NLG - Next Level Gaming

While Xbox Game Pass often steals all the headlines thanks to its onslaught of games added over the last couple of years, Sony has been making some big additions to its PlayStation Now service as well. The company today announced the additions coming for the month of June, and the offerings are looking rather strong for those who subscribe to the service. The headliner is certainly The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition . Those who haven't already played The Witcher 3 are in for a treat, as this bundle not only includes one of the best games of last generation , but also all 16 pieces of DLC and the two award-winning expansion packs: Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was immediately one of the most memorable experiences in gaming history when it released, and it has only gotten better in the time since. You can read our review of the base game here . The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available until September 6, and it's a huge game, so plan

In the past, many developers have been hesitant to call their game "political" for fear of pushback from parts of the gaming community. Ubisoft has  been guilty of that in the past , but following an out-of-context quote that circulated last Friday where Far Cry 6 narrative director Navid Khavari said the team didn't want to deal specifically with the politics of Cuba, Khavari has come out and said, in no uncertain terms, that the story of Far Cry 6 is political. Taking to a blog post on the Ubisoft website, Khavari starts the post with a blunt declaration about the politics of its upcoming game. You can read the full, unabridged text from the blog post , titled "The Politics of Far Cry 6," below. Our story is political. A story about a modern revolution must be. There are hard, relevant discussions in Far Cry 6 about the conditions that lead to the rise of fascism in a nation, the costs of imperialism, forced labor, the need for free-and-fair elections, LG

When the Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, players were given a choice of how they wanted to play with Nintendo's fledgling hybrid system. However, those who wanted a better gamepad experience than the Joy-Cons could offer needed to pick up the official Switch Pro Controller, which better emulated the traditional offerings from consoles like the Xbox One. In the time since the system's launch, we've seen a few companies attempt to deliver a competent third-party experience, but to this point, most (if not all) have fallen short of Nintendo's first-party offering. One of those companies, PowerA, has pulled out all the stops, finally giving the first-party Switch Pro Controller a run for its money. The PowerA Fusion Pro Enhanced Wireless Controller delivers most of the bells and whistles you'd want from a premium gamepad. This weighty controller sits nicely in your hands and features the standard button layout gamers have grown accustomed to with four primary face b

Following a launch that sparked massive backlash from the gaming community, CD Projekt's Cyberpunk 2077 was removed from the PlayStation Store's digital marketplace and those who purchased it were offered the opportunity to receive a refund. The game is still unavailable for purchase from the PlayStation Store today, and CD Projekt is feeling the effects as it reports its quarterly profits. CD Projekt SA's profit fell more than half from a year earlier, Reuters  reports . While the company did not say how many copies of Cyberpunk 2077 it sold during the quarter, it says that approximately 60 percent of first-quarter sales came from Cyberpunk 2077. Overall net profit at the Polish company fell 64.7 percent to 32.5 million zlotys (just below $8.9 million). Going in, analysts projected 80 million zlotys, but Cyberpunk 2077 development expenditures plus work on post-launch fixes have greatly impacted that. CD Projekt revenue also dropped by 2 percent.  Reuters  also reports

The current Need for Speed game may be in limbo at present so developer Criterion can help out with the Battlefield franchise, but Electronic Arts has announced it is sunsetting several older Need for Speed titles. Not only will the the five affected Need for Speed games no longer have access to their online features when the sunset occurs this fall, but they are also delisted from digital storefronts effective today.  According to a Reddit post from community manager Max Myrus, Need for Speed Carbon, Need for Speed Undercover, Need for Speed Shift, Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed, and Need for Speed: The Run are getting delisted today. After today's delisting and closure of the in-game storefronts, players can access the online components until August 31. Beginning September 1, 2021, the online servers will close and players will be restricted to the offline modes. "Decisions to retire games are never made easy, but we are now shifting gears to focus on the future of N

Developer: Two Point Studios The studio behind Two Point Hospital is ready to take us back to school according to a leak from the Microsoft Store. We largely  enjoyed Two Point Hospital when it launched in 2018, as the game harkened back to the nostalgic delights of Theme Hospital, so when the Microsoft Store leaked that Two Point Studios is gearing up to announce a university management game, I was immediately on board.  The Microsoft Store listing (now taken down) was documented by several users across various forums, including Resetera and Quarter To Three . Those users not only grabbed the screenshots from the listing, but also the text from the product description. As the name implies, Two Point Campus allows you to build a university however you want, all with the signature Two Point Studios humor.  According to the copied text from the forum users, you can build the university of your dreams, then populate it with students, faculty, and staff. Each student has a person

