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The Preamble So, you have stumbled across The Gamer Guide and you are wondering, “Why do I need a guide to gaming?” Well, we will not guide you on how to game, but we will keep you informed as to what the gaming industry has to offer to get you the best gaming experience! Now, the second thing you are probably wondering is, “How did The Gamer Guide start?” Well, it can be a slightly long story. However, the shortened version is that the journey of three Twitch streamers brought them together, and with their passion for gaming, their experiences of streaming, and their love for everything within the world of entertainment… The Gamer Guide was born. But what exactly is The Gamer Guide? The Gamer Guide is a digital magazine that focuses on everything gaming and streaming. This includes the latest/upcoming releases, reviews on gaming accessories, streaming tips, and even interviews with streamers and industry professionals from across the globe. Our readership is predominantly other gamers and streamers, just like us! We understand that the love and passion for gaming extends far beyond just playing a game, and that is what we are all about! So, who are the people behind this magazine?

Cal Howie - Operations Director Cal, also known as EyeStayProd has been streaming since September 2020 and loves everything about it whether it be the community, the rage moments or even just having fun and brightening people’s days! Predominantly he is an Xbox Gamer and recently added the Series X to his arsenal, but he also has a PS4 for certain games as well as having the Nintendo Switch to hand! His game of choice is Apex Legends but is no stranger to RPGs and other games, such as every Pokémon game in the franchise, the Fable Series, Call of Duty amongst loads more. Brandon Sawyer - Content Director Brandon, also known as Sawyers Gaming Central or Sawyer for short has been streaming since April 2020 and absolutely loves everything about it from the communities to the gameplays and reactions even a couple of rages thrown in there on a couple of occasions, but mostly he just loves to have fun and make people laugh which he can be quite hilarious at times! Predominantly he is an Xbox Gamer where he mostly plays his Xbox Series X but also has a gaming pc, a Nintendo switch, and even a Playstation. Sawyer is mainly a variety streamer where his main love is Gears of war and RPGs and due to Sawyers background he has come on board with The Gamer Guide as the Content Director, so we’re sure you’ll all learn to love this familiar face and don’t hesitate to pop by and say hi! Emily Welfare - Creative Director Emily, also known as CreativeTrashGaming, started streaming in the latter half of 2020 with the goal of bringing a bit of joy and laughter to the world, as well as the aim of raising money for various charities.Her favourite types of games are those with a compelling story, or those that just make her inner Fantasy Nerd go ballistic. She also likes spooky stuff, not just in the gaming realm but in general, and has a podcast with her two sisters where they discuss all things horror. Emily loves to dabble in the art world often, creating digital art pieces and learning new crafts. A graphics designer in her full time job, Emily is an integral part of the team whom designs the entire layout of our magazines from top to bottom!

contents tgg youtube update

4 5

upcoming games in june and july 2022

godox

rode

epos

cyberpunk: edgerunners

xbox & bethesda showcase recap

playstation state of play recap

call of duty: modern warfare trailer

summer games fest 2022 recap

apple at wwdc22

stray

as dusk falls

the quarry

tnmt: shredders revenge

rowdy rogan

stallion

ok lauren

Property ofThe Outsiders

CARE

Ukraine crisis fund Terrible things are happening in Ukraine, and many feel as if they are unable to help. However, streamers across the globe have come up with a way to raise money in order to assist with aiding the people in need. They have united with the charity CARE who have boots on the ground in Ukraine helping to provide food, water, shelter, and financial aid. They will be hosting non-stop charity streams where viewers can donate to this wonderful cause. One popular streamer and political commentator HasanAbi has already raised a lot of money for Ukraine relief working alongside CARE. Hasan had originally planned to have an unspecified donation goal but CARE set it to $100,000, which he reached in around twenty minutes and it is still climbing daily. In addition to the donations made through CARE Hasan is matching the first $25,000 and also donating $10 for every death he has within the game he is playing. You can find Hasan’s stream here: HasanAbi - Twitch CARE is accepting donations for the Ukraine emergency providing “immediate aid and recovery, food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support and cash assistance for families in the country and those fleeing. CARE also links to stories about the crisis on their site and offers other ways to get involved. You can find additional information about CARE and what they do below or you can donate directly through CARE over at their website:

www.care.org About CARE Ukraine Crisis Fund CARE is launching a humanitarian response to support the most vulnerable Ukrainians, particularly women-headed households and the elderly. Nearly 30% of people in need of assistance in Ukraine are over the age of 60, which is the largest percentage of people affected by conflict in a single country. While many younger people are able to flee the violence, many older people are less mobile and have no choice but to stay. Older women, in particular, may be literally “left behind” to care for grandchildren with little support and face more challenges in moving to safety. CARE is working with a local humanitarian organization already operating in Ukraine to rapidly deliver emergency assistance. Through this partnership, we aim to impact 4 million people. Our first priority is to meet the immediate needs of affected families through the distribution of critical food and water supplies as well as hygiene kits, cash assistance and psychosocial support. Current Situation in Ukraine As of this moment, over 3.6 million Ukrainians have fled war, with many travelling to neighbouring countries such as Romania, Poland, Slovakia and Moldova. The citizens in these neighbouring countries have welcomed these families with open arms and are working day and night to provide shelter for them. CARE are currently dispersed in amongst these countries as well as attempting to assist those still in Ukraine that wish to leave. If you too would like to get involved with the teams working on these charity streams then do please get in touch with us over at our Twitter where we can point you into the right direction: @TheGamerGuide_

upcoming games in Tgg youtube update feb and march 2022 Did you know we also produce YouTube content and work alongside some of the best companies within the gaming industry? Well we do and this month we unboxed the all new PS5! It was a great thing for us as they are super rare to get a hold of but team TGG managed to pull through. Make sure to check out the video below as we know you’ll love it.

Life is Strange Remastered Collection Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC Developer: Ubisoft Release date: January 20th 2022 (Out now!)

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Platform: Switch Developer: Game Freak Release date: January 28th 2022 (Out now!)

Dying Light Stay Human Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox, Switch Developer: Techland Release date: February 4th 2022

Sifu Platform: PS5, PS4, PC Developer: Sloclap Release date: February 8th 2022

CrossfireX

Platform: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One Developer: Remedy Entertainmennt, Smilegate Release date: February 10th 2022

Total War: Warhammer 3

Platform: PC Developer: Creative Assembly Release date: February 17th 2022 We can’t wait to show you more to come so please head over to our YouTube Page below. It would be great if you could also subscribe to our channel and maybe even support us by liking some of Horizon West the videosForbbiden or sharing with your friends as the support means everything to us. Platform: PS5, PS4 YouTube: @TheGamerGuide Developer: Guerilla Games Release date: February 18th 2022 Please stay tuned to our channel and check out our website where you can read all of our previous issues and sign up for free to be told about future issues!

www.thegamerguidemag.com Property of Avalanche Software

upcoming games in august & semptember 2022 Two Point Campus Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Switch Developer: Two Point Studios Release date: August 9th 2022

Cult of The Lamb

Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Swich Developer: Massive Monster Release date: August 11th 2022

Saints Row Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Stadia Developer: Volition Inc. Release date: August 23rd 2022

Soul Hackers 2 Platform: Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Switch, PS5, PS4, PC Developer: ATLUS Release date: July 2021

Destroy All Humans! 2 Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch Developer: Black Forest Games, Pandemic Studios, THQ Nordic Release date: August 2022

Immortality

Platform: PC, Xbox One X Developer: Sam Barlow Release date: August 2022

Tinykin

Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch Developer: Nintendo Release date: July 29th 2022

The Last of Us Part One Remaster Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Developer: Naughty Dog Release date: September 2022

Steelrising

Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, PS5 Developer: Spiders Release date: September 8th 2022

Splatoon 3 Platform: Switch Developer: Nintendo Release date: September 9th 2022

NBA 2K23 Platform: Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Switch, PS5, PS4, PC Developer: Visual Concepts Release date: September 9th 2022

Metal: Hellsinger Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, PS5 Developer: The Outsiders Release date: September 13th 2022

Evil West

Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 Developer: Flying Wild Hog Release date: September 20th 2022

The DioField Chronicle

Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch Developer: Lancarse Release date: September 22nd 2022

Serial Cleaners

Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch Developer: Draw Distance Release date: September 22nd 2022

Grounded

Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch Developer: Obsidian Entertainment, Release date: September 22nd 2022

Are you in the market for an all new super clean slick looking microphone that also has RGB? Well we have the perfect item from you! Godox have produced a microphone that just does all of that and the audio quality is somewhat amazing. The all new EM68 & EM68G from Godox, We managed to really try and test out this wonderful product and this is what we found and our overall thoughts. The EM68 & EM68G are designed to be a fantastic esports streaming companion. Providing a clear and professional sound with cardioid pickup mode, it makes you the centre of the channel and reduces any noises around. The built-in high-density sponge helps to avoid pops and plosives, keeping your voice clear even in exciting moments. Not that you can add some cool mood to your channel! The EM68 &EM68G features a colourful atmosphere light on the top, switchable between different stylish light effects while not too strong for your eyes. There’s also a great app from Godox which allows you to control and adjust the atmosphere light effects of EM68 &EM68G on your smartphone conveniently! With several taps and swipes on Godox Mic APP, you can switch between monochrome on, monochrome breathing, gradient, RGB loop and sound effects mode. Instead of talking louder or softer for the best streaming effect, adjusting the gain is a more comfortable way. Turn the dial on the top of the microphone until you get a satisfying result. EM68 & EM68G features a 3.5mm audio port for real-time monitoring. Simply pulling on a headphone, you can make any adjustment in time, ensuring everything is at your desired level. A simple tap can avoid many awkward moments during streaming. When you need to say something in private, say it after tapping the mute button on the top of the mic and seeing the atmosphere light off. The flexible bracket is easy to adjust angles to adapt for your streaming. With elastic shock-absorbing design, it holds the mic stably in place and reduces unwanted vibration noises. EM68 & EM68G are compatible with computers (Win PC/Mac OS). Both the microphones feature a simple plug-and-play operation and no professional techniques are needed. So overall the all new Godox EM68 & EM68G features touching sensible mute button on the top, Convenient and precise gain adjustment dial, Support smartphone APP control, Auto-sensible and workable after connecting to PC with Type-C data cable, Real-time monitoring through 3.5mm audio port, Attached elastic shock absorbing bracket. The difference between the two is firstly the EM68 is smaller than the EM68G which means pick up distance and sensitivity for your gain not only that the EM68G is more premium so your quality is slightly better, overall both are fantastic microphones and if you want the more premium touch then we would go with the EM68G but both are high quality great microphones for any content creator and or streamers. Overall TGG Rating And what do we think? Well overall we was super impressed as we are always with Godox and their products, we were eager to unbox and plug in and play around which we did very quickly upon arrival, After some very strong tests and several quality test later we ran a couple of streams and a handful of meetings using this great microphone in which we received several compliments and we didn’t come across any issue as such. The price comparison on the market is what you would expect to pay so there was no issues there and with the quality this is one of your more premium devices which we highly recommend. TGG STAMP OF APPROVAL

9 / 10 If you would love to purchase this product yourself or even find out more information on Godox then you can check out their website where it will have all of their information on there for you.

www.godox.com

NTH-100 Headphones We worked again with our valued partners Røde and this time it is with the all new NTH-100 which is Røde’s first pair of headphones. Of course, it’s one thing to be a one of the biggest in the pro audio world, but quite another to make a similar impression for domestic equipment, Still, if they perform beyond their price then who knows how many prospective customers will be willing to step back in time, technologically speaking. The Røde NTH-100 are on sale now, and in the UK, they’ll set you back £149. They’re a slightly more affordable $149 in the US, while in Australia they come in at AU$249 or so. The world isn’t short of over-ear headphones at this sort of money. But similarly priced over-ear headphones of this antiquated configuration are, predictably, rather more difficult to come by. While Røde may be pleased at the lack of competition faced by the NTH-100, the brand might want to spend a moment wondering why that is. So lets look at the design it’s a great standard of build and finish which is to be expected by Røde, not only that the NTH 100s are soft and have very comfortable contact points. Little has changed, in design terms at least since Day One of overear headphones entering the market. And if you were expecting Røde to be the brand to tear up the rulebook and start again, then you’re mistaken. The NTH-100 look exactly as you’d expect a pair of over-ear headphones to look. The closedback earcups carry a nice bold “Ø” logo and the company’s customary gold dot with Alcantaracovered memory foam for the contact points which is a bonus. Build quality is professional – no corners appear to have been cut, no pennies pinched. The Røde NTH100 look and, at 350g, feel properly constructed and built to last. Which, for a product that has pretensions towards professional applications, can only be a good thing. Now lets dive into the features, at first you can see that theres 40mm full range drivers and 2.4m cable connects to both ear cups which that itself is a great touch. Many consumers might think wireless Bluetooth connectivity, touch or voice or app control, or active noise cancellation are a given when spending this sort of money. But the NTH-100 go without all

the above. What your £149 (or equivalent) buys is a pair of closed-back, over-ear headphones that come with a 2.4m cable that terminates in a 3.5mm jack at one end and a twist-and-lock plug at the other. The cable can plug into either the left or right earcup (which is useful), and a shorter (1.2m) cable is available at additional cost – which is tight in the extreme. There’s a screwon 6.3mm adapter supplied, too. That sum also gets you Røde’s “FitLock” system, which we’re confidently filing under the “genius, and certain to be ripped off” category. The metal headband adjusts for size, of course, but a little twist-lock on either end lets you lock the headband in position, so it remains the correct size for your head, no matter how many times you take the headphones off or stash them in the soft carry-case they come in. Now for the sound quality, So the sound is delivered by a couple of 40mm full-range transducers (one inside each earcup, naturally enough). Røde is claiming a frequency response of 5Hz-35kHz – which, should this turn out to be the case, is pretty impressive. The sound also is very rapid and balanced with overall sound Impressively detailed which will adept with music of any kind. So what does TGG Think? The Røde NTH-100 are a retrograde product it’s obvious, and it isn’t unreasonable for some prospective customers to take one look at that cable and decide to spend their money elsewhere. But if performance-per-pound is the be-all and endall of a purchasing decision, the NTH-100 are nighon compelling. Whether you want them for casual or for critical listening, it’s difficult to suggest an alternative product at this sort of money. So overall in terms of rating the price is exactly what youd expect to pay and the quality is really up there as one of the best within this price range but again this isn’t perfect with the inability to use this via a USB or Bluetooth is a huge downfall itself but the slick design and the material used really do make comfort at the top. So overall this TGG will give this an 8/10 which is really well given for the product you receive.

wireless go ii We worked again with our valued partners Røde and this time it is with the all new NTH-100 which is Røde’s first pair of headphones. Of course, it’s one thing to be a one of the biggest in the pro audio world, but quite another to make a similar impression for domestic equipment, Still, if they perform beyond their price then who knows how many prospective customers will be willing to step back in time, technologically speaking.

