We May Not Have Bully 2, But This Fan-Made Bully Online Mod May Be The Next Best Thing

If you’ve been missing Jimmy and still long for a Bully sequel, we may have the next best thing. While Rockstar hasn’t delivered Bully 2 yet — and where there’s life, there’s hope — a dedicated team of modders has created an entire online mode to keep you occupied in the meantime.

“IT’S HAPPENING!” developer SWEGTA announced on YouTube. “We finally have an online mode for Bully that allows you and your friends to play minigames, roleplay, compete in racing, fend off against NPCs, and much more!”

“It’s a project me and my team have been working on for a very long time,” SWEGTA added, “and it’s finally at a point in development where we can announce it and show it to the public.

“Bully Online runs on the DSL script loader, which is a plugin for Bully that essentially allows for a more versatile approach to modding. A lot of the things we thought were impossible just a few years ago can now be done, including making an online mode. We do have an official server for Bully Online, and we plan on making that available to the public to enjoy in due time.”

Starting in December, the team will be making the server available to people who support the project on Ko-Fi, along with previews, videos, screenshots, and developer commentary. The server itself is described as a “bit of a mix” between minigames, free roaming, and role-playing, and has a “fully fleshed out” inventory system that permits players to earn money in-game and spend it on a “wide variety of different things like housing, weapons, vehicles, and items.”

As for if there’ll ever be an official follow up? Dan Houser, Rockstar Games co-founder and the writer behind the studio’s biggest games, including the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series, recently sat down for an exclusive interview with IGN, revealing Bully 2 didn’t happen because of “bandwidth issues.”

Bully — also known as Canis Canem Edit in some parts of the world — was a humorous action game that put players in the role of high school outcast Jimmy while attending a pretentious private school. “Bully is a great, well-crafted action game that’s been made even stronger with one of the best senses of humor around,” IGN’s Bully review read. “Expect dozens and dozens of hours of fun.”

Fans have long called for a sequel, which was once in development at Rockstar’s New England studio in the late 2000s. While Bully 2 was obviously never released, some of its ideas made it into other Rockstar games like Red Dead Redemption 2.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Ron Gilbert’s new Death by Scrolling RPG about “never-ending grind” and “the absurdity of social media” is out now

For too long have you remembered Ron Gilbert as the peddler of point-and-click adventure game comedies like The Secret of Monkey Island, despite his long history of forays into other genres. From now on, you are only allowed to remember him as the purveyor of Dragon Quest-flavoured perpetual motion machines that satirise bureaucracy and precarity. I’m referring to Death By Scrolling, Gilbert’s latest project with Terrible Toybox NZ and publishers MicroProse. MicroProse? This seems awfully intuitive for that brand. Barely a dial or a light-up acronym to be seen.

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US immigration enforcers use Halo art to promote mass detention, while the White House and Gamestop swap Master Trump memes

The USA’s Immigration Customs Enforcement service, aka ICE, have started using imagery of Microsoft’s sci-fi shooter Halo for recruitment posts on social media, even as Gamestop and the US administration indulge in some bantz characterising Donald Trump as Master Chief, and even as Microsoft attempt to flog a new Halo game.

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Battlefield 6 Update 1.1.1.0 Now Live on All Platforms Ahead of Season 1 and Battle Pass Progression Later Today

Battlefield 6 Update 1.1.1.0 is live now on all platforms, EA has said. It arrives just hours before the launch of Season 1, battle pass progression, and the free-to-play battle royale, REDSEC.

EA told players they may need to restart their game to see the update, Season 1 and battle pass progression begin today at 8am PT / 11am ET / 3pm UK time.

This is the big post-launch patch that changes everything from weapon dispersion to balance, visibility to aim assist, progression, and more, with further updates due out over the course of Season 1.

“The Season 1 Update marks the next step in our ongoing journey to evolve and expand the Battlefield 6 experience,” Battlefield Studios has said. “This includes fixes, balance changes, and quality-of-life improvements focused on polish, performance, and player feedback to deliver an even smoother experience moving forward.”

Check out the patch notes in full below. While you wait for Season 1 to go live, check out our full list of all currently available Battlefield 6 multiplayer maps. Those looking to brush up on their online skills can also read our multiplayer tips and tricks guide.

