Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker originally wasn't supposed to be a Mario spin-off – instead, it was meant to be a Legend of Zelda game. That fact was well publicized in the wake of Captain Toad's launch, but one more notable detail has emerged in a recently translated interview: the dev working on the concept was so distraught by Shigeru Miyamoto shooting down the Zelda concept that he burned the diorama he built by hand to sell the idea.

The basic gameplay format of Captain Toad started as a simple prototype at Nintendo. As in the final game, you'd slowly explore as a tiny character from a distant perspective, solving puzzles and finding collectables in a diorama-style environment. The concept was born within the Super Mario 3D World team, but the devs quickly realized that Mario himself was a poor fit for it.

"The thing we noticed was that if Mario could jump, the stages become pretty big, so we wondered whether it would be possible to make a game with a character who can't jump," according to 3D World director Koichi Hayashida. He was speaking in a 2015 interview with Nintendo Dream magazine, which has only recently been translated for a new Did You Know Gaming video.

So, 3D World level designer Shinya Hiratake "submitted an idea to Mr. Miyamoto, the father of both Super Mario and Zelda, to use Link as the character," Hayashida explained. To sell the idea, Hiratake spent painstaking hours in his off time to build a Zelda-themed diorama that he'd present to Miyamoto.

Miyamoto loved the diorama – but he thought it was an idea for a physical toy to be sold in stores. Once he realized the pitch was for a video game, Miyamoto shut down the idea. "If Hiratake had given a better presentation," Hayashida says, "there's a chance it would have been a different game with Zelda instead."

As for the diorama itself, Hiratake says, "I burned it. It was such a bad memory that I decided to let it die."

Eventually, the devs realized Captain Toad could be the protagonist for diorama-style levels as bonus stages within Super Mario 3D World, and they proved to be one of the best parts of that game. They even impressed Miyamoto, who suggested the devs spin off the concept into the standalone game Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – which Hiratake co-directed. Hopefully that memory is a little nicer in hindsight.

Nintendo designed the DS and Wii to normalize "being a gamer" says Shigeru Miyamoto: "We don't say 'book readers and non-book readers.'"

When I heard Owlcat Games turned 10 in June, I was surprised. Not because of its age, but lack of. Within a decade the developer has already become a household name for CRPG fans, thanks to its sprawling isometric games set in the Pathfinder universe and 2023's excellent Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader.

Looking further afield, Owlcat is set to launch its debut third-person RPG, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, in 2027; while upcoming CRPG Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy already looks promising. That's on top of getting into publishing. "We're kind of speedrunning this," jokes Andrey Tsvetkov, head of publishing at Owlcat. "We managed to ship three games in 10 years, while some studios worked on a single project in that time."

Joining me to reflect on Owlcat's first decade and the future ahead, Tsvetkov says the studio owes a great deal to its fans. He's being surprisingly literal: the longer we chat, the more it becomes clear that Owlcat Games' relationship with players, and authenticity to its craft, are the studio's greatest assets.

Taking initiative

Through the 2000s and early 2010s, the RPG genre seemed to be moving in one direction. Increasingly dominated by third-person action RPGs, from Fallout and The Elder Scrolls at Bethesda to BioWare's Dragon Age and Mass Effect, it seemed CRPGs had settled away from the spotlight. Then veteran developer Obsidian Entertainment crowdfunded RPG Pillars of Eternity in 2015, saving itself from dire finances with a return to '90s-style isometric RPGs.

"It showed us that the market didn't move away from these kinds of products," says Tsvetkov. "Everyone was talking about multiplayer back then, and suddenly Pillars of Eternity became a great hit [...] The core team of ours always dreamed of making this kind of game, and that was a good opportunity to do so. So it inspired us to start working on the concept of a game like this – and it turned out to be Pathfinder: Kingmaker."

Pathfinder: Kingmaker was made through crowd-funding, with 18,351 backers raising $909K – far more than the original $500K target. Raising funds for a sequel, 2021's Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, more than 35,000 backers pledged two million dollars. Having found an audience Owlcat funded its last titles internally, but continues to work with fans from early stages, with pre-release builds for Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader and its follow-up Dark Heresy helping to shape their vision.

Tsvetkov points to the inception of Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader as an example. "We were thinking of what kind of story we wanted to tell, what might be the next studio we'd work on, and more than half of the studio explicitly told us [they] want it to be Warhammer. 'We just want to work with Warhammer!'

So we approached Games Workshop and found common ground really fast, and started working on an RPG based on the Warhammer universe. It wasn't to achieve some target, or to expand the community, or whatever. We just wanted to make a Warhammer game."

That passion, says Tsvetkov, is a large part of why Owlcat has been able to release games so quickly.

"There is a list of things that the creative team would like to do, and we try to chase them [...] We're not working on a single game for five or six years. One of the key reasons is because the creative team behind our games wants to try different things before we get too old, before we retire and live somewhere peacefully and quietly. We want to try different things, so for us, it's an opportunity. We built the studio in a way that we can work on several projects at once. Some of them are in the full production schedule stage right now. Some are in early pre-production, just concepts we've been doing, but it allows us to bring more creative ideas to life – and that really drives people in the studio."

Developers at the studio are ambitious, yes, but Tsvetkov argues that the team's sincerity is its greatest strength. "Most of the team who are working on the Warhammer games collect miniatures themselves. They know the lore at the level as the best lore masters. I don't want to say anything bad about Games Workshop, but at some of those meetings, we were on the same level of knowledge for Warhammer lore as those guys. That's a compliment!

"We tend not to work with things we don't actually love," he adds. "We don't enjoy ourselves."

Other worlds than these

Owlcat's RPGs have an old-school level of depth, but Tsvetkov doesn't feel the studio is beholden to its ancestors. The team holds quarterly meetings to assess whether "old design ideas" are still relevant, can be improved, or hold them back in any way. "We shouldn't, as we say, become like a bronze statue," he explains. "A studio is a living, breathing organism. We have to make sure there's room for new ideas to grow."

"We don't want to repeat ourselves, right? We know that players already know, like the original Baldur's Gate one or two. They played Icewind Dale, they played Pillars of Eternity, Wasteland, etc. They played through all of these games, and they have all this experience with them. They [don't want] repetition. They want something new."

With veteran studios – think Obsidian, Larian – still around and making games, Tsetkov believes striving to be original is crucial to standing out in a crowded genre. He again points to community as a "core" strength. "They act as game ambassadors who spread the word [...] The further we go with this kind of competition, the bigger the community's role. If you have a community supporting you, you can be sure that you [can] survive the harsh reality of game development."

Owlcat is already a mainstay in the CRPG space, but it's seemingly on the cusp of breaking through to the mainstream. Think of how The Witcher 3, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Baldur's Gate 3 put their respective developers on the map for broader audiences. With a now-sizable audience backing Owlcat, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy could blow the floodgates open. As could The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, which is Owlcat's third-person debut and likely to strike a chord with starved Mass Effect fans. Tsvetkov is modest about the possibility, but admits there's a lot the team would still like to push forwards.

"We're working on a new project that is unannounced, and it will be quite different from what we've done in the CRPG genre before," he says. "We still have room for experiments."

As Owlcat looks ahead, it remains open to tackling other familiar worlds – not just Pathfinder and Warhammer. "There are still a lot of things that we would like to do with some universe that we love," Tsetkov says, adding there are "ongoing conversations with various IP owners that might result in something interesting."

While the studio will continue to make RPGs set in familiar worlds, its "top creative leaders" also want to make a wholly original setting – eventually. The idea sounds distant, but some things are more certain. "We like to do the things that we love to do," Tsetkov says. "So we won't be quitting the CRPG genre."

Still drinking your coffee? Last week's Saturday Read was on the future of MMOs

A now infamous hacker is reportedly going around Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 lobbies and bricking players' accounts in the game's new PlayStation ports.

Activision recently ported the first two Call of Duty: Black Ops games to PS4 and PS5 consoles, but the original games' vulnerable infrastructure seems to have been unchanged, which already led to years-old exploits remaining intact.

Things have gotten slightly worse in Black Ops 2's multiplayer, as a hacker who goes by the name 'C Isn't Sharp?' has been showing up in lobbies and messing with other people's accounts in various ways. Streamer TimTheTatMan fell victim to the hacker, who pushed his account to Level 55 and Prestige 16 - a Prestige level that doesn't even exist in the game proper. (Good spot, IGN.)

Some players have reported that being hacked has also left them unable play online matches at all since the game apparently keeps crashing thereafter. Certain players also claim their progress in other areas of the game have been reset after a chance run in with the hacker.

Right now, the only apparent fix is to look out for C Isn't Sharp's bright green name in lobbies and immediately close the game to stop your account from being altered. Hopping out of the lobby seemingly doesn't stop your stats from messing up, no matter how quick you are.

15-year-old exploits and now a boogeyman hacker haven't done much to turn public opinion around on the new Black Ops port, which were already getting side-eyed thanks to their $40 price tags - no to mention the $30 extra that it'll cost you for the map packs.

Despite all the commotion, Call of Duty is doing what Call of Duty always does: sell. Last month, both Black Ops games landed within the best-selling PlayStation games chart in the US.

Activision admits Call of Duty matchmaking used to be better, updates Black Ops 7 with a new system inspired by "classic games" like Black Ops 1 and 2

In the run-up to GTA 6, we've been spending plenty of time revisiting the best GTA games. Just as important as each sprawling new city to explore is who you play as. Every protagonist is a criminal, but with their own motivations, style, and equipment, the results can be very different. But, which one resonates with you the most?

You might have your own answer in mind, but for scientific purposes we've created this personality quiz to properly determine the Grand Theft Auto protagonist you're the most like. Though, we can't be held responsible for the results. Whether you're bound to become the next '80s criminal mastermind like Tommy Vercetti, or are more grounded like Niko Bellic, who you align with can say a lot about you.

We've focused on the main games in this quiz, with proper protagonists that aren't completely interchangeable (though there is one nod to the true classics in here). Each protagonist , whether it's the trio from GTA 5, or from an earlier gaming generation, has been mapped to each response, so no answer is purely binary. Which means there's no wrong answers, either. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time, but do do this quiz. If you're looking for more, we've got loads on our GamesRadar+ quiz collection page. Let us know who you get in the comments below!

Can't wait? Check out our games like GTA recommendations for what to play before GTA 6 comes out.

Director Naoki Hamaguchi won't leave many loose threads hanging by the time the credits roll in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, so any purely hypothetical DLC that gets made will need to focus on the "untold stories" of specific characters rather than continuing the story.

This isn't the first time Naoki Hamaguchi's discussed potentially adding to Final Fantasy 7 Revelation after launch next year, but what form that might take has been up in the air. He previously hinted that spin-off games could be folded into the game through DLC.

Speaking to Automaton, Hamaguchi's now clarified that the third and final game in his Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy will tie up the story. Don't worry about having to pay for DLC to see the true ending, then - looking at you, Final Fantasy 13-2.

"The story will be concluded within the main game," Hamaguchi promises. "We're serious about concluding the series with FF7 Revelation, and we're proceeding with development with that goal in mind."

Should that hypothetical DLC become really real DLC, Hamaguchi says the team wants to "create a kind of spin-off focused on a specific character that depicts their untold stories," similar to what they did with Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Episode Intermission DLC, which followed Yuffie in a short campaign giving the character depth that definitely wasn't seen in the original game. "So, in case we do end up considering making a DLC, this is the kind of thing that we’d likely attempt to do."

"I feel that, at this point, both the media and the fan community are expecting a DLC to come," he says. "That being said, things haven't crystallized yet, so we can't certainly say." Should there be enough of an appetite for it, the team would certainly consider an expansion, he adds.

The possibilities are kind of endless. Alternate timeline adventures in the Lifestream? Prequels focused on Vincent Valentine or Cid Highwind? A look at Tifa's gruelling, mountain-top training? Something something, young Sephiroth?

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's endgame fights may involve some minigames, but its director is more interested in using your levelled-up characters to "overcome difficult situations"

Much has been said about how Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 pulled heavily from classic JRPGs - Final Fantasy, Persona, Lost Odyssey, etc - but the hit game also drew lots of inspiration from some of the best anime shows around, including Attack on Titan and Bleach.

Speaking to Automaton about the game's influences, Sandfall Interactive CEO Guillaume Broche says "one of the anime that inspired me for Expedition 33's story was Attack on Titan." Both have pretty existential themes and a cast of characters who are almost constantly face-to-face with a life-ending threat that seems inevitable.

"I really like the idea of a group of heroes fighting together, and I especially love the uniform," Broche explains. "When you see any character from Attack on Titan, you instantly know they're an Attack on Titan character because of the uniform. That's something I really wanted to bring over into Expedition 33, making the game recognizable just from its uniforms."

Broche then mentions he's midway through a series rewatch, "and really, it's an absolute masterpiece for me." Hear, hear.

Attack on Titan's instantly recognizable cast and sleek uniforms weren't the only anime-flavored well the team at Sandfall drew from. Lead character and concept artist, Alan Reynaud, shouts out Bleach as another important touchstone for the studio: "I have to mention Bleach because the character designs in the series are spectacular. One of the things we took from it was designs that are super simple yet incredibly memorable. We wanted to have something like that, with a 'rule of cool' approach. I'd say that was a big inspiration for the character creation."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director prefers JPRGs to the likes of Skyrim, Fallout, and Baldur's Gate because their linear narratives allow for "a stronger story" and "more memorable characters"

Yet another Crimson Desert update is rolling out across each platform in what's become an almost weekly tradition for developer Pearl Abyss. New week, new patch. This one overhauls the open-world game's economy with 133 new trading posts and more ways to fatten your pockets with the weight of endless gold.

