Mario Kart World is this week racing ahead with a brand new update, bumping this latest entry in the series up to Version 1.4.0.

This new update for the Switch 2 exclusive adds a bunch of general changes. This includes the addition of "Custom Items" in the item rules, some music-related improvements, online updates, course changes for certain modes, and more.

Along with this are fixes addressing various aspects of the game such as online play, problems related to courses and even items. So, here's the full rundown courtesy of Nintendo's official support page:

Mario Kart World - Version 1.4.0 (2nd December 2025)

General

• Added "Custom Items" to the item rules.

  • This is a feature that lets you set which items appear.

  • This is supported in "VS Race", "Balloon Battle", "Coin Runners", and "Room" in "Online Play" or "Wireless Play".

• Made it so that music track name and source title of the track that is playing will be displayed on the Pause Menu.

• Added "Music Volume" to "Settings/Controller".

• Made it so players who gathered in a "Room" of "Online Play" can participate in "Race", "Knockout Tour", and "Battle".

  • Up to 4 players can participate in "Race", "Knockout Tour", and "Battle".

• Made it so you can join in with friends who are playing "Knockout Tour" from "Friends" in "2p", "Online Play" as well.

• Added "Restart" and "Next Race" in the Pause Menu for "VS Race" in "Single Player".

• Made it so you can select "Photo Mode" from the Pause Menu in "Race against Ghost" in "Time Trials".

• Changed the course layout of below courses for "VS Race", or "Race" in "Online Play" or "Wireless Play".

  • Race that heads from "Koopa Troopa Beach" to "DK Spaceport".

  • Race that heads from "Koopa Troopa Beach" to "Crown City".

  • Race that heads from "Koopa Troopa Beach" to "Peach Stadium".

  • Race that heads from "Whistlestop Summit" to "Koopa Troopa Beach".

  • Race that heads from "Desert Hills" to "Koopa Troopa Beach".

  • Race that heads from "DK Spaceport" to "Koopa Troopa Beach".

  • Race that heads from "Crown City" to "Koopa Troopa Beach".

  • Race that heads from "Peach Stadium" to "Koopa Troopa Beach".

  • *Changed it so that, in all races heading toward "Koopa Troopa Beach", including the above courses, you will cross the finish line after two laps once you arrive at "Koopa Troopa Beach".

• You will now dash when riding on Manta Ramp’s back.

• Made it so the player will not hit Dragoneel when transformed into Bullet Bill.

• Made it so the player cannot use a second Boo while already using a Boo, when holding two Boos.

• When Dash Food is taken by someone, shortened the time until that Dash Food reappears.

• When a coin placed on water is taken by someone, shortened the time until that coin reappears.

Fixed Issues

• Fixed an issue where the dash time was not correct after a Charge Jump.

• Fixed an issue where the player would slip through a wall when being stomped on from above by a vehicle driving on the road.

• Fixed an issue where a player would be squashed when touching a Thwomp that had landed.

• Fixed an issue where a Bullet Bill would not be displayed after using it.

• Fixed an issue where a character would be blurry even when making "Focus" "Character" when taking a photo in "Photo Mode" on the Pause Menu.

• Fixed an issue where the screen would look distorted if entering a pipe at the same time as joining a Free Roam in "Online Play".

• Fixed an issue where player could not get in a UFO when multiple players tried to get in a UFO at the same time in Free Roam in "Online Play".

• Fixed an issue where a friend’s information would not be updated when looking at the list of friends in "Friends" in "Online Play".

• Fixed an issue where there would be a communication error when looking at a group ID in "View Room Info" when participating in a group in "Friends" in "Online Play".

• Fixed an issue where a player’s place would go down if retiring during "Knockout Tour" in "Online Play".

• Fixed an issue where a player that is seen when spectating looks like they are going off the course over and over during "Knockout Tour" in "Online Play" or "Wireless Play".

• Fixed an issue where the player’s own character or vehicle would change when starting "Online Play" or "Wireless Play" again after quitting a game after "Knockout Tour" in "Online Play" or "Wireless Play".

• Fixed an issue where a player would get stuck on a wall when using a Bullet Bill while falling off the course in "Sky-High Sundae".

• Fixed an issue where a Bullet Bill would go outside the course when using it on the final curve in "Boo Cinema".

• Fixed an issue where the player would slip through a bulldozer in "Toad's Factory".

• Fixed an issue where the player would get stuck on a spotlight in the race that heads from "Toad's Factory" to "Bowser's Castle" when transformed into Bullet Bill.

• Fixed an issue where if the player used a Bullet Bill or Spiny Shell in the first curve of "Desert Hills", it would get stuck on a rock.

• Fixed an issue where the player would get stuck on a tree when using a Bullet Bill on "DK Pass".

• Fixed an issue where, when the player was small because of Lightning, they would slip through the wall on the final curve of "DK Pass.

