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GTA 6 Leak Reveals Collector’s Map Reportedly Coming With Every Physical Copy
A new GTA 6 leak has revealed Rockstar Games is planning a collector's map coming with every physical copy of the game.
GTA 6 Leak: Cyberleek's 24-Min Lucia Video [2026]
A new 24-minute GTA 6 gameplay leak from Cyberleek puts Lucia center stage. Here's what's confirmed, what's not, and Rockstar's response.
'GTA 6' Leaker Posts Nude Lucia Video With Threats of Releasing Game Early
Amid threats against Rockstar, Cyberleek is promising GTA 6 fans nude Lucia gameplay in 4k if the leaker's meme coin reaches a market cap milestone
Science and Sense: The story of a rock, and time
To some, it‘s just a rock. A nice piece of petrified wood, about 200-225 million years old, from the late Triassic Age (Mesozoic Period) – a youngster as rocks go.
Scientists Collected Deep-Sea Rocks. They Spontaneously Caught Fire in The Lab.
What strange physics.
Scientists Collected Deep-Sea Rocks. They Spontaneously Caught Fire in The Lab.
What strange physics.
GTA 6 Leaker Threatens Rockstar With Doomsday Scenario If Meme Coin Hits $30 Million
Cyberleeks is back and asking for more money
‘GTA 6’ Leaker To Release The Entire Game Build If Rockstar Doesn’t Meet Demands
'GTA 6' has endured leaks for almost two months now, but things are escalated as Cyberleeks now say they will release the full game build if demands aren't met.
Skull Of An Extinct Crocodile Found In The Rocks Used To Build The Pyramids, Most Distant Fast Radio Burst Yet Discovered, And Much More This Week
All the biggest science news stories of the week.
Rock Song Copyright Dispute Rocks The Entertainment Industry
Copyright Termination Suit Rocks Entertainment Industry - Supreme Court Asked to Weigh In
Rockstar HR Questioned Over Discord 'Mole' And Sudden Timing Of GTA 6 Dev Firings In Latest Labor Tribunal Hearing
A junior Rockstar employee was leaking trade union activity to management
Scaling the Rocks: CarGo joins elite Colorado club
Colorado Rockies news and links for Friday, October 9, 2026
GTA 6: Rockstar Releases Brand New Official Screenshots Showing Off Stunning Reflections
Rockstar has released three brand new GTA 6 screenshots alongside its radio station reveal.
Rockstar, Does GTA 6's Jason Show Full Hog Or Not?
I know I’ll see him naked, but just how naked?
A quake on Mars may have set these rocks rolling
Fresh boulder tracks on Mars could reveal how a quake shook the planet and help scientists detect future tremors from orbit.
Inside the Making of GTA 6: Rockstar North Reveals How a Decade of Innovation and New Systems Are Shaping the Most Anticipated Game in History
The in-depth interview with Rockstar North's Rob Nelson in full, as he played through 30 minutes of the game ahead of the Netflix reveal.
New crocodile species found in rocks of Egypt's Great Sphinx
A skull from the now extinct ‘Herugavialis cairensis’ was discovered in the 1920s—and is also missing part of its nose.
Scaling the Rocks: The Rockies are looking ahead
Colorado Rockies news and links for Tuesday, October 6, 2026
We Got GTA V Running On Web Browser Before GTA 6
PlayGTA5.com briefly allowed users to play GTA V in a web browser, requiring only 700 MB to start before being taken down, possibly by Rockstar.
Dysfunction rocks county health dept. at center of Michigan MAHA movement
Nurses allege a toxic workplace has taken root at the St. Clair County Health Department. But officials are shrugging off calls for an independent investigation of its anti-vaccine medical director.
St. Louis Prehistoric Life Show brings free fossil fun to the Science Center
The inaugural St. Louis Prehistoric Life Show invites families to crack open rocks, identify fossils, meet paleontologists, and more.
Rockstar Explains How It Actually Makes A Game Like GTA 6
Working on one chunk at a time, for years and years and years, apparently
GTA VI Writers Sidestep Trump and MAGA, as Rockstar’s Rupert Humphries Says Florida Satire Targets Conspiracy Theories Instead
Rockstar said there won't be any references to specific trends or persons in GTA VI, as the game focuses on stuff like conspiracy theories.
