Sharkoon has launched a new series of PC cases with a unique design touch aimed at builders who want a more elegant and distinctive look for their setup. The new AK7 ARGB and its smaller sibling, the MK7 ARGB, feature a combination of tempered glass and a stylish fabric covering.

The new cases feature a fabric covering on the exterior, which is positioned below the tempered glass front and side panels. Thermals might be affected, but on the other hand, you get a distinct aesthetic to the typically all-metal interiors. Both the ATX and microATX versions are available in black or white finishes.

The ATX-sized AK7 ARGB comes well-equipped for cooling right out of the box. It includes four 120mm ARGB PWM fans, and in a thoughtful touch for such a case, three of these are reverse-blade models designed for the side intake, ensuring a clean look without the fan's motor hub being visible. For liquid cooling, the case can support up to a 360 mm radiator, with room for a secondary 280 mm radiator as well. As for drives, there's space for two 3.5″ HDDs or four 2.5″ SSDs.

Internally, the AK7 has plenty of room for high-end hardware, with clearance for GPUs up to 410 mm long (a rubberised support bracket is included), PSUs up to 235 mm long, and CPU air coolers up to 170 mm tall. The case also offers full support for back-connect (BTF) motherboards from manufacturers like Asus and MSI, which is a perfect match for its clean, showcase-orientated design.

For those looking to build a more compact system, Sharkoon is also launching the MK7 ARGB, a microATX version that comes with three pre-installed ARGB fans (two are reverse-blade models) and space for three 2.5″ SSDs instead of four. Both the AK7 ARGB and the MK7 ARGB are now available for purchase, priced at €89.90 and €84.90, respectively.

KitGuru says: Do you have a preference for any of the models of the AK7 ARGB and MK7 ARGB case series?

Back in 2022, a class action lawsuit was filed against Corsair, alleging that its overclocked DDR4 and DDR5 memory kits were sold to customers under false pretenses. Rather than allowing the case to go to trial, Corsair has now settled the case, paying out $5.5 million in fees. The case may not just impact Corsair though and could have far reaching consequences for many PC hardware companies. 

While many seasoned PC builders will be aware of the intricacies of RAM overclocking, many newcomers to the scene may buy RAM advertised at a certain overclocked speed and then not know how to make full use of their product. This is the issue that the lawsuit was arguing. By advertising Vengeance and Dominator series memory at overclocked speeds, without clearly stating that BIOS settings need to be tweaked to access those speeds and even then, the speed isn't ‘guaranteed', the lawsuit claimed that customers throughout the US were misled.

As spotted by Guru3D, the settlement will mean that eligible customers in the US who purchased affected DDR4 and DDR5 memory kits between 2018 and 2025 will be entitled to a piece of the $5.5M payout. If you are one of those people, you can make your claim through the dedicated website to handle settlement claims.

The settlement allowed Corsair to deny wrongdoing, but the company will also have to update its packaging and online product listings moving forward. Corsair will now market its products with a warning that listed speeds are “up to” and that your results may vary depending on your combination of CPU and motherboard. In some rare instances, silicon quality could hamper your overclocking ability too.

It is no secret that overclocked memory kits are often sold without clear warnings in place. As a result of this settlement, we anticipate that many other memory sellers across the industry will be changing up their marketing to avoid falling on the wrong side of a lawsuit.

KitGuru Says: Corsair may have been the only company targeted in this particular lawsuit, but it will likely have an impact across the whole industry, particularly when it comes to marketing overclocked products. 

Philips has unveiled the Evnia 27M2N5901A, a new gaming monitor that aims to solve the age-old dilemma of choosing between high resolution and high refresh rate, but without breaking the bank. The new 27-inch display features “Dual Mode” technology, allowing users to switch between a native 4K at 160 Hz mode and a native 1080p at 320 Hz mode, all within the same panel.

The 27-inch 27M2N5901A Fast IPS monitor can be adjusted to change how it operates. For immersive, single-player games or productivity tasks where visual detail might be more important, users can select the UHD (3840×2160) mode, which runs at 160Hz. For competitive esports titles where every frame counts, the monitor can be switched to FHD (1920×1080) mode to deliver a 320 Hz refresh rate, backed by a response time of up to 1 ms GtG.

