PlayStation has announced the upcoming July lineup of Monthly Games coming to PlayStation Plus, all of which become playable on July 2. Your PlayStation Plus games for July 2024 are Borderlands 3, NHL 24, and Among Us. Alongside the monthly additions, PlayStation Plus members will also get access to an exclusive Genshin Impact bundle on July 16.

Headling the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for July is Borderlands 3, the third installment in the popular cel-shaded looter shooter. Even though it's almost five years old at this point, it's still a good one. Our own Chris Carter felt like "Borderlands 3 takes most of the good bits of Borderlands 2 and either rolls with them or improves upon them. It didn't need to reinvent the wheel either, as Gearbox pretty much had the formula figured out the second time a??round."

Those more interested in playing some hockey will have the option to do so with NHL 24. This annual installment of hitting the ice scored above-average critic reviews and seems ??to be a solid outing for fans of the sport.

The final game for this month is the popular sussy multiplayer social deduction title Among Us. Chances are you've already played Among Us if you have any interest ??in it, but if not or you were looking for a reason to try it ou?t on PS5, this is as good a time as any.

All three of these Monthly Games become available for PlayStation Plus members on July 2. That also means that current subscribers will have through July 1 to claim the PlayStation Plus titles for June 2024 which include SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake, AEW Fight Forever, and Streets of Rage 4.

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The Among Us train continues with the latest trailer debut of its highly-anticipated animated series. Although the T??V show has yet to get an official release date, the snippet provides an exciting "Coming Soon" teaser.

The trailer begins with Among Us characters making a delicious pizza until a monster decides to disrupt the peace. This creature seems to ?be on the hunt for them, simil??ar to all the murderous takedowns the game is known for.

CBS Studios and Innersloth Production are behind the show, featuring a star-studded cast. This includes many notable actors, including Elijah Wood, Patton Oswalt, Ashley Johnson, and Randall Park. I'm a big fan of the entire cast and Among Us, so it'll be exciting to see them blend togeth??er in the ani?mated series.

In addition to the Among Us TV show, we also got a look into Innersloth's indie game fund, Outersloth. The funding will help other indie studios, catering to a lineup of several games. For instance, the Summer Game Fest 2024 mentions entries like Shape Shop's Mars First Logistics and Midnight Munchies' One BTN Bosses.

SFG also provided an inside look into a new entry with Project Dosa. It's made by Outerloop Games, the studio behind Thirsty Suitors. While it would've been great to hear about a possible Among Us sequel, the animated series will at ??least fill that void.

We'll still need to wait on a release date for the Among Us TV sh??ow, but hopefully, it will come out sooner rather than later.

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Mark my words; we’re about to be buried under a deluge of clones of Vampire Survivors. Right now, it’s already a drizzle, but it reached indie game escape velocity, and that means everyone?? will be trying to burn the same fuel.

Just look at Among Us. Certainly, it wasn’t the first social deduction game, but in the wake of its success, there was an explosion of them. Some of them are just blatant carbon copies.

Now, these two runaway successes are colliding in Vampire Survivors: Emergency Meeting. It is entirely just Vampire Survivors wearing some Among Us-skin boots.

I keep thinking that I have no experience with Among Us, but that’s not true. My nephew lov??es the game, so I’ve play??ed it multiple times with my family. A game all about gaslighting each other is the perfect game to play with relatives. It also let me find out who my mother trusts more, between myself and my sister. Something to think about as I get flung out of the airlock again.

It’s more that I don’t have a connection with Among Us. As a reclusive m??isanthrope, I don’t play much multiplayer if I can help it. Then, when the merchandise started filling up department stores, my snobbery kicked in.

I do love Vampire Survivors, though. It’s a great source of dopamine and good music. Getting the DLC is sort of a foregone conclusion. It’s $2.49, which is less than I spent on breakfa?st.

For less than the price of breakfast, you get 9 new characters, 15 new weapons (I think it’s actually 16, but they might not be including mini-horse), 6 new tracks, a big new stage, and one of those fancy new adventures. It’s not a lot, but the price is easily worth it just f??or that music.

As I mentioned earlier, what Among Us brings to the equation is largely cosmetic. You won’t be rooting out the Impostor. You will still just be walking around while your assembled arsenal automatically obliterates everything that comes near. There are lots of references to the game, sometimes reaching way too deep, but this is still Vampire Survivors.

The references sometimes get a bit contrived here. One of the weapons, Lucky Swipe, is just a keycard moving back and forth. What’s worse is that it makes a really annoying sound, and it’s not the only new weapon that does so. It got so bad sometimes that I turned down the sound and raised the volume on the music so it would stop grating on my?? nerves.

Speaking of which, the new music is just fantastic. Easily some of the best in the entire game. I could listen to it on loop, which, considering a typical round of Vampire Survivors is 30 minutes, I usually am listening to it on loop. Perhaps a better compliment is that I will most likely be choosing it back in the m??ain game.

