The first official track from Smilegate's upcoming collectible RPG MIRESI: Invisible Future, "Jumping in the TIME," has officially made its debut across multiple music streaming services.
Just in time for spooky season, the darkness awaits with the release of Retroware and Cinemassacre's horror/thriller Gnome Cave by the legendary James Rolfe (AVGN).
A roaring success, Avia announced that their "Play for Paws" in-game event has raised an impressive $222,100 for the renowned no-kill shelter Nevada SPCA.
A life-changing opportunity awaits for you this Monday with the new Steam demo of Bone Assembly and Devolver Digital's first-person adventure The Dungeon Experience.
Let's rock! One can now listen in to the sweet sounds of Arc System Works' Guilty Gear -Strive- with the release of RISE AND ROCK across multiple music platforms.
Square Enix opened pre-orders for returning NieR: Automata mini plush of chibi versions of main characters 2B, 9S, and A2. All three are expected to debut in Japan on January 17, 2026. They will be 3,080円 (~$21) each. All three designs are currently available to pre-order in the eStore, as the company still has pre-orders on pause on the US storefront due to President Donald Trump's tariffs. However, since these did first start to appear in 2017 and did show up worldwide, we will likely see them everywhere again eventually.
Of the three, the A2 one is entirely new and the 2B and 9S mini plush are rereleases of ones that appeared in the past. Both the A2 and 2B are tallest in the set, each coming in at about five and a half inches (140mm). 9S is a little shorter at just under five and a half inches (138mm). All of them seem to feature their clothes sewn on, and they have plush hair. It also seems the masks are sewn over A2 and 9S' eyes, as the initial photos only show A2's full and uncovered face.
Here's how they look:
Images via Square Enix
The Square Enix US storefront does still feature the 2B and 9S mini plush and shows them as being in-stock. It lists each one for $31.99.
The NieR: Automata 2B, 9S, and A2 mini plush will return again in Japan on January 17, 2026. There's no word on a US release yet. The game is available on the PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Windows PC. The anime adaptation is streaming via Crunchyroll.
We already knew the Resident Evil crossover event with characters would show up in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE on September 24, 2025, and now Shift Up let us know there will be costumes for Ada Wong, Jill Valentine, D: Killer Wife, and K. These will be available via a number of methods, with some tied to paid passes and others to the crossover Reborn Evil Challenge Missions.
Claire Redfield, the SR, is the bonus character earned by going through the Reborn Evil event and its Challenge Missions. She is available starting from the end of maintenance and is a Supporter who uses the H1 Grenade Rocket Launcher. The SSR Ada Wong banner will start at the same time. She uses a Burst Crossbow Rocket Launcher and fills an Attacker role. The SSR Jill Valentine banner doesn't start until October 2, 2025. She is another Attacker who uses a Lightning Eagle Assault Rifle. All three are Abnormal Manufacturer units with Electric element that are only available during this event and won't be added to the general pool.
As for the costumes, there are two for Ada Wong and two for Jill Valentine. The Separate Ways Ada and Classic Jill outfits are both earned from Reborn Evil Challenge Missions if you own the characters. The Ada Dress is in the Secret Agent Pass sold between September 24, 2025 and October 21, 2025, and you get it if you complete it. The Jill Battle Suit costume is in the Escape Report Pass sold October 2-21, 2025, and it is also tied to project. The K Undercover skin is in the paid October Mission Pass, and the Secret Police D: Killer Wife one is in the costume gacha starting on September 24, 2025.
As for the trailers showing off all the new units, first here's the trailer for Ada Wong in NIKKE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRCXJeZAptY
Next up is the Claire Redfield trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6lVU2lSqXo
You can see Jill Valentine in-game below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7j0FKeh0Pg
As for the Goddess of Victory: NIKKE Resident Evil costumes, only a trailer for the Ada Wong Dress costume and D. Killer Wife Secret Police one. First, here's Ada in her dress.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m5DHHwvxmzA
And you can see D. Killer Wife dressed as a cop below.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KXvFG2y7DeM
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is available for PCs and mobile devices, and the Resident Evil crossover with events and character banners and costumes runs between September 24, 2025 and October 21, 2025.
Sega and Camellia released the final Hatsune Miku Sonic the Hedgehog Project Onsoku collaboration song in the collection of tracks created for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. It's "Denkoh-Sekka" by Camellia. The key art for this one again features Hatsune Miku and Sonic, but this time Jet the Hawk also joins them.
References to Jet, Sonic, and their speed come up throughout "Denkoh-Sekka," as does references to lightning. There are also speakers shown throughout. While this is a Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds song, there are also references to the Sonic Riders series, as all three characters are shown surfing on Extreme Gear in the art. Jet does appear as a character in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, as you can probably guess.
This is the last Project Onsoku song we'll see from this Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and Hatsune Miku crossover. All of them will be in-game, as well as online for promotional purposes. Here's the full list of past tracks:
Cygames updated the Umamusume: Pretty Derby global version banners, and now there's an Epic Odyssey: Uma Quest event inspired by JRPG games that also involves new alts of El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder as a warrior and cleric. Their focus banner, as well as one that includes Support Cards of King Halo and Seiun Sky with the same aesthetic, will be available until October 4, 2025. After that, the Trainee characters and cards will be added to the general pool.
Epico Odyssey: Uma Quest works like past events. We earn bonus points, which go toward rewards and unlocking event story scenes, by going through the Career and doing our daily races. The event-related reward is a Speed SSR featuring Gold Ship, who appears as one of the characters in that story.
When it comes to the El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder alts in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, the Kukulkan Warrior and Saintly Jade Cleric versions of them aren't all that dissimilar from their standard releases. Both are Turf Trainees who are best used running Mile, Medium, and Long races, and both can use Pace Chaser or Late Surger strategies. This El Condor Pasa is notable due to being able to be a Dirt racer fairly easy too, as she has a B starting rating in it. Grass Wonder's gimmick focuses on ensuring her stamina is high, as her Superior Heal Unique Skill restores it and she can get the Cooldown and Relax skills if you invest in her.
As for the new Support Cards, King Halo: Tonight, We Waltz is a Power SSR, while Seiun Sky: Paint the Sky Red is a Wit SSR. The former is most notable for bestowing the Blinding Flash skill. If you use the latter, your Trainee could learn Vanguard Spirit.
Here's a gallery of all the images:
Images via Cygames
Cygames also released YouTube Shorts of both the characters and cards. Here are El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fFHKlq2tbag
And here are the two new Support Cards:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jVSeTlxwiyE
Hishi Amazon appeared ahead of both of these banners. As for what's next, the September schedule ended with these updates. But going by the Japanese banner history, we'll see Fuji Kiseki, Gold City, and a banner with Summer alts of Special Week and Maruzensky in October 2025.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is available for PCs and mobile devices, and the Epic Odyssey: Uma Quest event and banners with El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder Trainee alts and King Halo and Seiun Sky Support Cards are live until October 4, 2025.
Are you tired of staring at a 360-degree photo of a crowded event? Yeah, same here. It took me way longer than I'd care to admit to find the kissing couple in level 23 of I'm Not a Robot. If you're someone who doesn't like the answer spoiled, I'll give you a few hints first. But if you're in a race to prove you're a human, keep reading for the exact location of our two lovebirds.
Level 23 of I'm Not a Robot shows a panorama photo and requires you to pick out someone from a crowd. You may be asked to find the kissing couple, or you may receive the task of finding a guitar cat. I found the guitar cat relatively quickly, but it took me much longer to find the kissing couple.
For those of you who want a couple hints, I have a few that will help narrow in on the location of the kissing couple.
The kissing couple is a man and a woman.
The man is wearing bright colors, while the woman is keeping it plain.
The two lovebirds can be found to the left of the stage.
The couple is in the middle of a street.
Where to find the kissing couple in I'm Not a Robot
If you've given up and want the exact location of the couple, I don't blame you. To find the kissing couple, first look for the pointy white tent with the red "Havana Club" logo on it. This tent is to the left of the stage, but it isn't the one immediately next to the performance. Instead, keep looking to your left and you'll see the correct tent. If you're still struggling to find it, look for the pink building. The white Havana Club tent will be just in front of that.
Zoom all the way in, and you'll see the kissing couple to the right of the top-right corner of the tent. The man is wearing a blue shirt and orange hat, while the woman is in white and has a black bag on her shoulder.
Hey, get a room! Screenshot by Destructoid
To complete level 23, zoom in on the couple and hit the blue "verify" button at the bottom of the captcha. That wasn't as bad as crafting a Diamond Pickaxe, was it?
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I'm Not a Robot is the latest browser game on the web, and it's by the same creator who brought us Infinite Craft last year, Neal.fun. As its name suggests, the game requires you to prove you're not a robot by completing captchas, playing games, and verifying your humanity through other foolproof methods.
One of these methods requires you to select items to craft a Diamond Pickaxe, as if you were playing Minecraft. You'll encounter this task at level 21, otherwise known as Craftcha. If you're like me and you haven't played Minecraft, the answer won't be as obvious as for those who grew up on the Mojang Studios title.
But fear not, the answer isn't as difficult as you may think—even if you've never set foot in the blocky world of Minecraft. Here's how you craft a Diamond Pickaxe in I'm Not a Robot.
Diamond Pickaxe recipe in I'm Not a Robot
To complete level 21 of I'm Not a Robot, you'll need to drag the items from your inventory into the "Crafting" boxes. You're first given two Oak Logs and three Diamonds, but you'll need more than that if you want to craft an actual pickaxe. Luckily, though, you can do so by combining the ingredients at your disposal to make even more items.
To make a Diamond Pickaxe, follow these steps:
Drag the two Oak Logs from your inventory and into the boxes under "Crafting." There should be eight Wooden Plank in the box to the right of the arrow.
Click on the Wooden Plank and drag it into your inventory.
Using your right mouse button, break up the Wooden Plank into two and place them in the top middle and center boxes under "Crafting." This will yield four Wooden Sticks.
Assemble two of the Wooden Sticks in the center and bottom center boxes. Then arrange the three Diamonds across the top row by right-clicking on them, as shown in the image below.
And viola! You have a Diamond Pickaxe, and you didn't even need to download Minecraft. Now it's on to the next stages of the game, level 22, which requires you to get your ducks in a row, and level 23, a panorama photo that tasks you with either finding a kissing couple or identifying a guitar cat.
Black Ops 2 is the best Call of Duty has ever been.
Everything about it, from the campaign, to Zombies, to ranked League Play in multiplayer, to its introduction of the esports-focused CoDcaster, is some of the best in the series. And Black Ops 7, as a direct sequel to BO2, has officially piqued my curiosity now.
