Directive 8020's rewind feature makes play-your-own-survival-horror easier for completionists

Supermassive's well-regarded interactive survival horror series, the Dark Pictures Anthology, is ready for its second season. Directive 8020 will be its first entry and was available to play in demo form at SGF 2025, even if it was heavily weighted with cutscenes and context-setting preamble.
The demo kicked off with a meeting between Young and Stafford, marking the anniversary of Young's father's death, who was also a long-time friend of Stafford's – the commander of the space mission that Young is also bound for.
The plot then leaps four years forward, placing us aboard the spaceship Cassiopeia. Oh and it's somehow overrun by some fungal, sentient alien goop. Worse still, but also a horror staple, the goop is coalescing into almost-perfect copies of the human crew. Trust no-one! To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
When the hydroponics bay is overrun by an alien substance, two crewmates Cernan and Stafford, have to fight their ET doppelgangers. Finally, I got to play (but only for a few minutes), moving stealthily around the lower deck of the hydroponics bay while my alien copy (now fungal and angry) tried to hunt me down. Fortunately, you're equipped with a scanner to mark where the aliens were last seen, and after triggering a nearby hydroponic pod to distract, I made my way up the ladder.
This was one of three ways to play this section, handily introducing a new mechanic for The Dark Pictures' second run: Turning Points. Using this feature, you can rewind to these decision trees, allowing you to replay sections and explore different options or alter the outcome. This is an interesting change for the series. In previous games, while you could rewind to replay entire sections in macro, there was no way to change a single micro decision.
I discussed this with my colleague Jessica Conditt, and we're both the kind of players to continue with our terrible decisions in games like Directive 8020 , the Dark Pictures Anthology, Until Dawn and the rest. Fortunately, then, Directive 8020 will include a hard-boiled Survivor Mode – with no rewinds.
The demo shifted back to a more narrative focus and cutscenes, briefly interrupted by the possibility that one crew member (specifically, the CEO funding the whole operation) might be an alien. Did I pull the trigger? Nope. I'll have to wait til the October launch to know if that was the right decision to make.
Directive 8020 launches on 2nd October, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.

