Softpedia News / Global 002873 http://cdn.softpedia.com/_img/spdfavicon.svg http://cdn.softpedia.com/_img/spdlogo.svg https://news.softpedia.com/ Softpedia en-us 2001-2026 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:06:09 +0000 Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:06:09 +0000 News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 https://cdnssl.softpedia.com/_img/softpedia_logo_rss.png https://news.softpedia.com/ https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/ascend-to-zero-review-538201.shtml What would you do if you only had around half a minute to save the world? That’s the core question for Ascend to ZERO, and it’s a very good one. The game is meant to deliver a heart-pumping, adrenaline-filled gameplay where every single second counts. And that’s for a very good reason. You enter an exhilarating, rewarding and fun gameplay loop where you constantly want to get better, save your friends and unlock new features.

Ascend to ZERO is a roguelike at its core, so obviously you will have to do countless runs, you acquire resources and then invest them into skills or more powerful loot. What I liked about this game is that it brings lots of great loot, and you can easily replace old stuff with new things, add multiple weapons to attack enemies and so on. Plus, you can unlock new skills and benefits, all of which add up to make the gameplay not only more fun, but more consistent as well.

Every run in this game starts your character at level one. Then, as you a... (read more)]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 04:23:56 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/ascend-to-zero-review-538201.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/fogpiercer-review-538200.shtml I really wanted to crush at least one enemy vehicle under my train. Actually, I pretty much needed to crush one, preferably two, trucks to win before the time limit. But that meant taking damage to the mini-gun, the carriage that I cannot protect with shields. And I need those hitpoints to be able to take down the boss.

So I decided to reposition to avoid an enemy shot. I get out of the battle with all carriages intact, but also without a new module. I have enough scrap to get some new toys to play with, but much depends on what the shop has to offer. An improved artillery shot would be great, as well as one of those shield cards that can protect two carriages at once. And, hopefully, I will have better luck with a future convoy engagement to secure another module.

Fogpiercer is developed by Mad Cookies Studio and published by Hooded Horse. I played on the PC via Steam, and the title is not offered on other hardware. The video game features a mix of turn-based comb... (read more)]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:00:29 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/fogpiercer-review-538200.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/the-alters-last-variable-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538199.shtml These days, we rarely get a DLC from a game that adds meaningful content. But what about a 20-hour long story in the form of a DLC? Yes, that’s exactly what The Alters: Last Variable brings to the table. As someone who enjoyed the main game immensely, I was curious to see what they would do with the DLC, and it was not a disappointment.

The Alters: Last Variable starts the game off at the end of scientist Jan’s life. He uses a cloning machine to create a younger version of himself in order to continue his work. And since we are the clone of a clone, we are piecing together the various bits of information available. Not all that info is correct, so we have to start from scratch. Once we figure out the main goal, it’s all back to the core Alters loop. We have to research, build the infrastructure, acquire items, manage the base and of course, create new clones that will help us out.

However, The Alters: Last Variable brings some changes. You don’t have to fuel up a m... (read more)]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:00:12 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/the-alters-last-variable-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538199.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/outbound-review-538198.shtml Cozy games are always exciting and fun because you get to explore the world at your own pace, while also enjoying all the little elements available. Recently, we’ve had quite a lot of games where you are living in a van and exploring a large world. Here, you have a variety of things to do, from collecting to crafting, exploration and anything in between.

The main idea in Outbound is that you left the city in a near-future world and you live within a van in a park, making the most out of the land around you. Here, you add new machines to the van, furnishings and upgrade the van to your liking.

One of the things that Outbound does right is the sense of exploration. You have a massive, beautiful world that everyone will enjoy, and the game itself does a stellar job at making this world believable and very impressive. You can also collect blueprints and items, build a home on top of the van. And here you can add solar panels, crafting machines, windows and so on.

Clea... (read more)]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:38:29 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/outbound-review-538198.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/kaz-review-538197.shtml To be successful, you have to act on instinct, without allowing your brain to actually think. Making plans and evaluating targets takes time. Raking up points to get to the threshold and, hopefully, put some in the piggy bank requires pure action, a seamless connection between eyes, ears, nerves, and fingers.

I made good upgrade choices, focused on extra time and more points for enemies killed. So, I can reliably win rounds even when my actions per minute decline. If I hit the star, it’s even easier to make progress. The problem is that I was cursed after stepping on one too many traps, and I have to deal with being randomly teleported. It’s disorienting and also slows my character down at the worst time.

So I launch into a new level, clearing opponents quickly, hoping my lightning strikes hit traps, and keeping an eye out for the high-value star. There’s not enough time to get into a flow state. I get the needed score with a few seconds to go, and I already start ... (read more)]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:33:17 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/kaz-review-538197.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/warhammer-40-000-darktide-skitarii-class-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538196.shtml After a launch that was not exactly ideal, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide managed to improve exponentially, and now we have a largely awaited class in the form of the Skitarii. The new class offers lots of customizations, it comes with unique gameplay and some interesting new weapons.

The customization aspect is cool, because aside from changing your character, you can also change their origin and background. There are 4 personality types to choose from and there’s even a voice modulator to boot. Additionally, the Skitarii skill tree is different than the regular one. You start from the middle of a circular talent tree, allowing you to improve in any direction that you see fit.

That means you can lean into combat ability, keystone skills or anything you see fit. I think this is an excellent upgrade, and finally we have an experiment that sticks the landing very well. Skitarii have access to 3 blitz abilities, like arc grenades, integrated refraction emitter and the ser... (read more)]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:32:34 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/warhammer-40-000-darktide-skitarii-class-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538196.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/hell-clock-cursed-war-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538195.shtml When Hell Clock first launched, I was impressed by how well it managed to blend ARPGs with the roguelike system. The main character Pajeu was likeable, the gameplay was intense, the skill trees were great and expansive, plus you always felt that you should do yet another run. I enjoy the fictionalized revenge story they did, as they based it on a real-life event. But with Hell Clock: Cursed War, we’re getting a much-needed 4th chapter for the game, which delves deeper into Pajeu and his origin story, something that I found to be very exciting.

We revisit Pajeu’s town in a tormented, rather hellish form and many soldiers are still haunting that place. We get to see when Pajeu was recruited into the Brazilian army and the horrors he experienced. But aside from the DLC, the main game is getting an update as well. We have the Endless Nightmares endgame system where you can explore randomized areas and progress through 16 tiers of difficulty.

Then, there’s the Journey o... (read more)]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:12:00 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/hell-clock-cursed-war-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538195.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/schr-dinger-039-s-call-review-538194.shtml I’m pretty sure the cat is the key to the entire mystery. It first named itself Hamlet, then added the most important line that the character speaks to the name. It knows how the psychic telephone works and says that cats can actually use it but isn’t interested in actually making or taking any calls. And the sneaky animal talks a lot about memories but isn’t interested in telling the protagonist anything about her past.

Playing the role of a telepathic soul guide for people who are stuck in limbo requires both attention and plenty of patience. The telephone at the end of the world still uses a disk. The people my character is talking to are also struggling to remember their past, caught in the psychic blast wave of the catastrophe. As I learn more about each of them, I can create the conversations that they want to have, even if that requires lying. Let’s hope that doesn’t come back to haunt me.

Schrödinger's Call is developed by Acrobatic Chirimenjako and publish... (read more)]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:54:21 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/schr-dinger-039-s-call-review-538194.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/d-o-t-defence-review-538193.shtml As someone who enjoys playing tower defense games, I was excited to see a title like D.O.T. Defence coming in. And it’s mostly thanks to the unique RTS approach that it provides. Right off the bat, the game appears to be more of a pixelated Command and Conquer, with a very simple UI. But there are some great tower defense elements, along with a great range of other things. And it all adds a great sense of excitement as well as creative ideas.