Battlefield 6 Update 1.1.1.0 patch notes:

Major Updates for 1.1.1.0:

  • Improved core movement and animations, including smoother landings, faster stance transitions, better vaulting behavior, and reduced “bouncing” issues on landing or spawning.
  • Reworked weapon dispersion to better align accuracy and handling with each weapon’s intended design and performance over range. These changes address cases where accuracy behaved inconsistently, such as dispersion not properly settling after sprinting, and bring overall firing behavior closer to the intended balance between precision, control, and weapon power.
  • Significant visibility and lighting improvements, with better exposure transitions, interior lighting, and reduced fog and smoke persistence.
  • Audio overhaul, adding new projectile flybys, destruction and explosion sounds, refined vehicle and weapon mixes, and improved haptic feedback across multiple interactions.
  • UI and HUD updates for clarity and consistency, including overtime indicators, end-of-round fixes, and new unlock markers for weapons and gadgets.
  • Map fixes across multiple locations, resolving spawn animations, out-of-bounds issues, misaligned assets, and general stability across Conquest, Breakthrough, and Rush modes.

CHANGELOGPLAYER:

  • Fixed an issue where combat dive could break when diving uphill.
  • Fixed an issue where players would detach from ziplines when entering at high speed.
  • Improved steady aim and sight centering for more consistent precision.
  • Fixed an issue where movement could interrupt steady aim.
  • Adjusted misaligned character hitboxes for upper body and head to better match the visual models.
  • Fixed an issue where the jump animation could play twice when aiming down sights.
  • Landing animations now have their animation path properly centered, instead of shifting to the side when landing.
  • Fixed an issue where jump inaccuracy could linger too long after landing.
  • Fixed a visual issue causing weapons to appear rotated incorrectly after spawning.
  • Fixed an issue where throwing grenades from prone could make players appear standing in third-person view.
  • Fixed an animation delay when opening doors while sliding.
  • Fixed an issue where players could get stuck while vaulting over certain objects.
  • Fixed a visual issue where dead players appeared alive while swimming.
  • Fixed an issue where quick meleeing with a gadget would swap back to the primary weapon instead of the gadget.
  • Fixed an issue where getting killed by a mine would highlight it in the killcam.
  • Fixed a camera jitter that could occur when entering ladders and looking down.
  • Fixed an issue where camera and weapon sway behaved incorrectly after entering or exiting vehicles.
  • Fixed an issue where weapons of other soldiers could clip through walls when they entered your view.
  • Fixed an issue where pistols disappeared while swimming.
  • Improved lighting precision for visibility while hip-firing and aiming down sights.
  • Reduced occurrences of bouncing or landing issues when dropping onto certain objects.
  • Fixed an issue where the killer snapshot sometimes did not display in the killcam.
  • Small improvements to weapon and camera sway for smoother movement.
  • Fixed an issue where enemies could take melee damage in protected vehicle seats.
  • Fixed an issue where vaulting could fail if triggered right as the player hit an obstacle.
  • Fixed an animation issue where repeated vaulting could cause incorrect hand placement.
  • Fixed an issue where simultaneous melee hits could make an enemy briefly invisible
  • Fixed an issue where soldier heads briefly disappeared during redeploy transitions.
  • Improved training path progression display to better match actual unlocks.
  • Fixed an issue where friendly players could clip into each other when climbing ladders.
  • Fixed an issue preventing vaulting directly from a slide.
  • Fixed an issue causing the camera to rotate abruptly after a takedown.
  • Fixed an issue where hands briefly disappeared after using the AJ-03 COAG Med Pen.
  • Improved stab animations when reviving with drag and revive.
  • Fixed issues affecting peeking and prone transitions, ensuring both actions function correctly.
  • Fixed a camera clipping issue when going prone while strafing.
  • Fixed a missing third-person animation when transitioning from prone to sprint.
  • Fixed an issue where falling while sprinting caused incorrect hand movement.
  • Fixed visual clipping when soldiers stood too close to glass doors.
  • Fixed jittery aim animations in third-person when mounted.
  • Fixed a bug where mounting near walls prevented aiming left or right.
  • Fixed an issue where leaning, peeking, or mounting could cancel unexpectedly.
  • Fixed an issue where third-person hit reactions were missing when hit while mounted.
  • Fixed an animation issue where the character’s knee clipped with the camera when falling while crouched.
  • Fixed takedown inconsistencies, allowing players to properly perform melee takedowns even near walls.
  • Fixed an issue where taking melee damage interrupted weapon fire.
  • Fixed multiple visibility improvements including lighting, exposure, and fog behavior for better contrast and clarity across all maps.
  • Improved vaulting, parachute, and door-opening animations for smoother transitions.
  • Fixed rare animation freezes for friendly soldiers reloading off-screen.
  • Fixed minor inconsistencies in mounting, peeking, and prone transitions for more reliable gameplay.
  • Added parachute customization for soldiers.
  • Prevented unintended shoulder bump animation when equipping a weapon while sprinting.
  • Improved ragdoll impacts for more consistent and reliable reactions.
  • Improved stance transition and landing animations to settle faster and feel smoother.

