Earth Defense Force 6 just removed its controversial requirement

By Carli Velocci October 3, 2024 2:10PM

The Diver class in Earth Defense Force 6. — D3 Publisher

While the response to Earth Defense Force 6, the latest in the gory sci-fi shooter series, has been generally positive, many PC users had complaints, specifically about how they were required to sign in with an Epic Games account to play online co-op.

The developers have good news for those players. On Thursday, developer Sandlot released a small update on Steam that removed that requirement. Now you can play online missions without the account. “This application has been modified so that you can play online missions without signing into your Epic Games Account,” the post reads.

Players who have already connected their Epic and Steam accounts can unlink them on the Epic Games website in a browser by following these steps.

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This is just the latest instance of a video game team removing a second account requirement for a PC game. This practice has fallen out of favor with players and the industry, with players specifically often review-bombing games to protest those decisions. This has come up a lot with recent PlayStation PC releases such as Helldivers 2, where even developers at Arrowhead Game Studios spoke out against the PlayStation Network account requirement. Granted, this became an issue months after the game released, but the outcry was so loud that PlayStation walked back the decision.

However, it still hasn’t responded to similar criticism for its God of War Ragnarok PC port, which also needed a PSN account and caused it to launch to mixed reviews on Steam (although it’s now sitting at “Mostly Positive”). A community member even created a mod that allowed players to get around the account requirement, although it has since been taken it down.

But discussions around account or launcher requirements have moved to the forefront. Ubisoft just announced that it is going back to releasing its games day one on Steam after years of launching them on its own platform. Additionally, The Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be launching natively on Steam. This facilitates the experience of playing on Steam and — sort of more importantly — the Steam Deck.

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Contributor, Games

Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…

Gaming

Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for October 3

Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on July 16, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "SHELL." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter W.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels.
Today's Wordle is another word for a vehicle usually pulled by animals.

Gaming

NYT Connections: hints and answers for Thursday, October 3

New York Times' Connection puzzle open in the NYT Games app on iOS.

Connections is the latest puzzle game from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends.

Some days are trickier than others. If you're having a little trouble solving today's Connections puzzle, check out our tips and hints below. And if you still can't get it, we'll tell you today's answers at the very end.
How to play Connections
In Connections, you'll be shown a grid containing 16 words — your objective is to organize these words into four sets of four by identifying the connections that link them. These sets could encompass concepts like titles of video game franchises, book series sequels, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, etc.

Gaming

NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Thursday, October 3

Strands is a brand new daily puzzle from the New York Times. A trickier take on the classic word search, you'll need a keen eye to solve this puzzle.

Like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be a bit difficult to solve some days. There's no shame in needing a little help from time to time. If you're stuck and need to know the answers to today's Strands puzzle, check out the solved puzzle below.
How to play Strands
You start every Strands puzzle with the goal of finding the "theme words" hidden in the grid of letters. Manipulate letters by dragging or tapping to craft words; double-tap the final letter to confirm. If you find the correct word, the letters will be highlighted blue and will no longer be selectable.