New game studios pop up almost weekly nowadays, as the games industry experiences a sort of de-centralization of development talent, if you will. These new studio announcements don’t always catch my eye, but the one for developer Starlight Games did. Starlight is new studio based in Liverpool, United Kingdom with an impressive cast of senior leadership. It includes the co-creator of WipEout, Nick Burcombe, and the co-creator of Skate, Andy Santos, who also worked on the Resident Evil franchise, and PS VR2’s Horizon: Call of the Mountain. Starlight Games was founded by Gary Nichols, himself an alum of former WipEout creator Psygnosis.

Starlight Games’ will develop its games on Unreal Engine 5, including its first project, House of Golf 2, which is releasing this Summer for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It is a mini-golf title with over 100 courses, weekly tournaments, and local four-player multiplayer. Hopefully they can find a way to add in online multiplayer as well.

Looking further ahead, Starlight also teased two other projects that are currently in development – a futuristic sports title being directed by Burcombe, and a strategy sci-fi rogue-lite action game. The team is also creating some Unreal Engine Fortnite experiences if that is your cup of tea. All three games sound interesting, but it’s the futuristic sports game that I find most intriguing. Sounds like it will be a while before we learn more about that one, but check out a trailer for the upcoming House of Golf 2 below.

There's a new trailer out for Destiny 2's upcoming expansion, The Final Shape. This expansion is essentially wrapping up the 10 year journey this game has been on with Guardians finally entering into the heart of the Traveller - the source of their Light, or power. This mysterious new world, called The Pale Heart, is slowly being corrupted by the game's ultimate big bad, The Witness, as shown in the trailer below. It's a new world filled with new types of enemies and voiced by nostalgia not just with Nate Fillion reprising his role as the long slain Cayde-6 but with a tinge of everything that's brought us to this point over the last decade. 

We don't know what comes next, but this expansion promises to finally wrap up the Light and Darkness saga we've experienced thus far. Destiny 2: The Final Shape launches June 4th. Pre-orders will automatically unlock a Pyramid-themed Exotic ship, an Exotic Ghost, and two pre-order emblems.

And if you're wondering if now is a good time to jump back in to prep for the Final Shape... it really could not be better. A new activity, Onslaught, dropped two weeks ago and with it some of the most iconic weapons in Destiny history have returned, and they're better than ever. The Moutaintop, Falling Guillotine, Midnight Coup, Blast Furnace, Luna's Howl - these weapons at one point or another defined the meta. Raid mainstays like Forbearance and Succession are now available with new perks for those without the ability or fireteams to grind raids. And it's all easily farmable in a dedicated horde-mode event in Onslaught that is actually quite a lot of fun. Come on in and maybe I'll catch you in the in-game Fireteam finder.

Who doesn’t love a classic, beat’em up style game? It gets even better when it also includes Ninja Turtles! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants has finally arrived on consoles this week.

The game is an updated version of the now-classic Raw Thrills arcade game that launched back in 2017. Sure, it is the new-look turtles (Nickelodeon version), but it is the same side-scrolling punch and kick action that the turtles have been delivering to arcades for decades now. The game can be picked up on the PS4/5, Switch, Xbox One/X, and PC. You can check out the launch trailer below:

Riot has revealed the next character for their League of Legends fighting game 2XKO and it's Illaoi the Kraken Priestess. 

Illaoi is a heavy hitting character that can deal big damage if she can get in close. She can also summon tentacles on the map which can be used to deal additional damage and extend combos. These tentacles can be destroyed by the opponent so she needs to be a very offensive character to maximize her combos and damage. 

Illaoi will be playable at EVO Japan this weekend so we should be seeing more gameplay of her soon. Check out her reveal trailer for the full details of her character and her entire kit.

2XKO will have a playable beta later this year and will launch in 2025. 

Well, the only thing that I would love 2K to get rid of in the WWE2K24 games, is the My Faction feature. The card game based, and mostly single player mode just seems like another thing just shoved into the game to capitalize on the virtual currency (VC) aspect of the game, and I get it, but that doesn't mean I will enjoy it. So, since I hadn't touched it since 2K22, I thought I'd give it a shot. I would like my time back in Virtual Currency. 

