Kerbal Space Program 2 is still available (for better or worse). There’s no explanation for why or when OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome will return. It’s worth noting that the developers for all these titles, Intercept Games and Roll7, were shuttered in May last year, which Take-Two would confirm six months later.

Perhaps it’s a similar deal to Triangle Strategy, which became temporarily available on the eShop to facilitate a publisher name change from Nintendo to Square Enix. Stay tuned for updates.

Private Division is still publishing Weta Workshop’s Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game and Project Bloom from Game Freak. Former Annapurna Interactive staff members are reportedly running it now under Haveli Investments, though details have yet to be announced.

OlliOlli World is Roll7’s latest title in the acclaimed skateboarding franchise, boasting a bombastic new aesthetic and tons of customization. Evil Dead: The Game is a PvEvP title which sees four survivors from across the Evil Dead universe battling against a Kandarian Demon and some Deadites. Destiny 2: Beyond Light is an expansion for the free-to-play title, which adds Stasis as a new Darkness subclass, a new campaign, and new gear.

As for Mafia: Definitive Edition, it’s a remake of the 2002 classic with improved visuals, quality-of-life features and better racing controls. Stay tuned when all four titles are free to claim next week. It’s also worth noting that PlayStation Plus Collection is going away on May 9th. Subscribers can still keep the titles if they’ve already redeemed them.

Mafia: Definitive Edition will also be available on PS4, though it’s playable on PS5 via backward compatibility. All four titles are reportedly available from February 7th till March 6th. It’s worth noting that Mafia: Definitive Edition may be replaced with another title in certain regions. Stay tuned for Sony’s official announcement for more details.

In the meantime, PS Plus Essential subscribers can claim Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Fallout 76 and Axiom Verge 2 as part of January’s free games. Titles recently added for Extra and Premium subscribers include Dragon Ball FighterZ, Back 4 Blood, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition, Life is Strange, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and much more. Check out the full list here.

https://twitter.com/billbil_kun/status/1619696832921366528

Elden Ring

It’s easy to dismiss Elden Ring as little more than open-world Dark Souls. But it takes the sheer freedom of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and packs it with weapons, Incantations, Sorceries, armor, enemies, mini-bosses, side quests, lore and quirky characters. Elden Ring is a dense experience that goes from one spectacle to the next.

Alongside Squid, Licht and Professor Planks, aka the Radmospheric Three, players venture to five regions in the Flowzone Layers. Cirrus features cotton candy clouds, while Cumulus consists of eerie woods. By collecting map pieces, you’ll be able to find Radlantis’s location.

In terms of new mechanics, new Windzones can push you up or down and even provide a boost while grinding. Taking advantage of these Windzones and racking up points is key. Burly Routes are also new, providing more complexity (while the Gnarly Routes are more “adventurous”). Players can also discover new fashions by completing different courses.

OlliOlli World is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Check out our official review here for more details.

Alex’s arrival comes in the wake of the new VOID Riders DLC which adds new challenges, gear and the new V.O.I.D. biome. Areas like Sunshine Valley and Cloverbrook have also seen some changes while a new tractor beam mechanic is also available for extending tricks. This is the first of two paid expansions with the second slated to arrive in Fall 2022.

Roll7 is also working on Rollerdrome, a third-person shooter/skating title for PS4, PS5 and PC. It’s out on August 16th and sees players gunning down foes in skating arenas, performing tricks to restore their ammo. For more details, head here.

Certain areas have also seen changes with Sunshine Valley gaining an eerie appearance and snow falling in Cloverbrook. A new tractor beam mechanic is also introduced, which sees the player gaining height in certain areas. This allows for pulling off more tricks, though mess them up and you’ll crash. Perform well to gain some new outfits, emotes and tricks.

OlliOlli World: VOID Riders is the first of two paid expansions available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. For more details on the base game, check out our review here. Roll7 is also working on Rollerdrome, a third-person shooter/skating game coming to PS4, PS5 and PC in August.

