Visual novel fans can grab a bargain this weekend: some of the best PC games in the genre, including the Danganronpa, Zero Escape and Steins;Gate series, are heavily discounted until Monday as part of developer Spike Chunsoft's sale.

It's worth browsing through the full list of offers, but Danganronpa is a good place to start: the first two games in the series are 80% off, making them just $4/£3. You play a new student in what appears to be a school for an elite, but is actually a sadistic battle royale, and you have to kill another student to "graduate". As characters are murdered, you're asked to solve the crime in court trials that play out a little like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. It's brilliant, and you can read Andy's review of the first game, Trigger Happy Havoc, here.

Both Zero Escape games—The Nonary Games and Zero Time Dilemma—are 80% off too, making them less than $6/£5. They're gruesome tales of a group trapped in an underground facility, and they have arguably the best puzzles of any visual novel. Katharine gave The Nonary Games a 90/100 in her review.

Steins;Gate Eilte, a remaster of the 2009 original, and the follow up Steins;Gate 0 are less about murder and more about time travel. You alter the past to create branching worlds, tangling together cause and effect into a variety of different endings. It's complex, but never hard to follow. Both games are 60% off.

Fire Pro Wrestling World, one of our favorite sports games, is also on the list at 70% off. Browse through all the deals on Spike Chunsoft's Steam page: again, the Danganronpa games are the perfect place to start if you're new to the genre, not least because they're so cheap. The deals expire at 10am PDT on Monday, August 12.

If you need more advice about getting into visuals novels, follow our guide here.

Killing Floor 2 has been around for close to three years now (longer if you count the Early Access period), and during that time developer Tripwire Interactive has been pretty generous with free content in updates like Back and Kickin' Brass, Season's Beatings, Infinite Onslaught, and the Summer Sideshow. Unfortunately, we live in a world where making games requires making money, and so Tripwire is going to change things up a bit in the next update.

"As we have looked at the life cycle of the game, we strived to look at new ways that will enable the game to live on and grow well into the future. With where we are with the project, we know there’s a hungry desire for everything featured in Killing Floor 2. While the updates have all been free in terms of features, weapons, zeds, maps, etc, the cost of development has certainly been anything but," Tripwire explained in a Steam post. "Ultimately, that status quo of our current strategy cannot sustain the current level of support that you have all grown accustomed to without a major shakeup."

Tripwire said that it could go one of two ways: Either cut way back on the content included with each update, or find new sources of revenue that will enable it to continue operating at the current level. It opted for the latter choice, acknowledging that it will be "more controversial" but saying that it will better for the game in the long run: Offering all new weapons in future content updates, along with five unique weapon skins for each, in $10 DLC packs.

The studio said it will ensure paid weapons will "not be better than any weapon of [a] similarly targeted tier in terns of raw stats," but instead will "provide new gameplay experiences and fill new roles within the arsenal that are not already served." They'll also work with the Shared Content system, so that if one player on a server owns a paid weapon, all other players in the match will have access to it. That will also give players a chance to try their hand at new paid weapons before committing to a purchase.

Tripwire clarified that the addition of paid weapons does not mean the end of free weapons. It has another program in the works, to be announced soon, "that will add new weapon types to existing weapons that will provide fresh gameplay experiences." Those weapon types, along with other "non-cosmetic content," will be free for all players. Tripwire is also considering changes to Killing Floor 2's "Zedconomy" crate and key system, and more direct purchase bundles like the Clot Backpack bundle and Dragon & Koi Weapon Skin bundles will become available in the future, but there are no imminent changes on that front.

"There are no plans to change our current strategy and support for modding. We will continue to support and add new hooks as we are able to throughout development to further the modding community for KF2," Tripwire wrote. "As a tangible example to our continued commitment, we will be adding a system so that mappers will be able to make their own Objective Mode maps that are recognized by the game, in addition to addressing Mid-match dosh issues with custom weapons within our next major content update."

