Resident Evil series executive producer Jun Takeuchi says the series' overarching storyline could end within the next 10 years.

Speaking to Yahoo Japan (via machine translation), Takeuchi notes that with the upcoming Resident Evil Veronica, he thinks players will understand just how significant the game is to the plot of the series, as opposed to dismissing it as a side story.

This is in part due to some of the altered parts of the story featured in the remake; and while the Resident Evil remakes have generally been changing aspects as they go along, it's in service of eventually combining these remade classics with the most recent games in the series.

Takeuchi notes that even though the series overall plot was very much not planned from the start, and instead expanded as Capcom went along. On top of that, when planning for the Resident Evil 2 remake began, Capcom envisioned a 10-year plan for the storyline, with him teasing that there's a reason behind the order of the remakes – presumably why Capcom skipped to Resident Evil 4 when Code: Veronica and Zero were next in line.

With the release of Resident Evil: Requiem earlier this year, Takeuchi believes the first 10 years of Capcom's plan have come to an end and that, over the next 10 years, the series' conclusion will likely arrive.

However, he teases there will be multiple titles before then at least. Requiem's storyline did deal with an aging Leon and featured Grace Ashcroft as a potential character to carry on the series, so the seeds have definitely been planted. At least, with the story ending, Capcom will finally have to put Jill and Claire in a new game for once… Right?

You can check out our Resident Evil Requiem review if you're yet to play the horror game yourself, or our guide to Resident Evil Requiem's safe codes to help you through it.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 standout Roman wasn't initially planned to be part of the CD Projekt Red/Studio Trigger anime.

As showrunner and franchise VP Bartosz Sztybor tells it on a recent REDStreams talk, impassioned discussions about film with series director Kai Ikarashi – Magnolia and A Clockwork Orange among them – led to the creation of Roman, the Night City boy obsessed with analog film over braindances.

"Roman was not in the original pitch of Edgerunners 2. He was born out of passion for cinema," Sztybor said.

He added, "Roman was created later during the [18 months] of back and forth in creating the storyline. We thought we needed a character that would bind all our characters. Let's make him a movie buff because we love cinema and [physical media]."

In Edgerunners 2, Roman proved to be the glue holding the other Night City characters together, filming the exploits of Snake Nation nomad D. as he sought revenge against those who murdered his clan. He also bonded with the chrome-obsessed Talia and crossed paths with veteran edgerunner King (AKA Weak Kingsley).

Cyberpunk 2077 even marked the arrival of our new Netflix chooms with a 2.5 update, which included a quest that saw the player's V. take a job from King – as well as being able to wield his gun, Coronation.

What didn't make the cut, however, was Studio Trigger's pitch to destroy Night City and Arasaka along with it. Would've made for a hell of a Roman feature film, though.

For more, scroll on through our explainers to the Cyberpunk timeline and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 ending.

PlayStation has announced a new range of DualSense colorways and PS5 console faceplates, and if you've been enjoying the recent trend of transparent gaming tech, you're in luck. The Prism collection gives you the chance to stylize your setup with some colorful translucence in your PS5 controller or console aesthetic in either black, red, or green.

This niche of gaming hardware has been seeing a resurgence of late as Xbox revived it to celebrate the anniversary of the original Microsoft console. That's led to quite a few third-party Xbox controllers coming out with new retro-styled aesthetics to join the celebrations, but PS5 players have been feeling left out until now.

The brand's product designers are even alluding to the 90s-led inspiration:

"We know how much our fans have been looking forward to the return of transparent controllers," said Leo Cardoso from PlayStation's Color, Material, and Finish design team. "We wanted to bring back the iconic see-through trend of the late ’90s in a fresh, modern way that complements the PS5’s industrial design.”

Sony will launch pre-orders for the new color range on November 10, 2026, with the actual products shipping for a release date of February 4, 2027. They'll set you back the same as other limited edition DualSense and faceplates: $84.99 / £74.99 and $74.99 / £64.99, respectively.

The new console covers and DualSenses can be had in their official color names, Graphite Gray, Flare Orange, and Emerald Green.

The faceplates for the console aren't without a lovely touch of irony, since the transparent panelling ends when you get halfway down the machine. That means the Blu-ray drive, should you have one, will be covered by solid paneling and not visible from the outside. Okay, no one wants to look at the disc drive of a console, but pretty funny considering the dominating topic of conversation surrounding this brand since the start of summer has been its decision to kill physical media on its platforms.

Whether this is intentional or not, it is pretty funny to observe, particularly since PlayStation's socials have been flooded with "no disc no buy" comments for months. As you might expect, the PlayStation Blog post that announced the news makes no mention of it, with all of the promotional material being for the digital version of the console. It's certainly ironic considering physical media was a pretty fundamental part of the 90s tech the Prism collection is harkening back to.

"The high-gloss clear finish extends across the back of the controller, offering a look at the technology that powers the DualSense controller while maintaining a sleek, monochromatic look", says Satoshi Aoyagi, also of the design team at PlayStation.

"The metallic finish on the middle cover brings the contrasting surfaces together for a premium appearance that feels consistent with the PS5 generation."

For more, take a gander at some of the best PC controllers, the best TMR controllers, and the best Switch 2 controllers.

There's some good news and some bad news for Witchbrook fans today. Chucklefish's long-awaited magical school RPG finally has a release date set for next January… but that's also a delay from what was previously announced.

Witchbrook – a cozy life sim with Stardew Valley-esque visuals set in a seaside town with a magical college – was first teased over 10 years ago, if you can believe it, but it's felt tantalizingly close for the last couple of years thanks to some unfortunate delays. It was originally planned to arrive sometime during winter 2025, but got pushed back to 2026, and, well… it's now missed out on that window, too.

As announced during today's Nintendo Indie World Showcase, Witchbrook is now set to arrive on January 28, 2027. In addition to launching on PC, Xbox, Switch, and Switch 2 as previously revealed in a blog post shared on Steam, Chucklefish now confirms that Witchbrook will also arrive on PS5 at the same time as the other platforms, so no one is missing out at launch.

This blog post also confirms the US pricing for Witchbrook. It'll be $24.99 at launch, and Chucklefish also notes that physical copies – both standard and collector's editions – will be coming, too, but not until after the digital release. This is "to avoid impacting the release schedule, and to ensure they’re truly special for physical media collectors," the devs say.

"We have poured detail and care into every pixel, to create a truly handcrafted experience," the blog post says. "We can't wait to open Witchbrook College's grand doors to new students in January, and introduce you to the town and people of Mossport.

