• Back in 2023, Chris Hemsworth criticized the film "Thor: Love and Thunder," calling it "too stupid."
• In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the actor expressed his belief that fans deserve another movie about the hero because the fourth one was unsuccessful. He also takes some responsibility for its failure.

“I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself,” he says.

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• Hemsworth admitted to not always feeling comfortable on the set of "The Avengers," feeling like his character was more of a bodyguard to the team.

You’ve got the wig on. You’ve got the muscles. You’ve got the costume. Where’s the lighting?’ Yeah, I’m part of this big thing, but I’m probably pretty replaceable.

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• Despite this, Hemsworth's colleagues praised his work. Robert Downey Jr. called his performance in "Ragnarok" and the last two "Avengers" films a "terrific hat trick." He also acknowledged the actor's ability to handle the complexities of the character in the Thor solo films.
• Now, Hemsworth aims to collaborate with iconic directors on complex characters. One such role he's interested in is Dementus in George Miller's "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," set for release on May 24.

I just started playing Jedi Survivor and noticed that despite fighting with the Rebellion, Cal Kestis has lost almost all his powers, plus BD-1's health stims, for no clear reason. It doesn’t really make sense. As a combat veteran, he should be more powerful, or at least maintain the level he had at the end of the first game.

It got me thinking, I can’t really name any games where you start with everything from the previous installment. There must be some, right?

• The first user ratings for Stellar Blade appeared on Metacritic on April 28, with a rating of 9.1 points based on 500 reviews. By May 1, the average score had risen to 9.3 points, with nearly 2,500 reviews.
• Users noted that this not only made it the highest-rated game of 2024 but also the highest-rated title for PS5 overall.

• Stellar Blade surpassed other popular titles such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (9 points), Astro's Playroom (9 points), and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (8.9 points). However, the latter has around eight thousand ratings, and it's uncertain whether a Shift Up game would maintain its rating with a similar number of reviews.
• Stellar Blade was released on PS5 on April 26 and quickly climbed the sales charts.

Ninja Theory studio has released the minimum system requirements for Senua's Saga: Hellblade II on Steam. According to them, the game will run on a PC with an Intel i5-8400 processor, GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, and 16 GB of RAM. Hellblade II will require 70 GB of free space on an SSD.

The minimum system requirements are as follows:
The developers of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II have not yet specified the graphics settings corresponding to the minimum system requirements. Ninja Theory is expected to provide this information soon, as the game is set to be released on May 21.

• Microsoft has sent a survey to some customers, as reported by Twitter users who received emails from the company. The questionnaire included questions about handheld gaming gadgets, such as game installation, cloud services usage, and general impressions of these devices. Additionally, Microsoft asked about gamers' usage habits and preferences regarding device form factors.
• The survey comes amidst leaks about Microsoft's plans to release its own handheld gaming device, leading many to believe that the company is actively working on such a gadget.
• In a special edition of the podcast in February, Microsoft announced plans to make an "exciting" announcement related to Xbox by the end of 2024. Executives mentioned a "unique" device, sparking rumors of a portable Xbox.
  

What video game was praised by critics but disliked by fans of the series?

• After the release of the next-gen update for Fallout 4, Digital Foundry specialist Thomas Morgan reported that on Xbox Series X|S, the image and frame rate in "Quality" and "Performance" modes do not differ. Regardless of the preset, the game continues to run at 60 fps, and the picture quality remains the same. Other bloggers confirmed the same information.
• Bethesda later reported that on Xbox Series X, the game is aimed to run at 4K/60 fps in both modes. This is why the difference between the graphics modes is not so obvious. In Performance mode, the graphics settings are lowered "more aggressively" to achieve these figures, the studio emphasized.
• According to Bethesda's statement, both graphics modes in Fallout 4 work correctly. However, there seems to be an error in the update description on the company's website. It states that in "Quality" mode, the frame rate is 30 fps or 40 fps when connected to a 120 Hz display.
• The update description also mentions that if the console is connected to a 1440p display, Fallout 4 will automatically start running at 1440p and 60 fps, regardless of the mode selected.

