

Using a range of tools, diagnostic devices, parts and workshop appliances, you’ll be correcting faults in the modules of procedurally generated spaceships. From simple refuel jobs to total overhauls, get ready to frantically fumble, slice, loosen, tighten, grab and drop as you try to complete as many jobs as you can within each daily time limit. With a huge variety of ships and modules, your hands are gonna get real dirty real fast, in some real unusual places.

Read Stuff

Flaunt your basic literacy by consulting manual pages for guidance on diagnosing and correcting faults in spaceship modules, as well as operating workshop appliances. And if basic literacy isn’t your bag, then at least you’ve got pretty diagrams to gawp at! All your IKEA furniture-assembly training has led to this moment.

Upgrade Stuff

Using whatever hard-earned pennies Uncle Chop doesn’t take from you, expand your workshop and kit it out with a range of workstations. From industrial devices to esoteric altars, these workstations will allow you to fix bigger and more lucrative ships.

Talk About Stuff

Interact with a diverse range of oddballs as you engage with both anthology-style storytelling and a multiple-ending, overarching narrative. The lore is (*consults notes*) “deep and rich and good,” with different factions you can choose to ingratiate yourself with – each with their own inane agendas.

Discover Stuff

Narrative and random events, hidden puzzles and upgrades, secret lore—we got all that goodness that ensures each day and gameplay run will feel substantially different from the last.

Do All That Stuff Again, But Better

Meeting those escalating R.E.N.T payments ain’t gonna be easy, but chin up, champ – certain station upgrades will persist across gameplay runs, making life a little more tolerable every time around. You’ll also get faster and smarter the more you do the thing, so keep doing the thing!

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463037/uncle-chops-rocket-shop-releases-december-5-for-ps5-xbox-series-xs-switch-and-pc/

Nintendo today hosted a Super Nintendo World Direct livestream that featured Shigeru Miyamoto giving a deep dive look into the Donkey Kong Country-themed land.

The new land will feature a family roller coaster, called Mine-Cart Madness, congas you can hit to a rhythm, letters that can found throughout the land that can be scanned on the new Donkey Kong Power-Up Band, character meet and greets, and new food options.

Donkey Kong Country will open at Universal Studios Japan on December 11, 2024, and will also be a part of Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe in Florida when the theme park opens in May 2025.

View the Direct below:

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463038/super-nintendo-world-direct-dives-into-the-donkey-kong-country-themed-land/

Valve has announced Steam Deck OLED: Limited Edition White.

The handheld is a limited edition white version of the Steam Deck OLED that will be available in limited quantities for $679.

Pre-orders will open up on Steam on November 18 at 3:00 pm PT / 6:00 pm ET / 11:00 pm UK.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463040/valve-announces-steam-deck-oled-limited-edition-white/

Tencent Games subsidiary LightSpeed Studios has announced Hideaki Itsuno, who recently left Capcom after 30 years working for the company, will be leading a new video game studio called LightSpeed Japan Studio.

LightSpeed Japan Studio will have two locations in Tokyo and Osaka and is focused on developing original AAA games.

"Joining LightSpeed Studios is an exciting new chapter for me," said Hideaki Itsuno. "With LightSpeed’s strong development capability and global network, I look forward to creating original AAA action game titles together with the amazing team and building aesthetic and innovative experiences for the global player community. We welcome all talented and passionate game creators from the world over to join our vision."

LightSpeed Studios president Jerry Chen added, "It is our great honor to have Hideaki Itsuno join LightSpeed Studios. The establishment of LightSpeed Japan Studio is a significant step in LightSpeed Studios’ expansion and demonstrates our commitment to bringing the best possible games to our players."

Itsuno directed entries in the Rival Schools, Power Stone, Capcom VS. SNK, Devil May Cry, and Dragon’s Dogma franchises.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463041/hideaki-itsuno-to-lead-new-aaa-developer-lightspeed-japan-studio/

The Pokémon series is no stranger to mobile games, being responsible for one of the most successful ever (Pokémon Go), as well as many others with different takes on the massive franchise, but this time it’s a Pokémon card game - a tradition nearly as old as the original games - that has taken the spotlight in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

For the physical version of Pokémon TCG, the collecting has always been as big or bigger than the battling, and right off the bat we can see that TCG Pocket has made plenty of room for both these aspects in its design. In fact, the battling isn’t even available until you level up a few times, which, while a bit limiting, is a fine way for players to get their bearing and collect a few cards before they start competing. The game does suffer from just a tad bit too much forced tutorialization in the early stages, particularly when getting to the battles, but it’s still hardly the worst sinner among mobile titles in this regard.