Image via Activision
A large reveal of BO7's multiplayer offerings today, including a gameplay trailer, hype up a game that has BO2 nostalgia sprinkled heavily all around it. The characters, the weapons, the near-future aesthetic, the returning maps, everything is reminiscent of the 2012-2013 era of BO2 and itching a part of my brain that longs for the CoD days of yesteryear. The gameplay looks like a mix between Black Ops 6 and BO2, and it genuinely looks pretty solid.
Hell, they're even bringing back a remixed version of BO2's multiplayer menu song, "Adrenaline," as one of the rotating themes of the game. When Treyarch posted this song today, I literally said "hell yeah" out loud. Hell yeah.
I've been scorned by CoD for several years now, mainly thanks to features like skill-based matchmaking, declining skill along with increasing age, and the fact that none of my friends play it anymore. But when it comes to a new BO2-flavored CoD in 2025, it's difficult for me not to get excited.
BO2 holds a special place in my heart for other reasons, too. That game is where I started my journey as a journalist, taking my journalism degree and running into the esports field and eventually ending up here at Destructoid many years later.
If not for BO2, I would not have made many friends, personal and business connections, or ended up in my career at all. I've created a ton of memories and made a living for myself and a lot of it can be traced back to BO2. And I'm all in on that positive feeling of remembering and attempting to live again in "better days."
I'm acutely aware that nostalgia is a hell of a drug, but I can't help but huff it for the time being. Will this game piss me off like all the recent CoD titles? Probably. We'll know more next week at CoD Next and when the BO7 beta goes live on Oct. 2, and maybe my rose-tinted glasses will shatter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUakrR1LnwA
But for now, I'm excited about CoD again for the first time in a while. And that's enough for me to latch on to and remain positive for the time being. Talk to me again in about 10 days, though, and we'll see if my tune has changed entirely.
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Tomes are extremely useful in Megabonk, and there are plenty of options available. But when you're just starting, the number of Tomes you can find is rather limited.
That's why it's important to unlock more options, which you can do by fulfilling various unlock conditions. Some are easy to unlock, while others will take more time. Either way, this is your guide to unlocking all the Tomes in Megabonk.
How to unlock all Tomes in Megabonk
The table below contains information on every Tome inside the game and what they do. Many of them are available by default (or unlocked very easily), but the more advanced ones will require you to grind harder.
Tome
Effect
How to unlock
Agility
Increases movement speed
Unlocked by default
Size
Increases the size of all types of attacks
Unlocked by default
Silver
Increases Silver earned from all sources
Unlocked by default
Shield
The shield takes damage and prevents damage to HP. The Shield also regenerates if you don't take damage for a while
Unlocked by default
Regen
Increase HP regenerated per minute
Unlocked by default
Projectile Speed
Raises the speed of your Projectiles
Unlocked by default
Precision
Raises Critical Chance, and unlocks the ability to Overcrit
Unlocked by default
Knockback
Raises the distance of enemy pushbacks after hitting them
Unlocked by default
HP
Raises max HP
Unlocked by default
Evasion
Raises chances of Evasion
Unlocked by default
Golden
Gets more Gold from all sources
Unlocked by default
Damage
Raises the base damage of your attacks
Unlocked by default
Cooldown
Increases the spped of shooting cooldowns and performing attacks
Unlocked by default
Thorns
<yet to be confirmed>
Block 250 attacks with Aegis
Quantity
More items and resources
Fire 5,000 projectiles
Bloody
<yet to be confirmed>
Kill 12,500 enemies
Attraction
<yet to be confirmed>
Use the Shrine 8 times
Armor
Increase the amount of armor gained
Kill 5,000 enemies as Sir Oofie
Duration
<yet to be confirmed>
Upgrade Axe to level 10
Luck
Increases the Luck stat
0.01% chance when killing an enemy
XP
Gain more XP
Break 20 pots in a single run
Cursed
<yet to be confirmed>
Beat the Stage Boss under five minutes
Chaos
<yet to be confirmed>
Charge all Charge Shrines on a tier 3 un across all three stages without leaving the charge zone
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If you've joined the fun of I'm not a Robot, chances are, finding the Guitar Cat in level 23 is where you got hard stuck for the first time. The 360-degree picture has a lot of information and feels like a harder version of Where's Waldo?
This guide has two parts. In the first part, you'll find hints of where to find the Guitar Cat and how to narrow down your search, if you don't want the final answer given to you directly. In the second part, you'll have a picture showing the Guitar Cat's exact location without any hints, if all you want to do is get rid of this level and move on. From now on, it's up to you.
Guitar Cat hints
The Guitar Cat is not a real cat on the street.
It's not on the stage or anywhere near it.
The Guitar Cat is actually on a person's shirt.
Search for it in the shirts of people sitting at the orange tables around the big statue in the center of the festival. Remember to zoom in a lot.
The man wearing the guitar cat shirt is sitting on a table between two white umbrellas.
The guitar cat is on the back of a black shirt worn by a man sitting in front of two other men, one with a blue cap and a bald one with a Brazil shirt.
Where the Guitar Cat is
The image below shows exactly where to find the Guitar Cat. In the game, you'll have to zoom in to the max and click "Verify" only after you center the cat's image.
The Guitar Cat is on the back of a man wearing a black shirt. Screenshot and edits by Destructoid
Once you spot it, you'll move on to the next level of I'm not a Robot.
Developer Hyper Games (Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, Mørkredd) is bringing Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth to Tokyo Game Show 2025, where fans will get to play its first-ever public demo. The cozy, story-driven adventure will be available at Hall 5: 05-N08, inside a full-sized Moominhouse booth that should be impossible to miss. The demo will run throughout […]
Perfect for the end of summer, Persona 5: The Phantom X has rolled out its 2.1 Update, introducing a seaside-themed event, new rewards, and a powerful new Phantom Thief. The update is live now, with the first part of the event running until October 8, 2025. "Summer! Swimsuits! Sea Time! Part One" Event The latest […]
IO Interactive has announced the Hitman World of Assassination – Anniversary Box, a limited physical retail edition launching on October 17th for PlayStation 5. Pre-orders open today, September 22nd, to mark the beginning of the franchise's 25th anniversary celebrations. What's Inside the Anniversary Box? This special release will be available for $49.99 at select retailers […]
Embark Studios has announced a Server Slam event for ARC Raiders, taking place from October 17 to 19, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The event arrives just ahead of the game's official launch on October 30, giving players one more chance to raid the […]
Fatshark has revealed the next major free update for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Titled Bound By Duty, the update arrives on September 23, 2025, across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. The centerpiece of the update is an expansion to Mortis Trials, Darktide's roguelike, wave-based mode. Players can return to this experimental combat gauntlet with […]
Celebrating 25 years of precision executions and careful planning, IO Interactive has revealed the HITMAN World of Assassination 25th Anniversary Box for the PlayStation 5.
Done in partnership with Twitch, SEGA cordially invites creators in both the United States and Europe to blast through with Sonic speed though their official Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Twitch Rivals tournament.
Set in a bullet heaven fever dream, a zombie horde is ripe for destruction with today's Steam Early Access release of Pixelsplit and Sidekick Publishing's Deadly Days: Roadtrip.
Techland's Dying Light: The Beast launched last week and is, sources say, "a good Dying Light game, and a fine open-world zombie game in general, full of crunchy combat and simple but satisfying number-go-up loops". Being a new videogame, it also has some bugs. The most dramatic of these appear to be problems with its day/night cycle and weather system.
It is written that when the Sumerian king Gilgamesh first beheld the gleaming ramparts of Uruk‐Haven, many centuries ago, he said unto his architects: "be sure to save up gaps for those long straight ones, and try your best to start a multiplier". But then Gilgamesh realised that, by means of temporal fluctuations too nonsensical to explain, he was actually looking at the submissions page for Falling Block Jam 2025, the latest Itch.io "make a thing with a theme" festival, which ran from last week till today.
It's hard to talk about Dying Light: The Beast—the latest in Techland's open-world zombie parkour action series—without talking about its origins. While now living life as a full-priced retail game with a respectable ~20 hour campaign (and one that I enjoyed for the most part), The Beast started out as a planned expansion for Dying Light 2, itself a game that has grown, adapted and reshaped itself over the past few years, much like its genetically feisty mutant monsters.
Hollow Knight: Silksong's hitherto beta-only update 1.0.28650 is now a fully public release that any dang fool can download without switching to a Steam playtest branch. I'm still noodling my way through the lower levels of Team Cherry's new metroidvania, blissfully unbothered by any pressure to review it or write Silksong walkthroughs. As such, I asked our reviewer James to have a look at the patch notes and pluck out any important changes, based on his many, many hours in Pharloom.
A shadow glided over James's face, then returned and took up residence in one earhole. Wordlessly he outstretched a gnarled finger towards item 3 on the list: "Fixed Savage Beastfly in Far Fields sometimes remaining below the lava."
Taito and Konami announced that one of the next pieces of Death Stranding 2 merchandise will be a light shaped like the thumbs up "Like" sign from the game that also plays the matching sound effect. It will show up in arcades in Japan in late November 2025. There's no video online yet that shows exactly how it looks and sounds. We also don't know if it will eventually be available worldwide.
The Death Stranding 2 Sound Sensor Light features a white and blue clear panel that looks like the thumbs up Like symbol used throughout the game attached to a black base. The game's logo appears on the top of the base in white. It stands at about five and a half inches tall (14cm). There is a sensor on the front. If triggered, it will light up and make the sound effect in-game that is made when we make Sam Porter Bridges like someone's item or sign placed in the world.
Here's the example photo of it:
Image via Kojima Productions and Taito
It isn't uncommon for Taito to release sound sensor light merchandise tied to games like Death Stranding 2. It happened with Monster Hunter Wilds this year too. There was a Quest Cleared sensor light that included sound effects from the game. That appeared in August 2025.
Death Stranding 2 is available for the PS5 worldwide, and Japanese arcades will feature the Like Sound Sensor Light as a prize starting in late November 2025.
As part of the Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis crossover with FFVII Advent Children, there are Tifa, young Sephiroth, and Yuffie gear and weapons based on the costumes the two heroines and Kadaj wore in the movie. Now that the banner with those items is live until October 23, 2025, there are trailers for each equipment set showing how the characters look using them in-game.
First, here is the list of all three weapons available on the Tifa, Yuffie, and Sephiroth Limit Break draw in FFVII Ever Crisis that are based on their appearances and Kadaj in Advent Children.
Leather Combat Gloves: Tifa weapon with the Detonating Blow C. Ability that deals Magical, Non-Elemental Damage to all enemies and applies Enfeeble if her HP is over 50%.
Soba: Young Sephiroth weapon with the Tearing Frost C. Ability that hits one enemy with Ice Physical Damage and grants the party an Ice Weapon Boost.
Uber 4-Point Shuriken: Yuffie weapon with the Great Sandstorm C. Ability that hits one enemy with Earth Magical damage and grants the party an Earth damage bonus.