Called VOID Riders, the expansion will bring an extraterrestrial twist to the game, as three aliens – Sair’Rah, Khehvyn, and Pftangxi – land in Radlandia, looking to acquire skating specimens for their mighty overlord, Nebulord.

And what can you expect from the expansion where new content is concerned? Plenty. There’s a brand-new alien biome in the V.O.I.D., as well as “an all-new side” to Sunshine Valley, Cloverbrook, and Burntrock. Massive alien abduction beams will also allow you to defy gravity with a new mechanics, and there are plenty of new tricks to pull off as well.

Of course, there will also be plenty of new customization options, including space- and alien-themed gear, outfits, emotes, and more.

Check out a gameplay video of the expansion below.

OlliOlli World is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. VOID Riders will launch for all platforms on June 15. It will cost $9.99, and is also included with the game’s “Rad Edition”.

"On your journey to Gnarvana, through the humorously titled land of Radlandia’s five distinct biomes, you’ll breeze through visually striking vistas."

On your journey to Gnarvana, through the humorously titled land of Radlandia’s five distinct biomes, you’ll breeze through visually striking vistas. Its eye-pleasing aesthetics now exist in 2.5D, with levels revealing a multitude of optional pathways to explore, and secret challenges aplenty to discover. You see, Roll7, remarkably, have made improvements to every core feature in the previous OlliOlli titles. Long-time fans will be happy though as whilst the barriers to entry for newcomers are much less severe, gameplay retains is ultra-high skill ceiling. Series newcomers though can delight in the pleasure of simply cruising through the game, with frustrating moments gracefully rare.

Core controls remain from the first two games –tap X on a PS4 controller to push-off and build speed, with all manner of ollies, flips, and grinds possible with a flick or hold of the left thumb stick. The right stick is reserved for grabs – a feature new to the series – but these are revealed later. OlliOlli World does a commendable job of steadily introducing its increasingly advanced techniques, doing well to drip-feed you just at the point when you’ve got a handle on the skills already taught.

What I would say is initially these controls weren’t immediately intuitive to me. I’m willing to concede that this might be down to my 20-odd-year experience playing another famous skateboarding series; rewiring my brain to avoid pressing triangle to grind took some mental legwork. I still hit it on accident from time to time, but largely this is my experience and not necessarily a fault with the game’s design. It could just indicate that the approachability for newcomers in the game’s design might still require some effort to grasp for certain players.

One positive to note is Roll7 have done away with the requirement to press X at the precise time to nail a perfect landing. In previous OlliOlli games, this was a requirement to continue flow and avoid sloppy skating. OlliOlli World does continue with this mechanic, but it’s optional. You’ll still rack up combo points when executing perfect landings, but your zen-like flow won’t be disturbed should you opt to avoid precision.

"OlliOlli World does a commendable job of steadily introducing its increasingly advanced techniques, doing well to drip-feed you just at the point when you’ve got a handle on the skills already taught."

OlliOlli World’s gameplay loop also emphasises you retry. Should you spill, a quick tap on triangle and you’re instantly back to the most recent checkpoint. This rapid-fire retry avoids players feeling disheartened. It’s a design-trick we’ve seen before in games such as challenging pixel-perfect platformer Celeste, with its accessibility mechanics practically willing you to the summit of that game’s titular mountain. A similar trick is deployed here, best described as a feeling of support, as if your ragtag bunch of companions are cheering you on, reassuringly, keeping me motivated to retry trickier sections.

Just to point out, checkpoints are a new feature too. Purists might scoff at the sanitised challenge afforded by checkpoints, but rest assured they’re also optional. Hold triangle instead of tapping, and you’ll be right a back to the start of the level to give the whole thing another go.

Levels are short too. They rarely go beyond a couple of minutes, but just like your skillset, they’ll grow in complexity. By the time you hit the neon canyons of the game’s fifth area, you’ll have grown accustomed to vertical ramps, moving platforms, slimy obstacles, smashable floating crystals, you name it. Chaining combos together with manuals between death defying obstacles feels immensely satisfying. Plus, they’re a sure-fire way to rack up an impressive point total if that’s your thing.

Finishing the level is enough to advance to the next, of course, but OlliOlli World is filled with challenges. Each level has point totals that are set by local rivals who you’ll meet on your travels. Not all of them particularly stand out as memorable, but they’ll offer a range of targets, some easily attainable, and some downright astronomical. Together with the challenges set by your travel buddy Mike, there’s plenty of opportunity for unlocking a raft of cool clothing, accessories, and skate decks with which to customise your character.

"Finishing the level is enough to advance to the next, of course, but OlliOlli World is filled with challenges. Each level has point totals that are set by local rivals who you’ll meet on your travels. Not all of them particularly stand out as memorable, but they’ll offer a range of targets, some easily attainable, and some downright astronomical."

I had a ton of fun re-dressing my character between each biome, but admittedly there are a huge number of things to wear so it can feel overbearing finding something which stands out that you’d like to see your character wearing. A little more finesse in the customisation menu screens – perhaps a sub-menu, or grouped items, would have worked a treat.

Interestingly though, some of the game’s challenges require you to rethink how you approach a level. They’ll suggest you avoid using certain elements, like avoiding wallriding, for instance. This fresh perspective imposed on the player encourages meaningful replayability. Remember the high-skill ceiling I mentioned earlier? Well, some of OlliOlli World’s challenges are delightfully devilish, teasing you with the feeling that a three-chain combo with unique grinds and 180-degree rotations is just within reach. If you’re the sort of player that doesn’t thrive under frustrating gameplay, then again, you’re welcome to miss these challenges entirely. Your reward for completing them are merely cosmetic, after all.

If that wasn’t enough, you’ll also unlock masteries. Essentially, every time you successfully perform an advanced technique, the mastery will add it to your overall total, with further rewards on offer for hitting sizeable targets. It’s the game’s way of encouraging you to keep using the skills it teaches you, to naturally develop them into your ever-growing arsenal of tricks.

Elsewhere, the online multi-player portion of the game is found in technicolour Gnavarna – a playground of sorts where you can partake in leagues, whereby nailing combos amasses a score in league competition with nine other skaters. It’s a decent enough feature but I lost connection with my league’s server a couple of times – any issues of this sort will hopefully be ironed out by the time the game is released. The second multi-player feature allows you to generate a level by setting aesthetic parameters and difficulty. You’ll then get a code which you can share with your mates for them to have a go too. It’d be nice if there was the ability to compete in real-time though. Hopefully this feature will be introduced later down the line.

"Every time you successfully perform an advanced technique, the mastery will add it to your overall total, with further rewards on offer for hitting sizeable targets. It’s the game’s way of encouraging you to keep using the skills it teaches you, to naturally develop them into your ever-growing arsenal of tricks."

If it wasn’t clear already, it feels great nailing the perfect landing that you’ve been chasing for the best part of 20 minutes. For me at least, the game’s trickier sections became more manageable when I had clarity of thought. As a game which aims to attain a gliding sense of flow, I’d say OlliOlli World succeeds.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Set in Radlandia, players embark on a journey for Gnarvana and to eventually meet the skate gods. This involves customizing one’s character from tons of different options and costumes, meeting numerous characters and NPCs, and taking on missions. The side-scrolling gameplay has been expanded with 2.5D visuals, lending more depth and alternate paths to levels.

There are 100 tricks to master and multiple levels to take on in single-player along with sandbox mode which generates different levels. Of course, you can also compete against players online to see who can earn the highest score. Roll7 also has additional story content, biomes and levels coming with its Expansion Pass so stay tuned for more details in the coming months.