GamersHeroes Friday, September 26, 2025 12:54 PM A dark fantasy roguelike RPG, the world of Super Creative and Smilegate's Chaos Zero Nightmare is set to launch next month, on October 22. The post Chaos Zero Nightmare Launching October 22 appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Friday, September 26, 2025 11:17 AM Football like it used to be is here with today's release of EA SPORTS FC 26 for PC and consoles. The post EA SPORTS FC 26 Now Available for PC and Consoles appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Friday, September 26, 2025 10:58 AM Remade from scratch with the original recipe, players will be able to WAKA WAKA this weekend with today's release of Bandai Namco's PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC for PC and consoles. The post PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC Now Available appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 3:49 PM
If you've never played a Digimon game before, the series is a bit of a mixed bag with one definitive standout The post Nine <em>Digimon</em> Games Worth Going Back To After <em>Time Stranger</em> appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 3:01 PM
The massive deal might be announced officially as soon as next week according to sources with knowledge of the situation The post Report: Saudi Arabia And Other Investors Nearing $50 Billion Deal To Buy EA appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 2:38 PM
It was also a much smaller game at one point before growing in scope and becoming the hit game we know today The post <i> Helldivers 2</i> Could Have Ended Up As A Free-To-Play Game appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 2:11 PM
Satoru Shibata isn't afraid to dance, sing, or hype his handheld collection The post Nintendo Of America's New CEO Seems Like A Fun Guy appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 1:39 PM
Contrary to what some may think, FF7 Rebirth's sales have not hindered part three's development The post Live-Action <i>Beauty And The Beast</i> Was An Inspiration For <i>FF7 Remake</i> Trilogy, Says Director appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 1:10 PM
Save up to 28% on the 2024 model of Samsung Galaxy tablet for a limited time at Amazon. The post Forget Pricey Tablets From Apple and Samsung, This Galaxy Tab A9+ Plus Is Going for Nothing Before October Prime Day appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 12:56 PM
Vandal Hearts 2 had a reference to Konami's shoot 'em up no one knew how to unlock until now The post The 26-Year-Old Mystery Behind A Cult-Classic SRPG's Gradius Sword Has Finally Been Solved appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 12:13 PM
Advanced Shader Delivery will hopefully one day get rid of shader compilation loading bars on PC The post Microsoft's Solution For PC Gaming's Most Annoying Headache Is Finally Happening appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 12:10 PM
Score these top-level AI-optimized wireless earbuds for just $190 and stash the $60 you're saving in your Prime Day piggybank. The post Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Were Pricier at Launch, But Now They're Way Cheaper Than AirPods Pro 3 appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 11:42 AM
The woman who Ghazbán Ogress was based on recently spoke out about it The post Head <i>Magic: The Gathering</i> Designer Apologizes For Misogynistic Card From 27 Years Ago appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 11:39 AM
The first set since Scarlet & Violet finished boasts some fantastic pull-rates The post <i>Pokémon TCG'</i>s New Mega Evolution Era Is Looking Way More Generous appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 11:10 AM
Amazon has the Geekom Mini PC AX8 Max designed for PC gaming on sale for 29% off for a limited time. The post This 4.7-Star Ryzen 7 Mini PC Plays Cyberpunk 2077 at a Record Low Price, Better Gaming Value Than Mac Mini appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 10:38 AM
The wrestlers were all dressed up in Pokémon-themed costumes referencing characters like Hawlucha and Machamp The post <em>Pokémon</em> Took Over A Major Wrestling Event And It Absolutely Ruled appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 10:15 AM
This 2TB external game drive from Seagate is at its lowest price and officially-licensed for PlayStation consoles. The post Seagate 2TB Hard Drive for PlayStation Returns to Nearly Free Per TB Pricing as Amazon Blows Out Remaining Stock appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 10:06 AM
PlayStation keeps making more money as it keeps raising prices The post PS5 Is Sony's Most 'Successful' Console Generation Ever And It's Not Even Close appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 9:15 AM
Save up to $91 for a limited time on the Kingston NV3 SSD internal drive at Amazon. The post Amazon Clears Out 4.8-Star Kingston SSD in All Capacities at Record Low, Cheaper Than Samsung or Crucial appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 8:30 AM
PuffPals: Island Skies went from cuteness to horror as the lies piled up The post $2.6 Million Kickstarter Cozy Game Wipes Its Websites, Ghosts Its Backers appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Friday, September 26, 2025 8:00 AM
The cutscene featuring Thor is no longer lost media thanks to a single Instagram user who never deletes anything The post A <i>Spider-Man</i> Video Game Cutscene Believed To Be Lost Forever Was Just Found 24 Years Later By A Digital Hoarder appeared first on Kotaku. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 3:00 PM V Rising just hit an all-time low price, alongside its Sinister Evolution DLC and other games, thanks to the Fanatical Supreme Collection. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 1:30 PM While it's now great, Rogue Trader didn't have the best launch, so I ask Owlcat what it's learned ahead of Warhammer 40k Dark Heresy. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 12:35 PM The Silent Hill f Sacred Sword is found in New Game Plus, and choosing whether to purify it is essential for unlocking different endings. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 12:34 PM The Monster Hunter Wilds FF14 crossover event with Omega Planetes is incorporating two jobs from Final Fantasy, so don't focus on Gogmazios. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 12:28 PM Jump Space, the space shooter with an incredibly successful launch last week, has announced its first update will prioritize offline mode. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 12:20 PM Here is every Hades 2 God, Titan, and NPC you can expect to meet in the underworld, and just what they do to help or hinder your adventure. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 12:11 PM The Dark Shrine is riddled with tough puzzles trying to stall your progress, and the Silent Hill f altar puzzle is one of the first. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 12:07 PM Asus ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X pre-orders are now live, but stock for the new handheld is already questionable at several major retailers. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 12:07 PM It's dangerous to go alone, so why not take one of the Hades 2 familiars with you to help you take down Chronos and take back what's yours. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 11:40 AM "You can't win anything with kids" is the old adage, but these EA Sports FC 26 wonderkids for Career Mode will prove that isn't true. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 1:08 PM Developer Crate Entertainment is set to release Farthest Frontier next month, after more than three years of early access development. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 11:32 AM Hearts of Iron 4 expansion No Compromise, No Surrender expands Japan, China, and the Philippines, and 2019 DLC Man the Guns is going free. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 12:15 PM If you're struggling to beat the Hades 2 Scylla and the Sirens boss fight we have all the information you could need on the musical trio. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 11:03 AM Here's where you'll find this ingredient in the Fields of Mourning and the tool you need to harvest Wheat Seeds to make Wheat in Hades 2. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 10:37 AM Over two years on from its release, fewer than a quarter of PC players have finished Baldur's Gate 3. Honestly, I get it, I really do. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 10:17 AM Here you'll find the location on where to find Hades 2 Glassrock, the steps to get there, and what upgrades you can craft using it. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 10:15 AM The Terraria 1.4.5 update is in its "final stages," Re-Logic says, as it details a change to NPC housing in the September State of the Game. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 10:13 AM The Razer Naga V2 is a gaming mouse made with MMORPG players in mind, with 19 customizable physical buttons and 400 hours of battery life. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 9:58 AM Our complete list of all active Warframe codes offers tons of freebies, so here's how to redeem codes for glyphs, weapons, and boosters. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 9:35 AM The Monopoly Go Golden Blitz event unlocks golden sticker trading to help you complete missing album stickers and complete your collection. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 9:25 AM EA FC 26 tactics codes let you lock in the best formations and squad setups available, from top-tier meta picks to secret sleeper tech. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 11:52 AM Here's how to unlock the different Silent Hill f endings, each dealing with Hinako's psychological trauma in their own abstract way. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 10:24 AM After years of obscurity, Silent Hill f proves the series has a great future, and you can see for yourself by getting it at a discount. |
PCGamesN Friday, September 26, 2025 11:05 AM The new Glorious V3 mouse range is here, including the Model O3 with swappable batteries for never-ending wireless gaming mouse action. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, September 26, 2025 12:01 PM  The city-building genre is grossly overpopulated. Competing Simvilles predicated on wholly opposed theories about plumbing and traffic wardens stretch as far as the eye can see. As such, the genre must imitate real-life urban centres of the 20th century, and begin expanding vertically. Enter Stario: Haven Tower, the new strategy management sim from Chinese developers Stargate Games, in which you build upward through the realms of Sand, Mist, Rain, Frost, and Clear Skies until finally, your city stands among the Stars. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, September 26, 2025 10:53 AM  I've yet to fully consume Consume Me, so please take that headline with a pinch of salt (not too much, because apparently salt can cause short-term weight gain). Still, I thought I'd rush out a quick "on sale now" piece before the weekend because this game is extremely good, and I worry based on the Steam stats that it's being overlooked. It's a fast-talking, mildly anguished pocket RPG about a high schoolgirl, Jenny, who is trying to lose weight while balancing schoolwork, domestic duties, an emerging social life, and her domineering mom. It broadly consists of household tasks and Coming Of Age Milestones couched as a bunch of Wario Ware-style timed minigame puzzles. Among other antics, you'll fold laundry by clicking on cue, manage a (dis)interest bar during a terrible date, apply your make-up as though doodling yourself in Kid Pix, and surgically arrange food on your plate while passing carbier morsels to your absurdly squishy dog. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, September 26, 2025 8:25 AM  In May this year, despite being deep in development on The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, CD Projekt revealed that they'd be whipping out one more patch for The Witcher 3 in honour of its tenth birthday. Said update was originally set to drop in 2025, but has now been pushed back into 2026. It's a little bit of an extra wait for cross-platform mod support, and given what the studio have been like witch Cyberpunk 2077's seemingly never-ending string of last updates, I'm not ruling out them having secretly decided to add more new stuff to the RPG masterpiece while they're at it. |
Twinfinite Friday, September 26, 2025 11:13 AM  |
Siliconera Friday, September 26, 2025 4:00 PM
Like the Pochita popcorn bucket, we're starting to see more Chainsaw Man - the Movie: Reze Arc merchandise tied to to the film, and one of them is a Nendoroid of new character Reze. She'll show up in Japan in June 2026 and the US around Q4 2026. She'll cost ￥8,500/$53.99. However, some of her parts and accessories are a mystery.
So far two face plates and one accessory are confirmed. Reze is blushing and smiling in each one, though she's got a sideways glance in one of them. She comes with a flower she can hold. Her arm parts also allow her to be posed with her arms outstretched in front of her or like she is fiddling with her choker.
Here's how she looks so far:
Editor's Note: There will be some references to spoilers from both the manga and Chainsaw Man - the Movie: Reze Arc in the next paragraph.
In Chainsaw Man, Reze comes up a few kinds and is in the same situation as Denji. She's fused with the Bomb Devil. Whereas he pulls the chain on his chest to transform, she pulls the pin at her throat to do so. Given that and the price of the Nendoroid, it is likely her additional bonus parts could involve an extra head that shows her as Bomb Girl.
The Chainsaw Man Reze Nendoroid will come to Japan in June 2026 and the US in Q4 2026. Pre-orders close on November 12, 2025. Season one of Chainsaw Man is already on Crunchyroll, and the Reze Arc movie will debut in Japan on September 19, 2025 and in US theaters in English on October 24, 2025.
The post Some Chainsaw Man Reze Nendoroid Parts Are a Secret appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, September 26, 2025 3:00 PM
Square Enix announced more Final Fantasy VII merchandise alongside TGS 2025, with one item being a combination lamp and flashlight shaped like a potion from the game and the other items involving Cloud napping on a bench near a potions machine like he can in FFVII Remake. The napping Cloud keychain, cup, and acrylic stand will all launch in Japan on December 12, 2025. We'll need to wait a bit longer for the light, as that debuts in the country on March 28, 2026. None of these items are showing up on the US storefront yet, but other TGS 2025 items like the FFXIV Cornservant plush have, so they could appear in the future.
The most expensive item in the napping Cloud FFVII Remake collection of items is the 2,750円 (~$18) mug. The acrylic stand of the scene of him by the Potion machine is 1,650円 (~$11) and the keychain is 1,430円 (~$10). Each item in the set features a chibi Cloud sleeping on a bench, which is how we rest and restore health in the remake. The cup shows the scene on one side and a menu that has "Break Time" selected next to a Buster Sword. With the keychain, Cloud on the bench is on one part, and the potion machine is on the other.
Here's how these new pieces of FFVII merchandise look:
The Final Fantasy VII potion light can be used in three different ways, and you get the unit and a stand. You get the light with a stand, and it can be used as a room light when displayed like that. It can be displayed outside of the stand on its side. It is also possible to hold it like a flashlight and press a button so it lights up at one end. It is possible to choose between white and blue light options, and the Shinra logo at the top also glows when lit up. The light alone is eight and a half inches long (219mm), and when displayed on the stand it is over nine inches tall (235mm). It can use batteries or be charged with a USB-C cord.
Square Enix shared some of the photos of it in and out of use on the product page.
