Latest Playstation, xbox, pc Game News & Updates
✦ FeaturedI played the economic simulator that could 'make a convert out of Karl Marx himself' to see if it could convert me
Though I'm not Karl Marx, just in case you're confused.
Marvel Tōkon's simple but effective combo trials are an elegant tutorial solution that I wish more fighting games had
Ron Gilbert Says Making Another 'Monkey Island' Game Would Be "Really Complicated"
The Quake community simply cannot stop delivering, having just released a 22-map 'Deathmatch Jam' to celebrate the shooter's 30th birthday
☁ Playstation, xbox, pc News
97 articles
Halo: Campaign Evolved’s Biggest Competition Might Be Halo
Halo Campaign Evolved(https://www.gamespot.com/games/halo-campaign-evolved/) is a celebration of the franchise, but not many people are attending that party. New estimates peg sales at 1.2 million copies sold across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 so far, around $67 million in revenue, which isn't the best start for this remake of the original Halo campaign. Also available via Xbox Game Pass, the game is estimated to have 2.1 million players through the subscription service. According to Alinea Analytics' head of market analysis, Rhys Elliott(https://alineaanalytics.substack.com/), there are several reasons for this. Sales are split almost down the middle between Xbox Series X|S and PS5 at 42% and 41%, respectively, while Steam accounts for 17% of sales. This is up from its launch-week sales(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-on-ps5-is-off-to-a-slow-start-expert-says/), but not by much. So what's the reason behind the lukewarm sales of the classic first-person shooter, which has gotten a new coat of paint and some fine-tuning under the gameplay hood? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LimYD3Ycwo As Elliott noted, Halo: Campaign Evolved's biggest competition on PC might be another Halo--specifically, Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The Halo game compilation offers better value for money and includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, a 2015 remake that's pretty solid in its own right. Throw in options for multiplayer and more Halo games to the mix, and the $40 price tag makes it a much more tempting offer compared to the $50 required for Halo: Campaign Evolved, which is more barebones in comparison. Shinier graphics, extra co-op missions, and the ability to sprint in that game just aren't enough, it seems. "The price is too high for a port like this one, and the Halo brand--candidly--has lost a lot of cache, Elliot wrote(https://x.com/superhys/status/2087224210296893632). "A lot of Steam users already own Master Chief Collection--8.5 million copies sold on Steam, as per our estimates--which offers more content for less. On PS5, Halo: Campaign Evolved is estimated to have sold 544,000 copies so far, neck and neck with Xbox despite the Sony platform having a larger userbase than its Microsoft rival. Elliot explained that while plenty of PS5 owners jumped in thanks to the nostalgia factor of Halo, sales were driven by an "older, nostalgia-driven crowd" that encompasses players who are roughly 32-40 years old. Many of these people were likely former Xbox 360 owners who had since moved to PlayStation hardware, but the game didn't make a big dent with a "fresh" PlayStation audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woUnTCVv9JU Shooters, remakes, and legacy-leaning titles still sell well on the platform, as the audience overlap skews heavily toward the late PS2, Xbox 360, and early PS4 eras, Elliot explained. While Halo: Campaign Evolved didn't achieve the same velocity as several other Xbox ports did on PlayStation, bringing the Master Chief Collection with its multiplayer suite to that platform would have "certainly" done better, Elliot wrote. "At the very least, if the rumored Halo 2 remake ships with online multiplayer, it’ll sell a great deal more, assuming it comes to PlayStation at all." The co-creator of Halo and designer of Master Chief, Marcus Lehto, also shared his opinion on the remake recently, saying that he has a few issues(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-co-creator-calls-out-remake-for-pandering-to-new-era-of-players-with-0-attention-span/) with it but is generally happy with how it came out. Following the final update for Halo: Infinite(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-infinites-last-update-arrives-this-month-as-devs-move-to-other-halo-projects/1100-6536070/) in November 2025, Halo Studios has now begun work on new Halo projects.
