EA and the skate. team just dropped the official soundtrack ahead of the game’s Early Access launch on September 16^th. You can check out the full track list below, or head over to Spotify and start streaming it now to get you in the mood for a little skateboarding across San Vansterdam. I admit to not being familiar with 95% of these songs, but for me, discovering new music is one of the highlights of any sports game. This is just the launch track list for skate., with additional songs being added with each new season.

Check it out:

• 2hollis — "destroy me"
• ALEXSUCKS — "Whatever I Want"
• ALEXSUCKS — "Worm in the Sun"
• Amyl and The Sniffers — "Facts"
• Avalanche Party — "Collateral Damage"
• B Wise — "THREE65"
• Baby Huey — "Running"
• BIG NO!SE ft. Julisa — "Shinin'"
• Bonobo — "Expander"
• Boston Babies — "Tonight"
• Car Seat Headrest — "Fill In The Blank"
• Cardinals — "Unreal"
• Caribou — "Come Find Me"
• Chemtrails — "Superhuman Superhighway"
• Chinese American Bear — "Feelin’ Fuzzy (??????)"
• CIVIC — "New Vietnam"
• clipping. — "Keep Pushing"
• Cloud Nothings — "Mouse Policy"
• Color Green — "Four Leaf Clover"
• Connie Diiamond — "Breathe"
• Coops ft. Kojey Radical — "Get Racks"
• Daisy the Great — "Ballerina"
• Daughter of Swords — "Money Hits"
• Deb Never — "5 O’Clock"
• Denzel Curry (with Ski Mask The Slump God) — "HIT THE FLOOR"
• Duskee & Disrupta — "Sweet Vanilla"
• Earth, Wind & Fire — "Fan the Fire"
• EKKSTACY — "goo lagoon"
• Erick the Architect — "Jammy Jam"
• ESG — "My Love For You"
• Ezra Collective ft. Kojey Radical — "No Confusion"
• Fat Dog — "King of the Slugs"
• feeble little horse — "Chores"
• FIDLAR — "LOW"
• Genesis Owusu — "Most Normal American Voter:"
• Giorgio Moroder — "Chase"
• Girl Scout — "I Just Needed You to Know"
• Gurriers — "Des Goblin"
• HiTech (ft. Juan Michael OG) — "GASOLINE"
• Horsegirl — "Switch Over"
• Ibibio Sound Machine — "Pull The Rope"
• illuminati hotties — "Skateboard Tattoo"
• Jade Hairpins — "Drifting Superstition"
• Jake One ft. MF DOOM — "Trap Door"
• Joey Valence & Brae ft. Z-Trip — "NO HANDS"
• Jonny Manak and the Depressives — "Anybody Wanna Skate"
• King Krule — "Time For Slurp"
• Kofi Stone — "Busker Flow"
• Labi Siffre — "The Vulture"
• Little Simz — "Mood Swings"
• Magdalena Bay — "Image"
• Max Fry — "jaws"
• Max Volante — "MOMENTUM"
• Mk.gee — "Are You Looking Up"
• nimino — "Glow"
• Ocean Wisdom ft. Dizzee Rascal — "Revvin’"
• Orlando Weeks, Rhian Teasdale — "Dig"
• Pachyman — "Calor Ahora"
• Panda Bear — "Praise"
• Piers James — "K.K.O"
• PLAY DEAD — "Thameslink"
• Pointed Sticks — "Somebody’s Mom"
• Poolside (ft. Ben Browning) — "Ride With You"
• Primitive Ring — "TV City"
• Quinn XCII — "Hold My Hand, Worry Less"
• REDD. — "JEANS SO BAGGY."
• Rico Nasty — "WHO WANT IT"
• RIO KOSTA — "Higher"
• Royel Otis — "If Our Love Is Dead"
• SAINt JHN — "Circles"
• Sawyer Hill — "High On My Lows"
• Scared Of Chaka — "Nobody"
• Scowl — "B.A.B.E"
• Shannon & The Clams — "The Hourglass"
• Skegss — "Out Of My Head"
• Soccer Mommy — "Driver"
• Strawberry Fuzz — "No Lighter"
• Sub*T — "Unearthly"
• Suki Waterhouse — "Supersad"
• Sunny Day Real Estate — "In Circles"
• Surprise Chef — "Plumb Tuckered"
• swim school — "Heaven"
• Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers — "AHHHH!"
• Teen Mortgage — "Ride"
• The Bug Club — "Lonsdale Slipons"
• The Grogans — "Blue Jeans"
• The Meters — "Cissy Strut"
• The Nude Party — "Ride On"
• The Vandals — "Urban Struggle"
• The Vices — "Gold"
• Torus — "The Overload"
• Tunde Adebimpe — "Magnetic"
• Turnstile — "NEW HEART DESIGN"
• Ty Segall — "Fanny Dog"
• Upchuck — "Facecard"
• VeggieHammerr — "Fake Rats"
• Vundabar — "I Got Cracked"
• Wallows — "Calling After Me"
• ZEP — "TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING"

