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! Nintendo is apparently being a bit more strict about what launches on Switch 2, with the company reportedly trying to avoid the influx of low-effort slop that plagued the original Switch eShop. I don't need to tell you that the original Nintendo Switch eShop is a mess. Filling its pages are countless low-effort AI slop games, weird puzzle games featuring pictures of random (often AI-generated) models of anime girls, lookalikes of popular games not on Switch, and whatever Everybody 1-2-Switch is. But so far, as far as Switch 2 games go, those issues have managed to be somewhat avoided so far, and apparently that's down to Nintendo putting the foot down. Speaking to RPG Site (spotted by Nintendo Everything) New Blood Interactive CEO Dave Oshry explains: "We've got Switch 2 dev kits now. It's not much different than the Switch 1." He says that the publisher has its breakout title Dusk "running at 120fps with mouse controls on Switch 2. It works great." Nintendo president reportedly teases new games for popular series are in development What to expect from the Switch 2 in 2026: Pokemon and Zelda celebrations, tons of ports, and comfort Nintendo food Nintendo says those Animal Crossing and Splatoon updates are there so players can migrate to Switch 2 at their own pace And while the original Switch release of Dusk did get updated performance for Switch 2, when it comes to what is presumably a native version of the game, he notes, "We're just waiting for Nintendo to give us approval to actually launch it because they're still pretty cagey about letting games launch on Switch 2." Oshry alleges: "They don't want it to just become a giant slop fest like the Switch 1 eShop became after a few years with just tons of shovelware on there." He adds, "They're still pretty choosy about who gets to launch their games on Switch 2." However, despite initial reports that Switch 2 dev kits were hard to get hold of, Oshry says "Nintendo's been very nice to us and stuff, giving us dev kits and letting us do updates for our games." Nintendo sues US government over "illegally collected" tariffs that delayed Switch 2 pre-orders

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! Koshi Nakanishi, director of Resident Evil Requiem at Capom, has apparently been busy on social media as fans shoot various lore (lore meaning Leon Kennedy, really) related questions his way – but that doesn't mean the circulating screenshots are canon. Resident Evil Requiem basically confirms that Leon Kennedy, ever-beloved "hot unc" and protagonist, has married someone prior to the game's events – and, unsurprisingly, players just have to know who was lucky enough to land him. Online forums like Reddit have been running wild with theories, ranging from Ada Wong to Claire Redfield. Nobody can say for certain who Leon's hitched to, though… except Nakanishi, of course. Fans have taken to social media with direct messages to Nakanishi, requesting to know who Leon is married to. One post in particular has been making rounds all over the place as it seemingly shows the lead confirming (or, more accurately, implying) Leon's marriage to Ada – something the community is split over, with many still hoping it's Claire, while others call it a "peak" ship. In the supposed messages, Nakanishi beats around the bush, though. Resident Evil Requiem seemingly confirms Leon Kennedy is married, and everyone wants to know who's the lucky gal or guy Resident Evil Requiem Leon actor doesn't care who the hero's married to, would rather see him "open an ice cream parlor" Resident Evil 2 lead Hideki Kamiya gets sucked into hot uncle Leon fawning I saw so many people messaging Nakanishi about Leon’s marriage. I know it might not be the right thing to do,but I can’t hide how happy this makes me.After all these years,all the waiting, all the debates we can finally say it. Congratulations,Mrs Ada Wong Kennedy pic.twitter.com/FYpGvh20BjMarch 4, 2026 I saw so many people messaging Nakanishi about Leon’s marriage. I know it might not be the right thing to do,but I can’t hide how happy this makes me.After all these years,all the waiting, all the debates we can finally say it. Congratulations,Mrs Ada Wong Kennedy pic.twitter.com/FYpGvh20BjMarch 4, 2026 I saw so many people messaging Nakanishi about Leon’s marriage. I know it might not be the right thing to do,but I can’t hide how happy this makes me.After all these years,all the waiting, all the debates we can finally say it. Congratulations,Mrs Ada Wong Kennedy pic.twitter.com/FYpGvh20BjMarch 4, 2026 "Requiem doesn't make it clear, but if you've played the previous games, you should get an idea!" reads one. Another sees him allegedly telling a fan, "You know what I mean," when they ask if Leon and Ada are now married. None are 100% solid – and the entire situation is further muddled by Nakanishi's recent public story on Instagram. "Thank you so much for all the messages," his own post begins (spotted by Kotaku). "Unfortunately, it's hard for me to reply to everyone, but they warm my heart." That's when he concludes with, "I've even gotten called out for screenshots of edited messages" – a statement that potentially means every so-called piece of evidence that Leon and Ada are married is fake. Nakanishi doesn't add anything else to his story about it either, aside from later saying he's going into "hermit mode" (although he has since posted unrelated stories), so it's difficult to tell. I'd wager that we're back to being in the dark about Leon's ring, personally. It's hard not to wonder – this is one of the best new games 2026 has had to offer so far, after all. Our own Resident Evil Requiem review dubs it "a soaring piece of survival horror theater that balances intense action with absolute terror across two heroes." Are you playing the new survival horror gem yourself? If so, be sure to browse through our roundup of Resident Evil Requiem safe codes for an easier time progressing.

The hype for Gang of Dragon, the debut game from Nagoshi Studio, may already be getting derailed. According to a Bloomberg report, Chinese tech giant NetEase is going to stop financing Nagoshi Studio starting in May. Bloomberg confirmed the news with the studio's employees and a NetEase spokesperson. The report explained that NetEase decided to cut funding to Nagoshi Studio, which was founded in 2021 by Yakuza franchise creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, after finding out the studio needed $44.4 million to complete the project. Bloomberg reported that Nagoshi Studio is trying to find new sponsors but hasn't had any success so far. The report also added that the studio can continue the project on its own, but would be responsible for paying NetEase for any associated costs to hold onto the brand or assets. While Nagoshi Studio may have been working on Gang of Dragon since the studio's creation, the general public got a better look at the title through a trailer announcement during The Game Awards 2025. The action-adventure game set in Tokyo would star Ma Dong-Seok, a South Korean actor who starred in Train to Busan and Marvel's Eternals. As of now, Nagoshi Studio might be at risk of joining other casualties stemming from NetEase's executive decisions, like when the tech giant decided to shut down Ouka Studio in 2024.

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! For about as long as video games have existed, developers have been chasing the dream of realism. And, for just as long, there have been those who believe that realism is overrated. You can count Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary Nintendo designer behind Mario and Zelda, among those who aren't excited by the idea of games matching reality – even in the '80s, he figured Tom and Jerry was a better model to aspire to. In a 1989 interview for Japanese publication Gamer Handbook, recently translated by shmuplations, Miyamoto discussed how players often get frustrated by "animation-heavy games which prioritize visual smoothness over responsiveness." He made a vague allusion to the popularity of "karate games" – likely referencing Jordan Mechner's Karateka, the predecessor to Prince of Persia – and suggested that these titles offered "beautiful" movement, "but as games, they were pretty much failures." "It's about how it feels to the player," Miyamoto explained. "If you think about it, Mario's jumping ability is actually ridiculous... he'd be the greatest Olympic athelete ever! (laughs) If Mario only jumped as high as a human, then following real physics would be fine. And back in the Donkey Kong days, he only jumped about his own height, which didn't feel wrong. But once you're leaping three or four times your own height, you’ve already left 'reality' far behind." Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto saw games in the '80s becoming like "pornography" Shigeru Miyamoto had to "force" in Super Mario Bros 3's iconic Frog Suit because it was fun even though it sucked Without Super Mario Bros, Hideo Kojima "probably" wouldn't have become a game dev That's a major change from Donkey Kong to Mario Bros. – as the distance Mario could jump got more unrealistic, so did the kinds of falls he could survive. Miyamoto said that the idea of "unrealistic everyday life" is what makes games fun, offering "worlds that seem like they could exist in reality, but don't." In Miyamoto's view, programmers are the gods of the worlds they create, but "if that world doesn't feel convincing, no one will want to enter it. That's why an unrealistic everyday setting is about doing strange things within a set of rules that everyone accepts." So how do you create unrealistic worlds that feel like reality? For Nintendo, old-school comedy films and animated films offered tremendous inspiration. "That's basically what they did in cartoons from that era, like Tom and Jerry. That's why things like Chaplin or Tom and Jerry have been such vital fuel for our work." Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto saw games in the '80s becoming like "pornography": "I think the world of 'hidden secrets' in games has almost reached that same grotesque level."

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! Mega Crit can't quite believe that Slay the Spire 2's launch has been this gigantic as the roguelike sequel enters Steam's history books. Slay the Spire 2 was immediately a huge success, which isn't much of a surprise considering how good the word of mouth was for the first game, but the deckbuilder's playerbase has just kept expanding and grabbing records over the last few days in early access. The game was already the roguelike with the highest ever concurrent player peak on Steam. Now, Slay the Spire 2 is in the platform's Top 20 highest player peaks of all time, with over 560,000 people logged onto the game at the same time - that's a bigger peak than the likes of Call of Duty, Terraria, Arc Raiders, and Valheim. Slay the Spire 2 beats Elden Ring Nightreign as Steam's biggest roguelike, as launch players rise 162,000% over the OG Slay the Spire 2 flies past 165,000 concurrent Steam players, instantly nearly tripling the original's all-time peak "Slay the Spire but better": Slay the Spire 2 continues Steam domination with 6,000 Overwhelmingly Positive reviews There's a high likelihood that Slay the Spire 2 keeps shooting up the list, too, because every single time I refresh those numbers, its playerbase only gets bigger. "Our team is TOTALLY blown away by the amount of people who have been playing & sharing their love for the game we've been working on for the past half decade," Mega Crit tweets alongside a screenshot of the game's Steam performance. "We're excited to continue to make [Slay the Spire 2] the best that it can be!!" The indie dev took a friendly jab at Hollow Knight Silksong's whopping 587,000 peak as well. "Also obligatory joke: we'll getcha one day Silksong," it quips. We'll see how high Slay the Spire 2 can climb from here. Slay the Spire 2 devs are "microtransaction haters," even if some fans "threaten to buy all and any cosmetics we may ever release"

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! Marvel Rivals maker NetEase has detailed a big upgrade for its anti-throwing system, implemented after waves of people started getting paid to deliberately throw and sabotage matches. To quickly rewind, last week, a third-party bounty website began paying players of several popular competitive games to intentionally throw matches. These paid bounties became especially disruptive in Marvel Rivals, prompting NetEase to get involved and the website to eventually stop taking bounties. "Since the launch of our crackdown on 'Incentivized Throwing' (malicious match-losing for personal gain), we've received an overwhelming amount of feedback and suggestions from the community," the developer tweets. "Our team is ready to roll out a comprehensive upgrade to our anti-throwing measures." As Marvel Rivals players get paid to throw games, devs threaten permabans for those who "deliberately sabotage matches" NetEase says Marvel Rivals is getting a new "combat behavior detection system" to punish AFK cosmetic farmers Marvel Rivals streamer kicked out of tournament given $3,000 in donations, equaling the first prize if he'd competed NetEase continues to explain that it's deployed a "server-wide detection system" that mixes automated data analysis with manual reviews "to enhance the detection of malicious throwing behavior." The developer is once again threatening "strict" punishments, including permanent bans. "To preserve match integrity, we're introducing the Victim Compensation Protocol," the dev adds. "If your match loss and point deduction were caused by a teammate's confirmed malicious behavior, the system will automatically restore lost points. You'll receive an in-game mail notification once compensation has been issued." "We encourage all players to continue reporting violations. Stay vigilant, keep fighting for justice, and let’s defend the integrity of our Chronoverse, side by side!" Popular third-party bounty site Intlist recently announced that it was transitioning into a free platform for people to report throwers, rather than a website for people to get paid for throwing matches. It's unclear if other similar websites have popped up since or if NetEase is just preparing its hero shooter for the likelihood that something like this happens again. In the meantime, check out all upcoming Marvel Rivals characters and our Marvel Rivals hero tier list.

