Gaming

Roadside Picnic ends with one of science fiction’s most beautiful lines, a simple wish for happiness that still resonates more than 50 years later.

5h ago

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6 launch trailer dropped with just over a month until release. Here are some of the coolest details and most surprising moments.

8h ago

Steven Soderbergh is stepping in to help complete The Batman Part 2, starring Robert Pattinson, as questions remain about the DC sequel's release date

6h ago

From an 'incoherent mess' to the 'natural zenith of an arcade player’s imagination'

8h ago

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is one of the year's best games , blending remarkable visual style, impactful combat, and balletic traversal. Also, as a bonus, everybody is really hot. It's not excellent because everybody is hot, but it certainly doesn't hurt. In that regard, it's very reminiscent of Hades and its sequel, which figured out that if we're going to frequently see character portraits for dialogue, they may as well be easy on the eyes. Right off the bat you see Trevor Belmont and his daughter, Rose, disembarking in Paris. Trevor is a silver fox and Rose is a beautiful (if slightly terrifying) maiden. As you venture further into the castle, you find characters like the Zealot, Isaac--a goth prince if ever I saw one--and the Warrior, whose identity I won't spoil but let's just say will appeal to fans of tall, strong women. The Fallen, a corrupted beast of a man, isn't too bad to look at for those players who came of age with Beauty and the Beast. Even Medusa has a certain kind of weird beauty, if you're willing to look past the snakes. Do not look directly at the snakes. Castlevania: Belmont's Curse The best example of all this may be Carmilla, the blood witch vampiress who wears a slinky little red dress. It looks fashionable until you realize it's just thick rivulets of blood dripping off her body at all times. Gross! And yet. Hm. And don't even get me started on Dracula himself. When the lord of darkness finally appears, he makes the very attractive Trevor Belmont look like a schlubby dad by comparison. The character is often portrayed as a metaphor for temptation or lust and, having seen this depiction, look, I get it. The overall ratio of hotties is somewhat diminished by monstrous boss characters. There are definitely some members of Rose's tarot deck who aren't attractive or, well, human. The Brittle King, for example, is a roughly human-shaped thing made out of shards of stained glass. I'm not going to presume to say that won't appeal to anybody , but probably not most players, at least. For the most part, though, the human and humanoid characters in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse are remarkably, ridiculously good-looking, and that doesn't seem accidental. It's just one more way the game feels smooth and inviting in every aspect, and it's bound to inspire countless pieces of fan art.

9h ago

Street Fighter has long been more than just a fighting game. It’s impossible to discuss the most popular video game characters of all time without mentioning Chun-Li, Ryu, or Ken. For many of us, it shaped our '90s childhood at the arcade and served as our introduction to the fighting-game genre. It also has inspired multiple movies, comic books, an anime series and manga, on top of endless collaborations with other fighting game and comic book franchises. Street Fighter's massive popularity is also a curse when it comes to live-action video game adaptations: 1994's Street Fighter and 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li were poorly received, despite both films having big budgets and being hyped among fans. The franchise failing twice as live-action films was an embarrassment to Capcom, so it's no surprise fans would be concerned about a third attempt at creating a decent live-action film. When Kitao Sakurai was announced as the Street Fighter director, fans were both excited and concerned about him taking reins due to a history of working closely with Eric Andre. There was hope though, especially with the positive reception of a few other video game adaptations in the last few years: Perhaps the experience of Andre’s eccentric style of comedy could mean a more unconventional approach, similar to Zach Cregger’s approach with Resident Evil? Maybe the casting mix of Andre, pro wrestlers, martial artists, and, for some reason, podcaster Andrew Schulz could produce a very chaotic live-action comedy? Unfortunately, the questions around the movie's identity are ultimately what hurt the adaptation the most because, even with cartoonish action and plenty of attempts at humor, this Street Fighter movie doesn't really figure out what it is. As with many other adaptations of Street Fighter, Ken is rich and famous, but he is also a shell of the fighter he once was--Ryu's absence has clearly taken its toll. Noah Centineo encapsulates Ken’s flashy personality and inflated ego excellently, while showcasing his more fragile and sensitive side as he reminisces about his past life with Ryu. Meanwhile, Ryu is now living in the shadows as a homeless ramen chef. Andrew Koji as Ryu is also fantastic casting: His serious and noble demeanor, even when it comes to making terrible ramen, feels natural. The first act of Street Fighter is engaging thanks to its focus on Ken and Ryu’s relationship. Their individual personality quirks should have set the tone for the rest of the film, but sadly it starts to have an identity crisis when it transitions to the main plot. Don’t get me wrong--there are still many aspects of the film that capture the essence of the Street Fighter games: vibrant and thrilling fight scenes, cheesy dialogue, and some initially questionable casting choices that finally make sense after seeing the movie, especially Noah Centineo's Ken Masters. Street Fighter also immediately captivates you. Shortly after the Capcom logo hypes up the audience, the film transitions to a beautifully animated sequence that highlights the deep bond between Ryu and Ken. The animated sequences are the best Street Fighter has ever looked on screen, and luckily these scenes become a staple throughout the film to highlight the history between the two young fighters. Once the opening credits are over, the film continues to learn into '90s nostalgia with cool environments and oddly endearing comedic moments, as it depicts Ken living his life in 1993 without Ryu, his childhood rival and sworn brother who has been missing for years. Ken and Ryu’s last moment together was witnessing the death of their master, Gouken, by the deity Akuma, who was awakened by Ryu’s powers in the first World Warrior Tournament. Haunted by the death of their mentor and blaming himself for causing it, Ryu has disappeared from the fighting world. As with other movies based on fighting games, Street Fighter is in a rush to reach its core goal: Get Ryu and all the iconic characters to battle in the World Warrior Tournament. The rush never fully allows the audience to absorb the other characters and environment. This flaw could have been balanced with the proper tone and character focus, but Street Fighter fails to do so, doing the cast a disservice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6sbm1OaJb8&t=1s The biggest letdown is the dialogue, as the humor is inconsistent and the movie never fully understands its own tone. Some characters, like Chun-Li and Dan Hibiki, don't fully commit to their personalities, either. Perhaps it’s the juvenile scripting or a casting issue, but either way, it felt like I was watching amateur actors in poor cosplay rather than seeing well-realized versions of these characters coming to life on screen. At first, the cringeworthy interactions got a few laughs out of me and had some very minor endearing moments, but it tries too hard to keep that comedic momentum going and fails miserably. The film forces you to accept bad writing and performances to drive it forward instead of allowing any of the interactions to feel natural. Chun-Li’s character was the most disappointing to me. Her tragic backstory of avenging her father is already canon, which should’ve made it easier to adapt into a decent side plot with the right amount of tweaking, but instead she is incredibly flat and never fully fleshed out. Actor Callina Liang seems bored and uncomfortable throughout the entire film, even during her intense interactions with M. Bison and minor action moments. The writing and odd directional choices cater to the male gaze, making it obvious she was lazily written by a man. As one of the most capable and badass female characters in gaming, Chun-Li and, by extension, Callina Liang deserved better, and so did the fans. The dumbfounding casting and scripting choice for this film was Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki. When Street Fighter was first announced, there was an immense amount of backlash for the casting of Andrew Schulz--a controversial podcaster and stand-up comedian. I could go on about the drama surrounding Schulz’s audience, his racism, hot takes, comedic style, etc., but for the sake of our collective sanity, I'll just say his inability to portray Dan’s character with any competency is yet another reason to question why he has any involvement in the production. In Street Fighter canon, Dan is often portrayed as cocky and arrogant, while also being a bit inept as a fighter, yet in the movie his characterization is unclear--is he slimy or charismatic? Is he supposed to crack jokes, or just be an awkward friend? It’s also very odd how prevalent Dan is throughout the film, especially since he is without an arc or story to justify his frequent presence. The movie tries to sell you on a bond between Dan and Ken, but it’s a very uncomfortable friendship that never seems realistic or entertaining. The one vulnerable moment between them is immediately ruined by a weirdly homophobic joke--which, sadly, the film has a few of--and it comes off unsettlingly. In general, Dan and his casting are flat and uninspiring. The initial joy of '90s nostalgia also wears off pretty quickly. It was certainly a welcome choice to have '90s hits like Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” and 4 Non Blondes’ "What's Up?” feature on the soundtrack, but the movie goes on to then disregard the era the movie takes place in by blasting “Who Let the Dogs Out?,” a song that came out in 2000. While the film still remains pretty colorful, the lack of commitment to being period accurate undermines the vibe frequently. The only aspect of Street Fighter that maintains a consistent quality is the fight choreography. This film is not afraid to embrace the cartoony vibes and reference unique movesets: hurricane kicks left and right, the iconic Hadoken, Blanka’s Electric Thunders, Zangief’s spinning piledriver, and a few more are sprinkled throughout each fight. Although the action was a little more limited due to the PG-13 rating, I was still impressed with the over-the-top stunts and tonally varied fights--silly spats with gags, a John Wick-style club brawl, and a few unique 1v1 battles that closely resemble what you would see in a Street Fighter game. It’s also disappointing that a movie called Street Fighter fails to use its tournament structure for more individual fights between side characters. I would’ve loved to see Guile bust out some Sonic moves, or M. Bison doing anything other than complaining he needs more psycho power, but the film attempts to make up for it with a mix of impressive martial arts and campy action sequences elsewhere. Despite a PG-13 rating that limits the level of violence, the choreography team does fantastic work nevertheless. I just wish it had more Street Fighter style fights with different characters instead of being overshadowed by the goofy brawls you see in typical martial arts films. Street Fighter is full of goofy action, colorful shots, and gorgeous animated sequences that focus on the bond between Ryu and Ken. It’s entertaining for some silly, mindless fun, but also a very messy movie that never quite figures out its tone and fails to sell you on its plot or characters. This is the best Street Fighter live action we have as far though, but unfortunately that's not an accolade worth bragging about.