What your £149 (or equivalent) buys is a pair of closed-back, over-ear headphones that come with a 2.4m cable that terminates in a 3.5mm jack at one end and a twist-and-lock plug at the other. The cable can plug into either the left or right earcup (which is useful), and a shorter (1.2m) cable is available at additional cost – which is tight in the extreme. There’s a screw-on 6.3mm adapter supplied, too.

The Røde NTH-100 are on sale now, and in the UK, they’ll set you back £149. They’re a slightly more affordable $149 in the US, while in Australia they come in at AU$249 or so. The world isn’t short of over-ear headphones at this sort of money. But similarly priced over-ear headphones of this antiquated configuration are, predictably, rather more difficult to come by. While Røde may be pleased at the lack of competition faced by the NTH-100, the brand might want to spend a moment wondering why that is. So lets look at the design it’s a great standard of build and finish which is to be expected by Røde, not only that the NTH 100s are soft and have very comfortable contact points. Little has changed, in design terms at least since Day One of over-ear headphones entering the market. And if you were expecting Røde to be the brand to tear up the rulebook and start again, then you’re mistaken.

That sum also gets you Røde’s “FitLock” system, which we’re confidently filing under the “genius, and certain to be ripped off” category. The metal headband adjusts for size, of course, but a little twist-lock on either end lets you lock the headband in position, so it remains the correct size for your head, no matter how many times you take the headphones off or stash them in the soft carrycase they come in. Now for the sound quality, So the sound is delivered by a couple of 40mm full-range transducers (one inside each earcup, naturally enough). Røde is claiming a frequency response of 5Hz-35kHz – which, should this turn out to be the case, is pretty impressive. The sound also is very rapid and balanced with overall sound Impressively detailed which will adept with music of any kind.

The NTH-100 look exactly as you’d expect a pair of over-ear headphones to look. The closedback earcups carry a nice bold “Ø” logo and the company’s customary gold dot with Alcantaracovered memory foam for the contact points which is a bonus. Build quality is professional – no corners appear to have been cut, no pennies pinched. The Røde NTH-100 look and, at 350g, feel properly constructed and built to last. Which, for a product that has pretensions towards professional applications, can only be a good thing. Now lets dive into the features, at first you can see that theres 40mm full range drivers and 2.4m cable connects to both ear cups which that itself is a great touch. Many consumers might think wireless Bluetooth connectivity, touch or voice or app control, or active noise cancellation are a given when spending this sort of money. But the NTH100 go without all the above.

The Røde NTH-100 are a retrograde product it’s obvious, and it isn’t unreasonable for some prospective customers to take one look at that cable and decide to spend their money elsewhere. But if performance-per-pound is the be-all and endall of a purchasing decision, the NTH-100 are nighon compelling. Whether you want them for casual or for critical listening, it’s difficult to suggest an alternative product at this sort of money.

So what does TGG Think?

So overall in terms of rating the price is exactly what youd expect to pay and the quality is really up there as one of the best within this price range but again this isn’t perfect with the inability to use this via a USB or Bluetooth is a huge downfall itself but the slick design and the material used really do make comfort at the top. So overall this TGG will give this an 8/10 which is really well given for the product you receive.

www.rode.com

After the de-merging of Sennheiser Communications and Demant Group last year, EPOS was created as part of Demant Group to continue the production of gaming and enterprise audio equipment. Although the team has stayed the same as when they were partnered with Sennheiser, offering the same technologies and experiences as they had before the de-merge, the H3 line of gaming headsets is the company’s latest suite of premium gaming headsets. The EPOS H3 Hybrid is the latest iteration of the H3 headsets which launched earlier this year. This new offering comes loaded with improved features over its lower-priced sibling, which includes analogue audio for wired console gaming, a 7.1 surround sound digital experience on Windows 10, and sporting a detachable microphone for wireless phone connectivity when on the move. The H3 Hybrid comes priced at £149/$179/€174 and certainly looks and feels like a premium peripheral straight out of the box. Our unit came in a Ghost White finish with black detailing, but you can also pick up the H3 Hybrid in Onyx Black. Its headband is layered in a soft mesh material which I found to be comfortable over an extended period of use. I’ve been using Turtle Beach’s Stealth 700s for the past year and comparatively the H3 Hybrid is a class above. The earcups, although they look small at first glance, fit perfectly around my ears and caused no problems when being worn with glasses. I also sport a ‘scaffold’ piercing in my ear which has spikes protruding from two different points. It’s not uncommon for some headsets to cause soreness or rubbing after a couple of hours of play, but surprisingly, the H3 Hybrid’s smaller ear cups didn’t cause any discomfort at all. Although I’d not judge a headset for causing discomfort due to something I decided to stick in my head, anything that doesn’t cause me issues can only be classed as a win. A lot of the reason for the comfort comes from the adjustable headband, which is numbered to help with easily re-finding your preferred sizing when you inevitably knock it out of place. Sidenote, if you’re anything like me and regularly play with one cup on and the other on the side of your face so you can communicate with your family, then the numbers are perfect to quickly adjust back to a closed fit. The H3 Hybrid comes with a large boom arm microphone that uses the same drop-down-to-speak controls that other gaming headsets use, including a way to mute yourself by pushing the boom arm back up. The boom arm is

pretty large when compared to what I’m used to, although it ensured the microphone was close to my mouth, making my voice clear to hear when on a party chat or a phone call with my partner. The large microphone, however, is magnetically connected, meaning it easily detaches so you can use the headset away from your gaming setup when you just want to wirelessly listen to music. Once the mic is removed, you can fill the hole with the provided cap that matches the volume dial on the other side. This also activates the secondary mic in the headset kicks into action, and although it’s a little further away from your mouth than the full boom arm, it still provides a fairly clear way to speak to someone when out-and-about.

That leads me perfectly onto one of the main things I like about the H3 Hybrid… versatility. I’m a sucker for anything I can get double the value out of, and these excelled in every environment I wanted them to work in. The H3 Hybrid uses a detachable wired 3.5mm connection when used with an Xbox, plugged into the controller’s audio jack. But the dual audio capabilities of the unit allow you to wirelessly connect to your mobile or tablet with a Bluetooth connection. For instance, I always have my Surface Pro X (another multi-use item) open no matter what I’m doing, so using the H3 Hybrid to play games while wirelessly connected to that means that I can receive my notifications while gaming by connecting my phone to the Pro X using the ‘Your Phone’ app means I have my game, PC, and phone notifications running through the headset, taking calls, replying to messages, and everything in between. The H3 Hybrid shines as a productivity device as well as a solid gaming headset. Alternatively, you can connect the headset to your Windows 10 PC using the provided USB cable to unlock the EPOS Gaming Suite of 7.1 surround sound features, equaliser settings, reverberation, and a whole bunch of other tools. It’s a fantastic addition for those that also game on PC and unlocks the full potential of the unit. When not in use, the H3 Hybrid needs to be charged using the aforementioned USB cable. Battery life was exactly what I would expect from a premium headset, giving me a full day’s worth of use before needing to be charged again, while using it for both console play and Bluetooth in fact, I never ran out of charge in the first place. 14

Of course, having some pops and pings dropping notifications into your ears is great, but how does the sound stack up? Well, pretty darn solid, except when it comes to the unit’s bass. I’m quite the lover of a good thumping around the ear holes. Yes, I’m still talking about bass, so put your fists down. The EPOS H3 Hybrid headset doesn’t quite reach the deep thudding that I’d personally like to hear, but the extremely crisp audio certainly helps make up for it, allowing you to hear everything that a scene wants to give you. I have three methods of finding out if I like the audio that is being fed to me: games, movies, and pure bassline rhythms. Games are obviously the most important place to start when looking for a headset for… gaming. The H3 Hybrid took games like The Elder Scrolls Online, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and Wreckfest in its stride, offering an immersive experience in all three games and delivering a great experience all around. The Elder Scrolls Online was a light introduction to the headset, which gave fantastic feedback when speaking to the various citizens around Tamriel. The same can be said about Wreckfest, crashing was detailed and pleasing to hear but the slight drop in bass with each collision was missed. Aliens: Fireteam Elite, however, gave the H3 Hybrid the perfect playground to show off exactly what the H3 Hybrid’s speakers can do, and they did not disappoint. The atmosphere was transferred beautifully, even to the point where there were noises happening in different parts of the level that were catching my attention, things that I hadn’t even noticed before. These cans gave me the most immersive experience when playing

Aliens. From the Xenomorphs screeching as they charged towards me, to the sounds of the environment throwing off atmospheric cues, everything was clear and brought to life. Movies held up just the same as with the games, with 1998’s war movie Saving Private Ryan offering a surround sound experience that captured each scene flawlessly, especially when it came to the beach scene. The EPOS H3 Hybrid is at the top of my pile of great headset experiences. Offering crisp and detailed audio that captures each moment perfectly, although it does have me wanting a little more punch with my bass… but it’s damn near close. It’s comfortable over long periods of play, with a battery that lasts for a full day of gaming. Smart, sleek, and perfect to use while travelling to work or walking down the street, although fully wireless wouldn’t go amiss at least for my “the-fewer-wires-the-better” tastes. The H3 Hybrid is a worthy purchase for those that want a good audio experience but also a versatile unit for almost any situation, and it is an absolute pleasure to use. Overall we would rate this product with a TGG Rating of 9/10 as these headphones are a superior premium product which is highly recommended throughout, we came across zero to minimal issues and its slick design prevails. Once again price may be the issue for some of you consumers as not everyone has the funds for such a premium product but as we always say you get what you pay for and this is set above the bar in quality and the price fits perfectly with what you get.

You can check out EPOS Audio and their socials below for more information and where to purchase

Store: www.eposaudio.com Facebook: @eposaudiogaming Twitter: @eposaudiogaming Instagram: @eposaudiogaming

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime coming to Netflix September 2022 CD Projekt Red and Netflix have announced that the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime will be arriving on the streaming service this September, and we’ve got both a teaser trailer and an inside look video to check out. Telling a standalone story set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ will feature ten episodes which will follow a street kid trying to survive in Night City becoming a mercenary outlaw known as an Edgerunner. First announced back in 2020, before Cyberpunk 2077 had even released, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is being created by Studio Trigger which is the Japanese animation studio behind the likes of Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia and even the opening intro to Shantae and the Seven Sirens. As well as a gorgeously animated teaser trailer which introduces us to protagonists Lucy and David, we also have a behind the scenes documentary video which shows off first-look stills, concept art, and offers commentary about the show’s development from CD Projekt Red staff. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is coming to Netflix in September 2022. You can check out the teaser trailer here and an inside look here.

If you didn’t catch the stream, no bother! You can find all the news right here in our round-up. Microsoft wasted absolutely no time during the showcase which aired on June 12th 2022, we were hit with reveal after reveal after reveal in which overall Microsoft made over 30 big announcements, all of which you can find below. Redfall gameplay Microsoft opened proceedings with Redfall, giving us our second-ever look at the game. We were treated to a new gameplay trailer that revealed a bit more about the game’s world, its characters, and a few gameplay mechanics. Hollow Knight: Silksong confirmed for Xbox Game Pass day one Next up was a Game Pass announcement and gameplay trailer for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Unfortunately, no release date was given for the long-awaited sequel, but it was confirmed as a day one Xbox Game Pass title. High on Life reveal High on Life is a new first-person shooter from the mad brain of Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland. The out-there FPS launches in October and has been confirmed as a day one Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass title. Riot Games on Game Pass Here’s a big one for all the League fans out there. Riot Games is bringing League of Legends, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Valorant, Legends of Runterra, and Teamfight Tactics to PC and mobile through Game Pass. Technically, all of these games are free, but with Game Pass, all Champions will be unlocked for free. A Plague Tale: Requiem

confirmed that we can expect this one sometime in spring 2023. Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary and Halo crossover announced A second reveal for Asobo Studio. Microsoft Flight Simulator is expanding its roster of flying vehicles with helicopters, gliders, and new aircraft to celebrate the series’ 40th anniversary. These are down to join the sim in November, but Asobo also revealed that the Pelican from Halo has just been added to the game for free and is flyable now! Overwatch 2 releases in October as a free-toplay title A big announcement for Overwatch 2 came next. Blizzard confirmed that the hero shooter will be free-to-play and that it’s down to launch on October 4th. Ara: History Untold announcement Oxide Games’ upcoming turn-based strategy game, Ara: History Untold, was announced for PC and PC Game Pass, and its insider program is now open for registrations.

Asobo Studio then treated us to a new gameplay trailer for A Plague Tale: Requiem. While the gameplay trailer looks fantastic, sadly, we still don’t have a release date. A Plague Tale: Requiem will launch into Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass sometime this year.

The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle trailer

Forza Motorsport gameplay reveal and release window

Fallout 76 - Expeditions: The Pitt announced

How good does Forza Motorsport look? Turn 10 showcased the next entry into the Forza Motorsport series with both a new trailer and an official gameplay demo. The developer also

The Xb bethesda showcas

Despite already being available on PC, ZeniMax saw fit to provide us console folk with a new trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle Chapter.

Fallout 76’s next major content update was announced. Expeditions: The Pitt will return players to Fallout 3’s Pittsburgh to experience a brand new storyline and to reap the rewards waiting for them.

box & a games se recap Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels DLC Yep, the leak was correct. Much like Forza Horizon 3, Forza Horizon 5 is getting Hot Wheels DLC, complete with all the orange-tracked loops-the-loops and a bunch of toy cars. The new expansion will launch in July. Ark II trailer While no release date was given, we did receive a vague 2023 release window and a brand-new trailer for Ark II, as well as confirmation that it’ll launch straight into Xbox Game Pass. Scorn gets October release date After its delay last year, Ebb Software’s Scorn was given an October release date alongside a short gameplay trailer. We can look forward to some scares during the spooky season, thanks to Xbox Game Pass. Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn gameplay Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn was given a fresh gameplay trailer for us to ogle at, which showcased a ton of melee and ranged combat. No release date was given, though, only that it’s coming in 2023. Minecraft Legends reveal Out of nowhere, Mojang Studios popped up with a new reveal for a Minecraft spin-off. Minecraft Legends is an action strategy game that features both online campaign co-op and competitive multiplayer, and it’s coming to Xbox consoles and PC in 2023. Lightyear Frontier Lightyear Frontier mashes together farming, exploration, resource management, and base

building with mechs! This awesome little game will arrive for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass in spring 2023. Gunfire Reborn confirmed for Xbox Game Pass Roguelite time! Gunfire Reborn is a chaotic firstperson shooter roguelite that’s coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass in October. It can either be played solo or in co-op with two to four players, and it looks like a wicked time. The Last Case of Benedict Fox announced The Last Case of Benedict Fox was announced with a reveal trailer and will have us playing as a detective bound to a demon when it launches into Xbox Game Pass on Xbox Series X|S and PC next year. As Dusk Falls launches into Xbox Game Pass in July We then saw a new trailer for As Dusk Falls, confirming its release date for next month, when the interactive drama will join Xbox Game Pass. Naraka: Bladepoint coming to Xbox Game Pass soon The popular PC battle royale game Naraka: Bladepoint is finally coming over to consoles with an Xbox release later this month. It’s down to launch on June 23rd for Xbox Series X|S and PC, and you’ll be able to play it on day one with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. Obsidian’s next game: Pentiment Obsidian’s next game is Pentiment, a narrative adventure game that will take us on a journey through 16th century Bavaria as artist Andreas Maler. We will become entangled in a series of murders that span over 25 years, and it’s up to us to investigate the conspiracy. Pentiment is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, as well as Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass in November. Grounded full release The showcase then brought us confirmation that Grounded will leave Game Preview later this year, along with an announcement trailer for the full release. Ereban: Shadow Legacy Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a new stealth

Diablo IV

Next up, Rare gave us a quick rundown on a new update that’s coming with Sea of Thieves’ next season. In Season Seven, several quality-of-life features are coming, including the ability to name your own ship and customise your cabin. Sea of Thieves Season Seven begins on July 21st.

Tuesday 14th June Xbox Games Showcase Extended showcase went live which was the follow-up to Sunday 12th June Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, this showcase delivered a more in-depth look at many of the games featured on the Sunday stream, courtesy of the developers behind the games. Like the Sunday show, the extended showcase was around 95 minutes long, and also like the Sunday show it focused on games that we’ll be playing in the next 12 months. We were also treated to a look at a few games that weren’t featured on Sunday’s stream. Here is a recap of the extended showcase.

Ravenlok announced for Xbox Game Pass

Opening

The fairy-tale action RPG from the creators of Echo Generation, Ravenlok, was announced for Xbox Game Pass, and it’ll launch next year.

The show started with an opening message from Xbox head Phil Spencer, followed by a trailer for Valheim announcing that the survival/sandbox game will come to Xbox and PC Game Pass in Spring of 2023.

We got our first look at console footage from Blizzard’s action-RPG, as well as seeing the Necromancer class confirmed for the game. Sea of Thieves Season Seven update

Cocoon reveal Cocoon was revealed as a cosmic “world-leaping” adventure which launches into Xbox Game Pass next year. Wo-Long: Fallen Dynasty announced Wo-long: Fallen Kingdoms was announced for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass in 2023, and we’ll be fighting a bunch of demons that have invaded the Three Kingdoms. Persona coming to Game Pass One last surprise... well, almost. Persona is coming to Xbox, and Game Pass, too! Persona 5 Royal lands in October, with Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden following next year. Showtime!

Pete Hines conversation Global Marketing and Communications SVP for Bethesda Pete Hines sat down to discuss a range of Bethesda-related topics, from the hottest Bethesda games – Starfield, Redfall, Fallout, Elder Scrolls Online – to release dates, Arkane Studios and more. Behind the Scenes: Naraka: Bladepoint In this feature the creators of the online battleroyale action game Naraka: Bladepoint gave us a unique developer’s perspective on the game to coincide with its June 23 launch and arrival on Game Pass. ARA: History Untold trailer and interview

Hideo Kojima working with Xbox Game Studios on new game Here’s a big one. The legendary game designer Hideo Kojima revealed that he’s working on a new game in partnership with Xbox Game Studios. Not much was said about the project other than it will leverage Microsoft’s cloud technology. Starfield gameplay finally revealed Saving the best for last, we were finally given an in-depth look at Starfield’s gameplay with a new trailer showing off exploration, combat, and more, and featuring commentary from Todd Howard.

The creators of the upcoming turn-based strategy game ARA: History Untold sat down to talk about their ambitious new project. Behind the Scenes: Grounded Get a look at this unique “backyard survival” game in this behind-the-scenes look and get added insight from the developers themselves. Behind the Scenes: Microsoft Flight Simulator In this feature MSF head Jörg Neumann takes us on a tour of some of the planes coming to the game, courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Gameplay Trailer

newly announced turn-based action game Minecraft Legends.

Based on the 1974 classic horror film of the same name, this upcoming “multiplayer horror game based on true events” will come to Game Pass when it releases sometime in 2023.

ID@Xbox Showcase

Behind the Scenes: Pentiment “A narrative adventure most unexpected,” Pentium will deliver a unique experience courtesy of Obsidian Games when it comes to Xbox and Game Pass in November 2022. Behind the Scenes: As Dusk Falls Get a look at this unique interactive narrative adventure from the creators themselves and gain some insight as to what inspired them to create this multiplayer storytelling experience coming July 19. Slime Rancher 2 Official Gameplay Trailer The sequel to 2017’s original first-person shooter/life simulator will be another day one Game Pass addition when it arrives sometime in the fall of this year. This official gameplay trailer was part of Tuesday’s extended showcase.

Before the final video feature of the event we were treated to a quick indie game showcase courtesy of ID@Xbox. A multitude of indie games were highlighted, including a brief but exciting clip of Hollow Knight: Silksong. Interview with Sarah Bond Corporate Vice President at Xbox Sarah Bond sat down for an interview in which she discussed Xbox’s diversity efforts and gave advice for those aspiring game developers looking to break into the industry, among other topics. The interview lead into the show’s finale: a look at Stalker 2’s Ukrainian developer GSC Game World. This extended finale consisted of a developer diary that gave a stark look at the development team’s experience being based in the city of Kyiv. Suffice it to say, the show ended on a poignant note.

Behind the Scenes: Hot Wheels coming to Forza

Overall, the two showcases have generally been positively received, and have left gamers with a good impression of what the next 12 months of Xbox gaming will look like.

This behind-the-scenes feature takes a look at the first major expansion coming to Forza Horizon 5. Hint: it’s Hot Wheels related.

If you would like to rewatch everything we discussed about in both event then you can do so and in 4k here:

Minecraft Legends discussion

12th June Xbox & Bethesda Showcase

Dennis Reis, Executive Producer at Mojang Studios, sat down to give us more info on the

14th June Xbox & Bethesda Showcase

Playstation state of play 2022 PlayStation kicked off gaming events this summer with a new State of Play on 2nd June 2022. While the event did not bring any updates on the upcoming first-party roster, including God of War Ragnarök and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, it set the stage for what to expect from thirdparty publishers in 2022. PlayStation, the gaming division of Sony, has not only become one of the most recognizable video game brands but has been an industry leader for over two decades. One of the main contemporaries behind the success of the brand is the excellent third-party support. From the early days of the first PS1 to the recent ninth generation of consoles, the PS5, the console family have had amazing thirdparty support. Sony set expectations in check by announcing early on that the State of Play will focus on third-party and PS VR2 titles. While the event did not bring a new God of War Ragnarök trailer, it brought some amazing announcements such as Marvel’s Spider-Man headed to PC and the reveal of Resident Evil 4 Remake. The PlayStation State of Play brought in quite exciting news, including Spider-Man heading to PC, the official announcement of Resident Evil 4 Remake, and the gameplay reveal of Final Fantasy XVI. Let’s take a look at the different announcements. Resident Evil 4 Remake officially announced After being rumoured for quite a while, Capcom officially announced the Resident Evil 4 Remake. Following the path set by Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake, Resident Evil 4 Remake reimagines the 2005 title. As Resident Evil 4 was the first third-person over-the-shoulder gameplay, it is expected to retain much more of its DNA as compared to RE2 and RE3 remakes. The game is slated for March 3, 2023.

Marvel’s Spider-Man is headed to PC After the phenomenal success of Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War on PC, PlayStation PC brings another flagship title to the platform, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. Set for an August launch (August 12, 2022), the game will contain all of its DLCs as well as implement PC-specific features. The official blog also confirms that Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is also headed to PC. Stray set for a July release date, included in PlayStation Plus One of the most highly-anticipated indie titles, Stray gets a release date for next month, July 19, 2022. The title will also be the first game to launch on Day 1 on PlayStation’s new revamped PS Plus service. The Callisto Protocol set for this December The space horror title created by ex-Dead Space developers, The Callisto Protocol, gets a new trailer and a release date of December 2, 2022. Rollerdrome and Eternights revealed Two new indie titles announced are Rollerdrome and Eternights. Developed by OliOli Games, Rollerdrome is slated for August 16, 2022, whereas Eternights has a release window of early 2023. Street Fighter 6 seems to feature an adventure mode After getting a controversial logo reveal earlier in the year, Capcom shows off the new Street Fighter 6 at the PlayStation State of Play. Slated for 2023. Aside from the bombastic fighting style, the game seems to feature a thirdperson sandbox adventure mode, featuring a metropolitan city, a dojo for training, and possibly an impromptu fight against NPCs.

Tunic launches on PS4 and PS5 Tunic, the indie adventure title that follows in the footsteps of the old-school Zelda title, became a phenomenal hit when it debuted on Xbox a few months back. Now the title is making its way to PS4 and PS5 on September 27, 2022. Final Fantasy XVI gameplay revealed The showcase ended on a massive note, with

the gameplay reveal of Final Fantasy XVI. it showcased combat against the phoenix, titans, and massive opponents, blending in the combat style of FFXIV and FFXV. The game also got a release date of Summer 2023. All in all, the June 2022 PlayStation Showcase brought quite exciting announcements, from Resident Evil 4 Remake to Final Fantasy XVI Gameplay reveal.

Call of duty: modern warfare 2 trailer drops Activision and developer Infinity Ward have dropped the reveal trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II on June 8th 2022, showcasing Task Force 141, who return after the events of 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot, for another global campaign. Advanced enemy AI, a physically based material system, and other visual innovations aim to make MWII’s Campaign one of the biggest and most cinematic yet. In Modern Warfare II, Task Force 141, comprising Captain John Price, Sergeant Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick, lone wolf Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley, Sergeant John ‘Soap’ MacTavish and new team member Mexican Special Forces Tier 1 Operator Colonel Alejandro Vargas will apparently face their “greatest threat yet” taking them to locations across Europe, Asia, and The Americas. The new Campaign promises “offshore sieges with underwater combat, explosive assaults from 30,000 feet above enemy strongholds, and highstakes, low-profile stealth missions in both plain

sight and under the cover of darkness”. An evolved version of 2-player co-op mode Special Ops will also feature in MWII, offering a place to hone your skills for Multiplayer. Multiplayer promises “new ways to play and numerous gameplay innovations”, alongside a revamped Gunsmith feature with “customisation than ever before”. A calendar of post-release free content drops, including maps, modes, and special events, will also roll out for Multiplayer, offering new stuff to discover. New ‘Ricochet Anti-Cheat’ tech will also feature day one in both Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be launching for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC on 28th October 2022, with Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 coming “later this year”. Pre-ordering will also offer early access to the Open Beta, as well as numerous base weapons, maps, modes, Operators, and more. Check out the MWII reveal trailer here.

summer game fest 2022 recap On June 9th 2022 we saw the third iteration of Summer Game Fest for this year. If you missed out on it, we have a full recap of every game that was featured during the presentation from the team that brought you The Game Awards, hosted by Geoff Keighley. Before the show, the Summer Game Fest team confirmed a couple of the 30+ games that would have a presence on the show. Those titles included the gameplay reveal of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Gotham Knights, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, Nightingale, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, One Piece Odyssey, Honkai: Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Street Fighters 6, and TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. Alongside those games is the first official look at the remake of 2013’s The Last of Us known as The Last of Us: Part I which was leaked hours before the start of Summer Game Fest. Overall, this year’s Summer Game Fest showcase was another good look at some already announced games with more concrete dates on when they are coming later this year and new ones coming next year as well during the 90-minute presentation.