As for the gear, first here is the Tifa FFVII Advent Children costume and her Leather Combat Gloves in action. The gear is called AC Style and its R. Abilities are Boost ATK (All Allies), which affects Phys and Mag attack, and Protective Fist, which boost her HP and her elemental abilities damage.
Next, here's Yuffie in her AC Outfit. Its R. Abilities are Boost Earth Potency (All Allies) to increase Earth type ability damage and Shinobi Starflower that boosts HP, Earth ability damage, and Magic ability damage if her command gauge is maxed out.
Finally, here's the young Sephiroth Kadaj FFVII Advent Children costume called Remnant Suit. The two R. Abilities tied to it are Boost Ice Potency (All Allies) and Ruler's Will, which boosts HP and Ice ability damage and Physical ability damage if his command gauge is maxed.
The Cloud and adult Sephiroth Final Fantasy VII Advent Children costumes and weapons are already live in FFVII Ever Crisis.
Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is available on PCs and mobile devices, and FFVII Advent Children is available worldwide on DVD, Blu-ray, and UMD. The next crossover event inthe game will involve FFXIIIin November 2025.
Eastasiasoft announced an English release date for the otome game Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life, and it will arrive before Valentine's Day 2026. Digital and physical copies will be available on February 12, 2026. The company did note the limited edition, which is limited to 2,000 and only at Play-Asia, is close to selling out as of September 22, 2025.
As a reminder, this is an alternate reality take on the Hakuoki, with Chizuru Yukimura being an ordinary school girl and the original love interests from the otome game appearing as her classmates and teachers. A well-known high school for young men is now going co-ed, and Chizuru is the first female students. Instead of working alongside the Shinsengumi to look for her missing father and deal with demons. The possible romance options are still Toshizo Hijikata, Souji Okita, Kazama Chikage, Hajime Saito, Sanosuke Harada, and Heisuke Toudou.
Here's the latest trailer for the upcoming spin-off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDJWjO3rfV4
This is the second time we've seen Eastasiasoft handle a Hakuoki game in the last few years. It also took care of Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom, the Switch release of the original game.
Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life will come to the Switch worldwide in English, and the release date for the otome game is February 12, 2026. The title is already available on the Switch and Vita in Japan.
HoYoVerse shared an announcement on social media in response to some concerns about Honkai Nexus Anima based on feedback from people who got into the Nexus Bond Test, and it particularly noted the launch will include more main character customization options compared to this early beta. It also noted there will be update to NPC and Anima models, objects, environments, and more varied quests with different endings. It also cited this is an in-progress and early build of the game. The message also emphasized there will be "future tests" that cover more regions and allow more people to play.
The Nexus Bond Test players could only make a female main character during this Honkai Anima Nexus beta. and customization options for eyes, hair, skin tone, and other elements were quite limited. HoYoVerse said there will be "additional appearances, clothing, accessories, and other customizable features" once the 1.0 version appears. It also noted that other NPC facial expressions, models, and outfits are in-progress, as are Anima and Kardia combat abilities and animations.
As for other elements, HoYoVerse seemed to stress things are not yet final. It noted that lighting, rendering, textures, and designs in general are still in development. It showed examples of current items in the Nexus Bond Test, as well as old and new concept art for evolving locations. It also noted that, like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero, updates to Honkai Anima Nexus after launch will add new locations with different inspirations and appearances.
Here are the two images shared:
Images via HoYoVerse
The other coming changes had to do with the story and its quests. The company confirmed there will be an improved localization for the game's launch, as well as more supported languages. It noted that stories, cinematics, and cutscenes are still in development, so many weren't present. Its Infinite Vortex system will also involve more choices and possible endings in future tests and the full game. It also said that checkpoints will be added to allow people to replay.
Honkai Anima Nexus will release on PCs and both Android and Apple iOS devices.
Konami revealed that it will develop and release remasters of otome games based on The Prince of Tennis for Switch, Switch 2, and PC worldwide. The company launches this project to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Prince of Tennis: Sweet School Festival, which originally appeared for PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2005.
The remasters will be available in two separate releases. The Prince of Tennis: Sweet School Festival ♡-40 and more... will be based on the original PS2 game and the More Sweet Edition remaster that appeared on Nintendo DS in 2010.
The second release will have the subtitle Doki Doki Survival - Tie break ♡ game. Konami will base it on the 2011 DS release of Sea and Mountain Love Passion, which combined the PS2 releases of Mystic of the Mountain in 2006 and Secret of the Seaside in 2007.
Image courtesy of Konami
The new remasters for Switch and PC will have newly-drawn cutscenes. However, Konami will also retain the cutscenes from the previous DS releases. The new remasters will have an option that lets the player switch between the older and newer cutscenes.
Image courtesy of Konami
Konami set up the official website for this remaster project in not only Japanese but also English and Chinese. The Steam pages for both Sweet School Festival and Doki Doki Survival are only available in Japanese when the company just put them up. However, Konami has promised in the Japanese press release that the remasters will also be available in English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.
A teaser trailer for The Prince of Tennis otome game remasters has also appeared on Konami's Japanese YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6jVCc03SEs
The remasters of The Prince of Tennis: Sweet School Festival ♡-40 and more... and The Prince of Tennis: Doki Doki Survival - Tie break ♡ game will be available worldwide on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.
A schoolgirl in a tattered uniform, holding a bloodied steel pipe in her hand, staggers through an old Japanese town that has been consumed by abominations and flowers—a powerful image so different from what players expect from the long-running Silent Hill franchise that it instantly set Silent Hill f apart during its promotional run. By moving it away from the titular town and placing emphasis onto Hinako's personal demons rather than associating it with familiar locales or mythos, Silent Hill f is a great entry point for series newcomers, while still providing veterans enough to sink their teeth into.
Set in 1960s Japan, the story opens with Hinako, a high school girl, who storms out of her house after an argument with her parents. Wanting to clear her head and talk to someone, she makes her way through her hometown of Ebisugaoka. Oddly, it's devoid of people. When she gets to the local general store Chizuruya, though, she runs into her friends: Shu, Sakuko, and Rinko. They joke around as Hinako sits in silence, miles away in her own head. That's when the horror starts. A thick fog settles over Ebisugaoka. Blossoms erode away at the infrastructure while monsters prowl the streets. Confused and afraid, Hinako and her friends must find a way out, solving puzzles and defeating monsters to survive.
Hi, Rena Ryugu, welcome to Ebisugaoka. Screenshot by Siliconera.
As a Silent Hill game, deciphering and piecing together the story can be a mental workout. Many scenes left me wondering about their metaphorical significance. Or questioning whether the craziness I just witnessed was even real. To fully understand and get the whole picture, you need to play it several times. I also encourage you to find and read the collectible documents around town. The multiple playthroughs thing isn't too daunting. New Game+ provides an experience that's simultaneously abridged and expanded. It cuts out some gameplay segments (a welcome decision), while adding onto existing cutscenes. Essentially, New Game+ is more akin to a continuation rather than simply playing through the game again.
Gameplay-wise, if you played Silent Hill 2 Remake, Silent Hill f is very familiar. You control Hinako, whose only means of defense are breakable makeshift weapons she finds around town. Since she's not an American and is a mere Japanese schoolgirl, Hinako can only use melee weapons. Fortunately, the monsters here feel like less of a threat than in 2, likely because of Hinako's close-quarters limitation.
Screenshot by Siliconera.
It doesn't really feel like a limitation, though. If you time your commands properly, Hinako can mete out a powerful counter capable of stunning enemies and opening them up to punishing combos, or execute a perfect dodge that'll replenish her stamina. The combat is enjoyable—maybe a little too enjoyable—and so easy to pick up. It took only my third combat encounter to bestow upon Hinako the unexpectedly apt moniker of "The Beast," later upgraded to "The Machine."
Whether this counts as a pro or a con depends on you, but the game is...not that scary. Obviously, this is subjective. But I can count on one hand the times I genuinely freaked out. I even burst out laughing at one point because it was so over-excessive. The game also has plenty of bright and open spaces, which were great for combat, but not at instilling anxiety. However, all of this contrasted well with the quiet and atmospheric segments, which became scarier in comparison.
The roots are gross, but the flowers are nice, right? Screenshot by Siliconera.
Part of the reason the game isn't that scary (to me) likely has to do with the artistic direction. In an interview, series producer Motoi Okamoto talked about how this game merges beauty with grotesque horror. Flowers show up constantly, sprouting from monsters or on buildings. The end result is a unique and ethereal look that stands apart from the usual grime and grossness associated with Silent Hill. Perhaps they were practicing this aesthetic hybrid with Sakura Head in The Short Message.
The scariness of Silent Hill f comes more from the plot. I had a constant, ominous weight in my chest as I played. The game takes place in Showa-era Japan and tackles themes like the repression and erasure of a woman's identity through marriage in a heavily patriarchal society. It's a topic that the game approaches with gravitas, using disturbing imagery that can leave an emotional impact on even those who might not have to deal with situations like what Hinako goes through. Many of the criticisms levied against the era remain relevant today, modernizing a game set about 60 years prior.
Screenshot by Siliconera.
Silent Hill f is depressing, never holding back as it puts Hinako through the wringer repeatedly. Its thoughtful narrative, full of moving parts and emotional depth, had me hooked. The suspense and tension so characteristic of J-Horror are tempered by Hinako's combat skills. But maybe that's the point. The true horror in this game comes not from the monstrous abominations attacking Hinako, but from the harrowing situations her society forces her and other women into.
Silent Hill f will come out on for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC on September 25, 2025.
Crafting a strong team lineup is essential for winning in Marvel Rivals, and Team-Ups are one of the best ways to give your team an edge over the competition. These powerful abilities supply special collaborations between certain characters.
To ensure you're able to choose the best Team-Ups for each situation and that you use them effectively, knowing how every one of them functions is crucial. This roster changes fairly regularly, so it can be tricky to keep up with all of the important details. If you're hoping to learn everything you need to know about them, here are all Team-Ups in Marvel Rivals.
In season four of Marvel Rivals, there's a total of 21 Team-Ups between various characters on the roster. Most characters are only part of one specific collaboration, but there are also some who are part of two or more.
Name
Anchor character
Anchor bonus
Secondary character (s)
Effect
Arcane Order
Doctor Strange
100 bonus health
Scarlet Witch/Magik
Doctor Strange shares his arcane mastery with Scarlet Witch and Magik. Scarlet Witch's Chthonian Burst is replaced with Mystic Burst upon activation. She can hold down the attack button to unleash a rapid, relentless salvo of magical missiles in the target direction. Magik can unleash a Chain of Cyttorak that links two enemies and slows them. The farther they are apart, the greater the slow effect is.