9h ago

Grand Theft Auto is a franchise that famously includes guns, but this big advertisement for it in Paris cut them out

9h ago

Welp, that was short lived. Earlier this month, Jagex made some big RuneScape announcements, namely that they're making a fourth version of the MMO (aptly, currently called RuneScape 4 ), but also the arrival of RuneScape Reignited, a new character type that would come with its own, new economy. The intention here seemingly was to bring new people in to breathe some life back into the game. This did not go down well with the old timers . And now, it's been flat out cancelled. Read more

10h ago

Operators with five guns and misspelled patches have fans shaking their heads

10h ago

But damn is it gonna cost you to get

10h ago

And it’s not one of those AI-generated mods that just slaps two games together and calls it a day

11h ago

Call of Duty testers have voted to authorise a union strike. The union, formed back in March of 2024, is made up of almost 600 quality assurance workers at Activision, and plan to strike if conditions at the publisher don't change. Read more

11h ago

The MCU is bringing mutants back into the fold in 2028

12h ago

The union has spent over two years trying to negotiate its first contract

12h ago

At E3 2009, Sony announced that it was partnering with Rockstar on a PlayStation-exclusive spy game called Agent , with Rockstar founders Sam and Dan Houser overseeing development. The game never materialized, though, and now Dan Houser has shared more details as to why. Speaking to IGN , Houser said Agent never coming out shouldn't be a total shock because he worked on "a bunch of games that never came out." He said Rockstar tried with two or three different teams to make Agent--an open-world spy game--but the teams just "could not get it right." "And it never came out. We concluded that it was not a game we were ever going to figure out how to make. Other people can try, but I personally think it's hard," he said. Great spy movies like the James Bond series work so well because they take viewers all over the world, but "that's not an experience in an open-world game that really works," Houser said. "So we tried lots of things and couldn't get it quite right," Houser said, going on to say that the teams built great elements but they never came together in a full package. Images of Agent, which was reportedly set in the '70s, have emerged over the years, showing off some of what Rockstar was planning. In 2009, then-Take-Two president Ben Feder told GameSpot that Agent was being positioned to be the next Grand Theft Auto . “It’s the A team working on an AAA title,” he said at the time. “I think the subject matter, the characters, the story, the environment, the background–all the elements are there. It’s such a rich environment to play in.” Across the industry, games get canceled regularly-- Blizzard has said it cancels 50% of the games it starts --but Rockstar's Agent got more traction because of the studio's profile. Rockstar never gave Agent a release date, but it would have followed up 2008's Grand Theft Auto 4. The next game that Rockstar North led development on after GTA 4 was 2013's GTA 5, and now Rockstar North is set to release GTA 6 on November 19.

