Author: Demi Williams

NME

EA has unveiled two brand-new DLC (downloadable content) for The Sims 4, the Grunge Revival and Book Nook Kits.

• READ  MORE: ‘The Quiet Things’ is a challenging narrative game that aims to crack the stigma surrounding abuse

The Grunge Revival Kit is exactly what The Sims 4 players would expect from the name, as it features a variety of grunge-inspired styles, including worn textures, layered options, and bold accessories.

The Kit is straight from the 90s, allowing players to create comfortable and stylish alternative looks. “Whether it’s rocking an old band tee or a baggy hoodie and faded jeans from the thrift store, these slouchy silhouettes are now yours to make new with styles for every frame,” the blog post reads.

For players who are in love with books and creating cozy at-home libraries in The Sims 4, the Book Nook Kit is perfect. This DLC features an array of themed furniture and decorations that can be displayed any way players want.

“Create the perfect spot to curl up surrounded by shelves filled with literary treasures after a long day or enjoy on a sunny afternoon,” the post adds.

From new shelving units, stackable bookshelves, and comfy sofas, Simmers will have plenty of new ideas for building their own book nook. There’s also new window seating that can be placed anywhere players want in their home.

The Sims 4 Grunge Revival and Book Nook Kits are both set to release on June 1 for all available platforms, including PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. As usual, these Kits will cost £4.99 ($4.99 USD).

In other gaming news, Mojang Studios has announced that Minecraft‘s upcoming 1.20 Trails and Tales update will release on June 7. The major update will introduce camel, two new sets of wood including bamboo and cherry, and the archaeology mechanic.

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NetherRealm has announced that registrations for Mortal Kombat 1‘s online stress test are officially open.

• READ MORE: ‘The Quiet Things’ is a challenging narrative game that aims to crack the stigma surrounding abuse

Ahead of the Mortal Kombat 1 launch in September, NetherRealm and publisher Warner Bros. are allowing players the chance to test out the fighting game.

While players who have pre-ordered the game can participate in the beta testing in August, an online stress test will also be available soon (via Eurogamer).

The NetherRealm FAQ provides more details, and the developer makes it clear that this test is not a beta, just a way “to deliberately stress our online infrastructure and identify potential issues ahead of the game’s launch.”

The specific date for the online stress test hasn’t been confirmed just yet, but we do know it will only be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. A Warner Bros. Games Account is required to participate in the test — which can be made here — and a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscription will not be required to participate in the test. However, the test won’t allow crossplay.

The stress test will only be available for players based in North America, Latin America, Brazil, and Europe.

Mortal Kombat 1 received a full reveal this month with a brand-new announcement trailer featuring the roster of fighters. It’s set to launch on September 19 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Following the announcement, NetherRealm CCO Ed Boon gave an explanation as to why the next instalment is called Mortal Kombat 1, instead of the expected Mortal Kombat 12, saying that the game “is the beginning of a universe.”

“So this is Mortal Kombat 1, it is a brand new beginning, you’re going to be seeing these characters reintroduced in their new roles, with new relationships with each other, and that’s the main catalyst for calling it Mortal Kombat 1,” Boon said.

In other gaming news, Microsoft is teasing a new look at PlayGround Games‘ Fable at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 on June 11.

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A group of industry veterans who have previously worked on The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077 have today (May 31) announced their new studio, Blank.

• READ MORE: ‘The Quiet Things’ is a challenging narrative game that aims to crack the stigma surrounding abuse

Blank was co-founded by Mateusz Kanik, game director of Cyberpunk 2077, along with The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 executive producers, Jędrzej Mróz and Marcin Jefimow.

The new studio will be applying its years of experience to bring “beautifully crafted games and unique experiences to players, favoring novel territory rather than well-trodden ground (ie. no clones, or predictable entries).”

Alongside its studio announcement, Blank also shared a piece of concept art for its first unannounced project, which you can view above. The image shows a character-driven game set in an apocalypse, “with a twist or two”.

Kanik will be taking on the role of game director on Blank’s new title, while Mróz and Jefimow will be acting as executive producers. Mikołaj Marchewka will also be joining as the managing director.

Blank has also brought on both Michal Dobrowolski as design director and Artur Ganszyniec as narrative director — both of who have a history with CD Projekt Red — with Grzegorz Przybyś set to act as the art director as Art Director.

“We’re thrilled to announce Blank and to start expanding our incredible team,” said Kanik. “After working for years in an increasingly conservative industry, we’re ready to make bold, impactful projects that share our unique creativity and values.

“Where the industry champions a dictatorship of the creative individual, we want to give ownership to the team. Where the industry leans on crunch culture, we prefer work-life balance. Where the industry says bigger is better, we’re setting our sights on highly polished games with a focus on emotion, story, and craftsmanship.”

The studio is based in Warsaw, Poland and currently has 10 team members, but is looking to hire almost 60 people. Blank has available positions and more information here.

In other gaming news, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is coming to PC this summer.

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Crispy Creative has announced that A Long Journey to an Uncertain End will launch on June 28 for PC, with a Nintendo Switch release coming later this year.

