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Here's What's Included In The Xbox November 2025 Update

The Xbox November 2025 update is now being highlighted by the folks over at Xbox Wire, and as usual with these updates in recent months, it's not really very console-focused - the updates encompass everything nowadays.
With that in mind, we've got some cloud upgrades including the ability to choose your stream resolution, the arrival of Copilot on mobile, the ROG Xbox Ally's full-screen experience crossing over to standard Windows 11 PCs, and more.
Let's take a look at what Xbox is highlighting in the November 2025 update:
Gaming Copilot Arrives On Mobile

Xbox Full-Screen Experience Arrives On More Devices
"We’re excited to bring the full screen experience (FSE) to even more Windows devices. FSE is now generally available on additional Windows handhelds currently in market, and Windows Insiders can preview the full screen experience on more Windows 11 PC form factors."
Select Your Preferred Xbox Cloud Gaming Resolution

Xbox Cloud Gaming Arrives In More Locations

Beyond these features, Xbox is also highlighting a few things that we've mentioned already here at Pure Xbox, including that you can get free engraving with Xbox Design Lab right now, there are some new SpongeBob Xbox controllers, and a new Backbone Pro - Xbox Edition mobile controller has been released.
As usual, more games have been added to Xbox Play Anywhere, Xbox Stream Your Own Game and Xbox Retro Classics over the past month as well, which are listed on the Xbox Wire website and we'll be covering separately too. There are also a few more mouse and keyboard Xbox games that we're constantly updating in our big M&K guide.
More information on all of the November 2025 update features is available over at Xbox Wire.
Rockstar

Xbox Cloud Gaming Expands To New Regions & Adds 'User-Selected Resolution' Feature

As part of today's November 2025 Update, Microsoft has announced new features for Xbox Cloud Gaming, including a new 'User-Selected Resolution' option that brings "enhanced stream quality for select titles".
Yep, following on from the likes of Digital Foundry spotting that certain Xbox Cloud Gaming titles were now streaming at up to 1440p, Microsoft has confirmed the resolution bump; now adding the option to "choose your preferred video quality when streaming games".

As part of this November update to Xbox Cloud Gaming, the team has also announced that the program is now available in India - and on LG TV and Amazon Fire TV devices in Brazil and Argentina. These new options are available now, while Xbox Cloud Gaming will soon be available on more devices in general.
These devices will support cloud gaming via the Xbox app "soon":
Fire TV Stick 4K Plus
Fire TV Stick 4K Select
Fire TV 4-Series TVs
Fire TV Omni QLED TVs
Rockstar

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Review (Switch 2)

As a person who grew up on the original Tomb Raider games back on the PS1, I eagerly anticipated the ‘new era’ of Lara Croft promised by publisher Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics for the 2013 reboot. Seemingly inspired by the success of the Uncharted franchise (which itself was inspired by Tomb Raider), the first game in this reinvention strips back the years of character development and delivers a young woman yet to build the skills and charisma her older counterpart emits.
Instead, a young Lara is swept up in a dangerous adventure that lands her marooned on a remote island named Yamatai, and battling both hired goons and the wilderness itself for survival. It's a little dated now (prepare for lots of QTEs), but back in 2013, this gritty new take on Tomb Raider was a reinvigoration, and thanks to some smart combat changes shamelessly ripped from Nathan Drake’s outings, it still feels fresh today.

Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Tomb Raider (2013) is a quasi-open-world entry that splits the gameplay between third-person action and platforming to explore. Lara and her team aboard the Endurance find themselves stranded, and quickly Croft is battling not just the elements, but also hoards of mercenaries (and plenty of other enemies) in a desperate struggle to survive and escape. Plus, you’ll also be doing some good-ol’ plundering, with small hidden Tombs littered across the map, not unlike the Shrines in modern Zelda.
The world of Yamatai is surprisingly open, and while the platforming here is nothing like the style of exploration we’d get just a few years later with titles like Breath of the Wild, the playground surrounding Lara is wide enough to feel intimidating.
Stripping the protagonist back to the essentials also makes her vulnerable, and the world surrounding Lara is absolutely out to take advantage of that. We find Croft beaten, bloodied, and generally put through absolute hell, and while it can occasionally feel gratuitous (seriously, those kill screens are wild), it does a fairly good job of showing the very first trials that forged our hero.

Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Mixing platforming with occasional stealth, sprinkling some light RPG elements with a skill tree, and some basic but satisfying combat, this Tomb Raider is a cocktail that tastes much better than the sum of its parts, largely thanks to execution. Revisiting it for the first time in many years, it's remarkable that while it certainly does ape the Uncharted formula (and perhaps even a little Resident Evil 4), there’s a cohesion and thrill to the gameplay that makes it impossible to put down.
The third-person action still feels tight, and while your weapon selection isn’t huge, the ways you can improve them are plentiful. Earning XP from combat or scavenging weapon parts slowly unlocks more options, and alongside finding relics and other collectibles, there’s plenty to uncover and many reasons to do so. Even when inspecting some of your pilfered relics, spinning them around to find hidden secrets is a joy and even earns you more XP. Though on Switch, the rumble goes a bit wild when you are looking at these relics and are close to a new clue.

Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Ultimately, original developer Crystal Dynamics did a good job of helping you care about Lara’s progression and making it feel earned. Whether you’ve played it before or are hoping to finally experience this story, there are dozens of hours to enjoy here if you want to explore everything on this godforsaken island.
Aspyr is responsible for this particular port, bringing this Definitive Edition to our greedy little mitts quite out of the blue. But, while some of the other ‘Definitive Edition’ ports on recent hardware boast gorgeous visuals and lighting effects, instead, this feels like the very original 2013 release given a quick polish.
Everything runs great, but stopping to look at textures or some of the character models reveals that this is a version of the game that has omitted visual fidelity in favour of performance, to quite a dramatic degree. I loaded up my PC copy of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition just to play around and try to find a similar graphical benchmark, and cannot say I was impressed with the results. At a glance, Switch 2 feels comparable to the Normal PC graphics settings, and we’re definitely not getting the advanced TRESSFX for Lara’s hair.

Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Thankfully, frame rate performs much better, with my tests showing a rock-solid 60fps on Switch 2 in docked mode while visuals were running at 2560x1440, with handheld mode looking to run at a comparable level frame-wise. Gameplay is key here, and this is not an ugly game by any means. A lush jungle is strengthened with dense foliage and inquisitive wildlife. Weather effects and running water add to the immersion and the great sound design. A lit torch and its flickering flames illuminate the dank caves and many tombs you must explore, smartly using shadows and beams of light to great effect.
Meanwhile, a vantage point reveals the large scope of this gorgeous island, as well as the many dangers within. Ideally, the world would also have a greater variety of visual identity, because there’s a lot of PS3-era grey/brown design here, with even an occasional smearing of dirt on the screen. Lara spends the game covered in filth and surrounded by the elements, and the visuals convey that well.
For those picking it up on Switch 2, there are a couple of nice additions to sweeten the deal. One of those promised by Aspyr is gyro controls, and they appear as an option, but seem to only move specific menus instead of your sights with guns or bows. This, if intentional, is a wild choice and a complete waste - we've reached out for clarification and will update if/when we hear back. Hopefully, actual motion controls will be implemented with an update in the future.

Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Faring slightly better are the mouse controls, which at least work, but are very sensitive and a bit wonky. Even when holding the Joy-Con sideways, you have to use 'ZR' to pull your arrow, and then 'R' on the same Joy-Con to release it. This is just a very weird layout, and doesn't ever feel comfortable, especially when the controller version of this is the standard 'ZL' to pull, and 'ZR' to release.
Finally, this Definitive Edition of Tomb Raider also includes a treasure trove of additional content, including concept artwork, character models, and even the return of the surprisingly fun multiplayer. If you ever played the Uncharted 3 online mode, this might be the closest thing we have today.
Conclusion
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is sadly not as Definitive as the title might imply. While Aspyr has done the work to make a title from 2013 run at a solid 60fps on a handheld, and with 1440p resolution, it seems the cost was graphical fidelity at almost every turn. Not to mention the bizarre implementation (or lack thereof) of motion controls, and unwieldy mouse options.
Thankfully, this entry in the Tomb Raider mythos remains one of the very best, and clever visual design means that your trip through Yamatai is far from ugly, as long as you don’t inspect too closely. Crystal Dynamics’ 2013 reinvention of Lara Croft just might be the best entry in this decades-old franchise, and for the asking price, you’re getting a thrilling action romp that’ll keep you hooked until the credits.
Rockstar

Star Fox Programmer's Next Game May As Well Be A New Entry In Nintendo's Series

Chuhai Labs has shared the first gameplay trailer of its stunning-looking on-rails shooter, Wild Blue Skies (formerly known as Wild Blue), featuring some anthropomorphic animals piloting flying vehicles through the skies to fight evil. Sound a little familiar?
Okay, so the game still isn't confirmed for Switch (or Switch 2) yet — just PC and Xbox — but just watch the gameplay up top. Trust us. This is basically Star Fox with lovely cel-shaded-inspired visuals and all the barrel rolls, shooting and banter you'll ever need.
Here's a run-down if you need a little more detail:


Images: Humble Games



Images: Humble Games
And look, if you need more convincing, one of the programmers of the original Star Fox — Giles Goddard — is working on this game' he's also worked on Stunt Race FX, Super Mario 64, and 1080° Snowboarding. of course, his most important work is in helping bring Doshin The Giant to GameCube.
Oh, and this is the same studio that worked on the excellent Cursed to Golf. Basically, Wild Blue Skies looks absolutely lovely, and we would really like to see this on Switch.
Let's hope we get some news on other platforms soon!
Are you looking forward to Wild Blue Skies on Steam or Xbox? Do you hope it comes to Switch (2)? Let us know in the comments.
Rockstar

Pokémon Legends: Z-A: How To Catch Zygarde

Zygarde is an integral part of Pokémon Legends: Z-A; basically think of this Legendary as the equivalent of Arceus in Legends: Arceus, and you're not far off.
That, of course, means you can catch this unusual Pokémon. It takes a few steps, but we'll outline just what you need to do to catch Zygarde in the game.
Note: This should go without saying, but this guide contains major spoilers for Legends: Z-A. So you've been warned!
To Keep the World in Balance Main Mission - How to get Zygarde in Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Zygarde might pop up throughout the main story, but you won't be able to add this Pokémon to your team until you've rolled credits and kicked-off the post game.
You also need to have caught bout Xerneas and Yveltal, which requires you to beat at least one round of the Infinite Z-A Royale, which also unlocks after you've beaten the game. Check out how to catch the Life & Destruction Pokémon in our separate guide.

Once you've caught those two, then you'll want to head back to Hotel Z. Try entering the hotel and L will stop you, challenging you to a fight. You'll get the To Keep the World in Balance Main Mission, too.
Talk to L again to accept his challenge; you can come back and do this at any point, so if you want to wait, you can!
How to defeat Pokémon Trainer L

L's team is in the high 70s, with his Mega Gyarados sitting at level 80. You ideally want your entire team to at least be level 80, but even at higher levels, this can be a tough match.
Make use of the Infinite Z-A Royale to level up your Pokémon a bit before taking him on.
L's Team
Pokémon
Level
Type

Pyroar
Lvl 78
Fire/Normal
Florges
Lvl 78
Fairy
Sableye
Lvl 78
Dark/Ghost
Noivern
Lvl 79
Flying/Dragon
Garbodor
Lvl 79
Poison
Mega Gyarados
Lvl 80
Water/Dark
As you can see, L has a very varied team with only a few common weaknesses. L's Pokémon are all pretty fast, so bring lots of Max Potions and Revives just in case. Mega Gyarados loses its 4x weakness to Electric too, and it has Earthquake as a counter. So be careful.
You absolutely want a team where multiple Pokémon can Mega Evolve. This makes Gardevoir one of the best options for this fight. Fairy-types, in general, are great as they exploit Sableye's sole weakness and counter both Noivern and Gyarados. Oh, and its dual Psychic/Fairy type will make short work of Garbodor, too.

