Devolver Digital Announces Serious Sam: Shatterverse

This Co-operative FPS from Dead By Daylight Creator Behaviour Interactive – Sams from Across the Multiverse Join Forces this Year on PC and Consoles

Austin, TX (March 26, 2026) - Dimension-hopping developer Behaviour Interactive (Dead By Daylight) and rocket-jumping publisher Devolver Digital (BALL x PIT, Baby Steps) have joined forces to unveil Serious Sam: Shatterverse via today's Xbox Partner Preview showcase. This multiversal multiplayer FPS is based on the adventures of boomer shooter legend Sam ‘Serious’ Stone – whose over-the-top run-and-gun classic, Serious Sam: The First Encounter, celebrates its 25th birthday this year – but with an oh-so-modern roguelite twist. (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2067210/Serious_Sam_Shatterverse)

Trailer: https://youtu.be/jHl-GhG5szc

 

Serious Sam: Shatterverse is a co-op FPS where five players can team up, blast through shifting universes, stack wild boons, bend the rules with run modifiers and hunt the deadliest forces of Sam’s relentless arch-nemesis, the villainous Mental.

Mental’s maniacal machinations have fractured the walls between universes, and now Sams from multiple dimensions must learn to work together to repair the Shatterverse. You’ll travel across shifting universes to finish battles other Sams couldn’t, fighting alongside alternate versions of yourself to defeat the big bad’s five nefarious lieutenants.

While this game is developed by Behaviour Interactive, newcomers to the Serious Sam universe, the developer has the full blessing of series creators Croteam:

“Seeing Shatterverse come to life is a really big moment for us,” says Croteam’s Davor Hunski, co-creator of Serious Sam. “It's very exciting to see another talented team step in and create something bold, fresh and different within the universe we cherished for so long. I can't wait for both the old and new fans to experience this new interpretation of the series!”

“Our main goal was to respect Serious Sam's rich legacy while presenting it in a fresh, contemporary way unlike anything seen before in the series,” says Behaviour Interactive’s Nic Duchesne. “Working with Devolver has been an incredible, enriching experience for our team. The folks there are real renegades of the video game publishing world: they always put the game first and aren’t afraid to carve their own path.”

FEATURES

•     Wield a big, loud, stupid and frankly irresponsible arsenal of weapons, mixing classic Serious Sam guns and all-new toys plucked from the Shatterverse
•     High adrenaline run-and-gun FPS combat with big battlefields, non-stop pressure, a lot of backpedaling and perfectly timed one-liners when everything’s on fire
•     Leans into Serious Sam’s legacy and pushes it forward with procedurally shifted runs across hand-crafted arenas set in previously unexplored worlds
•     Navigate unstable anomalies, hidden portals and high-risk opportunities that can supercharge a run – or end it instantly
•     Push forward for greater rewards, unlock powerful modifiers and take advantage of upgrades that permanently expand your possibilities
•     Face off against massive hordes of enemies including classic Serious Sam foes and fresh monsters under Mental’s control, all begging to be gibbed

 

All this and more awaits you in Serious Sam: Shatterverse, launching on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S this year.

Check out serioussam.com for more information. See you in the Shatterverse.

 

Article by: Susan N.

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Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE – Xbox Series X Review

 

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE by developer Team Ninja and publisher Koei Tecmo America—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

#FatalFrame2 #FatalFrame2Remake

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

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Hot Wheels Let's Race: Ultimate Speed - Xbox Series X|S Review

 

Hot Wheels Let's Race: Ultimate Speed by developer Bamtang Games and publisher GameMill Entertainment—Xbox Series X|S review written by Jim with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated Reading Time:  4 minutes. 

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Hot Wheels Let's Race: Ultimate Speed is a game based on a Netflix cartoon series. I never knew about it until I reviewed this game, so I am unsure whether the game is anything like the show, but I can tell you what I do know, having played it.

The game starts with a basic tutorial, right trigger to accelerate, left trigger to drift, B to break, and all that. I wasn't a fan of having the B button to break, but it's not a huge deal. I  hardly had to use it. After I finished the tutorial, I jumped right into the game's primary mode, "race camp," and because I felt the game looked geared toward children, I chose hard difficulty. There was an expert difficulty setting that could be unlocked by beating Race Camp on Hard with one of the six playable characters. You have to do this for each character. Race camp mode has 12 races and about three boss fights, so it's short to beat. You can do it in about an hour.

