• Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron says it was "crucial" that the development team designed a unique roster of Operators
• Each of the 15 Operators has unique gadgets, playstyles, and progression to avoid "overlap"
• He says it would have been "impossible" not to feature fan favorites like Ash and Sledge

Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron has said that it was important for Ubisoft to design the game's Operators with unique loadouts and progression to avoid overlap.

"My team really wanted the operators to feel unique and to serve unique places," Potron told TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom. "It was part of the creative process to make sure that every Operator would serve one turf course in the experience, so we really made sure that all Operators were unique: unique gadgets, unique playstyles, unique progression. It was crucial for us, in fact, that we didn't have too much overlap with other Operators."

The upcoming turn-based tactics spin-off will offer 15 Operators in total, with Ash, Sledge, Glaz, Montagne, Doc, and Nokk confirmed so far, and you won't be able to play them repeatedly due to the game's new gameplay systems. While that's far from the entire roster fans are familiar with in the core series, Potron explained that it was also important to include "community favorites."

"We really did the operators that were impossible not to have, [like] Sledge and Ash," the game director said, adding that there are a few that he's personally disappointed aren't included.

"I love Tachanka. We don't have Tachanka; we don't have Lion." Potron said. "We had to make [tough] choices. It's part of my job to make [tough] choices."

As for the possibility of adding more Operators in the future, Potron said there are no current plans to do so, saying, "For the launch, it's not something we are digging into. We are very close to releasing a fantastic single-player experience, and so [we're] focused on the release date; shipping something amazing, and we'll see [about] the future."

Rainbow Six Tactics releases in 2027 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered's patch notes have been released
• The update will offer all-new animations and an improved skill system
• A new accessibility preset called Bard's Ballad also offers a more tailored gameplay experience

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered is officially here, and CD Projekt Red has released the long list of improvements that promise an entirely new experience for the decade-old role-playing game (RPG).

The patch notes detail a ton of upgrades, from better visuals, transmogrification, an expanded photo mode, updated textures, PS5 Pro support, and more. Some pretty impressive animation improvements that are sure to make my new playthrough feel even more immersive have also been added. Geralt's animations during combat, idling, and riding Roach have all been refined; new finishers have also been added, and ladder climbing, jumping, and vaulting are now "more responsive" and "fluid."

The skill system has also been completely rebalanced, and " Skills are now organized into a skill tree, and each skill has three ranks," while others have been renamed to better reflect their effects, and I can't wait to try out new builds.

One of the most notable additions to the remaster, included in the accessibility features, is the Bard's Ballad preset, which can be enabled when starting a new game on "Just the Story" difficulty or mid-game.

"It is designed to reduce cognitive load for players who experience mental fatigue or have difficulty concentrating," CDPR explained. "It streamlines gameplay by simplifying certain mechanics and disabling select features for a smoother, more focused adventure."

On top of that, players can customize the preset by enabling or disabling some options that I've always wanted and would normally need mods for. Those options include Vitality Regeneration Boost, Infinite Breath, Unlimited Item Durability, Unlimited Boat Durability, Faster Boats, Toggle Witcher Sense, and probably my favorite out of the bunch, Ignore Item Weight.

I typically play on normal or higher difficulties in The Witcher 3, but for my latest playthrough I'm quite eager to try out the Bard's Ballad preset for the added customization that comes with it.

There are plenty more quality-of-life, modding, UI/UX, gameplay, and visual improvements to discover in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered, which is now available and is free for current owners of the game. Players who also own only the base game can claim the two included expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, at no extra cost.

• The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 nominations have been announced
• Voting is open now until October 23, with winners to be revealed on November 11
• The nominations include some of our favorite games of the year, including Resident Evil Requiem and 007 First Light

The nominees for the 44th annual Golden Joystick Awards have been officially announced across 21 categories, with games like Resident Evil Requiem, Big Walk, and 007 First Light leading nominations.

Public voting is now live and will remain open until October 23 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET / 0:00am BST. Fans can vote for their favourite games of 2026 in 21 categories, including Console Game of the Year, PC Game of the Year, Most Wanted Game, and more.

Winners will be revealed during the ceremony on November 11, with the Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist to be announced on October 26.

"With the hugely-anticipated GTA 6 set to launch a week after our live show, the 44th annual Golden Joystick Awards is delighted to share its most diverse and creative nominees line-up yet," said Daniel Dawkins, content director of Golden Joystick Awards at Future.

"Indie hits Big Walk, Dispatch and Mina the Hollower sit alongside AAA blockbusters such as 007 First Light, Forza Horizon 6 and Resident Evil Requiem. This year, no single game dominates the field, this is one of our most open and unpredictable years yet - making your vote more influential than ever in deciding our winners. We’re thrilled to debut a new look for the Golden Joystick Awards, embracing the iconic joystick trophy that traces all the way back to our inception in 1983. Gaming has changed so much in the following 43 years, but not the creativity and determination of those who sacrifice so much to share the games we love so much."

The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 - Nominations

Console Game of the Year

• 007 First Light
• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
• Forza Horizon 6
• LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
• Nioh 3
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• Pokémon Pokopia
• PRAGMATA
• Resident Evil Requiem
• Saros

PC Game of the Year

• Big Walk
• Crimson Desert
• Escape from Tarkov
• Esoteric Ebb
• MECCHA CHAMELEON
• Mewgenics
• Order of the Sinking Star
• Star Wars Zero Company
• The Blood of Dawnwalker
• Valheim

Best Audio Design

• Big Walk
• Marathon
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• Rhythm Heaven Groove
• SAROS
• Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Best Early Access Game

• Dead as Disco
• MENACE
• skate.
• Slay the Spire 2
• Subnautica 2
• WARDOGS

Best Game Adaptation

• Devil May Cry (Season 2)
• Exit 8
• Fallout (Season 2)
• Iron Lung
• Mortal Kombat II
• Resident Evil

Best Game Expansion

• Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven
• DAVE THE DIVER - In the Jungle Content Pack
• DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations
• Quake: Dawn of the Machine
• The Alters: Last Variable
• World of Warcraft: Midnight

Best Game Trailer

• Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike Cinematic Trailer
• Big Walk - Release Date Announcement
• Cairn - Launch Trailer
• MOUSE: P.I. For Hire | Official Launch Trailer
• Prove You're Human - Announcement Trailer
• Resident Evil Requiem - Evil Has Always Had A Name

Best Gaming Hardware

• Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE
• Razer Viper V4 Pro
• Secretlab ATLAS
• Sony INZONE M10S II
• Steam Controller
• Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II

Best Indie Game

• Big Walk
• Denshattack!
• Esoteric Ebb
• Mixtape
• Mouse: P.I. for Hire
• Order of the Sinking Star
• REANIMAL
• Sovereign Tower
• Titanium Court
• Valheim

Best Indie Game - Self-published

• Cairn
• Fields of Mistria
• MECCHA CHAMELEON
• Mewgenics
• Mina the Hollower
• Perfect Tides: Station to Station
• Phonopolis
• Rhythm Doctor
• The Incident at Galley House
• Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors

Best Lead Performer

• Aaron Paul - Robert Robertson III, Dispatch
• Angela Sant'Albano - Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem
• Anna Demetriou - Sophia, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• Liam McIntyre - Wolverine, Marvel's Wolverine
• Patrick Gibson - James Bond, 007 First Light
• Will de Renzy-Martin - Coen, The Blood of Dawnwalker

Best Supporting Performer

• Frankie Kevich - Zoe de Vera, Control Resonant
• Grace Saif - Diana, Pragamata
• Lennie James - John Greenway, 007 First Light
• Terry O'Quinn - Richard, Silent Hill: Townfall
• Troy Baker - Nathaniel Essex, Marvel's Wolverine
• Vic Michaelis - Runa Blask, Star Wars Zero Company

Best Multiplayer Game

• ARC Raiders
• Big Walk
• Marathon
• MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls
• MECCHA CHAMELEON
• Valheim

Best Remake / Remaster

• Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
• Gothic 1 Remake
• Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2
• Star Fox
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered
• Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter

Best Soundtrack

• 007 First Light
• Crimson Desert
• Dispatch
• Lumines Arise
• Mewgenics
• Mixtape

Best Storytelling

• 007 First Light
• Dispatch
• Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
• Silent Hill: Townfall
• The Blood of Dawnwalker
• ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies

Best Visual Design

• Control Resonant
• Forza Horizon 6
• Orbitals
• Phonopolis
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• Saros

Most Wanted Game

• Alien: Isolation 2
• ANANTA
• Black Myth: Zhong Kui
• EXODUS
• Fable
• Final Fantasy 7 Revelation
• God of War Laufey
• Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
• Kingdom Hearts 5
• METRO 2039
• NO LAW
• Persona 6
• Resident Evil Veronica
• STRANGER THAN HEAVEN
• Stuntman: Hollywood
• The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
• The Witcher 4
• Tides of Annihilation
• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
• Total War: Warhammer 40,000

Still Playing - Mobile

• Balatro
• Genshin Impact
• Honkai: Star Rail
• MARVEL SNAP
• MONOPOLY GO!
• NTE: Neverness to Everness
• Old School RuneScape
• Pokémon GO
• Roblox
• Sky: Children of the Light
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Mobile
• Wuthering Waves

Still Playing - PC & Console

• Apex Legends
• Fortnite
• GTA Online
• HELLDIVERS 2
• HITMAN World of Assassination
• Minecraft
• No Man's Sky
• Palworld
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• Warframe
• World of Warcraft
• Call of Duty: Warzone

Studio of the Year

• CAPCOM
• Frogwares
• House House
• IO Interactive
• Nintendo EPD
• SQUARE ENIX

• Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann says "a couple of very exciting" The Last of Us projects are in the works
• He says the games will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond the first two games
• Druckmann adds that work on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is proceeding, and the studio will do a "full reveal" in 2027

Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has confirmed the studio is working on more games to expand the world of The Last of Us.

To close out this year's The Last of Us Day, Druckmann shared new insight into the studio's current projects, including Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and what's next for The Last of Us.

In a blog post, The Last of Us Part 2 director revealed that two new The Last of Us projects are in early development, saying Naughty Dog hopes to "expand the canon" of the first two games.

"Since Grounded II, we’ve talked about the possibility of telling more stories in the world of The Last of Us," Druckmann said. "We have a couple of very exciting new projects in very early stages – so we can’t say much about them at this point. I will tell you that both projects will expand the canon of The Last of Us beyond Part 1 and Part 2.

"The world of The Last of Us means a great deal to us, and we wouldn’t return to it unless we had something meaningful to say. We believe these stories are worth telling."

As for Intergalactic, which was revealed almost two years ago, Druckmann said the development team is "heads down on what is shaping up to be Naughty Dog’s most ambitious game yet."

"There’s an electricity around the studio right now as all the pieces come together, and we’re stoked to finally unveil Intergalactic in all its glory. But...we need to cook for just a little bit longer," he said.

Druckmann said the team will remain quiet for the rest of 2026, but in 2027, it will "fully reveal" the game and give fans "a proper look."

"We know it’s been a long time since we’ve had much to share with you. We don’t take your continued support for granted," he added. "We’re working incredibly hard to make something worthy of your patience. Until then…Endure & Survive!"

• Fable associate game directors Craig Littler and Will Kennedy say British humour is a "crucial" part of the reboot
• They say it's presented in all systems, from story to dialogue and combat
• Playground Games made sure to steer away "from anything that's too crude"

Playground Games has said its Fable reboot will feature the series' iconic British humour across all systems, but it avoided anything overly "crude."

During a press Q&A at Gamescom, attended by TechRadar, associate game director Craig Littler said British humour "is a core part of the Fable DNA" and the decision to bring it forward into Playground's reboot "has been a crucial thing that we're always thinking about, because for us it has to be interwoven throughout the entire game."

"It's not just in the story. It's not just in the dialogue, but you even see flourishes of it in the combat," Littler said, before talking about the spell that lets players turn enemies into chickens, which he laughs about every time.

"It's hilarious," he added, saying, "We believe that the core idea of Fable is that the humor is [shown] throughout."

Associate game director Will Kennedy said that even when enemies turn back from a chicken, they'll still flap around for a while, which is visually funny but also gives players the opportunity to land some attacks.

"To us, tone is something that we're thinking about all the time and in every system, really," Kennedy said. "Any opportunity to add that fabled British tone of humor."

The directors also said the team thought deeply about how to present the humour, particularly for a modern audience; not every joke or gag will land the same for everyone, and the humor in the older Fable titles may be outdated, and they made sure not to feature anything too rude.

"For us, we've steered away from anything that's too crude," Littler confirmed, "and I think the real test for Fable when it comes to the tone is that it does just have to be funny, and that comes from really great writing, having a brilliant narrative team, and honestly the actors that we've hired as well."

