Two-person indie studio Bad Ridge Games announced that medieval life sim RPG Mirthwood is launching September 11^th for PC. A demo is currently available over on Steam as a part of Steam Sim Fest if you’re interested. Bad Ridge says Mirthwood has several key inspirations, including Fable, Stardew Valley, Rimworld, and The Sims – a veritable “who’s who” in RPGs and simulations.

Mirthwood is focused on player agency and allowing players to lead the medieval life of their choosing. The world is a full simulation, with NPCs going about their own routines, reacting to your actions and choices accordingly, while a morality system makes both good and evil paths (or a mix) possible. The game will launch with a full main storyline, lots of side quests, and random events, with Bad Ridge planning years of future support.

Crytek has peeled back the curtains on the previously announced current-gen version of Hunt: Showdown. This revamped version of the first-person extraction shooter is called Hunt: Showdown 1896 and it is launching August 15^th for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Players who previously owned the game on last-gen consoles will get a free upgrade to 1896, though there is a major caveat – Hunt: Showdown in its current iteration will no longer be playable on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as of that date. All your in-game content and purchases will make the jump with you though.

Hunt: Showdown 1896 is more than just the usual current-gen glow-up, however, as it also adds a new map, Mammon’s Gulch, set in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. There have also been extensive improvements to the game’s user interface, and other improvements under the hood. Of course, the major draw is the graphical upgrade as the game moves to CRYENGINE 5.11, making native 4K resolution and 60 frames per second possible on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, while Series S can hit 2K resolution and 60 frames, as well as HDR support for all.

For full details on everything changing for Hunt: Showdown 1896, check out the latest developer deep dive below. I’m excited to jump back into hunt – it’s been a long time coming.

Behavior and Supermassive have released a new video for The Casting of Frank Stone and in this video we get introduced to the central location of the game, Cedar Hills. Cedar Hills used to be a thriving community kept alive by a steel mill, but once it shut down, the town went with it. Years later and the town is starting to be redeveloped but the shadow of the events of the past still hang over the town. 

We also got some cool behind the scenes video on the development of the game as well. I love Supermassive's narrative games and I am pretty excited for this one, however I'm still kind of confused about how exactly this game fits into the Dead by Daylight universe. I'm sure there will be easter eggs and such to discover in game but I am hoping as a fan of Dead by Daylight to get a bit more than that when the game is finally released. 

The Casting of Frank Stone launches on September 3rd for PS5, Series X and PC. 

These are the 10 core species (formerly "races") that will be in the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player's Handbook. There are three new faces, at least new to the Player's Handbook—Aasimar, Goliath, and Orc. While old, familiar faces often come with updates introduced in other D&D 5th Edition sourcebooks between 2014 and 2024:

• Aasimar – Almost like pronouncing ASMR. A celestial, angelic race. Originally introduced in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse (2022)

• Dragonborn – Combines the best of dragons and humans. Was already a core playable race, but now is updated to be the dragonborn in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons (2021)

• Dwarf – "Dwarves have been streamlined." Whatever that means. Can now keep up with companions with a speed of 30 (instead of 25).

• Elf – Pointy ears. Live so long each one requires a novel-length backstory.

• But wait, where did half-elves go? They're here. But in D&D 2024 you can be half-anything. And the unspoken half doesn't have to be human anymore. I'm half-Dwarf-Goliath. I'm half-Halfling-Dragonborn. You know what? I'm a classic Half-Elf-Human.

• Gnome – Eyyy, Gnomes can keep up with Dwarves can keep up with everybody now moving 30 feet per round. Except Goliaths who now move 35 feet per round.

• Goliath – They move 35 feet per round now. They're a core species now too, having been first introduced in Monsters of the Multiverse along with the Aasimar.

• Halfling – Another newly 30 speed haver (up from 25). All 2024 halflings now have the Brave, Halfling Nimbleness, Luck (formerly called Lucky), and Naturally Stealthy traits.

