Over the past couple of weeks, official accounts run by Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have repeatedly made references to Pokemon Gold and Silver. Maybe it's nothing more than a nostalgic tribute to some classic games. But I'm over here drinking hopium straight from the tap, and I'm willing myself to believe this is a tease for a HeartGold and SoulSilver revival on Switch.

Earlier this week, Nintendo of America tweeted "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold." Attached is a screenshot from Pokopia, recreating the bit in Pokemon Gold and Silver's intro where you find your rival peeking through a window into Professor Elm's laboratory.

That alone would hardly be a reason to infer anything, but it's not the only suspicious recent tweet. Back on August 10, an official Japanese Pokemon account tweeted an image of the ultimate battle in HeartGold and SoulSilver, where you confront the original game's protagonist in a mountaintop battle against his uber-powerful Pokemon team.

Two tweets counts as a pattern, right? After all, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen hit the Switch earlier this year. Wouldn't it make sense for Nintendo and The Pokemon Company to follow up on these modern versions of classic gen 1 remakes with modern versions of classic gen 2 remakes?

And! – I shout as I start stretching red strings along my conspiracy board – FireRed and LeafGreen are about to get Pokemon Home support. If you've completed the Pokedex in those games, once that update hits, you'll be gifted a Celebi in Home. That's the very same legendary Pokemon that was introduced alongside Gold and Silver all those years ago. Johto fever is running wild, baby.

This is, admittedly, a lot of wishful thinking. But we're now celebrating Pokemon's 30th anniversary, and HeartGold and SoulSilver are often regarded as the best Pokemon games ever made. What better way to see out the year than a new way to play the classics?

For now, Pokemon Winds and Waves are the biggest things on the horizon.

There is nothing the internet loves more than collectively obsessing over a surprisingly cute animated character. Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. God of War Laufey's Phranque the Cube. The Overwatch hero Jetpack Cat, and his Marvel Rivals analogue, Jeff the Shark. Dark Souls developer FromSoftware knows what it's doing, and that's why we have Zork, a new and admittedly endearing playable character from The Duskbloods, the studio's upcoming Switch 2-exclusive multiplayer action game.

FromSoftware ended The Duskbloods' first closed network test early today after players flooded the servers and really put the stress in stress test. People are upset about that and talking about it a lot on The Duskbloods subreddit and elsewhere online, but deep, deep down, they know they can't be too mad. FromSoftware planned for this. Zork.

Zork can only do so much. Server issues are no fun... but you know what is fun? A dorky little armored freak with a beak shooting missiles and yeeting people off cliff edges. Zork. Following in the ancient tradition laid down by characters like Wooloo and Gooigi before it, Zork is here to do one thing: make you love him, and he's already stolen the hearts of so many.

Zork definitely knows how to stand out. Defiant next to Senator Samir Patres in the character selection screen, opting for a wide-eyed, tongue (beak?)-out expression instead of brooding like the rest of his playable brethren, Zork is clearly the class clown of Duskbloods' roster. There's also something indescribably cute about him, which makes him ideal meme material, and that's precisely what's happening.

Over the course of about 24 hours, likely hundreds of memes have turned Zork into a verb (zorking it), and otherwise infantilized what is in reality an extremely dangerous killing machine.

ZORK

— @berardbro.bsky.social (@berardbro.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-08-21T18:24:21.502Z

Despite the frivolity, a question with potentially disturbing implications lingers... what is Zork? Beneath the armor, beneath the three-inch steel veneer of innocent friendliness? Is there a soul in there? The Duskbloods characters are called Bloodsworn, Vampiric entities of a sort, but what does Zork actually look like without his armor? Some have speculated that he may have come from the sea due to various nautical references in his design and moveset, and the beak and propulsion method have led some to theorize he's actually a squid or octopus, but Zork's true nature will likely remain a mystery until launch.

In the meantime, you have to applaud FromSoftware of all studios, the crew famous for coming up with some of the most horrific, grotesque, mind-numbingly challenging monsters in all of video gamedom, for getting the internet to love-bomb a literal war machine.

The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive because Nintendo was the "right partner" and "very receptive" to FromSoftware's weird idea, says Hidetaka Miyazaki

Once Nintendo sniffs out a pirate, that miserable scallywag should prepare for the worst. The Mario creator is aggressive in stamping out copyright infringement – it's almost a hobby, as Nintendo demonstrates with yet another DMCA takedown of Switch emulator repositories on GitHub.

Copyright news site TorrentFreak reports Nintendo took only one day to file a total of seven DMCA anti-circumvention notices at GitHub, impacting over 400 Switch emulator repositories. It's an old routine for Nintendo, which killed Switch emulator Yuzu after settling for $2.4 million in 2024. Nintendo also killed emulator Ryujinx by asking it politely to go away that same year, and it habitually performs DMCA sweeps to demonstrate that any Switch emulator still online will wither under its legal stare.

This time, some of the exact language Nintendo uses when requesting content removal is revealed on their tombstones – I mean, main GitHub branches, which now show only Nintendo's DMCA request. The company says, "Nintendo Switch emulators are primarily designed to play Nintendo Switch games," and therefore "Nintendo Switch emulators illegally circumvent Nintendo's [technological protection measures, or] TPMs in order to run illegal copies of Nintendo Switch games." Nintendo doesn't like that.

The developer emphasizes, "In their ordinary course of operation, the TPMs require the application of information and a process [...], with the authority of Nintendo, to gain access to Nintendo's copyrighted works."

All these weighty words certainly sound convincing, but as TorrentFreak notes, none of the affected Switch emulator repositories should have existed in the first place – not because they're morally dubious, but because Nintendo technically already took their parents to court. Many of the newly removed repositories are forks or mirrors of emulators that were supposed to have been dealt with, including Yuzu. Hence, the regularity with which Nintendo practices its DMCA takedowns, and the common knowledge that you never really have only one mouse in the kitchen.

Nintendo denies The Duskbloods' September release date in the least convincing way possible.

Arc Raiders Expeditions will be on pause until early 2027 after the upcoming fifth wipe while developer Embark Studios plans "major improvements" to the divisive system.

In a new blog post, Embark outlines changes made with the fifth Expedition. The footnote is the most important part: "The fifth Expedition will be the last one until early 2027, when Expeditions will return with major improvements, tackling some of the biggest player pain points."

Oddly enough, this means the big October 8 update, Frozen Trail, will come and go without an Expedition.

Historically, Arc Raiders has made a bad habit of putting out new content right before an Expedition window, meaning players planning to wipe and prestige their raiders can't really engage with the new rewards until after the Expedition concludes.

Skipping Expeditions altogether solves that problem quite tidily for Frozen Trail, but it does also remove a cog from the endgame loop. Of course, if you never bother with Expeditions, this doesn't annoy you one bit. Here's hoping the promised long-term pursuits of Frozen Trail provide more appealing goals to work toward in this downtime and beyond.

Embark says "we have been carefully reviewing your feedback on Expeditions, and while we've made ongoing improvements along the way, we've come to realize that some of the issues you've raised, like the tight departure windows, the reward structure, and accessibility for new players, need more than incremental fixes. They call for bigger changes."

One big change was just made in the fifth Expedition. Players no longer automatically reset their quests when they embark on an Expedition and wipe their character. Instead, you can opt into a quest reset if you, for some unknowable reason, wish to repeat some of the most unrewarding quests to ever blight a game.

And if you're wondering, Embark says "since the Hullcracker Blueprint can only be obtained through the quest line, we will give you other ways to get it."

Any expedition bonuses players have obtained will persist through this quiet period. "Also, since Caravans will be reset," Embark explains, "any partially completed Caravans will be replaced with Ermal Vouchers of equal value which can be used to purchase Ermal offers together with ARC Parts and firearms trade, or sold for Coin."

Between Frozen Trail and this Expedition hiatus, it feels like Embark has decided that the usual live service appetizers aren't making a difference anymore. The game's declined considerably since launch, and increasingly it feels like the coming winter season may be its last real shot at rekindling that day-one fire.

Arc Raiders' Frozen Trail update is out October 8, Embark admits "it's time to expand" as recent Steam reviews hit 50% negative.

The Duskbloods is a multiplayer-only game from Elden Ring and Dark Souls devs FromSoftware, that pits eight players against each other in vampiric combat. If you were expecting another Elden Ring: Nightreign but in the style of Bloodborne, that's not what The Duskbloods is promising – this game isn't just about bringing down massive bosses but also putting other players in their place and hopefully emerging victorious as the best Bloodsworn. It is admittedly quite a confusing game though, so here's I've laid out some key details for how multiplayer works in The Duskbloods.

Is The Duskbloods a PvP multiplayer game only?

The Duskbloods is multiplayer only but is a PvPvE game, with a much greater emphasis on fighting enemies and bosses. In short, while PvP does feature, you won't be fighting other players the whole time.

And if the sound of PvP of any kind sends shivers up thine spine, don't fear as game director Hidetaka Miyazki himself said you don't need to be good at PvP games to do well in The Duskbloods – he says he's bad at PvP in other games too.

How does The Duskbloods multiplayer work?

Every Duskbloods match is a sort of multi-round battle royale where you and seven other players compete to earn Virtue Points before facing a final challenge to decide the victor. Round one allows all players to charge around the map doing whatever they can to earn these points, which is usually defeating bosses, collecting them from specific spots, and stealing them from dead players.

Round two is much the same but may have some special events or effects running. Then, at the end of round two, the two players with the fewest Virute Points are eliminated from the game, culled by Dusk. For round three, a Ritual Site opens on the map, beckoning players to battle each other for great Virtue Point rewards. At the end of round three, the bottom three players are eliminated.

That leaves the final three players to duke it out in PvP arena combat, with the last Bloodsworn standing being the ultimate winner. So, while the likelihood of fighting another player increases as a match goes on, it's not necessarily the focus. Having said that, there are ranked and casual match options, so if you want something a bit sweatier, you can queue into a ranked match instead.

If you're also wondering if The Duskbloods on PC is happening, I've got bad news for you.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Baldur's Gate 3 is finally seeing Divinity: Original Sin 2-style custom campaigns coming to fruition, as one new mod adds just that: a solid six-hour custom campaign.

Yes, you read that right. A Dream of Silence: ReVamped, as it is oh-so aptly dubbed over on Nexus Mods, adds an alternate campaign to Larian Studios' beloved Dungeons & Dragons RPG.
The mod is an adaptation of a browser-based text adventure by Abigail Corfman (which you can still access over on her official website), starring none other than my favorite of all the Baldur's Gate 3 companions: the ever-beautiful vampire elf Astarion, of course.

The mod's campaign is around six hours long in total, featuring four different endings, six new companions complete with unique dialogue lines and rewards, "more dynamic combat and boss fights," and, perhaps most excitingly, "a kitty that potentially accepts scritches."

Plus, you get to rescue Astarion from a nightmarish take on Cazador's already vile mansion (or choose not to and opt for a different path, I suppose). Sign me up, stat.

Sadly, it's only available for PC players right now, but that doesn't take away how impressive the custom campaign's emergence is.

Early last year, modders said custom Baldur's Gate 3 campaigns with "levels and lands comparable to the Skyrim modding community" could come in 2025 thanks to Patch 7 and its capacity for "level editing, save editing, and more" – but not too much has actually happened in that regard.

Sure, we've got projects like Return to Candlekeep underway, but it's been a long road, and limitations like multiplayer restrictions haven't exactly helped.

A Dream of Silence: ReVamped sparks hope for other custom campaigns later down the line, and I know I'm personally keeping my fingers crossed for even bigger projects in the same vein. Could you just imagine all of the possibilities…?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Clea actor finds it "fascinating" that RPG fans give her character "more grace" than Baldur's Gate 3's Lae'zel.

There's no stopping everyone's favorite adamantium-clawed mutant now. Five years since its initial announcement, and just one month ahead of launch, Marvel's Wolverine has gone gold, marking the last big milestone before release.

Developer Insomniac decided to mark the occasion appropriately, with a little gif of our man Logan, all suited up, taking his claws out. It's such an eternally cool image. "Today, we're popping claws in celebration," reads the caption. "Marvel's Wolverine has gone gold!"

A glorious day for any team or studio, never mind when you're putting out one of the biggest games of the year. Wolverine is Sony's big PlayStation 5 exclusive for autumn and winter, and timing was particularly crucial in that respect, thanks to a certain crime sandbox from Rockstar.

With GTA 6 due to arrive in November, everyone else wants to get their games out in September and October to have the most chance of grabbing people's attention. Wolverine comes out on September 15, a healthy two months ahead of when the new Grand Theft Auto will be consuming all the airtime possible.

It may seem close to the wire for the game to go gold only a month out, but that's fairly typical. Much of the work over the last several months will have bug fixing and other minor changes based on preview feedback and whatnot.

This marks the end of what's been a long development cycle for Insomniac. Wolverine was announced five years ago, and a huge leak in 2023 made the process even more laborious. That's without mentioning the release of Spider-Man 2 in 2023, pulling the company's resources in multiple directions.

It's a good day for the people of Insomniac, and it allows the rest of us to get fully excited for Logan's next big video game. Time's up, bub.

Insomniac Games "announced Wolverine very early because we knew it would be very difficult to keep a lid on it," lead says.

For years now, I’ve been asked by friends and family how to play PS2 games now that the console is considered “retro.” It’s tempting to simply point towards an original console and give them a big thumbs up, but even if you do have Sony’s 2000s system to hand, replaying PlayStation 2 classics in the modern age can feel like a rigmarole rabbit hole.

I haven’t been keeping count, but I’d say more people in my life have asked about playing PS2 games over any other classic gaming library. That makes sense given that it’s the best-selling system of all time, not to mention the kids who grew up with Sony’s best retro console contender are now adults with adult money. All it really takes is for someone to mention a bona fide classic like Silent Hill 2 or Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and boom, a bunch of millennials are searching for how to dive back in.

Of course, there will be a bunch of you who didn’t sink hours of your teens into playing PlayStation 2 capers. Whether you weren’t into gaming at the time, or you’re a fresher-faced player, now is the perfect time to experience the retro console that arguably changed gaming forever, and it’s my goal to show you how to play PS2 games while getting the most out of your original hardware and new gadgets with emulation abilities.

PS2 original console versus emulation

Before you step foot into some of the best PS2 games out there, you'll first have to deal with a crossroads. If you care about the physical experience of popping discs into a tray and letting the ominous start-up jingle send you back 26 years, you'll want to go down the original PlayStation 2 hardware route. The alternative path, however, leads to a world of emulators that'll enable you to play on everything from fancy new retro handhelds to even your PC.

I'll say up front that I'm a bit of a purist and fully believe the whizzing sound of discs and those green and blue LEDs piercing your eyeballs is all part of the full PlayStation 2 experience. That said, opting to emulate your PS2 collection if you've got original copies of games to back up comes with its perks, especially for those of you who prefer streamlined setups.

Don't worry, I'm going to delve into the ins and outs of using original PS2 hardware and DIY solutions. However, this initial rundown should help set you on the right PlayStation 2 path, as while you'll ultimately end up replaying gems like Jak and Daxter, how you go about doing so will feel drastically different.

Using a original PS2 console

Look, I get it, the PS2 in the grand scheme of things isn't that old. Some of you will no doubt be shouting online about how it isn't a retro console, which will give others the impression using one isn't any different to a PS5. Sadly, that's not going to be the case for the majority of players out there, as chances are that your TV has completely ditched support for the 26-year-old machine.

Before I even get to that, though, I should check if you even have an original PS2 to hand. If not, then your best bet is to head out into the wild west that is the second-hand market and try and snag one. These days, you're looking at around $100 for an original "fat" model or up to $120 for the slim model, typically with a controller and the cords, on eBay in the US, while the UK site has listings for under £30.

Prices on retro consoles are constantly fluctuating, and you might be better off checking local ad listings or even Facebook Marketplace if that's your jam. Once you've got hold of at least the base console, you're ready to look round the back of your modern screen, scratch your head, and wonder where the old video cable is meant to go.

What you'll need

We're at another crossroads: if you happen to still have an old CRT TV from 20 years ago, or even something newer with traditional analogue video inputs, you're actually good to go. Just like back in the glory days when GTA: Vice City was all the rage, all you technically have to do is plug your standard RCA cable into your compatible display, and voila, you've got yourself a PlayStation 2 setup.

