An interesting datapoint from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella reveals the PS5 was outsold by an unexpected US-based rival in the run up to Black Friday last week.

While the Switch 2 being top-selling hardware SKU for the week ending 22nd November won’t come as a massive surprise, the NEX Playground Interactive Gaming System coming second is a bit of a shock.

If you’ve never heard of this product, it’s effectively a standalone reimagining of the Kinect – or the EyeToy, if you remember the classic PS2 peripheral.

Primarily aimed at families and kids, the NEX Playground allows you to enjoy a variety of minigames on your TV using your body as the controller. Options include a simple platformer, kart racer, and more.

Piscatella is breaking up SKUs in this chart, so it’s possible the PS5 performed better overall when you combine all of its different SKUs, including Disc and Digital options as well as the PS5 Pro.

We’d also, obviously, have expected it to perform better during Thanksgiving week, as the console was discounted and appeared to sell out on Black Friday weekend.

But it’s still quite interesting to see a product like the NEX Playground seemingly come out of nowhere and perform so well. At $249 it’s not cheap either – although we’re assuming it was on sale in order to achieve these kinds of numbers.

Nevertheless, we told you it was an unexpected rival. Bet you didn’t guess it before you clicked on the article, eh? Have any of you got one of these?

Every game is getting in its final update of the year before the holiday period gets underway, and Sega has today rolled out a major patch for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

On the Nintendo front, this marks the arrival of the Switch 2 Edition as well as the Upgrade Pack for existing Switch owners.

Apart from this, there's a lot of new content in this update. This includes new gadgets, an increase to the world match rating, additional friend settings, anti-cheat measure improvements and much more. Here's the full rundown of patch Ver 1.2.0, according to Sega's official website:

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - Ver.1.2.0 (3rd December 2025)

Thank you all for playing Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds! Today, we’re releasing patch Ver.1.2.0!

Please update your game to the latest version to access the online modes, including World Match, and downloadable content.

• PS5/PS4: Patch Ver.1.2.0

• Nintendo Switch/ Nintendo Switch2: Patch Ver.1.2.0

• Xbox XS/One: Patch Ver.1.2.0

• Steam: Patch Ver.1.2.0

• Epic: Patch Ver.1.2.0

Content Update Summary

• Added new event mode “Legend Competition”

• Increased maximum World Match rating from 9,999 to 99,999

• Added multi-round options to Friend Match

• Added 2 collaboration tracks to the Jukebox

• Added 12 collaboration decals

• Added 6 new gadgets

• Gadget balance changes

• Anti-Cheat measures

• Other adjustments and bug fixes

Legend Competition

A new mode “Legend Competition” has been added. This mode will occur regularly, with the first competition being held from December 4, 2025 through December 21, 2025.

World Match Rating

We’ve increased the maximum rating from 9,999 to 99,999.

Friend Match Settings

You can now set races to have multiple rounds in Custom Matches in Free Race! No more going back to the lobby after each race!

Jukebox Tracks

• No.1 - Crazy Raccoon

• Hongami Precious Moment - Inugami Kroone, Tomoya Ohtani

Collaboration Decals

• REJ Assemble

• REJ Chilidog

• REJ ALWAYS CHASING

• REJ SUPERCHAOSMODE

• REJ LOGO

• CR AKAMI KARUBI

• CR RAS

• CR VANILLA

• CR RION

• CR AMATSUKI

• CR JASPER

• CR x SONIC

Gadget Additions and Adjustments in Ver. 1.2.0

Since launch, we’ve observed two common strategies emerge in online matches:

1. Using drift-type gadgets to maintain top positions.

2. Staying in 9^th – 12^th place and using item control gadgets to get powerful items late in the race and quickly jump to top positions.

Both strategies made it very difficult for those in 4^th – 8^th place to make a comeback.

Therefore, in Ver.1.2.0, we’ve added and strengthened support-type and item-type gadgets to make it easier to make comebacks from 4^th – 8^th place.

We will continue monitoring online gadget usage and win rates to adjust balance going forward.

New Gadgets

We’ve added 6 gadgets!*

• Item Control Type

  • Lucky Pair

  • Double Down

• Support Type

  • Ring Mercy

  • Damage Mercy

  • Item Mercy

  • Strong Finish

*Gadgets can be obtained once your Gadget Plate reaches "Silver Plate" or higher.