There isn't really a story beyond you playing as one of the children who go to race camp to try to win the ultimate garage. As I mentioned before, there are boss fights before a few of the races where Professor Rearview will make one of his monsters go after you and the other racers. The bosses can be a shark, a snake, a dragon, and others. A cool thing is that these are all based on real Hot Wheels sets. These boss fights are you and the other racers just running over a spot to pick up weapons, and then shooting them at the boss when it tells you to. There is no penalty if you are hit by it, though, so it's just another easy part of the game. Once the boss is out of health, you have to get car power and use it at a specific area it tells you to, and that's it. The racer who did the most damage will win a flame badge. Some of the twelve tracks are based on real Hot Wheels sets, like the carwash track.

Other than the race camp mode, you can also play speed trials. These are time-trial races that, like the rest of the game, are way too easy. I am one of the types of people who hate time trials in racing games, but these were easy even for me. Other modes include cup mode, where you and up to three others can race in a tournament-style race, like the cups in Mario Kart. Then there is free race, where it's just one race, but again, up to three others can play with you. Lastly, there is Track Builder. The track builder lets you do exactly what it sounds like— make tracks — but the problem is you have to complete nine challenges before you can build your own tracks from scratch. I wish free build were unlocked from the start, but doing these nine challenges doesn't take very long. You have to build a track with the pieces it gives you, then race on it. You do have to keep the track under a certain amount of time, though, so if it says it has to be 90s, it means you have to have a race that won't go over that time. Once you unlock free mode, you will run into the same problem. A race can be no longer than 180 seconds. The limitation is dumb if you ask me. At least building tracks, you pick the piece you want to place and place it on the map, and the game will automatically make the rest of the track to connect.

You will be able to unlock new items by playing and winning flame badges. You can unlock track pieces to use in track builder, new cars, and decals that give you a perk for a race, like longer boosts. You can only have one equipped per race. You will also pick a track piece before every race that will be used on the track you're about to race on. Lastly, you can choose a mod for each race. If you want more speed boosts on the track, you can use a mod for that.

When you race, there are different kinds of spots you can hit for power-ups. There is the speed boost, the car action power, and the oil. The oil is the only real power up in the game, but you use it as soon as you run it over. Every car in the game has its own car action; although each vehicle has a different one, they all do the same thing: give a speed boost. You build up car power while racing by running over the spots on the track, doing tricks on jumps — although the tricks are straightforward to do, press left trigger, and that's it —and then you can get it by drifting. If you drift long enough, you will also get a speed boost. Hitting walls while drifting will stop the drift. Each car has its own stats for speed and such, and, in all honesty, I didn't see a difference between them, but at least they are based on real Hot Wheels.

I didn't run into any problems while playing the game, no crashes, bugs, or glitches. The game looks like Paw Patrol graphically, but the TV show is that way too. To me, there isn't enough to the game to keep me playing, even though it's aimed at younger children, like five-year-olds. Even they would get bored with it quickly. There could have been more to the game, like power-ups you use in Mario Kart, more than 12 tracks, no limit on the track builder, and maybe a tad bit harder, as it is way too easy even on expert mode. Sadly, not even the music was very good in the game. It is another game that was rushed for a holiday release, so a parent might see it and think it might be something their child might like. It's best to stick with the two Hot Wheels Unleashed games instead.



Score: 3 / 10

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Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition - Xbox Review

Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is developed and published by Aspyr—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes.

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Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is a valiant attempt at resurrecting what was a fantastic game from nearly two decades ago, but the actual enhancements feel somewhat spartan at times. There’s a handful of welcome updates, but this title seems to miss the mark, as I think it will at times frustrate original fans of the title while doing little to pull in new fans as well.

The original Neverwinter Nights was one of the most memorable games I have experienced in my four-plus decades of video gaming. I was in love with the story, the soundtrack continues to be one of my favorites even today and I spent oodles of time scratching my creative itch playing in its module community back in the day. Oddly enough, the sequel and I never quite developed that same relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed it but never quite completed the story. I am a bit foggy on the details (as it’s been nineteen years), but I believe that I picked it up right about the time I took a new job and moved to a different part of the state. So my guess is ‘real life happened’ and something else caught my attention once things settled down again.

