Diablo 4's deeply nostalgic season 15 is loaded with all sorts of neat references to the series' history, including a whole quest recreating OG Diablo's critical path and an entire armor set themed around the notoriously elusive cow level first introduced in Diablo 2. Players were pretty quick to find out how to get all of the pieces of the Bovine armor set except one: the gloves, or the Foreshanks, sending the community into a weeks-long treasure hunt that, until now, has come up empty. As it turns out, the Bovine Foreshanks simply hadn't been added into the game until now. See, there's a cow you have to pet to get the gloves, and that cow didn't exist until patch 3.2.3 went live this week.

As reported by Icy Veins and independently verified by me, the newest version of Diablo 4 adds a cow that spawns in Old Tristram behind the Cathedral. All you have to do is pet the cow and it'll drop the Foreshanks of the Bovine. It's really as simple as that. Diablo 4 players have been tearing apart season 15 looking for the missing piece of the cow armor set for weeks, and Blizzard just casually snuck it into a patch with no mention of it in the patch notes. That's, uh, that's gotta sting a little.

On the bright side, Diablo 4's tireless loot chasers can finally acquire the full set, with this handy guide from Auscraft detailing exactly where to track down each piece. Now, depending on how you like to transmog your Diablo 4 character, you might find the Bovine set utterly repulsive or extremely cool. Personally, I'm a huge fan. It's disgusting, and I don't know how else Blizzard could've paid tribute to such a beloved part of Diablo history other than going full camp and making the armor look like an actual live cow grazing the fields of Old Tristram. I'll let you be the judge:

One of Diablo 2's most coveted items surprise-drops in Diablo 4, and it's just as overpowered as it was 25 years ago

I can't help but feel Nintendo is being a little too faithful with its upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. I know I'm pretty isolated in that opinion, but with new info coming out of recent hands-on previews of the game, I've suddenly got reason to believe that Nintendo is looking out for my tastes, too.

The Ocarina of Time remake will feature some new side quests, as demonstrated by longtime Zelda YouTube Zeltik. In Hyrule Castle Town, the guy at the potion shop will now be freaking out about a lurking bug when you first meet him, handing over an empty bottle for Link to catch it. Fulfill his request, and he'll let you keep the bottle and offer to fill it up with a healing red potion.

This certainly isn't the kind of multi-stage side quest that you'd expect to have in a modern action-adventure game – and certainly, it doesn't seem that there's a journal or anything where you can track side missions – but it does suggest that Nintendo has designs on offering some things to do that'll be fresh even for those of us who've played through Ocarina of Time a dozen times over.

There's also a new, harder version of the target shooting game where you have much less time to hit the targets, suggesting that we can expect some new challenge levels in the minigames, too. Zeltik's video also goes into depth on some minor, but meaningful, tweaks to the layout of the Forest Temple, suggesting that we won't be sleepwalking through the old dungeons, either.

I was ten years old when I first played Ocarina of Time on N64, and it set me on a path to loving video games so much that they'd eventually become my job. I should be the perfect audience for the remake, but I've honestly been a little disappointed with how safe Nintendo seemed to be playing it.

I know, I know, you can't mess too much with a stone-cold classic, but I already know Ocarina of Time forward and backward, and I'm afraid trundling through a remake offering little more than prettier graphics would ultimately feel a little empty. Offering a few little surprises around the edges, though? That suddenly makes the prospect of revisiting Hyrule a lot more exciting.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's Hyrule feels more alive than ever thanks to clever expansion and a dose of Breath of the Wild vibes.

The CRKD Nitro Deck 2 has been a long time coming.

Quite literally, in fact. CRKD originally announced the accessory in December 2025, almost a year ago. Since then, the follow-up to the original Nitro Deck has experienced delay after delay, but the wait has been worth it. Just like the OG, the Switch 2 controller transforms the handheld into a more comfortable and adaptable device, equipping it with ergonomic grips, adjustable capacitor thumbsticks, and more, and the upgrades are so palpable that it makes me wish they were there by default.

That would mean putting up with the loud and intrusive rumble and having to source a new case, though, as the Deck 2's bulky size makes it incompatible with everything I've thrown its way. Yet it's a small price to pay to make Nintendo's current-gen console feel truly premium.

Design

It's difficult to look at the Nitro Deck 2 and not think "Steam Deck" but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm pretty privy to the look and feel of Valve's pixel-pusher, and anything that emulates its appeal is a win in my book.

They aren't twins, and I believe the familiarities are accidental as the extra length of the Nitro Deck 2 is likely to accommodate the new handheld's larger 7.9-inch screen more than anything else. Yet, I'm definitely more of a fan of the Deck 2's elongated shape, and the fact that its "Black Edition" has a retro-inspired translucent chassis by default.

There's no plain Jane where this new and improved model is concerned. The controller's transparent 'Smoke Black Edition' exists instead of a simple black alternative, and there's also a PAL Grey and White model available too. That retro-fueled GameCube-inspired look of the original doesn't exist, but I suspect that'll change in the future. The Switch 2 actually allows you to play GameCube games via the Nintendo Switch Online library, unlike the original handheld, so it would be a missed opportunity to not see a purple-blue Nitro Deck this time around.

Features

Speaking of which, the Nitro Deck 2 possesses a lot of similarities to its previous generation. It's a controller that's designed to transform your handheld into something more adept and ergonomic, but there's a bit more freedom this time around. Instead of having to deal with the finicky process of carefully sliding your Switch into the device, you simply need to pull each grip to the side. This allows the Deck 2 to extend, allowing you to place the Switch 2 inside. A locking mechanism on the back can then be turned and tightened to keep it in place and prevent it from slipping out.

The new mechanism sits on top of a kickstand, which remains a single column as it did on the original version. The two sets of mappable back peddles also remain unchanged, as does the CRKD logo that's equipped with RFID technology for easy connectivity to the accompanying app - a neat feature which I appreciated as someone who hates dealing with long-winded serial numbers.

The Nitro Deck 2 is naturally also flush with new buttons to match the Switch 2. On the left side of the pad, you have the thumbstick and the circular D-pad underneath. Rather than keeping the capture button as is, CRKD has combined it with the minus button at the top right-hand side. Pressing the upper half will activate the minus options, while the bottom will allow you to take screenshots and game clips as normal.

A Syncing button now takes the place of where you'd traditionally find the capture button on a left Switch 2 Joy-Con. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the device, the layout is vastly similar. The plus button has also been split into two - with the upper half triggering the plus functionality as normal and the bottom being a program button. The latter is assigned to GameChat by default, but that's likely to make up for the lack of a dedicated 'C' GameChat button. Something I'm entirely okay with, as I never use it.

Below this you'll find the right thumbstick and a CRKD light-up Home button. The CRKD CaptiStick-branded Capacitor Sticks are powered by capacitor sensors, which the brand insists can provide "drift-free precision," but that's not all they bring to the Deck 2. Both are surrounded by dials, which can be turned at any moment to adjust resistance. Being able to tighten or loosen stick tension at a whim is extremely handy if you're wanting pinpoint accuracy for platformers or kart racers, and it's a nice inclusion for the upgraded gamepad.

Additionally, you've also got a set of three trigger buttons on either side of the controller. The D-pad is interchangeable with additional pads sold separately by CRKD, but most interestingly enough, the accessory can be used as a Pro-style controller. CRKD ships a plastic rectangular slab, which can be placed in the center instead of a Switch 2 display. While that means having to adjust your comfort to using a handheld-sized pad for docked gaming, it does give the new Deck 2 more appeal, though I'm still not 100% confirmed that it provides enough to warrant its $99.99 / £89.99 price point. But more on that later.

Performance

When I first attached the Nitro Deck 2 to my handheld and sent my Joy-Cons to the side table storage of my living room, where gaming accessories go to collect dust and rot, I immediately knew I had to lower the rumble. By default, it is set to max, and is so loud that it made for some very awkward gaming-in-bed moments. Having to constantly explain that you are, in fact, playing Fire Emblem and not doing anything notorious to your partner does not make for a good time. It's so loud, in fact, that it even managed to continually wake up my cat on a night-to-night basis.

You see, with Fortune's Weave, the game sets off the handheld's HD rumble whenever you are within the radius of enemies during battles. This happens a lot as you are constantly dealing with swarms of soldiers or evil possessed skeletons on any given map, but the motors of the controller don't quite have the nuance of the console's rumbling ways. They get loud and a bit grating on the ears, but you can at least adjust them through a combination of buttons (holding L + the plus button for three seconds), and toggle both the left and right rumbles separately. Thanks for that, CRKD.

Toggling the motors down to their lowest setting made my time with the Deck 2 far less awkward, and fortunately, it is one of the very few grievances I have with the accessory overall. My entire journey with the device is only really inhibited by some minor nitpicks, like the fact that it's too big to fit into my favorite Switch 2 cases, which means I'll likely have to pick up the brand's $39.99 / £34.99 (via CRKD) hardshell carrying case, or the tightening mechanism sometimes sounds like it's breaking each time you turn it. Otherwise, this made using the Switch 2 feel truly next-gen.

Using the Nitro Deck 2 feels very similar to using my OLED Steam Deck, but that's a positive for me. I absolutely despise the awkward flat backs of the Joy-Con controllers, so having two ergonomic grips to wrap my hands around feels more comfortable and natural. However, one of my personal favorite features was not the comfort but the inclusion of a U-shaped adapter.

I'm not a fan of Bluetooth, especially when it comes to controllers. While using the GameSir G8+ I feel like I'm constantly having to spend more hours dealing with connection issues than actual gaming. The wired link between the Nitro Deck 2 and the Switch 2 meant that tedium was a non-issue.

It's also handy for knowing how to align the 7.9-inch display into the device. As the Deck 2 wraps around the console, it was confusing at first to know whether or not I had it hooked up properly. There's no satisfying click or feeling involved whatsoever. The adapter requires the Type-C ports of both the handheld and the device to be stacked on top of one another, and connecting the two made the entire device feel more secure.

What I didn't like the feeling of all that much was using it in docked mode. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that CRKD chose to give the option of using the Nitro Deck 2 as a typical controller, especially as it makes the price feel more justifiable. Yet, it feels like you're basically using a Steam Deck-sized device as a gamepad, and that is not comfortable on your wrists for Mario Kart World, Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave, or any game out there. In a pinch, I can absolutely see it coming in handy, but it should not make someone's decision to purchase the Nitro Deck 2.

Should you buy the CRKD Nitro Deck 2 controller?

The CRKD Nitro Deck 2 is cool, but I'm not so sure it's $99.99 / £89.99 cool.

That feels like a lot to pay for a controller of its type when you factor in the $49.99 / £39.99 MSRP of the original, and the fact that many of you looking for new Switch 2 accessories may have just had to cope with the console's newly increased price.

If you have the funds where $100 doesn't feel like a lot, and you play your Switch 2 day in and day out, then it'll absolutely improve your handheld mode experience. Going back to the default Joy-Con controller layout after using the Nitro Deck 2 for weeks feels like a huge step down, and the comfy curvature of the pad's form factor makes diving into just about any game feel magnificent. When I dreamed up the Switch 2 in my head way before its first unveiling, this is more what I had in mind.

But no matter how next-gen it feels, its price and some minor grievances (that rumble really had an effect on me) prevent me from giving it a full five-star rating. Should it ever trickle down to an MSRP more in line with the original, then it should absolutely be part of your setup, and I hope that happens once the holiday sales kick off later this year. Though in the meantime, I'd only fully recommend this to those with the budget to spare. Or at least to those who truly hate the cramp-inducing flat backs of the Switch 2 Joy-Cons.

How I tested the CRKD Nitro Deck 2 controller

To put the new Nitro Deck 2 through it paces I swapped out my dusty old Joy-Cons and attached to my console for a little over two weeks. Whether I was connected over Bluetooth or via the accompanying adapter, I played everything on the new CRKD accessory, from Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave, Mario Kart World, Pokemon Pokopia, and even Nintendo Switch Online titles like Star Fox Adventures and Super Mario Sunshine via the GameCube library. I also used the Nitro Deck 2 as a Pro Controller in docked mode to see how it matched up to my wireless controllers of choice.

For more on how we test controllers, check out the GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

Creating the ultimate Switch 2 setup? Check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express Cards while you're here.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (2026) will not be on Xbox Game Pass at launch, which may came as a point of frustration to those COD fans who were hoping that the company's involvement with Microsoft would mean a day-one Game Pass availability. However, that doesn't mean that it's not coming at some point in the future, as I'll lay out the details below.

When will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 be on Xbox Game Pass?

According to an official press release from the development team, Modern Warfare 4 is not going to be available on Xbox Game Pass until "Holiday 2027," roughly one year after its initial launch and release.

Further details about exactly when in the year that will be are currently not available, but either way players can expect a long wait if they're dependant on Game Pass and don't want to purchase a copy for themselves. MW4 will still be available to buy on Xbox from its initial launch date of October 23, 2026, but not on the Game Pass subscription service.

If you want an alternative until then, there are still a multitude of Call of Duty games currently available on Xbox Game Pass to download as part of the service, going all the way back to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War from 2020.

Alternatively, if you're less brand-loyal and just want to find an online military shooter to experience with friends, Battlefield 6 is also available for free on Game Pass.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

As CD Projekt Red continues to grow with projects like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 in the works, some industry veterans are worrying that it's all becoming a bit too ambitious to make sense financially in the long run.

Mark Darrah, BioWare veteran who was co-director of Dragon Age: Origins and executive producer of Anthem, shares those concerns as part of an interview in the Summer Eternal Anthology (as reported by Rock Paper Shotgun recently).

He first discusses the likes of GTA 6 and how its sheer size has affected the video game industry, with developers and publishers falling into the trap of hoping to make the next Grand Theft Auto.

Should some move away from that dream, the future could be brighter. "If that all goes away, then you'll get a bunch of room to make it work with titles that need to sell 3-4 million units," as Darrah says. Think Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. "That's much more attractive."

And, why wouldn't it be? "I don't want to be working on something like GTA, where if this thing doesn't sell 50 million units, it's going to lose money," after all. "That's insane."

He worries about CD Projekt Red in particular, in this context. Darrah feels the studio is now part of that huge GTA-like game space.

"Their games now need to sell 15, 20 million units to make money," the former dev says. "That's a really dangerous place to be." I suppose he's not wrong there, either. It's never easy to make that much back, even with an IP as big as The Witcher. Plus, it's not a situation one would want to be in, regardless.

I'm not too concerned about CD Projekt Red's success myself, but it does make you wonder.

Heck, the company is currently working on a downright plethora of new games, from The Witcher 4 to Cyberpunk 2 to the ever-mysterious Project Hadar, which has just now moved on from its world-building phase to some prototype testing. There are loads of upcoming CD Projekt Red games, put simply, that much is for certain.

The Witcher 4 dev is "still predominantly using people" over AI in development, says CEO, but "everybody has to make those judgments on their own"

Once again, the GamesRadar+ RPG Club demands blood as we set out to explore standout missions in The Witcher 3 Remastered. Which perhaps makes it all the more appropriate that, when asked to write about my favorite mission in The Witcher 3, my mind immediately went to classically-eccentric side quest "The Oxenfurt Drunk".

