Video game news in review: The biggest news from the week of August 30, 2024

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I can confidently say that this week has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride in the realm of video games. The echoes of Gamescom 2024 are still resonating, and it seems like the news cycle is on overdrive.

It seems as if the gaming universe is abuzz with fresh, scorching updates non-stop. Perhaps it’s even more electrifying given that Gamescom 2024 took place just a week ago, leaving us all overwhelmed.

But the news didn’t slow down last week or this week, so let’s get right to it, because there’s a lot.

Tomb Raider Nettlix cartoon

Despite this news dropping a week ago, we felt compelled to discuss it due to our admiration for Hayley Atwell and her work. Notably, she seems perfectly suited for her role as the new Lara Croft in Netflix’s forthcoming animated series.

Remedy Entertainment & Annapurna are partnering

On Thursday, it was announced that Remedy Entertainment, a well-liked group of developers, have teamed up with Annapurna, an independent media company active across multiple platforms, for the funding of Control 2 and expanding the Remedyverse, which includes the adaptation of both Alan Wake and Control into movies and TV shows.

You can read both press releases at Remedy’s website, but this is great news. It means Remedy will have the funding to make the Control 2 they want (which was always what they preached for Alan Wake 2) and we’ll get even more insane, heavily Finnish content from them. I’d love to see Control as a TV series.

New games releasing this week

Two highly anticipated games are set to launch this week. The first one is called “Star Wars Outlaws“, which is an open-world game that Ubisoft has been promoting for some time now. Critics have given it moderate reviews, but there seems to be a common complaint about its stealth system being underwhelming. If you’re curious to learn more before making a purchase, Gameranx provides a detailed Before You Buy analysis: an informative read if you want to weigh the pros and cons before spending your money.

Our second pick, which we’re eagerly anticipating, is called: “Squirrel Armed with a Firearm.” This game combines elements of a sandbox shooter and a puzzle platformer, and the squirrel is simply irresistible. You can choose to aid or hinder, and we can hardly wait to dive in and discover all the delightful fun that comes with being a gun-toting squirrel.

The best and worst of online gaming communities

This is some fun insight: Casino.ca did a study of over 4,000 gamers to get a look at the online gaming community. Not surprisingly, the most inclusive and friendlist gaming community is Minecraft while the most female-friendly is The Sims. And also to no one’s surprise, the most toxic community is Call of Duty.

The latest Nintendo Showcase

This week, Nintendo offered a double treat with consecutive Indie World Showcase and Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase events. Contrary to earlier speculations about Switch 2, they chose not to discuss it during these presentations. Instead, there are some exciting games set to arrive soon. You can catch the approximately 40-minute broadcast below:

New Xbox consoles

Indeed, it also made news last week: Microsoft unveiled an interim upgrade for their Xbox Series gaming consoles. Essentially, they’re offering a slightly reduced price for increased storage capacity. Here are the new prices: $350 for the Series S with 1TB, $450 for the Digital Series X with 1TB, and $600 for the Series X with 2TB.

To be honest, I’m not exactly thrilled about the mid-generation console upgrades. It feels like we’re just scratching the surface of what these next-gen consoles, like the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5, are truly capable of, but it seems the relentless drive for profits in the gaming industry never takes a break.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer

2024-08-30 16:14