"While we recognize as a team this news is bound to come with many strong emotions, we hope you now understand the rationale of this decision for the future of Killing Floor 2 and that you’ll continue to support us and the game."

Tripwire also showcased a couple of new weapons coming to the game in the near future, the Rhino's pistol and the Ion Thruster blade, and kicked off its end-of-summer "Double XP And Increased Drop Rate" weekend event.

Adorable dog shelter simulator To The Rescue has surpassed its funding goal on Kickstarter two days after launching and has started chewing into its stretch goals. This pastel-colored game about caring for pups will challenge you to handle all the duties of running a shelter and sending these doggos to their forever homes.  You'll make sure your dogs stay healthy and upgrade your shelter to expand your pup capacity. 

"Dogs have specific preferences, can get infectious diseases, and can have negative traits," the Kickstarter says. "But you can also hold fundraisers, get random donations, and, if you work hard, help someone find their new best friend. Unfortunately, there's never enough room, and always more dogs. "

Little Rock Games is already a Kickstarter veteran, having successfully funded its card game Galactic Scoundrels which released in January of 2019. Although this is the first digital game for Little Rock, the trailer shows enough gameplay to suggest the small studio probably knows what it's up to. According to Little Rock on Kickstarter, "Many key features have already been implemented. The purpose of this campaign is to give us a boost to cross the finish line."

Little Rock Games is also committed to doing good for real dogs, not just digital ones. Although all the money raised by the campaign will be used to develop the game (per Kickstarter's transparency rules), 20% of post-launch sales are promised to be donated to actual animal shelters. 

One less fun fact: To The Rescue will also include the ability (or rather necessity) to euthanize dogs. The game is designed in part to raise awareness for the realities in animal shelters, a topic Little Rock goes into in its FAQ section: "No one ever wants to have to euthanize. But since we want to raise awareness, we don’t want to pretend that it’s not potentially part of the job." Little Rock says that euthanizing pups is presented as an "important (though avoidable) part of the experience." That said, Little Rock also plans to offer an opt out of this mechanic in the full release. 

Rough realities aside, To The Rescue looks like a cute simulation about caring for and managing your fluffly friends.

You can learn even more about To The Rescue on its Kickstarter page.

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator's newest update is out this week and adds the Renaissance faction along with a related new map, campaign, and lots of new units. 

The Renaissance faction's home map is a Venetian-looking courtyard of tall, colorful buildings with a canal along the edge. Perfect for dunking enemy units in, I imagine. Along with its new 32-level campaign campaign, the Renaissance update brings seven new standard units:

• Halberd
• Fencer
• Musketeer
• Balloon Archer
• Painter
• Jouster
• Da Vinci Tank (Boss Unit)

The update also adds two secret units, Lady Red Jade and the Ballooneer. Despite being a secret unit, the Ballooneer actually appears in the campaign, while Lady Red Jade is a bit tougher to find and unlock.

The boss unit for the Renaissance faction is somehow wilder than a unit that drags foes into the sky with a hot air balloon backpack. The Da Vinci tank is a circus-tent shaped powerhouse that spins and unleashes cannonballs on enemies. Though once it spins up, the metal flaps that allow cannon fire out also might allow projectiles in. According to the TABS wiki, this may also result in unintended friendly fire. Deploy advanced weaponry with caution, then.

Next up on the TABS roadmap is the Pirate faction which Landfall says will include "a new map, seven units and maybe some secrets!"

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is currently in Early Access on Steam.

Across hundreds of episodes of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, I think Krillin, Goku's best friend, has held a sword exactly once. He's also often a coward, almost always an idiot, and doesn't have a nose for some reason. Krillin is a world-class screw-up who somehow gets dragged into getting his ass kicked by super powerful aliens, which is why I love him. It's also why I love this mod for Sekiro that replaces your lethal warrior with this big dumb anime boy. He looks completely out of place, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Look at his giant head! That bright orange gi! That serious look! Krillin may be a chump next to Goku, but he's still the strongest human being on Earth, y'know. 

Sadly with this mod we don't get any voice lines of Krillin freaking out (Krillin is always freaking out, so there's plenty of material out there) or facial animations. Like with the bone-chilling Sheriff Woody in Sekiro mod, created by the same modder, this is a simple reskin. 

But that's okay. For once, Krillin gets to be the tough guy. 

Check out our round-up of the best Sekiro mods for more goofy skins, as well as some vital tweaks like an unlocked framerate.

Stone Story RPG has been in development for quite a while already—five years, according to developer Standardcombo. After a lot of updates on the TIG Source devblog forums starting back in 2014, it's finally ready for the world. It launched on Steam Early Access on August 8 and Standardcombo expects it to remain there for about a year, though it doesn't anticipate a price change between now and the final release. 

Stone Story RPG is built entirely in ASCII characters, largely black and white with occasional flashes of color. It has admittedly hit me in the nostalgia bone, bringing back memories of obscure online game guides with detailed ASCII text art circa 1998 or so. Stone Story appears to be not at all hindered by its choice in art direction, as the screenshots on its Steam page range from screen-filling fortresses to giant spider webs, and even a mushroom forest. 

Standardcombo's plans for the future of Stone Story appear just as ambitious as an ASCII-only visual style. The game is reported to take about eight hours to complete if you rush it at present, though there are plans for additional quests, items, and boss fight phases by its official launch. 

Most interesting is the quest system that Standardcombo has planned. The idea is for user-generated content to expand the life of Stone Story RPG's world. According to its Early Access Q&A, "we plan to create a framework for players to build their own stories and share them with each other."

That's not the end of the custom choices for Stone Story RPG, though. "Currently, Stone Story features an in-game scripting language called 'Stonescript', which players can use to automate and optimize gameplay," the Steam page states. "Additional commands will mean more strategic possibilities open up!"

With enough interested players, it will be interesting to see where Stone Story's plans for new quest content can take it. 

You can pick up Stone Story RPG on Steam Early Access or add it to your wishlist for later.

Earlier in the week, DayZ was refused an age rating by the Australian Classification Board. Despite launching years ago and already having a 15+ rating, Australian distributor Five Star Games had to resubmit the game thanks to the impending launch of the physical edition. Unfortunately, the decision also extends to the digital version. 

While Bohemia Interactive told me that the digital version was not in jeopardy and was still available through storefronts like Steam, the situation has "escalated", the developer confirms.

"We are aware of the Classification Board's intention to pull DayZ from the online sales," says Bohemia Interactive. "The game was just removed from the PlayStation and Xbox stores. The reason behind the rejection to classify the game is the specifics of drug use in the game."

Where things get weird is that DayZ doesn't have drug use aside from things like morphine, specifically used here for pain relief. Here's the extent of the game's 'drugs'. They're not recreational. Unfortunately, cannabis can be found in the game files, and while it's hasn't yet to be implemented and there's no indication it will be, it seems to have riled up the board. 

Though cannabis has been decriminalised or is available for medical reasons in several parts of the world, it's still illegal in Australia. Hunting and killing people for their supplies is also illegal in Australia, though the board seems less concerned about that. 

Bohemia Interactive isn't cutting its losses, however.

"The Australian player base is a big and very important part of our community. At the moment we are looking for the best solution to keep the game on the Australian market and pass the classification according to all regulations. We will do everything in our power to keep the game playable and available for Australian gamers."   

Previously, developers have made minor changes to appease the puritanical board, so it may be that a quick fix is possible and it will be back on sale before too long.

IO Interactive recently brought back Hitman 2's briefcase bug, which turned briefcases into gently spinning homing missiles, as an unlockable weapon. It is simultaneously crap and brilliant, always finding its target... eventually. Now that it's in the game, you can take it for a spin yourself, but first a video demonstration!