Street Fighters 6 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series) Launch Date: TBA 2023

Aliens: Dark Descent (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series) Launch Date: TBA 2023

Street Fighter 6 is the next entry in the Capcom iconic fighting game series which is set to release in 2023. At Summer Game Fest, players in the FGC anticipating the sixth main entry finally got a look at gameplay following a leak of the game’s full roster earlier this week. The trailer officially confirms that Guile is coming to the game alongside returning characters like Ryu, Chun-Chi, the final Street Fighter V DLC character, Luke and more plus newcomers like Mimi, Jamie, Kimberly, JP, and more.

Up next at Summer Game Fest is Aliens: Dark Descent, a brand-new horror game where players command a squad of hardened Colonial Marines to stop a terrifying Xenomorph outbreak on Moon Lethe. You will lead soldiers in realtime combat against iconic Xenomorphs, rogue operatives from the insatiable Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and a host of horrifying creatures new to the Alien franchise.

Fighting game veterans and newcomers alike can take part in the Fighting Ground, which focuses on the classic fighting game experience with modes from previous games in the series. In addition, the game will introduce two new modes – World Tour, an immersive single-player story experience and Battle Hub, which will further expand the scope of player communication and engagement.

Players will be able to command and customize their squad with a selection of different classes. Additionally, squad members will level up and gain unique abilities plus an arsenal of weapons, armour, and perks as they dive deeper into enemy territory. The Callisto Protocol (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series) Launch Date: December 2nd Striking Distance Studios showed off the first

gameplay demo at Summer Game Fest for its upcoming The Callisto Protocol which showed off some gruesome moments from the game. The title is being worked on by veterans who previously worked on the Dead Space games, including the co-creator, Glen Schofield. The Callisto Protocol is set to launc h on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series on December 2nd. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series) Launch Date: October 28th At Summer Game Fest Activision showed off the first gameplay reveal for the sequel to 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. We got a look at a gameplay walkthrough of a level in the game. Players anticipating the title will be able to experience how Task Force 141 became the “iconic and legendary squad” that we know them as. The game’s single-player campaign will have a variety of missions across Europe, Asia and the Americas featuring both familiar heroes and new allies. Players will be able to team up with their trusted second player of choice in Special Ops, a tactical co-op mode that will advance teambuilding skills. Pre-order now to get early access to the game. Flashback 2 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series & Switch) Launch Date: Winter 2022 Flashback is… well back after 30 years in a new sci-fi action-adventure game. The iconic game is getting a fresh look to mark its 30th anniversary. This brand new 2.5D version of Flashback 2 follows Conrad’s victory over the “Master Brain” in the first game. Alongside allies, Conrad is once again confronted with the Morphs, who threaten all civilizations. Solve this delicate and dangerous investigation through 5 levels full of action and shoot-outs and fight the Morphs who are preparing a Machiavellian plan for total control of the solar system. Witchfire (PC via Early Access) Launch Date: TBA Witchfire is an upcoming dark fantasy first-person shooter from The Astronauts, the developers who created Painkiller, Bulletstorm, and The Vanishing

of Ethan Carter. Armed with strange weapons and forbidden pagan magic, hunt a powerful witch holding the key to your salvation. Fort Solis (PC) Launch Date: TBA Fort Solis is a third-person sci-fi thriller game. The game’s narrative focuses on the fate of two heroes – Jacek and Jessica. Responding to an SOS signal from a nearby Mars research facility, Jack heads to the site to investigate it. Tension and subsequent events begin to intertwine with a sandstorm that cuts off the base from the world. Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Uncharted, BioShock Infinite) plays Wyatt Taylor, a medical officer at Fort Solis who is “at times in opposition” to Jack played by Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption 2), who is a maintenance engineer that makes sure equipment doesn’t break down on a remote Martian mining post. Routine (PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series) Launch Date: TBA Routine is a first-person sci-fi horror game set on an abandoned Lunar Base. The aesthetic of the game is designed around an 80s vision of the future. What starts out as exploration unravels into a need for survival when a lunar base goes completely quiet. Searching for answers, players face an enemy that is very familiar. Discoveries lead to deeper unknowns and the only way to go is forward. Stormgate (PC) Launch Date: TBA Stormgate is described as the “future of RTS” and is a free-to-play real-time strategy game from Starcraft 2 director, Tim Morten from developer, Frost Giant Studios founded in 2020. The title is set amidst a war between humanity and an onslaught of alien invaders. Players can take on the campaign alone or cooperatively in either casual and competitive PvP and co-op modes online. Interested players can try out the game in a beta starting next year. Highwater (PC, iOS & Android) Launch Date: TBA 2022 Highwater is an upcoming adventure strategy game from Demagog Studio featuring the player exploring a flooded world ravaged by climate change.

American Arcadia (PC, PS5 & Xbox Series) Launch Date: TBA American Arcadia is a puzzle platformer from Call of the Sea developer, Raw Fury that takes place in a 1970s retro-futuristic utopia where the citizens don’t know they’re contestants on the mostwatched reality show on the planet. As Trevor Hills, uncover the truth and escape with your broadcasted life. Goat Simulator 3 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox) Launch Date: 2022 Developer Coffee Stain skips Goat Simulator 2 and goes directly goes into Goat Simulator 3 as the next game in their parody simulator series. Gather up your herd with an all-new, “totally realistic”, sandbox farmyard experience. Players can invite up to three friends in local or online co-op gameplay. Marvel’s Midnight Suns (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series & Switch) Launch Date: TBA 2022 Marvel’s Midnight Suns is an upcoming tactical RPG from XCOM developer, Firaxis Games and Marvel Games. Players will be put into the shoes of the game’s original and customizable hero (over 40 different powers to choose from) known as “The Hunter” who will be able to team up with various Marvel Heroes, including the Avengers, X-Men, and more. The game’s roster includes Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Blade, Ghost Rider, Magik, Nico Minoru, and more. Midnight Suns will have gameplay similar to the XCOM games. The game’s story kicks off with Hydra reviving Lilith, the Mother of all Demons after centuries. The Avengers try to take her on but fail, so they decide to team up with the Midnight Sons – comprised of Nico Minoru, Blade, Magik and Ghost Rider – to take on the task together. Their advice is to receive an ancient warrior who happens to be Lilith’s forsaken child and the only one to ever defeat the Mother of Demons, that’s where “The Hunter” comes in to help the Marvel heroes. The trailer reveals that Lilith is recruiting demonized versions of Marvel characters including Venom, Hulk, and more – also Spider-man is joining the game on the hero side.

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course (PC, PS4, Xbox One & Switch) Launch Date: June 30th Get another look at Cuphead‘s upcoming DLC, The Delicious Last Course before it launches later this month. In it, Brothers Cuphead and Mugman are joined by the clever, adventurous Ms. Chalice for a rollicking adventure on a previously undiscovered Inkwell Isle! Players will discover new weapons, magical charms, and Ms. Chalice’s unique abilities. Similar to the base game, the DLC has new cast bosses for players to tackle in Cuphead‘s final quest. Neon White (PC & Switch) Launch Date: June 16th Neon White is a lightning-fast first-person action game about exterminating demons in Heaven. Players are inserted into the shoes of White, an assassin handpicked from Hell to compete with other demon slayers for a chance to live permanently in Heaven. Neon White allows players to sacrifice their guns for godlike parkour moves. Midnight Fight Express (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series & Switch) Launch Date: August 23rd Created by solo developer, Jacob Dzwinel – Midnight Fight Express is an isometric brawler game taking place in a grungy city. You’ll face swarms of enemies as a former member of the criminal underworld is lured back into “the life” by a mysterious drone claiming they have until sunrise to prevent a citywide criminal takeover together. Midnight Fight Express is written by a Co-Writer from Destiny 2. Warframe: Duviri Paradox Launch Date: TBA Duviri Paradox is a new upcoming Warframe expansion that “takes players on a reality-bending journey of the surreal.” A gameplay reveal is set to be showcased at TennoCon 2022 on July 16th at 12 PM ET. Honkai: Star Rail (PC, iOS & Android) Launch Date: “Comin Soon” Honkai: Star Rail is another free-to-play 3D roleplaying from the minds of Genshin Impact developer, miHoYo that was initially revealed back in October

on the game’s YouTube channel. The game is set to feature tactical gameplay where you play with a team of up to four characters. The upcoming title is the fourth entry in the Honkai series which will introduce brand-new characters plus alternate versions of the same characters from Honkai Impact 3rd. Zenless Zone Zero (PC, iOS & Android) Launch Date: TBA Zenless Zone Zero is an urban fantasy action roleplaying game once again from Genshin Impact developer, miHoYo. The upcoming title is set in a post-apocalyptic future in a city known as New Eridu. Beings known as Ethereal have caused great destruction on the planet wiping out most of humanity, they found their way thanks to portals called Hollows. In the chaos, humanity has survived and come together by creating a group to combat the Ethereal by acquiring its technology and resources. Players will be put into the shoes of a Proxy who contributes by exploring Hollows and recruiting new team members to help in the fight against the Ethereal. TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge (PC, PS4, Xbox One & Switch) Launch Date: June 16th TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is a side-scrolling action brawler inspired by the IP’s past Konami licensed games and the 1987 animated series. Tribute Games is developing the title who previously worked on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game at Ubisoft before the studio’s formation. Players will be able to control Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, Master Splinter, even April O’Neil and now Casey Jones. Each character is unique and has a different play style – varies in range, speed, and power. Players will take on a variety of enemies including the Foot Clan, Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady, and Shredder throughout the game’s different stages in New York City and Dimension X. The game features both a story and arcade mode that can support four-player local or online cooperative multiplayer. One Piece Odyssey (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series) Launch Date: TBA 2022 One Piece Odyssey is a new One Piece RPG that

is set to feature an original story from franchise author, Eiichiro Oda who also conceived the designs of the game’s new characters and enemies. The game will see the Straw Hat Pirates shipwreck with a sadly broken Thousand Sunny after a storm on a mysterious new island which scattered not just the Straw Hat Pirates but Luffy’s memento, his iconic straw hat. The game is being developed by Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl studio ILCA is developing the upcoming RPG which is inspired by the studios’ work on Dragon Quest XI. Players will be able to play as the other Straw Hat Pirates including play as Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Frankie, and Brook. Soul Hackers 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One & Switch) Launch Date: August 26th Summer Game Fest shows off the English cast of the upcoming Soul Hacker 2 in a trailer. In the game, players will be able to explore a supernatural RPG with stylish summoners and dark dangers lurking under the neon lights of a cyberpunk Japan. It is up to Ringo, an agent of Aion, to save the world from the apocalypse. Metal Hellsinger (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series) Launch Date: September 15th Metal Hellsinger is a rhythm shooter that players can try out for themselves in a demo available on all platforms. The game utilizes the formula from Doom (2016) formula, and then adds hardcore metal rhythm into the mix which features soundtracks from such acts as Arch Enemy, Trivium, and Lamb of God. Nightingale (PC via Early Access) Launch Date: Fall 2022 Nightingale has players set out on a journey of survival and adventure, into the mysterious and dangerous Fae Realms of Nightingale. Players can become an intrepid Realmwalker, and venture forth alone or with friends as you explore, craft, build and fight across a visually stunning Gaslamp Fantasy world. The latest trailer featured crafting Realm Cards which allows players to activate a portal to new locations, enemies, and challenges.