The following gadgets which were previously distributed as Festival rewards can now be purchased with Donpa Tickets from the gadget customization screen**:

• Boost Character Kit

• Power Character Kit

• Handling Character Kit

• Comeback Kit

• Sea Dog Kit

**These can be purchased if your gadget plate is “Master Plate” or higher

Gadget Adjustments

• Quick Recovery

  • Further reduced downtime after taking a hit.

  • Previously, Quick Recovery provided a large benefit when hit, but losing rings often led to lower final positions. The gadget has been adjusted to allow more mid-position endurance.

• Acceleration Machine Kit

  • Recovery timing further reduced to align with Quick Recovery’s adjustments.

• Wisp Chance UP

  • Reduced the influence on item probability.

  • Previously, Wisp Chance UP made it too easy to collect powerful items before the race’s end and aim for top positions. We’ve dialed this back a bit.

• Invincible Start

  • Vehicles now flash just before the effect ends to make timing clearer.

Other Adjustments

• Adjusted the appearance of Silver and Blaze’s AI skins and the color of Race Park rivals “Team Dimension,” as they could be mistaken for Invincible state.

  • For the eagle-eyed, the new color scheme is based on the “Turquoise Blue” aura Silver the Hedgehog emits when activating his abilities!

• Improved machine handling after collisions with other machines in water areas.

• Improved directional input detection to make it easier to use items in the intended direction while drifting.

• Adjusted race communication to prioritize syncing information that affects race progression, improving correct reflection of Invincibility such as Ultimate Charge activation.

• Strengthened anti-cheat measures for races and race results in online play such as Global Match on PC.

Concerning Anti-Cheat Measures

With Patch Ver.1.2.0, we have strengthened our anti-cheat measures to ensure a fair and secure online environment. These improvements focus primarily on countering cheating behaviors that give players an unfair advantage in World Match and Time Trial.

If cheating activity continues to increase, we may be required to consider additional anti-cheat measures across a broader range of systems, depending on the situation. To ensure that all players can enjoy the game safely and fairly, we kindly ask for your continued cooperation in maintaining a fair and secure gameplay environment.

We will continue to listen to the community and make ongoing improvements to protect the player experience and ensure that the game remains a healthy and enjoyable environment for everyone.

Thank you once again for your continued support of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Festival announcements showing old information before events began.

• Fixed a bug where auto-acceleration failed to activate for several seconds after manual input.

• Improved smoothness and visibility of left/right movement in item warning display.

• Fixed a bug where Charge Dash would not activate when passing through Transform Rings in mid-air drift state using Dash type.

• Fixed a bug where attacks from the “King Bomb Boo” item could be avoided using Charge Jump or Handle Assist.

• Fixed a bug where “King Bomb Boo” item attacks in mid-air could cause fire pillar direction to be incorrect.

• Fixed a bug where using the “Laser” item caused Dash type machine appearance to break at certain times.

• Fixed a bug where using the “Boost” item obtained during Boost Frenzy at the exact end of Frenzy could make the item unusable.

• Fixed a bug where using the “Tornado” item during Boost Frenzy could make items unusable until Frenzy ended.

• Adjusted Dash Gate placement in Dash Gate Frenzy on certain courses where more gates than intended were placed.

• Fixed a bug in course “Wonder Museum” where machines could get stuck in the Tornado.

• Fixed a bug in course “Sky Road” or “Minecraft World” where using “Slicer” or “Homing Punch” when crossing Travel Rings or End Portals could cause incorrect tracking.

• Fixed a bug in course “Steampunk City” where colliding from the side with ground where trains run could cause machines to sink into the ground.

• Fixed a bug in course “White Cave” where using “Drill” in cave areas could cause machines to sink into the ground.

• Fixed several other gameplay-related bugs.

If you're looking for a reason to jump back into Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Sega has this week released the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game digitally.

It's available for $69.99 or your regional equivalent, and will be released in physical form on this platform in "early 2026".

If you're an existing owner of the Switch release and don't want to miss out, there's the Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack, which is also available. It's normally priced at $10.00 but you'll get an introductory discount (bringing it down to just $5.00) if you purchase it by 11th December 2025.

Sega also notes how the Werehog DLC Pack is available to download for free for the first two weeks of the digital version's availability (until 17th December 2025).