• READ MORE: ‘The Quiet Things’ is a challenging narrative game that aims to crack the stigma surrounding abuse

A Long Journey to an Uncertain End is a narrative-focused space opera management adventure game featuring an explorable galaxy and a diverse cast of characters with their own stories and varied skill sets.

The player will recruit these crewmates and seek out opportunities to gather resources, “all while staying one step ahead of your abusive ex. But here’s the twist: you’re not piloting the ship… you ARE the ship!”

Check out the latest trailer below:

“Sentient spaceships have been outlawed for centuries, but so far you’ve evaded capture thanks to your crew and holo-companion C.O.R.G.I,” the game description reads.

“To keep flying and ensure your crew’s well-being, supplies are essential, but nothing comes free in the ‘verse. Visit new worlds and use your crew to work with locals to complete jobs. Success rewards you with valuable resources and gets you leads on opportunities on other worlds. You can even call in a few favors along the way.”

Players will be able to assign tasks to their crew members depending on their skills and help guide the decisions along the way. Resource management is a big feature of A Long Journey to an Uncertain End so players will need to learn how best to use them to keep their crew happy as they explore planets, moons, and space stations.

A Long Journey to an Uncertain End was first announced back in 2019 with a trailer and has been in development since. Users on Steam can now wishlist the game ahead of its June 28 release date.

In other gaming news, Silent Hill: Ascension has a new trailer and release date.

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Genvid Entertainment and Konami have unveiled a new trailer for the interactive streaming series Silent Hill: Ascension.

• READ MORE: Silent Hill is back – but what does that mean?

Set for a 2023 release, Silent Hill: Ascension is a canonical entry in the horror franchise and will feature multiple main characters around the world “as they confront horrors unleashed in their communities.”

The game will have an unnerving narrative using Genvid’s real-time interactive system “that enables millions of people to help characters survive and change those characters’ fates.”

You can check out the new trailer below:

Alongside high-fidelity visuals across streaming devices, Silent Hill: Ascension will expand the Silent Hill universe, continue to explore the intergenerational trauma of the series, and “give the audience the power to impact Silent Hill canon forever.”

“Silent Hill fans and horror audiences everywhere have a lot to look forward to,” said Motoi Okamoto, a producer of the Silent Hill series at Konami.

“We are pleased to tell a new interactive story, in never-before-explored locations, alongside new characters that will be introduced to fans of the Silent Hill universe. It is you who will decide the fate of multiple main characters, which will unfold simultaneously around the globe.”

The trailer showcases new horrors, disturbing monsters, and realistic character models to bring the story to life. Chris Amaral, art director at Bad Robot Games, added that “the detailed environments, the eerie ambiance, and the realistic characters and monsters should really enhance the horror experience, creating something that is pure Silent Hill, while also feeling unique for the franchise.”

Silent Hill: Ascension was announced last year alongside Silent Hill 2 remake. Konami also revealed that two more games — Silent Hill Townfall and Silent Hill F — are also in development.

In other gaming news, CD Projekt Red has dismissed the rumours that Sony may be acquiring it.

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Blizzard Entertainment has revealed a new Diablo 4 race event that will immortalise 1000 players who hit level 100 first, but some players aren’t happy.

• READ MORE: 6 Reasons Why We Can’t Wait To Play ‘Diablo IV’

The race is set to begin on June 1 and invites players to “cheat death” and become one of the first of 1000 players to hit the level 100 cap first. For completing the task, these players will have their username “immortalised on a statue of Lilith.”

The Diablo 4 general manager Rod Fergusson confirmed that “playtime is up” for those who get to play the game early, like reviewers, and confirmed that their characters and progress will be deleted (via GamesRadar).

See more

Can we talk about those same creators competing in the "race" event you guys annoucend? This gives a extreme unfair advantage.

This is not a new season. setting a president of unfair advantages is not a good look

— The Saga (@TheSagaYoutube) May 26, 2023

However, some players are sharing their worries over on the Diablo 4 subreddit and Twitter, saying that some players will have an “extreme unfair advantage” despite having the data deleted. One fan said that the players “who already know[s] everything about bosses, acts and how to gear and level will have an advantage over [a] player who never done it”.

In response, Ferguson asked, “how does deleting all their progress and making them start at the same time as everyone else give them an unfair advantage?” Some players on the subreddit are asking Blizzard to make pre-release players ineligible for the race, but the studio has yet to comment.

Diablo 4 is set to launch on June 6 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Game director Joe Shely recently shared some insight on the upcoming game and its antagonist, Lilith. Shely explained that he thinks of Lilith as Diablo‘s Darth Vader.

“She’s not a moustache-twirling villain, right?” he said. “We wanted Lilith to have motivations where you could have that sort of Star Wars conversation where people talk about the character and say stuff like ‘Vader’s right, there should be order, there would be far less death.'”

In other gaming news, Naughty Dog has announced that its The Last Of Us multiplayer game has been delayed but confirms a new single-player experience is in development.

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