The main issue I found with Vampire Survivors: Emergency Meeting is that the weapons seem extremely overpowered. Throughout the Adventure Mode, I never fell short when it came to hitting the 30-minute mark. Even then, I’d usually be so buffed up that the Reaper that is supposed to end the round was unable to touch me. I would get up and walk away from the ga?me, leaving my Crewmate standing idle, and it would take a good five-or-so minutes until the Reaper had enough friends to overpower me.

This is maybe less of a problem when you just play the main game with Emergency Meeting gear. It gets diluted within the multitude of weapons that are available to you. However, it still means that the Adventure Mode is complete cake. Adventure Mode is a new feature to the overall structure of Vampire Survivors to begin with, and neither of the previous DLCs eve?n featured their own adventures, so the value of it, to begin with, will vary depending on what you expect from the game.

On top of that, it sometimes feels that Vampire Survivors is a game about becoming as overpowered as possible. So, complaining that an addition makes you more overpowered might be missing the point.

I considered making this a scored review, but figured the wasn’t much point. At its core, Vampire Survivors: Emergency Meeting is a simple content pack based around another property. It’s not like Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, where the marriage of design concepts creates a unique offshoot. This is Vampire Survivors in a t-shirt.

On the other hand, it’s not an insubstantial t-shirt. For the price of one wash cycle in your apartment’s laundromat, you get some great additional music tracks. The references are fun for people who have played Among Us, even if they lead to your speakers emitting sounds that are as pleasing to the ear as a sandpaper Q-tip. It’s a bit of a mixed bag overal?l, but if you’re a fan of either game, it’s maybe not worth ejecting into space.

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In what is an odd and pretty funny surprise, Vampire Survivors is getting an Among Us-themed DLC. Titled Emergency Meeting, the DLC sees the survivors teaming up with the Among Us crewmates and fighting alien hordes.

While Among Us is no stranger to crossovers, especially with other indie titles, Emergency Meeting marks Vampire Survivors' first crossover DLC. It's expansive too, adding eight playable characters, 15 we??apons,?? and a new stage called Polus Replica.

As with the b??ase game and other paid DLCs, Emergency Meeting is pretty affordable at $2.50. Fans won't have to wait long to play it either as it comes out on December 18 for PC and Xb?ox Series consoles.

Alongside the blog post announcing the DLC, a trailer went live on poncle's YouTube page. It's pretty amazing, as several Vampire Survivors characters are transported to space and meet the Among Us cast. What ensures is a team-up to fend off thousands of angry al?iens with planet-destroying powers.

It only slightly exaggerates the gameplay loop in Vampire Survivors, but it exemplifies the power trip that begins when equipped with all possible upgrades in a run. Honestly, I would have been happy with the c??rossover being just the trailer. An entire DLC paired with it is just the icing on the cake.

As unexpected as this crossover is, it looks like an absolute blast. This alongside patch 1.8 adding the narrative-based Adventures mode means Vampire Survivors fans are get??ting a significant amount of new content to chew through.

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Among Us is having a massive collaboration and players will get the chance to rock some brand new skins and other cosmetic items because of it. This collaboration includes seven popular indie games, including big names like Undertale and Castle Crashers.

Alongside those two, the other games involved in this crossover are Celeste, A Hat in Time, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Untitled Goose Game, and Alien Hominid Invasion. Innersloth, the developers of Among Us, announced this massive collaboration on November 28 and it is live now, until February 28, 2024.

There are a total of 25 hats, 18 skins, 12 nameplates, 9 visors, and 6 pets included in this crossover. With the in-game currency—beans—players can head over to the shop and purchase a Cosmicube. The Cosmicube allows players to have acc?ess to all cosmetics from each game for a mere price of 7,000 beans. Beans are earnable through gameplay, if you're finding yourself bean-less for this new cube.

Alongside this collaboration, Innersloth has also added in a number of different patches in order to improve Among Us. Since its release in 2018 and massive success it gained during the pandemic in 2020-2021, several updates have been released. The patch notes state that they’re falling behind because of all of the older versions of the game, so the team is removing older versions and encouraging players to u??pdate to newer versions for efficiency.

This collaboration will be the first update since The Fungle map was added to the gam?e back in September of this year. The Fungle is the fifth map to be added to the game. It features a fungus-infested jungle for crewmates and imposters to explore.

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The game's developers will be co-producing the Among Us animated show

CBS Eye Animation Productions has partnered with Innersloth, the studio behind Among Us, to create an animated TV Series based on everyone's favorite pandemic??-era pastime.

According to a report by Variety, Among Us will put Owen Dennis of Infinity Train fame in the creator's seat. He'll also serve as co-executive producer alongside Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, an??d Antonio Canobbio of Innersloth. The series won't stray from the game's basic premise.

