Gaming

Modder restores missing PS2-era visual effects to Metal Gear Solid 2, including ‘a ton of things that were literally left marked as BLUEPOINT TO-DO still in the source code’

• Modder restores missing PS2-era effects to Metal Gear Solid 2
• Found unfinished "BLUEPOINT TO-DO" markers left in source code
• Suggests original visual effects were never fully completed in remasters

A modder has restored a range of PS2-era visual effects to Metal Gear Solid 2 that had gone missing from later re-releases of the game. In the process, they reportedly uncovered numerous effects still marked as unfinished "BLUEPOINT TO-DO" items left in the source code, referring to Bluepoint…

Dragon Age veteran says a series comeback would be difficult with EA’s “frightening” graveyard of dormant IP: “I suspect that it wouldn’t happen”

• Dragon Age veteran doubts a series revival is likely.
• Cites EA's "frightening" graveyard of dormant game franchises.
• No official word yet from EA or BioWare on Dragon Age's future.

A former Dragon Age developer has said they doubt the franchise will return, pointing to EA's large collection of dormant game franchises as evidence that reviving beloved series is not something the publisher tends to prioritise. The comments add to ongoing uncertainty about the future of the Dragon…

Kevin Feige counters rushed Doctor Doom criticism by saying Thanos also had minimal MCU build up before Avengers: Infinity War

• Kevin Feige defends Doctor Doom's quick introduction by comparing it to Thanos's minimal pre-Infinity War build-up
• Feige argues both villains receive proper development in their debut films rather than through extended prior appearances
• Critics note Thanos actually benefited from careful storytelling across multiple films, unlike Doom's introduction

This week in PC games: a battle royale detective game, a broken Y2K metaverse, a laptop tycoon sim, and a new Company of Heroes RTS

• Weekly roundup of PC game releases spanning detective battle royale, narrative adventures, roguelikes, and strategy titles
• Mix of indie experimental games (Y2K metaverse puzzle platformer, photography-based narrative) alongside traditional genre entries
• Relic's Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand brings real-time strategy to the week's lineup alongside action-RPGs and deckbuilders

This week's Rock Paper Shotgun round-up highlights the latest crop of PC game releases, spanning three days from 27–29 July, with a notably eclectic mix including horror, RPGs, strategy and battle royale titles. The selection ranges from niche narrative experiments to a new entry in Relic's Company of…

UK Charts: Splatoon Raiders Knocks Assassin’s Creed Down A Peg

• Splatoon Raiders debuts at UK number one after just two days on sale
• Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced pushed down to second place
• Rhythm Heaven Groove vanishes from the charts amid distribution issues

Splatoon Raiders has debuted at number one on the UK physical gaming charts, taking the top spot away from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced in its very first week on sale. It's a strong showing for Nintendo's new spinoff, which had only been available for two days when…

All traps in Shift at Midnight and how to use them

• Shift at Midnight features three purchasable traps to fight doppelgängers.
• Bear Traps are cheap; Flame Traps are costly but deal the most damage.
• Guide advises saving Stun Mines and Flame Traps for later, tougher nights.

Shift at Midnight, a horror survival game developed by Kwalee, tasks players with defending a store against doppelgänger enemies during night shifts, using purchasable traps as a key defensive tool. A recent guide from Destructoid outlines the game's three trap types and offers strategic advice on when and…

“I want this guy to make Final Fantasy 17”: Yoshi-P embarrasses Final Fantasy 7 Remake lead with the “highest praise you can get” from players live on stage at FF14 Fan Fest

• Yoshi-P praised FF7 Remake lead Naoki Hamaguchi on stage at FF14 Fan Fest.
• He said he'd want Hamaguchi to direct a future "Final Fantasy 17".
• Called it the "highest praise" a developer can get from fans.

At a Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest event, series producer Naoki Yoshida (known as Yoshi-P) publicly praised Final Fantasy 7 Remake co-director Naoki Hamaguchi on stage, saying he would like to see him take charge of a future numbered entry, "Final Fantasy 17". The remark, framed as the…

Baldur’s Gate 3 True Third-Person Camera Mod Goes Viral, Sparks Debate About Whether It Erases the Game’s Identity

• Modder Relysia's third-person camera mod for Baldur's Gate 3 goes viral.
• Showcase video hit 3.9 million views, sparking fierce fan debate.
• Critics fear it erodes cRPG identity; others want Larian to add it officially.

A mod for Baldur's Gate 3 that replaces the game's classic top-down camera with a modern over-the-shoulder third-person view has gone viral, prompting a heated debate among fans about whether such changes undermine the identity of the cRPG genre. The mod, created by Relysia and released on Nexus…

42 years ago, Hayao Miyazaki gave The Odyssey’s overlooked princess the epic adventure she deserves

• Nolan's Odyssey prompts a look back at Miyazaki's 1984 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
• Miyazaki expanded a minor Odyssey character into an epic protagonist
• Film blends Homer's myth with Japanese folklore and ecological themes later seen in Ghibli films

With Christopher Nolan's new film adaptation of The Odyssey now in cinemas, Polygon revisits a very different take on Homer's epic: Hayao Miyazaki's 1984 anime Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Made by Topcraft, the studio that preceded Studio Ghibli, the film drew inspiration from the Phaeacian…

Final Fantasy 6, 8, or 9 remakes would need even more games than the FF7 trilogy, Yoshi-P warns: “We’d probably end up having to release them in 4 or maybe even 5 installments”

• Yoshi-P says FF6, FF8 or FF9 remakes could need 4-5 games each.
• Comparison made to the three-part Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.
• Suggests such remakes are unlikely any time soon due to scale.

Naoki Yoshida, known as Yoshi-P, has said that if Square Enix were to remake Final Fantasy 6, 8 or 9, the projects would likely need even more entries than the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, which spans three large-scale games. His comments underline just how ambitious the FF7…