From October 8 to October 11, members of XBOX Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, and Essential can play Screamer and Family Man for free during Free Play Days. ARC Raiders is available for free to all XBOX members from October 8 to October 15. Players can also try timed trials of High On Life 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Little Nightmares III, and Rogue Waters. Discounts on games are available for those who wish to purchase them after the event.
Screamer is developed by Milestone S.r.l., has a rating of 84/100, and is priced at .99 with a 60% discount during the event. Family Man, developed by No More Robots, has a rating of 47/100, priced at .99 with an 85% discount. ARC Raiders, developed by Embark Studios, has a rating of 11953/100, priced at .99 with a 50% discount. High On Life 2, developed by Squanch Games, Inc., has a rating of 2090/100, priced at .99. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, developed by GSC Game World, has a rating of 7190/100, priced at .99 with a 30% discount after Free Play Days. Little Nightmares III, developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc., has a rating of 592/100, priced at .99. Rogue Waters, developed by Tripwire Interactive LLC, has a rating of 45/100, priced at .99 with a 75% discount during Free Play Days.
The world of video game journalism is thriving, with a variety of new PC game releases showcasing creativity and innovation. Notable new titles include:
- Camp Whittlewood: A pixel-art horror RPG featuring cub scouts on a camping adventure without typical horror tropes.
- HR: Human Remains: Players navigate Hell as an office clerk managing a to-do list amidst a war between humans and demons.
- Yots: A co-op extraction game set in a procedurally generated city reminiscent of the PS1 era and Silent Hill.
- Drop Command: Combines cockpit combat with 90s Mechwarrior and 4X gameplay elements.
- Nivalis Nights: A cyberpunk restaurant management simulation with lush visuals.
- Toem 2: A sequel featuring gentle platforming and photography puzzles.
- Transport Fever 3: A detailed simulation game focused on trains.
- Tiny Flock: A VR shepherding simulation with whimsical elements.
- Radiosol: Players control a mechanical spider in a world of dusty megastructures, utilizing generative AI for multilingual support.
- Okko The Exiled: A 2D visual game featuring a small protagonist with a large club.
- Songs of Glimmerwick: A witch school RPG combining magic and music.
- By God Alone: An expansion for Crusader Kings 3 allowing players to control the Vatican.
- Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered: Revives the classic musou experience with enhanced graphics.
- RetroSpace: A survival game set aboard a space station drawn into a black hole.
- Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve: The latest installment in the aerial combat franchise.
- Mobile version of Dome Keeper, a popular mining survival game, is in the works
- Pre-registration is open on Google Play and pre-orders are available on the App Store for 899 rubles
- Dome Keeper involves balancing resource extraction and defense against alien attacks
- Players can enhance the dome, upgrade mining equipment, and increase movement speed with materials found
- Procedurally generated maps offer a unique experience with each new run
- Dome Keeper was originally released on Steam in 2022 and has sold over a million copies by October 2024
Hooded Horse and Balancing Monkey Games will release Beyond These Stars on October 15, 2026. The game is a city-building and colony management title set on the back of a sentient Space Whale named Kewa. It will be available on Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store, with day-one access for PC Game Pass subscribers. Beyond These Stars serves as a sequel to Before We Leave and features players guiding a civilization called the Peeps while managing resources and Kewa's well-being. The game emphasizes ecological mutualism, where Kewa's happiness affects gameplay. Players will navigate a complex production system and can explore a procedurally generated Galaxy Map with various star systems. The game has received positive feedback from critics and will launch as a complete 1.0 title, bypassing Early Access. The minimum system requirements include a Windows 10 (64-bit) PC with an Intel Core i3-6300 or AMD FX-9370, 8 GB RAM, and an NVIDIA GTX 750 or AMD Radeon R9 380. A free demo is currently available on Steam.
A Samsung C410W printer has been repurposed by a maker named vimpo to host a Minecraft server, leveraging its debug serial port and LAN Test Protocol. The printer, despite being from the mid-2010s, features Wi-Fi connectivity and has 23 megabytes of RAM. Vimpo crafted a payload to redirect execution to activate the printer's status lights, allowing the lightweight UCraft server to run. This server, with a binary size of about 46 kilobytes, enables basic gameplay for a single player but has limitations in processing power, leading to lag when multiple players connect. The exploit and server code are publicly available for others to replicate this project.
The "Bombora" publishing house is set to release a book by Artem Frolov that explores the phenomenon of Minecraft, tracing its origins to Markus Persson's Infiniminer clone. The book will examine Minecraft's cultural impact and key themes such as its procedurally generated world, building mechanics, survival mode, extensive modding toolkit, and C418's ambient soundtrack. No release date or pricing details for pre-orders have been announced.
An entrepreneur attempted to build a business empire starting with a department store in Jakarta that sold only laundry detergent, which led to financial losses due to a misalignment with market demand. Despite diversifying the product range to include cookies and leather shoes, losses continued. A later venture in Bombay, selling CPUs, silica, and raw tobacco, yielded a profit, albeit still negative. The entrepreneur learned valuable lessons about market demands and strategies, leading to a successful department store in Guangzhou that focused on shampoo and air conditioners, resulting in substantial profits. The game "Capitalism," which the entrepreneur engaged with, reflects the post-Cold War era and emphasizes the importance of adaptability and strategic thinking in business.
Poinpy, a mobile game that debuted in 2022 and was initially available exclusively to Netflix subscribers, has now returned to iOS and Android for free. It is a colorful platformer where players jump and bounce upwards to collect fruits and make juice for a hungry beast. The game features permanent upgrades, power-ups, and a roguelite gameplay style. Poinpy is praised for its beautiful design, handling, and soundtrack, making it a favorite game for many players.
