Elevate Games

It’s Sunday, which means it's time to talk about all the gaming news this week By: Evan1Sonic. This week has been a big one for news, with the UK CMA blocking Xbox’s Activision Blizzard deal, Nintendo returning to Gamescom, and much more. The UK CMA blocks Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal. The Competition and Markets Authority of the United Kingdom has taken action to block Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Announced here this decision to block the deal was due to the implications for cloud gaming. As said by the CMA "The deal would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come.” Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, said in response: "We remain fully committed to this acquisition and will appeal. The CMA’s decision rejects a pragmatic path to address competition concerns and discourages technology innovation and investment in the United...

Star Wars Episode I Racer is a racing game from LucasArts. “Climb on and strap in for some old-school “Star Wars Episode I” podracing action. Play as young Anakin Skywalker or any of the over twenty-one podracers. Fire up your two massive jet engines and rev up to 600 MPH as you race by and over flaming methane lakes, through meteor showers, past Tusken Raiders, and more. May the Force be with you!” This game is available from May 1st to May 31st. Hoa is a 2D Platformer game from Skrollcat Studio. “Travel through the beautiful, mythologically inspired world of Hoa. Play as the titular fairy returning to her homeland to reinvigorate the terrain and its inhabitants. This is a soothing, meditative puzzle-platformer which will utterly charm you with hand-painted art and a beautiful score. Lose yourself in the little wonders.” This game is available from May 16th to June 15th. Source . These are all the new games coming to Xbox Gold in May. I’ll be back next month to share the ...

Grid Legends - PS4 and PS5 is a racing game from Codemasters. “Welcome to GRID Legends: a high-stakes driving experience that combines thrilling and unpredictable motorsport, incredible race variety and an immersive narrative that puts you at the heart of the action. Take the spotlight in an engrossing racing story, brought to life by a world-class cast including Ncuti Gatwa in a ground-breaking extended reality production. Face fierce personalities, paddock politics, on-track drama and the infamous Ravenwest Motorsport, as a fly-on-the-wall documentary captures every moment.” Chivalry 2 - PS4 and PS5 is a hack-and-slash action game from Torn Banner Studios. “Return to the ultimate medieval battlefield in this multiplayer first person slasher inspired by epic medieval movie battles. Players are thrust into the action of every iconic moment of the era – experience large-scale conflicts in sprawling medieval environments ranging from Tournament grounds to full-scale castle si...

It’s Sunday, which means it's time to talk about all the gaming news this week By: Evan1Sonic. This week has been a slightly slow one for news, with a new Nintendo Indie World event showcasing a handful of new titles, Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals locking in a July release date, and more. This week’s Sunday Scoops is a shorter Speedy Scoops version of the usual format. Speedy Scoops takes over this week's Sunday Scoops, which means it's time to share some quick news headlines from various stories. Earlier this week, a new Nintendo Indie World event aired, which you can watch here . Monster Hunter Now, a mobile spinoff game from Niantic, was revealed and will be coming to iOS and Android this September . Halo Franchise Director Frank O’Connor has left Microsoft after 20 years . Atari buys the rights to more than one hundred games from the 80s and 90s and says many will be re-released . Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals locks in a July 12th, 2023 release date for PS4, PS5, Swi...

  From Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly to Redfall, here are all the games coming to Game Pass in the second half of April By: Evan1Sonic. For anyone unaware, if you are subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate (or Game Pass), then you will be able to play these games until they leave Xbox Game Pass in the far future. You also won't be able to play these games if you are not subscribed to Game Pass in the future, but if you leave and return to Game Pass, these games will be waiting for you unless they have left the service. The descriptions of these games are from the Xbox Wire post revealing what games are coming to the service this month. Now on with the games! Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (Cloud, Console, and PC) is an adventure game from Toge Productions. “It’s time to return as everyone’s favorite late-night coffee shop barista, ready to lend a sympathetic ear and create the perfect beverage for a host of fantastic customers. Turn on the chilled lo-f...