The collecting all starts with the opening of packs, an infamously addictive part of any card game, and they’ve done a good job of making the process quite satisfying TCG Pocket. More importantly, the number of packs given for free is quite generous - at least two packs a day by default - meaning the game is perfectly playable without spending money, regardless of whether you’re in it for the collecting or battling aspect. Whenever you obtain new cards, they also get filled out in a sort of card Pokédex, which adds to the fun of collecting new ones.

A lot of what makes the collecting in TCG Pocket enjoyable, however, is quite simply the excellent card art. This is, of course, borrowed mostly from the game’s physical counterpart, and strengthened by little touches like being able to being able to zoom in and tilt the cards, with a slight holographic on the rarer ones. Whether they’re cute or cool, the Pokémon themselves are at the heart of this franchise and with the generally splendid art the game does a great job of bringing them to life, in some ways doing them more justice than recent mainline entries with low-detailed 3D models.

As for the other part of aesthetics, namely sound design, the game is also passable in this area but nothing special with slightly boring battle music. It's not the biggest issue perhaps, as most are likely to play mobile games with sound disabled, but with all the cosmetic unlockables (which we shall get to) it   seems like a wasted opportunity not to have unlockable battle themes when the Pokémon series has so many great ones to draw upon from its legacy.

Looking for a moment at the less positive side, while Pokémon TCG Pocket is fairly generous to free-to-play players, it does still suffer from some of the pitfalls that are typical of that type of mobile game; namely, the amount of noise that comes with too many currencies, constant quests and rewards, and perhaps a few more types of cosmetics than is necessary. Again, I wouldn't describe Pokémon TCG Pocket as the worst sinner of this type of issue, mostly just that it can be a bit overwhelming at first, and of course knowing that it’s intended to add to the addictiveness of the game can be a bit iffy, but ultimately it isn’t too hard to ignore aspects you don’t care about and simply enjoy the ones you do.

It might be high time to touch on the battles themselves, which to many players might be their first encounter ever with the actual rules of these pretty collectible cards. While it might not be simplest card game ever invented, I’m happy to say the TCG Pocket variant is still intuitive, fun, and quite strategic once you get the hang of it. To summarize it in very brief: you play and evolve Pokémon from your hand onto the field and charge them up with energy types to allow them to attack. Just like in the RPGs, only one Pokémon is active at a time and can use one move per turn, while you can assign others to your “bench”, where they await their turn in the spotlight. Unlike in the RPGs, switching Pokémon won’t cost you your turn (only some energy), meaning benched Pokémon can potentially step into action immediately - if you have the energy necessary. Rather than any form of life-points, you win the battle by defeating three of your opponents' Pokémon, which each award one point.

This bench system and charging up of your Pokémon before they can take action might in some regards make the game slower compared to other card games, but it also adds a strategic element, since you can generally see what moves you and your opponent have available in the immediate future and can only really be caught by surprise by item or support cards (which can be quite useful but rarely complete game changers). It’s not the type of game where you perform crazy one-turn game-winning combos, but it’s fun for the strategic aspect and of course the satisfaction that comes from evolving your Pokémon throughout the battle - and sometimes pulling off an impressive comeback.

Adding to this are the EX-cards, extra powerful cards that come with the added risk of rewarding the opponent two points if defeated rather than one. I’ve seen complaints that this risk is too big in a game when it only takes three points to win (unlike the physical version of the game where you need six points), but when the card is extra strong and you have the option of switching it out it seems justified, plus you still have that golden window of playing it when your opponent already has two points, at which point the extra risk is nullified.

Ultimately there is one distinct issue with the battle system, however, which is how type weaknesses are handled. Pokémon TCG, whether physical or digital, has condensed Pokémon down to nearly half as many types (a tad too few in my opinion, though all 18 would definitely have been overwhelming), while the weaknesses and resistances are reduced to one type per card, and in TCG Pocket resistances are removed so you only have the weaknesses. This, for example, means that (most) Water types are weak to Lightning   but not Grass, while Fire types are weak to Water but not Ground (which has been combined with Fighting). The issue however is not so much the differences from the RPGs as it is simply having these basic and pretty consistent weaknesses in a game that, unfortunately, strongly encourages mono-type   decks in its design (or one type + colorless), since you’ll be needing specific energy types to charge your Pokémon and receive them at random if your deck uses multiple types.

While there is something to be said for having to commit to certain types, it’s a bit unfortunate that it’s taken to the degree where dual-type decks can feel awkward and triple-type decks, while allowed, require very specific cards or a lot of luck to pull off. The result is that when most players play with only one type and all types have one weakness, online matches will often either play out without weaknesses playing any role or with one player having an advantage before the first card is even played. One can always hope that this is somehow redesigned a bit in the future, but for now it’s an unfortunate though not game-breaking issue, as the weaknesses are at least a bit milder here, adding only a flat amount of damage rather than a multiplier.