The monitor is packed with other premium features, including an “AI-enhanced” version of Philips' Ambiglow ambient lighting, which analyses the on-screen image to create a more immersive effect. It also functions as a workstation hub, featuring an integrated KVM switch for controlling two PCs with a single set of peripherals, a USB-C port with 65W power delivery, and a built-in USB hub. Software features are handled by the Philips Evnia Precision Center, which includes gamer-focused tools such as a smart crosshair that changes colour against different backgrounds and a shadow boost function.

Even with all of this, the new Evnia monitor is coming to market at a surprisingly aggressive price point. The Philips Evnia 27M2N5901A is set to be available in early October with a suggested retail price of just £329.00.

KitGuru says: Offering two distinct modes in a single, affordable package, the new Evnia monitor appears to be an incredibly versatile and high-value option for users who play a bit of everything on their PC.

Back in early 2021, the indie survival crafter Valheim launched in Early Access to a huge wave of success, selling over 5 million copies in its first month and going on to push past 10 million a little over one year later. As the game nears the end of its Early Access journey, the title is finally set to come to PlayStation 5 – with studio ‘Iron Gate’ confirming a 2026 release year.

Releasing a brief ‘Announcement Trailer’ the teams at Iron Gate and Coffee Stain Publishing confirmed that Valheim will officially arrive on PlayStation 5 sometime in 2026.

As mentioned, Valheim launched in Early Access back in 2021 and has remained in this state since. That said, the game has received plenty of updates in this time, with the next major patch being the Deep North update.

Given the vague 2026 window for the PS5 version’s release, it is likely that Valheim will launch on Sony’s system alongside the game’s long-awaited full 1.0 version. Curiously, the trailer they released for this PS5 announcement was actually captured on PC, and so we have no real idea of how the game will look/run on Sony’s console.

That said, Valheim has been available on Xbox platforms since 2023, and so expect it to be somewhat comparable (even if the Xbox version was technically ported by an external studio).

While Valheim remains a popular title to this day, it is interesting to see how long it's taking for the game to come to PlayStation platforms. That said, assuming it does launch alongside version 1.0, then the extended wait will have made some sense.

KitGuru says: Are you still playing Valheim in 2025? Are you excited for version 1.0? Why do you think it’s taken so long for the game to come to PlayStation? Let us know down below.

The Little Nightmares series has grown to become a rather beloved franchise since its initial release back in 2017, spawning a sequel in 2021 – with the 3rd entry set to arrive next month. Ahead of Little Nightmares III’s official launch, the teams at Supermassive Games and Bandai Namco have released a demo for all to check out.

Available on both PC and consoles, the demo for Little Nightmares III offers “a 30-minute glimpse into the game’s tense, cinematic atmosphere,” in which players must “navigate haunting environments, outsmart deadly traps, and survive a terrifying encounter with the Monster Baby, a grotesque inhabitant whose gaze can turn you to stone.”

It is worth noting that progress made in the demo will not carry over to the full game. That being said, considering the relatively short length of the demo, and the series’ focus on immersion, starting from scratch upon its official release shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

While the Little Nightmares series has amassed a strong following since the release of the first game back in 2017, this 3rd entry is being developed by Supermassive Games instead of Tarsier Studios (the team behind the first two titles).

As such, it is encouraging to see them release a demo for the upcoming title – letting fans get a taste of Supermassive’s take on Little Nightmares III before putting any money down.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for Little Nightmares III? What do you think of the switch-up in studios? Do you have faith in Supermassive Games? Let us know down below.

Back in July, Sony announced and released a new beta firmware for the PlayStation 5 which included the interesting confirmation of a ‘Power Saver for Games’ mode. Now, the update is going live for all PS5 users, with Sony offering additional details on this eco-friendly power mode.

Taking to the PlayStation Blog, Shuzo Kikuchi – VP of Product Management at SIE – confirmed that the latest PS5 firmware update is now rolling out globally for all. In case you missed it back during the beta, one of the biggest improvements with this update is the ability to now pair your DualSense controller with up to 4 different systems, allowing you to hot-swap between devices.

The new ‘Power Saver for Games’ mode meanwhile supposedly lets you “scale back performance and will allow your PS5 to reduce its power consumption when the feature is enabled optionally by gamers.”

With the firmware update now available as part of the primary branch, this new power saver mode has officially gone live, with Kikuchi noting: “Future updates for games such as Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Demon’s Souls, and Ghost of Yōtei will include support for the Power Saver option, with more titles to follow” – indicating that developers can seemingly make a dedicated performance profile targeting this lower-powered mode.

