GamersHeroes Sunday, February 15, 2026 4:09 PM Featuring familiar skies, familiar faces, and unfamiliar stories, Version Luna V of HoYoverse's Genshin Impact - dubbed "Homeward, He Who Caught the Wind" - will release February 25. The post Genshin Impact Version Luna V Launching February 25 appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Sunday, February 15, 2026 2:48 PM Known for his incredible work on Pixar's Monsters, Inc., WALL-E, Up, Turning Red, and (count 'em!) four Toy Story movies, Jeff Pidgeon will be a Guest of Honor at StocktonCon Winter 2026 in just a few short weeks. The post Jeff Pidgeon Guest of Honor at StocktonCon Winter 2026 appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Sunday, February 15, 2026 4:10 PM  A space race is kicking off between our brightest billionaires |
PCGamesN Sunday, February 15, 2026 5:00 PM The Hundred Line Last Defence Academy sets an unreasonable bar for the way meaningful choice and divergent storylines are handled in games. |
Siliconera Sunday, February 15, 2026 3:00 PM
The "special" expansions of the Pokemon Trading Card Game are always a bit strange. Booster box? Nope. Release date? That gets complicated. Each releases in special sets over months, and tries to do something very different from a normal set. So what's the deal with Pokemon TCG Mega Evolution: Ascended Heroes? Let's dig in.
The coolest Pokemon TCG Mega Evolution: Ascended Heroes cards
Like any special set, Ascended Heroes feels built around Pokemon TCG chase cards and special art rares. There are some truly elaborate treatments for some of the new Mega Evolutions, including a line with the name of a move in the art. This is a well the TCG returns to from time to time, swapping English with Japanese katakana to make sure each region gets something that looks foreign and "cool." We'll be honest: we usually don't love these! But this time, it feels like the text is more of a part of the design, so it's not so bad. The full-art cards generally are excellent this time around; it's tough to find a dud in the bunch. In a way, as much as it'd be more valuable to pull a gold card, we might be happier with an illustration instead!
The most interesting Ascended Heroes cards
We always anticipate seeing new creatures in card form, as they haven't been assigned a particular niche or gimmick yet and often lock in whatever that's going to be in the first go. So it's nice to see some of the newest Mega Evolutions from Z-A making appearances here. So far? The theme for all of them seems to be "very big damage." Mega Meganium, which remains one of the weirdest Pokemon to type, leans into its line's legacy of piling on energy cards as much as possible. Mega Feraligatr does more damage if the opponent is damaged, though that feels like it'd usually be overkill when boosting 200 damage to 400. Mega Emboar does recoil damage, which we suppose we'd take over fire's usual energy discard gimmick. We're also curious whether a few more Trainer's Pokemon will let those cards become more viable. Erika and Larry are new here, but some existing trainers get more options. For example, Team Rocket's Dugtrio lets you damage retreating opponents. It's not a huge effect, but with multiples stacking together or other engine pieces, maybe it'd work? And cards like N's Reshiram and Ethan's Ho-Oh ex have seen reprints here, making them easier to acquire.
The most meta-relevant Ascended Heroes cards
This is a tough one this time around! Between its focus on big, flashy card effects over efficient engine pieces and a side element of nice-looking versions of ones that had already existed, there's not a lot that's new and effective to our initial analysis. But there's maybe some? Hop's Pincurchin ex seems to have value outside of its tribal designation, with 200 HP and 30 recoil damage for any hit making it good to stall for a couple of turns early on. Its attack even offers card draw, further helping you out of a jam. (Then again, maybe you don't want a two-prize on stall duty.)
Ascended Heroes might be most relevant in how it affects a very different sort of meta: The Pokemon Company International's business model. It's a special set, putting up some barriers to acquisition even beyond its current runaway demand crisis. So if and when you actually manage to find some packs? We're not sure you'll pull something you want. That's because it's the company's biggest set yet, clocking in at an intimidating 295 cards. Is this a sign of things to come, or will players bristle at those sorts of odds? Regardless, we unfortunately have to recommend the secondary singles market if you're looking for something specific.
The cutest Ascended Heroes cards
To us, the headliner is Larry's Komala. This little guy is taking it easy on a tatami mat, seemingly at peace in a way we honestly envy. It's a bonus that it feels like it'd be a source of comfort and appreciation for the overworked Larry. Erika's Oddish is something of an obvious choice, but that doesn't make it less valid! It's smelling the flowers around it. Also enjoying fields of flowers are Marill and Togepi, and worth a mention are some excited little buds in Helioptile and Charmander.
The latest Pokemon Trading Card Game set, Mega Evolution: Ascended Heroes, is out now in certain special packages. Others will launch through late April 2026. For more on the Pokemon TCG, check out our archive.
The post Pokemon TCG: The Best Ascended Heroes Cards appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 4:22 PM
While Sony has been porting many of its games to the PC platform, especially in the last few years, the Xbox hasn't had as much luck. Despite Microsoft's embrace of a multiplatform approach, Sony seems to prefer exclusivity and the PC at most. Or so Insomniac Games would love to believe, firmly denying that its Spider-Man games would ever be ported to Xbox.
As per tech4gamers, Insomniac Games very bluntly stated that in an exchange on X, telling a fan that an Xbox port of Spider-Man is "not likely." Naturally, Insomniac's Marvel games are a Sony powerhouse, funded, produced, and published by the Japanese gaming giant, which unsurprisingly prefers to keep its first-party games in-house and available on its own platform.
However, Sony has increasingly played with multiplatform releases, porting games or even launching them on the PlayStation and PC simultaneously (i.e., the case of Helldivers 2). Insomniac itself once believed that Spider-Man would remain a first-party PlayStation exclusive, given that it's backed and published by Sony, only for the games to eventually come out on Steam.
Microsoft's embrace of multiplatformity seems to have also triggered similar sentiments at Sony. After the massive success of Helldivers 2's simultaneous launch (that, too, was published by Sony), the company seems more eager to do multiplatform releases. Microsoft, as I've said, only helped grow those sentiments, porting its own major first-party franchises over to the PlayStation, likely in anticipation of Sony doing the same.
It remains to be seen whether the Marvel games are part of this deal. A while ago, Sony did say that some franchises were console sellers first and foremost, and that porting them over would adversely affect PlayStation sales.
While that might be true, franchises don't sell so well all the time, and porting even the most valuable games would be a smart move after some time spent in exclusivity (after sales start dipping).
The post Insomniac says Spider-Man won't be coming to Xbox—but it once thought the same about PC appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 4:14 PM
Season 1 of Year 11, titled Operation Silent Hill, will have plenty of action-packed content for Rainbow Six Siege players.
A new operator will headline the new season, and it's none other than Solid Snake from the Metal Gear universe. As a full-fledged operator, Snake will have his own unique kit, weapons, and more. Let's look at all the details that Ubisoft has revealed.
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Rainbow Six Siege Operation Silent Hill release date
Operation Silent Hill and the new season will commence on March. 3. Ubisoft has announced the date as part of the full Year 11 content roadmap for Rainbow Six Siege. The new season will be live simultaneously across PC and consoles, pending an update and server maintenance.
Rainbow Six Siege Operation Silent Hill Solid Snake operator
Solid Snake will be part of the Operation Silent Hunt battle pass, and you'll be able to unlock him at the start of the season. However, this isn't the only Metal Gear-themed content (more on that later).
Solid Snake will have the Soliton Radar MKIII as his unique gadget. The gadget will allow you to view the floorplan and immediate surroundings, which includes the position of the enemies. The radar will also use different colors to highlight threats that it might detect in the area. The gadget will be immensely helpful for you and your allies, as you can use it to map the floor and areas that lie ahead of you.
His unique skill is On-Site Procurement. The ability allows Snake to have up to five different secondary gadgets at the same time. He can also scavenge to refill the gadgets if they consume the existing ones.
Finally, Snake will have two primaries: the powerful PMR90A2 marksman rifle and the F2 assault rifle. The F2 is also receiving a buff during the new season, which will allow players to equip grip attachments.
Rainbow Six Siege REDACTED event
The REDACTED event will be live during the new season, and it will include Solid Snake partnering with Zero in a fresh 4v4 infiltration-themed gameplay. The mode includes a modified version of the Nighthaven Labs, inspired heavily by the Metal Gear Solid series.
You'll be able to get Metal Gear Solid-inspired skins for your operators and skins as part of the event.
Operation Silent Hunt Updates and balancing changes
The new season will have some key changes to operators, maps, and more. This season will also be the final one for the Dual Front 6v6 mode.
The post Rainbow Six Siege Y11 S1 Operation Silent Hill release date, operators, and more appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 3:44 PM
I'm sorry to inform you that GTA 6 isn't out yet—and it might not be for a while longer than you already expect. Yes, another delay is possible, and I'm worried. Not about the game, actually, but about how the internet at large is losing it over the wait.
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Like, this guy just got arrested for murder, and all he had to talk about was how he'd miss GTA 6.
If the first thought in your mind is akin to "maybe not, he might just get out in time to hear of another delay," then I have bad news. I mean, that's the first thought I had as well, but that's only because my mind's also been poisoned by GTA 6 wait meme-induced brain rot.
This is all extremely concerning. Seeing a guy who's killed someone else, arguably also throwing his life away for an already stupid reason, just emptily stating that the worst thing is that he won't get to play some game, is just rough. He's, hopefully, the most extreme case out there, but even the lesser ones are just so annoying that I cannot believe I'm the only one having a hard time dealing with all the GTA wait memes.
Most GTA content on the internet right now seems to be less about the game, more about how long people have been waiting/ still have to wait for GTA 6, and it's so tiresome. There are so many great games out there, some arguably better, and ones that'll connect with you on an emotional level more deeply than GTA 6 can ever hope to, but it seemingly cannot be helped. This focus on GTA 6 stopped feeling like a fun joke we could all laugh about and turned into a full-blown obsession for quite some time now. I don't want to get tired of the game before it's even out.
Patience is a VIrtue
Most gamers nowadays are aware of the famous Shigeru Miyamoto quote that goes "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." What few gamers are aware of is that Miyamoto never actually said this, but the thought is right nonetheless, and shouldn't need to be tagged to a famous developer to enter your mind.
If there's anything that these years have taught us, it's that waiting is just fine, because there's just no lack of other great experiences to enjoy in the meantime. Most people nowadays will have a hard time even remembering how tough it was waiting for Half-Life 2, always haunted by the ever-looming shadow of cancellation because of its source code leak.
Similarly, we spent so many years waiting for Cyberpunk 2077, only to immediately forget about the wait upon release and shift gears to simply bashing it for being a broken mess. Nowadays, not even that matters, as the game ended up becoming "eventually good." Like, even if you don't care about the well-being of developers who will most certainly be put through incredibly tough crunch periods, you should stop obsessing over just one game.
Have you considered the possibility that you might not enjoy GTA 6 that much, even if it's great?
Even if the game comes out in a technically great state, and you're unaffected by all the wait memes, there's one important thing I'd like you to consider. It's been almost 15 years since GTA V's release, and I think the long years of just hyping it up have blinded people to a harsh truth.
GTA 5 has sold over 225 million units over its overall lifespan. A very large number of people playing it nowadays weren't even born yet when it came out. While I'm sure young people still have many years of enjoying GTA ahead of them, many of those waiting for GTA 6 to solve all of gaming's problems might've already matured out of enjoying GTA 6 the way we did the previous games in the series.
So many people have been desperately asking for GTA 6, even though GTA Online never stopped getting quality updates, and they even got the excellent Red Dead Redemption 2 in the meantime. Isn't it possible that they, too, have partly outgrown GTA, and simply aren't aware of it yet?
In any case, I'd really like the Internet at large to stop obsessing over GTA 6, so that it gets the slightest chance to hit us like a breath of fresh air, and not something that the whole gaming community believes it's owed and that will have no chance to be anything other than beyond perfect.
The post I think people need to chill out about waiting for GTA 6 appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 3:36 PM
Fate is at it again. The long-awaited remaster of Legacy of Kain: Defiance is coming, and the stars have foretold it will arrive later this year.
Much like the remasters of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and its sequel, the Defiance redux boldly reimagines key elements of the original game. One of these deviations, a complete overhaul of the game's camera system, has convinced me Destiny's wheel isn't as unstoppable as it seems.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance's camera made Kain's last journey hard to follow
Most fans of Crystal Dynamics' Shakespearean vampire fantasy saga look back on Legacy of Kain: Defiance with fondness. The game brings Kain's bloody battle against the forces that shaped his fate to a satisfying finish, answering almost every philosophical riddle raised throughout the series with grace and nuance. Sadly, the game's camera system was a few clowns short of a circus.
In their eagerness to showcase the game's impressive graphics and atmospheric level design, Defiance's development team drew inspiration from Resident Evil and opted for a fixed camera system. While this setup lends the tortured world of Nosgoth a cinematic flair rarely seen in games of the time, it can make actually playing the game quite an unpleasant ordeal.
Defiance's core gameplay boasts a healthy mix of platforming, puzzle-solving, and combo-focused combat, and the game's camera has a knack for messing up all of them. Paths forward, puzzle solutions, and enemies readying to hit you all have a nasty habit of hiding just out of frame, and even when they are visible, the wonky perspective can make it hard to gauge how close or far they are from you. Automatic lock-on in combat and less-than-ideal collision detection don't make things any easier.