"Thank you for all of your support and patience, especially within the last year, while we took the additional time to make a game we're truly proud of. We hope you'll enjoy immersing yourself in our magical pixel art world as much as we've enjoyed making it."

That pair of aforementioned delays may have some feeling wary about getting too excited about the new date, but with an actual date listed this time rather than a more vague release window, it feels a lot more likely that this will be Witchbrook's final delay. Hopefully, anyway.

Witchbrook's taken 10 years because "Harry Potter meets Stardew Valley" got old and the devs wanted time to make "something more unique."

There's a new World of Warcraft launching next week, and it's not just another expansion. World of Warcraft: Forever is a new pillar for the universe that proves why the series always remains one of the best MMORPGs in the packed genre. Returning to the culture of collaboration and connection that helped define the earliest years of the epic online RPG, it's built with innovation at its heart to make the old feel new again – new graphics, better UI, an expansion's worth of new content including nine new dungeons, two new raids, new zones, talents, and systems.

The launch is imminent, and the WoW: Forever beta has already racked up huge player numbers as lapsed fans return, vanilla players get a dose of nostalgia, and newcomers are finally tempted to experience the magic. In that wake, I caught up with Holly Longdale, executive producer & vice president for World of Warcraft, and Clay Stone, associate production director, to talk about the response to the beta, community expectations, and adding long-awaited controller support.

"There may never be another time where we're standing up on a BlizzCon stage announcing a brand new World of Warcraft and having a response like this. So, trying to take it all in, it's been amazing," says Stone. Join us below as Longdale and Stone take me through everything we need to know before the big Wow: Forever launch next week.

7. The beta was a monumental success…

Holly Longdale tells me that World of Warcraft: Forever had been under consideration for "quite some time." The community spent years asking for 'Classic Plus' and all that time Blizzard was quietly listening, gathering the data and insights it needed to turn a wild idea into a reality. Longdale says the development teams working across World of Warcraft knew that there was a "clear opportunity here", but nothing could have prepared them for such a rapturous response to the beta.

"With every single day that passed, we thought, 'OK, it'll calm down now – it'll be fine.' And then it just kept getting bigger. I'll call it a spark, but I'm not going to call it a lightning strike – just so I don't jinx anything," she laughs. "It was only a beta, but people were treating it like it's live. So we've been kind of hanging on by our fingernails to make sure that we do everything that we can to keep moving things in the right direction in preparation for launch."

Longdale adds: "This is one of those times where, when you've found a spark, you follow it through and see what lights up – and then you adjust afterwards."

6. …but Blizzard is still ready for anything come November 4

"I'm not sure we can fully predict in either direction what launch will be like. It's an interesting time, and we have our heads on a swivel!" says Longdale, speaking to whether a popular beta guarantees a successful launch. Still, multiple increases to the population cap of the beta servers (as well as a public stress test) have given Blizzard a lot of data and feedback to work with in the final days before release.

"From a live-ops management standpoint, you obviously hope that players will treat a beta like a full launch – but you don't even dream that something like that is actually possible. But our players did do that, and they've been playing it in a way that reflects that as well, which is super exciting," says Clay Stone. "Seeing the data and the response… we are just trying to take it all in as much as possible."

Blizzard is preparing final tweaks; tinkering with the balance of the 1-60 leveling journey, and trying to meet the community in the middle on controversial changes to Racial Abilities and Traits. The question now is whether it can get those servers ready for an onslaught of new players wanting to see what all the fuss is about and returning adventurers looking to recapture some of that vanilla nostalgia.

5. Forever complements the existing WoW offering

You'd think that Blizzard had seen it all through 22 years of supporting World of Warcraft, but the franchise has arrived at an unfamiliar crossroads. The WorldSoul Saga was announced in 2023, a multi-expansion effort for retail that delivered more content, faster than ever before, and is set to resolve in 2027 following the release of The Last Titan. WoW Classic reached divisive territory following the decision to push beyond Wrath of the Lich King and into Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria. And then there's Forever. Is there a risk that the playerbase could fracture?

"We don't know what's going to happen," says Clay Stone, "but we're excited to see how players move around. We expect that some players love their homes where they are, and that some players will find their way to Forever. It's going to be an interesting journey for us, for sure."

That's certainly one way of putting it, although Stone is emphatic with his belief that World of Warcraft remains flexible enough to thrive under changing tides of player behaviour and interests. "Forever is a powerful new pillar within our ongoing World of Warcraft ecosystem," he adds.

4. Year one, forever

Speaking of that ecosystem, it's good for you to understand what's available if you're thinking of returning to World of Warcraft right now. Let's start with the 'retail' experience, which Clay describes as continuing to "chart a course as [a] best-in-class modern MMO." Then there's Classic, which has seen Blizzard "revisit classic experiences as players remember them." Where, then, does Forever fit?

"We think that it'll fit perfectly within the ecosystem, alongside Classic and the modern game, by providing something for players that we are otherwise not providing. And that's this forever home in a vanilla-inspired space that'll chart its own course in the future with new content being added over time as we exist in essentially this year one of World of Warcraft, forever," says Stone. "Or at least as long as players want to go on this journey with us."

Holly Longdale adds: "We have modeled out every possible scenario we can think of about what will happen to our retail audience, what happens to our Classic audience, and what the Forever audience will be."

3. Reasons to explore again

World of Warcraft: Forever strikes a wondrous balance between celebrating the legacy of the past and innovating just enough to make the MMO feel fresh for 2026 and beyond. As someone who was there for vanilla (and who has dipped into every expansion since) it's fun to see Blizzard embrace some of the friction that was inherent to the game in its early years.

Forever is far slower and more contemplative than the contemporary version of WoW. Clay Stone says that the team has gone to great lengths to "preserve meaningful friction" wherever possible as it returns the focus to discovery, exploration, and social connection. "Players are coming in and discovering this slower-paced game, where they have to run places and party up with other players to see all the content. They are responding positively to that, so I think it speaks to this desire in players – whether they are old or new to WoW – for this style of game again."

One interesting example of this is how stripping flying mounts (first introduced in the Burning Crusade expansion) out of the game will alter your relationship with the world itself. "We say that Azeroth is the main character. And when you're flying over it, essentially bypassing the progression of content across the world itself, it loses something," says Holly Longdale, who adds that getting players back out into Azeroth and discovering its mysteries (both old and new) together is a big part of the Forever appeal. "The audience that Forever is focused on, the players who will go into the corners of the world, look behind every rock, and into every cave, we want to encourage that!"