Rockstar Traveled Across Florida With Gang Members and Cops for GTA 6 Research
Rockstar has discussed travelling across Florida with gang members and cops for GTA 6 research, and hovering in a helicopter above a Beyonce concert.
Moon-Like Madagascar
A bright lens of anorthosite, a rock type prevalent on the lunar surface, is cradled within sheared rocks in the country’s south.
Grand Theft Auto VI developers literally forced Sony to develop QSSR technology
According to insider PainkillerQ8, the Rockstar Games team literally forced Sony developers to dig up the technology...
Iconic singer’s death at 63 rocks music world: ‘Was such a powerhouse bluesy vocalist’
Her family announced her death on social media.
Iconic singer’s death at 63 rocks music world: ‘Was such a powerhouse bluesy vocalist’
Her family announced her death on social media.
Rockstar Games Confirms Next Official GTA 6 Update for October 5
Grand Theft Auto fans looking forward to the long-awaited GTA 6 should circle their calendars for Monday, October 5.
Ocean chemistry on ancient Earth could help scientists search for life on alien worlds
A new look at ancient rocks suggests that a self-sustaining nutrient cycle in ancient oceans helped keep Earth's atmosphere rich in oxygen for millions of years.
Rockstar Officially Discusses GTA 6's Open-World Map of Vice City
Rockstar officially reveals one of the ways that GTA 6's open-world design works with Vice City and its story.
Miami Heat announce 'A Night in Vice City' theme ahead of GTA VI release
With Grand Theft Auto VI's long-awaited release date set for Nov. 19, the Heat are partnering with Rockstar Games to offer a topical lead-up event the night before.
Miami Heat To Wear Grand Theft Auto VI-Inspired Uniforms For “A Night In Vice City”
The Heat have teamed up with Rockstar to promote the release of the highly anticipated game during their Nov. 18 matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brand New GTA 6 Screenshots Focus on Lucia and Jason's Relationship
Rockstar has further ramped up its GTA 6 marketing today with the launch of several new screenshots focusing on protagonists Lucia and Jason.
Sports Schedules (Oct. 2-13)
SPORTS SCHEDULES (OCT. 2-13) (* — tablerocksports.net) FRIDAY, OCT. 2 College Volleyball Northwest at Southern Oregon, 6 p.m. Email newsletter signup College Men’s Soccer Carroll at Southern Oregon, 2:30 p.m. […]
Rockstar confirm 10+ new details about Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay
Rockstar reveals new GTA 6 details, including over 170 animal species, ride-share fast travel, hurricanes, and side activities across the state of Leonida.
GTA 6 completely "re-engineered" Rockstar's weather systems to "achieve a sense of scale we haven't felt before," adding hurricanes, rainbows and heavy rain
Rockstar Games has detailed how GTA 6 is expanding on Red Dead Redemption 2's weather systems "to make everything much more localized and persistent."
GTA 6's Advanced Weather System Officially Confirmed By Rockstar
Grand Theft Auto 6 not only has a revamped weather system, but there will be some major weather events that could impact gameplay in some capacity.
Scientists Dated the Catastrophic Pompeii Eruption Using Only Rocks. Here's How Close They Got
According to Pliny the Younger, Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24th, 79 CE. That date is now helping geochronologists modify a common mineral dating technique.
Rockstar Officially Reveals 3 Big New 'GTA 6' Gameplay Features
Game Informer's cover story dishes on GTA 6's animals, the game's dynamic weather system, and Rockstar's intense approach to NPC generation
GTA 6 Won't Spoof Disney World, And That's Too Bad
Rockstar is avoiding the House of Mouse.
GTA 5 Modder Cancels Nintendo Switch Port Just Days Before Launch After Previously Taunting Rockstar: 'I Am Thankful For Take-Two's Mercy'
The creator behind the planned port will not release any code or assets online in order to avoid a possible lawsuit
Ranked among America’s best science museums in 2026: NASA’s visitor center in Houston lets you touch a real Moon rock and step inside a Space Shuttle replica
Space Center Houston: the NASA science museum where Moon rocks, spacecraft and Candlelight concerts bring space history to life.