This is one of many recent pieces of Final Fantasy merchandise revealed at TGS 2025. Another is a new Adorable Arts character. Lightning from FFXIIIis joining that figure line.
Japan will get the Final Fantasy VII Remake napping Cloud keychain, mug, and acrylic stand on December 12, 2025 and the FFVII potion light on March 28, 2025. FFVII Remake Intergrade will appear on the Switch 2 and Xbox Series X on January 22, 2026, and it is already available on the PS4, PS5, and PC worldwide.
The post New FFVII Remake Merchandise Reference Potions, Napping Cloud appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, September 26, 2025 2:00 PM
The 6.0 Genshin Impact Version Luna I update brought with it a number of things, like a new Archon Quest and the Nod-Krai region, and it also marks the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the game. As part of that, HoYoVerse announced a number of events to celebrate the occasion, like the To Temper Thyself and Journey Far that offers a five-star character's Stella Fortuna. Now, as part of the ongoing celebration efforts, it released a new Genshin Impact theme song by Venti VA Erika Harlacher as well.
The Genshin Impact fifth anniversary theme song is called "The Long Way Home." Its music video highlights some of the places and people the Traveler and Paimon visited in all the prior updates. This includes Nod-Krai, as there's a reference to the Moon Maiden at the end and in the official art for the track.
As a reminder, Erika Harlacher actually voices two characters in the game. She's played Venti, also known as Barbatos, in Genshin Impact since launch. He's the Anemo Archon in Mondstadt. However, HoYoVerse confirmed in July 2025 that she is also also Istaroth, one of the parts of the Heavenly Principles known as the Ruler of Time and The Thousand Winds.
Don't forget to also log into Genshin Impact as part of the fifth anniversary celebration events for a free character and currency. A Uncover Lunar Realms, Hone the Eventide Radiance event lets you get a standard five-star and items to level them up to 60. The options are Dehya, Diluc, Jean, Keqing, Mizuki, Mona, Qiqi, and Tighnari.
Genshin Impact is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, though the PS4 version is delisted and support for it will end on April 8, 2026.
The post Venti VA Sings Genshin Impact 5th Anniversary Theme Song appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, September 26, 2025 1:00 PM
Back in July 2025, Gust and Koei Tecmo shared a Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack that would include all three DX games in that line and confirmed new playable characters and scenarios for each entry. During the Koei Tecmo Live showcase at TGS 2025, footage from each game's new scenario appeared. This involved a peek at the new segments and gameplay showing the allies in and out of battle.
Things started with Atelier Ryza DX. In that entry, characters we saw before that were NPCs get a chance to play larger parts. While Kilo Shiness will appear in the full game, she didn't show up here. The TGS 2025 footage focused on a segment with guardian fighter Agatha Harmon and trader Romy Vogel interacting and fighting alongside Ryza.
In Atelier Ryza 2 DX, Empel Vollmer and Lila Decyrus will be playable for the first time. (In the original they do show up, but as supporting cast members.) The scenes shown during Koei Tecmo Live began with Lila and Lent happening upon one another, then a fight with Empel and Lila working alongside Ryza.
Finally, Atelier Ryza 3 DX will feature Clifford Diswell, Kilo, and Serri Glaus as playable characters in its new part, and the end of the TGS 2025 segment dedicated to this compilation focused on Clifford and Serri. We got to see Serri running around an environment, entering into a story scene with Clifford, then fighting alongside him.
You can see all of the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack footage highlighting the DX versions of the games' new scenarios and characters in the Koei Tecmo Live TGS 2025 video starting at the 4:33:17 mark.
The release date for Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack, which includes DX versions of all three titles, releases on November 13, 2025 on the Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and PC.
The post New Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Scenarios Shown at TGS 2025 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, September 26, 2025 12:00 PM
Andrew "SpaceDrakeCF" Dice, one of the founders of Carpe Fulgur, died. Co-founder Robin Light-Williams announced the publisher and localization company head's passing on social media. Carpe Fulgur will shut down as a result.
You can read Light-Williams' statement on Andrew Dice below:
Andrew Dice was best known for working on Japanese games, in particular indie doujin titles. Carpe Fulgur's first project is Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale, a title about both running an item shop and dungeon diving for merchandise to sell there. That released in September 2010. The company's follow-ups included worldwide releases of doujin games Chantelise: A Tale of Two Sisters, Fortune Summoners, and This Starry Midnight We Make. More recently, Dice worked as a translator on Bandai Namco's Super Robot Wars 30 and as an editor on Falcom and NIS America's Trails Through Daybreak. One of the last highlighted posts on social media from Dice highlighted the fact that Recettear HD Edition was in development.
As for games Carpe Fulgur worked on, Light-Williams stated all publishing rights will return to their developers. On Steam, the aforementioned four titles still show the company as the publisher. Light-Williams specifically said, "As written in our contracts I will be remitting rights to our translations of indie games we published to the developers who will hopefully be able to sell them on Steam for everyone to have. Thank you all for everything. This will be my last post on this account and as part of Carpe Fulgur. I wish you all the best and I hope you remember us fondly."
The post Carpe Fulgur Founder Andrew Dice Died appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, September 26, 2025 11:00 AM
From October 2025 to January 2026, The New Otani hotel in Japan will have rooms based on Tales of Xillia for guests to stay in. Prices start from 47,000 JPY ($314) per day, and guests will receive exclusive goods based on the game to take home.
Bookings start from September 29, 2025. The Tales of Xillia collaboration rooms will only be available from October 30, 2025 to January 31, 2026. You can choose between a one-person room or a two-person room. As well, you can choose not to have the hotel breakfast, which will cost less money.
The collaboration between Tales of Xillia and The New Otani hotel features a key visual starring the main characters wearing uniforms. Even Teepo is helping out as a waiter. Inside the rooms, guests will be able to see a commemorative illustration for the series' 30th anniversary, which includes the protagonists from the previous games. This artwork, as well as close-ups of just Jude and Milla, appear on the goods that guests can take home with them. The exclusive merchandise are: a clear card, name plate set, hotel key holder, glass cups, and a pouch.
Tales of Xillia came out in 2011 as the thirteenth main installment of the long-running Tales series. As an anniversary title, it was the first Tales game that featured character designs from both Kosuke Fujishima (Phantasia, Symphonia) and Mutsumi Inomata (Destiny, Rebirth). Since it came out, Xillia was only ever on the PS3. However, in August 2025, Bandai Namco announced that a remastered version will come out in October 2025 for modern consoles.
The remastered version of Tales of Xillia will come out on October 30, 2025 for the PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC.