“Members of your crew have been replaced by an alien shapeshifter intent on causing confusion, sabotaging the ship, and killing everyone," reads the show's official logline. "Root out the ‘Impostor�or fall victim to its murderous designs.�/p>

[caption id="attachment_347219" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Titmouse, the studio behind Big Mouth and, more appropriately, Star Trek: Lower Decks, will be in charg??e of animation. Ben Kalina from Titmouse will also have a role as co-executive producer.

We're yet to hear about networks or streaming platforms interested in the project, but we doubt that'll take long. This is a big property, and the show has The Animation Guild behind it, not the WGA. Its production likely won't slow down due to the WGA strike.

Anyone who wants to know more about what the Among Us show might have in store should check out Infinity Train. It's a marvelously heartwarming animated show that tells the story of a bunch of great characters until the moment they all die via the scythe of unfair cancellation. Just kidding. Though the cancellation did happen and was absolutely unfair, none of Infinity Train's stories ended on ??cliffhangers. You should totally check it out.

Video game adaptations have finally begun to get things right with Arcane and The Last of Us. Here's hoping CBS continues the trend with its take on Among Us. 

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Eyes up, crewmate

The official Among Us Twitter page has shared a cryptic teaser about an upcoming collaboration, and eagle-eyed fans of a particular space shooter have gathered that it could be referring to Bungie's Destiny 2.

A message reading, "HMMM found an incoming message about some Impostors that might be hiding among a certain fireteam very soon..." was posted to the game's Twitter account on February 21, but had no further information included. Various silhouettes were also featured in an image that accompanied the tweet and the phrase "Eyes up, crewmate." Destiny 2's Commander Zavala has the catchphrase, "Eyes up, Guardian," which fans have taken to mean the teaser definitely refers to Destiny. Add to that the original tweet's choice of "fireteam" language, which is the term used to describe player groups of up to six in Destiny 2, and it's a?lmost certain that fans will see an announcement of a colla?boration between the two space-themed games very soon.

//twit??ter.com/AmongUsGame/statu?s/1628092269269065731?s=20

Bungie is set to release the Lightfall expansion for Destiny 2 on February 28, and there's speculation that this new Among Us collaboration could coincide w??ith that launch date, although this is unconfirmed at the time of writing.

That's ... only slightly sus

[caption id="attachment_363154" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bungie[/caption]

A collaboration with Destiny 2 certainly wouldn't be the first time Among Us has received crossover content. It's previously been paired with the likes of Fall Guys and Fortnite where players could select special Crewmate skins and cosmetics in-game. It's therefore not entirely untoward to expect that players could soon be customizing their Crewmates with reimagined Destiny 2 armor. As developer Innersloth has revealed that it plans on releasing new maps in 2023, alongside the recently released Hide and Seek mode, it could also delve further into the crossover and bring some of Destiny 2's Crucible maps to Among Us.

Among Us is available now for mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Destiny 2 is available now for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.

Related: All Destiny 2 DLCs and expansions on Dot Esports

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The power of K-pop sends ripples through the gaming world yet again

Among Us has been one of the biggest games in the world since it blew up at the start of the pandemic in 2020 �its staying power is evidenced by its cameo in Rian Johnson's latest whodunit flick Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Even with all the clout that still surrounds the game, it was still dethroned by another social deduction game that takes enough inspiration from Among Us that it's bordering on rip-off territory: Goose Goose Duck.

That's right, a game that basically just swaps out Among Us' signature bean-shaped crewmates with goofy-looking geese has surpassed the original's record for concurrent players �Among Us peaked at 447,476 players two years ago, while Goose Goose Duck had a peak (or should I say beak?) of 563,667 concurrent players on January 5, 2023.

[caption id="attachment_357138" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Gaggle Studios[/caption]

So what is it that made Goose Goose Duck skyrocket recently? The reasoning is simple, really, and expected for anyone who's been on the internet at all in the past five years �it was the K-pop stans. Long story short, BTS member Kim Tae-hyung, also known by his stage name "V," streamed himself playing the game back in November, and it's been gaining steam ever since, if you can pardon the pun. The VOD of Tae-hyung playing Goose Goose Duck accrued over 8 million views in a matter of weeks, kicking off the new trend. BTS is so popular, they actually account for roughly $5 billion of South Korea's GDP as of 2021, so the surge in the gam?e's player base is unsurprising ??to long-time fans.

This certainly isn't K-pop's first brush with gaming �the insanely popular girl group Blackpink has collaborated with PUBG multiple times, and TWICE member Mina is known to play Minecraft regularly, just to name a few examples from my own favorite groups. In the case of Tae-hyung, he was playing Goose Goose Duck, Fall Guys, and other games on BTS' parent company's version of Patreon called Weverse, where fans?? pay a fee to play games with members, participate in live streams, and gain access to other?? exclusive content. K-pop idols are always in high demand, so playing games with fans is actually a great way for them to have fun and interact with their fandom.