• Fixed an issue where the player would get stuck on a billboard when transforming into Bullet Bill in the race that heads from "Crown City" to "Desert Hills".

• Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ring of stone when using a Bullet Bill or Mega Mushroom while falling in "Great ? Block Ruins" right before the final curve.

• Fixed an issue where the player would get stuck on the ground on the meadows near "Big Donut".

• Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the wall if rewinding after wall riding in the special room you can go to from a pipe in "Shy Guy Bazaar".

• Fixed an issue where the player would still fall into the lava even though they have "Smart Steering" ON in "Dry Bones Burnout".

• Fixed an issue where the player would go off the course when using a Bullet Bill while rail riding in "Wario Stadium".

• Fixed an issue where the player would not be able to glide if getting on a glide panel while gliding in the race that heads from "Wario Stadium" to "Airship Fortress".

• Fixed an issue where the player would get stuck on the ground while heading from "Wario Stadium" to "Airship Fortress".

• Fixed an issue where the vehicle would float up from the rail when the player did a rail ride after a wall ride in a bike-type vehicle in "Wario Stadium".

• Fixed an issue where the player would go off the course when using a Bullet Bill on the shortcut while heading from "Dandelion Depths" to "Cheep Cheep Falls" in the "Ice Rally" of "Knockout Tour".

• Fixed an issue where the player would go off the course while gliding, while heading from "Dandelion Depths" to "Cheep Cheep Falls" in the "Moon Rally" of "Knockout Tour".

• Fixed an issue where a green shell would get stuck on the ground while heading from "Airship Fortress" to "Dry Bones Burnout" in the "Heart Rally" of "Knockout Tour".

• Fixed an issue where the player would go off the course when they transformed into Bullet Bill on top of a building in "Crown City" in the below races:

  • Race that heads from "DK Spaceport" to "Crown City".

  • Race that heads from "Koopa Troopa Beach" to "Crown City".

  • Race that heads from "Faraway Oasis" to "Crown City".

• Several other issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience.

Since launching alongside the Switch 2 in June, Mario Kart World has now received seven updates. The last major one (Version 1.3.0) was released in September.

Chinese dev Seed Lab has officially announced that its upcoming cosy life sim, Starsand Island, is getting a Switch 2 version alongside the Switch 1 release when it launches next year.

Scheduled for release in the nebulous "early 2026" and coming to all the usual platforms, that list also now includes Nintendo's latest console, where the devs will be offering two modes depending on your preference: Quality Mode, "targeting 45FPS in 1080p", and Performance Mode, delivering "60FPS in 1080p" in both docked and handheld modes.

The Switch 2 version will also support mouse controls and GameChat during online multiplayer. You can check out the reveal trailer below if this one's passed you by thus far.

Now, it has to be said that we're hardly lacking for great roguelike deckbuilders Metroidvanias cosy life sims on Switch, but last year a successful Kickstarter campaign amassed over $300,000 for this one, so there's clearly an appetite for more chilled vibes and harvesting on a handheld hybrid near you.

Of course, Nintendo is bringing its island-based slow-life hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons - NS2 Edition to Switch 2 in January, so Starsand might want to avoid that particular part of 'early 2026'. (Then again, is there anyone reading this who doesn't already own New Horizons?)

After ongoing requests from players, NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition finally got a compatibility update for the Switch 2 in November. With this game now functioning as it should on Nintendo's new hardware, another Square Enix title has now received a compatibility update.

This time it's for the role-playing game Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, which was originally released on the Switch eShop in 2022. While it might not be the best remaster in Square Enix's library, there are still fans out there who have been wanting to experience this title on the Switch 2 without any problems.

The good news is the issues associated with this game on Nintendo's hybrid system have now apparently been resolved. Since the arrival of the Switch 2, there were some start up issues, and while these didn't appear to be a massive problem for a lot of players, there were also some graphical glitches reported.

While nothing is specifically mentioned on Nintendo's compatibility search page, as of 2nd December 2025, the game is now "supported" and the "game behavior is consistent with Nintendo Switch" on the Switch 2. The notes attached to this mention how the "previously identified issues have been resolved with an update".

This follows a handful of compatibility updates last week after Nintendo released a new firmware update. Apart from NieR, several other titles received compatibility updates including DOOM + DOOM II. If you haven't already played the Radical Dreamers Edition of Chrono Cross, we said it was the "best and most convenient way" to relive this classic, despite its shortcomings in the remaster department.

Will you be revisiting this game on the Switch 2 any time soon? Have you already tried it out on Nintendo's new hardware? Let us know in the comments.

For all the money it earns through GTA Online, you'd think Rockstar would put at least a little bit more effort into the re-releases of its past games. Apparently not, though, as the new PS5 version of Red Dead Redemption is probably about as barebones as you can get.

Just like the older PS4 re-release from a few years ago, you get the single player campaign of Red Dead Redemption along with the Undead Nightmare expansion in this package. There's a free upgrade for current PS4 owners, and it's also available via PS Plus Extra and GTA+.

