Gregg Mayles recently announced his departure from Rare after 36 years, which means the brains behind such classics as Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie is no longer with the legendary British studio.

While he's very much focused on his future, Mayles is equally keen to promote his past, and has been digging into his personal archives to unearth material related to Banjo-Tooie, which recently celebrated its 25th birthday.

Among the paperwork you'll find scripts, unfilmed TV commercials, lost special moves, maps and unused abilities, but the item that made me smile the most was a fax from Nintendo's Japanese HQ which cleared the game for release in that region.

The author of the fax was none other than Shigeru Miyamoto himself, who has written in English, 'Splendid game' – along with a smiley face giving the all-important thumbs up.

I now have a vision in my head of Miyamoto adding personalised messages to all of the approval faxes which emanated from NCL's offices. We certainly lost something in the move to email, if you ask me.

I'm sure Mayles will be showing off more material related to the game, so be sure to follow him on social media.

Edia has announced another compilation of Telenet Japan games. This time, focusing primarily on Wolf Team's Zan series of Japanese-set simulation titles, which see players stepping into the role of a warlord tasked with commanding an army around a battlefield (thanks, Gematsu, for the spot!).

In the past, the collection of games has regularly been likened to Koei's Nobunaga's Ambition series of strategy games, and typically shares a similar focus on military affairs, such as arranging your troops into formations, gathering intelligence, and handling other aspects of war.

The series first debuted back in 1989 with the release of Zan: Kagerō no Toki on the PC-98 and Sharp X68000, and was later ported to the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² in 1991. It has also received a handful of sequels and spin-offs over the years, including titles for everything from the Sega Game Gear to the Super Famicom and Sega Mega Drive.

Image: Edia

This new collection, however, only includes three games in total, all of which were previously released for the Super Famicom. These include Zan II: Spirits (May 29, 1992; Super Famicom), Zan III: Spirits (March 11, 1994, Super Famicom), and Sangokushi Seishi: Tenbu Spirits (June 25, 1993; Super Famicom). The first two games are set in Japan, while the third game is a spin-off based in the Three Kingdoms era of ancient China, and is heavily influenced by the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

The collection, which has been announced for Nintendo Switch, will launch in Japan next year on March 12, 2026, and will cost 6,800 yen (7,480 yen with tax), with a special edition (featuring a soundtrack CD and artbook) also being offered for 9,800 yen (10,780 yen with tax).

If we had to guess, the likelihood of this coming to the West is pretty slim, but we're glad to see more Super Famicom games being brought back and given another opportunity to find a greater audience.

Square's Secret of Mana (known as Seiken Densetsu 2 in Japan) is one of my personal favourites in the SNES library, so when I heard the news that a fan-made attempt to bring it to another of my beloved consoles – the PC Engine – is underway, I was understandably excited.

As is the case with many of these unofficial porting projects, it pays to keep expectations in check. Developer kaffeeware / not_again admits this is just a demo at the moment, and they haven't even had the chance to test it on real hardware personally.

Images: kaffeeware

To that end, they're looking for volunteers to help iron out any early bugs on original PC Engine/TG-16 systems – and early reports are quite positive.

It seems that kaffeeware's main focus at present is ensuring that the character-swapping mechanic and groundbreaking radial menu system are both working as intended, and beyond that, we could potentially see the project grow in scope.

If you'd like to try out the demo and offer feedback, you can download it here.

It's the final month of the year, and we're mere days away from one of the most anticipated video games of 2025. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is the clear headliner of December, but if that isn't your cup of tea, there's some other games that might be worth picking up. Let's see what's in store.

December 1

Marvel Cosmic Invasion | PC, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, NS

December 2

Assassin's Creed Shadows | NS2
Red Dead Redemption | PS5, XSX|S, NS2, Mobile
Sleep Awake | PC, PS5, XSX|S
Rising Heat | PC

December 3

Let it Die: Inferno | PC

December 4

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | NS2, NS
Octopath Traveler 0 | PC, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, NS2, NS
Blood: Refreshed Supply | PC, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, XBO, NS
Sonic Racing: Crossworlds | NS2
Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows Expansion | PC, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, XBO

December 5

Nicktoons and the Dice of Destiny | NS2

December 8

Angeline Era | PC
Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 | PS5
Skate Story | PC, PS5, NS2
Yakuza 0: Director's Cut | PC, PS5, XSX|S
Yakuza: Kiwami | PS5, XSX|S
Yakuza: Kiwami 2 | PS5, XSX|S