[Featured Image via Gaggle Studios]

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A list full of frustrating, chaotic fun

Fall Guys seems to have just caught the end of the battle royale trend, but it's easily one of the silliest and fun games to take on the genre. You and your friends all take on the role of a little bean-shaped creature and run the gauntlet of different obstacle courses akin to the slapstick fun of the classic American gameshow, Wipeout. Don't forge?t you can also dress your bean?? up in all kinds of goofy costumes to make your run all the more giggle-inducing.

Of course, as much as we all love Fall Guys, any game is going to get a bit stale after we play it for a certain number of hours. That's why we've compiled this list of awesome games to check out if you want to play Fall Guys, but you also don't want to play Fall Guys. I?n other w??ords, here are seven games that are just like your favorite platformer battle royale game, but different, and also ranked.

7. It Takes Two

It Takes Two's gameplay has a much greater focus on cooperation than Fall Guys, but maybe this Game of the Year-winning co-op adventure game could be a nice way to make up after you sabotage a friend. The game might be a bit different than what you're used to if don't usually reach for on-rails, storytelling-centric titles, but it could be a good change of pace if you're up for it. You'll certainly still have to do plenty of platforming, and It Takes Two has a beautiful, colorful art style that should satisfy even the stuffiest of Fall Guys players �if such a thing even exists.

6. Among Us

The game that took the world by storm! Among Us is another great option if you're looking for some goofy fun with a social deduction twist. It would be the perfect time to jump in, as well, because the developers just announced a new game mode: Hide n Seek. Players have to complete tasks like usual, only the votes and decision-making have been removed to make for a more fast-paced experience, if that's your kind of thing. All you have to focus on is doing y??our tasks and staying alive, which kind of sounds similar to a parti??cular platforming battle royale game, does it not?

5. Stick Fight

Do you ever think about those old-school stick figure animations from the golden days of the internet? Because I certainly do. Now you can take on the role of your very own stick figure and beat the crap out of your friends �that's what video games are all about, after all. Maybe you need a way to take on your friends after they threw you off of the Big Shots stage in Fall Guys, and the co-op fighting game Stick Fight absolutely has you covered.

4. Golf With Your Friends

As a lifelong mini-golf fan, I'm willing to admit that I'm partial to the sport �and that includes any silly, albeit unrealistic video game interpretations. Golf With Friends is the perfect title if you're looking for silly ways to sabotage your friends, and lets you do it in style. You can play with up to 12 players in a game, and with a grand total of 234 different holes to play on in 13 different themed courses, it's not likely you'll ??run out of games to play anytime soon. Just get eleven of your closest friends together, and try not to wail on each other with your proverbial putters.

3. Overcooked 2

Overcooked 2 is widely considered one of the best co-op party games ever made, and I'm inclined to agree. You and your friends will be thrown into the kitchen, and will make progressively more complicated food in progressively precarious situations. Want to see if you can make a delicious pasta dinner in a kitchen suspended by multiple hot air balloons? You've got it! Want to try your hand at making mouth-watering steak over a horrifying lava pit? This one's?? all you! Just make sure you don't take things too seriously, because this game has threatened some of my friendships in a very real way.

2. Ultimate Chicken Horse

Ultimate Chicken Horse is one of my personal favorite party games of all time. The premise is simple �you and up to three other friends play as a delightfully adorable barnyard ani?mal, and have to reach the goal at the end of ?a platforming stage to progress. The catch is that you play each map repeatedly until only one player is left standing, and in between each round, players can choose an obstacle to add to the course. Things get really chaotic really fast, and its fostering of friendly trash talk and occasional self-sabotage makes for an awesome game you won't want to put down.

1. Gang Beasts

If you need something that's going to capture the same slapstick-y, ragdoll ridiculousness of Fall Guys, Gang Beasts is your best bet. This beat-em-up co-op title can be played with up to four players, where you enter arenas full of various hazards and atte?mpt to ??take out your opponents.

Gang Beasts blew up a bit on YouTube's Let's Play scene in the late 2010s, and it's been a friendship-threatening staple of parties ever since. As if that wasn't good enough, the game also still has that dress-up mechanic that we all just can't ??get enough of, so you can don a silly hat or pair of glasses as your friend throws you into an industrial-grade grinder.

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The impostor's not hiding anymore

The social deduction and impostor game Among Us is doing away with pretenses through a new mode. Among Us adds a Hide n Seek mode this week, on December 9.

Rather than hiding in plain sight, it'll be the crewmates' turn to hide from the monster. Hide n Seek will have the crew of Among Us fleeing a monster who's trying ?to hunt them. No votes, no decision-making. Just flee?, and try to finish tasks before you get found.

//twitter.com/AmongU?sGame/st??atus/1601017589815197696

More is on the way for the update too, including new cosmetics and the ability to name pets. Also screaming? Not sure how that plays in. Either way, from VR to Hide n Seek, it's been impressive to see how Innersloth keeps finding new ways to change up the social deduction and deception of Among Us.