Those 133 trading posts will start popping up after progressing through quests, but what's more interesting is how players can now interact with the game's various traders. Harder-to-reach trading wagons will offer you higher prices for the same goods, for example, while royal posts offer you quadruple the price they used to for selling stuff.

Trading posts also stock a more diverse range of goods, wagons no longer disappear after delivering goods to a royal post, and "trade good prices change when too many are sold at a single location." The basics of supply and demand, now in Crimson Desert. Essentially, there's more ways than ever to get rich quick and make the stonks shoot up.

"Added 24 new types of high-value trade goods and 4 new types of regular trade goods," Pearl Abyss' patch notes explain. "Packaged trade goods can now be stacked up to a maximum of 10 or 100, depending on their price."

There's also now a 'Claim Bank Strongbox' feature. "Depositing 10 or more bonds allows you to start investing," the studio says. "Bonds can be exchanged for 10 Gold Bars." And you can buy rare items with your bonds, too.

With so many new trading outposts and ways to engage in Crimson Desert's economy, the map will also let you use filters to find posts, royal posts, wagon workshops, and wagon routes. Heck, you can even filter the map to only show you trading posts that sell the items you're looking for, which is really handy for a game that now has over a 100 vendors.

I'd recommend skimming the rest of the patch notes to get a gist of everything that's new, alongside all the bugs Pearl Abyss have squashed.

While Crimson Desert continues to receive near-constant updates with free content, Pearl Abyss is also working on paid DLC that's "substantively different" at the same time.

See what else is on the horizon with our new games of 2026 guide.

Big Hops, the extraordinarily cute indie platformer that released this year to widespread acclaim, now lets you hop, hop around with up to seven of your best amphibious friends.

In case you haven't heard of Big Hops, you probably should, because there's a lot of stressful, awful things happening in the world and, like, none of them are happening in Big Hops. No, instead of AI and layoffs and war, Big Hops is all about tip-toeing around carefully... just kidding!

Big Hops is about tongue-grappling and air-diving and being shot out of cannons while traversing mountains, sweeping deserts, and perilous oceans. That's right, you get what it says on the box with Big Hops. And now the title is even more accurate: Big Hops implies all of the hops, so many hops, and now that plural tense extends to your pals as well, as Big Hops 8-player co-op is in open beta on Steam.

There does seem to be one fairly major caveat to co-op Big Hops, in that it'll only be available on Steam at launch, leaving PS5 and Switch 2 players to bounce around by themselves, which seems a little unfair. Director Chris Wade tells Kotaku that's because it's "easier to focus" on just one platform.

Otherwise, Wade, under the banner of Luckshot Games, promises the full experience with Big Hops co-op. "Up to 8 players can play together through the whole game," reads a Steam update. "There are no concessions here, no single-player only content, no half baked version of the game you know and love. It's all there to play together."

Big Hops Together, as the co-op mode is called, will fully launch on Steam on August 9, but you can try out multiplayer now by installing Big Hops if you haven't already and launching the game via the public 'Together' branch.

Here are all of the upcoming indie games we can't wait to play.

I still have an original PC copy of the 1996 action-RPG Diablo holding down the fort in my home office, but today it's a stark reminder of how much has changed in the 30 years since it came out. Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, who left the company in 2024, says the trend toward digital games is clearer than ever thanks to fresh data from Sony on PlayStation game sales, even if he wishes we could keep buying games on disc forever.

Reacting to PlayStation's Q1 FY26 results, which show 82% of the company's game sales are now digital, Ybarra says he's surprised discless games are dominating physical media to that extent. For reference, reputable games analyst Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners has said Xbox's digital ratio is over 90%, while Capcom is expecting 95% digital sales by next year.

"82% of games purchased are digital? Wow, that's very high. I recall when I was in the business, we passed by 50% which was a huge milestone," Ybarra shares.

"I wish physical media was here to stay, but the purchasing trend from consumers is clear. I really hope we see a digital promise of trust, transparency, and clarity soon (across all media!)."

That isn't the first time Ybarra has called for some sort of system to guarantee permanent ownership of a digital purchase, having previously expressed his desire for a "digital promise" to ensure gamers don't have to worry whether "games will work in the future or not," as well as a second-hand marketplace for people to sell and trade digital games.

Ybarra's outspoken and frequently controversial views on the industry aside, this pretty much sums up how most financially disinterested feel about the situation with PlayStation killing discs in 2028 and the industry's broader shift toward digital-only games. Calling back to my opener about Diablo on PC, it's worth noting that disc drives haven't been standard in mainstream gaming PCs for more than a decade.

Even if it means bad news for pretty much everyone, a largely discless future, in which physical games are reduced to novelties and limited releases, has seemed inevitable for a while. At least we know one high-profile games industry exec is mourning along with us when he isn't rage-baiting World of Warcraft players.

PlayStation ditching physical games is "a bridge across the bad years" of high hardware costs, analyst says, but it means "casuals and youngsters will drift off to mobile, PC, and free-to-play even faster"

Bethesda is now 40-years-old, which might inspire you to reminisce about all the incredible Fallout games the developer has released, and every astounding The Elder Scrolls game it's launched, and then you start wondering – hey, what about Fallout 5 and The Elder Scrolls 6? What's going with those guys, since Bethesda overlord Todd Howard keeps assuring everyone the projects are well underway, though he knows it's taking a while? Bethesda now replies shhh, just buy a $160 Nuka-Girl statue instead.

The 1.72-pound sculpture now available for pre-order on the official Bethesda Gear Store is the closest thing to an anniversary gift you're getting this year. It's an uncanny replica of the Fallout franchise's Nuka-Cola mascot, a woman wearing a saran-tight, white space suit, which Bethesda proves with a close photo of the statue's butt on its product page.

"Beautifully-detailed and standing 12.8 inches (32.51 cm) tall, this collectible is sure to command a lot of attention wherever you display it," Bethesda writes in the Nuka-Girl statues item description. That's certainly an efficient way to describe why someone would want to purchase an oversized PVC statue of a lady with her butt out.

For its 40th, Bethesda has also swapped its usually muted, black-text logo for a foreboding, glowing red one it says, in a Twitter post, was "inspired by our roots." Old fans are glad to see it borrows its font from '90s-era Bethesda, and the new-old logo is printed on the 40th anniversary t-shirts the company recently added to its merch shop.

As for the pin-up Nuka-Girl, she's loyal to one corporate overlord only – "Nuka-Cola" brands the rocketship she leans against. A 13-inch version of the statue from collectibles maker Gaming Heads is similarly festooned in soda pop branding, but its standard version costs $499. If you really must quench your thirst, the official Bethesda statue offers a more affordable girl. She's no Fallout 5, but – well, yeah, she's no Fallout 5.

Fallout 5 is "currently in preproduction": Bethesda breaks silence on long-awaited RPG.

When Rubinite developer Cup Dog Games posted about the game's Steam launch on July 27, it had just crossed 1,000 user reviews averaging 91% positive. As of July 31, it's approaching 1,800 reviews that are 92% positive. I thought this game would be good when I played the demo last year, and it turns out it is really good.

"We're truly grateful to every single player for your support and encouragement," Cup Dog Games says. "Every review you leave and every recommendation you make fuels us to keep polishing and improving the game."

Rubinite is described on Steam as "an extremely challenging boss rush action game." I would compare it to Titan Souls (which is 90% off right now) – an isometric, arena-based gauntlet of boss fights with extremely tight core mechanics. The main difference is that Rubinite is a fair bit larger and more complex, not to mention melee-focused. Calling it indie Sekiro, as some people have, is a little reductive – and, given the focus on dodging over parrying, inaccurate – but it does give you a decent idea of the pacing.

You play as a young princess named Ruby, whose crimson eyes allow her to see the weak points of monstrous bosses. You can sneak in quick dagger attacks, but the name of the game is charging up attacks to deal lethal damage to exposed weaknesses.

Here's the fuel that makes this whole engine work: the closer you are to bosses, the faster your attacks charge up. Equally, the closer you are, the harder it is to dodge enemy attacks. This is the knife's edge that Rubinite walks, and it's ridden it straight to the hallowed lands of Steam acclaim.

Add in upgrade and skill systems that further elevate combat, render it in lovely pixel art, and pack it all into a mercifully short game (seemingly 10 - 12 hours) and you've got yourself a stew. As of July 30, Rubinite is also Steam Deck verified, and it seems like a natural fit for a handheld PC.

Soulslike RPG Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is getting a sequel from its original director, who formed a new studio after his alleged firing following censorship backlash.

People are really out here porting Half-Life to the PlayStation 1.

Manny, of Bonnie Studios, is a self-described "software engineer, guitarist, and game developer from Sicily." His debut YouTube video promises "Half-Life on a Real PlayStation 1," and 14 minutes of glorious 1998 technology revisited with 2026 technology bears that promise out.

"Not an emulator and not a demake: a renderer and game runtime written from scratch in Rust," Manny stresses.

Manny is more broadly known for PSoXide, a PS1 development tech stack that, per his Itch.io page, covers an "emulator + Rust SDK + game engine + editor + asset pipeline." In this case, Half-Life was written fully for the Rust coding language without reliance on a traditional emulator, and is running on a proper PS1 console – in this case, "direct capture" off an SCPH-9002 model PS1.

"This is the full Hazard Course, all seven maps, start to finish in one sitting with no cuts," Manny explains in the video description. The Hazard Course is basically the tutorial prologue for Half-Life – a good sandbox for a demonstration like this.

"The deaths, the retries, the moment I get stuck inside a wall and die, and the audio glitches are all still in it," Manny asserts. "It averages around 17fps, holding 20 most of the time and dropping to 10-16 in the widest areas. The capture chain adds about 100ms between the pad and the picture, so it plays tighter on the console than it looks here."

As a quick refresher, the PS1 was released in North America by Sony in 1995, Valve dropped Half-Life in 1998, and the significantly more powerful PS2 arrived in 2000. Lauded for its advanced tech and physics, Half-Life launched on PC and only came to the PS2 in 2001.

Getting the game running at all on a system that predates it by several years is pretty impressive work, even if artifact-like graphical distortions do make it look like protagonist Gordon Freeman pounded back a few benadryl cocktails garnished with melatonin gummies before work.

I can't help but wonder if the AI-generated code that evidently went into the project played a part in that oddness, too, for all Manny's assurances that his "pre-AI coding background" and "core decision" shaped the programming. AI use in ports like this has become a battleground, with some teams targeting specific games just to outdo what they call vibe-coded slop. And GamesRadar+ has extensively covered why game developers in general don't want to use generative AI in any capacity.

Manny lays out just "some" of the workarounds necessary to fit 10 pounds of game into a 5-pound console: "BSP traversal doubling as painter's order for the ordering table, PVS culling, 16 colour CLUTs at 4 bits per pixel, LZ4 map chunks streamed into a static buffer, animation frames pre-posed at cook time because there is no FPU and no heap, SPU ADPCM audio and 27 Red Book CD tracks on the disc."

Which is all to say: squeezing blood from stone.

This being a fan effort, Manny says he's reached out to Valve "asking them to greenlight the project" before releasing the source code. "For legal reasons there will never be a downloadable disc image or a ready-to-play build," he adds. But if Valve miraculously gives him the thumbs up, or if he has "not heard back in a month or so," he says "I will take that as no objection and make it public."

Manny is doing much better than the company that promised and sold a Portal-inspired Steam Machine Companion Cube case "without ever asking Valve" for permission.

"Once released you will need your own lawfully obtained Steam copy of Half-Life: the converter reads it on your own machine and builds the disc from there," Manny adds. That, and you'll need a PS1.

On Twitter, Manny reveals that his next project hopes to get "Minecraft-style worlds running natively on PlayStation 1 hardware." That's full "chunk streaming, day/night, mobs and caves on a 33MHz CPU."

Earlier this month, a designer at Valve recreated Half-Life 2's Ravenholm in the company's new Source 2 engine, saying he was "blown away at powerful these tools are."

The "final game" from Half-Life 2 and Dishonored's late art director has been revealed: "The world's first Soulslike FPS," an apocalyptic Western at "the end of America."

The 1997 RPG Final Fantasy 7 is one of the most beloved games of all time, so naturally this decade's remake trilogy has been received, although largely positively, under intense scrutiny. A remake in every sense of the word, three distinct games have been made out of the original one, and Square Enix has been liberal with changes and expansions to the story, combat, world, and minigames, which naturally means fans have been squabbling online about all of the differences for about six years now. Naoki Hamaguchi, director on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Revelation, sees that as a good thing.

Ahead of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's release next year, Hamaguchi tells Automaton he's "grateful" for the remake trilogy's discourse because it means people care.

"Games are a medium, a community, and a culture. While a culture has certain unchanging aspects, I believe it only truly shapes into a culture when people discuss it from many different perspectives," says Hamaguchi. "If everyone looked at something in exactly the same way, I think it might not leave a lasting impression and could fade into obscurity over time. The very fact that the community is so active, that conversations happen, and debates keep erupting, is a kind of entertainment in and of itself."

I don't know about you, but I'm tickled by the mental image of Hamaguchi browsing Final Fantasy-related subreddits, sipping a cup of coffee, and giggling as his diehard fans argue about impossibly hot fantasy characters with big hair. In more elegant words, Hamaguchi says those heated discussions are proof of passion, which is hard to argue with.

