The latest brace of VisionQuest episodes have dropped on Disney Plus, and they take us back to a controversial MCU location. Episodes 5 and 6 also see the return of the very first MCU villain, as the danger escalates for Vision's makeshift family.

If you've been following along, you'll know that VisionQuest is a show packed with fun MCU references and callbacks. If you think about it, Vision is like a living hard drive, so it makes sense that his mind space would be loaded with nods to the MCU's past. Below, you'll find all the Easter eggs we spotted in episodes 5 and 6 – let us know in the comments if you find any others!

Be warned: there are spoilers for VisionQuest episodes 5 and 6 from here on out, so make sure you've seen the latest episodes before reading on, or risk having some delightful surprises ruined. Once you're done, head over to our VisionQuest release schedule so you know when to tune in next week, and give our spoiler-free, full-season VisionQuest review a read for our verdict on the Disney Plus show.

VisionQuest episode 5 Easter eggs

Technical difficulties – With Ultron in control of Vision's body, error messages on the screens around Vision's mind space read "Sorry, we are experiencing technical difficulties." This echoes the "Please stand by" message that ushered in the WandaVision credits each week.

Ultron's biography – Ultron is reading his own biography at one stage, simply titled 'I, Ultron'. The cover notes it's a 'Sokovia Times bestseller' – not surprising given Sokovia must feature heavily…

Robotic beer – In the pub where Ultron secretly meets Jocasta, there are some fun nods to the nature of their quantum date, including a beer mat that reads "Robotic beer".

VisionQuest episode 6 Easter eggs

Madripoor – Vision and co. head to Madripoor in episode 6, lured there by Paladin. The fictional island nation in Southeast Asia is a hive of scum and villainy, and a haven for organized crime. Sam and Bucky last went there in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where – notoriously – Sharon Carter is revealed to be the underworld ruler, Power Broker.

E.D.I.T.H.'s high schooler – E.D.I.T.H. mentions she once had a boss who was in high school. This, of course, is Peter Parker, who came into possession of the E.D.I.T.H. glasses in Spider-Man: Far From Home – a posthumous gift from Tony Stark.

Weapons manufacturer – Jocasta refers to Tony Stark – the man who bought up her employer, Markridge Biotech, and put her out of the job – as a 'goddamn weapons manufacturer'. It's a timely callback to Tony's former life, as a ghost of Stark's past also pops up this week…

Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar: 18 years after his appearance in Iron Man, Ten Rings terrorist Raza Al-Wazar returns to the MCU in VisionQuest episode 6. In Iron Man, al-Wazar captures Tony Stark after being tipped off by Obadiah Stane. Almost two decades later, al-Wazar is now picking up the Client's bounty and attempting to bring in Vision.

VisionQuest is airing now on Disney Plus. For more on the MCU, here are all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.

After being teased for weeks, VisionQuest episode 6 finally sees the MCU return to a major comics location, and one that previously popped up in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: Madripoor.

But what is Madripoor? And why is it such a big deal to the Marvel-verse? For that, we need to turn to the comics, as Madripoor's on-screen counterpart hasn't exactly lived up to the legend so far.

Below, you'll find all you need to know about Madripoor, including how it fits into VisionQuest and the MCU at large, as well as its comics history. But be warned, full spoilers for VisionQuest episodes 5 and 6 follow, alongside some Marvel comics spoilers. Not up to date? Check out our VisionQuest release schedule to stay in the know about when new episodes drop, or check out our spoiler-free full-season verdict with our VisionQuest review.

Madripoor in Marvel comics

The Principality of Madripoor first appeared in Marvel Comics in a 1985 issue of New Mutants, by Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha. An island state in Southeast Asia, the principality is named for its central city of Madripoor – a lawless metropolis and a haven for organized criminal activity. In other words, it's a hive of scum and villainy that makes Mos Eisley look law-abiding.

Alongside the New Mutants, many major Marvel figures have passed through Madripoor's ports. In the 1930s, Wolverine was taught assassination techniques by the spy Seraph, who also happened to own a bar in Madripoor (even assassins have to make an honest living somewhere). A decade later, Steve Rogers' Captain America came to Madripoor to rescue Ivan Petrovich from The Hand. And in the 1950s, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes assassinated a British ambassador at a New Year's Eve party in Madripoor.

Split between the prosperous Hightown – where secret societies and warlords vie for control – and the impoverished Lowtown – where work-a-day smugglers and ne'er-do-wells scrape by, Madripoor is still home to many Marvel bad guys, as the city has no extradition treaties. Best of all, a giant dragon, aka the Madragon, lives under Madripoor. Shang-Chi defeated the mythical wyvern by using Pym Particles to turn himself into a giant.

Madripoor in the MCU

Madripoor has made a few appearances in the MCU. Most notably, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and Baron Zemo travelled there during the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to uncover how the Flag-Smashers came into possession of a knock-off Super Soldier serum. Bizarrely, Madripoor's de facto ruler, the Power Broker, was revealed to be Sharon Carter during the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier – a peculiar twist that still hasn't been acknowledged or followed up half a decade later.

In VisionQuest episode 6, Vision and Lisa Molinari travel to Madripoor via cargo plane to rescue Tommy, who has been kidnapped by Paladin. Following a tense exchange where Vision in turn threatens Paladin's own daughter, the pair find themselves facing a bigger threat: the Client's new bounty hunter, Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar.

A fight erupts on the street (just your average Tuesday in Madripoor), and the mysterious Client drops in to send a message to Vision. Even more problematic, Jocasta reveals what all those nanobots are for by turning Lisa into a walking android under her control. Now imagine what she can do with billions of bots.

Unfortunately, as far as Madripoor goes, we don't see much more of it than a single street mostly filled with street food stands in VisionQuest – another inauspicious example of its use in the MCU. Madripoor also briefly features in Deadpool & Wolverine, where a variant Logan can be seen playing roulette at a Madripoor casino table. Let's hope the next time the MCU returns to Madripoor, it's more than a pretty backdrop.

VisionQuest is streaming on Disney Plus. For more, check out our guide to watching the Marvel movies in order, and our breakdown of the VisionQuest timeline.

The whole Early Access release model has a lot of pros and cons to consider, and some argue that the system is prone to abuse by developers and publishers for all sorts of reasons, but at least for Valheim developer Iron Gate, it was essential.

Talking to GamesIndustry, Iron Gate CEO Richard Svensson says Valheim wouldn't have been nearly as successful as it has been without Steam Early Access. "Even if we had an enormous budget and worked on the game in secret for five years up until the launch, we never would have been able to reach the amount of people that we have." says Svensson.

"Having the game out there and being able to work with the live community is really the only way that Valheim would have ever reached the success it has."

While Svensson sees Valheim's Early Access launch as crucial to the game's success, it was only ever released as an Early Access game because Svensson "couldn't afford to keep working on it" and Early Access appeared to be "the only reasonable solution at the time." Obviously, that gamble paid off massively as Valheim is now an undeniable juggernaut of the survival genre with 17 million copies sold as of its 1.0 launch in September 2026.

Still, Valheim was in Early Access for more than five years, which is quite a bit longer than the average 21 months most games take before their 1.0 updates (according to GameDiscoverCo data cited by GI). Svensson says that's because the scope of the project continues to increase every time a new update is released.

"We have also always tried to keep the team relatively small, but even so, the production scale now is gigantic compared to what it was at the time of the Early Access release," he says. "Back then, when we made a new biome, it was basically the same thing with a new coat of paint, but today it's just so much more.

"It's not just about content anymore, and that's what made the development time longer than we first expected."

For my money, Iron Gate and Valheim are perfect examples of Early Access done right. Right from the start, the game was extremely polished and felt representative of the core gameplay loop that still compels me to play to this day – there's just a lot more of it, and with an even higher level of polish. I never felt like I was being duped and communication has always been on point, which can't be said for a lot of other Early Access games that needn't be mentioned here.

Tiny Swedish town flexes its survival game royalty by enshrining Valheim, Raft, and V Rising into its roads

Avatar: Seven Havens fans are happy that the show went with a slower, three-episodes-a-week drop, rather than the previously announced plan of dropping all 26 at once.

It was originally announced, more or less due to some confusing press release language, that the 26 episode-season would drop on Paramount Plus in a binge-watch format. Keep in mind that each episode is exactly 30 minutes.

Thankfully, a new trailer that dropped in September revealed that the series would be split into two books. The first 13-episode book would release in 3 episode batches beginning on October 9 and ending with a four-episode drop on October 30. The release date for Book 2 has not yet been announced.

The new series is set some 225 years after the events of The Legend of Korra and 300 years after The Last Airbender, in a world where airbenders are thought of as destructive, harmful beings rather than heroes.

"If they went forward to drop all the episodes at once, it dead ass would’ve killed the show," one fan wrote.

"I think they did a good amount cause the cliffhangers have kept people guessing. Any less or more and I think storylines would have felt off," someone else said.

One fan, however, has a different idea for the release of Book 2: "I think they've been releasing a bit too many a week and while it was fine for this season I think season 2 and onwards should shave that down to like 2 a week at most."

Avatar: Seven Havens is streaming now on Paramount Plus. For more, check out our guide to all the best new TV shows heading our way.

GTA 6 developers at Rockstar Games will begin the vote on the studio's proposed union right as the new Grand Theft Auto lets players start pre-loading the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

News of the impending Rockstar union vote comes from Aftermath, which shared a statement from the Independent Workers' union of Great Britain (IWGB), a labor union with widespread reach including a significant presence in games. IWGB has helped Rockstar developers organize their own studio union to bargain for benefits, rights, and protections.

The voting period will run from November 12 through November 26. GTA 6 launches Thursday, November 19, and pre-loading for the hotly anticipated game starts a week earlier. Rumors indicate GTA 6 is a 210GB download on PS5, so pre-loading ought to come in handy.

While the most-anticipated game of all time is devoured by millions players, many of the people who made it will be charting the future of their workplace. If the vote clears, Rockstar will officially be unionized, which would be a major step forward for the already humming labor push in the broader games industry. Just this month, D&D and Magic The Gathering developers unionized.

IWGB Game Workers shared Aftermath's story online. The agreement, if passed, will "grant workers a say over issues including pay and bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working, and generative AI policies," the union reiterates.

"The terms of the recognition deal, agreed upon by workers and management, would give workers a say over topics including pay and bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working arrangements, and generative AI policies," a press release reads (thanks, Rock Paper Shotgun).

Shanti Easton-Steel, a committee member for the Rockstar Game Workers Union, discussed what's being voted on: "When management choices are kept hidden, we can’t properly address issues like the gender pay gap, the uneven and ever-changing policies on overtime pay, or the concerns many co-workers hold around job security post-release."

"This is our moment to secure a window onto the decisions that shape our lives, and a seat at the table to improve them. I’m immensely proud of the games Rockstar gives its fans – I want to be equally proud of the voice Rockstar gives its staff," Easton-Steel adds.

This vote follows a messy and ongoing legal dispute over Rockstar staff, including many unionizing staff, who were fired for allegedly leaking "confidential information." Rockstar has repeatedly denied claims of union busting.

Rockstar also has a documented history of crunch, a term often used in game development to describe extended periods of heavy, often under-compensated, and quietly (or loudly) mandated overtime during production – the exact sort of thing that game unions have worked to prevent or control.

Rockstar devs allege crunch is so common at the GTA 6 studio that it's "built into" contracts and you have to "opt out" of it.

It's been almost six years since the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077, and in that time developer CD Projekt Red has been tirelessly updating the game initially with a flurry of bug fixes and performance patches, and then later with substantial content additions culminating in the Phantom Liberty expansion from 2023. And yet, even as the game's legacy has firmly been cemented as a generational RPG far removed from its half-baked launch state, it has another huge update, 2.5, which just came out last week.

The 2.5 update adds a new quest that serves as a prequel story to Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 on Netflix, as well as mod support for consoles, dual-wielding for pistols and revolvers, a new City Tours feature that gives you a guided look at Night City, new clothing sets, a new radio station, and more. It's a genuinely massive update to an already sprawling open-world adventure that's long since redeemed itself, and all CDPR has to say for itself is that it simply can't turn down an opportunity for a new update even as it works on a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel and a bunch of other new games.

In an official CDPR blog post, associate game director Paweł Sasko says the combined new features in Cyberpunk 2077 2.5 serve one goal to "make Night City richer, more coherent, and more believable, for our players," and that's why it was made.

"That is ultimately why we are updating Cyberpunk 2077 again," says Sasko. "This world keeps giving us reasons to return to it. Edgerunners 2 adds another perspective, 2.5 brings that perspective into the game, and at the same time gives players more ways to make Night City their own. For me, that is what a shared universe should feel like. Different stories, different people, different media, but one city that remembers all of them. And I hope players enjoy returning to it."

With a list of upcoming CDPR games that includes the new Witcher 3 DLC, The Witcher 4, a remake of The Witcher 1, the aforementioned sequel codenamed Project Orion, a new original IP codenamed Hadar, and probably more I'm forgetting about, I'm just surprised there's still budget and resources for more Cyberpunk 2077. I'm also very much not complaining about that.

CD Projekt Red has "hired so many modders" that Cyberpunk 2 co-lead says "I think half of the quest team is all former modders"

Like rubbing salt into the wound, the abrupt closure of beloved RPG studio BioWare means we now know more about Mass Effect 5 than we probably would've otherwise, which stings even harder knowing the game's now canceled. Based on a leaked trailer, it's likely the game was to be titled Mass Effect: Universe, and it seems it would've paired up returning party member Liara T'Soni with a new human hero in place of longtime protagonist Shepard. Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all is that the trailer said the game was "coming soon."

I suppose if you're someone willing to call a glass with two drops of water in it 'half full', you could argue the existence of the trailer is a tiny, barely glimmering silver lining amid the tragedy of it all, and adding just the faintest shimmer to that miniscule upside is a new tweet from veteran BioWare composer Sam Hulick, who scored the original Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3. In the tweet, Hulick says he plans to "release the re-scored Mass Effect Universe trailer for N7 Day."

N7 Day is an annual celebration of all things Mass Effect, and had EA not shut the doors on BioWare, there's a good chance we would've seen or heard something new about Mass Effect 5, potentially even the leaked trailer. But anyway, it happens on November 7, which Hulick admits is "a little tight" as he's also working on a pitch for an unrelated new game, but "I'll see what I can do," he says. "I don't wanna rush it, and I want it to properly represent my musical vision for MEU."

While you might think Hulick's endorsement of the leaked trailer substantiates its legitimacy somewhat, he's a freelance composer and was never officially hired on as a BioWare employee, so he probably didn't have a whole lot of insight into the next game's development. In fact, the legendary composer behind Journey, Austin Wintory, who just released 20 minutes of music he wrote in an unofficial capacity for Mass Effect 5, recently said "no one" had yet been hired to score the sequel. Still, more moody sci-fi music from a pair of renowned composers is never a bad thing, especially as we lie face down in a puddle of tears in the wake of BioWare's untimely end.

"EA never actually sells anything," former Mass Effect 5 dev says – so don't expect the RPG to be saved as "they just shut things down and sit on their licenses"

GTA 6 download size clocks in at 210GB on PS5, according to PlayStation Store sleuth PlayStation Game Size.

In a brief Twitter post, the PGS account, known for reasonably reliably sharing details on upcoming PlayStation games, notes the reported GTA 6 GB size.

Unsurprisingly, this would make GTA 6 significantly larger than GTA 5, which comes in at 105GB on PC. In fairness, GTA 5 did come out several empires ago; a more recent comparison would be Red Dead Redemption 2, which is 150GB on PC. There's also the question of GTA 5 versus GTA Online as storage hogs.

This figure is obviously unconfirmed, and it's also worth noting that download sizes and install sizes can differ, as can PS5 and Xbox Series X game file sizes, though only slightly. When we inevitably get a GTA 6 PC port, its impact on your drive may also be meaningfully different.

For example, the base PS5 sizes for GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are actually closer to 100 - 110GB, with physical and digital versions reflecting different downloads.

As a reminder, GTA 6 pre-loading opens on November 12, a week ahead of the game's November 19 launch. If GTA 6 is actually in the range of 200GB or more, a lot of people will want to get that download started early. You'll assuredly still need to go through some sort of day-one update come November 19, but pre-loading can save you a lot of valuable time that could be spent playing GTA 6.

GTA 6 exclusive leads Edge 430 – check out the 16-page cover feature that includes interviews with Rockstar, bespoke screenshots, and more this week

Palworld developer Pocketpair may be in the midst of a legal battle with Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, but that's apparently not putting it off from the idea of bringing its hit survival game to Switch 2.

Pokemon and Nintendo filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair over two years ago now, but even last year, prior to the Switch 2's launch, Pocketpair communications lead and publishing manager John "Bucky" Buckley said that porting Palworld to the platform was "100% worth considering" as long as the console was "beefy enough" to handle it.

And now, speaking in a new interview with VGC, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe says "of course" he still sees this idea as a real possibility. "First of all, I should say that we think the Switch 2 is a really amazing platform, not just for games globally, but especially here in Japan and for the Japanese games industry," he begins.

"It's been an incredible platform. If there's ever a future where we have the opportunity to discuss or consider bringing Palworld to the Switch platform in some way, then we'd love to have those conversations."

He's clearly not just saying that, either. After all, Pocketpair launched another of its games, the roguelike tower defense and card game title Overdungeon, on Switch at the start of last year, so the lawsuit isn't making it avoid Nintendo's platforms entirely.

Of course, the situation may be a tad more complicated when it comes to the idea of porting the very game at the center of the ongoing lawsuit, but Pocketpair and its boss at the very least aren't personally opposed, despite the circumstances. Perhaps when the lawsuit has been resolved – one way or another – we could finally see Palworld on the platform. After all, it's certainly "beefy" enough to support the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, and Elden Ring.

Palworld Side By Side is update 1.1 in a fancy hat, Pocketpair dev clarifies, not a new game or a "massive update."

The Phantom Blade Zero release date of October 29 is rapidly approaching, but since the game is getting a global simultaneous release, you need to be aware of when it'll be available in your region. Time zone differences mean that the game will actually release late on October 28 in the US, for example, so it gets a bit confusing. To clear things up for you, I've explained everything you need to know about the launch dates and times for Phantom Blade Zero below, as well as some pre-loading details.

Phantom Blade Zero release date, time, and platforms

Phantom Blade Zero launches on PS5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store at 10AM Beijing Time on October 29. That works out as the following times around the world:

• US Pacific: 7PM PDT on October 28
• US Eastern: 10PM EDT on October 28
• UK: 2AM GMT on October 29
• Europe: 3AM CET on October 29
• Eastern Australia: 1PM AEDT on October 29
• New Zealand: 3PM NZDT on October 29

It's also worth mentioning that pre-loading for Phantom Blade Zero is available now on all platforms, letting you get the game ready on your PC or PS5 ahead of launch if you've pre-ordered. I highly recommend that you pre-install the game too as it's massive – the devs recommend 300GB of disk space on PC as Phantom Blade Zero is about 150GB. I've been playing on PS5 already and it's around the 130GB mark there, so get some space cleared in the meantime. And just in case you're holding out for a Phantom Blade Zero PS5 physical copy – a dying breed – developer S-Game announced there will be a physical release in 2027.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Aptly named dressmaking sim Dressmaker was an unexpectedly massive success for developer Cozy Lives, led by married duo Sabrina Becker and Jonathan Hau-Yoon. With 17,530 user reviews averaging 98% positive a month after release, and over 15,000 average concurrent players still keeping it in Steam's top 100 even as a small single-player game, Dressmaker is a hit by every metric. On top of the game being extremely absorbing and satisfying, Becker reckons this was partly down to appealing to an undeserved group in games: women.

"We were definitely targeting women from the get-go," Becker tells me. "The fact that we have gotten so many men interested as well is just a great bonus. But women are such an underserved market in video games, even though women love video games. I think people sort of assume that women don't play games because they don't like them, but women just don't play games because there aren't games that are geared towards what they're interested in."

There's a surprisingly large population of women, not just young girls, on game platforms like Roblox engaging with "these dress-up games," Becker observes, "even though they don't have the best experience, because they are really craving that type of gameplay and there's nowhere else that offers it. That was one of the inspirations in making Dressmaker. If that's what they want, we can give that to them."

The top-rated Steam reviews for Dressmaker bear this out. A self-describer nursing home caretaker writes, "Dressmaker team, please know that you have created something extremely special here. You have given old ladies with arthritis the gift of dressmaking again. You have inspired me to get out my sewing machine again. And our experiences are only a drop in the ocean; you have touched so many lives with this game."

Another Steam reviewer discusses their mother's history as a seamstress. "My mom saw me playing the game, and she was interested!" they say. "She's never really shown interest in my games beyond a curiosity of what I was doing, but with Dressmaker? She wants to play it! She actually wants to play it!!!!! I connected with this game because of my mother and the love of dressmaking she gave me, and now I can connect this game with my mother because of the very same love. She may never seriously play another videogame but Dressmaker has given us something to play together, and that means a lot to me."

Becker, who worked in fashion before the chronic illness Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) forced her to change her career, says it was a no-brainer. "It just seemed like if we were going to make a game about making dresses, which is a stereotypically feminine interest, we should definitely make it very feminine and target it towards women," she adds.

Dressmaker resonates so strongly partly because Becker is in a similar place as those Steam reviewers. "I was pursuing costume design," she explains. "I've been really passionate about sewing and clothing since I was a kid. My mom taught me how to sew, and she was a designer, so it's very much a thing that has been a part of my life.

"And then when I was diagnosed with EDS and I became very ill, I was unable to pursue that and engage with that passion, so I just sort of shelved it and focused on the things that I could do and that I could engage with. Over time, I slowly built my health back up again, and that lined up perfectly with when Jonathan wanted to pursue making Dressmaker at the studio."

After the huge launch, Hau-Yoon says, "Sabrina's over the moon. I'm kind of overwhelmed. I feel as if I was prepared to work up to shipping the game and then also patch things afterward, and I wasn't really prepared for the very large flood of players and media attention and whatnot."

"I'm just so happy that so many people love the game," Becker adds.

Dressmaker isn't even really finished. Cozy Lives actually expected the game to have a bigger audience on mobile and Nintendo Switch, and it will eventually be ported to other platforms. Iterating and updating on PC is just easier with less platform certification to clear, so Dressmaker started on Steam. With such a massive audience already showing up, there are definitely plans for major updates in the future. I asked for a teaser on one, and Becker mentioned an online feature that lets players vote on their favorite dress designs.

"We love this game so much, and it was always our hope that we would be able to continue working on it and build on it," Becker says. "There are so many things that we would love to bring to the game and the world, so we're really enthusiastic now that we have the opportunity to do that."

"The Dressmaker that was launched was very much, 'This is the best we can do when we are time and budget-constrained,'" says Hau-Yoon. "There are a bunch of things that we really wanted to get into the game that we didn't get to, so now we have time to do this backlog of things, which is really exciting."

New Steam indie hit reaches crucial cozy game milestone: fans wondering if they're "even playing the same" thing as geniuses make it all from the Mona Lisa to Pokemon in dress form

Hasbro has named Dan Ayoub as new president of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games, leading Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and future games like Exodus and Warlock.

In a press release, Hasbro confirms that Ayoub was "selected after a rigorous search that evaluated dozens of internal and external candidates." Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks says, "He understands what our games mean to the people who play them and what it takes to build great teams and experiences." Previous president John Hight announced he was stepping down earlier this year.

Wizards of the Coast currently has two major games in production with sci-fi RPG Exodus at Archetype Entertainment and third-person action game Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons at Invoke Studios.

Ayoub has been in the games industry for 25 years, with his credits including producer roles at Ubisoft and EA, an 11 year stint at Microsoft as the studio head of Halo developer 343 Industries, as well as vice president and general manager of Certain Affinity. He joined Wizards of the Coast in 2022, and was senior vice president of digital games and Dungeons & Dragons before this promotion.

Ayoub says, "I'm honored to lead Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games, and grateful to Chris and the leadership team for this opportunity." He adds, "Magic and D&D have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and the teams behind them are among the best in the world," and pledges, "We'll put fans first, respect the artists and creators who make these worlds come alive, and set an ambitious course for growth across tabletop and digital."

Of course, this comes weeks after the D&D and Magic The Gathering developers unionized, claiming that Wizards of the Coast is pushing "adoption of LLMs and generative AI," with the company not voluntarily recognizing the union efforts by its October 13th deadline.

D&D Star Wars is giving me Andor vibes with promises to let you "fly daring missions" and fight the Empire as a secret Rebel team.

Matthew Lillard says he isn't playing a traditional DC comic book character in Man of Tomorrow, or even one at all.

"It's a very James Gunn moment. So, I wouldn't worry too much about finding him in the comics," Lillard told The Direct, when asked whether or not he'd be playing a DC comic book character.

Funny enough, Lillard's character in Daredevil: Born Again, the mysterious Mr. Charles, was also absent from Marvel Comics and was indeed created specifically for Lillard by showrunner Dario Scardapane.

Gunn is also no stranger to creating new characters, namely Peacemaker's Leota Adebayo, who is Amanda Waller's daughter, and Lex Luthor's scary alien best friend (and prison chauffeur) Mister Handsome, who we met in Superman.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of character Lillard plays, as he seemed just a touch disappointed that his MCU character was just a normie without any superpowers.

Written and directed by Gunn, the upcoming movie sees archenemies Superman (David Corenswet) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) team up to defeat an even greater threat, Brainiac. The cast includes Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner aka the Green Lantern, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Milly Alcock's Supergirl, and Xolo Mariduena's Blue Beetle. Adria Arjona also recently shared her training regimen for the film, where she could very well be making her debut as Wonder Woman...

Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters on July 9, 2027. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming DC movies.

It's no secret that Final Fantasy 14 is scrapping its infamous two-minute meta and adopting an entirely new job system, Evolved, come Evercold this winter – but just how different will that system play, and how much more damage will it allow for?

As a hardcore raider myself, one thing about Evercold has been heavy on my mind since the expansion's reveal at Fan Fest this summer: the introduction of the Reborn and Evolved job systems, with the latter being entirely new to the MMO.

The reason it's been heavy on my mind is simple – Square Enix implied that the Evolved system, which rearranges our class skills into a simpler, neater format, hotbar-wise, will let us deal more damage.

Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, localization lead, lays out the differences between the Reborn system – which is essentially what we're playing with now – and Evolved in a new interview with content creators Sarah Jane, Kwisty, and Pezz on YouTube, though, and I'm slightly less concerned now... I think.

He describes a bit of what we already know (e.g. the fact that Evercold's debut jobs, the Bastion and mystery DPS, won't have a Reborn mode) first, assuring fans, "If you don't want to change, you don't have to."

The thing is, though, those of us who engage in Ultimates and other "hard" content might feel the need to if the Reborn mode – the original system – is capable of less damage… right?

Well, according to Fox, not exactly: "I don't think it's like, 'Okay, this Evolved mode is going to do 50% more damage.' I think it's going to be very negligible."
That's a relief – right? And, it all boils down to how different the Reborn and Evolved systems are.

"I think it's just because the modes are so different and some of the skill rotations are going to be so different that damage will be dealt in different ways," as Fox states. "That might end up affecting" damage throughout a fight, but it shouldn't matter in terms of ability to clear and all that.

"It's not going to be something that's going to be a deal breaker," as Square Enix wants "to keep it as small as possible." But it was "unavoidable" altogether, as the modes can't play the same way – unavoidable, but again, negligible.

I doubt that Fox's words are enough to satisfy most raiders, however, sadly, knowing how highly regarded parses are (and likely always will be). Should the Evolved version of one's abilities allow for even the slightest, ittiest-bittiest boost in damage, they'll probably opt to abandon the trusty ol' Reborn mode – ask me how I know.

I'm not sure what I'll choose myself just yet, as an Astrologian. I'll have to wait and see what the promised healer changes will look like before I do – keeping tanks alive, damage dealers buffed, and DOTs up is tricky enough as it is.

Final Fantasy 14 players get 1 free day of game time after Square Enix lifts the MMO's PHP lockdown

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners showrunner Bartosz Sztybor and executive producer Saya Elder has revealed more about navigating Cyberpunk 2077's established lore in the anime during an appearance on CD Projekt Red's REDstream.

In the discussion on canon, Elder began, "Studio Trigger is really enthusiastic and passionate about incorporating Cyberpunk lore into the show."

Sztybor said, "There are situations where Studio Trigger comes to us with an idea and [we respond], 'No, I think that's lore-breaking.' Then Patrick Mills thinks about it and says, 'This is weird, but maybe we can do something else… and this would work.'"

"We try really hard not to say no to ideas," Elder added. "We try to be more 'Yes, and' people. But a lot of ideas are so difficult to incorporate into the original lore."

Sztybor also confirmed Studio Trigger would really try and push its luck by breaking the "first rule" of Cyberpunk lore and razing Night City to the ground.

"Always with Studio Trigger, it's, 'Can we destroy Arasaka and Night City?' [Edgerunners 2], it's the same. First week of working: 'So, can we now destroy Night City and Arasaka?'

As per the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 synopsis, the Studio Trigger-animated series "pulls you back into Night City, where lives become entangled to the extreme. Weak, a washed-up cyberpunk legend, is now forced to live without chrome as he searches for a sense of purpose in a world that’s passed him by. Meanwhile, the deadly nomad D sets out on a path to revenge that brings him close to corpo secrets never meant to be found."

To coincide with the release, the Cyberpunk 2077 2.5 update featured an Edgerunners 2-related quest, as well as giving players the ability to dual-wield weapons. Nova.

Sztybor has been refreshingly open about Edgerunners 2 so far, even noting that he has felt the tide turn as fans label it the "superior" season compared to the beloved first season.

But even with the twin successes of Edgerunners, there is no guarantee of a third season.

Indeed, Sztybor has admitted that a "perfect story" would need to be formulated before production could even begin on the project.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is now streaming on Netflix.

If you've already tackled Night City's latest story, we have a breakdown of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 ending.

Weapon manuals in MW4 DMZ are some of the most important loot items you can find, as these are blueprints that effectively allow you to craft and buy new weapons from the gunsmith back in your base. Effectively, finding manuals for your guns means that you'll have an increasingly large pool of weapons to build and craft while at your base, but finding manuals isn't easy to do. If you want help, then here are the best Weapon Manual locations to farm.

Where to find Weapon Manuals in Modern Warfare 4 DMZ

While nowhere in MW4 DMZ is guaranteed to have a Weapon Manual (you're playing against the odds in a constant game of randomization) there are certain locations and containers that have a higher chance of dropping weapon manuals. For the best chance, you should examine the following when in DMZ:

• Military Containers. These include military style crates and lockers, basically anything associated with the army. As you might expect, you can find these more frequently in compound and military areas.
• Safes. These appear in all kinds of areas, though infrequently. Unlike other types of containers, they take longer to open, as your Operator has to hack them. Check the image above for an example of what safes in MW4 look like.
• Weapons lockers and armories. These rooms reliably require keys to open and are found all around the map. Keys are found randomly or as mission rewards. Read their description to find the locked room they open.
• Police Stations. Many have reported having good luck finding manuals in the MW4 DMZ Police Stations, of which there are 5 around the map. Check out our guide on where those are.
• Red and Yellow Zones. Though higher danger, these map areas also tend to have better loot as a result, especially if you can brave the nuclear reactor in the Northeast of the map.

Keep in mind that weapon manuals can be found anywhere, you just have a better chance of finding them in the locations marked above. I discovered one inside a discarded jacket on the train that circles the map!

Once you have a manual, you need to safely extract with it in your inventory. Once you're back in your base, it will automatically be converted to a weapon recipe (it only works for the player that's holding it, not everybody in your squad).

Once converted, you'll be able to buy that weapon from the Gunsmith permanently, though it will cost you money nonetheless, with that cost increasing depending on how many attachments and additional elements you choose to craft it with.

If you're on a crafting kick, make sure you know where to find the MW4 DMZ comms modules and MW4 DMZ power regulators!

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Pearl Abyss PR and marketing director Will Powers has detailed some of the new features coming to Crimson Desert's Charting the Unknown DLC in more detail.

In an appearance on Dropped Frames, Powers confirms that to access the story content added in Crimson Desert Charting the Unknown, you'll need to have completed the main story of the base game too. Powers explains, "the story content specifically, it takes place after the main game."

However, he assures that you don't need to have done that to explore the new open-world areas throughout the DLC (although you will have to have established the Greymane camp in Chapter 3 to access that part).

Powers explains that the new DLC features storylines for Damiane, Oongka, and Kliff, and while "you didn't really get to explore a lot of their backstory [and] a lot of their motivations during the main game," Charting the Unknown is "effectively an epilogue for all three characters." He notes that the trio is not traveling together, with the DLC exploring what each of them is doing in the world following the story's conclusion.

Another major aspect of the DLC content is the new romance options, something which Powers says "we wanted to bring it in a meaningful way." He explains, "That was something that we were really thoughtful about how we wanted to implement it because there's been a pretty dramatic shift from how we portrayed the main characters – Damiane, Oongka, and Kliff – from launch until now. And how you could use them within side missions."

On top of that, Powers dropped a number of details, such as the Charting the Unknown DLC's storyline was written by the team behind the Crimson Desert: Enhanced Edition update, which overhauled the game's storyline, as well as teasing some of the things and areas you can come across through the underwater exploration. Basically, much like the original game, it sounds like Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown is going to be huge.

Crimson Desert reviewed worse with critics than players because critics didn't have enough time to play the game, suggests CEO at the company that gave critics less time

It's been an open secret for some time now that Meta has been making a startling loss on its Quest VR headsets, but in a Q3 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has addressed the situation directly. After Meta Connect last month, when the brand's new VR Glasses were revealed, it seemed to all but confirm that the Quest headsets wouldn't be seeing a direct sequel anytime soon.

"I also shared at Connect that we are changing our approach to virtual reality to only ship new devices when we have major breakthroughs like we had with the Meta VR Glasses this year", said Zuckerberg. "Which of course are the first VR experience ever in a pair of glasses.

"I continue to believe that the path to delivering the holographics experience of bringing together the physical and digital worlds in everyday glasses will come through VR first, but we will pace this aspect of our investment more to focus on delivering personal super intelligence first."

As we know, much of Meta's Connect keynote this year focused on Muse, the new user-focused AI the brand is trying to integrate into its hardware, including its smart glasses. It seems the focus has shifted from consumer-facing headsets that the everyday person can afford - which we knew when the tide turned from the Metaverse to the pursuit of AI.

Surprisingly, Zuckerberg alluded directly to the lack of profitability of the Reality Labs division, which has seen studio closures and multiple rounds of layoffs this year.

"So with these factors combined, we expect that the P&L of Reality Labs to improve from here, with operating loss coming down to around $15B next year and trending towards profitability from there."

For us gamers, that doesn't give us much hope about the future. For anyone hoping for a Quest 4 anytime soon, that seems a little more than a pipe dream at present. The flame might still be flickering, but "major breakthroughs" is fairly open-ended. You can buy controllers for the Meta VR Glasses, and play all of the same games on them as you would a Quest 3 - they just aren't focused quite so heavily on gaming in their design. What's more, Meta has closed its three biggest game development studios, so I wouldn't expect any more exclusive games or fun bundles.

For context, Steam Frame has now launched to the tune of $1,000+, which offers a fairly similar experience to Meta's devices. Other headset manufacturers are clearly unwilling to compete with Meta's more affordable pricing due to the losses they're creating, but it seems there are fewer and fewer names in the market each time we look.

It came to light in recent weeks that PlayStation has sold all of its VR patents to Meta, signalling the brand's exit from the VR gaming space. But if Meta is only going to be focusing on wearables for AI, and not for the everyday consumer to game and have mixed-reality in their homes, who is left to appeal to the market? Pico is one of Meta's biggest competitors, but its upcoming headset, Project Swan looks to be a higher-end offering not necessarily geared at gaming.

"Our work on personal superintelligence is now also the focus of Reality Labs. Muse is coming to Meta Glasses starting next month, and that will be an important step towards this," continued Zuckerberg as he pointed toward the future of Reality Labs.

"People already love many features of the glasses already -- music, calling, capturing moments, 4 hearing assistance, and more -- but over time we expect Muse and having your personal superintelligence with you throughout the day will be the most important part of the experience".

To make yours last as long as possible and feel just as new as the day you unboxed it, check out the best Meta Quest accessories.

Around this time each year, I'm approached by friends and family to help give advice as to what gifts they should be grabbing for the Nintendo fans in their lives.

You'd think I'd be bored of it by now, but it's honestly nice to use my years of being a hardware reviewer and my lifetime as a Nintendo nerd to recommend gadgets I know would bring a smile to any Ninty-fans face, and this year the Turtle Beach Animal Crossing Switch 2 accessories are going to be the first thing I bring up.

Starting from $24.99 (via Amazon), the range consists of two cases and two matching controllers, and so naturally, you need to make sure your giftee has a Switch 2 and loves Animal Crossing first and foremost. If they do, they're bound to be as obsessed with these goodies as I am, and I'm here to give you the lowdown as to what makes these cute (and affordable) accessories worth spending your hard-earned bells on and popping under the tree this holiday.

KK Slider & Timmy and Tommy PlayTrek Switch 2 cases

There are two cases available in this range: a KK Slider design and a Timmy and Tommy design.

If your loved one prefers the cute and cozy look, the KK Slider PlayTrek Case is definitely my go-to pick. It actually happens to be my favorite piece from this entire set, and it's not only draped in a cute blue and purple design that blends in well with my pink gaming room (and will with any other cute-decorated setups), but the design glows in the dark.

Yeah, you heard me right: the little stars and moons sprinkled across the hard-shell case glow. I love a good gimmick, and while it may have been more apt to place star-gazer Celeste on the case rather than KK Slider, the effect is as magical as it is adorable in person. The design is also complemented by neat little details, including a matching purple carrying handle, purple and blue zipper, and purple interiors to tie everything together.

If your loved one is more into Animal Crossing merch of the nature variety, the Timmy and Tommy design is going to be more their thing. It swaps the cool-toned hues for a pastel green background and little illustrations of two tanuki wearing their little New Horizons shirts. The design is then paired with a brown carrying handle and a beige zipper, which give off the perfect earth-toned vibes I've long associated with the Animal Crossing game series.

These cases don't just look the part, but they're pretty robust too. The inside contains space for the handheld, up to 12 physical games, and there's a zip-up fabric mesh pouch for smaller goodies, like a few pairs of thumb grips and some Joy-Con controller straps, or at least that's what I store in them. There's also plenty of room to place a Nintendo eShop gift card inside one of the cases, should you want to go the extra mile this holiday season. You can always provide the exact amount needed for a Nintendo Switch Online subscription so your loved one can get access to the New Horizons DLC if they don't already have it. Just a thought.

KK Slider & Timmy and Tommy Rematch Switch 2 controllers

I have yet to add Nintendo's Switch 2 Pro controller to my setup, as I instead rely on Turtle Beach's more affordable Rematch controllers. With a $64.99 MSRP, they are far more accessible than the $89 required for the first-party Switch 2 controller, and these new KK Slider and Timmy and Tommy designs are just the latest in this line of fabulous Pro pad alternatives.

While I'm sure anyone would love to get the Pro pad under the tree, neither its default nor its Resident Evil or Zelda designs feel quite as dazzling as these Animal Crossing versions. For one, each contains a hidden RGB feature, which is sure to go down well if your loved one loves that gamified look. If you opt for the KK Slider version, the sky of stars, the crescent moon, and even the two music notes near KK on the right grip light up with color, and it's a gorgeous sight to behold. The Timmy and Tommy Rematch gamepad is even more of a spectacle. At a glance, the controller opts for a green faceplate that matches perfectly with the same shade as the case. However, the touch of any button reveals a sea of Animal Crossing-themed icons, showing leaf, house, and tree designs shining under a rainbow glow. It's a stunning and illuminating feast for the eyes.

In the controller's case, it's actually my favorite, as the effect is hidden in plain sight, which makes the payoff all the more memorable. Better yet, the face and shoulder buttons are draped in a beige colorway that carries on that earth-toned theme. They almost look wooden, and that feels perfectly Animal Crossing to me. Yet while these pads are flashy, they are missing some of the best features of the Pro alternative.

For one, there's no NFC reading tech here. If your loved one has amassed the entirety of the Animal Crossing amiibo as I have, they'll have to use a third-party accessory or switch to the Joy-Cons to tap any figure in-game. That being said, these officially licensed pads still provide the same 40-hour battery life, the same spread of buttons (including two sets of shoulder buttons and back paddles), and they're just as easy to pair as Nintendo's pricier pad.

The best part is that they've also taken a bit of a discount in the weeks since their initial release. While each retails for $64.99 / £54.99, you can find them for just $49.99 / £42.57 at Amazon, which is more than reasonable for the features on offer. With Black Friday on the horizon, there's every chance their prices for the controllers (and the cases above) will drop even further, but I'd recommend you pick them up now while stock lasts, as cute Nintendo accessories tend to be the first go-to when the holidays are near.

• View all Turtle Beach PlayTrek cases at Amazon
• View all Turtle Beach Rematch controllers at Amazon

Want more Switch 2 accessories? Check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express Cards.

The final trailer for Dune 3 is here, and it's suitably epic.

In the new footage, which you can watch above, Robert Pattinson's Scytale and Zendaya's Chani join forces to try and assassinate Timothée Chalamet's Paul, who has descended even further into outright villainy as the Emperor after we last saw him in Dune: Part Two. Of course, there are also sand worms, battles, and mysterious Bene Gesserit schemes, too.

This is the final installment in director Denis Villeneuve's trilogy, and it features the return of Chalamet's Paul, Zendaya's Chani, Florence Pugh's Irulan, Anya Taylor-Joy's Alia, Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck, Rebecca Ferguson's Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem's Stilgar, and Jason Momoa's Duncan Idaho. Joining the cast is Pattinson's villainous Scytale.

The film is based on Frank Herbert's Dune: Messiah and, while the series of sci-fi novels continues past this book, Villeneuve has made it clear that this is the end of the road for him.

"This was the most emotive, on a personal level," Chalamet has said of the film. "Not necessarily the character, but I've been living with this for so long. I'm so proud to live with it. I'm so proud to work with Denis and this family. So I felt there was a finality in the exercise that I was kind of nostalgic about living the moment, even though I was 29 when we shot this. I still felt like I was losing a part of me by getting through it."

Dune 3 arrives on December 18 (the same day as Avengers: Doomsday). For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies worth getting excited about.

The comms module in MW4 DMZ is a piece of epic loot that’s given players a headache, as it’s hard to find randomly during missions and is required to unlock the ‘Uncommon Ingredient Printing’ upgrade. The good news is that several locations can provide the epic drops that you’re looking for, and they’re not particularly well-guarded ones.

Best comms module location in DMZ

Comms modules are found inside computers (regular ones) typically located on the top floor of buildings occupied by NK forces, who have turned them into improvised bases of sorts.

Deadtown is your safest bet, as it’s a low-danger area that’s easy to navigate and clear even if you’re going solo. It must be noted you’re looking for the taller buildings closer to the river, and not the more “regular town” zone near them. I’ve marked the location in the screenshot above. But here’s the type of building that we need to get into:

Once inside these buildings – which are hard to miss due to the massive power cables on the outside and inside – make your way to the top floors and look for computers to loot. As you can see in the screenshot below, the epic-rarity comms module isn’t guaranteed, but there are more than enough PCs to loot in the area.

How to craft comms modules in DMZ

You can also craft comms modules in DMZ after unlocking the ‘Epic Ingredient Printing’ upgrade, which requires 100K in cash, 10 binding catalysts, 10 printed circuit boards, and 5 military composites. This isn’t easy early on, but it’s the best farming option when you level up and have bigger fish to fry.

After doing so, the comms module can be crafted repeatedly with the 3D printer for 100 electronics and 3 CPUs (also found in computers).

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The latest issue of Edge magazine is out this week, and it isn't one to miss for GTA 6 fans.

As part of Edge 430, the team has paid Rockstar a visit at its Edinburgh HQ to talk all things GTA 6. The issue's huge 16-page cover story features exclusive interviews and imagery detailing the most ambitious project in Rockstar’s history, wrapped up with a special gatefold cover showcasing artwork of lead characters Jason and Lucia.

Check out the sneak peek below:

The new issue of Edge magazine will go on sale October 29, but the good news doesn't stop there. To coincide with the release, the full feature will be released for you to read online for free right here on GamesRadar+. Just follow the link provided on the day.

Those of you in the UK can get a collector's edition for free, plus 13 issues of Edge at 38% off the newsstand price, by subscribing at the link. You'll need to be quick, though, as that's while stocks last.

Outside the UK, new annual subs will be sent a free digital edition of the complete special GTA 6 issue. If you're interested, you can subscribe here.

The GTA 6-led version of Edge is the latest slice of new information we're getting in the build-up to the long-awaited launch next month. That all truly kicked off with GTA 6's extended look on Netflix at the end of August, though we've had plenty since to tease what's on the way.

GTA 6 is due to release November 19, 2026.

The Welcome to Paradise quest in Cyberpunk 2077 has players follow a guided tour around the city in order to track down a revolutionary called Haze, all at the request of her concerned sister Aera. This takes you through a variety of locations with a recording of Night City founder Richard Night explaining a skewed history of the metropolis, and Haze providing her own contrary take against him. If you want to find out how to start the quest and what rewards there might be, here's what you need to know.

Want some more help with the 2.5 update? Find out how to dual wield in Cyberpunk 2077, or all the best Cyberpunk 2077 mods you can now get on console!

How to start the Welcome to Paradise quest in Cyberpunk 2077

To get the Welcome to Paradise quest, all you need to do is complete the Heist mission and reach 15 Street Cred. On having done this, after some time you'll get a message from a new character called Aera who will ask you to find her sister Haze, who's stolen some sort of chip from somebody and hasn't been seen since. If you accept this minor job, you'll be able to play it through whenever you're ready.