• Human – The 2024 vanilla Human will now basically be the 2014 Variant Human. Also, don't let people shame you into thinking being human in a fantasy world is boring. It makes the most sense to take in a fantasy world's sights and sounds through eyes you're most familiar with. If everyone is something fantastical, then what's fantastical in that?

• Orc – Now aligned with the Orc listed in Monsters of the Multiverse. And you're a full Orc now, not just a Half-Orc. Unless you want to be a Half-Orc, then by all means.

• Tiefling – Choose between three fiendish legacies: Abyssal, Chthonic, or Infernal. Chthonic deals with the Underdark. Abyssal deals with the Abyss. And play Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus if you want to get familiar with the Infernal legacy.

So, those are your 10 starting lineup species from the 2024 D&D Player's Handbook. Those 10 plus however many half n' half species you care to come up with. ChatGPT did the math for me and tells me that that's 45 species to choose from (if you go for those gnome-orcs and tiefling-aasimars; talk about an identity crisis).

The D&D 2024 Player's Handbook is out on September 17. D&D Beyond subscribers will get early access three weeks earlier on August 25. And people attending Gen Con 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana, will get even earlier access to the hard copies—one per visitor—on, like, next week, August 1.

The hotly anticipated free-to-play multiplayer FPS Delta Force: Hawk Ops will be holding a PC alpha test period beginning on August 6^th, playable via Steam or Epic Games Store. Players interested in joining the test period can sign-up over at the game’s website. There has been no timeframe announced for the alpha, in terms of when it will end, but we do know it will include two game modes – Hazard Operations and Havoc Warfare. Hazard Operations is an extraction mode for three-player squads to drop in at a random map location and extract with high-value resources. Havoc Warfare is an all-out warfare mode for 64-player battles and a slew of vehicles with a focus on map domination. The test will also give players a look at the extensive gunsmith system, with more than 40 weapons available to try.

Notably, the alpha test will only support mouse & keyboard inputs, with controller support being added later, so plan accordingly. For more details, check out the latest developer interview with the game’s director, who calls himself simply, “Shadow”.

Today, solo developer Uncle Grouch Gaming and publisher Camlann Games announced medieval fantasy kingdom builder and dungeon crawling action RPG, Dungeons & Kingdoms. It is planned for an Early Access release on Steam either late this year or early 2025, depending on the reception of a demo that will be releasing in the months ahead.

Dungeons & Kingdoms features a gorgeous “mid-poly” art style, as well as deep building mechanics including terrain manipulation to create moats or elevated strongholds. In addition, settlement (and settler) management will see you tending to the needs of your people, farming crops, hunting animals, and gathering resources to survive. When you’ve had enough building and managing, head for a dungeon to take on monsters and explore for loot in third-person action RPG combat.

As the proud new owner of a Steam Deck, I'm hoping that it will be playable on my new handheld eventually. You should really watch this trailer before you go:

The latest Marvel Rivals closed beta started last night, and I hopped in for a quick look. As a result, I'm afraid that my "quick look" is going to morph into "obsessive play throughout the beta and bitter disappointment when it ends". This game is giving me everything I was hoping for, scratching that Overwatch itch while also delivering something fresh.

I don't know why it took so long for the powers that be to decide that superheroes were a natural fit for this sort of gameplay. I mean, the genre is called "hero shooter", so you would think that this would have hit the market five years ago. But regardless of any reasons why it took so long, the good news is that the folks at NetEase seem to have hit this one out of the park. 

I tend to zero in an a particular character or two in order to get my bearings in games of this nature, so in Marvel Rivals, I've been focusing on Namor as my damage dealer and Mantis for heals. Namor is a spectacular presence, able to toss short-lived octopus turrets right into the fray. He also does great damage from a pretty good range, making his an ideal back-up DPS character that can play the back and still wreck shop. Mantis also does better when you keep her out of the fray, but her heal-over-time powers are an enormous help to the team, and they don't require a ton of precision to execute. Her ultimate is a very nice AOE heal, which can turn the tide of battle in an instant.