First things first. There is ALOT to do here, and again, it's a mostly single player experience, but think of it as a trading card game, except you actually get to wrestle the superstars you collect. Every day you login gets you a reward. In order to win the loyalty reward, you have to log in 5 out of the 7 days. That's a lot of commitment, but you know, what else do you have to do? Get those rewards, whether they be faction points, or faction tickets, or even customization items. 

You have your own save slot, and can set up as many factions you want. You have a men's and women's division, and each division has 4 slots. In addition, some cards come with customizable sideplates, which are attachable perks. You can get attributes like kicking out of pins easier, or punching harder. They only last for a certain number of matches. Once you set these, you can dive right in. With every mode, you always walk away with something. 

The first mode available is live events. These are timed events, and can net you My Faction Points, and even packs, if you meet the requirements during the match. This, like other matches, will make or break your success in each mode. These are found in your pause menu. Break out taunts, damage your opponent, pull of signature and do special moves. When you do these things, you are rewarded with My Faction Points (MFP), and the reward for completing the match. The caveat here, is that if you don't have the correct superstar's card in your inventory, and in your faction, tough luck, you have to wait. 

Faction Wars requires "Faction Tickets" to enter. Make note that you cannot run one of your factions if you have a free agent card in it. (Wuck?) They will give you the opportunity to use a different card. You get armor for each superstar, which means any damage done to a card during the match will be permanent after the armor is the depleted. You get 5 stages per show. You will face opponents 1 on 1, or even just get items and/or MFP for your completion along the way. The first one is just a run through, while every one after, you choose your own path. At the end of each one, you face a boss, which pits your faction, and all it's damage, against a faction of the game's choice. At the end, ONE of the cards representing the team you just beat gets put in exchange pool. Overwhelmed yet? Yes. Me too. 

Weekly Towers just keep populating as long as the game is supported. The game was at 10 weeks at the time as I was playing, so I had 10 weeks worth of challenges and rewards. You cannot play the next weeks tower until you finish the previous one. There are stipulations, and match types littered all through this mode. If you meet all the requirements in the tower, you win a card. If there's a mode within My Faction to play, this is probably the one I'll play the most, if at all.

There's a mode called Proving Grounds, which is similar to Towers, except it's turned up to 13. It's just another way to earn rewards, which is cool. But I skipped this one, after finding out I would have to unlock 90 medals. And you only get 5 medals, if you beat your opponent on the hardest difficulty, AND meet all the match requirements. I got beat by an AI Create a Wrestler called "Silence'". I stopped shortly after this.

I did play online mode, in a custom My Faction arena, against a very non toxic opponent, and pulled out the win, which seemed for nothing. It was a ranked match. I do not see the point of this. Did people ask for this? I'm putting my crappy starter card against someone who may have bought a diamond card. What is the meaning of this? Why is it here? I have so many questions. 

If there are people who enjoy this mode, then they can have their fun with it. There's gotta be another way for people to use VC in the game. Maybe different or throwback ring gear, or entrance music. Even entrance elements. There are ways to unlock some of those in My Faction, but are you going to grind enough to find Finn Balor's Demon Entrance? Perhaps. The good news is, within the now SIX patches for the game, the game is looking a lot better, and raised the score for me to an 8. I'm also having a ton of fun with the GM mode. As you can tell by the excitement slowly leaving this mini review, these will be the last words you'll hear about My (Dissatis)Faction.

One of the biggest updates advertised for SMITE 2 was the new mastery system called the Ascension Pass but we really didn't get much info on it until now. Hi-Rez Studios has released a new video detailing how Ascension Passes will work. 

In the first game the mastery system was simply playing a God a lot and your rank for that god would increase from 1-10 and would be displayed on your player card in the pre-game loading screen. Other than that there really wasn't much else to it. As a long time SMITE player I am very excited to see that this system is getting an overhaul come SMITE 2. 

This time around you will be rewarded for mastering gods by earning free skins. If you have the Ascension pass it will unlock even more rewards. Ascension passes seem like they will be Battle Passes for each individual God in the game.

Full details on the Ascension Pass can be found on SMITE 2's official website.

Here are the first 11 Gods that will have Ascension Passes available...

• Zeus
• Anubis
• Bellona
• Chaac 
• Ymir
• Bacchus
• Neith
• Anhur
• Loki
• Cernunnos
• Hecate

The Founder's Editions of SMITE 2 are available for pre-order now. No date yet on when the first Alpha weekend will begin. 

After being delayed out of 2023, one hit kill samurai fighting game Sclash is finally heading to consoles on May 2^nd. It is already available on PC, but will make its way to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch in just two weeks.

The 2D fighter boasts a gorgeous hand-painted art style across 16 stages, five hand-drawn fighters, and more than 50 cosmetics to choose from. Developer Bevel Bakery says the game features only three button inputs, making it accessible and easy to pick up. It also sports a story mode, and both local and online multiplayer, though I can’t ascertain if cross-platform play will be a thing.

I’ve had my eye on Sclash since its reveal last year – I’m hoping it’s a fighting game that finally resonates with me. Check out the new console release trailer below:

At long last, developer Warhorse Studios has announced its return to Middle Ages central Europe, revealing Kingdom Come: Deliverance II yesterday. Perhaps the best part is that the sequel to the 2018 original is launching this year for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Warhorse says they have written and constructed the second game in such a way that even players who did not play the first one can feel comfortable jumping straight in, though I highly recommend the original.

In KCD II, we’re heading back to Bohemia (medieval Czech Republic) and picking up with protagonist Henry, the son of a blacksmith who rose to notoriety by aligning himself with royalty. The sequel takes place across two new maps, both double the size of the original game. Explore the Trosky Castle or the mining town of Kuttenberg as you navigate a kingdom embroiled in civil war.

Warhorse has reworked the combat system to make it more accessible to newcomers, while still depicting real medieval martial arts. It will also feature some new armaments such as crossbows and early versions of firearms. Of course, it wouldn’t be Kingdom Come: Deliverance without the freedom of its RPG mechanics, which let you interact with characters and solve quests in a variety of ways.

I want to say the original game is underrated, but it sold six million copies, according to Warhorse Studios, so it clearly found success. The second one can’t come soon enough. Just a PSA - the original game and all of it's DLC is currently on sale for $4 on some digital storefronts.

My favorite part of perusing the Gaming Nexus news chest is discovering a new game that speaks to me. Today that game is a co-op base defense action RPG called Wardens Rising, the debut title from developer Big Moxi Games. It features both solo and cooperative play for up to four players and sees you defending energy cores from hordes of enemies and bosses, blending hero shooter and base defense mechanics.

Wardens Rising will include a campaign mode with 24 cores to defend and four bosses to take down, in addition to a mission mode with waves of escalating challenge. As you level up your Warden, you’ll unlock new gear and abilities to customize your playstyle and tactics.

There is no firm launch date yet, but it is planned for a 2024 release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Key Features:

• Unleash your inner Warden: Choose from five unique heroes, each with distinct abilities and playstyles. Master their skills and become the ultimate legend. 

• Become a master strategist: Build and optimize your defenses, choosing from towers, traps, walls and more, before each invasion.Carefully manage resources, tech upgrades and positioning to create an impenetrable defense.

• Customize to seize victory: Unlock, upgrade and customize your gear showcasing your unique style. Choose from six SPEC companions and a vast array of tactical items, each offering unique buffs and support and experiment with different builds and defenses - no one size fits all! 

• Infinite Fun: Blast your way through 24 maps and take on four bosses in the story campaign or delve into endlessly replayable co-op missions across 12 maps with random invasions for hours of thrilling and strategic fun.

Developer Mixed Realms and publisher Maximum Entertainment are bringing deckbuilding RPG Gordian Quest to PS4 and PS5 on April 30^th. It is currently available on PC and Nintendo Switch, but will now bring its turn-based card-battling ways to Sony’s systems.

Players explore the sinister world of Wrendia with their party of heroes and deck of cards. Choose from 10 heroes and more than 700 cards in one of three modes – campaign, adventure, or realm. In campaign mode, the choices you make can alter the Wrendia for better or worse. Meanwhile, adventure mode creates a procedurally generated map to explore if you don’t want the structure of the campaign, and realm mode is a roguelite mode. Gordian Quest also features multiple difficulties if you need more (or less) of a challenge.

Check out the PlayStation launch trailer below: