Did you know that Stardew Valley is the 21st best-selling game of all time? It’s sold more than Skyrim! At least by the numbers we currently have, anyway. I don’t care all that much about sales figures, but if creator Eric Barone cared more about money, I can only imagine that a sequel would be all but guaranteed. As it turns out though, the developer could actually see himself making a sequel to the beloved farming sim.
I’m not sure if the words cosy and apocalypse are generally ones that go hand in hand together, but Doloc Town is positioning itself as just that. Specifically, it’s a quite lovely looking pixel-art farming sim set in a post-apocalypse, and it just launched in early access today. Like in many farming sims before it, there’s the usual thing of tending to and growing your crops, cooking them up, fishing, that sort of thing. Where it differs is it’s all on a 2D plane, obviously meaning you’ll have to think about space quite differently.
And artwork from Final Fantasy artist.
Limited Run Games has shared the release date for the long-awaited return of everyone’s favourite gaming gecko, Gex. The Gex Trilogy launches on Switch (and other consoles) on 16th June 2025, and it’s obviously getting a rather lavish special edition.
So, uh, yeah, let’s talk about that collector’s edition. Well, there’s two of them, but we’re mostly referring to the ‘Tail Time Edition’, a $199.99 bundle that includes — among other expected things — a 36” inflatable doll of Gex. Yes, we weren’t messing around in the headline.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Among my many endeavors as a teenager, from learning to drive and how to play guitar, one stood alone on a mountain of impossibilities: landing an Ollie. It would come in time after a lot of practice and many bumps and scrapes. From there I’d move on to landing Shov Its, pulling off the occasional Manual, landing an Ollie down some stairs, and grind on a few curbs. The kick-flip, though, remains elusive to this day.
Among the many things skateboarding taught me, like perseverance and how to “walk it off,” it also taught me how to look at the world around me in a different way. Where someone would just see an empty parking lot, I would see endless possibilities of curb grinds. Stairs? I bet I could Ollie down them. That rail? Not a chance.
This is what the Tony Hawk games dialed up to 11, creating elaborate levels loosely inspired by real-world locations, encouraging you to examine its surroundings and assemble your own “run” while pulling off tricks you could only dream of. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 , launching July 11 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC, and day one with Game Pass, brings us back to this world with some of the most elaborate levels the series has ever put out, now with a significant boost in overall quality and playability – the game has never felt more fun.
It’s seriously impressive what developer Iron Galaxy has pulled off here in bringing these games back to life. Revitalized locations like Foundry, Canada, Los Angeles and Suburbia as well as College, San Francisco, and Alcatraz look better than ever, which have been rebuilt from the ground up. It’s still a blast to grind rails over scolding pits of molten metal in Foundry, or skate around a (loose) recreation of one of the most iconic skating spots in the world along San Francisco’s waterfront, and even the wackier elements like unlocking the haunted house in Suburbia. It’s all a tremendous homage to not only the classic Tony Hawk video games, but to the world of skateboarding.
New for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will be the Waterpark level. Set within the Mojave Desert, this location is directly inspired by Tony Hawk and his crew who used to sneak in and skate abandoned waterparks growing up. This soon-to-be legendary skating spot is a tremendously fun creation from Iron Galaxy, with a variety of pools to carve up, unique challenges to complete (try restoring power to the Arcade), and huge water tubes to skate down — grinding the Bowl Slide, weaving down the Twister Slide, or pulling off a loop inside the Funnel Slide are all worthwhile efforts you should undertake here.
Like real-life skateboarding, playing a Tony Hawk Pro Skater game takes some practice — it’s practically a fighting game on wheels, where you combine button presses while pushing your analog stick in a particular direction to pull off a variety of tricks. String a couple of these together and you start to charge your Special meter, which then unlocks more advanced tricks for you to attempt that yield many points; wipe out, the meter resets.
It can be punishing at times, especially when you’ve tied together a 9,000+ point combo only to miss the landing. Thankfully, getting back on your board is nearly instantaneous so you can start up a new combo. Personally, I’ve always had the most fun grinding rails while executing flip tricks to build up my score, but I still struggle to this day with the more vertical challenges on the half-pipes, something I’m still pushing myself to perfect. And when the game looks and plays this well, I don’t mind having to repeat these challenges time and time again.
Landing tricks are only part of the fun. Scattered throughout every level are a series of challenges that range from a collect-a-thon, like finding all the letters to spell S-K-A-T-E, to landing some insane jumps found throughout the level, or harassing some of the onlookers. There’s a ton to do here on every level to keep you busy. Also, the game has an excellent in-depth tutorial narrated by Tony Hawk himself to walk you through how to play – highly recommended for new players to check this out or those looking for a refresher on how all this works.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will also launch with a tremendous number of professional skaters to play as, with specific attributes that seemingly tie into their own real-life counterparts. For example, playing as Tony Hawk, who is a master at vert, can gain some serious air in the game with incredible spin control. Whereas someone like Rodney Mullen, who has pulled off some incredible flip tricks in his day, can execute these much more quickly.
Finding one of these legends that compliments your specific style of play in-game is the first step in getting a handle on it. Personally, I liked rolling with Eric Koston who has some balanced stats across the board, meaning I could approach just about anything in most of the levels and have some degree of success. The roster is also full of new and upcoming skaters like Rayssa Leal, Yuto Horigome, Nora Vasconcellos, and many more — you’re sure to find someone that can fit your approach. You’ll also have the option to create your own skater, but this wasn’t available for our hands-on time.
The Tony Hawk series has not only been a gateway to the world of skateboarding, but also a showcase for a lot of artists across the punk rock, hardcore, metal, and hip-hop scenes. Music has always been integral to skating and so many musicians themselves have tied themselves to it as well (Ian MacKaye is someone who immediately comes to mind). And the soundtrack this time around is no exception, mixing a blend of artists from the previous games, like Motorhead, The Faction, and Run-D.M.C., while weaving in modern alt musicians like Idles, Thee Oh Sees, and Fontaines D.C., all blend seamlessly with the feel of something you’d put on your headphones while skating around the park.
I love that the core gameplay loop still feels fresh and challenging in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 , figuring out the ideal run while building up your Special meter, discovering wild combinations and occasionally finding yourself asking, “How the hell did I just do that?” It’s that perseverance of wanting to try and try again until I could land that trick just right – that’s what keeps me wanting to come back for more and I can’t wait to dive into the full package when it launches July 11.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is available for pre-order today on the Xbox Store for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Xbox PC with support for Smart Delivery, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Play Anywhere. Pre-ordering Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Digital Deluxe Edition on the Xbox Store will grant you three days of Early Access and the ability to play as both the Doom Slayer or a Revenant along with themed skate decks, Create-A-Skater items, and bonus soundtracks. Pre-orders will also grant you access to the Foundry Demo that’s set to arrive in June.
Pro Skater 3 + 4 – Digital Deluxe EditionActivision Publishing Inc.
– Early Access – get the game 3 days early*
– Access to the Foundry Demo**
– Wireframe Tony Shader
Purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition to skate as the Doom Slayer and rip and tear through a ton of additional content.
The Digital Deluxe Edition includes:
– Cross-Gen Bundle of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
— Includes Xbox One, Xbox X|S and PC (Microsoft Store) versions of the game
– The Doom Slayer and The Revenant playable skaters, each includes 2 secret moves. The Doom Slayer includes 2 unique outfits and the Unmaykr Hoverboard skate deck.
– Additional songs included with the in-game soundtrack
– Exclusive Doom Slayer, Revenant, and Create-a-Skater skate decks
– Exclusive themed Create-a-Skater Items
Get hyped for the legendary franchise to return with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Everything you loved is back, but revamped with more skaters, new parks, gnarlier tricks, eardrum shattering music, plus a whole lot more.
– Reunite the crew with cross-platform online Multiplayer*** for up to 8 skaters in new and returning game modes.
– Drop in to new parks or tear it up across the timeless parks from both Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 & Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, authentically remade in jaw dropping 4K**** resolution with streamlined goals and the epic 2-minute format.
– Hit ‘em with some drip in the expanded Create-A-Skater and Create-A-Park modes, including the ability to create custom goals to share with friends for the first time ever.
– Shred harder than ever with more challenging goals and an enhanced New Game+ mode.
– Whether you’re a total casual or a grungy pro, the same smooth handling and simple-to-learn controls from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 will have you shredding like a Pro.
Alert the neighborhood watch and grab your skate buddies because the shred’s not dead. It’s back and better than ever.
*Actual play time subject to possible outages and applicable time zone differences.
**Foundry Demo availability and launch date(s) subject to change. Internet connection required. This pre-purchase will grant you access to that demo, when released. See www.tonyhawkthegame.com for details.
