The full list of game sales can be found here (opens in new tab), but here are some of the highlights from Epic Games’ big Summer Sale.

Maneater (opens in new tab) just came out a couple of months ago, and it’s already on sale for 25% off its usual list price. For a limited time, you can start your adventure as a vicious, nondiscriminating, and eventually bio-electric bull shark for just $30. Our own Rachel Weber lovingly deemed Maneater a “single-minded machine of delightful destruction.”

Better yet, our 2019 Game of the Year (opens in new tab) is currently half off its normal price. Control (opens in new tab) is a profoundly innovative, mind-bending adventure from Remedy, the minds behind Max Payne, Alan Wake, and Quantum Break. And with this year’s Foundation DLC (opens in new tab) adding a substantial amount of new story to the base game, now’s as good a time as ever to check out one of last year’s best titles.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (opens in new tab) is sitting at one of its lowest prices ever at $19.79, a 75% discount from list price. The sprawling, open-ended RPG set in ancient Greece is a culmination of everything that makes the Assassin’s Creed series great, and it’s the perfect time sink to get lost in while you wait for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (opens in new tab). Likewise, Assassin’s Creed Origins is on sale for just $12, an 80% discount.

Other goodies include Borderlands 3 (opens in new tab) for $30 (50% off), Red Dead Redemption 2 (opens in new tab) for $48 (20% off), and Far Cry 5 (opens in new tab) for $9 (85% off).

Looking for something 100% off to play? Here are the best free games (opens in new tab) we could find.

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Because Sargon’s legendary items are limited time offers you’ll often need to find Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Orichalcum fast if you don’t have enough. That’s where this guide comes in, with locations, methods and tricks to help you find Orichalcum fast. 

So, if you want to know where Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Orichalcum is, read on and we’ll show you. 

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey tips (opens in new tab)| Assassin’s Creed Odyssey romance (opens in new tab) | Assassin’s Creed Odyssey ancient tablets (opens in new tab) | Assassin’s Creed Odyssey orichalcum (opens in new tab) | Assassin’s Creed Odyssey ancient stele (opens in new tab) | Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Xenia questline (opens in new tab) | How to level up fast in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (opens in new tab)

Look for missions with a blue timer next to them

There are many different types of missions in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, but the ones you’ll want to keep an eye out for if you’re hankering for some Orichalcum have a blue timer next to them. Just head to any message board and keep those eyes peeled for a blue symbol next to the mission title and timer that’s ticking down when you hover over them, then snap up as many as you want. They’re usually pretty simple, quick tasks (like killing some bears that are getting in the way of someone’s pilgrimage), and will net you on average about 10 Orichalcum per go. Seeing as it costs 10 Orichalcum for an Olympian gift in Sargon’s shop, for about 10 minutes of your time you find yourself with legendary item in your inventory. Not bad at all. 

Find Orichalcum locations across the map

If you’re taking full advantage of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s new RPG system and acting like a complete dick, you might not want to help out your fellow Grecians. And that’s fine. Instead you can hunt across the map for Orichalcum locations, with each deposit you find getting you one Orichalcum to spend. Yeah, it is kind of meagre, but scavenging for the turquoise resource is actually a great way to discover some of the hidden gems littered across Odyssey’s very substantial map. 

We’ve got a brief list of some Orichalcum locations – bear in mind that there are hundreds of locations across the game, so it’s almost impossible for us to list them all without descending into madness like a worshipper of Maniae (who are, FUN FACT, the Greek spirits of insanity). 

In front of the large lion statue at the Reclining Lion location on the Pirate Islands.

East of the Abandoned Farmlands region in Attika, on the coastline by a journal and skeleton.

On one of the rocks near a wrecked ship in Shipwreck Cove, found in Scavenger’s Coast in Achaia. There’s also one inside the small cave with two entrances in Shipwreck cove, on the rock platform above a bloody corpse. 

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey minotaur (opens in new tab) | Assassin’s Creed Odyssey cyclops (opens in new tab) | Assassin’s Creed Odyssey medusa (opens in new tab) | Assassin’s Creed Odyssey sphinx (opens in new tab) | How to get the Pegasus, Black Unicorn and Rainbow Unicorn skins in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (opens in new tab)

North of Heraion of Argos in Hera’s Watch in Argolis, on the top of a hill near a Shrine of Ares.