Well, actually my first thought went to The Bloody Baron storyline, but everybody writes about the Bloody Baron, and how much is there really left to say about it at this point? But there's a small side quest I love almost as much, partly because it does so much to make me realize the thing I want to see most in Witcher 4.

Quest Log

Shots, shots, crossbow shots!

An optional Witcher Contract found and set in the titular town, The Oxenfurt Drunk has Geralt find the killer behind multiple victims drained of all their blood - gee, I wonder what esoteric horror could be behind this! The twist is he discovers in the wake of a bit of corpse-prodding autopsy that every victim was well over the limit to drive and horse and cart, leading to the realization that this particular vampire has a penchant for blood with a high alcohol content. I won't make the Bloody Mary joke if you don't.

Twenty minutes later, Geralt is drunkenly staggering around crime scenes with a dozen vodkas inside him, trying to lure out the Ripper-Tippler with a series of bawdy tavern songs and a coquettishly exposed neckline. It feels like the kind of atrociously bad idea that a D&D party would come up with, and I mean that as an honest compliment.

So yeah, it's a fun little quest – the Contracts are reliably the best part of Witcher 3, to my mind – but it also shows the one place where I think the game had so much more room to flex. Namely, in all the investigation and intelligence that makes Geralt far more than some burly hired goon.

Research and Bedevilment

If Witcher 4 is going to shake up any part of the formula – or even introduce an optional difficulty mode – as we wave in Ciri as the new hero, my greatest wish would be for something that really gamifies the intellectual side of monster hunting.

As it goes now, the usual pattern is that Geralt finds some yellow glowing tracks and follows them until there's a tuft of fur, a mangled corpse, or a Resident Evil-style lab note. Then he stares at the clues before telling the audience he's deduced that the monster is a Lesser Striped Whifflepog or whatever, at which point the Pokedex entry for the Whifflepog appears in the Bestiary as if summoned by voice command, telling you exactly what tinctures, oils and spells are needed to kick its head in most effectively.

And that's all genuinely fine, but a bit uninvolving, especially for a sequence of events that happens so frequently across the game. Speaking as somebody who loves investigative detective games and piecing clues together, I'd much rather have deduced all these things myself, allowing for the thrill of getting it right, and the potential fear of getting it wrong. Rather than tell me what I'm about to fight, give me the full bestiary from the start, some giant old tome I can flick through between fights or even fill out myself with additional player-written notes, an ever-evolving monster hunter's journal.

Then, when I find the crime scene, I can examine the clues around me and make some educated decisions, without Geralt just blurting the answer like a God of War NPC. Hmm, a nighttime attacker, a city dweller, medium-sized claws, a blood drinker… To the indexed glossary, batman! Now the Bestiary can tell me what's needed to kill a Katakan Vampire, assuming that's actually what it is and I haven't pulled the wrong conclusion from the data.

And at the same time, the unique alcoholism of this particular vamp is something I can consider accordingly as an additional element that wouldn't be in the book, but can be folded into my strategies nonetheless. Maybe I could work out the strategy to wander drunkenly around the town instead of Geralt, or perhaps lace a wine bottle with blood and leave it out in plain view, ideally under a big anvil hanging by a tenuous string.

Perhaps I'm expecting too much, but Baldur's Gate 3 really opened the door for this kind of immersive gameplay, and I don't get the sense that the creators of Cyberpunk 2077 seem very workshy.

The Monster Manual

To me, this deductive skillset is the very thing that makes Geralt a witcher, far more than any silver sword or toxin immunity. It's the space where an off-the-peg burly warrior brute becomes something more, an educated hunter who knows how to exploit weaknesses and analyze nuanced information. And with Ciri being new to The Path in The Witcher 4, her having less experience would facilitate a more involved, methodical research process. Geralt materializes in the series with most of this knowledge memorized, but Ciri is still using reference material.

Witcher 3 was always great at showing off Geralt's intellect, but clearly wasn't comfortable about the idea of gamifying it too hard, perhaps for fear of alienating or confusing the audience. And yes, it is arguably a lot to ask from them. But in a post-Elden Ring world, I don't think people are fearful of having to read between lines or make deductions, and even if not, there'll be a billion online guides to hand if it's all proving too perplexing. So if another Oxenfurt Drunk shows up in Witcher 4, I'll be excited to make that revelation myself – even if I show up prepared to fight half a dozen goblins instead.

See those Platinum Points you've been collecting on your Nintendo Switch 2? Those can be spent on far more than monthly icons. The official Nintendo UK online store is still running a rewards program where you can exchange all those digital shiny coins for something physical instead, and I'd recommend you pick up the new Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Acrylic Magnet Set.

By spending 500 points (via Nintendo) you'll receive a set of four magnetic replicas of the Ribeira Winds, Megaria's Beacon, House Lamine and, my personal favorite, the Rose Tempest banner. They're not the most elaborate rewards you can grab right now, but with Fire Emblem merch being such a rarity, I'd recommend you pick these up while there's any stock left. Points aside, they're essentially neat little freebies for your fridge.

Fire Emblem merch is not easy to get ahold of in 2026. Even though Fortune's Weave is new on the scene, there isn't a huge selection out there for fans, or at least, a huge affordable selection. The older amiibo still exist, starting from £12.99 at Nintendo, so at least that's something. But outside of those old NFC collectibles and a small selection of Good Smile Company Pop-up Parade figures, everything else requires a hefty amount of cash, particularly if you're looking at getting representation of anyone outside of Three Houses.

That's why I highly recommend you use your points to claim this set of magnets. Not only are they free, but they're some of the only Fortune's Weave merch available in the UK right now. If you're as obsessed with the new game as I am, that makes it worth it for that fact alone. They also happen to look far better in person, which I can attest to, as I have them in my possession, and I'm glad I used 800 of my precious points to claim them.

Being just small pieces of acrylic with imagery of Cai, Theodora, Dietrich, and Leda's clan banners stuck on top, I suspected they'd be a bit lackluster. However, the art is pretty vibrant, and they look the part when placed on my Switch 2 gaming shelf, amongst the rest of my hastily claimed Nintendo Reward goodies. I'd much rather have a 1/7 scale figure of Fortuna sitting there, but these still make do.

US friends - I recommend checking what's available at Nintendo US today. While I can't see the Fortune's Weave magnets, I recommend spending your points on this neat Legend of Zelda Metal Display or the Virtual Boy Glasses Case, merch I wish we had on this side of the rewards pond.

View all My Nintendo Rewards at Nintendo UK

Looking for more Nintendo goodies? Check out the best Lego sets and our best Switch 2 gift guide.

The original vision of Cyberpunk 2 is already evolving beyond what its director had in mind, though it sounds like it's been to the benefit of the dystopian RPG.

In a new blog post on CD Projekt Red's website, Gabe Amatangelo discusses his views on game development. In short, while he is in charge and ultimately responsible, he doesn't want to create bottlenecks by having to approve every decision, which means trusting the team he's building around him.

"I had the idea of Cyberpunk 2 in the beginning, but it evolves as I involve more people," he says. "And it evolves as I empower the team and individuals within them to contribute. It becomes something else, right? It becomes this thing that I've shepherded, but it's ultimately a reflection of the team's hearts and souls. And I look forward to sharing that."

Part of that involves defining what the cyberpunk genre is within itself. For Amatangelo, "It's my childhood," because "questioning things was just part of my growing up." Being a screamer in a hardcore punk band certainly helps with shaping those ideas, though the developer adds, "the cyber part of it is both exaggeration and expression, neon lights and loud noises. It's about exploring the extremes of dehumanization."

Of course, as per Amatangelo's desired approach, that means being open to what others think Cyberpunk represents, too, as that helps "put forward new ideas" and "figure out the next step."

"I had a lot of people saying, 'Oh, cyberpunk means this.' 'Cyberpunk means that,'" he explains. "And I said, 'Yes! You're all right and you're all wrong!' Punk means different things to different people, but the core is the ability to pose questions — to ask why."

At the time of writing, CD Projekt Red hasn't given us any indication of when Cyberpunk 2 will release, though it appears the focus is currently on The Witcher 4. That said, per the blog post, with more than 180 developers working on the game, it's likely moving forward at a good pace. And given Cyberpunk 2077's rough launch, we imagine this one will get all the time it needs.

On top of The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, CD Projekt Red boss says Project Hadar is the studio's "biggest undertaking to date" – and they've finally finished building its world.

Resident Evil Veronica is the official title for the long-rumored remake of Resident Evil: Code Veronica.

Announced as part of a very memorable surprise reveal during the Summer Game Fest 2026 showcase, Resident Evil Veronica will bring back the cult classic 2000 release with a modern makeover. With Capcom confirming the upcoming horror game will be arriving in 2027, the developer is setting out to "preserve the essence of the original game", but just like the many excellent Resi remakes we've seen over the years, you can expect shiny new and improved graphics, plenty of gameplay enhancements, and more.

There's a lot of excitement surrounding the new game, with the remake quickly racking up two million Steam wishlists within a month of its reveal. That's not so surprising given Capcom's winning streak in 2026, with its new sci-fi IP Pragmata and Resident Evil Requiem, which has already earned its place (along with many other Resi games) as one of the best survival horror games around right now. So whether you can hardly wait to join Claire and Chris Redfield or you're curious to learn more about their sibling team-up, read on as I break down everything you need to know about Resident Evil Veronica.

Resident Evil Veronica release date speculation

The Resident Evil Veronica release date is currently set for sometime in 2027.

The surprise announcement of Code Veronica's return came with the news of the 2027 launch window, but we're still awaiting an exact release date to be confirmed. The line-up of upcoming games dropping in early 2027 is already quite stacked, with the likes of Stranger Than Heaven, Fable, and Exodus, and more all releasing within the first four months of the year.

I'm curious to see if Resident Evil Veronica will add another release to a very busy period, but it would be fitting if it was released later in 2027 for the spooky season. I'll be keeping an eye out for updates from Capcom.

Resident Evil Veronica platforms confirmed

Capcom confirmed the Resident Evil Veronica platforms in the initial reveal trailer, with the remake set to land on PC, PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X.

With lots of Resi goodness landing on the Switch 2 in 2026, it's great to see Veronica complete the set and join the likes of Resident Evil 2 Remake, Resident Evil 3 Remake, and Resident Evil 4 Remake along with Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village, and Requiem. Better still, it appears Veronica will be launching on all platforms simultaneously in 2027.

Resident Evil Veronica trailer

Resident Evil Veronica story

Resident Evil Veronica's story is set to be something of a reimagining of the original game's storyline that promises to deliver a "chilling new entry in survival horror".

Claire Redfield, who appeared in Resident Evil 2 Remake alongside Leon Kennedy, is one of two leading protagonists, with Veronica taking place three months after the biological disaster she survived her way through in Raccoon City. As we see a nod to in the initial reveal trailer when the older woman says, "I hate to say, but your brother is, well, quite odd", Claire has traveled to France in search of her sibling, Chris Redfield. But things take a turn when Umbrella steps in (those dastardly fiends!).

Umbrella captures Claire and brings her to the mysterious, remote Rockfort Island. And because she can't get a moment's peace, this island has also been hit by another biological disaster. With no cozy family reunion on the cards, Claire now finds herself in another fight for survival in classic Resi fashion.

The original game became something of a cult classic for some of its goofier aspects and memorable moments, of which fans have been fondly remembering since the remake was officially confirmed. It also features Resident Evil 1 and 5 baddie Albert Wesker back in his evil villain throne for one of the most iconic instalments in the franchise.

With a Wesker clone named Zeno having appeared in Resident Evil Requiem, I have a feeling Capcom is building out the connective tissue between Code Veronica, as the most popular among the Resident Evil spin-offs, and Resident Evil 5 – which could well be the next mainline Resi game to get the remake treatment.

Either way, it's clear that Capcom is aiming to keep the essence of the Code Veronica alive, and I can't wait to see how they bring this story into the modern era and put a fresh spin on it.

Resident Evil Veronica gameplay

Resident Evil Veronica's gameplay will be modernized to bring it in line with some of the latest Resident Evil games in the series. While we've yet to see any gameplay in action, or see what changes it will include, we expect it to be like other remakes in the Resident Evil timeline, with all of the survival horror goodness that comes with.

And while the reveal trailer was in first-person to keep us guessing, a producer has confirmed Veronica will be a third-person experience.

In the original, which was broken up into chapters, there were more playable characters during certain sections. While Claire still took center stage for the most part, there was also Steve Burnside, a prisoner on Rockfort Island, and Chris Redfield, who we haven't seen since Resident Evil Village. We're guessing this will once again be the case in Resident Evil Veronica.

For more Resi goodness, check out our ranking of the best Resident Evil games, or explore the Resident Evil movie.

We're just under three weeks away from the launch of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time remake, and one French retailer has just doubled the carrots on the end of the pre-order stick.

Game store Micromania has managed to get its hands on replica PAL-edition Ocarina of Time N64 boxes to sleeve its Switch 2 physical copies, sending players to attend its midnight launch event home with the classic black and gold design.

The slipcase fully houses the modern Nintendo Switch 2 box, and while it's not a full reproduction of the original cardboard that graced our collections all those years ago it's certainly going to take over a shelf.

That's not all, though.

It seems French Zelda fans are being spoilt this time around. While The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time pre-order bonuses are largely limited to that foil case in other regions, Micromania also has a free wallet and a set of three Spiritual Stones. That's a whole lot of loot to set you up for a return to Kokiri Forest. It makes US and UK pre-orders look pretty stingy by comparison. Ocarina of Time is rife with opportunities for pre-order bonuses, but at the moment we're just scouting for savings on the game itself, now that the Spiritual Stones have all been snapped up at Nintendo UK.

All isn't lost for some of us, though. EB Games is also jumping on the N64 slipcase bandwagon with the NTSC-U version available to Canadians who pre-order while supplies last. Still want that throwback midnight launch party? Best Buy's having its own release party, with fresh 40th Anniversary Legend of Zelda Switch 2 stock up for grabs as well.

We're also rounding up the latest God of War Laufey pre-orders as well as the Metro 2039 pre-orders that have just hit the shelves.

While Activision thought porting Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 to PS4 and PS5 would be a good move, even the developer's highest brass didn't expect it to work as well as it did. As such, the success is being studied and, hopefully, brought to modern CoD entries.

"We are definitely leaning into the nostalgia of playing with your friends," chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl tells The Game Business. "The Black Ops ports were huge successes. We thought they would do well; we didn’t think they would do that well.

"But you can see that pent-up demand of being able to get back to the good old days of playing with your friends on a Friday night and having fun. Modern Warfare 4 does that. We took a lot of learnings from [those ports] and are starting to apply them to not only this game, but future games."

The trend of shadow dropping games aside, the buzz around the Black Ops 1 and 2 ports was positive earlier this year. According to analysts, they were regular chart toppers and even provided lessons to other remakes and remasters, like Halo.

While Activision hasn't released the numbers, around the same time, the developers shifted Black Ops 7's matchmaking to more closely resemble that of its successful predecessors.

Moving forward, it seems to be all in the spirit of change the Call of Duty series needs, with sales steadily dipping over the years to the point that the latest Battlefield reigned supreme as the best-selling shooter of 2026, something the developers of CoD haven't had to face for a long ol' time.