2. Evolving a timeless world

World of Warcraft: Forever may be firmly rooted in the 2004-2006 era of the MMO's history, but there's a spirit of innovation inherent to its design that surprised me. New races and class combinations, the introduction of campsites to encourage social connection, and revamped visual fidelity are some of the highlights – although the real efforts to evolve a timeless world focused fully on how Blizzard is building beyond the content that was present in vanilla.

"Part of the design ethos for Forever, and the community's desire for 'Classic Plus', is that we never went through the Dark Portal. I'm not saying that this couldn't ever happen, but we do place these boundaries on what it is that we're building because it provides us with structure around what this game is versus what it's not," says Clay Stone. "When we think about Azeroth, and we think about all the places we haven't gone in the world, there is so much for us to play with."

Blizzard is pursuing 'horizontal-progression' in Forever. There's a fixed level 60 cap, so the focus will instead be on world and system growth. How Azeroth develops is all part of the fun. "I think there are other places in Azeroth, besides Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, that we could potentially go one day, and there's so much excitement about that," he says. "There's ways for us to build the world out – think back to the vanilla version of the continents, there's a lot of unused space that was never filled in."

1. World of Warcraft on Xbox? Gamepad support goes "beyond consoles"

One of the biggest surprises of the World of Warcraft: Forever beta was the introduction of native-support for controllers. WoW has always been designed with mouse and keyboard being the primary points of interaction with the world of Azeroth, so it was pretty surprising to discover that controller mapping not only works but is actually a pretty wonderful way to experience Warcraft. As is (it must be said) playing Forever in bed on a ROG XBOX Ally X.

Having an entire playerbase start from scratch – levelling from one to 60, together and forever – is an exceptionally rare occurrence in the realm of MMORPGs, and one that can never be repeated. So I put it to Holly Longdale: Is World of Warcraft: Forever launching as a PC-exclusive a missed opportunity?

"What you just described is really what we're after. Play it wherever you want and, at some point, on whatever you want. But the first leg of that journey is getting gamepads working really well with World of Warcraft, and we thought Forever was the perfect place to start. Looking at where things are going when we hear about Project Helix et cetera, I think platforms will be a bit more ubiquitous," says Longdale. "Honestly, we just want to be able to play it anywhere. We've seen people getting it working on the ROG Ally X…"

"Someone modded a Nintendo DS!" Stone adds.

"I think just doing some of the work we're doing on gamepad [support] is going to give players a lot of flexibility that I think goes beyond consoles," says Longdale.

There's a whole gaming world out there (some involving war). Check out our best open world games and best RPGs rankings for more to play now, and keep an eye on our upcoming RPGs calendar for what's on the horizon!

Following the closure of BioWare and cancellation of Mass Effect 5 after the EA buyout, the RPG that never came to be has been heavy on fans' minds – and former developers' own, too.

Behind the scenes, though, things with the next Mass Effect were on shaky ground for some time, reportedly, as the massive $55 billion EA buyout by Saudi Arabia's private investment fund, Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and private equity fund Silver Lake fell into place.

The acquisition allegedly spurred various changes in BioWare devs' plans, especially in how potentially sensitive topics were handled.

For example, BioWare's inclusivity – something the studio has been well-known for since its old RPGs, from the original Dragon Age to Mass Effect – and outspoken support for marginalized communities.

An unnamed dev who was working on Mass Effect: Universe, as the in-progress fifth entry was titled, explains as much in a statement to BFM (as translated from French via machine using both DeepL and Google).

"I think the video proposals we presented to the new management weren't convincing," he alleges. "Especially since BioWare is known for its inclusive stories, which didn't help dispel the skepticism."

This "skepticism," as the dev goes on to describe, supposedly led to EA having devs remove a flag "too similar to the LGBTQIA+ flag" from one of the presented videos, "so as not to cause offense" with its inclusion.

It's a difficult thought to stomach, especially when, as the anonymous dev puts it, you consider BioWare's history as a strong supporter of folks whose voices aren't as well-heard by the public, but it's sadly not all that surprising.

I'm instantly reminded of The Sims series myself, and how covers had to be changed for Saudi Arabian audiences so as to not include any LGBTQIA+ representation.

People were worrying about what the buyout might mean in that sense while it was underway, too, with EA staff sharing how they feared the new Saudi Arabian owners would police their games and how "projects just won't get signed because they don't align explicitly with what the Saudi government wants."

None of the process has been easy or simple, to say the least, and the future continues to remain uncertain.

Here's hoping that everyone from BioWare is able to land on their feet following the studio's closure – and that somehow, some way, the Save Mass Effect movement results in change.

The leaked Mass Effect 5 trailer is being re-released by a veteran BioWare composer: "I want it to properly represent my musical vision"

Curry Barker has teamed up with Windows to release his next short film just in time for the end of spooky season.

Mama Bear is set to premiere October 29 at 11:30 AM EST on Barker's personal That's a Bad Idea YouTube channel. We don't know the premise or the runtime, but we do know it was written, directed, and edited by Barker and is being "sponsored" by Windows.

The cast includes Jon Lee Richardson as Floyd, Katie Sarife (Annabelle Comes Home) as Lacey, Ericka Kreuz as Ms. Wilson, and Joshua Snyder as a character billed only as 'Doppelgänger."

Barker has also wrapped filming on Anything But Ghosts, which is set for a 2027 release, and stars himself and Cooper Tomlinson as a pair of fake paranormal investigators who end up encountering very real ghosts. It's also set in the same universe as Obsession, and has been described as, "if Key and Peele walked into Hereditary." The film is part of Barker's multi-million-dollar deal with Universal, which may or may not include yet another remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

It's worth noting that Tomlinson and Barker have been making comedy videos on the That's a Bad Idea YoutTube channel for the past 10 years, with the last one having been released right around the time that Obsession went mega-viral... and made $523 million against a budget of just $750,000.

Obsession is streaming now on Peacock. Anything But Ghosts is set to hit theaters on May 7, 2027. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming horror movies on the way in 2026 and beyond.

As we're now less than a month out from the launch of GTA 6, you may have noticed that a number of controller brands are selling you peripherals that are adorned with palm trees and quietly purple colorways. You might also notice that not many of these PS5 controllers and Xbox controllers will officially state anything about Grand Theft Auto. The second they do, they'll have Rockstar knocking on the door asking for licensing fees.

Thankfully, it's easy to make something look Vice City-inspired without actually approaching the GTA studio for a partnership - a purple sunset and palm trees are in the public domain.

