During a new episode of their Kit & Krysta podcast, former Nintendo Minute hosts Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang talk about why "everything is about to change at Nintendo." While the arrival of a brand new console generation is obviously enough to change things pretty significantly, what the pair is actually referring to is much sadder.

Folks, I'll get straight to the point: some of the old guard at Nintendo is getting up there in age, and with console generations lasting around 7-8 years these days, there's a good chance many of them won't be with the company for the Switch 3, or whatever the next thing ends up being.

"Several of the major developers at Nintendo who we have known for 40 something years are probably going to phase out of the company through retirement over this generation, assuming this lasts 7-8 years," predicts Ellis, who proceeds to run through a list of the some of the most influential Nintendo developers and their respective ages.

Ellis points out that Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong series, is currently 72 years old. "A lot of people at Nintendo, they retire at 65. He obviously has reasons to stick around, and they need him, and he obviously wants to work, but in eight years he will be 80 years old... getting up there."

Ouch.

Yoshio Sakamoto, known for the Metroid series, is 65. "He is right at that age," says Ellis, adding that Miyamoto's right-hand man Takashi Tezuka is 64. Meanwhile, the legendary Nintendo composer Koji Kondo is 63, the hosts point out. Eiji Aonuma, producer for the Zelda series, is 62; Kensuke Tanabe, the Metroid Prime series producer, is also 62, and Shin'ya Takahashi, Nintendo's head of planning and development, is 61.

"I'm not saying all of these people are going to be gone, but some number of them probably will be, so it's an open question of who's going to take these key leadership roles, not only within the gaming franchises that we know, but just within the company in general, there's going to be a natural, cultural change as new people take over these roles," Ellis says.

"It's going to feel different when these people exit the company because you just can't replace them," adds Yang. "You can teach the skill set, but you can't replace them as humans. It's just going to feel different. It may not mean that the games are going to be bad, it's just going to feel different."

Now that I'm lying in a puddle of my own tears, Ellis swoops in to save the day with some soundly reasoned optimism: actually, change can be good.

"There's a really good side of this too," Ellis says. "We get some different perspectives, we get some different thinking. It's just natural that there's going to be some sort of change that is happening with the company as all these new people come in and all of that NES/Famicom era starts to naturally cycle out."

OK, and now I'm back to crying. Yes, there's plenty of reason to be hopeful that new talent is learning under the careful stewardship of these legendary developers, and it's also reasonable to be excited for some fresh ideas, but I hadn't really confronted the fact that so many of the people behind franchises I've loved since early childhood are hitting retirement age this next console generation.

Ah well, in the wise words of Sheik from Ocarina of Time:

"The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it... A thing that does not change with time is a memory of younger days."

"I wish that our industry hadn't shed almost… 30, 40, 50,000 jobs over the past two years," Jorjani tells The Game Business. "A lot of people at the top were making very unsound business decisions, and there's very little accountability on their part. Who among these executives is stepping down? Or slashing their salaries?"

Jorjani acknowledges that it's the devs who are "paying the cost of that," and that vast, quick expansion is "a terrible way to run our industry." And that rapid expansion might not even be terribly helpful to an absurdly popular online game. He cites a conversation with the Genshin Impact devs, saying that MiHoYo has "1500 developers working on stuff, but it's still not enough for the players. Despite us dropping really cool updates, new factions and weapons… we just can't keep up. Nobody can."

Jorjani says he wants Arrowhead "to be a role model for how to do sustainable growth, because the industry today is not in a good place," with companies shedding jobs because of "bad growth decisions made by business leaders who have taken stupid risks." Here's hoping those risks get a bit less stupid in the years to come, but the game industry regularly proves how little care executives are willing to pay when gambling with people's livelihoods.

"I'm not saying don't grow, but do it in a way where you don't have to then let go of one third of the company because you made stupid decisions," Jorjani concludes. "I’m not going to hire a hundred people, I would like to do that and help people in the industry, but my first priority is to make sure that people have jobs for many years." Fingers crossed a few more CEOs are willing to take that kind of stand.

After taking on $1.5 billion in debt over a $2 billion gamble, embattled Embracer CEO responsible for over 1,400 layoffs broke out classic scapegoats in 2024: Russia and Covid.

In the case of Helldivers 2, you can mostly point to one big change at the root of its controversies: the one that required all players to sign into a PlayStation Network account even if they were playing on PC. The backlash was swift, united, and forceful enough that, just three days later, Sony walked back the decision and then-Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt commended the "willpower" of the Helldivers community.

While that was undeniably Helldivers 2's fiercest headwind, there were also a number of balance changes, not to mention a perceived lack of fresh content in updates, that contributed to the game's fall from grace. At the game's lowest point, it had fallen to an abysmal 19% user score on Steam.

Talking to The Game Business, current Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani opened up about what it was like heading up a studio during what he called its "summer of pain."

"Games that get 19% user score do not generally recover," he said.

"Maybe the lowest point during my tenure so far. I had to explain to [Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst] why things were in the state they were, and what we were going to do to recover. And I had to say the awkward truth that there is nothing we can do in the short term. But in the long term, we have plans that will get us back on track"

In the ensuing months, Arrowhead drew up a coordinated 60-day plan to make things right, culminating in a big update that included significant buffs to grenades and sentries, as well as long-avoided anti-tank mines. Months later, the game has managed to claw its way back up to a 76% positive reviews on Steam, and the mood at the studio is reportedly much better.

"I was inspired by No Man's Sky and the team over there," Jorjani said. "They had a similar journey. The game was hyped, then bombed, and then they put the head to the grindstone and just updated the game."

Helldivers 2 boss outlines the single design trick that eventually led to his breakout success: "This works, I think we're gonna be rich someday."

A press release from the union says that "more than 94%" of members voted in favor of this authorization. The authorization does not necessarily mean that a strike will happen, but it gives union leaders the power to call such a strike if negotiations remain stalled. ZeniMax Workers United already called a single-day strike last year in protest of forced return-to-office mandates and Microsoft's decision to outsource QA work. Those concerns are still a key part of the union's concerns today, alongside "better wages" and "workplace improvements."

"Despite being one of the world’s largest corporations, we’ve had to continuously fight for what should be bare minimum," union member and associate QA tester Aubrey Litchfield said in the press release. "Paying your employees a livable wage as a multi-trillion dollar company is the least they could be doing; however when addressed at the bargaining table, Microsoft acts as though we’re asking for too much."

"Our quality assurance team is an integral part of our business and is key to our ability to deliver games our players will love," Microsoft said in a statement to GamesRadar+ when reached for comment. "We respect the team's right to express their viewpoints and are deeply committed to reaching a fair and equitable resolution that acknowledges the teams' contributions.

"There has been substantial progress over the course of the negotiations, reaching tentative agreements on a majority of the topics at the table. We have presented a package proposal that we believe is fair – if accepted it would result in immediate compensation increases, even more robust benefits and is in alignment to the company’s hybrid model of 3 days in office. We look forward to continuing this progress during negotiations."

Senior QA tester Zachary Armstrong said in the union's press release: "Underpayment and costly RTO initiatives have caused many of us to put our lives on pause because our income does not match even the rising cost of living in the cities where ZeniMax insists we live and work to maintain employment."

The exact details of the contract negotiations are not public knowledge, but Microsoft's promise of hybrid working arrangements demonstrably aren't sufficient for many union members. As Litchfield notes elsewhere in the release, "we’ve released multiple titles while working fully remote." We've seen developers at studios like Blizzard and Rockstar similarly push back against forced return-to-office policies.

"We’re not afraid to use our union power to ensure that we can keep making great games," senior QA tester Skylar Hinnant said. "All of us want to be working. We hope that Microsoft will allow us to do so with dignity and fairness to all by securing a first contract with our union."

Xbox spoke in quite friendly terms about unions during its Activision Blizzard buyout, but it'll take an actual contract to see how far that friendliness goes.

A recent episode of the Kit & Krysta podcast, hosted by 10-year Nintendo alums Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, recently dropped a new episode all about why they're hopeful for a thriving AAA scene on the Switch 2. The bulk of their argument rests on the massive success of the Switch compared to its predecessor, the wonderful but commercially catastrophic Wii U. However, they also point to the strong sales of massive, technically demanding AAA games on Steam Deck as an indicator of a vibrant market for toned-down versions of those titles on portable platforms.

"A lot of these big studios got a lot of experience and positive feedback through putting their game on the Steam Deck and translating it to a piece of hardware that's maybe not as powerful as the high-end PC that, of course, they would envision that everyone would have that experience with," Ellis reasons, "but they saw, 'no wait, there's a lot of people that want to play a version that's maybe a little bit dialed down because they want that extra form factor.

"I'm talking about Baldur's Gate 3. I'm talking about Elden Ring. I'm talking about Cyberpunk. The list goes on ... we don't yet know the complete under-the-hood power of the Switch 2, but it's not crazy to say, 'well, if it can run on a Steam Deck it probably can run on a Switch 2, right?'"

Nintendo has been tight-lipped about the Switch 2's software lineup since the console was formally announced in January, but that's all about to change with the April Switch 2 Direct that's happening this week. Right now, all we know is that there's a new Mario Kart game coming to the Switch successor, but everything else is just rumors and speculation.

Speaking of which, here's our biggest Nintendo Switch 2 Direct predictions as the rumor mill kicks up questions about the console's price, launch lineup, specs, and more.

Which is all to say that this is an exceptionally exciting time for the Nintendo faithful, and an event which is expected to attract a lot of outside and mainstream attention. The Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, selling over 150 million consoles and 1.3 billion games in the years since. The system is extraordinarily popular, having eclipsed all of Nintendo's home and handheld hardware aside from the inimitable Nintendo DS.

That means there's a lot of expectation coming into the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal. There's a lot of unanswered questions, too. So below I'm going to walk you through my Nintendo Switch 2 Direct predictions.

Nintendo first-party game reveals to track beyond launch

We know precious little about any Nintendo-developed games coming to Switch 2. There's been very few substantial rumors in this respect, which is impressive given that Nintendo only officially unveiled its new hardware back in January. Mario Kart 9 is almost certain to feature, following brief gameplay teases, but beyond that we're into the realm of speculation.

While I expect that we'll get a release date for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – the upcoming adventure likely to honor Nintendo's penchant for delivering first-party cross-gen exclusives (see: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on GameCube/Wii, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Wii U/Switch) – there's a good chance that Nintendo has plenty to show from its internal studios as it works to differentiate this new console from the original Switch.

It has, for example, been over seven years since the release of Super Mario Odyssey. And while developer Nintendo EPD has been exceptionally busy since, there's every chance a new 3D Mario is presented for the launch window. I also expect that we'll see a new, weird party game that works to sell the system's capabilities – think Wii Sports, Nintendo Land, and 1-2-Switch.

The Switch 2 launch lineup will no doubt be the focus at the Direct, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Nintendo unveil its primary first-party releases for the 12-month stretch beyond that – just as it did with the original Switch in 2017.

Enhanced Switch games to surface

Nintendo has confirmed full Switch 2 backwards compatibility support already, but there are signs that the publisher will invest in more substantial cross-generation support for select titles across the portfolio. Nintendo held a Direct for the original Switch last week, unveiling a new Virtual Card System for digital purchases. While the feature will no doubt make it easier for players to share Switch games with friends, there was one detail that raised some questions.

"Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games and Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games can only be loaded on a Nintendo Switch 2 system," read some small print in the announcement. The mention of 'Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games' is what we're focusing on here, as it suggests that enhanced versions of certain titles are on the way for Switch 2.

There's further hints that this functionality is in the works. A Switch modder believes that they have unearthed a largely unused 60fps mode in the recently released Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. It could be nothing, but it could indicate that the Switch 2 will unlock better performance natively for certain cross-gen releases. The open question here is – should this functionality exist – whether any enhanced gains will come at a cost. Sony charges for some of its upgraded PS5 versions of PS4 games, while Xbox enhances Xbox One games for free.

There will be big third-party support

When Nintendo revealed the original Nintendo Switch, it used The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim to help promote the power of its handheld hybrid. While there's little doubt in my mind that the Switch 2 will continue to put independent experiences at the forefront of its ecosystem, I can see a world in which Nintendo leans on partnerships with the likes of FromSoftware, Ubisoft, Xbox, and others to showcase key hardware improvements.

Xbox has made no secret of its interest in fostering a closer relationship with Nintendo. We're living in a world where Xbox Game Studios has largely removed itself from the exclusives-business – Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are due to land on PS5 this month – so it's easy to imagine a world where Xbox puts a strong Nintendo collaboration forward from the jump.

And as much as I'd love to see something like Hollow Knight Silksong or Witchbrook show up as part of the Switch 2 Direct, it's going to be ports of games like Assassin's Creed Shadows, Elden Ring, and Call of Duty Warzone that really promote any true hardware improvements to a wider, more mainstream audience. Will any of this happen? We'll know soon enough.

We'll get full launch information

There's a very real chance that the Nintendo Switch 2 launch campaign will begin tomorrow. There are clear signs that major retailers are anticipating Switch 2 pre-orders to go live imminently, which leads me to suspect that Nintendo will reveal the price and release date of the system tomorrow.

Rumors and industry chatter continue to point towards an early summer release for the Switch 2 – giving retailers around two months to sort out its stock allocation, and all of us an exceptionally short window to find the cash to buy the damned thing. That might be key, because we have very little indication of what the Switch 2 price will actually be.

For context: the PS5 Digital Edition launched at $399 and the standard PS5 at $499, with the Xbox Series S coming in at $299 and the Xbox Series X at $449 in 2020. The cheapest Steam Deck also landed with an RRP of $399. The original Nintendo Switch had an introductory price of $299 in 2017, but I find it difficult to imagine a world where its successor is able to achieve such a low point of entry. The price remains one of the biggest questions going into the Direct.

Nintendo will dive deep on Switch 2 specs

Nintendo has already unveiled the Switch 2 design, confirming that the new system will bring back the hybrid functionality – allowing you to shift play-sessions seamlessly from TV, to handheld, to tabletop. We also know that the Switch 2 will feature slightly larger Joy-Con controllers, and that the sliding mechanism has been replaced by a new magnetic connection system.

