Borderlands 3 is the fourth title in Gearbox’s looter shooter series, featuring four new Vault Hunters, each with three Skill Trees to mix and match abilities. It’s sold over 18 million copies to date and received a positive response for its gameplay despite issues with the story.

NHL 24 adds new features like the Exhaust Engine while revamping its Total Control Skill Moves and Vision Passing. It also offers cross-platform play and HUT Moments in Ultimate Team. Among Us is, well, still among us, but recently received three new Roles – Noisemaker, Phantom, and Tracker.

It’s also worth noting PlayStation Plus members can claim a Genshin Impact PlayStation Plus Pack on July 16th, which includes 160 Primogems, four Fragile Resin, 20 Hero’s Wit, 30 Mystic Enhancement Orders, and 150,000 Mora.

Back 4 Blood

Turtle Rock Studios’ Back 4 Blood is a glorious tribute to Valve’s Left 4 Dead series, and while it definitely has a few flaws – that doesn’t detract from the fact that it is a really fun time with friends. There are plenty of enemy types and the encounters do a good job of mixing things up on a consistent basis, which makes it a consistently enjoyable experience that’s even better with friends. 

Choose A Grip Early In FaceOffs

You might think that your player needs to be right on top of the puck before selecting a grip, but this can actually cause you to lose the faceoff in NHL 24 due to the lag before the stick is in place on the ice. This is why you should actually determine your grip selection the very instant you possibly can, right on approach.

FaceOff Timing Versus Player Rating

As much as your own timing is important in winning a faceoff in NHL 24, you still cannot make a player with a low faceoff rating shine, and your ideal selection for this opening move should be a player rated over 90 at bare minimum.

Landing Big Hits

This NHL 24 mechanic has changed since the last installment, and so, rather than lightly flicking up on the right analog stick in order to shove your opponent, you want to pull down and then flick up sharply to really pummel them instead. This can often precipitate a fight however, so be warned.

Winning Fights

After actively initiating a fight by double-tapping Y on Xbox, or Triangle on PlayStation, the basic controls for throwing punches in fights in NHL 24 are all based on flicking the right analog stick. Get a better grip on your opponent by holding the LT on Xbox, or L2 on PlayStation, though you can also fake it by tapping the same inputs instead. Dodging is accomplished with RT on Xbox, and R2 on PlayStation. Your best player selection for fights will always be based on ratings–the Fighting skill really counts in a major way.

Scoring Goals

There is a massive change in the difficulty involved in scoring goals in this year’s NHL 24. With the goalie being especially hard to get past, your best bet is to force them to commit to one side of the goal, and then quickly hook around the net, wrap around to the other side and slam in the puck.

Special Packs

The weekly-reset limited packs in the NHL 24 HUT Store offer you the best value for both Coins or Points that you may spend. You will be limited to buying one per 24 hour cycle, but do not be tempted to spend any remaining balance you have on the cheaper premium packs.

Essential Packs

Do not even bother with these in the NHL 24 HUT Store. While they may seem relatively cheap in comparison, and a quick buy with whatever Coins you have accrued, these packs are not worth the expenditure at all. The only exception are packs that state a 100% guarantee of Gold NHL players with 80+ OVR in their pack description. These will end up paying for themselves in both the short and long term.

HUT Moments

Moments in NHL 24 are a gameplay mechanic seen in several EA Sports titles now, and offer rewards for completing small objectives that are always quite entertaining to accomplish. You should start with Training Camp Moments as those will also serve to get you in the groove with general gameplay systems in NHL 24. Next up would be Cale Makar’s Moments, which offer up to 5,000 Coins in rewards. In combination, both of these sets of Moments will also net you several players of Bronze, Silver, and Gold quality, Collectibles, as well as some Packs to open.

Thirdly, are the 32 X-Factor Moments to complete, each netting you an X-Factor Collectible (which will come in handy for the next tip) and a 1,000 Coins, for 32,000 Coins in total. An additional 6,000 Coins and 6 Collectibles can be earned from the IIHF X-Factor Moments group.

