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Shuten Order - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Out Now, Includes Paid Upgrade For Switch Owners

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.
Rockstar

Bloober Team Is Bringing Layers Of Fear To Switch 2 Next Month

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:


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.
Rockstar

Captain Wayne Is A New Retro FPS About A Ticked-Off Sailor With A Shotgun For An Arm

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:
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).
Rockstar

The Room Devs Return to PSVR2 with Spooky Puzzle Thriller Ghost Town in Early December

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.
Rockstar

The Next Game from the Makers of GoldenEye and TimeSplitters Is Balatro Meets Scrabble

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.
Rockstar

Dying Light: The Beast Gets New Game+, Legend Levels, Much More in Massive Update on PS5

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.
Rockstar

PS5 Sales in Japan Quadruple as New Model Launches

PS5 console sales in Japan have skyrocketed in the past week, as the new model designed specifically for the country enters the market.
Accounting for around two to three days' worth of sales, there were exactly 23,381 purchases of the PS5 Digital Edition in Japan through until 23rd November. In comparison, PS5 sales the week before slumped to just 5,855.
This means that the Japan-specific PS5 model, which has launched at a lower price and is essentially region-locked to Japan, has resulted in roughly four times as many sales upon its first few days on the market. The Switch 2 is still very comfortably outselling it, with 126,000+ purchases recorded between 17th and 23rd November, but the PS5 has at least seen a noticeable uptick in sales.
The new model of PS5 for Japan comes with a price drop (from ¥72,980 (~$473) down to ¥55,000 (~$350)) and can only be used in the Japanese language, also requiring the use of a Japanese PSN account. This renders the unit almost useless outside of the country, as Sony specifically targets sales improvements in the Japanese market. Nintendo does offer a similar version of the Switch 2, and its sales successes are clear to see.
Here's how the Japanese hardware sales look overall for 17th-23rd November (via Gematsu):
Switch 2 – 126,953
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 23,381
Switch OLED Model – 12,486
PlayStation 5 Pro – 11,367
Switch Lite – 10,908
Switch – 5,976
PlayStation 5 – 2,235
Xbox Series X Digital Edition – 201
Xbox Series X – 118
Xbox Series S – 30
PlayStation 4 – 17
Rockstar

Dying Light: The Beast Gets Its Biggest Update Yet, And It's In The Xbox Black Friday Sale

It's been a few months now since Dying Light: The Beast launched on Xbox and other platforms, and the game has just received its biggest update since release today - perfect timing considering it's part of the Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025!
This update adds a New Game+ mode, ray tracing on PC, three new finishers and Legend Levels that provide you with the "classic Dying Light end-game progression system". Here's a bit more on the main two features on Xbox:

In addition to all this, there are over 400 improvements as mentioned above, spanning the likes of environmental & navigational fixes, gameplay fixes, graphical improvements and much more. If you're interested, the full list of everything is available on the official Dying Light website.
So, if you fancy grabbing Dying Light: The Beast on the Xbox Store, you'll be glad to hear it's been reduced by 20% for the Xbox Black Friday Sale, bringing it down from £59.99 / $59.99 to £47.99 / $47.99 until early December!
Rockstar

Microsoft Rewards Is Allowing You To 'Double Your Points' Until Early December

Fancy topping up your Microsoft Rewards earnings over the next week?
Well, there's a new promotion on the Microsoft Rewards dashboard that's allowing you to "double your points" until early December through Bing searches, which you can do on PC, mobile or through the Microsoft Edge browser on Xbox.
To find it, you just need to head to the Microsoft Rewards dashboard and look for the relevant banner and "activate now" button that'll hopefully show up in your region. Here's what it looks like:

After this, you'll get a brief explanation of what "double your points" means:
For me personally, I can see that the cap of earning 90 Microsoft Rewards points through Bing searches on PC every day has now risen to 180 points, and the cap of earning 60 points on mobile every day has now risen to 120 points.
If you're someone who makes these Bing searches part of their daily routine, you're set to earn a lot more Microsoft Rewards points with this! Just make sure you go and activate it first - it doesn't apply unless you specifically ask it to.
Rockstar

Mini Review: Morsels (Switch) - A Punishing, Obscure, But Thoroughly Entertaining Roguelite Dungeon Crawler

A scared mouse scurries through an unforgiving landscape packed with abominations that may be friend or foe. This timid squeaker can join forces with Morsels, strange creatures with offensive abilities that fight at their side. With this help, the mouse travels upward toward the domain of the evil overlords who control this twisted world.
From that simple premise, Morsels presented me with a wealth of visual information and a relentless assault of creatures and environmental hazards. It's a lot to take in and it never really lets up.
An odd blend of Enter the Gungeon and Binding of Isaac, Furcula Games has crafted a twin-stick shooter cum card-based companion collector. The resulting creation is just as bizarre as that sounds.
Starting off in the sewers, you are gifted a morsel at the beginning of each attempt. You assign this friendly creature to a slot, collecting others later that can be added or swapped out. Morsels can level up from use or via power-ups scattered throughout levels.
For the first few runs, I had no idea what I was doing. There is no useful flavour text or tooltips in the game. Aside from a rough guide to the Morsel’s ability set, you don’t really know what you're getting until you learn what everything does. Some are powerful from the start, others have a steep learning curve to master. All of them are unique.
The general trial-and-error nature of Morsels isn’t a detriment. Much like Animal Well, the compulsion to learn more about your purpose in this world is strong.
Death comes swiftly across the densely populated environments. The intricate art style and twitchy gameplay go hand in hand. I found myself trying to dodge benign creatures wandering the maps, jumping headlong into hostile ones spewing projectiles in my general direction. Enemies come in myriad flavours and boss battles are typically chaotic bullet hells. Luckily, each attempt will accrue XP, rewarding buffs that make subsequent runs a bit more forgiving.
Morsels is a pleasingly nightmarish experience, with an oppressive atmosphere and an aesthetic that sets it apart from its peers.
Rockstar

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond: amiibo Unlocks Revealed

Like most first-party Nintendo games, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond contains some bonus material unlocked by tapping amiibo figures onto the Switch 2's NFC spot.
The new amiibo figures are Samus, Samus & Vi-O-La, and Sylux. Meanwhile, previous Metroid amiibo figures are also compatible, but other franchises – like Mario and Zelda – are not.
Nintendo's Japanese amiibo website has detailed what each of these amiibo do in the game, so let's take a look at all the unlockables, shall we?
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - All amiibo Unlocks
Before we begin, please keep in mind, this information was obtained via machine translation from Nintendo's Japanese website, so there may be some minor inaccuracies. We'll update as and when we're able to confirm for ourselves.
Samus

Tapping the MP4 Samus amiibo into the game will unlock two key features.
The first is the ability to listen to background music tracks while riding Vi-O-La in Sol Valley.
Meanwhile, a shield is awarded only once daily to boost Samus' health by 99 points while also replenishing any health lost in battle. Once it's been depleted from enemy attacks, you can't use it again until the next day.
Samus & Vi-O-La

Tap the Samus & Vi-O-La amiibo and you'll again unlock two features: the ability to change the colour of Vi-O-La, and a daily perk to Vi-O-La's boost regeneration.
You'll also see the total distance travelled in Vi-O-La upon each scan.
Like Samus' shield bonus, the boost regeneration can only be activated once per day.
Sylux

Tapping the Sylux amiibo (available on launch day - 4th December 2025) will unlock a specific cutscene.
Nintendo states that this cutscene can be viewed without the amiibo, but only once 100% of items and logbook scans have been obtained through gameplay.
You'll also hear a random line from Sylux every time you tap the amiibo.
Metroid Series amiibo
Previous amiibo from the Metroid series, including Ridley, Metroid, Samus, and E.M.M.I., will apparently play a simple jingle from the game.
Yeah, that's it!
Rockstar

The C64 Mini - Black Edition - Commodore's Beloved Home Micro Gets Shrunk Down (Again)

