Epic Games is shutting down "out-of-date online services" and servers for several of its older games, including multiple Rock Band and Unreal titles, starting today. The company notes that most affected games will still be available offline, but others will no longer work. It says the move is part of a shift that will only see it support online functions through Epic Online Services, which offers a unified friends system, voice chat, parental controls and parental verification.

Epic is removing the mobile title DropMix and the Mac and Linux versions of Hatoful Boyfriend and Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star from storefronts today. You'll still be able to play these games if you already own them.

Servers for several games will be shut down on January 24th, but Epic has already started delisting them from digital storefronts and turning off in-game purchases. After that date, you'll still be able to play the following offline in single or local multiplayer modes:

• 1000 Tiny Claws

• Dance Central 1-3

• Green Day: Rock Band

• Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess

• Rock Band 1-3

• The Beatles: Rock Band

• Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars

• Unreal Gold

• Unreal II: The Awakening

• Unreal Tournament 2003

• Unreal Tournament 2004

• Unreal Tournament 3

• Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition

Dance Central VR and Rock Band 4 online multiplayer features will remain available. Epic also plans to restore online features to Unreal Tournament 3 down the line. It will integrate Epic Online Services into the game.

Battle Breakers, a hero collector RPG that a small team of Epic developers built inhouse and released in 2019, will shut down on December 30th. Epic will refund all in-game purchases made through its direct payment system in the 180 days before today. As of January 24th, the alpha of the Unreal Tournament reboot, Rock Band Blitz, the Rock Band companion app and SingSpace will no longer be available.

It's unclear how many people are still playing the Unreal Tournament and Rock Band titles but at their peaks, they were among the biggest franchises around. It's a shame to see Epic sunsetting these games and all the others on the list. Still, if you happen to have a Rock Band guitar or drum set gathering dust, this may at least be a decent reminder to bust those out and play along to "I Want to Hold Your Hand" or "Basket Case."

Meanwhile, Rock Band developer Harmonix, which Epic bought last year, recently announced that its most recent game, Fuser, will go offline. The studio will also stop selling the game and in-game purchases on December 19th.

Amazon will offer Prime Gaming members an extra batch of PC games later this month at no extra cost. Along with a few Metal Slug titles, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection and a few others, you can snap up Arcane Studios' Dishonored 2 between December 27th and January 3rd.

A few years before it unleashed Deathloop, Arcane's Lyon studio developed another sneaky action-adventure game in Dishonored 2. As with the first game in the series, it enables players to be creative in how they tackle missions, depending on their preferred playstyle. You can, for instance, take a non-lethal stealthy approach or battle enemies head on. This time around, you can play as two characters, each of which has their own supernatural abilities — Deathloop fans will certainly see some of that game's DNA here.

It's not yet clear whether Amazon will offer Dishonored 2 through Steam, the Epic Games Store or the Amazon Games app. However, it's worth noting this game is unsupported on Steam Deck. That's a bit odd, considering its decade-old predecessor should run on the handheld without any hitches. Still, a free(ish) game that's as good as Dishonored 2 is nothing to sniff at, especially if you end up looking for something to play during the holidays.

Before Dishonored 2 and the other games hit the Prime Gaming lineup later this month, there are a few other notable titles that members can snag at no extra cost right now as part of the regular monthly drop. Classic first-person shooter Quake and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (from A Way Out and It Takes Two director Josef Fares) are up for grabs for another few weeks.

When we tried the original Evercade handheld, it was a fun-but-curious concept. Old games on a new handheld with cartridges? Nostalgia squared, basically. Whether you thought it was a good idea or not, there are now almost 40 collections available totalling hundreds of games. There’s also the VS home-console for playing against friends on the big screen. Now, there’s the Evercade EXP ($130/£150), a revamped handheld that improves on the original in some key ways. Evercade’s wacky idea, then, seems to be working.