Finally, you should complete the Ultimate Power-Up Icon Moments. While the 500 Coins and Gold player rewards are nothing to scoff at, your real objective, as with the previous two groups, is the Power-Up Icon Collectible from each Moment. The act of completing these HUT Moments will also satisfy the requirements of the “Milestones” HUT Objectives group, netting you 40,000 Coins on its own, as well as an assortment of Packs to open.

HUT Objectives

While you may do most of these NHL 24 objectives fairly mindlessly, the last two tabs–”Power Up Icon” and “X-Factor” bear mentioning in particular. You should do this after completing HUT Moments in NHL 24, since that is where you will net a second X-Factor player with which to do the X-Factor objectives, cutting down on the time you would have to spend completing the tasks. While the myriad objectives may seem complex and annoying, each group can net you 87,500 Coins for a total of 175,000 Coins to put towards team building quite early in the HUT season.

Auction House

Whenever you decide to use the NHL 24 Auction House, make sure you do so primarily on the weekends, when the player base online is at its absolute maximum. This will also afford you the best opportunities to buy from and sell to players who have limited time to shop around for deals because they just want to get back into actually building their team and playing the game.

Those are some advanced tips and tricks you ought to know about game mechanics in the all new NHL 24.

"During high pressure moments, goalies become sluggish too, ambling across the crease in laboured movements."

Principal of these gameplay enhancements is what EA are dubbing the Exhaust Engine, which in fact is a two-pronged system: Sustained Pressure and Goalie Fatigue. Pinning defenders in their own end, being aggressive on the forecheck, and rapidly cycling the puck across the offensive zone are effective ways NHL teams create attacking opportunities. Prologued periods of sustained pressure result in player exhaustion, opening shooting lanes as defensive skaters run out of puff, desperate for an escape back to the bench. Keep the puck penned into the offensive zone beyond the blue line in NHL 24, and a segmented pressure meter appears in the centre of the ice. This meter can be more rapidly charged by launching pucks towards the net or landing a massive body check on a defender looking to clear. Once the meter is filled completely a full pressure moment is triggered, giving attacking players an adrenaline boost of energy whilst defenders become sluggish. The system is reset when defenders escape beyond the blue line.

During high pressure moments, goalies become sluggish too, ambling across the crease in laboured movements. Their energy status is indicated by a meter below their skates, and during high pressure moments it’ll often operate at less than a quarter full. Quickly cycle the puck around the offensive zone and you’ll see the goalie’s energy levels dwindle as fatigue sets in. Out of the two systems that make up the Exhaust Engine, Goalie Fatigue is the more noticeable of the two. In fact, both only provide slight boosts or depletions depending on which side you’re on. EA Sports are clearly aiming to give an edge to the attacking team during these situations, but it’s an edge only. They’ll still have to work to establish an opening and opportunity for a goal. For the goalies though, their ineffectiveness is quite apparent. A few tame shots have petered into the net during my time with NHL 24 during high pressure moments.

A worry with this system is that EA Sports might be aiming for unrealistically high scoring games, the rationale being lots of goals equals more excitement, but to be honest it seems so far that they’ve got the balance right. In my experience, games haven’t ended up with some mad 10-all score just yet, although the ineffectiveness of the goalies might need to be tweaked in future updates.

"NHL 24 also brings across the Battle Pass from other EA Sports titles, giving players more opportunity to chase those vanity items with absolute certainty."

Another concern is that online players might un-sportingly hog the puck in the offensive zone to artificially run up the pressure meter. When playing in World of Chel’s 3v3 and 6v6 matchups this hasn’t been a widespread problem. A handful of attackers have skirted around the edge of the blue line, but their nefarious tactic is obvious and can be nullified with an aggressive defence, forcing them to manoeuvre the puck deeper into the offensive zone, thus presenting greater opportunity to steal the puck back.