So, I was eager to dive back into it once again with this new release of Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition. The interesting thing is that I am probably the perfect audience for this release. I have reason to go back to it since I never completed it. Computer RPGs are among my favorite genres (I still fire up older titles and enjoy them), and there are a handful of notable updates here that are worth calling out. 

So what makes this an ‘Enhanced Edition’? Probably the most notable are the improvements to the textures. There will inevitably be people who say it doesn’t look any better than the original, but I would disagree with that. Does it look good? Not really, but it looks better on a sixty-inch television than it would using the old game, where it was played in much closer proximity on smaller computer monitors. I will call out that textures don’t seem to always load quite right. In general optimization could be better. The camera controls were pretty finicky, but I appreciate the ability to adjust them and get things more to my liking. I had a handful of crashes during longer play sessions (admittedly hours long without a break), and it sure feels like it loads pretty slowly for a game this old.

However, the transition to controller support on the console has been rather solid. There’s a quick toggleable ability to simply walk around with your character and interact with the environment, but also a more strategic semi-overhead view that works well for combat. Interfaces for RPGs (especially inventory management) could be pretty gnarly back then, but by and large once I got used to the button layout, it worked pretty smoothly with a controller. In fact, I think those who are console-first will find the most value in this release. There is a ton of content here as well, as the base game was quite a massive experience in and of itself, but this version of the title also comes with some extra expansions: Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir and Mysteries of Westgate. 

The music still holds up beautifully, even if the visuals are clearly dated despite their touch-up for this release. Where Neverwinter Nights 2 stands out is its story. True to form for the Dungeons & Dragons games of yesteryear, there’s a deep, interesting narrative here that sells the feeling of an epic adventure. Sure, there’s plenty of familiar genre tropes to be found. For example, you’re an orphaned child being raised by a man in a village that experiences a major event that causes you to set out on your path.

Still, I wonder who this title is going to appeal to the most. Fans of the original game may still own it via Good Old Games, and the like may be disappointed by the lack of 'new' features and content. Sure, there is value in having a ready-to-play version of the game that doesn't require any configuration to try and make it work on current hardware. But those who have played the game through and experienced most of what is here might feel that the term 'Enhanced Edition' is a bit of an exaggeration. Newer players who have never experienced this title in the past might be curious due to the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, but will likely find Neverwinter Nights 2’s pacing, visuals and camera frustrating by comparison. That leaves something of a narrow target audience.

That being said, there’s certainly an audience for this game and I’m part of it. I enjoyed my time with Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition. It’s an earnest re-release of an already very good game with a ton of content. It is dated, and its age shows time and again with minor bugs and gameplay mechanics that can be somewhat unflattering when compared to the quality of life options found in modern RPGs. However, the story is rich, and the gameplay itself can be quite varied depending on your characters and how you tune your party. The amount of agency you have with the detailed character customization and progression is a hallmark of Dungeons & Dragons games and Neverwinter Nights 2 does not disappoint. With well over one hundred hours of content, Neverwinter Nights 2 is an excellent value, assuming you enjoy the gameplay itself and don’t mind the minor issues that persist. I feel as though console players will get more out of this than PC ones. 

Score: 6.5 / 10

 

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Knock on the Coffin Lid: Complete Edition – Xbox Review

Knock on the Coffin Lid: Complete Edition by developer and publisher Redboon—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes.

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Knock on the Coffin Lid: Complete Edition is the console release of the game that originally came out on Steam in summer of 2024, complete with the optional DLCs. As for the game itself? It’s a gritty, turn-based roguelike that expects you to fail, but also anticipates that you’ll enjoy it enough to keep coming back for more. By and large, I’d say that the formula worked well for me, creating a generally enjoyable experience despite a couple of rough edges here and there.

The title of this game is a nod to the start of the story, which sees your protagonist waking up far from home without any memories. Oh, and he died and is getting out of a coffin. It’s a rather interesting premise and a well-told story that hangs its hat primarily on this solid narrative and pleasant art style that makes it rather unique despite so many familiar mechanics in the gameplay. The story’s not going to rival those told by JRPGs, but compared to many of the deckbuilding roguelikes out there, I actually found myself more interested in Knock on the Coffin Lid’s story more than most of its peers in the genre.

For those who are familiar with the genre and enjoy what titles like Slay the Spire or Nowhere Prophet, Knock on the Coffin Lid provides a similar structure. Combat is turn-based, and you draw cards that dictate your available attacks, skills and defensive tactics. I appreciated the variety that came from the options to have differing companions and play styles each run, but it does take some time for them to really start to differentiate themselves. That is because like many similar titles in the genre like Roguebook, you unlock new abilities with your repeated playthroughs. It can take a decent number of attempts to unlock these other cards that make different builds and playstyles feel truly unique from one another.

