It turns out the magic ingredient to having a strong viewership on a developer showcase is to focus on remaking one of the most beloved games ever. Simple enough for Nintendo, whose viewership for the recent Zelda Direct revealing new The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake clips dwarfed Sony's last State of Play, and even showcases from stalwart conventions like Gamescom.

Per The Game Business, figures gleaned from game marketing analyst LevelUp indicate the Zelda Direct focused on the Ocarina of Time remake peaked at 2.1 million viewers. That's a solid amount of fans, and it stands high above several recent showcases of similar weight.

It passes clean over the 2 million viewers who watched Gamescom's Opening Night Live, and it's more than double both the last PlayStation's September State of Play and Nintendo's focused Mario Kart World direct from April 2025, which respectively had 1 million and 930,000 viewers at peak.

But unfortunately, the Master Sword likely can't rise up to the might of GTA 6, since the game's extended look on Netflix preview managed to hit 31.1 million views after four days. After two days, the Zelda Direct only has 6.9 million views on YouTube. It's hard to topple what's projected to be one of the biggest video game releases ever, especially when it's collaborating with the one of the best streaming services, but the Ocarina of Time remake tries its hardest.

Maybe Nintendo should sort out a Netflix deal for the next mainline 3D Mario game next?

32-year Nintendo and Zelda veteran reacts to the Ocarina of Time remake, suggesting Shigeru Miyamoto's love of puppet shows influenced the art style

GTA 6 fans will not allow a peaceful nudist resort in Florida to be nude in peace. They tracked down the real-life location, which would appear to be in Rockstar's crass open-world after doomed crypto scammer Cyberleek showed off a similar naked palooza in gameplay clips this August, and now its owner is ready to pull a GTA 5.

Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee, Florida looks to be represented in GTA 6 as a pleasant retreat with a stocked bar, blue pool, and more penises than you could count – though Cyberleek tries their best to be destructive in their leaked footage that ends in a naked bullet hail. Before that, GTA 6 protagonist Jason is only passively criminal, leering at strangers with a pair of crystal-clear binoculars, which I imagine isn't what most people want to see when they have their nipples out. GTA 6 fans make this known in their fake five-star Google reviews of Cypress Cove, which are glowing, despite their in-character references to Jason and his wandering eyes.

Many of these reviews seem to have been deleted as of writing, but Cypress Cove left at least one up as a warning. That review says, "Had a great time until a man pulled out his binoculars." But this was the wrong thing to say to Cypress Cove – which also claims GTA 6 trolls are petitioning the business for money in order to delete their reviews.

"SPAM / EXTORTION REVIEW," the nudist resort labels it. "For anyone wondering about the suddenly recurring references to 'Jason Duval,' 'Lucia,' binoculars, a pool, firearms, and other suspiciously similar details — those are references to Grand Theft Auto VI. Yes. A video game."

Cypress Cove continues, "These reviews appear to be part of a coordinated series of fabricated posts using GTA VI references and attaching them to our actual business. They were then followed by a request that we PAY MONEY to have the reviews changed or removed."

The business vows: "We will not pay. We will not negotiate. We have documented the reviews and the request for payment. This activity is being reported through the appropriate channels." It continues to warn GTA 6 hopefuls that, while "we appreciate the commitment to the GTA storyline, [...] Cypress Cove is located in Florida – not Leonida."

"Unfortunately," the nudists conclude, "our marketing budget also does not contain a line item for 'internet ransom.'"

"The owner definitely wasn't happy about the comments," correctly observes a Reddit thread on the topic. Screenshots show other five-star reviews that reference "what happened on August 24," the day Cyberleek shared that footage of Jason killing everyone at the nudist resort in GTA 6, and subsequent warnings to "beware of the guy named Jason Duval." Cypress Cove has the same response to all of it, "SPAM / EXTORTION REVIEW."

"A nudist resort DENYING exposure??" says one incredulous Reddit comment. But I think I understand why a friendly nudist resort for relaxed hippies in Florida wouldn't want to be associated with an illegal video game leak that shows a man murdering innocents from the edge of its pool. Even for an R-rated location, it isn't brand safe.

"They already view us as a people who can't fight back and don't care if we're chained up," writes one purported nudist in the subculture's Reddit, who is horrified with Rockstar's horny representation of people that simply want to feel the wind on their butts. "We need to make it apparent to everybody just how inaccurate this parody truly is. If we can't unite, we're already dead."

So, there are some people out there who would gladly defend Cypress Cove's honor against GTA 6 miscreants. They might encourage fake reviewers to turn off the laptop, take off their cloth tops, and enjoy the real Florida sunshine before GTA 6 glues everyone and their underwear to their gaming chairs on November 19.

GTA 6 extended reveal caused a surge in PS5 and Xbox Series X sales, analysts say – now imagine the response if consoles didn't cost an arm and a leg.

The Marvel's Wolverine Metacritic scores are in and they're… OK. Insomniac's latest superhero adventure has solid combat foundations and good performances from its lead characters, but its story never ultimately coheres, the fighting peaks way too early, and it's extremely limited in scope compared to modern first-party PlayStation games.

At least, that's my feeling after finishing a pre-release version of the game. In our full Marvel's Wolverine review, Leon writes that "Marvel's Wolverine is never a bad experience, just an underwhelming one full of odd choices. I enjoyed it enough for the most part but never really felt blown away, or like I was getting the game Wolverine deserved."

It's a shame, because the foundations of a great game are here. I loved the two hours of Marvel's Wolverine hands-on time I got earlier this year, but it turns out that those two hours showed me most of what the game has to offer, and even over the course of a relatively short 10-15 hour game, those adamantium bones get stretched pretty thin.

You'll find similar sentiments echoed throughout other reviews, which have resulted in an aggregate score of 77 on Metacritic. There are some glowing outliers, but most reviews align with Leon and my feelings about the game: it's fine. And, unfortunately, "fine" is well below where expectations are at for a modern Sony game.

That score could shift as more reviews trickle in, but right now, that 77 marks Insomniac's worst rating for an original game since its small-scale experiment, Song of the Deep, in 2016. Admittedly, the studio has mostly been making the excellent Spider-Man games since then, but Wolverine also fails to measure up to the historic scores of games like Sunset Overdrive and much of the Ratchet & Clank series.

It's particularly disappointing given how rarely we get first-party PlayStation games these days. Sony's console is known as one of the last big outlets for AAA single-player games, and now we're lucky to get more than two of them a year. When one of those fails to hit, it stings.

Here are the upcoming PS5 games you need to know about.

Metroid Ravenous pre-orders dropped this week, and 'ravenous' seems the apt word to describe fans of the classic Nintendo series, as the Switch 2 game's special edition is already sold out across US and UK retailers.

The $119.99 / £99.99 version of the game includes a physical Switch 2 copy, a steelbook case, and an exclusive amiibo showcasing Samus's slime-green colored Metroid suit. So far, that appears to be the only way to grab that amiibo, though there is also a Chozo Statue and another Samus NFC figure up for grabs. For amiibo completionists like me, the lack of stock is a bummer, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that more Special Editions will drop as the months roll on.

In the meantime, you can alternatively grab the game digitally or physically for $69.99 / £58.99 straight from Nintendo and a myriad of US and UK retailers, all of which I've gathered below. Sure, you won't get an amiibo just by sticking to the physical copy, but there are no signs of that hideous game-key banner on the box, which is something. No matter which copy you pick, you can dine with Samus when the Switch 2 exclusive launches on January 28 next year.

Pre-order Metroid Ravenous in the US

Pre-order Metroid Ravenous in the UK

FAQ

Check out our Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake pre-orders and Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave pre-order pages while you're here.

Kaiju Alpha codes give huge buffs to Exp and cell generation, not only letting you power up faster, but also helping you reach any cell goal you might be headed towards to unlock new Kaiju or Skins.

Exp has a significant use in terms of getting stronger in this Roblox experience where you fight as a Kaiju against other Kaiju, and while skins don't have any benefit in combat, looking cool is part of the experience when you're playing as Godzilla or Kong. So, whether you want an Exp boost or a new skin, here are all the latest Kaiju Alpha codes.

If you're after other rewards that you can use across all of your experiences, head on over to our list of general Roblox promo codes.

All Kaiju Alpha codes

These are the Kaiju Alpha codes you can redeem right now:

• ROSE - 2x 60-minute Exp boost, 2x 60-minute Cell boost new!

As usual, the latest Kaiju Alpha code grants a boost in Exp and Cells, giving you a chance to level up your favorite Kaiju. If you're saving up cells for a new character, you can always hang on to your Exp boost for when you have it.

Codes aren't case-sensitive, but it may still be worth just copying and pasting them from above to be sure they're right.

How to redeem Kaiju Alpha codes

You can only redeem Kaiju Alpha codes from the main menu. You cannot do this in-game, and can only return to the main menu when you die or when you are not engaged in combat. When not engaged in combat, you can return to the main menu by clicking on the Menu button above your skills and waiting 10 seconds.

From the main menu click on Options, where you'll see the codes redemption box at the bottom. Enter codes from the list above and then hit enter on your keyboard or the equivalent button on your platform of choice.

Expired Kaiju Alpha codes

• KAONTOP - 60-minute Exp boost, 60-minute Cell boost
• XECRETISREAL - 60-minute Exp boost, 60-minute Cell boost
• DEAWYGIGACHAD - 30 levels
• SRRYFORBUGS - 3-hour Exp boost
• SRRYFORREVERTLEVEL - 50 levels

Kaiju Alpha codes tend to expire as new updates launch, so it's worth redeeming new codes as soon as possible so you don't miss out on these boosts.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The middle section of Marvel's Wolverine feels like it nails the game developer Insomniac Games wanted to make. Set in a small semi open world Tokyo district, it sees Logan exploring and fighting – grumpily following leads as he criss-crosses the area following the clues that have brought him there. It's lively, layered, and just a fun place to be: full of cool little alleys, laden with eye-grabbing posters and neon lights, and, often, interesting places that, sure enough, wind up being somewhere you revisit in more detail later.

There's an enjoyable variety here where the texture of the game changes nicely, a range of gameplay and moments breaking up combat as you literally sniff out trails, look for clues, and enjoy existing in the buzzing neon lit space. I spent a lot more time than I needed here looking in shop windows, examining signs, listening in on conversations, or watching people just mill about. Most importantly there's a solid sense of progression to your time in Tokyo, with a clear arc and purpose to take you through it all, that feels meaningful.

By contrast the rest of the game feels thin, and largely consists of boxy corridors that top and tail Tokyo with shallow combat luges broken up by cutscene checkpoints and little else. Unlike the studio's Spider-Man games, Wolverine is strictly chapter-based and linear, more like Uncharted but without the finesse. You might find a corner here, hiding a collectible, or a forked path there, to give you a little agency to the type of forward progression you choose, but it's surprising just how nothingy these areas feel, especially in the opening act. After Tokyo, flow improves a little, with some occasional extra variety and scope, but combat still overwhelms many spaces that don't do much more than exist to house it, while the story sort of vaguely wafts its hand at reasons why it's all happening.

Not quite the best there is

Wolverine's gory, knife-handed combat is enjoyable for the most part, at least. It's functional and well formed, but it does lack the sort of magnetic snap that a great fighting system has when you lock into a flow. There's a good toolkit of moves to deal with enemies and situations, with a leaping attack to clear spaces fast as you bounce between meatbags, and some satisfying special moves you can pull out to mince through crowds or target single opponents for an unnecessary level of beatdown. It's bloody, messy and feels suitably Wolverine as claws end up in guts, faces, skulls and more.

However, all this people blending is built around a Rage system that feels both overcomplicated and inconsequential at the same time. There are three tiers: the first gets you started and enables a regenerative revive if you're downed; the second adds extra damage to combo finishers; and, finally, tier 3 amps up all damage and lets you perform insta-kill critical strikes against low health, staggered, or intimidated enemies.

That all sounds fine in theory but it never really feels like it actually does that much outside of the Last Stand revival. Insta-kill criticals are fickle at best thanks to the criteria needed to trigger them, and because certain key elements are locked behind Adaptation perks you need to unlock and equip - all the things that really make Rage sing is in these Adaptations, making it feel like you have the trial version for most of the game until you unlock its full potential.

By contrast, progression in the Techniques tree just sort of unfolds via a ladder of abilities that, thanks to an abundance of experience points, all gradually unlock over the course of play. The deepest choice you get in your build here is deciding on which four of the six special abilities you'll have equipped.

Combat ready

There's also the odd choice to keep the ability to parry multiple simultaneous attacks locked behind a fairly late game skill. That's a total game changer as, without it, you're trying to parry single individual attacks while surrounded by a horde swinging freely at all times. Until you get that multi-parry ability you're deflecting one attack only to be hit by another a split second behind it. But, once you have it, combat comes alive in a dance of ripostes as you weave through enemy crowds like a Whirling Dervish made of knives.

As a result, as you pick Adaptations and skills it seems less like you're improving Wolverine's combat, and more like you're just making it what it should be. The end result, when you've basically unlocked everything, feels like where it should have started. It means combat has some good moments, mostly as it improves much later into the game, but for a character defined by fighting it leaves a lot to be desired.

There's also an odd stealth system that sort of appears occasionally, but it's the kind of 'magic grass' set-up where you have no real control over it – just areas you automatically hide in. You can't wall hug, hide on cue, peek around corners, or lure enemies. Instead, you have to read the layout of what's ahead to plan a route that will take out the most enemies without raising the alarm. It's a strange system that, like a lot of things here, never feels like it was fully worked out.

The plot itself consists of three largely unconnected sections hot-glued together via a semi formed MacGuffin that changes purpose as the story develops, as well as a few basically random events.

I can't explain too much without spoiling things but everything's held together so loosely that you can't look directly at it without it all unraveling. You can feel it straining to exist in its own world, trying to carve out an existence devoid of most notable mutants and characters like the X-Men - the story starts with you attached to what is functionally a school for gifted youngsters but not that one.

Much of Wolverine feels like it's ended up in a shape it wasn't meant to be in, with both mechanics and plot points introduced haphazardly, and just as likely to be forgotten about as used again. Numerous combat, gameplay, and story ideas drift in and out of use or existence – audio diaries pop in and out of being 'a thing', for example; the story ping-pongs between antagonists looking for a firm villain, while re-using one of the (only two) enemy factions with a new leader at a later stage. There's also a relatively minor character that suddenly becomes pivotal to a sizable chunk of the story before largely disappearing again, save for a loose thread pinching last minute cameo.

Marvel's Wolverine is never a bad experience, just an underwhelming one full of odd choices. I enjoyed it enough for the most part but never really felt blown away, or like I was getting the game Wolverine deserved. Especially considering this is the same studio that literally let Spider-Man soar on PS5. It also feels lightweight for such a blockbuster release – you'll struggle to get more than 20 hours out of it even if you 100% what there is, and replaying missions just highlights how straightforward many of the areas actually are. There are some nice moments and ideas but they're muted overall by lengthy and monotone combat, inconsistent gameplay, and a track jumping story. Ironically, for a character that's the best at what they do, this is basically OK.

Wolverine was reviewed on PS5, with code provided by the publisher. All screenshots where taken in Performance Mode on a standard PS5.

The GTA 6 extended look presentation on Netflix caused a pretty substantial surge in sales for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles in the US.

Netflix's GTA 6 extended look had 31.1 million viewers in four days, which is to say it seemed to go down pretty well, especially since you could watch it for free on YouTube hours later. It was a massive success: the game looked extremely impressive throughout the showcase, and it clearly pulled in some, as PS5 Pro stock disappeared pretty soon afterward.

Circana's Mat Piscatella reports that following the premiere of the GTA 6 extended look, "In the US, combined PS5/XBS hardware unit sales for the week ending Aug 29 increased 14% versus the prior week."

He notes that PlayStation grew by 17% and Xbox Series X|S by 9%, and that "The combined increase across both platforms amounted to less than 8k units." Meanwhile, Nielsen IQ (via The Game Business) reports that in the UK console sales jumped by 33% for PlayStation and 34% for Xbox.

But you can only wonder what the jump would've been like if consoles weren't becoming somewhat prohibitively expensive for many. The PS5 Pro is almost a grand after Sony bumped the price up by 150, with the regular PS5 consoles getting $100 on top, while Xbox consoles jumped by $100-$150 depending on whether you get a 512GB or 1TB console.

Since the GTA 6 premiere, I've had multiple people who haven't jumped in on this generation ask about which console to get for GTA 6, but many are simply unwilling to spend that much, especially since this is the only generation where consoles have gotten more expensive as it goes on.

So yes, it's a big bump, but you have to wonder how much bigger it could've been if not for the ongoing global RAM shortages courtesy of it being funneled into the AI slop industry.

GTA 6 wasn't "fully formed" when Trailer 1 released, Rockstar boss says, but the Tom Petty song it used was a "mission statement" of where it was going

Subway Surfers codes were once a welcome part of this fast-paced endless runner, giving mobile players various rewards including free coins, keys, and even some fresh characters to dash down the tracks with! While it's been some time since we last saw a new promo code announced, the game continues to be immensely popular and has recently spawned a sequel, so there's still plenty of attention on it and a comeback isn't out of the question. To get up to speed with the current situation, here's what you need to know about promo codes in Subway Surfers.

All Subway Surfers codes

The following Subway Surfers codes are currently available:

• No active codes

There are no promo codes for Subway Surfers that work at present, so the only rewards you can currently unlock are for completing the various in-game challenges – though there are plenty of those to keep you going!

How to redeem Subway Surfers codes

The previous in-game option to redeem Subway Surfers codes directly through the main menu has now been removed, so the only way to claim promos is to scan the above QR code or visit the official redeem page on your mobile phone. Type a code into the text box that appears, then hit the CLAIM REWARD button to be taken back to the game and see if the promo was successful.

Expired Subway Surfers codes

• giftDiscord2124 – 7,000 Coins, 7 Keys, 1 Mystery Box
• RunnerUp888 – 8,000 Coins, 8 Keys
• hellochangan – 5,000 Coins, 5 Keys
• 9yearsrunning – 9,000 Coins, 9 Keys, 1 Mystery Box
• houstonkeys – 6 Keys
• 2infinity – 3,000 Coins, 3 Keys, 1 Score Booster, 1 Headstart
• instalove200k – 5,000 Coins, 4 Keys
• fridaycheers – 1,000 Coins, 5 Keys
• eggstremecoins – 5,000 Coins
• hoppyfriday – 1,000 Coins, 5 Keys
• rabbotday2021 – 3,000 Coins, 6 Keys
• springtime – 5,000 Coins, 5 Keys
• happyfriday3 – 3,000 Coins, 3 Keys
• funfriday2 – 3,000 Coins, 3 Keys
• sybotv5milion – 1 Mystery Box
• luckyday2021 – 8,000 Coins
• sybotv5million – 5,000 Coins, 5 Keys
• funkyfriday1 – 3,000 Coins, 3 Keys
• welcome2ny – 5,000 Coins, 5 Keys
• ScareFriday3 – 2,000 Coins, 3 Keys
• instalove100k – 5,000 Coins, 6 Keys, 10 Hoverboards
• Facebook3M – 3,000 Coins, 3 Keys
• Insta50K – 5,000 Coins
• HalloBerlin – 3,000 Coins, 6 Keys
• RaveFriday1 – 2,000 Coins, 3 Keys
• LNYLucky7 – 7,000 Coins, 7 Keys
• SYBOTVLNY5 – 5,000 Coins
• SYBOTVFriday42 – 2,000 Coins, 4 Keys
• HappyHolidays2020 – Mimi
• Nice9435 – 2,000 Coins
• Naughty2315 – 2,000 Coins
• Naughty3973 – 2 Keys
• Nice1721 – 2 Keys
• Nice4329 – 500 Coins
• Naughty8734 – 500 Coins
• Naughty5784 – 200 Coins
• Nice5193 – 200 Coins
• singaporedollars – 5,555 Coins
• Diablo60 – Diablo, 5 Keys
• keys2singapore – 8 Keys
• mimimonday – Mimi
• DiabloNow – Diablo
• HereKittyKitty – Kitty
• mmcablegoat – 5 Keys
• mmbatpin – 5,000 Coins
• moscowsurprise – Leaf
• moscow6keys – 6 Keys
• back2moscow – 9,001 Coins
• UnlockBCN – 13 Keys
• BaliSummer – 10,000 Coins, 10 Keys
• bdaycoins – 7,000 Coins
• bdaykeys – 7 Keys
• Keys5Zurich – 5 Keys
• KEYSSS – 5 Keys
• MissMaiaGP – Miss Maia
• potofcoins – 5,000 Coins
• Sybo10k – 10,000 Coins
• Subway2019Venice – 9,999 Coins
• Frank4Lyfe – 5,000 Coins
• GIEFROCKETPLZ – Rocket
• London2018Coins – 10,000 Coins
• Kiloo19Keyz – 19 Keys
• Tonsofkeys – 100 Keys
• Bangkokcoins – 5,000 Coins

There are a large number of expired Subway Surfers codes that have fallen by the wayside over the years, which is a shame as a lot of them had quite lucrative rewards and even new characters to unlock. We can only hope they get revived at some point in the future, so check back for updates.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Xbox has announced it's working with Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions on its Metal Gear spiritual successor, Physint, after PlayStation apparently wanted to cancel the project earlier this year.

Following Death Stranding 2's release, the list of upcoming Hideo Kojima games comprises OD, his new attempt at a horror game in partnership with Xbox following the Silent Hills debacle, and Physint, a return to the action espionage genre in the vein of Metal Gear, which Sony made a big song and dance about when announcing. The latter seems like a somewhat personal game to the director, as he says it was conceived while he was sick during the Covid-19 pandemic, realizing people wanted something like Metal Gear from him.

Earlier today, PlayStation's Twitter account posted a statement saying, "After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to step away from collaborating with Kojima Productions on its project Physint". Then, within two minutes, Xbox posted on the Xbox Wire Blog that it would be publishing Physint.

Despite Sony's messaging that it simply stepped away, Kojima himself explained "In mid-June of this year, we unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would cancel the Physint project."

He adds, "Physint is an important project both to me personally and to Kojima Productions. Determined to keep the project alive, we have spent the last three months searching tirelessly for a new partner."

Kojima explains, "We found in Xbox a partner with whom we share a common vision for the future, and we have decided to team up with them once again."

Kojima adds: "Please rest assured that development of Physint, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is ongoing and will continue moving forward."

The combination of this news and a litany of decisions from Sony over the last few years once again leaves me questioning PlayStation's plans for the future.

After the Concord debacle, the cancellation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us 2 multiplayer leading to it looking like the developer is going to skip the PS5 generation, Horizon Hunter's Gathering in general, and even going back to the closures of Bluepoint and Japan Studio, Sony seems allergic to what made PlayStation so beloved over the PS4 generation.

That being said, Xbox doesn't exactly inspire me with confidence either, following its repeated string of mass layoffs and high-profile game cancellations like Perfect Dark and Everwild. Hopefully OD does well, because right now I'm not exactly confident Physint is still coming out.

Hideo Kojima is "envious" of 21-year-old Backrooms director: "I made Metal Gear at 23 – but A24 didn’t get in touch with me until I was about 59"

Even if you don't know Takaya Imamura's name, you're likely to know his work. He was, after all, the artist who designed the Star Fox characters, and the one who gave The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask its signature dark look. Imamura collaborated with Shigeru Miyamoto regularly over the course of his 32-year career at Nintendo, and he believes that divisive art style of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is reflective of Miyamoto's love of puppet theater.

Retweeting an image of the new Link design, Imamura says (via DeepL translation), "Looking at this model, I felt that… Mr. Miyamoto’s love of puppet shows really comes through here, too."

Miyamoto's love of puppetry is well known, and it's particularly well evidenced in Star Fox, which both Imamura and Miyamoto were deeply involved in. The original Star Fox was marketed with puppets, and that old influence seemed to come back on its own modern Switch 2 revival, another new art treatment that got the cold shoulder from some fans.

But while the Star Fox designs are reminiscent of muppets, the new Zelda look has more in common with marionettes. And, in fact, there's some pretty compelling comparison shots showing the new Link and Japanese TV marionettes side-by-side – frankly, it's more than enough to convince me that puppetry was indeed a big inspiration here.

Either way, Imamura is excited to simply play a classic Zelda game again. "I haven't played Ocarina of Time since the 3DS version, so I'm really looking forward to it," he says in another tweet (again, DeepL translated). "The color palette and lighting are great... As expected!"

For more upcoming Switch 2 games, you know where to click.