***Activision account and internet required for online Multiplayer and other features. A Game Pass subscription may be required for Multiplayer and other features (sold separately). Activision may modify or discontinue online services in the future, which may impact the continued availability of online gameplay. Online services may be discontinued to to factors including number of players.
****The Xbox Series X version of the game will run native 4K at 60FPS in Fidelity Mode. The Xbox Series S version will render at 1440P and upscale to 4K. 4K output requires a 4K compatible device or display.
For more information, please see www.tonyhawkthegame.com.
© 2025 Activision Publishing Inc. ACTIVISION and PRO SKATER are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. TONY HAWK is a registered trademark of Tony Hawk, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Pro Skater 3 + 4Activision Publishing Inc.
Pro Skater 3 + 4. Everything you loved is back, but revamped with more skaters, new parks, gnarlier tricks, eardrum shattering music, plus a whole lot more.– Reunite the crew with cross-platform online Multiplayer* for up to 8 skaters in new and returning game modes.
– Drop in to new parks or tear it up across the timeless parks from both Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 & Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, authentically remade in jaw dropping 4K** resolution with streamlined goals and the epic 2-minute format.
– Hit ‘em with some drip in the expanded Create-A-Skater and Create-A-Park modes, including the ability to create custom goals to share with friends for the first time ever.
– Shred harder than ever with more challenging goals and an enhanced New Game+ mode.
– Whether you’re a total casual or a grungy pro, the same smooth handling and simple-to-learn controls from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 will have you shredding like a Pro.
Alert the neighborhood watch and grab your skate buddies because the shred’s not dead. It’s back and better than ever.
*Activision account and internet required for online Multiplayer and other features. A Game Pass subscription may be required for Multiplayer and other features (sold separately). Activision may modify or discontinue online services in the future, which may impact the continued availability of online gameplay. Online services may be discontinued to to factors including number of players.
**The Xbox Series X version of the game will run native 4K at 60FPS in Fidelity Mode. The Xbox Series S version will render at 1440P and upscale to 4K. 4K output requires a 4K compatible device or display.
For more information, please see www.tonyhawkthegame.com.
© 2025 Activision Publishing Inc. ACTIVISION and PRO SKATER are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. TONY HAWK is a registered trademark of Tony Hawk, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
The post Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Remastered Makes Me Feel Young Again appeared first on Xbox Wire.
THPS Fest at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles celebrates the return of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 by providing a closer look at some of the parks coming to the game on July 11.
Read on for a breakdown of the game content, including a look at the featured skateparks being brought into the game by the developers at Iron Galaxy Studios.
Iron Galaxy has a long history of working on some of the top IPs in video games. Their meticulous attention to detail and quality creates unforgettable gameplay experienced by players around the world. And now they’re extremely excited to put their stamp on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4.
Let’s take a look at five parks from the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 Skate Tour and four from the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 Skate Tour, including the new Waterpark level.
Los Angeles: Hit up sick tricks in the urban landscape of L.A. underneath the Hollywood sign. Watch out for traffic, check out upcoming movies advertised on a vert ramp outside the El Rey theater, and set an earthquake into motion.
Foundry: The first skatepark players will drop into as part of the THPS 3 Skate Tour, Foundry is set in an industrial steel mill with molten metal, ramps, grind rails, a secret area, and explosive environmental hazards.
Canada: Shred in the mountains of Calgary, Alberta in a snowy outdoor skatepark with ramps, rails, and cabins in an area blending urban and natural elements for diverse trick opportunities.
Rio: A vibrant competition level set in Brazil featuring a colorful stadium in downtown Rio with high-scoring lines designed for intense contest runs.
Suburbia: Drop into a neighborhood cul-de-sac during Halloween and skate in a construction zone, a haunted house, and a backward swimming pool. As tasty as it may look, try not to get run over by the ice cream truck.
College: Skip class and shred the sprawling CCHU campus, stopping in to pop off tricks over the rooftops and across the student plaza while building up huge combos over the stadium rails.
San Francisco: Skate outside the Boardwalk View Hotel with views of the San Francisco Bay. Skitch a ride on the trolley, go sightseeing at The Pier, and grind along the overhead walkway in this park blending street skating with vert elements across a large, explorable cityscape.
Alcatraz: Visit the gritty island prison and skate its rooftop and the surrounding grounds including a line up to the lighthouse and some sick vert action inside the compound in view of the jail cells.
