As part of a Year in Review blog detailing changes Valve made to Steam in 2025, the company shared a minor update on its hardware plans that doesn't sound good for anyone hoping to buy a Steam Machine, Steam Controller or Steam Frame in 2026. Specifically, the company is now opening up the possibility its new hardware won't ship this year at all. In February, when Valve acknowledged the ongoing memory and storage shortage had delayed the launch of its hardware and could lead to higher prices, the company was still committing to a (fairly wide) window of when its hardware would ship: "Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed. But we have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce, being mindful of how quickly the circumstances around both of those things can change." As of the company's latest post, however, things somehow sound even less certain. "We hope to ship in 2026, but as we shared recently, memory and storage shortages have created challenges for us," Valve wrote in its Year in Review post. "We’ll share updates publicly when we finalize our plans!" While Valve's air of secrecy can make it easy to read too much into the limited information the company does share, moving from "the first half of the year" to "[hoping] to ship in 2026" certainly gives it wiggle room to not release new hardware this year. And considering the difficulties other companies are facing sourcing memory and storage, it wouldn't be all that surprising. HP said in February that RAM accounts for a third of its PC costs, and industry analysts expect the RAM shortage could radically alter the PC landscape as companies are forced to raise prices. Valve's already struggling to keep the Steam Deck in stock due to its issues securing RAM, it stands to reason sourcing components for even more devices wouldn't make that process any easier. Then again, the company hasn’t updated its launch timing FAQ, so there’s still reason to hope the Steam Machine ships in 2026.

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! Indie developer Mega Crit's Slay the Spire 2 immediately became the king of Steam upon its early access launch on March 5, and at least 6,000 people are in full support of its reign according to several fiefdoms of Overwhelmingly Positive reviews. It comes down to the fact that roguelike Slay the Spire 2 is simply "Slay the Spire but better," as one positive review with over 250 upvotes as of writing declares. "Some may say that's an oxymoron, as how can one concoct something better than Slay the Spire? But it happened. Its better. Greatest game of all time." This enthusiastic reviewer is in good company. Slay the Spire 2 easily broke fellow roguelike Elden Ring Nightreign's Steam concurrent player record of 313,593 in its first 24 hours, and, at the moment, the game holds a record number of 430,456 players according to SteamDB. This storm of Mega Crit disciples have also now made Bungie's Marathon concurrent record – 88,337 Steam players, the games launched the same day – look like a consolation pizza party. Slay the Spire 2 flies past 165,000 concurrent Steam players, instantly nearly tripling the original's all-time peak 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 lead backtracks on Marathon "small indie passion projects" joke as the roguelike dominates Steam "It's phenomenal. It's beautiful. I'd let this game babysit my children," says another popular positive Steam review with 97 "helpful" ratings. "If this is early access, I think I might faint when the full game comes out." "You can get a bird friend & it attacks when you play its* card. 10/10 best game," a review with 632 helpful ratings says. I think they really like it. "This seems a bit meaner than it was intended": Slay the Spire 2 lead backtracks on Marathon "small indie passion projects" joke as the roguelike unexpectedly dominates Steam.

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! Most of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3, the third and final installment in Square Enix's remake trilogy, is still shrouded in mystery, but director Naoki Hamaguchi has just revealed a few new key details. With the yet-untitled third entry in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake saga tying up the whole story, and there still being plenty of stuff from the original 1997 game we haven't seen, fans have rising concerns that some of that missing content has simply been cut. Thankfully, Hamaguchi has confirmed two very unique locations from the OG game are returning in the finale: the grungy Rocket Town and Yuffie's homeland, Wutai. Referring specifically to the latter, Hamaguchi tells Bloomberg the originally optional area will be "one of the main locations" in the remake. "Yuffie's made a very prominent appearance, stating her case about her homeland. So if Wutai's not featured, I think the fans are going to yell at me," says Hamaguchi. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is "finally starting to match the vision I had for it," director teases Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 director says the new JRPG is "already in a playable state" Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3's reveal might be imminent as the RPG's director promises more news "than ever before" Meanwhile, Hamaguchi also says the team at Square Enix wants to "expand" on the Highwind airship that lets you freely explore the world map in the original game once it's acquired. "Flying the Highwind is a very large part of the third installment," he says, also suggesting space missions are coming back for the remake. Hamaguchi declined to comment on whether Chocobo breeding will be a thing in the next game, but "here is an element in the third installment involving Chocobos that is a little different than Rebirth," whatever that means. And finally, the last few breadcrumbs he dropped before the next update are that co-director Motomu Toriyama is handling "the submarine portion of the game" and that he may have "injected himself into there," and that the Great Glacier area is probably the starting point of the third and final game in the series. The game doesn't have a release date yet, but Hamaguchi recently confirmed it's in "a playable state" and that development is "almost exactly on schedule with the milestones we set at the beginning of the project," which is encouraging. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3's Ultimate Weapon design may have just been shown off in a free-to-play spin-off.