Exclusive: Grand Theft Auto VI Features Tropical Storms And Hurricanes
Rockstar reveals new details about GTAVI's weather systems in our exclusive cover story. - Game Informer
Sea level rise reshaping California beach town and threatening rail line
San Clemente's North Beach is now split and officials have used rocks to shore up a seaside rail line. But residents say the structure is making erosion worse and more sand is needed to nourish the beach.
GTA 6's Collector's Box Gator Statue Can Now Be 3D Printed: '$400 And No Disc? F**k You Rockstar'
At least one person is so fed up with Rockstar that they modeled a cartoon gator in retaliation
Scientists find lunar 'magnetic fossil' in Chang'e-6 samples
The moon no longer has a global magnetic field, but lunar rocks and soils still contain records of ancient magnetism. Studying the magnetic minerals in these samples can help scientists understand how ...
Mark Your Calendars, GTA 6 Is Getting Some Serious Competition On Nov. 19
PC replacement ready to take the fight to Rockstar
Scientists may have misread a 2-billion-year-old clue about Earth
Scientists have found that a famous 2-billion-year-old chemical signature, once thought to record a massive global change in Earth’s carbon cycle, may instead have been produced by local magma, hydrocarbons, and methane-eating microbes. The discovery raises new questions about what was really happening as oxygen transformed the young planet.
Insane $300+ Reprint Value Secret Lair Precon Release Date Seemingly Revealed
Thanks to a Chaos Vault email that appeared earlier today, Secret Lair's Odds and Ends release date has almost certainly been confirmed.
Rocks from Pompeii suburb tells a story of destruction—that could help us today
Chemistry and first-person sources are joining forces to date eruptions.
Cover Reveal
Rockstar Games' next crime epic graces the cover of Game Informer. - Game Informer
Rockstar Unveils $400 Grand Theft Auto VI Collector's Set — But It Doesn't Include the Game
Rockstar Games has announced a $400 Grand Theft Auto VI collector's set, but the Vice City box doesn't include a copy of GTA 6.
Rockstar reveals a £350 box of naughty GTA 6 collectables you definitely wouldn't get through airport security
A whopping £350 for this limited edition GTA 6 collectible set - and that doesn't even include the game.
Rockstar Reveals $400 Special Edition Of Grand Theft Auto 6
This version of the game includes a ton of Vice City-inspired extras, like a statue, sunglasses, and crossbody bag
GTA 6 Datamine Reveals 'The Goodtime State
A mysterious new GTA 6 product has been leaked to be coming to the Rockstar Store called the Vice City Collection.
Angry outbursts, slurs and firings: Tumult rocks a key Senate campaign
Democrats hope that Mary Peltola can flip a Republican Senate seat in Alaska. Former aides describe a campaign and congressional office marked by chaos.
Ella Langley to play at Denver’s The Grizzly Rose next month ahead of Red Rocks concert
Ella Langley, whose hit “Choosin’ Texas” has made music history, will perform an “intimate” show at The Grizzly Rose in a couple of weeks.
Grand Theft Auto 6's Miami Takeover Begins as Rockstar Spends Nearly $1 Million on 'Welcome to Vice City' Signage
Rockstar Games has reportedly spent $1 million to install a "Welcome to Vice City" sign in Miami as part of Grand Theft Auto 6's marketing push.
Rockstar Issues Major Update Before 'GTA 6' Release
GTA and RDR2 fans have strict new rules to worry about on PC, according to a new Rockstar announcement
Rockstar Games' New Modding Policy Crushes Influencers' Dreams for Monetized GTA 6 RP Servers
Rockstar Games has outlined its policy for modding ahead of Grand Theft Auto 6's release, and it may crush the dreams of some would-be entrepreneurs.
'GTA 6' Release Date Triggers Mass Leave Requests and HR Pushback
Australians are already booking annual leave for GTA VI, with some taking the entire launch week off to play Rockstar's biggest franchise.