As far as micro consoles go, The C64 Mini has been a resounding success, and, according to its manufacturer, is the best-selling 'mini computer' yet released.
I can certainly believe that – The C64 Mini was one of the first devices of its kind to hit the market, and the allure of the Commodore name carries significant weight among retro gamers.
Now, Retro Games Ltd. is back with a new variant of the system that sports a new colour scheme and a totally new selection of pre-loaded games.
While the original beige model came with 64 titles that included the likes of Attack of the Mutant Camels, Boulder Dash, Impossible Mission, Monty Mole and Speedball 2, this new variant ships with a much smaller array of titles – and all of them are 'modern' classics that have been released in the past couple of decades.


Here's the full list of games:
Yeti Mountain
Spinning Image
Steel Ranger
A Pig Quest
Hessian
Joe Gunn: Gold Edition
Hunter's Moon Remastered
It's Magic 2
Runn 'N' Gunn
Guns 'N' Ghosts
Metal Warrior Ultra
Millie & Molly
Rocky Memphis: The Legend of Atlantis
Good Knight
Planet Golf
Nixy and the Seeds of Doom
PO Snake
Grid Pix
Caren and the Tangled Tentacles
Ooze: The Escape
Sam's Journey
Shadow Switcher
Pains 'N' Aches
Knight 'N' Grail
Galencia
To be fair, Retro Games Ltd. has been very clear on this point: the Black Edition is primarily about celebrating the efforts of modern-day homebrew coders, and the 25 pre-installed titles are all highly rated by the C64 community.
Outside of the colour change, the Black Edition is very much the same deal as the original machine – I noticed that the Micro USB port has been upgraded to a USB-C one, but that's about the only difference I could spot.
It features an HDMI output for 720p HD gaming, two USB-A ports and the welcome ability to load C64 ROMs from a USB flash drive. That latter point is essential, as it mitigates some of the sting of losing access to the 64 titles that came bundled with the original variant.


The joystick bundled with the system is insanely clicky, and while it works perfectly fine with most titles, it's pretty uncomfortable to use for prolonged periods. Fortunately, you can use an alternative USB controller with the C64 Mini.
Given how small The C64 Mini is, it should come as little surprise that the keyboard is only for show, which is perhaps the biggest shortcoming of this particular venture; while most C64 games are perfectly playable with a joystick, the keyboard is a major inferface method for home micro computers, so you might encounter some problems when booting up ROMs (an on-screen keyboard is a button click away, but it's not as good as using a physical one, in my opinion).
If you already own the C64 Mini, then I'm not sure the Black Edition is worth a double dip – unless, of course, you really like the new colour and want to power it via USB-C. However, newcomers might want to give this a look if they haven't yet taken the plunge.

Rockstar

This New Mega Man X6 Fan Reimagining Aims To Fix One Of The Series's Most Disappointing Entries