Saints Row Reboot Launch Date: August 23rd Up next we got an extensive deep dive into Saint Row‘s customization feature with Boss Factory as you get Santo Ileso ready for the next true crime boss of this fair city. The developer has made the game more streamlined, so it doesn’t take players many hours to create the perfect customizable character that encapsulates you. Tweaking chins, eyes, outfits and hair will be quick, so you can get back to important matters like becoming the ‘Big Boss’ of Santo Ileso in Saints Row. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series) Launch Date: September 13th Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is the new co-opfocused game from the team that brought you the Vermintide series. Take back the city of Tertium from hordes of bloodthirsty foes in this intense and brutal action shooter. Layers of Fears (PC, PS5 & Xbox Series) Launch Date: Early 2023 Bloober team has officially revealed the entry in the Layers of Fear series simply known as “Layers of Fear.” Not too much is known, but the team is hard at work to seemingly reimagine the horror game franchise. Layers of Fear is coming to PC and newgen consoles in early 2023. Gotham Knights (PC, PS5 & Xbox Series) Launch Date: October 25th WB Games Montreal showed off another Gotham Knights trailer that focuses on Dick Grayson who

went from Flying Grayson to Robin to his own hero, Nightwing, continuing the fight for the city that gave him everything. The trailer highlights Nightwing’s love for his adopted father, Batman’s hometown with Gotham alongside with comrades, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin. Anyone who pre-orders the game will get the “233 Kustom Batycyle” skin. The Last of Us Standalone Factions Multiplayer Title (PS4 & PS5) Launch Date: TBA Naughty Dog co-president, Neil Druckmann was on stage at Summer Game Fest to talk about the studio’s The Last of Us multiplayer factions game. He didn’t reveal too much other than the scope of the initial online mode for The Last of Us: Part II has evolved into its own standalone game with its own story and a new cast of characters on PlayStation consoles. He however did reveal concept art that shows off a familiar US-city location. No release date or window was revealed, only teased more info is coming next year. The Last of Us: Part I (PS5) Launch Date: September 2nd At Summer Game Fest, Sony has officially announced that a remake of 2013’s The Last of Us known as The Last of Us: Part I is heading to PS5 on September 2nd and is also in development for PC at a later date. The project has been rumoured about for a while and the game’s trailer was leaked hours before the start of Summer Game Fest. The trailer in question features the cinematics of the story PlayStation gamers have experienced on PS3 and PS4 remade in the style of The Last of Us: Part II with newer animation that reuses the audio from the original game. It will also be playable in 60 FPS.

Apple products at wwdc22 The big Worldwide Developers Conference keynote was hosted early in June 2022 which was a weeklong event of some interested updates and new releases to tech within the industry, we put together a summary of everything announced from Apple. Apple Developer Centre

standard. There are over 100 devices in the works, but the Matter standard is in its earliest days still. Apple remade the Home app in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS 13, making it faster and more efficient for those with lots of devices, and changing the organization and interface to be more intuitive and clearer.

Apple started the conference by touting that there are now 34 million registered Apple developers and showcased its new developer centre across from Apple Park. It’s a reminder that, while we’re all very excited about new Apple software and products, this week is really about enabling developers to get the most out of creating for them. iOS 16 The next version of iOS is coming this fall to everyone with an iPhone 8 or better. The big-ticket items include a customizable lock screen, new dictation features, changes to focus mode and notifications, and lots of new sharing features.

CarPlay sneak-peek In an unusual move, Apple gave a sneak peek at the distant future of CarPlay. It’s a new CarPlay experience that integrates deeply with the car’s hardware to provide information and controls for all the car’s systems, on (potentially) all the car’s screens. But cars that support this next-gen CarPlay won’t even be announced until late next year, so this one is quite a ways off.

Home app updates iOS 16 has a new Home app that brings a multicamera view to the main Home tab. Apple spent some time talking about the Matter smart home initiative, a collaborative effort among Apple, Google, Amazon, and many others to create a smart common smart home compatibility

WatchOS 9 WatchOS 9 drops support for Apple Watch Series 3 but gives you lots of great new features in the bargain. There are multiple redesigned watch faces and new slick new features such as real-time cloud cover on the Astronomy face. There’s a new Siri interface, new banner notifications, and other interface tweaks. The Workouts apps will get new training experiences, like one to help optimize your running form by measuring vertical movement.

bandwidth than M1, up to 24GB of memory, and enhancements to every area of the chip. The 8-core CPU (4 performance and 4 efficiency cores) is about 18% faster, and the GPU with 10 cores instead of 8 on the M1) is 35% faster. The M2 also has the upgraded Neural Engine and Secure Enclave from the A15, as well as a new media engine that supports up to 8K H.264 and HEVC as well as ProRes acceleration.

The new Sleep Stages feature lets you know how much time you spend in each stage of sleep: Awake, REM, Core, and Deep. A new AFib History feature lets you know how much time you spend in a state of atrial fibrillation, which is helpful for those who have been diagnosed with it.

MacBook Air Apple’s first computer to get the M2 chip will be the new MacBook Air. This is an all-new design that gets rid of the tapered body, and at 11.3mm thick it has 20 percent less total volume than the previous model.

Other Health features Beyond those health features coming only to Apple Watch, there are some coming to iPhone as well. For the first time, iPhone users that don’t have an Apple Watch can use the Fitness app, which will use the iPhone accelerometer to measure steps and activity and pull data from other workout apps. The Health app can track your medications now, even using the camera to automatically detect and add them. Set up your regular schedule and let your phone or watch remind you. M2 processor The next generation of Apple Silicon. As predicted, it appears to be the A15 scaled up to laptop performance, the way the M1 was based on the A14 chip. It’s got 50 percent more memory

It comes in four colours: silver, space grey, starlight, and midnight. In addition to the M2 processor it has MagSafe charging (with fast-charging if you get a 67W or higher power adapter), two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and an audio jack that supports highimpedance headphones. The display is larger at 13.6 inches, 25 percent brighter at up to 500 nits, and has smaller bezels and a notch where the webcam goes just like the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. That webcam has been improved to 1080p, with better low-light performance, and there are better speakers and mics, too. And it still has no fan. The MacBook Air starts at $1,199/£1,249 and will be available July 2022. The old MacBook Air with M1 will stick around, starting at $999/£999. The new MacBook Air isn’t the only laptop getting the M2. Apple has upgraded the 13-inch MacBook Pro (the model with no new design and an M1 processor) to the M2. It’s not getting any other improvements, though. It starts at $1,299 / £1,349 and will also be available July 2022.

macOS 13 Ventura MacOS 13 will not be named Mammoth as was previously assumed. Instead, its name is Ventura. Its biggest features include a new Stage Manager multitasking experience, major enhancements to Mail and other apps, a more powerful Spotlight search, Passkeys for password-free logins, and Continuity Camera, which lets you use your iPhone as a super-powerful webcam for your Mac. System Preferences has been totally redesigned and renamed to System Settings to be more familiar for those used to the iPhone or iPad. Of course, it also supports all the stuff we’re getting in iOS 16 like the ability to edit and delete Messages, new Live Text and Photos features, a Weather app, and more.

iPadOS 16 Of course, iPadOS 16 will get most of the features coming to iOS 16 and other operating systems, like the ability to edit and delete Messages, new

Dictation features, Live Text in video, and so on. But it’s getting some other new features of its own that should really help it break out from its “just a big iPhone” mould. For starters, there’s the new Stage Manager multitasking interface, which requires an iPad with the M1 processor. Though this is coming to macOS Ventura as well, it really feels like it was always conceived as an iPad feature. There are new real-time collaboration features including the ability to share access to documents through Messages–not just a copy of the document, but real-time editing permissions. There’s finally a Weather app, and a new open collaboration and brainstorming whiteboard app coming later this year called Freeform. Many of the apps are getting “desktop class” enhancements like real find and replace, customizable toolbars, and more. Files is getting a big update with the ability to change extensions, view folder sizes, sortable columns, and more.

Cats are funny little creatures. Each one has its own unique personality, but there are some defining feline features that are frequently associated with cats as a whole, all easily condensed into one word - ‘catlike’. Stray is very much a game built around playing as a cat, and it’s within the opening minutes that this term first pops into my head. Controlling the unnamed titular stray, you move swiftly up, down, and across ledges with ease and agility, requiring only a quick press of the X button. Catlike. But as you move towards the edge of a high platform, or into a pool of water, your feline avatar will simply stop moving. That fall would mean certain death, and the water would surely be a miserable experience. And you can continue pushing the analogue stick in that direction as much as you’d like, but the shorthaired ginger tabby you’re controlling won’t budge. They will stubbornly remain unmoving, perhaps even sit down with indifference and lick themselves, despite your instructions. Catlike.

of being a cat. On the PlayStation controller, the ever-important circle is reserved entirely for a single use - meowing. Outside of some select situations, this serves no gameplay purpose, but it’s always there, just a flick of the thumb away. Likewise, you can find cosy little areas around the world, where a simple press of the triangle button allows you to curl up and fall asleep. On PS5, the DualSense purrs away, through an ingenious use of the haptics and speaker. If Stray was simply “the cat game”, full of napping and meowing and nuzzling up against strangers, I’d wager it would still end up popular with a particular breed of cat fancier. But luckily, there’s a rather well-crafted game beneath the viral potential of its creature comforts. Rather than one single open world, Stray consists of several chapters, with a few dense open areas, broken up into more linear sections. The open sections are where Stray really shines. In these areas, you’ll explore to find missing memories, help out NPCs with various problems, and find hidden collectibles.

The very core of Stray’s gameplay is purposebuilt for immersing the player into the roleplay

These small open world sections feel gigantic when you first enter them, playing as a foot-

high feline. Even more so when you take their verticality into account. You’ll climb up to rooftops, trot along high ledges, squeeze through small entryways or windows, and frequently find yourself turned around. But the most impressive thing is that after a few hours spent exploring each one, these worlds shrink in size - not in a physical sense, but in your mind. You enter these areas as a lost cat in a new territory, attempting to find your furry feet, but by the time you leave, you know them. You know the shortcuts, the alleyways, the rooftops, and the people. These streets are yours, and you can strut around them like you own the place. Catlike. It’s impressive how well this urban exploration carries Stray’s gameplay over the course of eight-or-so hours. The platforming is simple (with a small icon indicating which areas you can jump to) but effective, and each location is designed with optimum routes through, making traversing new areas a puzzle in and of itself. The actual puzzles that do exist are never overly exerting, but it all combines to create an easygoing flow of moment-to-moment gameplay that never gets dull. The many characters you meet are a joy to talk to, giving you more details about the world and what happened to it, and despite there being no tangible rewards (outside of aesthetic badges to pin onto your cat-backpack) you’ll want to help them with their issues regardless. Beyond the open world, you’ll enter more linear sections of the game where exploration is less emphasised. Here, you’ll tend to find the focus is on puzzles, platforming, and, occasionally, some conflict. There’s no traditional combat in Stray, but there are enemies to watch out for in the form of the Zurk, mutated bacteria that look like horrible one-eyed insects. These creatures will eat through anything in the game, and you’ll need to use your speed and agility to outrun (or outclimb) them and solve puzzles to lock them behind fences so you can progress. These sequences offer a nice change of pace, and when combined with the more open areas, Stray can sometimes have the feel of a really good Xbox or PS2 game. The journey through Stray is one of a cat, and their drone bestie, but the story the game tells is focused upon the cyberpunk city itself. There are no humans here; instead, the city is populated by humanoid

robots, who have formed their own language and society. You’ll speak to them through B12, a drone containing an AI consciousness who serves as your guide throughout the world - it’s the Navi to Stray’s own mute protagonist, clad in tabby orange rather than Link green. And you’ll soon discover that the city you’re in is completely contained. No light peeks through the dark roof above everyone’s head this world is a perpetual night, locked off from the outside. The game is both a pandemic story and a capitalism story. The lowest members of society are stuck in the slums, sealed off from the affluent areas above them to keep the Zurk plague at bay. Even above, in Midtown, where things seem better on the surface, a violent police state shuts down any dissenting voices. But, rich or poor, they’re all trapped within the walls of the city, within the system that controls them. They’re all still in the dark. Luckily, this darkness allows developer BlueTwelve Studio to fill each area with neon signage and fluorescent lights. Somehow, despite its relatively small team and budget, Stray manages to be one of the best looking games available on PlayStation 5 right now. The lighting is wonderful, with neon blues, yellows, and greens reflecting in puddles of water, and the animation is excellent, with particular attention paid to how our nameless moggie moves. The stretching of the back when waking up from a nap, the confident trot across a drainpipe, and even an idle animation that has them pawing at an irritating fly buzzing around their head - it’s all presented with aplomb. Stray is a hard game to review, because on the surface, it can seem a touch shallow. One trophy requires you to beat the game in under two hours, and on a second playthrough, once you know where to go, and how to get there, you’ll have no issue unlocking it, even if a first playthrough takes four or five times as long. But there’s a depth to the game that’s hard to quantify - an excellent balance of difficulty which means you’re always planning, thinking one step ahead, with your mind never idle. Stray successfully combines its themes and its gameplay with a nimble ease, rarely mis stepping, and presents it all with a cool, almost stubborn confidence. Catlike. 42

Overall TGG Rating Stray is a wonderfully crafted game. It not only manages to successfully immerse you in the role of an adorable cat, where exploration is key, but it also tells an engaging science-fiction story along the way.

8/10 Audio 8/10 You’re unlikely to start humming any tunes from Stray, but its ambient audio is very good, and nicely sets the tone for each area you’re in. Also, there’s a meow button, and when you press it, you hear the cat meowing through the controller speaker, which is excellent.

Visuals 9/10 It might lack the raw heft of a Sony first-party title, but Stray is frequently one of the most gorgeous games on PS5. Its art direction finds a nice middle ground between realistic and fantastical, and the use of colour and lighting throughout, is excellent.

Playability 8/10 Stray’s gameplay is deceptively simple, but the mix of open areas and linear sequences keeps things moving along at a great pace, and every platforming section becomes its own little puzzle.