In a curious turn of events, and potential further proof of its popularity, it seems a literal truck-load of EXP consoles have been stolen. Blaze, the company behind Evercade, has stated that it's working to restart production to replace the missing handhelds, so if you preordered one, you might want to check the company website for more information.

The EXP brings with it an improved, 800×480 display - more than double the resolution of the original (480x272). Games look much sharper this time around, though it’s still 4.3-inches diagonally which feels a little undersized for really any type of handheld device in 2022. Though there literally is more actual power with a new 1.5Ghz processor and a larger battery that’s good for about five hours of play.

James Trew / Engadget

The new all-white design gives the EXP a bit more of a grown up vibe than the original which looked a little toyish. The D-pad is particularly eye-catching, as it’s a large disc and almost looks like it protrudes from the casing a little too much. In use it’s fine, but something a little smaller and lower profile might add to the quality feel. The buttons, for example, are nice and clicky and are just the right height. It’s a slightly mixed combo but functional though moves in fighting games can be a little tricky to pull off sometimes.

One of the main perks with the EXP are the built-in games from Capcom. The console also comes with the Irem Arcade 1 collection which features six games (including R-Type) but the real fun is among those Capcom classics such as Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting, Mega Man, Ghouls and Ghosts and Breath of Fire (among others). These are some solid titles that mean there are 24 games available to play right out of the box.

If that’s not enough for day one, there’s also a way to expand this number even further to 29 thanks to a large banner on the home screen titled “HIDDEN GAMES” (it’s in all caps yep). This is a carry over from the VS that introduced a “Secret” menu option – which, despite the name, is not hidden, it’s right there in the main menu and it’s literally called “Secret.” Here, you can enter some codes and unlock even more games. No spoilers here, but a bit of googling around might turn up some clues.

Unfortunately, even though you can connect the EXP to a TV over HDMI and there’s a USB-C port on the bottom, you can’t connect a controller – not even a VS controller – to enjoy two player mode on the built-in games. This is a real shame with Street Fighter II sitting right there, begging to be played as nature intended. Blaze told Engadget that it’s something being explored but there’s nothing immediate to share. Games on the VS console can all be played in 2-player mode, but the license with Capcom only really allowed the company to include the games on the EXP itself, not as cartridges.

James Trew / Engadget

The final main update on the EXP over the original is the inclusion of “Tate” mode. Many of those early arcade games were played in portrait, rather than landscape mode and the EXP has a pair of extra buttons beside the D-pad so you can flip the console 90-degrees and play these titles vertically just like back when quarters were required. Some of the included Capcom titles, such as 1942 and Commando, use this mode, as do many on the bundled Irem Arcade cartridge. It’s nice to see these games with the option to play them in the right orientation and will be of particular appeal to fans of vertical scrolling shooters (of which there are plenty on the Evercade platform).

Finally, the EXP sports a newer user interface than the original. In fact, it’s borrowed almost directly from the VS console. The original handheld was updated to bring a similar-looking interface, but it’s a little lacking compared to that on the VS and EXP. It’s simple and easy to navigate but also has some useful added data in each game’s menu where you can see the how often and for how long you’ve played a game among other information. You can also set a “coin” limit here for truly re-creating that ‘90s arcade experience where you only had seven quarters and had to use them wisely.

James Trew / Engadget

Most of all, the EXP maintains the same authenticity and nods to the retro era that made the original and the VS more fun. Things like secret games and things to unlock were a mainstay of that era, so combined with the nostalgia of cartridges it all goes a long way to making the Evercade platform something beyond just another way to play old titles. There’s even a “game of the month” program that offers the chance to play forthcoming releases for a limited time free of charge.

It’s not all about vintage games, though. Evercade already has an indie collection of modern retro games, including the very recommendable Game Boy game Deadeus. There’s a second collection on the way, too. Old classics are one thing, but there are many ways to play them. Evercade provides a nice, legal option and one that compensates the rights owners appropriately, but it’s also well positioned to become a destination for modern retro and lighter indie titles.