"Where we go with future games, we have to innovate," Bahl says. "What we heard from the audience is they want new or better or different. The landscape is changing right under our feet.

"You’re seeing new games being built overnight, and you’re seeing tastes change and how people want to play."

Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake doesn't even rate against GTA 6 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 as the "biggest games of the year," Activision exec says.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake just got two brand-new trailers from Nintendo showing off a bit of the revamped game's combat and more.

Although they're short, the trailers pack quite a punch – and that's an understatement. You can find them on Nintendo's Japanese YouTube channel, starting with a 30-second mashup of the game's combat.

The video begins with a movie-trailer-esque scene featuring Ganondorf playing an organ, then cuts to Link, Navi, and the villain's face before diving straight into some action-packed battles. That's not all, either. For the first time ever, we see Dark Link.

Around 16 or so seconds in, Link takes on the shadowy doppelgänger – and honestly, I can't stop rewatching it all.

That plus the other new trailer from the channel, where we see more of Link, Zelda, and the ocarina itself in action. We get a glimpse of various locations, the Master Sword, and, of course, the remake's stunning visuals. It's exciting, to say the least, and I'm not alone in thinking so.

A thread over on X proves as much.

Between the comments dubbing the Ocarina of Time remake "peak," there are folks praising everything from Dark Link to Ganon's Castle. Others wonder why Nintendo didn't post the trailers on its international channels, which, valid.

My favorite reply of all, though, sums everything up about my reaction to the new videos (and others' as well, it seems) perfectly: "Holy shit." Holy shit indeed, anon. Holy shit indeed.

Thankfully, we won't have to wait too much longer before we can take Ganondorf and the rest of Hyrule's formidable foes on for ourselves. The Ocarina of Time remake releases next month on November 5 for the Switch 2 – that's less than a month away now.

And, you know what that means? We've got a couple of weeks to play through the original game again so we suck just a little bit less in dungeons (maybe I'm projecting here, okay).

Interested in one of this year's biggest new games yourself? Have a read through our Ocarina of Time remake preview to see why we love it so far.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse has released to critical acclaim, but there was a point in development where it was shaping up to be a very different game, and one I'd wager wouldn't have scored nearly as well with critics or fans of Konami's beloved series.

Talking to PCGamesN, Evil Empire head of business Ben Laulan reveals Castlevania: Belmont's Curse went through a lot of iteration before landing on the faster-paced evolution of the whippy action gameplay we all know and love.

"We had many different versions of the game," Laulan reveals. "We had much slower versions, more like a Dark Souls kind of vibe with even more heavy combat and slow rhythm. Then we realized it wasn't really Castlevania because it was too slow, too intense, and just too hard."

I could've told you that. I have a well-documented allergy to Dark Souls and Soulslikes, having tried repeatedly to get into the most beloved of them like Bloodborne and Elden Ring, but even removed from that obvious bias, FromSoftware's signature dodge-roll into big-swing mechanics have no place in a 2.5D action game like Belmont's Curse. I'm so, so glad Evil Empire reconsidered that direction. However, it seems they went so hard in the other direction that we almost got Dead Cells: Belmont's Curse.

"So we cranked up the speed, and then it was too much Dead Cells because it was too fast-paced, and the exploration wasn't there as much as it needs to be in Castlevania."

I can understand the Dead Cells influence given Evil Empire's experience supporting Motion Twin's roguelike darling post-launch, but I'm still encouraged to hear the developer was keen to avoid taking on any identity that isn't distinctly Castlevania. I have yet to play Belmont's Curse myself, but it sounds like it's a worthy return to the long-dormant series. Our own Castlevania: Belmont's Curse review awards it 4/5 stars.

"Beautiful and challenging, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse offers a rich, gothic world of puzzles to solve and enemies to whip," writes social media editor Serena Cherry. "With a stunning blend of fast-paced traversal action and compelling storytelling, this game proudly honours the Belmont legacy in exciting new ways."

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse was born out of "a sense of urgency," producer says, and if we have to wait 10 years for the next game, "the whole thing is meaningless."

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is generating a massive amount of buzz, but given the proximity of its November 5 release date to the launch of GTA 6. it's difficult not to compare the games. But according to Tyler Bahl, Activision's chief marketing officer, GTA and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 make up the real one-two punch of 2026.

"Well, no offense to Zelda, but I think these are the two biggest games of the year," Bahl tells The Game Business. There's no denying that GTA 6 is the biggest game of the year, but how do Zelda and Call of Duty compare?

Mat Piscatella of analyst group Circana notes that purchase intent for Modern Warfare 4 is sitting around 15%, meaning that the group figures about 15% of console and PC players in the US intend to pick up the game. For the Ocarina of Time remake, purchase intent is 10.4%, but remember – that's across all PC and console players, and the game is a Switch 2 exclusive.

"On a per potential player rate, the intent on Ocarina is far higher," Piscatella says.

Call of Duty remains a juggernaut, but it's one whose stature has certainly diminished over the years, and new releases don't carry the same weight they once did. Purchase intent on Modern Warfare 4 is down from Black Ops 7 last year, which in turn was considered enough of a disappointment to completely derail Xbox's Game Pass strategy.

So yes, Call of Duty is likely going to be bigger than Zelda. But if Modern Warfare 4 and Ocarina of Time are heavyweight boxers, then GTA 6 is Godzilla – a monster so massive that every other game is an ant by comparison. It doesn't matter if you're a little bigger than the other guy when you're both facing down a literal behemoth.

Even so, Bahl sees GTA 6's launch as a potential positive for Call of Duty. "I think, in a lot of ways, more people coming into the dashboards, more people taking the dust off their Xbox or PlayStation and starting to play again and loading up that experience is going to be more eyeballs for us," he says.

These are the best Call of Duty games.

Despite the restocks kicking around UK retailers today and my eternal yearning for the stunning 40th Anniversary Switch 2, I've simply not got the budget for it. That's left me with some Biggoron-sized FOMO, but there are, at least, brands like Skull & Co busy preparing Zelda-inspired Switch 2 accessories for those with fewer rupees to spare.

The brand (also known as Savage Raven) has listed pre-orders for a new Legend of Zelda Limited Edition version of its FissionGrip case, which sports a strikingly similar green and gold color palette to Ninty's new shiny console. The accessory isn't an exact match, as it actually adds ergonomic handles into the mix, but I'd much sooner find the budget for its $55.99 cost (now $32.99) than the $519.99 Nintendo is asking for.

The limited edition FissionGrip case isn't something you can store and carry your console in on the go. Instead, much like Belkin's Charging Grip, it's an accessory you place on top of your console to make it more comfortable to hold, and hopefully add some pizzazz to your otherwise plain console. As this version is Zelda-inspired, it adds a dash of green and gold to the console, along with a Triforce pattern at the back of the 7.9-inch display.

I haven't had the fortune to review this accessory yet, but I've always been drawn to past versions as it provides a set of interchangeable grips. Previous models of the FissionGrip provide Snap, Trigger, and Plus designs, which all provide different textured surfaces and distances away from the Joy-Cons. Additionally, this release has grips that appear to be made of a transparent, glittery green plastic, which is a neat, striking element even Nintendo can't match.

The FissionGrip is also dock-friendly, which is something I plead everyone check before picking up a grip case of any kind. Having to pop on and off coverings for the Switch 2 every time you want to play in docked mode is a huge pain, but that shouldn't be an issue with this version. You also apparently don't need to remove it if you're using mouse mode.

If you do happen to pre-order the Legend of Zelda Limited Edition FissionGrip, Skull and & Co states that you'll receive a " free set of Legend of Zelda themed thumb grips & button caps" though they don't reveal what they look like. As a reminder, they likely won't be officially licensed as the case isn't, but judging from the marketing images of the grip case, there's every chance they'll look just as spectacular.

• View all Skull & Co Switch 2 accessories at Amazon

Creating the ultimate Switch 2 setup for Ocarina of Time? Check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases, the best Nintendo Switch headsets, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers.

The ever-mysterious new Project Hadar – an IP that CD Projekt Red had first unveiled back in 2022 – is apparently well underway, with lead developers implying that the world-building stage is just about complete… and then some.

We've not heard much about Project Hadar over the past four years, really. Sure, last month CD Projekt Red was searching to hire 50 more devs for the secret "by the end of this year," but nothing concrete has really come up – no story, world, or character information.

But it's chugging along nicely, and joint studio CEO Michał Nowakowski tells PAP Biznes as much (as machine-translated via both DeepL and Google).

The lead first describes just how big Project Hadar is – so big, in fact, it's somehow even more massive than the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3… and even The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, it seems. "This has been our biggest undertaking to date, taking us several years," as Nowakowski puts it.

At this point, however, he can confidently say CD Projekt Red has a coherent vision for its world and its key elements.

Not only that, but the devs have started properly working on the game now that they're about finished building the world and conceptualizing the more important things – "although it's not yet in pre-production."

There are "small prototypes" in the works and CD Projekt Red is testing some gameplay elements, as per Nowakowski, but we shouldn't hold our breath for any significant reveal any time soon, I'd wager.

Project Hadar – whatever it may actually be – will stand as CD Projekt Red's first-ever fully proprietary IP. Everything before it, from Cyberpunk to The Witcher series, has stemmed from pre-existing content, whether books or tabletop RPGs or, well, you name it.

That makes the cryptic project especially exciting, even when compared to all the other upcoming CD Projekt Red games, of which there are admittedly many.

CD Projekt Red boss is "excited" about working with Paramount on the Cyberpunk 2077 movie, and one star is already trying to join the cast

Razer just launched the Barracuda V2 Pro, a follow-up to headsets like the Barracuda X, which remained a fixture of some of our best gaming headset guides for months on end. The brand boasts that the new £199.99 / $199.99 pair is equipped with everything from 40mm Triforce Bio-Cellulose audio drivers, ANC, and THX Spatial Audio+, but personally, the fact that the 2.4Ghz wireless dongle can be stored in the earcup is all I care about.

If you pop off the left earcup cover you'll find the pair's HyperSpeed wireless dongle, and I'm a bit obsessed with this revelation. Often brands package these tiny accessories in a Russian-doll cardbox scenario, and they're easy to go missing, especially when you have multiple laying around. But as Razer has carved out a dedicated place, I've not managed to lose this dongle yet - and anyone with the privity to lose their tech should be just as elated as I am.

Razer isn't the first brand to explore unique storage options. Fractal Design's first-ever headset release, the Scape, included a section on the underside of its charging base specifically designed to store its dongle. Meanwhile, controller brands like 8BitDo also rely on special compartments on the charging stands of their peripherals, like the Ultimate 2 controller, to allow players to keep their 2.4GHz gadgets safe and secure. However, it's just nice to see this design decision utilized on a headset, especially when I lose dongles just about every day.

The Barracuda V2 Pro's storage works by having the earcup cover attach magnetically; that way it can easily slip on and off when you want to switch up between Bluetooth and its 2.4GHz HyperSpeed connectivity. Unfortunately, the space is only designed to store the dongle and not the USB-C to USB-A adapter that's also included with the headset, so I foresee myself losing that in the future. However, at least an adapter is much more straightforward to replace.

Strangely enough, both earcup covers can be removed this way, despite the right one not storing anything but some relevant copyright information. While Razer hasn't announced it, there's a chance that they could be planning to release alternative earcup covers much like SteelSeries Booster Packs to allow you to switch up the color and style of the pair, but we'll have to wait to find out for sure. I have my fingers crossed that means some Pokemon Edition covers in the future, especially as Razer has been releasing Pokemon Collections left, right, and center in 2026.

While Razer hasn't mentioned anything regarding new earcup covers, they have provided a more in-depth look at what you can expect from the Barracuda V2 Pro. The pair is just 285g and has a foldable form factor, which makes it easier to store away in your bag for trips and travel. Razer doesn't provide a case with the $200 headset, but I can confirm from personal experience that its foldable nature makes it ideal for popping in your bag for day-to-day use. Much like the Barracuda X Chroma, it's already wound up as a pair I rely on for gaming and listening to music on the go.

Additionally, you can get up to 70 hours of battery life from the cups, and there's no garish RGB lighting to be found that can drain its juice. That's also why the cans have wound up in my backpack for weekend train trips, but you'll have to wait for my full review next week to see how they truly fare amongst the rest of the best Razer headsets I've tested for all my gaming and music travel needs.

• View all Razer gaming headsets at Amazon

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

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's remake, releasing November 5, overwhelmed me when I went hands-on during an official preview event. Link's enormous blue eyes are striking examples of how a remake can speak to our memory while conveying the level of modernization at play. But this was only the beginning.

Kokiri Forest has been rebuilt to feel more lived in and fleshed out. The walls of the area, while just as restrictive as in 1998, present a more natural boundary, making me appreciate the protective nature of Link's childhood home as I watch him jump across floating platforms on command (local boy learns to jump after 28 years and I'm so happy about it).

Hyrule Field takes the remake to another level, with Lon Lon Ranch sitting more naturally among rolling hills. Approaching the high walls around Hyrule Castle Town, I notice a desolate structure by the moat, hinting at a once-lively past.

Castle Town itself is a riot of color, with familiar NPCs sporting their glow-ups proudly. Link is able to enter more buildings here, pouring yet more depth into the remake's mixture of old and new. As an Ocarina of Time veteran, I savor the foreshadowing present when I see an NPC slumped on the ground in the back alley. And all the while I'm watched over by the stoic grace of the Temple of Time – perhaps the most iconic structure in Nintendo's repertoire.

More is more

As the session skips ahead to the Forest Temple, Adult Link enters the creepy mansion concealed within the Sacred Forest Meadow, letting us explore the first of the more mature dungeons within Ocarina of Time's remake. The four poes who split up to hide the flames needed to progress are all unique in their appearance, with different faces and shapes in addition to their individual color schemes.

The stonework of the underground areas add a sense of history to the area, while the pool tiles remind me of the splendor of Tomb Raider 3's Croft Manor, inviting my mind to wonder what came before. The area has given me a Resident Evil vibe since playing back in the day – here, it's stronger than ever.

Other more modern elements are straight out of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In addition to the way Hyrule Field is introduced with the same sweeping camera, the in-game menus all feel right out of the 2017 title.

Holding down the R button on the Switch 2 Pro Controller brings up the same style of equipment screen as Breath of the Wild, showing a line of items available to rotate through at your leisure. Similarly, the loading screens and on-screen text when starting a new quest all abide by the principles of the Switch game.

To newcomers, this will likely serve only as a collection of useful design choices, but to a long-time Zelda fan like myself, it's a visual indicator to treat Ocarina of Time's remake differently to its source material. It tells me to embrace the constant, over-the-shoulder camera that has replaced the original's occasional fixed angles, making some secrets easier to find. Enjoy swapping items on the go, switching from the Hookshot to Din's Fire in the heat of battle against two cartoonish-yet-intimidating Stalfos.

This is not to say the remake demands we reject tradition and embrace modernity entirely, as that would defeat the purpose of its existence. Instead take this as a friendly heads-up to go into Nintendo's reimagining with the desire for smoother, more user-friendly edges than the N64 adventure served up. This may seem obvious, but fans of the classic title aren't getting the exact same experience again here, and that's a good thing.