For those looking to find new ways to play their favorite whodunnit game this holiday season though, an official Hide n Seek seems like a fun way to ring in a holiday party. Hide n Seek goes live for Among Us tomorrow, December 9.

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Check out these Halloween pumpkins with a nerdy twist

I'm not much of a pumpkin-carver myself, but one of the my favorite Halloween activities is seeing everyone post their cool ?jack-o'-lanterns online. It's all of the fun of a time-honored tradition with none of the work or mess, so that's a win-win in my book. While there are some pretty impressive carvings out there, obviously the best ones are the gaming-themed gourds??????????????????????????, and there are plenty of them out there. This year, I scoured Reddit in search of the best pumpkins so you don't have to, and I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with the selection this year.

Cult of the Lamb

Starting off strong with one of my favorite games of the year, this pumpkin features the titular character of Cult of the Lamb, the adorably twisted roguelike/management sim. This carving is complete with bleeding eyes and his little hat, but the best part is that the back of the pumpkin i??s carved with the symbols of all four he??retic prophets. Major points for the attention to detail!

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/yfez?qe/worship_lamb/

Pac-Man

Pac-Man is one of the most well-loved games of all time, so it's only natural it would pop up on this list more than once. This jack-o'-lantern in particular features one of? the game's fo?ur ghosts, and has the bottom of the pumpkin carved out to make the little guy look like he's floating. I have no idea how they managed to suspend the light inside, but it looks awesome.

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/y997bq/pacman_ghost_mad??e_for??_a_work_pumpkin_contest/

Resident Evil Village

It wouldn't be Halloween with a Resident Evil-themed pumpkin, and this one features the giantess that broke the internet: Lady Dimitrescu. I'm honestly surprised at how well her likeness transferred onto a seasonal fruit, but sure enough, it's unmistak?ably her. Couldn't miss ?her with that cleavage and that hat.

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/c?omments/yfrezr/lady_dimitrescu_pumpkin_i_carved_this_year/

Fallout

This next one isn't so much a pumpkin carving as it is a pumpkin painting, but it's definitely in the spirit of things, so I'm including it. A Fallout fan painted his pumpkin so that it depicted the Vault Boy in his classic thumbs up pose, and he even has the matching t-shirt to boot.?? A painted design looks like a great alternative for someone who doesn't want to spend half the night mopping up pumpkin guts, so I might have to follow suit next year.

//www.r??eddit.com/r/gaming/comments/y??6j8wx/vault_boy_pumpkin_i_painted/

Portal

Okay, this Portal pumpkin has to be my favorite of the year. Not only is it from one of my favorite game series of all time, but this turret pumpkin carving has to be one of the most creative jack-o'-lantern designs I've ever seen. The creator actually 3D printed all of the plastic pieces featured (and provided the plans for anyone who wants to replicate it), and actually posted a video of the build. This is a triumph, huge success.

//www.reddi?t.com/r/gaming/comments/yfzhl8/i_made_my_pumpkin_into_a_portal_turret_for/

The Legend of Zelda

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/co??mments/y5xoxe/i_carved_link_into_a_pumpkin/

It's great to see another classic game series represented, and this pumpkin was carved with all of the elegance the series deserves. It may be a bit simple compared to some of the other jack-o'-lanterns on this list, but it's got to be one of the cleanest. The simple, cartoony depiction of Breath of the Wild Link is so well carved, I can't imagine how much time it?? took to refine.

Half-Life, Pac-Man, and Chess

What's better than a jack-o'-lantern? Four jack-o'-lanterns! An entire family carved their pumpkins together to depict their favorite games, featuring the Half-Life logo, a depiction of Pac-Man chasing a ghost, and what was going to be a chess board, the poster clarified in the comments, but ended up being a cool-looking geometric design. There's also a little mini pumpkin in the mix, and while I don't think the owl is a nod to any game in particular, it is absolutely ado??rable.

//w?ww.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/yf9s3h/check_out_my_familys_pumpkins_mine_is_the/

Minecraft and Among Us

Pretty much all of the Halloween pumpkin carvings on this list look like they could have been done by a professional, but these pumpkins actually were -- the Minecraft and Among Us pumpkins are part of an event called Carved at the D?escanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, California. The m??eticulously detailed jack-o'-lanterns are some of the best I've ever seen, and I understand why people would pay money to see gardens full of pumpkins like these.

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/??comments/yb8ny8/??gaming_pumpkins_carved_descanso_gardens/

Luigi's Mansion

Luigi's Mansion is a perfect game to represent on a Halloween pumpkin, because what could b?e more Halloween-y than a big spooky house full of ghosts. Not only does the front have a classically-terrified Luigi mid-scream, but also features a boo carved into the back, which illuminates the wall behind with its spooky s?ilhouette. Great idea, even better execution!

