November Is An Epoch-Making Month For New Game Releases

Posted: August 16, 2026 in Game Articles, Opinion Piece
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This article was originally published by Joy Alexis Barker on November 1, 2022

The gaming industry and gamers alike are in for the year’s busiest, most exciting month!

There’s a load of highly anticipated games for everyone to look forward to, some of which will finally be unveiled one by one, while others in multiples on the same day. Many shoppers will buy these as Christmas gifts, or just for themselves, this month.

Today, EA/Maxis’ The Sims 4’s Pastel Pop Kit was leaked along with screenshots that showcase never-before-seen content. There’s also an update that includes bug fixes for the base game and also for expansions such as High School Years and Werewolves. And just in case any simmers are wondering, improved babies won’t be coming until sometime in 2023 on a date that is yet to be announced.

The second interesting release is Harvestella, best described to be the love child between the married farming simulation games like Harvest Moon, and imaginative role playing games like Final Fantasy, is set to be available for PC and Switch when it launches on the November 4th.

Moving on to two games that peak my interest, Skull and Bones, and the open-world Sonic Frontiers, the latter coming to all platforms on the November 8th.

Unfortunately the former and highly anticipated Skull And Bones from Ubisoft has been pushed into 2023 for a March 9th release.

However, both of these games find themselves in somewhat of the same boat, as it’s clear from the reactions online that fans are skeptical of both of them. So it will definitely be interesting to see if these games defy expectations or if they end up being disappointments.

Garfield Lasagna Party, featuring multi generations of fans’ favorite chubby, orange, greedy, food scarfing cat, who they grew up with, as well as other notable characters, is coming November 15th.

The beloved and rambunctious Goat Simulator was so successful, it has a third sequel that will introduce four player cooperative mod. Goat Simulator 3 will break out into the world on November 17th for Windows PC, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PlayStation 5.

Nintendo fans will devour the next generation of Pokémon, known as Scarlet and Violet, on the November 18th.

And finally, Just Dance: 2023 Edition is bopping onto the floor to take it over on November 22nd.

These are only some of the overarching popular titles mentioned, and there’s more that wasn’t in this article, for the sake of sparing your time, but keep your eyes peeled passionate gamers for new games this month!

Things We Need In The Sims 5

Posted: August 16, 2026 in Game Articles, Opinion Piece
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The Sims 5; Image credit: EA/Maxis

by Joy Alexis Barker

Earlier this month, Publisher, EA, and developer Maxis, revealed Project Renee, also known as The Sims 5, during the highly anticipated The Sims Summit Stream where devoted simmers old and new got a glimpse at the sneak peek. It was a monumental event in Sims history, marking the beginning of another era that will no doubt surpass The Sims 4’s.

It’s impressive indeed to see what’s been developed so far, and at this point, I’m absolutely certain that the final product a few years from now will far exceed the early previewed stages.

According to the Maxis team, the name ‘Renee’ represents their renewed dedication to and passion for The Sims, and that’s beautiful and heartening to hear because it seems like they’ll be taking this seriously. The developers will most certainly be putting their all into Sims 5’s design, with anticipated expansions to complete the game.

The Sims/Project Rene; Image credit: EA/Maxis

The Sims 5 will also outshine The Sims 4, as it should, in terms of graphics and gameplay so we will most definitely be taking a steps forward with its improvements, additions, and overall progression in the series.

Hopefully, there will also be less bugs and patches needed for The Sims 5, and it’s a lot more user-friendly for players. Thus to prevent this, Maxis knows not to rush it so the game is created efficiently in as much time as it requires to turn out a high quality product.

Now, there are numerous features I want to see in The Sims 5, some of which have already been confirmed, but others are still obscure.

The Sims 5; Image credit: EA/Maxis

I do think there are things that should already be in the base game; The open world; all life stages; maybe even additional stages like an infant stage after the newborn stage and before the toddler stage, and a tween stage which is the stage between the child and teen stages; more practical objects to buy; the color and design wheel in both create a sim and build buy mode; inclusion of different ethnicities and cultures; height adjustments; more personality traits; more venue types; the choose to play either solo or multiplayer; auto save; weather; seasons; townies that have their own lives going on without the player’s involvement, and I could go on all day.

I look forward to the next generation Sims game. It’s exciting to know that at this very moment as I type this, Sims 5 is in development. But for now, I will keep enjoying The Sims 4 which isn’t over yet and even after it has been replaced by the Sims 5, I won’t be abandoning it.

