News and Reviews

Oblivion Remastered was a hit for Bethesda — despite its dodgy performance issues — and the publisher's keen to repeat the level of hype that was swirling when the remake launched back in April. Basically, Bethesda's all-in on the idea of shadow dropping its games — that is, releasing them with no prior announcement and watching fans lose their minds. According to Bethesda Game Studios director Tom Mustaine, it's company boss Todd Howard who's pushing for the continued shadow drop approach. Mustaine told GamesRadar: "Todd Howard, the boss man, he's wanted to shadow drop things for a long time because it's so great to be able to say, 'Here's the thing, get it today.' It's …

Microsoft has implemented multiple price increases for the Xbox Series X and S over the past few years, and a new report suggests this might not be the end for current-gen Xbox price hikes. Coming from Moore's Law Is Dead on YouTube — a tech insider who we've covered here on the site before — Microsoft has apparently not accounted for potential RAM cost increases that are likely to come as a result of a new deal struck between OpenAI and several manufacturing partners. The YouTuber says that Sony, for example, has stockpiled RAM supplies at a lower cost, while Microsoft hasn't employed the same tactic. And, with this OpenAI deal taking up to 40% of the world's supply of D…

Remedy's co-op shooter FBC: Firebreak hasn't exactly had the quickest start to life on Xbox, but the team vowed to support the game back in the summer; announcing a major update for later in the year. Well, that 'Rogue Protocol' update has now been delayed, as the studio "makes sure everything feels right" for its launch. Announcing the news via Steam, the Control dev says that its cross-platform voice chat feature is now live, but that the accompanying 'major update' has been delayed to January 2026. In short, the team goes on to say that it simply needed "extra time" to make sure Rogue Protocol is "polished, balanced, and worthy of your time". Despite this last-minute …

Over the last 18 months or so, we've seen Microsoft pivot to releasing games on rival platforms - including PlayStation of course. While the reaction to this move has been mixed, shall we say, within the community, it sounds as though Xbox developers at large are pretty pleased with the decision. Talking with 404 Media, Bloomberg's ever-reliable Jason Schreier spoke about the situation, and how "a lot" of these studios are "thrilled that they get to release their games on PlayStation". Schreier hinted at sales pressure being a core reason why the teams are happy to get their games out there on PS5. Coming off the back of a recent report that Microsoft is now aiming for 3…

Over the weekend, Level-5 released a brand new update for Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, booting the football RPG up to ver. 1.3.0 and adding some new features in the process. The newbies this time around are a level cap feature for Ranked and Lobby matches, and two new opportunities to switch characters when using the in-game menus. There are a bunch of balancing adjustments and bug fixes included in this one too, so it will be well worth checking out for the best experience possible. The full patch notes were shared on the official Inazuma Eleven website, and we have gathered them together for you to check out below. Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Ver. 1.3.0 (Released 21st…

With just one week to go before Assassin's Creed Shadows arrives on Switch 2, Ubisoft has updated the game's eShop page with some noteworthy details to keep in mind before you buy. Like, for example, the dreaded file size. According to the updated listing, Shadows will take up a beefy 62.8 GB on your system. It's not the most surprising news considering the size of the game, but it's something to keep an eye on as we head towards release. For reference, this file size puts Shadows above the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 (60.6 GB), Madden NFL 26 (57.1 GB), and Yakuza 0: Director's Cut (45.3 GB), but it's still a good step below Split Fiction (69.2 GB) and the upcoming Final Fant…

Prolific Game Boy developer Gumpy Function (AKA Tom Lockwood, one of the talented people behind the amazing Grimace's Birthday) has just announced the release of Feed IT Souls: Department of Martian Efficiency Edition, a Metroidvania for the Game Boy Color which serves as a remake of his GB Compo 23 game jam effort. Described by its creator as a title which satirises Elon Musk and the "techno-feudalists of the corporate world", the game's origin was inspired by Musk's purchase of the social media platform Twitter back in 2023. "You are the offspring of IT, a bio-technological monstrosity after only one thing - delicious souls," reads the game's itch.io page. "Seek out and…

When Irem & City Connection announced that they were working on a port of R-Type Delta HD Boosted for modern consoles and PCs earlier this year, there was a lot of excitement online. And it's pretty easy to understand why. The original game is frequently listed online for hundreds of pounds on the secondhand market, making this new version a potentially cheaper alternative for those who want to get their hands on the PS1 game, without breaking the bank. Reviews for the game dropped on Thursday, November 20th (the same day as the game's release) and have so far been pretty universally positive, with our friends at Nintendo Life giving it a 9, while our other sister sit…