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Tom's Guide

2 hours ago

• Tom's Guide

How to watch 'The Gilded Age' season 3 online from anywhere

If the first season was all about introducing the characters and the second season keen to set them on their way, "The Gilded Age" season 3 is where the real high drama gets going. There are changes in balance of power, shifting fortunes, new alliances and old resentments and that's why you can't wait for it to land, right? Here's how you can watch "The Gilded Age" season 3 online around the world and from anywhere with a VPN. "The Gilded Age" season 3 premieres on Sunday, June 22 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and will be available to stream at the same time on Max.• U.S. — HBO/Max/Max on Prime Video• CAN — Crave• AUS — Paramount+ • U.K. — Sky Atlantic• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN risk-free As the old-money world of the van Rhijns co-exists uneasily with new-money families like the Russells, series creator Julian Fellowes - employed to perform his usual shtick - plays the friction and resentment for all its worth whilst believing he is the first person to realize that bad things lurk beneath the surface of every self-satisfied elite. And so, Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) has a serious diminution of power and status to consider at home while Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) somehow maintains the energy necessary to scale, and then ultimately control, the upper echelons of New York society. But is her family on the brink of collapse? Meanwhile, the younger generations are caught up in the business of romance (does Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) actually know what's she's doing or what's going on?) and making the world a better place - although writer Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) clearly has her work cut out. Read on and discover how you can watch "The Gilded Age" season 3 online with all the streaming details you need below. "The Gilded Age" season 3 premieres on Sunday, June 22 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and will be available to stream at the same time on Max. Max prices start at $9.99/month if you don't mind ads, going to $16.99/month for ad-free and $20.99/month if you want the option to watch content on up to four devices and in 4K. For even better value, you can pay for a whole year upfront and effectively get 12 months for the price of 10 on any of its tiers. HBO can also be added to OTT streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video. Traveling outside the States? You'll need to use a VPN to unblock Max when abroad. If you're traveling overseas and "The Gilded Age" season 3 isn't airing where you're currently located, that doesn't mean you have to miss the show while you're away from home. With the right VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the show from wherever you are. We've evaluated many options, and the best VPN you can get right now is NordVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds. You can try it risk-free for 30 days if you take advantage of NordVPN's no-quibble money-back guarantee. There's a good reason you've heard of NordVPN. We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features too. With over 7,000 servers across 110+ countries, and at a great price too, it's easy to recommend. You can even get an Amazon gift card included if you purchase a select plan now. Get over 70% off NordVPN with this deal Using a VPN is incredibly simple. 1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite. 2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're visiting the U.K. and want to view a U.S. service, you'd select a U.S. server from the location list. 3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to your streaming service app — so Max, for example — and watch "The Gilded Age" season 3 online from wherever you are in the world. "The Gilded Age" season 3 premieres in Canada on Crave on Sunday, June 22. Crave subscriptions start at $9.99/month for its Basic plan (720p video, includes ads) all the way up to $22/month for Premium (ad-free, 4K, downloadable shows). However, right now you can pick up brilliant discounts for three months until July 7: Those on vacation away from Canada will need one of the best VPNs to log in back home to use Crave. We recommend NordVPN. "The Gilded Age" season 3 drops in the U.K. on Sky Atlantic and Sky Showcase channels on Monday, June 23 at 2 a.m. BST initially, and again at 9 p.m. BST in the evening. Sky packages start at £15/month but you can also use their partner streaming service, Now. To access this you will need an entertainment package which you can subscribe for £9.99/month or £6.99/month for a six-month term. Americans and Canadians on vacation in the U.K. who want to watch via their usual domestic streaming platform need a good streaming VPN to log in back home. We recommend NordVPN. "The Gilded Age" season 3 premieres in Oz on Paramount+ on Monday, June 23. Plans start at AU$6.99/Month and run up to a premium version of AU$21.99. New members can also access a 7-day free trial. Not at home? Don't panic. You can still watch the show from your usual domestic streaming platform with a VPN. We recommend NordVPN. Here is the full episode schedule for "The Gilded Age" season 3: Season 03 Episode 01: "Who Is In Charge Here?" - Sunday, June 22 S03 E02: "What The Papers Say" - Sunday, June 29 S03 E03: "Love Is Never Easy" - Sunday, July 06 S03 E04: "TBA" - Sunday, July 13 S03 E05: "TBA" - Sunday, July 20 S03 E06: "TBA" - Sunday, July 27 S03 E07: "TBA" - Sunday, Aug 03 S03 E08: "TBA" - Sunday, Aug 10 Mark Twain. It was a cutting reference to the ostentatious, shallow and politically corrupt elites of 1870s America who insisted they were living in a "Golden Age". Aside from widespread viewer acclaim, the show has also been nominated for 59 awards including: One Primetime Emmy (winning for production design), Two Satellite Awards; and, One Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award for best ensemble in a drama series. No, not right now. "The Gilded Age" is available to watch via fellow streaming service, Max in the U.S.. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Yahoo

4 hours ago

• Yahoo

SpaceX late-night rocket launch in Florida: Where to see liftoff from Daytona to New Smyrna Beach