I will say that one card mechanic that I enjoyed was the equipment cards. Those are starting to become a bit more common in the genre (the recently released Monster Train 2 has equipment as well), but it does add a nice layer of strategy to the game’s tactics. All these elements are woven into the primary story, which sees your character going back in time when he fails a run. The premise is that you can make different decisions by taking different paths that might make your run unique from the last one. 

By and large this works, because the variety of cards and how the core systems weave into the narrative is engaging. That being said, after a dozen or so runs, repetition starts to settle in. This is due to a couple of factors, one of which is the uneven (almost unfair near the end) spikes in difficulty. There are difficulty adjustments in the options, but I wouldn't call any of them easy. Secondly the lack procedurally generated maps (there's three of them) lacks some of the randomness normally associated with the roguelike genre. You can take different paths across the maps to try and make runs somewhat unique from prior ones, but a sense of 'been there, done that' started to set in sooner than I liked. I was still invested enough to want to see it through until the very end - though I found the final boss to be annoyingly frustrating.

The package around the game is quite good. The art style was unique and combined with the music, I thought the presentation was quite enjoyable. They helped to elevate the story, which I was already enjoying – they just made it better. The game itself is pretty easy to learn and for the most part the UI was intuitive enough to get around without much difficulty. There were a handful of instances where I thought some improvements could smooth out item selections, and there were some technical hiccups when playing as well – especially crashes. I suspect these will get resolved – they weren’t super common, but they did occur. At least the game frequently autosaves, so I seldom felt like I was missing a lot of effort when things did get a bit unstable.

All in all, Knock on the Coffin Lid: Complete Edition is a really solid entry into the genre of deckbuilding roguelikes. It’s mechanically sound with a stronger narrative and presentation than many similar titles. However, it is worth calling out that the ‘just one more run’ addictiveness that the genre is known for did seem to wear out for me a little earlier than some of my favorites of the genre, like Monster Train. The unlock progression is still engaging and the presentation is well executed, making this a title fans of roguelike deckbuilding would enjoy.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

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Peglin – Xbox Review

Peglin by developer Red Nexus Games Inc. and publisher BlitWorks—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher. 

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

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Lunar Remastered Collection – Xbox Review

Lunar Remastered Collection by developer and publisher GungHo—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

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WWE 2K25 – Xbox Series X Review

WWE 2K25 by developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K Games—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

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To be frank: this is what you hope to see in an annually released game. More features and improvements across the board combine to make it better than ever. WWE 2K25 is exactly that – bigger and better than ever.

Bigger really stands out right off of the bat. There’s numerous modes to choose from – including a new one called The Island. Much more to talk about there in a bit, but it’s also worth calling out that the roster is absolutely massive with wrestlers both past and present in the mix. There’s so much variety in the different types of wrestlers that the roster alone could keep someone busy just figuring out what styles appeal to them the most. 

Then we move into the menu’s many modes of mayhem (try saying that ten times fast). There’s the traditional quick play where you just go in and fire up a quick match with the wrestlers and rules of your choice. It’s a great way to try some different types of wrestlers out before sinking time into creating your own wrestlers. You’ll eventually be doing just that though, as you create a wrestler for the MyRise and The Island modes. MyRise is what it has been for years now, a story-driven mode with some RPG elements like progression and choices to make through either a male or female wrestler’s story as you seek to become the face of a new era in WWE. All of the usual hijinks and betrayals are here and it’s brought together quite well between the overall presentation, especially the audio.

Now, the Island is another thing altogether – and frankly one that is likely to be a bit controversial. Years ago, I remarked that I was surprised WWE hadn’t yet created the kind of experience NBA 2K had, where they blended a story line with online play. Why? Well, my thinking was twofold. First, MyCareer in NBA 2K is by far the game’s most popular mode. It boasts a new story each year where players can compete with one another or stick to just single player content while incrementally improving their custom player. The second reason I figured a mode like this would eventually come along comes down to VC (Virtual Currency). It’s the microtransaction currency used by 2K, and it presumably makes the company a ton of money over and above the base game sales. In the past, WWE only had one use for VC – buying packs of cards in MyFaction. MyFaction is a mode that combines elements of card collecting and improving your roster through these wrestlers you collect.

