PlayWrite

News and reviews of games, IT, and consoles

OG Pokemon devs struggled to fit their iconic RPG onto a Game Boy cartridge: "It was a fight against capacity, a fight against what we could fit onto the cartridge"

Jordan Gerblick

"Every AAA single player game since Bioshock is basically the same collection of fetch quests," says ex-Square Enix suit, while Roblox games evolve "as fast as Tiktok trends" and create "overnight millionaires"

Jordan Gerblick

Even Nintendo is thirst-posting about Resident Evil's Leon Kennedy on main: "A strong sense of justice, ruggedly handsome, AND absolutely jacked"

Jordan Gerblick

Lenovo’s latest gaming tablet goes big on battery

Become An Author

Start earning from your articles

Publish content, grow your audience, and get rewarded for views. Boost your articles to the top and attract even more readers.

This Switch 2-Exclusive Co-Op Game Is A Retro Anime You Can Play

Orbitals is a co-op space adventure coming next year. Of all the new games announced at The Game Awards, the Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive Orbitals might just be the most charming thanks to its retro anime aesthetic. Orbitals is a two-player co-op adventure, where players step into the roles of Maki and Omura to save their home from a supernatural cosmic storm. Aside from showing off the game's gorgeous '80s anime-inspired visuals, Orbitals' debut trailer also highlights how Maki and Omura will traverse space and work together to solve puzzles. In one example of how the game's co-op will work, the trailer shows one character piloting a spaceship while another operates the ship's turret. Another portion of the trailer highlights one of the duo using a levitating beam to help transport some important piece of a puzzle, while the other navigates a series of dangerous platforms. Not much else is known about the game, only that it's being published by Kepler Interactive and developed by the Tokyo-based developer Shapefarm. Orbitals will be released exclusively for the Switch 2 and is slated to arrive in 2026. There was no shortage of new game announcements at The Game Awards this year, including a new co-op shooter from the creator of Left 4 Dead and the next game in Remedy's Control series. Other surprise announcements included a new Dungeons & Dragons game, a Star Wars racing game, and a new shooter from some of the creators of Apex Legends.

Samsung Galaxy XR: Everything you need to know

After dropping hints for over two years, Samsung, in partnership with Google, finally revealed its first-ever Android extended reality headset Tuesday night. The new device, dubbed Galaxy XR, will run you $1,800 and you can actually buy it today. Due to its collaboration with Google, it's not a surprise that the headset comes fully equipped with Gemini AI built in. "Android XR is the first Android platform built entirely for the Gemini era, and we are incredibly excited to take a significant leap forward today with the launch of Galaxy XR," Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem at Google, said. What are the features of the Galaxy XR headset, and how does it differ from its main competitor, the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro? Glad you asked! The Samsung Galaxy XR is the first-ever Android XR headset, created by Google and Samsung. If Apple's Vision Pro is the "virtual reality iPhone," the Samsung is basically its "virtual reality Galaxy S phone" alternative. The headset looks like a pair of snowboard goggles, but it comes with a whopping total of 12 cameras and six microphones. And because it's 2025, AI is a big part of the Galaxy XR's upsell: It has Google's Gemini AI assistant built in, so while you're wearing the headset, it can see and hear everything around you. Google's "XR" designation stands for "extended reality," which is effectively an "all of the above" term encompassing augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality. That means the Galaxy XR can put a virtual overlay on the real world (thanks to all those cameras), or it can completely shut out your space to immerse you in a totally virtual environment. In other words, you can customize your own workspace or turn your room into your own personal theater, or you can transport yourself to an international locale with a first-person "you are there" viewpoint. For watching videos on apps like YouTube, the headset offers a library of 180- and 360-degree VR content. You can also watch movies using Google TV on a large, resizable screen. Plus, if you have a question about whatever you're watching, you can ask Gemini since it sees everything you see. And when you're looking at your photos and videos, you can convert them to 3D so it feels like you're back in the memory. While using Google Maps, you can use Immersive View to go anywhere in the world (virtually, of course). Visiting somewhere historical? You can ask Gemini to tell you more information about the landmark. Spot a weird-looking plant or bug around your house? You can use Circle to Search to find out what it is while wearing the headset. As for getting work done efficiently, you can arrange your most-needed apps all around your screen — for instance, your web browser, favorite music app, important documents and video conferencing app. And if things start to feel cluttered, you can ask Gemini to organize your windows. Even better, you can link your PC to your headset, as well as your keyboard and mouse. The headset uses two passthrough cameras for real-time viewing, six world-facing tracking cameras and four eye-tracking cameras, as well as depth and flicker sensors. It also supports iris recognition so you can unlock the device and enter passwords within some apps. "Almost all" Google Play Store apps will be available on the Galaxy XR headset. That means hundreds of thousands of apps should be available on the headset on day one, including basic streaming apps (for watching things like Netflix, HBO Max or Peacock on that giant virtual display) as well as "new versions" of some of Google's key first-party software, from Photos to Chrome and YouTube. And, of course, the aforementioned Google Maps is on board, too. As you'd expect, Google is also focusing on gaming. In addition to the full panoply of Android games, the Galaxy XR's PC Link also lets you use it as a monitor for PC-based games, too. [I]t seems Samsung learned a lot from its rivals by including a much larger and thicker head cushion that helps distribute the weight of the headset more evenly. Granted, during a longer session, I still noticed a bit of pressure and felt relief after taking off the Galaxy XR, but it's nothing like the Vision Pro, which in my experience gets uncomfortable almost immediately. Finally, around back, there's a simple strap with a knob that you can twist to tighten or loosen the headband as necessary. So even without extra support running across the top of your head, getting in and out of the Galaxy XR is much easier and comfier than the Vision Pro. While the headset may look pretty similar to the Apple Vision Pro, there are some bigger (and even better) differences. For starters, the Galaxy's micro-OLED display has 29 million pixels, compared to Apple's 23 million pixels, and a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840, which offers a tad more detail than Apple's model. Additionally, it has 96% of the DCI‑P3 color gamut, while the Vision Pro has 92%. However, Apple's headset beats out the Samsung on refresh rate, going a full 120Hz versus the Galaxy XR's 90Hz. Since you'll be wearing it on your head for an extended period, you'll be relieved to know the Galaxy XR is a bit lighter than Apple's XR headset by 205g (0.5lbs). On the battery life front, Samsung is pledging up to two hours of "general use" and 2.5 hours of video playback, whereas the new M5 Vision Pro runs 30 minutes longer in both modes, per Apple. Besides the obvious operating system differences, of course, the aforementioned price delta is perhaps the biggest advantage Samsung has over the Apple model: At $1,600, you can get almost two full Galaxy XR units for every $3,499 Apple Vision Pro. You can order the Galaxy XR now via Samsung. While that $1,800 price tag is formidable, Samsung is offering financing options. And the headset's price is actually less than that of Samsung's flagship Galaxy Z Fold 7 foldable phone. Key accessories like the Travel Case and Galaxy XR Controller usually cost $250 each, though both can be bundled in for $175 apiece. There are additional incentives, too. For anyone buying the Galaxy XR before the end of the year, Samsung is throwing in the "Explorer Pack" at no extra charge. That includes a year's worth of Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium (including YouTube Music) and Google Play Pass; access to the new season of NBA League Pass; and access to the NFL Pro Era game, the Asteroid and Calm apps and Adobe's Project Pulsar, a 3D compositing app.

News Feed

Explore

Devindra Hardawar

Xbox CEO confirms next-gen 'Project Helix' console will play PC games

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is gearing up to spill the beans on Microsoft’s next-generation console. In a post on X today, she revealed that the system is codenamed “Project Helix.” Confirming previous rumors, she says it will “lead in performance” and play both console and PC games. Sharma also notes that she’ll be discussing the system at GDC next week with partners and developers. The next-gen console tease follows Sharma’s appointment as Xbox CEO a few weeks ago, after former Xbox head Phil Spencer stepped down. Last year, it was clear that things were rocky for Microsoft’s storied gaming brand, and the executive shakeup certainly didn’t help much. But it’ll be interesting to hear more details about Project Helix at GDC — is it simply a PC masquerading as a console? What sort of performance benchmarks is Microsoft trying to reach, and will we get any hints about hardware? For the first time, in a long time, there’s something intriguing happening in the land of Xbox. Much like the first Xbox, Microsoft could end up cutting this generation short to quickly prep a successor. And if the rumors about a PlayStation 6 delay end up being true, it could give Microsoft a few years with new hardware ahead of Sony.