SUNY Potsdam geoscientists awarded National Science Foundation grant
Two SUNY Potsdam geoscientists have been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to investigate the chemistry of ancient waters preserved in sedimentary rocks across Atlantic Canada, research …
New GTA 5 Leak Suggests Rockstar Had Ambitious, City-Sized DLC Plans That Were Ultimately Scrapped
GTA 5 has suffered a new leak that suggests Rockstar Games had ambitious, city-sized DLC plans for the game.
Melanie Griffith, 69, rocks black swimsuit and shows off impressive yoga pose during 'health reset'
GTA 6 Online Releasing In 2027 Says Twitch CEO After Talks With Rockstar
GTA Online won’t come to GTA 6 until some point next year, 2027. That’s according to the CEO of Twitch who’s had lots of conversations with Rockstar. Dan Clancy has shared what w…
GTA Online Will Be Supported 'Beyond' GTA 6 Release, PC 'Becoming More and More Important'
Rockstar Games plans to support GTA Online "beyond" the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, parent company Take-Two has confirmed.
Banking scandal rocks Brazil’s politics and the country’s presidential election in October
On the night of November 17 2025, Brazilian federal agents pulled banker Daniel Vorcaro off the tarmac at Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport as he prepared to board a private jet. He was initially detained as a flight risk and arrested a few months later on multiple charges of bank fraud, corruption and money laundering. He currently awaits judgment. Now, less than a month before Brazil’s national elections, the so called “Banco Master crisis” threatens to shake the country’s democracy to its core.
GTA 6's first confirmed actor is King of the Hill's Stephen Root: "It's an amazing thing to look at"
Rockstar Games hasn't said anything about GTA 6's voice cast, but Stephen Root just let slip that he's playing a new character in the open-world romp.
Banking scandal rocks Brazil’s politics and the country’s presidential election in October
After ten months of investigation, the Banco Master case points to banker Daniel Vorcaro managing to take the country’s political system hostage.
Monday Scaling the Rocks: Country Roads, Take Me Home
Colorado Rockies news and links for Monday, September 14th, 2026
First Major Cast Member Confirms Appearance in GTA 6, Seemingly Going Off Rockstar's Script
The first major cast member has confirmed his appearance in Grand Theft Auto 6, seemingly going off Rockstar’s tightly controlled marketing script.
5 Mini Gadgets From Belkin That Are Small Enough To Take Anywhere
Belkin's UltraCharge Power Bank, Wireless Microphone, Magnetic Charging Camera Grip, RockStar USB-C Audio Adapter, and Magnetic Wireless Power Bank w/ Stand.
GTA 6 Officially Details Open-World Features
Rockstar Games details some of the open-world features players will enjoy in the upcoming release of GTA 6.
Miami Approves 'Discreet' GTA 6 Marketing Campaign So the City Can Fix Its Football Field
Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to real-life Miami after a city meeting resulted in the approval of a "discreet" – and controversial – marketing campaign.
Sacked Grand Theft Auto worker claims Rockstar staff placed on 'watch list'
The makers of Grand Theft Auto deny staff were sacked for union organising and were instead dismissed for sharing confidential information online.
The core arguments behind the Rockstar union busting trial
Both parties have set out their stall in legal documents obtained by Game Developer.
"I don't think it's worth any amount of money" - Controversial real-life GTA 6 advertising campaign passed by City of Miami, but brand can only appear "discreetly"
A City Commission Meeting for Miami Beach has approved negotiations with Rockstar Games for an upcoming marketing campaign set in the seaside locale.
GTA 6 Netflix preview drove more than 100,000 sign-ups during its six-hour exclusivity window
Rockstar's extended look resulted in the third-largest subscriber spike on Netflix this year, according to Ampere Analysis
Scientists want to 3D print houses on Mars with the help of yeast
Mars is a terrible place to build a house. It’s bitterly cold, blasted by radiation, and a near vacuum. Not to mention that the building materials, even for a modest shelter, could spend months hurtling through space before construction begins. But they don’t have to. In a study publishing September 10 in the journal Chem Circularity, researchers developed a recipe that could one day be used to 3D print houses on Mars. The recipe combines Martian rocks with Earthly ingredients: gelatin and yeast. Once dried and hardened, this living building material is as strong as low-grade concrete and can be broken down, recycled, and brewed again for new construction.
