Each week, all those with an Epic Games account can get their hands on a title or two as part of the company’s free game program. With Brotato available to claim right now, Epic have revealed next week’s line-up – including LEGO Star Wars.

Available to add to your library from the 5th of December (and will remain claimable until the 12th), next week’s free Epic Games Store titles will be the following:

• Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga offers a new take on the LEGO formula of games, with this entry adopting more of a 3rd-person shooter perspective compared to TT Games’ previous efforts.

Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop meanwhile is an expanded version of the bus driving simulator, adding a whole new career mode to the game – alongside an expansion to the map.

As they have done for years now, expect Epic’s free daily game giveaway to begin some time during the second half of December. Until then, you’ll have two very different yet equally as fun games to get stuck into.

KitGuru says: What do you think of next week’s offerings? How has Epic’s free game program treated you this year? How many games are in your Epic library at this point? Let us know down below.

The post LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be free on the Epic Games Store first appeared on KitGuru.

The journey for No Man’s Sky and the team at Hello Games is unlike anything else we’ve seen in the history of the games industry. Following its disastrous launch, Sean Murray and co. have worked diligently over the past 8 years to turn No Man’s Sky into all that it was promised to be and so much more – with the game now finally sitting at an all-time Steam rating of ‘Very Positive’.

Making the announcement on Twitter, Hello Games head Sean Murray said “Holy shit you guys – it happened. ALL REVIEWS: Very Positive. Thank you Thank you Thank you. You have no idea what this means to us.”

While No Man’s Sky’s ‘recent reviews’ have held a positive score for years now, the game’s aforementioned launch saw it get review-bombed so badly that the next 8 years has been spent with NMS slowly improving its overall reviews on Steam.

Finally, with almost 250,000 total reviews, No Man’s Sky’s Steam score now more accurately represents what players actually think of the game. No Man’s Sky’s journey continues.

KitGuru says: What do you think of NMS in 2024? Does it represent the ultimate video game redemption story? How long did it take for your opinion on NMS to shift? Let us know down below.

The post No Man’s Sky finally achieves ‘Very Positive’ all-time rating on Steam first appeared on KitGuru.

While the annual Game Awards has seen an increasing amount of criticism year-over-year (be it due to an abundance of advertising, a lack of awards or inaccurate categories) the show still serves a major role in the current video games industry. Following its nomination for Game of the Year at the upcoming TGAs, Balatro has seen a massive surge on mobile platforms.

Following its arrival on PC earlier this year, Balatro came to mobile platforms right at the tail end of September. While the title had a solid 14 days of performance on Android/iOS, the game’s weekly revenue then began to fall consistently – until it was nominated for Game of the Year.

In the wake of the nomination, Balatro’s mobile release shot right back up the charts, with its 2nd-highest performing week on the platform since launch (according to PocketGamer).

All in all, Balatro has now made over $4.4 million on mobile since its arrival in late September. While a small figure compared to other gaming giants, many who play on phones are quite averse to spending money – especially upfront for a game – and so its success is certainly notable.

It will be interesting to see how sales perform after the winners are announced.

KitGuru says: Have you been playing Balatro? Should more games be ported to mobile? Could it take home the GOTY? Let us know down below.

The post GOTY nomination helps push Balatro on mobile past launch week sales first appeared on KitGuru.

Following Microsoft’s opening of the floodgates when it comes to bringing their Xbox exclusives to other platforms, the console maker reportedly has a PS5 version of Forza Horizon 5 ready and waiting. That said, according to one leaker, the PS5 port has been ‘delayed’, but not cancelled.

In a post made on Twitter, the leaker eXtas1s claimed that a PlayStation 5 version of Forza Horizon 5 is coming eventually, writing in a translated tweet:

“Forza Horizon 5 has already been ported to PS5, but its release was delayed (not cancelled) this past summer. However, they consider it a game that can do quite well, and it will arrive, I don't know when, but it will arrive.”

