GamersHeroes Monday, October 6, 2025 3:01 PM True to series form, TOUGEN ANKI: Crimson Inferno is taking the steps needed to properly channel the spirit of this worldwide phenomenon. The post TOUGEN ANKI: Crimson Inferno Preview appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, October 6, 2025 1:10 PM Just in time for spooky season, the Matcha Pokemon Poltchageist and Sinistcha will make their way to Niantic's Pokemon GO starting October 21. The post Poltchageist and Sinistcha Coming to Pokemon GO appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, October 6, 2025 12:53 PM Ahead of its upcoming release for PC and consoles October 10, Supermassive Games and Bandai Namco have released the new "Dreams on Paper" trailer for their atmospheric horror title Little Nightmares III. The post Atmospheric Co-Op Adventure Little Nightmares III "Dreams on Paper" Trailer Released appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, October 6, 2025 10:23 AM SEGA is partnering with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the guardian of the Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement, for a multi-year agreement that honors the legacies of both Sonic the Hedgehog and the Olympic brand. The post SEGA X International Olympic Committee Multi-Year Licensing Agreement Revealed appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, October 6, 2025 9:42 AM Gamers Heroes recently spoke with Gumball in Trick-or-Treat Land Creator Adam Lewis Graf about the sheer heart being poured into this upcoming Game Boy Color-era love letter - learn more with our interview. The post Gumball in Trick-or-Treat Land Interview – Adam Lewis Graf Talks Humor, Music Design, and Trade Quests appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 3:57 PM
One of the best deals in gaming ain't so hot anymore The post Your 'WTF Happened?' Guide To All Of Xbox's Game Pass Changes appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 2:35 PM
The director behind Alien and Gladiator is not entertained The post Most Movies Are 'S***' So Ridley Scott Just Goes Back And Watches His Own appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 1:04 PM
Save 34% on the DJI Mic Mini for use with iPhone or Android, designed for creators. The post DJI Mic Mini Transmitter Is Going for Peanuts Just Like Its Size With a Never-Before-Seen Prime Day Discount appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 12:34 PM
Take advantage of this inventory-clearing 33%-off deal and grab this 4.8-star rated Bluetooth speaker while it's just below $200. The post This Marshall Home Speaker Gets the Prime Day Sale Treatment, Now at Its Lowest Price Ever appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 12:31 PM
Sora 2 is getting some more guardrails after an apparent frenzy of copyright infringement The post OpenAI Is Already Backtracking After Flood Of Video Game Slop Including Sam Altman Eating Pikachu appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 12:04 PM
Save as much as 33% when choosing to go with a refurbished model of the original Nintendo Switch. The post Prime Day Turns Nintendo Switch Into a Steal, Excellent Renewed Model Hits Record Low on Amazon appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 11:58 AM
After being ignored by Archbox, Nintendo is pushing for a default ruling The post Nintendo Demands $4.5 Million From Switch Piracy Reddit Mod appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 11:34 AM
Amazon has cut price of its Wi-Fi 6 eero 6+ mesh network routers to as little as $71.25 per node ahead of Prime Day. The post Amazon Clears Out eero WiFi 6 Mesh System (3-Pack) at All-Time Low, Practically Free Per Router appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 11:29 AM
The live show was set to begin its US tour this week The post PlayStation Cancels Most Of Its Concert Series Without Explanation [Update] appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 11:23 AM
Last weekend's beta saw players putting the newest Call of Duty to the test The post <i>Black Ops 7'</i>s Beta Has Players Complaining About Matchmaking And Doors appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 11:04 AM
On October 3, Xbox Series S prices were announced to rise to $400 but Amazon still has them for $71 less than that. The post Someone Forgot to Tell Amazon About the Xbox Series S Price Jump, Gaming Console and Controller Drops to All-Time Low appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 10:57 AM
Apple's most useful gadget for finding lost items. The post Apple Quietly Clears Out Its Final Stock of AirTags, Now Selling at an All‑Time Low on Amazon appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 10:38 AM
Also Battlefield 6 promises 120fps, Ghost of Yotei sales start strong, and more The post Streamer Walks For 14 Years To Reach The Mythical Edge Of <i>Minecraft</i>'s Map appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 10:34 AM
An unheard-of 82% off limited-time deal drops the price of this Intel-powered Windows 11 Pro laptop to just $400. The post This Lenovo 15.6″ Laptop (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Crashes to Nearly Free After 82% Cut, Early Prime Day Exclusive appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 10:04 AM