Lastly it wouldn't review this game without mentioning the nostalgic aspect, which to many a player might add an extra appeal to the experience. Even as someone who hasn't dabbled in Pokémon cards for nearly 20 years, I can still recognize many that I’ve owned myself at some point, and it’s also great to revisit the first generation, which has smartly put front and center for now (with a small mix from other generations on top). I consider it a good call to start off with a single set of a manageable size for now - one that doesn’t seem too daunting - while leaving plenty of room to grow in the future.

All in all, Creatures Inc. and Dena Co. have done a great job adapting the Pokémon card game to mobile in a way that can appeal to both old and new players, and to those who want to collect and those who want to battle. It brings Pokémon to life with great card art and, contrary to unfortunate trends, the game is also fairly generous to its free-to-play players (and certainly a cheaper alternative to collecting the physical cards). While it does suffer from a few design issues and some classic pitfalls, it’s overall one of the better mobile games out there at the moment and certainly worth checking out for those who have nostalgia for the Pokémon TCG or old school Pokémon in general.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463039/pokemon-tcg-pocket-android/

The PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console in the UK in October, according to GfK Entertainment data reported by GamesIndustry. 

The Xbox Series X|S was the second best-selling console for the month, followed by the Nintendo Switch in third. The Xbox Series X|S has also surpassed the Switch in year-to-date sales.

Sales for the PS5 are up 27 percent month-on-month and down 18 percent year-on-year. Sales for the Switch are up 13 percent month-on-month and down 18 percent year-on-year. Sales for the Xbox Series X|S are down seven percent month-on-month and down 17 percent year-on-year. 

Overall, there were just under 144,000 video game consoles sold (NielsenIQ/GfK panel data) in the UK in October 2024. This is down 18 percent year-on-year.

GSD data shows there were 2.9 million games sold in October 2024, which is up 3.2 percent year-on-year. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 debuted in first place on the software charts (digital and physical combined). Sales are 11 percent lower than the launch month of 2023's 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, however, this is most likely due to the number of people playing the game via Xbox Game Pass.

Sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 are up 24 percent year-on-year on PlayStation consoles, while sales dropped on Xbox consoles and PC. 75 percent of total sales were on PlayStation consoles, followed by 15 percent on PC, and just under 11 percent on Xbox consoles.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero debuted in third place with the first four week of sales up 80 percent compared to 2020's Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.

Undisputed debuted in fourth place and had the second biggest launch for a sports title in 2024. Only EA Sports FC 24 had a bigger launch.

The remake of Silent Hill 2 debuted in fifth place. Launch sales are 32 percent lower than the remake of Dead Space and 62 percent lower than the remake of Resident Evil 4.

Super Mario Party Jamboree debuted in ninth place. Sales are 11 percent higher than 2018's Super Mario Party, but are four percent lower than 2021's Mario Party Superstar. It should be noted Nintendo doesn't share digital sales with these charts.

Sonic X Shadows Generations debuted in 10th place. Sales for the game are 150 percent compared to 2023's Sonic Superstars, but are down 21 percent compared to 2022's Sonic Frontiers.

Metaphor: Refantazio debuted in 12th place and the new version of Until Dawn debuted in 30th place.

EA Sports FC 25 came in second place with sales down 14 percent year-on-year.

There were over 681,000 accessories and add-on products sold in the UK in October, which is up nearly 16 percent year-over-year, but is down over eight percent month-on-month.

The White DualSense controller was the best-selling accessory, followed by the Midnight Black DualSense controller. The PlayStation Portal Remote Player is up four spots to take fourth place.

Here are the top 10 best-selling games in the UK (Digital + Physical):

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463042/ps5-best-seller-in-the-uk-in-october-black-ops-6-leads-strong-month-of-new-releases/

Publisher Whitethorn Games and developer Balloon Studios announced Botany Manor will launch for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on December 17.

The game first released for the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, and Xbox Game Pass in April of this year.

Our own Lee Mehr gave the game an eight out of 10 in his review and stated, "The lynchpin to Botany Manor's success is it being like an orderly garden: a well-attended array of various flowers with nary a dastardly weed in sight.  It may not capture the next mind-blowing concept within the genre, nor overwhelm you with a wild barrage of challenges, but there's an understated value in being among the most succinct within its field."

View the PS5 and PS4 release date trailer below:

Read details on the game below:

Botany Manor is a botanical puzzle game set in a historical English homestead brimming with a lifetime of memorabilia and research to explore, where players will uncover long-forgotten seeds and piece together clues as they solve puzzles to help each rare plant grow.

The enduring estate of Botany Manor is home to retired botanist Arabella Greene. After a long career, she has amassed a collection of rare, long-forgotten plants that require some research to help them live again. Play as Arabella and explore the stunning historic manor and its grounds to look for clues in her notes, books, posters, and items scattered around the residence to determine the correct set of circumstances to help the flora flourish. Unlock new seeds and plant them. Interactable items around the property that can be turned and flipped will provide information to help you solve each gardening puzzle, grow the plants, and discover their mysterious qualities.

