Key Note Gaming

Hope you're ready for cosmical and magical adventure, because Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Remastered is coming in 2023, and Skunkape Games has released a new trailer teasing the return of what is definitely the most wild-ride-bonkers entry in the series. Started back in 1993, Sam and Max are pretty venerable characters in PC Gaming, and it's good to see them looking so good again. This is after all the entry that includes an alien invasion, straight-up cosmic horror gods, magical artifact toys for Max, and a kind of apocalypse type... thing. Oh right and there are clones, like, a lot of them. Look, it gets wild, even by Sam and Max standards, and if wacky adventures are you're thing I think you'd be well-served to get those other two remasters played by whenever it is in 2023 this gets released. This most superlative series about suit-wearing dog Sam and "hyperkinetic rabbity thing" Max was made back in the late oughts and early 2010s by Tel

Factory-building game Factorio has sold 3.5 million copies, reports developer Wube Software in its year-end update. It's an incredible validation of success for a game that would politely be described as of niche interest to mainstream gaming. "This year we have reached another sales milestone, with 3.5 million sales being passed this Christmas. We are still having steady and consistent sales of about 500,000 each year, which in retrospect validates the original no-sale policy we have stuck with since we launched on Steam in 2016," said Wube in a blog post . The same post includes an expansion teaser image, a few small development updates, and a statistics recap on Wube's mod portal feature. Wube Software also announced that it's still hard at work porting the game's new console controls to the PC version for both people on full-size rigs and on mobile PCs like the Steam Deck.  Alongside the announcement, Wube Software also posted a scant teaser for the

Action base-building roguelike Cult of the Lamb , one of this summer's hits, comes barreling into Winter announcing its first big content update for next year. It'll bring new stuff to the adorably violent cult of floofy animals, focusing on the combat portion of the game over the cult management. The new content update will feature new moves for The Lamb itself, letting you press and hold the attack button to drop a heavy attack that'll be unique to each weapon. They've showed off an area-of-effect smash for the sword, a boomerang throw for the axe, and a raining line of daggers for the... dagger. Beyond the new weapons, Massive Monster says Cult of the Lamb's first big content update will include "many other new features that will add depth, difficulty, accessibility and quality of life." "We have another round of fixes scheduled for the very start of the New Year but after that, we will be working on this Major Content Update. It's A LOT so

Watching the trailer for HBO's The Last of Us is a frankly eerie experience. For years, videogame fans have grown used to scouring early footage of TV and movie adaptations for familiar details; small hints that might signify real fondness for the source material. But here, the resemblance is uncanny and everywhere. Even in live action, The Last of Us is instantly recognisable in its high-rise greenery and rooftop plank walks; its horseback rides and morose car journeys along quiet highways with Ellie in the passenger seat; the triggering sound of the clickers, halfway between a Geiger counter and the spinning rattles at a 1960s football match. Even the familiar font of the logo, with the stubby tail to its 'L', is present and correct. In one sense, it's no surprise. Those who've followed the prestige drama's development closely will know that the fastidious screenwriter behind Chernobyl, Craig Mazin, shares showrunner status with Naughty Dog's Neil Druckm

Patching a game to add a launcher is like doing an operation to put in an appendix, and it's become alarmingly common this year. Once, I seem to recall, patches fixed bugs, corrected typos, and added new content, but since a September "Quality of life update" to the BioShock games added an utterly redundant new launcher, I've begun to worry that every update to my games library carries an unwelcome guest. This is nothing new. The infestation of launchers in our start menus has been a nuisance for years, but February's release of the Steam Deck means they've graduated from irritant to a potentially game-breaking problem. The addition of the 2K launcher to the BioShock Remastered Collection didn't just add one more useless ritual you had to perform to play the thing you bought, it straight-up broke the games for users on Linux and Steam Deck. Valve's Proton compatibility layer could translate BioShock itself from Windows to Linux without breaking a

Let's make sure you finish your 2022 Wordle with a win that suits you. Whether that means reading a helpful hint to set you off on the right path, revealing the answer to the December 31 (560) Wordle as quickly as possible, or checking out our extensive archive of past answers, you'll find it all on this very page. I ended the Wordle year with a complete shot in the dark and just for once this approach worked out beautifully for me, the answer revealing itself with no effort (or clever deductions) at all. What a lovely way to end my Wordle-ing 2022. Wordle hint A Wordle hint for Saturday, December 31 The answer to today's Wordle is a word that's generally used to describe stereotypically "masculine" behaviour or traditionally _____ aspects of someone's appearance—a rugged beard, a strong jawline, a muscular chest.  There is just one vowel today.  Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day  If there's one thing better than playing Wordle, i