As we speculated on when the beta firmware was first released, this mode is potentially being developed in part as a way to facilitate the rumoured PlayStation handheld which is seemingly in the works.

Regardless, this latest update is a welcome one. Full details on the latest firmware update can be found HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the power saver mode? Is it being worked on for the sake of the rumoured handheld? Will the new DualSense pairing options benefit you? Let us know down below.

For the past few years now, we’ve been hearing a bunch of leaks and rumours claiming that Ubisoft is planning to remake the highly-praised 2013 entry in the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise – AC IV: Black Flag. Though yet to be officially announced, a ton of supposed details for the upcoming project have leaked; including the fact that the remake is getting rid of all the modern day scenes.

As reported by Jeux Vidéo Magazine (who have leaked various Assassin’s Creed-related details in the past), the yet-to-be-announced Black Flag Remake is currently targeting an early 2026 release (likely in March), though could slip back to later in the year.

These details are said to have come from several weeks worth of “anonymous testimonies that allow us to share what we know with you.”

As translated from French by Reddit user ‘Zamnboii’, one of the most immediately noticeable changes with this remake is that it will reportedly remove all of the modern day elements from the game (an aspect of the AC series which many do not care about). Replacing these moments will be “more content in Edward’s pirate era” – though only a few extra hours worth.

Unsurprisingly, the remake is said to be using Ubisoft’s latest version of the Anvil Engine, matching that of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Also like Shadows, Black Flag is said to lean in more heavily into the RPG side of the AC series, with Edward having his own loot and gear stats, and combat being less ‘choreographed’ than the original – for better and for worse.

Other miscellaneous details include the fact that Black Flag will no longer necessitate a loading screen when moving between your ship and land; and while the map itself is not bigger, it will include more stuff to do and find.

Of course, as with all leaks and rumours, this should be taken with a pinch of salt. That being said, it seems like only a matter of time before Ubisoft finally officially announces this long-rumoured remake. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the 2013 original.

KitGuru says: What do you think of these leaked details? Which changes are you most excited for? Which changes are you weary of? Let us know down below.

If you've seen mention of CUDIMMs and are wondering what exactly they are, it's perhaps not quite as interesting as you hope.  Clocked Unbuffered Dual Inline Memory Modules are simply DDR5 DIMMs…

AIDA64 just turned 8.00 and has a variety of shiny new features for it's users.  The compiler behind the scenes is brand new for faster startup and operation and it is finally…

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the second fastest graphics card in the "Blackwell" lineup, and features solid performance. The card launched at $999 US, but since launch, we have seen the price hover above the MSRP with premium models retailing close to the $1500 US figure. This is 4090 territory, and while the previous flagship doesn't support DLSS 4 MFG besides the Blackwell enhancements, it is still a potent offering, making the 5080 slightly more difficult to recommend based on its perf/$. Despite that, those of you who want a new Blackwell enthusiast-grade card without spending over $2000 US […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/galax-geforce-rtx-5080-hof-gaming-16-gb-gpu-review-the-crowned-king/

XPG has announced a significant expansion of its component lineup, headlined by the company's first-ever CPU air cooler, the Maestro Plus series. The new cooler is launching alongside a new flagship mid-tower chassis, the Valor Air Pro, with the two products being marketed as an ideal “case x cooling” combo for PC builders.

The Valor Air Pro is the latest addition to XPG's Valor case series. It's a spacious mid-tower with support for up to E-ATX motherboards, graphics cards up to 400 mm long, and top-mounted 360 mm radiators. Available in black and white, the case retains the Air series' signature diagonal mesh front panel for high airflow and comes with four 120mm ARGB fans pre-installed.

Image credit: TechPowerUp

Making its debut in the air cooling scene, Adata XPG has launched the Maestro Plus air cooler series. XPG is entering the crowded air cooler market with the 42SA and the 62DA. Both coolers come with a digital display panel integrated into the top of the tower, providing real-time CPU temperature and usage statistics at a glance. More detailed performance graphs are available via the XPG Prime software.

Both coolers have a single-tower design and feature ARGB lighting to complement the case fans. However, the 42SA is considerably more compact than the 62DA. This difference in size is also reflected in the number of heatpipes, with the 42SA having four heat pipes and the 62DA having six.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you interested in any of Adata XPG's new PC components?