News of a PS5 release for Forza first came to light back in August, when it was claimed by multiple sources that the racing title would be announced for Sony’s system during Gamescom.

This did not come to be, however, according to eXtas1s the plan remains the same – albeit arriving at a later date.

Given the backlash faced by Microsoft over bringing larger exclusives (such as the upcoming Indiana Jones) to PlayStation, perhaps the Xbox maker is waiting for a quieter period to make the announcement.

KitGuru says: Why do you think the announcement was pushed back? Will the game support PS5 Pro when it launches? Let us know down below.

The post Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 has been delayed, but not cancelled according to leaker first appeared on KitGuru.

Tencent has announced its latest game, Light of Motiram, promising an open-world with survival gameplay and “animal like” creatures. The issue? It looks an awful lot like Horizon Zero Dawn. 

Tencent subsidiary studio, Polaris Quest, has created its own game, clearly heavily inspired by Horizon Zero Dawn. As you can see in the comparison between the images for both games below:

Light of Motiram on the left and Horizon Zero Dawn on the right. 

Aside from the bow and arrow equipped main character and mechanical animals running around, it also has building mechanics and co-op, making it a multiplayer-focused game, versus the cinematic-campaign focus of the Horizon games.

This isn't the first time we've seen a Tencent game release with similarities to another popular IP. There are plenty of League of Legends clones, for example.

KitGuru Says: This game sneaking out ahead of Guerrilla Games' upcoming multiplayer Horizon game is sure to not go unnoticed. So far though, Sony and Tencent have not commented on the comparisons between these two games. 

The post Tencent studio’s new game looks a lot like Horizon Zero Dawn first appeared on KitGuru.

Today we are putting together our final featured build of the year, sponsored by Thermaltake and The Tower 250. This is the company's latest ITX case based on the popular octagonal prism shape we have come to know and love from the rest of The Tower series. It’s a smaller version of The Tower 600 and 300, it supports mini ITX motherboards, graphics cards up to 360mm long, installation of up to eight 120mm fans and up to 360mm radiators on the right-hand side. Let's see what we can do with the latest The Tower case…

Timestamps:

00:00 The Tower 250
02:05 A close up look
07:05 Hardware for the build
10:20 Timelapse build
16:19 Closing thoughts

Case – Thermaltake The Tower 250 Snow Edition

• The Tower 250 features Thermaltake's classic octagonal prism design in a small form factor that doesn’t compromise on cooling performance with 360mm radiator support and includes two CT120 fans with the potential for installing up to eight 120mm fans.
• It can be mounted vertically out of the box or horizontally using the stand that can be purchased separately and upgraded with the optional 3.9-inch LCD screen to display real-time hardware stats and info.
• The case is also equipped with tool-free panel removal, a removable side radiator bracket for simple installation, storage support for up to two 2.5-inch SSDs and a handy top-mounted front I/O for easy access.

Specifications:

• Case Type: Mini Tower
• Dimensions (HxWxD): 506 x 300 x 281 mm
• Net Weight: 7.1 kg
• Material: SPCC
• Motherboard Support: Mini ITX
• Expansion Slots: 3
• Storage Bays: 1 x 3.5” or 2 x 2.5”
• Max GPU Length: 360mm (245mm With power Cover)
• MAX GPU Height: N/A
• MAX GPU Thickness: N/A
• Max CPU Cooler Height: 210mm
• Max PSU Size: ATX up to 200mm
• Pre-installed fans: 2 x CT120
• Fan Support: 2 x 120mm (Top) 3 x 120/2 x 140mm (Right Side) 2 x 120/14mm (Rear) 1 x 120/140mm (PSU Cover)
• Radiator Support: 360/280/240/140/120mm (Right Side)
• Dust Filters: Top, sides, bottom, front
• Font I/O: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1 x 3.5mm Audio
• LCD Screen: 9” (optional)

