Hello! Welcome to the latest Geeky Brummie Gaming Roundup!

This week, Grand Theft Auto VI is real but we weren’t supposed to see it yet

Grand Theft Auto VI Leaked

A substantial amount of in-development footage of Grand Theft Auto VI was leaked this week. It’s not something we normally touch on in these roundups, largely because most “leaks” are pure fantasy concocted by people looking for attention on the internet (hi, everyone who claimed that Wind Waker and Twilight Princess were definitely going to be in a September Nintendo Direct). However, this one is unmistakably real.

Some details of an alleged GTA6 had been floating around for a while, including a Bonnie and Clyde style story which would add the first female protagonist in GTA history, and the location being a modern Vice City, but only now are these details confirmed to be true. (link)

Although Rockstar had previously confirmed the existence of Grand Theft Auto VI being in active development, it seems like it was far from ready to show to the public. And now, based on this leak, it seems that is absolutely the case, as a bunch of unfinished bits of test gameplay show. Unrendered textures, visible on-screen data, broken physics, occasionally wonky models and animations, you name it, it’s an issue with this footage.

Of course, this is what all games look like in development. They don’t just form out of nothing, they require hard work. So this wonky awkward bit always happens, they just don’t tend to show it to the public. And based on the reaction that some people have had online, it’s easy to see why. Because, of course, the game looks terrible and Rockstar are trying to scam everyone with this obviously broken, half-assed product. You know, the one that isn’t even close to being ready to release because it’s not finished yet.

In solidarity, other developers decided to show off their own in-development footage in all its broken glory, including Naughty Dog sharing off Nathan Drake driving through a city of featureless cubes, and Remedy sharing footage of Control with no textures and unfinished animations. (link)

Of course, after confirmed the leak was real, Take-Two have worked quickly to remove the footage from the internet, and now the FBI are looking into it too. However, the investigation is largely based around an attack on Uber that may be from the same hacker group, but it’s likely the Rockstar hack will be included in the investigation. (link)

Other News

Speaking of leaks, one leaker has been so bad at keeping secrets that he leaked his own identity. “The Real Insider”, the leaker who revealed the recent Assassin’s Creed reveals ahead of time, was confirmed to be a YouTuber named Dan Allen. The reveal came when he replied to a tweet to his Real Insider account with his personal account, making it clear that the two were one and the same. He has now deleted his accounts. (link)

Elsewhere in YouTuber news, Videogamedunkey, or Dunkey for short, has announced the launch of an indie publishing label named Bigmode. While his announcement comes across as a little naïve, citing that he aims to only focus on good games, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to see someone with his influence and reach promoting releases that would have perhaps not had the attention otherwise. Best of luck to him. (link)

New Releases

There are two brutal pixel art action games out this week. There is No Light (PC) is set in a dark, underground world where a new religion has formed with ill intent behind it, while No Place for Bravery (PC, Switch) sees you venturing into a harsh world to rescue the protagonist’s daughter.

On the flip side, there are also two wholesome games about helping others out this week. The Outbound Ghost (PC) is a Paper Mario style RPG about a little ghost helping out spirits entering the afterlife, while Potion Permit (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox) sees you playing as a young chemist helping the citizens of their village with their ailments.

In other smaller releases, SpiderHeck (PC, Switch, Xbox) is a game about spiders fighting each other with swords (yes, you heard me), Squad 51 vs. The Flying Saucers (PC) is a side-scrolling shmup whose visuals are entirely inspired by 1950s b-movies (flying saucers on strings and all), Sphere: Flying Cities (PC) is a sci-fi city builder about building a space colony leaving Early Access, and Serial Cleaners (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox) is a top-down action game where you play as a murder scene cleaner for the mob, hiding evidence and trying not to get caught in the process.

Unknown Number: A First Person Talker (PC) is a game we’ve talked about before here on Geeky Brummie, as I interviewed lead developer Tom Keane a while back. The game is built around a phone interface and uses voice recognition and ARG-style gameplay to tell a story about eco-warriors stealing money from an oil rig. It’s a really cool concept, and it’s exciting to see it finally out.

Beacon Pines (PC, Switch, Xbox) is a cutesy looking adventure game about a bunch of kids in a small farming town where you make choices about the world using “charms” which affect words used in the game’s story. But there’s also a layer of 1980s Stephen King/Stranger Things hidden behind the cute anthropomorphic animal cast which makes this sound intriguing.

Soulstice (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is a fast-paced action game similar to the likes of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, with an anime flair inspired by titles such as Claymore and Berserk. It’s a little low budget compared to its inspirations, but it still looks rad, as it seems much of the polish went to the actual combat. Could be a surprise hit.

Slime Rancher 2 (PC) launches in Early Access this week. The sequel to the interstellar farming game where you raise tiny slime creatures and harvest their waste. Expect more of what you loved about the first game, but with new slime varieties and mechanics.

The Diofield Chronicle (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox) is the latest in Square Enix’s roughly 4,000 new RPGs they’ve launched this year, and based on reviews, it’s on the better end for once. It’s a strategy RPG, but it’s one that brings more real-time elements in a manner similar to the Final Fantasy ATB system, and has music from composers who worked on Game of Thrones, which is surprising.

Game of the Week

There was only one choice for Game of the Week this week.

Return to Monkey Island (PC, Switch) puts us back in the shoes of mighty pirate Guybrush Threepwood as he faces off against the evil LeChuck once again.

Developed by Ron Gilbert’s new studio Terrible Toybox, with backing from Devolver Digital and rights holders Lucasfilm, and a new art direction from former Media Molecule designer Rex Crowle, Return to Monkey Island is a brand new entry in the series, years after we’ve last seen one, with much of the original team back in place. Except Tim Schafer. He’s a bit busy running Double Fine right now.

I’m so excited for this one, although I haven’t gotten round to playing it just yet. Reviews are looking promising though!