D.O.T. Defence starts with a tutorial, which is pretty helpful, as it gives a lot of info when it comes to the mechanics and the way you can use them. That being said, the game has multiple island levels, and as you clear one of them, you start uncovering new levels all the time, making it way more responsive and interesting.

You can’t preview levels until you unlock them, which makes sense, but I wish you were able to do so, as it makes it easier to prepare. What’s great is that the campaign maps are not very difficult, inste... (read more)]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:46:33 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/d-o-t-defence-review-538193.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538192.shtml Granblue Fantasy: Relink was an excellent RPG when it launched a few years ago, so a lot of people expected either a continuation or maybe an expansion. And with Endless Ragnarok, we are getting the latter. Which is great, because it adds a whole bunch of new content into the game, it expands the endgame portion, while bringing in summons, a roguelike mode and some challenging new story missions. There are some new characters in there too, so that alone is very exciting.

The game sets up some new story missions that take place after the main story, and generally they are series of fights against powerful bosses on the Chaos difficulty, specifically made for the maxed-out characters. I found that most of the battles in this game feel like a sensory overload, and that’s in a good way. You always have something to do, attacks and combos you can come up with, and even upgrades for your character.

One thing to note about Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Endless Ragnarok is th... (read more)]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:58:01 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538192.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/raccoin-coin-pusher-roguelike-review-538191.shtml Ever since Balatro released a few years ago, many indie games have tried to implement the roguelike formula in a creative way, and RACCOIN is definitely one of the latest titles attempting to do such a thing. Yet the thing that sets it apart is its unique focus on simulating a coin pusher arcade machine.

It also offers a very seamless gameplay. The idea is that you want to shoot out coins onto the top of the moving platform. As it slides back, it pushes against the rear wall of the machine, thus sliding some coins forward which will drop and fill the space in front. You will score points when new coins push the other coins into the pit.

What this means is that RACCOIN is basically all about flicking coins from the right or left side of the machine and then seeing if the other coins are falling or not. At first, this doesn’t sound very exciting, mainly because it appears like a very boring thing to do. But there is an upside here, and that’s the fact that you have a... (read more)]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:10:32 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/raccoin-coin-pusher-roguelike-review-538191.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/scale-the-depths-review-538190.shtml I need to improve the accuracy of my fish targeting. Early on, with a simple hook and limited time underwater, I had trouble getting the species that required more than one touch to get into the boat. So, I settled for the smaller fish. Sure, they are quicker to clean, but their hunger-sating power is also limited, so I needed more fishing trips to satisfy each hungry customer.

But, over time, the money came in, and I picked up both a better hook and an improved rod. Now my robot fisherman avatar has the opposite problem: it’s too easy to accidentally spear low-value creatures that I really don’t want. So, I’m swerving all over the place, ducking eels and trout, as I’m exploring the depths for some secrets and maybe some extra cash.

I really want to get the highest-level knife, which is basically a sword. It will make it easier to clean without damaging the product. And that will translate into better meals, satisfied animals, and more money. And, with a fully upgr... (read more)]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:01:43 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/scale-the-depths-review-538190.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/artificial-extinction-2-review-538189.shtml Tower defense games are very fun, but they also tend to be rather linear and with many restrictions due to the map you are playing on. And that’s where Artificial Extinction 2 steps into play, so it can provide you with a very interesting blend of FPS, strategy and tower defense. In my experience, Artificial Extinction 2 is around 70% tower defense and 30% FPS, which is great, because it adds the FPS mechanic to boost immersion, while also keeping those great tower defense roots.

The game has a challenge mode, a good tutorial to teach you everything you need to know, and it also comes with a pretty impressive challenge mode. So, there’s no shortage of content there, which is great because if you like this blend of strategy and FPS, you will surely want to spend quite a bit of time with it. And there’s tons of stuff to enjoy here, that’s for sure.