Price: MSRP £139.99 – Available in the UK early December 2024

CPU Cooler – Thermaltake TH360 V2 Ultra EX ARGB Sync Snow Edition

• The TH360 V2 Ultra is equipped with three CT120 ARGB Sync fans with Mag Force 2.0 pogo pin modular design for quick assembly and single cable connectivity.
• An industrial CPU block cap design featuring a 480 x 480 resolution LCD screen to display system stats and real-time hardware information.
• Enhanced cooling via a slim 27mm thick radiator, high-performance copper cold plate, a high-quality reliable pump and low evaporation tubing for zero maintenance.

Price: £139.99 – Available now From Scan.

Fans – Thermaltake CT120 EX ARGB Sync 

• Mag Force 2.0 pogo pin connectivity for fast, cable-free connectivity and easy hassle-free installation.
• Nine addressable RGB LEDs can be connected directly to 3-pin 5V motherboard headers and controlled and configured via motherboard RGB software.
• CT120 EX is equipped with a PWM speed range of 500 – 2000 RPM, maximum air pressure of 2.95 mmH2O, max airflow of 68 CFM and max noise output of just 25.8 dBA.

Price: £49.99 – Available now from Scan.

Power Supply – Thermaltake TOUGHPOWER GT Snow 850W

• Thermaltake TOUGHPOWER GT Snow 850W is ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 ready with 80-plus gold certification.
• It's equipped with PCIe 12V 2×6 support for a dedicated power connection to the latest graphics cards and fully modular cables.
• Featuring a powerful single 12v rail, LLC and DC to DC circuit design for stable operation and enhanced voltage regulation.

Price: MSRP $109 – Available from Thermaltake USA Store.

Build Specification:

• CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
• Motherboard – MSI MPG B650i Edge WiFi
• Graphics Card – Palit RTX 4070 Ti Super Gaming Pro White
• Memory – 32GB (2 x 16GB modules) Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB D5 DDR5-6000 MT/s
• Storage – 2 TB Corsair MP700 PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD
• CPU Cooler – Thermaltake TH360 V2 Ultra EX ARGB Sync Snow Edition
• Power Supply – Thermaltake ToughPower GT Snow 850W 80+ Gold ATX3.1/PCIe 5.1
• Case fans – Thermaltake CT120 EX ARGB Sync
• Chassis – Thermaltake The Tower 250 Snow Edition
• Operating System – Windows 11

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: If you want a The Tower case but The Tower 600 and 300 are too big for you, then don't worry because The Tower 250 is here!

The post Thermaltake The Tower 250 White Featured Build first appeared on KitGuru.

GeForce Now has cut prices for its premium tiers, so if you are between GPUs right now, or have access to decent internet but don't have a powerful gaming PC, now is a good time to subscribe. On top of that, six more games are joining the library this week. 

During this holiday period, all new GeForce NOW members can get their hands on either a Performance membership for £4.99 or an Ultimate membership for £9.99. With a Performance membership, gamers can look forward to a crisp 1440p streaming at 60FPS. The Ultimate membership features an RTX 4080 GPU and up to 4K at 120FPS or 1080p at 240FPS.

Currently, GeForce Now members can also get a 30 percent discount on SteelSeries hardware.

Here are the games joining GeForce Now this week:

• New Arc Line (New release on Steam, Nov. 26)

• MEGA MAN X DiVE Offline Demo (Steam)

• PANICORE (Steam)

• Resident Evil 7 Teaser: Beginning Hour Demo (Steam)

• Slime Rancher (Steam)

• Sumerian Six (Steam)

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, which launched via Xbox Game Pass last week, is coming to GeForce Now, but Microsoft and Nvidia are still working on bringing it over.

KitGuru Says: Are you thinking of subscribing to GeForce Now for a month to give it a try?

The post Nvidia slashes GeForce Now prices for Black Friday first appeared on KitGuru.

The launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 was ambitious but did not come without issues. The latest version of the game incorporates new streaming technology. This meant that a lot of people faced problems accessing the game initially, but a patch has now fixed things up. 

Team Asobo has pushed out a new patch for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. In this update, “the distribution layer capacity has been increased”, boosting the servers to 99.9% reliability, according to the developers. With this patch, everything is now performing “as expected”.

While access and server problems have been fixed, Team Asobo is aware of some other issues. Third-party add-ons, including MSFS 2020 non-aircraft content and some other content ported over from the previous game, are causing problems and in some cases, preventing gameplay. Due to this, certain content from MSFS 2020 will be deactivated while the issue is identified.

A future update will also add the ability for users to disable and enable content on their own, which seems like a sensible move, as it allows for players to work around compatibility errors.

KitGuru Says: Have you tried the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator? 

The post Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 patch resolves server issues first appeared on KitGuru.

Throughout its existence, the Sniper Elite series has done one thing very well – letting players snipe World War II Nazis in slow motion. With the upcoming Sniper Elite: Resistance arriving early next year, the team at Rebellion have explained why they plan to remain in this time period for all future entries.

In an interview conducted by VideoGamer, the lead level designer for Sniper Elite: Resistance – Beck Shaw – explained why the series has never moved away from its WWII setting, despite so many other shooters doing so.

According to Shaw, “Sniper Elite, at least for the foreseeable future, will still be grounded in World War 2, I think it gives us a really good challenge. Like, World War 2 was probably the last time where, you know, it was one man and his gun against the Nazis.”

They continued, “Obviously, uh there probably were people that stuck behind enemy lines, but you don't have all these drones flying around, you don't have thermal imaging sensors and all that satellite data modern soldiers might have.”

World War II will forever be an interesting part of history, and so it is welcome to see the team at Rebellion continue to represent and showcase it.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to Sniper Elite: Resistance? What’s your opinion on the World War II setting for shooters? Let us know down below.

The post The Sniper Elite series will remain “grounded” in World War II  first appeared on KitGuru.

Despite its disastrous launch more than half a decade ago, Bethesda have continued to support Fallout 76 with consistent updates. Alongside a nice boost thanks to the popularity of Amazon’s Fallout TV show, the live-service title has now managed to surpass 21 million players.

Revealing this latest figure in a blog post discussing the game’s recent nomination for ‘labour of love’ in the Steam Awards, Bethesda wrote:

“We'd like to take this opportunity to tell you how far we've come since Fallout 76 launched in 2018 and just how S.P.E.C.I.A.L. you all are. Our key focus over these six years has been to build up this amazing community and to evolve our game to continuously meet their needs through more than 50 free updates. Along the way, our game has grown – and so has our community of players. Since launch we've welcomed over 21 million Vault-dwellers to Appalachia!”

While an impressive figure, in being a live-service game the total number of players is less important than the number of active players – especially as FO76 is available on Xbox Game Pass.

Still, there’s no denying that the team at Bethesda maintaining Fallout 76 have done a lot for the game since its launch all the way back in 2018; and with more content on the way, the total player count will likely continue to grow.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you played Fallout 76 recently? How does it compare to launch? Does the game deserve the ‘labour of love’ award? Let us know down below.

The post Fallout 76 surpasses 21 million players first appeared on KitGuru.

Each month, all those with a PlayStation Plus subscription are able to get their hands on a few select games which can be added to your library – and remain playable as long as you have an active subscription. For the final month of 2024, Sony is bringing some co-op vibes with It Takes Two and more.

Available to add to your library from the 3rd of December, all those with a PlayStation Plus Essential subscription or higher can get their hands on:

• It Takes Two
• Temtem
• Aliens: Dark Descent

For the uninitiated, It Takes Two is a game of the year winning co-op action-adventure platformer from the studio behind ‘Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons’ and ‘A Way Out’. Released back in 2021, the title was praised for its inventiveness and constant creativity.