Maid 4 Time Forms Strategic Partnership with Local Business Rockstar to Elevate Cleaning Services
New York, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maid 4 Time, a leading house cleaning company, renowned for its top-rated cleaning services and exc...
Wild scenes in City win! Security steps in, tunnel rocks
There was plenty of tension in that one! Emotions boiled over more than once between Manchester City and Porto last night.It all started in the first half with a foul by Marc Guéhi on Gabri Veiga. In...
Geologists reveal the Americas collided millions of years earlier than thought
Volcanic rocks in Colombia are rewriting the timeline of the collision between Central and South America. Their magnetic signatures show that major tectonic deformation had already weakened by the late Miocene, suggesting the most intense collision occurred earlier than previously believed.
Scientists Discover the 7 Stages a Meteoroid Goes Through Before Hitting Earth
An analysis of 75 meteorite falls identified seven distinct processes that occur as space rocks melt, break apart, and slow down before reaching the ground. A space rock entering Earth’s atmosphere does far more than simply “burn up.” By examining 75 meteorite falls recorded in videos and photographs, researchers identified seven distinct stages that shape
China’s Warrior Scientists: Insights from Recent Operations Around Taiwan
China’s marine scientific research ships are expanding their operations around Taiwan, and they are not just there to advance the frontiers of human
The Otherworldly Geology of Vasquez Rocks
Layers of sedimentary rock that jut from the Soledad Basin at surprising angles have long enthralled television and film producers, including the team behind Star Trek.
Rockstar May Move GTA 6 PC Launch in Response to Expected Console Shortages
It has long been thought that there would be a long delay between the console and PC launches of Grand Theft Auto VI—GTA V launched to consoles a whole two years ahead of the PC port—however, the unprecedented times facing the PC and console hardware markets may be enough to pressure Rockstar...
Is GTA 6 Too Realistic for Its Own Good? Refueling Cars and Gun Restrictions Spark Debate
Early Grand Theft Auto 6 details have sparked debate about whether Rockstar Games' latest is too realistic for its own good.
AMD’s Ryzen AI MAX+ PRO 495 Powers GMKtec’s EVO-X5 PRO To Run 300B+ Models Locally On 192 GB of Unified Memory
GMKtec has launched its flagship Mini Workstation, the EVO-X5 PRO, which rocks AMD's fastest Ryzen AI MAX+ PRO 495 chip.
Oasis reunion tour documentary rocks Venice Film Festival
VENICE, Italy (AP) — The Gallagher brothers brought some rock star energy to a sleepy, and sweaty, Venice Film Festival Saturday, where the documentary about their reunion tour made its
Oasis reunion tour documentary rocks Venice Film Festival
The Gallagher brothers bring rock star energy to the Venice Film Festival with their documentary “Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger.”.