Netflix's library of streamable party games is expanding today with a custom version of Overcooked! All You Can Eat. Netflix launched its cloud gaming program with games like Lego Party and Tetris Time Warp, but Overcooked feels a bit unique because it features a roster of Netflix-affiliated characters from KPop Demon Hunters and Stranger Things. For the uninitiated, Overcooked plays like a more manic version of Diner Dash, where teams attempt to prepare food together in increasingly elaborate kitchens filled with obstacles. The original version of Overcooked! All You Can Eat was released in 2020, and includes DLC and stages from previous versions of the game. Netflix's version bundles in the same content, and "10 Netflix celebrity chefs" including "Dustin, Eleven, Lucas, and the Demogorgon from Stranger Things," and "half-dozen faces from KPop Demon Hunters," like "Mira, Rumi, Zoey, Jinu, Derpy and Sussie." Like Netflix's other streaming games, playing Overcooked also requires you to use a connected smartphone as a controller. Offering a growing library of streaming games is part of Netflix's new strategy under Alan Tascan, a former executive from Epic Games. Tascan took over as Netflix's President of Games in 2024, and appeared to start revamping the company's plans not long after, cancelling the release of several mobile games and reportedly shutting down its AAA game studio. Netflix is also continuing to adapt video games into content for its platform. For example, A24 is reportedly developing a game show based on Overcooked for the streaming service.

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! The new Overwatch, formerly named Overwatch 2, but now just Overwatch has been upon us with five new heroes for about a month, and one thing is clear: people really, really don't want to play against Jetpack Cat. Little Fika is the most-banned new hero in the game, but Blizzard seems pretty sure Domina doesn't deserve to be the runner-up. "Surprising absolutely no one that's played a Competitive game over the past few weeks," Blizzard writes in a new blog, "Jetpack Cat has been catching more bans than any other new Hero. In Role Queue 5v5 Competitive matches across the globe, poor Fika faces ban rates from 66.5% on North American servers to a staggering 80.7% on South Korean servers. Sheesh." Jetpack Cat's overall ban rate is 69.1% across all platforms and regions – excluding China – which is not a very nice introduction for the kitten Overwatch fans had been waiting a decade for. Blizzard seems to have learned its lesson, with associate game director Alec Dawson recently saying the team doesn't want new heroes "to be perma-banned." Blizzard's begging you to stop banning Overwatch's Jetpack Cat, and I promise shooting down the furball's not that hard Jetpack Cat is now the most popular Overwatch hero as players call her the "most fun," but she's starting to get banned Blizzard plans to nerf Overwatch's Jetpack Cat as the hero suffers from constant bans: "She can be very, very lethal" Jetpack Cat has already gotten some nerfs, but Fika isn't the only one high on the ban list. Domina has a 59.7% ban rate, which is far above any of the other new heroes introduced in the last update. But it seems Blizzard doesn't really believe that ban rate is justified for Domina. Maybe you all just need to counter her? "Our balance team believes Competitive players might be following the perception that Domina is overpowered, even though her win rate says otherwise. Her ban rates may drop over a longer period as clear counters to Domina emerge. Have a bonus hint from our devs: look to aggressive Heroes like D.Va and Reinhardt to shut Domina down," Blizzard advises. Here, let me translate that into terms modern gamers can easily understand: Blizzard is saying Domina haters need to get good. I haven't played much Overwatch since the game first launched in 2016, but I certainly remember the days when everyone thought Bastion was an absolute OP terror. Thankfully, that was in the era before hero bans existed, because we quickly learned that nah, we all just needed to play better. Nowadays I guess Blizzard is just willing to say it to our faces. Overwatch Season 1 is the "beginning of a comeback," Blizzard says as the hero shooter claws back fans: "You dream of these type of things."