VEHICLES:

  • Fixed missing haptic feedback when switching between tank weapons.
  • Fixed a visual issue where the player’s hand clipped with the M1A2 SEPv3 handle when sitting in external seats.

GADGETS:

  • Fixed a rare issue where the MAS 148 Glaive could block the first-person view during a combat dive.
  • Fixed a MAS 148 Glaive visual issue during combat dives in first-person.
  • Fixed an issue where Defibrillators appeared floating during vaulting animations.
  • Fixed an issue where the Supply Pouch would sometimes not resupply correctly.
  • Deployable gadgets are not destroyed/removed from debris piles
  • AT grenades now create a small sized crater instead of a medium one.
  • Buildings now take more hits to be destroyed by a Sledgehammer.

WEAPONS:

  • Weapon dispersion has been rebalanced to better match each weapon’s damage profile across all ranges. Lower-damage weapons will now see a slightly higher increase in dispersion when firing, while higher-damage weapons will experience slightly less.
  • Using Sniper Rifles with any class other than Recon will no longer increase weapon spread. Instead, weapon sway will now begin during the zoom transition, maintaining balance and distinguishing Recon’s precision advantage.
  • Fixed a misalignment issue with top-mounted red dot sights.
  • Fixed an issue where mounting a bipod while zoomed only changed the FOV instead of using the correct optic.
  • Fixed an issue where the Long Suppressor used the wrong attachment point cost for some weapons.
  • Improved reticle settling for automatic weapons to make burst firing more efficient.
  • Fixed an issue where using a bipod too close to complex geometry could throw the player off position while prone.
  • Balanced sledgehammer damage against world objects for better consistency.
  • Fixed an issue preventing players from leaving the Firing Range.

MAPS & MODES:

  • Improved fog and smoke effects after destruction to prevent them from lingering too long and impacting visibility.
  • Improved exposure transitions between indoor and outdoor areas for better visibility.
  • Fixed an issue where the zipline carabiner could appear offset and fly next to the wire instead of along it.
  • Squad names are now randomized at the start of Squad Deathmatch matches.
  • Added visible bomb meshes to armed M-COMs in Rush.
  • Updated overtime UI visualization across all modes.
  • Fixed animation and positioning issues during insertion sequences on all maps.
  • Fixed an issue where the game mode UI could display incorrect scores or fail to update during a round.
  • Fixed an End of Round progression issue in King of the Hill mode.
  • Fixed an issue where players could encounter a bouncing animation when spawning at HQs after capturing new territories in Escalation across multiple maps.

Mirak Valley

  • Fixed a misaligned zipline mesh in Conquest.
  • Fixed an issue where the deploy camera in Rush displayed attackers on the wrong side of the map.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented players from arming M-COM A in Rush due to a misplaced asset.

Siege of Cairo

  • Fixed overlapping territory lines and boundaries during the briefing screen in Escalation.

Liberation Peak

  • Fixed an issue in Escalation where a portion of the map on the NATO side was disconnected during the first period of the match.
  • Fixed an issue in Rush where part of the Attacker’s HQ area was incorrectly marked as out of bounds.