AI meets Shark expertise. The post Shark Wants to Crush the Competition, Selling Its AI Robot Vacuum at a Loss for Prime Day on Amazon appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 9:55 AM
This LEGO set includes 6 out of the 12 available cars. The post Amazon Drops LEGO Deals Big for Prime Day, Mini F1 Car Toys Now Selling for $3 Each appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 9:46 AM
The Shiny Miraidon and Koraidon distribution is a victim of artificial scarcity The post GameStop's Disastrous Shiny Pokémon Giveaway Somehow Got Even Worse appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 9:36 AM
It's the best WiFi 7 router for most people. The post This TP-Link WiFi 7 Router Is $300 Off, Now Selling for Pennies If You're a Prime Member appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 9:25 AM
Apple's premium over-ear headphones haven't been priced as low as they are right now at $429 since the last Prime Day event. The post Bye-Bye Bose, AirPods Max Are Selling for Peanuts on Amazon Right Now appeared first on Kotaku. |
Kotaku Monday, October 6, 2025 9:14 AM
With few differences from the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods Pro 2 are a far better buy. The post Apple Quietly Offloads the AirPods Pro 2, Now Rushing to Clear Stock to Welcome the Next Gen appeared first on Kotaku. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 3:08 PM Development on Bungie's cursed Marathon revival continues, as a lucky few players are invited to a closed technical test this October. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 2:47 PM As a part of its 17th anniversary celebrations, GOG has released four Crysis games on its DRM-free platform, with a hefty discount to boot. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 12:29 PM Microsoft considered building an Xbox handheld gaming PC in-house using a custom AMD gaming CPU, but didn't proceed, says a new rumor. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 12:28 PM Green Man Gaming is offering a bundle of eight hits, including two solid FPS games, RoboCop Rogue City and Battle Shapers, for just $12. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 12:27 PM The $250 Jinx skin that got a lot of heat from League of Legends fans is coming back as part of an upcoming Arcane anniversary event. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 12:19 PM If you're looking to change the game to match the experience you're after, you may be after 99 Nights admin commands for yourself. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 12:16 PM We benchmark this six-core Zen 5 CPU in games and applications, with both the 65W and 105W TDP, to see if it can beat the Core i5 14600K. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 12:05 PM The new Tempest Rising update upgrades skirmish AI, adds new multiplayer maps, and includes some very welcome ways to select units faster. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 1:32 PM A sequel to the 2021 game, a rating for Aliens Fireteam Elite 2 has appeared, meaning it could launch soon despite not being announced yet. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 11:15 AM This new Intel Panther Lake gaming CPU leak reveals 12 new chips, with the most powerful featuring the new Intel Core Ultra X branding. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 11:01 AM It might have millimeter-precise height adjustment and a digital readout, but this Secretlab Titan Evo chair upgrade isn't essential. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 10:22 AM Redeem all of the new Roblox Uma Racing codes for the latest playtest to earn cash to spend in the game and maybe even some rare Uma. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 10:03 AM Seafarer The Ship Sim launches in early access tomorrow, bringing realistic shipping logistics and ocean emergencies to a PC near you. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 9:00 AM With a new demo inbound, '83 dev Blue Dot Games talks about its place in the mil-sim landscape and why it'll make post-launch content free. |
PCGamesN Monday, October 6, 2025 1:03 PM Kurtjmac's 'Far Lands or Bust' journey is finally over after 14 years, as the Minecraft streamer reaches the very edge of the in-game map. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 6, 2025 2:52 PM  In the late '90s, early 2000s, there were two distinct flavours of aesthetics: boomer shooters, and Y2K girlypop vibes (for the sake of this argument we will ignore every other aesthetic that existed at the time). Boomer shooters like Doom and Wolfenstein were bloody, gory, and had a real "video games are gritty and cool now kind of vibe." Conversely, products aimed at young girls were often glittery, pink, featured leopard print, and were often about love and harmony. Don't Stop, Girlypop! is a game that combines these two vibes, and it is very good (and stressful). |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 6, 2025 1:28 PM  I dunno about you, but I usually dig a big Skyrim mod that threatens to make my number of hours spent padding around Tamriel even more ludicrous. Lordbound is the latest danger to the free time of poor folks like me, having just soft launched after ten years of development spent creating a fresh region bigger than the Dragonborn DLC's Solstheim and filling it with stuff to do. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 6, 2025 12:53 PM  Oh boy. Unfortunately, it's one of those days. You might remember that last week, Dune: Awakening developer Funcom laid off an unspecified number of staff. Yep, that same Dune: Awakening that appeared to be doing pretty well for itself. Go figure! Today, there's more bad news, as it turns out that Metal: Hellsinger studio The Outsiders will be shutting down completely as part of said layoffs at parent company Funcom. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 6, 2025 12:49 PM  Assassin's Creed Mirage's free Valley of Memory DLC, reportedly the product of a partnership between the publishers and the Saudi-backed Savvy Games Group, releases in November. Announced back in August, the free DLC takes players to 9th century AlUla, an ancient oasis city and governorate in Saudi Arabia. Ubisoft's announcement post didn't mention the country by name. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 6, 2025 12:14 PM Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's lead writer had apparently never played a video game before writing it  There is a belief that appears to crop up within the games industry that to work in it, you must be wholly aware of everything in it. You must live, breathe and die by games! That doesn't always result in interesting games though, sometimes it's actually quite useful to have outsiders come in to bring other perspectives. Admittedly that occasionally results in writers from the film industry waltzing in thinking it's a one-to-one transfer, which is admittedly not great. But other times you get Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, whose writer, as it turns out, had not played a single video game in her life before writing it. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 6, 2025 12:05 PM  When Microsoft lit the rocket booster under Game Pass pricing last week, raising the cost of the Ultimate tier in the US by 50%, they neglected to tell you that they'd also scrapped a 10% discount on DLC for Game Pass games, previously available to Ultimate subscribers. Now, when Ultimate subscribers buy DLC, they'll earn extra Microsoft Reward points, which can be traded for things like gift cards. Rather than saving you money, in other words, they're incentivising you to spend more of your cash inside Microsoft's business. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 6, 2025 11:29 AM  Enginefall is as much about fabricating bandages and building hovels as it is about mad locomotive sci-fi, but upon being invited to try out an early build, its concept proved compelling enough to punch through my survival crafting fatigue like a runaway... I dunno, bus. Basically it's a first-person Snowpiecer-em up, where a typical session sees postapocalypse survivors raiding enormous trains, fighting (or joining forces) from tail to tip to usurp the conductor's position and steal precious fuel cores before escaping back to their own private engine. Again, I like the idea. I especially like that Enginefall isn't massively fussed how you deal with other Tailies – alliances, truces, and armed banditry are all permitted and accommodated for. What I played last week, sadly, was awkward, janky, and undercooked, to the point where the one thing more ambitious than the game's railriding concept might be its Q1 2026 release plan. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 6, 2025 10:21 AM  When Sega and Creative Assembly's Alien: Isolation launched in 2014, I was deputy editor at Official Xbox Magazine. I remember getting the review copy from our contributor Alex "Game Over, Man" Dale, and asking him how long the game was. 35-40 hours, he said. WTF, I said. I can't remember how Alex responded - possibly his transmission ended with a jangling scream and a burp of static, or possibly he agreed with me that 35-40 hours is indecently hefty for a horror game, even with the qualification that you can get through the main campaign in around 20. 35-40 hours? That's a farking Final Fantasy, mate! Over 10 years later, we finally know who to blame. Surprise surprise, it was the xenomorph all along. According to Alien Isolation writer Dion Lay, the Gigerbeast's increasing capability during development made certain areas more time-intensive than they were originally supposed to be. There's probably a relevant Alien quote to invoke, here, but I'm going to settle for that Jeff Goldblum line from Jurassic Park. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 6, 2025 9:28 AM  "A Civ-like with neat ideas, but half-formed fundamentals and messy execution make your decisions feel less than impactful," wrote contributor Ian Boudreau in our Millennia review from March 2024. Sounds like the kind of thing updates might fix, but alack, there shall be no more. Paradox have announced that the 4X strategy Civ-like's eighth patch, out now, will be its last. |
Siliconera Monday, October 6, 2025 4:00 PM
Crunchyroll set a US release date for the anime movie Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved. The film will show up on October 20, 2025. Fandango is already selling tickets for showings, which seem to be around $12 for children and about $15 for adults. It will be a one-day event, so that is the only chance for folks to see it in theaters.