Those actors include British stars and comedians like Hayley Atwell, Matt King, Natasia Demetriou, and more, with Littler saying they "really bring themselves to the role and are also capable of the sincerity that really gets to the heart of fairy tales as well. You want somebody who has that humour, but can really deliver an enormous performance as well."

He also teased some improvisation from the cast, explaining that the actors are given a solid script, but do give them "some latitude" for some improv.

"At the end of the day, they're great British comedians," he added. "Sometimes they're going to say something that's just pure gold. So yes, there is some latitude, and absolutely we reuse it when we can."

Fable launches on launch on February 23, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

• Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron says Mario + Rabbids helped the team understand "the metrics of tactics"
• He says it borrowed the "DNA" of the series, and it was a different experience from working on Ghost Recon
• Potron adds that he had to change his developer habits when working on
• Rainbow Six Tactics

Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron has said the development team borrowed the "DNA" of the studio's turn-based game series, Mario + Rabbids, for tactical level design inspiration.

"Mario + Rabbids helped us shape some parts," Potron told TechRadar Gaming in a recent interview about the upcoming Siege spin-off. "The team, especially the level design team that came from Mario + Rabbids, really helped us to understand the metrics of tactics."

The game director explained that, instead of keeping in line with the series' first-person style, the team chose a turn-based tactics genre because it felt that Rainbow Six's DNA is already "tactical."

Speaking more on inspiration, Potron explained that some of the "core rules" for him as someone who worked on Ghost Recon are to design an experience that players would expect; "smoke and mirrors," as he puts it, in terms of lethality or enemy behaviors to "make the experience cinematographic," but the turn-based tactics genre is different.

"In tactical, everything is very precise," he said. "It's pure. It's like chess. So we had to change a bit of our mindset to adjust to this philosophy."

Poltron continued: "This is a bit of a paradigm shift for us in terms of habits. It's 15 years of my habits that I need to shift."

Rainbow Six Tactics launches in 2027 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

The Alien universe is incredibly rich and full of lore, and 2014's Alien: Isolation is a more than worthy addition to the pantheon of storytelling within it. It's a fantastic horror game, but also one that captures the setting, vibes, and atmosphere of the first Alien movie brilliantly well. But it's been 12 years (and counting) since it was released, and with a sequel being shown off this year, now's as good a time as any to celebrate the original.

I've spoken to the Alien: Isolation 2 developers twice this summer, and despite not being a huge horror fan, I am a big Alien fan, and it got me really hyped for the game. It also got me thinking: how much do I really remember about the first terrifying-but-excellent experience?

Well, both quite a lot, but also not as much as I thought. It turns out, so I made this quiz to see if that was the same for other players of the first game.

Good luck!

Did you survive our Alien: Isolation quiz? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments as well as any other games we should make quizzes on.

• Total War: Warhammer 40,000 battle product owner Dave Petry says the series' diplomacy will be present but "in a different form"
• He says players need to manage relationships with local forces and planetary governors to balance their reputation, renown, and suspicion
• Players will deal with planetary representatives and will have to manage their attitude towards them

Creative Assembly has confirmed that Total War: Warhammer 40,000's diplomacy system will affect players' standing with planetary governors and local forces, so they'll need to strategically manage relationships.

TechRadar Gaming recently caught up with battle product owner Dave Petry and lead designer Joy Dey at Gamescom to chat about the upcoming turn-based strategy game and what players can expect from the next installment.

Alongside a discussion about how player customization was a "must-have" in Total War: Warhammer 40,000, Petry said that the diplomacy that's a defining feature of the Total War series will also exist, especially within the Imperium, and players will be required to manage relationships with local forces and planetary governors to balance their reputation, renown, and suspicion.

"When it comes to diplomacy in 40,000, I think the focus is that the Imperium itself is an absolutely monstrous bureaucratic nightmare, effectively, and all of the arms of the Imperium need to communicate and coordinate in some fashion between one another too," Petry explained.

"So although there are going to be some factions which are extremely belligerent and extremely difficult to get on with, when you're dealing with, say, the Imperium, there are local forces and allies there that you also need to work with and get on board and make sure you get to where you need to get to. Space Marines are obviously incredibly powerful."

The developer also touched on the Astra Militarum, the largest military force in the universe, and being supported by them "means a level of negotiation with the Imperium itself and the local forces that you're fighting around."

"In a different form, diplomacy will be present," Petry said. "But when it comes to dealing with outright belligerents, they're obviously tricky points to get through."

Players will also need to deal with planetary representatives, Dey added, so players will have to manage their attitude towards them.

"There will be things they would like you to do," Dey said. "There will be things that they don't like that you do."

Petry added, "Planetary governors can be problematic, and how you manage them as a Space Marine, or in a Space Marine chapter, is kind of down to you. But it will then affect your renown or your reputation with the Imperium, and those things might not always align, which should put you in some fun spots."

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 launches in 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case review

With Grand Theft Auto 6 right around the corner, I imagine that quite a few PlayStation players will be dusting off their PlayStation Portal — or even newly buying one — to enjoy 2026’s biggest game on the go. But if you’re planning to take your Portal on the go, it’s important to keep it safe, and the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case can do just that.

I’ve spent a few weeks using Venom’s PS Portal case, and honestly it impressed me. I used to be the type of person who would just wrap my Portal or Nintendo Switch in a sweater, throw it in my bag, and hope for the best — what can I say, I just didn’t want to spend my money on something as unexciting as a case.

But the Venom makes the outlay feel a bit easier to swallow, as it comes in at an exceptionally modest price of $25.99 / £14.99 / AU$49.95. Given that it also comes with a tempered glass screen protector, cleaning tools, and thumbstick grips, that’s really not bad, is it? Don’t be fooled, though, despite its low price tag, Venom’s case still rivals some of the very best PS5 accessories.

This comes down to one main thing: its durability. For such a cheap case, the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case is surprisingly rough and ready. It has a hard outer shell, and when dropping the case now and then, or throwing it into my bag, it never showed any signs of wear and tear, and my console survived without issue. The exterior was not damaged during a scratch test, either, and its textured look is pretty appealing.

My system also sat pretty snug inside the case, which has a molded interior to slide your PlayStation Portal into. There’s also a hook-and-loop strap which fastens it in place, and although it's a bit cheap, it serves its purpose well.

My only complaint is that there’s no fabric pad to sit over the screen, so the fastener rubs up against the screen. I’ve not seen any scratch marks or anything, but PowerA’s case — which I’ve slid into the ‘also consider’ section — offers more secure protection with fabric padding and dual fasteners.

There’s a second compartment inside the case too, and this has a zip-locked net that can hold accessories like earbuds, cleaning tools, and cables. It was plenty big enough to house my accessories, although the zip isn’t very high quality, and it came undone at one point — though I was able to fix it very easily. Luckily, the zip on the exterior is a bit stronger, and I found it to be secure at all times.

The Venom case also has a solid handle which has a rubber grip, which is pleasant to the touch and tall enough to fit my relatively large hands.

In honesty, this model is more like a starter kit for PS Portal owners than just a case, though. It comes with a tempered glass screen protector, which is basic, sure, but easy to fit and decently durable. There are also a couple of cleaning wipes and some neat thumbstick grips which seamlessly fit on and feel satisfyingly textured.

So, should you buy the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case? If you don’t want to spend all too much, and want a durable piece of kit with some nice extras thrown in, then the answer is yes. I think PowerA’s case is marginally better, thanks to its stylish design, USB-C charging passthrough slot, and fabric padding.

But Venom’s case does offer a bit more storage. I’d argue that Venom’s model is on the bulky side, and it did take up a lot of room in my bag, but if that’s not a dealbreaker for you and you need a quality, affordable case, then look no further.

Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case review: price & specs

Should I buy the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case review: also consider

How I tested the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case

• Tested across multiple weeks
• Directly compared to rival models
• Tested by a seasoned gaming accessories reviewer

I spent a couple of weeks testing the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case, using it as the main mode of transport for my precious remote player. I took it with me on the go and made sure to try housing it alongside various accessories and assess it for any damage afterward.

To judge how durable Venom’s case was, I tried dropping it from a controlled height, performed some scratch tests, and then checked for any signs of wear and tear. I also compared the Venom case against rivals, mainly the PowerA Protection Case for PS Portal, which is my usual go-to.

More generally, I’ve been reviewing gadgets for years here at TechRadar, where I serve as a Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve tested a whole lot of gaming accessories, including cases for the PS Portal and Nintendo Switch 2, as well as controllers, screen protectors, and audio gear.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: September 2026

There are many audacious and commendable feats in gaming. Taking down Consort Radahn, platforming through the Path of Pain, filling your entire Pokedex, to name but a few. However, despite personally doing all these things, one task chewed me up and spat me out repeatedly. One that, on paper, isn't all that tough at all.

The task: To get through Act One of the mammoth CRPG, Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3).

The 'act one syndrome' brought on by the sheer volume of content and the steep learning curve of BG3 is something that just about everyone has endured at some point when exploring Faerûn.

However, I feel I have been wearing this albatross around my neck for quite some time. While watching others take second laps around Faerûn for a Dark Urge run, unburdened by this plight of mine.

BG3 has been the loud, obnoxious gnawing at the back of my mind. The bane of my backlog, and at some point, I snapped.

Operation: get act one done

On paper, it's far from a Herculean task. After all, if you really want to, you can hop off the Nautiloid and head straight for the Githyanki Crèche if you choose. But ignoring the slew of content and the abundant, overlapping 'what ifs' is just too tall a task for a completionist such as myself.

I've gone back to the BG3 well a grand total of seven times. Each time, I fell at the first-act hurdle, but for different reasons.

At first, it was simply overzealous confidence and ineptitude. There was an underlying issue in that my understanding of Dungeons & Dragons principles was severely lacking.

As a result, there were many hour-long battles that inevitably led to a full party KO and a painful restart. Poor decisions compounded with each new dialogue exchange. This culminated in a heated exchange with a deceptively powerful frog, and the first of many save files to be abandoned. RIP Ignacius, my first Tav to fall.

Then came the attempts to right that wrong. A YouTube brush-up on DND systems here and there, a few tweaks to the starting build, and it would all surely work out fine.

It did not.

There was an inevitable and foolish overcorrection, a choice to play a build that simply wasn't fun to use, especially for a novice like myself. Monks sound great on paper, as you can let your fists solve all problems. Until you’re starved for Ki and left helpless. So, with that, another save file bit the bullet. RIP Falconhoof.

You would think at this point, with so much Baldur's Gate 3 act one experience behind me, success was all but guaranteed. But then, like a pesky Kobold leering from the shadows, a menacing creature I call my wife said, in hushed tones, 'That looks fun; will you show me how to play?' Thus beginning a co-op campaign led by a D&D novice, acting as a sage for an even bigger novice.

Safe to say, this blind leading the blind dynamic was about as successful as Lae’zel would be headlining at the Comedy Cellar. So, we dug a twin grave for my wife's Tav and poor, unfortunate Arcane Michael.

It was these constant setbacks that set the wheels in motion for even more attempts to go awry. Because the dynamic shifted from a state of wonderment and curiosity to an attritional, transactional slog, as scenarios, battles, and pivotal choices repeated again and again, lacking the weight they once had.

Much like Tav, I too was infected with a parasite acting as a ticking time bomb. At some point, the tedium, or the ennui, would set in, and I would succumb to that parasite's mind control. Forcing me to exit the game, uninstall it, and relegate BG3 to the back of the backlog again.

Mercifully, this affliction doesn't come part and parcel with a tadpole insertion through the eye socket, but it’s unpleasant nonetheless.

Finding my Faerûn flow state

Returning for my eighth crack, things had to be different. So, I put those wheels in motion. I cooled off for an entire year, forgetting large portions of the opening act in the process. I researched the most fun, accessible build to play relative to the most recent patch. I even passed on some hot and fresh releases, devoting all my time and energy to breaking through.

But above all, I knew that if this was ever going to work, I would need to learn how to let go. To let decisions shape the experience rather than relying on save-scumming, embrace the rough and the smooth in equal measure, and find the mental fortitude to push on towards new and exciting things.

As someone who wants to see everything a game has to offer, ponder over every decision, min-max at every opportunity, and somehow manage to accurately roleplay while juggling all of this. I was still skeptical that it would all click into place. But against all odds, in honor of my newborn son, my Halfling Rogue, Lorcàn, was born, and before long, I could see the Shadow-Cursed Lands on the horizon.

With a streamlined build that allowed me to rely on Luck, overpowered stealth, and flexibility to multiclass. No combat encounter felt like an insurmountable task, and no conversation felt like an inevitable road to a failed dice roll. My half-pint Halfling fittingly gave me the glass-half-full mindset I needed.

Minthara and her goblins were vanquished: shoved down a chasm to their doom. The party shone a light on the Underdark's mysteries. I left that demonic frog to their own devices. But above all, the insurmountable pressure to finally leave Act One had dissipated and this is an accolade I place in my personal trophy cabinet of gaming feats.

The city of Baldur's Gate awaits, and finally, I feel that curiosity and magic again.

• Fable's achievement list has been nailed down, say associate game directors Craig Littler and Will Kennedy
• They say players won't have to do "30,000 playthroughs" to achieve 100% completion
• They want to keep the list secret for now to not "spoi the surprise"

Playground Games has confirmed it has locked down Fable's trophy list, but swears players won't have to do several playthroughs to achieve 100% completion.

Speaking in a press Q&A at Gamescom attended by TechRadar Gaming, associate game directors Craig Littler and Will Kennedy were asked about the game's achievements and whether players can expect a typically funny trophy list similar to the previous games in the series.

Although the developers confirmed the list is essentially nailed down, Plaground wants to keep it secret for now to avoid spoiling the experience.

"We'll say that we have the list, but we're not going to spoil the surprise," Littler said.

Fable is an open-world role-playing game (RPG), meaning players will spend plenty of time exploring during the game's 15-20 hour main story and interacting with over 1,000 unique non-player characters (NPCs).

When TechRadar Gaming asked whether achieving 100% completion, or the Platinum Trophy on PlayStation 5, is feasible without having to complete multiple playthroughs, Kennedy said, "It's doable," but couldn't say how long it will take.

"I will promise you, you won't have to do [something like] 30,000 playthroughs," Littler said, laughing. "We'll commit to that."

Fable will officially launch on February 23, 2027, for PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC. Playground has confirmed that the Xbox Series X version will have a 60fps performance mode.

• Alien Deathstorm was built on a new version of the Atomfall engine
• Head of design Ben Fisher says it's an "advanced" version that offers a new lighting system
• Producer Martin Willingham says this is "a must" for an action horror game

Rebellion has confirmed that Alien Deathstorm was built on a new version of the Atomfall engine, which also let the team bring the horror aspect to life.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, where we went hands-on with the upcoming first-person horror game, producer Martin Willingham and head of design Ben Fisher discussed how it's not a survival shooter with typical survival horror features; the team considers it a "dynamic" experience with sandbox elements where the player's actions can affect unscripted enemy encounters.

Willingham said the team values replayability and sandbox freedom, which means "we had to do something dynamic," and "building the encounters around the player and the player's activities means it's a different experience."

This sandbox survival experience was built on "a more advanced version" of the studio's Atomfall engine, Fisher revealed, which offered an improved lighting system and a deeper sense of realism as players explore their surroundings.

"Which for an action horror game is actually a must," said Willingham. "The tech team have just been absolute wizards with us being able to manifest and visualize that deathstorm."

He added, "We've been working on a lot of the GPU particles, visual effects, and fog system as well."

Alien Deathstorm doesn't have a release date yet, but it's coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC in Spring 2027.

Ace Combat 8, the latest installment in Project Aces' long-running arcade flight sim series, is here. Packed inside this game's cargo hold is a medley of melodrama, mission types, and a beautiful new look, but it's somewhat over capacity when it comes to cutscenes.

You'll discover this right from the off: Ace Combat 8 is the first game in the series where its cutscenes are entirely from a first-person perspective.

You step into the shoes of Rex, a pilot in service with the navy of the Federation of Central Usea (FCU). Sotoa, a nation of former nomads, has decided to emulate the Mongols of our reality and has conquest in mind, with the FCU already almost completely subjugated at the start of the game. Said shoes are likely very damp, with events kicking off on a life raft after the helicopter you were in went down.

Soon, you're back in the sky as a navigator for Jan "Rex" Cope, the original Rex, who is the mythical Wings of Theve of the game's subtitle. This strongly evokes the Ghost of Kyiv, a mythical pilot heavily propagandized early in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, but Cope soon comes a cropper and gets killed, forcing you to take over his role.

A huge part of the game's narrative is about propaganda and the role that social media plays in modern warfare. Wings, as a pilot, can't be allowed to die, so you need to fill in and lead his Joker Flight unit. The former Rex, however, doesn't disappear; his spirit serves as a near-omniscient narrator for the rest of the game's escapades.

Flying without wings

What escapades they are, too. Over the course of the game, which is significantly longer than Ace Combat 7 (with my playthrough clocking in at around 18 hours to complete all 30 missions), you'll do almost everything you could reasonably expect a pilot to do. Dogfights, close air support, attacks on enemy ships, and more.

Joker Flight will accompany you through most of it, and happily, every member has a well-fleshed-out personality. There's Ellington "Professor" Baxter, an easy-going and ever-professional former university lecturer; Tasha Severskaya, an ex-stunt pilot; and William "Noise" Coster, a taciturn musician who provides soundtracks to some of your battles.

While this lineup gets chopped and changed as you progress through the story, it's these three at your side for the vast majority of the game. They're great, and they make the entire squadron feel cohesive, and the stakes feel real when one of them gets in trouble.

The same can't be said for the wider crew of the Carrier Endurance, your home away from home. Your commander and D.D., a propaganda officer of the shadowy Enso Order corporation, are broadly cliched, and spending time with them feels tedious.

Unfortunately, you'll be watching a series of lengthy cutscenes before you're actually flying a plane, and the prologue mission is effectively another cutscene as you escape the vexatious aim of The Shadows, Sotoa's elite pilots.

There's occasionally mild participation encouraged of you, such as standing up at attention or shaking someone's hand by pressing a button. I'm genuinely somewhat surprised that the series is bold enough to give us QTEs again, after the infamous tragicomedy of the "press triangle to fist pump" moment in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.

You're not out of the woods when you're done with the first mission, though. Scattered throughout the game like little narrative landmines are cutscenes that go on for far too long and rarely give you a payoff worth your time. It feels like an Ace Combat game that was co-developed by Hideo Kojima at several points. But for all of this opera, the ending feels remarkably flat.

Without spoiling anything, the game spends hours building up a foe who then crumbles within a few minutes of dogfighting. Then it does it again! It makes the stakes feel wasted.

Cloudy with a chance of missiles

None of that matters, though, when you throttle up, break the sound barrier, and punch through the clouds in pursuit of an enemy, or dive, shrieking, towards a tank that you're about to remind about the superiority of being able to move in three dimensions. What clouds, too.

If I may digress for a moment, Ace Combat 8 has by far the best-looking clouds in any game I've played. They rely on proprietary software called Cloudly, and it leads to them feeling far more lifelike than ever before. Beautiful and light on the outside, dense in the middle, like an inverse cookie, they look and feel absolutely stupendous.

Ace Combat has always had a knack for making you feel like an ace, and this new entry is no exception. Wheeling around the sky like Maverick, pulling off impossible maneuvers in a plane like an A-10 Thunderbolt, and pulling up from a collision course at the last possible moment all fulfil the fantasy that the title promises.

Here, you are the greatest pilot to ever live. Difficulty is very well-balanced, too, with the Shadows feeling noticeably tougher, harking back to the days of facing off against enemy aces in F-22 Interceptor on the Mega Drive, if you're as old as I am.

The problem is, spectacular clouds aside, there doesn't seem to be all that much that separates this game from Ace Combat 7. It harkens back to Ace Combat 5 in a lot of ways: for instance, you can give wingmen commands again and pick their aircraft, but it doesn't seem to make a ton of difference in-game.

Missions are broadly successful or unsuccessful regardless of how you command your wingmen, while loadouts only really matter to the extent of picking roughly the right aircraft for the mission. This leads to the issue of wondering why you'd choose to play this game rather than Ace Combat 7, other than the clouds looking nicer, especially as you can buy it with all DLC for a fraction of the price.

I'm realising how negative a lot of this sounds, and that really does just come down to how cumbersomely crowbarred in a lot of the story is. Once you've been through it and are willing to skip cutscenes, you're left with a brisk, exciting, fun game. It is perhaps emblematic of both the best and worst aspects of the Ace Combat series, with a narrative that feels it has earned plaudits that it doesn't deserve, while the meat of the game is absolutely fantastic.

One key measure of this is that I've been going back to it since I beat it, unlocking new aircraft from the large Aircraft Tree and replaying missions with different loadouts. I'll likely lose a lot of hours to the multiplayer, too, because, once again, it lacks a lot of what there is to dislike.

It's a game that is infuriating in its bloviation, but when you soar above the clouds and take down enemy jets, hearing their cries of confusion over the radio, you won't care anymore. A great, gorgeous game, but one that likes the sound of its own voice just a little too much.

Should you play Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve?

Play it if…

Don't play it if…

Accessibility features

Accessibility settings are limited, but are present. The game features a colorblind mode that changes the green HUD to violet. There are also text-to-speech settings present.

In addition to these, you can also choose between two flight models: one that gives you more granular control over your aircraft and one that makes the game handle much more simply, making it more like After Burner.

How I reviewed Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve

To review Ace Combat 8, I finished the entire main storyline and then went back to play several missions in Free Mission mode.

I ran the game at high graphics settings on my Nvidia RTX 4070-powered gaming PC and had a generally solid 60 fps that only dipped during particularly hectic moments. I’m yet to go online, but I'm looking forward to trying it out once the servers are populated.

I played the game using a standard Xbox Wireless Controller, which worked perfectly throughout.

• A new PlayStation Portal software update has been released
• The update introduces a new 80% default charging limit to ensure the device's long-term battery health
• Players can increase the limit manually, but Sony advises against it

Sony has rolled out a new PlayStation Portal software update to improve stability and support the device's long-term battery health.

As detailed in the version 7.1.7 patch notes, the update "introduces changes to how your PS Portal charges in order to support the long-term battery health of your device" and means that it will now charge to just 80% by default.

While 80% is the default limit, users can increase the cap at any time in Settings > System > Battery; however, Song strongly recommends the alternative as it could impact the PS Portal's longevity.

"Selecting a charge limit over 80% might impact battery performance and overall stability, reducing long-term battery health," the patch notes.

It's reasonable to want to charge your device to 100% every time the battery depletes, but Sony's new default charge limit sounds like a great solution if you want to keep your PS Portal in good shape for a long time.

The full version 7.1.7 patch notes can be read below.

• This update introduces changes to how your PS Portal charges in order to support the long-term battery health of your device. After updating, your device will charge to 80% by default. You can change the charge limit at any time in Settings > System > Battery.
  • Selecting a charge limit over 80% might impact battery performance and overall stability, reducing long-term battery health.
• Make sure to update your PlayStation Link device to the latest device software version to connect to PlayStation Portal.
  • To update your PlayStation Link device, connect it to a PS5 or PC using its PlayStation Link USB adapter. For more details visit the guides below.
• We've improved system software performance and stability
• We've improved the messages and usability on some screens

• Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron says the game's fatigue and injury system will encourage players to try other Operators
• Operators can go out of commission if they're injured, pushing players to shuffle through the roster
• Potron says this also reminds players that Operators are "human"

Rainbow Six Tactics won't let fans repeatedly play the same Operator like in Rainbow Six Siege, but will encourage players to experiment with the entire roster using two new gameplay systems instead.

Rainbow Six Siege fans have a favorite Operator, whether it's Ash, Smoke, Fuze, Hibana, or someone else on the massive roster. But in Rainbow Six Tactics, Ubisoft's turn-based tactics spin-off, the fatigue and injury systems will force players to try other characters across a variety of missions.

"It's a way to push players to use their tools and shuffle their roster," game director Martial Potron told TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom. "So fatigue is one way, injuries is another way."

Potron explained that Operators are human beings, so it makes sense that these special agents will be out of commission for some time if they get injured during a mission; unlike in Siege, where objective-based game rounds will reset a player's health each time.

"I think it's also a good way to remind people that Operators are humans," the director said. "A bullet is a bullet. It's very dangerous. That's why reconning is important. If you don't recon, it may happen that there is someone hidden and he shoots you, and and you get you get injured. You don't have your Operator for two missions."

He added that the fatigue system serves the same purpose and "forces players to readjust their roster" whenever they send Operators on missions; he said this may seem negative, but the game will inform players which Operators will fit certain missions.

For example, a mission that requires players to save targets wouldn't suit Ash, who uses explosives, so a more close-range or precise Operator would be best.

"So depending on who I am facing, I will also readjust my roster because they really are meant to counter other enemies," Portron said. "So there is this negative side of humanity, and there is a positive side of Operators being very good against some part of the challenges."