When Arthur Morgan contracts tuberculosis near the beginning of Red Dead Redemption 2, you're supposed to feel sad. Arthur's a good guy with a troubled past, and he's the hero of the story. Him getting a death sentence right at the start of his journey is all bad news, but from here on out I'll only be able to react to his increasingly labored coughing fits with disgust, because now I know actor Roger Clark was actually hacking up a phlegm-filled lung in real life while recording some of those scenes.

Asked by YouTuber and games journalist Cade Onder if Arthur Morgan's coughing fits were taxing on the actor's throat, Clark says those scenes were "not as bad as you'd think" because they were spread out over five years and "if ever there was a really bad coughing scene, we'd always save it for the end of the day." That's good, but it turns out there was some serious method acting going on beyond the scenes that will forever alter how I react to Arthur Morgan's illness.

"In five years, there's plenty of colds and there was a lot of data that we got that was pretty damn genuine," Clark says, confirming that he would purposefully record dialogue when he was sick with colds, lending an authenticity to those coughs that only a real-life viral infection could bring.

"I'd be like, 'hey, I got a cold, let me get in there," and they're like, 'OK' ... nice, good bit of phlegm."

Grossness aside, I have to say I admire Clark's work ethic. When I'm down and out, all I want to do is lay in bed and watch Seinfeld reruns, but Clark's first instinct is to think about making Arthur Morgan sound as convincingly sick as he possibly can. That commitment paid off in an incredibly absorbing performance, even if I'll be playing Red Dead Redemption 2 while wearing a medical mask from now on.

GTA 5 left Rockstar feeling "slightly nervous" about Red Dead Redemption 2 as devs worried fans "were going to be bored" by only having one protagonist to play as

There's a lovely new limited edition The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 console on the way to commemorate the upcoming remake's November 5 launch. The handheld has got some nice detailing and colors, but if you haven't already pre-ordered it, your odds of getting one are shrinking. Scalpers were unfortunately first to the scene with Nintendo's new hardware.

The special edition Switch 2 only went on sale yesterday, after its reveal during Nintendo's 40th Anniversary Zelda Direct previewing the Ocarina of Time remake, a total redo of the N64 classic.

Already, many retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy are sold out of the $520 console, which is to be expected. Not only is this console related to Zelda, but Ocarina of Time? Every collector and fan wants it in their possession, and sadly, the vultures know that.

You can find many Ocarina of Time remake Switch 2 consoles listed on eBay right now for around $850 and upwards. Plenty of scalpers managed to get this hardware for reselling purposes, it seems.

Though scalping almost always happens with exclusive game releases, it's still disappointing each and every time – because it could mean a true fan is losing an opportunity to someone who wants to make a quick buck. But if the FOMO is getting to you, please don't indulge in these Zelda Switch 2 listings. There might be more stock coming to official retail websites and in-person Nintendo stores once the special Switch 2 launches October 29.

Walmart is our highest recommendation for purchasing the console itself, while Best Buy is good for the Pro Controller, and old reliable Amazon has you covered for the Ocarina of Time remake itself.

The best reaction to scalping is always just not engaging, even if it means missing out on a collectible you have your eyes on.

Young Link has a face only a mother could love in Zelda Ocarina of Time remake, and even the series' most dedicated fans are struggling: "They did him dirty."

Following a surprise announcement yesterday during a Legend of Zelda-themed Nintendo Direct, Hasbro's Master Sword prop is now up for pre-order. Usually, replicas like this are many rupees… but not in this case. The toy is much more affordable than I thought it'd be.

Announced alongside merch for the Ocarina of Time Remake, including a playable ocarina, the Hasbro Master Sword just went live with pre-orders at Amazon, Hasbro Pulse, and Walmart. It'll set you back $39.99, and will arrive on your doorstep in Spring 2027 (just in time for the new movie, in other words).

While this is a smaller prop and isn't a 1:1 replica (it's very much a toy), it still looks rather handsome in product photography with plenty of detail to its name. Yes, it's clearly made of plastic, but the colors and proportions are surprisingly spot-on despite this thing being 27 inches rather than the full 40 or so.

This may be smaller than the actual Master Sword at 27 inches, but it's still packed with cool features. It uses 15+ sound effects, including the equip/un-equip audio when the toy is lifted or set down by the hilt. It also provides swiping and clashing noises when swung, or upon impact. Rather than the Ocarina remake everyone's going nuts over though, this Master Sword is based on the one seen in Tears of the Kingdom. That means it'll go nicely with Hasbro's first Legend of Zelda action figures.

The Electronic Master Sword is being made by the folks over at Hasbro Pulse, e.g. the place behind incredible replicas like the Darth Vader Force FX Elite Lightsaber or that phenomenally tempting Wolverine helmet. However, I don't think it'll be the only Master Sword produced there. I'd be downright astounded if those folks didn't make a full-size, 1:1 scale replica at some point, not unlike the Proplica version that made us weep with pure Zelda fandom joy. An absurdly detailed replica designed for adult collectors with sound effects and a cool stand to show it off on? That's absolutely within Pulse's wheelhouse. We just have to be patient, I guess.

In the meantime, will you be grabbing this new Master Sword?

This isn't the only awesome merch revealed during the Zelda direct; we also got a Lego Link and Epona kit, not to mention two new Ocarina of Time amiibo figures. They're certainly contenders for our list of the best Legend of Zelda merch...

• See all Legend of Zelda amiibo at Amazon

Nintendo just announced a new Metroid game in Metroid Ravenous! While it may seem a little soon (Metroid Prime 4: Beyond only released last year, after all) there's far more to this story.

Metroid Ravenous is set to be the first new 2D Metroid game in over five years, with the Metroid Dread release date passing us by way back on October 8, 2021. Thankfully, it looks like this new collaboration between MercurySteam and Nintendo EPD will pick up right in the aftermath of planet ZDR.

Metroid Ravenous was revealed during the September 2026 Nintendo Direct, with a reveal trailer showing cinematics, gameplay, and highlighting a few new powers for a returning Samus Aran to play with in the new game. Thankfully, we won't have long to wait to play it for ourselves, with Nintendo setting the Metroid Ravenous release date for early next year among the line up of upcoming Switch 2 games.

You'll learn more about the new 2D Metroid game below as we walk you through everything we know so far.

Metroid Ravenous release date

Nintendo has officially confirmed the Metroid Ravenous release date for January 28, 2027.

This was announced on September 9 as part of a Nintendo Direct presentation. Metroid Ravenous is set to be one of the most prominent upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games of next year, and a key platform-exclusive alongside Pokemon Winds & Waves. Metroid Ravenous will land over five years since the last 2D Metroid game landed on Switch – as you can recap in my 2021 Metroid Dread review, a fun adventure that was let down by its frustrating boss battles.

Metroid Ravenous platforms

Metroid Ravenous will be a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. This means it won't be available to play on the original Switch family of systems. This is unlikely to change in the future, with the vast majority of new first-party games published by Nintendo developed to take advantage of the increased power of the improved system. If you're looking to buy a console to play Metroid Ravenous (as well as some of the best Switch 2 games already out in the wild) then we're tracking the best Nintendo Switch 2 deals here.

Metroid Ravenous trailer

The first Metroid Ravenous trailer landed on September 9, 2026. It was positioned as part of the Nintendo Direct September 2026 showcase. While there were rumors that the game was in development, this first look was an official confirmation that the game is coming to Switch 2. You can watch the new Metroid trailer above.

Metroid Ravenous developer

While Nintendo is yet to officially confirm who is developing Metroid Ravenous, it's expected that it'll be MercurySteam once again taking on lead production duties. If you aren't familiar with the name, MercurySteam is an independent studio who has partnered with Nintendo in the past – collaborating to deliver Metroid Dread (2021) for Nintendo Switch and Metroid: Samus Returns (2017), which was a rather delightful remake of the Game Boy's Metroid 2: Return of Samus for 3DS. Basically, to cut a long story short: 2D Metroid is in exceptionally good hands here.

Metroid Ravenous pre-orders aren't live yet

Nintendo is yet to make Metroid Ravenous pre-orders live in the US or UK. However, we do know what to expect when they do eventually launch. The publisher announced that there will be both a regular and a special edition of the game available from January 28, 2027, with the limited release featuring a Steel Book, copy of the game, and a special Amiibo depicting Samus in a green Metroid Suit. And speaking of Amiibos, there will also be new products sold separately in the form of a Samus figure and a Chozo Statue.

Metroid Ravenous screenshots

Nintendo has released a bunch of new Metroid Ravenous screenshots. You'll see some of the more story focused snapshots on this page, but you'll want to click through this gallery to see over 20 direct-feed Metroid Ravenous gameplay screenshots which showcase some of Samus' returning abilities, new powers, and hint towards some of the threats we'll face this time around.

Metroid Ravenous gameplay

Metroid Ravenous is a 2D Metroid game with side-scrolling action, leaving you to forge a path forward through a labyrinthian maze of a world. While Nintendo is yet to officially detail what we're seeing in the reveal footage, it does look clear that this 2027 release is picking up in the immediate aftermath of Metroid Dread .

Which, spoilers, saw Samus able to directly absorb energy through her hands as a result of the Metroid DNA within her. It looks and sounds pretty clear that Ravenous will see Samus grapple with the fact that she's slowly transforming into a Metroid, an effect which will unlock a new suite of powers and abilities – alongside some returning classics. We'll likely learn more in the weeks ahead.

Have your say on Metroid Ravenous

Dive Deeper into Metroid

After 24 years, Star Fox Adventures is back. Rare's 2002 GameCube title turned Nintendo's beloved rail shooter into a Zelda-style action-adventure game, and while my nostalgic love for it runs deep, it's always had a controversial legacy among series fans. Now, we're all getting a chance to revisit it on Switch 2, as announced during today's Nintendo Direct.

Star Fox Adventures joins the GameCube library on Nintendo Switch Online today, September 9. As with all the recent GameCube re-releases, it will only be available on Switch 2, and only with the premium Expansion Pack version of the NSO subscription.

I used to earnestly assert that Star Fox Adventures was the only good Star Fox game, but, well, I played it when I was 12, and I liked Zelda a lot more than I liked Star Fox. I doubt that opinion fully holds up, but I do think Adventures was given a lot more guff than it deserved by hardcore Star Fox fans over the years.

It's a solid action-adventure game, it was graphically astounding in its day, and it has dinosaurs, after all. It famously started life at developer Rare as an original game titled Dinosaur Planet. Shigeru Miyamoto himself eventually proposed that it should be a Star Fox game and the rest, as they say, is history.

Here's hoping that Star Fox Adventures lives up to my memories of it at least a little bit. I'm gonna need something to fill the void until I can get my Zelda nostalgia fix with that Ocarina of Time remake.

Kirby and the World Beyond looks like the first open-world Kirby game, and it's coming to Switch 2 in spring 2027.

The brand-new Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time amiibo may feel pretty cursed to some, at least where their unlocks are concerned, but I'm absolutely smitten with these new collectibles.

The $24.99-each (GameStop) amiibo aren't just adorable little replicas of Young Link and Young Zelda as they appear in the upcoming Ocarina of Time Remake, but they also pay homage to some of my most beloved game artwork, at least for Link. The image of the little Hero of Time glancing at Navi the fairy as she's about to perch on his hand was used alongside the release of the original 1998 N64 game. Illustrated by artist Yusuke Nakano, the iconic art graced everything from Nintendo magazines of the era to the official Ocarina of Time Player's Guide by Nintendo Power (via Internet Archive), and it's incredible to see it in toy form all these years later.

Young Zelda appears to be rocking out her own unique pose, but as a pair, they're still undoubtedly detailed and adorable figures I can't wait to add to my collection. As it stands, I'll have to be a bit more patient to pre-order them myself, as both Young Link and Young Zelda have yet to appear on UK retailers. However, I've still gathered the links you'll need below once they drop, alongside which retailers you can visit to secure your new amiibo today if you're on the US side of the Lake Hylia fishing pond

I instantly clocked the classic art homage of the Young Link amiibo when it was first unveiled during the Nintendo Direct held yesterday. As a 90s kid and a hardened Zelda fan, the image of Link looking at Navi has been long etched in my brain for decades. While I'll have to get used to this new version of Link with his busy-looking tunic, I'm pretty excited to add this iconic pose to my Zelda merch collection - but I can't help but wish they chose different artwork as inspiration.