Full walkthrough for Welcome to Paradise in Cyberpunk 2077

Much of the Welcome to Paradise quest is very straightforward - going to marked locations and interacting with terminals - but there's a few points where it can get tricky. We'll take you through the whole thing below and mark out the areas that involve more challenge, so you're ready for everything.

1. After getting the call, head to the marked location in Kabuki. Scan for the metal sheet to the East that covers the sewer pipe (shown above) and pull it away to reveal a Shard called "NC Revitalization Project - Identity Cache". Slot it to start the guided tour program.
2. Head to the Night Corporation Tower and listen to the first step of the guided tour, including the drone tour, then do the same thing at the Memorial Park, Arasaka Memorial, and City Hall.

3. The next tour step is the Biotechnica Flats, though some people will be obstructing the way to the terminal (you can move them non-violently with a 17 Body Dialogue Check).
4. Head to the NCART station for another tour. Afterwards, go into your inventory and decrypt the shard for new information (see below).

5. The next stop at the Dam is blocked off by 6th Street Enemies who you'll need to clear out (they're easy to ambush from above if you fast travel to the nearest location).
6. Head to the Medical Center back in the city. This time Haze will tell you that she's being trailed by a car. Open the Shard you decrypted in stage 4 again to find out more about the car and figure out who's following her.

7. Head to Kabuki for the final leg of the tour and the last of Richard Night. Haze will drop a clue that mentions a bridge nearby.
8. Head to the marked location, and look at the beach below you and to the right to see several Militech soldiers (see below).
9. Defeat the soldiers and you'll discover Haze's body, along with a Shard containing evidence of her killer. At this point you need to meet with Aera again to conclude the quest and tell her what you've discovered.

Should you give Aera the Shard?

There's no difference in reward depending on whether you give Aera the Shard or not, as you'll get 1,050 EDs, and the same XP and Street Cred bonuses either way. All it changes is your final interaction with her:

• If you give Aera the Shard: She's grateful for your help, but obviously angered at Haze's death and clearly plotting some sort of revenge, or at least to carry on her sister's crusade in some way.
• If you don't give Aera the Shard: She's angry at you for not giving her the ammunition she needs to hurt Haze's murderers, but the implication is that it keeps her safer not to have such explosive information on her.

There doesn't appear to be any follow-up to this quest later on, such as a moment where we discover that Aera successfully struck a blow against Night Corp or was killed in her quest for vengeance.

To unlock Witcher themed gear and even a fantasy sword, check out how to complete the Cyberpunk 2077 Ariadne side quest, or get loot linked to the Edgerunners show in the Cyberpunk 2077 Clampdown quest!

© GamesRadar+. not to be reproduced without permission.

Clayface director James Watkins says the best scene in the new DCU horror movie wasn't in Mike Flanagan's original script.

Warning: Mild spoilers for Clayface below!

"It came to me quite late in the process. I really wanted to beef up Matt’s journey upstairs [to confront mobster Markos Szabo]," Watkins told The Hollywood Reporter. "I kept talking about capturing the feeling of Robin Hood movies, or a film like El Cid, where they storm the castle. Before the hero can reach the keep and rescue Maid Marian or whoever, they have to fight their way through the outer defenses."

Towards the end of the movie, Matt heads to Szabo's club, Vesuvius, with the intention of taking down the mobster once and for all. While he's there, however, he decides to have some fun and terrorize Szabo's girlfriend Mia Torres by shapeshifting back and forth between Szabo's right-hand man Sal and himself, before taking on the rest of Szabo's goons in various forms (one of which happens to be Aaron Paul for some reason).

Continued Watkins: "I also wanted to show Matt discovering and experiencing the dark glee that comes with his powers. He’s been on quite a tough ride to that point, and I wanted to give the audience permission to enjoy the payback."

Clayface currently sits at a 75% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a near-perfect 94% audience score. The film is already proving to be much more profitable than Supergirl, having pulled in $24 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, bringing in a total gross of $43 million worldwide against a budget of $44 million (per Box Office Mojo).

Clayface is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows. If you have already seen the movie, jump to our guides on the Clayface ending explained and Clayface Easter eggs.

The power regulator in DMZ is a tricky thing to find. As an epic ingredient, its rarity is relatively high, and you aren’t even guaranteed drops in the correct locations, but below I'll show you where I've had more luck finding it than anywhere else. And, if you want to make advanced gear and equipment like night vision googles and railgun sentries, you're going to need to find a few.

Best power regulator location in DMZ

Though it’s been reported power regulators can also spawn in other heavily guarded spots of the DMZ map, your best bet is to go into the Haneul Nuclear Reactor, as marked above.

This is a high-risk/level zone full of armoured NPC enemies on top of the expected high levels of radiation, so it’s highly encouraged that you gear up accordingly and bring hazmat suits, gas masks, and radiation blockers to make the incursion easier.

That said, you can also rush into the ruined buildings and reactors to look for red containers (though power regulators can also spawn in other ones) and get out before the radiation becomes too much to endure. Again, the power regulator is a randomised piece of epic loot, so there are no guaranteed drops or specific containers, but I can tell you this is the best power regulator farming location I’ve found so far.

How to craft power regulators in DMZ

Alternatively, there’s a way to make power regulators without leaving the safety of the base of operations. DMZ players “only” need to grind towards the ‘Epic Ingredient Printing’ upgrade, which requires 100K in cash, 10 binding catalysts, 10 printed circuit boards, and 5 military composites. This may take a good while, so it’s not a simple early-game objective, but we’d say it’s worth investing in to make late-game grinds a bit softer.

After doing so, the power regulator can be crafted repeatedly with the 3D printer for 100 electronics and 3 printed circuit boards.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Although World of Warcraft: Forever is still in Beta, racial abilities and traits have been a hot topic in the WoW community since, well, forever – and Blizzard's recent update to them is no different, adding fuel to the seemingly eternal fire.

Every race has its own unique abilities, known as "racials" for short. For instance, modifiers to damage and the like. Folks are never quite happy with how they play out, though, it seems, with players on both sides expressing discontent in some way or another – but Blizzard's well aware.

That's why, as per the developer's official forums, the studio is opting to shuffle them around a bit while prioritizing "racial identity."

"Some players have expressed that some of the new racial traits feel too generic, while others have raised concerns that some are objectively stronger than others," the devs write. "In taking a final pass on these, we've prioritized racial identity, which means that some races will naturally be slightly more effective than others at certain combat roles."

And, uh, it's safe to say that this "natural" effectiveness isn't going over well with fans.

The changes, as Blizzard lists them out, affect Humans, Dwarves, Tauren, Orcs, and the Skyborne. Some of them see buffs moving from one to the other, like the Tauren losing its 1% hit chance modifier but Humans gaining it – and that's where the drama starts. Players see this as a slight against the Horde faction.

Over on Reddit, you can find them saying as much, with one comment reading, "Why even play Horde at this point?"

Another fan adds, "LMAO the bias by these devs is unbelievable. They take 1% hit away from Tauren and give it to Dwarves. What a joke." Right underneath, somebody else says, "Blizzard has no idea what they are doing with these racials" – and I see a good few replies echoing this sentiment.

It's not just there, either. A different thread sums up the entire issue as a "favoritism" problem from the World of Warcraft studio. "Racials are NOT fine," it reads. "The favoritism towards alliance is getting ridiculous…"

It's important to note that not everyone agrees here, however. I see plenty of people arguing that this isn't a matter of "favoritism" but rather what Blizzard itself explains – that some races are more well-equipped for certain forms of combat and the like. As one player puts it, "Alliance has always been the better PvE side," while the Horde is superior in PvP.

Others simply state that they feel it's fair as this is "how Alliance felt for 20 years," clapping back that Blizzard previously favored the Horde.

Honestly, my head hurts just reading back and forth between the discussions, but I understand both sides. It's tough to strike a proper balance that'll please everyone, though. I'm happy with what Final Fantasy 14 did… you know, making the racial buffs and whatnot essentially obsolete.

I doubt that'll ever happen in World of Warcraft, of course, but it'll be interesting to see how this conversation develops as WoW: Forever releases into the wild early next month – and how Blizzard chooses to react in regards to updates, too.

Despite controversy, World of Warcraft: Forever's $30 Skyborne race is one of the Beta's most popular among both Horde and Alliance players

Radio towers in MW4 DMZ are found all over the map, and one of the earliest missions tasks you with placing transmitters on top of two different radio towers. This is part of the ‘Underground’ chapter, which eventually asks you to complete the ‘Triangulation’ order in Call of Duty. It’s an easy one, but here’s what you should look for.

Radio tower locations in DMZ

There are several radio towers in the MW4 DMZ map, and they’re typically unguarded (unless you run into random patrols), so it’s just a matter of spotting the nearest ones so you don’t have to trek across the map to complete the ‘Triangulation’ order.

The map above has three different ones marked in a part of the map that’s not, at least based on my experience, very dangerous. You’re free to look for other ones, but these three are close to each other and easy to reach regardless of your starting location. You can see them from afar, and they’re hard to miss.

How to place transmitters on radio towers in DMZ

The game doesn’t explain how to actually use the transmitters on the towers very well, but it’s a simple process. First, just approach a radio tower of your choice and climb up. Make sure to face the correct side of the ladder.

Keep climbing until you can’t go any higher. At this point, face one of the metal poles that define the structure of the tower at the top. A prompt will allow you to place a transmitter, and a “transmitter” item isn’t required. Repeat this on a different tower to place the second transmitter.

After placing two transmitters on two different towers, you’ll need to head over to the top of La Grand Vie in Songdo Wharf (use the map), a named location to the east of Hajin, and do this one more time.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

A new Nintendo Indie World showcase will air on Wednesday, October 28, the company announced today.

First revealed in the Nintendo Today app (and still unmentioned on Nintendo socials), the latest Indie World showcase is currently thin on details. The lineup for these indie events is always a mystery, but it's also set to be a fairly short show, running for around 15 minutes. We also know that the show will start at 10am ET / 2pm GMT (due to the current time change gap).

Compared to traditional Nintendo Direct shows, Indie World showcases are obviously light on Nintendo IP, though the likes of Cadence of Hyrule, a rare collaboration with indie hit Crypt of the NecroDancer, means we can never truly rule out some kind of crossover.

But, as ever, the focus is on third-party games from smaller developers. I suspect many people will also be focusing on the DLC for Hollow Knight: Silksong, Sea of Sorrow, as Silksong itself had a major Nintendo showcase presence in the past and, even post-release, Silksong fans can't resist a desperate theory.

Of course, it's not been that long since the last 'full' Nintendo Direct, either. Last month's showcase revealed Metroid Ravenous for the first time along with Kirby and the World Beyond, the former being set to arrive in January, and the latter (Kirby's first open world game) scheduled for Spring 2027. The day before it, we were also treated to a totally separate Zelda Direct, showcasing footage from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake which is set to arrive on Switch 2 next week.

Be sure to keep up with our roundup of new games coming this year and beyond to see what releases are on the horizon.

The best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers typically have one thing in common, but it rarely makes its way into our handheld adventures. Back buttons have been keeping thumbs on sticks for years now, and while the Switch 2 Pro Controller, 8BitDo Ultimate 2, GameSir Super Nova, and countless other gamepads keep those clackers to hand in docked mode, handheld players are often left in the dust. With the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launching next week, I'm going to need some paddles on the go.

Thankfully, there's an all-in-one out there. We've been road-testing the CRKD Nitro Deck 2 all month, finally scoring it 4/5 stars in our review. The Joy-Con replacement system packs four back buttons into its chassis (alongside a host of additional features) and, despite only just hitting the market, it's already discounted.

We don't yet fully know how The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake's controls are going to pan out. U/DefiantCharacter has a pretty substantial shakedown of everything we've been shown via gameplay demos so far, though, and that gives us plenty to work with.

• Join GamesRadar+ Deals on WhatsApp for our top daily discounts

A lot of it is conjecture, of course, but there are some quick moments that would make sense to map across a set of rear clackers. Switching weapons, jumping while climbing, and swapping between items all (so far) look like face button or d-pad operations. While Ocarina of Time isn't exactly an esports speedster, keeping those controls within easy reach has its benefits.

I'm not a competitive player, I'm not climbing ranked, and I certainly can't stand against younger battle royale-ers. But I still love me a set of back buttons. Whether it's keeping my dodge nimble in Control: Resonant (or relieving some of that button mashing pressure) or simply speeding up my walk without having to hold 'B' in Pokemon Pokopia or Dragon Quest 2 HD 2D Remake, I'm living proof that you don't need to be a speedster to enjoy an extra set of buttons.

The main draw is that you get to keep your thumbs firmly on those main sticks. That means easier camera and movement controls while your other fingers take care of your quick-select items, dodges, attacks, and jumps. Less scrambling up and down the face of the controller makes for a far more relaxing experience, and a lot less pressure on these aging joints.

That's all fine and dandy in docked mode. Having to swap my whole control scheme when I'm playing on the go can halt proceedings. Plus, Ocarina of Time is begging to be played in handheld mode, curled up on a stormy Fall evening.

So what are your options?

The CRKD Nitro Deck 2 is the only Joy-Con replacement with back buttons we've fully tested and verified so far. It's a little more expensive than the previous generation (though today's discount is helping in that arena) but brings a chunkier, more ergonomic shape to your handheld adventures while offering thumbstick tightening, additional shoulder buttons, and adjustable deadzones. While that tightening process feels a little cheaper than it should at this price, the large Steam Deck-esque shape makes storage and transportation tricky, and that rumble is pretty OP, the Nitro Deck 2 also doubles as a docked pro controller. That's two cuccos with one Death Mountain boulder.

Alternatively, for $99.99 (usually $124.99), you can opt for the Mobapad M12S. This drops your back controls from four buttons to two, though it improves on the Nitro Deck 2's capacitor-based thumbsticks with full TMR tech. There's also the far-more-expensive Nyxi Hyperion 3 Ultra - a full-fat Switch 2 Joy-Con replacement system that keeps the OG's mouse functionality and its own TMR thumbsticks. You'll be dropping $149.99 (down from $199.99 at Amazon) on this set, though, and still halving CRKD's back button count.

Ultimately, we'll stick with the Nitro Deck 2 for Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake. Those additional back paddles and the lower price make for a compelling setup upgrade ahead of release.

Our top Nintendo Switch 2 controllers:

• Switch 2 Pro Controller | $89 at Amazon
• GameSir Super Nova | $49.99 $29.99 at Best Buy
• 8BitDo Ultimate 2 | $69.99 $56.99 at Amazon

We're also rounding up the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories you can stock up on ahead of Ocarina of Time, as well as the best Nintendo Switch headsets and best Nintendo Switch 2 cases.

Of course, we've also got Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals looming over the horizon as well.

I cannot tell you how excited I've been to try out the Razer Kiyo V2 Pro since its announcement. I've been using its predecessor, the Kiyo Pro Ultra, for over three years now for every YouTube video I've created, and I stand by what I said back in 2023 when I reviewed it: it's the best webcam ever made. That said, I can't pretend there aren't improvements I was waiting for in a sequel. I've been dying for the bump up to 4K60 recordings; I've been wishing autofocus was a bit quicker, and for some sort of customizable aperture to help with depth in my shots.

But the best live streaming gear for gamers has taken a bit of a turn in recent times. The trend with almost all of the webcams hitting the shelves these days is the inclusion of AI. Not generative AI, mind you, but AI image enhancement, and more often than not, some kind of clever pan, tilt, and zoom. The Kiyo Pro Ultra never had those AI features in it, but even as someone who hates the current AI situation, I can attest that most webcams use it pretty well. It's hard to offer a DSLR-type of performance in a USB-only webcam that's in a smaller body, so AI is used by lots of brands now to provide a less costly performance bump. It's the way the market has gone since 2023, so I'm not exactly surprised to see Razer follow the trend with the Kiyo V2 Pro.

Sadly, I've tested this thing, compared it to what came before, and I don't like it one bit as a sequel to one of my favorite pieces of content creation gear. For the same $299/£299 price as the Kiyo Pro Ultra, it feels like a worse product in almost every way, and not one I can recommend easily.

Design

Personally, I never had any problems with the design of the original Razer Kiyo Pro or the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra. Were they comically large for webcams? Yes. Were they a bit bulky and impractical when sitting atop a laptop or monitor? Absolutely. Did their design get in the way of anything? Definitely not. Were they big for a reason? Yes - they have larger sensors than other models, and in the case of the Kiyo Pro Ultra, the largest sensor ever put in a mainstream webcam. This made a big difference to the sort of imagery it could capture, and its low-light handling especially was perfect for the gaming content market.

All of that said, Razer decided to make changes to the design of the Kiyo for its V2 range, and the V2 Pro has followed suit. It now has the largely common design language of a modern-day webcam, small and round for the lens in the front, with a lot more junk in the trunk. I first saw this sort of design with the Logitech MX Brio: a smaller lens with a massive, wide body on either side of it. I can maybe see why this became the norm for a few cameras, but it is far, far more impractical for you to sit atop a monitor or try and squeeze between other things on your gaming desk because it has a lot more real estate on its flanks.

Despite its size changes, the Kiyo V2 Pro, at 380 grams, has somehow become heavier than the Kiyo Pro Ultra (348g). What you have, then, is a Kiyo V2 Pro that feels bulkier and more awkward to use than its predecessor, and what makes things worse are design decisions that make it less versatile as a camera.

For example, the Kiyo V2 Pro comes on a standard crocodile clip-like stand, but unlike the Ultra before it, it can't be removed from this stand, which makes mounting it to the Elgato Prompter or another tripod a lot more difficult.

Even worse is that this crocodile clip isn't very strong, so if you want to sit it up in different positions, the folding hinges can't even sustain the camera's weight very well, meaning it sometimes slowly wilts out of the framing you just spent a minute trying to line up perfectly. If you try to tilt the V2 Pro backward at all, it's so back-heavy it'll fall pretty much immediately. Most users will clip this onto a monitor or laptop, but I have my doubts about laptop screen hinges being able to deal with this sort of heft too.

Unlike other webcams that tout AI PTZ features (the Insta360 Link, the Insta360 Link 2, the Obsbot Tiny 2 4K, and the AverMedia cams to name a few), the Kiyo V2 Pro isn't attached to a gimbal, meaning it doesn't actually pan, tilt, and zoom; it just uses slightly punched-in shots from its wide-angle lens to track you with its AI features. There are vents on the back of the webcam's body, which I assume are for venting heat, but when software is doing the heavy lifting, I'm not sure why the thing needs ventilation or, indeed, its increased weight.

One thing I'm happy to see carried over is the privacy shutter you can close by twisting the lens. It's nice to have that peace of mind, especially in this day and age of digital security feeling like a lottery ticket. There isn't an external lens cap this time - even though you don't need both for privacy, I always thought the cap was more useful to protect the expensive lens and camera innards from breakage. It's a shame that, at the same price, Razer isn't offering you the same protection this time around.

Annoyingly, the small recording light placed on top of the Ultra's lens has been moved to the side body of the V2 Pro. That's hardly an issue for most users, but if you plan on chucking this webcam into the Elgato Prompter as I do for my videos, you're going to have more trouble spotting where to look.

Features

I think the main feature disparity to focus on here between the Kiyo Pro Ultra and Kiyo V2 Pro is the sensor. The Ultra features a Sony Starvis 1/1.2-inch sensor coupled with an f/1.7 aperture. The Kiyo V2 Pro uses a smaller 1/1.8-inch sensor with an aperture of f/1.9. The V2 Pro may have a wider-angle lens, giving an FOV of 86 degrees as opposed to 82, but don't be fooled by that. The Ultra's lens and optics let in more light; the V2 Pro can just capture a wider area.

In theory, with its sensor and updated innards, the V2 Pro should be able to capture more vivid colors, not least due to its UHDR support, which the Ultra didn't have (it was limited to HDR). That said, I didn't notice a more vivid color range in my testing. The Kiyo V2 Pro relies on software to try to tune your image, especially with features like one-click image enhancement. My issue is that the Ultra offered even clearer and out-of-the-box lighting balance because it was baked into the capabilities of the product on a hardware level.

We've run into this kind of thing before when we reviewed the Elgato Facecam Mk 2. While colors feel a bit flat and the imagery isn't so good right now, there's every chance it could improve with time and software patches - either way, at the top of the market, I think people should get a bit more bang for their buck on hardware alone.

You might think that the big engine running the show on the software side of things is Synapse, but it feels like more of a cheerleader this time around. In fact, Razer has partnered with Camo Studio for the V2 Pro, so much so that Razer's website even says the camera is "powered by" the software. That does mean that with a webcam purchase you'll get a lifetime license for Camo Studio Pro, but don't think of that as an added bonus because, as I found out in my testing, it's really a requirement if you want the quoted capabilities of the camera.

That's not to say Synapse doesn't have a lot going for it. It's here you'll have access to settings like autofocus, auto exposure, shutter guard, low light compensation, noise reduction, HDR, and image presets if you don't want to get into the nitty-gritty image settings within Camo Studio.

You will need to go to the third-party app if you want to access the pan, tilt, and zoom trickery however, which works just fine; don't expect the actual camera to move around with you, it'll just zoom in slightly and shift the focus around where you are in your shot. Yes, it still looks like an Oblivion NPC has stolen your in-game attention.

Essentially, if I had to sum up the features here, I'd tell you that, as a fan of the Pro Ultra, Razer has taken a more affordable step down in terms of the hardware and parts used in favour of giving you more software support. Where the Pro Ultra relied on pure sensor might to give you the best image possible, the V2 Pro relies on not one but two bits of software to make up for the fact that it isn't quite as strong a camera. And the big bonus? Capturing 4K footage at 60fps instead of 30.

Performance

I think the best way to tell you why I don't recommend this webcam is to run you through my experience with it from start to finish. Hopefully, with the testing footage and imagery I've captured, you'll get a sense of why it's not a match for the older Kiyo Pro Ultra.

To begin with, I slotted this camera into the Elgato Prompter in preparation for recording a new video essay I'm working on for my YouTube channel. I know from countless recordings with the Ultra what sort of image quality I should expect, and I was excited to see that scaled up to 60 frames per second as opposed to 30 this time around.

I went into Synapse to ensure I was working on the most up-to-date firmware, and found nothing besides Synapse telling me I could activate my Camo Studio license for enhanced features and PTZ stuff. Since I wasn't going to use those in my static video recording and was only interested in 4K60 and the out-of-the-box experience (because why would I need anything else with a $299 camera), I ignored that. I turned on the vibrant color mode, I made sure all of the other settings were correct, and I got cracking setting up lighting.

The first bump in the road came when I couldn't get the lighting right. The Kiyo Pro Ultra's larger sensor always means that if you're recording in a gaming room like me, using darker scenes with colorful lighting in the background, it's excellent at balancing things. The V2 Pro was struggling, and with Low Light Compensation on and playing around with the Shutter Guard, I couldn't get the balance I wanted at all because it was overexposing the image or not capturing the vivid colors of the blue lighting in my background. Keep in mind I was doing everything I could to make it work, including bumping my ring light down to 1% of its brightness. Things also looked pretty grainy, so I ended up turning both of these settings off. I finally found the balance I wanted, so I got to shooting my video.

When I went to watch it back a whole 40 minutes later (I had a lot of outtakes), my head immediately hit my hands. I must have recorded at 1080p, because this was not the sort of quality I expected at all from a 4K webcam. Below, you can see an example of the same lighting being used in an older video with the Kiyo Pro Ultra, then a sample of what I had just captured with the Kiyo V2 Pro. The difference is scary, and I knew something must be wrong - even if the properties of the file promised me the frame sizes were in 4K. It looked like 1080p stretched up to 4K.

The next day, I decided to look closer. First off, I did tests in 1080p and 4K to see if there was actually a difference in quality, and there wasn't.

I was sure there must be a firmware update or a wider software issue I wasn't catching, but Synapse had nothing listed that fixed the issue except that offer to download Camo Studio. I decided to give it a try, so I downloaded the app and accepted my included Pro license. Suddenly, the quality the V2 Pro could capture was enhanced and looked a lot closer to the sort of detail of a 4K image, but now, there was all sorts of noticeable AI noise going on in the background. To be clear, the Kiyo Pro V2 will actually capture at 4K60, but you need both Synapse and Camo Studio working in the background to make it happen.

But I had new problems: there was all of this visual noise and distortion when there was any motion in front of the lens because clearly whatever AI was working in the background couldn't keep up with the 4K60 promises on the box of the webcam. I hardly move around in my shots, but I didn't want streaky nonsense all over my facecam footage. I tried turning off Dynamic Noise Reduction to get rid of this, but the camera seems to be totally faulty without it. I couldn't capture any image with the V2 Pro in any application, as you'll see below.

Even with this noisy, blurry motion making the footage uncomfortable to look at, I still wasn't seeing the sort of crystal-clear, sharp imagery I'm used to from the Kiyo Pro Ultra, so I wanted to do some more direct comparisons. I plugged the older model back in, and despite my using the same cable, Windows was now telling me through its camera app that I could only record in 1080p. It wasn't until I uninstalled Camo Studio that the full 4K might of the Ultra was enabled again - very suspicious, if you ask me, and just one reason why I hate products like this relying on a bit of companion software.

Apps like this can be unruly, cause wider compatibility issues with other bits of your kit, and generally be subject to change in the future. I'd much rather buy a device whose hardware can do what I need it to.

Either way, once I expelled Camo Studio from my PC, there it was: the 4K, beautiful power of the Kiyo Pro Ultra. Was its autofocus slow? Yes, but its imagery was so noticeably better than its successor that I don't even know if there's a proper comparison to make here.

I tried a bunch of wider setting changes with the V2 Pro and played around in Camo Studio for a while, but I'm just not impressed at all. Thankfully, its autofocus was a bit quicker off the mark than the Ultra, and a wider-angle lens does give you more framing potential. But those things were never dealbreakers for the Ultra, and its amazing clarity spoke for itself. It's one thing to promise DSLR-quality image enhancements with AI add-ons, but when the image quality of the camera itself can't keep up in real time, and isn't as good as a product you released in 2023, it's hard to advocate for.

Should you buy the Razer Kiyo V2 Pro?

This isn't the webcam I was hoping for. Besides a wider lens and faster autofocus, the Razer Kiyo V2 Pro feels like a step backward from the Kiyo Pro Ultra in almost every conceivable way. The colors are flatter, the AI enhancements get in the way of crystal-clear footage, and the bulk of the camera makes it harder to use in a professional setup.

The annoying part is that the Ultra is now more expensive half the time, and it's getting harder to find. I haven't gone hands-on with the Elgato 4K60-capable webcam it offers in competition to the V2 Pro, but I'd be willing to bet that it relies on a lot of the same AI enhancements as this does. So what do I recommend over this?

If you can find the Kiyo Pro Ultra, go for that, because it's still the best webcam ever made in my eyes.

If you're looking for that ultimate 4K60 imagery, if you want access to more aperture and a suite of ways to make the photography your own, maybe it's finally time for me to recommend you look into a DSLR option. Personally, I hate to say it, but webcams might have reached a ceiling that no amount of AI can help you break through.

This is what I feel most webcam makers are missing in 2026 - it may seem as though harnessing AI features is the catch-all to improving this type of device, but the end result looks flatter, less crisp, and cheaper than if you were to actually invest in better camera specs. This wouldn't bother me so much, but when the marketing makes claims that these things can offer DSLR-quality anything, I think it's important to set the record straight.

Beyond actually going for a professional-grade camera for a bit more money, there is a plethora of 4K PTZ cameras that use AI a lot better than Razer has here, and of course DJI's range of tiny handheld cams.

Overall, it's really difficult to recommend a $299 webcam that's just okay in isolation, but so much worse when compared to what came before it.

How I tested the Razer Kiyo V2 Pro

As outlined in the performance section of this review, I integrated the Kiyo V2 Pro into my setup while attempting to record a new video for YouTube, but its difficulty out of the box without software and its blurred visuals when working with its AI companion software led me to go back to its older sibling. I did plenty of test recordings and comparisons with the V2 Pro before coming to a verdict, and I also did extensive testing in Camo Studio to mitigate the problems I was having.

For more on our testing methods, take a look at the GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

For more on content creation, check out the best capture cards, best streaming mixer, and the best microphones for streaming and gaming.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is once again taking aim at Steam on Twitter, this time talking about Steamworks.

In case you haven't noticed, Epic Games CEO doesn't particularly care for Valve, having supported a lawsuit against the company, complained about Steam AI disclosures, and taken shots at Gabe Newell following the Steam Deck price hike.

Just recently, Epic proudly claimed it had "vibe coded the Epic Games Launcher to be faster than the other guy," following its "huge pivot" into "maximum AI acceleration" (although Steam had already launched a faster update the day prior).

And now, the latest episode has been sparked by former principal animation programmer at Epic Games, Kiaran Ritchie, who laments Valve's 30% on Twitter, saying "It's really sad that the games industry is drained by a 30% tax on gross revenue." Following that, he adds, "you could vibe code a Steam alternative in a week," noting that "Steam's only remaining value is its network."

Enter Sweeney, who eventually adds, "Valve has held gaming back for years by locking developers’ PC games into Steamworks’ social walled garden," noting that "players can’t talk to other players on iOS, Android, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, or even other PC stores."

This, naturally, has a community note attached, with proof on the Steamworks website, showing that you can use Steam Datagram Relay (which Valve describes as its "virtual private gaming network") on other platforms if your game launches on Steam.

You can feel however you want about Valve's 30% cut on games or it pretty much owning the market as far as PC gaming platforms go. But to assert that it's "held gaming back" when the Steam Deck and Steam Machine have been spearheads of gaming on Linux over the years, thanks to Proton – not to mention being among the most significant players in the rise of digital games – is certainly a take.

"Little Tim is so obsessed with Gabe" – Ex-Valve dev not impressed by Epic's updated Steam rival or Tim Sweeney's latest dig at Gabe Newell

John Wick star Keanu Reeves is going back to what he does best, fighting bad guys, as the actor joins Netflix's upcoming action movie Maelstrom.

According to Page Six, Reeves is replacing Reacher star Alan Ritchson, who was cast in the project earlier this year but recently dropped out. The reason for Ritchson's departure is unknown. No further cast announcements have been made.

Maelstrom, which is a Nordic word meaning powerful whirlpool, is set to follow a Federal Marshal who is guarding a woman seeking witness protection as she prepares to testify against her ex-fiancé, a crooked arms dealer. However, when a hurricane rolls in, blocking communication from the outside world, the two must both survive through the natural disaster while fighting off the onslaught of men working for the criminal in question.