Oasis reunion tour documentary rocks Venice Film Festival
The Gallagher brothers bring rock star energy to the Venice Film Festival with their documentary “Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger.” The film, premiering Saturday, explores their reunion tour and
Oasis reunion tour documentary rocks Venice Film Festival
The Gallagher brothers bring rock star energy to the Venice Film Festival with their documentary “Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger.” The film, premiering Saturday, explores their reunion tour and
Oasis reunion tour documentary rocks Venice Film Festival
The Gallagher brothers bring rock star energy to the Venice Film Festival with their documentary “Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger.” | Talk 1370
Oasis reunion tour documentary rocks Venice Film Festival
VENICE, Italy (AP) — The Gallagher brothers brought some rock star energy to a sleepy, and sweaty, Venice Film Festival Saturday, where the documentary about their reunion tour is making
15 discouraging hours with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and 10 brilliant ones with He Who Watches
In the last few weeks, while playing some video games that I might review, I emailed two cries for help. I sent the first to a rep for Capcom, confessing that the company’s samurai game Onimusha Way of the Sword (out today for PC and console) was crushing me. “Feels like I’m playing ‘hard’ mode, not ‘normal,’” I wrote. “And I don’t want to have to knock it down to “story”. I’m exploring, trying to level my gear, but these two-phase boss fights with no mid-fight checkpoints are brutal.” I wagered I was only about halfway through the game, if that. I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the steepening difficulty curve. Was I missing something? Then, on Monday, I took some photos of some puzzles that were baffling me in the mind-bending He Who Watches (out now on PC), wrote out lengthy descriptions of how I’d been trying to solve them and asked Bobby Vanden, the game’s solo developer, for a nudge in the right direction. I told Vanden I’d spent hours on these puzzles. “I’m stuck in triplicate,” I told him. Could he tell me if the solutions I was attempting were even on the right track? I didn’t mention that the puzzles—coupled with major time pressures from other work—were stressing me out so much that playing the game was giving me headaches. This double dose of panic was unusual. I’m used to managing a workload full of reporting and reviewing, used to a crowded schedule and the need to stay calm amid the bustle. But I was stressed about these games. No one was forcing me to review them, nor even play them. I’d simply found them interesting enough to start, hoped they’d be interesting enough to write about and I’d sunk hours into them assuming I’d made the right call. Suddenly, however, I felt trapped. I was emailing for a way out. Above: This guy took me about an hour to beat. The feedback I got from Capcom confirmed my fears. They didn’t say it, but I will: Onimusha Way of the Sword is not for me. It’s a brutally hard game in need of a normal difficulty level. It’s a game that spikes so severely during its abundant boss fights—yet offers such flawed ways to improve when outside of them—that it feels like a bait-and-switch. In the new Onimusha, you play as famed samurai Musashi Miyamoto, aided by a magical soul-absorbing gauntlet that is possessed by a lady who offers advice. (Way of the Sword is a continuation of Capcom’s long-dormant Onimusha series, but that set-up had me wondering if the company was cribbing from their ill-fated Bionic Commando reboot; read about “wife-arm” when you get a chance). Way of the Sword is partially set in 17th century Kyoto, an explorable city where Miyamoto can fight demons, help civilians and eventually rescue ghostly dogs. The city evolves over time, with new mini adventures and obtainable loot on offer, all feeding into systems that promise to upgrade your gear and sword-fighting skills. Upgrades, however, are so incremental as to be imperceptible, causing the exploration of Kyoto to feel like inconsequential busywork. From that hub, players can go on linear missions into forests and old temples, where they will encounter many of the game’s tough bosses. Combat in Way of the Sword is akin to many modern melee games. Players are asked to mix attacks with dodges and parries. They’re encouraged to deplete an enemy’s stamina bar in order to do greater damage to its health bar. The old Onimusha games’ signature move was the issen, a counter-attack so sudden it’s all but pre-emptive. You strike just as they begin to strike toward you, beating them to the cut. By definition, the issen is a high risk move, leaving you wide open to pain. It feels risky in the game, especially against bosses, who can maul you in just a few blows. A game might train you to perform an issen well by offering a variety of lesser enemies who are not as tough as the boss but get close. Or it might offer a toehold against bosses by saving or checkpointing the player’s progress when a boss’ first health bar has been destroyed and before the second health bar appears. It might offer the less skilled player a chance to over-level their character, should the player simply commit to playing through its optional sidequests. Way of the Sword does none of this. Fighting its trivially easy grunt enemies and then its ferociously adept bosses is like playing a game of chess where I’ve got a rook, while the opposing side