Buying the game outside of any upgrade or subscription will knock you back £49.99 / $49.99, or there's a 10-day offer to utilise on the PS Store to get it bundled with Red Dead Redemption 2.

Now enhanced for PS5, the current-gen version only takes advantage of Sony's console in the most basic sense. You get a 4K resolution at 60 frames-per-second, with improved draw distances, HDR support, and some "enhanced image quality". The improvements seem to stop there, though.

Despite the PS Store listing for the title stating it supports "vibration function and trigger effect" in relation to the PS5's DualSense controller, our testing has found there to be no evidence of any use of haptic feedback or the adaptive triggers.

While you can import PS4 save data to pick up where you left off, there are reports that the PS5 Trophy list isn't auto-popping to reflect your achievements in the old version.

Because of this, the comments we made in our review of the PS4 version still ring largely true. It's great to have Red Dead Redemption native to PS5, but it's still a western open worlder that "deserves so much more".

That pesky Yuji Horii's at it again, getting Chrono Trigger fans all riled up over a potential re-release.

This time, the Dragon Quest creator — who was a supervisor on the original Chrono Trigger — has raised eyebrows with comments that he made during a recent Japanese broadcast (as reported by IGN).

When asked about all of the remaster and remake rumours that have surrounded the RPG's 30th anniversary for months now, Horii replied: "I can't say", "you shouldn't ask that", and "I'll get told off!".

Of course, this has been enough to reignite all kinds of hopes and dreams. Unless Horii comes out and says that a revival categorically isn't happening, then this is always going to be the case.

Indeed, the legendary developer did something similar back in May, when his words were somewhat misinterpreted. He did, however, say that he wanted to "do something" with Chrono Trigger, and that he was "starting to contemplate" what that something could be.

In this latest case, we think it's pretty clear that Horii's having a laugh. He might even be referencing the kerfuffle that his previous comments caused — and he simply doesn't want to get into trouble again.

Still, these rumours will persist until we get something concrete from Square Enix. Just look at the seemingly never-ending Final Fantasy 9 remake saga.

Do you think we'll ever see Chrono Trigger return? Travel through time in the comments section below.

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road has had another update to bring it up to version 1.4 following the recent 1.3 patch.

This new patch brings all of the tweaks and additions made to other versions of the game (which we reckon is really very good, actually) to Switch 1 and 2, so there's total parity across all versions.

That means the Switch releases have received the CPU Ranked Match mode, the new "Advance Win" feature — which allows you to call time on matches with huge leads (as well as some anti-cheat measures for online) — and a bunch of other tweaks and fixes to boot.

The game's executive producer (and Level-5 CEO, lest we forget), Akihiro Hino, dropped the full deets on social media, although we are still awaiting some more detailed patch notes. Here's the tweet, plus the machine translation below:

The latest version of Inazuma Eleven: Heroes' Victory Road has been updated. The versions are 1.4.0 and 1.4.1. Distribution will begin on each platform at various times. It will be after 9 PM for all platforms. The time may be subject to change.
・Advance Win, Advance Time
・First-time route unlock battle: Kizuna Star x5
・AI ranked match
And so on, including bug fixes, many new features will be implemented across platforms including Switch.

With this latest update, alongside 1.3's added ranked level cap and bug fixes, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is certainly in good shape, and looking and playing every bit the soccer star that it is!

We have been keeping an eye on Mina the Hollower for some years now. This is the GBC-looking Zelda-like from Yacht Club Games, the studio behind Shovel Knight, that launched on Kickstarter back in 2022, and only recently missed out on its initial release date thanks to a last-minute delay. It feels like it has been a long time coming, a fact that Yacht Club is reportedly painfully aware of.

In a new report from Bloomberg (paywalled), studio founder Sean Velasco described Mina as "make-or-break" for the future of Yacht Club Games. In the time since Shovel Knight, the studio has downsized, faced a global pandemic and divided its teams into two — later reforged into one — and delays don't come cheap, either. “If we sold 500,000 copies, then we would be golden," Velasco told Bloomberg, "If we sold even 200,000, that would be really, really great. If we sold, like, 100,000, that’s not so good”.

According to the report, the game's inception came back in 2019 by designer Alec Faulkner. Yacht Club initially split its staff into two teams — one focusing on Mina, and the other on a 3D Shovel Knight follow-up — though the former project quickly grew in ambition, with Faulkner reportedly struggling to operate as the game's director.

Seeing that the system wasn't working, the studio laid off some staff to cut expenses and re-combined the teams to focus purely on the Mina project, with Velasco stepping into the director role. According to artist Sandy Gordon, had the team stuck together right from the jump, "we would’ve finished it two to three years ago".

"If Mina flops, we'll still be around," Velasco told Bloomberg, though he's quick to clarify that they would "need more money". The studio is already taking steps to cut back on this front, moving fully remote at the end of the year and shifting its attention to only working on one project at a time.

