Gaming

Negative reactions to God of War Laufey don’t bother star Deborah Ann Woll: “I just know it’s great”

• Woll says backlash over her casting does not concern her
• She believes Amazon’s God of War adaptation is strong
• The comments address early fan scepticism over casting

Deborah Ann Woll has said that criticism over her casting as Laufey in Amazon’s forthcoming God of War TV adaptation does not trouble her, because she is confident in the quality of the project. Her comments matter because they address early fan scepticism around a high-profile video game…

All passive skills in Palworld

• The guide explains and lists Palworld’s passive skills.
• Passive traits can help or hinder combat, movement, and work.
• Breeding matters because passive skills can be inherited.

Polygon’s guide explains how passive skills work in *Palworld* and provides an updated list of those traits following the game’s 1.0 update. The article matters for players who want stronger combat, faster movement, or more efficient base work, because passive skills can either improve or weaken a Pal…

Black Flag Resynced is missing iconic combat mechanics simply because they were ‘lower priority’

• Missing combat features were reportedly deprioritised
• Faithfulness to the original is a key concern
• The omission reflects development priorities, not impossibility

PC Gamer reports that *Black Flag Resynced*, a fan-made remake or recreation project tied to *Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag*, does not include some of the original game’s well-known combat mechanics. According to the article, the reason was not a technical impossibility or design rejection, but that those…

RPG players are conditioned to think they’re ‘built different’, says Josh Sawyer, so some of them hate it when games like Pillars of Eternity tell them they can’t do something

• Josh Sawyer says RPGs train players to expect exceptional freedom.
• Some players dislike being told “no” in RPGs.
• The debate reflects a wider tension in RPG design.

PC Gamer reports that RPG designer Josh Sawyer believes some role-playing game players react badly when a game tells them they cannot do something, because the genre has trained them to see their characters as unusually capable or exceptional. The point matters because it speaks to a wider…

Only 16 Fallout: New Vegas developers still work at Obsidian, says RPG’s original writer

• Obsidian has far fewer original New Vegas developers left.
• Fan hopes for a true New Vegas successor face reality.
• Only 16 original developers reportedly still remain.

A writer who worked on Fallout: New Vegas says only 16 people who developed the game are still employed at Obsidian, highlighting how much the studio has changed since the 2010 RPG was made. The remark matters because fans often call for a New Vegas follow-up, but it…

Another Spiderweb RPG that looks like it was made in 1993 drops on Kickstarter and immediately crushes its goal

• Spiderweb’s Geneforge 3 remake was funded within a day
• Fast funding reflects a small but loyal fanbase
• Extra stretch goals add new faction and hidden storyline

Spiderweb Software’s latest role-playing game, Geneforge 3: Detonation, has launched on Kickstarter and passed its funding target within 24 hours. The article says this matters less as a surprise hit than as another sign of the studio’s unusually loyal niche audience and its track record of delivering old-school…

Indie adventure Dispatch reaches Xbox on 29 July

• Acclaimed indie game Dispatch launched on Xbox on 29 July
• Eight-episode superhero comedy from ex-Telltale studio AdHoc
• New language options added across all platforms simultaneously

Dispatch, an indie superhero workplace comedy that Polygon named among its best games of 2025, has arrived on Xbox with a release date of 29 July, having previously launched on other platforms. Its arrival matters because it brings one of the year's most acclaimed indie titles to Microsoft's…

Sony reveals July PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium titles

• Rise of the Ronin leads July's PS Plus Extra and Premium additions
• More titles including Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora arrive 21-28 July
• Premium tier also gets Psi-Ops and Indigo Prophecy

Sony has announced the games joining the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog in July 2026, giving Premium and Extra subscribers access to a fresh batch of titles. The headline addition is Rise of the Ronin, a Soulslike from Nioh developer Team Ninja set during the final years of Japan's…

Official LCD Steam Deck batteries may soon disappear from sale

• Valve may be discontinuing official LCD Steam Deck battery replacements.
• Aftermarket batteries could become the only repair option.
• Raises concerns over long-term support for the original Steam Deck.

Valve is beginning to phase out official replacement batteries for the original LCD Steam Deck, meaning owners of ageing units may soon have to rely on third-party aftermarket parts to fix worn-out batteries. This matters because the LCD model, Valve's first handheld PC, has been on the market…

How to complete Picture Pursuit quests in Disney Dreamlight Valley

Lots of tricky tasks to work through. The post How to complete Picture Pursuit quests in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid.