Dec 26, 18:00

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 5:50 PM The Automatic Pizza Vending Machine In The Detroit Airport: The Kotaku Review       Pizza Cat was there for me in the middle of the night with a somewhat bland but nice and hot pizza pie The post The Automatic Pizza Vending Machine In The Detroit Airport: The <i>Kotaku</i> Review appeared first on Kotaku.

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 5:10 PM Kotaku's Weekend Guide: 5 Great Games We Can't Wait To Get Back To       Fishing trips. punk bands, and BritBox the video game The post <i>Kotaku</i>'s Weekend Guide: 5 Great Games We Can't Wait To Get Back To appeared first on Kotaku.

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 4:28 PM There Are Still Some Surprisingly Good Deals On A Few Killer Switch Games Right Now       Divinity: Original Sin 2 and more are half off The post There Are Still Some Surprisingly Good Deals On A Few Killer Switch Games Right Now appeared first on Kotaku.

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 4:15 PM Every Time Todd Howard Has Talked About Fallout 5       The next Fallout game is likely five or more years away, but that hasn't stopped Bethesda's creative director from chatting about it The post Every Time Todd Howard Has Talked About <i>Fallout 5</i> appeared first on Kotaku.

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 12:52 PM Professor Layton Boss Wants People To Stop Demonizing Generative AI       Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has shared further thoughts on AI after a past interview of his went viral online The post <i>Professor Layton</i> Boss Wants People To Stop Demonizing Generative AI appeared first on Kotaku.

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 12:52 PM A Giant Lord Of The Rings Minas Tirith Lego Set Rumored To Cost Over $600       Where was Gondor when my credit card payment failed? The post A Giant <i>Lord Of The Rings</i> Minas Tirith Lego Set Rumored To Cost Over $600 appeared first on Kotaku.

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 12:16 PM Marathon's Visual Overhaul Has Some Fans Shocked At How Good It Looks While Others Think It's Lost Its Soul       Bungie's extraction shooter looks more polished but less distinct The post <i>Marathon'</i>s Visual Overhaul Has Some Fans Shocked At How Good It Looks While Others Think It's Lost Its Soul appeared first on Kotaku.

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 11:30 AM The 27 Best Games For The Nintendo Switch       From Zelda to Mario , here are our favorite Switch games The post The 27 Best Games For The Nintendo Switch appeared first on Kotaku.

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 11:05 AM Kenneth Shepard's Top 10 Games Of 2025       How many times am I allowed to put 'Running around with Mega Raichu in Pokemon Legends: Z-A' on here? The post Kenneth Shepard's Top 10 Games Of 2025 appeared first on Kotaku.

Kotaku Friday, December 26, 2025 11:05 AM Samsung microSD Card Drops to $0.13 per GB Record Low, Practically Free Storage Upgrade for Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and More       Give your Switch 2 or Steam Deck a massive infusion of storage space and save 40% off the price of the Samsung P9 Express microSD card. The post Samsung microSD Card Drops to $0.13 per GB Record Low, Practically Free Storage Upgrade for Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and More appeared first on Kotaku.

PCGamesN Friday, December 26, 2025 5:00 PM Denmark can't decide if it wants to ban VPNs or not       A proposed bill could see the Danish government ban VPNs from July 2026 onward, which is bad news for anyone who values online privacy.

PCGamesN Friday, December 26, 2025 3:00 PM Pre-order Monster Hunter Stories 3 at 18% off with this exclusive Fanatical discount       Fanatical is offering Monster Hunter Stories 3 Twisted Reflection at a cheaper price than you'll find it anywhere else, with all versions of the upcoming RPG seeing decent discounts.

