Nearly three years post-launch and Police Simulator: Patrol Officers is still keeping the streets of Brighton safe with ongoing updates. This week, a new Self-Defense Update has added the ability for NPCs to use guns when you confront them, requiring you to either de-escalate the situation or sometimes utilize lethal force. The citizens of Brighton can now also legally carry weapons with a permit, which you’ll need to verify when responding to callouts. Additionally, the new update also adds vehicle spotlights as a gadget (yes!), ambient radio chatter in your patrol car for increased immersion, and the ability to swap uniforms on the fly form the trunk of your vehicle. So now if you have to respond to a traffic accident and need a high-visibility safety vest, no problem.

Alongside the new Self-Defense Update, two premium DLC packs have been added. The Accident Pack is included in the current season pass or available a la carte and contains reflective clothing, an orange vehicle lightbar, and new Multipurpose Responder Vehicle. There’s also a new uniform pack which adds a variety of uniforms inspired by real police agencies from around the United States.

A while ago, I reviewed Logitech's first direct drive wheel in the Pro Racing Wheel. That wheel has a monster of a base and it's one of the best wheels I've used. But, not everyone needs an arm tearing motor and a really large footprint. 

The Logitech RS50 is made for a good portion of racing simmers who want a high quality feeling direct drive wheel without a large base sitting on their desk or sim rig. The RS50 delivers up to 8Nm of force, which is still a lot of force. Compared to the Pro Wheel, which can deliver 11Nmm, it's still plenty and it's what Logitech considers the sweet spot in terms of the amount of torque most people would want to play at. It will also support TRUEFORCE, just like the Pro Wheel.

It's designed to work with the entire ecosystem of past racing products whether it's with the wheels and pedals released with the Pro System or even the old gear shifter using their racing adapter. It still features the nice quick release system that allows you quickly and easily switch wheels to use if you have multiple ones. There is no LED rev indicator on the base, but there is the display there to let you cycle between settings and show off some other information as well.

I like the design of the shroud as it's not just the typical square shape that a lot of other wheel bases are. On the back are four USB-A ports, one USB-C port, the Start/Stop button, and the power connector. 

Pricing wise for the base, the Xbox/PC version will be $399.99 while the PlayStation/PC version is $50 more at $449.99. Unfortunately, those that want to use it on the PlayStation will have to shell out a little extra for that license. Logitech will also bundle this with a wheel, which interestingly enough is the same price for either console support at $699.99.

Logitech is also releasing a new set of pedals in the RS50, which is more affordable than the Pro Pedals. Coming in at $159.99, it comes with a 75kg load cell brake and are a little smaller design than the Pro Pedals. One nice little feature is it has the ability to brace itself against a wall to keep it place. If your desk is up against a wall, you can set the pedals down and use the extensions to keep it butted up against the wall, providing stability when using the pedals. They are hall effect sensors so more accurate and won't suffer from drift.

The pedal base has two pedals, but Logitech will also release a clutch addition for $44.99. It's going to be a traditional spring pedal and sized the same as the brake pedal. I'll be interested to see if Logitech will get into the active pedal in the future as there seems to be a few companies having that out to increase the sim driving experience. 

You can grab the wheel and base now with the pedals coming soon.

Dispatch was announced last year at the Game Awards and this was one of those games that I instantly knew was right up my alley because I absolute love narrative driven games like this. Even better was the news that the game was being developed by AdHoc Studios, which is made up of mostly former developers of TellTale Studios and were the ones behind the incredible Walking Dead series.

Dispatch has you playing as Robert Robertson, an amazing name and a former superhero that takes a job as a Dispatcher for other superheroes. Like other narrative driven games a lot of the gameplay and choices you make in the game will come in the form of dialogue options that appear during conversations. The game also has you playing as the dispatcher in which you will have to send superheroes to fight certain crimes, making sure you are sending the right ones for the job.

The game includes an awesome voice cast including... 

• Aaron Paul 
• Jeffrey Wright
• MoistCr1tikal
• Laura Bailey
• Matthew Mercer
• Alanah Pearce 

Among others. 

Dispatch will be releasing two episodes weekly with eight episodes total. The first two episodes launch on October 22nd 2025 for PS5 and PC and will conclude with episodes 7 and 8, provided there are no delays, on November 12th 2025.