To be honest? This is probably my least favorite WWE mode. It is an okay diversion, but I enjoy this mode far more in the NBA 2K games. Still, it’s a long-running mode that will likely stick around in the WWE series indefinitely because I’m sure they make money off of the VC bought and used in it. Now there’s a use for it in The Island. Like NBA 2K, in WWE 2K25 you can use VC to level up your character’s abilities. You can earn more VC by playing the game in this mode as well, so it doesn’t all have to be purchased. Time will tell what the grind / improvement curve looks like. Being a new mode, there’s likely to be some imbalance there.

So, what is The Island actually like to play? Well, if you can get past the slightly grimy-feeling microtransaction part of it? I had fun with it. There’s a new story separate of MyArise that basically puts you and everyone on this Island of Relevancy to try and earn the good graces of Roman Reigns. It’s a silly premise, but does the job and sets the stage. The things that work? The Island is pretty vibrant-looking, I appreciate a second story – even if it doesn’t feel as fleshed out as MyArise. There’s lots of quest-like objectives, and many of them are actually quite fun to try and complete. The progression elements like improving stats and badges are an effective carrot to dangle.

What maybe doesn’t work quite as well? Well, the first is how expensive VC is, especially when buying cosmetics for your wrestler. There’s no map, which feels like a bit of an oversight as I got so used to using it in NBA 2K. Luckily The Island is not too large and unwieldy, the layout is logical and it isn’t too hard to get the hang of where thigs are. One guardrail missing that’s in NBA 2K is that you can dump all the VC you want into your character right out of the gates. I saw several people running around at a 100 overall on day one. In NBA 2K, there’s a system that unlocks the next stage in a rising cap as you play. That limits how fast you can upgrade your player that’s lacking here in WWE 2K25. 

I spent a lot of time in both The Island and MyArise modes, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they somehow became blended together in the future the way MyCareer has in NBA 2K. Universe mode is basically a giant sandbox mode. It’s fun to fool around with, but the lack of structured objectives doesn’t make it where I tend to spend my time. I will say that MyGM mode is looking better than it has in over a decade. It took some time off, came back a few years ago, and of all the returning modes, MyGM has received the most love it seems. It’s a season long campaign broken up over a couple of dozen weeks where you take a brand and create a stable of wrestlers to compete against one another. At its core, it’s a simulation mode that you can go hands-on with during matches if you’d like. Add to it that your created superstars can participate too, and there’s a lot of fun to be had here.

Lastly, there’s the Showcase mode. Usually this mode follows a specific wrestler through some of the biggest fights of their career, interspersed with interviews and live footage from their actual matches. In WWE 2K25, the focus is spread out a bit and follows The Bloodline, which is in-line with all of the Roman Reigns in the presentation. It feels a little less forced / scripted in trying to make you authentically recreate the matches of old (and there’s a sort of ‘what if this happened?’ mode as well that’s made up of imaginary scenarios), which is appreciated. I always liked this mode, but often felt like the objectives were a bit too restrictive at times. They made sense, but still had me frustrated. There was less of that this time around. The mode does feel a bit more accessible, though a few of the imposed time limits do seem a little harsh. Completing these scenarios however, is a lot of fun. You get some cool looks at WWE’s past and generally some good unlockable rewards too.

None of this would matter much if the in-ring action didn’t hold up its end of the bargain, but the good news is that WWE 2K25 delivers here as well. I mentioned earlier that the presentation was fantastic, and it really is. Authentic commentary, fluid animations and a variety of distinctive playstyles depending on your wrestler of choice and opponent make every match feel like an event. Thankfully the combat aspect has been solid for years and this year’s is more minor polish and tweaks. Controls are responsive, you can tweak numerous single-player settings to make the gameplay a bit more attuned to your preferences. I really appreciated how much different a massive, hulking tank of a wrestler played versus a quick, agile high-flying sort. One tweak is the return of ‘chain wrestling’, which is like a minigame within the match that just adds a layer to the already existing action.

Simply put, WWE 2K25 is the best wrestling game on the market. The developers manage to make smart improvements to existing modes, roll out an entirely new mode and continue to make the action in the ring look and feel authentic. While the whiff of increased microtransactions is going to bother some, I do appreciate that the series isn’t resting on its laurels and gave us a game that continues to justify its annual release.