December 9

Unbeatable | PC, PS5, XSX|S
Dome Keeper | XSX|S
Farming Simulator: Signature Edition | NS2

December 10

Montezuma's Revenge | PS5, PS4, XSX|S, XBO, NS
Mutant Football League 2 | PC, PS5, XSX|S

December 12

Terminator 2D: No Fate | PC, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, XBO, NS

December 16

The Rogue Prince of Persia | NS2, NS

December 20

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - From the Ashes Expansion | PC, PS5, XSX|S

Remember when Microsoft committed to putting Call of Duty on Nintendo platforms amidst all of the ActiBlizz drama a few years back? Well, we've not really seen much activity in this space since, but after confirming that this move was still in the works back in the summer, one of the COD dev teams is now seemingly hiring for Switch development of some sort.

Over on LinkedIn, Sledgehammer Games — who most recently developed 2023's Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 — is hiring for a Senior Technical Artist role. What makes this particular job listing different, is that within the finer details, Sledgehammer notes that a bonus for this role would be someone with "AAA Mobile or Switch experience".

In this case, then, it's looking like COD 2027 could be making its way to Nintendo platforms; presumably the Switch 2 given the system's gulf in power from Switch 1. Yep, developer Infinity Ward is supposedly helming next year's COD, so it may be that the one after that is where the series' makes its Nintendo Switch debut.

Of course, there's also chance that Infinity Ward is working on something similar and just hasn't mentioned it anywhere - but for now, that remains to be seen. All we know is that Sledgehammer Games seems to be making moves towards Call of Duty Switch development, which will hopefully apply to the franchise by 2027.

In case you missed it, this week Nintendo released a new update for its Switch mobile app, bumping it up to Version 3.2.0.

This latest update features some notable changes, including notifications displaying what software friends are playing, and the ability to send friend requests to players you've spoken to in GameChat sessions.

Here's the full rundown via the App Store, including some iOS-specific updates:

Nintendo Switch App - Version 3.2.0 (27th Nov 2025)

What's New:

• The app no longer supports iOS versions prior to iOS 16. iOS devices must have iOS 16 or later to be compatible with this app.

• The notification you received when a friend comes online has now been updated to include the name of the software they're using, if applicable.

• You can now send friend requests to users you chatted with in a GameChat session.

• You can now copy the hashtags for a software title. This can be done from the details for a screenshot or video.

• You can now create a Nintendo Switch App album in the iOS Photos app. To use this feature, enable it from Settings in this app.

• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the order of screenshots and videos to change when downloading several at once.

• Other small bug fixes have also been made.

If you've not downloaded this app yet, it's designed to enhance the online gameplay experience for the Switch and Switch 2. It allows you to use more friend features and game-specific services for compatible titles.

Nintendo also recently released a new storefront app in select regions for Android and iOS.

Dark Horse and Square Enix are celebrating three decades of the Mana series with an English version of Legend of Mana: The Art of Mana - 30th Anniversary Edition book.

This is the first time this book has been published in English and will give fans a "deeper look" at the action RPG. Here's some additional PR:

"A full-color art book giving fans a deeper look at the action roleplaying game, Legend of Mana. This will be the first time the book has been published in English and will include art created for the game’s original release in 1999, as well as art crafted exclusively for this book by Yukata koyama, Shinichi Kamoeka, Masaki Takahashi, HACCAN, and Kanta Kamei.

"This 80-page special 30th anniversary edition art book contains Legend of Mana’s vast Lands and Artifacts, character pixel art, Mystic Cards, boss monster illustrations, and more. Fans can take a deeper look into the materials and illustrations created when the original version of the Legend of Mana game was released, including newly drafted selection screen art, character designs, and background art."

As mentioned, this book includes 80 pages in total. It will be available in hardcover and is scheduled to arrive in bookstores on 28th July 2026 for $29.99 (or the equivalent). Pre-orders are now available on the Dark Horse website and other sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Video Game Library (via Instagram) has also cleared up some confusion about the "30th Anniversary" subtitle:

"The book itself was originally published in 2021 in Japan (30 years after Seiken Densetsu). This is the long-awaited English localization"

Would you be interested in this book? Let us know in the comments.

Nintendo released a new firmware update for the Switch 2 earlier this week, and it's now been followed up with compatibility fixes for select Switch titles.