The 4th DLC pack for WWE 2K25 is available now and brings to the game Legends from the Attitude Era including the following...

• D-Lo Brown
• Mark Henry
• "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn
• Road Dogg Jesse James
• Victoria 

Over 50 new taunts and moves have been added to the game with these wrestlers along with creation parts such as clothing, entrances and music. The Island also got an update today with the "Hall of Legends" expansion. It will cost a whopping 50,000VC in order to access this expansion and includes the ability to unlock Goldberg, Nikki Bella and a brand new Legends Arena. 

WWE 2K25 is available now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X, Switch 2 and PC. 

Mysterious, eerie, and all together dark, the door chimes as you enter Strange Antiquities, a not-so-quaint shop full of intrigue.

Strange Antiquities, a game from indie developers Bad Viking, is now available for play. This puzzle game is more than meets the eye. Come in from the dark and dreary streets and witness the relics on the shelves - but be forewarned, these antiquities are more than meets the eye. As the new Thaumaturge apprentice of the shop, you will utilize your keen senses to help unfold the mysteries contained within the corners of the store. If your uncanny senses perceive correctly, you'll find success in the dark arts.

Strange Antiquities is the standalone sequel to the indie hit title Strange Horticulture. If you loved the last game, you are welcomed back to Undermere, where you can expect even more intricacy and depth than its predecessor.

Do you have what it takes to unravel the mysteries of the occult? Pull up a blanket, pour a cup of tea, and start exploring... you never know what you may find.

Strange Antiquities is now available  on Steam, Epic Games Store, and Steam.

In addition to yesterday's gameplay livestream (video embedded below), there has been a significant influx of detailed news about EA Sports FC 26. Closed Beta feedback, a PC-specific deep dive, and a launch update have all dropped over in the "Pitch Notes" of the official site in the last week and half. The most interesting for me is the launch update, which has a ton of info all stacked into neat bullet points. My personal highlights:

• "Companion and Web App: Web app launches September 17. Companion App refresh goes live on September 18." - so we can get started on our Ultimate Teams. 
• Speaking of Ultimate Team (FUT), EA is promising to flatten the power curve significantly this year. What happens in a typical FUT season is the base cards are quickly out-paced by special cards that drop with higher attributes who in turn are soon replaced with the next special event. There is a constant arms race that is rather artificially created to maintain engagement and keep the microtransactions pouring in as players try to keep up with the Jonses. This year, however, special cards, weekly campaigns, and rewards are intended to be better balanced so that the base cards, with SBC and upgrades, will be able to keep pace. The idea seems to be to allow you to carry a player through rather than ripping and replacing parts of your team every week allowing your squad to feel much less like the ship of Theseus. 
• Chemistry styles are getting rebalanced to make pace less of the king.
• Silver icons are returning! - I love my silver teams.
• Changes to rewards and progression - hopefully not burying me this year into a Rivals level that I just could not win from, could not get demoted out of, and spoiled all the fun of the mode for me last year. 
• Matchmaking delays for Rush quitters. 
• Rewards changes, gameplay changes, Career Mode changes, and even more.

It's a pretty lengthy post and worth perusing. I'm excited about the incoming changes and think the intent is on point. Now just waiting on the game's release to see the execution of that intent. EA Sports FC 26 releases next Friday, September 26th. Pre-orders provide early access starting this Friday, September 19th.  

My third game related on-site media excursion in a month wrapped up last week. The annual Game Developers Expo, or GDEX, was held in Columbus, Ohio, at the Columbus Convention Center. There were some exciting games there for the crowd to get their hands on. Consider it early early access. Then I was asked to play a Zelda-like game called Frog Boy. I played through the first dungeon and had to immediately get up. Because, I was hooked. 

Frog Boy draws it's direct inspiration from the Game Boy title Link's Awakening. The story is told through three quick cut scenes. You are Frog Boy, and you must collect 6 stones to defeat the Lord of Darkness in order to save the world. I will tell you first hand that it feels great to play, and immediately differs from its inspiration by NOT giving you a sword out the gate. The game can be played in browser, and you can use a controller or keyboard. The controls are simple. Set what weapon or item to either A or B, and you're off. You can even go through 4 filters, including that Game Boy green! Because, Frog?  