Released on PC a few weeks ago, Deadzone: Rogue has now releases for the Xbox and Playstation. Deadzone: Rogue is a "roguelite" first person shooter that pits up to three players against waves of deadly machines that augment and upgrade on each death. The game plays across three zones and with the console releases all players have access to each zone and can even enjoy crossplay between devices. The newly released Zone 2 adds "Superior Item perks" to better upgrade player abilities and weapons while Zone 3 includes synergies that offer bonuses for combining the right upgrades, augments, and weapons. Each zone also contains its own enemies, abilities, and bosses as well as challenges amp up the difficulty. There is also an endless mode if you want the waves to never stop. 

Deadzone: Rogue has enjoyed a "Very Positive" reception in these first weeks on Steam. You can also find it in the Xbox Marketplace or on the Playstation Store. Normally it's $25 for the standard version, but both console options are on sale for just $20 to celebrate the release. There is also a Deluxe version for a few bucks more that adds various cosmetics. 

As one who plays a good deal of VR, I've always had a soft spot for Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Coming out using inside out tracking, thus not relying on external sources such as Valve's Lighthouses, these VR headsets had some great features and some companies did some really great things with them.

Samsung used OLED panels, which produced great colors and deep blacks. HP pushed for better resolution that benefited those who played sim games. The older WMR headsets only needed a USB cable and a display cable so you could use them on the go on laptops like a Surface Book from Microsoft.

When Microsoft decided to kill support for Windows Mixed Reality in Windows 11, a lot of great headsets were relegated to being e-Waste. It wasn’t until a developer by the name of Matthieu Bucchianeri decided to create a SteamVR native driver for WMR, which you can grab for free on Steam, that we are now able to use these headsets again.

I have two Windows Mixed Reality headsets on hand, a Samsung Odyssey+ and a HP Reverb G2. On two different machines, I loaded up the Oasis drivers, went through a quick unlocking process, and off I went into VR world using the once dead peripherals.

The HP Reverb G2 is still a solid headset for sim gamers and I was really happy to be able to use it again. No longer do I have VR headsets that don’t do anything, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Bucchianeri. As a developer myself, it’s great to see someone use their time to provide for a community without asking for anything back. While there aren’t a large number of Windows Mixed Reality users out there, it’s still great to be able to use them and you can find some that are inexpensive these days if you want to just try out VR without breaking the bank.

There are two caveats though if you want to use the Oasis driver. First off, if you don’t have Bluetooth built into your computer, you’ll need a dongle. That’s because the drivers aren’t able to use the built in Bluetooth of the headsets for the controllers to work. That’s an easy fix as the dongles are pretty cheap.

The bigger one though is that this only works with NVIDIA cards. Those with AMD cards are left out. The reason is the driver support that’s necessary for the drivers to work is missing from AMD. Technically, AMD doesn’t allow for EDID overrides and Direct-to-Display LiquidVR hasn’t been worked on in a very long time. VR headsets do work with AMD graphics cards, but the specific items needed for the Oasis driver to work with Windows Mixed Reality headsets aren’t functional. Microsoft originally baked in WMR support into the operating system, but has since removed them so the only way for WMR headsets to function now on current versions of Windows is by the Oasis driver. It sounds like the developer has reached out to AMD along with a few other users, but there's been no traction in getting this to work.

Hopefully, AMD will see this and maybe provide some support to enable users with WMR headsets and AMD cards to be able to run them again without having to install an older Windows version. One great thing about PC gaming is the ability to use a lot of different types of hardware available and it would be a shame if owners of WMR headsets and AMD graphics cards weren’t able to experience this.

I've followed up with AMD and if I hear anything, I'll be sure to update this post.

With a little less than two months until launch, ARC Raiders developer Embark has taken us behind the scenes to see sound design is a critical part of the extraction shooter. The team shared a new trailer featuring audio snippets pulled straight from the game, from locations throughout its maps. The trailer also appears to tease a new map, the inclusion of helicopters, and more. It’s worth a watch (and a listen), but the real insightful stuff was shared on the ARC Raiders Discord channel, which I’ll get into a bit below.

