To celebrate the Mafia franchise’s 20th anniversary, the original Mafia title will be free on Steam from September 1 through September 5. Once you’ve claimed the game, it’s yours to keep forever–so make sure you find time to add the mob adventure to your Steam library.

It’s hard to believe, but the original Mafia game has already been around for two decades. The classic third-person shooter launched in 2002, bringing a gritty mob story to consoles and PC. You’ll step into the shoes of cab driver Tommy Angelo as he gets pulled into the world of organized crime–and before he knows it, he’s evading the cops, getting in shootouts, and exploring the massive town of Lost Heaven as he becomes more entangled in this criminal empire.

In honor of #Mafia20 let’s go back to where it all started 🏙
Get the original Mafia (digital) for FREE on @Steam from Sept. 1 – 5 pic.twitter.com/ZdxSFZrLwh

— 2K (@2K) August 29, 2022

Coinciding with the free game reveal was the announcement of a new Mafia project.

“I’m happy to confirm we’ve started work on an all-new Mafia project,” said Roman Hladik, General Manager at Hangar 13. “While it’s a few years away and we can’t share anything more right now, we’re really excited to keep working on this beloved franchise and to entertain our players with new stories.”

In the meantime, you can play through the game that started it all entirely free on Steam. And if you need something more modern, you can check out Mafia: Definitive Edition for a reimagined take on the original adventure.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

At long last the date is here. AMD this evening will be broadcasting their “together we advance_PCs” event, which will be focused around the upcoming launch of their next-generation Ryzen 7000 processors.

AMD first unveiled their Ryzen 7000 platform and branding back at Computex 2022, offering quite a few high-level details on the forthcoming consumer processor platform while stating it would be launching in the fall. The new CPU family will feature up to 16 Zen 4 cores using TSMC’s optimized 5 nm manufacturing process for the Core Complex Die (CCD), and TSMC’s 6nm process for the I/O Die (IOD). AMD has not disclosed a great deal about the Zen 4 architecture itself, though their Computex presentation has indicated we should expect a several percent increase in IPC, along with a further several percent increase in peak clockspeeds, allowing for a 15%+ increase in single-threaded performance.

The Ryzen 7000 series is also notable for being the first of AMD’s chiplet-based CPUs to integrate a GPU – in this case embedding it in the IOD. The modest GPU allows for AMD’s CPUs to supply their own graphics, eliminating the need for a discrete GPU just to boot a system while, we expect, providing enough performance for basic desktop work.

Tonight’s presentation, in turn, should finally see AMD moving on to talking about launch details for the Ryzen 7000 CPUs and the associated AM5 platform. That should include performance expectations and a bit more on the motherboards. And, of course, information on the specific chip SKUs that will be hitting the market, including core configurations, clockspeeds, and prices. With any luck we may get a bit more on the Zen 4 architecture as well, as alongside CEO Dr. Lisa Su, CTO Mark Papermaster is slated to present part of the event.

The event is set to kick off tonight, August 29th, at 7pm ET (23:00 UTC). So be sure to join us for our live blog coverage around the announcement of the next generation of AMD desktop CPUs.

Read MoreAnandTech

2K Games has confirmed a new entry in its Mafia series is in development at Hangar 13, the team that made Mafia III and Mafia: Definitive Edition.

General manager Roman Hladík confirmed this in a blog post celebrating the Mafia franchise’s 20th anniversary. “I’m happy to confirm we’ve started work on an all-new Mafia project! While it’s a few years away and we can’t share anything more right now, we’re really excited to keep working on this beloved franchise and to entertain our players with new stories,” the developer said.

The Mafia series debuted in 2002, with a sequel arriving in 2010. Six years later, in 2016, Mafia III was released as the first title from 2K’s new studio, Hangar 13. The studio had nothing else to share regarding its new Mafia title.

In the blog post, Hladík went on to say, speaking generally about game development, that the studio learns more with every new project. “We learn new stuff, because things keep developing, right? In the early days of Mafia, making games was… I wouldn’t say easier, but it was a small team with simpler technology and so on. Games and technology keep developing, so it’s all about constant learning,” the developer said.

To celebrate the Mafia franchise’s 20th anniversary, 2K is making the original Mafia free on Steam from September 1-5.

In honor of #Mafia20 let’s go back to where it all started 🏙
Get the original Mafia (digital) for FREE on @Steam from Sept. 1 – 5 pic.twitter.com/ZdxSFZrLwh

— 2K (@2K) August 29, 2022

According to Kotaku, Hangar 13’s was working on a game, codenamed Volt, that was canceled in 2021 after parent company Take-Two reportedly spent $50 million on it.