Temtem is a cutesy Pokemon-like MMO, featuring its own spin on the genre with interesting mechanics. Last but not least, Aliens: Dark Descent is an RTS set in the iconic Alien/s universe, offering a new perspective on the franchise.

Sony also teased some of next month’s PlayStation Plus Premium titles with quite a few heavy-hitters arriving on the 10th of December – namely Sly 2: Band of Thieves; Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of next month’s line-up? Has PlayStation Plus been worth it in 2024? What changes would you like to see Sony focus on next year? Let us know down below.

The post Sony unveils December’s PlayStation Plus Essential line-up first appeared on KitGuru.

Many of our readers will already be aware of Montech – they have made quite an impact in 2024 with some of their clever and well received case designs. Recently they spoke to us about taking a look at some of their new power supplies and the first one we have on review today is the Titan PLA 1000W. This fully modular power supply is Platinum efficiency rated and has a full 10 year warranty.

While it might be a surprise for many to see Montech entering into the PSU market, the creation of these new units is due to a collaboration with leading brand Seasonic. This unit is certified Platinum rated by both 80 Plus standards and the more modern and reliable Cybenetics platform.

Montech have released 750W, 850W and 1200W units in this series, as well as the 1000W unit we are testing today. Montech claim these power supplies ‘deliver top tier performance, unmatched efficiency and rock solid reliability. We will find that out in the review today.

The post Montech Titan PLA 1000W White Review first appeared on KitGuru.

Black Friday sales are upon us and Lexar, a company that has scored highly in our recent reviews testing, has some excellent deals lined up for the next few days. Here we round up the best deals for Lexar ARES and THOR memory, as well as speedy M.2 high-capacity SSDs.

Lexar ARES RGB 6400MT/s DDR5:

This 32GB DDR5 memory kit was recently reviewed by us. This kit is one of the few to be both Intel XMP and AMD EXPO certified. In terms of technical specifications, it offers 6400MT/s memory and CL32-38-38-76 timings out of the box. You can see our full review for in-depth testing figures.

Normally this memory kit retails for over £120 but until the 2nd of December, it is discounted to £98.99, making it an ideal pick-up for someone making the jump to a DDR5-capable PC.

Lexar THOR RGB 6000MT/s DDR5:

This is another 32GB DDR5 memory kit, but it comes in at a cheaper price of £86.99. The THOR RGB DDR5 memory is also XMP and EXPO compatible and offers CL38 latency at 6000MT/s speeds.

For RGB enthusiasts, there is s sleek RGB light bar sitting over the top of a black heatsink with gold accents, inspired by the Mjolnir hammer.

Lexar PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs:

Lexar has a few high-capacity M.2 SSDs currently discounted by up to 19 percent. The biggest of which is the Lexar NQ790 4TB which is down to £205. Alternatively, there is the 2TB version, which sits at just under £108. A 1TB version can be found for just under £60. These SSDs offer read/write speeds up to 7000MB/s and 6000MB/s respectively. Better yet, they are suitable for both desktop PCs and PS5 consoles, so if you want to upgrade your console storage, one of these should be worth picking up at current prices.

There is one final SSD to mention here, the Lexar NM790, which offers read/write speeds of up to 7400MB/s and 6500MB/s respectively, with 2TB of capacity for £105. As it is a speedy PCIe 4.0 SSD with a slim heatsink, it is compatible with both desktop PCs and PS5 consoles. We previously reviewed the 4TB version of this SSD, scoring it highly for its balance of high-performance and large capacity.

All of the deals mentioned are available directly through Amazon with Prime shipping, so if you do decide to nab an upgrade during the sale, you'll have it delivered next-day.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on picking up any new PC hardware during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales? 

The post Buyer’s Guide: Lexar DDR5 RAM and SSD Black Friday deals first appeared on KitGuru.