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Siliconera Friday, December 26, 2025 12:00 PM Siliconera's Switch Game of the Year 2025       It's not dead yet! Though the Switch 2 launched in 2025, the original hardware saw a wealth of compatible releases. (And for those of us here at Siliconera? A system's later releases are often ambitious RPGs and such! We like those.) Check out our Switch Game of the Year 2025 selections below. These awards represent the consensus of the Siliconera staff. Multiplatform games are considered on the platform for which they received the most staff support. For more of the year's award selections, check out our Game of the Year 2025 archive. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy Also a finalist for most game of 2025, The Hundred Line mashes together Danganronpa-style aesthetics and storytelling with a strategy portion that's as much tower defense as SRPG. It knows what its audience wants: challenging, deep battles and choices that let you explore a lot of ways that things can play out. We recommend it, but be prepared: you'll probably cross the, well, hundred line in terms of hours played! Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Much has been discussed of the efforts to remake Final Fantasy VII, but this reimagining of Trails in the Sky is perhaps more successful and building off a more robust and well-crafted original. It takes all the quality-of-life work and 3D experience Falcom has picked up in intervening years and combined it with the most loved world and characters they've ever built. We're looking forward to returning to it in the sequel! Winner: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time The sequel to the 3DS gem was a long time coming, but it finally stopped stealing its own time in 2025. It's inspired by a lot of things, notably Animal Crossing and mobile action-RPGs like Dragalia Lost, but ultimately it's still enough like the original to capture our hearts. Fantasy Life i is the sort of game you can play in a bunch of ways, though it also makes it easy to bounce around between different paths and feel productive. The post Siliconera's Switch Game of the Year 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

Destructoid Friday, December 26, 2025 5:34 PM How to find ARC Performance Steel in ARC Raiders       ARC Performance Steel is one of the hardest items to find in ARC Raiders, as you'll have to take down specific enemies. Unlike most items in ARC Raiders, ARC Performance Steel can't be obtained from looting containers or other areas. Instead, you can only obtain the item after taking down certain ARC enemies that you can come across on any map. This guide will help you pinpoint which ARCs you should take down to gain ARC Performance Steel. Best way to get ARC Performance Steel in ARC Raiders To find ARC Performance Steel, you'll need to take down any of the following ARCs. Leaper Bastion Bombardier The Queen Matriarch ARC Probes Barring the last one, all five ARCs mentioned on the list are dangerous enemies that you should be extremely careful about. Here's where you can find these heavy ARCs. Leaper A Leaper leaping in the air. Screenshot via Embark Dam Battlegrounds: Water Treatment, Red Lakes Balcony, Red Lakes Buried City: Buried Properties, Plaza Rosa Spaceport: Launch Towers, Arrival and Departure Buildings Blue Gate: Warehouse Complex, Ruined Homestead, Trapper's Glade Bastion Image via Embark Studios Dam Battlegrounds: Hydrophonic Complex Buried City: Market Ruins, Library, Piazza Arbusto Spaceport: Arrival and Departure Buildings, Container Storage, Fuel Lines Blue Gate: Checkpoint, Outer Gates Bombardier Dam Battlegrounds: Water Treatment, Primary Facility Buried City: Marano Park, Main Street Spaceport: Vehicle Maintenance, Arrival Building, South Trench Tower, Container Storage Blue Gate: Ruined Homestead, Trapper's Glade, Raider's Refuge The Queen Dam Battlegrounds: Red Lakes Spaceport: Staff Parking Blue Gate: Middle of Checkpoint and Trapper's Glade Matriarch Image via Embark Dam Battlegrounds: The Breach Spaceport: Launch Towers Blue Gate: Headhouse The Queen and Matriarch will only spawn under specific map conditions. While the Matriarch has its own special map condition, The Queen only spawns during a Harvester map condition. The rest of the ARCs can spawn in areas that aren't mentioned here. However, I have listed the spots where I have almost always encountered them on raids. Taking them down will almost guarantee an ARC Performance Steel. Screenshot by Destructoid If you don't want to take the risks, you can always try your luck with ARC Probes. You'll occasionally come across them during raids. However, opening an ARC Probe doesn't guarantee you a Performance Steel, so you might need to find several of them. The post How to find ARC Performance Steel in ARC Raiders appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Friday, December 26, 2025 2:41 PM Can an 'upgraded' Marathon survive in a post-ARC Raiders world?       Marathon is shaping up well. After tons of controversies and less-than-stellar moments, including accusations of plagiarism and all the things happening on a corporate level at Bungie, the game genuinely is starting to look good. But are these "upgrades" enough to save it now that ARC Raiders is utterly dominating the scene? Bungie recently shared new images of how Marathon looks compared to its previous alpha tests. New lighting, depth, and graphics certainly upgraded the overall vibes of the game, which went from bland to quite realistic and, dare I say, visually striking. The art direction continues to evolve, with Marathon now having one of the most distinct and flashy art styles, inspired no doubt by cyberpunk and neon-esque movements. https://twitter.com/MarathonTheGame/status/2003888405449503173 When directly compared to what the game used to be, the progress is more than evident. Hell, it even looks like an entirely new game. Alpha testers also report how the gameplay has evolved and improved as well, with Marathon now being in a much better spot both artistically and gameplay-wise than it was before. It's evident Bungie is putting in the effort to mold Marathon into a worthwhile experience, one that'd justify the $40 price tag. Controversies and issues behind the scenes continue to happen, however. Joseph Cross, Marathon's art director, departed from the company just a week prior to this article, while a copyright infringement lawsuit looms over the game. It's definitely an example of development hell, which is likely exacerbated by the otherwise incredible success of ARC Raiders, Marathon's biggest competitor. And that brings me to my point: Can Marathon, even with these flashy new improvements, survive in a market already more than dominated by ARC Raiders? The latter has won several awards already, received critical acclaim across the board, and is the third most-played game by concurrent players on Steam at the time of writing. To call it a juggernaut would be an understatement, as it has apparently given the entire extraction shooter market something to play. ARC Raiders is as close to the perfect extraction shooter as it can be, and only stands to get better throughout its live-service life. Image via Embark Studios No other game in the genre has even gotten close, making the situation even more dire for potential newcomers, including those that had already accrued some bad rep like Marathon. Escape from Tarkov had some 50,000 players upon its Steam launch, merely a fraction of Embark Studios' game, which is no doubt the result of both bad rep and how most of its players use a separate launcher instead of Steam. Marathon would have to be above and beyond just a "good" game on launch. It'd have to overdeliver and surprise everyone who lays hands on