The same report said Hangar 13’s UK team was making a Mafia prequel in Unreal Engine 5 and set in Italy, and this could be the new game confirmed today.

What’s more, Hangar 13 is now reportedly making a new Top Spin tennis game under the codenamed Project Hammer. It’s supposedly scheduled to release before the new Mafia prequel. 2011’s Top Spin 4 is the latest entry in the series.

Hangar 13 studio head Haden Blackman resigned in May 2022. That same month, around 50 people in Hangar 13’s California office were let go. Whether or not the studio is staffing back up with a new Mafia game in development remains to be seen, but the studio currently has 30 open positions.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

As part of Pokemon Master EX’s third anniversary, players can now obtain and play as anime protagonist Ash, for the first time in any Pokemon title. The anniversary celebration includes other events and the announcement of other sync pairs.

As previously teased, Ash and Pikachu can battle together as a sync pair. This grants them special moves, like B Thunderbolt and Best Buds 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. You can add the pair to your team via the Ash Master Fair Scout until October 16. Players can also interact with Ash through a variety of special events.

In Blazing Battle, Ash joins a tournament for trainers who have just arrived in the game’s setting of Pasio. It features new story beats and battles. A Challenge From Ash lets players fight the legendary trainer. Additional daily training against Ash is also available until September 26. You can also battle against Ash with your Pikachu in The Classic Thunderbolt event, which lasts until October 16.

Outside of Ash, two new sync pairs are coming to the game soon. The first is Sygna Suit Cynthia and Lucario, and is available from August 29 to October 2. The second is Sygna Suit Red and Pikachu, which is available from August 31 to October 2.

A new mode called Trainer Lodge also recently released. Here players can chat with their favorite trainers, give them presents, unlock photographs and other story content. You can even send trainers on expeditions to get rewards.

The anniversary also comes with log-in bonuses. Any player who logs into the game before October 2 will receive 3,000 gems. Players who log in 14 times until September 13 can earn an additional 3,300 gems. Additionally, if you log in before September 14, you can receive ten pairs of Scout Tickets. When exchanged, you can earn up to 100 sync pairs by logging in ten times and getting a pair from each scout. The tickets must be redeemed by September 21.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

New PS5 console models have launched in Australia, and similar to previous PlayStation iterations of the pat, they bear new model numbers. These new editions–the CFI-1202B digital console and the CFI-1202A disc console–don’t have any outward changes but internally they are lighter.

As spotted by Press Start, the Disc PS5 has shed another 300 grams and now weighs 3.9 kg, while the Digital PS5 is 200 grams lighter and tilts the scales at 3.4 kg, This isn’t the first time that Sony has trimmed down the PS5, as a previous revision saw its heatsink swapped out for a slimmer version. In total, the Disc PS5 is now 600 grams lighter than the original model and the Digital PS5 has lost 500 grams overall.

While Sony hasn’t revealed any plans for a PS5 Slim, that hasn’t stopped one YouTuber from taking the initiative. DIY YouTuber Matt Perks took on the challenge and created an elegantly slim PS5 by jettisoning the heatsink and using a copper shell to house all the internal components inside of. Just don’t pay attention to the massive water-cooling system plugged in behind his TV.

While the PS5 console is going to lose some weight, expect your bank account to also shed some excess cash if you live in one of several markets where a price increase on the Sony hardware has recently kicked in. Sony blames global economic challenges and adverse currency trends for the retail price increase in Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and parts of North America, although the US has been spared.

In response to this move by Sony, Nintendo announced that Switch prices would remain the same–despite growing production costs–and Microsoft also confirmed that no Xbox Series X|S price increase is currently on the cards.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Let’s face it: the Monday blues can’t be cured by much. However, getting the Wordle answer correct is a solid start to making a Monday the best day that it can be. We’re back with another edition of our Wordle guides, this time for puzzle #436 on August 29. The answer today is a fairly common word that almost every player should know and know how to spell. For players that haven’t started, though, they can check out our recommended list of starting words to give themselves an edge.

Of course, we all have those days where the Wordle simply isn’t making sense. If you’ve fallen into that cycle today, then you’ve come to the right place. We’re here to lend a helping hand and ensure that you start your week off strong and continue your Wordle streak. To do that, we will list two hints to the August 29 Wordle below and even offer the full answer below the hints for players that are still struggling. So if you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t look any further than the two hints.

