My Well Dweller video review is live! I played on Xbox through Game Pass on Normal, finished the main story, collected all the tokens, trinket slots, trinkets, pages and spirits, and completed the short post-game. Glimmer's burning matchstick does a surprising number of jobs: weapon, traversal tool, a way to activate machinery, and even a health indicator.

The art and lighting invited comparisons to Ori and Hollow Knight, but I also wanted to talk about what happens once you pick up the controller. I get into the maps, puzzles and pacing, and why the bosses hit a difficulty sweet spot for me: interesting moves to learn without hours of exhausting retries. This is Kyle Thompson's fourth game, with music by his brother Eric.

I also have criticisms. Combat options are limited, buying more trinket slots largely removed the need to make meaningful tradeoffs by mid-game, and the fairy-tale dialogue didn't always fit the atmosphere for me. The review shows varied gameplay and some bosses while protecting story twists, the ending and major surprises.

What makes a metroidvania stand out for you: a distinctive mechanic, a world you want to explore, or simply doing the fundamentals exceptionally well?

WellDweller #Metroidvania #GameReview #XboxGamePass

EA has confirmed that it will not proceed with early development of the next Mass Effect. That decision means BioWare and its Edmonton workspace are closing. The company says it will support affected employees in exploring other roles within EA.

I am particularly saddened by this. Neverwinter Nights 1 (NWN1) goes down in my 50+ years of gaming history as my all-time favorite game, and it was very influential in my career choice. My thoughts are with the people affected by the closure.

In the same announcement, EA confirms that Respawn and DICE will collaborate on a future project. Reporting identifies that project as a new Star Wars Battlefront, but EA's own announcement leaves it unnamed. There are no confirmed platforms, release date, or gameplay details to share from that announcement.

Which BioWare game has meant the most to you?

The Locust are getting a little closer than comfortable. Modder rockonthehill is developing a PC VR conversion for the Gears of War: E-Day campaign. The creator's page confirms work on campaign VR support, stereo rendering, full-body IK, manual reloads, and more.

Road to VR's preview also shows manual weapon switching, two-handed aiming, cover combat, and the King Raven gunner position. The current project targets the single-player campaign; online co-op is not part of that initial scope. Planned future features include physical melee and more interactive weapon handling.

This is an unfinished fan project, not official VR support or a downloadable finished release. There is no release date, and the creator says it will be free when it arrives. Would a full campaign conversion tempt you into another Gears playthrough?

The backyard is getting more legs and more paint. Obsidian has revealed Rot and Ruin, an upcoming Grounded 2 update arriving this fall. This is a preview of what's coming, not a claim that the update is live today.

The new Woodpile area brings back Termites, including Workers, Soldiers, the Termite King, and new O.G.R.R. variants with changed behavior and attacks. The Centipede is the new boss, while the Potato Beetle Buggy offers close-range combat support, a Healing Roar, and help hauling and contributing building resources.

For builders, Painting and the Splotcher paintball gun let you recolor structures. Bismuth and the new Yoking Press also allow weapons and armor to move into higher tiers. There are new collectibles and stations as well, and Obsidian says version 1.0 will arrive in 2027. Which addition is most likely to pull your group back into Brookhollow Park?

Check your mod loadout before your next drop. Arrowhead moved Helldivers 2 from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat on October 20, alongside additional security measures intended to improve game integrity.

The studio says recent cheat mods have affected other players and even the wider Galactic War. It also acknowledges the creativity behind cosmetic and other non-gameplay mods, while warning that some harmless cosmetic modifications may require updates from their individual creators after the transition.

That is a compatibility warning, not a claim that all mods are now unusable. Helldivers 2 does not provide official mod support, and Arrowhead cannot guarantee their safety or continued functionality. Players who believe Easy Anti-Cheat is causing problems can contact the studio's support channel. Has the change affected your setup, or has it been a smooth transition?

The new Anaconda isn't the entire patch. Frontier's October 20 update brings the Anaconda Mk II into paid ARX early access, with new Mk II equipment and several pre-built packages. This is not an announcement that the ship is already available for ordinary in-game credits.

The update also adds the Found Adrift Operation: an abandoned megaship carrying a valuable asset has returned, and the job is to navigate the wreck and secure it before other scavengers. There are cutting-tool improvements and fixes for Operations, Powerplay unlocks, and other issues too.

