Battletoads is short. Really short. Too short.

I know it's not expensive - not comparatively, anyway. I know many of us will be able to play for "free" courtesy of Xbox Game Pass. I'll shortly launch into all the reasons why Battletoads amuses and frustrates me in equal measure, but it all comes with that giant, glowing, angry caveat. Yes, it's pretty great, but this sequel - which some have been waiting for for 26 years, don't forget - barely clocks in at five hours long on normal difficulty. Free or not, that's not much of a run-time, is it?

Well, I say five hours, but I wasted exactly 1 hour and 9 minutes of that playtime, wandering around a peculiarly vexing environmental puzzle in the middle of a Metroidvania segment partway through. Oh, yeah, did I not say? There are Ori-esque sequences in Battletoads. And some twin-stick space invaders sections. A little Turbo Tunnel-ling. Hacking minigames. Quicktime events. Rock-paper-scissors. Occasionally, there's even beat-'em-up action, too.

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Cuddly koalas and other Outback-inspired cuties are coming to attraction management sim Planet Zoo next Tuesday, 25th August, as part of its new Australia Pack DLC.

As with Planet Zoo's previous paid DLC - the South America Pack and Arctic Pack - additional animals are very much the focus, and this time players get five new options in the form of the koala, red kangaroo, dingo, southern cassowary, and eastern blue-tongued lizard.

Alongside those critters, the Australia Pack introduces new indigenous fauna and flora, 230 new scenery and building pieces - combining contemporary Australian architecture and upcycled materials - plus new animal toys to increase enrichment.

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Layers of Fear developer Bloober Team has released a new video for Observer System Redux, the revamped next-gen console version of its acclaimed sci-fi horror, offering a stark comparison between the visuals of the original and its upcoming enhanced edition.

Observer's cyberpunk slice of dystopian sci-fi, for those unfamiliar with the original, melds murder mystery with surreal horror to wonderfully atmospheric, frequently startling effect. The entire, grimy adventure - which unfolds in a dilapidated Kraków apartment block, populated by some very odd tenants - casts players as Observer detective Daniel Lazarski (voiced by the late Rutger Hauer) on the hunt for his estranged son.

What follows is part methodically paced investigation adventure, and part breathless hallucinatory nightmare, as players hop in and out of witnesses' heads in search of clues.

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If, at this very moment, you were to fire up Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, hop into a plane, and take to the skies around Melbourne, Australia, you might be a little surprised by what you find puncturing the skyline. As discovered earlier this week, a vast 200-story residential home has unexpectedly magicked itself into existence in the otherwise not-immediately remarkable suburb of Fawkner - and now internet sleuths have figured out why.

The imposing, impossible structure has rapidly become a bit of a hotspot for curious Flight Simulator sightseers, piercing the horizon like some monstrous primordial obelisk conjured from the unknowable void. Mainly because, you know, it looks kind of neat.

The obvious problem, though, is that no such 200-storey skyscraper exists on that spot back in the real world (at least not one visible through a mortal eye), leading Flight Sim fans to ponder exactly how it got there. And now - as highlighted by duck enthusiast Liam O - diligent Twitter users, in response to a thread by Alexander Muscat, have managed to trace the origins of Fawkner's newest landmark back to free wiki world map OpenStreetMap, and a typo.

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Epic has snapped up Hitman 3 as yet another PC exclusive.

The PC version of IO's assassination game launches on the Epic Games Store exclusively in January 2021. It's also due out then on PlayStation 5, PlayStation4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One and Google Stadia.

Meanwhile, 2016's Hitman will be free to download and keep from 27th August to 3rd September on Epic's store.

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505 Games has addressed the backlash to Control's next-gen upgrade policy in a new statement that commits to its previous announcement.

Control developer Remedy came under fire when it emerged you will not get a free upgrade to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of the game - even if you own the base game and its expansions already.

A new "Ultimate Edition" package version of Control launches for PC via Steam on 27th August, and then the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 10th September.

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I think it's safe to say that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has been quite well received by critics and the public alike. I've certainly enjoyed the time I've spent cruising at high altitudes but, instead of using it to indulge in a spot of next-gen sightseeing like most normal people, I've been up to my usual brand of nonsense.

In the video below, you can witness my attempts at recreating 10 famous flight scenes from some of my favourite films. These include well known scenes like the Grand Canyon chase scene from Independence Day, the crop-duster attack from North by Northwest and the opening shot to Goldeneye where the plane flies over the Contra Dam in Switzerland. There's also a couple of more obscure flights in there too, like that bit in Flight of the Navigator where David and Max fly along the South Lake of Hollywood Beach, Miami, and park up outside the Cramer house after being led there by a fireworks display.

So, will I be able to land a jumbo jet on the Las Vegas strip like they do in Con Air? Can I skim a plane over the sea next to Skellig Micheal, Millennium Falcon style? Or how about buzzing the Top Gun tower at Miramar air base in San Diego? Find out in the video below, which (spoilers) also features quite a lot of crashing.

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Activision has released a teaser for Black Ops Cold War, confirming a full reveal on 26th August for 2020's new Call of Duty game.

Warzone players had worked to solve a variety of puzzles on a website that played videos of Cold War footage and interviews throughout the weekend and this week, and clues to open various bunkers in Verdansk, the name of the Warzone map.

Last night, this all led to the release of the first teaser for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which is co-developed by Black Ops studio Treyarch, and Raven Software.

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Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2's lead narrative designer Brian Mitsoda and creative director Ka'ai Cluney have been fired from the action-RPG project, with the former saying the decision by developer Hardsuit Labs and publisher Paradox Interactive "came as a shock" and that he had "never been led to believe that [he] hadn't succeeded" in his role.

A shake-up of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2's development team was first hinted at earlier this month, when Hardsuit and Paradox announced a delay to the game's release - it will now launch in 2021 - "to ensure the best player experience possible". Its statement also made references to "organisational changes" within the team that it would share at a later date.

Paradox and Hardsuit have now followed up that earlier statement with a new message. In it, they confirm that Brian Mitsoda and Ka'ai Cluney are no longer part of the development team, and that "this was a joint decision made by the leadership of Hardsuit Labs and Paradox Interactive." Alexandre Mandryka - who has worked on the likes of Assassin's Creed and Far Cry - has been brought in as creative consultant, to fill the creative director role.

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Sea of Thieves' August is slightly more low-key than usual thanks to a few coronavirus-related wrinkles, but there're still a few notable opportunities incoming - including a season of summer events with handsome rewards and a new ship set inspired by classic Rare brawler Battletoads - which can be acquired from tomorrow with a little bit of effort.

Those eager to secure some retro flair for their vessels will need to start by acquiring a copy of developer Dlala Studios' brash new Battletoads reboot, which is out tomorrow, 20th August, on Xbox One and PC. It's also available on Game Pass, meaning subscribers with a hankering for some mean, green livery already have an easy route in.

By completing Battletoads' first act "at any time", players will unlock the full Fightin' Frogs Ship Set for use in Sea of Thieves, consisting of six appropriately themed pieces: sails, hull, flag, cannons, wheel, and capstan. You can see how all that looks in the announcement video below.

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