The project is actually decades in the making. The story was originally penned by the late writer Gregory Fitzpatrick and sold to Warner Bros. in 1993 by producer Jeff Robinov. However, the movie failed to move forward. But since former Warner Bros. Pictures president Robinov signed a new deal with Netflix, the streamer has decided to revive the project.

The upcoming movie is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, best known for his 2024 Netflix thriller Carry-On and his 2016 shark movie The Shallows. How to Rob a Bank's Mark Bianculli is on board as screenwriter, polishing Fitzpatrick's script. Bianculli and Collet-Serra are also working together on the upcoming remake of the 1993 action movie Cliffhanger.

Funnily enough, Carry-On was also brought back to life by the streamer, after the script lay dormant for 11 years. Carry-On stands as Netflix's third most-viewed English-language movie ever, according to Tudum, with a whopping 172.1 million views.

Maelstrom does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the best Netflix movies, and keep up with new movies on the way.

Pinkie Promise codes can award you with free revives to give you an extra chance if you get caught by the deadly Pinkie Pie in this My Little Pony fan game. While you're trying to help the usually adorable pony plan a party, she'll trigger a deadly game of hide and seek, and these codes come in useful if you find it hard to stay hidden.

While I never thought I'd see My Little Pony and horror combined, it certainly seems to work in this Roblox mascot adventure as Pinkie Pie gets a little too obsessed with planning her latest party. Help her out and don't break your pinky promise by sneaking into her room... or else.

If you're looking for rewards with a wider use across all of your experiences, then we've got all of the details on the current Roblox promo codes.

All Pinkie Promise codes

The Pinkie Promise codes you can redeem right now are:

• PINKIEPROMISE - 1x Revive

There is currently only one Pinkie Promise code available, offering up one free revive, which usually costs Robux. Hopefully more codes will be released with the launch of Chapter 2, and I'll keep an eye on the situation.

How to redeem Pinkie Promise codes

To redeem Pinkie Promise codes, you must first access the Shop from the main menu. You can't access the codes menu from within a game. From the Shop, either scroll to the bottom or select the Codes tab which will take you straight there. Here, you'll find the Enter Code box where you can copy a code from the list above. Click Redeem to claim your rewards.

It's worth keeping in mind that Pinkie Promise codes are not case-sensitive, so you only have to ensure you get the spelling correct.

Expired Pinkie Promise codes

• There are currently no expired codes.

Since we're only on the first Chapter of Pinkie Promise, there are no expired yet, but that will likely change in the future, and I'll add any invalid codes to this list so you don't waste your time trying to redeem them.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Over a year after the movie was released on Netflix, HUNTR/X has returned in a new KPop Demon Hunters clip.

In the video, which you can watch below, the girl group performs the choreography for their song 'How It's Done.' That's particularly exciting, since the choreography isn't included in the film – Rumi, Mira, and Zoey are taking down a plane full of demons as they perform the song, instead. Thanks to the markings on Rumi in the new footage, we can tell that this is set after the events of the film, too.

That's not all, either, as Netflix has revealed more videos will be coming throughout the week for 'Golden,' 'Takedown,' 'Soda Pop,' and 'Your Idol.' We'll also get to see the choreographers Nain, Leejung Lee, and K-Tigers performing the dances in separate videos. So, if your Halloween costume is KPop Demon Hunters inspired, now you can show off some dance moves, too.

KPop Demon Hunters 2 is also in the works, but it's going to take a while to arrive. The film is slated for a 2029 release, and, unusually for a Netflix film, it will be arriving in theaters, too. "When the KPop Demon Hunters sequel comes, you can expect a very broad theatrical release," Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has shared.

This isn't the first time we've seen the character return since the film, either, as they also appeared in a McDonald's ad earlier in the year.

You can stream KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix now. For more, check out our guide to the best Netflix movies to fill out your watchlist.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners creator Bartosz Sztybor has noticed a sudden shift in opinion when fans compare the first and second seasons of the Netflix anime series.

"I'm happy all of you discuss which season is better," Sztybor wrote on Twitter. "There were (still are) disappointed voices that S2 is not S1, but I see now more people saying S2 is superior and S1 was meh."

Sztybor added, "Remember – S2 wouldn't exist without S1, but also S2 completes S1. Like Capri & D, Lucy & David."

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners currently sits at a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score for its first season, with season 2 lagging behind with an 80% score and a noticeable dip in audience votes.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' first season followed the exploits of up-and-coming netrunner David Martinez as he carved out his own legacy in the streets amid a backdrop of criminals and corpos who wanted him dead.

The second season, a separate story set after the events of the first season, revolved around four protagonists – D., Talia, Weak, and Roman – as they navigated the dangers of Night City after an AI weapon is brought into the world.

The first two seasons even carried some connective narrative tissue, most notably the repeated mentions of David Martinez in season 2.

Sztybor even confirmed to GamesRadar+ that the two seasons could be viewed as one whole, with each "in constant dialogue" with the other.

"I remember while writing season 1, I had a thought: 'What if David made it? What if he didn't die?' He will become this celebrity Edgerunner in a few years," Sztybor said. "But then I thought, okay, he's a flawed character and tragic persona – it wouldn't end well for him. That's why the character of Weak is in Edgerunners season 2… I wanted to create something that will be in constant dialogue with Edgerunners season 1."

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is now streaming on Netflix.

For more, we have the Cyberpunk timeline for you chooms to scroll through, plus the complete guide to the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 ending.

Last week, Razer unveiled the latest addition to its long line of cat-ear-having headsets, the Kraken Kitty V3. This new headset is designed to "transition seamlessly from streaming setup to cosplay accessory" thanks to its new 'Cosplay Mode,' which allows you to plug its USB-C cable into a power bank to keep it illuminated for cons and events.

As someone who used to cosplay before the word was even mainstream (yes, I'm that old), it's great to see brands like Razer acknowledge some of the most creative and hard-working individuals that have been fueling comic cons for decades, but just be careful when it comes to taking gaming tech to conventions. The $99 (via Razer) gaming headset looks neat, but any tech worn at a busy show floor is going to be a target for anything from damage to theft. I'd feel far more comfortable if you settled for using it to make videos with your friends at home than putting accessories that will be pricey to replace in harm's way.

When I've had cosplays that called for headsets or headphones in the past, I went down the cheap route. Hatsune Miku's Magnet outfit requires a pair of cans with butterfly wing attachments, while mine were fake and built up from foam pieces. I didn't want to lug around real headphones or stick Glow EL wire around tech I actually used that couldn't be removed later.

When it came to putting together a Futaba cosplay from Persona 5, I did dabble in a real pair of cans for many years, but grabbed the cheapest, less than £10 pair of wireless black headphones I could find. Futaba, being the nerd she is, likely would not have settled for a cheap headset, and in reality I could see her preferring a Razer headset like the Barracuda V2 Pro instead, but utilizing real and expensive accessories to replace them just wasn't on my mind. By that stage, I was more than familiar with what conventions were like since cosplaying from 2010, and running the risk of damaging or losing something I used for gaming or music every day wasn't going to be an option. Cosplay is expensive enough without factoring in replacing a gaming headset.

That's why, while Razer states that users can "keep the RGB lighting illuminated at conventions, cosplay gatherings, and community events" on its official blog, I'd recommend omitting the 'conventions' part. At $99, the Kraken Kitty V3 is one of the cheapest in the Kitty lineup (especially the Kraken Kitty V3 Pro that costs $179.99 / £179.99), but replacing even $100 when cosplay is pricey enough is not going to be fun.

Of course, there's every likelihood nothing will happen to your accessories, and I'm not your mom, so you can entirely do as you please. Just as someone more than familiar with the con circuit and headsets, I don't want to run the risk of your $100 headset, which isn't typically designed to withstand the climate of an over-sold and packed convention, ending up needing to be replaced. That's before I even get into the fact that it weighs 315g, and when adding heavy wigs into the picture, you don't really want that stuck on your head for multiple hours at a time.

If you do want the headset for gaming, streaming, and frolicking around in cosplay at small gatherings and meet-ups with your friends, there's plenty to like here. The pair is equipped with Razer's signature 40mm TriForce audio drivers, which sound great, and they feature a HyperClear cardioid microphone too. They're also Chroma-powered, so you can use Razer's Chroma app to sync them up to any other RGB-riddled Razer tech you have laying around.

However, typically, conventions and expensive tech you don't want to replace or have any harm come to them don't mix. No matter how purr-fectly cool and illuminating they look.

• View all Razer Kraken Kitty gaming headsets at Amazon

Want more headset options? Check out our guides to the best PS5 headsets, best Nintendo Switch headsets, and the best PC headsets for gaming while you're here.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse Studios has been hit with a cyberattack, the studio confirms, with both company systems and data accessed.

Warhorse acknowledges the cyberattack in a statement posted on its website, noting that measures are already underway to investigate and secure its systems.

"Warhorse Studios confirms that it has been the target of a cyberattack," the statement begins. "We are working with cybersecurity experts to secure our systems, investigate the incident, and assess its full impact. The attack involved unauthorized access to company systems as well as access to company data. We are coordinating with the relevant authorities as the investigation continues."

Warhorse CEO Martin Frývaldský has also responded to the situation. "This is a serious incident for Warhorse Studios and everyone affected," he says. "Our immediate priority is to secure our systems, establish the full extent of the breach, and take the necessary steps to protect our employees, partners, and community. We are dedicating the resources needed to address this situation and will communicate further information as soon as we responsibly can."

Right now, Warhorse hasn't stated whether any information – be it about its employees or the projects it's working on – has been leaked online, but the statement acknowledging that company data was accessed suggests there's a strong possibility it has.

Sadly, we've seen this happen before with other studios. The infamous Rockstar Games hack of 2022 saw the first wave of GTA 6 leaks shared online, and 2023's Insomniac Games cyberattack saw not only employees' personal data stolen but also early, leaked gameplay from Marvel's Wolverine posted.

Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Warhorse is working on both a new Kingdom Come game and an open-world Lord of the Rings RPG. The former could be launching as early as April 2027, according to Embracer Group CEO Phil Rogers, with the company hoping to launch it some time between then and March 2028.

Zangief may have only shown up for a short time in the new Street Fighter movie, but star Olivier Richters has responded to fan complaints, promising that his bulky warrior will show up again, as he and the rest of the cast have signed on for multiple movies.

On October 26, video game content creator Top Hat Gaming Man posted a video on YouTube complaining about Street Fighter's portrayal of Zangief, aka Red Cyclone, and his lack of screen time. However, Ritchers himself, otherwise known as The Dutch Giant, commented under the video, saying this isn't the last fans have seen of him.

"When they asked me to play Zangief, it was all very clear. There was one goal: show a glimpse of Zangief and his power, so we all want more. All actors, including me, signed for 3 movies," said Reacher season 3 star Ritchers. "If a sequel is made, Zangief will shine was the promise. Apart from that, you can't expect from a 2-hour movie with so many characters for everyone to shine in the first part. But anyways, thanks for wanting to see more of Zangief."

Now, Ritchers isn't all out confirming a sequel there, as Paramount has yet to confirm Street Fighter 2. But it is interesting that the cast signed onto three movies, meaning that the original plan included a sequel and a threequel. This is not a huge surprise, as the movie does end on a cliffhanger with Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, and Dhalsim setting off after Bison. You can read more about that in our Street Fighter ending explained.

Before the movie was even realised, director Kitao Sakurai teased that Street Fighter 2 was already being written. "It's something that we're thinking about and developing," he said to MovieWeb. "We definitely have a lot of ideas, and we're writing currently." However, Sakurai said a sequel depends on how the first movie performs. Street Fighter has earned $79.6 million so far against an $82 million production budget, not including marketing costs.

It sounds as though Street Fighter game studio Capcom wants the movie franchise to continue too. Chun-Li star Callina Liang recently revealed that the original script contained a scene where she cuts off her finger to prove her loyalty to Bison. However, that was replaced by a hand branding as Capcom was worried about deforming the character, which would make future appearances costly in the VFX department. Now, if there weren't more movies on the way, surely this wouldn't have been an issue.

Street Fighter is out in theaters now. For more, check out our Street Fighter review and list of Street Fighter movie Easter eggs, and keep up with upcoming video game movies on the way.

Horrified is like a board game version of Frankenstein's monster; it stitches together parts from many of the best board games, giving them new, shambling life. The result is one hellishly potent tincture soaked in atmosphere, but drink with caution. It's the kind of mix that'll keep you coming back for more, long after Halloween is done.

There are scarier board games out there, and some of those are deeper. But if you want one that'll entertain your family just as well as it delights your friends, I'd argue that Horrified is the perfect choice. I've played a lot of spooky things in my time reviewing and reporting on the industry, but I'd argue that this best threads the needle between genuinely good strategy and family-friendly scares. While young children won't get on with its blend of tactics and teamwork (this is recommended for ages 10 and up, so I'd advise starting anyone younger on something like Zombie Kidz Evolution instead), everyone else should be left with a game they can really sink their fangs into.

In Horrified, you emerge from the mists into a classic eastern European village that's so gothic it'd probably come up if you searched "dark and stormy night." It's the stuff of classic horror films; creaky windmills, creepy institutes, and castles on the hill. Naturally, that means it's the perfect haunt for monsters – and a host of them are descending to chow down on the hapless locals like it's an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Don't assume you'll be able to fight these villains head on, of course; like so many of the best Halloween board games, there's a twist. In this case, every single monster has a unique set of challenges you must complete to defeat them, be it destroying Dracula's coffins or finding the Creature from the Black Lagoon's lair. Because you choose two monsters (or more, if you're feeling brave) to play against every session, you'll need to juggle both objectives at the same time if you want to win.

This is where Horrified gets deliciously wicked. Because they're bad sports, the monsters won't stay idle while you're trying to gather everything you need to defeat them or complete their mini-games; each monster could activate at random after every turn, with some going more than once depending on the event card you've drawn. They'll then prioritize moving toward and attacking civilians or players whenever possible – and if a villager is eaten or you're hurt, the global 'terror' level rises. Pass a certain terror threshold and it's game over.

This is a similar system to the one seen in Pandemic (another superb team game), and it rachets up the tension just as much. You need to work on beating each monster, yes, but you've also got to keep the villagers who randomly spawn safe. You'll often be forced to choose between the mission or civilians/your allies, and it's a dastardly position to be put in. Additionally, you can protect yourself from attack by giving up items… but these are usually needed to defeat monsters. The result is an engaging challenge; good communication, a battleplan, and thinking ahead are essential here.

It's true that you can be scuppered by bad luck, especially if villagers spawn too close to monsters early on or the items you need haven't been drawn yet. But in my experience, there's usually a way back if you're clever about your moves and prioritize well. Plus, starting on the backfoot is true to the horror genre; it just adds to the underlying tension.

This is true across the Horrified series, so even if you're not a fan of the Universal Monsters theme, there are plenty of alternatives. As a case in point, you can tackle an X-Files style spin-off via North American cryptids or cross swords with classic D&D foes. The most recent instalment is Horrified: Ravenloft, which still uses D&D as a setting but goes back to Horrified's gothic roots. Basically, you can pick your poison.

No matter what, I maintain that these are a great Halloween choice. They nail the spooky vibe but don't rely on aesthetics alone, providing a watertight co-op experience that most everyone will be able to get involved with. Want something you family or friends can play and, crucially, enjoy this October? Horrified is a very solid choice.