Existing ships receive a substantial balance pass. Changes include extra internal capacity for some transports, shield improvements for several smaller ships, and adjustments to exploration and flight performance. That gives Commanders who aren't buying the new ship something to examine as well. Which change is most likely to alter what you actually fly?

The VR demo buffet is open. Steam Next Fest is running through October 26, and Road to VR counted 42 PC VR demos in its October 20 roundup. That count is a snapshot rather than a promise that every demo will remain available indefinitely.

A few starting points from the list: PAYDAY: Aces High for co-op heists, Outlanders VR for town-building strategy, and DRIFTERS: Blackout Crew for co-op extraction. There are also puzzle, horror, action, and building games to browse if those aren't your thing.

This looks like a useful opportunity to try unfamiliar VR ideas before committing to another purchase. The source link opens the festival itself; use the VR filters to narrow the list. Which demo has earned your next headset session?

OpenXR has published a new foundation for spatial multitasking. The Khronos OpenXR Working Group has released extensions for spatial containers: system-managed spaces where applications can display XR content, in a role similar to desktop windows.

Applications can use a bounded mode suitable for multitasking or a full-screen immersive mode. The system controls positioning, and the specifications and sample code are available now. Khronos expects implementations to start becoming available during 2026.

This is groundwork for compatible platforms, not confirmation that any particular Quest or Steam Frame already supports it. The potential benefit is a more consistent way for multiple spatial applications to coexist. What would you find useful to run alongside a VR game?

Digital Sun is making ReVamp's first playtest smaller. The Moonlighter studio says it is concerned about reports of games being reverse-engineered, cloned and released before the original projects are finished. It has decided to start with a more contained Discord test instead of the planned public Steam test.

The Discord playtest begins October 29. The studio hopes to open the public playtest around January, so this is a postponement of the public test rather than its permanent cancellation. That timing is tentative.

The decision highlights a difficult problem for indie developers: showing a game early can build an audience and attract useful feedback, while a widely distributed build can also feel like a risk. What practical protections would let developers keep offering public demos with confidence?

PAYDAY: Aces High now has a November 5 release date, and you can try it before then. The VR heist game supports up to four players, with roles, weapons, gadgets and skills that let a crew choose between a tactical approach and a considerably louder one.

The final playtest runs through October 26. A Steam demo is available during Next Fest, and Quest players can join the test too. Fast Travel Games says participants receive an exclusive Kitty Mask in the full release. Road to VR reports that the Steam purchase includes both PC VR and a native Steam Frame version.

Co-op heists seem tailor-made for the moment someone confidently says 'I've got this' and immediately triggers an alarm. Which matters more to you in a VR crew: careful planning or the ability to improvise?

Modern Warfare 4's DMZ early access starts October 20 for players who digitally preordered or prepurchased the game. That is separate from the full October 23 launch; the source confirms the date without providing an exact unlock time here.

Activision's new progression guide details a distinct 70-level DMZ track. Rewards include gear, stations and station upgrades, 3D Printer recipes, operator skins, consumables and more. DMZ XP also contributes to the overall Level 1-55 player progression, but XP earned in Multiplayer or Warzone does not advance your DMZ level.

There are also rewards for returning MWII DMZ beta players using the same Activision account, with separate qualifications for participation, at least 50 hours played and the Serpentine camo unlock. Does a dedicated progression track make extraction more compelling for you, or just turn the next deployment into another checklist?

Steam Next Fest has more than 40 PC VR demos to explore through October 26. Road to VR's roundup covers a range of genres, so this isn't just a list of shooters wearing different hats. The linked Steam page is filtered for VR entries.

Examples include Fast Travel Games' co-op heist game PAYDAY: Aces High, Mucho Games' town-building strategy game Outlanders VR and Salmi Games' co-op extraction game DRIFTERS: Blackout Crew. These are demos of upcoming games, so availability during the festival doesn't mean the full releases are out.

For those of us who would rather test a new VR idea before committing to it, this is a useful week to browse. Which demo should the rest of us try first?

We Were Here Tomorrow has launched. Total Mayhem Games' latest asymmetric co-op adventure puts you and a partner inside the mysterious Norcek facility, where communication and cooperation are essential to working through its puzzles.

PC and Xbox Series X|S players can team up through crossplay. The developer is offering a 10% launch discount for the first two weeks, and the Steam launch announcement also points players to support and known-issues pages if anything goes wrong.

The appeal here is having to explain what you can see and understand what your partner means. A good test of teamwork, and possibly of how many different objects two people can call 'the thing.' Who would you pick as your puzzle partner?