Today’s Wordle Answer- August 29, 2022

We’ll begin with two hints that directly relate to the answer, but don’t overtly give it away. The full answer can be found further down for players who can’t figure out the answer from the hints.

Hint 1: The main character in the Halo video game franchise is Master…Hint 2: There is an NFL team in the US midwest named after this word.

If those hints weren’t able to push the needle and secure the answer for you, then don’t worry, as we have the full answer to the August 29 Wordle right here. The full answer is… “chief.” Definitely not one of the most challenging Wordles ever, but it can certainly offer some difficulty with its use of vowels. Check back tomorrow for another edition of our Wordle guides.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Following its acquisition of Destiny developer Bungie earlier this year, PlayStation has now acquired yet another big studio. Sony Interactive Entertainment today announced plans to buy Savage Game Studios, a mobile studio based in Finland and Germany, that is currently working on a AAA live-service game for mobile. Whether or not this game will be a PlayStation franchise or a new IP remains to be seen.

Sony did not disclose the sale price due to “contractual commitments,” but the company said buying Savage is part of the company’s effort expand PlayStation to “additional platforms.” This follows PlayStation’s pursuit of the PC market, too, which it expects to be very lucrative–for example, Sony expects to make $300 million from PC games this year alone.

“PlayStation Studios must continue to expand and diversify our offering beyond console, bringing incredible new games to more people than ever before,” PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst said. “Acquiring the talented team at Savage Game Studios is another strategic step towards that goal. I’m really excited about what Savage is working on and I’m confident they will deliver a high-quality experience. Our move into mobile, like our expansion into PC and live service games, strengthens our capabilities and our community, and complements PlayStation Studios’ purpose to make the best games that we can.”

PlayStation has acquired another studio

Savage CEO and co-founder Michail Katkoff said, “We’re early in development on our unannounced project but can’t wait to show you more of what we’re working on.”

Savage will be folded into Sony’s newly established PlayStation Studios Mobile Division, which handles mobile games and is separate from its console team.

Sony’s announcement also stressed that its PlayStation team is trying to meet gamers wherever they are and give them whatever they want. That could be a mobile game, a PC title, or a live-service project. Sony also stressed that it will continue to make “unparalleled single-player, narrative-driven AAA console games.” In essence, Sony is trying to do it all.

“As we assured you before with our plans to bring select titles to PC, our efforts beyond console in no way diminish our commitment to the PlayStation community, nor our passion to keep making amazing single-player, narrative-driven experiences,” Hulst said.

2022 has been a year full of mergers and acquisitions, and many of them have been focused on mobile studios because mobile is bigger than console and PC. 2022 began with GTA company Take-Two acquiring FarmVille studio Zynga for $12.7 billion, which was the biggest acquisition in gaming history by far until Microsoft, just a month later, announced it was buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently acknowledged that Microsoft went after Activision Blizzard first and foremost to get a foothold in the mobile space via Candy Crush studio King.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Mario Kart is celebrating its 30-year anniversary today, August 27, 2022. Below, we take a look at one of the most controversial power-ups in video games, the infamous Blue Shell.

There is no single item in all of video games as hated and feared as Mario Kart’s Blue Shell, aka the Spiny Shell. Though it didn’t debut with the original game on the Super NES, the item has become a recognizable icon and a part of the series’ identity. It is the ultimate equalizer, representing not just a single mechanic in a single Mario spin-off, but Nintendo’s entire philosophy of play. Naturally, some people just really hate the damn thing.

The original Super Mario Kart was essentially a pure test of skill, rudimentary as it was. The tracks were flat and it approximated the idea of 3D by rotating and scaling the map around the player’s kart. The items were mostly recognizable, aside from a few oddities like the Feather to jump over obstacles, and specialized items that would only appear for CPU-controlled versions of Bowser or Yoshi. There was no spiny blue shell in the bunch. The most powerful item was the Lightning Bolt, which had an extremely low probability of appearing across the board and only slightly higher if you were trailing behind the pack. It was an equalizer, sure, but its effect was distributed more or less equally. It hit every racer except the one who triggered the item, so whether you were in first place or fourth place, you were impacted.