Rainbow Six Tactics arrives in 2027 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

• Rockstar Games has announced the Grand Theft Auto 6: The Goodtime State – Vice City Collection
• The exclusive, limited-edition box of merchandise is up for pre-order now at the Rockstar Store
• It will set you back £349 / $399 and doesn't include a copy of the game

Rockstar Games has announced the Grand Theft Auto VI: The Goodtime State – Vice City Collection, a premium collector's box featuring exclusive merchandise and no game.

The Vice City Collection features "all the essentials for a good time, inspired by Leonida’s hit TV show, Macca the Gator" and is a limited-edition merch box launching November 19 for £349 / $399 (about AU$660, but no Australian availability has been announced yet).

Fans can pre-order the box exclusively at the Rockstar Store, so you better move fast if you want to secure the pricey collection. The studio also notes that GTA 6 is "sold separately."

Here's a list of everything it includes, from a cute Macca the Gator figure, sunglasses, a crossbody bag, and more goodies.

• Macca the Gator Figure
• Oakley® Frogskins™ Sunglasses
• Leonida Keys Crossbody Bag
• New Era® 9FORTY Snapback Hat
• Macca the Gator Magnetic Mirror
• Chunkee the Manatee Shot Glass
• Vice City Collectible Swizzle Spoon
• Vice City Razor Blade Keychain
• Leonida Keys Enamel Pin Set in Metal Tin
• Leonida Keys Sticker Pack in Stash Bag 
• Double-Sided Souvenir Poster with Map of Leonida

The Grand Theft Auto VI: The Goodtime State – Vice City Collection leaked earlier today, but fans initially believed it to be a new collector's edition, which would include the game.

A GTAForums post, shared by reliable leaker 'videotech' on X, discovered a listing on Rockstar Games' store website for the GTA 6: The Goodtime State - Vice City Collection.

The same leaker also attached a long list of GTA 6 merchandise, but it's now understood that the merch is included in The Goodtime State - Vice City Collection.

Unfortunately, it's not the collector's edition fans were hoping for—for now, you can only pre-order the Standard and Ultimate Editions—and it's unclear if Rockstar will announce another edition, but we're assuming not at this point.

Even more GTA 6 merchandise doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility in the lead-up to the game's November 19 release, as Rockstar recently unveiled Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, the official soundtrack that will launch alongside the game.

• Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron says making the spin-off a turn-based tactics game felt like "a natural fit"
• He explains that the "DNA" of the shooter series is tactical
• Potron adds that the team already had experience with turn-based games, but "had to convince Ubisoft and the Rainbow Six team"

Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron has explained why Ubisoft chose to make the upcoming spin-off a turn-based tactics game instead of keeping in line with the series' first-person style.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Potron said making the next Rainbow Six Siege game turn-based, in the same vein as XCOM, felt like "a natural fit" for the development team.

"When you look at Rainbow Six, its DNA is tactical," he said. "It's just that it's first-person. The camera is placed in the eyes of the players. It's a real-time game. But if you look at all the DNA, finding the best line of sight, finding the best cover, finding the best targets, taking care of your operators, destruction... In fact, it's very tactical in a sense."

He continued, saying that when designing video games, you always imagine the "what-ifs" of whatever project you're working on, and reiterated that the idea of making a tactical Rainbow Six game "was so natural; the fact that we wanted to do that."

"It happened that in [Ubisoft] Paris we have experience with tactical shooters, but we have experience with tactical turn-based games with Mario + Rabbids, and we love tactical shooters and tactical turn-based games," Potron added.

"So in fact, it became a natural fit for the team and for the genre to try to do that, and we just had to convince Ubisoft and the Rainbow Six team."

Rainbow Six Tactics launches in 2027 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

• Diablo 4 game director Brent Gibson says, "it's about damn time" the game comes to Nintendo Switch 2
• He says there were moments when the team thought it "impossible," but they managed to overcome the issues
• Gibson admits there are some "concessions," but they're barely noticeable is very happy with the result

Diablo 4 is finally available on the Nintendo Switch 2, and while porting the game to the handheld console came with some hurdles, game director Brent Gibson is quite pleased with it.

"First off, it's about damn time," Gibson said during a press Q&A at BlizzCon that TechRadar Gaming attended. "We've wanted it on the Switch for a very long time. It's a big game. I think we've had moments where [we thought] it's impossible. There's no way we could do it. But the team that took that on? Boy, did they do an amazing job."

Gibson went on to explain how the team optimized the game for handheld, admitting that there were some issues it had to work around, but overall the team delivered, and it was worth the wait.

"The concessions we had to make are barely noticeable. I'm so impressed," he said. "There are some things that we have to do for performance, obviously, but I think the expectation once you're going to handheld, we nailed it; it's locked.

"It's fluid. It's easily readable. I love the Switch's screen, and so it pops very nicely on that screen. It was challenging. But ultimately, I think it was worth the wait for how much work we had to put into getting it in there."

Blizzard just kicked off Diablo 4 - Season of Hell's Legacy, the game's 15th season, which arrived on September 15. Fans can also look forward to Diablo 5, which is slated to launch in 2029.

However, Gibson has put concerns to rest and stated outright that Diablo 4 players don't need to worry about the game's future because of Diablo 5's announcement.

"If you're wearing the sign in the middle of Times Square that says 'The End is Nigh', the end is not nigh," he said. "We have a lot coming."

• A regular leaker says the chips for the PS6 and Xbox Helix have been 'taped out', meaning the design is final for manufacturing
• The leaker claims 56 TFLOPS of power for the Xbox Helix and 40 TFLOPS for the PS6
• That compared to 16.7 TFLOPS on the PS5 Pro and 12 TFLOPS on the Xbox Series X

The launches of next-gen console hardware from Sony and Microsoft are edging ever closer, and the latest rumor doing the rounds suggests that the chips for both the PlayStation 6 and what's being called the Xbox Helix are now 'taped out' — as in, finalized for submission to chip manufacturers.

This comes from well-known tipster KeplerL2 (via VideoCardz), who also predicts 40 TFLOPS of performance for the Sony hardware and 56 TFLOPS for the Microsoft hardware. That's Tera Floating-Point Operations Per Second, or how many trillions of calculations a processor can do in a single single.

While TFLOPS gives us some indication of how powerful these consoles will be, they're not the whole story, as architecture choices and memory bandwidth will play significant roles too. That said, it seems the Xbox console may have a major edge in terms of raw power — although the Xbox Series X had a 20% edge on TFLOPS over the PS5 back in 2020 too, which didn't necessarily translate into better-looking games.

Direct comparisons with current generation consoles are tricky, as so many other variables will be changing as well as TFLOPS figures, but TweakTown reports that the PS5 delivers 10.28 TFLOPS, the PS5 Pro offers 16.7 TFLOPS (typical) and 18.05 TFLOPS (peak), and the Xbox Series X can hit 12 TFLOPS.

But how much will it cost?

Both the Xbox Helix and the PlayStation 6 are expected to be based on the AMD Zen 6 family of CPUs and the AMD RDNA 5 GPU architecture, if previous leaks are to be believed, and there has been talk of 30GB of RAM being packed inside the Sony console (no RAM predictions yet for the Microsoft one).

Judging by the ongoing discussion on Reddit, gamers aren't placing too much stock in these leaked TFLOPS numbers, as they aren't guaranteed to convert directly into gaming performance. The bigger debate seems to be over how much Sony and Microsoft are going to charge for these next-generation machines.

There are mentions of "an inevitably massive price hike" while another user is prepared to "say goodbye to affordable console hardware" in this generation. As we've already seen with the Steam Machine, the ongoing shortage of memory chips is driving up prices across the board, including in gaming hardware.

As for when we might actually see these consoles, don't hold your breath: experts say a launch before 2028 is unlikely, even if the design for the main processor chips have now been finalized. We'll just have to fill the time exploring everything Grand Theft Auto 6 has to offer in the meantime.

• Alien: Isolation 2 principal environment artist Archie Whitehead says the Xenomorph uses legacy animations that Creative Assembly designed for the first game
• He explains that the studio didn't have the technology to implement it at the time
• The sequel animations have been improved so the alien is "more responsive"

Alien: Isolation 2 principal environment artist Archie Whitehead has revealed that the game's Xenomorph uses improved legacy animations that Creative Assembly designed for the first game but didn't have the technology to implement 12 years ago.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, Whitehead confirmed that working around the alien's intelligence will be a core part of gameplay—even with the added exterior environment—and if players use a flamethrower or repeatedly hide in lockers, their actions will be less effective against the Xenomorph.

But the developer said the fear of hiding from the alien isn't just about its intelligence, but about how players perceive it visually; he explained that its animations and transitions have been improved from the first game, making it scarier.

"Intelligence is about perception," Whitehead said. "It's about what the player sees. If the alien was a cube sliding around, it might still kill you; it might still be scary, but you probably wouldn't perceive it as that intelligent if it was just a rotating cube, right?

"Obviously, the model, the character, the mesh for it; it's much more improved. There's a lot of layers there that I can't talk about the specifics, but it's more responsive, more reactive. It's really, really terrifying."

Whitehead went on to reveal that the Xenomorph uses animations and transitions that were initially designed for the first game, but Creative Assembly "didn't have the technology at the time" to use them. However, they've been polished for the upcoming sequel.

He explained that he chatted with animation director Simon Ridge, who worked on the first game, and saw some legacy animations that appeared to be unused, but were "really scary" and "amazing transitions" where the alien was looking at the player.

"I was studying when the original came out, so I wasn't on the first game," he said. "So, I was coming to this as a big fan, and I was chatting to him, and he was showing me these legacy animations he had, and I was like, 'I played the original a lot of times, I don't recognize these animations.'

"The vision was there, but they didn't have the technology at the time [or] whatever exactly they needed to implement it."

He added that this is a "benefit" for the sequel coming out 12 years later instead of immediately after the first game.

"We're able to use that kind of stuff, and obviously it's still going to be polished up, and it's a new setup and everything," he said, "but it's one of the things that makes it [the Xenomorph] feel smarter is its reactivity; making it feel like it's not just looking at the player, it's not just pointing its head in your direction. You feel like it's looking at you, and that's the kind of stuff that, again, when they show it off within the team, everyone's getting chills, and it's super exciting. We're super excited to show you."

Alien: Isolation 2 will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. A release date hasn't been announced.

Tom Clancy's The Division and The Division 2 are two of my favorite online and co-op games of all time; I still play The Division 2 most months (at least) and have done so since launch.

The second game still has a committed player base and is a game that keeps on going and keeps on giving for fans who play regularly and those who come back occasionally.

It's established a rich universe full of interesting lore, gripping side stories, and compelling characters, with novels, a mobile game, DLC and expansions, and books, all playing a part in filling out its brilliant world. And with more expansions and content coming all the time — even now in 2026, more than seven years after release — there's loads to get into.

As a result, there's plenty to draw on for my bumper Division quiz, and there's sure to be some stuff in here that'll have even the most experienced players a little, well, quizzical.

Good luck and let me know how you get on!

What did you think of our quiz on all things The Division? Let me know how you got on in the comments, and let me know what else we could do quizzes on!

• Creative Assembly says Alien: Isolation 2's protagonist will offer "a new perspective to the franchise"
• Blake is a Weyland-Yutani employee, with principal environment artist Archie Whitehead saying the Japanese side hasn't been explored a lot
• Principal UI artist Laura Mauterer says Blake isn't like any other Alien protagonist and "is such an interesting character to explore"

Alien: Isolation 2 will offer a totally new perspective on the Alien franchise by telling a story from the viewpoint of Yutani employee Blake, and Creative Assembly believes players will love her.

Speaking to TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, principal environment artist Archie Whitehead and principal UI artist Laura Mauterer discussed what they're most excited for players to experience in the upcoming sequel, highlighting the game's protagonist, Blake.

Blake works for Weyland-Yutani Corporation, a mega-conglomerate and the major human-led antagonist throughout the sci-fi series, but is employed specifically on the Yutani side of the company.

It's a viewpoint that hasn't been showcased during the horror franchise before, and something the developers were eager to explore in depth.

"Weyland-Yutani is an English-Japanese-speaking company, and it's something that the Japanese side, I feel like, doesn't really get explored that much," Whitehead said. "It's something we're trying to explore more here because Kurosaki, it's the name of the station [the game's setting], so I'm very interested in players to discover: 'How does that influence the world and the people living in it?'"

Mauterer added that Blake is "awesome" and "brings such a new perspective to the franchise in total," and her being an employee of this mega-corp will be a much different experience from the first game, where the characters were ordinary people.

"If you think back to the first game or even the first movie, it's truckers in space, right? It's ordinary people doing average things," Mauterer said. "They're not powerful. They're expendable. No one cares for them. They have to care for themselves.

"But now we have Blake, who is a very Weyland-Yutani employee, and that means that she has some power, right? But when you hear in the trailer that the Japanese voice is telling her, 'You made a mistake. This is your last chance.' She was sent to Kurosaki against her will, and she wants to do well. She wants to be there to redeem herself."

Talking more about the story, Mauterer explained how characters in the prologue will talk to Blake with respect and "you can get a sense of her standing," but all Blake is focusing on is trying to redeem herself. That's why when she heads to the crash site and accidentally unleashes the Xenomorph onto the colony, she's made yet another mistake, which the developers said will make Blake an interesting character to play.

"That dichotomy, she is such an interesting character to explore," Mauterer added. "And I think the players will really get to know her and love her in the journey; they will make out their own journey [as well]. We tell a larger story, obviously, but similar to the first game, every player will have their own way of telling the 'in-betweens' between that [main] story, and will be so interesting to see."

Alien: Isolation 2 doesn't have a release date yet but will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• The Game Bakers' creative director says he wants people to "remember our games forever"
• It means the team may take risky or polarizing decisions, but it's worth it to build a passionate audience
• It's paid off with games like Cairn, which has achieved excellent reviews and award recognition, and is about to release its first DLC

It’s a joke, obviously, but given the catalog of titles released by The Game Bakers so far, part of me believes creative director Emeric Thoa when he tells me that “there’s a chance our next game is an MMO match-3 about friendship.”

It’s a testament to the team’s creativity and versatility that I could see something like this sitting alongside the frenetic boss rush Furi, charming co-op RPG Haven, and the captivating climbing adventure Cairn.

“We always make games with the goal of creating a very memorable experience. All our efforts, our ideas, our choices are made so that people will remember our games forever,” explains Thoa.

Cairn definitely stuck in the mind, as you took on a gruelling and demanding ascent up the enormous Mt. Kami with professional climber Aava. It may have mixed in some quiet moments of exploration and an engaging story, but it was almost exclusively about climbing a big mountain.

Thoa appreciates that, as with other The Game Bakers titles, taking this approach to follow and explore a single idea to its fullest in service of creating something impactful can be a big risk.

“This sometimes leads to polarizing design choices, but we’d rather be loved passionately by 10 people than be just appreciated by a hundred,” says Thoa.

It’s paid off with the excellent reception to Cairn, including a four-star review from me. Thoa is also pleased that critics and players responded well to the game, with various high scores and award recognition.

“I should feel extremely happy and grateful, but the truth is that if the response had not been very positive, I would be broken right now. So, I feel not-so-broken, and that’s pretty good. I’m especially proud that people eventually appreciated the innovation and risk-taking in Cairn.”

So with that mindset in place, what is genuinely next for The Game Bakers? Well, there’s the first part of the On the Trail DLC for Cairn coming on October 29, which I went hands-on with at Gamescom. After that, Thoa doesn’t have too much to reveal: “It’s too soon to tell, and I’m not even sure myself.”

Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be fascinating.

• Senior game director Joe Shely confirms Diablo's victory won't take place completely off-screen in Diablo 5
• He says, "You're going to get to learn more in the game about how these events took place"
• Narrative director Jennifer Hepler teases the bond the player has with Diablo and "how that affected his ability to come in and have this victory is something that unfolds over the course of the story"

Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed that Diablo 5 players will get to see how Diablo conquered Sanctuary, despite how the game starts.

If you missed the major announcement at BlizzCon 2026, the next era of the long-running series is now in development and kicks off a new story that takes place after Sanctuary has already been conquered by Diablo.

"Diablo has conquered Sanctuary, a stepping stone to invading the Heavens. Now from the throne of Westmarch, he wields Sanctuary's people and souls as weapons in the Eternal Conflict," the description reads. "Diablo is no longer a distant threat waiting at the end of the journey. He is present from the moment Diablo V begins, shaping the story, the world, and your path through it."

Players take the role of the Heir of Westmarch, a fugitive with a mysterious connection to Diablo as they build a caravan of allies and travel across the scorched wastes.

TechRadar Gaming caught up with the development team after the game's announcement to ask about the decision to start the game after Diablo has already taken over Sanctuary.

It's probably a question many fans have had since watching the trailer, but according to senior game director Joe Shely, Diablo's victory won't take place completely off-screen.

"I think as we get the opportunity to share more about the game, we'll be able to sort of fill out how that works a lot more," Shely said. "One of the things about a game like Diablo, any RPG, is that you have this power progression from starting off small and becoming this powerful character. And so, in the opening of the game, you know you're on the run. Westmarch has burned. Diablo is sitting on the throne, and then as you travel through the world, you're going to get to learn more in the game about how these events took place, and it's not going to take place entirely off-screen."

Narrative director Jennifer Hepler also teased the campaign, saying, "There will be dramatization of how exactly Diablo came to power, but also there's going to be a lot of story behind his rise that is you finding out is a big part of the narrative of the game."

The developer teased that the story starts when the player finds out they can go into Diablo's terror realm and come out alive, "which nobody else can do," and finding out these answers will be a significant part of the story alongside how he came to power.

"Finding out why you can do that, what other powers you have, what this bond is between you and Diablo, and how that affected his ability to come in and have this victory is something that unfolds over the course of the story, and makes every victory that you achieve over him and his minions very, very personal," Hepler said.

Diablo 5 is in development and is slated to launch in Spring 2029.

• Rayman Legends Retold brand producer Loïc Gounon is interested in making more games in the series
• Gounon says, "The plan was that we want to restart the franchise," using the latest version of Ubisoft's engine
• He suggests that the upcoming remake could be the start of something new "if everything goes according to plan"

Rayman Legends Retold brand producer Loïc Gounon believes the series has a future and said he's interested in making new games using Ubisoft's latest tech.

The upcoming remake of the beloved 2013 hit reinvents the hand-painted 2D adventure as a full 3D side-scrolling platforming experience. It's powered by the studio's proprietary Snowdrop engine, while still utilizing the original game's UbiArt Framework.

It looks like a completely new game, though with the familiar elements that made the original a critical success, and according to Gounon, "The plan was that we want to restart the franchise" using the latest version of this technology.

"Without an engine, you don't make a game," Gounon told TechRadar Gaming. "Without a team, you don't make a game. So the initial point has been: we need to rebuild the team, and we need to adopt a new engine. As we were starting to think about that, we also considered a brand new game, but we've also been humble about what we could achieve."

The developer wasn't shy about sharing his dreams for the series, saying, "We believe that this IP has a future," and that Rayman Legends Retold could be the start of something new "if everything goes according to plan."

He also indicated the move to 3D allowed the team to build its bank of 3D assets, which sounds like something that would come in handy for any future projects.

Rayman Legends Retold arrives on December 3, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

Rayman Legends Retold looks to bring the platforming classic into the modern age, with a smattering of new levels, fully revamped visuals, and expanded cinematics featuring full voice acting for the very first time.

Released back in 2013 to critical acclaim and still beloved by fans, it's certainly an unusual choice for a remake. Where most developers opt to return to titles with obvious issues, or ones that are no longer readily accessible (Rayman Legends is fully playable on PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 via backward compatibility), it's hard to think of many ways this platformer could be improved.

As it turns out, the decision was more about the future of the Rayman franchise than looking back at the past.

"The plan was that we want to restart the franchise," explains brand producer Loïc Gounon after a recent hands-on event.

"Without an engine, you don't make a game. Without a team, you don't make a game. So the initial point has been: we need to rebuild the team, and we need to adopt a new engine. As we were starting to think about that, we also considered a brand new game, but we've also been humble about what we could achieve."

In the gaming industry, remakes are often used to help new teams become acquainted with an existing intellectual property and build the skills needed to tackle development of future entries.

Just look at Metroid: Samus Returns, the 3DS Metroid 2 remake that led to series newcomer MercurySteam being given the reins for the Nintendo Switch installment Metroid Dread (and again, with the upcoming Metroid Ravenous for Switch 2).

Gounon adds that while the team behind Retold does still have some of the original Legends devs, they felt that "the balance between remaking a beloved game while bringing innovation to it was the best starting point" for everyone.

New coat of paint

One of the starkest differences between the original Legends and Retold is the shift from a hand-painted 2D look to a fully 3D art style – albeit one that largely maintains the side-on perspective. It's a move that Gounon suggests shows where the franchise is headed overall.

"Rayman started on PlayStation with a 2D game at a time when most games were 3D. Then Rayman 2 and Rayman 3 were 3D games in the rendering, but also in the gameplay. Then Origins went back to full 2D: 2D rendering and 2D gameplay," he explains.

"The thing is, when you've got a 2D engine and are in 2D rendering, it's less easy to make a 3D game afterwards. So, as part of thinking about the franchise for the future, two things that came to mind really early were that we want to go back to the adventure DNA of the franchise, and we don't want to [stop ourselves from] going towards a 3D adventure."

If you think of Legends Retold as a jumping-off point for the franchise going forward, the whole project begins to make a lot of sense.

Gounon doesn't shy away from saying that "we believe that this IP has a future" and that this remake is only the beginning "if everything goes according to plan" and it proves popular. He even indicates that part of the move to 3D was so the team could build a bank of 3D assets, presumably for future use.

Although it's clear that Legends Retold is geared towards new players, Gounon says the team has gone to great lengths to maintain the overall feel of the original game so as not to disappoint returning players. This even involves utilizing the original game engine, UbiArt Framework, underneath all the shiny new graphics powered by the latest version of Snowdrop.

"What's a bit particular about this project is that we did not want to mess with the game feeling: all the characters reacting, the physics, etc. We knew that the muscle memory you have with a platformer — we can't mess with it. It's a constraint of Rayman, and so is the level design. There's a quality of level design that's unmatched, on par with the best games in the world, like Mario," he begins. "So we knew we couldn't mess with the quality of the level design or the game's flow and the physics.

"What we decided to do is that everything that's happening — game mechanics and flow — is powered by UbiArt Framework. UbiArt is also doing the 2D animation and 2D drawing, but as we were going 3D, we integrated UbiArt Framework game logic within the game logic of Snowdrop.

"Snowdrop is handling all the animation, the character art, the environment art, and the audio. All that new visual layer on top of the gameplay logic is Snowdrop.

"Basically, we've got the best of both worlds, meaning a great engine to make levels and gameplay, which is UbiArt Framework, and also maintaining the quality of the original game because it's the same thing running under the hood, within an engine that allows for fully-fledged 3D rendering."

A matter of taste

As with any big change, the new art direction has had its critics. "Nothing can outdo the beautiful hand-drawn style," reads one of the highest-rated comments on the original reveal trailer, but Gounon is confident that skeptics will be won over once the game is in their hands.

"Some people will always have a personal attachment to something they loved, especially when it's something super special that got 90+ on Metacritic, and it's highly subjective. That's totally okay, and to be fair, when you love something, you don't want it to change," he begins.

"I think it's natural. Then I think we will prove what 3D is bringing. I think once you start playing the game, and more people see the game, hear character voices, [watch] the fully animated 3D cutscenes, I think they will get why we are making it."

He adds that he's excited for players to see more of the game in the build-up to release and promises, "It's not a simple remake; it's more than that."

There will be a bit of a wait, however, with the game recently delayed until December 3, 2026, when it will launch for Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.

Playing the upcoming Cairn: On the Trail DLC with one of its creators looking over my shoulder was incredibly humbling. It had been months since I’d completed my gruelling ascent of Mt. Kami, and my skills were more than a little rusty. When Aava slipped and plummeted into the sea for the fifth time in less than 20 minutes, I was worried they’d lean over, close the laptop, and walk away shaking their head in disgust.

Luckily, I was allowed to play on, and slowly but surely I (quite literally) found my feet, more confidently and successfully finding the handholds and footholds to make progress on one of the three new challenges found in this first piece of free DLC for the excellent climbing adventure.

The one I was currently dramatically failing at features a piton-shaped rock in the middle of the ocean. You start on a wooden path surrounding this peculiar natural structure, before falling into a familiar pattern where you’re scoping out the potential routes to find a good place to climb it. It’s immediately clear, though, that these DLC environments are even more experimental than what we saw in the main game.

Rising up

“On the Trail is pretty much built on ideas and desires we had but decided not to put on Kami for the sake of consistency,” explains Emeric Thoa, creative director of Cairn.

“Because Kami is a very coherent experience, as you climb a single immense mountain, we wanted the On the Trail DLC to explore more variety in the climbing fantasy.”

That breaks down as follows. This first is the level I’m playing now, with its tough climb up a unique structure. There’s also one set in a climbing gym full of more technically demanding challenges and one on a small island featuring various perilous overhangs over the sea.

You can also now play as Marco, who is less flexible than Aava, but he has a longer reach, stronger arms, and a new climbot model.

Whoever you pick, none of the new stages sound very easy, even for veterans who have successfully reached the top of Kami.

“It’s aimed at people who finished the main game, but it’s not especially difficult,” Thoa assures me. “It’s not like you must have finished in free solo mode with zero falls playing with a Guitar Hero controller. But I would definitely recommend playing the main game before starting On the Trail.”

I would, too, considering I scored it four stars and called it ‘an extremely good and beautifully made climbing game’ in our Cairn review.

And while it was the determination to complete the climb and the satisfaction of achieving it that was a main draw of Cairn, it was also the atmosphere that was one of its strongest points.

As you ascend, you learn more not only about Aava as a character, but also about the civilization that used to live on the mountain and some of its secrets. These neat asides are a wonderful break from the intensity of the rest of the game.

“We definitely tried to keep that exploration and treasure hunt vibe that Kami offers,” confirms Thoa. “It’s a bit different as the climbing spots are smaller. So, for instance, we added an energy mechanic to replace the survival elements.

“Instead of risking your life in a huge ascent over several days, you tackle a one-day challenge, and you have to manage your fatigue and resources in order to climb the spot before getting too tired. But that’s also where exploring becomes useful, as you can find items to get you back on your feet.”

I found I needed them too, as a useful way to restock key resources such as chalk and energy to make these tougher climbs more achievable. It still didn’t prevent me from repeated failures, but I felt that same rush of stubbornness and perseverance that gripped me in the original game coming back. It’s a feeling Thoa wants players to feel when they return to Cairn.

“They should first experience the bittersweet nostalgia of coming back to the unique experience of Cairn, and then they should quite soon after find out that it’s still a game that makes your hands sweat! The thrill should still be there.”

I definitely felt it even in the short demo I had. Truth is, I’ve been keen to return to the game since the DLC was first announced, and even though a delay has meant I’ve had to wait a little longer, The Game Bakers recently confirmed that Cairn: On the Trail - Deep Water will launch on October 29 on PC and PS5.

• Creative Assembly says Alien: Isolation 2 is still influenced by the iconic film, despite the outdoor setting
• Principal environment artist Archie Whitehead says the environment had to be showcased "through the lens of someone from the 1970s"
• Principal UI artist Laura Mauterer says the team is "not reinventing the wheel" and is still using a lot of inspiration from the first movie and game

Alien: Isolation 2 is still inspired by the first Alien movie, even though the game features a new outdoor setting; Creative Assembly had to make sure the environment felt authentic to its iconic retro-futuristic aesthetic.

Like Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien, Alien Isolation takes place inside a space station, isolating the player in a claustrophobic environment as a Xenomorph hunts them. However, the sequel features an outdoor colony world and the confines of a Weyland-Yutani outpost, giving the studio a new opportunity to expand exploration and find new ways to adapt the movie's iconic style.

Speaking to TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, principal environment artist Archie Whitehead didn't want to spoil the setting too much, suggesting players are in for some surprises as they explore the game's outdoor mining colony, with principal UI artist Laura Mauterer explaining that the team is "not reinventing the wheel" and is still using a lot of inspiration from the first movie and the first game.

"The first movie is the lens we're looking through everything at," Mauterer said. "It's our guiding step. And when it comes to new, we're really excited about introducing new retrofitting tech," she added before using a CRT computer as an example of how it would be damaged in an outdoor setting.

"I can maybe give you an idea of our approach to it," she said. "We think about it now that you have to be indoors and outdoors; obviously, things need to adapt. I have a CRT monitor on my workstation as my third monitor; there are holes on the top in the back. Obviously, if I put that outside and it's raining, it's gonna go kaput, right? So, we need to make sure that we're adapting the things that we have seen in the first movie and in the first game to be believable in this outdoor environment. [So] it makes sense."

Whitehead added that it has to be showcased "through the lens of someone from the 1970s" because things like LEDs and LCD panels didn't exist back then.

"As an environment artist, I'm making design decisions all the time when modeling something about the shapes used; where's a vent, where's this?" Whitehead said, adding that it would be easy to add "generic" shapes, but he and the team used movie set photos and imagery to "dissect" how to build these assets players will see in the environment.

"Sometimes it feels like yogurt pots," he joked. "It's a lot of vacuum form shapes. They even had some parts of it; I think it was a bomber from the Second World War. They got some stuff from the scrapyard.

"So looking at what they had and working out how to recontextualize those things when creating a new design, and just making sure that whenever we reference stuff, we don't reference anything from beyond that point because those manufacturing techniques and those materials didn't exist yet, so they shouldn't be here."

Alien: Isolation 2 will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. A release date hasn't been announced.

• Principal environment artist Archie Whitehead says Alien: Isolation 2's custom lighting and audio tech allowed it to create a more "realistic" atmosphere
• He says just using Unreal Engine 5 wasn't enough, since the engine is "optimized for usually quite bright scenes"
• Custom lighting allowed the team to design "reactivity" in the environment

Alien: Isolation 2's custom audio and lighting technology has enabled Creative Assembly to create a more authentic atmosphere that it couldn't fully achieve with just Unreal Engine 5.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, Creative Assembly principal environment artist Archie Whitehead and principal UI artist Laura Mauterer shared more about developing the sequel with Unreal Engine 5 and the studio's custom technology, which it previously told us was an "evolution" of what fans are familiar with.

"For horror, audio and lighting are the two Powerman things," Whitehead said. "Unreal gave us a great base, but we felt that to do certain things, it [custom tech] really, really helps."

One of those things, particularly with lighting, was "reactivity," which would offer visual effects from things like weather and other environmental assets, creating a more realistic atmosphere.

"We wanted a thunderclap, like fire flickering, sirens spinning, all of that stuff," he continued. "We felt that a custom solution would give us that perfect frame response that you want in that really, really dark environment. You know, Lumens [UE5's global illumination and reflections system] is optimized for usually quite brighter scenes."

The developer explained that the team struggled with showcasing metals in the game's darker exterior environment, saying, "Metals in virtual worlds are really difficult."

He added, "The color of metal is actually just what's being reflected, right? And the problem is all of our scenes are really dark, so for the metal to behave properly, it's quite a tricky balance to strike. So that's one of the things that our lighting system helps us with."

The game's audio system has also improved, with Whitehead reiterating that it's an "evolution" of what the first game offered, but was iterated on again and again.

"Since then, it's been used for other CA projects, so it's quite mature," he said. "And it creates a kind of spatial setup of the world. And what that means is, when a sound happens in a room that is — a vent away from you or something — that sound is being reverberated around, and you get a really, really realistic response, and hopefully a really, really terrifying version of that sound."

Alien: Isolation 2 is now in development and will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

We're just a few weeks away from the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, the explosive next entry in the blockbuster shooter series.

The Call of Duty franchise has been around for more than two decades, with almost constant annual releases, including multiple Modern Warfare games. There's the iconic original trilogy, and a more recent set of reboots that reset the story and brought its characters and themes into the modern age

But how much do you really know about the Modern Warfare games? Can you tell your Captain Price apart from your Gaz and Soap?

I've put together this Modern Warfare quiz to test your knowledge in the build-up to the Modern Warfare 4 launch, with a rigorous selection of questions related to all the Modern Warfare titles, old and new.

How did you score in our Modern Warfare quiz? Was there anything that took you by surprise? Let us know in the comments below, and maybe share your favorite bit of Call of Duty trivia too!

The A Plague Tale series has become one of the finest in video games since the first game, A Plague Tale: Innocence, released back in 2019.

Its historical background, immersive and deeply compelling yet bleak and miserable narratives, as well as its memorable characters and robust mix of stealth action and survival, are perfect for thoughtful, enjoyable, and deeply memorable experiences.

As a result, with the third and latest game now out in the wild in the form of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy — there's never been a better time to celebrate the bleak and gripping series with a quiz.

As a long-time A Plague Tale fan, I've crafted the quiz below just as Amicia did with her ammo: deliberately and with great thought and care. It's somewhat hard to get three excellent video games' worth of trivia into a short quiz, but I think I've picked some more straightforward teasers and some deep-cut brain ticklers to appeal to fans of all kinds of the series.

Best of luck, and let us know how you get on!

What did you make of our A Plague Tale quiz? The right balance of more obvious questions and tougher ones? Let me know in the comments, and come back for more quizzes soon — and also let me know what other video game quizzes we could do!

Charles Cecil wants to make one thing clear: “I'm not anti-AI.”

The veteran British developer behind the legendary 1996 point-and-click game Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars speaks to TechRadar about AI's divisive role in modern game development - and, in particular, how it was used in the upcoming remake of the sequel, Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged, due out in 2027.

The original, a commercial success selling 759,000 copies, sees American tourist George Stobbart team up with freelance journalist Nicole Collard to track a mysterious Mayan stone across Paris, London, and Central America. This remake doesn't use AI, and, according to Cecil, there's a very good reason for that.

AI don’t think so

“I think AI has its place,” Cecil says. “It's just not relevant in our games because we want human animation, human characterization and human expression, and that's much better done by humans.”

A perfect example of that lies in the game's hand-drawn art, all of it redone for Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged.

This hugely labor-intensive process encompassed roughly 55,000 frames of animation, more than the 30,000 of Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars’ 2024 remake.

“George opens the newspaper and kind of just glances at the screen,” says Cecil, referring to the actions of the game's protagonist in an early scene. “He's looking at the viewer, and that's what human beings do. That is not something that AI can do.”

In low-res, eyes were just dots on a face. In high-res, eyes are windows to the soul and therefore have to be animated with precision and intent. Where applicable, artists were free to add flourishes, using their own interpretation to fill in the gaps.

For instance, the painting of Professor Oubier hanging on the wall in the rapidly burning study was always too pixelated to see clearly. Now, however, you can make out exactly what he looks like in 4K, at 36 times the original resolution, all while a visibly uncomfortable George jostles his rope bindings.

Developer Revolution Software didn't stop there. The team redrew scores of items that never really made much sense. Take the poison dart, which now looks less like a playing dart and more like something shot out of a blowpipe.

Human revolution

Despite the decision to abstain from AI use for the most part, it wasn't entirely absent. AI was used for the initial round of upscaling before artists added detail by hand, with backgrounds scanned as black-and-white layouts for them to build on using the originals as references. AI was more of a tool than a creative device.

“We experimented with AI for the first one, and we used AI to upscale and then redraw the characters. And as I say, it can upscale, but it can't put any character in.”

That's largely thanks to the luxury of time. The first game needed to be made in a year or risk cancellation. Revolution Software sprinted to the finish line, but made a few shortcuts along the way.

One oversight was 40 voice lines that were recorded and packaged in the game's files but never used. Now, in Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged, fans can finally hear them (one line involves George asking the Parisian waiter about the tequila worm in his pocket).

Another infamous example occurs in the Game Boy Advance version. “You have a choice to go to Spain or Syria,” says Cecil. “If you do one, you can finish the game, and it's fine. If you do the other, it takes you there, but you can't then finish. There's a bug that doesn't allow you to finish…It's an awful, awful bug. I mean, it's absolutely shocking.”

An AI might have spotted such mistakes, but then again, you could argue mistakes are what give art humanity. If nothing else, they make for a great story.

But the remake is far from a bug-fixing exercise. Instead, it's an opportunity to make the game better. Where most remasters seek to preserve the subject, Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged is almost an act of excavation.

“All of these things we now have the time to do,” says Cecil. “Because what Revolution has done for the last 15 years is we've self-published all our games. And I can decide when we’re going to spend a little bit more time getting this, right? Is it worth it?”

The devs found time to add features, too, like a new three-tier hint system that actively monitors your progress and feeds you steadily more obvious tips so you're not stuck for too long. The final tip tells you outright what to do. Thankfully, purists can turn it off.

Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch 2 players get four different control schemes: touchscreen, gamepad, one Joy-Con 2 detached and used as a mouse, or a versatile combination of everything.

Plus, there’s something Cecil has personally wanted to add for 30 years: a beautiful, detailed map of Paris. This is used to aid player navigation instead of having them rely on clunky icons. With everything in the game, these feel like choices made by humans, not AI.

“We've really gone out of our way to produce something that, in my view, is completely future-proof, because people were playing the first one 30 years ago, and millions and millions of people have played that game. And my ambition is that in 20 years' time, a fourth generation will be playing again.”

“Going forward,” he continues, “people are going to seek out human-crafted art. You know, there's going to be that sense, because obviously we all have a human connection with each other.”

Control is easily one of my favorite games of the last decade or so, and I've played through it a few times and secured the Platinum trophy on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

As a result, I am incredibly hyped for Control Resonant, the upcoming sequel from the masterminds over at Remedy Entertainment, and have created this short quiz in celebration of the first game — and to test fellow fans' knowledge.

Ranging from, I think, pretty straightforward questions to one or two deep cuts, and with some questions that are bound to revive some brilliant memories of the first game, I've tried to balance my Control quiz for everyone, from long-time fans and re-players to those who played the first one at launch and have patiently waited for the sequel since.