New Sobek City

  • Fixed an issue preventing players from capturing part of Flag C in Escalation.
  • Fixed an issue where players could ignite when spawning near a burning lorry in Team Deathmatch.
  • Adjusted an infantry vehicle spawn that was placed too close to a building in the PAX Armata HQ area.

Manhattan Bridge

  • Fixed an issue in Breakthrough where players could become stuck on the End of Round screen if the party leader left during the EOR sequence.

UI & HUD:

  • Added new markers for newly unlocked weapons, weapon packages, attachments, gadgets, and throwables.
  • Updated 3D previews for certain gadgets to show their deployed state.
  • Added preview videos demonstrating how gadgets work.
  • Added new cosmetic options for selected gadgets.
  • Changed “Save & Close” to “Close” in the Deploy menu for clarity.
  • Fixed various UI issues in Loadouts.
  • Fixed an issue where Battlefield 6 Ownership XP Boost did not display properly at End of Round.
  • Fixed multiple text inconsistencies in Dog Tags and Challenges.
  • Fixed an issue where the HUD would not appear when using a 16:10 aspect ratio with certain resolutions.

SETTINGS:

  • Added Flick Look bindings to Helicopter, Jet, and Transport control schemes.
  • Fixed visual issues where some aspect ratio settings caused transparent borders or inconsistent display behavior.

SINGLE PLAYER:

  • Fixed an issue in Mission 01 where players were unable to lean out during the Last Stand sequence if the cinematic began while the knife was equipped.
  • Fixed a black screen issue in the Night Raid mission.

PORTAL:

  • Fixed an issue where the Host Experience screen did not display the Portal experience image.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur if a party leader started a Portal server while Content Packs 01 and 04 were disabled.
  • Improved loading times for the Server Browser experience info tab to ensure joining functions properly.
  • Corrected a spelling error in the message shown when attempting to join an unavailable server.

AUDIO:

  • Fixed an issue where footstep sounds were missing when moving with the knife equipped.
  • Fixed a voiceline issue where directional callouts (e.g., “enemy north”) played the wrong direction.
  • Tuned haptic feedback across multiple actions, including window barging, defibrillator use, swimming, rocket pods, mounted MGs, and sea vehicle collisions.
  • Polished large projectile audio with new missile, rocket pod, and cannon shell flyby effects; improved distance handling and overall mix for more realistic impact sounds.
  • Updated audio configs for light rockets and LMGs; refined explosion sound crossfades and adjusted distant sound behavior.
  • Improved vehicle and weapon firing audio balance, reducing noise artifacts, unwanted phasing, and over-saturation.
  • Added radio chatter through controller speakers.
  • Fixed an issue where firing range dummies and vehicle-hit reactions sometimes played incorrect or processed hurt sounds.
  • Disabled radio processing for stationary vehicle pings and fixed compass orientation for ping indicators.
  • Fixed missing or incorrect ambient and destruction sounds across several maps, including Siege of Cairo, as well as missing explosion sounds for silos and tanker trailers.
  • Added missing ambient audio setups for environmental props like construction barriers and buses.
  • Added new sound effects for the bulletin and takeover sections of the main menu, including improved reveal animations.
  • Fixed an issue where delayed challenge tab displays triggered early audio playback.
  • Fixed an issue where defibrillator loop sounds could get stuck when vaulting.
  • Fixed missing or out-of-sync reload sounds.
  • Corrected the M39 EMR using suppressed audio when unsuppressed.
  • Restored missing external sound effects for RWS Gunner countermeasure mines.
  • Fixed issues where soundtrack tracks cut off abruptly or skipped mid-song.
  • Reload audio polish for several weapons.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Bully Online sees modders have another go at schoolyard multiplayer mayhem, arrives in paid early access this year

Bully, Rockstar’s classic boarding school Bart Simpson simulator, is about to have another massive multiplayer mod fired at it from a slingshot. The mod’s dubbed Bully Online, stands atop the battered blazer of a previous attempt to let a bunch of folks play Bully together, and is set to arrive in paid early access this December.

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‘Art Of Rally’ Dev’s Gorgeous Off-Road Follow-Up Drives Onto Switch 2 Next Year

Buckle up.