"When people discuss and get heated about the minigames, the story, or the relationships between characters in FFVII, I think that only happens because they see value in those elements," he says. "I'm proud that this series has enough depth and capacity to inspire those kinds of discussions."

Even from game to game in the remake series, there's a lot of variation in terms of gameplay and structure, with the first 2020 entry being far more linear than the massive open world that is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Hamaguchi told GamesRadar+ in a recent interview that people "got a little bit tired" of all the side quests in Rebirth and might have "stepped away" in exhaustion, which suggests Revelation could be a little more streamlined.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director wants "some kind of physical edition" for the RPG, but he can't promise it as Sony becomes the latest to "shift away" toward digital

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey player count soared for the first time in years since Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey adaptation released earlier this month, according to data gathered by Alinea Analytics.

Alinea head of market analysis Rhys Elliott explains in a new post on Substack that, once The Odyssey zapped onto IMAX screens on July 17, "the cultural spillover into games was immediate." 10 days later, Ubisoft's 2018 ancient Greek adventure Assassin's Creed: Odyssey had nearly doubled its active player count, swelling from an approximate total of 122,000 players to 233,000 across platforms.

"That's a 90% surge in engagement," says Elliott, "at 1.8x the game's pre-film July baseline." But unlike the Greeks as they piled into their Trojan horse, most recent Assassin's Creed: Odyssey players are unwilling to risk more than a boring afternoon. Only 26% of the action RPG's new recruits came from Steam, while PlayStation players went off like a car alarm up 94% to 114,000 daily active users, and Xbox boomed plus-134% from 36,000 to 84,000 active users.

Probably, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey's luck on console came from PS Plus and Game Pass subscribers – even with Game Pass currently limping toward death. Elliott says, "Lapsed fans jumped straight back in, while new players found a 60+ hour Greek epic waiting inside a subscription they already pay for."

Though, Nolan's The Odyssey also blessed Ubisoft's Odyssey with some fresh sales. "Software sales moved modestly at around 400K copies year-to-date," Elliott says, but the real news "is pure player engagement. The film didn't make millions buy an eight-year-old game, but it got a massive cohort playing it again. That data gives Ubisoft great ammunition for an eventual AC Odyssey Resynced."

The developer's recent Black Flag Resynced has been a gargantuan financial success for Ubisoft, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it capitalize further on Nolan fever – if it stops laying off devs long enough to do so.

Ubisoft had a very on-brand problem with Assassin's Creed Odyssey: there weren't many tall buildings in Ancient Greece even though it's a "climbing-frame game."

Today's Genshin Impact 7.0 livestream confirmed an expansion to the game's To Temper Thyself and Journey Far event, better known as the 5-star Constellation selector. With nine new characters added to the selectable roster, the free 5-star options have grown considerably as the event enters its fifth cycle.

Provided you already have the character themselves, as of update 7.0 you'll be able to claim one free Constellation for the following characters in addition to those already available in the selector:

• Lyney
• Wriothesley
• Navia
• Xianyun
• Chiori
• Sigewinne
• Clorinde
• Emilie
• Yumemizuki Mizuki

As expected, the newly added characters are Fontaine-focused, though some players have also expressed their shock at seeing Sumeru characters like Al Haitham skipped over.

Wriothesley, who was recently buffed with the introduction of the Stellar Conduct reaction, is comfortably one of the strongest picks for an early Constellation.

Standard character Yumemizuki Mizuki, who seems to benefit from the addition of the Stellar Swirl reaction in update 7.0, is also surprisingly relevant. I'll probably end up snagging Wriothesley for power, Xianyun for exploration, and Chiori and Emilie to make them slightly stronger as off-field options.

The rules of the selector haven't changed from the first four cycles. As developer Hoyoverse reiterated on-stream, players "can claim one Stella Fortuna [Constellation upgrade] for characters you own from the list above. Each character can only receive it once."

As ever, you can claim these freebies by completing daily tasks multiple times a week for eight weeks in a row, with miscellaneous bonus rewards to follow once you claim the Constellation for each cycle.

All Genshin Impact codes and how to redeem them.

Final Fantasy 14 is no horror game, standing as the MMORPG gem of Square Enix's beloved JRPG series – but it sure does have its spooky moments.

If you know the lore behind the Palace of the Dead, you're probably familiar with how creepy Final Fantasy 14 can get – but its environments and atmosphere are arguably not very eerie, even in Deep Dungeons with heart-wrenching backstories like PotD… most of them, anyway.

One Warrior of Light has discovered an area that almost feels like it should be out-of-bounds in the North Horn of the Occult Crescent, and it's spine-chilling.

I think I found one of the creepiest place SE did in a while. [Spoiler:7.55] from r/ffxiv

"I think I found one of the creepiest places SE did in a while," they write, sharing screenshots of their discovery over on Reddit. The spot comes from the MMO's recent Patch 7.55, and appears after players go through a foggy Silent Hill-esque hole in the wall – yes, hole.

"Was wandering in Occult Crescent North Horn and found a hole in the wall and got a big chill in the spine seeing this," as the poster reports.

"Reminded me of some Creepypasta Backrooms shenanigans," they add – and, yeah, I can certainly see why.

Everything is paint-white, floating against a pitch-black background. There are crawling arms reaching for nothing, forming freaky arches. Enemies prowl the strange area in the Occult Crescent, too, which commenters note are formidable foes.

"I visited there today too, and let's just say it's really risky," as one reply reads. "All enemies are rank 40+," the person responding notes ��� but there are "four silver chests and a survey point inside" to make it worth it.

Amusingly, Square Enix has chimed in with its own amusing comment on the matter as well, writing in its own post, "If you're not careful and you noclip out of reality in the wrong areas, you'll end up in the…"

It's a silly little reference to the Backrooms, but I love it.

Will I explore the area for myself? Honestly, I'm not sure I can be bothered tackling the normal part of the Occult Crescent – but the new Phantom weapon does beckon…

Final Fantasy 14 is great and all, but Yoshi-P would "tackle completely new game designs and values" if he were to make another MMO.

Just five months after entering early access, the 1.0 launch of Starsand Island is coming up soon. The more tropical take on Stardew Valley will be coming out fully in August, making the transition less than three weeks away.

Developer Seed Sparkle Lab made the announcement today, July 31, on Steam. Starsand Island will go into 1.0 on August 18, with the biggest addition being four-player multiplayer, "allowing you to farm, fish, build, explore, and enjoy island life together."

The studio notes that community insight has been a major factor in getting this far. "Thanks to your support, we've added new content, refined existing features, and made island life even more enjoyable," the team writes.

"To every islander who has joined us on this journey – thank you," the post continues. "Your feedback, encouragement, and passion have helped shape Starsand Island into what it is today."

Going from early access to the full version in six months is an impressive turnaround for any game. Projects often gestate for years before moving out, if they ever do. But 88% positive reviews suggests Seed Sparkle Lab is definitely doing something right.

Looking more like Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons in aesthetic, Starsand Island takes a coastal perspective on farm life. While you're tending to your crops and animals, you can enjoy a bit of sunbathing on the beach, or even head out on a boat for a little cruise. It's all delightful and summery, making this the perfect time of year to put it out.

There'll be a special launch discount, so if your interest is piqued, you can wait until the day of to buy a copy. "Version 1.0 is just the beginning," the developers add. "We'll continue bringing new content, improvements, and exciting updates to Starsand Island in the future."

8-year-old indie game on Steam goes from "like 10 reviews" to over 500 as players use it to play an Undertale multiplayer mod, and the dev behind it just thinks it's "really cool."

The developers of Dragon's Dogma 2 have confirmed the game will be getting a hard mode focused on giving those who have hit the level cap a challenge.

In a Q&A posted on the Dragon's Dogma 2 Steam Page, producer Naoto Oyama and returning Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen director Kento Kinoshita speak about the upcoming major update and the Dark Arisen expansion set to release in the coming months. The original Dark Arisen could be a bit of a nightmare depending on what point of the game you arrived at its content, and from the sounds of things, difficulty is part of the plan this time.

"Both the Forsaken Dominion and Lost Rites are expansion contents," Kinoshita explains, "so we've designed them to offer battles with an even greater sense of tension and challenge than the main game."

Confusingly, Kinoshita makes it sound like there will be some level of level scaling involved in the expansion, saying, "we're adjusting the balance so that everyone can enjoy the experience – whether they're just starting their adventure, still progressing through the game, or have already completed multiple playthroughs."

However, Oyama also adds that "the recommended starting level for Forsaken Dominion is 40, while that of Lost Rites is 20," and that while you can start the DLC content whenever, "ultimately, we'd like players to use those recommendations as a reference and choose their own path based on how they want to experience the game." To me, that sounds like it won't be level scaling at all.

Oyama says those levels aren't full-caps, either, as "these recommendations apply only to the beginning of each content. As players progress, the challenge gradually ramps up, and both experiences become increasingly demanding."

Speaking of more demanding, Kinoshita also confirms that a long-awaited feature is finally being added to the game, which should ease fears that the expansion content will be too easy: "We're working on a Hard Mode that will provide a satisfying challenge for seasoned players whose stats have reached, or are approaching, the level cap."

Unfortunately, neither can say when this will be made available, with Oyama saying: "Please stay tuned for further updates regarding the details of Hard Mode and its release window."

Capcom returns to its divisive RPG with Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, and the dev leading the expansion says its friction will be preserved – "That is something that we offer so that players can make a decision on how to play."

Despite finding massive success with a modern turn-based classic, the director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn't have a preference between action combat and turn-based battles. In fact, he loves both, so long as the fighting itself is attached to a game that's, you know, actually good.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director and Sandfall Interactive CEO Guillaume Broche says as much in an interview with Automaton when asked about whether he has a preference when it comes to RPG combat styles. Having previously gushed over the sword-swinging Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and overlooked turn-based gem Lost Odyssey, his answer probably won't surprise you.

"I don't have a preference, actually," he says. "I think it really depends. Sometimes I can go for either genre as long as the game is good. Sometimes I just want to play a turn-based game, and other times, I just want to play an action game."

What's really important isn't whether a game lets you freely hack and slash like a frenzied brute or makes you stop to consider your next move. What's important is how well any game executes the combat style it goes for, according to Broche.

"When I start a game, I almost don't care if it's turn-based or action, as long as the combat system is tight and the surrounding aspects like the story and characters are good," he continues. "For me, it's like being asked if I prefer pizza or sushi. You can't compare them. I love both."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's battles definitely follow the classic turn-based mould, but it also requires snappy reflexes from the player to be able to parry enemy attacks or move out the way of a crushing blow. It's a pretty sweet marriage of both styles of gameplay that helped fuel Clair Obscur's historic awards haul.

We don't know what route Sandfall Interactive's next game will take, but after Expedition 33's pretty lengthy development cycle, Broche said he wants to cut loose a little while making the team's second project. "That's also why we want to let ourselves dream again and be creative again. We're going to go a bit crazy."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director prefers JPRGs to the likes of Skyrim, Fallout, and Baldur's Gate because their linear narratives allow for "a stronger story" and "more memorable characters."

As Sony doubles down on its plan to end support for physical PlayStation games, game preservation group DoesItPlay finds that about a third of physical PS5 games effectively don't work without a download, and that jumps up to 50% on Xbox Series X.

Ars Technica spoke to DoesItPlay owner and head admin Clemens Itsel, reporting that 27% of the 3,511 physical games tested so far require a download "to fix game-breaking bugs or obtain core game content" not present on the disc.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a useful example. Can you play that game on console without a download? Sure. But should anyone suffer through the disastrous day-one console build of that game? Heck no.

“There is a clear trend that physical releases are increasingly treated with ignorance from larger companies," Itsel argues. "There is no reason physical games would ever die unless someone like Sony deliberately kills them."

DoesItPlay tests physical games using an offline environment and local accounts that have "not been connected to any online services like PlayStation Network, EA Origin, Bethesda.net, Battle.net, etc."

The group's methodology is fairly straightforward. By beating a game's main story (or mode), testing "common stress situations," documenting bugs and missing content, comparing region and edition gaps as well as platform discrepancies, it creates a profile for how offline-friendly a disc is.

It's easy to call out whether a game requires an online connection to function. The necessity of a download gets a little grayer. DoesItPlay has four different ratings for "download required," which can be summarized as:

• No: The whole game is on the "physical medium," disc or cartridge, doesn't have significant bugs requiring patches, and "only insignificant content" requires a download
• No*: the game is content-complete but "has bugs that are either too severe or too many to provide," or is missing minor content accessed via downloads
• Yes*: You can beat this game with "a very high tolerance of bugs or luck to progress past them," or the game is missing "significant side content" like story DLC, new characters, and so on
• Yes: If a "hard-coded prompt for a download" doesn't stop you, game-breaking bugs or essential, download-only content will

Again, let's pick on Cyberpunk 2077. It gets a "yes" for offline friendly, and a big red "yes" for "download required." DoesItPlay explains: "Power of the PS5 masks a few technical issues, but even the PS5 can't completely mask the framerate issues, pop in, and bugs."

Itsel heavily criticizes the way even physical copies of games have been hollowed out.

"Xbox has long given up on producing fully functioning physical releases," he says amid rumors of Microsoft testing a disc-to-digital service. "They far too often require downloads or force players to create a Microsoft account. It's deliberately undermining the value of physical releases by making them incomplete or online-dependent in other ways."

It's not just Xbox, either. Itsel calls the Nintendo Switch 2's game-key cards "a form of deception" for essentially putting redemption keys on a cart, and says the root problem is how companies have been allowed to "relabel a purchase into 'licensing'."

PlayStation ditching physical games is "a bridge across the bad years" of high hardware costs, analyst says, but it means "casuals and youngsters will drift off to mobile, PC, and free-to-play even faster."

As Grand Theft Auto 6 slowly begins to emerge on the horizon like a portent of civilizational doom, and players endlessly speculate about what to expect from its multiplayer component, I find myself thinking back to what I consider to be the golden age of GTA Online – the late 2010s and early 2020s. Even back then, years after its release, endless post-launch updates adding science fiction weapons and flying supercars had long since robbed the multiplayer component of its crime sandbox of any claim to realism. Not when you could watch the hapless LSPD going up against players armed with Tron bikes and ray guns.

Perhaps this was why the playerbase ended up stumbling upon the perfect absurdist parody in response to this eternal escalation, one that would forever change the face of one of the largest online games in history.

Aliens among us

The "Alien Gang War," as it would come to be known, was not particularly complex at first. Such things never are. Teams of players would pile into panel vans, all dressed in neon green bodysuits, before driving around town until they found a suitable target based on… Well, it was never entirely clear, but comic timing was probably the most significant element.

With their prey decided, the van would come to a screeching halt, and between three and three thousand goons in cheap Halloween costumes would pile out and attack the offender with baseball bats and pool cues, before leaping back into their getaway car and squealing away.

Juvenile? Sure. Bullying? Maybe a little. But on a visual level it was always hilarious, a bunch of neon green mascots enacting frenetic street justice with broken bottles and hammers, ignoring the fact that there were actual ray guns and lasers available in GTA Online. Even players with heavy-duty firepower were generally taken aback by the sheer number of martians sprinting at them, and it only took a single whiffle bat to the skull to knock a target down and allow the rest of the crew to promptly beat them into the tarmac.

This all went on for months as a kind of background story, never really becoming too significant, but then the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic kicked in and things started to change.

As we all remember, lockdown forced many onto their computers for the hope of any sort of social life. This influx of people supercharged the extra-terrestrial conflict, driving Gang War participants well into the millions, and the community ended up producing a counter-force to the growing green menace: the Purple Aliens.

This led to all kinds of Green versus Purple skirmishes, with the former generally standing for chaos in all forms, while the purples usually just tried to obstruct them wherever possible. It was an obviously unwinnable conflict that was still deeply entertaining, even if the Green team reliably had about three times the numbers. Plus it didn't help that a lot of people seemed slightly uncertain what was even going on, but didn't see why that should stop them from getting involved.

And two factions were only the start of it all. Now other players would introduce themselves as human defenders of Earth, out to slaughter both sides, or war reporters documenting events from the peripheries, claiming the role of tritagonists in an ever-developing science fiction saga that had already put Rebel Moon to shame.

Beam me up, knock 'em down

Eventually the lack of a clear end goal or victory state for either side meant that it just petered out, but some players still try to bring back the Alien Wars from time to time, or simply fly the flag for their chosen team by digging out the bodysuit and battering a few people on a Sunday afternoon.

Me included! I'll admit I'm not above the occasional couple of hours spent in spandex while jumping people in dark alleyways, or as I sometimes think of it, "the mean meme green team bean and flee the scene scheme".

But what I hope is that this phenomenon – or something like it – re-emerges in GTA6, especially if it can happen organically without Rockstar's meddling and oversight. In many ways the Green vs Purple conflict was exactly what GTA needed back then, stripping back all the cloying, monetized elements and focusing on consequence-free fuckabouts with very little barrier to entry.

Meanwhile, such a thing never really could get a foothold in Red Dead Online, which ended up being the sensible, well-behaved sibling, less interested in wacky chaos than taciturn hat-tipping and herb gathering. If GTA 6 Online reels me in, it's because it'll have provided that same sort of playground for violent, team-building nonsense that its predecessor did.

Secure your copy of Rockstar's latest with this handy guide to GTA 6 pre-orders

It's the dream scenario for a retro collector: finding an overlooked box of games and cracking it open to discover something absolutely unprecedented. That's what happened for Jason Ganos, a self-described "Nintendo super fan," who found a box full of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridges for NES in pristine condition thanks to a friend at a local retro game shop. The best part? These 97 cartridges are likely from the game's final production run – an absurdly rare variant that had never previously been discovered.

Sometime in the '90s, the owner of a precious metal recovery business bought this box of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt carts, and they were "supposed to be melted down and salvaged for the gold on the contacts of the pins," as Ganos writes on Nintendo Wire, the news site where he serves as editor-in-chief.

But that didn't happen. Instead, the box ended up sitting in the garage of the grandson of the salvage company owner for "for over 20 years." Kevin Braun, the owner of a small retro shop near Milwaukee, Wisconsin called OneStopWonders, bought the box of cartridges with the intent to "sell each game for roughly $10 to $15 apiece."

If you're like me, a lifelong gamer hovering somewhere in the 35- to 45-year-old range, you'll likely remember the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt combo cartridges as being absolutely ubiquitous. They were packed in with many NES consoles, and the used market was absolutely awash with them. Even as the collector's market has dramatically inflated the value of other retro classics, Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridges are still inexpensive and plentiful.

Pretty crazy stuff if you haven't seen it - a game store owner had a box of Super Mario/Duck Hunt carts that turned out to be- brand new- manufactured in 1993 (!)- an extremely late variant unknown to collectorsnintendowire.com/news/2026/07...

— @kohler.bsky.social (@kohler.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-31T15:55:36.985Z

So when Ganos, who worked with Braun to sell various games online, discovered this box sitting in the retro store owner's storage unit, he was primarily shocked because of the games' condition, not their rarity. These were effectively new carts, neatly wrapped up with crisp manuals alongside them. "Seeing brand-new Nintendo games is an incredibly exciting thing for a game collector," Ganos explains. "But seeing 97 of them all lined up, all of them pristine, nearly knocked me straight on my ass."

Ganos didn't realize the true value of his discovery until he started sharing photos of the games with members of a high-end collecting group. "What I had found wasn't just a box of pristine Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridges. It was an undocumented, never before seen variant. The back label was unlike anything that had been documented before. Instead of the standard English-only text, it featured multiple languages. The manufacturing codes on both the cartridge and instruction manual also differed, indicating these games were produced in late 1993," Ganos says.

"Even the manual contained previously undocumented text. Known manuals include the phrase 'maintenance or repairs,' while this newly discovered version instead reads 'maintenance or service.' Perhaps most puzzling of all, the manufacturing dates on both the cartridge and manual come after every known Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt bundle these games could have belonged to."

The conclusion? "What we had found was the very last production run, and an undiscovered variant of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt." Ganos soon personally flew the 97 cartridges out to be graded by PSA, which encased the carts in plastic with some being graded as a perfect 10.

We've seen rare, graded Super Mario Bros. carts sell for millions of dollars in the past, but exactly how much collectors will be willing to pay for these remains to be seen. Ganos and Braun intend to split the carts, "keeping an undecided number for ourselves. Some of the others will be auctioned off, and others will have charity auctions set up in the very near future." More specifically, the first three auctions will occur on August 12, so we'll know the true value of these games soon enough.

These are the best NES games of all time.

Downloads are downloads, even if it's technically to enjoy another game. The indie platformer Crashphalt was yanked out of obscurity in recent months, not because people discovered it's actually a hidden gem, but in order to avoid restrictions on a clever Undertale mod.

The developer behind Crashphalt, RetroSpecter, explained what's going on in a Reddit post. Almost eight years ago, he put the multiplayer fighter on Valve's store for the low cost of nothing. It was his first project and he just wanted people to enjoy it. Playership fluctuated in single and double-figures and the game got a few positive reviews - cool, and on he went to make more games.

"While it didn't set the world on fire, it let me learn the ropes of game dev from start to finish, led me to make many friends that I still keep up and work with, and is one of the many stepping stones that led me to working on games full time," RetroSpecter says of the project.

Then, earlier this year, he suddenly realized Crashphalt had over 500 Steam reviews - a massive increase on the previous amount - and they kept mentioning Undertale. "I love Undertale," says one. "Story of Undertale," says another.

After a little bit of digging around, RetroSpecter found the remarkable reason: Crashphalt was serving as the catalyst for players using Undertale Together for remote multiplayer. The mod lets multiple people enjoy Toby Fox's RPG in the same session, but Steam only allows for it to be used locally.

You achieve this by copying Crashphalt files into a directory for the Undertale mod, then rename Undertale's exe file to Crashphalt, and Valve's marketplace thinks you're booting up RetroSpecter's game instead and enables remote play. Simple!

A video uploaded in 2022 outlining this method lines up with the initial spike in Crashphalt downloads and concurrent players, at least according to SteamDB. Then the numbers just kept going up. A similar mod for Deltarune has further grown the stats.

Presumably, this can be done with other games, and RetroSpecter believes Crashphalt was simply chosen out of luck and convenience. "The only requirement for the hack is that the game has Remote Play enabled, and I guess it does help that Crashphalt is free," he writes.

He adds that it's "really cool" Crashphalt has gotten a "second life," while he's since moved on in his game development ventures. Somehow, someway, I'm sure Sans is involved. He usually is.

Deltarune's "last patch" before Chapter 6 offers "Nicer or Meaner" modes for Chapter 5's Shadow Crystal boss, with a sweeter reward if you up the difficulty

The Countdown to GTA 6 has been activated. It's difficult to believe, but on November 19 you'll finally be able to leave Los Santos behind for a new sandbox to explore. Rockstar Games has booked you a ticket to the fictional US state of Leonida, the Florida-inspired region which also happens to include the neon-lit metropolis of Vice City. Mark the date on your calendars, because there's no stopping Grand Theft Auto 6 from landing this November now.

GamesRadar+ has launched Countdown to GTA 6 as a destination for all of the biggest news and updates on the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X release. We're also going to be celebrating the 13th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 5, returning to the chaos simulator that is GTA Online, and looking back across the entire franchise – exploring the impact and legacy of a series which truly changed the world.

You'll find new Grand Theft Auto articles every week on GamesRadar+ as we countdown to what is undoubtedly the biggest entertainment release of the decade. This is a moment worth celebrating, and we want to do it together with you. So be sure to keep our Countdown to GTA 6 bookmarked and we'll see you out there on the road to release.

Countdown to GTA 6

Rockstar Games is yet to confirm an official release time for GTA 6. Right now, we're assuming that it'll be available globally from midnight local time. So until we have more concrete information, our Countdown to GTA 6 timer is set to 00:00 EST on November 19.

GTA 6: Essentials

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GamesRadar+'s Countdown to GTA 6 brings you new GTA 6, GTA Online, and Grand Theft Auto franchise coverage every week now that we're on the road to release.

It's typically difficult to predict when GTA 6 news is going to land. Developer Rockstar Games is historically secretive and tends to operate on its own schedule. But with around 110 days to go until GTA 6 lands on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X, that's almost certainly about to change.

The next 100 days are going to be critical. There's an exceptionally limited amount of information out there in the wild – we don't yet have a clear sense of how the latest Grand Theft Auto will play or the major gameplay innovations that Rockstar has developed. With that in mind, below you'll find my predictions for the 5 major beats that we should all expect to see on the road to GTA 6's release.

5. GTA 6 gameplay showcase

• Confidence: 95%
• Guesstimate: August

Rockstar previously indicated that the marketing for GTA 6 would kick into high gear over the summer, and with just one month left before the fall you should expect that a big reveal is on the horizon. Whether it's labeled GTA Trailer 3 or something else entirely, I predict that we'll get a detailed gameplay showcase in August ahead of Gamescom.

There's so much that Rockstar could reveal, but I suspect that a first look at raw in-game action would focus on core game elements such as character-switching between the two protagonists, Jason and Lucia, and focus on the new systems and mechanics that'll feed expansive cycles of crime and chaos across Vice City.

4. A Living World Deep-Dive

• Confidence: 80%
• Guesstimate: September

Given that it's been 13 years since the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 and eight since Red Dead Redemption 2, it's now that much of a stretch to believe that Rockstar has a bit of a point to prove. The studio is known for pushing the boundaries of what is possible within open-world sandboxes, and I think that it's likely we'll get a dedicated showcase that covers the living world of Leonida.

GTA publisher Take-Two has a shareholder meeting on September 17, so what better way to generate some good vibes than with a focus on dynamic NPCs, evolving neighborhoods, wildlife density, and graphical fidelity. This seems like a no-brainer to me.

3. GTA Online 2.0 reveal

• Confidence: 50%
• Guesstimate: October

GTA Online remains one of the most popular multiplayer games, with reports suggesting that it still receives millions of active users a week. In my heart, I do believe that Rockstar will want to keep the focus on the core GTA 6 campaign for as long as possible; why risk pulling attention away from Jason and Lucia's adventure?

But with so many GTA Online users spread across PS4 and Xbox One (not to mention PC, where GTA 6 remains unannounced with no release date) it seems only fair that the developer will let its online playerbase know what to expect. The cost of the PS5 and Xbox Series X only continues to rise, so clearing up the future of GTA Online feels more necessary now than ever.

2. GTA 6 previews

• Confidence: 60%
• Guesstimate: October

Will Rockstar let anybody play GTA 6 before it's released? As the Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+, I would certainly hope so – I'm as desperate to play a new Grand Theft Auto as I am to share that experience with all of you. Even if Rockstar does deploy gameplay and living world showcases, there will no doubt be millions of unanswered questions that could be addressed by letting members of the press, content creators, and the GTA community go hands-on.

It's common for studios to put previews of their upcoming video games out there (Rockstar included), but then there's nothing about this marketing campaign that's been conventional. And, given how much of the game leaked in 2022, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Rockstar keeps this one close to the chest.

1. A Final GTA 6 story Trailer

• Confidence: 95%
• Guesstimate: November

If GTA 5 and RDR 2 are any indication, then the last few miles on the road to release will feature a GTA 6 story trailer that is wholly focused on the relationship between Jason and Lucia, and the criminal conspiracy that they get dragged into after a heist gone wrong.

Rockstar has always sought to showcase the filmic quality of its productions, and with GTA 6 being purpose-built for PS5 and Xbox Series X, I expect that to be especially true this time around. Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest entertainment properties in the world and Rockstar won't want to miss an opportunity to remind the masses that GTA 6 is far more than a chaos simulator.

What comes next?

If 100 days takes us to November 8, 2026, then the 101st day will see the marketing campaign kick into high gear ahead of the November 19 release date. Expect GTA 6 to be plastered everywhere in physical and digital spaces, especially as pre-load for PS5 and Xbox Series X is set to begin on November 12 for those of you with a GTA 6 pre-order locked in.

While you wait for GTA 6, why not check out our rankings of the best GTA games and the greatest Rockstar games of all-time.

Despite the announcement of Super Mario Sunshine's return, some new Nintendo artwork has seemingly confirmed the demise of dear Toadsworth.

Super Mario Sunshine is launching on Nintendo Switch Online next month, Nintendo has confirmed. The title which one GamesRadar+ writer – me – has referred to as a game only cowards think is the worst Mario game also gave birth to one of the series most beloved side characters.

Toadsworth is a posh old Toad and assistant to Peach who joins her and Mario on their Isle Delfino vacation, and since then has become an iconic part of the Toad cast. And despite Toadette – who was introduced afterwards, and not even in a mainline game – becoming more and more prominent in the time since, Toadsworth has disappeared.

13 years… that's how long it's been since we last saw Toadsworth in an original Mario game, outside Smash Bros. cameos and remakes (and underwhelming remakes like Mario Party: The Top 100). Mario & Luigi Dream Team marked his last appearance, and it's fitting as he's only been a part of our dreams since then.

There's even an old Toad character in the movies who could've easily been the moustachioed one, but isn't. Even with the likes of Cataquack and Pianta appearing in spin-offs like Mario Kart World, one of Sunshine's biggest characters is nowhere to be seen.

And now, Nintendo's latest summer wallpaper has referenced an iconic bit of Super Mario Sunshine art, only with Toadsworth removed from the picture. And fans on the Mario subreddit have taken notice. A post titled "are we fucking serious nintendo" points out the missing Toad, garnering responses like "and then there's Toadsworth, he's dead…"

In fact, a few people have speculated that the old Toad has passed away. Some, however, have taken a slightly less grim outlook, saying, "He really is never showing up again."

are we fucking serious nintendo from r/Mario

Meanwhile, another points out an inclusion in the picture that makes things sting a bit more, "they included FLUDD but not Toadsworth," to which a response says "it really goes top[sic] show how much they care about Toadsworth sadly."

Others think his death could be a consequence to his deeds in previous games, with two users speculating that "he was executed" due to actions in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door or Mario Super Sluggers

Toadsworth is maybe a bit too important to be considered a Glup Shitto (I know no one asked, but my favourite Mario Glup Shitto is Strollin Stu, another Mario Sunshine banger), but it's a shame to see a fun character disappear for seemingly no reason. Will it cause me to boycott the next Mario? Of course not, but seeing his warm brown mushroom head again would be a welcome sight.

Super Mario Sunshine gets 10-player online co-op in mod that lets you tag-team the GameCube classic as Wario, Luigi, and Sonic.

• Halo: Campaign Evolved is perfect if you want a well-paced FPS packed with memorable levels that can be comfortably completed in a single weekend, either solo or with friends.

Let me give you a 60-second pitch for why you should play Halo: Campaign Evolved this weekend. I still remember the first time I played Halo, back when it was called Combat Evolved and the infamous "Duke" controller was too big for my little-kid hands – it was an extraordinary experience that set a new benchmark for first-person shooters on console.

Whether you're looking to indulge in a little nostalgia or looking to discover Halo for the very first time, Halo: Campaign Evolved is a must play; a well-crafted remake that retains the spirit of the 2001 original and introduces plenty of modern flourishes.

Why play it today?

• Halo: Combat Evolved changed the way a generation of players thought about first-person shooters.

Almost 25 years later, it's certainly true that there are elements of Halo: Campaign Evolved that are a little on the tired side – developer Halo Studios was intent on building a faithful remake, and didn't want to stray far from the foundations that plenty of other prominent shooters have expanded since. Elements of Halo's debut adventure that were once revolutionary are now quite perfunctory, such is its wide influence.

Still, Halo: Campaign Evolved is still an absolute riot for newcomers and returning players alike. There's a quality to its mission design, world scale, and enemy intelligence that's astounding. Seeing this game rebuilt so lovingly in Unreal Engine 5 is well worth the price of admission – and the introduction of console campaign-crossplay means there's more utility here than with Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Time commitment:

If you're wondering how long it's going to take to beat Halo: Campaign Evolved, you're looking at around 10-14 hours for the main campaign. That means it's perfect for couch co-op sessions with a friend or online co-op with a group over either a long weekend or three evenings after work.

Play Halo: Campaign Evolved if you love:

Skip Halo: Campaign Evolved if you want:

One thing to know:

Halo: Campaign Evolved does actually contain some brand new content that is exclusive to this version of the original Master Chief adventure. Halo Studios has delivered three new prologue missions, set about a year before the events of Combat Evolved – a brand new adventure for Chief to go on alongside Sergeant Johnson.

A moment you'll remember:

There's a magic to the moment Master Chief steps onto Installation 04 for the first time. After evacuating the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, Chief is given a minute to breathe. Looking up at the curving Halo ring felt revolutionary back in 2001, and today it still generates a real feeling of genuine awe.

The final verdict:

• Read our full Halo: Campaign Evolved review to learn more.

You should play Halo: Campaign Evolved because it remains a true masterclass in FPS level design, with gunplay and enemy AI that revolutionized a genre. A lot has changed in 25 years, but Master Chief's debut adventure has lost none of its power. Campaign Evolved is every bit as enjoyable as Combat Evolved was back in 2001.

So, where can you play it?

Halo: Campaign Evolved is available now for for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. You can also download the game as part of Game Pass Ultimate.

If you don't have a Game Pass subscription, the Halo: Campaign Evolved standard edition costs $49.99, while the premium edition is $69.99.

How to get started with Halo: Campaign Evolved:

If you're looking to get a better sense of where to start with Halo: Campaign Evolved this weekend, here's four essential guides to assist with your journey onto Installation 04.

Have your say:

If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to Halo: Campaign Evolved, both Titanfall 2 and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus feature in our best FPS games ranking and are regularly on sale across all major platforms.

Baldur's Gate 3 has dominated the RPG sphere for a good three years now, altering the genre for good with its monumental 2023 release – and, to celebrate, developer Larian Studios is gracing us with the game's biggest sale yet.

Since Baldur's Gate 3 launched some three summers ago, it's only gone on sale a few times – but it's only ever been discounted by about 20-25% max. This week, however, Larian is breaking the mold with a solid 30% price cut for Baldur's Gate 3 on all platforms aside from Xbox: GOG, Steam, and PlayStation 5.

The studio reveals as much in a new online post, celebrating its now-beloved RPG's legacy so far.

"Gather your party and face off against world-ending threats, or end the world with your own two hands," it reads. "Baldur's Gate 3 is now 30% off this week as we celebrate three years of adventure."

In response, the dev also shares an amusing edited screenshot of Withers talking to Shadowheart. The highlighted dialogue jests, "This is the price of having a nice time with your friends." Honestly, it's not wrong – and "nice time" might just be an understatement.

To date, I've managed to rack up nearly 2,000 hours in the RPG – and many of these were spent playing alongside my partner and friends… so, you know, at $41.99 and 30% off, it really might just be the price of having a great time with pals. I'd wager it's worth it at its full price, so it must be doubly so now.

Plus, a quick look over at SteamDB confirms what I said earlier – this is the lowest that Baldur's Gate 3 has ever been priced.

Baldur's Gate 3 boss praises the RPG's most brutal run yet, as 2 players ruin their game to stuff every NPC inside a single crate: "We should've made that an achievement."

These Cookie Run Crumble codes give you the chance to grab some extra Crystals, Cookie Cutters, and more in the latest mobile game from Devsisters. Having seen such huge success from their other Cookie Run games, Cookie Run Crumble is set to be another hit, only this time it's more passive than ever, allowing you to battle and earn rewards while you go about your day.

So, if having to actually play Cookie Run Kingdom ever bothered you, this idle game is perfect for you, and these rewards will get you on your way to baking the best cookie around, so redeem the CRC codes below.

All Cookie Run Crumble codes

These are the Cookie Run Crumble codes available right now:

• COOKIERUNCRUMBLENO1 - 10,000x Crystals, 1,000x Flames of Bravery, 1,000x Lucky Dough, 1,000x Rune Crystals new!

The first Cookie Run Crumble codes is here and it's a good one!!! With thousands of rewards up for grabs, this code celebrates the game reaching the top of Korea's App Store already, so get it while you can. We're sure the rest of the world won't be far behind, so there could be even more celebratory CRC codes on the way.

How to redeem Cookie Run Crumble codes

You cannot redeem Cookie Run Crumble codes in-game, and instead must enter the code and your DevPlay account MID on the official Coupon Redemption page.

To find your DevPlay account MID, simply tap on your profile picture in the top left-hand corner of the game, and you'll find your MID beneath your pfp on the profile window that appears.

Once you've successfully redeemed a code on the site, head back into the game and open your inbox to claim your rewards before they expire. To access your mail, you must first complete Quest 89, Stage 2-1.

Expired Cookie Run Crumble codes

• There are no expired Cookie Run Crumble codes.

Since Cookie Run Crumble only launched in late July, there are currently no expired codes. However, we don't expect the first codes to last for long, so be sure to redeem them while you can.

If you also play Cookie Run Kingdom, then check out our other guide for the latest CRK codes while you're at it.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

My local game store is closing down. News of its closure was, ruefully, the thing that motivated me to pay one last overdue visit. I picked over its second-hand PS4 games like a vulture, while the last remaining, slightly-mishapen Bowser plushie stared at me with accusatory eyes that seemed to ask: why are you only visiting this place now that it is dying?

Despite growing up spending all my pocket money on second hand video game cartridges and discs, doing this now – after years spent buying digitally – feels forced, like a consolatory pat on physical media's coffin. A defeated admission that we had it better then.

There’s a desperation to it, isn’t there? Clinging onto hard copies as if they’re tiny mountain grips that will keep games tangible in an inevitable digital landslide. The pursuit of permanence now appears futile, like trying to fix a chain on a snowflake.

But it was us who moved toward digital gaming willingly. We chose to make full game sales "around 80%" digital on PlayStation and "over 90%" digital on Xbox according to games analyst Daniel Ahmad. We demonstrated that we no longer need game discs or the stores that sell them. And yet the impending loss of physical games and game stores feels like a step forward for tech that’s dragging us along with it in surrender.

The cost of convenience

When it comes to video games, I’d give anything to go back to the physical world. My shelves are bare. I buy my games from a machine. Two clicks of a button and voila, the game is downloading. It’s a transaction that bears no humanity or shared sense of occasion, especially when compared to buying a game in the 00’s.

Looking back on memories of visiting my local game store brings a sharp awareness of what we have sacrificed for convenience. The thrill of finding a game you wanted for ages on the shelf and soaking in every detail of the box art. The lively in-store conversations debating which game titles were superior that month. Discovering new games through staff recommendations, or making new friends with other customers when you both reach for the only second hand copy of PaRappa the Rapper in the bargain bin.

Back then, going to the video game store for a new game was a quest in itself. A journey that required enough initiative and determination to traipse into every second hand game store in town, in pursuit of the cheapest copy of Shadow of the Colossus. That effort meant something, as did holding the game in your hands for the first time. It felt like a reward that has been earned.

When I was a teen, the clerks working in video game stores were the first adults I met who took games seriously. They didn’t scoff at them or admonish them as a waste of time. They were like guiding figures, chatting to them in the store and hearing their recommendations for other games was validating. Maybe I wasn’t so weird for being way more interested in video games than TV or movies, like the other grown ups in my life at the time would have me believe.

I remember my first midnight in-store game release, queueing up in the brisk cold on 11/11/11 to get my hands on a copy of Skyrim. Talking excitedly with other gamers while we waited in line. It felt like a magical shared experience where the game store became a safe haven for an othered passion.

Downloading a game, on the other hand, offers no human interaction. No shared excitement. Just another numbingly convenient, instantly gratifying, solitary moment between me and my machine.

This is why Sony killing PlayStation discs is not just "the latest attack on our diminishing rights" – it’s an erosion of the choice to live in an offline world.

Choice paralysis

When discs die, so do the stores that sell them. As does the shared human interaction and sense of occasion of buying a physical game in real life. We’re going to miss these moments when the next game like Hollow Knight Silksong releases and immediately crashes the Steam and Nintendo eShop, or a PSN outage removes access to our libraries and all we can do is wait, helplessly dependent on digital.

I understand that technically, digital distribution of video games is an improvement in terms of accessibility, production costs, waste management, and availability. But emotionally, it feels like a downgrade.

It might seem silly to feel attached to old gaming discs and the stores that sell them, but these plastic cases are a physical representation of the digital worlds that moved me. Gazing at their box art is like staring at an old photo, it has the power to unlock a million memories. It makes an experience that has only ever existed on a screen feel a little more grounded in reality.

In the 00’s, a screen was once a source of escape from everything. But now that everything is confined to the screen, the escape route has become a claustrophobic tunnel with no end in sight. Collectively, we all chose the digital future. So why didn't it feel like a choice?

Perhaps because PlayStation removing the option to physically own a game is not something we would ever actually choose. Yes, it's the sensible course of business action when you look at the stats of digital vs. physical sales. But in a disc-less world we are unable to trade or resell, unable to borrow from a friend, unable to buy a game in a real life store and own it for life.

We have been railroaded on to the digital path, where all roads lead to reliance on publisher-owned storefronts.

I fear we are passing a point of no return in the games industry. I keep asking myself the same question, one which also rattled through my brain when I stared at the “closing down sale” poster in my local game store: What can I do?

Can the world where we walk into a game store, talk to staff and buy a new game on disc still be saved? Or is it time to let go of those we're still holding onto? Maybe we can't stop the industry from changing, but we can support real game discs and real game stores before the choice disappears entirely.

Escape to a simpler time with the best PS2 games ever

After Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it's hard to imagine the series' future – or a comeback of its past RPGs in the form of remakes. That doesn't mean a return of the original entries is entirely impossible, though. Trent Oster, BioWare co-founder and RPG veteran, believes as much, anyway.

In a new online post, the industry legend, who now serves as the CEO of Beamdog, writes, "I've seen a fair bit of chatter about the impossibility of remastering Dragon Age. I like to think of myself as someone who talks a bit, but more often lets my work speak for me. In my opinion, it is possible, but in no means a trivial exercise."

In other words, remasters or remakes could happen – but that doesn't mean that they will, or that they'd be a simple feat for developers. Oster's opinion has quite the foundation, too.

As he says, "Having led the development of both of the engines that were smashed together to make DA:O and DA:2, I have a unique perspective on the tech under the hood." So, if any dev out there knows how possible it is (and if it's possible at all), it's probably him.

Not everyone agrees with Oster about the possibility, though – or, at the least, they're not sure that remakes or remasters are in the cards right now.

Mark Darrah, who co-directed Dragon Age: Origins and directed its sequel, thinks we shouldn't expect a remaster of the original trilogy like Mass Effect's own even if one would sell "super well." According to him, "basically no one at BioWare" now knows how Dragon Age and its engine work anymore.

Darrah also isn't certain about a series comeback of any sort for Dragon Age, saying, "I suspect that it wouldn't happen" as publisher EA "owns a frightening number of IPs that are dormant" already.

I suppose that checks out, considering the likes of American McGee's Alice, Mirror's Edge, SimCity, Spore, Titanfall, and… I could go on. It's sad to think about, of course, but it definitely doesn't inspire any hope for BioWare's RPGs.

Although I would love to see Oster's thought that "it is possible" ring true and remasters or remakes come to light, I'm not sure I'll hold my breath.

Dragon Age and BioWare veteran says games could learn a thing or two from how the movie business makes money.

There was a lot to do in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, between the main story and all the myriad side-quests – perhaps an overwhelming amount, even, and trilogy head honcho Naoki Hamaguchi is distinctly aware of that issue while making Final Fantasy 7 Revelation.

"One of the things I think people got a little bit tired of – or maybe that's when they stepped away from the game – was on the world map, there is a lot of content," Hamaguchi tells GamesRadar+ during a recent interview.

"Sometimes you'd get rewards like materia if you finish that content," he explains. "But for those people who just wanted to get those materia or rewards, they might feel like they have to do certain mini-games, even if they don't really want to."

This is the tricky balance of building out a world map. You want to give players things to do, reasons to explore every nook and cranny, but too much and suddenly it all looks like a mess of fairy lights, and you've no idea where to start.

Or, it just feels arbitrary, as is a hurdle I've encountered in Assassin's Creed games as well as Skyrim and other such sprawling role-playing misadventures, where I noticed I was just ticking things off.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth feels bigger than its predecessor Remake, leaning into the fact we're now away from Midgar, but even with unlocking new magic and abilities, I got a bit fatigued.

His comments make it sound like Revelation will be more curated, perhaps with more variation, either in terms of mini-games and activities, or the things they provide, or both. Bigger isn't inherently better, and I'm relieved to hear Hamaguchi's taken that mindset coming off of Rebirth.

After 2 years, solo Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth modder says fine, I'll do it myself, fixing the JRPG's wonky lighting at long last

Many fans are dragging Shift Up, the studio behind Stellar Blade and its upcoming sequel Stellar Blade: Blood Rain, through the mud for promoting its action game with an official music video generated by AI.

Hot off Stellar Blade: Blood Rain's reveal earlier this summer, the South Korean studio today released a music video for a song called Wanna Be in Love, featuring the star of the sequel, Evie, seen singing and dancing in a futuristic city. The uncanny tell-tale signs of AI generation are confirmed in the video's small print: "This video was created using the Game resource from Stellar Blade: Blood Rain and regenerated with AI support."

The ending also contains logos for Shift Up's Second Eve Studio and AI Labs, which fans were very quick to take note of.

"You have such talented artists and programmers at Shift Up, please stop using this AI nonsense to stifle their work and give it a bad rep. The series doesn't need this dragging it down because this is all people unfamiliar with your games will see," one fan writes on social media.

Another says, "You guys have the models and everything to create this without the slop…"

That's a sentiment echoed across the player base: "You have all the in house resources and funds you could ever want to make this for real. It's a slap in the face to your artists and your fans to churn out lazy, ugly, subpar garbage when you employ some of the most talented people in the industry. No one wants this but you."

Funnily enough, the music video concludes with outtakes of what looks like a real, human production crew 'filming' and high fiving with an AI-generated Evie, though it can be quite hard to tell after it's been filtered through AI generation.

By and large, at least on primarily English-speaking online forums, fans of the first game are seemingly upset with how the AI-assisted video devalues the work of Shift Up's otherwise talented team - not to mention the ethical questions that naturally stem from using the tech at all.

South Korea has reportedly adopted generative AI faster than most countries, and high-profile K-Pop music videos have been using AI generation together with real recorded footage with increasing regularity for a couple of years now.

Stellar Blade: Blood Rain's Evie is more than just "physical attractiveness," Shift Up insists, but devs are taking notes from infamously horny Goddess of Victory: Nikke regardless

Hey everyone, welcome back to G+RLS, the brand new GamesRadar+ podacst that's dedicated to telling the stories of women who game.

We launched just a couple weeks ago, and now we're back with our second episode and our first guest. Louise Blain, creative director at Blumhouse Games, is joining us to talk about horror - obviously - but also her journey into games in the first place, why women love horror, what Blumhouse Games is doing differently, and even a game recommendation or two.

I've known Louise for over a decade now and she never ceases to inspire me, so I hope you enjoy our chat!

And I also wanted to say thanks for all the positive feedback and interactions with the G+RLS podcast so far. Aside from a few expected comments (no, women don't just play Candy Crush men of Facebook), it's been really incredible to see people connecting with what we're trying to do.

This is just the beginning, and I really want this to be a journey we go on together, so do let me know what you think, along with any issues or topics you'd like us to talk about too.

Thanks again listeners!

Join us for a new episode every other Friday and let us know what you'd love to hear us talking about. We're available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, and Amazon Music.

You can also watch the second episode below!

Nintendo is releasing two unreleased Virtual Boy games next week, with a game from Fire Emblem developer Intelligent Systems finally seeing the light of day.

Everybody loved the Virtual Boy right? It wasn't such a failure that only 22 games released in Japan and the US, got canceled for other countries, and stopped releasing games in less than a year… right?

Well, even if that somehow was the case, Nintendo has brought back the console as part of the Nintendo Switch Online library, with a majority of the console's entire library releasing earlier this year. And while Jack Bros and Virtual Boy Wario Land are pretty much everything you need to play on the console, it has turned out to be one of the coolest Nintendo Switch Online releases for two good reasons.

Nintendo announced the full lineup of Virtual Boy games coming to Switch and Switch 2 users earlier this year, and as part of that, it confirmed that two of the Virtual Boy's myriad of canceled games will be returning. While the lost Mario game that had screenshots emerge last year unfortunately isn't one of them, we are getting a lost F-Zero game, as well as an Intelligent Systems title. Nintendo confirms the missing Virtual Boy games will be releasing next week via a trailer on Twitter.

Zero Racers was supposed to be the first sequel to the SNES classic and the first game in the series to be in 3D, and would've introduced characters like James McCloud and Jody Summer to the franchise before F-Zero X would do both of those things on N64 a few years later. The game had previews back in the day, but never saw the light of day despite word it was 100% complete.

Meanwhile, Dragon Hopper was another game that had been previewed during the '90s but never saw the light of day, as it was canceled due to the failure of the console. This was to be a Zelda-like adventure game by Fire Emblem developer Intelligent Systems with a playfield that had you jumping between floors. The game was apparently meant to release on August 23, 1996, and now just shy what would've been its 30th anniversary, it's finally seeing a release as D-Hopper.

So who knows, maybe Virtual Boy will have four good games by this time next week.

Super Mario Sunshine gets 10-player online co-op in mod that lets you tag-team the GameCube classic as Wario, Luigi, and Sonic.

Pocketpair's head of publishing and communications John 'Bucky' Buckley has been teasing people that call Palworld a "dead game" on social media by pointing out that it still has a massive half a million concurrent players mid-week.

Shortly after its 2024 early access launch on PC and Xbox, the creature-collecting, survival-crafting game hit a massive peak on Steam with over 2 million concurrent players. In the two years since, Palworld has also been ported to PS5, giving people even more ways to play.

Palworld might not have seen the same number of concurrent players on Steam since that time, but the playerbase has been steadily growing. In fact, Pocketpair announced that Palworld surpassed 40 million players not long before its full release. It has truly gone from strength to strength.

However, its concurrent Steam players have declined since its peak, which is natural given that it's now available on other platforms, and the new-game-hype has died down. That hasn't stopped people from pointing out that, at 'just' half a million concurrents, Palworld has fallen to 25% of the concurrent players it had at its peak.

Bucky, however, has clapped back at the haters on social media, pointing out that despite the natural dip in concurrent players, Palworld is still wildly successful. Noting that three weeks have passed since the game's 1.0 launch but it's "still hitting half a mil [concurrent users] midweek," on Steam he describes its popularity as "bonkers."

He ends the message by joking that haters will have to wait a few more weeks before claiming Palworld is dead again. "There’s people out there absolutely dying to post 'Palworld lost X% of their players! Dead game!!'" he says, "and at this rate they'll have to wait at least another week or two…"

Following up on the post further down in the thread, he adds: "Goofs aside, thanks again for making 1.0 such a success, gamers."

Palworld dev Pocketpair demonstrates that it's pro mods, even those cursed NSFW ones, by releasing a patch to improve their stability.

There are six Mistfall Hunter classes you can chose from, and the best really depends on how you want to play. There are clear contenders for a best starter to get you into the game, but whether you want direct combat, ranged options, or magic plays into your choice.

There's a recognizable mix of fighters, magic users, stealthy types, rogues, and tanks, each with their own quirks. To figure out what's going on with each takes a little experimenting. Fortunately I've been trying them all out, so I can pass on my opinions of everything available to help you decide what might be best for you.

This is all based on the starter loadouts for the time being, without any levelling up or extra skills. Obviously some of these characters will evolve as you develop them but you're not doing that until you get some experience under your belt with something that works for you off the bat. So here are your options.

Mistfall Hunter best starter classes

Like most of these games the best starter class is the basic fighter, the Mercenary. They have a good mix of mobility, offense, and defense, letting you learn the ropes with the most accommodating set of skills to help you stay alive.

• S Tier
  • Mercenary
• A tier
  • Blackarrow
  • Sorcerer
• B tier
  • Withered Knight
• C Tier
  • Shadowstrix
  • Seer

After the Mercenary, the Blackarrow and Sorcerer options are good, focusing on ranged attacks that keep you at a safe distance. Of the two I'd say the Blackarrow archer is the best in terms of keeping up the pressure on your feet, although all their attacks are basically 'firing an arrow' so it can get a bit samey. The Sorcerer on the other hand has a little more variety but takes a little longer with its charged attacks and cooldowns, and has a stamina draining dodge that can leave you exposed if you overuse it.

The Withered Knight is a good option, as it can laydown some serious damage, but it's probably one of the tougher classes to master with slow, broad attacks that need patience and care to land. So, a good option if you're willing to put in the practice.

The Shadowstrix and Seer are at the bottom of my Mistfall class tier list because they either don't really stand out or need some work to realize their potential. The Shadowstrix is a stealthy, rogue-like option that feels a little flail-y once you've blown cover. Meanwhile, the Seer has some interesting potential but requires a lot of strategy and planning to build up its abilities.

If you want to change class, experiment, and try a few out, you can talk to Dew, and there's a practice ground to test things without any real risk. There's a minimal cooldown involved, but nothing that will stop you swapping around to see how some of the other options play.

All Mistfall Hunter classes

Below are all of the Mistfall Hunter classes and my opinion on then. This isn't in order or preference, just how they appear in-game. Having played around with all of them, I've gathered together some pros and cons, and what I think of them.