 

Score: 8.5 / 10

 

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Xbox Review

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle by developer MachineGames and publisher Bethesda Softworks—Microsoft Xbox Series X Review written by Nick with a purchased copy.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

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Dynasty Warriors: Origins - Xbox Review

 

Dynasty Warriors: Origins by developer Omega Force and publisher Koei Tecmo Games—Microsoft Xbox Series X Review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

Reading time: 8 minutes

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NBA 2K25 - Xbox Review

NBA 2K25 by developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K Games—Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

I can almost hear the naysayers with this latest release of NBA 2K25: “Another year, another sports title update, another roster update with nothing substantial added”. Well guess what? They’re very, very wrong. NBA 2K25 is the best annual update the series has seen in some time. I’d go so far as to say NBA 2K25 is the best sports video game release we have seen in years.

I wouldn’t want the unenviable job of trying to develop new features, while trying to figure out what worked from last year’s game and keep it going, while balancing that against wanting to freshen things up, all on a limited timeframe because of the yearly cycle of major sports leagues. It’s a tightrope act that can often earn more jeers than cheers from fans who lament the cycle as a roster update cash grab.

NBA 2K25 doesn’t completely reinvent the wheel here, but it doesn’t have to. This is a franchise that didn’t get exclusive NBA rights like Madden did with the NFL; they simply put out the best basketball game year after year until the would-be competition picked its ball up and went home. Since then the series has been good, but seldom great. Last season was a bit of a bust in my opinion, so I was unsure what to expect from this year’s release. And right off of the bat? I had a somewhat odd feeling because things felt off. Different. Uneven. Loose. There were a lot of descriptors going through my head as I figured up a quick match and just wanted to get a feel for the game itself without working through the tutorial. 

The thing is, what started off feeling sloppy actually grew on me as I realized it was simply more fluid. The feeling of loose controls was flexibility in movement and control options. The more I ran up and down the court, the more I began to appreciate that this game I knew so well and had been playing for well over a decade now finally felt like it had shaken some of its on-rails stiffness. There have always been exciting, flashy plays in NBA 2K, but many times things felt scripted. A specific set of animations triggered to go off in a very specific way. That may still well be the case behind the scenes, but the engine used in this year’s game feels like it has hit a new level.

Shots don’t just swish or bank in, they roll around the rim, ricocheting off of the backboard in unexpected ways. An errant pass doesn’t just sail out of bounds, but sometimes bounces off of a foot or a hand. One time it bounced off of the back of a player’s head, only to be snatched out of the air by a nearby defender who put the ball on the floor to advance, making contact with a teammate, nearly losing their balance before pressing on up the court. Such a simple set of events, but this is by far the most realistic representation of player movement I’ve seen yet.

Sure, this engine looks great in general. Well-known players look like themselves. The really great ones don’t just look like themselves, but are animated to move like themselves. Little nuances from free throw form, to how they handle a crossover to how they chew on their mouth guard. There’s a level of authenticity here that NBA diehards are bound to eat up, and all of it translates to the best basketball playing experience I’ve had yet. 

The presentation doesn’t stop there, as there’s an excellent soundtrack of music that plays in the background, tons of voiced dialogue in the MyCAREER mode, tons of authentic filters and commentary both for the modern game and some of the older eras for those throwback games. There’s still times where I recognize bits of audio commentary that’s been used in the last game or two, but the repetition’s down this year, with more audio than ever it seems like. There’s still room to expand – maybe have some more commentators or something, similar to Madden introducing more teams this year, but I know that’s likely a lot of work and a few bucks to bring those crews in – but it’s an area that could be improved.

Speaking of improvement, there’s aspects of the UI that I don’t love. Maybe I’m just being an old fuddy, but I preferred the last couple of shot meters to the ones presented here. It was a bit of a surprise to see what it looked like this year when I pulled up for my first shot. It bricked. There’s something about navigating the MyTEAM mode that took more time to get used to than usual as well. Just something about the menu UI didn’t click with me for a while.

Last but not least, since I’m airing grievances? I might as well bring up how much I have Virtual Currency. The microtransactions are strong with this series, and they have been for many years. They want too much of the VC (virtual currency) for the packs in MyTEAM, which is a sort of fantasy sports meets card collection mode that wants you to open your wallet. Still, you can choose to spend or not, and outside of the VC I start with for the version of the game I reviewed, I never buy any more. I’m just not a big microtransaction person in any game, so I tend to grind in games to avoid paying more. The good news is, compared to last year’s NBA 2K24? This year’s MyCAREER didn’t feel nearly as grindy. In fact I was earning VC at a good rate and enjoying my time doing so far better. 