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! Ratcheteer DX is a faithful throwback to the golden days of The Legend of Zelda's handheld games - that much is obvious simply by looking at footage from its wonderfully nostalgic, pixelated world - but the new retro-style adventure is now mimicking the series' transition from GameBoy to GameBoy Color with its PC and Switch ports. For context, Ratcheteer DX was originally released simply as Ratcheteer on the Playdate, an endearing handheld console that boasts a novel crank and is still supported with brand new games made with an old-school twist. It also supports mostly black and white graphics, throwing it back to the OG GameBoy days. Now that the top-down action-adventure game has made its way to PC (Steam) and the Nintendo Switch, it's called Ratcheteer DX and is in full color, mimicking several GameBoy to GameBoy Color remakes that sported the same naming convention - Link's Awakening DX, Kirby's Dream Land DX, and so on. The commitment to the bit really is endearing. I have 100 different ways to play The Legend of Zelda, but I'm still using the Game and Watch ahead of the 40th anniversary This obviously Paper Mario-inspired RPG is finally out "after 5 long years" with near-perfect Steam reviews After five years, I can finally turn the Zelda Game and Watch into a proper retro handheld thanks to new microSD and memory mods Ratcheteer DX's Steam page promises 250 interconnected rooms and six dungeons, eight tools to master and a hidden alien language to learn, six bosses and a secret boss rush time trial mode, four graphics settings, and the original 8-bit soundtrack now with "CD-quality stereo sound." Ratcheteer DX is also published by Panic, the maker of the Playdate and publisher of indie hits including Thank Goodness You're Here, Untitled Goose Game, Firewatch, and Arco. You can grab it on Steam with a 25% launch discount. Forget another Ocarina of Time remake – Nintendo needs to get weird with Zelda's 40th anniversary

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! As was the case with its older sibling, Slay the Spire 2 won't have microtransactions because the developers are self-proclaimed haters of real-money cosmetics and the like. Slay the Spire's lead developer and studio Mega Crit's co-founder Casey Yano all but confirms microtransactions will never worm their way into the hit roguelike in an interview with Destructoid. "We're microtransaction haters," he tells the site, "a lot of our players threaten to buy all and any cosmetics we may ever release." As for why, Yano explains the team "really want players to experience all of the same content, as discussion of game content and balance is sort of our lifeblood." So, you can feel confident knowing the $25 spent on Slay the Spire 2 will be the only cash you'll need to drop on the game as it chugs through early access and beyond (unless you eventually buy one of its unconfirmed but inevitable console ports.) No Rest for the Wicked lead says if you ever find microtransactions in the Ori studio's games, "kick me in the balls" Slay the Spire 2 devs "admire the tenacity" of fellow roguelike dev who isn't moving their release date because of them "Slay the Spire but better": Slay the Spire 2 continues Steam domination with 6,000 Overwhelmingly Positive reviews New paid content is seemingly not on the cards, but Yano still hopes to frequently update the game's "pure content" or "the good stuff" as it heads toward 1.0. And modders will likely be just as important for this sequel as they were with the first Slay the Spire, which received loads of beloved, widely-circulated mods throughout the years. "Both in STS 1 and STS 2, you can replace entire swathes of code, so you can kind of do anything," Yano explains. "A lot of our focus this time around is reducing friction, so players have more resources and easier entry points to work with mods." "Slay the Spire but better": roguelike Slay the Spire 2 continues Steam domination with over 6,000 Overwhelmingly Positive reviews as early access players decree "10/10 best 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! When Dark Souls exploded in popularity well over a decade ago, it felt like a bolt from the blue, as if FromSoftware suddenly, single-handedly demonstrated that many players wanted challenging, often obtuse games that demanded time and attention to truly master – a fact that Elden Ring would embrace to even greater heights. Of course, the truth is a fair bit more complicated than that, not least because FromSoftware was already burning the RPG rulebook back in the '90s with King's Field. Shinichiro Nishida is a longtime FromSoftware developer who is still working at the studio to this day. He spoke candidly about the development of the studio's original RPG as part of an interview in the King's Field Verdite Trilogy Perfect Guide in 2001, which was recently translated by shmuplations. Even at the time, King's Field stood out for its willingness to throw players in with little explanation, and FromSoftware did have some concerns about how that approach would be received. "We were worried, but at the same time we genuinely didn't know how people would react," Nishida said. "We weren't expecting people to just freeze up after being dropped into the game… I mean, you can swing your sword, you'll figure it out. (laughs)" Decades before Dark Souls and Elden Ring, FromSoftware's first dark fantasy RPG was built "from a kind of ignorance" Dark Souls and Elden Ring director "wouldn't necessarily say" that FromSoftware invented the Soulslike genre FromSoftware head Hidetaka Miyazaki says games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls aren't "simply cranking up the difficulty" King's Field was developed in eight months, and while that wasn't wholly unusual for games made in the '90s, it did contribute to the RPG's unfriendliness. "Honestly, we didn't have time to make a tutorial due to the development schedule," Nishida admitted. "For the first King's Field, there were parts of it that, by necessity, we had to leave somewhat unfinished, but even those parts ended up being cleverly executed in the end." Still, the core of the King's Field vibe was set from the start, as "president Naotoshi Zin said he wanted to evoke a feeling of 'loneliness' in players," Nishida explained. The game was built in part to capture the feeling that the studio's RPG aficionados had "enjoyed in Wizardry, but expressed through the PlayStation hardware of the time," but it wasn't going to be constrained by the genre's predecessors, either. "RPGs shouldn't inherently have rules like 'you must do this,'" Nishida explained. "We approached it based on common sense – what feels natural. Not thinking 'this is how other games do it' or 'this part should be like this in a game,' but rather, 'this is how someone would respond if you talked to them,' or 'you probably wouldn't talk to a complete stranger.' Starting with KFII, you can kill NPCs, but internally, monsters and NPCs share the same parameter setup. Hit points, defense, and the experience points gained upon defeat are set for every character. Ultimately, I suppose we weren't constrained by existing games." Devotion to that idiosyncratic spirit is part of why games like Demon's Souls and Dark Souls felt so fresh – at least, to the wider audience that hadn't previously played the King's Field games. It's a bit ironic that Soulslike is now a distinct genre, offering its own set of rules and constraints for games to follow. I guess it's the curse of great art to get imitated, and there's a reason the FromSoftware formula has finally gotten its due. Decades before Dark Souls and Elden Ring, FromSoftware's first dark fantasy RPG was built "from a kind of ignorance": "It was the type of challenge a first-time game developer naively takes on."

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! My Super Mario toy collection beganway back in the early 90s with an official plastic Mario toothbrush holder. He was a little off model and had a grin that would haunt most children's dreams today, but I loved him all the same. These days, it's a lot easier to find higher-quality versions of my favorite mustachioed plumber. There's no shortage of representation of the Mushroom Kingdom's many residents, but Good Smile Company's Mario and Luigi figures remain the best Mario merch I've ever come across. They're also a bit off-model, but that's the point, as Nendoroids are part of an anime figure line featuring cute, chibi depictions of iconic characters. These are the cutest versions you'll find of Mario and Luigi in plastic form, but actually finding them in stock is Kaizo Mario-levels of challenging. I'm being a bit cheeky, hoping to see a return of the Super Mario and Luigi Nendoroid figures. They've actually had plenty of comebacks, over 4 reprints to be exact. Yet, every time Good Smile Company re-releases them across US and UK retailers, the stock goes faster than Koopa the Quick. I wish they'd stay around long enough to be accessible to a wider range of Nintendo fans, especially for those who aren't fans of the quality of the toys on offer today. I have made it my life's mission to get this Legend of Zelda toy, because it is truly magnificent Celebrate MAR10 Day in style with the very best Super Mario merch The top 5 pieces of Zelda merch I wish I could still get my hands on Where to pre-order Super Mario Figuarts (Image credit: Bandai Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts)Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $42.99 at Best BuyLuigi - Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $42.99 at Best BuyYoshi - Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $74.99 at Best BuyBowser - Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $84.99 at Best Buy Where to pre-order Super Mario Figuarts (Image credit: Bandai Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts)Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $42.99 at Best BuyLuigi - Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $42.99 at Best BuyYoshi - Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $74.99 at Best BuyBowser - Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $84.99 at Best Buy Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $42.99 at Best BuyLuigi - Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $42.99 at Best BuyYoshi - Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $74.99 at Best BuyBowser - Super Mario - Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts | $84.99 at Best Buy It's not surprising that people snap up the figures pretty fast. They are sickeningly cute, with Mario and Luigi each having overly large chibi-sized heads and tiny bodies. Their biggest selling point, like all Nendoroid figures, is that you can swap around their faces and limbs to create different displays and poses. Much like the Legend of Zelda Wind Waker Link Nendoroid, they also come with a range of accessories which differ depending on which brother you happen to have. Luigi is my favorite of the two, as he comes with an iconic green warp pipe, a teeny tiny Goomba, a Bullet Bill, and different cloud shapes. He's also packaged with a small green base so you can create a tiny Super Mario stage and have little puffs of clouds trailing behind him as if he's running and about to warp to another level. The best thing about him is that his accessories are compatible with Mario's, too. Mario comes packaged with some blocks, a coin, a Boo ghost, and a Power-Up mushroom, to name a few. When bought with Luigi, you can combine the wealth of accessories to create the ultimate Super Mario display. All they're missing is a Nendoroid figure of Princess Peach, Toad, Yoshi, or Bowser, which I've been dreaming of since I first got my hands on these adorable collectibles. Good Smile Company has yet to add any more characters to the Super Mario Nendoroid lineup, so my dreams of owning a chibi Peach are squashed. However, Bandai's alternative SH Figuarts figure line does cater to my want for a wider range of Mushroom Kingdom representation. The SH Figuarts are similar to Good Smile's Figma range, featuring more accurately scaled representations of the characters, which keep their articulation and wealth of accessory benefits.They aren't new, but unlike the Nendoroids, their re-prints are available to pre-order starting from $42.99 at Best Buy, so stock is plentiful. Better yet, you can get Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Bowser, and Mario can actually ride Yoshi just like in the games. Without that 'chibi' design, the figures are much less cute to look at, but they're an ideal alternative for older Super Mario fans after higher-quality figures than the abundance of toys aimed at younger age ranges. I'm still holding out hope that we'll one day see Peach, Yoshi, and maybe even Princess Rosalina get some Nendoroid representation, along with more Mario and Luigi re-releases. Yet, I can make do with Bandai's SH Figuarts figures making a return if it means we can see more high end collectibles for older fans on the shelves. View all Super Mario toys at Amazon View all Super Mario Galaxy Movie toys at Amazon Check out our guide to the best Nintendo gifts if you're on the lookout for more Super Mario toys and collectibles.

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! One Final Fantasy fan has taken on arguably the series' most gruelling and annoying challenge ever, and channelled FromSoftware sickos to make it infinitely harder, for reasons that escape me. Played To Completion had already made it to 1,000 uninterrupted jump rope skips - a feat that alludes most Final Fantasy fans and would be impossible for anyone looking to take care of their sanity - but he recently wanted to make the gruelling challenge even more gruelling. So, he blindfolded himself. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's director was "surprised" that someone managed to beat the RPG's most infamous boss without cheesing Legendary Dark Souls player completes the entire trilogy without getting hit while using a saxophone as a controller Final Fantasy 7 Remake lead knows JRPG fans are time-poor, but thinks some options could help you finish it in one day "Final Fantasy 9 has one of the hardest achievements in the entire franchise, and that is 'Hail to the King,' a rhythm mini-game requiring 1,000 [rope] skips consecutively without tripping, demanding eight minutes of precise timing [and] changing pace at five different increments - being the 20, 50, 100, 200, and finally, 300 mark," he explains, with the 200 step mark adding an extra tricky double jump. "Reaching 1,000 steps all comes down to practice, muscle memory, a good sense of rhythm, and being able to count in my head, provided you don't use a script to help you," he adds. "I wanted to challenge myself further, pushing myself closer to insanity.... This really makes you appreciate the stuff we take for granted, like our eyes." Played To Completion not only beat the challenge, but absolutely smashed it, having Vivi successfully jump 1,168 times without stopping, all while blindfolded and using sound as his only guide. FromSoftware challenge lovers have come up with game rules that would've been unthinkable a few years ago, like playing Elden Ring on a dance pad or with the help of a pet goldfish. Perhaps that's the next natural step for jump rope lovers. Final Fantasy 9 lead says the PS2 was so "so overpowered" its CPU sparked military concerns, so he struggled to get an emergency dev kit during his stay in Hawaii: "It was a very difficult situation"

Roblox has launched a feature powered by AI that can rephrase inappropriate language in real time. The online game has been using AI filters to block out any language that goes against its policy for a while now, but it has been replacing censored chats with a series of hash signs (####). Roblox admits that encountering too many hashmarks can be disruptive and make conversations hard to follow. This new feature will instead replace words and phrases with what the AI deems as more appropriate substitutes. Rajiv Bhatia, Roblox’s Chief Safety Office, said the game is starting with profanity. For instance, if a user sends “Hurry TF up” in chat, the system will replace it with “Hurry up!” Everyone in the chat will see a note when a message has been rephrased, and the sender will see what language was edited out. A user who keeps cursing in chat will still be penalized for breaking Roblox policy even if the AI rephrases their messages. “As these systems scale, they create a flywheel for civility, where real-time feedback helps users learn and adopt our Community Standards,” Bhatia said in a blog post. Rephrasing has been rolled out to chats between age-checked users in similar age groups and in all the languages the game’s translation tool supports. Roblox introduced a mandatory age verification system back in January after reports came out that it has a “pedophile problem,” with adult players allegedly using the game to groom children. Kids under 13 can no longer use in-game chat outside of certain experiences, while everyone else can chat with players around their age. Age check, however, hasn’t stopped authorities from suing Roblox: LA County, in a lawsuit filed in February, said Roblox knows its platform “makes children easy prey for pedophiles.” Louisiana’s AG has also just filed a lawsuit, saying Roblox “created a public park and filled it with sex predators that are preying on… children.”