In Artificial Extinction 2, the premise is pretty interesting and also simple to understand. You have a base that you ne... (read more)]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 04:34:00 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/artificial-extinction-2-review-538189.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/thick-as-thieves-review-538188.shtml Heist games have always been exciting, because they put your creativity to the test. And Thick as Thieves is the Thief successor we always wanted, albeit with more focus on creativity and sandbox gameplay rather than a dedicated story. But the thing that makes Thick as Thieves stand out is the fact that it has co-op.

You have a great roster of characters here, and each one has their own pros and cons. So, you have to assess the mission and then figure out which one delivers the better results. The Spider is agile, mobile and with great utility tools like the grappling hook. The Hood is melee-focused, so if you want to have more of a hands-on approach, this is the character to go for. And then we have the Chameleon, which is a character you unlock. As the name suggests, he can disguise himself and that alone will provide him with a great range of opportunities.

One of the things I didn’t know about Thick as Thieves is that initially it was meant to be an extraction ... (read more)]]> Fri, 03 Jul 2026 05:18:15 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/thick-as-thieves-review-538188.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/legion-was-here-preview-pc-538187.shtml The big secret about a massive government secret department is that it doesn’t ace its big secret job. The deep state, tracking an alien invasion, managed to bungle its assignment so hard that it failed to get an up-to-date image of the human suits that they’re wearing.

The group wants to destroy Mount Rushmore, so the government has to call in the best, a shape-shifting spy who is able to modify his body to infiltrate any enemy group. The government cannot provide a photo of the human disguise of the Neptunian, but they do offer a poem and a big magazine article about clowns. These are the details that I need to use to turn the spy into an operative who can stop the destruction of the four stone-carved presidents.

Legion Was Here is developed by Geoffroy Monde and published by Surefire Games. I played a preview version of it on Steam. The video game tasks players with extracting details from a raft of documents to rebuild the spy’s physical appearance and then pro... (read more)]]> Fri, 03 Jul 2026 05:06:40 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/legion-was-here-preview-pc-538187.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/sodaman-review-538186.shtml I enjoy most bullet hell games that take on the Vampire Survivor formula, even if many of them can be rather repetitive. Sodaman does a great job at distinguishing itself from other games, because instead of having a passive attack, you control the abilities of your character. It might sound like a very simple thing at first, but it shifts the gameplay to a more rewarding and interesting set of mechanics.

The game’s story is not that complex, but it follows a sodacalypse, where all the soda is now tasteless. And here we have Sodaman, whose focus is to try and restore the fizz to the best of his capabilities. By removing the passive attack, the game became a lot more challenging, mainly because you need to strategize and control everything to the best of your capabilities. And that can be rather difficult to do most of the time.

In order to play the game properly, you place shots, weave and dodge. So yes, it’s definitely more than the regular bullet hell extravaganz... (read more)]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2026 20:06:36 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/sodaman-review-538186.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/lost-castle-2-review-538185.shtml Lost Castle 2 brings us a sequel to a very popular beat’em’up from 2016. And unfortunately, this genre barely gets any new releases these days, which is why Lost Castle 2 was highly anticipated for a lot of people. While the original was simple, it had great premises and the gameplay was intense. Lost Castle 2 capitalizes on that, and it brings an even more rewarding experience, along with wonderful battles and all kinds of cool ideas.

The premise of this one is that you are embarking on expeditions for the treasure hunter’s guild, and you enter the region around the dark castle, trying to find secrets. You get to create your own character and even customize it a bit, and overall, it’s just a very rewarding and enjoyable experience that you get to go through here.

The upside of this game is that it gives you intensity and excitement, since the core gameplay is all button mashing, which is always great to have. You start in the forest camp, and then you enter variou... (read more)]]> Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:12:28 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/lost-castle-2-review-538185.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/medieval-crafter-blacksmith-review-538184.shtml Medieval Crafter: Blacksmith is a game that tries to bring many people’s fantasy of creating their own weapons to life. The sheer focus here is on crafting weapons the way you want, in a very immersive way, while offering something entirely new and interesting. And what I like about the game is that it doesn’t sugar coat just how hard it is to do the blacksmithing work.