Today, people still play the Sims 3, 2, and even 1, although these are not the latest games in the series, and that’s because they bring good feelings of nostalgia, and they are timeless classics that have built the backbone of The Sims saga as a whole. Without these games, there wouldn’t even be a Sims 5 being developed, so our ongoing appreciation for these earlier games remains strong.

Why Sugar, Sugar Is The Perfect Game To Play In The Fall

Posted: August 16, 2026 in Game Articles, Opinion Piece
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by Joy Alexis Barker

One night, last month, I remembered Sugar, Sugar, a game I used to play in middle school on the Cool Math Games website. Sugar, Sugar became one of the most unforgettable (in my opinion) games that I liked enough to revisit even during summer vacation because it was such a classic pleasure!

So I searched for it, found the first part out of three, and was delighted to see it again after so long. I seriously haven’t played it in years and it hasn’t changed one bit!

You may have never played it before. You could be younger, older, or in your early twenties like me, however old you are, for those of you who don’t know what Sugar, Sugar is, let me introduce you.

Sugar, Sugar was originally released in 1992 for the notable Super NES, and for Sega Genesis.

It’s a puzzle game where you draw lines (don’t worry if you don’t consider yourself artistically inclined, the lines don’t have to be perfectly straight, and you get to reset as many times as you need to succeed!) to guide a trickle of sugar in a timely manner to mugs that take count of how much lands in them, and when you fulfill that required number, you move on to the next level. It’s a relaxing, slow paced game that may not be up to every gamer’s preferences if you’re into something more fast paced and action packed.

Some people will get bored if it’s not their type of game, but for those of you who don’t mind a game with flexible, leisure time and room for thinking, Sugar, Sugar is a cozy computer game that you can play snuggled up to on the couch with a fleece blanket, with calming music in the background. When you’re in the mood for a game to unwind to at the end of a long work day, it suffices that need, and of course, it’s such an endearing the title, from the way the sugar snows from the comma at the top of the screen during a round, and the whole theme of this game, giving off coffee shop vibes where you presumably get pumpkin spice lattes, apple ciders, hot chocolates, or any warm beverage of your choice, and it brings to mind all of the baked glorious goodies that are to come with the fall season, and dare I suggest, even the following winter?

Yes I do!

Sugar, Sugar appeals to the sweet toothed, and to the homebodies whose ideal day is spent at home and whose favorite time of year are more than likely the fall and winter, when we’re more likely to be indoors than outside, where the temperature drops to frosty degrees and this makes sweaters, sugar cookies, and sedentary activities like video gaming all the more attractive!

I recommend giving Sugar, Sugar (all three parts) a try whenever you have spare time to dedicate to it, and if you think it’s suitable for you.

I must also note here that its sequels are more challenging and bring in new obstacles that are sure to sweeten up your experience!

Have fun!

Postal Worker Caught Stealing “PlayStation And Nintendo” Console Deliveries

Posted: January 14, 2021 in Industry
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Photo: Joe Raedle (Getty Images)

by Luke Plunkett, Kotaku

A USPS supervisor in Middletown, Connecticut has been sentenced to nine months of “home confinement” and a $20,000 fine after being caught stealing items like iPhones and “PlayStation and Nintendo gaming devices”.

Via Polygon, 34 year-old Zoheb Deura, who has since resigned from the US Postal Service, was caught following an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, who found that between the months of February and April 2020 Deura “stole numerous packages, including packages containing an Apple computer, PlayStation and Nintendo gaming devices, an iPhone, footwear, and clothing items.”

Deura was officially charged with embezzlement of mail by a U.S. Postal Service employee, which he pled guilty for on October 21, 2020.

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After You Die, Microsoft Wants to Resurrect You as a Chatbot

Posted: January 14, 2021 in Industry
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We’ve seen that episode of Black Mirror.

Image credit: JUST_SUPERGETTY IMAGES

by Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics

No one knows where we go when we die. Microsoft might have some ideas.

Last month, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent to Microsoft that outlines a process to create a conversational chatbot of a specific person using their social data. In an eerie twist, the patent says the chatbot could potentially be inspired by friends or family members who are deceased, which is almost a direct plot of a popular episode of Netflix’s Black Mirror.