It appears that checking your internet speed is about to become a little easier for Windows 11 users. A new, hidden feature has been discovered in the latest Insider Preview builds that adds a network speed test option directly into the Taskbar's system tray, eliminating the need for third-party websites or apps for a quick diagnosis.

Spotted by user @phantomofearth (via Tom's Hardware), the new feature adds a “Speed Test” option to the right-click context menu of the network icon, as well as in the Wi-Fi quick settings panel. When clicked, it launches Bing's built-in network speed test tool in your default web browser. While it's not a fully native, integrated application, it's a very convenient shortcut that saves you from having to navigate to a third-party website to check if you're getting the speeds you're paying for.

Image credit: @phantomofearth

This is one of several new quality-of-life features that Microsoft is currently testing for future Windows 11 updates, alongside a more customisable Start menu and a dedicated handheld gaming mode for devices like the ROG Ally. Interestingly, these features are being developed independently of the major biannual updates, like the upcoming version 25H2, and will likely be rolled out to users when they are ready.

The new speed test functionality is currently hidden in the latest builds available to Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta Channels and has not yet been officially announced by Microsoft. We'll likely see it roll out to all Windows 11 users in a cumulative update in the coming months.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: What other features would you like to see being implemented on Windows 11?

The Early Access model has become a staple of PC gaming, but a new report from industry analyst firm NewZoo suggests there's a fine line between a successful development period and staying in the oven for too long. According to its 2025 Global Games Market Report, there is a clear “sweet spot” for how long a game should be in Early Access to maximise its 1.0 launch success.

By analysing the correlation between a game's time in Early Access and its player retention in the first three months after full release, NewZoo (via Insider Gaming) found that the less time the game is in early access, the higher the average number of players.

Image credit: NewZoo (via Insider Gaming)

The study reveals that the average number of players reaches its peak during the early access period, which lasts for the first six months, then drops slightly between seven and nine months, and continues to decrease as the time in early access increases. For many long-running Early Access titles, the hype has already peaked during the beta phase, and the full release ends up being a non-event with little to no increase in the player base.

The report acknowledges some notable exceptions to this rule. The spike in performance seen for games in the 22-24 month bracket was driven almost entirely by the massive success of V Rising and Ready or Not. Similarly, Dave the Diver managed to explode in popularity after an eight-month Early Access period. However, NewZoo emphasises that these are outliers, and the general trend for most games is clear.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: While Early Access has been a huge benefit for many games, including massive AAA hits like Baldur’s Gate 3, this data suggests that a shorter period might be the best strategy for most cases.

Palworld has been in early access for over a year and a half but we are nearing the end of this journey. In a recent video, Pocketpair detailed its plans for Palworld 1.0, confirming that the game will leave Early Access next year. 

Since launch, Palworld has received five major updates, each adding new improvements and content for players to experience. The development team has “a lot of ideas” for where to take Palworld from here, but the goal first and foremost is to clean up a lot of lingering issues ahead of the 1.0 launch. This includes many of the game's self-described “quirks and jank”. Once all of those problems are ironed out, Palworld will be ready to leave early access. The current goal is to get all of this work done over the next year and release before the end of 2026.

As the development team focuses more on fixing up lingering issues, there are less resources to dedicate to new content development. As a result, the upcoming ‘Winter' update will not be as big as the previous update, titled Feybreak.

Pocketpair has so far not allowed the Nintendo patent dispute to hinder its development plans, although it did force the studio to make a few changes. The growing hope across the industry is that Pocketpair wins the lawsuit, as Nintendo has filed some rather suspect patents that would hinder many games across different genres if the patents are allowed to be enforced.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have you played Palworld much since its early access launch? What would you need to see improved before the game leaves early access?  

The next wave of games for Xbox Game Pass have been announced, with new titles coming to PC, console and cloud. On top of that though, Microsoft has also confirmed plans for the Black Ops 7 beta, and Game Pass subscribers will get early access.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 won't release until November 14th, but as usual, there will be a beta test around six weeks before. On October 2nd, early access begins for the Black Ops 7 beta. Those who pre-order the game will get access on this date, but Game Pass subscribers will also get early access. The beta period for Black Ops 7 ends on October 8th, usually by the last few days, the beta is fully open to anyone on all supported platforms.