The post Tales of Xillia Hotel Rooms to Appear in Japan appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, September 26, 2025 10:00 AM
The Dynasty Warriors segment at Koei Tecmo's TGS 2025 stream had more details about the series' future content. Producers Akihiro Suzuki and Tomohiko Sho also revealed more tidbits about Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered, which was first announced at State of Play.
The team noted that Dynasty Warriors 7 and subsequent entries are already available on Steam, but Dynasty Warriors 6 and earlier titles have yet to join. The userbase had thus been sending requests for those, with Dynasty Warriors 3 particularly having the most mentions. Sho noted that if the Dynasty Warriors 3 remaster sells well, it will allow the team to plan more remasters.
However, the Dynasty Warriors 3 remaster will not simply feature a graphical remaster while retaining other features as-is. Sho and Suzuki's team will add more quality-of-life improvements to the game that originally appeared on the PS2 in 2001. In addition, they will bring some of the newer action gameplay elements from Dynasty Warriors Origins to Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered.
In the same TGS 2025 stream, Sho and Suzuki also revealed plans they are contemplating for the next entry following Dynasty Warriors Origins, which was greenlit following the latter's success. The team will contemplate whether to add a protagonist customization since there were a lot of requests for it, although they also received some opinions that were content with the fixed character Ziluan. Omega Force may also bring back Cao Cao's mustache when his son Cao Pi makes a return in a future entry.
The Dynasty Warriors Origins expansion DLC will be available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, as well as the newer Switch 2 port on January 22, 2026. Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered will be available later on the PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, Switch 2, and PC on March 19, 2026.
The post Dynasty Warriors TGS 2025 Stream Reveals More Series Details appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, September 26, 2025 9:00 AM
We get to go through an entirely new Silent Hill game this month, with Silent Hill f taking the series to Japan and incorporating architectural designs, weapons, enemy designs, and lore into the experience. It's a big deal! To help better understand what to expect from this entry, Siliconera spoke with Silent Hill series Producer Motoi Okamoto about its design, inspirations, and gameplay elements.
Jenni Lada: Silent Hill f is the third entry with a female lead after Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill: The Short Message. How did Heather and Anita influence Hinako and design decisions for this installment?
Motoi Okamoto: I have not been influenced by those two characters. From the perspective of overseeing the series, we are constantly exploring themes and protagonists that are representative of the key elements of Silent Hill. In Silent Hill f, the story is set in an era of strong oppression against women, but the protagonist, Hinako, is portrayed as a strong woman who resists oppression and asserts her own will.
Silent Hill games often act as both an introspective look at society as well as an examination of character's actions and possible own sins, with both Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill: The Short Message both doing so. How did Japan's history and culture help shape Silent Hill f's story?
Okamoto: Silent Hill f is set in 1960s Japan, a time when oppression against women was stronger than it is today. The history and culture of oppression against women in Japan during that era form the backdrop of this work.
In this game, players can experience various forms of oppression against women. However, the protagonist, Hina, is undoubtedly a character who possesses the strength to resist such oppression. Through gameplay, players should be able to feel the courage and strength of women who stand up against oppression.
Hinako is seen using weapons like a naginata and pipe in Silent Hill f footage. How did you decide which weapons to use, and then also work in movesets that feel realistic for a high school girl to be performing?
Okamoto: The iron pipe was a traditional weapon in the series, so it was decided from the start. For other weapons, the development studio NeoBards Entertainment designed them to ensure combat actions had rich variety. Especially in the Otherworld, we prioritized fun over realism, allowing weapons like the Naginata to be used. NeoBards Entertainment is a team with extensive experience developing action games, so we could confidently entrust them with the full experience.
Crimson Spider Lilies appear frequently throughout Silent Hill f. While I'm sure these will also act as a sort of symbolism, how did you also weave the color schemes and design elements of it into other parts of the game?
Okamoto: This work was designed around the concept of "find the beauty in terror," incorporating floral motifs extensively to symbolize beauty. Due to the large user response to the floral motifs shown in the teaser trailer which debuted in 2022, we increased the amount of floral elements throughout the game. The development team has carefully listened to user feedback throughout development of this title.
In some of the early Silent Hill f art, we've seen a yokai that resembles a rokurokubi. How did you determine which kinds of yokai would be well-suited for a Silent Hill game, and is there any particular one you felt really needed to be present?
Okamoto: There are illustrated scrolls which appear in the game that feature traditional Japanese yokai. However, all monsters/enemies that appear in this game are linked to Hinako's trauma and inner conflicts, with designs that relate to the overall story.
In some Silent Hill games, such as Downpour, we also saw additional quests we could take on in the towns. Will Hinako be able to take on additional quests in Silent Hill f?
Okamoto: The ending is the same throughout the first playthrough, but subsequent playthroughs branch into multiple different endings. Designed for repeated play, later playthroughs introduce new explorable areas and new bosses.
Will Silent Hill f continue the tradition of offering multiple endings?
Okamoto: Silent Hill f includes a total of 5 endings, including the series' signature UFO ending. The ending is the same throughout the first playthrough, but in subsequent playthroughs, it is possible to reach multiple different endings. From the second playthrough onwards, the story changes depending on Hinako's actions and choices, leading to different bosses and story developments in the final ending.
Silent Hill f is available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC worldwide.
The post Interview: Silent Hill f Inspirations and Designs appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 3:50 PM
The ROG Xbox Ally finally has a price tag, which is $600 for the base, and $999 for the "X" variant, giving us the chance to properly pit it against competitors and determine which one is worth your hard-earned, inflated bucks.
The Steam Deck is the leading PC handheld at the moment, being Valve's massively successful hardware product after a series of trials and errors, though its cheap price comes at the cost of performance.
So, being the hottest two PC handheld consoles at the moment, we've decided to compare them directly, both on hardware, software, potential, and, naturally, their price-to-performance ratios.
Should you buy the Steam Deck or the ROG Xbox Ally?
Firstly, we will have to take a good, hard look at each of the handhelds' components and see how well games run on them. We will use PC equivalents to gauge the performance, as well as dedicated Steam Deck and ROG Ally benchmarks for this segment. Secondly, we'll analyze their operating systems, game libraries, and what you could get running on them, even if not by default.
Lastly, we'll compare prices, how they reflect the above, and whether or not you should dish out the dosh for any of these handheld systems.
The components and performance
The following table contains each of the devices' components, which are the most important bits of any given machine.
The base ROG Xbox Ally is strikingly similar to the Steam Deck OLED 512GB. I chose this one in particular since it fit the price range well and is internally the most competitive for the sake of this comparison, which doesn't remove the fact that a $320 Steam Deck LCD exists, but it's generally weaker with a worse screen, APU, GPU, and other internals.