Nintendo of America is suing the US government, including the Department of Treasury, Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection, over its tariff policy, Aftermath reports. The video game giant already raised prices on the Nintendo Switch in August 2025 in response to “market conditions” but has so far left the price of the newer Switch 2 console unchanged. Nintendo’s lawsuit, filed in the US Court of International Trade, cites a Supreme Court ruling from February that confirmed a lower courts’ opinion that the Trump administration’s global tariffs were illegal. Nintendo’s lawyers claim that the video game company has been “substantially harmed by the unlawful of execution and imposition” of “unauthorized Executive Orders” and the fees Nintendo has already paid to import products into the country. In response, the company is seeking a “prompt refund, with interest” of the tariffs it has paid.“We can confirm we filed a request,” Nintendo of America said in a statement. “We have nothing else to share on this topic.” While taxes and other trade policies are supposed to be set by Congress, President Donald Trump implemented a collection of global tariffs over the course of his first year in office using executive orders and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a law that gives the President extended control over trade during a global emergency. The Trump administration has positioned tariffs as a way to punish enemies and bargain with trade partners, but many companies have passed the increased price of importing goods onto customers. In upholding opinions from the US District Court of the District of Columbia and the US Court of International Trade, the Supreme Court removed the Trump administration’s ability to collect tariffs using IEEPA, but didn’t clarify how the tariffs the government had illegally collected should be returned to companies. Like Nintendo, other companies have decided filing a lawsuit is the best way to get refunded. Developing…

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! The game Bandai Namco was teasing earlier this week has been revealed: It's a new Sword Art Online action RPG called Echoes of Aincrad, billed as an exploration of the darker side of the anime it's based on. And while what little combat we've seen largely involves huge dark fantasy creatures with big weapons and a player character keen on dodge-rolling and parrying, the developers insist this game is "not a Soulslike." Talking to Japanese publication Denfaminicogamer (translation via Automaton), SAO series producer Yosuke Futami and Echoes of Aincrad head of production Yasuhiro Yahata made a few points of clarification about what the game is and isn't. The devs admit it will be "very easy to die" in Echoes of Aincrad, with Yahata adding, "I can’t say there aren't any unfair enemies, especially for those who are playing for the first time." Crimson Desert is "not a Soulslike," Pearl Abyss says, but "does that mean the game's easy? Hell no" Code Vein 2 is Dark Souls through an anime lens, and one surprisingly emotional dungeon proves Bandai Namco has raised the stakes "It's important that our game doesn't just feel like FromSoftware": Lords of the Fallen 2 dev says what Soulslikes miss Meanwhile, Futami notes that there are "a great variety of bosses" and that "playing for the first time is probably going to be the most fun and thrilling, and the shock you get while facing them is huge." In case you aren't an SAO fan, the premise of the original series is simple: Main characters Kirito and Asuna are living inside an MMO via a futuristic device called a NerveGear that simulates all human senses and makes it look and feel like they're actually in the game world, meanwhile their bodies are in a coma-like state being kept alive through IV drips. What they don't realize until they're partying it up in-game is that, if they die in the game, they die in real life, too. I've always wondered why, with so many SAO games out there, none of them implement the high stakes inherent to the anime's admittedly brilliant (if not derivative) hook, but Echoes of Aincrad is doing just that with its "Death" game mode. This optional mode will delete your entire save file if you die just once. I'm not sure if there's anything differentiating this from a typical hardcore, honor, or permadeath mode, but it's even more apt in an SAO game for obvious narrative reasons. I dig it. Echoes of Aincrad puts you in the shoes of an anime character you get to create, instead of Kirito as usual. You'll level up, unlock new gear and abilities, and "build synergy" with a partner character of your choice to take down "foes stronger than you imagined," per the game's Steam description. It's out on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on July 10. Here are the best anime games you can play right now.