Pyroar by fair is the easiest to deal with, as it's weak to Ground, Fire, and Fighting, among other common types. For Florges, bring some Steel-type moves.
When you beat L, Zygarde will run off, which brings you your final challenge in Z-A.
How to catch Zygarde

Zygarde can be found in Wild Zone 20, the very last zone to open up in Lumiose City. It's directly underneath the remains of Prism Tower.
All you have to do is walk up to it and interact with it. Oh. And fight it. Make sure your team is at least level 85, and be ready for gruelling three-phase Rogue Mega-style fight/.
Zygarde is Dragon/Ground-type, making it weak to Ice-type, Fairy-type, and Dragon-type moves.
Zygarde phase 1 - 10% Forme


In this first phase, Zygarde only has a handful of attacks — it can use Extremespeed to close the gap on you very quickly and Crunch to deal Dark damage, otherwise it will circle around you quickly to try and avoid attacks.
Occasionally, a brown dust cloud will form at its feet. When you see that, run away as it'll start firing green arrows from the sky ahead of itself. When you stun it, Mega Evolve (or use Plus Moves) to melt its health. When it reaches 0, it;'ll transform.
Zygarde phase 2 - 50% Forme

Now here's a big boy. Its snake form gets a few new attacks and deals much more damage. However, it also remains static in the middle of the room.
When it roars and glows, boulders will drop from the sky directly above you and your partner. Keep moving.
It also can attack you by firing laser rings at you, so again, keep out of its face directly otherwise you'll take a huge amount of Dragon damage.
Lastly, when the room is engulfed in a green light, put your Pokémon away and run. Green explosions burst out of the floor and track your movement. So just keep running.

Otherwise, you just need to batter it with a number of Fairy-type, Dragon-type, and Ice-type moves, and Mega Evolve when you can.
Zygarde phase 3 - Complete Forme
The final phase the fight is, of course, the hardest. Zygarde will now follow you around the room. Considering its size, it's pretty fast.
In addition to all its other moves, Zygarde can now surround itself with an Earthquake-like attack that deals large AOE damage around itself. It's explosion move now works in rings, coming from the outer to the inner ring, so dodge appropriately.

Lastly, Zygarde will sometimes leave the arena and charge its powerful laser beam up. It then jumps into the sky and fire a Z-shaped attack across the room. Find the safe spots on either the left or right side of the lines, and you'll avoid taking a lot of damage.
If you lose at any point during the fight, you'll have to redo all three phases again, so bring your best healing items, prioritise your character's safety, and do your best!
Once you've got him down to 0 health for the third time, throw an Ultra Ball (or whatever you want, really) and Zygarde is yours.

You'll also get the Zygarde Cube which, when used in battle, transforms Zygarde between two of its three forms.
Rockstar

Assassin's Creed Shadows Patch 1.1.6 Out Now on PS5, But the Cool Attack on Titan Armour Is Paid DLC

Update [Tue 25th Nov 2025, 8am]: It's time for another big Assassin's Creed Shadows update, with patch 1.1.6 now available to download on PS5 at around 4GB.
The update implements not one, but two free quests. The first is — somehow — an Attack on Titan crossover, in which Naoe and Yasuke investigate an impending titan-sized threat.
There are a couple of downsides to this quest, however. For starters, it's only going to stick around until the 22nd December (presumably due to licensing agreements), and on top of that, the cool Attack on Titan-themed armour from this article's image is actually from a paid DLC pack. Boo!
Ubisoft's pulled this one before, with Shadows' previous Dead by Daylight crossover. There are cosmetic rewards up for grabs through the free quest — and you can nab a crystal katana for Naoe — but it feels like the best stuff is once again locked behind a paywall.
Meanwhile, the second free quest — titled 'A Puzzlement' — sees the game's two protagonists solve a comical dispute. Both characters will learn new techniques upon completion (as per the patch notes):
Naoe will learn how to perform her own spectacular version of Yasuke's war kick ability.
Yasuke will learn how to stealthily dispatch enemies in a non-lethal way.
This is the last update on Ubisoft's 'Fall Roadmap' for Shadows, but we assume that support will continue for at least a little while yet.
Original Story: Well, we're not sure anyone saw this crossover coming.
Just confirmed by Ubisoft, Assassin's Creed Shadows' next collaboration will be with... Attack on Titan.
The super popular manga and anime property will be featured in a new quest, which seems to task Naoe and Yasuke with stopping a titan transformation. No, we're not making this up.
All we've got to go on right now is the above teaser trailer, but the quest itself goes live on the 25th November. That's tomorrow at the time of writing.
However, it's also worth noting that this is a limited time deal. The quest will only be available until the 15th December, 2025.
What's more, the cool Attack on Titan-themed equipment seen in the promotional material actually seems to be part of a paid DLC pack that accompanies the update — which is rather disappointing.
What the heck do you make of this one? Aim for the back of the neck in the comments section below.

