Grand Theft Auto 5 has been the pinnacle of open-world action titles since its release in 2013. Rockstar Games successfully delivered a grand instalment in the GTA franchise as they introduced three new characters to the fold. Among the three playable protagonists, Trevor Philips took the spotlight and became the beloved hyperactive psychopath. While the character is portrayed as brutal and unstable in many instances of the GTA 5 campaign, the person who lent his voice and motion capture for Trevor, Steven Ogg, shares a much different personality.

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Who is Trevor Phillips in Grand Theft Auto 5?

Alongside Franklin Clinton and Michael De Santa, Trevor Phillips is one of the three main protagonists from GTA 5. The character was portrayed as a crime lord in the title and was shown as criminally insane and psychotic. He was played by popular Canadian artist, Steven Ogg.

Ogg has played several significant roles in Hollywood, including his works in popular movies and shows like The Walking Dead and Snowpiercer. Aside from Rockstar's hit, Steven has also worked in other video games like Alone in the Dark and Cursed Mountain. After his work with both television and video games, Ogg decided to take a break from acting in 2011 as he wanted to build a house.

Although he decided on a hiatus, Rockstar Games got in touch with him for voicing and motion capturing the role of Trevor Phillips in Grand Theft Auto 5. After the game's launch in 2013, Trevor became a critically acclaimed protagonist with numerous awards and nominations. This offered Rockstar an opportunity to feature Trevor more in GTA 5 through its online mode, as the premise was set to place 5 years before the main story of Grand Theft Auto 5. As the character's face, Steven Ogg accumulated a fan following like no other. Playing Trevor's character was a turning point in Steven's career, as he had taken on more roles in recent years, like Nick from Boiling Point.

How Does Steven Ogg Feel About Being Known As Trevor Phillips From GTA 5?

While Steven Ogg has expressed his gratitude towards Rockstar multiple times for his Trevor role, recently, he has been trying to disassociate himself from the character for various reasons. The actor has expressed annoyance with fans always requesting him to portray Trevor on his social media livestreams and fan meets.

Ogg has also stated that he would like to be known as the actor behind Trevor Phillips, rather than the crimelord himself from Grand Theft Auto. When fans often requested him to send a message as 'Trevor', the actor stated that he is better known as 'Steven.' Steven Ogg is a brilliant star who encompasses an exceptional skill to portray his character across multiple media; however, fans who know him beyond his GTA 5 role will know that the actor has more to his skillset than Trevor Phillips.

As someone who grew up playing games like Grim Fandango on repeat, Detective Doston looked exactly the sort of game I've been looking to play. Detective Doston's preview build scratched that little Lovo Motive-esque itch for me that very few games have been able to and while it feels a tiny bit similar to Loco Motive, it has enough character and creative flair to be its own thing. Masala Games' commitment to a solid, unique art style endemic to India, derived from the Patan Patola silk weaving technique, is what did it for me. The game's fantastic atmosphere, mood, and light-hearted jovialness are exactly the sort of palette cleanser you need from the deeply cynical AAA space we find ourselves in today.

The game, while a celebration of India and its vibrant cultures, is also extremely witty and sharp in its commentary - whether it be the deep-set political warfare of the neighbourhood kitty parties or the extreme pettiness of your neighbours to haunt you with high-precision bird strikes.

Detective Doston's attention to detail cannot be looked over as it weaves together crucial elements of Indian cityscapes with authentic storefronts, street signs, and of course, unruly litterers you can put in place by throwing their garbage back at them. The game is packed with excruciating attention to detail that faithfully recreates and enhances the summery vibes of Detective Doston. The game, while a celebration of India and its vibrant cultures, is also extremely witty and sharp in its commentary - whether it be the deep-set political warfare of the neighbourhood kitty parties or the extreme pettiness of your neighbours to haunt you with high-precision bird strikes. Detective Doston is one of my favourite games I've played from an Indian developer this year and I cannot wait for the full release. 

Also Read: Bollywood-Inspired Detective Dotson To Feature Co-Op Cases

Detective Doston: The Scourge of Littering Underworld

Detective Doston's gameplay is pretty straightforward and surprisingly non-linear with the way it uses simple and easy-to-grasp gameplay mechanics to let players explore the world at their own pace, pick up optional side quests and immerse themselves in the game world. Doston is a fairly mobile character, able to jump, sprint, and climb onto ledges as if he were a direct descendant of Ezio Auditore. The platforming, while basic, serves its purpose well and does enough to keep things mechanically interesting. The real game, however, is the actual 'detecting' you'll be doing. 