You can also carry over all of your content and progress in the Switch release to the Switch 2 Edition of the game. As previously revealed, the Switch 2 version of the game includes improved performance and resolution.

Alongside the Switch 2 Edition and Switch upgrade, Sega has also released a major patch for this title today.

If you keep up with the Nintendo Music app's release schedule, you probably noticed Nintendo didn't update the app at the regular time earlier this week.

Unsurprisingly, it's all linked to the release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, with Nintendo announcing it's added seven tracks from the new game as a special release. This adds up to 48 minutes of music and will give you a nice sample of the game's "main theme", environments and more.

Here's the full tracklist and you can hear some of them in Nintendo's official sample below:

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Music Special Release

1. Metroid Prime 4 Main Theme

2. Fury Green

3. The Sacred Tree

4. Vi-O-La

5. Ice Belt Power On

6. Carvex

7. Volt Forge

Although Nintendo Music has mostly received retro game soundtracks, this isn't the first time Nintendo has released an update based on a Switch 2 game. We've previously seen similar track releases for Donkey Kong Bananza and Kirby Air Riders.

If you want to listen to music on the Nintendo Music mobile app, you'll need to have an active Switch Online subscription.

In some other Metroid Prime 4: Beyond news, Nintendo has also released new custom icons today as part of the Switch Online 'Missions & Rewards' service. The first wave is available now and will be followed by weekly updates.

Monster Hunter Wilds has had numerous ups and downs since it launched earlier in the year, to the point where it has, arguably, become one of 2025's most divisive games.

On release, the action RPG was met with super strong review scores and positive player feedback; the finished product sported dramatic improvements over the somewhat disappointing beta tests that had taken place in the months prior.

But as hunters made their way through the main story and eventually stumbled into endgame hunts, the cracks started to show. Wilds was quite roundly criticised for its claustrophobic campaign, a general lack of challenge, and poor optimisation (especially on PC).

From there, opinions started to take a nosedive as Capcom struggled to provide immediate answers. Updates came and went, but nothing seemed to satisfy those who wanted more from the game — many having experienced the best of previous titles Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise.

Over the last few months, Capcom has undoubtedly improved the experience with big updates, dropping additional monsters, quests, and activities. But as the game's dwindling sales numbers suggest, Wilds clearly lost momentum after its initial honeymoon period.

Still, the ongoing negativity hasn't stopped the title from winning big at PlayStation's annual Partners Awards in Japan. Wilds won a 'Grand Award' for "outstanding worldwide sales" (again, the vast majority of which came at launch), and was voted as one of the year's top five PlayStation games by users.

As per IGN, director Yuya Tokuda spoke after the ceremony, and was quick to thank players for their support.

"Immediately after the release, we apologised for the inconvenience caused by the volume of content and the difficulty level. Despite this, we were delighted to receive various awards, including Users' Choice awards," he said.

"We would like to thank all the players who have given their opinions and spoken warm words even in this situation. The development team was able to turn everyone's feedback into an asset and work on the update with all our strength, and I think the result was also the reason why players voted for us."

The team has obviously been trying to turn things around with Wilds, so it does feel like Tokuda's attempting to clear the air — if only for a minute.

"In order to make Monster Hunter Wilds better, the fans’ voices gave us power. There are still updates left to come, so we will continue to do our best," producer Ryozo Tsujimoto added.

Tokuda goes on to assure potentially lapsed players that Wilds is in a better state these days, commenting: "If you beat the game immediately after its release and stopped playing, I would appreciate it if you could pick it up again."

It's assumed that at some point next year, Wilds will be getting its inevitable expansion — and that'll end up being a pivotal moment for the game.

Indeed, both World and Rise benefitted massively from the endgame content and systems that their own expansions delivered, bolstering the entire experience in the process. The hope is that Wilds will, ultimately, share a similar fate — but it's definitely got a bigger mountain to climb in terms of pleasing its players.

What are your hopes for Monster Hunter Wilds going forwards? Will you be diving back in for Title Update 4 on the 16th December? Prepare for another quest in the comments section below.

Just like September's interesting analysis of Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 and Series S, Digital Foundry returns with a fresh look at another Ubisoft title that's been ported over to the Nintendo system this week - and once again, this one uses the Xbox Series S version as its jumping off point.