• See the latest deals on horror board games at Amazon

It started with Crash Bandicoot but ultimately ended with Dark Cloud. When I first picked up a PS2 controller more than 20 years ago, it was to spin and jump as a shorts-bearing marsupial. Whenever I return to the system in my 30s it's to roam the dungeons of Level-5's village-builder RPG. And yet, even with an Asus ROG Ally kitted out for PS2 emulation I still sometimes struggle to put down the DualSense or close the gaming laptop and return to the simpler days of Nolun (or Norune) Village.

Pairing one of the best gaming phones with one of the best mobile controllers has half-solved this blindspot already. With the GameSir Pocket Taco (currently on sale for $27.99 at Amazon) at my side I've been blasting through GameBoy Advance titles. Being able to whip out my phone at a moment's notice and tap through gaming history rather than doomscroll has been a backlog-saver.

It's something I would rarely do at home, not when I have kit to test on the very latest releases. While it demands the right game (and what could be better than quickly hopping into a world-building Dark Cloud dungeon run while waiting for the bus), being able to jump in and out of classic titles while on the go has turbo-charged my GBA adventures. It doesn't, however, feature the sticks required for PlayStation adventures. Instead, I'm hoping the Abyxlute M5 will do the same for my PS2 memories.

The magnetic attachment and slide-up design of the new Abxylute M5 and M6 mean they could, theoretically, stay permanently attached to your phone. Push up that screen and you've got a full selection of controls waiting for you; two thumbsticks (low-profile carbon-film on the M5 and capacitive on the M6), d-pad, face buttons, shoulders and triggers (Hall effect no less, on the M6). In other words, a full set of PS2 controls ready and waiting whenever I find myself reaching for some thought-preventing entertainment.

The Abxylute pop-up mobile controllers are currently still in their Kickstarter phase, though Early Bird pricing has now ended. The brand does have some presence at wider retailers, like Amazon, so hopefully we'll see these gamepads popping up more across the web shortly.

It's those two sticks that are driving the M5 and M6 to the top of my brain. Yes, yes, I know. Most of the modern mobile controllers worth their salt will come with a full set of controls. Taking a look at the top contenders across the market, though, they're all designed to accompany your phone rather than staying permanently attached.

The ELO Vagabond will need its own pouch in my backpack and you can forget about keeping the Razer Kishi V3 Pro in a back pocket. Even the foldable Asus ROG Tessen (while taking up less space) will likely be left at home when leaving in a rush. Hell, even Razer's tiny Prio controller runs the risk of being stuck in a drawer.

Often, the best controller is the one you have with you - and that's doubly true of mobile gaming. Abxylute's gamepads will have to prove that they're light, thin, and sturdy enough to withstand days in pockets, but their permanent connection to my phone might finally bring my PS2 backlog under control. Who knows, I might even get round to ripping my Dark Cloud 2 disc.

Our top mobile controllers

• ELO Vagabond | $99.99 at Amazon
• GameSir G8 Galileo | $79.99 at Amazon
• Razer Kishi V3 Pro | $149.99 $125.99 at Amazon

We're also rounding up the best retro handhelds for those after a purpose-built device, and showing you how to play PS2 games in 2026.

Anbernic is undeniably one of the best retro handheld makers around, but for 3DS emulator devs like Azahar, it's flying too close to the piracy solicitation sun. In a series of posts tied to the portable maker's latest device, the clamshell RG DDS, the team has denounced decisions to use "unofficial piracy-focused forks" of the software in gameplay advertising, in turn distancing itself from the brand.

In an X thread, the Azahar Emulator team confirms, "It has come to our attention that handheld manufacturer Anbernic has been promoting their latest handheld device, the RG DDS, using unofficial piracy-focused forks of Azahar, and has been openly featuring these forks in their advertising material." The trailer in question uses Azahar Plus to run games like Pokemon Ultra Sun, Resident Evil Revelations, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, and Kirby's Blowout Blast.

The idea of an emulator team turning its back on a handheld maker for playing games with its emulator might be a head-scratcher. However, Azahar says, "After some internal discussion, we have decided that we will NOT be officially supporting this device or others from this manufacturer: Any issues or bugs related to devices from this specific manufacturer will not be investigated or resolved."

Azahar goes a step further, saying, "If you would like to stay on a device with guaranteed official support, we recommend looking for alternatives." Simply put, the developer reckons you should opt for something like the Retroid Pocket Duo. Again, some of you may feel this reaction is disproportionate, but it makes sense, since Anbernic could end up on the US Notorious Markets list alongside other ROM-loaded handhelds.

I should stress that Anbernic isn't necessaily the one selling handhelds with unauthorized ROMs included, as it's usually third-party sellers who will explicitly use the devices for piracy. That said, the portable maker is doing itself zero favors by demoing its hardware using anything Nintendo, and outright showing the world that Azahar can run Ocarina of Time right before the remake drops could place the dev team under Ninty's litigious spotlight.

Keep in mind that Azahar was born out of the back of Citra, a renowned 3DS emulator that was closed down alongside its Yuzu Switch emulator sibling following a $2.4 million settlement with Nintendo. That more than explains why devs are now treading with extreme caution, and with the Entertainment Software Association already calling Anbernic out specifically, the emulator could end up being a patsy for the new portable.

Sailing the seven seas of video game piracy has always been a fine line. In fact, the only reason players are able to play their legally owned backups on other devices at all is down to old precedents set by historic court cases (like Bleem! vs. Sony). Technically speaking, it's all still a grey area, and the last thing the scene wants is Nintendo finally bringing a party to court to set a new precedent.

The reason Azahar should watch its back all comes down to the liability of software vs. hardware. Technically speaking, Anbernic could argue that its device isn't exclusively designed for running Nintendo 3DS games, despite looking almost exactly like the 2000s clamshell. On the other hand, emulators are more or less the tools that allow people to pirate games in the first place, meaning they are likely to face heavier legal repercussions than a handheld maker.

I've been covering the retro console and handheld scene for a long time, and I'd argue Anbernic isn't doing anything out of the ordinary with its RG DDS marketing. At the same time, Azahar is right to distance itself from anything that could be construed as piracy, even if the art of running your own game backups with enhanced resolutions and settings is more nuanced. The big N doesn't deem running its games on anything that isn't officially branded hardware legal, and that'll become a real issue as handhelds and emulators evolve.

• 3DS handhelds at Amazon
• Retro handhelds at Amazon

Swing by the best gaming handhelds for souped up portable PCs that can run your Steam library on the go.

DC Studios boss James Gunn has heaped praise on Clayface lead Tom Rhys Harries on the 65th anniversary of Matt Hagen's comic book debut.

"It’s one thing to watch someone become a monster, but another to feel everything that person is losing along the way. Tom Rhys Harries gives an astounding performance in Clayface, bringing an emotional weight to the horror in a way that feels incredibly personal," Gunn wrote on Twitter. "Happy anniversary to Matt Hagen, who debuted in DETECTIVE COMICS #298."

While the concept of Clayface precedes Matt Hagen's first appearance by decades, that iteration of the shapeshifting Batman villain has become one of the in vogue choices ever since Batman: The Animated Series' two-part 'Feat of Clay' back in 1992 helped popularize the character.

Since then, multiple versions of Clayface have graced our screens, including the hammy actor Basil Karlo (voiced by Alan Tudyk) in Harley Quinn. The character – again, Karlo's version – also popped up in Batman: Arkham City,

But the DCU is going all-in on Hagen, with the character first appearing in animated series Creature Commandos before Rhys Harries made his gloopy mark on the troubled figure in live action earlier this month.

Yet, there's been no mention of Batman, despite the Caped Crusader supposedly roaming around Gotham during the events of Clayface.

Speaking to that absence, director James Watkins told GamesRadar+, "It's a city of a very many million people, and this is Matt Hagen's story. I didn't want to get too cute. I just wanted to be honest to the story."

Clayface has also proved to be a modest success at the box office, recouping its budget in its first weekend.

For a spoiler-filled breakdown of the finale, we have a Clayface ending guide. There's also a wider look at how Clayface fits on the DCU timeline.

It's no secret that the GTA 6 launch will likely prove one of the biggest video game releases, well, ever – but that doesn't mean other developers have to fear being overshadowed by the Rockstar behemoth in November.

Veteran analyst and Circana games lead Mat Piscatella seems to believe as much, anyway, telling GamesBeat that some devs' worries about launching near GTA 6 might be a tad "overblown," so to speak.

"The fear of many teams to put their game in the same window as GTA is completely overblown," he says. "GTA is going to be a massive game. Of course it is." But that doesn't mean that literally everyone cares about it.

It's going to be a huge cultural event, but not every one of the 49 million people who own a PS5 or an Xbox Series in the US is going to be interested in that," as Piscatella puts it. "There are a whole bunch of people who are going to want to play other things."

For example, "There's a whole Switch market that's going to want to play other things because they won't be able to play Grand Theft Auto." And, you know, PC.

That's why Piscatella advises devs who aren't aiming for the same target audience that GTA 6 is to not worry – like "any kind of cozy game or life sim or first-person shooter." There's more to gamers' interests than Rockstar, after all. "Just because Grand Theft Auto is there doesn't mean there isn't a potential market to address."

Heck, I'm proof myself. I'm not too big on GTA, but I'm looking forward to a lot of November releases.

There's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for one – but, alas, various other devs have also chosen to avoid next month as a potential launch window, as Piscatella predicted last year.

"Everyone's just scared," as the analyst says. "I guess I get it, but I just think it's completely overblown." Plus, it's, uh, "given GTA a completely wide-open window because everyone else moved," leaving it a bit bare in November release-wise, all things considered.

Piscatella concludes that "we'll see what happens, stating that he thinks "this is more fear than anything else." But, still, "We haven't seen a game this big in… literally 13 years!" It is one of those new games that everyone, fan or not, knows about, I suppose.

Former GTA 6 and Red Dead Redemption 2 designer says layoffs at Rockstar aren't the real danger – "The question is whether you can meet the expectations"

Former Halo and Assassin's Creed artist Nicolas 'Sparth' Bouvier has revealed that he served as the art director for the Mass Effect franchise until BioWare's closure.

BioWare announced last week that it is closing down, months after EA was acquired by private investors and effectively said out loud that cuts were on the way.

On top of the studio's closure, the Mass Effect 5 project in development at the studio was canceled. This was later revealed to be Mass Effect Universe as a leaked trailer made its way to the web shortly after the announcement, which in turn caused even more fan outcry, as the trailer looked to be cooking up something promising.

In a thread on Twitter, Bouvier – who was a senior artist on the original Assassin's Creed, as well as the 343-era Halo games – says "in light of last week’s news about BioWare’s closure," he was choosing now to reveal that "from April until last week, I was the art director of the Mass Effect franchise." He adds, "It was a privilege to work alongside such a talented team, with the shared ambition of exploring new creative territories while staying true to the legacy and spirit of the Mass Effect trilogy."

"Knowing that this work will never see the light of day is truly heartbreaking," Bouvier continues, saying, "We were good at this. We really were. I'm thinking about the team, the talent, what we could have achieved."

He adds, "In nearly 30 years in this industry, I've rarely seen a group so tightly knit, so experienced, and so good at working together," before concluding that he is "honored to have been part of it."

Mass Effect 5 lead says outpouring of support following BioWare closure "means so much to us," but is looking on the bright side: "At least I don't have to call in sick when GTA 6 comes out"

The end is nigh for Pokemon's free-to-play MOBA title Pokemon Unite, which is set to shut down for good almost six years after its launch in March 2027.

In a blog post shared today, the Pokemon Unite devs confirm that service for both the Switch and mobile versions of the game come to an end on March 23, 2027, at midnight UTC. "We offer our sincerest gratitude to the many Trainers who have played since service started for the Nintendo Switch version on July 21, 2021," a statement reads.

From now on, new purchases of Aeos gems (premium microtransactions) have been stopped, though anyone with a remaining stash will still be able to use what they'd already got until the game is shut down. Similarly, the paid monthly membership service, Unite Club, can no longer be purchased by new subscribers – existing members will continue to receive their paid benefits until their current membership period ends, with automatic renewals also now switched off.

As a last hurrah for the game, on November 12, Pokemon Unite will be getting an update that adds a couple of key things – a special event that'll run to the end of service, which will let you earn Unite coins from logging in and completing missions. These can be exchanged for things like Unite licenses for different playable Pokemon, Holowear to dress them up in, and trainer fashion items.

The other new feature to be added is a big one for longtime players who want something to remember the game by even after its shutdown – if you complete a required download before the end of service, you'll be able to access a library feature "to view certain records and in-game content."

The devs explain: "This will allow Trainers to visit the Practice Area as well as view items and achievements they obtained in-game – such as Holowear, Unite licenses, Trainer fashion items, emblems, tournament results, and more – even after service ends. We are also working on a way to look back at special memories you created with your Pokemon."

It's sad news – Unite may not have been the most popular Pokemon spin-off, but it's great fun and has also been a major part of tournaments like the Pokemon Europe International Championships and Worlds, where it's drawn extremely enthusiastic crowds. Being sat in the crowd for the EUIC finals a few years ago was genuinely one of my highlights of the event, even though I didn't play Unite at the time, just because the excitement was so contagious.

"Again, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone involved with Pokemon UNITE up to this point," the devs conclude. "We hope you continue to enjoy Pokemon UNITE until service ends."

Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald Switch ports feel all but confirmed, fans believe as new Pokemon Home update suggests more GBA games could be on the way.

There's no telling what the role of generative AI in game development will look like in the future, but if there's anyone who can predict that trajectory with any sense of authority, it's a team of veterans with more than 100 years of experience leading some of the most beloved franchises of all time.

I'm referring to Square Enix veterans and JRPG architects Yoshinori Kitase, Hiromichi Tanaka, and Koichi Ishii, who were instrumental in the conception and general direction of the Final Fantasy and Mana series. The trio recently sat down with Famitsu (via Automaton) for Mana's 35th anniversary and to talk about the future of AI in game development. While their insights and predictions aren't exactly the hottest of takes, it's always worth paying attention when developers of their caliber are willing to share insights into such a hot button issue.

Essentially, the JRPG veterans believe AI is and will continue to make it easier to make games, but they're cautioning against the idea of AI-generated concepts for games, which they say humans will always be essential in creating. "Humans need to be involved in the initial step of turning zero into one. That will never change," Kitase says. "The next generation of creators absolutely needs the ability to turn zero into one."

Agreeing with Kitase, Tanaka says the games industry will keep trending toward a "competition of ideas" in which humans come up with the initial concept while AI helps streamline development processes.

The prevalence of AI in game development is one of the major factors fueling an ongoing layoff crisis in the industry as companies replace human workers with AI particularly for non-creative tasks like routine coding, QA, and debugging. Adding on to his previous statement, Kitase says relegating menial tasks to machines will help humans focus on the soul of the game.

"During the process of turning one into a hundred, if we can improve efficiency by supplementing traditional human work with support from AI and game engines, I think people will be able to focus more on that initial stage of turning zero into one," he says.

Echoing his peers, Ishii is optimistic about AI's potential for prototyping and testing, but agreed that there will always be a demand for human-centric design. "If AI does everything on its own, the result might be polished, but it could end up feeling like it’s missing human warmth," he says.

Final Fantasy Resonance dethrones Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth with the series' largest Steam peak for a single-player JRPG

Ubisoft has announced that this week's Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced update will be its "final major content update."