When people rank their favorite Mega Man X games, the PS1 title Mega Man X6 usually winds up appearing towards the bottom of the list.
Released in 2001 (or 2002 if you live in Europe), the sixth entry in the Mega Man sub-series is often viewed by many fans online as a bit of a rush job, with the game coming out a mere 12 months after Mega Man X5, which was originally envisioned by series producer Keiji Inafune to be the end of the story.
Because of this tight production timeline, it ultimately ended up featuring a lot of rough edges and ideas that didn't necessarily come together (like the Nightmare System), making it one of the more challenging games to recommend to newcomers in its original form.
Thankfully, over the years, we have seen some amazing fan-made hacks being produced, which have sought to give the game a much-needed overhaul (like Mega Man X6 Tweaks and Megaman X N's Edition), but it appears that there is also another option that will soon be available to players: a PC fan reimagining from the developer Cat Yard Games (thanks Rockman Corner).
This PC reimagining, which is being called Mega Man X Viral Nightmare, is being developed "from the ground up" in Gamemaker Studio 2, and is Cat Yard Games' own vision of what he'd like to see in X6, as well as Mega Man games in general.
The armor system, for example, has been tweaked, letting you wear armor pieces as soon as you get them (rather than having to collect all four parts) and can be mixed and matched, as in Mega Man X8. There are also new abilities for some of the less useful armor parts, to give them something to make them more desirable.
In addition to that, how you acquire parts has also been changed. In the original game, parts are acquired from rescuing Reploids, with the number of parts you can equip being dependent on your Hunter rank, determined by the number of Nightmare souls you've collected. But this will apparently be the opposite in Viral Nightmare.
Parts will now be bought directly from Douglas and will be paid for with Nightmare Souls, with your rank instead being determined by the number of Reploids you save. New parts will become available in the shop by completing levels, with these parts being based on the level.
The plan for the game seems to be to release it in chunks, with the first volume set to contain the intro stage, and four levels (Commander Yammark, Rainy Turtloid, Blaze Heatnix, and Infinity Mijinion). Of these, 4/5 are complete, meaning the first release shouldn't be too far off (hopefully).
You can watch Cat Yard Games' explainer video here for more information on the project. He's also posted a couple of videos of the game in action, including the Rainy Turtloid boss fight and Commander Yammark's stage.
Rockstar

SEGA Actually Admits Persona 5 Royal-Style Re-Releases May Result in Stunted Game Sales

Well, well, well... How the tables turn.
For a long time now, Atlus, and by extension, parent company SEGA, have dabbled in re-releasing their games. Typically, these re-releases feature expanded and / or improved content, and are often labelled as 'definitive' versions of the original title.
Generally speaking, potential buyers have become more and more critical of this practice over the years. An increased focus on expansions, DLC, and updates has largely painted re-releases as an anti-consumer approach, as they're essentially asking fans to pay up for two versions of the same game.
And according to SEGA, this once fairly common strategy could now be having a negative impact on initial sales — because too many people are just deciding to wait on the eventual 'definitive' edition.
As part of the publisher's latest question and answers session with shareholders (as reported by GameBiz and translated by Automaton), the company was queried on "a sudden drop in sales of catalogue titles".
Games like Metaphor: ReFantazio — which launched in previous years — seem to be the driving force behind this topic. Reportedly, numbers for such titles have fallen off, despite them receiving critical acclaim and positive feedback from players.
In response, SEGA outlines a number of possible factors, including busy release schedules and competition from similar games.
However, it goes one step further in actually admitting that the possibility of future definitive editions may make customers "hesitant" when a new title hits the market.
Indeed, this is a sentiment that we often see expressed across social media and our own comments sections. For example, there were plenty of people around Metaphor's launch saying that they would simply hold out for the seemingly inevitable re-release.
Of course, the Metaphor re-release hasn't actually happened yet, and rumours have suggested that Atlus intends for it to be a singular entity. Which, if true, could be a direct reaction to what SEGA's alluding to in this report.
What do you make of this? Have you ever avoided an Atlus game while banking on a definitive edition to arrive later down the line? Don't miss out in the comments section below.
Rockstar

Cyberpunk 2077 Now at a Staggering 35 Million Sales as Work on Sequel Continues to Ramp Up

It's actually mad to look back on the beginnings of Cyberpunk 2077 and compare that time to where the game is now.
It's taken basically five solid years of updates — along with one hell of an expansion — to turn things around, but the open world RPG is now a colossal commercial success, with developer CD Projekt Red confirming that it's topped 35 million sales in its latest business briefing.
That's a ridiculous achievement for any title, but in Cyberpunk's case, it just goes to show how things can (eventually) turn around.
At this point it's worth mentioning that we're fast approaching the game's fifth anniversary. It first launched for PS4 on the 10th December, 2020. And honestly, we'd be shocked if CDPR doesn't have some kind of surprise up its sleeve.
But what about the sequel, the currently named Cyberpunk 2 (previously known as Project Orion)? Well, the company's continuing to ramp up development on that one, with developer numbers increasing from 116 in July of this year, to 135 as of the 31st October.
For comparison, CDPR currently has 447 employees hard at work on The Witcher 4, which is obviously targeting a release well before the next Cyberpunk.
Did you ever think Cyberpunk 2077 would go on to be such a heavy hitter? What are your hopes and dreams for the sequel? Help yourself to some new chrome in the comments section below.
Rockstar