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/yfmzvn/my_jack_olantern_this?_year/

Well, that's our list of the best gaming Halloween pu??mpkins of the year. Are there any we missed? Do yo??u carve your own gaming jack-o'-lanterns? What's your favorite game you'd want to see carved into the side of a gourd? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Here are? ?the best gaming-themed pumpkin carvings this Halloween appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious

A virtual reality version of a very popular impostor game hits headsets soon. Among Us VR arrives on November 10 for Steam and Meta Quest.

This version of Among Us is a collaboration between Schell Games, Innersloth, and Robot Teddy. The new version will run for $9.99, and you can find it on the Steam store here or over at the Quest storefront.

As you can tell from the trailers we've seen thus far, this is essentially first-person VR Among Us. Players take on the role of different crewmates, all tryin??g to complete their tasks on the ship. Meanwhile, one or some of them are impostors, and their goal is take out the crew while not getting caught.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y_QmaFkJ4g

A brand-new perspective

Among Us VR will support four to ten players in a match. VR players can only play with other VR players, though. And it looks like the level included so far is called Skeld II, a 3D made-for-virtual-reality version of the Skeld from classic Among Us.

The old mini-games will return, as will some new ones just for VR. And of course, there's the difference in perspective. While 2D Among Us takes an overhead view, Among Us VR goes fully first-person. S??eeing someone vent in VR will probably be terrifying.

Alongside the news of Among Us VR's release date, today's Meta Connect showcase also held a few more big reveals. Meta has picked up several gaming studios, including Iron Man VR developer Camouflaj, Twisted Pixel, and Armature Studio, the team behind Resident Evil 4's Meta Quest adaptation.

Meta also unveiled its new virtual reality headset, the Meta Quest Pro. It's a high-end piece of hardware that comes with a hefty price tag. Among Us VR, mea?nwhile, can run on the Meta Quest 2 or on other headsets via Steam.

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Some new surprises for catching the Impostor—and evading detection

Multiplayer social deduction game Among Us launched a new update today. Roles arrive to shake up the standard Among Us match, while a shop, achievements, and more add on for a pretty ?sizeable update.

Roles arrive in Among Us today, allowing for more than just Crewmate and Impostor in a match. If you're only a little familiar with a social deduction game like Among Us, they have the regular players trying to complete tasks and catch Impostors, and the Impostors attempting to take out every Crewmate while avoiding det??ection.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5mshaalJVc

The new Roles bring over concepts from other social deduction games, but with a few Among Us-??specific twists. The Scientist can pull out a tablet and view the crew's vitals at any time, though they'll need to finish tasks to keep their battery alive. The Engineer can travel through vents. And the Guardian Angel can cast a protection shield around the remaining Crewmates.

These might add a little more to the Crewmate's ability to survive and detect, so the Impostors also get the Shapeshifter variant. The Shapes?hifter can morph into any other Crewmate, letting you play some mind games with unsuspecting Crewmates.

Also arriving in Among Us today, as part of version 2021.11.09, is a new cosmetics system. The new options are split into two branches: free and paid. Beans and Pods are accumulated through gameplay, while Stars are a premium currency. Alongside a cosmetics sto??re, there will also be Cosmicubes: branching path maps that let you gradually unlock new cosmetics. You buy a Cosmicu?be with Beans or Stars, and then use Pods to unlock their contents.

The reasoning behind adding new paid content is that, well, running a game costs money. Among Us is a fairly cheap, even free (with ads) game on some storefronts. Here's more from today's blog:

"To keep the game going, servers running, and give every?one more free cosmetic options, we’re ex?cited for the Cosmicube update! And then if anyone feels like supporting us, then the paid cosmetic option is there too."

Achievements and account linking are also available, though there's a special note that Stars purchased on the Switch right now will only be usable on that system. With the social deduction game steadily approaching a date for its PlayStation and Xbox console versions, it's looking to be a big end of the year for Among Us.

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Physical collector's editions also incoming

Are the kids still playing Among Us? I don't know. One minute it was your Fall Guys, then it was your Among Us-uses, and now you're all probably enjoying penny whistles and moon pies. Regardless, those of you still feeling 'sus will be pleased to hear that Innersloth's pop culture phenom will finally be hitting PlayStation and Xbox platforms in December.

The digital version of the cute murder-mystery title will go live on console platforms on December 14, while a slew of physical releases will see staggered releases across winter and spring. Launching day and date with the physical release is previously revealed "Crewmate Edition", which incl?udes a physical copy of t??he game, a poster, a sticker sheet, and a selection of mobile wallpapers. This set will retail for around $30 USD on both PlayStation and Xbox.

The more dedicated crewmate can stump up $50 for the "Imposter Edition," which includes all of the items from the Crewmate Edition, but also adds a Purple Crewmate plush toy, a “Crewmate vs. Imposter�lanyard, a spinner pin, and exclusive packaging. This? edition will not be available to purchase until spring 2022. Perhaps that Purple Crewmate plush has been left alone near one too many vents.

