Free-to-play exceptions reign, like other platforms Platform holders have a history of excluding certain games, including free-to-play titles (which may or may not have optional subscriptions or microtransactions), from the scope of their subscription-based services. In other words you can download a free-to-play game and still log in and play without Xbox Live or PSN Plus. There was some contention initially from companies like Microsoft but eventually publishers smoothed things over....

Podtoid 462 Fighting game rosters are always fascinating to me. For an industry where fans are always demanding “new, new, new,” it’s the one genre where old is good. Old characters, old stages, people just want to see everything they’re already familiar with plus a couple of new additions to separate the new entry from the old one. Not every character can be in every entry, and as we’ve seen in the past with multiple fighting games, those missing favorites can cause an uproar amongst the fanbase....

Fight the Power Oddworld Inhabitants Inc. continues in its quest to bring the classic Oddworld adventure series to Switch. As previously notedby the ESRB back in January,Oddworld: Munch’s Oddyseeis next in line for the Nintendo platform, and will launch digitally in May. Munch’s Oddyseeis the second release in the “Oddworld Quintology,” beginning with 1997 PlayStation releaseAbe’s Oddysee. When the Vykkers start harvesting hapless Gabbits for the eggs and other organs, one such Gabbit – the titular Munch – decides its time to fight back....

[Rob Parker is a freelance writer based in the North of England, where it rains every day. Except the days when it hails. Rob stays sane (and dry) by plunging himself into the simulated worlds of videogames, and writing stories about the adventures he has therein. His work can be found onhis blog.] There’s thisspeechthat always chokes me up, given to a graduating class at Kenyon College in America, by the writer David Foster Wallace....

Today’s AMA isn’t going well There’s a shitstorm going on at thePaydaysubreddit today, and for good reason — the devs have recently implemented microtransactionsafter they promised they wouldn’t. This particular Category 5 is based on anAMA held by Overkill producer Almir Listo, which fans are going crazy over. For starters,Listo deflectsnearly every well-intentioned question regarding the implementation of microtransactions, and attempts to directly PR-speak the community, which is a bizarre tactic....

To help promote the upcomingLayton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires’ Conspiracyfor 3DS, Level-5 teamed up withSCRAP(real escape games) to make a “puzzle-solving event that challenges users around the world to solve 50 puzzles that appear on the internet and in special locations in 10 countries, including Japan, the U.S., the U.K., South Korea, and Australia” from June 20 to June 14, 2025. The first puzzle is about the viral videoPPAP(Pen Pineapple Apple Pen)....

Ladies and gentlemen, it finally happened! After years of censorship and outright bans, Australia has finallyapproved an R18+ age rating for videogames, allowing adults to choose their own entertainment. “The R 18+ category will inform consumers, parents and retailers about which games are not suitable for minors to play, and will prevent minors from purchasing unsuitable material,” said home affairs minister Jason Clare, announcing the move. “The reforms also mean that adults are able to choose what games they play within the bounds of the law....

Ramb-oh-no! Rambo: The Video Gameis happeningapropos ofnothing. The game mashes upFirst Blood,First Blood Part Two, andRambo III. The first two get three inch figurines that look a little like Keanu Reeves with pre-order at select retailers. This is a retail game. Worst of all, its not even coming out of Jerkwater, USA. The developers are Polish and the publisher British. This isn’t what Rambo went to Vietnam for. Though he might have gone to Vietnam for those adorable, chibi Rambo figurines....

Sure to please the stake-holders Today, Xbox and Bethesda hosted their first joint showcase since the two joined together. And the “one more thing” of the event was a new game from Arkane, with blood, magic, and vampires. Redfallis a new game coming from the team at Arkane Austin, where the town of Redfall, Massachusetts seems to have a nasty vampire problem. In the announcement we got a cinematic setting the stage, with a team of four characters blasting ghoulies with stakes, while also employing some magic of their own....

Shows where hosts actually talk about videogames seem like they’re dying off these days. What happened to those? I liked those! Instead, we get fed reality/competition stuff like this new show coming to the Sci-Fi Channel, called “GameQuest.” In this terribly named show, 12 contestants go head-to-head in various videogame challenges in an effort to find the best all-around gamer in the United States. That doesn’t sound too bad, butReutersreports that “physical challenges that bring video games to life” are also involved....

Where’s Vectorman? TheMega Drive mini(known as the Genesis Mini for us Western folks) is still in production and Sega Japan is putting out some feelers for which games fans would like to see on the device. You’d think all the classics would be a given, but it appears as if we’ll have to choose betweenSonic 1andSonic 2for the mini console. This is all according to a Twitter poll by the company that recently went live....

All aboard the blockchain bandwagon Sega Sammy Holdings hasreleased its sales reportfor the first half of its current financial year. While the figures have been in the company’s favor — with a year-on-year increase — Sega Sammy adjusted its forecast for the remainder of the financial year, lowering its overall expected revenue to a still impressive ¥305 billion (or roughly $2.7 billion USD). For the six months leading to September 2021, Sega Sammy posted sales of ¥135 billion (or $1....

You’re a squid now… You’re a sub now… Nintendo fans who purchase a 12-month subscription to thenew Nintendo Online servicewill receive a couple of new items for their squid kids and Octolings to sport in Switch shooterSplatoon 2. Anyone who signs on the dotted line for the new service will received download codes for an exclusive baseball jersey, that tells people you’re paid up, and a bright-red sneaker set. Those who purchase a family subscription will receive eight codes, ensuring everyone in your family, all of whom love Nintendo and playingSplatoon 2apparently, will bag the gear....