There are a lot of options for retro games, whether that’s other handhelds, things like Nintendo’s virtual console/Switch online or the semi-recent trend of “mini” consoles. Evercade’s approach is unique but obviously requires a bit of a collector’s itch or a penchant for the lesser-known gems for it to really make sense. One thing’s for sure, there’s already a community gathering around the platform and for them and the like, the EXP elevates the handheld experience nicely.

You can now play Square Enix's action RPG Forspoken after several launch delays — as a demo, that is. The developer and publisher has released a demo for the PS5 game on the PlayStation Store at this years Game Awards, where it also announced that Final Fantasy XVI will be available for Sony's current-gen console on June 22nd, 2023. 

Forspoken was originally supposed to be released in May, but it got pushed back to October 11th and then again to January 24th next year. It looks like Square Enix truly is gearing up for the game's release this time, now that we're just a bit over a month before its latest launch schedule. The game puts you in control of Frey Holland, a woman from New York City who's transported to another world called "Athia," where she gains magical abilities. There, she must find her way home while battling monsters and the Tantas, who were once "benevolent matriarchs [that] now rule the lands as evil and maddened sorceresses."

Square Enix says the demo will give you a "deeper look at the devastating effects of the Break," which is the powerful force responsible for corrupting everything it touches, the Tantas included. Forspoken will also be available on PC via Steam, Epic Games and the Microsoft Store, but the demo only seems to be available for the PS5. If you don't have access to the console, you can also watch the game's new trailer below:

Riot Games has sued Chinese tech giant NetEase, calling its mobile game Hyper Front "a copy of substantial parts of Valorant," Law360 has reported. On top of matching the format, NetEase also replicated parts of its character designs, game maps, weapon designs and more, Riot claims. It brought the case to the high court of England and Wales, but is also launching complaints in Germany, Brazil and Singapore, according to Polygon. 

Like Valorant, Hyper Front is a free-to-play first-person shooter that pits teams of five against each other in different modes. In its claim, Riot noted that Hyper Front began development shortly after it revealed an early of Valorant dubbed "Project A" in October of 2019. NetEase, meanwhile, showed off a beta version of Hyper Front under the code name "Project M." 

The release of Hyper Front in Singapore and other countries prompted complaints from users that it was essentially a "copy" of Valorant. That led to NetEase making modifications to the games, but the level of infringement goes beyond that, Riot said. The modified version of Hyper Front is currently available on Android and iOS stores, boasting more than one million downloads and 48,000+ reviews on Google Play. 

NetEase is currently involved in a dispute with Korea's PUBG corp. over two NetEase mobile games. Earlier this year, two California judges said NetEase faced an "uphill battle" in challenging a settlement agreement with PUBG. Meanwhile, Riot Games recently settled a class-action gender discrimination lawsuit for $100 million. 

A new Crash Bandicoot online multiplayer game is on the way. The 4v4 team-based Crash Team Rumble launches on PS5 and PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. The game, which supports cross-platform play, will arrive in 2023.

In the game, you team up with three other players to bank fruits into your drop-off zone while trying to defend the opposing team’s goal. You can play in various arenas and choose from heroes like Crash and Tawna Bandicoot or villains Doctor Neo Cortex and Dingodile (among others). Each character has a distinct power, personality and playstyle.

Activision owns the Crash Bandicoot IP after producer Universal Interactive became Vivendi Games before merging with Activision in 2007. Toys for Bob is developing the new multiplayer game after its work on the well-received Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. Original developer Naughty Dog hasn’t been involved with the series since its PlayStation-exclusive days in the late 1990s.

At the Game Awards, Amazon Games announced it will be publishing Bandai Namco’s forthcoming free-to-play online RPG, Blue Protocol in the west. A new teaser trailer offer views of the game's beautiful cel-shaded world, multiple character classes and weapons. It's an action RPG, with the ability to play both solo and cooperatively. You’ll apparently be able to participate in raids with up to 30 other players.