Then came Mario Kart 64, a massive improvement over Super Mario Kart in almost every way. The tracks were bigger and more varied, a new power-slide and dash maneuver raised the skill ceiling for serious karters, and there was a real sense of 3D space. Plus, there were new items like the Gold Mushroom, Fake Item Box, and of course, the Blue Shell. The powerful new catch-up tool didn’t replace the Lightning Bolt, but it added another, more targeted effect. Rather than hit everyone except the user, it went on a journey to seek out the first-place leader and ruin their day. Like an upgraded Red Shell, it had heat-seeking properties to find its target, but it was only really interested in one target. Anyone else who got caught in its path would be knocked into the air too, but that was collateral damage. The Blue Shell just wanted the leader to suffer.

The Blue Shell was, admittedly, a little unfair. For one thing, it essentially provided an invincible shield if you held it behind you, unlike other items like the Banana or Green Shell that would break if a projectile made contact. Its laser-like focus on the first-place finisher set up scenarios where it paid to be a close second. Mechanically, it was a rough first draft.

Besides all that, though, it also seemed, well, mean. If you were lagging behind in 8th place, hitting the first-place finisher didn’t really help you catch up. As opposed to the Lightning Bolt that impacted everyone, and therefore gave you an opportunity to improve your position, this new item just seemed to be born of spite. “I’m not going to win,” it seemed to say, “but neither are you.”

Future iterations of the Blue Shell would be revised to sand off the rough edges. Double Dash added wings so that it would hover above the track rather than ping-ponging its way through every other racer, a feature that remained through several games. Future iterations would add an explosive effect so that everyone immediately surrounding the first-place finisher would also get hit, to keep second-place from gaming the system. Under the hood, Nintendo subtly tweaked the probability of pulling a Blue Shell so that you’d be most likely to get it if you were in the middle of the pack, rather than trailing at the very end. That change meant that the item was more likely to actually make a difference for your own ranking, rather than just screwing over someone else.

There have also been a variety of ways to avoid the Blue Shell, even if you’re in first place, with varying degrees of skill required. Sometimes you would have to do a jump-dodge with perfect accuracy to dodge the Blue Shell, while more recent games like Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart Tour have introduced the Super Horn to provide a hard counter. The odds that you’ll happen to pull a Super Horn and be in first place and still have the Super Horn in-hand when a Blue Shell is on your tail are not great, exactly, but it at least provides a glimmer of hope.

But after all the recriminations and controversy, why does Nintendo maintain the Blue Shell? It has removed items from Mario Kart before and added others. What makes this one worth keeping despite the hate? What can it tell us about how Nintendo views its philosophy of fun?

In an interview with Kotaku in 2011, Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64 director Hideki Konno said he “wanted to create a race where everyone was in it until the end.” This explains the initial introduction of power items like the Lightning Bolt in Super Mario Kart and the Blue Shell in Mario Kart 64. Today’s Blue Shell is more targeted toward the leaders, not just the singular first-place leader, and Nintendo has inserted items that serve as hard counters. It can still serve its purpose as an equalizer, but not quite as brutal of one.

We also can’t underestimate the fact that the Blue Shell has just become iconic in the annals of video game history. Nintendo obviously recognizes this status as a historical artifact. A special edition of Mario Kart 8 when it first launched on the Wii U even included a figurine of the Blue Shell, a clear hat-tip to its seminal status.

More narrowly, though, the Blue Shell has become synonymous with Mario Kart. The family-friendly series is not a serious racer like Gran Turismo or an edgy car combat game like Twisted Metal. It exists in the uncanny in-between as a competitive game that doesn’t want you to get all that competitive. C’mon, these are turtles and princesses and babies riding around in go-karts. Maybe the real lesson of the Blue Shell is that we should be able to get together and do something silly, like race around a giant pinball machine or a cloud castle, without getting too obsessed with our win-loss record.

“We’re always experimenting with what new elements to introduce or what elements can be removed,” Mario Kart 8 director Kosuke Yabuki told Eurogamer in 2017. “We have tried–or we are trying–to see what the game’s like without the Blue Shell. When we’ve experimented without the Blue Shell, actually it feels like something’s missing. Like there’s something not quite enough in the game. So for now we’ve kept it in.

“You know,” he said, “sometimes life isn’t fair. Sometimes in life you have something where you feel that’s not right, and that’s frustrating.”

So there you have it. Thanks to the Blue Shell, sometimes Mario Kart is arbitrary and unforgiving and even a little mean. Sometimes life is too. Maybe we just need to be okay with that.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier is approaching its fourth season on September 1st. Before the fourth season starts, the game has added an all-new Variant Mode. In the mode, players can play as famous enemies of the Final Fantasy franchise such as Cactuar, Bomb, Slug-Ray, Bahamut, and Cloud’s nemesis, Sephiroth, the esteemed Solider 1st Class with his iconic Masamune in hand.