Rockstar

Space Marine 2's Super Support Continues as Huge Patch 11 Drops on PS5

You've got to admit, the post-launch support for Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 has been stellar.
The crunchy action shooter has received numerous, significant updates since its release in September of 2024 — and rather miraculously, it's showing no signs of slowing down.
The game's latest patch — officially deemed version 11.0 — is yet another beefy addition. It's available to download now on PS5, weighing in at 9GB.
A new co-op mission has arrived, along with new equipment, over 40 new gameplay modifiers, and even a bunch of fresh cosmetic items. Gameplay balance tweaks are also part of the update. Again, it's an especially meaty patch for a title that's now 14 months old.
The initial plan was for Space Marine 2 to enjoy a full year of support, but the game was such a sales success that publisher Focus Entertainment actually greenlit an extra year of free updates. In other words, there's still much more to come from Titus and the lads.
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 Update 11 Patch Notes
New PvE map: Reclamation
Operation Reclamation takes place in orbit above the planet Avarax.
A squad of Space Marines is deployed to a critically damaged Imperial cruiser to purge it of Tyranid infestation. However, as the mission unfolds, the objectives begin to shift.
New PvE Equipment: Sanctified Wrath
Upon use, the player's melee damage is increased by 25% for 15 seconds, and the player is immune to knockbacks. When used, enemies within a small radius are pushed back.
🟡 Change from PTS: Increased amount of charges from 1 to 2
💬 It's not the last equipment that we are going to add.
New Battlefield Conditions
More than 40 new Battlefield Conditions have been added.
New Heroic Items
Added 6 Heroic Weapons and 8 Armour Pieces to unlock with Accolades.
Weapons:
Retribution's Bequest (Heavy Bolt Pistol)
Chains of Duty (Heavy Bolter)
Wrapped (Instigator Bolt Carbine)
Wrapped (Bolt Sniper Rifle)
Death's Grasp (Power Fist)
Storm's Dominion (Thunder Hammer)
Armour Pieces:
Mark VII Helm
Artificer Mark X Helm
Black Templars Artificer Mark X Helm
Mark VI Corvus Veteran Helm
Veteran Molecular Bonding Studs R. Pauldron
Honourific Gem R. Pauldron
Cameleoline Shroud R. Pauldron
Veteran’s Shroud R. Pauldron
New Season Pass Content
Blood Angels Champion pack added (Tactical Champion + Jump Pack for Assault + Signature Chainsword Skin)
Salamanders Cosmetic Pack added.
Chaos Customisation (PvP)
Customisation of Chaos classes is now available using armour parts from sets.
Assault - New Feature
Added a set of Jump Pack Dash attacks for Assault, that are much quicker and responsive than normal sprint attacks. Dash attacks should be affected by all perks that affect Sprint attacks as well.
🟡 Change from PTS: Jump Dash attacks deal 50% more damage
💬 We are going to continue expanding and improving sandbox gameplay for all classes. After Assault, it's going to be Tactical's and Vanguard's turn, however those changes will not be in Patch 12 as we would like to focus on Tech Marine.
Melee
Power Axe:
Chained Whirl Slash now can be performed after Overhead Strike.
Overhead Strike damage is increased by 50%.
Perk "Riposte" became a default behaviour - After performing a Power Backstep, hold attack to perform an Overhead Strike.
Perk "Riposte" is changed - Overhead strike damage after Backstep is doubled.
Blocking versions can now enter Power Stance.
Heroic Double Edge Relic (Chainsword):
"Trampling Stride" Perk now works with a Heroic Perk Combo.
Double Heavy Combo now can be performed after a Whirl Slash sprint attack.
Heroic Power Gladius (Power Knife):
Damage buff now lasts for 1 second after the first instance of damage instead of being wasted on a single enemy.
🟡 Change from PTS: Fixed issue where damage buff lasted indefinitely.
Firearms
Heavy Bolt Rifle: Base damage increased by 13%.
Heroic Combi-Melta (Bolt Rifle): Increase damage by 15% for both Bolter and Melta firing modes.
Multi-Melta: The change allowing the player to shoot from the standing position immediately after firing from the blind (removing the previous delay) has been reverted. The interval between shots is now enforced when transitioning to the standing position.
🟡 Bolt Pistol: Base damage increased by 13.5%.
🟡 Volkite Pistol: Base damage and volkite explosion damage increased by 10%.
🟡 Patch 11 Heroic Weapon Changes from PTS
🟡 Heroic Heavy Bolt Pistol:
Increase Gun Strike damage by 20%.
Add 6 ammo to max capacity.
Heroic perk will now instantly kill enemy enemies that are calling for reinforcement.
🟡 Heroic Sniper Bolt Rifle: All ammo restore perks will not trigger when using this weapon.
💬 While it was clear that its a very powerful weapon in PTS, we don't want to reduce its effectiveness, but we do want to raise its skill cap.
🟡 Heroic Thunder Hammer: Assault's Ground Pound will also spawn a shock zone.
🟡 Heroic Power Fist:
Damage bonus for light attacks is increased to 200%.
Increase radius for heroic perk activation to 15 meters.
Issue Fixed: Sometimes perk didn't activate properly.
🟡 Heroic Heavy Bolter:
Works like a fencing weapon as originally intended.
Fixed UI display of accuracy value.
Classes
Tactical
Signal Jammer: The perk has been reworked.
Old: “Enemies marked by Auspex Scan cannot call for reinforcements and automatically explode upon attempting to do so.”
New: “After marking an enemy with Auspex Scan, other enemies cannot call for reinforcement and automatically explode upon attempting to do so for 90 seconds.”
Sniper
Precision Targeting: Now perk works against Extremis and Terminus-level enemies.
Guardian Protocol: Removed cooldown.
Ambush: Now also slows down nearby enemies for 10 sec.
Bulwark
Emergency Countermeasure: Cooldown is decreased from 90 to 45 seconds.
Vanguard
💬 For too long, Vanguard's role was to be a vessel for the squad's healing perks. With these changes, we want to reinforce ranged/melee hybrid playstyle for him. But we are not entirely done with Vanguard changes. We would like to take a closer look at his ability.
Grapnel Launcher damage now scales based on difficulty.
🟡 Retribution: The perk has been reworked.
Old: “After you are grabbed or knocked back, you deal 30% more Melee Damage for 20 seconds.”
New: “When your Ranged weapon’s magazine is empty, Melee Damage increases by 25%.”
🟡 Change from PTS: Damage buff increased from 20 to 25%.
Moving Target: The perk has been reworked.
Old: “Each Melee Attack you land reduces the Ranged Damage you take by 5% (up to 30%). If you do not land a Melee Attack for 5 seconds, the effect ends.”
New: “Killing an enemy at a range of 30m or more restores Ability Charge by 5%.”
🟡 Tenacity: The perk has been reworked.
Old: “After killing 10 enemies within 5 seconds, Diving Kick's Damage increases by 40% for 15 seconds.”
New: “After a Ranged kill Majoris-level or higher enemy, Diving Kick's Damage increases by 130%. Cooldown 15 seconds.”
🟡 Change from PTS: Fix interaction between Shock Wave perk and Tenacity caused by double damage scaling.
Collateral Damage: Increase damage by Diving Kick to 50%.
🟡 Inner Fire: Now works according to description.
Assault
Act of Attrition: The perk has been reworked.
Old: “Enemies hit by Melee Attacks take 15% more Damage for 3 seconds.”
New: “Enemies hit by Damage from Melee Attacks executed while sprinting or dashing Melee Attacks take 25% more Damage for 5 seconds.“
Battlefield Conditions
Great Responsibility
Increased HP bonus from 100% to 150%.
Retirement Barge
Reduced HP debuff from 66% to 50%.
Poorly Fit Suit
Reduced damage by 33%.
Equipment Malfunction
restricted from appearing on the Exfiltration mission.
Surgical Strike
Buffed damage by 15%.
Extreme Challenge
Increased Extremis enemies spawn cooldown.
Gameplay QoL
Increased netcode damage cap.
💬 This change is going to open a huge can of worms for gameplay balancing, but it has to be done. The game damage numbers should not be restricted by net code and should be accurate all of the time. We will be monitoring which builds and perks combinations will become problematic. It's pretty clear that some damage buffs combinations from multiple sources are already insane (looking at you Blocking Power Fist). For now, have fun.
Sniper damage buff from Cloak Ability lasts a little bit longer to fully affect entire burst and full auto weapons.
Improved sound indication for unparriable attacks.
Pyrecannon Heavy Stance behavior with sprint now matches other heavy weapons.
AI
Chaos Spawn: Fixed headshots not registering for client side hit detection weapons.
Vortex Beast: Added headshot area.
Lots of minor fixes with animations.
CUSTOMISATION
Bots use player class customisation.
Added sorting armour parts by rarity.
Fixed: Black Templar Champion now chains his Power Sword properly.
Lots of minor customisation fixes.
LEVELS
Lots of minor fixes with level geometry.
Are you still playing Space Marine 2? Have you been enjoying all of these updates? Get ready to slaughter more xenos scum in the comments section below.
Rockstar

