Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 5h

A new Podcast!

PAX Australia is on our doorstep, so Luke & Elliot recorded with three of the developers bringing their games to the expo - Ben, Nick & Brett!

@100stones.bsky.social @nonsensemachine.bsky.social @fluentpixel.bsky.social @paxaus.bsky.social

Listen Here:
joy.org.au/checkpoint/2...

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 6h

REVIEW: Yooka-Re-Playlee by @playtonicgames.com!

"The new and improved Yooka-Re-Playlee takes cues from other modern platform games like Mario Odyssey, successfully turning a janky and awkwardly designed platformer into a bingeable collectathon."

Yooka-Re-Playlee Review — Letting go of the Banjo

Yooka-Re-Playlee whips the original Yook-Laylee into shape with completely remade worlds, more Pagies, and more.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 6h

REVIEW: Bye Sweet Carole

"Bye Sweet Carole features a magnetic, magical and also horrific 2D world to explore that takes the conventions of 2D animation and turns them on their head"

checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

Bye Sweet Carole Review — Let your voice be heard

Bye Sweet Carole is a magical and memorable 2D horror experience that is well worth experiencing in spite of a few unavoidable flaws

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 7h

We jammed out to DEVO, Silverchair and Rainbo with Beethoven & Dinosaur while playing their upcoming game, Mixtape. Read our hands-on preview now!

@annapurna.com #Mixtape

checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

Mixtape Hands-on Preview – Chill vibes

Mixtape could be something special as a follow-up to their BAFTA-winning debut.

checkpointgaming.net

Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 18h

Get your pressure washers ready!

PowerWash Simulator 2 is launching late October

FuturLab's PowerWash Simulator 2 has a release date of October 23rd! With a new trailer showcasing both familiar and new additions.

checkpointgaming.net

Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 20h

Review: EA Sports FC 26

"...what FC 26 does, it does very well — and while it may not be a revolution, it’s a finely tuned evolution."

Read Here:
checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

EA Sports FC 26 Review - Playing it safe, but playing it solid

EA Sports FC 26 is another confident entry in the long-running series, delivering the essentials with polish and scale

checkpointgaming.net

Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 23h

Checkpoint Gaming is ready to make PAX Aus 2025 a ripper!

From panels, to interviews, to merch, to giveaways, to a fabulous booth at the PAX Together Lounge! It's all happening at PAX Aus this year!

@joy949.bsky.social @paxaus.bsky.social

Read Here:
checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

Checkpoint Gaming is ready to make PAX Aus 2025 a ripper!

The massive gaming convention, PAX Australia, is back for another year, taking over the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 1d

REVIEW: Letters to Arralla

"Being in Arralla felt like the model Australian life, making friends and being a strong community member."

@lil-pink-clouds.bsky.social

Read Here:
checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

Letters to Arralla Review - The coziest vegetable town ever

Letters to Arralla captures the spirit of Australian community but the activities do feel repetitive after some time.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 1d

The Digital Gaming Intimacies Summit, hosted by RMIT Games at Digital Design, is taking place tomorrow as part of Melbourne International Games Week.

We found out more about why it's so valuable.

checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

Digital Gaming Intimacy: We speak with RMIT Games’ Dr. Emma Witkowski and James Manning

We chat Digital Gaming Intimacy with RMIT’s Dr Emma Witkowski and James Manning ahead of the event at Melbourne International Games Week.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 2d

REVIEW: Dreams of Another

"...an eclectic kaleidoscope of bizarre artistic motifs, a fascinatingly surreal mood and a (possibly entirely unintentional) thematic density that is still worth treasuring amidst the haze of its voxel world."

checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

Dreams of Another Review - Sleepshooting

Dreams of Another offers an eclectic kaleidoscope of bizarre artistic motifs and a fascinatingly surreal mood.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 2d

The Outsiders, developer of the 2022 heavy metal shooter Metal: Hellsinger, is shutting down.

checkpointgaming.net/news/2025/10...

Metal: Hellsinger developer The Outsiders closing down amid Funcom restructuring

Metal: Hellsinger developer The Outsiders is shutting down as part of widespread job cuts at its parent company, Funcom.

checkpointgaming.net

Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 3d

REVIEW: Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1 Re-Raptored

"...it packs in a lot of laughs and match-3 goodness, enough so that I’d recommend it to those who love humorous, self-aware narratives and solid puzzle experiences."