Halo On PS5 Is Off To A Slow Start, Expert Says
For the first time ever, a Halo game is available on PlayStation with Halo: Campaign Evolved. The game is having a "notably slow start" on Sony's console in terms of sales, however, according to gaming analyst Rhys Elliott(https://alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/julys-top-playstation-games-by-copies). He estimated that Campaign Evolved sold 351,000 copies on PS5 during July and 452,000 to date, generating nearly $28 million. By comparison, Elliott said Campaign Evolved has shifted 212,000 units on Steam and about 900,000 on Xbox across console and PC thus far. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LimYD3Ycwo The analyst said the game's price point--$50--was partly to blame. "Fifty dollars for what’s essentially a graphical touch-up of a 2001 game was always going to be a hard sell, and players clearly weren’t having it," he said. Beyond graphical improvements, Campaign Evolved also features three new prequel missions via the Operation Meteorite story arc. Multiplayer is what Halo is perhaps best known for, but Campaign Evolved--as its name suggests--does not feature multiplayer support. Also in his comments, Elliott said the slow start for Halo on PS5 "stings even more" when compared to the success of the Black Ops 1 and 2 ports on PlayStation. Those games reportedly combined to sell more than 11 million units(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/black-ops-1-and-2-ports-sold-11-million-copies-combined-on-playstation-benefitting-both-xbox-and-sony/), generating hundreds of millions of dollars. Elliott went on to lament the slowing sales and diminishing profile of Halo as a franchise in general after the series peaked with Halo 3 and Halo: Reach years ago. "One can’t help wondering what could have been if Halo had kept the trajectory it had around Halo 3 and Reach. A remake of the game that started it all landing this softly on a new platform makes me pretty sad, as a Halo fan," he wrote. There are more Halo games in development, including one that's been described as "like Fortnite"(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/next-halo-game-may-be-like-fortnite-with-live-service-report/1100-6535547/) with regards to its live-service approach. Developer Halo Studios has said future Halo games will also be on PlayStation(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-games-will-be-on-playstation-going-forward-says-microsoft/1100-6535712/), but those comments came before Asha Sharma became Xbox CEO and pledged to release more exclusive games for Xbox(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-clarifies-its-exclusivity-strategy-moving-forward-wants-you-to-buy-an-xbox/).
Moonlighter is free on Steam for a limited time
Moonlighter, the acclaimed roguelite that mixes dungeon crawling with shopkeeping, is free to keep for a limited time.
Beast of Reincarnation: Chapter Two walkthrough
!(https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/sightless-golem-bor.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp) After tackling the trials of the Ogouchi Buffer Zone in Chapter One(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-chapter-one-prologue-walkthrough) of Beast of Reincarnation(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/beast-of-reincarnation), Emma and Koo can't afford to rest in their Cleanse Walker. A bevy of new opponents in another ruined sector of the post-apocalyptic Kanto Region awaits them. This time, they'll need to find some generators to power a gate while chasing after yet another out-of-control Nushi. There's also much more verticality at play in Chapter Two's map, meaning that you'll need to master the unique traversal skills that Emma possesses thanks to her Blight-infused hair. Read more(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-chapter-two-walkthrough)
Beast Of Reincarnation: How to respec
!(https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/beast-of-reincarnation-emma-war-cry-close-up.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp) Attributes and Skills are a key component of your growth throughout Beast Of Reincarnation(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/beast-of-reincarnation). As you defeat enemies and level up, you'll earn Attribute Points and Skill Points to upgrade your base stats and unlock new and powerful abilities, both for Emma and for Koo. But what if you change your mind later on? Can you get a refund on those points you've spent? The answer is yes: you can indeed respec in Beast Of Reincarnation, for a fairly low cost in Amber. However, you need to reach a certain point in the main story which occurs in Chapter 2, when you meet the character who can reset your Skills and Attributes for you. Read on to find out exactly how to unlock the ability to respec, and how to refund your points from the safety of your Cleanse Walker anytime you like after that. Read more(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-respec)
Beast of Reincarnation: Chapter One walkthrough
!(https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/emma-bor.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp) Beast of Reincarnation(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/beast-of-reincarnation) kicks off with a fast-paced introduction to Emma and Koo's combat skills, along with a dive into the Ogouchi Buffer Zone, a large map with many secrets to uncover and just as many Golems to slay. There's much to learn in this first chapter when it comes to mastering Emma's hair-extending abilities and parry capabilities, and even though the main story quests are relatively straightforward, it's very easy to get lost in the contours of the map as you chase down the Nushi who's destroying these once-tranquil woods. This guide serves as a walkthrough for Chapter One of Beast of Reincarnation, giving you an easy-to-follow checklist of how to tackle the Ogouchi Buffer Zone. We'll also briefly touch on the game's Prologue. Read more(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-chapter-one-prologue-walkthrough)
Beast Of Reincarnation: All Keeper Golems
!(https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/emma-talks-with-golem.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp) The post-apocalyptic zones of Beast of Reincarnation(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/beast-of-reincarnation) hide many secrets within their nature-reclaimed depths. Chief among these are Golem constructs designed to answer certain questions. Speaking with them will reveal Exploration Data, which are directions that lead to hidden weapons, manuals, and other resources that will help Emma and Koo on their quest. The Golems programmed to answer questions are usually called Keeper Golems, and they die after they've addressed your inquiry. There are exceptions - we've run into at least one Rusted Golem who answered a question and didn't expire immediately after, and we've listed it here as well for the sake of accuracy. These Golems are all hidden in out-of-the-way places, but the Exploration Data they provide is well worth the search. In this guide, we'll list the locations of all Keeper Golems and Exploration Data in Beast of Reincarnation, providing maps and screenshots to ensure that you won't get lost searching for these vine-encrusted robots of old and the rewards they hint at. Read more(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-all-keeper-golems-exploration-data)