Now with the Call of Duty news out of the way, here is every game heading to Game Pass over the next couple of weeks, with platforms and dates included:

• RoadCraft (Cloud and Xbox Series X/S) – Available Today
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Console) – September 17th
• For the King 2 (Console) – September 17th
• Overthrown (Xbox Series X/S) – September 17th
• Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – September 17th
• Frostpunk 2 (Cloud and Xbox Series X/S) – September 18th
• Wobbly Life (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – September 18th
• Hades (Cloud, Console and PC) – September 19th
• Endless Legend 2 (PC) – September 22nd
• Sworn (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – September 23rd
• Peppa Pig: World Adventures (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – September 25th
• Visions of Mana (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) – September 25th
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Cloud, Console and PC) – September 30th

On October 1st, Game Pass Core will get an update. This is the base level service available on Xbox consoles as a replacement to Xbox Live Gold. Every six months or so, Game Pass Core gets updated with a few new titles, this time around, players can expect Warhammer 40,000 Darktide, Cities Skylines Remastered and Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Will you be installing any of the newly announced Game Pass titles over the next few weeks? 

This week, Phanteks has a fleet of products hitting the market. First up is the new XT V3 chassis, which is optimised for the new wave of Back Connect motherboards. On top of that, Phanteks is also debuting the Nexlinq Hub V2 and the new Premium Gen5 vertical GPU bracket. 

The Phanteks XT V3 chassis is designed to pack as much performance into as small a footprint as possible. Despite the small dimensions, the case still fits a 360mm liquid cooling radiator, and up to seven case fans in total, including fans positioned specifically for GPU airflow.

The Nexlinq Hub V2 is a centralised hub for your fans and ARGB LEDs. The new version has a slimmer design, making it easier to integrate within your build. A lightweight companion app will enable you to make changes to fan and ARGB settings from within Windows. By keeping the software lightweight, Phanteks aims to ensure responsiveness, removing any ‘jank' present on heavier fan and RGB management applications.

The final product on the list today is the Premium Gen5 vertical GPU bracket. This bracket can showcase graphics cards in vertical orientation, or at a tilted 30-degree angle. The bracket has its own D-RGB lighting for added visual flair.

The Phanteks XT V3 case will be available for £59.95 in the UK in both black and white colour options. The Nexlinq Hub V2 will go for £21.90 and the Premium Gen5 Vertical GPU bracket will cost £69.90, also available in black or white to match your case.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning a new PC build? It looks like Phanteks' latest trio of products could make for an interesting place to start. 

Today AMD is launching its new Ryzen 9000 PRO series processors for desktops. There are four SKUs for businesses to choose from, ranging from the Ryzen 9 PRO 9945 all the way down to the six-core Ryzen 5 PRO 9645. 

Today, AMD quietly revealed the new Ryzen PRO CPUs with an update to its website. There are three Ryzen 9000 PRO CPUs, all using the new Zen 5 architecture, and one new Ryzen 5 PRO 7000 series chip, built using Zen 4 CPU cores. In both cases, the CPUs sport AMD's PRO level technologies, designed for business desktops with added security features and streamlined manageability options to aid IT teams with deployment and fleet management. 

In the table below, you can find the specs for each new Ryzen PRO series CPU:

These CPUs will be made available through OEMs shipping pre-built desktop PCs for enterprise from companies like Lenovo, HP and others.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While not relevant to gamers, those working in IT will likely start to see these processors popping up around office sites soon. 

Physical game sales have been on a downward trend for many years but with next-gen consoles due in the next few years, many have been anticipating the complete abandonment of the disc drive. Sony recently shared its latest earnings report, showing that just 3% of revenue came via physical game sales. 

In the recent breakdown of PlayStation revenue, Sony showed that 24% of sales came from hardware. From there, 20% of sales revenue came from Digital Software and just 3% came from physical software sales. Add-on content accounted for 29% of revenue, dwarfing game sales and hardware sales.

As for subscription services, the likes of PlayStation Plus and other network services brought in 14% of the overall revenue. As Eurogamer points out, this is a drop down from 17% in 2020, despite Sony's reported Monthly Active Users growing by double digit percentages.

The revenue breakdown shows why Sony has been distancing itself from disc drives. While the PS5 was originally designed with a disc drive in mind, Sony later shifted to only producing Digital Edition PS5 models and then offering a separate disc-drive attachment. It is expected that the next generation PlayStation 6 console will release without a disc drive, but Sony should continue to offer a disc drive attachment as an additional purchase.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Gaming has been a largely digital market for a long time now, especially on the PC side of things. Console gaming has taken longer to transition but numbers like this make it clear that console users largely rely on digital services now as well.  