I have to admit though, of all the subtle GTA 6 controller designs I've seen, GameSir might have made the best ones yet. It's launching two new versions of the GameSir G7 Pro, and both look worth buying even if GTA wasn't launching in the next 30 days. First of all, there's the Sunset Boulevard (the street, not the musical) Edition, which features a brighter pink face. Then the Ocean Breeze Edition gives off a lighter, brushed steel kind of vibe.

What I love about these controllers is that they cost the same as any other rendition of the GameSir G7 Pro, despite having a metallic, pearlescent finish to them that looks more premium than the other colorways. Not to mention, the entire games industry is trying to squeeze every last penny out of GTA 6's release, so it's nice to see a brand like this not price-gouging.

Naturally, these are going to be controllers for the Xbox players among us, until such times as Rockstar launches GTA 6 on PC as well as consoles. The G7 Pro is one of the most popular controllers on the market right now for good reason, but it isn't compatible with PS5, and GameSir, as a brand, is yet to make its move over to the officially licensed world of Sony.

To give you a reminder, the G7 Pro has earned its reputation with fans and critics by offering a really impressive feature list at a sub-$100 price. It has TMR sticks, wireless capability, a charging stand, two back buttons, and two additional bumpers, as well as excellent-feeling microswitch buttons that feel nice and responsive. There's solid versatility to be had in multiplayer and singleplayer games, so it's one of the pound-for-pounders on the controller shelves right now.

Both new versions of the controller are available for pre-order via GameSir's website now, and both will ship in November 2026, although there isn't a more specific date for when it will arrive on your doorstep. I would imagine the goal for this type of product will be to make it readily available in time for the game's launch on November 19, but just be prepared for it to be later than that since this is a new release and GameSir isn't being very specific.

If you're hunting for a new controller on another platform, check out the best TMR controllers, the best PC controllers, and the best Switch 2 controllers.

With less than two months to wait until we see Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan in the world of Jumanji one final time, Sony Pictures has released another trailer for the upcoming threequel Jumanji: Open World.

The new clip, which you can watch below, opens with what looks like the Northern Lights circling over a snowy, festive Boston. But what is really happening is that Jumanji is colliding with the real world, releasing fierce prehistoric beasts onto the streets. To make matters worse, Spencer, his mother, his kid cousin, and a charismatic local are sucked into the game and take shape as the avatars. In the real world, civilization is under threat, but in the game, Spencer and co must face a new villain and complete the game before time runs out, as there are no extra life bars this time.

Jumanji: Open World, which will mark the end of the modern Jumanji trilogy, is set at Christmas time and will see our beloved heroes Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Johnson), Ruby Roundhouse (Gillan), Franklin 'Mouse' Finbar (Hart), and Professor Shelly Oberon (Black) as they battle the weird and wonderful characters and creatures that Jumanji has to offer.

But there's a twist this time. Real-world characters Spencer, Martha, Bethany, and Fridge are not controlling the avatars this time. Smoulder and co have new inhabitants. The official synopsis from Sony reads, "Our heroes have escaped the perilous jungles of Jumanji before, but this time Jumanji breaks free of its console, unleashing its chaos into our world."

Alex Wolff is also returning as Spencer, alongside Morgan Turner as Martha, Ser’Darius Blain as Fridge, Madison Iseman as Bethany, Nick Jonas as in-game character Jefferson 'Seaplane' McDonough, and Danny DeVito as Spencer's grandfather Edward.

Jumanji: Open World is directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg. The franchise is based on the book Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg, which was first brought to the screen in Joe Johnston's 1995 movie led by Robin Williams.

Jumanji 3 will arrive in theaters on Christmas Day. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the other biggest upcoming movies and our guide to key movie release dates.

GTA 5 and San Andreas' leading men have given some advice to the new GTA 6 leads as the game is poised to change their lives forever.

In the pantheon of iconic gaming protagonists, there are many superpowered beings, creatures, chosen ones, and heroes. But GTA, as a series, has managed to create a number of gaming icons who are just guys. Sure, they can take a lot of damage, survive massive car crashes, and survive a blimp crash as long as Davey is in the vicinity, but for all intents and purposes they are just guys. And yet, you can't go a week without seeing CJ saying "Aw shit, here we go again." So the role of a GTA protagonist is a big space to fill, and one that our currently officially unknown (but fans have likely figured it out) leads of GTA 6 will have to learn firsthand in about a month's time.

Speaking to All Out Gaming at MCM Comic Con, Ned Luke, Shawn Fonteno, and Steven Ogg – GTA 5's Michael, Franklin, and Trevor, respectively – and Young Maylay – GTA San Andreas' Carl 'CJ' Johnson – were asked what their advice is for the upcoming duo of GTA leads. "Have fun," Luke says, while Maylay imparts, "get ready." Fonteno says, "just listen to Rockstar," adding, "they're going to lead you in the right direction," while taking a page out of his cousin's book, saying, "get ready" and that "it's a ride that they're going to be on for a while."

Maylay also warned the trio that "my game was 20 years ago. So when [GTA] 6 comes out, you guys will be in my position." He explains that everyone lining up to meet him at Comic Con are "the OG's," recalling, "You got the guys with the gray hair coming in saying, 'Hey, man, you're the guy CJ,'" Maylay adds, "you're going to grow with your fanbase."

However, despite the different generations of gamers having played different GTA entries, Maylay notes, "It's not like everything's gonna get shut down from you guys, because I wasn't shut down because of you guys."

GTA: Vice City's writing was "awful," Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says, but acting icon Ray Liotta "made it sound good"

As Final Fantasy Resonance has a strong start, and, like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, proves what an appetite JRPG fans have for turn-based games, one analyst suggests that Square Enix "knows what it's missed out on" after its "move towards more action-oriented Final Fantasy titles."

Square Enix's new turn-based, HD-2D release launched last week and quickly dethroned Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth as the series' single-player games' highest concurrent player peak on Steam. And, as you might expect, that's translated to a lot of money for Square Enix, too.

According to Alinea Analytics analyst Rhys Elliott, Resonance has now sold 400k copies across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, bringing in $20 million in revenue. That's obviously rather a lot, and Elliott suggests it reflects what JRPG fans actually want and that Square Enix is catering to it. It's also worth keeping in mind that this doesn't include what the game made on the Nintendo Switch 2.

"Given the strong positive reaction to – and early sales of – Resonance and last year's Expedition 33 (which is tracking way better than recent Final Fantasy games), it's clear that Square Enix has left a significant chunk of JRPG players behind during their move towards more action-oriented Final Fantasy titles," he suggests.