Finally, the die-hard Among Us fans... uhh... among us can put down $90 for the premium "Ejected Edition" which will include all of the i??tems from the Crewmate and Imposter Editions, but also com?es bundled with Red Imposter beanie hat and a cozy fleece blanket �perfect for keeping you toasty as your drift through the silent death of outer space. Like the Imposter Edition, the Ejected Edition will not arrive until spring 2022.

Among Us launches December 14 on PlayStation and Xbox platforms. It is available now on? PC and Xbox Game?? Pass.

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The Among Us free trial event runs from July 21�7 on Nintendo Switch

Every once in a while, I remember that Nintendo Switch Online 1) ?exists and 2) that I'm subscribed to it.

Usually, that realization happens when I'm in the mood to play some random Super Nintendo game and I browse through the wacky list of featured fluff. This paid service has Super Metroid and Spanky's Quest �but no EarthBound? Sure, whatever, Nintendo. You don't need to woo me. I'??m probably only going to play for a few ??minutes, anyway.

The other "Oh yeah, I'm paying for this" reminder pops up whenever Nintendo hosts one of its week-long game trials. I rarely have the energy to participate, but I'm always curious to see which games are selected. In this case, it's Among Us �a pretty good pick.

//twitter.com/NintendoAmer?ica/status/14171698?15693824000?s=20

Nintendo Switch Online's week-long Among Us free trial starts this Wednesday, July 21 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific. If you're smooth-tongued and street smart enough to stand a chance in this social deception game, have at it �you can even pre-download it now while it's on your mind. Among Us will also have a 30 percent discount on the ??eShop b??eginning July 21.

For those of you with platform-spanning friend groups, Among Us has cross-play. And I didn't realize this before, but you can use a USB keyboard with Among Us on Switch, too.

No matter how big or small the stakes, I suck at lying and deception. These games just don't fit me. Given their popularity across multiple mediums (people recently redeemed 15 million free copies of Among Us from the Epic Games Store!), I feel like the odd man out. Maybe one d??ay they'll click for me and I'll have my full-on heel-turn mome?nt.

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Reevaluate your impulse to categorize

It has always ??surprised me that video games tend to ??feel so gendered. You have your big boob wo??men and your strong butt men, and the mainstream video game developers that fumble through creating anyone outside?? of that heteronormative gender presentation. On the other side, there are what I would call genderless video games, like Fall Guys, Among Us, and Minecraft, that feature characters bu?t allow them to be homogenous, humanoid things, tumbling and building through their worlds without any boob-based hierarchy.

But e??ven though there isn’t anything particularly “womanly�abou??t a pink Among Us crewmate or anything?? about Minecraft’s blotchy blue pr?otagonist that screams, “Yeah, I think this is a man and his name is Steve,�people tend to revert to the gender binary when viewing characters that are barely even presented as human, in contexts that have nothing to do with gender. In egalitarian Among Us, every color is equally “sus.�In Minecraft, identifying your protagon?ist as Steve or Alex, whose only difference from Steve is arm thinness, in no way impacts your ability? to pickaxe pixelated rocks for hours on end. In Fall Guys, everyone is able to wear thos??e dinky little tails? and be bad at playing. I know I am. 

Through all of that, the lack of need for gender, the lack of visual gender indicators, players will still sometim??es reve?rt to what they know as typical gender. And sometimes, they’ll harass each other over it. 

Since the start of Among Us�popularity, there have been troll discussions ??across websites sarcastically asking what pronouns to use and in-game racism and sexism based on avatar color. Many users also choose male ?pronouns as default in conversation, which can become a painful experience for anyone part of a marginalized gender, like cis and trans women, nonbinary people, and trans men. The need for heteronormativity can extend outside of these games, too, like in the case of Minecraft creator Markus “Notch�Persson. In 2012, Persson said Minecraft was meant to be genderless. Since then, he’s pivoted to conspiracy theories and?? homophobia, poisoning the well irreparably and leading modern Minecraft to erase his name from the 2019 version of the game.

People who fal??l under a marginalized gender so often receive abuse online for their gender presentation or their perceived gender that maybe none of this is surprising. But it certainly doesn’t have to be this way, especially if we forgo ingrained impulses to label things as “feminine�or “masculine�and allow ostensibly genderless games to remain that way. The most marginalized people are who would benefit the most, and that’s a good thing for online games. 

Genderless games, especially of the multiplayer variety??, have the potential to be a respite in an otherwise gunky social terrain, a safety zone for community and shared entertainment, a serene puffy cloud bypassing constricting ideas of gender and harassment that goes along with them. 

Of course, gender in games is cool, too �as a woman, I like playing as lots of stereotypically sexy, miniskirted girl protagonists because, after all, gender performance can be creative and fun. But in the world of vide?o games, where dragons sometimes exist and elves fight for civil rights, it would be nice if we stop feeling so nervous about venturing outside the ??gender binary. Let a pixelated block be a pixelated block. We’re only as constrained by so?cietal expectations as we, the society, choose to be. We don’t need gender to play a game.