'Not Enough Time, Not Enough Money': The Dismal Vampire Bloodlines 2 Was Doomed from the Start

Much has already been written about Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and its desperately troubled development, but it's still interesting to hear about the project from someone who was actually there, on the inside.
In a rather revealing interview with Cat Burton on YouTube, Dan Pinchbeck, the game's creative director, basically admits that significant doubts surrounded the title from the start — especially when it came to taking up the 'Bloodlines' name.
"We used to sit there and go and have these planning sessions of, ‘how do we get [the producers] to not call it Bloodlines 2?," Pinchbeck explains.
He continues, in particularly damning fashion: "That feels like the most important thing we do here is to come at this and say this isn’t Bloodlines 2. You can’t make Bloodlines 2. There’s not enough time. There’s not enough money’."
Indeed, it's a brutal recollection of what must have been a stressful situation for The Chinese Room — the studio that was handed the project after it had repeatedly failed to get off the ground elsewhere.
The bottom line here is that Pinchbeck — and presumably many others at The Chinese Room — knew that they couldn't replicate the magic of Bloodlines, which is now fondly remembered as a cult classic RPG.
And with that in mind, Pinchbeck recalls that his original pitch was to create a more linear experience.
"We can’t make Bloodlines 2, we can’t make Skyrim, but we can make Dishonored," he says.
Of course, looking back on Bloodlines 2 now, that line of thought makes a lot of sense. To be fair, the developer clearly understood its own limitations — but once the project adopted that all-important 'Bloodlines' name, the game's fate was sealed.
Pinchbeck, who co-founded The Chinese Room, left the company before Bloodlines 2 released.
"It felt like [The Chinese Room] had evolved into something that wasn’t the same thing that [co-founder Jessica Curry] and I started," he states.
Bloodlines 2 launched just over a month ago, and it was met with disappointing reviews from both critics and Vampire: The Masquerade fans. We called it "disastrously paced" and "a shambles" in our 4/10 review.
Did you ever have faith in Bloodlines 2? What do you make of Pinchbeck's comments? Don't forget to drain some blood in the comments section below.
Rockstar

ROG Xbox Ally Adds Console-Like Optimisation Feature For 40+ Games, With More Joining Soon

It's no secret that Microsoft wants the ROG Xbox Ally to feel as comfortable for console users as possible, but that can be difficult when you're wielding a Windows 11 PC in your hands.
One of the problems is that games require tinkering in terms of power settings, frame rates, graphics and various other things that can affect the likes of performance and battery life. To counter this, Xbox has unveiled a new feature called "Default Game Profiles" that will support over 40 games at launch (it's starting in preview today).
The idea is that when you load up these games and you've got Default Game Profiles turned on, the Xbox Ally will automatically do all the hard work in the background to optimise for performance and battery life. These profiles have been hand-crafted for each game, and apparently can offer some significant benefits compared to manual tuning.
The full list of 40+ games has yet to be revealed, but Xbox has shared some of the first-party titles supporting it:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Call of Duty: Warzone
DOOM Eternal
DOOM: The Dark Ages
Forza Horizon 5
Gears 5
Gears of War: Reloaded
Gears Tactics
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Minecraft
Sea Of Thieves
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4
In our view, this is a fantastic move from Xbox to add even more optimisation to games on the Ally, and it should mean that even casual adopters who don't do any tweaking will be able to get the most out of these titles on the system.
Better yet, Team Xbox even says that the profiles are designed to boost power if the FPS falls below its intended target, while power will be limited if the frame rate is easily hitting its target. All of this is naturally only applicable when playing on battery, as it's not intended for plugged-in sessions.
We'll leave you with a little bit more information on Default Game Profiles below, which as mentioned are starting in preview today and should be rolling out to the public very soon.
Rockstar

Black Ops 7 Season 01 Arrives Next Week, And It'll 'Significantly Improve' Progression

Xbox developer Treyarch has fully detailed Black Ops 7 Season 01, and there's a lot of content coming to the game next week. A big batch of multiplayer maps, Zombies survival maps, weapons, operators and more are arriving for the Xbox Game Pass title on December 4th - alongside "significant improvements" to the game's battle pass system.
First off, let's take a look at that Season 01 content roadmap. Although the team shared a bunch of this information before the game launched, we now have the full S1 rundown - alongside new Warzone content and the addition of that release date of course. Here's the Black Ops 7 Season 01 roadmap:

Adding onto this, Treyarch says that it's "taken learnings from Black Ops 6’s Battle Pass" and has "made tuning adjustments for a more satisfying journey" overall. We're just going to throw the team's full quote on these changes down below because there's a lot to get stuck into - and the Battle Pass progression is being added to the game alongside Season 01.
We can't complain at more significant battle pass content being unlocked earlier we suppose, even if that particular progression system does feel a little tired these days. We like the sound of unlocking tokens through challenges though - and in general, this should provide a more rewarding progression system overall.
We'll see how it all shakes out when Black Ops 7 Season 01 lands on December 4th; free for existing players including those on Game Pass Ultimate.
Rockstar

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment Adds New Weapons & Challenges In Free Update This Week

Just three weeks after its release, Nintendo is already bringing more goodies to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment later this week in the form of a free update.
Available on 27th November 2025, the update will add new weapons, a brand new Sync Strike for Zelda and fan-favourite Korok Calamo, and other goodies. Being typically coy there, Nintendo! The game already has a ton to unlock, including maxing out characters and finding all of those pesky Koroks, even if it's a little brisker than Age of Calamity.
Well, head over to the Japanese website and you'll see exactly what else we'll be getting — along with some extra challenges, new enemies, and more powerful materials, you'll also be able to team up with the Block Golem for another new Sync Strike.
A handful of new battles are also getting added on Thursday, including one which is apparently titled "A serious battle with Rauru". Hmmm.