 Gathering clues, while not linear in this preview build, could be further expanded in the full release - giving players agency in the kind of detective they want Doston to be. 

This means gathering clues by either talking to NPCs, eavesdropping or finding clues in the environment and then placing those clues on your Evidence Board in a way that makes sense. Think Alan Wake II's Mind Palace Evidence Board but significantly more cheery and exponentially more Indian. Definitely more Indian. While this isn't exactly rocket science, it asks the players to pay attention to NPC dialog carefully and sus out their motivations. Gathering clues, while not linear in this preview build, could be further expanded in the full release - giving players agency in the kind of detective they want Doston to be. 

The real joy of the game, for me, came through the non-linear exploration which lets you talk to different NPCs and pick up side quests.

In the preview build, gathering clues usually means disguising yourself as another NPC, which will give you access to the area or certain NPC dialogue. The 'Disguise' mechanic is also quite dandy as each Disguise grants Doston with an additional ability. These abilities will help you in your clue-gathering endavors or simply make NPCs dance if you wish. I did. Several times. While the core gameplay loop was more than enough to sustain my interest in the game, its the meandering about the game world that made me come back to Detective Doston even after I had finished the 2 cases in the preview build (which took me about 30 minutes). 

The real joy of the game, for me, came through the non-linear exploration which lets you talk to different NPCs and pick up side quests. While these aren't super detailed, expansive, story-driven gameplay sections - they never failed to get a chuckle out of me. Overall, Detective Doston is a delightfully, authentically Indian game that knows exactly what it is and excels in immersing the player in the game world. I will be looking forward to the full release and throw litter back at unruly citizens, because that's just the kind of person I am. 

The explosive game by Pocketpair, Palworld became an instant hit after its launch on January 19, 2024. The game has garnered millions of downloads and became an instant hit and pop culture mainstay. Now, the developers are getting ready to launch the game on iOS and the game is currently marked in the coming soon section and will be available to play soon. This could be an immensely successful move as reports and data suggest that the mobile gaming audience is significantly more vast than PC and Console combined. Palworld could be primed for another major wave of momentum should the iOS release and a probable Android release goes according to plan. 

Also Read: Palworld Platforms: What Platforms Is The Game Available On?

Palworld iOS Confirmed, What Can We Expect?

Palworld will soon be playable on iOS devices but there is no confirmation about when the game will be available for Android phones. Palworld was found in the "Coming Soon" section of the App Store with the Palworld iOS expected release date as February 4, 2024. In a now-deleted Reddit post, a user mentioned that the game is now available for pre-order and will be available in the store soon. The price of the game for iOS is also now sure.

Palworld is an open-world survival game that has over 100 Pals in the game that players can tame and capture. To capture the Pals, players will have to fight them against their own Pals, which are hopefully at a much higher level and will be able to defeat the wanted Pal. From that moment on, players must strategically throw the Pal Sphere to capture the Pal.  As soon as the game garnered millions of downloads, Pokemon Company released a statement that they will be investigating a game that has assets similar to their game, but didn't name the game, but fans were quick to figure out which game they were referring to. 

For now, the game is available on Steam and Xbox for $29.99. Players interested in playing the game can download it from either of the platforms or wait until Palworld comes for iOS devices.

All employees of Annapurna Interactive have resigned from the company following a leadership shuffle last week. Publisher heads Nathan Gary, Deborah Mars, and Nathan Vella were not the only ones to leave their chairs; the entire staff team also followed suit.

According to Bloomberg’s report on the matter, the staff resignation followed a dispute with the company owner. Annapurna Interactive president Nathan Gary was engaged in a negotiation with Larry Ellison's daughter, which ended unsatisfyingly for the company.

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All of Annapurna Interactive Staff Resign Following Failed Negotiation 

Annapurna Interactive president, Nathan Gary aimed to stick to a deal of making the video game division an independent entity. However, Ellison pulled out of the negotiation, which led to not only the heads resigning, but the entire staff team from Annapurna. Gary and the management team from the company added in one of their statements:

“All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned”

Despite being a relatively small video game studio, Annapurna Interactive has given the industry some of the most memorable titles in recent years. Some of their most notable works include games like, Stray, Outer Wilds, What Remains of Edith Flinch, and Ashen.Gary also added more to his statement following the resignation, stating:

“This was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make and we did not take this action lightly.”