is all pawns and five queens. Bosses simply don’t checkpoint. You may be able to clear a boss’ first phase without taking much damage. Good for you. Do it again, every time you fail the second phase. As for the the central Kyoto hub, I kept pace with all of its added side activities and never felt like I was overpowered. Bosses could still easily buckle me. The new Onimusha, I concluded, is just too discouraging to keep playing. The advice I got from Capcom had been well-intentioned. They reminded me of the game’s various systems. They alerted me to an optional assist that flashes recommended button inputs (basically: counter this move; dodge that move). It was a little helpful. So was dropping down to “story mode,” which I tried last night. Story mode turns on those button prompts by default. It makes countering and dodging way too easy, nearly automatic. I don’t consider myself a master of action games like these, but I’ve cleared the likes of God of War, Stellar Blade, Star Wars Jedi and others of sub-Sekiro difficulty and had a fun time doing so. Not here. Not yet. Unless they patch Onimusha: Way of the Sword and add a middle difficulty or just checkpoint the damn bosses when they’re between health bars, my streak of loving Capcom games released in 2026 will likely end at two. It’s a shame, because I was having a good time finding those ghostly dogs. And then there’s He Who Watches, a phenomenal first person puzzle game with Portal vibes, except instead of a portal gun you’ve got a magical bow that shoots one arrow that can activate switches or be used to drag blocks. The twist is an actual twist: you can also walk on walls and the ceiling, reorienting gravity as you do, thereby placing blocks onto those other surfaces. Walking on walls and ceilings to solve problems is really the best thing. Would that I could in reality. He Who Watches consists of locked-room challenges, each brief enough to only require about a minute to actually solving, though it will take five, 10, eventually 30 minutes to figure out said solutions. They are not obvious! It’s a game of layered mechanics and shocking solutions. For example, see if you can follow this: You can drag a block to a wall. Then you can walk on the wall, which now feels like the floor, and drag that block across the wall. Later, back on the floor, you might realize you can look up. The block is still on the wall, stuck to it. You can shoot your magic arrow to its underside. Doing so creates a tether, so that you can yank the block off the wall and carry it, as if it were a balloon, into the spot where you need it to be to solve the puzzle. Here, watch Vanden explain some of the game’s basics in this launch trailer: As with any great puzzle game, the solutions to He Who Watches’ puzzles elicit relief and amazement. Oh my god, that worked! I didn’t even think that could be possible! Learning to solve the game’s puzzles feels like learning magic. But, oh, does the game get hard. Its Steam reviews, mostly glowing, are full of players remarking how quickly He Who Watches made them sweat. Wrote one: “loving this one already although my brain is hurting!” Wrote another: “As you get further in the game it feels like you need an IQ level of at least 120+.” Vanden has shown some mercy. Each locked room puzzle includes an optional junior version of the puzzle, meant to teach you. Difficulty nevertheless ramps severely. By the time I was emailing Vanden for help, I was struggling to even clear one of the hint puzzles. When I messaged him, my stress was exacerbated by strange things I’d found in the game’s various hubs: suspicious passageways, odd blocks and some intriguing locked doors. These were hints of secrets, I realized, yet I sensed I needed to play further into the game to understand them. I was stuck, but I wanted to see the rest. Vanden offered to give me the exact solutions, to solve those three puzzles for me, but first he gave four nudges. Three were for the specific puzzles, but his best hint was for all and ultimately proved to be a terrific life lesson: go back a bit, he suggested. Do the puzzles right before those. They were teaching you something. Focus on what their lesson was. Don’t rush, in other words. Recognize what you’ve accomplished. Build off of that. I did so. I absorbed the lessons. I saw those three tough puzzles in a new light. I solved one the night after he wrote back, another the morning after. I left a third for another time. I didn’t need it and I wanted to plunge deeper into the game, closer to the moment when I was sure I could start unlocking those secret doors. My head stopped hurting, too. He Who Watches feels special. It’s got more challenges, and I’m undeterred. It’s also nice that its puzzles don’t have a surprise second health bar. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: In brief… 🎮 Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder of Helsinki-based Housemarque (Super Stardust HD, Resogun, Returnal) has stepped down from his studio, after a 31-year run, saying he’s “ taking a rare and well-deserved breather.” Sony purchased Housemarque in 2021, and the studio released its newest game, Saros, earlier this year. Trend-watch: Sony-owned Insomniac saw its founder Ted Price retire in early 2025, after a 30-year run. Sony-owned Sucker Punch saw its co-founder Brian Fleming step down in late 2025, after a 28-year run. 