The announcement also offered additional elaboration on the film. It continues the story after the second season of the anime, which is also streaming on Crunchyroll. The focus is on Kanna and whether she will choose to stay with Kobayashi, Tohru, and Iruru or return to her father and family Kamun Kamui. At the same time, there's a potential of a possible war between dragons, and the Kobayashi family might be able to help settle it.
Here's the trailer for the Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid movie, which debuted in Japan back in June 2025. The full film will be in Japanese with English subtitles, just like that video.
This is one of multiple Crunchyroll anime movie showings over the next few months. The second is Overlord: A Celebration of the Anime's 10th Anniversary. That airs on November 17, 2025. That will be followed by a Crunchyroll Anime Nights: Secret Sneak on December 15, 2025.
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved will appear in US movie theaters on October 20, 2025. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll and manga is handled by Seven Seas Entertainment.
The post Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Movie Debuts in October appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 6, 2025 3:00 PM
Bandai Namco and Atlus announced there will be Metaphor: ReFantazio keychains of every character, including villains. These are currently showing up on the Japanese Gashapon Online site for 300円 (~$2), which allows someone to pull for them ahead of their eventual release in a few months. They will ship out in February 2026 in Japan. However, the site notes they may appear in physical gashapon machines before that. Bandai Namco also eventually releases them in the US and Canadian storefronts after Japanese launches.
There are 12 characters in the Metaphor: ReFantazio keychain collection, and there are no "secret" ones. So right away, we can see all the styles and know who is available. All of them appear in a chibi style. Each is a rubberized, flat keychain that is about six cm, with a ball chain attached. The site notes the odds of getting each character is fairly even and usually between 8.3% and 8.4%.
Here's the list of every character that appears:
Here's how all 12 will look:
Most recently, we've seen a number of events highlight Metaphor: ReFantazio. Atlus confirmed a Round1 celebration for the game's first anniversary in Burbank, California. It also won an award during the Japan Game Awards 2025 during TGS 2025.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the keychains are on Bandai Namco Gashapon Online now ahead of shipping out in February 2026. They will also eventually appear in the company's capsule machines in Japan and worldwide in the future.
The post Metaphor Re:Fantazio Keychains Feature Every Character appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 6, 2025 2:00 PM
There will be more Ninja Gaiden 4 after playing through the main game, as Team Ninja announced The Two Masters DLC for the game. That add-on will be released in "early" 2026, though there is no exact release date for it yet. While it can be purchased piecemeal after it launches, the $89.99 Deluxe Edition will include it.
There are a few details about what we can expect from Ninja Gaiden 4 The Two Masters DLC too. It is essentially an epilogue and post-game experience. The story will follow both Ryu Hayabusa and new character Yakumo. That means we might get to see how events will affect the Hayabusa and Ravens. There will be a new weapon for each character, which showed up in the key art for the add-on just released. Finally, unspecified post-game challenges will show up.
We already had some other DLC confirmed for Ninja Gaiden 4 ahead of The Two Masters announcement. If you pre-order it, you get a Dark Dragon Descendent costume for Yakumo to wear. (This is just cosmetic.) The Deluxe Edition will also give people a weapon skin set for Yakumo, two Yakumo skins, a Ryu sword skin, and two more Ryu skins.
This is one of the latest updates on the game ahead of launch. Previously, Team Ninja and PlatinumGames discussed some of the difficulty options available.
Ninja Gaiden 4 will come to the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on October 21, 2025, and The Two Masters will show up in 2026.
The post Ninja Gaiden 4 DLC Arrives in 2026 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 6, 2025 1:00 PM
Bandai Namco announced it will offer Ojamajo DoReMi (Magical DoReMi) Sanrio characters crossover plush ahead of Halloween 2025 that features six mascots and heroines from each line in witch costumes. In honor of the season, all outfits are black with other signature color accents, rather than matching theanime and manga outfits. These debut in Japanese arcades on October 9, 2025, and there's no word on when or if they'll appear worldwide.
Here are the pairings for the Ojamajo DoReMi Sanrio characters plush toys. In each case, the stuffed animal of the mascot features a small charm of the matching Magical DoReMi heroine on the chain. Each of the plush is between 10cm and 13cm tall, due to the height of the hats, with Pompompurin being one of the tallest at 13cm.
Here's how the official art and plush for the crossover looks:
While Dear Daniel, Pochacco, and Wish Me Mell all show up in the official art, none of them are part of this new collection and they aren't paired up with any characters from the anime or manga series. Both Pochacco and Wish Me Mell feature black and green outfits that seem like they match the color scheme of Nozomi Waku, while Dear Daniel is the same shade of blue as Cinnamoroll and Aiko.
These aren't the only pieces of Halloween 2025 Sanrio merchandise in Japan, as we already saw other items with characters. There is a full line of items and collection of figures.
The Ojamajo DoReMi Sanrio characters plush of characters in witch costumes for Halloween debut in Japan on October 9, 2025 and, while Magical DoReMi is on DVD, the anime doesn't seem to be streaming outside Japan as of time of writing.
The post Magical DoReMi Sanrio Characters Crossover Arrives for Halloween appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 6, 2025 12:00 PM
We could end up seeing Sonic the Hedgehog tied to the Olympics again, as Sega and the International Olympic Committee announced a new licensing agreement. At the moment, no games are confirmed. Instead, the initial reveal involved three pieces of key art and a notice that Sega and IOC hope to make merchandise based on the events featuring Sonic the Hedgehog characters.
Here are the three pieces of Sonic the Hedgehog Olympics official art so far. One features a silhouette of Sonic snowboarding above the iconic rings. Another features an outline of him in the five colors for the games with the phrase "going for gold" underneath. The last one shows Sonic, Tails, Shadow, Amy Rose, and Knuckles in solid colors above the phrase "Olympic dream."
You can see all three pieces below:
For years, there was a line of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games titles. These are basically sports minigame collections with characters from both series and events based on ones from the Olympics. The first entry came out on the Wii in 2007 and DS in 2008. The last one appeared in 2020. That was the 2019 release on the Switch for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
The next entry is the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, and that will be followed by the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
The post Sega and International Olympic Committee Share Sonic the Hedgehog Partnership appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 6, 2025 11:00 AM
While most of the events in the global version of Umamusume: Pretty Derby are part of the accelerated schedule and already happened in Japan, the free Carats giveaway in honor of cour 2 of the Cinderella Gray anime on Amazon is happening in the Japanese and worldwide versions at once. Once the event ends, everyone will get 3,000 Carats if they log in every day during this promotion.
This started on October 6, 2025, following the debut of episode 14 on October 4, 2025. So until October 13, 2025, people will get 300 free Carats in Umamusume: Pretty Derby because of Cinderella Gray anime. There will be ten new episodes, which will run until December 2025. The last one of season one is expected to air in the US on Amazon on December 20, 2025, and that will be episode 23. We basically get one week for each one to claim the currency.
Aside from this giveaway, there is currently another way to get free Carats currency in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, and that also includes an opportunity to get a free three-star Trainee character. the Tracen Special: Training the Trainer event started on October 2, 2025. Some of the missions for that award Carats, Monies, and points to enhance Support Cards. The reward for completing every mission, which involves going through the Career mode and winning certain races or getting certain skills, is the three-star Guaranteed Make Debut Ticket for a free character. The October 2025 schedule also confirmed the half-year anniversary event is on the way this month.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is available on PCs and mobile devices. The original Umamusume anime is on Crunchyroll, and Cinderella Gray is on Amazon.
The post We Get Free Carats in Umamusume for Cinderella Gray Anime appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 6, 2025 10:00 AM
Nintendo has published a statement on its official corporate social media account, where it addressed rumors of the company lobbying the Japanese government regarding generative AI.
The company had to publish this statement after several rumors spread on social media. These rumors generally claimed that Nintendo was lobbying the Japanese government to protect its IPs from copyright infringements caused by generative AI.
In the same statement, Nintendo also reiterated its intent to deal with any infringement of its IP rights, regardless of whether there are AI-related involvements or not. The latter point means that the company will also actively take down human-made content that infringes on its copyrights.
Nintendo made the statement on its Japanese corporate account not only in Japanese but also in English. The tweets are also available to view right below:
Even before publishing this announcement, Nintendo has been known for issuing takedown notices against unauthorized videos and fan-made PC game mods that feature its copyrights. The company had even filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair for alleged infringements of patents related to the Nintendo Switch-exclusive title Pokemon Legends: Arceus on the latter's multi-platform game Palworld. Pocketpair later released an update patch for Palworld that removed the legally risky features.
The post Nintendo Shared Statement on Generative AI Lobbying Rumors appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 6, 2025 9:00 AM
For a series known for speed, it's amazing that we aren't always guaranteed that the Sonic the Hedgehog racing games are great. (I mean, consider what happened with entries like Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity!) Sega's been doing better in recent years, with Sonic & All-Stars Racing kart racing line being very solid and even Team Sonic Racinghaving its moments. With Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, we get another solid kart racer that feels like it prioritizes offering a wide range of characters and carts.
As a kart racer, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds features the sorts of single and multiplayer modes folks might expect from this type of game. The Grand Prix is best compared to the same one found in Mario Kart entries, with each of the seven Cups consisting of four races, and people able to play alone or in local co-op. Also like Mario Kart, selecting the speed is setting the difficulty. A Rival will appear during these, tasking you with "besting" them. Time Trials are also available, to set records on specific runs. You can also head to the Race Park to complete specific Double Team and Triple Team challenges that help with unlocking stuff. As for multiplayer traditional races, there is the ranked World Match and a more casual online Friend Match. Cross-platform racing is present here, which is appreciated.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds starts with a strong impression. While the first run walls you off from selections, Sega made the decision to ensure everything is just there for you right away. Considering a major focus is being able to choose the character, customize the cart, and choose a loadout of boosts, it's very welcome. Seeing 23 folks right away is handy. Also, while the Season Pass does mean there are about 20 more characters and additional carts, emotes, and tracks, and extras, I appreciate that many of those are crossover ones. So if you don't care about Mega Man, Minecraft, Spongebob, or Pac-Man and are here for the Sonic and Sega/Atlus series characters, it's no big loss.
Once you select who you want to be, selecting what you want to drive comes up. While characters fall into categories like Acceleration, Boost, Handling, Power, and Speed, the vehicle you select also influences your performance. While these also fall into categories, you can also adjust front parts, rear parts, and tires to further influence things. Paint, decals, different horns, and aura can also be added. (Some of these do need to be acquired via tickets, which you can earn.) So this is both about altering what it is like when you race and visual preferences.
There's also the Gadget Plate. You can use this to apply certain buffs or bonuses as you race, with additional slots unlocking as you play. You can equip panels that do things like help with charging, keeps you from dropping items, lets you hold more items, get boost support, and other perks. It can help you compensate for things you feel you do better or worse as you race, or let you lean into your strengths, in a way that doesn't feel like you're making things too easy for yourself. However, the downside is that the playing field doesn't feel as level if someone has six Gadget Plate slots open and someone locally comes up and needs to make do with two. It's a fun concept, but I worry it can make things a little more uneven when you aren't against AI.
Once you're in a race, there are certain elements that set Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds apart from other kart racers. At its core, it involves traditional car-like vehicles going around courses and using drift mechanics and collected items to hamper enemies and help yourself. This is changed up a bit by Travel Ring portals appearing on courses that briefly take you to other locations from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. (Or, if you get DLC, other games.) It changes things up in a way that's typically fun and visually impressive! However, the current leader decides whether you go to a predetermined place or random one, and I wish there was more of an opportunity for others to weigh in or more variety there.
Another downside is that I sort of feel like the opportunities that take us into the sky or through the water don't feel as consistently fun as ones on solid land. These excursions aren't like the airborne segments in Mario Kart that happen for a few seconds. You can be going for a few minutes and it involves a whole different type of skillset and sense of nuance to do well on water or in the air. If they were shorter, I'd think they add to the idea of exploring other levels. But it would really throw me off, even after hours of playing, to suddenly need to adapt to flying through the air or on top of waves.
The Rivals system is the other unique feature in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, and I find someone's mileage may vary when experiencing it. This is a situation in which rubber-banding can hit you hard and you can be exceptionally skilled, but still lose due to that virtual opponent getting "lucky." At least if you can manage to beat the rival, you're also pretty much guaranteed to get first place. The nature of it meant that even if I didn't, I was still far ahead of the other NPC racers in Grand Prix.
Finally, I will say that, while I enjoyed Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, those playing on handheld gaming PCs might need to fiddle with the settings to get it looking and running well. I played on a Lenovo Legion Go and, while it definitely runs fine, the nature of the system and game meant it didn't look as good as it would on a more powerful desktop or laptop. But like Sega said, it is Steam Deck verified and does work well! It just might need a bit of finessing to look as good as possible on your system.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a solid kart racer that I feel I enjoyed as much as recent Sonic & All-Stars Racing games. There's a great selection of characters and tons of vehicle customization options, which are great. The nature of the Rivals and Travel Rings systems also makes it feel different than similar titles such as Mario Kart World. I do worry the Gadget Plate unlocking element might make it a little unfair when playing co-op locally, and some of the water and air racing might not feel as fantastic as the standard racing. It's still quite impressive and leaves a great impression.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is available on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and it will also eventually appear on the Switch 2.
The post Review: Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Is as Enjoyable as All-Stars Racing Transformed appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Monday, October 6, 2025 3:24 PM
The number of Arknights skins in Delta Force continues to rise past the first anniversary mark, and you'll need Ark Force cards to secure a few of them in your collection.
The latest season has also added to the fresh list of available skins, and you'll need plenty of Ark Force cards. You can obtain this item for free, but you can get more if you're willing to spend your in-game resources. This guide will help you make the most of the Ark Force cards in Delta Force.
Table of contents
How to obtain Ark Force cards in Delta Force
There are two main ways to obtain the Ark Force cards in Delta Force.
How to use the Ark Force cards in Delta Force
Once you have obtained the Ark Force Cards, you can then use them to get the Arknights collaboration skins. The Character Skin is the final prize, with its initial odds being set at one percent. However, the chances will go up once you start drawing the other rewards.
The cost in terms of Ark Force cards also goes up the more you draw. You'll have to get 110 Ark Force cards if you want to guarantee yourself all the rewards, including the elusive skin. You can also choose to supplement some of your card supply with real-life cash.
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Destructoid Monday, October 6, 2025 1:56 PM
The Cornerstones Tournament: Qualifier is now live in FC 26, and it can be your latest source of amazing rewards, including a promo card.
We finally have your next live event following the expiry of the Early Access Tournament. The new event is pretty similar in structure, where you'll need to win a certain number of games on a daily basis. Doing so will help you unlock all the available rewards.
FC 26 Cornerstones Tournament: Qualifier guide
The Cornerstones Tournament: Qualifier is the preliminary stage of the Cornerstones Finals. To qualify, you'll have to win the qualifiers at least once. However, there's more at stake if you can max out the available objective set.
If you manage to complete the objective set, you'll also receive the 85-rated Chardonnet Cornerstones item. The CM card has decent stats and playstyles, but lacks in Pace (75). However, you can obtain the card and all the rewards on the table for free.
Make sure to play daily and try to win all the matches to get the rewards. If you fall short, you can always start fresh as long as you have daily attempts. If the daily attempts are over, you'll need to wait for the reset to get more attempts at winning the tournament.
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The post All FC 26 Cornerstones Tournament: Qualifier rewards and tasks appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Monday, October 6, 2025 12:31 PM
Battlefield Studios and EA appear to be highly proactive about Battlefield 6's launch. They have shared plans for the first season, a day-one patch update, and more.
The information was shared with the community as part of the latest comms update on social media. It includes a detailed outlook on the feedback the developers received from the beta. Additionally, the newest blog update gives a brief idea about the first season.
Table of contents
Battlefield 6 launch updates - Menu and Playlist
Based on the feedback from the beta, there will be improvements to playlists and menus.
Battlefield 6 launch playlist rotations
There will be a wide range of playlists for players to choose from.
Battlefield 6 Season 1 release date
Seasons will have more content in Battlefield 6, and everything begins with Rogue Ops on Oct. 28. Here are some of the things to expect as part of the maiden season.
Battlefield 6 day one patch updates
We have received a brief highlight of the day one patch, which will have over 200 updates.
Player
Weapons
Gadgets
Maps and Modes
UI & HUD
Settings
Audio
Network
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The post Battlefield 6 launch update patch notes, Season 1 content, and more appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Monday, October 6, 2025 11:15 AM
Wow. Who would've thought that Call of Duty's heavy-handed skill-based matchmaking was ruining the experience for many players?
Over the weekend, Treyarch revealed the genuinely shocking decision that it was adding a new playlist to the Black Ops 7 beta "where skill is minimally considered." For CoD players, this is about as big an announcement as it gets. The news was met with surprise and a level of excitement I haven't seen in the community in quite some time.
For the past five years or so, CoD players like me have been complaining about how skill-based match making (SBMM) punishes players for performing well, matching players up against unimaginably sweaty competition after having any modicum of success. In theory, this is put in place as a business decision to protect lower skill players and keep them interested in the game, and in turn, spending money. The complaints from the community have become ever louder of late, though, especially after the first few days of the beta, and so Treyarch acted.
I wasn't working over the weekend, but I immediately jumped into the Destructoid chat channels to pass along just how big this news was. And then I tried the Open Moshpit "less SBMM" playlist myself and immediately dropped 46 kills against players of varying skill levels. Since then, I've been giddy to write this piece.
This is good news. In public matches, skill should not be the most determining factor, and having it toned down has changed the feel of the game completely. In several hours of playing the new playlist, I've had a more varied experience than I have in a long time. In some matches I get stomped, but in other matches I do the stomping, and it feels like a crap shoot each time, especially when it comes to the type of players I meet on either team. Most importantly, the connection has been great in each match, and matchmaking times are nearly instant.
This is how it should feel, compared to previous years when I would have a decent match and know immediately that my next round would be against the FaZe B-team. It's been an exhausting few years as a CoD player and writer who has to play it for my job.
I'm not exaggerating when I say the few days of Open Moshpit are the most fun I've had, especially as a solo player, in the last five-plus years of CoD. It needs to stay this way. Rolling things back to the SBMM-heavy sweatfest that we've dealt with for years would kill all hype.
While I and most other CoD players are happy with the results of the changes, it's very frustrating that this is how the series could have felt over the past few years. The oppressive SBMM has been the number one complaint from year to year since 2019's Modern Warfare, and only now does Activision feel that it's okay to tone things down.
"We are excited to see the response to today's Open Moshpit playlist change with classic matchmaking where skill is minimally considered," Treyarch posted on Saturday. "As a reminder, we're always listening to our community. As many of you have noted, we continue to prioritize updates (and why we're making them) based on player feedback. Beta is all about trying things, gathering data, and being a part of the community dialogue."
That dialogue has been in a healthy spot since Saturday. The most vocal players have been flocking to social media to share their positive experiences, whereas in the first few days of the beta, most of what I saw online were complaints about how sweaty everyone's matches were.
To its credit, Treyarch has been lightning-quick at deploying changes based on feedback in this beta, but I can't help but feel like the pressure has been on to finally make the SBMM change this year specifically. It definitely feels like the Battlefield 6-sized elephant in the room, coupled with the mounting anger in the community, has forced this change.
Whatever the actual reason is, I do not care. I just know that CoD hasn't felt this enjoyable in a long time, and it needs to stay this way. I'm scared of what these implications may mean in the grand scheme on Activision's end that may force them to reconsider or change things.
But for now, I'm happy, and that's a feeling that's been scarce for me in this franchise for a while. Let's hope this feeling stays when BO7 drops next month.
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The post All CoD needed to become fun again was fixing the exact thing we've been complaining about for years, and that's infuriating appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Monday, October 6, 2025 10:46 AM
Indie sensation Absolum's release date is close, and it will be available soon on PC and console.
The upcoming Roguelite was one of the most well-received titles at the recent Steam Next Fest. If you're interested in purchasing the full game, you can always test out the demo that's currently available on Steam. This guide will help you stay on top of the upcoming launch with the exact release date.
Table of contents
Absolum release countdown
Unlike the demo, Absolum's full version will be available on both PC and console. Both platforms will have the same launch schedule, and the following countdown will help you track their release.
The countdown is based on the following timings.
As the game is releasing worldwide simultaneously, there is no New Zealand trick to exploit. There's no advanced access, either, so everyone begins playing at the same moment. You can currently wishlist Absolum on your platform.
What to expect from Absolum?
Absolum is a mix of side-scrolling combat action and roguelites. You'll be playing in the world of Talamh, where you're part of a small group of rebels. You'll be able to play as different characters, each with their unique kit and fighting style.
The demo was a blast, and I'm sure the full release will deliver, so stay tuned to this one!
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The post Absolum release countdown: Exact date and time appeared first on Destructoid. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, October 6, 2025 3:57 PM For PC and consoles. The post Marathon October Closed Technical Test Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, October 6, 2025 3:28 PM Announced on BlueSky. The post Metal: Hellsinger Developer The Outsiders Has Officially Shut Down appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
MonsterVine Monday, October 6, 2025 9:00 AM If you had asked me if I ever thought Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter would be a thing in 2012, when I first finished The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, not a chance! I had finished the game, learned there were no plans to release the second chapter in the U.S., and […] |