Publisher: Sega Developer: Two Point Studios Release: August 30, 2018 ( PC , Mac ), February 25, 2020 ( PlayStation 4 , Xbox One , Switch ) Rating: Everyone 10+ Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac The studio behind Two Point Hospital is ready to take us back to school according to a leak from the Microsoft Store. We largely  enjoyed Two Point Hospital when it launched in 2018, as the game harkened back to the nostalgic delights of Theme Hospital, so when the Microsoft Store leaked that Two Point Studios is gearing up to announce a university management game, I was immediately on board.  The Microsoft Store listing (now taken down) was documented by several users across various forums, including Resetera and Quarter To Three . Those users not only grabbed the screenshots from the listing, but also the text from the product description. As the name implies, Two Point Campus allows you to build a university however you want, all with the signature Two Poin

The studio behind Two Point Hospital is ready to take us back to school according to a leak from the Microsoft Store. We largely  enjoyed Two Point Hospital when it launched in 2018, as the game harkened back to the nostalgic delights of Theme Hospital, so when the Microsoft Store leaked that Two Point Studios is gearing up to announce a university management game, I was immediately on board.  The Microsoft Store listing (now taken down) was documented by several users across various forums, including Resetera and Quarter To Three . Those users not only grabbed the screenshots from the listing, but also the text from the product description. As the name implies, Two Point Campus allows you to build a university however you want, all with the signature Two Point Studios humor.  According to the copied text from the forum users, you can build the university of your dreams, then populate it with students, faculty, and staff. Each student has a personality with wants and needs for yo

Double Fine founder Tim Schafer used to tell people he didn't have any regrets; he's been able to make all the things he wanted to make. But as he got older, his feelings changed. In his career, Schafer both participated in and encouraged brutal periods of crunch on various game development projects. Reflecting on it now, he says he has a lot of regrets about what he put his teams through. "When it's just yourself, you can throw yourself against the task as hard as you can," Schafer says. "'All day and all night, I'm going to push this rock. Ahhh! I'm going to give it my all.' And then as I got more into a role where I was managing and designing and there were other people doing the gameplay programming stuff, now you're pushing on a soft person who's against the rock. So you can, like, squish them and kill them if you push too hard." Schafer's career began in the nascent years of the game industry; his first job was at Luc

We've got adorable puppy dogs, enhanced weapon crafting, a power-crazed dictator on the cusp of losing his powe r; Far Cry 6 has it all. For those that are excited about the next Ubisoft adventure, the Far Cry 6 Collector's Edition is now available to pre-order. Not big into collectibles? There are other versions, as well. Here's what you need to know.  For those that pre-order Far Cry 6, you get a special skin for the adorable Chorizo wiener dog that stole the show . You can also get the Discos Locos deadly disc launcher, as well. The pre-order bonus for the game is called the Libertad Pack.  Far Cry 6 Standard Edition - $60 Base game Pre-order bonuses  Far Cry 6 Gold Edition - $100 - $110 Base game Pre-order bonuses Season Pass 3 DLCs Beware the Dictator  The Jewel of the Carribean A Nation Stranded in the Past For $110, you can get a steelbook Far Cry 6 Ultimate Edition - $120 Base game Pre-order bonuses Season Pass Three skins Croc Hunter

HBO is adapting the Naughty Dog universe of The Last of Us, starring  The Mandalorian's  Pedro Pascal as Joel himself . With more casting news on the way, we decided to compile all of the confirmed casting choices so far, and we will update it as more are revealed in the coming months. For those curious, here is every character casting confirmed for The Last of Us TV series from HBO.  The Last of Us TV series just recently added two new directors with Jasmila Žbanić ( Aida ) and Ali Abbasi ( Border ) . The pair joins  Chernobyl  creator Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann. The casting choices for the most notable characters can be seen in the list below: Every  The Last of Us  TV series character casting confirmed so far Pedro Pascal - Joel Miller Gabriel Luna - Tommy Miller Bella Ramsey - Ellie Merle Dandridge - Marlene This is a much shorter list than what we have for the upcoming  Borderlands  movie from Eli Roth, however, more casting choices will be re