In Megaris in the Occupied Forest of Tripodiskus, in a pool the bottom of a cliff.

Near the Snake Temple in Phokis, found in the river to the north of the temple near a skeleton.

In Lake Abythos in the Kephallonia Islands, in the Coast of Koliadai region.

Northwest of Melanthios’ Goat Farm in Ithaka.

West of the synchronisation point near Kleptuous Lookout in Kephallonia.

East of the Kalydonian Boar in Phokis, in the Sacred Lands of Apollo region

On the coastline of Steropes Bay on the Pirate Islands.

North of the Cave of the Lion on the side of a river on the Pirate Islands. 

To save time, buy a map from the Ubisoft Store

If you don’t fancy running around Greece constantly scanning the horizon, you can always shell out £3.99 / $4.99 in the Ubisoft store for a map of every single Orichalcum location. And just a warning: there’s a lot. 

Luckily for you we’ve already paid the toll, so glance below for all the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Orichalcum locations. You might want to zoom into these maps too because unless you have eyesight as good as Ikaros’, you’re going to find yourself squinting quite a bit. 

We’ve got the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey ending explained for anybody who’s at the game’s finale here!

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Launched in June, Story Creator enables players to create – and share – their own quests for Kassandra and Alexios. Featuring detailed customisation, these player-made stories can include branching dialogue, full combat missions, and even offer XP… and therein lies the issue.

“Story Creator Mode was designed to be a tool for players to let their creativity and imagination run free as they build their very own Stories to share with others, using a modified version of the tools our own designers used to develop the quests in the game,” Ubisoft said via a statement shared on the official forums (thanks, Eurogamer (opens in new tab)). 

“However, since the launch of the beta we have noticed an increasing flow of ‘farming quests’ that exploit the tool to get large amounts of XP. These exploits risk jeopardizing the overall quality, integrity, and purpose of Story Creator Mode and results in less visibility for the creative, interesting and frankly fantastic community stories that have been published.”

Consequently, Ubisoft says it’s now working on a number of “fixes and adjustments” to shift “the focus back to the tool’s intended design and use”. XP farming quests will now no longer appear in its automatic recommendation system – including the Hall of Fame and trending sections – and Stories reported for “exploitation or cheating” will similarly be hidden.

The developer has also updated its terms of use “to reflect the misuse of the tool” and says it will sanction those who willingly and intentionally misuse the Story Creator tool.

“We want to focus on rewarding creativity by highlighting quality quests and we are working on fixes and adjustments to reduce the impact of such farming quests on the player experience,” Ubisoft added.

Some fans are unhappy at the statement and incoming changes, however, suggesting Ubisoft may have taken issue with the quests not because they jeopardise the game’s quality, but instead fear the farming quests may be something of a competitor for its own monetised XP bundles.

“It’s such an obvious lie that it sickens me to this day,” said one commenter on Reddit. “If they really cared about the people who lack time they could have added a XP multiplier to the settings.”

“Lol. If Ubi hides and reduces the visibility of the XP farming quests, then I’ll believe the ‘compromised integrity of ACO’ schlock,” added another. “But if they outright ban the quests, then it’s obvious they’re just pushing their XP boosters.”

We’re tracking all the best Amazon Prime Day game deals right here. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.  

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Some VR games like Budget Cuts have already made a compelling example of how to handle stealth in virtual reality, which could give us some idea of what to expect from the new Splinter Cell project. Whatever it is, hopefully Ubisoft brings back Michael Ironside to do the voicework – he clearly showed he was up to it in that Ghost Recon Wildlands cameo (opens in new tab).

According to The Information (opens in new tab), Oculus is looking to lock down deals with major video game franchises to help drive interest in its range of VR headsets and encourage current users to spend more time with them. The company’s first headset, Oculus Rift, officially went on sale to the public in 2016 but still hasn’t achieved widespread adoption. However, the same report indicates that the new Oculus Quest headset – which is wireless and works on its own without the need for a separate PC or console – has blown past Oculus’ sales projections since launching in May.