Slay the Spire 2 flies past 165,000 concurrent Steam players, instantly nearly tripling the all-time peak for the original roguelike icon and dethroning Marathon as Steam's top-selling game

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Even those ardently apathetic to roguelike deckbuilders (hi, that's me) can't help but admire Slay the Spire (hello, also me). Hardcore genre fans have been waiting over half a decade for the sequel, but Slay the Spire 2 is finally here – and already outperforming both its predecessor and every other big new release on Steam. Slay the Spire 2 hit Steam Early Access today and, as SteamDB shows, quickly reached a peak of 165,423 concurrent players – a number that's continuing to rise. For comparison, the original Slay the Spire built its stature at a much slower pace. Its concurrent player peak is 57,025, and that number was set just a few months ago, when the game dropped to a lowest-ever price of $2.49 as part of the last Steam sale. The brand-new sequel, meanwhile, is burning up the Steam charts at a launch price of $24.99. By concurrent player count, it's the sixth-biggest game on Steam, right behind entrenched favorites like Arc Raiders and Rust. Slay the Spire 2 Steam early access release date set for March 5 as the king of roguelike deckbuilders returns Slay the Spire 2's impending release scares another roguelike deckbuilder into a delay: "Everyone will be playing it" Slay the Spire 2 devs shout out Hades, Elden Ring Nightreign, and more for making an impact on their roguelike sequel Slay the Spire 2 also instantly became the top-selling game on Steam. That honor was previously held by Marathon, which in turn dethroned Resident Evil Requiem, but Bungie's new FPS had one key advantage early on – it was available for pre-order, which contributed to its position at the top of the charts. You could only purchase Slay the Spire 2 once it had already launched. Steam's top sellers chart is a bit of a mysterious thing, measuring top games by the total amount of revenue generated in a nebulously defined timeframe of "now." One thing's for sure, though – Slay the Spire 2 is off to a heck of a start. There's a reason Slay the Spire ranks so highly in our list of the best roguelikes.

How to watch Frost Fatales 2026, kicking off on March 8

It feels like we could all use a little (or a large) boost of joy and optimism right now, so it's a perfect coincidence that a Games Done Quick event is on the horizon. Frost Fatales 2026 is running from March 8 through March 14. This week-long livestream will be raising money for the National Women's Law Center, a nonprofit working toward gender justice for women and girls. GDQ events have been branching out with more ways to tune in for the speedrunning fun. Frost Fatales 2026 will be a streaming on the GDQ Twitch channel as usual, but the organization is also now broadcasting on YouTube, and you can watch the live feed there next week as well. Each day’s pre-show kicks off at 12:30PM ET. Frost Fatales is the winter charity event from the Frame Fatales, a community for women and femmes in speedrunning that operates under the GDQ banner. The group has raised more than $1 million for philanthropic organizations since its first event in 2019. The schedule for next week has a mix of speedrun standards (think Super Mario 64 and Super Metroid) alongside and newer releases, plus some more offbeat categories that promise to be a highly entertaining watch. The event kicks off on Sunday with western flair in Red Dead Redemption 2. Horror fans have a good selection on Tuesday night with Silent Hill f, Resident Evil 3 (2020) and Resident Evil Village. The Kirby Air Riders run on Friday night will highlight a bunch of community members for max wholesome vibes. Peak, a notable new game from 2025, is already getting speedruns, which you can watch Saturday afternoon before a bingo race of recent indie hit UFO 50 in the evening and the final run of Titanfall 2 to close the event. Fatales events aren't a 24/7 affair like Awesome and Summer Games Done Quick, so be sure to check the schedule for all the highlights. Or, if you simply can’t wait until Sunday to dive into some great speedruns, Games Done Quick recently launched GDQ TV. This dedicated Twitch channel is always on and highlights some notable moments and runs from the entirety of the GDQ archive.