Delivery 8/10 A first playthrough of Stray will likely clock in at around 8 hours or more, especially if you attempt to grab all of the collectibles. Once you’ve found everything, there’s not much more to do, but it’s the perfect length for a game like this. There’s an attention to detail throughout Stray that really makes it stand out. [Version tested: PlayStation 5

Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer 44

Telltale Games has a lot to answer for. Ever since the success of 2012’s The Walking Dead and the proliferation of its choice-driven stories, this sort of thing has become immensely popular. Crime thriller As Dusk Falls, developed by Interior/Night, a London-based studio comprising Quantic Dream and Sony veterans, is the latest game to hang big decisions upon its narrative, albeit with prestige TV shows like Breaking Bad in mind as its primary influence. And, happily, it’s remarkably compelling. Perhaps not as compelling as Breaking Bad, but compelling, nonetheless. The developers’ experience with the likes of Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls comes through in As Dusk Falls’ dusty desert-bound tale; a yarn which involves two parties, whose lives collide in the wake of a robbery gone wrong. Opening with family man Vince Walker, as he takes his wife, daughter, and father on a road trip to St. Louis, where their new life awaits, it’s not long before you run into the Holt boys (Tyler, Dale, and Jay), a trio of ne’er-dowell brothers, plotting a scheme to pilfer some cash from the local sheriff. Inevitably, shit hits the fan and drama ensues, with you calling the shots as it unravels. From a remote desert road in Two Rock, Arizona, to a nearby motel, things start out innocuous enough, but soon go from bad to worse. And, throughout, Vince’s daughter Zoe and thoughtful Holt brother, Jay, serve as the anchor of the story, providing its heart. 45

Telling its yarn through a combination of painted static characters and detailed threedimensional environments, As Dusk Falls’ art style shouldn’t work on paper – and initially it can jar a little – but given time, it proves enormously effective. It helps that Int./Night weaves a series of escalating events with a deft hand, deploying flashbacks to fill in character histories, making it more impactful when something major occurs. Gameplaywise, As Dusk Falls is a little lightweight, without instances of being able to move around freely - instead you’ll execute simplistic inputs involving button taps, mashing, or the occasional directional swipe, whether you’re using a controller or a smartphone, via the game’s companion app. Rope in enough people, and you can have up to eight players, using a combination of phones and controllers, all making decisions together. Each player has three ‘overrides’ they can use to force their choice through, if they so wish; otherwise, you’re making your own decisions, then watching as the game randomly selects one of them. As a communal experience, it’s good fun, but it can take away from the story when you’re all bickering and failing to listen to the dialogue. Assuming you have friends like mine who can’t help but argue over every decision – be prepared to tell them to shut up a lot or hurry their choices up before the timer runs down. That said, the arguments will soon quieten down as the narrative begins to escalate. To go into plot details would be

detrimental to your enjoyment of As Dusk Falls’ storyline, but its six episodes, each running at roughly an hour apiece, do a great job of aping an engaging TV show, and the choices grow increasingly weighty as the story unfolds. At the end of each chapter (spread across two ‘books’), you’re presented with a flow chart of scenes, showing the number of alternative paths and outcomes, which will stoke your curiosity for repeat playthroughs. In my first run through As Dusk Falls, everything went to hell, and a lot of characters died. Had I made just a few more considered choices, maybe I could have saved some of them, and experienced a more upbeat denouement. The game covers plenty of mature themes, too, covering mental health issues, suicide, family conflict, and violence, and it does so with a light touch. It’s well written and performed, expertly

paced and executed, even if one or two occurrences stretch credibility a tad. You’re in control of most actions, but now and again a character will do something stupid, and it’s out of your hands. There are few adventure games like this, in which you’re making choices, carrying out actions, and experiencing the storyline mainly as a passenger, where immediately after the credits rolled, I contemplated starting all over again. Whether you choose to play alone or with friends, As Dusk Falls succeeds in being an intense, dusty desert tale featuring interesting characters, meaningful choice and consequence, and even a nice dose of replayability. As Dusk Falls is a memorable journey worth taking - despite the looseends conclusion - boasting gripping emotion, conflict, action, and drama.

Overall TGG Rating Normally, with a choice-driven adventure, I’m once and done, ready for a post-game water-cooler discussion. As Dusk Falls’ warrants more than one playthrough, if only to see how differently things can pan out. If that open ending is any indication, there’s more to come.

8/10 Audio 8/10 A fitting soundtrack of reverberating guitars and such, perfectly suited to each moment as it unfolds. The voice performances, from the likes of Elias Toufexis (Deus Ex’s Adam Jensen) as Vince, and Jane Perry (Hitman’s Diana Burnwood) as the harried Holt matriarch, are excellent, too.

Visuals 8/10 The painted characters look great, despite not being fully animated, while the 3D backdrops are nice and detailed. Combined, the painted characters and 3D environments make for a unique style, and it works well.

Playability 8/10 It might only use a single button and one of the analogue sticks on the controller, or swipes and taps on the smartphone companion app, but the QTEs, though simplistic, still lend weight to your actions. Choices are compelling and meaningful, to boot.

Delivery 8/10 Six episodes, roughly one hour each, make As Dusk Falls feel like a TV series, and a pretty good one at that. Each chapter concluding with a flow chart showcasing the number of possible decisions, shows there’s massive scope to replay the story for different outcomes. [Version tested: Xbox Series X]

Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer 47

If The Quarry proves one thing, it’s that developer Supermassive Games seems entirely more comfortable crafting horror stories over a longer runtime. To date, its Dark Pictures output has been patchy at best, and perhaps that’s down to the constraints of an episodic anthology and a comparatively constricted space in which to let its stories breathe. And, given how much more accomplished The Quarry is next to the half-baked horror of Man of Medan, Little Hope, and House of Ashes, you can’t help but think Supermassive might be better off sticking to something more long form – this is so much more effective than the studio’s recent efforts, even if it leans heavily into several horror-movie tropes. It all starts in a typically dark and slow-burn fashion, as new camp counsellors Laura and Max drive down a pitch-black country road to Hackett’s Quarry Summer Camp. Of course, it’s not long before the journey is beset by unforeseen troubles, and you find yourself, as Laura, exploring a moonlit forest with the light from a smartphone. Flickers of a ghostly whispering figure flit across the screen, and, before you know it, you’re running like the wind back to the safety of your stranded vehicle. But is it ever really safe? It seldom feels like you can relax in The Quarry, especially with Ted Raimi’s dubious sheriff on patrol. Even during the quieter moments, there’s an allpervading sense that something could happen at any given time, and, often, at least during the game’s earlier chapters, not much does. 49

Fortunately, this steady build-up and character development pays dividends. Where The Dark Pictures episodes had little time to set the scene, The Quarry’s first few chapters take due time and care to establish the cast and setting, so that when something does eventually happen, the stakes feel much higher. Granted, the core line-up of potential murder victims broadly fulfils the usual stereotypes of goofy jock, awkward geeky girl, awkward geeky guy, wise-cracking overly confident guy, and wise-cracking overly confident girl, but each have just enough peccadilloes and character quirks to make them at least mildly interesting. Indeed, you might actually care, if and/or when your decisions end up subjecting them to a grisly fate. Again, sorry to harp on about The Dark Pictures, but when one of those dullards got done in, I wasn’t particularly bothered. In The Quarry, protagonists Jacob, Emma, Nick, Abigail, Dylan, Ryan, and Kaitlyn aren’t initially all that likeable, as they happily rip the piss out of one another, and have little else to add in terms of compelling dialogue. Evidently, tensions have been building during their time at summer camp, and David Arquette’s Chris Hackett, proprietor and camp leader at Hackett’s Quarry, is keen to get them the hell out of there before sundown. Only, Jacob’s a stupid idiot, and does something that means the crew have to spend one more night on the camp grounds. That’s to say nothing of the oddballs lurking in the forest perimeter surrounding Hackett lodge. As the horror mounts and the narrative unspools,

however, we learn more about each character, and grow to enjoy spending time in their (slightly smug) company. Obviously, The Quarry doesn’t keep its powder dry for too long, hitting you with fraught chase sequences and combat encounters, the latter invariably involving a shotgun. The game’s analogue stick QTEs are fairly lightweight and almost impossible to fail, unless you’re distracted – perhaps the idea here is that failure is a deliberate decision on your part, rather than a slip of the fingers. There are junctures at which you can also choose to interrupt an event or dialogue exchange, and some of these can be beneficial or end up consigning you to a less desirable outcome. Certain choices are entirely out of your hands, and many of these can be entirely questionable, in true horror movie fashion. Between binary dialogue choices, directionbased or button-mashing quick-time events, and the occasional bit where you have to shoot, you can walk around freely, searching for clues, evidence, useful items, and tarot cards. Irritatingly, your character casually strolls along at a frustratingly slow pace, especially for someone caught in such a desperate,

potentially fatal situation, and the ability to walk a tiny bit faster by holding down LB doesn’t help all that much. I don’t expect to be able to sprint everywhere, but surely a light jogging pace isn’t too much to ask. Regardless, when danger inevitably comes jumping out of the bushes, Jacob, Kaitlyn, Ryan et al. have no problem breaking into a full-on run, as control is wrested from your hands and the cutscene QTEs kick in. While The Quarry isn’t necessarily all that scary, it does a fantastic job of conjuring a foreboding atmosphere, with gorgeous lighting, cinematic presentation, and each chapter interspersed by a visit to a mysterious fortune teller, Eliza, who’ll offer a reading of the tarot cards you’ve managed to track down. Humorous animated tutorials, the hands-off Movie Mode, and a ‘pass-the-controller’ couch co-op option for enjoying the journey with a friend, help to flesh out the experience, while the myriad endings and branching paths encourage repeat playthroughs. With Friday The 13th vibes, and a love of 1980s creature features, The Quarry is Supermassive’s best game since Until Dawn, and an effective thriller that’s a joy to watch and play.

Overall TGG Rating Wearing its VHS horror influences on its sleeve, The Quarry is an engaging and immensely entertaining choice-driven adventure with a killer cast and a fun, knowingly silly storyline.

8/10 Audio 8/10 A soundtrack that wouldn’t be out of place in any 1980s horror flick, and superb atmospheric effects. Wonderful.

Visuals 9/10 Supremely polished and cinematic, The Quarry looks terrific. Every member of the game’s cast has been lovingly rendered, and mo-capped performances are excellent.

Playability 7/10 While much of the game is spent watching passively, the QTEs, ‘button burst’ moments, choices, and exploration make for an engaging experience.

Delivery 8/10 Single-player, co-op mode, Movie Mode, and a post-game chapter select offer plenty to do, while the range of accessibility options are more than welcome.

[Version tested: Xbox Series X

Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer 51

If you’re familiar with Konami’s seminal ‘80s and ‘90s run of TMNT scrolling beat ‘em ups, then Shredder’s Revenge is going to feel like a big, warm, nostalgic hug. It’s clear that it pulls inspiration from every one of those games but emerges as something that feels simultaneously fresh and familiar - not unlike 2020’s Streets of Rage 4, a scrolling brawler also jolted to life with the help of publisher Dotemu, who fulfil the same role for this retrostyled comeback. Where SoR4 adopted a hand-drawn art style, however, fittingly-named studio Tribute Games has chosen to stick with old-school pixels for Shredder’s Revenge, and it looks utterly gorgeous, brimming with character and verve. Vibrant arcade looks are one thing, but, happily, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge also plays like an arcade dream, albeit one that has a few new tricks up its shell.out. As well as abilities like backflipping, running and sliding, and the good old screen-clearing super move, the game’s Story Mode has you levelling up your chosen character, unlocking new skills, a larger health bar, extra lives, and other attributes along the way. Story Mode proves to be a masterstroke, taking you across a map of New York City in the Turtles’ Party Wagon, enabling you to dive into a level, grab its collectibles, unearth its secret cameos, then return at any time. Conversely, Arcade Mode is a pure coin-op-style experience, granting you a limited pool of lives and one shot at completing all fifteen stages back-to-back. Story Mode is a neat, accessible way to complete Shredder’s Revenge, without demanding the skill level necessary to complete every stage in a single sitting. If you want to dip into one or two levels, 53

go for it. If you want to complete special requests for cameo characters, then fine. If you want to test yourself in Arcade Mode, jump in. It’s fantastic. A diversity of foes, encompassing various foot clan soldiers in coloured uniforms signifying their unique roles, rock warriors, and Baxter Stockman’s rat-catching robots, keep things fresh and exciting. Bosses like Bebop, Rocksteady, Wingnut, Leatherhead, and numerous others are fantastic call backs to the original series, while hoverboarding levels are a vigorous nod to similar segments seen during the aforementioned Konami era. No stone has been left unturned in Shredder’s Revenge – even the voice actors from the original animated series have been enlisted to reprise their roles, save Shredder himself, who was, of course, voiced by the inimitable James Avery (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’s Uncle Phil), who passed away in 2013. Six-player co-op provides the pepperoni on Tribute Games and publisher Dotemu’s proverbial pizza, enabling you to band together as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Master Splinter, and April O’Neil, as well as seventh character, hockey-stick wielding vigilante, Casey Jones, unlocked upon completing the game. Rope in enough friends to play with you, and the laughs will flow like crap through a sewer, as unfettered chaos unfolds on-screen (enemy numbers scale to accommodate the number of players) – there are few things quite as joyful as letting loose in Shredder’s Revenge. In co-op, you can highfive ‘cheer up’ one another, revive fallen allies, execute unique co-op moves - it’s just a pure,

unadulterated joy. Kudos has to go to Tribute and Dotemu for not only nailing the look and feel of those classic TMNT brawlers, but also for cramming almost every conceivable option and feature into the game, without making it seem like a retread of old ground. Moreover, all four turtles feel unique, with their own move variants and styles. You may think this is an entirely obvious thing to say, until you recall that in the original arcade games, Leo, Mike, Don, and Raph weren’t really all that distinct from one another, beyond the colours of their bandanas and their signature weapons. That’s not the case here. Chuck in Splinter, April, and Casey Jones as additional playable fighters, myriad boss characters from the classic animated TV series, and you have

something truly special, covering practically every square-inch of classic TMNT during its manic heyday. Marrying pick-up-and-play simplicity to a level of potential mastery for anyone who wants to invest the time and effort, Shredder’s Revenge is also a perfect combination of the nostalgic and the new. Regardless of whether you’re a complete Turtles rookie or a grizzled veteran of all things related to the heroes in a halfshell, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge succeeds in being a superlative scrolling beat ‘em up that is about as good as this sort of thing gets. With Streets of Rage 4 proving there’s ample life in the genre yet, Tribute Games’ sterling effort is further compelling proof of that fact.