What we don't know is how powerful this console is going to be. Nintendo has long abandoned the power struggle that PlayStation and Xbox can't seem to walk away from, but we still expect the Switch 2 to be a substantial upgrade over its predecessor. Some rumors suggest that the system will be on par with the PS4, while others lay claim to it scaling into Xbox Series S territories. Honestly, this is a complete guessing game until Nintendo confirms the chipset and architecture.

The Switch 2 Direct will almost certainly dedicate some time to delivering more detail here, using prominent third-party games to demonstrate the power and potential of the console. If I were a betting man, I'd put money on Nintendo avoiding the temptation to linger on tech specs in the main presentation, and instead opting to funnel them through its Nintendo Today app in the immediate aftermath.

The news Joy-Cons is where the magic is hidden

You should expect the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct to spend a lot of time focusing on the new Joy-Cons. The unique controller setup is among one of the best innovations in Nintendo's history, and also one of its most divisive given persistent issues with stick drift. We'll obviously be on the lookout for any signs that the Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers have a more robust build quality.

Outside of that though, it's likely that some of Nintendo's biggest ideas will be packed into the refined controllers. They appear to be slightly larger, with bigger shoulder buttons and refined button placement. I expect the company to shout about enhanced rumble features, to reveal what that new "C" button on the right Joy-Con does (rumors suggest it could be used to activate second-screen functionality with a smartphone, but I'm not sold on that), and what more precise motion control may look like.

One of the most persistent Switch 2 rumors (based off of filed patents) has the Joy-Con controllers effectively function as a mouse, offering total precision to the player. This new input device could prove to be revolutionary for the system, although Nintendo will need to clearly demonstrate how they function on different surfaces and in different environments.

Here's what I will say: If all the Joy-Con 2.0 rumors prove to be true, there better be a new WarioWare game available on day one to showcase them all.

CVS2 has been officially translated numerous times, but those translations have never included the game's Dreamcast version, which was both the original and arguably definitive home port. But now, a team of retro modders led by Derek Pascarella has released an expansive translation patch for the Dreamcast version, which goes above and beyond with piles of new and never-before-seen content.

"Firstly, no official Western localization ever saw the ~5,100 post-win quotes fully translated," Pascarella explains on Twitter. "Instead, we got about a seventh of the original text, but heavily watered down (to put it nicely)... UNTIL TODAY! Now, all of this fun dialogue is present and in English!"

On top of that, this patch brings in features from Capcom vs. SNK 2's PS2 version and a brand-new compilation of bonus content, including a variety of newly-translated developer interviews and an optional, 100% completed save file that you can download to your VMU.

You can get a full list of all the changes – or download the patch itself for use on your console or emulator – via Pascarella's GitHub page.

There are numerous ways to play Capcom vs. SNK 2 – including an official version on the upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection 2 – so this patch isn't exactly saving a lost Japanese classic from utter obscurity in the English-speaking world. But this patch goes so far above and beyond that I think it's high time to plug in the ol' VMU once again.

Don't miss out on any of the best fighting games.

We already knew the bow and arrow could do backstabs – backshots, if you will – and this new trailer shows off just how powerful they are in Nightreign. Let your teammates get up close and personal with the bosses, and as soon as they've worn them down, you can shoot them in the back to stagger them before dashing in to drive an arrow straight into their heart for a devastating critical hit. Finally, a Legolas simulator.

Ironeye wields a skill that sees you fire off a huge arrow that pierces multiple foes and then unleashes an area of effect whirlwind in its wake to finish off any stragglers. If enemies decide not to simply walk up to you in a line and instead stand in a wide formation, you can use another attack that seems to spread multiple arrows in front of you to hit all enemies in an arc, so you have a lot of options with Ironeye. (As a reminder, any class can wield any weapon, too, though there's clearly a bow focus here.) That should make it easier to deal with Nightreign's wildly unpredictable random events.

As well as a regular ol' bow and arrow, we see Ironeye using flaming shots. I don't know what it is I love so much about regular weapons that are just on fire, but they sure do scratch an itch. This makes it look like you could be able to add other elemental effects, too.

All this reminds me of the ranger class in Dragon's Dogma, and that was always my favorite one. I was going to go all-out with a big sword in Nightreign, as is my preference in the Dark Souls games and Elden Ring itself, but this trailer definitely makes me want to give bows a proper go. Because sure, people have beaten Elden Ring with bows, but people have also beaten Elden Ring with dance pads, and those aren't very compelling weapons either. Previously, I only used a bow to chop off the dragon tail in Dark Souls. Maybe it's time for a change. Check out our Nightreign hands-on preview if you can't decide for yourself.

In the meantime, have a look at all the new games of 2025 so you can play something while you wait for Elden Ring Nightreign to come out at the end of May.

As documented by YouTube creator Etchy (below), the event in question took place in Platinum's Wi-Fi Plaza – the now defunct online feature which allowed you to join a room with other players, participate in minigames, and level up "tap toys," which were activated using the touch screen and produced different sound and visual effects. The devs at Game Freak seemingly had more ideas in mind for the Wi-Fi Plaza that weren't widely implemented, however, including "VIP" players.

Being granted VIP status would mean a few things for players. For one, when others interacted with them in the Wi-Fi Plaza, they'd see a special golden trainer card instead of the regular ol' blue and red ones, and others would know to look for them, too, because the news board would announce that a "very special guest has arrived." Otherwise, VIPs would immediately enter the plaza with a maximum-level tap toy – something which you otherwise had to (for some reason) grind to every time you entered the online hub.

Generally, VIP status sounds rather underwhelming, but that makes the exclusivity of it even more bizarre. Etchy has discovered that, despite there being basically no other mention of Wi-Fi Plaza VIPs on the internet, back in 2008, an event was held in Japan that gave players the chance to earn the status for themselves. This was a Pokemon Daisuki Club (a Japanese Pokemon fan club site) event, where the site's staff members appeared in the Wi-Fi Plaza as VIPs themselves. Speaking to them gave you unique passwords, which could be entered along with their trainer's name into the Daisuki Club website in order to enter players into a lottery.

The prize was, you guessed it, VIP status – a reward only offered to 20 lucky winners. Etchy also found an old Pokemon blog post explaining that players would, in addition, receive a "wonderful gift," but what this gift was seems to be information lost to time.

According to the YouTuber's research, no other official blog posts since mentioned the VIP feature, seemingly making this a wholly unique one-off timed event. It was only available for a very limited time, too – players had the chance of encountering the Daisuki Club staff members between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. for five days, between October 27 and October 31, 2008.

Notably, those are all weekdays, too, so players weren't even given the chance to take part on a day that they were likely to be off from work or school.

According to some archived Nintendo financial results, as of March 2010, Pokemon Platinum sold around 7.06 million copies worldwide. If we were to assume these sales accounted for all players ever (which for multiple reasons, like people buying pre-owned copies, isn't entirely accurate), that'd mean just 0.00028% of players ever unlocked the VIP feature.

It was certainly exclusive, but that makes the fact that it actually offered so little all the more baffling.

While you're here, be sure to check out our roundup of the best Pokemon games.

In a press release sent to GamesRadar+, Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley said, "We are delighted that so many players are enjoying Atomfall," adding, "To have surpassed the 1 million players in such a short space of time speaks volumes for the creativity and dedication of the entire team here at Rebellion. Our size and stability mean that we can take risks to create something as different as Atomfall. Happily, that risk is paying off."

The game launched into early access for those who paid for the Deluxe Edition last Monday, March 24, with a proper launch arriving that Thursday, March 27. Plus, for players on Xbox and PC, the game arrived as a day-one launch on Xbox Game Pass, which undoubtedly contributed to the large number of players heading into the post-apocalyptic lake district.

Atomfall is already an extremely British game, so naturally Rebellion released some very British stats to celebrate the occasion: "In total there have been over 3.7 million kills using the cricket bat, while over 4 million pasties and 300,000 cups of tea have been consumed."

Kingsley recently said that he doesn't understand how massive development teams keep organized: "How do you organize a game that has 2,000 people working on it?"

That's right, WickedWhims is officially available to download for inZOI – and no, it's not an April Fools' Day prank. TURBODRIVER, the mastermind behind what arguably stands as one of the most well-known Sims 4 mods ever, reveals as much in a recent online post. "It's happening," celebrates the creator, dropping a link to WickedWhims for inZOI. "Check out the first release of WickedWhims for inZOI, available now for free!"

As detailed on the mod's official website, WickedWhims ticks all the essential NSFW boxes, including "fully animated and interactive sex" longtime Sims 4 stans might be searching for: "Get on a bed, or on a sofa, or the floor, or anywhere you want to get freaky with anybody you want," reads the page. "Experience sex animations from a steadily growing number of creators." And, of course, it's all "fully controllable."

It certainly didn't take long – after all, inZOI only released a few days ago. As a Sims fan and life sim frequenter in general myself, though, I'm not surprised. Assistant director Joel Lee confirmed in a past Q&A about inZOI, the new game only "sort of" features sex, and players "have to assume that's what's happening" rather than seeing any explicit activity, much like how the "WooHoo" action and others work in The Sims 4.

inZOI dev says "highly inappropriate" bug that let you kill kids with your car has been patched out: "We are strengthening our internal review processes"

This FCC test report, which was made available on March 31 (and helpfully noted by a Famiboards user), describes a "game controller" with both Bluetooth and RFID support. Assuming Nintendo follows the tradition it's set with previous Pro Controllers, this'll be the Switch 2 equivalent.

Among the FCC's test items with the controller were "earphones" - specifically, the Sony MDR-EX255AP in-ear headphones, which are traditional earbuds with a proper 3.5mm headphone jack. Nintendo's been selling Pro Controllers for its consoles since the original Wii, and up until now none of these controllers have offered the 3.5mm headphone jacks that have been standard on similar Xbox and PlayStation gamepads. It seems that's finally about to change.

I was relieved, if not necessarily surprised, to see the Switch 2 console itself stick with a proper headphone jack. But I'd started give up hope that Nintendo would ever offer real headphone support on its Pro Controllers. I plug a very nice set of traditional headphones into my controller every time I sit down to play something on PS5 or Xbox Series X, and I'm so glad I (probably) won't have to jump through any extra hoops to have the same experience on Switch 2.

The Switch 2 Direct is set to offer a whole lot of new info, hopefully including the final details on Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders.

"This game has been in Ulf's mind, since a few months into the production of the first Payday," explains 10 Chambers co-founder and audio director Simon Viklund. "Quite early in production of the first Payday game, we realised that [we] can't do this and that, because of the contemporary setting. So Ulf put Payday in the future, as a concept [...] for 10 Chambers to do."

Future plans

While the aesthetic of this neon-drenched dystopia invokes CD Projekt Red's fictional Night City, 10 Chambers' latest is actually set on a very real island just Northwest of Hawaii – Midway Atoll. In Den Of Wolves' fiction, 2030 saw the world as we know it plunged into chaos. Hackers led an unprecedented suite of AI-driven attacks, with no asset or data left safe from the civilization-destroying cyber warfare. With the world in ruins, and global governments brought to their knees, the richest corporations banded together to offer survivors an AI and regulatory-free safe haven – Midway City.

Fast forward to 2067 and players find themselves embroiled in a desperate fight for survival. With AI completely banned from the isolated and strategic Pacific Ocean archipelago, the newly-founded Midway City runs entirely on neural technology. Each heavily-armed district of Midway City is owned and operated by private corporations, and ruled through violence. With no governing bodies left to regulate them, fear and cash are king, with Viklund describing Midway City as "the capital of capitalism". Yet with biological hackers now able to 'dive' inside neural networks, a new type of crime has festered on this once peaceful island.

"We wanted to build a backstory in a way where there are things pointing towards Den Of Wolves' setting actually being a plausible future," says Viklund. "It's why we chose to set Midway City on a piece of land that actually exists, and one that is unincorporated from the US… There are reasons why this would be a feasible location for a stock exchange between Asia and the Americas. So, we're trying to anchor our sci-fi in reality."

It's in this nightmarish hellscape that players find themselves hustling to survive. Put in the blood-soaked boots of a hungry citizen, Viklund's quick to point out that you are no heroic do-gooder – you're just here to get paid. Another four player co-op heist sim, Midway City will be divided into a yet to be determined number of dangerous districts for players to steal and shoot their way through. But in order to make it to the big heists, you'll have to do your homework.

Den of Wolves' prep missions see you and your crew tackling a series of small-scale infiltrations, allowing you to gather everything you need before tackling each district's main heist. Whether it's breaking into an apartment building to gather essential intel or sneaking your way across a tech warehouse to gather weapons, your choices will determine the shape of heist that awaits.

Brain drain

I get to play one prep and one heist proper. The prep mission sees myself and my teammates sneaking through a heavily-guarded museum-esque office block. Swarming with helmet-clad stormtroopers patrolling each corridor, stealth is the name of the game as we attempt to escape with a high tech spider drone. It turns out, life had other plans. Edging our way out of the elevator, one of my crewmates tiptoes towards a patrolling guard, knife in hand. Yet just as he goes in for the kill, a second guard enters the room and pulls out his auto rifle. So much for stealth.

As the blade pierces the first guard's throat, bullets ricochet across the walls, and our once-crouching crew sprints our way through the open door. We make our way across increasingly heavily-guarded rooms until we eventually find a vault. It's your standard sneaking and shooting affair, the sterile white environments of the glitzy building failing to live up to the intriguing narrative setup.

Thankfully, the main heist more than delivers. Once my squad and I have selected our loadouts we look at a building schematic to go through our game plan. There are three heavily armed floors containing eight vaults, four of us, and one neural linked target that we need to hack. We've already convinced the gang that runs this building that we're delivering vital tech for them, so we sneak in, and cover each floor.

We enter a sprawling Judge Dredd-esque mega structure – part gargantuan housing estate, part heavily armed fortress. "These mega structures give us freedom in terms of level design where you can essentially take an elevator in the same map, from the slums to the penthouses," says Viklund.

As we're led in by the gun-toting gang, we're accompanied through the vast perimeter, walking-sim style. Our chaperones take us floor by floor through increasingly grim surroundings. I spy a tortured prisoner strung up from his arms. We roll past barricaded apartments and blood stained rooms – across corridors littered with destroyed furniture and piles upon piles of decimated droids. As gang members talk us through what's happening, rooms contain TV bulletins that 10 Chambers tell me are affected by the players' prep mission choices. It's an intriguing first glimpse at how your decisions in-game might play out, affecting both the environmental storytelling and even whether you are willingly let in the building as I am, or instead have to fight your way through.

"The story is mostly told in the heist, because that's this narrative payoff to – and the consequences of – your choices throughout the prep missions," explains Viklund. "There's a character being tortured in one scene as you walk by, and that's actually someone who sold information to you. They don't know that you're the one that sold them out – but you can see the consequences of you interacting with this gang."

Once we've been led into the main foyer – and can spy our neural-linked target – the ruse is up. Armed with a trusty DMR and an auto rifle, myself and one team mate plant explosives on a nearby window before heading to our vaults. Throwing down a plasma shield, I cover my teammate as he uses a drone to begin drilling through the first vault door. With crudely armed bandana-laden bandits raining down fire on us, my two other teammates are ransacking the vaults on the opposite side of the sprawling lobby. It's a fun mix of tactical play, with each team eventually finding the required keys, and fending off attackers before we make it to the main vault and our target: the gang leader's brain.

In Den Of Wolves' fiction, this biological hacking is known as diving. Neural dive sections see players suddenly dragged out of the physical location and thrust suddenly into the mind palace of the target they're hacking, sucking me out of an intense firefight and hurling me into a pulsating, crimson nightmare. Leaping through a gravity-defying set of floating islands, my teammates and I have to reach the other side of the mind palace in order to complete the first stage of hacking, and return into the physical realm. Part Fear 3, part Control, this trippy platforming section is an unexpected palette cleanser.

"The dives are really a tool to create variety for the player – a change of pace, change of gameplay, change of setting," explains Viklund. "We're working on one now, which is in a forest and you're being chased by a monster. So a dive could be more horror, or we can give the players weapons in the dive as well – but we can make it so that it's one shot, one kill, and that makes it more dangerous. The rules can be a bit different there, and it's one of the things that makes ending up in a dive feel exciting."

It's clearly still early days for Den Of Wolves, and in this current state, it's difficult to get a full grasp of the storyline, so Viklund explains the vision for robbing your way across Midway City.

"We're not the type of company who would do cutscenes and take the control away from the player – it will be all in game, and defined by your choices," says Viklund. "A storyline can be four prep missions in the one heist, a snack size storyline - or storylines could be eight prep missions and then the heist followed by six prep missions and another heist. Some will be free, some paid DLC. It's still early – there's no recipe, no rules."

All in all, it's an impressive first showing for Den of Wolves, a sci-fi shooter with a lofty sense of ambition. Yet just as my in-game avatar walked past a room filled with forgotten and discarded droids, I can't help but feel that the last few years have seen many online shooters share the same fate.

"We've been refining this formula for over 20 years now," answers Viklund, on why players should believe in Den of Wolves. "From working on Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 20 years ago, which was the first FPS co-op game, to Payday, Payday 2, and GTFO. So, I'd like to think that we have a good grasp on the concept. I think that people can trust us to put something together that is worth keeping their eyes on."

Want to learn more about Den of Wolves? We talk to 10 Chambers about getting "back on that heist s**t" where "the darkness comes from the late-stage capitalism"

In a recent post on the official Monster Hunter website, Tokuda outlines a couple of title updates planned for Wilds, including the first, coming on April 4, and the second, set to drop sometime this summer. The director also looks toward the more distant future, detailing changes to monsters and the game's overall balance, particularly regarding weapons, "in response to some of the feedback after launch."

Capcom is "planning to make various adjustments to the game," as Tokuda puts it, that "will be implemented gradually with each upcoming title update in order to make the game more enjoyable for everyone for a longer period of time." The lead then cites the Hammer, which arguably already stands as one of the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons in many a fan's heart, as a weapon with "upward adjustments" underway.

"For example," writes Tokuda, "we are currently carefully considering upward adjustments for the Hammer, and then looking at other overall weapon balance adjustments with a goal to implement them either in the end of May update or the second title update in summer." Nerfs are also in the works: "Some unintentionally overpowered things will be adjusted downward, but we will also be adjusting other parts upward, making for a generally balanced update."

Some balance changes will arrive sooner than others, including Corrupted Mantle nerfs and buffs to other Mantles, "balancing the line-up of Mantles to suit everyone's style of play." It's a lot to look forward to, but it's unsurprising to see just how much Capcom has in store for what our own Monster Hunter Wilds review dubs "the new peak of the series" and an "early contender for game of the year."

After you finish playing one of the best Monster Hunter games to date, here are some of the other most exciting new games this year and beyond to keep an eye on.

This comes just months after settling a separate defamation lawsuit against game database Twin Galaxies, which previously stripped its database of Mitchell's old scores and former records in the likes of Donkey Kong and Pac Man as it investigated allegations that his best Donkey Kong score wasn't achieved on original, unmodified hardware. However, in this defamation lawsuit against Jobst, "Mr Mitchell does not complain that Mr Jobst called him a cheat," but rather that a video posted by Jobst allegedly implied that Mitchell "was a major contributing factor" in the "decision to commit suicide" by content creator Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith, according to judge Ken Barlow.

As reported by PC Gamer, in the video in question, Jobst alleged that after Mitchell filed a lawsuit against Smith (who previously made multiple videos about Mitchell, some of which accused him of cheating), Smith had to pay a significant sum of money to Mitchell. This, Jobst alleged, added to existing negative circumstances for Smith, who later took his own life.

In the defamation case against Jobst, Mitchell alleged that "the offending words carried five defamatory imputations": that Smith was required to pay a "large amount of money to settle Mr Mitchell’s defamation claim against him, which caused Apollo Legend to go into considerable debt and to take on extra work to survive," that this was "a major contributing factor in Apollo Legend's decision to take his own life," that "Mitchell had hounded Apollo Legend to death," that Mitchell was "the main cause, or alternatively a cause" and that his "conduct was a contributing factor" in Smith's decision to take his life.

In the latest court ruling, the judge clarifies that the settlement of this previous lawsuit against Smith resulted in an agreement that "did not require Apollo Legend to pay any money to Mr Mitchell unless he breached his non-publication obligations," those being to remove six of his videos, assign the copyright to Mitchell, and not to post anything about Mitchell, or about his scores, family, any anyone associated with him without his consent.

Jobst has been ordered to pay AU$300,000 in damages (and AU$34,668.50 in interest), as well as AU$50,000 in aggravated damages (and AU$5,778.08 in interest). It's worth noting that the added interest is "subject to either party seeking a different order as to interest, upon delivery of this judgment or by filing and serving a written submission within 14 days."

On Twitter, Mitchell has shared his thanks to "everyone who supported me," while Jobst writes: "I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony. From that point on unfortunately there was really nothing that could have saved me. I will now obviously consider my options."

There have been a lot of different interpretations of Silent Hill at this point, but – barring Ascension and The Short Message – they've all had one thing in common: actually taking place in Silent Hill, Maine (the titular Book of Memories was sent from Silent Hill, I'm counting it). But Silent Hill f is breaking that trend; this time around it's taking place in 1960s Japan in a town called Ebisugaoka (which is based on a town that can be just as spooky, according to the locals).

And of course, there's another layer to Silent Hill; at some point or another, the protagonist will wander into the Otherworld. This is a part of Silent Hill that can reflect the psyche of whoever inhabits it (most famously it's a rusty and bloody mess in the original game). This time around, the Otherworld takes place in a place called 'The Dark Shrine,' we didn't get to see much of it in the recent trailer, although it was home to a horrific doll monster.

Konami made a new post on the Silent Hill Twitter account showing off The Dark Shrine in all its glory. While this isn't exactly a big deal, Silent Hill f's director, Al Yang, chimed in with some more details about the new Otherworld. In a post on Twitter, Yang said, "One of the big challenges for us on SILENT HILL f was to create an interesting Otherworld for our new setting." Afterwards, Yang dug a little deeper into the philosophy behind the design, saying that NeoBards wanted to find "that blend of new and nostalgic."

Of course, details on just what Silent Hill f has in store are still being held close to Konami's chest. But considering the game has already been rated by the ESRB and CERO (making it the first game in the series to be rated 18+ in Japan), it's likely we'll find out more in the near future.

In other Silent Hill news, series artist and Pyramid Head creator Masahiro Ito is getting frustrated with – as he puts it – "fucking ridiculous headcanons."

In an interview with PCGamesN, senior community manager Jake Blunt talks about some of the thinking behind the upcoming game. The survival genre is a saturated one, even Player Unknown is getting in on it with Prologue: Go Wayback, but was all the competition and genre fatigue a concern for the developers?

"100%," Blunt says. "It was always top-of-mind. As soon as the team was like, 'survival game,' everyone was like, 'hm, is this going to be Valheim with party hats?' It was a case of going, 'okay, cool, we're going to have to do a lot more here to really elevate ourselves,' so there's always been a pressure not just externally, but internally. We want to make something that really stands up on its own that leans very heavily into RuneScape lore, but is also very much a survival game."

Rather than chopping trees down with an axe, you'll be using magical powers to summon an axe to do the work for you. I've recently been replaying Skyrim for the millionth time and am quite enjoying the bound weapons in the conjuration skill tree, so it's cool to see something like that come to a survival game.

"We’re hoping that it isn’t just us being like, 'it's Valheim, but…' [Dragonwilds] is unique in several different ways that really sets it apart from the others. There's always that pressure of, 'oh this is a very competitive [genre],' but we're not trying to bring other survival games down and be like, 'we’re better than that.' We want to embrace the fact that we have things that make us unique, rather than that we're doing something better than something that already exists."

Even if you're not a fan of the survival genre itself, the RuneScape coat of paint will likely be enough to sway a lot of you and give it a go. An IP trying its hat at a new genre is a surefire way to turn people into fans of either. I never played a MOBA until Pokemon Unite, and I haven't played RuneScape since I was 11, but I'd play this.

"We’re very lucky to have our narrative director Mod Raven, who has over a decade of experience working on RuneScape," Blunt says. "When he left RuneScape to work on other projects [in 2022], when this was announced internally, he came back. He's become the foundation and the bedrock of what RuneScape is, so that's helped us be reverent and respectful of both sides of the same coin. It’s been awesome."

RuneScape: Dragonwilds is launching in early access sometime this spring, so keep an eye out for it. It's set in the world of Gielinor, so if you're a fan of the game you should give it a go.

In the meantime, check out all the upcoming new games of 2025 to see what else you should play.

It's a legacy that's also on the mind of developer id Software. "We still feel like we have to live up to that legendary game. We think of it as like a classical piece of art. I'm an artist, so it's like the Mona Lisa to us," says Doom: The Dark Ages game director Hugo Martin. And id Software need to make Leonardo da BFG when it comes to filling its next canvas. "That's where we started, with this incredibly fun game [where] the combat is incredibly approachable. Everybody could pick up Doom and enjoy it. Killing demons in 1993's Doom – it's as fun today as it was back then."

Firing on all cylinders

An early FPS that elevated the genre, Doom was all about navigating maze-like levels and just shooting anything that got in your way with increasingly devastating weaponry. Back then, you couldn't even aim up – all bullets hit any demon ahead of you regardless of elevation. Revisiting them even now (last year's new Doom + Doom 2 port from Nightdive Studios is phenomenal), there's a joyous simplicity to the way they play. "We think if the games are fun, and they find them entertaining, then it'll still have a place amongst gamers," says Martin.

Revisiting the Doom legacy is crucial. "We play it at the start of every project," says Martin of the first Doom. "The thing that stood out to me the most this time, which was kind of staring us in the face the whole time, was how slow the projectiles moved. [It was] just a reminder of how grounded the combat was after Eternal." They key is to remember that the first Doom wasn't only a fantastic game, but how innovative it was too. "There was nothing else like it. So we start every project with how we're going to innovate this time."

For Martin, those slow projectiles stood out, not just in terms of their speed or lack thereof but in "how hard they hit, and they create this three dimensional shmup maze". With Doom Eternal, movement was encouraged through the enemy movement more than it was their incoming fire. "We very much were encouraging you to move up and along the y axis, up in the air. Then you play the original Doom, and there's just as much movement, but it's all happening on the horizon line, and it's very much glued to the ground."

How would revisiting that concept work within the context of the modernized Doom series? "It was like an aha moment," says Martin. "We took the projectiles, slowed them down, made them hit harder, made them bigger, as a test – and removed double jump. Immediately it was like: there you go, that's the start of this new combat loop."

While going hands-on, I immediately notice the change – especially when it comes to the shmup comparisons. A lot of incoming fire are now waves of projectiles rather than single blast, be they vertical slices of energy to waves of orbs (green ones of which you can parry with the shield saw). It's most noticeable in the siege level I play – a larger than usual huge sandbox stage with true hordes of demonic enemies and loads of optional objectives.

Doom, too

The wider approach to this level, and others in Doom: The Dark Ages, is also inspired by classic Doom. "Well Doom 2, right?" says Martin. "What was so fun about Doom 2 is how it opened up. You take all that speed and all that horizontal x axis movement, then you give the player more AI in a bigger space to play in, allowing moments of this game to open up like that."

The big difference comes in how Doom: The Dark Ages weaves together the original Doom's projectiles and Doom 2's open spaces with its shield saw. "That's then complimented by the other aspect of this game that's new, which is the 'stand and fight' [concept]," says Martin. After all, Martin also tells me that feeling aggressive is crucial to getting across that Doom flavor – and Doom: The Dark Ages might be one of the most aggressive entries in the series to date.

"Strafing to aim is alive and well in Dark Ages, as you saw," explains Marin. "But then the green projectiles certainly call you into combat, and then the green melee attacks bring you close. A lot of the AI will encourage you to fight them at close range and go mano a mano, which makes you feel powerful." Whether it's using gunfire to heat the metal armor of hellspawn before shattering the brittle targets with a shield throw, or knocking enemy attacks back at them while supercharging your own deadly strikes, the shield enhances the feeling of empowerment rather than being something you just hide behind.