Cyberpunk 2077 is getting another free update on October 22. CD Projekt RED calls version 2.5 the Edgerunners 2 Update, with the PC and Xbox Series X|S versions scheduled for that date. The announcement comes alongside the new anime's premiere.

The features teased so far include cyberware customization and a new dual-wielding playstyle. A REDstreams presentation on October 21 at 5 p.m. CEST (10 a.m. CDT) will give a closer look, with official patch notes also planned for that day. Full details are still to come, so this isn't a complete feature list.

Night City apparently has no intention of letting the backlog rest. Which would do more to pull you back: more control over your cyberware's look or a new way to fight?

Mortal Shell II's Rotten Autumn update is rolling out across platforms. Team Mortal Shell says it combines bug fixes with several requested features, including Photo Mode, new appearances for each Shell and new Night Mode lighting options.

The additions go beyond dressing up the corpse: there are new dungeons and Tarstones, a Black Metal Mode, a pumpkin helmet for the Harbinger and the return of the Impervious Lute. An alternative soundtrack comes from Rotting Christ's Sakis Tolis. The announcement doesn't give a dungeon count or explain the new Tarstones in detail.

That's a fair assortment of reasons to dust off your Shell. Which addition would get you back into the game?

Funcom's October 14 statement confirms a restructuring that will reduce the size of the company. Chief Product Officer Scott Junior will succeed Rui Casais as CEO, with Casais remaining through the end of the year to support the transition and restructuring.

The company says the change follows the completion of Dune: Awakening's major production cycle and a move toward long-term development and live operations. Its stated focus is continued content, growth, and expansion for Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles. Junior has extensive experience with Funcom's live games and has served as Executive Producer on Dune: Awakening.

Funcom has not disclosed the number of jobs affected and says it will share no further restructuring details until the process concludes, out of respect for employees. For players, the commitment to ongoing support is relevant, but the statement doesn't provide a detailed new content schedule or establish what staffing changes will mean for delivery. This is an older developing story retained because Dune: Awakening is part of the channel's coverage.

What concrete improvements or support would you most like the new leadership to prioritize for these games?

The Blood of Dawnwalker's first major update is planned for this week. Rebel Wolves' October 16 announcement said Update 1.1 was coming the following week, putting it in the week beginning October 19. The announcement doesn't specify an exact release day.

The planned additions include the Draught of Mind Rebirth, which lets players reset their Swordmastery, Witchcraft, and Vampirism abilities and choose a different build. A new easier Story difficulty is also on the way, with the existing Story tier becoming Forgiving.

Directional animal petting joins the list alongside expanded subtitle options and combat improvements, as part of more than 1,100 changes. The respec option is the practical highlight for anyone who wants to try another approach without starting their character over; the dogs and cats can consider the rest a bonus. These are announced additions, not a claim that the patch is already installed.

Does the freedom to respec make you more adventurous with RPG builds?

PAYDAY: Aces High's Steam demo is scheduled for today, October 19. Fast Travel Games announced the date ahead of Steam Next Fest and reiterated it in an October 15 mask showcase. This is that announcement reaching its scheduled date, rather than a newly announced full-game launch.

The developer says the demo includes two heists from the full game. Playing it also unlocks an exclusive Kitty Mask for the full release, which the announcement still places later in 2026. That's a useful opportunity to see whether physically carrying out a heist is your kind of co-op chaos before committing to the complete game.

The team said it would monitor performance and gather demo data for fixes as development continues. At this morning's check, I could confirm the scheduled date but not a live download button, so check the game's Steam page for availability before arranging a session.

Would you put together a VR heist crew for this demo?

There's a lot of unfinished Drangleic hiding in Dark Souls 2's files. Dataminer Doneda's video explores prototype maps, including an enormous coliseum, by loading the surviving material into Elden Ring Nightreign. PC Gamer covered the demonstration on October 18.

The showcased material also includes mines, an underground tower, and a crypt area. Some sections appear to have belonged to an interconnected space, while others may represent different versions of the same ideas. Their exact intended role in Dark Souls 2 remains uncertain.

This is a look at cut development material, not an announcement of new FromSoftware content or a finished lost expansion. That's part of the fascination: you can see the scale of an abandoned idea without pretending that rough geometry tells us the complete story of how it would have played.

Which game would you most like to see get a thorough tour of its abandoned levels?