The "bold" decision to immobilize Defiance's camera tarnished the game's reputation for years after its release. Legacy of Kain's fans love Defiance's story, but they hate its camera with a bloodlust worthy of the man himself, if Reddit posts like this one are anything to go by.
Defiance Remastered's new camera system blesses classic Kain with a modern perspective
While showing Definace: Remastered off during Thursday's State of Play, Crystal Dynamics made it painfully obvious they didn't brush aside players' opinions of the original's camera. The remaster trades fixed camera angles for a free-floating camera that the player can control independently. From what little we've seen of the remake's gameplay, this change could fix everything wrong with Defiance.
Terrible as the pun may be, Kain fans are eating well right now. Not only do we now have a complete, remastered version of the Soul Reaver saga, but we also have Legacy of Kain: Ascendance, a side-scrolling prequel that brings back most of the original cast. Sometimes, fate smiles on us mere mortals.
The post Legacy of Kain: Defiance is back, and the camera finally stopped defying us appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 3:06 PM
Rainbow Six Siege fans could be potentially looking towards one of the best periods in the game's lifecycle, as Ubisoft has revealed the Year 11 Roadmap.
Some massive announcements have been made regarding all the new content Rainbow Six Siege will receive in its 11th year. This includes new operators, game modes, and more, and much of the content will be shared as part of future seasons.
Let's find out what we can expect during the next few months as part of the seasons.
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Rainbow Six Siege Year 11 Roadmap revealed
The Year 11 Roadmap for Rainbow Six Siege is divided into four broad parts. The fun begins on March 3 with the first season.
Season 1
Solid Snake (yes, the legend!) is coming as a brand new operator. This isn't a reskin or cosmetic addition; it's a whole new operator who will have his unique abilities adapted to the lore and realm of Rainbow Six Siege. However, there's more waiting for us in the first season.
Aside from the changes mentioned here, the following operators will also change: Ela, Alibi, Amaru, Ying, and Flores.
Season 2
The second season will witness a major rework of Dokkaebi. There's no new operator in fray, but her abilities will witness huge changes. She won't be able to target all hostiles at once, so you'll have to think differently.
Season 3
Season three will be headlined by the Operator Mastery, which will be a new progression system. You'll be able to mark your progression with every operator, and earn different ways to show your mastery with them.
Season 4
The final season of Year 11 will contain some major changes.
The post Complete Rainbow Six Siege Year 11 Roadmap: New operators, modes, and more appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 2:31 PM
High on Life 2 has a main ending that you can achieve by completing the game as intended. However, there are two secret endings to discover (with one of them breaking off to an extra branch) if you go off the intended path.
This guide will help you get all the secret endings that are available in High on Life 2.
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How to obtain all secret endings in High on Life 2
Shoot Your Sister (Good Ending achievement)
This is the quickest secret ending you can find. The very first mission requires you to track Lizzie, who has a massive bounty on her head. The intended way to finish the quest is to help Lizzie by taking out other bounty hunters.
When you meet Lizzie for the first time, the bounty hunters will wait for you to shoot her. If you shoot Lizzie dead, it rolls the credits scene, and an image from Lizzie's funeral. This automatically completes the Good Ending achievement, and it's the fastest way to complete the game.
Save Humanity (Bad Ending)
The main ending of High on Life 2 is, incidentally, the supposed bad ending. You have to follow the missions as intended, and stop Nipulon from carrying out is plan. If you fail, all humans will be used as cattle. Once you defeat Nipulon and reveal his bad deeds, it puts a stop to his plans.
The secret ending begins after the credits are over. You'll enter a playable section (if you manage to sit through the whole credits) where everyone will praise you for stopping Nipulon.
This is followed by a message from Suit OS that involves supporting the developers so that the third party can happen in the future. Whether High on Life 3 happens in the future is a matter of speculation, but it's a fun bit of banter if you decide to sit through the credits scene.
The post All secret endings in High on Life 2 and how to get them appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 1:39 PM
The 89+ Encore Icon Upgrade SBC is now live in FC 26, and you can solve the challenge to get a guaranteed Icon for your Ultimate Team squad.
EA Sports has improved the pool of available rewards, with cards rated 89 or above included. Let's look at all the available items that you can possibly obtain after completing the challenge.
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Complete FC 26 89+ Encore Icon Upgrade SBC rewards
The 89+ Encore Icon Upgrade SBC features the following promos: Thunderstruck, Unbreakables, Winter Wildcards, Champions, or Time Warp.