Chilling Assault
Luna Snow
15 percent healing boost
Hawkeye/Iron Fist
With the blessing of Luna Snow, Hawkeye and Iron Fist are imbued with the ice energy. Hawkeye can fire Ice Arrows that pierce through enemies. If an Ice Arrow travels beyond a certain distance, it stuns any enemy it hits. If it strikes before reaching that distance, it instead slows the target. The farther the Ice Arrow flies, the greater its damage. Iron Fist gains the Harmony Recovery ability, allowing him to heal himself and nearby allies.
Divine Armory
Angela
100 bonus health
Thor
Angela shares fragments of her Ichors with Thor, empowering him to hurl a Thunder Spear that restores Thorforce for each enemy struck. Afterward, Thor can leap to the spear's explosion point, dealing a second wave of damage to all enemies within range.
Duality Dance
Adam Warlock
15 percent healing boost
Luna Snow
Adam Warlock imparts his mastery of quantum energy to Luna Snow, awakening her new ability Light & Shadow Karma. When Luna uses Light & Shadow Karma, she links to nearby enemies. Any damage she deals to linked enemies is converted into Light Energy, which is then transferred to Luna through the link, healing her health.
Ever-Burning Bond
Human Torch
Five percent damage boost
Spider-Man
Human Torch stores Pyrokinetic Energy in Spider-Man's suit, enabling him to unleash an Inferno Blast that sprays a fiery web while performing a backflip to create distance. The flames damage enemies and apply a Burn-Tracer. Detonating these Burn-Tracers inflicts damage over time.
Fantastic Four
Invisible Woman
15 percent healing bonus
Mister Fantastic/Human Torch/The Thing
The Invisible Woman taps into her powers, channeling Psionic Might to fortify the Fantastic Four. This formidable force bolsters Mister Fantastic, Human Torch, and The Thing, granting damage resistance. Once activated, they continually generate bonus health, making up for lost health with each passing moment.
Fastball Special
Wolverine
N/A
Hulk/The Thing
Wolverine, Hulk, and The Thing can interact with each other. Once both parties can confirm, Hulk or The Thing can lift Wolverine and press the key to hurl him forward.
First Steps
Human Torch
TBA
The Thing
Human Torch lifts The Thing up into the air, and The Thing leaps down towards the ground, dealing devastating area of effect damage.
Gamma Charge
Hulk
150 bonus health
Namor/Black Oanther
Hulk charges Namor and Black Panther with gamma radiation. When Namor uses the Aquatic Dominion ability, he can spawn Gamma Monstro. Black Panther's Vibranium armor is enhanced; when his health is low he receives a gamma shield, blocking incoming attacks and becoming unstoppable.
Jeff-Nado
Jeff the Land Shark
N/A
Storm
When Storm activates Omega Hurricane and Jeff the Land Shark's It's Jeff is ready, they can unleash a powerful Team-Up ability. During this period, Storm's Omega Hurricane merges with Jeff to form a Jeff-Nado.
Lunar Force
Cloak & Dagger
15 percent healing boost
Moon Knight/Blade
Cloak & Dagger can inject light and dark energy into Moon Knight and Blade to create a Light & Dark Realm where they can become invisible.
Mental Projection
Emma Frost
100 bonus health
Psylocke/Magneto
Emma Frost forms a mental link with Psylocke and Magneto, granting Psylocke Soul Resurgence and Magento Magnetic Resonance. These skills allow them to create illusory copies of themselves.
Operation: Microchip
The Punisher
25 bonus health and five percent damage boost
Black Widow
The Punisher upgrades Black Widow's arsenal, adding a Pulse Mode to her Red Room Rifle. While the ability is active, using Straight Shooter fires a pulse beam that deals piercing damage.
Planet X Pals
Groot
150 bonus health
Jeff the Land Shark/Rocket Raccoon
Jeff the Land Shark and Rocket Raccoon can ride on Groot's shoulders, receiving damage reduction.
Primal Flame
Phoenix
10 percent damage boost
Wolverine
Jean Grey imbues Wolverine with the awe-inspiring Phoenix Force. With this power, Wolverine's Feral Leap transforms into Phoenix Warrior. While active, he's consumed by Phoenix flames that continuously scorch nearby enemies, dealing Percentage Damage. In this state, Wolverine's abilities gain Lifesteal when inflicting damage.
Ragnarok Rebirth
Hela
15 percent damage boost
Thor
When Hela lands a final hit in defeating an opponent, she can instantly resurrect Thor in the respawn phase or grant him Bonus Health if he is still alive.
Rocket Network
Rocket Raccoon
Five percent healing bonus
Peni Parker/Star-Lord
Rocket Raccoon upgrades his B.R.B. by integrating the Bionic Spider-Nest effect. Now, the beacon creates Cyber-Webs when placed and periodically spawns Arachno-Mines and Spider-Drones, and can be linked with Peni Parker's current Cyber-Webs. The beacon has a lower possibility of generating armor packs and generates extra Arachno-Mines. Star-Lord gains a special teleportation beacon from this Team-Up, allowing him to instantly zip to wherever he places it.
Stark Protocol
Iron Man
Five percent damage boost
Ultron/Squirrel Girl
When Iron Man, Ultron, and Squirrel Girl team up, Ultron's Encephalo-Ray upgrades to Nano-Ray, firing a beam that pierces through all characters, dealing continuous damage to foes while healing allies. Squirrel Girl gains the Squirrel Missile Ability. She directs a squirrel to ride Iron Man's nanotech glove as a homing missile. Upon hit, the squirrel flees just before a fiery explosion.
Stars Aligned
Captain America
100 bonus health
Winter Soldier
Captain America grants Winter Soldier the Stellar Impact ability, allowing him to leap into battle and slam the ground to deal damage to nearby foes. This duo can also interact with each other once both parties confirm to unleash a shockwave that deals damage to enemies and makes them slow.
Symbiote Shenanigans
Venom
150 bonus health
Jeff the Land Shark/Hela
Venom shares his symbiotes with Jeff and Hela. Jeff's Guardian of the Deep links with nearby allies for continuous healing, releasing a large healing burst that converts any excess into Bonus Health when it ends. Hela's Hel Tendrils unleash a symbiotic Hel Sphere that pulls in nearby enemies and links them, slowing those that try to escape.
Vibrant Vitality
Mantis
10 percent healing boost
Loki/Groot
Mantis enhances Groot's wooden walls and Loki's Rune Stones with life energy. Groot can additionally unleash a Flower Wall, which, when in Flora Colossus state, restores health to random nearby allies and grants them damage reduction. Loki's Rune Stones grant allies within Regeneration Domain a damage boost.
New Team-Ups in Marvel Rivals season 4
There is one new Team-Up you can use as of season four, plus two that have been slightly modified. These Team-Ups are:
Divine Armory – Angela and Thor (New)
Arcane Order – Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Magik (Adjusted)
Gamma Charge – Hulk, Namor, and Black Panther (Adjusted)
Removed Team-Ups in Marvel Rivals
Name
Anchor
Anchor bonus
Secondary character (s)
Effect
Metallic Chaos
Scarlet Witch
10 percent damage boost
Magneto
Scarlet Witch can infuse Chaos Energy into Magneto to enchant his greatsword. Upon receiving the Chaos Energy, Magneto can unleash its full force, striking down enemies with his enchanted greatsword.
Voltaic Union
Thor
100 Bonus health
Storm/Captain America
Thor infuses Thorforce into Storm and Captain America, granting them an electrifying enhancement. With an electrifying enhancement, Storm can unleash a lightning barrage. With an electrifying enhancement, Captain America gains a Movement Boost, and his shield is imbued with thunder power, electrocuting nearby enemies.
Symbiote Bond
Venom
150 bonus health
Peni Parker/Spider-Man
Venom shares his symbiote with Spider-Man and Peni Parker, activating their symbiote abilities. Peni Parker and Spider-Man can convert the symbiotes into explosive spikes that inflict harm on nearby enemies and relentlessly drive them back.
Chilling Charisma
Luna Snow
15 percent healing boost
Jeff the Land Shark
Luna Snow infuses ice energy into Jeff the Land Shark, who then can tap into the ice energy to power up abilities at will.
Allied Agents
Hawkeye
15 percent damage boost
Black Widow
Hawkeye can share his Hunter's Sight with Black Widow, enabling her to catch sight of and damage afterimages of enemies.
Ammo Overload
Rocket Raccoon
Five percent healing boost
The Punisher
Rocket Raccoon throws an Ammo Overload device in the target direction. Upon entering the device's range, the Punisher gains the buffs of Infinite Ammo and Faster Firing.
Storming Ignition
Storm
Five percent damage boost
Human Torch
When the Human Torch activates Supernova, Storm can summon an Omega Fire by selecting a Flame Tornado with Omega Hurricane. Likewise, when Storm unleashes Omega Hurricane, the Human Torch can transform it into a Burning Hurricane with Supernova. Any Flame Tornado caught in a Burning Hurricane also grows in size and damage
ESU Alumnus
Spider-Man
10 percent damage boost
Squirrel Girl
Spider-Man gives Squirrel Girl a web bomb. She can slingshot it to unleash an explosion upon contact with the environment or an enemy, briefly ensnaring and damaging enemies caught in the blast.
Dimensional Shortcut
Magik
15 percent damage boost
Black Panther
When Magik is on the field, Black Panther can tap into Limbo to rewind a few seconds back to a previous position. After passing through Limbo, Black Panther gains bonus health based on missing health.
Guardian Revival
Adam Warlock
15 percent healing boost
Mantis/Star-Lord
Adam Warlock enhances the rebirth power of Star-Lord and Mantis, granting them the power of cocooned revival.
Atlas Bond
Iron Fist
15 percent damage boost
Luna Snow
Iron Fist channels the Chi of Shou-Lao into Luna Snow, transforming her ice power into a Chi-infused frosty ring that radiates from her. This ring can knock back enemies with chilling damage and applies a slowing effect while simultaneously healing her allies.
Treyarch and Activision have revealed all of the Perks in BO7 multiplayer. The right combo of perks can spell the difference between wins and losses, scorestreaks and death streaks, and pain or joy. Get to know them well, operator.
Here are all of the Perks in Black Ops 7 multiplayer.
Like in BO6,BO7's Perks are separated into different combat specialties:
Enforcer: Red
Recon: Blue
Strategist: Green
First, let's look at the perks for each slot.
Perk 1
Image via Activision
Gung Ho (Enforcer)
Fire while sprinting. Improved movement speed while reloading or using Equipment.
Dexterity (Enforcer)
Reduced weapon motion and full ADS on slides, dives, and wall jumps. Take less fall damage.
Lightweight (Enforcer)
Increased movement speed. Jump, slide, and dive further. Faster recovery from sliding and diving.
Cold-Blooded (Recon)
Undetectable by AI targeting and thermal optics. Player-controlled Scorestreaks don't highlight you.
Ghost (Recon)
Undetectable by enemy Scout Pulse and UAV when moving, planting, defusing, or controlling Scorestreaks.