"While Square chased more Western trends, a Western company swept in and released Expedition 33, a game JRPG fans wanted for decades and even won game of the year at The Game Awards," he continues. "Square knows this, knows what it's missed out on, and it's seen Capcom succeed on Steam with its legacy franchises where Square Enix has arguably floundered."

Obviously, that isn't to say that Final Fantasy Resonance was made in response to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, as it was in the works well before Sandfall's reveal, let alone its wildly successful launch last year. However, the timing of another turn-based RPG gaining so much traction can't be ignored, and Elliott suggests that Square Enix may consider altering its strategy going forward.

"I can see Square Enix going down a new route, with many diverging paths, for Final Fantasy," he explains. "They've already outlined their plans to go fully multiplatform, smartly moving away from timed PlayStation exclusivity.

"I can also see the company balancing its MMO, high-fidelity remakes, and big-budget mainline Final Fantasy titles with more of these smaller 2D-HD original pixel games alongside the 2D-HD remakes," he continues. "There's still a gap for a turn-based JRPG big-budget Final Fantasy, though, and all the signals are pointing Square Enix in that direction. Just a matter of time, I reckon."

It's not just Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall that the analyst suggests Square Enix takes notes from, though. After a particularly stellar year with the likes of Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword – showcasing success with new IP and old favorites alike – Elliott adds: "I'd take even more cues from Capcom, if I were them."

Final Fantasy 14 devs say Evercold's new Evolved mode isn't massive power creep: "If you don't want to change, you don't have to."

Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange? Come with me, and you will see why Nemesis is the best horror board game to be playing this Halloween…

That rhyme kinda got away from me there at the end, but the point stands; Nemesis rules, and Halloween is the perfect time for you to grab some friends and dive into its claustrophobic, alien-infested corridors.

Horror is a difficult thing to nail for even the best board games. As a setting, it's perfect, and there are loads of spooky-themed games out there. Betrayal at House on the Hill, Arkham Horror, Horrified… the list goes on, but none of these games are particularly scary. It's tough to inject fear into a board game when it's essentially a group of friends sitting around a table, chatting and having a good time. As a result, most horror board games are more akin to interactive Scooby-Doo episodes than a starring role in a slasher flick.

The exception, though, is Nemesis.

For the uninitiated, Nemesis is Alien. Oh sure, all the names have been changed, and the copyright logos have been sanded off, but it's Alien. You and your buddies are trapped on a rickety spaceship with extraterrestrial monstrosities that want to bite your face off or implant an embryo in your chest, and you have to work together to survive the nightmare.

So what makes Nemesis scarier than other games? The brutal difficulty, for one thing. I've died an order of magnitude more times than I've survived playing Nemesis, and it's the fear of getting your ticket punched that drives the terror.

There is also a masterful tension curve in Nemesis that builds slowly as the game goes on. At the start, players all wake up from their hibernation pods with no idea what's going on. There's a corpse on the floor, and — thanks to a convenient bit of hypersleep-induced amnesia — no memory of the ship's layout, resulting in some clumsy exploration to figure out the ship's randomized configuration. As you explore, you'll make noise, which will eventually draw out the Xenomorphs Intruders.

The Intruders are savage, and fighting should really be a last resort. Your odds improve dramatically if you have help from the other players, but you can't always rely on that. See, I said you all have to "work together" earlier, but that cooperation comes with an asterisk.

You see, every player has hidden objectives when the game starts, and while most of them are pretty chill, some of the corporate objectives require a tiny amount of betraying your teammates and leaving them for dead. This creates a wonderful sense of paranoia amongst the group; will Sarah really come to my aid? Did Steve really fix the engines like he said he did? Why is Dave smuggling an intruder egg around under his jacket?

Your death in Nemesis will usually come at the hands of salivating monsters popping out of the vents or the ramshackle spaceship exploding, but never forget that people are the real monsters. I've been abandoned, blown up, locked in a burning room, and sent into deep space, and I will forget none of these betrayals. Payback is coming, my friends, in this round of the next.

There are actually three different versions of Nemesis at this point: Nemesis, Nemesis: Lockdown, and Nemesis: Retaliation. There is also a Legacy version on the way, and I cannot wait for that.

Nemesis: Lockdown is set on a secret research base, and Nemesis: Retaliation is the Aliens to the original's Alien, with players taking on the role of a crack squad of marines.

They're all different flavors of the same experience, and while I'd recommend the OG Nemesis, it can be tough to find, so the best Nemesis to play is the one that you can get your hands on.

Whichever version you do end up playing, though, you'll have an amazing time. Nemesis is a real story-generating machine and the perfect way to spend a spooky Halloween evening with your friends.

• See the latest deals on horror board games at Amazon

GTA 6 was always expected to be a chonky download, but the actual file size has just hit the airwaves - a full 210GB heading to your PS5 SSD.

The information comes from PlayStation Game Size on Twitter, a niche, but very much appreciated source for upcoming file installs across Sony's consoles. 210GB puts GTA 6 in line with some of the greediest PS5 releases of the generation.

If you've been stocking your console with current-generation releases, though, some sacrifices might have to be made when GTA 6 pre-load begins on November 12. I have an additional 1TB SSD running alongside my own internal storage and regularly have to cull my installs to make way for a shiny new game, but I wouldn't recommend upgrading too heavily if you're staring down the barrel of the software management page.

Component shortages have caused chaos in the world of SSD prices, so much so that the cheapest 1TB sticks will now run you around $150 (Silicon Power, Newegg). Thankfully, the best PS5 external hard drives are having a slightly easier time of it right now - enter the Seagate HDD.

Of course, this only makes sense for those with a PS4 library competing against their newer games. However, if you're still making the most of the previous generation's roster, it's worth remembering that they might as well sit in their own little house.

Adding 1TB of SSD storage that will match the internal system's 5,000MB/s will cost you around $150, while upgrading an existing 1TB stick to 2TB will generally see you spending $250 to $300 at the cheapest end of the market.

Seagate's external hard drive will run you a little over $100 and allow you to store and play older PS4 releases or act as a backup folder for PS5 games you want to keep within arm's reach but not play on your main system right now. Is it the ideal solution? No, but if GTA 6's install size has you in a jam, it's the cheapest way to get out of it right now.

Of course, spending zero dollars is always better. That's why I'd urge you to take a look at your existing downloads and question whether a healthy clean-out is possible. If you're already close to full, a storage upgrade is probably on the horizon anyway. GTA 6 is likely to stay on your system a long time, and if online functionality appears, that install size is only going to grow. For now, though, while storage prices are the way they are, it's worth seeing if you can clear enough space for the next few months.

