Month: October 2024

If a game is online, it’s bound to get cheaters eventually, and it looks like Deadlock has them before it’s officially been released.It was only a matter of time before someone decided they had to ruin everyone else’s fun by cheating, but yes, it seems like those that are just in it to win it have come to Deadlock. As spotted by 80 Level, users on the Steam subreddit have started reporting instances where they’re coming up against cheaters in the Valve hero shooter. A video clip was shared to Reddit showing the cheaters in action, demonstrating some pretty egregious cheating. It’s some pretty classic stuff at the very least, with what appears to be an opponent player using an aimbot, as well as at least one player shooting straight through a wall and another around a corner.Taking a look a…

Absurd Ventures, the company formed by longtime Rockstar mainstay Dan Houser a few years ago, has announced that it’s formed a fresh studio under its umbrella. The studio, called Absurd Marin, comes with a starting staff of several former developers of Ascendant Studios’ ill-fated Immortals of Aveum.Yep, that’s the Immortals of Aveum that came out last year amid a whole barrage of other interesting things, and, for the million reasons unfortunate things like this can happen, didn’t deliver the sales the fairly lofty budget the execs had pencilled in for it led them to expect. This was followed by some layoffs at Ascendant, which obviously no one with sense, no matter how they felt about the game itself, wanted to see.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie setting…

Fight Club has long been known as a bit of a cult classic, but as it turns out, it’s actually the top watched film on Letterboxd.A quick little rundown for Letterboxd for those of you that might be new to my favourite film app around: it’s a database of movies that you can log your interest in watching, leave reviews in an attempt to score internet points for, and make lists of with titles like “Movies That Will Literally Make Your Heart Explode From Joy And Pain.” It’s essentially the best tool for those moments where you go “oh I should really remember to watch that,” except you don’t have to remember, because Letterboxd does that for you. It is also the de facto home for every film bro you’ll ever meet, as they write lengthy reviews no one will read in such flowery language that only an…

The first trailer for Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners is here, and while it’s light on specifics, it’s heavy on scares.We’ve been hearing little bits and pieces about Black Panther director Ryan Coogler’s next project since the start of the year, but it’s all been a bit “he-said, she-said” so far. Warner Bros finally released the first trailer for it today though, and while it doesn’t really clear all that much up, the vibes are so strong that I don’t care right now. The trailer’s description offers a brief explanation of the plot: “Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.”Sinners | Official Trailer Watch on YouTubeThe trailer itself c…

The first clip for A Minecraft Movie is here, and much like the first trailer it has me questioning what they were thinking with the lighting.Look, I get it, lighting a movie is hard, particularly when you’re trying to make that lighting feel real. It gets even harder when you put CGI or greenscreens in the mix, as you need to make sure the real elements, like sets or people, look right when mixed in with the unreal. Unfortunately for the Minecraft movie, it seems like something went wrong, as the lighting in the first trailer is so horrifically bright and unnatural it looks more like an expensive ad than an actual film. And yesterday, the first clip from the film was shared, and I’d say that seeing the film as it’s meant to be without all the trailer music and cuts, that feeling is even w…

If you prefer air travel to climbing mountains or horseback, and are keen to try out cool The Witcher 3 add-ons made using its REDkit modding tools, it seems you’re in luck. As part of a big new quest mod that’s had its opening missions released early, you can take Geralt on a trip to a mysterious island via hot air balloon.As far as I’m aware – unless there’s some pre-REDkit mod I’m somehow forgetting about and that a search hasn’t turned up, in which case I’ll happily hold up my silver sword-wielding hands – this is the first time someone’s managed to pull off letting you ride around in such a vehicle in TW3. Given REDkit’s allowed other folks to make it possible to sail a full-size ship, among many other things, this looks to be the latest one that’ll blow you away.To see this content p…

Ideas around digital game ownership are certainly about to change, as Steam is making it clear the games you pay for are actually just licences to play them.Last month, California governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law which means that digital storefronts have to make it clear that when you purchase something digitally, whether it be a movie, game, album, ebook, or the like, you only just own a licence to it (assuming you aren’t purchasing a DRM-free digital item). The reason behind this law being put into place is to ensure that “the false and deceptive advertising from sellers of digital media incorrectly telling consumers they own their purchases becomes a thing of the past.”To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings For all you gamers out there, that mea…

VariousThere are so many ways to be a Dungeons & Dragons fan these days. The tabletop RPG mainstay has been synonymous with pen-and-paper adventuring for 50 years now, and 2024 marks a major reworking of its core rulebooks to make the game more approachable. Anyone who’s played even just a couple of sessions knows how easy it can be to covet a friend’s set of custom dice, appreciate the care a Dungeon Master has taken in setting the right ambience for a crafted campaign, or even obsess over their choice of pen and notebook — after all, it’s what you’ll be spending a large chunk of time staring into as you ponder your character’s next heroic action.But what’s amazing is that you can be a huge D&D fan without ever touching a character sheet. D&D and the Forgotten R…

Traveller’s TalesAlice Jovanée (she/her) is a commerce writer, and she has been writing about gaming and tech since 2005. Prior to Polygon, she worked at publications such as The Verge.Regardless of how you feel about the current season of Rings of Power, if you’re looking for another way to satiate your Tolkien love you’ll definitely want to check out the current catalog of free games available to Amazon Prime members. Earlier this month, both Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor GOTY Edition, and Lego The Lord of the Rings were made available to Amazon Prime members for free through Sept. 30. However, you can now also pick up Lego The Hobbit for free through Oct. 23. Just head to the corresponding Prime Gaming page and you’ll be presented with a code that you can redeem on GOG.com fo…

Nintendo of AmericaCameron Faulkner (he/him) is Polygon’s commerce editor. He began writing about tech and gaming in 2013, and migrated from The Verge in 2023.One of the best unofficial October Prime Day deals has come early at Woot, where you can get a new Nintendo Switch OLED with either white or neon blue/red Joy-Con for $299.99 ($50 off). It’s not typical for this console to receive any kind of discount, so we’re usually skeptical that there’s something amiss when one pops up, like an iffy warranty, or that it isn’t the U.S. version, which includes a different power adapter. However, there are no strings attached; you’re just getting a great deal.Nintendo Switch OLED$300$35014% off$300Nintendo’s hybrid console still has plenty of staying power, especially with this year�…