These ideas were always there in the classic Doom games, but Doom: The Dark Ages makes them feel reimagined thanks in large part to its clever loop that encourages shield, melee, and gunplay to all feed back into each other. Doom: The Dark Ages isn't like any other Doom I've played, while still feeling like a natural evolution 32 years later – and that's what makes it so exciting.

Want to start blasting? Check out our best FPS games list for more recommendations!

This guide will show you when REPO saves the game, how co-op save files work, and how to protect save files against deletion. That’s right; although you can’t save manually, you can create a backup save.

How to save your game in REPO

REPO will autosave the game whenever you enter the Service Station (in-game shop, see picture) or start a new level. This means a brand-new game of REPO is only saved after you complete the first stage with a successful extraction. If you leave the game earlier, your progress won’t be saved and you’ll have to start from scratch next time.

To be clear; if you’d like to buy upgrades from the Service Station shop before leaving and saving the game, just get the items you want, complete the purchase, and hop into the next level; the next time you boot up the game, you’ll begin at the start of this new level (instead of the shop), complete with all the items you purchased.

After reaching a savepoint, press ‘escape’, ‘main menu’, and ‘yes’ to leave the game. In the main menu, choose ‘singleplayer’ or ‘host game’ to find your saved file. If you have more than one file, you can tell them apart by their info; click to see the date (last used), level, time played, and total haul (total loot value). Choose ‘load save’ to continue playing.

Beware; whenever the last player dies in REPO (that’ll be the sixth player in a full REPO team), the saved game will be deleted. Reviving your teammates in REPO will help to some extent, but if this sounds a bit too brutal, scroll down to see how you can backup your save file.

How to save REPO games in co-op

If you’re playing REPO in multiplayer mode, only the host will get a save file. So, if you joined your friend’s game, you won’t be able to load that same game yourself. As it’s important for the host to have a stable internet connection, be sure to pick the best candidate from the get-go since you won’t be able to swap hosts later on (unless you’re willing to start from level 1 again).

As a host, it’s possible to invite friends to any saved game, including the ones previously used for singleplayer. It’s also possible to grab a saved game used by you and your friends, and continue playing solo. In other words, if you’re using separate save files for solo and co-op play, be careful not to mix them up!

How to backup save files in REPO

Although you still have to mind the checkpoints to save your REPO game, it’s possible to create a backup save file to protect you against defeat. It works like this: you create a copy of the save file, then hop into the game and – due to an unfortunate encounter with one of the REPO monsters – die. Your save file is deleted, but you don’t need to start from level 1, as you can take the copy, place it in the right folder, and restart the level.

To create the backup file, go to the save file location: type ‘AppData’ in the search bar on your computer, then open the folder (AppData is located in the map with your username). Click ‘LocalLow’ followed by ‘semiwork’, ‘Repo’, and ‘saves’. Open the saves folder, copy the save file you want to backup, and paste it. Do not leave it in the same folder; right-click the copy, select ‘cut’, and go back to the previous folder (the ‘Repo’ folder) where you must paste it again. It should look the same as the picture above.

If you die, exit the game, go back to this location, delete the ‘- Copy’ part of the file name, and drag it into the ‘saves’ folder. Restart REPO and continue playing! Of course, a backup file won’t keep up with your progress, so if you reach a new level (a new save point) you must create a new backup using this process again.

For more tips, take a look at our REPO beginner’s guide too!

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The dual protagonist system is my favorite feature in Assassin's Creed Shadows – yes, even more than petting the tanuki – and for good reason. By playing off Naoe and Yasuke's weaknesses, Ubisoft Quebec makes you put more thought into how you approach every facet of its world; from assassinating optional targets to clambering up viewpoints. But as synonymous as the two lead characters now are with Assassin's Creed Shadows, creative director Jonathan Dumont reveals it wasn't originally part of the game's plan.

Doubling up

At a mechanical level, dual protagonists allow Ubisoft Quebec to lean into the past and present of Assassin's Creed. Playing Naoe delivers the most dedicated stealth experience the series has seen since 2009's Assassin's Creed 2 – largely because she's very fragile in a fight – while Yasuke is more in line with the action-RPG combat of Assassin's Creed Origins onward, albeit with all pretense of stealth abandoned. From a thematic perspective, two main characters also represent both sides of the iconic feudal fantasy, offering a chance to feature both samurai and shinobi equally.

Both of these upshots influenced Ubisoft Quebec's decision to go with two protagonists, which Dumont says wasn't always the plan. "When we started early on, we only had a shinobi – it's Assassin's Creed Japan, it's probably going to be a shinobi," he says, laughing. "But the more we were playing with the character – we were in the conception phase – we were like 'OK, we could do this with the character, there's things on the samurai side'. We were sort of making a stealth tank, but it didn't quite work. It was diluting the fantasy of the shinobi."

"This is where we said OK, but if we separated that into two characters – not just two sets for one character, but clearly two characters – it would also give us a different point of view for the game, a different voice, and allow you to have a dynamic between two characters for narrative [purposes]," explains Dumont. "It gave us a more complex job, but it also gave us a charming feel to the game, and that was something we really felt was a great direction."

The decision to create a second character was made "toward the end of the conception phase," and allowed Ubisoft Quebec to expand the scope of its feudal RPG. "It became clear, before going into production, that we'd probably do a story with two characters," says Dumont. "The archetypes were coming out of the conception phase anyway – they were splitting, but it was happening naturally. So we decided to add a samurai."

"We'd already talked about Yasuke quite a bit – we thought he was a very interesting historical figure, that was very mysterious. We don't know what happened to him, there are a lot of gaps. It also allowed us to tell the Portuguese, the Japan story – a little bit East meets West – as he's stuck in the middle of that. We thought he was a great character for that, to have a view on both places."

From there, Ubisoft Quebec had two distinct identities to design around. "Every time we would put something on one of the characters, we would measure it against the archetype," explains Dumont. "A shinobi would do this, a samurai would do that – and then it was OK to not do everything with one character."

Besides the dramatic differences in combat, the player's skills being divested across two characters allowed Ubisoft Quebec to have more fun at a smaller level. Yasuke is the most obvious example – he is, to put it politely, rubbish at parkour. His leaps of faith have none of the grace of his predecessors, and if you try to walk along a tightrope as the samurai, they'll often snap and send him sprawling back down to earth. We discuss the differences, and Dumont grins. "The team embraced that," he says. "They did an amazing job with it."

Assassin's Creed Shadows boss is confident Ubisoft has a place in modern RPGs, even as the industry's goalposts shift: "When we were working on Odyssey, it was Breath of the Wild"

2016's Doom reboot and its sequel, Doom Eternal are well-known for having some of the best FPS campaigns in recent memory, but each of them also came with a multiplayer mode that wasn't quite as beloved. Doom's multiplayer was a pretty standard deathmatch arena shooter, while Eternal took a unique approach with Battle Mode, where two players would take the role of demons and battle someone else as Doomguy.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Doom boss Hugo Martin said that the decision to not include a multiplayer component was made "right from the beginning." He explained that the team "made the decision early to just focus all of our energy on trying to make the best campaign we could." Martin elaborated, saying, "with Eternal, we wanted to put mechs in the game. There were things we wanted to do with Eternal." Martin added that with "the scope of the project, you start spreading out resources to make a multiplayer component."

While some people may wonder why the team couldn't just pop a multiplayer mode in and call it a day, Martin explains, "it's live service… you can't just do a little multiplayer. You've gotta go -- fans' expectation is [that] you go all the way." He said, "It would definitely come at the expense of the single-player aspects." While it may be disappointing to certain players that multiplayer isn't in the new Doom, Martin admitted, "It felt good to just focus [on] Doom as a single-player experience and not try to turn it into a live service game."

This interview was conducted following a hands-on preview of Doom: The Dark Ages. GamesRadar+'s Oscar Taylor-Kent said, "What does come as a surprise is just how different Doom: The Dark Ages feels from what I'd expect from Doom, while still feeling extremely Doom."

Speaking in a recent interview with GamesRadar+ on the new game, Dumont explains that Ubisoft wanted to try some things differently "from the outset" with Shadows – including its introduction of the unique dual protagonist system with Naoe and Yasuke. "Those are things we started doing four years ago, and we didn't change our focus," describes the creative director. "These [come from] looking at how Assassin's Creed is played."

Dumont continues: "Usually we want to make some changes, or try different things so our players get something new – and they feel it's not just the setting, but we're improving the formula or gameplay aspects." According to the lead, this all boils down to the "natural progression" of Assassin's Creed. Featuring both Naoe and Yasuke rather than just one or the other is "really cool for renewing the experience" for longtime fans.

"If you have a clear favorite, that's awesome," says Dumont. "But offering [two protagonists] even just as a pacebreaker, or you want to try something else, or for replay value? I think that's a cool thing Shadows does better than what we've done in the past in Assassin's Creed." This checks out – after all, our own Assassin's Creed Shadows review praises the action RPG for how its "two protagonists provide the best of both worlds for Assassin's Creed fans."

The dual protagonist system isn't the only new feature to make its way into the Assassin's Creed series, either. Dumont also references the clue-driven exploration changes, along with Shadows' larger focus on stealth, as examples. As a longtime fan of the games myself, I'm personally most excited about its inclusion of things like the so-called "Canon Mode" that aims to offer a more linear story-driven experience for fans to play through.

Hungry for more? Here are some of the best Assassin's Creed games you can give a go after Shadows.

Capcom confirmed on the Monster Hunter Twitter account that it has released a special item pack for Monster Hunter Wilds players to celebrate 10 million sales. The pack includes a selection of common items, as well as some upgrade materials and eggs. It includes 30 Mega Potions, 20 Lifepowder, and 20 Mega Barrel Bombs, which are all great items to have, to be fair, but the real highlight of this pack is the final two items.

In the special item pack, you get 10 Hard Armor Spheres, which give you a whopping 1,000 points each toward upgrading your armor pieces. Plus, you get 10 Silver Eggs, which sell in the in-game shop for 10,000 Zenny each (so keeping roughly in line with egg prices in the US currently). Both of these are extremely useful items to have, especially if you're someone who likes to craft tons of armor.

You can get these items by going to the start menu and selecting 'Login Bonus,' and alongside your regular bonus of a Lucky Voucher, you'll have the items waiting for you. However, this is only available from now until Sunday, April 13, at 11:59pm / 7:59pm / 4:59pm, so you'll need to log into Monster Hunter Wilds before then to take advantage.

After you blast through Title Update 1 and go back to being upset that Monster Hunter Wilds doesn't have endless amounts of content (I can relate), it may be worth checking out our list of the best RPG games to pass the time until the Lagiacrus arrives in the summer.

Knowing exactly where they are is a huge help though, so you can quickly divert to your nearest one and stock up on weapons and healing items. So without further ado, here's where to find all of the Pneumatic Dispatch Tubes in Atomfall across four regions in the game.

Slatten Dale Pneumatic Dispatch Tube locations

There are three Pneumatic Dispatch Tubes in Slatten Dale, all of which are located in bunkers:

1. Bunker L7 Pneumatic Dispatch Tube

Co-ordinates: 27.7E, 71.9N

The first Pneumatic Dispatch Tube you'll probably find is in Bunker L7, which you can see almost immediately after leaving the building you wake up in at the start of the game. Head inside and to the room at the back on the right-hand side to find it, but beware of the Feral in the room on the opposite side.

2. Bunker L5 Pneumatic Dispatch Tube

Co-ordinates: 31.8E, 75.4N

Another Pneumatic Dispatch Tube is in Bunker L5, which is underneath the radio tower in the Outlaw camp. There are loads of Outlaws around though, so be ready for a fight. The tube is inside the bunker, at the end of where you enter, then on your left.

3. Bunker L6 Pneumatic Dispatch Tube

Co-ordinates: 26.5E, 77.1N

The third and final Pneumatic Dispatch Tube in Slatten Dale is in Bunker L6, which can be found at the Waterwheels. You can find this area by heading down the hill when you emerge at the start of the game, then following the stream. Head into the bunker and turn right when inside to find the tube.

Skethermoor Pneumatic Dispatch Tube locations

Skethermoor has four Pneumatic Dispatch Tubes, again all located within different bunkers and buildings.

1. Protocol Workshop Pneumatic Dispatch Tube

Co-ordinates: 38.0E, 77.3N

The first Pneumatic Dispatch Tube in Skethermoor is one you'll encounter fairly quickly if you're hunting for the Atomfall Signal Redirector, as it's inside the Protocol Workshop. From the Wyndham gate, hug the perimeter wall on the left-hand side until you encounter the hatch marked Access L3. The tube is in the second room, directly ahead of you, but beware of the Protocol soldiers who will shoot on sight, even if you have a pass from Captain Sims.

2. Protocol Field Station Pneumatic Dispatch Tube

Co-ordinates: 41.2E, 74.9N

The next Pneumatic Dispatch Tube is in the final location you need to visit to get your hands on a Signal Redirector. Sneak behind the Protocol soldiers and enter this bunker, then head to the very end of the long corridor in front of you and take an immediate right to find the tube. Again, the place is teeming with Protocol soldiers who will be hostile.

3. Vehicle Storage Bunker Pneumatic Dispatch Tube

Co-ordinates: 43.3E, 74.7N

Over to the east of Skethermoor is the Vehicle Storage Bunker, found in the Greenhouses area and marked with Access L1. Head inside and the Pneumatic Storage Tube is immediately in front of you and to the left, opposite the showers.

4. Skethermoor Prison

Co-ordinates: 41.1E, 70.8N

Finally, the fourth tube in Skethermoor is in the prison. This is much easier to access if you have permission from Captain Sims to be there, because if you don't, every single Protocol soldier will be hostile and there are a lot of them. Either way, enter the first room on your right as you enter the prison and you'll find the tube in the office room.

Casterfell Woods Pneumatic Dispatch Tube locations

Casterfell Woods has another three Pneumatic Dispatch Tubes, all found in the northern part of the map.

1. Bunker L9 Pneumatic Dispatch Tube

Co-ordinates: 23.3E, 90.6N

You've got a bit of a trek from the Wyndham entrance to Casterfell Woods to find any of the Pneumatic Dispatch Tubes, but the first you'll likely encounter if you stick to the main road is in Bunker L9. It's a little beyond the radio tower in the region, but keep an eye out for both Druids and Ferals alike. Enter the big bunker doors and you'll find the tube inside on your left.

2. Casterfell Dam Data Store Pneumatic Dispatch Tube

Co-ordinates: 22.5E, 92.4N

Further north from Bunker L9 is the Casterfell Dam Data Store, where you'll need to find the entrance to the security room. Head north from the bunker and you'll find some stairs. Take a right at the top, squeeze through the fence ahead, then head down the slope past the rubble to find the entrance. Head inside, clamber through the crawlspace into the security room, and the tube is inside.

3. Remote Bunker Pneumatic Dispatch Tube

Co-ordinates: 28.0E, 91.6N

The third and final Pneumatic Dispatch Tube in Casterfell Woods is in the very north-east corner of the map where you'll find the bunker hatch marked with Access L10 at the top of a hill. Head in and voila, another tube.

The Interchange Pneumatic Dispatch Tube locations

The Interchange, thanks to its layout, has the highest number of Pneumatic Dispatch Tubes, with seven in total. Here's a quick run through of where to find each of them:

• In the Central Processor, initially accessible through the Wyndham Interchange entrance.
• Just inside each of the four main entrances, you'll find four tubes: Wyndham Village, Slatten Dale, Skethermoor, Casterfell Woods.
• The other two are found in and around Medical, which is also where you'll encounter Thralls, some of the toughest enemies in the game.

That's it for all of the Pneumatic Dispatch Tube locations in Atomfall, with 17 in total so you can access you stash from the various regions.

For more locations, check out where to find the Atomfall Metal Detector and all of the Atomfall gnomes, along with how to open the Forgotten Cellar door in Atomfall to progress the Lead there.

This information comes from content creator Tyler McVicker, who recently spoke with Doom: The Dark Ages director Hugo Martin about id Software's next game, and has shared the info in a new video (below). McVicker reports that as well as there being 22 levels to sink our teeth into, "about 15-20% of the game is spent either in the Atlan or flying around in the dragon."

He later clarifies that we can expect "four dragon encounters and three Atlan encounters, the Atlan encounters effectively being their own levels, but the dragon encounters still being standard Doom Slayer on the ground, but the dragon is used to get the player to different points."

It's worth keeping in mind that without DLC, the last main Doom game, Doom Eternal, featured 13 levels, and the same goes for Doom (2016). With that in mind, Doom: The Dark Ages is well on its way to doubling the amount of levels offered in the most recent entries. It'll be interesting to see how this affects the overall runtime – the main story of Eternal was roughly 14 and a half hours according to HowLongToBeat, while Doom (2016) took players on average around 11 and a half hours to finish its main campaign. The game's director previously suggested to IGN that we can expect levels to be around an hour long this time around, so if that goes for every level in the game, it sounds like we're looking at a campaign that could be upwards of 20 hours long.

Anyway, we don't have long to wait before we can all dive in ourselves. Doom: The Dark Ages is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5 on May 13, so there's only a few weeks to go.

Be sure to check out our Doom: The Dark Ages big preview to see our thoughts from our hands-on time with the game.

Galacta's Cosmic Adventure has been around for a while, a board-game themed event with a lot of rewards, including a Black Widow skin, but it's only on April 1, 2025 that the final reward was added: the Symbiote Boogie. To complete the GCA, players need to do the following:

1. Complete the Daily Random Missions and Challenges that reward the player with the currency "Galacta's Power Cosmic"
2. When you reach 30 Power Cosmic, you are given the chance to roll the four-sided die in the bottom right of the board.
3. The Galacta token moves around the board, earning you rewards that you land on.
4. When you have unlocked all 24 rewards on the board, you can claim the Symbiote Boogie emote for free from the center, as well as a Gallery Card.

At this point, all you need to do is to go to Venom in the Hero Tab of the main menu, and equip the Symbiote Boogie emote to his radial menu like any other emote. Finally, the lethal protector and/or scourge of Spider-Man can get his groove on.

Of course, if you're interested in more options for Venom customization, there's a new Pick-Up Bundle that allows you to unlock an orange skin for the big brute, as well as the new Marvel Rivals Costume Coins that let you get even more skins for free! Or, if you want to know more about the future of the game, we've got all Marvel Rivals upcoming characters that have been revealed and leaked here!

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Kojima tweets: "The PS4 version was released in November 2019. Shortly after, the world was hit by the pandemic. The PC version followed in July 2020, then the PS5 version of DSDC in September 2021. The PC version of DSDC came in March 2022, the Mac version in January 2024, and the Xbox version in November 2024. Our first IP from the studio—steadily expanding across multiple platforms. We’ve finally reached 20 million porters. Thank you all so much! We look forward to your continued support."

The game has seen a surge in Steam players, I assume because you're all either completing or replaying it ahead of Death Stranding 2's imminent launch date. This is what's pushed it over that 20 million mark. Just note though, that's players, not sales. I played my housemate's copy, so we'd count as two players but just one purchase.

I didn't play it until April, during the first lockdown in the UK. My housemate bought it when he was furloughed, and watching him wander the hills and mountains of the NUSA was captivating. It was the perfect time for a game all about connection.

Now, the game seems more poignant than ever, and Kojima says, "But even after five years from the initial release, many are still playing the game. That makes me the happiest." What a sweetheart.

He may be looking back, but he's still hard at work on Death Stranding 2. All the recording and sound mixing has been completed, and the game is just three months away from launch.

In the meantime, check out all the new games of 2025 and find something to play while you wait.

The Orna Mental trophy or achievement is the only reward you get for destroying these garden gnomes, as unfortunately there's no in-game treasure at the end of the hunt, but for completionists, finding them all is another thing to tick off the list. So here are all 15 Atomfall gnome locations in Wyndham.

All Atomfall gnomes locations

All of the Atomfall gnome locations are marked on the map above, but for more specifics, here's the full list:

1. Elderly woman's porch

Co-ordinates: 30.5E, 78.9N

Under the assumption you're entering Wyndham through the Slatten Dale entrance, the very first garden gnome location you'll likely stumble upon is the one in the porch of the house where the elderly woman is being kicked out. You can't destroy it right away because the Protocol soldiers kick off, but you can return here later and find it on the side of the porch.

2. Church tower

Co-ordinates: 33.2E, 78.7N

Next up is the church where, if you haven't visited it yet, you'll have a discovery to make as you meet Vicar McHenry for the first time. It's pretty obvious to see because it's the tallest building in the village, so just continue following the path down the hill. Head to the back of the church, climb the stairs and the ladder, then you'll be at the very top. You'll find a gnome on the wall, just watch out for the bats.

3. Village hall

Co-ordinates: 33.4E, 79.2N

Head down the road to the village hall and there's a gnome to find behind the building. This one is hiding next to a milk churn, which may also have a villager leaning on it, so be careful not to punch them.

4. Grendel's Head pub

Co-ordinates: 34.2E, 79.5N

Next up, the Grendel's Head pub, which is just a little further along the road. This gnome is positioned right against the wall as you leave the front door of the pub, or come up through the cellar.

5. June's Little Tea Room

Co-ordinates: 34.6E, 80.4N

A stone's throw from the pub is June's Little Tea Room, which has been seized by Protocol. This means that if you step inside, you'll be trespassing, so don't let any guards see you. Thankfully, while there is worthwhile loot inside, this gnome is on the window ledge outside so you don't need to risk being seen to smash it.

6. Alley steps

Co-ordinates: 35.1E, 79.6N

This one's at the top of a small nondescript staircase that leads down to an inaccessible doorway. From June's Little Tea Room, head east and you'll spot an alleyway between two buildings. This gnome is down there.

7. The Fold wooden bridge

Co-ordinates: 33.9E, 81.1N

Head back the way you came then cross the town square to the opposite corner. You'll see a road sign for The Fold, with a wooden bridge behind it. Jump off the left-hand side of the bridge to find this gnome sat on a windowsill.

8. Casterfell Woods bus stop

Co-ordinates: 32.5E, 81.8N

Head down the path leading to Casterfell Woods and you'll encounter a bus stop on your right. Check under the bench to find another gnome.

9. Mereview Hotel sofa

Co-ordinates: 31.2E, 82.4N

Keep following the road and you'll find the Mereview Hotel. To the left-hand side of it is a red sofa with the ninth gnome atop.

10. House south of the Boathouse

Co-ordinates: 35.9E, 81.8N

The boathouse is the big ol' building in the north-east corner of Wyndham, and while there isn't too much to find there, if you head south to the cluster of dilapidated buildings nearby, you'll find this gnome at the corner of one of them.

11. Bridge grate

Co-ordinates: 35.5E, 80.6N

From the last gnome, head further south until you find a doorway out of Wyndham that isn't in operation (DLC…?). Take a right and follow the path until you come to the bridge over the stream. This gnome is hiding on the other side of the wall.

12. Perimeter bench

Co-ordinates: 36.9E, 79.6N

Go back to that unused doorway and continue heading north, following the perimeter wall. You'll eventually find a small bench with this gnome on top.

13. Dirt mound

Co-ordinates: 36.3E, 79.5N

On the other side of the buildings here are the Mill Grounds, where you'll find a dirt mound with a small shed – a makeshift bomb shelter. There's a gnome in the small divot on one side.

14. Picnic table

Co-ordinates: 36.4E, 78.1N

Keep heading south from here until you find a picnic table in a grassy clearing. You can grab this gnome from the top of it.

15. Skethermoor entrance garage

Co-ordinates: 35.5E, 77.5N

Finally, the last gnome is found in a garage next to the Skethermoor entrance. Cross the river and follow the path to the very south-east corner of Wyndham. Climb over the fence and wall, head inside the back door, and this gnome is next to a wicker basket amidst plenty of other loot.

Of course, you only need to find ten of these 15 gnomes to net the trophy or achievement, and there unfortunately isn't any reward for finding all of them, other than the satisfaction of hearing their high-pitched yell each time you smash one of the garden-dwellers.

Are you looking for more essential guides? Then learn where to find the Atomfall Signal Redirector, how to get into the Forgotten Cellar, and all of the best Atomfall skills to unlock first.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Baldur's Village, as the mod is aptly dubbed on Nexus Mods, acts as a fan-created expansion, bringing a bit of the Baldur's Gate 3 world and its inhabitants to Stardew Valley. Upon creator Xun's release of the monumental mod, Larian lead Swen Vincke himself approved, praising them for their "amazing work." It comes as no surprise, then, that when word of a DMCA takedown being issued by Wizards of the Coast arose, Vincke defended the mod.

The Larian CEO, who wrote after the DMCA that mods "shouldn't be treated like commercial ventures that infringe on your property," has now taken to the web once more to celebrate "a good ending" for Xun and the mod after Wizards of the Coast issued an apology explaining that the "Baldur's Village DMCA takedown was issued mistakenly" yesterday. "A good ending. Happy for Xun, Kawaner, Yudeling, Haruka, and Sirris," posts Vincke.

"I hope they get to develop a lot more of it. And also good on WotC for fixing this swiftly." Fellow Larian developer, publishing director Michael "Cromwelp" Douse, shares similar thoughts on the mod in his own response to the initial DMCA takedown from Wizards of the Coast: "Long live Baldur's Village!" Long live Baldur's Village indeed – and as for Vincke's hopes, it's pretty safe to say there is in fact "a lot more" of the mod to come.

After all, creator Xun previously revealed that they've played over 1,500 hours of Stardew Valley and work on Baldur's Village isn't anywhere near finished as they "will continue to improve it even though our lives are really busy." As a fan of both the farming sim and RPG myself, I'm personally excited to see more Baldur's Gate 3 companions make their way to Pelican Town – although for now, Astarion is more than enough for me.

Searching for more? Here are some of the best Stardew Valley mods to download now.

In a post on Dealabs (translated via Google Translate), Billbil-kun said, "According to our information, a new special edition of a game in The Last of Us franchise is in the works, with a physical release on PS5."

While the leaker isn't 100% sure on what this special edition will entail, he did mention that the special edition will cost $109.99 / €119.99. While this could be a version of either game with some bonus extras, the leaker does speculate it could potentially be a pack including both games (The Last of Us Part 1 and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered), which would make sense given the price.

However, from the sounds of things, it won't be too much longer until we find out what this mysterious special edition will be, as Billbil-kun says, "Everything seems to indicate that the officialization of this edition, as well as the opening of pre-orders, would take place very soon, in a time window that we estimate to be within two months."

Obviously the next two months are important to The Last of Us, as the second season of the TV series is set to air between April 13 and May 25, 2025. Plus, it could be a good way to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the second game, which happens on June 19, 2025.

The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann recently admitted he thinks Joel was in the right at the end of the original game.

Before starting up Soft Rains, Burgess worked on Bethesda games including Fallout 3, 4, and 76, as well as Skyrim, and in a conversation with GamesRadar+ during Game Developers Conference 2025, he explains a common misconception about game development.

"So much happens by accident," Burgess says. "When you're listening to or reading or playing a finished thing, there's a degree of authorial intentionality that is really easy to read in, particularly if you don't like something.

"And good things too often happen by accident because, at the end of the day ... we're entertainment teams that make software. You're dealing with weird technology that often doesn't work because you're inventing it. And so you get these little synapses of things that happen by accident and sometimes you notice those things, and you can design towards them or away from them, and sometimes you don't even notice them. And I think that's part of what's magical about games."

Burgess then goes on to explain the origins of the treasure fox theory, which once posited that if you follow foxes around in Skyrim they'll lead you to treasure. The theory was debunked years ago, but for posterity, I'll quickly explain it here. When Skyrim launched, and to this day, it indeed appears that foxes will often lead you to places where treasure can be found, but they weren't designed that way intentionally.

What's really happening is that they're programmed to run away from the player as fast as possible, and the way the game's script measures the distance being traversed is with navigation mesh triangles, which are used in game dev to represent traversable areas of 3D space. The thing is, smaller, more concentrated triangles are generally needed in places like towns, cities, and campsites around the map, which happen to be more likely to house loot and treasure. So, really, the fox is just trying to run away from you, and it thinks it can do so faster by covering as many of these triangles as possible, which naturally leads them to these non-generic areas of interest where you're more likely to find treasure.

"Players don't realize how many happy and sometimes unhappy accidents" happen in games," Burgess says. Oh, the magic of game design.

"There is an expectation we're gonna make a little Skyrim": Ubisoft and Bethesda veterans form new studio headed by Skyrim and Fallout designer, debuting with first-person sci-fi and "crunchy mechanics."

"There were a lot of very upsetting moments in those first couple of months, not just the accusation stuff, but the death threats and stuff like this," Buckley told us during an interview at the Game Developers Conference earlier this month. "I can't remember exactly how many times now, but two or three times, we really tried to push back on the AI stuff specifically. And it was just fueling this fire."

Palworld was regularly accused of using generative AI in its creature designs, but the studio has constantly pushed back on the idea. "We wrote up this huge statement about it," Buckley recalled, "and we edited it several times and refined it and changed it, and we were just like, 'do we post this?' And then everyone's just like, 'what's the point?' I mean, again, it's just this fire, and there's a core amount of people now that'll just always believe it no matter what because it serves their interest, basically. And then we all just kind of looked at each other and we're like, 'should we just stop doing all of this? Can we just kind of take a bit of a break from it?'"

This was around the time of a major update including "Xbox server stuff," Buckley said. "So the team was busy, and the team was getting burnt out from all the social media stuff, and I was getting burnt out, and our CEO was under attack in Japan like every day. Japanese media was on every tweet he's ever made. So we just all kind of – fed up is the wrong word, but we were just all so tired of it. So for a couple months, we went quiet, and that was when the real 'Palworld is dead' stuff came. Our radio silence combined with the natural player decline of those numbers really fueled this 'Palworld is dead' stuff."

Of course, Palworld was never dead, and it's maintained healthy Steam player counts ever since launch – counts that spike dramatically every time there's a new update – and Buckley has always been outspoken about the idea of "dead" games. Whatever your feelings on Palworld, it's clear that the game is here to stay.

Palworld dev reckons "very few companies could survive" a launch like theirs: "A lot of companies might crumble under the threats, under the pressure, under the negativity."

Speaking at year's Game Developers Conference, Metaphor: ReFantazio lead battle planner Kenichi Goto, who's been instrumental to Atlus combat systems going back to Shin Megami Tensei 3, said the original plan was to carry over that game's system of sometimes randomly deciding who goes first in a battle regardless of who initiated the fight.

In other words, usually when you initiate a fight in a JRPG, you get the privilege of being able to attack first, but Shin Megami Tensei 3 had an element of randomness that meant sometimes that rule didn't apply. Metaphor: ReFantazio originally did something similar, with Goto estimating there was about a 30% chance that the enemy would have that advantage despite not initiating the battle. Conversely, if enemies initiated battles, there was a similar chance that players would be given the upper hand.

However, in playtesting, players found this element "irrational," "punishing," and "just not fun."

"If the player initiated the fight, but the enemy got the first turn, I think we can all agree that players would find that irrational, but they also felt the same the other way around, when they got the first turn, even though they were ambushed in this situation, it's the player that's benefiting, but they still felt something was off."

Although I'm a big fan of more recent Atlus games, and by that I mean starting around 2011's Catherine, I've never played Shin Megami Tensei 3, and frankly, just hearing about this weird tweak to the combat system is infuriating. Thankfully, Atlus thought better of it and ultimately decided to have mercy on Metaphor: ReFantazio players by sticking to logic.

Metaphor: ReFantazio wanted to fix the JRPG grinding problem, but Atlus went too far at one point and accidentally broke the whole combat system.

I had this demo in the back of my mind during a recent appointment with Pearl Abyss, which came to GDC 2025 to showcase its BlackSpace Engine, the proprietary open-world game-making tech and tools behind more than just the upcoming RPG Crimson Desert, which was the vehicle for the showcase. In the best way, it felt like an hour-long tour of a sausage factory, but instead of sheep knees or pig lungs or whatever sausages are made of, I saw wind vectors and hurtboxes and physics toggles.

We don't see stuff like this very often, which is a shame. It was fascinating and refreshing. Elemental reactions, time lapses, NPC pathing, torch illumination – real nitty-gritty stuff. And, also and especially, water. Water that looked a whole lot like water, and even more watery with water tech called Shallow Water enabled. Water that could selectively dampen your horse's legs, for example, or, when struck with ice magic, conjure and fracture ice and send it drifting lazily downstream, colliding with rocks and piling up in little crystalline nests.

The entire point of this showcase was to be ridiculously detailed, and this water planted a ridiculously detailed question in my head. I obviously stay on top of all the hot new releases and cutting-edge graphics tech going around – how about that Balatro, huh – but this shiny new engine felt like a good opportunity to measure 2025's video game progress against the Nathan Drake Sweater Gradient. The NDSG, we in the business call it. I had to know.

Here is the question that I inflicted on the nice Pearl Abyss engine developers who were gracious enough to humor me all the way from Korea: if my character lands face-down in a shallow river and uses his hands to catch himself, when I stand up, will my back still be dry?

The answer, conveyed via interpreter after quite some discussion, started simply. "As for the partial wetness, only the arm part would be wet," the team responded. "The back and cloak would be dry. We've distinguished the parts of the body so that when there's partial wetness, it can be distinctively wet. The wetness is distinguishable."

"The wetness is distinguishable" isn't exactly a back-of-the-Uncharted-box blurb, but it's exactly the kind of blunt summary that I came to hear. But I was secretly a little disappointed. Not by the water. It was, as we've established, watery. It is, I can't stress enough, very pretty and pretty cool, and now it's bonafide distinctive. But sometimes when you're watching somebody make sausage, you want to see a casing rip just to see how they get things back on track.

Well reader, a PR shepherd cut into our conversation, and the casing ripped.

Is this partial wetness game-specific or engine-specific? This type of question came up a few times throughout the demo, but one staff member was on my side here, reckoning this water is more about the tech piloting it. They also reckoned that individual polygons can have different features applied to them, and I'd fully handed them the wheel by this point, content to sit back and watch a team of about seven development staff crosstalk like we're in a NASA command room and there's a cat on the launch pad. This question took several minutes in total to get through. The wetness isn't just by item, then, but by polygon, or by partial sections of items within the engine?

"Let me just make a correction," the final record reads. "It's not polygons or parts, it's neither of them. It's a volumetric masking feature."

There you have it. The wetness is distinguishable because it's a volumetric masking feature, so my back would stay dry. Oh yeah, I'm gonna push this right up the NDSG.

Crimson Desert feels like Dragon’s Dogma 2 combined with The Witcher 3’s lone hero action swagger.

On March 13, a user going by Luigi's Sidekick posted a few clips on Twitter while playing through the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 – best known to most of us English-speakers as The Lost Levels – via the Nintendo Switch Online NES library. In one of those clips, the game simply crashes in the final level, 8-4, prompting a message from the Switch interface that "an error has occurred within the game," followed by an unceremonious boot back to the game select screen.

That was that for several weeks – until, suddenly, the video got noticed by Mario speedrunners, who recognized that it was possible for this crash to lead to lead to a method for arbitrary code execution, or ACE. This crash essentially sets SMB2 looking for code in places that it shouldn't, and by manipulating parts of a memory in certain ways – for example, by making sure enemies are in precise positions or that you have a certain number of codes – you can more or less feed the game a cheat code that warps you to the ending.

Mario speedrunner Kosmic – the same Kosmic who recently discovered that Donkey Kong's legendary kill screen isn't really the end – joked it might take a "couple... months" to break down exactly what's happening here. But if you want a "very short" version of the answer: "If you set up all of the object slots a certain way, the long firebar can be loaded in out of bounds memory," Kosmic explains. "Doing it twice can write even further out of bounds and start a chain reaction which would usually crash the game, but with extreme precision can win."

Within days of Mario speedrunners finding the crash, they'd replicated it and built out a method to use ACE to warp to the end of SMB2. Kosmic posted a clip of the warp created by fellow runner threecreepio on Twitter, calling it "The Biggest 2D Mario speedrun discovery in years." This one was tool-assisted, as it's likely far too difficult for a human to do in real time, but the community seems confident that a viable path to executing this trick for real will be found.

The catch here is that this ACE exploit only works in 8-4 which is, again, the game's final level. The trick is ultimately only likely to save 10 to 15 seconds, but that's still pretty substantial for a well-documented game like this. The old world record – which was set by Niftski all the way back in 2022 – might still be safe, however, as it's likely the game's any% category will be split into ACE and non-ACE versions if a human-viable method of doing the trick is worked out.

"I genuinely can’t believe a random crash I had with this game actually helped discover a new speed run trick," Luigi's Sidekick said on Twitter after the ACE exploit was posted. "How the hell did I do that?"

One more fun detail: the crash occurs just as Mario falls into a lava pit while colliding with a castle wall. That's the exact image that appears on the North American cover art for the original Super Mario Bros., and as some viral tweets have noted, Nintendo accidentally created some pretty incredible foreshadowing here.

It took 490 days, but the Super Mario Bros speedrun world record is now 4 frames better – and just 18 frames away from literal perfection.

During a Teamfight Tactics panel at GDC 2025 attended by GamesRadar+, Whalen admitted that most games hit players "with mechanics like daily quests, progression loops, and deep meta systems" in combination with events and limited-time content in order to "improve engagement frequency and reduce churn," but over time this causes the overall audience to shrink, "coalescing around their most core players."

"But what if we wanted a game that lasted forever?" he posited. "We can't rely solely on acquisition, or we'll run out of players. We have to realistically assume that players are going to churn – there are only so many hours in the day for them to engage. So that only really leaves one option, which naturally leads to the question, what if we went all-in on reacquisition?

"And that's the heart of cyclical reengagement. It's a strategy around planning for players to churn, and going all in on creating big moments for them to come back."

Churn it down (and up)

Saying that is fine and dandy, but actually designing around this philosophy isn't particularly simple. There still needs to be big moments, and players need "to have a great time" upon return. It also requires that the team "be in lockstep with publishing" because "it doesn't matter if you've got the best content in the world if nobody knows about it."

Actually accomplishing this "means avoiding the sigh of relief," according to Whalen, because "you need your players to leave happy." He pointed to the kinds of games that prioritized retention, which we’ve all played, that felt like a weight off our chests when they were finally deleted.

"Finally, your players have to have fun when they come back," he added. The game needs to be both familiar and novel – "it's a tricky line to walk, and at least for us, it's something that we think about constantly."

It needs to feel fair with a level playing field across play skill and progression while avoiding regret.

"Players can't feel bad about the time that they missed," Whalen continued. "It means that their account can't be behind, and there can't be cool, limited-time content that they'll never be able to get."

But there's a reason why so many of these design choices are popular. Retention is good, right? And all of this serves to improve monetization, right? That's all still true, but, at least for Teamfight Tactics, short-term metrics do not appear to be the end all, be all.

"Short battle passes, limited daily quests, all cut into how much you can keep players in your ecosystem in the short term, but it can pay off a lot in the long-term," said Whalen.

"For one, it's just more player-focused, and people notice that. It aligns with your incentives really well – as a dev, you want people in it for the long haul, and that means making choices that build player trust, rather than spending it."

If you're not currently playing Teamfight Tactics or are simply looking for something similar, be sure to check out our ranking of the best strategy games.

"One of my fav moments from GDC," LocalThunk says in a series of posts on Bluesky. "They had a booth set up to play Balatro since it was an award nominee. I watched for a bit, then I gave it a go myself."

"Crushed a white stake run," LocalThunk continues, referring to the poker roguelike's punishing "white stake" difficulty. While it's Balatro's lowest-ranking difficulty, white stakes still provoke some players to the point where their struggles have become worthy of parody to real Balatro heads.

So LocalThunk walked away from his successful GDC demo run with the swagger of someone who just instigated a missile crisis, I'm assuming, causing an onlooker to approach him "as I was about to leave," LocalThunk says on BlueSky.

"'Wow, you must have played this before!'" he recalls them saying.

"'I guess you could say that,'" he replied demurely.

"Also, this was actually the first and only time I have seen strangers play my game in real life," LocalThunk continues. "Have yet to see Balatro in the wild. So as far as I'm concerned y'all are just Truman Show-ing me." If you ask me, considering Balatro's verifiably wild success since its 2024 release, we're in more of a Batman situation. Look, here come 200 Jokers.

Baldur's Gate 3 director Swen Vincke says indie poker roguelike Balatro was his 2024 GOTY, beating out Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Astro Bot, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

"Free quality fan mods highlighting your characters in other game genres are proof your work resonates and a unique form of word of mouth," Vincke says in response to Wizards of the Coast's takedown in a series of Twitter posts. "Imho they shouldn't be treated like commercial ventures that infringe on your property."

Earlier today, former "Baldur's Village" host Nexus Mods reached out to GamesRadar+ to share its perspective on the mod's removal, which a Wizards lawyer requested last week.

"We've been trying to reach out with Wizards, Larian, etc. in the hopes of getting it reinstated as it's such a good mod," a Nexus content manager says of Baldur's Village, which added a formidable new map and adorable Baldur's Gate 3 sprites to Stardew Valley. GamesRadar+ will update this article with additional information from Nexus should it come in.

For now, it appears that Larian – or at least Swen Vincke – is in full support of the Baldur's Village creators, but encouragement is about the extent of what the developer is able to offer.

"Protecting your IP can be tricky," Vincke continues in his Twitter posts, "but I do hope this gets settled. There are good ways of dealing with this."

Mod creator XunHe1145 has not publicly acknowledged the state of Baldur's Village, though their Patreon dedicated to furnishing the mod with updates is still active.

The Baldur's Gate 3-themed Stardew Valley mod that Larian boss Swen Vincke called "amazing" gets DMCA'd by D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast.

The Nintendo-shaped podcast Kit & Krysta, hosted by ex-Nintendo employees of more than 10 years, Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, recently posted an episode explaining why they have "full-blown optimism" about the Switch 2 and, in particular, its potential for third-party support. The duo was around for Nintendo's struggle to attract third-party publishers on the Switch following the commercial failure of the Wii U, and they break down their excitement for the Switch 2's third-party support into two main points. The first is that "the Switch 2 is a new system, but its concept is proven."