1998's Ocarina of Time is still available to play in multiple ways, and I'm thankful to Hylia it is. But the Switch 2 remake brings a welcome update that adapts the classic to keep up with the demands of the contemporary gaming space, and I've never been happier to see something I love get such a treatment.

There's still plenty of time to play more, so take a look at our best Zelda games ranking or best RPGs list for some suggestions!

Nintendo has revealed a new mechanic in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake that will feature secrets for Navi to find, and hopefully make the companion less annoying.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake looks to be a pretty faithful recreation of the N64 classic. While there are some major changes – like full voice-acted cutscenes for everyone except Link, a new boss rematch mode, and the addition of a jump button and a dash to Link's movement kit – the core of the adventure should remain pretty familiar to anyone who has played the game or its 3DS remake.

However, it looks like Nintendo will be throwing completionists a bone or two, with a new world element popping up in the game – one which may mercifully replace the constant rambling from Navi.

Mentioned in a preview of the game by TechRadar Gaming – and highlighted by Twitter user Genki_JPN – fairy messages manifest around the world as little scribble drawings of fairies, and by having Navi interact with them, they'll relay tips to you, such as mentioning that things can fall out of trees when they are shaken. While unconfirmed, the assumption is that these will be a way to cut down on Navi's interjections to help Link out, which has been a major complaint about the game since 1998.

While Navi is nowhere near as overbearing as Fi from Skyward Sword, there's a reason the constant refrain "Hey! Listen" is an iconic part of Zelda history. And if this is a way to cut down on that – all while making for a neat little extra to search for in the world – I'm down. Although I reckon this will mostly be for things that aren't critical, I'd have to assume Navi will still tell Link some crucial details about the world, but esoteric hints may no longer be a priority for her.

GamesRadar+ features editor Andrew Brown also went hands-on for a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake preview, which you can read right here!

The Legend of Zelda Nintendo Switch 2 has just magically reappeared on the shelves, with Smyths Toys dropping fresh stock this morning. This is one of the biggest console releases of the year so far, with its original pre-order run lasting mere moments before being swept off the shelves. Needless to say, if you're still hunting the shelves for last minute special editions this is where you need to be right now.

The special edition handheld will run you £429.99 at Smyths Toys right now, £10 more than the standard model. That's with those stunning green Joy-Con and gold dock accents, though. The 40th Anniversary Edition Legend of Zelda Switch 2 officially launches on November 5, alongside the Ocarina of Time remake (which we've just had the pleasure of previewing).

Unfortunately we're not seeing the same kind of activity in the US right now, but stock hunters can grab the 40th Anniversary Legend of Zelda Switch 2 carry case for $39 at Walmart.

Original Legend of Zelda Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders dropped on September 9, leapt off the shelves, and never returned. That's meant heartbreak for longtime fans, especially those holding off on upgrading their handheld for a special edition.

Launched to celebrate 40 years of The Legend of Zelda, this green and gold number marks the first tie-in Switch 2 Nintendo has launched, but it doesn't ride into battle alone.

While they're also still out of stock at the time of writing, accompanying Legend of Zelda Pro 2 Controllers and a carry case are also on many a holiday wishlist this year. Availability has been tough since those original pre-orders last month, but we're optimistic we might see more of these accessories (and hopefully the console itself) when the full set officially launches on November 5.

That means, even if you're too late for Smyths Toys' Zelda Switch 2 restock, there's a light on the horizon. We often see low-stock gadgets making a final return to the shelves on launch day itself. Pre-orders can go wrong for a number of reasons, payments decline or early birds get cold feet. That's when retailers sometimes list additional stock, so it pays to keep a close eye on the stores you're most interested in.

We're also getting you ready for Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals this year as well as rounding up all the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories including the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers.

A new Xbox survey is asking players how they would feel about future titles being console-exclusive to Xbox, with Fallout, Hideo Kojima's Physint, and Minecraft name-dropped.

Since its massive spending spree on the likes of Activision Blizzard and Bethesda, Xbox has been a bit all over the place when it comes to exclusives. Aside from honoring exclusive deals with the likes of Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, Microsoft went all-in on being a third-party publisher for a bit there, bringing almost every one of its games to PS5. Then, with the appointment of new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, the strategy changed again: Gears of War: E-Day was confirmed to be on Xbox and PC only, despite reports that its PS5 port was apparently close to completion.

And now – barring Fable, which was previously confirmed for a PS5 launch – it looks like Microsoft may be priming players for more exclusivity. As highlighted by Windows Central, some Xbox Insider members have received surveys asking about game exclusivity and where they would play the title – or if they would play it at all if it's not on PS5 or Switch 2.

These reportedly included questions about Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and the upcoming Hideo Kojima game, Physint, which Xbox Game Studios recently became the publisher of, following Sony's decision to cancel the project. Kojima himself has said he doesn't know if Physint will release on PlayStation.

However, it's the final question that is likely to raise the most eyebrows. The question asks players to imagine every Xbox game – barring Call of Duty, which Microsoft is legally required to release on other platforms until at least 2033 – was an exclusive. However, it adds "For Minecraft only, existing titles would no longer be available for purchase on PlayStation or Nintendo consoles, and would not receive any new content updates."

I don't think people would be happy if Fallout 5 or Elder Scrolls 6 were exclusive to Xbox for sure, but the idea of removing Minecraft from PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, as well as no longer giving updates to those versions, is so brazenly a bad decision that even being floated is concerning.

Minecraft on Nintendo Switch has sold over 4 million physical copies in Japan alone, and the worldwide number is likely to be much higher, while the PS4 version of the game had over 17 million players as of 2019 – and given that a native PS5 version didn't release until 2024, again, that number is likely to have far surpassed it. Obviously, it's just a hypothetical for now, but I can only imagine that taking Minecraft away from millions would have a backlash that makes complaints about Sony's killing physical games look like nothing much.

As Minecraft sells over 425 million copies and attracts 300,000 new players a day, the evergreen sandbox game is getting its first dimension in 14 years

The trailer for Over the Hill makes it look like you’ll be taking an off-road vehicle out into the wilderness and having a wonderful, relaxing time in warm sunshine, listening to acoustic guitar music as you trundle around paradise looking at the wildlife. Balderdash. It’s the single most stressful game I’ve played in years and I think it hates me.

It’s a bold move for a game to focus on the actual worst bits of open world driving games like Forza Horizon or even GTA. You know, the ones where you try to drive up a hill and it’s just a little too steep for your car to manage. Sliding around, skidding back down, and getting stuck against trees is the core experience at first, as there's just not enough grip to enjoy yourself. You can soon upgrade your tires, at which point things improve. But even with this added grip, Over the Hill is best described as a constant, laborious battle against hostile terrain – and that's far from enjoyable.

Said terrain at least looks reasonably nice. The art style is noticeably similar to developer Funselektor’s sublime Art of Rally. Not entirely flat-shaded, but certainly channeling that look. This can make more sparse areas like the Algerian desert look basic at times. The game uses lighting, fogging, and weather effects alongside a diegetic soundtrack to create its moods, but any sense of wonder quickly wears thin. There's so little to discover, it's frankly boring, a feeling compounded by the fact you're limited to moving at an absolute crawl. Even at full speed, you could probably run faster, if only you could exit the car.

Trails and tribulations

The game's best feature is the winch, which can latch onto trees with a quick press of the Y button on an Xbox pad. You then reel it back in, pulling yourself out of mud/water/rocks/trouble/the-clutches-of-despair in the process. It works really well and one item even lets you make an anchor point almost anywhere you like. That can feel like cheating, but sometimes there's no alternative. You soon acquire other limited use items too, like planks of wood to bridge small gaps and, later, a jack to reset you if you roll over. It doesn’t physically leverage your car’s chassis, instead respawning you, which really does feel like cheating when everything else is so hands-off.

While you can technically go anywhere, most steep hills are impassable, causing you to seek out the flattest routes, at which point you discover the world is actually quite linear. That at least means routes have been curated to offer a decent challenge, with jutting stones and slippery, bare rock faces clearly placed to test you.

Some such routes are turned into 'trails', which are the most videogamey and enjoyable part of the proceedings as you try to make it to GTA-esque checkpoint circles that appear at shortish intervals along a challenging track. Some of them are brilliantly designed – the Bridal Veil in the second Canadian area is a standout, passing a beautiful waterfall, which I was lucky enough to discover while the virtual sun was out. Gorgeous.

Sunshine is pretty rare, though. Storms are frequent and sway every tree on the screen in spectacular fashion. Inching forward through the surprisingly hostile elements in turn disperses the map's fog of war, revealing question mark 'points of interest'. These might be crates with personalization mods for your car, vehicles to tow back to your camp, or gates which denote the start point of those standout trails. Clearing every point in one area removes that map's fog of war completely, though you won't need the map by then. There's no rush or even instruction to complete anything; you can take your time.

The physics are OK, but not quite as convincing as other, more realistic-looking off-roaders. Your truck's movement is questionable at extreme angles and deformable terrain like mud or snow always deforms to the same level. It doesn’t build up again under reversing, nor squish outwards like it does in Snowrunner, either. It’s just there until it's flattened. Nonetheless, it does look pretty nice when you’re slewing around in a swamp or window-deep in snow and your wheels are leaving great troughs in your wake.

Off Road Pokedex

There’s an instant camera so you can snap the local fauna, which is a lovely feature but rarely used. You won’t see as much wildlife as you might expect, but that just makes the occasional sighting of an eagle that much more special.

There are a few mechanics (actual mechanics, the kind that use spanners) here and there with a few dialogue boxes to their names who will sell you upgrade items, but for the most part it’s a decidedly isolated solo experience. You can change songs on the tape player in your car, either track by track or different albums, but the best match is the laid-back acoustic guitar fare, which sounds a lot like pixel art fishing game Cast ’n’ Chill.

If aching isolation sounds like your idea of hell, you can play with other people, winching each other out of trouble and pulling up larger meteorites together. However, Funselektor has made it clear that the game was first designed as a solo experience and online performance is still being worked on. The game runs well even on Steam Deck despite some pretty vast draw distances, and visible LOD redraw is kept impressively scarce.

There is something to be said for setting off into the night as rain hammers down on the metal roof of your vehicle, your headlights swaying and dipping as you carefully navigate the undulating terrain. The same goes for those old-school 'Top Gear' moments of clinging to a mountainside with a 200ft drop to your right. But when you realise you're in your umpteenth hour of watching a small, low-detail car crawl slowly over barren sand dunes or trundle through another desolate valley, you'll likely long for something to happen.

Over The Hill was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.

Your journey isn't over yet. Check out our best open world games ranking for more worlds to get lost in!

By all appearances, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 seems to be a one-to-one remake of the original N64 classic, faithful down to the details of every dungeon puzzle. But there are at least a few all-new features in here beyond the quality of life tweaks, including a special hall where you can marvel at defeated enemies and battle bosses all over again.

"Somewhere in this world lies the Hall of Fallen Foes," the game's new overview trailer explains. "Statues of defeated monsters reside here. You can learn about them or engage in rematches with powerful foes."

You can walk up to statues and hit a button to take a close-up look, with a bit of flavor text describing the monster and a list of main locations where it appears. With bosses, you can hit a "rematch" button to take on the creature again. A timer will tick up during the battle, and your time will be recorded when you complete the rematch, so you'll have a convenient way to track speedruns against individual bosses.

The hall itself seems to take inspiration from the Nintendo Gallery that appeared in The Wind Waker, where you could take photos of characters and enemies from throughout the game and have them turned into a series of collectable figurines. As a Zelda lore-obsessed 13-year-old at the time of Wind Waker's original release, I loved the opportunity to catalog the game's inhabitants, and I'm glad the Ocarina of Time remake will offer something similar.

After two hours of hands-on time with the Ocarina of Time remake, Andy says it feels like a homecoming and a true Zelda celebration. Personally, I remain a bit skeptical that a straight remake can live up to the stature of what the original game meant back in 1998, but I'll happily accept a few surprises to make this familiar journey a little fresher in 2026.

These are the best Zelda games of all time.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Nintendo's upgraded take for Switch on its beloved 2014 Wii U game, just got another new update – sorry, Mario Kart World stans.

The update boosts Mario Kart 8 Deluxe up to version 4.0.1, bringing with it a good few fixes that fans of the 2017 banger have been eagerly awaiting.

As per Nintendo's official patch notes, these start with developers addressing the "issue where the number of obstacles or Item Boxes would increase during Online Play and Wireless Play" on the Switch 2 compared to the original Switch console. No more bombarding Switch 2 players, eh?

Next up are a couple of fixes for online play and visuals, like the Star Bits not displaying properly on the Wii Rainbow Road course on Switch 2.

Most importantly, perhaps, is how Nintendo targets crashes in version 4.0.1 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, though, ridding it of "an issue where the game would close unexpectedly when certain conditions were fulfilled."

In other words, yep, crashes – a no-no, especially during competitive races.

Although small, the patch is pretty solid, all things considered. Folks over on Reddit seem to agree, too, with one dubbing the notes "W fixes" from Nintendo.

Others, however, question what this means for Mario Kart World, seeing as Mario Kart 8 just saw another update last month while the newer game seemingly sits in the dust. As one player jests, "Mario Kart World is dead again" – a sentiment I've seen make rounds online more than once now.

I wouldn't dub it "dead" myself, though… as nice as it'd be to see Nintendo give Mario Kart World some love. This new update is still a great sign for the series overall.

And, if you're as excited for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe patch as I am, it's a simple download: select the game on your home menu, press + or - on your JoyCon, and go into "Software Update" – et voilà, version 4.0.1 is upon you, as are all of its shiny fixes.

Shigeru Miyamoto apparently has a love-hate relationship with Toad, who he would constantly pick in Mario Kart despite being his least favorite

When a brand like Razer launches a new "edition" of its existing tech, I always prefer the design to go big or go home. Transforming my favorite goth-bunny girl's head into a pair of Kuromi Edition Razer Hammerhead V3 X HyperSpeed earbuds is definitely a go-big moment.

The $119.99 earphones don't just re-color the charging case pastel purple and slap on some existing Sanrio artwork and call it a day. Instead, the entirety of the existing gaming earbuds case has been swapped out with Kuromi's head, which even goes as far as to include her hood-covered ears and a 3-dimensional version of her cute skull-bow motif. This all comes at a $20 extra cost to the plain buds, but if I'm paying more for a "Kuromi Edition" anything, I'd much sooner prefer brands go the extra mile like Razer has with this new model.

Look, I'm not a fan of the inflated cost of gaming tech that's the result of a collaboration with a tech brand like Razer and an existing IP or brand. I get why it exists, as the licence fee needs to be recouped somewhere, but at a time when the RAM storage crisis is making everything related to this hobby more expensive, it sucks that representing your fandom through accessories comes at an inflated price.

If that price does exist, I at least expect the theming to go all out, and thankfully that appears to be the case with these new earbuds. Not only are there sculpts of Kuromi's ears, but the widow's peak of her hood plays host to the case's LED indicator, and the bottom of her head can be hooked up to a USB-C cable for charging.

The buds inside aren't plain either, and share the same pastel purple coloring while including a pattern of skulls down their side. The only thing that'd make it sweeter would be if Razer featured more skulls instead of its traditional snake logos on each earphone, but I can make do without it when there's plenty of Kurmomi-ness left to admire.

On the inside, they're the same Hammerhead V3 X HyperSpeed buds as always. Equipped with 7.1.4 surround sound, touch controls, they're designed with "gaming and everyday listening" in mind. They're also multi-platform friendly and could be an alternative to your go-to gaming headset, as they have 2.4Ghz wireless and Bluetooth 5.2 support too.

If you do prefer your subtleties when it comes to Razer accessories however, you can always check out the Pikachu and Eevee Collection instead. The set doesn't include a pair of earbuds, but does opt for a "less is more" sentiment by draping its Pokemon Edition tech in a dusty pink coloring and cute art with no 3D ears to be found. I prefer a bit more over-the-top whimsy for my licensed tech, but each to their own.

View all Razer Kuromi Edition accessories at Amazon

Prefer a pair of cups instead? Check out the best PC headsets for gaming, the best PS5 headsets, and the best Nintendo Switch headsets we've tested so far.

Remaking a game means breaking it apart. The salvage is polished, sharp edges sifted out, and all is reassembled in a new engine. In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 remake, this process has been followed with watchmaker precision. Walking through Kokiri Forest, Link's familiar stomping grounds, I'm reminded of optical illusions that show two different pictures at once. Everything – yet remarkably little – has changed.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake breaks with the Nintendo 64's sharp, jagged art style but keeps its broad-stroke palette. The result is a softer Hyrule, with warmth that extends to its denizens. Link's redesign is far better in action than in its controversial reveal – with chubby cheeks and wide eyes, he looks the part for a kid being thrown into his first adventure. Kokiri Forest is brighter and feels bigger, but everything is in its right place – muscle memory guides me to Link's sword, and the blue rupee I put towards buying a shield is where it's always been.

But even the familiar (and it is – I spent my childhood in Hyrule) is remarkably fresh. The locked camera has been done away with, and you can now move the camera freely. That's par for the course in modern Zelda, but for anyone returning to Ocarina of Time, it's like taking a deeper breath. Later, in Castle Town, I run down newly-added backstreets and ogle at them from all angles. The town is far livelier – less dioramic than on N64, and more in line with the likes of Wind Waker's bustling Windfall Island. The remake is an exercise in small nudges – beneath the glossy makeover, it's exceptionally faithful to the source material that paved the way for 3D Zelda.

Return to Hyrule

My hands-on preview is broken into three chunks. The first chunk starts from the beginning, when Link is roused from bed for an audience with the ancient Deku Tree, and runs up to halfway through the Deku Tree dungeon. Some of Kokiri Forest's haziness is gone, but it still feels like a place out of time. In the Deku Tree, Ocarina of Time's movement changes shine. Being able to freely line up Link for platforming is a godsend, and he can jump – the boy can jump! – on command, meaning you no longer have to run full-pelt at a ledge to see if your intended angle is lined up correctly.

Combat is straightforward – be it a carnivorous Deku Baba plant or sword-toting Stalfos, simply lock onto a target, wait for it to overextend, and hack it to pieces. UI changes make it easier to switch between items, meaning I actually use Deku Nuts to stun baddies. When I find the Slingshot in a chest, I'm surprised by how smooth its gyro controls are – for the first time in a game I use them willingly, gliding the Switch 2 controller around to pelt Skulltulas with seeds.

The second chunk of my preview skips ahead to Hyrule Field, which is titled over a sweeping shot (as Breath of the Wild introduces locations – right down to the font). Like Kokiri Village, everything in Hyrule Field is where I remember it. But ruined buildings now dot the field, and although I don't have time to investigate, Hyrule's countryside certainly feels bigger.

So does Castle Town, which hides one egregious cut (you can no longer run up the drawbridge chains to grab a hidden rupee) but makes up for it with unmatched liveliness. Where the settlement originally felt like a single bustling screen, it's now fleshed out properly in 3D. New and old characters go about their business, including a man who claims his beard lets him sense where other men with facial hair are at any moment – Triforce of Power, eat your heart out.

As a Castle Town regular, I notice more has been done to nudge players in the right direction. Besides the bearded man who helps me locate mustachioed rancher Talon, other folk point me towards Hyrule Castle, where Link is due an appointment with Princess Zelda. That's off-limits for this preview, so instead I bum around Castle Town – detouring to smash a room full of pots before playing a few rounds of the shooting gallery minigame, which now ramps up in difficulty rather than throwing you in at the deep end.

Of what I've seen, Castle Town has changed the most. But those changes are additive and cushioned around the familiar, bringing Ocarina of Time's liveliness to the parity of later 3D Zelda games (Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword). Having played Ocarina of Time to death for the last 20 years, I'm thrilled at how fresh everything feels – this remake's differences are its strengths.

Finally, I'm fast-forwarded to the Forest Temple to play through it in full. Gone are Link's chubby cheeks, as this dungeon is the first one you tackle after a seven-year timeskip into adulthood. Adult Link has a few new tools, including a hookshot that wobbles delightfully when fired and (after some dungeon-crawling) a Hero's Bow that continues to endear me to gyro controls.

Here, any mechanical changes are subtle but the remake's lighting is outstanding. Dark wooden corridors seem to drink light, but pale sunlight still gathers in courtyards and stained glass windows; so detailed that it makes the original look stark in comparison.

As in Kokiri Forest, I'm carried through the Forest Temple on muscle memory, tackling light puzzles and minibosses that introduce the step-up in difficulty that adulthood poses (in game, of course).

Familiar puzzles are still satisfying to solve – I'm envious of anyone coming into this remake after only playing Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, as without spoiling anything there are some fiendish puzzles waiting in the Forest Temple and beyond.

In the final room, Phantom Ganon attacks. The Forest Temple's boss is still deliciously dramatic, fighting first as a spectral horseman in larger-than-life paintings, then launching crackling balls at Link. It was (and still is) a very cool fight and Nintendo clearly agreed, as Phantom Ganon was made a recurring character. I take him down and leave the forest temple in 45 minutes – devastatingly, just 43 minutes short of breaking the world record.

I leave my Ocarina of Time preview excited to see the rest of Hyrule in this light. Changes have been made sparingly but with confidence, creating an identity that can co-exist with the spiky original. In putting Ocarina of Time back together, Nintendo focuses not on the dated, but the timeless.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake is out for Nintendo Switch 2 from November 5, 2026. You can pre-order the Ocarina of Time Remake now.

While you're here, here's some other recent previews that you may be interested in:

The CRKD Atom+ has gone through some upgrades to merit its new 'plus' namesake, and its new size is exactly what I had hoped for when I first learned of the improved version of the retro-inspired gamepad.

Don't get me wrong, it's still teeny tiny and should never be used as a day-to-day Switch 2 Pro controller substitute, unless you want some Mario Kart World with a side order of wrist cramp. However, the £29.99 (via Amazon) growth spurt has made it big enough to stand out amongst my messy game room, while remaining the ideal compact shape to take up little to no space in my Switch 2 bag. Nights ruining my friendships with hours of Dokapon Kingdom have never been better.

Whenever I pop over to my friend's house to witness the full depravity of their evilness through hours of Dokapon Kingdom, I have a fear. Not the fear of them constantly starting battles with me in the game (though that does happen often), but the fear of damaging any controller I bring with me for the Switch gaming times ahead.

The Atom+ has circumnavigated that. Despite being larger than the OG Atom, it still demands far less case space than any other of my Switch 2 controllers, which makes it less prone to damage. My go-to Pro-style controllers, like that of the Turtle Beach Rematch, are fantastic, but piling one in alongside my dock, steering wheels, and anything else can be a bit of a struggle. Even if I do manage to use my Tetris know-how and maneuver it within my all-in-one case, I'm still constantly worried that its thumbsticks will end up breaking into pieces.

The Atom+ is about the length of the palm of my hand, and takes up little to no space at all, so any worries of its newly added sticks rubbing up against other accessories are slim to none. In fact, it's so perfectly compact that I'm already considering picking up a full set of the four colors available. I could easily pack each into my PlayTrek 2-in-1 case and still have some room left over, something that wouldn't have been possible had I stuck with one Pro controller alternative.

It's not a perfect alternative to my Turtle Beach Rematch, as it's still small enough that comfort can be an issue, and nothing will ever outmatch the joy of having backpedals. However, any controller that manages to quell my anxiety of broken and damaged tech gets a big thumbs-up in my book.

• View all CRKD gaming accessories at Amazon

On the hunt for a new controller? Check out our guides to the best PC controllers for gaming, the best PS5 controllers, and the best Xbox Series X controllers.

Not even Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone's partner Amber gets to play his new game Haunted Chocolatier yet. That's because the Stardew Valley creator doesn't feel like his sophomore effort is finished yet, and if you've ever eaten a Thanksgiving day turkey that needed more time in the oven, you'll vividly remember how terrible it is serving half-baked anything.

Talking to GQ, Barone says he's intent on making Haunted Chocolatier all by himself, with the exception of external marketing teams, just like he did with Stardew Valley. Barone has occasionally hired outside help to work on non-creative tasks over the years, but working largely in isolation means he's the only one actually playing these games while they're in development, and that's exactly how he wants it.

"No one's playing the game until I'm ready to show it," he says, adding a metaphor that makes me want to come to every Thanksgiving gathering with a digital meat thermometer. "If you have a turkey in the oven, you're not going to pull it out halfway and have the guests taste it, right? It needs to be done."

It does need to be done, yes. Butterball, the foremost authority on turkey as a food product, recommends cooking your turkeys to 170°F in the thigh and breast areas, and 165°F in turkey-based stuffings. I can't tell you what that looks like in Haunted Chocolatier, but I do know melted chocolate is the best chocolate.

In the same interview, Barone once again describes Haunted Chocolatier as "more of an action RPG" than Stardew Valley, this time adding that it's for players who like to "go into the mines" to grind and grow more powerful.

Stardew Valley creator is "struggling" with Haunted Chocolatier thanks to the precedent he accidentally set himself: "It might disappoint millions of people"

From one beloved RPG to the next, voice actor Holly-Marie Michael says she was cast as Catherina in Metaphor: ReFantazio due to her role as Sazza in Larian's 2023 GOTY RPG, Baldur's Gate 3.

Talking to GamesRadar+, Michael says the Cockney accent she put on to portray the working class goblin in Baldur's Gate 3 is the very reason she's now known as Catherina, the pink-haired bounty hunter in Metaphor: ReFantazio.

"Funnily enough, I got the role of Catherina by playing Sazza in Baldur's Gate 3," Michael says. "In Metaphor, you've got the English dub, you've got all of these regional accents, and they said they wanted somebody with a Cockney accent to play Catherina, and I was kind of already being a Cockney when I was doing Sazza, and so they asked me to audition for her."

Michael says that when she got the audition script for Catherina, she found the character "so badass" and was determined to play her. Little did she know at the time that her fate as Catherina was already sealed thanks to her performance as a lovable goblin in a very different RPG.

In a weird 'it's a small world' moment, in 2025 Michael reacted to a GamesRadar+ story about her Baldur's Gate 3 character and the people who would advocate for goblin romance.

"You filthy little buggers, I didn't realize there were so many of ya" Michael said using Sazza's voice. "Makes sense though. I mean, look at her... gorgeous. Let it be known that if Larian come-a-callin', I would be willing to record those scenes. It would be filthy, but I'd do it for ya," she added, struggling not to laugh at the thought.

Nabbing a speaking role in a game as universally acclaimed as Baldur's Gate 3 is bound to open some doors, and following up with another hit RPG like Metaphor: ReFantazio definitely looks like the start of a hot streak for Michael, even if her next big game hasn't been revealed.

Why not pick something from our list of the best RPGs for your next big adventure?

28 years after its release and (almost) two remakes later, a new glitch has been discovered in the OG Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and fans are already expecting it to have a big impact on certain challenge runs.

As shared by Ocarina of Time speedrunner ZFG on Twitter, the "really cool new glitch" involves using a bottled item right as a hitbox is disappearing in order to "overwrite damage values," allowing you to beat certain bosses without the items usually required for them. Specifically, "2 big uses so far are beating Volvagia without hammer, and Ganondorf without light arrows."

Elaborating on this further in a separate post, ZFG explains that "because this has to do with memory loading and unloading stuff, this sometimes needs specific setups with things you need to do beforehand," but this "will be very situational." For now, though, Link's magic spin attack combined with using a fairy in a bottle "seems pretty consistent," they say.

What's more, the glitch even works in Majora's Mask, with the combo of using magic spin and then using spring water generally resulting in "powder keg damage," which can be used to quickly blast through to the Goron Racetrack and Romani Ranch (albeit with a bit of setup).

But how about Ocarina of Time? ZFG anticipates a potential impact on a number of different speedrun categories, but not necessarily all of them. "Although this seems like something obviously very useful on the surface, there's actually a bunch of minor details that makes it not as simple to just be an automatic timesaver in runs," as they put it. For example, the All Dungeons category skips currently obtaining the slingshot and magic, which you need one of to make the glitch work, though speedrunners are currently experimenting with a method here to get the slingshot for a potentially faster Volvagia fight.

"The one main category this seems immediately good for is No Wrong Warp, which can now skip the long process to get magic in exchange for just slingshot, saving a few minutes," ZFG reasons. Meanwhile, randomizer runs are "definitely the biggest winner" thanks to the ability to beat Volvagia without the hammer.

While it doesn't seem like this glitch is going to be a game changer for the majority of casual fans, it's still really interesting that things are still being found after all this time. If you're curious to try it, it reportedly works on the Nintendo Switch Online version of the game as well as the original cartridge release.

SNL's viral Zelda: Ocarina of Time vs GTA 6 sketch probably went down fine at Nintendo, former marketing leads say, even if it framed Link as being "for nerds."

If there's one department that Final Fantasy 14 fans are lacking in, it's reading, apparently – particularly the MMO's own settings.

It's a tale as old as time: players want certain options, and Square Enix either delivers them or doesn't… or, you know, already has, but folks don't check the settings to make sure what they want is or isn't already implemented in the game before asking for it.

Global community producer Toshio Murouchi jests about this phenomenon during a panel at this past weekend's PAX Australia event, explaining that it happens all the time. "Some of the player group loves A, the other group loves B, so you guys tend to say, 'Okay, how about making it selectable in the config options?"

That's when Square Enix does just that, with a "let's make it happen" attitude" – there are more than 10 years, as Muruochi says, of work poured into the MMO, after all, so the existing settings are "tremendous."

So tremendous, in fact, that players don't bother going through them.

They "don't like to read any play guide or the manuals," Moruochi jokes, which… guilty as charged – but we'll want to do just that for the new expansion Evercold.

"In preparation for Evercold, please take time to read through the config options," as the developer kindly tells the community. "That will help raise your quality of life in Eorzea." He's probably not wrong, considering all the new configurations and tweaks coming.

From new jobs like the Bastion to housing changes, Evercold's packing quite the punch of content, and knowing your way around pre-existing settings can't hurt. Some fans think that Square Enix should make them easier to navigate, however.