Marvel Rivals quickly got the attention of my kids, and I don't think I've ever seen them lock in on a game as quickly as they did this one. My 11-year-old daughter went on a 22 character kill streak with Star Lord during her second match ever, acing the entire enemy team twice. My 8-year-old has focused in on Black Panther as his character of choice, and while he's still getting accustomed to the gameplay, I have no doubts that he will soon be dominating this game as much as he does Fortnite. 

Of course, we still don't have any idea how this game will be monetized, but I'm hoping that it goes the whole "cosmetic battle pass" route and steers clear of any possible grossness. As it stands, Marvel Rivals feels pretty premium, and I wouldn't mind tossing down some cash to keep the goodie river flowing. 

If you can get your hands on a code to jump into the closed beta, I highly recommend doing so. This is a game that is going to take over the conversation when it releases, so you might as well get some practice runs in now. Marvel Rivals has "winner" written all over it.  

While we don't constantly cover the endless flow of gaming (and other gaming-adjacent) merch, we do like to highlight some cool stuff and fun deals from time to time.

As such, I would like to now draw your attention to the Displate discount currently being offered in celebration of Comic-Con. From July 24 to July 28, Displate is offering Comic-Con fans (and everyone else) a huge discount on most of their 1.5 million designs.  

By using the code COMIC while checking out, fans can snag a 25% discount of one Displate, or 35% off two Displates (note - this deal excludes Textra 3D designs). 

For those not familiar, Displate sells super deluxe metal posters, which feature a cool magnetic mounting system. This allows Displate addicts (whom I am quickly joining) to set up the mount, then swap out their posters on the fly without having to take down or move the mounts.

The company is now grouping some of it's most popular offerings in "official brand shops", with one-stop shops for stuff like  Star Wars, Marvel, DC Comics, Star Trek, Transformers, Dungeons & Dragons, and more. And, in a timely bit of synergy, Displate has just begun offering posters from Deadpool & Wolverine. Come together, indeed. At a discount. 

MythicOwl, the studio behind Hexologic, Harmony’s Odyssey, and Planetiles has announced its next game today – a physics-based delivery game with mysterious twist called TRUCKFUL. In TRUCKFUL, you prepare and deliver a variety of goods from stacks of fish to grand pianos as you try to earn the local villagers trust by delivering packages safely to their doorsteps. As you progress, upgrade your truck with more capacity, power, or perhaps a couple of trailers to carry even more priceless heirlooms with (or without) care.

But there is more happening in town than what appears on the surface. Strange sounds can be heard in the ancient forest, and legends speak of something hiding in the shadows. Sign me up for a special delivery when it launches – I’m in. Enjoy the announcement trailer, if you please:

The iRacing team released a new off-road racing game today called ExoCross, formerly known as DRAG: Outer Zones. The futuristic racer is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 for $39.99, with an Xbox release also imminent.

DRAG: Outer Zones morphed into ExoCross after iRacing acquired Orontes Games in 2021, but those who purchased the Steam Early Access version of DRAG will be automatically upgraded to ExoCross at no charge. Check out a new gameplay trailer and some of the game’s key features below:

• 4CPT physics: Fully simulated chassis and suspension components and a soft-body tire model create realistic weight transfer and understeer/oversteer.
• Slipstream and boosts: Put the power down in the right places to charge past your opponents, or slot in behind them to recharge your boost as quickly as possible.
• Three unique cars: Take the wheel of three distinct cars, each more challenging and powerful than the last.
• Dozens of circuits: Do battle on 19 distinct track layouts—each raceable in both directions—across four unique biomes.
• AI Racing and Championship Mode: Advance through six racing series, two per car, to establish yourself as the top driver in ExoCross, going into battle with challenging AI opponents in up to 10-race seasons. Just want to pick up and play? Pick any car and track combo you want and hit the track!
• Challenge Mode: Take on 48 unique challenges across all four zones and showcase your top speed against a global leaderboard.
• Online racing: Face off with global players in a mix of Challenges and circuit races, with player votes determining every car and track selection. When the community decides, will you have the skills to make the best of the rounds ahead?