I should note that I am a CRT enthusiast, and while I am passionate about keeping old tube TVs going in the modern age, they're not for everyone. Yes, features intrinsic to the way the old tech works, like scanlines used by retro consoles, will give you super authentic visuals and help everything look "right", but you're still talking about standard definition on aging hardware that might not look so box fresh anymore.

Using newer LCD panels that are still old enough to have RCA composite or component inputs also comes with major caveats. Plugging straight into those displays will save you looking into how to connect retro consoles to modern TVs and monitors, but screens aren't particularly good at upscaling the PS2's interlaced standard definition visuals to HD and beyond. That's where upscalers and adapters come in, as these doohickies will handle the signal for you, help it look sharp, and minimize input lag.

Connecting a PS2 to your modern screen

I've tested plenty of upscalers with the PS2 over the years, ranging from crummy HDMI adapters to dedicated devices. By default, you'll want to avoid generic boxes that take an analogue signal and spit out an "HD" signal through HDMI, as these will often introduce blur and input lag that'll spoil your PlayStation 2 experience.

That said, I've identified some issues specific to Sony's console that can be a nuisance even when using half-decent adapters. The main issue stems from the PS2's interlaced video signal, as most devices will use "Bob" deinterlacing to turn visuals into full frames for your modern screen. This can introduce an annoying flicker effect that's impossible to ignore once you've spotted it, but devices like the GBS-C can kick those jitters to the curb and put out a nice clean RGB signal.

For other retro consoles, I tend to use the OSSC where I can since it can produce sharper results using line doubling over traditional frame buffer upscaling. The GBS-C has it specifically beat when it comes to PS2, though, as its motion adaptive deinterlacing ensures visuals are free from the jitter tied to stitching together odd and even image lines.

Here's Silent Hill 2 with motion adaptive deinterlacing off and on to illustrate the benefits:

I should note there are upscalers and adapters at each end of the budget scale. If you're really not too fussed about color accuracy, jitter-free visuals, and minimal input lag, direct HDMI adapters are a thing. They will do the trick for under $30, but I've yet to find one that doesn't do OG PlayStation 2 visuals a disservice. Plus, you'll be buying a gadget that'll only work with the PS1 and PS2, so the cheaper price tag becomes anything but if you then end up with more old systems.

Controllers and convenient accessories

Provided that you've now got PS2 visuals blaring away on your screen, it's time to chat controllers. If you have an original DualShock 2 to hand, then you're technically all sorted on that front, but there are absolutely ways to go the extra mile and use new controllers that are less likely to be caked in years of hand grime.

I've got a literal bucket of PS2 controllers, but having also spent years refurbing old sticky pads, I'd say it's worth considering new options. There's nothing worse than crusty buttons deciding not to work halfway through a session, and even clean DualShock 2 pads will be starting to wear down inside. Plus, if you've accidentally grabbed an original PS1 DualShock, you'll find that it won't actually work with PS2 games, mostly because Sony likes to be really annoying.

Thankfully, there are heaps of gamepad options for the old timer today, and as unholy as it sounds, you can even pair your PS5 DualSense with the PS2. That's thanks to the 8Bitdo Bluetooth Retro Receiver, a dongle that goes straight in the console's port and wirelessly links almost every pad after the Xbox One.

That's just one way you can use new controllers with retro consoles like the PlayStation 2, but you can also use entirely new pads. One of the best retro controllers I've tested for the PS2 yet is the Retro Fighters Defender, as it hooks up via its own low-latency 2.4Ghz adapter and will save you from the horrors of stick drift with Hall-effect thumbsticks.

New gamepads and the best retro controllers purpose-made for the system will feel pretty slick across most of the PS2 library, but there's a genre of accessory that was almost obliterated post-CRT era: light guns.

Unless you've still got a tube TV parked in front of you, PS2 light guns simply aren't going to work with your modern setup. Until recently, that meant that arcade clock-watching, gun-slingin' classics like Time Crisis 2 were impossible to play on new screens, but shiny new gadgets like the Intec Time Breaker Lightgun will help bridge the compatibility gap.

Light gun games might sound a bit niche to the unacquainted, but they were a big deal back in the PS2's heyday. The Time Breaker works to ensure you can revisit more of the console's back catalogue with ease today, and while it's a pricey peripheral, it provides surprisingly close to CRT aiming accuracy for a wireless controller that uses an IR sensor as a workaround.

Moving on from controllers, another vital piece of the OG PS2 setup is sitting right above the gamepad port. That's right, I'm talking about the memory card, an ancient relic from before consoles packed terabytes of solid-state storage into their expensive shells. Unless you're a sicko and plan on completing Metal Gear Solid 3 in a single session, you're going to need one, and you've got options old and new.

If you do opt for an old PS2 memory card second hand, it's usually best to stick with official options by Sony. While not every third-party version needs to be avoided, cheaper cards can be prone to issues and corrupt your save files, which is always heartbreaking when you've not backed up the 150 you've spent on Final Fantasy X (yes, this happened to me back in 2001).

If you'd rather avoid old memory cards altogether, you can actually pick up brand-new versions that use microSD cards rather than old flash memory chips. This will sound bananas, but the likes of the PSxMemCard can hold the equivalent of 8,000 virtual PS2 memory cards in terms of blocks capacity, and it also boasts neat tricks like FreeMcboot support for running backups and homebrew games.

Playing discs on the PS2

If you've been following along, then the hard work of putting an OG PS2 setup together is over. You should be sitting with a controller in hand, ready to dive into old favorites, and that means spinning up some discs.

This isn't something you really need guidance for, as using those old DVD games is as simple as ejecting your PS2 disc drawer (or flipping the top if you're rocking a slim model), popping it in label facing upwards, and letting the magical "PlayStation 2" mark the start of your journey. You can even play PS1 games thanks to the handy dandy backwards compatibility chip within the console, but the pearls of physical media, and in turn deadly disc scratches, absolutely apply.

Basically, those of you picking up games second hand may very likely encounter games that simply won't work. This is one of the perhaps big forgotten drawbacks of older physical media, as the PS2's laser is particularly sensitive. Ultimately, if you end up at that dreaded cloudy red "please insert a PlayStation or PlayStation 2 format disc" screen, the jig is up, and you'll either have to get the disc resurfaced, try and buff out the scratch yourself, or get another copy.

I'm currently experimenting with disc repair methods, largely to prove that Sony is wrong to discontinue PS5 discs despite the caveats. I'll check back in with an update once I've got some results to report, but if you don't have a local shop with a disc repair machine, or a way to repair it yourself, it could be worth instead using something like FreeMcboot to try and run a backup of your chosen game instead.

Given the price of some rarer PS2 games (cough cough, Rule of Rose), and even just general pricing across the library, I can see why investing in discs that could have issues is off-putting. It's all part of the OG console setup experience, and if you're going to spend hundreds on a collection, you may as well use the physical thing you've paid for rather than instantly opt for digitization.

Outside of games, the PS2 also plays CDs and DVDs. In fact, you could say it helped usher in the move from VHS back in the 2000s, and it could serve as a way to watch physical movies today. All the functions you'd normally get from a standalone player can be accessed using the DualShock 2, but Sony and third parties also released a DVD remote, and you won't even need a controller port receiver if you have an SCPH-70xxx, SCPH-79xxx, or SCPH-90xxx model since they have it built in (look for the tiny "R" under the power button).

Top tips

Troubleshooting

My PS2 won't show up on my TV

If you've got the PS2 plugged into a functioning HDMI upscaler or adapter and you're getting nothing on screen, there's a chance the console is set to the wrong output type. If you're using an RGB cable and your system is set to use component (or vice versa), you can switch output types by powering the console on, waiting ten seconds, then hitting Down and X to reach the configurating screen despite no visuals. Then, hitting Down, Down, Down, X, Right, X on your controller will navigate to the right option and hopefully prompt visuals to reappear.

Wrong configurations are the most common PS2 output issue, but if you still can't get anything to show, it's worth swapping out your cable or upscaler. Failing that, your console might have faulty internals that deal with the video signal that need replaced.

I can't get imported games to run

The PS2 is a bit of a bugger when it comes to region locking, and your console will only play games from its country of origin by default. That means if you have an American NTSC system, it won't run games from Japan or Europe, and the same applies to those territories too. Historically, this is something modders have bypassed with physical mods, like a flip top for disc swap exploits, but modern softmods like MechaPwn can help you bypass region checks when using older models.

My PS2 Slim is scratching my games

Uh-oh! The PS2 Slim has an annoying issue with its laser ribbon cable, as it can poke up from the assembly and make contact with your disc. This will then leave a perfectly circular scratch on your disc, ranging from a singular line to a more severe scuff if the adhesive has lifted completely. To stop it happening again, you'll have to secure the cable back onto the shielding while ensuring it can still move with the mechanism, while you'll need to get your disc resurfaced to remedy games that will no longer play.

PS2 says "Please insert a PlayStation or PlayStation 2 format disc"

The dreaded "Please insert a PlayStation or PlayStation 2 format disc" is usually linked to scratched or dirty discs. If you're lucky, a quick clean with a microfibre cloth will get the game booting up, but if the disc is damaged, you'll need to buff out any heavy damage or resurface the game using a professional machine. In some instances, PS1 games that have been resurfaced too many times can struggle to run on the PlayStation 2's laser, whereas an original PlayStation will fare better.

Good to know

PS2 Emulation

Those of you who prefer the new devices of today, or simply don't want a retro console taking up space in your house, will be thinking about PS2 emulation. The catch is that to legally play classic PlayStation 2 games on a device of your choosing, you will actually need to own an original system, copies of games, and the means to use both software and your system's BIOS in emulators.

What you will need

The good news is that it's easier to emulate PS2 games without sailing the seven seas now than before. The process boils down to extracting your console's BIOS and digitizing your collection, as once you've got both to hand, you'll have everything you need to start using popular emulators like PCSX2 for Windows, Linux, and Mac, or NetherSX2 on Android.

You'll of course need a PS2 console to do any of this, so make sure to hunt one of those down first along with some games. Once those are in hand, you can use homebrew tools like FreeMcboot (via something like a PSXMemCard) and a utility like Biosdrain to pull a copy of the BIOS from. To back up your games, you'll then need a DVD burner and disc-imaging software like Imgburn to turn your physical discs into digital .ISO files for use in emulators.

Retro handheld options

Most of you out there with PS2 emulation on your minds will be thinking about handhelds. We're pretty much at a stage where you can buy Linux and Android portables that can run most of the PlayStation 2 library with ease, boasting full controls and specs that'll help each classic shine.

I've tested plenty of handhelds over the years, and PS2 games have always been trickier to emulate than other consoles. You can get away with using some upper mid-range handhelds with Unisoc T820 chipsets, like the Anbernic RG Cube, but you'll see slowdown in more demanding games like God of War II, Jak and Daxter, or Gran Turismo 4.

You'll also be primarily playing at original native resolutions, rather than taking advantage of the lavish screen specs handhelds can provide. Therefore, I would advise spending a little more on something like a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 or beefier, like the Retroid Pocket 5 or Mangmi Pocket Max, as you'll then have room to play with x2 or x3 scaling.

That in itself will justify your decision to emulate over using the original PS2 hardware. However, there's certainly something nice about taking your collection with you and treating your thumbs to Hall-effect joysticks and tactile buttons while blasting the benefits of new screen tech into your eyeballs.

How to play PS2 games on a handheld

Many of the best retro handhelds out there already come with emulators pre-installed. What they won't provide is a BIOS file or games, and if they do, you should discard these and use your own. If you've not got any emulators already loaded, you'll find versions for Linux and Windows based on PCSX2 at the official site or third-party derivatives on the Google Play Store if you're using Android.

• Install a compatible emulator like PCSX2
• Add your PS2 BIOS via the setup screen
• Let the app scan your game collection folder
• Launch your chosen game to check performance
• Use the settings to tweak scaling or graphics API if required

How to play PS2 games on PC

If you're using your own PC-based emulation setup, playing PS2 games pretty much involves the same steps as on a handheld. In fact, if you're using a portable PC like the Steam Deck OLED or something Windows-based, you'll be able to fetch PCSX2 directly from its maker and use the device's built-in controls. On a desktop rig, you will have the extra step of providing your own controller, but the emulator will auto-map gamepads using XInput.

• Download and install PCSX2
• Import your PS2 BIOS using the setup screen
• Scan the folder with your game collection files
• Plug in a compatible USB gamepad and map buttons in the settings menu
• Check performance and tweak graphics/scaling settings if required

How to play PS2 games on iOS

Playing PS2 games on iOS devices is little more complicated compared to Android phones and handhelds. That's primarily due to the fact emulators like Play! or iPSX2 aren't on the Apple App store, meaning you'll need to sideload them onto your iPhone or iPad using a tool like SideStore. It's also best to use a fairly new model of either with good single-core CPU performance (newer than iPhone 15 Pro or an iPad with an M-series chip) as you'll otherwise run into performance issues.

• Install SideStore on your iOS device
• Download the latest IPA release of Play! or iPSX2
• Sideload your emulator via SideStore
• Launch the app to configure folder structures
• Place your BIOS and ISO game files in the relevant folders
• Let the app scan for files and launch your game

Swing by the best gaming handhelds for portables that'll run games old and new.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is an absolute highlight in the tag-team fighting game genre, but good reviews haven't translated into strong sales in Japan. In fact, it's reportedly one of developer Arc System Works' worst performing games on its home turf.

Famitsu recently published its estimated sales data for the first two weeks of the month, charting the best-selling physical games in Japan during that time, but Marvel Tokon only managed to claw onto the chart with 2,814 PS5 discs sold for its first week on sale. In the following week, Marvel Tokon was nowhere to be found in Famitsu's top 30, meaning it failed to match the 1,444 copies that Super Mario Wonder's Switch 2 Edition managed. Ouch. (Thanks, Gematsu.)

According to Game Data Library – a website that tracks how many copies physical games have sold in Japan – Marvel Tokon's first week was "the worst launch for an Arc System fighter" in the country, "excluding super niche stuff like DNF Duel" and well under the majority of games in the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series. Even the oft-forgotten Under Night In-Birth outsold Marvel Tokon in its launch period.

"I was thinking 10k was pessimistic, but now even with 70% digital sales it's a very lackluster result," the outlet tweets. "Needless to say it's also well under all the Marvel vs. Capcom games, hell, it did less than half of the Marvel Fighting Collection, and the retail version was late!"

Another report from Alinea Analytics estimated that Marvel Tokon actually sold 485,000 copies globally across Steam and PS5 over the course of its first week, so there's seemingly a gaping chasm between how warmly the game was received in Japan and the rest of the world.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls itself is a great time. GamesRadar's review called it the "prettiest fighting game in years and a rousing comeback for the Marvel tag fighter," so what went wrong? Perhaps Marvel's waning superpowers in Japan have something to do with it. Or perhaps it's PlayStation's allure that's fading – during the week of August 10, only three PS5 games crawled onto the chart dominated by Nintendo releases.

"This win was purely out of spite" – Fighting game icon SonicFox says winning Marvel Tokon's first major tournament was fuelled by catching flak for criticizing it.

Earlier this year, PS4 and PS5 got native ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2. Now, Microsoft and Activision are turning these beloved FPS titles into billboards for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, with a big ol' pre-order button for the upcoming game stuck right there in the main multiplayer menu.

These new "pre-order MW4" options appeared after recent updates to the PlayStation versions of both Black Ops 1 and 2. Call of Duty news account CharlieIntel tweets images of both the updated menus, which gives the Modern Warfare 4 pre-orders equal billing with such features as "play online" and "options."

Of course, it's not unusual for modern online games to include regularly updated "news" feeds that often include what are basically ads for new DLC or upcoming sequels. But ports of the OG Black Ops games were well-received, in part, because a big chunk of the COD fandom is frustrated with the state of the modern games. Those same players are, at their most polite, giving a big "yeah, no thanks" to these ads.

Clearly, Microsoft wants every eye it can get on Modern Warfare 4. While Black Ops 7 sales are monstrous compared to almost every other game in the industry, it failed to beat Battlefield 6 on the US sales charts last year. That's the first time in the long rivalry between the two series that EA's FPS has come out on top. Certainly, not the outcome that Xbox was looking for after its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is falling, and all it cost was day one access to new Call of Duty games.

GTA 6 Online is still very much a mystery. The multiplayer sandbox is an incredibly popular part of Rockstar's ecosystem – which is impressive, considering GTAO is now over a decade old – so its presence in GTA 6 feels inevitable to me. But the fun doesn't end with GTA Online itself. That's where GTA RP comes in.

GTA RP is the game's highly-modded roleplaying experience. Made by and for players, it takes what fans love most about the official (or vanilla) GTA Online and turns it into a brand new game mode. Being able to act out real-life scenarios in a more fluid way allows a lot more freedom than the core experience – and I think it's a sizzling hotbed for GTA 6 inspiration.

Jobs for all

I'll admit I haven't played GTA Online in a while. It used to be my weekend ritual with friends, but 12 years down the line, we've gotten busy. Also, we got fed up with griefers. But despite GTA 6 Online being unlikely to arrive at launch, and to try and gain some insight into what the future of GTA 6 could be, I thought it would be a good idea to jump into GTA RP. Little did I know that it was going to open my eyes to something pretty special.

Joining a GTA RP server isn't the easiest. Some servers require getting whitelisted, filling out forms and carrying out interviews to gain access. I quickly realize that GTA RP takes itself very seriously, but that's not a bad thing. In fact, it means the players treat it with a lot more respect.

Fortunately, I found a server on the mega-mod FiveM that was happy to welcome me in with a quick Discord check and a stipulation that I must talk over my mic. I should caveat here that Rockstar acquired FiveM ahead of GTA 6, and that's something I'll get into shortly.

Upon entry to the GTA RP server, I immediately feel like I'm on a GTA 6 recon mission. The server wants me to join a profession. I optimistically choose to become a paramedic and spawn outside the hospital, where players dressed in medical scrubs are keen to recruit me. They take me through training, quiz me on whether I'm listening, and then tell me the strict rules for gameplay.

This ability to embark on actual careers in GTA RP is genius and my first hint at GTA 6's potential. And while I opted to become a paramedic, I also learned that in this server, you can join a gang, become a lawyer, or even become a member of the LSPD.

When gang fights go down, real players rock up as the LSPD rather than NPCs spawning en masse like they do in GTA 5. It all feels much more organic, which could (and seems likely to) become a big part of GTA 6. After all, there's been talk of overhauled police AI and a new dispatch system in GTA 6 – but all that is already going down in GTA RP. Yes, there's real people becoming police, but there's also an ingrained hierarchy that people take pretty seriously.

As a paramedic, I'm told I can't carry a firearm, enter active gang zones, and must tend to the victor of a fight before the loser. I'm also instructed to wear a bodycam that I can use to record players if they try to do anything bad to me.

While out on patrol, I come across players that show hints of disrespect – though still within reason. They know they need me, even if they think I've picked a nerdy profession, so stop short of griefing me off the game like they might have in GTAO. This is just one example of how GTA RP's cities feel more alive than the vanilla version's. There's more freedom here, but importantly, more respect.

Inspiration nation

The acquisition of FiveM and RedM is a big deal, and is very telling. Rockstar clearly wants to adapt aspects of GTA RP for GTA 6. The question is, in what capacity?

As reported by Rockstar Intel, there's been a callout for console-experienced staff to make content creation tools for GTA 6. Considering GTA 6 isn't coming to PC at launch and how these modded servers only work on PC, I wonder if the inspiration might be applied to the core game itself and not just GTA 6 Online.

These servers run on their own custom roles. They're policed by mods. They even have their own economies, controversial as that can be. On some servers, you can even fish. It's heavily speculated that fishing is coming to GTA 6 (there's hints of it in the trailers), similar to the mechanic seen in 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2. There's also leaks that GTA 6 may adopt a weapon wheel, limiting and refining player inventories to make it so you can't carry everything with you.

While both fishing and inventory management could be much more in-depth and realistic in GTA 6, it's something we already have in GTA RP. A step ahead, once again.

There's talk of a lot more enterable buildings being available in GTA 6, but you can already enter many random buildings in GTA RP that are otherwise reserved for specific missions in GTA 5. There's hints of deeper interior customization in GTA 6, but that's already happening in GTA RP – players can buy entire buildings and make them their own, if they want to.

GTA RP has opened up a new world to me, one I did not expect, but ultimately love. It's certainly not without its own difficulties. There are a lot more players in GTA RP than you can get Online, and that requires a lot of moderation. It's not built by a team of Rockstar developers, so technical issues are impossible to avoid. And there will always be people that won't follow the rules.

But ultimately, RP servers have had a lot more fun with taking the best of GTAO and turning it into something I've absolutely fallen for. I just hope GTA 6 has taken notes.

GTA 6's leaks prove AI disinformation is worse than you think

Some classic jokes from Metal Gear Solid 4 are not only present in the latest re-release, but have been updated for modern systems. The game's part of Master Collection Vol. 2, which also includes Peace Walker and the Game Boy Color title Ghost Babel, and Konami has included a few nice flourishes.

The amount of meta-humor always made porting Metal Gear Solid 4 a difficult prospect. You've got references to the iPod and fourth wall breaks that really place the release at a certain time. Well, for the purposes of this version, Konami actually went back and amended a couple of spoken lines to make sure one joke lands accordingly.

In Sons of the Patriots, when you get to Shadow Moses Island, the original version made reference to changing the discs of the first Metal Gear Solid when you reach this same location. "Hold it, Snake. Time to change the disc," Otacon starts. "I know, I know, it's a pain. But you need to swap Disc 1 for Disc 2. You see the disc labelled '2'?"

Snake would then point out there isn't a second disc, and Otacon would realize we're in the future. "Oh, wait! We're on PlayStation 3," he exclaims, much to the chagrin of our man Solid.

Now, as has been highlighted by reviewers (thanks, TechRadar Gaming), whether you're playing on Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, or any other platform, the Master Collection Vol. 2 now references that system. Voice actor Christopher Randolph even came back to do the line for each instance.

Sure, you can apparently hear the contrast in his voice, since he's aged almost two decades and the recording environment would've been completely different. But, the joke still works, and now has an added layer to it. Even Solid Snake would see the fun in that.

Metal Gear Solid is getting co-op after 28 years thanks to "world first" mod, turning "the original PlayStation classic into a true online multiplayer experience."

Is The Duskbloods going to be on PC and other consoles? For now, it's not looking good because the game is locked to the Switch 2. That's obviously quite unfortunate if you wanted to play The Duskbloods given that many of FromSoftware's games, like Elden Ring, its Nightreign spinoff, and the Dark Souls series have all been widely available across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and even Nintendo's consoles. But there is a chance it could eventually come to other platforms, so I've explained how a PlayStation, Xbox, or PC release for The Duskbloods could happen.

Is The Duskbloods coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X?

No, The Duskbloods will not be coming to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox at launch because it's a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive – if you don't have a Switch 2, you won't be playing it, sadly.

But it's possible that The Duskbloods could come to PC and other consoles after launch. Looking at previous games, Monster Hunter: Rise launched on the Nintendo Switch in March 2021 and came to PC in January the following year, then PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in January 2023. The Duskbloods could follow suit depending on the agreement between Nintendo and FromSoftware, remaining a Switch 2 exclusive for at least a year or two to help sell a few more units by banking on FromSoftware's following. Then the game can get a second wind from a wider release.

Alternatively, Bloodborne is one of FromSoftware's best and has been infamously imprisoned on the PS4 (though you can play the PS4 version on a PS5 as well) for over a decade. That's partly because Sony owns the Bloodborne intellectual property rather than FromSoftware, so the developer can't just do what it wants with the game.

However, it seems like FromSoftware does own the Duskbloods IP and made the game with heavy involvement from Nintendo instead. That means the studio should have more freedom to do what it wants with The Duskbloods unless there's an extremely long or perpetual exclusivity agreement with Nintendo that specifically forbids bringing the game to other platforms. Fingers crossed that isn't the case and The Duskbloods does eventually reach other platforms, and I really hope crossplay is added too – I'm looking at you, Nightreign!

Want to know how The Duskbloods multiplayer and PvP work? I've explained the basics here.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

A three-year-old clip of Valve boss Gabe Newell dissecting the place of realism in games has resurfaced online amidst discussions of GTA 6 gameplay leaks suggesting cars in Rockstar's universe now use a realistic gasoline system which requires players to refuel them.

The response to this fuel system, even as part of a game build that may be outdated and which we've only seen a brief slice of, has been mixed. Some players embrace this added friction and detail, but others seem to worry that this gasoline system, assuming it's born out by the shipped game, will quickly become annoying upkeep.

In multiple debates on this feature, gamers and GTA fans have pointed to Newell's examination of realism in 2023's Half-Life 25th anniversary documentary. Around 15:40, at the start of one of the clips mentioned in GTA 6 leak debates, Newell dismisses the idea that games should pursue realism as a default.

"You'd have these conversations where you'd be sitting in a design review and somebody'd say, 'That's not realistic,'" Newell begins. "And you're like, 'OK. What does that have to – explain to me why that's interesting.' Because in the real world, I have to write up lists of stuff I have to go to the grocery store to buy. And I have never thought to myself that realism is fun. I go play games to have fun."

This has to be one of the most-cited Newell quotes around, and it holds up today. We frequently talk about how much more realistic some video games have become, often in discussions of lighting or NPC behavior, but games are still deliberately removed from reality for many reasons. Reality can be tedious and limiting, for one, and it turns out it's also very difficult to recreate.

The more realistic a game becomes, the more questions it has to answer. And the more questions a game has to answer, the more exceptions it has to make, sometimes to the detriment of gameplay or, ironically, immersion. We're getting to the core of why games generally aim to construct, and get players to believe, a reality that services their gameplay goals instead of trying to make absolutely everything true-to-life.

But for my money, the most interesting part is what Newell says next: how realism can be fun in games, and what it actually means.

"So we had to come up with some notion of what fun was," Newell continues. "We knew it was an ad hoc definition, and it was: the degrees to which the game recognizes and responded to the player's choices and actions. In behavioral science, you would say we're explicitly talking about what were reinforcers and what the reinforcement schedules were. At that point in time, that was a useful way of making design decisions."

Positive reinforcers encourage or reward behavior in a way that makes that behavior more likely to be repeated. The Skinner box, an experiment that saw animals trained to receive a reward like food by pressing a button, is one example that often comes up in game design discussions.

Here, a reinforcer would mean that a game acknowledging something you did and giving it observable consequences, big or small, makes it feel meaningful and makes you more likely to do something again. If you shoot a demon in Doom: The Dark Ages, it gets ripped apart in chunks. If you shoot a barrel in Borderlands 4, it explodes. If you shoot a random character in Fallout 4, the whole story may change. But you wouldn't shoot a random character to change the story of Doom, nor do Borderlands 4's barrels realistically buckle and leak fuel before exploding. Because now we've got realism working for games, rather than games working for realism.

This reward space is where you'll find immersive sims with seemingly impossible interaction chains that enable alternative solutions. This is where The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lets you drop 50 metal weapons on the ground to connect an electric circuit instead of engaging with intended puzzle pieces. It's where crunchy, reactive RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 blow players away by accounting for the fringe corner cases they got themselves into. And it's partly why Half-Life's convincing and systemic physics were so popular and, even outside the walls of FPS, formative.

The intent behind these and other design decisions isn't limited to reinforcement, but behavioral psychology is part of a lot of things in games – spaces that provide the agency we crave with the safety of play.

But where does pumping gas in GTA 6 fall – in Newell's grocery store rant, or in the magic of games carefully deploying realism? Personally, I don't think some shoddy leak videos are going to tell us.

"The point I would make is: if I go up to a wall and shoot it, to me it feels like the wall is ignoring me," Newell concludes. "I'm getting a narcissistic injury when the world is ignoring me. So to me, I was trying to convey to the user a sense of, yes, you were making choices, yes, you were progressing. Which meant the game had to acknowledge that back to you. If you shoot at a wall, there have to be [damage] decals. If you kill a bunch of marines, the marines have to run away from you. You have to have this sense of the game acknowledging and responding to the choices and actions and progressions that you've made. Otherwise, it loses any sort of impact."

To "obtain the identity" of GTA 6 leaker, Rockstar parent Take-Two subpoenas Microsoft and Discord as yet more gameplay footage is posted.

Alright, that does it; we're now at the stage where a "Lego" OG Xbox you can't play games on costs what I'd pay for a real console right now. Yes, somewhere under $400 is what I think is reasonable even for the new 25th anniversary Series X, given that it launched six years ago, but apparently if you want the latest machine that can play games (wild, I know), it might cost near a grand.

I guess I see the humor in Mattel showcasing its Brick Shop OG Xbox Lego alternative in the same week as devastating 25th Anniversary Series X25 price leaks. There's only so long you can chuckle at potentially paying $899 for what is really just a translucent Series X with the same core performance and features. What's that? You scraped together 400 bucks for a current-gen system? Oh, that's enough for a retro console model since that costs $329.99.

There's a joke to be made about the Mattel Brick Shop Xbox model leaving you with $70 spare for a game, but I don't think I'm even in the mood. I have friends who deliberately held off from buying a Series X or a PS5 back in 2020, and it now feels like they're financially and functionally barred from a console update this generation. By the latter, I mean that they've got less reason to opt for a PlayStation since Sony is also abandoning physical games.

I can't help but feel like both Mattel and Microsoft are both ramping up MSRPs with no real basis. The toy maker previously released an Xbox 360 3:4 scale building block model with a $150 MSRP, and while it's slightly smaller, it's got the same lights, sounds, and detailing as the new kit. I should also point out that while that set was technically MEGA (previously MEGA BLOKS) branded, the company says it's a different product, but it absolutely feels like a brand pivot for the sake of premium pricing.

On the Microsoft side of things, the console maker is contending with the same component pricing issues as everyone else. Still, the RAMageddon ramifications aren't an excuse to release a new colorway of your console that's $400 more than the launch version. Yes, the OG Xbox vibes make for a nice 25th anniversary, but that's somewhat spoiled by the fact that the majority of players can't afford to come to the party.

The skinny here is that it should be the Series X25 that costs $329.99, and the Lego kit alternative OG Xbox should at least be the same price as its 360 predecessor. The $899.99 price tag would give me the ick slightly less if it featured souped-up performance like the PS5 Pro, but even that would spark indigestion symptoms.

If you need me, I'll be playing PS2 games in the attic where the pretend consoles for over $300 and near $1,000 machines can't hurt me.

• Xbox consoles at Amazon
• Lego gaming sets at Amazon

Take a look at the best retro handhelds if you need a gaming machine that's remotely affordable.

If you were worried Anthony and Joe Russo wouldn't be able to handle the magnitude of Doctor Doom's universe-shaking arrival in the MCU, think again.

In the Avengers: Doomsday directors' foreword to 'Time Runs Out' – an iconic Jonathan Hickman-penned comic that charts the end of several Marvel universes and serves as a key touchstone for Doomsday – the pair cut to the heart of Doom's psyche.

The full foreword is available below, and as part of the latest Time Runs Out, but it's the Doom-centric sections I want to point to here.

It reads, "Doom is not just an adversary. He is ambition and fear woven together. In Secret Wars, he tries to hold reality in place through sheer will. He believes he can save everything if he controls enough of it. Hickman reveals the strain behind that effort and the human fragility beneath the armor. Even someone who can reshape existence cannot escape the emotions that define him."

If we're getting something even close to the Doom who would become God Emperor on Battleworld in the MCU, we're in for a good time. He's a deeply complex, fearsome character, who is able to bend reality to his whim – but is unable to get out of his own head. Perfect, then, for a Robert Downey Jr. performance filled with tragedy and self-loathing, and not entirely a million miles away from his Oppenheimer role of Lewis Strauss.

"We have always been drawn to characters who walk that line," the Russos continued. "People who reach for something noble and lose themselves along the way. Sometimes, destruction does not arrive as a single blow. It arrives through decisions made in uncertainty and through fractures between people who want the same thing but cannot find their way to each other. That is its own kind of ending. It is quiet, painful and incredibly human."

While there has been some consternation over Downey Jr.'s Doom voice, recent trailers have assuaged most fears thanks to the supervillain's presence and pathos-tinged delivery.

The next major glimpse at Doom will likely come in the re-release of Avengers: Endgame this September.

Officially titled Avengers: Endgame Encore, a recent cinema listing has confirmed it will feature four extra minutes of footage as part of its runtime.

Then, the road to Doomsday – and Doom – begins. Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18.

For more, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies.

With FromSoftware's ever-growing legendary library of Souls games, it's not surprising that other developers are taking a crack at the action-packed genre – but this new Soulslike about a stray dog journeying to save his rescuer might just take the cake as the most precious.

If you've played Dark Souls, then you likely know (and love, because how could you not?) Great Grey Wolf Sif, the boss who faithfully guards the grave of Artorias the Abysswalker – and wields his huge greatsword, too. It's an encounter that sticks with you… but have you ever considered playing as Sif yourself?

Well, Stray Dog: Nobody Cares, a new game from Indie dev Parry Frames Studio, basically lets you do just that.

Although it's not officially Sif or Dark Souls-affiliated, the vibes are impossible to ignore. As per the game's page over on Steam, it places you in the paws of a stray dog that was rescued by a "disgraced knight" (already giving FromSoft vibes, eh?) who is on a journey to rescue said knight following his capture.

In the canine's mouth is a greatsword, of course, which you wield throughout the fantastical medieval-era game.

As per Parry Frames Studio, you can expect all of the Soulslike essentials: "stealth kills, custom levels, precise parries, brutal boss fights," and you name it. I'm sold, personally, and I'm not alone – reactions online show that folks can't get enough.

On Twitter, fans are pulling out all of the best puns to boot. My favorite? "Bark Souls." Bark Souls, indeed. The general excitement is nice to see, too, especially with all of the Sif comparisons.

"Bruh, a Sif origins story (it's not really)," as one reads. "I'm sold." Another chimes in, "We can play as Sif?!" And, similarly, a fan exclaims, "Sooo… basically playing the story of Sif?" I can't even argue that, honestly – Stray Dog looks, well, like it's just that. A spin-off Sif-themed game or something.

Here's hoping that Parry Frames Studio gives us a more solid release date or window soon.

Searching for some other new games to experience? Check our roundup of the best Soulslike games to date – you might just find one you've not played.

Even amongst the turmoil of the RAM Storage Crisis, new SSDs haven't stopped dropping. But the Lexar Play X PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD sets itself apart from other new releases by providing storage for PC and handheld fans in one.

The best SSDs for gaming traditionally come in a 2230 or 2280 form factor, and you need to decide which is best for you before you check out your online shopping basket. Lexar has instead packaged a 2230 drive alongside a 2280 bracket, so you have the best of both worlds and can decide what's right for you right until the very moment you need to install. Without a gaming laptop or a handheld that's suited for a compact Gen 4 drive, I wasn't able to take full advantage of Lexar's ingenuity. That being said, Lexar's hybrid SSD was still a solid and speedy addition to my desktop PC.

Design

If you've ever upgraded the storage of your PC, you're probably more familiar with 2280-sized drives, however, the Play X consists of both a 2230 and 2280 in one. Smaller 2230 drives aren't anything new, but they're usually marketed specifically towards those with gaming laptops or handhelds, rather than being offered as a storage solution that's "compatible with M.2 2230/2280 slots."

Lexar achieves this wider range of compatibility by including a 2280 adapter with the smaller drive right in the box. This was a relief for me, as my current testing rig doesn't facilitate drives with a 2230 form factor. Once the adapter is hooked up, the Play X looked and acted more like a traditional 2280 SSD, so if you're in the market for a traditional 2280 option, don't let the 'hybrid' nature of this option put you off.

Features

The Lexar Play X is a PCIe 4.0 M/2 NVMe SSD drive that's available in 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB capacities. For this review, I was provided with the 1 TB model, which offered me 952 GB to play around with once formatted as part of my testing rig, which is pretty much what I'd expect.

The drive is powered by TLC NAND flash and according to Lexar, is designed to deliver "instant game loading and rapid level transitions" with its on-the-box 7,400 MB/s and 6,500 MB/s sequential read and write speeds. The brand's older Play 2230 PCIe 4.0 SSD was able to achieve read and write speeds up to to 5500 MB/s and 4,700 MB/s, respectively, so this is a big step up from its predecessor.

Additionally, Lexar packs in a 5-year warranty with the drive, though with an endurance rating of 1,200 TBW for the 2TB model, you shouldn't need to rely on it. The SSD is also packaged with a set of two stickers, so you can label them at your discretion. They have a slight holographic sheen to them, which I really appreciated, even if I never saw them once the storage was inserted into my motherboard.

Performance

Slotting the compact Lexar Play X SSD into the adapter was pretty straightforward, but I can't pretend there wasn't a lot of hesitancy before I put the two together. Gaming storage is worth its weight in gold right now, and my anxiety led me to believe I was going to break both along the way.

I thankfully didn't, as otherwise you wouldn't be reading this very review. Once it was all set up I was able to format it like any other traditional 2280 Gen 4 SSD. Afterwards, I ran it through CrystalDiskMark, where I was able to achieve average 7,074.43 and 6,551.29 MB/s read and write speeds. Compared to 7,400 MB/s and 6,500 MB/s as advertised on the box, the drive came pretty close and even managed to do slightly better than expected when it came to write speeds. Write speeds measure how fast a drive can save data, so this is good news if you need storage for not just gaming, but saving hefty amounts of information, which can be pretty common if you're an artist or a content creator on the side.

It missed the mark slightly where read speeds were concerned, but anything above 7,000 MB/s is still what I hoped to see. Regardless, all of those numbers don't mean much when they're not put to the test by running actual games, which is exactly what I did next. Loading up Counter-Strike 2 took an average of 25.61 seconds (over a period of three tests) to get to the menu screen where my booted-up character was waiting. While it wasn't faster than the built-in PNY CS1030 drive of my testing rig, there was only a 2.62-second difference. This set a precedent for the rest of my tests, as Lexar's drive wasn't faster than my onboard storage, but it wasn't that far behind, with just a few-second differences each time.

That's not exactly the "instant game loading" the marketing spiel stated it would be, but the lightning-fast loading times were still felt. No matter if I was loading up CS2, Dispatch, Marvel Rivals, or a plethora of my other current gaming obsessions like Mina the Hollower and Peak, there was no moment where I grew impatient waiting for anything to load, nor did I experience any noticeable differences running games straight off the SSD as compared to the onboard drive.

During testing, the compact storage managed to keep its cool too. While I still don't have a DC meter at my disposal, checking the Windows 11 settings informed me that the Play X managed to sit around 40% for the majority of the time I had it equipped in my rig, only bouncing up to 48% at the most when I was putting it through its paces running Marvel Rivals. That's pretty much what you'd expect, with the Samsung 990 SSD reaching similar temps while part of the same setup.

Much to my chagrin, I didn't have a compatible setup to test the Play X in its 2230 form factor alone. With that in mind, I can't justly say that it'd be the best addition to your laptop or PC handheld over alternatives, but if it's able to putter along at the same (or similar) speeds as I managed to achieve on the PC, you'd likely be in good hands with this small but mighty drive.

Should you buy the 1TB Lexar Play X SSD?

The Lexar Play X has yet to be released in the US, so the question of whether any of you across the pond should buy it can be answered pretty quickly.

For those of you in the UK, the answer is a little more layered. The 1TB model I reviewed today is sitting at £241.99 at Amazon, and even amongst the RAM-pocalypse, there are plenty of 1 TB options out there which are far cheaper. In the end, I'd still recommend this as an option should you want a 2230/2280 hybrid drive with fast speeds and if your budget can allow for it.

Plenty of older 2230 drives can't muster the same prowess as that of the Lexar Play X, including the brand's own past releases. The 1TB 2230 Lexar Play SSD launched with box quoted 5200MB/s and 4700MB/s read and write speeds, so you'd be getting more bang for your buck. Well, if the 2230 form can muster the same performance it managed when attached to its 2280 adapter, anyway.

If budget is at the forefront of your mind, I'm still going to recommend doing your best to pick up the 1 TB Samsung 990 Pro instead, which tops our general and best SSD for PS5 guides. It's reached as high as £229.99 at Amazon in May earlier this year, according to my CamelCamelCamel price checker, but can drop below the £200 mark without a heatsink. If that option is available to you (and you're looking for a 2280 design and not a 2230 one), that should always be your priority. However, Lexar's Play X is a valid choice if you must have have hybrid form factor at your disposal.

By the way, there's a chance I put the stickers on the wrong way round during testing, so feel free to excuse that in the photos.

How I tested the 1TB Lexar Play X SSD

I put the Lexar Play X SSD through its paces by attaching the 2230 drive to its 2280 adapter, hooking that up to the M.2 drive of my testing PC. Afterwards, I formatted the drive and used the CrystalDiskMark benchmarking tool, where I ran the drive through a series of four tests and calculated an average from those speeds. That average was then compared to its advertised on-the-box speeds. Additionally, I downloaded titles like Marvel Rivals, Counter-Strike 2, and Dispatch via Steam and timed how long it took to load to their respective start screens and compared this to past SSDs that I've tested so far. To read more about the ways we test SSDs and the rest of our gaming tech, have a look at how we test SSDs and our hardware policy.

Check out our guides to the best SSDs for PS5, the best PS5 external hard drive, and the best Xbox Series X hard drive if your gaming platform of choice could use a little boost.

Being a FromSoftware game, there are dangers on all sides when it comes to The Duskbloods. You'll have the monsters you face, and then your opponents, the other Bloodsworn. If that scares you, don't be too worried – creator Hidetaka Miyazaki isn't great at the PvP, and according to him, you don't need to be to win.

He went through the logic in an interview with IGN. "Personally, I am not very great at these high-intensity action games and things like PvP," he says.

"So, at the start, the audience really is just myself while thinking about how I would go at this," he explains. "Are there systems in place that I would enjoy, that cater to me as a player, not being someone who's really into that intense PvP?"

There's some irony in hearing Miyazaki is bad at aspects of these games, when their reputation is of being relentlessly punishing. But his own experience raises important questions: how prominent should the player-versus-player aspects be? And what should be the alternative strategies? As is pointed after, it's impossible to avoid facing at least one other person directly in a match.

"You will have to fight two other players in the final round. That doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be great at PvP in order to win," Miyazaki says, pointing to the Kin, companion fighters that join you, as an option for dealing with other opponents less.

"The Kin [computer-controlled companions] can be further emphasized, and you can customize your character to further supplement their power to turn them into someone who can fight for you while you take a bit of a backseat," he explains. "There will definitely be a section of the customization that caters towards that play style for people who don't want to necessarily always be in an intense PvP thing, even if they make it to the end and want to take more of a backseat and enjoy the game in a different way."

That's good to hear, because I'm in the Miyazaki camp of just not being very good at these more tense moments. He makes it clear that, "We're trying our best to cater to that playstyle as much as we can, currently," so we might see more mechanics and ideas appear post-launch, too. The Duskbloods comes out on Switch 2 later this year.

The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive because Nintendo was the "right partner" and "very receptive" to FromSoftware's weird idea, says Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Welcome back to the GamesRadar+ RPG Club! This third meeting takes place in the earliest reaches of Act 3, with my Baldur's Gate 3 no weapons run getting deadly serious now that I'm in the biggest section of the game. As a result, I've been forced to confront more than just Ketheric Thorm and the Avatar of Myrkul – who was easily dispatched after I freed Aylin on my first turn by Misty Stepping over to her cage. My biggest question now is how my current party will survive one of Act 3's most punishing coded events.

Looking between Lae'zel, Halsin, and Gale, I feel a stone in my gut. My party has grown strong, even with my no weapons run barring us from using anything handheld. I was loath to part ways with any of them, but I know that the Murder God's favorite is about to infiltrate my camp and kidnap someone.

As soon as I claim victory over Myrkul's Chosen – here's how Act 2 went for me – I start planning. That means guessing s who might be on Orin's chopping block and preparing my party accordingly. It's time for a strategic break, so consider this my once-per-act respec being used in one go.

Quest Log

Sneak attacked

The start of Act 3 was a nasty shock during my first playthrough, where I'd finished up at Moonrise Towers at a paltry level six. I'm feeling much better about my chances as a level eight sorcerer now. Which is why I'm almost relishing taking my first Long Rest in Rivington and being interrupted by a Githyanki ambush.

I prepare by going around the camp and reshuffling my active party members. I opt for an even split between spellcasters and unarmed melee specialists: Lae'zel, my open-hand monk, pairs nicely with Karlach the barbarian, and I'll need Shadowheart on hand to dole out the heals. It's a particularly mean fight, albeit one that puts my challenge to the test by reflecting it back at me. All of the Gith are monks, just like Lae'zel, and it's nowhere near as much fun being on the receiving end of a resonating Ki blast.

My first attempt is a write off; my party accidentally jumps into the battle ground one by one instead of all together, leaving Karlach and Lae'zel out of the initiative roll entirely while Shadowheart and I get absolutely bodied. The Emperor is little help, and before long, I'm reloading my save to coordinate entry to the battle properly.

I put a focus on Karlach and Lae'zel reaching higher ground as soon as possible, throwing the Gith across the astral prism while Shadowheart casts Sanctuary on herself and buffs the party from a safe distance. Meanwhile, I'm all about the massive AOE spells. Say hello to my little Fireball, everyone!

But the ambush is only the start of my troubles. As soon as we arrive in Rivington, I do my usual rounds of the lively crossing town – and run into Bhaal's Chosen, Orin, twice. First, masquerading as a snooping journalist, and secondly, as the shopkeeper of an armory. She laughs in my face, waves off my victory against Ketheric by saying something mean and cryptic, before vanishing into a puddle of viscera.

Orin is one of my favorite villains in video game history. She's also the most annoying. As Enver Gortash – the Chosen of Bane, God of Tyranny – later informs me after I bear witness to his grand coronation, Orin has already kidnapped one of my companions and is masquerading as them back at my camp.

Truthfully, I am miffed. I'd forgotten that this happens so early on in Act 3's proceedings, and it sends my nerves into overdrive. Immediately, I pray Orin hasn't taken Lae'zel.

My Gith monk just started getting good after our party leveled up following the astral prism attack. Perhaps Orin, in her infinite magnanimity, might've gone for Halsin instead? Or maybe even Yenna, the orphan child who invited herself to our camp during our second Long Rest in Rivington and now cannot stop going on about having brought her own paring knife (who gave the child a knife? Why are we okay with this?).

Tanked it

I managed to avoid dealing with my little Orin problem until two or three long rests later. Pursuing a maligned quest involving a necromancer mummy, whose goodies I had designs on for Gale, I headed into Baldur's Gate's sewers without thinking twice. Big mistake. "Lae'zel" came hobbling out of a fetid underground tunnel and soon shapeshifted back into Orin the Red.

Well, damn. I don't think I've ever triggered the imposter reveal this early on in any of my Baldur's Gate 3 playthroughs, and now I'm down the most powerful tank in my party. It's especially miserable, since I don't tend to rescue Orin's captive until I'm starting to wrap up my time in the game. If I'm to make it through all that Act 3 has to offer without Lae'zel at my side, it's time to respec my party accordingly.

Instead of fashioning myself another monk – that just feels like cheating, okay? – I leverage some newfound assets. Jaheira is a druid, much like Halsin, and I want to keep her as such for narrative reasons. That said, I respec her subclass into Circle of Spores to complement Gale's own necromantic flair.

Between them, they now can spawn near endless zombies and ghouls anytime I choose. It's also time to make Shadowheart a Light Domain cleric now that she's turned her back on Shar's trickery, while Astarion gets a few warlock levels to beef the bard up a bit with some eldritch blasts for good measure.

With Karlach now my one and only melee tank, it's time to bid farewell to the ways of the Berserker and respec her back to the Giant subclass. I need to prioritize high DPS to compensate for the loss of Lae'zel's fists of fury, so I make sure to stack her strength score up to 20 at a base level and make use of her collection of Cloud Giant Strength potions, which take her up to 27. Then, I turn to my own character – sweet little Zeraphina, the draconic sorcerer who could. And still can. For her, no changes – only vengeance for the loss of Lae'zel.

I really did squander Lae'zel when I had her, and I can't lie and say that she was a staple in my party throughout the journey so far – that honor goes to Karlach, Gale, and Shadowheart for the most part.

But much as her absence is felt, leaning into magical combat has been eye-opening. It's certainly helpful when my whole party can misty step anywhere they like whenever I please, not to mention how keeping my party far from foes means I have no real need for a melee tank anyway. Paired with some fancy new Spore Druid armor for Jaheira and the Robes of the Weave for Gale, I'm cleaning up Act 3 like the most dedicated barmaid at the Elfsong Tavern. A dedicated barmaid with a penchant for summoning zombies, of course.

And yet, there's more to come. Slowly but surely, I'm rebuilding my party for the final battle brick by brick. Hopefully next time I check in with you, I'll have bested that brain for good – with or without Lae'zel.

Just as I get out of my car in Cyberpunk 2077, I receive a text message from Panam. Given that I've clocked a little over 1,000 hours in CD Projekt Red's RPG at this point, it's one I'm no stranger to, but it still hits me like it's the first time. "You were right, V. It's good being back with your people," the message begins. "In NC I felt like the loneliest person in the world."

A photo of Panam and the Nomadic Aldecaldos accompanies the text, and while they're all sitting around a fire, the warmth of the snapshot comes from the found family portrait it captures. As I take in the image again, I'm reminded of why I'm so consistently drawn to the Nomads as a group above all.

In a dystopian setting like Night City – where ruthless gangs such as the scavs kidnap and harvest people, and cold corporations care only for raking in more eddies – the Nomads exist on the fringes of the neon-tinted metropolis. There, they can give you something more valuable than any souped-up cyberware: a sense of belonging. No matter how many times I play, the Aldecaldos and their found family dynamic are the highlight of my experience as V, and the group are partly why I've come to the conclusion that the best Cyberpunk 2077 lifepath is Nomad.

Outsider No More

Every lifepath in Cyberpunk 2077 offers something I enjoy from a role-playing standpoint. I love the way playing as a Street Kid often gives me the upper hand when I'm dealing with the many rival gangs that populate Night City. Being a Corpo, on the other hand, can give V an entirely different vibe and viewpoint, and it's fun to try and channel the ruthless edge so many corporations have .

But the Nomad lifepath is the most satisfying from a role-playing and story perspective overall – particularly when it comes to the Aldecaldo questlines. After leaving the Bakkers who were once your Nomad clan before they decided to join Snake Nation, V is now adrift with no backing or support system to speak of. As the codex shards you can find in the world will tell you, to be a Nomad is to adopt a lifestyle built upon family and freedom, and you protect your family and clan first and foremost. So, being a Nomad like V who's without one is a very lonely and vulnerable position to be in.

This background makes it all the more meaningful when you meet the Aldecaldos. Fiercely supportive and loyal to one another, they represent something V's lost: family. To want to belong is universal, and it's easy to get attached to the Aldecaldos because of the way they can give you that. Once you help them out, they have your back no matter what, and isn't that what family should be all about? Night City is a lonely place, after all, regardless of which V you're playing, and the Nomadic group really do feel like they bring some light and love to an otherwise harsh world.

Since I'm something of a virtual gearhead who loves driving in games, I also have a natural affinity for the Nomads as a group and lifepath. Aside from being your ride or dies in a familial sense, they also deeply care about the actual rides they drive. As Mitch, one of my favorite clan members, puts it, "those wheels are our life". Not only do they rely on their vehicles out in the Badlands, but they also customize them as though they're an extension of themselves. I immediately connected to this idea, and I love that in the lifepath, you get a set of wheels that feels personal to you, too, which you can even reclaim later on – it's such a welcome role-playing touch.

The Star

The characters who make up the Aldecaldo family are really what hooks me in time and again. The way Cyberpunk 2077 introduces you to the Nomads through Panam brilliantly establishes the hardships of going it alone, what the group are all about, and how much the Aldecaldo's care when it comes to a member of their clan. Having stepped away from the family, Panam is on a similar road to you when you first meet her. But as you help her out and get to know her, you can play a part in re-establishing her connection with the Aldecaldos.

Sometimes hotheaded, obviously lonely, but with so much strength and heart, Panam is a beautifully flawed, relatable character I quickly got very attached to, but I can honestly say I felt a kinship and fondness for all of the Aldecaldos in their own right. Throughout their questlines, they banter with one another, have disagreements, and share intimate, fond moments like any real family, and I always just want to spend more time with them.

While the Nomads' found family bond and the lifepath resonate, the role they play in Night City is also quite fascinating. I was reminded of this fact last year, when I had the chance to sit down and talk with lead writer, Tomasz Marchewka, for Cyberpunk 2077's five-year anniversary. Diving into the antagonistic setting, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk about the Nomads and express my love for the group. While I said that in some respects, they feel like they rebel against the city by going their own way, Marchewka explained that they're such a vital part of it – even if they're on the outside of things.

"When you think about it for a second, Nomads are crucial to make this ecosystem [in Night City] work," Marcheweka said. "Yeah, they seem to be outside of the city, but the city wouldn't be itself without Nomads running around bringing stuff from the other places with them, being the link between different cities. They need to be there. They are part of the ecosystem. They are kind of the blood flow, like they make the system run from under the hood. Using that metaphor, they are the engine of things. So the city wouldn't be itself without them, even though they seem detached, it's not that easy, they are connected to it."

I really love this idea that they're the "blood flow", or "engine" of the city who keep things running, even if it's from "under the hood" or out of sight. As an in-game shard details, it's said that it's actually "thanks to the Nomads that the cities were rebuilt after the wars and catastrophes that marked the first half of the 21st century", meaning that many cities wouldn't remain without them, even if they often seemingly exist outside of them. The opening of the Nomad lifepath even sees you smuggle something into Night City, which speaks to Marchewka's note about "being the link between different cities".

As you can probably tell I've thought about all of this too much, and dissected my attachment to the group a lot, but if nothing else, that speaks to how deeply invested I've become in the Nomads across my many playthroughs. Ultimately, the main reason for that will always come back to that photo from Panam. The Aldecaldos are a family – V's family – and I'll forever want to sit beside the fire with them.

Phantom Liberty didn't change my mind about the best Cyberpunk 2077 ending.

Dave Bautista has replaced Ryan Hurst as Kratos in Amazon's God of War series. Hurst had to leave the show due to a severe injury when filming, leading Guardians of the Galaxy star Bautista to enter talks before he confirmed the news with a post on his Instagram account.

However, it seems like the news was actually manifested four years ago. As one fan spotted, there's a reference to Bautista's Guardians of the Galaxy character being the "God of War" in the movie's Disney Plus Christmas special.

As can be seen in this clip posted to Reddit, Drax and Mantis pose with fans in front of a Christmas tree in Hollywood. "Okay amazing, thank you so much," the photographer says, "We got a picture with the God of War!" It's an easy to miss moment that pokes fun at how Drax and Kratos actually look pretty similar. If you squint…

Fans have rallied to see Bautista in the role for many years and so it's not surprising that this has made it into the pop culture-loaded Guardians of the Galaxy series. James Gunn, who penned the script for that, is well known for his tongue-in-cheek dialogue, but it's fun to see this referenced in light of the recent news.

With Bautista's casting confirmed, it's expected that the God of War production will resume in Vancouver soon. Amazon has given the show a two-season order, which is due to shoot back to back.

For more upcoming video game adaptations, check out our guides to The Legend of Zelda, The Last of Us season 3, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

GTA 6 leaker Cyberleek taunted Rockstar today with yet another gameplay clip suggesting viewers continue throwing money at the anonymous group's crypto scheme, since "HIGHER MARKETCAP = MORE LEEKS." But while Cyberleek was perfecting its business scheme with its sixth untimely gameplay reveal, Rockstar parent company Take-Two was sharpening its knives; the owner has filed multiple subpoenas requesting Microsoft and Discord assist it in learning Cyberleek's true identity by providing user information.

Kotaku reports that Take-Two says in one subpoena filed with the Southern District Court of New York on August 20 that it's issued its Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) subpoena with the express purpose "to obtain the identity of an alleged infringer or infringers, and that such information will only be used for the purpose of protecting Take-Two's rights."

Both Microsoft and Discord have until September 4 to come up with internal records related to Cyberleek, says Take-Two, including Discord "account ID, registration email, registration and last-login IP addresses, phone number, linked connections (Google/Xbox/etc.), any associated device identifiers (MachineGuid/MSA), and content related to Grand Theft Auto (‘GTA’), Rockstar or Cyberleek from their OneDrive account."

The company is checking every bed and closet for Cyberleek, making several Discord servers part of its investigation, including CYBERLEEK itself and the server for DarkViperAU, a popular GTA 5 YouTuber. In the meantime, GTA 6 hopefuls on Reddit are complimenting the fidelity on the roadside Cyberleek recently revealed.

New GTA 6 activities, customization, and gameplay details revealed alongside 63 gorgeous screenshots.

Naughty Dog's been very quiet about its next single-player offering, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, since its reveal almost two years ago, but the game's just shown its first sign of life in ages with a new cast member who you might recognize from the studio's prior work: Uncharted and The Last of Us.

The famed developer hasn't shown anything from its upcoming sci-fi romp since its reveal trailer in 2024, and it hasn't been especially talkative about the mysterious project either. Lead actor Tati Gabrielle said the game shows "a different side of Naughty Dog," while co-director Neil Druckmann suggested it might borrow a thing or two from Elden Ring, of all games. Outside of that, more concrete details are practically non-existent.

While news about the game had been sparser than the voids of space, actor Robin Atkin Downes today revealed that he's back to working with Naughty Dog and is joining the cast of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

"I've been keeping this one quiet for a while," he tweets alongside of a video of himself in a motion capture suit. "The journey continues! Awesome to be working again with the Dawgs!"

Downes' history with the studio actually stretches back to the very first Uncharted game, where he played crime boss and main bad guy Atoq Navarro. He then provided the motion capture for Uncharted 2's Tenzin, the best friend Nate's ever had, before flip-flopping right back into consecutive villain roles with Uncharted 3's Talbot, The Last of Us' Robert, and Uncharted 4's Hector Alcazar almost a decade ago.

While Downes has historically depicted Naughty Dog's more unsavory characters, his video game resume is really extensive and includes everything from No More Heroes' Travis Touchdown to, err, Assassin's Creed 3's George Washington. What kind of role he might have in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is still up in the air, then.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet "might need to be edited" to avoid "another Last of Us 2 situation," former Naughty Dog dev warns

With Gamescom 2026 looming over us, it comes as no surprise that Alien: Isolation 2 fans are hopeful they'll see a release date at the big event – but they shouldn't hold their breath.

Developer Creative Assembly and publisher Sega are apparently not planning to unveil the long-awaited sequel's release date next week during the annual gaming event, as per their response to a fan's excitement over on Twitter.

The original post shows somebody exclaim that they "hope we get a release date next week," to which the official Alien: Isolation 2 account replies, "Hello, you won't get a release date next week."

It's short (not sweet, sadly), but it does provide all folks need to know, I suppose: there'll be no launch date reveal during Gamescom. Thankfully, the fan who initially posted in the first place is taking the news well, though.

They simply write, "Thank you for letting us know!" The Alien: Isolation 2 team says "you're welcome" in turn – so, all in all, it's not a bad interaction or anything… it's just disappointing.

As one fan jokes in the comments, it was "worth a try" regardless. That checks out, seeing as Alien: Isolation 2 has been in the works for at least a little while now, with its first footage having aired as part of the Summer Game Fest 2026 schedule earlier this summer.

It wouldn't be too surprising, then, to see people expecting a release date (or, at the least, a release window) to drop soon… but, alas, it won't be in August, anyway.

Here's hoping Creative Assembly and Sega give us another teaser of sorts, however – it's still possible, seeing as they only confirm they won't be showcasing a release date during this year's Gamescom.

Anything more than a quick sneak-peek at a xenomorph's mouth would be great at this point, as the original Alien: Isolation landed way back in 2014. I know I'll be keeping my own fingers crossed over the next few days.

Alien Isolation 2 uses Unreal Engine 5 instead of Creative Assembly's custom engine, and fans are starting to worry: "This completely ruins any enthusiasm I have for the game."

Look, sometimes you're really proud of something and want to show it off. Even as the CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata was not immune to this, since he apparently made sure everyone at Nintendo Europe was playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf ahead of the game's launch.

Speaking on the Back Page podcast (spotted by FRVR), Ashley Day, a former PR and social media manager at Nintendo UK, recalls the experience in a retrospective on the Nintendo DS. "There was a very unusual push behind-the-scenes to make [Animal Crossing: New Leaf] a success," he remembers.

"This came from the top. This came from Iwata," he said. "Certainly in Europe, I don't know what it was like in the States or in Japan, but every single employee at Nintendo Europe and all of its subsidiaries was given a free copy of New Leaf months before the game came out."

This wasn't normal for the games giant. Employees had access to freebies, sure, but not before the shelf date. Iwata made an exception for the handheld Animal Crossing installment, because he wanted everyone to understand the charm and rhythm of the series.

"Iwata made a point and said, 'I want everyone, it's now your job to play New Leaf, like play it every day,'" Day says. "He wanted people to understand at Nintendo what it was like to play Animal Crossing habitually."

I'm not an Animal Crossing fan, really – I respect the series much more than I actively enjoy it – and even I'll say, having your boss come in and utter the words, "It's now your job to play New Leaf" is truly the dream. Forget real capitalism, we're partaking in fake capitalism with bells and Tom Nook now.

Of course, "he was right," and Nintendo's European operations became a hot bed of Animal Crossing aficionados, because New Leaf dailies became fundamental to everyone's days. "It was amazing to see," Day adds.

"Some of the older generation of sales people who were in their late 50s and didn't really touch games all that much suddenly became ultra obsessed with Animal Crossing," he remembers. "They were trading on the Animal Crossing stock market and making clothes."

New Leaf wound up being a massive release, and Day puts some of that down to this mandate. Whether that's true is hard to actually verify, but having everyone behind the game definitely won't have hurt.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf became a benchmark for the series, remaining a fan-favorite to this day. If even your accountants and admin staff are into it, the thing must be good, right?

Nintendo got "a lot of angry calls" from parents who thought Animal Crossing's "skin-colored" gyroid "looked like a wiggling penis."

• The Sinking City 2 is perfect if you want a freshly themed modern survival horror like Resident Evil 2 or Silent Hill 2 remake

Here's the 60-second pitch for why you should play The Sinking City 2 this weekend: With the love of his life trapped in a Lovecraftian dream space, Calvin Rafferty must brave the flooded streets of Arkham as he tries to track down the occult tools to wake her, all as creatures from the deep surface and the city is plunged into chaos. Shambling enemies puppeted by the Slither are unpredictable, with shifting weak points, and maze-like, nightmarish maps are packed with arcane puzzles and tempting upgrades that'll have you constantly considering your dwindling resources.

Why play it today?

• The Sinking City 2 is a fresh twist on modern survival horror that feels just as good to play as recent Silent Hill and Resident Evil games, rather than a retro revival

A lot of recent survival horror games outside of the big names position themselves as throwbacks to retro sensibilities. While I still love that angle, it's interesting to see The Sinking City 2 take most of its cues from the likes of Resident Evil 2 remake rather than just the original Resident Evil 2.

Even so, The Sinking City 2 has a lot of its own ideas. Developer Frogwares is well-known for its detective games, including the first The Sinking City, and a whole catalog of Sherlock Holmes adventures. This means the bevy of survival horror puzzles required to progress or unlock upgrades are all smartly designed, and a detective mindmap allows you to sort and organize uncovered clues to arrive on solutions. It'll only tell you if evidence is related, never reveal a final solution. It's a light touch compared to their detective games, but adds a neat flavor to Calvin's adventure.