Back in May, Microsoft announced that they would be releasing a new Xbox app for mobile which would allow you to purchase games directly through the app – among other additions. While the app was said to be launching in July, it has yet to come to fruition. According to Microsoft, it’s ready to launch, but can’t currently be released due to legal issues.

The launch date for Microsoft’s new Xbox app has been pushed back a few times now. As mentioned, it was intended to release in July, however this did not come to pass. Then, Microsoft claimed that the app would arrive in November. With the month nearing its end, Xbox executive Sarah Bond took to social media to explain why it’s not here yet, claiming:

“Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has the functionality built and ready to go live as soon as the court makes a final decision.”

While Microsoft could technically release the app at any time, they appear to be waiting until it is most financially advantageous to do so – when they could launch the app on the Play Store without paying as many fees.

Google responded to Bond’s comments with a similar sentiment, writing “Microsoft has always been able to offer their Android users the ability to play and purchase Xbox games directly from their app – they’ve simply chosen not to.”

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you at all interested in the new Xbox app? Would you sideload it if it was made available early outside the Play Store? Let us know down below.

The post Microsoft explains why its mobile Xbox app has yet to release first appeared on KitGuru.

Samsung is reportedly looking to overtake LG with its next QD-OLED panel. Samsung Display is claimed to be producing a new QD-OLED 500Hz panel, which would beat out LG's current fastest OLED display.

According to South Korean outlet, ETNews, Samsung Display is set to debut a 500Hz QD-OLED panel in the near future. This would beat out the current fastest OLED panel on the market, which top out at 480Hz.

The first 500Hz QD-OLED monitors using Samsung's latest panels are expected in 2025, as they are said to be in the final stages of development. We could potentially see an official announcement at CES in January, where Samsung is known to show off new display technologies. For example, Samsung showed off its foldable display prototypes at CES years before the Galaxy Fold smartphone was announced.

LG will no doubt have some impressive displays at CES next year too. It is shaping up to be an interesting couple of months in the world of gaming monitors.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: How fast is your current monitor? Are you thinking of upgrading?

The post Samsung reportedly set to launch 500Hz QD-OLED displays first appeared on KitGuru.

After launching Cyberpunk 2077 in late 2020, CD Projekt Red restructured its studios to reduce crunch and even swapped out its in-house development tools for Unreal Engine technology to smooth out development of future games. Since then, the studio has also been very open about its roadmap. In the latest update, we've learned that The Witcher 4 is now in full production. 

Back in July, CD Projekt game director, Pawel Sasko, confirmed that The Witcher 4 was due to go into ‘full production' later this year. Now, as part of CDPR's Q3 earnings report, the company has confirmed that the game is now in “the most intensive phase of development”.

The game's director, Sebastian Kalemba, added a statement, saying: “With new challenges just around the corner, it’s the talented and hard-working people who make me believe we can together make the upcoming Witcher Saga a remarkable experience. No stopping now! Stay tuned for what’s on the other side of the coin.”

Currently, there are around 400 people working on the next Witcher game, making it the largest project currently going at CD Projekt Red. The company also has smaller teams working on the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, a new Witcher spin-off game, and a remake of The Witcher 1.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The production phase is the longest part of development, so it will still be a few years before the game is ready. From the sounds of it, we will continue getting updates right up to that point. 

The post CD Projekt Red enters full production on The Witcher 4 first appeared on KitGuru.

Fans were shocked to learn that Arcane Season 2 would be the finale for the show. The series garnered a ton of critical acclaim upon its debut and brought many more eyes to the League of Legends universe. While Arcane won't continue, Riot will continue producing new League of Legends shows. 

Arcane showrunner, Christian Linke, has confirmed that they are now working on three more series set in the League of Legends universe, focusing on new locations from the lore not previously explored in Arcane. Rather than focusing everything on one show, Riot is developing its own little ‘cinematic universe'.