Back in 2021, Funselektor Labs brought us art of rally, a super sweet driving sim that packed an unexpected depth under the hood. Next year, the team will be following it up with over the hill, an equally gorgeous-looking driver that’s all about trekking off the beaten path. The really exciting news? It’s coming to Switch 2.

While art of rally was all about rally driving (surprisingly), over the hill is for the off-roading fans. You’ll be sitting behind the wheel of a whole host of exploring vehicles from the ’60s to ’80s, making your way through unwelcoming wilderness environments from rocky mountains to icy rivers. You can go it alone in a Solo Tour, or bring three friends along for the ride and use winches and ropes to make sure everyone’s drive goes smoothly.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The Wachowskis Asked Metal Gear Creator Hideo Kojima to Make a Matrix Video Game, but Konami Reportedly Turned Them Down

The Wachowskis, the writers and directors behind the Matrix movies, once asked Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima to design a Matrix video game, but publisher Konami reportedly turned it down.

That’s according to Time Extension, which said that while a December 1999 edition of NextGen magazine stated Kojima was apparently in the running to develop a game based on the blockbuster movie, Konami exec Kasumi Kitaue shot down discussions in favor of keeping Kojima focused on the Metal Gear series instead.

“The Wachowskis were big fans of Kojima,” Konami Digital Entertainment VP of licensing, Christopher Bergstresser, told Time Extension. “So Kazumi Kitaue, Kojima, Aki Saito (who still works with Kojima), and I were at the Konami HQ, and we got a call from the Wachowskis, who wanted to come in and meet with Kojima. So they did!

“The two of them came in with their concept artist, and effectively they said to Kojima, ‘We really want you to do the Matrix game. Can you do that?’ Aki translated this into Japanese for Mr. Kitaue, and Kitaue just looked at them and told them plainly, ‘No.’ We did still get to enjoy the Matrix Japanese premiere and afterparty, though.”

Interestingly, that’s not quite how everyone recalls events. Another former Konami employee, this one unwilling to go on record, claimed Konami had actually shown “strong interest” in the game, and there was “immense disappointment” when the project didn’t go ahead.

The Matrix franchise was adapted into a series of games nonetheless, starting with Shiny Entertainment’s Enter the Matrix in 2003, follow up The Matrix: Path of Neo in 2005, and Monolith Production’s The Matrix Online in the same year. We were also treated to a Matrix-themed tech demo in 2021, The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience, in which Epic Games showed us what Unreal Engine 5 was capable of.

It didn’t turn out too badly for Kojima or Konami, either; after 1998’s Metal Gear Solid, Kojima and his team then concentrated on the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which was released in 2001.

And Kojima is equally busy now, of course. With Death Stranding 2 out the door, Kojima is working on a number of new projects, including horror game OD for Xbox Game Studios. He revealed the first trailer for it last month, sparking speculation that it is connected to P.T. in some way. Certainly, there are striking similarities. The mysterious game will star Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ Sophia Lillis, Hunters’ Udo Kier, and Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer, with the trailer showcasing Lillis’ character in a spooky house, lighting candles before meeting a malevolent figure.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Civilization 7 will bring back the ability to play as one civ for the whole game, bypassing the divisive Age system

After much wrangling with players over Civilization 7’s Age system, which sees you taking charge of different civilizations as you progress from Antiquity into the Modern era, Firaxis are bringing back the option to play as one culture all the way to the endgame. They’re now playtesting the feature internally, and want players to help by way of a new community testing initiative, the Firaxis Feature Workshop.

Firaxis have also shared a few snippets from Civilization 7’s update 1.3.0, due in the week of November 3rd alongside the Tides of Power DLC, which will be free to existing owners of the troubled 4X strategy game over the Xmas holidays. Update 1.3.0 is all about nautical doings and conspirings, with new naval units and buildings, the addition of ranged combat to ocean warfare, and some delightfully soggy terrain features.