Yes, in its latest tech review on Assassin's Creed Shadows, DF notes that "this ambitious port succeeds by starting from the cut-down Xbox Series S" version, pulling back a little further than the Microsoft machine to achieve these results on Switch 2. It's an intriguing comparison that once again sheds some light on how these two systems stack up.

"Among visual attributes missing on both Series S and Switch 2, strand-based hair and ray-traced global illumination (RTGI) don't make the cut, with the latter being replaced by the same baked, probe-based lighting solution seen on Series S. The lighting quality further suffers on Switch 2 due to an apparent downgrade to its screen-space ambient occlusion (SSAO) setting. And while Series S sneaks in an RTGI pass in AC Shadows' "hideout" hub zone, Switch 2 does not.

Foliage appears at lower density levels or even disappears entirely compared to Series S, with reduced animation effects and fewer distant-tree details, as well. Textures and shadows render at lower resolutions, with shadows employing a more aggressive middle-of-screen drop-off. And cutscenes inherit these and other downgrades, including under-occluded, "glowing" faces and a different, deeper, depth of field effect."

The team goes on to mention more cuts as well, namely to reflections, water and cloth simulations:

"The cuts go deeper for Nintendo's portable-docked hybrid system. Screen-space reflections (SSR) are replaced by cube maps as a fallback - and we're not sure why these look different than on other consoles. Water and cloth simulations are pared back, with steps through water no longer creating ripples and clothing moving and reacting to stimuli more subtly than on Series S."

In summary, DF reckons that Ubisoft "made the right calls with one or two exceptions" when porting Assassin's Creed Shadows to Switch 2, and while the Nintendo hybrid device turns in some impressive results, it doesn't quite match up to Xbox Series S in some key areas. You can check out the full video of this tech review up above while the written version is down below - and yep, it's going to be interesting to see how this battle continues in the coming years!

Summitsphere is giving Antonblast fans one last hurrah, one year after the game first launched on PC. And it's a content-filled update befittingly titled 'THE END'.

On 18th December 2025, The End is bringing four brand new bosses, a boss rush, multiple new game modes (including Hard Mode), new music, and new spray cans, among lots of other little additions coming to the 2024 platformer, which is heavily inspired by the Wario Land series.

Let's have a look at the specifics coming with The End in just a few weeks, courtesy of Antonblast's Steam page:

This is it. THE END of ANTONBLAST will be the game's final content update, bringing the remaining content promised to our Kickstarter backers, as well as a plethora of BRAND NEW content!

FEATURING

THE DEMON CORP
This band of bastards has been rehearsing each day for the Big Tournament, and now it's their time to shine. That's right, FOUR new (smaller-scale!) boss fights against each member of the Demon Corp. Claim your Prize Star by defeating each of them and be granted early access into their big show!

THE BIG TOURNAMENT: THE BOSS RUSH
Danton has been laboring over day and night and has at last fulfilled his contract to bring the Big Tournament to life! Earn your Battle Pass and prepare to face ANTONBLAST's most grueling challenge: Face against the game's nine major boss fights without facing a knock-out and claim your title of Tournament Champion! There is a big cash prize in it for the winner, too.

THE LIME TRIALS
The mysterious Lime Trials make their appearance. Defeat the big baddie of each wing of Brulo's Casino, and you will be granted access to a new kind of timed challenge: Collect all Limes in the room before time runs out to recover the Souvenir Lime! And, if you feel like showing off after already collecting the Souvenir Lime, claim cash prizes especially if you beat your best time!

NEW GAME MODES
As promised to our supporters, our Hard Mode and Stage Rush Mode will finally make their appearance. In Hard Mode, face the challenges of ANTONBLAST with little extra help and stricter, harder stages and bosses. Satan's troops are a little more prepared this time! In Stage Rush, blast through the twelve stages and eight bosses of the Adventure campaign as fast as you can! Hard Mode will automatically unlock for any players who have already cleared the first stage in game; Stage Rush will automatically unlock for any players who have defeated the Final Boss. But, could there be more...?

DANTON
Now that Danton's work around the Casino is mostly finished, you will find him perusing the area. Feel free to talk to him, he's really happy about it!