That being said – I do have a request 2K: Could we stop with the pop-up windows when the game starts? Instead of defaulting to having them open, maybe have a banner with a button to be pressed to bring them up.  It’s annoying to fire up the game (which takes a bit to load in the first place), then see a menu and attempt to pick your game mode only to have a window pop up trying to get you to upgrade your purchase. And sometimes if you close that, a second window with a different offer pops up. It’s annoying, and it keeps me from getting right into the action.

There’s plenty of other modes to be had here outside of MyCAREER and MyTEAM as well. MyNBA is all about running a franchise. I love that there are different eras represented here (including the new ‘Curry Era’. I went back to the 80s to live out the early and later stages of my Detroit Pistons Bad Boys era in two different franchise files. There’s a ton to sink your teeth into here, and I lost a lot of hours to it. There’s also a MyGM mode that’s more of an RPG-lite management experience set with the current era as you also take the reigns of a franchise, but with a bit more story behind it. The story’s writing feels a bit stilted at times, but it’s still a lot of fun.

I was really happy to see The W get more love this year as well. Whether you follow the WNBA or not, it’s impossible to be more aware of the league with the arrival of some of this year’s top rookies, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. But it’s more about these new faces to the league. There’s more of an effort to make this mode more fully fleshed out than years past, including some storyline elements that don’t quite make it equal with MyCAREER, but a worthwhile endeavor all the same. And it’s worth noting that you get a set amount of VC for completing games in these other modes. I’ve seen some people grumbling that the requirement for ‘always connected’ could one day render these offline modes unplayable, but in reality I like that I’m getting VC for playing games, regardless of where (though MyTEAM does have a second currency in there. Frankly I think they should do away with that and just unify everything through VC. 

Even with all of these modes? The vast majority of my time is spent with MyCAREER mode. I went with a different build than recent years for my first one, and I’m having a blast with it. The actual storyline’s not as interesting as a some of the prior years have been, but the voice acting is solid and the progression elements have been a lot of fun. I’ve been up entirely too late at night since installing NBA 2K25, and it’s usually because of this roleplay-lite mode.

Simply put, NBA 2K25 is the best release this series has seen in years, and it’s probably my favorite sports game right now. This series has a knack for being my guilty pleasure, in that I play it more than almost anything else each year, and that’s very likely to be the case here once again. The package isn’t a flawless one, but there’s undeniable progress throughout NBA 2K25, and fans of the NBA owe it to themselves to play it.

 

Score: 8.75 / 10

 

 

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BRAND-NEW REACTIVE TURN-BASED RPG ‘CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33’ ANNOUNCED

Break the Paintress’ Cycle of Death in 2025 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC 

London, United Kingdom & Montpellier, France (June 9, 2024) - Developer Sandfall Interactive unveiled their highly ambitious debut title, ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ in today's Xbox Games Showcase. Inspired by beloved classic fantasy JRPGs and action games alike, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sets itself apart with immersive reactive turn-based battles, a mature and moving narrative and a stunning, evocative art style inspired by French and Parisienne art and architecture. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 promises players a beautiful story-driven experience and an emotional cast of characters that will stay with them long after the credits roll. Published by Kepler Interactive, it is currently in development for Xbox Series X|S (available day one with Xbox Game Pass), PlayStation 5 and PC. 

Step into the striking world of Lumière in the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 announcement trailer: https://youtu.be/o9KQ4rlymEQ 

Once a year, the Paintress wakes to paint a cursed number upon her monolith and everyone of that age instantly turns to smoke and fades away. Year by year, that number ticks down. Tomorrow she’ll wake and paint “33.” Join Gustave, and his fellow Expeditioners as they embark on a desperate quest to break the Paintress’ cycle of death once and for all. Retracing the steps of dozens of failed Expeditions before them, players will overcome powerful enemies and fight to save the future of their world. Set in a dreamlike world, the story unfolds as fantasy and art converge, backed by an enchanting soundtrack to create a breathtaking story unlike any other. 