Good luck, and let me know how you get on!

How did you find my Control quiz? Too easy? Too tricky at points? Too short, perhaps? Let me know ion the comments as well as what other quizzes we should do, and check back in the future for more trivia tests on fantastic games.

September has been an absolutely mega month for games, and we're barely past the halfway mark!

With the weekend just hours away, you're probably wondering which new games are actually worth your money and attention. That's exactly why I've put together this little personality quiz, which is designed to match you with a recent release that you are almost certain to enjoy!

Of course, this isn't an exhaustive list of all the latest games, and there are sure to be some big releases that I've missed. Still, I've tried to include a wide range of genres from platformers to horror games and open-world adventures so that many different tastes are catered to.

What result did you get? Do you agree with my recommendation? You can let me know in the comments and share what you'll be playing this weekend.

• Creative Assembly says Alien: Isolation 2's exterior setting will force players to adapt to their surroundings
• The game's Xenomorph will also adapt at the same time to both player and environment
• Things like the weather system will impact the cat-and-mouse experience, forcing players to "improvise"

Alien: Isolation 2's exterior setting will increase both tension and danger, according to Creative Assembly, because as the player adapts to the new environment, so will the Xenomorph.

Unlike the first game, where players were isolated in a space station and actively hunted by the Xenomorph, the sequel will have an expanded setting, spanning an outdoor colony world and the confines of the Weyland-Yutani outpost.

Players will once again be caught up in a cat-and-mouse experience as they navigate their new environment, but the alien's intelligence will raise the stakes.

"I think the contrast between claustrophobia and pressure versus vulnerability and exposedness, it will make the player have to think on their feet," said principal UI artist Laura Mauterer .

The game's weather system will also affect how players approach the outdoors, since storms will impact the sound of the approaching alien, and players will need to "improvise."

"The alien is the perfect hunter," Mauterer added. "It will adapt to those situations, to those environments. And you will have to adapt to our environment."

She added that it will feel like a "new experience," but the game will give players the time to understand the mechanics of the game and the world, even if they didn't play the first game.

"It's not unfair," Mauterer said. "This alien is also not cheating. If it can't see you, it can't see you, right? If it can't hear you, it can't hear you. We will give players enough time to get to grips with it. But it is an intense experience and a tough game, and that is what the community loved about [the first game]. And we will stick through to that."

Alien: Isolation 2 is now in development and will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Diablo 4 game director Brent Gibson tells fans not to worry about support for the game ending because of Diablo 5
• He says that even though the team is excited for Diablo 5, "we're going to be making content for a long time"
• Gibson says, "The end is not nigh"

Not to worry, Diablo 4 fans! Despite the announcement of Diablo 5, Blizzard swears it will continue supporting the popular action-RPG "for a long time."

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at BlizzCon, game director Brent Gibson quickly put concerns to rest and stated outright that players don't need to worry about the game's future, even though the studio is already working on the sequel.

"If you're wearing the sign in the middle of Times Square that says 'The End is Nigh', the end is not nigh," Gibson said. "We have a lot coming," he added before acknowledging the Amazon class pack, coming to Diablo 4 in 2027.

"The train isn't stopping," he continued. "One of the things that I love about our world is we're not a series of games. We are a universe. We are even adding to Diablo 2 with that of the Warlock. It's one of the few franchises where we have the luxury to continue to play, and we know our communities are there multiple communities that make us a whole."

Gibson reiterated that if you're a fan and you're worried, "don't sweat it," because even though the team is excited about Diablo 5, "we're going to be making content for a long time" and "we've got a lot of things coming," including the Netflix adaptation.

"The train is not stopping," he said. "Hold on tight. Gone are the years of waiting 10 years for more content, right? So it's a great place to be at."

Diablo 5 is slated to launch in 2029, so there are few years to wait. In the meantime, Diablo 4 fans can sink their teeth into Season of Hell's Legacy, the game's 15th season, which arrived on September 15.

• Diablo 4 game director Brent Gibson says it's "liberating" that there are no expansions to work on or have the narrative tied to
• The team will continue the game's story through seasons instead
• Diablo 4 - Season of Hell's Legacy is the game's latest update

Blizzard has confirmed that Diablo 4 won't receive any more expansions, as it will continue the game's story through seasons, something the team is glad about.

BlizzCon 2026 has officially wrapped, and there were plenty of announcements for fans across the board, including the huge reveal of Diablo 5, slated for a 2029 launch, as well as Diablo 4 - Season of Hell's Legacy, the game's 15th season and the centerpiece of Blizzard's 30th Anniversary celebration for Diablo.

"Amid the dead rising from Pandemonium, the lost soul of the legendary Horadrim Deckard Cain returns with dire news," the questline description reads. "Three dark wanderers have returned, each leaving a trail of death in their wake. Confront them and delve into the nightmares of their horrific past. Only there can you defeat the Prime Evils that torment them and lay their souls to rest."

No additional expansions are planned at the moment, and although Lord of Hatred was the big conclusion of the overarching narrative, the team will now use seasons to continue the game's story, presumably until Diablo 5 is ready for launch.

The game will likely be supported for a good few years to come, just like Diablo 3, but the new direction the team is working on removes the constraints it had before.

"I think it's liberating," game director Brent Gibson told TechRadar Gaming at BlizzCon. "So we completed the story, but the butterfly effect can take us anywhere, you know? And we've got season 15 with all the events of pandemonium leading to someone else taking the mantle of death," before teasing, "Who is it? I'm not going to answer that today."

He added, "But it allows us to be really creative with all the pieces that we have, now that we hit the beat that we were all looking forward to with confronting Mephisto. So, I say it's liberating."

• Guild Wars 3 will have "significantly less UI in general" for an MMORPG
• ArenaNet studio head Colin Johanson says it will better showcase combat and the game's open world
• He says combat UI elements, like debuffs, will be represented visually instead

Although it's a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), ArenaNet has confirmed that Guild Wars 3 will have a minimal HUD, partly because the game is also designed for console.

During a guided presentation at Gamescom, attended by TechRadar Gaming, studio head Colin Johanson showcased an early build of the game and its HUD, saying that it is subject to change throughout development and the team intends to have "significantly less UI in general."

In other MMOs, whether it's World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy 14, the main HUD is typically littered with UI elements from quest lists, buffs and debuffs, action bars, and whatever else the player chooses to add for themself.

For Guild Wars 3, ArenaNet will considerably tone down these elements in favor of a cleaner HUD, which Johanson said will better showcase combat and the game's open world. Additionally, console users wouldn't be able to hover over these UI features.

"I think one of the things that you traditionally see in MMOs is there's a huge number of icons all over the screen that are used to communicate combat status and things that are going on," Johanson said.

"And we very intentionally designed this, one, because it's also on console and it's a lean-back experience where you can't hover over icons to read everything, to provide an experience that doesn't require having a massive amount of information in the UI. But two, we also think that's just a better combat experience if we can show more of the things happening in the world."

Adding to this, the studio head said that during battle, conditions traditionally communicated through the UI, such as cold attacks, won't appear as "stacked" debuffs on the HUD, so players will see the effect instead.

"We've built a multiplayer combo system in this game to replace that, where every player is capable of having most professions can have cold in their builds," he explained, "and if you start stacking cold on an enemy, you can see their animations slowly start to slow down, and cold start to spread across them. And multiple players can work together. If you get enough cold stacked on an enemy, depending on its size, it'll freeze into a solid block of ice. And so all of that happens in the world, rather than just a little UI icon down at the bottom of the screen that says frozen or not.

"It's really interesting. In testing, we're seeing people's eyes are now watching the actual combat that's happening on the screen instead of just staring at the UI the whole time, which is just a much better experience."

Johanson added that "the constraint of the controller" has encouraged ArenaNet to "create a version of combat" that's still a better experience on mouse and keyboard as well.

"That's been really, really awesome for us. There's a lot of stuff that just won't be on the UI because it doesn't need to be used," he said.

Guild Wars 3 is in active development, with a beta period scheduled for Fall 2027.

• Diablo 5 senior game director Joe Shely says the team is "trying to make it for everyone who loves Diablo" for specific reasons
• He says the team used "deferred complexity" to help balance the game's systems for endgame players and campaign lovers
• Narrative director Jennifer Hepler says there are like-minded developers on the team who are "passionate advocates" and are creating the content for these fans

Diablo 5 senior game director Joe Shely has said Blizzard is making a sequel for all fans, but it has to find the right balance for players who love the series for specific reasons.

Speaking to TechRadar Gaming at BlizzCon 2026 after the game's reveal, Shely explained that the team isn't trying to make a Diablo game "for every human on Earth" or "literally everyone" but is "trying to make it for everyone who loves Diablo, and people who love Diablo love it for specific reasons, and those reasons are knowable."

He and the team know some fans play Diablo and are most interested in the storylines and exploration, while other, more hardcore players spend time with the complex systems that come with itemization, designing builds, and racing to the endgame.

"We can talk to players and understand why individual players or groups of players love Diablo and what they love about it, and from what game they associate with Diablo," Shely said, "and so that allows us to tailor our systems and experiences, campaign and progression in a way that can be satisfying to different kinds of talent players."

This is where the developer brought up "deferred complexity," an idea the team used to help balance the game's systems for those who enjoy taking their time, while also delivering on "our commitment to have a complete end game for those players at launch." This means that some complex systems have been moved to the endgame.

"By deferring some of the complexity of the systems and itemization later into the endgame," Shely said, "we can deliver the depth and mastery elements that our players who love the endgame enjoy without overwhelming our players who are enjoying spending a lot of time in the campaign and exploring the world."

Narrative director Jennifer Hepler added that all types of Diablo fans are represented on the development team; she said they are like-minded, "very passionate" about the series, and understand what players enjoy most.

"People who love campaign are working on campaign, and the people who love systems are working on the end game," Hepler said. "And so every group of players has passionate advocates on the team who are not only speaking for them but are actually creating the content for them."

Diablo 5 is in development and is slated to launch in Spring 2029.

• Guild Wars 3 is the first game in the series to launch on both PC and console
• Studio head Colin Johanson says it will allow the game to "reach a much wider group of players" on PS5 and PC
• ArenaNet wants new players to take their first plunge into Guild Wars with the upcoming game

Guild Wars 3 will be the first game in the MMORPG franchise to launch on both console and PC, and ArenaNet thinks it will encourage newcomers to take their first steps into the Guild Wars series.

"With us bringing the game to console for the first time, [and] with us launching on Steam from day one on our own platform, we can reach a much wider group of players," said studio head Colin Johanson during a guided presentation TechRadar Gaming attended at Gamescom.

Speaking about the game's setting, which takes place 1000 years before the first Guild Wars game in the ancient land of Orr, Johanson explained that the game will appeal to hardcore fans who have been eager to learn more about the lore for years.

Exploring this highly anticipated era means ArenaNet could welcome new players with no Guild Wars experience, since the game is essentially a prequel and newcomers won't be required to play the first two games to understand what's going on.

"Everyone's going to learn it all together, and if you're a big Guild Wars fan, you'll know what some of the species are and some of the characters or some of the locations," the studio head said. "But for the most part, everybody is on equal footing."

The direction also means the studio could draw more players by launching the game on both PC and PlayStation 5; it's unclear right now whether the game could eventually get an Xbox release as well.

"We really wanted to have an invitation for everybody to come play Guild Wars 3 together and feel like this could be their first Guild Wars game that they haven't played before," Johanson added.

Guild Wars 3 is now in development and doesn't have a release date, but a beta is scheduled for Fall 2027.

• England and Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer was temporarily banned on Twitch this week
• He was streaming the upcoming EA Sports FC 27 ahead of an agreed embargo
• He responded in a light-hearted manner on Instagram, asking the streaming service to “unban me pls."

Cole Palmer, everyone’s favorite straight-talking Chelsea and England midfielder who loves his chippy-chips and a basic builder’s tea, took to Twitch earlier this week to livestream the upcoming EA Sports FC 27. There was just one problem: he wasn’t supposed to be showing off the game this early and was given a temporary ban by the platform.

As spotted by ESPN, Palmer was given early access to the upcoming football sim and decided to livestream it on Tuesday afternoon to a fairly significant audience. However, he was supposed to wait until after an official EA Sports showcase took place later that evening.

After an EA rep popped up in the chat to remind Palmer, the stream ended, and his Twitch account page was updated to show that it had been suspended.

In response to the gaffe, Palmer characteristically posted on Instagram that, ”I was only giving the people what they wanted.” He followed that up with a simple request: “unban me pls.”

Genuine mistake or not, any potential leniency from EA probably wasn’t forthcoming after he started complaining about his rating in-game during the untimely stream. EA Sports FC 27 has given Palmer an overall score of 85 out of 99 in the latest edition. He was 87 in the previous entry.