Lovecraftian eldritch horror is well utilized to make The Sinking City 2's stand out. Flooded streets and buildings allow for effective jump scares as monsters emerge. Twitchy movements, and shifting Slither on bodies mean you're never quite sure where to best aim. Down a foe, and escaping Slither can animate other corpses. It creates an uneasy atmosphere where you're never quite sure what the rules are, and are always weighing up when to stand and fight, and when to make a break for it.

Time commitment:

The Sinking City is about the same length as Resident Evil 2 remake, taking me about 10 hours to beat on my first playthrough. Post-game unlocks, as is often the case in the genre, makes for rewarding replays. With each area taking just a few hours, this is an adventure you can chip away at.

Play The Sinking City 2 if you love:

Skip The Sinking City 2 if you want:

One thing to know:

The Sinking City 2 has some great, forgiving difficulty options, but this is still a survival horror game. There are a lot of situations that can be quite stressful to get through with relentless swarm of enemies that'll turn you into fish food if you don't know when to cut and run. Even when backtracking, Frogwares takes the opportunity to add more pressure and challenge to catch you out. That's part of the fun. But, for those used to their more sedate detective games, this can be intense if you're not ready for it.

A moment you'll remember:

First feeling overwhelmed as you struggle to understand how the Slither work. Survival horror games are often at their best when they're unpredictable and you're learning a game for the first time, and The Sinking City 2 has enough strange foes that you'll find yourself unsure of the threat before you, and how to best deal with them. It doesn't get more horrifying or Lovecraftian than that. Even now, I don't fully understand how some systems work.

The final verdict:

In my The Sinking City 2 review, I said it's a "Lovecraftian fusion of Resident Evil and Silent Hill that boasts its own delightfully gruesome pleasures", and I meant it. Given the shift into the survival horror genre was such a departure for Frogwares, I was skeptical when this was announced, but the end result has blown me away. I like a lot of games in the genre, so it's great to see this in conversation with the modern big-hitters, and with plenty of fresh angles of its own.

So, where can you play it?

The Sinking City 2 is currently available on most major platforms: PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It is not currently available on Xbox Game Pass or PS Plus. Launching at $49.99 for the base edition, the price is appealing, too.

How to get started with The Sinking City 2:

The Sinking City 2's horror works best when you don't know too much going in. But, if you get stuck, or just need some pointers, we've got plenty of guides already for where to start with The Sinking City 2 this weekend.

Have your say:

Check out our best survival horror games list for more!

I am once again reporting to you that the Steam Frame might be launching soon™. It's been years (actual years) since we first heard about Valve's next VR headset through rumors, Gabe Newell referring to its existence, its days labelled as Valve Deckard, and it's even been the better part of a year since Valve officially revealed it.

Following delays and a launch window of "sometime this summer", we've now had close to 10 minutes' worth of user guide videos leak online as Steam store assets, and it doesn't seem like Valve is that fussed about them staying in the public eye because they're still available to watch on Reddit and multiple sources on YouTube. At this point, does Valve even care about trying to keep this thing under wraps ahead of launch?

Among the leaked clips we have are unboxing, fit, login, IPD, wireless adapter, controller straps and accessories, and headstrap setup videos. All are a few minutes or so in length, detailing handy tutorial processes for the new setup.

You can see all of the videos by clicking through the linked Reddit post above, or you can watch them all strung together on YouTube thanks to Tyriel Wood - VR Tech's channel.

We've seen plenty about this headset already, so I wouldn't necessarily say we've learned all that many "new" bits of information about it from the videos, but it's certainly interesting to know more about how the headset will function on a practical level.

For example, there's an IPD lock to make sure your lenses stay in place between sessions so that your perfect optical setup doesn't get lost each time you use it. Similarly, glasses wearers are satiated by a clever, magnetic spacer you can put under the facial interface, which will mean you're less likely to damage the lenses by smushing your glasses into them.

Signing in to the headset can be done through the mobile app or manually on the headset's virtual keyboard. Valve even makes comment on these being less than ideal and "clunky" methods of logging in, but "historically accurate".

Also present is an ergonomic accessories kit which includes a larger light guard for users with smaller noses, some wrist straps for the controllers, and a top headstrap to make your fit more secure.

Weeks ago now, I falsely predicted that we'd see the headset launch imminently, since we were seeing similar signposting and leaked details to when the Steam Controller and Steam Machine were just weeks away from hitting the shelves. That included shipping manifests that showed VR headsets from Valve arriving in warehouses, as well as an influx of Steam Frame assets and tags hitting the Steam store.

To my shame, I was wrong about that, which also tracks since it was suggested Valve was still working on the headset's gamepad mode feature that allows you to use the Steam Frame's controllers as a split gamepad to play flat-screen games.

I thought for sure that we'd get the Steam Frame by this point in the summer. If I get really granular about it, we're now looking at a similar gap between the Steam Machine and Steam Frame's launches (7.5 weeks) as we had between the Steam Controller and Steam Machine (8 weeks). Does that point to the headset arriving soon? I'd say yes, but I've been wrong before, and I've now been reporting on this headset through rumours and predictions for so long I'm losing faith Valve will ever actually launch it.

Will it be retired into gaming's fever dream history like Half Life 3? While we're on hypotheticals and predictions, I also asked all of you how much the Steam Frame should cost, and I was a little shocked at the result. Even so, I'm still convinced that this device could be the VR market's Steam Deck moment.

You can stream games from one of the best gaming PCs or one of the best gaming laptops straight into the Steam Frame headset.

Tetsuya Nomura's been sliding Final Fantasy Versus 13 references through the backdoor of Kingdom Hearts for years. And in the most on-brand move for the puzzling developer, even his clothes are now potentially dropping hints about how the canceled Final Fantasy game could connect to Kingdom Hearts 4.

Last week put an end to the Kingdom Hearts 4 news drought with Square Enix announcing that Pixar's Coco will feature in the game, alongside playable King Mickey sections that are more focused on papercraft puzzles than the series' signature floaty combat.

But perhaps the most notable and brain-scratching tidbit actually came from a shirt that series co-creator Tetsuya Nomura wore to a D23 panel discussing the game. Stick with me now. His plain black shirt had one simple logo printed on top: 'Black Honey Chili Cookie.'

Real sickos might recognize Black Honey Chili Cookie as a fashion brand that appears in NEO: The World Ends With You, a beloved but overlooked JRPG that Nomura was heavily involved in as well. Of course, characters from the original The World Ends With You game have appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series before. Since The World Ends With You is set in Tokyo and Kingdom Hearts 4 sends us to an alternate version of the city, there's a very real chance those characters could return in next year's sequel.

How does any of this relate to Final Fantasy Versus 13, the game Nomura was supposed to direct before it was repurposed into Final Fantasy 15? Well, here's where we enter a potentially fruitless rabbit hole.

The in-game shopkeeper of the Black Honey Chilli Cookie store is called Hiromu Takahara. Not so coincidentally, Hiromu Takahara also happens to be the name of the in-real-life fashion designer behind Final Fantasy Versus 13's (and Final Fantasy 15's) cast of characters. Hiromu Takahara's inclusion in The World Ends With You was a heart warming tribute to Tetsuya Nomura's once creative collaborator at the time – the Black Honey t-shirt is potentially something more.

Wouldn't you have guessed it? Things get even more loopy from here. In the days since Kingdom Hearts 4's Coco trailer, series fans have been combing over every frame for clues and found striking similarities between the city guards in Kingdom Hearts 4 and Final Fantasy 15. The design of the military airships in both games are almost an exact mirror of each other, too.

YouTuber The Night Sky Prince theorizes there's a method behind the madness and there might even be some parallels between Kingdom Hearts 4's narrative and the story Final Fantasy Versus 13 was supposed to tell. A foreign invasion of Kingdom Hearts' Tokyo could be what spurs the series' shadowy Heartless to begin wreaking havoc in the city, in the same way that the Empire of Niflheim spreads their own daemons across Final Fantasy 15 world, on top of whatever meta clues Nomura may sneak into the game.

While the theory is convoluted and requires a lot of background knowledge to understand, I'm convinced because it's also perfectly in line with Kingdom Hearts' already twisty-turvy, sometimes non-sensical lore. It wouldn't be the first time Nomura's referenced FF Versus 13 with all the subtlety of a bulldozer, either – the man seemingly can't let go of his baby. But I also wouldn't rule out the possibility this is all just a red herring that Kingdom Hearts fans, me included, are reading way too much into, as usual.

Whether the references are just references or something more remains to be seen. We'll find out when Kingdom Hearts 4 "100%" comes out next year.

Kingdom Hearts 4 references a bit of OG lore so obscure I wouldn't have blamed Tetsuya Nomura for forgetting it.

Nostalgia always comes at a price, and in the case of the swanky translucent green 25th Anniversary Xbox Series X that was shown off at the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 earlier this year, that price is apparently €899.99 / $899.99.

If you were keeping your fingers crossed that the upcoming limited edition console was going to cost the same as the $799.99 Series X, a leak shared by DealLabs is here to squander your dreams. Xbox itself has yet to officially announce how many smackaroos you'll need to fork out for its retro-inspired hardware, but the team at DealLabs Magazine has done their "own research" and has announced it'll launch on November 27 and cost €899.99 in France and Europe, which should approximately translate to $899.99 US dollars - an eye-watering MSRP that even matches that of the post-price-hike PS5 Pro.

As is always the case with any pricing leaks, I'd take this with a huge grain of salt. Not just because Xbox has yet to confirm anything, but because DealLabs Magazine doesn't offer any source for its pricing revelations. However, I can entirely foresee $900 being the expectation for this limited console, particularly after the recent price hikes in the US.

Earlier this month (on August 1 2026 to be exact), the 512GB Xbox consoles received a $100 increase, while the 1TB models rose in price by $150. That meant that the disc edition 1TB Xbox Series X went from $649.99 to $799.99, and that's the console that's been given the translucent green makeover. As tends to be the case with these limited-edition releases, there's likely to be an additional charge placed on top to facilitate the manufacturing of the unique 25th-anniversary-branded chassis and design, and that could very well take the total up to $899.99.

While DealLabs "exclusively" revealed their suspicions about the console's pricing, there was no word shared about the X25 Special Edition controller, which was originally unveiled alongside the 25th Anniversary console at the very same Xbox Games Showcase 2026. The pad, which takes inspiration from the OG Xbox Duke controller, is to be packaged with every console and available to purchase separately, but no leaks on its pricing has been unearthed.

The site states that price and pre-orders for the controller will be "discussed at gamescom 2026" so it shouldn't be long until we get an insight into its MSRP too. With the official Xbox Wireless Gaming controller retailing for $69.99, I suspect it won't be as dramatic a difference, but we'll have to wait until next week when Gamescom 2026 officially kicks off to be sure.

If you do want to capture some of that early Xbox nostalgia without having to wait for November, you should check out the $59.99 (Amazon) Jade 8Bitdo Ultimate 3 controller. The wireless controller is officially licensed by Xbox and is compatible with gaming PC setups and the Xbox Series X/S. Most importantly, it shares a similarly-looking transparent green chassis as the X25 Special Edition Xbox pad.

Sure, it doesn't have those iconic old green, red, yellow, and blue ABXY buttons that harken back to the early days of Xbox. Yet if you're handy with a screwdriver and modding, I'm sure you could find a way to circumnavigate that.

Already have an Xbox? Check out our guides to the best Xbox Series X controllers, the best Xbox Series X headsets, and the best Xbox Series X hard drives while you're here.

The White Lotus star Theo James has taken himself out of the James Bond conversation. The actor, who has long been one of the many names linked to the franchise, is about to star in the second season of Netflix's The Gentleman.

"I'm definitely too old now, for one," the 41-year-old actor told GQ when he was asked about Bond. "But, yeah, that would be an example of a place you could never come back from." The conversation followed comments from James too about his fear of becoming too famous and losing anonymity, as he almost did when he starred in the Divergent series.

"Imagine, suddenly, you and I cannot walk down the street," he added. "What that does to your children, who are trying to find themselves in the midst of hyper-scrutiny and fame. None of that, to me, is worth it. At the time, it’s very intoxicating, being offered some huge, sexy part that would change your life forever. But it really wouldn’t ultimately be worth it."

Bond would certainly be that kind of role as one that defines your career for the rest of your life. Currently, Amazon Studios are searching for a new actor to take on the iconic part ahead of the new movie with Denis Villeneuve in development.

Another star whose name has been suggested is Lanterns actor Aaron Pierre, after Henry Winkler tweeted his support after the premiere of the HBO Max show. GamesRadar+ recently brought up the comments to him, "I think that is an enormous compliment, and I appreciate it greatly. That's very kind. It's a very kind thing for someone to say."

For our guide to all the major contenders, check out our list of the potential next James Bond, as well as our ranking of the best James Bond movies.

Dave Filoni has spoken about his Star Wars mission statement after becoming installed as Lucasfilm co-president.

Speaking at a D23 panel about Leslie Iwerks' new documentary Worldbuilders – which charts how major Disney franchises are integrated into park experiences – Filoni said of his task, "We have several different generations of Star Wars fans, right? There’s original trilogy fans, prequel fans, sequel trilogy fans, Clone Wars fans, expanded universe fans. They all have different interests."

"And I always look at how we’re going to serve all these different interests. And most importantly, how do we bring them all together because they have this common love of Star Wars," Filoni added. "And I think the park is a great place to do that."

While Filoni has only stepped into a major Lucasfilm leadership role recently, we have already seen his approach bear fruit: The Mandalorian and Grogu (despite box office struggles) was marketed as a family-friendly film, while also playing into the original trilogy's appetite for lone heroes.

Elsewhere, Ahsoka season 2 is undoubtedly aimed at fans of prequels and animated series The Clone Wars, while the likes of anime spin-off The Ninth Jedi, Maul – Shadow Lord, and Andor are all distinct, capturing different sections of its audience in their own inimitable style.

Next up on the big screen in a galaxy far, far away is Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy. As announced at SDCC, the pair will reunite in the MCU for 2028's Ghost Rider.

For more, check out the upcoming Star Wars movies currently in the works.

After stumbling slightly with Supergirl, it looks like James Gunn's DCU is back on form as new series Lanterns sets a major record for DC Studios.

As per Variety, Lanterns season 1 episode 1 pulled in a whopping 9.3 million viewers in its first three days on HBO and HBO Max worldwide, marking the biggest series premiere for a DC Studios show ever. Plus, 6.6 million of those views came from the US.

This is quite the feat, as Lanterns has beaten Creatures and Commandos, Peacemaker, and even beloved Batman spin-off The Penguin, which took eleven whole days to amass the amount of views Lanterns hit in just three days. Lanterns now sits in the top five series premieres on HBO behind Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which opened to 6.7 million viewers in the US earlier this year.

The massive viewership is not too much of a surprise, as the show hit HBO to rave reviews on Sunday, August 16. Lanterns currently stands at an impressive 94%. In our Lanterns review, we awarded the new DCU project 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it a "captivating murder mystery that prides itself on relentless pacing and masterful character work from Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart."

Although it's only early days, there have been some rumblings around a possible Lanterns season 2, with scribe Chris Mundy already back in the writers' room working on new stories. Lanterns' success also follows a bit of a shake-up for Gunn's DCU Chapter One as Peacemaker spin-off Waller and Wonder Woman show Paradise Lost have been scrapped.

The show follows Chandler's Green Lantern and Intergalactic Cop Hal Jordan as he trains Pierre's new recruit John Stewart to take over the mantle. However, the unlikely duo are quickly pulled into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder that seems to have extraterrestrial ties. Lanterns also stars Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, Ulrich Thomsen, and Nathan Fillion.

Lanterns continues to air weekly on HBO Max. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

Update, 1pm BST: FromSoftware has now announced that The Duskbloods' first closed network test session today has been canceled following persistent server issues.

In an official post, FromSoftware apologizes to fans, saying that it must end the first day's session immediately. It was originally supposed to run from 3am PDT / 12pm CEST / 11am BST to 7am PDT / 4pm CEST / 3pm BST.

"We regret to inform you that today's session is now closed. We will continue to work on improving the servers and will announce future schedules at a later date," it says.

Original story:

The Duskbloods closed network test went live less than an hour ago, but the drooling hordes hoping to get a taste of FromSoftware's new multiplayer game might be left waiting. The Duskbloods' servers are absolutely swamped.

The first round of closed playtests for The Duskbloods began at 3am PDT / 12pm CEST / 11am BST, and almost immediately, hopeful fans all began posting about exactly the same thing: being stuck on the home screen and staring at the game's daunting logo.

"Let me in," on fan writes over on Reddit. "The screen is taunting us all," says another. "Network successfully tested (it doesn't work)," a third jokes.

FromSoftware acknowledges the rough start, too: "We are experiencing issues with logging into the The Duskbloods Network Test Ver. game server. We are currently investigating the matter and kindly ask for your patience until the issue is resolved. Thank you for your understanding," the studio says.

Numerous online posts all paint the same picture. Everyone online is stuck trying to log into The Duskbloods' servers. Everyone else might already be in and enjoying the upcoming Switch 2 exclusive game, though they probably wouldn't be online if so. At least the main menu music is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

FromSoftware's servers were likely slammed with a torrent of fans banging to be let in the door. Thankfully, players have a few days to try the game since its first closed network test runs until August 24. The crowds should hopefully be a little sparser as the days tick along.

It's worth noting that The Duskbloods' closed network test is being split into multiple four-hour time slots spread across the next few days. You can see the full schedule here to plan ahead.

Elsewhere, Nintendo recently denied that The Duskbloods is launching in September in maybe the least convincing way possible. Before you do jump in with high hopes, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki also wants fans to know The Duskbloods and Bloordborne aren't related. The names are just a bloody coincidence.

The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive because Nintendo was the "right partner" and "very receptive" to FromSoftware's weird idea, says Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Late last week, indie developer Ternox Games revealed that they wouldn't be releasing titles on PlayStation any longer as Sony had seemingly spontaneously terminated their publishing deal – but, now, all appears to be back in working order.

In case you missed the news when it dropped last Sunday, Ternox Games announced that their colorful '80s Japanese stock market simulator, STONKS-9800, wouldn't be releasing on the PlayStation 5 as "Sony unilaterally terminated my PlayStation developer and publisher agreement without giving me any reason."

The dev also explained that their existing games on the platform would "be removed from the PlayStation Store after August 23."

Well, we've got much better news today: Ternox Games' lineup is apparently good to stay on the PS5, and they'll also continue to launch games on the console's store in the future.

The dev reveals as much in a new online post – one written in response to the original thread on the publishing deal debacle. "Playstation has restored my access to the developer account and allowed me to continue working," it reads.

"My games will remain available for purchase, and I'll keep releasing games for PlayStation as well!" Ternox Games concludes by thanking fans for their support – and it's safe to say they're happy, too.

"Great news," reads one comment. "Congratulations!" Others question why Sony did what it had apparently done in the first place, although the studio doesn't seem to reveal any details on why the publishing deal fell through.

As for Ternox Games' portfolio, I can confidently report that STONKS-9800 is a banger, with "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews over on Steam and a retro-feeling aesthetic to die for. I'm sure it'll do just as well on PS5, now that it seems to finally be making its way there.

Looking to support some smaller developers yourself? Here's a roundup of the best upcoming indie games arriving this year and beyond to wishlist now.

Marvel Studios' newly released book 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day – The Art Of The Movie' is facing allegations of generative AI use from fans. It features concept art for the Marvel and Sony movie, including an image of a New York City street called 'Big City, Little Spider' by Scott McInnes, which some believe features the hallmarks of AI artwork.

As detailed in a Reddit post from a user named TheArtbookCollector, they point out strange warping in the image on some of the buildings as well as on the yellow taxis in the center of the mock-up.

"When looking at details of the buildings and taxis, you can see strange warping and shapes, which are indicators of AI use," they write. "This is the only image in the book that raises big red flags for me, despite others saying there is more, in which I don't agree. Another piece does have stock image watermarks though."

The allegations have been echoed elsewhere on social media, with others pointing out the traffic lights and the deli sign in the image also look uncanny. The artist McInnes has previously worked on films like Fantastic Four, Masters of the Universe, and Gladiator 2.

It's worth noting that no other images in the book, nor any part of the final movie, face the same AI allegations. GamesRadar+ has reached out to Marvel Comics, the publisher of the new book, and Sony for comment.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day fans have been sharing their disappointment over the potential use online. "As much as I loved the movie this is still inexcusable, this a problem within the industry as a whole that needs to be corrected," wrote one, while a second quipped: "You have to understand, pictures of New York City are extremely rare."

"FOR CONTEXT in the book it was used in one image by one artist, obviously not every piece made for the movie makes the book, but it being the only one is telling that it was probably just This Guy and not a widespread thing," added a third.

This isn't the only superhero movie that's been accused of using generative AI recently. In a Supergirl behind-the-scenes featurette, the film's director Craig Gillespie was seen showing Jason Momoa a mock-up of Lobo, which looked like an AI-generated image. Warner Bros. then removed the video from their official YouTube channel after it sparked widespread backlash.

For more on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, check out our guides to the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending explained and all the Spider-Man: Brand New Day Easter eggs and cameos we spotted.

2026 has been a bumper year for new projects from big directors, from Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Next up is Alien helmer Riley Scott, whose upcoming movie The Dog Stars has opened to positive first reactions praising the director's change of pace.

"Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars is a surprisingly humble and emotionally weighted change of pace for the director," says Future of the Force's Phil Roberts following The Dog Stars world premiere in London on August 20. "With its impressive cinematography, endless desolation and magnetic performances from Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, it’s an impressive post-apocalyptic ride."

Similarly, YouTuber Patrick T writes, "The Dog Stars is soothing and gruelling. A western set at the end of the world with a big heart. Some intense FURY ROAD energy mixed with quiet campfires under the stars. Acoustic guitars, Josh Brolin smoking cigars, and a dog. Ridley Scott knows what we want."

The post-apocalyptic movie's emotional themes took other critics by surprise too, including Film Hounds' Gavin Spoors. "Ridley Scott has proven yet again that his finger is on the pulse when it comes to current themes. A warm, human, post-apocalyptic drama about the need for community." And film critic Liz Slade adds, "It’s quiet and contemplative, which I didn’t expect, with unexpected moments of ferocity and violence… I think Ridley Scott has created something unique."

The Dog Stars follows a young pilot named Hig (Jacob Elordi), who, alongside military survivalist Bangley (Josh Brolin), lives in an isolated homestead safe from the post-apocalyptic world outside. However, when he hears a mysterious radio transmission, Hig ventures into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exists. The movie also stars Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce.

The new film marks Scott's first project since his 2024 action sequel Gladiator 2. The Dog Stars is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Peter Heller, and is written by The Revenant's co-screenwriter Mark L. Smith.

The Dog Stars hits cinemas on August 26. For more, keep up with new movies on the way.

The Avengers: Endgame re-release, officially titled Avengers: Endgame Encore, will be longer than the original 2019 movie.

As confirmed by AMC Theatres, Avengers: Endgame Encore clocks in at 185 minutes, a shade over Avengers: Endgame's 181 minutes. That makes it the longest Marvel Studios movie ever made.

The exact details of the bonus content hasn't yet been confirmed, but could be anything from deleted scenes, to new post-credits, and – more importantly – setup for Avengers: Doomsday.

"We'll be re-releasing the film with footage that is set in the Doomsday story that we have added to Avengers: Endgame," Endgame and Doomsday co-director Joe Russo previously said at the Sand Films Festival (via Deadline).

Russo, who described the re-release as including a "critical companion story", added, "It’s an opportunity to create a bridge from Endgame to Doomsday in a very unique way…the fact that we can enhance the story of Doomsday by bridging it to Endgame and these characters that we worked with for years that we love so much, and continue their story: It’s a really unique opportunity."

Avengers: Endgame Encore is set to release on September 25 as the road to Doomsday begins.

Adding to the hype, Marvel has even announced an official podcast, starring Ms. Marvel actor Iman Vellani, will begin this August and dissect some of the MCU's most iconic moments ahead of December's Avengers: Doomsday release.

Avengers: Doomsday stars Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, with a new D23 trailer showcasing the Fantastic Four villain's immense power – and simmering rivalry with Reed Richards.

The Doomsday synopsis confirms it will follow "beloved heroes from three distinct universes as they’re set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered."

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18.

For more, check out our guides on upcoming Marvel movies and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

After being rumored for a role as Beast in Marvel's upcoming X-Men movie, Charles Melton is now in talks for Kakashi in the upcoming Naruto movie. Directed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Daniel Destin Cretton, the film will be the first live-action adaptation of the beloved manga.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Melton is in final negotiations for the role as the search for Team 7 continues. Naruto follows a young ninja called Naruto Uzumaki who has ambitions to lead his ninja village. However, he must grapple with having the spirit of a demon inside him on his journey to greatness.

Kakashi is the elite ninja who acts as a mentor to Naruto and his friends. This would be the first casting confirmed for Cretton's adaptation of creator Masashi Kishimoto's manga, however it has been announced a global casting search is underway for Team 7, the younger main characters of this story.

Best known for his roles in Beef and May December, Melton first came to fame on Riverdale. He was also recently the subject of X-Men casting rumors, with suggestions he was in talks to play Beast in the new movie.

The actor even addressed the news, remaining neutral on the discussions. "It depends on what day or moment you catch me on, but right now I’d say I think I believe in [director Jake Schreier] and [Beef creator and X-Men co-writer Lee Sung Jin] so much, and I would love to work with them again, and many more times. They know that," Melton told The Playlist.

It seems he may be switching Marvel for manga though, if these casting rumors end up being true. For more, check out our guides to new anime as well as our list of all the Naruto filler you can skip.

FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki has explained why The Duskbloods is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive.

Speaking to IGN, Miyazaki explains, "In terms of the reason that we initially decided to go with Nintendo, we had had an opportunity to discuss the idea for the game with them and I think they seemed very excited and very receptive to the idea, they seemed very forward thinking in terms of how to do it." He adds that this had an impact on his decision before he even thought about the business side of things, saying "that alone was something that I found very appealing and gave me a lot more reassurance for moving forward with this."

Miyazaki adds, "Of course the game isn't out yet so there are more things to consider, but in terms of the relationship currently and how we think it's going," Miyazaki notes that the games systems and rules set are "very unique" and adds, "I think having someone who can constantly give us feedback, support, additional ideas, and the balancing first of all because these features are quite complex and difficult – having this relationship is definitely key to that."

He notes that "the complexity of the systems" was another major factor. "The onboarding tutorials and making sure players understand how the game works and how to succeed in the game is something we've historically not been super great at conveying instantly," Miyazaki explains, adding, "We've definitely just dropped players in and hoped they would figure it out." He notes, "Nintendo is definitely the right partner for better conveying that information in a way that is understandable to the player; it definitely suits their strengths."

Of course, From Software is no stranger to exclusive titles, with two of its most beloved games of all time – Demon's Souls and Bloodborne – being published by Sony and were worked on alongside the now-closed Japan Studio. However, this will be the first time in the post-Dark Souls era that the studio has released a game on a Nintendo console on day one, and not to mention the first Nintendo home console exclusive by the company since 2003's Lost Kingdoms 2.

Hidetaka Miyazaki says The Duskbloods is full of ideas FromSoftware couldn't fit into Dark Souls or Demon's Souls: "That was always at the forefront of my mind"

A new trailer for Blue Eye Samurai season 2 has finally arrived, and with a release date in tow.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed above, Mizu is on a boat headed to London when a storm nearly causes a shipwreck. At the very end, we learn that new episodes are set to arrive in January 2027. A clip from season 2 was previously shown at Annecy, which saw Mizu arrive in London and become part of an underground fighting ring... where all the men underestimate her before she kicks some serious butt.

Per the official logline: "In Season 2, Mizu's bloody quest continues in London, where she faces new friends, old foes, and her own demons. In Japan, Akemi and Taigen navigate Edo Castle under a dangerous new Shogun, while Ringo searches for new purpose." The new trailer comes as part of Netflix's anime slate for Anime NYC.

"Mizu's journey remains the same. Revenge is her religion," Noizumi previously said of the new season, when we received a first-look trailer back in 2025.

Blue Eye Samurai hit Netflix back in November 2023 and was swiftly renewed for a second season that same December. Created by husband-and-wife team Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, the series follows a female warrior onna-musha who seeks revenge against four men, one of whom is her father. The impressive voice cast includes Kenneth Branagh, Brenda Song, George Takei, Masi Oka, and Randall Park.

For more, check out the best anime shows to watch right now.

As revealed at Anime NYC, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 hits Netflix on October 20 – and has a chrome-filled new trailer to whet the appetite before we set foot in Night City once more.

The Edgerunners season 2 teaser, which you can see above, introduces us to all the key players who we'll follow in the latest batch of episodes.

As you may have noticed, these aren't David's crew from the first season of Edgerunners. The Studio Trigger anime – co-produced by CD Projekt Red – is going anthology style, introducing a new band of netrunners and metallic ne'er-do-wells.

The bulk of the trailer revolves around Clancy Brown's Weak Kingsley, who appears to go cyberpsycho in one moment and, in a more tender scene, is protecting Talia (Kimoy Lee), a girl who may or may not be her daughter.

Rounding out the cast is camera-wielding Roman Carax (Valeria Rodriguez) and Snake Nation member D. (Nazeeh Tarsha), who each get mixed up in the blood-and-metal mayhem that the second season of Edgerunners is cooking up.

One moment in particular, that of an Arasaka building being bombed, may conjure up the legendary exploits of V. and Johnny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 2077, as well as the ill-fated David's confrontation with Atom Smasher at the end of the first season. Either way, it seems the corporation is very much still around in the anime.

The first episode was already shown at this year's Anime Expo, with first reactions calling it "very special." The creatives behind the series also compared the upcoming season to a Martin Scorsese film, as if there wasn't reason to be excited about Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 enough.

For more, check out our guide to new anime, as well as the best anime you should be watching in 2026.

Prime Video's God of War TV show has reportedly found its new Kratos in Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista.

Bautista had previously been in talks to play Kratos, but Variety now reports that the deal is done. The Odyssey star Ryan Hurst was previously cast as Kratos but was forced to leave the production due to a severe bicep injury onset. The original plan was to delay production and wait for Hurst to heal, but Amazon and Sony ultimately decided to recast. With Bautista on-board as Kratos, that puts things back on track to resume filming in the coming weeks, per Variety, but everything filmed with Hurst will obviously need to be reshot.

This is yet another hurdle cleared for the troubled adaptation, which took a lot of heat for a first-look image that was perceived as awkwardly framed and unfaithful to the source material.

Bautista is a retired professional wrestler and prolific actor best-known for his run as Drax the Destroyer in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy film series, two Avengers movies, and Thor: Love and Thunder. He's also no stranger to video game work, having appeared in dozens of WWE games since 2003, as well as the 2019 third-person shooter, Gears.

God of War's official cast includes Ed Skrein as Baldur, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Max Parker as Heimdall, Sonya Walger as Freya, and Alastair Duncan as Mimir. There's no release date yet.

For more, check out the new PS5 games on the horizon, plus all the new TV shows coming your way in 2026 and beyond.

While EA is largely known as the sports, Battlefield, and Sims factory these days – they also occasionally allow BioWare to release an RPG if the studio does so quietly enough – the studio's catalog includes many, many more franchises. What's going to become of all those IPs after the Saudi Arabia-led buyout of the company? Well, maybe some of them can be sold off to more attentive homes.

That's an idea posited by Emmanuel Rosier, who served as a high-level manager at EA for the better part of a decade, apprising the company of industry and market trends likely to affect their fortunes. Now he's the director of market intelligence at the third-party industry analysis firm Newzoo, and recently spoke to PC Gamer about the situation EA now finds itself in.

"They have a lot of dormant IPs that have not been used for so many years," Rosier says. "You know, they have IPs like Ultima, they have IPs like Wing Commander and this and that, and it's not being used at all. So the question is, would some of them be maybe sold, or will they hire studios to leverage these IPs? Because we see every day the importance of IPs."

EA's taking $20 billion in debt as part of the buyout, and it's widely expected that mass layoffs are going to be a big part of getting that debt under control. Selling off old IPs could be a way to get the cash flowing in a hurry, and as much of a struggle as it's seemingly been for BioWare to even get Mass Effect 5 made, I have my doubts that anyone's going to be able to convince the higher-ups at EA – never mind the even higher-ups in the new ownership group – to sign off on a big-budget revival of an even older series.