It's nearly the end of the year and I'd like to take you all to absolute task for not telling me that there's an indie JRPG called Chained Echoes which is apparently not only quite good, but has a 15-second turtle race set to explosive, shouting hardcore metal. (If you also did not know I invite you to echo shame session here.) I mean seriously, it's hysterical and an amazing green light on trying the game. For one thing, it shows something JRPGs often lack any awareness of: A sense of humor. It's a great moment that begs you to take moment of what might otherwise get tossed on the inevitably-growing pile of pixelated nostalgia trips.  So, shame on you all, fans, players, and PR people who absolutely should have led with this in an email. Shame on you that this game has been out for 22 days at press time and I only just found out about the turtle racing. (Which you can watch on Youtube or embedded above, if you'd like.) The short spot of guitar riffing w

Each year, the tabletop RPG scene expands in exciting new directions. Whether it’s new worlds for long-running games like Dungeons & Dragons or exciting debut projects that tap into unexpected corners of storytelling, it’s a great time to enjoy role-playing with others. 2022 saw an impressive array of new games to tempt playgroups into an adventure. Here are ten of the best, presented alphabetically, each offering new and exciting vistas for discovery. And if you like your RPGs with a side of excellent board gaming, don’t miss our recent awards for the Best Board Games of 2022 . Coyote & Crow Publisher: Coyote & Crow Games The Native American-led team that created Coyote & Crow began with a simple premise: What would America look like if it had never been colonized? Throw in a robust mix of mythology, science, and mysterious individuals gifted with supernatural power, and you have the makings of a fascinating role-playing game. The technologically advanced civil

Dead Island 2 was announced just a few years after the release of the first Dead Island and a little over a year after Dead Island Riptide – the forgettable and repetitive sequel that did, at least, continue the story of the first game’s survivors. Publisher Deep Silver released some spinoffs after Riptide, like Escape Dead Island , Dead Island: Epidemic , and the 16-bit beat ‘em up Dead Island Retro Revenge , but a full-scale, numbered sequel hasn’t yet happened, despite being announced nearly a decade ago.  The first iteration of Dead Island 2 was helmed by Spec Ops: The Line developer Yager, as Dead Island developer Techland had parted ways with the property and worked on Dying Light. Deep Silver then handed over development of the game to LittleBigPlanet 3 developer Sumo Digital in 2016 , but then, in 2019, Deep Silver announced that Homefront: The Revolution developer Dambuster Studios would be handling Dead Island 2 . And that studio has been working on this game since 2018.

I'm a sucker for a clever indie puzzler, so naturally Sushi for Robots looks quite nice, doesn't it? It's a simple premise, the robots are obsessed with some sushi and you've got to serve it to them by setting up the weird conveyors they eat from. It'll release in Spring of 2023, but we know a bit about it now, and I like how that looks. It's a solution-driven puzzle game, one where you use the tools available to you in order to customize the outcome: This one is stickers, which let you place new effects on the board. "It's actually a pretty chill game. You can always press reset and try a different solution," says the description. Sushi For Robots will be mouse-based for accessibility, and will focus on experimentation-based puzzling. That's a style more familiar to the Zachtronics school of design, where there are many solutions to a given puzzle using your tools, some of which are more optimal than others—to me, at least, the most sa

This week on All Things Nintendo, Brian invites  Game Informer 's Kyle Hilliard to help him put a bow on 2022. That's right: It's the second annual All Things Nintendo Awards episode! Join Brian and Kyle as they talk about the best games across various categories and send 2022 off in style. If you'd like to follow Brian on social media, you can do so on his Instagram: @BrianPShea . You can follow Kyle on Twitter: @KyleMHilliard . The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we can celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look back on the classics we all grew up with. A new episode hits every Friday! Be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo on your favorite podcast plat

There's an ancient, established tradition of folk tales featuring outlaw heroes. In Britain we have Hereward the Wake and Robin Hood. The US has Davy Crockett and Wyatt Earp. And in China there's an entire genre of writing, called Youxia (literally 'wandering vigilante'), devoted to tales about men who travel the land writing wrongs and protecting the weak. But is it possible to live this way in Mount & Blade 2? To eschew the feudal trappings of land and power in favour of a life spent living on the road, fighting injustice? Yes. To roam the forests, waiting to strike out against the rich, lazy, and powerful? Also yes, but to a lesser extent. And only after a lot of preparation. The first part of our journey begins with the birth of our hero. Bannerlord's character creation offers a neat twist on the number crunching of standard RPGS. Instead of building a hero, I create a backstory. The first step is choosing your homeland. I pick Battania, a clan-based cult

Game delays are a part of life. You know the old saying, a delayed game is…well, you know. It’s undeniably a bummer to see a title you’re excited about slip into the following year, but it’s generally for the best to ensure a quality product at release. 2022 has had a growing handful of high-profile setbacks, and we’ve assembled them all in one alphabetized list for a handy reference. Arc Raiders Arc Raiders was set to be the debut title from Embark Studios, a team of ex-DICE talent led by former EA head Patrick Söderlund. The co-op shooter about fighting off robots from space made a splash during last year's Game Awards . In a surprising twist, however, Embark announced months later it was delaying Arc Raiders to next year to focus on launching another shooter project first . This title, formerly known as Project Discovery and christened as The Finals during Gamescom, had quickly progressed through development, causing Embark to focus on releasing it first with Arc Raider