Variant Mode is only available until August 31st, but in the meantime, you can dive into the fight against these enemies as your custom soldier character, or control the versions of these prolific enemies that play similarly to their aesthetics and mechanics in the Final Fantasy games.

This guide will show you the different options to attempt to play as Sephiroth, Bahamut, and more for Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier’s Variant Mode.

Before the match starts, the game will highlight all players of the Variant Team and the Variants they have chosen to spawn as.

What is Variant Mode

Variant Mode is a 9v3 mode. It allows nine players to use their custom soldier they have been playing for Ranked or Standard Matches to face off against three players with the ability to transform into Variants.

These Variants are:

BombSlug-RayCactuarBahamutSephiroth

Each of these Variants plays mechanically like the enemies you have fought in other Final Fantasy games. Bomb can unleash fireballs and explodes on death to decimate the area. Slug-Ray can fly around shooting its artillery. Cactuar is able to speed around the area, is difficult to damage due to its tiny frame, and is able to emit needles at foes. Bahamut can fly around the map, divebomb, and create prominent destructive flares to engulf the opposing team. Sephiroth is able to glide around the map, slash foes effortlessly, call forth comets from the sky, and even teleport above an enemy player before slashing down to execute them.

Sephiroth with his trusty Masamune defeats an enemy player.

How to Play as Sephiroth

From the Main Menu, you will need to tap on Game Mode on the box on the right side.

The Main Menu Screen with options to tap on the Season Pass, Mode Selection, Class Mastery, in-game Shop, and more.

Then, choose the current Event, which is Variant Mode. It’s the one with Sephiroth staring directly at you in the same way he usually gazes towards Cloud.

The Mode Selection and the Variant Mode Event appear here to change sift through matchmaking types.

Then you are good to go and can start searching for a match with this mode.

If all 12 players do not join the match, the match will need to be searched for again.

To ensure you play as the Variant Team, you will need to earn Variant Team Tickets. The different ways to earn these Variant Team Tickets are:

Play matches as the Candidate Team, which will have you controlling your custom soldier to fight the VariantsInflict 100 or more damage in a matchPlay matches to the end without quitting the gamePlay matches without placing a checkmark on the Mode Selection Screen

You can only earn Variant Team Tickets from the Variant Mode. You cannot earn Variant Team Tickets from playing other game modes.

Only 10 Variant Team Tickets can be held, and if you group up with friends or as a party, all of you will need to have five Variant Team Tickets available to ensure priority to be placed as the Variant Team.

It is important to note that sometimes you might just end up on the Variant Team without the usage of tickets. As long as you start matchmaking by the Variant Mode, even if you do not have enough tickets, you can still play as Sephiroth.

Sephiroth elegantly glides around the map to find enemy players to cut down.

If not all 12 players join before a match begins, and you choose Sephiroth, you will have to start matchmaking over. This will make you lose your opportunity to play as Sephiroth for that match.

Tickets will not be consumed if you fail to join the Variant Team.

If you do die as any of the Variants, as long as another team member has not taken the one you would like, then you can respawn as the Variant of your choosing. Only one of each type of Variant is allowed to be on the map, so no there cannot be three Sephiroths running around at the same time. Sephiroth, like the other Variants, has an HP Recovery Passive that restores 5% HP, when defeating a Candidate. Try to continually kill the Candidate Team while taking minimal damage, so you can play as Sephiroth longer before switching.

Best of luck on joining the Variant Team, and playing as Sephiroth for the next several days!

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News


We have recently updated the logo and you will see it across Roblox over the next week. As we continue to build a platform of 3D immersive experiences focused on reimagining the way people come together, we wanted the Roblox logo to reflect our vision. 

Roblox_Logo_Launch_Elements

The Roblox logo currently has distinctiveness with its tilt, which represents building, progression, and motion. In refining the logo, we wanted to retain the equity of the tilt while also reflecting the evolution of our platform.

Our updated logo introduces new custom letterforms that are lighter in weight and reflect a more modern aesthetic. The second “o” has returned as a letter, giving more focus to our iconic tilt. The tilt has been slightly refined but continues to maintain its distinct character.

As you look at how the Roblox logo has evolved over time, it’s always been aligned to who we’ve been as a company. I’m excited for this new iteration of the Roblox wordmark to reflect our ambition to be a human co-experience platform for all ages and our mission to bring optimism and civility to over a billion people. 



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