I think Nuclear Throne is one of those games that will always be at least just a little bit relevant, in some shape or form. There are other indie games I’d rather play more than it from its era, but it kind of feels like the best representation of that period in indie games too. Throwback pixel art, a unique spin on both bullet hells and roguelike, a bangin’ soundtrack, it’s got the right mix of things to help it stand the test of time. And here we are now, the game approaching its 10th anniversary, arriving with a new update.
Elden Ring Nightreign is close to a month old now, and FromSoftware has been rolling out enhanced versions of its bosses. The first one, Gaping Jaw, was an absolute terror. But in the first 24 hours of players facing off with the second Everdark Sovereign, the Darkdrift Knight, they don’t seem quite so overwhelmed.
Fulghor, Champion of the Nightglow is the latest Everdark Sovereign fight. To take on the fight, you’ll have to beat the base-level Darkdrift Knight expedition. He’s available to battle until, presumably, the next Everdark Sovereign rotates in; the hefty centaur replaced the shadow-drop enhanced Gaping Jaw battle, which was no slouch.
As for Fulghor? Players don’t seem to be having as tough a time with the stomping warrior. That’s not to say he’s outright easy; bosses are still, broadly, challenging in Elden Ring Nightreign. But it seems like, compared to the first Everdark Sovereign fight, players aren’t struggling as much with this one.
While Adel, the Gaping Jaw fight, had some big flashy moves and surprise on its side, Fulghor is comparatively chill. He does start the fight with his Venom-like arm appendage out, and his mid-fight transition sees him ascend into the sky and gain a normal arm back, allowing him to unleash a bunch of explosive, shiny attacks.
Still, it’s a bit more subdued than the literal storm and lightning frenzy that Gaping Jaw could whip up. “I feel as though Fulghor is easier but it’s just more fun to do. Chasing a boss for 20 minutes to get a few hits in is boring,” one Reddit user said. “Feel as though Fulghor could have been harder or had flashier moves, but I’m having way more fun repeating runs against him than Adel.”
Conversely, some like the flashiness of Adel compared to the (again, relatively) subdued enhanced Fulghor. “I liked the specific attacks Adel had like the tornado where you have to jump stream into the eye or you take constant damage,” another user said. “This seemed well thought out. The new attacks of Fulgor are pretty easy to understand even the first time youre seeing them.”
A true foe, at least for some players, were the servers. Around the launch of Fulghor, players started reporting disconnect issues, and you can them in other posts and replies.
But unless you’re this player specifically, you might not have as much trouble with the enhanced Darkdrift Knight as you might think. Still, there are more enhanced fights to tackle either way. Per Bandai Namco’s announcement post, there’s still a Sentient Pest Everdark Sovereign on the way. Other bosses are also due to get their enhanced versions over time, too.
Now, straight off the back of all this success, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has revealed that a huge aspect of the game’s positive reception is actually due to some crucial and very clever changes the dev team started implementing into the adventure just a year ago!
Sloclap’s foot-to-ball game Rematch is very good, and has been doing very well, with over three million sales to date, but some of us yet grieve for a time when kicks were reserved for torsos and limbs. Which is to say, some of us have been hoping that Sloclap might return to the martial arts realm in which it has hitherto made waves.
Greetings, scientists! July 22 fast approaches, a date which was forecast by our analysts and tested again and again deep in the labs of our facility! That’s right, we’ve been working on Abiotic Factor, a one-of-a kind co-op adventure. Go it alone or with up to 5 friends as enthusiastic eggheads trapped in a secret underground research and containment facility following an invasion by militant crusaders bent on bringing their science to an unceremonious halt.
Use brains – not brawn – to survive, inventing and hacking your way sector by sector, inter-dimensional portal by inter-dimensional portal, to finally – hopefully – escape.
Your first day
When you start your first day at the GATE Cascade Research Facility, it’s bedlam in the laboratories. Starting in the quaint Office Sector, it’s up to you and your friends to take matters into your own hands, quite literally.
Take care of your basic needs, from raiding vending machines and sleeping on couches to preparing meals from alien meats and breaking into the executive restroom on the coveted third floor… And that’s if the hazardous radiation spills don’t get you first.
Build yourself a home inside the sprawling facility, a base or shelter using whatever you can scrap together! Stay cozy and stay safe amidst the scenic vistas of vacant cubicles and machinations of science and paranormal alike. Whether it’s adding an office water cooler to your living room, an advanced power system to keep everything running, or a dozen laser turrets to fend off foes, there’s always something more to invent, build, discover, and explore.