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Nothing 'sus about these box sets

I'm calling an emergency meeting to let y'all know that InnerSloth's viral hit Among Us is getting set to receive a selection of lavish collector's edi??tions, which will launch alongside the multiplayer mystery title's PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch ports later in 2021.

A collaboration between Maximum Studios, InnerSloth, Dual Wield Studios, and Robot Teddy, the three exclusive physical editions will each include a copy of Among Us along with various themed gubbins. Perfect for su??rprising the most 'sus person in y??our life.

Among Us: Crewmate Edition - $29.99

The Crewmate Edition includes a copy of Among Us along with previously released DLC Airship, Polus, and MIRA HQ Skins, as well as the Hamster Pet, Bedcrab Pet, Brainslug Pet, Stickmin Pet, and Mini Crewmate bundles. This editio??n also includes a special limited edit?ion collector's card, a sticker sheet, a map of The Skeld, retail-exclusive DLC, and six phone wallpapers, designed by artist Amy Liu �all packaged in a 3D lenticular case.

Among Us: Imposter Edition - $49.99

The Imposter Edition will include all of the above items from the Crewmate Edition, but also adds a cute Purple Crewmate plush toy, a "Crewmate vs. Imposter" lanyard, ?an enamel spinner pin, and exclusive ??packaging.

Among Us: Ejected Edition - $89.99

If you want to go all-out, then the Ejected Edition might be ri??ght up your galaxy. This premium set includes all of the items from the Crewmate and Imposter editions, but also adds a Red Imposter beanie hat and a Crewmate fleece blanket �perfect for keeping you warm as you float aimlessly among the stars, wondering where you went wrong.

All three Among Us Collector's Editions are now available to pre-order from the Maximum Games store on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. An official release window will be announced at a later date. Available now on PC, Switch, and mobile platforms, Among Us will launch on PlayStation and Xbox platforms later in 2021.

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The list of 'sus folks got a helluva lot longer

There's still murder and mystery afoot in the deepest regions of outer space, and there are more suspected shapeshifters than ever before. Developer InnerSloth has proudly announced that during its free week on Epic Games Store, viral hit Among Us was claimed by 15 million accounts.

Of course, any title that is offered for free is likely to see a wealth of claims and downloads, but 15 million is still a pretty impressive number, adding to the fascinating legacy of Among Us. The ??multiplayer murder mystery first launched on PC and mobile platforms in 2018, but never really found its fame until last year, when it went viral on the streaming scene, leading to an explosio?n in popularity.

Now available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox fans eagerly await the arrival of the creepy comic title, which is scheduled to hit PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X at some point in the near future. A planned sequel was canceled in 2020, with InnerSloth deciding to instead focus on expanding and updating the original re??lease.

Whether Among Us?? retains its global pop-culture status into 2022 and beyond remains to be seen. But for now, at the very least, it seems that everybody wants a turn at acting 'sus.

//twitt??er.com/InnerslothDevs/status/1409982267225608194?s=20

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Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

It's time to start acting more 'sus than ever before. Innersloth's super-popular multiplayer game Among Us will be bringing 15-player lobbies to its Xbox edition, cranking up the dial on the intergalactic murder mystery title's posse of colorful susp??ects.

If that's ??not enough, these lobbies will allow for THREE imposters, so put your best sleuthing helmet on!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcyLpnLiLP4

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You can download the PC version for free from the Epic Store

It's all right there in the headline — if you haven't gotten Among Us yet and you'd like to, you can play it for free. The Epic Games Store is giving away the mega-popular social game until June 3, 2021.

I probably don't need to explain the appeal of this cartoonish sci-fi imposter-deducing game, and you prob?ably don't want to hear it at this point, so let's just say that some players are cut out for "all in good fun" deception and some aren't. ??I'm not! As for the Epic Store freebie, hey, five bucks is five bucks.

Among Us was teased as a "myst??ery" giveaway, and next Thursday's free game will be one too.

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A rift among us

[Update: Among Us will release on December 14 for PS4 and PS5, according to Sony.]

The super-popular social deduction game Among Us is coming to PlayStation consoles this year. And as a bonus, patient PlayStation players are getting some cos??metics when it?? arrives.

Among Us' PlayStation 4 and 5 debut will have online and crossplay, but importantly, PS4 and PS5 players will get an exclusive Ratchet & Clank skin, hat, and pet. So you can have Ratchet ears and ha??ve a little Clank follow you around on all your tasks (or preten??d-tasks).

The PlayStation Among Us will also come with all four maps available to play. It's already a number of other systems, like PC and Nintendo Switch, but more mediums for impostor games is never a bad thing. There's no firm date set yet, but the PS4 and PS5 launch of Among Us should arrive sometime later this year.

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