Beast of Reincarnation: How to save your game
!(https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/bor-resting-at-campsite.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp) Beast of Reincarnation(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/beast-of-reincarnation) features a host of challenging golem foes and mutated creatures for Emma and Koo to confront as they travel through post-apocalyptic Japan, and considering that you're going to be dying a lot over the course of your journey, knowing how to save your game is a must. While saving isn't hard, it might not be obvious at first if you've only just started playing. In this quick guide, we'll explain exactly how to save your game in Beast of Reincarnation, and we'll also explain the difference between Auto Saves and Manual Saves. Read more(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-how-to-save-your-game)
Beast Of Reincarnation: Bosses and Elites
!(https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/beast-of-reincarnation-shidou.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp) In Beast Of Reincarnation(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/beast-of-reincarnation), your (and Emma's and Koo's) greatest challenges will always be the bosses of each region. Emma's quest is to hunt down the various Nushi - incredibly powerful Malefact bosses - which spread the Blight in each of their zones, before venturing to the Capital to finish off the Beast Of Reincarnation itself, once and for all. But the Nushi aren't the only dangers out there, because regular Malefacts and Golems can also appear in Elite varieties, making them much tougher to defeat than their ordinary kin. Many of these bosses are tucked out of the way of the main path, so it can be tricky to track them all down and 100% each map as you progress through the story. In the guide below, we make the job of hunting down all the boss locations in Beast Of Reincarnation as easy as possible. Read on to find handcrafted maps of each region, with all the locations of every Boss and Elite marked and numbered so you can find them without any hassle. Read more(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-bosses-elites-locations)
Beast Of Reincarnation: Best Skills
!(https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/beast-of-reincarnation-emma-and-koo.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp) Beast Of Reincarnation(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/beast-of-reincarnation) offers up two branching Skill trees (yes, literal trees) that you can peruse to unlock Skills for both Emma and her loyal Malefact companion, Koo. There are some extremely powerful and beneficial Skills to unlock in both these trees, but their strange presentation - extending both far above into the tree branches and below, into the tree's roots - can be a little hard to parse at first glance. Each tree is split into two sections: the upper Skills, within the tree's branches, are for unlocking and upgrading special activatable abilities. These abilities are called Blade Arts (for Emma) and Bloom Arts (for Koo). The lower Skills within the tree roots, meanwhile, unlock minor nodes with various benefits, and each branch requires you to progressively upgrade one of the three attributes for Emma and Koo: Strength, Vitality, and Florescence. This means if you want to unlock the best Skills early on, you also need to know ahead of time which attributes to level up, so that you can unlock those abilities in the Skill tree. If this is all a bit confusing to you, fear not! In this guide, I'll walk you through the six best Skills to unlock first in Beast Of Reincarnation - three for Emma and three for Koo - so that you know exactly what to do first in both Skill trees. Read more(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-best-skills)
Beast Of Reincarnation: Best weapons
!(https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/beast-of-reincarnation-emma-wielding-katana.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp) Over the course of Beast Of Reincarnation(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/beast-of-reincarnation), you'll be able to find or purchase a variety of different Katanas for Emma to use in combat. Each of these weapons deals the same base damage, but they differ in their active effect. To activate the weapon's special effect, all you need to do is successfully parry an enemy attack; after that, the effect is active for 5 seconds. As you might expect, some of these weapon effects are particularly potent, and some of the very best Katanas can in fact be obtained in the first few hours of the game, if you know where to look. In this guide, I'll show you exactly how to get four of the very best early weapons in Beast Of Reincarnation as quickly as possible, and explain how their effects can be used to massively increase Emma's potential in combat. All of these weapons will see you handily through the entire game, as long as you keep them upgraded - so it's best to find them as early as possible! Read more(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-best-weapons)
Beast Of Reincarnation: Red Key location
!(https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/beast-of-reincarnation-red-key-close-up.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp) Exploring the first map in Beast Of Reincarnation(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/beast-of-reincarnation), it won't be long before you come across the Abandoned Village in the south, where you'll find a locked door that can only be opened with the "Red Key". So, where is this Red Key, and how do you obtain it? And what's on the other side of that locked door? The Red Key is actually part of the main story quest in Chapter 1, and is used to unlock an even more important door later on. But once you have it, you should remember to head back to the Abandoned Village and open this locked door for a nice little extra reward. Follow the guide below to learn exactly what to do and where to go to find the Red Key in Beast Of Reincarnation, and what to do with it once you've got it! Read more(https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beast-of-reincarnation-red-key-location)