In that episode, “Be Right Back,” a woman named Martha is upset when her partner, Ash, dies in a car accident on the day they were supposed to move in with each other. It turns out one of Martha’s friends has signed her up for a service that will let her communicate with Ash through text messages. Of course, it isn’t really Ash, but a sort of AI-based version of him. Suffice to say, things get weird.

According to the new Microsoft patent, images, voice data, social media posts, electronic messages, and written letters can all be used to “create or modify a specific index in the theme of the specific person’s personality.” From there, engineers can use the index to train a chatbot to converse like that person—yes, even if they’re already dead.

Even creepier: The application could also don the likeness of your dead loved one in a “2D or 3D model,” and utilize their voice while talking to you.

This sort of chatbot opens a whole can of worms when it comes to data rights and privacy. “Technically, we can recreate anyone online given enough data,” Faheem Hussain, a clinical assistant professor at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society, told Reuters in April 2020. “That opens up a Pandora’s box of ethical implications.”

The question boils down to consent: Anyone who has access to data like text messages, photos, videos, and audio recordings from the deceased could theoretically create a virtual avatar of the person, even if they’d never agree to such a thing while living. You can thank a lack of regulation in most countries surrounding post-mortem data.

Now, patents aren’t always perfect proxies for new products. In many cases, companies pursue patents for wholly different reasons, including to protect against future competition. Securing the intellectual property rights for this sort of chatbot could certainly be Microsoft’s way of ensuring it will have a place in any future market devoted to AI-based renderings of late loved ones.

That doesn’t mean Microsoft will ever produce something to this effect. The company could sell off the patent to another firm that wants to get into the chatbot space in the future, for example. There’s always the possibility this idea will never take off, and it will remain where it is right now: floating in the ether.

And frankly, that might not be such a bad thing.

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Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 “aren’t affected” by Bethesda’s Indiana Jones game

Posted: January 14, 2021 in Game Articles
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Image credit: Bethesda

Todd Howard’s main focus is still directing Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6

by Jordan Gerblick, Games Radar

The Indiana Jones game Bethesda announced won’t have an impact on the development of Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines has confirmed.

Likewise, Hines says Bethesda’s Todd Howard will continue to focus primarily on directing Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, despite being attached to the Indiana Jones game as Executive Producer. Responding to fans on Twitter who were concerned about the number of projects Howard is taking on at once, Hines clarified Howard’s priorities at Bethesda.

“Todd is currently EP on many [Bethesda Game Studios] and other projects, such as the Fallout TV show. His main focus remains Directing the upcoming Starfield and TES6 games, which aren’t affected by today’s news,” Hines said.

First announced at E3 2018, Starfield is Bethesda’s next big project after Fallout 76, though details have been very sparse. Howard himself said back in September that “it’s getting really good hype for a game no one’s seen.”

It’s true – other than a very cryptic announcement teaser, Xbox hasn’t released much about Starfield. We know it’s been in development for over 10 years, it’s a single-player sci-fi game, and it could potentially be an Xbox/PC exclusive due to Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda.

As for The Elder Scrolls 6, that’ll release at some point after Starfield, and as such, we have even fewer details about it. Like Starfield, it’s unclear if the next Elder Scrolls game will make it to Sony and Nintendo consoles, but Xbox CFO Tim Stuart has suggested that Bethesda games will be “first or better or best” on Xbox platforms.

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Bethesda’s MachineGames is working on an Indiana Jones game

Posted: January 13, 2021 in Announcements, Game Articles, Industry
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Wolfenstein developer MachineGames is making an Indiana Jones game, parent company Bethesda has announced.

by Andy Robinson, VGC

he collaboration with the newly reformed Lucasfilm Games label was announced via a video on Tuesday, which features a pan over a desk littered with iconic items from the movie series, including Indy’s famous hat and whip.

Executive produced by Elder Scrolls and Fallout director Todd Howard, the Indiana Jones game will tell a wholly original, standalone tale set at the height of the career of the famed adventurer, Bethesda said.

“It’ll be some time before we have more to reveal, but we’re very excited to share today’s news,” the company added. In a separate post on StarWars.com, Lucasfilm said that some clues to the game’s setup could be found in Tuesday’s teaser.

MachineGames said in a statement: “As huge fans of the franchise, it’s a tremendous honor for us to create a brand-new Indiana Jones game with a completely original story. We’re very excited and can’t wait to share more in the future!”