The next League of Legends shows will be set in Noxus, the homeland of a pivotal Arcane character, Mel Meldarda. Other areas of focus will be Demacia and Ionia. These new shows will tell new stories, but there will be connections back to Arcane.

During a stream with content creator, Necrit94, Linke said: “We're really going wide, we're looking at every region and we really now have the ability to build a slate to tell many more stories – and continue some of them”.

Production on the next League series began a year ago, so there won't be a three-year wait like there was between Arcane Season 1 & 2.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I'm not a League of Legends player but Arcane was fantastic and easy for a newcomer to the lore, like me, to get into. Hopefully that remains the same for the other shows coming up. 

The post Riot to follow up Arcane with three more shows first appeared on KitGuru.

Back in 2021, former BioWare lead and director of Mass Effect, Casey Hudson, started up a new studio with the goal of creating a new AAA Sci-Fi RPG. We've been keeping a keen eye on this project ever since, but unfortunately, the studio is closing down before the game can see the light of day. 

This week, Casey Hudson announced that his studio, Humanoid Origin, will be closing down due to “an unexpected shortfall of funding”.

“Earlier today, we informed our staff that Humanoid Origin will be shutting down. Despite efforts to shield the studio from broader challenges in the industry, an unexpected shortfall of funding left us unable to sustain operations”, Hudson wrote in a statement. “We’re heartbroken that we will not be able to bring our new science-fiction universe to completion. Our main concern at this time however is for our team, and we are committed to supporting them in their transition to new employment.”

Hudson said that the team made “incredible progress” on the game, but fans will not get the chance to see what the team was cooking, unless someone leaks further details.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The games industry has widely been undergoing cost-cutting measures, making it a particularly difficult time to start up a new AAA studio. 

The post BioWare legend Casey Hudson shuts down his new studio first appeared on KitGuru.

Midway through the Xbox One generation, Microsoft launched the Xbox Avatar Editor, essentially a higher quality version of the Mii from the Nintendo Wii. However, due to low engagement, Microsoft is now shutting down the avatar editor.

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox Avatar Editor app will be shut down on January 9, 2025, due to low engagement. This means that users will no longer be able to access or edit their Xbox Avatars, and any purchased cosmetic items for the avatars will be lost. However, Microsoft will refund any money spent on avatar items between November 1, 2023, and January 9, 2025.

The shutdown only affects the newer Xbox Avatars introduced in 2018 for the Xbox One era. The original Xbox 360 Avatars, now called Xbox Original Avatars, will remain unaffected and will continue to work in supported Xbox 360 games1. These original avatars were more integrated into the Xbox 360 ecosystem, with some games allowing players to use their avatars and offering cosmetic rewards1.

Microsoft has stated that players can still personalize their gaming experience with dynamic backgrounds, profile colours, and Xbox Original Avatars on Xbox consoles and PC.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Part of the reason for the low engagement could simply be the fact that the Xbox console hasn't grown its marketshare. Those already in the ecosystem likely set up their avatar years ago and left it at that. The fact that there are no games where you can use your avatar as a character, like you could with the Mii on certain Nintendo games, could also play a factor here.

The post Microsoft is shutting down the Xbox Avatar Editor first appeared on KitGuru.

CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 has defied its rocky launch to become a major success story, surpassing 30 million copies sold. The Phantom Liberty DLC has also proven to be a hit, selling 8 million copies since its release last year. 

After a disastrous launch plagued by bugs and performance issues, particularly on last-gen consoles, the game faced widespread criticism. However, CD Projekt Red has diligently worked to improve the game through patches and updates. The release of Phantom Liberty expansion further revitalised interest in the game, restoring faith in the studio and delivering more content to fans of the game.

These latest sales figures highlight the continued growth of Cyberpunk 2077. The game has sold an additional 10 million copies since September 2022, demonstrating its enduring appeal. Phantom Liberty has also seen impressive sales, nearly doubling its numbers since its first two months on the market.

