The Yakuza game series successfully passed the torch from long time leading protagonist to another with Yakuza: Like A Dragon last year and now developers Ryu Ga Gotoku are looking to do the same. Series director Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Daisuke Sato are both leaving Sega, handing over the RGG studio lead position to writer and producer Masayoshi Yokoyama. Along with the announcement of the change, Yokoyama says that RGG plan to "let our games do the talking" including the in progress sequel to Yakuza: LAD.

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I refuse to believe it's been two years since the launch of Tangle Tower. A year, at most, perhaps, but two? Simply impossible. But its release on PS4 and Xbox One this week has got me thinking about this excellent murder mystery game again, and man, if you've been hankering for more great detective work after the likes of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (or indeed the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy) lately, then you absolutely owe it to yourself to play Tangle Tower. After all, when the prime suspect is *checks notes* a painted portrait holding a blood-tipped knife, who could possibly resist such a juicy little murder hook?

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Following the sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed against Activision Blizzard by the state of California this summer, Blizzard let go several long-time developers in leadership positions. Among them was Diablo IV's game director Luis Barriga. Blizzard have now officially filled that position with another long-time Diablo series designer Joe Shely, they've announced in a blog post.

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As it was rumored, so it shall come to pass. Rockstar have just announced that they are indeed doing remasters of Grand Theft Auto III, GTA: San Andreas, and GTA: Vice City for PC and current consoles. Not just that, but they're coming this year which, now that it's October, means quite soon. They've rolled out a quick teaser trailer and just a couple details on what's getting freshened up in the trilogy remasters.

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Every good murder mystery needs a spooky house for a stage. That's the rules. The one in Impostor Factory is a secluded manor deep in the woods, a crumbling temple to cleanliness with self-cleaning floors and a literal golden toilet in the bathroom. You are the first to arrive, shoulders heavy with rain. You don't know much about the hosts, apart from the fact that they're old, eccentric, and eager to unveil the mysterious machine looming in the main hall. The other guests are as rich and quirky as the villa's owners, and you, an everyday man named Quincy, are starting to feel a bit awkward about the whole situation. And yet you stay because you're curious about the machine, the weird vision you had in the bathroom, and that other guest you keep bumping into - the lady in a red dress that looks familiar and sad and full of secrets.

The stage is set. The guests are gathered. The murders begin. And then they happen again, and again, and again. The real mystery is not discovering who committed the murders. The mystery is understanding why they keep happening.

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Battlefield 2042's open beta went live this morning, giving folks a chance to jump into some futuristic 128-player wars before the game launches in full next month. While there was a brief pre-order early access beta period this week, it's free for everyone to try right now, and is open until Sunday morning. I'll admit, I've never been big on Battlefield, but my pals are pretty excited about this one, so I expect I'll see you in the trenches this weekend.

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Look, it's not because it's about pirates. I mean, that's obviously what caught my eye, but it takes more than that, and most pirate games aren't about doing piracy at all anyway.

Plunder isn't either, if I'm honest. It's a monster-slaying action RPG with age of sail trappings, but it's carried off with charm and such a clean design that even I can't bring my usual grudge to bear on it. I'm having far too much fun.

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Microsoft have revealed a fancy new translucent Xbox controller created to celebrate 20 years of Xboxing, and honestly I dig it. Oh I have no intention of buying a new controller just beacuse it looks nice, a smoky body with a lurid flash of green, but I'm about due a new controller anyway. Time for the periodic replacement once too many minor irritating issues accumulate, you know. Might get this one.

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Peripheral makers AirDrop Gaming have announced a crowdfuning campaign for Audio Radar, a potentially useful accessory for PC gamers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Audio Radar is a set of six LED strips that surround your monitor and flash to signify the direction of important sound cues, and its Indiegogo campaign it set to launch on October 15th.

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Even the name New World feels like a brash statement of intent, doesn't it? Amazon are shouldering their way into the market with a brand new MMORPG, a fresh digital playground that is, the name implies, unlike any you've seen before! In practise, of course, it is a lot like MMOs you've seen before, albeit with its own twists on the formula to get you hooked. New World understands that formula well, and I am a simple creature, so attaching a button marked Endorphin Release to my brain and pressing it every five minutes or so works as well on me as it does on a lab rat.

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