First off, the team at Embark understands how important sound and music, or a lack thereof, are to their games. Look no further than their other shooter, The Finals, for proof-of-concept. But sticking to ARC Raiders, the audio team captured live recordings for the majority of sounds you hear in-game. Using the same microphones at a variety of angles, they captured everything from gunfire to rain falling. Embark believes capturing live audio and incorporating that in the game makes things feel visceral and grounded:

“For example, when the Audio Team at Embark records the firing of a gun, we attach a microphone to that gun, and then a microphone hundreds of meters away from that one, and one in between those two. The same goes for explosions and projectiles. When things sound plausible and grounded, you start to believe all the unbelievable things that are happening around you.”

Where things really start to coalesce are when they take these live recordings and incorporate them into the game logic. So, for instance, if you are by trees, you hear birds. If you’re standing next to a car and it’s raining, you’ll hear raindrops hitting metal. These are all rules running under-the-hood to make sure ARC Raiders feels believable. And I can tell you from playing a previous playtest that the sound design is one of the standout elements of the ARC Raiders. The way Embark has designed it adds an incredible amount of immersion to an already tense extraction shooter experience.

ARC Raiders launches October 30^th for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Today we got to see our first presentation showing off gameplay for 007 First Light. We got to see a shortened version of one of the missions in the game that starts off showing the stealth elements of the game which given IOI's background with the Hitman series, the stealth in this game looks really good with distracting guards in order to grab a lighter, which allows Bond to light a wheelbarrow of leaves on fire, which distracts another guard, which lets him sneak through a window.

After this we got to see a bit of a car chase, which to me this felt like the weakest part of the presentation because this looks like one of those car chases where you can go race through a premade track in order to "catch up" to your target and if you make one mistake you are gonna fail the mission and have to start over.

Then we got to the part that I loved the most because this is is where it started to feel like I was watching a James Bond movie as he gets into a gunfight at an airfield complete with tons of destruction by blowing up tanks, causing lots of explosions and taking out multiple enemies at once. 

I was so hyped watching this presentation and the reason is because I want to see more of this in games. That is focusing on fun. The way that melee combat works with being able to throw people off ledges, throw them through windows, send them crashing into bookshelves and all of the destruction that comes with it. This looks like so much fun. Same when they showcases what you can do with guns by shooting down chandeliers, blowing up explosives, shooting the environment and having things fall on enemies to kill them. It makes missions totally repayable to find all of the amazing ways you can destroy the environment and take out your enemies. One of the best parts of IOI's Hitman series is how there were tons of different ways you can complete a mission which made the game insanely replayable. It looks like 007 First Light will be the same deal with many different ways to complete parts of your mission. I will absolutely be keeping an eye on this one leading up to launch next year.  

007 First Light launches on March 27th 2026 for PS5, Series X, Switch 2 and PC. 

Publisher Saber Interactive and developer stillalive studios have dropped off a new gameplay trailer today for Bus Bound, in addition to announcing a 2026 release window. The bus driving simulator will launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and takes players to the fictional American city of Emberville, where everyone loves using public transit. Emberville is a fully simulated city, including a dynamic traffic system, day/night cycle, and varied weather conditions. You’ll notice in the trailer that there are lots of things happening – garbage trucks getting in the way, construction reducing traffic to one lane, traffic jams, and more.

Bus Bound also features licensed vehicles from American manufacturers, including the New Flyer Xcelsior (Xcelsior!) 40ft CNG, and the Blue Bird Sigma. I won’t pretend to know what those are, but I don’t have to pretend to be ridiculously excited to drive them – because I am. As you complete bus routes, you’ll unlock the ability to upgrade stops, new bus routes, passive perks, and watch city districts evolve as you bring folks to enjoy them.

You don’t have to handle all of Emberville’s public transit on your own, as Bus Bound features online co-op for up to four players. Sick. I see a Gaming Nexus Plays episode in our future, whether these knuckleheads around here know it yet or not. And of course, you’ll also be able to customize your fleet of buses with new visual styles and other upgrades.

Check out the new gameplay trailer below:

Ultimate Team modes tend to dominate EA's game innovations in their sports lineup these past years. And of course they do because the micro-transactions in the mode make the company a bajillion dollars every year. But they are usually quite fun and I find them especially helpful when I just want to jump into a quick game or two and not dive into something I feel the need to pay more attention to like career mode. And the dopamine hit of opening a pack and getting a new player you've been coveting is pretty rewarding, not to mention the off-meta game I like to play by dedicating myself not to fall into the trap of actually spending any extra money on the mode but purely competing via the in-game rewards. 