Ninja (Recon)
Move more quietly.
Tech Mask (Strategist)
Resistance to enemy flash, concussion, and gas. You cannot be EMPed or hacked.
Flak Jacket (Strategist)
Reduces incoming explosive and fire damage.
Shadow (Strategist)
Undetectable by enemy traps and mines.
Perk 2
Image via Activision
Scavenger (Enforcer)
Resupply ammo and equipment from eliminated enemies.
Assassin (Enforcer)
Enemies on a kill streak get a unique minimap marker and drop Bounty Packs when eliminated. Pick up the packs for more Score.
Close Shave (Enforcer)
Automatically use your dedicated melee attack when you perform a weapon butt attack.
Hunter's Instinct (Enforcer)
Killing an enemy marks the direction of the next closest enemy on your minimap.
Vigilance (Recon)
Displays a HUD icon whenever you appear on hostile minimaps. Immune to CUAV, Scrambler, and Vendetta.
Blast Link (Recon)
Your explosive damage marks enemies on your minimap. Grant this benefit to all allies. Earn Score when they deal explosive damage.
Engineer (Recon)
See enemy equipment and Scorestreaks through walls and Scorestreaks on the minimap. Aim at them to see target information.
Fast Hands (Strategist)
Reload and swap weapons faster. Extend fuses when throwing back grenades.
Gearhead (Strategist)
Two Field Upgrade charges. Booby trap Care Packages.
Perk 3
Image via Activision
Tac Sprinter (Enforcer)
Enables Tactical Sprint but reduces your normal sprint speed.
Bankroll (Enforcer)
Start each life with +150 score toward Scorestreaks.
Bruiser (Enforcer)
Melee eliminations and finishing moves replenish health and earn extra score.
Looper (Enforcer)
Gain the ability to re-earn Scorestreaks in the same life.
Vendetta (Recon)
On respawn, mark your killer's last known position for a short duration. Get bonus score for eliminating that enemy.
Tracker (Recon)
See rough locations of nearby enemies on your minimap and see their footsteps in the world. ADSing auto-pings enemies.
Quartermaster (Strategist)
Recharge Equipment uses over time.
Charge Link (Strategist)
Faster Field Upgrade charge rate. Grant this benefit to all allies. Earn score when nearby allies use their Field Upgrades.
Guardian (Strategist)
Faster healing while capturing and holding objectives. Revive downed teammates faster.
BO7 Combat Specialty Perks
Image via Activision
Using different combinations of the different-colored Perks will give you set bonuses.
Enforcer (All Red Perks)
After each elimination, gain a buff to movement speed and health regen speed for a short time.
Recon (All Blue Perks)
On respawn, see the direction of the closest enemy on the minimap. Edge of HUD pulses for enemies outside your view. Leave no death skulls.
Strategist (All Green Perks)
Increased score for objectives and sabotage. Deploy Equipment faster. See enemy content through walls a short distance.
Hybrid Specialty: Scout (Red and Blue Perks)
Offense and stealth hybrid. When you get a bullet elimination, stay completely hidden from enemy minimaps for five seconds. Additional eliminations during this period reset the timer.
Hybrid Specialty: Tactician (Red and Green Perks)
Support and offense hybrid. When you earn assists, earn bonus score from bullet eliminations for ten seconds.
Hybrid Specialty: Operative (Blue and Green Perks)
Stealth and support hybrid. Earn Field Upgrade charge from stealthy eliminations. Suppressed weapons, melee eliminations, eliminations while out of line of sight, and other cases count as stealth eliminations.
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Fortnite Chapter Six, Season Four has a new map, and you can find different NPCs across the various regions. Like in previous seasons, some of these NPCs will offer him valuable services, while the rest of them can be hired to fight by your side.
To unlock these characters' offerings, you have to manually visit their locations on the map and interact with them first. Tracking them down can be fairly tricky, so here are all NPC locations in Fortnite Chapter Six, Season Four.
All NPCs and where to find them in Fortnite Chapter 6, season 4
Screenshot by Destructoid
There are 20 NPCs you can find across the island in FortniteChapter Six, Season Four. Additional characters may arrive as the season progresses, or existing ones could be removed, as was the case with Morgan Myst and Killswitch, who left the island on Aug. 26, and a few other characters who have arrived and left since. As any NPC changes occur, we'll update all relevant details here.
Near the very far south end of Shogun's Solitude, standing near a zen garden by the edge of the cliff.
None, but can be talked to for a quest.
Daigo
4
Bug Outpost
Located at the Bug Oupost situated between Resistance Base and Supernova Academy.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Dr. Theodore Flysesbee
5
Supernova Academy
In the basement under Supernova Academy.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Jade
6
Outpost Enclave
At a bug-infested area slightly north of Outpost Enclave.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Kendo
7
Outpost Enclave
At a bug-infested area slightly north of Outpost Enclave.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Lt. Ripp Slade
8
OXR HQ
In the main building of the OXR HQ.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Mizuki
9
Canyon Crossing
At a bug-infested area slightly north of Canyon Crossing.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Onyx Winter
10
OXR HQ
In the main building of the OXR HQ.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Black Ranger
11
West of The Hive
Located near the very far western edge of The Hive, south of Resistance Base and north of Shiny Span.
Can be hired for 600 gold bars and is a Heavy Specialist.
Blue Ranger
12
North of OXR HQ
Slightly north of OXR HQ.
Can be hired for 600 gold bars and is a Supply Specialist.
Green Ranger
13
OXR HQ
Near the north end of OXR HQ.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Pink Ranger
14
The Hive
Found near the very south end of The Hive.
Can be hired for 600 gold bars and is a Scout Specialist.
Red Ranger
15
Shining Span
Slightly south of the massive bridge located at Shining Span.
Can be hired for 600 gold bars and is a Supply Specialist.
Yellow Ranger
16
South of Swarmy Stash
Found slightly south of Swarmy Stash and north of Foxy Floodgate.
Can be hired for 600 gold bars and is a Medic Specialist.
Shadow Blade Hope
17
Supernova Academy
In the basement of Supernova Academy.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
The Night Rose
18
Bug Outpost
Located at the Bug Outpost situated between Resistance Base and Supernova Academy.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Vengeance Jones
19
Supernova Academy
In the basement of Supernova Academy.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Yoo-Mi
20
Canyon Crossing
At a bug-infested area slightly north of Canyon Crossing.
Offers OXR Patch Up and Rift.
Most of the characters this season offer OXR Patch Ups and Rifts, which have to be unlocked first by raising your OXR Rank. You can then use the services to heal yourself. Some characters, like the Power Rangers, can provide specialist services to increase the chances of your survival.
Are you ready for some more Black Ops? Call of Duty sure hopes you are, because Black Ops 7 is launching in a short while, and a beta test is coming up first.
As usual, pre-ordering the game will give you some early access to the beta. But if you don't mind waiting a few days, you can pick it up when the open beta arrives that same week if you're looking to give BO7 a try without putting down any money just yet.
Let's look at all the essential details about the BO7 beta from Activision.
The Call of Duty Black Ops 7 beta has two important dates to remember. The open beta kicks off officially on Oct. 5 on all available platforms. However, an early access period begins on Oct. 2. In short, those with early access will be able to hop in 72 hours early.
We will have to wait for Activision and their plans regarding the official starting times. The following countdown is based on when new seasons typically begin in Call of Duty titles, which will help you get a fair idea about when the open beta for Black Ops 7 could begin.
[hurrytimer id="1106136"]
10am PT
12pm CT
1pm ET
Once again, the timings aren't from an official source and are speculation for now. Once we get confirmation about the exact launch timings, we will update them on our countdown to help you stay on track.
How to play the BO7 beta
Image via Activision
The BO7 beta is available to all players onOct. 5, but you can play as early as Oct. 2 if you pre-order the game.
The dates have been confirmed by Activision, so you can call in sick now if you want to play as soon as possible. If you decide to pre-order any of the available bundles of Black Ops 7, you're guaranteed early access to the open beta. Additionally, you'll also be entitled to the following benefits:
Reznov Challenge Pack - Immediately unlock the SOG Reznov Operator Skin in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty Warzone. Plus, get access to unlock the Stalingrad Reznov and Memory Reznov Operator Skins.
What's included in the BO7 beta?
Image via Activision
Here's what we know so far will be included as playable in BO7 beta.
Game modes
Overload
Team Deathmatch
Kill Confirmed
Hardpoint
Domination
Maps
Blackheart
Cortex
Exposure
Imprint
The Forge
Scorestreaks
Scout Pulse
RC-XD
UAV
Counter-UAV
Skewer
Gravemaker
D.A.W.G.
Watchdog Helo
HKDs
Rhino
VTOL Warship
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We're just days away from a big info drop about Resident Evil Requiem, according to new leaks, and all signs are pointing to the reveal of franchise hero Leon Kennedy's inclusion.
The leaker, Dusk Golem, has been dropping info about RE9 for quite a while now. But this latest set of leaks suggests a unique presentation of the game's story where "most but not all" of Leon's gameplay segments take place in 2020, while "most, but not all" of new protagonist Grace Ashcroft's story is in 2028.
Image via Capcom
YouTuber Residence of Evil highlighted the leaks and corroborated some of them as well, talking to Dusk Golem for further info than what the leaker has been dropping on social media, reiterating that Grace's more slow-paced horror gameplay will be supplemented by Leon's sections being more action-oriented.
The leaks say that Leon will sport graying hair and a beard along with a black jacket, and that the franchise veteran will have "open-ended" gameplay segments where he uses a vehicle to traverse an area in at least one chapter.
As far as the specific tone of Leon's gameplay, Dusk Golem says it will be similar to Resident Evil 4's, but with more of a horror tone and less "over-the-top" like RE4's Salazar or Resident Evil Village's Heisenberg "mech" fight. Dusk Golem also reiterated that Leon's gameplay will "draw some comparisons to The Last of Us: Part II" as well.
With the Tokyo Game Show kicking off soon, Dusk Golem says that his sources are saying that the full reveal of Leon will take place at the show, alongside pre-orders for the game becoming available and an assumed marketing push for the horror sequel.
Resident Evil Requiem is set to launch on Feb. 27, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
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If you like unlocking weapon camos in Call of Duty, then Black Ops 7 may be the game you've been waiting for.
There are dozens upon dozens of camos to unlock in BO7, Treyarch and Activision have revealed, including 16 mastery camos across four totally different modes. No matter what you play in BO7, you are building towards progression that gets you new camos for your guns.
Here's everything revealed so far about how to get new camos in Black Ops 7.