From the little of Mina that we have seen so far, we remain cautiously optimistic that the full game will deliver the goods. There's a free demo now available on the eShop (sporting 120fps on Switch 2, no less), and it plays every bit as much like a 2D Zelda game as you would hope. A delay is never a welcome sight, but our fingers are crossed that we don't have to wait too long to see things hit their full potential.

Drag x Drive has received a rather beefy update earlier today, and to coincide with Patch 1.2.0's release, Nintendo has dropped a series of Ask the Developer interviews with the lead trio.

Yoshinori Konishi (director and programming director), Hiroki Hamaue (programmer), and Takahisa Ikejiri (art director) sat down to share their experience in developing this online multiplayer title, which is controlled entirely with the Switch 2's Mouse Mode.

In Part 1, Konishi shares that the game was inspired by "sports such as wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair motocross, BMX and skateboarding", particularly the former. Hamaue had previously rode a wheelchair "for a research project back when I was a student", but for Konishi and Ikejiri, the first time they got to experience wheelchair basketball was at an experience in Osaka.

Image: Nintendo

The developers purchased both an everyday wheelchair and sports wheelchair to help with the process. But the problem was that, as Konishi says, "We were restricted to the small space inside the office and could only let loose down the hallway once everyone else had gone home for the day. (Laughs)" because the project was tightly under wraps.

Talking about the wheelchair basketball experience, Ikejiri recalls that he "wasn't prepared for how difficult it was to shoot the ball. In wheelchair basketball, the hoop is placed at the same height as in standard basketball. But since you take the shot sitting down, my shot didn't reach the basket at all."

"Maneuvering a wheelchair is difficult unless you get the hang of when to apply and release force," Hamaue adds. "You can't just propel yourself along smoothly in a single stroke. But it cemented for me how deep the controls are".

Images: Nintendo

As well as trying out wheelchair basketball for themselves, Konishi details the variety of reading materials the team gathered up: "From an encyclopedia of wheelchairs to videos and essays by wheelchair athletes and even manga about basketball or wheelchairs, we pulled together as much reference material as we could lay our hands on and studied it together."

And, crucially, wheelchair basketball players also got a chance to go hands-on with Drag x Drive during development, which provided Konishi and the rest with valuable insights: "Because the players use wheelchairs in their daily lives, they were all really good at turning and moving backwards in the game. Of course, we learned a lot about the controls, but we gained even more insights watching them think about what to do on the court as they played."

Hamaue adds that "seeing actual wheelchair basketball players get the hang of the game and its controls so quickly confirmed to us that it could work well as an intuitive control scheme." And we'd agree; there's nothing else quite like Drag x Drive on the market, and while its control scheme may not be for everyone, it makes for a unique experience.

Image: Nintendo

All three parts contain video clips and test footage of Drag x Drive's development, and are worth reading especially if you're interested in checking out the new update. Perhaps it's time to dive back and try out Survival Tag mode as the Holidays approach...

Are you still playing Drag x Drive? What do you think of the development process? Let us know in the comments.

Polymega maker Playmaji has announced that DMA Design's Body Harvest is now available on the modular emulation system.

Included on the same disc are:

• Burning Road PS

• Dead in the Water PS

• S.C.A.R.S N64, PS

The N64 title is part of the Polymega Collection of physical releases, and is joined by A Boy And His Blob.

That disc includes:

• A Boy and His Blob NES, FC

• KKND2: Krossfire PS

• Uprising X PS

• Gunboat TG16

• Super Solitare SNES

You can order both directly from the Polymega website.

Fans of SEGA's blue hedgehog, rejoice: Sonic is returning to the silver screen with at least two more films by the end of 2028.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was officially announced a while ago, and though little is known of the movie and its plot, it's pencilled in for theatrical release in March 2027.

However, as reported by Variety, Paramount Pictures has also revealed a 'Sonic Universe Event Film' is scheduled for December 2028.

This is a separate project from the aforementioned Sonic 4, and given its label as a Sonic universe event film, it sounds like a spin-off, perhaps focusing on a different character.

While it's presumed that core cast and crew will return for these movies, including director Jeff Fowler and voice talent Ben Schwartz (Sonic), we're pretty much in the dark as to the finer details.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released last year, found big success, making nearly half a billion dollars at the box office.

It centred around the introduction of Shadow the Hedgehog, a powerful adversary voiced by Keanu Reeves.

The series of movies has been a big hit, so it's not really much surprise that there's more to come in the next few years.

Are you excited for the next couple of Sonic films? Tell us in the comments section below.

There's nothing quite like learning the ins and outs of a fighting game, but sometimes, you just want to mash on buttons and enjoy cool moves and animations.

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is almost two years old at this point, but that hasn't stopped developers Cygames and Arc System Works from releasing a meaty update that attempts to welcome new players.