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NASCAR 25 Review

The 2000s are memorable for plenty of peaks. The last truly great salvo of R-rated Hollywood comedies. Finnish mobile phones built sturdy enough to kill a man. Also? NASCAR games. If you know, you know. It’s not a controversial statement to say that, over the last 20 years, no licensed NASCAR game has been able to unseat NASCAR Dirt to Daytona, NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, and NASCAR Thunder 2004 from the podium. Enter NASCAR 25. While several elements of it are roughly hewn and underfeatured – and the multiplayer misses the mark – the moment-to-moment single-player racing it serves up is fast, fierce, and fabulously nuanced. Does it slingshot itself past the very best to ever do it? Not quite. However, it has gotten closer to doing so than any other in the last two decades, and that makes it quite notable.

NASCAR 25 isn’t just the first NASCAR-licensed console game in almost five years, it’s the first ever produced by iRacing – the subscription-based racing simulation of choice for professional race drivers and sim-seat warriors alike. Considering the very foundation of iRacing was built using the source code for the legendary NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, there’s an undeniable element of pedigree at play here. There’s obviously a level of expectation that comes with this sort of heritage but, while it still has plenty of scope for growth and refinement, it’s been nice to see NASCAR 25 succeed in key areas where it counts.

Matched Perfect and Staggered Special

NASCAR 25 is at its very best on the track, rubbing panels at nearly 200 miles per hour. While oval racing isn’t a personal speciality of mine, I do find it massively fascinating just how ruthless it can be – and how different it is to typical circuit racing. As such, NASCAR 25 has me hooked right now.

There isn’t always a consistent racing line in oval racing; depending on the conditions and the track itself, the most efficient way through a bend might be low, somewhere in the middle, or even way up by the wall. You may need to start taking a corner differently to be faster, and I’m finding this necessity to adapt extremely interesting. I’m also particularly attracted to the sort of patience oval racing requires, with events that can unfold over hundreds of laps. Doggedly hanging onto the coattails of a breakaway pack of opponents, dicing with them doorhandle-to-doorhandle, is tense and engaging – but there’s also a part of it that I find almost meditative as I stalk slipstreams lap after lap, waiting for the perfect moment to attempt to lunge and strike.

The reason this all comes together in a meaningfully believable way is really thanks to NASCAR 25’s very impressive and tunable AI, and it’s very much what I crave in a racing game of this type. The core thing I look for constantly is racing that I can play by myself, in my own time, that feels authentic against my skill level. That’s it. I don’t want to be at the mercy of online randos, many of whom are ill disciplined and weave unrealistically across the track. Just sell me the fantasy of being a racing driver. Let’s not kid ourselves: I’m driving pretend race cars that I can pause when I need to pee. I’m not here to take on the world; I just want to enjoy my time. I want to believe I’m in the mix amongst a bunch of bona fide professionals who drive accordingly. NASCAR 25’s AI gets this right.

I want to believe I’m in the mix amongst a bunch of bona fide professionals who drive accordingly. NASCAR 25’s AI gets this right. 

As a very casual consumer of NASCAR racing from the other side of the planet, my interest has ebbed and flowed depending on the involvement of drivers I have existing familiarity with, like Marcus Ambrose and SVG, so I’m not going to claim I can assure you that the AI always make the right tactical decisions. That said, they really do seem to drive with a lot of credibility. They hold their lines extremely smoothly around corners, and they shrewdly carve through packs of other cars competing for spots, effectively bump drafting and changing lanes. The only thing that undoes them is NASCAR 25’s frankly absurd way of penalising corner cutting, which will literally bring your car to a halt wherever you currently are if it detects a track limit violation. This will result in the AI piling up behind you as they all slam on the anchors to stop. It’s a massive immersion killer when it happens.

AI speed operates on a difficulty slider, meaning I was able to get it dialled in to perfectly match my skill level. The values are arbitrary, but they range between 85 and 105. About 100 was the sweet spot for super speedways for me, and slightly lower on short tracks and road courses.

There are a number of settings available to customise the AI, including their predisposition to losing control, their skill in regaining control after incidents, and their resistance to car-on-car collisions in the first place. I’m currently experimenting with making the AI more susceptible to losing it after a decent whack – and dialling incident frequency way up to make things a little more exciting. It probably hasn’t quite resulted in the turmoil I was anticipating, but I appreciate settings like this. There isn’t one, single way to play NASCAR 25. Keep it stern and serious or let it lean a little more Hollywood? It’s a decision the developers are happy to let us handle.