Apart from the update for NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition, several other titles have reportedly received compatibility fixes. Here's the rundown via Nintendo Everything:

• DOOM + DOOM II

• Guardian Tales

• NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition

• Skies Above

• Sugardew Island

• Super Mega Baseball 4

• Timespinner

Apart from this, some problems with certain other titles have also been identified. This includes an issue with Sports Party, where waiting on the title screen for half a minute can apparently create an issue. Resident Evil 4 and Blade of Darkness also supposedly have some progression issues.

In case you missed it, Nintendo recently launched a dedicated search page, allowing users to check the compatibility of Switch software on the Switch 2.

Will you be revisiting any of these Switch titles on the Switch 2? How are you finding them after this latest update, and what other games would you like to see updated for Nintendo's new system? Let us know in the comments.

The Analogue 3D has been updated to version 1.1.9, introducing a range of fixes and improvements for the FPGA-based N64 system.

As well as some fixes, this update features "substantial" updates to the Analogue 3D's 'Overclock' mode for titles like Perfect Dark and GoldenEye 007.

Here are the full patch notes, taken from the Analogue site:

General

• Enhanced device support for SD connect mode

Core

• Substantial upgrades to Unleashed mode Overclock for CPU-bound games such as Perfect Dark and Goldeneye 007

• Fixed frame overflow issue

  • Bomberman Hero (PAL)

  • Super Smash Bros.

OS

• Added manual region selection in the configure menu

• Added 'Disable Texture Filtering' feature in the configure menu

• Adjusted timing for switching between virtual Controller/Rumble Paks

• Fixed occasional issue with truncated Library titles

• Fixed occasional issue with Library ordering

• General stability improvements

Controllers

• Fixed inconsistency issues via USB

Publisher Fireshine Games and developer Pugstorm dazzled us with the gorgeous survival sandbox game Core Keeper back in September last year, and today they have announced that more is on the way in the shape of a swanky new Switch 2 Edition.

Arriving on 28th January, you can expect this one to feature beefed-up graphical fidelity and frame rate (targeting 60fps), as well as a bunch of visual tweaks in the lighting, shadow, water quality and particle effect departments to keep things looking super sleek.

What's more, the Switch 2 version will include native eight-player co-op — a substantial step up from the original's four — and anyone can get involved with a session, even if you're playing on Switch 1 (assuming the session is being hosted by a S2 player, of course).

And the best part of all: this Switch 2 Edition upgrade will be completely free for those who already own the game on the old hardware!

The good news doesn't end there either. Fireshine Games and Pugstorm have also announced that the free 'Volt & Voltage' update will be arriving on all systems on the very same day. This packs in a new biome to explore, fresh enemy types and bosses, and a bunch of cool new weapons. It promises to be a rather beefy one, so if you've been looking for an excuse to dive back in, this might just be the perfect opportunity.

Images: Fireshine Games

In our review of the original Switch 1 release, we called Core Keeper "a wonderfully engaging and mysterious survival sandbox that is tough to put down once it gets its hooks in you," and it's certainly one to watch if you're a fan of Minecraft or Terraria. Bring on even more in January!

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond marks a completely new story where the legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran is unexpectedly transported to the unknown planet Viewros. As you've probably already seen, she's also joined by a team of Galactic Federation soldiers.

In the same recently published article on Nintendo's Japanese website, there's an official introduction to the team of soldiers who have also been transported to the same location. Throughout this new adventure, Samus will work and fight alongside all of these characters to return home alive.

If you don't want any spoilers, you might want to navigate away from this page right now. Below is a look at each of the Galactic Federation soldiers and a description. Apart from MacKenzie's description (based on the in-game logbook which has already been shared online), the other descriptions are translated from Nintendo's website. Here's what you can expect:

Myles MacKenzie

Image: Nintendo

"Myles MacKenzie is an engineer with the Galactic Federation. His duties include the maintenance and repair of several vehicle types and programming software used for weapons development. He is known to be extremely talkative, even while alone. Although his restless energy and curiosity make him prone to danger, his excessive caution is enough to keep him from harm. He has a strong moral compass and work ethic, making him a reliable problem solver no matter the situation."

Tokabi

Image: Nintendo

"A solitary hunter who volunteered for the federal army in search of a stable life . He always carries a talisman in the shape of a tiger, and believes that it is its protection that has allowed him to escape from difficult situations."

Sergeant 'Duke'

Image: Nintendo

"A veteran who has survived countless battles with the Space Pirate army, his stubborn personality often leads to conflicts with his superiors, but his sincere and compassionate nature make him a reliable presence on the battlefield."