NEW SOUNDTRACK AND SOUND WORK
Our updated ANTONBLAST Soundtrack will be wholly replacing the existing tracks in the game. Furthermore, we have extensively touched up our sound design and have totally rebalanced and adjusted the soundscape of the game to prevent audio clipping and other nasty artifacts. The result is the game won't be as ear-piercingly loud, meaning you can get a much cleaner view (hearing?) of what is actually going on at any given moment in the game and don't need to turn the audio down so low. It is a much more pleasing experience on everyone's ears. We have also shifted some sounds around, but you'll have to play the game to hear the difference!

NEW TRINKETS
Brulo's Shop has been restocked with various new items, such as the Virtual Visor, Game Brick and Pet Paint (harmless, non-toxic). Experience Anton and Annie's Adventure under... a different light.

NEW SPRAY CANS
SIXTEEN new Spray Cans have been added, bringing the total to 110. Most will be hidden, strewn around Brulo's Casino and Peanut Park, so be sure to be look around carefully!

NEW ACHIEVEMENTS
FOUR new achievements for you to figure out and, well, achieve! Discover the secrets of Peanut Park and engage with the new stages and boss fights and (re-)claim your Perfect title on ANTONBLAST!

NEW LANGUAGE SUPPORT
That's right, you will be able to experience the glorious text and interface of ANTONBLAST in a total of EIGHT languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Latin-American Spanish and Brazillian Portuguese. We hope our more international Blasters appreciate and enjoy the work our community localizers have put into the game!

LOTS OF BUG FIXES
I mean, I hope you're not surprised about it! The team has put TREMENDOUS work into polishing up ANTONBLAST into being the best game ever. We hope it reached that standard now!

AND MORE!
There is a LOT more that you will see that we have not talked about here. It will all be made clear... in THE END.

That's a lot for an ending, isn't it? Any excuse to go back to Antonblast, which we loved back when it launched on Switch last year. And it's received a performance boost since launch.

Have you picked up Antonblast on Switch? Will you be checking out the update this month? Blast down to the comments and share your thoughts.

Sony's latest push into mobile territory is MLB The Show Mobile, just announced and soft launched in the Philippines.

Developed in-house at San Diego Studio — developer of the main MLB The Show series — you can get a sense of the free-to-play game in the below trailer:

The official website describes MLB The Show Mobile as "a new standalone experience built from the ground up to deliver realistic baseball gameplay on mobile devices".

Built for both iOS and Android, the game is currently only available in the Philippines, but it'll come to more territories in future.

The game will feature current and legacy players, as well as all real stadiums.

You'll be able to bat, pitch, and field using touch controls, and you'll gradually build your dream team by collecting player cards. You can then earn XP and upgrade your players to make them more valuable.

For Sony's mobile plans, this seems like a no-brainer — bringing one of its popular franchises to a whole new audience.

Hopefully the global rollout won't be too far away so everyone can get to grips with this new take on MLB The Show.

What are your thoughts on MLB The Show Mobile? Is this something you'd like to play? Tell us in the comments section below.

We're still a week away from the last major gaming showcase of 2025 in the form of The Game Awards, but this Thursday's PC Gaming Show sounds well worth watching - even from an Xbox perspective.

The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted showcase is said to be "powered by Xbox Game Pass", which basically means Game Pass is the big partner here. The focus of the event is to highlight the 25 most wanted games of the moment, but we also know we're getting "new trailers, announcements and behind the scenes looks at over 50 games".

Here's a list of stuff that's already been confirmed for the showcase:

• A new trailer from Team 17 for the soon the be released 4-player co-op shooter, Rogue Point

• A behind the scenes look at High On Life 2, the latest intergalactic action-adventure from Squanch Games releasing February 13

• A new trailer for Cairn, the beautiful survival-climber from the creators of Furi and Haven

• Tripwire Interactive will be unveiling a new trailer for first-person shooter Killing Floor 3

• Soulmask will debut a new gameplay trailer for its ancient Egypt DLC 'Shifting Sands' which adds more powerful Gods-themed masks and takes us out of the jungle and into the desert with flying ships

• A new trailer for open world adventure Witchspire from Envar Games

• A brand-new trailer for space flight sim, Remnant Protocol

• Plus announcements from developers such as Dotemu, Lightbulb Crew and Playstack.

Nothing has been spelled out in terms of whether we'll be getting any Xbox Game Pass reveals at the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted event, but the close partnership suggests it's pretty likely. At the very least, we can see from the list above that High on Life 2 will be there - a title that's already confirmed to release on Game Pass in February 2026.