Ubisoft faced a lot of backlash a couple of years ago when it made the decision to shut down The Crew and delist the game across all digital platforms. This decision ultimately kicked off the Stop Killing Games movement, which recently achieved its petition goals in the UK and Europe. Now, a group of modders have arrived to put things right by restoring access to the game for all. 

The Crew Unlimited has officially released this week. The mod completely was built by reverse engineering the entire game, figuring out how each figure works, and then emulating that functionality. The end result is a version of The Crew playable offline and restored online access for those who want to access multiplayer.

As noted by PCGamer, it took this small team a year and a half to put this together. If Ubisoft had just put in the work to implement an offline mode themselves, they could have avoided a whole lot of backlash.

Ubisoft has not yet commented on the existence of this mod, nor has any legal action taken place. However, we've seen publishers like Take-Two shut down modding efforts before, so if you own The Crew and are interested in maintaining access to the game, you should grab the files while they are still readily available from the official source.

While the mod is advertised as requiring a legitimate copy of The Crew to function, the mod does not actually have any protections in place to avoid pirated copies from using it.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you own a copy of The Crew? Will you be trying the new mod to restore access to the full game? 

Following years of leaks, rumours and little-to-no official details, Team Cherry finally released Hollow Knight: Silksong just under two weeks ago. Described by many as the GTA VI of indies, a suite of upcoming games were delayed in order to get out of Silksong’s way. While most took this on the cheek, Hell is Us’ Creative Director called the surprise release date “a little callous.”

Making an appearance on the Friends Per Second podcast, Hell is Us Creative Director Jonathan Jacques-Belletête spoke on the recent release of Hollow Knight Silksong and how it affected sales for the also-recently-released Hell is Us, stating:

“It's hard for me to not like say like when you know you're that big, I think a shadow drop is a bit…like wow. You know what I mean? Like you as a GTA 6 of indie, right? To shadow drop something like this is a little…is a little callous.”

According to the director, the team considered moving Hell is Us’ release date as a result, however “changing the date of Hell is Us would…would have been a pretty big endeavor,” necessitating a refunding of pre-orders; a realignment with marketing; reviews and more.

When asked whether he believed the release of Silksong impacted the sales of Hell is Us, Jacques-Belletête claimed “I can't prove it. I can't you know I don't have any specific numbers at least not at this time but I mean for sure, for sure it did”. That said, the director made sure to note that September being a relatively busy month for games in general was also likely to have contributed to the impact on sales.

As mentioned, a wide number of indie games were delayed as a direct result of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release date announcement. While most of these devs made tongue-in-cheek announcements regarding the situation, it is interesting to hear more about what the developers were likely thinking internally upon hearing the news.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Silksong’s launch announcement situation? Was it ‘callous’ to not give developers a heads-up? Did Silksong’s release impact your game purchasing decisions for the month? Let us know down below.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is hardly going to be remembered as the finest entry in the series or the best open-world game set in Feudal Japan, but the good the game does definitely outweighs the bad, making for an enjoyable experience whose real fault lies in the series' now trademark content bloat and the by-the-book open-world ARPG experience rather than in the bad execution of any of its features. Coming only a few months after the base game, no one should have expected the Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji expansion to address any of the issues of the base game, […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/assassins-creed-shadows-claws-of-awaji-review-unremarkable-island/

The Borderlands series pretty much invented the looter-shooter genre when the first entry in the now ubiquitous franchise launched all the way back in 2009. Two console generations and over 15 years later, Borderlands 4 is finally upon us, bringing with it more freedom, replayability – and of course – loot than ever before. That said, in amongst all of the sequel’s many changes and improvements, by far the most impactful is its overhaul to movement.

I’m a bit of a movement fiend, with many of my favourite titles gameplay-wise offering fast-paced moment-to-moment action on all fronts – from gunplay, to enemies and, perhaps most importantly, movement.

While the Borderlands series has over its numerous entries tweaked and improved the formula to make for a more satisfying overall experience, Borderlands 4 is finally addressing by far the franchise’s biggest downside: its movement tech. Thanks to this, Borderlands 4 now feels like a complete experience; once again sitting at the top of the looter-shooter podium.

Prior to discussing the innovations of Borderlands 4 specifically, I would be remiss to not mention the MANY performance issues which PC players in particular are suffering from currently. With the likes of frame rate drops, stutters and what appears to be a memory leak issue (among other performance woes), the Unreal Engine 5-developed title has quite the journey to go on before being deemed acceptable on PC.