Another spokesperson from Annapurna Interactive also confirmed that the two negotiating parties initially worked on a spin-off division for the company, however, they failed to reach an agreement confirming its initiation. This news has been a bit chaotic for the developers involved with Annapurna, as they are unsure what the future is for the upcoming projects. Annapurna was responsible for various involvement in games, including services like quality assurance, local market distribution, and marketing.

With the recent news of the studio resigning, there has been no word from the management team regarding the projects. That said, Ellison has told Bloomberg that their primary goal is to assist the team with their transition and support them till it's complete. The new president of the company, Hector Sanchez has mentioned that despite the dissolution, the company will honour its “existing contracts”. This is good news for the studios involved with Annapurna, as they can continue working on their future projects. 

According to the new ESRB ratings, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is officially coming to PS5 and PC. Gamers can enjoy Aloy's journey again, with unlocked frame rates and next-gen visuals. Sony Interactive Entertainment will launch Horizon Zero Remastered soon on the current-gen Sony console and Microsoft Windows, however, the release date for the Remastered edition has not been confirmed yet by the publishers. Horizon Zero Dawn is easily one of the most popular Sony Studios games, launched as an exclusive to the PlayStation 4 in 2017. The title merged open-world gameplay with many unique elements, in a sci-fi setting.

Also read: PS5 Pro Announced: Launch Date, Price, Specs, Games, And More

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Set to Come for PS5 and PC

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered holds the potential to display the power of current-generation hardware to the fullest, especially with the announcement of the PlayStation 5 Pro last week. The original Horizon Zero Dawn from 2017 still holds up as a visually appealing title among other gems in the industry. The title was used to showcase the full power of the PS4, PS4 Slim, and PS4 Pro, where the title successfully maintained excellent framerates on all consoles.

With the Remastered version announced, gamers can once again experience the breathtaking environments and gameplay, on current-gen specifications. Moreover, PC gamers will likely receive extra options, such as Frame Generation technologies, DLSS, and AMD FSR.

Gamers can expect an official announcement from Sony, with more details regarding the Remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn, which will also include a system requirements list for PC users. Much like most of the recent titles, HZD's Remastered version might also come with a demanding requirement list for pushing the new technologies and upgraded visuals. Horizon Zero Dawn delivers a wonderful experience where one gets to fill the shoes of a master huntress Aloy in a post-apocalyptic environment. We have yet to see what the Remastered version brings.

Activision Blizzard has confirmed that Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Open Beta was the biggest in the franchise's history through an official X post. The Black Ops 6 Open Beta ended with a massive positive response from gamers, as it showcased various new additions coming to the franchise, including the new movement and human shield features, which were used by players during the beta session.

According to the X post by Activision Blizzard, the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Open Beta was on top in terms of total players compared to all the past Beta Sessions, alongside maintaining the same ranking in total hours played, playtime per player, and most matches played.

Also read: Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Live Action Trailer Revealed

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Open Beta Beats Records in Total Players

Treyarch and Raven Software delivered an extremely satisfying experience to gamers with the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Open Beta last week. Moreover, after the tepid fan response from recent COD titles such as Modern Warfare 3, fans are desperately looking for a refreshing Call of Duty experience from the developers.

It seems the Black Ops 6 Open Beta did exactly that, offering fans new game modes, weapons, a fluid movement style, and a decent campaign to look forward to. The Open Beta lets players enjoy the latest 'omnidirectional movement', where one can sprint, dive, and slide in any direction they desire. This movement style is the newest addition to the franchise, as the previous COD games only focused more on fast and responsive movement towards a singular direction, when in action.

Various fans and content creators have also confirmed that this movement style makes the gameplay much more special and allows for creative moments in intense situations. With the Open Beta over, Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is also ready to bring a brand new campaign set in the early 1990s. Fans can enjoy the story mode with the official release on October 25, 2024. Activision has described the campaign to be a "dynamic and intense spy thriller", highlighting the iconic Black Ops theme from the previous games. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 will be available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Moreover, gamers can also catch the game on day one through the PC Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate.