Kotaku Sunday, March 1, 2026 2:40 PM  We ask independent stores if young people are turning up for hard copies as well as the barriers they face |
Kotaku Sunday, March 1, 2026 2:22 PM  Bungie is continuing to monitor major complaints around ammo, UI, and PVP |
Kotaku Sunday, March 1, 2026 12:55 PM  Ryan Hurst weighed in telling fans not to believe their own eyes |
Kotaku Sunday, March 1, 2026 12:16 PM  The Rare Super Pocket is another neat addition to the Evercade ecosystem |
Kotaku Sunday, March 1, 2026 11:33 AM Zen And The Art Of Van Maintenance Meets Firewatch In Steam Next Fest Hit Cozy Survival Sim Outbound  Outbound makes the outdoors into a chill adventure rather than a survival sim death march |
PCGamesN Sunday, March 1, 2026 12:19 PM New Project Zomboid design director Christian Allen wants to talk to players more as The Indie Stone finalizes build 42 stable. |
Destructoid Sunday, March 1, 2026 4:15 PM
The Cutthroat Competition is a priority contract in Marathon that involves finding one of the rarer loot items in the game.
Doing so will help you get rewards for completing the contract, and also improve your standing with the Traxus faction. While the contract isn't too difficult, it can take a lot of time if you can't find what you're looking for.
Marathon Cutthroat Competition contract walkthrough
The Cutthroat Competition contract has just one task.
Unlike most of the contracts that take place on Perimeter, this one requires a visit to Dire Marsh. To be more precise, you need to go to the Maintenance location. This location isn't too hard to find, as it's a named POI after all.
To complete the contract, you'll need to find two enhanced or rarer rod salvage. Once you've headed to the Maintenance area, head inside the main building. There will be plenty of UESC threats at this location, and expect to find rival Runners as well.
What you're looking for is something called Deimosite Rods (refer to the image above). These rods spawn in open areas, so you can't find them from either folios or from containers. I have tested this theory, and so far, Deimosite Rods only spawn in the open. However, they do appear occasionally from
However, they don't have a fixed location. I have tested this across different runs and also discussed it with my friends. The locations of the Deimosite Rods are completely random. I believe you can even find them in other named locations. However, you'll need to find them only from the Maintenance region if you're completing the contract.
A piece of advise: Look down on the paths/corridors you walk because I found one in the same fashion. As long as they're cyan colored (as shown in the images above), you're good. Find two of them, and exfil successfully to complete the contract. Doing so not only gets you useful rewards, but you'll also get 150 Rep for the Traxus faction.
The post How to complete Cutthroat Competition in Marathon – Rarer or enhanced rod salvage locations appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, March 1, 2026 3:44 PM
Pokopia's latest trailer introduced the world to DJ Rotom, the island's resident musician. To no one's surprise, this speaker-possessing variant of the Plasma Pokémon is rapidly becoming a fan-favorite.
Unfortunately, like many a talented artist, DJ Rotom is attracting some cringeworthy admirers. If you're familiar with niche Pokémon discourse, you already know where I'm going with this.
Beware, Pokéfans; the Sound-type truthers are back, and they believe DJ Rotom's arrival heralds the coming of the blessed type. And just like every other time they've thrown bones around, they're probably wrong.
A Sound-type Pokémon sounds great on paper, but the composition falls apart in practice
Dreaming up new potential Pokémon types is one of the community's favorite pastimes, and none are more popular than the Sound-type. And honestly, it's easy to see why. Dozens of Pokémon moves are sound-based, and the list of creatures with an audio theme to their design and lore grows bigger with every generation. On top of that, sound interacts with nature in lots of fascinating ways, so a Sound-type Pokémon could have unique weaknesses, resistances, and advantages.
Sadly, the idea runs into a major hurdle in practice. No one seems to agree on what types Sound would be weak to and effective against. Most people seem to say that it would be super effective against Water and Steel-types, since sound travels faster through water and certain metals, but things get a lot more complicated beyond that.
What other types would Sound be strong against? Anyone who's tried to get anything done in a noisy cafe knows Psychic probably wouldn't fare well against Sound. And what about Flying-types? Sound moves through air; do Flying-type Pokémon really need another weakness? And there's a fun fact: at high frequencies, sound can shatter earth. Would Sound be strong against Rock, too?
And what types would be effective against Sound-type Pokémon? Electric-types come to mind, since sound can't affect the electromagnetic spectrum, but that's about it. If Reddit posts like this are anything to go by, no one can agree on what a Sound-type would look like in battle.
Compare this to Fairy, the newest Pokémon type. Most people can't tell you everything sound can do, but everyone knows what a fairy is. In all corners of the world, tales about fairies follow a few consistent rules: they're masters of magic with a weakness for man-made toxins. Their power over Dragon, Fighting, and Dark-types and weakness to Poison and Steel-types are easy to interpret. With sound, things get a lot murkier.