👀 Savvy Games Group chief Brian Ward is stepping down from the Saudi-government-backed games conglomerate, Bloomberg reports. No word on a long-term successor yet, nor if this augurs any closer integration between Savvy and Electronic Arts. EA was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, in early August. 💿 Square Enix has denied a Japanese media report that the company was planning to go private. In very different Square Enix news, the company revealed that the physical version of Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the April 2027 finale of its radical remakes of FFVII, will include just one disc in its case, requiring a download for the rest. The first two FFVII remakes in the trilogy shipped on two discs apiece. While Square hasn’t commented on the reason why, a feature here in Game File last month broke down the processes and costs for physical games. The expense of a second disc comes out of the game publisher’s cut of each copy. Square could be saving in excess of a dollar a copy with this move. 🟥 Grand Theft Auto IV’s 26-minute ’‘extended look” gameplay showcase that premiered on Netflix last week—and was exclusive to the platform for six hours—drew 31.1 million views in its first four days, the streamer announced. (Netflix calculates views as total viewed hours divided by runtime; excludes replays). Compared to YouTube: The version that later premiered on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel is sitting at 22.6 million views after seven days (YouTube’s more liberal counting system tallies anyone who viewed even just the first few second.) Compared to other Netflix mega-events: Last year, Stranger Things season 5’s first four episodes, which debuted together, drew a record 59.6 million views in their first few days on Netflix. For more of a live event type of comparison, in 2024, the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match drew 65 million concurrent streams as it happened; Netflix didn’t release live numbers for the GTA premiere. ☁️ Microsoft is changing the way it charges for cloud gaming, from an all-you-can-play offer for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, to caps for the subscription’s tiers (15 hours per month at the Ultimate tier), with the option to buy more hours in bulk beyond that. The company also said it will sell batches of cloud gaming time to non-Game Pass subscribers, details TBA. Microsoft does not release figures for cloud game usage, but said its changes would impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers. That implies a small portion of its subscribers exceed the 15-hour monthly mark. Cloud gaming offers the promise of playing games without the need for console or PC hardware, as the graphics, sound and controls are all transmitted via a streaming connection. Microsoft notes that its cloud gaming service can be used for a range of things, including Xbox One players using it to play newer-gen Xbox Series games via streaming; and people playing games via streaming, sans any console, “in markets where consoles are less available or affordable.” (That latter use case could even be relevant in Xbox’s home market soon, as console prices keep rising.) Take Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick recently told investors he expects game-streaming tech, which has been only lightly adopted by gamers for over a decade, to be widely used within three years. 🇺🇸 The Trump administration has published multiple agenda-driven web video games to the White House’s website. One called Build The Wall partially clones Tetris as it asks players to build a wall to stop a “zombie border siege.” While actual Tetris involves clearing lines and basically not building a wall, the Trump-backed game omits the line-clearing aspect (and omits the fun as well). On Instagram, Tetris’ official license holders reacted by stating: “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community. P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall.’ P.P.S.: We take copyright infringement very seriously.” Item 3: The week ahead: Tuesday, September 8 Game releases: Mewgenics (consoles; already out on PC) is an engrossing tactical combat game (with cats). It is getting its console port right after the release of a Star Wars tactics game and ahead of the late September launch of a Fire Emblem–a bumper crop for the genre. Wanderburg (PC) is an auto-shooting game like Vampire Survivors, but you’re a castle on wheels Event: Nintendo airs a 30-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on The Legend of Zelda’s 40th Anniversary. A full unveiling of the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is expected. Will they also show footage from next year’s live action movie? Tease the next big 3D Zelda? Add Link to Mario Kart World? Shadow-drop a new Tingle game? Wednesday, September 9 Event: Nintendo again! On this day, they’re planning to air a 45-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on games heading to Switch 2 this winter. Followed by about an hour of gameplay demoed by the company’s Treehouse team. The September Nintendo Directs are always some of the year’s biggest. The 2025 edition included announcements of several major 2026 Switch/Switch 2 games: Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave. Plus the return of the Virtual Boy. Friday, September 11 Game release: EA Sports NHL 27 (PlayStation, Xbox) is a hockey game. There are so few that an indie studio that had been making wacky sci-fi first-person shooters just announced that, hey, we’re going to fill a void and make a hockey game for PC.
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