One of the most standout classic pieces of Ocarina of Time artwork features Young Link and Zelda sitting side by side. That would have been more fitting, particularly as Nintendo could have designed it so that the amiibo bases could fit together to get the pose just right. Ninty recently showed with its Splatoon Raiders amiibo that it can release figures that connect together, so it could have been a possibility for these two. But alas, I'm happy with any new Ocarina of Time amiibo, particularly as we've only had two so far - one of Young Link and one of Adult Link holding the ocarina, which is now in the Princess's hands this time around.

If you aren't an Ocarina of Time fan, the recent Nintendo Direct also included a reminder that the Mineru's Construct amiibo pre-orders are up for grabs. This figure is the first of the line-up to be articulated, which makes it one of the most unique amiibo in the Legend of Zelda line-up.

• View all Legend of Zelda amiibo at GameStop

Check out our Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake pre-order page and where to buy the Legend of Zelda Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch 2 Pro controller while you're here.

After five years, we're finally getting a new 2D Metroid game. Metroid Ravenous was announced as part of today's Nintendo Direct, it looks like a direct follow-up to Dread, and it's set to launch very soon: January 28.

The first trailer teases plenty, but the key bit seems to be some sort of feeding mechanic. We see Samus repeatedly absorbing energy from her enemies like, well, a Metroid, and the idea of hunger would certainly explain the title. The energy Samus drains from enemies appears to fill a meter in the upper left of the screen, but it's not immediately clear whether that's a health bar or some other sort of power meter.

The story sees Samus attacked and trapped on a mysterious moon by an unknown group of enemies wearing sick space samurai gear. Which, honestly, sounds like a solid setup for a Metroid game. And it's equally fun and terrifying to see Samus's fusion with the Metroids back on the GBA manifest in some new powers.

Nintendo did not confirm the developer in today's announcement, but this sure looks like another MercurySteam joint, as the counter-heavy gameplay of the studio's last effort looks to be very much intact here.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's ill-fitting open-world structure left a poor taste in my mouth last year, but I loved Dread, and I'm hopeful that Ravenous can offer a proper feast. We don't have to wait long to find out, either way.

Mario Kart World's best free update yet adds 10 retro tracks from Super Mario Kart today.

It's been almost three years since we saw the first trailer for GTA 6, and Rockstar North's co-studio head has now revealed – perhaps unsurprisingly – that the game wasn't "fully formed" at that point. Despite that, though, the song used in it was a "mission statement" for what was to come.

The wait for GTA 6 has felt extremely long, with Rockstar's sparse marketing certainly not helping matters. Trailer 1 was all we had to go off for a long time, introducing us to Lucia and who would later be confirmed as Jason, the Vice City setting, and, uh, a 2025 release window. Yeah, that didn't age well, but the accompanying music – Tom Petty's 'Love is a Long Road' – really helped set the vibe for the game, and seemingly not just for the fans.

Speaking in a new interview with French outlet TroisCouleurs, Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson notes that when the team starts on a new game, they don't necessarily all have the same image in their heads of what it's going to look like. "It may be an image, often it is a song we rally around," he says.

As for Rockstar's process, "the first thing we always do, once we decide where we want to set the game, is we'll go there. And just feel it, and go out and just drive around," he says, adding that the devs will "take a ton of pictures, and soak as much of it up as we can and see what speaks to us and start to talk about it and share ideas about what we want to incorporate."

He continues: "So, I'd love to say that it was an image from here that was in our heads, but you're usually chasing something a little bit out of reach and then you see something, and choose a piece of music, and these two things start to work. The game starts to pull together these sorts of pieces."

Nelson then points to GTA 6 trailer 1. "With the first trailer for this game, the Tom Petty song [Love is a Long Road] was a real sort of mission statement," he explains. "You don't have the game fully formed, you have an idea of what it's going to be, but you really have to push hard to pull that together and so when this team is able to do that – and it's definitely made with everything that you've got, but it's the best of everything you've got at that point – it's put together in such a way that it helps be a bit of a guiding light of what it needs to feel like."

Looking back, it seems pretty obvious that GTA 6 wasn't "fully formed" at that point – after all, we're going to have been waiting for the best part of three years since then when we actually get to play it. What we saw even then though looked extremely good, and I suppose that's just what Nelson is talking about when he refers to it as "the best of everything you've got."

But the music choice was clever, too – the lyrics gave us a bit of a hint at what we might be able to expect from the story and Lucia and Jason's relationship, more than what was actually shown in the trailer itself. And, if this is something that Rockstar used as inspiration itself, it's only fitting that we were teased with the very same song.

GTA 6 boss says "there will always be things to satirize," but Rockstar has to "be careful about what we pick" because after 11 years of development "it could be gone, it could change, it could be dated."

Oh Link, you've met with a terrible fate. You might not be a Deku Scrub, but you are absolutely lost in the uncanny valley thanks to Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake.

Link's younger self stands out among all the other re-modeled characters for many of the wrong reasons. His chubby, babyface cheeks and big round eyes contribute to the feeling that we're looking at someone just slightly too inhuman for their own good.

In reaction to Nintendo showcasing the remake, people have been quick to gawk at the choices made regarding our protagonist. One popular tweet compares a picture of Hyrule's hero and that cursed hellspawn Renesmee animatronic baby from the Twilight film franchise.

I'm sorry to say, but there's a clear resemblance. It's in the eyes and how the air gets a little colder whenever you're looking into them. One of many photoshops doing the rounds hammers this home.

Speaking of hammers, another post makes it clear violence would've been employed in another time for the intrepid adventurer. "Me and my friends would have killed Young Link with hammers I can tell you that much," says a post, and going by the numbers, I think a few would've joined them.

In a crossover within the same franchise, one Twitter user points out Link's resemblance to Malo, the infant-looking Ordonian from Twilight Princess. A reminder Nintendo has form for this, however cursed.

"They did him dirty," one fan proclaims, and, well, yeah.

One huge change in the Ocarina of Time remake: full voice-acted cutscenes for everyone, except Link of course.

The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time pre-orders have landed across the web, with both the physical and digital edition now available in the US and some early listings popping up in the UK as well. The remake was shown off in Nintendo's dedicated Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct, where we also learned of the title's November 5 release date and $69.99 / £54.99 launch price (though that's $59.99 for the digital edition). With copies popping up all over the web, it's time to lock in your early order - here's where to find the fastest shipping options and all the latest stock.

In the US, Amazon has both physical and digital copies up for grabs while in the UK Smyths Toys is the fastest out the gate with the only listing we're seeing at the time of writing.

Not only will the physical version grant you the full physical game with no game-key card in sight, but you'll also get access to that shiny foil cover in the process. While there's no fancy collector's edition to pick up today, Nintendo did make sure to provide a pre-order bonus box of 3D replicas of the Spiritual Stones - but that is exclusive to the Nintendo UK online store while supplies last. Of course, if you're after a heavier set of goodies, Legend of Zelda Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are alive and kicking as well.

So you're not left feeling like a stray Kokiri in the Lost Woods, I've gathered all the US and UK retailers you can use to secure your copy of the game ahead of November. I'll be updating this along the way, so check back later if you aren't quite ready to splash out all your rupees on the upcoming Switch 2 remake.

Ocarina of Time pre-orders in the US

Ocarina of Time Remake UK pre-orders

FAQ

Want more Ocarina of Time Remake goodies? Check out Hasbro's new electronic Master Sword and the new Lego Link and Epona set and the best Legend of Zelda merch while you're here.

Ever since God of War Laufey was revealed this past summer, fans have been squabbling over Sony Santa Monica's decision to move aside Kratos as the game's main protagonist in favor of his second wife and mother to Atreus, Laufey. Well, that debate has now been ended quite decisively, as none other than Kratos actor Christopher Judge has stepped in with an unequivocal stamp of approval for the upcoming sequel.

"It's a banger," Judge said during a Fan Expo Canada panel (via Collider) "People are going to be blown away." Speaking directly to Woll's casting, Judge added, "She's so beloved in so many fandoms, and man, she brings it. She absolutely brings it."

Indeed, Woll is a beloved and prolific actor with major roles across TV, film, and video games. She's known as Jessica Hamby in True Blood, Karen Page in the MCU, and Faye, or Laufey, in the Norse era of Sony's God of War games. Though she was briefly seen, dead, in the first God of War from 2018, she appeared more prominently in cutscenes in God of War Ragnarok, and Laufey will be her first appearance as a playable character in the series. And if Judge is correct, you won't want to go back.

We saw plenty of Faye's moveset in the 20 minutes of footage shown in God of War Laufey's announcement, and the nimble, acrobatic hero couldn't be more different to the hulking, lumbering Kratos. Woll herself previously called Kratos's gameplay "fantastic because he's such a heavy hitter," but added that Faye is "just as strong and just as good a warrior." Of course, if you've spent any time on the internet ever, you won't be surprised to hear there were some negative reactions to Laufey being the main protagonist, which Woll has wisely shrugged off.

God of War Laufey hits PS5 on February 16, 2027.

God of War Laufey proves women are still gaining ground in gaming, and I'm thrilled Kratos is sitting this one out

Two new amiibo are on the way for Ocarina of Time remake, and they look fantastic - but what they unlock is seriously weirding me out.

Revealed during the latest Nintendo Direct livestream, these figures depict Young Link sitting on a stump with Navi the fairy and Young Zelda as she plays what I think might be the Ocarina of Time itself. As with all amiibo (and particularly the Legend of Zelda range like the new Mineru's Construct that just went up for pre-order at Amazon), they're impressively detailed so could be sold as mini statuettes in their own right... but that's just the tip of the iceberg, because they also unlock in-game items. In this case, deeply cursed masks of their former selves.

Yes, you'll be able to wear a mask of original Link or Zelda in all their polygonal glory after using these amiibo in the Ocarina of Time remake. Judging by the stream, there won't be any other benefit - just the ability to parade around in a chilling facsimile of their faces with one hell of a dead-eyed stare.

While I understand the idea in principle, there's something unsettling about the execution; besides it feeling odd for Link to run around Hyrule wearing his old face like a pint-sized version of Michael Myers, it's jarring to see the crisp, highly detailed character model under a pixelated mug with edges so sharp they could cut someone.

Still, at least the amiibo themselves are fantastic. The attention to detail is every bit as meticulous as you'd expect from modern amiibo, and Link is a fun nod to the past. Taking a break on a log while Navi the fairy perches on his hand, this image is pulled directly from artwork for the original game. That makes it a neat ode to N64 Ocarina of Time that anyone who grew up with the game will appreciate.

This wasn't the only merch unveiled during the stream; besides the reveal of a new Lego Link and Epona kit, Nintendo just showed off an electronic Master Sword to accompany new Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake, as well as a playable ocarina. These are shaping up to be some of the best Legend of Zelda merch already...

• See all Legend of Zelda amiibo at Amazon

Nintendo has finally given us a substantial look at the incoming The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, revealing a number of big changes. There are a few that truly stand-out, like having a jump button and a quest log, and added voice-acting for various characters.

As you no doubt recall from the original, the only lines you hear through the game are Navi's incessant requests for your attention, and Link's shouts and grunts while delving through the various dungeons across Hyrule. Not any more, because the rest of the characters now have fully-voiced dialogue.

That includes Zelda, Saria, Princess Ruto of the Zora, Darunia of the Gorons, and yes, even Ganondorf himself, who is just as menacing in that encounter when he's on horseback. We get lines from each in the latest trailer, and it definitely gives an anachronistic shock at first.

The voices themselves are more than adequate, but after 30 years, it's weird seeing anything related to Ocarina of Time with full dialog. Ganondorf is particularly tricky for my brain to register, possibly because I always thought he was scarier due to his silence. On the flipside, Zelda and Saria's voices are particularly spot on to how they always seemed in my head, and of course, Link remains completely silent.

The voice cast has yet to be revealed, which is classic Nintendo behavior. We'll probably have to wait until November to find out exactly who's behind these performances, but whomever they are, this must've been one of their more nerve-racking assignments.

Imagine being the first person to voice a character in a game that's been totally loved for three decades? Incredible pressure. But I can say they done decent job, at least from what we've seen thus far.

Nintendo says Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake isn't aiming "for realistic graphics," and that's great for everyone but Young Link

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake appears to largely be faithful to the design of the original, but Nintendo has introduced a couple of core gameplay tweaks that some players have been waiting decades for. There's now a dedicated jump button, and you no longer have to spam the roll button to move faster.

In the original Ocarina of Time on N64, you'd automatically jump by running towards a ledge, but there was no way to jump whenever you wanted to. While the game was certainly designed around this limitation, it seemed weird even at the time, especially given the prominence of the jump-driven Super Mario 64 on the same platform.

Players have complained about Ocarina of Time's lack of jump button since the game launched 28 years ago, but now you can simply tap a button to hop. Plus, you can swing the camera around with the right stick, something else that wasn't possible on N64. Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma admits in today's gameplay demonstration that both these features "might seem obvious for those of you who have played recent games in the series," but they do both mark major changes for the 28-year-old original.

Another key change: in the original game, repeatedly rolling forward is slightly faster than running. To this day, even speedrunners make use of that rolling technique to get around faster. But in the remake, you can hold down the roll button to have Link burst into a speedy sprint. There doesn't appear to be any stamina meter holding you back from dashing forever, so it looks like there's a new fastest way to get around.

I've played through Ocarina of Time more times than I can count, but I'm not fully convinced by the remake. Hyrule appears to be largely unchanged from how it debuted in 1998 aside from the new visuals, and I'm not sure I love that new graphical treatment. So I'm not convinced this remake is a meaningful upgrade over the original. But I'm glad to see Nintendo's at least willing to make a few core gameplay tweaks to get this remake feeling a little fresher.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake release date set for November as Nintendo joins GTA 6 in a weird month.

Nintendo has unveiled the first footage of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake, and Nintendo hired that man.

As part of The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary Nintendo Direct, series producer Eiji Aonuma revealed some live gameplay of the upcoming remake, showing the early moments of Link's adventure in Kokiri Forest and the Great Deku Tree. And to say it's quite a stark difference is certainly an understatement. Aonuma notes, "We had many discussions about what visual style we should use for this game, We decided that if Link's adventure took place in a world that has both been remade yet somewhat nostalgic, he would look like this."

Despite the change, Aonuma adds, "we didn't just aim for realistic graphics; we were particularly focused on reimagining them in a way that invoked nostalgia for the original game." This can be seen in some of the redesigns, like Link's tunic, which has a new textured appearance and pattern, while the Great Deku Tree has a ton of frayed branches to represent its facial hair, as opposed to the flatter design seen in the original.

Naturally, with any remake, visual differences are going to be hit-or-miss for everyone, but the realistic design is certainly a choice, even if it's not quite as uncanny as the Star Fox remake earlier this year. The environments have been updated in a way that generally looks lovely and is a natural update to what you'd imagine the game to look like in a semi-realistic style.

Weirdly, the worst looking part of the game is Link himself, at least in his younger form, some of the designs like Darunia and Ruto are spot on while Sheik has a fantastic looking redesign, but Link just ain't it, with exaggerated eyes and chubby cheeks he just looks a bit strange. The first look at the game in the stream was definitely weird to get to grips with, but it won me over as it went along, and thankfully adult Link isn't quite as strange-looking, so there's that.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake's mystery developer may be a veteran studio that a Nintendo lead wanted to see "play a central role" in the series moving forward

Nintendo officially announced The Legend of Zelda – 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 during its Zelda Direct on September 8 after plenty of spurting leaks in August. The handheld will be available from October 29 – with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake sold separately.

So, it seems the special Switch 2 won't be included in any bundle deals – though Nintendo's existing price-hiked Switch 2 bundles are underwhelming. Instead, Zelda fans can expect to see a 40th Anniversary Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, which matches the special Switch 2 console with its emerald and gold decals, as well as a 40th Anniversary screen protector and carrying case, which also shows off the mighty Triforce. You'll also have the option to buy the Zelda Switch 2 with a display stand.

Though, Nintendo disclaims that the Zelda Switch 2 with a display stand will be exclusive to the Nintendo store, including its brick-and-mortar locations in New York and San Francisco. Pre-orders for the 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 stuff will otherwise likely go live at Nintendo first, but then they'll make their way to other retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

We don't know how much any of it will cost internationally yet, but a press release from Nintendo's Japanese wing lists the Zelda Switch 2 console as 62,980 yen, which is about $400, while the Pro Controller plus display stand is priced at 12,980 yen, or $80. The carrying case and screen protector will cost 3,980 yen in Japan, or approximately $25 – though you should remember all Nintendo hardware is generally priced lower in Japan. The Japan-language Switch 2 is 59,980 yen, for example, which equates to around $385, while the multi-language Switch 2 is currently available in the US at $499. And yet the Triforce beckons...

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake release date is set for November 5, with seemingly no concern for GTA 6.

Where to buy the Legend of Zelda Nintendo Switch 2, how to find your best shot at a pre-order.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake release date is set for November 5, Nintendo announced at today's big Zelda Nintendo Direct showcase.

The Ocarina of Time remake release date joins a strange November which notably includes GTA 6, due November 19. GTA 6 is, of course, only coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X, not Nintendo Switch 2.

Thanks to GTA 6, many games have already shifted their release dates out of November, creating an absurdly stuffed October. Nintendo and Rockstar are currently the marquee publishers for November itself.

That leaked Zelda Switch 2 console is coming just before November on October 29, albeit with the game sold separately. Similarly, a new Lego Legend of Zelda Link and Epona set was briefly revealed in the Direct.

Per our big list of upcoming Switch 2 games, the Ocarina of Time remake is the tentpole release for November, and the biggest Nintendo game of the holiday season.

This month, the console is getting Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave (September 17) alongside third-party releases like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered (September 29) and Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter (also September 17).

In October, Switch 2 owners can look forward to Rayman Legends Retold (October 1), the Octopath Traveler duo pack (also October 1), and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (October 23). The big Nintendo release for the month is Nintendo Switch Sports Resort (October 22).

December is currently looking a little light, with a Switch 2 edition of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 leading the pack. The Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 update was one of the console's best, so that might actually be enough for some JRPG fans.

Nintendo says Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake isn't aiming "for realistic graphics," and that's great for everyone but Young Link.

A new Lego Legend of Zelda set has been announced in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reveal during the latest Nintendo Direct livestream.

As is only right considering the imminent release for Ninty's Ocarina of Time remake, the latest kit depicts Link and Epona striking a heroic pose on a small slice of Hyrule Field. This one isn't like the other Lego Legend of Zelda sets so far, though; rather than being a diorama with the usual minifigures (as seen in the Final Battle set that hit the Lego store earlier this year or the now-retired Lego Great Deku Tree), it's one of the company's larger 'big' figures.

There's no word yet on when this kit will be launching, though. In fact, we don't even know this model's price. However, we can make an educated guess. Lego doesn't typically show off kits too far ahead of launch, so if I had to guess, I think we'll see this one hitting shelves in early October, November, or December.

From what I can tell, this model may not have to be displayed with Epona rearing up. The bottom of her hind legs and the knees of her front legs seem to be hinged, so if I had to guess, you can probably pose her however you like. (The base certainly looks big enough to accommodate all four hooves being on the ground, if barely.)

I think it's a similar story for Link. His arms, hands, and head look as though they can be twisted, though based on the angle I can't be sure about the legs. It's possible he'll take a leaf out of Lego Luigi & Mach 8's book in that his top half is flexible, but his bottom half isn't.

Either way, this kit looks pretty manageable no matter whether you're coming back to Lego for the first time in years, have never built a set, or are a veteran of many models. While it's hard to gauge size from a screengrab, you can hazard a good guess based on the pieces used. Judging by the jagged two-stud pieces around Epona's hooves which usually weigh in at around 16mm long, I think this model will be between six and ten inches tall when reared up.

No matter what, we should find out precise details soon. Keep a close eye on Lego for more in the coming weeks.

This wasn't the only cool collectible to appear during the Nintendo Direct stream; Nintendo announces electronic Master Sword to accompany new Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake, as well as a playable ocarina.

• See all the latest sets over at Lego

New details for the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie have been revealed, and they're pretty intriguing. While we didn't get a trailer for the new film during The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct, Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto did reveal some interesting teases.

"The title is The Legend of Zelda," he explained. "Once you see the film, you'll understand why there isn't a subtitle. This is an original film based on the many stories, ideas, and concepts of the series, built up through the games over 40 years." He also teased that the Triforce will play a part in the new movie.

Directed by Wes Ball, the adaptation stars House of the Dragon's Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Renegade Nell's Bo Bragason as Zelda. It also stars Uli Latukefu as Ganondorf, Dichen Lachman as Impa, and Yvonne Strahovski as "a Queen character".

Speaking earlier this year to GamesRadar+, Ainsworth revealed he was a bit too young to play Breath of the Wild, possibly the best Zelda game of all time, when it was released in 2011, but he did watch a lot of playthroughs.

"Then, upon being fortunate enough to play this role, such an iconic character, going back and realizing the 40 years of legacy and history, and the varied tones, the varied stories, the varied renditions and vocal performances of this character as well," he explained of his preparation. "Yeah, I'm a big fan, and just really excited, because it was an awesome thing to shoot."

The Legend of Zelda movie is set to hit theaters worldwide on April 30, 2027. For more game-to-film adaptations, here's our guide to all the video game movies you need to know about.

After backlash over the controversial Stellar Blade: Blood Rain AI music video, Shift Up's chief technology officer says the studio has been taking concerns "seriously," and now wants to "make a clear separation" between what it considers "experimental content" and its main "game-related content."

Following the Stellar Blade sequel's reveal during Summer Game Fest, an official AI-generated music video starring new protagonist Evie was released and met with immediate vitriol. Shift Up wasn't attempting to hide anything – fine print at the end of the video stated: "This video was created using the Game resource from Stellar Blade: Blood Rain and regenerated with AI support."

But honesty wasn't the concern here. People have many reasons to dislike AI, from its general laziness to the environmental concerns that persist regardless of whether someone is feeding their own work into the machine (it's a whole other issue if it's reproducing the work of others). In a new interview with The Gamer, Stellar Blade technical director and Shift Up CTO DongKi Lee has explained why the video was made in the first place and the studio's thoughts on using the technology moving forward.

"The reason we revealed that music video was to show more of the beauty of Stellar Blade: Blood Rain," the dev says. "We wanted to show the world view and the character Evie. We just wanted to show a little more of each, and we did that as part of the content.

"But then we do take seriously and importantly what the fans have been saying, and the concerns they have been expressing about the music video, and from now on we definitely want to make a clear separation between the two, like game-related content and what we would call experimental content, like what we are experimenting with," he continues.

Shift Up CEO Kim Hyung Tae previously responded to the backlash over the music video himself, although perhaps not in the way Stellar Blade fans were hoping for. At the time, he stated that "Evie, the character at the heart of this video, was created from head to toe by our talented artists and modelers through more than a year of dedicated work," and that "the AI is not creating her from scratch," but rather "rendering and presenting the character based on the data, designs, and craftsmanship our team created."

The thing is, as folks pointed out at the time, this was never really the worry. In fact, one of the main sentiments of the initial kickback from the video was the idea that using AI to regurgitate Evie's design was an insult to the studio's human artists, and that the company had the talent available to create something like this without turning to the slop machine.

The CTO's latest comments do, at least, seem a little more open to the negative feedback, but anyone hoping for the studio to drop the technology like it's a burning turd might still be disappointed.

"AI has a lot of influence and impact on game development," he continues, adding: "But when we are using certain technologies or tools, what's important is the direction and purpose they serve. It needs to be used in a way that supports the developers' creativity, know-how, and skills.

"It should be used as a tool. That's the direction, and its purpose would be to make a great, high-quality game."

This sentiment shouldn't be too surprising, however. The Shift Up CEO previously expressed his belief that AI is a necessary tool for South Korean studios to compete with larger studios in the US and China, so the Stellar Blade creators are clearly in favor of using the tech when it can.

Fueled by the sequel, Stellar Blade diehard begins multi-year quest to kill the final boss every day until Blood Rain and Evie finally arrive.

Now that the GTA 6 release date is set in stone, we can start worrying about the exact time the juggernaut crime sandbox will become available. Some detectives have dug through data on the game to find out when each territory can jump in, and as you might expect, fans down under should be getting a head start.

The outlet GTA Vice put together a full breakdown of the times by country and region, using timestamps from the PS Store to extrapolate the global launch. If you want to be among the first people to gallivant through Leonida, you'll need to head toward New Zealand or Australia.

The former is first up, getting it a good 13 hours before Britain, and 18 hours before the east coast of the US of A. That's a solid head start on one of the most anticipated games ever made, and I wouldn't put it past some particularly eager fans to migrate just for the sake of an extra half a day's gameplay.

The last region to get access to Grand Theft Auto 6 will be Mexico, lagging just behind the United States. Mexican and American players will need to cover their ears for the last day ahead of launch to protect from spoilers, since you can do a lot in 18 hours, and I suspect many won't be sleeping much during this time.

This is all assuming Rockstar sticks to a staggered schedule. The company employed one for Red Dead Redemption 2, but eschewed it for GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition.

I would say it's likely this turns out to be close to the truth. It gives Rockstar time to ensure the infrastructure can handle the millions of players who'll be downloading the game and getting into it, and lets anticipation build across social media. And it's nice to give Australia and New Zealand a bit more excitement, as well.

GTA 6 boss says "there will always be things to satirize," but Rockstar has to "be careful about what we pick" because after 11 years of development "it could be gone, it could change, it could be dated"

Nintendo has confirmed that two Nintendo Direct presentations will air this week, with the first focusing on The Legend of Zelda's 40th anniversary.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is Nintendo's biggest game for the remainder of 2026, and one we know next to nothing about. Will it be a full-blown remake in the vein of Resident Evil or Final Fantasy 7's recent outings? Or will it be a glorified remaster, just a prettier version of the exact same game with some quality-of-life improvements? Thankfully, all will hopefully be revealed today as we're getting 30 minutes of Zelda news in The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary Nintendo Direct.

The rumor mill has placed Xenoblade Chronicles studio Monolith Soft as the studio behind this remake. Meanwhile, a leak from the Australian Nintendo store seems to suggest it'll be priced at $60 alongside Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, meaning it's more expensive than the likes of Star Fox 64's remake, but not quite as much as premium Switch 2 games like Donkey Kong Bananza.

As for what else to expect from this show, given we got our first look at The Super Mario Galaxy movie during last year's Super Mario Bros 40th Anniversary segment, I'd wager we'll see footage from The Legend of Zelda movie. Perhaps a duo of remasters like The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD could be thrown to Switch 1 owners, and in a stunning display of copium, I'm going to put it out into the world that we get a teaser for the next mainline Zelda game.

How to watch the The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary Nintendo Direct

The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary Nintendo Direct will air live on Tuesday, September 8 at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST and air for 30 minutes.

And don't forget, we'll be getting another Nintendo Direct this week, with a regular Nintendo Direct set to air tomorrow, September 9, 2026, at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST, which will last 40 minutes. And on top of that, after tomorrow's show wraps up, we're getting a Nintendo Treehouse Live stream with 110 minutes of gameplay, with Zelda being a likely candidate to show up.

Watch the Nintendo Direct stream here

The show will air live on Nintendo's YouTube channels simultaneously, so just pick whatever region suits you best!

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake's price has seemingly leaked ahead of the Nintendo Direct, with the Switch 2 exclusive being right in the middle of Nintendo's Switch 2 game price range.

Nintendo is the one publisher that is weirdest with pricing. Mario Kart World made countless headlines last year when it was revealed that it would cost $80, but aside from that, no Switch 2 game has been $80. Premium releases like Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokemon Pokopia, and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave have been at $70, while the likes of Star Fox and Splatoon Raiders have been $50, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book stands alone at $60. Many assume further $80 releases are likely being saved for the Next 3D Mario, Zelda, or Animal Crossing games.

However, ahead of today's The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary Nintendo Direct, fans have noticed that the Nintendo Store's Australian website has listed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake at AU$94.95, placing it at the same price point as Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. So unless there's a strange regional difference, the Ocarina of Time remake should be $60 (that's £50 in the UK).

So what does this tell us? Given that Star Fox was also a remake of a Nintendo 64 game released this year and it was $10 cheaper, it says that Nintendo views this as a bigger remake than its contemporary. That being said, not being a full-priced or Mario Kart-priced release may suggest it is closer to a traditional remake than a Resident Evil- or Final Fantasy 7-style remake (that is to say, an actual remake, not a fancy remaster).

However, maybe it is, and Nintendo is just being generous with its pricing based on it being a remake; we'll find out in a few hours!

Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake's mystery developer may be a veteran studio that a Nintendo lead wanted to see "play a central role" in the series moving forward

Rockstar once worried that fans would find Red Dead Redemption 2 boring after spending time with GTA 5 and its trio of protagonists.

After years of primarily offering a singular protagonist for you to experience its in-game worlds through, Rockstar broke tradition by going with three for GTA 5 – giving you the option to swap between the trio as their narrative journeys intertwined with each other. Considering GTA 5 still sells millions of copies a year, I'd say it worked pretty well.

In fact, it almost worked too well, as Rockstar became nervous about moving on to Red Dead Redemption 2 and the singular cowboy it offered to you to play as.

Speaking to TroisCouleurs about GTA 6, Rockstar North co-lead Rob Nelson delves into the journey from GTA 5 to Red Dead Redemption 2, and how that's influenced where the developer is today.

"We always look back at the last games and think about how to evolve on them and move them forward," he says. "And so, with GTA 5 with three protagonists that were connected but individual in their own way, and then going to Red Dead Redemption 2, which was obviously Arthur’s story, we were slightly nervous people were going to be bored with just one protagonist.

"And we did have people ask, 'Are you going to be able to switch between members of the gang?' There were questions about that. I forgot about that until now. And you think about it, and you know, people speculate."

Looking back, Nelson says that it "feels funny now," because Arthur "worked as a character." Partly because Rockstar gave itself the space to "really drill into his journey." In fact, the way his story shifts depending on your choices left such an impact on the team that you can see some form of it in GTA 6.

"We wanted to take the depth that we were able to add into the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 and the ability to interact with the world in a much more significant way, but then also this sort of emotional connection that people end up having with Arthur," Nelson shares. "Is there a way that we bring that into GTA, and how could we do it? So, we had played around with different ideas; we knew we wanted to come back and continue playing with the idea of multiple protagonists.

"We thought about different options but ultimately wanted to try a duo, a partnership of some kind. If they're in relationship, or have the potential to be in [a] relationship, what does that feel like? So it's a couple, it's Bonnie and Clyde. And then as soon as we thought about it, it was obvious. It became the very clear choice for us and felt like something we had to try."

Considering that Rockstar was once worried about Red Dead Redemption 2 boring GTA 5 fans, you have got to say the outcome the team got wasn't bad at all, hm?

GTA 6 boss says "there will always be things to satirize," but Rockstar has to "be careful about what we pick" because after 11 years of development "it could be gone, it could change, it could be dated."

In the wake of The Duskbloods, FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki says following the exact same rules with every game doesn't result in fun games.

Dark Souls has inspired a mountain of games, it's hard to think of any title in the last 15 years that has had more of an impact on our industry. Well, Fortnite did inspire how we approach live service, battle passes, and publishers chasing the next Fortnite, but I'm talking about positive impacts. This extends to FromSoftware itself, as Bloodborne, Sekiro, and especially Elden Ring all take elements from Dark Souls, yet feel like wholly unique games, and despite all being directed by Miyazaki, the similarities are not the goal for FromSoftware.

Speaking to The Guardian, Miyazaki explains, "There's no intentional FromSoftware [mantra] – 'this is the way we make our games,'" with The Duskbloods set to imbue the combat of a game like Bloodborne with a multiplayer, almost extraction shooter-like loop. He says, "If you start to do that it becomes stale and conservative, and you start having to adhere to a set of rules and philosophies, and it just doesn't become interesting, you can't make anything that's as fun."

Miyazaki notes: "I feel like at least what's worked for us philosophically is trying to adhere to what we find interesting first. I think that has created a good throughline through our games, and that's what we concentrate on to [conceive] a new title."

Yes, FromSoftware definitely has a house style in the same way Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed and Far Cry games share a ton of the same game mechanics in a different genre, or Sony's first-party studios being primarily on cinematic-focused third-person action games for a long time. However, it's undeniable that you are not playing the same game if you play Sekiro and Elden Ring back to back, and that being a mantra from the studio is undoubtedly a factor in its games being the beloved successes they are today.

FromSoftware knows what it's doing with The Duskbloods character Zork, the internet's new obsession: "I have developed a powerful, almost maternal affection."

Rockstar North co-lead Rob Nelson says GTA 6 has been in development since 2015, so the developers have had to be "very careful" to ensure the ideas they ran with still feel relevant in 2026.

Grand Theft Auto has always managed to capture a moment in time. While the likes of GTA Vice City looked back to the era of 1980s Miami, the long-awaited GTA 6 is more like GTA 5 in reflecting contemporary times. Due to swelling development timelines, it can be challenging when something you're working on today might not release for another 10 years.

Speaking to French outlet TroisCouleurs, Nelson offers some insight into how Rockstar is trying to make GTA 6 feel immediately recognizable despite being in development since 2015.

As part of the interview, Nelson is asked if Rockstar devs keep an eye on the current news with an eye to implementing what they see into a future game – the COVID pandemic, for example.

In response, Nelson says "there will always be things to satirize," but there is a method to picking the right things to make fun of.

"We develop on very long cycles," he explains. "The game's been in development since 2015, so the idea is gestating for a long time. The majority of the team really started rolling on to it after Red Dead Redemption 2 released in 2018.

"We have to be very careful about what ideas we choose to put in there, because it can take a long time to figure out what our angle is on this. Because by the time we write it and cast it and shoot it, and implement it, whatever it is – it could be gone, it could change, it could be dated.

"And so we're always trying to think about whether something will stand the test of time. And so, you look at those things, and we only try to pick things if they work with the story we're trying to tell, in the world we're trying to tell it in. I think there will always be things to satirize, there are always ridiculous situations and behaviors that we can find, but we just have to be careful about what we pick."

From what we can see of GTA 6 so far, there's plenty of that on show already. In the GTA 6 Extended Look, we see that Vice City is no stranger to a streamer trying to capture the next viral moment on the streets, for example – something that's been around for years now, and will likely be around for years longer. We've also seen a fair few in-game TV ads, which is one of Rockstar's favorite ways to skewer capitalism.

We'll have to wait until GTA 6 releases on November 19 to see what else Rockstar makes fun of, though it's clear that the silliness of human nature has given developers ample wells of inspiration to draw from.

Rockstar boss says GTA 6 doesn't just let you easily walk around with guns because GTA 5's approach doesn't work "at this resolution."

Onimusha: Way of the Sword's director has explained some of the major inspirations behind the samurai action game, and let's just say, peak respects peak.

Speaking to FZ (via machine translation), Capcom's Satoru Nihei, director of Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Onimusha series producer Akihito Kadowaki were asked to choose one game which inspired their work on the game, and while I'm sure most would expect the director to say something like Sekiro or Ghost of Tsushima, Nihei explained that it was actually Super Mario Odyssey.

He explains that Mario is an action game that is very easy on the surface, but once you go deeper, it becomes more dynamic and challenging, which Nihei praises as something Nintendo, as a developer, excels at. He notes that every action in Mario Odyssey corresponds to a reaction to counter it, and that the way this affects Mario's controls was something Nihei focused on bringing to Onimusha's control scheme to enhance its tactical feel.

Kadowaki, on the other hand, after mentioning Silent Hill f – which you can somewhat feel in the world design – cites the Gundam series. He explains that, with the universe packed to the gills with charismatic characters, this is something Kadowaki aimed to bring to his work with Onimusha. And given how memorable and diverse the personalities of Musashi, Okuni, and Takamura are, I'd say you can definitely feel that shine through.

From a non-game-development perspective, I believe every game should look to something like Super Mario Odyssey for inspiration. Yes, the central game, challenges, and adventure are all brilliant, but Mario himself is what I actually mean. No game has aced how good it feels to have a character and simply move around in the world quite like it; the only exception is Donkey Kong Bananza, from the same development team.

Capcom left a surprise in new Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance footage: fans spot the return of the series' most cursed creature.

The chances of us getting an official Lego GTA 6 set are slim to nil (something tells me it doesn't fit the toy-maker's family-friendly vibe), so seeing a fan-made version is such a tease for what could be.

Creator hachiroku24 has taken matters into their own hands by making a model inspired by GTA 6, and I'd go so far as to say it's a homerun. I've got no notes; whether it's the high-speed chase or a spot-on version of the logo towering over everything else, this thing is perfect. If there was going to be an official Lego GTA 6 set for Lego's 18+ range, I'd want it to look like this.