D-ClassPersonnel posted a two minute clip on Reddit showcasing the briefcase's many wonderful features as it slowly—very, very slowly—hurtles towards its jogging target. There's a lot to enjoy. 

Unlike, say, a bullet, you can actually outrun the briefcase, but you'll have to keep running forever because it will never give up. Another person blocking its path? It will just pass right through them. Walls? Screw walls, it can pass through them as well. It's also extremely quiet, so nobody will notice it. Not even when it's clipping through their skull. 

There's a point where it almost looks like it's catching up, but no, its target turns a corner and gap increases. It's not until she stops for a chat that the briefcase strikes. Honestly it would be a great incentive for my jogs, which I usually end after 1 minute, heaving up my guts and melting in a puddle of sweat. 

If you want to kill in style, you can unlock it in the Best Case scenario, netting yourself the ICA Executive Briefcase MKII. It comes with a sticker. 

No Man's Sky Beyond will arrive in just a few days, on August 14. We've known for a while now that VR is being added, and yesterday's trailer teased us with a few treats like like The Nexus, a massive new social hub for the more expansive multiplayer features of No Man's Sky. Say goodbye to the days of four-player co-op: Beyond will support up to 32 players in a session.

There was also the glorious sight of players riding a variety of alien creatures around like mounts. But that's not all you'll be able to do with alien creatures. You'll also be able to milk them.

Yup. Get Luke Skywalker on the phone, because you'll soon have access to a bunch of weird alien milk. I don't know how the process of milking a tamed alien creature will work, but I can guess what it might be used for because cooking and recipes are also coming to No Man's Sky. If you've always wanted to be a space farmer and space chef, you're about to get your chance.

If your interests are more keyed to construction than milking alien monsters, there's still good news: Beyond will bring more complex base-building including electrical systems for power (a power grid was glimpsed briefly in the trailer), and industrial base-building for automated resource gathering and mass-production of crafted items. A little touch of Factorio is coming.

With multiplayer expanding to support 32 players, The Nexus is will act as a player hub and meeting point where you can interact with other astronauts, show off your ship, gear, and emotes, go shopping, and put together crews for multiplayer missions.

When I tried out VR back in March, which I called a perfect match for No Man's Sky, I noticed alien NPCs actually walking around in the space stations instead of just standing and sitting in one spot. It made the stations feel more lively and active, and Beyond will bring further enhancements to our alien friends with added depth for the language system. No word on if you can milk the Vy'keen, but I wouldn't advise trying it.

Recipes and cooking, taming and riding (and milking) creatures, automated factories, 32-person multiplayer, virtual reality... for these reasons and more, Beyond isn't just the biggest No Man's Sky update ever. It's also ushering in what Hello Games is calling No Man's Sky 2.0, and I don't think anyone can really argue with that designation. No Man's Sky has changed and grown a lot over the past three years, and while the core of resource management and exploration of a procedural universe is still intact, in many ways it's an altogether different game than it was at launch.

Just like the rest of the updates that have appeared for No Man's Sky since 2016, Beyond is completely free. We'll update this article with the complete patch notes when they're available.

Not content with adding Finn and Jake from Adventure Time to the roster, smashy platform-brawler Brawlhalla has turned to the WWE for its next set of playable characters. The Rock, Becky Lynch, Xavier Woods, and John Cena have all been added as part of patch 3.47.

There's also a new mode WWE-themed mode called 'brawldown' that includes folding chairs you can use to stun other fighters. It's a 2v2 tag team match, with three-minute rounds. Oh, and you can hurl people into tables as well.

Each of the wrestlers is based on the moveset of an existing character, but rather than just being reskins they have unique signature effects, lock-in animations, and weapon skins. Yes, The Rock gets to do the People's Elbow.

Various bug fixes, improvements, and an overall balance pass are included in the patch, and you can read the full notes at the website.