Gait Games

You can’t take a step on Steam this week without stumbling over a body. Step forward and you’ll trip over a cold-to-the-touch mobster with a knife in their back. Step to the left and, oh God, it’s a wizened academic clutching a poisoned apple in their rigor mortis grip. But one step to the right and you’ll find the decapitated head of a curmudgeonly mayor who had recently made enemies of everyone in their small town. Yes, it’s Steam Detective Fest and murder is in the air.

Until January 19th, hundreds of developers are offering discounts and demos of their murder mysteries. With so many bodies piling up, it is hard to know where to start your investigations. So, to test the mettle of these murder makers, I set them a challenge.

How would they kill Humpty Dumpty and get away with it?

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# Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 Update: A Return to Island Life

The eagerly-awaited 3.0 update for *Animal Crossing: New Horizons* has officially launched, drawing back former players to their once-neglected islands. This update offers a combination of fresh content, split between a complimentary segment accessible to all users and a paid extension exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 owners.

## Key Features of the Update

### Kapp’n’s Seaside Hotel

Central to the 3.0 update is Kapp’n’s seaside hotel, now built on island piers. Isabelle will announce the hotel’s grand opening, where players can meet Kapp’n and Tom Nook. The main objective involves embellishing rooms with Leilani, Kapp’n’s spouse. Players can assist her in transforming two rooms daily, earning 200 tickets for each decorated room. Soon, tourists will fill these spaces, exploring the island and engaging with residents.

### Hotel Pier Customization

The hotel pier is also customizable, allowing players to inject their personality into the wooden structures. While some restrictions exist due to fixed installations, players can still enjoy personalizing the area with seasonal decor, including delightful winter-themed decorations.

### Resetti’s Reset Service

Another noteworthy addition is Resetti, who offers players the chance to reset parts of their island for a daily charge of 60,000 bells. The first use of his service is free, presenting a cost-effective option for players desiring significant modifications to their island design.

## Enhancements to Gameplay

### New Movement Mechanics

This update brings forth new movement functionalities that allow for more precise actions such as terraforming and decorating. By holding the L button, players can move in a grid system, enhancing accuracy in item placement and digging.

### Crafting Improvements

Crafting has been refined as well. Players can now craft using items straight from their home inventory without the need to carry materials in their pockets. This streamlining provides a smoother crafting experience, especially with the new bulk crafting feature, enabling players to create up to 10 items simultaneously.

## Conclusion

With the 3.0 update, *Animal Crossing: New Horizons* introduces both significant and subtle enhancements to elevate the gameplay experience. Whether it’s embellishing Kapp’n’s hotel, interacting with new tourist characters, or enjoying improved crafting mechanics, players have numerous reasons to return to their islands and immerse themselves once more in the delightful world of New Horizons.

I only have to skate a few meters before the piercing drum of rifle fire fills my ears. Armed with my trusty can of spray paint, I cover the hostile soldiers in splotches of bright colour while rollerblading circles around them. They stumble about, trying to keep me in their sights. Stopping to complete an unfinished bit of graffiti on one of the walls, spreading colour between gaps in a template, the soldiers gather around me. Unable to target me, they mill about in the way as I try to finish, making it a touch more difficult to work out if I’ve left any blank spaces.

I’m playing an early version of Palestine Skating Game, which offers a test of its Jet Set Radio and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater-inspired rollerblading and painting amid a stylised rendition of war-torn Gaza.

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### The Performance Enigma of Monster Hunter Wilds on PC

**Introduction**

The popular action RPG, *Monster Hunter Wilds*, crafted by Capcom, has faced performance challenges on PC since its release. Players have voiced their dissatisfaction over encountering notable FPS drops, yet a newly suggested theory presents a fascinating possible explanation tied to the game’s various DLC expansions.

**DLC and Performance Challenges**

An in-depth exploration of the performance enigmas of *Monster Hunter Wilds* was recently performed by a Reddit user named u/de_Tylmarande. Through their experience with a friend’s Steam account—where all downloadable content for the game was acquired—they observed a striking contrast in performance. While using their own account, which lacked any DLC, FPS plummeted to as low as 20-25 during hub activities, whereas their friend’s account maintained FPS levels above 80.

