Welcome to the first full week of April and this week should be a bit more exciting than last week when it comes to new game releases. In this week's major release, you take command of some isometric WWII commandos. This is followed by an existential dilemma, a folktale from the deep south, some very dark days, being a studio executive and an assault by not so wild animals.

Commandos: Origins / This week's major release / Wednesday 9 April
You have been selected for a mission which will shape the fate of the entire world. Witness the very beginning of the legendary elite WWII force in Commandos: Origins. The long-awaited sequel to the Commandos series brings you right back to the foundation of the real-time tactics genre. And to the days where Jack O'Hara, the Green Beret, and his five companions met to form the infamous unit sent to complete missions which no others would dare to accept. Steam link

Aaaaaand… action! Time to become a Hollywood mogul! The Executive is now officially released with a 10% launch discount! Produce your dream movies. Tackle production challenges. Build your empire…And much more! We're thrilled to finally let you get your hands on it! We're incredibly proud of this project, and after your feedback on the demo, we can't wait to hear your thoughts on the full game!

Shape the history of the Hollywood movie industry in this sandbox business simulation game. Create the movies you've always wanted to see, hire the best team, research cutting-edge technologies, and dominate the Box Office. Can you rise from a small studio to a Hollywood giant? The Executive is a sandbox business simulation game that lets you rewrite the history of Hollywood from the 1970s to today. As the founder of a scrappy production company, you'll produce the movies you've always dreamed of, manage ambitious franchises, and build a studio that rivals the industry's greatest. Navigate the challenges of the movie business, outmaneuver your competition, and decide whether to chase critical acclaim or box office domination.

Welcome to week two of February, during which one of the oldest game franchises is launching its seventh iteration, although this time around it steps away quite a bit from its past versions, for better or worse. This is followed by some mayhem, Hollywood drama, an action co-op RPG, some classic side scrolling action with a lot of big guns and the week is rounded off with a JRPG.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII / This week's AAA release / Tuesday 11 February
In Civilization VII, your strategic decisions shape the unique cultural lineage of your evolving empire. Rule as one of many legendary leaders from throughout history and steer the course of your story by choosing a new civilization to represent your empire in each Age of human advancement. Steam link

Samsung and LG are among an number of tech companies reportedly pushing for radical changes in the cinema viewing experience. In a piece published by the Hollywood Reporter last week, new behind-the-scenes information has come to light about an effort to replace the (some will say tried and true) traditional cinema theater projection system with LED walls. The vast majority of international theater chains rely on a front projection method (via a back of the booth), and very few locations have a more state-of-the-art LED display-based system in place. The Culver Theater (naturally located in Culver City, CA) is one of a hundred cinemas worldwide to possess a Samsung Onyx LED display - although the tech on show is said to be of an older standard. Industry insiders have been invited to attend demonstrations of a newer generation LED wall technology destined for cinemas in the future, and early impressions are purported to be mixed.

A cinema-based LED wall display functions in a similar way to how a modern LED-based flat screen TV works - although on a much greater massive scale - with particular benefits of the technology resulting in fantastic performance in terms of high dynamic range and peak brightness. The main downside of having a tightly packed array of large LED panels is the resultant heat output - critics of the technology state that it will be difficult to implement an adequate cooling system (through air conditioning) to tame the wall's temperature increasing properties. The power required to operate the LED panel array (plus required cooling solution) is said to be much higher than that of an old-fashioned projector's relatively modest draw from the electricity supply. An LED wall will also completely negate the traditional placement of loudspeakers behind a cinema's front-placed screen - and sound engineers will need to explore a different method of front audio channel output within the context of a next generation LED theater room.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores launches April 19 on PS5! This expansion sees Aloy pursue a sinister threat in the untamed wilds of Los Angeles, now a treacherous volcanic archipelago. Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores takes Aloy to the ruins of Los Angeles. The past millennia has seen the metropolis wracked by tectonic and volcanic activity. The result: a dangerous archipelago populated by deadly machines. Among these islands, a large settlement of Quen fight to survive.

Aloy's journey continues in Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores - an expansion which sees the fierce Nora hunter pursue a sinister threat in the untamed wilds of a far-future, volcanic Los Angeles which has been wracked by violent tectonic activity. Pre-orders for Burning Shores, which launches on the PlayStation 5 console on April 19, 2023, are available as of today.