"I think there are plenty of IPs like that at EA that nobody cares about at this moment," Rosier says. "I think probably they will leverage that either by just selling it or trying to find external studios that can work on that. Maybe mobile games."

I don't know about that whole mobile games idea – the last time EA translated a classic series into a mobile game, we got Command & Conquer: Rivals. That game was, by many accounts, pretty good, but it left traditional RTS fans feeling burned, and the backlash was so severe that EA built a lavish remaster of the original games as something of a make good.

Ultima and Wing Commander, specifically, are every bit as foundational to their respective genres as Command & Conquer is to RTS games, and the fact that they're sitting in some grand EA vault like the artifacts in Raiders of the Lost Ark is hard to swallow. Never mind the likes of SimCity, Burnout, Dungeon Keeper, Populous, SSX, Spore… the list goes on and on.

I'm not one to demand revivals of every old game, as I do think old franchises have often already had their time to shine. But the fact that so many of these games aren't even available on Steam these days, with their legacy left to wonderful fan patches and sketchy abandonware sites, hardly seems right.

Many of the best RPGs available today simply would not exist without Ultima's influence.

Sony and Microsoft had better think long and hard before pricing the next generation of consoles at $1000, as one prominent industry analyst predicts that could result in a huge drop in sales compared to the current generation.

According to a new report from Ampere Analysis (via VGC), there is a specific set of circumstances which seem entirely plausible that could see combined PS6 and Xbox Project Helix sales plummet 38% over five years compared to PS5 and Xbox Series X sales over the same time period. Those circumstances are A) The next-gen consoles launch with a base price of $1000, and B) they're "conventionally designed, incrementally improved" over the current generation, which is typically the deal these days.

In that scenario, the analyst predicts Sony and Microsoft would see a massive drop in adoption rates as well as a decrease in consumer spending that could negatively impact the overall console games and services market by 12%.

With PS5 Pros going for $900, trade wars ongoing, and RAM shortages showing no signs of improving, a $1000 PS6 isn't such an outlandish prediction. And yet, another industry analyst has gone on the record to say consoles that expensive could price out buyers "quite significantly."

The folks at Ampere reckon Sony and Microsoft could avoid that problem in several ways, either by delaying the start of the next generation until component costs go down, keeping prices low through "heavier hardware subsidies, new monetisation models, more aggressive digital content strategies and optimised sales channels," or by going in another direction entirely and "substantially" innovating in a way that doesn't rely on "graphical improvement." VGC cites the Nintendo Wii as an example of this, trading raw hardware power for form factor innovation.

Considering the Xbox Series S launched for $299 less than six years ago, it's staggering to consider a successor that costs more than triple that as the cost of basic living necessities like groceries, gas, and housing remains elevated. I'm no analyst, but it's easy to see how people living in today's economy would stay out of a $1000 console generation until things settle down.

Threats of a $1,000 PS6 have ex-Sony president just as scared as you are: "How much more ray tracing can you put in there?"

Hayden Christensen says he wants to make a live-action Clone Wars series with the OG cast of the prequel series... and that everyone would be down to come back.

"I know that Ewan McGregor would love to do more with it," Christensen said on the Hey Jonas podcast, when asked by Kevin Jonas if there would ever be a live-action Anakin series. "I've heard Natalie [Portman] would love to come back. Sam Jackson. So you could get the band back together."

As a defender of the prequels, this makes me irrationally happy. Until Ahsoka season 1, Christensen had not revisited Anakin since 2005 (though his vocal 'cameo' in The Rise of Skywalker does technically count). In The Clone Wars TV show, we learn that Ahsoka and Anakin have some serious history together (I also find it endearing that he calls her 'Snips' and she calls him 'Skyguy'). It only made sense that this would carry over into the live-action Ahsoka series.

"I'm ready whenever they are. They just seem to not be ready, but I'm up for it," McGregor previously stated in regards to returning as Obi-Wan. It's been four years since his standalone limited Disney Plus series. The actor reportedly followed Dave Filoni around on set of Ahsoka season 2 (in which his wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Hera) in order to pitch his character's comeback.

Ahsoka season 2 hits Disney Plus on January 20, 2027. The trailer for the new season was released at D23 and you can check out our Ahsoka season 2 trailer breakdown for all the major moments.

Red Dead Redemption lead multiplayer designer Kris Roberts once tried enjoying his much-needed compensated time off. The 2010 open-world game's demanding pre-launch period put him in "an amnesiac state" of sleep deprivation, and he was starting to get irritable with his bosses at Rockstar. But then he got assigned jury duty, and then Red Dead's multiplayer bugs started to show themselves, and any hopes for going to bed on time were replaced with cold panic.

"Sort of like the punchline," Roberts tells Kiwi Talkz in a new interview, which you can watch below. "I was on jury in a criminal case, where somebody was potentially going to go to prison when we shipped. And, I don't know if you were aware or whatever, but when Red Dead shipped, multiplayer was broken. Just absolutely broken." Members of the Rockstar New England team – he credits someone named Jeremy, likely programmer Jeremy Tudisco – helped him patch it up, but not before he was made to have a few 3AM sessions spent staring at the American frontier gone wild.

"There were people riding chickens, and old ladies flying around, and all these wacky things that we had never, ever seen," Roberts says, "and it's like, 'Are we being hacked? Is somebody trolling us? What's going on?"

He'd work on finding a solution after his jury duty sessions, and while presumably unpleasant, the hard work during what was meant to be his free time eventually paid off. "What we discovered was, there were these special assets for the competitive games, these bags of gold that were really resource heavy, because everybody needed to agree, exactly, on who owned them, where they were, all that kind of stuff," says Roberts.

"And I remember riding around in a public session, and near Escalera, or some place like that where there was a competitive game, and I saw this array of bags, like, just there on the ground. Which shouldn't be there. They should never be in free roam. And that was, like, the first clue."

"We never actually, to the best of my understanding, figured out how it was happening," Roberts admits. But Rockstar devs were able to make a good guess: there was likely "some edge case" where a player leaving a competitive game could grab a money bag and take it with them while they free roamed like an outlaw.

"Basically, the theory was those [bags] were soaking up all the resources so none of the actual game logic or scripting could function as designed," says Roberts. Eventually, Jeremy came along and "came up with a script that would purge those bags with extreme prejudice. So, it's like, if you're in free roam, and you're an asset with this ID range, you are a bag, and you are gone."

"It was amazing, we were able to fix that," Roberts says, sounding relieved even 16 years later. Jeremy linked his bag removal script with the sound of a slot machine payout, too, for extra, flashy satisfaction.

Even better, the irreproachable technology of 2010 allowed Rockstar's multiplayer team to release emergency fixes with the easy slickness of shoe polish on cowboy boots.

Roberts observes about the money bag fix, "That kind of thing would normally have to go through a whole patch and approval process and testing, and, you know, it could have taken weeks or longer to deploy that." But developers' Xbox 360 and PS3 kits gave them access to title storage. "The intention was you would get, like, notifications about tournaments, or things that were happening, that could show up on the client," Roberts says, "and it turned out we could deploy Jeremy [Tudisco]'s script through the title storage update."

"So, with no oversight, and no testing, or no delay, we were able to get that script into the public sessions within 24 hours," he says. "I thought we had won the lottery as far as, like, 'It's actually getting fixed. It's not a catastrophe.'

In fact, it was finally over. "And it was three in the morning, or so, and I remember going to talk to – we had a new studio head then, Gordon [Hall] had left – and I remember talking to him," says Roberts. He told his boss, "'This is what we're doing, this is how it's being deployed, blah, blah, blah. But I got to go, because I'm expected in court in a few hours.'"

Sorry, Rockstar – duty calls.

After 16 years, Red Dead Redemption's John Marston actor completes Rockstar's epic Western, breaks down crying during the end credits: "Oh my goodness."

The creator of open-world game Future? No Thanks! says Valve has repeatedly flagged his game as deserving an adult-only rating on par with outright porn games, yet refused to explain its reasoning, reflecting what he calls a "monopoly" on PC gaming that forces devs to comply with opaque rules.

Aftermath spoke to several game developers about the difficult and awkward process of getting games with sexual content rated and approved on Steam. Pedercini's Future? No Thanks! is a comparatively tame open-world game about exploring an "ecosocialist eutopia" as an old man "scheduled for euthanasia."

It's definitely a mature game, but from what I've seen and what Pedercini is saying, it's very far from pornographic. It feels closer to comedy of a Futurama variety. Yet the disclaimer for its Steam demo insists the game contains "implied off-screen sexual activity. Conversations about mature themes such as sex, gender, and death. Depiction of legalized prostitution. Depiction of euthanasia. Drug and tobacco reference sexual innuendos mild swearing [sic]."

Pedercini maintains that the game "has some brief nudity and mature content… but there's no intercourse on screen," and while he's open to adjusting content to meet Steam's standards for a rating which won't kill the game's visibility, he's unsure what needs changing.

"Steam is a monopoly with very few precedents," he says. "As a developer, I’m completely at their whim."

This is something I've heard from many game developers publishing on Steam: the store can be great when it's in your corner, but working against it in any way can feel impossible.

Even after "all the nudity" was removed, by which Pedercini means "putting clothes on the sex worker and the sexbot," the game was rejected again on the grounds that it "contains sexual content that is explicit or graphic and is intended for adults only." However, Pedercini says Valve claims it "can't specify the reasons or point at the content" in question.

Valve is notorious for arbitrarily blocking games with sexual or mature content despite allowing a torrent of actual pornographic games on Steam. There was also a huge stink last year after Valve cracked under pressure from payment processor-pushed censorship and took a sledgehammer to swathes of adult games. Itch.io faced similar issues, which collectively forced countless NSFW games off stores.

The other half of this equation is its alleged monopoly, which is widely argued given its dominance on PC, but is still more contentious.

Games analyst Mat Piscatella commented on this last year, arguing that Steam is not a monopoly simply because of its market share.

"A monopoly is where there's a single seller for a particular service or good with no substitutes and the ability to charge excessively high rates because of this," he said at the time.

One question is whether Steam's dominance is due to Valve actively boxing out competitors, or due to Steam simply being that much better than other PC storefronts and thus eating their lunch passively. Ask Amazon and Epic Games how difficult it is to make a Steam competitor. '

"It's almost as if it isn't providing a shit service," as Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead Michael Doluse put it.

Valve has repeatedly been accused of, and taken to court over, monopolistic practices on Steam. Earlier this year, deposition from Gabe Newell, attached to a US class action lawsuit mirroring a UK case likewise accusing Valve of abusing its position, emerged. Newell argued that gamers "have enormous choice" and claimed "Valve does not have a policy or practice of dictating prices to third-party software developers on other platforms."

I actually met and spoke to Pedercini earlier this year to discuss another heated topic: why indie devs don't want to use generative AI.

Pedercini showed mercy to GTA 6 by shifting his own open-world game's release date away from Rockstar's.

Gearbox is sticking to its word and continuing to support Borderlands 4 with big new content drops despite what it's admitted was a "softer" launch than expected. The developer has released the full details for the $20 Borderlands 4 Story Pack 2, titled FL4K and the Last Resort, and, as you might've gleaned from that title, the Borderlands 3 playable Beastmaster class FL4K is making a triumphant comeback.

At the heart of FL4K and the Last Resort's story is a rescue mission for the vault hunter's dog, who is kidnapped by Tediore soldiers while accompanying FL4K on a hunting mission on the new tropical jungle map, Providence, which makes up much of the new DLC's visual identity. Art director Chris Neely tells Polygon the update has "a little bit of a Mad Max edge" and "a little John Wick action."

"Tediore has captured one of my best friends. He's a skag, and he's helpless without me. If he is alive, I require assistance rescuing him. If he is dead, go Vault Hunter, put things in their place," says FL4K in the below trailer. Frankly, if there's one guaranteed trick to get me to buy a DLC, it's telling me there's an animal that needs rescuing. Diabolical work, Gearbox.

Story Pack 2 also adds a bunch of new goons called Deadframes to blast through and a new Vault Hunter to embody while doing so, the previously unveiled Cyberpunk hacker, Loveless. Gearbox says Loveless makes use of "advanced cybernetics and a sentient digital virus pet for a unique combat approach," and again, just take my money already.

Ultimately, we're here for the loot, and Story Pack 2 delivers on that front. Gearbox says you'll be able to find two new Pearlescent weapons; the Astonisher Ripper shotgun and the Quadratus, a Vladof Heavy Weapon Ordnance; as well as 18 new pieces of Legendary gear.

Borderlands 4's second big expansion releases alongside a smaller new Bounty Pack, titled Amara and the Vile Shadows, which is a separate $6 purchase and comes with a new replayable mission and new loot including a new Pearlescent weapon and six new pieces of Legendaries.

All of that is releasing alongside a new system update that'll bring the game up to version 1.10 and increase the max level cap by 10 for everyone.

Here are the best FPS games to play in 2026.

FromSoftware president and longtime Souls series director Hidetaka Miyazaki says the studio doesn't make games to target a specific audience. In his case, he says he just makes the games he wants to see.

Miyazaki discusses his, and the FromSoftware team's, design philosophy in an interview with IGN. "We don't really have a set audience in mind at the start," he says. "It's very much showing that this is what I wanted to make; the motivation is that this is a game I want to see exist."

The Duskbloods comes at an unusual time for FromSoftware. 2022's Elden Ring proved to be the studio's biggest commercial success – and, to many or most fans, its finest RPG – which is the type of game that many companies would want to make a sequel for, or at least a similar follow-up. But ever since, and for several years now, we haven't gotten even one of the single-player dark fantasy RPGs that the studio is known for today.

2023 saw Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, the first-in-a-decade numbered installment in one of FromSoftware's oldest series. Per our Armored Core 6 review, the game was great – but it (very deliberately) wasn't more Elden Ring and didn't scratch the same itch. Ironically, neither did Elden Ring Nightreign, an experimental PvE battle royale of sorts forged from Elden Ring assets in a cave.

The Duskbloods is the studio's next game, and while it is a dark fantasy action RPG, it's a multiplayer-first experience with a blend of PvP and PvE. Thanks to a Nintendo partnership, it's also FromSoftware's first exclusive game since Bloodborne, making it another outlier in about 13 years of otherwise consistent action hits.

Miyazaki says there was no grand design behind this brief multiplayer bubble, nor has the studio moved away from single-player games. "At the end of the day, our motivation is always to just make a game that we want to play, something we've been wanting to make," he reiterates.

"There was never really any big plan that these two games [Nightreign and The Duskbloods] would both release next to each other," Miyazaki continues. "I mean, that's a different director, but both of those ideas just coincided with being multiplayer games. It's not necessarily some big reveal saying that this is the direction we plan to go moving forward. We still have a heavy focus on single-player content as well. This is just something that happened to work out the way it did."

The director of Nightreign, Junya Ishizaki, joined by FromSoft producer Yasuhiro Kitao, said as much to me in an interview last year: FromSoftware is dabbling in more multiplayer, but its interest in single-player games hasn't waned.

However, Miyazaki says it is "very fun to make a multiplayer game like this. It's not something we've done a lot and we're looking forward to seeing players' reactions and getting the feedback."

Separately, he explains that The Duskbloods leverages ideas that were brought up years ago but didn't suit the likes of Dark Souls or Demon's Souls.

Similar comments come up in a separate chat with Inven Global, with Miyazaki reaffirming that FromSoftware hasn't suddenly lost interest in single-player games despite a small string of multiplayer releases.

"Our stance remains unchanged even now: 'We make the games we want to make,'" he says. "The timing of planning The Duskbloods and the timing of planning by the [Elden Ring] Nightreign team happened to overlap by chance, and Nightreign just happened to be released first, which seems to have led to this misunderstanding." The Duskbloods actually entered development before Nightreign, which reflects the quick-and-dirty development pipeline that Nightreign seems to have had.

Stop the Bloodborne hunt, Miyazaki says The Duskbloods is totally unrelated: "I almost regret putting the word 'Blood' in the title."