Features:

• Explore the peaceful grounds and many calming rooms of the beautifully rendered, historically accurate 19th century manor.
• Pick up, flip, turn, and rotate the many items found around the estate to piece together the clues to solve each plant-based puzzle.
• Learn about Arabella’s life, career, and the challenges she faced as a woman scientist during the 19th century as you explore.
• Fall in love with the calming soundtrack that perfectly compliments the environment and flowers you bring to full bloom.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463043/botany-manor-headed-to-ps5-and-ps4-on-december-17/

Publisher Xbox Game Studios and developer Compulsion Games have released a 30-minute long documentary on for South of Midnight titled "Weaving Hazel's Journey."

The video share a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming third-person action-adventure game. It explores the development and world building, as well as providing a look at new gameplay.

View the documentary below:

South of Midnight will launch for the Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass in 2025.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463044/south-of-midnight-gets-30-minute-weaving-hazels-journey-documentary/

Nintendo has announced its Black Friday 2024 deals. 

Dozens of games will be discounted including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Maker 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pikmin 4, Nintendo Switch Sports, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Super Mario Odyssey, Pikmin 1 + 2, and more.

The Neon Red and Neon Blue Joy-Con controllers and the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller will be discounted by $20, while the Nintendo Switch Carrying Case & Screen Protector - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition will be discounted by $10.

The Nintendo Switch: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle will once again return for $299.99, while the new Nintendo Switch – OLED Model: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle will be available for $349.99. Both bundles include a digital download of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online Individual Membership.

The Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition with Bonus Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will be available for $209.99. The bundle includes a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Individual Membership.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463045/nintendos-black-friday-2024-deals-revealed/

Sony Interactive Entertainment in a new video posted to YouTube revealed the PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition has been discounted by $70 and will be available for $379.99. The deal runs until December 24 "while supplies last."

No word yet if the standard PlayStation 5 or the recently released PlayStation 5 Pro will be discounted. The standard PS5 is priced at $499.99 and the PS5 Pro is priced at $699.99.

As of the time of writing, the discount isn't available yet at retailers or through PlayStation Direct.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463046/ps5-slim-digital-edition-discounted-to-379-in-the-us-until-december-24/

Publisher indie.io and developer Maple Powered Games announced G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on November 21.

The game is currently available for PC Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.

View the console reveal date trailer below:

Read details on the game below:

Cobra rears its ugly head yet again and it’s up to G.I. Joe to save the world! Embracing the 1980s era of the iconic universe, Wrath of Cobra is a retro side-scrolling beat ’em up. Play as one of the legendary G.I. Joe characters, including Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock, Snake Eyes, and more. Defeat hordes of Cobra troopers, Vipers, Crimson Guards and more of Cobra’s malevolent machinations.

Bring Cobra down, striking back at the likes of Destro, Serpentor, Baroness, and Cobra Commander himself! Fight your own way: Rely on your fists and get up close and personal using each character’s unique combos and special moves or keep your foes at a distance with a variety of weapons!

Retro Gameplay in a Modern Era

Wrath of Cobra takes the classic arcade beat ’em up and brings it into the modern age: Easy to play, hard to master, and smoother than a ride in a H.I.S.S. Want to play with your friends? The game supports local multiplayer (eg. from your couch) and online co-op!

Play as Classic Heroes

Fight Cobra as your favorite G.I. Joe heroes, painstakingly recreated in beautiful pixel art. The differences between characters aren’t just cosmetic: Each hero has different movesets and unique abilities. From the fast and nimble Snake Eyes to the rough and tumble Roadblock, each character is true to form!

Battle Iconic Villains

Cobra isn’t just the Cobra Commander, it’s also its legions! Face hordes of troopers, armored Alley Vipers, artificial B.A.T.s, armed with some of the most iconic weapon systems in the franchise, including the H.I.S.S., C.L.A.W., and the notorious Trubble Bubble.

Retro-Infused Soundtrack

Foil the Commander’s plot to the beat of classic G.I. Joe themes, reimagined by industry veterans at Kid Katana Records, bringing a modern twist to classic arcade music!

Post-Launch Support

Like Destro’s plots, Wrath of Cobra will continue with extensive post-launch support, bringing more G.I. Joe heroes into the fray, adding new game modes, levels, and more to keep the G.I. Joe legacy alive!

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463047/gi-joe-wrath-of-cobra-releases-november-21-for-ps5-xbox-series-xs-and-switch/

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in its third week remained in first place on the Steam Weekly Top Sellers chart (excluding revenue generated by free games) for Week 46, 2024, which ended November 12, 2024.