One of the biggest issues with mainline Pokémon games is that you're often so focused on catching, battling and trying to be the very best that you don't have time to stop and smell the flowers. But in Pokémon Pokopia, you're rewarded for doing just that while building a loving community of friendly monsters. The game is one part Animal Crossing and one part Dragon Quest Builders sprinkled with a touch of Minecraft and Stardew Valley. he result might be one of the coziest, most wholesome life sims on the market. In Pokopia, you play as a Ditto, who has awakened to a world where all the other humans and Pokémon have mysteriously disappeared. Naturally, the loss of your trainer has inspired you to take the form of a person (well, as best as a Ditto can). You work together with the only other soul around, Professor Tangrowth, to figure out how to revitalize this once thriving town. As you explore, you learn to create habitats from a mix of shrubs, trees and anything else you can scavenge. You can also create new homes for the missing Pokémon and lure them back, slowly converting the wasteland into a bustling place full of life and excitement. It's a simple but extremely rewarding gameplay loop, and as you make friends with the returning monsters, they help you on your quest by teaching you skills that allow you to continue shaping and manipulating the environment. They also provide handy items and building materials. This is where the other main gameplay cycle comes in, as the entire world is made up of blocks that you can excavate or rework to your heart's content. Not only does this let you customize your environment, it also serves as a way to traverse the world. See a shiny treasure on the other side of a river but you can't swim there? You can simply build a bridge instead. And just like in Minecraft, you can use raw materials to create all sorts of fancy blocks and furniture so your homes look exactly how you want. When compared to games like Animal Crossing, I found I actually prefer Pokopia's flavor of world-building a touch more, as it relies slightly more on building and exploring and less on decorating. My one small issue with the game is that while I like the real-time building mechanic that lets Pokémon work on stuff while you're not playing, having to wait a full day for bigger projects to be completed can bog down your progress a bit. With a game that easily provides more than 50 hours of content just for its main story (and that's not counting all the time you'll spend customizing and tweaking your town), sometimes things become a slower burn than they ought to be. While the success of Pokopia's core mechanics can be largely attributed to co-developer Bandai Namco borrowing the game's basic template from the Dragon Quest Builders series, the real magic of the game comes from the Pokémon themselves. When I load into the world and the first thing that happens is one of my townsfolk running up to me to say thanks or give me a present, it just makes me happy. And unlike most other Pokémon games, you can actually have proper conversations with them, instead of just hearing them do their 8-bit cries. Speaking of that, I really think it's time for Game Freak to archive those Game Boy-inspired sound bites in favor of proper voice acting. We've had thirty years of crunchy, low-fi yells, and in an open-world game with adorable polygonal graphics, I think we can finally let the 'mons say their names like they do in the anime. Pokopia's roster of characters is also bigger than expected. That's because in addition to new faces like Peakychu and Mosslax, there are well over 100 different Pokémon to befriend. And while the game leans a bit more heavily on characters from Kanto and the original 151, there's solid representation from other generations, including cameos from legendaries. Furthermore, each monster has its own unique habitat, preferences and abilities. I appreciate little details like water-type Pokémon who ask you to make their home a bit more humid or fighting-type monsters who ask for exercise equipment to spruce up theirs. Similarly, when it comes to building out your town, I like that the game makes you turn towards plant-types if you want help with your crops or a fire-type if you need help smelting some iron. However, the most heartwarming thing about Pokopia might not even be how you interact with the other Pokémon, but how they socialize with themselves. Sometimes you'll run into two mons chasing each other around, working out together or cuddling up for a nap. And thanks to the game's photo mode, you can capture all these moments when they happen. Exploring the world is also quite satisfying, particularly for anyone who has played any of the Pokémon games from gen one. There are a ton of references to memorable people and places from Kanto. Plus, when you're just out and about or spelunking, you'll sometimes run into other adventurous mons who need a little help before you can convince them to move into town. It feels like there are fun secrets hiding around every other corner, and even for those that are a bit less obvious, Pokopia drops just enough hints to point you in the right direction. There's so much to do in Pokopia that I wouldn't be surprised if dedicated players could tide themselves over with this game until Pokémon Winds and Waves comes out next year. But more importantly, Bandai Namco and Game Freak have found a perfect balance between the title's open-world building mechanics and homages to the underlying franchise. Pokopia isn't just a half-hearted life-sim clone with a thin veneer of monster catching (or in this case, monster community outreach) draped on top; it's a good game in its own right that just gets better with the addition of neighborly Pokémon.