It's been particularly pleasing to see Capcom and Marvel hook up again in recent years, as I was a massive fan of the many superb one-on-one fighters the pair collaborated on in the '90s. So much so that any little piece of trivia relating to these games is like catnip to me – so I must thank the always-excellent vgdensetsu for unearthing this fact about Marvel vs. Capcom, one of my personal favourites. I always wondered why Capcom decided to replace Iron Man (who was present in Marvel Super Heroes) with War Machine, a relatively minor character from the comics who would ultimately use the same sprite design. Why remove such a famous face only to replace him with the same…

Update [Sun 23rd Nov 2025, 10am]: Ahead of the December Update for Pokémon Unite, additional details have been shared about License Points and the Aeos Coins Exchange. Here's the rundown via the Pokémon website: Pokémon Unite - December UpdatePlease see the details below regarding exchanging previously earned Aeos coins for license points. Exchange Rate 10 Aeos coins → 1 license point Points Required to Obtain a License In License Journeys, the number of license points required to obtain a Pokémon’s Unite license will vary per license. License points required: 325–1,960 Usage Tips Obtaining a license at the shop If you would like a specific Unite license, we recommend obt…

Update [Sun 23rd Nov 2025, 5am]: Gear.Club Unlimited 3 was meant to be racing onto the Switch 2 in 2025, but it's reportedly been delayed. Sim racing website Traxion has reached out to Nacon after noticing several retailer listings for the Switch 2 version were scheduled for early next year and has been informed "a release date has not yet been set". If there is an official announcement about this or any other updates before the end of the year, we'll let you know. Original Story: [Fri 22nd Aug 2025]: It's been announced another racing game is speeding onto the Switch 2 in the future. This time it's Gear.Club Unlimited 3 and it's arriving at some point in "late 2025". Thi…

Guilty Gear -Strive- Nintendo Switch Edition arrived earlier this year in January, but fans on the hybrid platform were left behind when the new DLC and other updates never showed up. Now, alongside an apology about missing the previous window, Arc System Works has confirmed the Season 4 "DLC characters" and "implementation of ranked matches" will be arriving in the Switch version of the game on 18th December 2025. As a reminder, these characters include Venom, Unika and Lucy from the anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Here's part of the translated message about the update and DLC delay on Switch: In case you need a reminder, the Switch version of Guilty Gear Strive includes …

Update [Sun 23rd Nov 2025, 2am]: It seems we might have got to the bottom of this mystery. According to multiple online listings, Capcom will offer "Lenticular Editions" of Resident Evil Requiem for all platforms. So, not just for the Switch 2 but also the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game. Some listings describe this as being a "case sleeve" or "card" (featuring what is basically a changing picture, depending on the angle you view it from). This same type of card has also recently been featured in official Capcom advertising materials for the 'Deluxe Edition' of the game. Some online listings outside of the US also show the Switch 2 game case with co…

10 Classic Arcade Shmups are now playable on small handheld devices! This is a collection of patches to modify various arcade shooting games to improve visibility. For most games, that means increasing the basic bullet sprite size while retaining the original style. For the Strikers 1945 games, it meant outlining the player ship sprites to increase contrast with the backgrounds. Also included are a few hacks for console games with the same goal. These hacks do a great deal to decrease eye strain and make it more comfortable to play these games. Games list: Darwin 4078 Terra Cresta Tiger Heli Slap Fight Flying Shark Twin Cobra Twin Hawk OutZone Strikers 1945 Strikers 1945 …

Inspired by lo-fi study beats and driven by my desire for peaceful winter ambience, Endless Winters is a simple hack of EarthBound that perpetually pans over a snowy landscape. Designed for original hardware, it functions as a installation piece that can be quickly installed using a SNES and a CRT. Endless Winters was created using an EarthBound ROM, Coil Snake, and EBME. The hack represents about 8-12 hours of work, including bug-testing, and will likely not be updated barring the discovery of catastrophic errors. Special thanks to phoenixbound for helping with the coding. endlesswinters.ips

Ys X: Proud Nordics, the definitive edition of the acclaimed Ys series game, was previously announced for PC and Switch 2 in the West. Today, NIS America announced that the title would also be coming to PlayStation 5. The publisher also revealed the game’s two release dates: one for the US and Europe, and the other for Australia and New Zealand. (I’m slightly annoyed that it’s US and EU, not the Americas and EU or even NA and EU. Rude.) The game was first released in Japan in July 2025. This version of Ys X: Proud Nordic features the fast-paced combat and enthralling narrative from the original release, but also offers new mechanics, a high-difficulty dungeon, and a brand…

If you're itching to play a brand-new Game Boy Color game, then you're in luck. Bitmap Soft has announced it has opened pre-orders for its latest title, Lightseeker, over on its official website. Priced at £10 for a digital copy and £50 for a physical Game Boy Color cartridge, Lightseeker is a roguelike of sorts in which you defeat enemies to gain rations, while keeping any loot you've obtained upon each inevitable death. It looks neat from the screenshots, but gameplay footage is, at the time of writing, a little scarce. Still, Bitmap Soft had previously released Glory Hunters, which you may have recently seen received a digital release on the Switch eShop. So if you're …

We're now just weeks out from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's anticipated release, and more details about it (including some previews) are beginning to circulate online. In case you missed it, the estimated digital file sizes for the Switch and Switch 2 Edition of Samus' long-awaited adventure have also gone live on the eShop and official Nintendo website. So, if you didn't already know, here's what you can expect: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Estimated File Size Of course, these sizes are still classed as an "estimate" at the moment and are subject to change before and after release, depending on the patches and updates distributed. The eShop also has Metroid Prime 4's Upgrade Pac…

Although the new game Pokémon Legends: Z-A is now in full swing with its events and unlocks, The Pokémon Company and Game Freak are still showing support for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with distribution events. With this in mind, the latest one is now live and it offers up a Whimsicott based on the same one used by Federico Camporesi to win the 2025 Pokémon North America International Championships (thanks for the heads up, Serebii.net). This also lines up with the 2026 Latin America International Championships running this weekend. To obtain this latest distribution Pokémon, the code you'll need is LA1C26TA1LW1ND. You can redeem it in the mystery gift section of the game…

Update [Fri 21st Nov 2025, 10:30pm]: This Shadow Labyrinth update is now available for the Switch and Switch 2. Alongside this, Bandai Namco has released a video that runs for close to six minutes, explaining everything included in Patch 1.1.0. You can see it above and download the patch now. The written patch notes for this latest update are available in the original story below. Original Story: Bandai Namco announced at the end of last month that it would be revamping Shadow Labyrinth with a major update. It's now officially rolled out Version 1.1.0 across multiple platforms. These updates aren't out on the Switch 2 and Switch just yet, but will "release soon". For now,…

20 years, eh, where does the time go?! Yep, Microsoft's Xbox 360 console launched on November 22nd, 2005 - which means the system has now hit the ripe old age of 20. To celebrate, we've been looking back at what made this gaming machine one of the very best - from the system itself to its launch games lineup and the experiences it delivered over time, Xbox 360 is simply an awesome console and one that's worth looking back on. You may have seen that in recent days, we started the party early here at Pure Xbox! I raved about Project Gotham Racing 3 once again because of course I did, while Fraser went back and played Perfect Dark Zero for the first time in over a decade. We…

Analogue's amazing FPGA-based N64 clone, the Analogue 3D, will go back up for pre-order next week – but the price is getting a bump thanks to President Trump's infamous tariffs. The company announced on social media that a new batch of the systems will be available for order at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on Monday, November 24th. The big catch is that the price is rising from $249.99 to $269.99, as the company has had to absorb the tariffs imposed by the US government on goods imported from abroad. These systems will begin shipping on December 2nd, but Analogue has stated that “all open orders will ship before restock orders ship.” That means if there are any issues with getting …

The promising MARS FPGA console is dead, according to one of the project's developers. Todd Gill – a longstanding and influential figure within the FPGA community – broke the news on Discord recently. Gill, who was designing the console's casing, reveals that the person in charge of the MARS board development "just disappeared", putting the project on ice. Gill says that the rest of the MARS team was effectively "Ghosted" by the individual, meaning work could not continue. MARS was promoted as a rival to the established MiSTer FPGA system and would have used a more powerful FPGA chip to emulate consoles like the Sega Dreamcast on a hardware level. Image: Discord Image: …

Implicit Conversions, the studio behind emulating some of your favorite PS1 and PS2 games as part of PS Plus Premium, is quietly working on a PS3 emulator. While boss Bill Litshauer insists improving its support for PS2 is his company’s current focus, he revealed in an interview with Mystic that he believes it will be “feasible” to emulate PS3 games in the future – potentially on the PS5 and “certainly” on the PS6. He said: Litshauer explained that supporting PS3 is a “back burner project” for his team and that it actually hasn’t had many requests for the console. But it’s something it’s working on anyway. He continued: Many believed that PS3 emulation may never happen …

Today marks the 25th birthday of one of Treasure's most acclaimed titles, Sin & Punishment. Released exclusively in Japan on 21st November 2000, the game is a 3D rail shooter directed by Hideyuki Suganami. Built around the N64 controller's unique setup, Sin & Punishment is famed for its intense action, superb visuals and surprisingly mature and deep storyline. While it was never released in the West, it is playable on Nintendo Switch Online, complete with translated menus. Almost a decade after it hit the N64, a sequel appeared on the Wii under the title Sin & Punishment: Star Successor. Just as beloved as its predecessor, the game is one of the company's last…