In this year's flagship hockey offering, NHL 26, EA are continuing to push depth into Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT). The deep dive video goes into detail, but the highlights:

• HUT Seasons raises the stakes with HUT Mini Seasons and ranked modes adding season-specific rules, rotating team captain themes, unique player combinations unlock attribute boosts, and even the introduction of a Salary Cap 

• HUT Ranked Competitive Matches to up the stakes for players to compete in a highly competitive mode with leaderboards, and division rankings. As well as a redesigned rewards structure to clearly identify what's on offer with each match. 

• HUT Cup Chase will offer a full season in offline play to provide depth against the CPU across 18 league games and a two-round playoff. This mode comes with a dedicated rewards track rather than leaderboards.

• New Heroes And Icons Player Cards shake up the meta by re-introducing some of the main characters from Hockey history.

NHL 26 releases September 12th. But those that pre-order the Deluxe Edition can get in a week early, in just four days or so on this Friday, the 5th. 

Hey there horror fans young and old - great news from the crypt...

Just kidding, it's really from GameMill Entertainment, but alas, Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek is releasing today, August 29th on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

You don't have to be a Goosebumps fan to dive into this game, but if you are, even better! Players will step into the Keds of Sloane Spencer, a teen from Little Creek, as you solve puzzles, find clues, and come face to face with some frightful creatures, all while trying to uncover what's been haunting your beloved town.

Based on the classic novels by RL Stine, this cute RPG is a brand new story to unravel. Players can build their own story by making choices that will shape their own fate. Chock full of mind-bending puzzles, interactive contraptions, and clever riddles, you'll be tested throughout the game. You'll even have the chance to fight or flee from the monsters surrounding you.

Can you make it out alive? There's only one way to know for sure...

Don't say I didn't warn you (pretend you can hear a maniacal laugh now, just kidding it looks fairly family-friendly)

Destiny has always had a partnership with mobile apps in that throughout its history companion apps were ever-present to manage inventory and other such out-of-game activities. As a matter of fact, the mobile companion app was the best place to pick up daily bounties for years until bounties were only recently phased out. Well we finally have an in-game option for players on the go with Destiny: Rising. This game is mobile from the ground up and Bungie drafted in help and expertise from NetEase Games due to their extensive knowledge in delivering games for Android and iOS like Diablo Immortal (of "Do you guys not have phones?" fame but turned out to be a pretty good game) and the gaming sensation Marvel Rivals. 

So it's an all star cast on a well established IP, even if Destiny is a bit down in the dumps with the core game at the moment. I gave what was equal to my lowest score ever to the most recent expansion, the Edge of Fate. But there are actually quite a few in the community hyped for Rising for this very same reason: if the grind of the main game is wearing players down, maybe the mobile offering can provide that Destiny "fix" as a nice aside as things get worked out in the larger game. There are, after all, over 10 million pre-registration for Rising already. 

A lot of the success of Destiny: Rising will come down to how it plays, and how it gets monetized - as is something for all mobile games but especially free to play ones, which Rising very much is. But we've got the Destiny universe, legendary characters, PVP and PVE modes, awesome exotics, and it's all set as sort of a prequel to the main game to be able to tell a story on its own. It's a pretty nice setup, I hope it delivers, and there is no reason not to check it out. 

Destiny: Rising is available now, and free to play, on Android and iOS. 

Okay PC gaming nerds, EA has shared new details on PC-specific features for the hotly anticipated Battlefield 6. Hailed by EA as, “the most advanced PC experience in franchise history”, here are all the bells & whistles you can expect to enjoy on your Personal Computer when Battlefield 6 launches on October 10^th:

• 4K Graphics + Uncapped Framerate
  • 4K visuals with uncapped framerates deliver one of the most fluid, high performance First-Person Shooter experiences available.
• 600+ Customization Options on PC
  • A comprehensive menu of graphical and performance settings.
  • Includes:
    • HDR
    • HUD, HUD Scaling, HUD Icons & Crosshair
    • Camera Settings
    • Controllers, Controller Schemes, Input devices, Haptics
    • Streamer mode & Incognito mode
• Ultrawide Monitor Support
  • Catch every enemy flank with a full view of the battlefield, now with Ultrawide monitor support.
• Javelin Anticheat
  • Javelin has been built from the ground up by a team of veteran engineers and analysts focused on studying cheating problems for each specific game under EA’s umbrella and designing unique features to solve those issues. Javelin is already part of other Battlefield titles, including Battlefield Labs, and will be integrated in Battlefield 6 when the game launches.
• Nvidia DLSS 4, Intel XeSS 2, and AMD FSR 4 Support 

Fine, I admit that the game probably looks insane on high-end PCs. But it looks mighty fine on my PlayStation 5 Pro as well.

I’m sick of waiting for Battlefield 6. Just 42 more days to go. Not that I'm counting down or anything.