"People understand what a hybrid system is," says Ellis. "There's been this rise of Steam Deck and Steam Deck-ish devices. We've got the PlayStation Portal. People are really comfortable with this idea of, 'yeah, there's this thing that can play games on a TV but it can also be played handheld.' That's not a hurdle for people to get over."

The other main reason Ellis and Yang reckon the Switch 2 will be an attractive prospect for third-party publishers is that Nintendo essentially redeemed itself after the Wii U flopped with the OG Switch, which is now one of the best-selling game consoles of all time.

"The transition from Wii U to Switch 1 was pretty tough from the Nintendo third-party side," says Yang. "They were coming off of a console that was, quite frankly, not successful and a failure, and getting third-party support on a Nintendo platform at the time was really hard. We were there, we watched it happen."

While I will always ardently defend the Wii U from a strictly hardware perspective, I will also freely admit that there's perhaps no greater redemption arc than Nintendo's transition from Wii U to the original Switch, which just recently cleared 150 million units sold in stark comparison to the Wii U's abysmal 13.5 million lifetime sales. Ellis and Yang don't mention sales explicitly here, but they're definitely implying that the success of the Switch and third-party sales on the platform have paved the way for more to come on the Switch 2.

"There's no proving yourself to these big third parties anymore. You've proved yourself," Yang says. "So now they're in a much different place where so many of these huge third-party developers are really clamoring to be part of a Nintendo platform, to have access to this massive Nintendo audience ... it's really exciting times for third-party support on Switch."

Ellis also adds that it wasn't just the Switch's console sales that gave third-party publishers confidence in the platform's potential beyond first-party releases. It was also various wins on the software side of things that "disproved" the well-worn narrative that Nintendo players only care about Nintendo games.

"There are so many great proof points that go all the way from big AAA games down to [indies and third-party games] like Monster Hunter Rise for Capcom, that was a big seller that was exclusive," says Ellis. "The version of Hogwarts Legacy ... that version was very popular and sold well. And then you had so many examples of indie games saying, 'yeah, I'm on a lot of different platforms but actually the Switch version was the one that did the best."

We still don't know much about the Switch 2's software lineup, with the only confirmed game at the moment being the new Mario Kart title. We have seen a credible report claiming the long-awaited remaster Metal Gear Solid Delta and a handful of Ubisoft games like Assassin's Creed Mirage are part of Nintendo's third-party plans, but nothing's been confirmed.

Thankfully, we're about to learn a lot more in the April Switch 2 Nintendo Direct.

Yes, if you head over to the Nexus Mods page for Baldur's Village, you'll find that it's been "under moderation review" since March 29. A Nexus Mods rep confirmed to our friends at PC Gamer that this is, indeed, the result of a DMCA takedown notice from Wizards of the Coast. "Hopefully, this is an oversight from WotC, who often use external agencies to hunt down violating content, and they will revert their decision," the rep said. "Fingers crossed for Baldur's Village."

Baldur's Village was created by modder Xun, and adds a big map north of Pelican Town with an array of new locations themed after Baldur's Gate 3. Residents of the village include the likes of Shadowheart and Astarion, the latter being "a fully romanceable character with his own questline." The first release of the mod landed earlier in March, with further development and updates still underway ahead of this takedown.

Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, hasn't exactly been endearing itself to fans of its products over the past few years. The most notable example is probably the D&D OGL controversy, which former 5E lead designer Mike Mearls says may have rendered the venerable tabletop game permanently "uncool." Certainly, it's less than endearing for the publisher of a game all about telling your own stories to keep admonishing fans "no, not like that."

Stardew Valley player bringing a bit of Baldur's Gate 3 to ConcernedApe's farming sim, now with Larian's seal of approval, says they've played over 1,500 hours and will improve the mod.

Recently, former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida named Nier: Automata the game that "revived" the Japanese games industry, citing that Nier director Yoko Taro "made it without thinking about whether or not it would sell overseas." Yoko Taro has responded to the praise while revealing a fun detail about why Nier: Automata is the way it is.

In a tweet, Yoko Taro said (via Twitter's translation feature), "I'm honored that Automata is being praised," however, he revealed the idea to make it wholly Japanese wasn't his. "It was Producer [Yosuke] Saito who gave the order to 'make it for the Japanese market without worrying about overseas reviews'." Afterwards, Yoko Taro gave a more in-depth account, saying, "I remember being told something like, "Yokoo [sic], you can't make games for overseas, so please try your best to make one for Japan at least."

While Saito's response may seem harsh, the producer did chime with a follow-up tweet, saying, "I didn't say that much. We're Japanese, so we don't need to try and force ourselves to be popular with people overseas." Saito added, "On top of that, if we gather people from all over the world who like Japanese games made by a Japanese person (Yoko-san, the one and only), there should be about 1 million of them!"

The original Nier sold notoriously poorly; in 2019, Yoko Taro told GameInformer, "we sold around 500,000. For the last game [Nier], we weren't really in the red, but it wasn't exactly a success either." So Automata's massive success came as a shock to many, but it's gone on to become so popular it boosted merch sales for Square Enix, and its protagonist, 2B, made an appearance as a guest character in a ton of games, including Soul Calibur 6 and Monster Hunter Frontier Z.

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai recently said that instead of making more "Americanized works," Japanese devs should "seek the uniqueness and fun of Japanese games"

But it seems nobody is more excited for this release than novelist and game writer Kei Shigema, who led the story for both Lunar: Silver Star Story and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue, even if he does have some concerns about whether players will still enjoy a game from 30 years ago. (Given the vibrant retro gaming scene and speed at which old games continue to get remastered, I'd say he's got nothing to fear.)

Shigema worked as a consultant for Lunar Remastered Collection, and speaking to GamesRadar+ via email, he spoke on its importance in making the original games available to a new audience, as well as how the development of JRPGs has changed – or, in some cases, remained the same – all these years later.

GamesRadar+: How does it feel to see one of your formative games remastered some three decades later? What was your reaction when you first learned of this rerelease?

Kei Shigema: When I saw Grandia being remastered first, I thought, "That’s so nice. I’m jealous!" I had been hoping for a Lunar remaster as well, so I was thrilled when it was announced. At the same time, I can’t help but wonder—will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?

Video game remasters and remakes present a rare opportunity in art to retell a story with modern technology, and in a uniquely interactive way where players can feel a difference. What would you say is, or should be, the purpose or value of rereleasing video games, and what are your hopes for the Lunar Remastered Collection?

Movies, novels, and manga can be enjoyed in their original form, but games require the hardware they were originally released on, making them far less accessible. While watching old playthrough videos can give you a general idea of what a game is like, as the question suggests, games are ultimately media that must be "experienced."

Nothing compares to picking up a controller and playing for yourself. That’s why this remaster is so exciting – it brings that experience back for a new generation. I hope that after playing Lunar, players will look up at the moon and think, "Ah... so that’s where my adventure took place."

In your view, how have JRPGs changed since Lunar was first released, and what would you say are the defining characteristics or features of the Lunar series that still stand out today?

I often work on new RPG productions, but the scale of development costs today is almost unbelievably different from when the original Lunar games were made. Many limitations that once existed due to hardware and technical constraints are now gone.

Advancements like CGI technology have made it possible to create stunning visuals and cinematic, lifelike portrayals, meaning that games can now express things in ways that were impossible in the past.

Yet, despite all these advancements, one thing remains unchanged – the importance of story and characters.

Back when the scenario team was coming up with ideas for Lunar, we settled on the principle that not only the main characters but also every NPC living in every village and town would have their own unique personality and dialogue.

We believed that worlds are made up of the small details, and I still believe that holds true today.

What are your thoughts on the use of JRPG as a shorthand description for Japanese RPGs, and for Lunar specifically? The term has gotten mixed responses, with some calling it flattering and others feeling that it could be dismissive. I'd love to hear your opinion.

I personally thought, "If an RPG is made in Japan, then of course it’s a JRPG." But should JRPGs be considered a distinct genre? And does the "JRPG" label influence how people perceive or rate a game?

It’s true that many JRPGs follow certain trends inspired by manga and anime, but personally, I don’t think too much about the categorization.

With the benefit of hindsight, what would you say was your greatest accomplishment or success with Lunar? Is there a standout element or decision you're most proud of?

One of the biggest advantages was having top industry professionals join the team.

Coming from the animation company Gainax, I was fortunate to have a connection that led to Toshiyuki Kubooka handling character design and animation, which was a major plus for the project. We also had the opportunity to work with highly skilled technicians from Game Arts, as well as former Gainax and Gonzo animators, which was another huge advantage. The same can also said for the music, where we were incredibly lucky to have Noriyuki Iwadare compose the soundtrack. Looking back now, even the Japanese voice cast has become a star-studded lineup.

Lunar: Silver Star Story has been remade multiple times over the years. What do you think has given the original story that kind of staying power, and what makes your original version distinct from those later iterations?

I wrote an essay about the scenario writing process for the Japanese web media BEEP21.

The essay describes in detail my experience working on Lunar: The Silver Star, the Mega CD game that launched the series, as well as my personal reflections from that period. I had never worked in game development before, so just keeping up with development required everything I had. My lack of experience meant I had nowhere else to draw from outside of my own creative instincts and storytelling roots. In hindsight, I think this helped me craft something with a simple yet charming appeal rather than a complex, extravagant narrative. Still, I wonder how overseas audiences perceive it.

In the remakes, I focused more on the heroines! I wanted to better portray Luna and make players like her more. I refined the story and characters a lot for that reason.

How does developing the story from a video game diverge from your background in traditional novels and screenwriting?

The biggest difference with games as a storytelling medium is that they are meant to be experienced. When writing for games, we must always consider that it’s the player who moves the story forward. Additionally, characters are not only shaped by the narrative but by the gameplay itself.

For example, let’s say we’re creating a story about a cowardly frog who learns to be brave. In a book or film, we would rely on literary techniques to show how the frog encounters and overcomes obstacles. But in a game, we can design interactive challenges – like having the player attempt the same task multiple times or adjusting the difficulty – to make them feel the frog’s journey firsthand.

One thing I often tell my script team is: When it comes to portraying a character in the most compelling way, their best moments should be entrusted to the game, not the writing. Because at the end of the day, it’s a game.

What sorts of changes did you need to make to the scenario for both Lunar games over the course of development? Were there instances where the story needed to change to suit the needs of the game, or vice-versa?

For Lunar: The Silver Star and Lunar: Eternal Blue, we didn’t make any changes to the story or characters due to development constraints. In fact, most of our adjustments were focused on refining the game system to better express the characters.

For example, in Lunar: Eternal Blue, we decided to make Lucia an AI-controlled character rather than a playable one to better reflect her role in the story.

Oh, but now that I think about it, there was one instance where we had to shorten the script because we were running out of time. Some episodes had to be cut to meet the deadline. However, I actually think this ended up improving the pacing by making the story progression feel tighter and more dynamic.

What is your most memorable experience from working on Lunar?

The time I spent working on this game was the happiest and most fulfilling period of my life, making it difficult to choose just one standout moment from so many incredible experiences and fond memories.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that games cannot be made by one person. It takes a team of talented developers coming together to create something far greater than what any individual could achieve alone.

Inspired by this experience, I went on to found the game scenario company "Gekko Inc.," where I have been involved in scenario creation for over 27 years.

Don't miss any of the best JRPGs out there.

Developer Jagex revealed RuneScape: Dragonwilds today, and it's already on Steam ahead of its spring 2025 early access launch. CEO Jon Bellamy adds that it's "an entirely new RuneScape experience set within the iconic world of Gielinor and is a game which is worthy of wearing the RuneScape name."

"We’ve built an entirely new team filled with industry veterans who are focused on making sure that RuneScape: Dragonwilds sits naturally within the RuneScape franchise, and a game that is loved by both our biggest RuneScape fans and entirely new players alike," Bellamy says.

Dragonwilds is built for one to four players, and its "grind skills, slay dragons" ethos will sound familiar to RuneScape and Old School RuneScape players. But apart from some shared spells and skills, that's seemingly where the gameplay similarities end. This is a decidedly more Valheim-flavored adventure where you'll grind resources, build bases, and master "light RPG elements" as you survive on the "never-before-seen" continent of Ashenfall.

With Jagex rolling out its own open-world survival craft-'em-up, the Valheim comparison brings us full circle, as that game was previously praised by some RuneScape players for capturing a similar wonder. The goal here is "a blend of survival and RuneScape," which is certainly the vibe so far.

Dragonwilds has a similar feel, but there's a greater emphasis on magic, with our trailer heroes using spectral axes to decimate trees and summoning wind to leap over huge gaps. The classic Bones to Peaches spell is back, too. "Prepare potions, craft gear and level yourself up to do battle with the most powerful force on the continent," the Steam page reads.

This being an early access launch, Dragonwilds "is currently not a finished game and may or may not change significantly over the course of development," Jagex says. The current plan is to stay in early access for "as long as it takes," with a tentative "early 2026" 1.0 launch in mind.

New skills, quests, enemies, seasonal events, resources, items, and "vaults to uncover" will be added in and ahead of the full version of Dragonwilds, Jagex explains. It sounds like we'll get more dragons, too, as the game will only launch with "the first Dragon," General Velgar. (Fittingly, Velgar looks to be a green dragon.) The price of the game will eventually go up once it leaves early access, and Jagex "may release post-launch content as paid DLC in the future."

Old School RuneScape, especially, is known for polling proposed changes and acting on player votes, and Dragonwilds is said to be similarly player-first. "The best way to make a game we know fans will love, is to make it with them!" Jagex says on Steam. "We're bringing players along for the journey. RuneScape games have always been better for community voice being at its heart, and we're taking that same mindset in listening to the community from day one."

I was worried this MMO's first new skill in over 12 years would change things too much, but Sailing in Old School RuneScape feels just like home.

Morrissey served a designer on Ghost of Tsushima and inFAMOUS: Second Son, worked on Diablo 2 and 3 (including on the story for 2's Lord of Destruction expansion), and more, and as reported by PC Gamer, he had some big things to say about collectibles during a talk at this year's Game Developers Conference.