Here’s how a Facebook spokesperson responded when I asked them if the company could confirm or deny the report: “The response to Oculus Quest and Rift S gaming have been incredible. We cannot comment on specific partnerships, but we will continue to focus on expanding our library and reaching broader gaming audiences for years to come.”

As cagey as you’d expect for an official response to this kind of report, but at least it isn’t a flat out denial. I wonder if this is what Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillmeot was talking about when he finally addressed the status of the Splinter Cell franchise earlier this year (opens in new tab)?

“Now there are some things and some people that are now looking at the brand; taking care of the brand,” Guillemot said. “At one point you will see something but I can’t say more than that.”

The new Splinter Cell could be a ways off, but you can start saving money for it now with our early Amazon Prime day game deals (opens in new tab). 

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However perverted this might sound, being able to fight off bloodthirsty women as well as men makes me so god damn happy. Whether these nameless, cookie-cutter foes are being used as meatbag distractions during a boss fight or are the kind that roam across an open world and are all too happy to open fire on you, having a mixture of men and women in their ranks is one step closer to equality between the sexes in video games, and helps to get rid of the damaging notion that women aren’t aggressors. Let me explain why. 

Mixed-sex cannon-fodder

It might just sound like an aesthetic choice, a small tweak that you don’t really notice when you’re gaming. But having both men and women attack you slowly but surely erodes the idea that men are the default setting for generic enemies: that they’re nameless cannon fodder, disposable and meant to be killed without a second thought. However, great as it is to have major female NPCs, treating men and women the same when it comes to the lowest level of nameless-NPCs is just as important. This is far from a new trend, though: Skyrim (opens in new tab) has mixed-sex guards and bandits, Far Cry 5 (opens in new tab) has cultists and Highwaymen of both genders, the soldiers patrolling Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (opens in new tab)’s forts and cities are both male and female, and other games like Dishonored 2 (opens in new tab), all the Bioshock (opens in new tab) games, and Left 4 Dead (opens in new tab) have the same gender balance. Most recently Borderlands 3 (opens in new tab) joined the party by giving us female psychos (at last). 

Whichever way you look at it, it’s good to prove that like men, women can be dicks and join causes that belong to the baddies, as well as leading those hordes of evil ne’er-do-wells. Pretending otherwise is just putting women on a pedestal, implying that we’re without fault and couldn’t possibly contemplate hurting another living being. But even though most games already include lethal ladies, part of what is holding some titles back (and could have occurred to you too) might be that faint and outdated idea that you shouldn’t hit a girl, no matter what. And you shouldn’t, as a rule, but – and I hope this is so obvious that I don’t have to point it out – nor should you hit boys. But there is one big exception: if they seem thirsty for your blood, gender doesn’t really matter when it comes down to making sure your vital organs actually stay inside your body. It’s like that scene in 22 Jump Street, where Schmidt doesn’t want to hit Mercedes (opens in new tab), or Colossus’ initial reluctance to fight Angel Dust (opens in new tab) in Deadpool (opens in new tab). 

Time to point out the obvious: if some girl is trying to whack your head in with a baseball bat, it’s alright to fight back. For whatever reason, for some fighting women who are pretty ok with fighting you seems to be one of those old weird chivalry rules that hasn’t quite gone away yet. I sincerely hope that if any of us were faced with Mickey and Lou from Far Cry New Dawn (opens in new tab), Doom (opens in new tab)’s Olivia Pierce, Irene Engel from Wolfenstein 2 (opens in new tab), God of War (opens in new tab)’s Valkyries, or Lady Butterfly from Sekiro (opens in new tab): Shadows Die Twice, we’d be ok with shedding some blood in the name of survival. 

Monstrous mobs

This goes far beyond just low-level female and male mobs though, and into the depiction of monsters and the monstrous in video games. Although with some creatures it’s almost impossible to tell their gender due to their androgynous appearance – like Devil May Cry 5 (opens in new tab)’s Hell Atenora or Metro Exodus (opens in new tab)’ humanimals – other games seem to incline more towards having a majority of monsters with masculine physical qualities. Take Outlast (opens in new tab) and Outlast 2 (opens in new tab), for example. Even though the second game had horrific female enemies like Val and Marta, the Heretics that you fought near the end of the game are all men, as evidenced by their almost-naked bodies and, ahem, genitalia. Then Outlast only had male enemies, despite there being a female ward at Mount Massive Asylum. 