Over on a Reddit thread about Muruochi's recent words, one person comments that the devs "should redesign the horrible options menus" if they expect players to explore them.

Another suggests the Final Fantasy 14 team "just add a search bar" to make navigation a bit simpler – something I wouldn't be opposed to myself. For now, though, we'll have to make do with the old-fashioned click-and-browse method, I suppose.

Final Fantasy 14's Beastmaster has fans experiencing the MMO as Pokemon trainers for the first time in its 16 years, and they love it so much they "wish it was a standard job"

Following Fortnite developer and publisher Epic Games' public announcement that it would be undergoing a "huge pivot" for "maximum AI acceleration," one former producer shares his take on the controversial technology and its role in the development process.

Aakash Gupta, who worked at Epic as a producer on Fortnite, explains that Tim Sweeney's push for a new "AI first" approach to game dev and how quickly it's moved – just see the now-delayed Disney extraction shooter – isn't surprising.

"Fortnite Battle Royale was built in two months," he writes on X. "I was a producer at Epic, and that's the speed Tim Sweeney moves at when he decides the whole company is turning. He just decided again."

Indeed, he did, hence the whole "huge pivot" – a pivot that isn't new to Epic, and has likely long been in the making by the time it's publicly announced.

"Inside Epic, a pivot means the whole company turns that week," as Gupta states. "People get new teams, new bosses, new roadmaps, and nobody blinks because that's how the place has always run. By the time Tim posts a memo about it, the moves usually already happened."

And, when it comes to AI, Gupta doesn't think any amount of backlash will stop Epic – or other studios, for that matter– from utilizing the tech.

"Here's where it gets bigger than Epic though Epic makes Unreal Engine, the software a massive share of big-budget games are built on. Studio heads can ban AI art. Voice actors can strike over AI voices. Steam can put warning labels on AI games," he says.

But, "None of that touches the layer Epic controls, because Epic makes the tool everyone builds with." He recalls how Epic "wired" AI models like Anthropic's Claude and Google's Gemini into its Unreal Engine, with more underway.

"So for millions of game developers, AI shows up as a built-in feature of software they already pay for" – public pushback be damned. According to the ex-Fortnite producer, it's all "for show," anyway.

"Honestly, the industry's AI fight is mostly for show," he describes. "Google Cloud found nine in 10 game developers already use AI agents at work. The debate happens on stage while the usage happens at the desk."

I've located the survey he cites here, too, which alleges that some 87% of devs are employing the use of AI during production, for everything from optimization to "dynamic balancing" and much more.

So, Gupta concludes that the AI controversy begins and ends publicly, while use continues behind devs' doors – whether opened or closed: "While everyone argues about whether games should use AI, Epic quietly turned it into a checkbox inside the editor. Most developers will click it without ever having the debate."

While I'm not sure I agree with Gupta here, I can't say Epic Games' own move is surprising at all.

Studio CEO Tim Sweeney has made his stance on generative AI quite clear in the past, dubbing Steam's required AI disclosures "really irresponsible of Valve" as they supposedly make it "much, much, much harder for a game developer to have a chance of success."

He's always come across as openly pro-AI use in game dev, to say the least… even if it's not a great look considering his company's widespread layoffs earlier this year.

Gupta and Sweeney aren't alone in their thoughts on the questionable tech, either. Former Square Enix executive Jacob Novak has responded to Epic's AI news himself, writing, "Epic, by far one of the best technical leaders in games, is saying no hand written code. If you're not doing the same you will be left behind. It is over for non-AI workflows."

It's a heavy-handed message, but it does beg the question: how far will this whole AI thing truly go?

I suppose only time can tell, but the future feels a bit bleak right now. Between Epic and these other supposed devs using gen AI, I worry for folks in creative roles and those coding, too. It can't be easy for anyone in those positions, that's for certain.

Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii continues his love affair with AI slop as he releases a new game he generated in 30 minutes

Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival is exactly what the witch doctor ordered this spooky season. It's gory to an extreme, the scent of blood and latex almost palpable as I guide protagonist Aiden Lynch through a kinky pansexual death cult's hideout, into a pulse-pounding BDSM club, before evading The Chatterer in The Labyrinth's chambers of torment. Peppered with nods to survival horror titans and off-kilter Xbox 360 games like Condemned alike, I think our Hellraiser Revival review score is fair: This might not the freshest kill on the chopping block, but it's definitely a delight for genre sickos (and sickos in general, ya sadists). That said, I cannot get on board with its first-person perspective. Like, at all.

I can tell what developer Saber Interactive was gunning for. Much like Silent Hill Townfall, the new game takes notes from the first-person terrors of Resident Evil 7 to create an oppressive, immersive environment that implicates you, The Player, as its main character. However, it doesn't succeed. I think Hellraiser Revival would have been a better third-person action game than a first person one, and it all starts with one simple question.

Who are you?

A smart survival horror game understands the importance of perspective. It's what makes Resident Evil's Ethan Winters such a powerful everyman figure, his face always obscured in gameplay, cutscenes, and promotional materials (until the third-person Resident Evil Village update) to reinforce the notion that who he is doesn't matter as much as what he thinks, feels, and does.

It allowed Capcom to distance us, for a moment, from its emblematic heroes – Leon, Chris, Claire, Jill – whose image had long become synonymous with the survival horror franchise. Even with first-person available in Resident Evil Requiem, playing a first-person game as Leon S. Kennedy feels illegal. I want to see and play as him, not myself, because I am already invested in the character. Ethan's story is no less important than Leon's, but it serves a different purpose.

While the vagaries of Ethan's backstory allow us to imprint ourselves upon his character, Hellraiser Revival's Aiden Lynch has plenty going for him already. We see him in third-person cutscenes right from the jump, catching glimpses of his personal tastes and indulgences (to be SFW about it) before we're dropped into the action from a first-person view. Already, it's discombobulating. Am I supposed to feel like the everyman here, or is Aiden a fully-formed character whose journey, backstory, and personal stakes I'll be exploring?

Four hours in, I can't figure out whether Aiden is a Leon or an Ethan. And, look, I really like the dude. Aiden clawed himself back from addiction and jail stints by finding a new obsession in his girlfriend, Sunny; who am I to judge his new drug-of-choice?

I respect the guy for heading into BDSM hell to save her soul. I am always pro-Wife Guys in video games, and Aiden is no exception. But he's definitely not got the combat chops of either Leon or Ethan going for him – even if one of them is a bioterror vet and the other is literally made of mould.

Fighting chance

To be as blunt as the weapons Aiden wields, melee combat in first-person categorically sucks. It always sucks, in my opinion, with the exception of one-man tank Kyle Crane bashing zombie skulls in with electrified crowbars in Dying Light.

There needs to be a weightiness to it to keep me locked in, and with no way to block attacks or do anything but duck out of the way, getting into brawls as Aiden is perhaps fittingly awkward. Plus, he's stark naked for a good chunk of the opening hour. In his position, I guess I'd be a bit too preoccupied by a cold breeze in the nether regions to worry about my technique.

But I don't want to let Hellraiser Revival off that easy. How much of this airy, weightless fumbling would feel more grounded if it was made with typical third-person combat manoeuvres in mind? How much more like an actual Hellraiser movie would it look if we could see the hero's face for the majority of the journey instead of his blood-slicked palms swinging a machete through thin air? Is trading good combat for a front-row seat to see gore really necessary when this is, first and foremost, a survival horror action game?

I can tell that Saber understands this to an extent. We see quite a lot of Aiden in third-person cutscenes when the cenobites are in play, while others (like the ones in cult HQ) are in first – which makes the inconsistency all the more frustrating. I'd have liked to see Hellraiser commit to one or the other.

Alternatively, it could have gone full Dying Light: The Beast, with a strong visual hero persona built through third-person cinematics while first-person gameplay dials up the immersion. But chopping and changing between the two perspectives feels ultimately confused in Hellraiser, with the purpose of those third-person cutscenes reading as opportunities to show off the cenobites rather than build on Aiden's character.

Maybe such is the way of licensed games. We're here to see Pinhead et al, not necessarily Aiden and Sunny. But in its attempt to align itself with the latest trend in survival horror, Hellraiser Revival misses Resident Evil's most important lesson: some heroes need to be seen to be believed.

Explore some of the best horror games to keep you company this Halloween...

The radiant quest system that made Skyrim's open-world so responsive to its protagonist only came about because of Bethesda's "brute force" approach to the idea in Fallout 3.

In an interview with OPM first published in 2011, Todd Howard explained the origins of Bethesda's novel approach to an open-world RPG. "In Fallout 3 there are these random encounters," he explains. "A guy being hunted by a Deathclaw, [or] this group of people fighting over a refrigerator. And we wrote this giant script for Fallout 3 with about 40 or 50 random events."

Those events would be triggered in certain areas under certain conditions, but it was a relatively simple system, one which Howard describes as "a really big, brute force script." It might not have been elegant, but it was popular – "it turned out to be a really cool system in the game that made the game dynamic, and we just kept building this script."

After the launch of its seminal RPG, Bethesda wanted to keep using that system, but was looking for a more streamlined solution. "We came out of Fallout 3 going 'well, what if we have a system that did that instead of writing?'" The team "really liked" the way it worked for random encounters, so it expanded the new system into quests. "So that's what it became," Howard says. "Every quest uses this. And now it's become this all-watching thing over the game."

The system would go on to affect almost every part of Skyrim's many, many quests. Devs could shape the parameters behind an event – deciding what kind of NPC activated it, or in what area of the game they should be found – but 'radiant stories' formed the core of how Skyrim's world was built, and have gone on to have a massive impact on RPG design in the 15 years since.

Bethesda's last Skyrim concept artist has been laid off after "almost 18 years of dedication to The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield" amid Xbox cuts: "It has been my honor."

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse reviews are in, and its Metacritic score is one of the highest in the Konami series' 40-year history, even if it doesn't quite hit the praise garnered by the most beloved games in the franchise.

After a hiatus that has lasted just over a decade, Castlevania is getting its first brand new game in years this week, with Castlevania: Belmont's Curse having a lot riding on it for a lot of fans. Thankfully, it looks like things have gone down well, as the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Metacritic score is sitting at 86 after 45 critic reviews, which as far as the series at large goes, is one of the strongest scores to date.

In fact, the only Castlevania games with a higher score are some of the most beloved games in the series. Namely the GBA trilogy of Circle of the Moon (91), Harmony of Dissonance (87), and Aria of Sorrow (91), as well as Aria's sequel, Dawn of Sorrow (89), and, of course, Symphony of the Night – namely its Xbox 360 port at 89 and the PS1 original at 93. It also ranks lower than Vampire Survivors' Ode to Castlevania DLC (95) and Dead Cells' Return to Castlevania expansion (88) – which was developed by Belmont's Curse developer Evil Empire.

In the GamesRadar+ Castlevania: Belmont's Curse review, social media editor Serena Cherry awards the game four out of five stars, saying, "Beautiful and challenging, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse offers a rich, gothic world of puzzles to solve and enemies to whip. With a stunning blend of fast-paced traversal action and compelling storytelling, this game proudly honours the Belmont legacy in exciting new ways."

Currently the majority of the game's reviews are dubbed "Positive" by Metacritic, with multiple outlets giving the game full marks. Elsewhere only eight reviews gave a "Mixed" score, with the game picking up a number of three out of five or seven out of 10 ratings.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse was born out of "a sense of urgency," producer says, and if we have to wait 10 years for the next game, "the whole thing is meaningless."

Fortnite developer and publisher Epic Games has reportedly delayed the release of a Disney extraction shooter that it had been working on so as to incorporate more artificial intelligence technology into its development.

The news comes from Bloomberg, which reports that the game's developers were instructed to engage with an "AI first" production process, using generative AI models like Anthropic's Claude – a tool that's recently been in the limelight for its role in fan-created PlayStation emulations like the controversial fan-made Bloodborne PC port that made rounds online last week.

An internal message from one of the game's directors has apparently confirmed as much. "No more hand-written code," it allegedly reads, going on to declare that all art for the game would now be "generated with full AI workflows."

Epic Games' communications director Jake Jones has responded to Bloomberg, too, admitting, "We're embracing AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who are the visionaries and creative drivers for everything we do."

Disney representatives declined to comment, apparently.

This all lines up with what Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is writing over on Twitter as well. "We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic," the studio lead describes, "moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration. The aim isn't to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal."

As you can imagine, commenters aren't exactly thrilled.

I can't say this comes as much of a surprise, though, really. Sweeney has made his stance on generative AI very clear in the past, having dubbed Steam's own AI disclosures "really irresponsible of Valve" as they supposedly make it "much, much, much harder for a game developer to have a chance of success."

In other words, he's never been opposed to the highly controversial tech – he's only ever expressed the opposite.

So, what's next for Epic Games and its collaborative project with Disney? Well, I suppose that only time can tell for certain – but I'm not sure that this move is tasteful… especially after the company's widespread layoffs earlier this year.

Fortnite's Hollow Knight crossover items cost more than Hollow Knight itself – and Silksong, too.

As the gaming world watches and waits, Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone says he's feeling the pressure to ensure that the follow-up, Haunted Chocolatier, meets everyone's expectations.

Speaking to GQ in a wide-ranging interview, Barone touches on how the creative process differs this time around and that it hasn't been an easy adjustment. While he had all the time in the world to create Stardew Valley, the fans that game has amassed over the years are now eagerly awaiting Haunted Chocolatier.

"I've been struggling with that," he says, "because I really want to recapture that feeling that I had when I was making Stardew Valley. Back then, there was no audience, there was no precedent. Everyone's watching me, and if I don't do things a certain way, it might disappoint millions of people."

Further reflecting on Stardew Valley, Barone says it was initially a "dumb little project" he used to get better at programming while he "couldn't find a job." Now? A phenomenon.

"It's kind of hard to fathom just how many people have played it, and the impact it's had," he says. "It was not part of the plan."

Regardless, now five years since its initial announcement, Haunted Chocolatier is slowly taking shape at a pace Barone is setting for himself. Pressure or not. Thankfully, it looks to be shaping up nicely. Elsewhere in the interview, Barone describes it as a game for Stardew Valley players who yearn for the mines, which sounds quite ideal and worth the wait.

ConcernedApe says sorry Haunted Chocolatier is taking so long: "I won't compromise on the quality of the game by rushing it or releasing it too early."

The bastion of comedy that is Saturday Night Live recently decided to poke fun at the close-by release dates of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and GTA 6. The sketch marks the rare occasion the show acknowledges video games, bringing to mind a moment in 2021 where Elon Musk, of all people, showed up in a Wario suit.

If you need a reminder, Musk hosted Saturday Night Live on May 8, 2021, and one of the bits involved a lawyer defending Wario in court against the accusation he murdered Mario. Yeah, I don't know either. The Tesla CEO himself was positioned as the villain of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, in a get up that included the moustache and all.

Discussing SNL's latest venture into games satire, Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, both former senior marketing staff at the house of Mario and Zelda, looked back at the reaction to the Musk-led skit. "They did not like the Elon Musk 2021 [bit]," Yang says, in an episode of Kit and Krysta, the podcast they share.