@strangescaffold.bsky.social

checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1 Re-Raptored Review - Into the dino-verse

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1 Re-Raptored is a meta narrative adventure game that uses match 3 gameplay as its main mechanic.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 3d

REVIEW: Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile

"With a charming cast of bougie suspects, satisfying puzzle-solving, and some thoughtful additions to the narrative, this is a unique and compelling rendition of an iconic tale."

checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile Review - A boogie with the bourgeoisie

Join detective Poirot and newcomer Jane Royce as they take on a classic mystery revived with a 70s-retro coat of paint.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 3d

It's OCTOBER. Which means MORE INDIES!!

Including... @ballxpit.com @annapurna.com @yachtclubgames.bsky.social and more!

So... what are we playing? 😎

checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

10 stunning indies to check out in October 2025

Indies October 2025 time! We have selected ten amazing indies, including, a VR title, a beat em' up and many more indies to love!

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 3d

HANDS-ON PREVIEW: The Lift

We checked out this Supernatural Handyman Simulator, and we like what we see so far!

checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

The Lift Hands-on Preview - Going Up

Tighten that screw, replace that lightbulb, duct tape that hole in the fabric of reality. This is The Lift: Supernatural Handyman Simulator.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 3d

HANDS-ON PREVIEW: Bounty Star

We checked out this post-post-apocalypse, with intense mech battles!

@annapurna.com

checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

Bounty Star Hands-on Preview - Redemption & justice in the post-post-apocalypse

Bounty Star brings the homesteading life in the Wild West-inspired Red Expanse, while laying down the law in mecha action combat.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 3d

EARLY ACCESS PREVIEW: Macabre

We had a chance to check out this Aussie horror, which has lots of potential.

checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

Macabre Early Access Preview - Undercooked but with all the right ingredients

Macabre is an Australian extraction horror game from indie studio WeForge. It's currently in Early Access, but is it worth your time?

checkpointgaming.net

Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 3d

Another fun one incoming from @aggrocrabgames.bsky.social

checkpointgaming.net/news/2025/10...

Crashout Crew is the next game of co-op chaos from Aggro Crab

Crashout Crew is the next cooperative game, brought to you by one of the studios behind the sensational 2025 hit PEAK

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 5d

GLAAD is accepting applications for a new program aimed at supporting LGBTQIA+ developers!
checkpointgaming.net/news/2025/10...

GLAAD is launching a program for LGBTQIA+ games developers

LGBTQIA+ advocacy group GLAAD has announced a new program called Queer Emerging Developers (QED) to support queer games developers.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 5d

Another loss of developer jobs, and a game we'll never see.

Starbreeze cancels Dungeons & Dragons project, lays off developers

Developers of the Payday franchise, Starbreeze Studios, have cancelled their Dungeons & Dragons game.

checkpointgaming.net

Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 6d

Questions about Xbox Game Pass' future have arisen following steep price hikes and player backlash. @xbox.com

checkpointgaming.net/news/2025/10...

An ad-supported tier could be coming to Xbox Game Pass

According to analyst Daniel Ahmad, Xbox could look towards other ways to make Game Pass sustainable, including an ad-tier.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 6d

The delay of Terminator 2D: No Fate has been attributed to "ongoing global trade and tariff changes“. @bitmapbureau.com

checkpointgaming.net/news/2025/10...

Terminator 2D: No Fate delayed by several weeks due to US tariff changes

Terminator 2D: No Fate has been delayed to the 26th of November 2025 due to "ongoing global trade and tariff changes".

checkpointgaming.net

Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 6d

REVIEW: Digimon Story: Time Stranger

"It’s a vast, colourful and exciting world to visit, filled with all your favourite possible digital monsters... there’s also some wicked cool, tactile and punchy combat."

@bandainamcoau.bsky.social

checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

Digimon Story: Time Stranger Review - Butterfly Effect

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is a fantastical new RPG for the creature collector series that's well worth checking out.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 7d

REVIEW: Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2

“Whether this is your first time experiencing Mario’s voyages to the stars or you’re looking for a spaceship journey down memory lane, there has never been a better time to play.”

@nintendoau.bsky.social

checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review - Welcome back to the galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are now on the Nintendo Switch, resulting in the best versions of two excellent platformers.

checkpointgaming.net

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Checkpoint Gaming @checkpointau.bsky.social · 8d

We checked out the new Spider-Man set from Magic: The Gathering!

checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

MTG takes on web-slinging with Marvel's Spider-Man

Magic: The Gathering has added Marvel's Spider-Man into the mix as its newest big IP collaboration, with intriguing results.

checkpointgaming.net