12h ago

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is set for release on October 23, and in a big shakeup, it will not be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. This has been known for a while, but Activision is reminding people of this in a new blog post on the eve of the game's campaign early access on October 16. In fact, Activision has been warning people that MW4 is not on Game Pass for months now , so the blog post is just the latest example of this. Upon release, the only way to get MW4 is by purchasing it outright, starting at $70 for the base edition and scaling to $100 for the Vault edition. Game Pass subscribers will have to wait a year for MW4. When will MW4 come to Game Pass? Activision said MW4 will be available on Xbox Game Pass at some point at the end of next year, meaning it will be "windowed" as a standalone purchase for about one year. Why are new Call of Duty games no longer included with Game Pass? 2024’s Black Ops 6 was the first entry in the series to launch directly into Xbox Game Pass, with Black Ops 7 following the same playbook in 2025. However, Microsoft announced earlier this year that new Call of Duty titles would no longer debut in Game Pass , an announcement it made in conjunction with a price cut for the subscription service. Microsoft has never explicitly said why it made this major change, but it could have to do with lost sales. It was reported that Black Ops 6 coming to Game Pass in 2024 amounted to Microsoft missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue . That number has been debated, and it does not tell the whole story, but no doubt there was a financial impact that Microsoft is responding to. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is undertaking a "reset" of the Xbox business, and cutting new Call of Duty games from Game Pass is part of that. She is also trying to revive Xbox console exclusives , including a nuclear option . What other Call of Duty games are on Game Pass? Although Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can't play MW4 until next year, the catalog currently includes a bunch of older entries in the series. These include: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Call of Duty: WW2 Call of Duty: Vanguard Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)

12h ago

After a long and exciting early access journey, it's finally time for you to take back Embervale, Flameborn… Enshrouded 1.0 is coming October 15th to PC and Playstation 5! You are Flameborn, last ember of hope of a dying race. Awaken, survive the terror of a corrupting fog, and reclaim the lost beauty of your kingdom. Venture into a vast world, vanquish punishing bosses, build grand halls and forge your path in this co-op survival Action RPG for up to 16 players.

12h ago

I've been doing this whole games journalism for over five years now, and I've seen a lot of different kinds of games in that time. I've written about plenty of them too, with a fair few being plenty weird. But I'll admit that today's game is one that I do understand if I were to tell anyone I'm interested in playing who maybe isn't familiar with games as a whole, they'd probably talk to someone else at the party. You see, Urine Trouble: PEE V PEE is a competitive online game all about pissing literally everywhere, and trying not to get caught doing so. Read more