Click to watch embedded media With the Mass Effect Legendary Edition out now, so many seasoned fans are jumping back to board the Normandy once more to revisit familiar planets and say hello to old friends. More than that, however, newcomers to this beloved franchise are diving in for the first time, experiencing a new adventure, one that has touched so many lives throughout the years . With so many characters that have come to feel like family so many, what about the voices behind those friendly faces? We sat down with Jennifer Hale, who plays Commander Jane Shepard (among other roles) in the franchise, and Courtenay Taylor, who famously brought Jack to life, to learn a little more about the process behind the creation. We already knew it wasn't easy, but some of what we learned is good insight that applies to many aspects of life.  When going a little deeper into the voice acting side of games, Taylor mentioned that it's still hard not to be self-critical, no matter the yea

Click to watch embedded media With the Mass Effect Legendary Edition out now, so many seasoned fans are jumping back to board the Normandy once more to revisit familiar planets and say hello to old friends. More than that, however, newcomers to this beloved franchise are diving in for the first time, experiencing a new adventure, one that has touched so many lives throughout the years . With so many characters that have come to feel like family so many, what about the voices behind those friendly faces? We sat down with Jennifer Hale, who plays Commander Jane Shepard (among other roles) in the franchise, and Courtenay Taylor, who famously brought Jack to life, to learn a little more about the process behind the creation. We already knew it wasn't easy, but some of what we learned is good insight that applies to many aspects of life.  When going a little deeper into the voice acting side of games, Taylor mentioned that it's still hard not to be self-critical, no matter the yea

In a market full of class-based multiplayer games, Overwatch exploded onto the scene back in 2016 with a roster that demanded attention. Not only did each character fulfill a necessary team role, but each of them was visually distinct from the last. Players fell in love with Mei's charm, chastised Bastion and his damn shield turret, and found solace behind Reinhardt's broad shoulde– I mean, uh, barrier field. You had a role to play no matter which hero you played, and when your team was firing on all cylinders, Overwatch felt like magic. And while the shifting winds of esports lead to major shakeups in the game's meta, Blizzard continued to update their hero shooter with seasonal events, new cosmetics, and even massive character reworks . In our original review of Overwatch , we lauded the game's fresh twist on the team-based multiplayer genre: Overwatch is an amazing experience. It’s fresh and consistently fun, with matches that are great in random groups but astoni

Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Toronto Release: 2021 Rating: Mature Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC, Mac Today’s Far Cry 6 gameplay reel showcased high-stakes gunfights, zany explosions, guerrilla commandos, and...a cute weiner dog that kills enemies with kindness. Far Cry 5’s “Guns For Hire” is back, but this time your companions are fittingly called “Amigos For Hire.” You see, the Cuban island of Yara is expansive and beautiful; brimming with dense metropolitan centers, sparkling beaches, and lush forests. Over the course of the many intense skirmishes that you’ll be catalyzing, you might find yourself in need of some company. Luckily for you, two such allies were revealed in the Far Cry 6 footage: an adorable pup and a man-eating crocodile. Better yet, you can also rush through the packed streets and muddy villages of Yara on horseback if that suits your fancy. Hopefully, we'll get to see some more Amigos For Hire in future cine

Today’s Far Cry 6 gameplay reel showcased high-stakes gunfights, zany explosions, guerrilla commandos, and...a cute weiner dog that kills enemies with kindness. Far Cry 5’s “Guns For Hire” is back, but this time your companions are fittingly called “Amigos For Hire.” You see, the Cuban island of Yara is expansive and beautiful; brimming with dense metropolitan centers, sparkling beaches, and lush forests. Over the course of the many intense skirmishes that you’ll be catalyzing, you might find yourself in need of some company. Luckily for you, two such allies were revealed in the Far Cry 6 footage: an adorable pup and a man-eating crocodile. Chorizo Let me guess, if you weren’t sold before, you’re sold now that you know Chorizo (what an incredible name for a weiner dog!) is coming along for the ride. Your little buddy is as sweet as they come, but packs an unexpectedly mean punch too. If you prefer the stealth approach when taking down command posts or patrolling platoons, let