This difference sparked additional examination into how the game verifies DLC content, resulting in the theory that the game’s performance might be negatively impacted by the lack of DLC. According to u/de_Tylmarande, the fundamental issue may arise from the game’s code related to DLC checks, which could be unnecessarily taxing performance for players without the extra content.

**Evidence and Community Response**

To validate their claims, u/de_Tylmarande developed a custom mod enabling players without DLC to circumvent these checks, leading to marked enhancements in FPS. This discovery quickly gained popularity within the *Monster Hunter* community, sparking conversations about potential solutions and encouraging more players to utilize the mod for better performance.

Alongside this finding, u/de_Tylmarande shared a background of tackling performance issues in Capcom’s games. They had previously reached out to Capcom with a solution for *Dragon’s Dogma 2*, which was included in a subsequent update. This background lends credibility to their observations regarding *Monster Hunter Wilds*.

**Impact of Updates and DLC Quantity**

Adding further complexity, many players have indicated that performance appears to worsen with each new game update paired with DLC releases. At present, there are over 190 distinct DLC items available for *Monster Hunter Wilds* on Steam, raising concerns that as additional content is introduced, players without DLC may experience further declines in performance.

This association suggests a necessity for Capcom to review how their game manages content checks, as rectifying these matters could yield substantial enhancements for a significant portion of their player community.

**Capcom’s Reaction and Future Plans**

Currently, Capcom has yet to acknowledge or confirm u/de_Tylmarande’s findings or indicate whether they will tackle these performance issues related to DLC checks in forthcoming patches. While the modder has specified that they do not believe these issues are intentional, it highlights an urgent requirement for the company to address the underlying code flaws adversely affecting gameplay.

The community is keenly awaiting whether future patches will tackle these issues, especially with the hope of improved performance for the players impacted as a top priority.

**Conclusion**

As players continue to deal with technical difficulties in *Monster Hunter Wilds*, the examination of the relationship between the game’s DLC and performance is both timely and essential. With committed community members like u/de_Tylmarande discovering possible fixes and fostering discussions, there remains hope that Capcom will take notice and consider resolving these significant performance concerns in future updates. Correcting these bugs could not only enhance gameplay but also boost customer satisfaction within an already lively community.

Young’un James Bond game 007: First Light has had a little redo of its PC system requirements, after “an internal miscommunication” – according to developers IO Interactive – led to last week’s specs reveal containing some whoopsies. “We’re sorry for the confusion this caused and appreciate everyone who brought it to our attention”, sayeth the company’s tXeet.

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Apple didn’t hesitate to kick off the new year with an enticing offer on one of its best-selling laptops. Just a few weeks into 2026, the 2025 MacBook Air has already seen a significant price reduction, making it considerably more affordable for students, professionals, and casual users as well. Amazon is now featuring the M4-equipped MacBook Air with 256GB of storage priced at $799, a considerable drop from its initial $999 tag.

Weighing only 2.7 pounds, this newest MacBook Air continues to be the perfect partner for commuters, travelers, and anyone who favors a lightweight setup without compromising on performance. The sleek design conceals remarkable hardware, including a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU, and can support as much as 24GB of unified memory. Driven by Apple’s M4 chip, the laptop provides a significant boost in speed—up to double the performance of the M1 Air and significantly quicker than previous Intel-based models (23 times faster, to be specific).

### Everyday Performance

Apple designed the M4 chip to work flawlessly with its expanding collection of Apple Intelligence features. As a result, users experience smoother multitasking, faster response times, and enhanced efficiency across resource-intensive applications. Whether you’re managing spreadsheets, editing photos and videos, or running numerous apps and browser tabs, the MacBook Air manages it all effortlessly while remaining cool and silent, thanks to its fanless design.

Battery life continues to be one of the Air’s greatest strengths. With up to 18 hours of usage on a single charge, it’s engineered to endure long work periods or extended study times without the constant need to find a power outlet.

The improved 12MP front-facing camera captures clear 1080p video, making it a great option for remote work, online classes, and video conferences. Coupled with a three-microphone array, voice clarity is exceptional even without extra accessories.