12h ago

Rockstar has finally given us the launch trailer for GTA 6 ahead of its November 19 release date, and it looks spectacular . This shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the developer has been honing its cinematic craft for decades now as it pushes the boundaries of what games are capable of. This 90-second extravaganza is no exception, with its stellar combination of sumptuous landscapes, fascinating characters, and an impressively detailed world. But if you’ll permit me to put our mounting anticipation aside for a second, this launch trailer also represents the next step in a long journey for Rockstar. Every single blockbuster it has released over the years, whether it be San Andreas or Red Dead Redemption 2, has acted as an exceptional example of what video games can be in the modern era. To celebrate the imminent arrival of GTA 6, let’s take a look back at Rockstar launch trailers of the past and how they’ve evolved over the years. Grand Theft Auto 3 (2001) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUi3davvBmM Nobody expected Grand Theft Auto 3 to revolutionize the medium when it first launched for PS2 back in 2001. The first two games were enjoyably chaotic romps with an incredible sense of attitude, but it wasn’t until the third core entry that Rockstar’s destiny changed forever. Even 25 years later, its release-date trailer is a confident glimpse into the pixelated grime of Liberty City. It was a living, breathing metropolis that dwarfed anything we’d seen in video games with a lead character in Claude who felt like he didn’t just exist in this world: He lived in it. There are few narrative scenes in the trailer itself, with the focus otherwise on pulling off sick handbrake turns in luscious cars or blowing away innocent pedestrians with sniper rifles. It is representative of where Rockstar--back then known as DMA Design--and its priorities sat at the time. Despite its archaic presentation at points, the editing remains top-notch and I can’t imagine watching this back in 2001 and not being blown away. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTxmx0SG0qU Coming just a year later, Vice City was a profound evolution of everything GTA 3 did well and then some. It had more style, more music, and more confidence in the crime experience it delivered. Even today, the atmosphere that drips from this game simply by going for a drive and switching on the radio is amazing. Toto’s "Africa" on the strip hits different. While Liberty City was an innovative open world, from a visual perspective it was dark, grey, and consistently industrial without a memorable aesthetic identity. Vice City is a different story, and the trailer is proof of how confident Rockstar can be with an audience of millions already signed up for the ride. Don’t get me wrong--there is still plenty of excessive violence, police chases, and cars flying across the screen, but it’s presented with a renewed philosophy that can still be seen in how Rockstar produces trailers to this day. It’s all about pulling viewers into its virtual worlds and showing what their own actions will soon inflict upon it. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOzcbtsw_pQ San Andreas marked the first time Grand Theft Auto trailers stopped focusing on what you can do in the open world and instead gave attention to characters and narrative, along with all the different regions this virtual take on California had to offer. Even today, it’s a huge world that begins in protagonist CJ’s run-down neighborhood before introducing us to Los Santos and beyond. Music also plays a pivotal role in setting the tone, as "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses slowly but surely builds tension until CJ is firing an RPG at helicopters before walking away from explosions like a badass. I haven’t played San Andreas in years, but rewatching this trailer and being hypnotized by the sun-drenched hues of fictional California makes me want to surrender myself to it all over again. Grand Theft Auto 4 (2008) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNyt1Y-7TTI This is when Rockstar started getting serious, or at the very least realized it was in a position to elevate the medium in terms of interactivity and storytelling. Beginning right as Nico Bellic steps off the boat and into the arms of his overbearing cousin, the trailer never once leaves his side. GTA 4 is Nico’s story, and Rockstar wants us to know how his first steps into Liberty City and the people he meets and grows close to will change who he is as a person. I love how we witness him simply walking the streets of Liberty City as a normal fellow who isn’t determined to shoot things up all the time. Things eventually escalate after we’re given brief windows into conversations with characters like Brucie and Playboy X before ending in a shower of epic explosions, but Nico always remains at the center. He is a man without any purpose in life who is unafraid to die for his family, and Rockstar used this as a foundation to tell what is arguably still the series’ most human story. Red Dead Redemption (2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o7rES_3ymA Red Dead Redemption might not belong to the Grand Theft Auto series, but the cowboy epic still saw Rockstar continue to evolve its cinematic presentation with more realistic characters and cutscenes that would naturally bleed into the future. The launch trailer provides a simple yet effective introduction into the game’s fading Wild West as John Marston narrates exactly how he ended up in this sticky situation. What I love most about it is how Rockstar begs the viewer to ask questions about who these characters are and what their relationship to Marston might be. It’s the first time we had ever seen most of them, yet the launch trailer helped cement outlaws like Dutch, Bill, and Javier into legend. Rockstar knew it had a gun-slinging masterpiece on its hands here, with Red Dead Redemption taking inspiration from countless cowboy classics only to soon become one in its own right. Grand Theft Auto 5 (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvoD7ehZPcM The launch trailer for GTA 5 is awfully similar to what Rockstar just dished out with GTA 6. It's a brief, stylish, and supremely confident glimpse into a boundary-breaking world with a cast of characters we’d grow to love and despise in equal measure. The studio knew it was about to release one of the biggest video games of all time, and even 13 years ago, we were following each new piece of pre-launch information with feverish anticipation. I remember watching breakdowns of the launch trailer picking out specific details in the open world or trying to figure out how the individual stories of Michael, Trevor, and Franklin would be connected. Graphically it seems a smidge antiquated by today’s standards, but by the standards of the time, it was unbelievable. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVRzx17WHVk And now we’ve arrived at the present day. Well, kinda. Video games take a really long time to make. Red Dead Redemption 2 was the last major project released by Rockstar, but as I rewatch the launch trailer, I’m convinced it could have come out yesterday. Arthur Morgan is the lead of a mature, introspective story about a society that is leaving the lawless times of mysterious outlaws behind. The weight of this era and everything our troubled hero is set to go through is conveyed immaculately in just a single minute. It also has the benefit of being a prequel to one of the best video games ever made, but as a consequence must make us warm to characters we know will eventually become our sworn enemies. Managing this alone is a monumental achievement, not to mention how this trailer made us want to spend hundreds of hours in a world we didn’t know much about. What blows me away most, though, is how GTA 6 still feels like a massive leap forward when it comes to visual and mechanical complexity, despite releasing during an era where so many other games are hitting an awkward technological plateau. Nobody does it like Rockstar, and GTA 6 once again feels poised to change gaming forever if it can stick the landing. In a decade’s time, I imagine we’ll be reminiscing about this launch trailer and precisely how it made us feel ahead of release. Only a month to go, so I’ll see you in Leonida!

12h ago

IO Interactive has announced the release date for 007 First Light's long-delayed Switch 2 version--March 18, 2027--and that's not all. People who preorder the game for Switch 2 are getting something no other platform has: a ridiculously oversized tie. Not just any ridiculously oversized tie, however. People who preorder First Light for Switch 2 get the GoldenEye Suit, and it includes the suit and tie that Pierce Brosnan wore in the famous 1995 movie, including the oversized tie. Brosnan wore a lot of suits in that movie, but the one being referenced here is the one with the oversized tie, which was the style at the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONqZeuZtbVE GoldenEye has a special history with Nintendo specifically, which may help explain why Switch 2 owners are getting this outfit and no one else is. After all, 1997's GoldenEye 007, which was based on the movie, is one of the most iconic N64 games of all time. First Light has been a big hit, critically and commercially, scoring great reviews and selling more than 4 million copies , and that's before the Switch 2 version even comes out. The Switch 2 version of First Light was supposed to launch alongside the other versions in May 2026, but was later delayed multiple times. IO said a combination of factors contributed to delays. In addition to the forthcoming Switch 2 version of First Light, IO is working on a new fantasy game. However, after Xbox pulled funding, IO laid off staff. Many also want to see IO work on the expected sequel to First Light , but no official announcements have been made.

14h ago

Ahead of the Street Fighter movie 's release this week, 2K Games has announced a new DLC pack for WWE 2K26 that lets you dress several WWE performers as Street Fighter action figures . You can make the likes of Rey Mysterio and The Rock look like oversized toys, and each version of the WWE star will also come equipped with Street Fighter-inspired moves like the Shinku Hadoken, Psycho Crusher, Spiral Arrow, Electric Thunder, and Shoryuken. Pricing hasn't been revealed yet, but generally, these character packs cost around $15. Available starting October 28 as a standalone purchase--and not included in any existing bundles or premium editions of the game--the WWE 2K26 X Street Fighter Elite Pack includes: The Rock "Final Boss" as M. Bison Rey Mysterio as Ryu Bianca Belair as Cammy Ultimate Warrior as Blanka Dominik Mysterio as Ken Strangely, there's no Cody Rhodes Street Fighter skin, which is kind of weird since he plays Guile in the movie and has even cosplayed as him at WWE live events. Additionally, the pack includes 15 Create-a-Superstar parts from several other Street Fighter characters: Akuma, Vega, and Chun-Li. Each Street Fighter skin is inspired by the Mattel Elite Collection WWE X Street Fighter figures, so this is merchandising taken to a new extreme. To paraphrase Danhausen, these are cursed . Reviews have also begun appearing online for Street Fighter, and on GameSpot's sister site Metacritic , the film has a "mixed or average" metascore of 46 from 19 reviews. Critics say that the movie's story is an absolute mess, and it's barely held together by several stylish fight scenes across its two-hour runtime. The movie isn't tracking well for its opening weekend either , as current estimates suggest that it could struggle to make a dent at the box office. At least popcorn bucket sales should be a hit.

14h ago

The increasing number of early access games always throws me off, because one day you're seeing an announcement of a game releasing, and then a while (normally years) later, you see another announcement for said game releasing. Feels like I'm in a constant Groundhog Day situation, probably not good for my sense of the passage of time. Anyway! Existentialism aside, after launching into early access almost three years ago, Enshrouded is now out in 1.0. Read more

14h ago

But her updated goth look is a vibe, though

14h ago

Following player backlash, Sega and Creative Assembly have yanked Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition from sale and have replaced it with the original 2011 version. First hitting digital shelves on October 13, this version of the beloved strategy game was advertised as having had a substantial facelift, but it wasn't long before players pointed out numerous issues with the game and the telltale sign of AI-upscaling. This has led to some bizarre makeovers, like a samurai's face merging with his helmet or extra fingers on character artwork. https://twitter.com/YoncleThinks/status/2110144099315785871 https://twitter.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2110158896107077737 https://twitter.com/RedKaiser555/status/2110269135297163537 "We're aware that Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition has fallen short of both your expectations and our own standards," Sega wrote in a statement that did not address the AI criticisms at all. "We've seen your feedback, comments, and reviews. We agree that the current experience is not where it needs to be." Fans have also taken to social media to show off legacy bugs that still haven't been addressed in this new edition, and Sega said that it's "working closely" with its "development partners" to identify and address these issues. Unsurprisingly, the game has an overwhelmingly negative rating on Steam currently, with over 81% of players urging people to give it a skip. "Horrific graphical bug makes the vegetation in battle map terrible to look at. There's no way to disable the vegetation," one oddly specific player review reads," amongst hundreds of other negative pieces of feedback. Players also weren't happy when Sega initially replaced the original Shogun 2 game with the remastered version, which has a price tag of $40. Upgrading from the classic to this version will cost you $10. The AI-upscaling is just the tip of the complaints-iceberg, as players have several other issues with Shogun 2. The new user interface has been criticized for its clunky design and plenty of new bugs have surfaced. This isn't the only game using generative AI that Sega is linked to, as for the upcoming Crazy Taxi: World Tour, generative AI was used to create background assets.