Both the base ROG Xbox Ally and the Steam Deck OLED carry 16GB of specialized DDR5 RAM, the former having the somewhat more performant LPDDR5X variant. Both carry an AMD APU with RDNA 2-based graphics, though Valve does not go into the specifics of its CPU and GPU models. The ROG Xbox Ally features the Zen 4-based Ryzen Z2, whereas the Steam DECK is stuck with an older architecture, carrying a Zen 2-based APU instead.
This makes the ROG Xbox Ally fresher, newer, and likely more performant in modern titles, given that support for this architecture is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
When it comes to the screen, the ROG has a standard 1080p resolution and a 7-inch screen size, with a 120Hz refresh rate that should make any gaming experience very smooth and HD due to the high pixel density on such a small screen.
Steam Deck, on the other hand, has a low 1280x800 resolution, which does help with performance but looks nowhere near as good. It does have an HDR-capable OLED screen, which is as good as it gets, but the 90Hz refresh rate also won't feel as smooth as what the ROG offers.
But the one handheld that stands out the most here is the ROG Xbox Ally X, the thousand-dollar option that has all the bells and whistles of a modern PC machine. With a great APU, a newer RDNA 3.5-based GPU, and 24 gigs of RAM, the Ally X edges out both of the other consoles by a wide margin.
These high-powered internals will reflect on battery life, which is bound to drain much quicker on both the ROG Xbox handhelds, while the Steam Deck should cruise smoothly at low temperatures and a lower power draw.
In most games, both the ROG Xbox Ally variants will probably win over the Steam Deck OLED, but I wouldn't bet on the first one doing so all the time. It's 50 bucks more expensive and has much newer components, but shouldn't have a dramatically bigger performance, given both it and the Steam Deck have an RDNA 2 GPU integrated.
We'll have to wait for a full release to see benchmark numbers, but I feel like it's safe to say that the ROG Xbox Ally is the clear winner in the performance category, since it's literally years ahead in its APU architecture and other internals.
Operating systems, game libraries, and potential
Both ROG Xbox Ally variants run a homebrew Xbox OS based on the Windows 11 Home edition. This OS eliminates many features of the desktop Windows experience to improve battery life, reduce background processes, and overall help the handheld achieve better performance. This OS fork is currently exclusive to the ROG Xbox Ally but is going to be released to the wider public at some point in the future.
Steam Deck OLED runs Valve's Arch Linux fork, SteamOS, which is a custom-built operating system tailor-made for gaming, especially on Steam itself. Valve develops and maintains the OS and manually certifies games for the Steam Deck, which now largely feature a "Steam Deck" graphics setting within their options menu. Based on Arch Linux, it draws next to no power, has minimal background processes, and is almost the perfect way to game without being bogged down by your OS.
However, there are pros and cons to the SteamOS, precisely because it is based on Linux. Windows 11 is the default OS for most home computing devices nowadays, and installing any app, Steam included, onto it is pretty straightforward. To expand your domain beyond Linux, you'd have to install Windows on the Steam Deck on your own, which isn't guaranteed to work well out of the box, requiring further tinkering to be done correctly.
Meanwhile, the ROG Xbox Ally can and will run any Windows app, and you can do with the system whatever you please, with a dedicated button taking you to the regular Windows desktop in an instant.
The Steam Deck is also pretty much bound to Steam, with Game Pass only available via streaming, which drains battery life and has tremendous input lag and quality issues. The ROG Xbox Ally has the Xbox app, so natively running Game Pass is no biggie, and likely even intended.
What's more, the ROG Xbox Ally can run Steam and Steam games, though without Steam Deck verification, which shouldn't be an issue, especially for Xbox Ally X users who will be able to run most games at satisfying performance with upscaling.
Thus, the Xbox Ally gives you the best of both worlds, trading in custom-made stuff for extra freedom and power.
Price, worth, and conclusion
The ROG Xbox Ally is a $599 machine, its big brother a $999 option, while the Steam Deck OLED sits at $549. All three are capable machines that'd offer you a tremendous amount of customization, freedom, and on-the-go gaming, no matter the genre. However, being so close in price, and with similar if not better internals, the base ROG Xbox Ally is an enticing offer over the Steam Deck OLED, while the Ally X remains out of reach as way too expensive.
Though it will offer a lot more than the base version in terms of raw performance, the screen remains the same, and so do many other things, which are not worth the extra $400 in my opinion.
If you are a fan of Valve and how they've been handling (pun intended) the Steam Deck, its SteamOS (which can also be installed on the Ally), and the store all of this is named after, then sticking to your guns won't hurt you all too much.
After all, the Steam Deck is a capable machine, has Valve itself verifying games' performance on it, and an OS that's as fast as they come.
Is it worth $549? Probably, but compared to the ROG Xbox Ally, it should reduce its price to $499 due to its more aged components. That should put it ahead of the Xbox Ally as the better option, but right now, with these prices, I would choose the base ROG Xbox Ally personally, since you can do whatever you want with the thing, including installing SteamOS and doing as Valve does.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 3:29 PM
FC 26's Manager career has been given a solid revamp, and you take a club of your choice to new heights.
With so many licensed leagues and teams, there is no shortage of options. While Live Events are fun, I am a bigger fan of the old-school system. Whether you're a beginner looking for something easy or a veteran willing to test yourself out, we have you covered.
10 best Manager career saves in FC 26
Ultimately, I have gone for saves that will be fun and have something for you to enjoy through multiple seasons.
Here are a few more recommendations if you only care about building the best squads and winning as many games as possible.
These teams offer stacked squads and huge transfer budgets to improve your lineups further.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 3:23 PM
EA, a gaming superpower that has reigned supreme over various genres for decades, could be going private as it is reportedly negotiating a $50 billion deal with the Saudi Arabian Private Investment Fund (PIF) and American private equity investment firm Silver Lake.
As per the Wall Street Journal, "a group of investors including private equity firm Silver Lake and Saudi Arabia's Private Investment Fund could unveil a deal for the publisher as soon as next week." The price is yet to be determined, but sources told WSJ that EA's value could reach as high as $50 billion. If the deal does go through, it'll be the biggest "leveraged buyout deal" in history, eclipsing the acquisition of energy company TXU, which was purchased for 32 billion dollars, also by a group of private equity firms.
This would also mark yet another major investment coming out of Saudi Arabia's Private Investment Fund (PIF), which is directly controlled by Mohammed bin Salman, the prime minister, Crown Prince, heir apparent, and de facto leader of Saudi Arabia. Video games are just one of the industries the PIF has been targeting, with deals with Ubisoft and other major corporations in the industry, as well as organizations like the Esports World Cup, which was recently held in the country.