Dungeons, shops, and items a plenty, I was only going to play it through the first hour of the game, but I became so hooked that I played through the whole game. There is a boss in every dungeon, 6 in total, and there are plenty of secrets to find as well. James Gartland is the man behind it, and you can play it here. If you need any tips, or you just want to watch a playthrough, you can do that below. If you actually want to play it, you can do that here. This is an early build, and you can donate and download the game as well. Thanks James, for introducing me to Frog Boy! 

This game looks like the new Burnout game I have been waiting years for. Not only that this game looks like it's a combination of Burnout, Trackmania and Need for Speed. 

From the official website it seems we also have a lot of freedom here to customize the game in various ways including time of day, weather, and turn traffic on or off with the click of a button. The track editor looks fantastic allowing you to add loops, jumps. ramps, pipes and more and your creations can be shared with the community. Police seem to have a presence in the game as well as also on the website its mentioned that you can add police stations on empty lots which will cause them to show up in game. Very cool. 

Wreckreation launches on October 28th 2025 for PC, PS5 and Series X.

Keep on the Borderlands is one of three adventure booklets making up the Dungeons & Dragons Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set. Its organization is impeccable. Starting with approaching the outer gatehouse, winding its way through locations and services in the outer bailey, then to the inner gatehouse, taking you into the inner bailey, and finally to the fortress.

The outer bailey (think of it as a courtyard within a walled castle) houses every service a party of low-level party members could hope for—minus the hubbub of big urban cities. It's focused. It's perfect. It comes with everything from a barn to a bank, from a tavern to a temple.

Each structure gets one page. The Tavern, for example. Next to the header is a number corresponding to the structure on the map of the Keep. Next is a What You Need to Play callout box. This will list one or two NPC cards that come in the boxed set. Some even have a handout. The Tavern is called the Drunken Dragon. (I bet someone in the writers' room wanted to call it the Drunk & Dragon—D&D for short. The artwork on the page even shows a tavern stein with a gold dragon twisted into an ampersand.)

Then comes a little boxed text to read aloud to your players. Nothing wild. Nothing too long. Just some lite descriptive elements and perhaps a word from the character on the NPC card.

Then come the structure's features. A quick line or two about the Tavern Features, in this case. The taproom, the kitchen, and even an empty stage just begging to be filled with a player ready to break out of their shell.

Tavern Services come next. It mentions food and drink, which are listed in the separate menu handout in the box. There's even the ability to solicit rumors—with a random table to roll or select from—and even how much it would cost to buy the house a round.

Brilliantly, each structure also come with a quest. It's not a big quest. Big quests are for the Caves of Chaos and the Wilderness adventure booklets. But the quests in the Keep on the Borderlands booklet will help around the place and, generally, put you in good stead with the local populace. There are rewards in the form of gold and/or favors. But these aren't big enough adventures, per se, to level up your characters. For that, you will indeed have to venture out beyond the keep's walls.

While the Heroes of the Borderlands is (helpfully) broken out into three booklets, all three make up a D&D 5th Edition remake of the 1980's adventure The Keep on the Borderlands. It's a classic, written by one of the founders of D&D, Gary Gygax. This is the first time I'm encountering any version of this old school adventure, however. And the fact that a form of it is included in a starter set—40 years later—is testament to how enduring the principles behind OG D&D really are.

This is a wonderful starter set. You get an impossible amount of tokens and cards and maps and booklets for the $50 asking price. And it's the first starter set that's given me the confidence to make the leap from dungeon mastering online to DM'ing in person. It's just that good. The D&D Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set launches September 16.

Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Power Wash Simulator 2 is expanding its reach onto all the things. The recently announced addition of the Nintendo Switch to its release plans means that now all three major consoles will get the game at release along with the PC version. The original began as a PC/Xbox exclusive before landing onto the Playstation and Switch some time later. 

Power Wash Simulator is a bit of an odd pitch - you're just like, washing stuff, right? Yes exactly, but while the controls mimic a first person shooter, the experience is much more first person find-your-state-of-zen. And with the sequel we are also getting a new campaign, base-building, and new locations as well as co-op play both online and local split-screen. Find your state of zen... together.

While we still lack a firm release date, Power Wash Simulator 2 is expected to launch "late 2025" for Playstation, Xbox, Switch, and PC.