Instead, it goes through everything from mining ores, forging weapons, then arming heroes and sending them on all kinds of quests for profit. I like this approach because it’s very cool, immersive, and it gives you a unique perspective towards the world of fantasy blacksmithing.

I didn’t expect the game to be so fascinating when it came to the details that they added. It truly is a simulator, and it shows all the different steps that you go through when it comes to creating a weapon. I enjoyed that immensely, as you can also add enchantments, create weapons and armors, and you can sell them at the s... (read more)]]> Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:39:12 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/medieval-crafter-blacksmith-review-538184.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/dead-or-alive-6-last-round-review-538183.shtml It’s clear for many fighting game fans that 3D fighting games are by far the most challenging ones to make. And Virtua Fighter or Tekken fans know that all too well. Yet DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round manages to take the series forward, with some interesting upgrades.

Right off the bat, the thing you will notice about the game is that it comes with a new engine, making the game look better than ever before. Visual fidelity has improved exponentially this time around, making the world feel more immersive. I still feel that the cutscenes are lower quality than the game itself, which normally is not the case. But it’s still pretty good overall, and the visuals will definitely keep you going.

Additionally, there’s more focus on shading and lighting. You can see that on most maps, but it’s particularly evident on the Lost Paradise stage, particularly its oboro version. Not all maps were improved, but the developers committed to offer those down the line as free updates.

Pe... (read more)]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:15:08 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/dead-or-alive-6-last-round-review-538183.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/swan-song-review-538182.shtml It’s a good idea to ignore the hunter at first. Sure, he can take down the swan in one shot, which means the slide will go back into the music box and the slate will be wiped clean for another try. But constantly thinking about that figurine will make it harder to take in the entire puzzle that’s in front of you, with its tiles and weirdly shaped pseudo-musical notes.

The swan needs to move, and the puzzle solution is the only way to keep up with her. Sometimes, after seeing the notes, the solution is clear, even if the timing takes a few tries to nail down. Other times, it is easy to place the first note, but the others don’t seem to fit in anywhere. And, once the hunter and other obstacles appear, fitting them in adds an extra layer of fun complexity.

Swan Song is developed and published by Business Goose Studios. I played using Steam on the PC, the only platform on which the title is offered. The video game uses accessible but solid puzzle mechanics to tell a st... (read more)]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 20:44:55 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/swan-song-review-538182.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-spell-brigade-review-538181.shtml As someone who plays quite a lot of bullet hell games and survivor-like games, I was excited about the idea of having coop done right in this genre. And The Spell Brigade strives to do that. It’s been in early access for quite some time, and I’ve had my eyes on it for many months. But how does it play? It’s actually very simple, easy to get into, yet it takes a while to master it.

Right off the bat, the game gives you 15 unlockable wizards, and each one has their own spells. You need to battle hordes of enemies spread over 4 different biomes. There are also objectives that you need to complete, along with fighting bosses and earning gold. You can use the gold to unlock new wizards, boost your existing wizard’s stats and so on. It’s great because you get to choose how powerful you become, how you improve your wizard and so on. All of those things are exciting in their own right and give more variety to the gameplay which can get stale at times for this genre.

Natura... (read more)]]> Wed, 24 Jun 2026 20:06:04 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-spell-brigade-review-538181.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/hawthorn-preview-pc-538180.shtml Hawthorn is a very interesting concept for a game, because you are in a beautiful fantasy world, a sandbox filled with animals, and you get to explore it, craft stuff, complete quests and enjoy everything living around you. You’re in a woodland settlement that was meant to be a trading post for the woodland creatures, and your focus is to try and breathe life back into it. And you do that by recruiting woodland creatures, which is very exciting.

