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The world can be a nasty place, and often video games serve as a safe way to temporarily detach from the stresses of reality. Sometimes, though, the real world seeps into video games in surprising ways, whether that be in the form of politics rearing its ugly head or actual murders being depicted for entertainment. Sometimes, for example, a shooter is actually a propaganda tool for a regressive regime or an advertisement for a private military company known for its rampant abuses....

As a result, some odd things can happen on Twitch, and usually do on a regular basis. Sometimes those instances are troubling, like witnessing domestic abuse live, while others are oddly heartwarming, like the below video of a streamer falling asleep. JesseDStreams was streaming on Saturday night in the Just Chatting category, watching TV and eating. For about two hours this went on with no chat interaction and then Jesse fell asleep and remained that way for another two hours....

It’s a good year for Far Cry fans. On top of Far Cry 6 hitting stores this October, we’ve now got not one, but two shows based on the long-running franchise heading over to Netflix - and one of them might not be what you’re expecting. We only have a proper name for one of the shows, and I guarantee you can’t guess what it is. Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is an anime dripping with 1980s cartoon nostalgia, and is based on the Far Cry 3 expansion, Blood Dragon....

Stadia announced a new batch of free games for Pro subscribers this week, although one of them – Hitman Free Starter Pack – is available to everyone, regardless of subscription status. As of today, you can play two missions from the popular franchise, including Hitman 3’s Dubai mission. Hitman Free Starter Park includes the Hitman Tutorial mission, Hitman 2 Nightcall mission, and Hitman 3 Dubai mission. However, the Dubai mission will only be available until April 5....

No one saw this coming: U.S. Marshals, the 1998 sequel/spinoff of 1993’s The Fugitive, skyrocketed on Netflix’s movie chart in 2022. It’s a strange development considering the movie’s age and how, frankly, irrelevant it’s been since it hit theaters. Yet its return to some form of cultural awareness—that is perhaps higher than when it came out two decades ago—is curious. How did this happen? The most likely needle mover here is likely Robert Downey Jr....

With Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Ubisoft will be looking to make amends for the disastrous launch of the multiplayer-focused Assassin’s Creed Unity. The title was not quite as revolutionary as its setting in 1700s France, suffering from some game-breaking bugs and serious connection problems on release. The game became part of an unfortunate period of games practically broken at launch, along with the likes of Sonic Boom and Halo: The Master Chief Collection....

Ubisoft Montreal has released a statement following today’s harrowing hostage situation. Thankfully, the issue was resolved without incident, and Ubisoft is thanking Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPM) for handling the situation, as well as fans for their support. Earlier today, it was reported that Ubisoft Montreal was experiencing a hostage situation. Initially, the threat seemed real and employees were hiding under their desks to seek refuge. With Ubisoft Montreal’s statement, fans can rest easy knowing that everyone is safe....

If you’ve been aching to get a copy of Watch Dogs 2 for free over the last four years, Ubisoft has a deal for you. During its “Ubisoft Forward” stream next week, the company will be giving out PC copies of its 2016 open-world sequel to anyone that logs in with their Uplay account. It’s kind of a bunch of steps just to get a free game (that can be had for $10 on Steam at the moment), but free is free....

EA hired Uncharted director Amy Hennig to work on a new Star Wars title at Dead Space studio Visceral. But, despite all of the enthusiasm, things didn’t work out, with Visceral ultimately closing down and Hennig moving on. The 54-year-old video game director and scriptwriter recalled her time working on Star Wars at EA in a recent interview with VentureBeat and revealed that there were numerous challenges. Visceral studios was apparently quite expensive to run partly because it was located in the middle of the San Francisco Bay Area, while there were other aspects regarding the game’s development that made things extremely difficult....

Now that Microsoft has unveiled the Xbox Series X console, fans are likely wondering what comes next. That curiosity is certain to be piqued given the state of the industry mid-COVID-19 pandemic. The Xbox team has a response for fans, confirming that there are more Xbox Series X announcements coming. More importantly, future Xbox Series X announcements will focus heavily on video games rather than console hardware. In an interview during the IGN Unlocked podcast, Xbox boss Phil Spencer talked about Xbox’s plans in the months leading up to the Xbox Series X’s launch....

Valheim is the latest survival game to become viral, selling four million copies just three weeks after its early access release. This game takes place in a purgatory made with influences from both Viking culture and Norse mythology. While playing, gamers take control of a Viking in their afterlife. They can travel to different biomes (Meadows, Black Forest, Swamp, Mountains, Plains, and Ocean) and face each new challenge that comes their way....

Not only is Iron Gate Studio’s survival game a thrilling Norse mythology-inspired expanse to explore, but Valheim is also rivaling Minecraft on the building front. The sky is the limit when it comes to players’ creativity, and one of the more recent in-game builds is a picturesque mountain stairway that ends above the clouds. If the free rein to build whatever your heart desires doesn’t sound magical enough, then the addition of the magic spells mod will leave you mesmerized....

This Vikings review contains spoilers. Vikings Season 5 Episode 18 “What kind of father could do that to a son?” And while the reign of terror accelerates in Kattegat, a psychologically wounded Lagertha emerges from the shadows, Bjorn marries Gunnhild, and the Viking success in Wessex now hinges on Ubbe’s single combat challenge. With several major battles looming on the horizon, Vikings takes a moment to focus on the intimate, behind the scenes political and personal schisms that drive the current narratives....

This article contains spoilers for episode four of WandaVision. Marvel has taken the audience into the world of sitcoms - with a twist - in WandaVision for its first three episodes. The fourth episode is the first time the series shifts to a new perspective, that of Monica Rambeau and SWORD. It gives a lot of answers to questions fans have had about the small town of Westview. With those answers come plenty of references to other parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel comics....

The upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector announced today that it’s adding the Sisters of Battle to its roster. The Battle Sisters are also seeing multiplayer come to their own VR game. Both announcements and their related footage were seen on the Warhammer Skulls Showcase. Battlesector is an upcoming turn-based strategy game coming to PC, Xbox, and PlayStation on July 15. The Sisters of Battle were announced as one of the playable factions appearing the single-player campaign....

Each week, we at Game Rant review the previous week’s news for any stories that didn’t make the front page and corral them together into our Weekly Video Game Round-Up. In this week’s Round-Up, we discuss a new Team Fortress 2 game mode, Metal Gear Solid, the Disney Infinity Star Wars trailer, and more. See the stories below. Disney Infinity Star Wars Trailer Disney’s trailer for the Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic play sets for Disney Infinity 3....

This Westworld review contains spoilers. Westworld Season 2 Episode 5 The sales pitch of Westworld, and thus by extension all of the parks in the Delos network, is that it provides a “new world” where you can be whatever you want. This is of course a lie. You cannot be whoever you want to be as a tourist. You’re playing a part, a role dictated just as much by your awkward unfamiliarity as your fantasies....

You could pinpoint the moment when millions of Pokémon fans’ hearts broke this morning, as Pokémon Presents revealed a new MOBA and not anything that fans had expected or even wanted. The dislikes on the latest Pokémon Presents video swiftly outstripped the likes, and the divide grows bigger by the second. The live chat was filled with angry voices who expected so much more after waiting a week to find out more about this secret project....

The Sims 4 Island Living has brought a new career to the game, conservationist. It’s a semi-active career, allowing players to choose between a rabbit hole work day or fulfilling some tasks from home. Like most careers, it has two branches. Both of these will reward players with a unique trait once they reach level 10. While the career isn’t essential to restore Sulani to its full and vibrant state, it will help you develop and maintain the Mua Pel’Am district and in turn the whole island....

At CinemaCon this past week, big movie studios previewed their upcoming films. Some films got trailers, others just images. One of the studios present was Paramount, the producing studio behind the upcoming film based on Sonic the Hedgehog. Though no clips were present, the studio did showcase a logo for the film. Twitter user Caleb Williams of the site Omega Underground snagged a picture of the logo, shown below. The logo itself is simplistic, reminiscent of the modern era....