"I need a word with EA. They took two ratings off me," Palmer said during the stream.

In fairness, he did call out that he spent a lot of last year out with various injuries, which he joked had effectively left him with “one leg for 10 months last season.”

His ego also took another small knock when he saw that long-time friend and Chelsea teammate Morgan Rodgers had been given a pace score of 76. Palmer's pace rating is listed at 75. Savage.

Fortunately, his account has now been reinstated, and he’s already been back streaming as if nothing had happened, bringing an end to another hilarious aside in the footballer’s career that's already been full of meme-worthy moments. This one is my new favorite.

EA Sports FC 27 officially launches on September 25, with early access starting September 18 for those who pre-ordered the Ultimate and Ultimate Plus editions.

• Take-Two Interactive says GTA Online support will continue after Grand Theft Auto 6 has launched
• The publisher's latest comments suggest that an online experience associated with GTA 6 is still a long way off
• Fans speculate that GTA 6 Online could be a separate, paid title

Take-Two Interactive has confirmed that Rockstar Games will continue supporting GTA Online after the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, suggesting the title's rumored online experience could be a long way off.

During the Take-Two shareholder meeting on September 17 (via ResetEra), it was reported said that "GTA 6 is a single-player title and is due to release this November. We will continue to support GTA Online after GTA 6 release and beyond."

While we already knew GTA 6 is launching as a standalone single-player experience, it's speculated that the game will eventually receive an online mode, similar to how GTA Online released soon after GTA 5.

The language used during the shareholder meeting suggests fans shouldn't expect an online experience associated with GTA 6 anytime soon, if it indeed exists, as Rockstar will continue supporting its current money-making machine for the foreseeable future.

According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier during a discussion about GTA 6's pre-order period and earned revenue, Take-Two "have not talked at all, and they are not planning to talk anytime soon, about what the new GTA Online will look like."

Despite Take-Two's avoidance of the topic, and the publisher's latest comments, fans believe this could mean GTA 6 Online could be a separate, paid service.

"Looks like the next variant of GTA Online is nowhere near ready as Schreier already reported," the original ResetEra poster said. "And it's a high likelihood they will launch it as a big standalone title, whether F2P or for like $30. They will want to give it all the resources and spotlight it will need and not be an "add-on" this time."

Others support the standalone concept, while others believe it could be another $70 experience.

"I wouldn't be shocked if it costs $70 or more lmao," one user replied.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S,

• Rockstar Games has announced 'Grand Theft Auto 6: The Album'
• The official soundtrack features 34 original tracks, and the first six can be listened to today on all major streaming services
• The 'Grand Theft Auto 6: The Album' - Limited-Edition Vinyl has already sold out, but a separate exclusive vinyl and CD are still available for pre-order

Rockstar Games has announced 'Grand Theft Auto 6: The Album', GTA 6's official soundtrack that will launch alongside the game.

The upcoming soundtrack album is now available to pre-save on all major music streaming services, and will be released on vinyl and CD, including three exclusives available only for pre-order here.

Featuring 34 original tracks that "capture the electric energy of Grand Theft Auto 6’s world of Vice City and Leonida", the album features "a genre-defying roster of the most exciting artists in the world", with tracks from artists like Yung Lean, Travis Scott, PinkPantheress, Morgan Wallen, Keith Richards, and more.

As a small teaser, Rockstar has also released the first six singles featured on the album. We'll list them below.

• Yung Lean – That's It (feat. Future & Metro Boomin)
• Travis Scott – RHYNO (prod. by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) 
• CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, Fred again.. & Etienne de Crécy – Sexy Magic  
• Morgan Wallen – Last Thing You Need  
• Rauw Alejandro – Macacoa 2000  
• Keith Richards – Bright Lights, Big City 

Grand Theft Auto 6: The Album - CD costs £10.99 / $19.98, while Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album - Vinyl costs £44.99 / $49.98.

Then there's the more expensive Grand Theft Auto 6: The Album - Limited-Edition Vinyl priced at £108.99 / $124.98, featuring two transparent magenta discs filled with blue liquid, exclusive new artwork, and packaging designs.

Unfortunately, this edition quickly sold out after its announcement, and it's unclear whether more stock will be available. All editions are expected to ship November 20, one day after GTA 6 launches.

Rockstar noted that "exclusive vinyl disc colorways, each featuring unique new art" will also be available at Blood Records, Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Urban Outfitters, and indie retailers.

"Stay tuned for more details about the music of Grand Theft Auto 6, including the dynamic score, the next evolution of in-game radio, and more," the studio said.

• ArenaNet says Guild Wars 3's ancient Orr setting will interest longtime lore fans and newcomers
• Studio head Colin Johanson says the game is "very much for our fans" who are invested in the game's lore
• He adds that the game is also for new players, and they won't need to play the first two games to understand what's going on

ArenaNet has confirmed that Guild Wars 3 takes place 1000 years before the first Guild Wars game in the ancient land of Orr, which it believes will interest both hardcore fans and new players.

Speaking at an exclusive preview TechRadar Gaming attended at Gamescom, where we saw a guided presentation exploring the game's new momentum system, studio head Colin Johanson shared additional details about the game's setting, where players are a Veil Warden.

Johanson explained that much of Guild Wars' history and lore originates from ancient Orr, and he knows fans "care deeply" about it and have been asking ArenaNet for more, so it felt like a natural direction for the sequel.

"Some of the themes from Guild Wars 1 all tie back to moments in this timeline before the gods disappeared from the world," he said. "In Guild Wars 2, the ruins of Orr are raised from the bottom of the ocean by a giant undead dragon, and players get to visit the remains of what Orr was 1000 years in the future, and players have been asking us for over a decade to see what Orr was like before the gods left, before it was destroyed, and so this is very much for our fans to give them something to get excited about."

However, while Guild Wars' setting might seem lore-heavy, the studio head confirmed that "it's also for new fans" and that newcomers won't need to play the first two games to understand what's going on.

"This period of time has about two pages of recorded history that we've ever released outside of the studio," Johanson said. "We have a lot more internally that we haven't shared, but our fans have only seen a tiny amount of info about what actually happened in this timeline and setting, which means it's the perfect time for new people to come join the Guild Wars franchise because you don't have to have played Guild Wars 1 or Guild Wars 2 to understand what's going on in the story."

He continued: "Everyone's going to learn it all together, and if you're a big Guild Wars fan, you'll know what some of the species are and some of the characters or some of the locations. But for the most part, everybody is on equal footing."

Guild Wars 3 doesn't have a release date yet, but a beta is scheduled for Fall 2027. The game is launching on PC and PlayStation 5.

• Fable will have a 60fps performance mode on Xbox Series X
• Playground Games associate game director Craig Littler says it didn't want to compare the PC and Xbox versions
• However, he adds that "It will look great wherever you go"

Playground Games is being a bit cagey about Fable's graphics settings across PC and console, but has confirmed the Xbox Series X version will have a 60fps performance mode.

Fable has been in development for a very long time, but fans can finally expect the fantasy role-playing game (RPG) to launch on February 23, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

While there have been plenty of trailers and, most recently, new gameplay footage showcasing the game, Playground has yet to share the PC specs and how Fable will run on console.

However, during a Q&A session at Gamescom attended by TechRadar Gaming, associate game directors Will Kennedy and Craig Littler did reveal that the game will look "great" on all platforms.

"What we will say is that our approach to all platforms is really the same, in that we want the game to look great wherever you're playing it, and for it to be appropriate for the platform later on," Littler replied when asked to elaborate about the console edition graphics settings.

Without giving away too much, the developer then confirmed that the Xbox Series X version will offer a 60fps performance mode, but said, "I don't really want to get into the like in terms of what PC versus Xbox will be like."

"It will look great wherever you go," he added.

In the same interview, Playground also confirmed that Fable will take up to 20 hours to beat, but promises the game's life systems offer "limitless" replayability.

• Sony has revealed two new PlayStation headsets
• They're intended to supersede the previous PlayStation Pulse models
• There's no word on pricing yet

Sony has just unveiled the "next line of PS5 audio products" with two new PlayStation Pulse wireless gaming headsets.

Both models are intended to supersede the old PlayStation Pulse Elite, which was released in 2024. The new PlayStation Pulse Edge boasts custom planar magnetic drivers that deliver "studio-inspired" sound and has eight magnets under the hood.

It comes with a detachable boom mic offering AI noise rejection alongside a USB Type-C adapter and premium carrying case.

Major features include built-in volume controls that integrate with the console's operating system, a game audio and chat balance slider, and active noise cancellation.

The upcoming PlayStation Pulse, in contrast, is positioned as a more entry-level model. It cuts the number of driver magnets down to four, which likely means less bass and reduced clarity. There's no boom mic either, so you need to rely on an integrated microphone instead.

It also loses the game audio and chat balance feature, lacks active noise cancellation, and isn't bundled with any kind of case.

Sony has been quite cagey about pricing, with no word on how much either model will cost on the official PlayStation Blog. This makes it hard to determine whether this refreshed line will offer good value, especially given the abundance of excellent headsets currently offered by third-party brands like SteelSeries and Corsair.

We do know that both models will be available in both white and black, however, and will hit shelves early next year.

They will also connect to the PlayStation Portal out of the box, thanks to their native PlayStation Link compatibility.

• Diablo 5 will have features inspired by Diablo 2 and Diablo 2: Resurrected
• Senior game director Joe Shely says the team was able to look at Resurrected for modern inspiration because it's so recent
• He says the team can "look at it through today's lens"

Diablo 5 senior game director Joe Shely has said that the success of Diablo 2: Resurrected has enabled Blizzard to use the game as modern inspiration for the upcoming sequel.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at BlizzCon following Diablo 5's announcement, Shely shared how previous games helped the team find modern inspiration for Diablo 5.

Instead of going back 20 years and just looking at Diablo 2, the team used its 2021 remaster, Diablo 2: Resurrected, for ideas. The developer said the game was brought to life thanks to the passionate fanbase, and the continued work on it has benefited Diablo 5's development.

"Certainly we've been very happy with the response to Diablo 2: Resurrected," Shely said. "The reason that Diablo 2: Resurrected exists is because of the continued passion of players in the first place, because of the continued passion of players for Diablo 2, and so both the honor of having a game that players love and the ability to add new content to it has given us the opportunity to look at it in terms of inspiration."

Resurrected's itemization system, from weapons, loot, and armor, is one of the core features that Blizzard used as inspiration; Shely also said the game's modern features were just as important because it was created and released so recently.

"Because Diablo 2: Resurrected exists today alongside Diablo 4, we can look at it through today's lens, and not just have to go back to, you know, 20 years ago, and think about how to bring lessons forward from 20 years ago. We can bring lessons from D2, but lessons from today."

Diablo 5 is in development and launches in Spring 2029.

• StarCraft general manager says that approaching the concept of scale was one of the biggest challenges in switching to the shooter genre
• The shift from real-time strategy to an open world also introduced a huge change in perspective
• But one of the biggest individual challenges was simple

The next StarCraft game will shift to an entirely new genre, jumping from real-time strategy (RTS) to an open-world shooter. The change led to some broad development challenges — as well as some very specific ones.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at BlizzCon 2026, when asked about the development challenges in taking the RTS to another genre, StarCraft general manager Dan Hay gave one very particular example: "Was there a specific challenge? Doors."

Yes, doors. Literal doors.

"If you're 10 feet tall and you're wearing something that weighs 1,000 pounds, doors are a challenge, and we had to figure out how to make our doors [work in] that perspective," described Hay. "It's like, how does it all work?"

Hay went on to say that devs need to make "sure that the world feels logical" and that it "doesn't feel weird" to players.

Hay added: "You've got to be able to play with that perspective, and so from the standpoint of building the world and making sure that the world was logical, and that when I walked up to a door it [opened] and also worked for somebody who's in armor or not".

Beyond the simple challenge of doors, however, Hay did add that size and spectacle were a sticking point: "I think you got to think about scale, right? Because the moment you adjust a perspective, [everything] looks completely different to us".

Annalee Hartling, associate manager of development operations for StarCraft, went on to talk about the sense of scale being very impactful.

"When I saw the trailer, the most impactful portion of it for me was the barracks. The barracks flying in and seeing it from the perspective of every nook and cranny, not looking at it from above.

"I'm not seeing just the top of it. I'm looking at it from the point of view of it landing landing [in front of me], and those jets are going to come out, and the feet are going to come out, and they're going to they're going to touch the ground."

That sense of perspective and scale in an open-world shooter game was "incredibly powerful for a player," said Hartling. "It's emotional, it's fascinating, and it's beautiful," they continued.

StarCraft is set to launch in 2030.