Helwalkers, Trolls, and Draugr in God of War all have male physical characteristics too (broad shoulders, slim hips), plus in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (opens in new tab) Lynels, as just one example, are all evidently buff lion centaur dudes. Depicting most monsters as having typically male qualities is limiting to say the least. Although they look cool as heck in a kind of horrifying way, monsters can and should have female characteristics too, like God of War’s Revenants or Left 4 Dead 2 (opens in new tab)’s Spitter and Witch special infected. By the way, those two examples also prove that women can be monstrous without using their gender as the reason for their monstrosity, which is unfortunately the category that enemies like Marguerite Baker from Resident Evil 7 (opens in new tab) fall into, with her twisted form seemingly relying on a twisted mockery of pregnancy (opens in new tab) to disgust us. 

Read more

The best upcoming new games of 2019 (opens in new tab) (and beyond)

And yeah, I know my entire argument can be simplified into ‘let me kill more women in video games, dammit’, but I’m ok with that. You want to support a tyrant? A cult leader? You can, no matter what’s between your legs! Including women among those low-level mobs undermines the idea that women can’t be aggressors, and helps to combat the sexist idea that women can’t be violent. A notion like that harms both genders, and who knows, this could just be a small step towards men being treated as women’s equals in other bits of real life too. Since we’ve started to talk more about equality between the sexes it’s no coincidence that current trends indicate men are feeling more able to open up about being the victims of violence: reports of sexual offences against men having tripled in the last 10 years (opens in new tab), and reports of men being domestically abused have risen (opens in new tab) also. Having a balanced depiction of generic, evil men and women in video games might seem like a trivial point, but it’s small things like this that end up making it easier for all of us to be treated equally. 

If you want to know what’s going on this week, here’s our pick of the week’s best TV, movies, and games (May 6-12) (opens in new tab), or look below to see it in video form!

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This assassination installment focuses on Ancient Greece circa 431 BC, with players given the choice to play through the story as either Kassandra or Alexios. There’s cults, war, and – in a first for the series – multiple endings. The trailer confirms that there’s plenty to explore, which is good news, because as fans no doubt have scrawled on their walls in red Sharpie, we’re not getting another big Assassin’s Creed game in 2019.

“On Assassin’s, we had a game [in 2018] and we have one this year, but we are not going to have a full-fledged Assassin’s next year,” Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told GameSpot. “It’s just because the team were working separately, so we have two games now, one year after the other. But next year you’re not going to have a fully fledged one.”

We’ll have a review of Odyssey soon, as well as everything you need to know to make the most of your vacation in Ancient Greece. From the looks of the trailer, you might want to pack your lion-proof sandals. 

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will be released on October 5. Check out our hands-on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey preview to find out why we’re so excited about murdering our way around Ancient Greece. 

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You remember Assassin’s Creed 3 – it was the one with Connor, the half English, half Native American hero who found himself dealing with not just the usual Templars, but the American Revolutionary War as well. It was released back in 2012, so it should benefit from a bit of technological spit and polish, ready to run in 4K and HDR on PS4 Pro, Xbox One X, and PC. Gameplay mechanics and ‘ergonomics’ have also had some TLC, and if the season pass doesn’t appeal, Assassin’s Creed 3 Remastered will also be sold as a standalone title.

The two new Assassin’s Creed Odyssey stories for season pass holders are Legacy of the First Blade, due in December, and The Fate of Atlantis set for spring 2019. Both are episodic and delve deeper in the treasure trove that is Greek mythology. They join the free content – that Ubisoft promised when it revealed the series would be taking another year off – which all players will get after the game’s October 5 launch. That includes episodic quest lines named The Lost Tales of Greece and special in-game events. 

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will be released on October 5, but eager beavers who invest in the Gold, Collectors, and Ultimate Editions will have access to the game three days early.

Check out our hands-on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey preview to find out why we’re so excited about murdering our way around Ancient Greece. 

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