"We were still there for that," Ellis points out. "That did not go over well," Yang states, as Ellis concurs that it "was not beloved" with a laugh.

"That one was out of left field," Ellis observes. "There was no actual Nintendo product that connected to it."

He mentions that "some of" the material was "getting into subject material that was uncomfortable for Nintendo." The whole thing is misguided, in my view. Wario's only ever been in direct opposition to Mario once - Bowser's the jumping plumber's actual arch-nemesis. Wario is just a bumbling, money-hungry inflection of Mario's cheeriness. A courtroom drama is deeply antithetical to the spirit of either character, too.

The former Nintendo marketing leads point out in the conversation that the latest scene is more likely to have made execs smile, if only because it's potentially potent marketing they didn't have to pay for. Ultimately, that's all that matters really - unless Musk is involved, anyway.

The new Ocarina of Time figures are nowhere to be found, but some of the best Zelda amiibo are back at Nintendo UK

Saturday Night Live may have seemingly tried (and failed) to poke fun at The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake in a recent sketch pitting it against GTA 6, but former Nintendo marketing leads Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang reckon that the house of Mario would actually have had a "pretty positive reaction" to it internally.

The SNL sketch from earlier in the month saw two people dressed as Link and GTA 6's Jason, respectively, each trying to one-up the other by bragging about what their games have to offer as they fight for dominance in November in their own sort of Barbenheimer moment. The tone of the sketch makes it quite clear that Zelda is supposed to be the less exciting option here – comparing GTA 6's action, sex appeal, and fast cars to Zelda's puzzles and Link's "little green dress" – but ironically, the crowd's reaction to the Nintendo game is so loud that the entire joke kind of falls on its face, instead proving Ocarina of Time's immense popularity.

Ellis and Yang, respectively the former director of social media marketing and original content, and senior manager of creator relations and original content at Nintendo of America, discuss the sketch in a new video on their YouTube channel (below), opening with the fact that Nintendo "did not like the Elon Musk" Wario SNL sketch from 2021. That one aired when they were still working at the company, with Yang saying it "was not received well" internally.

And, well, it's little wonder. The sketch sees Wario – played by Tesla and SpaceX boss Musk – defending himself in a court case over the murder of Mario in a Mario Kart-esque road accident. During the sketch, there are also references to Mario doing drugs and Luigi sexting Princess Peach. Not exactly brand-friendly stuff.

How about the Ocarina of Time one, though? Yang suggests that Nintendo "didn't hate this," partly because it "positions the game as a huge deal" and, to some extent, accurately markets it through its mentions of the game's puzzles. And, as Ellis adds, it portrays it as "equal to GTA 6," which is obviously a good thing by anyone's metrics.

That's not to say that Nintendo would have loved everything about the sketch, though. Ellis suggests that the company wouldn't have liked the portrayal of Link as being a character "for nerds, for losers," and leaning into those "old rooted perceptions of video games in general where it's like, 'Oh, GTA, that's for the cool kids.'"

Yang adds that the company also likely didn't enjoy the sketch making fun of Zelda's art style, and "probably didn't love that when he pulled out the little bottle with a fairy in it that the fairy completely fell apart and died." Oops. Overall though, she argues, "I think Nintendo would have a pretty positive reaction to this, because yeah, generally it's positioning Ocarina of Time out to be a a very big deal, a worthy side by side to potentially what is the biggest game of the year, GTA 6."

All in all, then, it could have been a lot worse for Nintendo, and the crowd's extremely positive reaction to Zelda in the sketch is the cherry on top, perhaps unintentionally showing what a real GTA 6 rival the company has on its hands.

As GTA 6 faces off against Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, expert says Nintendo is "the only company in the industry with a fanbase loyal enough to make that bet" against Rockstar.

Stop us if you've heard this before, but the No Man's Sky team has yet again been cookin' up a new release for its 2016 survival game – and this time, it's a mobile launch.

That's right, No Man's Sky is indeed coming to iOS over a decade after its initial release, with Hello Games planning an October 28 launch – but it hasn't come easy.

Sean Murrary says as much in a new letter regarding the exciting mobile launch, explaining that the developers first considered porting it over after bringing No Man's Sky to Mac in 2023. "Someone on the team said, 'I reckon I could get this running on an iPhone,'" as he recalls.

"I honestly didn't believe it until I played it myself for the first time," Murray continues. "A little like when we brought the game to VR or Nintendo Switch players, it started with a seemingly impossible technical challenge we wanted to disprove." And boy, did they do just that.

Witnessing No Man's Sky's universe generation working on a mobile phone remains a core memory for the studio lead – and how could it not?

"There was something magical about seeing that universe being generated on a tiny device," as he puts it.

Considering technical limitations, though, how will it work? Well, Murray assures "this is not No Man's Sky Lite."

It boasts the "full universe to explore," including the Cosmos update and every other major patch Hello Games has dropped over the years: "It even includes our most ambitious updates like Voyagers from last year."

The game won't have multiplayer or settlements day one, though, much like it didn't on the Switch at first – but it's all coming.

It'll be available on every iOS device from the iPhone 11 and third-generation iPad Air up. Hello Games hasn't cut corners here, either. Murray details how the studio has "rebuilt touch controls from the ground up to make No Man's Sky feel totally at home on mobile" and "put tons of work into battery life and thermodynamics."

And, if you can believe it, the file size of the mobile No Man's Sky is under 5GB – you hardly need any space on your phone, it seems. Pre-orders are live today, too, but you don't need to commit if you're not sure just yet. "In an effort to welcome as many new Travellers to the universe as possible, it'll be free to try at launch."

I personally can't wait to see how it runs on mobile devices myself, honestly… but knowing Hello Games, it'll be good.

Searching for more to look forward to this year and beyond? Browse through our roundup of the best new games coming to wishlist.

Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii is touting his new game which he claims took him about 30 minutes to make using generative AI.

Despite being one of the most prolific game creators of all time, the Dragon Quest creator has fallen head over heels for the slop machine like your elderly uncle on Facebook. Developers like Hideo Kojima have spoken critically about using it as a replacement for creative aspects of game development, but Square Enix is working with Google on a chatbot for Dragon Quest 10, and Horii has generally been very positive about the tech, claiming it can make JRPG characters "feel even more human" and claiming that the tech known for hallucinating info "hardly ever makes things up."

And now, Horii has released a new 'game' titled Interrogation Room Komiya (via VGC). The developer went to Twitter recalling the development of his 1983 adventure game The Portopia Serial Murder Case – a game which he wrote, programmed and created art for all by himself – while now, he can just write some words into the machine, allowing him to make something in about 30 minutes.

Of course, the question is whether Horii's enthusiasm for the tech will carry over into Dragon Quest 12, which has been in what could be described as development hell, given that the entire concept was reworked and development was restarted. The game is confirmed to have artwork and characters from Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama and series composer Koichi Sugiyama, both of whom have passed away since the 12th entry was announced.

I'm a creature-collecting sicko, and going hands-on with Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World made me realize how much I've been missing out on this spin-off.

Good news if you yearn for the mines in Stardew Valley – creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone says his long-awaited follow-up game Haunted Chocolatier is for you.

In a new interview with GQ, Barone doubles down on an explanation he previously gave of Haunted Chocolatier – even though "it is still what I call a town game," we can expect this one to be "more of an action RPG."

He's previously spoken about it having "a greater focus on combat," and he now elaborates: "The main focus is more about adventuring, finding equipment and getting more powerful. There are monsters, there are boss fights."

It's the Stardew Valley comparison he makes that really speaks to me, though, and it sounds like Barone and myself have had a very similar experience with his first game. "It's for the people in Stardew Valley that go into the mines," he says. "That's what I do, honestly."

There's still absolutely no word on when we can expect Haunted Chocolatier to launch. Back in August, he apologized that the game is taking so long, but said: "I won't compromise on the quality of the game by rushing it or releasing it too early. Then all my time would be wasted, anyway."

This is a sentiment he's doubled down on now, too, saying: "No one's playing the game until I'm ready to show it. If you have a turkey in the oven. You're not going to pull it out halfway and have the guests taste it, right? It needs to be done." So, no Haunted Chocolatier food poisoning for us.

Haunted Chocolatier is "way bigger than Stardew Valley," says ConcernedApe: "Everything is cranked up."

Nintendo's vice president and general manager for Latin America, Bill van Zyll, says that the company has no plans to ditch physical media.

Physical media has become a big talking point in the last couple of years. Last year, Nintendo caused preservation concerns thanks to the introduction of Game Key Cards – physical cartridges that allow you to download a game, while not holding any of its data. However, Game Key Cards are very much in the rear view window this year with Rockstar Games' decision to ship GTA 6 exclusively as a code in box release, swiftly followed by Sony announcing it's killing off discs for new PlayStation games in 2028.

Speaking to YouTube creator Coelho no Japão (via Nintendo Everything), Van Zyll is asked about Nintendo's stance on physical media in the wake of PlayStation's decision, with him responding, "Historically, we've been very agnostic, right? We go off what the consumer prefers, and take that into account very heavily."

He then cites that "we also have a platform that was just launched," noting the Switch 2's ability to play both physical and digital games.

"There's no plans to ditch physical," Van Zyll explains. "We know how much the fans like it as well, so our position has been to be agnostic."

However, unfortunately, that's of course only the stance right now, and there's no telling what the future holds, but hopefully Nintendo will stick with it for a while longer. Given that every first-party release except for Pokemon Pokopia and the upcoming Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Definitive Edition have been actual physical releases instead of Game Key Cards, it may be a good sign for now.

Sony is still selling tons of the discs it plans to kill off: Marvel's Wolverine launch sales were reportedly 35% physical, showing a huge appetite for a non-digital future

Risk of Rain 2's Hallowed Concepts DLC is another hit for one of the best roguelikes around. Years after a shaky start, Gearbox seems to be doing a much better job with the genre icon.

The Borderlands maker bought Risk of Rain 2 back in 2022, as the original developers soon went to work at Valve. The beloved roguelike then found itself in troubled waters. Gearbox's first major update to the game post-buyout, Seekers of the Storm, was hugely divisive with series fans, but the publisher has since turned things around with last year's Alloyed Collective and this week's Hallowed Concepts.

Risk of Rain 2's newest expansion is already a hit on Steam, with 84% of user reviews giving it the thumbs up on the platform.

"Hallowed Concepts blows every other DLC out of the water," one positive review reads. "The DLC is so fresh and does so much to reinvigorate the lategame that it feels like the devs read my mind… There's so much intentional and clever design in how these new systems are implemented and overlay themselves on top of the core game. So much of the new content is geared towards making the lategame matter again… It's lovely. Truly."

"Easily the best DLC from the new team. Seekers was fine after it got patched from launch, Alloyed Collective was also fine, but this blows the others out of the water. I'd say it's on-par with Void. Not to mention the free update it came with was huge, adding 4 new skills and challenges for them (even if Acrid's is cruel). Good job," another says.

Hallowed Concept isn't totally flawless, however. The negative reviews that do exist draw attention to the expansion's bugs, and not the creepy crawly kind. "Great expansion, fun items and bosses, but in one day, two runs died to bosses spawning outside of the map and becoming impossible to attack, until that's fixed I cannot recommend this expansion, but otherwise amazing," a negative review says.

Regardless, it's a good step forward for the roguelike icon.

Risk of Rain 2, now under Borderlands house Gearbox, vows to take "full responsibility" for AI art it calls a "mistake" – "We are sending the designer to the Void Fields as punishment"

Sonic Racing: Crossworlds already has a pretty hectic lineup of characters, but Sega's Year Two DLC roadmap takes things one step further. The Final Fantasy 7 Remake series, Persona, Godzilla, Hello Kitty, Bayonetta, Evangelion, the Dreamcast itself, and much more are all coming to the well-liked kart racer before the end of 2027.

Sonic's most recent and surprisingly great take on kart racing is no stranger to bonkers crossovers. The game's first year of post-launch content welcomed everybody from Spongebob Squarepants and Minecraft Steve to Yakuza's Ichiban Kasuga, but Sega's one-upped itself with Year Two.

Year Two includes free content drops throughout 2027, alongside a paid Season Two Pass with exclusive goodies. The free content starts with monster-spanking icon Bayonetta joining the roster, alongside a kart inspired by McLaren and Persona 3's Aigis coming between November and March of next year.

The paid Season Two kicks off with a Godzilla collaboration on day one (November 3), bringing karts based on popular kaiju and a track that features our beloved, radioactive 'zilla causing chaos throughout a city. Evangelion is up next with playable characters Asuka Shikinami Langley and Rei Ayanami, plus new karts and a track.

Sometime after, we can look forward to playing as Hello Kitty and Kuromi in a course that's inspired by the wider Sanrio universe (if you have a favorite friend, there's a good chance they've been hidden somewhere in the background of the track.)

Taking a break from crossovers, the Segaland pack goes back in time with a course that pays tribute to Sega's entire history, arcade classics and home consoles included. Sega's also introducing three karts based on classic arcade cabinets (Outrun, After Burner, and Super Megalo) and three karts based on its consoles (Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast), alongside a bonus Super Shadow racer for owners of both Season Passes.

And, finally, the Year Two Season Pass ends with two big hitters. A Final Fantasy 7 Remake collaboration is on the way, but all Sega had to show was Cloud's Buster Sword sitting alongside a generic ring from the Sonic series. No word on what this collab includes, exactly. The other pack comes from the Reload Revival Royal pack, which presumably features characters and/or stages from all three modern Persona games.

Despite Sega's Mario Kart World shade, rival racer Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has "fallen short" of expectations, and compared to Nintendo's sales I can see why

Co-op games can go one of two ways: they are either a bonding activity that brings you closer together, or a catalyst for a screaming match.

Ghost Town Games is very familiar with both, thanks to their award-winning title Overcooked becoming a go-to 2016 co-op game where duos work against the clock to prepare meals together. Some pairs crack like an egg under pressure as they frantically toss ingredients at each other, leading to…Well, it is dubbed "Divorce Kitchen" in China for a reason. Regardless of the different outcomes, though, 10 years later, there's no denying Overcooked's impact and success in the co-op space, which is why I've kept my eyes firmly on the studio's next game, Stage Fright.

I'll admit that I did expect the upcoming game to have elements similar to Overcooked when it was first announced back in 2024. But after witnessing the title's latest trailer at Nintendo's 2026 Direct, I caught up with Ghost Town Games co-founders Phil Duncan and Oli De-Vine to learn what makes Stage Fright a completely different kind of experience.

A night together

Ghost Town Games isn't afraid to try something new. While Overcooked focuses on time-based levels, stressful environments, and food-prep challenges, Stage Fright is a narrative-driven title where you'll follow three protagonists through a coming-of-age story, communicating with each other to solve escape-room-like puzzles while exploring a very cute but spooky world.

"What we didn't want is to create a purely chaotic game this time around. We wanted this to be something that brings people together. It sounds a bit obvious, but let's talk about Overcooked breaking people apart," Duncan explained when I asked what prompted the decision to move away from Overcooked's wildly popular time-based gameplay.

"This is the one that we want you to get together on a Friday night with your partner, draw the curtains, order a pizza, and sit and play this game together, and hopefully get closer," he continued.