14h ago

The Power To The Players Act would put an end to digital game licenses

14h ago

The Mummy 4 has been titled The Mummy: Book of the Dead. It arrives in theaters exactly one year from today.

10h ago

It's not often one of the biggest games of all time gets a do-over. It's even rarer for a game to get a third attempt. But that, in many ways, is what World of Warcraft: Forever is. Developer Blizzard is pulling from 22 years of hindsight for what is the third major version of its landmark MMORPG, set to launch on November 4. That two-decade span includes not only the release of 11 WoW expansions, but also the re-release of the original WoW in 2019 and its subsequent "classic" expansions, as well. In the years since WoW Classic's launch, Blizzard has gone from "no changes" to "some changes," taking lessons learned from each Classic release and using them to inform their future work. With WoW: Forever, Blizzard is finally going beyond replicating history and is instead forging a new vision for its genre-defining MMO, even if that vision is one firmly rooted in the past. GameSpot recently had the chance to talk with Clay Stone, associate production director on WoW: Forever, and Holly Longdale, executive producer and VP for WoW, about how Blizzard approached making a "new" version of original WoW, its approach to Forever's endgame, and what players can expect from Forever's future. Exceeding Expectations From the outset, Stone said Blizzard wanted to "push the envelope" and make a big first impression with Forever that went beyond players' expectations. Players certainly had a lot of them. The idea of a new version of WoW Classic that preserved the original game's world but added new content is one that's been around for a long time, and with it all kinds of community ideas of what it should and shouldn't be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvueCoFTkCk&t That made it important for Blizzard to deliver not just what players wanted, but go even further, Stone said. Rather than just class-balance changes or the completion of some of WoW's original unfinished quests and zones, as many players likely expected, Blizzard instead went bigger. It created over 1,000 new quests, four new zones, thousands of new items, substantial class changes, multiple new gameplay systems, and even an unexpected playable race not seen in any other version of WoW, Skyborne elves. "I think that it was important for us to do this up front, to basically not have everything feel like, 'Oh, I predicted that …' and do that now rather than not do that and wait five years down the line," Stone said. Waiting years to bring a new race or other major additions would be too late, Stone said. "If there's an opportunity for us to take some bigger swings and some bigger risks up front, I think it sets us up much better for the long-term health of the game and figuring out ways for us to be able to create new surprises for players," he said. In fact, Blizzard originally planned even more new additions for Forever's launch. Stone said Blizzard scaled some of those plans back as the game got further into development and its announcement at BlizzCon 2026 loomed. Stone teased more new race and class combos than what are currently playable on the game's beta, as well as "more extreme" class changes as seen in WoW Classic's Season of Discovery, could be coming to Forever in the future. The addition of Undead Paladin is one of Forever's most exciting new class/race combos. Blizzard is "deliberately holding back just a little" on what's to come, he said. At BlizzCon, it announced a roadmap through Summer 2027 that included new raids, dungeons, and quests, as well as the launch of the game's "Hardcore" permadeath server. "As we got closer [to BlizzCon], I think we did start to get a lot smarter and go, 'Okay, let's go ahead and draw the line here. You know, this is a lot. This is great for launch.' But it also allows us to save some really good stuff in terms of new content, new dungeons, new raids--things like that--new race/class combos, for not that far after launch," Stone said. Staying On Azeroth What some of that new content will be is the subject of wild speculation among the game's passionate community. Stone was adamant the team is committed to "staying on Azeroth" and that there's "a lot of [existing] space [on the original world map] that we already know about and we have plans for." When asked if Forever would potentially take players to areas outside Azeroth's original two continents of Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms, including places seen in other WoW expansions, Stone said the world is a big place and that there are "other locations on Azeroth that are not necessarily Eastern Kingdoms or Kalimdor that we may want to go visit in the future." "I think that the creative constraint of telling ourselves we're going to stay on Azeroth has created some really cool and interesting creative opportunities for us to explore some places that perhaps players have seen before, and perhaps some places that they haven't seen before," he said. The Skyborne are a new playable race currently exclusive