Images: Nintendo
There are also some additional patch notes, which aim to fix functionality and a few bug fixes. We'll post the official translation when they're out there, but a couple of tweaks include adding tutorials that appear on the map are added to the list, previews of areas you can reclaim will show up, and a preview of the amount of health you can recover is now shown.
The previous Hyrule Warriors game also got a handful of updates and an Expansion Pass which brought with it an "expanded roster". So don't expect anything of that scale here.
Nintendo promised that it had free updates planned for the game after launch. And free stuff, whatever it is, we'll take. Especially as we really enjoyed this canon prequel to Tears of the Kingdom.
Are you still playing Age of Imprisonment? Looking forward to the new update later this week? Let us know in the comments.
Rockstar

NieR:Automata Finally Lands Switch 2 Compatibility Update

Nintendo released its latest firmware update for Switch 2 last night, ushering in a handful of general improvements for the console. Alongside these tweaks, the update also appears to have coincided with some compatibility fixes, including one title we've been waiting to see up and running for a while: NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition (thanks for the heads up, My Nintendo News).
Square Enix and PlatinumGames' sci-fi ARPG has long been sitting in a pretty bad way on Switch 2, with many users reporting frequent crashes when trying to get it up and running on the new hardware. A glance at Nintendo's compatibility information site before today listed NieR: Automata as "Unsupported - Problems with game progression have been found", but that all seems to be in the rear-view as of system update 21.0.1.
As of 25th November 2025 (that's today), the game's listing has been updated as "supported" on Switch 2, with the note that "previously identified issues have been fixed".
It's a welcome change, because NieR: Automata ruled on Switch 1, and now we have the perfect excuse to dive in all over again. In our 9/10 review of the initial Switch release, we described Automata as "a top-notch port that has clearly been produced with respect and focus, often surpassing our expectations in both visuals and performance". Sigh as if we didn't already have enough backlog games to get through before the year is up...
Rockstar

'The Duskbloods' Could Be FromSoftware's Most Ambitious Game Yet, According To Leak

The Duskbloods, being that it's a FromSoftware joint and all that good stuff, is certainly high on our list of things we're very excited about arriving on Switch 2 in the near future. However, given that it's a multiplayer-typed deal in the same vein as the studio's divisive Elden Ring: Nightreign, we understand that there's a little more trepidation surrounding it, or at least that's how it's felt.
Solo FromSoftware efforts get a big thumbs up very quickly, it seems, but words like 'multiplayer' or even 'online' might make you feel it's not a full-fat adventure from the Dark Souls studio, perhaps. It's understandable. And yet, according to a new leak surrounding the game (as reported by Vice), The Duskbloods has been cooking longer and having more consideration put into it than any of FromSoft's work thus far.
The leak in question comes from a Chinese journalist who gained credibility after leaking correct Elden Ring info before it launched back in 2022. As translated by Ziostorm, they report that:
They go on to claim that the game, which sees Hidetaka Miyazaki on directing duties, lest you forget, could be more influential than the likes of Sekiro (which launched in 2019) and its great big red mark that it paints on baddies for you. So it seems as though there may well be some big new mechanic at work here that we are yet to find out about as you get down and dirty as one of the game's vampire-flavoured Dusksworn combatants.
You can check out the full quote in Ziostorm's time-stamped video:
As to why it's been so quiet on the news front regarding the game thus far, the same leaker says that all Elden Ring Nightreign DLC will be wrapped up (something which occurs on 7th December) before FromSoftware turn their full attention to revving up their Duskblood engines. Oooh, we're quite excited, actually.
With no confirmed release date beyond "2026", plus not a whole lot of info about the PvPvE online adventure to sink our teeth into and the Switch 2 port of Elden Ring delayed into next year, let's hope we're in for a little pre-Xmas info drop. Or even just a tease. Come on, lads, give us something! Check out the reveal trailer below for a reminder.
Are you looking forward to The Duskbloods, or does the online aspect cool your desires in some regards? Make sure to let us know your thoughts on this one!
Rockstar

The TimeSplitters Series May Be On Ice, But This Impressive Fan Project Will Help Soothe The Pain

Following Embracer Group's and Free Radical Design's failed attempt at a TimeSplitters revival, things have been looking pretty bleak for the future of the beloved first-person shooter series, originally made famous on the PS2.
Not only has Free Radical Design once again been put to rest, but the studio's co-founder, Steve Ellis, has also commented publicly that he may now be done with the series for good, calling the recent revival attempt a "big letdown" and expressing sympathy for the younger members of the team who didn't get to "see through their first game."
Because of this, it doesn't look likely that an official continuation will happen anytime soon, but what we do have in its place is an ambitious new fan game for PC, called TimeSplitters Rewind, which should hopefully go some way to easing the pain.
TimeSplitters Rewind has been in development since 2013 and has been a rare source of optimism inside the community, especially of late. It is designed to be a greatest hits collection "of maps, modes, leagues, challenges, and story content across the original trilogy of TimeSplitters games" and has just been released in Early Access for the very first time, as of last Sunday (November 23rd).
As outlined in the trailer, which was released alongside the announcement, the early access version of the game contains the full campaign for TimeSplitters 1 (available to play in co-op), as well as 28 maps, 32 challenges, 96 characters, 41 weapons, and a ton of modes to work through, with the caveat being that, if you check it out now, you may encounter some bugs and missing features that are still to be implemented.
Amazingly, the game has all been created entirely for free, and even has the backing of Free Radical Design co-founder and TimeSplitters designer/director, David Doak, who is lending his support by boosting the project to his followers on Twitter/X.
You can download the game here, if you want to give it a try yourself.
Rockstar

A Final Build Of The Cancelled Star Fox-Esque N64 Shmup 'Viewpoint 2064' Has Been Dumped Online

We have some exciting news for N64 fans. Another build of Sammy Corporation and Racdym's cancelled Star Fox-style shoot 'em up Viewpoint 2064 has been dumped and preserved online.
This time by the YouTuber and video game preservationist Hard4Games.
Viewpoint 2064, as the name indicates, was a 3D follow-up to the Neo Geo top-down isometric shooter from Aicom and Sammy, which was also subsequently ported to the Sega Genesis, FM Towns, Sharp X68000, Sony PlayStation, and Windows computers.
It was in development in the late '90s and is believed to have been shown off at Nintendo SpaceWorld in 1999, as well as Tokyo Game Show, with the original plan being to release the title on November 11th, 1999. However, despite garnering some enthusiastic previews from members of the media, such as IGN64, who praised its "polygonal graphics", "lock-on system", and "impressive... boss battles", it would eventually end up missing this date, being delayed several more times throughout 2000, before quietly being cancelled in 2001.
Following that, it then pretty much faded into obscurity until a prototype cartridge of the game surfaced on eBay in 2015. This then led to a group of video game preservationists tracking down a copy of the game, which resulted in a dump by GamingAlexandria in 2020.
As noted by Hard4Games in his recent video going over the latest dump, the earlier version of the game dumped by GamingAlexandria in 2020 was incomplete, featuring issues with collision detection, a different UI from the advertised screenshots, missing boss fights, and a developer debug menu. This new build, however, appears to be final, fixing many of the above issues, and being referred to as a "Master" on the cart itself.
You can download the game here, but we highly recommend checking out Hard4Games' video for a full breakdown of the differences between the two builds.
Rockstar