Winter Wildcards
Thunderstruck
Unbreakables
Time Warp
Champions
The post All FC 26 89+ Encore Icon Upgrade SBC rewards appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 1:26 PM
Rainbow Six Siege X is doing an official crossover event with Metal Gear Solid, bringing in classic MGS1 skins and other goodies into the game. David Hayter, the most recognizable voice of the franchise, is also returning as Solid Snake for the event.
The crossover was announced today, Feb. 15. It'll bring iconic faces and weapons from the Metal Gear Solid franchise into Rainbow Six Siege, with the likes of Psycho Mantis, Gray Fox, Revolver Ocelot, and, of course, Solid Snake himself entering the fray. What's most interesting to me, though, is that David Hayter will be reprising his role as Solid Snake, having been the voice behind that iconic character for much of the series' history.
Snake will be a permanent and playable operator, coming to the game alongside Operation Silent Hunt on March 3. He uses the Soliton Radar MKIII gadget, allowing him to detect enemies in his immediate vicinity as well as to survey the local floor plan.
David Hayter, who voices Solid Snake in this new crossover event, has played the character since Metal Gear Solid 1 all the way up to MGS4. He was excluded from the role by Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain but has reprised it on several occasions following Kojima's departure from Konami.
The MGS crossover and the addition of Solid Snake are just the beginning of Siege's Year 11 roadmap, which aims to significantly rebalance the game and add more operators, new weapons, and more.
The post David Hayter returns as Solid Snake in new R6 Siege crossover appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 1:25 PM
The Invisible Wall Evolution is now live in FC 26, and you can use it to improve one of your defensive midfielders in Ultimate Team.
The evolution, available for 35,000 coins, offers massive boosts to different stats and the overall. Your chosen card also gains new playstyles, roles, and a weak foot boost. Let's look at the best choices for the evolution based on the requirements and the offered upgrades.
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FC 26 The Invisible Wall Evolution requirements
Here are the requirements of The Invisible Wall Evolution in FC 26.
FC 26 The Invisible Wall Evolution upgrades
The evolution has five levels of upgrades, each with certain conditions to fulfill.
Level 1 upgrades
Level 2 upgrades
Level 3 upgrades
Level 4 upgrades
Level 5 upgrade requirements
Level 1 upgrade requirements
Level 2 upgrade requirements
Level 3 upgrade requirements
Level 4 upgrade requirements
Level 5 upgrade requirements
Best players to use in The Invisible Wall Evolution
Here are some of my best recommendations for inclusion in the evolution.
While the upgrades are significant, focus on cards that you'll want to use immediately.
The post Best players for FC 26 The Invisible Wall Evolution appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, February 15, 2026 1:12 PM
Discord's recent announcement that it'll require ID verifications and face scans to confirm you're not a kid drove many people away from the platform. As time goes by, more people are seeking alternative ways to communicate with friends, preferably ones that look and feel like Discord itself.
One startup platform called Stoat provides exactly that: the UI and vibes of Discord that, well, isn't Discord. However, so many people are now flooding this alternative app that it totally crashed, following days of slowdowns and hitches.
As per Stoat's official server status site, "There's simply too many people" trying to log in and register accounts all at the same time. "We're trying our best," the notification reads. The whole ordeal and the sheer number of people who now want nothing to do with Discord have caused "degraded performance" on Stoat. When I was writing up our list of Discord alternatives, I couldn't make a Stoat account for the life of me, as the account verification email refused to come in.
And that was days ago, with interest in Discord replacements only growing since then.
I have a feeling Stoat (alongside other platforms of a similar nature) will continue to see connectivity issues in the coming weeks. After all, Discord is a supermassive service with countless users, and if even a fraction of them were to seek out greener pastures, chances are that startup-level servers will buckle.
In case you missed it, Discord has announced a plan to introduce mandatory ID verifications or face scans that users would have to perform lest they be stuck with a "teen-by-default" account. This means that, if you refuse to give Discord your valuable personal data, you'd be treated as a kid from that point onward, severely limiting your experience on the platform.
The plan is set to be global and to affect every single Discord account, leaving no room for negotiation.
This has since driven many users into searching for alternative platforms that offer similar server-oriented services as Discord, such as Stoat, Root, and others.
The post So many people are fleeing Discord's surveillance plans that they're crashing this upstart alternative platform: 'There's simply too many people, but we're trying our best.' appeared first on Destructoid. |
MonsterVine Sunday, February 15, 2026 6:42 PM Developer YummyYummyTummy and publisher PM Studios have announced that a playable demo for Table Flip Simulator will be available during Steam Next Fest. The demo runs from February 23 through March 2, giving players a limited-time opportunity to unleash some chaotic stress relief. Players can download the demo directly from the game's Steam page once […] |