There were two new releases in the top 10 this week. Planet Coaster 2 debuted in fourth place, while Farming Simulator 25 came in fifth place.

Steam Deck is up two spots to second place, while Baldur's Gate 3 re-entered the top 10 in third place. EA Sports FC 25 is up two spots to sixth place, Cyberpunk 2077 re-entered the top 10 in seventh place, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell from second to eighth place.

Ahead of its release next week pre-orders for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl came in ninth place.

Here are the Steam Weekly Top Sellers by revenue for the week (excluding free games):

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Steam Deck
3. Baldur's Gate 3
4. Planet Coaster 2 - NEW
5. Farming Simulator 25 - NEW
6. EA Sports FC 25
7. Cyberpunk 2077
8. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
9. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl - Pre-orders
10. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Here are the Steam Weekly Top Sellers by revenue for the week (including free games):

1. PUBG: Battlegrounds
2. Counter-Strike 2
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
4. Apex legends
5. Throne and Liberty
6. Steam Deck
7. Baldur's Gate 3
8. Dota 2
9. Planet Coaster 2 - NEW
10. Farming Simulator 25 - NEW

The Steam charts are ordered by revenue, include pre-order numbers, and hardware. If a game appears multiple times it is because it has multiple editions.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463048/planet-coaster-2-and-farming-simulator-25-debut-on-the-steam-charts/

Shift Up in its latest earnings report Q&A stated its goal is to release Stellar Blade for PC sometime in 2025.

"We're aiming for a 2025 release," said the developer when asked about a PC version of Stellar Blade.

"Given recent trends like Steam’s growing presence in the AAA games market and the global success of Black Myth: Wukong, we are expecting the PC version to perform even better than the console version."

The developer revealed sales for the PS5 version of Stellar Blade "have remained steady even as the initial surge has calmed."

Stellar Blade released for the PS5 in April.

Thanks, Gematsu.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463049/shift-up-aiming-to-release-stellar-blade-for-pc-in-2025/

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pennsylvania—At a campaign rally in the most important swing state in the country, anti-Trump activist George Conway told the Daily Beast why he thinks Kamala Harris can win over Republicans.

“She’s kind of done it already,” he said. “Look at all those people who voted for [Nikki] Haley when she was already done. I actually think there’s kind of a hidden Harris vote for Republicans who are just exhausted by Donald Trump.”

Turnout is another factor that plays to Democrat’s advantage, Conway predicted. “I also think that even the people who are still for Trump and won’t vote for Harris, I don’t think the turnout’s going to be great for him.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Liam Payne, a former member of the boy band One Direction, was found dead in a hotel courtyard in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday evening, according to CNN and La Nacion, both of which cited local police.

The singer died after an apparent fall from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room. Argentinian authorities told Good Morning America that Payne had been staying at the hotel CasaSur in the upscale neighborhood of Palermo.

He was 31.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Billionaire Bill Ackman spent days after the ABC presidential debate promoting false claims that a network “whistleblower” had allegedly uncovered collusion between ABC and Kamala Harris’ campaign. Now, a month and multiple denials later, he sees the claims differently.

“It seems pretty clear that the alleged @abc whistleblower debate story claiming that @KamalaHarris was given questions in advance and other advantages was a fake,” Ackman posted on X alongside a blog post by Megyn Kelly discussing the dubious claims.

What Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, did not acknowledge, however, is that he was one of falsehood’s early boosters. After an X account named “Black Insurrectionist” claimed it had been in touch with a whistleblower who alleged the Harris campaign had been given debate topics ahead of the showdown with Donald Trump and had demanded Trump—and Trump alone—be fact-checked.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

A collective gasp echoed like a thunderclap in a valley in our Daily Beast newsroom late Wednesday afternoon at the news that singer Liam Payne, who became famous as a member of the group One Direction, died at age 31.

TMZ reports that Payne fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina, where he had reunited with bandmates at 1D-er Niall Horan’s concert. He had, according to the site, been behaving “erratically,” earlier in the day, and was spotted smashing a laptop in the hotel lobby and having to be carried back to his room. He had been in headlines on gossip blogs over tension with his ex-fiancée Maya Henry, who, TMZ says, alleged “he'd left her after asking her to get an abortion.”

In the shock of his death, fans couldn’t ignore the eerie nature that Payne had just connected with his One Direction bandmates. Dark questions emerge when a celebrity dies so young: What role did the often horrific toll of fame have on a person like Payne, who has been open about addiction and suicidal ideation? But there’s also an impulse to go back to the roots of a person’s talent, to revisit what it was that we all fell in love with—and was their passion—in the first place.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

In a contentious interview with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, Fox News host Bret Baier spent no time going after the vice president with a laundry list of the subjects often highlighted by former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail.

Immediately after the interview kicked off, Baier opened by asking: “How many illegal immigrants would you estimate your administration has released into the country over the last three and a half years?”

Harris began a carefully worded answer, but Baier consistently interrupted her before she could finish a sentence.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Prior to his untimely death in Argentina on Wednesday, One Direction’s Liam Payne, 31, was in the middle of a legal spat with his ex-fiancée Maya Henry.

On Monday, The Sun reported that Henry, 23, had lawyered up in an attempt to stop Payne from constantly messaging her family and friends.

“Maya Henry issued a cease and desist last week to Liam Payne following the emergence of new and concerning information…She has retained attorneys Marco Crawford and Daniel Cerna to represent her. At this time, that is her only comment on the matter,” a spokesperson for Henry told the tabloid.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance boldly said “no,” Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election, when pressed on the issue at a campaign event Wednesday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The Ohio senator has avoided directly denying the results over the past few weeks.

When quizzed by The New York Times about the results over the weekend, for example, he refused multiple times to answer the question, on one occasion claiming he was “focused on the future”—echoing an answer he gave to Democratic opponent Tim Walz at the vice presidential debate.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Fox News host Bret Baier recapped his Wednesday night interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, telling his colleagues that he got a sense early on that Harris “was going to be tough to redirect without me trying to interrupt.”

The interview, Harris’ first on the right-wing network since becoming the Democratic nominee, was broadcast on Special Report after being filmed in the previous hour. According to Baier, the interview had been scheduled for 5 p.m., but Harris showed up 15 minutes late. This, he complained, was like “icing the kicker” in football.

“We were supposed to start at 5 p.m. This was the time they gave us. Originally, we were going to do 25 or 30 minutes. They came in and said, ‘Well, maybe 20.’ So, it’s already getting whittled down. And then the vice president showed up at about 5:15 p.m. We were pushing the envelope to be able to turn it around for the top of the 6 p.m.. So that’s how it started,” Baier said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

It doesn’t matter how long a play is: sometimes 75 minutes can feel like 3 hours if the play is bad, while a three-hour play may first elicit an inner groan, then flow pleasurably by if the writing and performances are in well-oiled tandem.

Kenneth Lonergan’s Hold on to Me Darling (Lucille Lortel Theatre, to Dec. 22) belongs, mostly, to the latter category: it is long, and it feels long, but that’s OK; not gold-standard wow, but far more than pleasant. This is down to Lonergan’s engaging writing and a collection of differently distinctive, carefully drawn performances, led by Adam Driver as a famous country star called Strings (real name Clarence), wondering if he could/should give up all the trappings of fame for a simpler life after his mother’s death.

It is an off-Broadway treat to see Driver, most recently seen on the big screen as the star of Francis Ford Coppola’s polarizing epic Megalopolis, here bestriding—he is so tall, he is really bestriding—the compact Lucille Lortel stage. Theater fans last saw him on Broadway in Burn This, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He is renowned for playing powder-keg personas. With characters like Adam in Girls, Charlie in Marriage Story, and Pale in Burn This, the question, the bubbling menace, was when will Adam Driver go off? Those characters memorably combusted—thrashing, shouting, snarling and occupying spaces that could barely contain them—and Driver made it so that you recoiled from their crackling fury.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes called out Fox News for not showing the full context of Donald Trump’s “enemy within” comments during Vice President Kamala Harris’ interview on the network earlier Wednesday.

The anchor of All In opened his broadcast by calling attention to something that Harris herself did in the sit-down with Fox’s Bret Baier. The clip that the right-wing network showed to Harris as part of Baier’s question was of Trump during his all-female town hall event in Georgia—the one where Trump bizarrely argued he was the “father of IVF.”

In the clip that Fox aired directly to Harris during her interview, Trump wasn’t heard talking about how former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Rep. Adam Schiff are the “enemy within.” Instead, Fox made it so Harris had to react to him talking more mildly about “phony investigations.” The network omitted Trump’s line about “the enemy within.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Liam Payne was seemingly having a “lovely day in Argentina” just hours before his death on Wednesday, according to what appear to be a series of final posts made to his Snapchat account.

The former One Direction member was found dead in the courtyard of a Buenos Aires hotel, having apparently plunged 13 to 14 meters from his balcony, according to local police. A cause of death has not officially been determined, and it was unclear whether the fall was accidental or intentional.

On his Snapchat Story, however, it would have appeared to any fan that Payne was having a relaxing vacation. In since-deleted posts in the hours before his death, he posted a front-facing video in which he told followers, “It’s a lovely day here in Argentina. This is the breakfast table. Just enjoying coffee and breakfast even though it’s 1 p.m.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was flabbergasted Wednesday by a surrogate’s defense of Donald Trump, calling his explanation for the former president’s bombastic statements literal “bulls---.”

On AC360, former California Lieutenant Gov. Abel Maldonado, a Republican, said that Trump’s recent comments calling for the military to “handle” Democrats were simply his way of expressing his inner New Yorker. “He’s a fighter,” Maldonado added.

The conversation began when Cooper brought up Trump’s former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, who, alongside other military leaders, have begun to warn of the dangers of re-electing the former president. Milley has called Trump a “fascist to his core.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Movies can’t, by definition, be all things to all people, and yet Anora—winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s highest honor, the Palme d’Or—manages to vacillate between assorted registers with stunning, and ultimately affecting, aplomb.

Another of The Florida Project and Red Rocket writer/director Sean Baker’s tales of marginalized individuals struggling to survive and find themselves in an often-unforgiving world, the film is a character study, romance, crime saga, screwball comedy, and vérité drama all wrapped into one unique and dexterous package. More impressive than its nimbleness, however, is its poise and empathy, the latter of which is chiefly bestowed upon its protagonist, whose life is thrown for a rollercoaster-grade loop-di-loop thanks to a chance introduction.

Ani (Mikey Madison, in a star-making turn) is a Brighton Beach 23-year-old who lives with her sister and earns a living stripping at a local club. Anora, which hits theaters Oct. 18, introduces her at the end of a long pan along a bench where men are receiving lap dances from erotic professionals. Fixating on Ani’s face as she flashes the fake smile that her customers crave and her superiors demand, Baker’s camera creates immediate, intimate engagement with the young woman, and that continues as it presents snapshots of her daily (or, rather, nightly) routine at her place of employment.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Online interactions are based on trust, since there are few definitive ways to certify the identity of the person with whom one is communicating. Naturally, this situation can lead to deception and manipulation, as it has—to tormenting effect—for Tegan and Sara, the popular indie rock duo whose lives have been turned upside down by a mysterious bad faith actor who, for more than a decade, has impersonated Tegan with fans, friends, and business partners.

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara is an investigation into the myriad means by which the internet can be wielded to nefarious ends. More than that, though, it’s an anatomy of a crime and the complicated wreckage wrought by it, not just for the famous artists but also for the innocent admirers who were tricked into believing that fiction was reality.

Premiering on Hulu on Oct. 18, following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Erin Lee Carr’s documentary is a chilling snapshot of the unholy marriage of corrosive fandom and online duplicity. At its center are Tegan and Sara, the identical twin songstresses who began making a name for themselves in the early 2000s both for their talent and for being openly gay. This earned them a loyal fanbase of queer women and men who saw themselves reflected in Tegan and Sara, and that bond was strengthened by the siblings’ active interest in interacting with fans in person—Tegan would chat with show attendees in line and at the merch table—and on LiveJournal and other budding message-board platforms that afforded a previously unavailable degree of contact.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Jan. 6, 2021— the day his supporters occupied Congress in a failed insurrection to try to stop lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory—was a “day of love.”

Trump made the baffling claim during a televised election town hall hosted by Univision.

Ramiro González, a construction worker from Tampa, told the meeting he deregistered as a Republican because he found Trump’s “inaction” during both Jan. 6 and the COVID-19 pandemic “disturbing.” He asked Trump to square his controversial behavior during the attack on the U.S. Capitol—and the fact that many of his own former administration officials don’t support him any longer—with why he should be re-elected.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

It appears Donald Trump is once again attempting to silence Stormy Daniels, despite his recent convictions in that category.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow reports that Trump’s lawyers tried to “get another hush money deal” with the adult film star, to keep her from making any “public or private statements related to any alleged past interactions” with the former president. In exchange for her written agreement, Trump’s team reportedly offered to adjust the debt she owes Trump for the unsuccessful defamation case her lawyer brought against him in 2018.

Daniels still needs to pay “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in legal fees, Maddow explained, and in hammering out the exact amount, Trump’s lawyers allegedly offered to “pretend” she owed their client “less than they actually believed” she did. Whereas they first estimated Daniels’ debt at $650,000, Maddow reported, they said they would settle her tab for $620,000, if she promised not to make any “defamatory or disparaging statements about him, his business, and/or any affiliates, or his suitability as a candidate for president.” They then adjusted the fee, asking $635,000 if she refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Daniels reportedly turned them down, paying $627,500 and declining to sign the NDA.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

A hotel worker called 911 to request urgent assistance before musician Liam Payne fell to his death from the third floor of the building in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old British singer and former member of the boy band One Direction died after he “jumped from the balcony of his room,” Buenos Aires Security Ministry Communications Director Pablo Policicchio told the Associated Press. He added that police had been called to the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital after receiving an emergency call shortly after 5 p.m. local time about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

A transcript of a 911 call published by the BBC shows a worker at the hotel telling the operator that they have “a guest who is high on drugs and who is trashing the room” and the staff therefore “need someone to come.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Relatives of Lyle and Erik Menendez spoke in an interview Wednesday about their long-running fears that the brothers had been abused for years before they killed their parents.

After a press conference in which they’d called for the imprisoned siblings’ freedom, the family members told Chris Cuomo on NewsNation about how their suspicions only deepened as time passed.

“Over the years we really did know that there was abuse at gut-level. But as time goes on and we all talked to each other more and more, it validates the fears and the gut-level reactions that we had,” the brothers’ cousin Karen VanderMolen-Copley told Cuomo. “That solidified the knowledge that the sexual abuse actually did occur, because that’s not something you want to believe, and then once you talk to each other it becomes more and more obvious.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Disaster was averted at a Kentucky hospital when an ostensibly deceased organ donor began “thrashing” around in the operating theater, a preservationist tells NPR.

“He was moving around,” Natasha Miller recalled of the patient, whom NPR identified as Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II. “He was crying visibly.”

The two surgeons assigned to the transplant naturally refused to go through with the procedure, which was reportedly scheduled to take place at Baptist Health Richmond Hospital in October 2021. But when her colleague called Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, which coordinated the harvest, Miller said the supervisor told them they “were going to do the case” and needed to “find another doctor.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called his party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, a “stupid,” “ill-tempered,” and “despicable human being,” according to his own records.

McConnell made the withering assessments in a series of private “personal oral histories” that he gave to Michael Tackett, the deputy Washington bureau chief of the Associated Press, who has a forthcoming biography about the Kentucky senator called The Price of Power. The AP conveniently reported the book’s juicy details.

McConnell’s remarks were made after the 2020 election that Trump lost, and the senator was apparently elated to see the backside of the former president, musing, “it’s not just the Democrats who are counting the days” until he leaves office.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Donald Trump pulled out of another mainstream interview Thursday–this time nixing a sit-down with NBC News.

The interview, CNN reported, would be in Philadelphia with NBC News' senior business correspondent, Christine Romans. CNN’s Brian Stelter said one source suggested that it had only been “postponed.”

It was the second time in a week that he had canceled a scheduled appearance outside the conservative news sphere, CNN’s Reliable Sources reported Thursday. He had canceled an in-studio appearance on the CNBC flagship show, Squawk Box, which was due on Friday.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

I never completed the original Red Dead Redemption, but not for the usual reasons of being terrible at the game, or thinking that open worlds are too big and boring these days and I just want to lie down forever and watch anime. I never finished it because my Xbox 360 version was not, in practice, an open world game, but a lonely farm at the bottom of a vortex of butchered spacetime. In the prologue, reformed outlaw John Marston confronts an old bandit acquaintance and gets himself roundly shot to bits. He’s rescued by local rancher Bonnie MacFarlane, who nurses him back to health and gives him a few odd jobs to warm him up for the next plot point.

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Today in "person you already like says something you already agree with, but it’s still good to hear them say it" news, Arkane founder and im-simmy RPG studio WolfEye head Raphael Colantonio has spoken on Microsoft’s decision to shutter Prey (2017) studio Arkane Austin - alongside a handful of others - back in May.

Colantonio, who founded Arkane in 1999 and departed in 2017 to form Weird West studio WolfEye, recently chatted to Jeremy Peel for PC Gamer about Arkane’s closure, saying:

I think if you look a little bit, it's obvious that Arkane Austin was a very special group of people that have made some cool things and that could pull it off again. I think it was a decision that just came down to, 'We need to cut something.' Was it to please the investors, the stock market? They're playing a different game.

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From developers Cannibal Interactive, the creators of Purgatory Dungeoneer, springs forth a new labyrinth game. This one is called Labyrinth of Wild Abyss: LayeRedux and it has labyrinths. Except the labyrinths don't just have single paths to their centres, but tube monsters covered in eyes who'll stalk you slowly and methodically as you meander. Personally, it's not the vibe I'm after when I sit down in the evening and I think, "I would like to play a video game that makes me feel somewhat pleasant". But hey, it might be for you.

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Stationeers and Icarus developers RocketWerkz are making a spiritual successor to beloved space sim Kerbal Space Program, which is currently titled "Kitten Space Agency" in a flagrant display of adherence to wholesome internet trends. It's based on an actual Kerbal Space Program 2 pitch the studio threw at Take-Two subsidiary Private Division back in the day. RocketWerkz CEO and original DayZ creator Dean Hall has hired several former KSP and KSP2 developers to work on the game, and is describing it on social media as a "KSP killer".

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Inflexion Games are closing their UK office, laying off staff and restructuring their main Canadian studio after failing to find commercial success with their Victorian fantasy survival game Nightingale. Reportedly, at least 22 people have been let go.

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