Mangmi Air X - A Budget Emulation Handheld That's Worth A Look

We've seen so many emulation handhelds provide robust GameCube and PS2 performance lately that it seems almost pointless to devote time to a device that doesn't have the power to replicate those consoles to a satisfying degree. However, the Mangmi Air X – which retails for $90 – proves to be the exception.
It will run GC and PS2 games, and, if you're willing to do some extra work, it will play some of them to an acceptable standard – but the dated Snapdragon 662 chipset found at the heart of this handheld really isn't up to the challenge.
Instead, I think the Mangmi Air X shines when you focus on earlier hardware; it's comfortable playing Dreamcast and N64 titles, for example, and is even capable of emulating the PSP to a decent level. Going backwards in time, 8 and 16-bit games run brilliantly, as do PS1 titles.




In terms of design, the Mangmi Air X has a real advantage over its budget rivals, in my opinion. While it doesn't sport metal bodywork, it looks great and feels well-made. The 5.5-inch 1080p LCD screen is also excellent, even looking respectable when set against OLED panels.
The controls are equally good, despite first impressions. Mangmi got the placement of the D-pad right (in my opinion, at least) by placing it above the left-hand analogue stick. While this might not be to everyone's taste, I love playing 2D games on devices like this, so I need my D-pad to be as easy to reach as possible.
The pad looks large and has a glossy texture, which is something I initially thought would be a massive mistake. However, I found it to be a joy to use; hitting diagonals is easy, and flowing motions aren't a problem, either – so, if you like one-on-one fighting games, you'll be right at home here. Sure, some texture on the top of the pad would have been welcome, but it's not as slippery as it looks.



The dual analogue sticks utilise Hall Effect sensors and are approximately the same size as those found on the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con. They have LED lighting around the base, which I really like, but others might be less enthused about (you can disable this if you wish, or select another colour – the default is orange, which matches the Mangmi logo).
The Mangmi Air X comes with Android 14 installed, which means you get access to all of the Android apps and games you already own. Compatibility is excellent thanks to that Snapdragon chipset, and while this handheld isn't a processing powerhouse, it's capable of running most 3D games on the Google Play store.
With around five hours of battery life, expandable storage via MicroSD and a super-portable design (I even got a carry case with my review sample), the Mangmi Air X certainly comes as a breath of fresh air. In a sector of the market dominated by the likes of Anbernic and PowKiddy, this is an alternative option that looks great, plays great, feels great to use, and – best of all – won't break the bank.
Rockstar

24 Years After It Launched, Fans Have Finally "Fixed" Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Mario Kart: Super Circuit is one of the games I remember most fondly when thinking about the Game Boy Advance. The console was still fresh and new back in 2001, and soon after launch it was playing host to a portable version of one of my favourite SNES games of all time. It felt too good to be true.
I still enjoy Super Circuit, even after almost a quarter of a century, so it amazes me now to hear that the game has been "fixed" by fans to make it even better.
As reported by Video Game Esoterica, Super Circuit is, in fact, hiding a dirty secret. While the game runs at 60fps, the track itself is rendering at half that frame rate. Thankfully, a new patch created by antimattur solves this issue.
"This patch modifies the map rendering code in mksc to update at 60fps," explains the developer. "This has no impact on performance as the map scaling parameters were already being updated at 60fps, but were only being read at 30fps."
You can grab the patch here, but you'll need to supply your own ROM.
Rockstar

No, You're Not Dreaming. Here's Spyro the Dragon Running On The N64

If you thought seeing Super Mario 64 on PlayStation was weird, well, we're not through yet.
That's because Frogbull, the homebrew maverick behind demos of Metal Gear Solid and Crash Bandicoot on Sega Saturn and Metal Gear Solid 2 on Dreamcast, has just shared some incredible new footage of an "old project" he was once working on — a proof of concept of Insomniac's 1998 platformer Spyro the Dragon running on the N64.
According to Frogbull, the project has been around for quite some time and represented the first-ever steps he took into the world of N64 homebrew. However, it is now abandoned, with the developer stating in the video description that he has "learned that a very promising and advanced decompilation project has been started by Altro50", meaning that "an actual port" (his words, not ours) could one day end up coming to the console instead.
With his homemade attempt, therefore, no longer serving "much purpose", he's decided to share some of the footage from it online, posting an almost 4-minute-long video of what he was able to achieve.
This video sees Spyro exploring the opening Artisans area of the game, and is presented "as it is", which Frogbull states means it is "raw, full of missing textures, [and] animations that are implemented but not yet tied to actions (like gliding, charging, etc.)".
Nevertheless, it still looks impressive to us as a demo of what potentially could have been, giving us a brief window into what the original Spyro may have looked like, had Insomniac developed the game for other machines, as well.
If you want to find out more about how it was made, Frogbull has posted a behind-the-scenes breakdown on his Patreon, though this is currently locked behind a paywall.
Rockstar

Nintendo Switch 2 System Update 21.0.1 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Nintendo dropped a major Switch 2 and Switch firmware update earlier this month, and it's now followed this up with a much smaller patch.
Although this firmware update isn't a big one, it does appear to address some important issues. This includes an issue where a few Error Codes would repeatedly occur when attempting to perform a transfer between the Switch and Switch 2. There are also some fixes for connection issues.
Apart from this, is some general system improvements on both platforms. They're focused on making both devices super stable. Here's the full rundown, courtesy of Nintendo's official support pages:
Switch 2 Update Version 21.0.1 (Released November 24, 2025)
Switch Update Ver. 21.0.1 (Released November 24, 2025)
If there is anything else revealed about this latest updates for the Switch 2 and Switch, we'll be sure to let you know.
Once again, this follows the rollout of Version 21.0.0 earlier this month, which included updates to the HOME Menu, GameChat, Game Card-related updates and more. Nintendo upgraded the Switch 2's controllers as well earlier this month.
Rockstar