Private First Class 'Armstrong'

Image: Nintendo

"Private First Class of the Galactic Federation Forces. Possesses exceptional structural knowledge and operational skills with vehicles, mastering them intuitively. Her bright and proactive personality leads to frequent problem-solving successes, and she holds an admiration for Samus Aran."

Android 'VUE-995'

Image: Nintendo

"A combat android belonging to the Galactic Federation Army. It pilots fighter jets, armored vehicles, and bipedal manned combat mecha on behalf of humans . It is not equipped with a program that allows it to have emotions , but there are cases where pseudo-emotions can be generated."

Samus and the team

Nintendo has also shared some more screenshots, cinematics and gameplay of Samus with the team, which you can see at the top of this page, and in the screenshots and video below:

Images: Nintendo

Images: Nintendo

Images: Nintendo

Whether you're a veteran of the series or just starting out, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will have a difficult to match your skill.

In a new article on the official Japanese Nintendo website, the difficulty settings in Samus' new mission on Planet Viewros have been detailed. When you start this adventure, you will be able to select from either a 'casual' or 'normal' mode.

Casual mode will lower enemy HP and reduce the amount of damage Samus takes, and is recommended for first-time players. And as you probably guessed, normal mode offers the standard Metroid Prime experience. If you want a tougher challenge, once normal mode is cleared, you'll unlock hard mode.

If you've played previous entries such as Metroid Prime Remastered, these difficulty settings shouldn't come as a surprise.

The same post has also detailed how players will also be able to adjust certain other in-game settings. This includes the ability to fine-tune the sensitivity of the analog and mouse controls, which can help if you're struggling with movement or aiming.

You'll also be able to adjust the screen display and volume settings to your liking. You can see what else Nintendo has revealed about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in our previous coverage.

Just two weeks to the day after its PS5, PS4 release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is already on sale on the PS Store. This is a separate offer from the huge PS Store Black Friday sale, and it's only live until midnight on Tuesday, 2nd December 2025.

Between now and then, you can save 15% on the base version of the game, making it £59.49 / $59.49.

This is an incredibly quick turnaround from a full-priced release to a sale, with the game having only been available for 14 days.

Compared to past entries in the series, Black Ops 7 has been selling poorly and below the expectations of Activision. Its main competitor, Battlefield 6, is comfortably outselling it, and it's recording the franchise's worst launch in history in some countries.

In our Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 PS5 review, we gave the game a 6/10 and concluded: "The most ridiculous Call of Duty has ever been, all of Black Ops 7’s multiplayer strengths are overshadowed by the silliest campaign in the franchise’s history."

Are you tempted to pick Black Ops 7 up at £10 / $10 cheaper? Let us know in the comments below.

Xbox's big Black Friday sale has been live for more than a week now, featuring some massive AAA titles from a broad range of publishers and developers. One game that seemingly missed the Black Friday boat — mostly due to its very recent release date — was Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, but Microsoft has decided to put it on special discount for the coming weekend only.

Yep, live now on the Xbox Store (and indeed PlayStation Network), Black Ops 7 is currently 15% off; the game's first digital discount. The new Call of Duty title is on offer until December 1st, a few days before Xbox's main Black Friday sale ends on December 3rd.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Cross-Gen Bundle (Xbox Store)

This perhaps isn't the best sign for the game's initial sales performance, given that it only came out two weeks ago today, but it is only 15% off - and the promotion runs for just three days in total. Either way, the sale is live now on both Xbox and PSN if anyone wants to grab a digital copy of the game.

Little Rocket Lab is a sweet pixel art automation game from No More Robots and Teenage Astronauts. It arrived on Steam and Xbox last month, and we have been wondering when a Switch release would follow ever since. Well, it's coming real soon. What's more, there's a Switch 2 Edition in tow.

Little Rocket Lab - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and its Switch 1 counterpart, will be available on the eShop from 10th December for £15.99 / $19.99 (or as a free upgrade for those who make the jump between systems down the road), and it boasts some pretty slick performance on the new hardware. Alongside the promise of boosted resolution, Teenage Astronauts have also got things running at a sweet 120fps — so you know those conveyor belts are going to be looking smooth as anything.

It's not necessarily the kind of game that we can imagine being drastically impacted by a triple-figure frame rate, but S2 Editions hitting those upper reaches are always a welcome sight.

For those curious, this is a chilled little factory-building game, where you set out to transform your rundown family home into a prime site for rocket construction. To do so, you'll have to lay down transport, delegate machinery, and make the most of your surrounding resources, all while keeping the locals happy.