The PIF is the subject of much controversy worldwide, mostly due to reports of Saudi Arabia's human rights violations, absolute rule, public executions, and other controversies, both domestic and international.
EA has dominated much of the gaming market over the past couple of decades, especially holding a tight grip on sports and racing games, the former generating billions in revenue each year. It also has a wide array of popular franchises under direct control, including FC (formerly FIFA), Battlefield, Need for Speed, Madden NFL, Mass Effect, Dead Space, Dragon Age, and Skate. EA holds video game licenses for big media franchises as well, such as Star Wars.
EA's market cap is around $48 billion as of writing this article, with its share prices jumping 15 points today, likely reflecting these recent developments, as well as EA's successful release of Skate and the Battlefield 6 beta, the latter being one of the most anticipated first-person shooters ever.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 2:39 PM
The World Tour England '66 Challenge SBC allows you to exchange your fodder in FC 26 Ultimate Team to try to earn new rewards.
The latest SBC sticks close to the theme of Season 1. You might not get a guaranteed promo item by completing the challenge, but you still get bonus packs. This guide will ease the process if you get stuck while completing the challenge.
Table of contents
FC 26 World Tour England '66 Challenge SBC tasks
The World Tour England '66 Challenge SBC has only one task, and here are its requirements.
World Tour England '66 Challenge SBC
The tricky aspect is related to the squad chemistry since you have to hit the mark of 25 to complete the task.
FC 26 World Tour England '66 Challenge SBC solutions
The primary aim is to use cards already available in your Ultimate Team inventory. However, you can use the following solution if you get stuck.
The SBC gets you a Rare Mixed Players Pack. The pack contains 12 player items: four Bronze, four Silver, and four Gold. One of the 12 items is guaranteed to be rated 81 or higher, and there's a chance of getting either a promo item or a walkout.
Ensure to complete the challenge before it expires after the next three days from the time of writing (on Sept. 26).
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 2:26 PM
Fortnite Delulu is back this weekend for one last run of chaotic proximity chat matches before Epic Games removes the mode once again. Delulu became a popular experience that was constantly featured in the top 10 most played, but it was always meant to have a limited run and eventually go offline.
When Epic announced Fortnite Delulu, it said the mode would first go offline on Sept. 22 and return on Sept. 26. Now that the mode is live, we know it will be shut down once again, and for an indefinite amount of time, on Monday, Sept. 29, at 8am CT. That means you have the entire weekend to enjoy the mode, if you like its spontaneous squad building and unpredictable voice chat interactions.
Why was Fortnite Delulu taken down?
Fortnite Delulu was removed because it's always been a temporary game mode. Epic rarely launches permanent game modes without testing them first for a limited time, so this round of Delulu is probably part of the devs seeing how much players enjoy the mode and if they're interacting in a positive way.
Will Fortnite Delulu ever return?
It's unclear if Epic Games will ever bring Fortnite Delulu back. Still, the developers usually bring back popular game modes with improvements if they're largely successful as limited-time game modes, which happened to Fortnite OG.
Epic Games has reasons to both bring back Fortnite Delulu and to keep it locked in a cage forever. It is a fun and popular game mode that, when used positively by the community, has a one-of-a-kind battle royale social and role-playing experience. But we're talking about the internet, so reports of players being harassed and called slurs in proximity chat are also easy to find.
In my point of view, Fortnite Delulu will only come back if Epic sees that players are using it for fun and creative purposes, not as a way to disturb others. And that's not because it cares about player experience, but imagine how many player reports it would have to deal with if every single Delulu match had several abuse reports? It's probably easier to vault the mode forever than to use moderation resources to keep it alive.
If Fortnite Delulu ever comes back, it's hard to predict when. Zero Build became a permanent game mode right after it was tested in 2022, while Fortnite OG took about a year to become a standalone playlist. Fortnite Reload, for instance, was announced neither as a permanent nor a temporary game mode when it launched, but it stayed in the game due to its popularity. So, anything can happen to Delulu.
Epic would probably work on improving how players interact in Delulu to avoid toxic behavior from bad actors while making other tweaks to the general flow of the game.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 2:13 PM
The Cornerstones Exhibitions objective introduces a fun event for all FC 26 players. You can earn the Arnau Martinez Cornerstones card free of cost.
You can play the exhibition mode for some fun and win rewards along the way. There are some restrictions related to the squad you can run, but they cater to the casual side. The rewards are hardly anything but casual, so let's look at what's on offer.
Table of contents
Complete FC 26 Cornerstones Exhibitions objective guide
There are six tasks to complete in the Cornerstones Exhibitions objective. However, you have to complete any four of the six tasks. EA Sports has ensured that the complete objective set can be achieved if you simply play out the required number of games to make matters easier.
How to get the Arnau Martinez Cornerstones item
The Martinez Cornerstones card is available when you complete the objective. Just complete any four tasks from the six mentioned in the table, and you'll get Martinez for free. The stats on the card look pretty good in terms of stats and playstyles. He can also play in different positions as a bonus and offers extra chemistry as part of his promo theme.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 2:01 PM
If you can spare coins, the Complete Connection Evolution is an excellent upgrade in FC 26 Ultimate Team.
Available for 15,000 coins, the evolution allows you to upgrade one of your CMs with new playstyles and stat upgrades. Your selected card can also raise to an overall rating of 84, which is decent at the start of this cycle.
This guide will help you determine the best choices if you proceed with the evolution.
Table of contents
FC 26 Complete Connection Evolution requirements
Here are the requirements of the Complete Connection Evolution in FC 26.
FC 26 Complete Connection Evolution upgrades
The evolution has three levels of upgrades, and there are certain conditions to fulfil.
Level 1 upgrades
Level 2 upgrades
Level 3 upgrades
Level 1 upgrade requirements
Level 2 upgrade requirements
Level 3 upgrade requirements
Best players to use in Complete Connection Evolution
Here are some of my best recommendations for inclusion in the evolution.
While the upgrades are minor, you can include these cards in future evolutions to create a chain and upgrade their stats further.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 1:21 PM
The never-ending, exhausting, annoying arguments between controller users and mouse-and-keyboard players in Call of Duty have officially been ended. Kind of.
Treyarch design director on the upcoming Black Ops 7, Matt Scronce, attempted to throw water on the incessant fire that pops up every single year in CoD in a recent interview with CharlieIntel. I give him credit because it won't end any complaints or debates, but he cited some data that may be of interest to gamers.
Ever since the introduction of crossplay, where players on a controller are consistently going up against players on PC with MnK, the debate has been one of many discussed by the community, especially when it comes to content creators raging after they die in a game like Warzone.
When asked about how controller players perform vs. MnK players, Scronce said that it's likely closer and more even than a lot of players would like to admit to themselves when it comes to the unending struggle of trying to balance a yearly title.
"So, I was just always looking at data, to be honest," Scronce told CharlieIntel and Dexerto. "Like, maybe that's something I can give you some harder numbers on. But in multiplayer, we see damn near fifty-fifty win-loss rate between controllers and KBM. Like, it's very, very close."
This kind of number doesn't shock me. Although he did not go into specifics, Scronce is basically saying "just play the game and deal with it." And really, what other choice do players have? Either use your preferred input and deal with some inconsistencies, or don't.
"Now that gets a little different when you get at longer ranges," he further explained. "And it depends on what weapons you use. Like, a controller player with a shotgun in close range is gonna win a bit more often than a KBM player. But a KBM player at long range with a sniper, they're gonna win a bit more often, but it's way closer than I think the community thinks. It's damn near fifty-fifty in multiplayer."
So, there you have it. There's no clear winner when it comes to inputs, according to Treyarch, so use what suits you best, maybe turn off crossplay if you're on console, and stay calm. Or rage every time you die. That's up to you.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 1:03 PM
The Fragile challenge is one of the hardest to complete in Megabonk, and the applicable modifier can be a big test for anyone.
The Fragile challenge dramatically reduces your tools for survival. Simply put, you won't be able to take any damage, and you'll have to be on your toes. Thankfully, this challenge is easier to complete than you might imagine.
Table of contents
Best character for the Fragile challenge in Megabonk
The key is to use characters that either do a lot of damage quckly or are extremely tanky.
CL4NK is already pretty strong in the current meta, but reaches a new level in this particular challenge. His passive allows you to consistently raise his crit, which automatically translates into more damage as you approach the midgame and endgame. Pair him with the Revolver for best results, but focus on improving his movement speed.
You must keep your distance to complete the Fragile challenge, as you can't let an enemy touch you. That's why my choice for this challenge is CL4NK.
Best weapons and tomes for Fragile challenge in Megabonk
Given the precarious situation (you die if the enemy touches you or does a single bit of damage), you must be precise while selecting your weapons and tomes.
Here are my best choices when it comes to tomes.
Ultimately, the aim is to move on the map and reposition yourself smartly. Don't let enemies get too close, as you can't afford a single hit.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 12:50 PM
After Bungie region-locked Destiny 2 and blocked access to it in certain territories, Valve has begun issuing refunds to affected players, regardless of whether they fall within the usual parameters or have thousands of hours in the game.
According to various reports on the Destiny subreddits and other social media, some players have suddenly started receiving the TAPIR error code when trying to log into the game, usually indicating that servers are offline or undergoing maintenance. However, the error persists, reportedly first starting to appear to users in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan on Sept. 17.
After days of asking the devs to clarify the issue, Bungie's staff replied with the same message every time: "Destiny services are not available where access is restricted by law," PCGamesN wrote. In the meantime, those affected have been petitioning Steam Support to issue refunds to them, given that their access to the game has been blocked, seemingly out of the blue.
To the amazement of everyone, Valve's cooperating. Though it has pretty strict refund policies that require players to have less than two hours played on any given game, it seems the company has been giving out refunds even to players who have 2,000 hours in the game, essentially circumventing its own rules.
One user wrote that he was given a refund of the game's Year of Prophecy Ultimate Edition, which costs $100. They argued to Steam Support that the game's online service does not function as well as that it "appears to be a shadowban of all CIS-based accounts, without any notice, explanation or anything."
"None of the content I purchased is accessible, and I can't do anything about it except to request a refund," they told Valve, which agreed to grant their refund request.
Not everyone has been as lucky. Some replying to this user said they tried several times to get Valve to issue the refund, but couldn't get past pedantic Support agents who did not wish to turn a blind eye to the platform's stated rules.
Therefore, it seems Valve isn't giving out blanket refunds but rather Steam Support showing sympathy to players negatively affected by this move, which came as a complete surprise.
The CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) is a cooperative organization founded by many members of the former Soviet Union, who maintain good relations and trade. However, Russia's influence over CIS countries has always been strong, given that it's the biggest of them all, and has the largest military and economy.
With Russia's aggression against Ukraine, sentiments toward the country have drastically changed, with many Western companies pulling out of it. Bungie wouldn't be the first to do so, and it could very well be that a new Russian legislature aimed at its adversaries had caused the company to follow many others and cut its services to the region. The company cited law as the reason for restricting access, but the lack of further explanation muddies the waters.
It's unclear what really happened, but it's good to know Valve is helping players out no matter where they come from, even if it is just a sympathetic support agent.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 12:42 PM
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will be released worldwide on the last day of September, and it could become your favorite game to pick during the Fall season.
I am pretty excited after seeing the trailer and learning about the game. Square Enix will publish the game on every platform you can imagine. But first, let's look at when the game will launch exactly for your region.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles release countdown
The launch schedule of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is slightly different based on whether you will play on PC or console. The countdown below will help you keep track of the PC launch.
The countdown is based on the following timings.
These timings apply only to those who purchase their game from Steam. If you're on a console, there is no simultaneous launch. Instead, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will be available at midnight at your local time.
As a result, you can use the New Zealand trick on Xbox to change your console's date and time to New Zealand and play early. PC users in certain regions will also have to wait longer due to the differences in time zones (compared to the console users from the same region).
While a Digital Deluxe edition is on sale, everyone begins playing simultaneously. Square Enix doesn't include early or advanced access (which is typical for many video game publishers). Being a remake, you can expect plenty of upgrades from what was available on the original 1997 version of the game. The plot and characters might be the same, but better graphics and controller support are just a few of the many key features available in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 12:16 PM
The recent reveal of Pokopia in the latest Nintendo Direct marks an interesting turn for the Pokémon franchise. It finally takes the series into the life-sim genre, emulating some of the success of titles like Minecraft.
Considering the runaway success of titles like Stardew Valley, Minecraft, or even the recent Disney Dreamlight Valley, the market shows players like to relax, and they like to create. Whether it's simply rearranging their farm how they like or creating whole worlds, player agency is on the rise, and Pokémon is in a fantastic place to deliver.
We've only got a very brief glimpse at Pokopia so far, but the idea of living as a silly little Ditto, while bumbling around with Pokémon friends, is so exciting. I look forward to sitting back and wiling away the hours, creating my own little escape, and building terrible buildings.
But the main reason I'm excited about Pokopia has actually nothing to do with Pokémon. Instead, it's actually got everything to do with the team behind Pokopia. As far as we're aware, Pokopia is developed by Koei Tecmo in collaboration with The Pokémon Company.
One of my favorite games is Dragon Quest Builders 2. I know, I was as surprised as you are. Developed by Omega Force, a subsidiary of Koei Tecmo, this title expertly blends many RPG elements with the gorgeous Akira Toriyama-designed world of Dragon Quest to deliver an unforgettable experience.
If you've never heard of it, I highly recommend downloading the demo right now; it's absolutely massive and carries your save over to the main game. Even if you haven't played a Dragon Quest title, DQB2 is full of charm, really smart twists to building mechanics, and a huge story with real emotional beats.
While Minecraft gives you minimal story, Dragon Quest Builders 2 expertly twists its building mechanics around the narrative, while also fitting into the greater Dragon Quest lore. It's genuinely impressive how well DQB2 rolls out the many different building mechanics over its playtime, and the smart addition of new features every chapter engaged me in a way Minecraft never had.
It's not completely confirmed whether Omega Force is behind Pokopia, but Koei Tecmo is definitely responsible, so it's likely the team will either be developing or helping. Either way, there are so many parts of Dragon Quest Builders 2 that I think would be really beneficial for the Pokémon version of Minecraft or Stardew Valley.
One thing Pokopia could do well is introduce farming and simulation gameplay to children. Pokémon is for kids, always has been, and always will be, so it's important for people to remember that. It could end up having deep and creative mechanics, much like Dragon Quest Builders 2, but it could take ample time to explain these clearly for newer gamers. That's great news, and makes this a strong entry point for this genre.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 has a phenomenal hub, where every chapter brings new characters to your island, and you watch it progress. This is where I'm really pumped, because the idea of building up a home base with a growing Pokémon team is so exciting.
I'm excited for Pokopia, because while a Pokémon-farming and building game is already promising, the team behind Builders 2 pushed the genre forward and created a fantastic Minecraft-esque package for hundreds of hours of gameplay. If Pokopia is anywhere near that level of quality, everybody wins.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 12:08 PM
You can't spend eternity just hacking away at Hades 2; sometimes, you will need to relax a little bit as well. Thankfully, the hot spring is there for you and a companion to enjoy when things get tense.
The best thing about bringing someone to the hot springs is that you can have a conversation with them you would not otherwise witness, and get some additional lore about each character, as well as further developing your relationship with them. Given that the strength of the writing and character building is always a core part of Supergiant Games' work, you can bet this will be quite rewarding over time.
Table of contents
How to Romance characters in Hades 2
Dora, Eris, Hecate, Odysseus, Nemesis, Icarus, and Moros can all be brought to the hot springs with you in Hades 2 to begin a romance.
All of the characters need to be somewhat friendly with you before they will just dive in, however. This means you will need to bring them gifts to improve their affection for you. The most prominent gift for many of these characters is simple Nectar, and for most of them the characters, you can just keep bringing them Nectar to unlock the required level of affection to get them in the tub. You can purchase Nectar from the Wretched Broker, or as a reward for clearing areas on your dungeon runs.
Hades 2 Romanceable Characters
There is one more thing that you will need to convince people to get into the springs with you, Bath Salts. To get the Bath Salts, you need to unlock the springs (more on that later), which will get you a single dose of the useful resource. To get more, you can purchase them from the Wretched Broker, who will sell you the Bath Salts for 50 Bones. You can also find them while out and about on your runs, but you will need the Silver Spade to be able to dig them up.
This might seem a little complicated, but you will need to do the following steps:
As you may have guessed, the expectation is that you will get to this later in the game, so don't worry about it all too soon. There is also a very useful way to check how far along you are with your relationship with someone. Play through and fight Hecate three times, and this will give you access to the Book of Shadows. You can then upgrade the book of Shadows using the Empath's Intuition spell that you can learn at the Cauldron near Hecate. Once that is done, the character pages in the book will display the next level of affection for each character, and what they need.
How to unlock the hot springs
If you have yet to unlock the hot springs, it is not that hard to do. First, you will need to do a few runs of the game. After passing enough nights, a recipe will appear at the Cauldron near Hecate called Rite of Vapor-Cleansing. To properly make this spell, you will need 2 Moly, 2 Lotus, and 2 Nightshade, which can be collected by doing various runs through Erebus and Oceanus. The exception to this is Nightshade, which must be grown at the Crossroads.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 10:38 AM
Surprise! The latest handheld PC, by way of an Xbox partnership with Asus, has hit the market, and the price may shock you.
The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally clocks in at $599, while the suped up ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X is now available at a shocking $999. But the price does not seem to be deterring gamers from picking this one up, as it is selling out on multiple retailers.
The Xbox Store sold out quickly—roughly within an hour of launch. But what about the Asus store? Yep, gone there, too. For now, there appears to be some of the base model ROG Xbox Ally still available on Amazon, but that will likely be gone pretty quickly, too.
It appears that Xbox's "everything is an Xbox" strategy is translating to the new handheld, at least for now. I am interested in picking one up myself for the ease of playing other games outside of Steam, but $999 is a really tough price point for most people. But apparently, there are quite a few gaming enthusiasts out there who find the technology worth it.
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally is basically an all-in-one device that's especially handy for Xbox gamers who subscribe to Game Pass. The handheld PC contains all of your games across multiple stores, if you so choose, including Steam, Epic Games Store, and others, including Xbox Play Anywhere titles.
I have not been much of an Xbox gamer in recent years, mostly thanks to the fact that many of those games are also available on PC, so to see Microsoft go this direction now with Asus makes sense. I'm not sure why I'm still surprised that some gamers aren't balking at the price tag, because a thousand bucks is a lot of money, especially these days.
Will you be picking up an ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X? Do you have another handheld PC like the Steam Deck, or are you good with your PC and/or consoles as they are? Let us know in the comments below.
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Destructoid Friday, September 26, 2025 10:28 AM
Megabonk offers a variety of weapons to pick from for players, and using the strongest options will significantly raise your chances of success on a run.
While the number of options is limited initially, you can unlock more as you keep completing different quests. You can use an unlocked weapon with any character and equip multiple of them on the same run. Using strong weapons on the meta is always beneficial, and this tier list will separate the sheep from the wolves.
Table of contents
Complete Megabonk weapon tier list
I have used four different tiers to separate the weapons.
S-tier
A-tier
B-tier
C-tier
If you're confused about how to unlock the weapons at first, we have you covered. Some are easier to unlock, while others take longer.
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