With DJ Rotom ready to rock Pokopia and Pokémon Winds and Waves set to launch next year, it's easy to understand why Sound-type enthusiasts are getting their hopes up again. However, history has shown that Game Freak isn't likely to add it as a new type.
The post Pokémon fans are once again huffing hopium about Sound-types, and here's why they are wrong this time appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, March 1, 2026 3:36 PM
Every now and then, the gaming industry is met with a new giant, a title with so much potential and magnetism that everyone and their family hops in to try it out. Such games are rare but often come as survival crafting experiences, since that seems to be the most captivating genre out there.
The last time we saw Steam utterly demolished was Palworld, and soon it is very likely to be Windrose, an upcoming survival crafting pirate game that takes the Valheim formula and turns it into a fresh and unique co-op adventure.
Its demo is already out and seeing loads of activity, so here's everything you need to know about Windrose, alongside some speculation on its potential release date.
Everything you need to know about Windrose
Windrose is an upcoming survival crafting game set in the early 1700s during the Golden Age of Piracy. It lets you take control of a former pirate captain, whose ship had been attacked and sunk by a mystical force. You survive this encounter but wash up on a desolate island, yearning to find out what happened and gather up your strength.
It bears a striking resemblance to Valheim in its design, prompting players to build, craft, and go on adventures to find more recipes and upgrades, as well as to unlock new story elements and discover new lands. What it adds to the mix is piracy, whereby you can encounter other ships out in the open sea and, well, fight them in true naval fashion. You start off with a small rowboat, continuously progressing until you have a formidable ship with many cannons to boot.
Currently, Windrose only has a demo available on its store. It is a comprehensive early look at the game, its content, and mechanics, and it offers many hours of fun for you and your friends. There are several narratively driven quests to tackle and loads of places to explore and discover, as well as many levels of tech that allow you to build a fully fledged village.
There are also many enemies to fight, alongside various weapons to help you in that regard.
The game's developers, Windrose Crew, claim the demo is about four to six hours long, but you could be looking at up to 12 hours of gameplay if you really want to take it easy. Of course, replayability is amazing, and you can certainly find something to do in this game even if you've cleared all the quests and content.
Based on the quality of the demo and the level of development, I'd guess that Windrose will come out by the end of this year. We're still in the first quarter of 2026, and the demo's level of polish and content size signals that the developers are well into making this game, which could release as early as this Fall.
Of course, if we're being very conservative with our figures, early 2027 sounds like the latest release window for Windrose.
It already has over one million wishlists, so whenever it does release, it's bound to be an oceanic splash.
The post Everything we know about Windrose: Potential release date, demo length, and more appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, March 1, 2026 2:29 PM
The first Data Reconstruction contract in Marathon is one of the more challenging ones to complete, and it involves ultimately downloading an Agriculture Report in the North Relay.
Completing the contract not only gets you some useful rewards, but you'll also improve your standing with the NuCaloric faction. This allows you to unlock better upgrades and more options in the Armory.
Table of contents
Marathon Data Reconstruction 1 contract walkthrough
The first Data Construction contract can be broken down into three parts.
The hardest task of this contract is the first one, and this guide will find both locations in the South Relay. Once done, you can then work towards scanning the Fungal Bioprinters in Overflow.
How to scan Fungal Bioprinters in Overflow
The Overflow is a named location in Perimeter, so that's not too hard to find. However, the same can't be said about the Fungal Bioprinters. I have marked the locations in the image below to aid your cause.
The first one is located in the eastern part of the POI, where there's a building colored black and white (refer to the image below).
You'll need to reach the second floor using a forklift that's next to a broken window. Follow the corridors on your right, and a quest marker will show the first Fungal Bioprinter.
You'll find the second printer in the same location, but you now need to head southwest. Follow the same corridors, and a quest marker will show the location of the second Fungal Bioprinter. Interact with it to complete the second task.
Now, you can proceed to find the terminal that allows you to download the Agriculture Report in the North Relay.
How to download Agriculture Report in North Relay
The final task requires you to head over to the North Relay POI. You'll have to head to the building entrance shown in the image below. Go inside, and take the stairs on your right.
Go all the way to the top, take an immediate left, and enter through a ventilation shaft (inside the bathroom). You'll find the terminal by continuing along the shaft, but there's no power.
Head back to the bottom floor, and a quest marker will appear. Follow the marker, and you'll reach the terminal that allows you to restore the power.
You'll now have the marker leading you to the terminal that contains the Agriculture Report for you to download. Once the download is complete, you'll finish Data Construction 1, get some useful rewards, and improve your rank with the NuCaloric faction.
The post How to complete Download Agriculture Report in North Relay in Marathon appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, March 1, 2026 1:25 PM
The Go Long Evolution has arrived in FC 26, and it allows you to upgrade two goalie items of your choice. Available for free, it is pretty decent in terms of the upgrades it offers.
Table of contents
FC 26 Go Long Evolution requirements
Here are the requirements of Go Long Evolution in FC 26.
FC 26 Go Long Evolution upgrades
The evolution has three levels of upgrades, each with certain conditions to fulfill.
Level 1 upgrades
Level 2 upgrades
Level 3 upgrades
Level 1 upgrade requirements
Level 2 upgrade requirements
Level 3 upgrade requirements
Best players to use in Go Long Evolution
Here are some of my best recommendations for inclusion in the evolution.
While the upgrades are significant, you will be able to include these cards in future evolutions to create a chain and evolve their stats further. The playstyle+ on offer, along with the offered boosts, should have been more significant, given that we are now in March.
The post Best players for FC 26 Go Long Evolution appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, March 1, 2026 1:24 PM
Ever since its reveal, GTA 6 has been speculated to cost $100 on launch, becoming the first major release to do so. That could genuinely set a new precedent, one that Nintendo has already spearheaded to $80 for AAA games, potentially driving the biggest jump in video game pricing in a long, long time.
New PlayStation data suggests we'll finally know the truth, as GTA 6 information has cropped up on the backend, indicating pre-orders and pricing are about to be announced.
Or so would claim Insider Gaming, citing PlayStation Game Size, a reputable source on the inner workings of PlayStation and its proprietary store.
"Grand Theft Auto VI title IDs have been added to the PlayStation database," PlayStation Game Size wrote on X, adding that they "expect we'll see something about the game soon, probably the start of pre-orders." The inclusion of game IDs to the PS Store's backend is usually done when a development cycle nears completion, i.e., when the final stretch of marketing is to be performed, and things like pre-orders and pricing are to be revealed.
That'd mean GTA 6's real price is just around the corner, which will either prove or dispel rumors of the game costing $100 at release, setting a new precedent for major AAA releases. Bear no doubt in your mind that publishers like Nintendo, Activision, and Ubisoft would follow in Rockstar's footsteps, immediately bumping up the prices of their own future releases, which have already jumped first to 70 and then to 80 bucks in some instances.
Games costing $60 are a thing of the past, though we are seeing a revival of sub-$60 titles, with games like Marathon and ARC Raiders being notable current examples at $40 each. Even Sony participated in that, as Helldivers 2 launched at $40 as well.
However, I don't see that trend lasting long if publishers are shown that players are indeed ready to fork over triple figures for a singleplayer title, which they probably would be when GTA 6 is the game they're forking them over for.
But if the data above is to be believed, we'll know what we're in for soon enough.
The post PlayStation data suggests we will soon know GTA 6's actual price—hopefully under $100 appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, March 1, 2026 12:57 PM
Marathon's extraction shooter approach is the result of mixing hero shooters with that loot-oriented genre, so instead of controlling customizable, generic characters like in ARC Raiders, we take actual heroes into battle.
These characters are called Shells in Marathon, and several of them are available in the server slam. One in particular, though, stood out for players: the Thief, since it is seemingly impossible to unlock and play.
So, here's everything you need to know about it.
Thief Shell in Marathon, explained
The Marathon server slam is a free-to-play, limited snippet of what the game has to offer. Bungie is hosting it ahead of the game's full release on March 5, which is when all of the content will become available, provided you paid the $40 premium, of course.
The Thief Shell is part of that premium experience and cannot be unlocked during the server slam. As opposed to the other Shells, i.e., Destroyer, Vandal, Recon, Assassin, and Triage, the Thief is unavailable in the free-to-play open beta and will be accessible only for those who play the full game.
Once Marathon has come out, the Thief will likely be unlockable through leveling up, just like the Recon is. My guess is you'll be able to play it before getting to seasonal rank 10, since the Recon unlocks at rank three.
As to what the Thief's abilities are, its description gives us a sneak peek. It'll have drones to use, likely to scan for loot or enemies and pin them for the entire squad, carry a grappling hook for increased mobility, and use a scanning visor, likely to see through walls or other obstacles. In short, it's going to be an information-focused, fast-paced Shell for players who like living on the edge. And, well, those who like running more than gunning.
If you want to get your hands on the Thief as soon as possible, then making the most out of the server slam is your best bet. Those who reach higher ranks (10, 30) in the server slam will receive major rewards in the full release, allowing them to fast-track their progress and likely start playing high-level Shells before anyone else.
But that'd require you to know where DCONs are, or how to activate TADs, or solve priority contracts like Introducing: Traxus. Thankfully, though, we've got just the guides for that, which will ensure you get that rank 30 in no time.
The post How to unlock Thief in Marathon appeared first on Destructoid. |