He believes there are eight key traits a collectible must have to make it fun and worthwhile: its discoverability, if it offers appropriate rewards, whether it's tied to a fun, skillful mechanic, what worldbuilding it offers, if it has fictional justification, character attachment, and if there's consistent placement and a reasonable quantity of the things to collect.

The first three criteria, Morrissey reckons, are the most important, with "discoverability" revolving around how players go about finding more.

"If the answer is, 'Well, you just gotta search for them'… that's not gonna be a good time. Nobody is gonna have fun with that. They'll just go online and find wherever the stuff is," Morrisey says, before taking aim directly at the notorious Zelda: Breath of the Wild collectibles: "I'm lookin' at you, Korok Seeds." He argues things like visual cues and systems to scan the environment can help make the hunt for collectibles much more engaging.

"Appropriate rewards" is self explanatory, but Morrissey claims he's spoken to a number of creative directors before who've said, "'Hey, we're not going to give you the rewards for the collectible'. No one really cares about this, it isn't a big deal,'" only to find that "all the play testers are like, 'Why would I waste my time doing this?'"

While Zelda isn't mentioned here, it's fair to say that both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom's rewards are… questionable. Sure, collecting the things is useful to expand your inventory space, but going for all 900 (or 1,000 in the sequel) rewards you with a literal pile of poop with no purpose, which, uh, isn't the most fulfilling prize to receive.

In order, the other points relate to whether collectibles are interesting to pick up (for example with a "fun mechanic that actually gives the players some sort of skill that they can improve on"), whether they "reveal more about the world of the character," and if they actually make sense to exist within the world. Morrissey concludes that the Korok Seeds successfully do all of these things, but that's where their successes end.

"Character attachment" is relevant if the collectibles link to the overall plot, while the consistent locations and "reasonable quantity" criteria speak for themselves. It's not hard to see why the Korok Seeds didn't win on these aspects – they're scattered over the whole, entire world and, again, there's hundreds of the dang things.

If you were curious what Morrissey does consider a good overall collectible, he puts both Marvel's Spider-Man's backpacks and inFAMOUS' Blast Shards into the A-tier category. They both only miss out on one trait each – the "fun, skillful mechanic" and "consistent location" points, respectively.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild trickster finds the weirdest way to get the first Korok, all by luring a bokoblin to its untimely, parkour-filled death.

The Silksong launch copium is at an all-time high right now, especially after the recent Steam page tweak pointing to a 2025 release. There's no telling when Team Cherry's long-awaited sequel will truly finally drop, however, but it's not the only upcoming launch Metroidvania stans have to look forward to anymore. Morning Star, a stylish indie gem inspired by Hollow Knight featuring hand-drawn 2D visuals, is also in the works.

Described as "an atmospheric Metroidvania that plunges you into a mysterious world filled with both haunting darkness and breathtaking beauty," Morning Star looks as though it'll fill even the deepest of Hollow Knight-shaped holes – if it arrives before Silksong. Much like Team Cherry's games, it boasts a plethora of biomes laden with enemies and platforms, including "lush forests, serene lakes, scorching deserts, and shadowy caves."

Exploration is core to Morning Star, according to aptly-named developer Whalesong, as the Hollow Knight-style hand-painted world is filled to the brim with secrets to uncover and abilities to unlock. The mysterious setting features an equally intriguing story, too – one "of vengeance, loss, and self-realization." It's not all smooth sailing, either, as the studio promises challenging combat at every corner, with a variety of bosses to boot.

Morning Star is striking as a Silksong-like Metroidvania thanks to its admittedly similar vibes and visuals, but it does also sound as though it'll stand on its own as a worthy genre gem. If it sounds like it's up your alley, you can wishlist the game on Steam ahead of its release date – one that, much like Hollow Knight's own sequel's, isn't yet clear. Hopefully, both Silksong and its spiritual successor (or predecessor, depending on release dates) come soon.

Tired of waiting around? These three Hollow Knight-inspired Metroidvanias should make it a bit easier.

Falco Girgis, one of the developers working on porting GTA 3 to the Dreamcast, shares a video on Twitter showcasing the performance mode.

Now look, I like 60fps as much as the next gamer, but I also like buildings to load and cars to spawn properly, so I don't think I'd use this mode in its current state.

In the video, you can see the concept of a car cruising the barren streets of Liberty City. Its wheels are blocks that don't move, its paint is a nondescript chrome, and the door doesn't even open when Claude gets in. It is 60fps though, I'll give it that.

"Our team mad scientist, Esppiral, just added a 60fps 'performance mode' toggle to our Sega Dreamcast port of Grand Theft Auto 3.... What now, PS2 and Xbox!?" tweets Girgis.

It's a cool proof of concept that clearly still needs some work. You can barely see more than a few meters in front of the car, and other vehicles pop in as the rest of the models and textures load, meaning you'd crash frequently as there simply isn't enough time to hit the brakes when they appear.

The standard mode of the port looks amazing though. I can't believe they've made a playable version on the Dreamcast of all things. Hopefully the performance mode gets updated and it's actually playable, but until then, I'm glad 60fps has been achieved so that the Dreamcast can be somewhat vindicated.

While you're here, check out our list of the best retro games of all time.

Last week's Nintendo Direct was a bit of an unconventional one, seeing as it is the last one solely dedicated to the original Nintendo Switch before we get the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct later this week. While we did see a couple of heavy hitters with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A, it was mostly dedicated to weird stuff. Announcements like PlayStation's Japan Studio are games being revived by Bandai Namco, the show-ending bombshell that Nintendo has a new app, and the most important announcement – a new Rhythm Heaven game is coming (ahem, let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO).

However, Rhythm Heaven wasn't the only MIA franchise to get a surprise revival after years of fan requests. The 2014 Nintendo 3DS oddball Tomodachi Life is finally getting a sequel in the form of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. Extremely good timing, as the original has shot up in price over the last few years since the 3DS eShop was discontinued. While Nintendo did treat the game as a big deal, giving it the final game spot (the app was more important though), fans in Japan are seeing it as an even bigger deal than the Nintendo Switch 2.

As spotted by YouTuber BoTalksGames (via VGC), Nintendo's Japanese Twitter post about Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream's announcement has been liked over 400,000 times. Which is wild enough on its own, but when you consider that the same account's announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2 only has 385,000 likes, it really puts into perspective just how long people have been waiting on this weirdo series to return.

While the West only ever received 2014's Tomodachi Life, the series actually debuted in Japan with 2009's Tomodachi Collection. The series grew a massive following online with the 3DS entries as players started posting all the wild things that were happening to their Miis. One particularly loved feature is the text-to-speech dialogue for Mii characters. This is at its best in the musical mode, allowing for beautiful performances like this love song adaptation of The Dark Knight Rises' opening scene and a litany of NSFW Mii songs across the years.

To be fair to Nintendo, the Nintendo Today app did reveal the Legend of Zelda movie release date, and an actor from Final Fantasy 7 Remake is desperate to be a part of it.

Typically, TVs and monitors run at 60Hz, so if a game runs at 60fps, you're getting exactly one new frame every time the screen refreshes – or exactly one frame for every two refreshes if the game's running at 30fps. If a game deviates from that target frame rate, it can start to look choppy and stuttery on a traditional 60Hz display. (See: most FromSoftware games.)

Many popular, high-end TVs correct this issue by offering a variable refresh rate, or VRR. With VRR, the TV can link up with a gaming device – whether that be a PS5, Xbox Series X, or PC – to display those frames at exactly the rate they come from the machine. If a game's wavering between, say, 52fps and 59fps, it'll still look basically smooth with VRR enabled.

But there's a problem on PS5, and one players have sporadically reported since the launch of the PS5 Pro last year. While using VRR on certain games, after a certain amount of time in-game, a persistent, repeated stutter will begin to occur. These stutters happen almost exactly eight seconds apart from each other, and while the effect is subtle, once you've noticed it it's impossible to stop noticing it. Doubly so if you're the type of person sensitive enough to these issues to invest in a VRR display in the first place.

Reddit user Fendera has done an admirable job of collecting community reports on the issue over the past few months, and Digital Foundry has now done extensive testing across a variety of games to prove it's happening. It doesn't affect every game, but big titles like Elden Ring, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Resident Evil 4, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and both parts of The Last of Us all display the issue.

While the issue first appeared around the launch of the PS5 Pro, it affects both versions of the console. Not every game is affected in the same way – DF says Dragon's Dogma 2, Immortals of Aveum, God of War Ragnarok, and Gran Turismo 7 were all unaffected within the scope of its testing – but the eight-second gap between stutters is consistent across every game tested.

DF says Sony has been informed of the issue, but the company has yet to provide a public statement on it. For now, if you notice the issue your best bet is simply to disable VRR from the PS5's system menu.

The stutter shows up in many of the best PS5 games.

Briana White, the iconic English voice behind beloved character Aerith Gainsborough, shares as much in a recent post online. Responding to news of the live-action film's 2027 release, the actor says she wants to audition "so bad" for the role of Princess Zelda: "I just wanna audition for Zelda so bad. Just an audition." Unsurprisingly, fans (it's me, I'm fans) are commenting to express how much they'd like to see White as Zelda.

"PLEASE," writes one, "you did SUCH a good job voicing Aerith." Another tells White she'd "make a great Zelda."

It's not just fans that think so, either. Fellow voice actors are replying to White to show their own support, too. As Dragon Ball, Genshin Impact, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Paul Castro Jr. comments, "Fr you’d be a killer Zelda!"

The idea is certainly fun to consider, but Nintendo's own pick for Zelda remains a mystery.

Not much is known about the movie's plot just yet, including Zelda's actual role in it – is she a child or an adult, and which timeline is the film's princess from? There's no telling for now, but I'd argue that White could do a mean Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom Zelda impression.

Other popular actor picks making rounds within the series' community include Anya Taylor-Joy, as well as Hunger Games and Euphoria actor Hunter Schafer.

Speaking to Variety in the past, Schafer admitted she'd also love to play Zelda. "That would be so cool," said the actor. "I love the game, personally. I played it as a kid, and I still play it now. Who knows! That would be pretty cool."

Whether it ends up being White, Schafer, or another talented actor, though, I'm personally just happy we're finally seeing a Zelda-related on-screen production come to fruition – and no, the 1989 animation doesn't count.

The Legend of Zelda movie and Sonic 4 are game for competition with both set for release a week apart

With the dual successes of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's challenging adventure and Avowed's tighter scope fresh on my mind, it feels like there are two growing approaches to RPGs – one in which developers are growing increasingly confident in cutting players loose in their worlds, and another catering to the those who crave tighter, more digestible games. Assassin's Creed Shadows dabbles in both philosophies, so I caught up with its creative director, Jonathan Dumont, to learn where Ubisoft Quebec plants its flag.

Between two worlds

Combat in Assassin's Creed Shadows is as slick as you would expect from a finely-polished AAA release, and navigation tools like the pathfinder system offer guidance through its world for those who need it. But there's also pushback, a willingness to make players engage with Shadows' world at a deeper level. Quest markers have largely been replaced with clues, which point to a general area you should be looking for your objective. You can utilize scouts to narrow your search down further, but these are a limited resource and still require paying attention to clues to ensure they're dispatched to the right place.

Similarly, Assassin's Creed Shadows' world never rolls over for one protagonist. Naoe can sneak and climb anywhere, but is easily overwhelmed in combat. Yasuke, on the other hand, cannot parkour to save his life – but charge him into a heavily-defended castle, and in 10 minutes he'll be the only one left standing. To me, it feels like Assassin's Creed Shadows is more in tune with those aforementioned games that push players to take initiative. It begs the question: when it comes to RPGs, are the goalposts – players' wants and expectations – changing?

"It does move," says Dumont. "I remember when we were working on Odyssey, it was Breath of the Wild: that was the open world. There are quite a bit of… I would not say trends, but evolutions."

But where is Shadows' place within those shifts? "People want to play different things, and you could say Shadows has a little bit of that," he adds, pointing to the game's far less forgiving Expert Mode. "We're trying to offer that [challenge] as well, but we are still Assassin's Creed. People come to visit these beautiful historical settings as well, and to get compelling stories true to the game and those archetypes. I guess our place is there."

Just as Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3 are unique in their own ways, explains Dumont, so is Assassin's Creed Shadows. "All of those games do something different – they're not copies – so I do think we do have our space there. We look at what's fun, and what people like, but knowing our fans will also [want it to be] an Assassin's Creed game as well."

Something new, something borrowed

It's a good point – for as much as Assassin's Creed Shadows pushes the series' boat out, it must remain familiar to the series' formula. I ask Dumont how he finds the balance between keeping things recognizable and aligning with the genre's shifting trends."With trends – our project started four years ago," he laughs. "So you discover them as you go."

Still, there were things Ubisoft Quebec wanted to try differently "from the outset". Dumont lists the clue-driven exploration changes, along with Shadows' dual protagonist system and larger focus on stealth, as examples. "Those are things we started doing four years ago, and we didn't change our focus," he says. "These [come from] looking at how Assassin's Creed is played. Usually we want to make some changes, or try different things so our players get something new – and they feel it's not just the setting, but we're improving the formula or gameplay aspects."

Dumont describes the approach as a "natural progression" of the series, and as an example, points to the game's dual protagonists. Naoe and Yasuke, he says, are "really cool for renewing the experience" without imposing on the game too much. "If you have a clear favorite, that's awesome. But offering [two protagonists] even just as a pace-breaker, or you want to try something else, or for replay value? I think that's a cool thing Shadows does better than what we've done in the past in Assassin's Creed."

Having lashed praise on the dual protagonists in our Assassin's Creed Shadows review, I'm inclined to agree. Just as Avowed and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 launching a week apart proved that there's room for a wealth of experiences in the RPG genre – be they hard or straightforward, guided or utterly sprawling – Assassin's Creed Shadows demonstrates that there is space for even a longer-standing series to thrive within an ever-changing genre.

"People will be doing trendy stuff – or they're going to try – and they're also going to try to do what they want," says Dumont. "But I don't think it's a reaction to other games. It's more like we felt this was good for our game, and made Assassin's Creed Shadows better."

Check out our Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub to see even more interviews from the team at Ubisoft Quebec