Top PS5 external hard drives

• Seagate Portable Drive (1TB) | $119.99 at Amazon
• Seagate Portable Drive (2TB) | $129.99 at Amazon
• WD My Passport (2TB) | $139.90 at Amazon

We're also rounding up all the best PS5 accessories as well as the best PS5 controllers and best PS5 headsets to get you ready for the big day. With Black Friday PS5 deals on the horizon, we could be in for some solid savings to boot.

One Clayface fan has come up with a theory that might help explain Matt Hagen's downfall.

Spoilers for the film follow, so turn back now if you're not up to date on the new DCU movie!

In the film, Matt Hagen is given experimental treatment by Dr. Caitlyn Corr after he is horrifically disfigured by a gangster. The treatment heals his wounds, but also gives him grotesque shapeshifting powers.

But, Caitlyn developed the treatment by first using her own DNA. As Matt descends further into villainy as he embarks on a brutal revenge quest, he also gets more and more obsessed with Caitlyn. For a full breakdown, read our Clayface ending explained.

"I have a wild theory that it's the nanites who are attracted to her, not Matt himself as Caitlyn have been experimenting on the nanites by regularly using her DNA on the nanites before Matt came to her," speculates one fan.

Another agrees: "I actually believe this theory, and if it's true, it makes Caitlyn's role in Matt's downfall WAY darker than people realize. She had been experimenting with the nanites using her own DNA before Matt ever entered the picture. So what if the nanites were already conditioned to recognize her as their original template, and Matt's obsession with her was the technology influencing him rather than genuine love?

"Think about it: every time his body healed, reshaped itself, or reacted to her, we assumed it was Matt making those choices. But what if the nanites were driving his attachment all along? What if Matt never truly fell in love with Caitlyn, but was biologically programmed to crave her? That would mean Caitlyn didn’t just create Clayface. She might have accidentally created a monster that could never stop coming back to her."

It's certainly a creepy theory – though it does seem like it's Matt's own flaws that lead to his downfall rather than an issue with his DNA, since he chooses bloody revenge over starting a fresh life.

Clayface is in theaters now. For more, check out our Clayface review or our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows.

Phantom Blade Zero has likely sold over one million pre-release copies, according to estimates from the market research firm Alinea Analytics.

The Wuxia action RPG Phantom Blade Zero is set to release in under 24 hours, and with one of the best Metacritic scores of the year – including a four-and-a-half stars out of five in our Phantom Blade Zero review – it's shaping up to be a big release that most will want to pick up before GTA 6 takes over the world in a few weeks' time. Although you'll want to make sure you have the hard drive space since the developers suggest having 300GB free for the install process.

Rhys Elliott – head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics – posted a newsletter with sales details ahead of the RPG's release tomorrow. According to their estimates, Phantom Blade Zero has already sold 850,000 copies across Steam and PS5 – with 80,000 being sold after the review embargo lifted earlier this week. On top of that, Elliott notes that "A significant number of Phantom Blade Zero copies" will have been sold on Tencent and WeGame, so "It’ll be WELL past 1M at this point."

Phantom Blade Zero is developed by Chinese dev S-Game, and it has seemingly done very well in its home country – much like the support Chinese gamers gave to Black Myth: Wukong in 2024. Elliott also notes that 62.5% of copies sold so far have been in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, accounting for 75.9% of Steam sales and 24.9% of PlayStation sales.

However, Elliott insists, "It won't hit the highs of Black Myth's insane sales, but it'll sell a lot of copies this year in a crowded market." Earlier this year, reports emerged that Black Myth: Wukong has sold over 30 million copies since its launch in 2024, making it one of the 50 best-selling games of all time. On top of that, it picked up Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2024, and nabbed Game of the Year nominations at The Game Awards, D.I.C.E Awards and GDC Awards.

The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 are open, with Phantom Blade Zero as one of the nominees, so vote for your own Ultimate Game of the Year now.

The Rings of Power season 3 will add another complex character to its stacked Middle-earth roster – but this isn't like anything we've seen in Tolkien's work.

As revealed by IGN, Adam Young will play Marnûkh, an orc who says he has defected from Sauron's army. Whether anyone believes him or not will soon become clear, but he finds himself being held captive by Galadriel and Arondir, who has his own grisly history with their kind.

But far from being a walking plot twist, Marnûkh was described on set as an "orc with an arc."

Yes, he was part of Sauron's army, but he will also aim to generate sympathy among viewers, a real departure from how the race has been depicted in the past. But is this just another trick from the Dark Lord? Perhaps not.

"I have a real soft spot for this Orc," director Sanaa Hamri said. "I think the audience is going to be really torn about Marnûkh."

On the complex motivations driving the character, Young teased, “We were working out early on what was his incentive? What's his purpose for being here? Is he good, is he bad?"

To help, Young – a self-confessed Tolkien newcomer – plunged into the books to tap into the rich world that lay ahead of him in The Rings of Power season 3.

“I’d actually never read the books and so I just [threw] myself into the Tolkien world and Silmarillion and all of that,” Young said. “It was really nice to just have a bit of time to actually jump into that and the language and the lore. It's huge."

The Rings of Power season 3 first reactions should hold off any doubt that the Prime Video series would falter in its later seasons. It's already being held up as the best season yet, with particular praise for Charlie Vickers' depiction of Sauron as he bids to forge the One Ring.

The Rings of Power season 3 begins streaming on Prime Video from November 11.

For more, we have a guide on new TV shows. Still getting to grips with Middle-earth? Here's how to watch the Lord of the Rings in order.

Cyberpunk 2077 just saw the release of update 2.5, a patch that accompanied the Edgerunners 2 debut on Netflix – and one that CD Projekt Red hoped would be very special.

Paweł Sasko, who is now working as Cyberpunk 2 associate director, reveals as much in an entry on the studio's official blog, explaining that the developers wanted the connection between all of Cyberpunk's media to feel "consistent" – which, yes, means Edgerunners and Cyberpunk 2077, as it "has always worked best when you can feel it's one consistent universe, a nexus of stories told from different perspectives."

He continues, referencing characters from both the RPG and its animated Netflix series: "V, Johnny, David, Lucy, the characters from our comics and now the new crew from Edgerunners 2 all experience the same world, but they see something different in it. I wanted the game to acknowledge that connection directly."

Not only that, but CD Projekt Red – and especially Sasko – wanted that acknowledgement to be great.