Overall TGG Rating A sensational nostalgia trip imbued with magical mutagen ooze, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a triumphant return for the TMNT that will scratch any and all scrolling beat ‘em up itches and give fans a sharp kick in the ‘feels’.

8/10 Audio 8/10 Upbeat tunes by Tee Lopes and other artists! The original TMNT theme song warbled by Faith No More frontman, Mike Patton! The original voices from the animated series! What more do you want!?

Visuals 8/10

At once recalling the arcade glory days of the Konami TMNT games, developer Tribute Games has done a bang-up job here, with impeccable animation, colourful environments, and an all-encompassing, vibrant energy infused into the game’s pixel art style. Simply marvellous.

Playability 8/10 Riding a line between button-bashing immediacy and move-based mastery, Shredder’s Revenge embraces players of all skill levels, with impeccable, simple controls, and gameplay that is both pure and totally intuitive.

Delivery 8/10 Story Mode is excellent, offering a nice, palatable way to play all 15 levels with extra objectives and collectibles, character levelling, and more. Arcade Mode, meanwhile, offers the raw and unadulterated arcade experience. And six-player local/online co-op with crossplay?! You’re really spoiling us. [Version tested: Xbox Series X

Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer 55

Rowdy rogan Rowdy Rogan is a Content Creator from the USA with a main focus on Twitch, YouTube, TikTok & Instagram which he is the youngest creator out there with him being only 7 years old! He has amassed a Twitch following of around 95,000 and a Youtube subscriber count between all channels of around 680,000, On top of this Rogan also has gained a following of around 800,000 on TikTok with over 11.2 Million Likes. Rogan is a great creator at such a young age and an amazing call of duty player who frequently plays with the world renowned Faze Clan and even wins a couple of 1 v 1s against them. Hey Rogan, First of all, we would like to thank you for chatting with us today. How have you been?

and Kay from FaZe. Then I started watching the Warzone players and playing with them. FaZe is still the goal for sure.

I’ve been good! Just excited for my Birthday coming up.

Jarvis and Kay are great! we can see why you’d watch them and pursue a great org like FaZe. At what point did you think “Damn, I could really make a career out of gaming and streaming”?

That’s great to hear we hope you have a fantastic birthday! Let’s start from the beginning, tell us a little bit about your streaming & Content Creation life, how long have you been streaming/ making content and what made you want to start? I’ve been doing it since I was 4 and I started streaming because my Dad’s friends said “the world needs to see how good this kid is.” 4! Wow, that’s crazy and we can’t thank your dad’s friend enough because you are super talented! Being known as a child prodigy within gaming, who got you into gaming? I saw my Dad playing when I was younger and I just wanted to play. As soon as I could hold the controller, I wanted to play. Such a great role model is your Dad. We are glad you managed to pick up that controller and show the world how good you are. We notice your dream has been for a long time to join FaZe and rep their gear, you even have had the chance to game with some the best from FaZe, what is it that made you choose FaZe Clan? Where did the love and support come from? The first people I started watching were Jarvis

Sometimes I think of it that way, but mostly I just like to play for fun. Great answer the fun part is the most important the rest is just a bonus! When was the point in your career where you think “I’ve made it”? Lol I’ll probably feel like that if I can ever hit like 10 million subscribers. Maybe by the time I’m 16 IDK. I’m pretty sure you’ll smash that goal well before 16! It must be a lot to take in at times with being so young but so good at gaming, how do you deal with the fame and communities? We notice dad helps a lot. Has this always been the case? I appreciate the fans supporting me and giving me subs and stuff and they really help make this fun. My Dad does help a lot, yes. It’s great to see the support and the appreciation you do have a great community. Being a 7 year old gaming prodigy which many of similar age could only dream of, what advice would you love to give to others who are dreaming to be like you someday? If you want to stream, if you are under the age of 13, just be sure to always have your Dad on 58

camera with you, and make sure you have your chat turned off until you are older. Great advice im sure a lot of younger people would love to stream and now they know some important steps. On the subject of advice do you have any key advice that you would personally give to any smaller streamers about making their stream better and growing their channel and or content? Definitely support your fans and if they have been around for a while try to play and interact with him. Always remember you do this for fun. Another great piece of advice, your fans are what keeps things going so support in return can mean the world to them. Being so young you must still attend school and study, how do you work streaming and content creation around school? I mostly just play for fun and then my editing team really handles the rest of it. School doesn’t get in the way too much. Shoutout to the awesome editing team! We are so glad that you make the most of it all and really do enjoy it. On the subject of school what is it like to go to school and everyone knowing that your a full time streamer & content creator as well as a pro at call of duty? I like it most of the time. It seems to be the older kids who always know who I am. That’s good and it’s great to have the older kids on your side i bet, im sure they all ask to play with you everyday. We can see your main streaming focus is Call of Duty. How come you chose to play a game like this and how did you get so good? I used to watch my Dad play and would just watch his hands on the controller, so when it was my turn to start playing, I kinda already knew what to do. That’s good to hear i’m sure your dad showed you a trick or two over the years. On the subject of Call Of Duty do you have any tips or loadouts for our readers to use as we have seen how good your trick shots are? The Kar98 is my GoTo Sniper still and I like it with the Marco right now, but that can change. 59

“Put out the energy

you would like in return, and don’t look at stats! ”

with the Marco right now, but that can change. That’s a great loadout you can never go wrong with the Kar98 that is also one of my favourites. Away from your streaming life & content creation what do you do in your spare time? I like to play football and going to the beach, I like swimming and I love Hawaii. Hey who doesn’t love Hawaii right? Let’s talk about your setup. What are the topmost essential things that you can’t stream without? Got to have my PCs and I gotta have my Scuff controller. Gotta have my Monitor too! How would I play without that? Yeah a good pc and monitor is always key and cant beat a top of line controller too! As a big time gamer what would be your top 5 games of all time? Warzone. Valorant. Apex. Roblox. Minecraft Three amazing shooters and two other great games. I’m also a fan of warzone and minecraft so i can see why they are as they are great games. Now you have told us your top 5 games of all time. If you could only play one game for the rest of your life, what game would that be and why? Warzone, because I feel like when I am older, it will be even bigger than it is now, and gaming is taking over the world. lol Yeah Warzone is in it for the long run now with Warzone 2 dropping soon i can see this being a game for life. So let’s talk about your highlight reel! What are the 5 top moments in your career so far that you would want in a montage? •

Beating FaZe Swagg in a 1v1

•

When Aydan raided my stream

•

When FaZe threw me a surprise birthday party at the FaZe House

•

When I set my PR in Las Vegas at the HyperX LAN Event

•

When I made top 20 for FaZe 5

WOW! At your age those are some pretty big milestones, we congratulate you on them all and beating Swagg too now that’s some achievement! We can see you do really well on Twitch & Youtube. Can you tell us how you chose to stream on Twitch over the likes of YouTube? Rogan wanted to start streaming on Twitch when he saw Dr. Disrespect get “streamer of the year” for the 2nd time. OH the Doc! who wouldn’t wanna follow in docs footsteps the two time champ! What is something that no one who watches your channel/content knows about you? That I can beat my Dad in a 1v1 Haha that’s always a good one when you can beat the one who showed you it all. We can see from your videos and streams that your family all work together and are super supportive. We love to see it, can you tell us who’s the best gamer? Mom or Dad? I feel like my Sister is probably better than both... but Dad is better than Mom.

Damn sister even whooping mom and dad in the battlefield. Finally, what are you currently working on that you’d like our readers to know about/check out? We just got done building our DREAM GAME ROOM. Rogan loves to meet his fans and is excited to be going to TwitchCon this year. Wow a dream game room, we can’t wait to see it! Well Rogan it’s been an absolute pleasure. We hope you have a great time at TwitchCon and we can’t thank you enough for your time to chat with us. It’s been great! Show some support for Rogan by following his channel and socials! YouTube: @RowdyRogan Twitter: @rowdyrogan Instagram: @rowdyrogan14 Facebook: @RowdyRogan TikTok: @rowdyroganfam

Stallion Stallion is a full time community focused content broadcaster from the United Kingdom who ensures all of his streams contain a positive atmosphere which are full of energy, Not only that Stallion is also the owner of Steanside which is the right balance of accessible upbeat and copyright free music. Hey Stallion, First of all, we would like to thank you for chatting with us today. How have you been? I’ve been doing very well thank you, just keeping busy on my career projects alongside training hard to get myself in a fit & positive shape for summer. That’s great to hear! So let’s start from the beginning, tell us a little bit about your streaming & Content Creation life, how long have you been streaming/making content and what made you want to start? So I’ve been streaming for a total of over 4 years now. I began my content journey in February 2018, convinced by a good friend of mine to give streaming a try, I’ve never looked back since. I met this friend back in 2010 in a game of Modern Warfare 2, and became almost best friends over the years to this day I am the godfather of his daughter & was the best man at his wedding. This all happened because of gaming and content. Since late 2018 I’ve been a full time content creator building a community of over 350K followers across all social platforms. I now also own a music business called ‘Steanside’ and lecture e-sports at the University of Northampton as an Associate Lecturer. Such a great journey and some massive milestone along the way. With you also being a musical influencer and the creator of steanside, please tell our readers a little bit about this, what got you into music and producing copyright free beats? As a content creator of 4+ years, I began to get very frustrated with the musical options available to me. Music was either copyright, extremely expensive or didn’t fit the upbeat vibe

& genre I was looking for within my streams. Imet ‘Dean’ , my business partner, back during lockdown via twitch & messaged him a few months ago to produce music & learn to DJ for fun as he’s a bass-line producer and DJ from Birmingham. After starting this we decided to take our passion more seriously and go into business together. From idea to concept, in 5 weeks Steanside was born & is already growing to be a very successful business. Haven’t we all with the copyright issues nowadays we can’t thank you enough for bringing steanside to creators. On the subject of Steanside, could please give our readers some insight to what this is and if it’s the thing for them to use? We class it as an ‘All-in-one copyright free music solution’ for business, creators, streamers etc to use & enjoy without breaking the bank or worrying about copyright strikes. We’re from the music & content community so we completely understand the struggles that people have when using music for content. We aim to fix these issues. It’s a great market to target with such little help out there it’s great to see and hear about this. While we are on the subject of music, what or who is your motivation to produce music? Honestly myself more than anything. There are some incredible DJ’s & Producers out there including: James Hype Sonny Fodera Solardo Eli Brown etc That has given us great motivation for our tracks that we make. 64

Such a great unique line up and to our readers please do check out these wonderful talented people. Who would you say is your most idolised musical artist? 100% James Hype is my all time favourite. James Hype is a favourite of ours too with such great talent and knows how to make a beat. One more on Music, what is your favourite genre and have you produced this type of music for your copyright beats? House music is my favourite all time genre & I also love drum & bass, garage, bass-line, grime etc. We cover all of these genres already with drum & bass soon to come too. Now we are talking we too love House and our team coming from a background in Leeds & Sheffield we have had our fair share of great artists in this genre. We notice you have just recently become a lecturer at a university for esports, could you please let our readers know about what this entitles? So I’m an associate lecturer meaning I’m called upon when my experience is relevant to certain curricula, modules etc. I’ve taken a very strong role within the University who are using me to help plan assessments, mark coursework & directly strategize the programs for the students to follow. Starting from September, I’ll be in the University teaching almost once a week. That’s a pretty great thing to do and shows how much content creation is changing, we can’t wait to see you progress within this starting in September. At what point did you think “Damn, I could really make a career out of gaming and creating content”? Probably as early as 5 months in. I was starting to earn more & more revenue per month & my support group just kept on building up. I was previously working in sales/hospitality & was earning more a month from streaming & creating content by doing half the hours at home versus a 50 hour full time job. That was before I even decided to go full time. 65

Don’t forget about us when you are a millionaire! We get that though content creation is a grind and we are cheering you on along the way. Do you have any key advice that you would personally give to any smaller streamers about making their stream better and growing their channel and or content? Consistency is everything. No matter how good or bad you or your videos perform, it’s so important to be rigid to a schedule & work hard to maintain that. Be different with your content, bring your flavour to what you do and always shoot your shot when you see an opportunity in front of you. If you don’t then someone else will. Very great advice im sure our readers will take this on board and learn a little. On the subject of streaming, we see you stream a lot to many people and have such a great community over on Twitch, What for you was the deciding factor to pick Twitch as your platform to stream on? I’ve actually been on Twitch since the day’s of Justin.tv 10+ years ago watching MLG, competitive Halo 2/3 and COD 4/MW2. I grew up loving and thriving off of watching esports and used to want to compete in it myself back in the day. Justin.tv was then taken over by Twitch and I continued to follow the platform and eventually made it my main streaming platform. Now that is a bl;ast from the past Justin Tv not many will know about that one nowadays, it’s greatest to see such passion over the years. We see your main streaming focus is mainly FPS games, how come you chose this specific type of gaming? Similar to the answer above, I grew up playing these styles of games and find that they give me the biggest adrenaline rush & enjoyment. That being said I’m a gamer at heart and I’ll always give a game a try no matter the genre of play style.