Waterpark: A new park being added to the THPS 4 Skate Tour, Waterpark takes place in the Mojave Desert at a water theme park with rides you can combo on and a skateable lazy river. Get a deeper dive on the new skatepark with our Bird’s Eye View feature found here.
Stay tuned to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater blog found here for more info on THPS 3 + 4 as we approach its July 11 release date!
Purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition and gain Early Access* to play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 three days before the official July 11 launch date.
Shred the parks and spread fear as the Doom Slayer and Revenant skaters plus get extra music, skate decks, and Create-A-Skater gear:
* Early Access based on three days estimated access; actual play time subject to possible outages and applicable time zone differences.
Helldivers 2 is, very obviously, a game where you roleplay as space fascists. Like, the game explicitly treats you as fodder for a war against various supposedly evil species all in the name of colonising other planets. It’s not subtle! But it’s also silly as hell, so the shooter more or less gets away with it. Arrowhead just announced a new warbond though, and I’ll be honest: the new outfits are probably the most fascist looking yet.
Paradox Interactive has announced that its next grand strategy game is Europa Universalis 5, following a tease posted last week.
The publisher behind titles such as Cities: Skylines, Crusader Kings, and Stellaris pulled back the curtain on its latest continuation with a sweeping cinematic trailer today. It’s being developed by the Barcelona, Spain-based Paradox Tinto, the same team that’s aided in the development of Europa Universalis 4 for the last few years. While there’s no release date yet, the Europa Universalis 5 Steam page is already online.
“Challenge your strategic skills over 500 years of history, in Europa Universalis 5, the latest version of the celebrated grand strategy game,” a description shared by Paradox says. “Master the arts of war, trade, diplomacy, and government in the largest and most detailed Europa Universalis game ever. Guide the destiny of any of hundreds of nations and societies in a simulated living world of unparalleled depth and complexity.”
Europa Universalis 5 has been in development at Paradox Tinto for more than five years, with the team saying it’s made the experience “with the devoted Paradox fan in mind.” The team has taken “over a year of public discussion” into consideration, adding that the public’s voice has played an important part in what it calls “the largest and most detailed Europa Universalis game ever made.”
Europa Universalis 5’s campaign begins at the dawn of the Hundred Years’ War in 1337. As players lead their people through the major moments in history set to follow, they’ll have an army of new features to enjoy. Highlights from today’s reveal include the promise of a new and larger map that takes advantage of accurate map projection with hundreds of different societies. Paradox says it features a population-based system this time around, as well as upgraded production and trade systems that will see players carving out a place for themselves by building farms, plantations, and factories or trading with neighboring areas.
It’s all in the name of creating a strategy experience that gives players the freedom to build and run their nation the way they see fit. It was teased to be a mysterious and “ambitious” project from the Paradox team last week, though fans had largely figured out what was in store beforehand.
“Europa Universalis 5 builds on the franchise’s core concept of developing and advancing nations from around a deeply researched historical world,” the description continues, “adding more detailed diplomacy, a more sophisticated economic model, a revised military system, and greater logistical depth that will challenge even the most experienced strategy gamers.”
Europa Universalis 5 is currently set to launch for PC at an unspecified time in the future. While we wait for updates, you can read up on our hands-on preview here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
I think this Doom and Wolfenstein Mayhem Bundle from Humble is an easy win if you’re even remotely interested in first-person shooters. For $28 / £21.16, you get fifteen titles spanning decades of FPS history. From the original DOOM to the more recent Wolfenstein reboots, this is a complete collection of mayhem. It’s also the lowest price I’ve seen for a bundle with this much legacy and content in one place.
What do people that play Frostpunk call themselves, frostpunks? Feels too obvious, but I’m going to do it anyway. Breaking news frostpunks! There’s a new big Frostpunk 2 update that’s just arrived in the game, adding some pretty big additions and changes,so let’s jump into them. First up, The Pit! No, it’s not just some hole to chuck things in, it’s a large new map with a “distinctive ‘proto-crater’ pit counted as mountain terrain,” to be found within.
Standard and Deluxe Editions available.
Lost in Cult has announced an absolutely beautiful new book in the form of Animal Well: Design Works, available for pre-order now in both standard and deluxe variants.
Due for release in Summer 2026, the book delves into the creation of Animal Well in collaboration with solo developer Billy Basso, executive producer Dan Adelman, and publisher Bigmode. It’ll contain unseen prototypes, behind-the-scenes development insights, and conversations with the creative team, alongiside a bevy of gorgeous artwork, of course.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