Speaking of World of Chel, this mode of course returns in NHL 24 and for the most part it’s a carbon copy of previous iterations. There are a few innovations though, such as the new World of Chel store for players to spend their hard-earned coins on the gear they want rather than relying on the randomness of hockey bag rewards. EASHL Playoff Games have been introduced too, with EA Sports Hockey League teams needing to win a best-of-seven round to progress just like the Stanley Cup finals instead of the elimination format seen in previous years. The hope here is that every game has significance, meaning the grind for apparel and gear will be somewhat more enjoyable. It certainly spices up each game.

NHL 24 also brings across the Battle Pass from other EA Sports titles, giving players more opportunity to chase those vanity items with absolute certainty. The first Battle Pass is free too, although as things stand in the early days every skater is wearing the same stuff when they hit the ice. My experience so far has me lining up alongside players and teams that are closely matched too. The only issue is the player stock is extremely low, even with NHL 24’s enhanced crossplay capability. It oftentimes took upwards of 3 minutes to find enough players to fill each team, if a team was even filled at all before the matchmaking timed out. For the most part though, online connections are smooth with only minor moments of lag occurring, although there are strange blocky blue squares that would momentarily glitch onto centre ice during some 3v3 matches on my PS5, but to be honest these were only a minor distraction.

Be a Pro and Franchise Mode return in NHL 24 too, but for all intents and purposes these are exactly the same as previous versions, even down to the script and character animations. In my review for NHL 23 I spoke of EA Sports needing to refresh some of NHL’s game modes, and these two are the primary offenders. Minor iterations that bring in a tactical consideration such as the new Exhaust Engine are all well and good, but the periphery game modes need a refresh too, even if the gameplay is arguably better compared to last year.

Another innovation for NHL 24 is something EA Sports are calling Vision Passing. An embellishment of the lines drawn across the ice to signal the end location of a pass, now an icon mapped to your controller’s face buttons appears above a teammate’s head, enabling surgically precise passing during key moments. In practice this system works fine during breakout moments, where you’ll have chance to take stock of the play in front of you. However, within the sharp end of the rink the action unfolds at breakneck pace; the fraction of time it takes to observe the icons above your teammate’s heads is sometimes all it takes to give defenders enough opportunity to body check you into the boards. Also, Vison Passing was a thing in mid-oughts NHL titles, so it’s not exactly a new feature and certainly something we haven’t needed for the past 10 to 15 years.

"Last year I gave NHL 23 a 7 out of 10 score; is NHL 24 worthy of an 8 out of 10? Well, some required presentation improvements and refreshes to certain game modes aside, the on-ice action does feel better than last year, so 8 out of 10 it is."

The enhanced game night atmosphere established in last year’s iteration has taken a step up with NHL 24. Pre-match light shows were contained to certain arenas last year whereas now it appears every match has some sort of hype before the puck drops. These moments still only last five-or-so seconds though, so it’d be nice if there was a bit more atmosphere to absorb instead of EA’s insistence on quick play, because what they have created is something electric and very much akin to being there in the crowd yourself. Crowd chants and cheers are more closely tied to the happenings on the ice too, thanks to the Exhaust Engine. Should the home team find themselves under pressure, the crowd raise their voices to urge them out of the defensive zone. Likewise, should the home team find themselves trailing by two or more goals in the final minute of the third, the atmosphere is flat; the crowd seem to accept their team has lost. It’s more immersive for sure, and something you wonder if EA could have implemented it sooner.

Some things I’d still like to see to improve the overall presentation even more: better, more reactive crowd animations in the front row, more unique light shows for each arena, and replays for every big hit and epic save and not just for goals (although the slomo goal replays it must be said are exceptional), and full pre-match presentation; locker room interactions and playable warmups, that sort of thing.

The new control scheme on offer in NHL 24, whereby skill moves are tied to face buttons instead of thumb stick manoeuvres, certainly makes it easier for lesser players to pull off between-the-leg shots and toe drags. As a lesser skilled player myself, I appreciate the chance to pull off a lacrosse shot without sending the puck wayward, but purists will certainly prefer the Skill Stick configuration. Thankfully, the settings menu has both control schemes selectable.