Yeah we are not surprised with the era of halo 2 / 3 and the original modern warfare series, those were great times! On the subject of First Person Shooters, what would be your all time favourite? Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) is the greatest game that’s ever been created. You are not wrong there this game just hit different and the m,ultiplayter lobbies where just different what a time it was to experience such a great game. Away from your streaming life & content creation what do you do in your spare time? I’ll be honest I don’t really have spare time. If I’m not working or chasing my passions then I’m usually at the gym training, with my girlfriend out and about or just chilling on my Xbox on offline games. Mental & physical health is just as important as succeeding in a career. Gotta get those gains and those goals 100% we are not surprised we can see the passion and the support the effort you put in keep it up it’s paying off very well. Let’s talk about your setup. What are the topmost essential things that you can’t stream without? Most likely the stream & key lights from Elgato and GO XLR. They add great lighting and flavour to the streams & allow my personality to shine on camera.

Again it would be Call of Duty 4 MW (2007) as that game is what truly made me fall in love with the multiplayer experience, gaming, ranking & Call of Duty franchise itself. Yeah we are not surprised with your previous answers, it was such a fantastic game. So let’s talk about your highlight reel! What are the 5 top moments in your career so far that you would want in a montage? There’s soooo many but here’s my top 5: 1. Becoming a full time streamer (2018) 2. Hitting Twitch partner (2019) 3. Making top 100 in FaZe 5 during lockdown (2020) 4. Hitting 250K on Tiktok (2022) 5. Opening my music business (2022) Those are some big milestones and we congratulate you on them all keep up the amazing work! What is something that no one who watches your channel/content knows about you? I’m actually really anxious about my career at times & worry about people forgetting who I am, no matter how hard I work.

With Elgato you can never go wrong so we are not surprised to see this and a GO XLR too well XLRs are the way forward now. As a big time gamer what would be your top 5 games of all time?

We can understand this we so see so many creators in the same position just remember the positive and the support we are cheering on for you along the sidelines. Finally, what are you currently working on that you’d like our readers to know about/check out?

1. Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare (2007)

I’m currently looking to partner with one of the biggest organisation’s in the world and take my gaming and music content to a new level. That’s all top secret for now haha.

2. Halo 3. 3. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 4. Diablo 2 5. Probably Skyrim

Nice to see you throw in a rpg as a massive elder scrolls fan we love to see it and obviously those are some of the best FPS games of all time right there such a great list. Now you have told us your top 5 games of all time. If you could only play one game for the rest of your life, what game would that be and why?

Top secret? Damit! Well that does sound amazing and we do feel like we may have an idea but we can’t wait for you to share it with the world!

Anyways Stallion it’s been an absolute pleasure chatting with you we wish you all the best and if our readers would love to check you out and follow to stay up to date with you socials then they can do so below: Twitch: @stallion Twitter: @StallionPlays Instagram: @twitchstallion TikTok: @stallion YouTube: @StallionPlays 68

ok lauren Ok Lauren is a affiliate Twitch Streamer with over 7.3K followers she is also currently pushing partner and is very close, she is originally from New Hampshire but has moved over to North Carolina, she is also a very gifted Artist at only 20 years of age and absolutely loves Hot Wheels, not only that she is also a upcoming successful TikToker with a following of around 60k with over 1.2 million likes.

Hey Lauren, First of all, we would like to thank you for chatting with us today. How have you been? Hi! Appreciate getting the chance to chat with you. I’ve been incredibly busy but pretty decent overall! Lot’s of big things in the works. Great to hear you are good and busy! So let’s start from the beginning, tell us a little bit about your streaming & Content Creation life, how long have you been streaming/making content and what made you want to start? I started streaming in August 2020 as a means to make content outside of Youtube actually! In middle/high school I ran a Youtube account called “OkLauren” that I ended up expanding into my streaming. Not that long ago then, it’s great to see such great progression. We notice that you are not only a streamer but a very talented artist, please tell us where your passion for art came from? Well I appreciate you saying that first off, haha! I started doing art all the way back in elementary school and found that it was one of the only subjects that I really connected with and found a talent for super young. From there it sort of became a therapeutic passion for me, which now of course it is not as therapeutic as it is my job and education. It still holds a special place in my heart.

Katliente the Twitch streamer? Well her art is pretty good so we can see why you’d use her as inspiration. We see your main streaming focus is mainly FPS games, how come you chose this specific type of gaming? I grew up with two brothers and no sisters, which meant A LOT of FPS games. I started playing video games such as Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, Star Wars Battlefront and Call of Duty with my older brother Sean which ended up in me taking interest in FPS games! Your brothers showed you some great games! On the subject of First Person Shooters, what would be your all time favourite? My all time favourite FPS would have to be Modern Warfare 2. I have so many fond memories with my older brother playing this game or just sitting watching and observing how he plays to “get better”. It truly is the best out of the COD games. MW2 what a classic! and that was easily one of the best CODs of all time. We notice that you play a lot of Destiny 2. What are your thoughts about this game? Oh boy, I have A LOT of thoughts on Destiny 2. I absolutely adore the game, but it also drives me insane most days. I started playing Destiny back in 2019 when my ex-boyfriend introduced me to the game. From there I ended up finding a spot in the community where I could comfortably make content and be myself without feeling too “new” to the game (aka, a “blueberry” in Destiny 70

2 terms). As far as thoughts go I won’t scramble your head with all my critiques and praise, but I will say I think the game has an incredible story, sandbox, and community. It will definitely be a game that thrives in the next couple years. I’m sure we all have that love-hate relationship with specific games. It is great to hear your input though and thoughts I’m sure many share the same views. On the subject of Destiny 2, what is your go to class and choice of weapons/armour? My go to class is definitely Hunter. I’ve been experimenting with Titans and Warlocks recently but I definitely have a soft spot for Hunters as I chose that class first in both Destiny and Destiny 2. My choice of weapons would have to be Igneous Hammer and Riiswalker with Gjallahorn as my Heavy, As for armour, I absolutely adore the Moonfang set along with the exotic helmet “Wormhusk” or “Worm-crutch” as everyone likes to call it. We have also played Destiny a couple of times and Hunter was our go to so we can see why you have a soft spot for this class and also a great choice of weapons! We can see that you’re doing great over on TikTok. Could you give our readers some advice on TikTok and what makes videos do well over others? Thank you so much! TikTik is honestly a game of luck. I film my videos in bulk and edit them in my downtime. Once I want to post, I make sure to check my follower statistics on when people are most active. For me, my videos usually hit the algorithm if I post around 5pm EST. This time is different for everyone as their audiences could be active at completely different times. The way for your TikTok to do well is to constantly hit the algorithm. That is actually some great advice and TikTok can be pretty crazy with their algorithms. On the subject of TikTok would you say this platform has helped you a lot to grow more on other platforms? and if so why do you think this is? I would 100% say that TikTok has helped me grow on other platforms. There has been 71

no other app that creates the growth and discoverability like TikTok has in its short amount of time. I started out on Twitch with around 500 followers. Once I started posting on TikTok consistently, I hit around 30k super fast and around 5k of those followers transferred to Twitch. Thousands of people are able to see what you post on TikTok and since they are usually short, entertaining videos, they capture people’s attention. My generation is known for our short attention span, at least I know I have one, so TikTok is genuinely the perfect platform to make content on if you don’t want to sit through a 30 minute Youtube video. Yeah TikTok can be a game changer within the content creation scene. We are glad it’s paying off and you are really blowing up over there. At what point did you think “Damn, I could really make a career out of gaming and creating content”? HA! Good question. It wasn’t until a few months ago back in February/march of 2022 when two of my favourite creators, Sweatcicle and GSXRClyde, both raided me on Twitch. I have never considered myself a popular creator at all, but both of them knew who I was and what I was doing on TikTok and Twitch for the Destiny community. From there I made connections, friends, and a community and realised that “hey, people are actually starting to know my name.. maybe I can make something serious out of this if I keep going!” Oh i bet that was a very wholesome moment and they are both amazing creators it’s good to see the community come together. When was the point in your career did you think “I’ve made it”? This past weekend in June I went to the GCX Expo down in Orlando. I had probably 20 or 30 people come up to me asking for a picture/ autograph while countless creators I admired recognized me and wanted to converse. Let me remind you, I did not expect a single person there to know who I was. To have people from my community coming up to me and talking about how much they love my content and what I’m doing was my feeling of “I’ve made it.” It was an out of body experience and healed

that inner part of myself that believes that I can’t make it in the streaming/content creation atmosphere. Aww thats so great i bet you felt so happy well if we are ever at the same event make sure to sign some stuff for us too! Do you have any key advice that you would personally give to any smaller streamers about making their stream better and growing their channel and or content? I have a few tips for smaller streamers (As I still am one myself) that I think could help. First off, don’t focus on viewer count. I know every single streamer says this, but even today I try not to look at how many people are watching because I know if the number is lower than usual it will affect my mood and tone for the remainder of the stream. Second, make a TikTok account! Even if you don’t know what to make, edit some pieces of your stream together and post it. I guarantee you will experience growth much faster there than any other platform. Last, talk to your chat and to your community. Getting to know the people in your viewer list is INCREDIBLY important as these people are the backbone to your career and your stream. I can still recognize people who have been around since the very beginning and having that personal connection with your viewers makes everything worthwhile. Very good and key advice im sure our readers will take note of this and help them grow much better. On the subject of streaming, we see you stream a lot to many people and have such a great community over on Twitch, What for you was the deciding factor to pick Twitch as your platform to stream on? Thank you! Honestly, when I started streaming in 2020 all I knew was Twitch. I had no idea there were other platforms that were as big and as well-known as Twitch. Now, I see there are definitely other options, but Twitch has been very good to me as a creator so I see no reason to swap. 73

A Lot of people do not realise how massive other platforms can be to grow and a lot help you grow on twitch like Tiktok. Away from your streaming life & content creation what do you do in your spare time? In my spare time I usually play video games (shocker right?). Of course, apart from that you can find me doing art for my college courses as I graduate Spring 2023 or simply just playing with my cat, Phoebe. It’s a great pass time is gaming right? and good luck on graduation im sure youll graduate top of your class! Let’s talk about your setup. What are the topmost essential things that you can’t stream without? Good question! I cannot stream without my HyperX Quadcast S microphone. A universal rule in the streaming-world is to make sure you have good audio first. You could have a terrible camera with amazing audio and no one would bat an eye, but if you swap those two people will not stay if you sound like you are underwater or in their ear. Another thing I could not stream without is OBS. OBS is an amazing application for streaming and allows so much creator customization and integration into Twitch. Audio and camera quality is very key you are right and that’s actually a really good mic! What or who got you into gaming? My older brother got me into gaming. He introduced me to every game I played as a kid which morphed into my love for video games. I honestly give him all of the credit for my fascination with anything related to the video game industry.

Shoutout to the older Bro, thank you for showing your little sis the world of gaming. Being a gamer what would be your top 5 games of all time?

for charity (American Heart ASsociation), hitting my platform goals within a year of streaming, and the content creators I admire knowing my name and wanting to be mutuals on platforms.

My top 5 games of all time would have to be:

Charity streams are a big yes for us so that’s great to see you did one and raised so much and community goals are another amazing milestone so some great achievements and milestones in such a short time. What is something that no one who watches your channel/content knows about you?

Destiny 2 Red Dead Redemption 2 Lego Star Wars/Indiana Jones Star Wars Battlefront Modern Warfare 2 Love this list Star wars battlefront was a big one for me many years ago and the lego games are also top tier. Nice to see a rpg in there too! Now you have told us your top 5 games of all time. If you could only play one game for the rest of your life, what game would that be and why? Oh boy. Uhhh. I would probably pick Star Wars Battlefront. I adored this game and never found myself unentertained playing it. The nostalgia attached to this game is also unmatched as it genuinely was such a pivotal game for the Star Wars game world. The original one back on the original xbox and the PS2 was just another level this set the bar and it was a great game. So let’s talk about your highlight reel! What are the 5 top moments in your career so far that you would want in a montage? Top 5 moments in my career so far that I would want in a montage? Probably getting to take pictures/autographs with my community, reaching over 1000+ viewers on Twitch during a raid, my community raising over $1500 dollars

Hmmm. I’m pretty much an open book on stream, but I guess I have never shared that ’m left handed. I grew up my entire life learning how to play sports/do other things with my right hand so I am perfectly fine playing everything with my right hand, but if I could go back I would probably swap everything that I have learned on my right hand onto my left! (Can you even play with a left handed mouse?) A fellow lefty! now people will hopefully send you left handed scissors! Finally, what are you currently working on that you’d like our readers to know about/check out? I am currently on the road to Partner on Twitch. Which honestly just means I am grinding and streaming constantly trying to reach that 75+ average viewers to qualify for Twitch Partner. Right now I am directly on that 75/80 viewer mark, but I would love it if even one person came and hung out with me on stream as I am ALL about making new friends and playing with new people while live. Thank you so much! We wish you all the best and good luck towards Partner status. We know you’ll be there soon! But it’s been an absolute pleasure chatting with you today. We can’t thank you enough, And to our readers make sure to check out Lauren and her great content you can also find all her socials down below. Twitch: @Ok_Lauren Twitter: @notoklauren Instagram: @laurenforget TikTok: @oklauren 74

The Gamer Guide - Issue 9