Last week, Ubisoft broke its months-long silence on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced by revealing a forthcoming New Game Plus mode, and at the time I questioned whether that would be the only thing in the update. Now we have all the answers, with Ubisoft's patch notes detailing a higher difficulty mode, hidden community chests, new takedowns, new cosmetics, and a host of bug fixes. Not bad at all for the revamped pirate game's final sendoff.

The New Game Plus mode is pretty standard, letting you play through the main quest from the beginning with everything you picked up in your previous playthrough, and with an increasing world difficulty for every new playthrough. Same goes for Nightmare difficulty as the game's hardest challenge with the "deadliest" enemies. Specifically, all of your foes will deal 1.8x their normal damage, parries will be trickier to pull off, and crucially, the one-shot kill safety will be disabled, meaning any stray bullet will have the potential to take you out even if you're full health. Meanwhile, stealth will be more tilted in your enemies' favor, all ships will do more damage to your own, and even sea creatures like sharks and jellyfish will be more dangerous than before.

There isn't a whole lot of information on the new community chests, but Ubisoft says they'll be "more challenging" to find and will include "special community requested rewards."

In a nice little throwback to 2013's Black Flag, the final Resynced update will add new takedowns from the original game, including hidden blade, unarmed, single sword and gunblade takedowns. Why these weren't in the remake to start with, I have no idea, but better late than never. Rounding out the update are a bunch of new cosmetics including new outfits, new pet skins, and trinkets, which you can uncover by playing the New Game Plus mode, as well as a treasure chest full of bug fixes.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced version 1.0.8 releases on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 27.

Find out where Black Flag ranks on our list of the best Assassin's Creed games ever.

Update, 27 October: We've now included quotes from a new post from Austin Wintory further explaining his involvement with Mass Effect 5, which you can read at the bottom of this article.

The saddest part of Mass Effect 5's death is the end of BioWare and the developers whose livelihoods are being upended. Yet it's difficult for fans not to think of the RPG that might have been, too. After an apparent trailer for Mass Effect 5 leaked, we now also have an idea of what the game's music might've sounded like thanks to legendary Journey composer Austin Wintory.

As it turns out, Wintory had been in discussions with the developers to score Mass Effect 5, and he's now shared a 20 minute long "elaborate production" of "early musical drafts" he'd envisioned for the game. He notes in the description of the YouTube video that he had "not yet learned any narrative details of what they were planning," so his compositions are a pure "exploration" of what the game might sound like, but there's a world where Mass Effect 5 would've featured these tracks or something close to them.

"Working on Mass Effect 5 was my career's biggest dream project, my white whale," Wintory explains. "It is my favorite franchise of all time, and for the last couple years I'd been in serious conversations with BioWare and EA to jump in."

The music itself is pure Mass Effect – a combination of otherworldly synths and traditional orchestral sounds that paint a picture of a galaxy full of mystery and danger. "My suggestion was to treat the original game's masterful Jack Wall / Sam Hulick score as a starting point, and to build on it from there with deeper use of physical, analog synths and a more tightly interwoven use of the orchestra," Wintory says.

There are eight tracks here, and yes, they include Wintory's fantastic take on the track for scanning the galaxy map. Throughout the video, bits of text explain his approach for each song, and they've all managed to make me even sadder that we'll never see this vision of the game come to life.

"Thank you BioWare, Casey Hudson, Jack Wall, Sam Hulick, and countless others for several decades of my most cherished gaming memories," Wintory concludes. "And thank you to those at BioWare and EA who recently emboldened me to dream of what my place in that universe might sound like."

Update:

In a follow-up Twitter post, Wintory notes that he "was NOT hired," and in fact, "no one was." He'd "prepared this music as a discussion item" for the aforementioned conversations with EA and BioWare, but while things weren't final, he recalls the response being a positive one.

"The response was extremely enthusiastic from all who heard it but MUCH still needed to happen before it was official."

Almost 200,000 Mass Effect fans sign petition to save the series after BioWare's demise, and both Commander Shepard actors are on board with fan efforts

Microsoft has made thousands of layoffs over the past few years, and it's not done cutting jobs yet. After implementing a voluntary buyout program earlier this year, the company is now offering it to a reported 60,000 employees. That number represents over a quarter of the company, a telling indicator of just how much human labor Microsoft is looking to cut as it continues to go all in on AI.

"This is a time-limited, voluntary program that gives those who are eligible the opportunity to leave Microsoft with financial support and career planning resources," the company says in a message to employees, which it also published online.

Official communication from Microsoft does not detail how many employees will be eligible for the voluntary exit offer, but CNBC reports that "around 60,000 people" will receive the offer, or around 27% of the company. Certainly, not every eligible employee will accept the deal, but the numbers remain staggering.

Microsoft offered voluntary buyouts earlier in the year to an estimated 9,000 employees, and recently reported that "more than 30% of eligible employees chose to participate" in the program. Assuming the reported estimates were accurate, that means that around 3,000 employees took the buyouts.

That's on top of the 6,000 laid off in May 2025, 9,000 laid off in July 2025, and 4,800 laid off in July 2026. Xbox has been hit particularly hard in these layoffs, with 1,600 jobs in Microsoft's gaming division eliminated as part of the 2026 cuts, and another 1,600 layoffs currently in progress. More of those cuts are expected to be announced between now and January.

Amid mass Xbox layoffs, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the "streamlining" is "great to see"

The PlayStation 2 has just turned 26, and it has me feeling sentimental. As the custodian of my older brother's console since 2018, it's been sitting on my TV stand for years now. But I rarely actually play it, despite having an AVI to HDMI adapter – one of the cheapest and best ways to play PS2 games in 2026. Sure, I'll fire it up a few times a year to relive a childhood favorite, but the retro console still requires a lot of effort to set it up on modern hardware. Even then, the results are varied at best, but there are some stand-outs that I don't see talked about as often as others.

While our list of the best PS2 games ranks the most legendary titles of the console's generation, I want to dig into why some feel better to play than others. A lot of this is down to the DualShock controller's obvious lack of dexterity – especially where ports to modern tech are available. I wish I could still play through Quantic Dream's incredible thriller Fahrenheit on PS2, for example, but its clunky handling makes the PC port much easier to recommend today. But there are other options that I absolutely would not play elsewhere – trust me, I've tested out a lifetime's worth of PS2 games to find out. Having gone through all my CD-ROM albums on a mission of will, patience, and rediscovery, these are 10 PS2 games that still live in my head rent free . Happy birthday, PlayStation 2!

10. Silent Hill 2

Best For: Old-school horror hounds
Release date: September 25, 2001

Few games feel as emblematic of the PS2 as Silent Hill 2. The second installation of the survival horror franchise was when Konami really sold us on its brand of tense, layered, creeping psychological terror. It's at the bottom of my list because fixed camera angles are really, really finicky to recommend in 2026 – they're not everyone's cup of tea, mine included. But even with the excellent Silent Hill 2 Remake having launched in 2024, there's something special about playing it on the original hardware.

The scuzzy early '00s tone of both the graphics and the incredible soundtrack make for an even grittier, darker experience, and with the game being not quite as punishing as others in terms of enemy density, avoiding unnecessary combat is very much doable. It might not be one I played in its entirety, but Silent Hill 2 is still a fantastic game to play on PS2 even 25 years later. In fact, the PS2 version even managed to top our list of the best Silent Hill games of all time…it's just that good.

9. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Best for: Open world action
Release date: October 29, 2002

San Andreas might be newer and less clunky, but I was surprised by how deceptively smooth my journey back to GTA Vice City was in 2026. If any game was a reminder of how good a PS2 game could look, even in its relative infancy, this one is it. Not to mention the radio stations are still some of the best ones in any video game out there.

I'm especially impressed by the shooting mechanics. Even without the fluidity of modern console controllers, the DualShock makes driving and heisting far more effortless here than it felt testing out 50 Cent Bulletproof (please don't put yourself through that mess), and shooting feels far smoother than memory serves. My main sticking point with Vice City is that you really do need a decent adapter to amp up the visuals; I needed to tinker with my TV settings a lot to get the contrast and white balance just right, but once that was sorted, I barely noticed the PS2's odd quirks while replaying Tommy Vercetti's 2001 adventure.

8. Resident Evil: Dead Aim

Best for: Fans of unserious deep cuts
Release date: February 13, 2003

When it comes to the best Resident Evil games to play on the PS2 in 2026, I choose violence over conformity. By that, I mean you should play kitschy spin-off Resident Evil: Dead Aim over the iconic Resident Evil 4 any day. The latter is in much better condition elsewhere, with both the 2005 original and Resident Evil 4 Remake available on Steam, while Dead Aim is a PS2 exclusive that series die-hards simply have to hunt down.

Look, I'll be honest: it's short. It's messy. It's got a budget Leon and Ada (sorry, I mean Bruce and Fong Ling) on a zombie-infested cruise ship, pursued all the while by a stiletto-clad lady Tyrant who once was a beauty-obsessed Umbrella executive named Morpheus. But it's also got fun, snappy gameplay for an easy to pick-up-and-play survival horror snack you can polish off in a weekend afternoon. It's by far my favorite among the Resident Evil spin-offs for sheer fact that it's so bizarre, you really have to play it to believe it. And since you can only play it on PS2…. Well, I've proven my point.

7. Persona 4

Best for: Longer JRPG sessions
Release date: July 10, 2008

It's finally getting a remake, but Persona 4 still feels good to play on PS2. The JRPG series is beloved for its inventive merging of social sim-meets-turn-based combat, with a flashy anime art style that holds up to this day even on older hardware. The catch is that, of course, it's not quite as sharp and clean as its newer-gen brethren – which is a bit of a downer, if you're all about modern flourish.

Don't get me wrong: I am too, but there's a time and a place for it. I was torn between suggesting Persona 3 or 4, and ultimately, my decision came down to how much I adored Persona 3 Reloaded. Given how brilliant it was, I'm fully prepared to eat my words come Persona 4 Revival's launch next year. But until that fateful day, I stand by the fact that if you're going to play the original game at all in 2026, I'd skip Persona 4 Golden and go right back to the trippy game's roots on PS2.

6. Spider-Man 2

Best for: Classic superhero antics
Release date: June 28, 2004

Don't shoot the messenger – I know Spider-Man 2 is one of the most beloved PS2 games of the early '00s, but I don't rate it quite as highly as some others might. True, its acrobatic web traversal laid the groundwork for all the Marvel's Spider-Man games from Insomniac that would come decades later – but being good for its time doesn't mean it feels objectively good right now.

Maybe I am just uncoordinated. Maybe I am simply impatient. But I'd much rather pay Marvel's Spider-Man than set up my PS2 for the pleasure of landing splat on my spidey face in lower resolution. That said, legacy does count for something, and I simply could not bring myself to place this still extremely playable game any lower on this list for the sheer fact that no collection of iconic PS2 games could ever be complete without it.

5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds

Best for: TV show superfans
Release date: August 26, 2003

It is heartbreaking that I only got my hands on a copy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds for PS2 a couple of years ago, because it's one hell(mouth) of a good time. I love the TV show more than I love most other things in this world, so even if it was awful, I'd probably still be a fan of Chaos Bleeds for the sheer fact that so much of the original cast reprise their roles in it. But I am relieved to announce that it's also a brilliant PS2 game to collect and play right now in 2026 for other, less subjective reasons.

Playing through the revolving cast of characters means varied combat throughout, ranging from melee to magic and vampiric (when controlling Spike) as you tackle a range of dynamic levels. There's a little bit of something for everyone, from beat-'em-up action to platforming and beyond, and I only want to throw my controller at the TV once or twice because of dodgy enemy hitboxes. My own skill issues aside, Chaos Bleeds has so many playful quirks and such a genuinely engaging structure that I'd challenge anyone, Buffy fan or not, to have an objectively bad time playing it on PS2 today.

4. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Best for: Play with friends
Release date: November 9, 2004

Can I be honest with you? Movie co-release game adaptation Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events might be my favorite PS2 game of all time. Maybe it's because I grew up playing it with my siblings, each of us taking turns to control one of the three Baudelaire orphans. Maybe it's because I miss the days of movie-PS2 tie-ins and long for their return. Or maybe it's a bit of both on top of the fact that this is a genuinely excellent video game that still runs beautifully on its original hardware.

Replaying Unfortunate Events only last year, I was struck by how accurate my memories of the gameplay itself had been. Each orphan has a special ability – either a utility tool, a weapon-adjacent tool, or something to aid traversal – as you solve puzzles in three distinct locations across the first three books, as seen in the 2004 film. It's not kid's stuff, either; from a timed platforming challenge in a library to fighting off hordes of bitey rats, the game is as dark as the source material and much more mature than you might think. I had to pull up guides for this one, that's how much of a head scratcher A Series of Unfortunate Events can be, so consider this a plea for any other '90s kid to seek out a copy and see if you can do much better.

3. Hitman: Blood Money

Best for: Inventive action sandbox
Release date: May 26, 2006

As the definitive installment of the stealth-action franchise on PS2, Hitman: Blood Money is (in my opinion) one of the slickest games you can play on the retro console to this day. I remember watching my brother play it when I was a kid – both of us far younger than the PEGI 18 guideline – and how it looked like a movie to me back then. Blood Money is no longer the peak of visual fidelity in 2026, but it's still incredibly impressive.

Tightening up all aspects of past series iterations, Blood Money takes the inventive sandbox-style assassination gameplay of Hitman: Contracts and refines it. Pushing people off ledges, masking environmental traps and kills as accidents, and a new notoriety system all came into play for the first time in Blood Money. It's still one of the defining moments in the Hitman canon, a formative point in time that paved the way for all to come later down the line, and I don't think any PS2 game collection is complete without it.

2. The Simpsons Hit & Run

Best for: Quick-play chaos
Release date: September 16, 2003

The Simpsons Hit & Run is more than just reskinned GTA – it was many people's first taste of racing action games. Everyone who still owns a PS2 refuses to part with their copy of it for very good reason; Even if Hit & Run is ripe for a remake, it's unlikely to capture the heart and soul of what makes it sing on PS2.

The cartoon IP is a huge boon, having launched during The Simpsons' hey-day, but it's also straight-up fun. Simple controls and customization tools mean that Hit & Run sits comfortably between a pared-back racing game and the carjacking mayhem of Rockstar's finest. I was never the biggest Simpsons fan, but it's bright and silly enough to make even the most stoic gamers out there crack a smile and relax a bit. There's nothing quite like this gem, even with the likes of Star Wars Galactic Racer out there today, and I'm sure every other PS2 owner can testify to its enduring nostalgic brilliance.

1. James Bond 007: Nightfire

Best for: Competitive FPS coach co-op
Release date: November 18, 2002

There was only ever going to be one front-runner for my favorite PS2 game that still runs like a dream in 2026, and that crown goes to 007 Nightfire. Specifically, the co-op mode – though anyone else who adores the Pierce Brosnan era of the films will find loads to love in the main campaign, too.

Nightfire is an FPS with a very simple mission: shoot all your enemies. Loading into quick-play local multiplayer matches is as simple as it is surprisingly dense in terms of customizability; Your player two can either be on your team or your enemy's, with a long list of characters to choose from. The maps are distinct and each have their own unique quirks – I will always favor the cable car antics of Skyrail over the dark recesses of Fort Knox any day – and while you can choose which guns might spawn on the map, you'll have to restart if you realize that everyone, including the bot enemies, is respawning with the one-hit-kill Golden Gun each time they get ganked. As a 24-year old game, Nightfire definitely shows its age though slightly stickier tank controls. But when you're rocking the heat-seeking missile launcher, I wouldn't worry too much about it.