The Swedish developer was formed in 2009 by former employees of Starbreeze Studios. After agreeing to join Bethesda, the company became the new custodian of the Wolfenstein FPS series, releasing several instalments including The New Order (2014), The Old Blood (2015), The New Colossus (2017), Youngblood (2019) and Cyberpilot (2019).

In a post on Twitter, Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness lead Jens Andersson – who spent several years at LucasArts before its closure – confirmed he is involved in the Indy game.

MachineGames’ parent Bethesda agreed a $7.5 billion sale to Microsoft last year, with the deal expected to be completed in early 2021, so it’s unclear if the Indy game will release on platforms other than Xbox and PC.

Following the announcement of the ZeniMax deal, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Microsoft would honour existing PS5 exclusivity agreements Bethesda has in place for games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo.

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New open-world Star Wars game announced by Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment

Posted: January 13, 2021 in Announcements, Game Articles, Industry
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From the developers that brought you Assassin’s Creed and The Division 2

by Chris Garcia, One More Game

If there’s any company out there that knows its open-world games, it would be Ubisoft. With their success on the Assassin’s Creed Franchise, they’re looking ready to take on a new challenge as developers Massive Entertainment (The Division 2) have entered into a partnership with Lucasfilm games to work on a new open-world Star Wars game.

According to a report from Wired, this is the first time that a Star Wars game will be developed by someone outside of EA since 2012. This title is still very early in development, and no other details like characters and setting / timeline has been decided on, but Massive Entertainment have already started recruiting personnel to work on the game. Serving as creative director will be Julian Gerighty from The Division 2 and The Crew, and the game will reportedly be using the Snowdrop Engine, which was used in games such as The Division and Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.

EA reportedly has a 10 year Star Wars exclusivity deal, but according to the report, “it seems like either that was misstated or the clock has run out early.” EA is still free to create Star Wars games, but Lucasfilm games is “free to seek other partners.”

“The Star Wars galaxy is an amazing source of motivation for our teams to innovate and push the boundaries of our medium. Building new worlds, characters and stories that will become lasting parts of the Star Wars lore is an incredible opportunity for us, and we are excited to have our Ubisoft Massive studio working closely with Lucasfilm Games to create an original Star Wars adventure that is different from anything that has been done before.” says Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft Co-Founder and CEO

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Here’s the latest PS5 release schedule from Sony

Posted: January 12, 2021 in Announcements
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by Jordan Devore, Destructoid

In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment at CES 2021, Sony disclosed a handful of release windows for the 2021 slate of PlayStation 5 games – as well as pair of high-profile titles that are much further out.

These up-to-date release windows appeared at the end of a montage during Sony’s digital press event:

Some of these – like Ghostwire – feel right on cue. Others, including Horizon Forbidden West and Rift Apart, don’t seem like they’ll be out of reach much longer. And then we have Project Athia from Square Enix and Pragmata from Capcom, which I’m starting to wish hadn’t been announced so early.

Even if many of these windows are still too vague to latch onto, it’s nice to have an informal mental roadmap. I like to plot out what the rest of my year in gaming looks like. This new list helps, even if it’s not exhaustive. There will assuredly be other important games in 2021 beyond these highlights.

Anything jump out at you? Or is this PS5 (and partially still PS4) lineup what you’ve been expecting?

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Gotham Knights Features Arkham-Style Combat Redesigned for Co-Op

Posted: January 11, 2021 in Game Articles, Industry
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“It is in many ways very different”

by Stephen Tailby, Push Square

Warner Bros. Montreal’s long-teased game turned out to be Gotham Knights, a co-op superhero action game starring the extended Bat-family of vigilantes. Instead of the Caped Crusader himself, you’ll be playing as Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood in an adventure designed to be played with others. You can tackle it solo, of course, but it’s clear there’s an emphasis on co-op.

That extends to the combat system too, as you might expect. The studio, which previously brought us Batman: Arkham Origins, is familiar with the series’ “Freeflow” brawling, but it’s had to make some changes to account for two players. Speaking with GamesRadar, executive producer Fleur Marty explains the team has “entirely redesigned the combat system in order for it to work well in co-op”. Those who played the Arkham games should still feel at home, but the combat is “in many ways very different”, Marty says.

We’re certainly interested to see how it plays in co-op. From what little we’ve seen so far, it’s looking good, with each hero equipped with their own abilities and strengths. Gotham Knights is due for PS5 and PS4 some time this year. Will you be playing it alone or with a friend? Drop into the comments section below.

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