Patch 2.40 is out now on PS5 and PS4 in celebration of the title's second anniversary. It introduces two new control schemes, amusingly titled 'Smart' and 'Super Ultimate'.

'Smart' basically lets you perform automatic combos by repeatedly hitting face buttons once an attack connects, but outside of that, the controls retain their usual properties. This means that you can weave your own specials and supers into said combos once you feel more comfortable with the game's timing.

'Super Ultimate', meanwhile, is for those who to go all-in on automation. All you need to do is hold a button down to initiate attacks and combos, while defence is handled automatically as long as you're not pressing anything.

The latter's only available in offline modes, however.

For what it's worth, there is a free version of Rising that you can take for a spin, if word of these control schemes has caught your attention.

Oh, and for the next couple of days — until the 4th December — every character on the base roster is available to play. Normally, characters are funnelled in and out on a weekly basis.

As the headline of this article suggests, we would recommend checking Rising out. It's a rock solid, really good looking brawler with a very healthy mix of single player and online content.

Might these new control modes tempt you into trying Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising? Never drop another combo in the comments section below.

Earlier today, Microsoft dropped its December Xbox Game Pass roundup - with 14 games coming to multiple tiers of the service in the next few weeks. The update stops at December 11th with the addition of Bratz: Rhythm & Style, and that's seemingly going to be our final XGP update for 2025 as the team begins to tease its 2026 lineup.

Yep, snuck at the bottom of today's Xbox Wire roundup is a little closing message regarding Xbox Game Pass in 2025 and 2026. The team wishes us all "a chill rest of your December", before mentioning that our next XGP update will be coming in "early 2026".

"We hope you have a chill rest of your December. May your batteries be always charged, your sessions always end in GG’s, and you always have the perfect game queued up next. We’ll be back to talk about what’s coming soon in early 2026! Cheers!"

In this case, then, it's looking like we won't be getting any further Xbox Game Pass updates in December - as opposed to every other month in the year where we get a second roundup during the middle of the month. All eyes are on 2026 now then, we suppose!

And, it sounds as though we've got a big year ahead of us on Xbox Game Pass. Not only might we see at least five major first-party games drop next year, but October's XGP overhaul also noted that we can now expect "75+ day one games a year". That's a lot to play on Game Pass Ultimate over the next year or so!

If you can believe it, we are very, very nearly at the official launch of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. It's a cross-generation release, but we always knew that this was going to be a big player for the Switch 2, making the most of the new hardware's beefed-up specs to squeeze the most out of the space adventure. The question is, how does it hold up?

Our good friends over at Digital Foundry are here to answer just that. In the above video, the tech experts break down everything you need to know about the game's performance, and we've got the full rundown for you to read through below. So, let's dive right into it.

Kicking things off with the visuals, DF states that the game is "truly beautiful". With crisp visor reflections, rain droplets and light peeking through cracks, the game is packed with more detail than ever before, and it's used to great effect.

In terms of performance, we all know that MP4 offers two different options — 'Performance' and 'Quality' — though, according to Digital Foundry, things are a bit more nuanced in actuality. In Quality, the visor 'frame' and main image appear to be rendered separately, and while the real meat of what you're looking at "generally does read as a native 4K image", it's still "very much 1440p" (1080p in handheld). The sharpness is right where you'd want it, though, with DF calling it "the best image quality I've seen from a Nintendo game on Switch 2 thus far".

'Performance' mode drops the resolution down to 1080p (720p in handheld), giving everything a slightly softer look. That said, the presentation remains "sharp enough" and is still sharper and clearer than Metroid Prime Remastered was on Switch 1 by a "significant margin".

But what about the much-discussed frame rate? You'll be pleased to hear that the 120fps promise (in the relevant mode) is delivered on, locking to 120, and holding it "with complete consistency" — bar the very odd, tiny dip when riding around the open world. And yes, the same level of smoothness applies to the 60fps mode.

The truly "mind-blowing" feature, according to DF, is the HDR, which stacks up as "one of the finest HDR presentations I've seen in years, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the very best". So, expect those highlights to pop, and the shadows to deepen in docked. The same can't be said for handheld, mind you, where the Switch 2's native screen can't keep up.

And finally, the load times are right where you'd want 'em, with door opening times much reduced from the previous entries.

You can find the full tech review in the above video or over on Digital Foundry's new site. As for us, we were absolutely blown away by MP4, calling it "quite possibly the boldest, most well-realized Metroid game to date" in our review — read all about it below.

When Metroid Prime 4: Beyond landed with Retro Studios back in 2019, we're not sure anybody was truly shocked by this turn of events. Retro is, after all, the original developer of the Prime series, and while many of the veteran team members have since left, the sheer quality of the fourth entry on Switch 2 demonstrates that the studio is still one of the very best in the business.

The folks over at Retro didn't do it alone, though. As highlighted in the game's credits sequence, many separate companies lent their talents to the development of Prime 4, including Next Level Games and Virtuos.

Next Level Games, as you may know, is already familiar with the Prime series, having worked on Metroid Prime: Federation Force for the 3DS in 2016. As of 2021, it's a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nintendo alongside Retro Studios itself. The specific developers at Next Level Games credited as helping out on Prime 4 were Matt McTavish, Cavin Yen, Mark Blanchin, and Christopher Rice.

Here are the teams listed in the credits:

• Retro Studios

• Next Level Games

• Virtuos

• Territory Studio

• Waterproof

• Keywords Studios

• Liquid Development

• Volta

• AMC Studio

• GameSim

• Smoking Gun Interactive

• Forge Studios

• Red Hot CG

• Original Force

• Devoted Studios

• Room 8 Studio

• Next Gen Dreams

• Mock Science

• Cup of Tea

• Formosa Interactive

• House of Moves

Meanwhile, longtime producer Kensuke Tanabe at Nintendo also provided the text for the in-game scans, while Samus herself is now voiced by Erin Yvette with motion capture by Krystle Martin. Fans of the series will know that Jennifer Hale had previously provided the voiceover for Samus in the original Prime trilogy.

In our review for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for the Switch 2, we said that it "manages to replicate that magical sense of discovery from the GameCube original while pushing the series in some incredible new directions", awarding it a score of 9/10.

The Pokémon Company has revealed yet another new Mega 'mon arriving in the Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension DLC, but more than that, it has revealed a whole new type of Mega Evolution.

Mega Lucario Z is the latest Fighting- and Steel-type Mega Evolution to join the line-up, boasting a swanky blue and yellow look as well as some particularly fetching fringe work. This marks the debut appearance of Z Mega Evolution — a new take on the mechanic that sees Pokémon able to fire off their moves quicker, but also burn through their Mega Power at a faster rate.

Pokémon that undergo a Z Mega Evolution might not be best suited for long battles, then, but they'll likely pose a good way for wrapping up fights with a decisive victory.

Here's the official rundown of Mega Lucario Z and a handful of snaps from The Pokémon Company:

While Mega Lucario concentrates its aura into a destructive force, Mega Lucario Z uses it to surround its entire body, cloaking itself to increase its defense, flexibility, and agility. It can utilize its aura in a variety of ways, including stretching it into a shield or channeling it into physical blows by concentrating it into specific parts of its body, such as its legs or fists.

Images: Nintendo

Mega Lucario Z will arrive with the other new Megas in the Legends: Z-A DLC on 10th December.

As a part of today's Mega Dimension DLC news, The Pokémon Company revealed Legends: Z-A's next Mystery Gift Code event, and it's not one to be missed.

The event is live in-game right now. All that you need to do is head to the 'Mystery Gift' menu and select 'Receive via Internet' to get involved. Right off the bat, you'll be rewarded with special Mewtwonite X & Y Mega Stones, and you'll also unlock the new 'Project M' side mission, which sets you on the path to catch — you guessed it — Mewtwo!

You need to have rolled credits to access the gift, but no end date has been revealed for the event at the time of writing, so you've got plenty of time to get there if you're still exploring Lumiose at your leisure.

And yes, while the news was broken in today's Mega Dimension dump, the event is available for everyone with the base game.

Counter-Strike may be a quarter of a century old, but it remains one of Valve's biggest money-spinners on Steam.

Counter-Strike 2 – the latest iteration of the free-to-play team-based shooter – makes its money from chests, which cost around $2.50 to open. Incredibly, some of the skins found inside said chests can fetch over a million dollars online – so it's little wonder that, on average, players pay real-world money to open around 70,000,000 chests every month.

That's over $175,000,000 of revenue coming in every 30 days – so you'd expect the person who created the game to be utterly minted, right? Wrong.

Speaking to EDGE magazine, Counter-Strike creator Minh Le reveals that he effectively gave up what would become a billion-dollar money-making machine when he joined Valve back in 2000. In fact, when it came to selling up, Le readily admits he had no idea why Valve thought the game, which began life as a Half-Life mod, was worth anything:

"Counter-Strike was a free mod. I remember talking to [Jess] Cliffe (a modder who joined the project soon after launch) and asking, 'How are they even going to make money off this?' To us, they could have offered us any amount of money and we would have taken it. We didn't understand the value. We didn't negotiate. We just said, 'OK, this is a great deal'. We just wanted to work with Valve."

Le also reveals that he was happy to take any amount of cash at the time, as his own situation was somewhat precarious:

"I was worried about my financial situation. The money from Valve let me solve a lot of my problems. I ended up using some of it to help my parents pay off their mortgage, too. I kind of looked at it like winning the lottery. I didn't think about negotiating. I didn't want to scare off Valve. They had the upper hand and we were just a bunch of modders."

Le has never revealed what Valve paid him for Counter-Strike, but admits that it wasn't enough cash to retire there and then. In fact, as part of the arrangement, he became a Valve employee, which was something he could only have dreamed about prior to Counter-Strike being made.

In 2006, Le left Valve and has since worked on the likes of Rust and Black Desert Online. He's now working on a new tactical FPS of his own creation, Alpha Response, at Ultimo Ratio Games.

While he's continuing to chart his own path in game development, Le admits there are things he wishes had gone differently. "I do have some regrets," he tells EDGE. "A lot of the people who I still keep in touch with at Valve, I kind of notice that they're really well off financially."

A full Trophy list for Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has been uncovered, suggesting that the highly rated RPG is ready for release on PS5.

Guardians of Azuma is the latest instalment in Marvelous' Rune Factory series, having launched for Switch 2, Switch, and PC back in June of this year.

Funnily enough, the game was actually age rated for Sony's current-gen system before it had even released, leading many to believe that its Nintendo-focused exclusivity was timed.

Of course, six months of that supposed exclusivity will be up this week — so we could be seeing an official announcement before the year is out.

If you're wondering what kind of RPG Guardians of Azuma is, it's got a flashy action combat system built on top of town-building and farming elements. There's also a heavy focus on forging bonds with a colourful cast of characters.

Again, it received very positive reviews from both critics and players, with our pals at Nintendo Life giving it an 'excellent' 9/10 in their Switch 2 review.

Are you interested in playing Guardians of Azuma on PS5? Daydream about your ideal anime-styled spouse in the comments section below.

Work on the movie adaptation of a smash hit co-op shooter Helldivers is now well underway.

Justin Lin of Fast & Furious fame will direct the film, based on a script written by horror movie veteran Gary Dauberman. He’s best known for writing the screenplays for It and Annabelle.

As you’d expect, the film will be released by Sony Pictures Entertainment, with PlayStation subsidiary PS Productions overseeing the project. Additional organisations involved will include Lin’s own Perfect Storm Entertainment.

While we don’t know much about the plot itself, Starship Troopers will likely be a massive inspiration, as Helldivers is effectively a video game adaptation of the 90s hit.

We’d expect a blend of comedy and action, although Dauberman’s involvement does potentially hint at some horror elements as well.

Lin is not a gamer, and he apparently leaned into that with his pitch for the project.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, his goal is to flesh out the overall fiction of the franchise and “find the humanity” in the characters.

Of course, he already has an existing relationship with Sony, as he’s also been hired to direct the live action adaptation of anime One Punch Man.

There’s no word on any casting decisions or a target release date just yet, but it sounds like this project is moving along pretty quickly, so don’t be surprised if we get a lot more news soon.

There's newfound hope the Splinter Cell Remake will one day release, as the project's first game director has rejoined development on the title three years after his departure.

David Grivel posted to his LinkedIn profile one week ago that he was "very happy to announce that I'm rejoining Ubisoft Toronto as Game Director on the Splinter Cell Remake! A very special team and project to me."

Drivel served as game director on the Splinter Cell Remake project up until 2022, at which point he left to work on Battlefield 6 at EA. He then went back to Ubisoft Toronto to work on an unannounced game in May 2024, then left again late last year to join a developer named Worlds Untold, which was quickly shut down. Drivel now finds himself back on the Splinter Cell Remake three years later.

Officially confirmed in December 2021, the remake of the first Splinter Cell title has not been seen outside of the most minor updates. The return of David Grivel may boost development efforts, however.

The new upgrade for Red Dead Redemption is out today on all platforms, and while the game is now live and playable on Xbox Series X|S, the upgrade path from the old Xbox 360 version isn't working for lots of players - and there's some confusion as to why at the moment.

When the team at Rockstar announced this new version of RDR last month, they said that "current owners on PS4, Nintendo Switch, or the digital backward compatible version on Xbox One will be able to upgrade digitally for free". However, right now, lots existing owners of Red Dead on 360/Xbox One are being asked to pay the team's introductory 50% off discount for the new version.

To be clear, Rockstar's initial wording on this (as you can see up above) suggests that the back compat version will get a free upgrade. However, after doing a little digging, we're noticing that people who bought this RDR/RDR2 bundle from 2023 (when the PS4 version of RDR came out) are getting free access - whilst owners who bought the 360 version on its own years ago (like yours truly) are being asked to pay up.

Heading over to the game's subreddit only leads to even more confusion. This post, where a fan asks Rockstar Support about the issue, shows the developer saying that the new upgrade is not free for 360 owners - even though on a technical level, the only version of Red Dead Redemption on Xbox prior to this upgrade was indeed the 360 game. It's worth noting that this is just one Rockstar Support response and may not be accurate.

There's a whole discussion further into that thread about what's going on here, with lots of different suggestions and interpretations. One responder shows evidence of their 2023 bundle purchase working for the free upgrade, which again adds to the theory that it's this specific bundle that's providing free access on Xbox Series X|S for now.