So great, in fact, that it (in the form of update 2.5, of course) would outshine the patch that accompanied the first season of Edgerunners four years back.

In Sasko's own words, "I wanted to create an update for the game that will be much more meaningful than the one we created for Edgerunners in 2022." That "one," as he says, was 1.6 – a patch aptly dubbed the Edgerunners Update, adding transmogs, cross-progression, and more.

This time around, update 2.5 has brought a new quest to the RPG that acts as a prequel to Edgerunners 2.

"Players will unlock a new quest that takes place before the events of the show, following the last job of Team King. It introduces King, Meshuga, Miguel, and Emily, and takes players into a part of Night City they have never properly explored before," Sasko describes – and, again, consistency between the show and game was key.

"From the beginning, believability and immersion were the most important for me. If these characters exist both in the game and in the show, they should feel like the same people," as he concludes. "That is why it was incredibly important to get the same voice actors from Edgerunners 2 into Cyberpunk 2077."

And so they did just that – and I'd argue that it's worked out quite nicely for CD Projekt Red, too.

Following Edgerunners 2 and update 2.5, the RPG did hit its highest Steam player count in three years, after all. It serves as a testament to the ever-growing quality of Cyberpunk 2077, I'd say, and, yes, how good the collaborative patch has been this time around.

CD Projekt Red just can't stop updating Cyberpunk 2077: "This world keeps giving us reasons to return to it."

Three months after announcing the project at Marvel's SDCC 2026 panel, the studio is making moves on casting the movie, tapping Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie to star.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Storrie is in talks to star in Ghost Rider alongside Ryan Gosling. Although Gosling's role has yet to be officially confirmed, it is presumed he is playing the flaming skull-headed stunt motorcycle rider Johnny Blaze, who transforms into the supernatural anti-hero after making a deal with the devil. Riding around on his fiery bike, Blaze goes after criminals and villains and punishes them with his demonic powers.

Storrie recently found fame starring as the Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov in Crave's hot Canadian sports romance TV show Heated Rivalry. It has not been confirmed who Storrie will be playing in Marvel's Ghost Rider adaptation, but it is thought that he will portray the villain of the story. Ghost Rider has a string of foes in the comics, including Mephisto, Mephisto’s son Blackheart, and a few ancient demons and angels. But Mephisto already exists in the MCU, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, so Storrie cannot be him.

One Marvel head is sure that Storrie is playing Danny Ketch. "What if, instead, [Storrie] is filling the flaming skull of another Spirit of Vengeance?" said Charles Murphy of Murphy's Universe, adding, "this narrative architecture solves Marvel Studios’ biggest creative challenge with the property: how to ground two distinct generations of Ghost Rider without retreading the origin story told in 2007’s Nicolas Cage film."

Danny Ketch is not so much a villain, but another version of Ghost Rider. First introduced in 1990, Danny transforms into the Ghost Rider after watching his sister be shot by a gang. Out of nowhere, a motorcycle appeared, and when he place sis bloody hand on its sigil, he transformed into the undead anti-hero. Ketch is later revealed as the long-lost brother of the original Ghost Rider, Blaze. If this is the direction Marvel is going in, the casting would make sense, as Gosling and Storrie could pass as siblings.

The movie is directed by Deadpool and Wolverine helmer Shawn Levy and written by Jonathan Tropper.

Marvel Studios' Ghost Rider is set to start production in New York next year and is set to hit theaters on July 28, 2028. For more, keep up with other upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

Amid layoffs at EA, with the closure of Mass Effect and Dragon Age studio BioWare announced only last week, it's far from surprising to hear that morale at the publisher is reportedly "terrible."

That's according to anonymous sources speaking to Vertical Slice, who say the layoff process at the publisher is "wildly disruptive" and emotionally "weird" due to an apparent "secrecy" around it that sometimes leaves employees unaware who's been affected until after their co-workers' public LinkedIn posts.

The layoff process itself has also been described as "very impersonal," with multiple affected employees apparently invited to Zoom meetings with the chat disabled and other participants hidden, leaving them unable to ask questions or communicate with their co-workers.

Needless to say, it's understandable that the vibe internally is apparently very poor right now. "Morale has been terrible," one anonymous source says. "The line we kept hearing is 'do less, better' but it just felt like we were doing the same amount with less people. Upper management was very excited about Claude and the possibilities of [generative] AI, much to the chagrin of my team."

Execs at the publisher have been described as out-of-touch with both game development and their employees, and – speaking of AI – that's apparently being pushed, too, with managers apparently telling their employees that "'this is the future, you have to get onboard.'" Even if AI tools aren't currently being mandated, one source alleges that "they'll make it impossible or very difficult for you to do your job without [them]."

Of course, this latest wave of layoffs follows EA going private. The $55 billion acquisition by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake closed back in August, but as soon as plans were announced last year, EA employees expressed concerns about potential layoffs. EA took on $20 billion in debt as part of the deal, and shortly after the acquisition closed, the publisher reportedly told investors that it planned to cut a whopping $700 million in annual costs, of which $170 million was set to be "organizational efficiencies," which didn't bode well.

Even though things had been looking bad for some time, though, that doesn't make the reality any less upsetting or disappointing.

One anonymous source notes that the email sent out to employees about the organizational changes sounded like it was "written by a robot," which they say "best sums up EA." They continue: "A cold dead place that's slowly decaying as leadership pilfers every last cent, leaving the rest of us to worry about how we feed our families."

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

Valve's latest Steam Next Fest has been plagued by games using AI, drawing the attention of former developers like Chet Faliszek, who says the storefront is now "overwhelmed by slop" – but what do current folks at the company think?

Well, they're unsurprisingly aware of the AI-fueled issue, at least, as Tom Giardino and Marc Wilkinson from Valve's Steam Business Team reveal during the Steam Indie Connect event in South Korea (as per Inven Global).

Giardino first explains that Valve doesn't want to control what tools – in this case, generative AI – devs can use. "We don't want to be gatekeepers telling developers which tools they should or shouldn't use," he says.

According to him, that should be up to the devs themselves, and clones have existed for a long time – much longer than the AI problem, but AI has accelerated the debacle.

Giardino's solution is simple: "Rather than relying on a single mechanic that someone can easily copy, you need to keep growing your game by adding features, personality, and creativity that stem from your own perspective." It's far easier said than done, however.

When asked specifically about Steam Next Fest and how it's been flooded by such AI copies, Wilkinson chimes in, stating that most of the coverage surrounding the clones was across the first couple of days of the event, before more "personalized" recommendations made the front page.