A late-night rocket launch from Florida is on the horizon. SpaceX is set to launch a batch of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit on June 22 from Cape Canaveral. Rockets here launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida's Space Coast could be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach to as far south as Vero Beach and West Palm Beach. When there's a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there's an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo. Below is more information about the SpaceX rocket launch in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them from here. Rocket launch tally: Here's a list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida (psst, there's a lot) For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@ or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@ For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit Tom Cruise and untitled SpaceX project: 'Mission: Impossible' star who lives in Florida may shoot a film in outer space Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a payload of Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational warning shows. Launch window: 1:47 a.m. to 6:17 a.m. ET Sunday, June 22, 2025 Launch location: Launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida Trajectory: Northeast Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at : You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network's Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type into your browser. Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache. In Volusia County, immediately north of Brevard County — home to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — you can get a great view of a SpaceX, NASA or United Launch Alliance rocket launch. The best views to watch a rocket launch from here is along the beach. Look due south. Recommended spots: • South New Smyrna Beach (Canaveral National Seashore) • Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach is 3.5 miles south of New Smyrna Beach and one mile north of the Apollo Beach entrance to Canaveral National Seashore Park. • Apollo Beach at Canaveral National Seashore (south of New Smyrna Beach). Canaveral National Seashore runs along Florida's East Coast in Volusia County and Brevard County. To access Apollo Beach, take Interstate 95 to exit 249, then travel east until it turns into State Road A1A. Follow SR A1A south to the park entrance. • Oak Hill riverfront is the southernmost city in South Volusia County. • Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill • Goodrich's Seafood and Oyster House back deck, 253 River Road, Oak Hill • Seminole Rest national historic site, 211 River Road, Oak Hill • Riverbreeze Park, 250 H.H. Burch Road, Oak Hill • Mary Dewees Park, 178 N. Gaines St., Oak Hill • Nancy Cummings Park, 232 Cummings St., Oak Hill • Jimmie Vann Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill • A.C. Delbert Dewees Municipal Pier, 243 River Road, Oak Hill • Bird Observation Pier on River Road across from A.C. Delbert Municipal Pier (see above) • Rose Bay in Port Orange, Florida • beaches along New Smyrna Beach, Florida • New Smyrna Beach Inlet, New Smyrna Beach lifeguard station • Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach, Florida • Ormond-by-the-Sea in Ormond Beach, Florida • George R. Kennedy Memorial Park in Edgewater, Florida This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: SpaceX rocket launch in Florida: When to see in Daytona, New Smyrna

Engadget

5 hours ago

• Engadget

Silky soccer, romancing everything and other new indie games worth checking out

Summer is finally here — at least for those of us north of the equator — and you might be planning to spend more time outdoors. Thanks to a swathe of great handheld devices, it's never been easier to play some fantastic indie games wherever you might be, so you can soak up the sun while unlocking achievements. There are a bunch of intriguing new indies you can check out right now, as well as a significant update for a certain thirst-inducing roguelite that's still in early access. I've also a few upcoming titles in this, the latest edition of our indie roundup. One of them has a Steam demo that you might end up spending several enjoyable hours with. Before we get started, a quick word of warning: Your wishlist and resolve are about to be tested as the Steam Summer Sale starts next week. I mean, good luck in advance with the bargain hunting! To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. I have to hold my hands up, I was skeptical about Rematch . When it was revealed that Sloclap — the team behind martial arts games Absolver and Sifu — was making an action-focused soccer game, I had some doubts that it would work. Rematch looked like the studio had taken Rocket League and retrofitted it with human characters. And with both that car soccer game and EA Sports FC 25 as competition, Sloclap was really going to have to do something special to break through. I think the studio might have just pulled that off. Rematch is entirely skill-based with no stat upgrades for your character. You control one player throughout the match, and you'll transition between attacking and defending while rotating the goalkeeper role with teammates. The action is very fluid and fast, and the controls are responsive (they'd have to be). Like in Rocket League , the ball doesn't go out of bounds. There are no fouls or offsides either. I've really enjoyed my first dozen or so games of Rematch . I came to realize that I'm more effective in a midfield/playmaker role or even as the goalkeeper than as an attacker. I haven't been able to get the hang of using the twin-stick controls to aim and shoot at the goal well enough as yet, but I've figured out a way to both help my team and have fun. There are some bugs that the developers are racing to fix and the lack of cross-play at the jump is a bit disappointing (Sloclap says it ran into some technical issues there, but getting that sorted is a top priority for the team). Still, Rematch feels like a very sticky game that I imagine many folks are going to sink dozens of hours into. It's already off to a strong start — it surpassed a million players on its first day. Rematch is out now on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. After some delays, it's finally time to date everything in Date Everything! As the title of this dating sim from Sassy Chap Games and publisher Team17 suggests, you can romance anthropomorphized versions of things around your home. There are more than 100 voice-acted characters you can woo, from the doors and wall, to a mouse trap and dust bunny behind a couch, to fire and air. Things get pretty meta, as you can also date the devs, the game itself and "your overwhelming sense of existential dread." There are multiple endings for each character and around 70,000 lines of dialogue, so there's plenty to explore here. Reviews have been generally positive, with praise for the writing and design. I can't wait to see the reactions of my seatmate when I'm playing it on my next flight. Date Everything! is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Lost in Random was received fairly well a few years back and now a roguelite spinoff has arrived. Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is out on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. This is a run-based action game with an isometric perspective and some permanent progression. So, it's very much Hades -coded, though it gives the genre a gothic storybook spin with a dice-rolling element. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Speaking of which (and in case you missed it), the third major early access update for Hades II arrived this week. Oh, sure, there are new bosses and combat options and so on. All of that's great. But for many fans, the biggest addition this time is proper character art for Narcissus. Unsurprisingly, he's hot and he knows it. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. From time to time, I'll start playing a demo and very quickly feel that GIF of Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons pop into my head. You know, the one where he goes "Haha, I'm in danger!" (the GIF is actually from a crossover Family Guy episode in which characters from that show visited Springfield, fact fans). Such is the case with Ball x Pit , a game that I am already certain is going to absorb many, many hours of my life. I didn't get to the Ball x Pit demo until after Steam Next Fest ended, but it's still available until the full game goes live later this year (it's coming to Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch too). After playing the demo, it's easy to see why publisher Devolver Digital dedicated the entire Summer Game Fest edition of its Devolver Direct showcase to this project from indie developer Kenny Sun and half-a-dozen collaborators. Ball x Pit is a blend of Breakout and Vampire Survivors with base-building elements. As you play the brick-breaking survival levels, you'll earn resources you can use to build out your homestead, which feeds back into the projectile chaos. It's an absorbing loop, but the real fun for me comes in the pit. Here, your character will (either manually or automatically) fire magic-infused balls at enemy tiles while avoiding their attacks and making sure the bad guys don't reach the bottom of the screen. You'll collect more projectiles and passive upgrades throughout your run. The real magic happens when you're able to fuse together a pair of balls to combine their effects. So, a ghost ball that passes through enemies instead of bouncing between them might also deliver a laser attack to other baddies in the same row or column. It's already apparent that the gameplay here will run deep. There will be a host of levels, characters and upgrades to unlock. I really can't wait for Ball x Pit to entirely ruin my productivity. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. I loved the Goosebumps books and TV show as a kid, so a stealth game based on the series caught my eye. In Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek (from PHL Collective and publisher GameMill Entertainment), you'll try to avoid monsters in a nightmarish town but if you run into any, you can defend yourself with your slingshot. This game includes puzzles and an original story with multiple endings, while the art style looks charmingly old-school. It's coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam on August 29. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Let's close things out for this week with the latest look at PowerWash Simulator 2 . I enjoyed the first game immensely, and the new trailer shows off some more fresh features that are coming to the sequel, which is slated to hit PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year. This time around, you'll be able to abseil or use a scissor lift to get to grimy, hard-to-reach spots. Multi-stage jobs are also new in PowerWash Simulator 2, and there will be a public restroom (ick) to make pristine. In addition, you'll be able to buy and restore antique furniture for your home base, while your pet kitties can join you on cleaning jobs. Cute!