You'll find a brief rundown of the game's key features and a handful of screenshots below:

Clever Contraptions: Use drills, furnaces, automated bots, cranes, complex assemblers and far more to help the town’s struggling locals!
The Heart of Community: Build lifelong friendships with townsfolk, learn the depths of their lives, and become the heart of the community
Invent, Invent, Invent!: Devise and formulate new machinery, energy sources and mechanical pals to help you on your journey to the stars
Cozy Organisation: Lose yourself in the comforting hum of well-oiled machines, made by your hands, and working just as intended
Build a Rocket Ship: Support a struggling town while building a rocket ship!

Images: No More Robots

The first half of December is looking particularly rammed at the moment, but if you're after something to kick back with between the stresses of Metroid Prime 4 and Assassin's Creed Shadows, this might just end up fitting the bill.

November might not be in the rear-view mirror yet, but Nintendo's already feeling festive with its new range of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in-game Christmas jumpers (or sweaters, if you'd prefer).

If you want to deck out your New Horizons avatar in the holiday gear, you can pick up all three custom designs by heading to the company's official Ninten Island via Luna's Dream Address service (Island code: DA-6382-1459-4417), or by using the kiosk at the back of the Able Sisters' shop and entering the following Design-ID codes:

• Jingle Sweater: MO-T2XL-S43L-9JTW
  

  

  Image: Nintendo

• Bells Sweater: MO-5KL7-989R-MTP5
  

  

  Image: Nintendo

• Wreath Sweater: MO-DP24-0WP7-6D2J
  

  

  Image: Nintendo

Once you've saved the designs, you'll be able to bosh them on a sweater of your own via the Custom Designs app on your NookPhone.

It sounds like the perfect way to ease yourself back into Animal Crossing: New Horizons before the game gets all manner of additions next year. As a reminder, the New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition will arrive via a £4.19 / $4.99 upgrade path on 15th January, adding mouse mode and higher resolution alongside the chance to play online with more friends at once. On the same day, the free ver. 3.0 update will drop for Switch 1 and 2 users, including crossover content, a new hotel resort and more.

Update #2 [Fri 28th Nov 2025, 7am]:

We now have a release date for Rigel Gameworks' BioMenace remaster. According to the developer and publisher, the game is now scheduled to launch on December 18th, 2025, and will be available to buy across both Steam and GOG.

To coincide with this piece of news, a new trailer for the remaster has also been released, going over again what folks can expect from this new version of the 1993 Apogee title. This includes a better look at its newly improved graphics, parallax backgrounds, and controller support.

You can watch the trailer below:

Update #1 [Thu 10th Jul 2025, 2:30am]:

Dosgamert has announced on social media that a demo for BioMenace Remastered is scheduled to drop tomorrow (Friday, July 11th).

According to the trailer, the demo will include four levels from the finished game, allowing you to get "a feel" of what BioMenace Remastered is like, while the team continues working behind the scenes, producing Episode four of the game. This will be available to download from Steam, and interestingly, doesn't seem to be the only piece of news we've had about the project over the last two weeks or so.

That's because the developer Rigel Gameworks has also recently produced a Q&A video and an FAQ, answering some of the common questions it has been getting about the project, such as why Apogee Entertainment aren't involved at all.

In both of these, the developer states that they did approach Apogee to get involved, hoping to utilise the publisher's resources to bring the project to life, but that Apogee was simply too busy focusing on new IP. Nevertheless, Apogee did the team a solid, putting them in touch with the BioMenace creator Jim Norwood and agreeing to spread the word if he approved of the project. Norwood is the person who owns all the rights to the game today, and, according to the devs, has licensed the rights to the BioMenace Remastered team to go ahead with the project.

The game is currently only scheduled for a Steam release, but Rigel Gameworks is also reportedly considering publishing on GOG, as well as other platforms like Nintendo Switch. The latter, however, will depend on the success of the PC release, as the team will need to invest in a devkit.

Original Story: Apogee Software is a company that will probably be best known to most people for creating games like Duke Nukem and for publishing early Id Software titles like Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D. But that isn't all it had to offer the world of gaming.

A fairly good example of this is 1993's BioMenace — a fun and colourful run 'n gun platformer that was built in Commander Keen's 'Keen Dreams' engine for MS-DOS and focused on a CIA operative, named Snake Logan, saving a city (and its residents) from an evil scientist named Dr. Mangle.