From Kena: Bridge of Spirits to Dishonored: Definitive Edition, here's every game coming to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog in April By: Evan1Sonic. For anyone unaware, if you have a subscription to PlayStation Plus, then you can download and play these games for free. You will only be unable to play them if they leave the subscription in the future. The descriptions of these games are from the PlayStation Blog post revealing what games are coming to the Game Catalog this month. Now for the games coming to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog this month. These games will all be available for Extra and Premium members to download and play starting on April 18th. Kena: Bridge of Spirits - PS4 and PS5 is an action-adventure game from Ember Lab. “Immerse yourself in a story-driven action-adventure set in a charming world rich with exploration and fast-paced combat. Play as Kena, a young Spirit Guide travelling to an abandoned village in search of the sacred mountain shrine. F...

It’s Sunday, which means it's time to talk about all the gaming news this week By: Evan1Sonic. This week has been a steady one for news, with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League being delayed to 2024, Final Fantasy 16 gameplay being showcased at a recent State of Play, and more. This week’s Sunday Scoops is a shorter Speedy Scoops version of the usual format. Speedy Scoops takes over this week's Sunday Scoops, which means it's time to share some quick news headlines from various stories. The final pre-launch trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released earlier this week . Bithell Games, the studio behind Tron: Identity, will be making more Tron games in the future . Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been delayed to February 2nd, 2024 . The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has gone gold and will be released on May 25th, 2023 . A recent PlayStation State of Play showcased over twenty minutes of Final Fantasy XVI gameplay . Redfall will b...

What Ya Playing Wednesday By: Evan1Sonic. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to talk about the games you and I have played over the past week. More information about where to send your submissions to be featured in the series will be at the bottom of this post. This week I've been playing Octopath Traveler 2, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. This What Ya Playing is a shorter Speedrun version of the usual format. Quick Play takes over this week's What Ya Playing, which means it's time to share my short thoughts on some games I’ve been playing lately. Octopath Traveler 2. After over twenty hours, I can confidently say this is one of the best RPGs I’ve played in recent memory. If you didn’t like Octopath Traveler, then I don’t think this sequel is for you, but if you loved or never played the first game, I can’t recommend it enough. This title is available on PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. This...

From Voidtrain to Planet of Lana, here are my quick thoughts on almost a dozen February Steam Next Fest demos Voidtrain is really great all around and just feels wonderful. The story is a little much (in the chunk I played), but I’m glad it’s there. While I didn’t experience it, I can imagine co-op would be a blast. Solid gameplay and some crafting rounded out my time with this FPS demo. Voidtrain from HypeTrain Digital is out now in early access (on PC) and will be fully released on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC later this year. Bleak Sword DX. This Apple Arcade action title that’s now coming to PC and consoles is both nice and unforgiving. This enhanced version adds “elegant controls, three new game modes, and multiple gameplay and graphical improvements,” though as I never played the original edition, I can’t speak on how big the differences are. Bite-sized levels and great music were other peaks of my playtime. The demo, while not remarkable, showcased a good chunk...

From Loop Hero to Minecraft Legends, here are all the games coming to Xbox Game Pass in April By: Evan1Sonic. For anyone unaware, if you are subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate (or Game Pass), then you will be able to play these games until they leave Xbox Game Pass in the far future. You also won't be able to play these games if you are not subscribed to Game Pass in the future, but if you leave and return to Game Pass, these games will be waiting for you unless they have left the service. The descriptions of these games are from the Xbox Wire post revealing what games are coming to the service this month. Now on with the games! Loop Hero (Console and PC) is an RPG game from Four Quarters. “The Lich has thrown the world into a timeless loop and plunged its inhabitants into never ending chaos. Wield an expanding deck of mystical cards to place enemies, buildings, and terrain along each unique expedition loop for the brave hero.” This game came to Game Pass on April 4th. Ir...