• Nexon is developing an MMORPG set in the universe of "Game of Thrones," as reported by sources from Redanian Intelligence, who shared initial details about the project.
• The game will be based in the kingdom of the North, featuring iconic locations like Winterfell and the Wall. The story will unfold between the fourth and fifth seasons of the show, with characters like Roose Bolton ruling the North, and Jon Snow and Sam Tarly stationed at the Wall. Players will encounter these and other familiar characters from the books and series.
• While other kingdoms may also feature in the game, media sources have only revealed details about the North so far. Players will have the option to choose between male and female protagonists. The game features a story campaign tied to online gameplay, resembling The Elder Scrolls Online, although details remain scarce.
• Actors from the "Game of Thrones" series have not voiced their characters for the MMO, at least not in the current version. Instead, Nexon plans to bring in another cast of actors to voice characters with similar voices.
• The release date for the "Game of Thrones" MMORPG is unknown. The publication suggested it could launch in 2025 or 2026, but it could be later.

• Content Warning was released on April 1 and was free for everyone for the first 24 hours, attracting 6.6 million players. Afterward, the game began selling for $8.
• On April 13, Landfall studio announced that Content Warning sales had reached one million copies, less than two weeks after the game's release. It is only available on PC.
• Content Warning is a comedic cooperative horror game where players aim to create videos with artifacts and scary creatures to gain popularity.
• The game's audience has grown partly due to its popularity among famous bloggers.

• The developers of The Outlast Trials recently released a short trailer showcasing journalists' praise for the game. In the trailer description, they mentioned that its audience has surpassed two million people.
• This likely indicates that sales of the cooperative horror game have also reached this milestone. It's worth noting that the game is not available on PS Plus or Game Pass subscription services.
• The developers announced a limited-time event called Toxic Shock, starting on April 16 and running until May 7. This event will feature challenges, rewards, and a side quest to find rats.
• Red Barrels Studios previously announced that the game's first season with additional content will launch in the summer. Additionally, a major update for the horror game is planned, bringing a new mode, enemies, and more.
• The full release of The Outlast Trials occurred on March 5 after being in Early Access for ten months. The game has received a score of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic from critics and 93% positive reviews on Steam from players.

• An employee from the Japanese indie studio Denneko Yuugi addressed common questions about their upcoming action game, Machina of the Planet Tree Mugen Ouroukaku. One question focused on bloggers and influencers asking for free activation keys in exchange for promoting the game on their social networks.
• The developer's response was succinct: "Buy the game, scumbags." They explained that many developers face similar requests on Steam and believe it's a widespread issue.
• In another tweet, the developer highlighted that scammers often request game activation keys on Steam to resell them on third-party sites. They mentioned that not all developers are aware of this scheme.
• The straightforward response from the Japanese developer resonated with users on the social network X, leading the tweet to go viral with over 750 thousand views in less than a day. Some media and other indie developers also took notice, with some supporting the developer's stance on "beggars" on Steam.
• Machina of the Planet Tree Mugen Ouroukaku is a 3D action game where players control a catgirl. It's scheduled to release on Steam Early Access by the end of 2024.

Credit: Duha

• A few years back, CD Projekt confirmed they were open to adding multiplayer to their future games. Now, CEO Michal Nowakowski has made it clear that adding an online component won't compromise the single-player experience.
• Developers aim for any potential online features to enhance their design philosophy, not alter it. Nowakowski assured that CD Projekt will continue crafting story-driven, open-world RPGs, and integrating multiplayer won't detract from the single-player campaign.

"For years we've been saying that we do want to continue what we've been doing so far. So that means making big RPG games. Story-rich, story-driven, open worlds. We may at some point have some multiplayer components, but again, it's not about slicing the single-player components even thinner just for the sake of adding multiplayer. That's definitely not going to happen," he says. "If we're going to add something, we're truly going to add something as an extra," stated Michał Nowakowski, CD Projekt's COO.

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• Nowakowski also believes CDPR doesn't need to follow trends, as their game approach has already proven successful. He believes there's still a market for large-scale story-driven RPGs.
• CDPR's upcoming project is the Polaris trilogy, a new chapter in "The Witcher" series. The team, currently around 400 strong, will transition to full production by the end of 2024.

There's no Shadowheart.

• The Verge covered the shutdown of Discord servers for Suyu and Sudachi, both emulators of the Nintendo Switch console. Discord also removed accounts of several developers linked to the emulators' development.
• Discord didn't reveal specific reasons for shutting down the Nintendo Switch emulator servers. Service representatives cited copyright infringement and multiple DMCA complaints.
• Sudachi developer Jarrod Norvell mentioned that his Discord account was unexpectedly blocked. Discord sent him a letter about violating the user agreement without providing further details.