Created by one of the future designers of Shadow Warrior James Norwood, and featuring music from the legendary composer Bobby Prince (of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom fame), the game has largely been confined to history in the decades since its release, becoming a footnote in the careers of those who worked on it.

But that hasn't stopped a small cult following from developing around the title, especially among those who continue to fly the flag for the MS-DOS era of gaming. This likely explains why it was recently announced that the game is getting a remaster for Steam later this year.

Images: Rigel Gameworks

The new remaster was announced yesterday on social media by Dosgamert and is being developed by Rigel Gameworks. It will reportedly launch in Fall 2025 and will feature enhanced graphics and various other improvements, with the option also being included to switch between the original and remastered graphics for the purists among you.

Here's are the features listed on its steam page:

• Enhanced graphics including widescreen support, smooth scrolling & movement (60 FPS or higher), • and parallax scrolling backgrounds
• Modernized HUD & UI
• Switch between original and remastered graphics at any time
• Controller support
• Full Steam Deck support
• Rebalanced difficulty
• Gameplay tweaks and new mechanics, including weapon/grenade type switching and infinite lives
• Mid-level saves and quick saving
• Completion and stats tracking
• Includes Bobby Prince's Original Soundtrack from the DOS version
• Steam achievements

If you want to wishlist the project ahead of its launch, the game is already has a Steam page, which you can visit here.

After the release of the near universally acclaimed Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter back in September, it was revealed that developer Falcom was already well into making another full-on remake with Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter.

Although we don't have an official release window for it, the remade sequel is expected to launch next year — and expectations are sky high (pun intended) given how beloved the original title is.

But what happens after 2nd Chapter? Well, you'd think that Falcom's most obvious course of action would be to then remake the third game in the Sky trilogy — Trails in the Sky The 3rd. The name basically fits with the remakes and everything!

Apparently, though, the situation isn't quite so clear cut. In a new interview with Dengeki Online (as translated by Automaton), Falcom CEO Toshihiro Kondo admits that the studio is actually divided on which classic Trails title they want to remake next.

"We’re not sure whether to do Trails in the Sky The 3rd or Trails from Zero next – opinions are divided among us," he states.

"Some of the members are saying that it would be better to do a remake of from Zero before The 3rd."

Trails from Zero is the game that, chronologically, takes place after the Sky trilogy. It introduces a mostly fresh cast of characters and a different setting.

At first glance, you might think that it makes zero (pun intended, again) sense to jump straight to the next saga in the franchise — but it sounds like the issue lies with The 3rd being a very unconventional Trails title.

Without spoiling anything, The 3rd wraps a nice little bow around the Sky games and many of its surrounding plot points, but its unorthodox, dungeon-based structure makes it a bit of a black sheep.

"I think we have to do a remake of The 3rd at some point, but there are many possible ideas for what form it could take," says Kondo, alluding to the possibility of reworking the game's design.

And of course, these remakes aren't the only Trails projects that Falcom's cooking. The next game in the Daybreak saga — the title that comes after Trails beyond the Horizon, which launches in the West in January — is deep in development at this point.

Falcom's only getting busier, then, and so it'll be fascinating to see how it tries to balance things out between these full-blown remakes and the titles that'll define the future of the series.

What do you want next from Falcom? Is The Third the one? Would you want a remake to tweak its unique design? Overcome some barriers in the comments section below.

Ever since Assassin's Creed Origins, Ubisoft has pushed the series towards a live service model, opting to support each game over a long period of time with free updates and DLC.

And to be fair, it's a model that's proven to be successful; Assassin's Creed Valhalla ended up being the franchise's most profitable instalment to date off the back of two whole years of support.

But these major updates and DLCs do, of course, have a cost in terms of resources — and that's what Assassin's Creed Shadows director Simon Lemay-Comtois gets at in a new interview with YouTube channel Access the Animus.

Ubisoft has explained its methods in the past, but Lemay-Comtois reiterates: "Microtransactions, for all the flak it gets, it allows us to do the Isu stuff, the quest stuff, the parkour updates, all of it."

The idea is that each Assassin's Creed titles funds its own ongoing support through paid content. Shadows, for example, gets premium equipment packs on a regular basis, featuring themed weapons, armour, and cosmetics.

We wouldn't call them microtransactions given that they're actually rather expensive, but again, it's apparently a model that works well for the franchise.

It's not without issue, however — particularly in the case of Shadows. Just this week, the title received a new update that introduces an Attack on Titan crossover quest, of all things. The quest is entirely free for all players — but the rewards are meagre at best.