Since this is a sandbox RPG at heart, that means you will be foraging, fishing, crafting and doing all kinds of tasks similar to that. You can take the role of a woodland creature and then focus on developing the lakeside settlement in Windermere valley. One of the things I enjoyed but never expected from the game is to have seasons in the game, as well as resource cycles.

The game goes even further by allowing you to easily recruit NPCs in order to assist with tasks and automate them the way you want. It’s nice to see that... (read more)]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:09:36 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/hawthorn-preview-pc-538180.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-big-hollow-1982-review-538179.shtml I’ve tracked down all the information I could from two crime scene photos, but a senior agent had to give me the actual names of the victims. Maybe the crime scene investigators should have taken more images, allowing my aspiring agent to get access to more information. One image shot from one angle can only carry so many clues.

I then worked through two images taken from the home of one of the victims, before making deductions about her and the circumstances of her death. It seems that a serial killer is targeting vulnerable women, but his psych profile is elusive, and the evidence is limited. Maybe it’s a good idea to drop any big-picture theories and focus on what an investigation can actually uncover. The murderer tried to cover up his tracks, but he’s clearly made mistakes, and a keen mind will use that to discover who he is and then catch him.

The Big Hollow: 1982 is developed by Krams Design and published by DANGEN Entertainment. I played on the PC via Steam... (read more)]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:58:08 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-big-hollow-1982-review-538179.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/warhammer-40-000-gladius-eradication-pack-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538178.shtml The Space Marines and the Orks have been battling over ten or fifteen hexes for an eternity. They have the numbers and an obsession with bringing in Blastajets, while we have the tech edge and some experienced Terminators to hold the line. Moving units out of the line to heal and repair, while using heroes to deal with the biggest threats, makes for some satisfying Warhammer 40,000 combat storytelling.

It’s three turns until the Space Marines bring their first Thunderhawk online. It’s costly, but even if I can’t fill its hold with Assault Marines, it will shatter the equilibrium. A deep strike, with some orbital bombardment support, should make it easier to get to the Ork settlements and level them. Time is of the essence, as scout patrols are encountering both Chaos Space Marines and Tyranids.

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Eradication pack is developed by Proxy Studios and published by Slitherine Ltd. This downloadable content pack adds more units for players to dep... (read more)]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2026 18:19:28 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/warhammer-40-000-gladius-eradication-pack-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538178.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/voidling-bound-review-538177.shtml Right upon starting Voidling Bound, I’ve been very excited about the idea of a creature collector, third person game with elements from Pokemon, Skylanders and so on. However, even if it does borrow some elements from those games, Voidling Bound also manages to stand on its own, while delivering an intense and rather impressive gameplay mechanic.

In the game, the idea is that our planet and the entire universe are in peril, so we need to find new resources and thus we have to identify new worlds. That’s why humans are venturing out into space and the focus is on finding hew locations. But as we do that, we are finding all kinds of species. And in the meantime, humans have created tech to link the human brain to evolving creatures. That’s where Voidling Bound comes in, and it delivers a rather impressive and intense experience, but also something you rarely get to see in this type of game.

 When you take control of a creature, you can easily jump, run, dash and do a... (read more)]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:49:38 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/voidling-bound-review-538177.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/frontier-legends-preview-pc-538176.shtml I’ve always been fascinated by the Wild West and how people were able to live and survive during those harsh times. That’s why I enjoyed games like Red Dead Redemption and its sequel but also clamored for a survival game in this genre. Wild West Legacy was not it, and Frontier Legends tries to bring us a new take on this genre.

Frontier Legends does have its own story, but the premise is to establish your mark in this world, build your own base and stay alive in the unforgiving setting of Wild West. At first, your camp is small, but eventually, you get to upgrade it to a settlement. Of course, there are lots of threats, be it bandits or natural threats like various dangerous animals.