it. At least it'd have to be different enough from ARC Raiders to share a genre but not the experience, providing players with something that cannot be found elsewhere. However, from everything we've seen of Marathon's development, I don't think its future looks so bright. Sure, Bungie is going overdrive into developing it and is actively listening to feedback and making major improvements. But at the same price point as ARC Raiders, and the relatively same genre, I feel nothing will save it from certain doom and a live-service crash. It may find a niche audience that prefers it over other stuff on the market, and that may very well allow it to live long enough to be patched into perfection. But I'd believe in that hypothetical much more if ARC Raiders wasn't already here. It doesn't get much better than it, and something tells me Marathon won't be, either. The post Can an 'upgraded' Marathon survive in a post-ARC Raiders world? appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Friday, December 26, 2025 2:28 PM All FC 26 Winter Wildcards Exhibition rewards and tasks       The Winter Wildcards Exhibition objective has arrived in FC 26 Ultimate Team, and there are some fantastic rewards to win. If you complete the full set, you can get yourself guaranteed Winter Wildcards players, packs, and more. This guide includes all the information you're going to need to obtain every possible reward from the objective set. Complete FC 26 Winter Wildcards Exhibition guide The Winter Wildcards Exhibition objective includes nine tasks to complete. The table below has information about what you need to do to complete them, along with the rewards. Task How to Complete Rewards Play 2 Play 2 matches in the Winter Wildcards Exhibition 2 82+ Rare Gold Players Pack Play 5 Play 5 matches in the Winter Wildcards Exhibition 3 81+ Rare Gold Players Pack Score 1 in 3 separate matches Score 1 in 3 separate matches in the Winter Wildcards Exhibition Evo Unlock Score 1 in 5 separate matches Score 1 in 5 separate matches in the Winter Wildcards Exhibition Evo Unlock Assist 1 in 6 separate matches Assist 1 goal in 6 separate matches in the Winter Wildcards Exhibition 3 82+ Rare Gold Players Pack Win 3 Win 3 matches in the Winter Wildcards Exhibition 85-89 Rare Gold Players Pack Score 1 in 8 separate matches Score 1 in 8 separate matches in the Winter Wildcards Exhibition Evo Unlock Score 1 in 10 separate matches Score 1 in 10 separate matches in the Winter Wildcards Exhibition 4 84+ Rare Gold Players Pack Win 5 Win 5 matches in the Winter Wildcards Exhibition 3 83+ Rare Gold Players Pack Completing the whole set unlocks the 87-rated Serge Gnabry Winter Wildcards item. The card can play in multiple positions and offers decent stats, playstyles, and roles. Hence, make sure to complete all the tasks before the objective set expires next week. The post All FC 26 Winter Wildcards Exhibition rewards and tasks appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Friday, December 26, 2025 1:54 PM FC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 3 SBC tasks and solutions       The Winter Wildcards Challenge 3 SBC is the latest puzzle challenge to complete in FC 26, and doing so will reward you with free cards. As always, you can use lower-rated items from your Ultimate Team and recycle them using the SBC. The pack you obtain can even include walkouts/promo cards if you're lucky. This guide will help you complete the challenge without any hassle. Table of contents FC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 3 SBC task FC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 3 SBC solution FC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 3 SBC task The Winter Wildcards Challenge 3 SBC has one task, and here are the requirements. Winter Wildcards Challenge 3 SBC Min. Nationalities in Squad: 3 Max. Clubs in Squad: 3 Min. 5 Players: Gold Min. 2 Players: Rare Player quality: Min. Silver Min. Squad Total Chemistry Points: 26 The requirements are relatively simple, and you can use Silver and Gold players to construct the squad. The chemistry requirement of 26 is slightly tricky to manage, but I have also added a solution for you to use. FC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 3 SBC solution The primary aim is to use cards that are already available in your Ultimate Team inventory. However, you can use the following solution to complete the SBC. Raquel Morcillo LW 72 Adams ST 73 Patten 75 Vobian CM 77 Osterhage CM 75 Eggestein CDM 75 Kike Salas LB 75 Schneider 67 Isa Alvarez CB 70 Treu RB 74 Dubel GK 66 Completing the challenge will unlock a tradeable Prime Mixed Players Pack. This pack includes four of Bronze, Silver, and Gold players each, with six guaranteed to be Rare. All cards that you obtain can also be sold on the market. Hence, complete the challenge before it expires from Ultimate Team. The post FC 26 Winter Wildcards Challenge 3 SBC tasks and solutions appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Friday, December 26, 2025 1:30 PM Best players for FC 26 Winter Wall Evolution       The Winter Wall Evolution has been released in FC 26, and you can use it to improve a card of your choice. The latest evolution includes some massive upgrades for your selected card. The upgrades include stat boosts, new roles, and fresh playstyle+. Let's look at the best options based on the requirements and the offered upgrades. Table of contents FC 26 Winter Wall Evolution requirements FC 26 Winter Wall Evolution upgrades Best players to use in Winter Wall Evolution FC 26 Winter Wall Evolution requirements Here are the requirements of Winter Wall Evolution in FC 26. Overall: Max 86 Pace: Max 89 PlayStyle: Max 10 PlayStyle+: Max 1 Not Rarity: World Tour Silver Stars Position: CB FC 26 Winter Wall Evolution upgrades The evolution has five levels of upgrades, each with certain conditions to fulfill. Level 1 upgrades Overall: +10|88 Pace: +10|84 Strength: +25|88 PlayStyles: Aerial Fortress|7 Level 2 upgrades Jumping: +25|88 Reactions: +20|86 Short Passing: +20|80 PlayStyles+: Aerial Fortress|1 Roles: Defender++ Level 3 upgrades Aggression: +20|87 Slide Tackle: +25|86 Stamina: +20|86 PlayStyles: Intercept|7 Roles: Stopper++ Level 4 upgrades Interceptions: +20|86 Composure: +20|86 PlayStyles: Bruiser, Block|7 Level 5 upgrades Heading Acc.: +25|89 Def. Aware: +20|87 Stand Tackle: +25|87 PlayStyles: Slide Tackle|7 Level 1 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in Squad Battles on min Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO player in game. Level 2 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game. Level 3 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in Squad Battles on min Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO player in game. Level 4 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game. Level 5 upgrade requirements Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game. Best players to use in Winter Wall Evolution Here are some of my best recommendations for inclusion in the evolution. Eric Dier Winter Wildcards Alexsandro Joga Bonito Boungiourno Winter Wildcards Ledley King Base Hero Wendie Renard Cornerstones Lenny Yoro Ratings Reload Tapsoba Thunderstruck Di Lorenzo Captains Malik Thiaw TOTW The upgrades on offer are significant, so make sure to use the best choices possible in terms of stats, roles, and playstyles. The post Best players for FC 26 Winter Wall Evolution appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Friday, December 26, 2025 11:11 AM How to Get Prismatic Pickaxe in The Forge – Mosasaursit       Finding the Prismatic Pickaxe in The Forge on Frostpire Expanse Island 3 is the equivalent of the Arcane Pickaxe for Island 1 or Demonic Pickaxe for Island 2. To get it you'll need to go to the frozen lake near the town area on Island 3 and jump into the hole. I'll show you how to get the Prismatic Pickaxe in The Forge step-by-step. How to Find Mosasaursit and Prismatic Pickaxe in The Forge The Prismatic Pickaxe is just behind the ice wall where you get Mosasaursit You get both Mosasaursit and Prismatic Pickaxe in the same spot in The Forge which is on Island 3 Frostpire Expanse beneath the Frozen Lake which you enter via a little hole. Here are all the steps to do it: Bring the Snow Pickaxe ($750.000 at the Pickaxe Shop) or any Pickaxe with a mining strength of over 320. Follow our picture and video guide above to reach the Frozen Lake. Jump into the little fishing hole on the lake. Keep swimming down until you reach the bottom. Mine the ice wall which took me around 20 minutes with the Snow Pickaxe (You need at least a 320 strength Pickaxe). Breaking the ice wall will give you the Mosasaursit ore which you need to buy the Prismatic Pickaxe (7x multiplier, Trait: -25% Swiftness, +65% Vitality on Armor) (Optional) Use Dwarf and Miner Totem for faster ice wall mining. Behind the wall you'll see the Prismatic Pickaxe which you can then buy for 1 Mosasaursit and $2.000.000. I recommend using the Goblin Race for a discount. The Prismatic Pickaxe is currently the best pickaxe in The Forge. Check out all the new Island 3 Ores and traits. The Forge Prismatic Pickaxe Stats Image by Destructoid Here are the Prismatic Pickaxe stats and check out the best Runes for it below: Cost: $2.000.000 Mine Power: 650 Mine Speed: +20% Luck Boost: +72% Rune Slot: 4 This is the best pickaxe in the game currently due to the higher Mine Power and Speed, the best Luck which can stack with the Angel or Archangel race and the highest number of Rune Slots. Check out our The Forge Ore Trait tier list for the best Ores for Weapons and Armor. Best Prismatic Pickaxe Runes in The Forge Here are the best Runes for the Prismatic Pickaxe in The Forge: Standard Best Runes: 4 Power If You're a Dwarf Race: 3 Power and 1 Speed That's it for my guide on how to get the Prismatic Pickaxe in The Forge. Check out my The Forge race tier list for more guides. The post How to Get Prismatic Pickaxe in The Forge – Mosasaursit appeared first on Destructoid.

Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, December 26, 2025 5:47 PM Code Vein II Gets New Valentin Character Trailer       Showcases his gameplay. The post Code Vein II Gets New Valentin Character Trailer appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.

Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, December 26, 2025 5:34 PM Falcom Unannounced Titles Lineup Revealed       In a recent investor presentation. The post Falcom Unannounced Titles Lineup Revealed appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.

Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, December 26, 2025 4:32 PM Stardew Valley Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Available Now       An upgrade pack is also available. The post Stardew Valley Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Available Now appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.

Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, December 26, 2025 4:12 PM GANG OF DRAGON Updates Steam Page       Announced on Twitter. The post GANG OF DRAGON Updates Steam Page appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.