Indeed, the update's marketing showcases cool Attack on Titan-themed outfits, but they're actually locked behind an accompanying paid DLC pack. The same thing happened with Shadows' Dead by Daylight crossover quest a few months back.

So it's certainly not all sunshine and rainbows for dedicated players, but in a different interview with YouTube channel JorRaptor, Lemay-Comtois assures fans that bigger updates are in the pipeline, and the dev team's definitely not done with Shadows yet.

"[We're working on] chunkier updates that shake things up," he says, although he does state that there are currently no plans to release a second, Claws of Awaji-style expansion in 2026.

"As of now, at this moment for Year Two, there is no expansion on the size of [Claws of Awaji] that is planned, currently [...] We're still working on content for post-launch and supporting it, but it's not a full-on DLC the way a season pass would have had in previous years."

So there you have it. It looks like Shadows will be getting a second year of support, and there's scope for larger content drops — but don't go expecting any big story-driven DLCs.

What do you think of the modern approach of Assassin's Creed? Are you okay with microtransactions as long as they continue to fund free updates, or is Shadows leaning a little too far into the model? Equip some better gear in the comments section below.

Update [Thu 27th Nov 2025, 5:30pm]: SHUTEN ORDER's Switch 2 Edition and upgrade is now available today. Once again, it supports a higher frame rate, including variable frame rate between 60 to 120 fps in docked and portable modes. There is also Joy-Con 2 mouse controls in areas of the game where it's supported.

The Upgrade Pack for existing Switch owners will set you back $2.49 (or your regional equivalent). And the Switch 2 and Switch versions of the full game are currently on sale in select locations.

Original Story: Following the release of SHUTEN ORDER on the Switch in September, a Switch 2 Edition has now been officially announced.

It will arrive later this month on 27th November 2025 for the launch price of 6,579 yen. This 10% discount is available until 4th December 2025. Local pricing for the full game hasn't been confirmed just yet, but there will be a paid Upgrade Pack for existing Switch owners. Thankfully, it's only a small sum of 330 Yen (about $2).

As for what you can expect, the Switch 2 Edition will support a higher frame rate, including variable frame rate between 60 to 120 fps in both docked and portable modes. There will also be Joy-Con 2 mouse controls in areas of the game where it's supported.

Will you be checking out the Switch 2 version of this title? Have you already got the Switch version? Let us know in the comments.

Well, here's a welcome surprise! Hot off the back of Silent Hill 2 and Cronos: The New Dawn, Bloober Team has shared with us the next project that it's working on for Switch 2, and it's none other than an all-new Layers of Fear package.

Layers of Fear: Final Masterpiece Edition will arrive on Switch 2 on 19th December, bundling together Layers of Fear, Layers of Fear 2, every DLC expansion, and brand-new chapters into one spooky edition fully optimised for the new system.

There are the added bonuses of HDR, ray tracing, and dynamic lighting, too, and you have the option to play with motion controls or touchscreen inputs if you see fit. Here's the official blurb from Bloober Team and a handful of screenshots:

Layers of Fear is a first-person experience that blends story-driven exploration, environmental puzzles, and psychological horror. The Final Master Edition brings together the intertwined stories of three characters — the Painter, the Actor, and the Writer — each consumed by their devotion to art. The atmosphere is elevated by a chilling yet hauntingly beautiful soundtrack composed by award-winning musician Arek Reikowski. Rebuilt with HDR, ray tracing, and dynamic lighting, this edition deepens immersion in its melancholic and spine-chilling world.

Images: Bloober Team

It all sounds like a pretty strong way to experience these psychological horror titles. The full Final Masterpiece Edition will be available on the eShop for $39.99 (or your regional equivalent) next month — because the holiday season really needs some more scares, right?

For those curious, we had a perfectly good time with Cronos: The New Dawn when it arrived on Switch 2 back in September, describing it as "a celebration of survival horror, paying homage to all the genre greats effectively.

If you like your retro first-person shooters to be colorful, gory, and feature extravagant, larger-than-life characters, then Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation could be exactly the game you're looking for.

Released earlier this month exclusively on Steam, the "fast-action" shooter has previously been described by its creators as "half game, half cartoon" and features detailed hand-drawn graphics, gallons of blood, and a charismatic "cigar-huffing", "hot pink-wearing" ship captain as its lead. It is the creation of a small studio, called Ciaran Games, and was built using GZDoom, a fork of the ZDoom source port of the original Doom games.