The great appeal behind Frontier Legends is that it allows you to be anything you want. You can focus more on trading, hunting, being a bandit or anything you want. And that’s the cool factor, the game doesn’t force you to be anything, you slowly uncover things and establish yourself a... (read more)]]> Fri, 19 Jun 2026 06:41:07 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/frontier-legends-preview-pc-538176.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/reptilian-rising-review-538175.shtml After cleansing one historical era of the slithery invaders, I got quite a few upgrades. I can bring in three heroes at the start of a level, up from two, which makes it easier to engage threats quickly and dash for the first time portal to claim it. I also used Obsidian to make sure I had one retry in case I lost a battle, while gold allowed me to boost my heroes.

Unfortunately, the time-traveling reptiles, which I am now fighting in Ancient Egypt, have brought reinforcements. The human cultists of this era have a bad habit of holding on to one hitpoint after a ranged attack from Cleopatra, forcing me to use another hero to take them down or allow them to strike once. And the layout of this level makes it hard to reach portals quickly, which gives them time to call in reinforcements.

So Sir George is running ahead, using the long range of its helmet laser to engage the tougher enemies, while Matilda is in charge of dealing with stragglers and hacking gates. Cleopa... (read more)]]> Fri, 19 Jun 2026 06:27:34 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/reptilian-rising-review-538175.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/nba-the-run-review-538174.shtml We’ve all tried the NBA 2K series, but it never satisfied the need for some quick, intense matches. That’s something that NBA THE RUN tries to rectify, by offering us 3v3, online matches where you try to advance and potentially win a 3v3 tournament. You are playing with either randoms or a team of friends, and there are multiple game modes to try out.

My favorite thing about NBA THE RUN is that it’s very simple, yet it still has some great players. And naturally, it’s a game that you should play with a controller, although in my experience even on the keyboard it ran great and you can end up winning a lot of matches if you time things correctly.

Despite its more arcade nature, the game is meant to be fun and strategic. You can easily strategize with your team, focus more on defense or offense, or experiment with all kinds of attacks. I like the fact that you can steal the ball, block, dive for loose balls and so on. Even if it still is an arcade game at heart, it’s... (read more)]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2026 02:22:03 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/nba-the-run-review-538174.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/nighthawks-preview-pc-538173.shtml Being a vampire was supposed to be all about dominating humans. But it seems that their patrols are keen-eyed, able to easily spot suspicious activity, and more than willing to intervene. I decide to back off rather than risk a wound because it’s pretty tricky to get the weird doctor to treat one. So, I abandon the idea of feeding and decide to get back into detective mode.

I talk to a few people, trying to extract info. They don’t have anything new to say, so I take a look at my phone. A little bit of sneaking gets me into a locked room, where I get information, I’m not supposed to have. Human vigilantes try to attack me as I head back to my hotel sanctuary, but judicious use of my vampire talents makes it easy to avoid any damage. I have high hopes for tomorrow’s hunt.

Nighthawks is developed by The Curiosity Engine and published by Wadjet Eye Games. I played a preview version on Steam. The video game uses an adventure game framework to tell a story about blood d... (read more)]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2026 02:12:09 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/nighthawks-preview-pc-538173.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/cursemark-preview-pc-538172.shtml Have you ever wanted to play a pixelated diablo with cool loot, excellent magic and intense gameplay? Cursemark is a title that wants to cover all those things, and even if it’s just in early access, it already feels incredibly promising. The game offers a great combination of melee and spellcasting, with a large array of runes you can implement for even better results.

You can be more melee-focused, but still use wards, ultimates and spells in order to become the ultimate killing machine. The game is room/level based, as you clear a room and then move on to the next. There are different biomes and enemy types, and also plenty of bosses. Even if the game is in early access and still incomplete, the content that’s there was extremely impressive for me.

What stands out in Cursemark is definitely its combat and great attention to detail. The game map looks stunning, and every level is detailed, even if the graphics are pixelated. They even have a CRT mode, which bring... (read more)]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:30:57 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/cursemark-preview-pc-538172.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile)