Plus the highlights from PlayStation’s State of Play and Afterlove EP is out
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SIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou and Chris Button. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER.
KYLE: Hi I’m Kyle Pauletto
FIONA: and I’m Fiona Bartholomaeus
KYLE: Welcome to Walkthrough, SIFTER’s weekly recap on the biggest news in video games.
FIONA: This week Sony showcases upcoming PlayStation games in this week’s State of Play, Overwatch 2 is bringing back loot boxes and the very first Olympic Esports Games have been delayed
Here is the news for Sunday 16th of February. Let’s go!
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KYLE: Sony held their PlayStation State of Play this week and as always there were heaps of new games announced.
Sonic is back with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. It’s your classic racing game with all the Sonic characters you love but the really cool thing is that you can race through portals into different dimensions.
There’s no release date yet but we’ll keep an eye on it.
FIONA: The comic-styled Borderlands 4 got a release date, you can shoot and then loot on 23rd September this year.
Jump back into the chaotic world with new weapons, planet and apparently a really diverse skill tree.
Borderlands 4 will have its own dedicated State of Play so keep an eye out for that.
KYLE: Digimon is getting a new release with Digimon Story Time Stranger.
The JRPG will have you moving between the human and digital world but also across time too.
It’s slated for 2025 but no release date just yet.
FIONA: SEGA is back with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.
This side-scroller fighter has the same fast gameplay that the series is known for and has a pretty cool art style on top.
That’s out later this year on the 29th August.
KYLE: And finally Returnal developer Housemarque is back with a brand new IP Saros, it’s still scifi, it’s still third person shooter, but this time Rahul Kohli is our hero playing Arjun Devraj.
The roguelike gameplay has changed a bit too, instead of a full reset every single time, it’s now a bit more like Hades where you keep certain resources after you cark it… that was one of the major complaints about Returnal… it felt too punishing to die.
You can find out the full list of announcements in our show notes
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FIONA: The next season of Overwatch 2 kicks off next week and one item that’s making a return is the loot box.
That’s right they’re bringing those back.
They were removed during the launch of Overwatch 2 as the game moved to free-to-play, so instead Blizzard made their money off the in-game shop and battle passes.
Loot boxes have also been quite controversial because of their association with gambling and several government bodies trying to regulate them.
KYLE: These loot boxes will supposedly be more transparent than before with Blizzard providing drop rates for rare, epic and legendary items.
Players will be able to get cosmetics through the boxes and they will be available for weekly and event rewards.
Overwatch 2 season 15 starts on Feb 18 and will also include new hero perks and a third-person game mode.
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KYLE: Good guy Valve is back again with the consumer first approach, banning forced in-game ads from all steam titles.
This week GamingOnLinux did some digging, and found that Valve really hates in-game advertising like we see in mobile games.
You know the ones. Free to download and play, but offers you in game rewards like in game currency or skipping wait times to watch a 30 second ad.
FIONA: Well it’s now written into the Steam developer guidelines that games which utilise paid advertising as a business model will not be supported.
It’s a welcome reactionary move, similar to in 2021 when Valve banned NFT games.
Gotta love a rare win for the consumer… or maybe Valve just wants to make sure all money made on Steam games are sold through Steam in app purchases…
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FIONA: Afterlove EP, the final game by Indonesian developer Mohammed Fah-mi is out, with a Valentine's Day release drop.
Fahmi was beloved in the local scene, and when he sadly passed away in 2022 while working on the visual novel music rhythm game, the rest of the team at Pikselnesia committed to finish the title off as part of his legacy.
KYLE: Writing on the Steam page developer Sasha Ariana spoke about the very personal tribute the game had become.
“This project was always more than just a game. It began as the story aching in Fahmi’s chest, one he longed to share with the world. Then, it became our way, Pikselnesia’s way, of saying goodbye - to his presence, his guidance, his boundless passion. And now, it’s yours. Please, take this journey. Let the music, the love, and the memories carry you through the world he imagined.”
You can pick up Afterlove EP now on Steam, we’ll be playing through this one so keep an eye on our website for our thoughts, and I’m sure our feelings too.
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KYLE: This year was supposed to be the inaugural Olympic Esports Games but unfortunately it has been delayed to 2027.
Reported by EsportsInsider, the competition was delayed due to ongoing concerns about the format, a lack of details on key aspects of the programme by game publishers, and issues with financing and logistics.
FIONA: Saudi Arabia is down to host this Olympic Esports Games as well as the next couple, thanks to a 12-year hosting deal with the International Olympic Committee.
Both the IOC and the Esports World Cup Foundation said it would be a historic event, bringing Esports into the Olympics and they’re working on aligning national esports ecosystems with broader global standards.
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FIONA: That’s it for the headlines, here are the games coming out this week.
KYLE: Out Tuesday is the highly anticipated Avowed, a brand new fantasy IP that has been receiving some really positive early reviews. Modernised Skyrim is the word on the street. That’s coming to PC and Xbox Series S and X on the 18, and make sure you head to sifter.com.au for our full review which is out now.
FIONA: Up next we have the first installment in the upcoming two part narrative game Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. Follow four childhood friends who reunite to solve a supernatural mystery 27 years in the making. Grab it on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S and X this Tuesday.
KYLE: The latest entry in Kyle’s FAVOURITE video game title is coming this week, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. This game looks bonkers. Even more bonkers than the other Like a Dragon entries. But those that love this series are sure to love Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii when it comes to PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S and X on the 20th.
FIONA: And lastly we have PGA Tour 2K25. It’s golf man, what do you want me to say? Out on PC, Xbox Series S and X and PlayStation 5 this Friday.
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PROMO: Articles to read, videos to watch and podcasts to listen to on sifter.com.au
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KYLE: This has been Walkthrough by SIFTER, my name is Kyle Pauletto.
FIONA: And my name is Fiona Bartholomaeus, thank you so much for listening.
KYLE: This week I came to the stark realisation that I should always listen to Gianni, I finally did and my life was changed for the better…I thought I was clever cotton socks but it turns out he was correct again how does he keep doing that… you too can listen to Gianni on our podcast Lightmap and have your life changed for the better.
It’s our video game interview show and actually he doesn’t talk that much so you can ramp up to it. Look forward to upcoming episodes including Tales of the Shire and Citizen Sleeper 2, search for Lightmap and SIFTER on your favourite podcast player now or head to sifterHQ on youtube to watch the vids.
FIONA: SIFTER is produced by myself, Kyle Pauletto, Adam Christou, Courtney Smith and Chris Button. The episode is edited by both Senior Producer Mitch Loh and Gianni Di Giovanni who is SIFTER’s Executive Producer and also Walkthrough’s script editor.
KYLE: Thanks to Brian Fairbanks from Salty Dog Sounds for composing the Walkthrough theme tune, and Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER’s podcasts.
FIONA: We’ll be back with more news next Sunday.