“We poured our hearts and souls into creating the game of our dreams, something that would feel fresh and new, so we sincerely hope you will enjoy discovering the world and characters we crafted with love,” said Guillaume Broche, Founder of Sandfall Interactive and Creative Director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. “With an incredible and epic story, a unique reactive turn-based system, and a vast hand-crafted world to explore, we gave our all to make the journey in ‘Expedition 33’ one that you will never forget. We can't wait to share more with you as we get closer to release!” 

Powered by Unreal Engine 5, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, or ‘Expedition 33,’ is an innovative reactive turn-based RPG with immersive real-time offensive and defensive commands to enhance combat, making battles more engaging than ever. Players will master their offensive skills and magical abilities, dodge, parry and counter enemy assaults in real time, and target enemy weak points using a ranged free-aim system to overcome seemingly overwhelming odds. Furthermore, players will be able to customize each character’s unique stat growth, skill tree and gear alongside a wide range of learnable passive traits, offering endless opportunities to fine-tune their preferred strategies. 

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available to wishlist now and will be available for Xbox Series X|S (available day one with Xbox Game Pass), PlayStation 5 and PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store) in 2025. Fans curious to learn more about the gameplay, story and world of Expedition 33 can visit the game’s official website at www.Expedition33.com and sign up for the newsletter and receive new information and updates. 

 

Related Links:  

Official Website: www.Expedition33.com 

Sandfall Interactive’s Official Website: www.Sandfall.co  

X / Twitter: @Expedition33 

TikTok: @Expedition33Game 

 

About Sandfall Interactive: 

Founded in 2020 in France, Sandfall Interactive is an independent video game studio developing high-quality games for PC and consoles. With a focus on powerful narrative experiences, Sandfall Interactive aspires to deliver incredible stories with intriguing characters in gorgeous fantasy worlds inspired by French culture. The team also thrives in pushing technical boundaries by working with the latest and greatest technologies such as Unreal Engine 5. 

Their debut title, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is currently in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. 

About Kepler Interactive:  

Kepler Interactive - led by the founders of Kowloon Nights - is a developer and publisher that operates on a co-ownership model. Its studios are given strategic leadership roles, all while continuing to develop their games their way, with no creative limitations. Kepler’s partner studios are as varied as they are talented, including A44 Games in New Zealand, Alpha Channel and Timberline in North America, Awaceb, Ebb Software, and Sloclap in Europe, and Shapefarm in Asia. Kepler Interactive itself is headquartered in London.

Article by: Susan N.

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Dive Deeper into The Zone with the New S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Trailer

KYIV, Ukraine — June 9, 2024 — GSC Game World is thrilled to present a brand-new trailer, in partnership with the latest Xbox Showcase, for the highly anticipated survival shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, set for release on September 5, 2024.

Watch the Trailer Here - https://youtu.be/g6HH5kKLAlw

The trailer, voiced entirely in Ukrainian, presents many new details and insights into the experience of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in a way which many players of the franchise will be instantly familiar with. As players step into the shoes of a lone stalker named Skif, they must navigate a perilous and enigmatic environment teeming with dangerous mutants, hazardous radiation, and treacherous human factions.

This new trailer is packed with brand-new reveals, showcasing a variety of experiences from diverse locations to encounters with mutants and arch-anomalies. Players will also see hubs where they can rest and prepare for their next intense mission. The in-game footage is interspersed with narrative bits, highlighting the importance of the non-linear storyline in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Aptly named "The Time of Opportunities," the trailer reflects the boundless potential within this unforgiving landscape. How will you see the Zone? And how will She remember you?

Please stay tuned for additional announcements throughout the summer as we share more about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. This trailer marks the beginning of an exciting journey of reveals and updates leading up to the release.

Since the very start of Russia's full-fledged war against our country, GSC Game World has been supporting Ukraine in all the ways we could. For those willing to do the same, we recommend following a link to the official charity fund of Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine himself - https://u24.gov.ua/

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About S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the latest installment in the acclaimed series that has captivated millions of players globally. This new entry combines first-person shooter elements with immersive sim mechanics and horror, delivering a uniquely intense experience. Featuring unprecedented scale, advanced graphics, and a rich, atmospheric adventure, it promises to be the ultimate S.T.A.L.K.E.R. journey.

About GSC Game World

GSC Game World, a Ukrainian video game developer, was founded in 1995 and is renowned for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Cossacks series. The studio is committed to delivering top-tier gaming experiences and is currently focused on the upcoming release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.

Article by: Susan N.

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