Last year I gave NHL 23 a 7 out of 10 score; is NHL 24 worthy of an 8 out of 10? Well, some required presentation improvements and refreshes to certain game modes aside, the on-ice action does feel better than last year, so 8 out of 10 it is. Is it worth the asking price if you bought NHL 23? Well, no… annual sports titles never are. But if you haven’t taken to the ice recently then NHL 24 is a valid entry point.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Mirage focuses on Basim Ibn Ishaq and his journey from street thief to an assassin as part of the Hidden Ones. With only the four districts of 9th century Baghdad to explore, the return of parkour and urban traversal, and a more open-ended approach to assassinating targets, Assassin’s Creed Mirage looks to be a strong return to form.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

Following up on the success of titles like Valheim, The Forest, and more, Free Range Games’ co-op experience focuses on Gimli and his dwarves as they return to reclaim Moria. Players will traverse the mines, claiming different resources to create better tools, weapons and armor, and battle enemies like orcs, cave trolls and more. With base-building, exploration, survival elements and support for up to eight players, it’s an overall different spin on the Lord of the Rings formula and launches on October 24th for PS5 and PC.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is easily the biggest release of next month and launches on October 20th for PS5. Set several months after the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, it sees Peter and Miles battling new villains like Kraven and his hunters, while also dealing with Dr. Curt Connors, who transforms into Lizard. Meanwhile, the Symbiote takes hold of Peter, granting new powers but corrupting his mind. With a map that’s twice as large as previous games, brand new activities and abilities, and instantaneous switching between both heroes, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 looks like a step up from the original in almost every way.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

At first glance, Super Mario Bros. Wonder seems to ask, “What if Mario, but trippy?” After Bowser shows up in the Flower Kingdom and does Bowser things, it’s up to Mario and friends to stop him. New Wonder Flowers can alter a stage in crazy ways, from living pipes to an overhead perspective and stampeding enemies, but the 2D platformer has a lot more to offer. You can equip Badges for unique perks, and use new power-ups like turning into an Elephant or using bubbles to trap enemies.

Multiplayer supports up to four players with the option to create rooms and partake in races, while asynchronous elements like Live Player Shadows add a whole new dimension to solo play. Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches on October 20th for Nintendo Switch.

Detective Pikachu Returns

If you need a Switch title to tide you over before Mario’s next big adventure, there’s Detective Pikachu Returns. As a sequel to the 2016 adventure title on the Nintendo DS, it sees Tim Goodman and Detective Pikachu working together once more to investigate the disappearance of Harry, Tim’s father.

While Tim questions human NPCs for clues, Pikachu interacts with Pokemon and uses their abilities in unique ways, like tracking scents with Growlithe, destroying objects with Darmanitan or seeing through walls with Luxray. How extensive the mystery will be remains to be seen, but Detective Pikachu Returns should be worth investigating when it launches on October 6th on Nintendo Switch.

Forza Motorsport

As a reboot of Turn 10 Studios’ acclaimed racing sim franchise, Forza Motorsport has over 500 cars (with more than 100 making their debut for the series), 20 locations, and 800 upgrades. It’s a ground-up rebuilding of what makes the Motorsport series so good. Everything, from the handling and tire physics to the damage model and visuals, has been revamped and supports full ray tracing during gameplay.

The new Builders Cup will test your skills in single-player, while Featured Multiplayer aims to create a living racing community with continuous events. All of this barely scratches the surface of Forza Motorsport, and we can’t wait to dive deeper when it launches on October 10th for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Sonic Superstars

Jump up, superstar, but not quite the one you’re thinking. Sonic Superstars sees Sonic, Knuckles, Amy and Tails reunited, venturing to the new North Star Islands to combat Eggman, Fang the Sniper and the mysterious chip. For the first time in the series, there’s support for up to four players on screen, while new abilities manifest thanks to Emerald Powers.