He describes how Steam Next Fest is a bit random at first in an attempt to prevent abuse of the system from folks looking to gain immediate visibility. And, although the current model highlights some questionable titles at first, it supposedly makes things more "fair" overall.

"We recognize that the trade-off is some low-quality games get exposed," Wilkinson admits. "We are fully aware of the situation, and a significant number of people are thinking about how to solve this problem."

Giardino says the sheer scale nowadays doesn't help, either. Steam Next Fest isn't as small as it once was.

A few years ago, he recalls how he had to convince devs to participate in the event, telling them, "There are only 50 or 100 games, so you should definitely join." Now, it's a case of "the pendulum swinging to the opposite side."

Plus, "success" feels different for every dev in terms of wishlist numbers and the like following Steam Next Fest. "As platform operators, we can't define what success means for an individual game."

That might be a thousand wishlists, or it might be 50 thousand. What Valve can control, though is the quality of the system – and, again, they know about its most pressing issues, like the AI situation, but they don't want to "limit" any devs. "We don't think we're perfect and there's plenty of room for improvement. Rather than limiting developer access, making Steam a smarter and more dynamic platform is the starting point of our philosophy," says Giardino.

So, what is the solution then? I'm honestly not sure myself, but I also don't think cracking down on gen AI use would be "limiting" devs. For the time being, at least Steam enforces AI disclosures on any game that employs the controversial technology.

"Steam's required AI disclosure is the right move": Devs say gen AI should be called out in games and support Valve's store mandate.

After almost two years since it was announced, Sleeping Dogs director Timo Tjahjanto has explained why the Simu Liu-led game adaptation is still bubbling away under the surface.

"Trust me when I say Simu & I are doing our best to slowly make this come into fruition," Tjahjanto began on Twitter. "Trying to stay as loyal to WeiShen’s tale while adding layers to make the narrative more fitting into a feature film is not an easy task. We’re taking our time to make the best version of [Sleeping Dogs] the movie."

Sleeping Dogs, an adaptation of the Square Enix cult open-world classic, has been Simu Liu's pet project for well over a year now.

Liu, set to return as Shang-Chi in Avengers: Doomsday, first announced Sleeping Dogs was in development in February 2025.

A few months later, Liu admitted frustrations with studios not understanding the importance of the IP.

But in December last year, a major breakthrough: Liu announced that Tjahjanto – who has recently helmed Nobody 2 – would be behind the camera.

From there, Liu admitted he hoped a game sequel would come off the back of a film project. On the movie, he promised earlier this year, "Hope to post some really positive updates soon. Stay tuned."

Released in 2012, Sleeping Dogs revolved around the tale of undercover cop Wei Shen as he embedded himself within a warring Triad group. The cast even featured the likes of Emma Stone, with the game itself receiving high praise – and lasting love among fans – for its hard-hitting combat and compelling story.

Sleeping Dogs isn't the only game in town. For more, here are the other upcoming video game movies aiming to make the leap from consoles to cinemas.

James Gunn has addressed the DCU's 10 year plan – and why some projects are more standalone than others.

While some of the DCU's projects, like Superman and Supergirl, are very clearly connected to each other, others, like Clayface, are far more standalone.

On Threads, responding to a now-deleted post, Gunn wrote: "No. You can look at my quotes from January '23 when we started and I said we were going to do exactly what we're doing. I said some stories would be standalone like the Guardians movies were (which is what Clayface is) and some stories would have part of a larger narrative structure, which is what the Superman Saga is. All that said, each piece of the larger story should work on its own with or without having to see everything else."

He added: "ALSO, some things get conflated here. The often cited '8 to 10 year roadmap' originally pitched wasn't only story points (although that was a part of it), but also the plan for DC as a whole, including focusing on diamond characters (Superman, Batman, WW) as well as smaller characters we could turn into diamonds (Krypto, John Stewart, Peacemaker), how we would foster filmmaker freedom & allow for multiple tones & ratings, the influences of Star Wars & George RR Martin, and so much more.

"It's exciting seeing things START to come together and all that makes me even more excited for what we have in store for everyone in Man of Tomorrow."

Man of Tomorrow is the next movie for the DCU, and it functions as a quasi-sequel to Superman. The massive cast includes the return of David Corenswet's Supes, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, and Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, along with Milly Alcock's Supergirl, Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, Lars Eidinger's Brainiac, and Adria Arjona's mystery character – who everyone thinks is Wonder Woman.

That film arrives on July 9. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows for everything else that's on the way.

The first reactions to The Rings of Power season 3 are here, and they're praising the return to Middle-earth, as well as putting the spotlight on Charlie Vickers' performance as Sauron.

GamesRadar+'s Fay Watson wrote: "The first episode of #TheRingsofPower season 3 is epic in every sense of the word. Charlie Vickers steals the show as Sauron, almost at the height of his powers, relishing in every villainous smirk. The scale and stakes already have me thinking this could be the best season yet."

Critic Rachel Leishman struck a similar tone with their reaction, stating, "I have seen the first two episodes of #RingsOfPower season 3 and it is better than ever! Just as breathtaking and captivating as its previous seasons."

Nerdist's Rotem Rusak goes one further, declaring, "I have been a huge fan of The Rings of Power throughout, but the start of this season is not only some of the series' best work but TV's best."

ComicBook's Chris Killian wrote, "I’ve seen the first couple episodes of #TheRingsOfPowerS3 and no spoilers, but the first 2 episodes are bangers and this series is getting better and better as it goes on."

He added, "Charlie Vickers as Sauron is a highlight, he just oozes evil."

Set five years after the previous season, we return to Middle-earth at the height of war between Sauron and the Elves.

The Dark Lord is expanding his influence from his stronghold at Barad-dûr while he hunts for the secret to forging the One Ring. Meanwhile, the Elves struggle to stop the expanding darkness alongside the remaining free peoples of Middle-earth, the Dwarves, Men, and Wizards.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 begins on Prime Video on November 11. For more, check out our guide to watching The Lord of the Rings in order.

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

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

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

Madripoor in Marvel comics

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

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

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

Madripoor in the MCU

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is now streaming on Netflix.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KK Slider & Timmy and Tommy PlayTrek Switch 2 cases

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

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

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

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

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

KK Slider & Timmy and Tommy Rematch Switch 2 controllers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Check out the sneak peek below:

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

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

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

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

GTA 6 is due to release November 19, 2026.

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

Warning: Mild spoilers for Clayface below!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So what are your options?

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

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

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

Our top Nintendo Switch 2 controllers:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is now streaming on Netflix.

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