Black Ops 7 camos: Multiplayer, Campaign, Zombies
Image via Activision
Each playable mode in Black Ops 7 has its own set of camos, including multiplayer, Zombies, and, for the first time ever, campaign. Here's how camos are broken down in BO7, with each of the game's 30 launch weapons having 16 camos apiece:
Nine Military Camos (different for every mode, the same for each Weapon)
Three Special Camos (different for every mode, the same for each Weapon)
Four Mastery Camos (different for every mode, the same for each Weapon)
With each of BO7's three modes plus Warzone all having four mastery camos, there are a total of 16 mastery camos to unlock in BO7. In the best news yet, Treyarch says players will now only need 80 headshots per weapon to complete all nine Military camos before completing the Special camo challenges.
"The pacing of Camo unlocks is more consistent as you progress (earn your first camo after 5 Headshots, then every 10 Headshots after that – 5 / 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80)," Activision said.
Additionally, with Weapon Prestige, each weapon has three more unique camos to unlock as you level up your weapons and then reset their ranks with Prestige. Maxing out a weapon to level 50 will unlock Weapon Prestige Master.
Image via Activision
On top of the camos in the game at launch, more will be added over time with seasonal weapons, weekly challenges, and seasonal events, where universal camos will be rewarded for completing challenges throughout the year of BO7.
More details about weapon camos in BO7 will be revealed in the lead-up to launch on Nov. 14.
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If you think you've mastered the art of ghost hunting in Phasmophobia, you may be ready to put your skills to the test. Weekly challenge modes are a great way to see just how good you are.
These special trials modify how the game works, usually with rules that make the experience a lot harder. Successfully finishing the challenge gets you plenty of XP and cash, so it's well worth the effort. Here's the weekly challenge in Phasmophobiaand everything you need to know to beat it.
From Sept. 21 to 28, the weekly challenge is Survival of the Fittest in Phasmophobia. In this challenge, you've got no sanity at all, no way to restore it, and no evidence to work with. Everything in this trial is working against you, so it's one of the toughest ones to get done.
How to complete the weekly challenge in Phasmophobia
To finish the weekly challenge mode in Phasmophobia, you need to correctly identify the ghostpresent on the featured map three times. The specific changes present in each trial mode vary, but your goal is always the same.
All Survival of the Fittest weekly challenge modifiers in Phasmophobia
This challenge mode has several specific rules that modify the way the contract functions. Here are all the key details you need to know about this trial.
Map: 42 Edgefield Road
Starting sanity: Zero percent
Sanity drain speed: 200 percent
Sanity medication restoration: Zero percent
Evidence given: None
Setup time: None
Player speed: 100 percent
Ghost speed: 100 percent
Weather: Random
Fuse box state: Starts on and is marked on the map
Missing Equipment: DOTS Projector, Ghost Writing Book, Thermometer, UV Light, Video Camera, Tripod, and two Sanity Medication.
Screenshot by Destructoid
Phasmophobia Survival of the Fittest weekly challenge mode tips
The Survival of the Fittest challenge is one of the trickier ones you can attempt in Phasmophobia, so here are some of the best tips to help you get it done.
Bring all your equipment to the front door. Before you start investigating, bring all of the items you need to the front door. You don't have a setup time, so the ghost can technically come after you as soon as you set foot inside if you're unlucky and it happens to be a Demon. If you prepare a bit by gathering the items you need near the front door, you'll save time and be more likely to succeed.
Place Crucifixes in the ghost room. Once you know where the ghost is, place your Crucifixes around the room for protection. This powerful tool can block a few ghost hunts, so make sure you use it to your advantage.
Watch for unofficial evidence, behaviors, and patterns. The ghost won't grant you any official evidence in this trial, so you have to rely on unofficial evidence to figure out what type of ghost is present. Examples of what to search for include specific noises picked up by the Sound Recorder, Ghost Orbs left behind by The Mimic, and the Wraith's refusal to ever step in Salt.
Use Sound Sensors and Motion Sensors. Since you have no sanity, the ghost will try to hunt you constantly in this trial, which means you need to track down the ghost room as efficiently as possible. A Thermometer is usually my preferred method, but you don't have one here, so try relying on sensors instead. Place them down all around the first floor, second floor, and basement, then head to the truck to see where you pick up sound and movement.
Play with friends. Your odds of success are a lot better with allies helping you through this tricky trial. With additional ghost hunters at your side, you can explore the map more quickly, work together to gather evidence, and continue the investigation even if you perish.
Don't give up. Since all equipment is provided for free, there's nothing to lose in this challenge. Because of this, you can keep trying without worrying about losing money or equipment. Give each contract your all and keep at it until you get it done.
Make an educated guess. Some ghosts are just easier to identify than others, so luck plays a large role in how easy or tough this trial is. Even if you have no evidence at all, always make a guess before you leave, then reroll to try again.
When does the challenge mode change in Phasmophobia?
The challenge mode changes every Monday at 12am UTC, which translates to 7pm CT every Sunday. You have a full week to tackle each challenge mode when it's available. All challenge modes return regularly since they're on a rotating schedule, so if you don't get to finish one, you can always try it again in the future.
Next weekly challenge mode in Phasmophobia
The next weekly challenge mode, which will run for a full week from Sep. 28 to Oct. 5, will be Primitive. This challenge mode will begin as soon as this week's featured one, Survival of the Fittest, ends.
All weekly challenge modes in Phasmophobia
Screenshot by Destructoid
There are 27 challenge modes in Phasmophobia. A different one is available to complete each week, and the challenge order stays exactly the same, so it's easy to know which one is coming next. Here are all of the challenges you may face in Phasmophobia.
Name
Description
Map
Lights Out!
Get your candles at the ready, all the lights are out!
6 Tanglewood Drive
Speed Demons
There must be something in the air, everyone's going crazy!
Maple Lodge Campsite
Detectives Only
Put your detective skills to the test, this ghost is giving nothing away!
42 Edgefield Road
Hide and Seek: Seeker
There's a very quiet ghost hiding somewhere, can you find it?
Call of Duty is back with Black Ops 7, but its new time period and setting of 2035 opens the door for some fun technology.
BO7 takes place between Black Ops II and Black Ops 4, so there are some different kinds of opportunities for fun in the game that the series may not have had before. This is true for weapons, equipment, Field Upgrades, and everyone's favorite CoD staple, Scorestreaks.
I got a sneak peek at the Scorestreaks currently in BO7 at a special press event in August, and can confirm that there are some returning classics, along with some fun spins on fan-favorite archetypes from the past.
Here's everything we know about the Scorestreaks in BO7 so far.
Here's everything we've learned so far about the Scorestreaks in BO7. This list is incomplete, and the score or kills required to unlock them is currently unknown.
UAV
UAV recon ship that reveals enemy locations on the minimap.
Overclock #1 — Counters the first lock-on missile with a flare. Increases bullet resistance.
Overclock #2 — Lower score cost.
Counter UAV
Obscures the enemy team's minimap.
Overclock #1 — Counters the first lock-on missile with a flare. Increases bullet resistance.
Overclock #2 — Lower score cost.
Scout Pulse
Radar ping that reveals nearby enemies on the user's minimap.
Overclock #1 — Lower score cost.
Overclock #2 — Radar ping shows directional arrows instead of red dots.
Hellstorm
Control a long-range cruise missile with boost capabilities and secondary missiles.
Overclock #1 — Additional cluster missile.
Overclock #2 — Missiles can lock onto Scorestreaks.
HARP
High altitude recon vehicle reveals enemy position and direction on the minimap in real time.
Overclock #1 — Deploys flares against incoming lock-on rockets.
Overclock #2 — Lower score cost.
RC-XD
Deploy a small, remote controlled, remote detonated explosive vehicle.
Overclock #1 — Increased Resistance to enemy gunfire.
Overclock #2 — See target indicators on occluded enemies in medium range.
Care Package
Call in an airdrop that contains a random Scorestreak.
Overclock #1 — Re-roll a Care Package drop one time.
Overclock #2 — Lower score cost.
Interceptors
Call in a group of five jets to destroy enemy flying targets.
Overclock #1 — Deploy Interceptors without detected threats.
Overclock #2 — Lower score cost.
Gravemaker
Assemble a portable, one-hit-kill sniper rifle that can reveal and eliminate targets behind cover.
Overclock #1 — A larger magazine provides more ammo.
Overclock #2 — Reduced charge time before firing.
LGM
Launch a continuous bombardment of explosive shells at a targeted area.
Overclock #1 — Rains down extra projectiles.
Overclock #2 — Marks a second target location. Reduced payload per zone.
Napalm Strike
Launch a targeted carpet bomb strike of explosive napalm.
Overclock #1 — Reveals enemies longer and displays their movement directions while aiming a strike.
Overclock #2 — Flames burn longer.
Sentry Turret
Automated turret that scans for and attacks nearby enemies in a forward-facing cone.
Overclock #1 — Increased turret rotation for greater coverage.
Overclock #2 — Adds ability to control remotely.
Hand Cannon
Powerful large-caliber handgun with high bullet damage and penetration.
Overclock #1 — More ammo in clip.
Overclock #2 — Dual Hand Cannons.
VTOL Warship
Control a VTOL Warship armed with a turret and air-to-land missiles.
Overclock #1 — Adds ability to boost in a direction, breaking enemy rocket lock-on.
Overclock #2 — Increased durability.
HKDs
Aerial payload delivers wheeled Hunter Kill Drones, which seek targets and explode.
Overclock #1 — Improved durability against enemy attack.
Overclock #2 — Deploy additional GDU drop pods.
Skewer
Fire and forget air-to-ground projectile for precision eliminations. Bladed design minimizes collateral damage.
Overclock #1 — Skewer targets higher priority enemies when possible.
Overclock #2 — Increased velocity.Gravemaker
Assemble a portable, one-hit-kill sniper rifle that can reveal and eliminate targets behind cover.
D.A.W.G.
Deployable Armored Weaponized Groundcraft featuring a large caliber turret and rocket pod. Very effective against infantry targets.
Overclock #1 — Adds Sentry Mode. D.A.W.G. hunkers down, guarding an area and deploying a supply pack and integrated Trophy System.
Overclock #2 — Longer active duration.
Watchdog Helo
Close air support escort chopper that pings and attacks enemies in your area.
Overclock #1 — Improved durability against enemy attack.
Overclock #2 — Direct Watchdog Helo to guard an area.
EMP Systems
Massive electromagnetic pulse weapon disrupts enemies and destroys all hostile equipment and vehicles.
Overclock #1 — Lower score cost.
Overclock #2 — Prevents enemies from using Scorestreaks and Field Upgrades for a long duration.
Rhino
Remotely control an armored robotic soldier equipped with a deadly minigun.
Overclock #1 — Reveals nearby enemy location on Rhino's minimap. Enhanced radar length and duration.
Overclock #2 — Extended runtime for Rhino.
Legion
Large autonomous drone cluster patrols the skies, automatically seeking targets and exploding on impact.
Overclock #1 — Additional sensors allow Legion to target hostile Scorestreaks and Field Upgrades.
Overclock #2 — More drone clusters provide extra coverage.
This article will be updated with new information whenever it becomes available.
Speed is a key point for CBs in FC 26, as having pace on their sleeves will allow them to fall back quicker and defend the ball well.
While speed isn't the usual strong point of defenders, there are some pacy options to utilize. Let's look at the twenty fastest CBs in this year's game.
Disclaimer: Based on default ratings and doesn't account for future upgrades.
20 CBs with the highest pace in FC 26
Pace in FC 26 is determined by a combination of two key factors: Acceleration and Sprint Speed. In earlier years, the weightage of Sprint Speed was higher. This year, you'll need to pay equal respect to Acceleration.
Player name
Overall
Pace
Defending
Moise Bombito
76
93
75
St. Juste
76
92
76
Van de Ven
82
90
82
Blackmon
70
90
68
Roche
64
90
62
Lebib
57
90
56
Lacroix
79
88
80
Ominami
70
87
68
Ibanez
82
87
83
Gyamfi
66
86
67
Langas
71
86
68
Collins
74
86
73
El Yamiq
73
85
72
Scholler
63
85
62
Coulibaly
72
85
69
Mario Gila
79
85
80
Lee Jung Taek
65
85
63
Saul Coco
76
85
77
Khusanov
77
85
77
Spencer
68
85
65
Specific considerations have been made on this list. For starters, only defenders who are originally CB have been considered. Some players, who are originally LB/RB, can also play as CB, but I haven't considered them.
Secondly, Heroes and Icons haven't been included as you can't use them in certain game modes. Ibanez and Van de Ven are the best names on the list. While there are faster options than the duo, their defensive ratings make them great choices. Some of the lower-rated options can be good choices for your Career mode saves.
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A Call of Duty game is only as good and memorable as its weapons that you use to pub-stomp noobs with.
Black Ops 7, launching in 2025, is a direct sequel to Black Ops 2, which has some of the most memorable guns in the series. Some of those guns are coming back for BO7, but there's also a whole bunch of new tools of destruction to use, too.
During a special press briefing in August, Treyarch revealed that there will be 30 weapons in BO7 at launch, including 16 weapons that have never been in a CoD game before and 14 that are returning or inspired by previous guns.
Here's everything we know so far about the 30 launch weapons coming to BO7.
Below, I've listed all of the weapons that were shown during the briefing. Each section denotes how many of each gun will be available in the game at launch, even if the list does not include all of them, since some are still being kept under wraps.
Assault rifles (6)
M15 Mod 0
MXR 17
Peacekeeper MK1 (from BO2)
Eagle
Marksman rifles (3)
M8A1 (from BO2)
SMGs (6)
Graz 45K
Puma (PDW 57 from BO2)
Dravec 45
Cobra
Razor 9MM
Sniper rifles (3)
VS Recon (inspired by DSR 50 from BO2)
XR-3 Ion
Baltic
Shotguns (3)
M10 Breacher
Echo 12
LMGs (2)
MK. 78
Pistols (3)
Orion
Jager 45
Coda 9
Launchers (2)
Polis
A.R.C. M1
Dedicated melee weapon (2)
Combat Knife
Flatline MK. II
This list will be updated with more information whenever it becomes available.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's beta begins next weekend, but Activision just dropped the trailer for the first look at multiplayer gameplay this morning, and it sure looks like CoD.
CoD gamers will surely be dissecting the footage over the next few days, but the main takeaway from the footage is the addition of a feature called Overclocks that allows you to upgrade and level up different types of gear, including scorestreaks, throwables, and field upgrades.
Image via Activision
Gameplay-wise, the footage gives me vibes of a combination between Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 2, which makes sense since BO7 is a direct sequel to the latter. And for my money, BO2 is the best game in the franchise, so that alone gives me reason for excitement.
The weapons and gunplay look similar to BO2, while the movement is definitely an evolution of BO6's omnimovement. This combination could make for some genuine fun in the franchise, along with the near-future tech on display like drones, quadruped tanks, and even the Juggernaut-like bipedal bot that is one of the top scorestreaks in the game.
Next week on Oct. 30, Activision hosts Call of Duty Next, a live-streamed showcase of all things BO7, Warzone, and CoD Mobile. The beta for BO7 begins on Oct. 2 for those who pre-ordered, so the chance to actually play the next CoD is right around the corner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGFYtZD53ZA
A full deep-dive blog from Activision detailed a ton of new information about multiplayer alongside the trailer, including a full list of weapons and other options coming to the game when it launches on Nov. 14.
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Scalping in the world of Pokémon trading cards is arguably at its worst point. It's so bad that collectors are actually wishing that the latest Pokémon partnership features no promotional cards.
The Pokémon Company and the Natural History Museum in London, UK, have announced a collaboration to bring an "exclusive" Pokémon pop-up shop to the museum from January 26 to March 22, 2026. It will feature new products made only for this partnership, including "apparel, stationery, a brand-new exclusive plush," the event announcement reads. The one type of Pokémon product that's clearly missing from the list, and probably for a good reason, is a promotional trading card.
While there are no signs that the Pokémon x Natural History Museum store will include such a card, Pokémon fans fear one could still be part of it. This fear, which would've been anticipation and excitement in normal times, is due to the Van Gogh Museum partnership fiasco in the Netherlands. It was Pokémon's previous museum collaboration, and it became the most infamous Pokémon TCG scalping incident in history.
In September 2023, Van Gogh Museum visitors could get an exclusive Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promotional card as a gift with the purchase of any Pokémon products. TCG scalpers, expecting the Pikachu card to be in high demand in the secondary market due to its exclusivity, stormed the Museum shop and bought all its merch stock to hoard Pikachu cards, as you can see in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GYm4HmJ0NjI
Unfortunately for legit Pokémon fans, scalpers won the Pikachu Van Gogh war. The Museum didn't restock cards after the incident and stopped giving them away for safety reasons, only three weeks after the exhibition opened. Pikachu With Grey Felt Hat, which was supposed to be a free promotional card, went on sale in secondary markets for $89 shortly after its giveaway at the museum. At the time of writing, two years after the incident, the card's most recent sale on TCGPlayer happened for $699.
Chances are low that history will repeat, but fans aren't excited
That's why some Pokémon fans are worried about this National History Museum event. Suppose there's a last-minute announcement of an exclusive promotional card. In that case, scalpers can easily ruin the entire experience for legit museum visitors and Pokémon fans by flocking to the pop-up store and claiming all the cards for themselves.
"Honestly I low key hope there isn't [a promotional card]," a fan wrote in the r/PokemonTCG subreddit. "The Van Gogh Museum collab was cute, but scalpers ruined it," another one remembered. "Hope they hype it everyday that the next day there will be exclusive cards. Waste 2 months of the scalpers life please," a fan wishing revenge on scalpers added.
While there's no indication today that a promotional card is coming to this museum shop, who knows how far scalpers will go? Pokémon plush collecting is also big among fans, despite not being as big as trading cards. We can still expect some people to go to the museum to buy plushes to resell them at double the price later.
You don't pick up a Suzanne Collins novel expecting a happy ending, but Sunrise on the Reaping completely and utterly shattered me in a way no other book has before. I went in braced for a brutal tragedy—it's a Hunger Games prequel, after all—but what I wasn't prepared for was how profoundly it would move me.
Sunrise on the Reaping is, without a doubt, the most beautifully tragic book I've ever read. When I finished reading it for the first time back in March 2025, I spent about a full hour sobbing. I wish I were exaggerating, but that's how much this story hurt, and how deeply it moved me. I honestly don't think I'll ever recover.
Image by Kacee Fay via Destructoid
I've been into The Hunger Games series since the first book debuted in 2008, and I knew Haymitch had to have a tragic backstory, so I thought I was at least a little bit prepared for what would unfold in this novel. Boy, was I wrong, though. No amount of preparation could have softened the blow of this story—and yet, it's this very devastation that makes it one of the best books I've ever read.
Sunrise on the Reaping tells Haymitch Abernathy's story, set 24 years before the events of the first The Hunger Games book. Even if you're only lightly familiar with this series, you probably know Haymitch—he's one of the most unforgettable characters. When we first meet him in the later series, he's drunk, abrasive, sarcastic, and full of bitterness. But as the series progresses, we glimpse the broken man beneath the bravado. We always knew he'd been through hell, we just didn't know the full extent—until now.
Haymitch's story begins with instant tragedy, as on his 16th birthday, he avoids being called in the Reaping, only to be forced into the Games anyway after one of the chosen tributes tries to escape and is killed. In the aftermath, his girlfriend, Lenore Dove, steps in to comfort the victim's grieving mother. When Haymitch intervenes to protect Lenore from the Peacekeepers, he's illegally reaped in the place of the fallen tribute.
Image via Lionsgate
The version of the games Haymitch is playing is the Quarter Quell, which means there are twice as many tributes sentenced to death in the arena, making for 48 children sentenced to this fate, and only one who makes it out alive. We know that survivor is Haymitch, but knowing the outcome doesn't soften the blow. The deaths of the other 47 tributes still land with devastating weight.
My favorite novel from this series before reading this one was Catching Fire, and Sunrise on the Reaping is a spiritual predecessor to it in every way. Without giving too much away, you learn far more about characters from the original trilogy than you might expect, and you'll never see those books or films the same way again. Everything Haymitch does and says has a whole new meaning after reading this, and he's not the only one.
Like the tributes in Catching Fire, Haymitch finds himself at the heart of a plot to sabotage the arena. This was a twist I didn't see coming, and one I knew wouldn't end well, seeing as the games went on for many years after. Still, I couldn't help but hope things would somehow turn out differently than they were fated to. Even knowing how it ends, I found myself rooting for Haymitch and the others every step of the way.
Image via Lionsgate
The beauty of this novel is that, yeah, you know it's gotta end badly and that Haymitch is going to experience some truly traumatizing stuff, but you have no idea how it all unfolds until you're deep in it. You know Haymitch is going to end up a belligerent drunkard, despite his repeated insistence that he doesn't drink throughout this book, but you'll never predict what gets him there.
Like every book in this series, Sunrise on the Reaping delivers powerful, timely messages and political commentary woven seamlessly throughout the narrative. It's also got some surprisingly fun literary references, like the recurring use of the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe, which is hauntingly tied to both Haymitch and his lover, Lenore Dove.
Just when you think you've witnessed the worst this story has to offer, it hits you with another gut punch. This cycle continues right up to the final pages, where you're met with perhaps the most devastating blow of all. If you ever think you're having a bad day, remember: Haymitch Abernathy is having a far, far worse one.
Image via Lionsgate
If you've only ever read the main trilogy, I can't recommend delving back into the larger world of The Hunger Games enough. Start with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which provides chilling depth to President Snow's backstory, then enjoy Sunrise on the Reaping, a devastating companion that ties it all together in ways you won't see coming.
I was so skeptical of expanding the world of Panem beyond the main books, but both of these reads are every bit as powerful as the original trilogy, and maybe even a bit more haunting. Haymitch's fate was sealed long before this book began, yet Sunrise on the Reaping still makes you love, hurt, and grieve— holding on to hope that things might turn out differently, even when you know the story was always meant to break you.
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Ever wanted to play your own character in a Kengan Ashura-esque world? Roblox Fistborn comes to deliver on some high-octane battlegrounds action with an excellent hand-to-hand combat system. I highly recommend checking out the Fistborn Trello, Wiki and Discord to help your during progression.
Fistborn Trello, Wiki and Discord Guide
Image via Kengan
Here are all the community links for Roblox Fistborn to give you a comprehensive overview of all mechanics and features for early to late game:
As always I would first dive into the Trello and Wiki for everything you need to know about the game. Primarily you'll find info there on starting to play like grinding and training. Then you can browse various fighting styles and more. Both of them have info on:
Basic mechanics & Training
A beginner's guide
All quests
Traits & Clans
All consumables
All fighting styles
All talents
All bosses
All organizations
All cosmetics
All gamemodes
After the Trello and Wiki the best place for more specific info and staying in-touch with the game, developers and community is the Discord server. The Announcements and Updates channels are crucial for new additions to the game as well as any fixes, rebalancing and reworks.
That said you can also ask experienced players for guides, tips and pseudo tier lists of the best styles and other features like talents. Firstborn is also a battlegrounds game that's best played in a team so the Discord is where you can create a party easily. It sucks getting ganked alone so make your own squad, grind and dominate the Kengan fighting pits.
That's it for my Fistborn Trello, Wiki and Discord guide. If you like Fistborn then I highly recommend Type Soul as well and we have a bunch of guides and tier lists on it.
Luck is one of the many stats present in Megabonk, and it can easily fly under the radar.
After all, it is a stat that doesn't directly impact your build. However, it plays one of the most significant roles in determining whether your run will be successful or not. Having a good Luck stat will be crucial if you want to clear tier 2 areas (since tier 1 areas are relatively straightforward).
This guide will explain everything you need to know about Luck.
With higher Luck, you'll get more Rare, Epic, and Legendary upgrades as you level up. Upgrades of higher rarities offer noticeably better boosts and can also carry double effects. After testing the relevance of Luck across several runs, I will prioritize boosting it whenever I get the chance.
Screenshot by Destructoid
How to increase Luck in Megabonk?
The only known way to increase Luck in the game is to use a Luck Tome. This Tome remains locked at first, and you can unlock it by smashing at least 20 vases on a run. Getting the Tome then will depend on luck, hilariously.
Upgrading your Luck stat at the beginning will be highly beneficial, as you'll get better rewards for the remainder of your run. The upgrades scale up the more you improve Luck, unlocking better effects, giving you powerful rewards, and increasing your chances of success against stronger enemies like a Stage Boss.
Having more Tome slots will also be quite helpful since you can carry more of them at any given time.
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The Emotional Rescue update in Disney Dreamlight Valley has brought with it a fresh Star Path event packed with loads to tackle and earn. The Retro Roadtrip Star Path is a big one, with plenty of duties you can complete for rewards.
Like all Star Path events, this one comes with quite a few tricky tasks to solve. You need to get all of them done if you want to earn the many prizes available, though, so here are all the Retro Roadtrip Star Path duties and rewards inDisney Dreamlight Valley.
All Retro Roadtrip Star Path duties in Disney Dreamlight Valley
Screenshot by Destructoid
There are 73 duties you can complete throughout the entirety of the Retro Roadtrip Star Path event. This event also has a new feature called routine duties, which are some additional tasks that unlock weekly, so there are also some additional missions to get done as the event progresses.
Here are all of the main duties you can complete in the Retro Roadtrip Star Path event.
Duty
How to complete
Quantity
Reward
Uproot Night Thorns.
Remove Night Thorns, Splinters of Fate, or Inkies.
Catch Fish from gold ripple spots around the valley.
5
25
All Retro Roadtrip Star Path routine duties in Disney Dreamlight Valley
Screenshot by Destructoid
The Retro Roadtrip Star Path is the first event to feature routine duties. These are fresh missions that unlock weekly every Wednesday at 8am CT. Throughout the course of the event, there will be five sets of routine duties to finish, so we'll add them here as they become available.
Serve meals to villagers at Chez Remy and Tiana's Palace.
Eight
70
Cook any meal.
Cook any type of dish.
Six
30
Sell meal.
Sell any type of meals.
Three
10
Week five
Task
How to complete
Quantity
Reward
Equip a level five Critter Companion.
Equip any Companion you have maxed out friendship with.
One
70
Pick up Critter Companion bonuses.
Pick up any items dropped by Companions while completing activities around the valley.
15
30
Give the Squirrel Critter their favorite food.
Feed a Squirrel Peanuts.
One
10
All Retro Roadtrip Star Path rewards in Disney Dreamlight Valley
Screenshot by Destructoid
The Retro Roadtrip Star Path has six pages of event rewards plus three bonus ones if you manage to claim all of the standard prizes. The bonus rewards are mostly just recolors of the standard items, but the grand prize is the Cozy Cone Motel, so it's certainly worth getting all tasks done to claim it.
Page
Type
Reward
Price
1
Critter
Rock and Roll Fox
50
1
Clothing
Jaunty Bow Updo
10
1
Currency
100 Moonstones
10
1
Motifs
Movie tape Motif
10
1
Furniture
Retro Roadtrip Luggage
10
1
Furniture
Basic Cinema Poster
10
1
Clothing
Vintage Feels Handbag
30
2
Clothing
Summer Feels Shorts
30
2
Furniture
Retro Movie Ticket Booth
50
2
Currency
200 Moonstones
20
2
Motifs
Popcorn bucket Motif
10
2
Furniture
Red Retro Diner Chair
30
2
Furniture
Retro Diner Table
30
2
Furniture
Minimalist Movie Posters
10
3
Clothing
Retro Summer Dress
30
3
Furniture
Good Memories Jukebox
50
3
Currency
250 Moonstones
20
3
Motifs
Move tickets Motif
10
3
Clothing
Joyful Flower Sunglasses
10
3
Furniture
Red Retro Diner Bench
30
3
Furniture
Minimalist Movie Posters
10
4
Clothing
Green Retro Summer Dress
30
4
Furniture
Drive-In Movie Screen
75
4
Currency
350 Moonstones
35
4
Clothing
"Patchy" Travel Backpack
30
4
Furniture
Retro Drive-In Sign
40
4
Furniture
Convertible Couch
50
4
Furniture
Now Playing Cinema Sign
10
5
Dream Style
Retro Diner Donald
100
5
Clothing
Camera Vacation Shirt
50
5
Furniture
Cozy Cone Motel Sign
50
5
Furniture
Retro Snack Bar
100
5
Wallpaper
V8 Cafe Wallpaper
20
5
Currency
400 Moonstones
40
6
Dream Style
Rock 'n' Roll Mickey
100
6
Clothing
V8 Swing Dress
100
6
Currency
610 Moonstones
60
6
Flooring
V8 Cafe Tiles
20
Bonus - 1
Furniture
Blue Convertible Couch
55
Bonus - 1
Furniture
Blue Retro Diner Bench
25
Bonus - 1
Furniture
Blue Retro Diner Table
30
Bonus - 1
Furniture
Blue Retro Diner Chair
40
Bonus - 2
House
Cozy Cone Motel
300
Bonus - 3
Currency
90 Moonstones (Repeatable)
10
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It's Monday again, so welcome to a new week of discussing what we've been watching recently. This week, we're delving into the stunning world of Sinners and discussing the finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Sinners is, without a doubt, one of the best films I've seen all year, and easily a top 10 horror pick. The finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty was mostly satisfying, but also quite bittersweet, as goodbyes are never easy.
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Sinners has been on my to-watch list for a long time, and I finally got around to watching it this weekend. And wow, have I been missing out on a true masterpiece on all levels. Sinners is visually gorgeous and utterly captivating from start to finish, with an incredible cast to back it.
This film follows the story of twin brothers Smoke and Stack, played by Michael B. Jordan, as they return home to Mississippi and try to start a juke joint. Jordan's acting is phenomenal in this movie, as the two brothers couldn't be more different, making them easy to tell apart despite being played by the same actor. The founding of this joint starts off great, but things quickly go south when it catches the attention of some supernatural beings.
One of my favorite scenes in this film and in general cinema is when Sammie's singing at the juke joint activates this special, transcendental space where spirits from the past, present, and future all dance and sing together. The different beats of instruments and voices throughout time harmonizing together is so special, and this moment is also what drives the main conflict for the film, as a group of bloodthirsty vampires are entranced by this magical music.
Screenshot by Destructoid
The vampires can only enter buildings when directly invited inside, so after they hear Sammie, they start trying to enter the juke joint. Things spiral out of control quickly, as they slowly transform more people into creatures of the night, and those left inside end up trapped and scared that everyone around them might secretly be a monster.
There's so much going on at once in every scene, creating a tense, thrilling, and frightening story backed by captivating music and a blend of both supernatural and real horrors. It touches on some relevant and timely stuff, while also slowly building up to a scary supernatural story, and I think it's a pretty perfect film overall. If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, I can't recommend it enough. It's not overwhelmingly scary, so even if horror isn't your thing, you'll be fine with this one.
After four years, The Summer I Turned Pretty officially ended with the finale episode of the series airing on Sept. 17. Well, sort of, as we found out soon after that there's actually a movie in the works to truly wrap it all up.
Image via Prime Video
The second half of the season and the final episode were still a big event, though, as the love triangle was finally put to rest for good, Belly set out to find herself again, and Belly and Conrad finally got together and are now thriving. Going into the finale, I was quite worried about it feeling rushed, as it felt like there was still a lot that needed addressing without enough time to do so.
The final episode was less rushed and crammed than I expected, but there are plenty of loose ends I'd be upset about if I didn't know we had a movie coming. We didn't get enough of Belly and Conrad actually together after all of the suffering. We never got to see Belly reunite with her family, and basically everyone back home still owes Conrad loads of apologies, so hopefully, we get to see all of this unfold when the movie is released.
We also didn't get to see Belly and Conrad's wedding, which is featured in the ending of the book this show is based on. I imagine this will be the big focus of the movie, though, so this omission makes sense, and I don't mind it as long as we still get it eventually.
Image via Prime Video
The ending of the series wasn't perfect, but since it's not actually the end just yet, I can't be too mad at where everything ended up. I will be mad if we actually have to wait years to wrap this story up, though, so I'm hoping we get the true finale sooner rather than later.
So, Destructoid, what about you? What have you been enjoying watching recently? Have you had a chance to check out either of these projects, or have you been occupied with other watches? Let us know in the comments so we can discuss.
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