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! The long-term monetization of a live-service game is always a little contentious, because it's hard to find ways of delivering value while still ensuring a game's financial viability. Marathon is no different, and mere days into the full launch, some players aren't happy about the cosmetics in the FPS or the battle pass. On the note of visual customizations, there are stickers and charms you can get to put on your weapons. Though nice little decorations, they've irritated the community because you have to collect duplicates - mostly available through monetary means - in order to put the same ones on multiple weapons. "Not only does this make customising your weapons feel bad, Bungie also use it as a way to pad out the reward pass with duplicates of the same item, because technically you are getting multiple of it to use on multiple weapons," says a player on Reddit. "This really takes away from how rewarding the 'reward pass' feels to progress through." Marathon's UI is a headache that I fear will send me right back to Arc Raiders – tedious even for Bungie's standards Bungie wants more feedback on Marathon's controversial UI to make sure players can "read what's happening mid-fight" Marathon stays competitive with Arc Raiders and hits Steam with 91% 'Very Positive' reviews: "Bungie cooked" A fundamental problem here, for instance, is that these limitations apply to Twitch drops and preorder bonuses, leaving you with just one charm or sticker to use on your inventory. You can move them around, but doing that's a pain. It's reminding people of how Bungie approached Destiny 2. "Welcome back launch D2 shaders," says a top commenter on the Reddit thread. "Wouldn't be Bungie if they didn't completely fail to learn from their mistakes for the 100th time," another adds. In that instance, the studio was even more restrictive, making shaders single-use items that only worked on one piece of armor at a time. You needed five for a full suit, and you couldn't recycle them afterward. Marathon isn't quite as predatory, but that this is where the community's mind jumped is not a good sign. This compounds deeper criticisms with the battle pass, which has been hyperbolically called out as the "worst value for your money" some ever encountered. "One single character skin. Seriously? Only one?" a fan notes on Reddit. "I've never seen a paid battle pass in any game giving you less than two." They point out the charms and stickers, and the fact you don't get the money spent back in in-game currency. Currently, the pass is bad enough, it's souring people's impressions of the shooter. "I fell in love with this game during the server slam and even upgraded my preorder to the deluxe edition," says a commenter. "What can I say: lesson learned." Bungie has yet to comment. We'll see in the coming days or weeks if any changes come as a result of this pushback. "2 cakes!": Arc Raiders players lay down their weapons and show support for Marathon, saying they "want this competition" and "2 beautiful games can coexist without all this hate"

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! WWE 2K26 fans are discovering just how much of a grind the game's new battle pass system is after developer Visual Concepts replaced the traditional DLC model with it. WWE 2K – like with all publisher 2K's yearly sports games, for the most part – is really into asking you to give it more money. For years, it has had its own spin on EA Sports' Ultimate Team card game – seen in the likes of EA Sports FC and Madden – which focuses on opening virtual booster packs, and on top of that, locks certain wrestlers that can be used in the regular modes behind random drops.Last year, publisher 2K also introduced The Island, a pseudo MMO mode where you can pay in-game currency to buff your wrestler up, effectively creating a pay-to-win mode. This year, however, the WWE's nickel-and-diming has gotten even worse with the new WWE 2K26 Ringside Pass, or battle pass, of which there will be six drops over the course of the year. Considering how bad just one Ringside Pass is, six is going to be ridiculous. For starters, the free track of Ringside Pass Season 1 has all of the old WWE Legends, belts, and arenas you would have previously been able to unlock through an in-game shop, or an "unlock everything" booster DLC. Players have also reported weird restrictions in the Ringside Pass, which seems to make any customization to a match – down to choosing what weapons appear under your ring – void it out and grant you zero progress. The full WWE 2K26 Ringside Pass unlockables list WWE 2K26 review: "Outstanding action in the ring grapples with overly-monetized rewards, which feels like a work" WWE 2K26 preview: Makes a fantastic entrance thanks to theatrical and tactical evolutions that have me pumped to play Needless to say, players on the WWEGames subreddit aren't happy. One user reports they haven't even hit Tier 2 after four Showcase matches and a regular match using an XP booster item. "All I can do is laugh," their post reads. "I paid $150 for extra content and they want me to burn myself out just to use it? I have a job not to mention a life outside of WWE games I probably play 100-200 hours AT MOST every yr.. This is honestly one of the scummiest forms of corporate greed I've seen in a while, and the only thing worse are the 'just play the game' people defending it." I'm not a blind battle pass hater, but this is one of the single worst ones I've ever seen. At least with the likes of Fortnite, you're only missing out on cosmetics, not full playable characters that would've been unlocked instantly after purchase any other year. Plus, the WWE 2K26 DLC is looking to be one of the best in the series to date, with the likes of Earthquake, Brian Pillman, Bam Bam Bigelow, and the Hardy Boyz on the list. So what should've been an easy slam dunk for the game has actually become the worst thing about it. WWE 2K26 review: "Outstanding action in the ring grapples with overly-monetized rewards, which feels like a work"

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! I've been in the business of reviewing board games for a long time now, but I used to be wary of recommending "limited communication" co-op games for two players. The fun of playing in a pair is quality time and bonding, right? If you're not talking to each other, doesn't it defeat the point? Dear reader, I was an idiot – and my game of the week demonstrates why. In Sky Team, your job is simple: land a plane. Or more specifically, the mission is simple. Actually bringing the plane to a safe stop will require top-tier teamwork. Seeing as you can only talk before each turn, this is all about good communication without saying a single word. What follows is one of the best board games of the last few years, and it's had me right on the edge of my seat every time I've tried it. Sky Team | $32.49 at AmazonThis 2-player game stormed to the top of the community's wishlist after winning board gaming's most prestigious awards, the Spiel des Jahres, in 2024. Although the lowest price on record for it is around $19, that's only happened once so far as I can tell and it more commonly averages $30.UK price: £29.99 £21.59 at AmazonView Deal Sky Team | $32.49 at AmazonThis 2-player game stormed to the top of the community's wishlist after winning board gaming's most prestigious awards, the Spiel des Jahres, in 2024. Although the lowest price on record for it is around $19, that's only happened once so far as I can tell and it more commonly averages $30.UK price: £29.99 £21.59 at AmazonView Deal Sky Team | $32.49 at AmazonThis 2-player game stormed to the top of the community's wishlist after winning board gaming's most prestigious awards, the Spiel des Jahres, in 2024. Although the lowest price on record for it is around $19, that's only happened once so far as I can tell and it more commonly averages $30.UK price: £29.99 £21.59 at AmazonView Deal Sky Team | $32.49 at AmazonThis 2-player game stormed to the top of the community's wishlist after winning board gaming's most prestigious awards, the Spiel des Jahres, in 2024. Although the lowest price on record for it is around $19, that's only happened once so far as I can tell and it more commonly averages $30.UK price: £29.99 £21.59 at AmazonView Deal Sky Team | $32.49 at AmazonThis 2-player game stormed to the top of the community's wishlist after winning board gaming's most prestigious awards, the Spiel des Jahres, in 2024. Although the lowest price on record for it is around $19, that's only happened once so far as I can tell and it more commonly averages $30.UK price: £29.99 £21.59 at Amazon Sky Team | $32.49 at AmazonThis 2-player game stormed to the top of the community's wishlist after winning board gaming's most prestigious awards, the Spiel des Jahres, in 2024. Although the lowest price on record for it is around $19, that's only happened once so far as I can tell and it more commonly averages $30.UK price: £29.99 £21.59 at Amazon Sky Team | $32.49 at AmazonThis 2-player game stormed to the top of the community's wishlist after winning board gaming's most prestigious awards, the Spiel des Jahres, in 2024. Although the lowest price on record for it is around $19, that's only happened once so far as I can tell and it more commonly averages $30.UK price: £29.99 £21.59 at Amazon Sky Team | $32.49 at AmazonThis 2-player game stormed to the top of the community's wishlist after winning board gaming's most prestigious awards, the Spiel des Jahres, in 2024. Although the lowest price on record for it is around $19, that's only happened once so far as I can tell and it more commonly averages $30.UK price: £29.99 £21.59 at Amazon View Deal View Deal View Deal I hope you don't mind heights, because this game puts you in the shoes of a pilot and co-pilot charged with bringing a passenger plane back to the runway from several thousand feet. To avoid inconveniencing your customers by becoming a fireball of mangled metal on the tarmac, you've got to deploy landing gear, flaps (steady), manage your axis, to stay level, and adjust speed. Success relies on you being in sync with your partner. This is a dice-based game, and you'll assign the four numbers you roll to specific tasks like the ones listed above. However, you'll do this without having seen the other player's roll - and without being able to talk or otherwise communicate once the round has begun. This is way more important than it sounds. Even though certain tasks allow you to work independently (you each have specific jobs, like clearing the airspace ahead of other planes), two of your dice must always be used to adjust your axis and engines. You and your partner's dice are added together to dictate speed, and getting too high or too low a number means you'll either not progress, move at a reasonable pace, or charge ahead. Similarly, axis is decided by the difference between the numbers you've put down... and your plane will veer to one side or other because of it. That then forces you to adjust later or try to match numbers to stay level. In other words, not being able to talk (or give specific orders before a turn, like "use a 3 for that") is a pretty big deal. This forces you to communicate in other, more novel ways - like seeing what the other player is putting down first to decide what you should do in response, or veering away from the plan in the hope they catch your drift and respond accordingly. It's way more exciting than you'd think, because you're hoping against hope they understand and don't damn you all to oblivion with a badly-placed die. Yes, you can adjust those scores by using up dice on coffee (which gives a +1 or -1 when needed), but paying very close attention to what your partner is up to is crucial. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I was this locked in on a game - and I'd highly recommend giving it a go this weekend as a result. Save up to $10 on board games at Amazon For more tabletop recommendations, don't miss the best tabletop RPGs or the best card games.

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! The World of Warcraft community has been buzzing after Blizzard's big Midnight release, new housing system and all – but some of the optional accompaniments haven't exactly been impressing fans with their prices. As a Final Fantasy 14 and Elder Scrolls Online player myself, I know the controversy that surrounds real-money purchases for MMOs very well, and World of Warcraft certainly offers no exception (if you know about the $475 mount from way back when, you know). It's hard to justify spending hard-earned cash on cosmetics when you already dish out so much for a subscription and expansions like Midnight, after all. World of Warcraft fans are facing this dilemma right now, as new shop updates bring a slew of pretty pricey decor items for the recent housing update. "Blizzard just dropped a $180 in-game shop update," as a player writes on Reddit, linking to the official Battle.net digital storefront. And, if you scroll down to the "housing" tab, you'll see what they mean. All of the furnishings add up to quite a bit, utilizing Midnight's Hearthsteel currency. Blizzard preps patch for WoW housing in Midnight, but players seem to want more from the MMO's hot new feature World of Warcraft devs were going to fix the MMO's floating houses, but "immediately agreed this was way too cool" Blizzard says WoW players can keep selling services for in-game currency unless their business is "non-traditional" New housing items in store, a bit pricey though from r/wow For reference, 100 Hearthsteel is $1, so one decor pack is $25. And, amusingly, one tree – yes, just one – from the new Spring Blossoming collection started out at $7.50 on its own. That's quite a lot for virtual furniture, especially when you don't get multiple to use. As the top comment under the Redditor's thread jokes, "Even in-game I can look at my neighbor and say, 'Damn, he has so much more money than me.'" What the f*** are these prices? from r/wow A separate post dubs the new housing items "a bit pricey" (although commenters say "a bit pricey is an understatement"), echoing the sentiment that, uh, yeah… eight bucks for a tree is certainly a choice. Elsewhere, another fan asks abruptly, "What the f*** are these prices?" Thankfully, Blizzard copped on to the complaints quickly, taking the decor down… only to put it all back up for a bit cheaper. The Spring Blossom Tree, for instance, is now $2.50 Even though, as someone so eloquently puts it in a different online thread, the prices got a "nerf," the decor is "still comically overpriced" to many. "Yeah, this is like… 5% better," a still-disappointed player admits. I'm not sure there's any winning myself, really – unless it all goes free, which is incredibly doubtful. Nonetheless, here's hoping Blizzard keeps fans' feedback in mind with its next optional release. 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"