While Cyberpunk 2077 is enjoying continued success, its sequel, Project Orion, appears to be in the early stages of development. CDPR has allocated only 64 developers to the project as of October 31, 2024, suggesting that it's still some time away. In the meantime, Cyberpunk fans can look forward to the game's Mac debut in early 2025, bringing the dystopian RPG to a new audience.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Did you buy Cyberpunk 2077 and the Phantom Liberty expansion? What's your opinion on the current state of the game?

The post Cyberpunk 2077 has sold 30M copies, Phantom Liberty at 8M first appeared on KitGuru.

GSC Game World has been hard at work on the first patch for STALKER 2. The first update, rolling out soon, has now been detailed, with the developers targeting various progression-blocking bugs, game crashes and other adjustments, like fixes to NPC behaviour.

While STALKER 2 has a positive rating amongst Steam users, the game does have a number of issues and many reviewers have recommended waiting to pick up the game. The first patch for the game has now been detailed, and should be rolling out to PC and Xbox gamers soon, although updates will likely hit the PC version first due to validation requirements on consoles.

The new update will include the following changes:

Crash Fixes, including:

• Issues and memory allocation failures, which previously caused the game to exit unexpectedly, particularly around rendering,
• skeletal meshes, and quest-related cutscenes.

Main Quest Progression Fixes, including:

• Several bugs blocking the main quest progression, NPCs getting stuck in objects, incorrect quest markers, and issues with quest cutscenes.
• Revision of the main quests (like Visions of Truth or A Minor Incident) to ensure smooth transitions, avoiding rare cases of players not being able to proceed further.

Gameplay & Balance Adjustments, including:

• Fixing the price of the weapons with upgrades installed compared to their value without attachments.
• NPCs behavior, including the way they act when lacking a shelter during the Emissions.

Cutscenes & Visual Fixes, including:

• Rarely missing facial animations, misplaced NPCs, and visual inconsistencies like detached heads and clothes clipping.
• Quality and stability improvements of the visual effects.

Softlock Fixes, including:

• Issue where players were unable to close the trade screen after putting ammo in a wrong slot while playing on a gamepad.

User Interface Improvements, including:

• Quest notifications now showed correctly during dialogues.
• Corrected texts and missing interaction prompts.

In a future update, the team will fix issues with Analogue stick dead zones with the A-Life system.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have any of you tried out STALKER 2 since its launch? 

The post GSC Game World details first STALKER 2 patch first appeared on KitGuru.

XPG has just launched two new products designed to keep your system running cool and looking sharp: the Starker Air BTF case and Hurricane Mag fans.

The XPG Starker Air BTF is an ATX chassis that prioritises airflow. Available in black or white, this case boasts support for 360mm radiators at the front and top, a 140mm rear fan, and a total of twelve 120mm fans. The case also supports standard and reverse-connector motherboards (including the latest ATX 3.1 designs) to provide a cleaner aesthetic.

With support for graphics cards up to 390mm long, you can easily mount most GPUs. For added convenience, the case features a magnetic front panel for easy access to the dust filter, as well as tool-less tempered glass side panels.

Complementing the Starker Air BTF are the XPG Hurricane Mag fans in black and white. These ARGB fans come in packs of four and offer something quite useful: you can switch the airflow direction with two clicks of a button. With this, you can instantly switch the fan direction from intake to exhaust, or vice versa. The Hurricane Mag fans also sport a clever magnetic design, allowing you to easily connect and synchronise up to six fans, eliminating cable clutter and simplifying installation.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Although the Starker Air BTF is an airflow case, the front panel seems a bit too restrictive with big solid segments. On the other hand, the porosity of the front mesh behind the panel looks way above average. Then, there are the XPG Hurricane Mag fans with the standard and reverse modes, which left us wondering how well they perform in both cases.

The post Adata XPG launches Starker Air BTF chassis and Hurricane Mag magnetic fans first appeared on KitGuru.