to Forever. As for what else the future may hold, Blizzard is already surveying the community on potential new classes , which raises the natural question of how Forever will be monetized going forward. The game is included as part of WoW's $15 monthly subscription, as has always been the case with WoW Classic, but for the first time Blizzard is charging $30 for a new race, the Skyborne. While previous WoW expansions have added new races and classes for a price, those expansions have also come with whole new worlds to explore and gameplay systems to master. In the case of the Skyborne, they do come with a new starting zone, but it's hardly an entire expansion's worth of new content. Longdale said charging for access to the Skyborne was an example of Blizzard "testing things out" and finding a way to "support the team and support the business" without adding "unnecessary barriers" for players accustomed to being able to play WoW Classic with their subscription. It's not necessarily a confirmed business model for how Blizzard will handle the addition of new content in the future, she said. It's also not an indication that Blizzard is planning on "throwing a bunch of new races" into the game, though she said there's "a lot of stuff on the table" when it comes to possibilities. "It's just something we're trying right now," Longdale said. "We'll see if players like it and if it's a reasonable model going forward." Launch Is Just The Start Even as players speculate about Forever's future, there are still plenty of unknowns pertaining to the game's launch. Players have only been able to reach level 30 in the game's beta, and there are still thousands of "secret" items in the game's files yet to be discovered. Forever's endgame raids will unlock on December 9 for those who have reached level 60 roughly a month after launch, but what those raids will entail, and the items hidden within them, is still a mystery. Unlike in original WoW, where items gained from subsequent raid tiers represented substantial leaps in player power, Stone said Blizzard is aiming to make power progression between raid tiers in Forever "as compact as possible" while still making new raids "fulfilling and desirable." He said one aspect about WoW Classic the Forever team loves is being able to find powerful, best-in-slot items from endgame dungeons or the world itself. Stone said there are "a lot of opportunities" for that tradition to continue in Forever, and that there are some "unannounced" ideas the team has that aim to keep content like dungeons relevant so that players will want to return to them. Combined with new additions like the Legacy system, an account-wide perk tree that rewards players for leveling up different classes, mastering new professions, and exploring the world, Stone said the intent is for it to never be too late to jump into Forever. "We want that answer with WoW Forever to be an emphatic no, it is never too late to start this game or to rejoin if you've stepped away for a bit," Stone said. Forever's new camping system encourages players to gather, socialize, and gain buffs. Even as Forever represents an alternate timeline for WoW and pushes ahead with new ideas, it still finds itself repeating history. Just as original WoW was rooted in the lore of Blizzard's Warcraft RTS games, so too is Forever, only this time it was Warcraft 3: Reforged's newly released Forsaken Kingdom campaign. The two projects actually began completely independently, Stone said, but it quickly became apparent there was an opportunity to tie the lore of the two games together. Blizzard knew it wanted to add Undead Paladins as a race and class combo in Forever, and so Forsaken Kingdom focused on telling the story of the first Forsaken Paladin while exploring the creation of an iconic location from WoW, the Undercity. "Everything that we're doing, we're starting from a place of canon," Stone said. "Everything that's come before as far as the Warcraft RTS games, the Forsaken Kingdom RTS expansion that we just released as well, everything starts from that." What's clear is that November 4 will merely be the start of another potentially decades-long game development journey for Blizzard, which will soon be operating two versions of WoW that are each receiving all-new content independent of one another. Where Forever ultimately ends up is still uncertain. After all, what we now call modern WoW first started as vanilla WoW 22 years ago, and is now radically different from what players first experienced in 2004. Trying to picture what Forever will be like if it similarly lasts 20 years is a fascinating thought experiment. "We hope that this game goes for 10, 20 years, for as long as players want to go on this journey with us, is essentially what we're saying," Stone said. "Potentially forever." WoW: Forever launches November 4 and will be playable with a monthly WoW subscription. Its beta will be live until October 21 , and is included as part of the $60 Skyborne Epic Pack or $80 WoW: Forever Collection, which additionally includes Warcraft 3: Reforged's Forsaken Kingdom campaign.

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