Overcooked may have a vague overarching plot, but let's be honest: you don't stay for the story. You stay for the culinary carnage. On the other hand, each trailer for Stage Fright so far feels akin to watching an animated movie, which makes sense, as De-Vine explains that the new game was built "around this mystery seaside coming-of-age story." This shift to an overarching narrative is something Ghost Town Games has only touched on before, but Stage Fright promises a linear, more structured experience than the fast-paced, characterless avatars of Overcooked days.

"A lot of what you experience with Overcooked or with any cooperative game is how you communicate with the person who's next to you, and we thought, well, let's try and tie that into the story as well," says Duncan. "So a lot of what the characters are having to deal with and the characters that they're meeting is to do with how they interact and what their relationship is like and how it changes over time."

No player left behind

Even as someone who is a massive fan of narrative-first co-op games such as Hazelight Studio's titles like It Takes Two and Split Fiction, the move toward a narrative experience is a complete swing away from the arcade-like levels of Overcooked's kitchens. Stage Fright also seems to have a pretty unique setup for the co-op genre in general, with the team choosing to have us follow three characters instead of two, despite Stage Fright being a strictly two-player game.

De-Vine and Duncan reveal that players won't choose the character they play for the entire experience. Instead, you will be "hopped" into different roles throughout the story. This not only adds variety for all players but also ensures no one feels like they are being "dragged around".

To explain this point, Duncan describes a section that involves a spotlight "that one player is controlling and the other player has to stay inside of while there's dangers all around them." The job of who controls the spotlight doesn't stay the same the whole level, though.

"Variety is important to us, not just in terms of keeping the game exciting, but also playing to different types of players' strengths as well," Duncan explains. Stage Fright has undergone some playtesting already, and the team is mindful that each player should have something to do in a section. "You find one player who's really good at word puzzles; say someone else is much more spatial; someone's more into the skill side of things. It's another way to make sure one player isn't solving everything, trying to keep it fresh."

Split reality

One of my biggest pet peeves in co-op games, having grown up with a brother and now having a longtime partner, is that some titles feel like they could have easily been single-player games instead. But Stage Fright's decision to use split-screen gives each player a different experience while also promoting teamwork, as they will need to communicate with each other to solve puzzles.

The constant split-screen, whether you play online or in couch co-op, is all about perspective. "It's trying to put the players in different locations a lot of the time, or if they're in the same location, maybe they see different things from each other," says De-Vine. "You're going to miss stuff that the other player sees, and then they're going to have to bring you in on their thought process. Otherwise, the game is impossible for you if you don't communicate, and it's also not possible for one player to basically play the game for the other."

The challenge is still here.

The split-screen choice, story focus, and art style of Stage Fright are all vastly different from Overcooked. Instead of another game defined by "communication in chaos", Stage Fright ticks nearly all my co-op boxes while giving us a chance to breathe.

Duncan tells me that you can pause during the aforementioned spotlight section: "One player can just stop moving the controller, and the other person can just stand in the middle of the spotlight," he explained. There is chaos in the game, but you can disengage without worrying about the clock.

Of course, that may set off alarm bells for some about Stage Fright being too accessible and Ghost Town Games losing too much of its bite. Luckily, De-Vine and Duncan have assured me that Stage Fright isn't without challenge. Without going into specifics, both tease that players can get each other killed "in a playful way".

"It's about sort of balancing those moments of adrenaline and then cooling you down a little bit," Duncan says. "We're not making a game that's going to punish players a lot, but we're making a game that should be difficult if you aren't communicating well, and if you are communicating well, it should be satisfying," De-Vine continues.

Stage Fright's more cerebral approach might sound worlds away from Overcooked's fast, frantic loop, but it's very much an evolution of its core idea.

"It's connected in the sense that we're still trying to make games for gamers and non- gamers, and it's still very geared around communication and accessibility and the like," De-Vine tells me. "But we want to do something original and different."

After 10 years of couples gloriously devolving into Gordon Ramsay screaming matches with Overcooked, Stage Fright's more narrative-first approach looks to be filling the co-op game void for pairs who just didn't click with the chaos-filled kitchens. It's clear that Stage Fright won't be another "Divorce Kitchen," from everything that I have seen so far. Instead, its more methodical approach and emphasis on overcoming a charming mystery together might mend those fractured friendships at long last.

Stage Fright is set to release sometime in 2027. While we wait, check out our list of the best co-op games to play today. Or look ahead to more 2027 releases with our round-up of all the new games on the way.

We live in a heavy world right now, with stressors like AI, layoffs, and political crises seemingly around every corner with no signs of slowing down, which is why, even in the spooky month of October, I'm leaning into the cozy gaming space more than ever. Animal Crossing is still my go-to home away from home, but I'm always on the lookout for some place else to escape the real world.

"We wanted our game to feel like The Lord of the Rings x Animal Crossing," reads the caption on a YouTube short for new indie Kickstarter smash hit, Humblets. I'm intrigued.

"Have you ever wanted to become a rock?", asks developer Berry Bite in another video. Uh, sure?

"Sheep petting!!" says the dev in another short. Getting warmer.

"Card battles!" "Cozy meals!" "Plants wiggle!" OK, I'm thoroughly sold.

"We don't use AI!"... say more.

"Every part of our indie game is hand-made," says Berry Bite. "And we commission human artists for every single card. We'd rather support real passion than prompt a machine."

Take. My. Money.

Actually, with more than $135,000 in crowdfunding at the time of writing, Berry Bite probably doesn't need my money, but I'm compelled to back this ridiculously charming indie game nonetheless.

There's a lot going on here, with Lord of the Rings and D&D influences in its enchanting world, Minecraft building mechanics, cooking and fishing inspired by Animal Crossing, card collecting and battles, and even Zelda: Breath of the Wild DNA in its gliding and campfire cooking system, but having watched every gameplay video I could find, it all seems like a miraculously cohesive package all centered around "relaxed exploration, collection, and crafting."

It sounds like there's a deep level of customization in Humblets that'll let you personalize your avatar, your mobile campsite and tent, and thank goodness, your adorable pet companion you get assigned via a personality test and who helps you find and collect resources as you explore the world.

The only thing I'm somewhat hesitant about is Humblets' procedurally generated world. I'm generally a proc-gen skeptic, but find it a useful tool in generating massive amounts of playable space and variety in games like Hades, Diablo, and Minecraft where you need that sense of scale, but I find its less useful in something like a cozy game where it's more about moment-to-moment discovery in a smaller, well, cozier space. Berry Bite says the proc-gen world is mixed with "hand-crafted landmarks," but I'd definitely rather have everything be handmade. That said, everything else about Humblets has created enough goodwill for me that I'm happy to look past that element of the game.

Humblets has an estimated alpha delivery date of October 2027, and it's set to fully launch on Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

If you want cozy board games for Fall, some of my all-time favorites just got major discounts

The newest Young Link and Zelda amiibo have come and gone at US retailers, but pre-orders still have yet to appear for us UK-based fans. And trust me, I've checked.

I've been refreshing the Nintendo UK online storefront every day since the figures were unveiled during the 40th Anniversary Nintendo Direct, and yet they're still yet to show their little, plastic uncanny valley faces. Today's check came up empty just as they always do, yet I did at least spot that some of my favorite Legend of Zelda Collection amiibo are back in stock starting from £12.99. I've picked out the best restocks below so you can at least add something new to your Zelda shelves.

The first Ocarina of Time Link amiibo is also part of this set, but it's currently unavailable. It was in stock this morning, but there must be more hungry Zelda amiibo fans out there than I had suspected, as the product listing changed to "sold out" as soon as I started typing these very words.

At least the above figures are still stocked up, and they're some of my favorite in the entire Legend of Zelda lineup, particularly as they're not based on Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom. Don't get me wrong, I love Switch-era Link, but it's refreshing to see amiibo based on different Legend of Zelda games once in a while, especially when they're some of the most vibrant of the lot. My favorite is undoubtedly the Majora's Mask Link, as merch from it can be a bit of a rarity, and Nintendo went the extra mile to sculpt the little guy in lovely detail. Here's even holding a little Goron mask in his hand.

If you do happen to prefer the Switch-era Zelda games, plenty of the newest Tears of the Kingdom amiibo are also in stock, including the Mineru's Construct figure with its articulated arms. The best part is that all of them, including the above amiibo, can be tapped and used with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom too, should you need extra weapons, food, and materials along your journey, on both the Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2.

• View all Legend of Zelda amiibo at Nintendo

On the hunt for more Ninty collectibles? Check out the best Lego sets and the best Nintendo gift guides.

Dragon's Dogma 2 : Dark Arisen is out, and true to the developers words, it's proving a lot harder than the original version of the RPG.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen's lead dev said the friction is key to the experience, and promised that the new expansion of Capcom's 2024 RPG has been designed to "offer battles with an even greater sense of tension and challenge than the main game." Ahead of launch, Capcom said the new Lost Rites dungeons are to be challenged at level 20, while Forsaken Dominion – the main questline featured in the new region of Norgan – is recommended for level 40.

I started Lost Rites and Forsaken Dominion at level 80 and got absolutely decimated countless times.

And I'm glad to report it's not just a skill issue on my part, as one glance at the Dragon's Dogma 2 subreddit shows that Arisen all over the globe are getting battered. One post accuses returning Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen director Kento Kinoshita of being a liar, saying, "Bro said something like level 50 is a good starting point for this DLC and i went in on my lvl275 character," adding, "Bro this shit is still hard I'm getting 4 shot by random mobs and the trailer dragon is currently fucking me up severely."

Elsewhere on the subreddit, there are a number of meme posts and videos recounting how the snowy tundra of Norgan is beating them down mercilessly, with others sharing tales about how they hoarded relics only for a snow ogre to steal them all.

That being said, these aren't really complaints. Everyone seems super pleased to be getting their butts kicked by Dragon's Dogma 2 after a two-and-a-half year wait. One players says "the new DLC is everything I wanted," praising enemies that are much smarter and harder than before. It went down a treat with reviews, too, as Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen nabbed a higher score than the first game's DLC.

Dragon's Dogma 2 update finally gives the RPG the performance boost it desperately needed, and it's so good that it's even lowered the PC system requirements.

I recall many things from my 140-hour initial playthrough of The Witcher 3, but taking in the scenery is not one of them. Between monster contracts, heartbreaking questlines like The Bloody Baron, and far too many games of Gwent, the position of the sun in the sky was never of concern to me.

But The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered has put all that on its head. I wanted to hone in on a specific quest for this first instalment of October's RPG Club, exploring how White Orchard's griffin-slaying contract feels with the new combat and reworked skill tree now in play thanks to the new update. So tell me why I've just spent almost five hours treating The Witcher 3 like an open world photo op, seeking out the best sunsets in town?

Quest Log

Heavens above

Aside from all the half-naked bodies (which have always been there in this dream sequence), the first thing I notice upon starting a new save is how jaw-droppingly vivid, colorful, and vibrant it is.

Shadows are richer, the contrast between Geralt's bare chest and the marbled oak furniture behind him starker than Yennefer's state of undress. I walk out onto the balcony and can almost feel the sun's golden warmth pouring over Kaer Morhen, setting aflame the emerald and sage and every other fancy word you can think of to say "green" in its lush surrounding wilderness.

It boggles the mind. I'm playing The Witcher 3 on my six year-old gaming laptop. Yes, I updated my graphics card drivers especially for this occasion, but I was prepared to miss out on the best of the remaster's visual upgrades given the age of my rig. Turns out that even without ray-tracing and occlusive lighting, The Witcher 3 has never looked more magical.

When I'm let loose in White Orchard, I try to stay on track. Well, as on track as you're supposed to be in a game like this; White Orchard is the starter town for a reason, offering a snapshot of the game's many systems and mission types in one handy place as Geralt sets out to find Yennefer with witcher mentor, Vesesmir. Wraith in the Well is a great introduction to the planning that goes into each monster hunt. For a taste of The Continent's political landscape, Twisted Firestarter sees me tracking down an arsonist who burned down the local forge after the blacksmith supplied arms to invading Nilfgaardian forces. Elsewhere, I help a sweet old dear get her prized frying pan back from the home of a dead man. You know, just normal things.

I have to admit that since it has been some time since I last played The Witcher 3, some of the combat enhancements might be lost on me. If anything, I find myself running into more bugs than before – Geralt refused to dive to fetch some herbs once, forcing me to reload, while he petulantly decided that dodging is for losers and massively showed me up in a brawl outside a tavern. But at least I can stop and snap some pretty pictures in Photo Mode when I'm not reloading to fix said bugs.

To griffin-ity

By the time I get around to the griffin-slaying contract, I've reached Level 3 and completed all nearby side quests. It took a bit of time; White Orchard is not for level grinding, since there's a whole game and two DLC (soon to be three when Songs of the Past launches next year) to do that in. But it does mean that I can start exploring the reworked skill tree nice and early – thank god.

I have no shame in admitting that my first Witcher 3 build was utter chaos. I had no idea what I was doing, assigning random mutagens here, mismatching them with other-colored abilities there, never properly upgrading skills after they were first unlocked. But CDPR has made it far more visually intuitive, doing away with the need to blow all your points in a specific category before you can unlock higher-tier skills.

They branch out more naturally now – I'm going for an Igni build at this early stage, since few things can shrug off a bunch of sparks in their faces, which smoothly branches out into the Aard ability tree to let me skip the lower levels outright. It's a far smarter, more user-friendly rework compared to the original – though given how much I struggled with Cyberpunk 2077 at first, maybe I've just gotten used to the developer's flair after all.

Going up against the griffin is easy, if a little daunting. You never feel truly ready in The Witcher 3; some high-level enemies go down surprisingly fast with the right oils rubbed on your silver sword, while others (cough Detlaff cough) give me far more stress than I'd care to rehash here.

It also doesn't help that after fetching herbs and finding the abandoned griffin's lair – RIP griffin wife – all I want to do is take photographs of everything. I'm so consumed with documenting my new Witcher 3 journey like a photojournalist, taking time framing each shot just so, that when Vesemir hands me a crossbow, I panic. Uh, how do I use this again?!

After downing three accidental potions and casting Igni at my horse (sorry Roach), I finally work out how to equip the blasted thing. It's pretty useless, if I'm honest; I'll stick to using the Igni special attack, a stream of continuous fire that reaches a surprising distance, to stun the beast and bring it crashing down to earth for some melee attacks.

It's on toward Vizima now that the brute has been slain, and time to meet Yennefer. But not before I snap another juicy shot of Geralt and his winged prize. I'm sure that there's more I'll appreciate about the remaster update later down the line – I haven't even experienced the new missions that came with the next gen update, after all – but for now, I'm quite happy playing The Witcher 3 in a state of awe and wonder. Each new sunset brings another exciting rush to snap a picture before it's too late, even if Geralt's hair looks startlingly blue or blonde in certain lighting. CD Projekt Red's bold enhancements of The Witcher 3's color palette has turned it into a true fantasy for me, and at this rate, it'll take me a very long time to leave Velen.

So it's just as well that next week, another member of the GamesRadar+ team will take you on an adventure into one of their favorite sections of this big, beautiful game! Until then, I'll see you on The Path.