Even on console, the experience is far from perfect, with noticeable framerate issues on PS5 across both graphics modes; the lack of a motion blur toggle and no Field-of-View slider – all of which can and do have an impact on the game's sense of movement and momentum. Hopefully these issues and more are all resolved in due course.

With that said, lets take a trip back to 2009 where everything started. The big claim to fame with the original Borderlands was the fact that the game featured a near infinite number of different weapons to pick up, collect and use.

Of course, a majority of these were simply alterations of a smaller subsect of guns comprised of random stats, but the incentive to collect and find your favourite gun aided in the sense of replayability – and ultimately satisfaction upon obtaining your desired ‘god roll’ weapon.

The gunplay itself was relatively floaty and lacking somewhat when it came to feeling the impact of the weapons themselves. Fortunately, the sheer variety of guns and their effects meant that the act of shooting still felt satisfying enough to keep players…playing.

In terms of movement and traversal however, Borderlands still had a long way to go. While perhaps less noticeable at the time, navigating the lands of Pandora is quite the slog, especially today. Of course, there were tech limitations at the time, necessitating the explorable lands being split up into segmented zones. Loading screens aside however, Borderlands 1 still felt somewhat sluggish due to the movement options available to players – or lack thereof.

Being a ‘modern’ shooter, Borderlands 1 did include many of the fundamentals: you could walk, sprint, crouch, jump, hip-fire, aim down sights, melee and shoot. Beyond this however, players wanting to navigate the zones of Pandora had to make do with poorly-controlled spawnable vehicles which could only be summoned at specific spots – or for those playing as Lilith – could use her ultimate ability ‘Phasewalk’ for a temporary boost in movement speed.

When compared to its contemporaries, Borderlands 1 DID do enough in the gameplay department to keep fans playing. More than 15 years later however and it has not aged too gracefully.

The same could be said for a majority of its sequels, with Borderlands 2 essentially serving as a more complete version of the first game (upping the variety on all fronts – including some movement skills for certain Hunters – while giving us a highly compelling villain to fight), and the Pre-Sequel being a spin-off of sorts.

That being said, the pre-sequel in particular did give us our first look at new movement tech, with its moon-based setting allowing for low-gravity areas.

It wasn’t until the launch of Borderlands 3 in 2019 however when we would see our first proper overhaul of the series' core gameplay.

Thanks to its longest development cycle yet and the added horsepower of the 8th console generation, Borderlands 3 brought a lot of new to the gameplay department. Beyond the additional suite of guns, grenades, Vault Hunters and enemies, Borderlands 3 introduced the biggest evolution in its movement and traversal yet.

Now, alongside the ability to walk; run; jump and crouch, you could also mantle objects; slide and do a big slam. Many of these are now fundamentals in first-person shooters and as such need little explanation. It is worth noting however that the slide in particular did feature a degree of momentum depending on the angle of the decline – certainly nothing new by that point but welcome nonetheless. 

While the slam attack is pitched primarily as being…an attack, it also serves as a nice and quick way to get to lower levels of a zone; and thus can be counted in the list of new movement tech additions.

Last but also least in terms of base mechanics, you’ve got new vehicles which allow for greater movement and handling; albeit with pretty much all of the same limitations as the previous games.

Beyond certain Vault Hunter skills which can boost movement, Borderlands 3’s Shield mods feature various flow-buffing boosts, including the possibility for increased movement speed, increased slide speed and enhanced slide distance.

Though relatively small in stat terms, these mods could allow for much improved traversal of the game’s zones – and if used correctly could be more effective than even the vehicles.

Speaking of the zones, Borderlands 3’s maps include a greater deal of verticality alongside fewer invisible walls which CAN make navigation more fun and rewarding, if you use the game’s new jumping and slamming capabilities.

That said, while the zones may be more detailed and complex, they still feel rather limiting, with momentum being halted often thanks to loading screens and some older design mentalities.

Once you’ve completed Borderlands 3’s main campaign you gain access to its post-game content, which includes the new Mayhem Mode. Though there is much more to the system than I will be touching on, for our purposes the primary modifier is in how it vastly speeds up movement and combat based on certain parameters.

While all of the core movement mechanics remained the same, them being amped up to 11 meant that each encounter would now feel even more action-oriented, fast paced and controllable but in a chaotic kind of way.