Steam Next Fest begins today, October 19, at noon Central. Valve's schedule puts the end at noon Central on October 26, giving PC players a week to explore demos of upcoming games. Those times are 10 a.m. Pacific, or 17:00 UTC, on both dates.

The festival combines playable demos with developer broadcasts and opportunities to learn more about games before release. It's a useful chance to find something outside the usual big-release conversation, especially if your wishlist already needs its own filing cabinet. Individual developers control their demos, so check each game's page for availability and details.

For this community, survival and crafting games, co-op adventures, atmospheric indies, and metroidvanias seem like particularly good hunting grounds. The linked festival page is the starting point; Valve's official October schedule confirms the dates and times.

Which demo should we put at the top of the community's try-it-first list?

Nvidia says the RTX 5090 has not been discontinued. In an October 16 post-event interview in Taipei, reported by 4Gamers, GeForce executive Jeff Fisher said the company would continue producing and shipping its flagship graphics card.

Fisher acknowledged that supply-chain capacity is constrained. He also addressed the existence of other variants of the chip, saying that this did not mean RTX 5090 production had stopped. The distinction matters for anyone planning a high-end PC build: Nvidia is committing to continued shipments, rather than announcing the card's retirement.

The interview does not give a restock schedule, a supply target, or a date when availability will improve. So this is clarification of the card's production status, not a promise that the hunt is about to get easier.

When you plan a GPU upgrade, how much availability frustration will you tolerate before choosing a different card?

Junkster is my pick for the best platformer of 2026, and I think it's being criminally overlooked. It's a platformer where you often build your own platforms, and that combination deserves far more attention. My new spoiler-conscious review is up, based on two complete Xbox playthroughs. The second run was even more fun because I could approach the puzzles with a better understanding of what was possible.

The construction and platforming work beautifully together. Most puzzles gave me room to experiment instead of hunting for one prescribed answer. The difficulty hit a comfortable sweet spot, the controls felt natural, and the art, animation, and comic-book presentation really impressed me. The sticker-transfer activity even sent me straight back to Presto Magix. Apparently, a robot and some rub-on transfers are all it takes to make this Gen Xer ten again.

My biggest reservation is that some building pieces seem capable of more than the adventure asks of them. I wanted more opportunities to use those systems. That is how the finished game felt to me; I do not know whether anything was actually cut during development. My verdict: 8.5/10. I would recommend it to people who enjoy puzzles, building, and finding their own way through a problem. If you mainly want constant running, jumping, and combat, the stop-and-think pace may not be your thing.

If you've played Junkster, did its building system give you enough room to experiment, or did you also want it to go further?

I'm heading back into RuneScape: Dragonwilds on Saturday, October 17 at 5:00 PM Central for more of a game I love and play often.

The plan is to work on the main quest line, gather materials, and fit in some crafting and building along the way. Nothing too rigid—there's always another project or tempting detour in Ashenfall. Quest, craft, repeat!

Come hang out, chat about the game, and share what you've been building or exploring lately.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFyINyOmDfA Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thedecrepitgamer

Control Resonant has become Remedy's fastest-selling game. In an October 15 press release, Remedy says worldwide sales have exceeded one million copies, making it the fastest-selling release in the company's 31-year history. That milestone comes three weeks after its September 24 launch.

CEO Jean-Charles Gaudechon describes the result as a strong start for Remedy's first self-published release of this scale. He says it is connecting with existing fans while bringing new players into the world of Control, and that the studio intends to keep supporting and growing Control and Alan Wake.

It is an encouraging sales milestone for a studio associated with distinctive worlds and storytelling, but it does not by itself establish profitability. What drew you to Control Resonant, or what has kept it on your wait-and-see list?

ASUS has put its anniversary handheld on sale. The ROG Xbox Ally X20 is available as a standalone device for US$1,299. ASUS lists a 7.4-inch OLED Nebula HDR display, an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, and a translucent black chassis with gold-accented internals.

The controls include magnetic TMR sticks with a claimed 3% dead zone, a D-pad that switches between four-way and eight-way movement, revised face buttons, rubberized grips, and impulse triggers. ASUS says the existing ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X also remain available at their original US MSRPs of $599 and $999.

A US$2,499 bundle adds ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 gaming AR glasses, a custom dbrand Killswitch case, and a Pelican Protector Case. The see-through shell certainly knows how to wave at those of us who remember translucent everything, but the price demands a little more than nostalgia. Which of the screen, controls, or performance would most influence your handheld upgrade decision?