Resident Evil: Village – House Beneviento

Resident Evil: Village, in many ways, is a celebration of the franchise’s rich history as the game combines different flavors of horror ranging from survival to action and much more in a cohesive experience. But the House Beneviento level is undoubtedly one of the most horrifying levels in the game, thanks to its excellent atmosphere and an enemy that’s the perfect embodiment of one’s worst nightmares. The level does an amazing job of teasing the threat with the cries of a baby, and when that one hell of a baby emerges from the dark – you better run with all your might.

According to Kacper Michalski, who’s the head of production at Bloober Team, it’s not out of the question. Speaking in a recent interview with GamingBolt, when asked if the likes of The Medium and Observer could get sequels at some point, Michalski said that if the developer can “come up with a good idea”, it would certainly be “possible.”

“Who knows,” Michalski said in response to the question. “If we come up with a good idea on how to make a jump back to the universe of Observer or The Medium, then why not? Everything’s possible.”

Interestingly, there’s plenty else on Bloober Team’s plate as it is that’s yet to be announced in an official capacity. The developer recently confirmed that it has partnered with Private Division to work on an all-new survival horror game, while in November 2021, it also announced a partnership with Rogue Games for an unannounced next-gen title for PC and consoles.

The studio recently also hinted at the possibility of additional Silent Hill projects after the upcoming remake – though of course, one would assume that’s far from concrete at this point.

Balan Wonderworld

When most of the context for your game’s story is explained in a separate, near-200 page book, there are bound to be problems. But Balan Wonderworld’s ending is just so many kinds of bullshit that it’s actually hilarious. Lance is defeated and subsequently dragged off by the Negati. Balan reveals himself to be a similar being to Lance and…nothing more? What was his relation to Lance, aside from their names sounding like Balance when combined together?

As for Leo, he finally fulfills his dream of being able to dance while Emma realizes that her servants were actually planning a birthday party (as opposed to gossiping rudely). What the point of it all was – the Tims, Balan’s theater and the truth behind Balan and Lance – is never revealed. Good riddance.

Halo Infinite Multiplayer

Yes, it’s technically a beta but Halo Infinite’s free to play multiplayer component is content-complete ahead of the campaign’s launch in December. And while much can be said about progression, the extensive monetization or the horrid Armor Cores system, the gameplay is simply exquisite. It plays like the perfect mix of Halo’s classic gun play and movement combined with solid power-ups (that aren’t overbearing) and weapon balance. Map design ranges from good to great, and the extensive polish is a sight to behold in light of the competition. There’s still a ways to go but in terms of fun, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is already top-notch.

The latest patch adds in raytracing to the game, something that was absent at launch despite being on the Xbox versions. They also say the overall performance for haptic feedback from the DualSense controller has been improved, though no specific details are given there. The game launched on the PS5 with several DualSense additions, which you can read more about through here.

The Medium is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Update 1.02 is live now on PS5.

Dear PS5 Players! Patch 1.02 is now online, so keep your games updated! Ray Tracing has returned to dual reality. We also improved the overall performance and haptic feedback of the game.

Over the next few days, we'll be fixing the trophy system! pic.twitter.com/w6Lqs7ZdHE

— The Medium Game (@TheMediumGame) September 8, 2021

The Medium sees Marianne, a medium who can traverse both the real world and the spirit world, traveling to the abandoned Niwa Resort as she seeks to uncover the mysteries of the power, of Niwa Resort, and the terrors that haunt it. The game’s PS5 version is largely the same as the Xbox Series X/S release, though it does leverage the DualSense’s adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and more. Get more details on that through here.

Bloober Team is currently working on two unannounced projects, both of which are supposedly bigger than The Medium. One of these is strongly rumoured to be a new Silent Hill game, especially with Bloober Team having entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Konami earlier this year.

A recent leak has claimed that The Medium (alongside Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 and Haven) will be free to PlayStation Plus subscribers upon launch. However, Bloober Team CMO Tomasz Gawlikowski recently took to Twitter to confirm that the rumours are false, with Bloober Team stating the same via its Twitter account. So if you were planning to play The Medium on PS5 at launch, you’re just gonna have to buy it. 

It launches for PS5 on September 3. In the meantime, check out this trailer to learn more about how the game will leverage the DualSense’s features. Stay tuned for more updates.

Yes, we confirm that: The Medium on PS5 will not be available in PS+ ! https://t.co/92uqAdg171

— Bloober Team (@BlooberTeam) August 23, 2021

The Medium will use the adaptive triggers for the in-game Spirit Blast mechanic, with the triggers offering less resistance the longer you charge up the move. Where haptic feedback is concerned, when you’re walking through moth swarms while using the Spirit Shield, you’ll feel moths attacking your shield from all directions through vibrations in the controller. Meanwhile, in sections where you’re hiding from the Maw and holding your breath to stealth your way past him, the strength and intensity of the haptic feedback will increase the longer you hold your breath.

On the PS5, The Medium will also use the controller’s touchpad and gyroscope. While picking up and investigation objects, for instance, you can use the touchpad to move them around (though you can also do it normally using the analog stick. Meanwhile, while investigating your surroundings in first person perspective, you can use the motion controls to look around.

Finally, the controller’s light bar and speaker will also have a role to play. When using tools such as the bolt cutter to get past obstacles, the sound they make will come through the controller’s speaker. The lightbar, meanwhile, will imitate Marianne’s flashlight, so if the flashlight is flickering, so, too, will the light bar.

The Medium launches for PS5 on September 5.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 will also be playable on the cloud, allowing fans of the sandbox RPG to enjoy it on the go. On July 15th, titles like Bloodroots and Farming Simulator 19 are landing for all platforms on the service while The Medium will be playable via the cloud.

Of course, certain titles are leaving this month as well. EA Sports UFC and EA Sports UFC 2 will be gone on July 14th from EA Play. Meanwhile, Endless Space 2 and Downwell are leaving Xbox Game Pass for PC along with CrossCode for all platforms on July 15th. Stay tuned for more announcements of additions to Game Pass in the coming weeks.

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar – Storm Ground

This shouldn’t be too surprising for Warhammer fans – games in the series tend to be more miss than hit. Nevertheless, a turn-based tactics title set in the Age of Sigmar, that too with different acts and routes, looked appealing. Storm Ground’s presentation and rogue-like mechanics – like gathering different units and powers during a run – were also pretty interesting from the outset. Delve deeper into the game, however, and you’ll find the rogue-like style of dying to be annoying, the campaign content lacking and way more bugs than players online. Even without these issues, the gameplay just doesn’t feel fleshed out enough, lacking many quality of life features and basic functions that other turn-based titles offer.