The biggest downside with this increase in movement speed is that it primarily applies to combat scenarios – with some of the boosts necessitating an enemy kill in order to activate. In this way, Borderlands 3’s late game movement tech was somewhat backwards in nature.

While I do appreciate being able to hop from one side of the arena to the other all the while raining down bullets, rockets and whatever else I have in my arsenal, non-combat areas felt even more comparatively sluggish as a result.

All in all, Borderlands 3 was easily the biggest jump (and slam) we’d seen in gameplay for the series up to that point, but it still left plenty to be desired. Cut to another 6 years later and Borderlands 4 is finally upon us; bringing with it a ton of new additions, highly-requested quality-of-life improvements and – most importantly – brand new movement tech.

One of my biggest gripes with Borderlands 3 was its continued use of relatively small zones which necessitated loading screens to navigate between them. Across the game, BL3 featured 6 different regions, each of which included multiple zones within them (up to a dozen in some cases).

Borderlands 4 has now cut this down to just 4 open-worldish regions which should not only allow for fewer stop-and-go instances, but offers more space for the game’s new movement mechanics to come into play.

Inspired by the likes of Destiny (another looter-shooter), Borderlands 4 now allows you to summon/digistruct a personal sparrow-like vehicle whenever you’d like. Alongside improved controls and manoeuvrability, this new system means that players will no longer have to trek to the nearest Catch-A-Ride garage in order to select a vehicle, spawn it, and then start heading to wherever you wanted to go. While certainly a game-changer in terms of convenience, the greatest additions are saved for the player characters themselves.

One of the best ways to boost a game’s sense of mobility is by giving players a grapple hook…and so Borderlands 4 has done exactly that. Not only does this have beneficial implications for combat itself, but of course you can now zip from area-to-area in any direction. Though this could make some platforming redundant, its benefits are far more all-encompassing.

The second primary piece of new equipment is the jetpack, which offers far more than just a single additional movement technique. Thanks to the influx of opportunities it presents, players can now double jump; glide omni-directionally; and dash for near-complete aerial freedom.

As is the case with the best movement-focused titles, Borderlands 4 allows you to chain your new abilities together in order to make for even greater moments of momentum. You could fling yourself in the air with a grapple, double jump for added height and distance; air dash forwards; follow it up with a glide/hover and end it all in a slick slide.

Of course, each of these mechanics present ample new opportunities during combat too, but on pure movement-feel, Borderlands 4’s potential is almost as infinite as its guns.

In many ways, the looter-shooter genre lives and dies with Borderlands. While there have been a few entrants into the space, Borderlands 4’s main contemporary in both budget and size is Bungie’s Destiny 2. Unlike Borderlands however, D2 is a free-to-play experience which focuses heavily on additional monetisation; and in being a live-service, sucking up as much of the players’ time as possible is the real goal.

Ergo, the loot in Destiny 2 is designed with a hefty focus on balance, extreme levels of grinding, and artificial limitations and time-gating in order to keep you coming back. In many ways, Destiny 2 is as much of a looter-shooter as it is an MMO – which is to say not much at all.

Bungie's idea of a loot chest

Despite this, D2 did have some things going for it over the Borderlands series pre-BL4. Aside from the act of running and perhaps sliding, Destiny 2’s movement far exceeded Borderlands, with players able to utilise various different types of assist abilities; from triple jumps to a directional glide and the iconic blink…albeit none at the same time.

Destiny 2 even has a dodge of sorts, which was better than the nothing Borderlands 3 gave you. Of course, as I touched upon earlier, Destiny 2 also eventually added a grapple hook as part of its Strand sub-class.

Although not really relevant to this conversation, D2 also featured Bungie’s highly satisfying first-person gun combat (though even the older Borderlands 3 was more than serviceable in that respect).

With the release of Borderlands 4, I can think of very few reasons as to why I would want to play any other looter-shooter. In the 6 years since Borderlands 3 came out, the genre has evolved very little, leading to fears that Gearbox would rest on its laurels.

Fortunately, Borderlands 4 (in my eyes) presents the full and complete package – and so I look forward to spending the next 250+ hours zipping across the planet Kairos…once the console FOV problems are fixed that is.

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KitGuru says: Are you a fan of the looter-shooter genre? Is good movement in a game important to you? Why aren’t there many major looter-shooters out there? Let us know your thoughts down below.