If you’re looking for more competitive multiplayer, Battle Mode is available with races, star collecting and survival for up to eight players online and four players locally. Sonic Superstars launches on October 17th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Ghostrunner 2

Jack is back and this time, he’s venturing outside of Dharma Tower to pursue an AI cult. You’ll still traverse perilous environments, wall-running, slow-mo dodging and slicing enemies into ribbons (while hopefully not dying). However, along with new skills, Jack also has a bike to engage in fast-paced stages with split-second platforming. Releasing on October 26th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, Ghostrunner 2 also promises revamped progression, more involving boss fights and the same synthwave goodness.

NHL 24

Compared to EA Sports’ other properties, from the revamped EA Sports FC 24 to the long-awaited EA Sports UFC 5, NHL 24 may feel like more of the same. However, EA Vancouver promises plenty of new features, from new total control skills to a new passing system, physics-based contact and even full crossplay for Ultimate Team and the new and improved World of Chel.

Whether you’re keen on body-checking fools or mastering the system’s intricacies, NHL 24 looks like a sizable improvement over its predecessor. It launches on October 6th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4 and Xbox One.

Lords of the Fallen

Lords of the Fallen is releasing on October 13th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Developed in Unreal Engine 5 and aiming to be Dark Souls 4.5 in a post-Elden Ring world, it sees players exploring two worlds: Axiom, the Land of the Living, and Umbral, the Land of the Dead.

While you have a litany of weapons, armor sets, and spells to battle enemies, utilizing the Umbral Lamp to traverse environments and potentially escape the realm of the dead is also important. It looks sharp, and even with the release of Lies of P, who can say no to another solid Souls-like?

Alan Wake 2

Over 13 years since the first game’s release (both in-game and outside of it), Alan Wake finally returns in a full-fledged sequel. While Alan remains trapped in the Dark Place, seeking an escape, newcomer and FBI agent Saga Anderson ventures to Bright Falls to investigate killings related to Wake’s work. The former surreal environments and even bends them in unique ways, while the latter acquires clues and organizes them in her mind space.

Both will have to deal with horrifying enemies, using flashlights to focus and make them vulnerable to firearms. With a much more ambitious scale and gorgeous visuals, Alan Wake 2 could be a dark horse in one of the most packed years in gaming. It’s out on October 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1

At long last, the legend returns…sort of. Konami’s Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection is a compilation of the mainline titles, with Vol. 1 featuring Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. These aren’t remasters or remakes, though – Metal Gear Solid is locked to 30 FPS, while Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 are from the HD Collection released about a decade ago.

Nevertheless, they’re as faithful as you can get, while the collection delivers goodies like graphic novels, guides, scripts and even the option to play Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and even Snake’s Revenge. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 launches on October 24th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Transformers: EarthSpark – Expedition

Going from the Cybertron series and Transformers Devastation to this doesn’t paint Transformers: EarthSpark – Expedition in the best light. Nevertheless, Tessera Studios’ action-adventure title could be better than expected with its combat and exploration. It launches on October 13th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged

A follow-up to the surprisingly entertaining Hot Wheels Unleashed, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged offers even more arcade racing with more content and features. There are five new environments, from a museum to a mini-golf course, new abilities like double jumping, and over 130 vehicles (with two new types: motorcycles and ATVs).

There’s even an extensive new campaign and cross-platform support with new modes like Elimination Events and Drift Challenges. All-in-all, it looks like a worthy follow-up that doubles down on what works. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged launches on October 19th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Ark: Survival Ascended

What if Ark: Survival Evolved but remade in Unreal Engine 5 (and also charging fans for it)? For better or worse, Studio Wildcard is going in that direction with Ark: Survival Ascended, which launches in October for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Along with better visuals and support for Nanite and Lumen, it offers cross-platform multiplayer, improved performance, a new third-person camera, Photo Mode, an updated mini-map, ping system and much more. Will it be worth the wait, especially with the $45 price and Survival Evolved going offline? Time will tell, but thus far, the developer has its work cut out for it.