While the game will be coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, Blue Protocol is designed to be played on controllers, with aim-assist support for people not using a mouse and keyboard. In fact, each class will have different sliders to adjust controls for smoother playstyles. Talking of style, you’ll apparently be able to customize your character deeply, across hairstyles, clothing accessories and even mounts – yes you’ll have your own fantasy steed a little like Pokemon Legends Arceus.

You’ll be able to pick from five classes at launch. The Blade Warden uses both a sword and shield, a Twin Striker that excels at short-range damage with double axes and the Keen Strider is an agile class with bow-based long-range attacks and area effects. Rounding out the lineup, the Spell Weaver is your magic wielder, while Foe Breaker has a massive hammer and can even fire a short-range cannonball. Somehow.

It’s 2022, so while you will be able to play the whole story without spending, there will be cosmetic upgrades available to buy, as well as features that will apparently help play the game. I get the feeling there’s more than a little inspiration gleaned from Genshin Impact, the free-to-play action RPG that’s been extremely lucrative for its creators – and a huge global hit. It’ll be intriguing to see how Bandai Namco’s new game compares. It’s also an unusual team-up with Amazon Games. 

According to the press release, Blue Protocol will be the “latest title in Amazon Games’ portfolio of high-quality live service games” including New World, an MMORPG – which makes some sense. Perhaps Amazon Games can offer some insight into ensuring Blue Protocol runs smoothly from a technical standpoint. The game is now set to launch in the second half of 2023, but expect a closed beta to run early next year. You’ll be able to sign up for that soon, online.

The Last of Us Part I will officially hit PC on March 3rd, 2023. This follows the game's launch on PlayStation 5 earlier in 2022. 

Part I is a modern remake of the original The Last of Us, Naughty Dog's dramatic zombie-adjacent game that came out in 2013 and quickly became an industry darling. There's since been a sequel, an upgraded version of that game, a remastered version of the original title for PS4, and probably a few other iterations we're forgetting, plus an HBO series coming out in January. 

We found The Last of Us Part I on PS5 to be gorgeous yet achingly faithful to its source material. For fans of the series, that's not a terrible outcome, and soon PC players will have the chance to judge for themselves.

Ghost Story Games has revealed its first title nearly six years after BioShock creator Ken Levine founded the studio. A trailer for Judas debuted at The Game Awards and while it's not an actual BioShock game, it draws from that series' art style. It's also a first-person shooter in which it looks like you can wield elemental powers.

You play as the titular Judas, a "mysterious and troubled" character who is stuck on a starship that's falling apart. According to a description on the game's Steam page, "your only hope for survival is to make or break alliances with your worst enemies." 

Bloomberg reported earlier this year that the game had been stuck in development hell for several years amid multiple reboots and Levine changing the direction of the project multiple times. But Levine suggested back in 2015 that his next game would be a sci-fi first-person shooter, and Judas at least fits that bill. There's no release window as yet.

Meanwhile, there is a BioShock game in development at a separate Take-Two studio. But this is not that. Judas is definitely not a BioShock game.

Supergiant Games is sticking with what works. Hades II is on its way, slinging more Greek god-ness and a new protagonist, the Princess of the Underworld. The game is heading to early access on PC first, with more details coming in 2023.

The reveal trailer for Hades II shows the protagonist, Melinoë, training with the witch goddess Hecate, before diving into a familiar isometric landscape. Familiar, but perhaps with a few more gnarly trees. Like its predecessor, Hades II is a roguelike dungeon crawler. And if it's truly anything like the original Hades, it'll be fun as hell.

Hades II is a direct sequel to Hades. Supergiant describes its story as, "Chronos, the Titan of Time and the wicked father of Hades and his brothers, has escaped his imprisonment in the depths of the Underworld to wage war on Olympus. Can Time itself be stopped?" Melinoë is the sister of Zagreus, the star of the original game, and she has her own magical abilities.

The full game will eventually be available on consoles and PC, but early access will begin on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Supergiant revealed the sequel during The Game Awards.