On the reddit thread showing off this model, Cherego sums up my thoughts perfectly with "If this would be an official set, I'd buy it [in] an instant." RobberySuspect agrees, adding "Oh my god I love the design you nailed this!" (As you can see for yourself below, hachiroku24 really did.)

The kit shows protagonists Lucia and Jason escaping the law on a speedboat while the cops are left high and dry against a backdrop of palm trees. It's understated, but nails a key part of the Grand Theft Auto experience without taking the easy way out; rather than resorting to a chaotic five-star shootout, it sells the franchise's blend of action, taboo luxury, and danger in a much more subtle but effective way. It's the kind of scene I could see playing out at the beginning of the game, before the logo appears against the city skyline.

Speaking of which, this set then goes one better and adds a GTA 6 logo hovering overhead. Besides the font being pitch-perfect, the gradient colors help sell those sun-kissed Miami vibes. (It's up there with the best Lego sets so far as looks go.) A lot of fans on the reddit thread seem to agree, with numerous comments praising just how accurate the font is. "Looking at this on mobile I thought the background was printed and the model was in the foreground," nocolon writes. "Absolutely mindblown after expanding the image. That’s incredible."

This level of skill won't come as a surprise to long-term Lego fans, though. User hachiroku24 is well known for making incredible homebrew builds, and they recently dreamt up an incredible Lego Final Fantasy set, not to mention a Lego Pokemon kit that's good enough to look official. I'd argue this is their finest work yet.

Unfortunately, these kits and the Lego GTA 6 set aren't official models you can buy – and in the case of Grand Theft Auto, they likely never will be. Hopefully hachiroku24 releases some instructions, so we can have a go at making it ourselves…

Lego Astro Bot leaks as a free gift for the PlayStation kit, and I kinda wish it was being sold separately.

• See all the for-adults display sets over at Lego

Capcom has announced that Onimusha: Way of the Sword has sold one million copies in its first day, continuing the publisher's 2026 hot streak.

Even with the sheer amount of major games that have been released this year, and even with the monolith that is GTA 6 standing over every release as it will inevitably be the best-selling and likely most-awarded game of the year, it's hard to argue that anyone has had a better 2026 than Capcom. Obviously, Resident Evil Requiem is the publisher's marquee title this year, but new IP Pragmata proved to be a huge success, with Capcom poised to turn it into a franchise following 2.5 million copies sold, and the more niche Monster Hunter Stories 3 landed well with players and critics, too.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword landed positively as far as critic reviews went, while its Steam concurrent player count peaked at 85,081 over the weekend to go along with its "very positive" rating (thanks, SteamDB), but the real test was whether the long-dormant Capcom franchise would sell as well in 2026. Thankfully, Capcom seems happy, as the publisher has announced that Way of the Sword surpassed one million units on the first day of its release, which in turn has pushed the Onimusha series overall to 10 million copies sold.

On top of the success of Onimusha, Capcom includes an interesting note at the bottom of its press release: "In addition to regularly releasing major new titles each year, Capcom is focusing on re-activating IPs that haven’t had a new title launch recently."

Capcom considers Monster Hunter, Resident Evil and Street Fighter to be its major titles, with the likes of Mega Man, Devil May Cry, Dead Rising, Onimusha, Okami, and Ace Attorney singled out as series the company wants to be on the level of the big three.

However, following Onimusha's success, we could perhaps be seeing some more Capcom deep cuts like Dino Crisis, Breath of Fire, Darkstalkers, or Viewtiful Joe get another chance at life. I'm holding out hope we'll see a new God Hand, Bionic Commando, Rival Schools, or Final Fight revival, personally.

Capcom left a surprise in new Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance footage: fans spot the return of the series' most cursed creature.

In a new move for a series that has traditionally let players treat its world like a playground, GTA 6's NPCs will organically react to Lucia and Jason if they have their guns out. Rockstar North's joint boss and development lead Rob Nelson has explained the change was made because GTA 5's approach no longer works with 2026's tech.

As we saw briefly in the GTA 6: An Extended Look showcase, some of the world's inhabitants will walk away cautiously if they spot you with a handgun gripped tight. Police might even antagonize you for swinging a rifle around, too. It's a big change from past Rockstar open-worlds, GTA 5 included, which let you run about with a rocket launcher, no problem.

Speaking to TGG about why the change was made, Nelson gave quite a frank answer, explaining that the GTA 5 way might look jarring considering how believable the rest of GTA 6's world is. "We don't feel that works any longer at this resolution with the behavioral sophistication we need from our population now," he says. "In GTA 5, you can pull out a shotgun from nowhere in front of people and they don't react. That doesn't work here."

It's not just NPC reactions that are different. Gone are the days of Grand Theft Auto protagonists hiding military-grade weapons out of sight and in their pockets. "You can always have two concealed handguns on you whenever you want," Nelson explains. "You can carry two long guns and they will be visible on your back and in your hand. You can't put both on your back. One goes in your off hand [and] one on your back if you want to carry two. People will react to you if you are rolling around like that."

Nelson adds that "NPCs are more nuanced than before, so if you just have a long gun on your back, you should be fine. If you've got one in your hand, people don't like it and they react and start moving away from you."

GTA 6 is a bit too real for me - Rockstar will punish you if Jason and Lucia don't get a good night's sleep: "We track lots of things"

Looks like GTA 6 might get a little too real for anyone who makes a habit of saying 'one more game' three games ago until, whoops, it's 3am on a workday.

Rockstar Games has played around with simulating mundane, routine tasks in the past. Plenty of times, in fact. GTA San Andreas famously let main man CJ's weight fluctuate depending on how much he exercised or how regularly he stuffed his face with fast food. Red Dead Redemption 2 borrowed that weight management with Arthur Morgan, but also let the loveable outlaw grow out a beard and get real stinky if you neglected to groom him.

GTA 6 is seemingly going several steps further. Rockstar North co-studio head and development lead Rob Nelson confirmed to TGG that an in-game health app will monitor Lucia and Jason's sleep, among other things.

"It will say whether you're well rested or not," Nelson says. "That will have some effect on regen of certain attributes. We track lots of things - all this good stuff." Being punished for losing sleep in GTA 6, before being punished for losing sleep in IRL GTA? Now that's art imitating life.

What else does that "good stuff" include? Well, for starters, there's the aforementioned weight changes. Lucia and Jason will apparently get a little chubby if you eat too much, which you can see in certain screenshots from the game, "but you have to actually eat quite a bit." On the flip side, if your duo are really hench, you can lose all that muscle once "you stop maintaining it."

In what could be a controversial move by the time GTA 6 launches in two months, Rockstar will also make you refuel and recharge your cars. Going on overnight crime benders may also change our protagonists' faces, and there's even the option to doomscroll through the game's satirized social media feeds. Having to restock the couple's fridge was a step too far for Rockstar, though.

GTA 6 driving is "the best parts" of GTA 4 but with "the accessibility of GTA 5," says Rockstar boss

If we end up seeing Deadpool in Marvel's Spider-Man 3, it would seem we have Peter Parker actor Yuri Lowenthal to thank, at least partly.

Talking to The Movie Dweeb on Instagram, Lowenthal was asked to comment on a potential Wolverine and Spider-Man collab in Insomniac's next open-world Spider-Man game. Insomniac is currently hard at work prepping for the release of Marvel's Wolverine, out September 15, but considering the success of Spider-Man, the standalone Miles Morales game, and Spider-Man 2, another Peter Parker game seems likely to happen at some point even though nothing's been confirmed yet. And of course, a Wolverine x Spider-Man match-up seems all the more likely with Insomniac now having worked on both IPs.

Lowenthal thinks a Wolverine collab would be "terribly exciting," but he says "there is one character that I would opt for even more strongly than Wolverine, and it would be Deadpool."

In response to this, The Movie Dweeb points out a tweet apparently published at some point from Insomniac creative director Brian Horton. I tried to track down the tweet, but Horton's Twitter account has been deactivated and there's no Bluesky equivalent, so take this with a grain of salt. According to The Movie Dweeb, the tweet read "worlds collide" and included hashtags for Wolverine and Spider-Man. Lowenthal says the tweet is news to him, but confirmed he's pushed Horton repeatedly on Deadpool being in the next Spider-Man game.

"I've pushed [Horton] every time I see him with the Deadpool thing, so if I've just spoiled it for Spider-Man 3, then I would just like to believe that they got the idea from me anyway," Lowenthal says.

As much as I'm sure Wade Wilson would be flattered to have a part in Insomniac's Spider-Man series, I'm not sure it would be a tonal fit, what with Deadpool's whole thing being expletive-laden meta humor and Marvel's Spider-Man being a generally straightforward, family friendly affair. At the very least, you'd probably have to bump up that ESRB rating from Teen to Mature.

After playing 2 hours of Marvel's Wolverine, Insomniac has crushed my fears of a post-Spider-Man slump: "This is uniquely Logan"

It's nearly impossible to nail down any one feature or mechanic that defines a Grand Theft Auto game, but the two specific suggestions from the title are thievery and driving. My memories of the early GTA games from my childhood, Vice City and San Andreas, are largely comprised of stealing stuff, cruising around listening to 2Pac, and mowing down innocent citizens, a horde of cop cars blaring sirens in the rearview. Driving is essential to a GTA game, so it makes sense that it's a huge focus in the community leading up to GTA 6.

What does it actually feel like in the hands? Does it have the bulk and heft of vehicular traversal in GTA 4? I remember that one being a little clunky to handle, something that was dramatically improved in GTA 5, which I've been playing a lot in anticipation of GTA 6. According to Rockstar co-studio head Rob Nelson, driving in GTA 6 is something of a hybrid of the two, combining the best of each.

Asked by TGG if GTA 6's cars are as "weighty" as GTA 4's, Nelson says:

"Only in the best way possible. The team has worked hard to maintain some of the best parts of the weightiness and feel of GTA 4, but have the accessibility of GTA 5. It has all been built up from scratch on this hardware, and they have much more control tuning drivetrain, tires, suspension, steering, all of that is getting applied to the physics model."

As no one outside of Rockstar and publisher Take-Two have had the chance to go hands-on with GTA 6, we don't have objective, unbiased impressions of any of the game's mechanics. Of course the guy in charge of Rockstar is going to say it's the best of both worlds; we'll just have to wait until November to find out if he's right.

GTA 6 launches November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X.

GTA 6 isn't flashy for the sake of it – I'm impressed at how additive every new detail feels to gameplay

Do you ever get the sinking feeling that a game you've been really excited for might actually be kind of mid? Thanks to post-reveal trailers and footage that left me feeling lukewarm, I entered my 45-minute hands-on session with Tides of Annihilation at Gamescom with trepidation, but left feeling enlightened – this stylish action game has the sauce.

In my hands-on session, I spend some time exploring one of Tides of Annihilation's story missions, getting to grips with protagonist Gwendolyn's effortlessly stylish moveset while briefly traversing the decayed London setting, before moving on to a multi-phase boss battle against antagonist Mordred.

Knight fall

Immediately, attacks feel weighty and satisfying – Gwendolyn can pull off all sorts of elegant moves, but her main form of dishing out damage is by summoning her Phantom Knights. You have multiple equipped at once – between the 'main' and 'sub' Knight slots – and swapping between them is as slick as hitting a button, allowing you to make the most of their different skills.

Fighting against Mordred, I swap between a nimble and agile Knight with a time-slowing skill and a big, burly bloke who's much more cumbersome, but packs a real punch when he manages to land one. There are a number of different combos to learn for each Knight – too many for me to completely absorb in a short hands-on session – but it's thanks to being thrown in at the deep end like this that I realize Tides of Annihilation's glamorous female protagonist isn't the only thing the game has in common with Bayonetta.

It's definitely possible to button mash your way through a lot of these combat encounters, at the very least when it comes to dishing out damage. Don't get me wrong, dodging and counterattacking incoming moves is a requirement rather than a suggestion, but attacking is easy to learn and hard to master. The depth is certainly there for anyone who wants to take the time to learn every string of inputs for each Knight, and I'm already looking forward to being able to spend more time getting acquainted with Gwendolyn's skills come launch.

But, even if you can smash an enemy to bits without too much thought, you have to stay on your toes if you want to survive the more threatening encounters. Tides of Annihilation may not be a Soulslike, but perhaps that knowledge lulled me into a false sense of security when I dove into its combat, because it's hard.