If you're interested in finding out for yourself, you'll be able to watch the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted event via the video above at 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CET on Thursday, December 4th. We'll be watching it as well, and we'll have a roundup of everything that was shared - including any potential Xbox Game Pass reveals!

We were delighted to see Ustwo Games' gorgeous mobile puzzler, Monument Valley 3, make the jump to Switch earlier this year, and today the dev has given us even more story chapters to sink our teeth into — for free!

The 'Garden of Life' expansion is now available on Switch, bolting four additional chapters onto the end of the main game, packed with even more of the series' signature perspective-bending puzzles. There are even some hidden optional puzzles to find in the bonus levels, for those after even more.

The expansion drop accompanies the news that MV3 is now back on mobile, so you can check out all the extra content wherever you please.

If the above trailer didn't do enough to sell you on the new freebie, here's a statement on what you can expect from the expansion by lead designer Emily Brown, and a handful of screenshots:

I am really pleased to be able to share these new chapters and puzzles, because
they bring together the skills of an incredible team who care deeply about what
they make. After the events of the main game, we wanted The Garden of Life to
tell a story of people coming together to build a new future. A story of hope.

Images: Ustwo Games

You'll find Monument Valley 3 and the previous two series entries on the Switch eShop right now. Those who want to experience the full trilogy from start to finish can even pick up the collection in physical form from iam8bit.

Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition now has a confirmed release date on PS5 — and it's soon!

Publisher Limited Run Games announced this one all the way back in June of last year, so it's nice to see that it hasn't somehow been forgotten. It launches in just a couple of weeks, on the 15th December.

This is obviously a follow up to Tomba! Special Edition, which dropped for PS5 and PS4 in August 2024. However, we should note that the PS4 version of Tomba! 2's Special Edition has been cancelled.

Much like its enhanced predecessor, the sequel will feature modern quality of life features, like the ability to save anywhere and a rewind function. It'll also boast a museum mode full of artwork form the original release.

Tomba! 2 is widely regarded to be an improved sequel. A sprinkling of new mechanics, more ambitious level design, and a shift to full 3D graphics earned it some really strong review scores back in 1999, when it first launched for the PS1.

Will you be leaping into Tomba! 2 this month? Pick up some pigs in the comments section below.

The latest Xbox Game Studios title making the leap to PS5 is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, a highly acclaimed aviation sim landing on the console on 8th December, 2025.

Aspiring pilots may be interested to know what's expected of them with regards to Trophies, and fortunately, the list has made its way online prior to release.

Over on PSNProfiles, the full rundown of digital trinkets is available for your perusal, and it looks like a fairly manageable to-do list, albeit time-consuming.

One Trophy requires that you spend 50 cumulative hours in the air, for example, which sounds like a lot, but it's probably quite achievable if you partake in all the game's missions and activities.

To get the platinum, you'll need to complete training and earn your private pilot licence, take a whole bunch of photographs, complete 100 weekly challenges, and perform various flying feats.

These include 30 successful seaplane landings, 50 successful landings at heliports, performing touch-and-go manoeuvres, and visiting several landmarks via hot air balloon.

It's certainly going to keep you busy if you want that plat, then, but we feel like the people interested in Flight Sim are probably gonna play it enough regardless.

Are you onboard for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024? Will you be aiming to collect all the Trophies? Tell us in the comments section below.

Some very brief — but new — clips from Resident Evil Requiem have been made public by way of a Japanese television show about the series.

In the footage, we see protagonist Grace shooting a zombie on a staircase, only for it to attack her and reveal there is a second undead man nearby. Based on the decor, this scene looks to be taken from the hotel location that shall play an important part in the campaign.

Catch the new gameplay below:

The footage falls in line with virtually everything else we've seen of Resident Evil Requiem up until now, which is to say not a lot. The game is out for PS5 on 27th February 2026, meaning it's already only three months away. In a surprising move — as all recent Resident Evil titles have received one — it's been said Requiem won't be getting a demo prior to launch.

Is Resident Evil Requiem one of your most anticipated games for 2026? Let us know in the comments below.

In the absence of Dino Crisis, TeamKill Media's upcoming shooter Code Violet looks set to fill the void.

The PS5 exclusive sci-fi action horror title has been on the radar all year, and was expected to launch back in November. Unfortunately, it hasn't hit its launch plans, and has been delayed to 10th January 2026.

However, with this delay comes some good news: Code Violet has now gone gold, meaning the game is effectively finished, and the remaining time will presumably be spent squashing last-minute bugs.

All this news comes via a lengthy statement posted on the studio's social accounts:

In a nutshell, the team ran into some issues relating to "unlocking entitlements" for the game's deluxe and pre-order editions, and to circumvent all that, it's decided to simply release one standard edition of the game.

This version will include "all the bonus outfits, items, and perks", so those who wanted the deluxe editions won't be missing out. That said, anybody who pre-ordered the deluxe edition will be receiving full refunds.

TeamKill Media is working to get Code Violet back up on the PS Store for pre-ordering.

It sounds like we'll be seeing more gameplay and trailers of the game in the lead-up to its launch in the new year.

It's been a bit of a bumpy road to release, then, but despite the delay, this seems like a net positive outcome. Hopefully the game can deliver a good experience that's worth the wait.

Are you looking forward to Code Violet? Tell us in the comments section below.

Back in the summer, Xbox developer Obsidian reassured fans that Avowed's Fall 2025 update was still on track - but plans have since changed, and this update has now morphed into a bigger content drop set to arrive in February 2026.

To mark the game's one-year anniversary next Feb., Obsidian says that it's delivering "our biggest update yet" for Avowed - featuring "everything originally planned for fall, plus additional features". We'll throw the team's updated roadmap down below:

As you can see in the above image, this 2026 anniversary update will bring New Game+, photo mode, a new weapon type, new character presets and more - and that list is set to grow now that the team is taking a little more time in bringing its next update to players across Xbox, PC and Game Pass next year.

As for what's coming after this update, well, we don't know much about the longer-term future of Avowed right now - but it sounds like the team could be working towards a sequel at some point! That's by no means confirmed just yet, but it was discussed recently by a former Obsidian developer.

How on earth is it that time of year again already? It feels as though we can still sense the tight elastic of our tiny Kirby swimming trunks digging into our fresh summer sunburn, and yet here comes Rolling Stone with its Best of 2025 list, because it's nearly Christmas. Brace for impact!

Yes, Rolling Stone has dropped its 25 favourite gaming experiences of the year and, whilst the number one spot is absolutely no surprise (congratulations to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33), we've been tickled pink to see that good old Donkey Kong has managed to secure a number three spot via all that wrecking shop he did in Bananza. The big man has smashed his way onto a prestigious podium there, so well done, Mr. Kong. And nice tie!

Elsewhere on the list, some 10 spaces down in fact, you'll spot another Switch 2-shaped mention in the form of Mario Kart World. Honestly, we probably wouldn't have expected that DK would outdo Master Mascot Mario in this way if you'd told us in the summer, but we'd tend to agree on the placement rolling (no pun intended) the great ape's way here.

What else has delighted us in making the cut? Well, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy dropping into a very nice 7th place is great, as that really was one of the year's big highlights on Switch, alongside the wonderful Absolum, BALL x PIT, and, of course, Hades 2, which has pulled off a blinder by snatching the number 2 spot.

Images: Nintendo Life / Marvellous, Nintendo Life / Devolver Digital, Nintendo Life / Dotemu, Nintendo Life / Fellow Traveller

Oh, and look at Silksong, all the way down (if you can be all the way down on a top 25 list) at number 12. That isn't perhaps where we'd have expected to see such a massively well-reviewed game, but personal taste is a wondrous and mysterious thing, innit!

With a total of 11 of these games available on Switch consoles, it's still a very strong showing for Nintendo gamers - and hopefully we'll see Switch ports of some of these soon!

Here's the full listing for your perusal, but check out the full article for details and reasoning:

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

2. Hades II

3. Donkey Kong: Bananza

4. Dispatch

5. Ghost of Yōtei

6. Blue Prince

7. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

8. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

9. BALL x PIT

10. Arc Raiders

11. South of Midnight

12. Hollow Knight: Silksong

13. Mario Kart World

14. SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance

15. Battlefield 6

16. Ninja Gaiden 4

17. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves

18. Absolum

19. despelote

20. The Séance of Blake Manor

21. Split Fiction

22. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

23. Rematch

24. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

25. Silent Hill: F

See anything you disagree with making the cut? Think something is too highly/lowly-rated, or even missing entirely? Let us know!