As you'll see, though, from looking at any of the screenshots or trailers that are already available, the Doom resemblance is pretty much non-existent, with Captain Wayne instead featuring a much more humorous and far less hellish take on the popular genre.

Images: Ciaran Games

The story of the game sees players step into the shoes of the titular sailor, as he is attacked by mercenaries and marooned on Orca Isle. Shipless and hunted by the merciless mercenary group, the Killer Whales, he finds himself turning to his trusty shotgun arm, Ol' Reliable, and his personal stash of explosives, to get him out of the jam, blasting his way through the waves of enemies that dare to get in his way.

In total, the game features 8 humongous areas to explore, from a picturesque resort to ancient ruins, which will end up taking players all across Orca Isle, in their quest to defeat the Killer Whales and get back their ship.

Here are some of the features you can expect:

-Witness an elaborately hand-drawn, action-packed epic inspired by the FPS greats!

-Make use of the many devastating weapons in Wayne’s arsenal and achieve maximum destruction!

-Explore dangerous locales through 8 humongous areas all across Orca Isle!

-HALF GAME, HALF CARTOON! Delight in the Captain’s depth-defying tale in CAMPAIGN MODE as you view tons of animated cutscenes exploring his adventure.

-Experience a high-octane soundtrack that emphasizes AGGRESSION and CHAOS!

-Go for the gold in our ENDLESS MODE–how long can you survive the onslaught?

If this sounds like something that is up your street, you can grab it now for £6.74 (as part of an introductory offer lasting until December 7th).

Fireproof Games, the British studio behind the acclaimed puzzle series The Room, is soon to release its latest title on PSVR2.

It's called Ghost Town, and it's set for release on Sony's virtual reality hardware on 1st December 2025:

You play as Edith Penrose, a witch who turns her talents to ghost hunting in this supernatural thriller.

You'll use her magical abilities to solve puzzles and track down clues to the whereabouts of her missing brother.

Here's the Steam version's launch trailer to put you in the mood:

The Room series is held in high regard, so there's every reason to be hopeful about this new title.

Ghost Town was very well received when it launched for PC VR formats earlier this year, so PSVR2 and puzzle fans should definitely take note.

Are you interested in this one? Tell us in the comments section below.

Two legendary developers have joined forces once again, and it's a game that's a teensy bit outside what they're best known for.

From Steve Ellis and David Doak, two of the minds behind renowned shooters GoldenEye 007 and TimeSplitters, comes Beyond Words, a strategic, roguelike word game.

Coming to PS5 in early 2026, the easiest way to describe Beyond Words is that it's a combination of Scrabble and Balatro.

You'll be spelling out words in a similar vein to the legendary board game, and it seems combos, alongside hundreds of gameplay modifiers, will help you reach enormous scores.

Each board will challenge you in different ways, and there are even bosses, seeded runs, time attacks, and "negative scoring" challenges to overcome.

Published by PQube and developed by the pair's new studio Mindfuel Games, it looks like the kind of thing word game fans, as well as fans of numbers getting bigger, will certainly love.

What do you make of Beyond Words? Tell us in the comments section below.

Techland has unveiled update 1.4 for Dying Light: The Beast, an enormous update for the action title that incorporates brand new features and hundreds of improvements.

Largely based on feedback from the community, update 1.4 brings fixes, improvements, and features requested by players.

Here's a quick rundown of all the major additions in the update:

• New Game + mode: New Game + is added to the game, meaning you can replay the adventure while keeping all your gear, weapons, and character progression from your first playthrough. Each time you start New Game +, the level of challenge increases, but so does the power and rarity of the weapons you find.

• Legend Levels: This is an endgame progression system that allows you to continue building your character beyond the main skill tree. After reaching level 15, XP you earn converts to Legend XP, which allows you to invest in passive upgrades like more health and better stats.

• Visual improvements: The update fixes "over 70 graphical issues", with improvements and fixes to textures, clipping, misaligned architecture, and more.

• Refined gameplay: There are "over 200 parkour and environment navigation" fixes, according to the press release, based on input from the community.

On top of all this, Techland is offering an exclusive in-game item, the Bloody Bowie Knife, to anyone who logs into the game between now and 2nd December.

There's also a double XP period happening between now and 30th November.

We really enjoyed Dying Light: The Beast at launch, but it sounds like Techland has delivered a meaningful update here that makes some serious improvements to the experience.

Will you be hopping into the game to check out this big new update? Tell us in the comments section below.