Mercenary

The Mercenary is fast and nimble fighter with a quick dodge and a shield to help avoid taking damage. As a class, it sacrifices a high damage output for speed and versatility - letting you dip and weave around enemies while landing a constant rain of blows. There's also a damaging shield dash to close distances. Attacking stacks a Sword Tip effect that then lets you use a Stacked Slash when you accumulate enough to do more damage. You also have the option to change to a giant hammer which swaps the speed and protection of the sword and shield for harder hitting attacks and has the chance to build a Super Armor effect that negates stagger.

Sorcerer

The sorcerer uses ranged attacks to deal damage and add elemental effects to enemies. Their main offense to start with is a fireball, and a windcraft spell that knocks enemies back and hurts them. They can also use a frost attack to damage and slow opponents. Because they are best at range, they also have a far reaching (but stamina sapping) teleport dodge that can get them well out of the reach of danger, although it runs out fast. As they're maybe not the best at charging into battle headfirst, there's also a Phantom Step spell that silences their footsteps and cancels fall damage, giving you some more options to get around. They're good if you're patient and can maintain distance.

Blackarrow

This is a fast paced, ranged archer that specialises in a constant flurry of arrows using distance and a diving roll to avoid taking any damage back. As well as firing basic arrows that can be charged for more damage and range, you can also use a full auto Volley to fire five arrows in quick succession, as well as a shotgun like Scattershot blast that fires seven arrows in a wide arc. You can also switch to a limited amount of Steel Arrows that pierce enemies, and Storm-imbued arrows that cause stagger and knock back effects. I found this option an easy and very safe class in terms of survivability, thanks to the range involved, but it is a little dull to play as all your attacks are basically just 'firing an arrow'.

Shadowstrix

The Shadowstrix can switch between a dagger and dual blades, focusing on a stealthy, backstabbing, poisoning style of play. With the dagger, you can access an invisibility skill to get close to an enemy as well as a poison attack that deals damage and reduces a target's dodge and movement. The single dagger is very much for opening up an attack from stealth, while the Dual Blades is more for the direct combat that follows, with a highly mobile range of dancing combos that string together multiple attacks, or launch them at a distance. You also have a Crow Storm attack that works like a ranged spell to slow and damage enemies. It's a fast character with longer attacks that take a little skill to master so that you're not waving your blades wildly into thing air.

Seer

The Seer is probably the hardest option to start with as it relies on casting runes to deal real damage, while using minor magic attacks to charge the power needed to do that. Their basic attack is a Psionic Orb that doesn't do a huge amount on its own and instead is more about building Psionic Energy you can then use to fire charged orbs and cast runes: there's a Punishment Rune that acts like a turret, firing at the enemy with the lowest health; and a Burst Rune that acts like a landmine - marking enemies that touch it and dealing damage after a delay when the mark 'bursts'. This is very tactical class that requires forward planning to get the most out of it.

Withered Knight

The Withered Knight is a slow and heavy hitting option, with long, broadly animated attacks that can sail past enemies if you miss. They need precision and care to land blows but can stack that damage to build a 'Wither' finisher that can be detonated for even more damage. They can also switch to a polearm and shield combo that trades damage for protection but requires a great deal of precision to land its narrow attacks. This is very much a powerful, slow moving tank that can hit incredibly hard if you master its longer movement and attack wind ups, but probably not the best for beginners.

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Indie game makers have banded together to organize a $10 bundle containing well over 100 video games and other goodies, all in an effort to support the "unprecedented number" of developers who have suffered from layoffs this year.

Necrosoft Games (the indie studio behind the effortlessly cool Persona-like RPG Demonschool) has been spearheading the launch of the new bundle that's aiming to help laid off devs while they find new work.

"In response to the unprecedented number of game developers laid off this year, we have created a bundle on itch to benefit a Game Industry Hardship Fund, managed by United Videogame Workers," Necrosoft director Brandon Sheffield writes on social media.

In response to the unprecedented number of game developers laid off this year, we have created a bundle on itch to benefit a Game Industry Hardship Fund, managed by @videogameworkers.bsky.social. More than 100 games for 10+ bucks! Please share widely and donate generously!itch.io/b/3802/game-...

— @brandon.insertcredit.com (@brandon.insertcredit.com.bsky.social) 2026-07-31T11:09:29.563Z

"All money, minus processing fees for itch, goes to out of work game developers to pay for food, housing, healthcare, and whatever they need to make it through," Sheffield explains. "Neither we as the organizers nor UVW take any of the money from the bundle."

Affected game developers in the US and Canada can apply for the fund here. Right now, it's open to devs who have been impacted by sweeping game industry layoffs from January 2024 to the present. Whether you were laid off from an AAA studio or an indie, whether you were a contractor or a full-time veteran, you could be eligible.

The Itch.io bundle itself is absolutely packed to the brim with gems. The package includes 107 video games, eight physical games, six packs of game assets, three soundtracks, and more. Altogether, they'd usually be worth around $1,023, making this a steal.

Some real bangers are also a part of the line up. Mini-open-world explorathon A Short Hike, world-manipulating puzzler Arranger, feathered Tony Hawk-alike Skatebird, and low-poly horror platformer The Sirena Expedition are definitely highlights, but there's all sorts of hidden gems hiding in a list this vast, no matter if you're into queer dating sims, twin-stick shooters, bullet hell shooters and beyond.

It's a worthy cause, too. At the start of the year, it was reported that roughly one third of game industry developers had suffered from layoffs, and things haven't gotten less dire since then. Xbox recently laid off about 1,600 workers from its gaming division with another 1,600 layoffs planned, Bungie cut most of its Destiny 2 team after giving the game its final update, and even Fortnite's Epic Games shed 1,000 workers a few months back.

Cyberpunk 2 lead says "some days I feel our industry is imploding" as Destiny 2 studio Bungie is hit with mass layoffs: "Teams and game projects are getting slaughtered."

Hirosaki Castle in Forza Horizon 6 is in the Takashiro Region, and you need to take a photo with it for one of this week's winter challenges in the Italian Exotics Festival Playlist Series. While the castle grounds are quite easy to find on the map, you've still got to find the castle, and be driving a Classic Sports Car to complete the photo challenge. With that, I've explained everything you need to know to complete this Forza Horizon 6 challenge, including the location of Hirosaki Castle.

Forza Horizon 6 Hirosaki Castle location

Hirosaki Castle is in the eastern half of the Takshiro Region of Forza Horizon 6, almost directly north of Soni Circuit. On the map, the castle grounds are quite easy to spot, appearing as a large grey-brown rectangle with an orange road and white road surrounding it. The Hirosaki Castle itself is the white square in the southeast corner of the grounds.

To complete the photo challenge, you need to snap a photo of a Classic Sports Car with the castle itself. You can use Forza Horizon 6 fast travel to reach the road surrounding the castle, but then you need to find one of the ways into the grounds and make your way to the castle.

You also need to be in a Classic Sports Car, so open the 'Change Car' menu, press Y to bring up the Filters menu, then toggle on Classic Sports Cars under the Car Type header. Close the Filters menu and then choose an appropriate car from your garage. Obviously if you don't have any Classic Sports Cars, you'll need to buy one. You could also drive the 1971 Nissan Skyline 200GT-R, which is one of the Forza Horizon 6 Barn Finds.

Once you've got the right car and are in position, open Photo Mode and snap a quickshot with RB to complete the Photo Challenge. For your efforts, you'll get two Festival Playlist points for the winter season and a White Suit for your Drivatar. Remember, like the Forza Horizon 6 Hokubu Treasure Hunt for this winter season, you've only got until 2:30pm UTC on August 6 to complete this challenge!

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Nintendo has confirmed that Super Mario Sunshine will be hitting Nintendo Switch Online for Switch 2 owners next month.

In a video released on the Nintendo Japan YouTube channel, Nintendo confirms that on August 13, Super Mario Sunshine will finally be available on Nintendo Switch Online for people who own a Switch 2 console and have the Expansion Pass version of the subscription.

From the looks of things, that sure is Super Mario Sunshine. Notably, the entire trailer was presented in 4:3, so it looks like the improvements made on the Super Mario 3D All-Stars version of the game are not included – meaning Switch 1 owners may technically be getting the better version of Sunshine anyway (if they can find a copy).

So, if you missed out on 3D All Stars, now you can finally play what cowards call the worst Mario game. Yes it's rushed, glitchy, and somewhat unfinished, but good lord if Super Mario Sunshine does not have the sauce. I'd recommend anyone playing it to just move around on some of the levels from the outset and get to grips with just how incredible Mario feels to control. Yes, the Galaxy games are masterpieces, but Sunshine's movement was the best of the franchise until Odyssey came along. The game itself is pretty good too, even if the lilypad and pachinko levels can do things to themselves that I'm not allowed to publish.

This announcement was presented with the "Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary" emblem, suggesting Nintendo isn't quite finished with celebrating it just yet, so perhaps some more Mario could show up in a future Nintendo Direct.

Nate The Hate – who has accurately leaked a number of Nintendo rumors for well over a year now – said the next 3D Super Mario game is planned for 2027 right now. And while not impossible for it to appear in the inevitable September Nintendo Direct, Nintendo's MO for the last few years has typically been announcing games when they're only a few months out – although Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, and Rhythm Heaven Groove have subverted that trend as of late.

Super Mario Sunshine gets 10-player online co-op in mod that lets you tag-team the GameCube classic as Wario, Luigi, and Sonic.

A finger on the monkey's paw curled with Nintendo fans wishing they could play the Kingdom Hearts games on Switch 2. A collection combining the mainline trilogy was announced in June, but it came with cover art that was immediately hit with AI accusations, a claim Square Enix is now wholeheartedly refuting.

In a statement given to GameSpot, the company claims everything in that cover is manmade, and the problems people were highlighting came from human hands.

"We're aware of feedback regarding recent Kingdom Hearts visuals," a Square Enix PR representative said. "These assets were created by our development team without the use of generative AI, and the issues resulted from human error."

This would be fine and dandy if we were talking about one or two problems, but there's a long list when it comes to that visual. Donald Duck has three fingers on one hand and four on the other, the hands on the clock tower don't look straight and the details around the gears of the clock are muddy, the Keyblades have inconsistently sized keychains – I could go on.

It's worth noting many of these things are tropes of gen-AI imagery, hence why fans were so quick to accuse Square Enix of using it in this instance. The software used to create AI imagery gets these facets a little bit wrong because what it puts out is a composite picture using other assets, made extremely quickly.

Nonetheless, the statement points to the revised artwork. "Quality is extremely important to us, and updated assets have been implemented where appropriate," finishes Square Enix's comment.

Another cover has since been put out. Some things have been sorted, like Donald's hands, but other parts, like the zipper on Sora's jacket going nowhere, remain. Yet another version exists on YouTube, where characters have simply been moved around.

The original is still easy to find on Square Enix's Twitter feed. The Kingdom Hearts Collection comes out on October 6, and maybe we'll see another draft of this art when it actually hits shelves.

Further proving Kingdom Hearts' existence is a miracle, ex-Disney CEO says he can't even remember why he greenlit the JRPG in the first place.

It's not just movie critics and general audiences who love it: Comic book legends have united in their praise over Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

J. Michael Straczynski, whose six-year run on The Amazing Spider-Man is regarded as one of the 21st Century's best takes on the wallcrawler, wrote on Twitter, "To be clear, I've enjoyed all the Spider-Man movies. But for my money, this latest iteration feels most authentically Peter, and Spider-Man."

Straczynski felt that the strengths of the fourth Spider-Man MCU movie lay in its heart and ability to provoke emotion, as well as not falling into the MacGuffin-filled trap of other superhero entries.

"So many comic movies have fallen into MacGuffin plots, looking for the code, the stone, the box, the sword... this one is all about what William Faulkner called 'the human heart in conflict with itself,'" Straczynski said. "It's a very human story, emotional without being slow or dull or self-indulgent. It feels like stepping into a really good Spidey comic. Well done to all concerned (and even those unconcerned)."

Frank Miller, perhaps best known for his work on seminal comic The Dark Knight Returns, was also a fan. He wrote, "The most [Steve] Ditko movie yet and with my Hand in it for all to celebrate. This fan’s dream come true. Tom Holland is my forever Spider-Man as romantic as he is heroic. Congratulations to [director Destin Daniel Cretton] and the whole team."

Brian Michael Bendis, over on Bluesky, said, "It's a blast" and later felt honored to be "part of the Spidey legacy."

It could have ended very differently, however. Star Tom Holland revealed there was one cut he "hated" – despite test screenings raving over it.

"It totally didn’t work," Holland told Quotable. "And it's what the people were asking for, but it wasn't quite what we wanted as the creatives. But they learned lessons from that experience. So, a movie can change in a thousand different ways in the edit room."

A lesson, then: going all-in on your creative path can sometimes be a good thing. It's little wonder that Brand New Day is on course to be one of Marvel's biggest box office successes on opening weekend.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in cinemas. For more, check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review and our breakdown of the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending.

Deltarune just got its v0.0.253 patch, which is its final planned update before the release of Chapter 6. It includes a number of bug fixes, including softlocks, and the option to make one of Chapter 5's most challenging bosses easier or harder.

The latest patch focuses on a number of bug fixes, particularly those related to softlocks that occur when you disconnect your headphones in certain parts of the game. Bugs where consumed items are no longer replenished and crashes when specific actions are performed have also been fixed.

However, the change that players are most excited – and angered – by is the change to Chapter 5's Shadow Crystal Boss. This is a challenging optional boss hidden within the chapter that now has three difficulty options. If they defeat you, then a Pink Bomb will spawn outside the arena and you can activate it to make the fight "Nicer or Meaner."