Eight years on from its big reveal, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally arrives on Switch 1 & 2 tomorrow. To make sure that things are in tip-top condition, Nintendo has today released the launch day update, boosting things up to ver. 1.1.0 and adding a bunch of day-one features to boot.

This update adds in amiibo functionality, some sweet cinematic controller rumble, an easily accessible upgrade path to the Switch 2 Edition in the opening menu, some gallery tweaks, and then the usual adjustments and fixes.

At the time of writing, the patch notes have only been shared on the Japanese Nintendo Support website. We have included those below (via Google Translate), and we will sub-in the official English translation as soon as it is available.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Ver. 1.1.0 (3rd Dec 2025)

• You can now use amiibo on the "amiibo" page in the pause menu.

• Controller now vibrates during cinematics.

• [Switch 2]: When you start up Metroid Prime 4 Beyond on Nintendo Switch 2, a "Switch 2 Edition" option will now appear in the menu after the title screen. Selecting this option will take you to the Upgrade Path page on the Nintendo eShop.

• The rating information for the rating system "ClassInd (Brazil)" has been updated from "12" to "14".

• The condition for unlocking some movies in the "Gallery" has been changed from "achieving 100% item recovery rate" to "clearing the game."

• In "Hard Mode," the difficulty of some enemies has been adjusted.

• Additionally, we have made some adjustments and fixes to improve your gameplay experience.

"After 18 years of waiting, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond manages to replicate that magical sense of discovery from the GameCube original while pushing the series in some incredible new directions," we wrote in our 9/10 review, describing Samus' latest adventure as "quite possibly the boldest, most well-realised Metroid game to date". Just one more sleep to go!

11th March 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of Chrono Trigger. Square Enix marked the occasion by announcing that "various projects" would be coming our way over the next year, but so far, those projects have been limited to character popularity polls and planned orchestral concerts. Importantly, that's not the remake that we all want to see and have been chatting about for years. But we're still not ready to completely throw out all hope just yet.

You see, in the latest episode of the 'KosoKoso Hōsō Kyoku' talk show livestream (translated by Automaton), Dragon Quest creator and Chrono Trigger supervisor Yuji Horii attempted to keep his lips sealed about where the series is heading — but in saying nothing, has he actually said everything?

"I can't talk about that," Horii-san told the interviewer when asked whether the smaller anniversary events might be "foreshadowing" bigger developments down the line. He jokingly added clarifying statements like, "Wait, if I say that, you'll figure it out!," "Don't ask!," and "I'll get in trouble!" before the panel decided to move on with the show.

Hmmm. It's far from anything concrete, and there's every chance that Horii-san was genuinely just trying to get himself out of a sticky situation, but we can't help feeling that the whole thing is a little suspicious. Hey, perhaps it's just wishful thinking on our end.

Back in May, it seemed like Horii-san might have let the news of an upcoming remake slip during a panel at Napoli Comicon. However, it later turned out that it was just the translator bringing up the series, not Yuji Horii himself. D'oh.

At the time of writing, the best way to officially play Chrono Trigger remains the wonderful 2008 DS port, which'll set you back a pretty penny if you try to pick it up on the resale market today. It has arrived on mobile and Windows in the years since, but come on, we all want to see it on Switch (2), right?

Believe it or not, the holiday season is almost upon us. Of course, many stores have been setting up the Christmas cheer for months now (this writer was seeing bedecked trees in shop windows back in October), but, as of today, the Nintendo Museum is finally following suit.

As shared in a post on the museum's official X account, the lights will be on every night from 4pm JST until close (7pm), and they'll be sticking around in the grounds until the not particularly festive date of 27th April 2026.

While it is far from the kind of display we might expect from Disney Land — or, perhaps more accurately, Super Nintendo World — there's enough Mushroom Kingdom flair here that our nerdy Christmas spirits are sufficiently warmed.

Nintendo has only revealed the two photos of the display at the time of writing (one above and one below), but look! It's cute!

Alongside the lights, the Nintendo Museum has also plonked a Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary plaque next to the warp pipe photo op, which feels like... a very Nintendo way of marking the occasion.

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!