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Alongside the return of multiple retro games today, Nintendo has rolled out a new update for the Game Boy app on the Switch and Switch 2, bumping it up to Version 3.0.0. Apart from the release of Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters and Bionic Commando, this major update also comes with some cool new easter eggs. If you missed the boot screen of the Game Boy era featuring the 'Nintendo' logo (or 'Game Boy' one) and iconic sound, the good news is it's back! It works the same as it does on the GBA. Once you've installed the update, boot up the app and hold the left analogue stick, and you'll see the original Game Boy start screen appear. What's also neat is it's different depending on your 'game screen' settings in the app's options menu. So, you'll get whatever screen filter you've got the game screen set to: Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket or Game Boy Color. One last thing, the sound when booting up the Game Boy - Nintendo Classics app has also been changed from the Game Boy boot up noise to a coin block sound from Super Mario Land. If you want to see the boot up in motion, Vooks.net has also shared a video.

It's taken some time to get to this point, but Nintendo finally seems to be getting underway with its Metroid Prime 4: Beyond marketing campaign. So far, we've got commercials and in-store demos, and now Nintendo's Canadian branch has announced it will be hosting a special event next week on 3rd December 2025, allowing fans to watch a "brave band" of "top streamers" explore planet Viewros as the renowned bounty hunter Samus Aran. These will be two sponsored streams featuring @tetraninja and @JeuSerieux. Here's a rundown about both channels: This news follows Nintendo's recent rollout of demos at select in-store kiosks across North America. Nintendo has also revealed some other details ahead of the anticipated launch, such as the estimated file size of the game. You can find out more about all of this in our previous coverage. Will you be checking out any video or stream footage before jumping into Metroid Prime 4: Beyond? How about the recent previews? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Super Mario 64 might be one of the most popular speedrun games of all time, and it's still absolutely huge. You'd think runners would know absolutely everything about this almost-30-year-old game, but recently, a brand new trick was discovered that will potentially change the nature of speedruns, particularly the 1 Star Speedrun, forever. Bubzia, a speedrunner who specialises in blindfolded speedruns, has documented the discovery of this new technique that has essentially wiped out one of the most famous skips in the game, the side backwards long jump (SBLJ, as it's more commonly known), which is used to skip the 30-star door in the basement of Peach's Castle. It's incredibly tricky to pull off but it's been a staple in the community for years. But two speedrunners — FramePerfection and Crackhex — have found a workaround that eliminates the need to even do this. Amusingly, it's been dubbed the "crackslide" by the community, and while the the original trick was created using emulation tools, runner haribo39 managed to recreate the trick. You can see Bubzia demonstrating the trick at around 8:53 minutes in (warning for strong language), and even he's surprised at how quickly he pulls it off. Essentially, "all" you have to do is line yourself up against a particular wall in the basement, backflip up against it, butt slide on the railing next to the wall, and you'll be catapulted up to the door and, after some text, go through the wall. While this is a huge discovery for the basic 1 Star run, it's especially big for blindfolded speedruns, a category which has been trying to crack the 10 minute mark for a while. Now, it could very well be possible. Bubzia has already managed to get below 11 minutes while making a few big mistakes, and only a few seconds off the current world record. Sounds like Super Mario 64 speedruns are going to be extremely competitive. If you want to have a crack at it yourself, then Bubzia has laid out all the steps in a tutorial at the end of his video. Are you impressed to see Super Mario 64 speedruns thriving in 2025? Ever tried one yourself? Let us know in the comments.

Remember Splitgate 2? This free-to-play multiplayer shooter arrived back in the summer, but following heavy criticism, developer 1047 Games took it back to a beta phase. Well, after many months of work, it seems the game is almost ready to come back. The studio has confirmed that the beta phase will finish on 4th December, and will make its proper relaunch later in the month. During Splitgate 2's time back in beta, the developer has made some pretty significant changes to the game in response to the negative feedback from the initial release. For example, the game has totally ditched factions, and the faction-based abilities have been reimagined as power-ups. More "roundless" modes have been added like King of the Hill, Domination, and Team Deathmatch, as well as a Classic Arena that aims to "capture the spirit of original Splitgate". The team has also "introduced new maps, new weapons, reworked the menus, and refined systems constantly" based on player feedback during the beta. There's no firm date for the relaunch just yet, but it sounds like the game could be back in action this side of Christmas. Are you looking forward to jumping back into Splitgate 2? Tell us in the comments section below. [source x.com, via splitgate.com, insider-gaming.com]

Helldivers 2 has announced the next premium Warbond coming to the game, and it looks purpose-built for destroying bugs. The Python Commandos Warbond is set to arrive on 2nd December 2025. Here's the trailer to give you an idea of what to expect: Players can look forward to several new weapons and stratagems, including a minigun, a drone equipped with a flamethrower, a powerful chainsaw, and an assault rifle/grenade launcher combo. As well as all that, the Warbond includes new cosmetics, with two new armour sets, capes, patterns, emotes, and so on. It's bringing big 80s action movie energy, with the jungle feel bringing Predator to mind. There's a little more info on the PS Blog if you're interested. Will you be making use of the Python Commandos Warbond in Helldivers 2? Tell us in the comments section below. [source blog.playstation.com]

There aren't many surviving video game magazines today, but miraculously, some new ones pop up every so often, and they've evolved into seriously premium products. One such example is A Profound Waste of Time, a gaming journal crowdfunded by readers, and its sixth issue is currently accepting pledges on Kickstarter. This one may be of particular interest to PlayStation fans, as the leading feature in the new issue hones in on Astro Bot. A big interview with Nicolas Doucet is the main attraction, speaking about "how his studio, Team Asobi, channels the wonder of early cinema into a new language of play, one built on clarity, rhythm, and joyfulness" as well as PlayStation's 30th anniversary. The issue features original (and very cute) artwork on its cover, with a lenticular layer on the special edition that allows Astro to emote as you turn the mag in your hands. It's a beautiful object, and full of other interesting features too, including interviews with Team Ninja president Fumihiko Yasuda and Giant Squid's Matt Nava. If you're interested, you can back the new issue on Kickstarter. A pledge of £25 (~$33) gets you the standard version, while the special edition requires a pledge of £45 (~$59). The estimated delivery is December 2026. Again, A Profound Waste of Time's issues are made to be quality products, and typically contain nearly 200 pages full of original work, hence the price tag. Will you be snagging a copy? Tell us in the comments section below.

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.

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

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. ConclusionTomb 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.

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.

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-AZygarde 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 TeamPokémon 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 FormeThe 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.