I Don’t Want You Spoiled, Buck

On the topic of handling, the news is also largely positive. It feels strong and challenging with a wheel, and the laser-scanned track surfaces (which have migrated from iRacing) means the characteristics of circuits with bumpier surfaces come through to have interesting effects on the driving feel from race to race. Cars feel balanced and obedient at high speed, and I was particularly impressed with how approachable NASCAR 25 is on a controller – which is important as a console-oriented game. It’s hard for me to accurately put myself into the mind of an inexperienced or younger racer, but there are also a range of assists available – and the simple tuning slider should be sufficient for anyone not looking to get too lost in the weeds when it comes to minor vehicle adjustments. The handy slider is essentially a bunch of quick tunes you can apply to either tighten everything up (which should make your car quite planted and stable, at the cost of some front end responsiveness) or create something looser (and if I’ve learned anything from Days of Thunder beyond what happens when a load of unwanted lettuce reaches Japan, loose is fast and on the edge of out of control).

One key controller problem so far, however, is a peculiar lack of meaningful rumble – and this creates a disappointing disconnect between what’s happening with my car’s grip on-screen and what I’m feeling through my hands. It just injects an unwanted floaty sensation at times, particularly when you don’t realise your rear tyres are spinning up because there’s no tactile information coming in that that’s happening. It makes playing on the expert level handling settings – where ham-fisted throttle mashing will rotate your car around quick smart – a bit more frustrating than I like. I think it’s also contributing to a skatey feeling on road courses, because I can’t really always feel the edge of the grip.

Information is definitely one of NASCAR 25’s weaknesses, overall. It’s not just the fact that it doesn’t really do a great deal to teach a player the ins-and-outs of, say, oval tactics or road course track limits. It’s also missing useful, basic info, like your opposition’s current qualifying times – which can’t be seen while you’re also out trying to set down a scorching lap. You need to return to pit lane to view where you currently stand in the group. The spotter also has a habit of giving us the wrong info, like noting you have clear space inside or outside when you don’t. I’m very lukewarm on how robotic the spotter sounds, too; being direct and matter-of-fact is all well and good during racing, but being unable to muster any convincing human enthusiasm about winning a race makes him feel like a chatbot – and NASCAR 25 misses out on any meaningful personality as a result.

The presentation of career mode is a bit sterile, too. Your driver is never more than a blank silhouette, and the inability to even select a home state or country of origin is odd. It’s small potatoes, sure, but missing the little things does make it all feel a little more impersonal than I’d want from a custom driver. Cars can be customised using a combination of preset designs and some basic shapes, but the livery system is underdone. A one-button system for syncing your design up with your driver and team gear is handy, but simple stuff like flipping the design from one side of a car to the other hasn’t been implemented. You also can’t apply custom shapes to liveries you want to use online, which is an annoying restriction we don’t typically face in other racing games.

I did enjoy the evolution of the custom racing operation and garage backdrop, which is quite cool as you progress up through the four series (and you can compete in up to two series at once), but this first effort is a bit vanilla compared to other career modes in the official motorsport sim space, like F1 or WRC. There’s a basic economy here, where you need to monitor an overall budget and manage repairs between races with a secondary resource called ‘work points’, but I did find myself ploughing through it between races without too much thought.

While I’ve established multiplayer is not my natural environment, it’s not a particularly strong component of NASCAR 25 either way, which is a tad surprising given the sheer volume of online racing experience the iRacing team has. NASCAR 25’s multiplayer is simply a basic lobby system of random races, and there are no scheduled races or special events. It plays just as smooth and reliably as the single-player – even in races against over two dozen online opponents – which is commendable. It just feels listless.

Rumour: Sonic Prime Studio Reportedly Working On Crash Bandicoot Animation For Netflix

Crash might be back.

Crash Bandicoot has been revitalised over the past decade, and there are now reports Netflix has greenlit a new animated series.

According to What’s on Netflix, this new series will apparently be created by WildBrain Studios, the same team behind Sonic Prime. Sonic’s show had a three-season run, with 23 episodes in total between December 2022 and January 2024. This studio is also helping out with a Minecraft animated series for Netflix.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com