As death threats derail Helldivers 2's wholesome D10 challenge, Sony and Arrowhead address “increasing hostility in the community”: “We do not tolerate threats of violence, harassment, or doxxing”

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! What began as a, perhaps mischievous, but otherwise innocent fan challenge for Helldivers 2 developers to play their own game on the highest difficulty in exchange for a $1,000 charity donation has turned into a quagmire. Both developer Arrowhead and publisher Sony are putting on their wading shoes in an effort to rid it of weeds. Arrowhead and Sony both addressed all players in a joint statement posted on official Helldivers 2 social channels March 5, making it clear that "Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony Interactive Entertainment are tracking the situation currently unfolding surrounding the Dev D10 challenge which started on Reddit." The initial post issuing the challenge, made about a week ago, establishes "A SERIOUS OFFER" to donate $1,000 to Arrowhead's preferred charity in exchange for "a video of 4 of their developers playing an entire operation on Oshaune on difficulty 10." Another player took it upon themselves to assign specific loadouts to Arrowhead staff, too, including CEO Shams Jorjani, for an additional $1,000 – and Jorjani has recently been flirting with the idea of accepting the expensive wagers. Helldivers 2 CEO seems to accept fans' $1,000 challenge to play on the nastiest difficulty, but it's already backfiring Helldivers 2 fan intent on challenging Arrowhead to beat the game's toughest challenge for $1,000: "No funny business" Helldivers 2 players cheated so hard that Arrowhead had to "disable the Galactic War" and change a Major Order But other Helldivers 2 players have been informing Jorjani that, within the playerbase, people are torn on the so-called dev D10 challenge. Some people have even decided to retaliate against the original challenge issuer with apparent death threats and phone calls to his employer, as one fan even tells Jorjani in a March 3 Discord message, "The guy who issued the challenge to you guys got doxed today is a sad day." Jorjani replied at the time, "Yeah. Helldivers treat other helldivers with respect." Today, Arrowhead and Sony echo this sentiment in their joint warning, stressing that "humans are not the enemy, Helldivers, your fight is elsewhere." "We do not tolerate threats of violence, harassment, or doxxing toward anyone: players, creators, developers, moderators, or our teams in any community spaces," the studios say. "While we understand that /r/Helldivers is a community-owned and operated channel, it should be a safe and welcoming place for all people to voice their opinions and frustrations in a productive and respectful way. This kind of toxic behavior is unacceptable and not something we will ever condone." "We are continuing to monitor and review this situation internally and with our external partners," Arrowhead and Sony continue, "but in the meantime we are asking that our players practice kindness and respect towards one another." Through a top comment with nearly 3,000 upvotes as of writing, reacting to the statement on Reddit, players seem to rally behind the hope that "those involved in the harassment can be tracked down and banned from the game permanently." Helldivers 2 retires gratuitous 154GB Steam build this month in favor of "slim" PC version after Arrowhead confirms players are still "having a great experience" on "smaller build."

Jordan Gerblick

Resident Evil fans would "go ballistic" for a Code Veronica remake, says Leon Kennedy's actor, spitting 100% facts

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! What Leon Kennedy wants, Leon Kennedy gets, is what I say after seeing what that weathered and unbelievably handsome soldier goes through in Resident Evil Requiem. And, Capcom, what Leon wants is a remake of Resident Evil: Code Veronica. You know what to do. In conversation with PC Gamer, Leon Kennedy actor Nick Apostolides made the case not for Resident Evil 5 to be remade, or Resident Evil 6, but the series' brilliantly punishing 2000 Dreamcast middle child, Code Veronica. "I would like to see a Code Veronica get remade because that, to me, was a very challenging game," says Apostolides. "But the story of it was just so wild and weird, and I think if they did it in today's RE Engine with today's storytelling and grounded acting, I think that would be one hell of a game." Resident Evil Requiem's Leon actor has seen the thirst trap memes and thinks they're "funny as hell" Resident Evil's Leon Kennedy has gone from "babygirl with the cat ears" to "hot unc" in Requiem, actor agrees Resident Evil Requiem director says you can thank the "strict" women at Capcom for "hot uncle" Leon Kennedy As a Resident Evil diehard from the very beginning, I think this is an excellent idea. Code Veronica has one of the best stories in the entire series, but it's muddled by questionable game design and some legitimately infuriating enemies (those moths can go straight to hell), so a lot of people haven't ever experienced it. If Capcom is as attentive to its audience as it seems to be these days, I trust that it'll know what to cut back and smooth out for approachability. "To see that game in the RE Engine, oh wow. If they announce that, I think fans are going to go ballistic," adds Apostolides. Thankfully, Apostolides isn't making this request out of the blue. Remakes of Code Veronica as well as Resident Evil Zero have been heavily rumored for months. Personally, I'm still holding out hope for a full-on 3D remake of the first Resident Evil, which coincidentally has also been rumored to a lesser degree. On the Radar with Resident Evil Requiem – surviving 30 years of horror with this action-packed series celebration