Nintendo Music Update Adds Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV Album

If you've enjoyed the beats in Super Mario Party Jamboree and want to be able to listen to them wherever you go, the game's soundtrack has now been added to the Nintendo Music app.
This one is an absolutely huge soundtrack, featuring a whopping 296 tracks with a runtime of 6 hours and 30 minutes in total. Nintendo also notes how this includes music from the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV.
In case you missed it, Super Mario Party Jamboree got a major update in July for the Switch 2, adding Jamboree TV. This includes new minigames supporting the camera, Joy-Con mouse controls and more. You can find out more about this new content in our review:
Rockstar

Assassin's Creed Shadows X Attack On Titan Collab Announced

Assassin's Creed Shadows is on its way to the Switch 2 this December, and ahead of the big release, Ubisoft has announced a new collab with the popular manga and anime series Attack on Titan.
Assassin's Creed Shadows x Attack on Titan event begins on 25th November 2025 and runs until 22nd December 2025, so it will still be live when the Switch 2 version is released. Here are the details via Ubisoft's official website:


Images: Ubisoft
Ubisoft has also announced its free-to-play title Brawlhalla will be getting an Attack on Titan crossover on 3rd December 2025.
Assassin's Creed Shadows launches for Switch 2 on 2nd December 2025. Will you be checking it out on Nintendo's new hardware? What do you think about this crossover? Let us know in the comments.
Rockstar

Metroid Prime 4's Official Rating Summary Spotted On ESRB Website

A week out from the release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on the Switch 2 and Switch, the Entertainment Software Rating Board has shared its official rating summary of the game.
It once again highlights the title's 'T' for "Teen" rating, as the game features "animated blood and violence". Here's the official rundown. This same rating was originally spotted on Nintendo's US website in September. Here's the summary in full:
As previously mentioned, this age rating is consistent with the main Metroid Prime games before the fourth entry. And once again, here's ESRB's basic summary of this particular age rating, describing what a game under this classification may contain:
"In-game Purchases" are also specifically mentioned for the original Switch version of the game, which appears to be for the game's Upgrade Pack.
In other Metroid Prime 4 news, Nintendo has also recently revealed the eShop file sizes of the game on the Switch 2 and Switch. A demo for the game has also been spotted at Switch 2 kiosks over the past week.
Rockstar

Persona, Metaphor Director Says JRPGs Are on the Brink of a New Era

It's a very interesting time for Japanese RPGs — and not just because Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sparked all sorts of arguments amongst genre enthusiasts.
Indeed, it feels like we've been hitting some serious highs with JRPGs of late, with critically acclaimed titles like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter making big waves recently.
It goes without saying that Metaphor developer Atlus remains at the forefront of this modern JRPG push — and that makes director Katsura Hashino's new comments all the more interesting.
Hashino, who's spearheaded the Persona series and the aforementioned Metaphor, believes that the genre is now on the cusp of evolution — something he calls "JRPG 3.0".
During a recent talk about artistry in media (as reported by 4Gamer and translated by GamesRadar), Hashino explained that he views the genre in three distinct stages: old school, classic JRPGs are "1.0", modern and current JRPGs are "2.0", and future JRPGs are "3.0".
He suggests that modern JRPGs are defined by being "higher quality due to how much more responsive they are to the player", setting them apart from older adventures. In other words, aspects like more accessible design and increasingly involved gameplay mechanics are now the norm.
But what about the "3.0" era? Well, Hashino says we're almost there, and he wants to be part of this new wave.
"There will be a greater dimension to these games and they'll change the genre's structure and presentation at a fundamental level," Hashino claims, without going into too much detail.
It's a fascinating subject, we think, especially since current JRPGs are already trying new things
For example, action-based mechanics seem to be seeping into the genre more and more; Metaphor and the latest Trails games both utilise action combat as a part of their overall battle systems, while the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series adopts a full-on hybrid between action and command combat.
While Hashino appears to be talking about evolution on a more general level, increasingly popular trends like action-based gameplay will contribute to how future JRPGs present themselves.
What do you think the future of JRPGs looks like? Is Hashino right? Are we about to behold the next step? Level up in the comments section below.
Rockstar

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Just Had the Worst Japanese Retail Launch in Series History

It's been an unusually rocky ride for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which has been widely panned and appears to be selling below the series' usual pace.
While Activision has yet to provide any official sales information itself (which is kinda telling on its own), some data has begun to emerge, including a weak UK launch and, now, a very weak Japanese launch.
As shared by Zuby_Tech on X, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has had the worst Japanese physical launch sales in the franchise's history:
According to the above table, the new game has sold 12,311 copies at Japanese retail, fewer than any other entry, dating all the way back to 2007's Call of Duty 3.
Now, Japan has never been a huge market for the series, and we should remember this is purely based on physical sales data. However, the sales figure is less than half of last year's Black Ops 6, and again, this trend downward is reflected in other markets.
Speculation about why the game is struggling comes down to other games capturing people's attention, like Battlefield 6 and ARC Raiders, as well as a general lack of enthusiasm for the new CoD.
Whatever the case, it's another bump in the road for this year's game.
Rockstar

Digital Foundry Shares Awesome Unboxing Video Of An Untouched Launch Xbox 360

We just had a pretty chill weekend amidst Xbox 360 celebrating 20 years of age over the last few days, and while I was personally relaxing with YouTube on Sunday evening, I came across this awesome Digital Foundry video unboxing a brand-new launch Xbox 360 from 2005.
As you can see in the above video, hosts John and Rich get all nostalgic while getting stuck into an Xbox 360 Core model that had been left untouched for 20 years. Everything's here - from the original inserts and green packaging bags to the console itself and that gloriously pristine controller.
As the quote above notes, this of course means that the iconic 'Blades' dashboard is present and well; looking typically sleek and snappy as the team navigates this time machine back to 2005. Honestly, take us back - what a console and what a time to be gaming with Xbox!
John hooking the machine up to a classic CRT TV was also a nice touch and typically on-brand for the DF Retro host; once he'd stuck that in PAL-60 mode it was running a dream on there. It's also genuinely quite nice to see Rich grinning through the entire video as the nostalgia poured in - we felt similar just watching it to be honest!
The Xbox 360's 20th anniversary has now come and gone, and while Microsoft has been rather subdued with it, fans and the press have been lapping up the console's big birthday. That includes us at Pure Xbox of course - we'll link to some of our other recent 360 content down below.

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