My fight against Mordred is lengthy and hard-won – it spans multiple phases, shifting from the inside of a huge library to an outside arena where my enemy begins riding around and attacking me from a massive dragon-like creature, and it seems each of her attacks hits harder than the last. Even when I'm being pelted with damage, though, the spectacle of the fight is incredible – it's a shame you can't sit back and watch it without being in terrible danger.

After all, by the time I get to the point where I have a dragon swooping down at me from above, accompanied by Mordred's constant taunting, I'm running dangerously low on health, with no way to heal myself. Mercifully, when I fall, the battle restarts from this phase, though I'm not sure if there were any other checkpoints to rely on before this.

Eventually, Mordred goes down, and I breathe a sigh of relief to have finally overcome a fight more challenging than I've faced in some Soulslikes. I then look down at the demo fact booklet handed to me at the start of the session, and see the fight labeled as "medium" difficulty. Ah. I don't know what would have awaited me in the "high" difficulty boss fight, and at this point I'm afraid to ask.

My time with Tides of Annihilation flew by, and I can't overstate how pleasantly surprised I am by how good it feels to play. We'll just have to wait and see if Eclipse Glow Games can stick the landing come launch, but for now, I'm optimistic that this action game has the potential to be a heavy hitter.

Feeling a tidal pull to play more like this while you wait? Check out our best ARPGs ranking for more action-packed recommendations!

GTA 6 isn't even out yet, but it's already causing a ruckus in real-life Miami-Dade as the county's sheriff and a commissioner oppose a reported pitch for a marketing deal that'd temporarily transform parts of the area into Vice City.

Late last month, it was reported (via The Miamian) that Miami-Dade County officials had approached GTA 6 maker Rockstar Games with a pitch deck proposing to turn locations such as the Miami International Airport, Metrorail stations, and other buildings into Vice City-themed attractions. At the time, Carlos Suarez, a spokesperson for the county's mayor Daniella Levine Cava, stated that "some conversations with Rockstar about potential opportunities around the launch of GTA 6" had happened, but "nothing has been formally agreed to or approved."

Well, regardless of whether Rockstar Games is actually interested in pursuing this idea, some Miami-Dade folks are directly opposed to it happening at all. A Republican Miami-Dade County commissioner, Juan Carlos Bermudez, and Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz have spoken out against the concept, with Bermudez stating that "we should be promoting the Miami-Dade we have worked so hard to build, not a fictional version of our community defined by crime and violence."

Via WSVN, Bermudez claims he's "not against video games, but to go out and get a video game where – which glorifies not only our first responders getting shot, but also pedestrians and residents – it's nonsensical."

Republican sheriff Cordero-Stutz similarly points to GTA's crime-centric themes, adding: "At a time when law enforcement is working every day to reduce violent crime, prevent robberies and car thefts, combat drug trafficking, and build stronger relationships between our deputies and the communities we serve, I believe we need to seriously consider the message we send when our own government promotes a fictional identity centered around many of those same crimes."

Miami Herald reporter Doug Clark has also shared a letter sent to Mayor Levine Cava by Miami-Dade's clerk of the court Juan Fernandez-Barquin and the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida's chief judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan, in which they "respectfully request that all Miami-Dade County courthouses and court-related facilities be expressly excluded" from any potential marketing, branding, or promotion related to GTA 6.

"Each day, these facilities are places where victims seek justice, defendants answer to the law, witnesses participate in proceedings, families confront difficult circumstances, and judges, attorneys, court personnel, and law enforcement professionals carry out their constitutional and statutory responsibilities," the letter continues.

"The individuals who enter our courthouses are not characters in a fictional world. They are real people dealing with real consequences, sometimes involving violence, loss, family separation, criminal allegations, and other deeply personal and consequential matters. The solemnity and integrity of these proceedings must remain paramount."

Miami Herald also points out that the timing of sheriff Cordero-Stutz's opposition to this proposed marketing deal coincides with her and current mayor Levine Cava getting votes on the County Commission, specifically for competing funding proposals for the Sheriff's Office in the county's 2027 budget. Cordero-Stutz wants a 12% tax-funding increase, while Levine Cava is suggesting half of that at 6%. The same report notes that commissioner Bermudez is thought to be a potential candidate to replace the Democrat Levine Cava as mayor in 2028.

Again, it remains to be seen whether Rockstar Games takes up the marketing deal in the first place. As previously promised, it's fair to say that GTA 6's launch marketing is definitely now in full swing following the recent extended look, and we can likely expect that to continue as we get closer to its November release date.

Rockstar boss says "we'll see what people say" about GTA 6's controversial refueling system, but thinks it's so fast that "you can't complain."

The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann says that working on the series' HBO TV adaptation of the Naughty Dog game hasn't changed his approach to writing, but he's learned some lessons that have been brought into developing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

Speaking to The Washington Post, Druckmann explained that for Season 3 of the HBO TV series, he "wasn't involved in shaping this season's creative direction, and Naughty Dog did not have a creative role." Druckmann was a writer and showrunner for the first and second seasons of the HBO series.

However, he stepped away from the series ahead of its third season to focus on the production of Naughty Dog's next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

Now, Druckmann says that working on the TV series hasn't changed his approach to writing in games, but explains that it has changed his approach to other aspects of creating Intergalactic. For example, a TV series needs to account for elements like lighting and makeup, which Druckmann says are lessons that have been brought into the studio's next game.

And despite the lack of an announced sequel, Druckmann says that Naughty Dog isn't "done with The Last of Us." Whether that means a full-fledged The Last of Us Part 3 or simply more multimedia projects around the franchise remains unclear. But given that it's been over six years since Naughty Dog released a game, and with the possibility that the developer skips the PS5 generation entirely, I don't think we'll see a new Last of Us game for a while.

Looking to pass the time until The Last of Us 3 releases in a decade's time? Browse through our roundup of the best new games coming this year and beyond.

The Last of Us co-lead Neil Druckmann says that Naughty Dog isn't quite finished with its beloved IP – and it sounds like he's not just referencing the HBO series, either.

Although The Last of Us TV show is ongoing, with the third season underway to "wrap up" the story from the existing two games, as Druckmann tells The Washington Post in a new interview, there might be more in the works outside of the television adaptation.

He begins by saying that he "wasn't involved in shaping this season's creative direction, and Naughty Dog did not have a creative role" in the show's progression either.

So, he "can't personally speak to how production is progressing" – but that doesn't necessarily spell the end of The Last of Us in its entirety.

"It's important for us to note that as the creator of the games, Naughty Dog is still the steward of this IP and even though this might be the end of this adaptation, we're not done with The Last of Us," he reveals.

In fact, it sounds like there's more than one Last of Us-shaped project coming from the studio.

"There's a couple projects in the works that, when the time is right, I'm very excited to talk about," as Druckmann concludes.

So, what could those projects be? Well, I'm immediately reminded of The Last of Us Online – the canceled multiplayer project that its former game director dubbed "the best multiplayer game" many Naughty Dog devs had "ever played." It never came to fruition, of course, but I can't help but think of it.

That's not to say it's happening – it was canceled, after all… but there are apparently two (or more, maybe?) things going on over at Naughty Dog that are within The Last of Us realm, so it's all exciting news nonetheless.

I've personally got my own fingers crossed for some sort of spin-off, as I'm not sure they could effectively do an official Part 3, considering everything that happens in The Last of Us 2. Who knows, though?

Anything could happen, but we'll just have to wait and see what Naughty Dog has in store. It sounds like Druckmann is gearing up to reveal it soon-ish, so, yeah.

Searching for something more solid to look forward to? Browse through our roundup of the best new games coming this year and beyond, in that case.

The Last of Us creator and previous co-showrunner of the HBO show Neil Druckmann has doubled down on having no involvement in the upcoming third season.

When it was renewed for season 3, it was also announced that Craig Mazin would be remaining as sole showrunner as Druckmann exited. However, now Druckmann has gone one step further and suggested Naughty Dog – the company behind the game – has basically no involvement in the new episodes.

"I wasn't involved in shaping this season's creative direction, and Naughty Dog did not have a creative role in the direction of this season," he told the Washington Post. "So I can't personally speak to how production is progressing. It's important for us to note that as the creator of the games, Naughty Dog is still the steward of this IP and even though this might be the end of this adaptation, we're not done with The Last of Us. There's a couple projects in the works that, when the time is right, I’m very excited to talk about."

Druckmann also confirmed that season 3 will "wrap up" the series, after it was initially unclear how many more seasons it would take to finish telling the events of The Last of Us: Part 2.

Filming on The Last of Us season 3 began back in March and is set to run until November. Based on the events of the game and how the second season ended, we know Kaitlyn Dever's Abby Anderson will be our main focus in the new episodes. It's expected that the show will retell some of the events we've already seen from her perspective before returning to the present day.

Bella Ramsey returns as Ellie, alongside Gabriel Luna as Tommy Miller, Isabela Merced as Dina, and Young Mazino as Jesse. Newcomers Michelle Mao and Kyriana Kratter also join as Yara and Lev, key characters in this next part of the story.

For what to watch while we wait, here's our guide to the best HBO shows currently available to stream.

In a move that could be considered extra immersive or just a tad annoying, GTA 6 will make you refuel and recharge your cars – something Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson appears to be aware may prove divisive.

GTA 6's fuel system appeared online ahead of Rockstar's schedule following the recent wave of gameplay video leaks and was immediately met with controversy. There were some hopes that the system seen in the leaks may have been outdated and removed from the final version of the game, but per a new video from content creator TGG (below) – who recently attended an early preview of the game at Rockstar North – it's still intact.

According to TGG, when you pull into a gas station in GTA 6, you can choose to repair your vehicle or refuel it. The latter triggers a short quick-time event, which he estimates lasts around 10 seconds, with an animation showing the refueling itself.

TGG reckons that, from what he saw, "fuel isn't really going to be an issue unless you're not thinking about what you're doing," but it could, admittedly, catch you out if you're trying to escape after a robbery and the car you decide to steal is low on fuel.

Interestingly, though, Rockstar lead Nelson seemingly acknowledges how controversial this may prove.

After TGG expressed his surprise that the devs incorporated the system at all, Nelson replies: "We'll see what people say. Do you think people are going to like it?"

Nelson also points out how speedy refueling actually is, potentially getting ahead of complaints about its intrusiveness: "Hey, that's pretty fast for a fill-up," he apparently said after filling up his car during the preview session. "You can't complain about that."

We'll just have to see how folks gel with the system when GTA 6 actually launches – I fear that, despite Nelson's confidence, some players may well still "complain about that" no matter how fast the refueling is.

GTA 6 will lock you out of story missions if you're too broke, so it's good to know the robbery mechanics have been massively expanded.

Ahead of a rumored Nintendo Direct this month, a Norwegian retailer has identified Xenoblade developer Monolith Soft as the developer of the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake.

Even as someone who has never gelled with the Xenoblade series over the years, it's hard to argue that Monolith Soft is one of, if not the best, studio acquisitions Nintendo ever made. While the Xenoblade games have been some of the most beloved RPGs of recent times, Monolith also assisted in the development of some of Nintendo's biggest hits in recent years, including the Splatoon series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart World, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom. This has led to chatter about the studio potentially leading a Zelda game of its own from Zelda series lead Daiki Iwamoto, and it looks like it could be coming to pass in the near future.

As spotted by a user on the Gamingleaksandrumors subreddit, Norwegian retailer Elkjop has posted a store page for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2, listing Monolith Soft as the developer. This comes alongside rumors that there will be a Nintendo Direct next week (or at the very least, speculation given that Nintendo typically always holds a Direct in mid-September), so perhaps this is information set to be revealed in a week's time.

However, given how often we've seen Nintendo keep its cards close to its chest about exactly who is developing its games in recent years, I'm not sure a retailer would have that info right now. However, if members of the Zelda team are keen for Monolith Soft to lead a Zelda game of its own, working on a remake first could be a good way to get there.

Grezzo led development of remakes of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Link's Awakening, and then worked on Echoes of Wisdom, a new original 2D Zelda title. And given the traditional 3D Zelda games – like Ocarina of Time – are seemingly no more, perhaps Monolith could lead development on a new 3D title while Nintendo works on the next open-world Zelda game.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake rating suggests some changes, with its "suggestive themes" missing, and we can probably guess what that means