It’s Sunday, which means it's time to talk about all the gaming news this week By: Evan1Sonic. This week has been a big one for news, with this year’s E3 being canceled, Forspoken and Vampire Survivors both getting new DLC, and more. Farewell E3. As first reported by IGN and followed by an official confirmation , E3 has been canceled this year. This is sad news, as for over a decade, E3 was the go-to summer games conference. After 2020 and the push to digital events, there hasn’t been a proper E3 since 2019 despite plans to bring back the event each year. The ESA released this statement about the cancellation. “This was a difficult decision because of all the effort we and our partners put toward making this event happen, but we had to do what’s right for the industry and what’s right for E3. We appreciate and understand that interested companies wouldn’t have playable demos ready and that resourcing challenges made being at E3 this summer an obstacle they couldn’t ove...

From Out of Space: Couch Edition to Peaky Blinders: Mastermind, here is every game coming to Xbox Gold in April By: Evan1Sonic. For anyone unaware, if you have a subscription to Xbox Gold (or Game Pass Ultimate), then for a limited time, you can get and download these games for free. You will only be unable to play them if you don't have the subscription in the future, but if you leave and return, they will be waiting for you. The descriptions of these games are from the Xbox Wire post revealing what games are coming to Gold this month. Now on with the games! Out of Space: Couch Edition is a co-op strategy game from Behold Studios. “There is no place like home, especially when you’re drifting through outer space. The challenge is that a deadly alien infestation has also settled in. It will take all your strategic skills to keep each newly generated spaceship house creating resources and recycling alien goo by automating tasks to help keep it clean and comfy. Play with fr...

From Meet Your Maker to Tails of Iron, here's every game coming to PlayStation Plus in April By: Evan1Sonic. For anyone unaware, if you have a subscription to PlayStation Plus, then for a limited time, you can get and download these games for free. You will only be unable to play them if you don't have the subscription in the future, but if you leave and return, they will be waiting for you. The descriptions of these games are from the PlayStation Blog post revealing what games are coming to Plus this month. All of the games listed below will be available to claim from April 4th to May 1st, 2023, as long as you are a PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, or Premium member. Now on with the games! Meet Your Maker - PS4 and PS5 is an FPS base-building game from Behaviour Interactive. “Meet Your Maker is a post-apocalyptic first-person building-and-raiding game where every level is designed by players. Switch between roles as you mastermind devious Outposts filled with tra...

Dredge is an adventure RPG game from Black Salt Games. I’ve finished this game and had a really great time with it. At the game’s core is the fun and calming act of fishing for a fresh catch. The minigames used to accompany this act always felt rewarding and were fun to execute. While catching the same fish over and over gets repetitive, the variety of marine animals you’ll find and the engaging minigames attempt to help break the repetitiveness. Once you have your fish caught, it's time to store them in your hull. Similar to Resident Evil 4, your inventory has a limited number of slots to fit items. Using each slot to your advantage is how you can excel as an angler and get maximum profit. I loved this part of the game, and the Tetris-like organizing of the inventory was outstanding. Occasionally, repetitive fishing and monotonous navigation can drag the adventure down a bit, but not enough to warrant frustration. My favorite part of the title is its f...

It’s Sunday, which means it's time to talk about all the gaming news this week By: Evan1Sonic. This week has been a steady one for news, with Elden Ring getting ray tracing support in a new update, an open-world Lego racing game being announced, and more. This week’s Sunday Scoops is a shorter Speedy Scoops version of the usual format. Speedy Scoops takes over this week's Sunday Scoops, which means it's time to share some quick news headlines from various stories. The TMNT: The Last Ronin graphic novel is getting a God of War-inspired video game adaptation. Honkai: Star Rail releases on iOS, Android, and PC on April 26th, 2023. Elden Ring gets ray tracing support in a new update. Atari is acquiring Nightdive Studios, the team behind the Quake and Doom 64 remasters. An open-world Lego racing game, Lego 2K Drive, was announced and is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC on May 19th, 2023. Counter-Strike 2, ‘the next era of Counter-Strike’,...