So, this could all be one big glitch and older 360 owners will soon get free access - or this whole upgrade path may only apply to newer purchases of Red Dead 1, syncing up with the PS4 and Switch releases from 2023 onwards. Honestly, we're just about as confused as anyone right now, but the long and short of it is that if you can't get in for free just yet and you own the old 360 version, it's worth waiting to see if Rockstar comes out to clarify the situation.

Ahead of launch later this week, Xbox and Activision have given us a closer look at the multiplayer maps coming to Black Ops 7 Season 01 - with four new levels coming to the Game Pass FPS later this week.

The maps in question are Fate, Odysseus, Utopia and Standoff; the latter being a returning classic from 2012's Black Ops 2. You can take a look at the four new additions in action up above, and we'll chuck some descriptions for them down below as well:

"Fate: David is dragged back into the nightmare he’s tried to forget: a fractured memory where fear and regret over Raul Menendez take physical form. Step into a warped vision of Menendez’s Nicaraguan compound, now twisted beyond recognition: colossal machetes carve through the sky, and shattered pieces of reality hang suspended as if time itself has splintered.
Odysseus: The team steps into a distorted hallucination aboard the scarred deck of a familiar carrier etched deep into David’s past. Close-quarters combat dominates as you fight across the deck overlooking a runway frozen in chaos: aircraft locked mid-explosion, debris suspended in time, and a crimson mist bleeding across the sky.
Utopia: Once a cutting-edge Guild research facility, this site now serves as the nerve center of Project Synapse under Alden Dorne’s command. Towering structures pierce the skyline, remnants of a forgotten future now repurposed for ruthless ambition. The layout blends sleek interiors with exposed exteriors across a loose three-lane design, offering dynamic opportunities for Wall Jumps, parkour maneuvers, and creative combat flow.
Standoff: Flames erupt from the central tower over the Main Road where a tank and statue mark the intersection in view of the Store, Hostel, House, and Warehouse, each with a second-story viewpoint over the street. Move in close behind the stone walls by the tower to keep out of view or swing around to toward the Gas Station and Graveyard Alley to skirt the outer edge."

These four multiplayer maps arrive alongside some new Zombies levels, weapons, operators and progression improvements; which we've detailed elsewhere at Pure Xbox in our broader Season 01 overview. We'll throw the team's full Season 01 roadmap down below anyway, so you can get a quick glimpse at what's arriving both later this week and during the mid-season update.

Black Ops 7 Season 01 begins on December 4th, free for existing owners and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers across Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Nintendo has been releasing all sorts of software and firmware updates recently, and it's now rolled out an update for its Nintendo Today! mobile application.

The app, which provides daily updates from the world of Nintendo, has today been updated to Version 2.2.0. It's currently live on iOS, with the App Store page also revealing "what's new". This includes a new Donkey Kong theme (seemingly inspired by the recent release Donkey Kong Bananza).

Along with this, the app is now also avaialble in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.

Image: OatmealDome (via social media)

If you haven't already downloaded this app, once again it offers regular updates on "all things Nintendo" including Switch 2 news, game information, videos, comics and even some Nintendo trivia and history. It's also got a built-in event schedule, marking significant Nintendo events including releases, special occasions and in-game events.

In case you missed it, Nintendo recently released an update for its Switch and Switch 2 mobile app adding some new features. You can find out more in our previous story.

Think every little secret about Street Fighter II has been discovered? Well, you'd be wrong, as a new debug menu has been found in the 'Turbo' version of the game.

TurboAnnihilate is the one who made the discovery, unearthing a debug menu for sprite scaling and rotation.

To access this menu, TurboAnnihilate says:

The shortest version is to put the game in test mode in the dip menu for fightcade or mame. Reboot, hold down p1 mp. this will get you into the object test mode. Turn off test, toggle through the modes with p2 start, on the first hidden menu, hold p1 lp and then press p2 start.

P2 controls will allow you to mess around with the rotation and scaling. P1 lp resets values.

This begs the question – were there ever any plans to add sprite scaling to the game? This effect is seen in titles like Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury, so it would be interesting to know if Capcom was experimenting with a similar approach for Street Fighter II.

To celebrate the recent launch of Kirby Air Riders on the Switch 2, Nintendo has announced a new event for its Switch Online battle royale game Tetris 99.

This event will take place between 4th December and 8th December 2025, and allows players to unlock a special design inspired by Kirby's new game. This also happens to mark the 50th Maximus Cup event!

"To participate, you’ll need to be a Nintendo Switch Online member* and play the Tetris 99 online mode during the event period. You’ll earn event points based on your placement in each match. Once you’ve accumulated a total of 100 event points, a new theme will unlock, featuring art, music and Tetrimino designs inspired by the Kirby Air Riders game that is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 system!"

In some other Switch Online news, Nintendo has also released some new Animal Crossing: New Horizons icons for Switch Online members this week.