Usability features for daily tasks are well addressed. The backlit Magic Keyboard ensures a comfortable typing experience in various lighting situations, while Touch ID allows quick and secure access. Connectivity options include two Thunderbolt ports for fast data transfers and external displays, MagSafe charging for increased safety, and – thankfully – a conventional headphone jack for wired audio enthusiasts who refuse to part with their AUX-based headphones.

For those already part of Apple’s ecosystem, the MacBook Air integrates smoothly with other devices. Features like AirDrop, iMessage, and Handoff enable a seamless transition between an iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Several configurations are currently available at discounted rates. The base 256GB model begins at $799, while the 512GB variant is priced at $999, with both including 16GB of RAM. A higher-end option featuring 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is available for $1,199. All represent a $200 discount from their original prices and come in four finishes: sky blue, silver, starlight, and midnight.

Find the bugs!

The post Heartopia Insect Locations – Weather and Spawn Times For All Bugs appeared first on Gamezebo.

“Last year was a hard year for the studio,” Elder Scrolls Online’s executive producer Susan Kath says. “It was a hard year for all of us.” In 2025, as part of sweeping cuts made across all their businesses, Microsoft laid off a significant chunk of Zenimax Online Studios. They did this despite CEO Satya Nadella later calling the year one of “record performance”, with revenue up 15% and hitting $281.7 billion.

So, last week, when Zenimax Online Studios revealed it was moving from releasing major expansions every 12 – 18 months to smaller, more frequent updates every three months, it looked very much like the team could no longer manage those big releases.

Kath tells me that reading of events is wrong.

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Data has become an essential instrument for athletes striving to enhance their performance. From reducing your pace by seconds to increasing endurance and maintaining consistent training, access to the appropriate metrics can significantly impact your results. This is where a high-quality running watch becomes valuable. Whether you’re preparing for a marathon or getting ready for a local 5K, a dependable device enables you to track progress and stay inspired. The Garmin Forerunner 55 is crafted specifically for those with active lifestyles and fitness-oriented individuals, and at present, it’s even more enticing due to a limited-time Amazon promotion that lowers the price by $50, bringing it down to only $149.

At its heart, the Garmin Forerunner 55 serves as your personal fitness trainer right on your wrist. Its integrated GPS accurately monitors your running routes while supplying crucial data like distance, pace, and time. The watch also boasts wrist-based heart rate tracking, making it perfect for runners who utilize heart rate zones for optimizing performance and recovery. Beyond running, it accommodates a variety of activities, such as HIIT, cycling, strength training, and more, rendering it a multifaceted choice for athletes who enjoy varying their workouts.

### Daily Suggested Workouts

Via the Garmin Connect app, users can access complimentary adaptive training plans developed by professional coaches. These plans sync directly to the watch and adjust based on your progress, alleviating much of the uncertainty from training. Rather than questioning whether you’re overdoing it or not doing enough, the watch ensures you’re adhering to a structured and effective route towards your goals.

The Garmin Forerunner 55 continues to function even after your workout concludes. It persistently tracks your heart rate throughout the day and assesses overall health metrics. Users value the Body Battery score, which gauges energy levels by considering factors like heart rate, stress, and daily activities. This information aids in determining when to exert effort and when it’s wiser to take a break. Intentional training can help prevent burnout.

Regarding battery life, the watch’s actual endurance is another significant benefit. With GPS activated, the watch can last up to 20 hours, making it ideal for long runs or race days. Without GPS, it can go up to 14 days on a single charge. For the majority of runners, if you’re running several times a week, you’ll likely find yourself charging it about once a week. This convenience surpasses many smartwatches that necessitate daily charging.

Although it primarily emphasizes fitness, the Garmin Forerunner 55 also includes other beneficial smart features. When synced with your phone, it can send notifications for calls, texts, and emails directly to your wrist, allowing you to stay connected without distractions. Typically priced at $199, the current 25% discount offers great value. You can select from three band colors: black, white, or aqua.

Be quick with the camera before the bird flies away!

The post Heartopia Bird Locations – Time of Day and Seasons appeared first on Gamezebo.