Choosing to make the fight Nicer will show you where certain attacks are targeting, and they will take a little longer before they hit, giving you more time to react. If you choose Meaner, then the boss will deal 25% more damage, and some attacks will be slightly faster.

Minor spoilers for the Chapter 5 Shadow Crystal boss ahead.

The patch notes include a cheeky line teasing that "girls like it when you are better at dodging danmaku." This is actually a hint about the changes to the post-fight cutscene when you defeat Pink at the different difficulty settings. If you defeat her Meaner form, she will reward Kris with a flurry of kisses. However, if you choose the Nicer option, she'll taunt you by poking her tongue out.

These differing cutscenes won't meaningfully change your playthrough, so choose the difficulty you're most comfortable with. However, if winning kisses from your pixel pink waifu are important to you, there's a challenging road ahead.

Deltarune Chapter 5 update stops flirting from freezing the game and makes the final boss easier if you suck.

Sony's decision to end physical disc production for new games on PlayStation consoles in 2028 isn't exactly popular among consumers – but that doesn't mean the company thinks it's making the wrong choice.

The end of physical media as we know it is quite the hot topic, with game preservation experts predicting it'll all just lead to more piracy and folks within the industry speaking out against companies' move toward digital-only gaming. Lords of the Fallen 2 publisher Marek Tyminski, for example, stated that Sony's choice to axe discs and the fact that GTA 6 is going disc-free itself "feels unfair to studios still backing physical" – so, yeah.

However, Sony appears to be unwavering in its decision. Following its quarterly financial conference during an earnings call Q&A (as transcribed by Investing), Sony chief financial officer Lin Tao implies as much.

The "biggest" reason? "The digitalization of contents overall has been progressing. That's the big factor. It's not just for PlayStation, but for all kinds of contents – digitalization is progressing." I immediately think of DVDs, personally.

According to Tao, Sony considered its decision for quite some time.

"When we think about the future – and we put in a lot of thought and time, we cautiously considered this – we came to this conclusion: we're going to cautiously move this forward. To this decision, we have received various opinions; people have strong views, and we understand that the community has put forth those views to us. Games are loved by many people."

That's perhaps an understatement – and, unsurprisingly, the nostalgia factor doesn't help. "It's a form of entertainment that's loved by people," as Tao says, "it's connected to people's fond memories in many cases."

And, although Sony isn't backing down on going disc-free, the executive explains that it's not a cut-and-dried process. "We understand those emotions. We want to consider that," she admits. "And in the future digital ecosystem, how do we engage the gamers is something that we would like to continue to explore."

I do wonder what that means – but, again, it's probably not what most gamers want to hear. It's not an admission of Sony taking its choice back and opting to support physical media… and "future digital ecosystem" is admittedly a tough quote to swallow as a longtime game collector myself.

Plus, Sony goes on to say it doesn't "see that there will be any negative impact on our business."

I'm choosing to remain hopeful that we'll still see discs and game cards in the future in some capacity – even if I'm holding on to a dying form of media here. A girl can dream, right?

Here's why we think PlayStation killing discs is bad for everyone, whether you care about physical games or not.

The Gears of War E-Day multiplayer beta gives you a chance to try out the upcoming game for free while allowing the dev team at The Coalition a chance to see how it handles under stress. I'd call that a win-win.

If you want to join in and check out the multiplayer aspect of the upcoming game, here's how to gain access to the latest Gears of War beta, including the dates and times the server is open to all.

Gears of War E-Day beta dates

The Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer Beta goes live across two weekends: August 6 - 10, and August 13 - 17, 2026. The first is for players with early access, while the second weekend is open for everyone.

The beta is focussed solely on the multiplayer aspect of the new Gears of War game, including the brand-new Horde Siege mode, which is "an Evolution of Gears' Iconic PvE Mode", featuring 12 players split into smaller squads, each playing cooperatively against the harsh and demanding environment.

You'll be able to try this and of course PvP in both weekends of the beta, so if you want to know how to get involved, read on.

How to join the Gears of War E-Day beta

To get early access to the Gears of War E-Day beta, you must pre-order the game or have an active Game Pass Ultimate or PC subscription. This does mean that there is technically a cost to playing early, but if you already have Game Pass Ultimate, you're in.

Unfortunately, this does mean that those on Game Pass Premium or Essential won't get early access, but you can upgrade your subscription level if you so wish. You can do this or purchase the game any time before the early access beta ends on August 10 to get in.

If you'd rather not make the commitment to the game or Game Pass Ultimate or PC just yet, then you can still participate in the beta during the second weekend, simply by downloading the beta on Xbox or PC nearer the time.

If you're not on PC or Xbox and are wondering about those Gears of War PS5 rumors, we've got a separate article for you.

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The Forza Horizon 6 Hokubu Treasure Hunt for the winter season of the Italian Exotics Festival Playlist Series is in quite an obscure place on the map, with the photo clue giving you very little to go off. If you don't know where those big hay bale scarecrows can be found in Forza Horizon 6, then you're going to have a tough time scouring the region for this treasure chest. To help you find and smash it, I've laid out the exact location of this Treasure Hunt in Forza Horizon 6 below.

Forza Horizon 6 Hokubu Treasure Hunt location

The Forza Horizon 6 Treasure Hunt chest in the Hokubu is found on the northwestern side of the Shikisai-No-Aka flower fields, which is roughly in the middle of the region.

The treasure chest itself is in a car park between the highway road that goes around the north side of the flower fields and the white road that goes through them. There's a small garage building by this car park and the treasure chest is next to it, overlooking the snow-covered fields. It's a spot you can’t use Forza Horizon 6 fast travel to reach directly, but you can get close. Once you're there, smash into the treasure chest for an easy 100,000 Credits, making it a great way to get some Forza Horizon 6 money.

This Treasure Hunt in FH6 isn't around for long as it's part of the limited-time Festival Playlist activities for the winter week. That means you've got until 2:30pm UTC on August 6 to destroy the chest, otherwise the season will change to spring and a new set of challenges will take over. You've also got until the same date and time to complete the Forza Horizon 6 Hirosaki Castle photo challenge!

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Will Gears of War E-Day be on PS5 at launch, and if not, is that liable to change any time in the future? The new Gears of War prequel has captured attention since it was announced, but right now Xbox-owned games and their ports have a somewhat on-and-off relation with PlayStation 5, making it hard to know off-hand. Below I'll lay out the details and explain what you can play E-Day on.

Will Gears of War E-Day be on PS5?

No, there will NOT be a PS5 port of Gears of War E-Day, according to current information given to us by Microsoft.

The current plan is for E-Day to be an Xbox exclusive, playable only on the Series X/S and PC. While at some point in the past it appeared as though Microsoft was considering a PlayStation port, that appears to have changed in the wake of variously changing business strategies at Xbox.

This might come as a surprise to some, as recent Xbox games have had a habit of making it to PlayStation sooner or later, with recent years giving us PS5 ports of Starfield, Sea of Thieves, and the upcoming Fable game still planned for simultaneous releases on both consoles. However, Xbox appears to be reconsidering which games it makes ports of, at least when it comes to launch day.

It's possible that we may see a later port of E-Day to PS5 in the future, but there's no guarantee of that, and it certainly won't be at launch day according to current information. If you're determined to see the historic moment where a chainsaw was duct-taped to a machine gun as soon as possible, you'll need access to an Xbox or Gaming PC.

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A new Slay the Spire 2 patch has shuffled into the deckbuilding roguelike's beta branch, bringing with it your usual torrent of bug fixes and balance tweaks that are sure to reframe certain builds, alongside a quite nice keyboard-only mode.

Mega Crit rounds up the biggest changes in v0.110.0 pretty succinctly: "Mirage and Pillar of Creation have been reverted back to their pre-0.109.0 versions and have also been slightly buffed and nerfed, respectively. We've also implemented a brand new feature in this patch – a keyboard-only control option! So be sure to let us know what you think if you try it out. In terms of art, many cards have new, polished portrait art and, excitingly, characters now have VFX for their unique forms!"

But perhaps the handiest balance change is creeping silently in the new Slay the Spire 2 patch notes: "Buffed Pael's Relax card: Block increased from 15(17) → 16(18)." Fighting Bowlbugs should no longer serve as a big block-counting barrier in Act 2, at least, not as often, fingers crossed.

"Relax buffed? Finally I won't be humiliated by Turn 1 Bowlbugs," one fan reacts over on Reddit. "I think it's in a completely fine spot now, I don't want every relic to be busted," another says, "I think people undervalue Relax by treating it like a block card instead of a delayed Offering, too."

Elsewhere, skulking in the corners of the change notes, developer Mega Crit has tweaked Uncommon cards so they show up more often "(as intended)" and players will "no longer discern the shuffle order of cards in certain scenarios." There's also now a Share button that screenshots the entire map, a bug fix that stops a monster egg from hatching in the Bestiary, and new art for a collection of cards.

Slay the Spire 2 just got its biggest patch yet, with so many new relics, buffed cards, and massive nerfs that players barely know where to start.

The Elder Scrolls Online developer Zenimax Online got hit hard by the unprecedented Xbox restructuring from earlier this month, with a Microsoft filing confirming the studio lost more than 200 developers. Still, it insists its flagship title isn't going anywhere any time soon.

In a new community letter from Elder Scrolls Online's new game director, Nick Giacomini, who replaced longtime lead Rich Lambert, Giacomini lays out an optimistic future for the game while acknowledging "a number of organizational changes and departures of teammates who helped shape The Elder Scrolls Online."

Despite messaging that indicates Zenimax Online is struggling with "team bandwidth," as well as concern from a laid off senior developer about the studio's ability to push out content at the same cadence as before, Giacomini says there's still a bright future ahead for Elder Scrolls Online, thanks in part to "a new chapter of collaboration across Bethesda.

"By working more closely with Bethesda Game Studios across The Elder Scrolls, we have new opportunities to share ideas, align our efforts, and create even better experiences for players, all while continuing to build the future of ESO."

Giacomini couches his optimism with some less than great news. "With the recent changes to our studio, trying to hit our previously announced deadlines would mean sacrificing the quality you deserve," he says. "Therefore, we are establishing a clear principle for how we build and ship content and features moving forward: quality experiences over calendar dates."

You know what means: delays. Specifically, the new Crimson Veldt trial is being delayed to January 2027 alongside Update 52, which will also include the new Jerall Pass PvP zone and Skyrim's Dynamic Encounters: Rimegales. The long-anticipated refresh to classes and combat is also being moved to 2027, but Zenimax Online is looking at "some interim options" for classes in the meantime.

"We know it's disappointing to see some features move out, and believe me, we want to get these into your hands as soon as possible, too. But we believe this is the right move for the long-term health of the game," says Giacomini.

Giacomini lays out the main highlights of this year's two seasons in his writeup, and there's definitely a good amount of new stuff still coming this year, but his focus returns to the long-term vision.

"We've had bumps in the road over our 12-year history that we've always faced together," he says. "As our studio evolves, we are not looking to just 'maintain' the game. We are looking to grow it. You, our community, are the reason we have grown over the years, and we want to keep growing with you. 

"Moving forward, our principles are simple: we will continue to build fun and rewarding experiences through our Seasonal model, deliver long-standing player-requested features and changes that make Tamriel more fulfilling, and find new ways to provide you with features and content to keep your adventures fresh."

Giacomini says plans for Elder Scrolls Online in 2027 are still being finalized, but he teases some "never before seen," "all-new experiences in Skyrim" as part of the roadmap. I've been playing Elder Scrolls Online on-and-off for almost a decade, and I'm cautiously excited to see what's next for a studio navigating dramatic leadership changes, a tighter budget, and a smaller team.

"There's really no one left": Former Elder Scrolls Online dev says the MMO "basically funded other failing projects" as Microsoft guts the studio

Late last year, Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast revealed that it's working on a new open-world game, the ever-mysterious Warlock, and its cast has now added a well-known games star.

The Hasbro company didn't unveil too much about the exciting title, aside from the fact that it is not, in fact, a turn-based game like Baldur's Gate 3 (much to many fans' disappointment, I'd say) – no dice rolls, and a less "tabletop" vibe. It's also evidently magic-heavy, if the name didn't give it away, and an entirely single-player experience.

Warlock almost strikes me as a mashup of Skyrim and D&D so far, but it's difficult to tell… yet.

What we do now know, however, is that Tasha – the archmage and demonologist you might recognize from various adventures in the Forgotten Realms – is featured in Warlock, and she's voiced by none other than Lady Dimitrescu actor Maggie Robertson.

Yes, the very same Maggie Robertson who plays Orin the Red in Baldur's Gate 3. She'll be taking care of Tasha's motion performance capture as well, if her voice wasn't exciting enough.

Kaatri, the protagonist of Warlock, also has quite the star backing her voice: Tricia Helfer of Battlestar Galactica and Lucifer.

It's shaping up to be one heck of a cast, that's for certain – and if other D&D games like Baldur's Gate 3 taught us anything, it's that the cast can shine very brightly in such titles. Something tells me that Warlock will serve as a great example of this, too, when it arrives sometime in 2027.

I'm excited to see how Tasha fits into Warlock and what the dynamic is like between Kaatri and the historically chaotic evil mage – there's a lot that Wizards of the Coast and developer Invoke Studios could do here lore-wise, but they're not being too open with what we can expect to see just yet.

Searching for other new games to hop into? Here are the best tabletop RPGs you and your pals can enjoy this year – there's more than D&D out there, after all.