The 1986 film Aliens is one of the primary reference materials for an embarrasing number of video games (up there with Buck Rogers and King Of The Hoops), yet so few games are actually set in that world of acid-blooded aliens and endlessly-quotable space marines. It's been a few years but now here comes a new one, Aliens: Fireteam. Announced today and due this summer, it's a cooperative third-person shooter which I imagine will involve staying frosty, riding an express elevator to Hell, using the Force, and getting in that pipe, five by five.

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Here's something I wasn't expecting: It Takes Two is pretty difficult. I didn't think it was going to be a piece of the proverbial, exactly, but considering that Hazelight Studios' last co-op game, the gritty two-lads-escaping-prison split-screen adventure A Way Out wasn't all that challenging in the end because both players were able to act pretty independently, I assumed It Takes Two would follow in a similar vein. This is not the case.

I was also lulled into a false sense of security by the contrasting design of It Takes Two, which is a cartoony, colourful toy box built on a Borrowers scale. I assumed it would be a fun run-about you could play with a kid, or your partner who isn't into games because they do normal adult things like eat poached eggs. But the two sections I played in preview were the most couchy, co-operative thing I've played in years. And they were hard>.

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Nioh 2: The Complete Edition is a brutal action-RPG that's had its fair share of issues since it launched on PC last month, with one of these being incorrect keyboard and mouse button prompts. Previously, the game only showed controller button prompts, no matter what control scheme you used. So if you've forced yourself to use a controller, the time has arrived to switch back to the clickety clack and enjoy getting stomped by that one infuriating boss. This time, without HD rumble.

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Update: Hardsuit Labs have confirmed the layoffs, saying they were "unable to provide work for a small number of individuals". More below. (Original story from March 2nd)>

Hardsuit Labs, the studio that worked on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, appears to have laid off a number of staff. Multiple employees took to Twitter last night to reveal they'd lost their jobs, and it seems the entire narrative team have been affected. This comes just a week after Paradox Interactive announced Hardsuit would no longer be developing Bloodlines 2.

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Update: Frogwares have issued a DMCA takedown notice to remove Nacon's version of The Sinking City from Steam. More below. (Original story from March 2nd)>

The Sinking City developers Frogwares have accused publisher Nacon of pirating the game and allegedly uploading an illegal copy on Steam. Nacon published a version of the Lovecraftian RPG on Valve's storefront on Friday, which was quickly followed by Frogwares urging fans not to buy it. The two have been embroiled in a messy legal dispute over the game since last year. Now, the developers believe Nacon "cracked, hacked, changed the game's code and content" in order to put it on Steam and allegedly prevent Frogwares from earning money from a game they claim they own.

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Fanatical have kicked off their Spring Sale today, with (and I quote) "1000s of game deals" up for grabs for the month of March. Not all deals are currently live just yet, as Fanatical will be adding new ones throughout the coming weeks. I'll be doing my best to keep on top of all the new stuff that gets added, but right now there are some very tasty flash deals taking place on Resident Evil 3, which is currently 71% off, and Dirt 4, which is a massive 95% off that equates to just 74p / $1 (!). A true bargain if ever I saw one. Plus, if you spend £8 / $10 in a single order, you'll also get to choose from one of three free gifts: another msytery Steam key, a money off voucher for your next order or a free game.

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Desperados III is probably the best real-time tactics game I've played. Previously, that title was held by developer Mimimi Games's previous creation, Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun, which was very nearly as excellent. But with Desperados III, Mimimi elevated their Commandos-style formula to near-perfection.

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Viking crafting adventure Valheim doesn't need an introduction anymore, right? Good, on to the fun stuff then. Valheim's worlds are all procedurally generated, meaning you may have had lovely or lousy luck with the locations of bosses and biomes in your first world. Before you go starting up a new one at random, check out this handy Valheim world generator. It lets you sleuth out maps ahead of time so you can shop around before you load in.

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Electronic Arts aren't done shuffling around their studios and projects for 2021 just yet. EA have now announced that they're delaying the next Need For Speed game so that Criterion can assist Dice with the next Battlefield game. The NFS series isn't being shut down and the reassignment is only a temporary one, EA say, partly to relieve pressure created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Oh, Elden Ring. Perhaps you weren't a collective hallucination after all. Leaked footage of what's supposedly a trailer for FromSoftware's norse-y RPG has been making the rounds online today. Despite being filmed on what might as well be a roll of adhesive tape, fans are thrilled. There's been nearly no official word about Elden Ring since it was announced at E3 in 2019, so an alleged new trailer is, unsurprisingly, cause for celebration over on the Elden Ring subreddit.

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