Cheyenne MacDonald

The Playdate Catalog's 3-year anniversary sale is here

If your Playdate wishlist is anything like mine (endless), here's a good excuse to actually go ahead and free some of those games from limbo: Panic is running a two-week-long sale on the Playdate Catalog to celebrate its three-year anniversary. Sure, the majority of Playdate games are pretty cheap as is, but they can still add up when you're on a wild purchasing spree. Ask me how I know! The sale will be running from March 5 until March 19 at 1PM ET (10AM PT), so take advantage of the discounts while you can. There are 423 games available in the Catalog now, according to Panic, so if you're having trouble deciding on which you should go for, I've got you covered with a few recommendations right here. If $39 felt like too much to drop on Season Two when it came out last summer, now's the time to get it. Playdate's second season had only half the number of games as its first, but it still felt like a much stronger collection. Each of its 12 games is really solid, and there's plenty of variety in terms of genre and style, from puzzles and hours-long adventures to fast-paced action games that are great for bursts of intense play. And, it comes with Blippo+ — an oddball cable TV simulator that's unlike anything out there right now. All of these games are worth playing, but there were definitely some standouts from the bunch: The Whiteout, a post-apocalyptic adventure that'll surely hit even harder now considering the winter we've had; the puzzle platformer Taria & Como; the arcade action game Fulcrum Defender; the climbing adventure, Tiny Turnip. I also really enjoyed Dig! Dig! Dino! for something on the chiller side. I have not been able to shut up about this game since it came out. It's unique, it's creepy, it's completely engrossing and it really pushes the limits of what the Playdate can do. Outside Parties is a horror scavenger hunt, presenting you with one massive picture to scrutinize and find hidden scenes within, using the crank to adjust the brightness constantly so you can find anything that may be buried in shadow. As you find these targets, more and more of the game's story comes to light through eerie audio clips. It is such a cool experience and the atmosphere of it all is incredible. You'll get many hours of playtime out of this one too, with over 150 targets to find and lots of lore to uncover. A full-blown western for the Playdate! Crankstone is a gallery shooter with minigames mixed throughout, and between the aesthetic, the music and the activities, it's a lot of fun. You can choose the story mode to get right into the shooting and defending the town from outlaws, or head to the saloon to pick from the handful of mini games individually, including some fast-paced "spot the correct card" deck shuffling games and a few mimicry games involving the crank. It's like a wild west theme park crammed into the Playdate, which is to say, it's wonderful. These are just the games I've been enjoying lately, but there are tons of other Playdate games worth checking out during the sale, like these cheese games and Spilled Mushrooms. And if you need even more recommendations, take a look through our list of the best Playdate games, where you'll find gems like Echo: The Oracle's Scroll, Summit and Bwirds. There are quite a few I'm planning to finally spring from my wishlist too, including The Shape That Waits, Xeno Escape and Loona Landa.

I've been interviewing devs for 13 years, and it's rare to hear someone say this about their own critically acclaimed RPG weeks after release: "Nioh 3 is a great game but it's not perfect"

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Creators generally look back on their old work with a mix of fond nostalgia and unendurable cringe. Likewise, even the proudest game developers will probably eventually tell you that an element or idea – or in my experience talking to devs, many elements – could've been handled better with the benefit of hindsight. But I was nevertheless pleased with how candidly Nioh 3, still warm from a February 6 launch and awaiting paid DLC, was assessed by two of its lead developers in an interview. Fumihiko Yasuda, Nioh 3 general producer and Team Ninja studio head, and Kohei Shibata, the game's producer, describe the excellent samurai action RPG as the latest link in a long and growing chain. "Nioh 3 is a great game, but it's not perfect," Yasuda tells me (via interpreter). "I think there are a lot of things that we could improve upon. We want to take that knowledge that we gained with Nioh 3 and open-field elements and to be able to work on that, and hopefully incorporate and improve upon that in future titles as well." Shibata describes Nioh 3, in part, as an evolution of Rise of the Ronin, Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja's previous open-world-y ninja game. From the beginning of development, which would've been around the end of the Nioh 2 DLC rollout, the team wanted Nioh 3 to take the series in an "open-field" direction that built on the series' mission-based structure – without totally discarding it, as many sub-areas in Nioh 3 feel like old-school levels. Boss fights in Lies of P were so good they inspired Nioh 3's director to improve the bosses in his own Soulslike Nioh 3 is already locked in as my favorite Soulslike of 2026, feeling like Team Ninja's response to Elden Ring with its open exploration and intense yokai clashes Nioh 3 devs "never considered adding difficulty settings" to the notoriously brutal Soulslike games I ask the two where they see room for improvement with Nioh 3. Yasuda points to the narrative and, in this expanded world, environmental storytelling. "While we were successful with the immersion as well as the density of the game itself, I think in terms of being able to convey a lot more about the world, the narrative element, I think we could improve upon that," he says. "As well as the artistic elements, to give it a more distinctive look. Really understand why the yokai, or why that particular yokai, is in that environment. And why does that environment look like that? I think we could have done a lot more to really convey that aspect. "It's not just a game where you sort of go in there, defeat the yokai, obtain the equipment or items in that area. There's a little bit more to the narrative that we could have added. And I think that's what we can see in some other titles that really give more to that experience as well. So that's something that we saw that we could improve upon, and something that we do hope to do more in the future." Our Nioh 3 review is, like the broader critical reception, flush with praise, but there's been ample criticism of the game's enemy variety – a common Soulslike sticking point. Enemies and even a few bosses repeat throughout the game, which makes later areas and dungeons feel less special and distinct. On the topic of improvements, I put this point to Yasuda and Shibata. "We are aware of the criticism on this," Shibata says. "In terms of how we respond to that, I think, with the yokai, these are creatures that have existed, in Japanese folklore, even before wild animals, even before humans had existed. These are creatures that existed much earlier. There is that element, that they appear as things that have been here in Japan before. We also wanted to incorporate some of the enemies that were in previous games, and we tried to make sure that there was a lot more variety to the battles against them so they didn't feel repetitive. "But some people might have felt that there was a little bit of variety lacking there. So we do hear the criticism, and we do hope that, if there's future titles, we can improve upon this. We would like to take that opportunity to look into that and see what we can do better." Weeks after Nioh 3's release, developer Team Ninja is being split into 3 as Koei Tecmo confirms major restructure.

"The more things that can break when you pull the trigger, the better": Helldivers 2 veterans stole Arrowhead's "fantasy approach" to action while making stunning new horror Metroidvania

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! "It is that sort of fantasy approach where extrapolating on actions that are normally a button press, that frequently shows up in both Helldivers 1 and Helldivers 2," Larsson says. "The more things that can break when you pull the trigger, the better. Like, guns should be loud and visceral. They shouldn't be something you need to put, like, 20 bullets into something to get it to go down." This uninhibited approach to combat creates a cinematic experience in a dramatic shooter like Helldivers 2, but as someone who prefers horror over pure action, I imagine it would also lend itself to a thrilling survival experience. Helldivers 2's next 4 arcs are being discussed by Arrowhead, creative director promises to "deliver a bit more often" Former Little Nightmares devs' End of Abyss is a satisfyingly creepy blend of top-down twin-stick shooter and Metroidvania exploration After Helldivers 2 boss teased chaos in upcoming update, new Illuminate structures appear in Super Earth media Silver Pines follows private investigator Red Walker's trip through the tumbledown Silver Pines in search of the missing musician Eddie Velvet (these are all some of the most Lynchian proper nouns I've heard in a while), and I expect Helldivers-style, explosive gunslinging will only heighten the down-home surreality of that experience. Echoing Blue Velvet director David Lynch's famous adage that "the film is the thing," Snygg adds that, "The creative vision and the creative output is the thing, and everybody understands that." Everybody understands that, and a couple of bullets. Try your luck with the 10 best survival horror games to test your endurance skills.

Anthony McGlynn

The Last of Us is amazing, but "I wouldn't want to play another game set in small town USA," says indie dev behind unique Polish survival horror: "It might get a little repetitive"

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Broadly speaking, it doesn't take much to make something set in a small town in the '90s off-putting. Make the locals a bit standoffish, create a sense of time leaving the place behind, gently suggest there's some sort of mystery to be solved, and you've got a creepy atmosphere. Holstin does all of this in 1992 Poland, and the Eastern European backdrop makes it standout against the likes of The Last of Us and Alan Wake. Even just looking at the trailer and store page on Steam, you can see it. The dimly lit streets and overgrown, rustic buildings and cars. It's a place you can easily feel trapped, and that's what happens to the protagonist, who realizes something's got its claws into the town, and the people still living there. "The horror is almost secondary": From Crow Country to Resident Evil 9, here's how horror games keep us scared Silent Hill Townfall looks like the most Silent Hill game in years, and I never thought that could be a bad thing until now Resident Evil 7's notoriously disgusting setting was just Capcom trying to create an authentic American experience But despite all this, Sankowski contends Holstin's a "love letter to the Polish '90s." Which may seem odd, but I get it - this mightn't exactly be a tourism ad, but it's still depicting parts of Poland we rarely see, beyond just the country itself, which isn't exactly a mainstay of pop culture. Doing this grants the game a certain freshness, especially against the misadventures of Joel and Ellie, and Sankowski mentions he wilfully worked against following Naughty Dog's outline. "I really like The Last of Us, but I wouldn't want to play another game set in small town USA," he says. "It works for them, because this is an amazing storyline with [a] big AAA budget. But if you're an indie developer, and you're making a small USA town survival horror, it might get a little bit repetitive." Beyond the Cordyceps, you have Resident Evil and Silent Hill, both set in the US, and a slew of others. The United States are well-worn when it comes to stories like these; Holstin provides something different, and it's all the scarier for it. You can check out a free demo on Steam now, while a release date for the full game is still to be announced. Resident Evil's Leon Kennedy has been "babygirl with the cat ears" for a few years, but he's in his "hot unc" era in Requiem, actor agrees

"Where does Xbox fit all of a sudden?": Former Microsoft VP says it "maybe" should have taken "full advantage of Minecraft" while it had a chance instead of getting distracted by Bethesda exclusives

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Former Xbox and Sega boss Peter Moore says that he believes Microsoft hasn't taken advantage of owning Minecraft as it should. Speaking to GamesBeat, Moore says, "When they acquired Mojang and Minecraft, it was purposely built, almost, for – how do we use AI to continuously evolve this?" He says this is mostly down to Minecraft's potential for user-generated content in the vein of something like Fortnite. He explains, "UGC has always been an important part of keeping people engaged. Roblox is obviously a great example. You put creativity in the hands of the gamer, rather than telling the gamer what they’re going to do." Ex-Square Enix exec says "every AAA single player game since Bioshock" is the same, while Roblox evolves "like Tiktok" Minecraft creative lead plays Hytale and decides "I'd rather just play Minecraft," Hytale dev says he's "probably right" Xbox co-founder says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has "a hammer called gen AI" and "there's a nail with an Xbox logo" Moore admits, "Microsoft has maybe not taken full advantage of Minecraft." As for why that is, the former Xbox boss reckons that "maybe a bit of that is on the heels of Activision Blizzard and Bethesda. All of a sudden there were shinier objects that came along, with much bigger price tags attached." He continues, "These are the moments, when Microsoft jumps in like that – where does Xbox fit all of a sudden? Where does the old business model fit?" And when it comes to the various high-profile acquisitions made by the company over the years, Moore adds, "You’re no longer a first party. I don’t think, once you start making the acquisitions that they did, because you can’t spend that kind of money and keep everything as an exclusive on your console. The math doesn’t math." Minecraft does have an in-game store that allows fans to eventually join a partner program and release content into the Minecraft Marketplace, but it's not quite a platform in the same way Roblox or Fortnite are. But then again, Minecraft is literally the best-selling game of all-time, so I'm not entirely sure Microsoft are regretting owning the game too much right now. Minecraft modders behind the sandbox game's most popular unofficial dimension unveil its sequel, flying mounts and all

The National Videogame Museum has acquired the mythical Nintendo Playstation

It might sound like the stuff of daydreams now, but once upon a time it was briefly the very real intention of Sony and Nintendo to collaborate on a console. Nicknamed the Nintendo PlayStation, the idea was that a new CD-ROM format backed by Sony would be added to the cartridge-based Super NES, resulting in a hybrid console that could play both. The partnership didn’t last long, though, with Nintendo backing out before it ever really got off the ground, announcing that it would instead be working with Philips. Sony decided to make the PlayStation on its own instead, in an act of revenge that you have to say paid off in the long run, and we never did get to see Crash Bandicoot running around the Mushroom Kingdom. Still, the short-lived Nintendo PlayStation remains a fascinating what-if scenario in video game history, and the USA’s National Video Museum has acquired the original development kit. Codenamed the MSF-1, the device now in the museum’s possession is the oldest known prototype of the console that never was, and according to the Texas-based NVM, likely the only one that still exists. Being a dev kit, it’s unsurprisingly not the most attractive thing to look at, and definitely not something you would guess is designed to play video games if you didn’t know any better. But it’s still a hell of an artifact for the museum to get its hands on.

World of Warcraft players beg Blizzard to "turn down" the "noisy af" Sunwell after Midnight, but others surrender their ears to the light: "Please turn it up"

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! With the new housing system and removal of combat mods, there are plenty of new features to explore in World of Warcraft after Blizzard's big Midnight release – but fans are a bit busy grappling with some, erm, unexpected noise right now. In case you haven't heard it yet – somehow– the magical Sunwell sitting directly to the north of Silvermoon City is loud. Very loud. Even though it's to be expected, considering that we're talking about a magic energy transformer of sorts, it's a bit much when you've got your fancy gaming headset on. Fans are taking to memes and online forums to discuss it (although I'm not sure how they're able, over the blaring sound of eye-watering beams). The Sunwell experience from r/wow My favorite meme on Reddit reads, "The Sunwell experience," and it shows a funny image of the "loud buzzing noise" that is the magical fount. Commenters show a split between folks who hate it – and, surprisingly, those who like it (for lore purposes, of course). "It is so loud. Hopefully, it gets fixed soon," states one replier. Another argues, "It's an industrial-scale transformer, except for magic, it's got to be loud." WoW Midnight sees MMO history repeat itself as players slaughter legions of frogs for skins World of Warcraft Midnight pre-patch adds colony of bugs, filling the sky with dragons and turning hills into gray lumps Blizzard preps patch for WoW housing in Midnight, but players seem to want more from the MMO's hot new feature Another (chaotic user) says, "No, please turn it up. The constant sound really sells that the Sunwell currently is a giant energy converter/battery station thingy." Elsewhere on the web, though, people are taking to a thread to talk about how it's "noisy af." One fan responds, the Sunwell is "straight up giving me a headache any time I go there." Sure, you can always tweak the ambient sound settings yourself, but, oof. I don't think the Sunwell is loud enough from r/wow A separate, albeit just as amusing as the first, meme sees its poster jest, "I don't think the Sunwell is loud enough." A commenter adds, "I love how stupid loud it is; it's so funny, but also thematically appropriate." It seems there are arguments on either side here – some can't stand the ear-bleeding effect, while others are clearly masochistic and yearning for more of it. Who will win? In my opinion, Blizzard's already won. "Hopefully Blizzard will put a stop to this": WoW Midnight sees MMO history repeat itself as players slaughter legions of frogs for skins.

Top Articles (Popular)

Sony Accuses Tencent Of "Playing A Shell Game" To Avoid Liability In Horizon Lawsuit

"The damage is done": Sony slams Tencent's "nonsense" response to lawsuit over Horizon Zero Dawn-like Light of Motiram, calling the open-world survival game a "knock-off"

Dying Light: The Beast Adding New Game+, Nightmare Difficulty, Ray Tracing On PC, And More

Battlefield 1942 was the unlikely inspiration behind PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus back when it was a game "where you cooperate to defeat giant monsters"