Craft the equipment you need to combat a huge range of enemies from this world and a dozen other anteverses. Use destroyed computer parts, salvaged office equipment, alien artifacts and things your tiny human brain can barely comprehend – but it won’t stop you from trying. What are you, a coward? No, you’re a scientist.
When you’re not fighting anomalous entities, you’re farming your hydroponics. When you’re not farming, you’re cooking up that meat just right or sitting around a makeshift heater with your pals… or trying to steal an abandoned forklift.
As you scour the halls you may find yourself fighting for your life, but instead of fleeing like the scrawny egghead you might feel you are deep down inside, use that big wrinkly brain and science your way through enemy encounters to gain the upper hand, because if there’s one thing you have that they don’t, it’s the power of science at your very fingertips, right next to your calculator wristwatch. Upgrade your weapons at the Enhancement Bench and take a sip of coffee for a job well done.
Traveling with friends? Take on the team role that suits you, whether it’s forager, fighter, chef, builder or explorer, there’s a dozen ways to play Abiotic Factor – and a dozen more that you might just invent along the way. Just don’t forget to stay hydrated, okay?
A vast labyrinth
The GATE Cascade Research Facility is an immense and interconnected underground world.
Open up its bizarre secrets and anomalous wonders, chamber by chamber. Create shortcuts and explore every nook and cranny – we have both. Do this all while building up an ever-expanding bag of tricks to deal with the uncanny challenges that each new sector brings, and meet other scientific experts along the way who may help – or hinder – as you strive for ultimate survival.
You’ll soon realize that the adventure goes far beyond the facility – to a myriad of strange worlds and distant, supernatural realms unlocked by science and other forces yet unknown to us mere clipboard-clutching mortals.
The science must continue
Whether you’re tackling your challenges as a mad scientist, or act as a more reserved researcher, through trial and error, you can survive. Just be sure to bring your favorite labcoat – and maybe a few colleagues as well.
However you do it, you can discover the wonders, trials, and the triumph of Abiotic Factor on July 22, Day 1 as part of the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. We’ll see you soon in the GATE Cascade Research Facility.
Right, so, you’ve read the headline. There’s now a Cyberpunk 2077 mod that adds a rubbish chute to Megabuilding H10 with full animations and everything, so that you can exit V’s default flat via a big slide down to ground level.
It’s a totally unnecessary thing for someone to have spend time adding to a video game. It’s a totally unnecessary thing for a person to download and add to a video game they’ve bought. It’s also totally glorious, to the point that none of that other stuff matters a jot.
A Fortnite player who consistently cheated in competitive tournaments has been handed a huge fine and banned from the game “forever,” developer Epic Games has said.
Sebastian Araujo from Lomita, California, was sued by Epic after participating in 839 cash tournaments within just four months, while using a device designed to evade Fortnite’s anti-cheat detection.
According to Epic, which won its legal action against Araujo this week after he attempted to ignore the lawsuit, the player’s winnings amounted to “at least $6,850.” That’s no small amount, but his fine now is 25 times higher: an enormous $175,521.
How has Epic landed on such a figure? Court documentation shared with IGN shows the developer demanded the statutory minimum $200 fine for each violation of the game’s copyright for all 839 tournaments Araujo took part in — for a total of $167,800. The remainder of the fine is then mostly attorney fees and costs.
“While the Court notes the amount sought by Plaintiff exceedingly surpasses Defendant’s alleged actual gain, $6,850, Defendant took significant measures to conceal the true scope of his cheating activities by creating multiple fake accounts and employing a hardware spoofer to circumvent detections,” the court documentation reads.
Further examination shows Epic had pushed for an even higher fine — with an additional $100,000 penalty in statutory damages for copyright infringement — though it’s here that the judge decided this amount would have been “excessive” versus Araujo’s actual ill-gotten gains.
If it feels like Epic is making an example out of Araujo, then it wouldn’t be the first time. Back in February 2025, Epic humiliated another Fortnite tournament cheater by forcing them to post a public apology video acknowledging they had cheated, and were similarly now banned for life.
As with that case, the money Araujo must now pay will be donated by Epic to Child’s Play, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing access to toys and games.
Both cases follow a promise made back in November 2024, when Epic said it was “ramping up legal action against both players who cheat and cheat sellers,” as it sought to bolster “competitive integrity in tournaments.”
This latest public announcement, eye-watering fine and lifetime ban are all likely designed to act as deterrants for any other players with ideas of doing the same.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Tamagotchi Plaza! Ruffy and the Riverside! Locomoto!
Yes, it’s back!The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, delivering a host of new games to the eShop in North America. No, we didn’t forget about it over the past few weeks, it’s just a little thing called the Switch 2 has kept us faaaairly busy.
As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!