Digital Foundry Dives Into Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition's "Big Downgrades" On Switch 2

Our good friends over at Digital Foundry have delivered their tech review of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, which shadow dropped onto Switch 1 and 2 last week, and it's something of a mixed bag.
Starting on a positive note, the Switch 2 version of the game sets out to hit 60fps, and it does so consistently. DF's Thomas Morgan notes that he noticed "barely any drops" when playing in either handheld or docked modes, so that's a big bonus for fans of smoothness.
What's more, the Switch/Switch 2 'Definitive Edition' boasts many of the re-release 'pros' over the PS3 original — upgraded textures, foliage placement, colour grading, etc. — and renders at 1920x1080p resolution in docked (similarly hits 1080p in handheld). Nice.
Unfortunately, there are some pretty glaring visual omissions in the Switch version to get things running at the specs outlined above. Shadow density is pulled way back, foliage thickness is reduced, the advanced TRESSFX for Lara's hair is MIA, and many of the cutscenes' cinematics are dialled down for simplicity.
It falls behind the Definitive Edition's PS4 release, in this instance, but strangely, there are select points where the Switch 2 version is even a step back from the PS3 original. There are no screen-splat rain effects, the geometry is more simplistic, and even shadow coverage is a bit of a downgrade. It should be noted that these cutbacks also apply to the PS4 re-release, but, as the DF video states, "the drawbacks are disappointing, given the multi-generational divide between the systems".
For those wondering about the Switch 1 version, the older system runs things at 30fps (sometimes dipping into the 20s in demanding cutscenes), with a "surprisingly respectable" 864p-900p. Many of the visuals are matched between the systems, and while Switch 1 does see a further drop in shadow quality, it "holds up much better than you might expect," according to DF.
You'll find the full Digital Foundry tech review in written form, as well as our thoughts on Lara's latest, down below.
Rockstar

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders Makes It onto PS5 Just in Time for Christmas

An early indie hit this year was Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, and it's taken the best part of a year to finally slalom its way onto PS5.
The game finally has a release date on Sony's system; it arrives on 3rd December, which is near-perfect timing for some cosy Christmas chill time.
Here's its initial release date trailer from January to get you in the mood:
Despite its name, Snow Riders features co-op, allowing you to ski down the slopes with friends.
The PS5 release will include all the previously added content, and the Highlanders DLC will also be available for separate purchase.
As big fans of the previous game, we're quite looking forward to zipping down the mountain. Are you looking forward to Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders on PS5? Tell us in the comments section below.
Rockstar

Final Fantasy X Was the 'Ultimate Perfection' of the Series, Says Dragon Quest Creator

Opinions will always be split on the best iteration of Final Fantasy, and so it's interesting to hear that living industry legend and Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has shared his own thoughts on the franchise.
Once upon a time, Dragon Quest was in direct competition with Final Fantasy; the two properties vying for the RPG crown back in the 80s and 90s.
Of course, this was before Square and Enix merged to form Square Enix, causing the two titans of the genre to fall under the same publishing umbrella.
But apparently, Horii didn't actually view Final Fantasy as a threat to his creation. He explains to Game Informer: "I was definitely paying attention to it because it was something we needed to look out for."
He continues:
An interesting perspective, for sure, but it sounds like Horii was rather taken with Final Fantasy as it continued to evolve as a series.
In particular, he heaps some very strong praise on Final Fantasy X — the franchise's first PS2 foray, which, at the time, felt like a true next-gen jump.
"I do like Final Fantasy, though. When I first saw Final Fantasy X, I recall feeling this was the ultimate perfection of Final Fantasy," he says.
Some would say that Dragon Quest enjoyed a similarly impressive evolutionary step with Dragon Quest 8 — another PS2 all-timer. Now that we think back on those youthful days, it really was another golden age for Japanese RPGs...
Horii's comments have got us reminiscing, but do you recall being that impressed by Final Fantasy X? You can always give it your own rating in our Best Final Fantasy Games list, and then express your love in the comments section below.
Rockstar

TimeSplitters Rewind Has Launched For Free On PC, And It's Great On The Xbox Ally

We're big fans of TimeSplitters here at Pure Xbox, and we've enjoyed playing TimeSplitters 2 and 3 via backwards compatibility in recent years, but we've also been craving some kind of brand-new project for over a decade now.
TimeSplitters Rewind isn't actually new — it's been in development for over a decade — but it's suddenly released for free in early access on PC this week, containing a full remake of TimeSplitters 1's campaign (playable both offline and online), along with a full multiplayer suite that includes some hectic online shootouts.
It's been a long time coming, and there's a lot of excitement from the community right now:
Of course, this is only a PC game as things stand - and therefore the only way to access it on an "Xbox" branded device is by using the ROG Xbox Ally. I can confirm the game runs well and recognises the ROG Xbox Ally X's control scheme just fine, while you can turn all the settings up to maximum and still get easily over 60FPS.
TimeSplitters Rewind isn't the finished package just yet, but it's still glorious to be playing a remake of the series for free on an "Xbox" branded system. This kind of thing is what the next Xbox console could thrive at - allowing us to try games that otherwise are very unlikely to get a release on a traditional console like the Series X, S and PS5.
Anyway, we'll throw a handful of images from TimeSplitters Rewind running on the ROG Xbox Ally X down below, and don't forget about TimeSplitters 2 and 3 - those are both well worth playing on your Xbox console even to this day!


Rockstar

Xbox's Latest Free Game Has 3 Separate Versions And 3000G Worth Of Achievements

It's been a while since we last saw a new free-to-play (or just entirely "free") game release on the Xbox Store, but that's all changed today with the arrival of Card Storm Idle - a game that actually has three separate versions to try.
That makes it extremely lucrative for achievement hunters, as there's a potential 3000G worth of achievements up for grabs here across the Xbox One (1000G), Xbox Series X|S (1000G) and Windows PC (1000G) versions.
It's really simple to complete as well, described as an "incremental experience" in which you can get all the achievements in around 10-20 minutes. You can see how it looks in the video up above.
Of course, a situation like this brings up the whole idea of "stacks" and whether games should be allowed to have multiple versions on the Xbox Store unless they're significantly different from each other. Card Storm Idle is far from the first game to employ this strategy - plenty of publishers do it with paid titles as well, and even in the past few days we've come across many new releases with separate Xbox One, Series X|S and PC versions.
We'll leave the decision up to you about whether to download Card Storm Idle and get those 3000G or not, but in the meantime feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments - does this kind of thing put you off, or are you just grateful for the free game and extra achievements?
Rockstar

The Game Awards 2025 First Reveal Confirmed Ahead Of Next Month's Showcase

At this point, we know about the awards that will be present at The Game Awards 2025, but the new game reveals are what most folks tune in for, and our first inclusion has now been locked in ahead of the event next month.
Action-adventure RPG Exodus will feature during The Game Awards showcase, as confirmed by Archetype Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast. Exodus was first unveiled at TGA 2023, and will be returning this year with a brand-new trailer.
In the run up to the live event on December 11th, we expect host Geoff Keighley to announce even more games that will be present at the showcase. Typically, these teases are for already announced titles with new trailers, whilst world premieres are saved for the big day - but still, it's nice to know at least some of the titles that are expected to show up during the livestream.
If you want to know all of the games that have been nominated at The Game Awards 2025, do check out our awards roundup below - oh, and we'll drop a wee rant about the Xbox title that we feel is undeservedly missing as part of these nominations down below as well.
Rockstar

Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted Review

When you think of platformers, you likely think of Super Mario Bros. When you think of JRPGs, you likely think of Final Fantasy. When you think of FPS, you likely think of Call of Duty. Some games are just synonymous with their respective genres. And when it comes to tower defense games, what comes to my mind immediately is Plants vs Zombies.
Plants vs Zombies: Replanted is exactly what it says on the tin. Zombies are invading and the only hope against them is a crop of… well, crops. You’ll need to plant an entire plant army to prevent the zombie hoard from entering your home. It’s a simple, if not rather iconic, premise.
I never actually had the chance to play Plants vs Zombies growing up. My only exposure to the franchise has been the hero-shooter spin-offs. Thankfully, this Replanted edition has breathed life back into the game to offer a way for players like me to experience this cult classic properly for the first time. It’s worked well for the most part; I’ve greatly enjoyed my time with Replanted, even if it stumbles in a few areas.

Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
It’s worth noting the amount of gameplay content you get for your buck. From the main campaign, which is itself fairly meaty, to new minigames to even a puzzle mode, there’s a lot packed into this gem of brain-hungry, botanical tower defense.
The unlockable minigames are a blast. Walnut Bowling is self-explanatory, but modes like ZomBotony — where you’re attacked by plant-zombie hybrids— spin gameplay mechanics around on their heads. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a puzzle mode where you have to think strategically about card placement to clear vases.
There’s also an unlockable co-op mode (that I unfortunately wasn’t able to test as I had no one to play with), and those with a partner will be able to do head-to-head PvP matches, with one player on the side of the zombies. You’ll get hours of replayable fun and I’m surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed it all. The tower defense gameplay is as strong as ever, and I love having to carefully prep my cards (i.e. units) to best battle waves after waves of zombies.
My strategy tended to change between battles. Some plants can spray through screen doors, which makes them essential for battles with zombies sporting screen doors. But then you also have to consider which plant you want to use for resource generation and whether you want walnuts to act as a buffer, or maybe protect your crops with landmines. Those kinds of options helped keep the flow of combat feeling fresh and made me get out of my comfort zone to test new strategies.
Unfortunately, there was initially more trouble in the neighborhood than just the hordes of undead ghouls. As Felix mentioned in his video, the optional mouse controls were downright abysmal at launch, and the touchscreen controls didn’t fare much better - at least until patches adjusted things (and also restored the original dynamic audio and implemented a whole load of sound effect fixes which dogged the game on release day).
Previously, trying to use the mouse controls resulted in a headache, as it was so sensitive that it quickly switched back to standard controls the second you lifted the controller. Meanwhile, planting in touchscreen was a letdown because the sprites followed you as if they were stuck to your finger once you selected a unit.

Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
The ball definitely got dropped in this area, and those post-release patches haven’t totally solved things for me, especially in touchscreen mode. It still feels clunky and difficult to control, sometimes slowing on-screen action to a glitchy crawl and ultimately making me question the inclusion of the control scheme in the first place.
There’s also allegations of AI usage in the game, which — at the risk of sounding like I’m soapboxing — is downright messy if true.
That aside, the overall package is still a blast to play. It doesn’t take very long before the 'just one more level' addictiveness begins to take hold. This is helped by the number of units you unlock, all of which have a quirky charm and cute design. Of course the basic attacking unit is called a Pea Shooter, and of course the icy variant is a Frozen Pea Shooter. You can’t beat those kinds of puns! It’s a game that’s guaranteed to make even the most cold-hearted gamer crack a smile.

Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Plants vs Zombies: Replanted also comes with some quality-of-life improvements. One of the best new features is the ability to fast-forward the gameplay up to 2.5x speed. By default, these are the slow shambling type of zombies and there’s normally a long, slow gap between waves. But with the press of a button, they speed up to World War Z levels of fast. It makes playing feel more fluid and smooth; it also adds another layer of challenge for those who might find the standard gameplay flow too easy.
Conclusion
Overall, I find myself really loving Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted. Its cute and quirky character designs are infectiously charming, and the gameplay is simple but effective. The graphics are easy on the eyes and help make the character designs shine. It’s a bummer that there were problems with the controls at launch, but even with those issues, it wasn't enough to prevent the game from being a botanical blast.
Rockstar

Pikmin Bloom's New Gold Seedling Delivery Has A Mysterious 'Close To You' Connection

Remember Nintendo's short film, Close to You? The adorable baby animation with which the company kept us on tenterhooks for three days straight as it drip-fed us information about its context? Well, it looks like it'll be cropping up again, this time in an upcoming Pikmin Bloom event.
As of tomorrow (27th November), anyone logging into Pikmin Bloom will receive a Gold Seedling, which promises a special Decor Pikmin inside. And this isn't any old Decor Pikmin either, oh no, this is a Seedling that "seems to have a connection to the short movie Pikmin Close to You". At least, that's how the Pikmin Bloom blog post puts it.
We don't know the exact form that this Seedling will take, but considering that Decor Pikmin usually style a cute bit of — you guessed it — decor on their heads, we'd wager it will be something along the lines of a Pikmin wearing a stylish pacifier, rattle or some sort of stuffed toy. Talk about synergy, eh?
You'll be able to collect this special Seedling from the app's home screen simply by logging in any time between 27th Nov 2025 and 26th Nov 2026, so you have a whopping great year to make sure that you pick it up.
It's unclear whether anything else will come of the Pikmin short movie for the time being, but that sure was a fun week while it lasted. Here's hoping there will be a couple more cameos from the little guys in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, or how about that Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Pikmin 4 that we're all after? Whatever it takes to keep us Pikmin fans happy...
Rockstar

Lies of P Dev 'Will Not Disappoint' with Upcoming Games, Says Director

Neowiz and Round8 Studio created one of the best-loved Souls-likes outside of FromSoftware with Lies of P, and it sounds like the team isn't resting on its laurels.
Speaking to GamesRadar following Overture's Best Game Expansion win at the Golden Joysticks, director Choi Ji-Won sounds confident about the upcoming work from the studio.
Via an interpreter, he says fans "can expect the most fun that we can achieve within the game", not specifying exactly which project he's talking about. He also asks fans to "please stay tuned for it; we are working really hard, and I will not disappoint you at all."
Neowiz recently announced several games it has in the pipeline, one of which is the direct sequel to Lies of P.
Thanks to the success of that game, the publisher is currently planning five titles, as well as publishing work from other teams, so it's seriously scaling up its whole operation.
Are you excited for the next games from Neowiz, including Lies of P 2? Tell us in the comments section below.
Rockstar

Beyond Good & Evil 2 PS5 May Not Be Dead Just Yet

There seems to be at least a couple of people at Ubisoft still working on Beyond Good & Evil 2, in amongst its Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed remakes.
A new job listing for a Technical Sound Designer was posted online by the French publisher within the last 24 hours, and the position is tied directly to the long-in-development project.
Part of the Montpellier team, the successful applicant will "provide technical solutions for integrating and implementing audio systems to ensure that the audio assets created by the team work as intended, in line with the Audio Director’s vision". Whoever gets the job will begin work on Beyond Good & Evil 2 "as soon as possible".
The game received a proper reveal more than eight years ago at E3 2017, with a trailer confirming the project as a prequel coming to PS4. Almost a decade later, it's never been seen since. Here's how Ubisoft is describing it in 2025:
In fact, Ubisoft began work on, completed, and shipped a Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition of the first game during that lengthy development time.
That new version contains some new collectibles teasing events taking place outside of the game, which shall link into Beyond Good & Evil 2 — if it ever makes it to market. For now, it does at least seem to be alive. If you want to go back to that 20th Anniversary Edition, it's still more than worth playing, as our 8/10-rated PS5 review states:
"This edition brings smooth visuals, a beautifully recreated musical score, and well-presented supplemental materials. It certainly shows its age, but like all great art, Beyond Good & Evil weathers the test of time with grace."
Do you think Beyond Good & Evil 2 will ever come out? Let us know in the comments below.
Rockstar

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