Jan 04, 18:00

PCGamesN Sunday, January 4, 2026 12:29 PM A 2025 hidden gem, 4X strategy sandbox Heart of the Machine adds a new mode for the "truly sadistic" among you       Arcen Games introduces a new 'Misery mode' to Heart of the Machine after toning down the cyberpunk strategy game's punishing endgame.

Siliconera Sunday, January 4, 2026 3:00 PM Oshi no Ko 12 Gets Into The 15 Year Lie Movie Development       Throughout the Oshi no Ko manga and anime, we watch as Aqua Hoshino gradually moves pieces into place to get revenge for the murder of his mother Ai Hoshino, and the in-series movie The 15 Year Lie is a major part of that plan. He knows it's the only way to expose the truth and the person who killed her. Now that we hit volume 12 of the manga, it is starting to come together. So while that means often painful and major changes and realizations for characters, it also means we're closer to the truth.  Editor's Note: There will be minor spoilers for volume 12 of the Oshi no Ko manga below. From a procedural standpoint, volume 12 of the Oshi no Ko manga is really insightful. The series often gets into the inside baseball elements of the entertainment industry. In this case, that comes down to preparing to get The 15 Year Lie movie about Ai Hoshino actually made. So this installment starts with the movie producer Masaya Kaburagi drumming up support by getting a distributor.  Image via Yen Press When they get Eikyo Inc to handle getting the film in theaters, that comes at the cost of securing their own 100 million yen in funding from other sources. But then that means acquiescing to their demands in order to secure their investment. So while the actual events relating to characters are huge spoilers that I'd feel bad discussing and disclosing, in the event it'd ruin revelations for people, the procedural elements can be equally interesting. That leads to another fascinating element of the progress of The 15 Year Lie movie in Oshi no Ko, as investors' interests differ from the director Taishi Gotanda's. While one investor wants Frill Shiranui and Akane Kurosawa is being thrown around, Gotanda wants Ruby Hoshino after meeting her again and seeing exactly how similar she is to her mother. But while there is no traditional audition process, with Frill explaining why after encountering Ruby at school. As a result, we see how the heroine of the film is really chosen.  We're seeing all these steps come together. So much so that we also see Aqua's machinations and manipulations influence things. From the way he handles Akane and Kana Arima especially, we see the thought he puts into his mission. This culminates in us seeing all the moving parts on the production side come together to allow filming proper to begin in the next volume. Oshi no Ko volume 12 is another example of the series managing to combine the drama and mystery of the characters' lives while also offering possible insight into elements of the entertainment industry. Major moves are happening involving characters like Aqua, Ruby, and Kana in this entry! But equally important is seeing how the producer, director, and actors make their additional moves to get The 15 Year Lie movie made. Volume 12 of the Oshi no Ko manga is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 13 on April 28, 2026. The first two seasons of the anime are on HIDIVE, and season 3 is streaming on Crunchyroll starting in 2026. The post Oshi no Ko 12 Gets Into The 15 Year Lie Movie Development appeared first on Siliconera.

Destructoid Sunday, January 4, 2026 3:44 PM How to get infinite money in My Winter Car       Earning cash in My Winter Car is pretty essential if you're looking to complete the project car as quickly as possible, but having an infinite amount is a different discussion. Having infinite money makes things ten times easier, as you can buy as many parts for the Corris Rivett as required. However, that also automatically reduces all the challenges of building the vehicle from scratch. As you might have expected, having an infinite pool of wealth isn't possible in the vanilla version of the game. Table of contents Best ways to get infinite money in My Winter Car Use Mods Use MSCEditor Best ways to get infinite money in My Winter Car There are two possible ways to get an infinite pool of money in My Winter Car. Both methods can be considered as cheating, but it doesn't matter, as there's no multiplayer. If you use the methods to get an infinite amount of cash, you'll complete the Corris Rivett build quite quickly, and that's that. Image via Amistech Games Use Mods Certain My Winter Car mods allow you to have an infinite amount of money in the game. To do so, you have to download and activate the mods. The FL2S BOX mod, available from NexusMods, is your best shot. It offers a bunch of extra benefits that include infinite money. The mod also offers God Mode activation, which makes the game really boring. There are a few other mods available on NexusMods that also offer you infinite money, but with fewer game-breaking advantages. Use MSCEditor The My Summer Car Editor, or MSCEditor in short, is usable with the current build of My Winter Car. This tool allows you to modify the save game file and various values. This includes the money you have. Once you save and confirm the change, reloading your save will end up with whatever amount you put. The same task can also be done with the Developer Toolset mod that enables the dev console. You can then use console commands to get as much money as you want. While it's really easy to get unlimited money in My Winter Car, doing so is just going to ruin the fun. The Corris Rivett has almost 200 parts to get, and the charm is to slowly earn the money and buy them. There are different ways you can work, which include working at the Futufon Office. While this method is slower, it allows you to enjoy the grind and feel the thrill of gradually building up your project car. The post How to get infinite money in My Winter Car appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Sunday, January 4, 2026 3:09 PM ARC Raiders is right to focus on casual rather than professional players—even Ninja agrees       Embark Studios is one of the most community-oriented development teams out there, focusing on what the general player base wants instead of only listening to so-called "authority" figures. Streamer Ninja, who in some other live-service circles would be considered as one such figure, is now fully advocating for ARC Raiders' continued "casual" focus. "Cater to the f**king casuals, pro play is secondary," Ninja said in a recent stream (thanks CDL Hater Central). He highlighted how the game is primarily casual in nature, and stated that it's these players who are "spending money and playing the game," whereas pros are in the minority. He added that he formerly advocated for more focus on professional play, which he thought would lead to more balance overall, but has since changed his mind. https://twitter.com/CDLHater/status/2007658565411188948 I think ARC Raiders and any online shooter out there should genuinely always focus on the casual side of things. Professional play is entirely separate and exists on a plane far removed from the one everyone else is on. The builds are never the same, neither are the strats and tactics, and no matter how much casuals try to mimic pro players in casual environments, it'll never result in the same kind of gameplay. These two categories are so separate that they should never mix, and some developers understand this well. Pros play on standalone servers, have tight-knit queues and environments to operate in, and are kept largely separated from casuals, who make up the vast majority of each game. What's more, ARC Raiders is an extraction shooter, and its potential as a huge esport isn't so great. Sure, you can form a competitive scene around the game, but it's not a team-based title like Counter-Strike 2 or League of Legends, which serves to drive the "casual" point further. Casual play is at the very heart of the experience, and so it would make no sense as to why Embark should ever cater to this small minority of so-called professionals. A lot of voices are, unfortunately, advocating for the latter, but Embark has maintained good communication with the broader community so far, catering to its needs and woes, instead of ignoring them and only listening to a gatekept clique of streamers and pros. The post ARC Raiders is right to focus on casual rather than professional players—even Ninja agrees appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Sunday, January 4, 2026 2:58 PM How do betting tickets work in My Winter Car       There's a bit of a gambling element in My Winter Car in the form of betting tickets, and you can use them effectively to make some quick cash. Just like gambling in real life, betting packets don't guarantee you money. I also believe an easier way to make money is by doing different jobs. But if you want to try your luck, this guide has you covered. Table of contents How to use betting tickets in My Winter Car My Winter Car betting odds explained How to check betting ticket results in My Winter Car How to use betting tickets in My Winter Car The betting ticket in My Winter Car requires you to place bets on ice hockey league games. To do so, you'll have to use a paper ticket to register your bet. Every round has six matches, and you have to bet on at least three. To buy a ticket, you have to go to the PSK store. Go to the Megaveto booth, and select the banner Koita Ja Voita. Choose your bets on the ticket, and choose Osta Nyt at the top right to pay. Don't forget to specifically register the bets because an empty ticket will still cost you money. My Winter Car betting odds explained Image via Amistech Games Betting in My Winter Car follows a standard 1x2 options: 1 means that you're betting on a home win 2 means that you're betting on an away win X means that you're betting on a drawn result. You can pick different results across the six matches. How to check betting ticket results in My Winter Car You can go to the Megaveto booth at PSK to find the results. You can also use the following teletext pages for the same information. S302 shows the last round results and odds for the next round S240 shows league results S241 shows the league table S242 shows top scorers Once a round has finished, take your ticket to the garbage bin by the betting table. Drop the ticket into the bin, and the payout will be processed if you have won. You'll have to do this only after a round is complete. Doing it prematurely will automatically make your winnings null and void. The post How do betting tickets work in My Winter Car appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Sunday, January 4, 2026 2:19 PM Red Dead Redemption 2 players are on the hunt to solve a new mystery, discovered 7 years after release       For the first time in seven years, a new mystery has been discovered in Red Dead Redemption 2. Full of all sorts of threads to be followed, RDR2 players worked diligently over these past seven years to uncover everything it hid in its vast world, but one seems to have been missed. As per Synth Potato on X, this newly-discovered mystery, which the players are working around the clock to solve, had to do with a certain telegraph pole. Located near Dewberry Creek, the pole had a spider symbol etched on it, which, when transposed over the full RDR2 map, illustrates branching paths that lead to eight other poles around the game. Every pole had that same spider symbol and a feather attached to them that can be taken off with a well-placed shot. As Synth Potato explains, there also appeared to be a web-covered tree in the middle of the transposed symbol, indicating that players should go North and find more poles. Further inquisitions showed more directions like NW and S, leading players down a true rabbit hole, or rather, a webway. https://twitter.com/SynthPotato/status/2007812677452632245 The final pole shows a guitar and an NW direction that takes players to Fort Wallace, though, per Synth Potato, no one has yet figured out what the encampment has to do with the mystery, if anything. Guitars are in the location, but their connection to the easter egg doesn't seem evident at the moment. This is, as we said above, a mystery that has avoided the player base for over seven years. Easter eggs and mysteries like this one are a staple of Rockstar's game design, and there are countless of them spread out throughout each of the studio's games, especially those released after GTA 4. GTA 5 itself might be the most robust in this respect, though Red Dead Redemption 2 by all means has a ton of them as well. The ultimate outcome of the mystery is pending further investigation, and I eagerly await the players' discovery. The post Red Dead Redemption 2 players are on the hunt to solve a new mystery, discovered 7 years after release appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Sunday, January 4, 2026 1:44 PM 2026 has only just begun, but we already got huge news about the former Witcher 3 devs' new game       The Blood of Dawnwalker, an upcoming RPG developed by Rebel Wolves (itself founded by former The Witcher 3 developers) is coming out in 2026. In a New Year special, the developers gave this huge announcement, promising more would be unveiled leading up to launch. All this and more was shown in a Jan. 3 "Launch Year Special," where Rebel Wolves' global community lead Dominika Burza and game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz recapped 2025 and gave us information about what's to come this year. The two finally revealed when The Blood of Dawnwalker would come out, saying it'd launch sometime in 2026, though they did not give us an exact date. "We won't reveal the release date today, but you can expect to start hearing from us more and more," Burza said. We can expect to see more gameplay, content, characters, and other features of the game as the devs strive toward including the community and its feedback the game's creative process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi53m9XLE00 At Gamescom 2025, we spoke to Rebel Wolves and inquired about the game's development and ideas, some of which are akin to RPGs like Persona. The Blood of Dawnwalker seeks to be an innovative iteration on the RPG genre, implementing a time-passing mechanic that puts pressure on everything you do in the game. All of your actions have a "time cost," that you'll have to spend wisely, lest you fail the main quest by not reaching it... in time. It's one of the most exciting RPGs that are coming out in 2026, and I cannot wait to see more of it. The post 2026 has only just begun, but we already got huge news about the former Witcher 3 devs' new game appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Sunday, January 4, 2026 1:23 PM All FC 26 1 of 3 Icon Mix Player Pick SBC rewards       The 1 of 3 Icon Mix Player Pick SBC is now live in FC 26, and you can guarantee yourself the card of a legend by completing the challenge. There are three types of Icons available in the pools of rewards. You will get to pick from three different cards, but there's no guarantee of the overall rating. Let's look at all the available cards before you invest your resources in completing the SBC. Table of contents Complete FC 26 1 of 3 Icon Mix Player Pick SBC rewards Base Thunderstruck Unbreakables Complete FC 26 1 of 3 Icon Mix Player Pick SBC rewards The complete rewards pool can be broken down into three types of Icons: Base, Thunderstruck, and Unbreakables. Base Hernan Crespo ST 86 Gianluca Zambrotta RB 86 Roy Keane CM 86 Sol Campbell CB 86 Cha Bum Kun ST 86 Sissi CAM 86 Juan Veron CM 86 Ashley Cole LB 86 Luis Hernandez ST 86 Larsson ST 86 Michael Essien CDM 86 Genaro Gattuso CDM 86 Nemanja Vidic CB 87 Davor Suker ST 87 Frank Lampard CM 87 Claude Makele CDM 87 Iain Wright ST 87 Fernando Torres ST 87 Emmanuel Petit CDM 87 Patrick Kluivert ST 87 Robert Pires LM 87 John Barnes LW 87 Ian Rush ST 87 Frank Rijkaard CDM 87 Xabi Alonso CDM 87 Ronald Koeman CB 88 Paul Scholes CM 88 David Beckham RM 88 Gheorghe Hagi CAM 88 Juan Riquelme CAM 88 Pavel Nedved LM 88 Andriy Shevchenko ST 88 Michal Laudrup CAM 88 Fernando Hierro CB 88 Robin Van Persie ST 88 Michael Owen ST 88 Steven Gerrard CM 88 Miroslav Klose ST 88 Wayne Rooney ST 88 Bastian Schweinsteiger CM 88 Marcel Desailly CB 88 Pichon ST 88 Franck Ribery LM 88 Laurent Blanc CB 88 Edwin van der Sar GK 88 Petr Cech GK 88 Gareth Bale RW 88 Giorgio Chiellini CB 88 Patrick Vieira CM 88 Lilian Thuram RB 88 Rio Ferdinand CB 88 Marcelo LB 89 Francesco Totti ST 89 Hristo Stoichkov ST 89 Alessandro Nesta CB 89 Jairzinho RW 89 Peter Schmeichel GK 89 Smith ST 89 Eric Cantona ST 89 Jones CB 89 Fabio Cannavaro CB 89 Luis Figo RW 89 Javier Zanetti RB 89 Kenny Dalglish ST 89 Hugo Sanchez ST 89 Kaka CAM 89 Didier Drogba ST 89 van Nistelrooy ST 89 Lahm RB 89 Puyol CB 89 Socrates CAM 89 Shearer ST 89 Eto'o ST 89 Lineker ST 89 Matthaus CM 90 Miyama LM 90 Raul ST 90 Seger CM 90 Casillas GK 90 Moore CB 90 Del Piero CAM 90 Bergkamp ST 90 Abily CM 90 Foudy CM 90 Schelin ST 90 Pirlo CM 90 Best RW 90 Rivaldo LW 90 Roberto Carlos LB 90 Kroos CM 90 Gullit CAM 90 Sawa CM 91 Buffon GK 91 Morgan ST 91 Baresi CB 91 Eusebio ST 91 Cafu RB 91 Baggio CAM 91 Xavi 91 Ibrahimovic ST 91 Carlos Alberto RB 91 Kahn GK 91 van Baasten ST 91 Henry ST 91 Garrincha RW 92 Prinz ST 92 Puskas ST 92 Maldini CB 92 Beckenbauer CB 92 Angerer GK 92 Yashin GK 92 Iniesta CM 92 Charlton CAM 92 Muller ST 92 Ronaldinho LW 93 Cruyff CAM 93 Hamm ST 93 Ronaldo ST 94 Zidane CAM 94 Maradona CAM 95 Pele CAM 95 Thunderstruck Bale RW 89 Ribery LM 89 Koeman CB 89 Schweinsteiger CM 89 Beckham RM 89 Eto'o ST 90 Bergkamp ST 91 Abily CM 91 Roberto Carlos LB 91 Schelin ST 91 Rivaldo LW 91 Xavi CM 92 Eusebio ST 92 Beckenbauer CB 93 Maldini CB 93 Prinz ST 93 Maradona CAM 96 Unbreakables Larsson ST 88 Robert Pires LM 89 Nemanja Vidic CB 89 Juan Riquelme CAM 89 Javier Zanetti RB 91 Alan Shearer ST 91 The post All FC 26 1 of 3 Icon Mix Player Pick SBC rewards appeared first on Destructoid.

Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, January 4, 2026 5:49 PM Monster Hunter Wilds Switch 2 Details Seemingly Leaked       Some performance details seemingly revealed. The post Monster Hunter Wilds Switch 2 Details Seemingly Leaked appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.

Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, January 4, 2026 5:13 PM The Blood of Dawnwalker Gets New Teaser Video, Reaffirms Release Window       A new Launch Year Special. The post The Blood of Dawnwalker Gets New Teaser Video, Reaffirms Release Window appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.

Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, January 4, 2026 4:47 PM Assassin's Creed IV Remake Domain Seemingly Spotted Online       On Twitter. The post Assassin's Creed IV Remake Domain Seemingly Spotted Online appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.