Rockstar

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.

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...

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.